Recaps

Rōshi settled in the Land of Iron and improved his control over Lava Release while living as a wandering monk, but Obito, Kakuzu, and Zetsu ambushed him and captured him for the Four-Tails. In Iwagakure, Ōnoki ordered his forces to find Rōshi, unaware that Akatsuki had already taken him.

• Rōshi reflected on his departure from Iwagakure and helped villagers in the Land of Iron while training.
• Rōshi sensed a pursuer, lured the enemy into a secluded valley, and confronted Obito and Kakuzu.
• Rōshi activated Lava Release Chakra Mode, but Obito severed his arm while Kakuzu attacked with Water and Lightning Style.
• Zetsu restrained Rōshi with Wood Style, and Obito and Kakuzu defeated him before capturing him alive.
• Ōnoki ordered an Iwagakure search team to bring Rōshi back from the Land of Iron, then privately worried that something had happened to him.

Akatsuki sealed the Four-Tails and set its sights on Shukaku while Nagato admitted that he intended to return once Konan found a replacement. In January, Taichi’s students successfully sensed natural energy, and he began studying how they had managed it.

• Pain ordered Zetsu to locate Shukaku and assigned Akatsuki members to teams after the Four-Tails’ chakra opened one of the Demonic Statue’s eyes.
• Nagato reassured Konan that his assembled Six Paths could defeat Taichi, then agreed to return once she found a trustworthy replacement.
• Jiangtai rushed to Taichi’s courtyard with Yami and Itachi, announcing that all three had sensed natural energy.
• Taichi confirmed their achievement with his perception and learned that Jiangtai succeeded first, followed shortly by Yami and Itachi while they trained together.
• Taichi told the students to keep practicing until they could sense natural energy whenever they wished before starting the next stage.

Taichi broke through Advanced Meditation to Lv9 and gained a clearer perception of the pure Natural Energy beneath its chakra contamination, revealing a path toward permanent Sage Mode. Energized by the breakthrough, he headed to train his Advanced Taijutsu while Tsunade continued sneaking drinks.

• After seeing off his three disciples, Taichi left the courtyard lounge chair and began meditating in his room.
• Taichi's meditation reached Lv9, and his soul briefly left his body, allowing him to perceive pure Natural Energy and understand why Sage Mode training was dangerous.
• Taichi returned to his body with a deeper connection to Natural Energy and realized that further spiritual development could make Sage Mode permanent.
• Taichi checked the panel, saw that his Spirit had increased, and hurried to train his Advanced Taijutsu.
• At Konoha Hospital, Tsunade shivered again, wondered if her condition had declined, and decided to take another sip.

After three days of civil war, Katsuya Otsutsuki’s clan was reduced to eighty-five survivors, and he learned that his wife had died protecting Toneri. The survivors discovered that every woman in their clan was dead, but one elder reminded them that another branch of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline still lived on the ground.

• Katsuya Otsutsuki and the Branch Family fought the Main Family in a civil war that devastated the lunar clan within three days.
• Katsuya learned that only eighty-five clanspeople remained, his son Toneri had survived, and his wife had died protecting Toneri.
• The surviving elders ordered the collection of fallen clanspeople’s Byakugan to accelerate construction of the Giant Tenseigan.
• Katsuya found no women listed among the survivors, and the elders despaired that their bloodline would end.
• A young elder reminded the survivors that another branch of the Ōtsutsuki bloodline still lived on the ground.

Taiichi broke through to Lv9 Advanced Taijutsu and tested his greatly increased physical abilities. Meanwhile, Yuto Otsutsuki sought the Hyuga Clan's cooperation, but his arrogance and demands provoked their distrust, and his covert use of the Byakugan drew attention from both Taiichi and Hyuga Hiashi.

• Taiichi reached Lv9 Advanced Taijutsu, gaining Constitution, Strength, and Agility, then demonstrated his new power with a punch that shattered a training dummy and a burst of speed.
• Yuto Otsutsuki told Hyuga Hiashi and the clan elders that his moon-dwelling clan descended from Hamura Otsutsuki and sought people and cooperation against an enemy from beyond the heavens.
• Yuto Otsutsuki insulted the Hyuga as a surface branch and described their people as vessels, prompting Hyuga Hiashi to end the meeting.
• Hyuga Zongyan proposed that Yuto Otsutsuki prove his claims, demonstrate his clan's Byakugan knowledge, and allow the Hyuga to visit the moon before they considered cooperation.
• Yuto Otsutsuki considered approaching the Branch Family by exploiting their resentment over the Caged Bird Curse Mark, while Taiichi sensed his Byakugan sweeping across the village.
• Hyuga Hiashi noticed Yuto Otsutsuki using the Byakugan inside the Hyuga residence and suspected that their guest would not behave himself.

Hizashi told Hiashi that Yuto Otsutsuki had tried to recruit him to overthrow the Main Family, and Hiashi and Great Elder Hyuga Zongyan agreed the threat required the village’s intervention. Hiashi reported Yuto to Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze, who recognized the gravity of the Otsutsuki name.

• Hizashi told Hiashi that Yuto had approached him secretly and tried to turn the Branch Family against the Main Family with promises of freedom from the Caged Bird Seal.
• Hiashi ordered Hizashi not to contact Yuto again and decided to involve the village because Yuto had also warned of an enemy from beyond the heavens.
• Hiashi informed Great Elder Hyuga Zongyan of Yuto’s actions, and Zongyan agreed that the Hyuga Clan should report the matter to the Hokage.
• Hiashi went to the Hokage Building and told Minato Namikaze that Yuto Otsutsuki threatened the Hyuga Clan and might endanger Konoha.
• Minato tightened his grip on his pen when he heard Yuto’s name and that he had come from the moon.

Hyuga Hiashi told Minato, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Taiichi Matsushita that Yuto Otsutsuki had come from the moon to interfere with the Hyuga Clan. After revealing Konoha’s secret knowledge of the Celestial Otsutsuki, they agreed to capture Yuto and interrogate him, leaving Taiichi ready to act.

• Hiashi warned Minato that Yuto Otsutsuki, an envoy from the moon, intended to split the Hyuga Clan and seize its Byakugan bloodline.
• Minato summoned Hiruzen Sarutobi and Taiichi Matsushita, then let Hiashi explain Yuto’s actions and the threat from the moon branch.
• Minato disclosed that Celestial Otsutsuki were aliens from the stars and that Taiichi had killed Urashiki Otsutsuki in Rōran.
• The group struggled to plan against the unknown forces on the moon until Taiichi urged them to capture Yuto and obtain intelligence from him.
• Minato ordered Hiashi to lead the way and Taiichi to capture Yuto alive if possible, and Taiichi said he had already noticed Yuto spying on the village.

Taiichi swiftly defeated Yuto Otsutsuki in the Hyuga compound and left Hiashi to arrange his capture and interrogation. Back in his quiet room, Taiichi advanced his swordsmanship, created a chakra blade with changeable attributes, and headed to the Hokage Building to confront Kakashi.

• Yuto Otsutsuki insulted Taiichi and the Hyuga, so Taiichi knocked him unconscious and broke his arm with a single attack.
• Taiichi sealed Yuto's chakra pathways and told Hyuga Hiashi to send him to the Anbu Interrogation Division, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave.
• Taiichi reached Level 9 Advanced Swordsmanship, increasing his Strength and Agility, and worried that his growing power would make ordinary swords unusable.
• Taiichi created a Chakra Light Blade that could change its elemental attributes, but discovered that maintaining it consumed large amounts of chakra.
• Taiichi left for the Hokage Building, intending to teach Kakashi a lesson for his sour attitude during the Anbu assignment.

Taichi Matsushita cornered Kakashi after tracking him near the Hokage Building, and Kakashi challenged him to spar at the training ground. The two emerged hours later battered in very different ways, with Kakashi delighted that he had landed a punch and Taichi glowering over his faint bruise.

• Taichi waited near the Hokage Building and caught Kakashi leaving through a side entrance.
• Taichi stopped Kakashi from escaping and teased him about his recent swordsmanship breakthrough.
• Kakashi grabbed Taichi and insisted they go to the training ground for an immediate spar.
• The Nine-Tails appeared on Taichi’s shoulder, exposed Kakashi’s desire to punch Taichi, and then left.
• Taichi and Kakashi fought for hours at the secluded training ground.
• Villagers saw Taichi supporting a badly bruised Kakashi, who happily bragged that he had landed a punch, while Taichi wore a dark expression over a faint bruise.

After learning that the Moon Otsutsuki Clan guarded a mysterious lunar seal, Taiichi accepted a mission to investigate the moon. He found the secret passage in a forest cave and began examining its spatial formation.

• Minato told Taiichi, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Hyuga Hiashi that the Moon Otsutsuki Clan descended from Hamura Otsutsuki, had been weakened by civil war, and guarded a seal on the moon.
• Taiichi recommended scouting the moon before deciding how to respond, and Minato gave him Yuto Otsutsuki’s route to the passage.
• Taiichi prepared to leave for the moon, and the Nine-Tails insisted on joining him after admitting he had been drinking Tsunade’s wine.
• Taiichi traveled to a hidden cave in the Land of Fire and used his chakra perception to examine the passage’s outer field.
• Taiichi gained Sealing Jutsu experience from studying the spatial formation, then entered the cave with the Nine-Tails.

Taiichi Matsushita and the Nine-Tails crossed the space-time passage to the moon, where Taiichi swiftly defeated the Otsutsuki guards and discovered a magnificent hidden world inside the lunar core. As Taiichi studied its spatial construction, a large force of Otsutsuki approached to confront the intruders.

• Taiichi and the Nine-Tails entered the emerald space-time passage and emerged on the moon, where two Otsutsuki guards raised the alarm.
• The Otsutsuki guards ordered their Puppets to attack Taiichi, who destroyed the attackers and knocked both guards unconscious.
• Taiichi and the Nine-Tails left the cavern and found a lush inner world with oceans, forests, and an artificial sun.
• Taiichi used his Chakra Perception to examine the hidden world's spatial construction and improved his Sealing Jutsu.
• The Nine-Tails spotted at least two hundred Otsutsuki approaching across the horizon.

Taiichi repelled repeated Otsutsuki attacks on the moon, destroying their puppets and leaving their forces badly wounded before the assaults ended. Back in Konoha, Tsunade discovered her wine cellar emptied and realized she had drunkenly fed her wine to the Nine-Tails.

• Taiichi destroyed the first Otsutsuki force with Wind Style and let its two survivors escape so they could report back.
• Taiichi defeated five successive waves of Otsutsuki and puppets over three days, while the Nine-Tails watched from his shoulder.
• Tsunade returned to Konoha after perfecting Targeted Cell Induction Repair Technology with Orochimaru and receiving praise from Sarutobi and Minato.
• Tsunade found her private wine cellar empty and asked Mizuki who had been inside.
• Mizuki said the Nine-Tails had spent time in the cellar, and Tsunade remembered getting drunk and making him drink her wine.

Tsunade learned that Taiichi and Nine-Tails had left on a secret mission, while the surviving Otsutsuki debated how to respond to the threat below. Taiichi flew toward the artificial sun at the heart of the Moon Core World, but its defenses stopped him just short of reaching it.

• Tsunade panicked when Mizuki told her that Taiichi had taken Nine-Tails on a top-secret mission, and she retreated to her room in despair.
• Otsutsuki Katsuya told the clan’s thirty-one surviving members to wait for their enemy, make one final counterattack with the Giant Tenseigan, and surrender if it failed.
• Katsuya reflected that the Otsutsuki had been defeated through arrogance and their failure to understand the Ninja World.
• Taiichi decided to investigate the artificial sun, while the bored Nine-Tails complained about their prolonged stay in the Moon Core World.
• Taiichi flew toward the sun with Nine-Tails on his shoulder, but an invisible defensive barrier stopped him about a hundred meters from its surface.

Taiichi broke through the barrier around the lunar core and fought Otsutsuki Katsuya’s forces alongside the Nine-Tails. After their defenses collapsed, Katsuya offered the clan’s texts and the Giant Tenseigan as stakes in a final duel, threatening to destroy them if Taiichi refused.

• Taiichi found the barrier’s core node, pierced it with a sealing formula, and shielded himself and the Nine-Tails from the energy released through the breach.
• Taiichi entered the lunar core world and faced Otsutsuki Katsuya and the remaining clan members, who refused his demand to surrender and ordered their puppets to attack.
• Taiichi used water techniques to deflect the puppet fire and counterattack, but Katsuya fired a silver storm from the Giant Tenseigan that destroyed the water sphere.
• Taiichi and the Nine-Tails fought back against the puppets and gun emplacements, and Taiichi stopped the Nine-Tails from attacking the clansmen by threatening to tell Tsunade about its insults and stolen alcohol.
• After the lunar defenses fell, Katsuya offered the clan’s texts and the Giant Tenseigan as stakes in a one-on-one fight, warning that he could make the Tenseigan self-destruct.

Taiichi fought Otsutsuki Katsuya after accepting his challenge, with the loser’s clan and treasures at stake. Taiichi defeated Katsuya, secured the Otsutsuki clan’s submission to Konoha, and discovered that the Giant Tenseigan’s core was intact but depleted.

• Otsutsuki Katsuya challenged Taiichi to a final duel, wagering his clan’s submission and its secrets, records, and Giant Tenseigan if he lost.
• Katsuya sacrificed his blood to the Giant Tenseigan, which empowered him with a pale green Chakra cloak and restored his severed arm as an energy limb.
• Taiichi activated Yin Seal: Release and Sage Mode, then fought Katsuya in the air as their clashes damaged Taiichi’s Short Sword.
• Taiichi formed a platinum-white Chakra blade, cut through Katsuya’s attacks, and gained the upper hand until Katsuya’s Tenseigan Mode ran out and he fell.
• Taiichi caught Katsuya, who conceded, then examined the Giant Tenseigan and found its core undamaged but drained of energy.

Taiichi secured the Moon Otsutsuki Clan’s surrender, sealed the Giant Tenseigan, and offered the wounded treatment in Konoha. Meanwhile, Shizune grew alarmed by Tsunade’s uncharacteristic discipline and discovered that Tsunade was keeping everyone at a distance; the chapter ended with Tsunade scolding Shizune for idling.

• Taiichi made Otsutsuki Katsuya surrender the clan’s scrolls and research, then sealed the Giant Tenseigan to prevent unauthorized access while helping it recover energy.
• Taiichi ordered Katsuya and three clansmen to return to Konoha with him, and offered medical treatment there for the clan’s gravely wounded.
• Katsuya accepted Taiichi’s offer and resolved to atone for his failures, while Taiichi explained to the Nine-Tails that treating the wounded through Konoha would earn the clan’s gratitude.
• Mizuki told Shizune that Tsunade had spent several nights silently watching the moon and had become unusually calm and work-focused.
• Shizune visited Tsunade at the hospital and confirmed that she refused help and kept working, then stayed close to her the following day to investigate.
• Tsunade criticized Shizune for neglecting missions and her Medical Ninjutsu training.

Shizune grew alarmed by Tsunade’s sudden change in behavior, and Orochimaru suspected she was restraining herself from drinking. Meanwhile, Taiichi returned to Konoha with the Moon Otsutsuki Clan, whose arrival forced the village leaders to confront the question of their settlement and Hyuga Hiashi’s role.

• Shizune reported Tsunade’s drastic personality change to Minato, and Hiruzen asked Orochimaru to investigate.
• Orochimaru watched Tsunade refuse to drink wine and later told Hiruzen she was probably quitting drinking and reflecting on herself.
• Taiichi led the wounded Moon Otsutsuki Clan toward Konoha, where Minato’s emergency permit allowed them to enter after lengthy procedures began.
• Minato welcomed Otsutsuki Katsuya and promised Konoha would treat the wounded and restore missing limbs.
• After Katsuya left the Hokage’s Office, the leaders turned their attention to Hyuga Hiashi.

Hiashi hesitated to change the Hyuga Clan's Caged Bird seal after the Ōtsutsuki Clan arrived with the same Kekkei Genkai, while Taiichi urged him to make the seal protective rather than lethal. Minato sent Taiichi to investigate Tsunade's strange behavior, and Taiichi found her treating injured Ōtsutsuki with an unnervingly gentle smile.

• Hiashi told Minato he needed to consult the Hyuga elders before deciding how to respond to the Ōtsutsuki Clan's Byakugan.
• Taiichi suggested removing the Caged Bird seal's power over life and death, and Hiashi promised to bring the proposal to his clan.
• Minato and Hiruzen told Taiichi that Tsunade had become unusually quiet and proper, so Taiichi agreed to visit her at Konoha Hospital.
• Nine-Tails admitted he had drunk Tsunade's liquor, and Taiichi suspected the fox was responsible for her change in behavior.
• Taiichi learned that Tsunade was treating severely injured Ōtsutsuki patients and saw her smiling gently at Katsuya, prompting him to suspect she was seriously ill.

Taiichi and Tsunade treated the wounded Moon Otsutsuki Clan members while Taiichi watched Tsunade’s unusual restraint with concern. Meanwhile, Hyuga Hiashi’s clan voted to change the Caged Bird Seal and welcome the Ōtsutsuki Clan, then asked Minato for help modifying it.

• Tsunade welcomed Taiichi and the Nine-Tails at Konoha Hospital, then joined Taiichi in performing five surgeries as the Nine-Tails fled.
• Taiichi noticed Tsunade avoiding her usual gambling den and liquor, and later found her meditating in the courtyard.
• Hyuga Hiashi and the elders debated how to handle the Moon Otsutsuki Clan, and the Great Elder, Third Elder, and Hiashi voted to modify the Caged Bird Seal and admit the clan.
• Hiashi told Minato that the Hyuga Clan had lost the expertise and records needed to modify the seal.
• Minato promised that he, Orochimaru, and Taichi Matsushita would provide technical help while leaving the Hyuga Clan in charge of the research.

Akatsuki learned that Konoha had taken in the Moon Otsutsuki Clan and decided to use the news to stir hostility among the great shinobi villages while speeding up its Tailed Beast plan. In Konoha, Katsuya agreed to merge his clan into the Hyuga under protective terms, and Minato and Hiruzen then asked Taiichi to summon Tsunade so they could confront her about her strange behavior.

• Zetsu told Pain and Obito that Konoha had taken in Hamura Otsutsuki's Byakugan-wielding descendants, and Obito proposed portraying the move as forced annexation.
• Pain ordered Zetsu to spread and exaggerate the story among the four great shinobi villages, then told Obito to accelerate recruitment for the Tailed Beast collection plan.
• Minato proposed merging the Moon Otsutsuki Clan into the Hyuga, and Katsuya accepted after Minato promised changes to the Caged Bird seal and positions for his clansmen.
• Minato and Hiruzen questioned Taiichi about Tsunade's unusually diligent and stable behavior, and Taiichi suggested speaking with her directly.
• Minato and Hiruzen agreed and asked Taiichi to bring Tsunade to the Hokage's Office.

Taiichi and Minato sent Tsunade out on a field mission to keep her from burying herself in work, while Hiruzen realized they had helped her escape for a break. As Konoha's team began taking a larger role in improving the Hyuga Caged Bird, news of the Otsutsuki clan from the moon reached Kumogakure, prompting Raikage A to call for diplomatic pressure on Konoha and an investigation into the leak.

• Tsunade insisted she had reformed, so Taiichi and Minato arranged an intelligence-gathering mission that she eagerly accepted and left the village to perform.
• After a week of receiving formal mission reports but no sign of Tsunade, Hiruzen realized Taiichi and Minato had helped her get away and complained about being tricked.
• Minato, Taiichi, Orochimaru, and Otsutsuki Katsuya took a deeper role in improving the Caged Bird after the Hyuga clan discovered that most of its research materials were missing.
• Fourth Raikage A learned that Konoha had brought an Otsutsuki clan from the moon into the village and ordered Mabui to seek a joint diplomatic protest and trace the intelligence's source.

As rumors that Konoha planned to use the Tenseigan to conquer the Ninja World spread, Konoha’s leaders learned the truth about the Giant Tenseigan and debated how to respond. Taiichi identified Akatsuki as the likely source and urged Konoha to redirect the other villages’ fear toward Akatsuki and its Rinnegan, leaving Minato to order a campaign to expose the organization.

• Zetsu spread a rumor that Konoha could evolve the Byakugan into the Tenseigan and use it to unite the Ninja World, prompting the other villages to fall silent.
• Katsuya Otsutsuki told Konoha’s leaders that his experience with the Giant Tenseigan and Pseudo-Tenseigan Mode showed its power far exceeded ordinary Kage Level.
• Taiichi explained that the Moon Otsutsuki Clan had never produced a true Tenseigan and that the Giant Tenseigan was an immobile weapon tied to the Moon Core World.
• Minato ordered Katsuya and Hiashi to keep information about the Giant Tenseigan secret, while Homura reported that the other villages had grown suspiciously quiet.
• Taiichi identified Akatsuki as the likely source of the rumor and argued that the organization’s real Rinnegan and plans to collect Tailed Beasts posed a greater threat.
• Minato ordered Homura to work with the Intelligence Department to spread everything Konoha knew about Akatsuki to the other villages and underground powers.

Konoha’s disclosure of Akatsuki’s Rinnegan and Tailed Beast plans alarmed the Ninja World and prompted Ōnoki to order intelligence gathering. At Akatsuki’s base, Konan introduced Konoha defector Hiruko as a potential recruit, but Hiruko mistook the group’s absence for rejection and angrily confronted her.

• Ōnoki read Konoha’s report about Akatsuki and ordered Rock Ninja on outside missions to gather intelligence, especially about Pain and the Rinnegan.
• Obito berated Zetsu for revealing details about the Tenseigan, while Pain remained silent as Akatsuki’s exposure drew attention from the villages.
• Konan told Pain she had found a new recruit, Hiruko, and Pain assigned him to team up with Kakuzu without asking for more details.
• Obito questioned Hiruko’s strength, so Konan offered to let the others assess him and went to bring him from a nearby forest.
• Hiruko waited with Kakuzu, then grew furious when Konan returned alone and accused Akatsuki of dismissing him without a chance to prove himself.
• Konan calmly asked Hiruko whether he truly had not noticed at all.

Hiruko demonstrated his Steel Release to Akatsuki, but Kakuzu defeated him; Pain accepted Hiruko for his Chimera Technique research and assigned him to Kakuzu’s team. On the way back to base, Nagato told Konan that Zetsu’s actions had made Akatsuki a target, so they might need to lie low until the danger passed.

• Konan revealed Pain, Obito, and Zetsu, and Pain ordered Kakuzu to test Hiruko’s strength.
• Hiruko used Steel Release to withstand Kakuzu’s firestorm, but Kakuzu wore down his defenses and defeated him with Lightning Style: False Darkness.
• Pain asked Hiruko to explain his research, and Hiruko described how the Chimera Technique could fuse stolen Kekkei Genkai.
• Pain recognized Hiruko’s research, gave him the Kuuchin ring, and assigned him to partner with Kakuzu, whose codename was Hokuto.
• Kakuzu welcomed Hiruko as his new partner, while Pain and Konan returned to base and discussed Zetsu’s actions and Akatsuki’s need to lie low.

Taiichi successfully removed Hizashi Hyuga’s Caged Bird Seal and replaced it with a protective mark, prompting the Hyuga Clan to abolish the old seal and begin reforms. The Uchiha elders debated matching the Hyuga’s changes, and Fugaku persuaded them to accelerate reform by warning them of Taiichi’s immense strength.

• Taiichi removed Hizashi’s Caged Bird Seal and applied the new protective mark, which left his Byakugan unaffected.
• Hiashi announced that the Hyuga Clan would abolish the Caged Bird Seal, and Taiichi began removing old seals from ten members a day.
• The Hyuga Clan celebrated as Main Family and Branch Family members received the new mark together.
• Fugaku and the Uchiha elders discussed the Hyuga reforms, and Fugaku argued that the Uchiha should speed up their own changes.
• Fugaku told the elders that Taiichi’s strength was approaching Madara Uchiha’s and described his use of Shadow Clones, prompting the Second and Third Elders to accept faster reform.