Recaps

Kuro approved Mei Terumi’s mission and sent her off with precautions, hiding his true intentions behind heartfelt encouragement. Once alone, he looked forward to exploring a Warring States-era Uzumaki Clan ruin near Mist Harbor, feeling newly secure in his strength.

• Mei Terumi urged Kuro to let her take the mission, arguing that risk was necessary to help the Mist Village.
• Kuro agreed and delivered an impassioned speech praising Mei Terumi as a hero, moving her to tears.
• Mei Terumi said she had prepared for the mission, and Kuro warned her to leave if she encountered trouble and promised to protect the Mist Village while she was away.
• Mei Terumi bowed to Kuro and left, while Kuro dropped his warm facade once she was gone.
• Kuro reflected on the overlapping plans and anticipated exploring the Uzumaki Clan ruin near Mist Harbor, calling it archaeology rather than grave robbing.

Mei Terumi waited at Mist Harbor to meet Uchiha Kuro for an important mission, but his lateness, casual outfit, and shameless teasing provoked her. Kuro finally pretended to recognize her, ending their reunion with Mei poised to attack him.

• Mei Terumi waited at Mist Harbor and worried that the late contractor might be unreliable.
• Uchiha Kuro appeared beside Mei without being detected, startling her and showing off his vacation-like outfit.
• Mei confronted Kuro about being late, and he claimed he had gotten lost in life before denying that he had been eating.
• Kuro called Mei a beautiful stranger and mocked the idea that she was the Mei Terumi he remembered.
• Mei identified herself and threatened to kill Kuro for insulting her and the Mist Village.
• Kuro suddenly exclaimed that he recognized Mei, leaving her frozen with a Hand Seal as their reunion ended.

Uchiha Kuro and Mei Terumi met at a busy harbor restaurant to discuss a job, but Kuro warned that Mei's behavior could attract thieves and other criminals. He explained that ordinary people in the restaurant might target anyone who appeared to be conducting business, and Mei was left considering his warning.

• Kuro ate three bowls of seafood ramen and praised the restaurant while Mei Terumi watched in disbelief.
• Mei reminded Kuro that they had come to discuss the job, and Kuro agreed before warning her to act like an ordinary tourist.
• Kuro tricked Mei into searching the restaurant for a hidden threat, then explained that he meant ordinary criminals rather than a powerful ninja.
• Kuro told Mei that criminals watched customers to identify potential victims and that sitting without eating could make them look like easy targets.

Kuro’s remarks about Konoha’s education and Mist Village’s brutal, low-paid missions made Mei Terumi confront the village’s dependence on gray-area work and the dilemma of changing its bloody system. She renewed her resolve to work with Shiina Sora to give Mist Village’s children more choices, while Kuro silently watched her.

• Kuro warned Mei Terumi that dealing with the would-be robbers could jeopardize their covert mission and contrasted Konoha’s education with Mist Village’s training.
• Mei Terumi reflected on how Mist Village’s mission economy and survival-of-the-fittest education had led to the Village of the Bloody Mist.
• Mei Terumi wondered how the village could abandon its reliance on gray-area missions and still compete for contracts.
• Mei Terumi put her faith in Shiina Sora and resolved to work with him so Mist Village’s children could choose their own paths.
• Kuro watched Mei Terumi in silence as the restaurant’s noise and the steam between them filled the pause.

At a restaurant in Mist Harbor, Mei Terumi and Uchiha Kuro joked over ramen before discussing their mission. Mei revealed their destination was the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools, once destroyed in a secret attack involving the Mist Village.

• Mei Terumi started to thank Uchiha Kuro for his mission reminder, but Kuro ordered more ramen and charged it to her tab.
• Kuro admitted he had hoped Mei would say she could not eat two bowls, and she angrily called him a bastard.
• Mei Terumi enjoyed the ramen and said she wanted to bring Sora there after the mission.
• Mei Terumi shifted the conversation to the mission and explained they would leave the Land of Water for an island southwest of it.
• Mei Terumi revealed their destination was the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools and watched Uchiha Kuro's reaction because of Konoha's past alliance with the country.

Mei Terumi and Kuro prepared to travel to the Land of Whirlpools, while Mei kept the mission’s purpose secret. Their departure was interrupted when Jiraiya appeared at the restaurant and recognized Kuro.

• Kuro questioned why the Mist Village was going to the ruined Land of Whirlpools, and Mei admitted the mission was not to find an Uzumaki Clan member.
• Mei refused to reveal the mission’s details until they reached the ruins and explained why she believed Kuro would not betray her.
• Kuro and Mei traded barbs before Mei hurried them out, worried they would miss something important.
• Jiraiya entered the restaurant drunk, but quickly became alert when he noticed Kuro.
• Jiraiya recognized Kuro and called his name, leaving Kuro wary of the unexpected encounter.

Thirteen years earlier, Jiraiya met Uchiha Kuro after Minato credited the boy with helping him solve a problem in his new jutsu. In the present, Jiraiya remembered their first meeting and greeted the grown Kuro, who responded cautiously.

• Jiraiya learned from Minato that Kuro had inspired the double-helix theory for developing a jutsu without hand signs.
• Kuro modestly explained that an anecdote about twisting his neighbor's cowlicks into horns had sparked Minato's idea.
• Minato asked Jiraiya to help Kuro join the jutsu research, and Jiraiya agreed after Kuro offered him a magazine.
• Jiraiya realized Kuro and Minato had maneuvered him into agreeing to speak with the Hokage and the Uchiha Clan.
• Jiraiya returned from his memory and remarked on how much Kuro had grown, while Kuro greeted him as Lord Jiraiya with a grave, wary expression.

Uchiha Kuro confronted Jiraiya over refusing to acknowledge him as a student and ignoring his urgent letters seven years earlier. Kuro recalled how Jiraiya’s absence left Konoha vulnerable during the Nine-Tails Incident, and the chapter ended with his memories of watching the disaster unfold helplessly.

• Jiraiya recognized Kuro and bitterly recalled that Kuro used to call him Teacher Jiraiya, while Mei Terumi realized they had a teacher-student connection.
• Kuro accused Jiraiya of distancing himself because Kuro was an important Uchiha, and Jiraiya fell silent under the accusation.
• Kuro reminded Jiraiya that he had sent urgent letters asking him to return before the Nine-Tails Incident, but Jiraiya had never come back.
• Kuro remembered how he had hoped Jiraiya’s return could prevent the disaster, save Minato, and perhaps keep Obito from turning against Konoha.
• Kuro recalled learning that Jiraiya had received his letters but still did not respond, then watching the Nine-Tails ravage Konoha while he was powerless to help.

Uchiha Kuro and Mei Terumi encountered Jiraiya, prompting Kuro to arrange a private conversation while Mei weighed the diplomatic risks. Mei decided to trust Kuro and agreed to let him speak with Jiraiya alone.

• Kuro briefly lost his composure at seeing Jiraiya, then hid his reaction behind his usual carefree act.
• Kuro asked Jiraiya to talk privately and told Mei to wait at the port, giving her a plan to follow if he did not return within half an hour.
• Mei rejected the idea of confronting Jiraiya together because their poor coordination and her official status could expose her secret mission and cause a diplomatic crisis.
• Kuro assured Mei that he was strong enough to handle Jiraiya without creating a major disturbance.
• Jiraiya asked whether Mei objected to his private conversation with Kuro, and Mei agreed.

Kuro encountered Jiraiya in Mist Harbor and suspected the Akatsuki was using their meeting to mislead him. Jiraiya asked Kuro to return to Konoha, then revealed his plan to investigate the Uchiha Clan Massacre and become the Fifth Hokage.

• Kuro walked through Mist Harbor with Jiraiya and suspected Nagato was secretly watching them and using their encounter to distract Jiraiya.
• Kuro reflected on his strained history with Jiraiya and wondered whether their relationship had ever been as close as he believed.
• Jiraiya asked Kuro to reconsider and return to Konoha, surprising him.
• Kuro challenged Jiraiya over Konoha's role in the Uchiha Clan Massacre and accused him of asking a rogue ninja to return to a village that had betrayed the Uchiha.
• Jiraiya admitted that someone in Konoha's High Command had deliberately caused the massacre and said he would investigate the truth and bring the mastermind to justice.
• Jiraiya asked Kuro to trust him and declared that he would return to Konoha as its Fifth Hokage.

Jiraiya confessed his regrets and asked Kuro to return to Konoha with him so he could become Fifth Hokage and change the village. Kuro respected Jiraiya’s resolve but refused to return.

• Kuro was shocked when Jiraiya said he intended to return to Konoha, investigate the Uchiha Clan Massacre, confront the village’s higher-ups, and become Fifth Hokage.
• Jiraiya reflected on his failures involving Tsunade, Orochimaru, his former students, and Kuro, and admitted that he had relied too heavily on the Child of Prophecy instead of acting in the present.
• Jiraiya asked Kuro to come with him and help build a better future by changing Konoha.
• Kuro told Jiraiya he respected the change he had made but refused to return to Konoha.

Kuro told Jiraiya that Naruto had been mistreated in Konoha after villagers learned he was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and blamed Danzo for exposing the secret. Jiraiya vowed to face Konoha’s problems, then asked whether Kuro had joined Akatsuki and could promise never to become Konoha’s enemy; Kuro’s silence left the question unanswered.

• Kuro explained that he would not return to Konoha after five years away and told Jiraiya that Naruto had not been treated well there.
• Kuro described how Naruto’s Nine-Tails power had gone berserk when he was two, how rumors spread, and how he had secretly helped care for the boy.
• Jiraiya realized Danzo had exposed Naruto’s identity and grew furious, while Kuro argued that the Third Hokage could no longer control Danzo or Konoha’s decline.
• Jiraiya thanked Kuro and vowed to address Naruto’s situation, the Uchiha Clan Massacre, and Konoha’s corruption rather than run away.
• Jiraiya asked whether Kuro had joined Akatsuki and whether he could guarantee he would never become Konoha’s enemy, but Kuro stayed silent.

Kuro challenged Jiraiya and led him to a remote mountain for a fight, confident that his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan made him strong enough to face his former teacher. As Jiraiya approached, Kuro prepared to fight while a pair of mysterious purple eyes watched from behind him.

• Kuro rejected Jiraiya’s attempt to persuade him and recognized that Jiraiya planned to take him back to Konoha by force.
• Kuro declared that Jiraiya was the one challenging him, then used Swift Thunder to race away from the harbor.
• Jiraiya recognized Kuro’s speed, realized how much stronger he had become, and pursued him toward a remote mountain.
• Kuro waited on the mountain summit with two swords and prepared his chakra as Jiraiya approached.
• Kuro noticed a pair of pupil-less purple eyes watching them from behind him.

Uchiha Kuro and Jiraiya tested each other’s skills in a mountaintop clearing, with Kuro’s Sharingan exposing Jiraiya’s ambush. Jiraiya recognized how much Kuro had developed and concluded that Kuro’s combat abilities relied on his Sharingan because he otherwise had ordinary talent.

• Jiraiya arrived in the clearing, pretending to be exhausted while secretly making an Earth Release hand seal.
• Kuro noticed Jiraiya’s deception and attacked with a powerful, multi-directional Fire and Wind Release sword technique.
• Jiraiya blocked the attack with Earth-Style Walls, used an earth clone, and burrowed underground to ambush Kuro.
• Kuro used the Body Flicker Technique to avoid Jiraiya’s surprise attack and revealed that his Sharingan had seen through the trick.
• Jiraiya assessed Kuro’s Sharingan and reflected that Kuro was an ordinary person whose combat abilities had been built on his eyes.

Minato worried that Kuro would eventually be crushed by the Uchiha Clan’s expectations, but Jiraiya explained that the clan called Kuro a genius because he used its legacy and hard work to overcome his ordinary talent. On the mountain, Kuro continued fighting Jiraiya, reading the incoming attack with his Sharingan as Jiraiya’s chakra-reinforced hair blocked his flaming sword.

• Obito defended Kuro’s talent when Kakashi said Kuro lacked teaching ability, and Rin tried to stop their argument.
• Minato and Jiraiya watched the youngsters; Minato said Kuro was probably training in the Uchiha Clan’s library and withheld that Kuro’s teammates had died on their last mission.
• Minato worried that Kuro would reach the limits of his talent, but Jiraiya said Kuro understood himself and had chosen to grow through the Uchiha Clan’s accumulated knowledge.
• Jiraiya explained that the Uchiha Clan recognized Kuro as its genius because he used its legacy to become an outstanding talent through hard work.
• Kuro attacked Jiraiya with a flame-wreathed sword, but Jiraiya stopped the blade with his chakra-reinforced hair and tried to ensnare him.
• Kuro used his Three Tomoe Sharingan to perceive the paths and traps of Jiraiya’s advancing hair.

Kuro broke through Jiraiya’s Wild Lion Mane Technique with a precise combination of lightning and fire, leaving Jiraiya shaken by his skill. Jiraiya recognized how Kuro had built his abilities by drawing on his Uchiha heritage and the knowledge of others.

• Jiraiya expanded his Wild Lion Mane Technique to surround Kuro with white hair and block his escape routes.
• Kuro used his Sharingan and Swift Thunder speed to evade the hair, then unleashed a combined fire-and-lightning attack that shredded it.
• Jiraiya escaped with the Body Flicker Technique before Kuro’s attack devastated the ground where he had stood.
• Jiraiya marveled at Kuro’s precision and reflected on how he had grown by making the most of his heritage and learning from others.

Kuro and Jiraiya faced off in a restricted fight in the Land of Water, each anticipating the other's tactics. Jiraiya revealed a new fire-infused Rasengan, leaving Kuro shocked.

• Kuro reasoned that Jiraiya could not summon large Toads in the Land of Water and planned to keep him from forming Hand Seals.
• Jiraiya recognized Kuro's speed, Sharingan, and Chakra Metal swords as obstacles to using ninjutsu.
• Kuro used Lightning Release: Swift Thunder to rush Jiraiya and attacked with Uchiha Style: Waltz.
• Jiraiya feinted Hand Seals and countered at close range with a Rasengan, but Kuro saw through the ploy and challenged him.
• Jiraiya transformed the Rasengan with fire and drew flames from Kuro's Firebirth into it, revealing the Blazing Flame Rasengan.

As Jiraiya attacked Kuro with a Blazing Flame Rasengan, Kuro realized Jiraiya had developed the technique while preparing a surprise for him and understood why they had lost contact. Kuro refused to return to Konoha, but just as Jiraiya closed in, he called for Lao Da to save him.

• Kuro recognized Jiraiya’s Blazing Flame Rasengan and recalled that Jiraiya had stopped writing Icha Icha Paradise and answering his letters while researching the technique.
• Kuro realized Jiraiya had created the Blazing Flame Rasengan as an answer to the anxiety Kuro had shared in a letter, and that his preparation had kept Jiraiya from returning to Konoha in time.
• Kuro understood that Jiraiya wanted to take him back to Konoha, but resolved to follow his own path and told Jiraiya there was no place for Konoha in his future.
• Jiraiya decided to knock Kuro out and take him back even if Kuro hated him, then charged with the Blazing Flame Rasengan.
• Kuro assessed the attack and his possible counters, but instead shouted, “Lao Da, save me, kou ya!!!” leaving Jiraiya confused.

Kuro escaped Jiraiya’s attack after Pain’s Animal Path struck Jiraiya from hiding, then persuaded Pain to let him leave. Pain stayed behind as Jiraiya approached, and summoned a giant crab to attack him.

• Pain’s hidden Chameleon struck Jiraiya and hurled him into a cliff, while Kuro watched from a safe distance.
• The Animal Path appeared behind Kuro, and Kuro identified it as Pain while feigning ignorance about how he had sensed him.
• Kuro flattered Pain and asked him to handle Jiraiya, and Pain let Kuro leave.
• Pain sensed Jiraiya approaching and summoned the Animal Path’s giant crab to attack him.
• Jiraiya dodged the crab’s wave of bubbles and recognized it as a giant summon.

Mei waited anxiously for Kuro to return from facing Jiraiya, then set out with him by ship for the Land of Whirlpools. Kuro left a Shadow Clone behind to monitor the situation as their vessel disappeared into the mist.

• Mei decided to go after Kuro because she believed comrades should protect one another, but Kuro suddenly appeared unharmed before she could leave.
• Mei reflexively prepared to attack Kuro, and he stopped her by pinching her cheek before reassuring her that he had returned safely.
• Kuro evaded Mei's questions about Jiraiya by claiming he had bought him a crab, and Mei accepted his refusal to explain.
• Mei boarded the ship with Kuro and set the course for the Land of Whirlpools.
• Kuro left a Shadow Clone near the harbor to watch Jiraiya and Pain in case their confrontation endangered civilians, then joined Mei as the ship sailed away.

After reflecting on his past in Konoha, Kuro prepared to rest aboard the ship until Mei Terumi arrived with an important mission briefing. The chapter ended as she began explaining their destination and the ruins in the Land of Whirlpools.

• Kuro recalled his encounter with Jiraiya and considered how little he missed Konoha, though he fondly remembered Kakashi, Asuma, Might Guy, Kurenai, and Anko.
• Kuro planned to do fifty sets of push-ups before sleeping, but Mei Terumi knocked on his door.
• Mei Terumi blushed at Kuro's open bathrobe, and Kuro teased her by offering to play Legends of the Three Kingdoms.
• Mei Terumi turned serious and told Kuro they would reach the Land of Whirlpools the next morning.
• Mei Terumi began briefing Kuro on the ruins in the Land of Whirlpools and their mission.

Kuro and Mei Terumi discussed their mission to explore ancient ruins in the Land of Whirlpools, where previous Mist Village squads had vanished. As their ship reached the island at sunrise, they prepared to face whatever danger awaited there.

• Kuro and Mei Terumi argued about eating soldier pills during the mission before Mei turned the conversation to their plans.
• Mei Terumi showed Kuro a copied map of ruins and explained that the site might date back to before the Warring States Period.
• Mei Terumi told Kuro that every Mist Village squad sent to investigate the ruins had disappeared and warned him to stay alert and remain with her.
• Kuro agreed with Mei Terumi's precautions and wondered what dangerous secrets the ancient ruins held.
• Kuro and Mei Terumi arrived by ship at the Land of Whirlpools as the sun rose.

Mei Terumi and Kuro searched the overgrown ruins of the Land of Whirlpools for a shrine, but an outdated map and dense forest made it difficult to navigate. Kuro summoned his supposed helpful friend, revealing a tiny black cat that angrily complained about a ruined date.

• Mei Terumi and Kuro landed in the Land of Whirlpools and agreed to search for the central ruins within three days.
• Mei Terumi consulted an old map and suggested they visit a nearby Uzumaki Clan shrine, but they found the mapped plain covered by dense forest.
• Kuro teased Mei Terumi with a story about vengeful Uzumaki ghosts, frightening her before admitting he was joking.
• Mei Terumi identified a grove of flowering osmanthus trees as a possible landmark, and Kuro said his friend could help locate it.
• Kuro performed the Summoning Technique and summoned a small black cat, which berated him for interrupting its date and left Mei Terumi stunned.

Kuro summoned his black cat, Cook, to help with an important mission, but their bickering delayed his explanation. The chapter ended with Cook refusing before Kuro could tell him what to find.

• Mei Terumi questioned whether Cook was Kuro's summoning beast, and Kuro introduced the cat as a legendary kitty of the Ninja Cat world.
• Cook complained about Kuro interrupting his plans to meet his girlfriend and threatened to make Kuro go away.
• Cook suddenly hissed, and Kuro grabbed him by the scruff and teased him while he struggled.
• Mei Terumi reminded Kuro that their mission came first, so Kuro pulled Cook out of the sand and explained that he needed the cat's keen sense of smell.
• Cook refused to help before Kuro could finish explaining what he needed to find.

Kuro used catnip to break Cook’s resistance and make him agree to help find the way. Mei Terumi doubted her decision to rely on Kuro as they faced the forest ahead.

• Cook angrily refused to help Kuro, accusing him of humiliating and disrespecting him.
• Kuro produced a bottle of catnip, and Cook struggled to resist its scent.
• Cook begged Kuro for catnip and called him his master in exchange for more.
• Kuro scattered catnip on the ground, and Cook eagerly buried his face in it.
• Kuro asked Cook to help them find the way after he finished eating, while Mei Terumi wondered if she had made the wrong choice by asking Kuro for help.