Recaps

Kuro rejected Itachi’s questions about Asuma and fell from a tree branch when Asuma shouted that Kuro could become his father. Asuma vowed to bring Kuro back to Konoha, while Hatake Sakumo revealed Kuro had passed along intelligence about Scorpion’s weakness; Scorpion then summoned a puppet revealed to be the Third Kazekage.

• Kuro told Itachi that their different positions meant there was nothing more to say about Asuma.
• Asuma shouted that Kuro could become his father, startling Itachi and making Kuro fall from a branch.
• Asuma insisted to Hatake Sakumo that he would find out why Kuro left Konoha and bring him back.
• Hatake Sakumo told Asuma that Kuro had given them intelligence related to Scorpion’s weakness.
• Scorpion summoned a puppet, and Hatake Sakumo recognized it as the Third Kazekage.

Asuma and Hatake Sakumo confronted Scorpion over his murder of the Third Kazekage and the lives lost when the Third Ninja World War began early. Scorpion attacked with iron sand, but Sakumo demonstrated that a true powerhouse did not need a sword.

• Asuma recognized the Third Kazekage puppet, and Sakumo explained how the Kazekage's disappearance had accelerated the Third Ninja World War.
• Scorpion argued that war would have come regardless and claimed that turning people into puppets preserved them as eternal art.
• Sakumo condemned Scorpion for bringing the war forward and sacrificing lives, then vowed to kill him.
• Scorpion unleashed Iron Sand Drizzle, and its magnetic field disrupted Asuma's chakra blades and rendered Sakumo's katana useless.
• Sakumo used chakra-coated pine branch to deflect the iron sand and returned unharmed, leaving Scorpion wary.
• Sakumo told Asuma that a true powerhouse did not need a sword.

Asuma faced Sasori’s enormous Iron Sand attack while Hatake Sakumo charged at Sasori, and Asuma revealed his confidence that he could handle the danger. As the cube rushed toward him, Asuma entered a focused stance and recalled Kuro’s home in the Uchiha Clan Compound.

• Sasori recognized Hatake Sakumo’s precise chakra control, then formed a massive Iron Sand cube and launched it at Hatake Sakumo and Asuma.
• Asuma stepped in front of Hatake Sakumo and explained that Sasori’s weapons and Iron Sand were likely coated in deadly poison, insisting they needed to end the fight quickly.
• Hatake Sakumo entrusted the Iron Sand attack to Asuma and rushed toward Sasori.
• Sasori accelerated the Iron Sand cube toward Asuma and sent his remaining Iron Sand after Hatake Sakumo.
• Asuma withdrew his chakra, assumed a taijutsu stance, and saw a memory of Kuro’s home in the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Asuma used the technique he developed from Kuro’s research to evade Scorpion’s Iron Sand and destroy his massive Iron Sand cube. He created an opening for Hatake Sakumo to attack the Third Kazekage puppet, leaving Scorpion’s defense too late.

• Asuma remembered Kuro’s old praise and credited Kuro’s guidance and notes for helping him complete his technique.
• Asuma used Wind Release: Ultimate Art: Calm to pass through Scorpion’s Iron Sand spikes without being touched.
• Asuma shattered the Iron Sand cube from within with Wind Release: Mountain-Shattering Strike.
• Asuma called out to Hatake Sakumo, who appeared beside Scorpion and thrust his chakra-wrapped pine branch toward the Third Kazekage puppet.
• Scorpion tried to retreat the puppet and gather Iron Sand into a defense, but Hatake Sakumo was already moving faster.

Hatake Sakumo crippled Scorpion's puppets and forced him to reveal his true body, a young-looking human transformed into a puppet. Scorpion unleashed his Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets against Hatake Sakumo and Asuma.

• Hatake Sakumo pierced the Third Kazekage puppet's iron-sand mouthpiece and cut Scarlet Amber in half, forcing Scorpion to escape from its shell.
• Asuma recognized Scorpion as a red-haired youth, and Hatake Sakumo identified the Regeneration Core in his left chest as his weakness.
• Scorpion revealed his puppet body and declared that he had transformed himself into an immortal work of art.
• Scorpion released hundreds of puppets from a scroll and sent them diving at Hatake Sakumo and Asuma.

Kuro and Itachi watched Sasori unleash his puppet army against White Fang before encountering Orochimaru’s Shadow Clone in the forest. Orochimaru attacked with a swarm of snakes and fled, leaving Itachi startled and Kuro amused.

• Kuro and Itachi heard an explosion and saw Sasori deploy hundreds of puppets against White Fang.
• Itachi realized Sasori’s puppet army made him a battlefield-level threat and wondered whether Kuro had anticipated his strength.
• Kuro mocked Itachi for dawdling, then pretended to notice Orochimaru lurking nearby.
• Itachi said Orochimaru would not dare face him directly and began to say he had questions for him.
• Orochimaru’s Shadow Clone unleashed a swarm of snakes at Kuro and Itachi, then escaped into the forest.
• Itachi watched the snakes swallow his words and showed rare embarrassment, while Kuro smiled at his reaction.

Kuro and Itachi burned through Orochimaru’s swarm of snakes, then resumed their pursuit after Kuro rebuked Itachi for letting Orochimaru escape. They caught up with Orochimaru’s Shadow Clone, which Kuro secretly urged to flee into a concealed cave, leaving Itachi stopped at its entrance.

• Itachi and Kuro used simultaneous Great Fireball Techniques to incinerate the snakes surrounding them.
• Kuro confronted Itachi over his failure to capture Orochimaru, and Itachi admitted his mistake and accepted that he deserved punishment.
• Kuro told Itachi to continue pursuing Orochimaru, and the two raced through the forest after him.
• When Itachi began forming seals to attack Orochimaru’s Shadow Clone, Kuro secretly ordered the clone to speed up and change direction.
• Orochimaru’s Shadow Clone entered a vine-hidden cave, and Itachi stopped at its dark entrance.

Kuro persuaded Itachi to follow him into the cavern by provoking him and accusing him of underestimating Kuro. As they entered, Kuro revealed that he was leading Itachi toward the tomb of Itachi’s ancestor to dig it up.

• Itachi warned Kuro that Orochimaru had likely lured them into the cavern, where darkness and unfamiliar terrain would give him an advantage.
• Kuro argued that his sensory abilities could track Orochimaru and accused Itachi of judging the fight only by his own abilities.
• Kuro told Itachi that he had excluded Kuro from his calculations and treated him as inferior, then walked into the cavern.
• Itachi stood in silence before following Kuro into the darkness.
• Kuro privately celebrated that his taunts had worked and apologized to the Uchiha ancestor whose tomb he planned to raid.

Kuro and Itachi pursued Orochimaru through a dark cavern, where Kuro’s attack exposed a hidden tomb. Itachi recognized the Uchiha clan crest behind the coffin, revealing the chamber as the resting place Kuro had sought.

• Kuro and Itachi walked through the cavern while Kuro confirmed Itachi did not know the tomb’s location and prepared to begin the next phase of his plan.
• Orochimaru’s Shadow Clone attacked Itachi with Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, and Itachi destroyed the snakes with flaming shuriken.
• Itachi considered using Amaterasu against Orochimaru but hesitated because doing so would reveal the technique to Kuro, who belonged to Madara.
• Kuro struck the fleeing Orochimaru with a fiery blade, dispelling the Shadow Clone and smashing through the concealed stone wall.
• Kuro pointed out the newly exposed secret chamber, and Itachi recognized the Uchiha crest behind its ancient coffin.

Itachi and Kuro discovered that the remote tomb belonged to Uchiha Itachi, the Warring States-era ancestor who inspired Itachi’s name. After Kuro taunted Itachi over his past, Itachi realized Orochimaru had lured them there to find the Totsuka Blade.

• Itachi recognized the Uchiha crest in the cavern and followed Kuro into the tomb, suspecting Orochimaru had led them there for a reason.
• Itachi examined the ancient inscriptions but found no trace of Orochimaru in the burial chamber.
• Kuro read the coffin’s inscription identifying it as the tomb of Uchiha Itachi, the twelfth Uchiha clan head.
• Kuro described the ancestor’s history and mocked Itachi over his role in his father Fugaku’s death, stirring painful memories in Itachi.
• Itachi concluded that Orochimaru’s target was the Totsuka Blade.

Kuro and Itachi discussed the legend of the Totsuka Blade, and Itachi revealed that it was sealed in the mausoleum for a Mangekyō Sharingan user to claim. Itachi then confronted Kuro about defecting from Konoha, asking why he had abandoned the future of becoming Hokage.

• Kuro suggested Orochimaru had searched the mausoleum for the Totsuka Blade and tested Itachi's knowledge by recounting its history.
• Itachi revealed that Uchiha Itachi survived the battle long enough to seal the Totsuka Blade in his coffin for a worthy Mangekyō Sharingan user.
• Itachi explained that the sword's intended bearer was meant to lead the Uchiha Clan back to the Land of Fire, though the clan later moved there peacefully.
• Kuro inferred that Fugaku had told Itachi about the mausoleum while grooming him to become the next Uchiha Clan head.
• Itachi admitted he had disappointed Fugaku, then asked Kuro why he had defected from Konoha despite being expected to become Hokage.

Kuro and Itachi clashed over the sealed Totsuka Blade as Orochimaru began his attack, and Itachi urged Kuro to leave Akatsuki while he still could. After Itachi departed, Kuro stationed Shadow Clones to guard the mausoleum and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan beside the coffin.

• Kuro rejected Itachi's attempt to discuss their past, then secretly ordered Orochimaru to act outside the cavern.
• Orochimaru used the Summoning Technique, causing the mausoleum to shake, and Kuro told Itachi to investigate while he guarded the coffin.
• Itachi questioned Kuro's motives, but accepted the plan after Kuro argued that their wary partnership made it the best arrangement.
• Itachi told Kuro he was more qualified to inherit the Totsuka Blade and urged him to trust him and leave Akatsuki before departing.
• Kuro suspected Itachi had left a way to make Obito suspicious of him, summoned two Shadow Clones to guard the passages, and activated his Mangekyō Sharingan beside the coffin.

As Hatake Sakumo and Asuma gained the upper hand against Sasori, Manda’s sudden appearance revealed that Kuro had encountered Orochimaru. Sasori withdrew, and Sakumo and Asuma left the Land of Lightning to avoid a diplomatic confrontation, still worried about Kuro.

• Sasori prepared to unleash his final scroll against Hatake Sakumo and Asuma, but a thunderous explosion and Manda’s appearance interrupted the battle.
• Sakumo realized Kuro had likely crossed paths with Orochimaru, and Asuma urged him to hurry to Kuro’s aid.
• Sasori sealed away his remaining puppets and wreckage, then left after deciding to abandon the fight.
• Sakumo told Asuma they had to leave because they were in the Land of Lightning and Kumogakure’s representative was approaching.
• Asuma and Sakumo departed through the forest, while a blazing flash of lightning raced toward Manda’s location.

Itachi searched for Orochimaru after finding Manda, but the Fourth Raikage A arrived before they could pursue him. In the tomb, Kuro discovered that the Totsuka Blade was missing, leaving its disappearance an unresolved mystery.

• Itachi emerged from the lava cave, spotted Manda, and realized Orochimaru might be nearby.
• Orochimaru fled after seeing Itachi leave the cave, and Manda told Itachi he had run southwest.
• Itachi ordered Manda to follow him, but the Fourth Raikage A arrived in a burst of lightning.
• Itachi worried that Kumogakure had noticed the commotion and hoped Kuro would finish quickly.
• Kuro found only a faint trace of ocular power in the coffin and realized someone had taken the Totsuka Blade before he and Itachi arrived.

Kuro found that the Totsuka Blade was no longer sealed in the tomb, leaving him worried that the change could disrupt the future. After sealing the coffin into a scroll, he headed outside as the Fourth Raikage attacked Manda.

• Kuro examined the empty seal and wondered whether an Uchiha had taken the Totsuka Blade years ago.
• Kuro sensed the Fourth Raikage outside and sealed the wooden coffin into a storage scroll before leaving the tomb.
• The Fourth Raikage recognized Itachi and questioned him about Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and their presence in the Land of Lightning.
• Manda tried to dispel the Summoning Jutsu and escape, but the Fourth Raikage charged at it and brought down a Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop.

The Fourth Raikage nearly killed Itachi, but Kuro intervened before Itachi could use Amaterasu. A recognized Kuro and asked why he had defected from Konoha after stopping Kumogakure’s attempt to seize the Byakugan.

• Manda dispelled its summoning to escape the Fourth Raikage, but A severed one of its horns.
• A charged Itachi, who prepared to use Amaterasu, but Kuro arrived and blocked A’s strike with Inazuma.
• A withdrew from Lightning Release Chakra Mode and recognized Kuro as the Uchiha who had stopped Kumogakure’s Byakugan scheme five years earlier.
• A asked Kuro why he had defected from Konoha, recalling him as Konoha’s Black Lightning.

Kuro negotiated with the Fourth Raikage over Akatsuki’s intrusion into the Land of Lightning, while remaining wary of his sudden willingness to settle the matter. After sending Itachi away, Kuro learned that A wanted to recruit him into Kumogakure.

• Kuro told A that Akatsuki had come to hunt the defected Orochimaru and offered to compensate Kumogakure for the damage.
• A agreed to negotiate if Akatsuki provided evidence and handled compensation, surprising Kuro and Itachi.
• When Kuro tried to leave, A stopped him and asked to speak with him alone.
• Kuro signaled Itachi to leave, and Itachi went after Orochimaru.
• A asked Kuro to leave Akatsuki and join Kumogakure.

The Fourth Raikage tried to recruit Kuro into Kumogakure to obtain his Uchiha bloodline, but Kuro saw through his motives and refused. The Fourth Raikage dropped the pretense and blocked Kuro, declaring that Kumogakure wanted him alone.

• The Fourth Raikage offered Kuro a place in Kumogakure, arguing that he could not return to Konoha and would be uncomfortable living alongside Itachi in Akatsuki.
• Kuro joked that he would join only if he could immediately become the Fifth Raikage.
• Kuro concluded that the Fourth Raikage wanted to control him and acquire Uchiha blood rather than genuinely accept him as an equal.
• Kuro rejected the offer and suggested the Fourth Raikage pursue Itachi instead.
• The Fourth Raikage used lightning to land in Kuro's path and declared that Kumogakure wanted only him.

Kuro confronted the Fourth Raikage, who revealed that he knew Kuro was Yuji Itadori, the creator of Icha Icha Paradise, and blamed him for inspiring Killer B and Kumogakure’s young people. The Raikage attacked Kuro to make him repay the trouble, leaving the fight just beginning.

• The Fourth Raikage offered Kuro twenty female jonin as wives and described them as his type.
• When Kuro demanded to know how the Raikage knew his preferences, A angrily named Yuji Itadori.
• A revealed that Killer B was a devoted fan of Kuro’s erotic manga and had spread its influence through Kumogakure.
• Kuro lamented that his secret identity had ruined his lifelong reputation.
• The Fourth Raikage surged with Lightning Release chakra and charged at Kuro, vowing to make him repay his debt.

Kuro used his Swift Thunder technique to evade the Fourth Raikage’s attack, then provoked A into a speed contest. The two launched into a high-speed chase across the mountain range, with A thrilled to face a worthy rival.

• A attacked Kuro with a lightning-charged elbow, intending to knock him unconscious and take him to Kumogakure.
• Kuro activated his Three Tomoe Sharingan and used Lightning Release: Swift Thunder to evade the blow, causing A to smash apart the cliff.
• A praised Kuro’s technique and offered to teach him Kumogakure’s Lightning Release Chakra Mode, but Kuro insulted him and refused.
• A challenged Kuro to a speed match, declaring that Kuro would return to Kumogakure if he lost.
• Kuro raced across the mountain range, and A pursued him in a massive surge of lightning, excited by the contest.

Uchiha Kuro outran the Fourth Raikage through the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range, but Kumogakure’s ambush caught him at the exit. Cornered by attacks from A, Darui, and another ninja, Kuro prepared to defend himself with Uchiha Flame Formation.

• The Fourth Raikage pushed his Lightning Release Chakra Mode to its limits and nearly caught Kuro, but Kuro accelerated away again.
• A continued pursuing Kuro as they raced across the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range toward its exit.
• At the exit, a Kumogakure ninja cast Lightning Illusion: Lightning Pillar, and Kuro shut his eyes and slashed toward the caster.
• Darui sent a Lightning Release: Black Panther at Kuro while the Fourth Raikage caught up and attacked with Liger Bomb.
• With the Raikage above him and the other attacks closing in, Kuro struck the ground and invoked Uchiha Flame Formation.

Kuro used an expanding Uchiha Flame Formation to withstand the Fourth Raikage’s attack and escape the Kumogakure ninja’s ambush. As the barrier faded, the Raikage identified him as Black Lightning—Uchiha Kuro, the fastest in the Ninja World.

• Kuro’s crimson barrier burned away the Fourth Raikage’s black lightning panther and blocked his axe kick.
• Kuro expanded the Uchiha Flame Formation, forcing the Fourth Raikage to retreat and protect Darui and C.
• The Fourth Raikage recognized the barrier as a lost Uchiha technique and wondered whether Kuro had improved it.
• Kuro emerged with his Sharingan revealed, and Darui and C suspected he was an Uchiha survivor.
• Kuro accused the Fourth Raikage of arranging a two-sided ambush, and the Raikage named him Black Lightning—Uchiha Kuro, the fastest in the Ninja World.

Kuro faced the Fourth Raikage and Kumogakure shinobi Darui and C, who recognized him as the artist Yuji Itadori and became distracted by their fandom. After the Raikage knocked them into the ground, Kuro prepared to begin the next stage of his plan, expecting Orochimaru to have reached his destination.

• Darui recognized Kuro as Yuji Itadori and excitedly praised his illustrations while asking C for a pen so he could get an autograph.
• C admitted he also admired Yuji Itadori but insisted that he and Darui had to fulfill their duty as Kumogakure shinobi.
• Darui and C agreed that their final duty was to let their teacher die, then tried to embrace each other in grief.
• The Fourth Raikage struck Darui and C into the ground before they could embrace, and Kuro looked on with sympathy for him.
• Kuro discreetly channeled his ocular power and judged that Orochimaru had likely reached his destination, so he prepared to begin the next stage of his plan.

The Fourth Raikage and his subordinates tried to recruit Kuro, then attacked after he refused. Kuro vanished with a space-time ninjutsu, and A recognized it as Namikaze Minato’s Flying Thunder God.

• A pulled Darui and C from the pit and ordered them to surround Kuro and capture him alive.
• Darui and C formed a triangle with A around Kuro, who sheathed Inazuma and listened to their offer to join Kumogakure.
• Kuro refused the offer, so A, Darui, and C launched a coordinated attack.
• Orochimaru kicked cook, who bit through his paw and activated a reverse summoning technique on a scroll.
• Kuro disappeared before the three attacks could reach him, and A identified the technique as Namikaze Minato’s Flying Thunder God.

After Kuro escaped, A approved expanding Killer B’s association into a worldwide intelligence network to locate him and ordered Kumogakure to resume research into countering the Flying Thunder God. Kuro arrived at a remote cavern in the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range, another forgotten Uchiha resting place.

• Darui admired Kuro’s Flying Thunder God, and A punched him before ordering C to carry him back to Kumogakure.
• A ordered elite squads to search the Land of Lightning for Orochimaru and approved Killer B’s association expansion plan.
• A explained that the expanded association would help Kumogakure locate Kuro and reveal that Kuro was Yuji Itadori.
• A decided to restart Kumogakure’s research into countering the Flying Thunder God, drawing on its past efforts against Minato.
• A, C, and the unconscious Darui headed back toward Kumogakure as Kuro reached a hidden cavern deep in the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range.