Recaps

Kuro reunited with Cook and discovered an ancient Uchiha tomb, then entered it with Orochimaru while Cook kept watch. After Kuro left, Itachi unexpectedly appeared, leaving Cook terrified and hoping Kuro would return.

• Cook tearfully complained that Orochimaru had frightened him, and Kuro realized the cat had wet his clothes.
• Kuro examined an ancient tomb marked with a three-Tomo pattern and recalled the Uchiha elder Setsuna.
• Kuro broke through the tomb wall with Inazuma and entered the mausoleum with Orochimaru, ordering Cook to watch the area.
• Cook worried that Kuro might regret deceiving people, then left the cavern to patrol.
• Itachi encountered Cook outside the cavern, and the terrified cat hoped Kuro would return.

Itachi returned to check on Kuro and found Cook, whose panic left him struggling to conceal Kuro’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, Kuro and Orochimaru explored a lavish mausoleum, where Kuro discovered the broken Great Ori Cutter and the tomb of Uchiha Tong, the Uchiha Clan’s first clan head.

• Itachi reminisced about Cook and the past, then stopped himself from reaching out to pet him when Cook cowered in fear.
• Itachi apologized to Cook and explained he had returned because he feared the Fourth Raikage might betray Kuro.
• Itachi asked Cook where Kuro was, and Cook stammered under his increasingly grave gaze.
• Kuro and Orochimaru reached the mausoleum’s burial chamber, where Kuro recognized a broken wooden sword embedded in ancient Senju armor as the Great Ori Cutter.
• Kuro read the tombstone identifying Uchiha Tong as the Uchiha Clan’s first clan head and noticed a hidden message readable only to Mangekyō Sharingan users.

Kuro read Uchiha Tong’s account of how his friendship with Senju Zhengsen led to the destruction of the Uchiha’s hidden home and the awakening of the Mangekyō Sharingan. The account ended with Uchiha Tong concluding that Zhengsen had betrayed him.

• Kuro examined the glowing words on the gravestone and confirmed it was genuine.
• Uchiha Tong described meeting Senju Zhengsen, whose village had been destroyed by rogue soldiers, and inviting him to travel together.
• Uchiha Tong taught Zhengsen the Uchiha’s secret arts, though the two disagreed over whether peace required force or mutual understanding.
• Before returning home, Uchiha Tong revealed High Heaven Village’s location to Zhengsen, who refused to accompany him.
• Uchiha Tong returned to find the Land of Lin had attacked High Heaven Village, leaving only about a hundred survivors.
• Uchiha Tong learned that a man named Agarwood had given the Land of Lin intelligence about the village and concluded that Zhengsen had betrayed him, awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan amid the attack.

Kuro read Uchiha Tong’s account of how Agarwood’s betrayal drove him to avenge his clan and wage war against Senju Zhengsen. The account ended with their fateful final battle, which later history remembered as the Battle of the Twin Ancestors, and Kuro reflected on how their deaths began the Warring States Period.

• Kuro read that Otsutsuki Hitomi became Uchiha Tong after his homeland was destroyed and led the survivors back to the Ninja World.
• Uchiha Tong destroyed Lin Country and learned that the mysterious Agarwood was Senju Zhengsen, then fought Zhengsen until a red-haired princess rescued him.
• Uchiha Tong led the Uchiha Clan in conquering the nations while Zhengsen gathered companions from across the Ninja World to oppose him.
• After twenty years of conflict, Uchiha Tong and Senju Zhengsen fought their final battle and perished together.
• Kuro recalled that their deaths began the Warring States Period as conquered powers rose again and Zhengsen’s companions returned to their homelands.

Kuro absorbed the Great Ori Cutter’s stored powers, including the chakra traces of Indra and Asura, and experienced Uchiha Tong and Senju Zhengsen’s memories of their friendship and tragic final battle. The transformation cured Kuro’s Mangekyō blindness, and he vowed to deal with Black Zetsu.

• Kuro used Inari God to examine the Great Ori Cutter and discovered Uchiha Tong’s ocular power was blocked by Senju Zhengsen’s chakra, preventing the weapon from regenerating.
• Kuro realized Senju Zhengsen’s countermeasure had left the weapon buried with Uchiha Tong and gave him access to both men’s powers.
• Kuro absorbed the Great Ori Cutter’s four forces and sensed faint traces of Otsutsuki Indra and Otsutsuki Asura within them.
• Kuro experienced memories of Uchiha Tong and Senju Zhengsen’s friendship, estrangement, and deaths in their final battle.
• Kuro concluded Black Zetsu had caused their tragedy and resolved to deal with him.
• Kuro completed his transformation, cured the blindness caused by his Mangekyō Sharingan, and left the Great Ori Cutter as Susanoo’s divine artifact.

After the God Tree branch’s power elevated Kuro to Super Kage, he broke down with relief at finally being strong enough to survive. Once he regained control, he realized his safety left him with a new question: how should he live?

• Kuro discovered that his Mangekyō Sharingan had evolved and his physical strength and chakra reserves had reached the level of a Tailed Beast.
• Kuro wept and celebrated as he recalled the fear and hardship he had endured throughout his twenty-two years in the Ninja World.
• Kuro hugged Orochimaru in his excitement, then kicked him into a stone wall after noticing the cat urine smell on his Akatsuki robe.
• Kuro calmed himself and concluded that his new strength made him the strongest person in the Ninja World and free from threats to his life.
• Kuro wondered what he should do now that survival no longer ruled his life.

Kuro questioned what future awaited him after securing his survival, realizing he could not return to Konoha or truly belong in Kirigakure. He decided to remake the Ninja World into a place where he could feel safe and happy, then left the cavern with Orochimaru following him.

• Kuro reviewed his plans to approach Naruto and Sasuke, awaken the Rinnegan, eliminate Black Zetsu and other threats, and revive the Uchiha clan and Minato.
• Kuro rejected returning to Konoha and recognized that Kirigakure had only welcomed him as Shiina Sora, not as Uchiha Kuro.
• Kuro wondered whether any place in the Ninja World could be his home, then accepted that he had never belonged to that world as a transmigrator.
• Kuro resolved to transform the Ninja World into a place where he could feel safe and happy, and Orochimaru silently followed him out of the tomb.
• Kuro emerged into the cavern, looked toward the sunlight, and declared that he would make the Ninja World into what he wanted.

Kuro reunited with Cook and Itachi after the failed attempt to capture Orochimaru, then vanished for what he called important training. A week later, Kuro’s identity as the famous adult-manga creator was exposed across the ninja world, leaving him facing Mei Terumi’s anger in Kirigakure.

• Itachi suspected Cook was hiding Kuro’s whereabouts and prepared to use genjutsu, but Kuro arrived and stopped him.
• Kuro reassured Itachi that Cook had only been frightened, then told him to leave before Kumogakure sealed off the area.
• Kuro confirmed Orochimaru had escaped safely, claimed he had important training, and disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
• Itachi reported the failed mission to Pain, and a week later learned that Kumogakure had expanded the Ninja World Super Trend Doujin Association and exposed Kuro as the creator of Icha Icha Paradise.
• In Kirigakure, Kuro saw the revelation in an intelligence bulletin and angrily blamed A while Mei Terumi sat livid across from him.

Kuro learned that Mei Terumi supported the doujin association opening a Mist Village branch because its profits could bring enormous revenue, but Yagura had already publicly approved the plan. Kuro realized Uchiha Obito had arranged the publications’ spread and vowed revenge.

• Kuro recognized the first edition of Icha Icha Paradise in an intelligence brief and angrily blamed the Fourth Raikage for exposing his whereabouts through the book’s cover.
• Kuro mistook Mei Terumi’s concern for opposition to the doujin association and launched into a denunciation of its publications as a Kumogakure plot.
• Mei Terumi revealed that she supported the branch because the publications had sold out quickly and the projected profits could reach one-third of Mist Village’s annual fiscal income.
• Mei Terumi told Kuro that Yagura’s faction had already publicly approved the branch, leaving her side without leverage in negotiations and slightly improving Yagura’s reputation.
• Kuro smashed the desk in anger, realized Uchiha Obito had secretly facilitated the publications’ spread, and vowed to make Uchiha Kenji regret it.

Kuro tried to stop Mei Terumi from using his identity and Akatsuki connections to secure a Mist Village branch of the doujinshi association, but she mistook his objections for hidden enthusiasm and decided to support it for his sake. He fled to the Mizukage’s office, where Obito greeted him with a teasing nickname.

• Kuro cleaned up the desk he had smashed and mourned the potato chips crushed beneath it while Mei Terumi wondered how he had grown stronger.
• Mei Terumi proposed that the Reformist Faction seize control of the association’s Mist Village branch and use Kuro’s connection to Yuji Itadori and Akatsuki to outmaneuver Yagura.
• Kuro tried to deny Mei Terumi’s interpretation, then abruptly left when she outlined a plan to stage false sightings for negotiations with Kumogakure.
• Mei Terumi concluded that Kuro was a loyal fan of the association and resolved to help it open in the Mist Village to make him happy.
• Kuro entered the Mizukage’s office and found Kisame Hoshigaki reading a drawing guide as Uchiha Obito turned around and called Kuro the Smut King.

Kuro tried to stop Obito from opening a branch of Kumogakure’s smut association in Mist Village, but Obito refused because of its enormous profits. After discussing how Mist Village and its resources might serve the Eye of the Moon Plan, they turned to planning their upcoming visit to Konoha.

• Kuro urged Obito to block the association’s expansion, arguing it could let Kumogakure gather intelligence on Mist Village.
• Obito showed Kuro a revenue projection and explained that the association could soon earn more than Akatsuki’s accumulated mission funds.
• Obito said Mist Village’s profits would support Akatsuki and that he would manage the funds sent to the organization, while Kuro handled the Reformist Faction.
• Obito outlined using Mist Village and its Three-Tails jinchuriki to help capture the remaining tailed beasts and potentially provoke a world war.
• Kuro ended the discussion of the association, and Obito put on his orange mask before they began discussing their visit to Konoha.

Kuro traveled to Konoha with Kisame and Utakata to handle the Mist Village’s alliance mission and gather intelligence. Near Konoha’s gates, Kuro and Kisame gained Utakata’s trust by defending him and his master, and the group prepared to enter the village.

• Obito chose Kisame and Utakata to accompany Kuro on the mission to Konoha.
• On the road to Konoha, Kisame provoked Utakata by criticizing his conduct and insulting his teacher, and Utakata’s tailed-beast chakra flared.
• Kuro stopped the fight, defended Utakata’s dignity as a Jinchuriki, and declared that Utakata and his master belonged to the Mist Village.
• Kisame apologized to Utakata, who accepted and felt reassured by Kuro’s words.
• Kuro, Kisame, and Utakata reached the outskirts of Konoha, with the village gate in view.

Tsunade and Sarutobi Hiruzen waited at Konoha’s gate to welcome Mist Village’s delegation, with Tsunade angrily accusing Hiruzen and Jiraiya of arranging her stay. Shiina Sora arrived with Kisame and a younger companion, and Kakashi greeted them as their visit began.

• Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki wondered why Tsunade and Sarutobi Hiruzen were receiving the Mist delegation instead of Jiraiya, and Tsunade angrily ordered them to do their jobs.
• Tsunade explained that she had beaten Jiraiya after catching him spying on the bathhouse and had stayed in Konoha to handle the alliance visit, then accused Hiruzen of arranging the situation with Jiraiya.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen denied Tsunade’s accusation as she grabbed his beard, while Kakashi hid his doujinshi and alerted them that the Mist guests had arrived.
• Shiina Sora approached Konoha’s gate with Kisame and a withdrawn young man, and Sarutobi Hiruzen noticed Sora’s bearing reminded him of Minato.
• Kakashi greeted Sora and Kisame, and Kisame asked why Guy was not with Kakashi this time.

Kuro met the Third Hokage as Mist Village’s envoy and began alliance talks with Konoha. He revealed that Mist Village’s proposal was driven not only by the Akatsuki threat, but also by its desire to accept missions across the continent.

• Kuro introduced Utakata to Kakashi, who welcomed the nervous Mist Village youth.
• Kakashi introduced Kuro to Sarutobi Hiruzen and Tsunade, and Kuro greeted the Third Hokage.
• Sarutobi explained that Jiraiya, Konoha’s Fifth Hokage, was hospitalized, so he was temporarily handling the alliance talks.
• Kuro inferred that Tsunade was connected to Jiraiya’s hospitalization and agreed to discuss the alliance before visiting him.
• Sarutobi questioned Mist Village’s real motives, and Kuro said the village wanted to expand its missions across the continent.

Kuro clarified that Mist Village’s plan to expand its work across the continent did not mean taking conventional missions from other ninja villages. He proposed civilian Odd Jobs Agency organizations in every nation, leaving the Third Hokage astonished.

• Tsunade accused Kuro of trying to steal missions from Konoha and other villages, and Sarutobi Hiruzen rebuked her before apologizing to Kuro.
• Kuro acknowledged that Mist Village’s plans would make other nations wary, while Sarutobi Hiruzen considered the barriers facing the isolated village.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen warned Kuro that earning the continent’s trust quickly would be extremely difficult.
• Kuro explained that Mist Village would establish Odd Jobs Agencies to provide everyday services for ordinary people who could not afford to hire ninja villages.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen reacted with undisguised astonishment to Kuro’s proposal.

Kuro proposed that the Mist Village establish civilian-focused Odd Jobs Agencies across the Ninja World and seek Konoha’s alliance to pilot the plan in the Land of Fire. Sarutobi Hiruzen recognized the political advantages, but he had not yet answered Kuro’s offer when the chapter ended.

• Kuro explained that Odd Jobs Agencies could give the Mist Village a new source of income without competing directly with the great ninja villages.
• Tsunade warned that the Mist Village would struggle against established small villages, but Sarutobi Hiruzen judged the plan feasible because great nations could benefit from and support it.
• Kuro and Sarutobi Hiruzen explained how the agencies could provide civilian services, weaken small nations’ armed forces, and make the Mist Village seem less threatening when its shinobi were dispersed.
• Utakata worried that spreading the Mist Village’s shinobi would leave the village vulnerable, and Kisame reassured him that the island’s defenses would remain strong.
• Kuro privately considered using the agencies as an intelligence network and a way to strengthen ordinary people, then offered Konoha an alliance and proposed a pilot program in the Land of Fire.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent as he considered Kuro’s proposal.

Kuro secured time for the Mist Village delegation to remain in Konoha while the alliance proposal awaited review by the Fifth Hokage and Konoha’s leadership. As Kakashi escorted them to an inn, Kuro reflected on returning to the village and experienced its peaceful atmosphere as an outsider.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen said Konoha could not decide on an alliance with Mist Village until the Fifth Hokage and others reviewed the proposal.
• Kuro agreed to wait in Konoha, and Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned Kakashi to host the Mist Village delegation.
• Kuro, Kisame, and Utakata left the Hokage’s office, while Kakashi exchanged a silent glance with Sarutobi Hiruzen before following them.
• Kakashi apologized that he could not show the delegation around that evening and led Kuro, Kisame, and Utakata toward their inn.
• As they walked through Konoha at dusk, Kuro reflected on his return and on the village’s peaceful atmosphere.

Kuro revisited memories of his youth in Konoha as Kakashi led the Mist Village delegation toward Ichiraku Ramen. They encountered Sasuke, and Kuro introduced himself as Sora and invited the wary boy to eat with them.

• Kuro reflected on his vanished home and the friends he had lost, including Obito, while Kakashi noticed his nostalgia for Konoha.
• Kakashi suggested taking Kuro, Kisame, and Utakata to Ichiraku Ramen, and Kuro agreed while wondering how Naruto had been treated.
• Sasuke arrived carrying vegetables, recognized Kakashi, and noticed the Mist Village visitors with him.
• Kuro recognized Sasuke, hid his desire to take the boy's Indra chakra, and invited him to Ichiraku Ramen as Sora, a traveler from Mist Village.

Kuro encountered Sasuke while traveling through Konoha with Kakashi, Kisame, and Utakata, then headed to Ichiraku Ramen with plans to visit Naruto and Sasuke. At the shop, he came face-to-face with Yuhi Kurenai and Mitarashi Anko, whom he remembered as his first love.

• Sasuke dismissed Kuro and left with the vegetables, telling Kakashi he would handle dinner himself.
• Kakashi apologized to Kuro and continued toward Ichiraku Ramen with Kisame and Utakata.
• Kuro realized Sasuke was heading toward Kakashi's home and planned to visit the children there after Kakashi left.
• Kuro arrived at Ichiraku Ramen and ordered four bowls of tonkotsu ramen.
• Kuro recognized Yuhi Kurenai and Mitarashi Anko, who scrutinized him after noticing his Mist Village forehead protector.

Kuro remembered how he had once persuaded Anko to pose as his girlfriend, then met her and Kurenai again at Ichiraku while visiting Konoha with Kakashi and his Mist Village companions. Kurenai signaled Kakashi before leaving, and Kuro and the others later went to their arranged inn as Kuro focused on obtaining Indra's and Asura's chakra.

• Ten years earlier, Kuro asked Anko to pretend to be his girlfriend to discourage the fans stalking him, and she agreed in exchange for a meal.
• At Ichiraku, Kakashi introduced Kurenai and Anko to Kuro, Shiina Sora, Kisame, and Utakata.
• Kuro was startled to learn Anko was acting captain of the Konoha Military Police Force, and Anko questioned whether they had met before.
• Kurenai pulled Anko away after giving Kakashi a subtle hand signal, which Kakashi noticed.
• Kuro, Kakashi, Shiina Sora, Kisame, and Utakata finished their ramen, and Kakashi led them to their arranged inn.

Kuro ended his meeting with Kakashi and told Kisame that their plan was about to begin. Meanwhile, Kurenai told Kakashi that Asuma was coming back soon.

• Kisame watched Utakata enjoy the inn and reflected that the boy was destined to become fuel for the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Kuro said goodbye to Kakashi, who left to meet Kurenai and Anko.
• After Kakashi had gone, Kuro told Kisame to prepare because the plan was about to begin.
• Kakashi met Kurenai and Anko on a quiet Konoha street, where Kurenai told him that Asuma was coming back soon.

Kurenai told Anko that Asuma would return to Konoha soon, prompting Anko to reveal how deeply she still cared for the missing Kuro. Anko broke down over Kuro’s unexplained departure, while Kuro secretly approached Kakashi’s home under cover of night.

• Kakashi and Kurenai celebrated the news that Asuma would return to Konoha within a few days, while Anko angrily criticized him for leaving Kurenai behind.
• Anko complained that Kuro had disappeared without a word and admitted she could not forgive him, though Kakashi and Kurenai recognized her lingering feelings.
• Kurenai teased Anko with news that Asuma’s letter was mostly about Kuro, then offered to share what she knew about him.
• Anko tearfully asked whether Kuro was alive, safe, and happy, then confessed that she had fallen for him and could not understand why he had left her.
• Kurenai comforted Anko as Kakashi slipped away, while Kuro approached Kakashi’s home under cover of night.

Alone in Kakashi’s home, Sasuke was overwhelmed by grief and hatred for Itachi, but he managed to recover enough to stand. Kuro appeared at his window and proposed a heart-to-heart with him.

• Sasuke ate dinner alone while Kakashi was away on a mission and Naruto was at the hospital caring for the Fifth Hokage.
• Sasuke cleaned the house, went to his dark bedroom, and faced the pain of losing his clan.
• Sasuke relived the massacre and renewed his vow to kill Itachi and avenge his family and clan.
• Kuro appeared at Sasuke’s window and greeted him, calling him “Second Pillar” before suggesting they talk.

Uchiha Kuro sneaked into Konoha to offer Sasuke a deal: he would train him and help him pursue revenge against Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke rejected the offer, leaving Kuro stunned.

• Sasuke recognized Kuro from Kakashi's magazine and mocked him for having his wanted-poster portrait on its cover.
• Kuro learned that Sasuke had mistaken him for an ally of Uchiha Itachi and insisted that he also intended to settle a score with Itachi.
• Sasuke decided Kuro might share his goal but remained wary and asked why he had come to find him.
• Kuro proposed a transaction in which he would train Sasuke and help him grow strong enough to seek revenge.
• Sasuke refused Kuro's offer, freezing Kuro's confident expression.

Sasuke refused Uchiha Kuro’s offer to train him, arguing that Konoha’s leaders and Kakashi could guide him and that Kuro was weaker than Itachi. Kuro revealed that he possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, leaving Sasuke frozen as he recognized eyes like Itachi’s.

• Sasuke decided he could rely on Kakashi, the Third Hokage, and the Fifth Hokage instead of trusting the rogue ninja Kuro.
• Sasuke told Kuro that his Three Tomoe Sharingan could not match Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan and refused his offer.
• Kuro laughed off Sasuke’s judgment and claimed he could easily defeat Itachi.
• Kuro’s Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan, and Sasuke recognized eyes like Itachi’s and became unable to move.