Recaps

Kuro comforted Sasuke after the boy accused him of abandoning the Uchiha during the massacre, explaining that his Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened only afterward. Sasuke came to trust Kuro and fell asleep in his arms, unaware that Kuro was activating the Inari God.

• Sasuke saw Kuro's Mangekyō Sharingan and angrily accused him of failing to stop Itachi and avenge the Uchiha.
• Kuro embraced Sasuke instead of retaliating and explained that his Mangekyō had awakened after he learned of the massacre.
• Sasuke believed Kuro's sincerity, apologized through his actions, and clung to him as the only living clansman who shared his pain.
• Sasuke sobbed himself to sleep in Kuro's arms, while Kuro reflected on his motives and activated the Inari God with his right eye.

Kakashi arrived at Konoha Hospital with Tsunade and Hiruzen, where Naruto’s argument with Jiraiya ended with Jiraiya being knocked through the door. After Minato, possessing Naruto, apologized, Hiruzen called the group to discuss serious business.

• Kakashi met Tsunade and Hiruzen at Konoha Hospital and said they should discuss the Mist Village alliance with Jiraiya and Minato.
• Naruto argued with Jiraiya about caring for him and asked about the popular book The Incompetent Husband.
• Kushina took over Naruto’s body and struck Jiraiya, sending him through the hospital-room door and leaving him unconscious.
• Minato possessed Naruto, apologized to Jiraiya, and asked Kushina to apologize, but she did not respond.
• Tsunade scolded Jiraiya for telling Naruto about smut, while Hiruzen privately praised Jiraiya’s effort to keep Tsunade in Konoha.
• Hiruzen stopped the argument and called everyone to discuss serious business.

Minato and the others examined the Mist Village’s proposed alliance and questioned why Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura would support reforms that could weaken his faction. Jiraiya revealed that Yagura may have secretly belonged to the Reformist Faction all along.

• Minato judged an alliance with the Mist Village and its Odd Jobs Agency beneficial, but worried about Karatachi Yagura’s intentions.
• Minato explained that the alliance’s economic changes could strengthen Shiina Sora’s Reformist Faction and undermine Yagura’s conservatives.
• Kakashi suggested that the changes might be reforms Yagura himself wanted to see.
• Jiraiya recalled that Yagura had originally opposed the Bloody Mist policy before abruptly reversing course after becoming Mizukage.
• Jiraiya concluded that Karatachi Yagura may have been part of the Reformist Faction from the beginning.

Minato and Jiraiya speculated that Karatachi Yagura had secretly worked with the Reformist Faction, and Hiruzen left Konoha's alliance decision unresolved pending evidence. While Kakashi and Naruto returned home, Kuro discovered that Sasuke had no trace of the chakra belonging to Otsutsuki Indra's reincarnation.

• Minato concluded that Karatachi Yagura and Shiina Sora had secretly been allies all along, and the others considered the danger this posed to Konoha.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ended the discussion and asked the others to keep considering an alliance with the Mist Village until they had conclusive evidence.
• Naruto walked home with Kakashi, privately discussing plans to beat up people who had angered him until Minato and Kushina objected.
• Kakashi worried about Sasuke's pain and hoped he would recover as he followed Naruto home.
• Kuro searched sleeping Sasuke with his Mangekyō technique and found no trace of the chakra of Otsutsuki Indra's reincarnation.

Sasuke woke at Kakashi's home with a scroll proving that his reunion with Uchiha Kuro had been real, and realized Kuro had known him since infancy. Watching from the roof, Kuro questioned whether Uchiha Madara was still alive and prepared to investigate Naruto for Asura's chakra.

• In Sasuke's dream, Kuro held infant Sasuke and recalled their family's past with Itachi and Shisui, then urged Itachi to consider the Uchiha clan's interests and visit Grandpa Candle Flame.
• Sasuke awoke at Kakashi's home and found a sealed scroll containing a tailored training plan and detailed guidance on Uchiha ninjutsu and the Sharingan.
• Sasuke realized the meeting with Uchiha Kuro had not been a dream, searched for him, and concluded that they had known each other for a long time.
• Kuro watched Sasuke from the roof and worried that Sasuke lacked Indra's chakra, raising doubts about Uchiha Madara's survival and motives.
• Kuro sensed Naruto and another familiar presence approaching and decided to check whether Naruto had Asura's chakra before vanishing.

Kakashi gently told Naruto that he could accept his friends’ kindness without feeling he had to repay it, then was caught by Kurenai for abandoning his comrades. Naruto left Kakashi behind, leaving him to face Kurenai’s demand for an explanation.

• Kakashi teased Naruto about his attempts to make friends at the Ninja Academy and worried that Naruto felt he had to earn the kindness of people close to him.
• Kakashi told Naruto that Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others were his friends without expecting anything in return, and that he could accept their kindness without guilt.
• Kurenai caught Kakashi by the shoulder and demanded an explanation for abandoning his comrades.
• Kakashi tried to use Naruto and Sasuke as an excuse to leave, but Kurenai pointed out that Naruto had already gone.
• Naruto waved as he disappeared into the distance, while Kurenai kept hold of Kakashi and refused his request for a truce.

Naruto met Kuro, who was disguised as an ordinary child, while walking alone at night. Kuro’s words stirred an inexplicable sense of family in Naruto, and the chapter ended as Kuro invited him to sit and talk.

• Naruto worried about Kakashi on his way home, then noticed a lone figure ahead and ran over despite Kushina’s warnings.
• Kushina feared Naruto might be in danger, but Minato recognized that the figure was a child.
• Kuro, disguised with the Transformation Jutsu, reproached Naruto for wandering alone and showed no fear of him.
• Kuro called Naruto a good person for worrying about him, leaving Naruto stunned and Minato and Kushina suspicious.
• Naruto asked Kuro whether they had met before, and Kuro invited him to sit and talk.

Naruto met the mysterious Kuro on a park bench, where Kuro gave him half a popsicle. Minato and Kushina warned Naruto to be cautious and stall for time, but Naruto ate the popsicle anyway, leaving Kuro to question his lack of vigilance.

• Kuro sat beside Naruto in a quiet park at night and handed him half a popsicle.
• Kushina urged Naruto to distance himself from Kuro and call for help, while Minato warned that Kuro was powerful and knew Konoha’s terrain well.
• Minato advised Naruto to cooperate with Kuro and wait for Kakashi or Kurenai to notice the situation.
• Naruto misunderstood his parents’ warning and ate the popsicle, which Minato and Kushina watched in dismay.
• Kuro criticized Naruto for accepting food from a stranger, and Naruto said he already knew Kuro must have bad intentions.

Kuro revealed to Naruto that he had cared for him when he was very young, then asked how Naruto had been all these years. Watching through Naruto’s eyes, Minato and Kushina recognized Kuro and began to identify him.

• Naruto ate Kuro’s popsicle and asked whether Kuro knew Kakashi and why he seemed familiar.
• Kuro told Naruto that he knew him and had looked after him when he was very small.
• Kuro redirected the conversation and asked Naruto how he had been all these years.
• Naruto was moved by Kuro’s gentle expression, while Minato and Kushina realized who Kuro was.

Kuro listened as Naruto described fighting villagers who had bullied him and insisted that he was happy because the people he cared about accepted him. Reassured by Naruto’s sincere smile, Kuro ended their heart-to-heart and prepared to get down to business.

• Naruto told Kuro how he had wrecked a mask shop and beaten its owner after being driven away.
• Naruto recounted beating up children who bullied a girl, while Kuro wondered whether Asura’s chakra had left Naruto and whether Madara was watching him.
• Kuro suggested that Naruto hated Konoha and could not be happy there, but Naruto defended the people who treated him well.
• Naruto explained that he no longer needed approval from people who hated him, since being acknowledged by those he cared about was enough.
• Kuro felt reassured that Naruto was doing well, then stood and told him their heart-to-heart was ending because he had gotten the answer he wanted.

Kuro revealed his identity to Naruto, used his Mangekyō ability to explore Naruto’s inner world, and discovered that the Nine-Tails was sealed in an unfamiliar space. There, he encountered Minato and Kushina alive and was left stunned by their appearance.

• Kuro told Naruto his name was Uchiha Kuro, then used his Mangekyō Sharingan to examine Naruto’s chakra and found two mysterious powers.
• Kuro entered Naruto’s inner world, found the Nine-Tails behind a massive prison gate, and subdued it with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Kuro heard familiar voices behind him and turned to find Minato and Kushina standing together.
• Kuro stared at them in disbelief and asked whether they were really not dead.

Kuro reunited with Minato and Kushina as souls inside Naruto and learned that they had used Minato’s Soul-Sealing Dharma Seal to preserve themselves while sealing the Nine-Tails. Kushina revealed that the technique had been created for Kuro, leaving him to realize that he had changed more than he thought.

• Kuro confirmed that Minato and Kushina were real, and the couple teased each other before turning to his questions.
• Minato explained that he and Kushina existed as souls inside Naruto, sustained by the Nine-Tails’ chakra through the Soul-Sealing Dharma Seal.
• Kuro recognized that Minato had developed the sealing technique, and Kushina corrected its name and explained it had been prepared for Kuro.
• Kuro realized that Minato, Kushina, and Jiraiya had developed techniques for his sake and understood that he had changed many things after all.

Kuro learned that Minato and Kushina had awakened inside Naruto only a year earlier, too late to prevent the Uchiha clan massacre, and regretted that his defection had weakened the clan’s last hope. He resolved to change the future but reaffirmed that he would not return to Konoha, leaving Minato to ask why he had joined Akatsuki.

• Kuro asked Minato when he and Kushina had awakened inside Naruto, and Minato said it had happened about a year earlier.
• Kuro connected their late awakening to Shisui’s death and realized the Uchiha clan massacre might have been avoidable if he had not defected.
• Kuro accepted that he could not change the past and resolved to use his current strength to reverse the situation.
• Kuro told Minato he did not blame him for what happened to the Uchiha clan and firmly refused to return to Konoha.
• Minato accepted Kuro’s decision but asked him to explain why he had joined Akatsuki.

Kuro told Minato and Kushina that he knew the masked man's full identity and confirmed that Obito had caused the Nine-Tails Incident and forced him into Akatsuki. The chapter ended with Kuro naming Obito as the person responsible for their deaths and the Uchiha clan massacre.

• Minato asked Kuro how much he knew about the masked man, and Kuro said he knew everything about him.
• Kuro confirmed that Obito had infiltrated Konoha as Uchiha Madara and caused the Nine-Tails Incident.
• Kuro explained that he had planned to retire after leaving Konoha but joined Akatsuki after Obito forced him into it.
• Minato asked whether the masked man was Obito, and Kuro confirmed it.
• Kuro told Minato and Kushina that Obito had caused their deaths and massacred the Uchiha clan alongside Uchiha Itachi.

Kuro explained to Minato and Kushina that Obito had survived the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, become the masked man, and embraced Madara’s plan for the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He withheld his own role in controlling the Mist Village and other details, leaving Minato and Kushina to absorb what he had chosen to reveal.

• Minato reacted with bitter acceptance when Kuro confirmed the masked man’s identity, while Kushina was shocked that Obito had survived and caused the Nine-Tails’ attack.
• Minato calmed Kushina and asked her to let Kuro finish explaining before questioning him.
• Kuro recounted how Madara saved Obito with Hashirama Cells, arranged for him to witness Rin’s death, and persuaded him to pursue the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
• Kuro described how he encountered Obito, joined Akatsuki to protect himself, inherited Madara’s legacy, and awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan after the Uchiha clan was slaughtered.
• Kuro concealed his role in controlling the Mist Village and other personal details, deciding to remain beside Obito until he learned whether Madara was still alive.

Minato and Kushina learned more about Madara’s role in Obito and Rin’s tragedy, while Kuro explained why he had kept the truth from Obito. Kushina struggled to process the revelations but found comfort in Minato’s reassurance that their family would stay together.

• Minato connected Madara’s long-running schemes to Obito’s disappearance and Rin’s death, while Kuro remembered the battlefield where Rin died.
• Minato asked whether Obito knew Madara had arranged Rin’s death, and Kuro said he had deduced the truth himself and had not told Obito.
• Kuro warned that revealing the truth might not make Obito abandon the Eye of the Moon Plan, and Minato’s hope that Obito could turn back faded.
• Kuro noticed Kushina’s confusion and alerted Minato, who comforted her as she struggled to make sense of what she had learned.
• Kushina thanked Minato for staying by her side as the warmth of her family helped calm her turmoil.

Kuro agreed to cooperate with Minato against Obito in exchange for the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Minato passed him the training methods along with Konoha’s concern for him. Their reunion was interrupted when Anko found Kuro and stared at him in tears.

• Minato asked Kuro what he planned to do next, and Kuro offered to share intelligence about Obito and Akatsuki in exchange for learning the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Minato agreed to cooperate and bumped fists with Kuro, passing him the technique’s training methods and memories of Konoha’s concern for him.
• Kuro sensed a serious problem in the real world and saw Anko standing nearby, having dropped her groceries as she stared at him in tears.

Kuro left Naruto’s consciousness after Kushina urged him to answer Anko honestly, then faced Anko in the real world. The chapter ended with Anko rushing into his arms, leaving Kuro wondering if he could still escape Konoha.

• Minato teased Kuro about facing Anko and refused to explain the situation to her.
• Kushina told Kuro that Anko’s feelings were genuine and urged him to give her an answer.
• Kuro returned to the real world, released Naruto from his genjutsu, and let Naruto recognize him as Uchiha Kou.
• Naruto noticed Anko’s anger and warned Kuro that he knew her.
• Kuro tried to greet Anko, but she rushed forward and crashed into his arms.

Kuro reunited with Anko in Konoha, where her relief and affection gave way to suspicion about his presence as an Akatsuki rogue ninja. Anko restrained him with snakes and sent Naruto to fetch Kakashi and the others, warning that Kuro was dangerous.

• Kuro reflected on his unexpected encounters that night and wondered how to face Anko after their five years apart.
• Anko hugged Kuro, then bound him with the Snake Gaze Binding Spell and told Naruto to find Kakashi and Red.
• Anko and Kuro argued about his disappearance, and Anko accidentally revealed how much she cared about him.
• Naruto laughed at Anko's obvious affection until she threatened to revoke his dango-shop VIP privileges.
• Anko told Naruto that Kuro was an Akatsuki member who had likely used genjutsu on him and warned him not to let his guard down.

Anko tried to arrest Kuro while Naruto insisted that Kuro was a good person and ran to Kakashi. After Kuro escaped her snakes, he told Anko he had changed his mind about leaving and wanted to talk about their past.

• Naruto vouched for Kuro, then obeyed Anko and ran toward Kakashi after Kuro reassured him.
• Anko announced that she was arresting Kuro, but Kuro used the Substitution Technique to escape the snakes and appeared behind her.
• Kuro tossed Anko a can of beer, and she drew a kunai and vowed not to let him leave unless he killed her.
• Kuro stopped Anko from charging and said he had changed his mind about leaving Konoha.
• Kuro told Anko that he wanted to talk with her about their past.

Kuro and Anko shared a teasing late-night conversation that turned serious when Anko confessed that his rejection hurt and asked him to return to Konoha. Kuro asked what she and Konoha liked about him, then revealed that the person she loved had never existed from the beginning.

• Anko accepted Kuro's invitation to sit and drink beer with him, then teased him about their old pretend relationship and his reactions to her.
• Anko flirted with Kuro and reached toward him, but he stopped her and scolded her for copying a move from Icha Icha Paradise.
• Kuro told Anko he would not make a move on someone he regarded as his own brother, leaving her hurt by his words.
• Anko asked Kuro to consider returning to Konoha, even if they could only be friends and comrades.
• Kuro asked what Anko and everyone in Konoha liked about him, then told her that the person she liked had never existed from the start.

Kuro explained to Anko that he had deliberately presented himself as a kindhearted, village-minded Uchiha to serve as a bridge between the Uchiha and Konoha. He revealed that this persona was a mask he had worn since childhood, leaving Anko to face the truth that she never knew the real him.

• Kuro explained that the Uchiha's conspicuous clan-first attitude kept them apart from Konoha, unlike the more restrained Hyuga.
• Kuro said Fugaku had tried to change the Uchiha's conduct and that both the clan and Konoha needed a person who could ease their standoff.
• Kuro revealed that he had resolved from childhood to become that person, earning support from both the Uchiha and Konoha by appearing to embody the Will of Fire.
• Kuro admitted he had worn a false mask because it offered protection and resources to someone who feared dying on the battlefield.
• Kuro told Anko that the kindhearted Uchiha Kuro she knew had never existed and that she knew nothing about the real him.

Kuro revealed the truth about his deception to Anko and decided he could no longer stay beside her. Anko stopped him with a sealing technique, but Kuro broke free and vanished, leaving her alone in the night.

• Kuro reflected that his deception and his bonds with his companions were both real, but decided he could no longer keep lying to them.
• Anko called Kuro back, cried, and demanded that he comfort her, while Kuro said she would eventually let go of her feelings for him.
• Anko used the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal to bind Kuro and told him she would regret it if she let him leave before she had time to think.
• Kuro sensed Kakashi and Kurenai nearby, released himself from Anko's seal, and vanished before she could stop him.
• Anko lunged for Kuro after he disappeared, then stood alone, crying as his scent faded in the night wind.

Minato briefed Hiruzen and Jiraiya on Madara, Obito, and Kuro, while the three worried about the damage those revelations had caused. At the Ninja Academy, Kakashi showed the Mist Village delegation around, and Kuro spotted young Sasuke among Might Duy’s students.

• Jiraiya and Hiruzen reacted to the news that Madara had survived and manipulated Obito, and Hiruzen regretted his past distrust of the Uchiha.
• Jiraiya reassured Hiruzen that Kuro was safe, then joked about his injuries from spying on Tsunade at the bathhouse.
• Minato told Hiruzen and Jiraiya that Anko had been left crying after Kuro departed and that Kurenai had taken her home.
• Minato admitted he had not decided when to tell Kakashi that Obito was alive, but promised to explain the truth himself when the time was right.
• Kakashi escorted Kisame, Utakata, and Kuro to the Ninja Academy, where Might Duy enthusiastically led children in green bodysuits.
• Kuro recognized young Sasuke glaring from the front row of Might Duy’s class.

Might Duy’s fitness class brought the children to the training ground in green bodysuits, where they dreaded his strenuous exercises. Kakashi arrived with Kuro and two companions, and Might Duy immediately asked Kuro if they had met before.

• Shikamaru and Choji complained about Might Duy’s fitness class while Ino and Sakura grumbled about their bodysuits and admired Sasuke.
• Sasuke resented Kakashi for staying away all night, leaving him unable to ask for time off to practice with Kuro’s training scroll.
• Shino advised Sasuke to rest, but Sasuke failed to recognize him, leaving Shino crestfallen as Kiba laughed.
• Might Duy announced a five-kilometer warm-up run, prompting the children to wail.
• Kakashi arrived and greeted Might Duy, but Duy rushed over to Kuro and asked whether they had met before.