Chapter Summaries

Yagura proposed an alliance between the Mist Village and Konoha, while Kou announced he would lead a delegation to discuss it in person. Kabuto redirected the meeting to Akatsuki intelligence and revealed that Konoha had information on Orochimaru and Uchiha Kou.

• Yagura proposed a formal alliance with Konoha to support joint investigations into Akatsuki in the Land of Water.
• Kakashi declined to commit to an alliance before consulting the Hokage, and Kou said he would lead a delegation to Konoha to discuss it.
• Kabuto interrupted the exchange and steered the discussion back to Akatsuki intelligence.
• Kabuto introduced himself as head of Konoha's Intelligence Bureau, Root, and said Konoha had gathered information on Akatsuki members.
• Kabuto named Orochimaru and Uchiha Kou as the two Konoha missing-nin on whom Konoha had the most detailed intelligence.

Kabuto presented Mist Village with intelligence on three Akatsuki members and explained why Konoha considered Uchiha Kou a priority. His account of Kou’s deeds at Kannabi Bridge brought back Kou’s memories of failing to save Obito and the others, leaving him convinced he had changed nothing.

• Kabuto gave Kou and Yagura files on Uchiha Kou, Orochimaru, and Uchiha Itachi, then asked Mist Village to prioritize gathering information on Kou.
• Kou questioned why Konoha considered him a greater concern than Orochimaru, and Kabuto detailed his combat record and the name Black Lightning he earned at Kannabi Bridge.
• Kakashi clenched his fist as Kabuto recounted Kou’s battlefield achievements, while Obito watched Kakashi and Kou from the shadows.
• Kou remembered fighting an overwhelming Stone Village force alone after sending Kakashi, Obito, and Rin to seek reinforcements.
• Kou recalled awakening the Sixth Gate and defeating the enemy before losing consciousness, then waking to learn that Obito had died and given Kakashi his Sharingan.
• Kou remembered Kakashi’s account of their encounter with another Stone Village squad and concluded that he had not changed Obito’s fate.

Kou recalled his helplessness during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge while Kabuto presented a detailed report about his life and secret work illustrating Icha Icha Paradise. Obito and Yagura teased Kou over the embarrassing revelations, leaving Kou threatening that Obito would regret it.

• Kou remembered the pain of the Battle of Kannabi Bridge and resolved to gain absolute power so he would not be helpless again.
• Obito told Kakashi and Kou that they had done nothing wrong and blamed the world for their suffering.
• Kabuto recited Kou's career and personal details, including that Kou illustrated the first volume of Icha Icha Paradise.
• Might Guy learned that Kou had illustrated Kakashi's beloved book, while Obito struggled to hide his amusement.
• Kou realized Jiraiya must have revealed his secret and angrily vowed to kill him when they next met.
• Yagura, controlled by Obito, insisted Kabuto continue, and Kou warned Obito that he would regret teasing him.

Kabuto explained that Konoha still wanted Uchiha Kou brought back and asked Mist Village to share intelligence about him, and the villages agreed to cooperate. After Kakashi, Might Guy, and Kabuto departed with Kisame, Kou returned to the Advisor Building and found a masked Akatsuki figure waiting in Yagura’s chair.

• Kou swiftly took the documents from the desk while Kabuto was explaining them, then let Kabuto continue.
• Kabuto told Kou and Yagura that Konoha still classified Kou as someone to bring back, unlike Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi, who were wanted dead or alive.
• Kou accepted Konoha’s intelligence-sharing request, and Kakashi promised to relay Kou’s proposed alliance negotiations to the Hokage.
• Yagura assigned Kisame to escort Kakashi, Might Guy, and Kabuto safely to Mist Harbor as they left Kirigakure.
• Kou returned to the Advisor Building and found a masked Akatsuki figure sitting in Yagura’s chair, who quietly met his gaze.

Kou and Obito discussed their plans for approaching Konoha and misleading it about Akatsuki’s location. They left to prepare the evidence needed to convince Konoha that Akatsuki’s base was in the Land of Water.

• Kou teased Obito about taking off his mask and acting sentimental after seeing Kakashi again.
• Obito told Kou to travel to Konoha in a few weeks and use alliance discussions to gather intelligence, especially about whether Jiraiya would become the Fifth Hokage.
• Obito asked Kou to learn about the current Nine-Tails jinchuriki while access was still possible.
• Kou reflected that their alliance plan would let him approach Naruto and Sasuke, while Obito would use his official status to advance Akatsuki’s tailed-beast plans.
• Obito said they needed Konoha to believe Akatsuki’s base was in the Land of Water, and Kou considered how to provide convincing evidence.
• Obito put on his orange spiral mask, and he and Kou set out together.

Kakashi's group traveled toward Mist Harbor and discussed their bonds with Kou and Kisame's loyalty to Kirigakure's leaders. They encountered Tobi and Kou, and Kakashi reunited with the friend who had left Konoha five years earlier.

• Might Guy challenged Kakashi to a race while Kisame observed the group and remarked on their happiness.
• Kisame asked Kakashi about Kou, and Kakashi said he believed they would meet again and bring Kou back to Konoha.
• Kisame explained that both Kirigakure's Mizukage and Mizukage Aide were indispensable to him, and Kakashi praised them.
• Tobi burst from the woods in an Akatsuki cloak, and Kou's sword, Firebirth, passed through him without harming him.
• Kou emerged from the forest and chased Tobi, while Kakashi and Might Guy recognized him.
• Kakashi called out to Kou, who stopped, sheathed Firebirth, and greeted his old friend.

Kakashi and Guy reunited with Kou in the Land of Water, but Kou showed no sign of returning to Konoha. Kakashi finally asked why Kou had left five years earlier.

• Obito and Kou encountered Kakashi, Guy, and Kabuto on a road in the Land of Water, and Kou recognized his old acquaintances.
• Guy rushed to embrace Kou, but Kou used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge him, leaving Guy sprawled face-down in the dirt.
• Kou asked after Might Guy's father and learned that he had become a Ninja Academy taijutsu instructor.
• Guy urged Kou to return to Konoha, but Kakashi reminded him that they already knew Kou's answer from Lord Jiraiya.
• Kou learned that Teacher Jiraiya had returned to Konoha, then Kakashi asked why Kou had left the village five years earlier.

Kou explained that he left Konoha because he no longer wanted to be a ninja, after recalling the pressure and conflict surrounding the Uchiha and his own struggles. He left Kakashi and Might Guy with the long-delayed answer.

• Kakashi asked Kou why he had left Konoha, while Kisame and Obito watched with interest.
• Kou recalled the Uchiha's isolation, the growing conflict with Konoha, and the strain of trying to mediate while struggling with his own training and fears.
• Kou remembered that an argument with Shisui had preceded his decision to flee Konoha.
• Kou decided to tell Kakashi and Might Guy the truth rather than invent an excuse.
• Kou told Kakashi and Might Guy that he had left because he did not want to be a ninja anymore.

Kou revealed that the story he had told about awakening his two-Tomo Sharingan was false: after a Sand Village ambush killed his teammates and mortally wounded his teacher, he killed a fleeing civilian girl. He left Kakashi and Might Guy stunned as he began explaining why he no longer wanted to be a shinobi.

• Might Guy demanded to know why Kou had quit being a shinobi, while Kakashi watched him in silence.
• Kou reminded Kakashi and Might Guy of the Sand Village ambush in which Morishita Naoto, Inuzuka Cloud, and Tetsuki Fukama had died, and admitted his old account of awakening his Sharingan was only partly true.
• Kou explained that Sand Village had deliberately left civilians in the combat zone as bait, and that Fukama and Cloud had died because of the tactic.
• Kou recalled that a family of three had been caught in the attack, and that the parents died while sending their young daughter to flee.
• Kou said Morishita had pointed him toward the girl before dying, and that he caught up with her and killed her.

Kou explained that killing an innocent child during the Third Ninja World War made him reject being a ninja and leave Konoha five years ago. When Kakashi asked why he had joined Akatsuki, Kou said he had found a goal that could change the false Ninja World, leaving Kakashi to infer that Akatsuki was part of his plan.

• Kou recalled killing a six-year-old whose parents had died in the war and described the act as necessary but deeply painful.
• Kou told Kakashi and Might Guy that he had wanted to stop being a ninja since the war and had decided to leave Konoha five years earlier.
• Kakashi and Might Guy listened in silence as Kou explained his reasons, while Obito reflected on how little he had understood Kou in the past.
• Kakashi asked why Kou had joined Akatsuki after deciding to leave the ninja life.
• Kou said he had found a goal to change the false Ninja World, and his silence suggested he could pursue it only through Akatsuki.

Kou refused Kakashi’s plea to leave Akatsuki, and Kakashi and Might Guy prepared to fight him. After launching Obito at their opponents with a “Night Knock,” Kou assigned him Kisame and Kabuto while taking Kakashi and Guy for himself.

• Kakashi drew White Fang’s Tanto and vowed to bring Kou back to Konoha, while Might Guy took his fighting stance.
• Kou readied himself to test his strength against Kakashi and Guy without revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Obito tried to avoid fighting, so Kou kicked him high into the air with a move he called “Night Knock.”
• Kisame caught the flying Obito with Samehada, and Obito used his intangibility before landing theatrically.
• Kou told Obito to handle Kisame and Kabuto, then faced Kakashi and Might Guy himself.

Kakashi and Guy faced Kou after he revealed his overwhelming strength, and Kakashi realized he could not defeat him alone. The three prepared to fight together, while Obito and Kisame watched their battle with interest.

• Kakashi countered Kou's crimson flame slash with a lightning-infused Hatake sword technique, and Kou praised his skill before challenging him.
• Kou released a powerful wave of chakra and warned Kakashi that his swordsmanship alone would not be enough to defeat him.
• Obito and Kisame slowed their staged clash to watch Kakashi and Kou, while Kabuto wondered why their fight seemed strange.
• Remembering Jiraiya's warning about Kou's strength, Kakashi admitted he needed Guy's help.
• Kakashi and Guy charged up to face Kou together, and Kou welcomed the fight with eager anticipation.

Kou faced Kakashi and Might Guy on the battlefield as Kakashi revealed his Sharingan and vowed to bring Kou back to Konoha with Obito's strength. Kou launched a rapid sword attack, but Kakashi and Guy countered together and trapped him between their strikes as he opened the Third Gate.

• Kakashi revealed his Three Tomoe Sharingan and told Kou he would bring him back with Obito's strength, while Guy joined his vow.
• Obito, secretly present as Lord Madara, felt awkward as Kakashi and Guy mourned and invoked him.
• Kou feigned sorrow for Obito, then used Uchiha Style—Waltz to attack Kakashi at close range.
• Kakashi signaled Might Guy, who struck Kou with Konoha—Great Whirlwind and forced him to redirect his flaming blade.
• Kou retreated from Guy's kick, but Kakashi blocked his path with a Chidori Longsword, trapping him between their attacks.
• Kou opened the Eight Inner Gates' Third Gate, the Gate of Life.

Kou escaped Kakashi and Might Guy’s pincer attack by activating the Gate of Life, revealing overwhelming speed and near-perfect aura concealment. Kakashi and Might Guy agreed to stay together, with Kakashi reading Kou’s movements and guiding Guy as the fight continued.

• Kou activated the Gate of Life and used a burst of speed to escape Kakashi and Might Guy’s attack, landing some distance away.
• Kakashi and Might Guy discussed Kou’s speed and his ability to conceal his aura, which had kept Guy from sensing his movement.
• Kakashi concluded that Kou intended to disable one of them first and warned Guy that they must not split up.
• Kakashi told Guy to take the initiative while he watched Kou and called out his next moves, promising, “I’ll be your eyes!”

Kou recognized Kakashi and Might Guy’s plan to counter his speed-focused fighting style, then switched tactics and unleashed a powerful Dragon Flame Song Technique. As Kakashi and Guy faced the encroaching flames, Kakashi connected Kou’s growth to the mysterious masked man who inherited Uchiha Madara’s legacy.

• Kou read the exchange between Kakashi and Might Guy and realized Guy would attack while Kakashi watched for openings.
• Kou sheathed Firebirth and decided to use a different fighting style against his former friends.
• Kakashi warned Guy that Kou was changing tactics as Kou formed hand seals.
• Kou launched a Dragon Flame Song Technique that sent flaming dragon heads toward Kakashi and Guy, closing off their escape routes.
• Kakashi prepared to counter the flames and linked Kou’s extraordinary growth to the powerful teacher he suspected stood behind the masked man’s legacy.

Kakashi connected Tobi to the masked mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident and suspected he was Uchiha Obito. Sensing Kakashi’s suspicion, Obito chose to confuse him by taking a direct hit from Kisame’s Samehada, leaving Kisame wondering whether he had killed Madara.

• Kakashi linked Tobi’s mask, space-time ninjutsu, and connection to Kou with Minato-sensei’s description of Uchiha Madara.
• Kakashi suspected that Tobi was the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident and had influenced Kou to join Akatsuki and leave Konoha.
• Obito sensed Kakashi watching him and considered killing him, but decided Kakashi had not fully confirmed his identity and that killing him would disrupt their plans.
• Obito shouted about his Tobi Combo and charged into Kisame’s Samehada, allowing it to smash his left leg and send him crashing into the woods.
• Kisame stared at the injured Obito and wondered whether he had killed Lord Madara or whether Lord Madara had committed suicide.

Kakashi refocused on the fight after Might Guy shielded him and unleashed Morning Peacock, breaking through Kou’s Dragon Flame Song. As the firestorm bore down on Kou, Kakashi noticed his hands had stopped forming seals and warned Might Guy that Kou had prepared another technique.

• Kou glanced at the Masked Man lying among the ruined trees, then turned his attention back to Kakashi and Might Guy as he continued forming hand seals.
• Kakashi questioned whether the Masked Man was truly the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident, but Might Guy pulled him out of his thoughts and urged him to focus.
• Kakashi decided to bring Kou back and report the lead to Minato-sensei and Lord Jiraiya, then asked Might Guy to take the lead.
• Might Guy opened the sixth gate, Gate of View, and used Morning Peacock to smash apart Kou’s flame dragon heads and send a storm of fire toward him.
• Might Guy prepared to charge Kou as the firestorm closed in, but Kakashi grabbed his collar after noticing Kou had stopped forming seals and was pointing two fingers forward.

Kou gathered the heat from the battlefield into a concentrated Fire Release attack, which Kakashi recognized as an S-rank technique that could absorb even Might Guy’s chakra-free flames. Kou unleashed the enormous Sun Wheel toward Kakashi and Might Guy, leaving the outcome of the attack unresolved.

• Kou drew Morning Peacock’s flames and the lingering heat from the battlefield toward a point at his fingertips, causing the surrounding air and ground to frost over.
• Kakashi realized Kou had prepared the technique with his earlier Dragon Flame Song Technique and explained that it absorbed surrounding heat to strengthen the attack.
• Kakashi warned Might Guy that Kou’s S-rank technique could counter Fire Release, while Kou acknowledged Kakashi’s insight and challenged them to withstand it.
• Kou released the concentrated heat as a gigantic, high-speed flame cannon that carved a charred trench toward Kakashi and Might Guy.

Might Guy opened the Seventh Gate to protect Kakashi from Kou’s Blazing Flame Sun Wheel, and the two friends combined their strongest techniques to break the attack. Obito watched their display of power and realized his plan involving the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki would be more difficult than expected.

• As the Blazing Flame Sun Wheel’s heat threatened them, Kakashi prepared to use Obito’s power, but Might Guy opened the Seventh Gate and shielded him with blue chakra vapor.
• Guy urged Kakashi to face Kou with everything they had, and Kakashi joined him with lightning surging through White Fang’s Tanto.
• Guy unleashed Daytime Tiger while Kakashi fired Thunder Hunt, and their coordinated attacks shattered the Blazing Flame Sun Wheel.
• Obito, who had been pretending to be dead among shattered wood, watched Kakashi and Guy’s strength and reconsidered the difficulty of his Nine-Tails jinchuriki plan.

Kou escaped after Kakashi and Guy combined their strength against his Blazing Flame Sun Wheel, while Kakashi began piecing together Kou’s connection to the masked man. On a distant hill, Obito warned Kou that Kakashi might have learned something about him.

• Kou judged that Kakashi and Guy had overcome his attack, then used Swift Thunder to escape the blast without revealing his full strength.
• Guy collapsed from exhaustion after opening the Gate of Wonder, and Kakashi caught him while Kabuto hurried over to help.
• Kabuto told Kakashi that the masked man was gone, and Kakashi suspected Kou had rescued him and might be working with the mastermind behind the Nine-Tails Incident.
• Kisame recalled seeing Kou carry the bloodied Madara away from the wreckage and hoped Madara would recover.
• Kou questioned Obito about being struck by Samehada and trapped under a tree, but Obito said Kakashi might have figured something out about him.