Chapter Summaries

Kou 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 Kou about defecting from Konoha, asking why he had abandoned the future of becoming Hokage.

• Kou 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.
• Kou 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 Kou why he had defected from Konoha despite being expected to become Hokage.

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

• Kou 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 Kou told Itachi to investigate while he guarded the coffin.
• Itachi questioned Kou's motives, but accepted the plan after Kou argued that their wary partnership made it the best arrangement.
• Itachi told Kou he was more qualified to inherit the Totsuka Blade and urged him to trust him and leave Akatsuki before departing.
• Kou 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 Kou had encountered Orochimaru. Sasori withdrew, and Sakumo and Asuma left the Land of Lightning to avoid a diplomatic confrontation, still worried about Kou.

• 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 Kou had likely crossed paths with Orochimaru, and Asuma urged him to hurry to Kou’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, Kou 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 Kou would finish quickly.
• Kou found only a faint trace of ocular power in the coffin and realized someone had taken the Totsuka Blade before he and Itachi arrived.

Kou 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.

• Kou examined the empty seal and wondered whether an Uchiha had taken the Totsuka Blade years ago.
• Kou 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 Kou intervened before Itachi could use Amaterasu. A recognized Kou 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 Kou arrived and blocked A’s strike with Inazuma.
• A withdrew from Lightning Release Chakra Mode and recognized Kou as the Uchiha who had stopped Kumogakure’s Byakugan scheme five years earlier.
• A asked Kou why he had defected from Konoha, recalling him as Konoha’s Black Lightning.

Kou 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, Kou learned that A wanted to recruit him into Kumogakure.

• Kou 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 Kou and Itachi.
• When Kou tried to leave, A stopped him and asked to speak with him alone.
• Kou signaled Itachi to leave, and Itachi went after Orochimaru.
• A asked Kou to leave Akatsuki and join Kumogakure.

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

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

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

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

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

Uchiha Kou 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, Kou prepared to defend himself with Uchiha Flame Formation.

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

Kou 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 Kou, the fastest in the Ninja World.

• Kou’s crimson barrier burned away the Fourth Raikage’s black lightning panther and blocked his axe kick.
• Kou 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 Kou had improved it.
• Kou emerged with his Sharingan revealed, and Darui and C suspected he was an Uchiha survivor.
• Kou accused the Fourth Raikage of arranging a two-sided ambush, and the Raikage named him Black Lightning—Uchiha Kou, the fastest in the Ninja World.

Kou 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, Kou prepared to begin the next stage of his plan, expecting Orochimaru to have reached his destination.

• Darui recognized Kou 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 Kou looked on with sympathy for him.
• Kou 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 Kou, then attacked after he refused. Kou 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 Kou and capture him alive.
• Darui and C formed a triangle with A around Kou, who sheathed Inazuma and listened to their offer to join Kumogakure.
• Kou 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.
• Kou disappeared before the three attacks could reach him, and A identified the technique as Namikaze Minato’s Flying Thunder God.

After Kou 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. Kou arrived at a remote cavern in the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range, another forgotten Uchiha resting place.

• Darui admired Kou’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 Kou and reveal that Kou 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 Kou reached a hidden cavern deep in the Cloud Thunder Mountain Range.

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

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

Itachi returned to check on Kou and found Cook, whose panic left him struggling to conceal Kou’s whereabouts. Meanwhile, Kou and Orochimaru explored a lavish mausoleum, where Kou 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 Kou.
• Itachi asked Cook where Kou was, and Cook stammered under his increasingly grave gaze.
• Kou and Orochimaru reached the mausoleum’s burial chamber, where Kou recognized a broken wooden sword embedded in ancient Senju armor as the Great Ori Cutter.
• Kou 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.

Kou 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.

• Kou 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.

Kou 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 Kou reflected on how their deaths began the Warring States Period.

• Kou 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.
• Kou recalled that their deaths began the Warring States Period as conquered powers rose again and Zhengsen’s companions returned to their homelands.

Kou 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 Kou’s Mangekyō blindness, and he vowed to deal with Black Zetsu.

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