Recaps

Karin entered Genya’s office and revealed that her Mind’s Eye of the Kagura had caught him and her mother together, prompting Genya to warn her to keep quiet. She then asked for his help after schoolmates mocked her and threw stones at her.

• Karin called Genya daddy in front of Kabuto, who realized she had overheard a secret and fled with Hidan.
• Genya ordered Karin not to use her Mind’s Eye of the Kagura to spy in Konoha or the Castle Keep, and not to tell anyone what she had sensed.
• Karin tried to pressure Genya into granting her a favor, first threatening to expose his secret and then acting pitiful.
• Karin told Genya that upperclassmen at the Ninja Academy had called her a tomato and thrown stones at her.
• Genya asked who would dare bully Karin at the Ninja Academy.

After Karin told Xuanye that older Ninja Academy students were bullying her and other gifted classmates, Xuanye planned to address the problem through their parents rather than punish the children himself. He later found Tsunade and Uchiha Hikari waiting together in his room, leaving him unsure what they wanted.

• Karin told Xuanye that older students had given her, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata nasty nicknames and bullied them.
• Xuanye resolved to stop the bullying at its source and considered involving Fugaku and the students' parents.
• Xuanye returned to his room and found Uchiha Hikari holding her Ninja Cat, Big Yellow, while Tsunade waited with her.
• Xuanye asked Tsunade and Uchiha Hikari why they had come together, admitting he could not guess what they wanted.

Uchiha Hikari tried to obtain a Rinnegan or Otsutsuki Cells from Genya, but he refused and teased her with the promise of Xuanye Cells. His implication that he wanted to implant his own cells sent Hikari fleeing while Tsunade confronted him.

• Uchiha Hikari massaged Genya and asked for the Rinnegan he had withheld from her, but Genya said he had used it as bait.
• Hikari requested Otsutsuki Cells instead, and Genya refused because of their side effects and the body modifications they required.
• Genya said he might give Hikari Xuanye Cells later, prompting Tsunade to accuse him of targeting Hikari.
• Hikari realized what Genya meant, called him a pervert, and retreated as Tsunade advanced on him.
• Genya used his Sharingan to control Tsunade, and Hikari escaped through the door, losing a shoe.
• As she fled, Hikari wondered whether Genya's interest meant that he liked her and felt secretly pleased.

Uchiha Genya restrained Tsunade while Uchiha Hikari worried about her missing Summoning Beast, Big Yellow. Meanwhile, Hiashi visited Hizashi to learn about the Security Division captaincy and began suspecting that Hizashi had somehow escaped the Caged Bird Seal’s control, but he could not bring himself to test it.

• Tsunade told Uchiha Genya to leave Uchiha Hikari alone, but he restrained her and reminded her of her promise.
• Uchiha Hikari realized she could not contact Big Yellow, who watched Genya and Tsunade with a Mangekyō shape flashing in his eyes.
• Fugaku went home and drank after losing his position as Captain of the Security Division, while Mikoto left him alone.
• Hiashi visited Hizashi, who told him that he would not become the next captain, though the post would not go to another ninja clan.
• Hiashi sensed that Hizashi no longer regarded him as superior and suspected the Caged Bird Seal no longer controlled him, but he could not activate it to find out.

Hizashi pushed Hiashi to reform the Hyuga Clan by reminding him that Hinata and Hanabi could inherit the Branch Family’s suffering. Hiashi agreed to open the Gentle Fist secret arts to talented Branch Family members, then asked Hizashi for help with Hinata’s timid personality and suggested Orochimaru’s training class.

• Hiashi confronted Hizashi about the removal of his Caged Bird, but Hizashi refused to explain when it had happened or to say he trusted him.
• Hizashi warned Hiashi that Hanabi would also face the Caged Bird and urged him to change the Hyuga Clan for his daughters’ sake.
• Hiashi promised to let Branch Family jonin study the Gentle Fist Secret Art and to give exceptionally talented Branch Family members a chance to learn Main Family techniques.
• Hizashi offered military support if the Main Family resisted, and the brothers reconciled over drinks.
• Hiashi explained that Hinata’s timidness concerned him and asked Hizashi what to do; he suggested the training class at Orochimaru’s place.

Hizashi persuaded Hiashi to let Hinata intern with the Security Division, while Xuanye dealt with the aftermath of Tsunade’s night and considered the Akatsuki prisoners and Gaara. Jiraiya returned to Konoha and sought Kakuzu, hoping to help Nagato and Konan, though he remained unsure whether he could save them without betraying the village.

• Hizashi advised Hiashi against sending young Hinata to Xuanye and Orochimaru, and Hiashi agreed that she would intern with the Security Division under Hizashi’s care.
• Xuanye left Tsunade hiding under the covers, called to Big Yellow, and ate the breakfast Hong Dou had prepared.
• Xuanye considered interrogating the Akatsuki prisoners and managing Gaara before learning that Jiraiya had returned and gone to the Finance Department.
• Jiraiya met with Kakuzu after deciding to seek help for Nagato and Konan, whom he could not bear to see executed.
• Jiraiya questioned the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy and reflected that his loyalty to Konoha would keep him from breaking his former students out of prison.

Jiraiya sought Kakuzu and Xuanye’s help to spare Nagato and Konan, who were imprisoned after attacking Konoha. Xuanye said they might survive because they still had value, then took Jiraiya to Anbu Prison, where Deidara continued demanding to see him.

• Jiraiya offered Kakuzu ten million ryō to help Nagato and Konan, but Kakuzu dismissed the amount as too small.
• Xuanye arrived at the Finance Department, heard Jiraiya’s plea, and said Nagato and Konan had a chance of surviving if they understood the situation.
• Jiraiya agreed to persuade Nagato and Konan to surrender, and Xuanye escorted him to Anbu Prison.
• Xuanye entered the prison with Jiraiya and learned from Itachi that Deidara had been shouting and pounding on his cell door since his capture.

Xuanye inspected the captured Akatsuki members and learned that Itachi had nearly blinded his right eye using an unusually powerful Tsukuyomi on Kisame Hoshigaki. The illusion had left Kisame Hoshigaki convinced he was a legendary ruler, while Deidara tried and failed to bargain for his freedom.

• Itachi explained that he had trapped Kisame Hoshigaki in an illusion where he defeated Konoha, took the Rinnegan, and ruled the Ninja World for centuries, leaving him unable to distinguish reality from illusion.
• Xuanye saw that Kisame Hoshigaki was bound and raving, then ordered Itachi to gag him again after hearing his claims to be the Sage of Six Paths.
• Xuanye dismissed Kisame Hoshigaki as replaceable and considered handing him over to Orochimaru if he could not be controlled.
• Deidara begged Xuanye to free him and teach him a move, offering to surrender and work for Konoha.
• Sasori of the Red Sands warned Deidara that capture by Uchiha Genya left no easy escape, and Deidara angrily snapped back at him.

Jiraiya visited the imprisoned Konan and Nagato, but Xuanye interrupted their reunion and began using the prisoners’ vulnerabilities to force them into cooperation. Sasori of the Red Sands finally lost his composure when Xuanye ordered Itachi to throw his parents’ Human Puppets into the Dung Pit.

• Jiraiya arrived at the prison and found Nagato sunk in despair while Konan greeted him with a glimmer of hope.
• Xuanye interrupted their reunion and made clear that Konan would have to repay Konoha’s losses.
• Deidara agreed to work for Xuanye only if he could pursue the Art of Explosion and avoid fighting Iwagakure, prompting Xuanye to warn him to reconsider.
• Xuanye demanded that Sasori of the Red Sands reveal his Human Puppet technique, poisons, and information about Sunagakure in exchange for a quick death.
• When Sasori of the Red Sands refused to cooperate, Xuanye ordered Itachi to throw Sasori’s parents’ Human Puppets into the Dung Pit, and Sasori erupted in anger.

Xuanye tried to force Sasori to reveal the Puppet Technique, then used the Rinnegan’s Asura Path to seize control of Sasori’s Regeneration Core and soul. He spared Deidara on condition that he record the Explosion Corps’ training methods and join Konoha’s Anbu.

• Sasori refused Xuanye’s threats, unwilling to surrender the Puppet Technique or endanger Granny Chiyo.
• Xuanye activated the Rinnegan’s Six Paths Avatar: Asura Path and took control of Sasori’s Regeneration Core, turning him into a puppet.
• The Akatsuki members watched in horror as Sasori vanished into Xuanye’s eye and a second black Tomoe appeared in his Rinnegan.
• Deidara begged Xuanye to spare him, and Xuanye asked whether he knew Dust Release or how to train in it.
• Deidara admitted Ōnoki had never taught him Dust Release, so Xuanye ordered him to write down the Explosion Corps’ training methods and join Konoha’s Anbu.
• Itachi gave Deidara paper and a pen, and Deidara obediently began recording the methods.

Xuanye decided the fates of several captured Akatsuki members, recruiting some into Konoha and sending Hiruko to the Research Department. He confronted Nagato and Konan, and Nagato insisted that he was destined to bring peace as the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths.

• Deidara chose to reveal Iwagakure's Explosion Release secrets rather than become Uchiha Genya's puppet forever.
• Hiruko surrendered to Orochimaru and was taken to the Research Department, where Orochimaru valued his Chimera Technique.
• Biwa Juzo pledged himself to Konoha, and Xuanye ordered that he receive a Cursed Seal and join the Anbu.
• Biwa Juzo taunted Nagato, but Xuanye stopped him and confronted Nagato about the Rinnegan that had drained his life.
• Nagato declared that his Rinnegan had awakened when he was a child and claimed he was the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths, destined to bring peace.

Xuanye confronted Nagato with the truth that the Rinnegan had been implanted in him and had drained his strength, shattering Nagato’s belief in his life’s purpose. He then demanded that Nagato and Konan swear loyalty to him.

• Xuanye told Nagato that the Rinnegan did not belong to him and had weakened his body, while Jiraiya’s prophecy did not make him the child of destiny.
• Xuanye explained that Nagato’s inability to turn off the Rinnegan and its constant Chakra drain showed that the eyes had been implanted and were consuming his vitality.
• Konan reconsidered her doubts about Uchiha Madara and Zetsu and believed Xuanye’s explanation, while Nagato rejected it as a lie.
• Konan asked Xuanye why he had revealed the truth instead of killing them, and Xuanye demanded that she and Nagato swear loyalty to him.

Xuanye pressured Konan to submit to Konoha by threatening Nagato’s health, then offered to restore him if she worked as director of Konoha’s Explosive Tag Printing Factory. Konan realized Xuanye wanted her Paper Release abilities rather than her beauty, but remained furious at his use of Nagato as leverage.

• Xuanye dismissed Nagato’s usefulness and revealed his intention to exploit Nagato’s Uzumaki bloodline.
• Nagato sensed Xuanye’s malice and tried to protect Konan, though his injuries and sealing technique left him powerless.
• Xuanye told Konan that Konoha could restore Nagato’s health and asked whether she wanted him to remain half-dead.
• Xuanye appointed Konan director of the Konoha Explosive Tag Printing Factory and promised to prolong Nagato’s life if she met her production quota.
• Jiraiya felt relieved that Xuanye valued Konan’s abilities over her beauty, while Konan grew angrier at being forced to work under threat to Nagato.

Konan agreed to work for Uchiha Genya in exchange for Nagato’s safety, while Genya planned to use the prospect of reviving Nawaki to motivate her. In Konoha, he offered Gaara a place in the village and as his lackey, but Gaara remained wary and rejected the idea of making friends.

• Konan accepted Genya’s deal, and he warned her that Flying Thunder God Marks would prevent her and Nagato from escaping.
• Genya told Konan he would soon show her someone brought back to life and hinted that she could earn a reward by working for him.
• Gaara reflected on his unexpectedly comfortable stay in Konoha, where a new sealing formula had quieted the Tailed Beast inside him.
• Genya told Gaara that Rasa had lied and abused him to keep him under control, then offered him a place in Konoha as his lackey.
• Gaara said he did not need friends, while Genya noted that he had not rejected joining Konoha.

Xuanye released Shukaku from Gaara and used his Mangekyō Sharingan to control him, while Matatabi warned the defiant tailed beast to surrender. Shukaku heard Kurama begging for help in Raiden Ei’s Plane of Euthymia and realized the fox was being tormented there.

• Xuanye told Gaara he would arrange for him to attend school, then loosened the seal and released Shukaku.
• Shukaku tried to attack, but Xuanye’s Mangekyō Sharingan brought him under control.
• Matatabi warned Shukaku that resisting Xuanye would bring severe consequences, but Shukaku refused to submit.
• Xuanye opened a path to the Plane of Euthymia, where Kurama begged him to let him out and offered information and power.
• Raiden Ei heard Xuanye’s offer to bring her a tanuki and decided Kurama needed harsher training.
• Shukaku heard Kurama’s cries and mistook them for a plea to be rescued.

Shukaku surrendered to Xuanye and agreed to watch over Gaara in Konoha, while Gaara settled into his new life there. Rasa’s request to have Gaara returned was rejected, leaving both Gaara and Shukaku with little desire to go back to Sunagakure.

• Shukaku offered to become Xuanye’s Summoning Beast to avoid Kurama’s fate, and Xuanye ordered him to keep Gaara from starting fights in Konoha.
• Gaara enrolled in the Konoha Ninja Academy, prompting Rasa to seek his return through diplomatic channels rather than risk war with Konoha.
• Xuanye dismissed Rasa’s request and claimed Konoha had rightful claim to the Tailed Beasts.
• Gaara enjoyed Konoha’s food, safety, and acceptance, while Shukaku tried to persuade him that life there was better than in Sunagakure.
• Gaara and Shukaku both preferred staying in Konoha over returning to Sunagakure.

Rasa failed to persuade Gaara to return to Sunagakure and exposed Konoha’s capture of its Jinchuriki, prompting Ōnoki to organize a Four Kage Summit. Before the other villages could unite, the Fourth Shinobi World War broke out, while Obito’s search for a way to revive Madara led to Kabuto finding their hideout.

• Gaara rejected Rasa’s pleas and tore up letters from Temari and Kankuro, refusing to return to Sunagakure.
• Rasa decided to reveal that Konoha had taken Sunagakure’s Jinchuriki, and Ōnoki contacted the other villages to arrange a Four Kage Summit.
• Obito found a Secret Technique that might transfer life force to revive someone, though its use on Madara was uncertain.
• Black Zetsu reported that Konoha had taken a Kekkei Genkai wielder needed for another Secret Technique.
• Kabuto emerged at Obito and Sarutobi Hiruzen’s Secret Base after tracking down the remaining Akatsuki members.

Kabuto confronted Obito, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Black Zetsu, then revealed he had brought them a Rinnegan. Black Zetsu rushed to stop Kabuto from destroying it and urged Obito to trust him.

• Kabuto challenged Sarutobi Hiruzen's authority in the Akatsuki Organization, and Obito demanded to know how Kabuto escaped Konoha.
• Kabuto said Hidan had sacrificed himself to help him escape and exposed Obito as Uchiha Obito.
• Obito and Sarutobi Hiruzen surrounded Kabuto while Black Zetsu hid underground.
• Kabuto produced a Rinnegan and threatened to crush it if it meant nothing to them.
• Black Zetsu emerged and pleaded with Kabuto to wait, then told Obito that Kabuto shared their goal and wanted revenge on Uchiha Genya.

Kabuto returned the Rinnegan to Obito and offered him an alliance backed by a powerful new generation of Impure World Reincarnation. Obito accepted the offer, while Kabuto explained why he could not summon Konoha’s First, Second, or Fourth Hokage.

• Obito caught the Rinnegan after Kabuto tossed it to him and questioned why Kabuto had given it away.
• Kabuto said the Rinnegan had nearly drained his Chakra when he tried to implant it, then asked Obito whether he wanted revenge on Konoha or the world.
• Kabuto summoned coffins containing powerful Reanimated Shinobi from several villages and described their abilities and the jutsu’s improvements.
• Obito accepted Kabuto’s offer after seeing the Reanimated Shinobi, and Sarutobi Hiruzen asked why Kabuto had summoned no Konoha ninja.
• Kabuto said Konoha had already summoned the First and Second Hokage, the Fourth Hokage’s soul was sealed, and he had no objection if Obito stole other remains from Konoha.

Obito and Kabuto agreed to start a war across the Ninja World to gather fighters and materials for the Impure World Reincarnation and challenge Konoha. They joined forces after Obito revealed his vast White Zetsu army, and declared the Fourth Shinobi World War.

• Obito questioned Kabuto's control over the reanimated shinobi and demanded to hear his plan for defeating Konoha and Uchiha Genya.
• Kabuto argued that hiding and relying on the Impure World Reincarnation would not work against Konoha, then proposed starting a war across the Ninja World to gather more powerful shinobi as materials.
• Obito took Kabuto and Sarutobi Hiruzen beneath the secret base, changed his mask, and showed Kabuto an army of over a hundred thousand White Zetsu.
• Kabuto agreed the White Zetsu could attack the other ninja villages, while Obito saw them as a force to combine with Kabuto's reanimated shinobi.
• Obito and Kabuto agreed to begin the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Kabuto used Impure World Reincarnation to bring Shimura Danzō back at Hiruzen’s request, while telling Hiruzen that Asuma was likely still alive. Danzō realized he had been reanimated and wondered whether mastering the technique could have saved him from Uchiha Genya.

• Hiruzen asked Kabuto to reanimate Shimura Danzō and his son Asuma Sarutobi so he could speak with them.
• Kabuto said Asuma was probably alive because no one had claimed his Black Market bounty.
• Hiruzen gave Kabuto a lock of Danzō’s hair, and Kabuto used a White Zetsu as the sacrifice for Impure World Reincarnation.
• Danzō awoke, saw the aged Hiruzen, and learned that Tobirama’s technique had brought him back.
• Danzō recognized his reanimated body and wondered whether mastering Impure World Reincarnation could have kept Uchiha Genya from killing him.

Danzo learned from Hiruzen how Uchiha Genya’s rise and Hiruzen’s crimes had ruined their families and left Hiruzen disgraced. Their uneasy reconciliation ended when Hiruzen revealed he had joined Obito Uchiha, prompting Danzo to accuse him of betraying their cause.

• Hiruzen told Danzo that Uchiha Genya became Fifth Hokage and that Hiruzen was manipulated into killing the Daimyo and nobles, leaving him a wanted criminal.
• Hiruzen explained that his eldest son had been executed, his second son had defected, and the Sarutobi family had been dissolved and stripped of its name.
• Danzo asked whether Hiruzen regretted what had happened, and Hiruzen silently acknowledged his remorse.
• Black Zetsu interrupted the two old rivals, and Danzo prepared to attack him before Hiruzen stopped him.
• Hiruzen revealed that he had joined Obito Uchiha and was working for Uchiha Madara, and Danzo called him a traitor and threatened to kill him.

Danzo confronted Sarutobi Hiruzen for siding with an Uchiha, but set aside his anger after learning Konoha faced a powerful invasion led by Uchiha Genya. Black Zetsu interrupted their argument and pressed the group to focus on what to do next.

• Danzo grabbed Sarutobi Hiruzen and accused him of betraying their teacher and their shared opposition to the Uchiha.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Danzo for help and explained that Konoha had grown extraordinarily powerful, while Uchiha Genya and a group of S-Rank Rogue Ninjas threatened them.
• Danzo remembered his secret role in Yahiko's death and his attempt to seize the Rinnegan, then listened as Sarutobi Hiruzen described Orochimaru's Reanimated Body and their slim chances of defeating Uchiha Genya.
• Danzo shoved Sarutobi Hiruzen to the ground but spared him, deciding that Uchiha Genya was their immediate enemy.
• Black Zetsu interrupted the two old men, and Danzo agreed to answer his questions while brooding over how powerful Konoha had become without their leadership.

Danzo explained that he had never taken Shisui’s Mangekyō, prompting Black Zetsu to conclude that Uchiha Genya had orchestrated the affair and taken the eyes himself. Black Zetsu realized Genya might have already gained an Eternal Mangekyō and regarded him as an unprecedented threat.

• Danzo insisted that Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami had trapped him and that he had taken only one ordinary Mangekyō, then revealed a Three-Tomoe Sharingan beneath his bandages.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted that Danzo had not secretly kept Shisui’s eye, while Black Zetsu wondered who had taken it.
• Black Zetsu concluded that Uchiha Genya had framed Danzo, seized Root, and maneuvered Sarutobi Hiruzen out of power to gain control of the Land of Fire.
• Black Zetsu suspected Genya had used Uchiha Hikari to learn how to fuse an Eternal Mangekyō without a close relative’s eyes.
• Black Zetsu feared that Genya’s Eternal Mangekyō, Susanoo weapon, apparent future-sight ability, and Kekkei Genkai made him a grave threat.

Black Zetsu, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Kabuto committed to a plan to gather powerful dead ninja and Tailed Beast power to destroy Konoha. Meanwhile, Obito launched the Fourth Shinobi World War by leading the Akatsuki Organization and its forces against the Four Great Nations, forcing their leaders to unite against him.

• Black Zetsu ordered Sarutobi Hiruzen and Kabuto to collect powerful ninja bodies for Impure World Reincarnation and gather the remaining Tailed Beast power.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen resolved to help destroy Konoha, accepting that he might never reach the Pure Land or apologize to his teacher.
• Obito seized the capital of the Land of Rivers with a hundred thousand White Zetsu and reanimated fighters, declared war on the Four Great Nations, and proclaimed himself Uchiha Madara.
• Obito slaughtered the Land of Rivers' daimyo and nobles and recruited Rogue Ninja, prompting the Four Kage Summit to be canceled.
• The daimyos demanded that their villages crush the Akatsuki Organization, and Rasa joined the other major villages' forces despite resenting the Land of Wind's daimyo.
• The Four Great Nations prepared to fight the White Zetsu, while considering cooperation against Konoha after the war.