Recaps

Sai woke from a nightmare about his brother Shin and recalled sensing Sasuke’s hidden feelings for Naruto and Sakura before setting out on a secret mission. Ueno Kei, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura searched Orochimaru’s empty underground base, where an explosion brought them to Sai and Sasuke, leaving Naruto and Sakura stunned by their reunion.

• Sai recalled meeting Sasuke and sensing his anger and lingering attachment to Team 7 before preparing for a secret mission.
• Ueno Kei led Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura into Orochimaru’s base without trying to conceal their arrival.
• Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Ueno Kei found the base’s identical rooms empty and could not locate Sasuke.
• An explosion drew the group to Sai, who stood looking up at the sky.
• Sasuke greeted Naruto and Sakura, and Naruto turned toward him in shock and delight.

Sasuke reunited with Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Ueno Kei at Orochimaru’s hideout, then challenged Ueno Kei over the claim that he had defeated Itachi. Naruto stepped in to stop Sasuke, and the two prepared to fight.

• Sakura and Naruto saw Sasuke again after three years and struggled to find words.
• Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto arrived beside Sasuke, and Orochimaru questioned Ueno Kei about how he had become so powerful.
• Sasuke asked whether Ueno Kei had defeated Itachi and threatened to prove he could kill him too.
• Ueno Kei reminded Sasuke that Naruto had saved him three years earlier, and Sasuke rushed at him with his sword.
• Naruto blocked Sasuke with a kunai and declared that he would bring him back to Konoha as their battle began.

Naruto and Sasuke fought again but stopped before either used their full strength. Orochimaru gave Ueno Kei a scroll that prompted him to let Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Sasuke leave, then Sai revealed Danzō’s missions.

• Sakura worriedly watched Naruto and Sasuke fight, but Ueno Kei stopped her from intervening.
• Naruto and Sasuke exchanged blows and briefly formed a Rasengan and Thunderlight before Orochimaru called Sasuke back.
• Orochimaru gave Ueno Kei a scroll and left with Kabuto and Sasuke after hinting at Danzō’s involvement.
• Ueno Kei opened the scroll, ordered Kakashi to take it, and demanded that Sai explain Danzō’s mission.
• Sai said Danzō had tasked him with delivering a letter and scroll to Orochimaru and assassinating Sasuke, though he later planned to capture him instead.

Kazuma and Danzō prepared separate plans that threatened Konoha, while Ueno Kei rushed back to the village after receiving a scroll from Orochimaru. Kei left Kakashi to escort Naruto, Sakura, and Sai as he sped ahead alone.

• Kazuma learned Tsunade had left Konoha and ordered his followers to prepare the four lords’ summoning technique and destroy the village.
• Danzō imprisoned Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, revealed he intended to become Sixth Hokage, and prepared to depart with Root.
• Danzō disclosed that he had used Shisui Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan to uncover Kazuma’s plan through the daimyo.
• Ueno Kei hurried toward Konoha with Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai after receiving a scroll from Orochimaru.
• Kei asked Kakashi to protect the others, then enveloped himself in purple radiance and sped ahead alone.

Tsunade battled Kazuma and learned that he planned to destroy Konoha, but Shimura Danzō appeared and killed him before revealing that Kazuma’s other plans had been countered. After Danzō’s forces killed Kazuma’s subordinates, Tsunade and Danzō prepared to settle their long-standing grudges.

• Tsunade overpowered Kazuma, who refused to surrender and declared that the Land of Fire needed one ruler and Konoha should not exist.
• Tsunade recognized Kazuma as a possible survivor of the Twelve Guardian Ninja conflict and suspected Shimura Danzō was involved.
• Shimura Danzō arrived with more than twenty Anbu and told Kazuma that his backup plans had been thwarted.
• Danzō pierced Kazuma’s heart and used Lightning Release to kill him, then ordered his Anbu to kill Fudō, Fū, and Fuen.
• Tsunade and Danzō faced each other with their past grudges unresolved, as killing intent filled the air.

Ueno Kei raced back to Konoha after learning Danzo planned to kill Tsunade, but Root agents ambushed him and blocked his way. Desperate to reach her, Kei drew natural energy from the Lingyu Blade despite the danger and prepared to attack them.

• Ueno Kei hurried toward Konoha, fearing Tsunade was in mortal danger from Danzo’s schemes.
• Fifteen Root members ambushed Kei, and he repelled their first attack after Feng failed to invade his spiritual world.
• Kei recognized the attackers as Root members and refused to let them delay him from reaching Tsunade.
• Kei forcibly drew natural energy from the Lingyu Blade, transforming his appearance and unsettling the Root members.
• Kei declared that he would finish the Root members in an instant and faced them with killing intent.

The Lizard Clan's Great Elder sensed Ueno Kei's Sage Transformation through a mark in the Lingyu Blade and prepared help in case the power harmed him. Believing Kei was the prophesied youth destined to change the Lizard Clan and the world, the Great Elder set out to protect him.

• The Great Elder sensed Ueno Kei drawing out natural energy from the Lingyu Blade and completing his Sage Transformation.
• The Great Elder recalled that he had secretly placed a sensory mark in the Lingyu Blade while helping inscribe its sealing array.
• The Great Elder remembered the Lizard Clan's prophecy of a young man who would change the clan's fate and recognized Ueno Kei as that destined youth.
• The Great Elder summoned Feng, Ling, Shin, Yi, and Yuan and ordered them to prepare equipment and medicinal ingredients for the Spirit Nurturing Array and spirit bath.
• The Great Elder vanished, hoping to prevent Ueno Kei from suffering irreparable consequences.

Ueno Kei killed Yamanaka Fū and searched for Tsunade while she and her allies fought Danzō and Root. He found Tsunade gravely wounded, with Danzō’s hand through her chest.

• Ueno Kei interrogated Yamanaka Fū about Danzō, then killed him when he refused to speak.
• Ueno Kei endured a sudden wave of pain and hurried along the route between Kyoto and Konoha, hoping to reach Tsunade.
• Zang used Wood Release to help four Konoha Anbu hold off ten Root members while Danzō and more Root members surrounded Tsunade.
• Tsunade fought off Root attackers and continued battling Danzō, but the prolonged fight left her fatigued.
• Ueno Kei sensed a faint disturbance, rushed northeast, and found Danzō’s bloody hand piercing Tsunade’s left chest.

Ueno Kei tried desperately to save Tsunade after Danzō fatally wounded her, but she died in his arms. Enraged, Ueno Kei rejected Danzō’s offer and vowed to kill him as the battle resumed.

• Ueno Kei caught the critically wounded Tsunade and tried to treat her while Danzō declared that her life force was fading.
• Danzō insisted that Ueno Kei should put Konoha first and support his bid to become Hokage, but Ueno Kei threatened to kill him.
• Tsunade briefly regained consciousness, urged Ueno Kei to look after Konoha, and died before she could finish speaking.
• Ueno Kei mourned Tsunade, then rejected Danzō’s offer to join him and vowed to kill him.
• A Root member tried to attack Ueno Kei, who cut him in two and declared that the battlefield would become a river of blood.

Ueno Kei fought Danzō’s Root members, using his Sage Body and Lightning Release to withstand their attacks and then countering with genjutsu and speed. As his Sage Body began to fail, he killed a Root member at close range.

• Ueno Kei’s killing intent frightened the Root members as Danzō ordered them to attack.
• Ueno Kei blocked their combined assault with a senjutsu-powered Thunderlight Wall.
• Ueno Kei charged the Root members, whose leader called for them to regroup and defend together.
• Ueno Kei used the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to hinder the Root members despite his limited skill with genjutsu.
• Ueno Kei’s Sage Body began to fade, and he killed the short Root member who had called out to him.

Ueno Kei finished off Danzō’s Root subordinates and confronted Shimura Danzō, whose Mangekyō Sharingan and tactics exposed Kei’s weakened state. Though Sage Chakra had badly damaged Kei’s body and was fading, he refused to regret using it to search for Tsunade and unleashed a powerful chakra aura as he advanced on Danzō.

• Ueno Kei slaughtered the remaining Root members while Shimura Danzō watched, then challenged Danzō to fight.
• Shimura Danzō revealed the Mangekyō Sharingan in his right eye and urged Ueno Kei to join him for Konoha’s greater cause, but Kei rejected his claims.
• Ueno Kei charged at Danzō, avoided the center of an explosion, and was injured by its aftermath.
• Shimura Danzō taunted Ueno Kei for relying on Sage Chakra, which had damaged his body and was nearly exhausted.
• Ueno Kei accepted the consequences of using Sage Chakra to search for Tsunade and released a powerful chakra aura as he approached Danzō.

Ueno Kei used the Lingyu Blade’s stored natural energy to overwhelm Shimura Danzō, though forcing the energy into himself had severely damaged his body. He trapped Danzō inside a lightning barrier, leaving them poised for a fight to the death.

• Ueno Kei recognized that Danzō was stalling until the effects of his unstable senjutsu chakra weakened him.
• Ueno Kei recalled that Danzō had survived a lethal wound by using Izanagi, sacrificing a Sharingan to turn the damage into an illusion.
• Ueno Kei formed the Ten Thousand Seal Lightning Prison and sealed the area inside a hexagonal lightning barrier.
• Shimura Danzō forced his way through the lightning net by using Izanagi, causing another Sharingan to close.

Ueno Kei battled Shimura Danzō, who used Izanagi to survive their exchanges while waiting for a chance to turn the fight around. Ueno Kei revealed that he had altered the lightning pillars into a relentless attack, leaving Danzō facing a barrage that could exhaust his remaining Izanagi.

• Shimura Danzō used a Self-Cursing Seal to bind Ueno Kei and attacked him with Vacuum Bullet Jutsu, but Ueno Kei nearly killed him before Danzō escaped with the help of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Ueno Kei and Shimura Danzō clashed amid the lightning pillars, and Danzō used Izanagi to survive while losing another Sharingan on his arm.
• Shimura Danzō noticed Ueno Kei weakening and mocked him, but Ueno Kei said he still had enough strength to finish the fight.
• Ueno Kei revealed that he had altered the lightning technique and made the six pillars converge into a relentless beam.
• Ueno Kei unleashed Fall! Thunder Roar, filling the sky with purple-blue lightning as Shimura Danzō and the lizard watched in horror.

Jiraiya returned to Konoha, helped repel the attack by corpses and Sora, and set out to find Tsunade and Ueno Kei. Meanwhile, Ueno Kei and Shimura Danzō fought to a brutal climax, and Danzō declared victory as several dozen figures appeared behind Kei.

• Jiraiya returned to Konoha and learned from Shiranui Genma that Sora, not Naruto, had become a false Nine-Tails while thousands of corpses attacked the village.
• Jiraiya helped suppress the corpses and seriously injured Sora, then found that Tsunade and Ueno Kei were being held inside Root.
• Jiraiya entered Sage Mode and followed the thunderous Lightning Release toward the northwest, where Tsunade and Ueno Kei had fought.
• Shimura Danzō survived Ueno Kei’s relentless lightning barrage through Izanagi, then used Wind Release: Vacuum Wave against him.
• Ueno Kei severed Shimura Danzō’s right arm, but Danzō laughed and claimed victory when several dozen figures appeared behind Kei.

Ueno Kei used his final attack to kill Shimura Danzō, sacrificing the Lingyu Blade and apparently dying in a massive explosion that devastated the Land of Fire. Jiraiya found the aftermath, then the Grand Elder of the Lizard Clan appeared and brought three familiar figures out of distorted space.

• Ueno Kei, exhausted and gravely damaged by natural energy, faced Shimura Danzō and the arriving Root members.
• Shimura Danzō ordered the Root members to kill Ueno Kei, who activated Yu's Ultimate—Yu Wing Ultimate and pierced Danzō's right Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Ueno Kei unleashed a final explosion that killed Shimura Danzō and obliterated the surrounding area.
• Jiraiya and Sage Fukasaku arrived at the devastation and found Shimura Danzō's one-armed corpse among dozens of charred bodies.
• The Grand Elder of the Lizard Clan appeared before Jiraiya and pulled three familiar figures from distorted space, leaving Jiraiya overjoyed.

Jiraiya and the Great Elder rescued Ueno Kei, Tsunade, and Zang, then Konoha’s team brought them back to the village for treatment. When Kakashi returned to a village shaken by battle, Jiraiya and the advisors told him they wanted him to take over as Hokage.

• The Great Elder and the sages treated Ueno Kei, Tsunade, and Zang, and Jiraiya arranged for Konoha’s rescue team to take them back to the village.
• The Great Elder asked Jiraiya to tell Ueno Kei to visit him after waking, while Sage Fukasaku hinted at an old history between him and the Great Elder.
• Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and the others returned to Konoha and learned from Izumo and Kotetsu that Jiraiya had summoned Kakashi to the Hokage’s office.
• Sai left the group to return to Root, while Naruto and Sakura hurried to the hospital after Jiraiya said Tsunade and Ueno Kei were recovering there.
• Jiraiya and the advisors told Kakashi they wanted him to take over as Hokage, then Jiraiya said they would go to Kyoto together.

Ueno Kei confronted his past and present selves in a dark void, where the black-haired youth challenged him to stop giving up and find his true self. The youth granted him an unknown power, and Ueno Kei regained consciousness in the hospital, stronger than before.

• Ueno Kei met a black-haired youth who identified himself as both Xiao Tao from Ueno Kei's previous life and Ueno Kei in this life.
• The youth accused Ueno Kei of repeatedly giving up and prompted him to question whether his convictions and choices were truly his own.
• The youth promised to meet Ueno Kei again and gave him an unknown power before disappearing.
• A powerful force surged through Ueno Kei, restoring him to full health and making him stronger than before.
• In the hospital, Naruto, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the others watched a purple aura surround Ueno Kei but could not approach him.
• The aura vanished, and Ueno Kei opened his eyes and asked why everyone was gathered around him.

After recovering, Ueno Kei apologized to Tsunade and Naruto and realized he had been living by excuses rather than his own convictions. He embraced a new understanding of the Will of Fire, then asked Jiraiya to explain what had happened.

• Naruto rushed to Ueno Kei, who reassured him and checked on Tsunade's condition.
• Ueno Kei apologized to Tsunade and Naruto, admitting that he had been arrogant and mistaken.
• Ueno Kei reflected that he had acted to ease his conscience and resolved to live according to his own will, spreading the Will of Fire wherever there was light.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya recognized Ueno Kei's resolve as a sign that he had matured, while Naruto remained confused.
• Ueno Kei sent Naruto and Sakura away to rest, then asked Jiraiya what had happened.

After Danzo’s death, Ueno Kei recovered from his injuries and learned that Iwagakure and the Land of Earth had intervened in the crisis in Kyoto. The chapter ended with Kei reacting angrily to Ōnoki’s involvement.

• Jiraiya confirmed that Danzo was dead and explained that his body had been given to Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura for disposal.
• Tsunade examined Ueno Kei and found no physical or mental abnormalities, then told him about the strange transformation that occurred while he was unconscious.
• Ueno Kei asked what had happened in Kyoto and learned from Jiraiya that Iwagakure and the Land of Earth had intervened.
• Ueno Kei questioned whether Ōnoki and Iwagakure had lost their minds by provoking Konoha.

Ueno Kei and Jiraiya discussed the Land of Earth's interference in the Land of Fire's political crisis and the daimyō's failed plan. Tsunade's health remained unstable, so Jiraiya said Kakashi's succession as Hokage had to be moved up.

• Ueno Kei reacted angrily to Iwagakure's involvement, but Jiraiya clarified that the Land of Earth's daimyō had acted independently of the village.
• Jiraiya explained that Root ambushed the Land of Earth's daimyō's forces at the border, disrupting their planned march to Kyoto.
• Ueno Kei and Tsunade discussed the daimyō's power and agreed that he owed Konoha an explanation, though he had not yet crossed the line.
• Tsunade suffered a sudden bout of pain and said her body had not fully recovered.
• Jiraiya concluded that Kakashi's succession as Hokage had to be moved up.

With Tsunade unable to resume her duties, Jiraiya refused the Hokage position and pushed Kakashi forward, whom the advisers chose as the Sixth Hokage. Kakashi prepared to meet the Daimyo in Kyoto while Ueno Kei took responsibility for reorganizing Anbu and Root and addressing the Originless Realm incident.

• Ueno Kei considered Kakashi qualified to become Hokage but suspected Jiraiya had redirected the advisers’ pressure onto him.
• Jiraiya explained that the advisers had tried to make him Hokage after Tsunade’s injuries left her unable to work, and he had insisted that Kakashi take the position instead.
• The advisers agreed that Kakashi could become the Sixth Hokage, though Kakashi’s own objections had been ignored.
• Jiraiya told Kakashi to travel to Kyoto with the advisers and Shikaku to meet the Daimyo, while he planned to visit the border.
• Ueno Kei agreed to manage the village, reorganize Anbu and Root, and investigate the Originless Realm incident.

Pain directed Akatsuki’s next moves as the organization captured more tailed beasts and sent teams toward new targets. Meanwhile, the chapter revealed the Land of Fire Daimyo’s plan to seize Konoha’s outposts, which Danzo had already uncovered.

• Konan reported Akatsuki’s captures and intelligence to Pain, who ordered Itachi’s team to investigate Ueno Kei and assigned himself the Six-Tails.
• Pain sent Kakuzu toward Konoha but warned him to control Hidan and leave the Nine-Tails to Itachi’s team.
• Hidan and Kakuzu headed for the Fire Temple in the Land of Fire.
• Itachi told Kisame that events were about to change, and Tobi and Zetsu appeared after they departed.
• The chapter revealed that the Land of Fire Daimyo had planned to seize Konoha’s outposts, while Danzo had seen through the plan.

The Land of Fire's daimyo faced Konoha's demands after his scheme collapsed and his forces were destroyed. Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Hatake Kakashi, and Nara Shikaku informed him that Kakashi would become the Sixth Hokage, and the daimyo yielded to Konoha's control.

• Danzo's deployment of Root helped foil the Land of Fire's daimyo's scheme, but the daimyo's forces were devastated and the Land of Earth's daimyo vowed revenge.
• Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Hatake Kakashi, and Nara Shikaku met the Land of Fire's daimyo in Kyoto, where Kakashi wore the Sixth Hokage's cloak.
• Utatane Koharu told the daimyo that Konoha had unanimously chosen Hatake Kakashi as Hokage and said Konoha expected his full support.
• Mitokado Homura demanded that the daimyo leave the Land of Fire's affairs to Konoha, while Hatake Kakashi assured him Konoha would protect the country.
• The Land of Fire's daimyo reluctantly agreed to follow the advisers' demands.

Priestess Shion warned that Moryo’s undead army had begun advancing toward the Land of Swamps, where his body was sealed, and requested help from the ninja villages. Kakashi accepted Konoha’s mission to protect Shion and reseal Moryo, while Tsunade suggested several candidates for the assignment.

• Priestess Shion ordered Taruho to send requests for aid to the nations, especially Konoha, as the aberration began.
• Taruho dispatched guards to deliver Shion’s orders to the Five Great Nations.
• Kakashi received an urgent letter from the Land of Demons and learned that an undead army was advancing toward the Land of Swamps.
• Kakashi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shikaku concluded that remnants from the previous Moryo incident were behind the threat, rather than Akatsuki.
• Kakashi explained that Konoha had been asked to intercept the undead army and protect Shion as she traveled to reseal Moryo.
• Tsunade suggested several suitable candidates for the mission, and Kakashi and Shikaku recognized whom she meant.

Kakashi assigned Neji’s team an S-rank mission to protect Shion and escort her to the Land of Swamps, while Ueno Kei was ordered to join them later. Meanwhile, four attackers sent by Yomi stormed Shion’s palace, and Taruho prepared to evacuate her as the guards fought back.

• Kakashi appointed Neji team captain and Shikamaru vice-captain for the mission to protect Shion, and Naruto’s group set out for the Land of Demons.
• Shikaku worried about the young team, and Kakashi said Ueno Kei would assist them once he was free.
• Four white-robed attackers reached Shion’s palace and killed guards who tried to stop them.
• The palace general ordered archers to fire despite their men being among the attackers, but the attackers’ wind technique killed the archers.
• Taruho agreed to take Shion away while the remaining guards stayed to hold off the attackers.