Recaps

Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara turned the battle against the Kusa Ninja around, and Itachi nearly killed Mammoth with his Sharingan and genjutsu. Mammoth survived with a shoulder wound but realized the three children were far more dangerous than he had expected.

• Deidara and Kurotsuchi attacked the remaining Kusa Ninja while Itachi faced Mammoth alone.
• Mammoth charged Itachi, but discovered that the young Uchiha could match him in close combat.
• Itachi used his Sharingan and genjutsu to create an opening and stab Mammoth in the shoulder.
• Mammoth broke free of the genjutsu, kicked Itachi away, and avoided a potentially fatal wound.
• Mammoth saw that his five subordinates were injured and suppressed by Kurotsuchi and Deidara.

Shōji watched Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara fight Mammoth’s group while holding back so the young ninjas could gain experience. After Mammoth escaped the battle with a smoke bomb, someone called out and stopped his flight.

• Mammoth decided to retreat after judging that his side was close to defeat and that Shōji might arrive.
• Shōji arrived and watched as Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara divided the enemies into separate fights.
• Deidara and Kurotsuchi killed several Kusa Ninja, while the Third Hoshikage crushed Akahoshi’s Mysterious Peacock Method and subdued him.
• Mammoth used a smoke bomb to escape from Itachi, then prepared to flee from a tree branch.
• A clear voice asked Mammoth where he thought he was going, freezing his expression.

Shōji defeated Mammoth and helped the Third Hoshikage resolve the crisis at Hoshigakure. After receiving the Third Hoshikage’s thanks, Shōji left with Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara, taking the captured Kusa Jōnin back toward Iwagakure.

• Mammoth tried to attack Shōji, but Shōji struck him unconscious with a single blow.
• Kurotsuchi and Deidara defeated the remaining Kusa Ninja, while the Third Hoshikage subdued Akahoshi.
• The Third Hoshikage apologized to Shōji and promised to pay the mission reward and grant the team additional rewards.
• Shōji told the Third Hoshikage that he had dealt with the rebels and that the reinforcements should arrive soon.
• Shōji had Itachi handle Mammoth and then departed with Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara.

The Third Hoshikage concealed the truth about Akahoshi and the Star Stone, publicly blaming their destruction on foreign mercenaries and deciding to end the village’s Star Stone training tradition. That night, he visited Shōji, who had been expecting him.

• The Third Hoshikage returned to Hoshigakure with Akahoshi and decided the matter and the search for the Star Stone would be handled secretly.
• The Third Hoshikage announced that foreign enemies had attacked, Akahoshi had died defending the Star Stone, and the Star Stone had been destroyed.
• Hoshigakure’s people largely accepted the official account, while the Third Hoshikage allowed young Star Ninja to voice their desire for revenge.
• After settling the remaining matters, the Third Hoshikage visited Shōji’s lodging, where Itachi welcomed him and led him to Shōji’s room.

Shōji met privately with the Third Hoshikage, who proposed a special deal and entrusted him with Hoshigakure’s Star. Shōji showed the meteorite to Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara, leaving them astonished by the village treasure’s transfer.

• Shōji welcomed the Third Hoshikage and listened as he praised Shōji’s composure and standing with Onoki.
• The Third Hoshikage proposed a deal that he believed would satisfy Shōji and Lord Tsuchikage.
• After nearly two hours, the Third Hoshikage left, asking Shōji to handle what came next and receiving his assurance.
• Shōji revealed the Star, Hoshigakure’s extraterrestrial meteorite, to Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi.

Shōji’s group prepared to leave Hoshigakure with the Star Stone and the Kusagakure prisoner, Mammoth, after Shōji promised to report the village’s requests to the Tsuchikage. The Third Hoshikage entrusted Hoshigakure’s future to Natsuhi and Fire Fly as Shōji’s group departed for Kusagakure.

• Shōji told Kurotsuchi that the Star Stone came with mutual conditions and that he would report them to the Tsuchikage.
• Shōji sent Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi to rest while he questioned the Kusagakure Jōnin prisoner, Mammoth.
• At dawn, Shōji and his team left Hoshigakure with Mammoth, after Shōji promised the Third Hoshikage he would report their agreement.
• The Third Hoshikage entrusted Hoshigakure’s future to Natsuhi and Fire Fly, who accepted the responsibility.
• Fire Fly watched Shōji’s group depart and vowed to catch up to Uchiha Shōji.

Shōji and his group left Hoshigakure and traveled through the Land of Bears and the Land of Birds into the Land of Grass. Shōji focused on Kusagakure’s strategic value and left the story poised for his next move there.

• Shōji reflected that Hoshigakure was weak and said he would keep his promise to the Third Hoshikage without doing anything more for the village.
• Shōji considered Kusagakure’s military strength and the Land of Grass’s strategic position between Iwagakure and Konohagakure.
• Shōji revealed through his thoughts that he wanted Iwagakure to replace Konoha as the ninja world’s hegemon and saw Kusagakure as a potential supporter.
• Shōji, Itachi, Kurotsuchi, Deidara, and Mammoth crossed the Land of Bears and the Land of Birds before entering the Land of Grass.
• Shōji’s group traveled into the prosperous Land of Grass, whose national support helped Kusagakure maintain a force of around two thousand.

Shōji brought Mammoth and the others into Kusagakure, where Mammoth used his status to guide them toward the leader, Boro. Boro learned of their arrival while reflecting on his plan to exploit Akahoshi and seize Hoshigakure’s Star Stone to strengthen Kusagakure.

• Shōji intimidated Mammoth out of acting against him, and Mammoth followed the group toward Kusagakure’s gate.
• Mammoth told the gate guards that the mission had encountered a problem and introduced Shōji, Itachi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi as visitors from Iwagakure.
• En accepted Mammoth’s explanation, arranged to notify the leader, and let the group pass.
• Boro was stunned to hear Mammoth had returned and recalled that he had approved a plan to use Akahoshi and take control of Hoshigakure’s Star Stone.

Shōji met Kusagakure leader Boro after arriving with Mammoth and his young Iwagakure companions. Boro recognized Shōji and cautiously asked why he had come, while Shōji explained that Mammoth had introduced them.

• Boro learned that Mammoth had returned with only a small squad of Iwagakure Ninja and worried that the rest of the mission had gone badly.
• Shōji observed Kusagakure's substantial forces and resolved to bring the village under Iwagakure's influence.
• Boro entered the reception hall, recognized Shōji, and greeted him with outward warmth despite his alarm.
• Boro asked what had brought Shōji to Kusagakure, and Shōji said Mammoth's introduction had prompted the visit.

Shōji confronted Kusagakure leader Boro about the village’s past actions and used the Sharingan to expose his suspicions. He demanded that Kusagakure change the target of its covert efforts and double them, leaving Boro to weigh the consequences of taking a side.

• Shōji told Boro he had come over matters beyond Kusagakure’s actions in Hoshigakure and hinted that those matters affected Iwagakure’s interests.
• Boro recognized that Shōji had used the Sharingan, and Mammoth started to rise before Shōji’s gaze made him sit back down.
• Shōji pressed Boro to explain Kusagakure’s actions near the Uchiha Clan’s former border and during their later journey to the Land of Earth.
• Boro accused Shōji of threatening Kusagakure, but restrained himself from summoning guards and asked Shōji to state his conditions.
• Shōji demanded that Kusagakure continue its previous efforts with a new target and double the effort, and Boro realized the demand meant choosing a side.

Boro recalled why he had secretly tried to exploit the Uchiha Clan and realized that his son Mammoth’s captured intelligence had left Kusagakure vulnerable to Shōji’s demands. Shōji gave Boro one day to decide, leaving him to recognize the young Uchiha’s skill at negotiation.

• Boro remembered that he had contacted Konoha hoping to obtain Uchiha bodies, women, and infants for Kusagakure’s benefit.
• Boro realized that Shōji had obtained the details of his plan from Mammoth and could use them against Kusagakure.
• Boro argued that his plan had caused no actual harm and called Shōji’s demands excessive.
• Shōji rejected Boro’s excuse and told him to either agree to the demands or refuse them.
• Shōji offered Boro a day to consider, and Boro recognized how formidable the seventeen-year-old was.

Shōji left Boro to consider his terms and settled into Kusagakure’s guest quarters with Kurotsuchi, Itachi, and Deidara. While Boro wrestled with his village’s predicament, Shōji took Kurotsuchi’s suggestion to explore Kusagakure.

• Boro accepted Shōji’s offer to postpone their discussion and told Mammoth to show Shōji and his companions to their lodging.
• After Shōji left, Boro reflected on how thoroughly Shōji had pressured him and resolved to consider his options.
• Mammoth escorted Shōji and the children to Kusagakure’s guest building and warned them to avoid restricted areas.
• Kurotsuchi teased Shōji about Mammoth’s fear, then persuaded him to take the group sightseeing.
• Shōji and the others walked through Kusagakure’s open, bustling inner areas while Kurotsuchi enjoyed the village’s food and attractions.

While returning to the inn, Shōji recognized the young Karin as a member of the Uzumaki Clan and decided to ask Kusagakure’s leader to let him take Karin and her mother away. He overheard two Kusa Ninja discussing their abuse and exploitation of Karin’s mother, prompting him to reconsider leaving them there.

• Shōji noticed a red-haired girl near the inn and recognized her as Karin after sensing her immense vitality.
• Shōji sent Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara back to the inn while he followed Karin to a dilapidated house.
• Shōji decided to request permission from Kusagakure’s leader to take Karin and her mother away.
• Shōji overheard two Kusa Ninja reveal that Karin’s mother had been abused and that they intended to keep exploiting her.

Shōji went to Karin and her mother’s house after overhearing two Kusa Ninja plan to harm them again, knocking the guards unconscious without killing them to avoid putting his companions and the family at risk. He met Uzumaki Reina at the door, and she was stunned to see an unfamiliar Iwagakure Ninja.

• Shōji overheard two Kusa Ninja discussing their plans for that night and decided to intervene immediately.
• Two Kusa Ninja blocked Shōji from approaching Karin and her mother’s house, but he blasted them into the walls and knocked them unconscious.
• Shōji restrained his anger and avoided killing the guards because he wanted to protect his companions, Karin, and Reina from retaliation.
• Uzumaki Reina opened the door with Karin beside her and found Shōji, an unfamiliar Iwagakure Ninja, standing outside.

Uchiha Shōji revealed his identity to Uzumaki Reina and promised to take her and Karin from Kusagakure to Iwagakure. Reassured that she and her daughter could escape their suffering, Reina agreed to leave with him.

• Shōji used his Sharingan to interrogate the two Kusa Ninja and learned how Reina and Karin had ended up in Kusagakure.
• Shōji introduced himself to Reina as an Iwagakure Jōnin and an Uchiha, then showed her his Sharingan.
• Karin noticed Shōji’s red eyes and asked whether he was like her and Reina.
• Shōji promised Reina and Karin a safer life in Iwagakure and explained that he wanted to help because they were members of the Uzumaki Clan.
• Reina accepted Shōji’s promise and went inside to gather their belongings.

Shōji brought Uzumaki Reina and Karin through Kusagakure to the inn where his team was staying, driving off the Kusa Ninja who tried to stop them. When more than a hundred Kusa Ninja arrived, Shōji left Reina and Karin in Itachi’s care and went outside to confront Boro.

• Reina packed a few belongings, and Shōji took her and Karin through Kusagakure toward the inn.
• Shōji sent the Kusa Ninja who tried to block them flying with his overwhelming aura.
• At the inn, Shōji told Reina he would take her away the next day and introduced her and Karin to Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara.
• Shōji sensed over a hundred Kusa Ninja approaching and ordered Itachi to protect Reina and Karin.
• Shōji went outside, where Boro felt his icy aura and saw his Sharingan eyes.

Shōji confronted Boro and Kusagakure’s shinobi over Reina and her daughter, then revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo to make clear the cost of fighting him. Boro backed down, and Shōji offered to apologize for the injuries to two Kusa Ninja, easing the standoff.

• Boro arrived with more than a hundred Kusa Ninja and accused Shōji of abducting civilians and injuring shinobi.
• Shōji reminded Boro of the treatment Reina and her daughter had suffered in Kusagakure and challenged him to demand an explanation.
• Shōji activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo, terrifying Boro and the Kusa Ninja.
• Boro decided against fighting Shōji and called the situation a misunderstanding, while accusing Shōji of going too far as a guest.
• Shōji dispelled his Susanoo, apologized for the injuries to the two Kusa Ninja, and offered to apologize to them personally.

Shōji de-escalated the confrontation with Boro, then offered to settle their dispute under the earlier terms. Boro accepted the agreement and left with his Kusa Ninja, restoring calm outside the inn.

• Shōji dispelled his technique and deactivated his Sharingan, prompting Boro to lower his head and apologize for the disturbance.
• Boro agreed to let the earlier confrontation go and prepared to leave with his Kusa Ninja.
• Shōji offered to honor the previous terms and withdraw the demand to double the amount.
• Boro accepted Shōji's terms, and Shōji returned to the inn as Boro led his subordinates away.

Shōji brought Reina and her daughter safely from Kusagakure to Iwagakure, then reported the mission’s unusual gains to Ōnoki. Ōnoki ordered the Star Stone sent to the research division for analysis.

• Shōji reassured Reina that she and her daughter were safe and would return with him to Iwagakure.
• Boro honored his agreement, and Shōji left Kusagakure with Reina, her daughter, Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara.
• After they reached Iwagakure, Shōji took Reina and her daughter to the hospital, where doctors found no immediate threat to Reina’s life.
• Shōji reported the mission and its gains, including the Star Stone and Reina and Karin’s Uzumaki bloodline, to Ōnoki.
• Ōnoki told Shōji to send the Star Stone to the research division so they could analyze its energy.

Ōnoki told Shōji that a Konoha spy had leaked Iwagakure’s plans and asked him to help capture the agent. When Ōnoki revealed the spy’s codename was the Wandering Miko, Shōji recognized her as Yakushi Nonō.

• Ōnoki set aside the matter of Uzumaki Reina and her daughter to brief Shōji on a suspected Konoha spy in Iwagakure.
• Ōnoki explained that the Snow Country strategy had been exposed and said the leak likely happened three or four months earlier.
• Shōji agreed to join the search and interrogation effort, suspecting his Sharingan would be useful.
• Ōnoki revealed that Ogata had captured a mid-ranking spy and identified the highest-ranking agent’s codename as the Wandering Miko, likely a Root subordinate of Shimura Danzō.
• Shōji recognized the Wandering Miko as Yakushi Nonō from his memories of the Original Work.

Shōji learned that the Wandering Miko might be Yakushi Nonō and saw a chance to recruit her and Kabuto while dismantling Danzo’s spy network. He took charge of the investigation in Iwagakure and set plans to draw the spy out without alerting her.

• Shōji told Ōnoki that the Wandering Miko might be a coerced Root spy who could be turned, and Ōnoki tasked him with eliminating the Konoha spies while judging whether to recruit her.
• Ōnoki told Rōshi that he considered Shōji a potential successor, while Rōshi argued that Kitsuchi should become Fourth Tsuchikage before Shōji took the position as Fifth.
• Shōji arranged accommodations and recovery for Reina and her daughter, planned consolidation training for the three young ones, and went to meet Ogata about the spy case.
• Ogata gave Shōji intelligence narrowing the Wandering Miko to one of thirty people, but warned that the missing contact could already have alerted Konoha.
• Shōji told Ogata to continue the existing investigation while secretly trying to lure the spy out and spreading a rumor that she was a blonde woman.

Shōji and Ogata struggled to identify the Wandering Miko while Yakushi Nonō prepared to flee Iwagakure. Shōji finally connected a hospital scent to the spy’s cover identity, and he and Ogata rushed to investigate the hospital.

• Yakushi Nonō realized her contact had likely been captured, prepared escape plans, and continued working at Iwagakure Hospital while seeking more information about Reina.
• Nonō deliberately exposed a Kumogakure spy to mislead Iwagakure’s investigation, leaving Shōji and Ogata frustrated when they failed to find her.
• Shōji and Ogata agreed to intensify their screening as four days had passed since the capture of the Konoha operative.
• Ogata explained that the faint scent on him came from wound spray, reminding Shōji of a similar medical scent he had noticed while investigating earlier sites.
• Shōji concluded that the Wandering Miko’s cover identity was likely hospital medical staff, and he and Ogata hurried to Iwagakure Hospital with their subordinates.

Shōji and Ogata confirmed that Echizen Rinko was Yakushi Nonō and launched a pursuit, while Nonō fled toward the border and tried to evade Iwagakure’s forces. Shōji tracked her down and confronted her, as Danzō separately sent Root operatives to recover her intelligence and kill her.

• Shōji used his sensitivity to Natural Energy to guide Ogata and the Iwagakure Ninja to Nonō’s abandoned house, where they confirmed her identity as Echizen Rinko.
• Shōji split the pursuit force and ordered Ogata to follow Nonō’s trail while he coordinated with Kitsuchi and the Jōnin Squad.
• Danzō ordered two Root squads to retrieve Nonō’s intelligence and kill her, assigning Kabuto to carry out the killing.
• Nonō avoided Iwagakure’s outposts by choosing remote routes and considered retreating through the Land of Iron, the Land of Waterfalls, or the Land of Lightning.
• Shōji used his enhanced senses and Sharingan to close in on Nonō and locate her within five li.
• Nonō sensed danger but could not detect Shōji until he emerged from a tree’s shadow and identified her as Yakushi Nonō.

Uchiha Shōji persuaded Yakushi Nonō to cooperate with Iwagakure by warning that Shimura Danzō might target her and the orphanage children. Nonō agreed to meet the reception force and judge Danzō’s intentions, while Root’s teams unknowingly approached a trap.

• Nonō recognized Shōji and prepared to fight, but he urged her to cooperate with Iwagakure and warned that Danzō might kill her and endanger the orphanage children.
• Shōji offered to help monitor and rescue the children, and Nonō agreed to cooperate temporarily so she could discover whether Yakushi Kabuto was among Danzō’s reception force.
• Nonō agreed to contact the reception force, and she and Shōji set out to meet them.
• Ogata received Shōji’s instructions and ordered Kuro and Axi to change direction and rendezvous at the three o’clock position.
• Two Root teams carrying Danzō’s kill order followed their trail toward a trap, unaware that Nonō had temporarily switched sides.
• The masked Root leader told Tora to handle the exposed spy when they intercepted the Iwagakure ninja.

Yakushi Kabuto accepted Danzo’s mission to kill Yakushi Nonō, while Root arranged an ambush and Uchiha Shōji secretly tracked the operation. As Nonō and her escort entered the ambush area, Shōji confronted the waiting Root members, and the chapter ended as his Chakra erupted.

• Hato ordered Kabuto to separate from the group and prepare to kill Nonō, while Resentment was told to create an opening and eliminate them if necessary.
• Shōji watched Root’s movements from hiding, relying on Ogata’s Iwagakure forces to encircle the area from a distance.
• Hato met Nonō, confirmed her mission was complete, and sent her away with Black Silver while he searched for the pursuing Iwagakure Ninja.
• Shōji identified Hato as an Aburame and followed Nonō toward the ambush before sensing three Root members waiting in a low valley.
• Three Root members appeared and began fighting as Shōji unleashed a powerful surge of Chakra.