Recaps

After Konoha and Sunagakure ended their brief war, Jiraiya declined the Fifth Hokage position and proposed bringing Tsunade back, with Naruto accompanying him. As Naruto planned his training, a Flying Thunder God Mark from outside the Fire Country activated, and he suspected Karin in Kusagakure.

• Baki presented proof that Orochimaru had impersonated the Fourth Kazekage and deceived Sunagakure, and Konoha agreed to a ceasefire with terms for aid, restored alliance, shared intelligence, and prisoner repatriation.
• Three days later, Koharu Utatane and Mitokado Homura asked Jiraiya to become the Fifth Hokage, but he refused and recommended Tsunade instead.
• Jiraiya agreed to search for Tsunade on the condition that he could take Naruto with him, and the advisors accepted while leaving Naruto's rank promotion for Tsunade to approve.
• Naruto left Ichiraku Ramen and headed to his training grounds, considering new techniques to develop during Konoha's pause in missions.
• A Flying Thunder God Mark activated outside the Fire Country, and Naruto suspected the signal came from Karin in Kusagakure.

Naruto arrived in Kusagakure after Karin activated the marked kunai he had given her, finding her imprisoned and exploited for her healing ability. Karin asked him to take her away and chose to seek revenge on Kusagakure before they left.

• Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Mark to travel from the back mountain to Karin's room in Kusagakure.
• Karin, imprisoned and repeatedly bitten by injured ninja, poured her remaining Chakra into Naruto's kunai as people came to her door again.
• Naruto appeared just as the iron door opened, and Karin clung to him, crying that she wanted to leave.
• Naruto offered to help Karin take revenge before they escaped, and Karin chose to end Kusagakure's exploitation of her and others.

Naruto rescued Karin from Kusagakure, destroying the village with repeated Wind Release: Storm attacks before taking her to a safe inn in the Fire Country. He left her there for a month and promised she could choose her future in Konoha, while Karin asked how she could contact him in an emergency.

• Naruto formed a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken in Karin’s room as Grass Ninja approached to bite her for her healing ability.
• The Rasenshuriken erupted through Kusagakure, killing the ninja in the corridor and leveling the surrounding area.
• Naruto used marked Kunai and golden flashes to unleash more storms, wiping out Kusagakure and its stationed ninja.
• News of Kusagakure’s destruction spread through neighboring countries, leaving village leaders uncertain about who had caused it.
• Naruto brought Karin to an inn in the Fire Country, set up a Perception Isolation Barrier, and left her money and clean clothes.
• Karin agreed to trust Naruto and asked how she could reach him if an emergency arose; Naruto pointed to the Kunai in her ninja tool pouch.

Naruto gave Karin a Pentagram Kunai so she could contact him, then resumed researching a Lightning Release Rasengan. Jiraiya arrived and announced that he would take Naruto to find Tsunade, while Naruto’s experiments failed to produce the Rasengan’s vanishing trait.

• Naruto gave Karin the Pentagram Kunai and told her she could use it to call him, then returned to Konoha’s back mountain.
• Naruto created two hundred Shadow Clones to train in combining Lightning-Nature Chakra with the Rasengan.
• Jiraiya found Naruto training and learned that Naruto had already integrated Wind-Nature Chakra into the Rasengan.
• Jiraiya told Naruto they would leave the next morning to find Tsunade and invite her to become the Fifth Hokage.
• Naruto’s Lightning Release Rasengan gained power and piercing effects but did not vanish, so he concluded that the trait depended on something beyond Lightning-Nature Chakra.

Naruto accompanied Sasuke to the Uchiha Estate, where Sasuke demanded answers about Naruto’s strength and the golden figure he had seen. They fought, and Naruto easily outmaneuvered Sasuke, who answered the defeat by activating Chidori.

• Naruto walked home through Konoha and noticed that the villagers’ hostility toward him had eased, though he still resented the mask shop owner who had bullied him.
• Sasuke waited for Naruto and brought him to the Uchiha Estate, where Naruto considered the possibility that Itachi and Kisame would soon infiltrate Konoha.
• Sasuke asked how strong Naruto had become, why Naruto had knocked him out in the forest, and what the golden figure with vertical pupils had been.
• Sasuke revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and challenged Naruto to fight; Naruto accepted and moved into the estate’s courtyard.
• Sasuke attacked with Great Fireball Technique and Lightning Release speed, but Naruto dodged his strikes and knocked him onto the sand.
• Sasuke got back up and formed the seals for Chidori.

Naruto defeated Sasuke and urged him not to let hatred consume his life, then revealed that a planet-devouring race had set its sights on the Shinobi World. He left Sasuke with a promise to explain everything once Sasuke awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Sasuke attacked Naruto with Chidori, but Naruto evaded it and disabled Sasuke's arm.
• Naruto sat with the shaken Sasuke beneath the stars and raised a Perception Isolation Barrier around them.
• Naruto told Sasuke that hatred could motivate him but should not become his whole life.
• Naruto revealed that a race in the universe intended to devour the Shinobi World, and said he had trained with those future enemies in mind.
• Naruto refused to tell Sasuke everything until he obtained the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, leaving Sasuke stunned.

Naruto offered Sasuke a choice between training with him in Konoha or going undercover among Orochimaru’s forces to develop his Sharingan, promising to bring Sasuke home. Before leaving for a mission with Jiraiya, Naruto brought Sasuke’s Chakra-Conductive Metal to Tenten’s shop and ordered custom Kunai for his upcoming trip.

• Naruto offered Sasuke guidance in Konoha or an undercover mission with Orochimaru, and promised to bring him back if he chose to leave.
• Naruto asked Sasuke about the Golden Radiance, then received the Uchiha Clan’s remaining Chakra-Conductive Metal from him.
• Naruto left the Uchiha Estate and went to Ninja Tool Exchange, where Tenten told him ANBU had collected his two Kunai under the Third Hokage’s orders.
• Naruto asked Tenten to have her father forge the metal into more custom Kunai, and she agreed to start when he could.

Naruto left Konoha with Jiraiya to search for Tsunade and revealed that he had integrated Wind-Nature Chakra into the Rasengan. Jiraiya explained the power and risks of Mount Myoboku’s Sage Mode, leaving Naruto poised to learn more about it.

• Naruto collected his Chakra-Conductive Metal from Tenten and left to prepare for the journey.
• Naruto met Jiraiya at Konoha’s gate, and they set out to search for Tsunade by way of Adofo Street and Tanzaku Town.
• Two Akatsuki members watched Konoha from a distant rise before disappearing without entering the village’s alert zone.
• Jiraiya asked Naruto what his Wind-Nature Rasengan had become, and Naruto offered to demonstrate it in exchange for learning a powerful technique.
• Jiraiya refused at first, then explained that Sage Mode used Natural Energy to amplify techniques but could turn Naruto into a stone statue if he failed to control it.

Naruto and Jiraiya encountered Itachi Uchiha and Kisame after Naruto sensed the Akatsuki members following them. The two sides faced off in the forest, with Itachi and Kisame targeting Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

• Jiraiya warned Naruto that uncontrolled Natural Energy could turn him into stone and refused to teach him Senjutsu yet.
• Naruto told Kurama that they would both learn Senjutsu, then persuaded Jiraiya to continue planning his training.
• Naruto sensed two hostile Chakra signatures following them and led Jiraiya toward them.
• Itachi Uchiha and Kisame recognized that Naruto and Jiraiya had discovered them, and Kisame prepared Samehada to capture Naruto.
• Naruto and Jiraiya confronted Itachi Uchiha and Kisame, and Jiraiya recognized the Akatsuki's interest in Naruto.

Naruto and Jiraiya confronted Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, who had recently visited Konoha. After Naruto proved immune to Itachi’s genjutsu, Kisame flooded the forest and Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta to fight him.

• Jiraiya warned Naruto not to meet Itachi’s gaze, but Naruto resisted Itachi’s Sharingan genjutsu without being affected.
• Itachi recognized that his genjutsu was ineffective against Naruto and told Kisame to withdraw if the situation became dangerous.
• Kisame revealed that he and Itachi had recently encountered Konoha’s Jōnin, then unleashed Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave.
• Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta and identified Kisame and Itachi as Akatsuki members and S-Rank rogue ninjas.
• Gamabunta charged Kisame with his great blade, and Kisame countered with Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks.

Naruto fought Itachi Uchiha in the forest, exploiting Itachi’s reaction to Sasuke’s name and surviving his Mangekyō techniques. The confrontation ended with Itachi forced to deactivate his Sharingan after using Amaterasu, while Naruto began to infer the coercion behind the Uchiha Massacre.

• Jiraiya attacked the water sharks surrounding Gamabunta with Fire Release: Flame Bullet, but the swarm continued to slow the toad’s movement.
• Naruto and Itachi exchanged close-range kunai strikes, and Naruto landed a kick after Itachi faltered at the mention of Sasuke.
• Naruto’s Shadow Clone Shuriken barrage forced Itachi to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan and defend himself with the initial stage of Susanoo.
• Naruto told Itachi that Sasuke was his friend and suggested the Uchiha Massacre had been an exchange made under coercion rather than a test of capacity.
• Itachi used Amaterasu, but Naruto sacrificed a Shadow Clone and moved his real body out of danger.
• Itachi’s right eye began to hurt, forcing him to deactivate his Mangekyō Sharingan as Naruto brushed bark from his coat.

Naruto spoke with Itachi about Sasuke’s future and learned that Itachi had prepared a way to change Sasuke if he went astray. Itachi entrusted Naruto with Shisui Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan before leaving with Kisame.

• Naruto told Itachi he was Sasuke’s friend and wanted to keep him from being consumed by hatred.
• Naruto explained the Mangekyō Sharingan’s cost and guessed that Itachi planned for Sasuke to obtain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Itachi gave Naruto a crow containing Shisui Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan as a safeguard for Sasuke, and Naruto sealed it in a scroll.
• Itachi thanked Naruto for caring about Sasuke, then returned to the battlefield and told Kisame they were leaving.
• Itachi said Naruto could resist his genjutsu and that Jiraiya and possible reinforcements made continuing the fight too risky.

Naruto and Jiraiya escaped Kisame and Itachi, then reached Adofo Street, where Jiraiya questioned Naruto about his unusual sensory ability. Naruto explained that he could sense others’ goodwill and hostility, leaving Jiraiya shocked and saddened by what Naruto’s childhood might have done to him.

• Kisame used the Water Shark Bullet Technique to help himself and Itachi escape across the lake, and Jiraiya could not catch them.
• Naruto and Jiraiya headed for Adofo Street, with Jiraiya demanding an explanation for Naruto’s exchange with Itachi and powerful sensory skills.
• Jiraiya booked rooms at an inn, and Naruto ate a large meal before they returned to discuss the day.
• Jiraiya asked how Naruto had detected the two rogue ninja, and Naruto said he could sense goodwill and hostility directed toward him.
• Jiraiya recognized Naruto’s ability as resembling Mito Uzumaki’s and suspected years of village hostility had awakened it.

Naruto explained his conclusions about the Uchiha Massacre to Jiraiya and reassured him that he had not been misled by Itachi. After Jiraiya left, Naruto began experimenting with combining Wind-Nature and Lightning-Nature Chakra, using Absolute Control to try to overcome their violent repulsion.

• Naruto told Jiraiya that Danzo and the Third Hokage were involved in the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre, and said he wanted Sasuke to know the truth.
• Naruto explained that he still held Itachi responsible for his actions, despite understanding the reasons behind them.
• Jiraiya warned Naruto not to face Akatsuki members alone because they were hunting the Nine-Tails inside him.
• Jiraiya left to investigate Adofo Street, and Naruto set up a Perception Isolation Barrier before creating ten Shadow Clones.
• Naruto's clones repeatedly failed to fuse Wind-Nature and Lightning-Nature Chakra, then dispelled and passed their training memories to him.
• Naruto used Absolute Control to bring the two Chakra masses together without their usual violent repulsion.

Naruto fused Wind and Lightning Chakra to awaken Swift Release, then returned to Jiraiya and revealed that Minato had told him he was the Fourth Hokage’s son. Jiraiya learned Naruto had also studied the Flying Raijin Technique and Rasengan from Minato, and asked how far Naruto had progressed with Flying Raijin.

• Naruto fused Wind-Nature and Lightning-Nature Chakra and awakened the Swift Release Kekkei Genkai.
• Naruto practiced Swift Release in Waterfall Cave for several days until he mastered its speed and movement characteristics.
• Naruto used Flying Raijin to return to the inn, where Jiraiya was startled to see him appear inside the room.
• Naruto asked Jiraiya whether the Fourth Hokage was his father, and Jiraiya confirmed that he was.
• Naruto explained that Minato had taught him the Flying Raijin formula and the theory and training methods for the Rasengan.
• Jiraiya asked Naruto how far he had trained his Flying Raijin Technique.

Naruto told Jiraiya about his parents’ teachings and secured a promise to learn Sage Mode after they brought Tsunade back to Konoha. In Tanzaku Town, Naruto and Jiraiya located Tsunade at an izakaya, where she was drunk and being urged by a young woman to listen.

• Naruto said he could use the Flying Raijin Technique proficiently in combat and explained that Kushina had taught him the Perception Isolation Barrier.
• Jiraiya apologized for not visiting Naruto sooner, and Naruto asked him to teach him Sage Mode; Jiraiya agreed after their mission to find Tsunade.
• Naruto hinted that he had another secret to reveal later, then inspected the sealed scroll containing Shisui Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan and its Kotoamatsukami.
• In Tanzaku Town, Orochimaru offered to revive Dan Katō and Nawaki in exchange for Tsunade healing his hands, but Tsunade gave no answer before he left with Kabuto Yakushi.
• Naruto used Good and Evil Perception to find a powerful Chakra signature, and he and Jiraiya discovered Tsunade drunk at an izakaya with a young woman and Tonton.

Jiraiya asked Tsunade to return to Konoha as the Fifth Hokage, but she refused because she believed the position had cost her grandfathers their lives. Naruto challenged her refusal and called her a coward, angering her until she stood up to confront him.

• Jiraiya reunited with Tsunade and asked whether Orochimaru had visited her; Tsunade confirmed that he had told her Hiruzen was dead.
• Jiraiya asked Tsunade to return to Konoha as the Fifth Hokage, but she refused and explained that both Hashirama and Tobirama had died serving as Hokage.
• Naruto called Tsunade a coward and argued that she was denying the choices of the First and Second Hokage.
• Naruto introduced himself as Naruto Uzumaki and said he would become Hokage, while Tsunade questioned his confidence and Jiraiya warned her not to underestimate him.
• Naruto refused to fight Tsunade, saying he did not want to hurt a senior and be accused of disrespecting her; Tsunade rose, enraged.

Naruto challenged Tsunade to a fight with a bet: if he won, she would return to Konoha as Fifth Hokage and make him her Direct Jōnin. The fight revealed his Swift Release speed, and he left Tsunade reeling after landing a strike and kicking her away.

• Naruto explained that becoming Tsunade's Direct Jōnin would help him prepare to be Hokage and protect him from Danzo.
• Tsunade agreed to fight Naruto, first offering to use one hand before switching to her full strength after he called her granny.
• Tsunade attacked with Monster Strength, but Naruto used Swift Release to dodge and let her punch crater the alley.
• Tsunade followed with Heavenly Foot of Pain, but Naruto evaded again as Jiraiya recognized his speed was not space-time ninjutsu.
• Naruto dodged Tsunade's next punch, struck her abdomen while she recovered, then appeared behind her and kicked her flying.

Naruto and Tsunade fought seriously, with Naruto using Swift Release, Shadow Clones, and increasingly refined Rasengan attacks while Tsunade countered with her immense strength and battle instincts. The chapter left Tsunade facing a barrage of Naruto’s Compressed Rasengan after her rock wall failed to stop them.

• Tsunade drew on the Yin Seal and increased her speed, strength, and perception as she challenged Naruto to fight seriously.
• Naruto attacked with Wind-Nature Kunai and Swift Release, then tried to hit Tsunade with a Rasengan, but she shattered it with her Monster Strength Fist.
• Naruto summoned more than twenty Shadow Clones and sent ten of them to attack Tsunade at high speed from different directions.
• Ten Shadow Clones formed ping-pong-ball-sized Compressed Rasengan, astonishing Jiraiya with Naruto’s chakra control.
• Tsunade raised a rock wall to block the Compressed Rasengan, but the attacks pierced through it.

Naruto showed Tsunade the Rasenshuriken and stopped it just short of striking her, then threw it at the mountain where Orochimaru was hiding. The attack destroyed part of the mountain and exposed Orochimaru, while Tsunade realized Naruto had used their fight to set up the ambush.

• Naruto overwhelmed Tsunade with Compressed Rasengan shots and fast-moving Shadow Clones, then challenged her to continue.
• Naruto formed a massive Rasenshuriken by combining the Rasengan with Wind-Nature Chakra, alarming Jiraiya with its danger to its wielder.
• Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear behind Tsunade and halted the Rasenshuriken just five centimeters from her back.
• Naruto threw the Rasenshuriken at a distant mountain, where its cutting storm erased part of the hillside and swallowed a scream from Orochimaru.
• Jiraiya recognized Orochimaru's voice, and Naruto explained that he had sensed Orochimaru hiding there and used the fight to distract Tsunade while preparing the attack.

After Naruto defeated Tsunade, she agreed to return to Konoha and appoint him her Direct Jōnin, then asked about his astonishing speed. Naruto revealed that he had created Swift Release by fusing Wind and Lightning chakra, prompting Tsunade to consider teaching him Medical Ninjutsu.

• Jiraiya explained that Naruto had awakened Mito Uzumaki's ability to sense good and evil, and Tsunade accepted her defeat and promised to appoint him her Direct Jōnin.
• Tsunade praised Naruto's judgment and battle decisions, then asked how he had moved so quickly.
• Naruto and the others left the damaged alley for an inn in Tanzaku Town, where Naruto identified his speed as Swift Release.
• Jiraiya deduced that Naruto had fused Wind and Lightning chakra himself, and Naruto confirmed it.
• After hearing about Naruto's abilities, Tsunade asked whether he would consider learning Medical Ninjutsu.

Naruto and Tsunade prepared to return to Konoha, while Jiraiya explained why he believed Naruto could become a Hokage who changed the Shinobi World. On the journey, Naruto asked Tsunade to arrange a legal identity for Karin in Konoha.

• Naruto agreed to learn Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade someday but said he wanted to learn Pervy Sage's Sage Mode first.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade about Naruto's lonely childhood and his determination to protect others, and Tsunade resolved to prepare him to succeed as Sixth Hokage.
• Tsunade said Naruto's Rasenshuriken had helped her overcome her fear of blood and explained that Orochimaru had offered to revive Dan and Nawaki in exchange for healing his hands.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya talked about their past before setting out for Konoha with Naruto and Shizune the next morning.
• Naruto told Tsunade that he had rescued Karin from Kusagakure and asked her to arrange a legal identity for Karin in Konoha, leaving Tsunade surprised.

Naruto brought Karin from the Fire Country to meet Tsunade, who promised her legal residence in Konoha and offered to teach her Medical Ninjutsu. Tsunade returned to Konoha with Naruto, Karin, Jiraiya, and Shizune, where she began discussions about becoming the Fifth Hokage.

• Tsunade agreed to provide Karin with civilian registration and teach her Medical Ninjutsu if she chose to become a ninja.
• Jiraiya asked Naruto whether he had destroyed Kusagakure, and Naruto admitted he had attacked the village to avenge Karin and her mother.
• Naruto used Flying Thunder God to fetch Karin from an inn, and she chose to return to Konoha with him.
• Tsunade welcomed Karin and let her choose her future; Karin decided she wanted to become a ninja.
• Tsunade, Naruto, Jiraiya, Shizune, and Karin arrived in Konoha, where Tsunade went to meet Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura about her succession.

Naruto settled Karin into his apartment, then visited Kakashi and Sasuke in the hospital after learning Itachi had injured them. Ino followed Naruto and Karin while they shopped, misunderstood their closeness, and left before Naruto could speak to her.

• Naruto brought Karin to his apartment and gave her the bed while he slept on the living room floor.
• Naruto visited Kakashi and Sasuke in the hospital and reassured Sakura that Tsunade could treat them.
• Ino arrived at the hospital, learned Naruto had returned, and rushed to his apartment after hearing he had already left.
• Ino saw Naruto walking with Karin and secretly followed them as they bought household necessities.
• Ino left without speaking to Naruto, while Naruto noticed her following them and later told Karin that Ino was a childhood friend.

Naruto welcomed Karin to his apartment with a home-cooked dinner while Tsunade prepared to become the Fifth Hokage and treated injured shinobi. After Rock Lee chose a dangerous operation to try to walk again, Tsunade stayed up studying ways to save him.

• Naruto cooked dinner for Karin, and she thanked him as he encouraged her to recover from her years of hardship in Kusagakure.
• Tsunade and the elders confirmed that her inauguration as the Fifth Hokage would take place in five days, and Konoha posted the official notice.
• Tsunade treated Kakashi and Sasuke's mental injuries and told Sakura they would wake before nightfall.
• Tsunade explained that Rock Lee needed a delicate operation with a fifty percent chance of success, and Lee chose to undergo it despite the risk of death.
• Tsunade searched medical records and studied forbidden techniques through the night as she prepared to operate on Rock Lee.