Recaps

Muzan transformed Shanye Song into Lower Rank Six of the Twelve Kizuki and sent him away before sunrise. After returning home, Muzan discovered that the manufactured components for their instrument had flaws that could make it unusable.

• Muzan flooded Shanye Song with blood, transforming him into a demon who lost control and devoured Aburame Heqing.
• Muzan commanded Shanye Song to kneel and named him Lower Rank Six of the Twelve Kizuki, valuing his position as a hidden agent near Danzo.
• Muzan cut off Shanye Song's head to demonstrate his regeneration, then warned him that sunlight would kill him and ordered him to leave before dawn.
• Shanye Song reported that the mission had failed and Muzan had survived, while Danzo monitored him after his return.
• Muzan returned home and found Shanjian He excitedly showing him the manufactured parts for their instrument.
• Muzan noticed deviations in the parts and said they needed to contact the factory because faulty military equipment could endanger frontline ninjas.

Muzan and Shanjian He confronted a factory owner over defective machine parts and discovered the sabotage was deliberate. After Asō Kojirō was murdered before he could reveal who ordered it, Shanjian He resolved to report an apparent Anbu impersonation to the Hokage.

• Shanjian He suggested finding the factory manager so the defective parts could be repaired, but factory guards blocked him and Muzan from entering.
• Shanjian He struck down the Genin guards, and Muzan blasted Asō Kojirō out of his office with a Fireball Jutsu.
• Muzan pinned Asō Kojirō down and took the money from his safe in exchange for sparing his life.
• Muzan injured Asō Kojirō until he admitted he had received orders, but a silver needle pierced the window and killed him before he could finish.
• Shanjian He saw an escaping figure and decided to report that someone had impersonated the Anbu and murdered a Konoha merchant.

Muzan arranged for the faulty parts to be reworked and recruited ninja families to assemble them, while Danzo ordered Root to stop targeting Muzan for now and support Orochimaru at the front. The chapter ended with Shanjian He tasked with collecting blood and sending it to the battlefield.

• Shanjian He concluded that Asō Kojirō's death might involve infiltrators or a traitor in the Anbu, but Muzan told him to let the matter end and promised to make the culprit pay.
• The merchants, frightened by Asō Kojirō's death, corrected the parts and hurried to finish the order for the front lines.
• A Root ninja reported Asō Kojirō's death to Danzo, who ordered his people not to cause trouble for Muzan and to support Orochimaru if needed.
• Danzo planned to use the war's outcome to push the Third Hokage to step down and secure the Hokage position for Orochimaru.
• Muzan and Nobi Wei arranged for ninja families to assemble part of the machinery, giving the families of fallen ninja stable work.
• Muzan told Shanjian He that the remaining task was to collect blood and send it to the battlefield.

Muzan escorted blood supplies to Konoha’s frontline camp, where he and Shanjian He helped manage a surge of wounded after an attack by the Hidden Cloud Village’s A-B Combo. After treating patients through a grueling day, Muzan encountered Anko and Mari holding butcher knives.

• Muzan delivered blood supplies to the frontline camp alongside Shanjian He, guarded by Jōnin and the Ino-Shika-Cho team.
• Shanjian He reorganized the overwhelmed camp and directed the new blood supplies to critically wounded ninja while Sakumo held down the fort.
• Muzan treated the wounded, and one patient told him that the A-B Combo from the Hidden Cloud Village had attacked the previous night.
• Muzan and the medical team worked through the day using blood transfusions and healing techniques, but some wounded died from their injuries and infections.
• After finishing his work, Muzan saw Anko and Mari holding butcher knives and demanded to know why.

Muzan returned to the Konoha camp after transporting medical supplies, where Anko and Mari learned why he had been gone. Sakumo warned that another Cloud Ninja attack was coming, and Muzan began considering how Konoha could reduce its losses.

• Anko and Mari confronted Muzan for leaving without telling them, then gave him steamed buns after he explained that he had returned to Konoha with Shanjian He to transport medical supplies.
• Mari told Muzan about the previous battle, when the Eight-Tails rampaged until Sakumo fought it, and Muzan promised to protect his companions in the next attack.
• Sakumo arrived, confirmed Muzan had returned safely, and ordered him, Anko, and Mari to prepare for another battle.
• Muzan noticed Sakumo's injuries and asked what had happened; Sakumo revealed that the Cloud Ninja were gathering forces for another attack.
• Sakumo explained that Konoha could not afford heavy losses across its three fronts and warned Muzan to avoid the center of the battlefield during daytime.

Muzan proposed a secret plan to lure the Hidden Cloud Village into attacking a camp rigged with Explosive Tags, accepting casualties to secure a decisive victory. Sakumo and the Elite Jōnin approved the plan, and by nightfall they were left to arrange the traps and choose which group would be sacrificed.

• Muzan told Sakumo that they should feign defeat, withdraw, and leave powerful ninja behind to convince the Hidden Cloud Village that Konoha had truly lost.
• Sakumo overcame his reluctance to sacrifice comrades and agreed to hold the line while the others retreated.
• Muzan proposed abandoning the camp and secretly planting Explosive Tags, then presented the plan to the Elite Jōnin.
• Several Elite Jōnin supported the plan, while others struggled with its cost; Sakumo began assigning tasks after warning that Konoha risked being attacked by other villages if it suffered too many losses.
• The Elite Jōnin spent the day debating which group to abandon, and Sakumo emerged at night to arrange patrols while they prepared to plant the Explosive Tags.

Muzan and Sakumo prepared Konoha’s apparent buildup toward war to deceive Kumogakure, while Dodai, Killer B, and A debated how to respond. As both sides massed forces and clashes began, Muzan patrolled with Anko and Mari, warning them to stay near him and prepare to withdraw when the major battle came.

• Muzan suggested that Konoha let Kumogakure initiate an attack, and Sakumo praised him as a possible future Hokage.
• Killer B and Dodai suspected Konoha had brought in a powerful fighter, while A urged an immediate assault.
• Konoha sent more troops to the front, and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio arrived to command as clashes caused casualties.
• Muzan patrolled with Anko and Mari, telling them to stay close and avoid the main fighting when war began.
• Sakumo ordered Konoha’s troops to place marked traps, most of which were made with kunai.

Kumogakure launched a prepared assault on Konoha, and Muzan warned Anko and Mari to stay off the front lines before hunting Cloud Ninja in the Stone Forest. After surviving a coordinated Water and Lightning Release attack, he raised four dog-headed Earth-Style Walls and faced the enemy's next move.

• Dodai approved A's attack after Kumogakure assessed Konoha's reinforcements, and A and Killer B led the Cloud Ninja toward the front lines.
• Muzan recognized the enemy's withdrawal as a sign of an imminent decisive battle and warned Anko and Mari to hunt only on the outskirts.
• When the war began, Muzan followed behind Konoha's Elite Jōnin and killed several Cloud Ninja in the Stone Forest.
• Cloud Ninja identified Muzan as a dangerous Konoha expert and attacked him with combined Water and Lightning Release techniques.
• Muzan blocked the electrified water with four dog-headed Earth-Style Walls, prompting the Cloud Ninja to prepare a Fire Release bombardment.

Muzan fought through the Hidden Cloud Ninjas, using coordinated ninjutsu and the Hatake Sword Technique to defeat his attackers. He faced Motoi alone and endured Motoi’s Lightning Release: Spider Web by submerging himself in water, leaving the battle’s outcome undecided.

• Muzan stopped the flood with an earthen wall, then used Fire Release to burn the Hidden Cloud Ninjas who attacked him and leaped onto the wall as it collapsed.
• Muzan evaded a close-range assault with Substitution Jutsu, dragged one Cloud Ninja underground with Headhunter Jutsu, and killed several others with his blade and Chakra Scalpel.
• Motoi blocked Muzan’s attack and kicked him, but Muzan withstood the blow and countered with the Hatake Sword Technique, cutting through Motoi’s hair before Motoi escaped with Substitution Jutsu.
• Motoi ordered the other Cloud Ninjas to withdraw and unleashed Lightning Release: Spider Web, while Muzan summoned water that flooded the battlefield.
• Both men were struck by the lightning, but Muzan submerged himself and emerged unharmed, while Motoi resisted the current with his taijutsu-trained body.

Muzan survived Motoi’s lightning attack and countered with a powerful Water Dragon Bullet as Konoha’s planned retreat began. With Kumogakure pursuing the withdrawing troops, Motoi ordered everyone in the Stone Forest to focus on killing Muzan, leaving him surrounded and looking for a way out.

• Motoi weakened his lightning attack, believing Muzan had been knocked unconscious or killed, but Muzan struck back with a Water Dragon Bullet.
• Muzan’s counterattack rallied Konoha’s nearby ninjas, while their Elite Jōnin suppressed the counteroffensive to maintain the planned retreat.
• Motoi took the Water Dragon Bullet head-on, but resolved to hold Muzan back until Kumogakure’s main force arrived.
• Konoha’s troops withdrew along designated routes, and Dodai ordered A and Killer B to pursue them as he led another group after the retreating ninjas.
• Muzan realized the retreat had begun and tried to leave the Stone Forest, but Motoi called on everyone there to focus their attacks on him.

Muzan escaped Motoi’s pursuit while the Cloud Ninja force attacked Konoha’s camp, unaware that the retreat was part of Muzan’s plan. As the last Konoha defenders withdrew, A discovered Explosive Tags around the camp, leaving the trap poised to spring.

• Muzan used fire and wind techniques to break through Motoi’s pursuit, then escaped through traps he had prepared in advance.
• Killer B, A, and the main Cloud Ninja force regrouped and pursued Konoha’s retreating troops toward the camp.
• Aburame Koji ordered the Konoha forces to abandon the camp and used his insects to hinder the Cloud Ninja while the defenders withdrew.
• Muzan rejoined Sakumo Hatake and watched the battle, while Sakumo waited for Aburame Koji and the last Konoha forces to escape.
• After the Konoha defenders withdrew, A prepared to seize the camp’s supplies, but a subordinate warned him that Explosive Tags were everywhere.

Muzan’s plan to destroy the Cloud Ninja camp with hidden Explosive Tags devastated Kumogakure’s forces and gave Konoha a chance to counterattack. After Konoha’s troops entered the ruined camp, Muzan revealed that he had proposed and carried out the plan, leaving many to admire his willingness to risk himself.

• Killer B used his Tailed Beast Transformation to shield A and a few survivors as Explosive Tags destroyed the Cloud Ninja camp.
• Aburame Koji ordered Konoha’s ninjas to counterattack after the explosion, and they found the camp filled with charred bodies and wreckage.
• Hatake Sakumo arrived with Muzan, and the Konoha troops credited Sakumo with leading them to victory.
• Sakumo asked Muzan to speak, and Muzan admitted that he had proposed and carried out the plan.
• Konoha’s ninjas reacted to Muzan’s confession with fleeting hostility, but many admired him for risking himself as part of the scheme.

Muzan’s plan devastated the Cloud Ninja camp and secured Konoha’s border, shifting the course of the Third Ninja War. Konoha’s leaders recognized his achievement, while Danzo considered bringing him into Root.

• Muzan’s allies reorganized Konoha’s defenses after the explosion destroyed the camp.
• Dodai found the wounded A and Killer B, ordered the Cloud Ninja to retreat, and faced the loss of most of their forces.
• Konoha’s elite Jōnin recaptured the lost territory and occupied the abandoned Cloud Ninja camp, while Aburame Koji established a defensive line.
• Sakumo Hatake sent most of the forces, including Ino-Shika-Cho, to reinforce the Land of Wind.
• The Third and Konoha’s leaders confirmed the victory reports and discussed Muzan’s role in the plan.
• Danzo admired Muzan’s methods and considered recruiting him into Root, while the Third watched him warily.

After returning to Konoha as a celebrated war hero, Muzan met young Shisui Uchiha and taught him that strength should protect the weak rather than enable bullying. The chapter left Shisui considering Muzan’s words about his clan and the responsibility that came with power.

• Mari told Muzan that people were calling him Muzan the Destroyer for wiping out a third of Hidden Cloud Village’s fighting force, making him a target for Hidden Cloud.
• Muzan returned to Konoha with wounded ninja and avoided the crowded main road as villagers celebrated his victory.
• Muzan found young Shisui Uchiha training with a kunai near the Uchiha Clan and stopped him when Shisui charged at him.
• Shisui recognized Muzan and apologized, explaining that the Uchiha used the gesture when apologizing to their clan’s elders.
• Muzan told Shisui that people often apologized to the Uchiha because they were oppressed by the clan’s power, then urged him to use his abilities responsibly.

Muzan gave Shisui his blood and urged him to grow stronger without trusting others too easily, then investigated how different parts of sunlight affected him. While Muzan was absorbed in his experiments, Konoha ninja searched for him because the Hokage was waiting, and Anko found him at the hospital laboratory.

• Muzan encouraged Shisui to become strong and cautious, then gave him a sealed container of his blood to use in a life-or-death crisis.
• Muzan left the Uchiha territory and tested ultraviolet light on himself, concluding that it affected him but was not fatal.
• Muzan became absorbed in research on sunlight while Konoha ninja searched for him to deliver a reward from the Hokage.
• Anko guessed Muzan might be at Konoha Hospital, found him there, and interrupted his experiment.

Muzan received rewards for his battlefield contributions and asked to join the forces heading to the Land of Wind. The Third Hokage approved with conditions and assigned Anbu to protect him, while Danzo remained behind after the meeting.

• Anko misunderstood Muzan's teasing and was pinned to a bench, and Mari mistakenly thought she had interrupted an intimate moment.
• Muzan took Anko and Mari to the Hokage Office, where the Third Hokage praised his plan and awarded him two S-rank mission payments and a ninjutsu from the Sealing Scroll.
• Muzan asked to accompany the main force to the Land of Wind, despite warnings that Kumogakure's bounty had drawn dangerous bounty hunters.
• Danzo offered Root shinobi as Muzan's protection, but the Third Hokage chose Anbu and ordered Muzan to obey Orochimaru's commands.
• The Third Hokage sent a letter to Orochimaru with a shinobi bound for the battlefield, then stopped Danzo after the meeting ended.

Danzo told the Third Hokage he still wanted Muzan to inherit Root, while Muzan tried to avoid Kushina Uzumaki after returning to Konoha. Kushina discovered Kakashi’s Make-Out Paradise, and Minato burned it before she could read it, leaving her furious at both men.

• The Third Hokage warned Danzo to stop pursuing Muzan, but Danzo insisted that Muzan was suited to inherit Root.
• Muzan tried to avoid Kushina Uzumaki and planned to leave Konoha with the ninja once they had rested.
• Kushina smashed through the Hatake Household’s gate and confronted Muzan for hiding from her.
• Kakashi returned with Make-Out Paradise hidden behind him, and Muzan drew Kushina’s attention to it.
• Minato arrived, caught Kakashi, and burned the fallen book with a Fireball Jutsu.
• Kushina accused Minato and Kakashi of keeping secrets and punched Minato in the face.

Muzan received a secret mission from the Third Hokage to stop a Sunagakure ninja from reaching Kirigakure, with Minato and Kakashi assigned to accompany him toward the Land of Wind. Before they set out, Muzan warned Kakashi about the danger and urged him not to rush into battle.

• Minato and Kakashi covered up the contents of Jiraiya's book, and Muzan backed their explanation so Kushina would forgive them.
• Minato gave Muzan a letter from the Hokage ordering him to sabotage Sunagakure's plan to send a powerful ninja to Kirigakure.
• Muzan told Minato that he and Kakashi would travel together toward the Land of Wind, while Muzan and the Anbu would handle the later part of the mission.
• Muzan dragged Kakashi out of the Hatake Household, teased him about reading Make-Out Paradise, and beat him after Kakashi tried to fight back.
• Muzan warned Kakashi that the mission could involve war and told him not to charge recklessly, but Kakashi insisted he had plenty of combat experience.

Muzan joined Minato Namikaze's group as they traveled to Konoha's frontline in the Land of Wind, where Orochimaru commanded the war effort. Muzan noticed Danzo's agents were moving against him, while Orochimaru warned him not to take reckless risks.

• Muzan sensed Shanye Song and realized Danzo had sent Root members to make a move against him, but Shanye Song was under Muzan's control.
• Orochimaru led Minato Namikaze, Muzan, and their group through the Land of Rivers toward Konoha's frontline in the Land of Wind.
• The group arrived at Orochimaru's camp, where Konoha's ninja welcomed Muzan as a powerful medical ninja and inventor of the Blood Typing Machine.
• Orochimaru told Muzan he would ensure his safety as a medical ninja and warned him not to make reckless charges.

Muzan planned to approach Pakura and asked Orochimaru for information about her movements. After learning that Danzo had sent Root to protect him, Muzan discovered Shanye Song's new Blood Demon Art and prepared to use a child disguise.

• Muzan asked Orochimaru for Pakura's location and departure time, and Orochimaru agreed to help him gather the information.
• Muzan learned that Danzo had ordered Shanye Song and the Root members to protect him rather than assassinate him.
• Shanye Song showed Muzan the eyes covering his body and demonstrated his Blood Demon Art, Demon Eye: Predictive Kill, which enhanced his senses and let him predict opponents' movements.
• Muzan decided to keep Shanye Song nearby as a sensory ninja and asked him to find a set of children's clothes for the plan to approach Pakura.

Muzan prepared to pursue Pakura and asked Orochimaru about learning Senjutsu, with Orochimaru directing him to Jiraiya or offering future experiments. Muzan set out for the port city in the Land of Wind, where his mission continued under Anbu protection.

• Orochimaru warned Muzan that he could abort the mission if danger arose, while Anbu secretly followed to protect him.
• Muzan told Orochimaru he wanted to use his S-rank reward to learn Senjutsu, and Orochimaru suggested asking Jiraiya or experimenting together after the war.
• Muzan explained that he favored Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu and thanked Orochimaru for his advice.
• Muzan left for the port city as Shanye Song led the Anbu trailing him.
• Muzan arrived in the Land of Wind's poor, sparsely populated port city.

Pakura rescued the child Muzan after Shanye Song staged an attack that left him wounded, then grew suspicious of the Hidden Sand ninjas’ insistence that she continue her diplomatic mission. Unable to find Muzan’s parents, she brought him aboard the ship bound for the Land of Water.

• Muzan wore an expensive outfit in a port town, where Pakura noticed him while questioning the purpose of her mission to the Hidden Mist Village.
• Shanye Song attacked Muzan, and Pakura killed him after he drove a kunai through the child’s arm.
• Pakura treated Muzan and grew suspicious when two Hidden Sand ninjas urged her to leave immediately for the Land of Water.
• Pakura took Muzan to a clinic, but the search for his parents found no wealthy visitors in town.
• Pakura brought the unconscious Muzan aboard her ship, believing he would be safe as long as he did not reach the Hidden Mist Village.

Muzan traveled with Pakura toward the Hidden Mist Village, intending to recruit her as one of his Twelve Kizuki and establish the Blood Moon organization. Pakura entered the village alone, and Muzan disappeared from the clinic where she had left him.

• Konoha's Anbu worried that Muzan had escaped aboard the ship and feared the consequences if their mission failed.
• Muzan revealed that he planned to recruit Pakura and use her conflict with the Hidden Mist Village to bring her into his organization.
• Shanye Song boarded the ship, pledged to help Blood Moon make its debut in the Land of Bloody Mist, and asked Muzan what the organization would be called.
• Muzan named the organization Blood Moon and instructed Shanye Song to go ahead to the Hidden Mist Village and await him.
• Pakura left Muzan at a clinic near the Land of Water and entered the Hidden Mist Village after warning him to return if she had not come back in seven days.
• The old captain discovered that Muzan had vanished after Pakura and her escorts disappeared into the fog.

Muzan entered Kirigakure and killed three scouts while Pakura discovered that her village had betrayed her and sent her to die. As the Seven Ninja Swordsmen overwhelmed her, an attack with Explosive Tags interrupted Jūzō Biwa’s attempt to kill her.

• Muzan entered Kirigakure’s mist and killed three Genin who tried to stop him.
• Pakura realized Kirigakure had betrayed her when the Seven Ninja Swordsmen confronted her.
• Pakura killed the two guards who tried to stab her from behind.
• Pakura fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, but their coordinated assault left her badly injured.
• Shanye Song watched Pakura’s battle and waited for the moment to reveal Blood Moon’s strength.
• Several kunai carrying Explosive Tags interrupted Jūzō Biwa as he moved to kill Pakura.

Shanye Song, a Man-Eating Demon of the Blood Moon Organization, attacked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and tried to recruit the wounded Pakura while fighting Jūzō Biwa. As Shanye Song unleashed a battlefield-changing Earth Release, a voice called him out and stopped him.

• Shanye Song emerged from the fog in his demon form and attacked Jūzō Biwa, whose Executioner's Blade cut him in half before his body healed.
• Shanye Song rescued Pakura, introduced himself as Lower Six of the Twelve Kizuki, and offered her a place in the Blood Moon Organization.
• Jūzō Biwa fought Shanye Song, but Demon Eye let Shanye Song anticipate his attacks, and his wounds healed after Jūzō struck him.
• Shanye Song used Earth Release: Earth Flow River, burying part of the injured Pakura in mud as he tried to prove himself to the approaching presence.
• A cool voice addressed Shanye Song and warned that he was going too far, causing him to stop his ninjutsu.