Recaps

Muzan survived the Stone Ninjas’ bombardment and Dong Sǐrén’s attempted assassination, revealing himself as Crimson Moon. He fought back against Dong Sǐrén, who tried to trap him by collapsing the terrain.

• The Stone Ninjas attacked Muzan with Earth Release techniques and Explosive Tags, but he shielded himself underground and healed his wounds.
• Dong Sǐrén used Stoneification and an Earth Clone to approach Muzan, then impaled him with Earth Release spears.
• Muzan rose with the spears still embedded in him, and Dong Sǐrén recognized him as Crimson Moon.
• Muzan decided to kill the Stone Ninjas to protect his identity, while Dong Sǐrén used Rock Lodging Destruction to try to seal him underground.
• Muzan shattered the earthen obstacle with Monster Strength Fist, rushed Dong Sǐrén, and kicked him hard enough to crack the ground.

Muzan used a sudden bodily transformation to bite Dong Sǐrén and inject him with enough blood to turn him into a Man-Eating Demon. Dong Sǐrén and several Stone Ninja became monsters, and Muzan faced the newly transformed commander’s resistance.

• Muzan abandoned ninjutsu and fought Dong Sǐrén at close range while the nearby Stone Ninja stayed out of the battle.
• Muzan stretched his neck and bit Dong Sǐrén after the man severed his head, injecting him with a massive amount of blood.
• Dong Sǐrén transformed into a Man-Eating Demon, and Muzan’s cooperation with him caused other Stone Ninja to become demons and attack those around them.
• The transformed Stone Ninja regained their memories and recoiled in horror, while many mutilated themselves in despair.
• Dong Sǐrén resisted Muzan’s influence and vowed that Muzan would pay, and Muzan recognized the strength of his will.

Muzan killed Dong Sǐrén and hurried toward Kannabi Bridge, where he found Hizashi Hyuga fatally wounded after Kitsuchi attacked the squad. Hizashi agreed to Muzan’s offer to transform him into a monster in hopes of surviving and escaping the Caged Bird curse.

• Muzan used the battlefield and Orochimaru’s ninjutsu to kill Dong Sǐrén, then left before Konoha’s feint ended.
• Stone Ninja found their dead comrades and, after discovering Dong Sǐrén’s corpse, concealed the news to prevent panic.
• Muzan reached Kannabi Bridge and found the squad’s bodies impaled by Earth Spears, with only Hizashi still alive.
• Hizashi told Muzan that Kitsuchi had attacked and asked him to take his body back to Konoha if he died.
• Muzan offered to save Hizashi by turning him into a monster, possibly freeing him from the Caged Bird curse, and Hizashi accepted.
• Muzan’s palm opened a mouth and bit Hizashi’s neck, sending blood surging into his body and causing him intense pain.

Muzan transformed Hizashi into a Man-Eating Demon and recruited him as Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki. The two joined the fight at Kannabi Bridge, where Muzan rescued trapped Konoha ninja and warned them of Kitsuchi’s deadly earth-spike attack.

• Muzan turned the mortally wounded Hizashi into a Man-Eating Demon and welcomed him into the Blood Moon Organization as Lower Rank Five of the Twelve Kizuki.
• Hizashi worried about the Caged Bird seal, but Muzan explained that a Man-Eating Demon’s regenerative abilities made the seal ineffective.
• Muzan and Hizashi headed toward Kannabi Bridge, where Stone Ninja had trapped a Konoha squad behind earthen walls.
• Muzan shattered the walls and, with Hizashi, killed the Stone Ninja before freeing the trapped Konoha ninja.
• Muzan stopped the Konoha squad from making a suicidal attack and warned them when a field of earth spikes erupted ahead.

Muzan confronted Kitsuchi after rescuing the survivors from an earthen spike barrage. He evaded Kitsuchi’s powerful attacks but could not pierce his stone-hardened skin.

• Hizashi sensed a powerful Chakra presence approaching and warned the survivors.
• Muzan charged toward the approaching enemy and broke the opponent’s earthen arm with his sword.
• Muzan recognized the burly attacker as Kitsuchi, Ōnoki’s son, and Kitsuchi identified Muzan by his black robe and sword as a child of the Hatake Household.
• Kitsuchi used the Rock Fist Technique, but Muzan dodged the punch at the last moment.
• Muzan struck Kitsuchi with his sword, but the blade failed to penetrate his hardened stone skin.

Muzan survived Kitsuchi’s devastating attack through his rapid regeneration and prepared to continue fighting through the night. Kitsuchi still believed Muzan was weakened by a forbidden technique and launched another attack.

• Kitsuchi struck Muzan with his club, leaving him badly injured as the others feared he would die.
• Hizashi used his Byakugan to see that Muzan had already repaired his shattered bones and torn muscles.
• Muzan rose and joked that he was still going strong, while Kitsuchi assumed his recovery came from a forbidden technique.
• Kitsuchi raised his club and used Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear.

Danzo brokered a truce between Konoha and the Hidden Stone Village and proposed that they join forces to kill the approaching Raikage. After the fighting stopped, Muzan realized Danzo was likely considering sending him to help carry out the dangerous ambush.

• Danzo persuaded Onoki that the Hidden Cloud Village threatened the Hidden Stone Village and proposed a joint attack on the Raikage.
• Muzan and Kitsuchi continued their exhausting battle until Danzo and Kanno arrived and ordered them to stop.
• Kanno showed Kitsuchi Onoki’s letter confirming that the war with Konoha had ended, and the fighters on both sides halted their advance.
• Danzo told Muzan that Konoha and the Hidden Stone Village planned to intercept and kill the Raikage as he crossed the Land of Earth.
• Muzan understood that he might be transferred from the Land of Wind front to support the operation against the Raikage.

Muzan led Konoha ninja alongside Kitsuchi’s Stone forces into the Land of Earth to target the Raikage, while Danzo was to arrange a pincer attack with Orochimaru. As tensions rose between the supposed allies, Muzan secured Kitsuchi’s promise to restrain his troops and allow Muzan to treat their wounded.

• Muzan ordered Hizashi Hyuga to return to Konoha, conceal the Man-Eating Demons, and develop his Blood Demon Art.
• Kitsuchi led Muzan’s advance force through the Land of Earth toward the Raikage, while privately considering how Muzan might be killed during the mission.
• A fight broke out between Konoha and Stone ninja, and Muzan warned his subordinate not to rush into battle against the Cloud forces.
• Muzan confronted Kitsuchi and demanded that he restrain the Stone ninja, threatening to kill them if they caused trouble before the clash with the Cloud.
• Kitsuchi agreed to restrain his troops on the condition that Muzan treat injured Stone ninja, and Muzan accepted.

Muzan and Kitsuchi prepared an ambush in the Land of Earth for the Third Raikage and his Cloud Ninja forces, while Muzan planned to use the attack to turn the Cloud’s hatred against the Hidden Stone Village. The Raikage entered the hills cautiously, and Muzan held Kitsuchi back, waiting for a chance to widen their advantage.

• Orochimaru learned of the mission and regarded it as a chance to hunt down the Third Raikage, while Minato prepared to help hold him back.
• Muzan joined Kitsuchi’s forces at an ambush site in the Land of Earth, where they planted Explosive Tags and took the high ground.
• Kitsuchi demanded that Muzan treat the wounded during the battle, and Muzan agreed while privately seeking the Raikage’s corpse.
• The Third Raikage sensed danger in the hills and sent one-third of his Cloud Ninja forward while he guarded them.
• Muzan urged Kitsuchi not to attack yet, hoping to inflict a larger defeat and make the Cloud blame the Hidden Stone Village.

Muzan and the Stone and Konoha forces ambushed the Raikage’s Cloud Ninja in a mountain valley, using explosions, water, and mud to trap them. The Raikage broke through their defenses while Minato Namikaze rushed toward the battlefield, and Muzan continued stalling without revealing his regenerative ability.

• Minato Namikaze followed reports of the Cloud Ninja and spotted them entering the mountains, while Muzan and Kitsuchi prepared an ambush.
• Explosions triggered landslides that trapped the Raikage’s force, and Muzan’s allies attacked from above.
• Konoha’s Water Release and the Stone Ninja’s Earth Release flooded the valley and turned the ground to mud, hampering the Cloud Ninja.
• The Raikage activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode and charged through Muzan’s Earth-Style Walls, forcing Muzan and Kitsuchi to evade him.
• Cloud reinforcements were delayed by further landslides as Minato Namikaze rushed to join the battle, and Muzan chose to stall the Raikage rather than risk killing him or exposing himself.

Minato Namikaze joined the battle against the Third Raikage while Muzan slaughtered the surrounded Cloud Ninja below. Kitsuchi realized the Stone Ninja were suffering heavy losses, and Muzan faced four Jōnin who had resolved to stop him.

• Minato Namikaze arrived using the Flying Raijin and joined Muzan on the battlefield.
• Muzan asked Minato to occupy the Third Raikage and secretly suggested drawing him toward the Stone Ninja.
• Minato harassed the Third Raikage while Kitsuchi fought beside him, and Muzan attacked the Cloud Ninja below.
• Muzan prioritized treating his own side as he cut through exhausted Cloud Ninja amid the joint encirclement.
• Kitsuchi noticed the Stone Ninja's heavy casualties and raised earthen walls to protect those near him.
• Muzan confronted four Jōnin who had resolved to stop him, and his state began to change as one dodged his strike.

Muzan practiced his taijutsu against Cloud Ninja before cutting them down as the Raikage struggled to lead his trapped forces out of the encirclement. The Raikage stayed behind to cover the retreat, while Muzan watched the desperate battle from the mountainside.

• Muzan evaded the Cloud Ninja Jōnin’s attacks, then shattered one fighter’s arm and killed him with a kick before cutting down the others.
• Muzan dismissed the fallen Chunin as insignificant and watched the assembled Cloud and Konoha forces surround the trapped troops.
• Minato Namikaze kept the Raikage under pressure until the Raikage made a mistake and took a Rasengan hit.
• The Raikage used Hell Stab: Four-Fingered Nukite to break through the mud and ordered the Cloud Ninja to escape while Kitsuchi’s forces tried to seal the passage.
• The Cloud Ninja offered to hold off the enemy, but the Raikage ordered them to leave and used Black Lightning to block pursuit as he stayed behind.
• Muzan watched the Raikage face the armies alone, his expression growing cold.

Kitsuchi, Minato Namikaze, and the Stone Ninja wore down the Raikage after a day and night of fighting, while Muzan secretly took the Raikage’s corpse. The battle ended with the Cloud Ninja outside the valley dead and the exhausted Konoha forces withdrawing.

• Minato Namikaze and Kitsuchi kept the Raikage under pressure until his Lightning Chakra faded and he collapsed.
• Muzan concealed his thorn-like hand beneath his robe and stored the Raikage’s corpse away.
• Kitsuchi searched for whoever had taken the corpse, but Minato Namikaze stopped him from pursuing the matter while their forces were exhausted.
• Minato Namikaze led the Konoha forces away from the mountains as the Cloud Ninja outside the valley lay dead.

Muzan and Kakashi mourned Obito and Rin after the war, while Muzan sensed Obito and White Zetsu lurking nearby. Anko and Mari then asked whether Muzan and Kakashi were campaigning for Orochimaru to become the Fourth Hokage, and Muzan dismissed the idea.

• Muzan and Kakashi visited the graves of Obito and Rin and laid flowers in the rain.
• Muzan sensed Obito and White Zetsu hiding underground but chose not to confront them at the memorial.
• Anko and Mari greeted Muzan and Kakashi and asked why they had not visited since returning from the battlefield.
• Anko asked whether Muzan was campaigning for Orochimaru, and Mari noted that Orochimaru's reputation was poor.
• Muzan said campaigning would not change the upper ranks' decision, while Kakashi felt out of place among Orochimaru's disciples.

Muzan disguised himself as a beautiful woman to approach Jiraiya at a mixed hot spring and obtain a method for cultivating Senjutsu. The chapter left Jiraiya mistaking Muzan for a woman and offering a scrubbing service.

• Muzan praised Hidden Hot Springs Village's prosperity, while Orochimaru reminded him that sacrifices might be needed to obtain the Senjutsu cultivation method.
• Muzan transformed his appearance into that of a striking woman, drawing attention from the hot spring guests and surprising Orochimaru.
• Muzan asked Orochimaru to let him use violence against Jiraiya if they failed to obtain the method.
• Jiraiya waited in the mixed bath, then blushed and approached Muzan with a lecherous grin, offering a scrubbing service.
• Muzan told Jiraiya that his behavior had disappointed him.

Jiraiya brought Muzan to Mount Myoboku to train him in Senjutsu, where Gamabunta attacked him without warning. The chapter left Muzan falling through the air as two blades struck toward him.

• An old toad prophesied that a crimson-eyed evil would threaten the Shinobi World, and the others decided to warn Jiraiya.
• Orochimaru left Muzan’s Senjutsu training to Jiraiya, who took the boy to Mount Myoboku after having him sign the contract.
• Jiraiya summoned Muzan onto Gamabunta’s head and hid in the grass as the angry toad noticed him.
• Gamabunta shook Muzan into the air, and two blades struck toward him as he fell.

Muzan began investigating Senjutsu at Mount Myoboku, experimenting with absorbing Natural Energy while Jiraiya was called away by a prophecy about blood-red eyes and a figure who would bring disaster. The chapter left Muzan recording his observations about Natural Energy and sunlight as he considered whether Senjutsu could help him overcome sunlight.

• Gamabunta doused himself in the lake, then attacked Jiraiya for disturbing his nap and letting Muzan burn him; Jiraiya saw Muzan had held his own against the powerful toad.
• Jiraiya began teaching Muzan about Senjutsu and the dangers of gathering Natural Energy, but a toad summoned him to hear the Great Toad Sage's prophecy about blood-red eyes and disaster.
• Jiraiya suspected the prophecy pointed to the Uchiha Clan and decided he needed to return to the village, leaving Muzan at the waterfall.
• Muzan tried absorbing Natural Energy without toad oil, shed stoneified fingers, and regenerated them as he studied how Senjutsu affected his body.
• Gamabunta warned Muzan that failed Senjutsu training could turn him to stone, so Muzan stopped and wrote notes about the difference between Natural Energy and sunlight.

Muzan studied Natural Energy under Jiraiya on Mount Myoboku and quickly learned Sage Transformation without developing frog-like traits. After leaving the mountain, he tested his sunlight hypothesis and found that Senjutsu slowed the sunlight’s effects on his body.

• Muzan recorded his theories about Natural Energy while Gamabunta’s splash nearly ruined his notes.
• Jiraiya returned from speaking with the two sages and supervised Muzan’s training in gathering Natural Energy.
• Muzan learned Sage Transformation rapidly, and Jiraiya was surprised that it caused no frog-like changes to his body.
• Jiraiya told Muzan to return to Konoha with him so he could consult the Hokage about a suspected threat linked to the Uchiha Clan.
• Muzan exposed his skin to sunlight and found that Senjutsu slowed the damage, giving him a new direction for overcoming his weakness.

Konoha's leaders and villagers debated whether Minato Namikaze or Orochimaru should become the Fourth Hokage, while Muzan warned Jiraiya that Orochimaru did not want the position. Orochimaru grew more determined to leave Konoha as he continued his experiments, and Danzo warned that he would take care of Orochimaru's disciple.

• Danzo recommended Orochimaru as Hokage, but the two senior advisers and Hiruzen Sarutobi favored Minato Namikaze.
• Muzan and Jiraiya returned to Konoha as villagers split their votes between Minato Namikaze and Orochimaru.
• Jiraiya praised Minato, and Muzan reminded him that Orochimaru was not attached to the Hokage position and did not belong on the village's path.
• Orochimaru heard from Danzo that Minato was likely to become Hokage and felt further resentment toward Hiruzen Sarutobi's favoritism.
• Orochimaru demanded resources for his experiments, while Danzo warned that he would conceal the human experimentation and take care of Orochimaru's disciple.

Muzan killed a White Zetsu that had been spying on him and continued researching how to overcome Man-Eating Demons’ weakness to sunlight. Hizashi revealed his new Blood Demon Art, which created numerous mutated Byakugan for surveillance.

• Orochimaru agreed to support Danzo’s experiments and promised him the eyes of deceased Uchiha Clan members after the war.
• Jiraiya told the Hokage about the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy as Muzan conducted experiments in Konoha.
• Muzan detected White Zetsu watching him and killed it with his Blood Demon Art, Black Blood Brambles.
• Muzan determined that his research should focus on the overlap between sunlight and Natural Energy, but realized he needed better equipment and more funding.
• Hizashi showed Muzan his Blood Demon Art, White-Eyed Compound Vision, which created discreet mutated Byakugan eyes for surveillance.
• Muzan told Hizashi to recall his ability and suggested they continue their discussion at Hizashi’s home.

Muzan visited Hizashi Hyuga and helped him develop his Blood Demon Art, which created and fused multiple Byakugan to see across Konoha. Their testing was interrupted when Hyuga Hiashi arrived and confronted Muzan.

• Hizashi led Muzan through the traditional Hyuga clan grounds, and Muzan criticized the buildings as outdated and unsafe.
• At Hizashi's home, Muzan asked to see Neji and predicted the child would become a pillar of Konoha.
• In the back courtyard, Hizashi revealed his Blood Demon Art, White-Eyed Compound Vision, and created more than twenty eyes.
• At Muzan's suggestion, Hizashi fused the eyes, greatly extending his vision while exhausting himself.
• Hizashi sensed someone spying on them, and Hyuga Hiashi entered the courtyard and asked Muzan why he had come.

Muzan visited Hiashi at the Hyuga residence and clarified that he came in a personal capacity, not as Orochimaru’s representative. On his way back, Root ninjas trapped him in a genjutsu and attacked, and Muzan began fighting back in the Forest of Death.

• Muzan told Hiashi that his visit was personal and that he did not represent Orochimaru.
• Hiashi warned Hizashi not to speak carelessly about the Hokage selection, and Muzan left without taking the offered tour.
• Muzan realized the road had been transformed by a genjutsu and broke free into the Forest of Death.
• Yamanaka Hefeng and Nara Chongdao ambushed Muzan, combining Wind Release with shadow techniques to try to capture him.
• Muzan evaded the shadow attack by cutting through the earth, and Nara Chongdao’s explosive trap failed to stop him.
• Muzan struck at one of the Root ninjas with his Chakra Scalpel.

Muzan fought off Nara Chongdao and Yamanaka Hefeng until Danzo arrived and offered him a secret place to continue his experiments. Muzan agreed to hear Danzo's terms, and Danzo demanded that he join Root and eventually inherit it.

• Nara Chongdao and Yamanaka Hefeng attacked Muzan, but Muzan injured Nara and broke through their shadow-and-smoke trap.
• Muzan nearly killed Yamanaka Hefeng, but Danzo intervened and revealed that he had arranged the meeting.
• Danzo said he knew about Muzan's hospital experiments and offered him a place to work beyond the Third Hokage's surveillance.
• Muzan weighed accepting Danzo's offer against defecting and asked what Danzo wanted in return.
• Danzo demanded that Muzan join Root and become its future leader.

Muzan joined Danzo’s Root and was given authority over its laboratory, where he chose Kabuto as his trainee. He left Kabuto with a chance to shape his own fate and began teaching him, focusing on theoretical knowledge and chakra control.

• Danzo welcomed Muzan into Root and showed him its secret base, training grounds, and laboratory facilities.
• Muzan noticed Kabuto’s skill during a sparring match and asked to keep the boy at his side; Danzo agreed.
• Danzo assigned Kabuto to serve Muzan in the laboratory and mentioned that the Fourth Hokage candidate would soon be announced.
• Muzan tested Kabuto’s resolve, urged him to seize control of his fate, and began training him in theory and chakra control.

Muzan gave Kabuto his cultivation notes and let him study in the laboratory while he investigated sunlight's effects on himself. After testing Kabuto's endurance on the journey back to Konoha, Muzan took him for a meal, and Kabuto began to understand his status in the village.

• Muzan gave Kabuto his training notes and told him to study the laboratory equipment while he handled his work.
• Muzan tested different colors of light, finding that ultraviolet light burned him while the other tested colors had no effect.
• Kabuto called Muzan's attention to the late hour, and Muzan took him back toward Konoha as a test of his chakra control.
• Kabuto followed Muzan through the long journey despite his exhaustion, and Muzan judged his performance decent.
• Muzan stopped near the village outskirts and offered to treat Kabuto to a meal.
• After people greeted Muzan as he entered Konoha, Kabuto realized his identity.