Chapter Summaries

Naruto brought Orochimaru to Kabuto’s laboratory, where Kabuto revealed that Hashirama’s cells merged harmlessly with Naruto’s and suggested Wood Release might be a mutation rather than a Kekkei Genkai. Naruto asked Orochimaru to join the research so he could master Wood Release, while Gaara decided to hand Shukaku over to Naruto.

• Naruto reunited Orochimaru and Kabuto in the basement laboratory and showed Orochimaru the Hashirama cell research.
• Kabuto explained that Wood Release appeared only with Hashirama and might have been a sudden mutation rather than an inherited Kekkei Genkai.
• Kabuto revealed that Naruto’s cells and Hashirama’s cells were merging without rejecting each other.
• Naruto refused a transplant and asked Orochimaru to help research how to revive Wood Release so Naruto could master it.
• After a sleepless night, Gaara decided to hand the One-Tail Shukaku over to Naruto.

Naruto gathered his allies to help Gaara remove the seal holding Shukaku, but Yamato tried to flee and Itachi challenged Naruto’s motives for gathering tailed beasts. Naruto convinced Itachi that he wanted to befriend them, and the group prepared to continue with Yamato captured.

• Naruto brought Gaara and his allies to a secluded mountain range to release Shukaku, while Yamato was shocked to find Zabuza among them.
• Yamato created a wood clone and fled toward Konoha to report Naruto’s plan, so Naruto sent Zabuza, Orochimaru, and Kabuto after him.
• Itachi used Genjutsu to knock out Hinata, Karin, and Haku, then demanded to know why Naruto was gathering tailed beasts.
• Naruto condemned Akatsuki’s plan to capture jinchuriki and said he meant to befriend all nine tailed beasts; Gaara learned Akatsuki had intended to extract Shukaku from him.
• Itachi agreed to help Naruto gather the tailed beasts, and Hinata broke free of Tsukuyomi before Haku and Karin awakened.
• Zabuza, Orochimaru, and Kabuto returned with Yamato in custody.

Naruto and Karin removed Gaara’s seal, allowing the One-Tail Shukaku to emerge while Hinata monitored the process and Haku severed its chakra from the sand. Naruto and Karin then restrained Shukaku with Adamantine Sealing Chains, leaving the beast helpless and furious.

• Karin undid Gaara’s seal, and sand poured from his mouth as the One-Tail began emerging.
• Hinata tracked Shukaku’s release while Naruto ordered Haku to sever the beast’s chakra with the Eight-Foot Magatama Sword.
• Yamato broke free and attacked Zabuza Momochi, Orochimaru, and Kabuto before rushing toward Naruto.
• Shukaku fully appeared and threatened to kill everyone, but Naruto restrained it with Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• Karin added nine chains to Naruto’s three, pinning Shukaku down as Naruto mocked the weakened beast.

Naruto tested Karin’s control of the Adamantine Sealing Chains and, with help from his allies, subdued and sealed Shukaku. Days later, Naruto’s group waited near Hidden Cloud Village as Kakuzu and Hidan set out to capture the Two-Tails, then encountered a strange clay jar.

• Naruto had Karin release and reapply her Adamantine Sealing Chains to test her mastery, but Shukaku attacked when she released them in anger.
• Haku, Orochimaru, Itachi, and Zabuza restrained Shukaku, and Naruto explained that he had promised Shukaku could slap someone, not that he would take the slap himself.
• Naruto and Karin used the chains to seal Shukaku inside a clay jar.
• Several days later, Naruto, Hinata, and Kabuto watched for Akatsuki members near Hidden Cloud Village and prepared to follow their plan.
• Kakuzu and Hidan discussed capturing Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails’ jinchuriki, while avoiding the Eight-Tails and alerting the village.
• Kakuzu and Hidan stopped when a strange clay jar appeared in their path.

Hidan and Kakuzu triggered a trap that released the One-Tail Shukaku, then fought the tailed beast in the forest. Naruto and Hinata watched from a distant mountaintop as Kakuzu launched a water attack against Shukaku.

• Hidan ignored Kakuzu's warning and lifted a clay jar marked with a scrap of Akatsuki clothing, triggering an Explosive Tag that released Shukaku.
• Hidan slashed part of Shukaku's head with his Triple-Bladed Scythe, but Shukaku counterattacked with an Air Bullet.
• Naruto held Hinata close and had her use her Byakugan to observe the battle from afar.
• Hinata reported that Shukaku had the upper hand, while Naruto said the advantage would only be temporary.
• Hidan drew Shukaku's attacks and survived being struck, giving Kakuzu the chance to use Exploding Water Shock Wave against the tailed beast.

Naruto and Hinata used the Flying Thunder God Technique to repeatedly steal One-Tail Shukaku from Kakuzu and Hidan after the pair captured it. Kakuzu realized a highly skilled user of Space-Time Ninjutsu was secretly interfering, but he and Hidan still did not know who it was.

• Hidan and Kakuzu subdued One-Tail Shukaku and began transporting it toward their temporary base.
• Kakuzu suspected Konoha might have deliberately let them capture Shukaku, then discovered it had vanished.
• Naruto used Hinata's Byakugan to locate Shukaku and teleported it away with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Kakuzu and Hidan searched the forest for hours before Shukaku suddenly reappeared, and they defeated it again.
• Shukaku vanished once more, leading Kakuzu to conclude that someone skilled in Space-Time Ninjutsu was pulling strings behind the scenes.

Naruto repeatedly teleported the battered Shukaku to Kakuzu and Hidan, exploiting the Akatsuki pair’s attacks while healing the One-Tail and trying to make him submit. Shukaku kept pretending to be unconscious, but Hidan’s attack forced him back into battle as Naruto and Hinata watched.

• Hidan asked Kakuzu how they could find the person manipulating events, but Kakuzu admitted he had no way to track them.
• Naruto teleported the unconscious Shukaku to Hinata and explained Akatsuki’s strength before healing him with chakra that included some of the Nine-Tails’.
• Shukaku woke up, pretended to be unconscious, and refused to submit to Naruto, so Naruto dropped him into the forest near Kakuzu and Hidan.
• Kakuzu and Hidan beat Shukaku unconscious again, and Naruto repeatedly teleported him away and returned him to the Akatsuki pair.
• Shukaku decided to keep playing dead, but Naruto threatened to send him back to Kakuzu and Hidan, and Hidan’s scythe attack finally made him wake and fight.
• Naruto brought Hinata to watch Shukaku battle Kakuzu and Hidan, and Hinata felt sorry for the One-Tail.

Naruto repeatedly rescued Shukaku from Kakuzu and Hidan while concealing his injuries to receive Hinata’s care. After Kakuzu identified Naruto as the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki and fled with the badly injured Hidan, Naruto and Hinata sat on Shukaku’s belly, where Shukaku woke to find them behaving shamelessly.

• Hinata treated Naruto’s burned arm while Naruto watched Shukaku endure attacks from Kakuzu and Hidan.
• Shukaku struck Hidan into a pit and sent Kakuzu crashing through trees, but Naruto teleported in and took Shukaku away again.
• Kakuzu recognized Naruto as Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki, and carried the immobilized Hidan toward their temporary base.
• Kabuto and Yamato secretly followed Kakuzu and Hidan, and Yamato decided to obey Naruto’s orders and gather intelligence for Konoha.
• Naruto brought Hinata to unconscious Shukaku and lay with her on his belly, where Shukaku woke in alarm.

Naruto and Hinata became intimate while Orochimaru kept the injured Shukaku quiet, and Hinata overwhelmed Naruto with her Gentle Fist and shadow clones. Naruto then tried to recruit Shukaku by warning that it could be sealed into the Ten-Tails, but Shukaku rejected the threat as impossible.

• Naruto teased Hinata before they became intimate on Shukaku's belly, while Orochimaru appeared and threatened to dissect Shukaku if it interrupted them.
• Orochimaru sealed Shukaku's mouth and left, and Naruto escaped Hinata's hold with the Flying Thunder God Technique before both used shadow clones in their fight.
• Hinata defeated Naruto's clones with her Gentle Fist Style, Eight Trigrams Palm, One Thousand Twenty-Four Palms, and declared her resolve as his wife.
• Naruto removed Shukaku's sealing talisman and asked it to become his companion, promising to protect it.
• Naruto warned Shukaku that it could be sealed into the Ten-Tails, but Shukaku refused to believe the Ten-Tails could return to the Ninja World.

Naruto persuaded Shukaku to live inside him, and Shukaku returned to Konoha with Hinata. Naruto told Tsunade that he, Itachi, and Yamato had helped save the Sand Village, then followed her to Konoha Hospital to see Gaara and Kimimaro.

• Naruto convinced Shukaku to become his tailed beast, though Shukaku insisted on being called the big brother.
• Shukaku shrank to a tiny tanuki, and Hinata carried it back to Konoha.
• Tsunade scolded Naruto for neglecting missions, then told him Akatsuki had attacked the Sand Village.
• Naruto revealed that he, Itachi, and Yamato had fought in the Sand Village and helped save it.
• Naruto told Tsunade that Gaara was at Konoha Hospital, and he followed her there, hoping to see Kimimaro.

Naruto explained to Tsunade how Akatsuki attacked Sand Village and how Gaara gave up Shukaku, which Naruto sealed inside himself alongside the Nine-Tails. Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane then ordered Naruto to remain in Konoha under constant ANBU surveillance, and Naruto began planning to deal with them as the story shifted to Itachi, Sasuke, Zabuza, and Haku facing Yugito Nii.

• Tsunade found Gaara and Kimimaro hospitalized and asked Naruto what had happened to the Fifth Kazekage.
• Naruto said Akatsuki had attacked Sand Village, and he claimed he defeated Deidara and Sasori before Gaara surrendered Shukaku to keep it from Akatsuki.
• Naruto revealed that he had sealed Shukaku inside himself alongside the Nine-Tails, alarming Tsunade and Shizune.
• Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane ordered Naruto to stay in Konoha and have ANBU monitor him, prompting him to plan against them.
• Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Zabuza Momochi, and Haku stood outside Hidden Cloud Village facing Yugito Nii.

Sasuke remembered how Naruto reunited him with Itachi and gave him a new purpose, while Itachi reflected on Naruto’s role in repairing their relationship. The brothers fought side by side, each silently grateful to Naruto.

• Naruto and Itachi arranged for Sasuke to believe that Danzo had orchestrated the Uchiha massacre, allowing Itachi to return to Konoha.
• When Sasuke fell into despair, Itachi asked Naruto to help him find a new purpose, and Naruto encouraged Sasuke to train with his brother.
• Sasuke asked Itachi to train him, and Itachi began teaching him to use the Sharingan.
• Sasuke grew stronger but became a flirt with powerful female ninja, and Itachi unsuccessfully tried to correct the habit.
• Sasuke and Itachi remembered Naruto’s help and fought side by side.

Itachi, Sasuke, Zabuza, and Haku delivered Naruto Uzumaki’s message to Yugito Nii before heading to the lake where the Three-Tails was hidden. There they encountered Kisame Hoshigaki and Tobi, and Itachi, Zabuza, and Haku fought them as the Three-Tails emerged.

• Itachi told Yugito Nii that Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha’s future Hokage, would visit the Hidden Cloud Village to discuss the tailed beasts, and Sasuke flirted with her before the group left.
• Itachi, Sasuke, Zabuza, and Haku reached the lake, where Kisame Hoshigaki and Tobi discovered the Three-Tails’ hiding place.
• Tobi told Kisame Hoshigaki that Naruto Uzumaki had repeatedly obstructed Akatsuki and made him the organization’s next priority after the Three-Tails.
• Kisame Hoshigaki summoned over a thousand sharks, drawing the Three-Tails Isobu out of the lake, and prepared to fight it.
• Itachi attacked Kisame Hoshigaki, who used a Water Clone, while Tobi faced Zabuza Momochi and Haku; their weapons passed through Tobi, and Zabuza realized he was dealing with an unusual opponent.

Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and joined Itachi in cornering Kisame underwater as the Three-Tails fled. In Konoha, Naruto had Orochimaru desecrate Rin Nohara’s grave to obtain the materials needed to learn Edo Tensei and prepare to face Obito.

• Sasuke remembered how Itachi used a Genjutsu of the Uchiha massacre, with Danzo Shimura cast as the killer, to push him into awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasuke unleashed Susanoo underwater and confronted Kisame, while Itachi also descended with Susanoo to trap Kisame between them.
• The Three-Tails Isobu fled after seeing the humans fighting among themselves.
• Naruto noticed ANBU following him, and Orochimaru told him they had already been dealt with.
• Naruto and Orochimaru went to Rin Nohara’s grave, where Orochimaru split her tombstone and took soil from the coffin as Kakashi later discovered the desecration.
• Naruto began learning Edo Tensei from Orochimaru using the soil from Rin’s grave, intending to prepare for Obito.

Naruto left Konoha with Hinata and Karin on his way to the Hidden Cloud Village, then encountered Root members sent to bring him back. After recognizing Sai and Torune Aburame as potential recruits, he dismissed Fu Yamanaka and refused to return.

• Naruto took Hinata and Karin out of Konoha without using the Flying Thunder God Technique, knocking aside ninja who tried to stop them.
• Shukaku emerged from Hinata's clothes in a fist-sized form, and Naruto warned it not to torment her.
• Naruto continued toward the Hidden Cloud Village and realized Root members were following him.
• Sai, Torune Aburame, and Fu Yamanaka appeared to block Naruto's path and ordered him to return to Konoha.
• Naruto greeted Sai and Torune Aburame familiarly, then dismissed Fu Yamanaka as a minor character and refused to let him join his team.

Naruto fought Torune Aburame with taijutsu and urged him to become his companion, while Hinata used Sage Jutsu to link her Byakugan vision with Gamayū and overwhelm Sai. Sai fled on his ink lion, but Hinata emerged from hiding nearby.

• Fu Yamanaka attacked Naruto’s group, fighting Karin while Sai faced Hinata and Torune Aburame confronted Naruto.
• Naruto exchanged taijutsu with Torune Aburame, revealed he knew about the Rinkaichū, and asked Torune to become his companion.
• Naruto destroyed Torune Aburame’s glove, then knocked him down and left, telling him to seek Naruto out once he had decided.
• Hinata summoned Gamayū, whose concealed weapons forced Sai to flee on an ink lion while the Byakugan tracked him.
• Hinata used Sage Art: Keen-Eye Shared Vision Technique to share her vision with Gamayū, letting it target Sai from beyond its sight.
• Hinata burst out of the grass near Sai, shocking him as he realized she had been hiding nearby.

Hinata fought Sai using her Byakugan, but Sai exploited its limitations with an ink clone and aerial attacks. Naruto arrived through Hinata’s shared vision, defeated Sai, and continued traveling with his group after defeating Konoha’s attackers.

• Hinata saw through Sai’s ink screen, but his clone distracted her while his real body attacked from above.
• Hinata deflected Sai’s ink birds, then used the Keen-Eye Shared Vision Technique to share her Byakugan vision with Naruto.
• Naruto joined the fight after defeating Torune Aburame and Fu Yamanaka, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to kick Sai from the sky.
• Naruto let Sai’s ink stain him and eagerly asked Hinata to wash up with him while Sai crashed into the bushes.
• Naruto’s group continued their journey, and Naruto was pleased that he had drawn out Sai and Torune, whom he hoped to bring under his control.

Naruto led his group toward the Hidden Cloud Village, intending to provoke Akatsuki into attacking it while claiming to seek peace. The chapter ended with the village guards mistaking the Konoha delegation for an invading force and ordering Naruto to leave.

• Naruto told Hinata he planned to make the Hidden Cloud Village pay for the kidnapping attempt against her and Hizashi's death, while Karin warned that his actions could start a war.
• Itachi, Sasuke, Zabuza, and Haku joined Naruto, and Itachi reported that Akatsuki had captured the Three-Tails and begun operating in groups of four after two failed missions.
• Naruto explained that he wanted Akatsuki to gather its members and attack the Hidden Cloud Village, where the One-Tail, Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails would be concentrated.
• After resting, Naruto's group met Kabuto near the Hidden Cloud Village, where Kabuto said he had leaked the tailed beasts' locations to Akatsuki.
• Naruto led the group of eight to the village gates and announced that he had come as Konoha's envoy to discuss friendly cooperation, but the guards called for the Raikage and ordered him to return to Konoha.

Naruto arrived in the Hidden Cloud Village with Hinata and challenged the Fourth Raikage, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade his attacks. After landing a Rasengan and revealing their Sage Jutsu, Naruto and Hinata launched a combined Frog Kata attack, leaving the Raikage facing their next move.

• Naruto introduced himself to the Hidden Cloud guards as Konoha’s future Hokage and asked to speak with the Raikage.
• The Fourth Raikage attacked Naruto, who escaped with Hinata using the Flying Thunder God Technique and revealed that Minato Namikaze was his father.
• Naruto repeatedly dodged the Raikage’s lightning-fast attacks while taunting him, and then struck his back with a Rasengan.
• Naruto explained that Minato had lacked a way to penetrate the Raikage’s defenses, then revealed Sage Jutsu markings as Hinata did the same.
• Naruto and Hinata teleported in front of the Raikage and attacked together with Sage Art: Naruto-Hinata Frog Kata.

Naruto and Hinata defeated the Fourth Raikage with a simultaneous Frog Kata, then secured permission to enter the Hidden Cloud Village and discuss business. Naruto’s group entered amid hostile villagers, while Naruto promised that a grand gift would arrive soon.

• Naruto and Hinata struck the Fourth Raikage with Frog Kata, knocking him down and wounding his pride despite his durable physique.
• Naruto prepared to stomp on the Raikage, but Darui intervened, and Naruto teleported to Hinata with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• The Fourth Raikage acknowledged Naruto’s strength and permitted Naruto’s group to enter the village, while Naruto taunted Darui and threatened to stomp on the Raikage someday.
• Naruto’s group entered the Hidden Cloud Village, where hostile villagers shouted at them over the bloodshed between Konoha and the Hidden Cloud Village.
• Naruto waved at the crowd and promised a grand gift, while Darui mocked the group’s reception.