Chapter Summaries

Li You took over Itachi Uchiha’s body on the night of the Uchiha massacre and vowed to care for Sasuke and find a way to revive Fugaku and Mikoto. After helping complete the massacre while keeping Obito from suspecting him, he faced the urgent question of what to do when Sasuke returned.

• Overwhelmed by Itachi’s memories, Li You removed Fugaku’s eyes, preserved the parents’ hair, and vowed to protect Sasuke and bring Fugaku and Mikoto back to life.
• Obito arrived, spoke with Itachi, and continued killing Uchiha clan members while Itachi hid his suspicions and weakness.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo watched from a distance as the massacre ended and planned to blame Itachi and report that he had defected.
• Itachi killed a clansman to avoid arousing Obito’s suspicion and to practice controlling his weakened body.
• After Obito left for their usual meeting place, Itachi worried about how to handle Sasuke’s return without endangering them both.

Itachi left Konoha after meeting with Hiruzen Sarutobi, asking him to protect Sasuke while he infiltrated the mysterious organization as a spy. Outside the village, Itachi defeated two ANBU pursuers with a trigger-based Genjutsu and continued into the night.

• Itachi decided he could not leave Sasuke's safety to chance and went to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Itachi told Hiruzen he planned to infiltrate the organization and gather intelligence, and asked him to look after Sasuke.
• Hiruzen allowed Itachi to leave, and Itachi departed Konoha after reflecting on his fear and the village below.
• Two ANBU appeared to hunt Itachi down, but his Genjutsu made them stab each other when they attacked.
• Itachi explained the Genjutsu to the dying ANBU, then vanished into the night.

Itachi fought off a Root operative using the Clone Great Explosion, then withdrew rather than risk using his Mangekyo Sharingan. The operative was revealed to be an ANBU agent ordered by Hiruzen to impersonate Root, while Hiruzen continued to wrestle with whether to honor his promise to Itachi or eliminate the Uchiha brothers.

• Itachi confronted a masked operative he recognized as being from Root and fought him in the forest.
• Itachi used the Clone Great Explosion to engulf the operative in an explosion and dense gas, then escaped before the fight could continue.
• The operative survived by using a Shadow Clone, but decided not to pursue Itachi after recognizing he was outmatched.
• The operative removed his disguise and revealed he was an ANBU agent ordered by Hiruzen to pose as Root and hunt Itachi.
• Hiruzen considered his plan to eliminate Itachi and Sasuke, but struggled to choose between that and keeping his promise to protect Sasuke.

Sasuke returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds after the massacre and was taken to the hospital while Hiruzen planned what to tell him. Itachi learned that Danzo had warned him about Akatsuki and confirmed that Fugaku’s eyes held Mangekyo Sharingan, then postponed replacing his own eyes as he considered his plans to join Akatsuki and find Orochimaru.

• Sasuke ran home, found the clan grounds silent and bloodstained, and collapsed after discovering his family and neighbors dead.
• Hiruzen watched Sasuke’s return and ordered his men to take the boy to the hospital while he considered how to explain the massacre.
• Itachi questioned a Root member, who said Danzo had warned him that Akatsuki was dangerous and that disguised ANBU had pursued him.
• Itachi examined Fugaku’s eyes, confirmed they were Mangekyo Sharingan, and stored them away rather than replacing his own eyes before joining Akatsuki.
• Itachi waited for Obito, ate grilled fish, and began considering whether Tsukuyomi could affect another Mangekyo Sharingan user and whether to seek out Orochimaru.

Itachi fought Root agents disguised as ANBU, testing his newly awakened Mangekyo Sharingan and Susanoo while managing their strain. He killed one attacker and turned his attention toward another hidden agent.

• A Root agent tried to assassinate Itachi, but Itachi used crows to evade the strike and awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Itachi attempted to burn the agent with Amaterasu, but the Root agent escaped using the Body Flicker Technique.
• A second Root agent confronted Itachi, and Itachi mocked him before forming a crimson Susanoo to block his attack.
• Itachi's Susanoo punched the Root agent away as another agent launched a Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
• Itachi evaded the water dragon, used a crow clone to dodge a kick, and killed the jutsu user with a sword strike.
• Itachi noticed another ANBU member hiding nearby and looked in that agent's direction.

Itachi killed the last ANBU pursuer with a prepared Genjutsu and joined Obito, then traveled with him and stopped to cook. As they traded barbed remarks over the fire, Itachi suddenly used Amaterasu on Obito.

• Itachi trapped the remaining ANBU in Genjutsu and killed him with a sword.
• Itachi told Obito to take him to see the organization, and they traveled together in silence.
• Itachi said he was hungry, so he and Obito searched for small animals to roast.
• Obito returned with two cleaned animals while Itachi gathered branches and prepared seasonings.
• Itachi and Obito exchanged accusations about the Uchiha massacre and Obito's past before Itachi used Amaterasu on him.

Itachi attacked Obito with Amaterasu but failed to hurt him, and Obito tried to recruit him with a promise of a peaceful world where the dead could be resurrected. After sharing roasted meat, Itachi settled on going along with Obito’s plan while keeping his own goals in mind.

• Itachi struck Obito with full-power Amaterasu, but Obito survived unharmed and grabbed Itachi by the throat before letting him go.
• Obito taunted Itachi about Izumi’s death, while Itachi denied attacking for revenge and considered his uncertain position.
• Obito asked what Itachi would do if he could create peace and resurrect the dead, and Itachi called such power godlike.
• Obito and Itachi exchanged roasted meat, each remaining wary of the other as they ate.
• Itachi decided he could use Obito’s plan to pursue his own interests, including reviving his parents and training Sasuke.
• Obito mocked Itachi for carving a toothpick, and then stared silently at the sky.

Itachi arrived in the Rain Country and joined Pain’s organization, while Hiruzen Sarutobi told the recovering Sasuke that Itachi had massacred the Uchiha Clan. Sasuke secretly left the hospital to revisit the clan compound as Hiruzen watched him and ordered someone to bring him home once he collapsed.

• Obito brought Itachi to Pain, who gave him an Akatsuki uniform and the Vermilion ring.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Sasuke in the hospital and promised to care for him.
• Sasuke asked who had killed the Uchiha Clan, and Hiruzen named Itachi Uchiha as the culprit.
• Sasuke broke down in grief while Hiruzen comforted him and said he would take him into his home.
• After Hiruzen left, Sasuke revealed he was awake and headed toward the Uchiha Clan compound.
• Hiruzen watched Sasuke through a crystal ball and ordered someone to bring him home when he fainted.

Sasuke awakened an unstable one-tomoe Sharingan before fainting, while Hiruzen focused on the abandoned Uchiha grounds. In the Hidden Rain Village, Biwa Juzo met Itachi, his new teammate, and ended up paying for a large order of desserts.

• Sasuke shouted for Itachi, briefly awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan, and collapsed before an ANBU member carried him away.
• Pain told Biwa Juzo that his new teammate was twelve-year-old Itachi, who had supposedly destroyed the Uchiha Clan alone.
• Juzo went to find Itachi, and they introduced themselves before agreeing to get food together ahead of a mission.
• Itachi said he wanted something sweet, then admitted he had no money when they reached a dessert shop.
• Juzo offered to pay, and Itachi ordered two of every dessert while Juzo silently lamented the expense.

Itachi and Juzo set out from Amegakure on a bounty-hunting mission, with Itachi hiding his identity and learning that Juzo had prepared supplies for him. After Juzo chose soldier pills for their meal, Itachi went into the forest to find small animals, and Juzo followed him.

• At an underground bounty exchange, Sasori and Orochimaru discussed Itachi’s rise as an S-rank rogue ninja and Orochimaru’s assassination of the Kazekage.
• Kakuzu checked his notes about the organization’s new member before leaving with his partner.
• Itachi and Juzo left Pain’s office for a mission to track down a wanted ninja and deliver the target’s head to the bounty exchange.
• Juzo corrected Itachi when he went the wrong way, then explained that reaching their destination would take about two days.
• Itachi put on a conical hat to conceal his face, and Juzo gave him a scroll of ninja supplies while reminding him to repay the cost.
• When Juzo ate soldier pills instead of cooking, Itachi went to find small animals, and Juzo hurried after him to communicate with them too.

Itachi and Juzo encountered four bounty hunters who had come after Juzo, then killed them and searched their bodies for loot. They continued their journey after Itachi collected several hundred ryo and Juzo became engrossed in looting.

• Juzo and Itachi sensed trouble approaching and waited openly on the road as four bounty hunters emerged from hiding.
• Juzo used the Mist Transformation Technique and killed one bounty hunter in the dense fog.
• When the surviving bounty hunters tried to attack Itachi, he killed the one who charged at him with accurately aimed kunai.
• Juzo killed the two remaining bounty hunters, and the mist quickly dispersed.
• Itachi searched a corpse and took several hundred ryo and ninja tools, while Juzo searched another body and ignored Itachi's impatience.

Itachi and Juzo tracked the bounty target Jingbian Shanglang to a village, where Itachi anticipated a trap and uncovered the target’s disguise and scheme. Itachi killed Jingbian Shanglang, completing the mission.

• Itachi and Juzo traveled to the village where intelligence had placed Jingbian Shanglang and paid to stay at a local man's house.
• Itachi warned Juzo not to consume anything and reasoned that the target's informant would investigate their arrival; he sensed a villager sneaking toward the mountain.
• Itachi and Juzo followed the villager, while their host, Jingbian Shanglang, prepared to leave with a sword case and a bundle.
• Itachi confronted Jingbian Shanglang, blocked his attack, and revealed that he had seen through the man's disguise and village scheme.
• Jingbian Shanglang lost his composure as Itachi explained his setup, and Itachi used the Body Flicker Technique to kill him with his sword.

Itachi explained how he exposed the villager who reported them, then left the village with Juzo after completing their mission. As they rested for the night, Juzo watched over the sleeping Itachi and felt touched by his trust.

• Itachi explained that he had reconsidered the villager’s actions, guessed he was hiding in the village, and confirmed his suspicion by setting a trap.
• Juzo admitted that Itachi’s reasoning was hard to follow, and Itachi told him to rely on his own style and instincts.
• Itachi found nothing useful in the house and decided he and Juzo should leave without disturbing the villagers.
• As they walked, Itachi thought of Sasuke and quietly promised to take him out again soon.
• Juzo asked how Itachi fought, and Itachi said Juzo should charge in while he watched his back.
• The two camped for the night, and Juzo took the first watch as Itachi quickly fell asleep.

Hiruzen Sarutobi grew closer to Sasuke and devoted less attention to Naruto, who endured neglect and abuse in Konoha. After an ANBU member assaulted Naruto over his monthly allowance, Naruto dreamed of his parents as Ashura's will struggled to ease the darkness growing in his heart.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Sasuke's training, welcomed him as family, and promised to help him rebuild the Uchiha Clan.
• Hiruzen reflected on his regrets as a father and mentor, and decided to raise Sasuke while paying less attention to Naruto.
• Naruto ate expired food and waited for his monthly allowance, believing Hiruzen Sarutobi was the only person in Konoha who cared about him.
• An ANBU member delivered Naruto's allowance, kicked him into a wall, scattered much of the money, and threatened him into silence.
• Naruto gathered the money and dreamed of sharing a meal with his parents while Ashura's will tried to soothe his despair.
• The Nine-Tails watched Naruto suffer with cruel satisfaction as red energy healed his injuries and Naruto's darkness continued to grow.

Itachi and Juzo shared a quiet meal after a mission, and Itachi later confronted a rogue ninja who had been watching them. Itachi trapped Akai Sanjin in Tsukuyomi and began tormenting him in the illusion, leaving his fate unresolved.

• Itachi and Juzo cooked and ate grilled meat, and Juzo drank until he fell asleep.
• Itachi secured the fire and rested in a tree while Juzo slept nearby.
• Itachi sensed an intruder and confronted Akai Sanjin, who mocked him and began forming hand seals.
• Itachi used genjutsu to make Akai Sanjin see a giant crushing him, then revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan and cast Tsukuyomi.
• Itachi controlled the illusion's space and time, frightening Akai Sanjin with repeated gunfire-like attacks and taunting him as his mental state deteriorated.

Itachi tortured Akai Sanjin inside Tsukuyomi, dressing himself as a swaggering godfather before subjecting his captive to bizarre questioning and brutal punishments. Akai Sanjin eventually sat vacant-eyed in the chair as Itachi grew bored and looked for something else to do before the seventy-two hours ended.

• Itachi dressed in a white suit, added glasses and a cigar, and kicked Akai Sanjin's wounded thigh when he stopped responding.
• Itachi forced Akai Sanjin to kneel and began questioning him inside a customized Tsukuyomi Space.
• Akai Sanjin refused to answer, but screamed and tried to confess when an executioner began torturing him.
• Akai Sanjin answered one thousand minus seven with nine hundred and ninety-three, but Itachi continued the torture and posed a harder calculation.
• Itachi saw Akai Sanjin sitting limp and vacant-eyed, then stood up to find something else to do before the seventy-two hours ended.

After defeating Akai Sanjin with Tsukuyomi, Itachi searched his body, then nervously stayed near Juzo through the night. The two resumed their journey toward the organization, and Juzo’s suggestion to visit Konoha failed to persuade Itachi.

• Itachi recovered from using Tsukuyomi, found Akai Sanjin defeated, and took his valuables before fleeing to a tree because he feared ghosts.
• Itachi stayed near Juzo by a campfire, summoned four Shadow Clones to guard him, and fell asleep.
• Juzo woke to hear the Shadow Clones telling ghost stories, startled them with a ghostly face, and teased Itachi afterward.
• Juzo kept watch while Itachi slept, then told him they would likely reach the organization by evening and suggested visiting Konoha.
• Itachi declined to visit Konoha, and Juzo sighed because he had hoped to use the detour as an excuse.

Itachi returned to the Hidden Rain Village with Juzo, rested, and then set out with him on another money-making mission. Along the way, they ate and drank together, and Itachi tried unsuccessfully to counsel Juzo about his heartbreak before the pair resumed slacking off.

• Itachi and Juzo returned to the Hidden Rain Village, visited Pain and Kakuzu, and delivered the bounty.
• Itachi declined Juzo’s invitation to eat, bathed, and slept until Juzo woke him the next morning with news of another mission.
• Juzo led Itachi out of the village for the mission, and they traveled until nightfall while Itachi kept watch as Juzo slept.
• The next morning, Itachi roasted the animals Juzo had prepared, and they shared food and wine.
• Itachi teased Juzo about his heartbreak and offered relationship advice, but Juzo refused to explain what had happened.
• Juzo stopped pushing himself so hard, and he and Itachi began slacking off on the mission again.

Kakashi visited a grave, then accepted a mission from Hiruzen Sarutobi to capture a rogue ninja before taking up a squad leader post after he returned. Meanwhile, Itachi attended his first Akatsuki meeting, where he and Juzo agreed to slow their work for the sake of organizational harmony.

• Kakashi visited a gravestone at Konoha Cemetery before a summons brought him to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Kakashi a mission to capture a rogue ninja and told him to test the graduating students after he returned.
• Kakashi left Konoha to pursue the rogue ninja, whose bounty had risen after he offended a powerful noble.
• Juzo showed Itachi how to join an Akatsuki meeting through his ring, where Pain welcomed the new member and asked about the teams' progress.
• Orochimaru offered to team up with Itachi, but Juzo objected, and Pain ended the meeting after giving a brief address.
• Juzo explained that Akatsuki's work had slowed, and he and Itachi agreed to slow their own missions to preserve organizational harmony.

Itachi and Juzo arrived in a crowded city to hunt the Konoha rogue ninja Yamamoto Jisi, whose bounty had recently increased. After learning many capable competitors were already nearby, they debated how to approach the mission and left their final plan unresolved.

• Itachi asked Juzo about their bounty target and urged him to conceal the recognizable Executioner's Blade, but Juzo only wrapped it in bandages.
• Juzo identified the target as Yamamoto Jisi, an experienced Konoha Jonin with great strength and chakra, and explained that a rich man's added bounty had exposed him.
• Itachi questioned why Pain had assigned them a mission that could reveal Akatsuki, and Juzo said they could act without announcing their identities.
• The pair checked into an inn and decided to wait until night because the crowded city made it difficult to scout unnoticed.
• Juzo proposed searching the area for ninjas and screening them, while Itachi suggested letting the bounty hunters wear one another down before taking advantage.
• Itachi warned that many capable competitors were already present and could turn against them if they captured Yamamoto Jisi, leaving Juzo uncertain about the safest approach.