Recaps

Kakuzu fled Pain’s forces while protecting a boy and sent the Purifiers an emergency distress signal. Naruto dispatched Might Guy, who arrived just as Kakuzu was preparing for a final stand.

• Kakuzu grabbed the boy and escaped from Pain’s summoned beasts, then pressed the Purifiers’ emergency button despite his reluctance to ask for help.
• Naruto received Kakuzu’s warning in the Kazekage’s office and sent Might Guy to rescue him and defeat the enemies.
• Kakuzu fought Preta Path Pain and the summoned beasts at the cave entrance, protecting the boy as his Water Release masked monster was destroyed.
• Might Guy arrived and kicked Animal Path Pain and the summoned beasts into a distant mountain wall.

Might Guy overwhelmed Nagato’s Paths of Pain with powerful taijutsu while Kakuzu escaped with the injured young man. As Nagato prepared to send Deva Path Pain to the battlefield, his Rain Tiger at Will Jutsu detected a well-equipped army led by Naruto at Amegakure’s outskirts.

• Might Guy killed the Hell Three-Headed Dog with Leaf Hurricane and opened the Sixth Gate to knock Preta Path Pain into a mountainside.
• Might Guy used Morning Peacock to batter Preta Path Pain and destroy the summoned beasts with flaming fists that contained no Chakra.
• Nagato summoned Asura Path Pain and Human Path Pain to join Animal Path Pain and Preta Path Pain against Might Guy.
• Might Guy told Kakuzu to flee with the injured young man, and Kakuzu carried him out of the cave using his black tendrils.
• Might Guy opened the Seventh Gate and struck the four Pains with Daytime Tiger, blasting them into the ruins and leaving Nagato severely injured.
• Nagato prepared to summon Deva Path Pain but detected Naruto and a well-equipped army approaching Amegakure, preventing him from sending Deva Path Pain away.

Naruto used a controlled show of force and Might Guy’s attack to make Nagato retreat and allow Kakuzu to escape with an injured boy. Konoha withdrew without casualties, while Nagato reassessed Naruto as a threat and Guy recovered in the hospital.

• Naruto ordered a shell fired at an abandoned building near Amegakure, warning Nagato without killing civilians, while Might Guy’s Seventh Gate attack left him in agony.
• Konan urged Nagato to give up pursuing Kakuzu, and Nagato ordered a retreat to protect Amegakure.
• Kakuzu carried the unconscious boy to safety and used his black tentacles to treat the boy’s wounds.
• Naruto ordered Konoha’s First Mechanized Infantry Battalion to withdraw, sent a team to meet Guy and Kakuzu, and directed Shikage to conceal the operation.
• Nagato ordered an emergency meeting and called for the threat posed by Naruto to be reassessed, while Tsunade read the battle report and burned it.
• Three days later, Rock Lee visited the bandaged Might Guy in Konoha Hospital, where Guy declared that his injuries were a small price for youth.

Naruto rewarded Might Guy for his role in the battle against Pain and revealed plans for an exoskeleton that would support the Eight Gates. When Akatsuki made moves in the Land of Grass, Naruto traced Sasori’s procurement order for chakra-conducting materials.

• Naruto gave Might Guy recovery supplements, a twenty-million-ryō bonus, and a month of paid leave for his S-rank mission.
• Naruto told Guy and Rock Lee about the planned Eight Gates Amplifier Exoskeleton and promised Guy would test it after recovering.
• At Konoha First Arsenal, Clan Head Ancient Iron showed Naruto the emerald prototype, and Naruto identified several ways to improve it.
• Sasuke told Naruto that Akatsuki had made a move, and they went to Root’s intelligence center to investigate.
• Naruto reasoned that Sasori and Deidara’s presence in the Land of Grass was connected to Akatsuki seeking a counter to Konoha’s technology.
• Nara Shikage found that Sasori had anonymously ordered large quantities of high-purity Chakra-Conducting Metal and rare ores.

Naruto arranged for Sasori to receive fabricated research intended to send his attempt to copy Konoha’s exoskeleton technology down a dangerous path. As Sasori studied the plans, the Daimyō’s Palace demanded control over Root and the First Arsenal, prompting Naruto to prepare a response.

• Naruto ordered Shikage to leak Sasori incomplete exoskeleton documents containing a flaw in the theory for miniaturizing Chakra Energy Cores.
• Sasori received the documents from an anonymous merchant and became absorbed in studying them, while Deidara warned that they might be a trap.
• Naruto told Sasuke and Shikage that the false theory would cause devices built from it to fail catastrophically under high load.
• Zero reported that Fujiwara Hidemasa had led the Daimyō’s Palace in demanding an investigation of Root and supervisory control over the First Arsenal.
• Naruto decided to offer the Daimyō’s delegation courtesy before taking action, and Sasuke understood the threat behind his words.

Tsunade rejected Fujiwara Hidemasa’s demands to inspect Root and the First Arsenal, but learned that the Five Nations’ daimyō planned to pressure Naruto and potentially make war against him. Naruto agreed to meet Fujiwara privately, leaving the adviser facing him in an abandoned teahouse.

• Fujiwara Hidemasa demanded a public investigation of Root and the First Arsenal, permanent inspectors at the First Arsenal, and a later investigation of the Second Arsenal.
• Fujiwara warned Tsunade that the Five Nations’ daimyō had agreed to economically, politically, and possibly militarily suppress Naruto if he continued expanding.
• Tsunade smashed her desk in anger, then fell silent when Fujiwara said Hiruzen Sarutobi also wanted Naruto restrained.
• Shizune received a message, and Tsunade told Fujiwara that Naruto would allow an Arsenal visit after speaking with him privately.
• Shizune led Fujiwara to an abandoned teahouse, where Naruto greeted him and invited him to sit.

Naruto threatened Fujiwara Hidemasa by revealing that he had been surveilling Hidemasa’s children and other powerful figures in the Daimyō’s Palace. As Hidemasa realized Naruto had the palace’s leadership under control, Naruto revealed that Sasuke had gone to confront the Daimyō.

• Naruto handed Fujiwara Hidemasa a dossier documenting his children’s routines and said his guards were providing them with round-the-clock protection.
• Fujiwara Hidemasa accused Naruto of threatening him, but Naruto insisted the surveillance was protection and revealed that other palace officials were being watched as well.
• Naruto told Fujiwara Hidemasa that Sasuke Uchiha had set out to visit the Daimyō.
• Sasuke appeared in the Daimyō’s bedchamber, startling the Daimyō, and said he had a message from Naruto.

Naruto forced Fujiwara Hidemasa to accept his terms by exposing the cruelty of the old order and threatening his family. Fujiwara agreed to tell the daimyōs that the review could proceed under Naruto’s rules.

• Sasuke silenced the daimyō by piercing his shoulder with Chidori Sharp Spear.
• Naruto confronted Fujiwara Hidemasa over the nobles’ exploitation of commoners and shinobi.
• Naruto threatened Fujiwara’s children and promised to have Fujiwara executed if he refused to cooperate.
• Fujiwara Hidemasa gave in and asked what Naruto wanted him to do.
• Naruto told Fujiwara to inform the daimyō and the other four countries that the review could proceed according to Naruto’s rules.

Naruto Uzumaki’s surveillance and psychological pressure drove Fujiwara Hidemasa to a breakdown, leaving him convinced his home had become a prison. Before the daimyo, Naruto’s Shadow Clone confronted him with the claim that the body’s owner decides who counts as a disease.

• Fujiwara Hidemasa found a report documenting his private conversation and sleep-talking, then panicked and tried to send a secret message.
• A coachman diverted Fujiwara Hidemasa to the Konoha Kyoto Office, where the Commissar offered to hear his troubles directly.
• Fujiwara Hidemasa discovered that his gardener, his son’s tutor, and even a child near the dog hole seemed to know his secrets, and he broke down.
• The daimyo told Fujiwara Hidemasa to give up, admitting that he had already grown used to Naruto’s power.
• Naruto Uzumaki’s Shadow Clone asked Fujiwara Hidemasa whether he understood that the owner of the body decides who the disease is.

Kakuzu rescued a boy from the ruins, taught him to survive, and left him to face life on his own before reporting to Naruto about Sasori and Deidara. As Naruto learned Sasori’s emotional weakness, Sasori completed a new puppet powered by a trapped Chakra Energy Core and declared it true eternity.

• Kakuzu brought the rescued boy to an abandoned village, taught him lethal kunai techniques, and left him with a polished kunai and copper coins.
• Kakuzu met Naruto’s Shadow Clone at a Root contact point and received an investment report before sharing intelligence about Sasori and Deidara in the Land of Grass.
• Kakuzu told Naruto that Sasori’s weakness lay in Granny Chiyo and his dead parents, whom Sasori had turned into Human Puppets.
• Sasori installed a Chakra Energy Core into a new puppet combining his Puppet Technique with Konoha’s Power Exoskeleton Technology, and celebrated it as true eternity.

Sasori’s first Energy Core puppet exploded during high-load testing, but he became determined to obtain the complete technology. In Konoha, Naruto planned to use a hidden control backdoor and information about Granny Chiyo to bring Sasori under his control.

• Sasori tested his lifelike puppet’s strength and accuracy, then activated its high-load combat mode.
• The Energy Core malfunctioned and exploded, injuring Sasori and destroying the puppet and his workshop.
• Deidara mocked Sasori, who examined the wreckage and decided to seek complete technical documentation from Konoha First Arsenal.
• Naruto learned that his leaked information had led to Sasori’s failed experiment and rejected a plan to assassinate him while Deidara was nearby.
• Naruto prepared to offer Sasori complete Energy Core plans containing a hidden control backdoor and ordered an information broker to seek payment in intelligence.
• Naruto also planned to reveal information about Granny Chiyo to exploit Sasori’s attachment to her, while keeping her uninformed for now.

Sasori traded Akatsuki intelligence to Naruto’s network for Energy Core technology and successfully built a stable test puppet. News of Grandma Chiyo’s worsening health left him frozen as he read about her staring at the puppets of his parents.

• Sasori studied the shattered Energy Core and asked Deidara to seek technical documentation from underground information brokers.
• A hooded broker offered Sasori Energy Core designs in exchange for intelligence on Akatsuki members, and Sasori supplied detailed information about Kakuzu and Hidan.
• Naruto learned Sasori had taken the bait and ordered Shikage to provide him with part of the genuine documentation while spreading news about Grandma Chiyo.
• Sasori used the new Resonance Suppression Circuit to build a test puppet whose Energy Core operated stably under high load.
• Sasori read a report that Grandma Chiyo’s health had deteriorated and that she often stared at the puppets of her son and daughter-in-law, then fell motionless.

Sasori learned that Granny Chiyo’s health was failing and decided to turn her into a puppet so she could remain with him forever. He abandoned the mission with Deidara and headed for Sunagakure, while Naruto learned of their split and watched Sasori approach his destination.

• Sasori remembered Granny Chiyo raising him and decided to make her an eternal puppet using his Energy Core.
• Deidara told Sasori that Pain had ordered them to capture Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki, but Sasori refused to join him.
• Sasori threatened Deidara with his puppet threads, and Deidara left to pursue the mission alone.
• Sasori packed his tools, Chakra-Conducting Metal, and Energy Core documents, then set out for Sunagakure.
• Nara Shikage told Naruto that Deidara was heading toward Kumogakure while Sasori was moving toward Sunagakure.
• Naruto watched Sasori’s progress on the map and said Granny Chiyo had proved to be an effective card.

The Daimyō of the Land of Earth, the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning, Raikage A, and Ōnoki agreed that Naruto Uzumaki’s growing power threatened the balance of the Shinobi World. They formed an alliance to weaken Konoha and kill Naruto, while Ōnoki wondered whether Naruto had the strength of Madara Uchiha.

• The Daimyō of the Land of Earth shared a secret letter describing how Naruto Uzumaki had taken control of the Daimyō's Palace of the Land of Fire.
• Ōnoki warned that Naruto’s Arsenal, private army, and Eye of Order were expanding rapidly, with Gaara and Mei Terumi inclined to support him.
• The Daimyō of the Land of Earth proposed an economic blockade and military pressure, but Ōnoki argued that Tsunade would not surrender Naruto because Konoha relied on his system.
• Raikage A and the Daimyō of the Land of Lightning called for direct war, while Ōnoki proposed cutting off Konoha’s raw materials and sending spies to create chaos.
• Ōnoki urged the leaders to spread claims that Konoha was a threat and to remove Naruto directly, and the four formed an alliance.
• After the others departed, Ōnoki compared Naruto’s ambition to Madara Uchiha’s and questioned whether Naruto possessed Madara’s strength.

Sasori infiltrated Sunagakure intending to turn Chiyo into a puppet, while Gaara resisted elders seeking an alliance with Iwagakure and Kumogakure. Naruto arranged for Sunagakure to receive an offer of advanced desert equipment, and the chapter ended with Chiyo confronting Sasori as he revealed his plan.

• Sasori used an abandoned underground passage to enter Sunagakure and approach Chiyo's residence.
• Ebizo urged Gaara to accept Iwagakure and Kumogakure's offer of aid and land in exchange for cutting ties with Konoha, but Gaara rejected the proposal and ended the meeting.
• Sasori watched Chiyo tend to puppets of his parents and decided to make her one of his eternal collections.
• Five days earlier, Nara Shikage told Naruto that Sunagakure's elders were negotiating with Iwagakure and Kumogakure, while Gaara refused to agree.
• Naruto ordered the Arsenal to send Gaara promotional materials and a discounted offer for desert-warfare Powered Exoskeletons.
• Chiyo sensed Sasori outside her window, and Sasori revealed himself and announced he would turn her into his greatest work.

Sasori overwhelmed Chiyo with his enhanced puppet body, but Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro intervened. Chiyo used puppets of Sasori’s parents to stir his memories, but Sasori suppressed his emotions and stood ready to continue the fight.

• Chiyo summoned the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu, but Sasori rapidly dismantled them and nullified her prepared sealing array.
• Sasori restrained Chiyo and declared that he would preserve her as art, but Gaara burst into the sand house and stopped him.
• Kankuro and Temari attacked Sasori while Gaara defended them and tried to bind him with sand, but Sasori’s chakra shockwave shattered the sand arms.
• Chiyo gave Gaara an ancient scroll containing puppets of Sasori’s parents, and their embrace caused Sasori’s core to flicker as memories overwhelmed him.
• Gaara shielded Chiyo and ordered Temari and Kankuro to take her away, while Sasori suppressed his emotional reaction and declared that he had abandoned what stood in art’s way.

Sasori nearly captured Gaara with the Third Kazekage puppet, but Rock Lee arrived and broke Gaara free before Naruto joined the battle. Naruto warned Sasori that his Energy Core was defective and offered to recruit him.

• Sasori summoned the Third Kazekage puppet and used Iron Sand to overwhelm Gaara while blocking Temari and Kankuro from helping.
• Rock Lee arrived in powered armor, shattered the Iron Sand Barrier, and freed Gaara.
• Rock Lee fought the Third Kazekage puppet as Naruto, Sasuke, and three Root attendants entered the battlefield.
• Naruto checked on Gaara and promised to protect him.
• Naruto revealed that Sasori's Energy Core could overload and explode, then said he wanted to recruit him.

Naruto forced Sasori to choose between destruction and joining Order, then recruited him by offering a new Energy Core and control over Sunagakure’s rebellion. With Sasori assigned to support Gaara, Naruto and Sasuke headed to confront the elders.

• Naruto activated Chakra Resonance Beacons that drove Sasori’s Energy Core toward self-destruction, then stopped the countdown when Sasuke pressed another button.
• Naruto revealed that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had allied with Sunagakure’s conservative elders to depose Gaara, and warned that Ebizo’s sentries threatened Chiyo.
• Naruto offered Sasori recruitment into Order, a flawless Eternal Heart Energy Core, and authority to handle the rebellion; Sasori accepted a short-term partnership and replaced his core.
• Naruto ordered Sasori to unite Gaara’s supporters and moderates against Ebizo and Iwagakure’s conspiracy, and Sasori walked away from Chiyo after telling her to stop nagging.
• Naruto told Sasuke that he controlled Sasori through his core, family, and art, then set off with him to meet Sunagakure’s elders.

Sasori repaired a puppet for Isogai and warned Sunagakure’s children that Iwagakure spies were courting their families. Two days later, Sunagakure’s elders met to reconsider ties with Konoha, with the council divided over the village’s future.

• Sasori fixed Isogai’s puppet arm and showed the children an advanced puppet design.
• Sasori told Isogai and the other children that Iwagakure spies were persuading their elders to make Sunagakure a vassal.
• Isogai and several children ran home to question their families about the strangers.
• Two days later, Gaara presided over an Elders Council meeting divided between Ebizo’s conservatives and Chiyo’s reformers.
• Ebizo argued that Sunagakure should reassess its cooperation with Konoha and seek new allies.

Sunagakure’s elders debated whether to ally with Iwagakure and Kumogakure or cooperate with Konoha. Chiyo and Gaara challenged Ebizo’s plan, and the meeting ended with Gaara questioning whether Iwagakure and Kumogakure would keep their promises.

• Ebizo argued that Iwagakure offered Sunagakure more resources and an equal partnership, while Kankuro and Chiyo questioned his trust in their promises.
• Chiyo warned that Iwagakure and Kumogakure sought to redraw the Shinobi World’s spheres of influence and would use Sunagakure as expendable front-line troops.
• Ebizo argued that Konoha depended on Naruto Uzumaki, but the neutral elders he had expected to support him hesitated after their grandchildren learned about Sasori’s warning.
• Chiyo signaled Gaara to speak, and he urged the elders to preserve Sunagakure’s independence and dignity while considering cooperation with Konoha.
• Ebizo warned Gaara that Konoha might demand Sunagakure’s submission later, and Gaara asked whether Iwagakure and Kumogakure would definitely honor their promises.

Naruto entered Sunagakure’s council meeting and offered advanced puppet technology and a production line in exchange for joint development and profits. His concrete proposal challenged Ebizo’s support for an alliance with Iwagakure and Kumogakure, leaving the elders focused on the samples and promised revenue.

• Gaara and Chiyo argued that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had betrayed Sunagakure in past wars, while an elder noted that this did not prove Konoha was more trustworthy.
• Naruto entered the council hall with Sasuke and two Root ninjas, who placed a metal case of blueprints and components on the table.
• Naruto presented Konoha’s Sandstorm-Type Puppet Power Core, which he said could greatly improve Sunagakure’s puppets without requiring major changes.
• Naruto offered Sunagakure the technology and a complete production line in exchange for its puppet expertise and joint development, with profits split evenly and at least five billion ryō in annual net profits guaranteed.
• Naruto contrasted Konoha’s tangible offer with Iwagakure and Kumogakure’s promise of land in the Land of Fire, leaving the elders silent as they studied the samples.

Naruto presented proof of Konoha’s successful agreements with other nations, helping Gaara secure Sunagakure’s cooperation and defeat Ebizo’s opposition. After Gaara stripped Ebizo of his power, Sasori was left alone in the plaza, contemplating his puppet hand.

• Naruto showed the elders Konoha’s signed agreements and Kirigakure’s report of 3.7 billion ryō in profit, while a puppet master tested a Sandstorm-Type core and backed cooperation.
• Ebizo threatened to use a third of Sunagakure’s army against Gaara, but Gaara summoned Shukaku’s phantom and warned the elders against obstructing the village or colluding with foreign enemies.
• Gaara ordered Temari to inventory Ebizo’s faction’s military units and supplies, stripped Ebizo of his elder position, and confined him under ANBU surveillance.
• Naruto praised Gaara’s decisive actions as the two spoke in the Kazekage’s Office.
• After teaching Puppet Technique to children, Sasori watched their families leave and silently examined his puppet hand.

Deidara captured the Two-Tails Jinchūriki Yugito, prompting Kumogakure and Iwagakure to announce a joint campaign against the Akatsuki while secretly plotting to kill Naruto. Naruto learned of the alliance and continued prioritizing Sunagakure’s stability.

• Deidara bombed Yugito’s escort, defeated her with C4 Garuda, and sealed the unconscious Jinchūriki into a scroll.
• Fourth Raikage A learned of Yugito’s capture and agreed with Ōnoki to use an anti-Akatsuki coalition as cover for an ambush on Naruto.
• A and Ōnoki planned to strike when Naruto left Konoha on a mission and ensure he did not return.
• Nara Shikage told Naruto that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had announced their joint campaign against the Akatsuki.
• Naruto ordered continued surveillance of the Land of Earth and Land of Lightning while keeping the alliance’s focus on resolving Gaara’s problems in Sunagakure.

Pain met Ōnoki in secret and proposed an Akatsuki alliance with Iwagakure and Kumogakure to kill Naruto Uzumaki. Ōnoki accepted a plan to lure Naruto out of Konoha, leaving the operation’s details settled and the world on the brink of greater chaos.

• Pain told Ōnoki that Naruto and Root threatened Akatsuki and offered intelligence in exchange for cooperation.
• Pain proposed a trap using Deidara as bait, reasoning that Naruto would pursue the powerful recruit.
• Pain said Akatsuki would help Iwagakure and Kumogakure ambush Naruto once he left Konoha.
• Ōnoki weighed the risks and accepted the proposal, then finalized the operation’s location, timing, and contact signals with Pain.
• Pain vanished from the chamber, while Ōnoki remained alone, anticipating that the world was heading into chaos.

Naruto tested a Curse Mark-specialized armor on Sasuke, which controlled the Curse Mark and enhanced Sasuke’s strength and Sharingan. As Sasuke vowed to confront Itachi, Naruto prepared for his Mangekyō awakening, while Akatsuki dispatched Deidara and Kisame to capture Isobu and Zabuza was summoned by the Mizukage.

• Ancient Iron showed Naruto the Vengeance Armor, designed to suppress the Curse Mark, boost its power, and amplify the Sharingan.
• Sasuke tested the armor, activated his Curse Mark without losing clarity, and destroyed ten Chakra Metal targets in seconds.
• Sasuke vowed to master the armor and confront Itachi, while Naruto kept the massacre’s truth to himself and warned him about Itachi’s strength.
• Naruto ordered Ancient Iron to begin designing armor compatible with the Mangekyō Sharingan, expecting Sasuke to awaken it.
• Pain assigned Deidara and Kisame to capture Isobu in Kirigakure and ordered them to make the operation high-profile.
• Zabuza watched Haku oversee the children’s training, then left after a Kirigakure ANBU summoned him to the Mizukage.