Recaps

Sōji explained the risks of becoming the Three-Tails’ Jinchūriki, and Karin chose to do it so she could become stronger and protect those around her. Sōji reassured her that she could befriend the Three-Tails, then led her toward the coast of the Land of Whirlpool.

• Sōji told Karin that the Three-Tails’ seal would soon fail and explained the benefits and dangers of becoming its Jinchūriki.
• Karin asked whether becoming the Three-Tails’ Jinchūriki would let her help Sōji and whether he would still like her.
• Karin said she wanted to become stronger to protect the people around her, as Sōji did.
• Sōji warned Karin that the Three-Tails was irritable but said her Uzumaki chakra could help calm him.
• Karin promised to work hard to befriend the Three-Tails, and Sōji led her toward the coast of the Land of Whirlpool.

Sōji and Karin reached the failing seal as the Three-Tails broke free, and Sōji confronted the enraged beast while Karin took cover. The chapter left Sōji facing the Three-Tails’ first attack as its armored tail swept toward him.

• Sōji and Karin crossed the island to the valley where the sealing Barrier was close to collapse.
• Sōji assessed the seal and told Karin to follow him as they raced toward the valley.
• The Barrier shattered, and Isobu emerged, enraged and driven by pain and madness.
• Sōji sent Karin behind a ridge, then leaped down to confront the Three-Tails.
• The Three-Tails swept an enormous tail toward Sōji, who used his Six Eyes to predict its attack.

Sōji battled the Three-Tails, exploiting its armor seams and using Ice Formation and Black Flash to severely injure it. He stopped its Tailed Beast Ball with the Inverted Spear of Heaven, leaving the stunned beast staring at him.

• Sōji blinded the Three-Tails with Water Dragon Bullet, then pierced the weak joint in its left foreleg with a weighted bone spear.
• Sōji climbed onto the Three-Tails’ back and used Ice Formation to freeze its shell and slow its chakra.
• Sōji blocked the Three-Tails’ three tails with Earth Flow Return, then struck its crown with Black Flash and shattered its shell.
• The wounded Three-Tails entered a destructive frenzy and began forming a Tailed Beast Ball.
• Sōji pierced the incomplete Tailed Beast Ball with the Inverted Spear of Heaven, interrupting its energy and dispersing it into chakra mist.
• Sōji retrieved the Inverted Spear of Heaven as the Three-Tails stared blankly at him.

Sōji used Spiderweb Sealing to transfer the Three-Tails into Karin, who endured its assault and subdued it with her Uzumaki chakra and Adamantine Sealing Chains. The Three-Tails settled inside Karin, and Sōji caught her as she collapsed, confirming that its chakra was stable.

• Sōji froze the Three-Tails and began binding it with Spiderweb Sealing, using his chakra reserves to complete the web despite the beast’s struggles.
• Sōji called Karin to his side and completed the seal, transferring the Three-Tails’ chakra into her body.
• Karin endured the Three-Tails’ attempt to overwhelm her and asserted control over her inner world.
• Karin’s Adamantine Sealing Chains emerged and bound the Three-Tails until it stopped resisting and sank into her soul.
• Karin collapsed, and Sōji caught her and checked that the Three-Tails’ chakra was stable within her.

Sōji carried Karin back to the Land of Fire after she became the Three-Tails' Jinchūriki, warning her that she would need to adapt to its chakra and learn to control her Adamantine Sealing Chains. They reached a Yamada Trading Company stronghold, where Karin looked ahead to the long road they would travel together.

• Sōji carried the sleeping Karin from the valley to a merchant ship bound for the Land of Fire, leaving the Three-Tails gone from the island.
• Karin woke aboard the ship, and Sōji explained that the Three-Tails was dormant inside her and that she needed to prepare for its awakening.
• Sōji praised Karin for awakening the Adamantine Sealing Chains and told her to learn to control the power, but Karin could not summon the chains when she tried.
• The ship docked at a fishing village on the Land of Fire, where a Yamada Trading Company representative said Lady Achun was waiting in Tanzaku Town.
• Karin rode with Sōji toward Tanzaku Town, marveled at the Land of Fire, and said their future road together would be very long.

Sōji brought Karin to the Yamada Trading Company's hidden outpost and began intensive training to help her control the Three-Tails' Chakra. When the Three-Tails awakened, Karin asked it to become her partner, and its reaction to her Uzumaki bloodline hinted at a bond from the distant past.

• Sōji settled Karin into her own room at the outpost, where she slept more peacefully than ever before.
• Sōji put Karin through strenuous physical training and taught her to treat the Three-Tails' Chakra as a tool rather than letting it control her emotions.
• On the evening of the third day, the Three-Tails confronted Karin in her inner world and accused her of wanting to use it.
• Karin stood her ground and asked the Three-Tails to become her partner, and her Uzumaki Chakra made it recognize a woman from long ago who had said similar things.
• Karin told Sōji about the encounter, and he wondered who the Three-Tails had meant; Karin vowed to become a very good Jinchūriki, and Sōji encouraged her.

Sōji trained Karin in precise medical chakra control and Chakra Enhanced Strength, while she continued to build a close rapport with the Three-Tails. A month later, Karin shattered a boulder with her Chakra Enhanced Strength Fist, completing her training milestone.

• Sōji taught Karin to restore withered leaves by precisely controlling her chakra, and after repeated attempts she healed a living leaf until it sprouted buds.
• Karin shared her success with the Three-Tails, which listened to her excited chatter without interrupting.
• Sōji taught Karin Chakra Enhanced Strength by having her strike water, and Karin refused the Three-Tails’ offer to use its water-control abilities.
• Karin practiced protecting her hand with chakra and directing the splashes until she matched Sōji’s demonstration.
• A month later, Karin used her Chakra Enhanced Strength Fist to split and shatter a massive boulder in the courtyard.

Sōji used the 1.5 billion ryō Achun had borrowed for him to purchase the Reverse Cursed Technique. After mastering it, he healed the damage the Six Eyes had caused his brain and could use their full power without pain.

• Achun showed Sōji the hidden vault containing 1.5 billion ryō raised by mortgaging the trading company, and urged him not to risk himself to repay the debt.
• Sōji accepted Achun's warning and used the money to purchase the Reverse Cursed Technique through the Gold Coin Shop.
• Sōji mastered the technique and healed the strain the Six Eyes had placed on his brain.
• Sōji removed his blindfold and found that he could process the Six Eyes' information without headaches or overload.
• Karin sensed that the dark energy around Sōji had turned bright, while Sōji declared that he felt better than ever.

Sōji, Karin, and Achun left Tanzaku Town with a caravan of supplies and sailed toward the Land of Water. As their ship entered Wailing Strait, Karin calmed her nerves and traded teasing remarks with the Three-Tails, Isobu.

• Sōji and Karin prepared to leave Tanzaku Town with Achun’s caravan of five carts and eight people.
• Achun reminded Sōji to focus on business in the Land of Water before pursuing the Mizukage position, and he agreed.
• The group boarded a merchant ship bound for the Land of Water, with Achun arranging cabins for the passengers and workers.
• On the third evening, the ship entered Wailing Strait, whose winds and reefs made eerie sounds that startled Karin.
• Karin argued with Isobu in her mind after the Three-Tails teased her for being frightened.

After twelve days at sea, Sōji, Achun, and Karin arrived at Mistcape Port, where Achun explained the Land of Water’s dependence on imported food and Sōji assessed its strengths and weaknesses. The chapter left Sōji heading back to the cabin while Achun and Karin reflected on his character and ambitions.

• On the twelfth morning, Karin woke to the sounds of Mistcape Port and saw its vast harbor and city as the ship arrived.
• Achun explained that Mistcape Port handled most of the Land of Water’s trade and that the country relied heavily on imported food, especially from the Land of Fire.
• Sōji described the Land of Water’s maritime and defensive strengths, along with its isolation, divided markets, weak civil administration, and tensions between ninja and ordinary people.
• Achun asked when Sōji had learned so much about economics and politics, but he told them to call him when the ship docked and went back inside.
• Achun told Karin that Sōji had always thought carefully before acting and had built Yamada Trading Company through his ideas, while Karin called him kind and goal-oriented.

Sōji and his companions arrived in Mistcape Port, where Achun began organizing the Yamada Trading Company's business in the Land of Water. After reviewing her trade plan, Sōji decided to visit the local lord and reveal that a Kaguya Clan survivor had returned; he set out with Karin.

• Sōji and Karin landed at Mistcape Port, where Tanaka welcomed them and reported that warehouses, a shop, and market research were ready.
• Achun inspected the company's arrangements while Sōji escorted Karin through the city to their residence.
• Achun prepared a detailed Water Country Trade Route Expansion Plan, and Sōji approved it and gave her authority over business matters.
• Sōji told Achun he planned to visit the lord's residence and make the Kaguya Clan's survival known.
• Achun gave Sōji a registered travel pass and information about Kirisaki Castle's lord, Miki Hiroyuki.
• Sōji took Karin with him to visit the lord's residence.

Sōji brought Karin to meet Kirisaki Castle’s lord, Miki Hiroyuki, claiming Yamada Trading Company wanted to expand into the Land of Water. After Sōji revealed his Shikotsumyaku, Miki identified him as Kaguya Yama and recounted his past, then questioned his real reason for returning.

• Sōji and Karin crossed Kirisaki Castle to request an audience with Lord Miki.
• Miki Hiroyuki received Sōji and asked about his visit and his blindfolded eyes.
• Sōji revealed a bone spike emerging from his hand, displaying the Kaguya Clan’s Shikotsumyaku.
• The Kirigakure kunoichi recognized the technique and accused Sōji of being a Kaguya.
• Miki identified Sōji as Kaguya Yama, recalled his escape, training, and past conflict with Hidden Mist, and challenged his claim that he had returned only for business.

Sōji declared that he intended to compete for the Mizukage position, and Miki Hiroyuki recognized that he had the right to seek Kirigakure’s support. After Yuri reported his arrival to Mei Terumi, Sōji left with Karin, while Miki secretly sent word that the Kaguya remnant had reached Mist Cape.

• Sōji told Miki Hiroyuki that he had come to compete for the Mizukage position, and he rebuked Yuri when she insulted the Kaguya Clan.
• Miki explained that Mei Terumi had reversed the Fourth Mizukage’s policies and concluded that Sōji could compete if he won Kirigakure’s recognition.
• Miki warned Sōji that Mei Terumi might summon him that night and ordered Yuri to report his arrival to her.
• Sōji asked Miki to handle the Yamada Trading Company matter, then left the residence with Karin and predicted that Mei would come to see him.
• Miki wrote that the Kaguya remnant had arrived in Mist Cape, sealed the message in a bamboo tube, and sent it by carrier pigeon.

Sōji’s predictions brought Yamada Trading Company a flood of orders from the Land of Water’s nobles, including the daimyō’s residence. That night, Ao arrived to summon Sōji to meet Mei Terumi, while Karin was barred from accompanying him.

• Sōji told Achun that orders from the nobles would soon arrive, and City Lord Miki’s relative placed an order for rice, soybeans, and salt.
• A messenger from the daimyō’s residence placed a much larger order for food, ninja tools, and medicine, and Achun accepted it.
• Merchants and retainers placed orders throughout the day, bringing the company’s total orders to roughly seventy-three million ryō.
• Ao arrived with Yuri and told Sōji that Mei Terumi requested his presence.
• Ao refused to let Karin enter Kirigakure, and Sōji reassured her before leaving to meet Mei.

Sōji arrived in Kirigakure with Ao and Yuri and surveyed the village and its leadership with his Six Eyes. The chapter left him facing Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi and elder Genji, Kirigakure’s true ruler.

• Ao led Sōji and Yuri through Kirigakure’s guarded gate and into the village.
• Sōji examined Kirigakure’s layout and defenses as their carriage traveled to the Mizukage Building.
• Ao brought Sōji into the building’s third-floor hall, where Mei Terumi and her guard Chōjūrō were waiting.
• Sōji assessed Mei’s chakra and recognized her Boil Release and Lava Release Kekkei Genkai.
• Sōji observed Genji, the elder who held Kirigakure’s real power and made the final decisions on major matters.

Sōji returned to Kirigakure and demanded that the village clear the Kaguya Clan’s name and let him run for Mizukage. Mei Terumi agreed to consider his candidacy if he proved his strength, and their underground spar continued as he faced her Boil Release.

• Sōji told Mei Terumi that he wanted to reclaim what Kirigakure owed him and run for Mizukage.
• Mei Terumi said the Kaguya Clan could be exonerated, but Sōji would have to prove his strength to qualify for the election.
• Mei Terumi led Sōji, Ao, and Chōjūrō to an underground training ground and attacked him with Lava Release.
• Sōji countered Mei Terumi’s molten acid with Water Release, then removed his blindfold and used the Six Eyes to see through her Hidden Mist.
• Mei Terumi attacked with lava whips and Boil Release; Sōji evaded her strikes and chose to face the corrosive mist head-on.

Sōji defeated Mei Terumi’s Boil Release and was appointed commander of the Hidden Mist ANBU and head of Kirigakure’s medical department. The next morning, he left Mistcape Port with Karin to take up his new responsibilities, leaving Achun in charge of the chamber of commerce.

• Sōji used bone armor and the Reverse Cursed Technique to charge through Mei Terumi’s Boil Release mist and strike her.
• Mei Terumi ended the fight and brought Sōji to Genji, who approved of him with a single word.
• Mei Terumi appointed Sōji commander of the Hidden Mist ANBU, named Ao his deputy, and placed Kirigakure’s medical department under his care.
• Sōji accepted responsibility for the Three-Tails and its young Jinchūriki, provided that no one interfered with his decisions.
• At Mistcape Port, Sōji handed the chamber of commerce’s management to Achun, who gave him an investigation report on the Land of Water.
• Sōji left for Kirigakure with Karin, while Achun watched them go and quietly wished him safety.

Sōji brought Karin to Kirigakure, where she registered as a Genin and received her village forehead protector. Afterward, Sōji and Ao took her toward the Kaguya Clan Grounds, arriving at a desolate area of ruins.

• Sōji and Karin entered Kirigakure, and Karin marveled at the village’s size and busy streets.
• Ao welcomed Sōji on Mei Terumi’s behalf and led Karin to the registration office.
• Ao registered Karin as a nine-year-old Genin from the Land of Grass, with Mei Terumi as her recommender.
• Karin received her Kirigakure forehead protector and proudly tied it on, while Sōji pointed out that it was crooked.
• Sōji, Karin, and Ao traveled to the Kaguya Clan Grounds and found ruined buildings, scorched walls, and weed-covered land.

Sōji inspected the Kaguya Clan Grounds and ordered the site turned into a new ANBU headquarters within a month. After assigning Karin training with Ao and the Mizukage, he sensed someone who had followed them from Mistcape Port and called them out.

• Sōji used his Six Eyes to discover a buried chamber beneath the Kaguya Clan ruins and asked Ao to explain the Hidden Mist ANBU's organization.
• Sōji summoned the ANBU squad captains and ordered the ruins renovated into the ANBU's new headquarters within a month.
• Sōji assigned Karin to study Sealing Technique with Ao and Water Release with the Mizukage.
• Sōji sent Karin with Ao to familiarize herself with the village and ordered Ao to begin clearing the site.
• Sōji called out to an unseen person who had followed them from Mistcape Port.

Yamada Sōji confronted Black and White Zetsu, who revealed that the Kaguya Clan descended from Kaguya, the Rabbit Goddess, and claimed Madara Uchiha was still alive. Black Zetsu invited Sōji to join his organization, but Sōji refused and threatened to kill them if they remained in Kirigakure.

• Yamada Sōji sensed a hidden pursuer, sent Karin and Ao away, and forced Black and White Zetsu to emerge from the ground.
• White Zetsu and Black Zetsu discussed Sōji’s unusual eyes and explained that the Kaguya Clan descended from Kaguya, the Rabbit Goddess.
• Black Zetsu said the Kaguya Clan’s bloodline had weakened and claimed that Madara Uchiha was still alive.
• Black Zetsu invited Sōji to join his organization and help bring everlasting peace to the Shinobi World.
• Yamada Sōji refused the invitation, identified himself as captain of the Hidden Mist ANBU, and threatened to kill them if they stayed in Kirigakure.

Black Zetsu offered Sōji a bottle containing a trace of the Rabbit Goddess’s Origin Chakra and told him it could awaken his Kaguya bloodline, though it might kill him. After Black Zetsu and White Zetsu left, Sōji took the bottle and set out from the ruins, while Black Zetsu predicted he would use it because he craved power.

• Black Zetsu showed Sōji a bottle of Origin Chakra and warned that using it could either awaken his bloodline or turn him to ash.
• Black Zetsu told Sōji that an underground chamber in the Kaguya ruins could be opened only by a sufficiently awakened Kaguya bloodline.
• White Zetsu and Black Zetsu described the Infinite Tsukuyomi as their answer to humanity’s endless wars, while Sōji concealed his knowledge of its true purpose.
• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu left the bottle with Sōji and sank underground.
• Sōji picked up the bottle and left the ruins, wondering what truth was hidden beneath them.
• Underground, Black Zetsu told White Zetsu that Sōji would use the chakra because he craved power.

Sōji attempted to absorb Kaguya's source chakra, but its destructive effects overwhelmed his body and his Reverse Cursed Technique. As he hovered between disintegration and regeneration, First's Necklace began to glow.

• Sōji prepared in the sealed chamber and released the pale violet energy from the vial.
• Sōji let the energy seep into his body, triggering violent changes to his bones, meridians, and cells.
• Sōji's body began repeatedly disintegrating and regenerating as his Reverse Cursed Technique struggled to keep pace.
• Sōji's Yin Seal reserves dwindled, and his consciousness blurred as he became trapped between life and death.
• First's Necklace lit up on Sōji's chest with a warm green glow.

Hashirama Senju's necklace used its life force and Wood Release to save Sōji after his body collapsed, leaving him asleep inside a vine cocoon. Ao and Mei Terumi secured the vine-covered ANBU base and waited for Sōji to emerge.

• Hashirama Senju's life force poured from the necklace and repaired Sōji's failing cells, restoring his heartbeat and breathing.
• Wood Release vines spread from Sōji's cocoon throughout the ANBU base as he fell asleep.
• Ao arrived, recognized the vines as Wood Release, and ordered ANBU to evacuate residents and seal off the area.
• Mei Terumi arrived, confirmed the vines were no longer spreading, and ordered everyone to guard them without approaching or damaging them.
• Ao watched over the vine forest while Sōji continued to be remade inside the cocoon.

After seven days inside a Wood Release cocoon, Sōji emerged transformed, while Mei Terumi, Ao, and Karin discovered the empty chamber and searched for him. He revealed himself above them, dramatically changed in stature and appearance, but the chapter ended before he explained what had happened.

• Ao told Mei Terumi that the vines around the ANBU base had withered and lost their glow.
• Mei Terumi ordered the ANBU to prepare and entered the base with Ao and Karin.
• Mei Terumi found the vines reduced to powder and the tree cocoon empty and crumbling.
• Mei Terumi ordered Ao to search the base, but Sōji revealed himself sitting on a dried vine above them.
• Sōji appeared taller and more mature, with waist-length silver hair, uncovered azure eyes, and a glowing red lotus mark.

After emerging from seven days of seclusion, Sōji revealed that his chakra had reached at least Super-Kage Level and ordered Kirigakure’s ANBU to assemble at the Kaguya Clan Grounds. He left the ANBU base with Karin, while Mei Terumi and Ao returned to their duties.

• Sōji emerged from the underground chamber, explained that Tsunade’s First Hokage Necklace had saved him, and demonstrated his greatly increased chakra.
• Mei Terumi recognized that Sōji had crossed the threshold of Super-Kage Level and called him a treasure for Kirigakure.
• Sōji ordered all ANBU personnel to gather at the Kaguya Clan Grounds in three days, and Mei Terumi approved his command.
• Mei Terumi told Sōji to notify them before his next period of seclusion, and Ao asked whether he planned to cut his long hair.
• Karin shyly told Sōji that he had become taller and more handsome, and Sōji patted her head before they left the base together.