Recaps

Black Zetsu persuaded Pain to resume the plan to gather the Tailed Beasts and make him the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, while Naruto complained about his low-ranked missions at the training ground. The chapter left the Akatsuki preparing to begin capturing the Tailed Beasts and Team 7 bickering during training.

• Black Zetsu used the Sage of Six Paths' power to convince Pain that reviving the Ten-Tails could make him a god equal to the Sage.
• Pain ordered the Akatsuki Organization to prepare to launch the Tailed Beast Capture Plan, and Konan supported him.
• Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu were pleased that their plan was back on track.
• At Konoha's Training Ground, Naruto Uzumaki complained about boring D-rank missions and demanded more exciting work.
• Haruno Sakura scolded Naruto for causing trouble on simple missions while Sasuke Uchiha practiced shuriken throwing.

Kakashi told Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke that Team 7 had been assigned a secret B-Rank Mission and ordered them to meet at the Village Gate at five the next morning. Unable to sleep, Naruto used the Sheep Talisman to enter Kakashi’s dream and ask about the mission, but Kakashi froze and the dream began to ripple violently.

• Kakashi announced that Team 7 had a secret B-Rank Mission and told them to meet at the Village Gate at five the next morning.
• Naruto celebrated the mission, while Sakura worried about it and Sasuke considered but rejected using it as a chance to leave Konoha.
• Naruto lay awake imagining the mission and decided to use the Sheep Talisman to learn its details from Kakashi’s dream.
• Naruto entered Kakashi’s dream and found him relaxing in a strange world filled with Make-Out Paradise books.
• When Naruto asked about the B-Rank Mission, Kakashi froze and the dream space began to ripple violently.

Naruto entered Kakashi's mental world with the Sheep Talisman and was warned that probing another person's mind could leave him permanently harmed. Worried about the B-Rank Mission, he asked Nine-Tails for power, but Nine-Tails challenged him to understand its hatred after claiming it killed his parents by choice.

• Kakashi caught Naruto in his mental world, learned he had used a talisman, and warned him never to enter another person's mind without permission.
• Naruto returned to his body and worried that he would be unable to keep up with Sasuke and Sakura on the B-Rank Mission.
• Naruto used the Sheep Talisman to enter the sealing space and asked Nine-Tails to lend him power for the mission.
• Nine-Tails asked whether Naruto hated it for killing Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki.
• Naruto said the man in the Swirl Mask and Shimura Danzō had controlled Nine-Tails, but Nine-Tails claimed it had killed Naruto's parents because it wanted to and demanded that Naruto understand its destructive nature.

Naruto confronted the Nine-Tails’ hatred and connected it to their shared loneliness, earning the fox’s tentative approval and a measure of its Chakra. The next morning, Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Sasuke Uchiha gathered at Konoha’s gate for their B-Rank mission.

• The Nine-Tails told Naruto to leave until he understood what understanding meant, but Naruto admitted his own hatred and described the loneliness they shared.
• Naruto reached through the cage and offered to begin with their shared pain, and the Nine-Tails touched his palm with a claw and let Chakra flow into him.
• Before five the next morning, Naruto arrived first at Konoha’s gate, excited for the mission.
• Haruno Sakura arrived second and teased Naruto for being on time, and Naruto declared he wanted to set an example as the future Hokage.
• Sasuke Uchiha arrived last, looked over Naruto and Sakura, and leaned against the gate to rest.

Team 7 began escorting Tazuna to the Land of Waves on a B-rank mission, where bounty ninja were expected to attack him. Two rogue ninja ambushed the group, but Kakashi intercepted their chains before they could reach Tazuna.

• Kakashi introduced Tazuna and briefed Team 7 on their B-rank escort mission to the Land of Waves.
• Team 7 left Konoha while Hiruzen received an ANBU report, and Hyuga Xiu planned to use the mission to introduce characters he had invented.
• As Team 7 traveled through a forest, Tazuna complained about the Land of Waves and the tycoon Gato while the Genin kept watch.
• Two rogue ninja burst from a roadside puddle and launched iron claws at Tazuna.
• Kakashi appeared in front of Tazuna and caught the attackers' chains, stopping their strikes.

Kakashi defeated the Demon Brothers after they ambushed Team 7, and Naruto stabbed his own hand to swear he would never freeze in battle again. Tazuna revealed that Gato had hired the attackers to stop him from building a bridge between the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire.

• The Demon Brothers attacked Kakashi with their chain, but Kakashi used the Substitution Technique and Body Flicker Technique to defeat them.
• Sasuke knocked the Demon Brothers away from Naruto, and Kakashi then seized both attackers and knocked them unconscious.
• Naruto, ashamed that he had frozen during the attack, stabbed his left palm with a Kunai and vowed never to hesitate or hold his teammates back again.
• Kakashi noticed Naruto's wound healing and suspected that the Nine-Tails' power was responsible.
• The Demon Brothers revealed that Gato had hired them to kill Tazuna, and Tazuna admitted he had concealed the mission's risks.
• Tazuna explained that he was building a great bridge between the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire, then began describing Gato's arrival.

After learning that Gato controlled the Land of Waves and intended to stop Tazuna’s bridge, Team 7 accepted the escort as an A-rank mission and continued toward the country. In the coastal fog, they encountered the Kirigakure missing-nin Zabuza Momochi, who recognized Kakashi.

• Tazuna explained how Gato oppressed the Land of Waves and why he had hidden the mission’s true danger.
• Kakashi reclassified the mission as A-rank or higher, and Team 7 vowed to protect Tazuna and finish the bridge.
• Team 7 traveled cautiously toward the Land of Waves, passing desolate villages and encountering no further attacks.
• Naruto and Sakura wondered if the danger had passed, but Kakashi warned that the fog could conceal an ambush.
• Zabuza Momochi emerged from the mist carrying the Kubikiribōchō and addressed Kakashi as the Copy Ninja.

Kakashi defeated Zabuza Momochi with the Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, but a masked figure claiming to be from Kirigakure's pursuit squad appeared and took Zabuza away. Kakashi doubted that Zabuza was truly dead, but chose to continue protecting Tazuna.

• Kakashi revealed his Sharingan and faced Zabuza while Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura shielded Tazuna.
• Zabuza surrounded the group with the Hidden Mist Technique and attacked Kakashi, who used his Sharingan to track and copy him.
• Kakashi and Zabuza completed the Water Dragon Bullet Technique at nearly the same time, then Kakashi copied Zabuza's signs and struck first with the Great Waterfall Technique.
• The waterfall blasted Zabuza into the rocks, leaving him badly injured and unable to fight.
• A masked figure claiming to be from Kirigakure's pursuit squad struck Zabuza's neck with Senbon and carried him away, while Kakashi suspected the situation was not settled.

Kakashi Hatake and Team 7 encountered Zabuza Momochi and Haku in a fog-covered ambush on the bridge, where Tazuna revealed he had concealed a Dog Talisman. As Kakashi and Zabuza clashed, Mahito appeared, leaving the two enemies considering a temporary alliance against him.

• Kakashi Hatake sensed danger as a supernatural fog covered the bridge, and Zabuza Momochi and Haku emerged from it.
• Zabuza demanded the Talisman from Tazuna, who admitted he had found the glowing Dog Talisman while building the bridge and had hidden the truth from Kakashi.
• Kakashi Hatake confronted Zabuza Momochi, who attacked him with Kubikiribōchō, and the two fought with weapons and Taijutsu.
• Mahito appeared in the fog and was identified by Kakashi Hatake and Zabuza Momochi as a Special Grade Cursed Spirit from the Nine Nether organization.
• Kakashi Hatake and Zabuza Momochi regarded Mahito as a formidable enemy and considered joining forces.

Mahito confronted the group on the bridge and tried to take the Dog Talisman, prompting Naruto, Kakashi, and Zabuza to attack him. Kakashi and Zabuza seemingly decapitated Mahito with a coordinated trap, but something horrifying happened just as Kakashi began sealing him.

• Mahito demanded Tazuna's Dog Talisman and revealed that he had tried to assassinate Naruto's father, enraging Naruto.
• Naruto attacked Mahito with Shadow Clones, whose lack of souls made Idle Transfiguration ineffective and left Mahito overwhelmed.
• Kakashi and Zabuza coordinated an attack, but Mahito pretended to be vulnerable and tried to strike them with Idle Transfiguration.
• Kakashi and Zabuza revealed that they had used Water Clones, then Kakashi pierced Mahito with Lightning Cutter while Zabuza cut off his head.
• Kakashi began preparing a Sealing Technique, but something horrifying happened before he could finish.

Mahito regenerated after Kakashi decapitated him and used Idle Transfiguration to seize Kakashi, but Naruto, Sasuke, Haku, and Kakashi worked together to free him. Mahito then turned on Zabuza, while Haku trapped him in ice mirrors that Mahito began destroying with distorted soul creations.

• Mahito reattached his head, grabbed Kakashi, and used Idle Transfiguration to inflict intense pain on him.
• Naruto’s Shadow Clones and Sasuke attacked Mahito, while Haku formed ice mirrors that chilled Mahito’s arm and loosened his grip.
• Kakashi stabbed Mahito’s forearm with a kunai, giving Sasuke the chance to pull him free; Naruto’s clones carried Kakashi to Sakura for treatment.
• Mahito turned on Zabuza, but Haku surrounded them with another barrier of ice mirrors.
• Mahito summoned distorted soul creations to smash Haku’s mirrors and began hunting him through the shrinking field of ice.

Naruto used the Dog Talisman to force Mahito to stop attacking Haku and Zabuza, then offered himself as a hostage so the others could escape. Watching Naruto stand alone, Kakashi recalled someone who had once done the same for his comrades.

• Mahito shattered Haku's last ice mirror and reached for him, but Zabuza stepped in front of Haku and confessed that he was the only light in his life.
• Zabuza collapsed, and Mahito prepared to attack Haku while Haku stood frozen in grief.
• Naruto threatened to throw the Dog Talisman into the sea unless Mahito released Haku, Zabuza, Kakashi, and the others.
• Mahito withdrew from Haku, and Naruto offered to stay as his hostage until the others were safe.
• Kakashi watched Naruto stand alone and thought of someone who had stayed behind for his comrades.

Sasuke refused to abandon Naruto, who stayed behind to face Mahito while the others escaped. As the two boys argued over who should leave, Mahito watched, still focused on taking the Dog Talisman.

• Naruto stayed behind to hold Mahito off and give his companions time to escape, moving Sasuke, Sakura, Haku, and Zabuza with his resolve.
• Sasuke stepped forward to join Naruto and ordered Sakura to get Kakashi and Tazuna away.
• Sakura dragged the injured Kakashi after Haku, who carried Zabuza and led them off the bridge with Tazuna.
• Mahito let the group escape because he was focused on the Dog Talisman in Naruto's possession.
• Naruto discovered Sasuke had stayed behind, and the two argued as they faced Mahito together.

Mahito trapped Naruto and Sasuke in his Domain Expansion and attacked Naruto after he tried to destroy the Dog Talisman. When Mahito touched Naruto, they were pulled into Naruto’s inner world, where the Nine-Tails watched from behind its sealed cage as Mahito prepared to attack Naruto’s consciousness.

• Mahito used Domain Expansion: Self-Embodiment of Perfection to trap Naruto and Sasuke in a warped space that suppressed their movement and perception.
• Naruto refused to hand over the Dog Talisman and swung his Kunai at it, prompting Mahito to rush in and reach for his head.
• Mahito’s touch transported him and Naruto’s consciousness into Naruto’s inner world, where the Nine-Tails watched from behind its cage.
• Mahito realized the Nine-Tails was sealed and mocked Naruto for relying on a prisoner who could not help him.
• Mahito attacked Naruto’s consciousness with Idle Transfiguration while Naruto feared for his body outside.

Naruto’s Sheep Talisman pulled him and Mahito out of the sealed space, where the Nine-Tails joined the fight. After Sasuke cast Mahito’s body into the sea and the Nine-Tails destroyed his soul, the Nine-Tails turned its killing intent on Naruto.

• Mahito failed to transfigure Naruto’s soul because the Sheep Talisman protected it, then the talisman dragged them back to the bridge.
• The Nine-Tails appeared in soul form and attacked Mahito as he tried to return to his body.
• Sasuke used a Fūma Shuriken and wire to fling Mahito’s body into the sea.
• The Nine-Tails seized and destroyed Mahito’s exposed soul, then swallowed it.
• Naruto celebrated their victory, but the Nine-Tails threatened to kill him next.

The Sheep Talisman shielded Naruto’s soul from the Nine-Tails, which retreated behind the seal. On the Great Bridge, Sasuke mistook Naruto’s motionless body for a dying one and pleaded with him to come back.

• The Nine-Tails attacked Naruto’s soul, but a golden light from the Sheep Talisman blocked its claw.
• Naruto taunted the Nine-Tails, which gave up and returned behind Minato Namikaze’s seal.
• Sasuke saw Naruto’s body collapse on the Great Bridge and feared he was dead.
• Sasuke shook Naruto and begged him not to die, realizing how much Naruto meant to him.

Naruto revived and teased Sasuke about worrying over him, but they found Kakashi near death from soul damage. Naruto used the Dog and Sheep Talismans to stabilize Kakashi and repair his wounds, and Kakashi opened his eyes again.

• Naruto woke up and mocked Sasuke for crying over him, so Sasuke punched him and gave him a black eye.
• Naruto and Sasuke returned to the woods and found Kakashi barely alive, with Sakura crying beside him and Haku supporting an unconscious Zabuza.
• Kakashi briefly regained consciousness, praised Naruto and Sasuke, entrusted Team 7 to them, and told Naruto to protect his comrades and Konoha.
• Naruto placed the Dog and Sheep Talismans on Kakashi's chest and prayed for them to save him.
• The Dog Talisman stabilized Kakashi's life force, the Sheep Talisman repaired his soul wounds, and Kakashi regained his color and opened his eyes.

Naruto used the Sheep and Dog Talismans to save Kakashi and then Zabuza, accepting Haku’s promise that they would no longer fight Konoha or the Land of Waves. Zabuza left with Haku to deal with Gato, while Team 7 watched them disappear into the fog.

• Kakashi awakened after Naruto used the Talismans to restore his vitality, and Naruto embraced him in relief.
• Haku begged Naruto to save Zabuza and offered his life and loyalty in exchange.
• After Kakashi supported Naruto’s decision, Naruto helped Haku up and asked only that he and Zabuza stop fighting Konoha and the Land of Waves.
• Naruto used the Sheep and Dog Talismans to revive Zabuza, and Haku thanked him for saving them both.
• Zabuza offered to carry out one assignment to repay Naruto, and Kakashi told him to deal with Gato.
• Zabuza and Haku left together, promising gratitude as they disappeared into the forest fog.

Team 7 completed its escort mission in the Land of Waves and departed after Tazuna named the new bridge in Naruto’s honor. On their journey home, Sasuke recognized Izumi Uchiha, whose sudden appearance left Kakashi and the others wary of her intentions.

• Tazuna thanked Team 7, promised to pay the mission fee in installments, and offered Kakashi the Dog Talisman as an extra reward.
• Tazuna named the bridge the Naruto Bridge, moving Naruto as the villagers showed their gratitude before Team 7 sailed away.
• Team 7 crossed back into the Land of Fire, where Naruto boasted about the mission while Sasuke and Sakura listened.
• Kakashi sensed someone in the woods and called for them to come out, prompting Team 7 to take a defensive stance.
• Izumi Uchiha appeared in a Miko outfit, and Sasuke recognized her with shock.
• Kakashi questioned Izumi’s intentions and asked whether she had come for Naruto’s Talismans, causing Naruto and Sakura to tense up.

Kikyo revealed that Heaven wanted an alliance with Konoha against Nine Nether and agreed to meet with the Hokage. Before leaving, she gave Sasuke the Millennium Key and warned him to keep its secret.

• Kikyo explained that Heaven sought to protect the Talismans from Nine Nether and proposed an alliance with Konoha, leaving the alliance decision to the Hokage.
• Kikyo asked to speak with Sasuke alone, and Kakashi let them go while Naruto and Sakura remained on guard.
• Sasuke asked Kikyo about her past, but she insisted that Izumi Uchiha had died and that her name was now Kikyo.
• Kikyo shot a crow watching them from the canopy, then gave Sasuke the Millennium Key and explained how it could draw a random item from the sealed Uchiha vault each summer solstice.
• Kikyo warned Sasuke not to tell anyone about the key and departed on a Dead Soul Worm.

After Team 7 returned to Konoha, Kakashi reported Mahito’s defeat to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was shocked by the news and praised the team. Hiruzen sent Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura away, then kept Naruto behind for a private discussion.

• Sasuke told Naruto and Kakashi that Kikyo planned to visit Konoha to discuss an alliance, while withholding the secret of the Millennium Key.
• Hyuga Xiu revealed that he had disguised himself as Kikyo and given Sasuke a Millennium Key whose contents he controlled.
• A Crow watched Kikyo disappear through the Anywhere Door, then vanished itself.
• Kakashi reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi that Team 7 had defeated Mahito, leaving Hiruzen astonished.
• Naruto confessed that he had taken the Sheep Talisman and offered Hiruzen both it and the Dog Talisman as an apology.
• Hiruzen praised Team 7, told them to prepare for the Chunin Ninja Exams, and asked Naruto to stay behind for a private talk.

Hiruzen Sarutobi returned the Sheep Talisman to Naruto and urged him to build trust with the Nine-Tails, then discovered that the Dog Talisman restored his vitality. At midnight, Sasuke Uchiha used the Millennium Key to open the Uchiha clan’s sealed treasure vault, and a strange blade appeared before him.

• Naruto told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the Nine-Tails had betrayed him and tried to eat his soul.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi returned the Sheep Talisman to Naruto and encouraged him to communicate with the Nine-Tails.
• After Naruto left, Hiruzen Sarutobi touched the Dog Talisman and felt it ease his ailments and make him feel younger, so he hung it around his neck.
• At midnight, Sasuke Uchiha used the Millennium Key to access the sealed treasure vault in the void.
• A strangely shaped blade appeared on the tatami before Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke received a mysterious Zanpakuto as his hatred for Konoha intensified. Naraka revived Mahito and formed an alliance with him to recruit Orochimaru and plot against Konoha, leaving with Mahito to find him.

• Sasuke picked up a Zanpakuto whose abilities he would have to discover and develop himself.
• Naraka pulled Mahito's body from the river, and Mahito awakened and attacked him.
• Mahito explained that he had split his soul to survive the Nine-Tails' attack and agreed to Naraka's offer of revenge against Konoha.
• Naraka proposed recruiting Orochimaru, citing his hatred of Konoha and desire for the Uchiha's power.
• Mahito agreed to the alliance on the condition that he could keep the Talismans.
• Naraka enveloped himself and Mahito in miasma, and they departed to find Orochimaru.

Before the Chunin Ninja Exams, Kakashi assigned Sasuke to his training, Jiraiya took Naruto, and Sakura was promised a specialist instructor. A month later, the Canopy Screen showed Deidara becoming Iwagakure’s Fourth Tsuchikage as Ōnoki passed the Will of Stone to him.

• Kakashi assigned Sasuke to train with him and arranged a specialist instructor to help Sakura.
• Jiraiya arrived and took charge of Naruto’s training, beginning with Chakra control.
• Team 7’s members set out on separate training journeys before the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• The Canopy Screen reopened and showed Deidara’s succession ceremony six months after the Fourth Shinobi World War.
• Ōnoki praised Deidara’s contributions and entrusted him with protecting Iwagakure as its Fourth Tsuchikage.

At his inauguration as Fourth Tsuchikage, Deidara rejected the Will of Stone and declared that art should replace it. He demonstrated his vision with a harmless explosion of colorful fireworks, winning the villagers’ amazement and cheers.

• Deidara called the Will of Stone bullshit and criticized the Will of Fire, citing Shimura Danzō and Obito Uchiha as examples of people who used it to justify destruction.
• Deidara declared that art was everything and would become the new Will of Stone.
• Kitsuchi asked Deidara what he meant by art, while Ōnoki prepared to stop him from endangering the crowd.
• Kitsuchi restrained Ōnoki and asked him to trust Deidara as Deidara launched a clay creation into the sky.
• Deidara detonated the clay creation into colorful fireworks, turning the villagers’ fear into astonishment and cheers.