Chapter Summaries

Karin awakened her Ketsuryūgan and used Death Controlling Possessed Blood to link her injuries to Baki while fighting Temari and Kankuro. Meanwhile, Sasuke completed the Yang Seal, recovered his vision, and left the altar with Orochimaru to check on Karin.

• Baki overpowered Karin, but her Ketsuryūgan awakened and linked her injuries to him when she stabbed herself.
• Temari attacked Karin with Great Sickle Weasel, damaging Karin and causing the same wounds to appear on Baki.
• Baki warned Temari and Kankuro not to hurt Karin, and Karin threatened Baki to stop Kankuro from restraining her.
• Karin realized eye contact established the injury-sharing connection and healed her own wounds with Physical Healing, leaving Baki injured.
• Sasuke completed the Yang Seal, recovered the vision he had lost during his battle with Sasori, and learned from Orochimaru that the seal's power could not be replenished.
• Sasuke left the altar with Orochimaru to check on Karin.

Orochimaru, Sasuke, and Kabuto emerged from the Temple and ended the fight between Karin and Baki's squad. Orochimaru revealed that they were heading to Sunagakure to visit Granny Chiyo at the request of the Red Sand Scorpion, leaving Baki and C shocked.

• Orochimaru appeared at the Temple entrance, shocking Baki and drawing Temari and Kankuro's hatred as Rasa's murderer.
• Sasuke reunited with Karin and asked her to deactivate her Ketsuryūgan, then Kabuto began treating Baki's injuries.
• After Baki recovered, he prepared to return to Sunagakure with Temari and Kankuro, while Orochimaru said his group also planned to visit the village.
• Orochimaru clarified that he had come to see Granny Chiyo at the request of the Red Sand Scorpion, whom Sasuke had recently killed.

After Gaara was abducted, Sasuke and Great Serpent Orochimaru decided to pursue Akatsuki and rescue him, even if the One-Tail was sealed. Kabuto then volunteered to fulfill Orochimaru’s promise to Scorpion, taking on a separate task as the group prepared to act.

• Baki learned Gaara had been abducted and, after hearing the intruders’ description, realized Sasuke might be Sunagakure’s best hope.
• Great Serpent Orochimaru told Baki that Akatsuki hunted Tailed Beasts and that the intruders had likely targeted Gaara to seize the One-Tail.
• Sasuke decided to rescue Gaara despite accepting that Akatsuki might take Shukaku, and Orochimaru identified First Line Gorge as the likely sealing site.
• Kabuto determined there was one way to help Sasuke and the future Naruto beyond the rescue, then offered to fulfill Orochimaru’s promise to Scorpion.
• Great Serpent Orochimaru accepted Kabuto’s offer and thanked him.

Kabuto Yakushi told Granny Chiyo that Sasori had died after leaving a message about his parents’ Puppets, then asked her to teach him Life Reincarnation so he could help save Gaara. Chiyo agreed to go with him and judge whether Kabuto’s companion was truly rescuing the child.

• Kabuto Yakushi approached Granny Chiyo and offered to tell her Sasori’s last words.
• Kabuto explained that Akatsuki had abducted Gaara to claim Shukaku and revealed Sasori’s crimes and death.
• Kabuto told Chiyo that Sasori had remembered his parents and entrusted his Puppets to others.
• Kabuto knelt and asked Chiyo to teach him Life Reincarnation, accepting that the technique would cost his life.
• Chiyo reconsidered her own Ninja Way and agreed to accompany Kabuto to see whether his companion was rescuing Gaara.

Sasuke and Orochimaru arrived at the cave after Gaara had been killed, and Sasuke subdued Suigetsu and Jugo. As Orochimaru prepared to use Impure World Reincarnation on Gaara, a dark vortex suddenly appeared.

• Pain ordered Itachi and Kisame to pursue the Two-Tails while Suigetsu and Jugo waited at the cave.
• Karin sensed only Suigetsu and Jugo inside, and Sasuke broke through the cave entrance with Susanoo.
• Sasuke captured Suigetsu and Jugo, then knocked them unconscious with his Sharingan.
• Temari and Kankuro found Gaara unresponsive, while Baki told them Sunagakure had to accept the tragedy.
• Orochimaru captured the White Zetsu Clone and severed its connection to the other clones.
• Orochimaru arranged Gaara and White Zetsu for Impure World Reincarnation, but a pitch-black vortex appeared before he could finish.

Granny Chiyo used Life Reincarnation to revive Gaara, sacrificing her life and leaving Kabuto deeply moved by her example. After returning to Blue Moon Island, Sasuke prepared for the Third Match and anticipated that his meeting with Itachi was drawing near.

• Granny Chiyo confirmed Sasori’s death and went to Gaara’s body, resolving to repay her debt by bringing him back to life.
• Granny Chiyo performed Life Reincarnation, restoring Gaara’s heartbeat and dying after asking Kankuro to carry on the legacy of Father and Mother.
• Kabuto thanked Granny Chiyo and promised to remember her words, while the others honored her remains and prepared to leave with Gaara and the captured White Zetsu Clone.
• Sasuke and the others arrived outside Sunagakure, where Temari and Kankuro thanked Sasuke and he urged them to help Gaara become a worthy Kage.
• Sasuke, Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Karin returned to Blue Moon Island with Suigetsu, Jugo, and the White Zetsu Clone.
• Sasuke told Kabuto to inform the team before acting next time, sent Karin to rest, and began preparing for the Third Match as he thought about meeting Itachi.

While Sasuke trained for his Third Match, Kisame and Itachi sealed the Two-Tails at Heavenly Gate Gorge and discussed Sasuke’s unexplained power and disappearance. Kabuto found Kisame’s location, and Sasuke set out with Orochimaru for their match.

• Sasuke trained on Blue Moon Island as Orochimaru prepared new laboratory equipment and Kabuto searched for his next opponent.
• Kisame defeated and captured Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails’ jinchūriki, while Itachi noticed a small snake watching them.
• At Heavenly Gate Gorge, the Akatsuki completed the Two-Tails’ sealing, and Itachi decided to prepare for an eventual confrontation with Sasuke by acting separately from Kisame.
• Kabuto reported that Kisame was near Heavenly Gate Gorge and that Itachi had noticed his surveillance but let him go.
• Orochimaru showed Kabuto Sasuke’s powerful White Rasengan and told Sasuke that Kisame would be his Third Match opponent.
• Sasuke acknowledged Kisame’s strength and left with Orochimaru and Karin for Heavenly Gate Gorge.

Sasuke confronted Kisame in the mountains and opened their third match with Wood Release and Susanoo against Kisame’s powerful Water Release. After Kisame appeared to be struck by Sasuke’s second arrow, he revealed he had hidden underground and launched Sasuke and Susanoo skyward with a massive water pillar.

• Orochimaru used the Telescope Technique to watch Kisame relaxing at his mountain hut before Sasuke went to challenge him.
• Kisame led Sasuke to a mountain clearing, asked about Suigetsu and Jugo, and accepted Sasuke’s challenge.
• Sasuke used Deep Forest Emergence, and Kisame countered with Samehada’s Flying Chain Slash and Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
• Sasuke revealed his Second Form Susanoo and fired two arrows, with the second apparently destroying Kisame’s body in a burst of water.
• Kisame emerged from underground and used Super Water Formation Pillar to blast Sasuke and Susanoo into the sky.

Sasuke used a White Rasengan to nearly kill Kisame, but Kisame healed with chakra from Samehada and trapped Sasuke in a massive water prison. As Sasuke began to suffocate, he released the White Cursed Seal’s State Two, the power he had been saving for Itachi.

• Kisame used Samehada to absorb fragments of Susanoo and strengthen its chakra armor, then was caught off guard when Sasuke dispelled Susanoo and struck him with a White Rasengan.
• Samehada gave Kisame its remaining Two-Tails Chakra, allowing him to heal and survive Sasuke’s attack.
• Kisame unleashed the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, trapping Sasuke inside a vast water prison and fusing with Samehada to attack Susanoo.
• Orochimaru explained that Kisame’s water prison was draining Sasuke’s stamina and that Sasuke would need to unleash hidden power to escape.
• As suffocation weakened him, Sasuke released White Cursed Seal: State Two, drawing on the seal’s ability to grow stronger by absorbing its released power.

Sasuke activated White Cursed Seal: State Two and adapted to the underwater battlefield, severing Kisame’s arm with lightning before Kisame summoned a thousand sharks. Sasuke then unleashed his combined Black Flame and Wind Release technique, Scorch Release: Blown-Glass Flame World.

• Sasuke transformed with White Cursed Seal: State Two, which gave him gills and a dorsal fin so he could breathe and move underwater.
• Orochimaru explained to Kabuto Yakushi that White Cursed Art: Adaptive Modification let Sasuke adapt to different environments.
• Sasuke charged Kisame Hoshigaki underwater and severed his arm with Lightning Release before Kisame could absorb it.
• Kisame regenerated his arm with chakra he had absorbed from Sasuke and summoned over a thousand sharks to attack him.
• Sasuke summoned Crow Tengu Susanoo and combined Black Flame with Wind Release to perform Scorch Release: Blown-Glass Flame World.

Sasuke defeated Kisame Hoshigaki after escaping his Water Release and pursuing him through a battlefield engulfed in Black Flame. Just as Sasuke prepared to finish Kisame, a hidden chakra emerged from Kisame and formed Itachi, causing Sasuke to loosen Susanoo’s grip.

• Sasuke escaped Kisame’s Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave and pierced its Water Release sphere with Susanoo’s Dark Flame Arrow, leaving Kisame severely burned.
• After recovering, Kisame resisted Sasuke’s questioning, but Sasuke trapped him in a poisonous forest with Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.
• Kisame used a Water Prison to shield himself from the pollen, transformed it into a Water Shark Bullet, and fled while Sasuke gave chase.
• Kisame launched a Great Shark Bullet to stop Sasuke, but Sasuke shattered it and caught Kisame with Susanoo: Earth Grudge Fear Fist.
• When Susanoo clenched its palm around Kisame, black miasma and crows emerged from his body and formed Itachi, making Sasuke release his grip.

After Sasuke defeated Kisame, Itachi’s Crow Clone invited Sasuke to meet him at the Uchiha Hideout in one month and demanded that he leave the Akatsuki alone until then. Sasuke accepted, while Itachi traveled to Shikkotsu Forest to request a meeting with the Slug Sage.

• Itachi’s Crow Clone appeared through Kisame and challenged Sasuke to meet him alone at the Uchiha Hideout in one month, asking him to stop attacking Akatsuki members until their confrontation.
• Sasuke accepted Itachi’s condition and let Kisame leave, then returned to Blue Moon Island with Kabuto, Karin, and Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru glanced toward the Black Flame before leaving, and Black Zetsu emerged, absorbed the flames, and decided to watch Sasuke’s coming battle with Itachi.
• Itachi met Miaomiao in Shikkotsu Forest and asked her to take him to the Slug Sage.

Itachi visited Katsuyu in Shikkotsu Forest and asked her to teach him Senjutsu so he could face Sasuke and uncover what had changed him. Katsuyu agreed to perform the ritual that would grant him Stillness Sage Power, leaving Itachi to prepare for their confrontation one month later.

• Itachi recalled how he had befriended Katsuyu after rescuing her child, Miaomiao, and how she had once given him medicine and eye drops to prolong his life and eyesight.
• Guided by Miaomiao, Itachi met Katsuyu, explained Sasuke's alarming actions and strength, and said he needed to confront him in a month.
• Katsuyu described Shikkotsu Forest's Stillness Sage Art and judged that Itachi could learn part of it, though his physical energy was a weakness.
• Katsuyu took Itachi to Stillness Forest to perform the ritual that would bestow Stillness Sage Power upon him.
• Itachi resolved to use Kotoamatsukami on Sasuke if necessary, while privately hoping Sasuke would overturn his expectations; the month passed as both brothers held new convictions.

As the Akatsuki sealed the Three-Tails, Sasuke traveled to the Uchiha Hideout to face Itachi in the fourth match of the Ten Battles. Deidara tried to intercept Sasuke but was thrown away, and Sasuke and Itachi began their battle with a clash of illusions.

• Pain ordered Kisame to tell Deidara where Sasuke and Itachi would fight, and Deidara set off for the Uchiha Hideout.
• Orochimaru explained that Sasuke had to trust Itachi’s strength to attack him without holding back as they approached the hideout.
• Deidara ambushed Sasuke from the air, but Sasuke caught him with Susanoo and hurled him into the distance.
• Obito watched Sasuke pass and said he could replace Nagato in the future, while Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi, and Karin continued on behind Sasuke.
• At the Uchiha Hideout, Orochimaru stopped and left Sasuke to face Itachi alone.
• Sasuke and Itachi exchanged attacks in an apparent illusion, then returned to their original positions, each smiling as they recognized the other’s growth.

Sasuke and Itachi reunited at the Hall and fought with their Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo, each revealing that they knew more about the other's abilities than expected. After Sasuke demanded Itachi's true full power, Itachi activated Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode.

• Itachi asked Sasuke about his goals, and Sasuke questioned what the clan, village, and brotherhood meant to him.
• Itachi declared that the clan, village, and their bond were obstacles or tools, then attacked Sasuke with flaming shuriken.
• Sasuke countered Itachi's Amaterasu with Kagutsuchi, and their Susanoo weapons collided before Sasuke pierced Itachi's Susanoo with a black-flame greatsword.
• Sasuke identified Itachi's hidden real body, but Itachi's Susanoo used the Totsuka Blade to seal Sasuke's Susanoo before Sasuke revealed himself as a Wood Release Clone.
• Itachi admitted he had visited the place Sasuke mentioned, and Sasuke advanced in White Cursed Seal: State Two as Itachi activated Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode.

Itachi and Sasuke fought an intense battle inside Tsukuyomi, with Itachi using Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode and Sasuke eventually breaking the illusion with his Yang Seal. The genjutsu collapsed, leaving Itachi staggering and Sasuke's chakra surging as Orochimaru questioned what Itachi had done.

• Itachi activated Shikkotsu Forest Sage Mode and immobilized Sasuke with Katsuyu Sage Palm, but Sasuke escaped by shedding his dissolving body through Snake Transformation.
• Itachi cloaked Sage Art: Fire God Crow in Susanoo armor, and its exploding fragments severed Sasuke's left arm before Sasuke healed it with the White Cursed Seal.
• Sasuke trapped Itachi's Susanoo in a Woodland Realm and covered it with black flames, but Itachi froze the flames and forest with Sage Art Ice Release: Flame Ring.
• Kabuto Yakushi, Karin, and Orochimaru observed that Itachi and Sasuke had not moved in the hall and realized they were fighting within Tsukuyomi.
• Sasuke released his Yang Seal and broke Tsukuyomi, causing Itachi to stagger and Karin to notice Sasuke's chakra surging.

Sasuke fought Itachi through a four-layer genjutsu, breaking free only to discover that Itachi had drawn closer to taking his eyes. Itachi reached for Sasuke, insisting that this was reality.

• Sasuke saw through Itachi’s first Tsukuyomi illusion and realized the apparent battle had been a test.
• Itachi revealed that he had absorbed the chakra Sasuke spent fighting in the genjutsu, then attacked with Sage Art: Fire Release God Crow and Yasaka Magatama.
• Orochimaru explained to Kabuto Yakushi that Itachi’s Inner Illusion hid multiple layers of Tsukuyomi.
• Itachi impaled Sasuke with the Totsuka Blade and demanded that he reveal what Orochimaru had told him.
• Sasuke absorbed the power of his Cursed Seal: State Two and used Amaterasu to break through the genjutsu.
• Orochimaru revealed that the supposed triple-layered Inner Illusion contained four layers, while Itachi reached for Sasuke’s eyes and called the scene reality.

Kabuto and Orochimaru realized Itachi had redirected his inner illusion onto them while Sasuke and Itachi continued their fight. Sasuke committed to fighting Itachi even if he was still trapped in genjutsu, and their clash destroyed the Uchiha Stronghold as Sasuke revealed he could now use Wood Release.

• Itachi redirected his inner illusion onto the spectators, and Orochimaru stopped Kabuto from trying to break it by stabbing himself.
• Orochimaru explained that Itachi had used the illusion to shake Sasuke’s resolve and warned that Itachi still held Kotoamatsukami as a trump card.
• Sasuke decided to fight Itachi with everything he had, even if the battle was still taking place inside genjutsu.
• Sasuke countered Itachi’s Fire God Crow with Flame Warrior Ascending Dragon, then used Kirin to blast apart the hall and surrounding mountain.
• Sasuke revealed Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique after absorbing State Two of the White Cursed Seal.

Sasuke defeated Itachi in their battle, while Itachi’s failing health left him unable to keep fighting. As a hidden crow carrying Kotoamatsukami approached Sasuke, he stopped it and told Itachi that he already knew the truth about him.

• Sasuke used a Wood Dragon to bind Itachi’s Susanoo and trap the hand wielding the Totsuka Blade, then forced Itachi to leave the Susanoo.
• Sasuke attacked with a lightning technique infused with Amaterasu, while Itachi’s hesitation let Sasuke wound him and Itachi’s body began to fail in Sage Mode.
• Itachi’s Susanoo collapsed, and Sasuke used his Susanoo’s arrow to drive Itachi into a crow substitution and leave him unable to maintain his Sharingan.
• Itachi summoned a flock of crows as a last resort, but Sasuke reached him and demanded to know what the shinobi world, their clan, and their brotherly bond meant to him.
• A crow carrying Kotoamatsukami approached Sasuke, but its cry stopped as Sasuke drew Itachi close and told him he knew everything about him.

Sasuke revealed that he understood Itachi’s past and helped his dying brother confront his regrets. Obito tried to seize Itachi’s eyes, but Sasuke and his allies escaped, leaving Obito to plan to reclaim Shisui Uchiha’s right eye.

• Sasuke recounted how Itachi had acted as a double agent, killed the Uchiha Clan to prevent a coup, and planned for Sasuke to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Itachi admitted that he regretted never seeking a better solution and thanked Sasuke for teaching him one last lesson.
• Sasuke urged Itachi to live and look toward the future, but Obito appeared and tried to attack Sasuke with the Kusanagi Sword.
• Karin attacked Obito, and Kabuto used Wood Release to restrain him while Great Serpent Maru protected Sasuke.
• Sasuke revealed that he knew Obito was Uchiha, then escaped with Itachi, Karin, Kabuto, and Great Serpent Maru through the Blade Reversal Vortex.
• Obito broke free, summoned Black Zetsu, and ordered him to watch Danzo while Obito went to reclaim Shisui Uchiha’s right eye.