Recaps

On a dead planet, elderly Sasuke learned that Orochimaru could send his soul into the past using Karasuki, giving him a chance to prevent Shi Mei’s destruction of the Shinobi World. Sasuke accepted the journey and awoke in his younger body, while Orochimaru sacrificed himself to send him back.

• Sasuke asked Orochimaru to let him see their ruined homeland, and Orochimaru explained how Sasuke’s power might be rebuilt into that of an Ōtsutsuki.
• Orochimaru revealed Karasuki and proposed sending Sasuke’s soul into his past body, though the technique would destroy Karasuki and its caster.
• Orochimaru gave Sasuke a chakra sphere containing his knowledge, memories, and emotions, instructing him to deliver it to his younger self.
• Sasuke accepted the journey and promised to return with good news, then Karasuki carried his soul into the past.
• Orochimaru and Karasuki crumbled away after the technique, and Sasuke awoke in his youthful body as he saw Rain.

Reborn forty years in the past at the Valley of the End, Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and chose to leave Konoha again so he could change the future and prepare for the Ōtsutsuki threat. He defeated Orochimaru and transferred the future Orochimaru’s memories and knowledge into him, then asked for help becoming an Ōtsutsuki.

• Sasuke recognized the Valley of the End and vowed to prevent the future he remembered, awakening his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasuke left Naruto at the Valley of the End and chose to return to Orochimaru rather than go back to Konoha.
• Four days later, Sasuke attacked Orochimaru at the hideout, using his Mangekyō Sharingan and Curse Mark Stage Two.
• Sasuke fought Orochimaru with Chidori, Chidori Senbon, Great Dragon Fire Technique, and Amaterasu, then used the white sphere to transfer future Orochimaru’s knowledge and memories into him.
• After Orochimaru recovered from the revelation of his future, Sasuke asked him to help make him an Ōtsutsuki, and Orochimaru agreed to follow Sasuke’s guidance.

Orochimaru told Sasuke and Kabuto about the future and prepared to recover his sealed hands, while Sasuke agreed to face Konoha himself. Five days later, the group reached the Land of Fire, and Sasuke headed toward the heavily guarded village to obtain the Reaper mask.

• Orochimaru said retrieving his hands from the Reaper's stomach was their first priority and planned to tell Kabuto the whole truth.
• After waking, Kabuto heard Orochimaru's account of Sasuke's return from the future, then used Sasuke's Genjutsu to confirm the memories were real.
• Kabuto accepted Orochimaru's explanation and promised to follow him and Sasuke if it was true; Orochimaru said he would prove it after recovering his hands.
• Five days later, Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto reached a mountain overlooking Konoha and discussed how to obtain the Reaper mask from the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Hall.
• Sasuke declined Orochimaru's offer to handle the mission and rushed toward Konoha, determined to face his homeland himself.

Sasuke returned to Konoha to retrieve the Hannya Mask needed for Orochimaru’s ritual, revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan to Kakashi and escaping with the mask. He left Kakashi with a warning for Naruto, then rejoined Orochimaru and Kabuto to head for a new place to perform the ritual.

• Sasuke slipped into Konoha and passed Sakura, who was grieving over his defection while Kakashi comforted her.
• Sasuke found the Hannya Mask in the Uzumaki Clan’s Mask Hall, where Kakashi confronted him.
• Sasuke used Susanoo to stop Kakashi’s Lightning Blade and showed him his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasuke trapped Kakashi with genjutsu, seized him with Susanoo, and told him to warn Naruto to come prepared if he wanted to stop him.
• Sasuke escaped with the mask as Konoha’s patrols responded, then rejoined Orochimaru and Kabuto.
• Orochimaru chose the Valley of the End as a new site for the ritual, and Sasuke and Kabuto followed him.

At the abandoned research facility, Orochimaru recovered his arms, concealed his soul, and sealed the Shinigami inside himself, proving Sasuke’s account to Kabuto. Orochimaru then began transferring Hashirama Senju’s Chakra to Sasuke through the Cursed Seal, starting Sasuke’s path toward becoming an Ōtsutsuki.

• Orochimaru refused Kabuto’s offer to sacrifice himself and had Kabuto help him perform the Reaper Death Seal ritual.
• Orochimaru released the souls of his arms from the Shinigami and restored them to his body.
• Orochimaru concealed his soul to evade the Shinigami’s sacrifice, then used the Six Paths Shinigami Coffin Seal to absorb the Shinigami into himself.
• Orochimaru transformed into the Shinigami’s jinchūriki, and Kabuto pledged himself to Orochimaru and Sasuke.
• Orochimaru used a white snake to transfer Hashirama Senju’s Chakra to Sasuke, whose Cursed Seal began turning white.

Sasuke received Hashirama Senju's power in a White Cursed Seal, and Orochimaru laid out a Ten Battles Plan to accelerate his adaptation. The group chose a hidden island as their future base, while Orochimaru proposed retrieving Ke's eye.

• Hashirama Senju's chakra transformed Sasuke's cursed seal into a White Cursed Seal that stored power for gradual absorption, but releasing it caused Sasuke intense pain.
• Orochimaru explained that Sasuke would need three years to absorb Hashirama Senju's power normally and proposed a Ten Battles Plan to reduce the process to one year.
• Orochimaru prescribed two months of keeping the seal released before Sasuke began monthly intense battles, and Sasuke agreed to follow the plan.
• Orochimaru returned from his Shinigami manifestation, and Sasuke learned that maintaining the Shinigami's unsealed state exhausted him after five minutes.
• Sasuke suggested Pale Moon Island, a hidden island near the Land of Water, as a secure base, and Orochimaru agreed to use it after retrieving Ke's eye.

Sasuke and Orochimaru visited Uchiha Shin to claim the Mangekyō Sharingan used as the template for Shin’s clones. Sasuke challenged Shin to a fight over his devotion to Itachi and the eye, and the battle began with Sasuke wielding black flames.

• Orochimaru told Sasuke that Shin’s cloned Mangekyō Sharingan came from Uchiha Ke, Obito Uchiha’s father, whose right eye had the space-time technique Blade Reversal.
• Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto reached Shin’s island hideout, where Shin’s clones prepared to defend their father.
• Sasuke confronted Shin and said his worship of Itachi was based on a false image, then challenged him to abandon that obsession and return Ke’s eye if he lost.
• Shin attacked Sasuke with blades controlled by his Mangekyō Sharingan, and Sasuke countered with Blaze Release: Great Fireball Technique.

Sasuke defeated Uchiha Shin and urged him to abandon his false identity and return to himself. Back at their Stronghold, Orochimaru assigned Kabuto the miniature being’s Mangekyo and Hashirama cells, setting the three of them on course for Blue Moon Island.

• Sasuke used varied nature transformations, genjutsu, and Wood Release to defeat Shin and his twelve clones, then killed the miniature being before it could teleport Shin away.
• Sasuke warned Shin to stop calling himself an Uchiha and return to being himself; Shin looked at the children gathered around him and reconsidered his identity.
• Orochimaru gave Kabuto the miniature being’s Mangekyo, which held Blade Reversal, and Hashirama cells, explaining that Kabuto would benefit from the space-time ability on their travels.
• Kabuto worried about controlling the implants, but Orochimaru encouraged him to trust his potential, and Sasuke teased him about accomplishing more than running an orphanage.
• Kabuto accepted the task and resolved to support Orochimaru and Sasuke, while the group prepared to head to Blue Moon Island.

Jiraiya comforted Kakashi, then agreed to train Naruto for a year so he could pursue his promise to bring Sasuke back. Meanwhile, Kabuto completed his transformation and eye transplant, and he, Sasuke, and Great Serpent Orochimaru set out for Blue Moon Island to begin the Ten Battles.

• Kakashi told Jiraiya that Sasuke's strength and aura had changed, and they considered whether Great Serpent Orochimaru had taken Sasuke's body.
• Kakashi gave Jiraiya an image scroll showing the mask Sasuke had sought in the Uzumaki Clan's Mask Hall, then asked him to look after Naruto.
• Naruto told Jiraiya he would bring Sasuke back despite the danger, so Jiraiya planned to compress three years of training into one before deciding whether to take him to a sacred land.
• Kabuto survived the Hashirama cell transformation and received a Mangekyō Sharingan with Blade Reversal in his right eye.
• Sasuke chose Blue Moon Island for the first of the Ten Battles, and Kabuto used Blade Reversal to transport himself, Sasuke, and Great Serpent Orochimaru toward it.

On Blue Moon Island, Sasuke trained with Kabuto as his White Cursed Seal adaptation advanced and revealed new control over fire and Wood Release. With the First Battle three days away, Orochimaru chose Sasori as Sasuke’s opponent and set the battle at Tenchi Bridge.

• Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto reached the hidden Blue Moon Island and built cabins to use as their base.
• Sasuke trained daily with Kabuto, whose Hashirama cells and Blade Reversal made him a formidable sparring partner.
• Sasuke demonstrated that Kagutsuchi could control ordinary fire and create a Meteor Shower, then caught Kabuto with Wood Release: Hidden Shadow Snake Hands after exposing his trick with the marked breakfast.
• Orochimaru and Kabuto discussed Sasuke’s First Battle, and Orochimaru selected Sasori of the Red Sands as his opponent.
• Orochimaru chose Tenchi Bridge as the location for the battle, and Kabuto agreed to lure Sasori there.

Akatsuki sent Red Sand Scorpion and Deidara to destroy a small nation, but Sasori diverted to Tenchi Bridge after learning Great Serpent Orochimaru would be there. Sasuke confronted Red Sand Scorpion alone, and their first battle began.

• Akatsuki discussed its plan to capture all the tailed beasts and assigned Red Sand Scorpion and Deidara a mission in the Land of Wind.
• Sasori learned that Great Serpent Orochimaru would arrive at Tenchi Bridge and went there while Deidara continued toward the desert mission.
• Sasuke arrived at Tenchi Bridge with Great Serpent Orochimaru and Kabuto, and insisted they not intervene even if he faced certain death.
• Sasuke charged Red Sand Scorpion with his sword, and Sasori countered with Hiruko's steel tail as their battle began.

Sasuke fought Red Sand Scorpion inside Hiruko on Tenchi Bridge, using a series of traps and techniques to destroy the puppet. Scorpion escaped and revealed his true body, then summoned the Third Kazekage as the battle’s next threat.

• Sasuke used attacks with four nature transformations against Hiruko, while Scorpion recognized him as Itachi’s younger brother.
• Sasuke avoided Hiruko’s Prosthetic Arm Senbon with a clone and trapped the puppet in a Water Prison Trap.
• Sasuke used Wood Release to bind Hiruko and struck its chest with Chidori, forcing Scorpion to escape from the puppet.
• Sasuke destroyed Hiruko in the river as Great Serpent Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi watched from the woods.
• Scorpion revealed his true body, recognized Kakashi Hatake’s technique, and summoned the Third Kazekage as a human puppet.

Sasuke battled Sasori’s Third Kazekage puppet, using Susanoo to withstand its iron sand and narrowly escaping a trap that shattered the Tenchi Bridge. After Sasori poisoned him and pressed the attack, Sasuke accelerated his transformation by absorbing the White Cursed Seal, recovered enough to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, and unleashed Wood Release.

• Sasori attacked Sasuke with iron sand, and Sasuke countered with a spinning cloak that used Wind Release and Fire Release before the two clashed with Susanoo and an iron sand pyramid.
• Sasori destroyed the Tenchi Bridge and tried to pull Sasuke out of Susanoo with iron sand hidden underwater, but Sasuke saw through the trap and escaped.
• Sasori sent the Third Kazekage puppet forward on iron sand wings and trapped Susanoo in mechanical arms that released poison, leaving Sasuke paralyzed and bleeding.
• Orochimaru explained that Sasuke needed to accelerate his absorption of the White Cursed Seal to survive, and Sasuke’s transformation began easing the poison’s effects.
• Sasuke rejected Sasori’s claim that he would bow to fate, awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, and used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.

Sasuke overcame Sasori’s Iron Sand World Method with Wood Release and Susanoo, destroying the Third Kazekage Puppet with two arrows from the Heavenly Ma-kagu Bow. Sasori revealed his Human Puppet body and summoned the Hundred Puppets to continue the fight.

• Sasuke absorbed the White Cursed Seal Power and unleashed Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence to overwhelm Sasori’s iron sand and block the Third Kazekage Puppet’s advance.
• Sasuke formed Susanoo’s second form and fired two arrows from the Heavenly Ma-kagu Bow, destroying the Third Kazekage Puppet.
• Sasori admitted Sasuke was a formidable opponent, removed his Akatsuki Robe, and revealed his Human Puppet body.
• Sasuke recognized the living Chakra core in Sasori’s chest as the likely weakness of his puppet body.
• Sasori summoned an array of puppets with the Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets.

Sasuke wore down Sasori’s puppet army and destroyed it with a trap involving shadow clones, Steel Wire, and Amaterasu. Sasuke then urged Sasori to reveal his remaining power, and Sasori reached for the Fourth Scroll he had never used before.

• Sasori summoned his Performance of a Hundred Puppets, and Sasuke fought them with Susanoo while Sasori tried to exhaust his chakra.
• Sasori used Corrosive Flow Pillar to damage Susanoo, but Sasuke pinpointed his position and fired an Arrows that forced Sasori to dodge.
• Sasuke’s Mangekyo side effects weakened his Susanoo, so he sent ten shadow clones against the puppet army with Steel Wire.
• The clones secretly attached Steel Wire to every puppet, allowing Sasuke to pull the legion into a cluster and burn it with Amaterasu.
• Sasuke challenged Sasori to use all his hidden power, and Sasori took out his unused Fourth Scroll.

Sasori revealed his Shukaku-powered Puppet Colossus and fought Sasuke at Tenchi Bridge, pushing Sasuke to unleash his most powerful Susanoo form. The chapter ended as Sasuke and Sasori launched their final attacks against each other.

• Sasori summoned a colossal puppet modeled after Shukaku and controlled it by connecting his abdomen cable to its head.
• Sasori’s Shukaku Colossus pinned Sasuke’s Susanoo with Wind Release, shattered its first form, and pursued Sasuke with guided Spiral Blades.
• Sasuke used smoke bombs to evade the blades, then raised Crow Tengu Susanoo to counter the colossus’s Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Sasuke and Sasori’s attacks devastated Tenchi Bridge and the surrounding forest as Orochimaru and Kabuto watched from a distant cliff.
• Sasuke combined Kirin, Susanoo, and White Cursed Seal power while Sasori prepared another Tailed Beast Bomb and Shukaku’s Spear.
• Sasuke and Sasori charged with White Kirin and the Black Sand Spear, respectively.

Sasuke defeated Sasori after destroying his Shukaku puppet, and Orochimaru answered Sasori’s question about eternity before Sasori died peacefully. Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto left with Sasori’s scroll, while Deidara and a masked man began reacting to Sasori’s death.

• Sasuke destroyed the Shukaku puppet and fatally pierced Sasori’s life core with Chidori Sharp Spear.
• Sasori asked Orochimaru what eternity meant, and Orochimaru described it as the heart that endured without living or perishing.
• Sasori asked Orochimaru to have Granny Chiyo pass down the Father and Mother Puppets, then died peacefully.
• Orochimaru took Sasori’s scroll of Tailed Beast Colossus blueprints, and Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto departed.
• Deidara contacted the Akatsuki Leader after Sasori failed to return, and a masked man arrived at Tenchi Bridge and examined Sasori’s remains.

After Sasori’s death, Obito took his ring and considered using the opening to accelerate the Eye of the Moon Plan. Akatsuki ordered a strike against Orochimaru’s Northern Hideout, leaving Deidara to carry it out with a new trainee, Tobi.

• Obito and Zetsu found Sasori’s body and identified Sasuke Uchiha as his likely killer, noting that Sasuke had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Obito took Sasori’s ring and decided that stepping into Akatsuki’s affairs could help him advance the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Pain told Akatsuki that Sasori had died and ordered the organization to locate and kill Orochimaru.
• White Zetsu revealed the location of Orochimaru’s Northern Hideout, and Pain assigned Deidara to destroy it.
• Pain said a trainee would accompany Deidara, and Tobi introduced himself as the newcomer.

Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto rushed to the Northern Hideout after learning that Deidara and a masked Akatsuki member had attacked it. Sasuke rescued Karin and struck Deidara and Tobi from the sky, but suspected Obito had survived, leaving the score unsettled.

• Kabuto reported that Deidara and a masked Akatsuki member had appeared near the Northern Hideout, so Sasuke left with Orochimaru and Kabuto to check on Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu.
• Orochimaru sensed Karin hiding in the woods but could find no trace of Jugo or Suigetsu, and Sasuke hurried to rescue her.
• Deidara prepared to destroy the forest with C3 No. 18, but Sasuke used Lightning Release: Heavenly Blade to disable the bomb and save Karin.
• Sasuke summoned Susanoo and fired a Black Flame Flame Arrow that destroyed Deidara's dragon with Deidara and Tobi aboard.
• Sasuke's vision blurred after using Mangekyo, and he told Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Karin to return to Blue Moon Island because he doubted Obito had been killed.

Sasuke and Orochimaru confirmed Suigetsu and Jugo were alive, then planned Sasuke’s second match against Akatsuki members Hidan and Kakuzu. At Akatsuki’s meeting, Deidara recovered from his injuries, Tobi became a full member, and Pain ordered everyone to lie low until the Tailed Beast hunt.

• Karin told Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto how she escaped the Northern Hideout and how Suigetsu and Jugo disappeared.
• Orochimaru used Suigetsu’s and Jugo’s Life Substance to confirm that their souls had not left the world, and Sasuke concluded that Obito had taken them into his space-time dimension.
• Orochimaru ordered Kabuto to shut down the hideouts and chose Hidan and Kakuzu as opponents for Sasuke’s second match.
• Tobi reported that Deidara had been defeated by Sasuke, but Deidara woke up and vowed to kill Sasuke in their next encounter.
• Pain made Tobi a full Akatsuki member, then told the group to stay low until the Tailed Beast hunt three years later.

Kakuzu and Hidan killed Chiriku at the Fire Temple, drawing Orochimaru and Kabuto toward their route to a bounty exchange. As Sasuke completed Stage One of the White Cursed Seal, he prepared for the Second Match by deciding to fight without the Sharingan and revealing a Rasengan.

• Kakuzu reattached Deidara's arms, and Deidara vowed to develop a technique to overcome Lightning Release and defeat Sasuke.
• Kakuzu and Hidan traveled to the Fire Temple, killed Chiriku, and carried his body toward a bounty exchange in the southern Land of Fire.
• Kabuto reported the killing to Orochimaru and said White Zetsu had discovered his investigation; Orochimaru suspected Obito might withhold the information from Nagato.
• Orochimaru and Kabuto checked Sasuke's preparations beneath the waterfall and confirmed that he had reached Stage One of the White Cursed Seal.
• Sasuke decided to fight the Second Match without using the Sharingan, then formed a Rasengan and set off with Orochimaru and Kabuto for the bounty exchange.

Sasuke Uchiha challenged Kakuzu to test his abilities and revealed his Lightning Release and Wood Release techniques during their fight. Kakuzu survived Sasuke’s attacks by unleashing Earth Grudge Fear Mode and began a Fire Release attack, while revealing that he had once fought the First.

• Obito and Zetsu watched as Sasuke’s group approached, and Sasuke said he might try to recruit Obito later but wanted him to stay out of the fight.
• Sasuke confronted Kakuzu and Hidan outside the forest and challenged Kakuzu to measure his own strength.
• Kakuzu caught Sasuke’s Lightning Release: Shadow Clone in a trap, but Sasuke paralyzed him through the black threads and struck him with a Rasengan.
• Sasuke dodged Kakuzu’s attack, threw him with an Uchiha Shoulder Throw, and impaled him with a wooden spike before using Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs.
• Kakuzu recovered and accused Sasuke of using Hashirama’s power; Obito identified the white markings as a Cursed Seal merging with Hashirama’s power.
• Kakuzu unleashed Earth Grudge Fear Mode, revealed that he had fought the First, and launched Fire Release: Searing Migraine.

Sasuke used his refined Fire Release and shuriken techniques to force Kakuzu to expend multiple masks and expose his abilities. After Kakuzu blocked Sasuke’s Tree-Binding Stake Technique with Earth Release hardening, Sasuke unleashed Deep Forest Emergence, and Kakuzu called for Hidan’s help.

• Sasuke’s Archer Drake absorbed Kakuzu’s Searing Migraine, forcing Kakuzu to use his Wind, Water, and Lightning masks to stop it.
• Sasuke deduced that Kakuzu’s masks held separate hearts and gave him multiple lives, while Obito predicted Sasuke could one day surpass Nagato.
• Sasuke used a Fūma Shuriken replication technique and lightning-wreathed shuriken to trap Kakuzu, then charged in with the Tree-Binding Stake Technique.
• Kakuzu hardened his skin with Earth Release to block the stake, and Sasuke retreated from the advancing black threads.
• Sasuke unleashed Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, and Kakuzu shouted for Hidan to help him.

Kakuzu and Hidan worked together to defeat Sasuke, and Hidan used his blood-linked ritual to inflict fatal wounds on him. As Kakuzu reached for Sasuke’s eyes, Sasuke’s White Cursed Seal suddenly surged inward, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Kakuzu and Hidan combined their attacks against Sasuke, and Kakuzu used a smoke bomb to help Hidan cut Sasuke’s cheek.
• Hidan withdrew and completed his ritual while Kakuzu kept Sasuke occupied; Sasuke pierced one of Kakuzu’s hearts and severed his arm before rushing Hidan.
• Hidan stabbed himself in the heart, causing Sasuke to collapse and bleed as his own heart was fatally wounded.
• Karin tried to reach Sasuke, but Kabuto and Orochimaru restrained her, insisting Sasuke had to face the ordeal himself.
• Kakuzu repaired his arm and approached the motionless Sasuke to take his eyes, but Sasuke spoke and his White Cursed Seal surged inward.

Sasuke defeated Kakuzu and stopped Hidan’s shared-damage technique by severing their contract, then repaired his wounds. Orochimaru approached the defeated Kakuzu, who spotted two Akatsuki-cloaked figures on the mountain and erupted over what he saw as another betrayal.

• Sasuke hardened his neck against Kakuzu’s Greatsword and struck him with a White Cursed Seal-powered Rasengan, destroying two of his hearts.
• Kakuzu urged Hidan to cut off his own head, and Hidan stabbed his neck while Sasuke raced to stop him.
• Sasuke used the Contract Seal to sever his connection with Hidan, causing Hidan’s head to fall off and his body to collapse.
• Sasuke repaired his neck while Hidan remained alive and cursed him, then mocked Hidan and Kakuzu as lunatics.
• Karin and Kabuto relaxed after Sasuke’s victory, and Orochimaru approached the gravely wounded Kakuzu.
• Orochimaru directed Kakuzu’s attention to two figures in red-cloud cloaks on the mountain, and Kakuzu cried out about betrayal.