Recaps

Obito pursued Naruto’s shadow clone after realizing it knew his identity, while Minato rescued Uchiha Izumi and brought her to Hinata. Sasuke returned to the Uchiha compound and discovered his clan had been massacred, then rushed home to find his parents.

• Obito chased Naruto’s shadow clone through the Uchiha compound as the Nine-Tails pushed the clone to its limits to evade Kamui.
• Minato used a Flying Thunder God mark in Naruto’s House to teleport with the chained Uchiha Izumi, then left her with Hinata.
• Minato infiltrated the Hyuga Clan estate, where Hyuga Hiashi sensed him and froze in astonishment upon seeing his face.
• Sasuke returned to the unlit Uchiha compound and found his relatives and clanspeople dead among bloodied streets and damaged houses.
• Sasuke ran toward his home, calling for his mother and father.

Sasuke returned home to find his parents dead and Itachi had attacked him, using Tsukuyomi to make him witness the massacre of the Uchiha Clan. Itachi then told Sasuke that he had only ever acted like a good brother to test his abilities, leaving Sasuke’s mind shattered.

• Sasuke searched the dark house and found his parents lying in blood in his father’s room.
• Itachi threw a shuriken at Sasuke, wounding his arm, then trapped him in Tsukuyomi.
• Itachi made Sasuke experience the slaughter of the Uchiha Clan while carefully limiting the damage to his mind.
• Sasuke awakened a Two-Tomoe Sharingan amid his agony and demanded to know why Itachi had done this.
• Itachi struck Sasuke, seized him by the neck, and claimed he had only pretended to be a good brother to test him.

Naruto intervened when Itachi attacked Sasuke, but Itachi trapped him in Tsukuyomi and considered using Kotoamatsukami to erase his memories. Elsewhere, Danzo tried to reach the Uchiha compound, but Hyuga Hiashi blocked him under orders from Hiruzen Sarutobi, who arrived as tensions rose.

• Sasuke clutched a kunai and resisted Itachi's attempt to break his spirit before Naruto arrived with a Rasengan and forced Itachi to release him.
• Sasuke passed out after seeing Naruto stand between him and Itachi.
• Itachi recognized Naruto, wondered how he had arrived, and trapped him in Tsukuyomi while planning to use Kotoamatsukami to conceal what happened.
• Hyuga Hiashi stopped Danzo and Root from proceeding toward the Uchiha compound, saying Hiruzen had ordered Danzo to the Hokage Office.
• Danzo signaled Root to attack Hiashi, but a wave of killing intent from the woods made him hesitate.
• Hiruzen arrived and asked what the commotion was about.

Hiruzen backed Hyuga Hiashi’s claim that he had ordered Danzo to the Hokage Office, forcing Danzo to stand down. In Tsukuyomi, Minato Namikaze appeared before Uchiha Itachi and began explaining his connection to Naruto.

• Danzo accused Hyuga Hiashi of obstructing Root and falsely invoking the Hokage’s orders.
• Hiashi repeated that he was acting on the Hokage’s orders, and Hiruzen confirmed the order and told Danzo to withdraw his subordinates.
• Hiruzen declared that he was the Hokage, leaving Danzo furious but unable to proceed.
• Minato appeared in Itachi’s Tsukuyomi instead of Naruto, and Itachi realized Minato might have been possessing Naruto.
• Minato asked Itachi about Tsukuyomi’s time distortion, then said he would explain how he had reawakened inside Naruto.

Minato convinced Itachi to save the surviving Uchiha by secretly taking them away from Konoha, while the Nine-Tails kept Obito occupied. Itachi accepted his father’s choice and found a path forward as Minato prepared to release Tsukuyomi.

• Obito pursued the Nine-Tails in Kakashi’s form across the lake, growing furious as the Nine-Tails taunted him and stalled for time.
• Itachi questioned what his actions had been for, then steadied himself and asked Minato what to do before his Tsukuyomi Space failed.
• Itachi told Minato that Sasuke and other Uchiha had survived, but feared Obito and the Anbu would kill them or prevent their escape.
• Minato explained that the Uchiha could disappear by leaving Konoha, and planned to use Flying Thunder God to take the survivors to a hidden place.
• Minato urged Itachi to understand his father’s sacrifice and follow a path beyond the fate his father could not escape.
• Itachi accepted Minato’s words and released Tsukuyomi.

Hyuga Hiashi exposed Danzo’s hidden Sharingan to the Third, but the Third let Danzo leave, confirming Hiashi’s doubts about Konoha’s leadership. In the Uchiha compound, Minato prepared to take Fugaku and Mikoto’s bodies as Itachi watched.

• Hyuga Hiashi accused Danzo of being an Uchiha plotting a revolution and revealed that his Byakugan could see a Sharingan beneath Danzo’s bandages.
• The Third recognized the possible connection to Shisui’s disappearance, while Danzo realized he was in danger and fled after threatening Hiruzen.
• Hiashi waited for the Third to order Danzo’s arrest or attack, but the Third let Danzo leave, and Hiashi reflected on their shared reluctance to act.
• Itachi awoke from Tsukuyomi, looked fondly at Sasuke, and asked Minato to take his parents’ bodies so they could rest in peace.
• Minato laid his hands on Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto and told Itachi that the clan could not stop him from taking them.

Itachi helped Minato rescue the surviving Uchiha, while Shisui and Obito pursued a mysterious opponent who vanished after revealing he was a Shadow Clone. Minato and Itachi then left for one final task, leaving Sasuke with Itachi in the nearly empty Uchiha compound.

• Itachi carried the unconscious Sasuke as he and Minato searched the compound and used Flying Thunder God to evacuate more than fifty Uchiha survivors.
• Watching Minato push himself to exhaustion rescuing the clansmen, Itachi realized how little he and Shisui had understood and resolved to follow Minato's example.
• The Nine-Tails-controlled Shadow Clone escaped Obito by dispelling itself, taunting him with a promise that their hunt would come.
• Shisui learned that the masked Madara had apparently failed to capture the opponent and vanished, leaving him to handle matters himself.
• After rescuing the last child, Minato told Itachi to leave Sasuke with the Third and Naruto, then had Itachi create a Shadow Clone before taking him away for one final task.

Hinata cared for the injured Uchiha Izumi, who woke and warned that the Military Police Force was under attack. Naruto appeared in Hinata’s room pale and weak, then abruptly returned to full health and urged her to get help for Izumi, only for Hinata to discover Izumi had vanished.

• Hinata tended to Izumi and wondered about the strange chains and the commotion outside.
• Izumi woke, activated her Three Tomoe Sharingan, and warned Hinata that the Military Police Force was under attack.
• Naruto appeared weak in Hinata’s room, and Hinata helped him up and worried over his condition.
• Naruto suddenly recovered, remembered that Izumi was in danger, and urged Hinata to alert someone.
• Hinata found the bed empty and wondered where Izumi had gone.

The Nine-Tails helped Minato recover after he spent nearly all his chakra dealing with Obito and the Uchiha situation, then agreed to take over Naruto’s lessons and teach him Sage Mode. As Minato wondered whether he had changed anything, the Nine-Tails judged that he had preserved a useful fighting force but said he should have killed Uchiha Itachi if his goal was to save the Uchiha Clan.

• The Nine-Tails found Minato’s chakra nearly spent and told him his recovery would take six months to a year.
• Minato worried about Naruto’s lessons, and the Nine-Tails said it would teach Naruto to use natural energy and enter Sage Mode.
• Minato admitted that he felt weak and recounted his actions that night, including how he had dealt with Uchiha Itachi.
• The Nine-Tails said Minato had done fairly well if he aimed to preserve a fighting force and leave Naruto a capable helper.
• The Nine-Tails said Minato had failed if he meant to save the Uchiha Clan, and declared that he would have killed Uchiha Itachi beforehand.

After the massacre, Itachi reunited with Shisui, who had survived and joined Akatsuki, while the Third received word of Shisui’s presence there. Itachi confessed the truth to Izumi, who could not kill him and sent him away, and he realized his plan to trap Obito had failed.

• Shisui appeared at the burning Uchiha compound and told Itachi that Madara had saved him and sent him to collect Itachi for their organization.
• Itachi left to speak with the Konoha High Command, while Root shinobi arrived too late to recover the bodies before the fire consumed them.
• The Third received Itachi’s message identifying a target believed to be Shisui Uchiha in Akatsuki.
• In the Ancient Kingdom Ruins, Itachi confessed the truth to Izumi after she embraced him, and she tried to stab him but could not kill him.
• Izumi ordered Itachi never to show himself before her again and left; Itachi then realized Obito had avoided the trap and Shisui was alive in Akatsuki.

Sasuke woke in Konoha Hospital and discovered that his nightmare of Itachi massacring the Uchiha clan had really happened. As Sasuke faced the clan’s ruins, Konoha’s leaders named Itachi and Shisui Uchiha as S-rank missing-nin and announced plans to issue wanted notices.

• Sasuke woke from his nightmare, noticed his injuries, and overheard hospital staff say that the Uchiha clan had been massacred and his older brother had disappeared.
• Sasuke ran from the hospital to the Uchiha Clan Compound and found it reduced to burned ruins.
• Sasuke reached his family home and realized that his parents and clan were truly gone.
• Shikaku announced that Konoha would issue wanted notices naming Uchiha Itachi and Shisui Uchiha as S-rank missing-nin.

The Third Hokage assigned Kakashi to deliver the notice of Shisui Uchiha’s Missing-nin status to Kirigakure and gave him wide discretion in negotiating. Kakashi left the office looking hardened by a year of hunting Missing-nin, while Might Guy dragged Gekko Hayate off to train.

• The Third dispatched Konoha shinobi to inform the major villages that Shisui Uchiha had been declared a Missing-nin.
• Danzo proposed sending a candidate to Kirigakure, but the Third assigned Kakashi before Danzo could finish.
• Kakashi entered the office in a striking new outfit and asked how firmly he could negotiate with Kirigakure; the Third told him to use his judgment.
• Kakashi left using the Body Flicker Technique, and Guy told Hayate that Kakashi had spent over a year taking difficult missions against Missing-nin and terrorist groups.
• Guy seized Hayate and rushed him off to train, leaving the Third, Danzo, the Advisors, and Shikaku in the office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi defended his decision to send Kakashi Hatake to Kirigakure despite Danzo's objections and the risks of provoking the village. After Danzo stormed out, Hiruzen remained alone, having chosen Kakashi because he had been Minato Namikaze's student.

• Danzo and the advisors challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision to send Kakashi Hatake to Kirigakure after the Uchiha Clan's extermination.
• Danzo proposed pursuing an alliance with Kirigakure and offering aid, and suggested replacing Kakashi with one of his subordinates.
• Hiruzen refused to replace Kakashi, saying the mission was to deliver a wanted notice and that Kakashi could handle the assignment.
• Hiruzen rebuked Danzo and asserted that he was still the Hokage, prompting Danzo to leave in anger.
• After the advisors departed, Hiruzen acknowledged to himself that he had chosen Kakashi because Kakashi was Minato Namikaze's student.

Naruto struggled with Izumi’s disappearance and his inability to sense her mark, so Hinata urged him to visit Sasuke. At the Riverside, Neji found Sasuke grieving and shared how the Hyuga Main Family’s actions had cost him his parents and bound him to the Caged Bird Seal.

• Naruto worried that he could no longer sense the mark on Izumi and wondered whether something had happened to her.
• Hinata suggested visiting Sasuke, and Naruto hurried with her to the hospital.
• Sasuke left the hospital and sat alone at the Riverside, grieving for his parents.
• Neji found Sasuke and followed him as he ran until they were both exhausted.
• Neji told Sasuke that his parents had died because of the Hyuga Main Family and revealed the Caged Bird Seal that forced him to protect them.

Neji helped Sasuke reconsider his grief by explaining how Naruto inspired him to believe he could change his fate, and Sasuke accepted Neji’s encouragement to grow stronger. Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails finished reshaping Naruto’s inner world and brought Naruto inside, still guarding a secret about how he would prevent future loss.

• Neji told Sasuke that Naruto had inspired him to believe the Caged Bird Seal and his fate could be overcome through strength.
• Neji gave Sasuke a get-well apple and urged him to start by eating, training, and getting strong enough to beat Naruto.
• Sasuke split the apple in half and shared it with Neji, while Naruto and Hinata watched from a tree and quietly cheered them on.
• The Nine-Tails completed a bright, grassy landscape in Naruto’s inner world and reflected on his bond with Minato and his fear of loss.
• The Nine-Tails decided to keep his plans secret and summoned a bewildered Naruto into the inner world.

Naruto met the Nine-Tails in his Inner World, where the fox explained his role in Naruto’s training and answered questions about recent events. The Nine-Tails could not explain why Naruto’s Flying Thunder God Mark on Izumi had vanished, then began telling him about the Uchiha Clan.

• Naruto recognized the Nine-Tails as the fox sealed inside him and calmly asked how it lived in his body.
• The Nine-Tails explained that he had no intention of harming Naruto or Konoha and would train Naruto to use a special energy in the Inner World.
• The Nine-Tails said Naruto would need precise control, willpower, food, sleep, and someone to care for him after training.
• Naruto asked whether the Nine-Tails had saved him during the strange incident that brought him to Hinata’s house, and the fox confirmed he had taken control of Naruto’s body.
• Naruto told the Nine-Tails he could no longer sense the Flying Thunder God Mark on Izumi, but the fox did not know why it had disappeared.
• Naruto asked about Sasuke’s family, and the Nine-Tails launched into a warning about the Uchiha Clan and Madara Uchiha.

Naruto walked Hinata to school while exhausted after listening to the Nine-Tails ramble all night. He asked Hinata to come over after school to help with Training, leaving her and Neji to misunderstand his intentions.

• Hinata left the Hyuga Clan compound with Naruto, while Neji followed them at a distance.
• Hyuga Hiashi overheard Ichita and Hengzuo gossiping about Naruto and Hinata and ordered them to fight until one was unconscious.
• Naruto told Hinata he had not slept because the Nine-Tails had talked to him all night.
• Naruto invited Hinata to his place after school to help with Training, and she blushed and agreed.
• Neji grew alarmed at Naruto's invitation and considered reporting it to the clan before it was too late.

Naruto was punished for sleeping in class, and Rock Lee used their time in the corridor to ask Naruto if he could train with him. Naruto agreed, leaving Lee encouraged and ready to train alongside him.

• Naruto slept through Iruka's lesson, brushed away Iruka's chalk, and was sent into the corridor after apologizing.
• Rock Lee tried to hug Iruka for punishing Naruto, so Iruka sent Lee into the corridor too.
• Lee told Naruto that Might Guy had trained him and that Guy's old training ground had been given to Naruto.
• Lee doubted that Naruto understood his hint about training together and felt discouraged by the gap between them.
• Remembering Might Guy's encouragement, Lee directly asked Naruto to let him train with him, and Naruto agreed.

Naruto asked Hinata to help him practice Sage Mode while he trained with the Nine-Tails in his inner world. He turned to stone almost immediately, leaving the Nine-Tails to prepare another attempt.

• Naruto, Rock Lee, and Sasuke returned to class, where Sasuke received a small gift of money from his classmates after Hinata, Neji, and Naruto had explained his situation.
• After school, Neji and Sasuke left to handle their own affairs, so Naruto took Rock Lee to the training ground and then brought Hinata home to help with his training.
• Naruto told Hinata to hit him with a chakra-coated stick if he stayed motionless for over an hour, then entered his inner world to practice Sage Mode with the Nine-Tails.
• The Nine-Tails sent natural energy into Naruto, who immediately turned into a stone statue and lost consciousness.
• The Nine-Tails prepared more natural energy clusters, expecting Hinata's blow to wake Naruto after an hour so they could try again.

Naruto trained to withstand natural energy in his Inner World while Hinata watched over him, and Hiashi misread the situation after hearing Neji's message. The chapter ended with Kakashi reaching the Land of Water's border on a mission to visit Genji of Kirigakure.

• Hyuga Hiashi heard Neji's message, injured his hand crushing a teacup, and warned Hanabi not to ask Hinata about what happened that day.
• Hinata struck Naruto with a wooden club to wake him from petrification, and Naruto found his legs temporarily unable to move.
• Naruto asked the Nine-Tails about the training, and the Nine-Tails explained the effects of petrification before sending another Natural Energy Orb at him.
• Kakashi identified himself to a Kirigakure border ninja and said he was on a mission to visit Lord Genji.

Kakashi entered Kirigakure under Mei Terumi’s escort, but she revealed that the village intended to capture and interrogate him. He effortlessly broke through the Hidden Mist Technique and subdued Mei, then ordered her to continue leading him without guards.

• Mei Terumi introduced herself and escorted Kakashi toward Kirigakure despite another Ninja demanding his weapons.
• Mei admitted that she would not let Kakashi meet Lord Genji easily and ordered the Kirigakure Ninjas to capture him alive.
• The Kirigakure Ninjas surrounded Kakashi and used the Hidden Mist Technique to obscure his senses.
• Kakashi cut through the mist with a lightning-fast slash and appeared at Mei’s throat before she could finish her Jutsu.
• Kakashi spared Mei, sheathed his sword, and told her to continue leading him without guards.

Naruto’s natural-energy training left him mentally and physically numb, so the Nine-Tails told him to practice only for short periods. After Naruto and Hinata shared noodles and prepared to leave, they found Sasuke and Neji outside the neighboring room, and Sasuke said the village had arranged for him to stay there.

• Naruto woke from a painful blow, and Hinata treated his injury while asking whether he could move his legs.
• Naruto told the Nine-Tails that he had temporarily lost control of his thoughts and body, so the Nine-Tails ended the session and limited his future practice.
• Naruto recovered, shared instant noodles with Hinata, and walked her toward home.
• Neji waited outside Naruto’s building and encountered Sasuke, then asked to join him in investigating Naruto’s strength.
• Naruto and Hinata found Sasuke and Neji fumbling with a key, and Sasuke explained that the village had arranged for him to stay in the neighboring room.

Naruto learned Sasuke had become his landlord and worried about Hinata’s family after noticing Neji’s strange behavior. Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails developed an unusual mass of self-refining senjutsu chakra, and Kakashi proposed a deal with Kirigakure after informing Lord Genji that Shisui had joined Akatsuki.

• Naruto told Hinata that Sasuke had bought his apartment building after selling the Uchiha land to the village, then briefly fought Neji after they misunderstood each other.
• The Nine-Tails reflected on Naruto’s happier childhood and cultivated an expanding mass of natural energy with a trace of chakra, planning to use it against the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
• Kakashi told Lord Genji that Shisui had joined Akatsuki and that defected Mist swordsmen might also belong to the organization.
• Kakashi asked whether Konoha could make a deal with Kirigakure, and Genji listened without revealing his response.
• Mei Terumi continued to watch Kakashi closely as he walked through Kirigakure with her and two Elite Jonin.

Itachi joined the Akatsuki as a covert observer for the Will of Fire and discovered that its ranks included Orochimaru and the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura. As the organization continued recruiting, Konan grew increasingly wary of Madara Uchiha’s influence and prepared for trouble.

• Shisui brought Itachi to the Akatsuki’s hideout and explained that he used the alias Shika while Madara operated under the name Tobi.
• Itachi encountered Orochimaru and Tobi, then met Pain, who described the Akatsuki’s plan to replace the Five Great Nations and rule the world.
• Itachi accepted a Vermilion ring and joined the Akatsuki, resolving to monitor it for the Will of Fire.
• Pain paired Itachi with Juzo Biwa, and Itachi noticed that Karatachi Yagura, the missing Fourth Mizukage, was also an Akatsuki member and worked with Shisui.
• After the members dispersed, Konan questioned whether the Akatsuki needed more recruits, but Pain agreed to prepare more rings.
• Konan remained suspicious of Madara’s growing influence and decided she needed to prepare for what might come.

After mastering Sage Mode with Hinata’s help, Naruto wondered whether their closeness made them family and visited Sasuke, who was training alone at the Uchiha Clan’s Secret Training Ground. Back in his Inner World, Naruto learned that a ghostly flame claiming to be his father had something to tell him.

• Naruto finally mastered Sage Mode after more than a year of Training with Hinata, then celebrated with her before becoming dizzy and eating her cooking.
• Naruto asked Hinata if they were family, then walked her home and felt lonely as she returned to the Hyuga Compound.
• Naruto secretly watched Sasuke train at the Uchiha Clan’s Secret Training Ground, and Sasuke sensed someone before deciding to tell Neji and Rock Lee that Naruto had succeeded.
• Naruto entered Sage Mode at will in his Inner World, and the Nine-Tails warned him to take time adjusting to his increased abilities.
• The Nine-Tails told Naruto that his father had a message for him, and a ghostly flame appeared and introduced himself as Naruto’s father.