Recaps

Obito and Hidan defeated Yugito and withdrew with the unconscious Two-Tails jinchūriki after Obito stopped her rampaging chakra. At the Akatsuki hideout, Gaara had died after the One-Tail was sealed, and Naruto arrived demanding his return.

• Yugito lured Hidan and Obito away from her teammates and fought them using Matatabi's power.
• Obito used his Landmine Plains Technique to blast Yugito, then Hidan used his ritual to cripple her.
• Obito subdued the Two-Tails' chakra, and he and Hidan left with the unconscious Yugito.
• The Akatsuki completed sealing the One-Tail, and Gaara died after its extraction.
• Deidara asked what to do with Gaara's body, while Sasori said he had a superior puppet already.
• Naruto burst into the hideout and demanded that the Akatsuki give Gaara back.

Obito and Hidan captured Yugito while Nagato prepared to seal the Two-Tails, and Obito learned that Kisame and Uchiha Itachi were already fighting Roshi. Kisame defeated Roshi, and Itachi stayed behind to face the arriving Iwagakure ninja, seeing a chance to pass intelligence to Konoha.

• Naruto learned that Gaara was dead and accused Deidara and Sasori of killing him.
• Obito and Hidan brought Yugito to the temporary hideout, where Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue and began sealing the Two-Tails.
• Obito planned to target Roshi, but Nagato told him that Kisame and Uchiha Itachi had already found the Four-Tails' jinchūriki.
• Kisame fought Roshi with Water Release and defeated him, while Itachi considered how to warn Konoha about the Akatsuki.
• Iwagakure ninja arrived to rescue Roshi, and Itachi told Kisame to take Roshi away while he dealt with them.

After Akatsuki captured Roshi, Ōnoki discovered that Uchiha Itachi had used a sophisticated genjutsu to deliver a warning about Akatsuki’s plan to capture the tailed beasts. The warning left Ōnoki suspecting Konoha’s involvement and calling the Fourth Raikage, while Tsunade wondered whether Konoha had secretly planted a spy.

• A messenger told Ōnoki that Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi had captured Roshi for Akatsuki.
• Ōnoki suspected that Uchiha Itachi had placed the returning Iwagakure ninja under genjutsu and ordered the Sealing Squad to investigate.
• Under genjutsu, an Iwagakure ninja delivered Akatsuki’s plan to capture the nine tailed beasts to the Konoha delegation, then forgot what he had done.
• Ōnoki confirmed that the ninja had been genjutsu-controlled, ordered him released and watched, and suspected Konoha was behind Akatsuki.
• Ōnoki called the Fourth Raikage, while Tsunade questioned whether the old man had secretly planted a spy.

Nagato considered whether becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki could make him stronger than Tetsuya as Obito paused the tailed-beast hunt. Deidara returned injured and reported Sasori's death, while Sakura confirmed Gaara could not be saved and Naruto grieved until Chiyo silenced him.

• Nagato wondered whether the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki could match Tetsuya's power, and Obito said the Akatsuki would rest after sealing three tailed beasts.
• Obito planned to use Uchiha Itachi's head and reveal the agreement between Itachi and Hiruzen Sarutobi to turn the shinobi world against Konoha.
• Deidara returned to the Akatsuki base injured and said Kakashi had severed his arm and Sasori was not coming back.
• Obito comforted Deidara with the promise of reuniting with the dead through Infinite Tsukuyomi, and Nagato sent Obito to recover Sasori's ring.
• Sakura examined Gaara at the destroyed hideout and determined he was beyond saving, prompting Naruto to mourn until Chiyo shouted at him.

Tetsuya stopped Madara Uchiha and Tobirama from fighting and discovered that a viral Forum post had enraged Madara. The post blamed Hiruzen Sarutobi for manipulating Uchiha Itachi into slaughtering the Uchiha Clan and portrayed Itachi as plotting to take Sasuke Uchiha’s eyes.

• Izuna told Tetsuya that Madara Uchiha had gone berserk after reading a Forum post, and Madara summoned his complete Susanoo.
• Tetsuya persuaded Madara Uchiha and Tobirama to sit down, where they argued over the Senju Clan, the Uchiha Clan, and Uchiha Itachi.
• Tetsuya opened the Forum and found a post by False World at the top of Trending Searches, claiming Konoha had infiltrated the Akatsuki.
• Tetsuya read the post’s account of Hiruzen Sarutobi brainwashing Uchiha Itachi into killing his clan and using Sasuke Uchiha to obtain the eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

After a post about the Uchiha Clan’s destruction reignited Madara and Tobirama’s argument, surviving Uchiha gathered at Tetsuya’s residence seeking permission to hunt Itachi. Tetsuya went to meet them, while Tobirama left after Shinada warned him that the survivors’ emotions were unstable.

• Tetsuya and Madara argued with Tobirama over his role in the Uchiha Clan’s downfall and Konoha’s succession.
• Shinada told Tetsuya that Shisui, Sasuke, and the other surviving Uchiha had arrived to request permission to leave the Land of Grass and kill Itachi.
• Tetsuya set out for the Detached Residence with Madara and Izuna, while Shinada warned Tobirama that the Uchiha might lose control and put Tetsuya in a difficult position.
• Tobirama used the Flying Thunder God Technique to leave after promising not to make things difficult for Tetsuya.
• Tetsuya arrived to find the Uchiha gathered quietly, many with newly upgraded Sharingan but none with Mangekyō.

The Uchiha survivors asked Tetsuya for permission to leave the Land of Grass and execute Uchiha Itachi, but he challenged them to consider how they would find and defeat him without relying on Madara and Izuna. After they chose to seek revenge with their own strength, Tetsuya suggested that Sasuke should be the one to kill Itachi.

• The Uchiha survivors bowed to Tetsuya, Madara, and Izuna as they entered the courtyard.
• Shisui and Izumi told Tetsuya the clan wanted permission to leave the Land of Grass and execute Itachi.
• Tetsuya asked how they would locate and defeat Itachi and the Akatsuki, and the survivors realized they had no plan.
• The survivors rejected borrowing Madara and Izuna's strength and declared they would take revenge themselves.
• Tetsuya said Sasuke hated Itachi more than the others and proposed that Sasuke be the one to kill him.

Tetsuya persuaded the Uchiha to stop blaming Sasuke for Itachi’s massacre and proposed using Sasuke to lure Itachi out. The clan accepted Sasuke, who agreed to challenge his brother publicly so he could kill him himself.

• Tetsuya argued that Sasuke had suffered from Itachi’s betrayal as both a Uchiha and Itachi’s younger brother, and deserved the chance to take revenge.
• Tetsuya proposed a plan to make Itachi appear, and Shisui worried that using Sasuke as bait would put him in danger.
• Sasuke declared his hatred for Itachi and asked the Uchiha to let him end the feud himself.
• Izumi and the Uchiha reassured Sasuke that he was a victim, then accepted him and supported his pursuit of Itachi.
• Tetsuya revealed that Sasuke would publicly challenge Itachi online, betting that Itachi would come after learning Sasuke was alive.

Tetsuya arranged for Sasuke’s public challenge to Uchiha Itachi and asked Nagato to make sure Itachi saw it. Over tea, he explained to Izuna and Madara how the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan had grown into an inevitable path toward rebellion.

• Sasuke vowed to fight Uchiha Itachi even if it cost him his life, and Tetsuya published Sasuke’s challenge to a duel in seven days.
• Tetsuya messaged Nagato to show Uchiha Itachi the post, then went to the Tea House and joined Madara and Izuna.
• Izuna asked Tetsuya what the Uchiha Clan’s destruction looked like from Itachi’s perspective, and Tetsuya said its causes reached back to Konoha’s founding.
• Madara recalled that the clan had refused to leave Konoha with him, and Tetsuya described how the Uchiha’s pride and Konoha’s other clans’ suspicion deepened their conflict.
• Tetsuya concluded that the mounting conflict made an Uchiha rebellion inevitable from Itachi’s perspective.

Tetsuya explained why Uchiha Itachi chose Konoha over his clan and sacrificed the Uchiha to prevent a wider war. Izuna realized Itachi had planned for Sasuke Uchiha to survive and eventually defeat him, confirming Tetsuya's prediction that Itachi would appear.

• Tetsuya explained that Itachi loved peace and saw himself as a person of Konoha before a member of the Uchiha Clan.
• Tetsuya argued that the Uchiha rebellion was unlikely to succeed and would leave Konoha vulnerable to attacks from other shinobi villages.
• Tetsuya said Itachi chose to sacrifice the clan to prevent civil war and greater loss of life.
• Madara Uchiha condemned Itachi, while Tetsuya pointed out that Madara was judging him from the clan's perspective.
• Izuna reasoned that Itachi had planned to bear the blame for the massacre, let Sasuke Uchiha grow stronger, and eventually be defeated by him.
• Tetsuya confirmed Izuna's conclusion and said Sasuke would survive and win their final duel.

Sasuke confronted Itachi beneath the abandoned Naka River Shrine and fought him with the Kusanagi Sword and ninjutsu. Sasuke appeared to pin Itachi, but Itachi revealed the apparent victory was a trick and allowed Sasuke to ask one final question before Sasuke stabbed him from behind.

• Sasuke waited in the shrine's underground chamber with Orochimaru's Kusanagi Sword as Itachi arrived.
• Sasuke and Itachi exchanged taunts and fought with swords, kunai, fire techniques, and lightning.
• Sasuke pinned Itachi to the floor with his sword, but Itachi's body became crows and revealed he was sitting in Sasuke's former seat.
• Itachi invited Sasuke to ask his question, and Sasuke appeared behind the stone chair and stabbed him from behind.

Sasuke confronted Itachi about the masked Sharingan user who attacked Uchiha clan members and learned that Itachi identified him as Madara Uchiha. After their genjutsu duel revealed both brothers had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, they began a direct battle, which ended with Sasuke preparing to counter Itachi’s attempt to use Amaterasu.

• Sasuke demanded to know who had attacked Uchiha clan members outside the compound, and Itachi named Madara Uchiha.
• Sasuke rejected the possibility that the masked attacker was Madara and insisted that his eyes could see through illusions.
• The genjutsu ended, revealing Sasuke and Itachi with their Mangekyō Sharingan activated, and Itachi warned Sasuke that the eyes would eventually go blind.
• Sasuke and Itachi exchanged a barrage of shuriken, and Sasuke used a white snake to block Itachi and his Shadow Clone.
• Sasuke launched a lightning-charged Fūma Shuriken that sliced through Itachi’s clone, while Black Zetsu predicted Itachi would use Amaterasu.
• Sasuke recognized Itachi’s intention and prepared a Fūma Shuriken with Chidori Stream to stop him.

Tetsuya explained to Rin that he was waiting by the Naka River to intercept Itachi’s accomplice, who would benefit from Itachi’s death and might recruit Sasuke. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Itachi’s battle intensified, and Sasuke overwhelmed Itachi’s Amaterasu with Kagutsuchi, declaring that he had surpassed his brother.

• Tetsuya told Rin that Itachi’s accomplice was an old acquaintance of hers and would wait until the battle ended before acting.
• Tetsuya explained that Itachi believed he had helped Konoha as an undercover agent, though others had been manipulating him.
• Itachi unleashed Amaterasu against Sasuke, who countered with the same Mangekyō Sharingan ability.
• Sasuke used Kagutsuchi to overpower Itachi’s flames and announced that he had surpassed him.
• Sasuke’s vision blurred after using his Mangekyō Sharingan, then briefly returned to normal as he wondered whether the battle was over.

Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi revealed their Complete Body Susanoo and prepared to settle their fight. While watching, Rin wondered why the Masked Man could not use Susanoo, and Tetsuya explained that he had only awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan with one eye.

• Uchiha Itachi survived Sasuke's black flames by using Susanoo, then revealed the power of his Complete Body Susanoo.
• Sasuke manifested his own Complete Body Susanoo, and the brothers faced each other at equal height.
• Tetsuya told Rin that she could match Susanoo by drawing on Isobu's power and using Complete Tailed Beast Transformation.
• Rin realized the Masked Man had only one Sharingan and guessed that he might have taken it from a dead Uchiha rather than being one himself.
• Tetsuya explained that the Masked Man's unusual Mangekyō awakening with only one eye prevented him from using Susanoo.
• Sasuke drew his bow while Itachi summoned Yasaka Magatama, and the two prepared to end their battle.

Sasuke defeated Itachi and rejected his attempt to use Shisui’s Sharingan to control his will, declaring that he would return to Konoha with the Uchiha as conquerors rather than as a bridge. After Itachi died, Obito appeared and tried to draw Sasuke into his own plans by offering unknown truths about Itachi.

• Sasuke defeated Itachi, who fell dying in the rain and admitted that he had expected death.
• Itachi sent a crow carrying Shisui’s Sharingan toward Sasuke, but Sasuke seized the crow, crushed it, and removed the eye.
• Sasuke accused Itachi of betraying Shisui’s will and rejected his plan to send Sasuke back to Konoha as a mediator.
• Sasuke declared that he, Shisui, Izumi, and the others would return to Konoha to reclaim the Uchiha’s place, then told Itachi he would be excluded from their future clan records.
• Itachi died, and Sasuke felt relieved as he began tending to his body.
• Obito appeared and tried to befriend Sasuke, then caught his attention by offering to reveal something he did not know about Itachi.

Sasuke sealed Itachi’s body while Rin fought Obito, then rested with Tetsuya and discussed the Uchiha Clan’s future. As Obito pushed Rin into a corner, she called on Isobu and began a Tailed Beast Transformation.

• Obito tried to tempt Sasuke with information about Itachi, but Rin appeared and attacked him with a Rasengan.
• Sasuke sealed Itachi’s body and crossed toward Tetsuya, who caught him with a fishing hook when his weakened chakra nearly sent him into the river.
• Sasuke told Tetsuya that revenge had left him feeling relaxed and that he hoped to restore the Uchiha Clan, even if he had to use Rinne Rebirth himself.
• Tetsuya revealed that Obito had helped cause the Uchiha massacre and explained his formidable abilities to Sasuke.
• Obito drove Rin into a corner, so Rin called on Isobu and began her Tailed Beast Transformation.

Rin transformed into the Three-Tails and drove Obito to retreat, while Tetsuya and Sasuke escaped before Jiraiya and the Konoha ninja arrived. Jiraiya reached the devastated Naka River Shrine, unaware of who had fought there.

• Obito recognized Rin as the Three-Tails' jinchūriki and attacked her, but Isobu's Water Release destroyed his Wood Release.
• Black Zetsu warned Obito that Jiraiya and Konoha ninja were approaching, so Obito tried to escape; Rin fired a Tailed Beast Bomb at him, but he got away.
• Rin asked Tetsuya how to counter Obito's Intangibility, and Tetsuya explained that Space Manipulation like Izuna's Rinnegan could overcome it.
• Tetsuya sensed approaching chakra signatures and used Flying Thunder God to take Rin and Sasuke away from the riverbank.
• Jiraiya arrived at the ruined Naka River Shrine and wondered what kind of battle had caused such destruction.

Jiraiya reported a battle involving a berserk jinchūriki near the Naka River, and Tsunade warned the other villages that Akatsuki was active again. Ōnoki proposed a Five Kage Summit to pressure Konoha into making concessions.

• Jiraiya showed Tsunade photographs and a Sensory Team report confirming a devastating battle and a powerful tailed-beast chakra fluctuation near the Naka River.
• Tsunade agreed to warn the villages that still had jinchūriki, despite their suspicions that Konoha was connected to Akatsuki.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade that Naruto had stalled in learning the Flying Thunder God Technique and might need to learn senjutsu at Mount Myōboku.
• Tsunade sent a statement to the other villages, describing the Naka River incident and warning that Akatsuki was moving again.
• Ōnoki and Raikage A discussed Konoha’s statement and agreed that attacking Konoha without evidence would invite condemnation.
• Ōnoki proposed holding a Five Kage Summit to pressure Konoha through negotiations.

Nagato and Obito discussed Akatsuki’s losses and the need to recruit members, then sent Obito and Zetsu to approach Kabuto Yakushi. Kabuto fled from Orochimaru’s pursuers, who cornered him with a series of attacks.

• Obito told Nagato that Uchiha Itachi was dead and reported that the Three-Tails had revived and was sealed within its jinchūriki.
• Nagato agreed with Obito that Akatsuki needed more members after losing Sasori, Itachi, and numerous rank-and-file members.
• Black Zetsu identified Kabuto Yakushi, an Otogakure defector who had stolen the Ryūchi Cave summoning contract and forbidden techniques, as a potential recruit.
• Nagato assigned Obito and Black Zetsu to approach Kabuto, then remarked that Master Tetsuya’s bait had drawn in a big fish.
• At the border of the Land of Rice Fields, Kabuto cut Kidomaru’s arrow with a chakra blade, but Sakon and Ukon blocked his escape with Rashomon while Jirobo hurled a massive boulder at him.

Obito and Black Zetsu watched Kabuto Yakushi fight the Sound Four, who revealed a powerful new third stage of their curse marks. As the Sound Four closed in on Kabuto, Obito intervened and escaped with him using Intangibility.

• Obito and Black Zetsu discussed Kabuto's past and speculated that his hatred of Konoha and Danzo had led him to betray Orochimaru.
• The Sound Four activated curse mark stage three, which transformed them into pale, adult-looking forms, and overwhelmed Kabuto with their attacks.
• Kabuto realized he could not use Subterranean Voyage after the Sound Four altered the bedrock beneath him.
• The Sound Four trapped Kabuto with genjutsu, spider silk, and a barrage of attacks, leaving him in danger.
• Obito caught Kidomaru's arrow, knocked aside a demon, and took Kabuto away using Intangibility.

Obito rescued Kabuto Yakushi and offered him a chance to join forces against Konoha and Danzo, but Kabuto collapsed from his wounds before they could talk further. Tetsuya learned that Kabuto had made contact with Obito and ordered the next stage of the plan to begin.

• Obito rescued Kabuto Yakushi from the Sound Four and revealed that he called himself Madara Uchiha.
• Obito asked whether Kabuto hated Konoha and Danzo, and Kabuto declared that he would never forgive them.
• Kabuto spat blood and collapsed, revealing a severe wound that Black Zetsu suspected Orochimaru had inflicted.
• The Sound Four reported their failed mission to Orochimaru and said a masked man had rescued Kabuto.
• Orochimaru messaged Tetsuya that Kabuto had contacted Obito, and Tetsuya approved the next stage of the plan.

After learning that the Akatsuki had destroyed the Tsuchigumo Clan and captured Utakata, Kakuzu urged Takigakure’s leaders to seek a powerful ally. Takigakure asked Konoha for an alliance and protection for its jinchūriki, and Tsunade considered agreeing to counter rumors that Konoha controlled the Akatsuki.

• A Takigakure ninja told Kakuzu that the Akatsuki had wiped out the Tsuchigumo Clan and captured Utakata.
• Kakuzu convened the Elder Council and warned that Takigakure could not withstand an Akatsuki attack alone.
• Kakuzu proposed seeking an ally, and the council discussed whether to trust Konoha or another major village.
• Takigakure sent an envoy to ask Konoha for an alliance and protection for its jinchūriki.
• Tsunade asked Jiraiya for advice, and he recommended agreeing to show the shinobi world that Konoha was not behind the Akatsuki.

Tsunade and Jiraiya agreed to Takigakure’s alliance request and arranged for the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, Kaede, to travel secretly to Konoha. As Kaede set out, Zetsu and Obito revealed to Nagato that they knew her route and planned to capture her and implicate Konoha.

• Tsunade and Jiraiya agreed to form an alliance with Takigakure and arranged for Jiraiya to receive Kaede in secret.
• Kakuzu told Kaede she would be sent to Konoha, and she accepted the decision while reassuring him about Takigakure.
• Kaede left for the Land of Fire with a small escort five days later.
• Zetsu informed Nagato that Takigakure was sending Kaede to Konoha for protection.
• Obito proposed capturing Kaede and making the outside world believe Konoha was connected to the Akatsuki.

Obito and Kabuto disguised themselves as Konoha ninjas to escort Kaede, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, but Jiraiya exposed their ruse and confronted them. The battle began with Konoha forces fighting White Zetsu while Jiraiya faced Kabuto, who knew Orochimaru’s whereabouts.

• Genma Shiranui’s disguised impostor used a scroll with a Jiraiya projection to convince the wary Takigakure group to travel with him.
• Kaede secretly scattered scale powder along the route so Jiraiya could track them, while the Takigakure leader grew suspicious that Jiraiya had not caught up.
• Jiraiya arrived with more Konoha ninjas and accused the three escorts of impersonating Konoha shinobi.
• Obito ordered Black Zetsu to summon White Zetsu, and Jiraiya commanded the Konoha ninjas to attack and protect Kaede.
• Obito revealed his disguise and assigned Kabuto to capture Kaede, but Kabuto chose to face Jiraiya and discussed his respect for Orochimaru.
• Jiraiya asked Kabuto where Orochimaru was and formed a Rasengan when Kabuto refused to tell him.

Obito pursued Kaede while the White Zetsu army held off the Waterfall Ninja, and Kabuto Yakushi challenged Jiraiya with Ryūchi Cave senjutsu. The chapter left Jiraiya and Kabuto fighting in Sage Mode as Kabuto unleashed his White Rage Technique.

• Obito attacked Kaede’s Waterfall Ninja protectors, and Kaede flew away to draw him from them.
• White Zetsu emerged from underground and blocked the Waterfall Ninja from pursuing Obito.
• Kabuto told Jiraiya he had learned Ryūchi Cave senjutsu and activated Sage Mode.
• Jiraiya summoned Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima, then entered Mount Myōboku’s Sage Mode with their help.
• Jiraiya charged Kabuto, whose Sage Art brought the soil to life to block Fukasaku’s water blades.
• Kabuto opened his mouth and used Sage Art: White Rage Technique.