Recaps

Naruto gave Kumogakure time to evacuate its civilians before fighting Raikage A, insisting that he would conquer the village by force. From a distant cliff, Obito Uchiha and the surviving Akatsuki watched and wondered at Naruto’s restraint.

• Naruto used A’s law-of-the-jungle logic to declare that Kumogakure belonged to him as the stronger force.
• Naruto promised not to harm civilians and told A he would fight him once the evacuation was complete.
• Naruto sat down to wait while Uchiha Hikari guarded him and A watched Kumogakure’s evacuation continue.
• Obito Uchiha and the surviving Akatsuki observed the standoff from a distant cliff as Hidan complained about waiting.
• Sasori questioned why Naruto showed mercy to enemy civilians despite his painful childhood in Konoha.

Naruto warned Fourth Raikage A that Akatsuki was lurking nearby and targeting Kumogakure’s tailed beasts, forcing A to choose between a temporary alliance and fighting Naruto first. The chapter ended with A weighing the dangerous options.

• Kakuzu questioned Naruto’s motives and strength as the remaining Akatsuki watched Kumogakure and suspected Obito knew more than he revealed.
• Naruto told Fourth Raikage A that hidden enemies were nearby, though neither A nor Hikari had sensed them.
• Naruto said he had come to pursue peace and settle his personal affairs, and that he had no reason to kill Killer B or Yugito.
• Naruto warned that the hidden group might be after the tailed beasts and offered A a choice: cooperate to stop them or fight each other and risk letting them seize Kumogakure’s beasts.
• A suggested the hidden enemies might be targeting Naruto, but Naruto replied that they were preparing to capture the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails.
• A considered whether to trust Naruto and confront Akatsuki together or continue their fight.

Yugito’s Fire Rat Ball began Kumogakure’s counterattack, and A launched a lightning-fast Lariat at Naruto. Naruto revealed his Byakugan, dispelled A’s lightning with Wind Release, and sent him crashing away while Uchiha Hikari intercepted Yugito’s attack.

• Naruto and A waited as both sides prepared for the coming fight.
• Yugito returned and fired Fire Rat Ball at Naruto, signaling Kumogakure’s counterattack.
• A activated his Lightning Release Armor and attacked Naruto with Lariat.
• Naruto revealed his Byakugan and used Wind Release to neutralize A’s lightning.
• Naruto struck A in the abdomen and sent him flying into the ground.
• Uchiha Hikari intercepted Yugito’s Fire Rat Ball with Yasohinokami.

Naruto fought the Fourth Raikage while Uchiha Hikari battled Yugito outside Kumogakure. Hikari used Tsukuyomi and Yachihoko to subdue Yugito and Matatabi, leaving Yugito unconscious and marked.

• Naruto struck the Fourth Raikage, who endured the attack and stood back up with only minor injuries.
• Yugito charged Hikari with tailed-beast-enhanced claws, and Hikari deflected her attacks with Yasohinokami.
• Hikari manifested a skeletal Susanoo to block Yugito's claw strike, then trapped her in Tsukuyomi.
• Inside Tsukuyomi, Hikari invoked Yachihoko and began pulling Yugito and Matatabi into her control.
• Yugito lost consciousness as Hikari sensed that she had branded another person with Yachihoko's mark.

Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Hikari faced Kumogakure’s defenses as the village prepared Chakra Weapons, while Yugito entered partial tailed beast transformation. The fight turned chaotic when Yugito attacked Fourth Raikage A, allowing Naruto to strike him by teleporting to Flying Thunder God Marks he had placed on A’s arms.

• Kumogakure ninja formed a defensive formation while others searched for hidden enemies and charged the Chakra Weapons with Killer B’s help.
• Yugito told A that Hikari was very strong, then entered partial tailed beast transformation.
• Toroi noticed Dodai move and hurled his shuriken toward the space between Yugito and A.
• Yugito’s claws struck Toroi’s shuriken as she attacked A, and A punched her when he suspected she was being controlled.
• Naruto appeared beside A using the Flying Thunder God Marks he had placed on A’s arms and drove a knee into A’s face.

Naruto defended himself from Toroi’s Magnet Release attack with Gold Dust while Hikari burned away Dodai’s Rubber Ball. As Naruto drove a chakra-draining wooden spike into the Raikage, Yugito protected him and explained why she had turned against Kumogakure.

• Toroi attacked Naruto with Magnet Release: Wasp Twin Blades while Dodai launched a Rubber Ball at Uchiha Hikari.
• Naruto formed Gold Dust Shields that stopped and repelled Toroi’s shuriken, shocking the Kumogakure ninja with his mastery of Magnet Release.
• Uchiha Hikari burned through Dodai’s Rubber Ball with Amaterasu.
• Naruto formed a wooden spike and drove it into the Raikage’s abdomen, where it began absorbing his chakra and growing.
• Yugito fought off two Kumogakure jonin and guarded Naruto; when one accused her of betraying the Raikage, she said she was sick of the Kumogakure ninja and Killer B’s nightly rapping.

Naruto captured the Fourth Raikage and discovered that Kumogakure had developed a secret chakra weapon. He challenged Killer B to attack him with it while insisting that he would prevent Kumogakure from suffering unnecessary damage.

• Yugito insulted the Kumogakure ninja, prompting them to believe that Uchiha Hikari had controlled her.
• Naruto sealed the Fourth Raikage inside a wooden coffin and carried him on his shoulder.
• Naruto detected the chakra weapon in Kumogakure and confronted Dodai with his knowledge of the secret project.
• Naruto ordered the Kumogakure ninja to tell Killer B to attack him with everything, including the chakra weapon.
• The Kumogakure ninja vowed to rescue the Fourth Raikage at any cost.

The Akatsuki watched Naruto capture the Raikage, and Obito decided to wait for Killer B to unleash the Eight-Tails before attacking. Obito secretly delayed because his Kamui eye was damaged and needed time to recover.

• Hidan urged the Akatsuki to ambush Naruto and Uchiha Hikari, but Kakuzu asked Obito whether they should act.
• Obito ordered the Akatsuki to wait until Killer B appeared and explained that a rampaging Eight-Tails would distract Naruto and throw Kumogakure into chaos.
• Kakuzu doubted that Obito was the real Madara Uchiha, while Hidan reluctantly accepted the decision to wait.
• Obito privately revealed that Izanagi had left his Sharingan damaged and Kamui weakened, and that Hashirama cells were slowly helping his eye recover.

Obito and the Akatsuki waited for Kumogakure to weaken, while Killer B attacked Naruto to rescue the captured Raikage. Naruto used the Raikage’s coffin to fend off Killer B, who revealed a hidden intact arm and stabbed at Naruto beneath the ribs.

• Obito watched the Akatsuki members as they waited for Kumogakure to descend further into chaos, and Kakuzu noticed him touching his right eye.
• Killer B left the Chakra Cannon to attack Naruto, entrusting Darui with waiting for the right moment.
• Naruto used the coffin holding the Raikage as a shield against Killer B’s blades and countered with a kick.
• Killer B held back to avoid harming his brother, and Naruto used the coffin to keep their fight at a stalemate.
• Killer B revealed an intact arm from his empty sleeve and stabbed toward Naruto beneath the ribs, revealing that the arm burned off earlier had belonged to a tentacle clone.

Naruto Uzumaki used a Wooden Sword to trap Killer B in a chakra-draining wooden coffin, then began healing the Raikage. With Kumogakure’s three strongest fighters defeated, Naruto planned how to govern and redistribute the other villages’ people.

• Killer B believed he had stabbed Naruto Uzumaki, but Gyuki realized they were caught in a genjutsu.
• Naruto pierced Killer B with a Wooden Sword that drained his chakra and spread sealing runes across his body.
• Naruto sealed Killer B inside a wooden coffin beside the Raikage’s coffin.
• Naruto pulled the Ninja Blades from the Raikage’s coffin and used the Life-for-Life Reduction Technique to heal him.
• Naruto planned to have Kitsuchi govern the Land of Lightning and assign people from other villages to projects across the Land of Wind, Kirigakure, and the Land of Earth.

Naruto captured Killer B and addressed the defeated Kumogakure ninja, promising that Konoha would not persecute them and would improve their lives. A scarred jonin called for continued resistance, but Dodai refused to lead it, and the jonin turned to Toroi for help.

• Naruto surveyed the terrified Kumogakure forces after sealing Killer B in a coffin alongside the captured Fourth Raikage A.
• Naruto assured the Kumogakure ninja and civilians that Konoha sought peace and would not slaughter or persecute them, citing Iwagakure and Sunagakure as examples.
• A scarred Kumogakure jonin denounced Naruto's promises and urged Dodai to lead the village in fighting Konoha.
• Dodai stepped back, deciding that further resistance would only cause more deaths, and remained silent when the scarred jonin insulted him.
• The scarred jonin appealed to Toroi, praising his Magnet Release and asking him to lead the resistance.

Kumogakure's ninja surrendered after realizing Konoha had spared them and their families would be safe. Hidan mocked their lack of resistance, while Sasori warned the Akatsuki that Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Hikari were dangerous opponents.

• Toroi refused to charge into a likely futile battle, and the scarred jonin called him a coward.
• The scarred jonin urged the Kumogakure ninja to fight for their families, but others pointed out that they were safe and began lowering their weapons.
• Kumogakure's ninja surrendered, prompting Hidan to complain that they had shown no great nation's dignity.
• Sasori challenged Hidan to fight Naruto Uzumaki himself and explained that Naruto and Uchiha Hikari possessed formidable abilities.
• Sasori compared the Mangekyō Sharingan's unknown strength to Uchiha Itachi's proven power, silencing Hidan and unsettling Kisame and Deidara.

The Akatsuki watched Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Hikari take control of Kumogakure, then withdrew after reassessing the threat they posed. Naruto intercepted them through a spatial portal and attacked Hidan with his own scythe.

• Hidan abandoned the idea of attacking after seeing how Naruto and Uchiha Hikari had defeated Kumogakure’s jinchūriki, while the other Akatsuki members weighed the danger.
• Obito ordered the Akatsuki to leave, and the group withdrew from the cliff as Naruto glanced toward their hiding place.
• Naruto continued into Kumogakure with Hikari and Yugito, then handed the two Wooden Coffins to Dodai and left a Shadow Clone behind.
• Naruto opened a black spatial void in the Akatsuki’s path, and Obito warned the others to retreat.
• Hidan threw his Bloody Triple-Bladed Scythe at the void, but Naruto emerged holding it and swung it toward Hidan’s neck.

Uchiha Hikari used Susanoo and Amaterasu to burn Hidan to ashes, while Naruto challenged Obito to stay and talk. The surviving Akatsuki members faced Naruto and Hikari after losing one of their core members.

• Naruto decapitated Hidan with Hidan's own scythe as Hikari manifested a red Susanoo and formed an Amaterasu-coated Shindo Sword.
• Obito, Sasori, Deidara, Kisame, and Kakuzu evaded Hikari's slash, but Hidan could not escape.
• Hikari's Susanoo burned Hidan's body and head to ashes, then carved a huge chasm into the ground.
• The surviving Akatsuki members reacted with fear and apprehension as Obito recognized the Shindo Sword and considered Hikari's Mangekyo Sharingan power.
• Naruto planted Hidan's scythe and taunted Obito, asking him to stay for a proper catch-up.

Naruto confronted Obito over the strange effects of his Izanagi and revealed Obito’s original body, leading Obito to suspect Naruto had interfered with the jutsu. Naruto then unleashed a massive Susanoo infused with Hikari’s power, while the Akatsuki members began considering retreat.

• Naruto questioned Obito about how Izanagi had restored his body and Mangekyō Sharingan, but Obito stayed silent.
• Naruto unsealed Obito’s severed original body, shocking Obito and making him realize Naruto’s sealing technique may have interfered with Izanagi.
• Obito secretly formed the seals for Izanagi, while Naruto decided to capture him and have Inoichi inspect his memories.
• Naruto held Hikari’s hand and poured chakra into the red Susanoo, expanding it beyond two hundred meters and transforming its armor and weapons.
• Deidara, Sasori, and Kisame reacted to the enormous Susanoo, and Sasori and Kisame began preparing to withdraw.

Naruto’s enormous Susanoo swept its Shindo Sword through the battlefield, devastating the surrounding mountains and forest and scattering the Akatsuki members. Obito escaped into the Kamui Dimension at the cost of an arm, but the chapter left it uncertain whether he was truly safe.

• A Kumogakure Wood Clone Naruto reassured the villagers that his original self was causing the distant destruction and continued guiding their evacuation.
• Obito ordered the Akatsuki members to flee, then used Kamui to escape as Naruto’s Susanoo prepared to strike.
• Naruto’s Susanoo swung the Shindo Sword, and its shock wave sheared mountain peaks and flattened the forest near Kumogakure.
• Sasori was hurled into rubble, Kakuzu’s tendrils were torn apart, and Kisame was blasted away and buried beneath debris.
• Deidara lost control of his clay bird and was swept into the distant night sky, while Obito escaped into the Kamui Dimension after losing an arm.

Trapped in the Kamui Dimension, Obito reattached his severed arm and chose to face the seven Naruto Wood Clones rather than flee into the waiting Naruto and Uchiha Hikari. After one last attack, the clones impaled him with their wooden swords, and he died in the dimension.

• Obito used the hashirama cells to reattach his severed right arm in two breaths.
• Obito removed his mask, revealed his scarred face, and charged the lead Naruto Wood Clone with a kunai.
• The lead Wood Clone caught Obito's left hand and bound it in wood fibers.
• The other six Naruto Wood Clones closed in and stabbed Obito with their wooden swords.
• Obito died suspended on the blades, staring into the gray-white Kamui Dimension.

Jiraiya traveled to the Land of Demons while searching for Iwaya Slope, and went to Shion Castle to meet the young priestess. The guards let him approach after recognizing his name, but her attendant Taruho demanded proof that he was not using the Transformation Technique.

• Jiraiya arrived in the Land of Demons after narrowing his search for Iwaya Slope to the country.
• Jiraiya learned that the current priestess was a girl in her early teens and renewed his interest in meeting her as part of his investigation.
• Jiraiya went to Shion Castle and introduced himself to the guards as the Fifth Hokage of Konoha Shinobi Village.
• The guards cleared a path for Jiraiya after hearing his name, but Taruho challenged him to prove his identity by dispelling any technique.

Jiraiya learned that Dan Katō had appeared in spirit form in the Land of Demons and went to meet him. Dan was being stabilized by the priestess while teaching her Sealing Jutsu, and Jiraiya reached the room where they were staying.

• Taruho confirmed Jiraiya's identity, then asked whether he knew Dan Katō.
• Jiraiya reacted gravely when Taruho said Dan was with the priestess in spirit form and asked to be led to him.
• Taruho explained that Dan had appeared two days earlier, was mentally clear, and had tried to return to Konoha with an important warning.
• Taruho said the priestess was stabilizing Dan's fragile soul with a Spirit Talisman while he remained unable to move.
• Jiraiya offered compensation for the talisman, but Taruho said Dan's Sealing Jutsu lessons for the priestess covered its value.
• Jiraiya considered teaching the priestess advanced Sealing Jutsu, then followed Taruho to the room where she and Dan were inside.

Jiraiya met Dan Katō at the Land of Demons and learned that Dan had escaped the Pure Land, which the Sage of Six Paths appeared to control. Dan described the route he had taken toward the Sanzu River, and Jiraiya suspected that the Wood Release restraining its beasts belonged to the First Hokage.

• Taruho brought Jiraiya to meet Miko Shion and Dan Katō, whose spirit was staying at the palace.
• Dan asked Shion to let him speak privately with Jiraiya, then told him that the Sage of Six Paths controlled the Pure Land.
• Dan said the Sage had arranged for him and Hatake Sakumo to fight dead shinobi from Sunagakure.
• Dan explained that his Spirit Transformation Technique revealed a faint path back to the Shinobi World, and that he escaped toward the Sanzu River with Hatake's help.
• Dan described dangerous Rinnegan-bearing beasts restrained by Wood Release at the river, and Jiraiya asked if the First Hokage had created it.

Dan Katō told Jiraiya how a mysterious boy with the Rinnegan rescued him from Yomi and helped him escape the Pure Land. Jiraiya was left with more questions about the Sage of Six Paths, Naruto’s Wood Release, and the boy, while Dan said he knew nothing else.

• Dan Katō described crossing the Sanzu River and reaching Yomi, where its pressure eroded his soul and blurred his memories.
• A hooded boy with the Rinnegan protected Dan Katō from Yomi and sent him to the opposite bank, blocking the Sage of Six Paths as he tried to stop them.
• Dan Katō explained that Yomi’s effects continued to erode him until the Miko removed them.
• Jiraiya considered the revelations about the Sage of Six Paths, Naruto’s Wood Release, Yomi, and the mysterious boy, then asked Dan Katō what else he knew and what message he had for Konoha.
• Dan Katō said he had learned nothing more.

Jiraiya agreed to retrieve Dan Katō’s body from Konoha and gave him a scroll of Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu to help repay the Miko. As Jiraiya traveled back, he reflected on his enduring memories of Tsunade and his complicated bond with Orochimaru.

• Dan told Jiraiya that his weakened soul could not safely travel to Konoha and explained that the Miko’s Spirit Talismans were keeping him stable.
• Jiraiya decided to bring Dan’s body from Konoha to the Land of Demons and gave Dan his scroll of Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu to share with the Miko.
• Dan thanked Jiraiya for his trust and generosity, and Jiraiya reassured him that he was a comrade and a hero of Konoha.
• Jiraiya said goodbye to Taruho and set off for Konoha to retrieve Dan’s body.
• As he traveled beneath the moon, Jiraiya remembered his love for Tsunade and thought about his history with Orochimaru before deciding that business came first.

Sasuke defeated the Star Ninja and humiliated Akahoshi, while Shikamaru revealed that Akahoshi had murdered the Third Hoshikage to keep the village training with its harmful meteorite. Akahoshi rejected the accusation’s implications and began defending the plight of small-country ninja.

• Sasuke used his Susanoo to defeat the Star Ninja, then pinned Akahoshi down and mocked his claim to the title of Hoshikage.
• Kiba praised Sasuke’s strength, while Sasuke scorned the Star Ninja and dismissed Akahoshi as unworthy of his title.
• Shikamaru told the Star Ninja that Akahoshi had murdered the Third Hoshikage, who had tried to seal the meteorite because its radiation harmed those who trained near it.
• Shikamaru explained that the meteorite’s power enabled the Mysterious Peacock Method but shortened its users’ lives and damaged their bodies.
• Akahoshi struggled to his feet, spat out bloodied teeth, and shouted that Shikamaru did not understand what life was like for ninja villages in small countries.

Sasuke condemned Akahoshi’s exploitation of the Star Ninja and placed the village under Konoha’s protection and administration. Outside the village, he confronted a black-robed follower and discovered that it was Uchiha Itachi.

• Akahoshi defended using the star as necessary for the Star Ninja Village’s survival, admitting that he had killed the Third Hoshikage.
• Sasuke called Akahoshi’s actions shortsighted murder and announced that Konoha would administer and protect the Star Ninja Village.
• Akahoshi protested that Konoha was invading, while Sasuke left Shikamaru to address the Star Ninja and villagers.
• Outside the village, Sasuke pointed his Ninja Blade at a black-robed man who had followed him for two days.
• The man removed his hood, revealing himself as Uchiha Itachi, and teased Sasuke about their reunion.

Sasuke resisted the mysterious Uchiha Itachi's lure and returned to the Star Ninja Village to seek Shikamaru's advice. Black Zetsu was left baffled by Sasuke's decision and suspected Naruto's influence had changed him.

• Sasuke attacked Uchiha Itachi, but Itachi dodged and invited him to follow if he wanted the truth.
• Remembering Naruto's advice to trust his comrades and ask Shikamaru for help, Sasuke stopped himself from chasing Itachi.
• Sasuke returned to the Star Ninja Village to tell his comrades what had happened and hear Shikamaru's advice.
• White Zetsu informed the waiting Itachi that Sasuke had turned back, shocking Black Zetsu, who was controlling Itachi's body.
• Black Zetsu wondered whether Naruto's influence had enabled Sasuke to resist the lure of his brother.