Recaps

Zhou Cheng planned to take Sakura and Naruto to help Sasuke, while he continued strengthening Konoha’s young shinobi and preparing his own power. The chapter left Tsunade facing Konoha’s prominent figures as they pressed her to choose a successor Hokage.

• Zhou Cheng told Sakura and Naruto that Sasuke was in trouble and said he would take them to help, but refused to bring the others because the operation needed secrecy.
• Zhou Cheng promised to teach Sage Mode and senjutsu to the youngsters who reached Jonin-level strength within six months.
• Zhou Cheng considered his next use of Replication, then waited in Konoha while Sasuke’s Flying Thunder God Kunai continued moving and he stockpiled senjutsu chakra.
• Zhou Cheng grew the Two-Tails’ and Eight-Tails’ chakra back into miniature tailed beasts, while the One-Tail grew to five or six meters and remained asleep.
• Konoha’s prominent figures summoned Tsunade and proposed choosing a Hokage successor in advance, prompting her to suspect they would favor their own families.

Tsunade and Konoha's leaders chose Zhou Cheng as one of five candidates to act as Hokage, though they did not tell him. At Zhou Cheng's home, a daimyo's envoy demanded that he come to the daimyo, and the chapter ended as the envoy's bodyguard blocked Karin and ordered her seized.

• Tsunade agreed to include Zhou Cheng among the Hokage succession candidates, while insisting that the list contain three to five names.
• Tsunade and the clan leaders settled on Zhou Cheng, Kakashi, Hyuga Hiashi, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Asuma Sarutobi as acting Hokage candidates if she fell into peril.
• A self-proclaimed confidant of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire arrived at Zhou Cheng's home and demanded that Zhou Cheng accompany him immediately.
• Zhou Cheng refused the envoy's demand and told Karin to show him out.
• The envoy insulted Zhou Cheng and threatened to have the Hokage arrest them, so Karin ordered him to leave.
• A figure blocked Karin as she moved to eject the envoy, who then ordered his men to seize her and make her the heir's personal plaything.

Zhou Cheng killed the Daimyo’s confidant for threatening Karin, then waited until Sasuke reached Itachi and brought Naruto and Sakura to their final battle. Sasuke and Itachi began fighting as Zhou Cheng watched, suspecting that Itachi was deliberately holding back.

• Zhou Cheng killed the Daimyo’s confidant after learning he planned to enslave Karin, then warned the Daimyo not to challenge him.
• Zhou Cheng comforted Karin and told her to stay in the village until she became a Jonin.
• After waiting several days for Sasuke’s Flying Thunder God Kunai to stop moving, Zhou Cheng teleported Naruto and Sakura to Sasuke and Itachi’s location.
• Naruto tried to bring Sasuke home, but Zhou Cheng called him and Sakura back and told Sasuke to fight while he watched.
• Sasuke attacked Itachi with a shower of shuriken, and Zhou Cheng searched unsuccessfully for Zetsu before noticing that Itachi seemed to be throwing the fight.

Zhou Cheng watched Itachi defeat Sasuke and saved Itachi after he collapsed, while Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan. Zhou Cheng took the injured Itachi and Team 7 to safety, and a surviving spy reported that Itachi was still alive.

• Zhou Cheng observed Itachi's worsening illness as Sasuke attacked, then watched Itachi use Susanoo to survive Sasuke's Kirin.
• Itachi manifested Perfect Susanoo and defeated the Eight-Headed Serpent that emerged from Sasuke's Cursed Seal of Heaven.
• Itachi tapped Sasuke's forehead instead of taking his eye, then collapsed; Zhou Cheng caught him and used Yang Release chakra to keep him alive.
• Sasuke awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan before fainting, while Sakura treated his injuries.
• Zhou Cheng took Itachi and Team 7 away through a spiral, leaving Orochimaru's little white snake alive.
• A Venus Flytrap decided to warn Obito that Itachi was alive, while the little white snake escaped through a hole in the rubble.

Sasuke learned the truth about Itachi’s massacre and reconciled with his brother. Zhou Cheng proposed that the brothers transplant each other’s eyes to gain two pairs of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, but they would need to return to Konoha for Tsunade to perform the surgery.

• Sasuke woke in Zhou Cheng’s Alternate Dimension and rushed to see Itachi after learning his brother was there.
• Itachi explained that the Uchiha Clan had planned a rebellion, Danzo had ordered him to wipe out the clan, and he had spared Sasuke out of love.
• Zhou Cheng explained that Itachi had also intended to give Sasuke his eyes and help him return to Konoha, prompting Sasuke to call him brother and embrace him.
• Itachi urged Sasuke to take his eyes, but Zhou Cheng stopped them and suggested they transplant each other’s eyes to gain two pairs of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Zhou Cheng said Tsunade would need to perform the transplants in Konoha, leaving Itachi and Sasuke unsure whether the village would accept them as S-Rank rogue ninja.

Zhou Cheng brought Itachi and Sasuke back to Konoha and persuaded Tsunade to let them return as supposed village spies. Tsunade scheduled eye transplants for them in two days, and Zhou Cheng replicated Itachi’s talent after sparring with him.

• Zetsu told Obito that Itachi had died and been revived by Zhou Cheng, so Obito ordered the Tailed Beast capture plan to begin early.
• Zhou Cheng brought Itachi and Sasuke to Tsunade and explained that Danzo had forced Itachi into the massacre; Tsunade agreed to present the brothers as spies returning to Konoha.
• Tsunade agreed to perform four eye transplants in two days, with Sakura, Karin, Ino, Haku, and Zhou Cheng helping.
• Zhou Cheng took Itachi and Sasuke to his home, where the youngsters welcomed Sasuke back and planned a feast for that evening.
• Zhou Cheng fought Itachi in the Alternate Dimension, then used Talent Replication on him after they returned to Konoha.

Zhou Cheng gained a perfect Sharingan with powerful abilities, then welcomed Itachi and Sasuke into his home. Tsunade publicly revealed that Itachi had been Konoha’s spy and Sasuke had been Zhou Cheng’s spy, leaving the gathered ninja shocked.

• Zhou Cheng replicated Itachi’s talent and gained a one-tomoe Sharingan capable of using Susanoo and other powerful abilities.
• Itachi asked Zhou Cheng to let him and Sasuke stay at his house, and offered to guard it.
• Ino, Hinata, and the other girls returned with a huge amount of food, and Zhou Cheng agreed to cook for them.
• The jonin confronted Itachi and Sasuke, but Zhou Cheng assured them that Naruto and Sakura were telling the truth.
• Tsunade arrived with Jiraiya and announced that Itachi had been Konoha’s spy and Sasuke had been Zhou Cheng’s spy.
• The gathered ninja reacted in shock, while Sasuke privately recalled that he had left Konoha to grow stronger.

At a gathering at Zhou Cheng's house, the guests celebrated Kurenai's pregnancy and enjoyed his cooking before Zhou Cheng announced plans for Itachi and Sasuke's eye transplant. As the gathering ended, Zhou Cheng encouraged Naruto to befriend Kurama so he could grow stronger.

• Tsunade noticed Kurenai was pregnant, and Kurenai announced she was expecting Asuma's child and invited everyone to their wedding.
• The guests shared Zhou Cheng's meal, and Anko declared she would move in to eat his cooking regularly.
• Zhou Cheng said Itachi and Sasuke would live at his house and announced that Tsunade would perform an eye transplant on them the next night, with Ino, Sakura, and Karin assisting.
• Zhou Cheng asked the others to guard the surgery, then reassured a dejected Naruto that he could become strong by befriending the Nine-Tails.
• Naruto resolved to befriend the Nine-Tails, and Zhou Cheng told him its name was Kurama.

Tsunade and the medical team performed surgery to exchange Itachi and Sasuke’s eyes, and Zhou Cheng used Yang Release to heal them. Both brothers awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, but Sasuke’s confidence was shaken when he learned how powerful Zhou Cheng was.

• Zhou Cheng brought Itachi and Sasuke to the ANBU headquarters, where Tsunade began their surgery under heavy security.
• Tsunade and the medical team exchanged the brothers’ eyes, and Zhou Cheng used Yang Release to repair their wounds.
• Itachi and Sasuke awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and Tsunade confirmed that their chakra had increased severalfold.
• Sasuke acted confident in his new power, but Itachi told him that Zhou Cheng had defeated him in battle.
• Sakura told Sasuke that Zhou Cheng had also beaten the Fourth Raikage, the Two-Tails, and the Eight-Tails, leaving Sasuke stunned.

After Itachi and Sasuke’s successful surgery, Zhou Cheng planned to seek Orochimaru’s secret base and travel beyond Konoha, while the Daimyo plotted retaliation against him. In Amegakure, Nagato learned that Sasuke had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and called the Akatsuki together, where they noticed someone was missing.

• Zhou Cheng praised Itachi’s surgery results, and he and Sasuke accepted him as their Boss before the group left the ANBU headquarters to cheers.
• Zhou Cheng hid Itachi and Sasuke at home, tested his one-tomoe Sharingan’s Skeletal Susanoo, and planned to visit Orochimaru’s secret base after three days.
• The Daimyo heard how his envoy had abused his authority in Konoha, ordered the man disposed of, and sent another delegation to pressure Tsunade and blame Zhou Cheng.
• Konan told Nagato that Zhou Cheng had taken Itachi and that Sasuke had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, prompting Nagato to summon the Akatsuki.
• Pain, Konan, Zetsu, Kisame, and Kakuzu gathered for the meeting, then wondered who was missing.

The Akatsuki planned to capture the One-Tail and Three-Tails, while Konoha publicly praised Itachi and Sasuke as spies. After Chojuro arrived wounded and reported Ao’s rebellion in Kirigakure, Zhou Cheng set out with Hinata, Haku, and Karin to rescue Mei Terumi, reaching the misty village outskirts.

• The Akatsuki discussed Itachi’s survival and Sharingan limits, then assigned Kakuzu to kill Asuma Sarutobi and scheduled their Tailed Beast operation for seven days later.
• Tsunade revealed Itachi and Sasuke’s identities as Konoha spies, and the villagers responded with admiration for the brothers.
• Chojuro reached Konoha wounded and told Zhou Cheng that Ao and rebel shinobi had attacked Mei Terumi and plunged Kirigakure into civil war.
• Zhou Cheng chose Hinata, Haku, and Karin to accompany him, then set off with them and Chojuro for Kirigakure.
• Zhou Cheng’s group defeated rebel Kirigakure shinobi along the way and reached the village through the mist.

Zhou Cheng and Chojuro reached the besieged Mizukage Building, where Ao’s rebels were trying to overthrow Genji and kill Mei Terumi. Zhou Cheng intervened to protect the building’s entrance and challenged Ao to surrender, leaving the rebels stunned.

• Zhou Cheng questioned a rebel and learned that Kirigakure’s civilians were hiding while the fighters had gathered at the Mizukage Building.
• Hinata used her Byakugan to scout the building, and Zhou Cheng sensed that Mei Terumi was inside, injured but alive, while Ao led hundreds of rebels outside.
• Ao ordered his forces to attack the Mizukage Building, and Chojuro begged Zhou Cheng to intervene to save Mei Terumi.
• Zhou Cheng activated Wind Release Chakra Mode and Byakugan, knocked down nearby rebels with Pressure, and impaled others with Earth Spikes.
• Zhou Cheng blocked the building’s breached entrance, and Ao objected to Konoha’s interference before Zhou Cheng mocked him and asked him to surrender and lose only half.

Zhou Cheng crushed Ao’s rebellion and forced nearly all the Rogue Ninja to surrender, while Mei Terumi tried to spare their lives. Ao refused to surrender and called for the Akatsuki, but no one appeared.

• Ao urged the Rogue Ninja to attack Zhou Cheng, who swept away over a hundred shinobi with Great Waterfall and crushed others with Pressure.
• Zhou Cheng killed dozens of fleeing shinobi with Earth Mountain Technique and demanded that the survivors surrender.
• Mei Terumi promised the Rogue Ninja that only Ao would be executed, and Zhou Cheng summoned a colossal Water Dragon that drove more rebels to lay down their weapons.
• Ao killed a subordinate who surrendered and ordered his followers to attack, but nearly all the Rogue Ninja surrendered despite his demands.
• Mei Terumi urged Ao to stop, but he refused to surrender and called for the Akatsuki; Zhou Cheng challenged them to appear, and the area stayed silent.

After Ao’s rebellion was exposed, Mei Terumi declared her bid to become Mizukage while Obito rescued Ao. Genji then told Zhou Cheng about his parents’ powers and revealed that the Fourth Mizukage, controlled by Madara Uchiha, had killed Zhou Cheng’s father.

• Ao explained that he had rebelled because Elder Genshi controlled Kirigakure without being Mizukage, and Mei Terumi announced her candidacy after demonstrating her kekkei genkai.
• Chojuro endorsed Mei Terumi as a Kage-level candidate, but Obito appeared in a vortex and took Ao away.
• Mei Terumi ordered the battlefield cleaned up and went with Zhou Cheng to speak with Genji in the Mizukage Building.
• Genji described Zhou Cheng’s parents as powerful heroes, saying his father could perform Water and Earth Release ninjutsu without hand seals and his mother specialized in wind chakra.
• Genji revealed that Madara Uchiha controlled the Fourth Mizukage, who killed Zhou Cheng’s father with the tailed beast’s power after the family was falsely accused of conspiring against the village.

Zhou Cheng refused Genji’s plea to return to Kirigakure but offered to teach Mei Terumi Chakra Mode to help secure her position as Mizukage. When Genji demanded that Zhou Cheng and his companions leave after Kirigakure stabilized, Zhou Cheng erupted in anger and warned that the village would fall into rebellion once he left.

• Genji urged Zhou Cheng to return to Kirigakure, but Zhou Cheng refused to become Mizukage and said Mei Terumi could lead instead.
• Zhou Cheng offered to teach Mei Terumi Chakra Mode, and Haku, Hinata, and Karin demonstrated their Chakra Cloaks to her.
• Zhou Cheng told Mei Terumi to wait until Kirigakure’s situation settled before beginning her training.
• Genji again pressed Zhou Cheng to return, then told him and his companions to leave once the village stabilized.
• Zhou Cheng angrily refused to leave, insulted Genji, and warned that Kirigakure would plunge into rebellion as soon as he departed.

Zhou Cheng taught Mei Terumi and her trusted subordinates Chakra Mode before leaving Kirigakure to pursue the Six-Tails. Afterward, Genji secretly ordered Utakata and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to ambush Zhou Cheng and his companions.

• Genji stayed silent as Zhou Cheng blamed him for Kirigakure's unrest and urged him to let Mei Terumi become Mizukage.
• Zhou Cheng offered to teach Chakra Mode to Mei Terumi and Shinobi loyal to her, and eight people followed them to the ANBU Headquarters.
• Mei Terumi quickly learned Chakra Mode and helped Zhou Cheng's other students practice while Hinata, Karin, and Haku guarded the area.
• Zhou Cheng left Kirigakure to reach the Six-Tails before the Akatsuki and considered capturing the Three-Tails as well.
• Genji ordered Utakata and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to intercept and kill Zhou Cheng's group, while other Kirigakure ninja privately anticipated Genji's death and Mei Terumi's weakness.

Zhou Cheng found Isobu in a lake, but Utakata and seven Kirigakure shinobi ambushed him and his companions. Zhou Cheng fought Utakata while Haku, Hinata, and Karin prepared to face the other seven, and he tried to force Utakata into Complete Tailed Beast Transformation.

• Zhou Cheng located a huge lake and found Isobu, but an ambush began as the tailed beast emerged.
• Karin sensed eight enemies, and Zhou Cheng identified Utakata as the Six-Tails Jinchuriki and the others as the new generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
• Haku immobilized an attacking shinobi with Ice Release senbon, but Utakata protected him with a bubble, prompting Zhou Cheng to call Haku back.
• Zhou Cheng and Utakata exchanged attacks, with Zhou Cheng breaking Utakata's bubbles and overpowering his Partial Tailed Beast Transformation.
• Zhou Cheng urged Utakata to use Complete Tailed Beast Transformation while Haku, Hinata, and Karin prepared to fight the other seven shinobi.

Utakata and Isobu joined forces against Zhou Cheng, but their combined Tailed Beast Bombs failed to defeat him. As Mei Terumi rushed toward the lake and Genji dispatched squads to eliminate survivors, Zhou Cheng opened the Eighth Gate and struck Saiken into the lake.

• Utakata asked Isobu to help him fight Zhou Cheng, and Isobu agreed in exchange for a thousand jin of fish.
• Isobu and Utakata attacked Zhou Cheng, who countered their techniques and met their paired Tailed Beast Bombs with an enormous Rasengan.
• The blast reshaped the lakeshore, injured the New Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and left Zhou Cheng and both Tailed Beasts unscathed.
• Mei Terumi saw the explosion, ordered her subordinates to notify the Elders, and led the others toward the lake.
• Genji watched the mushroom cloud from the Mizukage's Office and sent two figures to ensure there were no survivors.
• Zhou Cheng opened the Eighth Gate, charged at the Tailed Beasts, and punched Saiken into the lake.

Zhou Cheng defeated Isobu and Saiken, taking a piece from each before persuading Utakata to let him leave. Mei Terumi arrived and asked Zhou Cheng what had happened, and he blamed Genji.

• Zhou Cheng broke off one of Saiken's antennae and sealed it away, then injured Isobu by attacking his shell and severing a spike from his mouth.
• Zhou Cheng stopped fighting and told Isobu and Utakata that Genji was using them, after which Utakata returned to human form and admitted he felt bound to serve Kirigakure.
• Utakata tacitly allowed Zhou Cheng to leave, but the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist arrived and urged him to continue the mission.
• Zhou Cheng saw Haku, Hinata, and their companion safe, then intimidated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist; Utakata refused to obey Genji's orders.
• Mei Terumi arrived with a group and asked Zhou Cheng what had happened, and he told her to ask Genji.

Zhou Cheng killed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and persuaded Isobu to leave with him for Konoha. After Genji’s followers tried to arrest Mei Terumi and stop them, Zhou Cheng fought his way to the Mizukage Building to confront Genji and help clear Mei Terumi’s path to becoming Mizukage.

• Zhou Cheng confirmed that Genji had ordered the attack and killed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
• Zhou Cheng offered Isobu a choice, showed him the chakra of other tailed beasts, and convinced him to go along.
• Genji’s shinobi accused Mei Terumi of treason and ordered Zhou Cheng to leave, so Zhou Cheng killed their spokesman and set off for Kirigakure with Isobu.
• Zhou Cheng and Mei Terumi headed to the Mizukage Building, where Genji’s followers blocked their way.
• Zhou Cheng used Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and Susanoo to kill and terrify the guards, but the remaining shinobi began attacking him together.

Zhou Cheng exposed Genji’s role in the assassination attempt and forced him to confess that Kirigakure’s leaders had murdered Zhou Cheng’s family. Enraged, Zhou Cheng prepared to fight the village, with Haku, Hinata, and Karin standing beside him.

• Zhou Cheng struck the Mizukage Building with Susanoo, exposed its empty office, and discovered Genji hiding in a nearby building.
• Zhou Cheng used genjutsu to make Genji confess that he had ordered the assassination because Zhou Cheng would not serve him.
• Zhou Cheng confronted Genji over the deaths of the New Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and learned that Kirigakure’s leaders had arranged the deaths of Zhou Cheng’s parents and unborn younger sibling.
• Zhou Cheng demanded to know who else had been involved, but Genji claimed that everyone else responsible was dead.
• Genji’s trusted aide pulled him away from Susanoo’s attack, and Zhou Cheng activated Wind Release Chakra Mode as Haku, Hinata, and Karin joined him.

Zhou Cheng avenged his family by torturing Genji to death, then forced Kirigakure to accept Mei Terumi as Mizukage. He returned to Konoha with Haku, Hinata, Karin, and Isobu, where he began to relax at home.

• Zhou Cheng killed Genji's rescuers and learned that Genji had caused his family's deaths, including the death of his pregnant mother.
• Zhou Cheng repeatedly severed Genji's limbs and healed him until Genji died from the torture, while Haku, Hinata, Karin, and Mei Terumi let him vent.
• Zhou Cheng declared Mei Terumi the Fifth Mizukage after no one dared object, then thanked Haku, Hinata, and Karin before taking them away through his Phasing vortex.
• Zhou Cheng and his companions returned to his house in Konoha, where Isobu rested in the sun and refused to see the Nine-Tails.

After recovering from his vengeance, Zhou Cheng considered his next move as the Akatsuki launched its tailed beast hunt and Mei Terumi began establishing her authority as Mizukage. He decided to visit Orochimaru’s secret base the next day and checked that Kaguya’s seal remained secure before ending the night.

• Mei Terumi took office as Mizukage, opened Kirigakure to the outside world, and planned to deal with Genji’s remaining followers to establish her authority.
• Obito introduced Ao as Itachi’s replacement, assigned him logistics, and announced that the Akatsuki would begin capturing tailed beasts the next day, with Konan joining the hunt.
• Asuma Sarutobi left Konoha on a week-long mission with Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji as two Akatsuki members followed them.
• Zhou Cheng spent time with Isobu and the youngsters, then decided to visit Orochimaru’s base the next day.
• Zhou Cheng entered the Alternate Dimension, found Kaguya asleep with her seal intact, and returned to his room.

Zhou Cheng traveled to the Land of Snow to find Orochimaru’s secret base and obtain Sharingan, while considering his plans to develop stronger abilities. Along the way, two shinobi from a nearby group questioned him, but he dismissed their suspicions and continued on his journey.

• Zhou Cheng returned to his room, considered his plans to gather Sharingan and tailed-beast body parts, and failed to synthesize Wood Release with forty-eight drops of talent original liquid.
• The next morning, Zhou Cheng left a note and traveled from Konoha toward Orochimaru’s secret base in the Land of Snow.
• After reaching the Land of Snow, Zhou Cheng bought warm clothes at a marketplace and kept his distance from a group traveling in the same direction.
• Two unmarked shinobi confronted Zhou Cheng during a lunch stop and asked why he was following their group.
• Zhou Cheng claimed he was merely traveling the same route, and the two shinobi returned to their group while he continued onward.

Zhou Cheng reached a group of civilians under attack and tried to take one of the attackers’ powered sleds, only to be caught up in a feud involving Miss Hui. He escaped with her and the two shinobi who had questioned him after their teacher arrived, a Kumogakure jonin.

• Zhou Cheng spotted shinobi attacking the civilian group and went to take one of their mechanical sleds.
• The two shinobi recognized Zhou Cheng, while Miss Hui offered to show him how to start the sled and urged him to flee.
• A squad leader demanded that Miss Hui hand over an item, and Zhou Cheng started the sled and pulled her aboard.
• Zhou Cheng knocked one attacker away with the sled and dodged the squad leader’s Great Fireball Technique.
• The two shinobi joined Zhou Cheng on the sled, and their teacher arrived, kicked the squad leader away, and asked Miss Hui if she was unharmed.