Recaps

Gua went to the Hokage Office after school and chose to study Flying Thunder God from the Scroll of Seals. Meanwhile, Danzo learned that Iwagakure would soon negotiate peace and that tensions between Kumogakure and Jiraiya were escalating.

• Gua questioned whether Iwagakure's peace negotiations meant the war was over, and Gua doubted the fighting would end while Jiraiya remained deployed.
• After school, Gua visited the Third Hokage, received the Scroll of Seals, and chose Flying Thunder God to study.
• Danzo brooded over Konoha's victory against Iwagakure, the Uchiha's growing power, and Sunagakure's failure to join the war.
• A shinobi told Danzo that Sunagakure had stayed out of the conflict to protect the One-Tail and because Iwagakure had not coordinated with them.
• Danzo learned that Ōnoki's peace delegation would arrive in a few days and that Kumogakure's confrontation with Jiraiya was intensifying.

After Akatsuki captured the One-Tail, Sunagakure threatened the Land of Rain, which threatened Konoha in turn, while Kumogakure demanded the Byakugan and Iwagakure stalled peace talks. Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to prevent a wider war, but his efforts failed, leaving him asking Shikaku Nara what to do next.

• Obito Uchiha and Sasori captured Gaara and extracted the One-Tail, but Rasa and Sunagakure forces recovered Gaara's body after a costly battle; Granny Chiyo's treatment left Gaara in a vegetative state.
• Rasa declared war on the Land of Rain, and Pain warned that if Sunagakure attacked, the Land of Rain would attack Konoha.
• Ōnoki delayed Iwagakure's peace talks, while Kumogakure massed troops and demanded that Konoha hand over the Byakugan.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shikaku Nara agreed to appease Kumogakure, reduce Iwagakure's compensation, and mediate between Sunagakure and the Land of Rain.
• Hiruzen failed to persuade Hyuga Hiashi to surrender a Byakugan, Rasa rejected mediation, and Pain dismissed Konoha's efforts.
• Ōnoki sent a letter promising compensation but postponing the peace delegation indefinitely, prompting Hiruzen to ask Shikaku what they should do.

The Third Hokage and Shikaku struggled to respond to worsening tensions among the shinobi nations while Gua kept studying despite his parents’ worries. After days of working through Orochimaru’s simplified Dust Release notes, Gua finally succeeded at something.

• The Third Hokage and Shikaku agreed to deploy defenses along the borders with Iwagakure and Sunagakure while continuing to seek peace with Iwagakure.
• Gua heard reports of rising tensions involving Iwagakure, Sunagakure, the Land of Rain, and Kumogakure, then continued studying Flying Thunder God and Dust Release.
• Nai and Uchiha Oyama worried that Gua’s intense studying was a reaction to his battlefield experience and asked Oyama to encourage him to take a break.
• Oyama suggested that Gua read for fun, but Gua insisted on studying and sent his father out of the room.
• After several days passed, Gua sprang up from his desk and announced that he had succeeded.

Gua added Dust Release to his idle-training system, but his first attempt produced only a faint speck of dust. At school, Itachi told him that unfamiliar shinobi had been visiting Fugaku, leaving Gua worried that the Uchiha clan leader might be plotting to defect.

• Gua pretended a cockroach had startled him, and Nai took away his Dust Release notes while telling him to stop studying and go to sleep.
• After his parents left, Gua replaced Chakra Extraction with Dust Release in his system and began training the new ability overnight.
• Gua tested Dust Release the next morning, but it barely produced a speck of dust, so he decided to keep training it on idle.
• Nai and Dashan worried about Gua and urged him to stay home, but he insisted on going to school.
• Itachi told Gua that Sasuke missed him and suggested bringing Sasuke out to play, then explained that unfamiliar shinobi had recently been visiting Fugaku.
• Gua wondered whether Fugaku was planning to defect and feared that events were veering off course.

Danzo learned that Kumogakure had obtained a Byakugan from his former laboratory and tried to push Fugaku toward war, while Gua worried about Fugaku’s intentions and continued studying the Flying Thunder God. The chapter ended with Gua finding the latest Icha Icha Paradise books in his room and pocketing them.

• Danzo learned that Kumogakure had acquired a Byakugan from his former laboratory and angrily blamed Hiruzen for taking the benefits of his work.
• Danzo ordered a shinobi to tell Fugaku that war was necessary if the Uchiha leader wanted to achieve his goals.
• Gua worried that Fugaku might be plotting against Konoha, then overheard an Anbu report that Fugaku had been meeting with unrecorded shinobi.
• The Third Hokage told Gua to stop coming to the Hokage Office because he had already learned the Flying Thunder God.
• Gua went home and wrote down what he remembered about the Flying Thunder God before Uchiha Nai and Uchiha Oyama worried that he was overworking himself.
• Gua found two new copies of Icha Icha Paradise in his room and slipped them into his pocket.

Gua visited Itachi’s home to observe Fugaku and spotted a masked shinobi he suspected belonged to Danzo’s Root. After playfully wrestling with Little Sasuke, Gua watched Itachi train, and Little Sasuke returned with a stick to challenge him.

• Gua visited Fugaku’s house without warning and wrestled with Little Sasuke, who told him Itachi was training in the backyard.
• Gua saw a masked shinobi enter Fugaku’s house and suspected the shinobi was one of Danzo’s surviving loyalists.
• Gua found Itachi doing push-ups and learned he had been using Little Sasuke as a training weight.
• Little Sasuke threw a tantrum after Gua admitted he had come because he was bored, then ran off when Gua approached him with a stick.
• Little Sasuke returned carrying a thick stick and challenged Gua to a fight to the death.

Gua worried that Fugaku’s actions alongside Danzo could lead to a coup, while continuing to train his Chakra Extraction and Dust Release. At home, his parents revealed that Fugaku had volunteered to go to Kumogakure.

• Gua left Itachi’s house after questioning Itachi about the visitors who had met Fugaku.
• Gua wondered whether Fugaku could become Hokage and feared that a coup would provoke an invasion.
• Gua trained his Flying Thunder God over the weekend, then heard that Fugaku and Danzo had entered the Hokage Building together.
• Gua showed Itachi a small sphere of Dust Release, and Itachi guessed that Gua had a system.
• Gua’s parents admitted that Fugaku had gone to the Hokage Office with Danzo and revealed that Fugaku had volunteered to go to Kumogakure.

Gua learned that Fugaku wanted to escalate the war to gain power, while Rasa hurried to attack the Land of Rain before Konoha could act. As Sunagakure invaded, Obito revealed that he had prepared the Land of Water as an escape route for Akatsuki.

• Uchiha Oyama told Gua that Fugaku wanted war because he had ambitions of his own, and Gua returned to his room to secretly keep studying Flying Thunder God.
• Rasa heard that Fugaku and Danzo were pressuring Hiruzen to fight, feared Konoha would gain the advantage, and ordered Sunagakure to attack the Land of Rain.
• Nagato and Konan discussed whether Akatsuki should attack Konoha or flee, then asked where Obito had been.
• Obito returned and said he had prepared the Land of Water as a place for Akatsuki to relocate if war broke out.

Sunagakure invaded the Land of Rain, and Amegakure retaliated by attacking Konoha, prompting the Third Generation to plan a counteroffensive. He sent Fugaku to command the Land of Rain front, while Gua learned of the fighting and went home to keep training Flying Thunder God.

• Sunagakure invaded the Land of Rain, and Amegakure turned to attack Konoha as its forces retreated.
• The Third Generation ordered a pincer attack on Amegakure but worried that sending Shikaku Nara and Choza Akimichi away would leave Konoha vulnerable to the Hyuga and Uchiha clans.
• Shikaku Nara advised the Third Generation to send Fugaku to the Land of Rain front, which he considered less important than the other fronts.
• Itachi told Izumi and Gua that his father had left on an assignment and would not return soon.
• Gua suspected Fugaku was heading to command the Land of Rain front, then went home to continue training Flying Thunder God.

Fugaku led Konoha’s small force in an attack on the Land of Rain, leaving Nagato caught between Konoha and Sunagakure. Meanwhile, Obito encountered the resurrected Isobu at sea and ordered the Three-Tails to surrender.

• Fugaku rallied Konoha’s shinobi and used Susanoo to rout the Land of Rain forces attacking their position.
• Nagato learned Konoha had joined the fight and, despite Konan’s warning about Fugaku’s strength, decided he had to face him himself.
• Nagato and Konan agreed they could only stall until Obito returned, with retreat into the Land of Water as a fallback.
• Obito spotted Isobu in the sea between Konoha and the Land of Water and vanished from his boat using Intangibility.
• Obito appeared on Isobu’s head, resisted the Three-Tails’ attempts to shake him off, and commanded it to surrender.

Gua heard that Clan Leader Fugaku had devastated the Land of Rain and learned that Kumogakure had attacked Jiraiya’s camp, heightening tensions on the border. The Third Generation decided to let Fugaku act freely in the Land of Rain and considered sending Shisui to the front, while Jiraiya awaited a message from Konoha as Kumogakure prepared for a major assault.

• Gua trained his developing Dust Release and overheard diners describe Clan Leader Fugaku defeating five Paths of Pain and badly injuring another in the Land of Rain.
• The Third Generation learned that Kumogakure had attacked Jiraiya’s camp and that Iwagakure remained inactive, then agreed to let Fugaku handle the Land of Rain as he saw fit.
• Shikaku told the Third Generation that Jiraiya planned to make Shisui his deputy, and the Third Generation insisted Shisui should instead be sent to the front lines.
• Jiraiya faced a Kumogakure force assembled for what appeared to be a full-scale assault, while Shisui delivered a letter from Konoha for Jiraiya to hear.

Jiraiya rejected the Third Hokage’s implied order to put Shisui on the front lines, while Shisui remained trusting of Konoha. In the Land of Rain, Pain prepared to evacuate as Obito arrived with Isobu, and they began sealing the tailed beast into the Tailed Beast Vessel.

• Shisui read the Third Hokage’s letter, and Jiraiya concluded it was pushing him to the front lines because he was an Uchiha.
• Jiraiya told Shisui he would not deliberately send him to the front, then angrily criticized the Third Hokage’s treatment of the Uchiha after Shisui left.
• Pain faced attacks from Konoha and Sunagakure, leaving the Land of Rain close to falling and forcing him to prepare an evacuation.
• White Zetsu told Pain that Obito was delayed because he had captured the Three-Tails, and Pain impaled White Zetsu with a Black Rod.
• Obito arrived and agreed with Pain that they should finish sealing Isobu before relocating to the Land of Water.
• Obito pulled Isobu from the Kamui Dimension, and Pain began sealing its power into the Tailed Beast Vessel.

Pain, Obito, and Konan sealed Isobu and escaped the Land of Rain with the Akatsuki members, leaving the Rain Shinobi to surrender as Sunagakure and Konoha conquered the country. Meanwhile, Gua practiced Flying Thunder God, got Kabuto’s old bicycle, and rode Izumi around the village, drawing Naruto’s curious attention.

• Pain, Obito, and Konan sealed Isobu into the Tailed Beast Vessel, then Obito transported the belongings and vessel while Pain and Konan left the Land of Rain.
• After Pain told Kakuzu and the others to flee, Kakuzu cursed their leaders for leaving first, but Sasori of the Red Sands gathered Kakuzu, Hidan, Juzo Biwa, and Kisame and led them away.
• The Land of Rain’s Shinobi learned that Pain and their commanders had abandoned them, surrendered, and watched Sunagakure and Konoha advance into Amegakure.
• Gua alternated idle training in Flying Thunder God and Chakra Extraction, then learned that Kabuto’s electric scooter had been passed down from his senior and asked for Kabuto’s retired bicycle.
• Gua rode the bicycle with Izumi around the village, making her blush as passersby stared at the unusual vehicle.
• Sakura Haruno dismissed Naruto when he offered to ask Gua about the bicycle, but Naruto eagerly chased after Gua’s exhaust trail.

Gua spent time with Izumi and let Naruto borrow his bicycle, while Pain decided to attack Konoha and capture the Nine-Tails. As Deva Path Pain approached the village, Kotetsu sensed an intruder, and Gua called Naruto inside to show him something.

• Gua let Naruto ride his bicycle, and Naruto crashed before quickly taking off again.
• Gua and Izumi sat together by a river as the sun set.
• Pain decided to send Deva Path Pain into Konoha to try to capture the Nine-Tails, while Konan stayed with his real body outside the Land of Fire.
• Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane sneezed at the gate, and Kotetsu insisted someone had entered Konoha despite the barrier giving no alarm.
• Gua studied Flying Thunder God inscriptions until Naruto arrived to borrow the bicycle, then called him inside to show him something.

Gua successfully carved a Flying Thunder God Mark onto Naruto, while Deva Path Pain infiltrated Konoha and spent three days searching for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Pain finally identified Naruto as his target and followed him and Sakura to the riverside, waiting for a chance to strike.

• Gua carved a Flying Thunder God Mark onto Naruto’s back, then let him borrow the Bicycle to take Sakura Haruno out.
• After Kotetsu Hagane reported a possible infiltrator, the Third Generation ordered the Anbu to tighten security.
• Deva Path Pain infiltrated Konoha and searched unsuccessfully for the Nine-Tails for three days while Nagato and Konan debated whether to call him back.
• Pain spotted Naruto riding with Sakura Haruno, matched him to the photograph, and followed them through Konoha.
• Naruto and Sakura went to the riverside, where Pain decided the moment offered him a chance to act.

Pain attacked Naruto and drove him to remove the seal, unleashing the Nine-Tails' power. Gua sensed the chakra disrupting his Flying Thunder God Mark on Naruto and vanished from class to investigate, prompting Ye Chuan Dahei to alert the Third Generation.

• Pain waited until one Anbu left to report to the Hokage, then approached Naruto and Sakura Haruno.
• Pain attacked Naruto, and Naruto fled with Sakura Haruno before Pain caught up and knocked Sakura away.
• The Nine-Tails urged Naruto to undo the seal, and Naruto ripped it off as the Anbu tried to stop him.
• Pain taunted the released Naruto and thrust a Black Rod toward him.
• During class, Gua sensed violent chakra eroding his Flying Thunder God Mark on Naruto and teleported away.
• Ye Chuan Dahei abandoned his lesson and went to find the Third Generation, reporting that Gua had disappeared.

Pain captured the unconscious Naruto and tried to escape Konoha, while the Third Hokage learned that both Naruto and Uchiha Gua were missing. Gua intercepted Pain outside the village, but he had no weapons and was forced into a barehanded fight.

• The Third Hokage ordered every Anbu to search for the missing Nine-Tails Jinchuriki after learning Naruto had disappeared.
• Ye Chuan Dahei reported that Uchiha Gua had vanished from class, and the Third ordered Konoha's teachers and guards to search for him.
• Pain carried the unconscious Naruto toward the outskirts of Konoha while the village searched for both missing boys.
• Gua confronted Pain and demanded that he put Naruto down, warning that he could hold Pain there until help arrived.
• Pain threw Naruto aside and attacked Gua, who realized he had brought no sword or kunai and fought back with his bare hands.

Uchiha Gua fought Pain, using Flying Thunder God once and revealing his newly learned Dust Release. Pain damaged Gua’s attempts to attack with his gravity and repulsion techniques, but Gua exploited Banshō Ten'in to rush toward him with a Dust Release strike.

• Gua discovered he could no longer use Flying Thunder God and formed Dust Release in his hand.
• Pain broke free of Gua’s Mangekyo genjutsu, but Gua’s Dust Release disintegrated Pain’s Black Rod and consumed two of his fingers.
• Pain used Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei to keep Gua at a distance and drain his chakra.
• Gua leaped into the air as Pain used Banshō Ten'in again, then closed the distance and struck at Pain’s face with a small Dust Release.

Gua defeated Deva Path Pain by using his Mangekyo ability to rewrite the distance between them, while Nagato and Konan retrieved Pain’s body and abandoned their plan to capture the Nine-Tails. Gua then checked on Naruto, who was badly burned but alive, and went with an Anbu to report to the Third Generation.

• Pain repeatedly used Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei to repel Gua, leaving Gua exhausted as he searched for a way to counter him.
• Gua activated the Eight Gates Released Formation and used his eye ability to rewrite the distance, striking Pain’s face with Dust Release and killing Deva Path Pain.
• Nagato learned that Deva Path Pain had died, had the Animal Path retrieve the body, and decided to head to the Land of Water instead of capturing the Nine-Tails.
• Gua found Naruto badly burned but alive, then told two Anbu that he had fought Deva Path Pain.
• An Anbu took Naruto for medical treatment while Gua accompanied another Anbu to report the events to the Third Generation.

Gua explained to the Third Generation why he had placed a Flying Thunder God Mark on Naruto, while the Third Generation and Shikaku worried about Fugaku’s standoff with Sunagakure and Konoha’s lack of reinforcements. Meanwhile, Orochimaru succeeded in controlling White Zetsu and asked whether the Third Generation was finally ready to use science in war.

• Gua told the Third Generation that he had marked Naruto to protect him, then left after the Third Generation questioned his motives.
• The Third Generation and Shikaku discussed their suspicion that Fugaku might be acting under Uchiha influence and learned that his forces were confronting Sunagakure in Amegakure.
• The Third Generation and Shikaku concluded that Konoha could not send Fugaku reinforcements because Iwagakure had broken with them and Kumogakure was pressuring Jiraiya’s front.
• Orochimaru discovered that he could control White Zetsu using a method based on Impure World Reincarnation and tested his control by ordering one to jump and do push-ups.
• Anko told Orochimaru that the Third Generation had come to see him, and Orochimaru greeted his teacher with unusual warmth.
• The Third Generation asked about Orochimaru’s research and whether it could be used in war, prompting Orochimaru to ask if he was finally going to harness the power of science.

The Third Generation sought Orochimaru’s help against Konoha’s three-front war and saw the weapons and forces Orochimaru’s research could provide. Orochimaru revealed the risks of using them, and the Third Generation agreed to discuss deploying them.

• The Third Generation accepted Orochimaru’s claim that his research was science and asked him for a way to help Konoha fight.
• Orochimaru showed the Third Generation a solution made from Hashirama cells, which made injected mice highly aggressive and powerful.
• Orochimaru introduced White Zetsu, explaining that he had created it from an arm the Third Generation had given him and controlled it with an upgraded Impure World Reincarnation.
• The Third Generation asked for hundreds of White Zetsu, and Orochimaru revealed dozens in another laboratory and offered to make more while warning they could lose control.
• The Third Generation agreed to discuss using Orochimaru’s creations, and Orochimaru demonstrated a needle-firing weapon that stunned him.

Gua visited the badly injured Naruto, who told him about the fox-like monster and the seal he had opened. To calm Naruto’s fears, Gua revealed that the Fourth Hokage was his father, leaving Naruto excited about becoming Hokage himself.

• The Third Hokage sent Orochimaru’s Hashirama solutions toward the front lines with a bicycle squad, which Gua saw on his way out.
• Gua visited Naruto in the Medical Room and reassured him after finding him badly injured and eager to see him.
• Naruto told Gua that he had opened a seal after a monster offered him power, but he could not remember what happened afterward.
• Naruto worried that the monster might be part of him, so Gua told him that the Fourth Hokage was his father.
• Naruto celebrated the revelation and decided he would become Hokage, even settling for Sixth Hokage if Gua became Fifth.

After Naruto was discharged, Gua escorted him home and then visited Karin and Rin Uzumaki, where he found Orochimaru drawing their blood for research with the Third Generation’s approval. Rin explained that she and Karin trusted Orochimaru and wanted to contribute to the village, and Gua left to check on Orochimaru’s laboratory and the battlefield.

• Naruto told Gua he was a good person and said his imagined father would be someone like him, and Gua escorted him home.
• Gua ran into Orochimaru at Karin and Rin Uzumaki’s house and suspected he wanted to study their bloodline.
• Orochimaru admitted he drew their blood for research with the Third Generation’s permission, then took blood samples from Rin and Karin while they cooperated.
• Rin told Gua she trusted Orochimaru and considered the blood tests a small way to help the village that had taken them in.
• Gua declined Karin’s offer to see him out and left to visit Orochimaru’s laboratory and learn about his research and the battlefield.

Gua visited Orochimaru’s laboratory and learned that Orochimaru’s research had produced technology being sent to the front lines. Orochimaru then showed Gua a secured laboratory packed with White Zetsu, leaving Gua stunned by the sight of an entire army.

• Gua visited Anko and Kabuto at work in Orochimaru’s laboratory, then used Kabuto’s password to enter Orochimaru’s sealed laboratory.
• Orochimaru reassured Gua that he had not harmed Karin Uzumaki or her mother and asked why Gua had come.
• Gua asked about a bicycle convoy, and Orochimaru explained that it was delivering Hashirama cell solution and crossbow guns to the front lines.
• Orochimaru admitted that he had held back some approved funding for further crossbow-gun research.
• Orochimaru took Gua to a heavily secured laboratory and revealed that it was packed with White Zetsu.

Gua discovered that Orochimaru had created several thousand White Zetsu by repeatedly growing them from sliced specimens and planned to deploy them on the front lines. Orochimaru asked Gua to take home a White Zetsu under simple control for testing, then offered him a chance to try an Uzumaki bloodline treatment.

• Gua was shocked to find thousands of White Zetsu packed into Orochimaru's Laboratory.
• Orochimaru explained that he had grown new White Zetsu from slices of existing ones, with about half surviving.
• Orochimaru said he had sent a few dozen White Zetsu to the front and planned to control those directly while using Control Talismans to make the others follow them.
• Orochimaru asked Gua to take home a White Zetsu reduced to a puppet-like state and observe it for flaws.
• Before Gua left, Orochimaru offered to let him try a treatment based on the Uzumaki Clan's bloodline.