Chapter Summaries

Naruto brought the defeated Sasori to the Cozy Villa and offered him work, claiming he could provide what Sasori wanted. He left Sasori engrossed in Iron Man Mark III suit blueprints and headed to Haku’s Treehouse, confident he could keep the dangerous puppet master under control.

• Naruto took Sasori to the Cozy Villa, where Sasori tried unsuccessfully to escape his Wood Release restraints while Naruto showered.
• Naruto removed Sasori’s restraints and offered him a chance to work for him, but Sasori questioned whether Naruto could give him what he wanted and warned him about his organization.
• Naruto gave Sasori a notebook of Iron Man Mark III suit blueprints and left a Flying Thunder God Mark on Sasori’s back before leaving the room.
• Sasori studied the blueprints and became fascinated by their designs and power unit.
• Naruto went to Haku’s Treehouse, reflecting that the blueprints would keep Sasori interested and that he could control him.

Naruto gave Haku a Dark Gold Chakra Expansion Card, raising her chakra reserves to a Jonin’s level. He then went to the Maritime Transport Headquarters, where Kame had settled into his work after giving up on escaping.

• Naruto ate dinner with Haku and told her that four instructors from Otogakure would teach at the Ninja Academy.
• Haku said she could make five Shadow Clones, and Naruto gave her a Dark Gold Chakra Expansion Card.
• After using the card, Haku gained chakra reserves on par with a Jonin and kissed Naruto’s cheek before fleeing to train.
• Naruto used the Body Flicker Technique to reach a trading port in town.
• Kame, who had surrendered after repeated failed escape attempts, reviewed seafood orders and grain purchase orders at the Maritime Transport Headquarters.

Naruto visited Kame at the Shipping Office and used Wood Release to create ten merchant ships for the Land of Waves. He then tasked Kame with delivering two rings and a letter to Akatsuki’s leader in the Land of Rain, leaving Kame eager to prove himself and pursue the chance to learn chakra.

• Naruto reviewed the shipping orders, and Kame explained that the Land of Waves needed ten more oceangoing merchant ships to meet demand.
• Naruto took Kame to a shipyard and used Wood Release to create ten merchant ships, telling Kame to claim they had arrived from another country.
• Naruto gave Kame two rings and a letter to deliver directly to Akatsuki’s leader in the Land of Rain.
• Naruto told Kame to use grain import prices to secure a meeting and to explain his connection to the Land of Waves if Akatsuki sought information.
• Kame accepted the mission, and Naruto promised to train him if he returned successfully before vanishing with the Flying Thunder God.

Naruto continued building the Land of Waves’ livelihoods and teaching former Sound ninja to become educators. He also used food to make Deidara more compliant, but Deidara found himself unexpectedly jealous of Sasori.

• Naruto chose not to use Wood Release to mass-produce boats because shipbuilding jobs supported the Land of Waves’ families.
• Naruto visited Sakon, Ukon, Kidomaru, Tayuya, and Jirobo, answered their questions about their textbooks, and told them they would begin teaching next month.
• Naruto promised the four new teachers housing and a welcoming ceremony, then returned to the Treehouse for dinner.
• Naruto brought food to Deidara in the Genesis World, and Deidara eagerly ate after three days without food.
• After Naruto left, Deidara compared himself to Sasori and realized he felt jealous of Sasori’s puppet body.

Naruto continued developing the Land of Waves while guiding Sasori's mechanical research and placing the Sound Four in charge of the Ninja Academy. After encouraging Sasori's artistic independence, he visited Deidara in Genesis World, where Deidara had spent an illusory six months under Naruto's conditioning.

• Naruto developed the Land of Waves and worked with Sasori to establish engine manufacturing while sharing artificial intelligence chip blueprints.
• Sakon, Kidomaru, Tayuya, and Jirobo took charge of the Ninja Academy after a public welcoming ceremony, and Naruto trusted them with the school.
• Sasori showed Naruto a mechanical arm, and Naruto critiqued its flaws after Sasori called him Older Brother Naruto.
• Naruto told Sasori that his designs needed to remain Sasori's own art, and Sasori returned to his room eager to improve.
• Naruto traveled to Genesis World with Deidara's dinner and found Deidara upset that he had arrived late and threatening to starve.

Naruto tried to comfort the captive Deidara while explaining that he had asked the Akatsuki for ransom. After Naruto left, Deidara wondered whether freedom was what he truly wanted.

• Naruto arrived late with Deidara's meal, apologized, and promised not to be late again.
• Naruto told Deidara that he had sent a ransom letter to the Land of Rain and asked whether Deidara's leader might abandon him.
• Deidara objected that the ransom of one hundred million silver taels was far too low for his worth.
• As Naruto prepared to leave, Deidara hugged him and confessed that he felt lonely and feared being imprisoned forever.
• Naruto explained that he had not mistreated Deidara and said he might take him in if he chose to stay, then disappeared through a vortex.
• Deidara wondered whether he really needed freedom and sat down to read a book titled "Cherishing life."

Kame arrived in the Land of Rain with a Gato Trade Association merchant ship and used a claimed grain-price increase to secure a meeting with the land’s leader. By the next morning, the Rain Ninja representative had arranged the meeting near God's Hall.

• Kame and the sailors arrived at God's Port, where Kame warned them not to discuss the Akatsuki or the people’s beliefs in front of locals.
• A Rain Ninja Jonin received Kame and his party at the Rainfall Inn, where the association’s payment was counted and confirmed.
• Kame claimed pest infestations had driven grain prices up by around twenty percent and said the association had a plan that required negotiations with the Land of Rain’s leader.
• The Rain Ninja Jonin agreed to report Kame’s request, and the next morning he returned with a meeting place near God's Hall.

Kame met Yahiko and Konan in the Land of Rain to negotiate on behalf of the Gato Trade Association, passing their screening tests despite Yahiko's suspicions. After the deal was signed, Kame delivered a letter containing two Akatsuki rings, leaving Yahiko curious about the unseen strategist behind the scheme.

• Kame entered the God's Building alone, where Yahiko and Konan challenged his story about insect infestations and questioned his purpose.
• Kame defended his proposal and refused Yahiko's offer to become head of logistics, passing the Rain leaders' screening tests.
• Yahiko approved Kame's business proposal, and Kame signed the contract before revealing that he had been paid to deliver a letter.
• Konan stopped Kame from destroying the letter, and Yahiko ordered the guards to escort him out.
• Yahiko told Konan he believed Kame's story had been orchestrated by a hidden adviser, and the letter revealed Deidara's Azure Ring and Sasori of the Red Sands' Jade Ring.

Yahiko tested Beiming’s claim that Deidara and Sasori had been captured, and Sasori confirmed it before leaving the Akatsuki to pursue art in the Land of Waves. Yahiko assigned Itachi and Kisame to capture the Four-Tails and officially began the tailed beast collection mission.

• Konan read Beiming’s ransom letter, and Yahiko suspected its claim that Deidara and Sasori were captured might be false.
• Sasori joined Yahiko’s Magic Lantern Body Technique summons, confirmed that he and Deidara had been captured, and said Beiming had released him.
• Sasori announced that he was leaving the Akatsuki to pursue a new form of art, and Yahiko let him go.
• Yahiko ordered Itachi and Kisame to capture the Four-Tails’ jinchūriki in the Land of Earth.
• Yahiko announced that the Akatsuki’s tailed beast collection mission had officially begun.

Yahiko sent Obito to the Land of Waves to ransom Deidara and investigate its ruler, while Sasori settled into his new place under Naruto’s protection. In Otogakure, Sasuke’s training had made him strong enough to defeat Kimimaro, and he continued developing his Mangekyo Sharingan and new ninjutsu before Orochimaru called him to fuse with a potion.

• Yahiko tasked Obito with taking one hundred million in ransom money to the Land of Waves, investigating its ruler, and capturing the Three-Tails with Deidara.
• Konan warned Yahiko that they lacked the members needed to capture the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails and urged him to be wary of Madara.
• Sasori told Naruto that he had formally left the Akatsuki, and Naruto welcomed him to the Land of Waves and promised to protect him.
• After months of training, Sasuke defeated Kimimaro and practiced at his secret training ground.
• Sasuke activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and trained with shadow clones to combine Rasengan with Fire Release and Lightning Release chakra.
• Orochimaru arrived and told Sasuke it was time to fuse with the potion.

Sasuke endured another dose of Hashirama cells serum as Orochimaru prepared to train his resistance to genjutsu. Meanwhile, Naruto confronted Obito, the Land of Rain’s envoy, over attacks on the Land of Waves’ bridge and met his threatening aura with equal force.

• Sasuke endured the third injection of Hashirama cells serum, and Orochimaru told him that he would personally train him to resist genjutsu.
• Naruto learned that a lone envoy from the Land of Rain had arrived and dressed formally before meeting him at the Daimyo’s Residence.
• The masked envoy identified himself as Akatsuki and challenged Naruto’s authority, but Naruto dismissed the Royal Guards and received him alone.
• Obito called the bridge attacks a misunderstanding and pressured Naruto to deny the Land of Rain’s responsibility, but Naruto insisted he had captured the culprits and refused to back down.
• Obito unleashed his aura to intimidate Naruto, who matched it and declared that the Land of Waves would oppose anyone who obstructed its economic development.

Naruto accepted a hundred million in ransom from Obito and released Deidara, who had spent a year in the Genesis World and grown attached to him. Deidara left for the Land of Waves Bridge, promising to keep Naruto’s secrets, while Naruto wondered what promise Deidara thought he had made.

• Naruto and Obito clashed with their auras before Obito paid a hundred million for Deidara’s release.
• Naruto released Deidara from the Genesis World and told him that his feelings came from loneliness and that he should use his art carefully.
• Naruto returned Deidara’s clay and sent him toward the Land of Waves Bridge, where someone was waiting to collect him.
• Deidara asked Naruto to say something before he left, and Naruto said he appreciated Deidara and his personality more than his art.
• Deidara flew away on a Clay Crane after promising to keep Naruto’s secrets and reminding him of a promise Naruto did not remember making.

Naruto watched Deidara leave the Land of Waves with Obito and learned they were tasked with finding the Three-Tails, earlier than he expected. He resolved to use his Spore Clone and Super Beeper to track Akatsuki’s plans so he could prepare to evacuate Juxia Tower and Konoha’s promising young people.

• Naruto used the Telescope Technique to watch Deidara and Obito meet on the Naruto Bridge and fly away together.
• Deidara learned that Tobi was the Akatsuki’s messenger and that their temporary team was tasked with finding the Three-Tails.
• Naruto noticed that the Three-Tails mission seemed to be happening earlier than the original timeline and worried that events were accelerating.
• Naruto considered revealing the Spore Clone planted on Deidara and using the Super Beeper to contact him if Akatsuki made a major move.
• Naruto decided he needed to learn Akatsuki’s plans so he could move Juxia Tower and Konoha’s promising young people to safety before an attack.

Naruto prepared the Land of Waves for an approaching catastrophe, then withdrew to Clear-Mind Island to train while Sasori began developing engines and mechanized armor. Two years passed during Naruto’s seclusion.

• Naruto gave Haku detailed instructions to bring the Land of Waves to full capacity and promised to leave a Shadow Clone behind while he trained in seclusion.
• Naruto left the Land of Waves and named an uncharted, metal-rich island Clear-Mind Island.
• Naruto built two villas on the island, summoned Sasori, and supplied him with equipment and books on metal processing for his research.
• Sasori began studying engine models and working with the island’s materials while Naruto settled in to train.
• Naruto spent two years in seclusion studying advanced Ninjutsu involving nature transformation.

After two years away, Naruto learned that Root was trying to seize half of the Land of Waves' shipping revenue and headed to the Peach Mountain Residence. There, Haku faced eight Root Jonin and began a fight when negotiations collapsed.

• Two years after leaving Clear-Mind Island, Naruto absorbed memories revealing Root's attempt to take control of the Land of Waves' shipping industry.
• Naruto activated Flying Thunder God and vanished toward the coordinates at the Cozy Villa in Peach Mountain Residence.
• Haku rejected Root's offer of protection, and the Root Captain demanded half of the Land of Waves' shipping revenue and threatened her government.
• Root's eight Jonin prepared to attack Haku and her guards, so Haku shattered two bathtubs with Senbon and unleashed Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

Haku fought off Root operatives who attacked the Daimyo's Residence, but the seven escaped her Ice Release technique and cornered her. Naruto returned after two years and stopped Haku from taking her own life, leaving the Root Jonin facing him inside the residence.

• Haku trapped seven Root Jonin in her Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals and sent the Royal Guard to summon the Ninja Academy teachers.
• A Root operative escaped to report to Danzo, but an unseen force killed him outside the hall.
• The Root Captain and his team used Earth, Wind, and Fire Release techniques to break free and then charged Haku.
• Haku tried to kill herself rather than let Root capture her and search her memories, but Naruto appeared and caught her kunai.
• Naruto reunited with Haku and told the Root Jonin that none of them would leave the Momoyama Daimyo's Residence.

Naruto returned to the Land of Waves and helped defeat Root shinobi sent by Danzo to threaten Haku. After learning about Gaara's capture and the Land of Wind partnership, Naruto agreed to welcome its envoy before leaving the Land of Waves again.

• Sakon, Tayuya, Kidomaru, and Jirobo trapped the council hall with the Four Violet Flames Formation as Sasori arrived with four Armored Robots.
• The Armored Robots defeated the seven Root Jonin, and Haku ordered the survivors taken to specially built cells.
• Haku told Naruto that Akatsuki had captured Gaara six months earlier and that Chiyo had revived him; Sasori gave Haku a scroll controlling the Armored Guards.
• Naruto said he would answer further Root attacks by killing the attackers, while Haku explained that Danzo wanted to control the Land of Waves from the shadows.
• Haku told Naruto that the Land of Waves would welcome a Land of Wind envoy in a week to discuss a fuel partnership, and Naruto agreed to attend before leaving the country again.

Naruto traveled to meet the Land of Wind Envoy with Sakon, Kidomaru, Tayuya, and Jirobo, but encountered Uchiha Itachi and Kisame along the way. He sent his subordinates ahead and pursued Itachi to settle a personal grudge, leaving them to watch from a nearby mountain.

• Naruto ordered Haku to prepare the World's First Cooking Competition to promote Juxia Tower and bring attention to the Land of Waves.
• Naruto and his four subordinates searched No-Man's Land for bandits, then continued to the meeting place with the Land of Wind Envoy.
• Kidomaru's Warning Spider Silk detected approaching travelers, and the group spotted Itachi and Kisame in Red Cloud Cloaks.
• Naruto identified Itachi as the Uchiha who wiped out his clan and told his subordinates to stay behind and receive the envoy when the appointed time arrived.
• Naruto used the Yamanaka Secret Technique to address Itachi as Sasuke Uchiha, then led him into the woods while Kisame walked away under a Genjutsu.
• Sakon and the others watched Kisame leave and realized Itachi had trapped him in a Genjutsu.

Naruto confronted Itachi in a forest clearing and challenged his justification for massacring the Uchiha and controlling Sasuke’s future. Itachi explained the threat of an Uchiha coup and the danger of war, but Naruto rejected his reasoning.

• Jirobo suggested following Naruto and Itachi, but Sakon insisted they obey Lord Beiming’s instructions.
• Naruto led Itachi to a secluded clearing, where Itachi recognized him and demanded to know why he had left Konoha.
• Naruto said he had evaded his watchers and wanted to give Sasuke a perfect world, prompting Itachi to question his plans.
• Naruto condemned Itachi for massacring his clan and deciding Sasuke’s future without his consent.
• Itachi described the Uchiha’s coup plans and argued that leaving Konoha would weaken the village, but Naruto angrily rejected his explanation.

Naruto confronted Itachi with arguments that the Uchiha could have escaped Konoha without being massacred, leaving Itachi overwhelmed by regret. Naruto then condemned the warped ninja world and revealed that Konoha had known about his miserable childhood despite calling it a secret.

• Naruto argued that the other nations could not easily unite to attack Konoha and that the Uchiha's strength was not enough to provoke such a war.
• Naruto claimed the Uchiha's ninja could have left Konoha first, forcing its leaders to let the clan's civilians go rather than slaughter them.
• Itachi collapsed and wept as he regretted failing to save his parents and clan, and apologized to Sasuke.
• Naruto reflected on how Itachi's trauma and upbringing had shaped him, then declared that the twisted ninja system should end.
• Naruto described his own childhood neglect to Itachi, who asked how he knew the supposed top secret.