Recaps

After parting from Tsunade and the others, Lin Guang traveled to Kumogakure to investigate the tailed beasts. He entered the village under genjutsu and learned that Killer B was its Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

• Tsunade agreed to return to Konoha and become Hokage, while Lin Guang said he had other business to attend to.
• Lin Guang told Naruto he needed to be at least a Jonin before joining his dangerous mission, and Jiraiya gave him a scroll with Rasengan training instructions.
• Lin Guang warned Naruto to watch Sasuke in case he sought power from Orochimaru, then headed toward Kumogakure in the Land of Lightning.
• Lin Guang used Sharingan genjutsu to pass Kumogakure's guards and spent two days learning about the village and its Fourth Raikage, A.
• Lin Guang discovered that the Raikage's sworn younger brother, Killer B, was the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

Lin Guang attended Killer B’s concert in Kumogakure, then learned Tsunade had become the Fifth Hokage while trying to buy a newspaper. After Yugito Nii took the last copy, Lin Guang revealed his Sharingan and entered her inner world, where he encountered Matatabi.

• Lin Guang watched Killer B perform after the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki returned to Kumogakure from a mission.
• Lin Guang heard that Tsunade had officially become Konohagakure’s Fifth Hokage and went to buy a newspaper.
• Yugito Nii arrived and took the newspaper Lin Guang had asked for, claiming she could get anything she wanted in Kumogakure.
• Lin Guang silenced the newspaper seller with Genjutsu: Sharingan and startled Yugito Nii by revealing his Sharingan.
• Lin Guang appeared in Yugito Nii’s inner world and identified the blue-flamed cat as Matatabi.

Lin Guang revealed to Yugito Nii and Matatabi that the Akatsuki planned to capture the Tailed Beasts, and warned them that the Jinchūriki would die if their beasts were extracted. After demonstrating his Mangekyō Sharingan and explaining that he was a spy, he left Yugito’s inner world and returned to the real world.

• Lin Guang introduced himself as Uchiha Hikari and used his Mangekyō Sharingan to place Yugito Nii and Matatabi under genjutsu.
• Yugito attacked Lin Guang with Fire Rat Ball, but he reflected the flames back with Mirror Heaven and Earth Change, and Matatabi shielded Yugito.
• Yugito conceded, and Lin Guang explained that his genjutsu would only make them forget what they discussed if they tried to reveal it.
• Lin Guang told Yugito and Matatabi that the Akatsuki intended to capture the Tailed Beasts and that he had infiltrated the organization as a spy.
• Lin Guang left Yugito’s inner world and returned to the real world, where only a few seconds had passed.

Lin Guang left Kumogakure after learning about its Jinchūriki and planned to monitor the Akatsuki’s hunt for tailed beasts. Meanwhile, Akatsuki teams searched the Land of Wind and the Land of Water, with Itachi and Kisame locating the Three-Tails.

• Lin Guang left Kumogakure, intending to report what he learned about the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails to Pain and prepare to stop the Akatsuki from capturing tailed beasts.
• Deidara and Sasori finished searching the Land of Wind, found no tailed beast besides Shukaku, and headed back to the organization’s base.
• Kisame Hoshigaki spotted movement in the sea near the Land of Water, and Uchiha Itachi attacked it with Amaterasu.
• Isobu surfaced and fired Water Steel Cannons at Itachi and Kisame before removing the black flames with chakra and fleeing.
• Kisame concluded the Three-Tails would remain in that stretch of sea and said they could report back, while Itachi recalled that Kirigakure’s Six-Tails was a rogue ninja.

The Akatsuki members reported what they had learned about the tailed beasts, and Pain organized their intelligence into a capture plan. The chapter ended with the members set to train before beginning the operation against the One-Tail in three years, while Lin Guang asked to join future captures.

• Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki discussed the Six-Tails before returning to the Akatsuki after the Three-Tails escaped.
• Lin Guang heard how Sasori and Deidara had traveled through Sunagakure, how Itachi and Kisame had confronted the Three-Tails, and how Kakuzu and Hidan had located the Seven-Tails in Takigakure.
• Lin Guang told the Akatsuki that he had found the Two-Tails, and Pain had Konan compile the members' intelligence on all nine tailed beasts.
• Pain assigned likely targets and teams, then ordered the Akatsuki to train and begin the One-Tail capture operation in three years.
• Lin Guang asked Pain whether he could take part in capturing tailed beasts once his strength caught up with the organization's average.

Lin Guang left Amegakure to find Sasuke after Uchiha Itachi said Sasuke had defected from Konoha and was heading to Otogakure. On the way, Lin Guang found injured Konoha ninja and arrived as Choji struggled against one of the Sound Four.

• Uchiha Itachi told Lin Guang that Sasuke had left Konoha for Otogakure and asked him to bring Sasuke back to his senses.
• Lin Guang agreed to find Sasuke, and Uchiha Itachi gave him a map before he departed.
• Uchiha Itachi burned a hidden man with Amaterasu, while Konan and Pain discussed Lin Guang's departure and Itachi's connection to her.
• Lin Guang encountered Shizune tending to the badly injured Genma Shiranui and Raido, who had been attacked by the Sound Four.
• Lin Guang followed the Sound Four and found Choji at a disadvantage in a fight with another fat man.

Lin Guang caught Choji after Jirobo sent him flying, defeated Jirobo, and learned that Naruto and the others had gone toward the Land of Tea. He then disguised himself as an Akatsuki ninja and continued after Sasuke, leaving Neji safe after killing Kidomaru.

• Choji used the green pill and his Meat Tank Needle Chariot against Jirobo, but Jirobo activated his Cursed Seal and struck him away.
• Lin Guang caught Choji, subdued Jirobo with Conqueror’s Haki and Ice Release, and asked where Naruto and the others had gone.
• Choji said they had headed toward the Land of Tea, and Lin Guang killed Jirobo before setting off to find Sasuke.
• Lin Guang put on a mask, activated his Sharingan, and found Neji fighting Kidomaru.
• Lin Guang burned Kidomaru’s spider silk with the Great Dragon Fire Technique and trapped him in a Sharingan genjutsu, allowing the flames to kill him.
• Neji thanked Lin Guang and asked whether he belonged to the Uchiha Clan.

Lin Guang encountered Kiba Inuzuka and defeated Sakon and Ukon while searching for Sasuke. He left Kiba behind and hurried on toward the remaining Sound Four member.

• Lin Guang tracked the Sound Ninja’s trail and left Neji Hyuga, who had been unable to see through his mask.
• Lin Guang found Kiba Inuzuka fighting Sakon and Ukon and offered to help him.
• Sakon and Ukon summoned Rashomon to block Lin Guang’s Fire Release, but he used wire and kunai to bind and kill them.
• Lin Guang warned Kiba to return to his companions, and Kiba thanked him before leaving.
• Lin Guang hurried onward, believing one woman from Orochimaru’s group remained and wondering whether Naruto could defeat her.

Lin Guang defeated Tayuya and reached the Valley of the End, where Naruto had fallen unconscious after fighting Sasuke. He confronted Sasuke about his plans to seek power from Orochimaru and left him with a warning and a hidden safeguard.

• Lin Guang used his Mangekyō Sharingan to reflect Tayuya’s genjutsu, freeze her, and kill her with a fireball, while Shikamaru recognized Lin Guang as a possible Akatsuki member.
• Lin Guang left Shikamaru and traveled to the Valley of the End, where Naruto and Sasuke’s duel had ended with Naruto unconscious and Sasuke nearly out of chakra.
• Lin Guang introduced himself to Sasuke as Uchiha Hikari, a distant Uchiha relative and Akatsuki member.
• Sasuke admitted he wanted to gain power from Orochimaru so he could kill Uchiha Itachi, and asked Lin Guang for help.
• Lin Guang warned Sasuke not to attack Konoha and planted an ocular technique in his body that would freeze Orochimaru if he tried to take Sasuke over.

Lin Guang warned Sasuke not to attack Konoha, then left him and took the injured Naruto back with Kakashi. After three years of training with the Akatsuki, Lin Guang reached Kage Level and joined the Akatsuki’s mission to capture the One-Tail.

• Lin Guang showed Sasuke the power of his Mangekyō Sharingan and warned him against attacking Konoha, then left with the injured Naruto as Sasuke departed.
• Kakashi arrived and took Naruto for treatment, while Lin Guang said he would spend three years on missions outside the village and asked Kakashi to have Jiraiya train Naruto.
• Over three years, Lin Guang reduced the Mangekyō Sharingan’s side effects, mastered Uchiha techniques and ninjutsu, and reached Kage Level.
• Lin Guang received notice of an Akatsuki meeting about capturing the One-Tail and returned to Amegakure with the other members.
• Pain assigned Deidara and Sasori to capture the One-Tail and said Lin Guang would accompany them at Uchiha Hikari’s request, prompting Deidara to complain.

Lin Guang joined Deidara and Sasori on the Akatsuki’s mission to capture the One-Tail, intending to obstruct the operation after completing his infiltration objectives. Deidara reached Sunagakure, where he encountered Gaara waiting on the Kazekage Building roof.

• Pain approved Lin Guang accompanying Deidara and Sasori, while Uchiha Itachi privately warned Lin Guang that Pain had grown suspicious of him.
• Lin Guang, Deidara, and Sasori flew toward Sunagakure on Deidara’s Clay Bird, and Lin Guang reflected on Gaara’s ties with Konoha and the worsening desert conditions.
• After crossing Sunagakure’s defensive line, Deidara left Lin Guang and Sasori behind and flew alone into the village.
• Deidara killed three sentries with Insect Clay Bombs and located the Kazekage Building.
• Deidara landed on the Kazekage Building roof and found Gaara waiting for him.

Gaara fought Deidara to defend Sunagakure, while Lin Guang and Sasori watched from outside the village. Lin Guang stopped Deidara’s C3 bomb, revealed his identity, and confronted Sasori before moving into Sunagakure.

• Gaara used his sand to battle Deidara in the sky above Sunagakure, drawing the villagers’ attention.
• Gaara trapped Deidara and destroyed one of his arms, but Deidara prepared a massive C3 bomb to attack the village.
• Lin Guang’s snow suppressed the C3 explosion and prevented it from destroying Sunagakure.
• Sasori confronted Lin Guang, who stopped his tail stinger with an ice mirror and revealed his true appearance.
• Lin Guang attacked Sasori with three fire dragons, then reached the Kazekage Building and taunted Deidara.

Lin Guang defended Gaara and Sunagakure from Deidara and Sasori, but Pain arrived to capture the One-Tail and overwhelmed Lin Guang with the Rinnegan. Pain restrained and injured Lin Guang, then urged Sasori and Deidara to continue their mission.

• Lin Guang stopped Deidara's C3 bomb and told Gaara he would help protect Sunagakure.
• Lin Guang said his Great Dragon Fire Technique had engulfed Sasori, but Sasori reappeared unharmed in a fireproof wooden puppet.
• Pain revealed himself through Sasori's puppet and declared that the Akatsuki would capture the One-Tail.
• Lin Guang transformed Sunagakure's snowy ground into ice mirrors and attacked the Akatsuki members with ice spikes.
• Pain repelled the ice spikes with Shinra Tensei, pulled Lin Guang in with Banshō Ten'in, and drove a black steel rod into his shoulder.
• Pain kicked Lin Guang away and told Sasori and Deidara to proceed while Lin Guang struggled to remove the rod.

Lin Guang failed to stop Deidara and Sasori from abducting Gaara, then pursued them while Kankuro sought Granny Chiyo's help. The Akatsuki began extracting Shukaku from Gaara as Lin Guang searched for the kidnappers.

• Pain blasted Lin Guang beyond Sunagakure, then left Deidara and Sasori to take Gaara away.
• Deidara detonated explosives hidden in Gaara's gourd, knocking him unconscious, and he and Sasori escaped with him.
• Lin Guang told Kankuro that the Akatsuki planned to extract Gaara's Tailed Beast, then pursued the kidnappers on an Ice Phoenix.
• Kankuro learned Lin Guang's identity from the scroll he left and decided to seek help from Granny Chiyo.
• Pain summoned the Akatsuki members and began extracting Shukaku from Gaara, shortening the process to half a day.

After the Akatsuki abducted Gaara, Konoha and Sunagakure sent reinforcements to stop them. Lin Guang confronted Uchiha Itachi, revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan, and protected Naruto during a brief genjutsu encounter before the Akatsuki’s body-double technique was exposed.

• Tsunade sent Sakura, Kakashi, and Naruto to Sunagakure after learning that the Akatsuki had abducted Gaara, while Kankuro and Baki brought Granny Chiyo out of retirement.
• Zetsu detected Lin Guang and reported that Might Guy’s team was approaching, so Kisame left the One-Tail extraction to confront them while Uchiha Itachi faced the others.
• Lin Guang appeared before Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi, and Itachi acknowledged that Lin Guang had surpassed him and asked to speak with Naruto.
• Lin Guang revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan, reassuring Kakashi and Naruto that he could prevent Itachi from harming Naruto.
• Itachi drew Naruto into a genjutsu space, then disappeared; Lin Guang explained that Itachi and Kisame had used the Akatsuki leader’s Shapeshifting Technique to act through other people’s bodies.
• Naruto asked Lin Guang how he had awakened the Sharingan despite not belonging to the Uchiha Clan.

Lin Guang led the rescue team to Akatsuki’s hideout after learning that Gaara was near death following the extraction of Shukaku. He shattered the barrier blocking the entrance with Susanoo, and the group prepared to enter.

• Lin Guang told Naruto and the others that he knew where the hideout was and led them to rescue Gaara, whose life was fading after Shukaku had been extracted.
• Might Guy’s team joined Kakashi’s group, and Neji Hyuga sensed several people and a strange statue inside the hideout.
• Might Guy failed to break the barrier covering the entrance, while Pain and the Akatsuki members sensed the approaching reinforcements and discussed Lin Guang’s strength.
• Lin Guang examined the barrier with his Sharingan and smashed through it with Susanoo.
• Lin Guang warned everyone to be careful as they prepared to enter the hideout.

Lin Guang confronted Sasori inside the Akatsuki lair while Kakashi and Might Guy pursued Deidara with Naruto, who learned Gaara was likely dead. Lin Guang and Sasori began testing each other in battle, and Granny Chiyo judged that neither had yet shown even a fifth of his strength.

• Deidara flew away with Gaara's corpse while Sasori stayed behind to face Lin Guang.
• Lin Guang sent Kakashi, Might Guy, and their team after Deidara, then entered the lair with Sakura and Granny Chiyo.
• Naruto learned Gaara was likely dead and charged after Deidara, his anger stirring the Nine-Tails chakra.
• Sasori attacked Lin Guang with Hiruko's stinger and a barrage of senbon, which Lin Guang blocked with an ice mirror.
• Lin Guang charged Sasori with an ice blade, and the two traded attacks as Sakura and Granny Chiyo watched.

Lin Guang forced Sasori to abandon Hiruko and learned that Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage and turned him into a puppet. Sasori unleashed the puppet’s weapons and poisonous smoke, while Lin Guang protected Sakura and Granny Chiyo and drove the smoke away with wind.

• Lin Guang used Ice Flame to freeze Hiruko and force Sasori to reveal his handsome true body.
• Sasori summoned his favorite puppet, the Third Kazekage, and Granny Chiyo revealed that Sasori had killed the Kazekage over a decade earlier.
• Lin Guang recognized Sasori as a threat to Konoha and focused on destroying the Third Kazekage Puppet before he could reach Sasori.
• Sasori shook off Lin Guang’s ice flames and sent hundreds of puppet arms after him, but Lin Guang burned them with Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
• Sasori filled the hideout with chakra-enhanced poisonous smoke, and Lin Guang shielded Sakura and Granny Chiyo before blowing the smoke away with Great Breakthrough.

Lin Guang fought Sasori’s Third Kazekage Puppet and froze Sasori with a combined Ice and Wind Release attack, but Sasori revealed his own puppet body and survived Lin Guang’s Susanoo assault. Sasori then vanished, leaving Lin Guang unsure where his opponent was.

• Sasori released the Third Kazekage Puppet’s iron sand, and Granny Chiyo explained that human puppets retained the kekkei genkai and chakra they had in life.
• Lin Guang froze the Iron Sand Rain with Snow Tiger Sky-Rending Roar and Great Breakthrough, encasing Sasori in ice.
• Sasori shattered the ice and revealed that he had turned his own body into a human puppet.
• Lin Guang summoned Susanoo, brought Sakura and Granny Chiyo inside it, and attacked Sasori with a giant ice spike and a crushing blow.
• Sasori’s body disappeared from Susanoo’s grasp, and his voice echoed around the cave as Lin Guang searched for him.

Lin Guang, Granny Chiyo, and Sakura fought Sasori as he unleashed the Performance of a Hundred Puppets. Lin Guang killed Sasori with his Frost Dragon Slash of the Cold Abyss, then asked Sakura to treat his injured chakra pathways before they went to find Naruto and the others.

• Sasori surrounded Lin Guang's Susanoo with more than a hundred puppets, forcing Lin Guang to ask Granny Chiyo and Sakura to hold him off while he prepared a technique.
• Granny Chiyo and Sakura battled Sasori's puppets, and Sakura injected them both with her antidote to guard against his poison.
• Lin Guang gathered his remaining chakra and told Granny Chiyo and Sakura to move away before unleashing his strongest attack.
• Lin Guang used Ice Release: Frost Dragon Slash of the Cold Abyss, and the ice dragon shattered Sasori and his puppets.
• Granny Chiyo mourned Sasori and resolved that she could use One's Own Life Reincarnation on Gaara instead.
• Lin Guang asked Sakura to treat his chakra pathways and said they would find Naruto and the others afterward.

Lin Guang and the others stopped Deidara, but Gaara had died from having Shukaku extracted. Granny Chiyo sacrificed her life to revive him, leaving Gaara back with Sunagakure as Kazekage.

• Granny Chiyo used One's Own Life Reincarnation to heal Lin Guang's chakra pathways, and he recovered enough chakra to pursue the others.
• Kakashi crippled Deidara, Naruto recovered Gaara's body, and Neji caught Deidara before he blew himself up; Lin Guang shielded everyone from the blast.
• Naruto grieved over Gaara and nearly lost control to the Nine-Tails' chakra, but Kakashi used Jiraiya's talisman while Lin Guang cooled Naruto with Ice Release.
• Granny Chiyo used One's Own Life Reincarnation to give her life to Gaara, asking Naruto to support him before she died.
• Gaara revived and reunited with the Sunagakure ninja, while Temari checked on him and told him to rest.

Lin Guang explained that Granny Chiyo had died using a life-for-life technique to revive Gaara, and urged Naruto to grow stronger so he could protect more people. After the group prepared to return to Sunagakure, Lin Guang privately considered the Akatsuki’s growing threat and planned to warn Jiraiya.

• Lin Guang told Naruto that Granny Chiyo had used a life-for-life technique to save Gaara and had died in the process.
• Sakura mourned Granny Chiyo as her younger brother struggled to accept her death, while Temari recognized that she had entrusted Sunagakure’s future to Lin Guang, Gaara, and Naruto.
• Gaara asked everyone to pray for Granny Chiyo, and Lin Guang and Naruto helped him stand.
• Lin Guang urged Naruto to seek promotion and become strong enough to protect more people, and Naruto agreed with him.
• Lin Guang privately recalled that the Akatsuki had captured at least three Tailed Beasts and decided to inform Jiraiya after returning to Konoha.
• Lin Guang concluded that Deidara had survived by using a clay decoy and vowed to defeat him when they met again.

Lin Guang and his teammates returned to Konoha after defeating Sasori, and Tsunade announced that Lin Guang and Naruto would be promoted to Jonin. Sakura later questioned how Kakashi and Lin Guang had obtained their Sharingan, prompting Tsunade to suspect that Shimura Danzō held the surviving Uchiha eyes.

• Tsunade and Jiraiya welcomed Lin Guang, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura back to Konoha and praised their mission work.
• Lin Guang asked about Jonin promotions, and Tsunade scheduled his and Naruto’s ceremony for the day after tomorrow.
• Lin Guang, Naruto, Satō Maji, and Hyūga Jō celebrated their return at Ichiraku Ramen and discussed their progress.
• Might Guy took Kakashi to Konoha Hospital, where Tsunade examined him after his prolonged use of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sakura asked Tsunade how Kakashi and Lin Guang had obtained their Sharingan, and Tsunade said Shimura Danzō controlled the surviving Uchiha eyes.

Tsunade received intelligence that Orochimaru would appear at Tenchi Bridge, and Naruto insisted on going to find Sasuke. Danzo assigned Sai to join Naruto and Sakura, while Lin Guang offered to serve as their third teammate.

• Tsunade learned from Kankuro's letter that Sasori had left information about a spy meeting Orochimaru at Tenchi Bridge in ten days.
• Naruto read the intelligence and insisted on going to Kusagakure with Sakura, so Tsunade required him to find a strong Jonin for a three-person squad.
• Shimura Danzō gave Sai his name and ordered him to join Naruto and Sakura on their mission.
• Naruto decided to ask Lin Guang to join his squad, unaware that Lin Guang was already meeting with Tsunade.
• Lin Guang agreed to fill the third spot, and Tsunade told him that Danzō had already arranged for Sai to join Team 7.

Tsunade assigned Lin Guang to join Naruto's team for a dangerous mission, confident in his strength and experience. After Sai attacked Naruto and his friends, Lin Guang captured him and suspected Tsunade was dealing with trouble involving the ANBU.

• Tsunade told Lin Guang to join Naruto's team and dismissed Shizune's concerns about his readiness.
• Lin Guang found Naruto with Shikamaru and Choji and agreed to join them for their mission.
• Sai attacked the group with an ink beast, and Naruto fought him on a rooftop.
• Lin Guang trapped Sai in an ice prison after Sai tried to escape, then left him with Shikamaru.
• Lin Guang headed back to Tsunade, recognizing the ANBU scent on Sai and suspecting she was in trouble.