Recaps

Zou Hyuga studied the Land of Snow's Chakra Armor, gave its technology to Taro Utada, and received a natural energy cultivation method from Orochimaru and Shinnō. Back at the Leyline Base, he planned Karin's education and asked Vortex Shizuko to help explore freeing Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze from the Reaper Death Seal.

• Zou Hyuga accepted several suits of Chakra Armor from Nadare Rōga and mastered the armor's technology overnight.
• Zou Hyuga gave Taro Utada a suit of Chakra Armor and its blueprints, then learned that bandits had attacked the Fire Temple and that two visitors wanted to see him.
• Shinnō and Orochimaru admitted they had gone to the Fire Temple for Chiriku, and Shinnō left Zou Hyuga the temple's Natural Energy Cultivation Method.
• Orochimaru warned Shinnō that Pain and the Masked Man were dangerous, then returned with him to their base and their captive, Chiriku.
• Zou Hyuga gave Haku Chakra Armor and discussed sending Karin to Kirigakure with Vortex Shizuko, who worried about the risks to her daughter.
• Zou Hyuga asked Vortex Shizuko to perform the Reaper Death Seal near the end of her life so they could try to free Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze.

Vortex Shizuko arrived in Konoha and agreed to help Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha with a dangerous sealing formula to awaken Kushina. Hiashi asked Zou about the Akatsuki and agreed to have Hinata become Oto’s apprentice, while Hinata was left hurt when Neji treated her coldly.

• Zou Hyuga brought Vortex Shizuko to his courtyard, where she met Oto Uchiha.
• Zou told Oto that he wanted Shizuko to perform the life-threatening formula needed to awaken Kushina, and Shizuko agreed.
• Hanabi Hyuga summoned Zou to meet Hiashi, who asked how powerful the Akatsuki was and explained that the Hokage wanted the clans to organize an Emergency Response Force.
• Hiashi proposed that Hinata become Oto’s apprentice, and Zou accepted the arrangement.
• After school, Hinata hesitated to approach Naruto, then called out to Neji, who addressed her formally and walked away.

Hinata teamed up with Naruto to investigate a suspicious old man, who threatened to destroy Konoha before his explosive-tag plot was stopped. Oto revealed that she had prevented most of the tags from detonating and took charge of the aftermath, while Hinata's visit with her future mentor remained ahead.

• Hinata saw Sasuke with his older brother and reflected on how distant Neji and Hanabi were before Naruto startled her in an alley and asked for help investigating someone suspicious.
• Hinata used her Byakugan to locate the old man, and Naruto and Hinata followed him near Kage Rock while Tokuma Hyuga and Naruto's ANBU guard secretly watched.
• The old man threatened to destroy Konoha and swung his walking stick at the children, but Naruto knocked him down with a headbutt.
• The old man revealed explosive tags near Kage Rock, and Yamato rushed to contain the blast as the tags detonated.
• Oto appeared and claimed she had switched the explosive tags, then handed the old man to Yamato and inspected the damage to Kage Rock.
• Oto privately admitted she had used her dojutsu to stop the remaining tags from exploding and had only pretended to have swapped them.

The Third Hokage weighed new village security measures after an ordinary villager smuggled explosive tags into Konoha, then continued preparing an alliance against Akatsuki. Kakashi reached the Land of Lightning on a mission to persuade the Fourth Raikage, where Cloud Ninja came to meet him.

• Oto Uchiha recommended expanding security checks to include ordinary villagers, but Shikaku Nara warned that Konoha lacked enough personnel to do so effectively.
• The Interrogation Squad reported that the attacker had acted out of revenge and suffered severe psychological problems, and the Third Hokage returned to planning for a confrontation with Akatsuki.
• The Third Hokage considered the support and limitations of Sunagakure and Kirigakure, and relied on Kakashi to approach Kumogakure for an alliance.
• Kakashi crossed the Land of Lightning after a week of travel and reflected on Kazahana Koyuki's feelings and the strange changes to Obito's eye.
• Cloud Ninja spotted Kakashi at a border outpost and hurried to meet him.

Kakashi watched the Fourth Raikage and Killer B spar before persuading the Raikage to join Konoha’s operation against the Akatsuki. The Raikage agreed conditionally, but after Kakashi left, he smashed his desk in anger at Konoha’s attitude.

• Kakashi observed the Fourth Raikage and Killer B’s training and learned how powerful Lightning Release Chakra Mode was.
• The Fourth Raikage joked that Kakashi could become the next Raikage if he mastered the technique, and Kakashi declined to defect from Konoha.
• Kakashi delivered the Third Hokage’s proposal for Kumogakure to ally with Konoha and launch a surprise attack on the Akatsuki.
• Kakashi warned that the Akatsuki threatened Kumogakure and listed its dangerous members, persuading the Fourth Raikage to join if Konoha survived until the operation began.
• After Kakashi left, the Fourth Raikage smashed his desk over Konoha’s attitude.

The Fourth Raikage learned that Iwagakure was suspected of collaborating with the Akatsuki and sent Kakashi back to Konoha with a confidential letter expressing his willingness to oppose them. After reading it, the Third Hokage organized Konoha’s preparations and investigated Danzo, whose youthful appearance and secrecy left him suspicious.

• Mabui gave the Fourth Raikage reports on Akatsuki activity and a report alleging Iwagakure had murky ties with the Akatsuki.
• The Fourth Raikage decided to oppose the Akatsuki and sent Kakashi back to Konoha with a confidential letter.
• Kakashi delivered the letter to the Third Hokage, who praised him and offered him a forbidden technique from the Scroll of Seals.
• The Third Hokage reviewed preparations for Konoha’s new Special Forces unit and wondered why Danzo had been absent.
• The Third Hokage visited the Root Base, where Danzo emerged from a guarded room looking sweaty and unusually young.

Zou and Vortex Shizuko stole the God of Death Mask needed for their plan to undo the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and let Minato and Kushina awaken. They postponed the ritual until Shukaku’s revival might provide an opportunity, while Shizuko promised to hold on as long as she could.

• Zou watched the gathered youngsters train before taking Vortex Shizuko out to see Konoha at night.
• Zou and Vortex Shizuko entered Vortex Hall and secretly took the God of Death Mask used by the Fourth Hokage.
• Oto recognized the mask and realized it could let them see Kushina and Minato, but the ritual would require someone to die.
• Zou warned Oto that retrieving the bodies beneath the Hokage Building and involving the Third would risk a major conflict.
• Zou proposed waiting until Shukaku revived, and Vortex Shizuko promised to do her best to survive until then.

As the One-Tail’s revival approached, Konoha prepared to assist Sunagakure and sent Kakashi, Guy, Yamato, and Shisui toward the Land of Wind. In Amegakure, Zou Hyuga questioned Konan about the Akatsuki’s plans, while Nagato prepared for a war council and reaffirmed his resolve to change the shinobi world.

• The Third Hokage declared an emergency and told Konoha’s ANBU that the One-Tail would revive within two weeks, though its location was unknown.
• The Third assigned Kakashi, Guy, Yamato, and Shisui to help Sunagakure capture the One-Tail, and Oto warned Shisui to avoid using his Mangekyo Sharingan if possible.
• Oto asked Zou Hyuga where his true body was, and he said it was likely heading to the Land of Rain.
• In Amegakure, Konan warned Zou that the One-Tail was about to revive and urged him not to repeat his previous interference.
• Zou questioned Konan about the consequences if the Akatsuki’s plan failed, but she said Nagato had made his own arrangements and left.
• Konan reported her conversation to Nagato, who explained that he wanted a weapon powerful enough to deter the great nations, then asked how many Akatsuki members had arrived.

Zou Hyuga joined the Akatsuki’s plan to capture the tailed beasts and traveled to the Land of Wind with Hiruko, Sasori, and Oyashiro En. After Oyashiro En revealed his power and the group studied Sunagakure’s defenses, Zou considered how to sabotage his companions and the One-Tail’s capture.

• Pain announced that the One-Tail would revive within a week, assigned the Akatsuki missions to capture the tailed beasts in order, and sent Zou Hyuga to the Land of Wind with Hiruko and Sasori.
• Zou learned that the Akatsuki also planned to attack Konohagakure, then sent intelligence about the attack back to Konoha while traveling with his assigned team and Oyashiro En.
• At an oasis, Oyashiro En used powerful genjutsu and chakra manipulation to kill a squad of Sand Ninja, revealing more of his strength to Zou.
• Oyashiro En told Zou that Orochimaru had disclosed why Hiruko and others had brought him into the Akatsuki, and said he had given up on targeting Pain’s Rinnegan.
• Zou, Oyashiro En, Hiruko, and Sasori reviewed Sunagakure’s deployments and the One-Tail’s possible revival sites, while Zou considered arranging for Hiruko, Sasori, and the One-Tail to die by accident.

Zou Hyuga, Hiruko, and Sasori tracked the Sand Ninja forces and headed toward the place where Zou believed Shukaku would revive. Sunagakure prepared for Shukaku’s return with Konoha’s ANBU support, while the Fourth Kazekage remained uneasy about the coming battle.

• Zou Hyuga sensed an unusual concentration of natural energy in the Land of Wind and suspected it marked Shukaku’s revival site.
• Sasori and Hiruko infiltrated a Sand Ninja camp, poisoned its ninja, and learned the location they sought; Hiruko also learned that Konoha ANBU, including Sharingan users, were supporting Sunagakure.
• The Akatsuki group flew toward the reported location as Baki’s team entered the burning camp and found most of its ninja alive but too badly poisoned to serve.
• The Fourth Kazekage and Chiyo discussed Sasori’s attacks, and Chiyo admitted she might need Rasa’s help to defeat him.
• The Fourth Kazekage learned that Shisui, Kakashi, and Yamato were among Konoha’s reinforcements, then arranged Sunagakure’s defenses while feeling uneasy.

Kakashi’s squad prepared with Sunagakure for Shukaku’s revival as Gaara asked about Zou and Oto, while the Fourth Kazekage learned of Iwagakure’s movements. In Konoha, Oto warned Uchiha Fugaku that the Akatsuki would attack soon and urged him to protect the villagers.

• Kakashi watched Sunagakure’s preparations and considered how his improved Lightning Release and Nintaijutsu might fare against the Masked Man.
• Gaara asked Guy for his captain, then asked Kakashi to tell him stories about Zou Hyuga when he learned Zou was absent.
• The Fourth Kazekage weighed whether Gaara should become Shukaku’s Jinchuriki, then learned the Rock Ninja were moving toward the Land of Rain.
• Oto Uchiha received Zou Hyuga’s intelligence that the Akatsuki would attack Konoha soon and burned the message.
• Oto asked Uchiha Fugaku to lead the Military Police Force and protect the villagers, arguing that Konoha’s other forces could not handle the attack alone.

Oto Uchiha warned Konoha’s leaders that Akatsuki might be nearby, prompting Tsunade and the advisors to plan a stand-in for Hiruzen Sarutobi while the village’s forces were away. Obito and Zetsu confirmed that Oto and Zou Hyuga remained in Konoha, and Obito prepared to cause a diversion before searching for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

• Fugaku questioned Oto’s plan to reveal her Mangekyō Sharingan, but agreed to follow her request and hoped she would bring honor to the clan.
• Oto reported suspected Akatsuki activity to Tsunade and the two advisors, who decided to have a ninja impersonate Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Obito and Zetsu watched Konoha and confirmed that the Third Hokage had taken many elite ninja away, while Oto Uchiha and Zou Hyuga remained in the village.
• Obito dismissed Zetsu’s concerns about Nagato facing Konoha’s forces and left to gather intelligence while waiting for Kakuzu and Hidan.
• Obito planned to use Kakuzu and Hidan to create a disturbance that would distract Konoha from the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

As Shukaku's revival approached, Kakashi's team discovered that the Akatsuki were watching from the sky, where Oyashiro En and Shisui clashed through powerful ocular genjutsu. Sasori warned the others that the Kazekage had spotted them just as gold dust attacked their flying summoning beast.

• The Kazekage led Sand Ninja and Kakashi's team to the area with the strongest natural energy and had a sealing formula prepared for Shukaku.
• Shisui returned from scouting without finding the Akatsuki's hiding place, and Kakashi spotted a black dot overhead that revealed their aerial surveillance.
• Oyashiro En cast ocular genjutsu on Shisui, but Shisui broke it with his Mangekyō Sharingan and warned Kakashi about the enemy's unfamiliar kekkei genkai.
• Oyashiro En told Hiruko that a Sharingan user had counterattacked him, while Zou Hyuga recognized that the eyes were Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasori announced that the Kazekage had spotted them, and arrow-shaped gold dust shot toward their flying summoning beast.

Sasori and Rasa fought while Hiruko battled Sunagakure’s forces until Might Guy intervened, and Kakashi and Shisui engaged Zou Hyuga and Oyashiro En. Shisui recognized Zou and asked why he was there, leaving their confrontation at a pause.

• Sasori blocked Rasa’s gold dust with iron sand while the others landed nearby and triggered explosive tags.
• Hiruko attacked the Sand Ninja, but Might Guy arrived, rescued the wounded, and faced him in battle.
• Guy opened the Gate of View and launched Morning Peacock at Hiruko.
• Kakashi and Shisui intercepted Zou Hyuga and Oyashiro En, and Shisui battled Zou while Kakashi pursued Oyashiro En.
• Zou told Shisui that he was nearly blind, prompting Shisui to recognize him and ask what he was doing there.

Zou Hyuga and Shisui weighed their next move as the One-Tail revived and attacked Sunagakure. Gaara reinforced the Sand Ninja while Rasa and Sasori ended their duel and headed toward Shukaku.

• Zou Hyuga reassured Shisui that Kirigakure had escaped the genjutsu, gave him medicine, and considered whether to use him as a guinea pig for a white Zetsu cell transplant.
• Zou Hyuga chose to wait before deciding whether to oppose the Akatsuki or help them capture the tailed beasts.
• Shukaku revived in a massive sandstorm, and Zou Hyuga entered Sage Mode to gather natural energy.
• Baki helped lead the Sand Ninja in an attempt to restrain Shukaku, but their defenses began to fail until Gaara arrived to support them.
• Rasa and Sasori ended their aerial duel, and Sasori headed toward Shukaku while Rasa let him go.

Kakashi and Yamato outwitted Oyashiro En, but he escaped and reconsidered his place in the Akatsuki. Meanwhile, Hiruko defeated Might Guy in their fight and headed toward Shukaku, leaving Guy badly injured but still unwilling to concede.

• Kakashi struck Oyashiro En with Lightning Blade, but Oyashiro En revealed that Kakashi had fallen for a genjutsu and tried to attack his eye.
• Yamato rescued Kakashi and trapped Oyashiro En with Wood Release, but they found only a blood-written message inside the enclosure.
• Oyashiro En treated his severed arm in the desert and decided he had little reason to remain with the Akatsuki.
• Hiruko’s kekkei genkai began to harmonize as he fought Guy, and he knocked Guy back with a powerful punch.
• Hiruko declared that Guy could not overcome the gulf between geniuses and ordinary people, then rushed toward Shukaku.
• Guy insisted he had not lost, but realized his injuries were too severe for him to use the Seventh Gate safely.

Hiruko attacked Shukaku’s sealing formulas while the Konoha and Sand Ninja confronted the Akatsuki forces. After discovering another Shukaku inside his Diamond Mark and deciding to seize the tailed beast’s chakra for himself, Zou Hyuga entered the battle, and Shisui followed because he could not remain idle.

• Hiruko reached Shukaku, destroyed the sealing formulas with Scorch Release, and injured the tailed beast.
• Kakashi and Yamato arrived as Kazekage Rasa and Sasori brought their forces into the battle, with Kakashi and Yamato engaging Sasori.
• Zou Hyuga realized that Shukaku had also appeared inside his Diamond Mark and suppressed an urge to devour the tailed beast.
• Zou Hyuga decided to build his strength by taking Shukaku’s chakra and vanished from the rise to join the fight.
• Shisui followed Zou Hyuga toward the battlefield, deciding that he had to do something.

Kakashi, Yamato, and Chiyo defeated Sasori, but Chiyo’s attempt to bring him home was interrupted when an unknown figure stole his core. The newcomer declared that the mission was not over, leaving Sasori’s fate uncertain.

• Sasori abandoned his Hiruko shell and unleashed his human puppets against Kakashi and Yamato, who endured the barrage but were nearly out of chakra.
• Chiyo attacked Sasori with the Father and Mother puppets, distracting him long enough for Kakashi and Yamato to bind and stab him.
• Sasori transferred his core into an uncontrolled puppet and attacked Chiyo, but she embraced him and smashed the puppet housing his body.
• A mysterious figure took Sasori’s core from Chiyo and told the gathered Kakashi, Yamato, Chiyo, and Sand Ninja that the mission was not finished.

Zou Hyuga retrieved Sasori’s core and escaped Kakashi and the Sand Ninja during Shukaku’s attack. He joined Hiruko and the Kazekage’s battle, then greeted Shukaku as the fight remained unresolved.

• Zou Hyuga nullified the ninja’s attacks, severed the Sand Ninja’s puppet threads, and escaped under cover of Shukaku’s Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Kakashi, Yamato, and the Sand Ninja survived the blast behind a protective wall, then hurried toward the Kazekage’s battle.
• Zou Hyuga found Kazekage Rasa, Hiruko, and Shukaku fighting, with Gaara and other Sand Ninja supporting Rasa.
• Hiruko asked about the others, and Zou Hyuga said Sasori had likely encountered Kakashi’s ANBU and Chiyo while he had fought an Uchiha.
• Rasa overheard that Shisui Uchiha had been defeated and worried that his exhausted forces could not handle Hiruko and Zou Hyuga.
• Zou Hyuga greeted the enormous Shukaku, saying, “Long time no see.”

Zou Hyuga drained much of Shukaku’s chakra and helped Hiruko take the weakened Tailed Beast away. He held off the Sand Ninja as Chiyo, Kakashi, Yamato, and Guy arrived, leaving both sides locked in a standoff.

• Zou Hyuga stopped Shukaku from using a Tailed Beast Bomb and told Hiruko to fight Kazekage Rasa while he captured the One-Tail.
• Zou Hyuga absorbed Shukaku’s chakra until some of the markings on his body began to unseal, then left Shukaku unconscious and severely weakened.
• Hiruko took Shukaku away using his Flying Summoning Beast after Zou Hyuga asked how they would transport him.
• Zou Hyuga stopped the Sand Ninja from pursuing Hiruko, and the gold dust in the air fell as it lost its chakra.
• Chiyo arrived with more Sand Ninja, followed by Kakashi and Yamato, and Guy later joined them.
• Kakashi stopped Guy from attacking Zou Hyuga, and Chiyo and Kazekage Rasa chose to maintain a standoff until Zou Hyuga left.

After the Akatsuki escaped with Shukaku, Kazekage Rasa focused on treating casualties and reconsidered Sunagakure’s ability to protect the One-Tail. Zou Hyuga traveled through the desert with Hiruko and Shukaku, learned that the markings were called Karma, and resolved to prepare for the mysterious force behind them.

• Kakashi told Kazekage Rasa to treat the wounded and secure the perimeter, while Rasa decided that recovering the One-Tail might bring Sunagakure more danger than benefit.
• Elder Chiyo treated the wounded, and Rasa encouraged Gaara after seeing his performance.
• Kakashi encountered Shisui, who concealed that he had watched the battle and explained away his exhausted state.
• Zou Hyuga and Hiruko hauled the unconscious Shukaku through the desert toward the rendezvous point, and Hiruko concluded that Sasori and another Akatsuki member had died.
• Zou Hyuga siphoned chakra from Shukaku, learned that his markings were called Karma, and suspected that the hidden force behind them might be connected to his uncle and his own origins.
• Zou Hyuga decided he needed to expand the Chakra Network while also pursuing Orochimaru’s biotechnology and the Land of Snow’s external technology research.

Kakuzu and Hidan breached Konoha and attacked its defenders, drawing the village’s forces into battle. Tsunade ordered a response, and Uchiha Fugaku confronted the pair as reinforcements arrived.

• Kakuzu and Hidan crossed Konoha’s barrier, killed the Chunin guarding it, and entered the village.
• Tsunade learned of the breach through the village surveillance system and sent the Konoha Defense Force to stop the attackers.
• Kakuzu unleashed a Fire Release attack that devastated a neighborhood, while Konoha shinobi struggled to extinguish the flames.
• Uchiha Fugaku arrived, evacuated villagers through the Military Police Force, and confronted Kakuzu and Hidan.
• Kakuzu struck Fugaku with Lightning Release: False Darkness, and the Konoha Defense Force arrived to join the fight.

Obito infiltrated Naruto’s home to capture the Nine-Tails jinchūriki, but Oto Uchiha intervened and prevented him from escaping with Kamui. Their battle escalated into a clash between two Susanoo, while Konoha’s forces evacuated the surrounding residents.

• Obito appeared in Naruto’s room and attacked the Root squad, defeating several operatives as they evacuated Naruto.
• Oto Uchiha interrupted Obito’s attempt to capture Naruto, wounded him with a poisoned blade, and took Naruto to safety.
• Obito replaced his poisoned arm with White Zetsu’s arm and confronted Oto, but her Mangekyo Sharingan repeatedly nullified his Kamui.
• Oto summoned her Susanoo and destroyed Obito’s hiding place, keeping him from escaping while the village’s shinobi evacuated nearby residents.
• Obito unleashed Wood Release: Nativity of a World of Trees, and Oto countered with Sage Art: Great Fire Annihilation.
• Obito and Oto manifested Susanoo and grappled amid the burning forest as a wounded Root operative watched and expanded the evacuation.

Danzo learned that Akatsuki had attacked Konoha and that Oto Uchiha and the Masked Man were fighting with Susanoo. Oto defeated Obito’s Susanoo with a senjutsu-infused strike, but both escaped, and she withdrew to treat the damage caused by using natural energy.

• Danzo learned that Tsunade and the jinchūriki were organizing Konoha’s response, then brought Root out of its base and considered taking a Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Fugaku and Tsunade fought Kakuzu and Hidan alongside Konoha’s defenders, while Tsunade overcame her hemophobia and they damaged Kakuzu.
• Fugaku identified Oto as the Uchiha using one of the two Susanoo, and Tsunade’s group continued surrounding Kakuzu and Hidan.
• Oto’s shadow clone escorted Naruto to a shelter, where Oto reassured Itachi that the village’s situation remained under control.
• Oto infused her Susanoo’s sword with senjutsu chakra, shattered Obito’s Susanoo, and struck him before he escaped using a White Zetsu substitute.
• Oto wounded Black Zetsu as he fled underground and collected a sample, then took medicine to suppress the harm caused by using natural energy.

After the attack on Konoha, Oto checked on the village’s recovery and challenged Danzo when he questioned her newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan. Elsewhere, Orochimaru and Shinnō left with Yugito, the Two-Tails’ jinchūriki, while discussing the Akatsuki’s other captures and missing members.

• Oto examined herself after surviving senjutsu erosion, then went to help amid Konoha’s ruins as Tsunade and other officials tended to the villagers.
• Tsunade told Oto that the Akatsuki members she and the Military Police had pursued escaped with help from a white figure and a distorted vortex.
• Danzo confronted Oto for hiding her Mangekyō Sharingan, but she rejected his authority and implied he was trying to replace the Hokage.
• Tsunade asked Oto whether she had helped change the Uchiha Clan’s reputation, and Oto left to assist the villagers.
• In the Land of Lightning, Shinnō carried the unconscious Yugito out of a canyon after Orochimaru warned him not to use the Two-Tails’ jinchūriki as Zero-Tails material.
• Orochimaru told Shinnō that Hiruko and the President had captured the One-Tail, while Sasori and Oyashiro En were missing after encountering Konoha’s ANBU.