Recaps

Nagato weighed the Akatsuki’s losses and the unknown powers now obstructing its hunt for tailed beasts, then ordered the organization to lie low while it recovered. He asked Konan to contact the President, who was already in the Land of Fire, because he wanted to discuss reviving the Ten-Tails.

• Juzo Biwa asked whether Orochimaru had resurrected the Fourth Hokage couple, and Nagato concluded that Orochimaru was the likeliest culprit.
• Nagato considered whether the Akatsuki should target Kumogakure or Kirigakure while it still needed the Seven-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails.
• Obito reported that Shinnō was imprisoned in Kirigakure, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was no longer in Shinnō’s hands, and two ninja had destroyed the Sky Ninja Village War Machine with strength rivaling the Five Kage.
• Nagato decided that the Akatsuki would find a temporary base, restore its fighting strength, and avoid large-scale attacks for the next several months.
• Konan visited Nagato, who asked her to contact the President in the Land of Fire so they could discuss reviving the Ten-Tails.

Zou Hyuga investigated the Daimyō’s ties to the Tailed Beast Merchant Association before answering Nagato’s summons. At the meeting place, he found Nagato and Obito fighting over the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and both turned their attention to him as he considered intervening.

• Zou Hyuga watched the Daimyō’s armed guards and reported his findings about the Land of Fire’s nobility to a Shadow Clone before leaving for Nagato’s hideout.
• Zou Hyuga reached the meeting place and found Obito’s azure Susanoo battling the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Zou Hyuga spotted Nagato, Konan, and Zetsu watching the fight, and noticed that Nagato was missing one Rinnegan.
• Zou Hyuga questioned Zetsu about the battle and suggested they could kill both fighters and take the Rinnegan.
• Zou Hyuga prepared to intervene from behind, but Nagato and Obito sensed him and turned to face him.

Zou Hyuga stumbled upon Obito and Nagato fighting over the Rinnegan and tried to avoid choosing a side. When Obito demanded his allegiance, Zou revealed that Zetsu was hiding nearby, leaving both factions wary of who else might be watching.

• Zou Hyuga arrived during Obito and Nagato's battle, and both combatants paused to assess his presence.
• Obito claimed to be Madara Uchiha and urged Zou to help him against Nagato, but Zou said he had joined the Akatsuki for the Land of Rain's market, not its ideals.
• Obito demanded that Zou choose between his side and Nagato's, while Zou weighed the consequences of each option.
• Zou pointed out that Zetsu was nearby, forcing Zetsu to emerge from the woods and greet the group.
• Nagato, Konan, and Obito wondered whether other Akatsuki members were also watching from the surrounding woods.

Zou Hyuga attacked Obito, then stole Nagato’s remaining Rinnegan during Konan’s explosive-tag barrage. He refused Obito’s offer to join his side and revealed that he wanted the Rinnegan for himself.

• Nagato confirmed that no other Akatsuki members were nearby, while Konan suspected Zou Hyuga would decide the fight against Obito.
• Zou Hyuga fired a weakened Tailed Beast Bomb at Obito’s Susanoo, then used his Byakugan to steal Nagato’s remaining Rinnegan and sever his arm.
• Konan detonated an enormous field of explosive tags, forcing Zou Hyuga to defend himself with Karma and natural energy mode while Obito endured the blasts with Susanoo.
• The explosions left the forest scorched, Nagato and Konan missing, and Obito’s Susanoo badly damaged.
• Obito offered Zou Hyuga the position of second-in-command and proposed that they carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan together.
• Zou Hyuga rejected Obito’s offer, drew his sword, and said he wanted the Rinnegan for himself.

Zou Hyuga held Nagato’s Rinnegan and faced Obito, who tried to reclaim it for the Eye of the Moon Plan. After their standoff, Obito withdrew and Zetsu refused Zou’s invitation to join him.

• Zou Hyuga considered the power and importance of the Rinnegan but hesitated to destroy it.
• Obito attacked Zou Hyuga with Kamui to take back the Rinnegan, but Zou evaded him and warned that the eye could be destroyed.
• Obito threatened Zou’s family and Merchant Company, while Zou countered by demanding Obito’s other Rinnegan and exploiting his exhaustion.
• Obito proposed a trade, but Zou demanded Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan and admitted he had only been toying with him.
• Obito retreated through a vortex, and Zou let him go because Zetsu was watching.
• Zou invited Zetsu to join the winning side, but Zetsu burrowed into the scorched earth and left.

Amado’s team found a fragment containing half a finger at the battlefield and discussed using its genes for their artificial human project. Zou Hyuga tracked down Nagato and Konan in the Land of Rain and met Nagato to hear what he had in mind.

• Amado and his assistants investigated the ravaged battlefield and found half a finger enclosed in a stone resembling their God Tree sample.
• Amado said the fragment held genes needed for the artificial human project, while an assistant warned that the project was taboo and dangerous.
• Zou Hyuga learned from his shadow clone that unfamiliar figures had appeared at the battlefield and suspected they served the hidden Otsutsuki.
• Zou crossed into the Land of Rain, located Nagato and Konan in a valley, and used Inorganic Reincarnation to enclose their hut.
• Nagato offered Zou the Six Paths of Pain except the Deva Path if he spared Konan, but Zou said he had come to keep their appointment.
• Zou noticed a photograph of Jiraiya, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, then asked Nagato what he intended to do.

Zou Hyuga restored Nagato’s sight and explained that a hidden Ōtsutsuki threat endangered the shinobi world. After revealing how deeply he had infiltrated Akatsuki, he offered to keep protecting Amegakure and help Nagato and Konan revive Yahiko, leaving them shaken by the possibility.

• Zou Hyuga gave Nagato a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and Konan implanted them to restore Nagato’s sight.
• Nagato explained his plan to ease tensions with the Five Great Shinobi Villages while seeking a substitute for tailed beast chakra, but Zou Hyuga considered it impractical.
• Zou Hyuga decided that recruiting Nagato, Konan, and Akatsuki could help him oppose the hidden Ōtsutsuki organization.
• Zou Hyuga told Nagato and Konan about the Moon Otsutsuki Clan and the greater crisis facing the shinobi world.
• Nagato realized Zou Hyuga had known about Orochimaru and Shinnō’s betrayal and had hollowed out Akatsuki, while Zou confirmed the Seven-Tails had gone to the Otsutsuki.
• Zou Hyuga offered to protect Amegakure and help revive Yahiko, and Nagato and Konan’s expressions wavered.

Zou Hyuga persuaded Nagato and Konan to consider working with him by offering to summon Yahiko’s soul and revealing his role in reviving the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki. Nagato and Konan remained conflicted about facing Yahiko, but they had few alternatives to joining Zou.

• Nagato questioned how Zou Hyuga could revive Yahiko, and Zou pointed to Orochimaru’s Impure World Reincarnation technique.
• Nagato objected that the technique sacrificed a soul and that Rinne Rebirth would cost the caster’s life.
• Zou revealed that he had helped revive the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki, leading Nagato to realize Zou had disrupted the Akatsuki’s plans.
• Zou offered to summon Yahiko’s soul if Nagato brought out his body, but Nagato and Konan hesitated at the thought of facing their friend.
• Zou judged that Nagato and Konan had few safe options and were increasingly likely to consider working with him.

The Third Hokage received Zou Hyuga’s report linking the Tailed Beast Merchant Association to powerful Land of Fire officials and possibly the Daimyō, but decided to shelve the investigation. He then heard that Akatsuki’s trail ended at a devastated forest in the heart of the Land of Fire, where ordinary people had gathered.

• The Third Hokage read Zou Hyuga’s report and realized that continuing the investigation could implicate the Daimyō and threaten Konoha’s finances.
• The Third Hokage considered possible successors, including Kakashi and Oto Uchiha, but could not choose one who would avoid destabilizing the village.
• The Third Hokage summoned assistance, but an ANBU squad arrived and reported that Akatsuki’s trail had ended at a devastated site in the Land of Fire.
• The Third Hokage questioned whether Akatsuki had fought another Kage or suffered an internal conflict, then learned that ordinary people had visited the battlefield.

The Third Hokage and his advisors planned a search for the Akatsuki while considering using the graduation exams to investigate nearby villages and replenish Konoha’s forces. In the Land of Rain, Zou Hyuga brought Nagato and Konan to an abandoned Orochimaru base and began studying the Six Paths of Pain, while Nagato and Konan accepted the loss of the Rinnegan for Yahiko’s sake.

• The Third Hokage told Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu that he planned to send the Fire Squad to search for the Akatsuki and invite other village leaders to observe Konoha’s graduation exam.
• Mitokado Homura recognized that the exam could help investigate Akatsuki infiltration and suggested combining it with the Chunin Ninja Exams to replenish Konoha’s ranks.
• Zou Hyuga led Nagato and Konan to an abandoned Orochimaru base, where Nagato asked about Zou’s senjutsu and Zou confirmed that he had learned from Ryūchi Cave.
• After discovering that Nagato’s injuries were healing without help, Zou Hyuga asked him to summon the Six Paths of Pain and took the puppets to a secret room to study them.
• Nagato and Konan watched Zou Hyuga leave and accepted that the Rinnegan had been taken from Nagato to help resurrect Yahiko.

Zou Hyuga studied the Rinnegan and discovered that his Karma already contained Yin-Yang Release and the power of all creation, while his body had previously nullified his ninjutsu. After a month of research, he left the secret room, made black rods without wearing the Rinnegan, and learned from Konan about Amegakure’s hardships before revealing he had received a message from Shinnō in Kirigakure.

• Zou Hyuga studied the Six Paths abilities and found that his single Rinnegan was difficult to use and could not perform powerful dojutsu such as Planetary Devastation.
• Zou Hyuga discovered that his Karma already held Yin-Yang Release and the power of all creation, and that his body had nullified his ninjutsu before it could leave him.
• Zou Hyuga spent a month studying the Rinnegan while Nagato and Konan stayed near the abandoned base.
• Zou Hyuga emerged and made black rods with his bare hands, shocking Nagato, then explained that he had researched how to create them.
• Konan returned from Amegakure and told Zou Hyuga and Nagato that the village’s residents faced reparations despite suffering relatively few casualties.
• Zou Hyuga revealed that Shinnō had sent him a message from Kirigakure.

Zou Hyuga told Nagato and Konan that Toneri and Fū were still in the shinobi world and that Toneri’s clan planned to destroy it. He recruited the two to help confront Toneri, planning to use surprise and numbers rather than fight honorably.

• Kisame recruited battlefield comrades and gained influence in Kirigakure, while Shinnō worked on scientific ninja tools and repaired the Sky Warship under his supervision.
• Shinnō revealed that Fū had returned to Takigakure and that Toneri remained in the shinobi world, prompting Zou Hyuga to seek Nagato and Konan’s help.
• Zou Hyuga warned Nagato and Konan that Toneri’s lineage wanted to destroy the shinobi world, and Nagato asked whether they should gather the remaining Akatsuki members.
• Zou Hyuga said Nagato and Konan would be enough and planned to recruit the rest of the help himself, intending to attack Toneri with a group.
• Zou Hyuga asked Nagato to make the Six Paths of Pain appear when they found Toneri, explaining that they only needed to provide support and intimidation.

Oto Uchiha received an urgent message from Zou Hyuga and arranged for Bell Cat to impersonate her while she split up her squad. Following Zou’s chakra trail to a rugged mountain range, Oto encountered several figures and attacked them with her Susanoo.

• Oto Uchiha’s squad failed to find Akatsuki traces, and she received a message summoning her to help Zou Hyuga.
• Oto pressured Bell Cat into transforming into her and taking her place, then sent her teammates to search separately.
• Oto traveled northwest toward Takigakure, followed deliberately left chakra traces, and reached a rugged mountain range.
• Oto saw several figures approaching, activated her Mangekyo Sharingan, and struck at them with a senjutsu-enhanced Susanoo.

Oto Uchiha confronted the Six Paths of Pain, but Zou Hyuga revealed himself before their fight escalated and explained how he had defeated Nagato and brought him and Konan to his side. Zou then told Oto and Nagato that he had gathered them to deal with Otsutsuki Toneri, who had taken the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.

• Oto Uchiha summoned the Nine-Tails and covered it in Susanoo armor as she prepared to attack the Six Paths of Pain.
• Nagato recognized Oto as the Uchiha who had fought him before and realized she was powerful enough to have worsened his defeat at Konoha.
• Zou Hyuga removed his tanuki mask and explained that the Pains were real, then told Oto he had defeated Nagato and gained Nagato and Konan as allies.
• Oto met Nagato and Konan in the mountains and questioned Zou about why he had summoned her.
• Zou Hyuga said he had gathered Oto and Nagato's group to deal with Otsutsuki Toneri, who had taken the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.

Zou Hyuga summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path in a valley to lure Toneri and prepared for possible interference from Obito. Toneri sensed the statue nearby, and his decision to stay out of the fight was left in doubt.

• Zou Hyuga led his allies to a valley and summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path as bait for Toneri.
• Zou Hyuga arranged for Oto to guard against Obito and protect Nagato while the group prepared their plan.
• Toneri sensed powerful chakra near the town and suppressed his presence as he left with Fū.
• Toneri reflected that life with Fū had weakened his desire to destroy the Shinobi World, so he chose to avoid a fight and stay out of sight.
• Toneri sensed the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path on the outskirts of town and hurried toward it.

Toneri and Fū confronted Pain and Konan while scouting the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Fū unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb at the statue, but a silver-white Samurai Sword deflected it, leaving her pale as the blast erupted nearby.

• Toneri and Fū hid in the clouds and spotted the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and the Six Paths of Pain below.
• Konan ambushed them with explosions in the clouds, and Toneri attacked her with Chakra Bullets.
• Konan reappeared near Fū, who evaded her Wind Blade and transformed with Seven-Tails Chōmei’s chakra.
• Fū resolved to destroy the statue and formed a massive Tailed Beast Bomb.
• A silver-white Samurai Sword struck the Tailed Beast Bomb aside, and its explosion left Fū staring down in horror.

Fū and Toneri fought Oto Uchiha, who tested their abilities while wielding Susanoo and the Nine-Tails. As the battle continued, Toneri drew an immense flow of chakra from the Tenseigan on the moon.

• Oto Uchiha intercepted Fū’s Tailed Beast Bomb with Susanoo, then attacked her with Fire Release techniques.
• Toneri arrived to protect Fū and dispersed Oto Uchiha’s fire dragon before striking her Susanoo with repulsive force.
• Oto Uchiha tested Toneri by launching a Tailed Beast Bomb and using more ninjutsu, while he intercepted the bomb and deflected it into a mountain.
• Oto Uchiha transformed her Susanoo and revealed the Nine-Tails, prompting Chōmei to question Kurama’s alliance with the Akatsuki.
• Toneri connected with the Tenseigan in the lunar palace and drew its chakra into himself, glowing emerald green.

Zou Hyuga traced faint Tenseigan chakra to an underground cavern and discovered a shaft that might lead to the moon, but his shadow clone died before reaching its bottom. Meanwhile, Oto Uchiha and Otsutsuki Toneri fought an evenly matched battle, and Oto unleashed a Senjutsu Susanoo against Toneri and Hamura's Stone Statue.

• Zou Hyuga followed traces of Tenseigan chakra into a cavern and found a clan of enormous, weakened crabs.
• Zou Hyuga discovered a deep shaft and sent a shadow clone down it, but the clone fell to its death without finding the moon.
• Zou Hyuga concluded that Toneri might need to open the passage himself and hoped Oto would force him to flee to the moon.
• Oto Uchiha and Otsutsuki Toneri fought with their colossal avatars, devastating the land and frightening people in a nearby town.
• Oto drew on the Leyline's chakra, transformed her Susanoo into a Senjutsu Susanoo, and attacked Toneri as he used gravity and Hamura's Stone Statue to counter her.

Nagato and Konan watched Oto Uchiha and Toneri’s battle, and Nagato’s Sharingan evolved into Mangekyo Sharingan with the Ninja Tool Manipulation ability. Oto damaged the Hamura stone statue, but Toneri chose to retreat with Fū rather than risk using Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion while the Six Paths of Pain remained nearby.

• Nagato refused to flee with Konan, deciding they should observe the battle from the shadows, and Konan noticed his Sharingan changing.
• Nagato used the Rinnegan chakra remaining in his body to evolve his Three-Tomoe Sharingan into Mangekyo Sharingan, whose ability was Ninja Tool Manipulation and which could not activate Susanoo.
• Oto Uchiha’s Susanoo split the Hamura stone statue in two, but the enormous chakra cost left Oto and Nine-Tails weakened and Susanoo damaged.
• Oto taunted Toneri, who considered using Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion but hesitated over the risk to his Tenseigan and his ability to face the Akatsuki Leader afterward.
• Toneri decided not to attack and teleported to Fū, then flew away with her.

Oto Uchiha and the others withdrew after their battle with Toneri and Fū, then discussed Nagato’s newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan. Toneri and Fū recovered from Oto’s genjutsu and, convinced the shinobi world was rotten, decided to leave it together.

• Oto Uchiha ordered Nagato, Konan, and Hiruko to retreat and leave the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path behind, while making the battlefield look like a fierce fight between Konoha and the Akatsuki.
• Oto, Nagato, and Konan waited for Zou Hyuga at a secluded location and exchanged compliments and recollections of their battles.
• Nagato showed Oto his Mangekyō Sharingan and explained that the President had given him the eyes, not that he had hunted Uchiha.
• Fū woke from Oto’s genjutsu, ended her tailed beast transformation, and learned from Toneri that they had failed because he had misjudged their opponent.
• Fū worried that Konoha’s secret cooperation with the Akatsuki would go undiscovered, while Toneri asked her to leave the rotten shinobi world with him.

Toneri took Fū through the Earth-Moon Passage to the moon, where Zou Hyuga secretly followed after discovering that the passage had reopened. Stranded on the moon after Toneri closed it, Zou explored the lunar interior and found abandoned ruins as he prepared to investigate the Hyuga branch and face Toneri.

• Toneri told Fū that he planned to leave the shinobi world and took her through underground caves toward the Earth-Moon Passage.
• Toneri activated the passage, restoring its spring and replenishing the cave crabs’ water supply.
• Zou Hyuga watched Toneri and Fū, then followed them through the passage to the moon without being noticed.
• Toneri closed the passage and flew toward the Moon Palace with Fū, while Zou confirmed his location and collected lunar soil.
• Zou explored the moon’s forest and searched for ruins to learn about the lunar Hyuga and prepare to defeat Toneri.

Zou Hyuga explored the moon’s ruins and discovered the spirits of ancient members of the Main Family. He kept one spirit from fading and enlisted him as a guide, preparing to confront Toneri.

• Zou Hyuga searched the ruins with his Byakugan and pondered the Lunar Lineage, chakra, and the power behind his own transformation.
• Zou Hyuga found ancient murals and several long-lived spirits in a temple’s underground chamber.
• Using the Spirit Transformation Technique, Zou Hyuga gave one spirit enough chakra to speak, and the spirit asked about the Shinobi World Branch and the moon’s Branch Family.
• Zou Hyuga told the spirit that only one member of the moon’s Branch Family remained, and the spirit regretted his family’s past desire for the Tenseigan’s power.
• When the spirit began to fade while entrusting the future to him, Zou Hyuga sustained him and said he could represent the Main Family.
• Zou Hyuga led the spirit outside and asked him to guide the way through the ruins toward Toneri.

Fū questioned Toneri about the empty Moon Palace and learned that his ancestors’ byakugan had been merged into the tenseigan. When an intruder broke through the barrier and headed for the tenseigan, Toneri used a pair of byakugan to awaken its power within himself.

• Fū explored the deserted Moon Palace and wondered why Toneri was the only one left there.
• Toneri told Fū that the Temple held his ancestors’ byakugan, which had been merged into the tenseigan.
• Toneri sensed an intruder pass through the barrier and head straight for the tenseigan, then realized the attack had been carefully arranged by a powerful ninja from the Shinobi World’s Branch Family.
• Fū offered to use Tailed Beast Transformation and fire a Tailed Beast Bomb, but Toneri refused and took out a pair of byakugan.
• Toneri placed the byakugan in his eye sockets, saw for the first time, and began awakening the tenseigan as Fū sensed his power grow.

Toneri confronted Zou Hyuga and the Main Family spirit after awakening the Tenseigan, while secretly moving the Great Tenseigan to protect the source of his power. Toneri’s enhanced Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion left Zou injured and questioning how Naruto had defeated the Tenseigan with Sage Mode.

• Toneri arrived at the palace with Fū and threatened to seal Zou Hyuga and the Main Family spirit.
• Zou Hyuga realized Toneri was gathering Tenseigan chakra and moving the Great Tenseigan, then tested the limits of his powers as he dodged the boulders Toneri controlled.
• Toneri moved the Great Tenseigan farther away and formed Truth-Seeking Orbs in preparation for his attack.
• Toneri unleashed Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, destroying the palace complex and catching Zou Hyuga in its tornado.
• Zou Hyuga survived with injuries and admitted that Sage Mode seemed too weak to withstand the Tenseigan.

Zou Hyuga activated Karma and fought Toneri in a clash that neither could win through taijutsu alone. As Zou Hyuga moved toward the Great Tenseigan, Toneri unleashed Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, and the golden sword engulfed Zou Hyuga.

• Zou Hyuga used Karma to form a chakra cloak and entered State One while Toneri prepared to fight him.
• Toneri attacked with Truth-Seeking Orbs, and Zou Hyuga met him in a high-speed battle as Fū and Chōmei watched.
• Fū tried to strike Toneri with a Tailed Beast Bomb, but a Truth-Seeking Orb deflected it and the explosion shook the moon's interior.
• After dozens of clashes, Zou Hyuga headed toward the Great Tenseigan, and Toneri decided to unleash his ultimate attack.
• Toneri formed Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, while Zou Hyuga entered State Two and dived toward the ground; the golden sword engulfed him.