Recaps

Oto Uchiha stopped the Cloud Ninja Leader from attacking villagers and protected the disguised Hinata, but her intervention threatened to complicate Konoha’s peace negotiations. After learning that the Cloud leader had attacked civilians and abducted a member of the Hyuga Main Family, the Third rushed to respond.

• The Cloud Ninja Leader tried to attack helpless villagers, but Oto Uchiha rescued them, threw him into the street, and carried the disguised Hinata to safety.
• Oto subdued the Cloud Ninja Leader again, and the arriving ANBU secured the scene while Fugaku and the Military Police dispersed the crowd.
• Fugaku warned Oto that attacking a Cloud envoy could hurt the Uchiha, but agreed that the clan would shoulder the consequences.
• The ANBU detained the Cloud envoys as suspects, while their leader claimed the Anbu Squad Leader had used genjutsu on their captain.
• The Third ordered an ANBU to check on Naruto and learned that the Cloud Ninja Leader had attacked villagers and abducted a member of the Hyuga Main Family.
• The Third hurried out of his office after hearing that the incident involved the Cloud envoys, the Uchiha, and the Hyuga.

The Third investigated the Cloud Ninja Leader’s attack and abduction attempt, then visited the Hyuga Clan Compound but found few answers. Hiashi and Zou Hyuga concealed the truth about the incident, while the Third later received troubling news at the Anbu Base.

• The Third learned that Oto Uchiha had subdued the Cloud Ninja Leader after he abducted Hinata and attacked civilians, and he ordered ANBU to assess casualties rather than interrogate the envoy.
• The Third visited Hyuga Hiashi, confirmed Hinata was unharmed, and found no useful clues at the abduction site.
• Hiashi told Hizashi to maintain the story that Hinata had been abducted and that he had seen nothing.
• Hiashi thanked Zou Hyuga for preventing him from causing a diplomatic crisis, and Zou explained that he had spread rumors blaming the Cloud Ninja and protecting Oto.
• The Third returned to the Anbu Base and received news that gave him a headache.

After the Cloud Ninja Leader died in ANBU custody, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo argued over how to prevent war with Kumogakure and whether to blame Oto Uchiha. Oto returned to the Uchiha compound, where Zou Hyuga advised her to stand firm when the village leadership confronted her.

• An ANBU operative told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the Cloud Ninja Leader had died by suicide and destroyed his brain with a Cursed Seal, and Hiruzen ordered the body returned to the Kumogakure Envoy Corps.
• Danzo urged Hiruzen to prepare for war or hand over Oto Uchiha as the supposed killer, but Hiruzen refused to frame her and warned Danzo not to interfere.
• Hiruzen considered the political fallout and suspected the Cloud Ninja Leader's attack on civilians could be an important opening against Kumogakure.
• Oto returned to the Uchiha Clan Compound, wondered why the Cloud Ninja Leader had seemed controlled, and dodged a bamboo leaf sent by Zou Hyuga.
• Zou Hyuga warned Oto that the village leadership would come for her and told her to hold her ground; Oto agreed, puzzled by how seriously everyone treated her actions.

Kumogakure demanded that Konoha hand over the person responsible for its captain’s death, while rumors of the village leadership appeasing the envoys inflamed public anger. With the Third unable to decide whether to sacrifice Oto Uchiha, Oto stepped forward and offered to take responsibility by fighting Kumogakure.

• Rumors spread that Konoha planned to punish the Uchiha and yield to Kumogakure, prompting the Third to send ANBU to stop them.
• The Kumogakure delegation denied attacking civilians and demanded that Konoha hand over the person who assaulted its leader.
• The Third summoned the clans, envoys, and shopkeeper involved, where Hiashi demanded answers about Hinata’s attempted abduction and Fugaku demanded compensation.
• The Third revealed that the Kumogakure captain had died by suicide, and the envoys accused Konoha of killing him and demanded the killer.
• After the Third fell silent, Oto Uchiha offered to take responsibility and said she was willing to fight in a war against Kumogakure.

Oto Uchiha defied the Third Hokage and the Cloud Ninja Envoy Corps, insisting she would protect Konoha’s people and that the Uchiha would fight if war came. The envoys left declaring war, while Oto and Fugaku argued over whether her defiance would protect the clan or deepen its conflict with the village.

• The Cloud Ninja Envoy Corps demanded that the Hokage hand over the killer and punish Oto, but the Third said the investigation was ongoing.
• Oto accused the Cloud Ninja of attacking villagers and abducting a Hyuga child, and said she would have attacked the envoy leader again to protect her comrades.
• Oto declared that she had not used enough force to kill the leader and that the Uchiha would go to the battlefield if war broke out.
• The Cloud Ninja envoy stormed out and declared war, while Danzo left with him, pleased that the conflict would weaken the Third Hokage.
• The Third concluded that handing over Oto might cause unrest among the Uchiha and worried that the Uchiha and Hyuga clans could be aligning.
• Fugaku warned Oto that her defiance could implicate the clan, but Oto argued that the village’s people and ninja—not its leadership—represented Konoha.

After Oto Uchiha defied Kumogakure’s demands, Fugaku worried about the consequences while villagers praised her refusal to accept humiliation. Zou Hyuga reflected on how he had shaped Oto’s speech and believed the conflict would eventually return to negotiations.

• Fugaku returned to the Uchiha compound to convene a clan meeting about the risk of war, while Oto walked through the village instead of following him.
• A shopkeeper Oto had saved thanked her with a gift and told her villagers feared Kumogakure’s demands to hand her over and submit.
• Oto noticed goods marked with the Nine-Tails symbol and realized Zou’s organization might already be influencing the village.
• Hiashi questioned Zou about failing to stop Oto, and Zou said he respected her choice and that the Hyuga should stand with the Uchiha.
• Zou told Hiashi that his actions had been for the Hyuga, then reflected that he had helped craft Oto’s speech to protect her reputation and strengthen her standing.
• Zou concluded that Kumogakure and Konoha would likely return to negotiations, though he believed the Third might still fear continuing the war enough to hand over Hizashi.

After Oto’s speech changed the meeting’s outcome, Hiruzen refused to hand over a comrade and discussed the Kumogakure Envoy Corps with his advisors and Danzo. The Cloud deputy captain secretly sent the Raikage an exaggerated letter to prolong the conflict, then left Konoha harboring hatred.

• Hiruzen told Koharu and Homura he would handle the Kumogakure Envoy Corps without surrendering a comrade.
• Danzo warned Hiruzen, Koharu, and Homura that rumors about Konoha surrendering had spread before the meeting and suspected the Hyuga and Uchiha, with help from the Tailed Beast Merchant Association, had fueled them.
• Danzo cautioned that the Hyuga and Uchiha might be joining forces, while Hiruzen avoided the subject and returned to the urgent matter of the Kumogakure envoys.
• The Cloud deputy captain admitted to himself that the captain had committed suicide as part of a scheme to inflame Konoha’s internal divisions, but he did not know why the plan had failed.
• The Cloud deputy captain wrote the Raikage an embellished letter to encourage the war, sent it by ninja hawk through a special channel, and left Konoha glaring at Kage Rock.

After the Kumogakure Envoy Corps left and Kumogakure canceled the peace treaty, Oto Uchiha worked to unite her clan and improve relations with the village. The Third approved Oto and Zou Hyuga’s request to go to the front, assigning Kakashi and Yamato to accompany them.

• The Kumogakure Envoy Corps returned home under ANBU escort, and public anger over the envoys’ attack on a villager overshadowed criticism of Oto Uchiha.
• At the Uchiha clan meeting, Oto explained that the clan might fight for the village, while Fugaku watched silently and Itachi asked Shisui whether Oto could ease tensions with the village.
• Shisui told Itachi that Oto had refused to let him join the Radicals until he graduated from the Ninja Academy.
• Oto visited Zou Hyuga, where Hinata thanked her for saving her, and Zou advised preparing for the possibility of war.
• Kumogakure canceled the peace treaty, and Oto and Zou asked the Third for permission to go to the front and monitor the Cloud Ninja.
• The Third approved their request and assigned Kakashi and Yamato to accompany them.

Zou Hyuga, Oto, Kakashi, and Yamato traveled to the border, met Shisui’s Uchiha force, and evaded Root surveillance along the way. A week after setting out, they reached Konoha’s main camp and joined the Uchiha force.

• Zou Hyuga, Oto, Kakashi, and Yamato left for the front lines after discussing Naruto and the fallout from Oto’s confrontation with the Kumogakure envoy.
• During the first night’s camp, Zou Hyuga slipped away to replenish the Tailed Beast Organization’s chakra.
• The squad met Shisui and his Uchiha force, and Shisui and Zou Hyuga exchanged greetings and combat experience.
• Zou Hyuga noticed Root following the squad, and Kakashi agreed to lead the others in shaking off their pursuers.
• The squad reached the border camp a week after departing and joined up with the Uchiha force.

Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha reached Konoha’s border camp, where they uncovered an impending Cloud Ninja attack. With reinforcements from Shisui’s Uchiha force, they persuaded the Nara Jonin to let them strike first, leaving the camp guarded.

• Oto Uchiha asked the Nara Jonin about the border situation and learned that Cloud Ninja had been harassing Konoha’s supply lines.
• Shisui’s Uchiha force arrived, and Oto Uchiha directed her clansmen to build relationships with the other ninja.
• Oto Uchiha questioned Zou Hyuga about the Root operative collecting Sharingan, and Zou explained the eyes’ value and secret techniques.
• The ANBU squad intercepted a small Cloud Ninja group, captured them, and learned that nearly a hundred more Cloud Ninja were approaching.
• Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha proposed attacking the incoming force, and the Nara Jonin agreed while requiring some troops to guard the camp.

Zou Hyuga, Oto Uchiha, and their ANBU squad searched for a missing Kumogakure force and found that nearly a hundred Cloud Ninja had been slaughtered. The squad suspected Orochimaru, but Zou realized that a powerful puppet specialist had likely helped him and urged everyone to leave.

• Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha waited with the Uchiha elites for the Kumogakure force, but the enemy did not arrive by dawn.
• The ANBU squad returned to camp, then searched again with Shisui Uchiha and found the Cloud Ninja's massacre in an abandoned village.
• Shisui reported that only two attackers had left fresh footprints, and the squad found snake scales and a mechanical component among the clues.
• Kakashi and the others suspected Orochimaru had wiped out the Cloud Ninja, while Zou concluded that Orochimaru had been accompanied by a powerful puppet specialist.
• The squad welcomed the Cloud Ninja's destruction, but Zou remained worried and urged them to leave before encountering the two powerful attackers.

Zou Hyuga’s ANBU squad encountered Orochimaru and Sasori at the edge of the village, and split up to fight them. Kakashi, Yamato, and Shisui battled Sasori while Zou and Oto watched Orochimaru, and Sasori summoned more puppets after Yamato’s Wood Release destroyed many of his first ones.

• Orochimaru and Sasori blocked Zou Hyuga’s ANBU squad as it tried to leave the village, and Sasori revealed that he wanted to collect their Byakugan and Sharingan.
• The squad divided into two teams, with Kakashi, Yamato, and Shisui facing Sasori while Zou and Oto watched Orochimaru.
• Kakashi used Chidori and explosive tags to break through Sasori’s puppets, but the puppets reactivated and attacked him with poisoned Senbon and flames.
• Yamato shielded Kakashi with Wood Release and destroyed many of Sasori’s puppets, surprising Sasori with his ability.
• Sasori escaped Yamato’s vines and summoned more puppets, eager to add Wood Release to his collection.

Shisui and Kakashi fought a powerful puppeteer while Zou Hyuga and Oto kept Orochimaru at bay. Orochimaru tried to recruit them and revealed what he knew about Zou's senjutsu, but neither accepted, as the distant battle continued.

• Shisui warned Kakashi about the puppets' poisonous smoke while they searched for the hidden puppeteer.
• Zou Hyuga and Oto watched Orochimaru and laid explosive-tag traps as the two sides maintained a wary standoff.
• Orochimaru recognized Yamato's Wood Release and recalled that the boy had ended his own research into it.
• Orochimaru hinted that he knew Zou could use senjutsu, but Zou denied it and decided that trying to kill Orochimaru was too risky.
• Orochimaru offered Oto support for the Uchiha in exchange for her becoming his subordinate, but Oto rejected him.

Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha confronted Orochimaru while Kakashi, Yamato, and Shisui fought Sasori and his Kazekage Human Puppet. Oto’s Senjutsu-enhanced Fire Release forced Orochimaru to summon Triple Rashomon, but he remained wary of Zou’s Taijutsu.

• Kakashi, Yamato, and Shisui pressured Sasori until he summoned the Kazekage Human Puppet and attacked with Magnet Release.
• Kakashi suspected Sasori had killed the missing Third Kazekage, while Shisui reassured him that Zou and Oto could handle Orochimaru.
• Zou Hyuga challenged Orochimaru to join the fight, and Orochimaru attacked him with venomous snakes carrying Explosive Tags.
• Oto Uchiha followed the explosions with a powerful Great Dragon Fire Technique, and the fire dragons forced Orochimaru to summon Triple Rashomon for protection.
• Orochimaru recognized the force of Oto’s Senjutsu-enhanced Fire Release and kept his distance from Zou, wary of his Taijutsu.

Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha left their standoff with Orochimaru to join the battle between Shisui’s Susanoo and Sasori’s Iron Sand Giant. Zou restored some of Shisui’s chakra as Orochimaru and Sasori discussed the Mangekyō Sharingan, while Sasori threatened to turn Orochimaru into a puppet.

• Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha stopped attacking Orochimaru and headed into the village after seeing Shisui’s Blue Phantom face Sasori’s Iron Sand Giant.
• Zou saw that Shisui, Kakashi, and their companion were exhausted, while Sasori’s Hiruko and Kazekage Human Puppet had suffered heavy damage.
• Shisui let Zou and Oto inside Susanoo, and Zou transferred chakra to Shisui as he recognized Kakashi’s family feud with Sasori as the reason for their battle.
• Orochimaru joined Sasori and explained that Shisui’s Susanoo came from the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasori mocked Susanoo’s reputation and threatened to make Orochimaru’s body into puppet material.

Sasori and Orochimaru withdrew from their battle with Kakashi's squad after Shisui used Susanoo to drive Sasori back and Orochimaru escaped. As the exhausted squad retreated and considered what they had learned, a Root operative who had watched the fight was approached by someone near the destroyed village.

• Sasori, nearly out of chakra, sent an iron-sand pyramid at Shisui's Susanoo and fled with the Kazekage Human Puppet.
• Orochimaru refused Kakashi's demand to return to Konoha, left a message for the Third, and escaped by dissolving into snakes.
• Kakashi ordered the squad to retreat, and the members later discussed the battle and the danger posed by Orochimaru's organization.
• Zou Hyuga wondered why Orochimaru had avoided fighting him and considered how he might gain the ability to fly.
• A Root operative who had witnessed the battle prepared to return with his intelligence, but a figure appeared behind him.

Orochimaru encountered a Root ninja who had witnessed Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan, but Zou Hyuga arranged for the spy to die at the battle site. Konoha and Kumogakure avoided a wider war while both sides investigated the destroyed village, and the chapter ended with the Cloud abandoning the war after discovering signs of a third party’s interference.

• Orochimaru identified the Root ninja, marked him with a message for Danzo, and let him leave, but Zou Hyuga’s poison killed him at the earlier battle site.
• Kakashi reported the squad’s encounter to Jonin Nara while concealing Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan, and Nara ordered reconnaissance squads back to camp.
• Oto Uchiha kept the Uchiha elites from protesting the camp confinement by demonstrating her force, while Zou Hyuga secretly left camp on errands for the Tailed Beast Merchant Association.
• Konoha and Kumogakure maintained a wary peace, and the five-person squad later encountered Yugito without starting a large battle.
• After a month of small-scale clashes, the Cloud ninja found evidence of a third party’s interference in the ruined village and abandoned plans to continue the war.

Konoha’s leaders questioned Kakashi’s squad about its survival and discussed Orochimaru, Sasori, and the Third Kazekage’s human puppet. The Third revealed that Orochimaru and Sasori might be connected to a mercenary organization that had collected a bounty on a Kumogakure unit leader.

• Kumogakure accepted a Peace Treaty, and Jiraiya took over the negotiations after volunteering to investigate traces of Orochimaru.
• The Third questioned Kakashi’s squad, and Kakashi withheld Shisui’s Mangekyo Sharingan secret when Danzo challenged their account of surviving Orochimaru and the Magnet Release puppet.
• After the squad left, Danzo accused its members of colluding with Orochimaru, but the Third redirected the discussion to the Puppeteer and the human puppet.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu identified the Puppeteer as Sasori and the Magnet Release puppet as the missing Third Kazekage.
• Danzo raised doubts about the Uchiha’s loyalty, and the Third rebuked him before revealing evidence linking Orochimaru and Sasori to a mercenary organization.

The Third decided to suppress reports of Orochimaru and Sasori’s appearance in the war, while Zou Hyuga reflected on the Akatsuki and expanded his merchant association’s operations. Hiashi asked Zou to teach Hinata, but Zou proposed Oto Uchiha, forcing Hiashi to consider what that choice would mean for the Hyuga Clan’s neutrality.

• The Third chose to suppress information about Orochimaru and Sasori, and Danzo warned that this would boost the Uchiha’s reputation.
• Zou returned home, recalled his encounter with Orochimaru and Sasori, and ordered the Tailed Beast Merchant Association to expand its trade and gather intelligence across other countries.
• Hiashi summoned Zou and explained that he wanted Hinata to attend the Ninja Academy and receive help overcoming her timid temperament.
• Zou recommended his friend Oto Uchiha as Hinata’s teacher, and Hiashi recognized that the choice would signal the Hyuga Clan’s support for the Uchiha.

Zou Hyuga warned Hiashi about shinobi seeking the Byakugan, while Hiashi postponed deciding whether the clan should take a master. Elsewhere, Sasori reported that Shisui Uchiha had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at an Akatsuki meeting, and Orochimaru began considering how to use the information.

• Hiashi told Zou Hyuga he needed more time to decide whether to take a master, and Zou warned him that Orochimaru and another powerful shinobi coveted the Byakugan.
• Sasori and Orochimaru left a small ninja village they had destroyed, with Sasori replenishing his puppet stock and Orochimaru collecting specimens.
• Pain convened an Akatsuki meeting, where Sasori reported that Shisui Uchiha had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Orochimaru confirmed Shisui's awakening and noted that Sasori had nearly died fighting the Konoha squad.
• After the meeting, Orochimaru considered telling his old friend about the ANBU squad, while Sasori contemplated asking Pain for a new teammate.

Danzo confronted the Third about Shisui Uchiha awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan and accused him of hiding a threat to the village. Shisui admitted awakening it but concealed its ability, while Danzo and the Third continued to worry about Oto Uchiha’s influence and the Uchiha’s political ambitions.

• A Root ninja delivered Orochimaru’s letter to Danzo, revealing that Shisui Uchiha had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Danzo took the information to the Third and accused Shisui of plotting against the village, but the Third challenged Danzo’s evidence and his unauthorized surveillance of ANBU.
• The Third summoned Shisui, who admitted possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan but claimed he did not know what its special ability was.
• The Third accepted Shisui’s admission as evidence of loyalty and stopped Danzo from pressing him further.
• Danzo warned that Oto Uchiha could seek the Hokage position, while the Third acknowledged that her influence might no longer serve as a bridge between the village and the Uchiha.

Zou Hyuga learned that Shisui had revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan to the village leadership, while keeping Kotoamatsukami secret, and warned Oto Uchiha to protect the clan from the fallout. During their three-month leave, Zou and Oto visited their teammates to discuss what to do next.

• Zou Hyuga questioned why the Third had granted his ANBU squad three months of leave and went to ask Oto Uchiha about it.
• Oto Uchiha told Zou that Shisui had confessed to possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan, but had not exposed Kotoamatsukami.
• Zou warned Oto that Danzo or others might use Shisui's revelation to undermine the Uchiha, and urged her to consider who would benefit from the clan's downfall.
• Zou told Oto that he might take Shisui's eyes if she failed to handle the danger posed by Kotoamatsukami.
• Zou and Oto visited Kakashi's home, where they met Kakashi, Yamato, and Might Guy and discussed how to spend their leave and handle missions.

Uchiha Itachi excelled at the Ninja Academy but refused repeated offers to graduate early, until the Third Hokage personally asked him to reconsider. Afterward, Zou Hyuga reported the meeting to Oto and returned to the compound, where he encountered Hiashi and two figures.

• Itachi earned full marks in kunai throwing and refused his instructor’s third suggestion that he graduate early.
• Itachi shared Three-Color Dango with Izumi, who dreamed of becoming a kunoichi like Oto, and spoke about his family.
• The Third Hokage questioned Itachi about his life and the village, then asked him to consider graduating early as a new bridge between the Uchiha and the village.
• Zou Hyuga witnessed the Third speaking with Itachi and later passed the news to Oto.
• Zou reflected on the Tailed Beast Merchant Association’s growth after returning from a mission, then stopped when he saw two figures outside the clan compound as Hiashi approached.

Zou Hyuga recognized the visitors as members of the Lunar Ōtsutsuki lineage after they arrived at the Hyuga compound and revealed their Byakugan. The elder demanded that the Hyuga hand Zou over and help the lunar lineage cleanse the Shinobi World, leaving Hiashi amused and Zou wary.

• Hiashi invited a Byakugan-wielding elder and the blind boy accompanying him into the Hyuga compound, and Zou realized they were from the Lunar Ōtsutsuki lineage.
• Hiashi questioned the visitors about their origins, while Toneri said he wanted to marry Hinata when he grew up.
• The elder provoked Hiashi by criticizing the Main Family and pointing out that Zou had the strongest bloodline.
• The elder demanded that the Hyuga hand over Zou and cooperate with the Lunar Ōtsutsuki in cleansing the Shinobi World.
• Hiashi laughed at the demand, while Zou grew more serious.

A Tenseigan-wielding old man defeated Hiashi and took Zou Hyuga toward the moon, revealing that he and Toneri came from the Ōtsutsuki clan. Hiashi kept the incident from the village and went to search the Hyuga records for information about the secluded clan.

• Hiashi dismissed the old man's threat, but the old man attacked and drained most of Hiashi's chakra with an emerald orb.
• The old man demanded Zou Hyuga, and Zou agreed to leave with him so the village would not be alerted.
• Zou Hyuga led the old man and Toneri out of Konoha and learned they came from the moon and were Otsutsuki Descendants.
• Hiashi told Hizashi that the attack was a family matter, then went to the Main Family's old residence to look for records about the secluded Hyuga clan.