Chapter Summaries

Zou Hyuga stalled Obito with Explosive Tag traps until Oto and Shisui arrived, and the three attacked Obito together. Obito evaded their strikes with Kamui but found himself surrounded by a web of Steel Wire that threatened him if he became tangible.

• Obito survived the Explosive Tag blasts, then realized Zou Hyuga had tricked him again with a second trap.
• Obito advanced on the wounded-looking Zou while Zou waited for reinforcements and worried about his damaged clothes.
• Oto and Shisui arrived, and Zou dropped his feeble act before joining them against Obito.
• Shisui used his Body Flicker Technique while Zou and Oto attacked Obito from different directions, but Obito evaded them with Kamui: Intangibility.
• Obito discovered that Steel Wire filled the valley, leaving him few safe places to become tangible.

Obito fought Zou Hyuga, Oto Uchiha, and Shisui Uchiha, but Jiraiya’s sound genjutsu left him vulnerable to their combined attack. Zou Hyuga believed the flames had killed Obito, though Izanagi might let him survive, and Jiraiya agreed to wait for the Masked Man or the dark figure to appear.

• Obito resisted the trio’s ambush with Susanoo, then trapped them in the valley and attacked with Susanoo shuriken.
• Oto Uchiha urged Zou Hyuga to escape while she and Shisui Uchiha covered him, but Obito’s attack stopped Zou’s flight.
• Obito dismissed Oto’s attacks and considered recruiting her and Shisui before a toad’s rhythmic croaking placed him under Jiraiya’s sound genjutsu.
• Jiraiya joined the fight, and he, Shisui Uchiha, Zou Hyuga, and Oto Uchiha combined their attacks until Obito’s Susanoo shattered and flames engulfed him.
• Zou Hyuga told Jiraiya that Obito was dead but might survive through Izanagi, so Jiraiya chose to wait for Obito or the dark figure to appear.

Zou Hyuga and his allies ambushed Obito when he revived, but he escaped after the ANBU Sealing Squad came under attack. Zou and Oto then headed toward the squad, intending to confront the Akatsuki threat.

• Zou Hyuga and the others waited in the lava valley for Obito to revive while remaining alert for Zetsu.
• An explosion near the ANBU Sealing Squad prompted Zou to keep the group focused on Obito, and Obito soon reappeared and began forming a Kamui vortex.
• Oto Uchiha used Amenominaka to disrupt Obito's Kamui, but Obito fooled the attackers with a Wood Clone and escaped.
• Jiraiya comforted Zou after the failed ambush, then went with Shisui to reinforce the Sealing Squad.
• Oto told Zou that Shisui had likely noticed her Mangekyo Sharingan, and she and Zou headed toward the Sealing Squad.

Kakashi’s ANBU squad fought Kakuzu while Juzo Biwa kept the Sealing Squad occupied outside the barrier. At the battle site, Danzo inspected the destruction left by the Susanoo and met Orochimaru, who warned him against interfering with the fight over the Land of Wind.

• Juzo Biwa fought the Sealing Squad and explained that he was a missing-nin working as a bounty hunter.
• Kakashi and his ANBU squad attacked Kakuzu, but struggled against his mastery of the five elemental releases.
• Danzo received reports of the battle’s destruction and entered the defunct barrier to inspect the Susanoo’s damage.
• Danzo grew wary of the Mangekyo Sharingan and considered the danger the Uchiha Clan could pose to the village.
• Danzo confronted Orochimaru in the woods, and Orochimaru asked to discuss the Land of Wind and made clear that he did not want Danzo interfering in the battle.

Zou Hyuga and Jiraiya fought Akatsuki members in the Forest of Death, but Sasori and the other enemies withdrew before they could be captured. After assessing the ANBU’s losses and wondering why Akatsuki had appeared, Zou learned that Orochimaru and Danzo had also concluded a secret meeting.

• Zou Hyuga and Oto joined Jiraiya’s battle against Sasori, whose weakened puppets forced him to retreat by flying away on the Third Kazekage Human Puppet.
• Jiraiya and Zou reached the Sealing Squad and learned that Juzo Biwa had withdrawn before they arrived.
• Kakashi reported that his squad’s enemy, who could use all five nature transformations, had also retreated, and Jiraiya later found other ANBU squads with casualties.
• Zou confirmed that Nagato and Konan had not caused the attack and wondered why Akatsuki members had appeared alongside Obito.
• Orochimaru left his secret meeting with Danzo, who then learned from Root reports that several Elite Jonin-level missing-nin had been deployed.

Obito escaped a Konoha ambush after using Izanagi, then regrouped with the Akatsuki, where Orochimaru grew suspicious of his identity. Back near the barrier, Jiraiya questioned Danzo’s late arrival, and the failed operation ended with the forces returning to the village amid distrust toward Danzo.

• Obito used Izanagi to escape the ambush and recovered beside a tree as Black Zetsu rebuked him for failing and revealed he had contacted the other Akatsuki members.
• The Akatsuki gathered around Obito, and Orochimaru suspected that Tobi was behind the Nine-Tails’ Rampage and became curious about his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Jiraiya completed his operation report, noting the ANBU casualties and asking why Danzo and Root had not appeared.
• Danzo claimed Root had been delayed fighting Orochimaru, but Jiraiya doubted his story because Danzo and his subordinates showed no signs of battle.
• Jiraiya defended Shisui against Danzo’s insinuations, while Oto and Shisui sensed Danzo’s malice toward the Uchiha.
• The forces returned to the village after the encirclement failed and the Masked Man escaped.

After the failed operation against the Masked Man, the Third Hokage learned that several S-Rank Missing-nin belonged to one powerful organization and asked Zou Hyuga and Oto to return to the ANBU, but they refused. As Zou gave Shisui chakra to slow his deteriorating eyesight, he asked how Itachi had been doing.

• Jiraiya and Danzo confirmed to the Third Hokage that Orochimaru, Sasori, Juzo Biwa, and Kakuzu belonged to the same organization as the Masked Man.
• The Third offered Zou Hyuga and Oto the chance to return to the ANBU, but Zou declined, so the Third told them to stay with Jiraiya for now.
• Danzo described his encounter with Orochimaru to the senior officials, concealing some details.
• Zou, Oto, and Shisui discussed the failed operation and learned from Kakashi that Yamato had withdrawn after falling ill and getting injured.
• Shisui revealed that his eyesight was worsening, and Zou gave him a vial of chakra that could slow its deterioration.
• Zou asked Shisui how Itachi had been doing after hearing that he had become a ninja.

Zou Hyuga warned Shisui that the Masked Man might target Itachi and urged him to limit Itachi’s missions outside the village. At home, Zou and Oto discussed Danzo’s hostility toward the Uchiha and whether an Uchiha could become Hokage, with Zou arguing that only the village’s strongest could hold the position.

• Shisui agreed that Itachi could be in danger and considered forming a team with him to protect him.
• Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha returned to Zou’s home, where Oto noted that Zou had trusted Shisui with his secret.
• Oto said Danzo’s hostility toward her and his clean appearance during the operation made her suspect he was colluding with Orochimaru.
• Zou suggested Danzo’s hatred of the Uchiha might stem from the Second Hokage’s view of the clan, and Oto condemned the Second for labeling them evil.
• Oto said an Uchiha becoming Hokage was the only way to resolve the clan’s conflict with the village, while Zou argued that only the strongest could become Hokage.

Zou Hyuga examined Oto Uchiha’s chakra and considered why he couldn’t obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan’s chakra, then received a severed White Zetsu arm containing Hashirama cells. He shifted his focus to developing a chakra transmission system, with Sunagakure’s Chakra Threads as his practical option.

• Zou Hyuga examined Oto Uchiha and found that he could draw her nature-transformed chakra but still could not obtain her Mangekyō Sharingan’s chakra.
• Zou Hyuga decided not to risk experimenting further on Oto because she was crucial to dealing with Obito.
• Oto Uchiha produced a severed arm she had cut from Zetsu, and Zou Hyuga identified it as White Zetsu tissue containing Hashirama cells.
• Zou Hyuga began experiments on the arm while Oto left to return to her duties and training.
• Zou Hyuga asked Oto about Uchiha books on the Puppet Technique and concluded that Chakra Threads were his best option for transmitting chakra over long distances.

Oto brought Zou Hyuga books and puppets so he could study the Puppet Technique, while the Akatsuki regrouped in the Land of Rain after their failed mission. Pain warned Obito to stop provoking Konoha, then discussed Hiruko’s research and the Akatsuki’s worsening shortage of money; Obito later appeared before Zetsu in Amegakure.

• Oto brought Zou Hyuga Puppet Technique books and puppets, and he spent the next few days studying how to transmit chakra through Chakra Threads.
• Sasori and the other Akatsuki members arrived in the Land of Rain and reported to Pain and Konan in a cave outside Amegakure.
• Pain warned Obito that his exposure had disrupted their plans and ordered him to stop provoking Konoha until the time was right.
• Konan told Pain that Hiruko wanted ninja with several kekkei genkai for his Chimera Technique research, and Pain agreed to help him except with the Sharingan.
• Konan explained that the Akatsuki’s support for the Land of Rain’s people had strained their finances, and Pain reluctantly acknowledged the need for money.
• Obito opened a vortex on the other side of Amegakure and looked toward Zetsu.

Obito left Nagato and turned his attention toward recruiting in Kirigakure, while Black Zetsu worried about disturbances connected to Hagoromo and Hamura. At Akatsuki’s secret base, Orochimaru offered Hiruko an exchange of techniques and hinted that he could help Hiruko pursue revenge against the man behind the Tailed Beast Merchant Association.

• Obito accepted Zetsu’s intelligence on Kirigakure and Sunagakure, abandoned plans to target Konoha, and headed to Kirigakure to scout for recruits.
• Black Zetsu sensed disturbances in the Leyline and chakra traces outside Konoha, recognized one as belonging to Hagoromo’s descendants, and resolved to move faster.
• Orochimaru approached Hiruko at Akatsuki’s secret base and proposed exchanging techniques, including Hiruko’s Chimera Technique.
• Hiruko admitted he wanted to perfect his technique and take revenge on the man behind the Tailed Beast Merchant Association.
• Orochimaru suggested Hiruko could target the merchant association’s branches if he could withstand retaliation, then promised to offer something worthwhile for the Chimera Technique.

Zou Hyuga tested chakra transmission through Chakra Threads and a Leyline node, using Haku as his first subject. Haku survived the procedure unusually well, while other test subjects collapsed, and Zou Hyuga suspected Haku might be suited to Sage Mode.

• Zou Hyuga mastered the Puppet Technique and visited Taro Utada, who reported that the Merchant Company's business was expanding without interference.
• Zou Hyuga went to the underground tailed beast base and attached Chakra Threads to Haku to test chakra transmission.
• Zou Hyuga successfully transmitted chakra and nature transformation chakra through the threads, then used a Leyline node to feed chakra into Haku.
• Haku suffered discomfort from the chakra influx but remained conscious, prompting Zou Hyuga to wonder whether he was a scientific genius.
• Zou Hyuga repeated the experiment on other ninja, whose unconsciousness showed that Haku had been an exceptional case.
• Zou Hyuga recorded the results and considered whether Haku's Ice Release and natural-energy tolerance might let him learn Sage Mode.

Oto attended a tense Uchiha clan meeting, redirected a challenge to Fugaku’s leadership toward the goal of producing an Uchiha Hokage, and discovered the Memorial Stone beneath Naka Shrine. After returning to the village, Zou heard Oto’s report and discussed the Eye of the Moon Plan with her while considering the Akatsuki threat.

• Oto went to the Naka Shrine, where Uchiha members debated replacing Fugaku as clan head and promoting an Uchiha Hokage.
• Oto challenged the clan to focus on producing a Hokage, helping Fugaku retain his position, then asked him about his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Fugaku admitted he had a Mangekyō Sharingan and directed Oto and Shisui to the Memorial Stone beneath the shrine.
• Oto found the Memorial Stone, which described the Eye of the Moon Plan, and later told Zou about it after he returned to the village.
• Zou questioned whether the Eye of the Moon Plan could be trusted and considered monitoring the Akatsuki and the village’s response to their activity.

After spending a long stretch researching Chakra Threads, Zou Hyuga emerged for the Summer Festival and wandered the village, where he met Jiraiya and saw Naruto with his new friends. He left Jiraiya behind to meet Oto Uchiha, who teased him for finally stepping away from the laboratory.

• Zou Hyuga emerged from his underground laboratory, learned the Summer Festival had arrived, and went looking for Oto Uchiha.
• Zou Hyuga found Jiraiya watching the festival from a rooftop, and they discussed village security and the Hokage.
• Zou Hyuga and Jiraiya watched Naruto walk with the new Ino-Shika-Cho while Kakashi Hatake followed him as ANBU.
• Zou Hyuga noticed Oto Uchiha maintaining order in her Military Police Force uniform, then left the rooftop to meet her.
• Oto Uchiha confronted Zou Hyuga about sneaking around the rooftop, then smiled and teased him for leaving his laboratory.

During the Hanabi Festival, Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha enjoyed an evening together while the Third Hokage and his advisers debated whether Konoha should support Sunagakure against the Masked Man’s organization. The festival ended with Zou spotting Jiraiya accompanying Naruto, while the village’s leaders faced a difficult decision about sending help.

• Oto Uchiha teased Zou Hyuga about helping her put on a yukata, and he presented the one she had left at his home as the festival fireworks began.
• The Third Hokage reviewed intelligence about the mercenary organization and a request for support from Sunagakure, whose jinchūriki Bunpuku was nearing the end of his life.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu discussed Konoha’s limited strength, and the Third revealed he had asked Jiraiya to contact Tsunade.
• Danzo urged the leaders to send Shisui Uchiha and Oto Uchiha to help Sunagakure, arguing that Madara Uchiha might destabilize the village as he had Kirigakure; the Third accepted their recommendation.
• Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha watched the fireworks, then visited festival stalls and enjoyed games, food, and masks as ordinary people.
• Before leaving the festival, Zou spotted Jiraiya accompanying Naruto with Kakashi nearby, and Oto invited Zou to return and have a drink.

Zou Hyuga and Oto were summoned by the Third, who assigned them an urgent mission to reinforce Sunagakure after an Akatsuki-linked disaster. Zou accepted and chose Shisui and Might Guy for his team as they prepared to leave.

• Zou Hyuga woke after drinking with Oto, checked his Shadow Clone's memories, and learned from Yamato that the Third wanted to see them and had been discussing Sunagakure.
• The Third told Zou Hyuga and Oto that Sunagakure had requested reinforcements after its ANBU were wiped out while hunting Sasori of the Red Sands, leaving the village vulnerable during a jinchūriki replacement.
• The Third warned that the Masked Man might exploit the crisis to unleash Shukaku and authorized Zou Hyuga to bring Shisui and another jonin.
• Zou Hyuga accepted the mission, chose Might Guy instead of Kakashi or Yamato, and the Third summoned Guy and assigned him to the team.
• Might Guy eagerly accepted the urgent mission and prepared to protect the village.

Zou Hyuga’s squad traveled to Sunagakure as reinforcements and was led into the village by Pakura, the Sand’s celebrated hero. Zou and Oto recognized her as the commander behind the squad that had nearly killed them years earlier, leaving their reunion tense.

• Zou Hyuga briefed the squad on Akatsuki’s members and abilities before they set out for the Land of Wind.
• The squad crossed the desert and reached Sunagakure, where Zou presented the Hokage’s and Kazekage’s letters to a patrol.
• The patrol captain, Pakura, escorted the Konoha squad through Sunagakure and warned them that the village could handle its own affairs.
• Zou sensed that Pakura’s health was failing and suspected her Scorch Release was taking a toll on her body.
• Oto recognized Pakura as the commander of the Sunagakure squad that had nearly wiped out her and Zou’s team on their first mission.

Zou Hyuga’s squad arrived in Sunagakure to help protect the One-Tail Jinchuriki as the village prepared to transfer Shukaku from the dying Bunpuku to Gaara. Rasa met secretly with Orochimaru, who offered a partnership against Konoha, then brought the squad to Bunpuku’s prison, where Bunpuku learned Gaara would replace him.

• Zou Hyuga memorized Sunagakure’s layout while Rasa mined gold dust underground to support the village’s finances.
• Orochimaru infiltrated Rasa’s cavern, offered to cooperate against Konoha, and gave him information about the missing-nin who attacked Sunagakure’s ANBU.
• Rasa welcomed Zou Hyuga’s squad and led them to Bunpuku, whose life was nearing its end and whose Shukaku chakra affected the prison guards.
• Zou Hyuga offered to help contain Shukaku if it lost control, and Rasa asked the squad to keep a low profile until the transfer was complete.
• Bunpuku asked Rasa whether Gaara would replace him, and Rasa’s silence confirmed it before Bunpuku prayed as dusk fell.

Zou and Oto uncovered a Sand Ninja spy linked to Sasori while visiting Sunagakure’s temple, and the village prepared to make Gaara its new jinchūriki. Zou warned his squad that the Akatsuki could attack after Bunpuku died, and two days later Sunagakure invited the Konoha Squad to help replace its jinchūriki.

• Zou told Oto that he had collected Shukaku’s chakra and explained that he had come to study Sunagakure’s chakra threads as well as prepare for the Akatsuki.
• At the temple, Zou spotted a spy fleeing toward the village entrance and alerted the Sunagakure ANBU, who pursued him until Pakura caught up with him.
• Oto subdued the spy with her Sharingan, but he died from Sunagakure’s brainwashing formula; Pakura identified him as one of her former subordinates and blamed Sasori.
• Kazekage Rasa, Chiyo, Ebizo, and Pakura discussed the spy, the planned sealing site, and Rasa’s decision to make Gaara the next jinchūriki after Bunpuku died.
• Zou warned Shisui and Guy to prepare for an Akatsuki attack and told Oto that the Akatsuki leader possessed the Rinnegan, then explained Pain’s abilities and possible counters.
• Two days later, Sunagakure’s ANBU invited the Konoha Squad to help replace its jinchūriki.

Zou Hyuga and his team joined Sunagakure’s preparations to seal Shukaku and learned that Bunpuku’s seal would fail that night. They met Gaara, Rasa’s frightened young son and the new jinchūriki, while Bunpuku spent his final hours speaking with Shukaku.

• Zou Hyuga and his team reached a desert basin where Sand Ninja prepared to seal Shukaku away from the village.
• At the temporary camp, Bunpuku told Zou Hyuga that Shukaku would break free that night and that they could communicate.
• Gaara arrived, and Rasa rebuked him; Gaara stumbled into Bunpuku’s arms, where Bunpuku’s kind manner eased his fear.
• Rasa introduced Gaara as Sunagakure’s new jinchūriki, then left to inspect the sealing preparations.
• Zou Hyuga explained to Oto Uchiha that making Gaara a jinchūriki was a way to keep the tailed beast under the village’s control, though Rasa treated his son cruelly.
• Bunpuku spoke with Shukaku in his mindscape, and Shukaku asked whether he feared dying that night.