Recaps

Gekkō Raito revealed that he had extracted the Six-Tails from Utakata and absorbed Saiken, leaving Utakata powerless and furious. He subdued Utakata and learned that converting the Six-Tails’ chakra to natural energy would take three days, accelerating Shukaku’s regeneration.

• Utakata woke to find the Six-Tails gone and demanded that Gekkō Raito return him.
• Utakata attacked Gekkō Raito, who flung him aside with two mist-like tentacles.
• Gekkō Raito restrained Utakata with freezing mist and revealed that Saiken had made a home in his belly.
• Gekkō Raito displayed Saiken’s six tails, while Utakata struggled to believe he had gained the beast’s cooperation so quickly.
• Great Sage began converting Saiken’s chakra through Glutton and estimated that the process would take three days to help regenerate One-Tail Shukaku chakra.

Gekkō Raito subdued Utakata and brought him back toward Kirigakure, but after discovering Kumogakure ninja at the border, he escaped with Chōjūrō and Haku on a flying cloud. In the air, he experimented with adding Six-Tails chakra to the cloud, which made it speed up dangerously.

• Gekkō Raito used cloud to silence Utakata and had Chōjūrō and Haku lead the cloud-bound captive with chakra threads.
• Gekkō Raito decided to pursue Isobu, the Three-Tails, after returning to Kirigakure with Utakata.
• Gekkō Raito, Chōjūrō, and Haku encountered a squad of Kumogakure ninja who demanded to know why they were at the border.
• Gekkō Raito summoned a cloud beneath the group and flew away, leaving the Kumogakure squad to report the encounter to the Raikage.
• Gekkō Raito studied Saiken's chakra in flight and infused the Nimbus Cloud with tailed beast chakra, turning it reddish and making it accelerate so sharply that Haku and Chōjūrō nearly fell off.

Gekkō Raito returned to Kirigakure with Utakata and revealed that he had extracted the Six-Tails and sealed it inside himself, becoming its perfectly controlling jinchūriki. Mei Terumi welcomed the tailed beast’s return, then confronted Utakata over his defection, and Ao challenged Utakata’s account of his master’s intentions.

• Gekkō Raito brought his companions back to Kirigakure in under thirty minutes and led them to the Mizukage’s Office.
• Gekkō Raito thawed Utakata and told Mei Terumi that the Six-Tails was sealed inside him.
• Gekkō Raito displayed the Six-Tails’ chakra cloak and claimed he had perfect control over the tailed beast.
• Mei Terumi accepted that the Six-Tails had returned and told Utakata the village needed to address his defection and his master’s death.
• Utakata claimed his master had tried to kill him and take the tailed beast, but Ao interrupted to say the master had been trying to free him.

Gekkō Raito proposed becoming the Three-Tails Jinchūriki and bringing a rogue ninja back to Kirigakure, but an urgent message from Konoha revealed that Sasuke Uchiha had deserted and joined Orochimaru. The chapter left Raito questioning how Konoha had fallen into chaos so soon after the Third Hokage’s death.

• Mei Terumi ordered Ao to take the dazed Utakata to prison, and Gekkō Raito sent Ao along with him.
• Gekkō Raito told Mei Terumi he wanted to seal the Three-Tails inside himself, and argued that controlling two Tailed Beasts would make Kirigakure powerful enough to deter its enemies.
• Gekkō Raito said he had arranged to learn the Three-Tails’ location and bring back a rogue ninja who might earn forgiveness through his service.
• After Gekkō Raito returned to his room and fell asleep, Haku woke him with an urgent summons to Mei Terumi’s office.
• Mei Terumi gave Gekkō Raito an urgent request for aid from Konoha, and he learned that Sasuke Uchiha had deserted to join Orochimaru.

Raito accepted Kirigakure’s mission to return to Konoha and help with its urgent pursuit mission, despite his former village having abandoned him. He took Haku and Chōjūrō with him by Nimbus Cloud, leaving Mei Terumi to anticipate Konoha’s reaction.

• Mei Terumi told Raito that Konoha’s strongest fighters had been sent to Sunagakure while the Third Hokage remained unconscious, and that Konoha had requested Kirigakure’s help.
• Raito agreed to go to Konoha, explaining that he wanted to bring Sasuke back before Orochimaru could turn him into a lab rat and to learn why Sasuke had left early.
• Raito dismissed Mei Terumi’s hope that he might bring Sasuke to Kirigakure, noting that neither village would risk a conflict over a genin.
• Raito chose to take Haku and Chōjūrō, then used Cloud Release: Nimbus Cloud to fly them out of Kirigakure.
• A Mist Ninja reported Raito’s departure to Mei Terumi, who realized the cloud could carry passengers and carry them to Konoha quickly.
• Haku asked where they were headed, and Raito answered Konoha; Chōjūrō was startled as Raito explained that Konoha had requested support for a special pursuit mission.

Shikamaru led a hastily assembled team to pursue Sasuke, while Sasuke traveled toward Otogakure with the Sound Four. Shikamaru suspected Danzo had engineered the crisis for political gain, and the chapter ended with the pursuit team following Sasuke’s trail.

• Shikamaru left the Hokage Building with orders to pursue Sasuke, and he suspected Danzo planned to use the mission to pressure Konoha’s clans.
• Shikamaru gathered Rock Lee, Neji, Choji, and Ino, then launched a forced march toward the Land of Fire’s border.
• Sasuke rested with the Sound Four and argued with Tayuya before ordering them to resume their journey at full speed.
• Sasuke warned the Sound Four not to underestimate Konoha’s Genin, though he did not explain who he feared.
• Shikamaru brought Shino along to track Sasuke with his kikaichū, and he insisted they were pursuing him in the right direction.

Shikamaru led the exhausted team along a shortcut and tracked Sasuke to within five hundred meters, but ordered everyone to rest rather than rush into a fight. Gekkō Raito arrived from the sky and reunited with the tearful Ino, leaving the pursuit poised to continue with his support.

• Shikamaru reasoned that Sasuke would take the shortest route to the border and guided the team along a hunter's trail.
• After eight hours of pursuit, Ino sensed Sasuke nearby, but Shikamaru made the team rest because they were too exhausted to fight.
• Ino detected Gekkō Raito's chakra, and he descended from a cloud onto a cushion of mist.
• Ino ran to Gekkō Raito, who caught her and comforted her as she wept.

Raito reunited with the Konoha pursuers wearing a Kirigakure Forehead Protector and explained that he had joined Kirigakure, where he might become Mizukage. He divided the coming fight, taking Sasuke with Haku and Chōjūrō while the others faced the Sound Four, and Sasuke sensed the approaching threat as he retreated.

• Raito surprised Neji, Shikamaru, and the others with his Kirigakure Forehead Protector, and he said he was a Kirigakure ninja who might become Mizukage.
• Shikamaru explained that Ino had located Sasuke five hundred meters ahead and that four Sound Ninja were with him.
• Raito assigned the four Sound Ninja to Neji and the others, while he, Haku, and Chōjūrō went after Sasuke.
• Sasuke sensed the pursuers and an unusually powerful enemy, so Jirobo stayed behind to guard the junction while Sasuke and the others retreated.

Gekkō Raito pursued Sasuke while the Konoha team engaged the Sound Ninja, then spoke with Sasuke beside a river. Sasuke questioned whether Itachi could have massacred the entire Uchiha clan alone and pointed to Konoha's possible involvement.

• Kidomaru, Sakon, Ukon, and Tayuya stayed behind to intercept Gekkō Raito's group while Sasuke continued ahead.
• Gekkō Raito raced past the Sound Ninja, while Neji, Shino, Rock Lee, and Ino stopped and surrounded them.
• Gekkō Raito caught up with Sasuke beside a river, where Sasuke said he had no reason to remain in Konoha.
• Sasuke asked whether Itachi was strong enough to defeat Gekkō Raito, and Gekkō Raito estimated their chances at fifty-fifty.
• Sasuke argued that Itachi could not have hunted down the entire Uchiha clan alone and questioned why Konoha's ANBU had noticed nothing.
• Sasuke pointed out that Konoha had dispatched a pursuit force within half an hour of his defection and asked whether the clan massacre's silence made sense.

Raito and Sasuke discussed why Sasuke was leaving Konoha, and Raito agreed not to stop him. Before they parted, Sasuke challenged Raito to a final sword fight, and they charged at each other across the river.

• Sasuke explained that he defected because he hated Konoha's hypocrisy and its suspicion of the Uchiha Clan, and Raito accepted his decision.
• Sasuke learned that Raito had become the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, and Raito warned him not to chase external power over his Sharingan.
• Sasuke challenged Raito to a final fight and drew his Kusanagi Sword as Raito unsheathed Zangetsu.
• Sasuke coated his blade in Chidori, while Raito activated Hot Breath Blade and charged across the river to meet him.

Sasuke left Gekkō Raito with a scarred Konoha forehead protector and continued toward Orochimaru, while Gekkō Raito rushed to rescue Chōjūrō from Kimimaro. The chapter ended with Gekkō Raito revealing Ice Release and Kimimaro realizing he might be a Yuki Clan descendant.

• Sasuke lost his sword to Gekkō Raito, received Gekkō Raito’s Konoha forehead protector, scarred its emblem, and tied it on.
• Sasuke admitted he was using Orochimaru for power and left for the forest after Gekkō Raito warned him about Orochimaru’s plans.
• Kimimaro pierced Chōjūrō with a bone spike while Haku’s ice senbon failed to harm him.
• Gekkō Raito kicked Kimimaro away, treated Chōjūrō’s wound, and sent Haku to take him somewhere safe.
• Kimimaro recognized Gekkō Raito as the man Jūgo had mentioned, then saw his Kirigakure forehead protector and discovered he could use Ice Release.

Raito invited Kimimaro to join Kirigakure, but Kimimaro rejected the offer and attacked him. Raito trapped Kimimaro in ice, then used a steam-coated blade to press his attack as Kimimaro raised bone shields.

• Raito told Kimimaro that someone else had masterminded Kirigakure's past and invited him to return.
• Kimimaro accused Kirigakure's ninjas of deserving death and charged at Raito, who caught his kick and flung him away from his bone spikes.
• Raito and Kimimaro clashed with Zangetsu and a bone blade until Raito swept Kimimaro away with Water Release and froze him with Ice Release.
• Raito shattered the ice with successive sword attacks, but Kimimaro's bone membrane withstood the blows despite showing cracks.
• Raito coated Zangetsu in scalding steam and used Water Release: Water Clone Body Flicker to reappear in front of Kimimaro, who retreated and formed bone shields on his forearms.

Gekkō Raito tried to persuade Kimimaro to return to Kirigakure and offered to save him from his Kekkei Genkai Disease, but Kimimaro refused and fought on for Orochimaru. Gekkō Raito trapped him with freezing Cloud Release as Kimimaro unleashed his full power and launched a surprise attack from behind.

• Gekkō Raito's blade melted through Kimimaro's bone shield, forcing Kimimaro to counterattack with bone spikes and then retreat.
• Gekkō Raito urged Kimimaro to return to Kirigakure and revealed that he knew about Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai Disease, but Kimimaro refused to betray Orochimaru.
• Kimimaro activated his Cursed Seal and charged Gekkō Raito, but Gekkō Raito trapped him behind solidified cloud and mist infused with Snow Mist.
• Kimimaro fully activated Curse Mark Stage Two and used Dance of the Seedling Fern to raise a vast forest of bone spikes.
• Gekkō Raito floated above the bone forest, but Kimimaro followed the spikes' growth and thrust a spiral bone spear at his heart from behind.

Gekkō Raito killed Kimimaro and used Glutton to devour his body, though the Great Sage said absorbing and analyzing him would take three hours. Raito suspected Danzo had arranged for Sasuke to escape so Orochimaru would keep Tsunade from returning to the village, then prepared to head back after admitting he had let Sasuke go.

• Gekkō Raito trapped Kimimaro in corrosive Cloud Release mist, melted his bone spear, and watched him die.
• Gekkō Raito ordered Glutton to devour Kimimaro, and the Great Sage estimated that deep absorption would take three hours.
• Gekkō Raito reasoned that Orochimaru was occupied and suspected Danzo had deliberately weakened the pursuit of Sasuke in exchange for keeping Tsunade from becoming Hokage.
• Gekkō Raito returned to Haku and the wounded Chōjūrō, said the battle was over, and announced that he had let Sasuke go.

Gekkō Raito waited for Haku and Chōjūrō while Glutton finished absorbing Kimimaro, allowing him to begin fusing Shikotsumyaku. Kakashi pursued Haku, determined to find Gekkō Raito, and reached him as the fusion began.

• Gekkō Raito sent Haku to help Shikamaru and the others, then carried the unconscious Chōjūrō to a hill to wait.
• Glutton finished digesting Kimimaro, recovered to 30% ability, and granted Gekkō Raito Shikotsumyaku.
• Gekkō Raito began a seven-day phased fusion, which would eliminate the risk of Kekkei Genkai Disease and alter his physique.
• Kakashi pursued Haku despite his protests, explaining that he wanted to see Gekkō Raito.
• Kakashi caught up with Haku and remarked that Gekkō Raito had cleared the charges against him and given him a chance to return to Kirigakure.

Gekkō Raito met Kakashi in the woods and explained that he had willingly become Kirigakure’s Six-Tails Jinchuriki. He left Kakashi behind, while Team 7’s members remained scattered across different paths.

• Haku led Kakashi to Gekkō Raito, who sent him to watch over the unconscious Chōjūrō.
• Gekkō Raito told Kakashi that he had caught the Six-Tails and chosen to become its Jinchuriki.
• Gekkō Raito said he knew Danzo had started the scheme against him and that Konoha’s leaders had tacitly allowed it.
• Gekkō Raito told Kakashi he had deliberately let Sasuke leave, then walked away.
• Kakashi watched Gekkō Raito go and reflected that he, Sasuke, and Naruto had all left Konoha in different ways.

Gekkō Raito returned to Kirigakure with Haku and the injured Chōjūrō, reported the mission to Mei Terumi, and turned his attention to locating the Three-Tails. An urgent letter sent through the Hunter-nin Corps’ encrypted channel revealed that it had been found.

• Gekkō Raito flew back to Kirigakure on the Nimbus Cloud with Haku and the injured Chōjūrō, while Kakashi watched them leave.
• Gekkō Raito and Haku took Chōjūrō to Kirigakure Hospital, where Haku stayed to care for him.
• Gekkō Raito reported the mission to Mei Terumi and discussed Kirigakure’s powerful ninja and rogue ninja.
• Gekkō Raito told Mei Terumi he expected news about the Three-Tails, despite her saying Kirigakure’s search had found nothing.
• A Kirigakure ninja delivered Gekkō Raito an urgent letter sent through the Hunter-nin Corps’ encrypted channel, and Gekkō Raito announced that the Three-Tails had been found.

Raito took Mei Terumi to a large lake where Zabuza had located the Three-Tails. After Mei Terumi hesitated over Zabuza’s status as a fugitive, Raito headed straight for the lake to capture the beast without setting up a barrier.

• Raito told Mei Terumi he would capture the Three-Tails alone, but she insisted on accompanying him.
• Raito took Mei Terumi to the lake on his Nimbus Cloud, catching her when she nearly lost her balance.
• Raito introduced Mei Terumi to Zabuza, who had been waiting at the lake as his informant.
• Mei Terumi questioned whether Zabuza’s help could erase his rogue-ninja status, while Raito criticized the limits on her authority.
• Zabuza said the Three-Tails was deep beneath the lake and suggested setting up a barrier, but Raito walked toward the water without one.

Gekkō Raito froze the lake to force the Three-Tails to surface, then overpowered and sealed the beast. The Three-Tails stopped struggling, leaving it subdued by Raito.

• Gekkō Raito froze the entire lake with Ice Release, forcing the Three-Tails to break through the ice and emerge.
• Mei Terumi recognized the tailed beast's chakra, while Zabuza prepared for the Three-Tails to appear.
• Gekkō Raito approached the Three-Tails and caught its tail when it attacked.
• Gekkō Raito threw the Three-Tails onto the shore with a shoulder throw.
• Gekkō Raito bound the Three-Tails with White Vine Seal, suppressing its chakra until it stopped moving.

Gekkō Raito sealed the Three-Tails inside his body, combining its chakra with the Six-Tails' and manifesting nine tails. He showed Mei Terumi and Zabuza his new form, leaving them stunned by his ability to contain two Tailed Beasts.

• Gekkō Raito pinned down the Three-Tails with a Sealing Jutsu and decided to seal it inside his body.
• Gekkō Raito used Cloud Release: Smoke Prison to hide the sealing process from Mei Terumi and Zabuza.
• Great Sage completed its analysis, and Gekkō Raito used its Sealing Jutsu together with Glutton to draw the Three-Tails into his body.
• Gekkō Raito's Six-Tails and Three-Tails chakra surged together, forming a Chakra Cloak with nine tails behind him.
• Gekkō Raito dispelled the Smoke Prison and showed Mei Terumi and Zabuza that he had sealed the Three-Tails and mastered its power.

Gekkō Raito returned to Kirigakure with Mei Terumi and Zabuza after sealing the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, and Mei Terumi discussed how to announce the achievement and secure Raito’s authority. Zabuza went to see Haku while the village prepared for his return and the public announcement.

• Raito reassured Zabuza that his rogue ninja charge could be cleared and told him Haku was safe in Kirigakure Hospital.
• Raito, Mei Terumi, and Zabuza returned to Kirigakure on the Nimbus Cloud, and Zabuza followed them discreetly after putting on his mask.
• Raito sent Zabuza to see Haku while he and Mei Terumi entered the Mizukage's Office.
• Mei Terumi expressed amazement that Raito had sealed two tailed beasts and suggested he take over the burdens of leading the village.
• Raito and Mei Terumi agreed to announce the recovered tailed beasts to Kirigakure and the country, using the occasion to clear Zabuza's charge.
• Mei Terumi asked how Raito planned to earn the village's respect and obedience as its sole Jinchūriki.

Gekkō Raito proposed restoring Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and learned that the village’s only promising candidate, Ameyuri Ringo, was critically ill. He visited her in the hospital and offered to examine her, leaving her hopeful that she could recover.

• Gekkō Raito suggested rebuilding the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Mei Terumi told him that Ameyuri Ringo was a Lightning Release prodigy near death.
• Gekkō Raito recognized Ameyuri Ringo as a former wielder of Kiba and went with Mei Terumi to Kirigakure Hospital.
• Mei Terumi checked on Chōjūrō, and Gekkō Raito reassured Haku that Chōjūrō would soon return to Kirigakure openly.
• Gekkō Raito entered Ameyuri Ringo’s room and startled her when she mistook him for medical staff arriving to give her an injection.
• Gekkō Raito introduced himself and said he might be able to cure Ameyuri Ringo, who asked whether she could really get better.

Gekkō Raito discovered that Ameyuri Ringo had only a year to live because of severe cellular deterioration, and he could not cure her with his current medical knowledge. He decided to seek help from Tsunade, though Mei Terumi warned that finding her would be extremely difficult.

• Gekkō Raito used the Great Sage to learn that Ameyuri Ringo had one year to live and that fighting or training would hasten her death.
• The Great Sage said that acquiring advanced medical knowledge from a skilled medical ninja could speed up a cure, but Gekkō Raito rejected devouring fellow Kirigakure shinobi and could not learn quickly enough on his own.
• Gekkō Raito reassured Ameyuri Ringo that he would find a way to save her and told her he would discuss a treatment plan with the Lord Kage.
• Gekkō Raito told Mei Terumi that he wanted to ask Tsunade for help.
• Mei Terumi warned Gekkō Raito that Tsunade was notoriously difficult to locate because she constantly moved while evading pursuit.

Mei Terumi arranged a one-man Chunin promotion exam to establish Raito’s standing in Kirigakure. Raito overwhelmed ten Genin and thirty Chunin, and the chapter ended as a Jonin entered the arena for the final round.

• Mei Terumi approved a special Chunin exam for Raito and planned to use it to establish his authority in Kirigakure.
• Mei Terumi opened the exam before a packed arena, and Raito entered wearing a Kirigakure robe and forehead protector.
• Raito defeated ten Genin so quickly that the spectators barely saw him move.
• Raito charged into thirty Chunin and cut them down with precise swordsmanship.
• A Jonin with a terrifying aura appeared as Raito’s final opponent.

Raito defeated Zabuza in the arena, then protected him from Kirigakure Jonin until Mei Terumi restored Zabuza’s status as a village ninja. Raito revealed that he had become the perfect Jinchūriki of both the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, while Mei credited him and Zabuza with recovering the beasts.

• Raito overwhelmed Zabuza in the arena and held Zangetsu to his throat.
• Several Kirigakure Jonin rushed to kill Zabuza, but Raito froze them in place.
• Mei Terumi declared that Zabuza had helped recover the Three-Tails and restored his status as a Kirigakure Ninja.
• Raito revealed the Three-Tails Chakra within him, shocking the Jonin by showing that he was its Jinchūriki.
• Mei announced that the Six-Tails had also been recovered and Utakata captured, and Raito revealed that he carried the Six-Tails as well.
• Mei explained that Raito had endured sealing both Tailed Beasts and said he and Zabuza had completed the Six-Tails mission together.