Recaps

Mei Terumi discovered that the captive Gekkō Raito had tied up was Tsunade and warned him that humiliating a Konoha Sannin could endanger Kirigakure and prevent her from saving Ameyuri. Gekkō Raito rejected Mei’s suggestion to seduce Tsunade and was left to find a way to cure her fear of blood while preventing her revenge.

• Mei Terumi mistook the bound Tsunade for a woman Gekkō Raito was romantically pursuing until he identified her as the legendary Sannin.
• Mei Terumi warned Gekkō Raito that capturing and humiliating Tsunade could provoke Konoha and make Tsunade refuse to treat Ameyuri.
• Gekkō Raito agreed that Tsunade’s anger was a serious danger and decided to focus first on curing her fear of blood so she could save Ameyuri.
• Mei Terumi suggested that Gekkō Raito sleep with Tsunade and use a child to control her, prompting Tsunade to struggle in alarm.
• Gekkō Raito rejected Mei Terumi’s suggestion, flirted with her instead, and watched her leave after she warned him to keep Tsunade from taking revenge on Kirigakure.

Gekkō Raito kept Tsunade captive despite her attempts to negotiate, then turned to developing his own Sage Mode with Great Sage controlling his body. The experiments began producing senjutsu chakra, but also caused dangerous petrification and bodily collapse that Great Sage had to suppress.

• Tsunade threatened Gekkō Raito and tried to negotiate her release, but the cloud-and-mist ropes restrained her whenever she considered attacking or escaping.
• Gekkō Raito left Tsunade bound and went to his secret training ground to work on developing Sage Mode.
• Great Sage took control of Gekkō Raito's body and began calculating how to combine natural energy, mental energy, and life energy.
• Gekkō Raito observed the experiments as golden senjutsu chakra formed, while Great Sage stopped signs of petrification and his hands beginning to collapse.

Raito unlocked his exclusive Perfect Sage Mode and discovered its immense power and sensing abilities. He planned to teach Three-Tails and Six-Tails to use natural energy so they could help refine his senjutsu chakra and develop their own Tailed Beast Modes.

• Raito completed the evolution of his facial markings as natural energy flooded Kirigakure, and the Great Sage announced that Sage Mode: Raito Form had been unlocked.
• Raito regained control of his body and found that his senjutsu chakra greatly enhanced his abilities and let him sense every living person's chakra in Kirigakure.
• The Great Sage explained that Raito could activate Sage Mode instantly, but needed three minutes to build his senjutsu chakra to its theoretical peak.
• The Great Sage suggested using Tailed Beasts as external batteries to shorten the charging time, prompting Raito to consider Three-Tails and Six-Tails.
• Raito and the Great Sage concluded that teaching the Tailed Beasts to use natural energy could help them develop their own modes, and that Raito's guidance could reduce the process to half a day.

Gekkō Raito refined his Tailed Beast chakra with Sage Mode and successfully created Double Tailed Beast Gold Body Mode. Mei Terumi rushed to contain what she believed was a Tailed Beast rampage, only to find Raito safe amid the wreckage.

• Gekkō Raito equipped Sage Mode in his Passive Skill Slots and used Great Sage to begin refining his Tailed Beast chakra with natural energy.
• Gekkō Raito shared his insights with Isobu and Six-Tails Saiken as their chakra transformed and golden light emerged.
• Mist Ninja guards saw the training ground being destroyed and reported that the Tailed Beasts had gone berserk.
• Mei Terumi ordered the Sealing Squad to seal the training ground, then charged inside to confront Gekkō Raito.
• Gekkō Raito completed Isobu Chakra Mode and Saiken Chakra Mode, acquiring Double Tailed Beast Gold Body Mode.
• Mei Terumi found Gekkō Raito unharmed, and he apologized after seeing the ruined training ground.

Gekkō Raito revealed that he had gained precise control over the Tailed Beasts’ power, then began developing Wood Release with the Great Sage. He left the Great Sage analyzing Hashirama Senju’s techniques while experimenting with a growing sapling.

• Gekkō Raito reassured Mei Terumi and the Mist Ninja that he was in control after the destruction, then explained that Three-Tails and Six-Tails’ chakra let him combine their power with Sage Mode.
• Mei Terumi noticed Gekkō Raito’s sudden growth spurt and watched him head home, thinking that he needed new clothes.
• Gekkō Raito returned to find Tsunade unusually attentive, brushed off her offer of food or rest, and went upstairs.
• Gekkō Raito decided his expanded chakra reserves were enough to pursue Wood Release and grew a seedling from his palm.
• Gekkō Raito ordered the Great Sage to analyze Hashirama Senju’s Wood Release techniques, receiving an estimate of one day, then left the bathroom while examining the sapling.

After Raito manifested Wood Release, Tsunade believed he was a Senju and claimed him as her little brother. She promised to treat Ameyuri and arrived with Raito at Kirigakure Hospital the next morning.

• Tsunade saw the Wood Release sprout in Raito's palm and asked whether he was a Senju.
• Raito gave an ambiguous answer, and Tsunade decided he had inherited her grandfather's kekkei genkai and was her last family.
• Tsunade hugged Raito and declared him her little brother, while Raito agreed on the condition that she treat Ameyuri.
• Tsunade refused to leave Raito alone that night and made him serve as her body pillow.
• Tsunade and Raito arrived at Kirigakure Hospital, where Tsunade promised to save Ameyuri.

Tsunade examined Ameyuri and agreed to treat her, while Gekkō Raito believed the abduction had also resolved Tsunade’s fear of blood and resentment toward Kirigakure. Back in Konoha, Jiraiya learned Sasuke had defected and Tsunade was missing, then faced pressure from Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu to become Hokage.

• Tsunade diagnosed Ameyuri with severely damaged lungs and said treatment could extend her life by about twenty years.
• Tsunade told Gekkō Raito that Ameyuri’s treatment would take about two weeks and require surgery and recovery.
• Jiraiya returned to Konoha with Naruto and Shizune, where Naruto learned Sasuke had defected to Orochimaru.
• Jiraiya learned Tsunade had been abducted by Kirigakure and that the deadline to name the Fifth Hokage was one day away.
• Jiraiya demanded that Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu prevent Danzo from becoming Hokage, but they insisted he take the position first.

Jiraiya refused the advisers’ plan to make him Hokage and decided to rescue Tsunade from Kirigakure by force. He assembled Kakashi, Guy, and Asuma for an immediate mission while Gekkō Raito trained on an island outside Kirigakure.

• Jiraiya rejected the Hokage position, told Homura and Koharu to let Danzo take it, and left the Hokage Building.
• Danzo learned from a Root ninja that Kirigakure had abducted Tsunade to treat an important figure.
• Jiraiya recruited Kakashi and ordered him to gather Guy and Asuma for a strike team to retrieve Tsunade.
• Mei Terumi kept Gekkō Raito on a deserted island, where he tested Wood Release techniques as she approached.

Raito practiced Ice Release while Mei Terumi discussed reforming the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the missing blades. After Mei gave Raito three unclaimed swords, he was left to decide how to use them as the effort to rebuild the group continued.

• Raito practiced precise Ice Release techniques on the lake while Mei Terumi remarked on Tsunade's changed attitude.
• Mei Terumi warned that Kiba and Samehada were missing, while Raito said he intended Kiba for the recovered Ameyuri Ringo.
• Raito considered Kisame Hoshigaki's potential return to Kirigakure and asked Mei Terumi to show him the other available blades.
• Mei Terumi gave Raito a sealing scroll containing Nuibari, Exploding Blade Shibuki, and Kabutowari, and he accepted them.

Gekkō Raito used Wood Release to cover an isolated island in forest, then asked the Great Sage to calculate several senjutsu techniques and explored radically modifying three ninja blades. He left the blades’ redesigns planned but not yet underway, while the Great Sage continued its calculations.

• Gekkō Raito used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence to cover the island in a dense forest.
• Gekkō Raito checked the Great Sage’s progress on four senjutsu techniques and learned the calculations would finish in about thirty minutes.
• Gekkō Raito decided to modify Nuibari with chakra threads so its wielder could control it at a distance and enhance its attacks.
• Gekkō Raito planned to give Kabutowari chakra-structure-breaking power and a chakra-powered hammer burst.
• Gekkō Raito proposed replacing Shibuki’s scroll with chakra-generated explosive energy, but its internal-detonation design still posed a technical challenge.

Gekkō Raito decided to learn Kirigakure’s ninjutsu to improve his technique development, revealing that he possessed all five chakra natures. After spending three days studying in the village’s repository, he emerged having memorized nearly all of its accumulated techniques.

• Gekkō Raito changed his approach to developing an explosive blade technique, and the Great Sage advised him to gather data on more ninjutsu.
• Gekkō Raito asked Mei Terumi to let him study every technique in Kirigakure, and she sent Ao to guide him to the repository.
• Mei Terumi asked how many chakra natures Gekkō Raito had, and he casually revealed that he had all of them.
• Ao questioned why Gekkō Raito would study techniques beyond Water Release, and Gekkō Raito explained that mastering every nature would help him perfect Water Release.
• Gekkō Raito spent three days reading the repository’s scrolls, while news of his five chakra natures spread through Kirigakure.
• Gekkō Raito emerged from the repository having memorized nearly all the village’s ninjutsu, excluding closely guarded clan secrets.

Gekkō Raito completed his Shikotsumyaku integration and unlocked Glutton’s Stomach Space, which could store and modify analyzed objects. He left Great Sage to upgrade the Ninja Blades and went to the hospital to wait while Tsunade operated on Ameyuri.

• Gekkō Raito examined his enhanced body, tested his bone claws and healing, and updated his skill slots with Shikotsumyaku, Sage Mode, Water Breathing, and four elemental proficiencies.
• Glutton unlocked Stomach Space, and Great Sage explained that it could preserve analyzed matter and reshape it using chakra.
• Gekkō Raito stored the three Ninja Blades in Stomach Space and ordered Great Sage to modify them using some of One-Tail Shukaku’s chakra.
• Gekkō Raito went to the hospital, told Chōjūrō to guard Ameyuri’s ward, and brought Haku back with him to rest.
• Gekkō Raito asked Haku about settling into life in Kirigakure, then began showing him a gift using black mist.

Gekkō Raito gave Haku an upgraded Nuibari, then sensed a Konoha team infiltrating Kirigakure while Tsunade operated on Ameyuri Ringo. He ordered Haku and Chōjūrō to guard the routes and sealed the operating room as fighting began nearby.

• Gekkō Raito gave Haku an upgraded Nuibari and a bracelet that let him control the blade remotely and infuse it with Ice Release.
• Gekkō Raito sensed Jiraiya, Asuma Sarutobi, and other Konoha infiltrators entering Kirigakure in disguise.
• Gekkō Raito ordered Haku to guard Flower Language Street and kill any outsiders who approached.
• Gekkō Raito sent Chōjūrō to guard the hospital's rear garden, then sealed the operating room with a white-mist barrier.
• Gekkō Raito waited outside the operating room as the sound of metal clashing came from nearby.

Kakashi, Asuma, and Might Guy fought Kirigakure defenders at three locations as their infiltration erupted into open combat. By the chapter’s end, Zabuza was suppressing Kakashi while Kakashi waited for a chance to strike.

• Zabuza confronted Kakashi in an alley and attacked him with the Kubikiribōchō, drawing him into a fierce fight.
• Haku wounded Asuma with Nuibari and began using Ice Release to trap him.
• Might Guy attacked Chōjūrō in the hospital garden, but Chōjūrō blocked his kick and stood his ground.
• Kirigakure was roused by the fighting as Zabuza and his Water Clone kept Kakashi under pressure, while Kakashi waited for an opening.

Gekkō Raito saved Chōjūrō by taking Might Guy’s Daytime Tiger head-on, stopping the battle from escalating into a war. In the hospital, Jiraiya then asked Mei Terumi to let Konoha take Tsunade back.

• Haku used Ice Release and Nuibari to keep Asuma on the defensive as Mist Ninja watched the battles.
• Might Guy opened the Seventh Gate and launched Daytime Tiger at the exhausted Chōjūrō.
• Gekkō Raito rescued Chōjūrō and blocked Daytime Tiger with a punch, healing his shattered arm with dark red chakra.
• Jiraiya called Guy off, and Mei Terumi dispersed the Mist Ninja, halting the clash.
• In the hospital, Jiraiya said Konoha wanted to take Tsunade back, and Gekkō Raito spoke before Mei Terumi could answer.

Tsunade successfully operated on Ameyuri and decided to return to Konoha after learning Danzo was moving for the Hokage position. Gekkō Raito promised to help Jiraiya kill Danzo if he became Mizukage, then reassured Ameyuri that he would take her to Konoha for rehabilitation once its troubles were settled.

• Jiraiya asked Gekkō Raito to help him kill a Konoha shinobi if Raito became Mizukage, and Raito agreed, recognizing he meant Shimura Danzō.
• Tsunade completed Ameyuri's surgery successfully and learned that Danzo was poised to seize the Hokage position.
• Tsunade decided to return to Konoha immediately, while she and Mei Terumi argued over who could claim Gekkō Raito as family.
• Tsunade and the others left Kirigakure that night, and Mei Terumi questioned Gekkō Raito about parting from his new big sister.
• Gekkō Raito stopped Ameyuri from getting out of bed and promised to take her to Konoha for rehabilitation after its crisis ended.

Gekkō Raito told Ameyuri that he would find the missing Ninja Blades, including Kiba and Samehada, and considered how to locate their wielders. He left Kirigakure under surveillance by sending ten thousand chakra doves to watch Konoha and Otogakure.

• Gekkō Raito told Ameyuri that Kiba was the blade meant for her and promised to find the missing Ninja Blades.
• Mei Terumi asked Gekkō Raito where Kiba and Samehada were, and he said he knew their wielders but needed to track their movements.
• Gekkō Raito considered Kisame Hoshigaki's possible return to Kirigakure and whether Itachi might head to Konoha or Orochimaru's lair.
• Gekkō Raito created ten thousand white doves and sent seven thousand to watch Konoha and three thousand to watch Otogakure.

Raito remade Zangetsu to grow stronger by absorbing a fixed amount of chakra each day, then used Great Sage to develop Getsuga Tenshō. He tested the new attack by carving a vast trench through the sea, though its chakra cost was enormous.

• Raito went to his offshore training island to develop a powerful finishing move.
• Raito used Glutton and Great Sage to reforge Zangetsu so it would absorb chakra daily and steadily increase in hardness and sharpness.
• Great Sage analyzed the technique and taught Raito Getsuga Tenshō.
• Raito fired a massive blue slash that pulverized a huge tree and tore a deep trench through the sea.
• Raito realized Getsuga Tenshō consumed an outrageous amount of chakra.

Gekkō Raito used Great Sage to develop Storm Release, then spent three days combining it with Yin Release to create true light. The chapter ended with Great Sage confirming his theory that chakra could theoretically shape anything in the world.

• Gekkō Raito asked Great Sage to use his body to develop Storm Release, which took only one hour.
• Gekkō Raito found the resulting laser-like Storm Release was not true light, and Great Sage suggested incorporating Yin Release.
• Gekkō Raito agreed to the three-day experiment, during which his unstable chakra transformations alarmed the Mist Ninja guarding the island.
• Great Sage identified the right combination of water, lightning, and Yin Release, and Gekkō Raito created a speck of true light.
• Gekkō Raito proposed that mastering the formula could let him mold anything from chakra, and Great Sage confirmed the theory was sound.

Gekkō Raito developed several Light Release techniques, culminating in a devastating aerial barrage that shattered the island’s frozen lake. Mei Terumi and her squad arrived to investigate the explosion and witnessed his power firsthand.

• Gekkō Raito tested Light Release: Light Bullet by firing a beam that blasted the distant sea.
• Gekkō Raito learned Light Release: Divine Blade and used it to unleash a powerful slash of light pressure.
• Mei Terumi led elite Mist Ninja to the island after hearing that Gekkō Raito had caused a massive disturbance.
• Mei Terumi and her squad found Gekkō Raito transformed into light and watched him bombard the frozen lake.
• Gekkō Raito ended the barrage and learned Light Release: Yasakani no Magatama.

Gekkō Raito unveiled his newly developed Light Release and used it to devastate the island, then considered his future skills and training. Mei Terumi lost patience with his distracted behavior and dragged him away by the ear.

• Mei Terumi arrived as Gekkō Raito explained that he had developed Light Release and demonstrated its destructive power with a golden Light Bullet.
• Raito learned Light Release: Energy Burst, moved at tremendous speed, and shattered the foundations of half the island with a light-powered punch.
• Raito asked Great Sage whether he could recreate 100-Type Guanyin Bodhisattva, and learned it was feasible but would take over three months to analyze.
• Raito worried that his skill slots were insufficient until Great Sage suggested he train basic nature transformations without using valuable slots.
• Mei Terumi grabbed Raito by the ear and ordered him to come with her.

Gekkō Raito and Mei Terumi discussed Kumogakure’s seizure of an island in the Land of Water and agreed to send Haku, Chōjūrō, and Zabuza instead of deploying a jinchūriki. Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki reached Konoha, where Itachi returned for a specific purpose that remained unrevealed.

• Mei Terumi told Gekkō Raito that Kumogakure had seized an island near the Land of Water and was building a port there.
• Mei Terumi said the Cloud Ninja were testing Kirigakure after its tailed beasts returned and the village was liberated.
• Gekkō Raito offered to go to the island, but Mei Terumi forbade him from deploying as a jinchūriki.
• Gekkō Raito and Mei Terumi agreed to have Haku, Chōjūrō, and Zabuza handle the clash with Kumogakure.
• Kisame Hoshigaki and Uchiha Itachi arrived near Konoha, where they discussed the village’s turmoil and Sasuke Uchiha’s defection.
• Uchiha Itachi watched Konoha and prepared to carry out the purpose of his return.

Itachi returned to Konoha with Kisame to investigate Sasuke’s defection and confront Danzo, but sensed danger when he encountered Tsunade’s returning group. In Kirigakure, Gekkō Raito reassured Mei Terumi that he would recruit a powerful ninja for her new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, then flew toward the Land of Fire.

• Itachi suspected Danzo had arranged Sasuke’s defection and returned to Konoha to warn him, bringing Kisame along despite his reluctance.
• Itachi sensed Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi Hatake, Asuma Sarutobi, and Might Guy arriving at Konoha’s main gate and felt an ominous emptiness.
• Mei Terumi worried that Kirigakure lacked capable commanders to handle its conflict with Kumogakure without using Gekkō Raito.
• Gekkō Raito promised to press a powerful recruit into service for Mei’s new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
• Gekkō Raito rode a golden Nimbus Cloud toward the Land of Fire, leaving Mei Terumi stunned.

Gekkō Raito raced from Kirigakure toward Konoha as Tsunade began an urgent operation to save Hiruzen Sarutobi. Jiraiya guarded the operating room and confronted Danzo, whose plans to become the Fifth Hokage were threatened by Hiruzen’s possible recovery.

• Gekkō Raito crossed the ocean on the Nimbus Cloud, absorbing white pigeons that increased its speed as he headed for Konoha.
• Tsunade examined Hiruzen Sarutobi and told Jiraiya that he would die soon, but surgery could keep him conscious for a few days.
• Jiraiya ordered Tsunade to operate, and she entered surgery with Shizune and a team of elite medical ninja.
• Jiraiya stood guard outside the operating room while Danzo arrived and asked about Hiruzen’s condition.
• Danzo declared that he would soon take office as Fifth Hokage, and Jiraiya warned that Hiruzen’s recovery could delay his inauguration for years.

Danzo angrily left Jiraiya after learning Hiruzen might recover, then met Itachi, who had returned to demand an explanation for Sasuke being handed to Orochimaru. Danzo blamed Hiruzen, leaving Itachi convinced that both men had betrayed him and that Konoha had failed him.

• Danzo threatened Jiraiya after Jiraiya refused to honor their agreement, but Jiraiya stood firm and guarded Tsunade's operation.
• Danzo returned to the Hokage Building and planned to purge his opponents, believing he controlled Konoha's ANBU, Root, and clans.
• A Root ninja reported that Itachi had appeared in Konoha and asked to meet Danzo, so Danzo went to a concealed safe house.
• Itachi confronted Danzo for handing Sasuke over to Orochimaru, and Danzo claimed Hiruzen had tacitly approved the plan.
• Itachi believed Danzo's story and concluded that Hiruzen was also responsible for Sasuke's fate, deepening his disillusionment with Konoha.