Recaps

Itachi attacked Konoha in a murderous rage after learning Sasuke had been driven to Orochimaru, while Danzo manipulated events from the shadows. As Konoha’s defenders struggled to stop him, Jiraiya rushed to the battle, leaving the hospital operating room unattended.

• Itachi confronted Danzo, who escaped during their fight and watched from hiding as Itachi began attacking Konoha.
• Itachi killed a genin and set buildings ablaze, drawing Konoha’s ANBU and jonin to the scene.
• Itachi used Amaterasu against Kakashi and the other jonin, then defeated Kakashi with Tsukuyomi as Asuma arrived.
• A wounded ANBU told Jiraiya that Itachi was slaughtering Konoha’s ninja and that Kakashi had fallen, so Jiraiya rushed to help.
• After Jiraiya left, the ANBU who had summoned him turned toward the hospital operating room.

Jiraiya arrived as Itachi and Kisame attacked Konoha, but the two rogue ninja proved dangerous opponents. Jiraiya warned the surviving ninja about Kisame’s chakra-absorbing Samehada as Kisame unleashed a water shark at them.

• Jiraiya used Great Flame Bullet to attack Itachi, but Kisame blocked the flames with Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
• Itachi attacked Jiraiya with Amaterasu, but Jiraiya dodged the black flames with the Body Flicker Technique.
• Kisame struck Jiraiya with Samehada, tearing flesh from his arm and absorbing some of his chakra.
• Jiraiya warned the Konoha ninja that Samehada absorbed chakra, while Kisame killed several jonin with the weapon.
• Kisame unleashed Great Shark Bullet Technique against the surrounding ninja, who responded with Fire Release techniques.

Kisame and Itachi overwhelmed Konoha’s defenders while Jiraiya fought Itachi and the Konoha 12 could only watch. Raito arrived from the sky and struck Kisame with Zangetsu, leaving their swords locked together.

• Kisame crushed Konoha’s resistance with his Great Shark Bullet while Itachi stepped forward to face Jiraiya.
• The Konoha 12 watched from a rooftop as evacuation Chunin ordered them to leave, and Shikamaru wished Raito were there to help.
• Raito watched the battle from a Nimbus Cloud and sensed that Danzo had hidden himself again.
• Itachi’s body turned into crows that surrounded Jiraiya, while a white dove drew Kisame’s attention.
• Raito descended behind Kisame, announced that he had come to capture a rogue ninja, and attacked him with Zangetsu.
• Kisame blocked Raito’s powerful slash with Samehada, and the clash sent sparks and shockwaves across the battlefield.

Raito wounded Kisame with his swordsmanship, then unleashed Getsuga Tenshō and forced Kisame to defend against the enormous slash. Recognizing that he could not win with swordsmanship alone, Kisame created three water clones to continue the fight with ninjutsu.

• Raito overpowered Kisame in a contest of strength and slashed his left ribs, but Kisame avoided a fatal wound and quickly healed.
• Kisame praised Raito's swordsmanship and asked his name, and Raito gave only his first name.
• Raito used Getsuga Tenshō, driving Kisame backward and tearing his Akatsuki robe while leaving him bloodied.
• Kisame decided to use ninjutsu and created three water clones with the Water Clone Technique.

Raito defeated Kisame and brought him to a secluded smoke barrier, where he invited him to return to Kirigakure with his missing-nin status revoked. Kisame doubted Raito’s authority until Raito revealed his knowledge of Obito Uchiha and showed that he was the jinchūriki of both Isobu and Six-Tails Saiken.

• Raito used Water Release: Water Bullet to destroy Kisame’s Water Clones and drive back the real Kisame.
• Raito captured Kisame and dragged him into a sealed Smoke Prison away from the crowds.
• Raito invited Kisame to return to Kirigakure, promising to restore his former position and revoke his missing-nin status.
• Raito identified Obito Uchiha as the masked figure who had manipulated Kirigakure, shocking Kisame with his knowledge.
• Raito activated the Chakra Modes of Isobu and Six-Tails Saiken, revealing himself as a perfect dual-tailed beast jinchūriki.
• Kisame recognized that Raito might truly become Sixth Mizukage, then challenged Raito’s claim that killing him would be easy.

Raito persuaded Kisame to return to Kirigakure and severed one of his arms to make his apparent death convincing. Kisame agreed to start a new life under another name, while Raito prepared to take Samehada as part of their cover story.

• Raito offered Kisame the chance to return to Kirigakure and help build a village he found interesting, and Kisame agreed despite warning that the Akatsuki would pursue him.
• Raito cut off Kisame's left arm to stage his death, then gave Samehada enough chakra for Kisame to begin regrowing it.
• Kisame accepted Raito's claim that he would become the Sixth Mizukage and agreed to see what he could make of Kirigakure.
• Raito told Kisame to leave his old identity behind and dismissed his concerns that the Akatsuki would come after them.
• Raito asked Kisame for Samehada to make the staged fight more believable, and Kisame handed it over.

Gekkō Raito defeated Kisame, took Samehada, and interrupted Itachi and Jiraiya before leaving to find Gekkō Hayate. He learned Danzo had promoted Hayate to special jōnin and worried that the promotion would put him in danger politically.

• Gekkō Raito bound Kisame with White Vine, took Samehada, and sent Kisame's severed arm into the battle circle around Itachi and Jiraiya.
• Gekkō Raito said he had recovered the village's blade and intended to leave, but Itachi began forming Susanoo and challenged him over Kisame's defeat.
• Gekkō Raito said he would not fight Itachi because Sasuke was his friend, then vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
• Gekkō Raito found Gekkō Hayate elsewhere in Konoha, and Hayate remarked on his growth and strength.
• Hayate told Gekkō Raito that Danzo had promoted him to special jōnin, leaving Raito concerned about the political consequences.

Raito learned that Danzo had coerced Hayate into asking him to publicly support Danzo’s bid for Sixth Hokage, and he agreed without refusing to protect Hayate. Enraged by the threat, Raito returned to Kirigakure with Kisame and arrived in the Mizukage’s Office, where his pressure forced two Mist Ninja to remain kneeling.

• Raito asked Hayate about Masano Shimozuki’s family and told him to urge them to deny any connection to Raito.
• Hayate revealed that Danzo wanted Raito to publicly support Danzo’s bid to become Sixth Hokage on Kirigakure’s behalf.
• Raito offered to take Hayate to Kirigakure, but Hayate declined because he was marrying Yugao and could not leave Konoha.
• Hayate told Danzo that Raito had not refused, and Danzo assigned him to lead the ANBU Sixth Division’s surveillance of Konoha Hospital.
• Raito angrily vowed to retaliate against Danzo, returned Samehada to Kisame, and teleported with him to the Mizukage’s Office.
• Raito’s pressure forced two Mist Ninja reporting in the office to keep their heads down.

Raito brought Kisame Hoshigaki back to Kirigakure and persuaded Mei Terumi to let him wield Samehada again under a new identity. He revealed that Shimura Danzō was pressuring Kirigakure over his Hokage bid, then pressed ahead with plans to rebuild the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and claim the Mizukage's seat.

• Mei Terumi was shocked to see Raito return with Kisame Hoshigaki, and Raito insisted Kisame keep Samehada and rejoin the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
• Mei Terumi agreed to hide Kisame's identity behind a mask and place him in the ANBU as a covert operative.
• Raito told Mei Terumi that Shimura Danzō was trying to force Kirigakure to support his bid to become Hokage, and she agreed to give only a verbal commitment for now.
• Raito said he would not wait for events to unfold and declared that he intended to take the Mizukage's seat.
• Raito sent Kisame to retrieve Kiba as a pledge of allegiance and asked Mei Terumi to find two young, strong Jonin to complete the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Raito decided to target Takigakure’s Seven-Tails to accelerate his recovery and retaliate against Shimura Danzō. After his white doves located the Jinchūriki, he left Kirigakure for the Land of Waterfalls.

• Mei Terumi told Raito that Haku and Chōjūrō had defeated an elite Kumogakure squad, and she expected the conflict over the islands to become a battle of attrition.
• Mei Terumi suspected Raito planned to confront Shimura Danzō, but Raito said he was going to Takigakure instead.
• Raito chose to hunt the Seven-Tails, reasoning that the other available tailed beasts were too politically dangerous or, in the Nine-Tails’ case, off limits.
• Raito sent five thousand chakra doves to search for Takigakure’s Jinchūriki.
• After a dove found the target the next day, Raito told a Mist Ninja he was leaving on a long trip and flew toward the Land of Waterfalls on his Nimbus Cloud.

The Akatsuki discussed Kisame’s disappearance and sent Sasori and Zetsu to investigate Gekkō Raito, the Dual-Tailed Beast Jinchūriki, and Kirigakure. Meanwhile, Gekkō Raito reached Takigakure to capture the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, then sensed Kakuzu and Hidan approaching.

• Pain questioned Itachi about Kisame’s fate, and Itachi said they had separated and he had seen no body.
• Zetsu revealed that Gekkō Raito carried both the Three-Tails and Six-Tails, prompting Pain to order Sasori and Zetsu to investigate him and Kirigakure.
• Obito told Pain that he would not intervene over Kisame until the Akatsuki had captured all the tailed beasts.
• Gekkō Raito arrived above Takigakure, located the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki, and prepared to fly toward the target.
• Gekkō Raito sensed Kakuzu and Hidan approaching through a nearby forest.

Gekkō Raito captured Kaede and devoured the Seven-Tails Chōmei, adding the beast to his Food Chain and unlocking the ability to draw on its members' power instantly. He sealed Kaede and sent her back to Kirigakure, then tested his new wings.

• Gekkō Raito found Kaede alone by a stream and offered to remove the Seven-Tails from her.
• Kaede rejected his offer and tried to fly away, but Gekkō Raito caught and froze her.
• Gekkō Raito used Glutton to devour Chōmei, gaining the Seven-Tails and raising Glutton's restoration progress to 55%.
• Glutton unlocked Food Chain Supply, allowing Gekkō Raito to draw on the power of its members regardless of distance.
• Gekkō Raito sealed Kaede and sent her to Kirigakure, then used Chōmei's wings to fly.

Raito escaped with the Seven-Tails and tested how the Food Chain Supply ability let him command and duplicate Tailed Beasts. He planned ways to strengthen the Three-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails, then wondered whether he could grant abilities to humans as well.

• Raito rode the Nimbus Cloud away from Hidan and Kakuzu with the Seven-Tails, taunting them as he vanished into the sky.
• Raito tested the Seven-Tails' chakra and found that Food Chain Supply let him form a Tailed Beast Bomb almost instantly, though he needed Great Sage to control it safely.
• Great Sage explained that Raito was now a Tailed Beast Breeder, could release the beasts from Glutton's Stomach Space, and could still control their power even if they became other people's Jinchūriki.
• Raito replaced his wind, lightning, and earth nature transformation slots with copies of the Three-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails, which Great Sage began reconstructing over the next day.
• Great Sage told Raito he could grant his skills to creatures downstream in the Food Chain without losing access to those skills himself.
• Raito planned to give Ice Release to the Three-Tails, Cloud Release to the Six-Tails, and Light Release to the Seven-Tails, then wondered whether he could grant abilities to humans.

Gekkō Raito realized Food Chain could let him grant abilities to willing followers and planned to create new Kekkei Genkai clans to strengthen Kirigakure. He recruited three loyal Mist Ninja for his first test, promising them a chance to grow stronger.

• Great Sage confirmed that Gekkō Raito could mark willing followers as Food Chain links and repeatedly bestow abilities on them.
• Gekkō Raito planned to revive Kekkei Genkai clans in Kirigakure, including the Kaguya and Yuki, by making their abilities widespread.
• Gekkō Raito returned Fū to Kirigakure and left her under guard, keeping her seals in place as a possible bargaining chip.
• Gekkō Raito asked Mei Terumi for two or three absolutely loyal operatives for an experiment, and she agreed despite suspecting it might involve forbidden human experimentation.
• Three loyal Mist Ninja arrived at Mei Terumi’s residence, and Gekkō Raito told them his experiment offered an opportunity to become stronger.

Gekkō Raito used Glutton to empower three Mist Ninja and bestow the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, ordering them to take the Kaguya name and demonstrate their abilities to Mei Terumi. Mei Terumi confronted him about creating Kekkei Genkai, and he gave her a fabricated explanation while planning to restore more bloodline clans.

• Gekkō Raito bound three Mist Ninja to him, and their Chakra surged enough to raise their strength to the threshold of Jonin.
• Gekkō Raito transferred Shikotsumyaku to the three, who learned to control their newly grown bones.
• Gekkō Raito ordered the three to take the Kaguya surname and show their abilities to Mei Terumi, promising Kirigakure's attitude toward Kekkei Genkai would change.
• Mei Terumi rushed to Gekkō Raito and demanded to know how he had given people a Kekkei Genkai.
• Gekkō Raito claimed he used Chakra Nature Transformation to imprint Kekkei Genkai traits, and Mei Terumi accepted his explanation after he said success depended on talent.

Gekkō Raito persuaded Mei Terumi to rebuild Kirigakure’s bloodline clans and establish a covert Blood Mist force, then used Glutton to absorb one hundred recruited ninja into his private army. In Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Tsunade as Fifth Hokage, thwarting Danzo’s bid for power, while Danzo remained bitter and defiant.

• Gekkō Raito convinced Mei Terumi to restore the Kaguya and Yuki clans, beginning with thirty Kaguya and fifty Yuki, and to form the Blood Mist organization with one hundred ninja.
• Mei Terumi ordered Ao to select the recruits, and Gekkō Raito trapped the one hundred ninja in a Smoke Prison and devoured them with Glutton to construct a Food Chain.
• Gekkō Raito considered granting his new force abilities beyond Shikotsumyaku and decided his private army would help him pursue the Mizukage position.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi awoke after emergency treatment and appointed Tsunade as Fifth Hokage, ending Danzo’s hopes of taking the position.
• Hiruzen warned Tsunade to beware Danzo, but refused her proposal to eliminate him; Tsunade and Jiraiya privately resolved not to let him remain a threat.
• Danzo returned to the Hokage Building in frustration, and Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura urged him to accept reality.

Danzo moved against his rivals in Konoha, leaving Hiruzen gravely ill and Jiraiya framed for the elders’ murders. Meanwhile, Raito welcomed a newly empowered hundred-man Mist Ninja force into his Blood Mist organization and prepared to exploit the turmoil.

• Danzo hid his murderous intent after the elders told him the clans would not support his bid for power.
• Hiruzen’s condition worsened, and Kakashi reported that the ANBU were hunting Jiraiya for the elders’ murders; Tsunade ordered an investigation.
• Raito received secret intelligence about Danzo’s move and decided to use the turmoil to advance his own plans.
• A hundred Mist Ninja pledged themselves to Raito, who named them his direct subordinates in the Blood Mist organization.
• Raito reviewed the force’s new abilities, including Senju physiques, Transparent Release, Boil Release, Ice Release, and Shikotsumyaku.

Gekkō Raito assigned new surnames and identities to groups of Kirigakure shinobi with inherited abilities, establishing several clans and restoring the Kaguya Clan. Mei Terumi then told a retired elder about Gekkō Raito, and the elder approved of trusting him as a pillar of the village’s future.

• Gekkō Raito named the Senju Physique group the Waves Clan of Kirigakure and let them choose their own given names.
• Gekkō Raito assigned the Transparent Release group the surname Kozuki, the Boil Release group the surname Yu Wucheng, and ordered the Shikotsumyaku group to rebuild the Kaguya Clan.
• Gekkō Raito allowed the Ice Release group to inherit the surname Yuki and said he would handle registering the new clans with the village Council of Elders.
• Mei Terumi visited a retired elder and reassured him that Gekkō Raito had no intention of betraying Kirigakure.
• The elder said Gekkō Raito’s talent and loyalty could keep Kirigakure secure for the next forty years.

Mei Terumi told an elder that Gekkō Raito had contacts among several displaced bloodline clans, and Kirigakure welcomed the clans back to rebuild its strength. Meanwhile, news from Konoha revealed Hiruzen Sarutobi’s death and a political crisis over Jiraiya’s arrest, leaving the Hokage succession deadlocked.

• Mei Terumi heard the elder suggest tying Gekkō Raito to Kirigakure through an intimate relationship, and she blushed before returning to the matter at hand.
• Mei Terumi told the elder that Gekkō Raito had maintained contact with survivors of the Yuki Clan and had also contacted the Kaguya, Yu Wucheng, Kozuki, and Waves Clans.
• The elder welcomed the bloodline clans, and Mei Terumi left to arrange their return after he urged her again to bind Gekkō Raito to Kirigakure.
• Mei Terumi and the elder announced that the Yuki and Kaguya Clans had returned, while the Kozuki and Yu Wucheng Clans joined Kirigakure; the village declared them its new Four Great Clans.
• News from Konoha reported that Hiruzen Sarutobi had died and that Jiraiya was being hunted after the deaths of Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, whose wounds implicated the Rasengan.
• Tsunade freed Jiraiya from arrest, but Danzo used the incident to undermine her bid for Hokage, leaving the succession struggle deadlocked.

Gekkō Raito received Danzo’s demand for Kirigakure’s public support and Jiraiya’s request for him to kill Danzo in exchange for terms of his choosing. He agreed to discuss the deal with Tsunade and went to meet Mei Terumi before departing for Konoha.

• Gekkō Raito considered finding more jinchūriki after analyzing the chakra of several tailed beasts and demonstrated his new Light Release: Gathering Clouds Sword.
• Kyuji Kaguya stopped a messenger who had climbed into Gekkō Raito’s residence and delivered Danzo’s demand that Kirigakure support his bid to become Hokage.
• Gekkō Raito ordered Kazuo Kozuki to release a girl from Takigakure and escort her home.
• Jiraiya offered Gekkō Raito any terms he could fulfill in exchange for killing Danzo, and Gekkō Raito decided to confirm the offer with Tsunade before acting.
• Gekkō Raito told Kyuji to prepare twenty skilled fighters for a trip to Konoha, then used a golden-light technique to appear in Mei Terumi’s office.

Gekkō Raito set out for Konoha with Kyuji and a large group to find medicine for Ameyuri Ringo and bring people back, while preparing to confront Danzo. The chapter ended with Gekkō Raito arriving at Konoha's gate and recalling his past as a celebrated hero there.

• Mei Terumi agreed that Kirigakure could risk breaking with Konoha, but Gekkō Raito told her to delay publicly supporting Danzo until after he spoke with him.
• Gekkō Raito left for Konoha with Kyuji and about twenty others, intending to retrieve medicine and bring people back so Danzo could no longer use them as leverage.
• Kumogakure withdrew its troops after learning Kirigakure's bloodline clans had returned, and the Fourth Raikage blamed Gekkō Raito for Kirigakure's resurgence.
• Gekkō Raito sent a carrier pigeon to Sasuke Uchiha, planning to tell him that Danzo had taken Sharingan and played a part in the Uchiha Clan Massacre.
• Gekkō Raito and his companions arrived outside Konoha, where he remembered the village's welcome after his victory over Zabuza.

Gekkō Raito returned to Konoha openly with a force of Mist Ninja and met with Tsunade while preparing to confront Danzo. He revealed that he also intended to take several people away from the village.

• Gekkō Raito entered Konoha with twenty Mist Ninja, and Kakashi explained that Naruto had gone to Mount Myōboku to train in Senjutsu.
• Kakashi told Gekkō Raito that Sakura Haruno and Sai had rejoined Team 7.
• Gekkō Raito went to Tsunade’s residence with Kakashi and Ameyuri Ringo for her follow-up examination.
• Tsunade teased Gekkō Raito about Ameyuri Ringo being his girlfriend, then privately asked why he had returned so conspicuously.
• Gekkō Raito told Tsunade he planned to kill Danzo openly and take several people with him.

Gekkō Raito visited Tsunade before going to meet Danzo, using Ameyuri’s treatment as a plausible reason for his visit. At the Hokage Building, Danzo revealed Gekkō Hayate as a controlled hostage, while Gekkō Raito offered Kirigakure’s support and asked to take people away.

• Gekkō Raito hinted to Tsunade that he wanted to take more than clansmen from Konoha, and Tsunade warned him not to force anyone to leave.
• Gekkō Raito left Tsunade’s courtyard and told the ANBU Ninja that he was already heading to the Hokage Building to see Danzo.
• Gekkō Raito arrived at the Hokage Building with Kyuji Hozuki and entered Danzo’s office.
• Danzo boasted about his chances of becoming Hokage and revealed that Gekkō Hayate’s consciousness had been sealed, leaving him under someone’s control.
• Gekkō Raito offered Kirigakure’s support for Danzo and asked permission to take several people away.

Gekkō Raito freed Hayate from Danzo’s control and offered him the choice to leave Konoha for Kirigakure. He reunited with Ino and asked her to elope with him, but she returned home without deciding whether to go.

• Gekkō Raito told Danzo that Tsunade’s rise to Hokage would not concern him as long as no one blocked his path.
• After leaving Danzo’s surveillance, Gekkō Raito lifted the control on Hayate and offered to take him to Kirigakure.
• Gekkō Raito visited Ino at the Yamanaka flower shop and revealed his transformed appearance.
• Gekkō Raito asked Ino to come to Kirigakure and be his wife, but she hesitated over leaving her parents and home.
• Gekkō Raito sent Ino home at sunset without receiving her answer, then headed to Ichiraku Ramen.

Gekkō Raito asked Hinata to leave Konoha with him, then arrived at the Hokage succession dispute with a letter from the Mizukage. The chapter ended with the Daimyō of the Land of Fire discovering that the Land of Water openly supported Danzo as Fifth Hokage.

• Gekkō Raito met Hinata at Ichiraku Ramen and asked her to leave Konoha with him; she agreed to meet him near the Hokage Building the next day.
• Gekkō Raito anticipated the arrival of Takigakure's pursuing force and said Sasuke would soon take the stage, while Hidan and Kakuzu blamed Kirigakure for taking their prey.
• Tsunade and Danzo argued before the Daimyō over who should become Fifth Hokage, with Danzo claiming the elders had backed him and Tsunade questioning his account of their deaths.
• Gekkō Raito entered the Hokage Building meeting room carrying Kyuji Hozuki and presented the Daimyō with a letter from the Mizukage.
• The Daimyō read the letter and learned that the Land of Water openly supported Danzo's succession.