Recaps

Shihōin Naraku learned that Dodai had become Kumogakure’s Sixth Raikage and warned the Hokage that the village’s plans would need to change. After finishing office work, Naraku visited Naruto Uzumaki’s training ground and learned that Naruto was progressing steadily but accumulating dangerous mental fatigue.

• Shihōin Naraku and Shikaku Nara discussed Dodai’s appointment as Sixth Raikage and his record of failures, which Naraku believed could undermine his authority.
• Naraku ordered an Anbu ninja to send the intelligence to the Hokage so Konoha could adjust its plans.
• Naraku and Shikaku finished the accumulated Hokage’s office work before the afternoon.
• Naraku went to Training Ground Twenty-Seven and found Naruto Uzumaki using shadow clones to train against a waterfall.
• Tenzo told Naraku that Naruto was making steady progress but that mounting mental fatigue could cause problems with the seal, requiring Tenzo to keep watch.

Shihōin Naraku oversaw Naruto Uzumaki’s exhausting waterfall training and let him sleep before feeding him grilled meat. Naruto woke refreshed and learned that a Hokage could promote a Genin directly to Jonin, leaving him eager to finish training and ask Tsunade for the rank.

• Shihōin Naraku told Tenzo to rest and temporarily use the name Yamato while supervising Naruto’s training.
• Naruto’s Shadow Clones disappeared, and he collapsed from exhaustion; Yamato caught him with Wood Release and brought him to Naraku.
• Naruto slept for several hours while Naraku waited beside him, then Naraku had food brought over and grilled meat.
• Naruto woke to the smell of the meat, ate hungrily, and asked Naraku why he had come to help with training.
• Naruto asked whether Naraku would become the Sixth Hokage, and Naraku teased him about still being a Genin.
• Naraku told Naruto that the Hokage could promote a Genin straight to Jonin, and Naruto resolved to train hard and ask Tsunade for the promotion.

Shihōin Naraku persuaded Naruto Uzumaki to rest or train only with Yamato present, then offered to reward his progress by telling him who his parents were. Naruto was shocked and eager for the truth as Naraku considered why Jiraiya and Tsunade had kept it from him.

• Shihōin Naraku told Naruto Uzumaki to rest after he passed out from exhausting training, but Naruto wanted to keep training to surprise Jiraiya and Tsunade.
• Naraku warned Naruto not to train without Yamato, who could restrain the Nine-Tails Chakra if Naruto lost control.
• Naruto reluctantly considered finding Yamato, worrying that a rampage could harm Konoha and cost him the friends he had made.
• Naraku decided to reward Naruto’s rapid progress by offering to reveal his parents’ names and identities.
• Naruto froze in shock and asked whether Naraku truly meant it, while Naraku wondered why Jiraiya and Tsunade had never told him the truth.

Shihōin Naraku told Naruto Uzumaki about his parents, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, and explained his mother's Uzumaki heritage and role as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki before him. Naruto's grief and anger grew until the Nine-Tails encouraged him to unleash his fury.

• Shihōin Naraku revealed that Naruto's parents were Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, and Naruto reacted with tears and joy at learning he had parents.
• Naraku explained that Naruto resembled his blond-haired father and had inherited his mother's Uzumaki surname and clan heritage.
• Naraku described the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools and pointed out the Uzumaki crest on Naruto's jacket.
• Naraku explained that the Uzumaki Clan excelled at Sealing Jutsu because of its powerful chakra and vitality, then revealed that Kushina had been the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki before Naruto.
• Naruto grew furious at the thought that his mother had suffered as he had, and the Nine-Tails urged him to set the world ablaze with his anger.

Naraku stopped the Nine-Tails from taking advantage of Naruto’s distress after Naruto learned his parents’ names. Naruto went home eager to hear more about Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, then realized Minato’s name seemed familiar.

• The Nine-Tails urged Naruto to surrender his body and take revenge on Konoha as tailed beast chakra began to leak out.
• Naraku entered Naruto’s sealing space and silenced the Nine-Tails, who abandoned his plan to run rampant out of fear of Naraku.
• Naraku noticed gaps in Naruto’s seal and realized they made it easier for Naruto to use the Nine-Tails’ chakra but increased the danger of losing control.
• Naruto asked Naraku to tell him more about his parents, but Naraku put him off until the next day and left.
• Naruto lay awake thinking about his parents and decided to find Naraku in the morning, then wondered why Minato Namikaze’s name felt familiar.

Naruto realized that his father, Minato Namikaze, had been the Fourth Hokage and grieved over how the village treated him. Meanwhile, Akatsuki moved to capture the Six-Tails and Three-Tails, with Obito watching over the operation as Uchiha Itachi’s health worsened.

• Naruto remembered that Minato Namikaze was the Fourth Hokage and realized his father had been the village’s hero.
• Naruto questioned why the village rejected him and cried, while Shihōin Naraku kept watch in case the Nine-Tails caused trouble.
• Akatsuki sent Uchiha Itachi and Haku to capture the Six-Tails and assigned Akame and Kakuzu to monitor the Three-Tails and support their retreat if needed.
• Nagato told Akame and Kakuzu that the Three-Tails had revived, so they changed course to subdue it.
• Obito arrived near Kirigakure to support the operation, while he and Black Zetsu discussed Uchiha Itachi’s declining health.

Obito assigned Black Zetsu to find Sasuke Uchiha while Akatsuki prepared to target Kirigakure’s Three-Tails and Six-Tails. In Konoha, Naruto confronted Naraku after realizing that his father’s name matched the Fourth Hokage’s.

• Obito said he would formally join the Akatsuki and argued that Itachi would stay alive while Sasuke remained unresolved.
• Obito ordered Black Zetsu to locate Sasuke and sent White Zetsu to handle tailed-beast intelligence, while he went to support the Six-Tails operation.
• Naraku rested in the Hokage’s Office after spending the night watching Naruto, and Shikaku arrived to handle the day’s work.
• Naruto entered the office and asked Naraku why his father, Minato Namikaze, had the same name as the Fourth Hokage.
• Shikaku reacted with alarm when Naruto pointed to the Fourth Hokage’s photograph.

Naruto learned that Minato Namikaze was his father, and Shikaku explained why Konoha had concealed his identity. At Kirigakure Lake, Akame and Kakuzu prepared to fight the Three-Tails and the Mist Ninja.

• Naraku confirmed that Minato Namikaze was Naruto's father and directed Naruto's questions to Shikaku.
• Shikaku told Naruto that Konoha had hidden his identity to protect him from Minato's enemies and because he was a Jinchūriki.
• Akame sensed thirteen Mist Ninja waiting near Kirigakure Lake, including one Jonin leader.
• Kakuzu argued Kirigakure would be unable to send reinforcements once the battle at the Six-Tails began.
• Kakuzu chose to fight the Mist Ninja, and Akame agreed to handle the Three-Tails.

Akame found the Three-Tails, Isobu, beneath Kirigakure Lake and fought to capture it while blocking its escape route. Kakuzu finished off the Mist Ninja on shore, then saw the lake erupt into enormous waves.

• Kakuzu charged across the lake and defeated the Mist Ninja stationed nearby.
• Akame found Isobu resting over the underwater passage and sealed the passage with Wood Release.
• Isobu broke free of Akame's restraints and struck her, but her Substitution Technique let her counter with blade beams.
• Akame recognized that underwater currents and Isobu's shell blunted her attacks, then summoned a giant Wood Dragon.
• Kakuzu sealed a Mist jonin's corpse in a scroll and saw Kirigakure Lake erupt into enormous waves.

Akame subdued the Three-Tails with two wood dragons, and Kakuzu sealed the weakened beast inside the Amber Purifying Pot. As they left the Land of Water, Naraku realized Kakuzu’s seal was temporary and would likely expire in less than a month.

• Kakuzu woke to find Akame restraining the Three-Tails with a wood dragon.
• The Three-Tails damaged the first dragon while struggling, but Akame summoned a second one and drained his strength.
• Kakuzu brought out the Amber Purifying Pot and began sealing the Three-Tails while Akame watched.
• Naraku recognized that Kakuzu’s sealing formula differed from Kumogakure’s and would probably last less than a month.
• Kakuzu sealed the Three-Tails in the pot, carried it away, and left with Akame to get it out of the Land of Water.

Konan and Nagato suppressed unrest among Amegakure's higher-ups as the Akatsuki's hunt for tailed beasts brought pressure from the Five Great Nations. Nagato revealed that the Six-Tails mission cost Haku his life and left Uchiha Itachi gravely wounded, while the Akatsuki captured the beast.

• Konan reported that she had settled Amegakure's affairs and suppressed news, and Nagato told her to watch the village closely as the Akatsuki plan reached its critical stage.
• Nagato said Kakuzu and Akame had captured the Three-Tails, then revealed that Haku had died and Uchiha Itachi had been wounded during the Six-Tails mission.
• Obito Uchiha and Zetsu watched over the badly injured Uchiha Itachi aboard a boat, and Obito said he would find Sasuke Uchiha quickly.
• Zetsu recalled that Hōzuki Sakuya had killed Haku during the battle, before Uchiha Itachi killed Sakuya and the Akatsuki took the Six-Tails Jinchūriki, Utakata.

After Obito rescued Itachi and Utakata from the battlefield, Sasuke returned from a mission to Orochimaru’s hidden base and demanded a break from assignments. Meanwhile, accusations and threats at the Five Kage Summit erupted into chaos.

• Obito killed the remaining Mist Ninja and left with the injured Itachi and Utakata, abandoning Haku’s body.
• Orochimaru hid in a remote base in the Land of Mountains because his damaged soul made him afraid to face Naraku.
• Sasuke delivered a scroll of experimental materials to Kabuto and refused to take on more missions so he could train.
• Kabuto worried that Orochimaru might die again, though he thought death at Sasuke’s hands would be preferable to death at Naraku’s hands.
• The Five Kage Summit descended into arguments and threats as the leaders blamed one another’s villages for the Akatsuki.

At the Five Kage Summit, Tsunade learned that Naraku had told Naruto about his parents, while Mei Terumi received news of Akatsuki’s devastating attack on Kirigakure. Tsunade and Mei pushed to accelerate negotiations, leaving the summit moving forward under pressure from three allied villages.

• Mifune struggled to moderate the Five Kage’s arguments before the summit paused.
• Tsunade received a report that Naraku had told Naruto his father was Minato Namikaze, and she blamed Naraku for revealing it without her permission.
• Tsunade learned Naruto had reacted impulsively but remained safe, and she decided the summit needed to end quickly so she could return to Konoha.
• Mei Terumi learned Akatsuki had captured the revived Three-Tails and Utakata, killed Hōzuki Sakuya, and inflicted heavy losses on Kirigakure.
• Mei warned Yuki to keep a low profile after learning an Akatsuki attacker belonged to the Yuki Clan, then called for the summit to speed up.
• Tsunade and Mei accelerated negotiations, while Gaara sided with Konoha and Kumogakure and Iwagakure gave ground.

The Five Kage agreed to share intelligence and assemble a joint force against Akatsuki, then debated who should lead it. Dodai nominated Ōnoki to prevent Konoha from gaining more influence, leaving the captaincy undecided.

• The Five Kage agreed that the villages would share Akatsuki intelligence, form a joint force, and reclaim tailed beasts after Akatsuki's defeat, with compensation required and Konoha handling supplies.
• Mifune raised the question of who would captain the joint force, and Mei Terumi proposed Yuki Yuki of Kirigakure.
• Ōnoki dismissed Yuki Yuki's suitability, and Tsunade challenged Ōnoki's authority to interrupt as a former Tsuchikage.
• Han asserted that he was Iwagakure's current Tsuchikage, forcing Ōnoki to stop interrupting.
• Dodai nominated Ōnoki, citing his strength and experience, and the other leaders recognized that Dodai was trying to block Konoha from gaining the captaincy.

The Five Kage agreed to appoint Shihōin Naraku commander of the Allied Shinobi Forces and ordered the forces to assemble in the Land of Iron. Back in Konoha, Naraku teased Naruto about the Rasengan’s name before a system notification announced his new command.

• Han rejected Dodai’s proposal to make Ōnoki commander, citing the Previous Tsuchikage’s need to stabilize Iwagakure, and nominated Jiraiya instead.
• Tsunade rejected Jiraiya as commander and explained that Konoha knew how dangerous the Akatsuki were.
• Gaara nominated Shihōin Naraku, and Tsunade, Mei Terumi, Han, and Dodai all agreed to his appointment.
• Mifune declared the Allied Shinobi Forces established under Shihōin Naraku’s command and said they would assemble in the Land of Iron.
• At a Konoha training ground, Naraku teased Naruto about Minato’s original name for the Rasengan, then received a system notification congratulating him on becoming commander.

Shihōin Naraku learned he had been appointed Allied Shinobi Forces Captain and considered the Five Great Shinobi Villages’ limited response to the Akatsuki. He told Naruto how his parents’ bond inspired the Rasengan, and Naruto mastered Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, though Naraku warned that it damaged his arm.

• Shihōin Naraku received five draw chances after becoming Allied Shinobi Forces Captain and reasoned that the Five Kage had not yet fully committed to fighting the Akatsuki.
• Naraku told Naruto that the Fourth Hokage developed the Rasengan for Kushina Uzumaki, who named the technique.
• Naruto succeeded in his Rasengan training, creating a massive crater while Sakura Haruno watched and Yamato sighed in relief.
• Naruto proudly told Naraku he had mastered Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, and Naraku warned him that it harmed his hand and arm’s chakra pathways.
• Naruto demonstrated the technique, creating another enormous crater, and Naraku judged that its power would grow as Naruto improved.

Naruto injured his right hand while mastering the Spiral Shuriken, and Naraku warned that using it again could permanently ruin his hand. Naraku said senjutsu could solve the problem and revealed that Sasuke Uchiha had killed Orochimaru, leaving Naruto and Sakura wondering whether Sasuke would return.

• Naraku noticed Naruto's right hand trembling and had Sakura examine it, revealing that most of its chakra pathways had been severed.
• At Konoha Hospital, Naraku explained that the Spiral Shuriken had injured Naruto's hand and warned him to stop using it or risk permanent damage.
• Naraku said Naruto could learn senjutsu from Jiraiya to address the injury, while Sakura was eligible to learn Naraku's senjutsu because she had inherited Shikkotsu Forest's teachings.
• Naraku explained that Sasuke and Orochimaru were heirs to Ryūchi Cave's teachings, then announced that Sasuke had killed Orochimaru.
• Naruto and Sakura asked whether the news was true and whether Sasuke would come back.

Naruto and Sakura asked Shihōin Naraku whether Sasuke could return to Konoha, but Naraku explained that Sasuke would not come back before taking revenge on Itachi. Meanwhile, Sasuke defeated Orochimaru, Akatsuki prepared to ambush Ōnoki and Han, and Obito chose to focus on Sasuke and Itachi’s coming battle.

• Shihōin Naraku told Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno that Sasuke Uchiha would not return to Konoha before avenging the Uchiha Clan massacre.
• Naruto vowed to bring Sasuke back, though he admitted he could not use his Spiral Shuriken and wanted Jiraiya to teach him Senjutsu.
• Sasuke Uchiha attacked Orochimaru in the Land of Mountains and defeated him in battle.
• Kabuto Yakushi let Sasuke leave, knowing Orochimaru would revive, and planned to spread news of Orochimaru’s death.
• Nagato and Obito Uchiha planned an ambush on Ōnoki and Han, with Akame assigned to capture Han and Kakuzu sent after Iwagakure’s reinforcements.
• Obito Uchiha chose not to join the operation so he could focus on Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi’s impending battle.

Orochimaru hid after faking his death so he could avoid the turmoil and later exploit the conflict between the Akatsuki and the major villages. On their journeys home from the Five Kage Summit, Tsunade's group discussed his reported death while Ōnoki and Han were ambushed by attackers using Shinra Tensei and Wood Release.

• Kabuto Yakushi spread news that Sasuke Uchiha had killed Orochimaru, as part of a plan Orochimaru had agreed to while he hid from the upheaval in the Shinobi World.
• Tsunade's party learned of Orochimaru's reported death while leaving the Land of Iron, and Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi discussed whether the news was true and what Orochimaru might be plotting.
• Ōnoki and Han traveled through the Land of Long while discussing the Akatsuki threat and taking precautions on their way back to the Land of Earth.
• An attacker used Shinra Tensei to blast Ōnoki and Han's party, sending Ōnoki flying before a Wood Release: Wood Dragon charged at Han.
• Han used Boil Release: Unrivaled Strength to strike the wooden dragon, but its tail hit him and sent him flying as the battle erupted.

Akame defeated Han and Five-Tails Kokuō with Wood Release, then killed a group of approaching Iwa Shinobi. Naraku inferred that Kakuzu had died after failing to stop them, leaving another Akatsuki member dead.

• Han partially transformed into Five-Tails Kokuō after the Wood Dragon drained his chakra, then broke free when Akame killed Akatsuchi.
• Akame struck Five-Tails Kokuō with Kogarasu and used Wood Release techniques to stop his charge and bring him down.
• Akame's Wood Dragon drained Five-Tails Kokuō's chakra until he shrank back into Han, whom Akame stabbed and left under a clone's watch.
• Akame sensed approaching Iwa Shinobi, went to meet them, and killed seventeen of them.
• Naraku suspected Kakuzu had attacked the Iwa Shinobi and concluded that Kakuzu had died at the hands of the Cloud Ninja.

Akame delivered the captured Han to Nagato and Konan, while the Five Great Shinobi Villages sent reinforcements to the Land of Long. Nagato’s Six Paths killed Ōnoki, then withdrew before the arriving shinobi could reach them.

• Iwa Shinobi defeated Kakuzu using their intelligence about his Earth Grudge Fear ability and extra hearts.
• Akame brought the unconscious Han to Nagato and Konan’s hiding place, earning Nagato’s approval for completing the mission.
• Akame sensed Kage and shinobi approaching from multiple directions, and Nagato ordered Konan to prepare to withdraw.
• The Asura Path fired a laser cannon that pierced Ōnoki’s Rock Arm and killed him.
• Nagato regrouped the Six Paths of Pain and withdrew as the reinforcements approached, while Tsunade ordered Konoha’s party to search for Ōnoki and Han.

Tsunade and Jiraiya searched the battlefield after the Akatsuki attacked Ōnoki and Han, finding dead Iwa Shinobi and traces of Wood Release. They rescued and treated Ōnoki, who woke in a confused state, while Han remained missing and Naruto was the only Jinchūriki still beyond the Akatsuki's grasp.

• Tsunade and Jiraiya found dead Iwa Shinobi and concluded that a ruthless enemy had killed them before they could react.
• Tsunade identified the vines around the bodies as traces of Wood Release and suspected the Akatsuki member who had mastered it.
• Might Guy and Kakashi found Ōnoki buried under broken branches, and Tsunade treated him after they brought him back.
• Kakashi and Might Guy reported that they had found no sign of Han, leading Jiraiya to worry that the Akatsuki had captured him.
• Tsunade stabilized Ōnoki and warned Jiraiya that his age and severe injuries could hinder his recovery.
• Ōnoki regained consciousness, but his eyes remained clouded and confused.

After the Akatsuki abducted Han and nearly killed Ōnoki, he told Jiraiya and Tsunade about the attack and the battle. The Kage could not organize a pursuit, so Konoha and Sunagakure prepared to escort Ōnoki back to Iwagakure.

• Ōnoki woke and anxiously asked Jiraiya and Tsunade whether they had seen Han, then realized Han was missing.
• Jiraiya asked Ōnoki about the battle, and Ōnoki explained that Dodai's communication formula had let him call for reinforcements.
• Ōnoki recounted the fight, including the Five-Tails battling a giant wooden golem and Wood Dragon, and Jiraiya recognized the Deva Path as Yahiko.
• The other Kage arrived and discussed Han's abduction, but they could not pursue the Akatsuki because the Allied Shinobi Forces were not ready.
• Konoha and Sunagakure agreed to escort Ōnoki home, and Might Guy carried him on his back.

After returning to Konoha, Shihōin Naraku searched the Land of Mountains and found Kabuto Yakushi. Naraku questioned Kabuto about Orochimaru’s apparent death and asked what Kabuto planned to do next, leaving Kabuto uncertain.

• Tsunade and her group returned to Konoha overnight, and Tsunade told them to rest before a meeting the next morning.
• Jiraiya visited Naruto Uzumaki and watched him sleep before returning home.
• Naraku left his underground laboratory and searched the Land of Mountains for Orochimaru’s base and Kabuto Yakushi.
• Naraku found Kabuto Yakushi and confronted him, learning that Orochimaru had staged his death at Sasuke Uchiha’s hands.
• Naraku confirmed that Orochimaru’s soul had taken up residence in Sasuke’s body, then asked Kabuto what he planned to do next.

Shihōin Naraku recruited the uncertain Kabuto Yakushi and ordered him to master Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode before pursuing further plans. Kabuto accepted, but the lethal risks of the training left him afraid as he prepared to go.

• Shihōin Naraku asked Kabuto Yakushi who he wanted to become, prompting Kabuto to confront his uncertainty after Orochimaru's death.
• Shihōin Naraku told Kabuto to work for him until Orochimaru was resurrected, and Kabuto agreed.
• Shihōin Naraku confirmed Kabuto had mastered Impure World Reincarnation and ordered him to learn Senjutsu at Ryūchi Cave.
• Shihōin Naraku vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique after telling Kabuto to contact him once he made progress.
• Kabuto recalled that the White Snake Sage's natural energy could cause him to become a snake and be eaten if he failed to master Sage Mode in time.