Recaps

Naruto told Sasuke about the search team and reassured him that he would be able to return to Konoha to rest. Under Tsunade’s direction, the field hospital prepared to return the wounded to the village, and the convoy set off at dawn.

• Naruto explained the search team to Sasuke and said Naraku had refused to let him join it.
• Sasuke encouraged Naruto that he could still become Hokage, and Naruto regained his confidence.
• Tsunade ordered Shizune to tell the field hospital staff they would set off the next morning.
• Shizune reported that all 137 severely wounded patients had been placed in the convoy’s central wagons with medical ninja assigned to them.
• Tsunade ordered the convoy of over a thousand people and seventy-nine wagons to move out.
• The ninja left behind continued dismantling the field hospital and sorting supplies while talking about returning to Konoha.

Shihōin Naraku oversaw the arrival of Tsunade’s convoy of wounded Allied Shinobi Forces members, then heard Naruto ask to join the Investigation Squad and to be promoted directly to jonin. Naraku refused Naruto but promoted Sasuke to jonin, leaving Naruto to reflect on what he needed to learn before becoming Hokage and eager for the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams.

• Shihōin Naraku learned that Tsunade’s convoy was nearing Konoha and arranged for Jiraiya and Shikaku Nara to welcome and settle the wounded.
• Tsunade reported that all the wounded had been safely treated and settled, then left to rest.
• Naruto asked Shihōin Naraku to let him join the Investigation Squad, but Naraku refused because the mission required the other villages’ trust.
• Naruto asked to be promoted straight to jonin, but Naraku explained that Sasuke qualified based on his wartime judgment and teamwork while Naruto still lacked leadership and strategic experience.
• Naraku gave Sasuke his jonin promotion document, and Sasuke teased Naruto about remaining a genin.
• Naraku reminded Naruto that he needed to become a chunin and develop his abilities before pursuing the Hokage position; Naruto brightened when he learned the Chunin Ninja Exams would be held again.

Shihōin Naraku told Naruto Uzumaki that the Chunin Ninja Exams would likely resume in a year, while warning him that his exam would differ from the others. He then tasked Sasuke with leading a search for Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and cautioned him to survive any encounter until Naruto and Naraku could help.

• Naraku explained that the villages needed time to rebuild and estimated that the Five Great Shinobi Villages would hold the Chunin Ninja Exams in about a year.
• Naruto eagerly promised to enter and pass the exams, while Sasuke teased him and Naraku warned that Naruto would face a different assessment.
• Naraku told Sasuke that his Jonin status would help him lead the search team and keep other villages' Jonin in check.
• Naraku warned that Ōtsutsuki Isshiki's strength was unknown and instructed Sasuke to hold out if he found him until Naraku and Naruto arrived.
• Sasuke accepted the mission, while Naraku noted that finding Isshiki would be difficult because they did not know whose identity he had taken.

Naraku oversaw the recovery of the wounded after the war and handled the resulting medical costs, while preparing a report for the Daimyo. The chapter ended with the Daimyo seeking information about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, a request Naraku planned to deflect.

• Naraku told Naruto and Sasuke that the Search Team would set out in a month, after jonin from other villages arrived in Konoha.
• Naraku held a memorial service as wounded ninja recovered and departed Konoha, while those with severe injuries remained for treatment.
• A report stated that over fifteen hundred wounded had left that week, leaving 637 severely wounded patients at Konoha Hospital.
• Utatane Koharu delivered the Daimyo's request for a detailed war report to support Konoha's funding, and Naraku said Shikaku was preparing it.
• Utatane Koharu told Naraku that the Daimyo also wanted information about Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and Naraku planned to deflect the request.

A month after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Konoha recovered as wounded patients returned home and the village resumed peaceful routines. At the East Main Gate, Yamada and Ōtomo reflected on the war and their changed lives while watching supply carts enter.

• Konoha's hospitals treated fewer than a hundred severely wounded survivors as the village returned to normal after the war.
• Shihōin Naraku had assigned specific purposes to Konoha's gates during reconstruction and pushed through other rule changes before the war.
• Yamada asked Ōtomo how many people had passed through the East Gate, and Ōtomo reported that twenty-seven had come through that day.
• Yamada suggested Ōtomo might be promoted to chunin after surviving the war, and Ōtomo said they would follow Lord Hokage's orders.
• Yamada remarked that peace felt wonderful but unreal as he watched supplies arrive, while Ōtomo listened in silence.

Konoha’s East Gate guards spotted Kabuto Yakushi approaching and raised the alarm, while Shihōin Naraku watched from the Hokage’s Office. Naraku expected Kabuto to seek control of the orphanage and left to meet him, knowing he would still need to persuade Konoha’s senior officials.

• Yamada sensed two powerful figures approaching Konoha’s East Gate, and Ōtomo alerted the gate’s ninja.
• A Hyuga ninja identified one of the figures as Kabuto Yakushi, prompting the guards to summon the Hokage and call for reinforcements.
• Konoha’s alarm firework alerted people throughout the village to the danger at the East Gate.
• Shihōin Naraku revealed that he had already tracked Kabuto Yakushi with Observation Haki and Akame.
• Naraku reasoned that Kabuto wanted to take over Konoha’s orphanage and left the Hokage’s Office to meet him.

Jiraiya tried to peep into a women’s bathhouse, and Tsunade caught him and chased him through the street. Their confrontation was interrupted by Konoha’s warning fireworks, and they rushed to respond to an enemy attack.

• Jiraiya approached a women’s bathhouse to gather material for his novel, but Tsunade caught him outside.
• Jiraiya claimed he had come to soak in a hot spring and gather material, while Tsunade angrily exposed his excuses and attacked him.
• Jiraiya used the Substitution Technique to evade Tsunade’s punch, then tried to flee as she threatened to beat him.
• Fireworks signaled a powerful enemy attack on Konoha, and Jiraiya and Tsunade recognized the warning.
• Tsunade dashed off to help, and Jiraiya followed.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha held a destructive sparring session while Sakura Haruno watched and prepared food for them. As the friends sat down to eat, an alarm sounded above Konoha, interrupting their meal.

• Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha traded powerful blows that tore up the Training Ground as Sakura Haruno worried about the damage.
• Sasuke used a precise counterattack to send Naruto sliding backward, and Naruto teased him for repeating a move from their earlier battle.
• Naruto showed improved technique, and the two continued their close sparring until they formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
• Sakura called Naruto and Sasuke to eat, and Sasuke told Naruto that he would soon lead the Search Team once its final member arrived.
• As Naruto and Sasuke began eating Sakura's food, a loud blast sounded above Konoha and they realized an alarm had gone off.

Kabuto Yakushi returned to Konoha and waited at the East Gate, insisting he had come peacefully to meet the Hokage and take charge of the orphanage. As Naruto, Sasuke, and other powerful ninja approached, Kabuto noticed that Shihōin Naraku had not appeared and wondered what he was planning.

• An alarm firework drew ninja toward Konoha's East Gate, while Shikaku Nara stayed behind to continue his work.
• Kabuto Yakushi revealed his altered appearance and faced the Konoha Guard and ANBU without resisting.
• The ANBU squad leader ordered the ninja to hold Kabuto in place and wait for reinforcements instead of attacking.
• Kabuto told the Konoha ninja that he had returned peacefully to meet the Hokage and discuss taking charge of the orphanage.
• Kabuto sensed Naruto and Sasuke approaching, but noticed Shihōin Naraku was absent and wondered what he intended to do.

Kabuto Yakushi arrived at Konoha’s East Gate with Akame and asked to return to the village, offering to accept any punishment. Shihōin Naraku appeared and ordered Kabuto and several senior ninja to attend a meeting at the Hokage Building.

• Kabuto Yakushi told Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha that he had come to surrender and wanted to speak with the Hokage.
• Sasuke stopped Naruto from attacking Kabuto, insisting that the village leadership should decide what to do with him.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi Hatake, and Might Guy arrived, and Kabuto solemnly asked to return to Konoha.
• Kabuto said he would accept any punishment and leave peacefully if the village rejected his request.
• Shihōin Naraku arrived, dismissed the other ninja, and summoned Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Kabuto to a meeting at the Hokage Building.

Konoha’s leaders debated whether to execute Kabuto Yakushi after he surrendered, with Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu insisting his crimes demanded death. Shikaku Nara suspected the advisors’ hard line might be a political maneuver as the meeting awaited Shihōin Naraku’s position.

• Shihōin Naraku left the East Gate after ordering Kabuto Yakushi to accompany him, while Kakashi Hatake and the others escorted Kabuto to the Hokage Building.
• Sakura Haruno stopped Naruto Uzumaki from speaking up, and Sasuke urged the group to follow Kabuto in case he attacked.
• Konoha’s senior leaders gathered in the Hokage Building’s conference room to discuss Kabuto Yakushi’s fate.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu argued that Kabuto’s crimes as a deserter and wartime enemy warranted execution.
• Shihōin Naraku ended the prolonged discussion and asked everyone to state their views, while Shikaku Nara considered whether the advisors were seeking to regain political influence.

Shikaku Nara and the Konoha leaders debated whether to accept Kabuto Yakushi’s surrender, weighing his strength, secrets, Akame’s ties to him, and the reaction of other villages. Naraku, Shikaku, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade supported accepting him, leaving Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu opposed.

• Shikaku Nara argued that Kabuto Yakushi’s strength, possession of Impure World Reincarnation, and knowledge of Konoha made killing him risky.
• Shihōin Naraku said only he, Naruto, and Sasuke were likely stronger than Kabuto Yakushi, and explained that Kabuto had developed his abilities through his own efforts.
• Shikaku raised the possibility that killing Kabuto would prevent Konoha from bringing Akame, who possessed the Wood Release secret technique, into the village.
• Tsunade doubted that Kabuto’s fate would affect Akame, but Jiraiya argued that the two were now allies and would need to cooperate to survive.
• Kakashi and Shikaku warned that accepting Kabuto’s surrender could damage Konoha’s standing with other villages, while Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu also suspected a trap.
• Naraku promised to kill Kabuto himself if he caused trouble in Konoha, and Shikaku, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade supported accepting his surrender, leaving only Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu opposed.

Shihōin Naraku secured the village leaders’ approval to accept Kabuto Yakushi’s surrender and assigned him to direct Konoha’s orphanage. The decision left Kabuto under strict surveillance, with Naraku promising to deal with him if he stepped out of line.

• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu accepted Naraku’s decision to take Kabuto Yakushi’s surrender, then asked how he would be assigned.
• Naraku proposed making Kabuto director of the orphanage, explaining that Kabuto had requested the role to care for children like those he had once been among.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, Mitokado Homura, and Kakashi Hatake objected or suggested alternatives, while Shikaku warned that Kabuto’s identity could eventually be exposed even in the ANBU.
• Naraku argued that the orphanage would keep Kabuto away from Konoha’s vital departments and test whether he could earn the war orphans’ trust.
• Naraku ordered Kabuto to report to the orphanage the next day and placed him under constant ANBU surveillance, promising to handle any misconduct himself.
• After Naraku left, Mitokado Homura suggested that Yakushi Nonō had influenced Kabuto’s decision, and the officials agreed that they still needed to be cautious.

Tsunade and Jiraiya discussed Akame’s future after the meeting, while Naraku granted Kabuto Yakushi his promised position as director of Konoha’s orphanage. The chapter ended with Kabuto preparing to return to the rebuilt orphanage under limited guard and continued scrutiny.

• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu left the conference room without explaining Yakushi Nonō’s history, and Tsunade criticized the old generation of ninja.
• Tsunade told Jiraiya that Akame would return to the Senju Clan, while Jiraiya noted that Akame might instead inherit a noble title in the Land of Fire.
• Naraku entered the room where Kabuto Yakushi was being held and told the guards to leave them alone.
• Naraku appointed Kabuto director of Konoha’s orphanage but warned that Konoha would monitor and restrict him because of his past.
• Kabuto promised to treat the orphanage’s children as his own, and Naraku ordered the guards to leave only two jonin on watch.

Shihōin Naraku brought Kabuto Yakushi to the rebuilt Konoha Orphanage and explained why he had moved it closer to the Academy and Hospital. He appointed Kabuto as its director, introduced him to deputy director Noguchi Maki, and toured the orphanage with them.

• Shihōin Naraku and Kabuto Yakushi arrived at the Konoha Orphanage, and Kabuto remarked that it looked unfamiliar after Konoha's destruction and reconstruction.
• Naraku explained that he had moved the orphanage closer to Konoha Academy and Konoha Hospital so the children could access education and medical care.
• The orphanage children welcomed Naraku, while Noguchi Maki arrived to greet him and Kabuto.
• Naraku introduced Kabuto as the orphanage's new director, and Kabuto greeted deputy director Noguchi Maki.
• Noguchi Maki led Naraku and Kabuto on a tour of the orphanage.

Naraku watched Kabuto Yakushi decide to join the improved Konoha orphanage as its director, then learned Tsunade was taking Akame to meet the Daimyo to secure her standing. Akame’s acceptance in Konoha appeared settled, while Naraku kept her true identity as his hidden pawn secret.

• Kabuto Yakushi toured the orphanage and, after Naraku urged him not to waver, agreed to work with Noguchi Maki and help care for the children.
• Noguchi Maki asked Kabuto whether he had grown up in an orphanage, and he confirmed it before offering his medical-ninja help.
• Tsunade told Naraku she was taking Akame to meet the Daimyo so Akame’s status could be recognized.
• Naraku reflected that the Daimyo’s approval could help Akame live in Konoha without facing consequences for her past, while he kept her identity as his puppet secret.

Naruto and Sakura watched Sasuke depart on a dangerous reconnaissance mission, then asked Naraku about joining the Search Team. Naraku suggested they might go when the team rotated, while reminding Naruto that his Hokage studies still needed work.

• Naruto and Sakura saw Sasuke off as he led the Search Team away from Konoha.
• Naruto asked Naraku why Sakura admired Sasuke so much and said he wanted to join Sasuke on a mission; Sakura also hoped to accompany them as a medical ninja.
• Naraku said Naruto and Sakura might get a chance to join when the Search Team rotated, but reminded Naruto that he had mastered only a small part of his Hokage studies.
• Naruto complained that he would have to wait a long time to become Hokage if Naraku stayed in office, then insisted he would earn the position through everyone's recognition rather than receive it as a gift.
• Naraku teased Naruto about becoming smarter, and Sakura punched him on the head for not taking his studies seriously.

Shihōin Naraku revealed to Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno that he planned to step down as Hokage because he had more important things to do. He told them to keep the plan secret for now, then left them stunned on the Hokage Building rooftop.

• Shihōin Naraku praised Naruto Uzumaki’s sharpness in battle, while Naruto complained about the huge amount of knowledge he had been made to study.
• Shihōin Naraku looked at his face carved into the Kage Rock and remarked that it felt awkward.
• Shihōin Naraku used Space-Time Ninjutsu to take Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno to the Hokage Building rooftop after Naruto began shouting at his announcement.
• Shihōin Naraku told Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno that he planned to step down as Hokage soon, leaving both of them shocked.
• Shihōin Naraku said he would explain the details later, ordered them to keep quiet about his plans, and departed.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno struggled to understand why Shihōin Naraku had told them he might step down as Hokage, while Sakura warned Naruto to keep the secret. They speculated about who could replace him, and Sakura began to wonder if Naruto might become the Seventh Hokage.

• Naruto and Sakura questioned whether Naraku had been joking, then agreed his announcement was serious.
• Sakura stopped Naruto from telling Kakashi because Naraku had ordered them to keep the matter secret.
• Sakura explained that news of Naraku stepping down could cause turmoil across Konoha and the shinobi world.
• Naruto wondered who could succeed Naraku, and Sakura ruled out Tsunade and Jiraiya as likely candidates.
• Sakura speculated that Naruto could become the Seventh Hokage, then doubted Konoha's leaders would appoint him so soon.
• Naruto noticed Sakura's changing expressions and asked what was wrong, and she began to tell him what she had been thinking.

Naruto and Sakura discussed Naraku’s secret warning, but neither knew what to do with it. Months later, Sasuke’s Search Team had found no trace of Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and had grown lax during its investigation at the Mountain Graveyard.

• Sakura told Naruto her thoughts about Naraku’s warning, and Naruto admitted he did not know what to do.
• Naruto left the Hokage Building to return to his studies, while Sakura reminded him to keep the matter secret.
• Over the following months, wounded Ninja recovered at Konoha Hospital and returned to their villages, including some who still needed further recuperation.
• Sasuke’s Search Team searched for Ōtsutsuki Isshiki for months without finding a lead, and village leaders expected the mission to fail.
• At the Mountain Graveyard, members of the Search Team discussed a hidden experimental room and their fruitless intelligence searches as they relaxed outside.

The Search Team finished investigating Obito Uchiha’s Mountain Graveyard lair, but the evidence offered no useful leads on Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Sasuke led the team to the Land of Rain to search Akatsuki’s former bases, where his group found one base empty and stripped clean.

• Konoha took custody of the Mountain Graveyard evidence under the postwar agreement, and its investigators reported that the previous batch had produced no genuine leads.
• Sasuke ordered the Konoha ninja team to return to the village, then chose the Land of Rain as the Search Team’s next destination.
• Sasuke led the jonin team to the Land of Rain, where local people directed them to Akatsuki’s former bases.
• Sasuke split the Search Team into three groups and instructed them to signal for support rather than engage the enemy if they found anything.
• Sasuke and his group searched an Akatsuki base and found it empty, with nothing left behind.

Sasuke led the Search Team out of the Land of Rain after they found the Akatsuki's base completely emptied, and planned to return to Konoha to review their intelligence. After Sasuke checked the border and found no one watching him, an unfamiliar voice spoke from the rain.

• The Search Team's Jonin reported that the Akatsuki's base had been thoroughly cleared, leaving no clues to investigate.
• Sasuke decided to leave the Land of Rain and have the Five Great Shinobi Villages pressure it to hand over any information it had.
• Sasuke told the team to return to Konoha, rest, and reexamine the documents from the Mountain Graveyard laboratory.
• At the Land of Rain's border, Sasuke asked the others to go ahead, then vanished and later returned after checking for anyone following or watching him.
• An unfamiliar voice spoke from the rain, calling Sasuke perceptive.

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki secretly followed the Search Team to learn how his identity had been exposed, but Sasuke sensed his presence. Isshiki decided to stay away from Konoha and considered his next move as the villages prepared to hunt him.

• Ōtsutsuki Isshiki wondered how the Shinobi World had learned of his existence and secretly followed the Search Team for answers.
• Sasuke Uchiha sensed Isshiki while leading the Search Team out of the Land of Rain, doubled back to search, and eventually left without finding him.
• Isshiki decided not to approach Konoha or the Land of Fire because he feared Shihōin Naraku would detect him and defeat him.
• Isshiki considered whether Sasuke had sensed him through the Rinnegan, the Sharingan, or combat intuition, but could not determine the cause.
• Isshiki turned to planning his next move as Konoha and the other major Shinobi Villages organized a hunt for him.

Isshiki feared Shihōin Naraku’s unpredictable power and decided to avoid confronting him by finding a new hiding place in the Land of Rain. Meanwhile, Naraku detected Sasuke and the Search Team returning to Konoha after months of searching without finding any trace of Isshiki.

• Isshiki judged Naraku a greater threat than Naruto Uzumaki or Sasuke Uchiha and resolved to keep himself hidden.
• Isshiki, controlling Jigen, considered using his secret organization as a diversion if Naraku discovered him.
• Isshiki chose to search for an unused hiding place in the Land of Rain and vanished into the rain.
• Naraku detected Sasuke and the Search Team approaching Konoha sooner than expected.
• Naraku suspected that the Search Team’s months of investigations had yielded no clues to Isshiki and waited for their report.

Sasuke reported his findings from the Land of Rain, and Shihōin Naraku planned to pressure its leaders into surrendering some Akatsuki supplies. Naraku then showed Sasuke training materials recovered from the Mountain Graveyard, including Sharingan guidance that could strengthen Sasuke’s knowledge.

• Sasuke recounted his investigation in the Land of Rain, and Naraku decided to send a letter demanding some of the items found at the Akatsuki’s base.
• Naraku told Sasuke to rest the Search Team for half a month, rotate some Jonin back to the village, and ensure the search continued.
• Naraku showed Sasuke recovered training materials that he believed Obito had left behind, possibly based on advice from Madara Uchiha.
• Sasuke read the materials and learned they contained extensive guidance on Sharingan training and Fire Release Ninjutsu.
• Naraku considered the Fire Release material of little use to Sasuke but recognized that the Sharingan training could help fill gaps in his Uchiha education.