Recaps

Shihōin Naraku assigned Kakashi to organize the large Chunin Ninja Exams, giving him broad authority and asking Shikaku to assist. Shikaku realized Naraku intended Kakashi to succeed him as Hokage, and Naraku confirmed that he planned to step down after the exams.

• Shihōin Naraku tasked Kakashi with arranging the Chunin Ninja Exams and told him to coordinate with Shikaku.
• Naraku set rules for examiners, observers, the survival exercise site, casualties, and funding.
• Kakashi and Shikaku discussed expanding the arena, security, and scheduling for the public elimination matches.
• Naraku ordered Kakashi to submit a detailed execution plan one month before the exams began.
• Shikaku asked whether Naraku wanted Kakashi to become the next Hokage, and Naraku confirmed Kakashi was his intended successor.
• Shikaku agreed to support Kakashi, while Naraku resolved to step down as Hokage after the exams ended.

Jiraiya and Tsunade discussed Naraku’s decision to step down as Hokage and considered who could succeed him. Tsunade refused to return to the role, and they ended the conversation suspecting that Naraku had never intended to remain Hokage for long.

• Jiraiya found Tsunade drinking in an izakaya and told her that Naraku had put Kakashi in charge of the Chunin Ninja Exams, which he believed was preparation for Kakashi to become Hokage.
• Tsunade agreed Kakashi was a suitable successor, but Jiraiya suggested she herself would be an even more legitimate candidate; Tsunade rejected the idea and warned him not to promote it.
• Jiraiya explained that Naraku had only agreed to delay his resignation for a year, and that the extra time would let Konoha prepare for the transition.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya wondered whether Naraku had never intended to remain Hokage, and Tsunade suspected the position had only been a means to achieve his real goal.

After deciding to step down as Hokage in a year, Shihōin Naraku explained to Shihōin Harumoto that his strength, not his title, would protect their clan. Harumoto accepted Naraku’s decision and learned that Kakashi Hatake would succeed him.

• Tsunade and Jiraiya agreed that Naraku’s actions had benefited Konoha and decided to wait and see what he did next.
• Shihōin Harumoto visited Naraku to ask why he planned to step down as Hokage, explaining how long the Shihōin Clan had waited for one of their own to hold the position.
• Naraku told Harumoto that the Shihōin Clan would remain safe because of his strength, and reminded him of the benefits the clan had gained during his time in Konoha’s leadership.
• Naraku explained that he had set his resignation for a year later to give Konoha and the Shinobi World time to recover from the war.
• Harumoto accepted Naraku’s decision and promised the Shihōin Clan would support him.
• Harumoto asked who would become Hokage after Naraku, and Naraku named Kakashi Hatake.

Shihōin Naraku planned to leave the Hokage position within a year and chose Kakashi Hatake as his successor. Kakashi realized Naraku intended to make him Hokage, but Naraku ordered him to prepare the Chunin Ninja Exams and refused to entertain his objections.

• Shihōin Naraku reflected that announcing his planned departure as Hokage had already stirred trouble and decided a year would give Konoha time to adjust.
• Kakashi Hatake came to Naraku the next morning and asked whether Naraku planned to make him Hokage.
• Kakashi said he was unsuited to becoming Hokage, but Naraku pointed out that Kakashi could not refuse the Hokage’s orders.
• Naraku told Kakashi to finish reading Shikaku’s materials and prepare the Chunin Ninja Exams procedures.
• Kakashi left dejectedly, and Naraku laughed, resolved to make Kakashi his successor.

Shihōin Naraku went to lunch with Kakashi and Might Guy, where Kakashi again tried to persuade him to accept the Seventh Hokage position. The meal left Might Guy stunned by the possibility that Kakashi would become Hokage after Naraku stepped down in a year.

• Shihōin Naraku left his office for lunch after telling Shikaku Nara to handle the documents himself.
• Naraku spotted Kakashi and Might Guy outside a ramen shop and agreed to join them for lunch.
• Kakashi admitted he had brought Might Guy along to help persuade Naraku to reconsider his decision.
• At the barbecue restaurant, Kakashi told Naraku he was not suited to become Hokage, and Naraku said he might accept the role when Naraku stepped down in a year.
• Might Guy was shocked to learn Kakashi was the only candidate to become the Seventh Hokage, and Naraku warned him not to shout about it.

Naraku reaffirmed that Kakashi would succeed him as Hokage in a year, despite Kakashi’s attempts to refuse the position. After leaving Kakashi and Guy, Naraku returned to his office and considered the transition, the Chunin Ninja Exams, and his system draws.

• Naraku rejected Kakashi’s objections and told him to focus on planning the Chunin Ninja Exams before taking over as Hokage.
• Kakashi explained that he feared losing his freedom to Hokage duties, while Guy decided to challenge him to a hundred duels before he took office.
• Naraku left the meal, and Kakashi went back to read documents as Guy laughed and resolved to fight him a hundred times.
• Naraku returned to the Hokage’s Office, reflected on his approaching retirement, and prioritized the Chunin Ninja Exams and Kakashi’s transition.
• Naraku checked his system draws and estimated that he could earn enough for one ten-pull each year.

Naraku considered how to grow stronger beyond his current Beyond Six Paths level, weighing the system against harvesting Chakra Fruits with God Trees and worrying about Ōtsutsuki Yae. He turned to his paperwork and reflected that Sasuke’s mission to find Obito’s hidden Sharingan would delay the Search Team’s efforts against Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.

• Naraku judged that ordinary Lottery rewards could no longer strengthen him much, though he expected future Ten-Pulls to eventually yield useful prizes.
• Naraku considered using Kaguya Ōtsutsuki to help produce Chakra Fruits but concluded he would first need to find a suitable planet for a God Tree.
• Naraku decided the system was safer and more reliable than searching the universe for a planet, while remaining wary that Ōtsutsuki Yae might already have become a god.
• Naraku identified Ōtsutsuki Isshiki as the Shinobi World's greatest current threat, with Kinshiki Otsutsuki and Momoshiki Otsutsuki as future dangers.
• Naraku noted that Sasuke and his companions had finished searching Orochimaru's bases but still had to locate Obito's hidden Sharingan, delaying Sasuke's return and the Search Team's missions.

Naraku considered how difficult it would be for Sasuke Uchiha and his team to find Obito’s hidden Sharingan. Sasuke, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sakura Haruno found a base in the Land of Stone, destroyed six mostly ruined Sharingan, and debated whether to continue searching.

• Naraku recalled that Obito had carefully hidden many Sharingan as emergency trump cards and expected Sasuke’s search to be difficult.
• Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno found a concealed underground hideout in the Land of Stone.
• The three discovered six Sharingan in Cultivation Tanks, but four were lifeless and the other two had almost no viability.
• Sasuke burned the Sharingan to ash, and the team left the base.
• Naruto suggested ending the search if the other bases held similarly ruined eyes, but Sasuke argued that Obito might have preserved Sharingan elsewhere and chose not to give up yet.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura split up to search four possible locations for Obito’s hidden bases and any remaining Sharingan. Sakura found no base in the Land of Rivers, while Naruto searched a cave in the Land of Waterfalls and found it was not Obito’s.

• Sasuke agreed to split up, sending Sakura to the Land of Rivers, Naruto to the Land of Waterfalls, and taking the Land of Hot Water himself; they planned to meet in the Land of Waves before going to the Land of Water.
• Sakura searched the Land of Rivers for most of the day, then smashed a boulder that resembled the entrance to a base, but found only ordinary rock and cracks.
• Sakura continued searching without finding a base, while Naruto arrived in the Land of Waterfalls and chose to search alone rather than ask Takigakure for help.
• Naruto and three shadow clones searched behind waterfalls and found a large cave, but their thorough inspection showed it was not Obito’s base.

Naruto searched the area around Takigakure for one of Obito's secret bases, prompting the village's guards to identify him and report his presence to Shibuki. After reuniting with Shibuki, Naruto explained that Konoha suspected Obito had bases in the Land of Waterfalls and asked for help finding them.

• Naruto used shadow clones to search the waterfalls and nearby terrain for Obito's base.
• Takigakure guards Yunshan and Yantie spotted the searchers, but their captain recognized Naruto and ordered them not to attack.
• Shibuki learned Naruto was near the village and went to meet him without bringing a combat unit.
• Naruto greeted Shibuki, then explained Konoha's lead that Obito had established secret bases in the Land of Waterfalls.
• Shibuki reacted with surprise to the news that Obito's bases might be in his territory.

Naruto told Shibuki that Obito Uchiha might have a hidden base in the Land of Waterfalls and asked Takigakure to help search for it. Shibuki sent ten teams to investigate the suspected area while Naruto assigned a shadow clone to accompany each team.

• Shibuki dismissed nearby guards and watchers after Naruto revealed the suspected Obito Uchiha base, then asked whether the information was confirmed.
• Naruto explained that Obito's bases had been found elsewhere, but the Land of Waterfalls site was still only suspected.
• Naruto asked Shibuki to provide help searching, and Shibuki agreed to send thirty ninjas to investigate an area east of Takigakure.
• Shibuki ordered the teams not to enter any base they found and told Naruto he could intervene if they disobeyed.
• Ten Takigakure teams assembled, and Naruto assigned one shadow clone to each team before they headed into the woods to search.

Naruto's search teams discovered Obito Uchiha's hidden base behind a waterfall in the Land of Waterfalls. Naruto entered alone to investigate while Shibuki and the others guarded the entrance.

• Naruto's teams searched the marked area, but most found no sign of a base.
• The seventh team's Shadow Clone dispersed after finding a constructed passage hidden behind a waterfall, and Naruto rushed there with Shibuki.
• Naruto confirmed the concealed entrance, and Shibuki agreed to keep the Takigakure ninja outside and guard the site.
• Naruto entered the dark passage alone and pushed open a long-sealed door as the route led deeper underground.

Naruto searched Obito Uchiha’s abandoned base and discovered a vast underground hall where White Zetsu had been grown or stored. He found a layout showing that the hall was only one part of a much larger underground complex.

• Naruto entered the base and sent shadow clones to search its chambers for secret rooms and Sharingan.
• Naruto found a massive sealed stone door and blasted it open with a Rasengan.
• Naruto discovered a huge underground hall filled with White Zetsu bodies and fragments.
• Naruto examined a massive, partly petrified tree root embedded in the hall’s walls and wondered if it was a root of the God Tree.
• A shadow clone brought Naruto experimental records, and he found a layout revealing the base’s extensive underground structure.

Naruto discovered that the underground complex beneath the waterfall was Obito’s base and suspected it had been used to cultivate White Zetsu. He sent a report to Konoha and continued searching while Shibuki arranged to guard the site and guide Konoha’s ninja there.

• Naruto found a notebook in the base and put it away for Big Brother Naraku and the others to examine.
• Naruto emerged from the base and told Shibuki it was Obito’s base, then wrote a report about its location and possible connection to White Zetsu.
• Shibuki sent the report to Konoha by ninja hawk and arranged for Takigakure ninja to guard the waterfall and meet Konoha’s reinforcements.
• Naruto decided to keep searching the base with his shadow clones and help speed up the investigation.
• Shibuki asked whether the discovery would bring trouble to the Land of Waterfalls, and Naruto reassured him that Takigakure and Konoha were allies.

Naruto assured Shibuki that Konoha would take over Obito Uchiha’s hidden base and keep Takigakure out of the danger, while Shibuki ordered the waterfall passage guarded. After receiving Naruto’s report, Shihōin Naraku became intrigued by the base’s connection to White Zetsu.

• Naruto told Shibuki that Konoha would openly take over the discovered base and handle its secrets.
• Shibuki ordered Takigakure ninja to guard the waterfall passage around the clock and bar entry without his or Konoha’s presence.
• Shibuki reflected on Takigakure’s weakness after losing Fū and Chōmei the Seven-Tails, who remained free and sometimes visited the village.
• A ninja hawk from Takigakure delivered Naruto’s report to Konoha.
• Shihōin Naraku read that Obito Uchiha had built a base connected to White Zetsu and became interested in investigating it.

Shihōin Naraku sent Yamato and two ANBU squads to strip Obito Uchiha’s base in Takigakure, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to arrive before them. He met Naruto inside the base, where the search had uncovered White Zetsu-related material but no Sharingan, and Naruto was still checking for hidden rooms.

• Shihōin Naraku ordered Yamato to take two ANBU squads to Takigakure and retrieve everything from Obito Uchiha’s base, telling him to seek help from Shikaku if needed.
• Yamato gathered two ANBU squads and hurried toward Takigakure while Naraku watched them leave, then vanished from the Hokage Building.
• Naraku used the Flying Thunder God Mark on Naruto to reach the underground base and asked why Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno were absent.
• Naruto explained that he, Sasuke, and Sakura had split up, and reported that their searches had found no usable Sharingan in Obito’s bases.
• Naruto said he had found White Zetsu-related material in the Takigakure base and was using Shadow Clones to look for hidden rooms.

Naruto searched the Mountain Graveyard base but found no Sharingan or secret rooms, while Naraku considered where Obito might have hidden the eyes. After Naruto left to rest, Naraku searched the underground hall for anything Black Zetsu might have left behind.

• Naruto told Naraku he had found White Zetsu-related evidence but no secret rooms or Sharingan.
• Naraku suggested Naruto search Kannabi Bridge if he failed to find the Sharingan elsewhere and considered the Land of Water a possible hiding place.
• Naruto said he would rest outside the base and meet Sasuke and Sakura the next day.
• Naraku lit the base’s passages with sparks and sent Naruto off to rest.
• Naraku used his enhanced sensory ability to locate the underground hall and searched it for anything Black Zetsu might have left.

Shihōin Naraku searched the base and found documents about White Zetsu, including ways to strengthen and create them. He planned to leave the Hokage position to pursue experiments and investigate the Ōtsutsuki Clan, hoping to strengthen his abilities and find Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.

• Shihōin Naraku found documents describing ways to enhance White Zetsu and suspected Black Zetsu had passed the knowledge to Obito Uchiha from Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.
• Naraku discovered information that could let him create White Zetsu who obeyed him and considered combining the process with his work on the puppet Akame to create a new kind of life.
• Naraku decided he did not want to use ordinary humans to make White Zetsu and concluded that extensive experiments would be difficult while he remained Hokage.
• Naraku resolved to step down as Hokage, find and kill Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, and search for ruins and records left by Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, possibly alongside Sasuke.
• Naraku judged that his Rinnegan Dōjutsu, Life-Extending Feather of Misfortune, could counter the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s space-time abilities, but he wanted to strengthen it.

Shihōin Naraku considered how to improve his Rinnegan while inspecting an Ōtsutsuki-related base, then oversaw Konoha ANBU as they arrived to recover its contents. After ordering Yamato to keep the collected items at the base until reinforcements arrived, Naraku returned to Konoha.

• Shihōin Naraku thought that knowledge from the Ōtsutsuki Clan might help him improve his Rinnegan and examined documents from the base.
• Yamato led two ANBU squads across the border into the Land of Waterfalls and instructed them to recover the base’s contents while guarding against Takigakure’s ninja.
• Baihuo led the ANBU search team into the base while Yamato and another ANBU member secured the perimeter, and Takigakure’s ninja withdrew to watch farther out.
• Shihōin Naraku met the search team inside the base, directed them to collect suspicious items, and asked for all written records and scrolls.
• Shihōin Naraku told Yamato to leave the collected items at the base until Konoha sent more ninja the next day, then returned to Konoha.

Naruto prepared to leave Takigakure after helping investigate Obito’s underground base, while Shibuki invited him to visit the village. Naruto departed to rejoin Sakura and Sasuke, and Shibuki returned to Takigakure hoping the investigation would go smoothly.

• Naruto met Shibuki outside the base and thanked him for Takigakure’s help locating Obito’s underground base.
• Shibuki invited Naruto to visit Takigakure, but Naruto apologized and said he had to leave to finish his mission.
• Naruto told Shibuki that the search of the base should finish that day if all went smoothly, and within three days at most.
• Naruto left quickly, while Shibuki watched him go and wished for everything to proceed smoothly.
• Shibuki returned to Takigakure, where he had stationed guards, and wondered when Naruto might fulfill his dream of becoming Hokage.

Naruto Uzumaki waited for Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha at the Great Naruto Bridge while they searched for the Sharingan. Sakura arrived without finding it, and Sasuke joined them last, leaving the three reunited to continue their search.

• Naruto admired how the Great Naruto Bridge had helped the Land of Waves prosper as he waited for Sakura and Sasuke.
• Sakura arrived from the Land of Rivers and told Naruto she had encountered a few wandering ninja but had not found the Sharingan.
• Naruto and Sakura reminisced about their first mission in the Land of Waves and laughed about their genin status.
• Sasuke arrived at the bridge, and Naruto and Sakura greeted him before teasing him for being the last to arrive.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura compared their searches for Obito’s bases and the Sharingan before setting out by boat for an island in the Land of Water. In Konoha, Tsunade examined documents recovered from Obito’s base while Naraku explained what they contained.

• Sakura reported that she had found no base in the Land of Rivers, while Naruto described finding a base in the Land of Waterfalls and recovering documents.
• Sasuke said he had found neither the Sharingan nor a base because Cloud Ninja investigations in the Land of Hot Water had disrupted his search.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura chose an island in the Land of Water as their final search target and rented a boat in the Land of Waves.
• Tsunade visited Naraku in Konoha and asked about the lead connected to Obito Uchiha.
• Naraku told Tsunade that the recovered documents came from an underground base in the Land of Waterfalls, and she began examining them.

Naraku let Tsunade take the recovered experimental records and reflected that her and Jiraiya’s decision to remain in Konoha would make it easier for him to step down and search for Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Meanwhile, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura sailed toward an island in the Land of Water to investigate a possible Obito base, but a violent storm struck before they arrived.

• Tsunade took the documents Naraku had recovered and prepared to review the rest once Yamato’s team finished clearing the base in the Land of Waterfalls.
• Naraku concluded that Tsunade and Jiraiya staying in Konoha would reassure the village and let him leave for extended searches.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura sailed toward an island where Sasuke believed Obito might have stored Sharingan and set traps.
• Sasuke warned Naruto that triggering a trap could alert nearby Mist Ninja, while Naruto insisted they could handle any danger.
• A sudden storm battered the ship with heavy rain and towering waves, and the shipowner assured them the vessel would hold.

Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke, and Sakura weathered a storm and reached the island where they hoped to find Obito’s base. They split up to search, and Sasuke suspected the base was hidden among the island’s central hills.

• Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto took shelter behind a reef cluster during the storm.
• Sasuke checked the map while Naruto and Sakura discussed waiting for the storm to pass.
• After the weather cleared, the boat carried them to a seemingly uninhabited island.
• Sasuke told Naruto and Sakura to search separate parts of the island and meet in the center.
• Sasuke found no signs of the base in the woods and turned his attention to the central hills.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura searched an uninhabited island for a hidden base and triggered a chakra-filled mist barrier. Rather than trapping them, the mist confirmed their suspicions, and all three headed toward the island’s center.

• Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura finished searching the island’s perimeter without finding clues and independently began moving toward its center.
• Sasuke encountered a surge of chakra from underground, and thick mist rapidly covered the island.
• Sakura recognized that the mist contained traces of barrier ninjutsu and concluded that something was hidden on the island.
• Naruto sensed chakra in the mist, realized the island held something, and rushed toward the center.
• Naruto and Sasuke pressed through the barrier without losing their perception, while Sakura was also barely affected.