Recaps

The Cloud Ninja pushed Konoha back in the Land of Hot Water until Konoha’s reinforcements reversed the battle and forced Dodai to retreat. The fighting paused when Shihōin Naraku and a badly wounded Killer B arrived in the battlefield’s center, with Killer B still protecting Yugito Nii’s remains.

• The chapter described how the Land of Hot Water was devastated by wars between Konohagakure and Kumogakure, leaving its own Yugakure ruined and the country unable to stop the fighting.
• Dodai believed the Cloud Ninja were close to victory and ordered his assault teams to rotate as Konoha withdrew toward its main position.
• Konoha reinforcements lit the battlefield with flares and attacked the Cloud Ninja with a massive wave of Fire Release techniques.
• Dodai ordered teams to block Konoha’s advance and retreated with the main force, while the Konoha Ninja crushed the blocking force and recaptured the lost positions.
• Shihōin Naraku and badly burned Killer B arrived in the battlefield’s center, and Killer B refused to abandon Yugito Nii’s remains.

Shihōin Naraku pursued Killer B into the Cloud Ninja forces, turning their effort to rescue their jinchūriki into a decisive defeat. After Konoha drove the Cloud Ninja out of the Land of Hot Water and seized part of the Land of Lightning, Naraku organized defenses and medical support for the territory they had taken.

• Killer B fled toward the Cloud Ninja force, whose soldiers and Dodai rushed to protect him from Shihōin Naraku.
• Naraku charged into the Cloud Ninja, killing and scattering them with Kurikara and Fire Release, while the Konoha Ninja turned back to support him.
• Shikaku Nara, Hyuga Hiashi, and Inoichi Yamanaka identified Naraku on the battlefield, and Konoha's forces split and routed the Cloud Ninja.
• Naraku led the pursuit that drove the Cloud Ninja out of the Land of Hot Water and scattered the Land of Lightning's Border Forces, allowing Konoha to occupy part of the Land of Lightning.
• Naraku and Shikaku arranged frontline strongholds and decided to keep the Field Hospital in the Land of Fire while setting up a temporary treatment facility in the Land of Hot Water.

Tsunade received news that Shihōin Naraku had driven the Cloud ninja from the Land of Hot Water and advanced into the Land of Lightning, prompting Konoha to celebrate. As the village rejoiced, Uchiha Itachi, Zabuza Momochi, and Haku slipped into Konoha under cover of a genjutsu.

• Tsunade read the front-line report and learned that Naraku, Shikaku, and their forces had entered the Land of Lightning after defeating the Cloud ninja.
• Tsunade ordered Shizune to announce the victory and summoned the advisers for a meeting.
• Konoha celebrated the news, and Neji Hyuga and Kakashi Hatake welcomed the Cloud ninja's defeat.
• Uchiha Itachi used his Sharingan to trap the guards at the Konoha Gate in a genjutsu, then entered the village with Zabuza Momochi and Haku.

Uchiha Itachi returned to Konoha with Zabuza Momochi and Haku, where he learned that Shimura Danzō had been blamed for many of the village’s past crimes. Meanwhile, Tsunade’s advisers discussed Konoha’s next steps after Shihōin Naraku’s victory, leaving the decision about whether to fight or negotiate with Kumogakure unresolved.

• Uchiha Itachi returned to Konoha with Zabuza Momochi and Haku, intending to warn Shimura Danzō and check on Sasuke Uchiha.
• Zabuza Momochi and Haku admired Konoha’s peaceful atmosphere and contrasted it with Kirigakure’s brutal policies.
• Uchiha Itachi overheard villagers claim that Shimura Danzō had been responsible for the Wood Release Experiment, the Uchiha Clan’s destruction, and other misdeeds, and he wondered whether the Third had exposed his spy identity.
• Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy appeared outside the restaurant, and Uchiha Itachi and his companions disappeared as someone shouted for them to be pursued.
• Tsunade, Shihōin Harumoto, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura agreed to send Shihōin Naraku only a few chunin squads and direct the remaining ninja to Jiraiya.
• Utatane Koharu asked whether Konoha should keep fighting the Land of Lightning or send diplomats to negotiate with Kumogakure.

Tsunade appointed Shihōin Naraku a senior adviser after his victory over Kumogakure, while the war remained unresolved and an explosion erupted near the Naka River. At the front, Naraku received five draw chances and completed his fourth ten-pull, gaining Amenotejikara and several other rewards.

• Tsunade rejected negotiations because the Fourth Raikage was unlikely to end the war after losing Kumogakure's Jinchūriki and Darui.
• Tsunade appointed Shihōin Naraku a senior adviser, and Shihōin Harumoto supported the decision.
• A huge explosion shook Konoha, where two water dragons collided near a tributary of the Naka River.
• At the Land of Lightning border, Shihōin Naraku learned of his promotion and received five draw chances from the system.
• Shihōin Naraku completed his fourth ten-pull, receiving Amenotejikara, Valstrax, ninjutsu, and other rewards, then burned the Akatsuki nail polish.

Shihōin Naraku tested his new Flying Technique and Senzu Beans, then summoned Gore Magala, the Silverwing Doomstar. He climbed onto the dragon and rode as it blasted through the clouds into the stratosphere.

• Shihōin Naraku tried the Flying Technique, discovered he could hover and maneuver, and considered how his flight speed would grow with his strength.
• Shihōin Naraku ate a Senzu Bean and found that it quickly restored his chakra and stamina while leaving him full.
• Shihōin Naraku left the camp and summoned Gore Magala on a remote hill near the Land of Lightning.
• Gore Magala lowered its head for Naraku to stroke, then smashed a boulder with its tail while he inspected it.
• Shihōin Naraku climbed onto Gore Magala, which launched into the sky and broke the sound barrier before reaching the stratosphere.

Shihōin Naraku flew with Gore Magala from the Land of Grass to Konoha, where he spotted Uchiha Itachi fighting in the village. He concealed himself in a chakra-maintained cloud and approached the battle unseen.

• Shihōin Naraku rode Gore Magala above the clouds, then leapt from its back and raced it through the sky before giving up because Gore Magala was faster.
• Shihōin Naraku and Gore Magala watched Jiraiya’s Konoha forces and Kitsuchi’s Iwagakure forces clash in the Land of Grass, then flew away.
• Jiraiya saw a red-glowing streak in the sky and wondered how Shihōin Naraku’s command was going before returning to the command center.
• Shihōin Naraku decided to visit Konoha and reached it with Gore Magala in less than five minutes.
• Shihōin Naraku recognized Uchiha Itachi in a battle in Konoha, then hid Gore Magala and himself inside a cloud and approached unnoticed.

Shihōin Naraku watched Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy fight Uchiha Itachi, Zabuza Momochi, and Haku in Konoha. The battle escalated as Haku protected Zabuza from Might Guy’s attacks, leaving Zabuza caught in the flames and shock waves of Guy’s Morning Peacock.

• Shihōin Naraku observed the fight from a motionless cloud and realized Zabuza Momochi and Haku had joined the Akatsuki.
• Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake battled Uchiha Itachi, Zabuza Momochi, and Haku near a tributary of the Naka River.
• Zabuza spread mist and attacked Might Guy, while Haku froze Guy’s feet and Uchiha Itachi pressured Kakashi with hidden weapons and a fireball.
• Kakashi’s Shadow Clone countered Itachi’s fireball with a Water Dragon Bullet, and Might Guy broke free of Haku’s ice.
• Haku raised an ice wall to save Zabuza from Might Guy, but Guy shattered it with Morning Peacock and struck Zabuza with flames and shock waves.

Tsunade entered the misty battle and used a secret gesture and code phrase to convince Itachi that she was acting with Hiruzen Sarutobi's trust. After she told Itachi about Sasuke, he used Tsukuyomi to draw her into an illusion.

• Tsunade charged into the mist as Konoha's ANBU surrounded the area, and Tenzo followed her inside.
• Itachi struck Kakashi with genjutsu, but retreated when Tsunade burst through the mist and smashed the ground with her kick.
• Tsunade pursued Itachi, then stopped and gave him the gesture and code phrase that Shihōin Naraku had told her.
• Itachi recognized Hiruzen Sarutobi's code, apologized to Tsunade, and agreed to speak with her.
• Tsunade told Itachi that Kakashi was Sasuke's instructor, and Itachi used Tsukuyomi to draw her into an illusory space.

Uchiha Itachi revealed Akatsuki’s members and plan to capture all nine tailed beasts to Tsunade, while explaining why he could not return to Konoha. He asked Tsunade to arrange time with Sasuke so he could teach him Uchiha secret techniques, then left after she agreed.

• Uchiha Itachi explained his Tsukuyomi and told Tsunade about Akatsuki, its members, and its leaders, Pain and Konan.
• Uchiha Itachi revealed that Akatsuki intended to capture all nine tailed beasts and said his agreement with the organization prevented it from attacking Konoha while he lived.
• Tsunade offered to help Uchiha Itachi return to Konoha, but he refused because he could not escape the guilt of killing his clan.
• Uchiha Itachi asked Tsunade to arrange time with Sasuke so he could teach him Uchiha secret techniques, and Tsunade agreed.
• Uchiha Itachi and Tsunade returned to reality, and Uchiha Itachi disappeared into the mist.

Tsunade ordered Konoha’s forces not to pursue Uchiha Itachi, Haku, and the wounded Zabuza after Haku’s Ice Release helped them escape. Back at the front, Shihōin Naraku learned that the Raikage was advancing and rejected a withdrawal, choosing instead to attack Thunderclap Gorge despite its formidable defenses.

• Tsunade stopped Might Guy and the others from pursuing Uchiha Itachi, Haku, and Zabuza, and sent Guy and Kakashi to the hospital.
• Shihōin Naraku left Konoha and returned to the Konoha camp near the Land of Lightning’s border.
• Shikaku Nara told Naraku that the Raikage had assembled a force and was expected to reach the border by noon the next day.
• Shikaku Nara proposed retreating to the Land of Hot Water because Konoha’s border defenses and supply lines were vulnerable.
• Shihōin Naraku rejected the retreat and pointed to Thunderclap Gorge as his intended target, while Shikaku warned that its defenses made it extremely difficult to capture.

Shihōin Naraku planned to use a feint against Thunderclap Gorge to draw out the Raikage, then ambush the Cloud Ninja supply units inside the Land of Lightning. He led Konoha’s force to the gorge and approached its formidable pass alone, but his strikes only scarred its walls.

• Shihōin Naraku explained his plan to Shikaku Nara: feint at Thunderclap Gorge, infiltrate the Land of Lightning, and attack the Cloud Ninja logistics units.
• Naraku, Shikaku, and the other staff officers finalized the operation, and Konoha’s force marched to Thunderclap Gorge.
• Naraku ordered the Konoha Ninja to stay back while he approached the fortified pass alone.
• Cloud Ninja guards sounded the alarm and fired crossbow bolts at Naraku, but he walked through the barrage unharmed.
• Naraku drew Kurikara and struck the pass repeatedly, leaving slash marks but failing to breach its sturdy walls.

Shihōin Naraku ignored the feint plan and demolished Kumogakure’s mountain fortress with the Immovable Wisdom King and a fiery phoenix. As Konoha’s commanders reacted to his overwhelming strength, Gore Magala returned to the summit with something it had found, and Naraku’s allies arrived to check on him.

• Shihōin Naraku summoned the Immovable Wisdom King, tore a boulder from the mountainside, and hurled it into the fortress, crushing the Cloud Ninja defending it.
• Shihōin Naraku cleaved the fortress apart with the giant’s blade, then unleashed a phoenix whose repeated dives engulfed the peak in flames.
• Inoichi Yamanaka questioned whether the attack still counted as a feint, while Shikaku Nara and the others recognized Shihōin Naraku as a fighter who could change the war by himself.
• Shihōin Naraku wondered whether Matatabi’s chakra had strengthened the flames and worried that he had destroyed the fortress despite the plan being only a feint.
• Gore Magala returned to the summit after finding something, and Shihōin Naraku calmed it when it roared at the approaching allies.
• Shihōin Naraku’s allies reached the summit and asked whether he was all right.

Shihōin Naraku shaped the summit’s flames into a defensive choke point for Konoha and led a small team into the Land of Lightning to ambush a supply convoy. As Naraku watched the approaching Cloud forces, Fourth Raikage A marched toward the front, still furious over his losses and unaware that Thunderclap Gorge had fallen.

• Shihōin Naraku realized the summit’s flames continued burning without chakra and shaped them into a blazing barrier with a single winding route up the mountain.
• Shikaku Nara recognized the tactical advantage, and Naraku ordered the main Konoha force to take positions while they revised their battle plan.
• Shihōin Naraku left with a small team to ambush the Cloud ninja supply convoy, while Shikaku Nara remained to oversee the defenses.
• Shihōin Naraku and Hyuga Hiashi’s team crossed the Cloud defenses undetected, and Naraku watched the advancing Cloud force from Gore Magala’s back.
• Fourth Raikage A led his forces cautiously toward the front despite his fury over Yugito Nii’s death and Killer B’s injuries.

After Shihōin Naraku breached Thunderclap Gorge, the Fourth Raikage rushed to organize reinforcements and reclaim it. Naraku then helped Hyuga Hiashi’s Ambush Squad intercept and destroy a Cloud supply unit, leaving Konoha poised to disrupt the advancing army’s provisions.

• The Fourth Raikage received reports that Konoha had captured Thunderclap Gorge and learned that Shihōin Naraku had breached the stronghold.
• A ordered Dodai’s defenders to hold or retreat to favorable terrain, summoned reinforcements and supplies, and directed Cloud units behind the gorge to attack and retake it.
• As the Cloud main force hurried toward the front, its formation stretched out and its supply unit fell behind.
• Shihōin Naraku alerted Hyuga Hiashi to the passing Cloud army, and Hiashi used his Byakugan to locate and assess the seventeen-member supply squad.
• Hyuga Hiashi’s Ambush Squad killed the Cloud supply squad without losing any Konoha Ninja, though a few were injured.

Shihōin Naraku’s forces disrupted Kumogakure’s supply lines while Konoha prepared Thunderclap Gorge as a fiery defensive trap. The Fourth Raikage began devising a way through, but Konoha’s attack reignited the flames the Cloud Ninja had worked to extinguish.

• Shihōin Naraku ordered his subordinates to withdraw after raiding a Cloud Ninja supply convoy, and the Fourth Raikage later increased protection for shipments.
• Hyuga Hiashi led repeated raids that tied down Cloud Ninja forces, while Naraku returned to Thunderclap Gorge after assigning Konoha reinforcements support duties.
• The Fourth Raikage arrived at Thunderclap Gorge and found the mountain ablaze, with a narrow path that he recognized as Shihōin Naraku’s trap.
• The Fourth Raikage and his staff officers discussed their options, and the Cloud Ninja began burying the flames with sand and soil.
• Cloud Ninja guards deflected shuriken thrown from the summit, but the attached Explosive Tags detonated and rekindled the flames.

Shihōin Naraku and the Konoha Ninja used a rekindled sea of fire to drive the Cloud Ninja back, while Shikaku Nara urged them to limit casualties so the war could end without escalating. The Cloud Ninja regrouped and attacked up the mountain, and both sides unleashed wind and fire techniques until a towering fire tornado engulfed the battlefield.

• Shikaku Nara ordered the Konoha Ninja to stop reigniting the flames so the Cloud Ninja would not suffer enough casualties to make peace impossible.
• Shihōin Naraku returned from his surprise attack and told Shikaku that he would force the Fourth Raikage to calm down if necessary.
• The Cloud Ninja regrouped and climbed narrow paths in squads equipped with Water Release and Earth Release users.
• The Konoha Ninja bombarded the attackers with explosive-tagged projectiles, then followed with powerful Fire Release techniques.
• The Konoha Ninja and Cloud Ninja unleashed Wind Release together, creating a massive fire tornado that left both sides unable to retreat.

Shihōin Naraku watched the out-of-control Flame Tornado annihilate the Cloud ninja attacking the mountain, then commanded Konoha’s defenders as further waves tried to seize the summit. By nightfall, the Fourth Raikage had stayed away from the front line, Captain Hiashi’s raids were still evading capture, and the Third Raikage was planning with his advisers to take Thunderclap Gorge.

• The Cloud ninja’s defenses failed against the Flame Tornado, and Shihōin Naraku allowed it to explode, wiping out the Cloud forces on the mountain.
• The Fourth Raikage ordered his troops at the mountain’s foot to retreat from the falling fireballs, then sent units back up after the flames weakened.
• Shihōin Naraku directed Konoha’s ninja as they repelled repeated Cloud attacks, while the Fourth Raikage remained behind the lines.
• Shikaku told Shihōin Naraku that Captain Hiashi’s team continued its raids without being caught and had been ordered to prioritize safety.
• The Third Raikage and his advisers worked on a plan to seize Thunderclap Gorge.

The Fourth Raikage continued attacking Thunderclap Gorge while Shihōin Naraku countered Kumogakure’s strategy across three battlefields. As Cloud casualties mounted and their forces weakened, Naraku ordered his remaining troops to retreat from the gorge, leaving himself alone at the position.

• The Fourth Raikage mourned Kumogakure’s dead and considered using Killer B’s Tailed Beast Bomb, but B remained unconscious and Matatabi had died with Yugito Nii.
• Naraku ordered the Ino-Shika-Cho trio to reinforce Shikaku Nara and prevent the Cloud ninja from breaking through the border outposts.
• Konoha and Cloud forces fought across Thunderclap Gorge, the Land of Lightning’s border, and the supply lines, with the border battles proving the most intense.
• The Cloud ninja suffered far heavier casualties than Konoha and began struggling to maintain their forces and morale.
• At Thunderclap Gorge, Naraku ordered his twenty-seven ninja to pack up and retreat, then remained alone at the ruined position.

Shihōin Naraku used Gore Magala and two phoenixes to launch an air raid on the Kumogakure camp. The attack devastated the camp while the Fourth Raikage struggled to find the attackers in the sky.

• Shihōin Naraku waited at the mountain summit as the Cloud Ninja hesitated on the path below.
• Gore Magala crashed into the summit, and Shihōin Naraku summoned two fiery phoenixes before setting out for the Kumogakure camp.
• The Fourth Raikage and the Cloud Ninja saw three shapes approaching and called out an enemy attack.
• Gore Magala and the phoenixes rained fireballs on the camp, causing widespread destruction and casualties.
• The Fourth Raikage urged his forces to fight back, but the attackers' speed kept them out of reach.

Shihōin Naraku devastated the Cloud Ninja camp at Thunderclap Gorge with an air raid, then returned to Konoha’s command center as the battle against Kumogakure neared its end. He announced that the Cloud Ninja forces at the gorge had been destroyed and began reading a new letter from Tsunade.

• Shihōin Naraku’s aerial bombardment devastated the Cloud Ninja camp, leaving the Fourth Raikage alive and few others unscathed.
• Naraku sent two phoenixes into Thunderclap Gorge, setting the entire mountain ablaze and naming it Flame Mountain.
• Naraku flew to the Konoha camp, learned Shikaku Nara and the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio were fighting at the front, and went to the Command Center.
• Naraku told the staff officers that the Cloud Ninja forces at Thunderclap Gorge had been destroyed and that the war would soon end.
• Naraku received an unopened intelligence scroll containing a letter from Tsunade and began reading it.

Shihōin Naraku learned that Sasuke Uchiha had fought Uchiha Itachi and Naruto, while Tsunade hoped to end the war soon. As Konoha gained ground and the Cloud ninja’s morale faltered, Dodai worried about the fate of the Fourth Raikage, Darui, and Killer B.

• Shihōin Naraku read Tsunade’s report that Uchiha Itachi and Haku had escaped Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha had been beaten by Itachi, and Tsunade had stopped Sasuke and Naruto’s dangerous fight.
• Shihōin Naraku considered whether Sasuke would still defect after Itachi used Tsukuyomi on him, and noted Tsunade’s request to end the war quickly.
• Shihōin Naraku ordered the exhausted ninja arriving from Thunderclap Gorge to rest, while Konoha continued pushing the Cloud ninja back and spreading news of their defeat to weaken their morale.
• Dodai struggled to maintain order as Cloud ninja argued over the defeat at Thunderclap Gorge and the missing Fourth Raikage and Darui.
• Dodai recalled that Killer B had returned carrying Yugito Nii’s body before collapsing from severe injuries, leaving him unable to ask about Darui.
• A commotion broke out at the Cloud position, and someone called out, “Lord Raikage?!!”

After the disaster at Thunderclap Gorge, the Fourth Raikage recalled the Cloud Ninja guarding supply teams and prepared Kumogakure for a final battle. As both sides made their last preparations, the Raikage gave Dodai instructions for what to do if he did not return, then declared himself ready to fight.

• The Fourth Raikage ordered Dodai to recall the supply guards and told him that the Thunderclap Gorge force had suffered a crushing defeat.
• The Fourth Raikage and Dodai turned the defeat into anger against Konoha, restoring the Cloud Ninja’s morale ahead of the final battle.
• Hyuga Hiashi’s squad destroyed several Cloud Ninja supply teams, then received Naraku’s order to return to camp.
• The Fourth Raikage strengthened the Cloud camp’s defenses and finalized the battle deployments with Dodai and the staff officers.
• The Fourth Raikage sent the shaken survivors from Thunderclap Gorge back to the village and gave Dodai contingency instructions for the coming battle.

Shihōin Naraku changed the weather to give Konoha the advantage, then watched the two forces clash as the Cloud Ninja’s morale collapsed. The battle continued as the Fourth Raikage activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode and prepared to fight Naraku.

• Shikaku Nara asked Shihōin Naraku whether Konoha should postpone the battle because of the heavy rain, but Naraku advanced toward the battlefield instead.
• Shihōin Naraku unleashed a sea of fire and a towering pillar of flame that dispersed the rain clouds and restored clear, warm weather.
• Naraku ordered the Konoha Ninja to attack, and both forces charged into battle as the Cloud Ninja struggled against Konoha’s advantage and Naraku’s presence.
• Naraku’s fiery phoenix burned Cloud Ninja who approached him while he observed the fighting and assessed Konoha’s progress.
• The Fourth Raikage activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and Naraku focused his Observation Haki on him.

Shihōin Naraku intercepted the Fourth Raikage A as he attacked a Konoha Ninja, and the two began a fierce taijutsu battle powered by flames and lightning. A discovered Naraku could see through his attacks and regenerate from lethal wounds, while Naraku gained experience; their clash left the surrounding battlefield in ruins.

• Shihōin Naraku caught the Fourth Raikage A's wrist and stopped him from striking a Konoha Ninja.
• Naraku and A unleashed their powers and exchanged blows at tremendous speed, forcing nearby Konoha Ninja and Cloud Ninja to flee.
• A realized Naraku could anticipate his movements and watched Naraku's heart recover after his punch passed through it.
• Naraku and A moved their battle toward a secluded area, where their attacks devastated everything around them.
• A's Lariat collided with Naraku's Konoha Strong Whirlwind, tearing apart the ground and laying waste to the surrounding area.