Recaps

Danzo ordered Root to strike the Cloud Shinobi guerrillas and sent Takahashi Yū and Sakumo to pressure Kumogakure. As the pair approached Mount Raimei, Kumogakure’s leaders prepared to surrender, but A and Fukai volunteered to go to Konoha and seek help.

• Danzo cursed Kumogakure’s reply, ordered Yamanaka Arashi and Aburame Hideki to attack its border fighters, and sent Takahashi Yū and Sakumo toward the village.
• Takahashi Yū and Sakumo crossed the mountainous border without meeting resistance, while Cloud Shinobi sensors reported their approach to Mount Raimei.
• Dodai told Kumogakure’s senior leaders that Danzo was forcing them to surrender and that they should be grateful he did not know about the Eight-Tails.
• Dodai asked whether Konoha had received their letter, and the secretary questioned whether they should risk lives waiting for a reply.
• A volunteered to go, and Fukai joined him, saying the Eight-Tails was dead and he wanted revenge.

Takahashi Yū and Sakumo defeated A and his Cloud Shinobi at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning, leaving A unconscious but alive. Takahashi recognized the captured Blue B and realized he might have news that would delight Danzo, so he proposed returning to Konoha.

• Takahashi Yū learned that Sakumo's son was named Kakashi Hatake and was born at the end of Year 38.
• A charged at Takahashi Yū using Lightning Chakra Mode, but Takahashi knocked him unconscious with a rising elbow and sent him into the valley pool.
• Sakumo and Takahashi defeated the remaining Cloud Shinobi, capturing them and confirming that A was still alive.
• Takahashi recognized one unconscious Cloud Shinobi as Blue B, the future Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, and wondered why the Eight-Tails was not inside him.
• Takahashi told Sakumo they should return because he had found news that would make Danzo pass out from joy.

Takahashi Yū and Sakumo captured Fukai, whom Takahashi identified as a candidate Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and brought him to Danzo. Realizing the Eight-Tails was missing and the Raikage was badly wounded, Danzo summoned the Jonin and asked whether they wanted revenge.

• Takahashi Yū told Sakumo that the unconscious Fukai was a candidate Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and they carried him toward camp.
• Takahashi Yū and Sakumo camped for the night, where Fukai woke up bound and Takahashi blocked him from biting off his tongue.
• Takahashi Yū brought Fukai to Danzo and explained that he was A's older cousin and a candidate Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, but the Eight-Tails was not inside him.
• Danzo realized something had happened to the Eight-Tails, called a war council, and spread maps across the table.
• Danzo faced the assembled Jonin and asked, "Do you want revenge?!"

Danzo rallied Konoha’s Eastern Front troops to avenge their fallen comrades after Kumogakure refused to surrender. The army committed to invading the Land of Lightning as Danzo returned to planning the campaign.

• Akimichi Daixiong called for revenge, and the Jonin in Danzo’s tent joined him in demanding a fight against Kumogakure.
• Yamanaka Arashi revealed that the camp’s ninja had gathered outside the command tent, ready to return to battle.
• Disabled ninja pleaded to fight, and Danzo directed them to logistics while promising to restore them when possible.
• Danzo addressed the crowd, accepted blame for the front’s losses, and urged them to honor their fallen comrades by fighting on.
• Danzo ordered the entire army to advance into the Land of Lightning, and the troops roared their approval.

Danzo led Konoha’s forces into the Land of Lightning and planned how to dismantle Kumogakure, while weighing the political risks of taking the country. After rejecting Takahashi Yū’s proposal to eliminate the daimyo, Danzo chose a slower strategy to win prestige and advance their ambitions.

• Danzo sent Yamanaka Arashi to deliver an urgent letter to Konoha as the army occupied a border outpost in the Land of Lightning.
• Danzo ordered reconnaissance squads to move ahead and assigned Sakumo and the Undying Squad to focus on the Two-Tails.
• Danzo told Takahashi Yū that he wanted to cripple Kumogakure and considered replacing its Raikage with a Hokage governing the Land of Lightning.
• Takahashi Yū suggested killing the daimyo, but Danzo rejected the idea because they were not ready to face the political consequences.
• Danzo decided to strike Kumogakure while building prestige for himself and Sakumo, then ordered Arashi to deliver a declaration of war and secretly sell a copy on the black market.

Dodai and Kumogakure's leaders reacted to Shimura Danzō's threat to destroy their nation, while Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Danzō was pressing ahead despite the order accepting Kumogakure's surrender. Hiruzen sent messages to Danzō and the Land of Fire's daimyo, then remained alone in the Hokage's office.

• Dodai and A read Danzō's threat, and Kumogakure's leaders raged over the humiliation.
• Dodai ordered the leaders to contact the country's nobles, study a map, and stall for time.
• News of Danzō's threat spread through the Black Market and reached Konoha's Land of Water Frontline.
• Hiruzen received a Root letter saying Danzō planned to take Kumogakure and had requested administrative support.
• Hiruzen sent a letter to Danzō with a Root operative and entrusted Sarutobi Shinnosuke with a sealed message for the Land of Fire's daimyo.

As the war in the Land of Lightning intensified, Takahashi Yū intervened when Danzo berated a Shimura ninja and then comforted the young survivor, Shimura Tarō. After Tarō mourned his father and brother, Takahashi Yū urged him to lead the charge toward the fiercest fighting.

• Danzo berated a Shimura ninja for failing to take an enemy position and refused to send reinforcements despite the clan's heavy losses.
• Takahashi Yū stopped Danzo from attacking the Shimura ninja and volunteered to go to the front with him.
• Takahashi Yū carried the ninja away from headquarters, learned his name was Shimura Tarō, and comforted him as he mourned his father and Jirō.
• Takahashi Yū asked Tarō if he wanted revenge, then urged him to lead the way to the battlefield.
• Tarō stopped crying and ran with the giant beast toward the defensive line the Shimura Clan had been attacking.

Takahashi Yū led Konoha's outnumbered forces up a mountain to seize a Kumogakure outpost and destroy its communications equipment. After he joined the fight, Kumogakure's defenders rallied against him, leaving him wondering if he had become the villain.

• Takahashi Yū arrived at the mountain and learned that more than a hundred Cloud Shinobi held the high ground against just over two hundred Konoha Ninja.
• Takahashi Yū formed a massive shield of killing intent and led the Konoha forces uphill, letting them engage the Cloud Shinobi along the defensive line.
• Takahashi Yū charged into the outpost, smashed its communications equipment, and killed the Cloud Shinobi inside.
• Beruto rallied the Kumogakure defenders and fought through the Konoha ranks with her twin swords.
• Takahashi Yū struck Beruto down, and she cursed him as a demon defending Kumogakure's home; he wondered if he had become the villain.

Takahashi Yū crushed the Cloud Shinobi defensive line and charged into reinforcements, while Danzo ordered forces to surround the Two-Tails and ignored a letter from the village. Sakumo’s squad fought the fully transformed Two-Tails, which prepared to attack as Uchiha Delia cast a genjutsu.

• Takahashi Yū killed Beruto and used his killing intent to pierce resisting Cloud Shinobi as Konoha forces finished them off.
• Takahashi Yū ordered the wounded evacuated, then charged into a company of roughly three hundred Cloud Shinobi and unleashed an attack among them.
• Danzo ordered Akimichi Daixiong’s squad and two reconnaissance squads to surround Sakumo’s squad and take down the Two-Tails.
• Danzo ignored a letter from the village, then ordered his forces to relocate to the Shimura squad.
• Sakumo’s squad battled the fully transformed Two-Tails while Uchiha Kenichi directed the team to divide the Cloud Shinobi forces.
• The Two-Tails blocked Sakumo’s blade and formed a fireball, as Uchiha Delia used the Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique.

Sakumo and Delia defeated the Two-Tails’ jinchūriki, while Akimichi Daixiong and the Ino-Shika-Cho team tore through Cloud shinobi. Shunji grew frustrated that his Sharingan had not helped him find an enemy, but Gekko Yūma praised his improved sensory abilities.

• Delia briefly caught the Two-Tails in her Sharingan genjutsu, giving Sakumo an opening to strike it with Moonlight Wheel.
• The Two-Tails’ flames receded, revealing its badly wounded jinchūriki, whom Delia caught alive.
• Akimichi Daixiong joined the battle with his Human Bullet Needle Tank as Nara Yūma and Yamanaka Ayano guided his attacks through their techniques.
• Shunji complained that his Sharingan had not helped him find an enemy and threw away his kunai.
• Gekko Yūma appeared and blocked Shunji’s kunai, praising his improved sensory abilities.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke delivered the Third Hokage’s letter to the Fire Daimyo, who was interrupted by the arrival of a relative wearing the Land of Lightning’s Daimyo Fan Crown. After Kumogakure accepted Konoha’s terms of surrender, Danzo assembled the army and ordered it to march on the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.

• Sarutobi Shinnosuke brought the Third Hokage’s letter to the Fire Daimyo, who opened it and declared that the Hokage’s subordinates had acted on their own.
• A relative wearing the Land of Lightning’s Daimyo Fan Crown emerged and asked to read the letter.
• Dodai ordered Kumogakure’s forces to withdraw from the outer defensive lines after reports that the Two-Tails squad and outposts had been lost.
• A returning envoy delivered Konoha’s acceptance of Kumogakure’s surrender, prompting the village’s senior officials to celebrate while A and Dodai remained concerned.
• Danzo joined Takahashi Yū at the front, received Sakumo’s report that the Two-Tails Jinchūriki had been captured, and ordered the army to march on the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.

Konoha's Eastern Front gathered for a counterattack against Kumogakure as Danzo wrote a declaration justifying the war. Sakumo pledged himself to Danzo, and Root set out to spread the declaration across the world.

• Yamanaka Arashi recorded the arriving squads as Konoha's forces assembled in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning.
• Danzo wrote a declaration accusing Kumogakure of treachery and aggression, while Takahashi Yū tried to stop him from turning it into a call for rebellion.
• Sakumo was moved by Danzo's cause and swore that he was his to command, prompting Danzo to name him his general.
• Takahashi Yū recognized that Danzo's declaration could pressure Hiruzen Sarutobi to support the war and ordered a Root ninja to distribute it.
• The Root ninja copied the declaration onto the camp's paper, gave copies to his squad, and sent Root to announce it throughout the world.

Uchiha Setsuna received news of Danzo’s declaration of war while imprisoned, as Danzo gathered Konoha’s forces and waited for public pressure to weaken the Third Hokage. The Uchiha then offered to support Danzo, leaving him to consider how their allegiance could serve his plans.

• Uchiha Setsuna read the declaration of war in his solitary cell at Konoha Prison.
• Danzo, Takahashi Yū, and Sakumo reviewed intelligence at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning while Danzo waited for the declaration to spread.
• Uchiha Delia told Danzo that Uchiha from the village and the Land of Water Frontline wanted to come to his aid.
• Danzo considered the Uchiha’s offer and weighed the risks of using the clan as a weapon he could control.

Danzo and his forces prepared to launch a decisive attack against Kumogakure, while A and Dodai chose to meet Konoha’s army outside the village to protect its civilians. The two sides advanced toward a final battle.

• Danzo asked Takahashi Yū and Sakumo about trusting the Uchiha, and both supported treating them as comrades.
• Danzo ended the three-day rest and rallied more than three thousand Konoha ninja to avenge their fallen comrades.
• Dodai warned Kumogakure’s leaders that Danzo’s advancing troops made the Hokage’s letter a trap, and A struck down a higher-up who challenged him.
• A and Dodai decided Kumogakure could not defend the village without endangering civilians, and A declared that he would lead the Cloud Shinobi out to face Konoha.

Danzo used the disputed surrender letter to convince Konoha’s troops that Kumogakure had deceived them, then ordered an attack. The Konoha forces charged the Cloud Shinobi as Danzo resolved to shape the Shinobi World.

• A and Dodai assembled Kumogakure’s remaining ninja outside the village gates after debating whether to show Konoha the surrender letter.
• Takahashi Yū led Konoha’s troops toward Kumogakure, with Sakumo and the Undying Squad beside him and Danzo guarded within the main force.
• Dodai presented the Hokage-sealed letter and announced that Konoha had accepted Kumogakure’s surrender, but Danzo rejected it as a forgery.
• Dodai read the letter aloud and realized Danzo had manipulated the situation, while Danzo used the troops’ anger to make the Eastern Front his private army.
• Danzo signaled for the attack, and Konoha’s ninja charged Kumogakure’s forces.

Takahashi Yū and the Konoha forces devastated Kumogakure’s army, killing Dodai and driving the Cloud Shinobi back to the village entrance. A and the villagers’ resistance briefly rallied the defenders, but veteran Cloud Shinobi sacrificed themselves to save A as Kumogakure’s remaining forces pulled him away.

• Takahashi Yū knocked A aside, then worked with Sakumo to kill Dodai and plunged into Kumogakure’s ranks.
• Takahashi Yū, Sakumo, and the Uchiha F3 slaughtered Cloud Shinobi until the army collapsed and retreated toward the village entrance.
• A returned and confronted Takahashi Yū, taking a devastating punch while declaring Kumogakure’s fighting spirit.
• Takahashi Yū kicked A down and moved to stomp on his head, but older Cloud Shinobi used lightning chakra to block him and sacrifice themselves.
• Cloud Shinobi dragged A away while others rushed forward to cover his retreat, leaving Kumogakure’s forces in disarray.

Takahashi Yū and the Third Raikage fought their final duel, leaving both severely wounded and the Raikage seemingly dead. As Danzo prepared to attack the remaining Cloud shinobi, Sarutobi Shinnosuke arrived and called out to him.

• Takahashi Yū ordered Sakumo to kill A, but the Third Raikage appeared and rescued his son with black lightning.
• The Third Raikage declared A the Fourth Raikage and challenged Takahashi Yū to one last fight.
• Takahashi Yū and the Third Raikage exchanged devastating blows, and the Raikage's black lightning began destroying his body.
• The duel left Takahashi Yū wounded but standing while the Third Raikage was driven into the earth and appeared to have died.
• Takahashi Yū used [Dan-Ability] to make the Third Raikage dissipate, and Danzo prepared to order an attack.
• Sarutobi Shinnosuke arrived and told Danzo to call him the Eastern Front Commander.

Danzo used Shinnosuke’s joint letter from the Five Great Nations to turn the Eastern Front’s anger toward the Hokage and daimyo, while presenting himself as a protector of the troops and their families. The soldiers’ defiance grew, and Uchiha Shunji’s interrupted remark left the crowd wondering whether the rebellion talk was only a joke.

• Shinnosuke arrived with a joint letter demanding Kumogakure’s unconditional surrender and ordering Danzo’s forces to stop their attack.
• The Eastern Front’s ninja rejected the letter’s authority and loudly declared their loyalty to Danzo.
• Danzo urged the troops not to defy the daimyo, citing their families’ safety and the pensions owed to fallen soldiers.
• A soldier shouted that the Hokage was too weak, frightening Shinnosuke and surprising Danzo.
• Uchiha Shunji began to say that Danzo should take the Hokage’s place, but Delia and Kenichi covered his mouth as Gekko Yūma called it a joke.

Takahashi Yū read the request backed by five daimyo and blamed Sarutobi Shinnosuke for leaving the Eastern Front forces in limbo. Danzo calmed the angry warriors by accepting the daimyo’s demand, then ordered someone to summon Kumogakure to surrender.

• The Eastern Front ninja’s talk of who should become Hokage alarmed Danzo, who had intended to promote Sakumo instead.
• Takahashi Yū regained control of his body, approached Danzo and Shinnosuke, and inspected the letter bearing five daimyo’s seals.
• Takahashi Yū scolded Shinnosuke for obeying the daimyo and demanded to know what he would do about the warriors’ predicament.
• Danzo acknowledged that the Eastern Front had to answer the daimyo’s request and apologized to the warriors, who pledged to follow him.
• Takahashi Yū ordered someone to go to Kumogakure and call on them to surrender.

After Kumogakure surrendered, Takahashi Yū searched the village and took the Amber Purifying Pot, one of its Six Paths Tools. He demonstrated its power back at camp, where Sarutobi Shinnosuke suddenly sank to his knees.

• Takahashi Yū forced open Kumogakure’s gates, and A emerged to accept surrender as the new Fourth Raikage.
• Takahashi Yū and Uchiha Shunji spent three days searching Kumogakure and found only the Amber Purifying Pot before leaving with it.
• Killer B and the other children resolved to revive Kumogakure after many villagers fled.
• Back at camp, Takahashi Yū used the pot to suck Gekko Yūma inside and explained that it sealed anyone who answered when called by name.
• After Shunji suggested using the pot on Sarutobi, Sarutobi Shinnosuke sank to his knees.

Takahashi Yū, Sakumo, and Danzo discussed the harsh surrender terms for Kumogakure while struggling with their dwindling food. In Konoha, Nawaki volunteered to become the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki instead of Kushina, leaving Mito conflicted as she prepared to transfer the beast.

• Takahashi Yū questioned Danzo’s demands on the injured A, while Danzo defended them as necessary to delay Kumogakure’s recovery.
• Takahashi Yū, Sakumo, and Danzo ate coarse-grain noodles and worried that the camp was running out of food.
• Mito told the Third Hokage that she was ready to begin transferring and calming the Nine-Tails the next day, then asked him to bring Kushina.
• Nawaki arrived with the Third Hokage and declared that he would become the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki rather than let an Uzumaki take the burden.
• Tsunade felt ashamed as Nawaki condemned Konoha for failing the Uzumaki, while Mito dismissed everyone and wondered whether she had been wrong.

Danzo led Konoha’s Eastern Front troops home after forcing Kumogakure to accept unequal treaties, and he marked their victory with a monument near the village. As Danzo planned to use the returning army to elevate Sakumo and advance his own ambitions, Takahashi Yū found that a town in the Land of Fire had no grain to spare.

• Danzo halted the troops at the Valley of Clouds and Lightning and ordered earth-style ninja to raise a monument near Kumogakure.
• Sakumo carved the words “east” and “righteousness” into the monument as the Eastern Front ninja cheered.
• Danzo led the troops into the Land of Fire and privately planned to visit the capital, win favor for Sakumo, and secure his rise to Hokage.
• Takahashi Yū took Sakumo and the Undying Squad to a nearby town to buy grain, but the residents had none to spare.
• Takahashi Yū wondered where the Land of Fire’s wealth had gone after seeing how thin and impoverished the townspeople were.

Danzo sent Shinnosuke to deliver a letter to the Fire Daimyo and arranged for him to return to Konoha with the Eastern Front forces. The Daimyo eagerly prepared a triumphant welcome for Danzo, while Shinnosuke was left baffled by the difference in how the two men were treated.

• Danzo gave Shinnosuke a letter for the Fire Daimyo and told him to return with the Eastern Front forces.
• Danzo explained to Yamanaka Arashi that bringing Shinnosuke along was a precaution against a possible attack by Hiruzen.
• The samurai at the Daimyo’s Mansion welcomed Shinnosuke warmly after learning he carried a letter from Danzo.
• The Fire Daimyo read Danzo’s letter and ordered a citywide celebration and banquet for the Eastern Front forces’ return.
• The Fire Daimyo initially spoke disdainfully to Shinnosuke, then invited him to sit once Shinnosuke clarified that Danzo had sent him.

Danzo, Sakumo, and Takahashi Yū reached the Land of Fire's capital expecting a hostile meeting with the daimyo, but the daimyo welcomed them and demanded that the Eastern Front troops join a feast. Danzo was left baffled by the bizarre reception as the banquet-filled capital opened its gates to his army.

• Danzo halted the Eastern Front troops fifteen kilometers from the capital and warned Takahashi Yū and Sakumo to stay calm during their meeting with the daimyo.
• At the capital gates, nobles argued over whether Danzo should be called the Land of Fire's greatest hero or its most loyal man.
• The daimyo rushed out to greet Danzo, grabbed his hands, and demanded to know why he had taken so long to arrive.
• Danzo explained that he had kept the troops outside the capital to avoid disturbing the daimyo, who ordered Shinnosuke to bring them into the city for a feast.
• The daimyo cleared the nobles from the gates, and Danzo asked Takahashi Yū to give him a blast of killing intent because he thought he might be under a genjutsu.

The Land of Fire Daimyo hosted the Eastern Front ninja and agreed to award Hatake Sakumo a Hokage Half-Sleeve. The next day, he publicly named Shimura Danzō’s troops the “Elite Force of the Land of Fire,” giving Danzo’s army a recognized identity before they returned to Konoha.

• The Daimyo praised the Eastern Front soldiers at a feast, and Danzo blamed the Third Hokage for cutting off their food supplies.
• The Daimyo privately promised Danzo that Sarutobi would not remain Hokage much longer, but Danzo urged him not to rush the decision.
• Danzo asked the Daimyo to award Hatake Sakumo a Hokage Half-Sleeve, and the Daimyo agreed to arrange a ceremony.
• The next morning, the Daimyo held a ceremony at the capital gates and bestowed the title “Elite Force of the Land of Fire” on the Konoha troops under Shimura Danzō.