Recaps

Mei Terumi and the Fourth Raikage chose to seek reconciliation with Dragon Release Village rather than risk war with Lin Ze. A week later, Lin Ze learned that delegations from all Five Great Shinobi Villages had arrived to meet him.

• Mei Terumi ordered Ao to secretly send Kirigakure's two surviving former mission members to Dragon Release Village with gifts as an apology.
• The Fourth Raikage approved a diplomatic proposal to Dragon Release Village, despite his anger over Lin Ze killing his father, and vowed Kumogakure would someday grow stronger.
• Lin Ze and Kabuto examined Nagato's Rinnegan, while Kabuto explained that extracting its Six Paths power would take time.
• The White Snake Sage told Lin Ze that delegations from all Five Great Shinobi Villages had arrived, including Jiraiya and three ANBU from Konoha.
• Lin Ze left to meet the delegations and encouraged Kabuto to leave the laboratory and visit Dragon Release Village with Tagitsuhime.

Lin Ze met with Jiraiya and Konoha’s delegation to establish diplomatic relations between Konoha and Dragon Release Village. He promised to prevent Konoha’s destruction once if it faced an existential crisis, then agreed to meet the other villages’ delegations.

• Miyamoto Ichirō welcomed Jiraiya and three former ANBU members while they waited for Lin Ze.
• Lin Ze greeted Jiraiya, Fox, Night Owl, and Gray Wolf, then accepted Konoha’s proposal to establish diplomatic relations as equals.
• Jiraiya asked whether Lin Ze would help Konoha in a future crisis, and Lin Ze promised to intervene once to ensure the village was not destroyed.
• Lin Ze welcomed Fox, Night Owl, and Gray Wolf to join Dragon Release Village if they could no longer remain in Konoha.
• After Jiraiya’s delegation left, Miyamoto Ichirō told Lin Ze the other villages’ delegations were waiting, and Lin Ze agreed to meet them all.

Lin Ze accepted Kirigakure’s apology for its role in destroying the village of Uzumaki survivors and used the two Kirigakure ninja it sent, along with ten criminals, to replenish his soul. Three years later, still hunting Obito’s group, he headed for the ruins of Roran to investigate the Ryūmyaku.

• Lin Ze read Mei Terumi’s letter identifying two Kirigakure ninja as survivors of the force that destroyed the village of Uzumaki survivors, then ordered Tagitsuhime to bring them and ten convicted wandering ninja to the laboratory.
• Lin Ze used the Soul-Devouring Spirit Refinement Technique to strip the twelve men’s souls and absorb their soul origin while Kabuto recorded the results.
• Three years passed, and Lin Ze’s search with Ryūchi Cave had failed to locate Obito, Nagato, Black Zetsu, and Konan, who kept moving between hidden bases.
• Lin Ze reasoned that holding the Two-Tails would eventually force Obito’s group to act, then traveled toward the ruins of Roran to investigate the Ryūmyaku and its possible time-space travel.

Miyamoto Ichirō accepted Konoha’s invitation for the Dragon Release Village to enter the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams and chose five young ninjas to compete. Itachi agreed to lead them to Konoha, where old wounds between the villages and the Uchiha remained unresolved.

• Nara Suzaku invited the Dragon Release Village to send genin teams to the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams, and Miyamoto Ichirō accepted.
• Miyamoto Ichirō summoned Kimimaro, Haku, Karin, Jūgo, and Sasuke and selected them to represent the village.
• The five agreed to participate, while Nara Suzaku noted how formidable the young ninjas seemed.
• Miyamoto Ichirō appointed Itachi as their jōnin leader, and Itachi accepted the assignment.
• Miyamoto Ichirō arranged for Itachi and the Konoha delegation to leave for Konoha the following morning, while Nara Suzaku reflected on the lingering hostility tied to Fugaku Uchiha’s death.

Uchiha Itachi and Sasuke returned to Konoha with Dragon Release Village’s team for the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams, determined to find a way to restore Naruto’s memories and bring him home. The team registered and settled into a secluded courtyard as other exam participants watched their arrival.

• Sasuke vowed that he and Itachi would bring Naruto home after finding a way to undo the seal, and Itachi promised they would; Itachi then quietly coughed blood.
• Five days later, Uchiha Itachi led the Dragon Release Village team, including Sasuke, Kabuto, and Tagitsuhime, to Konohagakure’s gate.
• Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane checked the team’s documents and admitted them to Konoha for the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams.
• The Dragon Release Village team drew curious and wary attention in the reception hall, where they briefly crossed paths with Gaara’s Sunagakure team.
• The team completed registration and received a secluded Japanese-style courtyard near the exam center.

Itachi and Sasuke encountered Naruto in Konoha, where Naruto felt an unexplained familiarity despite his sealed memories. After ANBU reported that the seal was loosening, Tsunade considered the danger and uncertainty surrounding Naruto’s situation.

• Itachi told Kimimaro and the others to stay within the lodging area, then took Sasuke for a walk through Konoha.
• Passersby reacted warily to Itachi and Sasuke’s Uchiha attire as the brothers walked through the village.
• Naruto saw Sasuke near Ichiraku Ramen, asked his name, and said that he and Itachi felt familiar.
• ANBU stopped Naruto from approaching the brothers and ordered him not to speak to them again.
• A tanuki-masked ANBU reported Naruto’s reaction to a companion and recommended closer monitoring and possibly reinforcing the seal.
• Tsunade read the report and told Shizune that Naruto’s memory seal had loosened after his encounter with Itachi and Sasuke.

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Nara Suzaku discussed Naruto's loosening memory seal and the danger that he might remember his Uchiha family and leave Konoha. Tsunade ordered the seal reinforced during the exams, while Suzaku proposed plans to strengthen Naruto's attachment to the village and, as a last resort, keep the Nine-Tails from leaving with him.

• Jiraiya read the report about Naruto's loosening memory seal and agreed that it was only a matter of time before it weakened.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya feared Naruto would seek out the Uchiha and reject Konoha if he recovered memories of his family.
• Nara Suzaku recommended that the Yamanaka Clan reinforce Naruto's seal during the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Suzaku proposed giving Naruto more attention and recognition so he would develop a genuine sense of belonging to Konoha.
• Suzaku advised preparing to extract the Nine-Tails or cause Naruto's death if he tried to leave, and Tsunade ordered him to arrange the seal reinforcement.

Tsunade and Jiraiya approved reinforcing Naruto's seal and prepared to keep him under control, even if it meant killing him. Meanwhile, Nagato and Konan left their lunar hideout to resume collecting the Tailed Beasts, while Black Zetsu plotted from the shadows.

• Tsunade told Jiraiya that Konoha could not afford to lose Naruto or let him turn against the village, and Jiraiya agreed to arrange for the Yamanaka Clan to reinforce Naruto's seal.
• Tsunade signed the report approving the seal reinforcement, leaving Naruto's fate settled without his knowledge.
• On the Moon, Nagato told Konan that he had mastered his remaining Rinnegan and remade the Six Paths of Pain.
• Nagato decided that he and Konan would return to the Shinobi World and secretly collect the Tailed Beasts while avoiding Lin Ze.
• Black Zetsu watched Nagato and Konan leave, then considered using Obito, Otsutsuki Toneri, and the Giant Tenseigan to advance its plans.

Sasuke faced Neji in the Chunin Ninja Exams’ third round, demonstrating the training he had received in Dragon Release Village as the two clashed with taijutsu and ocular jutsu. After Neji struck Sasuke’s shoulder and disrupted his chakra flow, Sasuke counterattacked with his Lightning Release: Lightning Fist.

• All six genin from Dragon Release Village passed the earlier rounds, and the electronic screen matched Sasuke Uchiha against Neji Hyuga.
• Sasuke and Neji began their match by trading rapid kunai and Gentle Fist strikes.
• Sasuke threw a kunai, followed with a punch, and then used Great Fireball Technique, but Neji blocked the attacks with Rotation.
• Sasuke activated his Sharingan, while Neji launched Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms and forced Sasuke onto the defensive.
• Neji struck Sasuke’s left shoulder and impeded the chakra flow through his arm, but Sasuke advanced and attacked with Lightning Release: Lightning Fist.

Sasuke and Neji traded powerful techniques in a closely contested match, with Sasuke ultimately winning by piercing Neji’s hastily formed Rotation with Chidori Sharp Spear. The victory stunned the spectators, while Neji was left injured but conscious.

• Sasuke used clones and fire techniques to pressure Neji, then caught him off guard with Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu.
• Sasuke attacked Neji in midair with Chidori, but Neji countered with Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms and forced the lightning back.
• Both fighters landed exhausted, and Sasuke prepared a final lightning technique as Neji rushed to stop him.
• Sasuke dodged Neji’s Vacuum Palm and struck with Chidori Sharp Spear, piercing Neji’s chest only shallowly through his incomplete Rotation.
• Genma Shiranui declared Sasuke Uchiha the winner, and the crowd erupted as Hinata worried over Neji and Hizashi acknowledged his effort.

Sasuke defeated Neji but spared his life, deepening Naruto’s strange sense of familiarity with Sasuke. The Chunin Exam’s final match began as Kimimaro faced Gaara, and Kimimaro cut apart Gaara’s first sand attack with a bone spike.

• Sasuke told Neji he had held back because the Uchiha owed the Hyūga three lives, and the two shook hands after the match.
• Sasuke noticed Naruto staring at him, while Naruto wondered where he had met Sasuke before.
• Karin, Jūgo, and Haku won their matches, while Kabuto suffered a deliberate-looking defeat.
• The exam screen paired Kimimaro of the Dragon Release Village against Gaara of Sunagakure, a jinchūriki.
• Gaara attacked Kimimaro with Sand Binding Coffin, but Kimimaro drew a bone spike and severed every stream of sand.

Gaara fought Kimimaro in the arena, but after Kimimaro wounded him, Gaara began losing control to Shukaku. Kimimaro activated Ryūchi Cave Sage Art and challenged Gaara to continue fighting as Shukaku’s influence intensified.

• Gaara used sand attacks against Kimimaro, who broke free of Sand Binding Prison and fought him to a standstill with bone spikes.
• Kimimaro provoked Gaara, who unleashed Sand Waterfall Funeral, while Kimimaro countered with Dance of the Young Fern and wounded him.
• Gaara reacted to his injury as Shukaku urged him to take control, prompting Temari and Kankuro to fear he was going berserk.
• Tsunade ordered the ANBU to ready the Sealing Squad, but Kimimaro told them not to interfere and activated Ryūchi Cave Sage Art.
• Kimimaro challenged Gaara to keep fighting, while Shukaku’s chakra seeped from Gaara and reminded him of their defeat by Genbu.

Kimimaro fought Shukaku after the One-Tail erupted from Gaara, using Ryūchi Cave senjutsu to defeat the raging beast. Shukaku’s body collapsed and Gaara was left unconscious, while Kimimaro’s nearly complete Sage Mode was revealed to the watching Kage and envoys.

• Shukaku recalled Genbu’s past Sage Art: Ice Release attack and raged as Gaara transformed into his complete form.
• Tsunade ordered the ANBU to raise the Four Violet Flames Formation, trapping Shukaku inside the arena.
• Kimimaro dodged Shukaku’s attacks, blocked his Drilling Air Bullet with a Sage Art: Bone Wall, and struck him with senjutsu-enhanced bones and needles.
• Shukaku began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb as Kimimaro revealed the complete form of Ryūchi Cave Sage Art and created an All-Killing Ash Bones Spear.
• Kimimaro pierced and dispersed the Tailed Beast Bomb, then struck Shukaku through his sand shield and chest, causing his body to collapse and revealing unconscious Gaara.
• Kimimaro pulled the spear from Gaara’s chest, and it turned to ash as Gaara’s shallow wound began to heal.

Kimimaro defeated Gaara with senjutsu, leaving the Chunin Exam spectators and village representatives shocked by Dragon Release Village’s strength. After the crowd dispersed, Naruto admitted to Jiraiya that Kimimaro and Sasuke were stronger than him, then vowed to surpass them and become Hokage.

• Kimimaro defeated Gaara without harming him, and Genma Shiranui declared Kimimaro the winner.
• Karin, Haku, Jūgo, and Itachi praised Kimimaro as he returned to his seat to recover from the strain of using natural energy.
• Village representatives discussed reassessing Dragon Release Village’s threat, while Tsunade worried that Konoha could not match its fighters.
• Genma Shiranui announced that the practical assessments were over and that the advancing candidates would be revealed the next day.
• Naruto watched Gaara being carried away and admitted to Hinata that Kimimaro was incredibly strong before the two parted ways.
• Jiraiya found Naruto alone, encouraged him not to give up, and took him to Ichiraku Ramen after Naruto vowed to surpass Kimimaro and Sasuke.

At Ichiraku Ramen, Jiraiya questioned Naruto about Konoha and his strange familiarity with Sasuke, while hiding what he knew about Naruto’s past. Teuchi’s memories of Lin Ze and Kurenai left Jiraiya brooding over the powerful people who had left Konoha and the memories Naruto had lost.

• Jiraiya asked Naruto what he thought of Konoha, and Naruto said it was his home and that he hoped to earn the village’s acknowledgment as Hokage.
• Naruto told Jiraiya that Sasuke and Itachi felt familiar, especially Sasuke, and that thinking about him caused pain; Jiraiya connected the feeling to the Yamanaka Clan reinforcing Naruto’s seal.
• Jiraiya told Naruto that the Uchiha Clan had left Konoha for Dragon Release Village five years earlier and suggested Naruto might have met Sasuke as a child.
• Jiraiya urged Naruto to make more friends in Konoha, but Naruto remained silent as he considered how most villagers feared or hated him.
• Teuchi and Iris recalled Lin Ze and Kurenai eating at Ichiraku, and Naruto learned that Lin Ze had once sat in his seat as a Konoha ninja.
• Jiraiya reflected on Dragon Release Village’s powerful young fighters and wondered what Naruto would have become if his memories of growing up with the Uchiha had not been sealed.

Obito planned to collect the eight tailed beasts he could reach before taking the Two-Tails from Lin Ze, and he prepared for the task by stealing corpses from Konoha’s cemeteries. At dawn, he left with five scrolls full of ninja remains for use in Impure World Reincarnation.

• Obito watched Naruto in a shop and reflected that Konoha had altered the boy’s memories and feelings.
• Obito decided to gather the other eight tailed beasts first, since the Two-Tails was in Lin Ze’s hands and the Eye of the Moon Plan required all nine.
• Obito and White Zetsu entered Konoha’s cemetery at night and sealed the corpses of numerous dead ninja into scrolls.
• Obito began with the Uchiha burial grounds and collected the bodies of Uchiha ninja, including Uchiha Fugaku, Konoha’s Fifth Hokage.
• Obito and White Zetsu raided the Hyūga and other clan burial grounds, then left Konoha at dawn with five scrolls of corpses.

The Chunin Exam finals began, and Haku faced Naruto Uzumaki in the first match. Naruto broke Haku’s ice mirrors with a mass of shadow clones, but Haku’s Ice Dragon Bullet forced him to dodge as the battle continued.

• Tsunade and Jiraiya learned that Konoha graves, including those of their loved ones, had been dug up, and Tsunade blamed the Masked Man.
• The finals contestants were announced, with Gaara withdrawn from the competition and his place given to another contestant.
• The electronic screen matched Haku against Naruto Uzumaki for the first bout of the finals.
• Haku used ice techniques to slip Naruto’s clones, trap him in Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, and wound him with senbon.
• Naruto summoned dozens of shadow clones, which shattered Haku’s ice mirrors.
• Haku launched an Ice Dragon Bullet, and Naruto weakened it with Wind Release before dodging its attack.

Naruto fought Haku, awakened the Nine-Tails’ chakra, and managed to suppress its rampage before Haku revealed his own Sage Mode. As Haku began a powerful finishing technique, the Kumogakure representatives recognized similarities between his abilities and Genbu’s.

• Haku’s chilling strikes injured Naruto, who then drew on the Nine-Tails’ chakra and fought back with increased speed and strength.
• Naruto broke Haku’s Ice Prison Technique and suppressed the Nine-Tails’ voice before losing control.
• Haku acknowledged Naruto’s will and activated Ryūchi Cave Sage Art, alarming the gathered village representatives.
• The Kumogakure envoy and lead jōnin recognized similarities between Haku’s Ice Release and senjutsu and Genbu’s abilities from five years earlier.
• Haku’s Sage Mode-powered attacks pushed Naruto back, and Haku began Sage Art: Ice Release: Thousand Killing Ice Soaring.

Haku defeated Naruto with senjutsu ice blades, causing Shukaku to recognize Genbu’s feared technique. Dragon Release Village dominated the remaining matches and secured four of the twelve Chunin qualifications.

• Haku overwhelmed Naruto with a thousand senjutsu ice blades, and Naruto admitted defeat after Haku stopped the final blade short of his forehead.
• The Kumogakure representatives concluded that Dragon Release Village was likely the force behind Genbu and planned to report to the Raikage, while Shukaku recognized Genbu’s technique and remembered his defeat.
• Jūgo defeated Shangshui Liuying, Kurotsuchi forced Karin to concede, and Sasuke beat Hozuki Suigetsu with Lightning Release.
• Temari defeated Shikamaru after he conceded, and Rock Lee defeated Omoi while demonstrating the Eight Gates Released Formation.
• Genma Shiranui announced the twelve qualifiers, including Kimimaro, Haku, Jūgo, and Sasuke Uchiha from Dragon Release Village.

After the Chunin Exams, Sasuke tried to reconnect with Naruto, but Jiraiya and Shino Yamanaka suppressed Naruto’s returning memories and took him away. Sasuke left Konoha with Itachi and the Dragon Release Village group, while Haku and Tagitsuhime noticed Itachi concealing blood after a cough.

• Tsunade awarded the twelve candidates their Chunin certifications, and the visiting teams prepared to leave Konoha.
• Sasuke returned to the village and approached Naruto, whose memories began to resurface when they clasped hands.
• Jiraiya and Shino Yamanaka used a seal to suppress Naruto’s memories again, then carried him away despite Sasuke’s protest.
• Itachi stopped Sasuke from pursuing Naruto and explained that they could not risk a fight with Konoha or disregard Lord Lin Ze’s ties to it.
• At the border camp, Itachi quietly coughed blood, and Haku and Tagitsuhime noticed.

The Fourth Raikage feared that Lin Ze and Dragon Release Village might seek revenge, while Obito and Nagato began reassembling the Akatsuki and restarting the Eye of the Moon Plan. At his laboratory, Lin Ze tracked Youying’s accelerated progress toward the Rinnegan and received Nagato’s message arranging a meeting in the Land of Wind.

• The Fourth Raikage connected Haku’s technique and Dragon Release Village’s strength to Genbu’s past attack, then ordered Kumogakure to secretly prepare a reserve base and copy its ninja records.
• Mabui told the Fourth Raikage that Iwagakure’s envoy was demanding another reparations payment, and he ordered her to ask them to wait a few more days.
• Obito met Nagato and Konan in a cave in the Land of Rivers, learned that Black Zetsu would provide intelligence from the shadows, and announced that they would gather members to restart the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Lin Ze examined Youying’s accelerated Rinnegan evolution and estimated that it would reach the threshold in about six years.
• Lin Ze received Nagato’s message arranging a rendezvous in the Land of Wind three days later and welcomed Nagato’s return.

Lin Ze's White Tiger Clone attended an Akatsuki meeting in the Land of Rivers and was shocked to find Orochimaru alive. Obito introduced four new members and assigned teams, while Orochimaru left suspicious of White Tiger's familiar presence.

• White Zetsu redirected Lin Ze from the Land of Wind to the Akatsuki rendezvous in the Land of Rivers.
• Lin Ze arrived at the Hidden Cave and recognized Orochimaru, whom he had believed dead since their battle at the Valley of the End.
• Obito introduced Deidara, Zabuza Momochi, Hidan, and Orochimaru as new Akatsuki members.
• Obito assigned Deidara and Zabuza Momochi to a team, paired Orochimaru with Hidan, and kept White Tiger with Kisame.
• Orochimaru told White Tiger that he seemed familiar, and Lin Ze later told Kisame that Orochimaru was hard to kill.

Orochimaru and Hidan received a mission from Obito to capture the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki Fū alive, while Lin Ze’s White Tiger Clone and Kisame were sent to locate the Three-Tails and Six-Tails in the Land of Water. Lin Ze decided to let the Akatsuki gather the other Tailed Beasts, planning to stop them before they could revive the Ten-Tails.

• Orochimaru and Hidan discussed how they had survived and learned that their first mission was to capture Fū alive in Takigakure.
• Obito warned Orochimaru and Hidan about Takigakure’s Hero Water and told them to contact him if they needed support.
• Obito assigned Lin Ze’s White Tiger Clone and Kisame to locate Isobu and Utakata in the Land of Water, and the pair set off together.
• Lin Ze considered Akatsuki’s cautious movements and decided not to capture the remaining Tailed Beasts himself, since the Two-Tails was already in his hands.
• Lin Ze planned to wait until the Akatsuki had gathered the other Tailed Beasts, then stop them before they could revive the Ten-Tails without the Two-Tails.

Lin Ze experimented with the Ryūmyaku shell at Rōran’s Underground Altar to discover how its energy could enable time travel. He found that Time-Reversal Trace could activate a space-time passage, but without coordinates, he could not control where it led and feared he might not return.

• Lin Ze released the Ryūmyaku energy sealed inside the Sea Dragon Jade shell and brought it to the Underground Altar.
• Lin Ze tried using sealing formulas and the Flying Thunder God Technique’s spatial principles to activate the Ryūmyaku, but the energy barely responded.
• Lin Ze fitted Ryōta’s Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and used Time-Reversal Trace, causing the Ryūmyaku shell to erupt with energy.
• Lin Ze combined the ocular technique with the Ryūmyaku and opened a space-time vortex filled with shifting images of different times and places.
• Lin Ze stopped the experiment after realizing the passage had no reliable destination and that he might be unable to return if he entered.

Lin Ze postponed studying time travel and infiltrated Mount Sumeru to observe Hiruko’s attempt to fuse five kekkei genkai with the Chimera Technique. As Hiruko began the experiment, Lin Ze watched from hiding, expecting it to fail without the annular solar eclipse.

• Lin Ze decided to deal with threats such as Orochimaru, the Akatsuki, and Black Zetsu before pursuing time travel.
• Lin Ze traveled to Mount Sumeru after learning that Hiruko had resumed capturing bloodline users and was preparing to use the Chimera Technique.
• Lin Ze’s clay clone infiltrated Mount Sumeru, passed modified guards, and found five captives with Red Eye, Storm Release, Dark Release, Swift Release, and Steel Release.
• Hiruko arrived at his laboratory and prepared the five captives and their extracted origin cells for the fusion experiment.
• Hiruko vowed to gain all five bloodline abilities and defeat Ryota Uchiha, Pain, and Lin Ze as Lin Ze watched from hiding.