Recaps

Anyo and Sasori divided the sealed Tailed Beasts and discussed their organization’s preparations to move against the major villages. Anyo then ambushed Kakuzu and Hidan, revealing that he had deliberately sent Hidan to Akatsuki as Kakuzu’s partner.

• Fayi thanked Anyo for helping complete the Sealing Array and left while Sasori’s puppets carried away the unconscious people.
• Anyo gave Sasori the One-Tail’s vessel and kept the Seven-Tails’ vessel, then learned that Kakuzu and Hidan planned to capture the Seven-Tails near Sunagakure.
• Anyo and Sasori discussed their influence in the villages and the Mechanical Army’s relocation for possible high-altitude strikes.
• Kakuzu and Hidan headed toward a route the Seven-Tails would take after the Chunin Ninja Exams, but Anyo attacked them with a storm of blades and pinned Hidan to the ground.
• Anyo greeted Kakuzu and revealed that he had deliberately sent Hidan to Akatsuki because an opponent who could not be killed suited Kakuzu as a partner.

Anyo helped Kakuzu obtain Seven-Tails and escaped their staged battle, while Sasori announced his plan to reform the Shinobi World at the terminated Chunin Ninja Exams. Tenten left the crowd, hurt by Sasori’s continued silence, as Neji resolved to help the organization’s cause.

• Anyo gave Kakuzu the container holding Seven-Tails and told him One-Tail had already been extracted from its Jinchūriki.
• Kakuzu told Anyo that Uchiha Itachi had accepted a mission to test him, then staged a large-scale fire attack so Hidan would believe Anyo had been killed.
• Anyo escaped underground and watched Kakuzu take Hidan away with Seven-Tails, then considered how the Akatsuki would collect the remaining tailed beasts.
• The Chunin Ninja Exams were terminated after examinees disappeared in the sandstorms, and Sasori announced that he would reform the Shinobi World.
• Tenten left the crowd after Sasori ignored her, while Neji understood the organization’s goal and decided to strengthen himself to contribute.

Tenten learned that Sasori had made a puppet of her because he missed her, and Chiyo urged him to face his feelings. Anyo reunited with Yamato, ended his Oasis Plan assignment, and brought him to a recreated Wood Release lab to begin an experiment with Hashirama cells.

• Tenten entered the Kazekage's Office with Chiyo's help and found a puppet Sasori had made in her likeness.
• Chiyo explained that Sasori had made the puppet because he missed Tenten and was avoiding her because he feared facing his feelings.
• Sasori offered Yamato money for his work as Konoha's envoy, but Yamato asked Anyo to let him return to Konoha.
• Anyo suspended Yamato's Oasis Plan assignment but told him he had another task.
• Anyo took Yamato to a recreated Wood Release lab and revealed that he planned to use Hashirama cells to improve Yamato's strength.

Anyo used senjutsu to help Yamato absorb Hashirama cells, raising his strength beyond the jonin bottleneck while keeping the cells from overwhelming his body. Meanwhile, Sasori and Tenten confessed their feelings, and Anyo left Yamato a village renovation plan and instructed Sasori to keep him from escaping.

• Anyo used natural energy and senjutsu to help Yamato absorb Hashirama cells without letting them destroy his body.
• Tenten told Sasori that Niannian had described him as a kidnapper, and Sasori admitted that he had taken her when she was young.
• Tenten said she liked Sasori, embraced him, and asked him not to ignore her again; Sasori returned her affection.
• Anyo gradually stored and froze the excess Hashirama cells in Yamato, whose strength rose beyond the jonin bottleneck.
• Anyo left Yamato a scroll and told Sasori to have him carry out the village Renovation Plan and prevent him from escaping.

Akatsuki assigned Kisame and Itachi to find the missing Three-Tails, while Sasori and Anyo realized it might be connected to a Konoha ninja Anyo once taught. As Deidara arrived to infiltrate Sunagakure, its guards recovered and directed him to follow them.

• Pain announced that Akatsuki had captured two tailed beasts and assigned Kisame and Itachi to capture the Three-Tails.
• Sasori told Anyo that searches by both the Zero Organization and Akatsuki had failed to find the Three-Tails, whose last known host had been a Konoha ninja killed more than a decade earlier.
• Anyo revealed that the dead ninja had been his student, and he and Sasori realized her Spirit Transformation Technique might help locate the Three-Tails.
• Sasori suggested recruiting Deidara into their organization, and Anyo agreed as Deidara and Sasori's puppet approached Sunagakure.
• Deidara used explosive birds to knock down several Sand Ninja, but they stood back up and told him to follow them.

Deidara entered Sunagakure and discovered that Sasori had arranged for him to obtain the One-Tail container and see his Mechanical Army. Anyo revealed himself as Deidara’s father’s former companion and invited Deidara to join them, leaving Deidara ready to work with him.

• Sasori revealed his identity to Deidara, handed him the One-Tail container, and led him to see the Mechanical Army.
• Sasori demonstrated a fighter aircraft firing missiles, impressing Deidara with its explosions.
• Anyo used the Spirit Transformation Technique to imitate the Soul Power of Deidara’s deceased father, and Deidara called him Dad.
• Anyo and Sasori invited Deidara to leave the Akatsuki and join them, and Anyo explained their connections to its members.
• Anyo suggested new ways for Deidara to develop his explosive art, and Deidara agreed to work with him.

Deidara and Sasori encountered Temari and Kankuro while returning through Sunagakure, while Anyo reunited with Mabui and agreed to take her with him and let Samui return to Kumogakure. The chapter ended with Samui announcing that she wanted to go with Anyo.

• Deidara asked Sasori why Anyo had created the Zero Organization instead of merging Akatsuki into his own group, then discussed finding places to experiment in the desert.
• Temari and Kankuro confronted Deidara and Sasori while searching for Gaara, and Temari attacked them with Wind Release.
• Anyo found Mabui, listened as she scolded him, and hugged her when she asked.
• Mabui asked Anyo to let Samui return to Kumogakure, and he agreed before inviting Mabui to come home with him and help care for his children.
• Samui rode over to Anyo and declared that she was going with him.

Deidara and Sasori left Temari and Kankuro badly injured, but Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee found and rescued them. Anyo arranged for Sunagakure and Konoha to coordinate a search, then told Sasori to abandon his puppet and leave the Akatsuki as he and Rock Lee followed the battle’s traces.

• Deidara and Sasori left Temari and Kankuro in the desert after deciding to seal the One-Tail instead of searching the oasis.
• Neji detected injured people ahead, and Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee found Temari and Kankuro and treated them.
• Temari urged the rescuers to tell the Kazekage to save them, so the three carried the injured pair to Sunagakure.
• Anyo proposed that Sunagakure request Konoha’s help and that the Allied Nations launch a joint operation; Sasori agreed and sent Tenten and Neji to deliver the news.
• Anyo told Sasori to abandon his puppet, recall his split-off soul, and leave the Akatsuki, then followed Rock Lee toward the battle site.

Anyo tracked the Akatsuki to their cave while Team Kakashi was sent to support Sunagakure, and Tsunade wondered whether Anyo’s connections made him suspect. At the cave, Anyo killed Kisame’s transformed body instantly and faced Itachi.

• Anyo followed Rock Lee’s scent trail from the battlefield where Temari and Deidara had fought.
• Tsunade dispatched Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi to Sunagakure and told them to follow Anyo’s instructions; she also suspected Anyo might have ties to the Akatsuki.
• Yugao told Tsunade that Kikyo had drugged her and gone after Kakashi, and Tsunade reluctantly let Kikyo join the mission.
• At the Akatsuki cave, Zetsu detected Anyo approaching, and Pain sent transformed versions of Itachi and Kisame to test him while the others continued sealing the One-Tail.
• Anyo killed Kisame’s transformed body with a single strike, then stood beside Itachi and mocked him for displaying one of the Seven Swords.

Anyo defeated Kisame and Itachi’s Shapeshifting Technique, using overwhelming swordsmanship to pierce Itachi despite his defense. As Anyo approached the cave, an unseen voice asked to speak with him.

• Kisame’s illusion body faltered after Anyo defeated him with a single sword slash, and Itachi explained that Anyo had blended genjutsu into his swordsmanship.
• Anyo challenged Itachi to show the swordsmanship he had taught him, and the two exchanged a rapid series of blade strikes.
• Itachi defended his throat and heart with Hidden Swordsmanship, but Anyo’s sword force pierced both points and ended the Shapeshifting Technique.
• Zetsu reported Itachi’s defeat, while Pain ordered the Akatsuki to continue sealing the One-Tail because someone else would stop Anyo.
• Anyo reached the boulder blocking the cave entrance, but a voice beside his ear asked if they could talk.

Anyo rejected Obito’s offer to join forces, then regrouped with Team 7 after learning the Akatsuki was sealing the One-Tail. He assigned the team to remove the Five-Seal Barrier while keeping Kikyo with him.

• Obito revealed himself as Madara Uchiha and offered to remove the flaws in Anyo’s Mangekyō and share the secret of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Anyo refused to trust Obito and said he would carry out the plan himself if necessary; Obito warned that Kikyo was among the Konoha ninja approaching.
• Anyo left Obito, picked up Rock Lee, and changed course to wait for support.
• Anyo found Team 7 and mapped the cave where the Akatsuki was sealing the One-Tail after returning from Sunagakure.
• Anyo explained that the cave was protected by a Five-Seal Barrier and sent everyone except Kikyo to remove the forbidden tags.

Anyo and Kikyo broke the barrier seals and joined the others at the cave, where the group smashed the entrance boulder. Obito revealed that the Nine-Tails would be captured last because the tailed beasts had to be sealed into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path in a specific order.

• Anyo scolded Kikyo for rejecting the protection she received as the Hokage’s daughter, then guided her toward a Sealing Talisman.
• Kikyo spotted the Mirror Attacker Technique trap and used Sasori’s Arrow of Demon-Breaking to break the seal safely.
• Kakashi, Sakura, Rock Lee, and Naruto each defeated or escaped their clones, undoing the remaining seals of the Five-Seal Barrier.
• The reunited group reached the cave, and Kikyo and Sakura punched apart the boulder blocking its entrance.
• Anyo stayed outside and spoke with Obito, who explained that the Nine-Tails had to be sealed into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path last.

Anyo refused to cooperate with Obito but agreed to a temporary peace as Naruto's team confronted Deidara and Sasori over Gaara's capture. Kikyo wounded Deidara in an aerial fight, then entered his C4 Space to protect Naruto and Rock Lee.

• Anyo rejected Obito's offer of cooperation but agreed that neither would act while their conflict played out.
• Naruto learned Gaara had been sealed and pursued Deidara, while Kikyo and Rock Lee followed him and Kakashi and Sakura faced Sasori inside the cave.
• Kikyo used her power to stop Naruto, sent him and Rock Lee back toward the cave, and struck Deidara's clay bird with an Explosive Arrow.
• Naruto and Rock Lee headed toward the falling Deidara as he activated C4 Karura, and Kikyo entered the C4 Space to protect them.

Kikyo defeated Deidara with a powerful space-based arrow, while Kakashi and Sakura survived Sasori’s assault after Kakashi used Kamui to absorb his five-nature attack. The Akatsuki duo was defeated, though Kakashi was gravely wounded and Sakura began treating his poison.

• Kakashi drew the White Light Chakra Sabre, prompting Sasori to reveal his identity and attack Kakashi and Sakura with five kinds of ninjutsu.
• Kakashi used Kamui to absorb Sasori’s attacks, leaving the cave intact but exhausting himself.
• Kikyo protected herself from Deidara’s C4 Bombs with Lightning Domain and warned Naruto and Rock Lee to stay back.
• Kikyo and Deidara exchanged arrows and clay birds until Kikyo struck him with a space-based arrow, sending him into the lake.
• Obito feared Kikyo’s power, while Anyo said her victory over Deidara had been assured.
• Sasori’s final puppet was destroyed, and Sakura began treating the poisoned, barely conscious Kakashi.

Anyo treated Kakashi after the battle, captured Sasori’s divided soul, and told Naruto and Sakura that he had news about Sasuke. Meanwhile, Obito chose Kikyo as a potential trump card against Anyo, while Naruto and Sakura agreed to return to Konoha before searching for Sasuke.

• Anyo treated Kakashi, captured Sasori’s divided soul, and learned that Sasori felt at peace after discovering the truth about his parents’ deaths.
• Kakashi woke, and he and Anyo discussed how their personalities had changed over the years.
• Naruto asked whether anyone had found a clue about Gaara, and Anyo revealed that he had information about Sasuke.
• Obito learned that Deidara could be saved and decided to gather information on Kikyo so he could use her against Anyo.
• Sakura and Naruto urged Anyo to tell them where Sasuke was, but he insisted they return to Konoha and report to the Hokage before planning a search.

Tsunade confronted Anyo about his partnership with Orochimaru and demanded his Akatsuki intelligence, triggering a clash that Kikyo interrupted. The chapter ended with Anyo discovering that Kikyo had awakened the Rinnegan and whisking her away from Tsunade and Jiraiya.

• Tsunade sent Naruto, Sakura, and Kikyo to bring Sasuke back alive, then questioned Anyo about Orochimaru and the Akatsuki.
• Anyo admitted he had been Orochimaru's partner from the beginning and warned Tsunade and Jiraiya not to interfere with his plans.
• Tsunade demanded Anyo surrender his Akatsuki intelligence, and Anyo unleashed his senjutsu power as Tsunade and Jiraiya prepared to fight him.
• Kikyo appeared between them and pleaded with Anyo not to fight; he saw that her eyes had become the Rinnegan.
• Anyo drove Tsunade and Jiraiya away with a surge of senjutsu and vanished from the office with Kikyo.

Anyo took Kikyo to Ryūchi Cave after discovering her Rinnegan and sought a way to contact the Sage of Six Paths. He began a formation to investigate the source of Kikyo’s eyes, which transformed into the Rinnegan again as the chapter ended.

• Anyo left the Hokage Office with Kikyo, using a token from Ryūchi Cave to transport them away.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya wondered why Kikyo had the Rinnegan, and Jiraiya left Konoha to follow Naruto.
• Anyo told the White Snake Sage he wanted to meet the Sage of Six Paths, and she suggested Kikyo’s eyes might hold the answer.
• Anyo placed Kikyo in a formation and explained that he feared the Rinnegan would harm her.
• Anyo activated the formation, and Kikyo’s Sharingan changed into the Rinnegan.

Anyo discovered that Hagoromo's chakra had fused with Kikyo's Rinnegan and sealed Hagoromo's consciousness after learning that Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was the only one who could separate it. Kikyo's eyes changed back to Sharingan, and Anyo reassured her that the problem was handled.

• Anyo used his vitality and soul power to examine Kikyo's newly awakened Rinnegan, but his soul was drawn into a mysterious space.
• Anyo met Hagoromo, who explained that Kikyo was likely his reincarnation and had awakened the Rinnegan after absorbing his wandering chakra.
• Hagoromo said his chakra had fused with Kikyo's and that only Kaguya Ōtsutsuki could separate it.
• Anyo sealed Hagoromo's consciousness with the Moon in the Well Sealing Jutsu, ignoring Hagoromo's warning about Kaguya.
• Kikyo's Rinnegan changed into Sharingan, and Anyo told her the problem was resolved.
• Kikyo asked Anyo to stop arguing with Tsunade, and he promised to clear up their misunderstanding.

Anyo brought Kikyo back safely after teaching her how to cultivate Ryūchi Cave Senjutsu, then invited Tsunade to meet him at their old home. They reconciled over dinner, and the chapter ended with them growing intimate.

• Tsunade worried over Anyo and Kikyo's disappearance until Kikyo returned and told her that Anyo had taken her somewhere fun.
• Kikyo gave Tsunade Anyo's message to meet at their usual place, then agreed to stay in Konoha and look after her younger siblings.
• Tsunade went to the mansion prison and found Anyo waiting with a meal he had cooked.
• Anyo apologized for losing his temper and explained that his plan concerned his late teacher, denying that he was cooperating with the Akatsuki.
• Tsunade accepted Anyo's honesty, and the two shared their feelings and became intimate.

Anyo brought Samui and Mabui to help Kikyo, then used Mabui’s Heavenly Transfer Technique to reach Orochimaru’s hideout. He warned Orochimaru that Jiraiya and Naruto were coming and sought a cursed-seal source to protect him before he tried to take Sasuke’s body.

• Mabui and Samui argued about Anyo leaving them behind, and Anyo introduced them to Kikyo as helpers who would look after her.
• Anyo told Kikyo to stay behind and study her chakra, then asked Mabui to use the Heavenly Transfer Technique to send him to a hidden location.
• Anyo arrived at Orochimaru’s underground hideout and revealed that Jiraiya and Naruto were on their way because he had disclosed its location.
• Orochimaru said he intended to take Sasuke’s body, while Anyo judged his chance of success to be under ten percent and asked for a person connected to the cursed seals.
• Orochimaru gave Anyo a key to his northern hideout, where the cursed seals originated, and said Anyo had met the person there before.

Anyo freed Jūgo and used the Cursed Seal chakra to revive Orochimaru in a new body. While searching for Minato Namikaze’s body, Anyo discovered Orochimaru’s cultivated Eight-Tails horn and learned about his research into the Nine-Tails.

• Anyo opened Jūgo’s cell, subdued him with senjutsu, and analyzed how his body absorbed natural energy.
• Anyo drained Jūgo’s chakra and used his Cursed Seal chakra to revive Orochimaru in a new body.
• Orochimaru complained that his new body was weak, and Anyo reminded him that his sealed hands limited his power.
• Orochimaru led Anyo toward Minato Namikaze’s body, but Anyo stopped at a room with enormous chakra fluctuations.
• Orochimaru showed Anyo a cultivated Eight-Tails horn and explained his research into the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails chakra.

Anyo found Orochimaru extracting Nine-Tails chakra from Minato’s body and warned him that Sasuke would eventually defeat him. Anyo proposed that they cooperate to collect tailed-beast cells and investigate the possibility of a second Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and Orochimaru agreed.

• Anyo discovered Orochimaru siphoning Nine-Tails chakra from Minato into an eight-headed serpent created with the Eight Branches Technique.
• Anyo restrained Orochimaru’s serpent with an Uzumaki sealing jutsu and warned that Orochimaru’s immortality would not save him from Sasuke.
• Anyo offered to tell Orochimaru how to undo the Reaper Death Seal in exchange for help with a major experiment.
• Anyo proposed collecting tailed-beast cells and suggested that a second Demonic Statue of the Outer Path might exist.
• Orochimaru agreed to cooperate with Anyo, who planned to begin by hunting tailed beasts.

Anyo and Orochimaru cultivated miniature Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails while Anyo stabilized Minato’s body. After Orochimaru learned that Sasuke had devoured his soul and Kabuto had taken his body, he accepted their choices, and Sasori brought Gaara and Fū to the laboratory so Anyo could extract their Tailed Beast cells.

• Anyo explained to Orochimaru that he wanted to overturn the Shinobi World’s old order and leave a new system to future generations.
• Anyo and Orochimaru cultivated the Eight-Tails’ and Nine-Tails’ chakra, while Anyo maintained the balance of powers in Minato’s body.
• Orochimaru collapsed, then recovered with Anyo’s help and accepted that Sasuke had devoured his soul and Kabuto had taken his body.
• Sasori arrived with Gaara and Fū, and Anyo promised they could leave after the experiment.
• Fū and Gaara entered Experiment Chambers, where Anyo extracted Seven-Tails and One-Tail cells from their bodies.

Anyo divided up the hunt for Tailed Beast cells, sending Sasori after the Four-Tails while he headed to Kumogakure with Orochimaru. After Gaara and Fū chose not to sabotage Anyo’s facility, Anyo collected Two-Tails cells from Kakuzu and left with an item.

• Sasori agreed to pursue the Four-Tails, while Orochimaru offered ways to extract cells from the already-sealed Five-Tails.
• Anyo set out for Kumogakure with Orochimaru, who transformed into a white snake and rode on his shoulder.
• Gaara tried to destroy the Experiment Chambers, but Fū stopped him and revealed that Anyo had killed the Four-Nation Allied Forces.
• Gaara and Fū decided to return to the imprisoned Aburame Ninja, believing his forbidden technique had created Death Poison Valley, and flew there together.
• Kakuzu and Hidan battled the Two-Tails, and Hidan used his blood-based technique to begin controlling it.
• Anyo met Kakuzu, asked him to collect Two-Tails cells, then exchanged whispers with him, took an item, and departed.

Anyo explained the flaws of Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear and admitted he planned to kill his wealthy uncle so he could inherit his fortune. He then sent Orochimaru to help approach Deidara, while Tobi’s identity as Obito Uchiha became a concern.

• Orochimaru explained that repeatedly replacing hearts could alter Kakuzu’s emotions and sense of self, and Anyo confessed he intended to kill Kakuzu and inherit his estate.
• Anyo persuaded Orochimaru to continue cooperating by promising to help create a Sage of Six Paths, then chose Deidara as the easiest route to the Three-Tails.
• Deidara traveled with his new partner Tobi, argued with him about art and being cool, and attacked him with a clay bomb after Tobi called him a chatterbox.
• Anyo found Deidara and Tobi, told Orochimaru that Tobi was Obito Uchiha and the force behind Akatsuki, and asked Orochimaru to help separate him from Deidara.
• Orochimaru confronted Deidara as a clone, dismissed Deidara’s threat, and announced that he had come for Tobi.