Chapter Summaries

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.

Anyo gave Deidara a Sasori-made puppet that could serve as a substitute and asked him to retrieve Iwagakure’s vessel for sealing the Five-Tails. Orochimaru tried to recruit Tobi as an ally, but Tobi departed after saying he might need Orochimaru’s power later; Anyo and Orochimaru then set off for Kirigakure to find the Six-Tails.

• Tobi dropped his comic act when Orochimaru revealed he knew Tobi had once been in the Akatsuki.
• Anyo met Deidara in the clouds and gave him a scroll containing a puppet that could replicate his abilities as a substitute.
• Anyo asked Deidara to go to Iwagakure and bring back the vessel once used to seal the Five-Tails, and Deidara agreed.
• Orochimaru offered to join forces with Tobi and promised he could raise an undying army using Impure World Reincarnation.
• Tobi said he might need Orochimaru’s power in the future and vanished using Space-Time Ninjutsu.
• Anyo appeared beside Orochimaru, and they decided to seek the Six-Tails in Kirigakure.

Anyo and Orochimaru discussed Kirigakure’s history and Orochimaru’s experiments, while Anyo took an interest in Hozuki Suigetsu. At a bounty station, Kakuzu calculated his future earnings as Hidan was attacked by Konoha ninja, but Kakuzu spared them and decided to charge Anyo for the lost bounty later.

• Anyo asked Orochimaru about Kirigakure, and Orochimaru explained the village’s history and its bloody policies toward kekkei genkai users.
• Orochimaru recalled Kimimaro and told Anyo that Hozuki Suigetsu had survived his experiments thanks to the Hydrification Technique.
• Anyo connected Suigetsu to the Hozuki Clan and challenged him to a future sword spar, while Suigetsu sensed an ominous chill elsewhere.
• Kakuzu took a monk’s corpse to a Bounty Station, collected thirty million, and calculated how much money he could control after the organizations merged.
• Konoha ninja ambushed Hidan outside the station, but Kakuzu intervened and warned them to leave.
• Kakuzu recognized Asuma and decided to spare the Konoha ninja, planning to ask Anyo for forty million later instead.

Anyo and Orochimaru searched Kirigakure for the Six-Tails, but Anyo found no trace of it and questioned Genji. Genji revealed that Karatachi Yagura had been controlled by a mysterious Sharingan user before disappearing with the Six-Tails, while Anyo promised to leave without seeing Mei Terumi.

• Asuma declared that he and the other Konoha ninja would not let Hidan and Kakuzu go, and Hidan charged ahead to fight.
• Anyo and Orochimaru entered Kirigakure, where Anyo searched the village with Sage Mode but could not sense the Six-Tails.
• Anyo approached Genji, who angrily called him a liar, but eventually listened when Anyo asked about the Six-Tails.
• Genji explained that Karatachi Yagura had sealed the Six-Tails inside himself and later fell under the control of a mysterious person with the Sharingan.
• Genji said Karatachi Yagura vanished along with the Six-Tails while Genji was preparing to expose the person controlling him.

After Orochimaru extracted Six-Tails cells, the container shattered and triggered Kirigakure’s alarm, forcing Anyo and Genji to prepare a Space–Time Barrier as Mei Terumi closed in. Meanwhile, Sasori watched Kakuzu and Hidan retreat from the battle at the Bounty Station and decided to contact Tenten to help Konoha defeat Kakuzu.

• Anyo took Genji’s Six-Tails container, and Orochimaru extracted cells from it before it shattered and activated Kirigakure’s village barrier.
• Genji began teaching Anyo to set up a Space–Time Barrier so he could escape Kirigakure unnoticed.
• Mei Terumi sent Ao to search for the intruder, and Ao detected an unseen power near Genji’s home.
• Anyo made rapid progress on the barrier before Mei Terumi trapped the area with her Lava Release and demanded that he surrender.
• At the Bounty Station, Kakuzu and Hidan retreated after Pain ordered them to seal a tailed beast, while Sasori watched the battle.
• Sasori decided to visit Konoha and contact Tenten about helping the Konoha ninja take down Kakuzu.

Anyo reunited with Mei Terumi in Kirigakure after years apart, and she confronted him for leaving her without word. He promised to stay with her until she was ready to leave her duties as Mizukage, and they finally embraced.

• Mei Terumi rushed to Anyo, sealed his chakra, and bound him with water so he could not escape.
• Mei Terumi accused Anyo of breaking his promise and leaving her waiting in Kirigakure without sending a letter.
• Anyo freed himself and showed Mei Terumi a flyer proving he had publicly searched for a marriage partner, then explained he had planned to see her after collecting Six-Tails cells.
• Mei Terumi asked Anyo to stay in Kirigakure with her until she could train a successor, and he agreed.
• Mei Terumi embraced Anyo and sobbed that she hated how long and uncertain it had been to wait for him.

Anyo postponed his tailed-beast plan to stay with Mei Terumi in Kirigakure, while Naruto and Kakashi defeated and killed Kakuzu. Sasori then sent Da'an to search for a location tied to his plan, warning him not to betray him.

• Anyo told Orochimaru that he would delay cultivating tailed-beast cells and stay with Mei Terumi until the approaching Five Kage Summit.
• Genji dismissed the gathered Kirigakure ninja, then accepted Anyo and Mei Terumi's invitation to go fishing and share a meal.
• Tenten flew to the battlefield with Sasori's puppet and watched Naruto's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken destroy Kakuzu's hearts.
• Kakashi delivered the finishing blow and killed Kakuzu, after which Sasori and Tenten left the battlefield.
• Sasori ordered Da'an to begin searching for a location and warned him that betrayal would bring fatal consequences.

Mei Terumi and Anyo discussed Kirigakure’s reforms, and Anyo promised to fund them, leaving Mei to repay the village’s debt as Mizukage. Meanwhile, Sasori confirmed that Kakuzu’s hidden gold was buried on a deserted island and rewarded Da'an for bringing him there.

• Mei Terumi questioned Anyo about his identity and age, and he gave her a story to explain the name Ōbu.
• Anyo advised Mei Terumi to develop Kirigakure’s economy and reform its internal policies, then promised to provide the needed money.
• Anyo teased Mei Terumi and said the Mizukage would have to repay Kirigakure’s debt.
• Sasori arrived at the island Da'an had identified as the hiding place of the gold and rewarded Da'an with authority, funds, and a powerful puppet.
• Sasori used Dragon Vein Power to search the island and wondered how much money Kakuzu had hidden there.

Sasori learned that Kurotsuchi was trapped in Kirigakure and left Orochimaru’s hideout to find him. In Kirigakure, Anyo tested Chōjūrō in a fierce sword clash, and Mei Terumi teased Anyo for holding a grudge against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

• Sasori delivered the Four-Tails’ cells to Orochimaru, who began cultivating its embryo and gave Sasori a scroll listing the experiment’s required materials.
• Orochimaru told Sasori that Kurotsuchi was trapped by a woman and revealed that Kurotsuchi was in Kirigakure, so Sasori left to find him.
• Mei Terumi announced new reforms in Kirigakure and told Anyo that she had committed the village’s reserve funds to them.
• A messenger reported that an intruder had broken into Kirigakure, and Anyo sensed that Sasori had arrived and went to locate him.
• Anyo challenged Chōjūrō to draw Hiramekarei and overwhelmed him with a display of blades before Mei Terumi stopped the test.
• Mei Terumi dismissed Chōjūrō and teased Anyo for holding a grudge against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Sasori defeated a group of Mist Ninja without killing them, then brought a vast fortune from Kakuzu’s vault to Kirigakure as a loan for Mei Terumi. After discussing Kakuzu’s wealth and the recovered Rasa puppet, Anyo realized Orochimaru may have been hiding something from Sasori.

• Sasori used his puppets to repel the Mist Ninja with precise water-blade attacks, and Anyo joined him in his mental space.
• Anyo introduced Sasori to Mei Terumi, and Sasori greeted her as his sister-in-law.
• Anyo healed the fallen Mist Ninja, then Sasori revealed Wooden Ox puppets packed with gold in the Mizukage's Office.
• Mei accepted the gold as a loan, while Anyo and Sasori left to talk at Anyo's wooden house.
• Sasori told Anyo he had emptied Kakuzu's immense hidden vault and recovered the Rasa puppet through his divided soul in Konoha.
• When Sasori said Orochimaru had initially refused to reveal Anyo's whereabouts, Anyo realized something was wrong.

Anyo realized Sasuke might soon fight Itachi and sent Sasori to bring Itachi back before Orochimaru could take Sasuke’s body. Meanwhile, Jiraiya prepared to investigate the Akatsuki’s leader in Amegakure, leaving Tsunade worried and urging her to choose her heart over the village if forced to choose between Konoha and Anyo.

• Anyo told Sasori to find Itachi and bring him to Kirigakure, even by force, because he believed Itachi would lose to Sasuke.
• Sasori learned that Sasuke had defeated Deidara and used the Zero Organization’s intelligence network to locate Itachi and Kisame.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade that his investigation pointed to Amegakure as the Akatsuki leader’s hiding place, and he planned to infiltrate the village.
• Jiraiya rejected Tsunade’s suggestion to rely on Anyo, arguing that Anyo would protect only himself and those he cared about.
• Jiraiya left to investigate Amegakure after advising Tsunade to follow her heart if she ever had to choose between Konoha and Anyo.

Tsunade regretted letting Jiraiya take a mission alone, while Kikyo secretly followed his trail. Sasori brought Itachi to Kirigakure, where Itachi confirmed his choice through a crow clone, and the crow carried Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami to Anyo.

• Tsunade lamented letting Jiraiya go alone, and Shizune took her home while Kikyo secretly followed Jiraiya’s tracks.
• Sasori confronted Itachi and Kisame, then used his senjutsu power to make Itachi agree to go with him to Kirigakure.
• Kisame stayed behind as Itachi and Sasori flew away in a Flying Mecha, and a familiar voice told Kisame it still needed his help.
• Obito told Pain and Konan that Sasori had gone to Kirigakure to find the Three-Tails, while the Akatsuki prepared to pursue the remaining tailed beasts.
• Anyo asked Itachi whether this was his choice, and Itachi asked if his mother was alive before entrusting Sasuke to Anyo.
• Itachi vanished as a flock of crows, and one crow carrying Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami flew toward Anyo.

After Itachi used Kotoamatsukami to deceive Sasori, Anyo explained the genjutsu and decided to convene a third Five Kage Summit as the Akatsuki neared its pursuit of the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. Meanwhile, Jiraiya entered Amegakure and was detected by Pain, while Kikyo found a way to slip into the village unseen.

• Sasori apologized to Anyo for failing to bring Itachi back, and Anyo explained that Itachi had used Kotoamatsukami to guide Sasori into mistaking a clone for the real Itachi.
• Anyo described how Kotoamatsukami affected people with different levels of resistance and explained that it could plant suggestions even in someone with his own strength.
• Anyo told Sasori to convene the third Five Kage Summit, and Sasori showed him ten lakes near the Land of Fire where the Three-Tails might be found.
• Sasori returned to Sunagakure, and Mei Terumi told Anyo she would leave with him once Kirigakure no longer needed her.
• Jiraiya entered Amegakure, alerting Pain through the chakra-infused rain, while Kikyo realized the Rain Tiger at Will Technique had exposed him.
• Kikyo hid her physical body in the ground with Inorganic Reincarnation and sent her holy soul body into Amegakure to warn Jiraiya.

Kikyo witnessed Jiraiya fight Pain in Amegakure, while Sasuke and Anyo faced turning points in the aftermath of their own troubles. News of a Five Kage Summit and Jiraiya’s death reached Kirigakure and Konoha, where Haku revealed that Kikyo had gone missing.

• Kikyo watched Jiraiya defeat three Rinnegan-wielding opponents with auditory Genjutsu, but six Paths of Pain then appeared and severed one of Jiraiya’s arms.
• Sasuke collapsed beside Itachi’s body after their battle, overcome by grief despite having won his revenge.
• Anyo spoke with Mei Terumi about his unease, and she agreed to spend the night with him after he offered to reveal how he had become younger.
• Genji gave Mei Terumi the Kazekage’s letter proposing a Five Kage Summit in the Land of Hot Water, and he insisted she attend despite her reluctance.
• Fukasaku told Naruto that Jiraiya had died fighting Pain, and Tsunade recalled that Jiraiya and Anyo had once cared for orphans in Amegakure.
• Haku arrived at the Hokage Office and told Tsunade that Kikyo was missing from Konoha.

After news of Jiraiya’s dangerous mission unsettled Konoha, Tsunade learned that Anyo was connected to the coming Five Kage Summit and worried that Kikyo had disappeared. Meanwhile, Anyo promised Mei Terumi a hot-spring outing but panicked when she asked him to pledge his necklace.

• Kakashi asked Haku where Anyo had gone, and Naruto angrily confronted Tsunade after learning she had sent Jiraiya on a dangerous mission.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura delivered a Five Kage Summit letter, and Haku inferred Anyo would attend because Mabui had already left for the Land of Hot Water.
• Tsunade spoke privately with Haku about her relationship with Anyo and learned that Kikyo had not been seen since going to check on Tsunade at a tavern.
• At Kirigakure’s gates, Anyo admitted to Mei Terumi that he had anticipated the summit and promised to take her to the hot springs.
• Mei Terumi declined Anyo’s Supreme Edge as a pledge and asked for his necklace instead, leaving him flustered.

Anyo found the Three-Tails and reunited with Rin Nohara, who had survived as a soul and befriended the beast. He prepared to take the Three-Tails away, but Rin pleaded with him to leave her companion alone.

• Mei Terumi accepted the Mizukage Hat from Genji and set out for the Five Kage Summit with Chōjūrō and Ao as her guards.
• Anyo searched three lakes near the Land of Fire and found the Three-Tails hiding beneath the third lake.
• Anyo trapped the Three-Tails in ice, but it stopped its attack when it recognized his soul power.
• Anyo reunited with Rin Nohara, who explained that she had developed the Spirit Body Technique and named the Three-Tails Goodie.
• Anyo produced a container, and Rin spread her arms to beg him not to take Goodie away.