Recaps

Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and the refugees relocated from the Land of Rain to the Land of Grass, where Kusagakure organized its forces into four divisions. As Sunagakure’s Third Kazekage declared victory outside Amegakure, explosions struck his camp in the night.

• Yahiko accepted Lu You’s offer to bring Akatsuki and the refugees to the Land of Grass.
• Akatsuki escorted the refugees and their supplies across the border, where Abu helped settle them in newly built houses.
• Lu You appointed Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan to lead the Second, Third, and Fourth Divisions, and took command of the First Division himself.
• Over the following months, the refugees settled in and Kusagakure’s divisions began training as the war in the Land of Rain turned against Konoha and Amegakure.
• The Third Kazekage declared that Sunagakure had won the war, but explosions erupted around his camp late that night.

The Third Kazekage sacrificed himself so Sunagakure’s vanguard could escape an Iwagakure ambush, then Rasa took power as the Fourth Kazekage after his forces killed the surviving jonin. With Sunagakure trapped between enemies, Rasa ordered Pakura to pursue peace talks with Konoha.

• The Third Kazekage ordered the vanguard to break south, named Pakura as his successor, and held off Iwagakure’s forces until they killed him at dawn.
• The surviving Sunagakure jonin regrouped and reported the Third Kazekage’s death to Rasa, who had joined them with nearly four thousand troops.
• Rasa’s men stabbed the surviving jonin and urged Rasa to become the Fourth Kazekage, and he accepted the haori they placed on his shoulders.
• Pakura refused to turn back against Iwagakure because Konoha could attack Sunagakure in a pincer, and she waited for Chiyo’s and Rasa’s forces to secure the western entrance.
• After Rasa became Fourth Kazekage, he assigned Pakura and a few trusted subordinates to hold peace talks with Konoha on the eastern border of the Land of Rain.

Pakura and her Sunagakure followers walked into a trap set by Danzo’s Root, and she fought back as they were killed around her. A flashback showed that Rasa had received a secret letter from Danzo, who claimed he was merely helping him.

• Pakura sensed danger in the abandoned town and ordered her followers to retreat.
• Danzo’s Root ambushed Pakura and her team, and Pakura recognized the masked attackers as Konoha Anbu.
• Pakura used Scorch Release to kill a Root ninja and fought Danzo’s Wind Release attacks.
• Pakura’s followers fell one by one as she realized Rasa had arranged the trap and waited for Danzo’s next strike.
• Half a month earlier, Rasa questioned Danzo about a secret letter in the Sunagakure camp, and Danzo said he was giving him a hand.

Danzo persuaded Rasa to sacrifice Pakura and frame Konoha for her death, but Nagato and the Grass Ninja arrived before Danzo could kill her. Danzo’s Root forces retreated, while a strange black-and-white figure watched Nagato and remarked that he had been lured away.

• Danzo convinced Rasa that killing Pakura would remove a political threat and let Sunagakure withdraw while blaming Konoha for her death.
• After Pakura’s followers were killed and her chakra was exhausted, Danzo approached her and offered to spare her in exchange for Sunagakure’s defenses, but she refused.
• Nagato and the Third Division arrived from the north, and Nagato used his Rinnegan powers to repel Danzo and defeat several Root ninja.
• Nagato’s forces outnumbered Danzo’s Root ninja, who retreated after Danzo blew a whistle; Nagato did not pursue them because he remembered Lu You’s instructions.
• A black-and-white figure watched from a distant hilltop and said Nagato had already been lured away while he was not paying attention.

Black Zetsu reported that Nagato had joined Kusagakure and used the Rinnegan, but Madara Uchiha chose to keep observing him. At the Grass Ninja camp, Lu You offered the captured Pakura a choice between returning to Sunagakure or joining Kusagakure, and she considered his unexpected offer.

• Black Zetsu told Madara Uchiha that Nagato had joined Kusagakure, fought Konoha ninja, and revealed the Rinnegan while rescuing a Sunagakure ninja.
• Madara Uchiha ordered Zetsu to keep watching Nagato, saying he could do as he pleased as long as nothing happened to the Rinnegan.
• Pakura recovered in the Grass Ninja camp and resolved not to return to Sunagakure, fearing Rasa would betray her again.
• Lu You visited Pakura and offered to let her return to Sunagakure or join Kusagakure, promising support if she wanted revenge against Rasa.
• Pakura questioned Lu You's decision to recruit an enemy commander, and he replied that Kusagakure welcomed people from all walks of life and urgently needed talent.

Pakura joined Kusagakure after Lu You demonstrated his strength, and he assigned her to serve with Konan’s Fourth Division. Kusagakure’s forces captured Amegakure, while Lu You prepared to face the much larger Iwagakure force.

• Pakura agreed to join Kusagakure to take revenge on Rasa, but refused to fight Sunagakure’s shinobi unless its leadership became her target.
• Lu You told Pakura he intended to unite the continent and demonstrated his power by slicing a mountain in half; Pakura accepted his strength and became captain of the Fifth Division, which had no other members.
• Lu You assigned Pakura to accompany Konan’s Fourth Division, and Pakura asked to join any future campaign against Sunagakure’s leadership.
• Lu You planned to take Amegakure, hold off Iwagakure, and negotiate peace with Konoha while rival forces were distracted and weakened.
• Yahiko’s Second Division and Konan’s Fourth Division launched a night assault on Amegakure, with Pakura’s Scorch Release helping burn the village’s outer towers.
• Kusagakure’s flag rose over Amegakure at daybreak as Yahiko watched; Lu You prepared to lead the First Division against nearly ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi.

Ōnoki redirected Iwagakure's main force toward Kusagakure, while Konoha's commanders debated their next move after Kusagakure occupied Amegakure. The Hokage ordered Lu You captured alive, and Shikaku Nara proposed advancing into the Land of Grass via Kannabi Bridge.

• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure's main force to turn toward the Land of Grass and attack Kusagakure while its troops were away in the Land of Rain.
• Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, Danzo, and Shikaku Nara discussed whether Konoha should withdraw or move against Kusagakure.
• Danzo revealed that the Hokage had ordered the Western Front Force to capture Lu You alive and bring him to Konoha.
• Shikaku Nara pointed to Kannabi Bridge as the proposed route for Konoha's advance into the Land of Grass.

Lu You confronted Ōnoki and Iwagakure’s massive force at Kannabi Bridge, then destroyed the bridge and reshaped the battlefield to give Kusagakure’s First Division an opening. As Ōnoki rallied his troops, Lu You continued carving through the Iwa Shinobi alone.

• Orochimaru ordered the Konoha troops to march toward Kannabi Bridge at dawn and attack Kusagakure’s main force from behind.
• Lu You led the First Division to Kannabi Bridge, where he prepared to stop Iwagakure’s advancing army.
• Ōnoki arrived with Iwagakure’s main force and questioned Lu You about killing Hanzō.
• Lu You rejected the idea of an ambush and destroyed Kannabi Bridge with a sword strike, prompting Kusagakure’s hidden ninjas to attack.
• Lu You carved deep gorges beside Iwagakure’s formation, splitting and constraining its forces while Ōnoki rallied his troops.
• Lu You advanced through the Iwa Shinobi ranks, killing enemies with his sword as the First Division struggled against the numbers.

Lu You overwhelmed Ōnoki in their battle at Kannabi Bridge, evading and breaking apart the Tsuchikage’s Dust Release attacks. Ōnoki died after asking Lu You to treat the people of the Land of Earth well, leaving Lu You to carry forward his vision of peace.

• Ōnoki used Dust Release against Lu You, but Lu You dodged the beams and destroyed Ōnoki’s Earth Release Clone.
• Lu You cut through Ōnoki’s forming Dust Release cube, leaving the Tsuchikage unable to land an attack.
• Ōnoki unleashed a fifty-meter, all-direction Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, but Lu You appeared behind him unharmed.
• Ōnoki asked Lu You his name and compared him to Madara Uchiha, while Lu You promised to create a truly peaceful world.
• Ōnoki asked Lu You to treat the people of the Land of Earth well, and Lu You pierced his chest with his sword.

Lu You killed Ōnoki and used Dust Release to shatter Kannabi Bridge, driving Iwagakure's forces into retreat. He then confronted Orochimaru's arriving Konoha army and made them withdraw before returning to the battered First Division.

• Lu You killed Ōnoki, and the Iwa Shinobi cried out for revenge.
• Lu You unleashed Dust Release, destroying the cliffs around Kannabi Bridge and breaking Iwagakure's formation.
• Kusagakure's troops pushed the fleeing Iwa Shinobi toward Konoha's arriving forces, while Danzo fled and Orochimaru let the routed troops pass.
• Lu You faced Orochimaru and told Konoha to withdraw from the Land of Grass.
• Lu You sheathed his sword and returned to the First Division, and Orochimaru eventually withdrew his troops.

Kusagakure annexed the Land of Rain and reorganized its government as the western front fell quiet, while Konoha faced renewed pressure in the east. In Iwagakure, the newly appointed Fourth Tsuchikage Kitsuchi proposed a decisive offensive against an opponent other than Kusagakure.

• Yahiko's Second Division and Nagato's Third Division eliminated the remaining Rain Ninja, ending armed resistance in the Land of Rain.
• Abu moved the Land of Grass's administration into the former Daimyō Residence and oversaw the annexation of the Land of Rain.
• Lu You directed Abu to reorganize the government, establishing a Council of Elders and a Cabinet that included division captains.
• Yamahara Kaede accepted his appointment as captain of the Thirteenth Division, while Lu You became known as the New God of Shinobi.
• Orochimaru withdrew Konoha's Western Front Force, and Rasa consolidated power in Sunagakure and requested a ceasefire with Konoha.
• Kitsuchi addressed Iwagakure's leaders after the defeat and proposed an offensive against an opponent other than Kusagakure.

Kitsuchi sent Han and a ten-thousand-strong Iwa Shinobi force through the Land of Waterfalls to invade the Land of Fire, forcing Orochimaru’s unprepared troops into retreat. As the western front faltered, Minato Namikaze received an S-rank mission to lead Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara behind enemy lines and disrupt Iwa’s supply routes.

• Kitsuchi chose to send Iwa Shinobi through the Land of Waterfalls and appointed Han to command the invasion force while Roshi stayed in Iwagakure.
• Han crossed the Land of Waterfalls after reaching an agreement with Takigakure, and Iwa’s vanguard entered the Land of Fire before Orochimaru had finished setting up defenses.
• Iwa broke through Konoha’s defensive lines, forcing Orochimaru to retreat and use guerrilla tactics as casualties mounted.
• Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara joined the Eastern Front under Minato Namikaze; Kakashi excelled in missions and received a promotion to jōnin.
• Minato gave Kakashi a kunai, and Rin and Obito gave him presents before Minato revealed their urgent mission to sever Iwa’s supply lines in the Land of Waterfalls.
• Minato classified the mission as S-rank and ordered the squad to leave immediately without telling anyone.

Minato Namikaze and Team Minato entered the Land of Waterfalls to sabotage Iwagakure’s supply route by collapsing a valley with Explosive Tags. After several days of secretly preparing the trap, Minato sensed something was wrong when Iwa patrols stopped appearing and Obito went missing.

• Minato Namikaze led Kakashi, Obito, and Rin through the Land of Waterfalls to find a central supply route that could hinder Iwagakure’s advance.
• The team found a long valley used by Iwagakure’s supply convoys, and Minato planned to collapse its rock walls with Explosive Tags.
• Kakashi and Rin planted Explosive Tags on one wall while Minato and Obito marked the blast area on the other.
• Obito accidentally dislodged a stone, but Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade the nearby Iwa patrol and keep them undiscovered.
• Over the next three days, Team Minato planted Tags across several kilometers of rock wall, leaving Minato to link them with chakra.
• Minato noticed the patrols had vanished and returned to find Obito missing while Kakashi and Rin said he had gone to the bathroom.

Iwa Shinobi ambushed Minato Namikaze’s team, abducting Rin while Roshi, Dong Siren, and Mahiru engaged Minato, Obito, and Kakashi. As Obito was pushed to the brink, he awakened his Sharingan.

• An Iwa Shinobi seized Rin and fled while Roshi intercepted Minato Namikaze and challenged him.
• Dong Siren struck Obito aside and fought him while Mahiru confronted Kakashi with his katana.
• Minato Namikaze traded attacks with Roshi but could not penetrate his Lava Release defense or reach Rin.
• Dong Siren overwhelmed Obito and threatened Rin’s life, prompting Obito’s eyes to awaken with two tomoe.
• Mahiru struck Kakashi and sent him sliding into a tree as Obito’s Sharingan appeared.

Obito awakened and used his Sharingan’s power to undo Rin’s death and then Kakashi’s, allowing Minato to evacuate them from the battlefield. Left alone as Iwagakure reinforcements approached, Obito declared that he was not a dead last and detonated Explosive Tags.

• Obito awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan and charged Dong Siren, but stopped when Dong Siren threatened Rin.
• Dong Siren cut Rin’s throat, and Obito’s Sharingan evolved as Rin’s fatal wound was mysteriously undone.
• Minato wounded Dong Siren and escaped with Rin, while Roshi pierced Kakashi’s chest.
• Obito’s Sharingan changed again, and Kakashi’s fatal wound was undone before Minato transported Kakashi and Rin away.
• Obito stayed behind against Dong Siren, Roshi, and Mahiru, urged Minato to take the others, and told Kakashi he was not a dead last.
• Obito placed Explosive Tags on the rock wall and detonated them as the three Iwagakure fighters watched.

Minato Namikaze destroyed Iwagakure’s supply route and returned safely with Rin and Kakashi, while Hiruzen Sarutobi received the report listing Obito Uchiha as killed in action. In Kusagakure, Lu You decided to leave for a while, and Sasori of the Red Sands watched Grass Ninja register villagers in the former Land of Rain.

• Minato Namikaze detonated Explosive Tags that collapsed the valley road and severed Iwagakure’s supply line.
• Minato Namikaze escaped with Rin and Kakashi, checked that they were safe, and later returned to the Land of Fire with them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi read Minato Namikaze’s report, which listed Obito Uchiha among those killed in action.
• Lu You discussed the mission with Abu and approved plans to expand the Ninja Academy in the former Land of Rain.
• Lu You left Kusagakure, telling Abu he would be gone for at least a month and at most half a year.
• Sasori of the Red Sands watched Grass Ninja register villagers and survey land in a village in the southern former Land of Rain.

As Kusagakure registered the former Land of Rain, Sasori of the Red Sands hid in a remote village, but Konan tracked him down. She confronted him and he attacked, beginning a fight that left their conflict unresolved.

• Kusagakure officials registered the former Land of Rain’s villagers and tested children for ninja aptitude.
• Sasori of the Red Sands hid in a dilapidated house, planning to leave once the registration work ended.
• Konan identified Sasori as the source of reports about puppet sightings and ordered him to come with her.
• Sasori summoned two poisoned puppets and attacked Konan, who transformed into fluttering sheets of paper to evade them.

Konan defeated Sasori and took him prisoner, leaving his fate to the Grass God. Meanwhile, Lu You reached Takigakure, planning to obtain its Hero Water and considering whether to bring the Land of Waterfalls under his control.

• Konan’s Paper Release countered Sasori’s puppets and fire, and her Paper Shuriken damaged their joints.
• Sasori conceded defeat, and Konan bound him and carried him away to face the Grass God.
• Lu You traveled north through the Land of Waterfalls and found no sign of Obito in the devastated valley.
• Lu You searched the mountains for Takigakure, considering the Land of Waterfalls a possible target for annexation.
• Lu You passed through the waterfall into Takigakure and found a simple village with no nearby patrols.

Lu You visited Takigakure and negotiated its peaceful surrender with the dying village chief, who offered the Hero Water and the village’s cooperation in exchange for Takigakure remaining largely unchanged. Lu You accepted, agreeing to keep the arrangement secret until it could be announced in a few years.

• Lu You bypassed Takigakure’s main gate and entered a guarded building, where he found the village chief waiting beside a gourd of water.
• The chief explained that he had hoped to secure Takigakure’s future by maintaining ties with Konoha, but believed the Land of Grass would eventually threaten the village.
• The chief offered the Hero Water, revealing that it amplified chakra while consuming the drinker’s vitality, and described its history alongside Takigakure’s forbidden technique, Earth Grudge Fear.
• The chief asked Lu You to let Takigakure join the Land of Grass while preserving the village and its peaceful way of life.
• Lu You accepted the surrender terms and agreed to keep the arrangement secret until a public announcement in a few years.

Lu You studied the Hero Water and learned to enter Perfect Sage Mode, eventually mastering natural-energy absorption without the water. After six months away, he returned to the Land of Grass and told Abu that he had taken over the Land of Waterfalls.

• Lu You left the old village chief and settled in a secluded cave near Takigakure to study the Hero Water.
• He analyzed the water for weeks, learned to combine its natural energy with his chakra, and developed Perfect Sage Mode.
• Over the following months, Lu You learned to absorb natural energy directly from the air and improved his Sage Mode.
• Lu You's Template synchronization reached 35%, deepening his Martial Arts Sainthood Trait.
• After six months of training, Lu You returned to the Grass Shadow Building, where Abu confronted him about his absence.
• Lu You said he had taken over the Land of Waterfalls, and Abu protested that conquering a whole country went too far.

Lu You learned that Takigakure had agreed to surrender and planned for Kana to become the new Seven-Tails Jinchuriki. After reviewing the Land of Grass’s growth and the wider war, he agreed to consider Konoha’s request for aid and went to inspect the captured Sasori.

• Lu You told Abu that Takigakure’s village chief had agreed to surrender, and they decided Kana would become the next Seven-Tails Jinchuriki with Konan escorting her there.
• Abu reported that the Land of Rain had been annexed, the academy intake and farmland had grown, and Pakura’s Fifth Division was fully staffed; Lu You approved making Pakura head instructor.
• Abu described Konoha’s worsening war on two fronts and said the Third Hokage had requested aid from the Land of Grass.
• Lu You agreed to respond to Konoha’s request so the war could end sooner, and Abu went to send word.
• Abu told Lu You that Konan had captured the Sunagakure missing-nin Sasori of the Red Sands, and Lu You went to see him.

Sasori accepted Lu You’s offer to join Kusagakure as captain of the Ninth Division in exchange for materials to develop his puppet army, and challenged Lu You to fight him once it was complete. Ten days later, Yamahara Kaede welcomed Minato Namikaze and the Konoha delegation to Kusagakure.

• Sasori told Lu You that he needed fresh ninja corpses for his experimental puppet, and Lu You offered access to enemy corpses collected during the war.
• Lu You offered Sasori the captaincy of the Ninth Division and logistical support, forbidding him from using Kusagakure’s own people as puppet materials.
• Sasori agreed to join Kusagakure without taking division members and asked to fight Lu You after completing his puppet army; Lu You accepted.
• Lu You told Sasori his appointment letter and Captain’s Haori would arrive the next day and that he must attend a meeting in a few days.
• Ten days later, Yamahara Kaede and Thirteenth Division members waited at Kusagakure’s entrance to receive the Konoha delegation.
• Minato Namikaze arrived with Kakashi, Rin Nohara, Shikaku Nara, and other Konoha ninja, and Yamahara Kaede welcomed them as their liaison.

Minato Namikaze and the Konoha delegation arrived in Kusagakure to discuss an alliance and saw how prosperous the village had become. They met Captain-Commander Lu You and the division captains, leaving Shikaku Nara wary of Kusagakure’s formidable lineup.

• Yamahara Kaede welcomed Minato Namikaze and the Konoha delegation and escorted them through Kusagakure.
• Rin Nohara and Kakashi marveled at the village’s bustling streets, while Rin thought of Obito.
• Minato Namikaze and the others rode an elevator to the Grass Shadow Building’s conference hall and saw the scale of Kusagakure from above.
• Lu You and the division captains, including Abu, Yahiko, Nagato Uzumaki, Angel Konan, Pakura, Sasori of the Red Sands, and Uzumaki Kana, greeted the delegation.
• Shikaku Nara assessed the captains’ strength and privately cursed Sunagakure for having lost Pakura and Sasori.

Lu You heard Konoha’s case for an alliance and weighed the rival offers for Kusagakure’s support in the war. After Shikaku Nara argued that an alliance with the Land of Fire would bring greater gains, Lu You asked his division captains for their opinions.

• Minato Namikaze reunited with Lu You, Kakashi, Rin, and Kana before the meeting turned to business.
• Shikaku Nara asked Kusagakure to ally with Konoha and offered to split the war reparations equally.
• Lu You revealed that Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure had also invited Kusagakure to join their alliance against the Land of Fire.
• Lu You pointed out that Kusagakure’s choice of side could decide the war’s winner.
• Shikaku Nara argued that Konoha’s alliance offered Kusagakure a better share of the spoils and fewer problems absorbing territory.
• Lu You asked his division captains what they thought of Shikaku Nara’s argument.

Lu You secured Kusagakure’s tactical cooperation with Konoha after Pakura raised concerns about Konoha’s past betrayals and Minato Namikaze and Shikaku Nara offered guarantees. In a private meeting afterward, Minato told Lu You that Konoha was struggling on the eastern front and had begun sending newly graduated Genin into battle.

• Abu and Yahiko agreed to cooperate with Konoha but said the division of spoils still needed negotiation.
• Pakura questioned whether Konoha would attack the Grass Ninja after the war stabilized, and Minato pledged to side with them if Konoha broke its promise.
• Shikaku offered written terms and said the Third Hokage would oversee the operation and accept responsibility for any breach.
• Lu You confirmed tactical cooperation but ruled out an alliance, leaving Abu to negotiate the split and command authority.
• Lu You met privately with Minato Namikaze, Kakashi, and Rin, and Minato described Konoha’s strained fronts and the deployment of young Genin and Might Duy.