Recaps

Tetsuga’s attack failed to defeat Hanzō, who wiped out the Iron Fang Group while Aoki Tsuki and the surviving vanguard returned to the village and received their rewards. Two years later, Hanzō investigated the growing Akatsuki and summoned Aoki Tsuki after Shinonome connected the organization to an earlier incident, leaving Aoki Tsuki nervously admitting he had done wrong without knowing what he was accused of.

• Tetsuga used Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears, but Hanzō evaded the attack and defeated him with a sickle, Explosive Tags, and Fire Release: Exploding Flame Formation.
• Aoki Tsuki spoke with Shioame about his squad’s escape from the mine, then declined Tsunodahara’s offer to join his command out of loyalty to Satō Ichirō.
• Aoki Tsuki and Kurokawa received extra rewards for bringing back a prisoner, and Hanzō’s destruction of the Iron Fang Group left the Land of Rain quiet for a time.
• Over the next two years, Akatsuki grew under Yahiko by mediating conflicts and advocating peace through dialogue.
• Hanzō learned about Akatsuki from a report, and Shinonome recalled information linking the organization to an earlier incident in Kyoto.
• Hanzō summoned Aoki Tsuki, who admitted he had done wrong when Shinonome confronted him, but asked what his offense was.

Aoki Tsuki persuaded Hanzō to let the Akatsuki operate for now, arguing that it could help stabilize the Land of Rain. Later, Aoki delivered weapons and supplies to Yahiko, who learned that Hanzō had noticed the Akatsuki.

• Aoki Tsuki explained to Hanzō that the Akatsuki had gained support by offering people hope for peace, and that destroying it could worsen unrest.
• Aoki Tsuki argued that the Akatsuki could mediate disputes and help stabilize the country, and Hanzō decided to leave it alone for now despite Shinonome's objections.
• Aoki Tsuki returned to his post, then joined Shioame and a team transporting a shipment from a secret warehouse.
• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan remembered their time with Jiraiya and reaffirmed their commitment to changing the country before Yahiko noticed the approaching shipment.
• Aoki Tsuki delivered weapons and supplies to Yahiko, then told him that Hanzō had taken notice of the Akatsuki.

Aoki Tsuki warned Yahiko that Hanzō had noticed Akatsuki, while Yahiko vowed to keep expanding the group. Months later, Aoki investigated a hidden Root spy and suspected that Umatsu’s wife, Asami, was delivering messages as a cat, but he could not confirm it.

• Aoki Tsuki told Yahiko that Hanzō had been urged to eliminate Akatsuki but had agreed to leave it alone for the time being.
• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan resolved to continue Akatsuki’s work, and Yahiko pushed the group to expand quickly.
• Months later, Aoki Tsuki learned that Akatsuki had become famous for mediating disputes and suspected Danzo was moving against it.
• Aoki Tsuki found his note missing after Asami visited his family’s shop and glimpsed a black shape fleeing into a metal pipe.
• Aoki Tsuki questioned Umatsu and learned that Asami was buying a birthday gift for their daughter and that she disliked cats and dogs.
• Kurokawa admitted he liked Satō Ichirō’s wife before Satō arrived to lead the guards on shift.

Danzo and Hanzō formed an alliance to destroy Akatsuki, while Danzo placed Aoki Tsuki in a liaison role. Yahiko accepted Hanzō’s invitation to negotiate, but Konan was captured after finding the patrol squad dead.

• Danzo ordered Root to frame Akatsuki for killing Hanzō’s clansmen, then used the deaths to convince Hanzō to ally with him against Akatsuki.
• Hanzō appointed Aoki Tsuki as the liaison between himself and Danzo, giving Aoki access to both leaders.
• Yahiko considered passing Akatsuki’s leadership to Nagato, but Danzo arrived disguised as Kanzō and invited Yahiko to meet Hanzō about peace negotiations.
• Yahiko and Nagato decided to attend the meeting the next day while the rest of Akatsuki celebrated at headquarters.
• Konan found the Akatsuki patrol members dead, was knocked unconscious by poisonous mist, and woke imprisoned in a dungeon guarded by Amegakure ninja.

Aoki Tsuki told Konan that Hanzō and Danzō planned to trap Akatsuki during a meeting, leaving her afraid for Yahiko and Nagato. When Shinonome confronted Aoki Tsuki in the dungeon, their fight nearly killed Shinonome before Satō Ichirō intervened.

• Aoki Tsuki revealed to Konan that Hanzō intended to destroy Akatsuki and that Hanzō and Danzō had arranged a trap for the next morning.
• Shinonome arrived, accused Aoki Tsuki of helping Akatsuki, and attacked him with his sword.
• Aoki Tsuki and Shinonome exchanged sword strikes and clashed with Lightning Release and Water Release techniques.
• Shinonome launched Explosive Current Blade, but his sword broke against Aoki Tsuki's Cloud Piercer, sending a ball of lightning toward him.
• Satō Ichirō raised an Earth-Style Wall that absorbed the lightning blast and saved Shinonome.

Aoki Tsuki was forced to join Hanzō’s operation against Akatsuki, where Hanzō revealed his betrayal and demanded that Nagato kill Yahiko. After Yahiko sacrificed himself, Nagato awakened the Rinnegan’s power and devastated the attackers, while Aoki Tsuki and Danzo escaped.

• Hanzō ordered Shinonome to bring Aoki Tsuki to the operation after learning of his combat ability.
• At the meeting place, Hanzō revealed that he had trapped Akatsuki and threatened Konan to force Nagato to kill Yahiko.
• Yahiko lunged onto Nagato’s kunai and died, telling Nagato to live on with Konan.
• Nagato repelled the attackers, rescued Konan from Hanzō’s explosive trap, and summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• The statue’s purple dragon killed dozens of Root ninja and Hanzō’s guards as Danzo and Aoki Tsuki fled.
• Nagato drove Hanzō away with the statue, then collapsed from exhaustion after releasing the summon.

After surviving the attack that devastated Hanzō’s forces, Aoki Tsuki was promoted to Jonin and took charge of perimeter guards as Amegakure adjusted to its losses. Six months later, he had advanced his spiritual power and focused on growing stronger while Akatsuki remained hidden and the postwar peace grew uneasy.

• Aoki Tsuki escaped the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, then convinced Hanzō he had fled from fear; Hanzō promoted him to Jonin and ordered him to keep the operation secret.
• Hanzō announced several Jonin promotions to fill posts left vacant by heavy losses, and Aoki Tsuki took over Satō Ichirō’s former position while Satō joined Hanzō’s core guards.
• Aoki Tsuki formed two perimeter-guard squads from familiar subordinates and arranged alternating shifts, while Hanzō withdrew from public view and began drinking more often.
• Aoki Tsuki kept in touch with Root, but his usefulness and contact with the hidden spy declined as Hanzō’s attention turned to Akatsuki, which had vanished after Yahiko’s death.
• Six months passed after the main fighting of the Shinobi World War ended; Aoki Tsuki strengthened his spiritual power, learned more shape transformation, and made progress toward understanding natural energy.
• Aoki Tsuki reassured Ryōta about guard duty and promised to promote him someday, encouraging his squad to follow his orders.

Aoki Tsuki continued adapting to Natural Energy and completed his progress toward the final form of Rain Breathing. Konan recruited him as an information source on Hanzō, while Nagato prepared Akatsuki’s next move against Hanzō.

• Aoki Tsuki recovered from absorbing Natural Energy, finished digesting what remained, and found that his sword techniques had grown stronger.
• Aoki Tsuki returned home and found Konan waiting in his room to question him about Hanzō’s alliance with Danzo.
• Aoki Tsuki told Konan that Hanzō had been drinking heavily since returning from his last mission, and Konan paid him with a scroll containing five nature-based Ninjutsu.
• Konan returned to Nagato and reported the information, and they agreed to keep gathering details on Hanzō while Nagato developed a technique for their attack.
• Nagato told Konan they would leave the next morning to pursue a target for Human Path.

Aoki Tsuki secretly prepared to help Konan and Pain seize Amegakure, lending Konan money as Akatsuki struggled to support Nagato. After learning that Pain could surveil the village through the rain, Aoki realized the coup was near, while Pain assembled the Six Paths and planned to take control soon.

• Aoki Tsuki reviewed Amegakure's personnel and prepared intelligence about Hanzō's loyalists as a token of allegiance to Konan.
• Konan asked Aoki Tsuki for money, and he lent her half the cash in his drawer to support Akatsuki and Nagato's medicine.
• Hanzō sent Aoki Tsuki to Konoha for Minato Namikaze's inauguration and ordered him to meet Danzo and gauge the new Hokage's attitude.
• Aoki Tsuki sensed chakra in the rain and realized Pain had developed the Rain Tiger at Will Technique to monitor Amegakure.
• Deva Path Pain and Konan assessed Amegakure's weakened forces, and Pain said the Six Paths were assembled and would soon take control of the village.

Aoki Tsuki investigated a dangerous rogue ninja and discovered that the target was Kakuzu, whom he knew he could not defeat. He arranged a covert bounty scheme and offered Konan a chance to capture Kakuzu for Akatsuki, leaving her to decide whether to accept.

• Takenaka Osamu assigned Aoki Tsuki to deal with a powerful rogue ninja threatening the Land of Rain.
• Aoki Tsuki identified the target as Kakuzu, withdrew from the encounter, and reported that Kakuzu was too difficult to kill.
• Aoki Tsuki persuaded Takenaka Osamu to fund a disguised bounty intended to drive Kakuzu out of the Land of Rain, and received three and a half million ryō.
• Aoki Tsuki posted a vague expulsion mission through an exchange station while tracking Kakuzu himself.
• Aoki Tsuki proposed that Konan help capture Kakuzu in exchange for half the startup funds and explained that Kakuzu's wealth could benefit Akatsuki.
• Konan said she would consider the offer and give Aoki Tsuki an answer the next day.

Konan and Aoki Tsuki joined forces to ambush Kakuzu at a bounty exchange in the northern Land of Rain. Aoki Tsuki destroyed one of Kakuzu’s hearts with a lightning-infused sword strike, but Kakuzu survived and threatened to take a heart from him.

• Nagato agreed to work with Aoki Tsuki to hunt Kakuzu, while deciding to follow Konan and observe Aoki Tsuki’s abilities.
• Aoki Tsuki met Konan outside Amegakure and explained that they could wait for Kakuzu at a bounty exchange he frequented.
• Konan attacked Kakuzu with paper shuriken and Explosive Tags, while Kakuzu countered with Earth Grudge Fear’s black threads.
• Aoki Tsuki sneaked behind Kakuzu and pierced his chest with a lightning-infused blade, destroying one of Kakuzu’s hearts.
• Konan realized Kakuzu had multiple hearts as he vowed to take Aoki Tsuki’s heart to replace the one he had lost.

Aoki Tsuki and Konan defeated Kakuzu’s masks and overwhelmed him, then persuaded him to join Akatsuki by offering him control of its finances and access to lucrative bounties. Aoki Tsuki left Kakuzu with Konan as Pain arrived to meet the new recruit.

• Kakuzu unleashed his masked monsters and combined their elemental attacks, but Aoki Tsuki used Water Release to counter the flames and destroyed the lightning mask.
• Aoki Tsuki and Kakuzu traded attacks while Kakuzu repeatedly repaired his damaged body with black threads; Konan struggled against the wind-and-fire monster.
• Aoki Tsuki and Konan destroyed the wind and fire masks, then Aoki Tsuki bound Kakuzu with his hair and slammed him into the ground.
• Konan invited Kakuzu to join Akatsuki, and Aoki Tsuki convinced him by promising financial authority and access to high-value bounty targets.
• Kakuzu accepted the offer, Aoki Tsuki departed, and Pain arrived as Konan identified him as Akatsuki’s leader.

Aoki Tsuki took his squad to Konoha to attend Minato Namikaze’s Hokage inauguration, while Obito learned Nagato had recruited Kakuzu without his help and began planning a gift for his former teacher. As the ceremony began, Kakashi realized Aoki had disappeared and suspected he had been tracking a clone.

• Obito learned Nagato had recruited Kakuzu through an Amegakure jonin, and decided to delay contacting Nagato while he prepared a personal gift for Minato.
• Aoki told Konan he was traveling to Konoha with Shioame, Ryōta, and Shinichi to represent Amegakure at Minato’s inauguration.
• After five days of travel, Aoki and his squad arrived in Konoha, explored the village, and spent tens of thousands of ryō on barbecue.
• Kakashi monitored the Amegakure squad through the night and followed them toward the Hokage building the next morning.
• Kakashi noticed Aoki was missing from the group, suspected the man he had watched was a Water Clone, and raced back toward the inn.

Aoki Tsuki delivered Hanzō's letter to Danzo, who ordered him to watch Akatsuki and keep him informed. Kakashi confronted Aoki Tsuki over the secret meeting, but after a fierce fight joined by Might Guy, the two let him go so they could attend the Fourth Hokage's inauguration.

• Aoki Tsuki delivered Hanzō's letter to Danzo, who reassured him that Konoha would honor their agreement and ordered him to monitor Akatsuki.
• Danzo asked Aoki Tsuki how he would respond if the Fourth Hokage questioned him, and Aburame Ryoma escorted him out of Root's hideout.
• Kakashi ambushed Aoki Tsuki in an alley and challenged him for secretly meeting Danzo, but Aoki Tsuki dodged Chidori and outmatched Kakashi in their fight.
• Kakashi and Aoki Tsuki traded Lightning Release attacks, and Aoki Tsuki pierced Kakashi's Earth-Style Wall with water bullets.
• Might Guy joined the fight and was knocked back by Aoki Tsuki, but Kakashi stopped him from opening the Eight Gates because the Hokage's inauguration was about to begin.
• Kakashi and Might Guy withdrew, and Aoki Tsuki left for the ceremony with his blade cracked where Kakashi's Chidori had struck it.

Aoki Tsuki attended Minato Namikaze’s inauguration as the Fourth Hokage, then negotiated with Konoha on behalf of Hanzō and Amegakure. After securing increased trade in exchange for passage through the Land of Rain, he returned home and was appointed to handle Amegakure’s dealings with outsiders.

• Aoki Tsuki reunited with his squad and watched Minato Namikaze receive the Hokage hat at the inauguration ceremony.
• Aoki Tsuki presented Hanzō’s letter to Minato and discussed peace, transparency, trade, and Konoha’s passage through the Land of Rain.
• Aoki Tsuki told Jiraiya that a nonviolent group in the Land of Rain had disappeared, leaving Jiraiya saddened about his former disciples.
• Aoki Tsuki and his squad received Konoha’s reply and returned to Amegakure after three days.
• Hanzō praised Aoki Tsuki for securing benefits and assigned him to handle the village’s dealings with outsiders.

Aoki Tsuki gave Konan intelligence to support Akatsuki’s planned coup against Hanzō and was accepted as a trainee member. After Konan reported back to Nagato, he set the move for two days later, while Aoki Tsuki quietly prepared his squad for possible orders.

• Aoki Tsuki told Konan that Danzo and Jiraiya had asked about the Rinnegan, but he had concealed Akatsuki’s whereabouts from them.
• Aoki Tsuki declared his support for Akatsuki, handed Konan intelligence on Amegakure’s personnel and defenses, and asked to join; Konan accepted him as a trainee.
• Konan returned to Nagato and reported what had happened, and Nagato decided they would move the day after tomorrow.
• Aoki Tsuki adjusted his squad’s shifts to keep some members away from the operation and told the others to follow his instructions if temporary night assignments arose.

Aoki Tsuki helped the Akatsuki infiltrate Hanzō’s tower, while Satō Ichirō refused to betray Hanzō and was killed by Deva Path Pain. The Six Paths of Pain then broke into Hanzō’s bedchamber and began their attack.

• Satō Ichirō told Aoki Tsuki he could not decide in advance whether he would betray Hanzō if the Akatsuki came for revenge.
• Aoki Tsuki and Tsunodahara agreed to aid the Akatsuki, and Aoki Tsuki sent Shioame, Ryōta, and Shinichi away from the tower.
• Konan joined the Six Paths of Pain after clearing the upper floors, and Aoki Tsuki led them toward Hanzō’s room.
• Tsunodahara submitted to Pain, but Satō Ichirō charged at Deva Path Pain and was killed with a black iron rod.
• Deva Path Pain killed two more Jonin, and Tsunodahara told the awakened Hanzō that a guest had arrived.
• The Six Paths of Pain burst into Hanzō’s bedchamber and began the attack while he was unprepared.

Pain killed Hanzō and led a purge of his allies and relatives, while Aoki Tsuki guided the new regime and tried to protect innocent villagers. By dawn, Pain had seized control of Amegakure, and the village’s ninjas gathered in the mission hall under the new leadership.

• Pain absorbed Hanzō’s Water Release, wounded him, and killed him with a black iron rod after revealing himself as Yahiko.
• Aoki Tsuki joined Konan and Pain as their guide, helping them target Hanzō’s supporters while trying to limit harm to uninvolved villagers.
• Konan questioned Aoki Tsuki about Kikuno Momo, and he agreed to vouch for Satō Ichirō’s widow so she would be spared for the time being.
• Pain’s Six Paths purged Hanzō’s loyalists and took over Amegakure’s departments and secret vault, while the Asura Path slaughtered Hanzō’s clan.
• By dawn, Konan began reorganizing the village, Aoki Tsuki served as an adviser, and Tsunodahara took over the mission office.
• The village’s ninjas assembled in the mission hall, where Hanzō’s six guards appeared, still unsure what had happened.

After Pain killed Hanzō, Konan took charge of Amegakure, appointed Aoki Tsuki as advisor, and began reviewing the village’s records. She learned that Aoki Tsuki had secretly liaised between Hanzō and Danzo, while the identity of the Root spy remained hidden from him.

• Tsunodahara announced that Pain had killed Hanzō and presented his corpse to the gathered Amegakure ninja.
• Tsunodahara portrayed Pain as the village’s new god, and Konan appeared before the crowd and ordered them to obey Pain and hunt down Hanzō’s supporters.
• Konan assigned Aoki Tsuki to handle advisory and diplomatic affairs, Tsunodahara to oversee missions, and Hoshiya Fumi to remain head of the medical department.
• Konan reviewed Amegakure’s archives and found Aoki Tsuki’s excellent record, along with his early report on Yahiko’s Akatsuki.
• Konan told Nagato that Aoki Tsuki had served as a secret liaison between Hanzō and Danzo, passing intelligence through a Root spy codenamed Shadow Cat.

Aoki Tsuki explained his many covert jobs to Konan after she confronted him with evidence that he had hidden money and information. Konan let him study Medical Ninjutsu, but the village's corruption left her questioning whether Yahiko's or Nagato's vision could save the Land of Rain.

• Nagato and Konan discovered that Amegakure was deeply in debt and decided to use some of Kakuzu's earnings to keep it running.
• Konan told Aoki Tsuki that the captive woman was a Konoha Root spy who had used a Ninja Cat to pass information.
• Konan showed Aoki Tsuki a mission record revealing that Takenaka Osamu had paid him five million ryō, not the 3.5 million he had claimed.
• Aoki Tsuki admitted to working for Akatsuki, serving as a contact and informant between Hanzō and Danzo, delivering supplies, and trading Ninjutsu.
• Aoki Tsuki asked to study Medical Ninjutsu because losing his guard position might force him to leave the village for missions, and Konan agreed.
• Konan reflected on Amegakure's decay and wondered which path, Yahiko's or Nagato's, could lead the country forward.

Aoki Tsuki learned basic Medical Ninjutsu and helped develop his detoxification technique while using the Silver Fish Pavilion to sell Konan-themed ornaments. He donated the proceeds to Konan as village funds, and she accepted them without treating the money as a loan.

• Aoki Tsuki asked Hoshiya Fumi and Mieko to teach him Medical Ninjutsu and showed them his unfinished detoxification technique, which Hoshiya Fumi agreed to test and help develop.
• Aoki Tsuki studied medical fundamentals and practiced healing fish for half a month while checking on the Silver Fish Pavilion, which he had taken over after Satō Ichirō died and Kikuno Momo was imprisoned.
• Aoki Tsuki had the Silver Fish Pavilion employees make angel ornaments modeled on Konan and arranged for them to be sold as protective charms around the village.
• Residents bought the ornaments, and Aoki Tsuki shared some of the proceeds with his subordinates before giving most of the remainder to Konan as a donation.
• Konan recognized that Aoki Tsuki had sold the ornaments to raise money for the village, warned him not to repeat the scheme, and accepted his insistence that the funds were a gift rather than a loan.

Aoki Tsuki led a squad to the border outpost to investigate disappearing patrols and persuade Jonin Tomohisa to support Pain. Tomohisa accepted the new leadership and hoped to return home after another couple of years, while Aoki Tsuki prepared to hunt the enemy targeting the border guards.

• Aoki Tsuki took Shioame, Ryōta, and Shinichi to the border outpost after Jonin Tomohisa requested help over missing patrols.
• Tomohisa told Aoki Tsuki that guards had disappeared on both Amegakure's and Sunagakure's sides, and Aoki Tsuki agreed to patrol the border with his squad.
• Aoki Tsuki gave Tomohisa a letter from his daughter and revealed that Hanzō had died and Pain now led the village.
• Aoki Tsuki argued that loyalty belonged to Amegakure rather than its former leader, and Tomohisa acknowledged that he would support Pain.
• Aoki Tsuki promised to help Tomohisa return home in a couple of years and said he would deal with the border threat.

Aoki Tsuki's squad tracked Sasori of the Red Sands and fought him, but fled when he revealed the Third Kazekage puppet. Konan then arrived at the border with Aoki Tsuki to assess Sasori as a possible Akatsuki recruit.

• Aoki Tsuki's squad followed a faint Chakra trail into the Land of Wind and found Sasori, whom they identified as the S-rank rogue ninja responsible for attacking Amegakure patrols.
• Sasori attacked the squad with poisoned Senbon and puppets made from Amegakure ninja, while Aoki Tsuki and his teammates fought back and destroyed several puppets.
• Sasori revealed the Third Kazekage puppet, prompting Aoki Tsuki and his squad to retreat; Aoki Tsuki stayed behind to watch Sasori while the others reported to Konan.
• Konan and Pain decided to approach Sasori about joining Akatsuki, and Konan left the village to meet him with Aoki Tsuki's assistance.
• Konan arrived at the Land of Wind border, where Aoki Tsuki introduced her to Sasori.

Konan defeated Sasori’s puppet attacks and forced him to join Akatsuki with a trap of Explosive Tags. As they traveled, Aoki Tsuki asked Sasori how much a person’s soul weighed, a question that also caught Konan’s attention.

• Konan invited Sasori to join Akatsuki, but he refused and sent the Third Kazekage Puppet to attack her.
• Konan evaded Sasori’s attacks, destroyed his mechanical arms with Explosive Tags, and severed his control of the Third Kazekage Puppet.
• Konan revealed Explosive Tags covering the ground, and Sasori agreed to join Akatsuki rather than risk being killed.
• Aoki Tsuki joked with Sasori about being turned into a Human Puppet as the group traveled with Konan.
• Aoki Tsuki asked Sasori how much a person’s soul weighed, making Sasori and Konan consider the question.

Aoki Tsuki talked Sasori through forbidden techniques, Konoha’s secrets, and Akatsuki’s ambitions, then brought him to meet Pain and Kakuzu. Sasori accepted Akatsuki’s challenge to the Five Great Nations and officially joined the organization.

• Aoki Tsuki told Sasori that Konoha’s Yamanaka techniques could control people and that a forbidden technique could summon the dead from the Pure Land.
• Aoki Tsuki revealed that Kakashi was White Fang’s son and described how Konoha’s politics had driven White Fang to suicide, prompting Sasori and Konan to reconsider events in the Land of Rain.
• Aoki Tsuki and Konan brought Sasori to Akatsuki’s secret base, where Pain and Kakuzu were waiting.
• Pain explained that Akatsuki gathered talented members and funds before pursuing its final goal, and Aoki Tsuki clarified that the organization planned to challenge the Five Great Nations.
• Sasori agreed to join Akatsuki, and Pain gave him the Jewel Ring while Konan handed him a black cloak with red clouds.