Recaps

Aoki Tsuki forced the Land of the Moon to stop letting Kumogakure monopolize its missions, provoking the Raikage as Akatsuki expanded its operations in the Land of Lightning. After two years of growing stronger and gaining a fearsome reputation, Tsuki returned to Amegakure, where Konan worried about his rising power and whether he might betray Akatsuki.

• Aoki Tsuki killed Captain Shīda and a minister, then made the Land of the Moon's officials sign a pledge to distribute missions among other villages.
• The daimyo of the Land of the Moon planned to ask Kumogakure for protection, while Aoki Tsuki sent the pledge to Akatsuki headquarters and warned its members in the Land of Lightning to lie low.
• The Fourth Raikage blamed Akatsuki and the Jashin Cult for the attacks, and Dodai proposed wearing Konoha down before seeking the Hyuga's Byakugan in negotiations.
• Over the next two years, Aoki Tsuki developed Spirit Pivot Yama Judgment and Earth-Binding Flame Prison, grew stronger, and became known as the Azure Dragon of Akatsuki.
• Aoki Tsuki returned to Amegakure, where Pain sensed his increased strength and Konan grew anxious about the possibility that he could betray Akatsuki.

Aoki Tsuki reported Akatsuki’s growth to Konan, while Danzo learned of Tsuki’s double role and ordered him investigated and eliminated. Obito and Zetsu plotted to use Root against Tsuki, leaving him caught between rival factions.

• Aoki Tsuki told Konan that Akatsuki had expanded its work and recruited Hidan, and she praised his contributions before he decided to lower his profile in Amegakure.
• In Konoha, Hiruzen rejected Danzo’s demand for decisive action against the Uchiha, while agreeing to accept Kumogakure’s ceasefire terms.
• Danzo received intelligence identifying Aoki Tsuki as an Akatsuki leader and Jashin Cult grand deacon, then ordered Root to infiltrate Amegakure and secretly eliminate him.
• White Zetsu told Obito that he had leaked Tsuki’s identity to Root, and Obito ordered Zetsu to watch Root and help it if needed.
• At their cavern headquarters, White Zetsu and Black Zetsu discussed keeping Akatsuki and Obito in balance, and White Zetsu warned that Tsuki was difficult to approach.

Aoki Tsuki failed to create a giant water technique, then traveled to the Fire Temple to obtain its Gift of the Sages. After defeating Chiriku by evading his attacks, Tsuki was invited by Abbot Zōkai to discuss the temple’s secret art.

• Aoki Tsuki failed to form a water giant and decided to visit the Fire Temple to study the Gift of the Sages.
• Pain noticed Tsuki’s Water Body Flicker and ordered him to return to the Land of Hot Water to guard the base amid trouble with Kumogakure and Konoha.
• Aoki Tsuki diverted to the Fire Temple and smashed its sealed gate to demand the Gift of the Sages.
• Chiriku used the Thousand-Armed Guanyin and then the Wisdom King against Tsuki, who dodged the attacks with Body Flicker techniques.
• Chiriku exhausted himself without landing a blow, and Abbot Zōkai stopped the monks and took Tsuki to the main hall.

Aoki Tsuki exchanged knowledge of his Senjutsu for the Fire Temple’s secret arts, then returned to Akatsuki’s base in the Land of Hot Water and learned that Kumogakure’s attacks had intensified. He assigned the unruly Tachikawa siblings to a Jashinist sacrifice at a fighting arena, unaware that Barnard planned to slaughter everyone there.

• Zōkai gave Aoki Tsuki the Fire Temple’s original Senjutsu and modified Gift of the Sages scrolls, and Aoki shared the details of his own cultivation in return.
• Chiriku told Zōkai he wanted to travel, and Zōkai encouraged him to try out for the daimyo’s Guardian Ninja.
• Butsushura reported that Kumogakure had increased its attacks and that the Tachikawa siblings had joined the Jashin Cult and killed people for sacrifices.
• Aoki accepted an S-rank mission to destroy a fighting casino and told the Tachikawa siblings to sacrifice their opponents there on the monthly sacrificial day.
• Barnard told Tōrin and Beri that he intended to sacrifice everyone in the arena and rise to the top of the cult.

Aburame Ryoma led Root infiltrators into Amegakure to investigate Aoki Tsuki, but Konan and Pain’s forces intercepted them. Ryoma died rather than reveal Root’s secrets, and Konan concluded that Tsuki’s information had probably leaked to Danzo.

• Black Crow was ambushed by Ryōta, Shinichi, and Shioame, and detonated his Explosive Tags rather than be captured.
• Aburame Ryoma discovered that his Kikaichū had been wiped out and tried to escape Amegakure through the drainage pipes.
• Konan confronted Ryoma, but he used an Insect Clone to distract her and continued toward the village’s lake.
• Deva Path Pain stopped Ryoma at the water’s edge and destroyed his insect attack with Shinra Tensei.
• Ryoma used Insect Erosion to kill himself before Pain could question him, and Pain destroyed his remains.
• Konan found Root’s Tongue Eradication Cursed Seal on the dead infiltrators and warned Pain that Tsuki’s information had probably leaked.

At the ninja arena, the Tachikawa Three Siblings and Jashin Cult members turned a staged match into a massacre, prompting the Fourth Raikage and Kumogakure ninja to intervene. Aoki Tsuki confronted Oyashiro En before the Fourth Raikage joined the fight, leaving Aoki and A poised to clash.

• The Tachikawa Three Siblings killed Harano, then used his blood in a Jashin ritual as cultists in the crowd began slaughtering spectators.
• Oyashiro En revealed his Ketsuryūgan to Aoki Tsuki, who countered with a mental attack and forced him back.
• Kumogakure ninja surrounded the cultists, and the Fourth Raikage killed Barnard and ordered the cultists executed.
• Oyashiro En escaped while Aoki Tsuki recognized that the operation had been exposed and the Fourth Raikage charged toward him.
• Aoki Tsuki and the Fourth Raikage exchanged lightning attacks, and Aoki landed with the Earth-Binding Flame Hell technique.

Aoki Tsuki fought the Fourth Raikage, A, through a collapsing arena while an accomplice’s explosive tags forced the Kumogakure strike team to flee. After A survived Aoki Tsuki’s traps and powerful attacks, Aoki Tsuki realized his Sage Mode was running out and began thinking about escaping.

• A escaped Aoki Tsuki’s explosive-tag trap by activating Lightning Release Chakra Mode, while Darui and C fled after sensing the arena was covered in explosive tags.
• Aoki Tsuki and A traded sword strikes and lightning attacks as the arena collapsed, then continued their fight atop the broken walls.
• Aoki Tsuki’s Heavenly Weeping cut through A’s Lightning Release Armor, but A countered with Iron Mountain Lean and badly injured him.
• Aoki Tsuki flooded the arena and used a water dragon to slam A into a crater, though A rose injured and declared that Aoki Tsuki’s Water Release was no longer a threat.
• Aoki Tsuki, badly hurt and nearly out of Sage Mode, worried that he had no remaining trump cards and thought about escaping.

Aoki Tsuki rescued Konan after a Konoha Root ambush and the Kumogakure strike team’s attack left her near death. Konan woke in a safehouse in the Land of Hot Water, learned Aoki had saved her, and began recovering with him nearby.

• Aoki Tsuki used a Water Body Flicker to evade A’s Lariat while Konan fought off the Kumogakure strike team from the air.
• Fū used the Mind Body Switch Technique to make Konan fall, but she forced him out of her mind before Kumogakure ninja stabbed her.
• Aoki Tsuki rescued the wounded Konan and carried her to a cave, where he used Natural Energy and Medical Ninjutsu to restart her heart and heal her injuries.
• After Kumogakure withdrew, Zetsu reported Konan’s condition to Obito, while Aoki Tsuki took her to his rented room in the Land of Hot Water.
• Konan woke in a nightgown, learned the innkeeper’s wife had changed her clothes, and ate breakfast while Aoki Tsuki explained that Danzo’s people had exposed her identity and likely made the mission a trap.

Aoki Tsuki told Konan about an Uzumaki healer in Kusagakure and her daughter, prompting them to plan a trip to find them and help Nagato. After recovering in the Land of Hot Water, Konan went out to eat with Aoki Tsuki, who recognized Tsunade at the restaurant and tried to speak with her.

• Aoki Tsuki explained that an Uzumaki woman in Kusagakure could heal injuries by consuming her own life force, and that her daughter had inherited the ability.
• Konan agreed to bring the mother and daughter to Amegakure and give them a place to live, and she recovered for two days while Aoki Tsuki cared for her.
• Akatsuki suspended its operations in the Land of Lightning after Kumogakure cracked down on the group, while Danzo learned that his plan against Aoki Tsuki had failed and worried about the Rinnegan.
• Aoki Tsuki and Konan went out for dinner in the Land of Hot Water, where he explained that the peaceful country was also the birthplace of the Jashin Cult.
• Tsunade arrived at the restaurant with a companion carrying a pet pig, and Aoki Tsuki recognized her and tried to strike up a conversation.

Aoki Tsuki paid Tsunade ten million ryo for advice on increasing Chakra, then used her explanation to develop a plan for expanding and strengthening his meridians. Back at the inn, Konan thanked the proprietress for something that had happened earlier, then fled in embarrassment as memories of being seen overwhelmed her.

• Aoki Tsuki paid Tsunade ten million ryo and asked how someone without a Kekkei Genkai could increase their Chakra.
• Tsunade explained that Chakra could be increased by strengthening spiritual energy, improving the body and its cells, and carefully training the meridians.
• Tsunade recognized Aoki Tsuki and Konan as skilled, controlled fighters, then stayed behind with Shizune to eat the food he had paid for.
• Aoki Tsuki returned to the inn and planned a technique that would use Chakra tides to widen his meridians and open blocked pathways.
• Konan quietly thanked the proprietress, then returned to her room and thought in mortification about someone having seen her.

Aoki Tsuki and Konan rescued Yurika and Karin from Kusagakure, where Yurika had been forced to heal injured shinobi with her blood, and brought them to the Land of Rain. Konan settled them in Amegakure, while Aoki Tsuki left buns for Nagato.

• Aoki Tsuki and Konan found Karin and rescued Yurika after Kusagakure’s shinobi had drained her strength by using her as a blood bag.
• Yurika agreed to leave with Aoki Tsuki, who promised better care for her and a proper education for Karin.
• Aoki Tsuki and Konan fought off Kusagakure’s patrol and escaped with Yurika and Karin into the Land of Rain.
• Aoki Tsuki brought Yurika and Karin to Amegakure, gave them buns, and left them with Konan to arrange their home.
• Konan reheated the buns that evening, ate two, and packed the rest to take to Nagato.

Aoki Tsuki helped Yurika settle into Amegakure while telling Kikuno Momo that she might eventually be released. Meanwhile, Konan and Konoha prepared for a diplomatic visit that Danzo secretly turned into a mission for Shisui to verify whether Hanzō was dead.

• Nagato learned that Karin belonged to the Uzumaki Clan but chose not to meet her, and Konan arranged work for Yurika.
• Yurika got a server job at the Silver Fish Pavilion, and Karin began visiting Aoki Tsuki's home to play.
• Aoki Tsuki told Kikuno Momo that Danzo's agents, led by Aburame Ryoma, had been killed and that she might be freed in a few years.
• Konan told Aoki Tsuki that Konoha planned to send an envoy to meet Hanzō, and Aoki Tsuki proposed a plan that involved the leader.
• The Third Hokage assigned Shisui to deliver a letter to Hanzō, while Danzo secretly ordered him to use his Sharingan to confirm Hanzō's identity.
• Shisui accepted Danzo's mission and returned to the Uchiha compound, where he was reminded to attend the clan meeting.

Shisui returned from the front to find the Uchiha growing more resentful of the village’s surveillance, then traveled to Amegakure as Konoha’s envoy. He met Hanzō, whose unexpected Rinnegan left him stunned, while Aoki Tsuki deflected his questions about the village.

• At the Uchiha clan meeting, Fugaku urged patience and relied on Shisui to bridge the widening gap with Konoha as clansmen called for resistance.
• Shisui spoke with Itachi, who revealed that his squad had been killed on a mission half a year earlier, then departed for the Land of Rain the next morning.
• Nagato recognized Shisui as the target of a failed Akatsuki assassination, while Aoki Tsuki arranged a guarded reception based on Hanzō’s old security procedures.
• Shisui delivered the Third Hokage’s letter to Hanzō and discovered that the elderly man was genuine and possessed purple, rippled eyes.
• Aoki Tsuki took Shisui to a restaurant and described Hanzō’s unification of the Land of Rain, while Shisui concealed his curiosity about Hanzō’s eyes.

Shisui investigated Amegakure, learned that Hanzō possessed the Rinnegan, and reported back to Konoha, where Danzo used the news to intensify pressure on the Uchiha. Meanwhile, Orochimaru received a Root elimination mission, and Kabuto discovered that Nonō did not recognize him.

• Shisui and Aoki Tsuki discussed rumors about the Uchiha, Akatsuki, and a spy who used Ninja Cats, while Aoki Tsuki blamed Danzo for the old Akatsuki's destruction.
• Konan sent Aoki Tsuki to investigate Orochimaru, and Shisui visited Cat Granny in Kūku to seek information about a missing Root spy.
• Shisui reported to the Third Hokage and told Danzo that Hanzō might possess the Rinnegan, prompting Danzo to rage over what he believed Hanzō had stolen from him.
• Danzo presented alleged evidence of Uchiha disloyalty to the Third Hokage and urged continued pressure on the clan.
• Orochimaru received a Root elimination mission and decided he needed an assistant to manage his growing workload.
• Kabuto fought his way through Iwagakure, struck his opponent with a Chakra Scalpel, and discovered that the person was Nonō, who did not recognize him.

Kabuto joined Orochimaru after Orochimaru manipulated him, while Aoki Tsuki continued tracking Orochimaru and captured a White Zetsu Clone using one of Orochimaru’s traps. Black Zetsu arranged to expose Aoki Tsuki to Orochimaru, and Orochimaru learned he had been watched for half a year.

• Orochimaru persuaded Kabuto to join him and gave him a secret base in the Land of Earth.
• Aoki Tsuki mapped Orochimaru’s bases, discovered a White Zetsu Clone was watching him, and planted false research notes to lure it into a trap.
• Aoki Tsuki captured the White Zetsu Clone and carried it away, leaving Orochimaru to find signs that someone had triggered his trap.
• Zetsu realized the clone watching Aoki Tsuki had gone missing, and Black Zetsu concluded it was likely captured by either Aoki Tsuki or Orochimaru.
• Black Zetsu had Zetsu warn Orochimaru that Aoki Tsuki had been watching him, then sent Zetsu to seek Obito’s help.
• Orochimaru found a scroll revealing that someone had followed him for half a year and realized several of his bases might have been exposed.

Aoki Tsuki met Orochimaru and fought him before agreeing to pass along Orochimaru’s request to join Akatsuki. While they were distracted, Obito and Zetsu searched Orochimaru’s base and burned it down, leaving Orochimaru to blame Tsuki.

• Orochimaru confronted Aoki Tsuki in the treetops and challenged him after revealing he knew Tsuki’s identities and history with Root.
• Aoki Tsuki and Orochimaru fought with swords and Ninjutsu, then stopped before either was seriously hurt.
• Orochimaru asked to join Akatsuki, and Aoki Tsuki promised to pass the request to the leader before leaving.
• Obito and Zetsu searched Orochimaru’s laboratory but found nothing, then Obito ordered White Zetsu to burn the base.
• Orochimaru returned to find his base destroyed and decided to hold Aoki Tsuki responsible for the raid.

Aoki Tsuki fought Obito, using mist, Ibuse’s poison, and explosive traps to outmaneuver him twice. Obito survived and vowed to get serious as Black and White Zetsu prepared to flee.

• Obito confronted Aoki Tsuki and demanded that he return something he had taken, but Aoki denied knowing him.
• Aoki filled the area with senjutsu-infused mist and Ibuse’s poison, then escaped Obito’s Kamui attempt by using a Water Clone and an Explosive Tag.
• Aoki entered Sage Mode and evaded Obito’s Wood Release attacks while tracking his movements through the mist.
• Aoki used Exploding Flame Formation to detonate tags on the tree Obito occupied, leaving Obito’s clothes badly damaged.
• Black and White Zetsu suspected Aoki knew about Obito’s abilities, and Black urged them to flee as the mist cleared.
• Aoki appeared before Black and White Zetsu, while Obito declared that he would stop underestimating Aoki and get serious.

Aoki Tsuki survived a clash with Obito and reported Orochimaru’s interest in Akatsuki to Konan. Obito later warned Pain about Aoki Tsuki’s public profile and questioned whether anyone had revealed his identity.

• Obito attacked Aoki Tsuki with weapons sent through Kamui, but Aoki Tsuki struck back with Spirit Pivot Yama Judgment and forced Obito to retreat.
• Obito ordered Black and White Zetsu to watch Orochimaru and search his laboratory before returning to Kirigakure.
• Aoki Tsuki returned to Amegakure, told Konan that Orochimaru wanted to learn whether Akatsuki was recruiting, and went home to recover.
• Aoki Tsuki welcomed Karin and planned to train harder, aiming to develop enough power to counter space-time Ninjutsu.
• Konan told Pain that Orochimaru wanted to join Akatsuki, and Obito arrived and argued that recruiting him could jeopardize their plans.
• Obito warned Pain to keep Aoki Tsuki’s profile low and asked whether anyone besides Nagato knew about him.

Pain tested Orochimaru’s strength before reluctantly admitting him to Akatsuki, despite Sasori’s warnings and Orochimaru’s attempt to seize the Rinnegan. At the Akatsuki base, Orochimaru received the Vacant ring and a cloak, then learned he would be partnered with Sasori while Pain kept watch.

• Obito left after Pain denied telling anyone else about Tsuki, and Konan questioned Madara’s interest in Aoki Tsuki.
• Pain brought Sasori to meet Orochimaru, and the two fought with snakes, puppets, and Iron Sand until Sasori pinned Orochimaru down.
• Orochimaru emerged from his own body, tried to take Deva Path Pain’s Rinnegan, and was blasted away by Pain’s repulsive force.
• Pain accepted Orochimaru into Akatsuki after warning him, and Orochimaru realized that Pain was Jiraiya.
• At Akatsuki’s base, Pain gave Orochimaru the Vacant ring and Konan gave him a cloak, then Pain assigned him to partner with Sasori.

Obito sought Danzo’s help against the Akatsuki by offering intelligence and support against the Uchiha, and Danzo agreed to work with him. Meanwhile, Itachi gave Shisui information about a woman whose records had been deliberately erased, leaving Shisui with a new lead to investigate.

• Obito told Zetsu to leak news of Orochimaru joining the Akatsuki to Danzo and decided to approach Danzo himself.
• Danzo received the report, suspected Hanzō led the Akatsuki, and considered how to counter the organization.
• Obito broke into Root, fought off Danzo’s attacks with his strange defensive ability, and introduced himself as Madara.
• Obito offered Danzo intelligence on the Akatsuki and help dealing with the Uchiha, and Danzo accepted a partnership.
• Shisui discussed the growing conflict between the Uchiha and the village with Itachi, who remained hopeful he could help bridge the divide.
• Itachi gave Shisui information about a woman whose records appeared to have been erased, then left for his Anbu duties.

Shisui learned Shino's tragic history before Danzo ordered him to track and kill Orochimaru as part of a plan against the Akatsuki. In Amegakure, Konan sent Aoki Tsuki to investigate Zetsu's unreliable intelligence, while Tsuki continued recovering from his dangerous technique experiments with Yurika's blood.

• Shisui discovered that the spy Shino was Hayuki's daughter and had become a spy amid poverty and illness, before her mother died in the Nine-Tails' attack.
• Danzo ordered Shisui to monitor Orochimaru and find a chance to eliminate him, then secretly arranged for Orochimaru and Sunagakure to support an attack on the Akatsuki.
• Pain and Konan discussed Orochimaru's lack of commitment and the Akatsuki's intelligence arriving late and containing inaccuracies, and Pain suggested that Aoki Tsuki investigate.
• Aoki Tsuki injured himself while developing a technique to expand his meridians, then accepted Yurika's blood and healed her before Konan confronted him.
• Konan tasked Aoki Tsuki with investigating Zetsu's control of the Akatsuki's intelligence and ordered him to leave as soon as he finished eating.

Aoki Tsuki investigated Akatsuki’s faulty intelligence and teamed up with Kakuzu to hunt Aota Kirimaru at Hozuki Castle. They survived a trap involving Kirigakure Anbu and escaped with the bounty, while Aoki Tsuki found evidence of a wider intelligence problem.

• Aoki Tsuki discovered that Zetsu had deliberately reported the wrong route for a military supply convoy in the Land of Grass.
• Aoki Tsuki told Kakuzu he was investigating Akatsuki’s intelligence failures, and Kakuzu agreed to let him join a hunt for Aota Kirimaru.
• Kakuzu used his familiarity with Hozuki Castle and a bribe to lead Aoki Tsuki through the prison to Aota Kirimaru’s cell.
• The head guard and disguised Kirigakure Anbu trapped Kakuzu and Aoki Tsuki, but Kakuzu’s masks and Aoki Tsuki’s Water Release helped them defeat the attackers.
• Aoki Tsuki captured Aota Kirimaru in the mist, and Kakuzu killed him to claim the bounty.
• Aoki Tsuki found a Kirigakure document ordering the head guard to help capture Aota Kirimaru, then urged Kakuzu to pause his missions while he investigated the intelligence problem.

Aoki Tsuki uncovered deliberately misleading intelligence that put Akatsuki members at risk, and sent Konan a warning about Sasori’s mission in Oda. Sasori killed his target before Fuki and a Sunagakure squad confronted him, leaving his former village’s intentions unresolved.

• The Fourth Kazekage ordered Fuki to take the anti-puppet squad and secretly verify reports about Sasori, bringing him back if possible.
• Aoki Tsuki used Sage Mode to find Zetsu’s clone and discovered that it had understated the rebel leader’s guards and strength.
• Aoki Tsuki followed the clone to Onomichi and sent Konan a message warning her about Sasori in Oda.
• Sasori and Orochimaru infiltrated a mansion in Oda to assassinate a rival family, but Orochimaru’s attacks on patrols triggered an alarm.
• Sasori killed the target and defeated the guards before Fuki and Sunagakure ninja arrived and confronted him.

The Sunagakure Anti-Puppet Squad cornered Sasori and nearly seized the Third Kazekage puppet, but he broke free as the underground chamber collapsed. Shisui Uchiha arrived while pursuing Orochimaru, and the two allied groups joined forces to attack Sasori and Orochimaru.

• Fuki's squad trapped Sasori with a binding formation, but Sasori used Iron Sand to break through the barrier and collapse the underground chamber.
• Sasori escaped with the Third Kazekage puppet, while two Sunagakure ninja died from his poisoned senbon; he suspected Orochimaru had leaked information about the ambush.
• Shisui Uchiha pursued Orochimaru into the fight and introduced himself to the Sunagakure squad.
• Fuki proposed that Shisui and the Sunagakure ninja work together to capture Sasori and Orochimaru, and Shisui agreed.
• Orochimaru reappeared beside Sasori as Shisui and the Sunagakure ninja launched a combined Wind Release and Fire Release attack at them.

Sasori fought the Sunagakure squad and Shisui Uchiha after Orochimaru abandoned him, but Konan intervened when Sasori was nearly captured. Shisui unleashed Susanoo to stop Konan’s paper swords and Explosive Tags, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Orochimaru used a Shadow Clone to escape while Sasori was forced out of Hiruko and faced Shisui Uchiha and the Sunagakure squad alone.
• Konan attacked from above with paper swords, and Sasori used stored Water Release to turn the fight against the squad until Shisui protected them with Susanoo.
• Sasori broke free of Fuki’s Rock Pillar Prison with extra Iron Sand, but Shisui and Baki combined Fire Release and Wind Release to melt his defenses.
• Fuki and the others coordinated their attacks against Sasori, while Miyui’s threads disrupted the Third Kazekage Human Puppet’s summoned hands.
• Sasori called on Konan for help, and she answered with paper swords carrying Explosive Tags that threatened the entire group.
• Shisui expanded Susanoo and fired Chakra Senbon to intercept Konan’s paper swords and detonate the Explosive Tags in the air.