Recaps

The Uchiha planned to use the Jashin Cult to distract Konoha while preparing for a possible coup, as they also investigated repeated breaches of their district’s barrier. Aoki Tsuki sought Kikuno Momo’s help in persuading the Uchiha to share advanced Water Release techniques, claiming he wanted to support their cause.

• Aoki Tsuki announced the Jashin Cult’s first donation and ordered its members to spread their faith throughout the Land of Fire.
• Fugaku and the Uchiha discussed using the Jashin Cult to weaken Konoha’s forces, while remaining wary of the village’s countermeasures and an unknown intruder.
• Fugaku told the Uchiha to watch for suspicious activity after the Barrier Team reported repeated breaches around their district.
• Aoki Tsuki learned that Konoha’s Anbu and Root were quickly locating Jashin Cult bases and suspected White Zetsu was giving away their positions.
• Aoki Tsuki apologized to Kikuno Momo for taking advantage of her amnesia, then asked her to get the Uchiha to share advanced Water Release techniques.

Aoki Tsuki studied the Water Release techniques Kikuno Momo obtained from the Uchiha, then set a trap to draw White Zetsu and Orochimaru to the same place. The plan ended with a tiger-striped Masked Man ambushing Orochimaru, who escaped using the Substitution Technique.

• Kikuno Momo asked the Uchiha for Ninjutsu as a clan member and received a generous collection of Fire and Water Release scrolls.
• Aoki Tsuki received the Water Release scrolls, studied them, and found White Zetsu's traces while investigating Jashin Cult bases.
• Aoki Tsuki planted false intelligence about a white creature being transported through the Valley of the End, drawing White Zetsu toward the convoy.
• White Zetsu's clones attacked the convoy, triggered a box full of Explosive Tags, and were caught in the blast.
• Orochimaru captured a White Zetsu clone, but a tiger-striped Masked Man attacked him and began absorbing his body.
• Orochimaru escaped the Masked Man's grasp by using the Substitution Technique.

Obito and Zetsu withdrew after Aoki Tsuki’s trap exposed them, while the intelligence war over the Jashin Cult paused and Itachi learned more about the Uchiha’s ties to the Akatsuki. Back in Amegakure, Aoki Tsuki trained Karin, argued with his mother about pursuing Sister Mimoto, and practiced Water Release as he searched for a technique of his own.

• Obito escaped Orochimaru’s attack with his intangibility, and Zetsu’s clone cleaned up the traces before retreating.
• Obito ordered Zetsu to stop gathering intelligence on the Jashin Cult and said he had found someone who could keep Orochimaru and Aoki Tsuki in check.
• Itachi asked Fugaku about the Akatsuki, and Fugaku explained that Shisui had clashed with them before his death and that the Uchiha were seeking a way to survive village persecution.
• Aoki Tsuki returned to Amegakure, taught Karin the Water Clone Technique, and told her to learn to deceive people for success.
• Aoki Tsuki told Eiko that he wanted to pursue Sister Mimoto, but she warned him about the village’s judgment and Lady Angel’s power.
• Aoki Tsuki trained Karin in Water Release, mastered the Water Severing Wave, and wondered whether he could develop a signature technique of his own.

Aoki Tsuki dueled Konan at the Land of Rain training ground, then returned to his Land of Fire base and discovered Kikuno Momo secretly training as a ninja. He warned her to monitor Konoha and gave her a mental-strength training technique, leaving her to practice openly.

• Aoki Tsuki and Konan fought with Ninjutsu, and Konan’s explosive paper attacks forced him to surrender.
• Konan warned Aoki Tsuki to be careful around Konoha, and he told her he trusted no one but her.
• After returning to his base, Aoki Tsuki watched Kikuno Momo practice Shuriken, Ninjutsu, traps, and Taijutsu in secret.
• Aoki Tsuki asked Kikuno Momo to keep watch on Konoha and alert him to any developments involving the Uchiha.
• Aoki Tsuki gave Kikuno Momo his Single-Point Gaze meditation method, and she realized he had noticed her training.

Danzo assigned Itachi to monitor the Uchiha while plotting against the clan, and the Uchiha caught a Root spy as they expanded the Police Force. Itachi then witnessed Obito infiltrating the clan shrine and learned that Obito intended to destroy the Uchiha as part of his plan to remake the world.

• Hiruzen appointed Itachi as an Anbu Captain, and Danzo ordered him to watch the Uchiha with two Root assistants.
• Itachi secretly planted psychological suggestions in his new teammates before beginning surveillance of the Uchiha Clan Compound.
• Uchiha Yashiro’s recruits joined the Police Force, and the clan caught Root member Huamao spying on their training.
• Fugaku released Huamao after warning the village against further intrusions, while Danzo decided to use the Uchiha’s expansion as evidence of a planned coup.
• Itachi spotted the masked Obito entering the Uchiha compound and later watched him confront Fugaku in the shrine’s secret room.
• Obito revealed his plan to eliminate the Uchiha and escaped Fugaku’s attacks with Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Fukurō died after hiding the codebook stolen from an Akatsuki base, prompting Kakashi’s Team Six and Akatsuki forces to search the Kobe River. Kakashi’s team defeated Tetsuiwa and Kachō, but Kachō sent up a flare before dying, leaving Kakashi to hurry toward Tsukimizato as more enemies approached.

• Fukurō hid the codebook near the Kobe River, sent a final message to the Hokage, and turned to dust from his wounds and poison.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Kakashi’s Team Six to retrieve the intelligence, while Aoki Tsuki ordered Akatsuki’s members to search the river.
• Tetsuiwa and Kachō stopped searching to joke around, alerting Kakashi’s team with their noise.
• Kakashi’s team ambushed the pair; Tetsuiwa died protecting Kachō, and Kakashi killed Kachō after she fled into the river.
• Kachō’s signal flare warned nearby Akatsuki members, so Kakashi ordered his team to search Tsukimizato quickly.

Kakashi and Tenzo fought Aoki Tsuki while the Anbu tried to carry the codebook through a forest ambush. Reinforcements arrived to help the scattered Anbu, but the chapter ended with Aoki Tsuki unleashing a powerful water attack against Kakashi and Tenzo.

• Yamaneko found the codebook, but Aoki Tsuki's forces attacked, wounded him, and killed him after he passed the intelligence to another Anbu.
• The surviving Anbu split up to escape, while Akatsuki squads pursued them; Sekiga attacked Uzuki Yugao before Might Guy, Gekko Hayate, and Aoba Yamashiro arrived to rescue her.
• Uzuki Yugao explained that she had been acting as bait and did not know who carried the codebook, so she and the three reinforcements split up to search for the other Anbu.
• Kakashi and Tenzo battled Aoki Tsuki, whose sword broke Kakashi's Kunai and whose techniques repeatedly countered their attacks.
• Kakashi and Tenzo coordinated Lightning and Water Release attacks, but Aoki Tsuki evaded them and sent a huge wave through Tenzo's earthen wall, forcing them to dodge.

Kakashi, Tenzo, and Might Guy fought Aoki Tsuki while Konoha’s teams searched for the missing codebook. After Guy drove Aoki Tsuki off with the Daytime Tiger, Kakashi revealed he had kept the intelligence hidden all along, and the squad returned to the village to decipher it.

• Might Guy rescued Kakashi and Tenzo from Aoki Tsuki’s water attacks, while other Konoha reinforcements clashed with Akatsuki members and lost track of the codebook.
• Aoki Tsuki secretly entered Sage Mode and fought Might Guy, who opened the third and sixth gates as the battle escalated.
• Guy opened the seventh gate and prepared to attack, prompting Aoki Tsuki to abandon the codebook and unleash his Vajra Dharma Lotus.
• Guy’s Daytime Tiger flattened the waterfall and cliff, leaving Aoki Tsuki’s shattered lotus swept away.
• Kakashi showed the recovered black notebook and explained that he had switched the intelligence onto himself while using the other Anbu members as decoys.
• Kakashi led the reunited team back to the village to decipher the intelligence.

Aoki Tsuki’s intelligence network was exposed after Konoha cracked its code, but Kabuto secretly stole the Anbu’s plans and passed them to Orochimaru. Orochimaru gave Tsuki intelligence that let him ambush Konoha’s teams and help the remaining agents escape, though rebuilding the network would take time.

• Aoki Tsuki returned injured to the base and ordered Akatsuki to evacuate core personnel and disband other bases as Konoha began deciphering their messages.
• Kakashi used Icha Icha Paradise to identify the codebook and help Konoha decode the intelligence, leading to arrests and raids on Akatsuki bases.
• Kabuto drugged and used Genjutsu on an unconscious Anbu Ninja to learn Konoha’s plans, then sent the information to Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru invited Aoki Tsuki to his secret base and gave him a scroll containing the Anbu’s operational strategy.
• Aoki Tsuki led ambushes against several Anbu squads, slowing Konoha’s campaign and giving the remaining Akatsuki personnel time to withdraw.
• Two months later, Aoki Tsuki’s network still needed new bases and safer methods of sending coded messages.

As the Uchiha prepared to revolt, Itachi reported their plans to Konoha’s leaders and was ordered by Danzo to help exterminate his clan. He allied with Obito, while Danzo secretly arranged to attack the Uchiha that night and promised Obito half the Sharingan.

• Danzo increased surveillance and military preparations as the Uchiha expanded their Police Force, while Kikuno Momo warned Aoki Tsuki that Konoha might strike and that an informant could be leaking the clan’s plans.
• At a clan meeting, Fugaku set the Uchiha’s move for the day after tomorrow and revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan to Itachi, asking him to control Konoha’s leaders in a bloodless revolution.
• Itachi reported the Uchiha’s plan to Konoha’s leaders, and Danzo later pressured him into agreeing to kill the clan while sparing Sasuke.
• Itachi asked Obito to help eliminate the Police Force and demanded that he leave Sasuke unharmed; Obito agreed and invited Itachi to join Akatsuki.
• Danzo and Hiruzen agreed to prevent the coup, but Danzo privately joined forces with the masked man calling himself Madara and arranged to attack the Uchiha that night in exchange for half their Sharingan.

Aoki Tsuki joined the assault on Konoha to help the Uchiha and steal masks from the Uzumaki Mask Storage Temple while the Jashin Cult’s attack threw the village into chaos. As Obito massacred the Uchiha Police Force, another masked figure intervened when he tried to take Uchiha Izumi’s eyes.

• Aoki Tsuki ordered the Jashin Cult to launch an all-out attack on Konoha, and its members overwhelmed the village defenses as the Anbu and Root gathered.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the Anbu to defend Konoha while Danzo was tasked with evacuating civilians and checking on the Uchiha Police Force.
• Doru led Jashin Cult members in sacrificing captured ninja atop Hokage Rock while Aoki Tsuki searched the village outskirts for the Uzumaki Mask Storage Temple.
• Aoki Tsuki used Futsunomitama to find and take the Thunder God mask, then also took a mask that resembled Jashin.
• Obito phased through the Uchiha Police Force’s attacks and killed its members, then tried to take Uchiha Izumi’s eyes as she passed by.
• A masked stranger stopped Obito from dragging Izumi away, and Obito retreated after deciding the stranger wanted the Sharingan too.

Aoki Tsuki rescued Uchiha Izumi after Itachi massacred the Uchiha, while Konoha blamed Itachi and condemned the Jashin Cult after its attack. Izumi woke in Ancient Tanzaku Castle, where Kikuno Momo gave her clan intelligence revealing Itachi as the killer.

• Izumi found Tekka dying in the Uchiha police building, then discovered her mother dead at home; Aoki Tsuki carried her away after she collapsed.
• Itachi left Sasuke alive, threatened Danzo against harming him, and secured the Third Hokage’s promise to protect him.
• The Third Hokage stripped Danzo of his advisor position and ordered Root disbanded, while Danzo privately regarded the measures as protection.
• Aoki Tsuki rallied the Jashin Cult with a victory ceremony after its attack, and Konoha designated Itachi an S-rank rogue ninja and the cult an evil organization.
• Kikuno Momo took Izumi to Ancient Tanzaku Castle, explained her Uchiha ties, and gave her clan intelligence that identified Itachi as the massacre’s culprit.

Obito forced Danzo to hand over a scroll after their alliance collapsed, while Aoki Tsuki waited with the Akatsuki for its new recruit. Obito and Itachi arrived at the Land of Rivers base, where Obito prepared to introduce Itachi to the organization’s leader.

• Obito fought Danzo and Root, evaded Danzo’s attempts to restrain him, and obtained a scroll after Danzo ordered his subordinates to hand it over.
• Aoki Tsuki met Jūzō at the Akatsuki base, discussed the Uchiha extermination, and greeted Pain and Konan when they arrived.
• Orochimaru joined the gathering, and Aoki Tsuki spoke with him about strength, respect, and personal value.
• Sasori arrived, and Aoki Tsuki teased him about his puppet body until Sasori attacked and threatened to turn him into a puppet.
• Aoki Tsuki and Jūzō roasted and ate a deer as Orochimaru, Kakuzu, Pain, and Konan declined the food.
• Pain sensed the newcomers, and Obito brought Itachi by boat to the base, explaining that he would go by Tobi and that the Akatsuki was full of dangerous rogue ninja.

Itachi joined Akatsuki and was paired with Jūzō, while Aoki Tsuki and Orochimaru struck a deal exchanging a White Zetsu Clone for the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu. Back in Amegakure, Tsuki studied the jutsu and told Konan that Tobi had a strange ability, but withheld its details.

• Tobi led Itachi into Akatsuki’s hideout, where Pain welcomed him after he marked his Konoha Forehead Protector and gave him a ring and cloak.
• Pain assigned Itachi to partner with Jūzō, while Tobi and Aoki Tsuki exchanged pointed remarks about Tobi’s missing possession and Tsuki’s clashes with him.
• Aoki Tsuki and Orochimaru left together and traded a White Zetsu Clone for a scroll containing the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
• After returning to Amegakure, Aoki Tsuki studied the jutsu and considered using it to summon souls, while examining the Thunder God Mask as another possible medium.
• Aoki Tsuki reported Akatsuki’s intelligence network recovery to Konan, then claimed Tobi’s ability was strange but not enough to overcome true strength.

Aoki Tsuki gave Konan information about Tobi’s weakness and persuaded her to have Nagato examine the Thunder God Mask. He took in the orphan Ajisai, then returned to his base, where he expanded Kikuno Momo’s responsibilities and prepared to travel to the Land of Water.

• Aoki Tsuki explained that Tobi became tangible when attacking, then got Konan to agree to ask Nagato to examine the Thunder God Mask.
• Aoki Tsuki found Karin defending Ajisai from bullies and bought the girls meat buns before learning that Ajisai was an orphan displaced by war.
• Aoki Tsuki offered Ajisai meals and a monthly wage in exchange for helping at his shop, with the prospect of becoming a village ninja later.
• Aoki Tsuki returned to his Land of Fire base, told Kikuno Momo that the Jashin Cult was as important as the Akatsuki, and accepted a commission from a believer in the Land of Water.
• Aoki Tsuki entrusted Kikuno Momo with Akatsuki intelligence for the Land of Fire and told her to manage things at home while he was away.

Suikazan Fuguki arranged a Jashin Cult attack on Kirigakure to test Karatachi Yagura, while Mei Terumi confirmed the Fourth Mizukage was under a Genjutsu. After the attack, Fuguki tried to recruit Zabuza Momochi to assassinate Yagura, leaving Zabuza to consider his proposal.

• Suikazan Fuguki hired the Jashin Cult to attack Kirigakure and promised to help them enter the village.
• The Jashin Cult attacked, and Kirigakure's Kekkei Genkai clans confronted Karatachi Yagura until he promised to stop killing their clans.
• Obito and Zetsu suspected Fuguki was testing Yagura, while Mei Terumi and Ao concluded that Yagura appeared to be under a Genjutsu.
• Aoki Tsuki approached Mei Terumi and left her a scroll with his contact details before escaping as a Water Clone.
• Toriichi Kumade infiltrated Kirigakure to gather intelligence, but Zabuza Momochi killed him after discovering he was a Konoha spy.
• Fuguki urged Zabuza to join him in assassinating Yagura, then left without waiting for an answer.

Fuguki arranged an assassination attempt on the Fourth Mizukage, while Kisame uncovered Fuguki’s betrayal and resolved to kill him. Aoki Tsuki attacked Karatachi Yagura during a purge of the Yuki Clan, and the chapter ended with Obito and Zetsu observing their fight.

• Fuguki hired Aoki Tsuki to provoke the Fourth Mizukage into fighting at full strength, then urged Zabuza to seize the chance to kill him.
• Kisame learned Fuguki had betrayed Kirigakure, investigated a child with Ice Release, and discovered Fuguki had leaked the Mizukage’s plans to other clans and outsiders.
• Kisame decided to kill Fuguki and flee Kirigakure, while Mei Terumi secretly prepared to act on Aoki Tsuki’s warning.
• Karatachi Yagura led an assassination squad to purge a village where the Yuki Clan’s Ice Release had appeared, and Zabuza prepared to strike him.
• Aoki Tsuki attacked Yagura, who countered his techniques with Water Release as Obito and Zetsu watched from afar.

Zabuza and Aoki Tsuki failed to kill Karatachi Yagura, who escaped after a fierce fight. Kisame killed Fuguki, then met Obito, accepted his claim to be Madara Uchiha, and agreed to join the Akatsuki when the time was right.

• Zabuza and Aoki Tsuki fought Karatachi Yagura, but he escaped after using his techniques to fend them off.
• Aoki Tsuki offered Zabuza a place at his side, but Zabuza refused and left.
• Fuguki returned to Kirigakure and tried to send Kisame to spread information about Karatachi Yagura, but Kisame bound and killed him.
• Karatachi Yagura praised Kisame and made him the master of Samehada, while Kisame admitted he still did not trust him.
• Obito revealed himself to Kisame as Madara Uchiha and promised a world where Kisame could find belonging.
• Kisame accepted Obito's offer to join the Akatsuki when the time was right.

Mei, Mangetsu, and Ao confronted Karatachi Yagura and used Ao’s Sealing Jutsu: Release to break the control over him. Yagura regained his senses, but Kirigakure’s leaders were left wondering which Uchiha had controlled him and agreed to keep the truth secret.

• Mei learned that Karatachi Yagura had returned injured and ordered her allies to prepare, while the village announced Fuguki’s execution and Zabuza’s flight.
• Mei, Ao, and Mangetsu confronted Yagura at his residence as Obito and Zetsu fled their hidden chamber and planned to take control of Akatsuki.
• Mei and Mangetsu fought Yagura, and Mangetsu’s Hiramekarei pinned him down so Ao could examine the source of his control.
• Ao used Sealing Jutsu: Release to disrupt the seal and restore the connection between Yagura and the Three-Tails, expelling the foreign Chakra from his brain.
• Yagura regained his senses and recalled that a Sharingan had controlled him, while Genji advised Kirigakure’s leaders to conceal the truth as the village recovered.

Obito attacked Mangetsu after the Fourth Mizukage's situation was resolved, but Mei Terumi and Karatachi Yagura forced him to retreat. Obito planned to arrange Juzo Biwa's death so Kisame could partner with Itachi, while Zabuza found Haku in a snowy town and took him in as his tool.

• Obito caught Mangetsu alone and used lightning through a chain to exploit the Hozuki Clan's weakness, but Mei Terumi and Ao rescued him.
• Mei Terumi's acid mist forced Obito to stay intangible, allowing Karatachi Yagura to trap him briefly with Coral Palm before Obito escaped.
• Obito met Black and White Zetsu and ordered them to arrange a mission that would kill Juzo Biwa, letting Kisame replace him as Itachi's partner.
• Zabuza encountered Haku in a snowy town and asked whether he would give everything for him.
• Haku revealed his ice ability and agreed to become Zabuza's tool, and the two left together.

Itachi and Juzo Biwa fought Karatachi Yagura, and Itachi awakened Amaterasu while Juzo was mortally wounded. As the weakened Mizukage’s condition sparked a Kaguya Clan attack on Kirigakure, Kimimaro survived the clan’s destruction and was taken away by Orochimaru.

• Itachi and Juzo Biwa assassinated their target in Kirigakure, but Karatachi Yagura and hunter-nin caught up with them as they fled.
• Juzo Biwa and Itachi defeated the hunter-nin, but Karatachi Yagura wounded Juzo and attacked Itachi with a Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan awakened and unleashed Amaterasu, burning Karatachi Yagura and leaving him unconscious; Juzo Biwa collapsed from his injuries.
• Black and White Zetsu observed the battle, while Zabuza found the broken Kubikiribōchō and escaped as Kirigakure reinforcements arrived.
• After Karatachi Yagura was reported gravely wounded, the Kaguya Clan launched a night raid on Kirigakure and Kimimaro joined the fighting.
• The Kaguya Clan was destroyed, leaving Kimimaro as the sole survivor, and Orochimaru led him away.

The Akatsuki mourned Jūzō, paired Itachi with Kisame, and continued drawing new members into its ranks. Meanwhile, Orochimaru prepared to leave the organization, Zabuza rejected Aoki Tsuki’s recruitment offer, and the Jashin Cult’s leaders confronted Tsuki over his actions.

• Pain summoned the Akatsuki, where Itachi reported Jūzō’s death after a battle with the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, and Pain assigned Kisame as Itachi’s partner.
• Itachi and Kisame met on an island, exchanged warnings about their pasts and their treatment of comrades, and agreed to work together.
• Orochimaru reviewed research on a mysterious sample with Kabuto, discussed Kimimaro and Otogakure, and revealed that he planned to leave the Akatsuki after targeting Itachi.
• Zabuza trained Haku in the Land of Waves, urged him to specialize in Senbon, and refused Aoki Tsuki’s offer to join the Jashin Cult.
• Aoki Tsuki returned to the Jashin Cult’s base, where senior members criticized his actions for attracting the Five Great Nations’ attention, and Priest Hino angrily challenged him.

Aoki Tsuki used the Jashin Mask and Hidan’s ritual to demonstrate Jashin’s power, then took control of the Jashin Cult as its leader, Evil Dragon. After moving the cult’s base to the Land of Hot Water, he learned of the ritual’s consequences and received an invitation from Orochimaru to visit Otogakure.

• Aoki Tsuki challenged High Priest Takane’s authority and offered the Jashin Mask as proof that he could communicate with Jashin.
• Takane forced Hidan to test the mask, and Jashin’s descent drained sacrifices and spread a blood array that devoured more than one hundred followers before Aoki Tsuki stopped it with prepared sacrifices.
• Aoki Tsuki was acclaimed leader of the Jashin Cult, appointed his supporters to senior roles, and made Takane remain high priest.
• Aoki Tsuki announced himself as Evil Dragon through the underground Exchange and moved the cult’s base from the Land of Fire to the Land of Hot Water.
• Researchers found that Hidan’s blood carried a curse, while some followers who heard Jashin’s murmuring later suffered nightmares and killed themselves.
• Orochimaru congratulated Aoki Tsuki and invited him to Otogakure, while Aoki Tsuki considered how their growing organizations compared with the Akatsuki.

Aoki Tsuki perfected a powerful air-compression technique by copying Might Guy’s method, while the Jashin Cult expanded under his leadership. He received a summons to an Akatsuki meeting and met Orochimaru on the way to the shrine, where the chapter leaves them discussing a possible future alliance.

• Kisame and Itachi discussed Aoki Tsuki’s rise as leader of the Jashin Cult while returning from an assassination mission in the Land of Iron.
• Aoki Tsuki used Sage Mode and the Thousand-Armed Kannon to develop Air Realm: Greedy Wolf, a compressed-air attack that blasted a huge section of seawater away.
• Kikuno Momo sparred with Uchiha Izumi, warned her about the Jashin Cult’s leader, and kept the Uchiha legacy secret.
• Aoki Tsuki received a letter summoning Akatsuki members to a shrine in the Land of Grass, after spending more than two months perfecting his technique.
• Aoki Tsuki met Orochimaru on the way to the shrine, and the two praised each other’s rule-breaking ways and discussed working together in the future.

Aoki Tsuki attended an Akatsuki gathering where Kisame challenged him to a fight and Zetsu became a full member. Afterward, Orochimaru tried to seize Itachi’s body, but Itachi defeated him and severed his arm before Orochimaru escaped with Kabuto.

• Aoki Tsuki learned that his bounty had risen to fifty million ryo and offered Sasori money for his puppet research.
• Kisame challenged Aoki Tsuki to a fight, and Aoki agreed to test their strength.
• Black and White Zetsu joined Akatsuki as a full member and received the ring representing Black Tortoise.
• Orochimaru ambushed Itachi on the mountain path, but Itachi caught him in a Genjutsu and cut off his left arm.
• Kabuto helped Orochimaru escape, and Itachi continued down the mountain, planning to report the incident to Pain.