Chapter Summaries

Aoki Tsuki secured Master Tesshin’s promise to forge ninja tools by agreeing to represent Takumi Village at the Land of Iron’s swordsmen’s tournament. After dominating a chaotic preliminary and reaching the finals, he faced Kimen, whose skill revealed the speed and force of Aoki Tsuki’s self-taught swordsmanship.

• Aoki Tsuki persuaded Master Tesshin to forge his ninja tools if he found the needed material and represented Takumi Village at the Land of Iron tournament.
• Aoki Tsuki and Konan traveled to the Land of Iron, where Aoki Tsuki registered as Rōgetsu and met Tatewaki.
• Aoki Tsuki chose the ninth preliminary ring and provoked its competitors, then defeated wave after wave of challengers in a melee.
• Mifune heard reports about the tournament and learned that Tatewaki was a promising local swordsman.
• At the finals, Aoki Tsuki fought Kimen and used his swift, powerful swordsmanship to counter Kimen’s two-sword attacks.
• Mifune recognized that Aoki Tsuki’s swordsmanship had no formal school’s practiced forms and judged it to be a killing art honed in real combat.

Aoki Tsuki defeated Kimen, then watched Tatewaki outlast the armored Gōriki as the Swordsman Tournament advanced. After both Tatewaki and Aoki Tsuki fought their way to the final, they began their duel with evenly matched attacks.

• Aoki Tsuki defeated Kimen with Continuous Rain Breathing: Pursuing Dragon, and Rikaku declared Rōgetsu of the Land of Artisans the winner.
• Tatewaki defeated Gōriki by wearing down the armored samurai, despite exhausting himself in the prolonged fight.
• Aoki Tsuki received byes in the later rounds, defeated Kazeno Hayabusa in the repechage, and reached the semifinals; Tatewaki defeated Zanshin and Hayate to join him.
• Rikaku announced Tatewaki and Rōgetsu of the Land of Artisans as the finalists competing for the title of swordmaster.
• Aoki Tsuki opened the final with Rain Cutter, but Tatewaki intercepted the crescent slash with a fast sword-drawing strike, matching its force.

Aoki Tsuki defeated Tatewaki in the swordsmanship tournament’s final match, earning the title of ultimate winner and recognition from Mifune. At the banquet, Mifune agreed to send help with Aoki Tsuki’s search for a rare ore, while Tatewaki said he would travel instead of entering another tournament.

• Aoki Tsuki and Tatewaki exchanged powerful sword techniques, and Tatewaki broke Aoki Tsuki’s new sword before Aoki Tsuki wounded him with a counterattack.
• Despite his injury, Tatewaki continued fighting and met Aoki Tsuki’s Moon Shadow with his One-Sword Style: Sky-Splitting Slash.
• Aoki Tsuki’s final attack overcame Tatewaki’s strike, and Tatewaki admitted defeat before fainting; Rikaku declared Rōgetsu the tournament’s winner.
• Mifune praised both swordsmen for reaching the level of sword intent, then received Tesshin’s letter and agreed to help Aoki Tsuki search for the rare ore.
• Aoki Tsuki spoke with Tatewaki at the banquet, where Tatewaki said he planned to travel through various countries and would not compete again.

Aoki Tsuki searched Thunder God Mountain for lightning-patterned tungsten steel, reunited with Konan, and used lightning strikes to forge ore while awakening a new connection to Lightning Release. Following a nearby electrical force, he discovered a hidden cave and found what appeared to be a shrine.

• Aoki Tsuki dismissed the samurai escort and climbed Thunder God Mountain, where he reunited with an exhausted Konan in a cave during a storm.
• Konan and Aoki Tsuki discussed their search for ore, his victory in the samurai tournament, and their views on war and peace.
• Aoki Tsuki evaded Konan's question about his dream and left the cave to search for lightning-patterned tungsten steel.
• Aoki Tsuki attracted lightning to an ore-rich boulder with an iron antenna and produced several pieces of lightning-patterned black steel.
• After repeated lightning strikes energized his body and sharpened his senses, Aoki Tsuki followed a strange electrical presence into a hidden cave and reached a hall that looked like a shrine.

Aoki Tsuki recovered a lightning-charged sword, helped Konan gather ore, and returned to Amegakure as the Shinobi World grew tense after the Fourth Hokage’s death. He joined Root’s assassination attempt on the Third Hokage, which ended with Kakashi appearing behind Kinoe.

• Aoki Tsuki found a slender sword hidden inside a statue on Thunder God Mountain and charged it with lightning, discovering that it amplified his Lightning Release techniques.
• Aoki Tsuki returned with Konan to the Land of Artisans, where Master Tesshin forged a special ninja tool from their ore over half a month.
• After news spread that the Fourth Hokage had died, Danzo ordered Hanzō to help Root assassinate the Third Hokage, while Akatsuki accepted a black-market contract to kill Shisui Uchiha.
• Aoki Tsuki traveled with Sasori toward Konoha, then separated from him and joined Root’s assassination team under the codename Tsuki.
• Root and Kinoe ambushed the Third Hokage, but the apparent victim was replaced by a tree stump, and Kakashi appeared behind Kinoe.

Aoki Tsuki helped Kinoe escape Kakashi, while Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Danzo over the failed assassination attempt. Sasori ambushed Shisui Uchiha and forced him to reveal Susanoo, then trapped it with Iron Sand stakes.

• Aoki Tsuki intercepted Kakashi's attack on Kinoe, and Kakashi withdrew with the Hokage's guards after warning he would report the incident to the Third.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the Hokage's office and confronted Danzo, then spared him in exchange for renewed service to the village.
• Aoki Tsuki left the Root members and followed Sasori's trail, while Shisui Uchiha waited at the expected Kirigakure assault route.
• Sasori attacked Shisui with Hiruko and a hundred puppets, but Shisui summoned Susanoo and destroyed them.
• Sasori used Iron Sand to obscure Shisui's vision, then pinned Susanoo in place with enormous iron stakes.

Aoki Tsuki and Sasori both failed their assassination missions and reported back to Pain, who planned to exploit Konoha’s turmoil. Later, Aoki learned from Kikuno Momo about Ibuse’s possible hiding places and promised to spare the Uchiha if he encountered them.

• Shisui used Susanoo and Fire Release to melt Sasori’s Iron Sand, but his injuries forced him to flee after he launched a counterattack.
• Aoki Tsuki met the wounded Sasori, and they returned to report their failed missions to Pain.
• Aoki told Pain and Konan that the Nine-Tails’ attack had killed the Fourth Hokage and led to the Uchiha being confined under surveillance.
• Aoki visited Kikuno Momo in Amegakure’s dungeon and told her the Uchiha might face destruction, prompting her to ask him to show them mercy.
• Aoki admitted that he wanted to find Hanzō’s summon, Ibuse, and Kikuno Momo shared several possible hiding places based on her information.
• Aoki told Kikuno Momo what he knew about the Uchiha and solemnly agreed to spare its members if he encountered them.

Aoki Tsuki mastered his self-developed Sage Mode, defeated Ibuse, and secured both a Summoning Contract and Hanzō’s hidden techniques. He then went to the Land of Hot Water to investigate the Jashin Cult, suspecting Hidan might be among its child subjects.

• Aoki Tsuki used Sage Mode to split a lake with his sword and then defeated Ibuse with the Lightning Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
• Aoki Tsuki persuaded Ibuse to sign a Summoning Contract by claiming Hanzō had entrusted the salamander to his care.
• Ibuse gave Aoki Tsuki a scroll containing Hanzō’s signature techniques before returning to the lake.
• Aoki Tsuki studied the techniques and planned to develop his swordsmanship, Sage Mode, and chakra-based attacks.
• Aoki Tsuki arrived at an Akatsuki base in the Land of Hot Water and learned that the Jashin Cult was kidnapping children for secret experiments.
• Aoki Tsuki suspected Hidan was among the children and decided to investigate the cult further.

Aoki Tsuki infiltrated the Jashin Cult, rose through its ranks, and gained access to its records on immortality experiments. He proposed a way to find a compatible vessel and began developing chakra chains, while High Priest Takane gave him one week to test his theory.

• Aoki Tsuki proved his devotion during the initiation sacrifice and became the acting captain of the new recruits.
• Over two months, Aoki Tsuki led the cultists in capturing ninjas and defeating bandits, earning promotion to a mid-level leadership role.
• Aoki Tsuki learned that the cult was searching for a vessel capable of surviving Jashin's power and persuaded Priest Daisuke to seek his advice.
• High Priest Takane tested Aoki Tsuki with poison, then granted him three days to study the cult's experimental records.
• Aoki Tsuki studied the cult's curses, found inspiration for binding chakra chains, and told Takane that a fanatical believer could serve as a compatible vessel.
• Takane ordered Aoki Tsuki to test his theory within one week.

Aoki Tsuki found young Hidan in Yugakure and lured him into killing bandits as part of a Jashin ritual, leading to Hidan’s successful transformation in the cult’s experiment. After gaining power within the Jashin Cult, Aoki Tsuki curbed its public violence and secured goodwill and potential work for Akatsuki from the Land of Hot Water’s rulers.

• Aoki Tsuki found Hidan stabbing ants and persuaded the boy that the Jashin Cult could grant him power and freedom to kill.
• Aoki Tsuki took Hidan to a bandit hideout, where Hidan killed everyone and drew a Jashin sacrificial symbol in their blood.
• The cult’s experiment gave Hidan black-and-white markings and apparent Jashin Mode, so High Priest Takane appointed Aoki Tsuki chief deacon.
• Aoki Tsuki ordered the Jashin Cult to move underground and choose sacrifices carefully, after which large-scale massacres in the Land of Hot Water stopped.
• The Land of Hot Water’s daimyo praised Akatsuki for quelling the unrest, and Aoki Tsuki offered the organization’s services.
• Aoki Tsuki presented the daimyo’s wife with perfume made from balloon flowers, leaving a favorable impression that could help Akatsuki gain future missions.

Aoki Tsuki developed the framework for two new techniques and was assigned to join an Akatsuki assassination operation targeting Kirigakure’s Kekkei Genkai clans. He set out to meet Sasori, Kakuzu, and Jūzō at a bridge near the Land of Fire’s border.

• Aoki Tsuki reported to Konan that he had joined the Jashin Cult as its Grand Deacon and recommended Hidan as a future Akatsuki recruit.
• After Konan briefed Pain, Pain learned from Zetsu that Madara had gone to the Land of Water and agreed he might need to intervene.
• Aoki Tsuki spent over two months developing Spirit Pivot Yama Judgment, a sealing technique using his hair, and planned Ninja Art: Earth-Binding Flame Hell.
• Konan summoned Aoki Tsuki, praised his improvement, and assigned him to an assassination mission with Sasori, Kakuzu, and Jūzō.
• Konan told Aoki Tsuki that the targets were important members of Kirigakure’s Kekkei Genkai clans and that she and Pain would act secretly; he then packed and left to meet the team.

Aoki Tsuki and his Akatsuki teammates infiltrated Kirigakure to carry out assassinations, and he killed Kaguya Clan leader Miura Kawa after a difficult fight. As he escaped, a distant Tailed Beast Bomb shook the area, leaving him wondering who the Fourth Mizukage was fighting.

• Aoki Tsuki, Juzo Biwa, Sasori, and Kakuzu reached Kirigakure and divided up their assassination targets.
• Sasori chose the Hozuki Clan, Juzo chose a family connected to a Kirigakure elder, and Kakuzu took the Kaguya Clan.
• Aoki Tsuki searched the Kaguya Clan’s caves and attacked Miura Kawa, who defended himself with Shikotsumyaku bone armor and spikes.
• Aoki Tsuki used Lightning Release to disrupt Miura Kawa’s defenses and killed him with a thrust through the heart.
• Aoki Tsuki escaped the clan’s territory under cover of the Hidden Mist Technique as the Kaguya clansmen discovered Miura Kawa’s body.
• Aoki Tsuki saw a distant Tailed Beast Bomb explode and wondered whether the Fourth Mizukage had attacked someone.

Jūzō, Sasori, and Kakuzu’s assassination attempts in Kirigakure failed as their targets resisted and the village mobilized. While fleeing, Jūzō joined forces with Aoki Tsuki, who fought Suikazan Fuguki and drove him to retreat.

• Jūzō’s attack on Elder Harumi was interrupted by Zabuza and Fuguki, and he fled after the three overwhelmed him.
• Sasori and Kakuzu encountered powerful opponents and retreated, then met up with each other as they escaped Kirigakure.
• Fuguki pursued Jūzō into a forest, but Aoki Tsuki arrived and cut the hair binding Jūzō and the Kubikiribōchō.
• Aoki Tsuki fought Fuguki with lightning, while Samehada defended itself and launched away from Fuguki to avoid the attack.
• Fuguki trapped the fighters in a vast water prison and summoned a giant pufferfish, but Aoki Tsuki summoned Ibuse, whose poison killed it.
• Fuguki dispelled the water prison and escaped into the water, and Aoki Tsuki dismissed Ibuse.

Pain’s Six Paths defeated and captured Yagura, the Three-Tails Jinchūriki, and Obito took him to the Kamui Dimension. After the Akatsuki members reported their mission results, Obito learned that most of the Kirigakure assassinations had failed and ordered an investigation into Aoki Tsuki.

• Aoki Tsuki and Jūzō watched as Pain’s Six Paths fought Yagura, while Aoki explained that the operation targeted the Fourth Mizukage.
• Pain’s Paths exhausted Yagura’s Chakra and captured him after the Preta Path drained the Three-Tails; Obito arrived and transported Yagura into his Kamui Dimension.
• Nagato told Konan that Yagura had been handed over to Madara, then gathered the Akatsuki members to hear their mission reports.
• Aoki Tsuki reported killing the Kaguya Clan’s leader, while Juzo Biwa, Sasori, and Kakuzu admitted that their assassination missions had failed.
• Zetsu told Obito that only Aoki Tsuki had succeeded; Obito ordered Black Zetsu to investigate Aoki’s past and multiple identities.

Aoki Tsuki trained in Fire Release, then managed Akatsuki and Jashin Cult operations around the Land of Lightning while secretly directing the cult’s attacks. After he publicly claimed responsibility for a massacre, Kumogakure destroyed several cult bases, forcing him to suspend the believers’ activities.

• Aoki Tsuki struggled to perform the Fireball Technique, and Konan questioned him about obtaining Hanzō’s legacy before leaving him to continue his training.
• Aoki Tsuki later established a base in the Land of Hot Water, studied the Jashin Cult’s archive, and organized Akatsuki members and cultists to take on missions in the region.
• Aoki Tsuki urged the Jashin Cultists to target ninja and disrupt the prospect of peace, then assigned their commissions and operations.
• After three months, the group’s activity increased security commissions, and cultists killed several Guardian Ninja and nobles in the Land of Lightning’s capital.
• Aoki Tsuki publicly took responsibility for the attack, and Kumogakure retaliated by destroying more than a dozen cult bases, forcing him to halt the believers’ activities.

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.