Recaps

Naruto and Uzumaki Hane pursued Kimimaro to rescue Sasuke, but Sasuke escaped from the barrel while they fought. Naruto chased after him, leaving Hane to battle Kimimaro, who activated his Cursed Seal and prepared the Dance of the Larch.

• Shikamaru stayed behind to fight Tayuya while Naruto and Uzumaki Hane chased Kimimaro.
• Naruto attacked Kimimaro with shadow clones, and Hane joined the fight with his lava abilities, but Kimimaro defeated the clones and wounded Hane.
• Sasuke burst out of the barrel and left, prompting Hane to hold Kimimaro back so Naruto could pursue him.
• Hane traded attacks with Kimimaro, who pierced his chest and criticized his weapon skills, but Hane continued fighting using his lava arms.
• Kimimaro activated Cursed Seal Level One, revealed bones emerging from his body, and announced his Dance of the Larch.

Uzumaki Hane fought Kimimaro with his magma abilities until Gaara arrived and joined the battle. Gaara trapped Kimimaro in sand, while Hane ran low on Chakra and stopped contesting who would finish the fight.

• Uzumaki Hane used Magma Mode and several lava attacks against Kimimaro, but Kimimaro repeatedly blocked and countered him.
• Gaara arrived, explained that he owed someone in Konoha a favor, and blocked Kimimaro’s finger bones with his sand.
• Uzumaki Hane asked Gaara to back him up, but Gaara stopped his charge and said he would deal with Kimimaro.
• Gaara and Uzumaki Hane attacked Kimimaro together, and Gaara’s sand eventually bound Kimimaro’s feet and wrapped around him.
• Uzumaki Hane ran out of most of his Chakra, returned to normal, and told Gaara that Kimimaro was his opponent, but made no further move.

Gaara and Uzumaki Hane fought Kimimaro as his illness worsened, but his determination to serve Orochimaru kept him attacking even after Gaara buried him beneath a forest of bone spikes. Hane stopped Kimimaro’s final thrust at Gaara and wondered whether Kimimaro had died.

• Gaara trapped Kimimaro in quicksand and used Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral, but Kimimaro activated Curse Mark Stage Two and broke free.
• Uzumaki Hane intercepted Kimimaro with Canine Red Lotus, but Kimimaro smashed through the lava attack and knocked him away.
• Kimimaro bound Gaara with Dance of the Clematis: Flower and thrust at him, but Gaara’s Shield of Shukaku blocked the bone spear.
• Gaara buried Kimimaro two hundred meters underground, but Kimimaro unleashed Dance of the Seedling Fern and forced Gaara and Hane into the air above a vast forest of bone spikes.
• Kimimaro appeared behind the exhausted Gaara and thrust at him, but Hane caught the bone spear and found Kimimaro had no strength behind it.

Uzumaki Hane and Kakashi returned the exhausted Naruto to Konoha after Sasuke escaped, then learned that the other members of the mission were recovering. With Choji and Neji out of danger, Hane left the hospital with Yamano Koromo to get a meal.

• Uzumaki Hane found Naruto unconscious at the Valley of the End, and Kakashi arrived with Pakkun as Sasuke's trail had been washed away.
• Kakashi and Uzumaki Hane met the medical-nin, who reported that Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji had been taken back to Konoha for treatment.
• Tsunade announced that Choji was out of danger, and Shizune reported that Neji was safe; Shikamaru cried with relief.
• Uzumaki Hane and Shikamaru visited Naruto, who was glad his teammates were safe but saddened that Sasuke had not returned.
• Uzumaki Hane checked on Kiba and Akamaru, then met Yamano Koromo, who invited him to her house for a meal.

Uzumaki Hane reflected on his defeat by Kimimaro and decided to train his Taijutsu, then met Might Guy at the training ground. Might Guy challenged Hane to fight and sent him flying with a powerful kick.

• Uzumaki Hane reassured Yamano Koromo that he was fine, and the two went to her house for dinner.
• Uzumaki Hane thought about how Kimimaro had defeated him and resolved to improve his Taijutsu and use it alongside the Magma-Magma Fruit.
• Yamano Koromo cooked dinner for Uzumaki Hane and watched over him as he ate, but she did not explain why she was acting strangely.
• Uzumaki Hane went to the training ground and found Might Guy doing push-ups.
• Might Guy attacked Uzumaki Hane and challenged him to a fight, overpowering him and kicking him onto a tree branch.

Uzumaki Hane sparred with Might Guy, who exposed weaknesses in Hane’s taijutsu and recognized his brief success with Chakra Enhanced Strength. Guy challenged Hane to name his dream, leaving him to consider whether simply surviving was enough.

• Uzumaki Hane used magma techniques against Might Guy, but Guy repeatedly dodged and countered his attacks while criticizing his slow, predictable taijutsu.
• Hane unexpectedly struck Guy with Chakra Enhanced Strength, but could not reproduce the powerful blow when he tried it again.
• Might Guy warned Hane not to lose focus during a fight and urged him to resume his extreme training.
• Might Guy asked Hane what his dream was, and Hane said he wanted to live well in this world.
• Might Guy asked whether Hane would stand by if his friends, companions, or Guy himself were hurt.

Uzumaki Hane realized that he wanted to keep fighting and asked Might Guy to train him. After exhausting himself in squat training and losing a Taijutsu spar, Hane returned home at night and sensed someone inside his residence.

• Uzumaki Hane declared that he craved battle, and Might Guy agreed to train him.
• Might Guy led Uzumaki Hane to Rock Lee, and the three began squat training together.
• Might Guy sparred with Uzumaki Hane in the forest and criticized his limited Taijutsu.
• Uzumaki Hane used his Kekkei Genkai to burn through Might Guy's bandages and escaped with the Substitution Technique.
• Uzumaki Hane distracted Might Guy by pointing out Kakashi, and Might Guy hurried after him.
• Uzumaki Hane returned home after dark, sensed someone inside, and went on guard.

Yamano Koromo reassured Uzumaki Hane that she and Tanaka would support him, then began cooking for him while he recovered and trained harder. After a strenuous day of training with Might Guy and Rock Lee, Uzumaki Hane was taken away by Mitarashi Anko, who wanted him as a training target.

• Yamano Koromo cooked dinner for Uzumaki Hane and told him that she and Tanaka would always support him.
• Yamano Koromo insisted she would cook for Uzumaki Hane every day while he recovered, and he agreed.
• Uzumaki Hane strengthened his body twice overnight and woke feeling stronger.
• Uzumaki Hane trained with Might Guy and Rock Lee, completing two thousand push-ups before continuing with other exercises.
• Might Guy treated Uzumaki Hane and Rock Lee to barbecue after their morning training.
• Mitarashi Anko grabbed Uzumaki Hane to use as a training target, while Might Guy left with Rock Lee.

Uzumaki Hane trained with Mitarashi Anko and his teammates while Danzo considered how to eliminate him. Tsunade sent Hane, Hyuga Tanaka, and Yamano Koromo on a B-rank mission, and the group took shelter in a mysterious castle where they became trapped inside.

• Mitarashi Anko challenged Uzumaki Hane, but his magma absorbed her attacks, and he made her promise to keep helping with his training.
• Uzumaki Hane continued his daily training and body strengthening for a month as Danzo monitored his growing strength and plotted to kill him.
• An Anbu summoned Uzumaki Hane to Tsunade, who assigned him, Hyuga Tanaka, and Yamano Koromo to help Yamamoto Satoshi's village fight bandits that included rogue ninja.
• During heavy rain, Yamamoto Satoshi led the group to a strange castle, where the gates opened by themselves and then slammed shut behind them.
• Uzumaki Hane and the others called out for help, received no answer, and prepared to investigate the castle.

Uzumaki Hane and his companions discovered that the castle was a gigantic summoning beast that had swallowed them. After learning Yamamoto Satoshi had brought them there to rescue his companion, they agreed to help, and a girl's scream prompted Yamamoto to run toward her.

• Uzumaki Hane recognized the castle as a transformed summoning beast, but Yamamoto Satoshi was swallowed along with him, while the beast also swallowed Yamano Koromo and Hyuga Tanaka.
• Uzumaki Hane confronted Yamamoto Satoshi, who admitted he had brought the group to save his companion, Yamamoto Naka, after she was swallowed by the beast.
• Uzumaki Hane agreed to help rescue Yamamoto Naka, and Yamano Koromo and Hyuga Tanaka agreed to join him.
• Hyuga Tanaka used his Byakugan to confirm the group was inside a gigantic summoning beast and struck its chakra-covered flesh with his palm.
• When a girl's scream sounded nearby, Yamamoto Satoshi recognized Ou's voice and ran toward it.

Uzumaki Hane freed Yamamoto Naka from a summoned beast and helped his companions escape, then fought a giant lizard that swallowed him. After escaping from inside the lizard, he followed Yamano Koromo’s trail to regroup with the others.

• Uzumaki Hane burned away the flesh wall trapping Yamamoto Naka while Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo fought off the summoned beast’s tentacles.
• Hyuga Tanaka found a weak point, and Uzumaki Hane blasted a hole through the beast so the group could escape.
• The castle transformed into a giant lizard, and Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo carried Yamamoto Satoshi and Yamamoto Naka ahead while Uzumaki Hane stayed behind to fight.
• Uzumaki Hane attacked the lizard with magma javelins and Great Eruption, but it swallowed him before he could finish it off.
• Uzumaki Hane fought his way through the lizard’s interior and escaped through a hole in the scorched flesh, then followed Yamano Koromo’s marks to rejoin the others.

Uzumaki Hane rejoined his team, and they continued Yamamoto Satoshi’s mission to find the missing villagers. They discovered the village deserted and suspected a bandit gang had taken its people as someone approached.

• Hyuga Tanaka, Yamano Koromo, and Yamamoto Satoshi waited for Uzumaki Hane, who returned exhausted after fighting a summoned giant lizard.
• Uzumaki Hane accepted Yamamoto Satoshi’s apology and decided the team would continue the mission, warning that another incident would make them cancel it.
• Yamamoto Naka woke, apologized to the Konoha ninjas, and joined the group as they set out toward the village.
• Uzumaki Hane and the others found the village empty, and Hyuga Tanaka used his Byakugan to confirm there was no one in the nearby houses.
• Yamamoto Naka blamed herself for the villagers’ disappearance, while Uzumaki Hane reassured her and Hyuga Tanaka asked Yamamoto Satoshi about the bandits.
• Hyuga Tanaka sensed someone approaching and signaled the others, knowing the newcomer could not evade his Byakugan.

Uzumaki Hane and his companions defeated the ninja ambushing them, then learned the location of the bandits holding the villagers. They prepared to launch a surprise attack, while Hyuga Tanaka warned that the mission seemed suspicious and Yamamoto Satoshi was hiding something.

• Uzumaki Hane killed a masked ninja hiding underground by turning his feet to lava.
• Uzumaki Hane destroyed Yamada with magma, while Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo fought Sato; Tanaka ultimately killed Sato with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
• Hyuga Tanaka confirmed the area was clear, and Yamamoto Satoshi gave the group the bandits' location.
• Uzumaki Hane planned to attack the bandits while Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo rescued the villagers.
• Hyuga Tanaka warned that the mission seemed unusual and that Yamamoto Satoshi was still concealing something, and Uzumaki Hane agreed.

Uzumaki Hane attacked the bandits’ stronghold alone to draw their attention while Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo could rescue the villagers. After defeating many bandits and several ninja, he faced a powerful middle-aged ninja whose real location remained unknown.

• Uzumaki Hane killed the five bandits guarding the stronghold gate and fought his way through the bandits who rushed out.
• Uzumaki Hane escaped an earth ninja’s grip by turning his feet to lava, then drove the fleeing bandits back with Lava Shuriken.
• Uzumaki Hane was trapped in a swamp by a ninja using clones, but escaped with Great Eruption and burned the ninja to ash.
• Uzumaki Hane realized the stronghold’s ninja were unusually strong and confronted a middle-aged ninja who recognized his Kekkei Genkai.
• Uzumaki Hane’s Canine Red Lotus destroyed the middle-aged ninja’s rock shield and struck a clone, leaving Uzumaki Hane searching for the hidden original.

Uzumaki Hane defeated the seventh ninja and returned to the village with the rescued villagers, but discovered that Yamamoto Naka had infiltrated the group. Naka took Yamamoto Tomoko hostage and revealed that she had forced Tomoko to lure Konoha ninja into a trap.

• Hane drove the middle-aged ninja out of hiding with a lava attack and killed him with Great Eruption when he tried to escape underground.
• Hane reunited with Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo, and they returned to the village with the rescued villagers.
• Hane brought Yamamoto Satoshi and Yamamoto Naka back to the village, where the villagers held a banquet to thank the Konoha ninja.
• The village chief said the bandits had seven ninja, and Koromo realized that Yamamoto Satoshi had been sent to Konoha alone as Tomoko.
• Hane and his companions learned that Yamamoto Naka was the missing ninja, and Koromo warned that she had left with Tomoko.
• Naka appeared holding Tomoko hostage and confessed that she had forced Tomoko to lure the Konoha ninja to the village so the bandits could kill them all.

Uzumaki Hane and his team defeated Yamamoto Naka, but Yamamoto Tomoko later revealed herself as an agent sent by Danzo to kill Hane. She detonated explosive tags beneath the hillside, engulfing them both in a chain of explosions.

• Yamamoto Naka held Yamamoto Tomoko hostage and demanded that the Konoha ninja surrender or kill one another.
• Yamano Koromo trapped Yamamoto Naka in Genjutsu, allowing Uzumaki Hane to kill her with a lava punch.
• Yamamoto Tomoko thanked Uzumaki Hane for saving her, and the village chief restarted the feast.
• Yamamoto Tomoko met Uzumaki Hane on a hillside and admitted that Danzo had sent her to kill him.
• Yamamoto Tomoko revealed that the hillside was covered in Explosive Tags and set them off, engulfing herself and Uzumaki Hane in the explosions.

Uzumaki Hane survived an explosive ambush by opening the Second Gate, then returned to Konoha with Yamano Koromo and Hyuga Tanaka. Afterward, he trained and discovered that his physical abilities and Magma-Magma Fruit attacks had grown stronger.

• Uzumaki Hane opened the Gate of Healing as explosions destroyed his magma defenses, then protected himself with Magma Wall.
• Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo found a crater on the hillside and feared Uzumaki Hane had been killed, but he emerged alive from the rocks.
• Uzumaki Hane explained the attack, comforted Yamano Koromo, and left the village with her and Hyuga Tanaka the next day.
• The three returned safely to Konoha, reported their mission complete, and Uzumaki Hane treated them to barbecue.
• Uzumaki Hane reflected on his new strength and Danzo’s attempt to kill him, then resumed training despite his recent brush with death.
• Uzumaki Hane tested his Magma-Magma Fruit powers and found that his Great Eruption was at least twice as powerful as before.

Uzumaki Hane trained his Chakra Enhanced Strength by sparring with Tsunade, who forbade him from using his Kekkei Genkai at first and pushed him to face her punches directly. After Hane’s Chakra-enhanced fist collided with hers and his Magma Arm was shattered, Tsunade prepared to attack again, promising she could heal any injury.

• Uzumaki Hane decided to seek a sparring partner to improve his Chakra Enhanced Strength, and Tsunade arrived to watch his training.
• After Hane tricked Tsunade into thinking Shizune was behind her, Tsunade declared she would train him seriously and banned him from using his Kekkei Genkai.
• Tsunade attacked Hane with powerful punches, while he dodged and complained that she was simply using training as an excuse to hit him.
• Tsunade demonstrated how she concentrated Chakra in her fist and urged Hane to meet her attacks head-on.
• Hane gathered Chakra in his fist and struck Tsunade’s punch, but the impact shattered his Magma Arm and sent him crashing to the ground.
• Tsunade said her Medical Ninjutsu could heal any injury and threw another punch at Hane.

Uzumaki Hane trained with Tsunade, then pushed his nightly strengthening too far and passed out during a third round. The next day, he sparred with Mitarashi Anko, showed how much his abilities had improved, and went with Anko and Yamano Koromo to make dango.

• Tsunade repeatedly sent Uzumaki Hane flying during an hour of training before leaving with Shizune, and Hane continued practicing until dark.
• After dinner with Yamano Koromo, Uzumaki Hane attempted a third round of nighttime strengthening and passed out from the pain.
• Mitarashi Anko challenged Uzumaki Hane to train, but he blocked her attacks, absorbed her Fire Style techniques, and defeated her snakes with his magma.
• Mitarashi Anko thought of her inability to stand against Orochimaru and resolved to train harder.
• Uzumaki Hane invited Mitarashi Anko to eat dango, and Yamano Koromo joined them on the way to her home to make some.

Uzumaki Hane accompanied Naruto to investigate Mizuki’s connection to Orochimaru, but the escaped prisoners overwhelmed Asuma and Kurenai. The next day, Tsunade helped subdue Fujin and Raijin and saved Mizuki, who was dying from the side effects of Orochimaru’s unfinished potion.

• Naruto told Uzumaki Hane that Mizuki was connected to Orochimaru and went with him to the maximum-security prison.
• Mizuki revealed that the prisoners had escaped and forced Asuma and Kurenai to watch as Fujin and Raijin attacked them, leaving both jōnin injured.
• Uzumaki Hane took Naruto home for dinner, and Naruto left early, still troubled by the news about Orochimaru.
• The next day, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji restrained Fujin and Raijin until the brothers broke free, and Tsunade subdued them and sent them back to the village.
• Tsunade and Uzumaki Hane reached Naruto and found Mizuki near death, so Tsunade treated him and saved his life.

Tsunade sent Uzumaki Hane, Hyuga Tanaka, and Yamano Koromo to find a missing Konoha ninja and capture a suspicious intruder. After Uzumaki Hane witnessed the intruder killing guards and attacking Guard Captain Sakai, he intervened and revealed the missing ninja’s disappearance; the intruder fled, while Sakai’s brief reaction suggested he knew something.

• Tsunade assigned Uzumaki Hane, Hyuga Tanaka, and Yamano Koromo to investigate a missing Konoha ninja and capture a suspicious ninja last seen near a town.
• After the three arrived in town, Uzumaki Hane followed a group of guards and the suspicious ninja into a forest while Tanaka and Koromo investigated the group’s background.
• The suspicious ninja silently killed five guards, then killed Ishida and used the Transformation Technique to impersonate him.
• Guard Captain Sakai exposed the impostor, who attacked him and quickly knocked him to the ground.
• Uzumaki Hane blocked the suspicious ninja’s finishing blow and said he was investigating a missing Konoha ninja; Sakai briefly reacted, and the intruder fled.

Uzumaki Hane investigated the missing Konoha ninja by visiting the Sakai Family, where Sakai Ichiro claimed Sakai Fuji was responsible for the disappearance. Hane suspected the family was hiding something, and that evening Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo joined him in his room.

• Guard Captain Sakai invited Uzumaki Hane to the Sakai Family estate to investigate the missing ninja.
• Sakai Jiro attacked Hane, but Sakai Ichiro intervened and introduced himself as the family head.
• Sakai Ichiro claimed Sakai Fuji had sought revenge for his father and that a Konoha ninja had pursued him and disappeared.
• Hane agreed to help search for Sakai Fuji and went to rest in a guest room.
• Sakai Jiro and Sakai Ichiro discussed testing Hane again and worried that he might not believe their story.
• Hyuga Tanaka and Yamano Koromo entered Hane's room using their agreed signal.

Uzumaki Hane investigated the Sakai Family while Hyuga Tanaka followed their guards to a hidden cave linked to the town’s disappearances. Tanaka entered the cave and faced a powerful opponent in its inner passage.

• Uzumaki Hane, Hyuga Tanaka, and Yamano Koromo shared their findings and agreed that Hane would investigate the Sakai Family while the others searched for Sakai Fuji.
• Uzumaki Hane sparred with Sakai Jiro, who revealed great speed and strength before Sakai Ichiro stopped the fight and warned him not to expose their power.
• Yamano Koromo told Uzumaki Hane that missing townspeople had vanished in the forest, and Hane and Koromo split up to search for Sakai Fuji while Tanaka investigated the forest.
• Hyuga Tanaka followed Sakai Family guards to a concealed cave, entered after incapacitating a person who came through a door, and encountered a strong opponent in the passage beyond.

Uzumaki Hane found Sakai Fuji and Hyuga Tanaka under attack by Sakai Family guards and rescued them after Tanaka was badly injured. Hane killed the guards and their leaders, Sakumo and Sasuke, with his magma powers.

• Tanaka defeated an initial guard, but Sakumo overpowered him and knocked him unconscious while Sasuke urged Sakumo to hurry.
• An intruder used smoke to rescue Tanaka, and Sakumo's group pursued them to continue protecting their secret plan.
• Hane found Sakai Fuji and the unconscious Tanaka, then confronted the Sakai Family guards despite Fuji urging him to flee.
• Hane engulfed the guards in magma with Great Eruption, killing them all.
• Sakumo and Sasuke attacked Hane, but he seized their legs and melted them in magma.

After learning that the meteor had empowered Sakai Ichiro’s fighters, Uzumaki Hane confronted the Sakai brothers and killed Sakai Ichiro. Sakai Jiro swallowed the meteor, transformed, and attacked Uzumaki Hane with his newfound power.

• Uzumaki Hane brought the unconscious Tanaka and Sakai Fuji to the inn, where the awakened Sakai Fuji revealed that Sakai Ichiro had used meteor fragments to strengthen his fighters.
• Uzumaki Hane tracked the Sakai brothers to a cave, where Sakai Jiro attacked him and boasted that the meteor had increased his strength tenfold.
• Uzumaki Hane used Lava Super Heavy Fist to defeat Sakai Jiro and kill Sakai Ichiro after refusing to spare him for the meteor.
• Sakai Jiro swallowed the meteor, endured a painful transformation, and emerged with greatly increased strength.
• Sakai Jiro struck the ground to demonstrate his power, then sent a destructive shockwave toward Uzumaki Hane with his sword.