Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise (Arc)

is an arc of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. It covers episodes 484 to 488. This arc is an anime adaptation of the Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise novel from the Naruto Shinden that focus on Sasuke's life after the Fourth Shinobi World War. In the anime, it takes place after the Childhood arc and is followed by the Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness arc.

Summary
Two years after the Fourth Great Shinobi War, a former Konoha Anbu named Tadaichi is travelling when he is confronted by two mysterious people and is placed under genjutsu by one of them with red eyes. In Konohagakure, Kakashi Hatake tells Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno about recent disappearances of Konoha shinobi. An explosion at the village's gates erupts and the guard unit is struggling against five people who are unresponsive to their commands. Naruto and Sakura, along with Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi, suspect the attackers are under a genjutsu when Ino recognises one of them as Tadaichi, whom she says would never betray Konoha. Tadaichi is injured and explodes, and Naruto realises they are "Exploding Humans". Hinata Hyuga doubts genjutsu is responsible because there is no one around. To avoid more destruction, Naruto and Shikamaru restrain the humans and Hinata uses Gentle Fist to knock them out. Kakashi suspects someone with an unheard of kekkei genkai is responsible and decides to bring Sasuke Uchiha back to the village.

In a forest, Sasuke feeds some stray cats before he sees Sai's ink bird with the message for him to return. An explosion in a Bamboo Village catches his attention and an elderly villager, Iō, is fighting Exploding Humans. Sasuke asks what is happening but is attacked by Chino and Nowaki before they decline to fight him further because of how strong he is. Sasuke uses his Sharingan to save the humans, making Chino realise he is an Uchiha. Io goes to check on his daughter but she is an Exploding Human and kills herself, and Io vows to never forgive Fūshin. Sasuke sees through the memories of one of the humans and realises the culprit has a kekkei genkai. Sasuke sends a message of the events to Kakashi and, after the funerals for the victims, heads to Orochimaru's hideout to get information on Fūshin. Chino and Nowaki offer to come with him to help. At the hideout's entrance, Sasuke meets with Yamato who lets him proceed after Sasuke confirms he is gathering information for Konoha. Sasuke demands information on Fūshin and the Lightning Group but Orochimaru muses over Sasuke gathering information for others. Orochimaru says Sasuke needs to speak to En Oyashiro, who is a trades dealer and is more skilled at hiding than Orochimaru is. When Sasuke persists, Orochimaru is satisfied and goes to make arrangements. Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo greet Sasuke but Karin gets into a fight with Chino for clinging to Sasuke. Orochimaru takes Sasuke, Chino, and Nowaki out to about and travel through the ocean, with Yamato behind them. Suigetsu wonders why Sasuke is working for Konoha if he hasn't returned to the village. Karin says Sasuke is avoiding the village because his Sharingan and Rinnegan earn him enemies, who likely won't attack Konoha if he isn't there. Sasuke states his amazement that Orochimaru is allowed to be free despite his horrific crimes. Orochimaru retorts Sasuke and Kabuto are no different but are less likely to turn to evil again, and he is technically not free because Yamato is constantly watching him.

They arrive at the Coliseum, which Orochimaru explains is where wealthy business people use their shinobi to compete in battles and the winners get to keep the lost competitors, and it is the only place En will appear. Chino is disturbed of how the shinobi are treated and tells Sasuke that if he doesn't help the poor and doesn't stop the rich, he is just as guilty before she walks away. To Sasuke's dismay, Orochimaru signed Sasuke up as a contestant because En is a kekkei genkai collector and will want to obtain Sasuke. Having no choice, Sasuke enters the arena but dozens of Exploding Humans appear before the battle can begin. Sasuke tries to save as many people as he can, which surprises Orochimaru, and Sasuke is nearly struck by a chakra blade by a fleeing person. Yamato tells him they can't save everyone but lesson the damage. As the Exploding Humans are killed, Sasuke saves Chino from being killed as the chaos ends. En asks to speak to Sasuke, who is uninterested in greeting him, and he is delighted to meet with Orochimaru again after a long time. En tells them that Fūshin was a shinobi he won but left him after taking all the other kekkei genkai owners with him. Sasuke asks if Fūshin had red eyes, and En recalls someone in his guard unit did. En says red eyes are originated from the Chinoike clan, which was exiled from the Land of Lightning by the Uchiha clan. Sasuke realises that Exploding Humans have been appearing around him and Konoha was attacked because he is being targeted. En recommends Sasuke go to Hell Valley in the Land of Hot Water to find Fūshin. En and Orochimaru then discuss how he enjoys collecting kekkei genkai for his business, which disgusts Sasuke, who decides to deal with the situation as the sole survivor of the Uchiha clan.

At Yugakure, five Exploding Humans appear but Sasuke saves them and is attacked. He chases after the person and easily knocks him down. Sasuke sees this person is not Fūshin, and the man tries to insist he is but Sasuke knows he is lying. Sasuke threatens to kill him if he doesn't tell him who he is but Karyū fights back with his Lava Release. Sasuke easily dodges his attacks and uses Amaterasu to make him surrender. Sasuke sees through Karyū's memories and learns that he was hired to impersonate Fūshin, who is really Nowaki. Nowaki approaches Sasuke, who orders Nowaki to show his true appearance, which Nowaki does. The two fight, with Fūshin's Typhoon Release overpowering Sasuke's Susanoo but Sasuke wins by jumping into the hole of the funnel and hitting him. However, Sasuke falls into another genjutsu trap while trying to get information and Fūshin flees. Sasuke travels to the Valley of Hell, where he finds Chino waiting for him. She reveals herself as the sole survivor of the Chinoike clan and lashes out at Sasuke for how her clan struggled to survive in there after being forced to live there by the Uchiha clan. She explains her past to Sasuke: how she was kidnapped as a child by Oyashiro and was too young to remember her parents, the discovery of her Ketsuryūgan, her meeting and eventual partnership with Fūshin, being betrayed by Kirigakure and the villages they had helped, and vowing revenge for the persecution and demise of her clan.

Sasuke and Chino battle, with Sasuke easily cutting down her blood dragons. Chino cuts Sasuke and explains via genjutsu to him that her Ketsuryūgan controls blood and will turn him into an exploding human. However Sasuke uses his Sharingan to prevent this, leaving Chino devastated that she isn't able to get revenge. She lashes out that Sasuke always had people who loved and protected him despite his notorious reputation while she was lonely and unable to bond with others. She cries out to Sasuke about why he goes so far to protect Konoha despite its role in the downfall of his clan, and Sasuke responds he has a friend who saved him and with whom he shares pain. Fūshin arrives and offers to be killed to protect Chino, who says she would be lonely if he died. Chino and Fūshin surrender and thank Sasuke for his words.

At Konoha, Sakura and Hinata heal the last exploding human victim and discuss how Chino and her allies were arrested by Konoha shinobi, although Sakura wishes Sasuke was there. In prison, Kakashi brings in the Mizukage, who approaches Chino, Fūshin, and Karyū and offers them to work for her in order to atone for Kirigakure's betrayal. All three accept and learn from Kakashi that Sasuke had returned to the Coliseum to free all the shinobi. To the shock of the audience, Sasuke wins every battle and reveals Kumogakure will be taking everyone into custody for the illegal activities. The Raikage and his shinobi arrive to arrest the shinobi owners, and A speaks to Sasuke regarding his actions to help others and how glad he is that he didn't kill Sasuke after Naruto pleaded for A to spare Sasuke. Having reconciled since their battle at the Kage Summit, the two bid farewell on amiable terms. Orochimaru and En, who escaped from being caught, have a conversation, during which En reveals that Chino is his daughter and he slaughtered the Chinoike clan to protect her, and then sought out Sasuke to save Chino from her desire for revenge. Naruto and Sakura discuss how far Sasuke has come to redeem himself and protect the village, and Sakura says she is happy but wishes she was by Sasuke's side. Resuming his travelling, Sasuke receives a letter from Naruto, in which it says Sasuke's way of protecting the village is like the Konoha Military Police Force. Remembering when he told Itachi it was his childhood dream of joining the police force, Sasuke decides to return to the village.

Episodes