Chapter Summaries

After learning that Rasa had secretly left for Konoha, Chiyo returned to Sunagakure’s center of power and organized loyal ninja to prepare for trouble. Remembering how Rasa betrayed Pakura, she mobilized Pakura’s former followers while Rasa’s Anbu began monitoring them and urged him to return.

• Ebizo told Chiyo that Rasa had abruptly gone to Konoha after his behavior changed following the Heavenly Screen’s revelations.
• Chiyo recalled choosing Rasa over Pakura as Kazekage and remembered that Rasa had secretly traded Pakura’s life for an agreement with Kirigakure.
• Chiyo asked Ebizo to contact loyal ninja, especially Pakura’s former subordinates, and returned with him to Sunagakure’s leadership.
• Chiyo ordered the loyal ninja to prepare for unexpected developments, and Iron Sand and Zhuoyan mobilized their outposts and vowed to honor Pakura.
• Yesha ordered Anbu to watch Iron Sand and Zhuoyan and sent word to Rasa that trouble was brewing in the village.
• Chiyo watched the outposts respond to her orders and hoped she was mistaken about what was coming.

Orochimaru prepared to attack Konoha during the Chunin Ninja Exams, using Sunagakure as a distraction and removing Tsunade and Jiraiya from the village. As the finals approached, Hiruzen Sarutobi armed himself and learned that Jiraiya had left and Sunagakure had increased its forces.

• Orochimaru and Danzo discussed waiting for the coming attack, while Danzo ordered Sai to keep monitoring Sasuke Uchiha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya suspected Orochimaru had returned, and Hiruzen assigned Jiraiya to secure the exam stands.
• Tsunade chased a figure resembling Dan Katō, but Orochimaru trapped her with blood, sealed her Chakra, and took her to an underground base.
• Orochimaru sent a special Shadow Clone to lure Jiraiya away from Konoha, and Jiraiya pursued it into the forest.
• Orochimaru headed for the exam venue while Hiruzen put on his armor and learned that Jiraiya had left and Sunagakure had deployed thirty percent more guards than declared.

Orochimaru’s attack on Konoha ended with the Third Hokage sacrificing himself to seal the reanimated Hokage and cripple Orochimaru. After Tsunade learned of the Third’s death and returned to the devastated village, she agreed to help rebuild and treat the wounded.

• Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, launched a surprise attack during Sasuke and Gaara’s match, while Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto fought Gaara in the forest.
• The Third Hokage used the Reaper Death Seal to seal the First and Second Hokage and disable Orochimaru’s hands, but died from the effort.
• Orochimaru escaped as Jiraiya led Konoha’s counterattack, and Baki ordered the Sunagakure ninja to retreat after realizing Orochimaru had used them.
• Yugao’s Anbu squad found Tsunade, who broke Orochimaru’s sealing formula and returned to Konoha after hearing that the Third had died.
• Tsunade confronted the devastation, accepted that Konoha needed a new Hokage, and went to treat the wounded as villagers mourned the Third at the Memorial Stone.
• Kakashi told a grieving Naruto that people risked their lives for others because of the Will of Fire, while Iruka vowed to keep protecting the village.

After learning that Orochimaru had manipulated Sunagakure into attacking Konoha and killed Rasa, Chiyo prepared to go to Konoha and atone. Tsunade took charge of the village’s recovery as Fifth Hokage, while Danzo, rejected as her successor, decided to seize power himself.

• Chiyo learned that Orochimaru had impersonated the Kazekage, killed Rasa, and led Sunagakure’s forces into disaster, so she decided to negotiate with Konoha and bring the captured children home.
• Chiyo considered Sunagakure’s dwindling resources and Rasa’s failed gamble, then prepared for her journey to Konoha.
• Tsunade checked on Konoha’s injured and ordered surgery for a Genin whose leg nerves were damaged.
• Baki, Temari, and Kankuro waited at their border camp, hoping Chiyo could negotiate Gaara’s return.
• Danzo confronted Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu after learning they had chosen Tsunade as Hokage, then vowed to take the position by force.

Konoha prepared for Sunagakure’s apology while the great shinobi villages reacted to the aftermath of the attack and maneuvered for advantage. As negotiations neared, Pain welcomed the prospect of war distracting the villages from Akatsuki, while Obito reaffirmed his plan to create a world of dreams.

• Tsunade and Jiraiya prepared to demand reparations from Sunagakure as Granny Chiyo led a delegation toward Konoha, where Baki purged shinobi connected to Orochimaru.
• Ōnoki withdrew forces and offered outposts to Konoha, Mei Terumi prepared for a diplomatic visit, and A put Kumogakure’s Two-Tails unit on alert as the villages responded to the shifting situation.
• Masked shinobi traded intelligence about the great villages at an underground bounty station, and Tsunade and Jiraiya ordered tighter intelligence controls.
• Pain and Konan decided that the brewing conflict would distract the great villages from Akatsuki and give the organization room to act.
• Obito rejected a report from Orochimaru’s base and vowed to make the world a beautiful dream, while black Chakra slowly eroded his childhood Hokage stone.

As Konoha rebuilt after the Chunin Exams, Tsunade and Jiraiya trained Sakura and Naruto while Sasuke grew determined to seek power from Orochimaru. Tsunade and Jiraiya mourned their former teammate and vowed to stop him, while Orochimaru planned to lure Sasuke to him.

• Konoha's residents and ninja worked together to repair the village, while Tsunade oversaw recovery and taught Sakura advanced Medical Ninjutsu.
• Jiraiya taught Naruto about gathering intelligence and surviving missions as they hauled timber.
• Sasuke recalled Sakura and Naruto's growth and resolved to defect from Konoha to find Orochimaru and gain power.
• Naruto reflected on Jiraiya's lessons, his connection with Karin, and his ambition to become a hero who protected others.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya discussed Orochimaru's crimes and vowed to stop him in honor of Konoha and their late teacher, Sarutobi.
• Orochimaru complained that Sarutobi had sealed his hands, then planned to manipulate Sasuke into becoming his next body.

Gaara reflected on his past with a clearer mind, beginning to recognize the bonds he had rejected while remaining unable to forgive his father. Karin remembered Kakashi protecting her from Danzo’s Anbu and realized that Konoha held dangers beneath its peaceful surface.

• Gaara recalled Naruto and Sakura protecting their companions and began to understand the bonds he had never known.
• Gaara remembered his siblings’ kindness with regret and recognized his father’s difficult position, but could not forgive the childhood pain he had endured.
• Gaara’s violent aura faded as he sat calmly in his prison cell and began seeking a new path.
• Karin recalled how Danzo’s Anbu had tried to take her and how Kakashi had arrived to protect her.
• Karin remembered Kakashi warning her to avoid going out alone and resolved to stay alert in Konoha.

Konoha rebuilt under Tsunade as its ninja and villagers worked together, while neighboring villages reconsidered their plans in response to its renewed strength. Mei Terumi sailed to Konoha on a diplomatic mission, hoping to forge an alliance and investigate the Uchiha Clan’s possible role in controlling the Fourth Mizukage.

• Kakashi, Might Guy, Ibiki, Anko, the clans, support staff, elders, and villagers contributed to Konoha’s reconstruction, while the Konoha 12 each helped with rebuilding, security, or recovery.
• The Raikage canceled Kumogakure’s planned invasion after learning that Tsunade had united Konoha and Jiraiya was in the village, then resumed searching for the lost Six Paths Treasures.
• Ōnoki reflected that he had wisely avoided invading Konoha and surrendered border outposts as a gesture of goodwill, while worrying about Iwagakure’s lack of capable successors.
• Mei Terumi traveled by ship to Konoha for a diplomatic mission, intending to improve Kirigakure’s image and seek an alliance.
• Mei resolved to investigate whether other Uchiha remained hidden and to uncover more about the control of the Fourth Mizukage.

Tsunade prepared Konoha for the arrival of Chiyo’s Sunagakure delegation, which sought the return of its captured ninja, including Gaara. As the delegation approached with a secret gift and an unknown Chakra signature following it, Konoha strengthened its defenses while Naruto remained eager to meet Gaara.

• Tsunade ordered Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, and the Anbu to reinforce the prison and watch the village as Sunagakure’s delegation approached.
• Naruto demanded to see Gaara, but Kakashi told him to wait until Chiyo’s delegation arrived and the political situation became clearer.
• Chiyo told Sosuke that the mission was to bring Sunagakure’s people home without starting another conflict, then sent him ahead with a secret Puppet Technique scroll for Tsunade.
• Tsunade received word that the delegation was arriving three hours early and that an unfamiliar Chakra signature was following it, so she ordered Konoha’s forces to stay alert.
• Kakashi reported that the prison guard had been strengthened and a Lightning Release barrier had been set up outside Gaara’s cell as Konoha’s medical team stood by.

The Sunagakure delegation arrived in Konoha to negotiate peace, while Sosuke worried about the village’s future and its imprisoned Jinchūriki. As Tsunade prepared for the talks amid Danzo’s demands for punishment and the looming Heavenly Screen countdown, Obito and Pain focused on finding the Six-Tails Jinchūriki and gathering the Tailed Beasts.

• Granny Chiyo led the Sunagakure delegation into Konoha, where Tsunade welcomed them and arranged lodging before negotiations the next morning.
• Sosuke worried that Sunagakure would suffer unless the talks secured favorable terms, and Granny Chiyo warned him not to act rashly.
• Tsunade overruled Danzo’s call to punish Sunagakure, while Jiraiya argued that peace was necessary and warned that the Heavenly Screen countdown was nearly over.
• Obito questioned Pain about the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, then urged him to find the Six-Tails Jinchūriki and wait for the Three-Tails to be reborn.
• Pain declared that he would gather the Tailed Beasts and use absolute pain to force the world to understand peace.

The Heavenly Screen revealed the Five Kage fighting the reanimated Madara Uchiha, prompting shock across the Shinobi World as people watched their future selves and Gaara as Kazekage. The battle ended with the Five Kage launching a coordinated attack, while Orochimaru wondered whether Kabuto had perfected Impure World Reincarnation.

• The Heavenly Screen announced that the Five Kage would face reanimated Madara Uchiha, and villagers across the Shinobi World reacted to the revelation.
• A and Mei Terumi attacked Madara with Lightning Release and Lava Release, but his Susanoo resisted their blows.
• Gaara and Ōnoki defended the group from Madara's Susanoo swords with a Sand Shield and a Rock Golem.
• Ōnoki gathered A and Mei to share a plan, then the Five Kage scattered to begin their coordinated attack.
• Chiyo, Konoha's villagers, and the other villages watched the battle and reacted to Gaara's future as Kazekage and Madara's return.
• Orochimaru watched the fight and speculated that Kabuto had improved Impure World Reincarnation.

Gaara watched the Heavenly Screen show a future in which he became Kazekage and fought Madara alongside the other Kage, leaving him shaken by the possibility that he could protect and be trusted by others. In the Kamui Dimension, Obito watched the battle and dismissed the Five Kage’s unity as pointless, though it recalled his own past with Kakashi and Rin.

• Gaara saw his future self fighting Madara as Kazekage and struggled to believe he could become a protector of Sunagakure.
• Naruto, Karin, and Shikamaru watched the Five Kage battle Madara, while Naruto excitedly recognized Gaara.
• Gaara questioned why his future self fought for people who had rejected him, and heard that protecting them was the Kazekage’s responsibility.
• Gaara considered how his hands might one day protect lives instead of taking them.
• Obito watched Madara overwhelm the Five Kage, then saw their teamwork and compared it to his past mission with Kakashi and Rin before rejecting those bonds as false.

Nagato watched the Five Kage unite against Madara Uchiha and took their alliance as proof that the shinobi world could only be controlled through pain. The chapter left him resolved to confront Naruto if he stood in the way, while Danzo renewed his hatred of the Uchiha and considered Sasuke a threat.

• Nagato and Konan watched the Five Kage fight Madara, and Nagato dismissed their temporary alliance as evidence of the shinobi world's corruption.
• Nagato rejected Konan's suggestion to reconsider and declared that the Five Great Nations would soon understand true pain.
• The Akatsuki members gathered to watch the battle, trading remarks about the Kage and Madara while Konan told them to study the fight.
• Danzo watched Madara defeat the Raikage and resented Tsunade for excluding him from negotiations with the Sand ninja.
• Danzo recalled the Uchiha massacre and concluded that Sasuke's bloodline should never have survived.

The Heavenly Screen showed Edo Madara defeating the Five Kage with Wood Release, poison, and fire, while viewers across the Shinobi World blamed Konoha for Impure World Reincarnation. In Konoha, Tsunade stopped Jiraiya from pursuing Orochimaru and insisted they negotiate with Sunagakure before acting on a future that might not come to pass.

• Gaara, Ōnoki, Mei Terumi, and the Raikage coordinated an attack that shattered Madara's Susanoo, but Madara countered with Wood Release and destroyed Ōnoki's Rock Golem.
• Gaara lifted the Five Kage above Madara's poisonous flowering forest, but Madara struck them from behind with Susanoo and engulfed the battlefield in flames.
• The toxins weakened the Five Kage, leaving them collapsing as Madara declared the battle over.
• Viewers across the Shinobi World condemned Konoha and its forbidden Impure World Reincarnation technique, while the Fourth Raikage angrily watched the defeat.
• Jiraiya resolved to find Orochimaru, but Tsunade stopped him and said Konoha needed to negotiate with Sunagakure before taking action.

Ōnoki used Dust Release to free the other four Kage from the Flower Tree World, but Edo Madara quickly healed and declared Tsunade his next target. Across the Shinobi World, viewers watched the Kage prepare to counterattack and debated whether Madara had stalled for time.

• Ōnoki unleashed Dust Release, destroyed the surrounding vines and trees, and drove Edo Madara back.
• Raikage A, Tsunade, Mei Terumi, and Gaara recovered and spread out to counterattack.
• The Kage saw Hashirama Senju’s face embedded in Madara’s chest, and Madara singled out Tsunade because of her connection to Hashirama.
• Madara’s Reanimated Body healed as he praised Hashirama’s strength and dismissed Tsunade’s Medical Ninjutsu.
• Viewers in Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Konoha reacted to the Heavenly Screen, with a young ninja in Konoha suspecting Madara had stalled for time.

Tsunade rejected Edo Madara’s claim that strength alone mattered, awakened her Strength of a Hundred Technique, and joined the other Kage in attacking him. As the Five Kage faced Madara again, people across the Shinobi World debated whether inherited will or hatred shaped the future.

• Tsunade answered Madara’s insults by declaring that the Will of Fire and her medical-ninja rules were her true strength, then activated the Strength of a Hundred Technique.
• Tsunade struck Madara’s Susanoo, while Mei Terumi, Ōnoki, and the Raikage worked together to break it and Tsunade drove Madara into a crater.
• Madara recovered and claimed that hatred was the only thing people could inherit, while Tsunade and the other Kage stood together against him.
• Ninja in Konoha, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and a border outpost debated Madara and Tsunade’s views as the battle continued on the Heavenly Screen.

Tsunade and the Five Kage fought Edo Madara, who exposed his Wood Release Clone trick and resisted their attacks. As Tsunade recovered with the Strength of a Hundred Technique and the Kage regrouped around Madara, people across the Shinobi World watched the battle and questioned the role of ninja.

• Tsunade shattered Edo Madara’s Chakra sword after he impaled her, but Madara struck her with Chakra Tomoe and sent her crashing into a rock wall.
• Tsunade rose with her wounds rapidly healing through the Strength of a Hundred Technique, while Madara recognized the ability.
• Ōnoki attacked Madara with Dust Release, but Madara absorbed the technique with his Rinnegan and explained that he had exposed Hashirama’s cells to undermine the Kage.
• Tsunade argued that Madara’s use of a Wood Release Clone showed he had been driven into a corner, as the Five Kage surrounded him.
• People across the Shinobi World watched the battle, and Kakashi told a young Genin that ninja like Tsunade protected the world by standing at the front.

Edo Madara overwhelmed the Five Kage with his Susanoo, but the release of Impure World Reincarnation seemed to end the battle. Before disappearing, Madara freed himself from the summoning contract and remained an immortal combatant with unlimited Chakra.

• Edo Madara created twenty-five Wood Release Clones and gave each one a Susanoo, forcing the Five Kage into a desperate fight.
• Tsunade restored Ōnoki's strength, and the Five Kage combined their attacks to destroy the clones and bind Madara with sealing tags.
• Madara broke free, summoned his fully armored Susanoo, and sent the Five Kage flying with a sword strike that cut through a mountain.
• Impure World Reincarnation was undone, but Dan appeared through Spirit Transformation to save Tsunade from Madara's final attack before his soul departed.
• Madara revealed that a summoned dead person could release the contract themselves, then performed the seal to free himself from the caster's control.

The Heavenly Screen showed Edo Madara killing the Five Kage, leaving the Shinobi World shaken by the scale of his power. As villages and leaders reacted, attention also turned to Kabuto, who had summoned Madara.

• Edo Madara defeated the Five Kage, killing Raikage A, Mei Terumi, Gaara, and Tsunade and knocking Ōnoki away.
• The Fourth Raikage responded by ordering all Jonin to triple their extra training, while Ōnoki insisted he had lasted until the end.
• Mei Terumi withdrew in shame, and Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and others at Konoha reacted with anger and alarm.
• Jiraiya wondered what Orochimaru was doing after learning Kabuto had cast the technique, while Orochimaru celebrated Kabuto's discovery of Madara's remains.
• The Akatsuki members discussed Madara's strength and Kakuzu revealed he had survived only three moves against the First Hokage.
• The daimyo and ordinary people across the Shinobi World feared future conflict and discussed Kabuto's ties to Konoha and Orochimaru.

After the Heavenly Screen showed Edo Madara defeating the Five Kage, Pain, Obito, Kabuto, and Danzo each considered how to obtain more power. In Konoha, Sunagakure sought Gaara’s release and a new alliance, while Tsunade weighed its offer amid anger over the invasion and the Third Hokage’s death.

• Pain ordered Konan to find Orochimaru and obtain the Impure World Reincarnation formula, while Obito sent White Zetsu to search for him as well.
• Kabuto studied the forbidden technique and wondered when Orochimaru would teach it to him, hoping to shape the future himself.
• Danzo reflected on Madara’s stolen corpse and the coming war, then resolved to gain power by any means necessary to protect Konoha.
• Asuma told Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino to double their training after they saw the Five Kage fall to Madara.
• Granny Chiyo led the Sunagakure delegation through hostile Konoha streets and argued that the villages needed to end their cycle of hatred.
• Chiyo offered compensation and a new alliance treaty in exchange for Gaara and Sunagakure’s imprisoned ninja, and Tsunade considered the proposal as Jiraiya agreed that the villages needed to unite.