Ch. 481The Poison of Power
Chapter Summary: The Poison of Power
Key Plot Points and Events
- After observing the events inside the Limited Tsukuyomi, Shimura Kentei returns to the real world, where Minato brings the corpses of Uzumaki Naruto and Second Pillar to Senju Hashirama.
- Outraged by their deaths, Six Paths Madara initially resists Hashirama’s plan, but the two ultimately cooperate. They use their newly developed time ninjutsu, Reverse Flow, to rewind Naruto and Second Pillar’s timelines and revive them.
- Hashirama and Madara then transfer portions of their own power into the two younger fighters. Madara supplies Naruto with Yin-based chakra and Pupil Power, while Hashirama strengthens Second Pillar, restoring the balance of Yin and Yang within both of them.
- The revived Naruto and Second Pillar begin approaching the Cosmic Fifth Tier, though their bodies and experience are not yet capable of properly controlling such power.
- Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen admits that his hunger to retain the Hokage position led him to plot against Shimura Danzō’s wife. He explains that Danzō’s marriage had strengthened the Shimura Clan’s connection to the Feudal Lord’s Government, threatening Hiruzen’s political position.
- Ashamed and expecting Kentei to punish him, Hiruzen attempts to destroy himself with the meteorite-based Earth Fire Kekkei Mōra. Kentei prevents his death, removes the meteorite and Hiruzen’s chakra, and places him under Black Zetsu’s supervision.
- Kentei reveals that the meteorite was originally part of his own scheme and that he is deliberately preserving Hiruzen as a potential source of information or leverage.
- Naruto and Second Pillar attack Kentei, but their enormous combined Rasengan attack is effortlessly destroyed by Shimura Danzō, who remains a fully trained Fourth Tier Peak fighter. The chapter ends by emphasizing the enormous gap between them and the older generation.
Character Developments
- Shimura Kentei remains confident, calculating, and overwhelmingly powerful. He views Naruto and Second Pillar as insignificant threats and focuses instead on exposing the hidden Sage of Six Paths brothers.
- Senju Hashirama demonstrates renewed determination and willingness to sacrifice his own advantage for the future of the ninja world. He believes Naruto and Second Pillar must be empowered to challenge Kentei.
- Six Paths Madara reluctantly accepts Hashirama’s strategy, showing that his trust in Hashirama still survives despite his pride and usual self-reliance.
- Uzumaki Naruto returns from death in an enraged, impulsive state and immediately tries to attack Kentei. Although his power increases dramatically, he lacks the control and maturity to use it effectively.
- Second Pillar is similarly empowered but remains inexperienced with his new strength. He attempts to support Naruto’s attack through Amenotejikara, showing cooperation despite their initially separate roles.
- Sarutobi Hiruzen experiences regret and guilt over allowing ambition to corrupt his judgment. His confession reveals that his desire to keep the Hokage position drove him to betray Danzō’s wife.
- Shimura Danzō is personally hurt and angered by Hiruzen’s betrayal but remains powerful and composed. His effortless defeat of Naruto and Second Pillar demonstrates his superior mastery.
- Black Zetsu is assigned to guard Hiruzen, further placing Hiruzen under Kentei’s control.
Significant Themes
- The corrupting nature of power: Hiruzen directly identifies ambition and political power as a poison capable of destroying even a strong moral will.
- Sacrifice for the future: Hashirama and Madara surrender portions of their own strength to create successors capable of confronting a greater threat.
- Power versus control: Naruto and Second Pillar possess tremendous chakra but cannot wield it properly because their physical and spiritual foundations have not caught up with their cultivation.
- Manipulation and hidden agendas: Kentei’s control of the meteorite, Hiruzen’s political schemes, and the Sage of Six Paths’ suspected influence all suggest that major events are shaped by concealed plans.
- The consequences of political insecurity: Hiruzen’s fear of losing authority leads him to betray a friend and commit an irreversible crime.
- The limits of inherited strength: Receiving power from Hashirama and Madara is not enough; true combat ability depends on experience, control, and personal mastery.
Character Interactions
- Hashirama and Madara: Their argument reflects their continued rivalry but also their deep trust. Hashirama persuades Madara to place faith in Naruto and Second Pillar.
- Madara and Naruto / Hashirama and Second Pillar: The older warriors transfer their Yin-Yang power into the younger generation, symbolizing the passing of responsibility to successors.
- Danzō and Hiruzen: Their confrontation is emotionally charged. Hiruzen confesses that he betrayed Danzō’s wife out of fear and ambition, while Danzō struggles with the personal pain behind the political betrayal.
- Kentei and Hiruzen: Kentei prevents Hiruzen’s suicide, not out of mercy, but because he wants to retain control over him and eliminate any possible threat.
- Kentei and Danzō: Kentei takes precautions to prevent Danzō from helping Hiruzen escape, revealing his distrust even toward his own father.
- Naruto and Second Pillar versus Danzō: Their attempted attack ends in humiliation when Danzō destroys it effortlessly, establishing the gulf between immature, borrowed power and fully mastered strength.