Chapter Summaries

Kyosuke considered how the Sage Body progressed through several stages and what it would take to reach the Six Paths level. After realizing Kaguya feared powerful pursuers who might one day arrive in the Shinobi World, he resolved more firmly to create a Six Paths-level powerhouse.

• Kyosuke analyzed the Sage Body's stages, from unstable early fusion to the complete Six Paths Sage Body.
• Kyosuke concluded that Kaguya's fear of mysterious pursuers suggested beings existed who could kill her.
• Kyosuke imagined those enemies eventually descending on the Shinobi World and questioned whether he could face them alone.
• Kyosuke's fear erased his joy over transplanting the Sage Body and strengthened his resolve to create a Six Paths-level powerhouse.

Kyosuke gathered Kakashi and their friends to celebrate Kakashi’s promotion to Jonin, and Kakashi challenged Kyosuke to a match. They arrived at a secluded training ground and prepared to fight, where Kakashi’s sharp killing intent impressed Kyosuke.

• Kyosuke hosted a meal for Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai, and Asuma to celebrate Kakashi becoming a Jonin.
• Kyosuke encouraged Gai to keep training, and Asuma and Kurenai’s friends teased them about their affection for each other.
• Kakashi challenged Kyosuke to a match, and Kyosuke accepted.
• The group hurried to a secluded training ground to watch the battle without damaging Kakashi’s new reputation.
• Kakashi and Kyosuke faced each other, and Kyosuke noted Kakashi’s impressive killing intent.

Kyosuke and Kakashi faced off in a swordsmanship duel, and Kakashi’s speed gave him an early advantage. Kyosuke endured the assault, countered with Secret Sword: Returning Swallow, and defeated Kakashi.

• Asuma explained that Kyosuke and Kakashi were clashing with their sword masters’ auras to seize the initiative.
• Kyosuke and Kakashi exchanged iai strikes, wounding each other and ending their first clash in a draw.
• Kakashi attacked relentlessly, but Might Guy recognized that Kyosuke was avoiding damage and predicted Kakashi would lose as his offense weakened.
• Kyosuke countered with Secret Sword: Returning Swallow, cut Kakashi’s vest, and won the duel.
• Kakashi acknowledged his defeat to Kyosuke.

Kyosuke asked Hiruzen Sarutobi for higher-level missions for himself and his three disciples, and Hiruzen approved. He assigned Kyosuke's team an S-Rank mission to aid the Sand Shinobi, leaving Kyosuke to decide the details.

• Kyosuke brought Anko, Shisui, and Yamato to the Hokage Building to request higher-level missions.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi approved the request because Kyosuke would accompany the young shinobi and warned them to follow their teacher's orders.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Kyosuke a request for aid from the Sand Shinobi, who could not seal Shukaku after losing many of their experts.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Kyosuke's team to aid the Sand Shinobi on an S-Rank mission and left the specific details to Kyosuke.

Kyosuke prepared for the S-rank mission to the Land of Wind by unveiling the long-lost Blaze Gunbai, stirring excitement among the Uchiha. His team traveled west with Elders Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura and camped near the border, where Yamato built them a wooden house with Wood Release.

• Kyosuke unsealed the Blaze Gunbai in his room and brought it along for the mission.
• Shisui recognized the fan as the Uchiha Clan's lost heirloom, and Uchiha clansmen cheered when Kyosuke passed through their grounds with it.
• Kyosuke's team met Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura at the village gate and departed west toward the Land of Wind with four Anbu guards.
• The group stopped near the Land of Fire's border after nightfall and set up camp beside a river.
• Yamato used Wood Release: Four-Pillar House Technique to build a furnished wooden house, astonishing the others.

Kyosuke and the Konoha delegation arrived in Sunagakure, where Rasa asked him to defeat the rampaging One-Tail Shukaku. Kyosuke agreed in exchange for compensation for the Exploding Tags he used and set out for Shukaku’s valley.

• Kyosuke reunited with Baki while traveling with Sunagakure’s escort team and teased him about being a defeated opponent.
• Rasa, Chiyo, and other officials welcomed the delegation at Sunagakure’s main gate and brought them to the Kazekage Office Building.
• Rasa explained that Shukaku had escaped its seal, defeated Sunagakure’s forces, and taken refuge in an uninhabited valley.
• Kyosuke dismissed the challenge but demanded compensation for the Exploding Tags he would use, and Rasa agreed.
• Kyosuke immediately prepared to leave for Shukaku’s valley while the two Elders went with Chiyo to the Reception Hall.

Kyosuke confronted the One-Tail Shukaku in a canyon and used the Blaze Gunbai to counter its attacks. After striking Shukaku unconscious, he covered its body with Exploding Tags and began his finishing technique.

• Kyosuke arrived at the canyon with his disciples, told them to stay away from the battle, and entered alone to face Shukaku.
• Shukaku recognized the fan Kyosuke carried and mistook him for a Uchiha connected to Madara, then attacked him with Air Bullet.
• Kyosuke discovered that the Blaze Gunbai could absorb only the portion of a large attack that struck the fan, and he suffered minor concussive damage.
• Kyosuke dodged Shukaku's falling strike and used Uchiha Reflection to hit its head with most of the absorbed Air Bullet's Chakra, knocking it unconscious.
• Kyosuke wrapped Shukaku in Exploding Tags, teleported back to his marked crater with Flying Thunder God, and activated Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags.

Kyosuke used Sage Mode and a devastating lightning technique to badly injure Shukaku during the sealing mission. After Thunder Incantation Kirin struck, the canyon was nearly flattened, leaving Shukaku's fate unclear.

• Kyosuke detonated hundreds of thousands of Exploding Tags against Shukaku, then activated Sage Mode as the Sand Shinobi and his disciples watched.
• Shukaku rose from the explosions badly injured and began gathering Chakra for a Tailed Beast Ball.
• Kyosuke used a Flying Thunder God mark to appear atop Shukaku's head, disrupting its attack, then vanished again.
• Kyosuke summoned a lightning beast from storm clouds and struck Shukaku with Sage Art: Thunder Incantation Kirin.
• The Kirin's impact nearly flattened the canyon, and Kyosuke was startled by the technique's destructive power.

Kyosuke showed his disciples the aftermath of a devastating battle and taught them to learn from it before returning with Shukaku successfully sealed. Konoha and Sunagakure signed an alliance, and Kyosuke asked Rasa about the reimbursement they had discussed.

• The Sand Shinobi and Shisui Uchiha's group emerged from hiding and stared at the transformed canyon, while Kyosuke's three disciples felt inspired to grow stronger.
• Kyosuke explained the battle to Shisui, Yamato, and Little Anko, and the group departed after the Sand Shinobi sealed Shukaku.
• Rasa, Chiyo, and Utatane Koharu formally signed an alliance pact between Sunagakure and Konoha.
• A Sand Shinobi reported that Shukaku had been sealed, and Sunagakure's leaders went to welcome Kyosuke and his party back.
• Kyosuke returned to the Reception Hall with his disciples and asked Rasa about their earlier discussion; Rasa agreed to reimburse him.

Kyosuke reflected on the gold he had obtained from Rasa and lost a portion of to Hiruzen Sarutobi, then used his S-rank mission experience to raise his Sage Body to Level 2. He continued seeking a way to restore his Mangekyo’s Eye Power and obtain an Eternal Mangekyō, and ordered the “Eye Creation” plan to begin.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Kyosuke had received a cartload of gold from Rasa and took thirty percent of it as mission income.
• Shisui and Yamato sparred at the Uchiha Clan Grounds, where Yamato defeated Shisui with a Wood Clone.
• Kyosuke regretted revealing his payment from Rasa to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had taken a share of the gold.
• Kyosuke spent the experience from his S-rank mission to raise his Sage Body to Level 2 and noted that his attributes had improved.
• Kyosuke considered his difficulty obtaining an Eternal Mangekyō and told a Secret Ninja to start the “Eye Creation” plan.

Hiroji Uchiha met his lover, Uchiha Cho, for dinner and continued working with his teacher, Uchiha Genbo, to undermine Kyosuke’s influence in the clan. After Hiroji left Genbo’s study, Cho appeared there and reported that her own secret task was proceeding reasonably well.

• Uchiha Cho waited for Hiroji Uchiha at a hotpot restaurant, and he arrived late and apologized.
• Uchiha Cho and Hiroji shared dinner and walked back to the Uchiha Compound, where they parted ways.
• Hiroji visited Uchiha Genbo, who gave him a list of powerful clan members to approach secretly.
• After Hiroji left, Uchiha Genbo asked someone in the room whether everything was proceeding smoothly.
• Uchiha Cho emerged and replied that it was going reasonably well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi selected Minato Namikaze to succeed him as the Fourth Hokage, and Minato accepted after receiving reassurance from Hiruzen and celebrating the news with Kushina. Konoha prepared for Minato’s inauguration one week later, while Orochimaru and Danzo were left disappointed.

• After a brief meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi formally announced that Minato Namikaze would become the Fourth Hokage.
• Minato questioned why he had been chosen and whether he could handle the responsibility, but Hiruzen and Utatane Koharu reassured him.
• Minato told Kushina that he had been chosen as Hokage, and she joyfully congratulated him.
• The news spread through Konoha the next day, and the village celebrated Minato’s appointment.
• Konoha set Minato’s inauguration for one week later and planned to invite the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
• Orochimaru and Danzo were disappointed that Minato had been chosen.

Danzo, Orochimaru, and Kyosuke witnessed Orochimaru stabilize a Hashirama Cells transplant in a Root test subject, bringing their experiment to a successful conclusion. As Kyosuke left Root with Orochimaru, Orochimaru questioned his loyalties and proposed joining forces, but left without explaining what he meant.

• Danzo asked Kyosuke how Orochimaru being passed over for Hokage might affect his plans, but Kyosuke said he had not thought that far ahead.
• Orochimaru injected Hashirama Cells into a test subject's arm, then bit the arm and used mutated Natural Energy to begin fusing the cells with the subject's own.
• Kyosuke sensed that the transplant had stabilized but warned that the subject would need to suppress the Hashirama Cells with his Chakra.
• After the experiment succeeded, Kyosuke realized his cooperative period with Danzo was over and that he might need to protect the Uchiha Clan from him.
• Orochimaru asked Kyosuke what the village and clan meant to him, suggested they join forces, and left after Kyosuke asked what kind of alliance he had in mind.

Kyosuke attended Minato Namikaze’s inauguration, then revealed his Tenseigan plan and a simulated Caged Bird Seal to Saori Hyuga. Saori joined his effort to awaken the Tenseigan and free herself from the Hyuga Clan’s Main House.

• Kyosuke brought Little Shisui and Little Anko to Minato Namikaze’s Hokage inauguration, where he met Might Guy, Might Duy, and Hizashi Hyuga.
• Kyosuke reassured Saori Hyuga that he had succeeded, then brought her to his secret experimental base and showed her simulated Caged Bird Seals.
• Kyosuke explained the Tenseigan, the Otsutsuki Clan, and his plan to obtain Otsutsuki Chakra through cell transplantation.
• Saori realized Kyosuke’s research aimed to obtain the Sage of Six Paths’ power, but he told her the transplantation technology was not ready yet.
• Saori recalled the pain inflicted by the Hyuga Main House and joined Kyosuke’s plan to awaken the Tenseigan and gain control of the Hyuga Clan.

Kyosuke continued his experiments and missions while searching for money to fund his Experimental Base, then learned Kakuzu had appeared in the Land of Fire. After a failed attempt to suppress a Caged Bird Seal, Kyosuke and Saori prepared to capture Kakuzu and take his savings.

• Kyosuke raised his Sage Body to level 6, resolved the Hashirama Cell backlash, and found that his Sage Body still could not awaken a blind Mangekyo.
• Kyosuke ran short of funds for his experiments and decided to target the Exchange Office and Kakuzu for money.
• Kakuzu entered the Exchange Office while Kyosuke's Secret Ninjas watched the town and waited to report his arrival.
• Saori's attempt to suppress a clone's Caged Bird Seal failed when the seal broke free and destroyed the clone's head cells.
• A Secret Ninja informed Kyosuke that Kakuzu had appeared, and Kyosuke and Saori began plotting how to make him hand over his savings.

Kakuzu collected a bounty at the Exchange Office, where the staff secretly paid him extra to eliminate predatory hunters. After he killed one attacker and sent clones after the fleeing group, he confronted the Secret Ninja who had been following him.

• Kakuzu collected a bounty worth over ten million at the Exchange Office and received an extra million to clear out the troublemakers.
• A group of hunters followed Kakuzu into the forest, planning to kill him and divide his money.
• Kakuzu's Water Clone vanished, and he appeared behind a Ronin and killed him with Black Threads.
• The remaining hunters fled, and Kakuzu sent Water Clones after them.
• Kakuzu found the Secret Ninja hiding in the grass and forced him to reveal himself.

Kyosuke and Saori confronted Kakuzu, and Kyosuke let Saori test herself against the formidable fighter. Saori landed her Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but Kakuzu endured the assault and struck her down before preparing to attack them both.

• Kakuzu recognized the Secret Ninja surrounding him and suspected they were Uchiha, but Kyosuke arrived with Saori and dismissed his subordinates.
• Kyosuke asked Saori if she wanted to fight Kakuzu, and she stepped forward to challenge him.
• Saori's Byakugan and Gentle Fist pressured Kakuzu until she struck him with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
• Kakuzu used Earth Spear to withstand Saori's blows, then punched her away and left her coughing blood.
• Kakuzu recalled fighting Hashirama Senju, received no reaction from Kyosuke or Saori, and erupted in anger as he threatened them.

Kyosuke and Kakuzu fought an evenly matched battle, trading powerful attacks and counterattacks. The chapter ended with both men grabbing each other after Kyosuke broke free and destroyed one of Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear monsters.

• Kyosuke used the Body Flicker Technique to shield Saori Hyuga from Kakuzu’s attack, then used Flying Thunder God to move them away from Kakuzu’s widespread Fire Style: Painful Flame Head.
• Kyosuke faced Kakuzu alone and used Uchiha Reflection to counter his attack before slashing off Kakuzu’s arm and Black Threads with Immovable Flame Slash.
• Kakuzu seized Kyosuke’s ankle from underground, hurled him into a crater, and bound him with Black Threads.
• Kyosuke used Fire Release: Ash Dust Concealing Technique to hide his hand seals, then broke free and charged Kakuzu with Chidori.
• Kakuzu raised an Earth Flow Wall and released an Earth Grudge Fear monster, but Kyosuke’s Chidori pierced the wall and shattered the monster before both fighters grabbed each other.

Kyosuke defeated Kakuzu with Sage Mode and the Flying Thunder God, then spared him and demanded money instead of killing him. After Kakuzu handed over about five hundred million ryo, Kyosuke and Saori left him alive and bewildered.

• Kakuzu used a trap and his Earth Grudge Fear Mode, but Kyosuke evaded his attacks and destroyed several of his hearts and masks.
• Kyosuke entered Sage Mode and countered Kakuzu’s combined wind-and-fire Ninjutsu with his own Senjutsu attack.
• As Kakuzu recovered from their clash, Kyosuke struck from behind and held his blade to Kakuzu’s throat, declaring that he had lost.
• Kyosuke revealed that he had come to borrow money, and Kakuzu handed over two hundred million ryo before giving him another three hundred million.
• Kyosuke and Saori left after collecting the money, while Kakuzu stood alone, confused that they had spared him.

Kyosuke used Saori’s Immortal Body to remove her Caged Bird Seal, disguising the result to keep the Hyuga Clan from discovering it. After Saori reached Kage-level strength, she challenged Kyosuke to a spar and demonstrated her enhanced Byakugan and Gentle Fist.

• Kyosuke’s research showed that Saori’s Immortal Body suppressed her Curse Mark and nourished her Byakugan, making it possible to break her Caged Bird Seal.
• Kyosuke removed Saori’s seal with the Seal Curse Jutsu and left a decoy mark on her head to conceal her freedom from the Hyuga Main House.
• Saori and Kyosuke agreed she would keep researching the seal and gather Branch Family members in preparation for a future uprising.
• After consolidating her power, Saori reached Kage-level and challenged Kyosuke to a fight in the training cavern.
• Saori struck with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and Kyosuke praised her improved abilities before they ended the spar to avoid collapsing the cavern.