Chapter Summaries

Naruto told Hashirama about his parents, Sasuke’s family, and the bonds between their families before Hashirama questioned what he would do if Sasuke became an enemy. Naruto said he would bring Sasuke back if he could, but if forced to kill him, he would kill himself too; he then explained that his drive to become the strongest came from wanting to avoid the painful choices his father faced.

• Hashirama recognized Tsunade’s necklace and asked Naruto about his parents, so Naruto explained that Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had died after the Nine-Tails was extracted from Kushina.
• Naruto praised Fugaku Uchiha’s wisdom and explained that Fugaku and his wife had promised that Naruto and Sasuke would be brothers for life.
• Hashirama celebrated the resemblance between Naruto’s family bonds and the future he had once hoped to share with Madara, then realized Minato had learned the Flying Thunder God Technique and suspected Tobirama’s involvement.
• Hashirama asked what Naruto would do if Sasuke became a Rogue Ninja and threatened Konohagakure, and Naruto said he would bring Sasuke back or kill him and then take his own life.
• Naruto said he wanted to become the strongest so he could avoid facing the painful choices his father had faced, leaving Hashirama unsure whether Naruto’s memories of his birth were real.

Obito interrupted Naruto and Hashirama’s battle by invoking Madara Uchiha’s influence, hoping to keep Konohagakure from overpowering the other villages while buying time for the Moon Eye Plan. As the Kage assessed the new balance of power, Obito prepared a contingency and resolved to awaken the Rinnegan himself.

• Black Zetsu told Obito that Nagato was losing control of Hashirama, so Obito interrupted the battle before Hashirama could enter Sage Mode.
• Naruto confronted Obito about Madara controlling Hashirama, while Naruto and Hashirama both paused rather than risk a destructive fight.
• Obito claimed Madara was also restraining Shisui, and Naruto chose to face the threat without relying on Daren Yi.
• Ōnoki and Raikage A concluded that Madara’s return had restored a balance that gave the Four Great Shinobi Villages room to survive, while Rasa watched in despair and Kisame wondered about the chain of hidden bosses.
• In a cave near Konohagakure, Obito’s Shadow Clone prepared another contingency, and Obito vowed to awaken the Rinnegan himself.

Obito condemned Hashirama Senju for failing to use his power to bring peace to the world, and Hashirama apologized while explaining why he had focused on building Konohagakure. The chapter left Naruto unable to tell Hashirama that his hopes for the village had not been fulfilled, as Obito dismissed Hashirama’s ideals as naive.

• Obito prepared a White Zetsu sacrifice and Madara Uchiha’s cells so he could use Impure World Reincarnation if Shisui exceeded his expectations.
• Obito regretted wasting years and failing to become stronger, then resolved not to give up.
• Obito removed his mask and accused Hashirama of cowardice and selfishness for limiting his efforts to Konohagakure.
• Hashirama apologized and explained that he had founded Konohagakure to protect his family and believed peace had to be built one step at a time.
• Hashirama asked Naruto whether the Senju Clan and other clans had become one family, but Naruto could not answer because the other clans had not followed the Senju example.
• Obito mocked Hashirama’s ideals as naive and questioned whether Hashirama would even kill his own child to protect Konohagakure.

Hashirama’s attempt to bet on his dream ended with Tsunade refusing to gamble, and his Impure World Reincarnation began to crumble as Obito declared Madara would fulfill his wish. After Hashirama returned to the Pure Land, Naruto reunited with his allies and introduced Kabuto as his adopted son, leaving Hashirama stunned by the family’s growing number of talented white-haired youths.

• Hashirama tried to bet with Tsunade that his dream would come true, but Naruto vowed to realize it and Tsunade refused to gamble.
• Hashirama asked Obito about seeing Madara, and Obito said Madara did not want to see him and would reunite with him in a perfect world.
• Hashirama’s Impure World Reincarnation body crumbled, and he asked for more time to teach Tobirama a lesson about his mistake.
• The Four Red Yang Formation fell, and Hinata, Kiba, Sasuke, and the others checked on Naruto as Kabuto reported that no one had been seriously hurt.
• Naruto introduced Kabuto Yakushi as his adopted son and praised his Medical Ninjutsu and Sage Mode talents, leaving Hashirama horrified by the apparent family pattern.

Nagato and Konan wondered why Obito had left without attacking and questioned whether Madara Uchiha was alive, while Nagato worried that powerful new enemies were undermining his plans. They decided to return to Amegakure and wait for Konohagakure and Madara to reveal their strength, as Nagato kept his Rinnegan’s strange reactions and the Sage of Six Paths secret to himself.

• Nagato released the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu after controlling Hashirama Senju, and Obito left without attacking him or Konan.
• Nagato regained his strength, and Konan recalled the Explosive Tags she had hidden around the cave as they questioned Obito’s motives.
• Nagato and Konan discussed whether Madara Uchiha was alive and feared that Madara or other powerful figures could derail Nagato’s plans for peace.
• Konan suggested they let Konohagakure and Madara test each other before acting, and Nagato agreed to return to Amegakure.
• Nagato privately worried about his Rinnegan’s abnormal response to Hashirama Senju and the secret concerning the Sage of Six Paths.

Daren Yi joined the Five Kage meeting and decided that the Chunin Exam would continue, with the official matches beginning in three days. As the Kage prepared to leave, Yagura challenged the Sage of Six Paths’s Shisui clone for Hozuki Suigetsu’s return.

• Daren Yi returned to the Forest of Death and learned that Obito had left with Orochimaru and Tobirama Senju.
• Daren Yi entered the Five Kage meeting and overruled debate by declaring that the Chunin Exam would continue.
• Onoki, Raikage A, and Rasa invited Daren Yi to visit their villages, and Daren Yi agreed to travel with Izumi.
• Naruto announced that unconscious exam participants would be eliminated and the remaining competitors would advance to the official matches in three days.
• Daren Yi told Yagura that Hozuki Suigetsu would be returned if he defeated the Shisui clone, and Yagura considered testing its strength.

The Sage of Six Paths effortlessly defeated Rasa after Rasa challenged him, while Itachi Uchiha glimpsed a face beneath the Sage’s hood that he believed belonged to Fugaku Uchiha. Itachi was left questioning his father’s hidden power and why he had let Itachi kill him.

• Karatachi Yagura declined to fight, but Rasa eagerly challenged the Sage of Six Paths and flew out of the room on gold dust.
• The Sage of Six Paths appeared behind Rasa’s airborne sand clone and crushed it with a casual step.
• Rasa launched a prepared Magnetic Release attack, but the Sage of Six Paths split the golden dust wave and took control of it.
• Rasa’s own gold dust bound and carried him beneath the Sage of Six Paths, leaving him humiliated and convinced he had been caught in genjutsu.
• Itachi Uchiha saw the face beneath the Sage of Six Paths’ hood and wondered whether it was his father, Fugaku Uchiha, before questioning why Fugaku had let him kill him.

After the Kage left, Daren Yi rewarded the Konoha 11 and Kabuto Yakushi with Bitter Tea of the Mortal World, sending them into their childhood memories with their memories and strength intact. Naruto realized he was back in an illusion of Konohagakure and, enraged by the abuse he saw, began destroying it.

• The Kage departed after witnessing the Sage of Six Paths' power, and Daren Yi praised Naruto and the Konoha 11 for their performance.
• Daren Yi brewed Bitter Tea of the Mortal World and gave cups to the Konoha 11, Kabuto Yakushi, and the Sage of Six Paths.
• After drinking the tea, Naruto and the others awoke in their childhoods in a version of Konohagakure without Daren Yi.
• Two-year-old Naruto recognized that he had returned with his memories and strength, then confronted the abuse and filth outside his apartment.
• Naruto shattered the apartment wall with a punch, killing several monitoring ninja, and decided to burn the illusionary Konohagakure's filth away.

Two-year-old Naruto unleashed overwhelming power on Konohagakure, then used black Wood Style to capture its residents and make them experience his pain and plans for the village. As Hiruzen Sarutobi struggled to understand the attack, Naruto embraced the village and demanded that its people feel and understand pain.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived and questioned Naruto about the massacre, but Naruto called him disgusting.
• A ninja attacked Naruto, and Naruto shattered the attackers’ weapons and killed several ninjas with a single punch.
• Naruto activated Shamate Sage Mode and created a black Wood Style forest that tore through Konohagakure and bound its residents in the trees.
• Naruto shared his painful memories and his plans for changing Konohagakure with everyone, while collecting their reactions.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi blamed the Nine-Tails as he fought off the forest, and Naruto urged the village to feel and understand pain.

Naruto unleashed a vast, nightmarish Wood Style across Konohagakure, overwhelming the clans and shocking the Uchiha as Fugaku tried to claim kinship with him. The Uchiha compound was spared, but the Sarutobi, Shimura, and other central clans were defeated and hung from the trees.

• Fugaku and Shisui summoned their Susanoo, and Fugaku claimed he had a hidden trump card and a grand plan.
• Uchiha shinobi joined them, but Naruto's Sage Art Wood Style trees battered both Susanoo and assaulted their users with draining roots and overwhelming emotions.
• Fugaku recognized Naruto as the child of Tsunade and Jiraiya and shouted that he was Naruto's Uncle Fugaku and an ally.
• Naruto sensed the situation through the Wood Style, spared the Uchiha compound, and redirected the forest toward the rest of Konohagakure.
• The Sarutobi Clan's combined Fire Style briefly held back the trees, but Naruto's roots broke their formation and overwhelmed the Sarutobi, Shimura, and other central clans.
• Hiruzen watched the black trees rampage through Konohagakure and blamed the Nine-Tails for the terrifying Wood Style.

Naruto and Kurama watched Naruto’s Wood Style overwhelm Konohagakure as Hiruzen tried to persuade him to stop. At the Hyuga compound, Hiashi surrendered to Naruto and offered the clan’s support in removing Hiruzen and making Naruto Hokage.

• Hiruzen shouted that the Nine-Tails was corrupting Naruto’s Wood Style, while Naruto and Kurama discussed the destruction from within the Sealing Space.
• Naruto returned to reality and saw that Wood Style had engulfed most of central Konohagakure.
• Hiashi and the Hyuga Clan watched their attacks fail against the giant trees and despaired of resisting them.
• Hiashi declared that the Hyuga Clan surrendered and called Naruto Lord Hokage, offering to help him take over Konohagakure.
• Naruto questioned Hiashi’s reasoning as Hiashi denounced Hiruzen and declared Konohagakure belonged to the Senju Clan.

Naruto used the Hyuga and Uchiha clans to impose weekly ideological assessments and remake Konohagakure into an egalitarian society under his rule. As he watched the village change, the Uchiha Legion prepared to spread his ideals across the Land of Fire and the Shinobi World.

• Naruto gained control of Konohagakure and required residents to undergo weekly assessments in the Demon Forest, where colored branches judged their support for his changes.
• Naruto accepted a Golden Throne from Hyuga Hiashi and used its link to the giant tree to reshape the village.
• The Uchiha became Naruto’s fervent enforcers while the Hyuga administered the village, and Naruto redistributed clan wealth and basic necessities among residents.
• The Demon Forest continued to expose changing attitudes, leaving some residents hanging as Red Pass personnel while Naruto watched Konohagakure become closer to his ideals.
• The Uchiha Legion vowed to carry Naruto’s ideals across the Land of Fire and the Shinobi World.

Naruto upheld his uncompromising rule from the Golden Throne as Tsunade and Jiraiya questioned the price of his ideals. Tsunade gave him Hashirama’s necklace, and Naruto turned his attention back to the ongoing assessments across the Land of Fire.

• Jiraiya and Tsunade returned to Konohagakure but were intercepted by the Uchiha Legion and hung upside down for assessment.
• Tsunade asked Naruto why he had chosen to rule so harshly, and Naruto vowed to remain on the Golden Throne until he died, or beyond.
• Naruto insisted that he had companions who understood and supported him, though Tsunade did not know whom he meant.
• Tsunade gave Hashirama’s necklace to a Byakugan maid, who presented it to Naruto on a golden tray, and Naruto put it on.
• Naruto dismissed the others and focused on the Demon Forest, where the Uchiha Legion escorted nobles, landowners, and the Daimyo’s clan to be assessed.

Jigen, an Otsutsuki who had entered Konoha, enjoyed its welcoming people and food while assessing the city’s apparent harmony. Kakashi confronted him at Yakiniku Q and demanded he cooperate with an investigation, warning that wrongdoers would be detained and hung from a tree.

• Jigen entered Konoha and praised the city’s inhabitants for their apparent sincerity and elevated nature.
• Kanon Shiori introduced herself to Jigen and invited him to eat at Yakiniku Q.
• Kanon Shiori and Jigen were warmly welcomed at the crowded restaurant, where other diners gave up their seats for them.
• Jigen praised the flavor of the Akimichi Clan’s specially prepared yakiniku.
• Kakashi confronted Jigen at Yakiniku Q, identified himself as a Jonin in Konoha’s Imperial Guard Legion, and ordered him to cooperate with an investigation.

Jigen revealed his overwhelming speed and strength when Kakashi confronted him at Yakiniku Q, killing Kakashi after destroying his Shadow Clone. Kanon Shiori remained behind and vowed to kill Jigen, who dismissed her as a mortal.

• Jigen offered Kanon Shiori wine and advised her to leave Konohagakure, prompting Kakashi to order the restaurant evacuated.
• Kanon Shiori tried to talk with Jigen, who questioned whether a higher civilization might hunt humans as humans hunted Chakra-bearing beasts.
• Jigen appeared behind Kakashi and pierced his Shadow Clone, but Kakashi's real body watched from a pillar.
• Jigen used his Byakugan to locate Kakashi and pierced his real body, fatally wounding him.
• Kakashi shouted for Kanon Shiori to run and tried to restrain Jigen, but Jigen tore his body apart.
• Kanon Shiori vowed to kill Jigen, who laughed at her determination.

Jigen attacked Konohagakure to prepare Naruto Uzumaki as a Vessel for Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, killing Kakashi and Kanon Shiori before Naruto arrived. Naruto confronted Jigen, who defeated him, implanted Karma, and hurled him through the village in a devastating trench.

• Jigen revealed that he had spent a thousand years seeking a suitable Vessel and had chosen two-year-old Naruto Uzumaki for Isshiki's resurrection.
• Kanon Shiori tried to stop Jigen from reaching the shop entrance, but he pierced her chest and later crushed her head when she refused to let go.
• Naruto arrived too late to save Kakashi or Kanon Shiori, apologized to the dead, and entered Golden Body Mode with the Nine-Tails' cooperation.
• Jigen entered Karma State Two, used Sukuna Hikona to evade Naruto's senses, and struck him from behind.
• Jigen implanted Karma in Naruto and sent him crashing through Konohagakure, carving a massive trench into the ground.

Naruto recognized Jigen as the supposedly dead Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, who had survived by inhabiting another body, but Isshiki swiftly pinned Naruto with black rods. As Konohagakure’s legions rushed to help, Naruto urged them to evacuate, while Jiraiya led the Uchiha Legion in an attack on Isshiki.

• Naruto recalled Neji’s account of the final Otsutsuki reinforcement team and identified Jigen as the servant who had ambushed his master, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
• Isshiki questioned how Naruto knew his history, then used Daikokuten and Sukuna Hikona to pierce Naruto’s limbs with black rods and disrupt his Chakra.
• The Imperial Guard Legion and Uchiha Legion arrived, and Naruto shouted for them to evacuate Konohagakure and save its residents.
• The legions disobeyed Naruto and charged Isshiki, determined to protect their king.
• Jiraiya led the Uchiha Legion in mass Sharingan genjutsu and coordinated Fire Release attacks against Isshiki.

The ninjas’ coordinated attacks failed to catch Jigen, who impaled nearly everyone with Black Rods. After Tsunade shielded Naruto and was struck down, Naruto unleashed a vast Wood Style forest and summoned Fury-enhanced Wood Golems to attack Jigen.

• Nara and Yamanaka ninjas used their techniques while the others covered the area in flames, but Jigen evaded the attacks.
• Shikaku Nara determined that the restraining techniques had missed, and Tsunade treated Naruto after removing the Black Rod pinning him down.
• Jigen reappeared above the battlefield and pierced the ninjas with Black Rods, while Tsunade shielded Naruto and took the attack herself.
• Naruto called Tsunade “Granny Tsunade,” then unleashed Sloth Flower Tree World Descent and Wood Golem of Fury.
• Naruto’s giant tree whips accelerated and struck toward Jigen, sealing off his escape routes and battering the air around him.

Naruto unleashed a devastating Wood Style attack against Jigen, but Jigen emerged unharmed and shattered Konohagakure’s hopes. Naruto rallied the despairing survivors and continued fighting as Jigen evaded the Wood Golems and Wood Dragons with ease.

• Naruto used Sage Art Wood Style: True Thousand Arms Whip—Hell Whipping, while his forest sheltered civilians and weaker ninjas from the destruction.
• Tsunade removed the Yin-Yang Release Black Rods from her body and ran to join Jiraiya and the other powerful ninjas.
• Jigen remained unharmed after Naruto’s attack, leaving the people of Konohagakure in despair.
• Naruto shared the final scene of an unknown civilian girl with everyone and urged them to keep fighting to the death.
• Jigen charged the four Wood Golems, but he evaded their attacks and the Wood Dragons’ strikes without being touched.

Jigen shattered Naruto’s Sage Art Wood Golem with one punch, while Naruto summoned more giants and continued fighting. Beneath Konohagakure, Fugaku, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shisui planned to use the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, and Tsunade explained how sacrificing descendants might make the summoned dead stronger.

• Jigen struck a towering Wood Golem and shattered it, sending a shockwave that swept Hyuga Hiashi across Konohagakure until Naruto rescued him with a root.
• Jigen destroyed the Wood Golem completely, leaving the Uchiha Clan members who witnessed it stunned by the loss of their strongest defense.
• Naruto summoned six more Wood Golems, bringing the total to nine, and pushed himself to keep fighting Jigen as a strand of his yellow hair turned gray-white.
• Fugaku led Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shisui through a hidden base beneath Konohagakure and proposed using the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu to summon dead powerhouses.
• Tsunade explained that living sacrifices affected the strength of reincarnated bodies and revealed her theory that sacrificing descendants to summon their ancestors could produce a powerful result.