Chapter Summaries

Tsunade’s census forced Konoha’s clans to cooperate, leaving only the Hyuga Clan resisting. Hyuga Hiashi sent Hinata Suzune to speak with Yagami Chiyue, who received her at his home.

• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura met Tsunade and promised to stop obstructing the census in exchange for keeping their positions and authority.
• The Shimura, Utatane, Mito, and other clans accepted the census, and the Sarutobi Clan also cooperated.
• Hyuga Hiashi told Hinata Suzune to visit Yagami Chiyue and ask him about the census.
• Hinata Suzune’s father urged her not to disappoint the clan head, and she left the Hyuga Clan to carry out their orders.
• Hinata Suzune arrived at Yagami Chiyue’s home and greeted him as Captain.

Chiyue detained Hinata Suzune to pressure the Hyuga Clan into cooperating with the village’s shinobi census. After Tsunade secured the clan’s agreement, she refused to help release Hinata Suzune, claiming she had learned the Yagami Clan’s Forbidden Jutsu.

• Hinata Suzune told Chiyue that the Hyuga clan head and her father had sent her to ask him for information.
• Chiyue ordered an Anbu operative to tell the Hyuga Clan that Hinata Suzune had uncovered classified intelligence and would remain detained.
• Tsunade confronted Hyuga Hiashi and the Great Elder, warning them to cooperate with the census and reminding them of the consequences of resisting.
• The Hyuga Clan agreed to the inspection in exchange for additional positions for its members.
• Hyuga Hiashi asked Tsunade to help secure Hinata Suzune’s release, but Tsunade said Chiyue would not let her go because she had learned the Yagami Clan’s Forbidden Jutsu.

Tsunade blocked the Hyuga Clan from reclaiming Hyuga Rinne, warning that taking her Forbidden Jutsu could provoke the Uchiha Clan and giving Hyuga Hiashi ancient Uchiha intelligence instead. After Chiyue told Rinne she was free of the clan and its Caged Bird Seal, the Hyuga Main Family erupted in protest, and Hiashi decided to meet Lord Chiyue about the clan’s inheritance.

• Tsunade warned Hyuga Hiashi and the Hyuga Great Elder that the Uchiha Clan would retaliate if the Hyuga Clan pursued Hyuga Rinne and the Yagami Clan’s fabricated Forbidden Jutsu.
• Tsunade refused to return Hyuga Rinne or allow the Caged Bird Seal to restrain her Byakugan, then gave Hyuga Hiashi intelligence about a possible Hyuga connection to the Sage of Six Paths.
• Hyuga Hiashi and the Hyuga Great Elder left the Hokage’s office without Rinne, while the Great Elder worried about her Byakugan and future children.
• Chiyue told Hyuga Rinne that she could not return to the Hyuga Clan but would not receive the Caged Bird Seal.
• The Hyuga Main Family elders argued over losing Rinne, and the Hyuga Great Elder warned them that the clan could not challenge the village or the Uchiha Clan.
• Hyuga Hiashi announced that he would visit Lord Chiyue to discuss the Hyuga Clan’s fundamental inheritance.

Hyuga Hiashi met Yagami Chiyue to discuss Hyuga Rinne and the Third Hokage's past promises to the Hyuga Clan. Chiyue refused to release Rinne but promised that the incident would not happen again, then left Hiashi puzzled by his abruptness.

• The Hyuga Clan's main family members calmed after the clan head promised that Hyuga Rinne's case was an exception, and the Great Elder urged Hyuga Hiashi to explain the situation to the branch family.
• Anbu surrounded the Hyuga Clan to conduct a ninja census and warn the clan to cooperate.
• At the Hokage's Office Building, Chiyue learned that Hyuga Hiashi had come to meet him and took him to a nearby teahouse.
• Hiashi asked about the Third Hokage's promises to the Hyuga Clan, and Chiyue said those promises would not return under Tsunade.
• Chiyue refused to release Hyuga Rinne but assured Hiashi that neither he nor Tsunade would target the Hyuga Clan again if it did not cause trouble.
• Chiyue left after their conversation, while Hiashi wondered whether he had violated etiquette.

Chiyue returned from meeting Hyuga Hiashi and complained to Minato about his painstaking tea ceremony. Meanwhile, Black Zetsu infiltrated Orochimaru’s laboratory to recruit him and demand intelligence on the Rinnegan, then left for Iwagakure and Kumogakure after learning the eyes had been taken there, leaving Orochimaru worried about the control hidden in his body.

• Chiyue returned from the teahouse and told Minato that Hyuga Hiashi’s meticulous tea-making had made their meeting unbearable.
• Black Zetsu, controlling Uchiha Obito’s body, appeared in Orochimaru’s underground laboratory and invited him to join the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan.
• Orochimaru refused and told Black Zetsu that Nagato had surrendered the Rinnegan and been sent somewhere safe.
• Black Zetsu threatened Orochimaru by reminding him that Madara’s control might have left something inside his body.
• Orochimaru revealed that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had taken the Rinnegan at the Five Kage Summit.
• Black Zetsu used Kamui to leave for Iwagakure and Kumogakure, while Orochimaru realized he remained vulnerable to being controlled.

Orochimaru told Chiyue that Black Zetsu had visited him and sought help resolving the problem with his body, but Chiyue refused and advised him to hide. Chiyue informed Tsunade that Black Zetsu had taken control of Uchiha Obito and was pursuing the Rinnegan, leaving her worried about the danger posed by both Uchiha Madara and the villages studying the Rinnegan.

• Orochimaru told Chiyue that Black Zetsu had used Uchiha Obito's Mangekyo ability to enter and leave Konoha unnoticed after learning the Rinnegan was in Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
• Orochimaru asked Chiyue to resolve the problem with his body, but Chiyue refused and advised him to hide in Ryūchi Cave or seek help from Tsunade.
• Orochimaru decided he could ask Tsunade for research funding, instruments, and materials in return for sharing his intelligence.
• Chiyue returned to the Hokage's Office and told Tsunade that Black Zetsu had controlled Uchiha Obito and was pursuing Orochimaru and the Rinnegan.
• Tsunade worried that Iwagakure and Kumogakure might master the Rinnegan's power if their research succeeded.

Chiyue warned Tsunade that Iwagakure and Kumogakure might experiment on Uchiha and Uzumaki ninja to control the Rinnegan, so Tsunade restricted both clans from leaving Konoha. As the village gained time and resources to recover, the Third Raikage’s experiments continued to kill Kumogakure’s elite ninja.

• Chiyue explained that the Rinnegan would drain most transplants of Chakra and life force, making it difficult for Iwagakure and Kumogakure to control.
• Chiyue urged Tsunade to keep Uchiha and Uzumaki ninja in Konoha to prevent their capture, and Tsunade arranged daily checks and a temporary travel restriction.
• Iwagakure withdrew its troops from the Land of Grass, while Kumogakure focused on researching the Rinnegan, giving Konoha a chance to recover.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Fire increased Konoha’s development funds and released them early after corresponding with Tsunade.
• The Third Raikage learned that the third Kumogakure elite had died in the Rinnegan experiments and asked whether Nuo had also succumbed to its burden.

Kumogakure’s Rinnegan experiments failed because the test subjects suffered severe rejection, leading Yingmu to conclude that compatible bloodlines were needed. Ōnoki reached a similar conclusion and sent Iwagakure agents to target Uchiha ninja, while Chiyue remained unaware that Yingmu had considered using him as a test subject.

• Yingmu told the Third Raikage that Rinnegan recipients’ Chakra and vitality were being drained, and proposed that Uchiha and Senju bloodlines were needed to prevent rejection.
• Yingmu suggested capturing powerful Uzumaki and Uchiha ninja, and the Third Raikage rejected his idea of using Yagami Chiyue as an experimental subject.
• The Third Raikage ordered the Rinnegan guarded and left with Dodai, while Yingmu lamented losing a promising test subject.
• Chiyue shivered in Konoha without realizing that Yingmu had hoped to experiment on him.
• After Iwagakure’s experiments also failed, Ōnoki sent agents into the Land of Fire to work with spies and capture Uchiha ninja on missions.

Tsunade learned that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had sent ninja into the Land of Fire to capture Uchiha Clan members, then visited Chiyue as he trained after mastering Ice Style. The chapter left the villages’ motives unclear while Chiyue’s new ability offered little immediate increase to his strength.

• Hatake Sakumo reported that his team had captured foreign ninja and uncovered their mission to seize Uchiha Clan members.
• Tsunade ordered the Anbu to watch the Land of Fire more closely, then skipped work and left Nara Shikaku with the backlog.
• Chiyue trained beside a lake, having mastered Ice Style, while Pakura and Hyuga Rinne watched.
• Tsunade explained that Chiyue could share his Ice Style experience and help future generations inherit the Kekkei Genkai.
• Tsunade told Chiyue that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had sent ninja to capture Uchiha Clan members, but interrogation had revealed little else.

Chiyue and Tsunade exposed Iwagakure and Kumogakure’s kidnapping and experiments to force them to stop pursuing Uchiha Clan members and to make Black Zetsu act. The public scandal halted the villages’ operations, and Black Zetsu infiltrated both to search for the Rinnegan.

• Chiyue told Tsunade to publicize Iwagakure and Kumogakure’s experiments and question their villages and Daimyo Residences, hoping to alarm Black Zetsu.
• Tsunade agreed, and Konoha formally demanded explanations from Iwagakure and Kumogakure; Ōnoki and the Third Raikage denied wrongdoing and blamed the captured people as rogue ninja.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Fire confronted the daimyo of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth, and news of the alleged human experiments spread throughout the shinobi world.
• Under pressure from their daimyo and other countries, Ōnoki and the Third Raikage suspended the capture missions and related experiments.
• Worried that the commotion could endanger his plan to rescue Mother, Black Zetsu took White Zetsu to infiltrate Iwagakure and Kumogakure, search for the Rinnegan, and spread spores to control some of their ninjas.

Black Zetsu and White Zetsu Tobi planned to create chaos in Iwagakure so its leaders would reveal where they had hidden the Rinnegan. Their plan began when a black-robed Ice Style user attacked the village, drawing Ōnoki and a large force of stone shinobi into pursuit.

• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu Tobi concluded that searching Iwagakure and Kumogakure had failed and decided to provoke Iwagakure into tightening security around the Rinnegan.
• Black Zetsu ordered White Zetsu Tobi to use the Third Mizukage and parasitic spores to cause a disruption in Iwagakure.
• A black-robed attacker froze streets and buildings, then detonated the ice and injured civilians and shinobi.
• Ōnoki flew to the devastated area, spotted the attacker, and ordered stone shinobi to surround him while evacuating civilians.
• The attacker used Ice Style and Iwagakure’s terrain to evade pursuit until the stone shinobi surrounded him.

Ōnoki confronted the controlled Third Mizukage, who demanded the Rinnegan on Uchiha Madara’s behalf, but White Zetsu infiltrators caused Iwagakure’s shinobi to turn on one another. As Ōnoki tried to contain the chaos, the Third Mizukage escaped his Dust Release attack.

• The Third Mizukage revealed himself to Ōnoki and demanded that Iwagakure hand over the Rinnegan.
• Ōnoki ordered his shinobi to capture the Third Mizukage, but Stone Shinobi suddenly began attacking their comrades.
• Ōnoki told everyone to spread out and treat anyone who attacked as an enemy, then suspected White Zetsu spores were controlling infiltrators.
• Ōnoki warned Kitsuchi not to approach and used Dust Release against the fleeing Third Mizukage.
• The Third Mizukage used Ice Style: Mirror Reflection to evade Ōnoki’s attack and escape.

Ōnoki stopped White Zetsu Tobi’s attack on Iwagakure, but the village was left in ruins and its ninja feared enemies were hiding among them. After Ōnoki requested aid from the other villages, Chiyue was summoned to the Hokage’s office, where he learned of Iwagakure’s crisis.

• Ōnoki used Dust Release to destroy the Third Mizukage’s body, but White Zetsu Tobi escaped after deliberately throwing Iwagakure into chaos.
• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure’s ninja to form groups of five and stay together so they could move while guarding against hidden enemies.
• Ōnoki announced that Uchiha Madara was behind the attack and sent requests for aid to the other villages, especially Konoha.
• Ōnoki decided not to send guards to the Rinnegan, fearing the chaos was a distraction meant to expose its location.
• An Anbu ninja summoned Chiyue to the Hokage’s office, where Tsunade gave him a scroll describing Iwagakure’s crisis.

Konoha debated whether to help Iwagakure deal with White Zetsu infiltrators, fearing Uchiha Madara might retaliate. Chiyue proposed taking Kushina to use the Nine-Tails’ ability to identify evil intentions, and Tsunade approved the mission.

• Tsunade, the Third Hokage, and Hatake Sakumo worried that helping Iwagakure could draw Uchiha Madara’s hostility toward Konoha.
• Chiyue asked whether Konoha would help and pointed out that the Nine-Tails could distinguish good from evil in people’s hearts.
• Tsunade agreed to help after Chiyue offered to take Kushina to expose the hidden White Zetsu.
• Tsunade authorized Chiyue to represent her at a Five Kage Summit if Ōnoki called one.
• The Third Hokage asked whether other villages’ tailed beasts could also detect evil intentions.

Chiyue took Kushina and Pakura from Konoha to the Land of Earth for a trip while carrying out a mission connected to the crisis in Iwagakure. Black Zetsu focused on recovering one of the Rinnegan and considered reviving Uchiha Madara if he failed.

• Chiyue dismissed the Third Hokage’s attempt to stop Kushina from leaving Konoha and took her and Pakura on the trip to the Land of Earth.
• Minato lamented missing the trip, while Nawaki teased him about wanting to tag along.
• Chiyue joked that their mission was to save the Land of Earth, and Kushina and Pakura doubted him.
• The Third Raikage put Kumogakure on alert after it obtained a Rinnegan, though Black Zetsu had no plans to target the village.
• Black Zetsu pursued the Rinnegan in Iwagakure so he could give it to Obito, with Impure World Reincarnation as his fallback plan for bringing back Uchiha Madara.

Chiyue, Kushina, and Pakura paused at a hot spring while Kumogakure's A arrived in Iwagakure to discuss the White Zetsu threat with Ōnoki. Iwagakure and Kumogakure waited for other villages' reinforcements as they struggled to identify disguised enemies and prepare for Uchiha Madara.

• Chiyue took a leisurely hot-spring break with Kushina and Pakura, teasing Pakura until he left to prepare lunch.
• Kushina noticed Pakura floating in the spring and realized why Chiyue had laughed, then compared herself unfavorably to Pakura.
• A arrived in Iwagakure with Kumogakure's shinobi, and Ōnoki warned him that the village still could not expose the disguised enemies.
• Ōnoki showed A White Zetsu's corpse, but admitted Iwagakure had found no useful clues and might not endure the strain much longer.
• A and Ōnoki discussed how the Rinnegan had drawn Uchiha Madara's attention to their villages, and A chose to wait for the other villages' reinforcements before acting.

Chiyue arrived in Iwagakure with Kushina and Pakura after the other villages had waited two days for Konoha. He clashed with A and rebuked Ōnoki and the other Kage for ignoring Uchiha Madara’s threat, then left Ōnoki stunned by revealing knowledge of his past defeat.

• A complained that Konoha had not arrived, while Rasa suggested Konoha might be delaying because of the previous Five Kage Summit.
• Kitsuchi brought Chiyue, Kushina, and Pakura to the meeting room, where the Kage from the other villages were waiting.
• A mocked Konoha for bringing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Chiyue defended Kushina by insulting A and warning him to stop talking.
• Ōnoki calmed the argument and asked why Konoha had arrived late.
• Chiyue said Konoha had no reason to hurry after the other villages had dismissed Madara’s threat, then reminded Ōnoki that Madara had beaten him decades earlier.
• Ōnoki was stunned and asked how Chiyue knew about his defeat.

Chiyue threatened to leave the meeting after A provoked him, then revealed that Konoha could capture the hidden White Zetsu. A apologized and offered gifts to Konoha, and Chiyue put Kushina in charge of negotiating with Ōnoki about helping Iwagakure.

• Chiyue traded insults with A, then refused to help with Iwagakure’s crisis unless the others handled things themselves.
• Chiyue revealed that Konoha had a way to capture the hidden White Zetsu, leaving the other Kage stunned.
• Chiyue criticized the villages for ignoring Konoha’s call to unite against Uchiha Madara and prepared to leave with Kushina and Pakura.
• A apologized and offered to send gifts to Konoha, but Kushina’s interruption spoiled Chiyue’s chance to demand more compensation.
• Ōnoki asked Chiyue for help, and Chiyue entrusted Kushina with negotiating on Konoha’s behalf.

Kushina used the Nine-Tails’ ability to expose White Zetsu hidden in Iwagakure, easing the village’s fears and prompting the other Kage to agree that Uchiha Madara had to be taken seriously. The leaders left without deciding to hold a Five Kage Summit, as Ōnoki and A still had their own reasons to avoid one.

• Kushina entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and seized a White Zetsu disguised as an Iwagakure ninja.
• Ōnoki sent Kitsuchi and other ninja with Kushina to capture the remaining White Zetsu in the village.
• Kushina exposed the hidden White Zetsu within half an hour, and Ōnoki resolved to take Uchiha Madara’s threat seriously.
• Yagura, A, and Rasa agreed with Ōnoki, while Chiyue confirmed Konoha would participate.
• Yagura asked about holding a Five Kage Summit, but Ōnoki and A opposed the idea for now.

After helping settle the crisis in Iwagakure, Chiyue, Kushina, and Pakura discussed the villages’ resources and looked ahead to visiting Kumogakure. Chiyue promised Kushina they would be welcomed there, despite his recent confrontation with A.

• After Iwagakure's purges, Ōnoki postponed further talks until the next day, and Chiyue sent word to Tsunade that the crisis had been resolved.
• Kushina joked about Iwagakure's fear of the White Zetsu, while Pakura explained how the village's precautions had contained them.
• Chiyue discussed how war, money, and population shaped the villages’ military strength, comparing Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha.
• Kushina grew excited at the prospect of visiting Kumogakure to shop, but Pakura warned that their visit might attract scrutiny.
• Chiyue assured Kushina that the Third Raikage would personally invite them and give them the best treatment.