Chapter Summaries

Soji used his Mizuki Ember disguise to draw Obito’s attention while pursuing Aoi Rokushō, who had fled Konoha and feared his former superior. After Aoi left Kirigakure to avoid Soji, Soji prepared to hunt him as Mizuki Ember, unaware that Aoi was walking into his trap.

• Aoi Rokushō panicked after seeing Soji in Kirigakure and decided to ask Karatachi Yagura for permission to track Mizuki Ember before leaving the village.
• Karatachi Yagura gave Soji an ambiguous answer about Kirigakure joining the Konoha Academy System but agreed that Haku, Kimimaro, and Yota could challenge the Mist Ninja Academy.
• Soji arranged for the three children to compete against Mist students in seven days, with the number defeated determining their graduation rankings.
• Soji told the children he intended to deal with Aoi Rokushō, and Yakushi Kabuto reported that Aoi had left Kirigakure after visiting Karatachi Yagura.
• Soji decided to pursue Aoi as Mizuki Ember while Aoi traveled away from Kirigakure, heading toward the trap Soji had prepared.

Soji, disguised as Mizuki Ember, attacked the Mist Ninja monitoring him and pursued Aoi Rokushō, a Konoha defector who had fled Kirigakure. He caught up to Aoi Rokushō, leaving him under the shadow of imminent death.

• Soji spotted Aoi Rokushō among the watchers and flew toward him with Ice Wings, freezing everything along his path.
• Two Mist Village Anbu squads tried to flee, but Soji froze them into ice sculptures with a finger snap.
• Soji drove off the other watchers, sending a warning to Obito, then continued after Aoi Rokushō.
• Aoi Rokushō ran while blaming Kirigakure for the attack, but Soji caught up and came within ten meters of him.

Soji, controlling Mizuki Ember, cornered Aoi Rokushō, a Konoha defector who had betrayed Kirigakure, and faced his attacks with ease. As Aoi unleashed a storm with the Lightning God's Sword, Ringo Ameyuri rushed toward the battlefield, believing the Thunder Swords: Kiba were there.

• Aoi Rokushō pleaded for his life and offered to help Mizuki Ember kill Kirigakure shinobi, but Soji grew more determined to kill him.
• Soji trapped Aoi inside a ring of Ice Spikes, and Aoi drew the Lightning God's Sword from a scroll and challenged him.
• Aoi's lightning attack failed to harm Mizuki Ember, and Soji redirected Aoi's Lightning Ball back at him.
• After Soji gave him one last chance to resist, Aoi unleashed Lightning Release: Dance of the Thunderstorm, striking the area indiscriminately.
• Ringo Ameyuri spotted the storm and hurried toward it, convinced that the Thunder Swords: Kiba had caused it.

Soji defeated Aoi Rokushō, learned that Aoi had exploited his student Iken Morino in an attempt to steal Konoha’s Scroll of Seals, and tortured him through genjutsu. Ringo Ameyuri revealed herself as Mizuki Ember’s devoted fan, and Soji considered what to make of her.

• Soji protected the helpless Aoi Rokushō from the lightning storm, stopped him from committing seppuku, and captured him.
• Soji used Dovanten to learn that Aoi had tried to steal Konoha’s Scroll of Seals through his student Iken Morino before taking the Lightning God’s Sword.
• Enraged that Aoi had used a child, Soji subjected him to mental torture in genjutsu and froze his body into an ice sculpture.
• Soji called out Ringo Ameyuri, who emerged from hiding and said she admired Mizuki Ember and had no intention of running.
• Soji realized Ringo Ameyuri was his longtime admirer, while she began forming an idea after finally meeting her idol.

Soji recruited Ringo Ameyuri by giving her the Lightning God's Sword, then assigned her to remain in Kirigakure as his informant. He directed her to join Genji's faction, believing Genji was secretly gathering strength to overthrow Karatachi Yagura.

• Ringo Ameyuri offered to serve Soji in exchange for the Lightning God's Sword, explaining that she was disillusioned with Kirigakure under the Bloody Mist Policy.
• Soji gave Ringo Ameyuri the sword, and she tested its power before pledging to serve him.
• Soji told Ringo Ameyuri to stay in Kirigakure and gather intelligence rather than move to the Land of Snow.
• Soji instructed Ringo Ameyuri to join Genji's faction for protection and explained that he believed Genji was waiting for the right moment to strike Karatachi Yagura.

Soji sent Ringo Ameyuri back to Kirigakure and waited as his three disciples challenged the Mist Ninja Academy to determine their graduation rankings. As the challenge’s sounds faded, Soji and Yakushi Kabuto waited to learn which of them had placed first.

• Genji explained that he had been preparing Mei Terumi to succeed Karatachi Yagura once she mastered her second Kekkei Genkai and reached Kage-level strength.
• Ringo Ameyuri agreed to find Mei Terumi in Kirigakure, and Soji gave her a way to contact him before sending her back.
• Obito raged about Mizuki Ember’s attack but decided against retaliating, and Kirigakure remained unusually peaceful under Mizuki Ember’s deterrence.
• Soji sent Kimimaro, Haku, and Yota into the Mist Ninja Academy to compete for their graduation rankings.
• Yakushi Kabuto predicted Kimimaro would win, but Soji explained that Kimimaro’s overwhelming power limited him in a challenge where he had to avoid killing students.
• Soji favored Yota over Haku for first place, while Kabuto chose Haku, and they waited as the challenge’s sounds gradually died away.

After Kimimaro, Haku, and Yota completed their challenge at the Mist Ninja Academy, Soji’s group stayed in Kirigakure as Hozuki Mangetsu began his escape. Obito pursued Mangetsu, while Hozuki Suigetsu was left believing his brother had betrayed the village.

• Kimimaro, Haku, and Yota reported defeating 168, 214, and 223 Kirigakure students, respectively, and Soji reminded them that their graduation ranking did not reflect their true strength.
• Soji’s group stayed in Kirigakure while Hozuki Mangetsu attempted to lead his clan out of the village, but his clansmen betrayed him.
• Obito declared Mangetsu a rogue ninja and pursued him, hoping to test his strength and possibly recruit him into the Akatsuki Organization.
• Mangetsu fought off the Kirigakure Anbu sent after him using the Explosion Blade: Shibuki, and Obito arrived afterward, impressed by his strength.
• Hozuki Suigetsu waited for Mangetsu to return, then believed the clan elders’ claim that his brother had betrayed Kirigakure and vowed to kill him, unaware Mangetsu had left to protect the clan.

Hozuki Mangetsu defected from Kirigakure and was defeated by Obito, who invited him to join the Akatsuki Organization. Genji’s faction chose to wait while Mei Terumi focused on mastering Boil Release, and Mangetsu continued fleeing to recover before joining the organization.

• Hozuki Suigetsu turned against Hozuki Mangetsu and resolved to kill him to restore the Hozuki Clan’s honor.
• Ao and Mei Terumi asked Genji how to respond to Mangetsu’s defection, but Genji told them to wait and urged Mei to master Boil Release.
• Genji suspected Mizuki Ember might be behind Mangetsu’s defection and instructed Ao to gather intelligence while the Genji Faction remained still.
• Obito returned to the Mizukage’s Office injured after fighting Mangetsu, decided to leave the Hozuki Clan alone, and planned to deal with Genji.
• Obito defeated Mangetsu, revealed the name Madara Uchiha, and invited him to join the Akatsuki Organization.
• Mangetsu reflected that Mizuki Ember had anticipated events and continued fleeing so he could recover before joining the Akatsuki Organization.

After leaving Kirigakure, Hyuga Soji and his group sailed toward the Land of Fire, while Obito pursued them as soon as Mizuki Ember was gone. Obito appeared aboard their ship and confronted Soji, who stopped Kabuto from attacking him.

• Three days after Hozuki Mangetsu defected, Soji announced his departure, and his group left Kirigakure by ship the next day.
• On deck, Kabuto reflected on returning to Konoha, and Soji warned him to be cautious while gathering information on the Uchiha Clan.
• After confirming that Mizuki Ember had left the Land of Water, Obito learned the Konoha delegation's route and used Kamui to pursue them.
• Obito appeared on the ship's mast and greeted Soji's group, prompting Kabuto to take a guarded stance.
• Soji identified Obito as the masked man claiming to be Madara Uchiha and restrained Kabuto before he could attack.

Soji confronted Obito after Obito pursued the ship to kill him and weaken Konoha. Their fight began with both men testing their attacks and defenses, and Soji looked for a way to move the battle away from the passengers as Obito tried to touch him with Kamui.

• Obito admitted he had targeted Soji because he was isolated at sea and Konoha would be weakened by his death.
• Soji sent Kabuto, Haku, Kimimaro, and Yota to warn the passengers and return them to their cabins.
• Obito and Soji exchanged attacks, but Obito used his intangibility to evade Soji and strike from beneath the deck.
• Soji realized their battle could destroy the passenger ship and decided to move the fight out to sea.
• Obito attempted to grab Soji with Kamui, and Soji smiled as Obito pressed his attack.

Hyuga Soji stopped Obito from burning the ship and drew him into a one-on-one fight on the open sea. After trading taunts, Soji adopted the Flowing Rock Shattering Fist stance, preparing to test the new style against Obito.

• Obito tried to pull Soji into the Kamui Dimension, but Soji interrupted him with a kick that sent him through the ship’s railing.
• Obito launched a Great Fireball Technique at the ship, and Soji destroyed it with Water Release Gentle Fist, which sent a water dragon through Obito as he used Kamui to avoid it.
• Obito mistook Soji’s Water Release Gentle Fist for Water Style and decided that he could still win now that he knew about the technique.
• Soji let the ship sail away and faced Obito alone on the sea.
• Obito taunted Soji about the Fourth Hokage, his wife, and Uchiha Homura, but Soji changed his stance and announced the Flowing Rock Shattering Fist.

Hyuga Soji used his newly developed Flowing Rock Shattering Fist to attack Obito, whose Kamui intangibility could not fully protect him from the blows. Obito escaped by sinking into the sea, ending their fight just as Soji’s taijutsu was beginning to pierce further into the Kamui Dimension.

• Soji revealed the Flowing Rock Shattering Fist and struck Obito despite his Kamui intangibility, leaving marks on his mask, clothes, and body.
• Obito realized Soji’s attacks could penetrate the Kamui Dimension and resolved to kill him before the technique grew stronger.
• Soji overwhelmed Obito with relentless, fast attacks, forcing him to repeatedly use Kamui intangibility and suffer injuries whenever it dropped.
• Soji continued refining the Flowing Rock Shattering Fist as more of his blows pierced into the Kamui Dimension.
• Obito withdrew the chakra beneath his feet and sank into the sea to escape Soji’s attack.
• Soji stopped fighting and reflected that the Flowing Rock Shattering Fist combined Gentle Fist and Hard Fist.

Soji overwhelmed Obito with taijutsu and sea-powered Water Style techniques, forcing him to recognize Soji’s strength. Obito left the fight with a new desire to reclaim the Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan he had given Kakashi.

• Obito escaped from the sea and kept his distance after Soji’s Flowing Rock Shattering Fist barrage left him battered.
• Obito attacked with Fire Style techniques, but Soji countered them with Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist and a sea-powered Water Style Taijutsu.
• Soji dispersed the massive water technique just before it reached Obito, then drenched and pinned him beneath a falling curtain of water.
• Obito considered reclaiming the Kamui Mangekyō Sharingan he had given Kakashi, but suppressed the thought for the moment.
• Obito acknowledged that Soji was worthy of having been Minato and Kushina’s teammate and admitted he had underestimated him.

Soji and Obito continued their battle, with Obito using seawater stored in his Kamui Dimension to set up a surprise Wood Release attack. Obito injured Soji for the first time, but Soji’s wound healed quickly, and the fight remained unresolved.

• Soji explained how he had spread his Water Style Taijutsu to pressure Obito into choosing between intangibility and taking the attack.
• Obito revealed a massive torrent of seawater from his right eye and called it Water Release, while Soji recognized that he had stored the seawater in his Kamui Dimension.
• Obito realized he could use the Kamui Dimension to store seawater and other weapons, and resolved to earn money to expand this tactic.
• Soji shattered Obito’s seawater attack with his fists, but Obito followed it with a Wood Release branch aimed at Soji’s heart.
• The branch cut Soji’s arm before he dodged and broke it, but his Shikotsumyaku regeneration healed the wound within seconds.

Hyuga Soji used the sea to overwhelm Obito with a powerful waterspout, then trapped him by creating seven more waterspouts with Shadow Clones. Obito realized he could not defeat Soji at sea and regretted choosing the battlefield.

• Obito tried to intimidate Soji by claiming he could unleash endless seawater from the Kamui Dimension.
• Soji summoned a massive waterspout that overcame Obito’s flood and struck him into the sea when it doubled back.
• Obito escaped the water and ran across the sea while Soji pursued him with the waterspout, and they traded taunts.
• Soji sent seven Shadow Clones to surround Obito, then had them create seven more waterspouts around him.
• Obito found himself trapped amid eight waterspouts and realized that Soji’s strength at sea surpassed his own.

Hyuga Soji trapped Obito in a vast ocean vortex after destroying his Uchiha Flame Formation and forcing him to rely on Kamui. Soji left Obito submerged in the vortex’s Eight Trigrams-shaped depths and headed back toward the departing ship.

• Obito tried to defend himself with the Uchiha Flame Formation, but Soji’s eight Water Dragon Tornadoes broke through it.
• Obito activated Kamui’s intangibility and tried to escape, but the tornadoes followed him and he could only wait for the ability to expire.
• Obito questioned Soji about his strength and the five-minute limit of Kamui, but Soji gave only vague answers.
• While Obito pondered Soji’s abilities, the eight Water Dragon Tornadoes merged into one enormous vortex and pulled the surrounding sea down more than a thousand meters.
• Soji named the technique Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Void, snapped his fingers, and left Obito trapped as he pursued the departing ship.

Soji returned safely to Konoha after escaping Obito, who died beneath the sea before reviving with Izanagi. Zetsu found Obito’s bloodstained mask and assumed he was dead, but Obito reappeared and revealed that Hyuga Soji—not Mizuki Ember—had forced him to use Izanagi.

• Soji and the three kids returned to Konoha after sailing from the Land of Water to the Land of Fire without Obito catching up.
• Obito was crushed by the deep-sea pressure, then revived about three hours later through Izanagi.
• Zetsu searched the area and found Obito’s bloodstained Spiral Pattern Mask, leading White Zetsu to mourn him.
• Obito emerged from the sea without his mask, and Black Zetsu interrupted White Zetsu before he could further provoke him.
• Black Zetsu asked whether Mizuki Ember had forced Obito to use Izanagi, but Obito said Hyuga Soji had been his opponent.

After Hyuga Soji forced Obito to use Izanagi in a battle at sea, Obito told White Zetsu and Black Zetsu about Soji’s extraordinary abilities. Suspicious that Soji’s ordinary public records concealed his true strength, Obito ordered further investigations and surveillance while considering whether Soji threatened the Akatsuki Organization’s plans.

• Obito recalled being forced to use Izanagi against Hyuga Soji, who had overwhelmed him at sea with taijutsu and powerful Water Release.
• White Zetsu and Black Zetsu doubted Obito’s account until his anger convinced them that he was telling the truth.
• Obito and Black Zetsu concluded that Hyuga Soji’s public records seemed abnormal because they were far too ordinary for someone with such strength.
• Obito ordered White Zetsu to gather hidden information about Soji and send clones to monitor him, despite Black Zetsu’s warnings about Konoha’s security.
• Obito said he would stop the surveillance if the losses became excessive, but vowed to investigate Soji and take revenge when the time was right.

After Soji defeated Obito, Obito’s Izanagi revival left Karatachi Yagura and Isobu free of his control, forcing Obito to abandon Kirigakure and return to the Akatsuki Organization. Meanwhile, Ao investigated the Mizukage’s office and discovered Karatachi Yagura sitting motionlessly inside.

• Obito realized Karatachi Yagura and Isobu had escaped his genjutsu control when he died and revived with Izanagi.
• Obito blamed Soji for his losses, gave up on returning to Kirigakure, and left with Zetsu to replace his Izanagi eye before returning to the Akatsuki Organization.
• Black Zetsu welcomed Obito’s return, while Nagato worried that Obito’s presence would renew their struggle for control of Akatsuki.
• Ao was denied entry to the Mizukage’s administrative building and suspected Karatachi Yagura was plotting against Genji’s faction.
• Ao used the Byakugan hidden beneath his eyepatch to look into the Mizukage’s office, where he saw Karatachi Yagura sitting motionlessly.

Ao discovered that Karatachi Yagura had been controlled by genjutsu, prompting Genji and Mei Terumi to rush to the Mizukage's office to rescue him. As Obito's control ended, Yagura regained his memories and erupted in fury, charging toward Kirigakure's outskirts in Tailed Beast Transformation.

• Ao used his Byakugan to discover that Karatachi Yagura's Chakra was disordered and concluded that he had been controlled by genjutsu.
• Ao told Genji and Mei Terumi what he had seen, and Genji changed their plan to rescue Yagura instead of moving against him.
• Genji, Mei Terumi, and Ao went to the Mizukage's office, where Genji pushed past the hesitant Mist Village Anbu.
• Obito's control over Yagura ended, and Yagura regained his consciousness and memories of the years he had been controlled.
• Yagura roared, smashed through the Mizukage's office roof in Tailed Beast Transformation, and shot toward Kirigakure's outskirts.