Chapter Summaries

Soji reflected on Itachi Uchiha’s future while spending time with his friends and newborn nephew. When Uchiha Homura doubted Soji’s strength after years at home, Minato revealed that Soji had reached Kage-level, leaving Homura and Kushina stunned.

• Soji criticized Itachi Uchiha’s future role in the Uchiha Clan’s destruction as he watched Uchiha Homura dote on the baby.
• Uchiha Homura teased Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze about having a child, making them blush.
• Uchiha Homura explained that Fugaku Uchiha was busy preparing the clan for war, while Soji said his Main Family status left him free to avoid the battlefield.
• Uchiha Homura mocked Soji for staying home for more than three years and claimed he might have surpassed him.
• Soji warned Uchiha Homura that he could not beat him, and Minato confirmed that Soji had reached Kage-level.
• Kushina Uzumaki asked whether Soji had really become Kage-level after staying home for three years.

Soji revealed that he had mastered Ice Release and reached Kage-level, then reunited with Minato, Kushina Uzumaki, and Uchiha Homura over food. Their conversation turned to Shimura Danzō, whose hostility toward the Uchiha Clan, Kushina Uzumaki, and Konoha’s own people left them furious and wary.

• Soji demonstrated Ice Release and explained that he had spent three years training at home, while Uchiha Homura admitted defeat and vowed to evolve his Sharingan.
• Uchiha Homura accidentally made Itachi Uchiha cry, and Kushina Uzumaki calmed the baby before the group reminisced about their Ninja Academy days.
• After Itachi Uchiha fell asleep, the group began eating, and Soji asked what they thought of Shimura Danzō.
• Uchiha Homura said Shimura Danzō had pressured the Uchiha Clan to send most of its ninja to war, while Kushina Uzumaki described his attempts to recruit and surveil her.
• Minato Namikaze recalled Anbu records showing that Shimura Danzō had become increasingly brutal, including torturing an innocent Konoha villager to death after suspecting him of being a spy.

Soji learned that Danzo had taken Root to the Land of Rain to ally with Hanzo, and recognized the mission as the event that would lead to Yahiko’s death and Nagato’s rise. He warned Minato and the others that Danzo’s mission would fail and create a powerful enemy for Konoha.

• Minato, Kushina Uzumaki, Uchiha Homura, and Soji discussed Danzo’s harmful influence and his hostility toward their clans.
• Soji asked Minato where Danzo had gone, and Minato revealed that Danzo had taken Root to the Land of Rain to help Hanzo suppress a rebellion in exchange for an alliance with Konoha.
• Soji recognized the mission as the start of the events that would lead to Yahiko’s death and Nagato becoming a threat to the ninja world.
• Soji told his companions that Danzo’s mission would fail and that a leader of another force in the Land of Rain would defeat the alliance and become the victor.

Soji warned Minato, Kushina Uzumaki, and Uchiha Homura that Danzo would be defeated by a force stronger than Hanzo, and they accepted his warning. In the Land of Rain, Hanzo and Danzo trapped Akatsuki, and Yahiko died after taking Nagato’s kunai strike meant to save Konan.

• Soji told Minato, Kushina Uzumaki, and Uchiha Homura that Danzo had chosen the wrong side and would bring Konoha an enemy stronger than Hanzo.
• Minato, Kushina Uzumaki, and Uchiha Homura accepted Soji’s account and resolved to grow stronger.
• Hanzo revealed that he and Danzo had joined forces to ambush Akatsuki and demanded that Nagato kill Yahiko or Konan would die.
• Nagato picked up Hanzo’s kunai and began to think of a way to save both Konan and Yahiko.
• Yahiko rushed into Nagato’s arms, was pierced by the kunai, and died after urging Nagato to live on with Konan.

After Yahiko died and Hanzo wounded Nagato while trying to kill him and Konan, Nagato’s grief drove him to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and attack Hanzo’s and Danzo’s forces. The chapter ended with Nagato using the statue’s Chakra Dragon to drain the approaching ninja, while his own body began to wither.

• Hanzo ordered his men to attack Nagato, but Nagato deflected their Kunai and rushed to free Konan from a trap of Explosive Tags.
• Nagato shielded Konan and Yahiko’s corpse from Hanzo’s Explosive Flame Formation, suffering severe burns to his legs, and vowed to kill Hanzo.
• Danzo ordered Root to attack Nagato, while Hanzo let them approach so he could test the power of Nagato’s eyes.
• Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, which crushed the Root ninja as Konan tried to stop him.
• Nagato connected himself to the statue with Chakra Receivers and sent a purple Chakra Dragon into the crowd, draining and killing the ninja it touched as his body withered.

Nagato killed Hanzo's and Danzo's forces with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and its Chakra Dragon, then left with Konan and Yahiko's corpse as Hanzo and Danzo fled. Exhausted on his way back to Konoha, Danzo encountered Soji, who had been waiting in the Land of Fire to appear before a Konoha clan member.

• Nagato's Chakra Dragon killed Hanzo's subordinates and the Root members, while Hanzo escaped with the Body Flicker Technique.
• After the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path vanished, Nagato and Konan left with Yahiko's corpse, and Nagato resolved to make the ninja world feel pain.
• Danzo fled toward the Land of Fire, coveted Nagato's Rinnegan, and planned to target the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan.
• Soji waited for a Sarutobi Clan jonin so he could reveal Mizuki Ember to Konoha, but his Byakugan spotted the exhausted Danzo instead.
• Danzo encountered Soji on a giant Golden Eagle and recognized him as Mizuki Ember.

Soji confronted Danzo in the Land of Fire and tried to teach him a lesson rather than kill him. Danzo outsmarted Soji and fled toward Konoha, while Soji pursued him through a trap-filled forest.

• Soji encountered Danzo alone and attacked him with Ice Release, while Danzo countered with Wind Release and explosive-tagged kunai.
• Danzo used the blasts and smoke to escape into a nearby forest while Soji had not activated his Byakugan or allowed the Golden Eagle to intervene.
• After the Golden Eagle told Soji which way Danzo had gone, Soji chased him and recognized that Danzo had exploited his inexperience.
• Danzo laid wire, kunai, and explosive-tag traps to slow Soji as he fled toward Konoha.
• Soji used Frost Armor to charge through the traps and close the distance, but Danzo continued to approach Konoha, leaving Soji regretting his carelessness and lack of pursuit techniques.

Soji caught Danzo in the forest and fought him while trying to cripple him without revealing his Gentle Fist or killing him. Danzo and Baku unleashed a combined Wind Release attack with Kage-level power, shattering Soji’s Ice Crystal Barrier and leaving him in danger.

• Soji caught up with Danzo and confronted him before Konoha Ninja could arrive.
• Danzo summoned Baku, and Soji froze the surrounding forest, but Danzo freed Baku with Wind Release.
• Soji pursued Danzo off Baku’s back and wounded his left palm during a clash of Ice Spear and Vacuum Blade.
• Danzo and Baku trapped Soji between them and combined Baku’s suction with Danzo’s Vacuum Barrage.
• Soji blocked several Kage-level attacks with Ice Crystal Barrier, but the barrier shattered.

Soji defeated Danzo after his Ice Clone saved him from Baku and used a substitution to evade Danzo’s sealing technique. He gravely injured Danzo and stopped him from using the Reverse Four Symbols Seal as Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived.

• Danzo believed Baku had swallowed Soji, but Soji’s Ice Clone froze Baku and left him unharmed.
• Soji overwhelmed the exhausted Danzo in close combat while keeping him alive until Konoha’s reinforcements approached.
• Danzo pretended to be unconscious and used the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal, but Soji had already substituted himself with a log.
• Soji pierced Danzo’s shoulder and abdomen with an Ice Spear, gravely injuring him.
• Danzo began to activate the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, but Soji’s sweeping strike interrupted him as Hiruzen arrived and Danzo lost consciousness.

Soji fought the Third Hokage after severely wounding Danzo, and the Third Hokage summoned Enma to help. Enma nearly broke Soji’s mask, and Soji prepared to use the Gentle Fist as the battle continued.

• The Third Hokage arrived and attacked Soji after finding Danzo badly wounded, while Anbu moved Danzo to safety.
• Soji challenged the Third Hokage to fight, and they exchanged ninjutsu and taijutsu evenly.
• The Third Hokage summoned Enma and had him transform into the Adamantine Staff to counter Soji’s Ice Spear.
• Enma struck Soji through the staff, sending him into a frozen tree and cracking his mask.
• Soji worried that his identity had nearly been exposed and decided to use the Gentle Fist against the Third Hokage.

Soji fought the Third Hokage and Enma, then used the ice covering the forest to ambush them with the Yuki Clan’s Melt into Ice technique. The Third Hokage worked out that Soji could move only through ice, and the two prepared to continue their fight.

• Soji attacked the Third Hokage with Ice Release techniques, but the Hokage countered them with his Adamantine Staff and ninjutsu.
• Soji turned the frozen forest into an Ice Domain and used Melt into Ice to strike the Third Hokage from behind, wounding his shoulder and kicking him into the air.
• The Third Hokage and Enma regrouped while Soji and the Hokage faced off across an area without ice.
• The Third Hokage attacked with Earth Dragon Flame Stream, melting the ice along its path, and Soji escaped by moving through the ice beneath him.
• The Third Hokage deduced that Soji’s movement technique depended on ice, and Soji realized his actions had revealed the technique’s limitation.

Soji fought the Third Hokage until the Hokage discovered that lightning spread across the ice could block Soji’s Melt into Ice technique. Minato arrived and joined the confrontation, but Soji escaped on his Golden Eagle, leaving the two Konoha ninja behind.

• Soji’s Ice Dragon Twin Kill shattered against the Third Hokage’s Adamantine Staff, and the Third Hokage pressed him at close range.
• Soji discovered he could not use Melt into Ice on patches of ice carrying the Third Hokage’s electricity, and the Third Hokage spread lightning across the battlefield to restrict him.
• As Soji prepared to fight with Ice Release and Gentle Fist, Minato appeared between him and the Third Hokage.
• The Third Hokage asked Minato to help capture Soji, while Minato secretly signaled Soji to leave.
• Soji summoned his Golden Eagle and flew away after it deflected Minato’s thrown kunai, calling out that he had enjoyed the fight.

After escaping the Third Hokage, Hyuga Soji traveled to the Land of Rain to investigate Nagato, but a flying ninja from Hoshigakure caught his attention. Soji abandoned his investigation and returned to Konoha, determined to learn the ninja’s Chakra Wings technique.

• The Third Hokage regretted dismissing Soji’s warning about Mizuki Ember and ordered Konoha to alert its forces across the Land of Fire.
• Soji rode the Golden Eagle around the Land of Fire, reflecting on his stalemate with the Third Hokage and Danzo’s severe injuries.
• Soji reached the border of the Land of Rain and hesitated to enter, concerned that Nagato might detect him.
• A young ninja wearing a five-pointed-star forehead protector flew out of the Land of Rain on translucent wings, and Soji suspected he was from Hoshigakure.
• Soji decided he had to learn the Chakra Wings technique and returned to Konoha with the Golden Eagle to confirm the ninja’s village and find the Land of Bears.

Soji persuaded Minato to cover for his trip to Hoshigakure, then received an official promotion to Konoha jonin. He traveled to the Land of Bears to learn the Mysterious Peacock Method, where he found rogue ninja plotting to attack Hoshigakure.

• Soji convinced Minato to let him go to Hoshigakure for ten days and asked him to replenish his Shadow Clone's Chakra.
• Soji explained that he had beaten Danzo to keep him from causing trouble and had fought the Third Hokage because he wanted to test his strength.
• Minato told Soji that the Third Hokage had promoted him to jonin, and Soji received the promotion at the Hokage's office.
• Soji prepared for his journey and rode the Golden Eagle through the Land of Birds to the Land of Bears, avoiding the Land of Rain.
• Soji disguised himself among rogue ninja who planned to conquer Hoshigakure and recognized that they were no match for the village.
• Soji recalled that Hoshigakure's meteorite had enabled the Mysterious Peacock Method, which he had come to learn.

Soji watched Hoshigakure ninjas defeat the Rogue Ninjas, then confronted them to obtain their Mysterious Peacock Method. He incapacitated Akaboshi and faced the remaining Hoshigakure ninjas as they prepared to fight him.

• Soji followed the Rogue Ninjas as they searched for a safe way into the valley, but poisonous gas killed or incapacitated many of them.
• Hoshigakure ninjas led by Fire Fly arrived by air and attacked the Rogue Ninjas with the Mysterious Peacock Method, killing their leader and the rest of the group.
• Soji revealed his interest in the Hoshigakure ninjas’ Chakra training method, and Akaboshi attacked him with a Chakra beast.
• Soji dispersed Akaboshi’s beast, used Body Flicker Technique to knock him unconscious, and demanded that Fire Fly hand over the method.
• Fire Fly’s group refused and readied their Chakra beasts for battle while Soji waited, confident he could overcome them.

Soji defeated Hoshigakure’s Chakra beasts and persuaded Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi that the meteorite might be causing their village’s illnesses. After proving he could enter Hoshigakure with his Golden Eagle, he asked the couple to help him steal the meteorite once they learned the truth from their Hoshikage.

• Soji used Ice Release Gentle Fist techniques to defeat the Chakra beasts while Natsuhoshi rescued the unconscious Akaboshi.
• Soji revealed that Hoshigakure’s Mysterious Peacock Method users suffered illnesses and early deaths, and said the meteorite might be responsible.
• Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi stayed behind to hear Soji out while the other shinobi carried Akaboshi back to the village.
• Soji dismissed the couple’s doubts by revealing his identity and summoning the enormous Golden Eagle, showing that he could cross the poisonous gas valley.
• Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi agreed to seek the truth from their Hoshikage, and Soji asked them to help steal the meteorite afterward.

Soji made Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi investigate whether the Mysterious Peacock Method was harming Hoshigakure, while he waited for them to bring him the meteorite. After learning the truth and failing to get a timely decision from the Third Hoshikage, the couple stole the meteorite and reached Soji just before his seven-day deadline.

• Soji agreed to wait seven days for Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi to bring him the meteorite, warning that he would enter Hoshigakure if they did not return.
• The couple asked the Third Hoshikage whether the Mysterious Peacock Method had caused the village's illnesses and deaths, and he admitted that he had concealed its side effects.
• Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi urged the Third Hoshikage to stop the dangerous training, but he only promised to convene a village meeting while they continued guarding the meteorite.
• After waiting until the seventh day without an answer, Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi decided to leave with the meteorite, despite risking being branded rogue ninja.
• Hoshigakure discovered the theft and fell into chaos, while Soji waited at Hell Valley until the couple arrived shortly before the eighth day.

Soji confronted the Third Hoshikage after learning that Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi had been drawn into a trap to take the meteorite. The Hoshikage revealed his plan to end the village’s use of the Mysterious Peacock Method and blame Soji, then prepared to fight him for the meteorite.

• Soji questioned Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi about their delay, and the Third Hoshikage appeared and admitted he had arranged the trap.
• The Third Hoshikage explained that he would reclaim and seal the meteorite, ban the Mysterious Peacock Method, and tell the village that outsiders had stolen it.
• Natsuhibi Hotaru and Natsuhoshi accepted the Hoshikage’s plan, while Soji realized the villagers intended to defeat him and keep the meteorite.
• The Third Hoshikage, Natsuhibi Hotaru, Natsuhoshi, and two jonin guards summoned Chakra beasts using the Mysterious Peacock Method.
• The Third Hoshikage’s dragon-shaped beast swallowed the other four beasts and grew to more than forty meters as Soji watched.

Soji defeated the Third Hoshikage’s Chakra dragon with Void Strike and claimed Hoshigakure’s meteorite under their agreement. Examining it with his Byakugan, he suspected it contained the Ten-Tails’ Chakra.

• The Third Hoshikage sent his chakra dragon after Soji, but Soji evaded its attacks and appeared beside him.
• Soji proposed that the Third Hoshikage give him the meteorite if he destroyed the chakra dragon head-on, and the Hoshikage agreed.
• Soji struck the diving dragon with Void Strike, dispersing it and winning the battle.
• The Third Hoshikage honored the agreement and had Natsuhibi Hotaru hand Soji the meteorite.
• Soji examined the meteorite’s chakra and concluded it might come from the Ten-Tails.

Soji confirmed that the Hoshigakure meteorite contained the Ten-Tails’ Chakra, obtained it and the Mysterious Peacock Method, and left for Konoha after warning the village about the method’s effects on its trainees.

• Soji questioned the Third Hoshikage about the meteorite and learned that it had reacted several times over the past two hundred years.
• Natsuhibi Hotaru said the meteorite reacted the day before he met Soji at the Land of Rain border, when he sensed powerful Chakra coming from that land.
• Soji connected the reaction to Nagato summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and concluded that the meteorite contained the Ten-Tails’ Chakra.
• Soji persuaded the Third Hoshikage to give him the Mysterious Peacock Method’s training instructions.
• Soji warned the Third Hoshikage to bring Hoshigakure’s trainees to Konoha for examination and treatment, then departed on the Golden Eagle with the meteorite.