Chapter Summaries

Li Chuan rejected Danzo’s proposal to kill the captured Hidden Mist Village ninjas and went to reinforce Konoha’s struggling northeastern front. Jiraiya reported that the Cloud Ninja had massed their forces in the Land of Hot Water, where the Fourth Raikage and two Jinchuriki were leading their attack.

• Danzo urged Konoha to kill the Hidden Mist Village prisoners and seize the Land of Water, but the Third, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu opposed him.
• Li Chuan ordered the prisoners treated and their Chakra sealed, left a Shadow Clone to guard them, and told Mei Terumi to keep her people under control.
• Li Chuan sent the captured Hidden Mist Village ninjas back to Konoha with Kakashi, gave the Third a space-expanding ninja tool to house them, and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach the northeastern front.
• Jiraiya briefed Li Chuan on the Cloud Ninja’s numerical advantage and reported that the Fourth Raikage had brought the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and the Two-Tails into the battle.
• Jiraiya said Konoha’s forces had been losing ground because they could not overcome the Cloud Ninja’s numbers and the combined assault of the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

Li Chuan went alone to the Hidden Cloud Village’s camp and asked the Fourth Raikage to end the invasion, but Ay refused. Li Chuan then revealed his Six Paths Impermanence technique, transforming into a Golden Great Buddha before the Cloud Ninja army.

• Jiraiya warned Li Chuan that negotiating alone with the Cloud Ninja was dangerous, but Li Chuan used Apparition to leave for their camp.
• Li Chuan arrived above the Cloud Ninja camp and announced himself to the Fourth Raikage, Ay, and Killer B.
• Li Chuan asked Ay to stop the invasion and preserve peace, but Ay refused because Kumogakure had to protect its interests in the war.
• Li Chuan declared that he would end the Cloud Ninja army himself, prompting Ay to laugh and Killer B to rap at him.
• Li Chuan formed a lotus hand seal, invoked Six Paths Impermanence, and transformed into a majestic Golden Great Buddha.

Li Chuan trapped the Cloud Ninja army in Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel and defeated their attacks with Five Senses Deprivation and Another Dimension Space. He transformed into a six-hundred-meter giant and seized the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, leaving Jiraiya stunned when he arrived.

• The Raikage recognized that Li Chuan’s Buddha transformation was not a genjutsu, and Li Chuan trapped the Cloud Ninja in Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel.
• Li Chuan deprived the Raikage and the Cloud Ninja of their five senses, but Killer B and Yugito Nii transformed into the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails and remained able to fight.
• Li Chuan sent the two Tailed Beast Bombs into Another Dimension Space and used Sage Art: Super Expansion Jutsu to grow into a six-hundred-meter giant.
• Li Chuan grabbed the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails and repeatedly smashed them against the ground.
• Jiraiya arrived with the Konoha Ninja and froze at the sight of Li Chuan wielding the two tailed beasts like toys.

Li Chuan defeated the Cloud Ninja army without killing them, then returned to Konoha as Nagato’s forces overran Iwagakure. At a Konoha strategy meeting, the Third revealed that Nagato had declared war on Konoha.

• Li Chuan told Jiraiya that he had disabled the Cloud Ninja and ordered them captured rather than killed.
• Li Chuan led the First Division back to Konoha with the Raikage, the two Cloud Ninja Jinchuriki, and fifteen thousand prisoners, where villagers welcomed their safe return.
• Nagato attacked Iwagakure with eighty thousand White Zetsu, using portions of all nine Tailed Beasts’ Chakra to prepare the Ten-Tails for battle.
• At a Konoha meeting, the Third reported that Rain Village’s forces had surged to ninety-five thousand and had conquered Iwagakure in under an hour.
• The Third revealed that Nagato had officially declared war on Konoha.

Li Chuan told Konoha’s jonin that Nagato had raised a vast army and revived the Ten-Tails, then rallied the village to prepare for war. Behind his show of resolve, Li Chuan planned to stage a battle with Nagato to win the ninja world’s willing support for unification.

• Jiraiya and the Konoha jonin reacted with disbelief when Li Chuan reported that Nagato commanded ninety-five thousand ninja and a powerful monster.
• Li Chuan explained that the monster was the Ten-Tails, revived by Nagato using the Sage of Six Paths’ eyes and the collected tailed beasts.
• Jiraiya realized that Akatsuki had gathered the tailed beasts to revive the Ten-Tails, while Danzo reacted uneasily to the revelation.
• Li Chuan warned that the coming battle would be difficult, and the Konoha jonin vowed to fight the Rain Ninja.
• Li Chuan ordered Konoha to prepare for war, intending to stage a battle with Nagato that would persuade the ninja world to unite willingly.

Li Chuan united Konoha, the Hidden Mist, and the Cloud Ninja to confront Nagato’s ninety-five thousand White Zetsu, while secretly arranging for Naruto, Killer B, and Yugito Nii to be taken to Nagato. At the battlefield, the White Zetsu copied the allied ninja so perfectly that even sensory ninja could not distinguish them, and Nagato explained to Jiraiya why Yahiko’s death had led him to pursue peace through pain.

• Third proposed that Konoha enlist the Cloud Ninja and Mist Ninja, and Li Chuan agreed to negotiate with their Kage.
• Ay and Mei Terumi accepted Li Chuan’s offer to fight the Rain Ninja in exchange for Konoha not pursuing their past invasions.
• Naruto, Killer B, and Yugito Nii disappeared before the allied forces departed, and Li Chuan pretended the Rain Ninja had abducted them after secretly taking them to Nagato.
• Li Chuan, Ay, and Mei Terumi led about thirty thousand allied ninja to the battlefield, where Nagato awaited them with the Akatsuki and ninety-five thousand White Zetsu.
• The White Zetsu transformed into the likenesses of the allied ninja, and C reported that the sensory units could not tell them apart.
• Jiraiya confronted Nagato, who revealed that Danzo and Hanzo had killed Yahiko and argued that making the great nations feel pain would create peace.

Li Chuan heard Nagato’s proposal to settle the war with a one-on-one fight, with captured ninja held hostage and both armies kept out of the battle. After weighing the danger and the allied leaders’ arguments, Li Chuan accepted the duel.

• Nagato revealed that the White Zetsu army could disguise itself as people and warned that fighting it would cost the allied forces most of their ninja.
• Nagato showed captured leaders and fighters from several villages, including Naruto, Killer B, and Yugito Nii, and demanded a one-on-one battle with Li Chuan.
• Li Chuan consulted Third, Jiraiya, the Raikage, the Mizukage, and Danzo, who disagreed over whether to accept Nagato’s terms.
• Li Chuan stopped the argument and announced that he would accept Nagato’s proposal.

Li Chuan accepted Nagato’s challenge to prevent the deaths of the assembled ninja, then watched as Nagato summoned the Ten-Tails and prepared to become its jinchuriki. The chapter left the Allied Shinobi Forces questioning whether Li Chuan could defeat the monster.

• Li Chuan refused further persuasion and accepted Nagato’s terms, resolving to save the gathered ninja even at the risk of his life.
• The ninja and Kage from the various villages felt relief when Li Chuan agreed, while the Raikage and Mizukage came to respect him.
• Nagato summoned the Ten-Tails and connected himself to it with a vine from its crown.
• Li Chuan recalled that he had enhanced Nagato with Hashirama cells and the Extremis virus, and believed his own abilities would still let him defeat Ten-Tails Nagato.
• The Allied Shinobi Forces felt the Ten-Tails’ overwhelming pressure and wondered whether Li Chuan could defeat it.

Li Chuan battled Nagato and the Ten-Tails as it evolved through increasingly powerful forms, eventually falling behind until he opened the Seventh Gate. Nagato then absorbed the Ten-Tails and took on Six Paths power, sending Li Chuan flying with one strike.

• Nagato attacked Li Chuan with the Ten-Tails’ Tailed Beast Bombs, while Li Chuan dodged and countered with elemental Massive Rasenshuriken.
• Li Chuan transformed into a six-hundred-meter giant and smashed the Ten-Tails, but it emerged in a stronger Second Form and later evolved into a Third Form.
• The Third Form Ten-Tails overpowered Li Chuan until he opened the Seventh Gate and restored the fight to an even match.
• Nagato performed the Six Paths Ten-Tails Coffin Seal, absorbed the Ten-Tails, and declared himself its Jinchuriki in Six Paths Mode.
• Six Paths Nagato struck Li Chuan with his staff and sent him flying, leaving the Allied Shinobi Forces fearing that Li Chuan could not win.

Li Chuan and Nagato fought to a standstill as Li Chuan pretended to prepare a sealing technique that would sacrifice them both. Nagato then proposed uniting the ninja villages into a single Ninja Empire, leaving Li Chuan to weigh his ultimatum.

• Li Chuan opened the Eighth Gate and continued an even fight with Six Paths Nagato, restoring hope among the gathered Allied Shinobi Forces.
• Ay, Mei Terumi, and Konoha's leaders recognized that Li Chuan's strength had prevented the destruction of their villages, while Danzo was relieved he had abandoned plans to assassinate him.
• Li Chuan and Nagato formed matching energy spheres, and Nagato realized Li Chuan intended to seal them both in the sky with Chibaku Tensei.
• Nagato threatened to create a moon-sized meteor that would destroy everyone below and devastate the continent if Li Chuan tried to seal him.
• Nagato proposed replacing the separate villages with one Ninja Empire, with the daimyo as civil officials and the village Kage as military officials.
• Nagato demanded that Li Chuan accept his terms, warning that everyone except Li Chuan would die if he refused.

Li Chuan secured the villages’ agreement to establish the Ninja Empire, and the Kage chose him over Nagato to become its first emperor. Nagato demanded that Danzo’s Chakra be sealed, and Li Chuan accepted the condition as the empire was officially founded.

• Li Chuan asked the village leaders to decide on Nagato’s terms, and the Kage of the major and smaller villages agreed to unite.
• Nagato proposed leading the Ninja Empire, but the Kage rejected him and nominated Li Chuan as emperor.
• Nagato agreed to yield the throne to Li Chuan on the condition that Danzo’s Chakra be sealed and he live as an ordinary civilian.
• Third persuaded Danzo to accept retirement for the sake of peace, and Danzo reluctantly agreed.
• Li Chuan accepted the throne, and the Ninja Empire was officially established with him as its first emperor.

Li Chuan established the Ninja Empire, appointed Nagato to govern it, and left it stable while he pursued his cultivation and the main quest. He returned to the main world with the Divine Tree plan still awaiting the Three-Tails' revival in two years.

• Li Chuan appointed Nagato regent minister, and the Kage agreed to the arrangement and the empire's unification.
• After a month of preparations, Li Chuan ascended the throne in the new Imperial City, officially establishing the Ninja Empire and becoming the Shadow Emperor.
• Li Chuan founded a grand library and ninja schools, then sent Nagato and Jiraiya to capture Orochimaru, who joined the empire as chief researcher with Kabuto Yakushi.
• Over the following year, Nagato governed the empire while Li Chuan's Shadow Clones studied ninjutsu and his true body cultivated; he saw the peaceful lives of the surviving ninja before leaving Nagato to impersonate him at court.
• Li Chuan removed the world's time anchor and returned to the main world, where he continued cultivating ahead of the main quest and planned to use Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and the revived Three-Tails to create a Divine Tree fruit.

Iron Man Tony Stark, Captain America Steve Rogers, Ant-Man Scott Lang, and Hulk Bruce Banner arrived in a 2012 world where the Chitauri invasion had already been defeated by the Dark Male Wizard. They divided up their mission to obtain the Infinity Stones, but an unfamiliar man recognized Tony and Steve as they left the alley.

• Steve arranged for the Avengers to split up and search for the Stones after they arrived near Stark Tower on May 4, 2012.
• Tony discovered that this world’s history differed from theirs and that the Dark Male Wizard had defeated the Chitauri two years earlier.
• Tony and Steve determined that Banner would seek the Time Stone while they and Scott would steal the Mind Stone Scepter from S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Tony proposed traveling to the 1970 New Jersey military base to obtain the Space Stone and more Pym Particles, and Steve agreed to the plan.
• Banner leaped toward the Sanctum while Steve, Tony, and Scott headed for S.H.I.E.L.D., but a man in a black suit entered the alley and asked why Tony and Steve were there.

Li Chuan intercepted Tony, Steve, and Scott as they tried to get away, then revealed he had the Mind Stone Scepter they were seeking. Just as Tony reached to take it, Li Chuan received a call from Tony Stark, leaving the group in an awkward standoff.

• Li Chuan appeared and Tony used this world's records to learn about Li Chuan's friendship with his counterpart.
• Tony and Steve claimed they were going to S.H.I.E.L.D., while Steve tried and failed to knock Li Chuan unconscious.
• Li Chuan teased Tony about his relationship with Pepper Potts and advised him to take a special Tricolor Pill.
• Li Chuan brought up their agreement to study the Mind Stone Scepter and pulled it from his pouch.
• Tony eagerly reached for the scepter, but Li Chuan's phone rang with a call from Tony Stark.

Li Chuan defeated Tony, Steve, Scott, and Banner when they tried to take the Mind Stone, then heard their explanation that they had come from 2023 to retrieve the Infinity Stones. He agreed to travel with them, and Banner and Scott carried him, the Mind Stone, and the Time Stone back to the Avengers base in 2023 while Tony and Steve went to 1970.

• Tony tried to explain his call from Pepper Potts, but then suited up and snatched the Mind Stone Scepter from Li Chuan.
• Li Chuan revealed he had removed the Mind Stone, defeated Steve, Tony, and Scott, and then overpowered Banner when he returned with the Time Stone.
• Li Chuan teleported the group to his estate, where Tony explained their mission to retrieve the Infinity Stones and undo the disappearance of half the population.
• Li Chuan agreed to lend them the Mind Stone only if they took him to 2023, and he transformed into a box so they could carry him without a quantum suit or extra Pym Particles.
• Tony and Steve traveled to the New Jersey military base in 1970, while Banner and Scott returned to the Avengers base in 2023 with Li Chuan and the two stones.

Li Chuan and the Avengers returned from their time heists with the Infinity Stones, but Black Widow had sacrificed herself to obtain the Soul Stone. Li Chuan offered to try extracting her soul from the Stone if they could bring back her body.

• The Avengers returned to the present with the Stones they had collected across different timelines.
• The Avengers realized Black Widow was missing, and Hawkeye told them she had sacrificed herself for the Soul Stone.
• Li Chuan revealed himself and explained that the Infinity Stones could not revive Black Widow, whose soul the Soul Stone had absorbed.
• Li Chuan offered to try extracting Black Widow's soul and reviving her if the Avengers could retrieve her body.

Li Chuan used the Soul Stone and his Rinnegan to retrieve Natasha’s soul and revive her. As the Avengers began preparing the Infinity Gauntlet, Li Chuan noticed 2014 Nebula slipping away to bring Thanos and his army into their time.

• Steve offered the remaining Pym Particles, and Hawkeye traveled back to retrieve Natasha’s body.
• Li Chuan forced his way into the Soul Stone, found Natasha’s soul, and used the Rinne Rebirth Jutsu to revive her.
• Natasha awoke, and the Avengers thanked Li Chuan before carrying the Stones to Tony’s specialized laboratory.
• 2014 Nebula quietly left the group to activate the machine and bring Thanos and his army from the Quantum Realm.
• Li Chuan let Nebula go because he needed events to unfold naturally to complete his main quest.

At the Avengers Alliance base, Banner made the snap with the Infinity Gauntlet to bring back those erased five years earlier. Li Chuan witnessed the Stones' overwhelming power and decided he could never allow an enemy to gather all six.

• Thor volunteered to snap, but Steve and Tony tried to stop him because his grief and unstable state could make the wish dangerous.
• Li Chuan distracted Thor by giving him a cancer-curing serum for Jane and telling him that his counterpart was about to marry her.
• Banner took the Infinity Gauntlet, saying his Hulk body and Gamma-ray connection made him the best choice.
• The Stones' power overwhelmed Banner, but he endured the pain and snapped his fingers as Tony activated the laboratory's strongest defenses.
• Li Chuan felt the energy sweep across Earth and the universe, then concluded that he could not withstand all six Stones and resolved not to let an enemy gather them.

Li Chuan chose to leave the Mind Stone in 2023, then shielded the Avengers Compound from Thanos' attack with his Three-Headed Six-Armed Susanoo. As 2014 Nebula destroyed the Quantum Shuttle and Thanos prepared Temple Two's orbital energy cannon, Li Chuan turned his Susanoo to face the weapon.

• Li Chuan decided the Mind Stone was no longer useful to him and that leaving it in 2023 would keep the 2012 universe from assembling all six stones.
• Tony froze Banner's injured arm, and Hawkeye received a call from Lola, confirming that Banner's snap had brought the vanished people back.
• Thanos' Temple Two appeared above the Avengers Compound and launched missiles, but Li Chuan protected the building with his six-hundred-meter Three-Headed Six-Armed Susanoo.
• Tony suspected someone had brought Thanos from another timeline using the Quantum Shuttle, while Steve ordered the Infinity Gauntlet hidden and Thor prepared to fight.
• 2014 Nebula destroyed the Quantum Shuttle, preventing the Avengers from sending everyone back.
• Thanos ordered Temple Two to fire its orbital energy cannon, and Li Chuan turned his Susanoo's bow and arrow toward the warship.

Li Chuan and Thor held off Temple Two’s weapons while the Avengers debated entrusting the Infinity Gauntlet to Li Chuan and decided they needed to capture the 2014 Nebula. Thanos ordered his army to deploy and vowed to destroy the universe, then appeared with his lieutenants before the assembled forces.

• Li Chuan used golden arrows to destroy Temple Two’s cannon ports and intercept its energy blasts, while Scott, Steve, and Tony discussed trusting him with the Infinity Gauntlet.
• Tony identified Nebula as a possible traitor after reviewing the surveillance footage, and Thor flew out to attack Temple Two with lightning.
• Thanos ordered Ebony Maw to deploy the three legions and declared that he would destroy the universe and create a new one with the Infinity Stones.
• Li Chuan dispelled his Susanoo after Temple Two raised its shield, and Thanos’s ships deployed a vast army around the base.
• Thanos appeared at the front of his assembled army alongside Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Corvus Glaive, and Proxima Midnight.