Chapter Summaries

Kagetsu explained to Tsunade that the Third Raikage’s soul had been absorbed into Hollow Circle and was now exploring beyond the Forest of Hollows after making a deal with him. He had promised the Third Raikage a chance to return to the Shinobi World and become a godlike figure in Hollow Circle, backed by an opportunity to grow even stronger.

• Tsunade was surprised to learn that the Third Raikage had become a fusion of fragmented souls dominated by his own memories.
• Kagetsu explained that Hollow Power had corrupted the Third Raikage’s soul, leading Kutotsu to absorb it after his death.
• Tsunade questioned Kagetsu about his and Orochimaru’s dangerous experiments, and Kagetsu described Hollow Circle as a counterpart to the Pure Land where powerful souls could be reborn.
• Kagetsu told Tsunade that the Third Raikage had left the Forest of Hollows after devouring Hollows and changing its ecology.
• Kagetsu revealed that he had promised the Third Raikage a chance to return to Kumogakure and become a godlike figure in Hollow Circle.
• Tsunade asked why the Third Raikage would trust Kagetsu, and Kagetsu said he could offer him the chance to grow even stronger.

Tsunade returned from Shikkotsu Forest feeling restored and confronted Orochimaru about his secret research into souls and resurrection. Kagetsu began preparing a Spiritual Weapon for her, then learned that Sunagakure had sent a delegation to Konoha as the Oasis Project strengthened ties between the villages.

• Tsunade woke in Shikkotsu Forest after her soul had been strengthened, and the Slug explained that Orochimaru had checked on her and Kagetsu before ending the summoning.
• Tsunade and Kagetsu returned to Konoha, where Tsunade confronted Orochimaru about his research into incomplete and complete souls for the Resurrection Project.
• Tsunade gave Kagetsu the First Hokage's Necklace and asked him to use its design or power as inspiration for her Spiritual Weapon.
• Kagetsu visited Itachi, met the infant Sasuke, and found no sign of another soul within him.
• Itachi told Kagetsu that a Sunagakure delegation led by Baki was in Konoha, while the Oasis Project continued to draw Wind Country and Land of Fire closer together.

Kagetsu met with Baki, who explained the pressure Sunagakure faced while the Wind Country environmental transformation project continued without Kagetsu. Kagetsu agreed to arrange a Konoha delegation and reaffirmed cooperation with Sunagakure on sealing techniques, puppet techniques, and Tailed Beast control.

• Baki told Kagetsu that Rasa and the Wind Country nobles were worried by Kagetsu's long absence and wanted a senior Konoha delegation stationed in Sunagakure.
• Kagetsu explained that he and Kushina could not remain in the Wind Country for the project's ten-year duration, but agreed to discuss sending several qualified Konoha delegations with Orochimaru.
• Baki introduced the first group of Sunagakure children selected to learn Dragon Vein sealing techniques from Kagetsu.
• Baki said Sunagakure would share some Puppet Secret Techniques with Konoha exchange students, and Kagetsu promised Konoha would not obstruct the exchange of sealing knowledge.
• Kagetsu promised future cooperation on Tailed Beast seals and control, including supplying Spirit Suppressing Stones under agreed conditions.

Kagetsu and Orochimaru arranged for Konoha's retired elders, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, to serve as long-term liaisons in Sunagakure and help deepen the alliance. After they agreed, Orochimaru asked Kagetsu about the Spirit Suppressing Stone as Kushina's due date approached.

• Kagetsu listed the requirements for Konoha's representatives to Sunagakure, and Orochimaru realized only Koharu and Homura fit.
• Orochimaru summoned Koharu and Homura and explained the plan to strengthen ties with Sunagakure.
• Homura and Koharu agreed to reside in Sunagakure, choosing their own companions and Ninja Academy students to bring.
• Homura defended Danzo's service to Konoha as the elders left the Hokage's Office.
• Orochimaru told Kagetsu to brief Baki and asked how the Spirit Suppressing Stone was progressing before Kushina gave birth.

Kagetsu tested a Spirit Suppressing Stone bracelet on Kushina to see whether it could restrain the Nine-Tails’ chakra. The bracelet let Kushina draw on up to five tails’ worth of power while filtering the Nine-Tails’ influence, but it began to crack near its limit.

• After the Rōran mission, Kagetsu researched the Spirit Suppressing Stone and concluded it might restrain the Nine-Tails within Kushina’s seal.
• Kagetsu and Orochimaru arranged a test, and Konoha’s leaders gathered in the Forest of Death while Kushina wore the bracelet.
• Kushina drew on the Nine-Tails’ chakra and found that the bracelet weakened its power and limited her to a thin trace at first.
• As Kushina increased her chakra output, she reached five tails before cracks appeared in the bracelet, though it might briefly hold at six tails.
• Kagetsu and Kushina observed that the bracelet filtered the Nine-Tails’ violent influence, leaving it weak and allowing Kushina to use its chakra without harming herself or Naruto.

Kushina’s delivery began at a guarded site outside Konoha while Orochimaru learned that White Zetsu planned to exploit the birth and attack the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Kagetsu’s warning reached Orochimaru, leaving him aware that an attack was imminent.

• Minato brought Kushina to a cave near Konoha, where Tsunade, Kagetsu, Shisui, Anbu, and a barrier squad prepared for the delivery.
• Orochimaru summoned Danzo after hearing that Danzo had intelligence about the Nine-Tails.
• Danzo told Orochimaru that White Zetsu had approached him, knew Kushina’s due date, and wanted him to create unrest to distract the village.
• Orochimaru questioned whether Danzo’s cooperation might help him undermine the Hokage, but Danzo said he distrusted White Zetsu’s motives and had come to clear himself.
• A small snake delivered Kagetsu’s Chakra message to Orochimaru, who recognized it as a warning of White Zetsu’s attack.

Kagetsu and Shisui went to confront a large White Zetsu force attacking Konoha’s barrier while Minato stayed with Tsunade and Kushina. At the same time, White Zetsu infiltrated Konoha Prison and freed Uchiha Setsuna, who said he needed to retrieve a pair of Mangekyo before meeting Madara.

• Kagetsu left a Shadow Clone to maintain the barrier and went with Shisui to face the White Zetsu attacking the Four Violet Flames Formation.
• Kagetsu saw at least a thousand White Zetsu using powerful ninjutsu against the barrier, while the Anbu prepared to defend it.
• White Zetsu infiltrated Konoha Prison, killed and impersonated guards, and caused confusion among the surviving guards.
• Black Zetsu found Uchiha Setsuna in a sealed prison cell and invited him to join Madara; Setsuna accepted.
• Uchiha Setsuna left his cell and said he needed to retrieve a pair of Mangekyo before meeting Madara.

Konoha repelled White Zetsu attacks on Kushina’s delivery sites, but the prison was breached and Uchiha Setsuna escaped. At the Hokage Building, the leaders discussed Setsuna’s history and Madara’s motives, while Kagetsu suggested Madara had chosen him as a successor out of necessity.

• Kagetsu sensed that the White Zetsu’s sudden retreat felt suspicious, then received a message through a small white snake.
• Uchiha Fugaku led the Police Force to the prison, found its guards wiped out and prisoners loose, and ordered the escapees recaptured alive when possible.
• Konoha’s forces contained the attacks at both delivery sites, and Tsunade stayed with Biwako to protect Kushina after her delivery.
• Fugaku apologized to the leaders and reported that Uchiha Setsuna was involved; Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura explained Setsuna’s history and his role in Kagami’s death.
• Orochimaru said White Zetsu offered no useful intelligence, while the leaders considered why Madara had taken Setsuna; Kagetsu suggested Madara wanted a follower to inherit his beliefs and legacy.

Konoha began overhauling its defenses while Kushina Uzumaki returned to work and started teaching a sealing class that included students from Sunagakure. Meanwhile, Kagetsu proposed a ninja tool that could transmit and amplify chakra from a large energy source, leaving Orochimaru and Tsunade considering its possibilities.

• Uchiha Setsuna was declared a rogue ninja, and Konoha approved Orochimaru's plan to combine its barrier, sensory, sealing, and technology teams to improve village defenses.
• After recovering from childbirth, Kushina joined the sealing work and began teaching a special sealing class at the Ninja Academy.
• Kushina met Pakura and the Sunagakure students Maki and another child, welcoming them to her class and learning that Pakura was the delegation's ambassador in Konoha.
• Kagetsu presented Tsunade and Orochimaru with a proposal for a ninja tool that could distribute chakra and information by drawing on ideas from Slug's network and the Tailed Beast Cloak.
• Kagetsu suggested the Nine-Tails, the Gelel Stone, or Yang Release chakra as possible power sources, and Orochimaru asked about Kagetsu's research into the Gelel Stone.

Nagato accompanied Kakuzu to Konoha to sell Amegakure’s Yin Yang Release Black Rods, hoping to ease the village’s financial crisis caused by its ambitious spending. Kagetsu offered Amegakure mercenary work guarding a Chakra Mine in the River Country, though he warned that other villages might intervene and casualties were inevitable.

• Nagato brought Black Rods to Konoha for trade, and Kagetsu explained that Konoha already had substitutes and would buy few.
• Kakuzu revealed that Amegakure’s spending on medical care, technology, and education had left its finances near collapse.
• Nagato considered selling Rinnegan techniques and creations after Amegakure’s Healing Tag sales failed to bring in enough money.
• Kagetsu offered Amegakure’s ninja mercenary work protecting a Chakra Mine in the River Country.
• Nagato worried that the assignment would require fighting other villages, and Kagetsu warned that intervention and casualties were possible.

Kakuzu asked Kagetsu for the promised Third Heart and chose a modified Wood Release Heart from Kagetsu’s collection. After Earth Grudge Fear implanted it, Kakuzu began to feel his body and chakra reserves grow stronger.

• Kakuzu asked Kagetsu when he would receive the Third Heart he had been promised.
• Kagetsu brought Kakuzu and the others to his laboratory, where shelves held jars containing Kekkei Genkai hearts.
• Kakuzu chose a Wood Release Heart, and Kagetsu explained that Tsunade had cloned the defective Yang Attribute Hearts before he modified them.
• Kakuzu agreed to buy the heart, while Nagato revealed that Amegakure had borrowed a great deal of money from him.
• Kakuzu used Earth Grudge Fear to implant the Wood Release Heart and felt his body and chakra reserves strengthening.

Nagato and Kakuzu represented Amegakure in a new cooperation agreement with Konoha, easing Amegakure’s financial troubles while securing resources and Kekkei Genkai hearts. Konoha’s trade boom prompted Orochimaru and the Third Hokage to plan the village’s expansion and rebuild its barrier.

• Nagato met Namikaze Minato and Orochimaru, who had become Konoha's Hokage, and noticed Orochimaru seemed gentler than he remembered.
• Nagato and Kakuzu negotiated a treaty under which Amegakure shinobi would protect Konoha’s mineral deposits in River Country, and both villages agreed to the terms.
• Kakuzu obtained a new Kekkei Genkai heart and took three replacement hearts preserved with Kagetsu’s Nutrient Solution.
• Amegakure spent its earnings on goods in Konoha, bringing profits to merchants while the Sand Shinobi watched without intervening.
• Orochimaru summoned the Third Hokage and Konoha’s clan heads to plan the village’s expansion and rebuild its barrier.

Orochimaru examined Kagetsu’s Black Rod and discussed its uses and the limits of controlling battlefield clones. Orochimaru chose to focus on the Hogyoku and souls rather than pursuing Yin Yang Release, while Kagetsu explained that his experience with the Rinnegan had enabled him to create Spirit Suppressing Stones.

• Orochimaru tested the Black Rod and learned that it could break a Kunai, interfere with sealing chakra, and restrain even a Jinchuriki.
• Kagetsu explained that Spirit Suppressing Stones were easier-to-produce creations based on Black Rods, and Orochimaru inferred that the rods could animate corpses.
• Kagetsu said he had tested the Black Rod with mindless Clones, while Orochimaru speculated about using it to build a clone army.
• Kagetsu rejected a clone army as too costly and impractical for most ninja, and Orochimaru agreed that other research could strengthen Konoha more effectively.
• Orochimaru said he would prioritize the Hogyoku and souls over Yin Yang Release, believing death would not end his consciousness.
• Kagetsu explained that studying Nagato’s eyes and experiencing their power had helped him create Spirit Suppressing Stones.

Obito reunited with Rin and Kakashi at Ichiraku Ramen and heard how their roles had changed as the village reorganized after the war. Just as the three prepared to continue their gathering, Kabuto and Itachi arrived with young Naruto and Sasuke.

• Obito welcomed Rin and Kakashi to a reunion at Ichiraku Ramen, where Kakashi explained that he still worked under Minato.
• Obito, Kakashi, and Rin described their new duties: Obito trained with the Military Police Force, Kakashi served as Minato's subordinate, and Rin studied in Tsunade's Medical Department.
• Obito offered to have Rin transferred to the Military Police Force, but Rin declined and praised her work and training at the hospital.
• Kakashi revealed that Obito had been deliberately getting injured to visit Rin, and Rin told him she could no longer spend much time treating him.
• Kabuto and Itachi arrived with Naruto and Sasuke, and Naruto rushed over to Kakashi while Rin greeted the children.

Itachi returned from the Wind Country with a specially made puppet toy for Sasuke, prompting Kakashi, Obito, and Kabuto to discuss Sunagakure’s booming puppet industry and its cooperation with Konoha. The group learned that the toys used Konoha technologies but were carefully inspected to keep them safe for children.

• Itachi told Obito he had returned the previous day and showed the group the crocodile-shaped puppet toy he had brought for Sasuke.
• Itachi explained that Sunagakure’s miniature puppets could train children’s chakra control, concentration, and finger dexterity, and Kakashi described their popularity and commercial success.
• Kabuto revealed that Sunagakure’s high-end puppet toys shared profits with Konoha’s Technology Development Department because they used its Ninjutsu Inscription and Chakra Sealing technologies.
• Kabuto explained that Kushina had developed Ninjutsu Inscription from Minato’s Flying Thunder God Dagger, allowing puppets to release ninjutsu without scrolls.
• Obito worried that Sasuke’s toy was dangerous, but Kabuto said its output was limited and every toy passed joint safety inspections.

Obito, Rin, and Kakashi discussed Konoha’s new medical instruments and how they could support Medical Ninja. Obito then turned his attention to commissioning a Ninja Tool with Ninjutsu Inscription.

• Obito complained that Kakashi had misled him about the sword, and Rin explained that the Technology Development Department had reforged Kakashi’s father’s sword.
• Rin told Obito and Kakashi that Konoha Hospital was installing instruments that could provide basic treatment and reduce Medical Ninja’s repetitive work.
• Rin explained Tsunade’s view that medical instruments could work alongside Medical Ninja, lowering barriers to treatment while helping them expand their knowledge and abilities.
• Obito and Kakashi imagined what might happen if the world no longer needed ninja, but Rin said that possibility was far off.
• Obito asked whether he could commission a Ninja Tool with Ninjutsu Inscription, and Rin guessed that the Uchiha might already have connections to the Technology Development Department.

Obito learned that chakra-conducting weapons could not yet be mass-produced and became frustrated when Kakashi explained that Itachi did not have one either. At Konoha Hospital, Tsunade successfully performed limb-regeneration surgery on Maruboshi Kosuke and began planning treatment for other patients with missing limbs.

• Kakashi explained that chakra-conducting weapons required scarce materials, and Obito considered asking Itachi for help.
• Kakashi told Obito that Itachi did not have such a weapon yet because Kagetsu had prepared one that needed time; Obito stormed off to seek a transfer from Minato.
• Tsunade finished Maruboshi Kosuke's surgery and reassured the Third Hokage and Namikaze Minato that he would recover soon.
• Tsunade explained that Kosuke had chosen a limb grown from his own cells instead of one grown from White Zetsu cells.
• Tsunade agreed to prepare treatment plans and examinations so other ninja with missing limbs could receive regenerative surgery.

Nagato confronted Fourth Raikage A as Kumogakure tried to seize the Gureiru Stone Mine, and urged him to negotiate with Konoha instead of escalating the conflict. Raikage A backed off for the moment but remained determined to force Konoha to make concessions, even by forming an alliance with other villages.

• Nagato and Fourth Raikage A fought near the mine until Nagato stopped the Raikage’s charge.
• Raikage A recognized Nagato’s Rinnegan and complained that Konoha had entrusted the mine to Amegakure.
• Nagato urged the Raikage to discuss his demand for Gelel Stone directly with the Hokage, warning that conflict would endanger the Rain Country’s recent stability.
• Raikage A offered to pay more than Konoha, but Nagato refused to discuss Konoha’s arrangement and said the Rain Country valued its support.
• Raikage A left the confrontation unwilling to abandon the mine and considered joining forces with Ōnoki and Kirigakure to pressure Konoha.

Konoha’s leaders and Pakura discussed the Cloud Ninja’s interest in the Gureiru Stone Mine and the failed attack on Nagato’s defenses. Pakura offered Sand Ninja support against the Cloud, while Orochimaru judged that the conflict had not yet reached the point of war and Minato warned that the Fourth Raikage would seek another way to force concessions.

• Orochimaru read the River Country intelligence, and Nara Shikaku distributed the reports to Konoha’s leaders and Pakura.
• Pakura learned that the Cloud Ninja had set their sights on the Gureiru Stone Mine and feared they would cut Sunagakure off from its resources.
• Pakura said the Sand Shinobi could join Konoha in deploying a force to keep the Cloud Ninja out of their territory in River Country.
• Orochimaru said the Raikage had failed to break through Nagato’s defenses and that any renewed fighting would likely remain a local conflict.
• Minato described the Fourth Raikage as a determined replica of the Third and predicted that he would use another method to demand benefits.

Konoha's leaders discussed how to respond to the Fourth Raikage's likely demands for the Gureiru Stone Mine and prepared for a possible war with Kumogakure. Days later, Konoha received reports of Cloud Ninja massing at the border, and merchants feared another Ninja World War.

• Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Nara Shikaku discussed the Raikage's political strategy and Kumogakure's strength.
• Shikaku predicted that the Raikage might threaten war and seek support from Iwa, Mist Village, and smaller ninja villages to seize control of the Gureiru Stone Mine.
• Shikaku said Konoha could manage the worst-case scenario with help from the Sand Shinobi and Rain Ninja, though Jiraiya would need to visit Yahiko in Amegakure.
• Pakura pledged the Sand Shinobi's support, and Orochimaru sent Jiraiya to prepare Amegakure for possible war.
• Konoha received intelligence that large numbers of Cloud Ninja had appeared at the border, alarming merchants who feared another Ninja World War.