Chapter Summaries

In the Land of Water, Hiruko met Zetsu and Uchiha Setsuna and demanded they remove Orochimaru’s Soul Cursed Seal permanently. He demonstrated his power by summoning two Hollows, offering to help them reclaim the Rinnegan and revive Madara.

• Hiruko confronted Zetsu and Uchiha Setsuna over their failure to permanently remove his Cursed Seal.
• Uchiha Setsuna used Mangekyo Genjutsu against Hiruko, but the Soul Cursed Seal protected Hiruko from its full effect.
• Zetsu explained that Nagato had grown close to Konoha, so their plan now depended on reclaiming the Rinnegan by force and restoring Madara.
• Hiruko claimed Orochimaru’s knowledge had improved his Chimera Technique and promised to summon a Hollow Army with enough Chakra.
• Hiruko used the Summoning Technique to bring two Hollows into the cave, astonishing White Zetsu.

Hiruko agreed with Uchiha Setsuna and Zetsu on using the Three Tails to summon a Hollow Army near the Rain Country. In the Wind Country, Kagetsu explained Hollowfication to Rasa and offered Sand Shinobi weapons that could help fight Lesser Hollows.

• Zetsu questioned how Hiruko controlled Hollows, and Hiruko explained that only some Hollows could be controlled because they could communicate and had their own wills.
• Uchiha Setsuna offered to arrange the capture of the Three Tails so Hiruko could summon the Hollow Army near the Rain Country.
• Kagetsu told Rasa that Hollows were made of Reishi and that ninjas needed Hollowfication Power to fight them effectively, especially Great Hollows.
• Rasa asked what Sunagakure would have to pay for Konoha's Hollowfication techniques, and Kagetsu said the Kazekage could discuss it with his teacher.
• Kagetsu produced rune-inscribed weapons that converted Chakra into Hollowfication Power and said they could clear out Lesser Hollows but were ineffective against Great Hollows.

Kagetsu explained that the Engraved Equipment converted Chakra into Hollow Power, and Rasa agreed to test the tools against a Lesser Hollow. After the Sunagakure Jonin destroyed it with the equipment, Rasa considered whether similar tools might let him kill a Great Hollow himself.

• Rasa recognized Kagetsu’s tools as related to Konoha’s Engraved series, and Kagetsu explained that they converted Chakra into Hollow Power developed in response to the Rōran incident.
• Rasa sent Sunagakure Jonin to choose and equip the tools, while he kept the sealed Great Hollow contained.
• Rasa released a scorpion-like Hollow outside the oasis and used vibrations through the sand to blast it into the air.
• A Sunagakure Jonin used a Pocket Bow to pierce the Hollow’s Steel Skin, while another Jonin cut off its tail and the team followed with a volley of arrows.
• The scorpion Hollow dispersed, leaving a broken mask, and Rasa wondered whether suitable Engraved Equipment could let him kill a Great Hollow.

Amegakure’s leaders received Konoha intelligence warning that Zetsu, Uchiha Setsuna, Hiruko, and Hollow were threats connected to the Rain Country. Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and Kakuzu realized the mist ninja were not the only danger, and Kakuzu was especially concerned that Zetsu had gained control of Hollow.

• A white snake delivered a scroll from Konoha to Nagato and the others in the Iron Tower.
• Yahiko read the scroll, grew grim, and told Nagato that their enemies included more than Kirigakure and that the true enemy had yet to appear.
• Nagato and Kakuzu read the intelligence, which named Zetsu, Uchiha Setsuna, Hiruko, and Hollow.
• Kakuzu recognized Hollow’s connection to Kagetsu and wondered how Zetsu had taken control of it.

Yahiko, Nagato, Kakuzu, and Konan prepared to confront the attackers seeking Nagato’s Rinnegan, while Ōnoki responded to the Hollow outbreak in the Wind Country. The chapter left Amegakure’s fighters preparing to join Tobirama and Iwagakure dispatching reinforcements to the Wind Country.

• Yahiko and Nagato decided that Amegakure would face the threat to Nagato’s Rinnegan without immediately asking Kagetsu or Konoha for help.
• Kakuzu warned them to keep the battle away from Amegakure, and Yahiko proposed contacting Tobirama to intercept the attackers.
• Kakuzu assigned Konan to guard Amegakure and notify Konoha if he, Yahiko, and Nagato failed to return.
• An Anbu reported to Ōnoki that Hollows had appeared at every Dragon Vein oasis in the Wind Country and that Konoha had sent aid to the Sand Shinobi.
• Ōnoki decided to send Iwagakure reinforcements to the Wind Country despite Kitsuchi’s suggestion to exploit the situation.

Outside the Rain Country, Nagato’s group fought Uchiha Setsuna and Hiruko, who summoned three Great Hollows to turn the battle in their favor. The Hollows advanced on Nagato, Yahiko, and Kakuzu as Hiruko relied on Orochimaru’s soul fragment to control them.

• Black Zetsu suspected Hiruko had leaked the attack plan, but Hiruko and Nagato both fought as if they intended to kill each other.
• Uchiha Setsuna summoned the Three Tails under Sharingan Genjutsu, and Hiruko used it as the core for a Summoning Technique.
• Hiruko opened a spatial rift and summoned three Great Hollows, prompting Black Zetsu to feel relief at the display of their power.
• The Great Hollows fired black beams that blasted the battlefield, while Nagato protected the ground behind him and gathered with Yahiko and Kakuzu.
• Hiruko ordered the Great Hollows to attack Nagato’s group and relied on Orochimaru’s soul fragment to control them, knowing the summons required soul sacrifices.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Kakuzu turned back Hiruko, Uchiha Setsuna, and Black Zetsu by destroying two of Hiruko’s Great Hollows. Black Zetsu and Setsuna withdrew and considered using their final resort: summoning Uchiha Madara with Impure World Reincarnation.

• Yahiko’s Thunder Roar Cannon pierced and annihilated one of Hiruko’s Great Hollows, shocking Hiruko and the others.
• Yahiko explained that Kagetsu’s treatment had given him power that could restrain Hollows, while Nagato used the Rinnegan to help defeat another Great Hollow.
• Kakuzu and Nagato protected Yahiko as they eliminated the second Great Hollow, leaving only one alive and easing the pressure on the battlefield.
• Uchiha Setsuna joined Black Zetsu and concluded that their plan had failed because their opponents were stronger than expected and their intelligence had leaked.
• Black Zetsu ordered a retreat and considered their final method, while Uchiha Setsuna asked whether they would summon Uchiha Madara before perfecting the Impure World Reincarnation improvements.

Uchiha Madara awakened through Impure World Reincarnation and learned from Black Zetsu and Uchiha Setsuna how drastically the Shinobi World had changed. He heard that Nagato and Yahiko had become formidable, and that Hollow Power was spreading among the great villages, leaving him interested in this new force.

• Uchiha Madara emerged from his coffin, inspected his Impure World Reincarnation body, and asked whether the technique had revived him.
• Black Zetsu explained that Nagato had resisted their control, grown powerful with the Rinnegan, and thwarted their plans to collect the Tailed Beasts.
• Black Zetsu and Uchiha Setsuna warned Madara that Nagato and Yahiko were now powerful experts, and that Yahiko could harm souls and negate the protection of Madara’s immortal body.
• Black Zetsu described how Konoha had exposed his infiltrators and spread knowledge of his existence and detection methods to the Covenant Village, while new powers threatened Chakra’s place in the world.
• After Madara ordered them to explain the changed Shinobi World, Black Zetsu and Setsuna told him about Hollow Power and Heavy Reishi Grounds, which had appeared across the great villages.

Uchiha Madara attacked Cloud-Lightning Gorge to draw out the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails, then fought the transformed beasts with Susanoo clones. The Jinchuriki began using Hollow transformation, and Madara sensed the new power as the battle continued.

• Uchiha Madara summoned a meteor toward Cloud-Lightning Gorge, and the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails destroyed it with Tailed Beast Balls.
• Uchiha Madara sent two Wood Release clones in Susanoo to confront the arriving Tailed Beasts.
• The Eight-Tails used Tailed Beast Eight Twists, but the Susanoo clones disrupted its attack with torrents of flame, burning three of its tentacles.
• The Eight-Tails urged Killer B and the Two-Tails to use Hollow transformation and hold out until A arrived.
• Uchiha Madara noticed two black pillars of light and recognized the pressure of Hollow transformation.

Uchiha Madara fought the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchuriki, discovering that their Hollowfication power could damage souls and consume Susanoo. His Flower Tree World Advent exposed Yugito to poisonous pollen, destabilizing her Hollowfication until she lost control.

• Uchiha Madara shielded himself and Uchiha Setsuna from a black beam with Susanoo and sensed that its power could strike souls.
• Blue-black flames clung to Susanoo, consuming its Chakra and spiritual power, so Uchiha Madara dismissed it and retreated with Uchiha Setsuna.
• Uchiha Madara used Flower Tree World Advent to trap the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchuriki in a forest filled with poisonous pollen.
• Yugito inhaled the pollen, struggled to control her Hollowfication, and eventually lost control as her power erupted into chaotic flames.

As the Tailed Beasts disappeared across the Shinobi World, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Minato traveled to an early Kage meeting and found Rasa fighting Uchiha Madara. Rasa struggled against Madara’s Susanoo until a figure suddenly struck it from behind with a giant black Rasengan.

• Reports reached Konoha that the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, Four-Tails, Five-Tails, Three-Tails, Six-Tails, and Seven-Tails had gone missing, prompting plans for an early Five Kage Summit.
• Orochimaru reassured Minato that Kushina would be protected in Konoha, then traveled with Tsunade and Minato to the meeting site.
• Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Minato sensed Hollowfication Power and a battle nearby, and Minato rushed toward the fighting.
• Rasa fought Uchiha Madara’s Susanoo in Hollowfication Mode, but Madara’s attacks overwhelmed him and his Shadow Guards were taken away by another Mangekyō Sharingan user.
• A figure appeared behind Madara’s Susanoo and slammed a huge black Rasengan into it.