Chapter Summaries

After sealing the tailed beasts, Asuka recovered at home and was confronted by Kushina about whether he had foreseen the Uchiha Clan’s fate and pushed Mikoto toward divorce for selfish reasons. The argument spilled into Mikoto’s house, where the three fought through a wall and left Mikoto resolved to communicate more openly.

• Asuka took Soldier Pills after the sealing drained his Chakra, while Ryoichi exercised and anticipated the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Kushina told Asuka that Mikoto had explained her suspicions about his proposal to make her divorce, then accused him of knowing the Uchiha’s future.
• Kushina recalled Asuka’s remark about neutering someone and concluded he had learned Medical Ninjutsu to prevent Itachi’s birth; Asuka denied it and the two fought.
• Mikoto heard the commotion and decided to stop treating relationships as polite exchanges between honored guests and to communicate more openly.
• Kushina and Asuka crashed through the wall into Mikoto’s home, where Mikoto kicked Asuka and agreed with Kushina that arguments and fighting could be part of a normal relationship.
• Ryoichi saw the damage to the houses while getting up to use the bathroom and wondered if the three were demolishing them.

Uchiha Ryoichi was summoned to help with Asuka’s plan, while Obito prepared an operation against Kumogakure. The chapter ended with Obito and White Zetsu poised to capture both the Two-Tails and Three-Tails Jinchuriki and provoke a war between Kumogakure and Kirigakure.

• Ryoichi received a ring from a Ninja Cat and was told to send Chakra into it when it heated up so he could enter a mysterious space and assist with Asuka’s plan.
• Nagato found Ryoichi in the hidden cave and learned from Black Zetsu that the old man was Uchiha Madara’s cousin.
• Asuka explained Kushina’s grogginess as a result of getting too excited, while Mikoto woke up bruised and reflected that her life felt happier than before.
• Obito recalled Rin and affirmed his plan to destroy the shinobi world and create a world where she had never died.
• White Zetsu told Obito that Fugaku had divorced and Kushina had gotten together with Asuka, then Obito ordered him to begin the operation in Kumogakure.
• Obito planned to capture the Two-Tails and Three-Tails Jinchuriki and blame the Three-Tails’ disappearance on Kumogakure to ignite a war with Kirigakure.

Mei Terumi learned that Elder Genshi suspected the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, had been controlled and urged her to prepare to become the Fifth Mizukage. Genshi recalled Yagura choosing to accept the dangerous mission against Kumogakure to atone for his actions and help secure Kirigakure’s future, as Yagura unleashed a massive Water Release attack on the shore.

• Kirigakure villagers celebrated the enormous mission deposit while Mei Terumi worried about the shinobi sent to Kumogakure.
• Mei Terumi visited Elder Genshi and asked why he had not tried to stop the Fourth Mizukage from taking shinobi out of the village.
• Elder Genshi told Mei Terumi to prepare for the Fifth Mizukage election and declared that Yagura would not return.
• Elder Genshi explained that Yagura had been controlled and had committed acts that harmed Kirigakure, and recalled Yagura deciding to accept the mission to atone and advance the village’s interests.
• Yagura declared that he was Karatachi Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, and unleashed Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave toward Kumogakure.

Karatachi Yagura attacked Kumogakure, and Darui and Mabui realized that the battle at the shore might be a diversion aimed at the village. The Fourth Raikage recognized the attack’s true target after an explosion struck Kumogakure and launched a furious counterattack against Yagura.

• Karatachi Yagura raised a massive wave against the Fourth Raikage while Darui and Mabui watched from the village wall.
• Darui suggested that Kage could be controlled like the Nine-Tails, prompting Mabui to realize Kumogakure might be the real target.
• The Fourth Raikage broke through Yagura’s wave and fought him with powerful Lightning Release attacks as Yagura partially transformed into his tailed-beast form.
• Yagura fired a Tailed Beast Bomb, and the Fourth Raikage dodged while wondering why Kirigakure had attacked.
• A mushroom cloud rose over Kumogakure, and the Fourth Raikage understood that Yagura’s goal was the village.
• The Fourth Raikage leaped above Yagura and began a Guillotine Drop.

Obito captured the Two-Tails Jinchuriki from Kumogakure while fighting alongside the Fourth Mizukage against the Fourth Raikage. After Yagura died and left coded warnings, Mei Terumi was named acting Mizukage as Kirigakure faced the truth about his final message.

• Obito defeated the Two-Tails Jinchuriki and left White Zetsu to carry her away as Killer B rushed toward another battle.
• Obito wounded the Fourth Raikage, and the Fourth Mizukage escaped after realizing his attempt to stop the Masked Man had failed.
• Killer B told the Fourth Raikage that Yugito had disappeared, and the Raikage prepared for war before delaying an attack on Kirigakure.
• Kumogakure's delegation found the Fourth Mizukage dead in Kirigakure and offered condolences instead of pressing its accusations.
• Mei Terumi learned that the Fourth Mizukage's codes mentioned Sharingan, Amegakure, and Tailed Beasts, and she was appointed acting Mizukage.
• Elder Genshi revealed that Yagura's final words were meant to apologize to his villagers and bid them goodbye.

Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure each chose to conceal or misrepresent their missing Tailed Beasts rather than risk exposing their weakness. Black Zetsu realized that the villages’ conflicting claims had left its operation with little to show, while Spiral Zetsu faced being killed and revived again.

• Rasa and Sunagakure’s leaders decided to hide the One-Tail’s disappearance, monitor the other villages, and wait until several more Tailed Beasts were lost before revealing the truth.
• Mei Terumi questioned Kirigakure’s secrecy, but Genji and the other leaders chose to conceal the Three-Tails’ disappearance and focus on protecting the Six-Tails.
• Raikage Ai received letters from Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure, then decided to fake the recovery of the Two-Tails while investigating the mastermind in secret.
• Raikage Ai reasoned that Sunagakure’s One-Tail might also be missing and said Kumogakure would convene a Five Kage Summit if Iwagakure lost its Tailed Beasts.
• Black Zetsu found that the villages’ accounts made it seem as if its operation had captured nothing, then confirmed the Three-Tails was sealed inside Spiral Zetsu.
• Spiral Zetsu asked whether he would die again soon, and Black Zetsu promised to revive him, though it admitted he might have to endure this two or three more times.

Asuka visited Hashirama Senju at the decaying Senju Clan Land and learned that several major ninja villages, including Konoha, were secretly stockpiling weapons despite public claims of peace. Hashirama urged Asuka to marry, and Kushina's arrival prompted Hashirama to explain that even Madara had been shy around someone he liked, leaving Kushina to reconsider Asuka's behavior.

• Asuka heard villagers speculate about the recovered tailed beasts and reflected that the ninja villages were concealing their losses rather than cooperating.
• Asuka visited Hashirama Senju, who explained that kunai prices had risen because at least three major ninja villages were stockpiling supplies, including Konoha.
• Hashirama urged Asuka to marry and leave a descendant, but Asuka objected that he might die in the coming war.
• Kushina arrived and challenged Asuka about his reluctance, prompting Hashirama to recall how shy Madara had been around someone he liked.
• Kushina reconsidered Asuka's behavior after Hashirama described shyness around a love interest as tenderness.

Asuka hesitated when Kushina confronted him about marriage, while Hashirama Senju recounted how he and Mito had married despite his own reluctance. Kushina moved into the room beside Asuka’s and, frustrated by the Senju and Uchiha men’s evasiveness about family responsibilities, punched him away.

• Kushina asked Asuka why he shook his head after looking at her, and he admitted he was not ready for marriage.
• Hashirama Senju told Asuka that he had also resisted marriage to Mito, who eventually moved into his home after Tobirama secretly answered her letters in his name.
• Asuka returned home and found Kushina’s belongings in the living room, then discovered she had moved into the bedroom next to his.
• Kushina described Mito’s bold arrival and accused the Senju and Uchiha men of avoiding marriage and family responsibilities.
• Asuka tried to explain his hesitation, but Kushina punched him across the room.

Asuka learned that Hashirama had also struggled with his wife's temper, then found Kushina's belongings piling up in his home as she moved in. Meanwhile, Akatsuki's members complained about endless Tailed Beast sealing while eating meatballs, and Asuka watched his memories of the organization's fearsome image blur away.

• Hashirama told Asuka that Mito had often been angry with him before their child was born, cheering Asuka up about Kushina hitting him.
• Asuka returned home, saw more of Kushina's belongings and new quilts, and hurried to his bedroom before his meeting with Nagato.
• Kakuzu complained to Konan that Akatsuki's nonstop Tailed Beast sealing had replaced the money-making work he had expected.
• Konan remained wary of Spiral Zetsu, who had revived as the Three-Tails Jinchuriki after she had witnessed his death.
• Black Zetsu served meatballs to the Akatsuki members, and Kakuzu and Orochimaru ordered skewers before they resumed work.
• Asuka's projection appeared in the cave, where he watched the members eat and struggled to recall Akatsuki's former intimidating image.

Kisame Hoshigaki investigated Amegakure and found it outwardly calm despite reports of unrest, while Akatsuki debated capturing more tailed beasts. After Kakuzu was sent out on a mission, Kisame recognized him and reflected on his own dangerous, unpaid assignment to Amegakure.

• A Kirigakure ninja investigated Amegakure and questioned whether his low-paying mission to confront Hanzo was worth the risk.
• Kakuzu grew frustrated with sealing tailed beasts and urged Nagato to let him capture the Seven-Tails, then accepted a mission to capture the Five-Tails without a companion.
• Nagato and Asuka discussed Pakura's mission against Roshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, and worried about how difficult he would be to defeat.
• Kakuzu left Amegakure cheerfully, apologizing to pedestrians after splashing them with mud, while Kisame recognized him as a dangerous missing-nin.
• Kisame recalled that Suikazan Fuguki had given him fifty thousand ryo for a dangerous, unpaid mission in Amegakure and wondered whether Kakuzu had been rewarded for fighting the God of Shinobi.

Kakuzu met Kisame at an exchange house, where Kisame questioned him about Akatsuki’s reputation as a peace-loving organization. After Kakuzu accepted Kisame as a new member, the two set off to earn money for the organization and pursue their mission.

• Kakuzu visited a Rain Country exchange house, where he explained that he took bounties to earn money and killed ninja rather than ordinary people.
• Kisame followed Kakuzu into the exchange house and asked whether he loved peace after learning about Akatsuki.
• Kakuzu told Kisame he was Akatsuki’s chief financial officer and handed over nearly all his bounty earnings to support ordinary people.
• Kisame described his disillusionment with Kirigakure and asked to join Akatsuki, and Kakuzu accepted him after recognizing his confusion about his own identity.
• Kakuzu and Kisame left together to make money, with Kakuzu warning Kisame to dodge if he ever became a target.

Mei Terumi and Suikazan Fuguki investigated the Fourth Mizukage’s code linking Amegakure, the Sharingan, and Tailed Beasts, while Kisame Hoshigaki infiltrated Akatsuki. After Akatsuki accepted a contract to capture the Four-Tails and Five-Tails, Fuguki suspected the mission was tied to Konoha and decided Kisame should stay undercover.

• Mei Terumi ordered Suikazan Fuguki to investigate Amegakure and warned Kisame to stay safe while undercover in Akatsuki.
• Suikazan Fuguki secretly sent Kisame a letter and 20,000 ryo in operational funds, while Kisame received 500,000 ryo from Kakuzu for their bounty mission.
• Kakuzu told Kisame that Akatsuki had accepted a 300-million-ryo contract to capture Roshi and Han, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails jinchuriki, and gave him a 25-million-ryo deposit.
• Black Zetsu observed that the contract would distract Kirigakure from Akatsuki’s Tailed Beast hunt without slowing their plans.
• Suikazan Fuguki received the deposit and suspected Konoha had hired Akatsuki, so he decided to keep Kisame undercover and use Samehada to help him capture a jinchuriki.

Kisame followed Kirigakure’s orders to help Akatsuki capture Iwagakure’s Tailed Beasts, while Zetsu manipulated Roshi into leaving the village. Kisame and Kakuzu defeated Roshi and captured him, and Zetsu waited for the Five-Tails Jinchuriki Han to arrive.

• Kisame read Mei Terumi’s letter, learned Kirigakure wanted him to proceed with the capture, and rejoined Kakuzu.
• Kakuzu explained that Akatsuki planned to capture three Tailed Beasts at once, while Roshi grew frustrated with Ōnoki and Iwagakure’s resistance to change.
• A disguised White Zetsu used staged advice to persuade Roshi to leave Iwagakure and pursue a way to change the village.
• Kisame and Kakuzu ambushed Roshi outside the village, and Kisame used Water Release while Kakuzu struck with lightning.
• Kakuzu and Kisame subdued Roshi and captured the Four-Tails Jinchuriki as Black Zetsu and White Zetsu observed.
• Black Zetsu expected Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, to investigate the commotion and wondered whether to intervene if Han could not defeat them.

Tsunade told Konoha’s jonin that Kirigakure’s Six-Tails Jinchuriki had been abducted and that a battle in the Land of Earth suggested more Jinchuriki had vanished. Hashirama Senju ordered Konoha to prepare for war, while the other great villages began revealing their losses and calling for a meeting in the Land of Iron.

• Tsunade summoned Konoha’s jonin and reported the abduction of Kirigakure’s Six-Tails Jinchuriki and a powerful battle in the Land of Earth.
• The jonin connected the battle’s Chakra signatures to Iwagakure’s Roshi and Han, while Asuka suspected Akatsuki had captured multiple Jinchuriki.
• Hashirama Senju urged Konoha’s ninjas to prepare for war and ordered the village and borders placed on the highest alert.
• Rasa, Ebizo, and the other Sunagakure leaders discussed the missing One-Tail and called for talks with the other villages.
• Raikage Ai ordered Kumogakure to announce Yugito’s disappearance and summoned the four other great ninja villages to meet in the Land of Iron.

Asuka told Uchiha Mikoto that the Fourth Shinobi World War was approaching and urged her to stockpile supplies, but their conversation turned into a misunderstanding about each other spying at night. The chapter ended with Mikoto kicking Asuka into the air after he claimed he had seen her late-night activities.

• Asuka told Uchiha Mikoto that Iwagakure's Jinchuriki was missing and Kirigakure's Six-Tails Jinchuriki had been abducted.
• Asuka gave Uchiha Mikoto a scroll and proposed that they stockpile supplies to sell during the coming war and split the profits.
• Uchiha Mikoto mistook Asuka's exhaustion and comments about restraint as signs of excessive sexual activity and advised him to take care of himself.
• Asuka accused Uchiha Mikoto of sneaking around to watch him at night and invited her to enter his house openly.
• Uchiha Mikoto realized Asuka believed he had seen her private nighttime activities and asked what he had witnessed.
• Asuka said he had seen her clearly, then claimed there had been drool on the ground, and Uchiha Mikoto kicked him flying.

Asuka speculated about Uchiha Mikoto’s nighttime visits before joining Akatsuki’s gathering, where he met Kisame and learned that Kisame had joined without killing Suikazan Fuguki. As Akatsuki began sealing the Four-Tails, Asuka warned Nagato that the villages would soon coordinate a hunt for them and wondered what the organization would do next.

• Asuka and Fei Fei guessed that Mikoto’s peeping began after Asuka proposed divorce at a clan meeting, and Asuka vowed to invite her inside if she peeked again.
• After recovering, Asuka used his ring to join Akatsuki’s gathering and found Pakura safe after she captured the Six-Tails.
• Kisame joined the gathering and revealed that he had followed Kakuzu to capture the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki after feeling lost as a ninja.
• Asuka introduced himself to Kisame as the mentor in his confused life, leaving the other Akatsuki members stunned.
• Akatsuki began sealing Roshi and the Four-Tails into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path while Asuka warned Nagato that the Five Great Ninja Villages would likely organize a response.

As Akatsuki began sealing the tailed beasts, its members realized their rushed operation had no clear plan for confronting the Five Great Ninja Villages. Uchiha Asuka proposed using a war against Kumogakure to force it to surrender the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, while Kisame considered how to protect Kirigakure from the conflict.

• Nagato, Obito, and Black Zetsu reflected on how Asuka's proposal to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan had derailed their preparations and triggered Akatsuki's premature operation.
• Nagato claimed Akatsuki had a plan for dealing with the villages, but the silent members and Kisame's observations revealed that nobody had a clear strategy.
• Asuka asked whether Nagato could defeat a ninja village alone, and Nagato answered only, "Instinct!!"
• Asuka suggested that Nagato attack Kumogakure after the sealing and take its tailed beast if he won, while Nagato considered the strain of using the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path in battle.
• Yahiko warned that the villages might hide their Jinchuriki or have them kill themselves to prevent capture, and Asuka proposed using war to force Kumogakure to hand over the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Kisame recorded and then erased intelligence about Akatsuki's plan, weighing whether to exaggerate its threat so the villages would unite and Kirigakure would suffer fewer losses.

Spiral Zetsu learned why Black Zetsu was keeping Nagato from relying on the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and realized sending Obito after the Eight-Tails could endanger him. Back in Konoha, Asuka and Uchiha Mikoto argued over a misunderstanding about peeping, and Mikoto decided she would explain it to him.

• Spiral Zetsu asked when they could return to Konoha to sell balls, and Black Zetsu explained why he had weakened the statue and discouraged Nagato from using it.
• Spiral Zetsu suggested Obito capture the Eight-Tails, but Black Zetsu warned that a Jinchuriki breaking free inside Kamui Space could leave Obito unable to phase through attacks.
• Asuka woke after a long sealing effort, noticed Konoha’s villagers seemed tense, and spoke with Uchiha Mikoto about his exhausted appearance.
• Asuka accused Uchiha Mikoto of peeping on him, and their argument led her to admit she visited twice a month before he vanished in frustration.
• Uchiha Mikoto realized Asuka had misunderstood her earlier concern about his health as an accusation of peeping, and she resolved to explain the mix-up when he returned.

Asuka learned that Konoha would send him and Hashirama to the Five Kage Summit amid the disappearance of the other villages’ Tailed Beasts and the growing threat of war. That night, Mikoto entered Asuka’s bedroom to explain herself, but he mistook her actions for peeping and restrained her while describing an adult magazine.

• An Anbu ninja summoned Asuka to the Hokage Building, where Hashirama asked him to accompany him to the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron.
• Asuka warned Hashirama that the summit would be dominated by arguments and that the villages were unlikely to unite without another catalyst.
• Asuka saw Konoha’s villagers stockpiling supplies as fears of war spread, then returned home after eating ramen.
• Mikoto sneaked into Asuka’s bedroom at night to explain herself, but Asuka caught her approaching his bed and accused her of trying to peek under his blanket.
• Asuka bound Mikoto with a Sealing Technique, placed a pillowcase in her mouth, and began explaining the magazine as she struggled to get free.

Fei Fei discovered Uchiha Mikoto making Asuka kneel on lychees while they cleared up their earlier misunderstanding, and Asuka explained why she was punishing him. Later, Asuka left the village with Hashirama Senju for the Five Kage Summit, while Mikoto watched them go and struggled with her growing fixation on Asuka.

• Fei Fei found Uchiha Mikoto making Asuka kneel on lychees and learned that Asuka had kicked her after mistaking her for a peeping pervert.
• Asuka told Fei Fei that he and Uchiha Mikoto had resolved the misunderstanding, but Mikoto returned and ordered him to continue kneeling.
• Mikoto watched Hashirama Senju and Asuka depart for the Land of Iron to attend the Five Kage Summit.
• Asuka waved to Mikoto from the procession, and Mikoto secretly followed him with her gaze as he left.
• Mikoto admitted to herself that she kept replaying her encounter with Asuka and hurried to the Medical Department to get sleeping pills.