Chapter Summaries

Minato returned to Konoha and prepared to reseal the Nine-Tails inside Kushina while Jiraiya battled Orochimaru, who revealed his Eight Branches Technique. As their fight devastated the area, Hyuga Yue rescued a little girl and Tamako from the path of Gamabunta’s sudden fall.

• Minato arrived at Biwako’s room, left Kushina and Naruto in her care, and went to Hokage Rock to gather nature energy before sealing the Nine-Tails back into Kushina.
• Jiraiya sensed Minato’s return and focused on stopping Orochimaru, joining Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima to attack him and Manda.
• Jiraiya and the two Great Sages injured Manda, forcing it to withdraw, but Orochimaru transformed into a colossal eight-headed serpent with the Eight Branches Technique.
• Jiraiya continued fighting Orochimaru as their battle grew more destructive, while Hyuga Yue and Tamako evacuated civilians and found a surviving little girl in the ruins.
• Hyuga Yue carried the girl and pulled Tamako away just before Gamabunta crashed down where they had been standing.

The Fourth Hokage confronted Obito while trying to stop the Nine-Tails and save Kushina. He wounded Obito and broke the Nine-Tails’ summoning contract, but Obito escaped as the Fourth Hokage turned back to the rampaging beast.

• The Fourth Hokage attacked Obito with a senjutsu-enhanced fireball, but the Nine-Tails destroyed it as Obito taunted him.
• The Fourth Hokage tested Obito’s intangibility and used Flying Thunder God Second Stage to strike him with a senjutsu-enhanced Rasengan.
• The Fourth Hokage stabbed Obito, marked him with a Flying Thunder God formula, and used Contract Seal to break Obito’s control over the Nine-Tails.
• The Nine-Tails broke free, struck Gama Hiro, and fired a Tailed Beast Ball, which the Fourth Hokage sealed away before it could hit him.
• Obito escaped through his space-time ninjutsu, and the Fourth Hokage chose to deal with the Nine-Tails rather than pursue him.

Orochimaru overwhelmed Jiraiya and attacked Hyuga Tsuki, but Yei's soul fragment guided her to unleash a Railgun that pierced the Eight-Headed Serpent. Tsuki reverse-summoned Yei to the battlefield, where he confronted Orochimaru with a newly advanced Flash Cry.

• Gamabunta vanished after Orochimaru's Eight-Headed Serpent defeated him, and Jiraiya fell too injured to fight as Hyuga Tsuki and Tamako tried to escape.
• Orochimaru sent venomous snakes after Tsuki, who unleashed a Railgun under Yei's guidance and pierced the Eight-Headed Serpent.
• Yei sensed Tsuki's danger, returned to Konoha through reverse summoning, and caught her after she summoned him with Samehada's coordinates.
• Orochimaru's serpent began healing, and he revealed that Shinnō's Zero-Tails power had made him immortal.
• Yei absorbed Chakra from Samehada, unveiled his advanced Flash Cry, and prepared to fight Orochimaru at full strength.

Yei drove Orochimaru’s Eight-Headed Serpent out of Konoha and unleashed Five Dragon Destruction after learning that ordinary attacks could not overcome Orochimaru’s regeneration. The lightning dragons overwhelmed Orochimaru’s counterattack and struck the serpent, but Orochimaru believed he would survive through a backup plan.

• Yei used Lightning Howl Cannon, his sword, and Taijutsu to batter Orochimaru’s Eight-Headed Serpent while Orochimaru regenerated and attacked with Dark Chakra.
• Yei redirected the battle outside Konoha to protect the village and avoid revealing himself, then rejected Orochimaru’s offer to help him escape the Caged Bird Seal.
• Yei recognized that Orochimaru’s Eight Branches Technique could not use other Ninjutsu in its current form, while Orochimaru admitted the technique remained unfinished.
• Yei summoned five enormous lightning dragons with Hado Number Ninety-Nine: Five Dragon Destruction, overpowering Orochimaru’s Tailed Beast Ball-like attack.
• The lightning dragons struck the Eight-Headed Serpent, and Orochimaru said he would return because he had a backup plan.

Obito recovered from his defeat by the Fourth Hokage and headed toward a huge disturbance, while Deva Path Pain abandoned his fight with the Third Hokage to investigate it. The Fourth Hokage contained the Nine-Tails and began the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, as Yei arrived and saw Obito, Deva Path Pain, and the Third Hokage converge on the scene.

• Obito had White Zetsu heal his injuries, then used his space-time technique to travel toward the unfamiliar Chakra disturbance as Black Zetsu followed.
• The Third Hokage and his Shadow Guard Squad tried to stop Deva Path Pain, but Pain killed the guards and badly injured the Third Hokage before sensing the disturbance and leaving.
• The Fourth Hokage used the Four Violet Flames Battle Formation and Kushina's sealing chains to contain the Nine-Tails, then struck it with a giant Rasengan and applied the Four Symbols and Eight Trigrams seals.
• After exhausting his Sage Technique Chakra, the Fourth Hokage summoned Kushina and Naruto and began using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, deciding to save them and seal half of the Nine-Tails.
• Yei found no trace of Orochimaru after his Five Dragon Destruction attack and concluded that Orochimaru had survived, then replenished his Chakra and hurried toward the Nine-Tails' battlefield.
• Yei saw the Fourth Hokage invoke the Reaper as Obito and Deva Path Pain arrived, with the Third Hokage following Pain.

Yei tried to stop the Fourth Hokage from sealing the Nine-Tails, fighting Deva Path Pain and Obito as he rushed toward the sealing formation. The Fourth Hokage began splitting the Nine-Tails’ Chakra between Kushina and Naruto, but Black Zetsu stabbed him with Chakra-absorbing Wood Release, threatening to disrupt the sealing.

• Deva Path Pain recognized Yei, and Yei confronted him over targeting the Nine-Tails and attacking a fellow Uzumaki Clan member.
• The Fourth Hokage used the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and prepared to divide the Nine-Tails’ Chakra between Kushina and Naruto.
• Yei tried to reach the Fourth Hokage, but Deva Path Pain and Obito attacked him as he broke through the Four Violet Flames Battle Formation.
• The Fourth Hokage told the Third Hokage to take care of the village, then began splitting the Nine-Tails’ Chakra with the Death God’s blade.
• Black Zetsu emerged from the ground, stabbed the Fourth Hokage through the chest with a Chakra-absorbing wooden spike, and escaped the Third Hokage’s counterattack.

Yei stopped the Fourth Hokage’s Dead Demon Consuming Seal from taking his soul, then sealed the Nine-Tails into Naruto and restored the Fourth Hokage’s soul to his body. Calling himself Nameless, Yei turned to confront Obito and Deva Path Pain and demanded answers about Obito’s Reincarnation Eye.

• The Fourth Hokage sealed the remaining half of the Nine-Tails into himself, but Yei seized and dispersed the Death God’s phantom before it could take their souls.
• Yei bound the Nine-Tails with Adamantine Sealing Chains, sealed its Chakra into Naruto, and pressed the Fourth Hokage’s soul back into his body.
• The Third Hokage questioned Yei, who called himself Nameless and said he wanted to protect the remaining Uzumaki Clan members.
• Yei accused Obito of attacking his own kin and asked who had given him the Reincarnation Eye.
• Yei launched a Cero at Obito and Deva Path Pain.

Yei fought Deva Path Pain while exposing doubts about Nagato’s Reincarnation Eyes, then defeated Pain by interrupting his ultimate technique and tearing his body apart. Nagato suffered a backlash and fled with Konan, while the battle’s aftermath and Yahiko’s fate remained unresolved.

• Yei’s remarks about the Reincarnation Eyes unsettled Nagato, but an eerie influence made him reaffirm his belief in them as a gift from the Sage of the Six Paths.
• Yei fought Deva Path Pain, using close-range attacks and Adamantine Sealing Chains to overcome Pain’s Shinra Tensei and send him crashing through the battlefield.
• Deva Path Pain summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, while Yei released Satori to battle it and continued attacking Pain.
• Deva Path Pain drew power from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and began preparing Super Shinra, but Yei bound him with Satori’s chakra chains and tore him apart.
• Nagato suffered a backlash after Deva Path Pain’s technique was interrupted, and he fled with Konan, who asked about Yahiko.

Yei defeated Nagato’s Deva Path and drove Obito and Black Zetsu away, bringing the attack on Konoha to a close. He returned to Hyuga Yue, confirmed she was safe, and reassured her as the village dealt with the aftermath.

• Obito recovered Deva Path Pain’s body, identified himself as Madara Uchiha, and escaped with Black Zetsu after Yei’s attacks failed to stop him.
• The Third Hokage sent Enma to take the unconscious Fourth Hokage, Kushina, and Naruto to the hospital, then returned to Konoha with the arriving ANBU.
• Konoha’s survivors mistakenly believed Jiraiya had driven Orochimaru away, while rumors that the Uchiha Clan had controlled the Nine-Tails fueled suspicion toward the clan.
• Yei examined Hyuga Yue, restored the soul fragment that guided her techniques, and used Medical Ninjutsu to wake her.
• Hyuga Yue asked whether Yei’s protective ninjutsu had harmed him, and he reassured her before she vowed to improve her Medical Ninjutsu and stand beside him.

After Konoha was devastated by Akatsuki, the Third Hokage and Jiraiya discussed the attack and the mysterious figures involved. Yei searched unsuccessfully for Orochimaru, then headed toward the Mist battlefield as the Five Great Ninja Villages withdrew their forces and agreed to hold another Five Kage Summit.

• Jiraiya told the Third Hokage that Orochimaru had defeated him, leaving them uncertain who had driven Orochimaru away.
• The Third Hokage gave Jiraiya a report naming Madara Uchiha, a mysterious Uzumaki Clan member, and a Reincarnation Eye wielder among the attackers; Jiraiya wondered if Akatsuki had taken Nagato's eyes.
• The Third Hokage told Jiraiya that Minato and Kushina remained unconscious and that only Minato had returned from the Mist battlefield.
• Yei searched Orochimaru's buried laboratory in the Death Forest, found no useful clues, and flew toward the Konoha-Mist battlefield in disguise.
• News that Akatsuki had nearly destroyed Konoha spread, prompting the major shinobi villages to withdraw their forces from the fronts.
• The Tsuchikage and Kazekage proposed a Five Kage Summit to discuss Akatsuki, and the other Kage agreed.

After returning to a devastated Konoha, Yei investigated the Fourth Hokage’s absence and learned that Danzo was exploiting the crisis to seek power. Danzo proposed becoming acting Hokage, but the Third Hokage challenged him by raising the need for the Daimyo’s approval.

• Yei returned to Konoha, checked that Hyuga Tsuki had not been questioned further, and set out to learn what had happened to the Fourth Hokage and his wife.
• Yei heard that Danzo was blaming the Third Hokage, the Fourth Hokage and his wife, and the Uchiha Clan for the disaster while claiming Root had helped defend Konoha.
• Yei questioned Kakashi and Asuma, but neither knew the Fourth Hokage’s condition, and he was soon assigned village duties.
• Danzo told the Third Hokage and the elders that an acting Hokage was needed while the Fourth Hokage remained unconscious, and demanded that the Third Hokage stop handling village affairs.
• The Third Hokage agreed that someone should take charge but argued that an acting Hokage required the Daimyo’s approval and could be blamed if the Fourth Hokage woke before the appointment was settled.

The Third Hokage sent Jiraiya to find Tsunade, hoping she could save the unconscious Minato and Kushina before Danzo’s bid for power advanced. Meanwhile, Yei considered targeting Danzo for money and equipment, and Obito urged Nagato to become strong as Akatsuki prepared for the Five Kage Summit.

• The Third Hokage and Danzo agreed that Konoha’s senior leadership would vote on an acting Hokage if the Fourth Hokage remained unconscious, while the Third Hokage nominated Jiraiya and decided to seek Tsunade.
• The Third Hokage tasked Jiraiya with finding Tsunade and explained that Danzo was pushing to become acting Hokage; Jiraiya agreed to leave immediately.
• Yei’s cloning experiments stalled for lack of equipment and money, so he considered robbing Danzo, whom he suspected of holding funds and research tools.
• Nagato used the King of Hell Samsara Rebirth to restore Deva Path Pain from Yahiko’s body, and Konan encouraged him to keep pursuing Yahiko’s dream of peace.
• Obito told Nagato that his defeat came from lacking strength and warned that the Five Great Ninja Villages would likely target Akatsuki at the upcoming Five Kage Summit.

Obito warned Nagato and Konan that the Five Great Ninja Villages were preparing for a summit and might unite against Akatsuki, prompting plans to gather intelligence and recruit more members. Meanwhile, Yei discovered that Satori’s Chakra could be absorbed by Byakugan cell embryos, opening a new avenue for his research.

• Black Zetsu informed Obito that the Five Great Ninja Villages had withdrawn their troops and were preparing to hold a Five Kage Summit.
• Obito told Nagato and Konan that Akatsuki could not face the united villages and suggested leaving the Land of Rain and recruiting Orochimaru and Mist rogue ninjas.
• Nagato chose to investigate the villages before abandoning the Land of Rain and planned to create all Six Paths of Pain while Konan arranged to search Whirlpool Country for Uzumaki sealing techniques.
• Yei secured his laboratory in the Death Forest with sealing techniques and continued experimenting with Byakugan cell embryos.
• Yei found that the embryos absorbed Satori’s Chakra, unlike his own, and decided to study Satori and the Box of Paradise further.

Yei discussed the Uchiha Clan's growing suspicion with Shisui and suggested that Madara Uchiha may have controlled the Nine-Tails using a Mangekyo Sharingan and First Hokage cells. He offered to restore Shisui's failing eyesight, but Shisui hesitated, and Yei urged him to grow stronger and expose the person framing the clan.

• Yei encountered Shisui after Shisui easily defeated Yosuke Uchiha, who had challenged him over his Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Shisui worried that revealing his Mangekyo had made the village even more suspicious of the Uchiha Clan, and Yei noted that an Uchiha with a Mangekyo could have controlled the Nine-Tails.
• Yei suggested that the missing Uchiha member responsible might be Madara Uchiha and explained that First Hokage cells could have extended Madara's life and restored ocular power.
• Yei offered to help restore Shisui's blurred vision, but Shisui said he would rather lose his eyesight if it eased the village's distrust.
• Yei rebuked Shisui and urged him to become stronger and expose the person manipulating events against the Uchiha Clan.

Yei warned Shisui that the village might turn against the Uchiha and urged him to be cautious, while Shisui revealed his Kotoamatsukami and asked for help easing tensions. After Konoha held a funeral for the victims of the recent incident, the Third Hokage and the elder advisors worried about who would represent the village at the approaching Five Kage Summit if Jiraiya did not return.

• Yei argued that the Uchiha needed enough strength to deter the village, warned Shisui that the clan could face extermination, and told him to beware of Danzo.
• Shisui revealed that his Mangekyo ability was Kotoamatsukami and said only Itachi and Yei knew about it.
• Yei told Shisui not to reveal Kotoamatsukami and promised to look for a way to restore his sight.
• Konoha held a funeral for the civilians and ninja killed in the recent incident, while the Third Hokage appeared deeply affected by the casualties.
• The Third Hokage, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu discussed Jiraiya’s absence and worried that Danzo might represent Konoha at the Five Kage Summit.
• The Third Hokage said he had ordered Jiraiya to return before the summit and explained that he hoped Jiraiya would become acting Hokage instead of Danzo.

Jiraiya encountered Kakuzu and his former friend Hiruko, who had gained two Kekkei Genkai through his forbidden Kijutsu Fusion Technique. Hiruko considered joining Akatsuki if it could help his research, while Kakuzu began fighting Jiraiya.

• Jiraiya headed back to Konoha after failing to find Tsunade and discovered Kakuzu fighting Hiruko.
• Kakuzu tried to recruit Hiruko into Akatsuki, but Hiruko refused and revealed his Dark Release and Swift Release abilities.
• Jiraiya emerged and recognized Hiruko, learning that Hiruko had modified his body and used the Kijutsu Fusion Technique to obtain Kekkei Genkai.
• Hiruko told Kakuzu he might join Akatsuki if it could assist his research, and urged Kakuzu to deal with Jiraiya.
• Kakuzu attacked Jiraiya, starting their fight.

Tsunade returned to Konoha and examined the unconscious Fourth Hokage and Kushina, but could not promise she could wake them. Meanwhile, Yei’s Byakugan cell experiment showed progress, leading her to devise a possible path to awaken the Reincarnation Eye as she focused on research, money, and strength.

• Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane welcomed Tsunade and Shizune back to Konoha, and Tsunade went to meet the Third Hokage.
• The Third Hokage explained Konoha’s recent crises to Tsunade, who examined the unconscious Fourth Hokage and Kushina and found their conditions involved abnormal Chakra responses.
• Tsunade told the Third Hokage she could only try to wake them and requested medical equipment to assist her.
• Yei confirmed that her cultivated Byakugan cell buds had faint Chakra fluctuations and reasoned that cloning and combining Byakugan might help awaken the Reincarnation Eye.
• Yei returned secretly to the village, learned that Tsunade had come back, and went to Hyuga Yue’s home for a meal.

Danzo pushed for an acting Hokage while the Fourth Hokage remained unconscious, but the Third Hokage secretly secured the position for Jiraiya. Tsunade outlined possible ways to help the Fourth Hokage and Kushina, while Danzo left the manipulated selection furious and resentful.

• Danzo promoted an acting Hokage and built support for his candidacy, while the Third Hokage secretly backed Jiraiya.
• Jiraiya reported his battle with Hiruko and Kakuzu, and the Third Hokage urged him to become acting Hokage; Tsunade refused the position.
• Tsunade suggested finding Whirlpool Nameless or using the Soul Transformation Technique to help the Fourth Hokage, and seeking help from Kumogakure's perfect Jinchuriki for Kushina.
• The Third Hokage secretly controlled the acting Hokage selection, and Jiraiya won by an overwhelming margin.
• Danzo realized the selection had been manipulated and left furious, while the Third Hokage worried that Danzo might retaliate.

Danzo plotted to use Root’s experiments and rumors to strengthen his bid for power, while Yei tested Black Coffin and gained a new space-time means of travel. Yei returned to his laboratory considering his strength and the possible link between Kido incantations and Natural Energy.

• Danzo learned that A had stabilized with Wood Release and ordered researchers to test whether B’s unusual compatibility with transplanted Sharingan would allow him to receive First Hokage Cells.
• Danzo ordered Root to blame the Uchiha Clan for the Nine-Tails Uprising, direct public hatred toward the Fourth Hokage’s son, monitor Shisui Uchiha, and investigate Orochimaru and the Akatsuki.
• Yei spent his points on Black Coffin, tested it as a traversable space-time passage, and returned from the Death Forest to his laboratory.
• Yei considered how his strength compared with the First Hokage’s and resolved to keep growing stronger while investigating senjutsu and its possible connection to Kido.

Yei decided to seek senjutsu at Ryūchi Cave, hoping to strengthen his spells and trace Orochimaru. When Shisui reported that rumors were pushing the Uchiha Clan toward conflict with the village, Yei advised him to calm the clan and expose Danzo, while privately planning to use the turmoil to move against Danzo.

• Yei chose Ryūchi Cave as his target and had Mui gather intelligence about it through the Kusagakure shinobi.
• Shisui told Yei that worsening rumors were fueling demands for the Uchiha Clan to prove its innocence and stirring calls for rebellion.
• Shisui proposed using Kotoamatsukami on Fugaku, but Yei warned that the limited ability would not resolve the clan's broader unrest.
• Yei advised Shisui to stabilize the Uchiha Clan, investigate who was spreading the rumors, and make the search public to prompt the Third Hokage to intervene.
• Shisui left for the Uchiha Clan meeting, while Yei reasoned that Danzo had likely left no direct evidence and planned to exploit his connection to Orochimaru to bring him down.