Chapter Summaries

Izanami and Kumogakure fought Ao and the Mist shinobi, who used mist and bloodline abilities to resist despite being outnumbered. Izanami defeated Ao, and with the mist dispersing, Mist’s defeat was certain.

• Izanami dodged Ao’s water-based attack and fired curving Storm Release lightning beams, which Ao evaded before hiding in smoke and mist.
• Izanami tracked Ao through his tricks and fought him at close range as the fog spread across the battlefield.
• Mei Terumi used corrosive acid to kill a Kumogakure Jonin, while Kisame battled another Kumogakure Jonin.
• The Mist forces dwindled to Mei Terumi, Kisame, and one other Jonin as Kumogakure’s numerical and strength advantages took their toll.
• Izanami struck Ao with Lightning Release and sent him crashing into a pit, causing the mist to disperse and leaving Mist unable to resist.

Yei used the Hollow Mask to disguise himself as a terrifying monster and interrupt Akatani’s attempt to capture Ao and the other Mist shinobi. As Ao led his companions in an escape, Yei unleashed a binding technique to stop him and claim his Byakugan.

• Akatani ordered the Kumogakure shinobi to capture Ao, Mei Terumi, Kisame, and the remaining Mist Jonin.
• Yei put on the Hollow Mask, altered his appearance, and approached the group while radiating a monstrous aura.
• The masked Yei frightened the Kumogakure shinobi, and Ao recognized an opportunity to escape.
• Ao urged Mei Terumi, Kisame, and the Jonin to flee with him while Akatani ordered his men to stop them.
• Yei targeted Ao and cast Binding Art Number Sixty-Three: Locking Restraint Bonds.

Yei captured Ao with golden chains while the Mist shinobi fled, then faced an attack from Izanami and the Kumogakure forces. Yei evaded their ninjutsu and advanced into battle.

• Yei struck Ao with golden chains, sealed his chakra, and dragged him away unconscious.
• Mei Terumi and the other Mist shinobi fled after seeing Ao captured, while Kisame continued running ahead.
• Yei told the Kumogakure shinobi that they were not his target, and Izanami questioned him about another masked attacker.
• Izanami ordered the Kumogakure shinobi to attack Yei with ninjutsu.
• Yei used Observation Haki and the Byakugan to evade the attacks and advance.

Yei used his clone’s Flash Cry-enhanced speed and an array of familiar but altered techniques to slaughter the Kumogakure force. As only five jonin remained, he attacked Akatani with an enhanced Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.

• Yei activated Flash Cry and killed two Kumogakure ninja with Chidori Sharp Spear and White Lightning.
• Akatani attacked with Storm Release, and Yei blocked the enemy squad’s barrage with Lightning Release: Rotation.
• Yei charged through the smoke and killed several more ninja, then used Locking Binding Chains to pin and finish most of the survivors.
• Akatani countered Yei with Storm Release: Light Fang, but Yei deflected the beam and pressed forward.
• The five remaining jonin launched a combined Wind and Fire technique, which Yei evaded with Moon Step before firing an enhanced Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm at Akatani.

Yei fought Izanami and the Kumogakure ninja, killing them despite his shadow clone’s dwindling Chakra. After defeating the group, he removed Ao’s Byakugan and left after erasing the traces of battle.

• Yei trapped Izanami’s leg with lightning, but Izanami cut off his own leg to escape Yei’s killing strike.
• Yei killed an injured ninja, fought off Izanami and two Jonin, then killed another enemy with an Exploding Tag kunai.
• After a sensory ninja revealed Yei’s Chakra was low, Izanami ordered an attack, but Yei dodged the ninjutsu and kept fighting.
• Izanami ordered the last two ninja to flee while he held Yei back, but Yei’s Exploding Tag traps stopped them, and he killed Izanami.
• Yei removed Ao’s Byakugan, erased the battle traces, and left.

Yei and the other Konoha shinobi returned to the village, while Yei sent a clone to retrieve the hidden Byakugan. At a high-level meeting, Konoha's leaders reviewed Orochimaru's mission report and questioned him about Shisui's Mangekyo abilities.

• Yei learned his clone had safely hidden the Byakugan and planned to send another clone to recover it.
• Yei sent a clone away while the group rested, and the four shinobi returned to Konoha a few days later.
• The Third Hokage kept Orochimaru in the Hokage's Office after Yei, Shisui, and Anko left, and Konoha's leaders gathered to hear the mission details.
• Orochimaru handed the leaders scrolls describing the mission, and they reacted with alarm to Kumogakure's breach of the agreement and reports of attacks involving several villages.
• The Third Hokage asked about Shisui, and Orochimaru said Shisui had fought at a level comparable to his own but had shown no ocular technique besides Susanoo.

Orochimaru told Konoha's leaders that Shisui's strength was no weaker than his own, alarming them with how quickly the young Uchiha had grown. Meanwhile, Yei studied an ownerless Byakugan in his underground laboratory and began testing whether its cells could be cultured.

• Orochimaru said Shisui Uchiha possessed combat power no weaker than his, shocking Mitokado Homura, the Third Hokage, and the Fourth Hokage.
• The Third Hokage asked Orochimaru to confirm his assessment, and Orochimaru affirmed it while praising the Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Yei went to the Forest of Death to continue researching the Byakugan in his underground laboratory.
• Yei observed that the ownerless Byakugan emitted its own faint Chakra fluctuations, then considered whether it was a solidified mass of Chakra.
• Yei placed cells from the Byakugan and from himself into separate culture dishes with animal-serum nutrient solution and recorded his experiment.

Yei visited Hyuga clan head Hiashi, who questioned him about Shisui Uchiha’s strength and rewarded his recent achievements. Hiashi then led Yei to the Secret Vault to choose one item.

• Yei learned that Hiashi wanted to see him and, after talking with Hyuga Tsuki, went to the clan head’s residence.
• Hiashi asked Yei about his missions with Shisui Uchiha and how Shisui compared with the Hyuga Clan’s elite Jonin.
• Yei described Shisui as exceptionally strong and said his Susanoo could withstand the Gentle Fist.
• Hiashi praised Yei’s performance and granted him access to the Secret Vault to choose one item.
• Hiashi led Yei toward the Secret Vault.

Yei returned from the Hyuga treasury with a chakra-conductive katana, which Hyuga Yue named Moon Fiber. He later met Orochimaru to request cloning and transplantation knowledge, and agreed to help investigate Shinnō as tensions among the Five Great Ninja Villages rose.

• Yei told Hyuga Yue that Hiashi had questioned him and given him resources, then showed her the katana he chose from the treasury.
• Hyuga Yue named the katana Moon Fiber, and Yei accepted the name.
• Yei secretly met Orochimaru in the Forest of Death and asked him for knowledge about cell cloning and transplantation.
• Orochimaru proposed that Yei join him in investigating Shinnō, and Yei questioned whether it was wise to leave the village amid growing tensions.
• Orochimaru explained that Kumogakure, Konoha, and Mist had traded accusations during failed negotiations, while Kumogakure refused to accept blame for the attacks and losses.

Mist, Kumogakure, and Konoha traded accusations after the mysterious attacks and Ao’s disappearance, while the Five Great Ninja Villages suspected a hidden force was stoking conflict. Orochimaru questioned Yei about the events and suggested that people from fallen countries might be plotting to weaken the great villages through war.

• Mist blamed Kumogakure and Konoha for the losses, Ao’s disappearance, and the theft of Samehada, while Konoha denied the accusations and refused to return the sword.
• Sand and Stone joined the tense talks, but the Five Great Ninja Villages ended negotiations without agreement and suspected a secret force was trying to create chaos.
• Yei listened as Orochimaru recounted the attacks, the disappearance of the pursuing ninja, and the suspicious spread of news about Suikazan Fuguki.
• Orochimaru asked whether the incidents had been planned, and Yei pretended to consider the possibility.
• Orochimaru proposed that people from countries ruined by war might be seeking revenge by weakening the Five Great Ninja Villages.

Yei agreed to leave Konoha with Orochimaru to find Shinnō in the Grass Country, where Yei also hoped to investigate the Box of Paradise and Satori. The pair set out with Yei refusing Orochimaru’s offer to become his disciple, while Orochimaru suspected Yei knew more about his secrets than he let on.

• Yei reasoned that Akatsuki might be behind the attacks and recruitment efforts, while the Five Great Ninja Villages grew wary of the mysterious force.
• Orochimaru told Yei that Shinnō was in the Grass Country and invited him to leave the village together.
• Yei recalled that the Grass Country might hold the Box of Paradise and Satori, a powerful creature whose chakra could charge the Hollow Mask.
• A few days later, Orochimaru used his status to secure permission to leave Konoha with Yei despite restrictions on ordinary shinobi.
• Orochimaru again offered to make Yei his disciple, but Yei refused and warned that he did not trust Orochimaru not to experiment on him.
• Orochimaru suspected that Yei’s refusal was connected to knowledge of his secret research, and the two continued toward the Grass Country.

Obito and Zetsu set out to provoke conflict in Kirigakure by targeting its bloodline clans, while Shinnō investigated Reina and the Box of Paradise in Grass Country. Yei and Orochimaru arrived in Kusagakure to search for Shinnō, whose plans remained unknown to them.

• Obito learned from Zetsu that Yagura had recovered, then headed for the Kaguya Clan to stir up conflict between Kirigakure and its bloodline clans.
• Shinnō used medicine to make a Grass Ninja reveal that Reina had red hair, could heal the injured, and was imprisoned by Lord Hayabusa.
• Shinnō learned that the Box of Paradise was sealed and could only be opened by Mui, then resolved to investigate it and Reina for his own ambitions.
• Yei and Orochimaru arrived in Grass Country and surveyed the war-damaged village below Kusagakure.
• Orochimaru sent venomous snakes to gather information, disguised himself, and entered Kusagakure with Yei to look for Shinnō.

Kusagakure’s elders learned that the Box of Paradise had been attacked and hurried to protect it while the village remained on lockdown after a prison break. Yei and Orochimaru entered Kusagakure, subdued a patrol that tried to arrest them, and demanded to know what had happened.

• A Kusagakure Anbu warned the four elders that unknown ninja had attacked the place where the Box of Paradise was kept.
• The elders ordered a response and rushed to the Box of Paradise, fearing that outsiders had discovered its secret.
• Yei and Orochimaru entered Kusagakure and found its streets nearly empty as ninja patrols searched for suspects.
• A Kusagakure Jonin ordered the patrol to arrest Yei and Orochimaru under the village lockdown, which followed a prison break that had freed Reina and other criminals.
• Orochimaru used Hidden Shadow Snake Hands while Yei swiftly subdued the patrol, and Orochimaru asked the Jonin to explain what had happened.

Orochimaru killed the captured Kusagakure ninja after discovering they were sealed against revealing information, while he and Yei learned that criminals had been released and Shinnō was in the village. The Box of Paradise opened and unleashed Satori, whose immense Chakra drew Orochimaru and Yei to the devastated area, where they found the monster rampaging alongside several other people.

• Orochimaru interrogated a Kusagakure Jonin, learned that a seal prevented him from talking, and killed him and the other captured ninja.
• Orochimaru told Yei that someone had freed Kusagakure's criminals and that Shinnō had been treating wounded people at the hospital.
• Yei sensed Kusagakure ninja converging in one direction and detected a massive surge of evil Chakra.
• The Box of Paradise opened, and Satori emerged from a cocoon of black-red Chakra.
• Orochimaru and Yei traveled to the disturbance and saw Satori rampaging through a devastated forest, with several other people nearby.

Shinnō entered the chamber holding the Box of Paradise, but its influence and the Zero-Tails inside him caused the box to absorb Dark Chakra and awaken. Shinnō fled as a monster emerged before Mui and the Kusagakure ninja.

• Shinnō knocked out the Kusagakure prison guards, freed the prisoners, and forced Reina to accompany him with her newborn daughter.
• Shinnō infiltrated the chamber where the Box of Paradise was kept and confirmed its location without intending to open it.
• The Box of Paradise bewitched Reina and stirred the Zero-Tails sealed inside Shinnō, drawing them toward it and absorbing Chakra from them.
• Shinnō escaped after the Box of Paradise stopped draining Chakra, leaving Reina unconscious behind.
• The Box of Paradise erupted through the rock and formed a cocoon as Mui led Kusagakure ninja to investigate.
• A monster emerged from the cocoon, and its raging Chakra devastated the surrounding grounds.

Orochimaru, Hanzo the Salamander, and Yei discovered the monster in Grass Country alongside a body controlled by Nagato’s newly awakened Six Paths of Pain technique. Nagato learned that Hanzo had found the controlled body, while Yei recognized its Rinnegan and Black Rods and wondered how the Shinobi World had changed.

• Orochimaru arrived, noticed the gathered factions, and recognized Hanzo the Salamander among them.
• Hanzo identified Orochimaru by his Chakra, then spotted the Akatsuki-controlled body and confronted it.
• Nagato told Konan that his test of the Six Paths of Pain had barely succeeded but that Hanzo had discovered the body.
• Nagato dismissed Konan’s concern and considered whether the monster could help Akatsuki.
• Yei recognized the controlled body’s Rinnegan and Black Rods as signs of Nagato’s Six Paths of Pain technique.

Kusagakure’s elders and shinobi were bewitched by the Box of Paradise as Satori unleashed a massive Chakra storm. Hanzo, Shinnō, Nagato, and Orochimaru each considered how to obtain or use the monster, while Yei concealed his knowledge of it.

• Kusagakure’s four elders arrived, and Mui explained that Satori had emerged from the Box of Paradise.
• The elders and nearby Kusagakure shinobi became entranced by the Box, but Mui restrained them with sealing techniques when his warning failed to wake them.
• Satori spread its wings and released a Chakra storm that swept across the field and sent weaker shinobi flying.
• Hanzo felt a desire to claim Satori, while Shinnō resolved to obtain it and use it alongside his enhanced Dark Chakra.
• Nagato considered making Satori a Summoning Animal, and Orochimaru asked Yei what he thought of the monster.

Gō attacked the gathering shinobi with black feathers, a powerful suction force, and destructive wind, while Yei considered how to seize the Box of Paradise without exposing his strength. As the battle raged, Yei reviewed his newly acquired abilities and prepared to take advantage of the chaos.

• Yei warned Gō was about to attack, and Gō unleashed black feathers and the Box of Paradise’s suction force against everyone in the field.
• Gō killed Kusagakure shinobi while Pain, Hanzo the Salamander, Yei, and Orochimaru watched or withdrew from the fighting.
• Yei suspected Shinnō had come for the Box of Paradise and weighed the risks of sending out his alter ego to claim it.
• Yei checked his panel and recalled spending 1,100 points on two draws, which had given him Bakudo 81: Severing Void and Flash Step.
• Yei concluded that Flash Step could combine with Six Powers: Soru and Moonwalk, significantly increasing his speed and mobility.

Goku slaughtered Kusagakure’s ninja as the Box of Paradise’s influence made them lose control, while Mui used his family’s sealing technique to rally a defense. Just as Mui moved to seal Goku, Shinnō attacked him and pursued the Box of Paradise, consumed by a desire to rule the Shinobi World.

• Goku unleashed a powerful Chakra blast that killed many Kusagakure ninja and drew them into the Box of Paradise.
• Mui used his family’s sealing technique to shield the arriving Kusagakure ninja from the Box’s heart-bewitching fluctuations and ordered them to attack Goku.
• Goku destroyed the ninja’s attacks with black feathers, causing more casualties, but the Kusagakure fighters eventually knocked it out of the air.
• Mui rushed to seal Goku with Fire Release: Great Fire Sky Prison, but Shinnō opened the first seven gates and blasted Mui into a crater.
• Shinnō declared that he would take the Box of Paradise and Goku’s power to rule the Shinobi World, then walked toward Goku.

Shinnō, empowered by the Zero-Tails' Dark Chakra and the Seventh Gate, fought off his attackers and connected with Satori as he tried to become a god. Pain intervened with Almighty Attraction, beginning a new attack.

• Orochimaru and Yei discussed Shinnō's unusual strength and Dark Chakra, while Yei warned Orochimaru to watch Pain.
• Hanzo the Salamander ordered the Rain shinobi to attack Shinnō and followed with Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
• Shinnō shattered the incoming attacks and charged through the Grass shinobi toward Satori.
• Shinnō connected with Satori as their Chakras resonated, and Satori's wing scattered Hanzo's poison mist and destroyed his water dragon.
• Pain rejected Shinnō's claim to godhood and used Almighty Attraction against him.