Chapter Summaries

Hoshikage recruited Naruto by appealing to his hatred of Konoha and tasked him with pursuing Nagato alongside Gold and Utsu. Elsewhere, an old man’s attempt to create a monster failed, while a man in white continued waiting for a sculpture to awaken through the power of the Six Paths and the Talismans.

• Hoshikage’s old man convinced Naruto to join them and seek power to take revenge on Konoha.
• The old man assigned Gold and Utsu to accompany Naruto and directed them toward Kumogakure to find information about Nagato.
• Gold warned Naruto not to flee, and the old man told the group to weaken Nagato if they encountered him.
• The old man destroyed a failed monster experiment and reported the failure to a man in white.
• The man in white opened a sealed chamber and said the sculpture would descend when the power of the Six Paths and the Talismans converged.

Naruto traveled with Gold and Utsu to search for Nagato, but Utsu threatened to turn him into a puppet when he resisted. After Gold stopped her, Utsu triggered the release of the Nine-Tails Seal, leaving Naruto overwhelmed by its power and unsure of her intentions.

• Naruto considered escaping from Gold and Utsu but decided he had to resist rather than become their puppet.
• Utsu restrained Naruto with a steel wire and threatened him with torture and loss of self if he refused to obey.
• Naruto defied Utsu, and Gold ordered her to keep him alive because he was still useful.
• Utsu released Naruto and walked ahead, while the Nine-Tails Seal on his abdomen began to come undone.
• Naruto roared as the Nine-Tails' power erupted through his body, blasting away rubble and leaving him in pain.

Kaede prepared to face an intruder threatening Takigakure, but discovered the visitor was Moriyue, who had come to find her. He returned with her to the village, leaving the villagers surprised by their village chief’s close greeting with him.

• Kaede worried that the Akatsuki Organization would target her and endanger Takigakure, then ordered Azi to shelter the villagers after an explosion announced an intruder.
• Kaede approached the blast site invisibly and sensed a powerful Chakra, but a floating hand found and grabbed her.
• Moriyue revealed himself and greeted Kaede, surprising her after she had just been thinking about him.
• Moriyue said he had come to find Kaede for serious business, though he falsely claimed he could see the future to explain how he found her.
• Moriyue put an arm around Kaede and headed toward Takigakure with her, leaving the villagers startled.

Naruto confronted Minato inside the sealing space, insisting that strength and death were the only things that mattered. After Minato fought him and admitted his failure as a father, Naruto’s hatred began to waver, and he asked what he should do.

• Naruto entered the sealing space and found Minato, his father and the Fourth Hokage, waiting there.
• Naruto blamed Minato and Konoha for abandoning him, rejected the Will of Fire, and declared that only strength mattered.
• Minato tried to persuade Naruto to turn back, but Naruto said only death could stop him and attacked.
• Minato evaded Naruto’s attacks and wore him down, then apologized for failing him as a father.
• Naruto described being treated as a tool, and Minato urged him to change Konoha with his comrades and village.
• Naruto’s anger began to lessen, and he asked Minato what he should do.

Naruto woke after passing out and went to a nearby village with Gold and Utsu, while Moriyue tried to persuade Kaede to help him become Raikage. Their discussion was interrupted when Naruto attacked Kaede in her Seven-Tails form, and the chapter ended with Moriyue noticing a strange aura from Naruto’s attack.

• Naruto woke up, washed his face, and agreed to visit a nearby village with Gold and Utsu.
• Moriyue told Kaede that becoming Raikage would help protect the Land of Lightning and her village from approaching chaos.
• Kaede considered Moriyue’s offer, but an explosion drew her toward an incoming attacker.
• Naruto struck at Kaede, who transformed into the Seven-Tails to block his fast attack.
• Naruto used clones and a Rasengan in Sage Mode against the Seven-Tails, while Moriyue noticed that Naruto’s first attack carried the aura of Talismans.

Kaede and Naruto fought as the Seven-Tails and Nine-Tails, and the battle escalated when Naruto prepared a Tailed Beast Bomb aimed toward the village. Moriyue appeared to shield Kaede and the villagers with the darkness and tentacles he released from his sealed space, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Kaede guided Naruto away from the village, and they transformed into the Seven-Tails and Nine-Tails to battle in the sky.
• The Seven-Tails gained the upper hand with attacks including Parasitic Insects and white streaks of light, while Naruto shook insects from his body to evade them.
• Moriyue stopped Azi from rushing toward the fight, warning that she would endanger herself and could be used against Kaede.
• Naruto began gathering a Tailed Beast Bomb, and Kaede chose to prepare one of her own to protect the village rather than dodge.
• An unseen attack disrupted Kaede's concentration, and both Tailed Beast Bombs flew toward her and the villagers.
• Moriyue teleported in front of Kaede and sent enormous Black Qi tentacles against the incoming Tailed Beast Bombs.

Moriyue defended the village from two Tailed Beast Bombs by adapting his tentacles and devouring their energy. After Naruto fled and the hidden attackers held back, Moriyue revealed himself and told the stunned villagers that the bombs had tasted good.

• Moriyue stood between the village and the two incoming Tailed Beast Bombs, using his evolving tentacles to block them.
• Moriyue's tentacles grew dark golden armor, then sprouted teeth and began devouring the bombs' energy.
• Utsu considered attacking Moriyue while he was occupied, but Gold warned her that the situation might be a trap, and they held back.
• Naruto turned and ran, while Kaede stayed to protect the villagers instead of pursuing him.
• Moriyue revealed his real body after the bombs shrank, and his tentacles swallowed both of them.
• Kaede and the villagers stared in shock as Moriyue said he had eaten the Tailed Beast Bombs and enjoyed their taste.

After Moriyue destroyed Obito’s Sharingan power and Uchiha bloodline, Kabuto found him in the ruined cave and offered to restore his abilities in exchange for starting the Fourth Ninja World War. Obito accepted, received Kakashi’s eye and Uchiha blood, and left with Kabuto to bring upheaval to the Ninja World.

• Obito lay blind and powerless in the cave ruins, reflecting on Moriyue’s sacrifice to protect the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Kabuto appeared beside Obito and offered a way to restore his ability to use the Sharingan.
• Obito agreed to Kabuto’s request to ignite the Fourth Ninja World War.
• Kabuto transplanted Kakashi’s eye into Obito and supplemented him with Uchiha blood.
• Obito asked whether Kabuto had killed Kakashi, and Kabuto said the current Hokage had stopped him.
• Kabuto urged Obito to bring upheaval to the Ninja World.

After the battle exposed how vulnerable Takigakure was, Kaede accepted Moriyue’s proposal to bring people to Kumogakure. As they headed back, Moriyue investigated Hoshikage’s motives and suddenly realized how the group’s actions might connect to Nagato’s Rinnegan.

• Takigakure’s villagers reconsidered Moriyue’s proposal after realizing their village could not rely on Kaede alone, and Kaede accepted while asking how she could help.
• Moriyue decided to return with the group before the agreed time and suspected Naruto and the Hoshikage figures were targeting him.
• Moriyue reviewed what he knew about Hoshikage and wondered whether its people were behind the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path’s disappearance.
• Kaede asked Moriyue about Nagato’s Rinnegan, prompting him to connect it with Hoshikage’s recent actions and excitedly tell her she had helped him understand their motives.

Ajisai told Yugito Nii that Moriyue was moving to become Raikage, and Yugito agreed to support him. Orochimaru arrived looking for Moriyue, revealed their alliance and plan to deal with Hoshikage, and the chapter ended with Kumogakure under attack.

• Ajisai explained Moriyue's plan to become Raikage, and Yugito Nii agreed to help him.
• Yugito reasoned that Moriyue's victory over A gave him the strength to claim the Kage position.
• Orochimaru appeared at the hospital, and Ajisai and Yugito attacked him before he blocked them with a snakeskin.
• Orochimaru crushed Ajisai's hidden tentacles and questioned how Moriyue had saved Yugito by splitting a Tailed Beast.
• Orochimaru told Ajisai and Yugito that he and Moriyue were allies and described their plan to deal with Hoshikage.
• An alarm sounded as attackers struck Kumogakure.

Naruto Uzumaki and Gold attacked Kumogakure, forcing A and Darui to fight them while Utsu overwhelmed Darui with her speed. As Gold and A continued clashing, Naruto lost control to the Nine-Tails, but two mysterious shinobi suppressed his power and left him unconscious.

• A confronted Naruto Uzumaki, Gold, and Utsu as they attacked Kumogakure, and Naruto entered Tailed Beast Transformation to fight alongside Gold.
• Utsu evaded Darui's Storm Release attacks, saw through his traps, and kicked him out of the fight.
• Gold helped Naruto gain the upper hand against A, then continued battling A with his long staff after Naruto was knocked into a wall.
• Naruto Uzumaki woke in Tailed Beast form and roared as A feared the Nine-Tails would be released.
• A mysterious man and woman suppressed Naruto's power, causing him to return to normal and collapse unconscious.

Kabuto and Obito Uchiha explored the eerie, abandoned Kirigakure, where a mysterious religion had stripped the villagers of their thoughts and emotions. They uncovered a hidden passage beneath a shrine and entered a vast chamber filled with a powerful darkness.

• Kabuto and Obito Uchiha explored Kirigakure’s ruined streets and entered an abandoned shrine.
• They examined strange artifacts and symbols inside the shrine, then discovered a hidden switch on an ancient stone pillar.
• The switch revealed a passage, and Kabuto and Obito Uchiha followed it to a massive, symbol-covered door.
• Kabuto studied the door’s symbols while Obito Uchiha considered how to open it, and together they deciphered the markings.
• The door opened, and Kabuto and Obito Uchiha cautiously searched the enormous, darkness-filled chamber for the source of its power.

Obito and Kabuto escaped Kirigakure after destroying something that released a powerful tentacled creature, then faced an even larger monster in the forest. Kabuto summoned and controlled the reanimated Han to fight it, while the battle in Kumogakure was also nearing its end.

• Obito used Kamui to warp everything in the room into Kamui Space, and he and Kabuto fled Kirigakure as a massive tentacled creature pursued them.
• Kabuto and Obito attacked the creature with Sage Mode and Kamui, then escaped into the forest to recover and discuss the disturbance in Kumogakure.
• A larger, more terrifying creature burst from the trees, so Kabuto summoned Han through Impure World Reincarnation and took control of his mind.
• Han expanded into a gigantic, steam-filled form and fought the tentacled creature, relying on his reanimation’s immortality to recover from its attacks.
• Gold, Utsu, and Naruto in Tailed Beast Transformation threatened A as the battle in Kumogakure approached its end.

Moriyue intervened when A was being overwhelmed by Gold, Utsu, and Naruto, defeated Naruto, and drove the attackers away. The villagers accepted Moriyue as the new Raikage, but he suspected that the smooth turn of events was not real and felt uneasy when he met Orochimaru’s gaze.

• A struggled against Gold, Utsu, and Naruto until Moriyue arrived on the battlefield.
• Moriyue’s tentacles restrained Gold and Naruto, while Utsu escaped.
• Moriyue subdued Naruto by evading his attacks and draining his Chakra, while Gold and Utsu fled.
• Moriyue declared that he would become Raikage and protect Kumogakure, and the villagers cheered and accepted him as their leader.
• Moriyue sensed that events had gone too smoothly and felt a foreboding when he looked at Orochimaru.

Moriyue returned to help Kumogakure repel its attackers and demanded the Raikage position from A. A agreed and announced Moriyue as the new Raikage, leaving the villagers in uproar and Moriyue facing widespread opposition.

• Moriyue drove back the enemies, and the villagers cheered while A regarded him with suspicion.
• Moriyue asked A to make him Raikage, and A agreed while warning him not to harm Kumogakure.
• Yugito Nii and Ajisai approached Moriyue, but held back what they wanted to say when he signaled them to wait.
• A announced to the gathered villagers that Moriyue would replace him as Raikage.
• The villagers loudly protested Moriyue's appointment, but A declared the decision final and left, while Moriyue called the situation troublesome.

A White Star Robe man without Chakra swam through the sea while a starving pirate crew spotted him from their damaged ship. The pirates moved to capture him as food, and the ship bore down on him.

• A man in a White Star Robe swam through the endless sea, unable to use Chakra.
• A battered pirate ship crawled across the water with its starving, injured crew aboard.
• A crewman asked the one-eyed captain how long it would take to reach the Land of Fire, and the captain angrily silenced him.
• The pirates spotted the swimming man and reported that he was not walking on the water, so he was not a ninja.
• The one-eyed captain ordered the pirates to catch the man and use him as food, and the man noticed the ship charging toward him.

Moriyue became the Raikage, drawing congratulations from his allies and a kiss from Yugito Nii. As Kazeki doubted whether she deserved to stay by his side, Moriyue reassured her before hearing urgent news from the Land of Fire.

• A left Moriyue to handle the villagers' dissatisfaction with his becoming Raikage, while Yugito Nii, Ajisai, and Kaede celebrated his position.
• Kaede congratulated Moriyue and considered how his leadership could help her people settle near Kumogakure.
• Yugito Nii kissed Moriyue and showed him a new openness about her feelings after surviving death.
• Darui teased Moriyue about his relationship with Yugito Nii, while Kazeki watched with envy and affection.
• Moriyue reassured Kazeki when she questioned whether she deserved to stay by his side, then heard that important news had arrived from the Land of Fire.

The mysterious man boarded a pirate ship and discovered that its crew preyed on survivors at sea. After the one-eyed captain tried to deceive him, the mysterious man prepared to kill the pirates, leaving them charging at him.

• The mysterious man dove beneath the damaged pirate ship and used a tentacle to launch himself onto its deck.
• He seized a hooked chain, then used his tentacles to kill several pirates and control others into stabbing their companions.
• The one-eyed captain offered him water and claimed the crew was returning to the Land of Fire, while the mysterious man learned the pirates’ true nature from the enslaved crewmen’s souls.
• The mysterious man declared that the pirates would go to hell, and the one-eyed captain ordered the crew to attack.

Moriyue learned that a Hoshikage member using tentacles like his had attacked a shipment important to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. He suspected the attack involved Talismans and realized the Hoshikage people were bringing a larger plan into the open.

• Moriyue considered possible threats to the Land of Fire, including Obito Uchiha, Orochimaru, and Kabuto.
• Ajisai reported that bandits had plundered a shipment the Land of Fire was escorting for its Daimyo.
• Ajisai said survivors had seen a Hoshikage member aboard a wrecked ship, fighting with strange tentacles resembling Moriyue's.
• Ajisai reported that a survivor died after describing the attacker’s traits, bleeding from all seven orifices.
• Moriyue suspected the shipment and attack involved Talismans and warned that the Hoshikage people were planning something significant.

After becoming Raikage, Moriyue announced he would leave Kumogakure and ordered the village to suspend external missions while producing firearms for weaker ninja. He used Orochimaru’s appearance as a pretext to chase him out of the village, with Yugito Nii, Kazeki, and Ajisai following.

• Moriyue told Darui he would leave Kumogakure, then ordered external missions suspended and military technology used to manufacture firearms.
• Darui objected to Moriyue’s decisions but considered how the weapons might protect weaker ninja.
• Yugito Nii, Kazeki, and Ajisai showed they would stand by Moriyue as he prepared to leave.
• Orochimaru appeared in Kumogakure, and Moriyue attacked him while claiming he would not let the rogue ninja escape.
• Orochimaru avoided fighting directly and fled, while Yugito Nii and the others chased after him.