Chapter Summaries

Hagoromo discussed a difficult bloodline-awakening project with Orochimaru, who considered using First Hokage's Cells as a more practical alternative for the Fourth Hokage and Kushina's children. Their conversation ended with Hagoromo sharing several Rinnegan abilities, while hoping Orochimaru would pursue genetic engineering.

• Orochimaru found Hagoromo's idea of awakening bloodlines fascinating but said it would be extremely difficult to realize.
• Orochimaru suggested testing First Hokage's Cells on the Fourth Hokage and Kushina's children, but Hagoromo rejected experiments that carried enormous risks.
• Orochimaru recognized that Konoha's leaders and Hagoromo made it too dangerous to experiment on the children.
• Orochimaru asked about the Rinnegan, and Hagoromo described Shinra Tensei, Universal Pull, and Sealing Technique Absorption Seal.
• Hagoromo hoped Orochimaru would pursue genetic engineering and offered to help cover up his First Hokage's Cells experiments.

Hagoromo considered the limits of his Direct Death ability and went to Shikkotsu Forest to improve his chakra reserves and study its mysteries. He reached an ancient complex of wooden towers, whose strange energy lay ahead of him.

• Hagoromo concluded that Direct Death was difficult to activate and best suited to killing things that would not die.
• Hagoromo decided to strengthen his conventional ninja skills and address his low chakra reserves.
• Hagoromo used the Reverse Summoning Technique to travel to Shikkotsu Forest and saw Katsuyu's enormous true body in the distance.
• Hagoromo followed the stone steps past vermilion torii and Rashomon gates toward an old complex of buildings.
• Hagoromo reached a stone plaza and saw wooden towers that contained a strange energy.

Hagoromo’s obstruction of the investigation could not keep Orochimaru’s forbidden research hidden, and the Third Hokage eventually discovered it but let him leave Konoha. As Jiraiya and the Anbu pursued the wounded Orochimaru, Hagoromo arrived and positioned himself between Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

• Hagoromo repeatedly left Konoha to train at Shikkotsu Forest while the Third Hokage tolerated his weak participation in the investigation.
• The Anbu discovered Orochimaru’s research site and reported it to the Third Hokage, who confronted his former disciple but allowed him to go free.
• Orochimaru said farewell to his young disciple and fled Konoha as Jiraiya and the Anbu began pursuing him.
• Jiraiya caught up with the injured Orochimaru and tried to persuade him to stay in Konoha, while Orochimaru rejected him.
• Hagoromo arrived during the confrontation and placed himself between Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

Hagoromo intervened as Jiraiya and Konoha’s forces pursued Orochimaru, then appeared to kick Orochimaru away. The group chased an Earth Clone, allowing the real Orochimaru to escape.

• Hagoromo chose not to interfere openly with the pursuit, but signaled Orochimaru to continue fleeing.
• Jiraiya explained that Orochimaru was suspected of causing the ninja disappearances and said Konoha had to capture him alive.
• Hagoromo attacked Orochimaru with Chidori Current Third Stage and sent him flying with a powerful kick.
• Jiraiya and the others pursued the apparent Orochimaru, while Hagoromo found a damaged Earth Clone at the end of the trail.
• The real Orochimaru reappeared after Konoha’s forces had left and swiftly departed.

After Orochimaru escaped Konoha, Jiraiya asked the Third Hokage for permission to pursue him, while Hagoromo withdrew to Shikkotsu Forest with Mirai. There, he began experimenting with combining Lightning Release and his Electromaster ability.

• Jiraiya realized Orochimaru had escaped, but Konoha's overnight and three-day searches failed to find him, and the Third Hokage accepted that Orochimaru had become an S-Rank missing-nin.
• Jiraiya told the Third Hokage he wanted to bring Orochimaru back, arguing that the war was winding down and he could leave the front lines; the Hokage said he would consider it.
• Hagoromo judged that Orochimaru could never return to Konoha as a shinobi and chose to stay in Shikkotsu Forest, bringing Mirai but leaving Naruto behind because of their agreement.
• Hagoromo and Katsuyu discussed what to feed Mirai, and Hagoromo rejected Katsuyu's suggestion to feed the baby her mucus.
• Hagoromo created a clone and tested using Lightning Blade at the same time as his Electromaster ability, making the clone and his real body shake hands with electrically charged left hands.

After burning his left hand while combining Electromaster abilities with Lightning Release, Hagoromo studied Shikkotsu Forest’s records and began Sage Art training. He entered a natural-energy gathering formation, where a strange plant sprouted from his head.

• Hagoromo reasoned that combining Electromaster abilities with Lightning Release had burned his hand and considered using water as a neutralizing agent.
• Hagoromo treated his injury simply, then read the records kept in Shikkotsu Forest and learned about its secrets.
• Hagoromo began Sage Art training despite Katsuyu warning him about the risks and urging him to heal his hand first.
• Hagoromo entered the circular formation and sensed natural energy flowing into his body.
• A mushroom-like or sapling-like growth sprouted from the top of Hagoromo’s head and grew rapidly.

Hagoromo found Tsunade drinking in the Land of Craftsmen and reunited with her, bringing along Mirai, the daughter of Minato and Kushina. The chapter ended with Mirai introducing herself to Tsunade as “big sister.”

• Hagoromo entered an izakaya and found a drunk Tsunade with Shizune.
• Tsunade eventually recognized Hagoromo, who explained that he was carrying Mirai on his back.
• Mirai climbed down, and she and Hagoromo used a hand seal together to shrink the scroll he had carried.
• Tsunade recognized Kushina’s resemblance in Mirai and noticed the child’s skill with hand seals.
• Hagoromo struggled to decide what Mirai should call Tsunade, so Mirai greeted her as “big sister.”

Hagoromo reunited with Tsunade in the Land of Craftsmen and asked her to treat his badly injured left arm. Tsunade determined it could heal with time, leaving Hagoromo’s recovery in her hands.

• Tsunade asked Hagoromo whether his arrival in the Land of Craftsmen had anything to do with Orochimaru, and he said he had come by chance to forge a Chakra Blade.
• Mirai praised Tsunade and explained that her red hair came from Kushina, then joked that people who insulted it could be beaten to death.
• Hagoromo showed Tsunade his withered left arm and explained that it had been injured by high-intensity Lightning Release and had remained untreated for years.
• Tsunade examined Hagoromo’s arm and said the nerve damage was not severe, but restoring the cells and fully healing it would take time.

Hagoromo underwent intensive treatment for his necrotic arm in the Land of Craftsmen, where Shizune reported that Konoha's atmosphere remained tense despite the easing of the war. Tsunade returned with a sleeping Mirai, who had tried to learn Medical Ninjutsu from her, and the chapter left Hagoromo recovering while Tsunade noticed Mirai resembled his younger self.

• Shizune treated Hagoromo's arm under Tsunade's guidance, and Hagoromo said the stabbing pain had faded.
• Hagoromo and Shizune discussed the ceasefires and Konoha's troubled atmosphere while Hagoromo explained he had spent years training in Shikkotsu Forest.
• Tsunade took Mirai to a casino while Hagoromo was receiving treatment, but Mirai used the outing to probe Tsunade about learning Medical Ninjutsu.
• Tsunade returned with the sleeping Mirai and told Hagoromo that the child had been trying to learn Medical Ninjutsu, though she also showed talent for gambling.
• Tsunade said Mirai felt strangely familiar to her because the child resembled Hagoromo when he was young.

Hagoromo and Mirai left Tsunade and Shizune, then traveled to the Land of Water to check on a giant pet. When Mirai sensed strange chakra and confronted two enemy ninjas, she prepared to fight them with a longsword.

• Tsunade and Shizune departed, and Hagoromo and Mirai pointed debt collectors in pursuit of Tsunade.
• Hagoromo decided to take Mirai to the Land of Water, where he wanted to check on a pet larger than a Splitting Dog.
• After arriving in the snowy Land of Water, Mirai sensed strange chakra and led Hagoromo toward it.
• Two ninjas announced they would kill the witnesses to their mission, and Mirai pulled a longsword from the ground.
• Mirai faced the ninjas and repeated Hagoromo's words, "No Enemy Unslain! No Cut Unsevered!"

Mirai fought two Kirigakure Ninja with Hagoromo’s sword and Chidori Current, but Hagoromo subdued them before she was hurt and comforted her after her first battle. They then discovered that the child the ninja had pursued was Haku, an Ice Release user, and Hagoromo considered bringing him along for Mirai’s sake.

• Mirai used Chidori Current to attack the Kirigakure Ninja, wounding one before Hagoromo incapacitated both with Genjutsu.
• Mirai returned to Hagoromo, upset by the blood, and he comforted her and chose not to force her to finish the enemies.
• Hagoromo and Mirai approached the barefoot child the ninja had pursued, and Hagoromo asked him to demonstrate his unusual chakra.
• The child created an ice crystal between his palms, revealing that he possessed Ice Release and prompting Hagoromo to recognize his potential.
• The child said his name was Haku, and Mirai stopped Hagoromo from renaming him Minazuki Haku, reminding him that it was Kannazuki.

Hagoromo and Mirai took Haku Yuki with them after rescuing him, and Mirai welcomed the frightened boy as her new companion. After getting Haku warm clothes—chosen by Mirai in a girl's style—the group prepared to investigate the Three-Tails.

• Mirai asked Haku whether he was a boy, and Haku confirmed it as he chose to follow Hagoromo and her.
• Hagoromo valued Haku's Ice Release and kind nature, and made him Mirai's babysitter and protector.
• Mirai lent Haku her precious scarf and told him to call her by her name instead of 'Lady.'
• Hagoromo asked Mirai to search for other unusual chakra signatures using her Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
• The group visited a town, where Haku was cleaned up and given new clothes that Mirai picked out in a girl's style.
• Hagoromo planned to rest for the night and then check whether the Three-Tails was still wild.

Hagoromo followed Mirai’s sensing toward the Kaguya Clan, where he learned the clan was debating whether to rebel against Kirigakure. He decided to take Kaguya Kimimaro, the clan’s feared young “weapon,” away that night.

• Mirai sensed special chakra near Kirigakure, but Hagoromo rejected her first target because she had sensed the Mizukage.
• Mirai pointed out another group of unusual chakra, and Hagoromo decided to investigate with her while leaving Haku outside.
• Hagoromo and Mirai discovered that the chakra came from the Kaguya Clan’s settlement.
• Kaguya Clan members argued over whether to rebel, doubting that the Mizukage’s reforms would change the village’s hostility toward Kekkei Genkai.
• Hagoromo decided to take Kaguya Kimimaro away, depriving the clan of the young weapon it was waiting to control.

Hagoromo and Mirai found Kimimaro imprisoned, and Hagoromo persuaded him to leave by giving him a purpose: protecting Mirai. After noticing the danger of Kimimaro’s Dead Bone Pulse, Hagoromo gave him Hiramekarei as a weapon, and the group prepared to leave together.

• Hagoromo and Mirai found Kimimaro locked in a prison cell, and Hagoromo offered him a chance to leave.
• Hagoromo told Kimimaro to make protecting Mirai his mission, and Kimimaro broke his chains and the cell lock with his Dead Bone Pulse.
• Hagoromo inspected Kimimaro’s bone blade, warned him not to use the technique casually, and recognized its potential bodily risks.
• Hagoromo gave Kimimaro Hiramekarei, one of Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swords, and Kimimaro accepted the heavy weapon.

Hagoromo brought Kimimaro, Haku, and Mirai to a lake in the Land of Water to find the Three-Tails Isobu, then blasted the frozen lake until the beast emerged. The chapter ended as Hagoromo greeted Isobu and prepared to test its defenses.

• Hagoromo left the Kaguya Clan settlement with Kimimaro and traveled with Haku and Mirai to their destination.
• Mirai sensed an enormous chakra presence about eighty meters beneath the lake and identified it as greater than the chakra in Shikkotsu Forest.
• Hagoromo told the others to stand back and unleashed repeated Railgun attacks that shattered the lake's ice and drove Isobu to the surface.
• The Three-Tails Isobu emerged, and Hagoromo greeted it before preparing to test its armored shell.

Hagoromo fought the Three-Tails, Isobu, and overwhelmed it without killing it. He left it incapacitated so he could try another method on the Tailed Beast.

• Mirai told Kimimaro and Haku that Hagoromo had come to observe the Three-Tails and imagined the exchange of looks between Hagoromo and the beast as a conversation.
• The Three-Tails attacked Hagoromo with its tails, but he dodged and severed one tail with his Iron Sand Sword.
• Isobu prepared a Tailed Beast Ball, but Hagoromo’s Railgun struck first, pierced the sphere, and wounded Isobu.
• Hagoromo battered Isobu until it could no longer resist, while avoiding a fatal attack so he could try another method.

Hagoromo tested whether his Mystic Eyes of Death Perception could erase the Three-Tails, while Mirai and the others watched from a safe distance. The Three-Tails disappeared, but Mirai sensed its vast chakra slowly converging, leaving Hagoromo to conclude that the beast would revive and that his experiment had failed.

• Hagoromo summoned the Splitting Dog to drag the unconscious, bloodied Three-Tails ashore, then instructed Mirai to sense its chakra.
• Hagoromo warned Mirai, Haku, and Kimimaro to stay far away and not touch him while he used his eyes.
• Hagoromo found a Death Point on the Three-Tails and touched it with his Iron Sand Sword, causing the beast's body and blood to vanish.
• Hagoromo asked Mirai whether she could still sense the Three-Tails, and she reported that its enormous chakra was slowly flowing in one direction.
• Hagoromo realized the Three-Tails' chakra was converging and that he had not truly erased it, so his experiment had failed.

Hagoromo and his companions confronted Mei Terumī and her squad after Kirigakure responded to the attack on the Three-Tails. Hozuki Mangetsu failed to summon the two swords Hagoromo held, and Ao discovered that the Three-Tails had vanished.

• Hagoromo calmly waited with Mirai and the others as Kirigakure's response forces approached the lake.
• Mei Terumī arrived with Ao, Hozuki Mangetsu, and Kisame Hoshigaki, then questioned Hagoromo about entering the Land of Water.
• Hagoromo said he had only knocked Kirigakure's ninja unconscious and claimed he was traveling around the world.
• Hozuki Mangetsu used the Seven Ninja Swordsmen summoning scroll to try to summon Sewing Needle and Hiramekarei from Hagoromo's companions.
• The two swords did not appear, their marks vanished from the scroll, and blue chakra flames set it alight.
• Ao reported to Mei Terumī that the Three-Tails was gone.

Mei Terumī confronted Hagoromo after learning that the Three-Tails had disappeared, and Hagoromo told her it had died. He and Mei avoided a fight, with Mei ordering Hagoromo’s group to leave the Land of Water immediately.

• Ao reported that the Three-Tails could not be found in the lake or nearby, and Mei Terumī suspected Hagoromo had taken it.
• Mei Terumī considered Mirai as a possible new Jinchuriki, but Ao’s Byakugan confirmed that none of Hagoromo’s group was one.
• Hagoromo said the Three-Tails had died, and Mei Terumī interpreted this as him having killed it.
• Mei Terumī warned Hagoromo that he could not leave the Land of Water without consequences, and Hagoromo threatened to end a fight instantly.
• Mei Terumī chose not to attack and told Hagoromo to leave the Land of Water immediately, while affirming that she wanted peace with Konoha to continue.

After leaving the Land of Water, Hagoromo took Kimimaro to Daimyo City and sealed the dangerous excesses of his Dead Bone Pulse. He later met Asuma at a night stall, where Asuma’s thoughts turned to Kurenai and his lonely departure from Konoha.

• The Mizukage let Hagoromo and his companions leave the Land of Water, and Hagoromo decided to find a way to manage Kimimaro’s bloodline risks.
• Hagoromo brought the others to Daimyo City in the Land of Fire and explained to Kimimaro why he intended to restrict the dangerous part of his power.
• Hagoromo placed a modified Sealing Evil Sealing Mark on Kimimaro to limit excessive bone growth while allowing him to use the Dead Bone Pulse when necessary.
• After nightfall, Hagoromo met Sarutobi Asuma at a secluded stall and declined his offer of shochu.
• Hagoromo teased Asuma about Kurenai, and Asuma silently reflected on leaving her behind and hoped her memory would guide him through the night.