Chapter Summaries

Natsume, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and Hinata Hyuga traveled to the Land of Demons for a mission to guard a temple sealing Mōryō. After clashing verbally with Yugito Nii of Kumogakure, Natsume met Shion, whose prophecy ability could not see his future, then set out for the Land of Swamps.

• Natsume prepared Kaguya Ōtsutsuki for the journey and warned her not to act without his permission during the mission.
• Hinata Hyuga spotted Kumogakure shinobi, and Yugito Nii confronted Natsume, insulted him, then left without starting a fight.
• Natsume and his companions reached the Miko's palace, where Taruho assigned Konoha to guard the sealed temple in the Land of Swamps.
• Shion met Natsume and used her prophecy ability, but found that she could not foresee his future or death.
• Natsume declined Taruho's offer to rest and continued with Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and Hinata Hyuga toward the Land of Swamps.

Natsume arranged for Kaguya Ōtsutsuki to train Hinata Hyuga while he left the Sealing Temple to manipulate the Yellow Springs Cult’s attack. After gaining a new weapon from Kaguya, he infiltrated the cult and used the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to make Yellow Springs lead his followers toward the temple.

• Natsume asked Kaguya Ōtsutsuki to take Hinata Hyuga as her student, and they agreed on a ten-day condition before he left.
• Kaguya Ōtsutsuki gave Natsume a Truth-Seeking Orb weapon that he named the Adamantine Staff.
• Hinata Hyuga accepted Kaguya Ōtsutsuki as her teacher after Natsume brought her to the room.
• Natsume used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach the Land of Demons and tracked the Yellow Springs Cult to its cave base.
• Natsume hypnotized Yellow Springs with the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and made him gather the cult to attack the Sealing Temple, earning nineteen Destiny Points.

Yellow Springs led Shimura Danzō and four cultists to the Sealing Temple, where they attacked the Kumogakure defenders and Yugito Nii. Yugito killed the four cultists and fought Danzō, whose Wood Style drew her interest but failed to impress her.

• Shimura Danzō asked Yellow Springs how he planned to defeat Yugito Nii, and Yellow Springs revealed that his Dark Medical Ninjutsu experiments had given him temporary strength comparable to a Jinchuriki.
• Yellow Springs chose four enhanced followers to accompany him, Danzō, and Natsume to the Sealing Temple; the four followers used Fire and Wind Style to break Kumogakure's barrier.
• Yugito Nii charged through the mist and killed all four followers with her claws before turning to face Yellow Springs and Danzō.
• Yugito Nii mocked Danzō for being driven out of Konoha, then overwhelmed him with a rapid strike that forced him back.
• Danzō used Wood Style: Rampant Gun Tree, but Yugito Nii invoked Matatabi's Chakra and burned the tree with Fire Rat Ball.
• Yugito Nii dismissed Danzō's Wood Style as unimpressive and began to suspect that Natsume had exaggerated his own achievements.

Yugito Nii and Shimura Danzō fought outside the Sealing Temple while Yellow Springs and Natsume slipped inside and freed Mōryō. Yellow Springs awakened the Terracotta Warriors and led them out, where Yugito Nii faced the army and vowed to kill him.

• Shimura Danzō used Wind Style against Yugito Nii, then tried to hold her back after discovering that Yellow Springs and Natsume had left behind clones.
• Yugito Nii drew on Matatabi's Chakra and struck Shimura Danzō, but his Dark Medical Ninjutsu-enhanced Wood Style held her off.
• Yellow Springs defeated the seven Kumogakure ninjas guarding the Sealing Temple without killing them, and he and Natsume entered the temple.
• Yellow Springs opened Mōryō's seal and offered his own body until Mōryō could reach its body in the Land of Swamps.
• Mōryō entered Yellow Springs, who awakened the Terracotta Warriors and ordered the army to march out.
• Yugito Nii moved the injured Kumogakure ninjas out of the army's path, then confronted Yellow Springs outside the temple.

Yellow Springs defeated Yugito Nii by using Mōryō’s power, and Matatabi’s Chakra escaped as Yugito disappeared. Natsume received Destiny Points for changing the fates of Yugito Nii, Shimura Danzō, and Matatabi, then headed off to deal with the captured Two-Tails.

• Yugito Nii attacked Yellow Springs with Matatabi’s fire and tried to break the seal containing Mōryō, but Yellow Springs countered with black mist and a mental attack.
• Mōryō controlled the injured Kumogakure ninjas, forcing Yugito Nii to choose between fighting them and protecting them.
• Yellow Springs agreed to release the Kumogakure ninjas if Yugito Nii stood still and endured one blow, and Yugito accepted with confidence in Matatabi.
• Yellow Springs covered Yugito Nii in black mist, leaving her unconscious; the ensuing explosion left blood in a crater as Matatabi’s Chakra escaped.
• Natsume released the Kumogakure ninjas from his control, received Destiny Points for changing Yugito Nii, Shimura Danzō, and Matatabi’s destinies, and flew toward the Land of Swamps with the Terracotta Warriors.

Yugito Nii woke in the Land of Waves after Natsume defeated and captured her, while Matatabi explained that Natsume had controlled them and staged Yugito’s death. In the Land of Demons, the surviving Kumogakure team abandoned the mission, sent a warning about Mōryō, and found the injured Shimura Danzō.

• Yugito Nii found Matatabi awake in her sealing space and learned that Natsume had controlled Matatabi and Mōryō during the battle.
• Natsume entered, confirmed that he had defeated Yugito, and explained that Kumogakure would believe she had died at Mōryō’s hands.
• Natsume used a sealing jutsu to prevent Yugito from using Chakra, then tortured her with lightning and left her confined in the Land of Waves.
• After confirming Yugito’s death, the middle-aged Kumogakure team leader ended the mission and ordered a warning sent to Shion about Mōryō heading toward the Land of Swamps.
• The Kumogakure team found the badly injured Shimura Danzō nearby, whose right arm had begun to sprout.

Shion and Natsume faced Yellow Springs and Mōryō at the Sealing Temple, where Natsume let Hinata train with the Demon Slaying Bow before restraining Mōryō with Wood Style. Shion agreed to join Heaven’s Will if Natsume defeated Mōryō, and she watched as he appeared to bring the demon under control.

• Shion learned that Yellow Springs had freed Mōryō’s soul and decided to travel to the Land of Swamps, trusting Natsume to stop it.
• At the Sealing Temple, Natsume invited Shion to join Heaven’s Will, and she agreed on the condition that he deal with Mōryō.
• The next morning, Yellow Springs and his Terracotta Warriors surrounded the temple and demanded that Shion merge with Mōryō.
• Natsume ordered Hinata to fight, and she used the Demon Slaying Bow to destroy Terracotta Warriors without letting them revive.
• When Mōryō revealed its true form and attacked, Natsume used Sage Art Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence to bind it with trees and vines.

Natsume used Kaguya Ōtsutsuki to turn Mōryō into a soul orb, freeing Shion from her lifelong threat, then arranged cooperation between the Land of Demons and the Land of Snow. Back in Konoha, he learned Shimura Danzō had been captured by Kumogakure and discovered that Kurenai Yuhi’s fate had changed.

• Natsume restrained Mōryō with Wood Style, and Kaguya Ōtsutsuki compressed it into a soul orb that he put away.
• Shion learned Mōryō was gone, thanked Natsume, and later claimed publicly that he had sealed it again with Wood Style.
• Kaguya Ōtsutsuki used Hinata Hyuga’s Demon Slaying Bow to destroy the remaining Terracotta Warriors, then erased the guards’ memories.
• Natsume introduced Kazahana Koyuki to Shion to oversee cooperation between the Land of Snow and the Land of Demons, and Kazahana Koyuki kissed him goodbye.
• Back in Konoha, Natsume reviewed Kurenai Yuhi’s mission report and received intelligence that Shimura Danzō had been captured by Kumogakure.
• Natsume saw that Kurenai Yuhi was among the people whose fates had changed and wondered what had caused it.

Konan received Pain’s orders to investigate the Three-Tails and recruit a Wood Style ninja, while Natsume visited the Slug Sage to learn whether the Sage Lands would unite against a prophesied threat. The Slug Sage restarted its Heavenly Net Login Device and realized the prophecy concerned Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

• Konan told Pain that the Two-Tails Jinchuriki had died and that Three-Tails Jinchuriki Karatachi Yagura was near death, so Pain sent her to investigate and bring back a Wood Style ninja if she found one.
• Konan chose Kakuzu and Hidan to accompany her on the mission.
• After news spread that Yugito Nii had died, Natsume visited the Slug Sage and asked whether Shikkotsu Forest would help Myōboku Mountain face a powerful enemy.
• Natsume asked the Slug Sage about its Heavenly Net Login Device, startling it by revealing that he knew of the secret device.
• The Slug Sage activated the device and realized that Gamamaru’s prophecy referred to Kaguya Ōtsutsuki.

Natsume convinced the Slug Sage to cooperate with him by summoning Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and showing that she would not attack Shikkotsu Forest. He returned home to Tsunade, and they spent the evening together before retiring to their room.

• Natsume told the Slug Sage that Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was alive and proposed that they cooperate.
• Natsume damaged Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's charm, and she appeared in Shikkotsu Forest, furious until Natsume assured her he was unharmed.
• The Slug Sage agreed to inform Natsume if Ryūchi Cave or Myōboku Mountain made any moves, and Natsume earned fifty Destiny Points.
• Natsume returned home and found Tsunade drinking wine sent by Sunagakure; they joked and flirted while Shizune served dinner.
• Tsunade and Natsume went to their room, where they discussed their unborn daughter before beginning an intimate night together.

Natsume took a day off to spend time with the pregnant Tsunade, and the two enjoyed breakfast, a walk through Konoha, and grilled meat together. They ended up at Natsume’s renovated Love Island, where Tsunade teased him about the villa and he began to make her pay for it.

• Natsume and Tsunade decided to spend his day off together, and Shizune went to help at Konoha Hospital after sensing them in the morning.
• After breakfast, Natsume and Tsunade went out, where Naruto Uzumaki confronted Natsume about leaving him out of the Mōryō mission before heading off to find Sasuke Uchiha.
• Natsume and Tsunade chose grilled meat for lunch and encountered Kakashi Hatake and the Sunagakure team, who had returned from a mission in the Land of Rivers.
• Tsunade grilled meat for Natsume, and they discussed visiting the renovated Love Island to see the sea.
• Natsume used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Tsunade to Love Island, where she questioned how much he had spent on the villa and he pulled her into his arms.

Konan, Kakuzu, and Hidan attacked the deserted island where Karatachi Yagura was undergoing a dangerous transition as the Three-Tails’ host. Mei Terumi’s team fought to stop them, and Natsume arrived after she sent him a distress signal, bringing the wounded back to Kirigakure.

• Konan, Kakuzu, and Hidan reached Kirigakure, learned Karatachi Yagura was on a nearby deserted island, and headed there to capture him.
• Natsume warned Mei Terumi that the Akatsuki Organization intended to seize the Three-Tails, so Mei Terumi rushed to the island with Zabuza Momochi, Ao, and Haku.
• Mei Terumi’s team found the nine stationed Jonin defeated and confronted the Akatsuki members as Konan went after Karatachi Yagura.
• Kakuzu fought Mei Terumi and Ao, Hidan clashed with Zabuza Momochi, and Konan badly injured Haku with explosive paper butterflies.
• Mei Terumi pursued Konan and sent Natsume a distress signal, and Natsume arrived on the island and took the wounded back to Kirigakure.

Natsume, disguised as Kishi, helped Kirigakure defeat the Akatsuki Organization’s attackers, killing Hidan and capturing Kakuzu with his Wood Style. Konan then invited Natsume to join the organization, and he accepted while openly declaring he would act as a spy.

• Natsume arrived at the battle, confirmed he was the Wood Style user, and overwhelmed Kakuzu with Wood Style techniques before binding him.
• Natsume destroyed Hidan with the Adamantine Staff, which expanded into an Expansive Truth-Seeking Orb and erased him along with his Blood Scythe.
• Natsume ordered Zabuza Momochi and Ao to rescue the Fourth Mizukage while he went to assist the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi.
• Konan saw Natsume arrive with Kakuzu captured and withdrew from her fight with Mei Terumi.
• Konan invited Natsume to join the Akatsuki Organization, and Natsume accepted while saying he would work as a spy.

Natsume negotiated with Xiaonan and Kakuzu about joining the Akatsuki, then returned to Konoha and visited the imprisoned Yugito Nii. He persuaded Yugito to pretend to obey him while she and Matatabi looked for a way to break her seal, and she reluctantly agreed to wear a cat costume.

• Natsume released Kakuzu and told Xiaonan that he was Kishi, the Thousand Sunny Merchant Guild's Land of Water representative, before agreeing to meet the Akatsuki's contact at the Land of Fire Metropolis black market.
• Xiaonan and Kakuzu left to report Hidan's death and Natsume's possible recruitment, while Mei Terumi thanked Natsume and agreed to serve as his maid in a couple of days.
• Natsume received 460 Destiny Points, then accepted Kurenai Yuhi's invitation to dinner at her home the following evening.
• Natsume visited the weakened Yugito Nii and suggested she act obediently so he might lower his guard and she could escape with Matatabi's help.
• Matatabi told Yugito that prolonged Chakra impacts could eventually weaken her seal, and Yugito agreed to obey Natsume's orders while searching for an opening.
• Natsume told Yugito to act like a cat and presented her with cat-themed clothes and accessories; she reluctantly took them and asked to bathe first.

Natsume toyed with Yugito Nii, visited Mikoto Uchiha, and arranged for a novel Tsunade liked to be adapted into a television series. The next morning, he headed to the Hokage Building with Kurenai Yuhi and learned that Orochimaru had sent Uzuki Yugao to retrieve research information.

• Natsume made Yugito Nii wear a catwoman outfit and act like a cat, then left her behind without going further.
• Natsume visited Mikoto Uchiha, who used Transformation Jutsu and Shadow Clone Technique to show him three versions of herself.
• Natsume discussed adapting Tsunade's favorite kind of novels into a television series and gave a novel to Kazahana Koyuki to have her production crew adapt.
• Natsume returned home, spent the night with Tsunade, and wondered whether Konan had returned to Amegakure to consult Nagato about inviting him to the Akatsuki Organization.
• Natsume met Kurenai Yuhi and Uzuki Yugao on the way to the Hokage Building and learned Orochimaru had sent Yugao to obtain information about cells and the human body.
• Kurenai Yuhi invited Natsume to dinner at her house that evening, and he agreed.

Natsume spent the day petting the Black Cat, sharing dinner with Kurenai Yuhi, and joining the Akatsuki Organization under the codename Santai. The chapter left him offering the Akatsuki a loan of up to one billion taels as Nagato considered the proposal.

• Natsume visited the Land of Waves, petted the Black Cat, and cooked her spicy fish for lunch.
• Kurenai Yuhi cooked dinner for Natsume, kissed him while he appeared asleep, and watched him leave without asking him to stay.
• Two days later, Natsume followed an Amegakure ninja and his students to a cave, where Konan introduced him to Deva Path Pain and gave him the Santai ring and a scroll for the Phantasm Body Technique.
• Konan assigned Natsume to partner with Kakuzu and asked him to help the Akatsuki Organization make money.
• Natsume offered the Akatsuki a loan of up to one billion taels, and Nagato agreed to consider borrowing.

Natsume arranged to discuss a ten-billion loan for the Akatsuki Organization with Uzumaki Ena, who proposed making the group work for the guild. After Natsume assigned Tayuya to feed his newly adopted black cat, she entered his courtyard and came face-to-face with it.

• Konan explained the Akatsuki Organization's purpose to Natsume, then Obito Uchiha appeared and objected to Natsume joining the group.
• Konan defended Pain's decision, and Natsume told her Obito was not the real Madara Uchiha before arranging to meet her in Kirigakure in a week about a guild loan.
• Natsume returned to the Land of Waves and reunited with Karin, Tayuya, and Uzumaki Ena at the Daimyo's Mansion.
• Natsume asked Uzumaki Ena whether the guild could lend ten billion to the Akatsuki Organization, and she suggested requiring treaties and having the group work for the guild.
• Natsume told Tayuya to feed his black cat, and she entered his courtyard and found the cat staring back at her.

Natsume visited Mei Terumi at the Mizukage Building with a necklace and made her wear a revealing maid outfit as she honored her promise. The chapter ended with Mei agreeing to continue serving him but warning him not to do anything too excessive because she was not ready.

• Natsume bought Mei Terumi an expensive cherry blossom necklace at the Thousand Sunny Jewelry Store and gave it to her at the Mizukage Building.
• Natsume reminded Mei Terumi of her promise and gave her a revealing maid outfit to wear.
• Mei Terumi changed into the outfit and reluctantly called Natsume “Master” after he invoked her promise and her credibility in the Thousand Sunny Merchant Guild.
• Natsume ordered Mei Terumi to pour his tea, caught her when she tried to punch him, and pulled her into his arms.
• Mei Terumi jumped away and protested, then admitted she would not give up but asked Natsume not to go too far because she was not ready.

Natsume visited Kirigakure to meet Konan and arrange a loan from the Thousand Sunny Merchant Guild to the Akatsuki Organization. After Mei Terumi shared an intimate moment with him, Konan agreed to serve as Uzumaki Ena’s bodyguard in exchange for a two-billion loan, making Natsume the Akatsuki Organization’s creditor.

• Mei Terumi prepared Zabuza Momochi to become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki while Natsume stayed with her at the Mizukage Office.
• Natsume kissed Mei Terumi, who responded eagerly before he left to handle his meeting with Konan.
• Uzumaki Ena asked Konan what collateral the Akatsuki Organization could offer for a two-billion loan, and Konan could only promise the organization’s power.
• Uzumaki Ena proposed hiring Konan as her bodyguard, and Konan agreed on the condition that she could return to the Akatsuki Organization when necessary.
• Uzumaki Ena and Konan signed the loan contract, making Natsume the Akatsuki Organization’s creditor, and Natsume gained one hundred Destiny Points.

Uzumaki Ena helped Kirigakure replace Karatachi Yagura as the Three-Tails’ Jinchuriki, while Natsume stayed with Mei Terumi after Yagura’s final meeting left her overwhelmed. Mei Terumi fell asleep in Natsume’s arms, exhausted from the pressure she had been carrying.

• Uzumaki Ena agreed to seal the Three-Tails in a new Jinchuriki after Natsume explained the task.
• Mei Terumi brought Natsume and Uzumaki Ena to Karatachi Yagura’s new location, where Zabuza Momochi and Haku joined them.
• Uzumaki Ena and the Kirigakure sealing and medical teams completed the Jinchuriki replacement smoothly.
• Mei Terumi went to see Karatachi Yagura one last time while Natsume and Uzumaki Ena returned to Kirigakure.
• Natsume stayed behind and comforted Mei Terumi at her home, where she fell asleep in his embrace.