Chapter Summaries

Karatachi Yagura pleaded with Hiruzen Sarutobi to persuade Yūske to accept a political marriage with Mei Terumi as part of Kirigakure’s peace efforts. Tsunade laughed off Yūske’s apology, but when he suggested wiping out Kirigakure, she agreed, leaving him unsure whether she was serious.

• Karatachi Yagura offered war reparations and an alliance with Konoha, then asked Hiruzen Sarutobi to persuade Yūske to accept the political marriage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to handle the matter, believing Yūske would be unlikely to defy him.
• Tsunade returned to her residence, where she found Yūske kneeling on a washboard and burst out laughing.
• Yūske apologized for the marriage proposal, and Tsunade teased him for leaving trivial affairs to Taichi and the others.
• Yūske proposed wiping out Kirigakure, and Tsunade said she thought that was a good idea.
• Yūske touched Tsunade’s forehead and asked whether she had woken up properly.

Yūske and Tsunade discussed Kirigakure’s proposed marriage alliance, while Hiruzen Sarutobi and Karatachi Yagura negotiated privately. On the battlefield, Rasa learned Konoha would send reinforcements and worried that Kirigakure’s alliance might leave Sunagakure at a disadvantage.

• Yūske suggested probing Kirigakure’s intentions before deciding whether to accept its proposal, and Tsunade warned him not to cause trouble.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi met Karatachi Yagura at his home, where Yagura said Kirigakure was seeking a way to survive and Hiruzen invited Kirigakure’s ninjas to be guests that night.
• Rasa returned to the battlefield and announced that Konoha would provide reinforcements, lifting Sunagakure’s morale.
• Rasa worried that Kirigakure’s marriage alliance with Konoha could leave Sunagakure behind, while Yashamaru and Chiyo discussed the risks of relying on Konoha.
• Chiyo told Rasa that Uchiha Fugaku had arrived at the battlefield, and Rasa ordered that he be brought in.

Konoha announced plans for a vast Commercial Street and residential district, drawing the other ninja villages toward Konoha as the wars paused. During a meeting, Yūske rejected proposals to weaken the Uchiha and Hyuga clans’ Security Force roles and approved Nara Shikamaru’s plan to keep the force in check.

• Konoha announced its Commercial Street, invited the leaders of the other great villages, and began recruiting businesses and residents for new developments.
• The Raikage and Tsuchikage set aside their wars and prepared to visit Konoha, while Rasa and Pakura also traveled there as the fighting between the villages ceased.
• Yūske listened as department heads debated the Security Force, including proposals to reduce the Uchiha and Hyuga clans’ management roles.
• Yūske argued for improving systems and management instead of weakening the clans, and Nara Shikamaru presented a plan to check the expanded Security Force.
• Yūske approved Nara Shikamaru’s plan and ordered that it be put into effect.

Yūske welcomed the Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage to Konoha alongside Karatachi Yagura and hosted them at a lavish restaurant. The Kage sat down to a banquet, and one of them asked Yūske about the unfamiliar dishes.

• The Kazekage, Tsuchikage, and Raikage arrived together at Konoha’s gates, where crowds gathered to watch.
• Yūske and Karatachi Yagura greeted the visiting Kage, and Rasa and Karatachi Yagura exchanged barbs before Ōnoki questioned Yūske’s reason for inviting them.
• Yūske postponed discussing business and led the Kage to a banquet, arranging separate accommodations for their guards.
• Ōnoki hesitated at the restaurant, but entered after Yūske challenged his reluctance.
• The Kage sat down to a lavish spread of unfamiliar dishes, and one of them asked Yūske what the food was.

Yūske hosted the Kage over a lavish meal and used the banquet to introduce Konoha’s Commercial Street and invite them to invest. After the meal, the Kage toured Konoha while Yūske kept the other matter behind his invitation secret.

• Yūske introduced the dishes and watched the Kage enjoy the meal, while Ōnoki and the Third Raikage competed over a goose leg and Rasa and Karatachi Yagura traded complaints.
• Yūske explained that the food was only part of his purpose and offered the Kage a chance to invest in the Commercial Street, with twenty storefronts already promised to Rasa and Karatachi Yagura.
• Ōnoki challenged Yūske’s unequal treatment, but Yūske said Rasa and Yagura were his friends and reminded the Third Raikage that he had chosen to become Konoha’s enemy.
• Yūske said he would show the Kage the Commercial Street but postponed explaining the other matter, then sent them to their lodgings after the meal.
• Yūske arranged for guides to show the visiting Kage around Konoha and kept Mei Terumi near him, uncertain whether she would become loyal to him.

Yūske made Mei Terumi a Konoha jonin and member of his Shadow Guard while leaving open the possibility that she could become Mizukage. He then told the Five Kage that Uchiha Madara had warned he would return in twenty years and linked Madara to the white creatures and Nohara Rin’s death.

• Yūske set terms for Mei Terumi’s life in Konoha and assigned her to the Shadow Guard.
• Yūske told Nara Haruna to have Yono and Reon show Mei Terumi the ropes.
• Yūske gathered the Five Kage and explained that Orochimaru had studied the white creature that impersonated Karatachi Yagura’s subordinate.
• Yūske said he had seen white creatures and a life-sustaining stone statue at Uchiha Madara’s base, and revealed Madara’s final words: “See you in twenty years!”
• Yūske connected his investigation into Madara to a missing Uchiha clansman and revealed that Hatake Kakashi had been controlled by genjutsu and killed Nohara Rin.

Yūske told the gathered Kage that Uchiha Madara had been revived and possessed the Rinnegan, prompting a heated argument with Ōnoki over Konoha’s war reparations. He explained that Madara had invited him to help create a world without conflict, then challenged the Kage to consider whether conflict was inevitable.

• Ōnoki mocked Yūske’s warning about Madara, and Yūske explained that Impure World Reincarnation could bring the dead back.
• Ōnoki accused Konoha of demanding excessive reparations, and Yūske blamed Iwagakure for starting the war before provoking Ōnoki to fight outside.
• Karatachi Yagura tried to calm the room, and the Third Raikage redirected the discussion to Impure World Reincarnation.
• Yūske revealed that Madara’s eyes were the Rinnegan and that the meteorite he summoned had been an ocular technique.
• Yūske told the Kage that Madara had twice invited him to help create an ideal world without conflict, then asked whether they believed conflict was unavoidable among people.

Yūske told the Five Kage that conflict could not be permanently eliminated and warned them about Uchiha Madara’s plans involving Uchiha Obito. He ended Konoha’s intervention in the war, and the fighting among Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure ceased.

• Ōnoki, Rasa, Karatachi Yagura, and the Third Raikage rejected Yūske’s idea that conflict could end, and Yūske explained why unification would bring only temporary peace.
• Yūske claimed Uchiha Madara had manipulated Uchiha Obito by arranging for his closest companion to kill the person Obito loved most, while keeping Nagato’s role secret.
• Yūske told the Kage he had sent searchers to find Uchiha Madara’s underground bases and urged them to prepare their villages for the threat.
• After the meeting, Yūske told Rasa he had honored his promise to help Sunagakure resist Kirigakure, while Karatachi Yagura remained silent.
• Yūske’s orders reached the front lines, ending the war among Konoha, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure.

Jiraiya infiltrated Amegakure to investigate Yahiko’s death and find Nagato and Konan, while Yūske learned of his departure and rushed after him. In the village, Jiraiya discovered that recent reforms had made daily life feel safer, but he had not yet learned who was behind them.

• Yūske found Jiraiya’s toad-covered letter at home, realized he had gone to Amegakure, and set out after him.
• Jiraiya entered Amegakure by crawling out of a toad and began searching for Nagato and Konan.
• Deva Path sensed a powerful intruder and told Konan that the chakra seemed familiar.
• Jiraiya questioned a dumpling-shop proprietress, who said Amegakure’s shinobi were clearing out troublemakers and villagers felt more peaceful.
• Jiraiya asked about Hanzo’s policies, but the proprietress said ordinary villagers knew little about their leader’s affairs.

Jiraiya entered Amegakure and discovered that the villagers lived peacefully under Nagato’s rule, while Nagato and Konan learned that he had infiltrated the village. Nagato and Konan faced the possibility of sending Jiraiya away or killing him, leaving Konan torn between him and Nagato.

• Amegakure’s landlady told Jiraiya that the leader’s tower protected the villagers and kept the country peaceful, leaving Jiraiya baffled by the change.
• Yūske recalled Hatake Sakumo and the Konoha force after Nagato awakened the Rinnegan, choosing to let Nagato develop while he considered how to handle him.
• Jiraiya sensed that ninja had surrounded him, left the landlady unharmed, and headed for a sparsely populated area to confront them.
• Konan spotted Jiraiya and returned to the tower to report his presence to Nagato.
• Uchiha Obito told Nagato that Jiraiya could become a threat, and Nagato admitted he could not yet bring himself to kill his former teacher.
• Nagato told Konan to see if they could send Jiraiya away, while Konan wept over the choice between him and Nagato.

Jiraiya captured two Amegakure shinobi and questioned them about their village and the Akatsuki Organization. After learning that Akatsuki had joined Amegakure under Hanzo, he decided to return to the village and ask Yūske to bring Nagato and Konan back.

• Jiraiya trapped himself and the two Amegakure shinobi inside a summoned frog and tried to interrogate them by tickling them.
• The Amegakure Chunin said Hanzo was the village's leader, but Jiraiya did not believe him and turned the other captive into a frog.
• The Chunin explained that Akatsuki had partnered with Hanzo and its members had become registered Amegakure ninja.
• Jiraiya considered whether to seek out Nagato, then decided to return to the village and ask Yūske to bring Nagato and Konan back.
• Jiraiya knocked out the Chunin and left Amegakure with the frog, intending to have the village verify the information.

After confirming that Nagato and Konan were alive, Jiraiya left Amegakure intending to ask Yūske to help bring them back. Obito intercepted him on the road, and their fight began with Jiraiya escaping the first attacks.

• Pain told Konan that Jiraiya had left, then sensed that Tobi was pursuing him.
• Jiraiya walked through the rain, considering how to persuade Yūske to help Nagato and the others.
• Obito confronted Jiraiya, revealed that he called himself Tobi or Uchiha Madara, and attacked to keep him from sharing what he knew.
• Jiraiya's Wild Lion's Mane Technique and Flame Bullet passed through Obito, whose Mangekyō ability made him intangible.
• Obito attacked with a scythe and chain, but Jiraiya blocked the chain with Needle Jizo and used Earth Release to move away.

Jiraiya fought Uchiha Obito and the White Zetsu in Amegakure as Yūske led Minato Namikaze, Hyuga Reon, and Mei Terumi toward the village. Konan and Animal Path Pain confronted Jiraiya, who recognized Nagato and wondered whether Yahiko’s death had driven them to this.

• Uchiha Obito attacked Jiraiya, who used Earth and Fire Release to fend off Obito and the White Zetsu.
• Yūske traveled toward Amegakure with Minato Namikaze, Hyuga Reon, and Mei Terumi, while Minato resolved to stop Obito if he attacked Jiraiya.
• Konan bound Uchiha Obito with paper and stabbed him, but her attack passed through his body.
• Jiraiya recognized Konan as his former student and urged her to leave, but she told him to pretend they were dead.
• Animal Path Pain arrived and told Uchiha Obito not to start a battle in Amegakure.
• Jiraiya recognized Nagato in Animal Path Pain and asked whether their actions were because of Yahiko.

Jiraiya confronted Nagato and Konan after learning that Hanzo was dead and that Nagato had adopted a plan to impose peace through overwhelming power. Jiraiya began preparing Sage Mode for their battle while Gamakichi agreed to protect him as he summoned the two sages of Mount Myōboku.

• Nagato blamed Konoha for Amegakure’s suffering, and Konan explained that Hanzo had driven Yahiko to his death.
• Nagato said he and Konan had saved Jiraiya only to repay their debt, then refused to return to Konoha.
• Jiraiya asked Nagato about his ideal, and Nagato declared that he would suppress the ninja world with absolute power so people would understand pain.
• Obito withdrew from sight while Konan flew toward the tower, leaving Jiraiya and Nagato to face each other.
• Nagato summoned a giant chameleon, and Jiraiya summoned Gamakichi, who accidentally jolted him off its head.
• Jiraiya began entering Sage Mode and asked Gamakichi to buy him time while he summoned the two sages of Mount Myōboku.

Jiraiya and Gamakichi struggled against Animal Path Pain’s summoned beasts, but the Hellhounds overwhelmed Gamakichi and forced him back to Mount Myōboku. There, the toads treated the dying Gamakichi and discovered that Fukasaku and Shima were missing.

• Jiraiya spread a sensory barrier after Pain’s chameleon swallowed Animal Path Pain and turned invisible.
• Animal Path Pain summoned a Three-Headed Hellhound, which split into three hounds and badly wounded Gamakichi before Jiraiya kicked one away.
• A giant bird attacked Gamakichi in midair, and its explosive eggs blasted Jiraiya as he fled.
• Hellhounds surrounded Gamakichi and pinned him down until his summoning was released and he returned to Mount Myōboku.
• Gama Bunta and Gama Hiroshi watched over the dying Gamakichi, while a toad reported that Fukasaku and Shima could not be found.

Jiraiya summoned Fukasaku and Shima to help him fight Animal Path Pain, revealing that his opponent was his student Nagato, whose parents had been killed by Konoha ninja. The sages located the hidden chameleon and destroyed it, but the fight continued.

• Jiraiya entered Sage Mode and summoned Fukasaku and Shima after the rhinoceros summon charged him.
• Jiraiya told the sages that Animal Path Pain was his former student and possessed the Rinnegan.
• Jiraiya explained that he wanted to bring Nagato back to Konoha, though Nagato was not a Konoha ninja and his parents had been killed by Konoha ninja.
• Shima used her biological sensing ability and Tongue Binding to find and reveal the chameleon concealing Animal Path Pain.
• Fukasaku sliced the chameleon in half with a powerful jet of water.

Jiraiya fought Nagato’s Pain bodies in Amegakure, discovering that Preta Path could absorb ninjutsu while Human Path and Animal Path countered his attacks. The battle continued as Jiraiya withdrew after Animal Path summoned a panda to block his Needle Jizo.

• Konan questioned Nagato’s choice to fight Jiraiya, and Nagato said he wanted to see his teacher’s undisplayed power.
• Animal Path summoned Human Path and Preta Path, and Jiraiya urged Nagato to return with him rather than let Uchiha Madara use him.
• Human Path attacked Jiraiya, who knocked him away and then used a Sage Art oil-and-fire attack that Preta Path absorbed.
• Jiraiya used Frog Kumite to strike Preta Path and concluded that it could absorb only ninjutsu.
• Fukasaku and Shima attacked the summoned beasts with Frog Song while Human Path attempted a sneak attack on Jiraiya.
• Jiraiya attacked Animal Path with Needle Jizo, but Animal Path summoned a panda to block the strike, forcing Jiraiya to retreat.

Jiraiya and the two sages realized Pain’s bodies wielded the Rinnegan and discussed using their song-based genjutsu against them. Yūske’s group rushed toward Jiraiya, while Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu watched Pain’s battle and questioned whether Nagato was holding back.

• Jiraiya told Fukasaku that Yūske believed Uchiha Madara had transplanted Nagato’s Rinnegan into him and might be planning to revive himself through Nagato.
• Fukasaku and Shima determined that Pain’s bodies each used a different category of ninjutsu, and Jiraiya confirmed that none of them resembled his disciple Nagato.
• Hyuga Reon sensed Jiraiya’s battle, and Minato used Flying Thunder God to rush toward him with Yūske’s approval.
• Fukasaku proposed using genjutsu, and Shima reluctantly agreed to perform the sages’ song-based technique with him.
• Uchiha Obito asked Black Zetsu whether Nagato was holding back, and Black Zetsu called Nagato immature compared with Madara.

Black Zetsu and Obito tried to keep Nagato’s secret safe as Jiraiya defeated three Pain bodies, but Nagato’s Rinnegan acted up and the Six Paths of Pain confronted Jiraiya and Minato. Jiraiya recognized the face of Yahiko among them, despite believing Yahiko had died.

• Black Zetsu worried that Nagato was becoming unstable, while Tobi reported seeing Watanabe Yūske; Obito and Black Zetsu decided to control Nagato, kill Jiraiya, and retreat.
• Nagato told Konan that Jiraiya had defeated three puppets, then clutched his eyes in pain as his Rinnegan surged.
• Jiraiya defeated the three puppets with help from Fukasaku and Shima, but Deva Path Pain ambushed him.
• Minato Namikaze arrived and blocked Pain’s attack with a Rasengan before Pain repelled them both with Shinra Tensei.
• The Six Paths of Pain appeared, and Jiraiya recognized Yahiko’s face among them.

Yūske arrived to face Nagato’s Six Paths of Pain and Uchiha Obito, while Jiraiya and the others fought to survive. He sent Minato, Jiraiya, and Hyuga Reon to locate Nagato’s real body, leaving himself and Mei Terumi to confront their enemies.

• Jiraiya recognized Yahiko’s face in Deva Path Pain and accused Nagato of turning Yahiko’s corpse into a puppet, prompting Pain to angrily recall Yahiko’s death and Jiraiya’s absence.
• Minato defended Jiraiya, but Deva Path Pain attacked; Hyuga Reon and Mei Terumi intervened, and Pain used Banshō Ten'in to pull Reon toward him.
• Yūske descended and protected the group from Asura Pain’s bombs with the Shield of White Threads as Uchiha Obito appeared beside the Six Pains.
• Yūske told Minato to take Jiraiya and Reon to find Nagato’s real body, while he stayed to face Obito; Minato teleported away with them.
• Animal Path Pain summoned three beasts, and Yūske trapped them with his threads before asking Mei Terumi whether she was afraid to face the enemy with him.