Chapter Summaries

Watanabe Yūske confronted Nagato, Uchiha Obito, and Black Zetsu after locating them, fought the Pain puppets, and let Obito escape with two of them. He returned to find Kakuzu subdued and began breaking down Kakuzu’s will.

• Yūske arrived and dodged the Asura Path’s missiles by teleporting beside Uchiha Obito.
• Yūske challenged Obito’s belief in absolute power and urged Nagato to reject Black Zetsu’s influence.
• Nagato ordered the Pains to attack, and Yūske pierced Animal Path Pain with a black spear.
• Obito grabbed the two remaining Pain puppets and escaped, while Yūske let them go and vanished.
• Yūske returned to Kakuzu, refused his offer of money, and used threads to inflict pain and break down his will.

Yūske delayed returning to Konoha while his party prepared to seize Kakuzu’s fortune, unaware that Aburame Shiho had gone into early labor. The chapter ended with Shiho in the delivery room and Shibi Aburame anxiously awaiting the medical ninja.

• Shisui Uchiha used his Sharingan genjutsu to control Kakuzu while Yūske persuaded most of the group to retrieve Kakuzu’s money for Konoha.
• Yūske’s companions set out for Kakuzu’s hometown, while Mizuki Yuki, Hyuga Reon, and Mei Terumi recognized that he was delaying his return until Shiho neared childbirth.
• Shibi Aburame brought Shiho to the Aburame Clan Grounds, where the Senju Clan stationed elite ninja to protect her.
• An Anbu informed Tsunade that Shiho had gone into early labor, and Tsunade ordered medical ninja skilled in obstetrics to the clan grounds.
• Shibi Aburame paced outside the delivery room, fearing for Shiho and the consequences if anything happened to her.

Yūske and his companions raided Kakuzu’s hidden base, seized his accumulated wealth, and let Sarutobi Asuma avenge his brother by killing him. Afterward, the group set off back to the village.

• Shisui Uchiha controlled Kakuzu and led Yūske’s group through the seals guarding his underground hideout in the Land of Fields.
• Yūske offered his companions a share of Kakuzu’s treasure, then ordered them to carry away everything in the base.
• Yūske told Shisui Uchiha to release his genjutsu and gave Sarutobi Asuma the chance to take revenge on Kakuzu.
• Sarutobi Asuma killed Kakuzu with his chakra blade, avenging his brother Shinnosuke Sarutobi.
• Yūske refused Asuma a cigarette while smoking one himself, and the group began their journey back to the village.

Yūske returned to Konoha and learned that Shiho had given birth to a daughter. As he discussed the village’s growing power with Hiruzen Sarutobi, Asuma arrived home with Kurenai and faced suspicion from Shinku over his explanation about bathing.

• Yūske returned to Konoha, where a guard congratulated him and told him to hurry home.
• Yūske found Shiho with their newborn daughter and greeted the familiar visitors gathered around her.
• Yūske told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Konoha had signed a peace treaty with Kumogakure and discussed Iwagakure’s likely response.
• Yūske said Asuma spent his time following Kurenai, prompting Hiruzen Sarutobi to reflect on his younger son’s romantic nature.
• Asuma sneezed while explaining to Kurenai that he had bathed in a river after getting covered in grime and blood.
• Shinku confronted Asuma about his bathing story, and Asuma nervously explained that he had gotten dirty on the way back.

Yūske missed Commercial Street’s opening ceremony to stay with Tsunade during the birth of their child, then joined Orochimaru and injected himself with a mysterious liquid as Orochimaru began his defection. Hiruzen Sarutobi later tried to meet Yūske, unaware that Yunō Uchiha had concealed Orochimaru’s escape and the secret deal.

• Yūske stayed home when Tsunade went into labor, then arrived at Commercial Street’s opening ceremony after Hiruzen Sarutobi had taken his place on stage.
• Orochimaru told Yūske that his teacher had been secretly investigating him and handed him a test tube and syringes as they prepared to act.
• Yūske injected the mysterious liquid into his arm, and Orochimaru vanished using a ninja technique as his defection began.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Orochimaru’s laboratory contained horrifying experiments and a captive boy, but he avoided confronting the people there because Yūske’s people were involved.
• Yunō Uchiha blocked Hiruzen Sarutobi from entering Yūske’s room, then knocked to announce him while Yūske was supposedly meeting Orochimaru.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s ninja discovered that Orochimaru had fled after apparently attacking Yūske, who remained alive but comatose and was being kept under guard. When Orochimaru’s trail led toward the Land of Earth, Hiruzen ordered a pursuit force to mobilize, leaving Yūske’s condition and Orochimaru’s motives unresolved.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi found Yūske unconscious beside a syringe while Orochimaru had vanished, and Yūske’s String Style kept others from reaching him.
• Uchiha Fugaku and the other leaders ordered ninja, including Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, to search for Orochimaru while Konoha concealed Yūske’s condition.
• Jiraiya and Minato found Orochimaru’s laboratory shut down and its personnel detained, including Yakushi Nonō.
• Hiruzen and Jiraiya questioned a frightened child who had survived in the laboratory, but the child would not speak.
• A pursuit squad reported Orochimaru was fleeing toward the Land of Earth, so Hiruzen ordered Minato to lead a thousand ninja while he and Jiraiya went ahead.
• Hiruzen angrily rebuked Jiraiya for focusing on Orochimaru rather than Yūske, who had once traveled to the Land of Rain to save him.

As Yūske’s body struggled to fuse Sage Power with the Devil Fruit’s power, his consciousness met Demon inside the Demon Castle and learned he would remain unconscious while the energy was absorbed. Demon helped Yūske briefly control his String-String abilities to reassure the people around him, though their meeting might be their last.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya left Orochimaru’s laboratory and led several shinobi squads in pursuit of Orochimaru.
• Yūske regained awareness inside the Demon Castle while Sage Power and the Devil Fruit’s power clashed inside his body.
• Yūske questioned Demon about the Sage Power, and Demon confirmed that he had sensed someone coveting the world.
• Demon explained that he could help manage the Sage Power, but Yūske’s body would need time to fuse with it and his brain would soon fall dormant.
• Demon used threads to let Yūske briefly control his String-String abilities, and Yūske sent a thread from his hand as the people nearby watched.

Yūske resigned as Fourth Hokage while unconscious and recommended Tsunade as his successor, prompting Konoha’s leaders to rally behind her. Meanwhile, Orochimaru lured Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya into a confrontation and summoned Manda as the battle began.

• Yūske’s threads wrote that Orochimaru’s drug had fused with his Kekkei Genkai, announced his resignation, recommended Tsunade as Fifth Hokage, and then left him unconscious again.
• Uchiha Fugaku, Senju Taichi, and other clan representatives supported Tsunade’s succession and discussed how to preserve Konoha’s stability.
• Orochimaru slowed down near the Land of Earth, left a blood trail, and hid to lure his pursuers and potentially involve Ōnoki.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and their fellow ninja found Orochimaru, and Hiruzen demanded to know why he had attacked Yūske.
• Orochimaru taunted Hiruzen, denied that Yūske had participated in his experiments, and summoned Manda.

Orochimaru summoned Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju with Impure World Reincarnation during his battle with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya. As Orochimaru took control of the former Hokage, Hiruzen faced them while Jiraiya rushed to engage Orochimaru.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya summoned Enma and Gama Bunta to fight Orochimaru, Manda, and the pursuing Konoha ninja.
• Gama Bunta and Manda clashed, and Hiruzen struck Manda with the Adamantine Staff after Manda attacked from underground.
• Orochimaru used Impure World Reincarnation to summon Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, and Hiruzen recognized the technique as a forbidden jutsu likely given to Orochimaru by Shimura Danzō.
• Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju learned that Hiruzen had stepped down and that Konoha was on its Fourth Hokage, while Orochimaru controlled their bodies.
• Hiruzen told Jiraiya to keep Orochimaru occupied as he faced the former Hokage, and Jiraiya raced toward Orochimaru.

Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, controlled by Orochimaru, fought Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi while Hashirama asked after Tsunade. Hiruzen and Enma created an opening for Jiraiya to go after Orochimaru.

• Hashirama Senju questioned Jiraiya about Tsunade and her child while continuing to attack him.
• Orochimaru tried to stop Hashirama from pausing the fight, and Tobirama Senju used Water Style to counter Jiraiya's Great Fireball.
• Tobirama Senju and Hiruzen Sarutobi exchanged attacks as Hashirama Senju repeatedly struck Jiraiya and asked about Tsunade.
• Hashirama Senju unleashed Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, forcing Jiraiya to flee through the growing forest.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi called Enma over, and Enma cut through the trees so Jiraiya could go after Orochimaru.

Orochimaru fought Jiraiya while deliberately revealing weaknesses, and Tsunade learned that Yūske was unconscious after Orochimaru’s attack. After examining him and hearing that his chakra was tangled with two forces, Tsunade agreed to become the temporary Fifth Hokage until Yūske woke up.

• Orochimaru fought Jiraiya with Wind Style and a barrage of shadow-cloned shuriken, while deliberately exposing flaws in his plans.
• After two days without seeing Yūske, Tsunade learned from Senju Taichi, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, and Nara Shikamaru that Yūske was unconscious.
• Tsunade found Yūske and read the message he had left, learning that Orochimaru had attacked him and that a syringe had been found nearby.
• Tsunade suspected Orochimaru had used the medicine he was developing to catch Yūske off guard, and Hyuga Hiashi reported that Yūske’s chakra was completely chaotic.
• Senju Taichi, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, and Nara Shikamaru asked Tsunade to become the Fifth Hokage, and she accepted temporarily until Yūske woke up.

Tsunade and the Konoha leaders agreed to claim that Yūske had gone to Shikkotsu Forest for secluded training while they investigated Orochimaru's drug and concealed the Fourth Hokage's condition. Meanwhile, Jiraiya confronted Orochimaru, learned he had used Yūske as experimental material, and entered Sage Mode to pursue him.

• Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Fugaku, and Hyuga Hiashi persuaded Tsunade to announce that Yūske had left for secluded training to keep other nations from exploiting his condition.
• Tsunade ordered tests to identify Orochimaru's drug and agreed to return to bring the Fourth Hokage home.
• Jiraiya demanded to know why Orochimaru had targeted Yūske, and Orochimaru explained that he had given him a Sage Body that might destroy him if he could not withstand it.
• Orochimaru admitted that he had treated Yūske as experimental material, then suddenly attacked Jiraiya.
• Jiraiya summoned Fukasaku and Shima and entered Sage Mode, while Manda dismissed his summoning and left Orochimaru falling.
• Shima sensed Orochimaru's location and pointed the way.

Hashirama Senju learned about Yūske’s achievements and asked Hiruzen Sarutobi to destroy his reanimated body, then unleashed the Wood Golem Technique. Meanwhile, Jiraiya fought Orochimaru, who appeared to be decapitated after stabbing Jiraiya in the shoulder, but Jiraiya doubted the fight had ended so easily.

• Hashirama Senju asked Hiruzen Sarutobi about Yūske, learned he was the Ninja God who had killed Uchiha Madara, and asked Hiruzen to destroy his body.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to restrain Hashirama Senju with Enma, but Hashirama broke free using the Wood Golem Technique.
• Jiraiya struck Orochimaru with Frog Kumite and attacked him with the Rasengan and Sage Art: Big Ball Rasengan as Orochimaru countered with venom and summoned snakes.
• Orochimaru emerged from the ground with a sword in his mouth and pierced Jiraiya’s shoulder, but Shima caught Orochimaru and Fukasaku severed his head.
• Jiraiya got back to his feet with a bleeding shoulder and questioned whether Orochimaru had really been defeated.

Hiruzen Sarutobi defeated Hashirama Senju’s Wood Human and found Orochimaru dead, then went to confront Iwagakure and demand a meeting with Ōnoki. Back in Konoha, Tsunade told the village leaders that Yūske had entered seclusion and stepped down as Fourth Hokage, while the reason for Hiruzen’s mobilization toward the Land of Earth remained under discussion.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Five Releases: Great Bullet Technique to defeat Hashirama Senju’s Wood Human, and Hashirama recognized that Orochimaru had likely been killed.
• Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze brought Orochimaru’s body to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who confirmed Orochimaru was dead and noticed Jiraiya’s poisoned shoulder.
• After sensing Iwagakure forces near the border, Hiruzen Sarutobi left Jiraiya and Minato to return to Konoha and demanded that the Stone Ninja summon Ōnoki for a meeting.
• Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze returned to Konoha and joined an emergency meeting as the village wondered why more than a thousand ninja had been mobilized toward the Land of Earth.
• Tsunade told the assembled leaders that Yūske had gone to Shikkotsu Forest for cultivation, entered uncertain-length seclusion, and stepped down as Fourth Hokage.

Tsunade was unanimously approved as Konoha’s Fifth Hokage, then learned that Orochimaru had injected Yūsuke with Sage Power to use him as a test subject. With Yūsuke asleep and his recovery uncertain, Tsunade and Jiraiya prepared to train his disciples.

• Jiraiya told the meeting that Orochimaru had defected and died by his hand, while the Third Hokage waited at the Land of Earth border for Ōnoki’s response.
• Tsunade nominated herself as Fifth Hokage, and Konoha’s clans approved her appointment without opposition.
• Tsunade dismissed most of the meeting and asked Jiraiya to summon Orochimaru’s corpse, confirming that he was dead despite doubts about how easily he had been killed.
• Jiraiya revealed that Orochimaru had injected Yūsuke with Sage Power, hoping to make him a test subject, and Tsunade smashed a hole in the meeting room wall in anger.
• Tsunade told Jiraiya that Yūsuke was asleep and ordered him and herself to train Shisui Uchiha, Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka.

Konoha announced that Yūske had stepped down as Fourth Hokage to train in seclusion and that Tsunade would succeed him. Tsunade’s inauguration went ahead without Yūske, while other villages watched Konoha cautiously and Uchiha Obito and Pain planned to investigate whether Yūske was truly absent.

• Konoha announced Yūske’s resignation and Tsunade’s succession, then invited the leaders of the great shinobi villages and Amegakure to her inauguration.
• Ōnoki agreed to attend and investigate the clues surrounding Orochimaru, while suspecting that Yūske might have been badly injured.
• Black Zetsu told Uchiha Obito and Pain that White Zetsu could not enter Konoha, so Obito proposed sending in a seemingly ordinary spy.
• Pain ordered the group to confirm Yūske’s condition before attacking Konoha and seizing the Nine-Tails.
• A month later, Tsunade’s inauguration took place without Yūske, and the visiting leaders avoided provoking Konoha despite his absence.
• After the ceremony, Tsunade returned to the Senju Clan Compound, where Yūske’s family and the clan’s carefully funded security arrangements remained.

Two years after Tsunade became Fifth Hokage, Konoha prospered and rebuilt its leadership while Yūske remained in a coma. With Kushina nearing childbirth and the village fearing attacks from Uchiha Obito and Nagato, Konoha kept her under heavy guard and hoped Yūske would wake.

• Konoha expanded Commercial Street into eastern and western districts, where several shinobi clans relocated under Hyuga Hiashi’s authority.
• Tsunade appointed Shimura Maki to reorganize the Shimura Clan and later serve in the Konoha Security Department, while Gekko Yoru returned as Anbu deputy director.
• Tsunade spent her free time with her two-year-old son, Watanabe Yūto, and continued believing Yūske would awaken.
• Minato Namikaze and Kushina married after Kushina became pregnant, then moved into Jiraiya’s home with Konan for protection.
• Orochimaru took responsibility for creating a replacement body for Yahiko, and Konan continued managing Commercial Street while meeting Yahiko every three months.
• As Kushina’s delivery approached, Konoha surrounded Jiraiya’s residence with ninja and heightened its defenses amid signs that other villages were testing whether Yūske had died.

As Kushina went into labor, Minato and Konoha’s defenders prepared for danger. Nagato and Uchiha Obito launched an invasion, aiming to abduct the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and destroy Konoha; Animal Path Pain was discovered near Jiraiya’s residence.

• Kushina went into labor, and Minato escorted her into the house while Jiraiya, Tsunade, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and other ninja guarded the residence.
• Nagato and Uchiha Obito approached Konoha on a Yata Mirror with the Six Paths of Pain and planned to use White Zetsu’s infiltration as a distraction.
• Deva Path Pain ordered the Six Paths to spread through Konoha and destroy it while the invasion created an opportunity to abduct Kushina.
• Konoha’s barrier squad detected White Zetsu infiltrators across the eastern and western districts and sent ninja to respond.
• Animal Path Pain infiltrated from the sky toward Jiraiya’s residence but was immediately detected by its guards.

Pain’s invasion spread across Konoha as the village mobilized to fight the Six Paths and their summons. Tsunade dispatched Katsuyu to heal the wounded, while a dark-skinned man descended near her and Hiruzen.

• Animal Path Pain summoned the other five Pains, and they scattered through Konoha to attack.
• The Pains’ summoned creatures and attacks damaged the village, while Preta Path Pain absorbed a Fire Release attack and killed Security Force ninjas.
• Hiruzen learned that seven invaders had breached the barrier and that the number of enemies had grown after Animal Path summoned five more.
• Jiraiya entered Sage Mode and, with Konan, went to confront the attackers; Fukasaku and Shima sent three toads to stop the rampaging summons.
• Hatake Sakumo, Kakashi, the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans, and other Konoha shinobi mobilized to meet the enemy, while Shisui and Itachi guarded the Uchiha grounds.
• Tsunade summoned Katsuyu to treat the wounded and said the Senju Clan was guarding its grounds, just as a dark-skinned man descended from the sky.

Deva Path Pain attacked Konoha while Kushina was giving birth, but Minato’s attempt to strike him was interrupted when Obito appeared. Elsewhere, Konan tried to awaken Nagato through Human Path Pain, but the controlled body attacked her, leaving their confrontation ongoing.

• Deva Path Pain arrived at Kushina’s room and attacked Tsunade and the others, but Enma protected the room with an Adamantine Sealing Wall.
• Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique to attack Deva Path Pain, but Uchiha Obito absorbed Pain and released him elsewhere.
• Uchiha Obito greeted Minato and asked whether the child had been born safely.
• Konan restrained Human Path Pain and urged Nagato to wake up, telling him Yahiko was alive and working for peace in Konoha.
• Human Path Pain attacked Konan, who fought back with paper clones, but Asura Pain joined in and fired a laser cannon at her.