Chapter Summaries

After the Fourth Mizukage was found dead, Genji took charge of Kirigakure and sought Konoha’s help investigating the Akatsuki Organization. Mei Terumi’s father later joined the family for dinner and asked Yūske who had killed the Mizukage.

• Genji ordered Kirigakure placed on high alert after learning that the Fourth Mizukage had fallen.
• An explosion interrupted the mourning, and an Anbu reported that Mizukawa’s body had been stolen while its guards were comatose.
• Genji declared that he would act as Mizukage, ordered Kirigakure to send Konoha a full report, and learned that Ryōhei had been controlled by genjutsu.
• Genji asked Mei Terumi’s father to negotiate with Konoha, and he agreed to set aside his past grievances.
• At dinner, Mei Terumi’s father asked Yūske how he had faked his death, then asked who had killed the Fourth Mizukage.

Yūske persuaded Mei Terumi’s father to seek the position of Fifth Mizukage and promised to support his campaign. Afterward, Yūske and Mei Terumi decided to leave Kirigakure together, and the chapter ended with them sharing an intimate moment.

• Yūske explained that the Akatsuki Organization had framed him and suggested that Kirigakure begin choosing the Fifth Mizukage.
• Yūske offered to use his influence in the Land of Water and his support to help Mei Terumi’s father become a candidate.
• Mei Terumi urged her father to trust Yūske, and her father agreed to seek the position of Fifth Mizukage.
• Yūske promised to alert his people in the Land of Water to prepare for the campaign.
• Yūske asked Mei Terumi whether she would stay in Kirigakure or leave with him, and she chose to go with him.
• Yūske and Mei Terumi shared an intimate moment in her room.

Yūske visited the Kaguya Clan to find a suitable young disciple and discovered that four-year-old Kimimaro had been locked in the dungeon because he could not control his power. After meeting Kimimaro, Yūske asked him whether he thought life had meaning, leaving the boy unable to answer.

• Sen Taku continued managing Yūske's forces in the Land of Water and maintained the Daimyo's trust.
• Yūske said goodbye to Mei Terumi's Parents, promised to treat Mei Terumi well, and returned to the Kaguya Clan's territory.
• Yūske asked to see the clan's youths, and the Kaguya Clan Head revealed that Kimimaro was confined in the dungeon.
• The Kaguya Clan members brought Kimimaro out, and the other boys recoiled in fear when they saw him.
• Yūske approached Kimimaro and asked whether living had meaning, but Kimimaro remained silent.

Yūske chose Kimimaro as his disciple and prepared to take him from the Kaguya Clan to Konoha. Yūske, Mei Terumi, and Kimimaro then traveled toward Mount Rishiri, where Kojiro and the others awaited their arrival.

• Yūske invited Kimimaro to leave with him, and Kimimaro grabbed his clothes and agreed to go to Konoha.
• Yūske declared Kimimaro his disciple, while Mei Terumi and the Kaguya Clan Head helped arrange the boy’s departure.
• Yūske left the clan grounds with Mei Terumi and Kimimaro, introducing Kimimaro to the people he had brought to the Land of Water.
• Yūske announced that their next destination was Mount Rishiri, where Orochimaru’s hidden base was under Kabuto Yakushi’s nominal supervision.
• Kojiro and Sen Taku managed intelligence and internal affairs at the stronghold as Kojiro led everyone in waiting for Yūske’s arrival.

Yūske reunited with Orochimaru at his secret laboratory to inspect three experimental subjects that might help restore his parents. He agreed to give Orochimaru a vial of blood and asked him to record the subjects’ physical conditions as they began the examination.

• Kabuto Yakushi told Orochimaru that Yūske had arrived at Mount Rishiri, and Orochimaru sent him to bring Yūske to the laboratory.
• Yūske told Kojiro to prepare a banquet and sent his companions to the stronghold before meeting Kabuto privately.
• Yūske and Orochimaru discussed Yūske’s Sage Power and the three experimental subjects Orochimaru had kept alive.
• Orochimaru warned Yūske against letting emotions become a weakness, and Yūske reminded him that he could not escape human emotions.
• Yūske agreed to provide Orochimaru with a vial of blood, then asked him to record the experimental subjects’ physical conditions.

Yūske celebrated after reviving one person and tasked Orochimaru with monitoring the survivor in exchange for blood samples. As Konoha’s rivals reacted to its recent attack, the Fourth Raikage decided to visit Konoha and apologize, while Rasa remained anxious about Sunagakure’s crises.

• Yūske asked Orochimaru to keep detailed records of the revived person’s condition for two years and offered blood samples as payment.
• Yūske told Mei Terumi he would remain until her father-in-law became Fifth Mizukage, while noting that Sen Taku had delivered his letter to the Land of Water’s daimyo.
• The Fourth Raikage received photographs concerning his father’s death and ordered preparations for a personal visit to Konoha with apology gifts.
• Ōnoki dismissed the likelihood that Yūske would start a war over the conflict and refused to send gifts or admit defeat.
• Rasa worried over Gaara becoming Shukaku’s jinchūriki, opposition from Pakura’s faction, and the possibility of provoking Yūske.

After Mei Terumi became Kirigakure’s Fifth Mizukage, Yūske returned to Konoha and was pressed by Tsunade to take over the Hokage’s duties. He let A and Rasa into the village for a meeting, while Ōnoki was also on his way to Konoha.

• Genji appointed Mei Terumi’s father as Kirigakure’s Fifth Mizukage, and Yūske returned to Konoha with Mei to congratulate him before going home half a month later.
• Yūske found A and Rasa waiting outside Konoha, and Tsunade made him handle the Hokage’s duties for six months.
• Yūske told Tsunade that Orochimaru had injected him with Hashirama Senju’s cells, giving him Sage Chakra with strong healing and combat properties.
• Tsunade left Yūske in charge as Hokage, and he ordered Shikamaru to let A and Rasa into Konoha for a meeting.
• Yūske agreed to receive only A and Rasa, while their companions and the compensation supplies remained outside the village.

Yūske rejected A and Rasa’s initial apologies and compensation, threatening war unless they helped Konoha. He then proposed a Five Kage Summit to eliminate the enemy organization in the shadows, and both leaders agreed to support him.

• A and Rasa apologized to Yūske and offered compensation and a public pledge of friendly relations, but Yūske demanded that they seek forgiveness from the shinobi they had harmed.
• When A warned that Konoha could not afford to fight three villages while facing a mysterious organization, Yūske threatened to declare war on Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure.
• A asked what Konoha wanted, and Rasa admitted Sunagakure might not be able to help much and that Ōnoki had driven the conflict to plunder resources.
• Yūske proposed a Five Kage Summit to wipe out the enemy in the shadows, and A and Rasa agreed to support it.
• Yūske said Iwagakure could be excluded or replaced by Amegakure if Ōnoki refused, and warned A and Rasa they would face consequences if they failed to contribute.

Yūske told A that Kumogakure shinobi had taken part in the attack on Konoha and promised to explain the organization behind it at the Five Kage Summit. As Obito reconsidered his plans, White Zetsu attacked Shisui Uchiha and his team on a mission outside Konoha.

• A asked Yūske to hand over the Kumogakure shinobi shown in the photos, and Yūske revealed that some had attacked Konoha.
• Yūske told A he would explain the attackers and the organization at the Five Kage Summit, while Rasa listened.
• Obito doubted whether Yūske had uncovered his schemes, and Black Zetsu considered delaying the Tailed Beast plan because the Three-Tails was sealed inside Yūske.
• White Zetsu reported that several ninja villages might unite against them, and Obito decided to contact Black Zetsu about Nagato and the Rinnegan.
• Shisui Uchiha and other Uchiha clansmen encountered White Zetsu outside Konoha, and the attackers overwhelmed them with their Spore Technique.

Uchiha Obito captured Shisui Uchiha and stayed behind to confront Hatake Kakashi, who arrived with his squad. Their battle ended with Obito still committed to destroying the world so he could live with Rin.

• Uchiha Obito struck Shisui Uchiha through the chest and left him unconscious for an experiment.
• Black Zetsu warned Obito that Hatake Kakashi was approaching, but Obito refused to retreat.
• Hatake Kakashi arrived with his squad, and an Inuzuka ninja discovered that Shisui's scent had vanished.
• Kakashi's squad attacked Obito, who evaded their assaults with Kamui and countered with Wood Release.
• Kakashi urged Obito to recognize Uchiha Madara's scheme, but Obito said he knew the truth and still planned to create a world where Rin could live with him.

Uchiha Obito abducted Shisui, prompting Yūske to organize a search operation and investigate the battle site. There, Yūske told Kakashi that Obito’s space-time ninjutsu came from the Sharingan and asked him to remove the eye.

• Uchiha Gen and Kakashi reported that Uchiha Obito had taken Shisui and escaped.
• Yūske summoned Uchiha Fugaku, Minato Namikaze, and Shikaku Nara, then ordered Fugaku and Minato to lead twelve squads in a search.
• Kakashi asked to join Yūske, who let Minato decide and instructed the group to send him intelligence while he attended the Five Kage Summit.
• Yūske went with Kakashi to the battle site and used the Three-Tails’ chakra to search for clues.
• Yūske told Kakashi that his Sharingan and Obito’s were a pair, warned that Obito might grow stronger if he recovered it, and asked Kakashi to take it out.

Yūske prepared for the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron, where he intended to establish the Ninja Alliance, while Konoha searched for the abducted Shisui. He arrived with Mei Terumi and Hyuga Reon the night before the summit and reunited Mei with her father.

• Kakashi promised Yūske that he would destroy his Sharingan if he could not protect it, and Yūske found no trace of Shisui underground.
• Uchiha Fugaku led a search party out of Konoha, while Minato Namikaze joined the effort to find Shisui and confront Uchiha Obito.
• Yūske chose the Land of Iron for the Five Kage Summit and planned to establish the Ninja Alliance, with Sunagakure likely needing financial assistance.
• Rasa, Pakura, and Yashamaru traveled to the summit, and the Fifth Mizukage and A also departed early.
• Yūske arrived in the Land of Iron with Mei Terumi and Hyuga Reon the night before the summit, where Mei reunited with her father.

Yūske attended the Five Kage Summit, where the leaders began by trading insults before turning to the Fourth Mizukage’s death and the threat behind Konoha’s near-destruction. Yūske started explaining how the enemy had attacked Konoha, leaving the details of the incident still to be revealed.

• Yūske arrived at the summit with Mei Terumi and Hyuga Reon and took the seat marked with Konoha’s emblem.
• Ōnoki mocked Yūske and Rasa, while Rasa and A exchanged barbs with Ōnoki over Sunagakure’s ties to Konoha and his failed apology.
• Mifune called the summit to order and urged the Kage to focus on the meeting’s subject.
• The Fifth Mizukage said Karatachi Yagura had been controlled by genjutsu, used to implement policies, and killed after his usefulness was exhausted.
• Yūske identified the suspect as a culprit behind Konoha’s near-destruction, then told the Kage that the attacker had used genjutsu to release the Nine-Tails from its Jinchuriki during childbirth.

Yūske explained that the Third Raikage's Shadow Guard had been turned into puppets by Uchiha Madara and urged the leaders to form a Ninja Alliance against the Akatsuki Organization. The Fifth Mizukage, Rasa, and the Fourth Raikage A agreed to join, leaving only Ōnoki undecided.

• Yūske told the Fourth Raikage A and Rasa that the Third Raikage's Shadow Guard had died long ago and been made into puppets.
• Ōnoki mocked Rasa, then clashed verbally with the Fourth Raikage A until Yūske called for an intermission.
• Yūske explained that Uchiha Madara had used the Rinnegan to manipulate the Shadow Guard and proposed a Ninja Alliance to destroy the Akatsuki Organization.
• Ōnoki questioned Yūske's motives and refused to commit, while the Fifth Mizukage and Rasa agreed to send troops.
• The Fourth Raikage A agreed to join the campaign after Yūske confirmed the truth about the Third Raikage's Shadow Guard.

Yūske used Yahiko’s account to explain Nagato’s past and the origins of Akatsuki to the Kage. The chapter ended with Yūske revealing that the giant Nagato summoned was the Ten-Tails’ shell, from which the Sage of Six Paths had created the nine tailed beasts.

• Yūske and the Five Kage agreed to work together to destroy Akatsuki, with Konoha sharing intelligence about the organization.
• A samurai announced that Amegakure’s leader was requesting an audience, and Yūske invited Yahiko into the summit.
• Yahiko recounted his history with Nagato, including their childhood in the Land of Rain and how Nagato killed him after abandoning his original intentions.
• Yahiko revealed that the Fourth Hokage had revived him with Impure World Reincarnation, shocking the Kage.
• Yūske explained that the Ten-Tails had once been a single beast and that the giant Nagato summoned was its shell.

Yūske led the Five Kage in arranging a joint search for the Akatsuki Organization, with each village contributing shinobi and supplies. Rasa negotiated a smaller force for Sunagakure, while the Fourth Raikage A took charge of the plan, leaving Ōnoki furious at being cut out of the decision.

• Ōnoki questioned Yūske's information about the Senju and Uchiha clans, and Yūske explained that he had shared it to clarify his intelligence and redirected the meeting to the Akatsuki Organization.
• Yūske proposed that each village send five hundred shinobi to search for the Akatsuki Organization's base, but Rasa said Sunagakure could not spare that many because its shinobi were mining ore for Konoha.
• Yūske claimed Konoha had exhausted its savings compensating civilians, and Rasa agreed to send two hundred elite shinobi instead.
• The Fourth Raikage A proposed dispersing the forces under unified command, and Yūske agreed to the arrangement.
• The villages assigned supplies: Kumogakure would provide half, Konoha would provide food, Sunagakure would provide ore, Kirigakure would fund shinobi tools, and Iwagakure would transport supplies.
• The Fourth Raikage A declared the plan settled, and Ōnoki glared at him for doing so without asking.

Yūske helped establish a joint command for an elite search force, with Minato Namikaze leading and one representative from each village serving as a deputy. After returning to Konoha, Yūske learned that Yamato had run away from the Orphanage, prompting him to share intelligence on Nagato and Uchiha Obito with the other villages.

• Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage A argued over who should command the allied search force, while Yūske watched and Rasa and the Fifth Mizukage stayed out of the dispute.
• Mifune proposed that Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage A command together, but Yūske appointed Minato Namikaze to lead the exploration team instead.
• Yūske arranged for each village to provide a representative deputy and warned them against secretly obstructing the joint mission.
• Yūske returned to Konoha after learning that Yamato had vanished from the Orphanage.
• An Anbu told Yūske that Yamato had run away from Konoha, and Yūske ordered the Intelligence Department to send the four villages information on Nagato and Uchiha Obito.

Black Zetsu and Obito planned to recruit Orochimaru to replace the Three-Tails’ chakra, while Yūske briefed Konoha on the Five Great Nations’ cooperation. The Akatsuki remained hidden, and Yūske prepared to find them while maintaining the alliance.

• Black Zetsu reflected on Obito’s fixation on Rin, the loss of Yamato, and the problem of Isobu being sealed inside Yūske.
• Tobi reported that the Five Kage Summit had ended and revealed that Nagato and Shisui Uchiha were with them, then said Orochimaru had been found in Watanabe Yūske’s base in the Land of Water.
• Black Zetsu ordered Obito to master the Rinnegan and prepare to recruit Orochimaru, who might help solve the Three-Tails’ chakra problem.
• Yūske returned to Konoha and told a small meeting about the Five Great Nations’ cooperation, prompting several jonin to volunteer for the joint operation.
• Yūske told interested shinobi to apply at the Hokage Building and planned to locate the Akatsuki while keeping casualties low and the alliance intact.

Yūske learned that Shisui was in grave danger and prepared Konoha for a joint search for the Akatsuki Organization. As the allied forces began their sweep, Yūske stayed in Konoha and considered how few of the Akatsuki’s expected members were actually available.

• Kimimaro worried about Shisui, and Yūske warned him not to let Shisui’s possible death become a lasting burden before sending him to train with Tsunade.
• Yūske concluded that Black Zetsu’s plans were nearing their start and decided Konoha could not allow another Akatsuki invasion.
• The five great ninja villages united to search for the Akatsuki, assembling a force in the Land of Wind and setting up a command center in the Land of Fire.
• Yūske remained in Konoha to handle work and stay with his family while allied forces began inspecting the surrounding lands.
• Yūske noted that most expected Akatsuki members were absent or not yet ready to join, leaving the organization reliant on Nagato and the White Zetsu army, though Nagato had been suppressed by Yūske.

The Akatsuki captured Orochimaru after destroying his laboratory at Mount Rishiri and decided to begin capturing the Tailed Beasts. Back in Konoha, Yūske worried that the peace would not last, and Jiraiya arrived seeking an audience just as Yūske invited him to dinner.

• The Akatsuki found Orochimaru's laboratory at Mount Rishiri, defeated him, and left him alive amid the ruins.
• Black Zetsu revealed that Orochimaru had been working under Watanabe Yūske and noted that his assistant might prove useful.
• Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu agreed to begin the Tailed Beast Capture Plan by targeting the infant One-Tail Jinchuriki in Sunagakure.
• Yūske returned home and told Tsunade that he sensed their peaceful life was about to end.
• Tsunade told Yūske that Kimimaro was joining them for dinner, and Yūske invited Jiraiya to eat with them after hearing that he had requested an audience.