Chapter Summaries

Kaedeji arrived in the Land of Rain and used his corpse-manipulation technique to turn the battle against Danzo and Hanzō, then tested a corpse-driven Reaper Death Seal on Hanzō’s summon. The Reaper exhausted the zombie and reached for Kaedeji’s soul, leaving him to face the technique’s deadly cost.

• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu watched as Kaedeji arrived beside Nagato and declared that he would stand with Jiraiya against Danzo.
• Kaedeji summoned dozens of zombies, and their ninjutsu and fearless attacks threw Hanzō’s forces into chaos while Danzo’s men fought back.
• Danzo used Izanagi to survive Jiraiya’s Flame Bullet and stabbed Jiraiya in the chest, but Jiraiya retreated and prepared to continue fighting.
• Kaedeji faced Hanzō and used a zombie to perform the Reaper Death Seal, which seized part of Ibuse’s soul and left the summon severely injured.
• The zombie exhausted its strength, and the Reaper reached toward Kaedeji’s true body to claim the caster’s soul.

Kaedeji used a corpse-controlled Reaper Death Seal to attack Ibuse’s soul, forcing Hanzō to retreat and earning the name “Konoha Devourer.” After returning Danzo to Konoha, Kaedeji learned that Danzo planned to seek Uzumaki Mito’s help with the Rinnegan.

• Kaedeji used his will to make a zombie cast the Reaper Death Seal twice, damaging Ibuse’s soul while paying the Reaper with fragments of his will.
• Hanzō withdrew from the battle, called Kaedeji the “Konoha Devourer,” and ordered the Amegakure ninja to retreat.
• Danzo tried to recruit Kaedeji against Jiraiya, but Kaedeji refused and demanded Danzo’s Root subordinates; Danzo sacrificed Terai and escaped with Kaedeji’s help.
• Jiraiya prevented Kaedeji from killing Danzo, and Kaedeji turned Terai and the remaining Root ninja into zombies before transporting Danzo back to Konoha.
• Danzo said he would seek Uzumaki Mito to intervene over the Rinnegan, while Kaedeji warned that his Void Realm Technique might struggle to transport someone with enormous Chakra.

Danzō informed Uzumaki Mito that Nagato possessed the Rinnegan and was in the Land of Rain, prompting her to set out to bring him to Konoha. There, Mito confronted Uchiha Madara over Nagato, and their clash began with the Nine-Tails unleashed.

• Kaedeji considered how Mito's interest in Nagato could draw Madara into the conflict, while Danzō warned Mito about Nagato and the Rinnegan.
• After learning that Kaedeji had used Corpse Release to perform the Reaper Death Seal, Mito ordered Kushina to stay inside her barrier and traveled with Kaedeji to the Land of Rain.
• Mito left Kaedeji with some of the Nine-Tails' chakra and pursued Nagato, but White Zetsu and Uchiha Madara blocked her way.
• Mito recognized Madara, who admitted that he had obtained Hashirama's cells deliberately and refused to let her take Nagato.
• Mito released the Nine-Tails and asked it for all its chakra, while Madara brought out Tobi to strengthen himself; the Nine-Tails formed a Tailed Beast Bomb as Kaedeji watched from afar.

Kaedeji watched Madara and Uzumaki Mito wage a destructive battle in the Land of Rain, where Tobi used a Hashirama Clone to unleash True Several Thousand Hands. Uzumaki Mito trapped Madara and invoked the Reaper Death Seal, but the Nine-Tails tried to kill them both, and Kaedeji intervened as their bodies stood helpless.

• Kaedeji evaded Black Zetsu and White Zetsu, then watched Madara deflect the Nine-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb with Susanoo.
• Madara used Wood Release against the Nine-Tails, while Uzumaki Mito bound Madara with Adamantine Chains containing Four Symbols Sealing Techniques.
• Madara gave Tobi a Hashirama Clone, allowing Tobi to summon True Several Thousand Hands and batter the Nine-Tails and Uzumaki Mito.
• Uzumaki Mito charged through Tobi's attacks, sealed Tobi, and used the Reaper Death Seal to pull at Madara's soul.
• The Nine-Tails tried to strike the immobile Uzumaki Mito and Madara, but Terai deflected its claw and Kaedeji arrived on the Buddha statue.

Kaedeji intervened as Uzumaki Mito fought Madara and the Nine-Tails, then carried out her request to bring Kushina to her. Mito sealed the Nine-Tails into Kushina and died, and Kaedeji returned with the new Jinchūriki, allowing Konoha to lift its lockdown.

• Kaedeji arrived as Mito restrained the Nine-Tails, tested the Reaper Death Seal with a zombie, and watched the Reaper consume Madara's soul.
• Mito gave Kaedeji her magatama and asked him to bring Kushina to her; he returned to Konoha and convinced the Third Hokage to let him take Kushina past Mito's barrier.
• Mito sealed the Nine-Tails into Kushina with the Eight Trigrams Seal and died, while Kaedeji collected her body, Madara's body, and the Senju Buddha statue.
• Kaedeji brought Kushina back to Konoha, where the Third Hokage lifted the lockdown and Kaedeji identified Kushina as Mito's successor.

Kaedeji returned to Konoha with Kushina and Uzumaki Mito’s body, and the Third Hokage accepted Kushina as the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki while keeping the circumstances of Mito’s death secret. At Mountain Graveyard, Kaedeji revived Madara’s corpse as a controllable body and began considering how to use the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to create a more suitable body for himself.

• Kaedeji explained how he had brought Kushina back and returned Uzumaki Mito’s body to the Third Hokage, who praised his work and ordered Danzo to leave before discussing the death in private.
• Kushina asked the Third Hokage to give Mito a proper burial, then erupted with Nine-Tails Chakra when Anbu continued watching her; the Third Hokage ordered them to stand down, and Kaedeji urged Kushina to remember Mito’s final request.
• Kaedeji completed his report to the Third Hokage, who accepted that Kushina would keep the Nine-Tails Chakra and decided to wait for Jiraiya’s return before dealing with the Rinnegan matter.
• At Mountain Graveyard, Kaedeji met White Zetsu, Black Zetsu, and Tobi, summoned Madara’s corpse, and used the Corpse Transformation Technique to make it stand again.
• Kaedeji discussed Madara’s possible escape from the Reaper Death Seal and examined his corpse, concluding that the Rinnegan had been transplanted to Nagato and that he would wait for Madara’s revival before advancing the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Kaedeji inspected the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and began considering whether it could be used to cultivate a body closer to an Otsutsuki’s.

Kaedeji used the Reaper Death Seal Technique to cut off the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path’s finger, then returned to Konoha and spent the night with Kushina before joining Orochimaru’s experiments. The chapter ended with Orochimaru offering him information about Eight-Tails Chakra.

• Kaedeji summoned the Reaper repeatedly and, with help from Sandstorm Araki and Terai, severed the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path’s right index finger and sealed it away.
• Kaedeji warned Black Zetsu and Tobi to stay put, then returned to Konoha with Madara’s corpse while the others discussed whether to follow his orders.
• Kushina visited Kaedeji, who walked with her through the village, shared dango and wine, and urged her not to diminish herself to earn others’ approval.
• Kaedeji left Kushina at her home and went to Orochimaru, where they agreed to accelerate their cell-transplant and gene-editing experiments.
• Kaedeji helped Orochimaru revive a corpse’s organs for experimentation and said he was interested in tailed beasts; Orochimaru offered him information about Eight-Tails Chakra.

Kaedeji and Orochimaru attacked Cloud-Lightning Gorge to seize the Eight-Tails' chakra, but their battle triggered a rampage that destroyed a Kumogakure force. Kaedeji sent Orochimaru away and summoned an aged Madara to face the Eight-Tails.

• Kaedeji agreed to help Orochimaru obtain Eight-Tails Chakra, and the two traveled to Cloud-Lightning Gorge after locating Blue B.
• Kaedeji and Orochimaru ambushed the seventeen Kumogakure ninja guarding Blue B, killing them and raising their corpses to fight.
• Orochimaru attacked Blue B, prompting him to transform into the Eight-Tails, which broke free and fought back.
• The Eight-Tails fired a Tailed Beast Bomb at Kaedeji, who escaped through the Void Realm Technique and redirected the blast into a two-hundred-man Kumogakure unit.
• Kaedeji summoned a coffin, transported Orochimaru away, and watched as an aged Madara emerged to confront the Eight-Tails.

Kaedeji used Madara’s corpse to fight the Eight-Tails and steal some of its Chakra, but Madara revived through Izanagi and escaped with him. After the battle left Blue B near death, Kaedeji returned to Mountain Graveyard, where he and Madara discussed the Eye of the Moon Plan and Kaedeji’s attempt to study the Ten-Tails.

• Kaedeji controlled Madara to trap the Eight-Tails with Sharingan Genjutsu and Susanoo, cut off a piece of its tentacle, and sealed its Chakra in a scroll.
• The Eight-Tails crushed Madara, but Madara revived through Izanagi, lost his sight, and used Susanoo to escape its Tailed Beast Bomb; Kaedeji gave him one of his own Sharingan eyes.
• Kaedeji and Madara withdrew before the Third Raikage arrived, and the Eight-Tails’ battle with the Raikage exhausted Blue B until he collapsed and asked them to release it from his body.
• Kaedeji reunited with Orochimaru, then traveled with him through the Land of Lightning to gather corpses and left Sados behind as return points.
• At Mountain Graveyard, Madara questioned Kaedeji about taking a finger from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and Kaedeji said he wanted to study the Ten-Tails as a safeguard against Madara’s concealed information.
• Madara agreed to reveal more about the Eye of the Moon Plan and asked Kaedeji to choose a successor and revive him properly; Kaedeji restored his eyes and said he wanted to cultivate Mangekyō Sharingan.

Kaedeji and Orochimaru advanced their plans for Hashirama Cells experiments while Kaedeji sought to strengthen his standing in Konoha. After Kumogakure’s team kidnapped Kushina, Kaedeji revealed that he had anticipated the attack and surrounded them with summoned coffins.

• Kaedeji asked Madara to teach him Izanagi, while considering whether to approach the young Obito.
• Orochimaru and Kaedeji discussed conducting Hashirama Cells experiments with Senju volunteers and agreed to work together on the dangerous project.
• Kaedeji told Orochimaru he planned to earn Hokage’s recognition through a major achievement, then moved into Kushina’s home to guard against a Kumogakure raid.
• Yotsuki led Toroi and a force of fewer than three hundred Kumogakure shinobi into the Land of Fire to kidnap Kushina and ambush Konoha’s pursuit forces.
• Toroi’s team abducted Kushina without encountering resistance, but she revealed that they had been surrounded and Kaedeji shed his disguise before summoning a mass of coffins.

Kaedeji ambushed Kumogakure’s force with a horde of zombies and turned the battle against Yotsuki and Toroi by transforming fallen and infected ninja into more undead. Toroi’s ambush helped Yotsuki land a seemingly fatal punch on Kaedeji, but Kaedeji revealed he had seized the opening to touch Yotsuki and began using the Reaper Death Seal Technique.

• Yotsuki and Toroi led Kumogakure’s surrounded force into battle against Kaedeji’s zombies, while Kaedeji used Terai and sacrificial corpses to keep the horde fighting.
• Kaedeji used the Corpse Transformation Technique on fallen Kumogakure ninja and infected survivors, causing the force to collapse as its own comrades joined the undead.
• Toroi and Yotsuki coordinated a plan: Toroi magnetized Yotsuki and filled the battlefield with Square Shuriken to restrict Kaedeji’s escape routes.
• Sandstorm Araki ambushed Toroi and tore open his neck, leaving Toroi to believe Yotsuki’s attack had killed Kaedeji and stopped the zombies.
• Yotsuki punched through Kaedeji’s chest, but Kaedeji survived, grabbed Yotsuki’s arm, formed a hand seal, and activated the Reaper Death Seal Technique.

Kaedeji defeated Kumogakure’s invading force by using corpse techniques, a soul-sealing attack, and a substitute to overcome Yotsuki and Toroi. He returned to Konoha celebrated as an army unto himself, while the other villages began accelerating their arms race.

• Kaedeji trapped Yotsuki with the Reaper and revealed that the apparent Kaedeji he had attacked was a corpse modified with the Dead Soul Technique.
• Kaedeji sealed part of Yotsuki’s soul, crippled his right hand, and began spreading the Corpse Transformation Technique through it as Toroi and the surviving cloud ninja urged Yotsuki to escape.
• Yotsuki fled to carry information about Corpse Release to Kumogakure, while Kaedeji killed Toroi and raised him as a carefully restored zombie.
• Konoha’s forces arrived after the battle, and Kaedeji reported that he had defeated the invading force of roughly three hundred cloud ninja, with Yotsuki the sole escapee.
• The Third Hokage praised Kaedeji, promised to appoint him an Elite Jonin, and discussed making him a Team Leader Jonin who could train juniors.
• News of Kaedeji’s victory spread across the ninja world, boosting Konoha’s reputation and prosperity as rival villages intensified their arms race.

Kaedeji enlisted Kushina as a trusted helper, then discovered Hidan during a Jashin Cult sacrifice and brought him back to Konoha as his disciple. He began training Hidan while the Third Hokage watched with interest.

• Kaedeji told Kushina that Mito's funeral was three days away and that becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki would expose her to enemies, then asked her to help with his plan; she agreed.
• Hizashi approached Kaedeji at a barbecue restaurant to recommend Hyūga Takashi as a potential disciple, but Kaedeji left after sensing an opportunity elsewhere.
• In Yugakure, the Jashin Cult sacrificed Hidan, whose immortality emerged as Kaedeji's zombie bit him and Kaedeji observed Jashin's power.
• Kaedeji defeated the cultists, healed Hidan, and used Corpse Manipulation to make him follow him to Konoha; Hidan agreed after Kaedeji threatened to control his body.
• Kaedeji brought Hidan into Konoha and started training him with attacking zombies, while the Third Hokage watched and considered Hidan's potential.

At Uzumaki Mito’s funeral, Konoha watched Kushina as its new Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, while Kaedeji trained his immortal disciple Hidan and arranged for Minato to spar with him. The Third Hokage learned of Jiraiya’s return as Jiraiya worried over Nagato’s uncertain future and the competing claims of Konoha and Mount Myōboku.

• Mourners at Uzumaki Mito’s funeral focused on Kushina, while Kaedeji warned Hidan to behave and told Kushina that the village feared her losing control of the Nine-Tails.
• The news of Mito’s death reached the other villages, and the Third Raikage blamed the failed Kumogakure operation on faulty intelligence while discussing Kaedeji’s soul-targeting technique with Yotsuki.
• Kaedeji had Minato spar with Hidan, who survived Minato’s attacks and revealed his immortality; Minato tested his unfinished Rasengan during their fight.
• The Third Hokage observed Hidan and Minato through a crystal ball, then learned that Jiraiya had returned to Konoha.
• Jiraiya returned to the village, reflected on Nagato’s ties to Mount Myōboku and the Sage of Six Paths, and planned to speak with the Third Hokage and Minato.

Jiraiya returned to Konoha and explained his actions concerning Nagato and the Child of Prophecy to the Third Hokage, while Kaedeji trained Hidan and assembled a new squad for the escalating conflict with Iwagakure. Kaedeji's team headed west to support Jiraiya, whose squad learned that Iwagakure's Jinchūriki was advancing toward the Land of Fire.

• Jiraiya told the Third Hokage that he had hidden Nagato's whereabouts because of the prophecy, and admitted he could not be certain Nagato was the Child of Prophecy.
• Kaedeji ended Minato Namikaze and Hidan's exhausting spar, then advised Minato on developing the Flying Thunder God Technique and promised to teach Hidan the Corpse Release Secret Technique once he was strong enough.
• Kaedeji trained Hidan with Might Duy and discussed Iwagakure's growing incursions with Orochimaru before the Third Hokage assigned him a mission to support Jiraiya against enemy Jinchūriki.
• Kaedeji formed a squad with Hidan, Shizune, and Hyūga Takashi, then took them directly from Konoha toward the battlefield.
• Jiraiya's squad defeated two Iwagakure squads and confirmed that an unidentified Jinchūriki had entered the Land of Fire.
• Minato reported that three nearby Konoha squads had gone missing, and Jiraiya ordered his team to hold the enemy back while awaiting reinforcements.

Jiraiya's team struggled to hold back Rōshi and Han, the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki, until reinforcements arrived. Kaedeji reached the battlefield and assigned Hidan to fight Rōshi while he took on Han.

• Jiraiya warned Minato and his teammates about the danger of fighting Jinchuriki and revealed that Kaedeji had defeated the berserk Eight-Tails by himself.
• Rōshi and Han attacked Jiraiya's four-man team together, forcing Minato to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to save them and repeatedly reposition.
• Senju Touka arrived and fought Han, but Han's Partial Tailed Beast Transformation overwhelmed her and trapped her in a chakra claw.
• Hyūga Takashi struck Han's chakra claw with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and Kaedeji arrived with Hidan and another squad.
• Kaedeji said he would fight Han and ordered Hidan to kill Rōshi.

Kaedeji’s team fought the Five-Tails and Four-Tails Jinchuriki, and Hidan used his immortality and Curse Mark: Death Possession Blood to kill Rōshi and the Four-Tails. After Han transformed into the Five-Tails and fired a Tailed Beast Bomb, Kaedeji used a new application of the Void Realm Technique to transfer the bomb away, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Kaedeji sent Hidan to duel Rōshi while he, Jiraiya, and Senju Touka focused on Han, and Minato joined Hidan’s fight.
• Hidan endured Han’s attack and Rōshi’s Lava Release, obtained Rōshi’s blood, and used Curse Mark: Death Possession Blood to inflict matching wounds on the Jinchuriki.
• When Rōshi tried to unleash the Four-Tails’ full power, Hidan cut off his own head, killing Rōshi and causing the Four-Tails’ Chakra to dissipate.
• Han entered Full Tailed Beast Transformation as the Five-Tails, and the enraged beast launched a Tailed Beast Bomb at Kaedeji’s group.
• Kaedeji used Void Realm Technique Stage Two to transfer Hidan and the Tailed Beast Bomb away, then revealed that he had developed the technique to transport Tailed Beast Bombs.

Kaedeji used Hidan to redirect a Tailed Beast Bomb, then helped his allies steal part of the Five-Tails’ Chakra before the beast escaped to the Land of Earth. Back in Konoha, Hidan became famous and was appointed a Jonin, while Kaedeji proposed human experiments to transplant Kekkei Genkai and Senju Touka supported testing Hashirama Cells.

• Kaedeji used Hidan as a medium to transfer the Four-Tails’ Tailed Beast Bomb, then led the group in attacking the Five-Tails and sealing away part of its tail.
• Kaedeji sent Jiraiya and the others away, pursued the Five-Tails, and recovered Rōshi’s corpse after the beast fled to the Land of Earth.
• Kaedeji and the others returned safely to Konoha, where Hidan’s victory over the Four-Tails Jinchuriki made him famous and the Third Hokage appointed him a Jonin.
• Kaedeji urged the Third Hokage to launch a human experimentation program to transplant Kekkei Genkai, and Jiraiya objected.
• Senju Touka endorsed experiments using Hashirama Cells and offered Senju Clan members, including herself, as test subjects to pursue Wood Release.

Kaedeji and Orochimaru began experimenting with Hashirama Cells, while the Senju Clan’s decline drove Senju Touka to volunteer for a transplant. Kaedeji stabilized Touka’s transformation with Corpse Manipulation and confirmed his path toward cultivating a new body, leaving Madara as the material he needed next.

• Senju Touka insisted that the Senju Clan needed to pursue Wood Release and agreed to dangerous experiments, while the Third Hokage tacitly approved Kaedeji’s plan.
• After Hidan’s reported killing of the Four-Tails spread, the other villages raised a bounty on him, and Ōnoki clashed with Han over Iwagakure’s loss.
• Kaedeji and Orochimaru began studying Hashirama Cells, and their early human test subjects transformed into half-human, half-tree creatures.
• Danzo learned that Kaedeji and Orochimaru had started human experimentation without him and decided to wait for a chance to bargain for their results.
• Senju Touka volunteered for the transplant without telling Tsunade, and Kaedeji used Corpse Manipulation to restrain the spreading Hashirama Cells and preserve her life.
• Kaedeji concluded that he could begin cultivating a body for himself and identified Madara as the material he needed.

Senju Touka survived an unstable Hashirama-cell transplant, but Kaedeji warned that further Wood Release experiments could make the Senju Clan dependent on him. After the experiments claimed many more lives, Kaedeji went to Madara and traded Uchiha Obito for the Hashirama Clone he needed for his plan.

• Senju Touka successfully gained a fragile, incomplete Wood Release, and she agreed to recruit more Senju clansmen for the experiments despite Kaedeji's warning about their dependence on him.
• The experiments continued under Orochimaru, and twelve people died in one month; Kaedeji took a dead ninja's body while refusing Morino Ise's request to use Corpse Manipulation to improve the success rate.
• Kaedeji visited Dan Katō and gave him a necklace as a wedding gift, then returned to the Mountain Graveyard and demanded Madara's Hashirama Clone.
• Madara agreed to give Kaedeji the clone in exchange for a successor, and Kaedeji brought him four-year-old Uchiha Obito.
• Kaedeji took the Hashirama Clone from Madara and considered it the final piece of an important part of his plan.