Chapter Summaries

Nagato descended over Amegakure after stopping his massive celestial attack, but Aozora recognized that the strain of using the Rinnegan had left him vulnerable. Aozora, Shisui, and Itachi attacked, and Aozora reached Nagato through the resulting Chakra torrent with a sword strike and a golden Flame Dragon, leaving Nagato in a desperate situation.

• Nagato abandoned the idea of dropping the celestial body on the shinobi below, then descended and mocked the Five Kage and Five Great Shinobi Villages.
• Jiraiya, Ōnoki, and Fugaku reflected on Nagato's overwhelming power, while Aozora used his Heavenly Eye to detect chaotic Chakra in Nagato's body.
• Aozora sent his winged Golden Armored Divine General toward Nagato, and Shisui and Itachi followed with their Susanoo.
• Aozora fired a flaming golden arrow, while Shisui and Itachi launched Yasakani no Magatama; Nagato countered with a barrage of missiles from the Asura Path.
• Aozora drove his Divine General through the resulting Chakra torrent, then sent the Immortal Slaying Sword and Immortal Flame Dragon at Nagato, whose Deva Path power had gone out of control.

Aozora engulfed Nagato in golden flames, but Nagato survived by using Limbo: Border Jail to exchange places with a hidden shadow. As Shisui and Itachi attacked him, unseen blows battered their Susanoo and left them injured.

• Aozora's Immortal Flame Dragon burned the summoned crab and engulfed Nagato in golden flames.
• Konoha's shinobi celebrated what they thought was Nagato's defeat, while Ōnoki worried about Iwagakure's future and the sages recalled Nagato's golden flames.
• Nagato used Limbo: Border Jail to swap places with a shadow and escape the flames, then appeared beyond the fire.
• Shisui and Itachi attacked Nagato with their Susanoo, but unseen assailants struck both Divine Generals and sent them flying.
• Repeated invisible blows cracked the Susanoo armor and made blood stream from Shisui's and Itachi's eyes.

Aozora took over the aerial fight against Nagato, whose Limbo Clones could not be seen by the other Konoha fighters. Nagato discovered Aozora’s third eye and concluded that Aozora had also awakened the Six Paths Sage’s bloodline.

• Aozora shielded Shisui and Itachi from Nagato’s invisible attacks and sent them down from the sky.
• Aozora fought Nagato’s Limbo Clones while the Immortal Flame Dragon attacked Nagato, and the other fighters failed to detect the hidden enemies.
• Fugaku ordered most of the Konoha ninja to withdraw, while Shisui, Itachi, Jiraiya, Might Guy, and Kakashi stayed behind.
• Nagato used the Human Path to drain the Immortal Flame Dragon’s Spiritual Power, and his Limbo Clones overpowered Aozora’s Divine General in their exchanges.
• Nagato saw Aozora’s three eyes and concluded that Aozora had awakened the Six Paths Sage’s bloodline, explaining how he could perceive and counter the Rinnegan’s powers.

Nagato and Aozora continued their aerial battle as Nagato used Banshō Ten'in to pull Aozora from the Divine General and attack him with a Black Rod. Aozora trapped Nagato’s Limbo Clones with Adamantine Sealing Chains and counterattacked with an Immortal Flame Dragon, leaving Nagato to summon a colossal creature amid the blaze.

• Nagato claimed Aozora had awakened a similar but immature dōjutsu and vowed to kill him for siding with Konoha.
• Nagato used Banshō Ten'in to pull Aozora out of the Divine General, then launched a Black Rod at him with Shinra Tensei.
• Aozora deflected the Black Rod with the Blood Drinking Sword, which shattered and injured him with its fragments.
• Aozora bound Nagato’s two Limbo Clones with Adamantine Sealing Chains and flew toward Nagato.
• Aozora attacked Nagato with Fire Release—Immortal Flame Dragon, forcing Nagato to use Summoning Technique.
• A colossal black shadow appeared at the battlefield’s center as smoke spread across the sky and the retreating Konoha Shinobi felt the ground tremble.

Aozora and Nagato fought with their giant powers until both were nearly out of Chakra, while the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path gave Nagato an advantage. The chapter ended with Nagato poised to continue the battle from atop the statue.

• Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and Aozora fought it with his Golden Armored Divine General as the retreating shinobi watched in shock.
• Fugaku, Ōnoki, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Might Guy, and Shisui witnessed the battle, while Zetsu wondered how Aozora had gained such immense strength.
• Aozora's Divine General and the Demonic Statue exchanged a devastating clash that knocked both giants back and weakened Aozora's Susanoo.
• Aozora dispelled his Susanoo and mounted the Immortal Slaying Sword after noticing Nagato had recovered his Limbo Clones and could use Shinra Tensei again.
• Nagato admitted that his Chakra was nearly exhausted, but he still had the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path at his disposal.

Nagato used the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and its chakra-draining phantom dragon to press Aozora and his allies, but they coordinated to restrain it and nearly struck Nagato down. After Zetsu warned Nagato about Itachi’s Totsuka Blade, Nagato faced a call to retreat.

• Nagato used the Five-Tails’ chakra to unleash a purple phantom dragon, then declared that Aozora could not defeat him.
• Jiraiya, Shisui, Itachi, Kakashi, and Might Guy joined Aozora, and Jiraiya’s group attacked the dragon with a combined fire technique.
• The dragon absorbed the flames and threatened the group, while Shisui’s Susanoo blocked it; Shisui warned that the phantom could absorb chakra and harm souls.
• Might Guy and Kakashi attacked Nagato, but he repelled them with Shinra Tensei; Aozora then appeared behind Nagato and cut his neck before two Limbo Clones stopped his follow-up.
• Itachi identified the dragon’s sealing nature, and Jiraiya’s group bound it with sealing scripts while Aozora’s Golden Chains weakened it.
• Zetsu warned Nagato that Itachi’s Totsuka Blade could seal him and urged him to retreat.

Aozora decided that fighting Nagato and the Akatsuki Organization to the death was too risky, especially with his Chakra nearly depleted, and urged the Konoha forces to wait or withdraw. After the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path fired a Tailed Beast Ball, Nagato and the others disappeared, leaving Aozora relieved that the battle had ended.

• Aozora assessed Nagato, Konan, and Zetsu’s remaining strength and concluded that neither side could safely continue fighting.
• Kakashi and Might Guy joined Aozora and Jiraiya on Gamabunta, and Aozora recommended waiting or withdrawing because Sunagakure and Iwagakure were absent from the battlefield.
• Aozora stopped Might Guy from opening the Eight Inner Gates and warned him that the Akatsuki Organization remained dangerous.
• Nagato commanded the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to fire a Tailed Beast Ball, and Aozora, Jiraiya, and Kakashi raised Earth Walls before retreating as the Konoha Shinobi evaded the blast.
• Aozora found that Nagato, Konan, Zetsu, and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had withdrawn, and he accepted the end of the battle.

After the Akatsuki Organization escaped, Aozora concealed the fate of Iwagakure’s Jinchūriki and persuaded Fugaku that the enemy had created an Artificial Tailed Beast. Aozora and Fugaku planned to exploit Iwagakure’s need for help by demanding valuable Ninjutsu, while Aozora resolved to strengthen himself before facing Nagato again.

• The Akatsuki Organization escaped after firing a Tailed Beast Ball, and Ōnoki confronted Aozora for letting its leader get away.
• Aozora pretended to be badly injured, while Fugaku ordered Konoha’s forces to search Amegakure and Ōnoki sent Iwagakure’s forces to find Roshi and Han.
• Aozora told Fugaku that Roshi and Han were unrecoverable, and Fugaku guessed that the Akatsuki Organization had created an Artificial Tailed Beast by absorbing the Five-Tails.
• Aozora suggested using Iwagakure’s losses to demand the Weighted Boulder Jutsu and Light-Weight Rock Technique, and Fugaku agreed to raise the matter with Ōnoki.
• Aozora described Nagato’s immense power and resolved to pursue Deification or become the Four-Tails Jinchūriki so he could better contend with Nagato in the future.

Aozora admitted to Jiraiya and the two Mount Myōboku sages that he had fought Gamabunta and later infiltrated the Akatsuki Organization as a Konoha spy. After the visitors left, he assessed the battle’s consequences and concluded that the weakened villages and rising threat of Nagato could soon shatter the Shinobi World’s peace.

• Jiraiya and the two sages questioned Aozora about injuring Gamabunta six years earlier, and Aozora said he had acted in self-defense.
• Sage Shima accused Aozora of pretending to be an Akatsuki member, and Aozora explained that he had infiltrated the organization to gather intelligence for Konoha.
• Jiraiya and the sages accepted that Aozora had withheld village secrets, but Sage Shima suspected he might be the ninja in the Great Lord’s prophecy who would start a war.
• Aozora reviewed the Akatsuki base’s destruction and the severe losses suffered by Iwagakure and Sunagakure, while noting that Nagato remained a powerful threat.
• Aozora worried that the other villages would secretly prepare against Konoha and decided he needed to strengthen the Uchiha and Konoha.

After the battle in Amegakure, Fugaku persuaded Ōnoki and Rasa to pursue the Akatsuki Organization, warning them that Pain might have created artificial Tailed Beasts. The three Kage agreed to abandon the Land of Rain and divide the spoils, while negotiations over a joint capture force hinged on whether Aozora would join.

• Ōnoki and Rasa argued over their villages’ delayed arrival, and Fugaku stopped them from coming to blows.
• Fugaku suggested Pain’s Giant Treant might be an Artificial Tailed Beast, prompting Ōnoki to demand a search for the Akatsuki Organization’s leader.
• Ōnoki proposed a joint capture force, and Fugaku agreed on Konoha’s behalf while Rasa made Sunagakure’s participation conditional on Aozora joining.
• Fugaku explained that Aozora’s Forbidden Jutsu could cost him his life and that only valuable Ninjutsu might persuade him to fight again.
• The three Kage chose not to occupy the Land of Rain, divided the seized spoils, and withdrew; Ōnoki and Rasa then traveled with Fugaku to the Land of Fire to negotiate the capture force.

Aozora organized a joint squad with Iwagakure and Sunagakure to hunt Akatsuki’s remaining members, then discussed Konoha’s wartime preparations with Fugaku and Kyūdai. He offered to teach selected, trustworthy shinobi his Blaze Release Secret Technique, and Fugaku agreed to choose candidates.

• Aozora briefed Kitsuchi and Baki on the surviving Akatsuki members and assigned their villages to locate the remnants and prepare tactics against Konan and Zetsu.
• Aozora told Kitsuchi and Baki that Konoha would confront Pain, arranged for the squad to exchange intelligence through the Ninja Crow Clan, and returned to the village.
• Fugaku proposed expanding access to advanced ninjutsu and Forbidden Jutsu, while Kyūdai suggested wartime measures and increased shinobi training.
• Aozora agreed with their preparations and told Fugaku he had found a way to cultivate Blaze Release among a selected group of trustworthy shinobi.
• Fugaku agreed to carefully choose candidates for Aozora’s Blaze Release Secret Technique.

Aozora gathered the Heavenly Court members at Lingxiao Palace and enfeoffed Kisame as the Water God after he spent his Good Deeds Points. Kisame received the Water Element Godhood Position and its powers, while Aozora retained some of its Chakra and sealed most of its inheritances.

• Aozora met with the Heavenly Court members and showed them their Good Deeds Points, revealing that Kisame had earned over one hundred million by capturing the Four-Tails with him.
• Aozora asked Kisame whether he would exchange his points for a Water Element Godhood Position, and Kisame agreed.
• Aozora summoned the Water Element Godhood Position from the Heavenly Book and decided to keep about twenty percent of its Chakra and seal roughly eighty percent of its inheritances.
• Aozora acknowledged Kisame's past crimes but pardoned him and enfeoffed him as the Water God of the Shinobi World, commanding its lakes and oceans.
• The Godhood Position entered Kisame's Sea of Consciousness, surrounding him with divine light and gathering moisture around his body.

Aozora invested Kisame with the Water Element Godhood Position, making him the Water God and granting him immense Chakra, improved control, and divine abilities. Kisame learned that gods could revive after death but risked losing memories, and that using their godhood powers brought prayers and obligations; the chapter ended with him accepting those responsibilities.

• Aozora invested Kisame with the Water Element Godhood Position, and Kisame respectfully accepted his appointment as Water God.
• Kisame described his increased Chakra, improved control of Nature Energy and water, and the powerful abilities he inherited, astonishing the gathered Heavenly Court members.
• Aozora explained that a god could revive after death through the godhood position, but repeated deaths would erode memories and identity.
• Kisame revealed that he heard prayers when using the godhood Chakra, and Aozora explained that fulfilling requests and doing good deeds would ease the prayers and unlock more abilities.
• Kisame accepted the godhood’s responsibilities, saying he was already willing to protect people and help with tasks such as flood prevention and drainage.

After Gisame’s deification, Aozora interrogated the captured Roshi and learned that he had lived honorably. Aozora spared him for now, planning to use him to develop a way to extract a tailed beast without killing its Jinchūriki.

• Aozora ended Gisame’s deification ceremony, and the others considered competing for future godhood positions.
• Tsunade noticed that Gisame’s skin had become smoother and that he looked about ten years younger.
• Aozora confronted the captive Roshi, who deduced that Konoha had captured him and asked whether it meant to start a war.
• Aozora read Roshi’s memories and confirmed that, outside wartime, Roshi had committed no massacres and had helped ordinary people.
• Because his Golden Droplets were scarce, Aozora spared Roshi and resolved to experiment with safely extracting Four-Tails using Life Reaper Death Seal.

Aozora spent more than a month experimenting with the Life Reaper Death Seal until he successfully activated the Resurrection divine ability and received its inheritance. Meanwhile, the Akatsuki Organization remained hidden, and Aozora ordered his members to capture Fū, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki.

• Aozora tested the Life Reaper Death Seal on death-row prisoners and found that damage to the soul made reuniting it with a restored body difficult.
• Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure searched for the missing Akatsuki members, while Fugaku, Rasa, and Ōnoki proposed a Kage Summit to the Raikage and Mizukage.
• Aozora stayed at Lingxiao Palace, cultivated the Lightning Fire Golden Body with Four-Tails Chakra, and learned the Light-Weight Rock Technique and Weighted Boulder Jutsu.
• Aozora reasoned that the Akatsuki Organization would target the unprotected Seven-Tails Jinchūriki and ordered his members to capture Fū.
• Aozora completed his analysis of the Life Reaper Death Seal and revived a prisoner using its Yin and Yang Release aspects, activating Resurrection through the Heavenly Book.
• Aozora received the Resurrection inheritance, which could fully restore the dead but consumed the caster's vitality, Spiritual Power, and Golden Droplets.

Aozora subdued the Four-Tails inside Roshi and sealed it within himself, saving Roshi from the extraction’s fatal effects. As the Four-Tails’ Chakra flooded his body, Aozora used it to temper himself with the Lightning Fire Golden Body.

• Aozora injected Roshi with a drug, weakened him, and removed the seals holding the Four-Tails in place.
• The Four-Tails mistook Aozora’s eyes for the Rinnegan and charged for freedom, but Aozora bound it with Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• Aozora used Demonic Illusion—Rinnegan to control the Four-Tails and began sealing it, then severed its connection to Roshi’s soul when Roshi’s Chakra and soul started being drawn out.
• Aozora made a Shadow Clone treat Roshi while he sealed the Four-Tails inside himself.
• The Heavenly Book drew the Four-Tails’ lava Chakra through Aozora’s body, and he used Rebirth from Flames and Lightning Fire Golden Body to heal and temper himself.

Aozora absorbed the Four-Tails, survived the flames through Rebirth from Flames, and restored his body as Roshi struggled to understand what had happened. Aozora explained his vision of ending the Shinobi World’s suffering and invited Roshi to join Heavenly Court, leaving Roshi asking about the organization’s ideals.

• Roshi awoke, saw Aozora tempering his body in flames, and repeatedly tried to dispel what he thought was a genjutsu.
• The Heavenly Book absorbed the Four-Tails’ Chakra, and Aozora used Rebirth from Flames to heal himself, then replenished his shriveled body with nutrients.
• Aozora told Roshi that the Four-Tails had disappeared, and Roshi refused to believe that a Tailed Beast could be destroyed.
• Aozora argued that the One Village, One Country system could not bring peace and described the suffering endured by people across the Shinobi World.
• Aozora invited Roshi to join Heavenly Court, and Roshi asked what the organization’s ideals were.

Tsunade and Itachi headed to Takigakure to capture the Seven-Tails, agreeing to split the Good Deeds Points. Meanwhile, a mysterious white-robed man sent Monk Fah-yi to capture the same Jinchūriki under the Akatsuki disguise, intending to kill him afterward and prevent another Six Paths-level enemy from emerging.

• Tsunade and Itachi discussed competing for the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki and agreed to share the Good Deeds Points from capturing him.
• Tsunade and Itachi disguised themselves as Akatsuki members and entered Takigakure through the waterfall.
• The white-robed man recruited Monk Fah-yi to seal the Seven-Tails and promised to teach him how to control tailed beasts.
• The white-robed man made Fah-yi wear an Akatsuki cloak so that survivors would blame the organization for the attack.
• The white-robed man planned to kill Fah-yi after the capture and hurried to find a suitable vessel before another Six Paths-level enemy appeared.

Tsunade and Itachi captured Fū in Takigakure, then found the village under attack by Monk Fa Yi, who was impersonating the Akatsuki. Itachi stayed behind to let Tsunade escape and confronted Fa Yi at the bloodied lake entrance.

• Tsunade and Itachi found Fū flying in Takigakure's forbidden area and subdued her with steel wires, genjutsu, and a chakra-coated strike.
• Tsunade and Itachi saw Monk Fa Yi fighting Takigakure Ninja and tried to leave the village with Fū without joining the battle.
• Takigakure Ninja blocked the exit, so Itachi stayed behind to fight while Tsunade escaped through the water with Fū.
• Monk Fa Yi realized someone else was after the Seven-Tails and rushed to the entrance, where Itachi stood among the corpses holding a Black Rod.
• Itachi impersonated Pain and attacked Fa Yi with a blazing fire technique, which Fa Yi blocked with a wall of sand.

Itachi escaped Takigakure with Tsunade after drawing its forces into a fight with Monk Fa Yi, while Jigen realized they were Konoha ninja rather than Akatsuki. Jigen sent Fa Yi to spread a false story blaming Konoha for taking the Seven-Tails, hoping to redirect suspicion and create unrest.

• The Taki Kage sealed Takigakure’s underground exit and attacked Monk Fa Yi with a powerful Water Dragon Jutsu.
• Itachi escaped through the waterfall and met Tsunade, while Jigen watched and saw them discard their disguises before flying south.
• Jigen identified Itachi and Tsunade as Konoha ninja and chose not to confront them, keeping his identity hidden.
• Monk Fa Yi reported that the Seven-Tails had been taken and demanded that Jigen honor his promise, but Jigen said Fa Yi had not met the conditions.
• Jigen gave Fa Yi another chance by ordering him to spread the claim that Konoha ninja disguised as Akatsuki members had seized the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki.