Chapter Summaries

Tsunade explained how Konoha’s mistreatment of Uzumaki Menma had led him to defect and return with overwhelming power, leaving the village facing destruction. Tobirama condemned the former leaders, while Kushina refused to help Konoha and said she and Minato only wanted to see their children before returning to the dead.

• Tsunade told Hashirama, Tobirama, and the others about Konoha’s history and Menma’s rise as a threat.
• Tobirama and Hashirama reacted with fury and disbelief as they learned Menma was preparing to destroy Konoha.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu knelt and admitted their failures, and Hiruzen apologized to Minato and Kushina.
• Kushina refused to involve herself or Minato in the affairs of the living and asked only to see their children before returning to the dead.
• Jiraiya lowered his head in shame as Kushina’s words highlighted his failure to protect Menma.

Minato and Kushina refused to act against Menma, saying they had fulfilled their duties to Konoha and would leave the outcome to him. Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Jiraiya apologized for the village’s failures and promised to try to prevent Konoha’s destruction, while Kushina remained furious at Hiruzen and Jiraiya.

• Minato took Kushina’s hand and told the village leaders they would not participate in action against Konoha or force Menma to change course.
• Hashirama knelt to apologize to Minato and Kushina, then promised to try to persuade Menma and prevent the worst outcome.
• Tobirama agreed with Hashirama, acknowledged that the village had wronged the family, and promised to seek a merciful resolution.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya each prostrated themselves and apologized for their failures toward Minato, Kushina, and Menma.
• Minato helped Hiruzen and Jiraiya rise and reiterated that the outcome depended on the leaders and Menma, while Kushina continued to glare at the two men.

Kushina and Minato left to find Naruto after Kushina ended the dispute with Konoha’s leaders, while Hashirama and Tobirama dealt with the village’s affairs. Black Zetsu escaped and plotted around the coming battle as Menma returned to the Village of Light with Gaara, ready to turn his attention to Konohagakure.

• Kushina accepted that the past could not be changed, learned from Tsunade that Naruto was at Mount Myōboku, and left with Minato to find him.
• Hashirama reflected on Sarutobi Hiruzen’s past and disappointment, while Tobirama ordered Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu to explain their actions and agreed to invite Menma for talks.
• Hashirama asked Tsunade and Sakumo to accompany him on a tour of Konoha.
• Black Zetsu fled beyond Konohagakure and planned to use the revived shinobi to probe Menma’s abilities before the decisive battle.
• Menma returned to the Village of Light with the unconscious Gaara, reported that he had killed the Fifth Kazekage, and ordered the Shadow Guards to take Gaara to Prison No. 1.

Menma prepared to destroy Konoha after learning it had withdrawn its forces, while Sasuke arrived after taking over Orochimaru’s resources and awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. Sasuke demanded the truth about the Uchiha Clan’s destruction, but Menma challenged him to prove he was strong enough to face it.

• Karin told Menma that Konoha had withdrawn its troops and abandoned some bases, so Menma ordered his forces to follow their plan and prepare to destroy Konoha.
• Karin reported that Sasuke had arrived with Kabuto Yakushi after fulfilling his promise, and Menma asked her to bring him in.
• Sasuke confronted Menma and demanded to know the truth about the Uchiha Clan’s destruction.
• Menma asked whether Sasuke had enough strength to pursue the truth, and Sasuke revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasuke’s confidence faltered when Menma’s gaze overwhelmed him, showing him the vast gap between their power.

Menma told Sasuke the history behind the Uchiha Clan’s conflict with Konohagakure and revealed the circumstances of the clan’s destruction. Sasuke struggled with what Itachi had done and asked Menma to help him find his brother so he could confront him.

• Menma recounted the decades of conflict between the Uchiha Clan and Konohagakure, including the Nine-Tails' Rampage and the roles of Shisui Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha.
• Menma explained that Itachi had slaughtered the clan at the Konoha Higher-ups’ request, while also acting alongside Konoha Anbu and the mysterious Uchiha who controlled the Nine-Tails.
• Sasuke reacted with rage toward Konoha, but Menma pointed out that Itachi had personally killed Sasuke’s parents and other clan members.
• Menma told Sasuke to consider what he wanted to do about Itachi, who was still serving as a spy within the Akatsuki Organization.
• Sasuke asked Menma to find Itachi so he could confront him and learn whether his brother had acted for himself, for a greater good, or for Sasuke.

Sasuke asked Menma to arrange a meeting with Itachi so he could learn his brother’s true intentions, while Menma assigned Toneri and Muku to watch the Akatsuki Organization and prepared for the coming conflict and unification. In Konohagakure, Tobirama finished learning what had happened in the village over the past decades and was appalled by Sarutobi Hiruzen’s failures.

• Sasuke asked Menma to find Itachi and summon him to the Uchiha clan’s secret base so the brothers could settle their past face to face.
• Sasuke briefly asked whether Menma had identified the mysterious Uchiha, then left before Menma could explain that he suspected Obito and Madara Uchiha.
• Menma asked Toneri to watch the Akatsuki Organization, and Toneri proposed striking first to eliminate the Rinnegan threat.
• Menma rejected Toneri’s proposal because they did not know the enemy’s location and planned to prepare for the final blow against Konohagakure and the unification of the nations.
• Tobirama learned about the village’s recent history and became horrified by Sarutobi Hiruzen’s actions, including the Uchiha Clan’s destruction and the mistreatment of the Fourth Hokage’s son.

Tobirama ordered Konoha to end its mobilization and invite Uzumaki Menma to peace talks at the Valley of the End, while warning his former disciples not to make further mistakes. As Sarutobi Hiruzen and the two Advisors carried out his orders, Hiruzen suspected the surviving Advisors would face punishment if the village survived the crisis.

• Tobirama ordered Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu to lift general mobilization and send Uzumaki Menma an invitation to peace talks at the Valley of the End.
• Tobirama instructed Shizune to summon representatives of every shinobi clan to a conference before two in the afternoon.
• Tobirama warned the three former disciples to act only for the village and its people, and they agreed to follow his orders.
• After leaving the office, Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu admitted they had disappointed Tobirama, while Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed that they should make no unnecessary moves.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen silently suspected that Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu would face a grim outcome if Tobirama resolved the crisis.

Konohagakure’s clan leaders gathered to learn whether Hashirama Senju had returned at his former strength. Hashirama’s overwhelming aura restored their confidence, while Tobirama prepared the village’s elite for possible war with Uzumaki Menma.

• Konohagakure’s major clan leaders arrived at the Hokage Building, with Hyuga Hiashi and others uncertain whether the resurrected Hokage could truly protect the village.
• Hashirama Senju entered with Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Hatake Sakumo, and assured the clan leaders that they could rest easier for now.
• Hashirama released his powerful aura, convincing Hiashi, Suzaku, and the other representatives that he had returned close to his peak strength.
• Tobirama explained that Konoha had invited Uzumaki Menma to negotiate and asked the clans to send their elite forces in case negotiations failed.
• Suzaku Nara pledged the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans’ support to Hashirama and Tobirama.

The major shinobi clans pledged to follow Hashirama and Tobirama into battle, and Tobirama ordered them to assemble elite forces within two days. After Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji demanded to fight Menma to avenge their fathers, Suzaku agreed to take them to the front lines on the condition that they obey orders.

• Suzaku and Hiashi pledged their clans’ support for the Hokage, and representatives of the other major clans followed suit.
• Tobirama assigned the clans their roles and ordered them to assemble their forces within two days, drawing on experienced shinobi rather than children or retirees.
• Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji asked Suzaku to let them join the battle against Menma to avenge their fathers.
• Suzaku agreed to take the three to the front lines after warning them that Menma was no longer an ordinary enemy and requiring them to follow orders.
• Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, and other former classmates of Menma prepared to fight him, driven by hatred and a desire for revenge.

Minato and Kushina agreed that their priority was preventing Naruto and Menma from killing each other, though Kushina was prepared to forcefully take Naruto away if necessary. Minato traveled to Mount Myōboku to find Naruto, where Gama Bunta reacted angrily to Menma’s name but directed him to the Great Toad Sage’s palace.

• Kushina told Minato that they should stop acting for Konoha and focus on their duties as Naruto and Menma’s parents.
• Minato urged Kushina to respect Naruto’s wishes and warned that the brothers’ conflict could not be resolved solely according to their parents’ desires.
• Kushina agreed to try persuasion first but vowed to use force rather than let either brother kill the other.
• Minato summoned Gamakenta and asked him to use Reverse Summoning to take him to Mount Myōboku.
• Minato arrived at Mount Myōboku and told Gama Bunta that Menma had caused his return through Impure World Reincarnation.
• Gama Bunta suppressed his anger toward Minato and told him Naruto was training at the Great Toad Sage’s palace.

Naruto trained to strengthen his Sage Mode and learn the Flying Thunder God Technique before reuniting with Minato, who had been revived by Tsunade. Minato urged Naruto and Menma to avoid fighting, but Naruto challenged Menma’s belief that peace could be achieved through destruction and slaughter.

• Naruto improved his Sage Mode under Gamamaru’s guidance and studied the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll he had obtained from Tsunade.
• Naruto sensed Minato approaching Mount Myōboku and rushed to embrace his father.
• Minato told Naruto that Tsunade had revived him, Kushina, and the three Hokage, and asked him to stay out of the battle with Menma.
• Naruto told Minato that Menma had killed Kakashi and Jiraiya and argued that peace achieved through slaughter would only create more hatred.
• Minato asked whether Menma’s goal of uniting the nations and shinobi villages could be achieved, but Naruto insisted that the deaths and desire for revenge made peace impossible.

Naruto remained determined to stop Menma, while Minato persuaded him to leave Mount Myōboku and talk with Kushina first. Elsewhere, Itachi received Sasuke’s request for answers and set out to give him his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, telling Madara he would do what Madara had done before.

• Naruto rejected Minato’s doubts and insisted he would stop Menma without killing him.
• Minato persuaded Naruto to visit Kushina and took him through Mount Myōboku’s passage out of the mountain.
• Gamamaru reflected on Menma, the uncertain future, and the choices facing Naruto and Sasuke.
• Itachi received word that Sasuke wanted to question him about the Uchiha Clan massacre and hurried to leave for him.
• Madara confronted Itachi at the Amegakure Tower, and Itachi said his eyes had reached their limit and he intended to do what Madara had done.

Madara allowed Itachi to seek out Sasuke, then learned that Konohagakure had revived Hashirama and other former leaders and challenged Uzumaki Menma to meet at the Valley of the End. He dismissed the reanimated fighters as weak and prepared to face Hashirama while Black Zetsu secretly advanced his own plan to free his mother.

• Madara recognized Itachi's failing eyesight and poor health, but agreed that Itachi could pursue his own wishes.
• Itachi left to seek Sasuke, and Obito questioned Madara's decision because Sasuke was with Uzumaki Menma.
• Madara said he would soon capture the nine Tailed Beasts and saw no reason to hide his plans from Menma.
• Black Zetsu reported that Konohagakure had used Impure World Reincarnation to summon Hashirama Senju, Senju Tobirama, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hatake Sakumo, and others, then challenged Menma to meet at the Valley of the End.
• Madara dismissed the reanimated fighters as inferior and vowed to prove his chosen path to Hashirama, while Black Zetsu resolved to free his mother.

Menma worked to absorb Iwagakure and Kumogakure into the Village of Light, promising equal treatment to those who cooperated. He then urged captured Konohagakure strategist Shikaku to help ensure a peaceful transition, leaving Shikaku’s response unresolved.

• Menma secured Dotō and Iwagaki’s cooperation in preparing Iwagakure and Kumogakure for absorption into the Village of Light.
• Karin questioned whether the two men could be trusted and worried that the many prisoners were difficult to guard, but Menma entrusted her with managing the arrangements.
• Menma summoned Shikaku Nara, who had been captured during the battle, and told him the era of the Five Great Shinobi Villages was over.
• Shikaku asked how Menma would treat the major villages, and Menma promised mercy for those who surrendered and asked Shikaku to help bring about a peaceful transition.

Menma accepted Konohagakure’s invitation to meet Hashirama Senju and Senju Tobirama at the Valley of the End, while continuing to demand the clans’ cooperation. Shikaku trusted his intuition, pledged the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi Clans to Menma, and left Menma confident in his decision.

• Menma warned Shikaku that resistance in Konohagakure would be met with death, and Shikaku agreed to follow Menma’s wishes and handle Inoichi, Choza, and Shibi.
• Ajun delivered Konohagakure’s invitation, issued in the names of Hashirama Senju and Senju Tobirama, for a meeting three days later at the Valley of the End.
• Menma accepted the invitation, suspected Orochimaru had helped revive the Hokage, and told Ajun that the Village of Light’s preparations and advance must continue.
• After Ajun left, Menma asked Shikaku whether hearing the First Hokage’s name had changed his mind.
• Shikaku judged that Hashirama could not defeat Menma and pledged the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi Clans to obey Menma’s commands.

Menma received news that Itachi Uchiha had revealed his location at the Uchiha Clan's Special Forbidden Ground and arranged for Toneri to accompany Sasuke while he confronted his brother. Meanwhile, the Shinobi World learned that Konohagakure had summoned Hashirama Senju for peace talks with Menma, leaving the smaller villages both alarmed and hopeful as they recalled Hashirama's power and restraint.

• Shikaku chose to take three days to consider Menma's proposal, and Menma accepted his decision.
• Menma's Anbu reported that Itachi Uchiha had deliberately revealed his location at the Uchiha Clan's Special Forbidden Ground.
• Menma told Sasuke where Itachi was and assigned Toneri to accompany him, while warning Toneri to guard against interference.
• Sasuke reluctantly agreed to let Toneri accompany him, and Menma told them to prepare for the day-long journey.
• Konohagakure publicized that it had used Impure World Reincarnation to summon Hashirama Senju and would meet Menma at the Valley of the End.
• The smaller nations and villages reacted with fear and secret hope, remembering that Hashirama had once stopped Madara Uchiha from conquering the Shinobi World.

As the ninja villages called for peace talks, Menma focused on the coming final battle while Sasuke and Toneri traveled to the ruins of the Uchiha trading outpost for Sasuke’s confrontation with Itachi. Obito and Black Zetsu watched from hiding, but Toneri detected them, forcing them to reconsider their plans as Madara prepared to face Menma at the Valley of the End.

• The surviving ninja villages supported Konohagakure’s call for peace negotiations, while Menma ignored them and continued preparing for the final war.
• Menma watched for news of Sasuke and reflected on what Itachi might do in this changed world.
• Sasuke and Toneri reached the ruined Uchiha building, where Kisame barred their way and Toneri agreed to guard the entrance while Sasuke went inside.
• Toneri sensed faint presences nearby, and Obito and Black Zetsu withdrew after realizing he could detect their Kamui and Mayfly Technique.
• Obito told Black Zetsu to inform Madara that Toneri’s presence could obstruct their plans, while Madara headed to the Valley of the End to confront Menma.

Sasuke confronted Itachi for the truth about the Uchiha Clan massacre, but Itachi kept up his false story and the brothers began fighting with Susanoo. Meanwhile, Minato, Kushina, and Naruto arrived at the Village of Light, where they planned to speak with Menma.

• Obito left the confrontation with Toneri to Madara, while Black Zetsu went to notify him.
• Sasuke demanded that Itachi reveal whether someone else had manipulated the Uchiha Clan massacre and showed him his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Itachi concealed the truth and provoked Sasuke, who responded by activating Susanoo; the brothers charged at each other and began their battle.
• Minato, Kushina, and Naruto arrived outside the Village of Light and saw how much it had changed from Takigakure.
• Kushina told Naruto to listen to his family when they spoke with Menma, while Naruto remained reluctant to face his brother after Jiraiya's death.

Menma learned that Minato, Kushina, and Naruto had arrived at the Village of Light after being brought back with the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu. He welcomed them, embraced Kushina, and brought them to his home, where Karin served tea as the family reunion began.

• Menma sensed Minato, Kushina, and Naruto at the village gate and decided to meet them, warning Karin that he might have to restrain Naruto if he resisted.
• Karin realized Konoha had likely used the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and went with Menma to welcome his parents.
• Menma and Karin arrived at the gate, where the Light Ninja recognized Naruto and saluted Menma as he approached the visitors.
• Kushina rushed forward and embraced Menma, who returned her affection and called her Mom.
• Menma greeted Minato and Naruto more coolly, then invited the three visitors to his home.
• Karin served tea to Minato and Kushina, who wondered whether she was Menma's girlfriend.

Menma introduced Karin to Minato and Kushina, who warmly accepted her, before discussing their visit and his plans for peace. Naruto condemned Menma’s violence, and Menma challenged him to blame him for the world’s wars.

• Menma told Minato and Kushina that Karin was the most important person to him, and Kushina enthusiastically welcomed her as family.
• Kushina and Minato explained that they had come to talk with Menma and take Naruto away from the battlefield, not to stop Menma.
• Menma said he understood Minato’s inability to oppose Konoha and promised to avoid acting recklessly while pursuing his own path to peace.
• Naruto accused Menma of causing suffering and starting wars under the pretense of seeking peace.
• Menma asked Naruto whether the world would truly have been peaceful if Menma had never existed.