Chapter Summaries

Shukaku took control of Gaara and rampaged through Konoha, killing and injuring spectators while Kakashi and the other Jonin failed to stop him. Meanwhile, Orochimaru told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Menma had known his identity for a long time, and Menma watched the destruction with satisfaction.

• Kakashi, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and the other Jonin reacted in shock when Gaara transformed into the One-Tail.
• Orochimaru told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Menma had approached him willingly and had long known he was Minato and Kushina's son.
• Orochimaru sent Hashirama Senju and Senju Tobirama to attack Sarutobi Hiruzen again inside the Amethyst Barrier.
• Shukaku took control of Gaara with the Feigning Sleep Technique and attacked the stands with wind spheres.
• Kakashi raised a Mud Wall, but Shukaku's attacks broke through it, killing spectators and burying others under rubble.
• Menma watched from a broken high wall and urged Shukaku to make Konoha suffer as it had twelve years earlier.

Might Guy opened the Sixth Gate and knocked Shukaku away from the arena, then rushed to fight the One-Tail. Kakashi tried to support him while Naruto committed to stopping Menma, but Baki intercepted Kakashi.

• Shukaku unleashed a devastating Wind Style Jutsu, killing hundreds of spectators and forcing Kakashi and the others back.
• Might Guy appeared, struck Shukaku with Konoha Vajra Cyclone, and sent him crashing into the outskirts of Konohagakure.
• Might Guy told Kakashi to leave the other enemies to his team and charged Shukaku with the Sixth Gate open.
• Kakashi instructed Asuma, Genma, and Kurenai to hold their position and urged Naruto to put the battle first; Naruto vowed to stop Menma.
• Kakashi set off to support Might Guy, but Baki blocked his path with Wind Style - Wind Blade.

Naruto tried to bring Menma back by appealing to their brotherhood, but Menma rejected him and fought Genma and Naruto while hiding much of his strength. The clash ended with Menma hurling Naruto into Genma and driving them both backward across the wall.

• Naruto pleaded with Menma to return and suggested they seek an explanation from Grandpa Third and Grandpa Jiraiya, but Menma insisted their paths had diverged.
• Menma's Nine-Tails Chakra intensified, and Genma decided to subdue him before he lost control or exposed his identity further.
• Menma blocked Genma's attack and forced him back with strength that shocked the Special Jonin.
• Naruto rushed Menma, but Menma dodged, seized his arm, and hurled him into Genma, driving them both backward across the high wall.

Naruto and Shiranui Genma tried to stop Menma by force, but Menma overwhelmed them and killed Genma. The fight continued as Lee attacked Menma and was thrown aside.

• Naruto summoned more than a hundred Shadow Clones and charged Menma, who destroyed them with his Nine-Tails Chakra.
• Shiranui Genma attacked Menma with Thousand Senbon Rain, but Menma blocked the senbon with a Chakra tail.
• Menma struck Shiranui Genma and sent him crashing into the ground, leaving him badly injured.
• Lee kicked at Menma, but Menma blocked the attack, grabbed Lee by the ankle, and hurled him away.
• Menma stabbed Shiranui Genma in the heart with a kunai and killed him.

Menma killed Shiranui Genma and revealed his hatred for Konoha, leaving Naruto shaken as he and Lee fought to stop him. When the barrier fell, Menma withdrew with Orochimaru, while the battle below continued toward its end.

• Menma killed Shiranui Genma and taunted Naruto, declaring that he had long awaited the chance to destroy Konoha and its people.
• Lee opened the Fourth Gate and charged Menma while Naruto created Shadow Clones to attack from the other side.
• The purple barrier vanished, and Menma evaded Naruto and Lee to join Orochimaru and the Sound Four.
• Orochimaru ended the plan and retreated with Menma and the Sound Four, while Kabuto Yakushi slipped away separately.
• Naruto could only watch Menma escape, and Lee returned to the fighting as the war began to wind down.

The Sand and Sound assault devastated Konohagakure, killed the Third Hokage, and ended with Sunagakure’s forces largely captured or defeated. Menma defected with Orochimaru, leaving Konoha’s leaders to confront the loss of its Nine-Tails Jinchuriki as Jiraiya emerged as the village’s leading figure and Danzo learned of the defection.

• Jiraiya and Might Guy helped Konoha repel the invasion, but Sarutobi Hiruzen died in battle and the village suffered heavy losses.
• Might Guy defeated Shukaku, while Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari were captured and Baki escaped.
• Jiraiya learned from Kakashi that Menma had killed Genma, discovered his identity, and left with Orochimaru.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu asked Jiraiya to discuss the village’s future, and he went with them toward the Hokage Building.
• Danzo learned that Menma had defected with Orochimaru and angrily blamed Orochimaru for taking Konoha’s Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Danzo learned that Orochimaru had lured Menma away and ordered Root to demand the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki’s return. At a meeting to choose the next Hokage, Danzo concealed his fury when Homura and Koharu backed Jiraiya instead of him.

• Danzo learned Menma had been taken by Orochimaru and ordered a Root member to demand his return.
• A Root member summoned Danzo to an urgent high-level meeting after Homura sent word.
• Danzo arrived at the Hokage’s office, where Homura, Koharu, Jiraiya, and Shikaku were discussing Hiruzen’s successor.
• Homura and Koharu proposed Jiraiya as the next Hokage and asked Danzo to support the recommendation to the Daimyo.
• Danzo reluctantly agreed, hiding his anger, while Shikaku quietly felt relieved.

Jiraiya declined to become Hokage and proposed Tsunade instead, so the elders agreed to let him find and persuade her. Konoha's leaders also prioritized capturing the defected Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Menma.

• Shikaku opposed Danzo becoming Hokage and expected the major clans to support Jiraiya.
• Jiraiya rejected the Hokage nomination and suggested that Tsunade was more suitable.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu agreed to consider Tsunade, while insisting Jiraiya must accept the position if she could not be found or refused.
• Jiraiya promised to find Tsunade and bring her back, declining Mitokado Homura's offer to send Anbu with him.
• Mitokado Homura identified Sunagakure, Orochimaru, and Uzumaki Menma as urgent matters, with capturing Menma the highest priority.

Konoha’s leaders argued over who would handle Orochimaru and Menma, while Danzo sought control of the Nine-Tails and the One-Tail. Jiraiya agreed to find Tsunade, and Menma traveled with Orochimaru’s group to Otogakure in the Land of Rice.

• Danzo proposed handing Orochimaru and Menma to Root and sought custody of Sunagakure’s One-Tail Jinchuriki as well.
• Jiraiya opposed Danzo taking charge of Menma, but Homura and Koharu instructed him to find Tsunade while Root gathered intelligence on the rogue ninjas.
• Jiraiya accepted the assignment, while Danzo resolved to recapture Menma and control the Nine-Tails.
• Menma left Konohagakure with Orochimaru’s group and crossed into the Land of Rice, where Otogakure was based.

Menma arrived at the Sound Village and asked Kabuto Yakushi to bring Karin to him. After reuniting with her, he reassured her that she would be safe, while considering the mysteries of the world’s ancient powers.

• Kabuto Yakushi welcomed Menma at the Sound Village and explained that Orochimaru was occupied recovering and studying his injured hands.
• Menma asked Kabuto Yakushi to bring Karin to him, and Kabuto assured him that she had been treated well.
• Menma reflected on the Reaper Death Seal, the Shinigami, the Evil God, and his wish to visit the Three Great Sage Regions.
• Karin rushed to Menma when they reunited, told him he had not come late, and clutched his collar in relief.
• Menma held Karin and promised she would never have to worry again, and Karin blushed after realizing how closely she was nestled against him.

Menma reunited with Karin at Orochimaru’s base and learned she had been kept there and asked to provide blood. He explained why they needed to stay with Orochimaru for now, leaving Karin trusting his plans and ready to remain by his side.

• Menma asked Karin about her time at the base, and she said Orochimaru’s people had taken some of her blood but otherwise left her alone.
• Karin shared the intelligence she had gathered, and Menma concluded Orochimaru’s base had fewer than four hundred shinobi and had been weakened by recent losses.
• Karin asked whether they would stay at the base, and Menma said they could not leave in the short term because they needed Orochimaru and his resources.
• Menma told Karin about his identity and reasons for leaving Konoha, and she felt their shared experiences brought them closer.
• Menma said he intended to gain freedom and become stronger before pursuing his other plans, and Karin said she believed in him.

As Menma rested after the battle, news of his defection spread across the Shinobi World and raised the prospect of a new war. Obito decided not to pursue the Nine-Tails yet, instead planning to exploit the turmoil while monitoring Orochimaru and Konoha.

• Menma rested for several days while Orochimaru focused on dealing with the loss of his hands.
• News of the attack on Konoha, the deaths of Sarutobi Hiruzen and Rasa, Gaara's capture, and Menma's defection spread throughout the Shinobi World.
• Iwagakure and Kumogakure strengthened their defenses, while Konoha entered its highest state of combat readiness and Jiraiya left to find Tsunade.
• Black Zetsu told Obito that Menma had defected and suggested capturing the Nine-Tails ahead of schedule.
• Obito rejected an early capture, ordered Black Zetsu to monitor Orochimaru and Konoha, and chose to use the crisis to increase tensions among the nations.

Black Zetsu and Nagato set Akatsuki’s intelligence-gathering plans in motion as tensions rose among the great nations. Itachi headed for Konoha to check on Sasuke and the village’s leadership, while Menma met Orochimaru again in Sound Village.

• Black Zetsu sent White Zetsu to gather intelligence and inflame conflict among the Five Great Nations.
• Nagato ordered Sasori's Team to investigate Orochimaru and Uzumaki Menma, and Itachi's Team to investigate Konohagakure.
• Itachi learned that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had defected and the Third Lord had died, then decided to return to Konoha with Kisame Hoshigaki.
• Iwagakure and Kumogakure reinforced their forces near the Land of Fire, prompting small and medium-sized shinobi villages to enter high alert.
• After several days of rest in Sound Village, Menma and Karin met with Orochimaru.

Menma negotiated with the injured Orochimaru, offering information about the Reaper Death Seal and sharing his demands in exchange for assistance. He also provided Orochimaru with Sharingan and Rinnegan research, his blood, and access to the Nine-Tails' Chakra, leaving Kabuto tasked with prioritizing Menma's requests.

• Menma discussed Orochimaru's escape from the Reaper Death Seal and explained that his Uzumaki heritage let him recognize the technique's effects.
• Orochimaru asked Menma for a solution to his unusable hands, and Menma offered reference records about the Reaper Death Seal in exchange for his demands.
• Kabuto Yakushi opened Menma's scroll, and Orochimaru agreed to prepare what Menma had requested.
• Menma handed over information about the Sharingan and Rinnegan along with a bottle of his blood, and offered reasonable future cooperation involving the Nine-Tails' Chakra.
• Orochimaru told Kabuto Yakushi to halt other work and focus on Menma's needs.

Menma arranged for Orochimaru to provide supplies, space, and a laboratory while privately treating him as a resource for his own plans. Orochimaru began investigating Menma’s information and searching for Tsunade, and the gathered materials convinced Menma to accelerate a plan whose target he had chosen.

• Menma asked Kabuto Yakushi to prioritize the items in his scroll and prepare an open space and a room, and Kabuto agreed to have them ready within three days.
• After Menma and Karin left, Orochimaru ordered Kabuto to investigate Menma’s information and contact Danzo through normal channels.
• Orochimaru told Kabuto to deliver Danzo an agreed-upon item early and to keep searching for Tsunade.
• Orochimaru’s forces gathered Menma’s requested supplies in just over a day.
• Menma inspected the supplies and resolved to speed up his plan and pursue a particular target.

Menma began researching cellular activation and physical reinforcement to develop his Uzumaki potential and strengthen himself without relying entirely on the Nine-Tails or Orochimaru. After several days of experimenting with Karin's help, he learned that Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi were leaving to find someone and was invited to join them.

• Menma used the supplies and research materials he obtained from Orochimaru to begin studying cellular activation and physical reinforcement.
• Menma decided to conduct his own experiments so he could improve independently instead of relying on Orochimaru's expertise.
• Karin stayed with Menma and assisted his experiments, using her sensory abilities to help with the research.
• After several days, Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi arrived and told Menma they were leaving to find someone.
• Orochimaru invited Menma to accompany them.

Menma refused to travel with Orochimaru to meet Tsunade and insisted on keeping his freedom despite Orochimaru warning that other villages were targeting him. After Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi left, Menma and Karin set out for the Land of Waterfalls to obtain something he believed would help them.

• Menma and Orochimaru discussed their partnership, and Menma rejected Orochimaru's offer to meet Tsunade because he had personal business to handle.
• Orochimaru warned Menma that Kumogakure and Iwagakure were targeting him and said the base would soon be abandoned.
• Menma told Karin they were heading to the Land of Waterfalls to obtain a useful aid, then left Sound Village with her.
• The chapter described Takigakure's former strength, its decline, and its status as a small village beneath the Five Great Nations.

Menma and Karin searched the former Land of Head for the Head-Sized Lizard, hoping to obtain its summoning contract. They found it disguised as a castle, but when it ignored Menma’s attempt to talk, he prepared to force a confrontation with a Lightning Release technique.

• Menma explained that he had come to the former Land of Head to find the Head-Sized Lizard’s contract scroll.
• Menma and Karin entered the mountain range and split up to search for the creature’s Chakra.
• Karin detected the Head-Sized Lizard, and they found a rust-covered black castle that concealed it.
• Menma called out to the Head-Sized Lizard and asked to speak, but it gave no response.
• Menma sent Karin to safety and formed a massive lightning dragon with the Lightning Dragon Bullet Technique.

Menma fought the Head-Sized Lizard after destroying its castle, hoping to subdue the powerful beast. After it struck him and revealed his strength was insufficient, Menma drew on Nine-Tails Chakra, making the lizard sense danger.

• Menma used a Thunder Dragon to destroy the dark castle and reveal the Head-Sized Lizard.
• The Head-Sized Lizard charged Menma, declaring that it would eliminate invading humans.
• Menma dodged its attack and unleashed a rain of Shuriken, but the lizard raised stone slabs and evaded most of them.
• The Head-Sized Lizard struck Menma with its tail, sending him into a crater, but he emerged without serious injury.
• Menma decided to draw on Nine-Tails Chakra, and the Head-Sized Lizard stiffened at the dangerous presence.

Menma overwhelmed the Head-Sized Lizard with a powerful Nine-Tails-infused Spiraling Ring, breaking its defenses and leaving it severely injured. He tried to make it talk, but the lizard closed its eyes and ignored him, leaving Menma unsure how to proceed.

• The Head-Sized Lizard charged Menma again, but he stopped it, lifted it, and hurled it to the ground.
• Menma struck the lizard with Lightning Release - False Darkness Jutsu, but it endured the attack and launched rocks at him with Earth Release.
• Menma formed the Nine-Tails-infused Spiraling Ring, broke through the lizard's rock defenses, and slammed the technique into its abdomen.
• The Head-Sized Lizard crashed across the ground, badly injured, while Menma realized he had nearly killed it.
• Menma demanded that the lizard calm down and talk, but it shut its eyes and ignored him.