Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Madara severed his life-support tube and set Black Zetsu’s Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan in motion ahead of schedule. Meanwhile, Hatake Sakumo’s unit faced a growing Sunagakure force on the battlefield and prepared to retreat after their position was exposed.

• Uchiha Madara agreed with Black Zetsu to begin the plan and cut the tube connecting him to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, bringing himself to the brink of death.
• Black Zetsu watched as Uchiha Madara’s life faded, unaware that Hiko had already made him anxious enough to advance the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan.
• Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo alternated leading Konoha’s battles against Sunagakure, whose growing forces and mounting losses put pressure on both sides.
• Hatake Sakumo agreed with a Jonin that they needed reinforcements, then spotted approaching enemies after his unit’s laughter revealed their position.
• Hatake Sakumo ordered his men to request reinforcements and look for a chance to withdraw rather than risk a head-on fight.

Hatake Sakumo led his group toward the Konoha camp, cutting through Sand Ninja who tried to surround them before retreating without engaging further. At the Sunagakure command center, Rasa complained about Konoha’s tactics, and Grandma Chiyo reminded him that Uchiha Hiko had always defied expectations.

• Hatake Sakumo ordered his men to retreat toward the Konoha camp after sending a distress signal.
• Sand Ninja pursued and tried to surround Hatake Sakumo’s group, but Hatake Sakumo cut down their front line with his sword.
• Hatake Sakumo led his men out of the encirclement, leaving the Sand Ninja unable to pursue them.
• Rasa questioned whether Konoha had always fought this way, and Grandma Chiyo pointed to Uchiha Hiko’s history of unconventional tactics.

Grandma Chiyo urged Rasa to seek allies against Konoha, and Rasa agreed to contact the other great ninja villages. At the Command Center, Hiko waited to see whether they would attack alongside Sunagakure or after its defeat.

• Grandma Chiyo warned Rasa that Sunagakure could not defeat Konoha alone and needed outside allies.
• Rasa understood that Chiyo meant to recruit the other great ninja villages, but questioned whether they would agree.
• Grandma Chiyo said Iwagakure was likely to act against Konoha, and Rasa arranged for envoys to approach the other three villages.
• Hiko studied the map and considered whether Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure would join the war before or after Konoha fought Sunagakure.
• Hiko resolved to oppose any order sending the Uchiha to fight Kirigakure on the coast, where the environment would put them at a disadvantage.

Hiko assessed Konoha’s battlefield advantages and worried that the Uchiha Clan might be sent to fight Kirigakure in conditions that suppressed them. Meanwhile, Akatsuki grew under Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan, drawing Hanzo of the Salamander into a series of failed attempts to destroy it.

• Hiko argued that the Uchiha Clan should be sent to the Land of Wind battlefield while the Hyuga Clan and Senju Clan handled Kirigakure’s mist-shrouded coast.
• Hiko compared Konoha’s forces with Sunagakure’s and considered deploying more Kage-level fighters, criticizing Danzo’s defensive tactics.
• Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan expanded Akatsuki by hunting rogue ninja and bandits across the Land of Rain, winning the support of local citizens.
• Hanzo of the Salamander invited Akatsuki to submit to him, then attacked when its members refused.
• Akatsuki evaded Hanzo’s forces and grew stronger as his attempts to encircle and eliminate the organization repeatedly failed.

Black Zetsu joined Akatsuki as a reconnaissance specialist and secretly advanced his plan to use Nagato to revive Uchiha Madara. His intelligence helped Akatsuki evade Amegakure’s attacks, leaving Hanzo increasingly frustrated and suspicious.

• Black Zetsu fused with White Zetsu, infiltrated Akatsuki as Zetsu, and won the trust of Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato by providing intelligence.
• Black Zetsu planned to manipulate Hanzo and Nagato, hoping Nagato would eventually revive Uchiha Madara if he could not capture the Tailed Beasts.
• Zetsu helped Akatsuki anticipate Amegakure’s movements, causing Hanzo’s operations to repeatedly fail.
• Hanzo’s subordinates urged him to destroy Akatsuki before it grew stronger, and Hanzo angrily admitted that he had been unable to find a way to stop it.

Black Zetsu secretly gave Hanzo of the Salamander information to help him target Akatsuki, while Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko remained unaware of the betrayal. As the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan began ahead of schedule, Hiko continued withdrawing from his duties at the Konoha command center.

• Black Zetsu met Hanzo of the Salamander and offered to help him destroy Akatsuki, naming Konan’s trip south in three days as his chance to act.
• Hanzo of the Salamander considered Black Zetsu’s information and resolved to use the opportunity against Akatsuki.
• Konan, Yahiko, and Nagato continued recruiting members, unaware that Black Zetsu had betrayed them.
• Black Zetsu planned to use Nagato to capture the Tailed Beasts and, if necessary, sacrifice him to revive Uchiha Madara.
• Hiko told Mikoto Uchiha to send routine documents to Shikaku Nara and said he would adjust himself, while Mikoto worried about his growing detachment.

Hiko’s worsening irritability and refusal to eat or drink worried Mikoto and Tsunade, who believed he was acting strangely for no apparent reason. Alone in the Command Center, Hiko realized his eyes were on the verge of evolving into the Rinnegan and waited for the change.

• Mikoto found Tsunade and said Hiko had barely eaten or drunk anything for several days despite being offered many dishes.
• Tsunade admitted she had no solution and decided to leave Hiko alone rather than risk forcing him to eat.
• Hiko sat motionless in the Command Center, secretly monitoring changes in his eyes while delegating his responsibilities to others.
• Hiko concluded that his emotional volatility came from his eyes nearing their evolution into the Rinnegan.

Hiko waited in the Konoha Command Center for his Eternal Mangekyo to evolve, knowing he needed the Rinnegan to face Uchiha Madara. His eyes finally transformed, and he realized the long-awaited evolution had arrived.

• Hiko focused on his eyes and worried that without the Rinnegan he could not contend with Uchiha Madara or interfere with Black Zetsu’s plans.
• Hiko remained alone in the Command Center, hiding his condition while Konoha and Sunagakure prepared for war.
• Hiko entered a trance as he listened to his heartbeat, and two streams of Chakra flowed toward his eyes.
• Hiko’s Chakra surged as ripples appeared in his eyes, signaling that his Eternal Mangekyo had evolved into the Rinnegan.
• Hiko clenched his fists, thrilled that his eyes had finally evolved after nearly ten years of waiting.

After his eyes evolved, Hiko released his frustration with a roar and an immense surge of Chakra that destroyed the Command Center and threw the camp into chaos. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo discovered he was unharmed, and Tsunade realized that his troubled state might have recovered.

• Hiko roared as his eyes evolved, and his Chakra spread through the camp, making the ninjas fear that the Commander-in-Chief had been attacked.
• Hiko's Chakra blew apart the Command Center and nearby structures, injuring several ninjas but killing no one.
• Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo rushed toward the explosion, while Tsunade and the rest of the camp hurried to the Command Center.
• More than two thousand ninjas found Hiko standing unharmed in the crater, and Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo scolded him for frightening everyone.
• Hiko apologized, said he was hungry, and Tsunade urgently asked whether he had recovered.

After recovering from the strange emotional state that preceded his eye evolution, Yui learned that Sunagakure's forces had grown sluggish and suspected they were seeking reinforcements. He ordered Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo to intensify their attacks before Sunagakure could recover.

• Yui came to his senses after his eyes evolved, while Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hatake Sakumo scolded him for causing a disturbance and ignoring Jiraiya's report.
• Yui admitted his negligence and assigned the ninjas to repair the damaged camp and sort through supplies.
• Jiraiya reported that Sunagakure's attacks had slowed and some of its stronger ninjas seemed unmotivated to fight.
• Hatake Sakumo and Jiraiya suspected Sunagakure was planning a scheme, but Yui concluded it was likely seeking reinforcements.
• Yui ordered Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo to lead their men in intensified attacks to deny Sunagakure time to recover.

Hiko warned Konoha that Sunagakure was stalling while seeking allies for a multi-front war, then ordered an immediate offensive. As Konoha drove Sunagakure back and Rasa weighed his options, Black Zetsu realized Hiko’s Rinnegan could let him summon and contest control of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

• Hiko told Konoha’s leaders that Sunagakure would recruit other villages, especially Iwagakure, to attack Konoha, and ordered Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo to strike hard.
• Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo led Konoha shinobi in a full assault that forced Sunagakure’s troops to retreat and prompted Rasa to send reinforcements.
• Grandma Chiyo told Rasa that Konoha had likely discovered both Sunagakure’s stalling and its plans to seek allies, while Rasa insisted they could not retreat.
• Black Zetsu sensed Hiko’s Rinnegan and concluded that Hiko could summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and overpower Nagato in a contest for control.

Black Zetsu manipulated Akatsuki’s leaders into splitting up, leaving Konan vulnerable to Hanzo of the Salamander’s trap. As Konan was captured, Hiko felt uneasy from afar and wondered whether his evolved eye still had side effects.

• Black Zetsu exploited Akatsuki’s ambitions and persuaded Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko to separate while making Nagato and Yahiko trust him.
• Black Zetsu stayed beside Nagato, while Konan led part of Akatsuki in another direction.
• Konan and her followers reached Hanzo of the Salamander’s trap, where Hanzo and Amegakure ninja captured them.
• Hiko sensed something was wrong and wondered whether his eye’s evolution still caused side effects.

Hiko requested reinforcements against Sunagakure, and the Third Hokage sent 3,000 mostly ordinary ninja to the frontline. While Hiko focused on mastering the Rinnegan from the rear, Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo fought Sunagakure’s forces and complained about his comfortable position.

• Hiko asked the village to send more ninja to increase pressure on Sunagakure, and the Third Hokage approved 3,000 reinforcements.
• Hiko grumbled that the new troops were mostly Chunin and that the Third Hokage would not send Anbu to the frontline.
• Hiko decided to remain behind and focus on mastering the Rinnegan while Jiraiya, Hatake Sakumo, and Tsunade gained battlefield experience and military merit.
• Jiraiya complained that he and the others were fighting while Hiko drank wine in the rear, and Hatake Sakumo mocked him.
• Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo were exhausted after leading an elite squad to defeat one of Sunagakure’s Puppet Units.

Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo’s elite Konoha unit ambushed Sunagakure’s puppet ninja and inflicted heavy losses. Rasa and Grandma Chiyo were left struggling to find anyone who could oppose the Konoha leaders on the battlefield.

• Jiraiya complained about being sent to the front, while Hatake Sakumo and the others teased him during a rest in the forest.
• Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo discussed Sunagakure’s puppet ninja and Konoha’s inability to form an effective Puppet Unit.
• Jiraiya ordered the unit to return after its successful attack, then laughed along with the others.
• Rasa and Grandma Chiyo mourned the destruction of a batch of difficult-to-train puppet ninja.
• Rasa could not leave the Command Center, and Grandma Chiyo stayed beside him, leaving Sunagakure without a leader able to confront Jiraiya and Hatake Sakumo on the battlefield.

Rasa and Grandma Chiyo assessed Sunagakure’s losses and Konoha’s reinforcements, concluding that they had to keep Konoha from entering the Land of Wind while dragging out the war. Rasa resolved to make Konoha pay for any victory.

• Hiko considered potential future Hokage and reflected on how Hashirama, Tobirama, and Hiruzen had each built Konoha’s foundation.
• Rasa suppressed his anger over Sunagakure’s losses, and Grandma Chiyo approved of his composure.
• Rasa told Grandma Chiyo that Konoha had sent at least three thousand shinobi to support the front, giving it more deployable forces than Sunagakure.
• Rasa and Grandma Chiyo agreed that Sunagakure had to stall Konoha and keep its forces outside the Land of Wind, even at great cost.
• Rasa vowed to see how Konoha would win the war, while Grandma Chiyo insisted that Konoha would not have an easy time.

Hiko worried that Sunagakure’s defeat would drive Rasa and Grandma Chiyo to lash out even when doing so offered them no advantage. He discussed Rasa’s predicament with Hatake Sakumo and reflected on how the Third Kazekage’s death and the war had created Rasa’s opportunity to rise to power.

• Konoha celebrated Sunagakure’s losses, but Hiko remained concerned that Rasa and Grandma Chiyo might retaliate out of desperation.
• Hiko asked Hatake Sakumo to consider Sunagakure’s position, and Hatake Sakumo predicted that Rasa would need to restore morale and avoid another major battle for a while.
• Hiko led Hatake Sakumo’s thoughts astray with his questioning, then explained that Rasa would panic and feel angry but ultimately have to accept the defeat.
• Hiko told Hatake Sakumo that Rasa’s war was both a tragedy and an opportunity, since the Third Kazekage’s death had cleared the path for Rasa to become Fourth Kazekage.

Hiko warned Hatake Sakumo that Sunagakure’s failure to reinforce its battered front might signal that other villages were preparing to attack Konoha. He sent Sakumo back to the battlefield and ordered stronger attacks while urging him to prepare for a wider war.

• Hiko compared Konoha’s smaller force with Sunagakure’s losses and asked Hatake Sakumo why Sunagakure had not sent reinforcements.
• Hiko warned Hatake Sakumo that several villages might join the war against Konoha, leaving Sakumo, Jiraiya, and Tsunade to lead forces on separate fronts.
• Hiko told Hatake Sakumo to keep the warning secret and prepare, then ordered him to increase attacks on Sunagakure while limiting Konoha’s casualties.
• Hatake Sakumo returned to the battlefield in turmoil, while Rasa held his position and waited for other villages to accept his proposal to attack Konoha.

After learning that Hanzo had captured Konan, Yahiko and Nagato rushed back while Black Zetsu exploited Nagato’s distress and prepared to accelerate the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan. Black Zetsu also recognized that his trap involving Uchiha Madara’s cells had failed against Hiko.

• Yahiko learned that Hanzo of the Salamander had captured Konan and ordered his men to return immediately.
• Yahiko questioned how Hanzo had learned of their plan, but did not suspect Black Zetsu and focused on rescuing Konan.
• Nagato erupted in anger at Konan’s capture, and Black Zetsu secretly welcomed his emotional turmoil as a way to control the Rinnegan.
• Black Zetsu considered Hiko a growing threat and decided to bring the Infinite Tsukuyomi Plan forward.
• Black Zetsu lamented that the trap he and Uchiha Madara had set for Hiko had failed, despite relying on the dangers of White Zetsu’s cells.

After Konan was captured, Yahiko and Nagato suspected a traitor in Akatsuki but could not identify one. They brought the organization to Hanzo of the Salamander’s designated valley to save her, where Hanzo arrived with Konan and surrounded them with Amegakure ninja.

• Yahiko and Nagato searched for the person who had leaked Konan’s movements but found no clear suspect.
• Yahiko concluded that Hanzo of the Salamander would use Konan to force Akatsuki to obey him.
• Amegakure sent an order demanding that Akatsuki’s members gather at a designated location or Konan would be killed.
• Yahiko and Nagato led Akatsuki’s members into a rain-soaked valley, where Black Zetsu eagerly awaited Hanzo’s trap.
• Hanzo of the Salamander arrived with the bound Konan as Amegakure ninja surrounded the valley.

Hanzo of the Salamander forced Yahiko to choose between his own life and Konan’s, and Yahiko killed himself in front of Nagato. Nagato froze as Yahiko died in his arms, while Black Zetsu waited for the violence to escalate.

• Hanzo of the Salamander confronted Yahiko and demanded he kill himself to save Konan.
• Yahiko realized Hanzo might kill Konan even if he surrendered his life, and believed her only hope rested with Nagato.
• Hanzo of the Salamander pressed a kunai to Konan’s neck and wounded her, forcing Yahiko to act.
• Yahiko recalled his dream and promise with Nagato, then slit his own throat before Nagato could stop him.
• Nagato stood frozen as Yahiko died against him, and Black Zetsu stepped back while Hanzo of the Salamander declared that Nagato could die too.