Chapter Summaries

Raikage A and Killer B fought Menma while Darui and Shi led Kumogakure ninja against his two airborne allies. Menma wounded A, and A called for Killer B to use Tailed Beast Transformation as Darui and Shi struggled and Kumogakure suffered heavy casualties.

• Raikage A ordered Darui and Shi to engage the two flying enemies, warning that Grim Reaper of Three could absorb chakra, while he and Killer B confronted Menma.
• The Celestial Maiden of Jade used her ribbons to injure Kumogakure ninja and keep Shi's group from reaching her.
• Grim Reaper of Three absorbed Darui's Storm Release and other chakra attacks with his scythe, leaving several Kumogakure ninja unable to rise.
• Darui tried to draw Grim Reaper of Three's attention with Black Panther, but the enemy absorbed the lightning chakra as well.
• Menma blocked Killer B's seven blades and struck Raikage A with a Mini Spiraling Ring, cutting A's arm and blasting him backward.
• Raikage A saw that Kumogakure had suffered heavy casualties and told Killer B to use Tailed Beast Transformation, but Killer B warned that the Eight-Tails could destroy the village.

Uzumaki Menma battled Kumogakure’s elite forces before Mabui transferred him, Fourth Raikage A, and Killer B to Unraikyo. Menma’s Mini Spiraling Ring destroyed Kumogakure and then collided with Killer B’s Tailed Beast Bomb, engulfing Unraikyo in an explosion.

• Darui and Shi led Kumogakure’s forces against the two masked men, but the enemies resisted their attacks and left the battle deadlocked.
• Mabui told Raikage A that Yugito Nii was coming, while Raikage A ordered Killer B to transform and Mabui to transfer them to Unraikyo.
• Killer B and Raikage A attacked Menma with a Double Lariat, but Menma blocked them with a Tailed Beast chakra cloak.
• Mabui used the Heavenly Transfer Technique to transport Menma, Raikage A, and Killer B to Unraikyo as Menma left a Mini Spiraling Ring behind.
• Menma and the AB Duo watched the Mini Spiraling Ring explode over Kumogakure, destroying the village.
• Killer B fired a Tailed Beast Bomb at Menma, who threw another Mini Spiraling Ring into it and triggered an explosion that swallowed Unraikyo.

Kumogakure suffered catastrophic damage after the mysterious enemy’s explosion, leaving Killer B badly injured and hundreds dead or wounded. Raikage A accepted a ceasefire with Konoha, while the enemy named “Danzo” received a massive bounty that enraged Shimura Danzō.

• Killer B shielded Raikage A from the explosion and was left severely injured as they escaped the devastated Unraikyo.
• Raikage A returned to Kumogakure and learned that the explosion had destroyed the village center, killed or injured hundreds, and left Mabui undergoing emergency treatment.
• Dodai reported that the attackers were likely Summoned Beasts and that their master had entered Kumogakure using the name “Danzo.”
• Raikage A ordered a seventy-million-ryo bounty for “Danzo” and agreed to make peace with Konoha.
• Kumogakure accepted Konoha’s ceasefire terms, and the bounty for “Danzo,” codenamed “Asura,” spread through the Underground Black Market.
• Shimura Danzō saw the bounty poster at Root’s base and tore it to shreds in anger.

Akatsuki and Konoha learned that the mysterious ninja calling himself Danzo had attacked Kumogakure, but neither side knew his motives. Obito ordered Zetsu to alert him when Konoha’s lockdown ended, while Konoha’s leaders suspected the attacks were part of a plan to weaken Kumogakure.

• White Zetsu showed Obito and Konan an updated bounty notice naming the mysterious ninja Danzo, codename Asura, and reported that he had devastated Kumogakure.
• Obito said he had never heard of the ninja’s abilities and ordered Zetsu to notify him when Konoha’s lockdown was lifted.
• Shimura Danzō denied any connection to the bounty notice during a meeting with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s senior officials.
• Hyuga Hiashi confirmed that the attacker had worn the familiar three-eyed Fox Mask, while Nara Shikaku proposed that the attacker’s organization sought to weaken Kumogakure by prolonging a war.
• Hiruzen arranged deployments and asked Hiashi about Hizashi, who replied hesitantly that he was fine.

Gato arrived in Konoha, opened a company branch, and gained approval to adopt a war orphan and send him to the Ninja Academy. Meanwhile, Hizashi searched in vain for evidence disproving the mysterious person's claims about the Caged Bird Seal and emerged from his study burdened by thoughts of Neji's future.

• Gato registered his company in Konoha and asked to buy a home near the Hyuga Compound.
• Gato told a Konoha Chunin he could not have children and asked to adopt a Konoha orphan for the Ninja Academy.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed Gato's background and approved his adoption application.
• Neji brought food to Hizashi's study and waited outside while his father refused to come out.
• Hizashi searched the Branch House's records for evidence against the mysterious person's account of the Caged Bird Seal but found none.
• Hizashi left his study, saw Neji's meal tray, and murmured his son's name with sorrow.

Menma left the Konoha Orphanage after Gato arranged to adopt him, then reunited with his Shadow Clone at Gato’s estate. After absorbing the clone’s memories and returning to his three-year-old appearance, Menma anticipated Orochimaru’s imminent defection.

• Gato searched the orphanage for Menma, recognized him beneath a tree, and told him that a house and branch office were ready.
• Menma agreed to leave, and Yamanaka Santen confirmed his fire nature chakra before approving the adoption despite Yunnai’s concerns.
• Menma said goodbye to Yunnai and the orphans, promising Aqi he would visit, then completed the adoption registration with special approval from the Hokage.
• At Gato’s estate, the masked Menma ordered Gato to follow the original Menma’s arrangements and told him to keep only two servants.
• The original Menma released his Shadow Clone, absorbed its memories, and returned to his three-year-old appearance.
• Menma looked toward the Hokage Office Building and Hokage Rock, thinking Orochimaru was about to defect.

Menma settled into a comfortable life in Konoha while training and developing his techniques. When he found young Hinata being bullied, he chased off the boys, reassured her, and took her to Ichiraku Ramen.

• Gato left Konoha to expand his business and gather intelligence, leaving Menma in charge of the local branch and household.
• Menma trained, studied chakra natures, developed his techniques, and spent his free time exploring Konoha with Mini-Kurama.
• Mini-Kurama alerted Menma that Hinata was in trouble, and he found three boys mocking her in a park.
• Menma knocked the boys down and frightened them into fleeing, then introduced himself to Hinata.
• Menma praised Hinata’s gentleness, took her hand, and led her to Ichiraku Ramen when her stomach growled.

Menma took Hinata to Ichiraku Ramen, where she ate her fill for the first time, before a sudden attack interrupted their walk home. Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi identified Orochimaru as the likely cause of the village’s missing ninja and led an Anbu squad to his hidden lair.

• Menma overheard villagers discussing missing Genin and suspected Orochimaru was preparing to defect.
• Menma ordered Hinata another bowl of ramen and shared Teuchi’s Tempura with her, moving her with his kindness.
• Menma took Hinata home, but Big Sister Hinata suddenly attacked him with a Gentle Fist strike.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi received an investigation report naming Orochimaru and ordered Kakashi to gather the First Division for an arrest.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi led Kakashi and Jaku to a concealed entrance in the forest, where Jaku blew away its disguise with an Explosive Tag.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Orochimaru over his human experiments, but Orochimaru escaped the destroyed base and ran into Menma, who demanded the Hashirama Cells research. Orochimaru handed over a scroll and fled through Konoha's barrier, intent on remembering Asura.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi, and Jaku found Orochimaru's secret laboratory and discovered that he had experimented on Konoha ninja.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Enma, but Orochimaru used a sound attack to escape as the base's self-destruct mechanism detonated.
• Orochimaru raced toward Konoha's protective barrier and encountered Menma, the masked ninja known as Asura, with the Grim Reaper of Three and the Celestial Maiden of Jade.
• Menma demanded the Hashirama Cells, then warned Orochimaru that Kakashi and Kinoe were approaching.
• Orochimaru gave Menma a scroll containing the requested information and escaped through the barrier, vowing to settle the score with Asura.

Menma took over one of Orochimaru’s hidden bases and suppressed the curse mark that reacted to Obito’s presence. As Obito prepared to enter Konoha and Danzo arranged to help Orochimaru escape, the chapter left their plans unfolding.

• Menma inspected the scroll containing a vast life force, then left with Grim Reaper of Three and Celestial Maiden of Jade after Orochimaru escaped.
• White Tiger led Menma to a concealed secret base near Naka River, where the summoned beasts cleared traps and snakes while Menma examined Orochimaru’s research logs.
• Menma’s sealing array caused him pain, and he used the Caged Bird Seal to suppress the curse mark.
• Obito discovered he could no longer sense the mark he had placed on Minato’s child and decided to enter Konoha despite White Zetsu’s warning.
• Danzo learned that Orochimaru had defected, sent Kinoe with a scroll to help Orochimaru escape, and then went to answer the Hokage’s summons.

After Orochimaru escaped Konoha, Hiruzen ordered an Anbu search while Kakashi summoned his Ninja Dogs to track the injured fugitive. Obito investigated the escape and the missing orphan, then left for Rin’s grave, where he shed a tear before vanishing with Kamui.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi assembled the Anbu and ordered them to capture Orochimaru alive before he left the Land of Fire, while Danzo offered to assist.
• Twenty Anbu ninja spread out to search for Orochimaru, and Kakashi summoned Pakkun and seven other Ninja Dogs to follow the scent of blood.
• Obito questioned Zetsu about Orochimaru’s escape and learned that White Zetsu had lost track of a boy from the Orphanage.
• Obito suspected Danzo’s Root might have been involved, ordered Zetsu to continue investigating, and departed through Kamui.
• Obito left flowers at Rin’s grave and shed a tear as he activated Kamui.

Jiraiya returned to Konoha, learned that Orochimaru had defected after conducting human experiments, and set out to bring him back. Meanwhile, Yamato met the Iburi Clan on Danzo’s behalf, but Uzumaki Menma arrived and revealed the clan’s tragic history.

• Jiraiya told Hiruzen Sarutobi about the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy, then learned Orochimaru had defected and left to retrieve him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Jiraiya race away after reading the accounts of Orochimaru’s experiments.
• Yamato entered an underground gathering place in the northern Land of Fire and delivered Danzo’s letter to Gota, the Iburi Clan’s leader.
• Yukimi mistook Yamato for Tenzo, but Gota explained that the Iburi Clan owed Orochimaru for saving them with his Cursed Seal.
• Uzumaki Menma appeared in a three-eyed Fox Mask and described how Orochimaru had used the Iburi Clan for human experimentation.

Menma confronted the Iburi Clan and exposed that Orochimaru had killed the children they entrusted to him, including Gota’s son. After Yamato confirmed the truth, Menma proposed a bet with the entire clan’s lives as the wager.

• Gota and the Iburi Clan transformed into smoke and attacked Menma, but the Celestial Maiden’s wind scattered much of their smoke and thwarted Gota’s Smoke Smothering Technique.
• Yamato used Wood Release against the Celestial Maiden, but a masked figure with a scythe absorbed the chakra and cut the wooden tendrils apart.
• Menma told Gota that Orochimaru had conducted fatal experiments on Konoha shinobi and that the Iburi children had died in his laboratory.
• Yukimi sought confirmation from Yamato, who remembered the children in Orochimaru’s laboratory and confirmed that they had not survived.
• Gota realized Orochimaru had betrayed the clan and lost his son, while Menma proposed wagering the lives of the entire Iburi Clan.

Menma studied the Iburi Clan’s history and gave Gota food in exchange for the clan’s cooperation. Meanwhile, Yamato saved Kakashi from Gota’s Smoke Transformation, and Yukimi offered to help Kakashi and Yamato escape.

• Menma examined the Iburi Clan’s historical scrolls after Gota showed him the clan’s records.
• Menma gave Gota a sealing scroll containing food for the clan.
• Gota attacked Kakashi with the Smoke Smothering Technique, but Yamato restrained Kakashi with Wood Release and stopped Gota from killing him.
• Yamato told Kakashi that Asura was waiting for Orochimaru and seeking the Iburi Clan’s service.
• Yamato introduced Yukimi to Kakashi, and Yukimi offered to help them escape before Asura questioned them.

Menma confronted Orochimaru at the Iburi Clan’s underground home after Orochimaru attacked the clan, and the two began fighting. Menma protected the Iburi Clan as Orochimaru summoned Manda, who was struck by Menma’s Spiraling Ring.

• Menma learned that Yukimi had freed Kakashi and Yamato, and he told Gota to prepare for Orochimaru.
• Kakashi and Yamato accompanied Yukimi through a marketplace, where she enjoyed shopping and trying snacks.
• Orochimaru arrived at the Iburi Clan’s home, drained one clansman of blood, and was confronted by Grim Reaper of Three and Gota.
• Menma appeared and claimed the Iburi Clan as his own, while Gota accepted his protection after learning Orochimaru had deceived the clan.
• Orochimaru used the Cursed Seal to incapacitate the Iburi Clan and released a wave of venomous snakes, while Menma ordered his Nine Masked Beasts to protect them.
• Menma attacked Orochimaru with a Spiraling Ring, and Orochimaru summoned Manda, who was badly struck by the blast.

Menma defeated Orochimaru’s summoned Manda and badly wounded him with the Mini Spiraling Ring, but Orochimaru survived using his substitution technique. After Menma revealed he knew about Living Corpse Reincarnation, Orochimaru concluded that Asura was a Konoha shinobi from the future.

• Orochimaru summoned Manda and promised to kill a thousand Iburi Clan members, while Menma prepared to end the fight before the cave collapsed.
• Menma threw specially made kunai to distract Orochimaru, then used the Flying Thunder God to strike him from behind with the Mini Spiraling Ring.
• The attack dispelled Manda and tore apart Orochimaru’s waist, but Orochimaru escaped his damaged body using the Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique.
• Orochimaru questioned how Asura knew the Flying Thunder God and recognized that his techniques resembled Namikaze Minato’s, though he ruled out Minato as their source.
• Menma warned Orochimaru against overusing Living Corpse Reincarnation, and Orochimaru inferred that Asura had come from the future.

Uzumaki Menma manipulated Orochimaru into believing he had come from the future and used that belief to negotiate from a position of strength. Their uneasy discussion was interrupted when Yukimi, Kakashi, and Yamato arrived in the cavern.

• Uzumaki Menma let Orochimaru speculate about his origins and learned that Orochimaru had not yet used Living Corpse Reincarnation.
• Orochimaru proposed cooperating in exchange for Menma's future knowledge, but Menma warned him about the technique's flaws and rejected his offer to research Wood Release.
• Menma told Orochimaru that he had no value to him yet, leaving Orochimaru to regret losing the Hashirama Cells.
• Yukimi entered the cavern and was shocked by the crater, while Kakashi and Yamato arrived and confronted Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru recognized Kakashi and Yamato, whom he called Kinoe, and looked satisfied at seeing his creation.

Menma defeated Kakashi and Yamato, secured the Iburi Clan’s loyalty, and promised to cure the flaws in their Kekkei Genkai. Kakashi escaped with the unconscious Yamato while Yukimi remained with the clan.

• Orochimaru left the cave after discussing Kinoe’s limited potential with Menma and asking him to continue researching the Iburi Clan’s Kekkei Genkai.
• Menma attacked Kakashi and Yamato, overpowering both with his taijutsu and causing Kakashi to relive the memory of Rin’s death when he caught Yamato.
• Gota told Yukimi that the Iburi Clan belonged to Menma, and Menma promised to free them from the weaknesses of their Kekkei Genkai.
• Gota swore that the Iburi Clan would serve Menma for generations, and Menma left with Gota while dismissing Kakashi and Yamato.
• Yukimi urged Kakashi to leave with the unconscious Yamato, and Kakashi carried him out as Yukimi dissolved into smoke.

Menma helped the Iburi Clan relocate and began planning an organization that could unify the Shinobi World. While out with Mini-Kurama, he met his three-year-old brother Naruto, who had been shunned by the village.

• Gota led the Iburi Clan away from their cavern burial ground and promised to follow Menma’s arrangements.
• Menma returned to the Hidden Leaf Village using the Flying Thunder God Technique and decided to build an organization to face the threats in the real world.
• Menma studied a map and chose the western countries as the best region for his organization to develop.
• Mini-Kurama interrupted Menma’s planning to ask for food, so he took her to Ichiraku Ramen.
• Naruto ran from villagers’ hateful stares, collided with Menma, and was asked to apologize by treating him to ramen.

Menma took Naruto to Ichiraku Ramen, where Teuchi and Ayame treated Naruto kindly despite the villagers’ hostility toward him. After Menma taught Naruto how to begin a meal and shared his Tempura, Naruto paid for their food and left with only ten ryō in change.

• Menma brought Naruto to Ichiraku Ramen, where two Genin insulted Naruto as they left and Menma stayed beside him.
• Teuchi recognized Menma’s usual order, while Ayame introduced herself to Naruto and welcomed him to the shop.
• Naruto cried because nobody had taught him basic meal manners, and Menma showed him to say, “Let’s eat.”
• Naruto finished his ramen and eagerly ate the Tempura Menma offered, thanking him for the kindness.
• Menma told Teuchi that Naruto would pay, and Naruto spent ninety ryō on the meal before leaving with ten ryō in change.