Chapter Summaries

Ye Rong and Ye Feng’s group assessed Konoha’s political tensions and considered a vaccine-for-sealing-scroll trade. Their negotiations turned into a confrontation when a Tianlong group demanded exclusive control of the vaccine trade.

• Ye Rong, Ye Feng, and their companions discussed Danzō’s power, Konoha’s factions, and their plan to trade vaccines for sealing scrolls.
• A group of unknown Boundary Breakers arrived at the dormitory and identified the visitors as members of the Ye family from Dilong City.
• The clean-shaven leader said his group would station people in Konoha and proposed controlling the flow of sealing scrolls to keep prices stable.
• Ye Feng guessed the newcomers were from Tianlong, and the leader confirmed it before demanding that his group handle all vaccine trades.
• Ye Rong rejected the demand for a vaccine monopoly and insisted that her group could obtain vaccines as well.

Henry Bright tried to claim the Ye family’s share of the scroll-vaccine business on behalf of the powerful Bright family, then sought out Jack to pressure him as well. Jack refused to get involved, and Konoha’s Anbu drove Henry and his men away.

• Henry Bright identified himself as a member of the Bright family, and Ye Rong agreed to respect his demands after learning his family had a Catastrophe-level expert.
• Henry asked Ye Rong about two injured visitors and the missing member of her group; she concealed Tao Yu’s circumstances and gave Henry the address where he was staying.
• Henry and his men reached the local home where Kakashi was teaching Naruto, and Tao Yu came out to meet them.
• Henry told Tao Yu that the Ye family had withdrawn from the scroll-vaccine business and beckoned him to discuss the matter privately, but Tao Yu said he was not interested and ordered Kakashi to show them out.
• Anbu surrounded Henry and his men, forcing them to leave while Henry realized Tao Yu had powerful allies in Konoha.

The Bright family confronted the injured Xu Cong and his companion, who secretly revealed their insect-like nature and set off to deal with Konoha’s insect-communicating clan. In the Forest of Death, Tao Yu dismissed Jiraiya’s Sage Mode as an inferior way to unify power, then demonstrated the overwhelming suppression of his Gate of the Divine.

• Henry vented his anger on Xu Cong and his companion, but they calmly agreed to the Bright family’s demands while recovering from their injuries.
• After Henry left, Xu Cong and his companion used cockroach-like insects to repair their bodies and discussed dealing with Konoha’s insect-communicating clan before taking action.
• Jiraiya arrived to meet Tao Yu and agreed to demonstrate Sage Mode in exchange for information about the outsiders.
• Tao Yu watched Jiraiya gather natural energy and judged Sage Mode inferior to his own methods of unifying power.
• Tao Yu used the Gate of the Divine to suppress Jiraiya’s senjutsu chakra, ordinary chakra, and the two Toad Sages.

Tao Yu, Namikaze Minato, and Jiraiya investigated an attack on the Aburame clan's Insect Valley and discovered a supernatural plague that animated corpses. Tao Yu contained the infected area with a series of tornadoes, but sensed survivors and a disturbing presence inside a cave.

• A flare drew Namikaze Minato and Jiraiya toward Insect Valley, and Tao Yu traveled there with them using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• They found heaps of dead insects and Aburame ninja, and Tao Yu divined that the culprit was still in the valley.
• Namikaze Minato moved the group away as the insect corpses began to stir, and Tao Yu identified a supernatural plague infecting them.
• Tao Yu destroyed the reanimated bodies with his Sword of Will, then summoned tornadoes to sweep the valley and gather the contaminated remains.
• Namikaze Minato warned Tao Yu to avoid harming any surviving Aburame, and Tao Yu sensed survivors and a disgusting aura inside a cave.

Tao Yu confronted Uchiha Madara amid the tornadoes and fire he had unleashed to contain the contaminated Insect Valley, then joined Madara in heading toward the cave where the Aburame clan was under attack. The other Konoha ninjas arrived as Tao Yu began merging the tornadoes to burn and sterilize the valley.

• Tao Yu suspected the intelligent Cockroach People had been corrupted and drawn into the Starry Sky Evil God’s influence after they infiltrated Konoha and targeted the Aburame clan.
• Uchiha Madara arrived at Insect Valley, mistook Tao Yu’s storm for an enemy attack, and summoned his Complete Body Susanoo to strike at a tornado.
• Tao Yu’s fire giant caught Madara’s Susanoo sword, and Minato and Jiraiya explained that Tao Yu was containing contaminated insect corpses that carried a virus.
• Madara recognized Tao Yu, accepted Minato and Jiraiya’s explanation, and praised Tao Yu’s Fire Release and Wind Release before turning his attention to the cave.
• Madara rushed toward the cave while Tao Yu merged the tornadoes and used the fire giant to incinerate and sterilize the valley.

Aburame Shibi led the surviving members of his clan through the Insect Den while two insect-like monsters pursued them and their toxin weakened him. Uchiha Madara and Tao Yu arrived to rescue the clan, but Tao Yu had to stop Madara’s attack from endangering everyone as the monsters’ insects were sealed.

• Aburame Shibi led the surviving Aburame and their children through the Insect Den, while the enemy’s toxin began transforming his body.
• Shibi stayed behind to cover the clan’s retreat as two monsters covered in insect eyes raced toward him.
• Uchiha Madara’s blue-flamed Susanoo blade struck the monsters, but their scattered cockroaches clung to it and began absorbing chakra.
• Shibi warned the rescuers that the insects could absorb chakra and devour it.
• Tao Yu cut the Susanoo blade with the Sword of Will and sealed the severed half and the escaping insects with shadows.

Tao Yu sealed most of the corrupted cockroach bugs after discovering they could combine into new wills, while Madara killed the infected Aburame Shibi. After the survivors were gathered, Hashirama apologized for the village’s failure to protect them, and Tobirama reported that the attackers had infiltrated as injured pioneers.

• Tao Yu examined the cockroach bugs and found each carried zombie virus consecrated by an evil god, with bugs combining into task-specific wills.
• Madara crushed a bug, judged Aburame Shibi beyond saving, and killed him before discussing the limits of Impure World Reincarnation.
• Tao Yu used Madara’s broken Susanoo Blade to seal nearly all the bugs into a blue crystal as Hashirama and the others arrived to evacuate survivors.
• The Aburame survivors learned that more than half their elite had died, though Shino and many children had been saved.
• Hashirama apologized to the survivors, while Minato offered them a new area in the village and Tobirama reported that two injured pioneers had infiltrated the village.

Tao Yu negotiated with Konoha to trade the Nine-Tails for help defeating the Cockroach People, promising to keep Kushina safe while extracting it. As the extraction began, the Sage of Six Paths drew Tao Yu into a mental space, where Tao Yu faced the ancient figure.

• Tao Yu told Hashirama, Minato, and the others that he could save a Jinchuriki even after a Tailed Beast was extracted, and Madara revealed that the nine beasts could be fused into the Ten-Tails.
• Tao Yu said he had collected chakra from seven Tailed Beasts and explained that he could obtain the Nine-Tails without endangering Kushina.
• Minato and Tobirama agreed that Konoha could trade the Nine-Tails if Tao Yu completely dealt with the Cockroach People and guaranteed Kushina's safety.
• Kushina agreed to give up the Nine-Tails, and Tao Yu assured her the extraction would be painless.
• As Tao Yu began extracting the Nine-Tails, the Sage of Six Paths pulled his spiritual self into a mental space, where Tao Yu assessed the Sage's immense power.

Tao Yu negotiated with the Sage of Six Paths for help locating the Seven-Tails and awakening the Rinnegan in exchange for protecting the Shinobi World and sharing Tailed Beast chakra. He returned to the real world and continued extracting the Nine-Tails from Kushina while replenishing her life force.

• Tao Yu told the Sage of Six Paths he sensed his unusual connection to the World Will, and the Sage explained the limits on his power and his efforts to protect the Shinobi World.
• The Sage offered Kurama and a jutsu that could guide Tao Yu toward the Seven-Tails if Tao Yu kept the outside threat below the barrier's defensive threshold.
• Tao Yu accepted the Sage's offer and revealed that a Saint had arrived near the Pioneer Zone.
• The Sage said he would exchange power that could help Tao Yu awaken the Rinnegan if Tao Yu gave him chakra from each Tailed Beast, and Tao Yu agreed.
• Tao Yu returned from the space of his will and poured life force into Kushina as he drew out the Nine-Tails' chakra, while Tsunade and Namikaze Minato watched.

Anbu detained the Bright family after learning that two pioneers had attacked the Aburame clan, despite Shimura Danzō’s attempt to defend them. The Ye family gave their account and was released from harsh interrogation, but was told to remain in the village in case more questions arose.

• Shimura Danzō intervened when Anbu tried to take the Bright family, but learned that two pioneers who had met them had nearly wiped out the Aburame clan.
• The Anbu took the Bright family to the interrogation unit, rejecting Henry Bright’s warnings about their powerful backing.
• Ye Rong told investigators that the Ye family had encountered the two men after fighting the Cockroach People together and had later seen them injured.
• The Ye family avoided harsh interrogation, but investigators instructed them to stay in the village and not leave because Lord Madara knew about the matter.

Bai Hua’s White Star Group team crossed the Cockroach People World and was struck by a deadly disease that caused the surrounding Cockroach People to die in droves. Tao Yu lifted the disease from the team so they could spread news of the plague, then vanished as a Catastrophe watched from a distance.

• Bai Hua led a powerful White Star Group team across Mars toward the Land of Fire while warning them that other teams had gone missing.
• A swarm of Cockroach People erupted from the ground and fled into the sky, prompting Bai Hua to order his team to prepare to return through meditation.
• The Cockroach People began falling from the sky, and a contagious disease caused Bai Hua and his team to cough blood and suffer failing mechanical augmentations.
• Tao Yu recognized the White Star Group and removed the disease from the team, deciding they should survive to spread the news.
• Tao Yu sensed a distant Catastrophe following them and disappeared, considering whether he could test the attackers who had targeted the Aburame clan in Konoha.

Dailan and Patriarch Bright investigated the Cockroach People's deaths and headed toward Konoha with captured members of the White Star Group, where Tobi stopped them at the border. When Tobi showed them one of the insects, they identified it as belonging to the Witch Church, a powerful native group linked to a massacre in another Pioneer Zone.

• Dailan examined the corpses and concluded that an evil plague or similar force had killed them, while noting that the White family’s young man survived.
• Dailan and Patriarch Bright decided to capture the survivors and question Konoha about what had happened.
• Tobi appeared on the route to the Land of Fire and told Dailan and Patriarch Bright that Konoha was quarantining outsiders because of strange illnesses.
• Tobi showed them a Cockroach Person, and Dailan and Patriarch Bright recognized it as connected to the Witch Church.
• Dailan and Patriarch Bright explained that the Witch Church had recently caused a massacre in another Pioneer Zone, though they did not know how the insects had reached this one.

Tao Yu shared information about the Demoness Sect with Patriarch Bright and Dailan, who went to investigate the locations he marked. Elsewhere, Priest Kamishiro learned that two powerful pioneers had arrived and decided they might need to call Mr. Truth back.

• Tao Yu gave Patriarch Bright and Dailan a rough map of unusual locations in the Cockroach People World, and they left to investigate.
• Tao Yu considered the risks posed by the Demoness Sect and vanished after deciding to let the local pioneers probe the area.
• Priest Kamishiro heard that the Cockroach People plague was killing many of the group’s potential subjects and ordered others to seek help while concealing their traces.
• A messenger reported that two strong pioneers had been detected nearby, and Priest Kamishiro considered calling Mr. Truth back.

Dailan and Patriarch Bright tracked the Witch Church’s contamination on Mars while Tao Yu secretly followed them and destroyed its bases. Their anti-divination tools suddenly shattered, and two powerful auras confronted them at the next location.

• Dailan used a Spirit Seeking Paper Figure to detect Evil God contamination, and she and Patriarch Bright decided to locate the Witch Church’s bases without attacking them.
• Tao Yu followed the pair using the Flying Thunder God Mark and destroyed the insect-filled bases they marked.
• Tao Yu concluded that the Witch Church was preparing to replace the Cockroach People’s ruling class and take control of them.
• Dailan and Patriarch Bright waited for reinforcements, believing their cautious scouting had kept them safe.
• Dailan’s anti-divination beads and Bright’s jade pendant shattered, and two powerful auras locked onto them despite their precautions.

Kamishiro Rize and Truth confronted Dailan and Bredt over the destruction of their bases, and Truth offered Dailan a chance to extend her life in exchange for cooperation. Dailan accepted his offer, attacked Bredt, and was stopped from killing him by a demon tree that burst from the ground.

• Kamishiro Rize and Truth discussed the Trailblazers’ strength and their plan to eliminate them.
• Dailan fled with Bredt, but Truth’s attack destroyed Bredt’s body and an explosion blocked their escape.
• Dailan tried to negotiate with Truth, who accused her of dismantling his bases and offered her a Philosopher’s Stone to extend her life.
• Dailan accepted Truth’s offer, bound Bredt with paper figures, and nearly destroyed him when he tried to surrender.
• A demon tree erupted from the earth and shielded Bredt from Dailan’s finishing attack.

Tao Yu confronted 'Truth' and Dailan as they discussed recruiting him and protecting the Land of Fire. After 'Truth' offered a flesh implant as proof of loyalty, Dailan swallowed one, but Tao Yu refused and prepared to reveal his hand.

• Tao Yu appeared from the monstrous Wood Release tree and told Dailan and 'Truth' that he would leave once he knew they posed no threat to his world.
• 'Truth' invited Tao Yu to join the Witch Church and offered to preserve the Land of Fire if Tao Yu proved his sincerity.
• 'Truth' pulled two writhing lumps of flesh from his chest and told Tao Yu and Dailan to eat them to become members.
• Dailan swallowed her lump of flesh, allowing its tendrils and corruption to spread through her body.
• Tao Yu tossed his lump into his shadow and said he would lay his cards on the table.

Tao Yu and his allies clashed with Dailan, Kamishiro Rize, and the Dwarf in the Flask while Patriarch Bright meditated to return. Tao Yu’s battle with the Dwarf in the Flask continued to unsettle even his allies, who wondered why he had not unleashed the Zhu Xian Sword Array.

• Tao Yu allowed Patriarch Bright to attempt his return, prompting Dailan to attack and Truth to unleash a vast alchemical array against him.
• Tao Yu cut through Truth’s hypersonic earthen drills with a casual slash that left Dailan and Kamishiro Rize shocked.
• Dailan and Kamishiro Rize moved to kill Patriarch Bright, but his vine barrier opened eyes that polluted Dailan’s paper figures.
• Esdeath froze Kamishiro Rize’s tendrils, and Scathach pinned Dailan with a spear while Medici confirmed they were letting Patriarch Bright return on purpose.
• Tao Yu’s allies watched his battle with the Dwarf in the Flask and wondered why he was relying on distant sword intent instead of the Zhu Xian Sword Array.

Tao Yu pulled 'Truth' into his Inherent Domain and used the Zhu Xian Sword Array to nearly destroy him before a mysterious arm reached through the Gate of Truth. The chapter left Tao Yu confronting the arm as its wounds released corrupting black fog.

• Tao Yu overwhelmed 'Truth' with Formless Sword intents, worsening his wounds and triggering a dormant illness.
• 'Truth' opened the Gate of Truth, but Tao Yu dragged him away from it and into his Inherent Domain.
• Tao Yu activated the Zhu Xian Sword Array, whose first strike shattered the chaotic domain and began erasing 'Truth'.
• 'Truth' slowed the sword beam as his connection to the Gate of Truth strengthened and a snow-white arm reached into the array.
• Tao Yu sent seventeen more sword strikes at the arm, leaving scratches that poured out corrupting black fog.

Tao Yu confronted a powerful Demoness who rescued the Dwarf in the Flask, then questioned Kamishiro Rize and Dailan for information about the Witch Church. Kamishiro Rize was killed before she could reveal the other Demonesses, and Tao Yu turned to Dream Divination for answers.

• A scarred hand rescued the half-destroyed Dwarf in the Flask through the Gate of Truth, and Tao Yu identified the distant attacker as Pandora, the Demoness of Vainglory.
• Scathach, Esdeath, and Medici brought Kamishiro Rize and Dailan to Tao Yu, who questioned Kamishiro Rize about the Witch Church and its three great Demonesses.
• Kamishiro Rize began naming the other Demonesses, but an invisible hand attacked her; Tao Yu slowed it with a sealing technique but could not stop it from killing her.
• Tao Yu preserved Kamishiro Rize's spirit for a later Dream Divination and dismissed Dailan's plea for a quick death before crushing her head.
• Tao Yu began Dream Divination on Dailan.

Tao Yu warned the Sage of Six Paths and Konoha about the Witch Church, then traveled across Mars to retrieve the Seven-Tails. After crossing into another world, he discovered that its World Will suppressed supernatural abilities and that the world was dominated by a vast red sea.

• Tao Yu reviewed Dailan's memories, then told the Sage of Six Paths that a powerful Witch Church enemy had appeared and urged him to prepare for danger.
• The Sage of Six Paths agreed to let Tao Yu retrieve the remaining chakra and said he could contact his children through dreams if needed.
• Tao Yu warned Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama about the Witch Church, while Madara and Hashirama set out to hunt Cockroach People.
• Tao Yu flew across Mars, laying Flying Thunder God kunai along the route as he followed the Sage of Six Paths' mark toward the Seven-Tails.
• Tao Yu crossed a World Barrier, was suppressed by the world's Will, and realized the world restricted supernatural abilities.
• Tao Yu climbed a mountain and found a vast red sea stretching out before him.