Chapter Summaries

Zi Xu learned that the Akatsuki would target Rōran for its power sources and anticipated an attack, but Pain struck Konoha before help could arrive. Pain’s Six Paths invaded the village, searching for Naruto and unleashing destruction while extracting information from its defenders.

• Sara explained that Rōran’s puppets needed more energy than the depleted Dragon Vein branch could provide, and Zi Xu promised they might find humanoid power sources as the ninja world grew chaotic.
• Zi Xu warned that the Akatsuki would come for Gaara’s One-Tail and told his allies to kill any attackers, then returned to Sky City with his companions.
• Neji reported that the Akatsuki had attacked Konoha and that the village had requested aid, but Zi Xu believed they were too far away to arrive in time.
• Pain’s Six Paths entered Konoha, summoned giant beasts, and began destroying the village while searching for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Deva Path Pain and the other Paths killed Konoha’s defenders and tortured a guard for information about Naruto.

Jiraiya and Tsunade fought Yahiko’s Six Paths of Pain as the Akatsuki launched a devastating assault on Konoha. The village’s casualties mounted, and Tendo left its people beginning to blame Naruto for their suffering.

• Jiraiya recognized Tendo as his former student Yahiko, while Yahiko declared that he would make the world feel pain to bring about peace.
• Jiraiya summoned toads to fight the Six Paths, and Tsunade sent her slugs to treat Konoha’s wounded while Kakashi used Kamui to absorb Asura Path’s missiles.
• A young boy from Konoha’s outskirts opened the first of the Eight Gates and charged into battle to protect the village.
• Tsunade smashed Preta Path with her Painful Sky Leg as Jiraiya attacked Tendo, but Tendo repelled them and the Hell Path revived Preta Path.
• Konan and the Six Paths continued destroying Konoha, and some survivors began blaming Naruto for the attack as Tendo watched from the air.

Jiraiya and Naruto fought the Six Paths of Pain as Pain pressed his assault on the village and focused on capturing the Nine-Tails. Naruto turned Preta Path to stone with Natural Energy, but Pain restored the fallen Paths and pinned Naruto to the ground, asking whether this was the result of his training.

• Jiraiya realized the black rods might reveal a weakness, but the Six Paths surrounded him and attacked.
• Fukasaku and Shima briefly disrupted Deva Path, giving Jiraiya time to escape the pull and summon a giant toad.
• Naruto arrived in Sage Mode, saw the village’s destruction, and attacked Deva Path with giant Rasengan, which Preta Path absorbed.
• Jiraiya warned Naruto about the Paths’ shared vision and chakra absorption, and Naruto petrified Preta Path by feeding him Natural Energy.
• Jiraiya’s oil-and-fire attack engulfed several Paths, but Hell Path restored them through the King of Hell.
• Deva Path struck Naruto, pinned his palm to the ground with a black rod, and asked, “So this is the result of your training?”

Pain explained how the cycle of hatred shaped his quest for peace, then unleashed a devastating repulsive force on Konoha. As the village was crushed, Uzumaki Zi Xu appeared at Ichiraku Ramen and confronted Pain, declaring he would wipe out Akatsuki.

• Pain told Naruto that the great nations had brought suffering to smaller villages and argued that fear of a superweapon could create temporary peace.
• Pain rose into the sky and used an immense repulsive force to flatten buildings across Konoha.
• The Ichiraku Owner accepted that he might die and went to make one last bowl of ramen.
• Uzumaki Zi Xu appeared inside Ichiraku Ramen, told the boy to stay put, and promised the Ichiraku Owner payment for a bowl.
• Uzumaki Zi Xu moved through Pain's repulsive force, confronted Tendo, and announced that he would wipe out Akatsuki.

Zi Xu overpowered Deva Path Pain, destroyed Planetary Devastation, and sealed the puppet after rejecting Pain’s justification for the Akatsuki’s violence. He located the source of Pain’s control and set out to confront it, leaving Jiraiya to tell others that Naruto had won.

• Zi Xu transformed into a Giant Dragon and carried Pain’s Shinra Tensei high into the sky, where his lightning weakened Pain’s resistance.
• Pain launched Planetary Devastation, but Zi Xu shattered its black sphere with a Conqueror’s Haki-wrapped strike from the Wolf Fang Club.
• Zi Xu pinned Pain, restrained him with Golden Chains and seals, and pulled a black rod from his body to trace the Chakra controlling the puppet.
• Zi Xu rejected Pain’s argument that pain would bring peace and said he would destroy the Akatsuki Organization and establish a unified state instead.
• Zi Xu tried to use Flying Thunder God but appeared beside Jiraiya, then left to find Pain’s source and told Jiraiya to credit Naruto with the victory.

Zi Xu reached Nagato’s hideout and challenged his beliefs about pain and peace. Nagato began doubting the ideas Madara Uchiha had taught him, while Zi Xu considered recruiting him and Konan.

• Zi Xu reasoned that Naruto should receive credit for driving Pain back to protect him from Konoha’s blame and recalled how the villagers had condemned Hatake Sakumo.
• Zi Xu found Nagato’s cave, avoided the Explosive Tags, and confronted Konan at the entrance.
• Nagato allowed Konan to bring Zi Xu inside, where Zi Xu saw Nagato connected to a towering humanoid figure through black rods.
• Zi Xu disputed Nagato’s claim that people could understand one another through shared pain and argued that everyone experienced suffering differently.
• Zi Xu asked Nagato when he had strayed from his original beliefs, prompting Nagato to murmur Madara Uchiha’s name.
• Zi Xu saw Nagato’s self-doubt as an opening and considered recruiting him and Konan.

Zi Xu questioned Nagato about the Akatsuki and learned that Orochimaru was working with Tobi and Zetsu on something involving a strange fruit. After confirming Nagato planned to revive the Ten-Tails, Zi Xu left him a possible treatment and returned to the Land of Whirlpools, intending to uncover who was manipulating him.

• Nagato rejected Zi Xu’s attempt to change his beliefs, but told him Orochimaru had been working with Tobi and Zetsu on a project involving a strange fruit and Zetsu’s First Generation Cells.
• Zi Xu offered to heal Nagato and asked whether he was trying to revive the Ten-Tails, and Nagato confirmed it.
• Zi Xu gave Konan a small metal ball and told her to activate its technique to heal Nagato, while warning them not to target the Land of Whirlpools or Konoha again.
• Zi Xu left the cave, suspecting someone had manipulated Nagato and that his Rinnegan was somehow abnormal.
• Zi Xu saw Konoha’s survivors celebrating Naruto as their hero, then returned to the Land of Whirlpools.

Orochimaru studied White Zetsu experiments while Kabuto secretly sought out an old man in a hidden cave. Back in Sky City, Zi Xu prepared his allies for the coming conflict and recruited Kisame, though he remained wary of him.

• Orochimaru recorded that Hidan's cells and Devil Fruit experiments had altered White Zetsu, then chose to delay feeding a fruit to the growing red-haired boy in a glass cylinder.
• Kabuto secretly used his knowledge of Impure World Reincarnation and Sage Mode to find an old man hidden in a stone chamber beneath a cliff.
• Zi Xu returned to Sky City and advised Xianglin, Bai, Gaara, and Chino on their training, while assigning Guren to track Deidara.
• Zi Xu spoke with Kisame in the secret chamber, sealed a jutsu on him, and recruited him after promising to create a peaceful world.
• Kisame said he could not remember much from before joining the Akatsuki Organization, and Zi Xu planned to put him on the front lines; he also told Kisame that Hatsumi had taken Samehada for research.

Naruto was celebrated as Konoha’s hero despite his doubts, while Sasuke sought power from Orochimaru after losing to Itachi. Sasuke survived eating a lightning fruit and gained control of its power, leaving to pursue Itachi as Orochimaru realized he had been trapped in a Genjutsu.

• Naruto felt uneasy as villagers praised him, then asked Jiraiya where Sasuke had gone.
• Sasuke tracked down Orochimaru, determined to gain enough power to defeat Itachi.
• Orochimaru gave Sasuke a strange lightning fruit as an experiment, and Sasuke swallowed it.
• A crow with Sharingan eyes emerged from Sasuke and helped quiet the foreign consciousness battling him as lightning consumed his body.
• Sasuke gained control of the lightning and left to seek Itachi, while Orochimaru recognized the crow’s eyes as Betsutenjin and suspected Konoha had kept him under Genjutsu.

Zi Xu defeated Deidara by sealing his self-detonation and then set out to hunt Sasori after failing to find Zetsu. He arrived near a cave where Sasori and a bespectacled man were fighting for control of puppets, including the Third Kazekage Puppet.

• Deidara fled from Zi Xu on a giant bird, but Zi Xu cut off his escape and confronted him over his past attacks on the Land of Whirlpools.
• Deidara revealed his self-detonation and unleashed his ultimate explosion, but Zi Xu temporarily sealed it and kicked it into the distant sky.
• Zi Xu crossed Deidara's name off his list and chose Sasori as his next target after he could not find Zetsu.
• Sasori and a bespectacled man fought over control of Sasori's puppets and the Third Kazekage Puppet.
• Zi Xu sensed their struggle and flew toward the cave, hoping to find an opportunity.

Zi Xu ambushed Doflamingo as he escaped Sasori, then Rosinante recognized his former brother and joined the fight. Zi Xu and Rosinante took on Sasori and Doflamingo, revealing that the battle had only just begun.

• Sasori regained control of the Third Kazekage, and Doflamingo tried to escape by pulling himself upward with threads.
• Zi Xu struck Doflamingo with his Wolf Fang Club, but Doflamingo recovered and recognized Zi Xu's presence and ability as Kaido's.
• Sasori revealed his puppet body and surrounded Zi Xu with puppets, while Doflamingo joined Sasori against him.
• Zi Xu froze the puppets and called Rosinante over, prompting Doflamingo and Rosinante to recognize each other.
• Zi Xu attacked Sasori's puppets with Wind Blades, while Rosinante approached Doflamingo and stopped his threads in midair.

Zi Xu defeated Sasori and sealed him inside a bandage-wrapped bundle while Rosinante fought Doflamingo. Doflamingo escaped through a mysterious vortex, and Zi Xu suspected that Tobi had intervened.

• Zi Xu smashed Sasori’s puppets, overwhelmed him with the Eight Gates, and sealed him in bandages.
• Zi Xu collected Sasori’s puppets while Rosinante kept Doflamingo’s attacks at bay.
• Doflamingo awakened the surrounding ground into strings and used them to launch himself toward the cave ceiling.
• Rosinante pursued Doflamingo using rocks suspended in midair as stepping stones.
• A vortex appeared, pulled Doflamingo inside, and vanished before Zi Xu could stop him.
• Zi Xu gathered the hidden razor-sharp strings and suspected that Tobi had noticed the fight.

Zi Xu returned to Rōran with Sasori and learned that a mysterious force was gathering strength, raising the possibility of war. As he left to investigate, Hatsumi detected the same threat near the borders of several countries and prepared to strike; Mei Terumi then arrived, wielding a familiar energy.

• Zi Xu left Doflamingo alone, brought Sasori to Rōran, and handed Rosinante the scroll of puppets for Kankuro.
• Sara told Zi Xu that countries were preparing for war after detecting a new force amassing energy, and Zi Xu gave her Sasori as an energy source before setting out to investigate.
• Rosinante delivered Sasori's puppets to Kankuro, while Neji took several to the research team and remarked that Hatsumi would have been better suited to study them.
• Hatsumi detected a massive energy reading near the borders of several countries and ordered the Daimyo of the Land of Water to send people to investigate and attack with her bugs' help.
• Hatsumi sensed a strange, familiar energy approaching, filled the room with insects, and faced Mei Terumi as she entered with chilling power in her hands.

Sasuke went to confront Itachi after gaining the power to become lightning, confident he could defeat him. After a fierce battle and Itachi’s Genjutsu, Sasuke survived, and Itachi died without taking his eyes.

• Sasuke left Orochimaru and headed to find Itachi, convinced his new lightning powers made him nearly unbeatable.
• Itachi attacked Sasuke with Amaterasu and Susanoo, and Sasuke narrowly escaped the Black Flame by shedding his burning clothes.
• Sasuke struck Itachi with lightning, but realized the apparent victory had been an illusion when Itachi reached for his eyes.
• Sasuke’s lightning and Sharingan faded as Itachi advanced through his defenses and touched his forehead.
• Itachi collapsed and died without taking Sasuke down with him.

Sasuke defeated Itachi but was left confused and nearly blind, then followed Madara Uchiha to learn the truth about the massacre. At the Daimyo’s residence, Hatsumi fought the frenzied Mei Terumi, pinned her down, and escaped as reinforcements approached.

• Sasuke reflected on Itachi’s final words and stopped anyone from desecrating his corpse.
• Tobi took Itachi’s body and identified himself as Madara Uchiha, claiming he would reveal the truth about the massacre and help slow Sasuke’s impending blindness.
• Hatsumi entered Sage Mode and covered herself in armor formed from the Three-Tails and the Sage Insect.
• Hatsumi broke through Mei Terumi’s ice defenses and pinned her to the ground with her sword, though Mei Terumi remained alive and encased in ice.
• As reinforcements neared the Daimyo’s residence, Hatsumi escaped and decided to bring her intelligence to Zi Xu and Neji.

Zi Xu and Sasuke independently went to kill Danzo, then converged on the Root Organization. Sasuke killed Danzo after Madara revealed the truth about Itachi’s mission, while Zi Xu watched and studied the Masked Man.

• Zi Xu returned to Konoha and decided he no longer needed an excuse to kill Danzo.
• Madara Uchiha told Sasuke that Itachi had massacred the Uchiha Clan on Konoha’s orders to prevent a rebellion and protect Sasuke.
• Sasuke set out to kill Danzo, and Zi Xu separately located Danzo inside the Root Organization.
• Sasuke, Madara Uchiha, and Zi Xu appeared in Danzo’s underground base, where Danzo attacked Sasuke with wind and Wood Release techniques.
• Danzo charged Sasuke’s lightning armor with a kunai, and Sasuke’s lightning pierced him, killing him.

Sasuke overcame Danzō’s Betsutenjin after Itachi’s raven destroyed the Sharingan that powered it, then attacked Danzō as his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan awakened. Danzō’s final seal consumed him and the entire Root Organization, leaving him truly dead.

• Danzō used Izanagi to undo several deaths, spending the Sharingan on his arm, while Madara explained the technique to Sasuke and Zi Xu watched.
• Sasuke uncovered his newly awakened Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and Danzō used Betsutenjin to try to control him and recruit him into Root.
• A raven carrying one of Shisui’s Sharingan appeared and countered Betsutenjin, triggering a seal that shattered Danzō’s eye and ended the genjutsu.
• Sasuke’s lightning armor gained black flames, and he attacked the exhausted Danzō as Danzō revealed a seal on his chest.
• Danzō’s First Generation Cells transformed his arm into a growing tree, so he severed it and activated the seal, which pulled him and the Root Organization into a black void.

After Danzo’s death and Konoha’s destruction, Madara Uchiha declared the Fourth Ninja World War to gather the Tailed Beasts. Zi Xu warned the others and returned to Sky City, where the threat of war met a growing cast of enemies and new dangers.

• Zi Xu rejected Madara Uchiha’s demand for the One-Tail, and Madara Uchiha declared war on the Five Great Nations before vanishing.
• Sasuke left the ruined Konoha, while Zi Xu told Kakashi and Jiraiya that the villages needed to unite against Madara Uchiha’s forces.
• Zi Xu told Kakashi that Sasuke had killed Danzo and returned to Sky City, where Xianglin explained that Mede had lost control of her Ice Ability and injured Hatsumi.
• Zi Xu urged Sky City to prepare for war, and its residents resolved to defend the Land of Whirlpools despite their unease.
• Kabuto Yakushi raised an army of the dead, Madara Uchiha gathered White Zetsu and used Yamato to increase their numbers, and Orochimaru considered the limits of using the Fruit.

Zi Xu attended an emergency Five Kage Summit to discuss uniting against Madara Uchiha, then learned that Sky City was under attack and hurried to support it. Before he could arrive, an enemy force ambushed him in the desert, where he began fighting Crocodile, Shiryu, White Zetsu, and Impure World Reincarnation shinobi.

• Zi Xu brought Sara to the Five Kage Summit, where Hozuki Mangetsu warned that Orochimaru had tricked Mede and the Kage discussed the threat from Madara Uchiha.
• Zi Xu left the summit with Sara and asked about the puppets, learning that the dumpling's Chakra could only barely keep them moving.
• Chino and the others reported that White Zetsu, Impure World Reincarnation shinobi, and strangely dressed attackers had surrounded Sky City, so Zi Xu sent Sara to Rōran and rushed back.
• A massive force of White Zetsu, resurrected shinobi, and Demon Fruit users appeared around Zi Xu in the desert and surrounded him.
• Crocodile attacked with a sandstorm as White Zetsu released poison gas, but Zi Xu stopped the sand, struck the invisible Shiryu, and burned through the White Zetsu with lightning-infused fire.

Chino and the others defended Sky City from the White Zetsu as Deidara’s explosive attack failed to damage the city. Hatsumi captured Momonosuke with her insects, and he awoke among the women, convinced he had found paradise.

• Chino, Guren, Hatsumi, Rosinante, and Xianglin fought off the White Zetsu from Sky City’s defenses.
• Deidara used his ultimate explosion, but the blast aimed at Sky City fizzled out while White Zetsu were caught in the other explosion.
• Momonosuke urged Kin'emon and the samurai to run or surrender, then hid against a woman while Kin'emon praised him.
• Hatsumi’s insect bit Momonosuke, and a smoke bomb went off as Kin'emon tried to shield him.
• Momonosuke woke among Hatsumi and the other women, pretended to be a frightened lost boy, and approached Chino.
• Chino moved aside, and Hatsumi grabbed Momonosuke by the collar as he mistook the situation for paradise.