Chapter Summaries

Konan reflected on how powerful shinobi had become as Uchiha Jin focused on training while Konoha rapidly expanded the Land of Fire through migration, industry, and military rule. In the Land of Grass, Obito told Nagato that Akatsuki’s smooth operations and Konoha’s swift growth made him suspect a hidden plan.

• Konan considered how Kage Level strength had become commonplace and wondered whether killing still mattered if the dead could be revived.
• Uchiha Jin remained focused on his packed routine and left ordinary affairs to others.
• Konoha and the Five Great Military Regions secretly sent Anbu posing as Akatsuki members to attack shinobi in rival nations, while the Land of Fire absorbed migrants and grew rapidly.
• Konoha imposed military administration, used surveillance and force to suppress unrest, and secretly took control of regions near the Land of Fire.
• Nagato led Akatsuki away from Konoha-controlled territories and toward regions held by the Four Great Nations as the two sides cooperated.
• Obito and Black Zetsu appeared before Nagato, and Obito warned that the apparent Akatsuki members causing trouble seemed organized and that Konoha’s rapid development frightened him.

Nagato convinced Obito and Black Zetsu to ignore the other villages’ schemes as long as they did not disrupt Akatsuki’s plans, while privately longing to reunite with Konan and return to Konoha. Meanwhile, Mei Terumī struggled to respond to urgent requests for help as Kirigakure’s forces were depleted, then learned that Iwagakure had called a Four Kage Summit without Konoha.

• Nagato told Obito and Black Zetsu that Akatsuki should focus on capturing the remaining Tailed Beasts and let the Shinobi Villages fight among themselves.
• Obito and Black Zetsu agreed to stop worrying about the villages’ schemes unless they interfered with Akatsuki’s plans, then left the Land of Grass.
• Nagato privately said he hoped to reunite with Konan soon and return to Konoha, while Spiral White Zetsu did not suspect his defection.
• Mei Terumī reviewed urgent requests for aid from across the Land of Water, but Kirigakure had already deployed nearly all its available Ninja.
• An Anbu informed Mei that Iwagakure had called a Four Kage Summit in the Land of Iron five days later and had not notified Konoha.

Mei Terumī realized the Four Kage Summit was meant to counter both Akatsuki and Konoha, whose expansion threatened the other villages. In Konoha, Uchiha Jin dismissed the potential alliance as powerless, though Ōnoki’s move reminded him of the hidden forces he feared.

• Mei Terumī concluded that the other villages had excluded Konoha from Ōnoki’s summit because they feared its power and suspected its territorial ambitions.
• Mei Terumī agreed to attend the summit, then worried that Konoha’s pressure and Akatsuki’s attacks could leave her as the final Mizukage.
• A White Zetsu hidden in the Mizukage Office listened to Mei Terumī’s private thoughts.
• Konan told Uchiha Jin that Ōnoki had called a summit without inviting Konoha and that Nagato had offered to intervene through Akatsuki.
• Uchiha Jin mocked the other villages’ plan to unite against Konoha and Akatsuki, but recognized that Ōnoki’s actions could draw out hidden masterminds.

Uchiha Jin ordered the Akatsuki Organization to disrupt the Five Kage Summit while Konoha secretly expanded into rival territories, explaining that secrecy and public legitimacy would help Konoha defeat the villages one by one. Nagato assembled the Akatsuki, where Obito questioned why they should interfere and grew suspicious that Nagato had sided with Konoha.

• Uchiha Jin asked Konan to contact Nagato and have the Akatsuki Organization disrupt the summit, preferably by killing some village leaders.
• Uchiha Jin ordered the Anbu and Five Great War Zones to seize territory during the summit and told Nara Shikaichi's Administrative Department to secure it secretly.
• Uchiha Jin explained to Konan that concealing Konoha's involvement would preserve its claim to righteousness and prevent the Four Great Shinobi Villages from uniting.
• Nagato summoned the Akatsuki Organization members to Kusagakure's main building and ordered them to sabotage the summit.
• Obito questioned Nagato's order, arguing that the Akatsuki should let the villages fight Konoha, and wondered whether Nagato had secretly defected to Konoha.

Nagato defended his plan to sabotage the Five Kage Summit, arguing that Akatsuki needed prolonged chaos to stay hidden until the Three-Tails and Six-Tails revived. Obito accepted the explanation and agreed to proceed with the operation.

• Obito suspected Nagato's plan might be influenced by Konan's presence in Konoha and questioned why Akatsuki would disrupt the summit.
• Nagato said Akatsuki needed chaos to prevent the Four Great Shinobi Villages from settling into a standoff with Konoha and uniting against Akatsuki.
• Nagato argued that Akatsuki should target the Five Kage Summit because it could not yet defeat Konoha, and it needed time to capture the Three-Tails and Six-Tails.
• Obito found Nagato's reasoning difficult to refute and reluctantly agreed to prepare for the operation.

Akatsuki set out to sabotage the secret Five Kage Summit while Ōnoki urged the other Kage to unite against Konoha. The leaders debated how to share power in an alliance, and Mei Terumī proposed a council limited to external affairs.

• Nagato led Akatsuki out to begin its operation after Obito agreed to sabotage the summit.
• At the secret summit, Ōnoki warned that Konoha’s strength and activity near the borders threatened the other villages and called for a complete union.
• Rasa agreed that Sunagakure could form an alliance but questioned how the villages would divide authority and leadership.
• Mei Terumī proposed mixing civilians and commoner Ninja across the alliance while preserving each village’s internal government and creating a council for external affairs.

The Four Great Shinobi Villages accepted Mei Terumī's loose alliance proposal, with Ōnoki persuading them to place its headquarters in Kirigakure. As the Kage prepared to leave, Akatsuki attacked their meeting with a massive water technique.

• Darui and Rasa agreed to Mei Terumī's proposal, and Ōnoki reluctantly accepted it on Iwagakure's behalf.
• Ōnoki proposed moving the alliance headquarters to Kirigakure so the villages could avoid confronting Konoha directly and let Akatsuki and Konoha fight.
• The Kage sensed a huge surge of Chakra approaching and took up defensive positions.
• Kisame's Water Release: Great Exploding Water Shockwave destroyed the meeting venue, and the village elites rushed to protect their Kage.
• Rasa, Ōnoki, and Mei Terumī confronted Akatsuki members Kisame, Sasori, and Deidara.

Nagato and Akatsuki overwhelmed the four Kage and their guards, killing Darui while the other Kage escaped. Akatsuki declared its mission to disrupt the alliance complete and split up to spread chaos, while Konoha’s hidden Anbu began reporting what had happened.

• Nagato used Shinra Tensei to blast the four Kage and their subordinates away, then Akatsuki launched a coordinated attack that killed the Kage guards and forced the Kage onto the defensive.
• Mei Terumī and Rasa suffered light injuries, Darui was badly wounded, and Ōnoki remained unharmed as the Kage prepared to flee.
• Nagato stopped Darui with Banshō Ten'in, absorbed his Storm Style attack, and killed him with a Chakra Black Receiver.
• Mei Terumī, Ōnoki, and Rasa escaped despite Akatsuki’s pursuit, and the Akatsuki members regrouped without having killed any other Kage.
• Nagato said that disrupting the alliance had fulfilled Akatsuki’s mission, ordered the members to continue wreaking havoc in pairs, and headed toward Iwagakure.
• Konoha’s elite Anbu, who had been waiting near the battlefield, summoned their Summoning Beasts to send information back after the fight ended.

After learning that Darui had died, Uchiha Jin ordered Konoha to infiltrate Kumogakure and guide it toward joining Konoha peacefully. He aimed to unify the Shinobi World, awaken the Rinnegan, and gather enough Fortune to bind the Hongmeng Tower before facing Akatsuki.

• Konan told Uchiha Jin that Darui had died during secret negotiations, leaving Kumogakure in turmoil.
• Uchiha Jin ordered the Northern War Zone, Anbu, and Konoha's spies to infiltrate Kumogakure, rise within its ranks, and stir dissent.
• Uchiha Jin explained to Konan that he wanted Kumogakure to join Konoha peacefully within three months rather than be conquered in a costly war.
• Konan admired Uchiha Jin's plan and imagined the Shinobi World achieving the peace she, Yahiko, and Nagato had sought.
• Uchiha Jin resolved to unify the Shinobi World, awaken the Rinnegan, and use the resulting Fortune to unlock the Hongmeng Tower before confronting Akatsuki.

Tsunade received Konoha’s order to prepare for Kumogakure’s annexation and, after agonizing over the decision, summoned the Northern War Zone’s leaders to begin carrying it out. Senju Tobirama warned her that she must adapt to Uchiha Jin’s ambitions and continue guarding the region as Senju territory, while Tsunade asked him to train heirs who could share her duties.

• An Anbu delivered the Hokage Order to Tsunade, and Senju Tobirama urged her to act without hesitation.
• Tsunade struggled with the order to move against Kumogakure and with the burden of administering the Northern War Zone.
• After fifteen minutes, Tsunade ordered Shizune to summon the division directors and military leaders to Conference Room 1.
• Senju Tobirama told Tsunade to adapt to Uchiha Jin’s plans and explained that she must safeguard the Northern War Zone for the Senju Clan.
• Tsunade promised to learn quickly and asked Senju Tobirama to train new clan heirs who could help with her duties.

Tsunade ordered the Northern War Zone to exploit Kumogakure’s turmoil after Akatsuki killed Darui, secretly take control of the Land of Lightning, and promote a faction favoring surrender to Konoha. Yamato and his Anbu reached Kumogakure and began contacting Konoha’s spies, arriving at Raitetsu’s home as the spy faced the mission he had hoped would never come.

• Tsunade announced a plan to elevate Konoha’s spies in Kumogakure, build a Surrender Faction, occupy more of the Land of Lightning, and assassinate leaders who resisted.
• The Northern War Zone’s officials accepted the orders, then spent five hours preparing a plan and mobilizing troops and administrators.
• Yamato led Anbu elites toward Kumogakure with a list of its spies while ninja legions moved to seize territory outside the village.
• Yamato found Kumogakure’s defenses weak and its residents fearful, so he ordered the Anbu to split up and contact their assigned spies.
• Yamato’s squad reached the home of Raitetsu, a Konoha spy who had built a family and hoped never to be activated.

Yamato activated Raitetsu, a Konoha Spy embedded in Kumogakure, and offered him generous rewards for helping Konoha take over the village from within. Raitetsu accepted the mission after learning Konoha intended to use Kumogakure’s turmoil to persuade it to merge with Konoha.

• Yamato presented half an Anfu, and Raitetsu joined it with his own half to confirm his identity as a Spy.
• Yamato ordered Raitetsu to become director of the Kumogakure Anbu within two months, promising that Konoha’s squad would help eliminate his rivals and offering rewards for his return.
• Raitetsu believed Yamato’s promises because Uchiha Jin had a reputation for honoring his commitments, and he agreed to cooperate.
• Yamato explained that Konoha aimed to use Kumogakure’s leadership turmoil to put Spies in high positions and persuade the village to submit to Konoha.
• Raitetsu recognized that Kumogakure’s fear and uncertainty after the deaths of its Raikage and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki could make the plan succeed.

Raitetsu told Yamato about Kumogakure Anbu’s internal rivalries, and Yamato’s squad set out to kill his superior, Raimon Shin. They killed Shin and burned the evidence, leaving Kumogakure’s Anbu on the brink of turmoil.

• Raitetsu revealed details about his superior and promotion rivals, and Yamato ordered him to control his subordinates ahead of the coming competition.
• Yamato’s squad entered a sealing barrier around Raimon Shin’s house, where Shin recognized Raitetsu as a spy and identified the intruders as Konoha Anbu.
• Yamato attacked Shin with Wood Release, and Shin used Lightning Style Chakra Mode to charge at him and try to raise an alarm.
• Yamato trapped Shin in thorny vines, and the squad and Raitetsu attacked until Shin died.
• Yamato ordered Fire Crow to burn the body and erase the traces, then led the squad to retreat.

Konoha Anbu’s overnight operation devastated Kumogakure without being detected, leaving the village in chaos. Raichehu accepted Yotsuki Kan’s order to seize control of the Anbu, while privately believing Kumogakure was doomed.

• Yamato told Raichehu that Konoha Anbu teams had infiltrated Kumogakure, and Raichehu explained how the village’s power struggles had abandoned basic security and administration.
• Raichehu and Yamato encountered numerous Konoha Anbu teams moving through Kumogakure unnoticed, deepening Raichehu’s belief that his homeland was nearing collapse.
• Fifty-seven Konoha Anbu teams completed their operation without stirring an alarm, and the hidden Barriers failed at dawn to reveal destroyed homes and scattered corpses.
• Raichehu went to Yotsuki Kan, who ordered him to take control of his Anbu Battalion and offered him clan resources, access to secret techniques, and a chance to marry into the Yotsuki Clan.
• Raichehu outwardly accepted Yotsuki Kan’s orders and led his supporters toward the Anbu, while privately mocking the clan and judging Kumogakure doomed.

Konoha’s undercover spies orchestrated a two-month purge that left Kumogakure crippled, while spreading support for joining Konoha. With the other three great villages moving toward the Land of Lightning, the Sixth Raikage called a meeting to choose Kumogakure’s fate.

• Raichehu and Konoha’s spies, aided by Yamato’s Anbu squad, purged Kumogakure and reduced its ninja population by two-thirds.
• A weak Yotsuki Clan shinobi became the Sixth Raikage, inheriting the name A, as Kumogakure’s exhausted factions struggled to recover.
• Rumors that Kumogakure could survive only by joining Konoha gained support, and Raichehu and other spies organized the Surrender Faction.
• Letters announced that Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure had begun moving toward the Land of Lightning.
• Yotsuki Yuki summoned Kumogakure’s leaders, including Raichehu, to decide whether to join the other villages’ alliance or submit to Konoha.

Sixth A and Kumogakure’s leaders voted to join Konoha after concluding their village could not survive its crisis. They began planning secret negotiations and a civilian retreat while Sixth A returned to the Yotsuki Clan to prepare them.

• Kumogakure’s leaders argued over whether to join Konoha or form an alliance with the other great villages, while Sixth A privately favored Konoha to protect his clan.
• Sixth A called for a vote, and every attendee raised a hand in favor of joining Konoha.
• Sixth A ordered a secret envoy to negotiate terms with Konoha and directed Kumogakure’s departments to prepare civilians and ninjas for a staged retreat.
• Sixth A ordered another envoy to placate Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure while the preparations remained secret.
• Sixth A left for the Yotsuki Clan to inform its Elders and prepare them for joining Konoha.

After Kumogakure agreed to join Konoha, Yamato and the Konoha Anbu handled a flood of appeals from Kumogakure's influential ninja seeking future posts. Yamato encouraged Raichehu to help the integration go smoothly, and Raichehu went to keep watch as the uncertain transition continued.

• Influential Kumogakure ninja visited the Konoha Anbu to seek guarantees about their future positions, but Yamato said Konoha's leadership would judge their abilities.
• Raichehu remarked that former opponents had quickly become eager to curry favor, and Yamato explained that Konoha was so short-staffed he had been assigned diplomatic duties.
• Yamato described how Tsunade and the Northern War Zone were struggling to manage their expanded responsibilities, with Senju Tobirama using Impure World Reincarnation to supply more workers.
• Yamato told Raichehu that his service as a Konoha Spy could earn him a good position if he helped Kumogakure join Konoha smoothly.
• Raichehu agreed to monitor the situation and prevent people from causing trouble.

Kumogakure completed its secret relocation, leaving Dodai’s envoy group to withdraw from the Alliance Camp with Konoha’s planned support. The group was intercepted at the Land of Frost border by Ōnoki and Rasa before reaching the rendezvous point.

• Yamato reported that Kumogakure’s relocation was complete except for Dodai’s envoy group, and Tsunade organized a force to support its withdrawal.
• Tsunade left the Northern War Zone with Anbu and ten Jonin Squads to march toward the Land of Frost.
• Dodai briefed his subordinates on the dangerous withdrawal and told them to begin moving toward Konoha’s rendezvous point.
• Dodai led the envoy group out of the Alliance Camp using the Body Flicker Technique.
• Ōnoki and Rasa caught up with Dodai’s group near the Land of Frost border and demanded to know where they were going.

Ōnoki confronted Dodai and the Kumogakure delegation after realizing they intended to join Konoha, while Samui secretly sent their location to Konoha. Dodai explained why Kumogakure had accepted the change, and Rasa silently considered Sunagakure’s future.

• Ōnoki accused Dodai and Kumogakure of betraying their village and the alliance by joining Konoha.
• Dodai admitted that all of Kumogakure had already withdrawn into Konoha and declared the alliance powerless against Konoha.
• Samui secretly sent their location and situation to Konoha through a Ninja Cat contracted by Yamato.
• Ōnoki appealed to Kumogakure’s ancestors, but Dodai argued that village systems could disappear just as the daimyo and clan systems had.
• Rasa remained outwardly calm as he considered whether Sunagakure should also join Konoha.

Ōnoki tried to stop Kumogakure from defecting to Konoha, but Rasa stepped back instead of helping him, revealing that he was considering surrender. Dodai attacked Ōnoki while Samui led the others toward Konoha, leaving Ōnoki pinned down and furious.

• Ōnoki recalled how the daimyo assassinations had led the villages to seize power and suspected Konoha was behind the scheme.
• Ōnoki decided to kill Dodai and establish a bloody warning against betrayal before the alliance could collapse.
• Dodai struck first with Black Panther when Ōnoki began preparing Dust Release, and Rasa chose to retreat rather than defend him.
• Ōnoki evaded Dodai's attack with Light-Weight Rock Technique while Samui led the others toward Konoha.
• Dodai endured Ōnoki's Earth Release attacks and pinned him down with Four-Finger Nukite, prompting Ōnoki to threaten him.