Chapter Summaries

Natsu Yuu learned that Minato had refused the other villages’ demands to reclaim their Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts, insisting they prove they could protect them by defeating him. Minato considered an alliance with Ōnoki against Jigen, whose Black Rods might be countered by Dust Release.

• Minato told Natsu Yuu that he had refused to return the Jinchuriki and Tailed Beasts, following Clan Head Fugaku’s advice.
• Minato said the other villages could reclaim their people only if they defeated him, and Natsu Yuu laughed at the impossible challenge.
• After negotiations stalled, the Sunagakure and Kumogakure representatives returned home, while Kirigakure and Iwagakure’s representatives remained in Konoha.
• Minato told Natsu Yuu that he was considering Ōnoki’s proposal to ally against Jigen.
• Minato explained that Ōnoki’s Dust Release could clear Jigen’s microscopic Black Rods and help Minato attack.

Natsu Yuu discussed Iwagakure's possible alliance with Minato and revealed that a future Orochimaru had unified the Ninja World. Minato resolved to learn from Orochimaru and asked to visit the unified world, while Natsu Yuu told him to wait a few days and address his own world's problems first.

• Natsu Yuu warned Minato that Ōnoki's Dust Release plan could not protect him from Jigen's speed and that Iwagakure would need to show sincerity.
• Minato told Natsu Yuu that Ōnoki had paid one hundred million ryo for information about Jigen, and Natsu Yuu left the alliance decision to him.
• Natsu Yuu revealed that he had brought Orochimaru from twelve years in the future, who had unified the Ninja World and made Konoha part of an empire.
• Minato questioned how Orochimaru had unified the world, and Natsu Yuu said he could ask Orochimaru and later see the empire for himself.
• Minato renewed his resolve to work hard and asked to visit the future; Natsu Yuu agreed to take him after a few days, once Minato had handled problems in his own world.
• Someone knocked on the Hokage's Office door as Natsu Yuu prepared to leave.

Ōnoki tried to persuade Minato to share information about Jigen and let Iwagakure join the fight, but Minato distrusted the village’s ability to keep the operation secret. Minato offered Ōnoki a way to participate only if he stepped down as Tsuchikage.

• Natsu Yuu concealed himself with Dustless Concealment before Minato let Ōnoki into the Hokage’s Office.
• Ōnoki offered Minato another two hundred million for information about Jigen and cooperation in taking revenge.
• Minato said he could not trust Iwagakure to keep Jigen’s abilities and the battle plans secret or commit fully to the operation.
• Ōnoki pleaded to take part, but Minato told him to resign as Tsuchikage and pass on the position first.

Ōnoki hesitated over Minato’s suggestion that he step down as Tsuchikage before joining a secret operation against Jigen. Their discussion was interrupted when Fugaku reported that Kakashi and Shisui had vanished during a routine patrol, and Minato could not sense either of them.

• Minato suggested that Ōnoki distance himself from Iwagakure by stepping down as Tsuchikage before helping defeat Jigen, and Ōnoki said he needed time to consider it.
• Minato assured Ōnoki that he would fight Jigen and avenge Jiraiya whether or not Ōnoki joined the operation.
• Fugaku hurried into the Hokage’s Office and reported that Kakashi and Shisui had not returned from a routine patrol or been found by a search team.
• Minato sensed the area around Konoha but could not detect Kakashi’s Chakra or Flying Thunder God Mark, leaving him to fear they were dead or had been captured.

Natsu Yuu discovered that Kakashi and Shisui had been taken by the Moon Otsutsuki clan and were being held on the moon. Minato ordered Fugaku to gather troops for a rescue mission.

• Natsu Yuu searched for Kakashi and Shisui but could not sense either of them.
• Minato and Fugaku discussed Kakashi and Shisui's disappearance while Ōnoki offered to help search.
• Natsu Yuu appeared and told them that the Moon Otsutsuki clan had taken Kakashi and Shisui to the moon.
• Minato learned that Kakashi and Shisui were alive and ordered Fugaku to prepare troops to go to the moon.

Minato prepared to rescue Kakashi and Shisui from the Moon Otsutsuki remnants, while Natsu Yuu urged him to pursue their technology and power. The chapter ended with Ōnoki volunteering Iwagakure for the fight after overhearing their plans.

• Minato told Fugaku to prepare for a mission to the moon, preferring negotiations but promising to fight if necessary.
• Minato ordered Ōnoki to remain in Konoha while the village handled the lunar threat.
• Natsu Yuu told Minato that defeating the Moon Otsutsuki remnants could give Konoha advanced techniques and the Tenseigan.
• Natsu Yuu suggested Princess Kaguya could be a last-resort ally against Jigen, and Minato agreed to prepare for the worst.
• Ōnoki rushed into the Hokage's Office and announced that Iwagakure wanted to join the fight.

Natsu Yuu’s scheme pushed Ōnoki to ask Minato to let Iwagakure join the campaign against the Moon Otsutsuki. Natsu Yuu then proposed involving all Five Great Villages, leaving Ōnoki reconsidering whether the broader alliance could protect Iwagakure from attack.

• Natsu Yuu had deliberately let Ōnoki overhear information about the Moon campaign to pressure Iwagakure and the other villages into joining.
• Ōnoki asked Minato to let Iwagakure join the fight, claiming the Moon Otsutsuki threatened the entire Ninja World and that he wanted a way to defeat Jigen.
• Minato warned Ōnoki that the Moon’s enemies were powerful and the campaign would cause heavy casualties, but Ōnoki insisted on joining.
• Minato consulted Natsu Yuu, who supported Iwagakure’s participation and then suggested forming a Shinobi Alliance with all Five Great Villages.
• Ōnoki objected to sharing the spoils with the other villages, but Natsu Yuu warned that Kumogakure might attack Iwagakure while it was away.
• Ōnoki reconsidered Natsu Yuu’s argument that involving all the villages could reduce the risk of an attack on Iwagakure.

Minato and Ōnoki agreed to form an alliance against the Moon Otsutsuki, while Minato planned to rescue Kakashi and another hostage before war began. After ruling out a stealthy trip using the Nine-Tails, Natsu Yuu took Minato to the moon, where Minato saw the Earth for the first time.

• Minato and Ōnoki reached a preliminary agreement to form an alliance, and Ōnoki set out to invite the other three major villages.
• Minato asked Natsu Yuu whether he could use a Nine-Tails Tailed Beast Bomb and Flying Thunder God to reach the moon, but Natsu Yuu warned it would take days and alert the enemy.
• Minato asked Natsu Yuu to take him to the moon, and Natsu Yuu agreed while leaving Orochimaru and Snake Aunt behind.
• Natsu Yuu used World Teleportation to take Minato to the moon, where Minato was awestruck by the sight of Earth.

Minato infiltrated the Moon Otsutsuki’s underground world to rescue Kakashi and another prisoner, using his sensory abilities to locate areas that blocked Chakra detection. He secretly entered the Artificial Sun and suspected the prisoners were held in its central core sphere.

• Natsu Yuu warned Minato not to lose his respect for life as he viewed the universe from the moon.
• Minato sensed about twenty thousand Moon Otsutsuki and learned that most lived in a vast underground habitat, but he could not detect Kakashi and the other prisoner.
• Minato avoided a guarded observation post, drilled through the moon’s surface with a Rasengan, and entered the artificial environment.
• Minato spotted patrols returning to the Artificial Sun and used the Flying Thunder God to sneak in beside a red-headed giant eagle.
• Minato knocked the startled eagle unconscious and identified the core sphere as a likely place where Kakashi and the other prisoner were being held.

Kakashi and Shisui were imprisoned by the Moon Otsutsuki after being ambushed, and Kakashi stopped Shisui from considering suicide to protect Konoha. Otsutsuki Sōjin arrived at their cell with his young heir, Otsutsuki Toneri.

• Kakashi and Shisui, captured by five Kage Level Moon Otsutsuki, woke in a sealed cell on the Moon.
• Kakashi told Shisui that escape was impossible for now and guessed their captors wanted information or hostages.
• Shisui worried about endangering Konoha and suggested they kill themselves, but Kakashi stopped him and urged him to trust Minato.
• Otsutsuki Sōjin came to the cell with Otsutsuki Toneri, his sole heir.

Kakashi and Shisui were held captive by Otsutsuki Sōjin, who forced them to eat by threatening to capture more Konoha shinobi. Shisui secretly used the puppet’s strength to damage his restraints and freed himself, then began freeing Kakashi so they could escape.

• Otsutsuki Sōjin refused to reveal who he was or where they were, and young Toneri used a puppet to bring food into the cell.
• Shisui tried to attack Toneri but was pinned by the puppet, while Kakashi realized its technique and strength were unlike Sunagakure’s.
• Otsutsuki Sōjin threatened to capture more Konoha shinobi if Kakashi and Shisui refused to eat, so Kakashi agreed and a puppet maid fed them.
• After Sōjin and Toneri left, Kakashi told Shisui to rest, but Shisui wrenched his hand free from a damaged cuff and sawed through his foot restraints.
• Shisui freed himself and went to release Kakashi so they could escape together.

Kakashi ordered Shisui to escape with their intelligence, but Minato soon arrived at the prison to rescue him. Minato found Kakashi shackled in place and faced Otsutsuki Sōjin, activating Kurama Mode as he prepared to fight his way out.

• Kakashi convinced Shisui to leave him behind and take their intelligence back to the village.
• Shisui escaped the cell, and Kakashi waited as an alarm sounded more than two hours later.
• Minato appeared beside Kakashi using Flying Thunder God and learned that Shisui had already escaped.
• Minato discovered that chains and steel spikes anchored Kakashi to the cell, preventing him from teleporting him away.
• Otsutsuki Sōjin confronted Minato, who activated Kurama Mode and prepared to break into the prison by force.

Minato and Otsutsuki Sōjin discussed Jigen’s threat and the possibility of an alliance against him. Sōjin freed Kakashi as a show of good faith, then asked Minato to return the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path in exchange for peace and cooperation.

• Otsutsuki Sōjin invited Minato to talk and asked who he had fought near Iwagakure.
• Minato explained Jigen’s origins and his plan to plant the Divine Tree and destroy the Ninja World.
• Sōjin proposed that the Moon Otsutsuki and Konoha work together against Jigen.
• Sōjin released Kakashi, and Minato caught him after dispelling Kurama Mode.
• Sōjin asked Minato to return the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, promising peace with Earth’s shinobi and an alliance against Jigen.

Minato refused Sōjin’s demands to hand over the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path or let the Moon Otsutsuki station guards in Konoha. Sōjin revealed that he had controlled Kakashi and used the negotiations to keep Minato away while his forces attacked Konoha, leaving Minato alarmed and trapped on the Moon.

• Minato refused to give Sōjin the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path or allow his clan to station people in Konoha.
• Sōjin activated a mental orb he had planted in Kakashi, making Kakashi attack Minato with a Lightning Cutter.
• Minato dodged the attack but suffered a shallow wound, while Sōjin threatened Kakashi with puppets to restrain him.
• Sōjin revealed that his forces had already attacked Konoha to recover the Statue and seize the Hyuga Clan while Minato was away.
• Minato realized Sōjin had used the negotiations as a diversion and feared for the village.

Minato confronted Otsutsuki Sōjin in the moon’s prison, where Sōjin used Kakashi as leverage and revealed the Tenseigan’s power. Sōjin explained his plan to seize the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan and create a Giant Tenseigan, but Minato remained confident that Konoha’s defenders would defeat the raiding force.

• Minato demanded that Sōjin release Kakashi while Sōjin questioned how he had reached the moon so quickly.
• Sōjin revealed that the Tenseigan beneath the prison could empower him and threatened to kill Kakashi if Minato left to protect Konoha.
• Sōjin claimed his force of more than a hundred elite fighters, including eight Kage Level fighters, had been sent to invade Konoha and retrieve the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Sōjin explained that he planned to steal the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan to create a Giant Tenseigan and destroy the Ninja World.
• Minato declared that Sōjin was the one doomed to lose because he trusted the people defending Konoha.

The Moon Otsutsuki strike force attacked Konoha, but Minato’s barrier bought time for the village’s defenders to respond. As the enemy broke into the village, Orochimaru and Snake Aunt brought six Jinchuriki and nine other Kage Level fighters into the battle, leaving the invaders surrounded.

• The Moon Otsutsuki strike force reached Konoha, where Minato’s Flying Thunder God Guiding Thunder Great Barrier teleported away its first attackers and gave the village time to counterattack.
• Tsunade, Fugaku, and Ōnoki joined the fighting, but the Moon Otsutsuki broke through the barrier and pressed their attack into Konoha.
• Fugaku’s clone asked Orochimaru and Snake Aunt for help, and they agreed to bring out the imprisoned Jinchuriki and prepared the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
• Six Jinchuriki and reanimated Kage, including Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, joined Snake Aunt and Orochimaru on the battlefield.
• The Moon Otsutsuki found themselves surrounded by fifteen Kage Level fighters and realized they could not win.

Shisui escaped the Tenseigan chamber but remained trapped on the moon, so he followed Toneri back to the castle and entered his room to take him hostage. Meanwhile, Konoha’s Reanimated Five Kage attacked the Moon Otsutsuki, while Minato waited for a chance to rescue Kakashi.

• Ōnoki saw the Reanimated Five Kage appear and wondered how Konoha had learned Impure World Reincarnation.
• Snake Aunt and Orochimaru ordered the Reanimated Ninja to attack the retreating Moon Otsutsuki warriors.
• Minato held off Otsutsuki Sōjin but worried that rescuing Kakashi could get his student killed.
• Shisui escaped the Tenseigan chamber and hid for two hours because he had no Chakra or way to leave the moon.
• Shisui followed Toneri on his floating platform to the castle, slipped into his room, and prepared to take him hostage.

Shisui escaped captivity and took Toneri hostage, allowing Minato to bring him into the forbidden grounds and bargain with Sōjin for Kakashi’s release. When Sōjin threatened Shisui’s family, Shisui stabbed himself and Toneri, forcing Sōjin to choose whether to free Kakashi before they both died.

• Shisui knocked Toneri unconscious, tied him to his chest, and confronted the Moon Otsutsuki guards to use him as a hostage.
• After learning Toneri had been captured, Sōjin confronted Minato, and Minato’s clone arrived with Shisui and Toneri.
• Minato offered to exchange Toneri for Kakashi, but Sōjin hesitated because Toneri was essential to his plan for the Giant Tenseigan.
• Sōjin threatened to slaughter Shisui’s family if he harmed Toneri, but Shisui stabbed Toneri and himself.
• Shisui gave Sōjin ten seconds to release Kakashi or watch them both die.

Shisui forced Otsutsuki Sōjin to agree to a hostage exchange by stabbing himself and Toneri, and Minato returned with Shisui and Kakashi to find Konoha’s defenders had defeated the Moon Otsutsuki raid. Shisui received treatment while the Konoha leaders discussed the battle and Snake Aunt’s use of Impure World Reincarnation.

• Shisui stabbed himself and Toneri, forcing Otsutsuki Sōjin to agree to exchange the hostages.
• Minato and Sōjin exchanged Toneri and Kakashi, then Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Kakashi and Shisui back to Konoha.
• Minato returned to find Hashirama, Tobirama, and Konoha’s other fighters had defeated and captured the Moon Otsutsuki invaders.
• Minato asked Tsunade to treat Shisui and kept Kakashi bound while the cause of his control remained unknown.
• Snake questioned Minato about the reanimated Hokages, and Minato explained that Snake Aunt from Ninja World 3 had summoned them.
• Snake joked that Snake Aunt was still explaining her past reanimation of Hashirama and Tobirama to them.

After returning from the moon, Minato learned how the Moon Otsutsuki had planned their attack and saw the devastation left in Konoha. He abandoned negotiations and ordered an assault on the moon in five days, leaving the story with him seeking the reanimated Hokage’s help.

• Minato recounted the Moon Otsutsuki’s schemes, including Otsutsuki Sōjin’s ambushes, hostage-taking, and plot to obtain Hyuga Byakugan.
• Tsunade discovered that Shisui had been poisoned as well as grievously wounded, and Snake Aunt agreed to treat Kakashi, who might still be controlled.
• Fugaku reported that Konoha had suffered over five hundred deaths and more than two thousand serious injuries.
• Minato ordered the wounded and bereaved cared for, then commanded Konoha to prepare for a moon assault in five days and interrogate prisoners to find a route there.
• Minato ordered the other villages to join the expedition and threatened those that refused, then went to speak with the First Hokage and the reanimated Five Kage.