Chapter Summaries

Sasuke discovered coordinates to a dormant ancient vessel beneath a dead volcano in the Land of Demons, while Naruto and Shikamaru investigated missing border outposts. During Shion’s visit, disguised attackers ambushed them, and Naruto fought despite losing the Nine-Tails and being poisoned; the attackers then launched a coordinated fire attack.

• Sasuke decoded Momoshiki’s coordinates and found a dormant vessel buried beneath a dead volcano in the Land of Demons.
• Shikamaru told Naruto that three border outposts had gone silent and warned him to stay close during Shion’s visit.
• Shion showed Naruto a black crystal that drained life force and Chakra, and Naruto recognized Otsutsuki Chakra in it.
• Two attendants revealed themselves as attackers, but Shion dispelled their illusion and exposed four shinobi in black.
• Naruto blocked poisoned needles, was wounded, and used Natural Energy to strike down one attacker despite his depleted Chakra.
• The remaining attackers unleashed three Great Fireballs, and Shikamaru prepared a Wind Style: Hanging Net.

After assassins poisoned Naruto, he decided to train without relying on Kurama before traveling to the Land of Demons. The vessel awakened and headed toward the Land of Fire, calling out to the remnants of Asura’s Chakra inside Naruto, so he and Sasuke prepared to face it.

• Naruto and the Medical Team defeated the assassins, and Sakura treated his poisoned shoulder.
• Naruto asked Shikamaru to notify the Five Kage and said he would go to the Land of Demons to investigate the vessel.
• Naruto began training with Sasuke, who exposed his weaknesses in swordsmanship and taijutsu, while Kakashi watched.
• Might Guy and Rock Lee arrived, and Guy offered to train Naruto’s stamina as Naruto resolved to relearn the fundamentals of being a ninja.
• Sasuke received news that the awakened vessel was moving toward the Land of Fire and calling out to the remnants of Asura’s Chakra in Naruto.
• Naruto and Sasuke prepared to cut training short and face the approaching vessel.

Naruto trained with Sasuke and Might Guy to adapt to fighting without the Nine-Tails Chakra, then learned that a hungry vessel was heading for Kikyo Castle. He and Sasuke went to the Hokage’s Office as Shikamaru reported the threat was feeding through civilian areas.

• Sasuke pointed out that Naruto’s old habit of trading blows was dangerous without the Nine-Tails Chakra and urged him to retrain his instincts.
• Might Guy and Rock Lee made Naruto wear a weighted training suit and drill basic taijutsu until he collapsed.
• Sasuke told Naruto that Boruto would remember his father’s determination to keep protecting others even after losing his greatest power.
• A ninja hawk brought Sasuke word that the vessel was draining animals’ life and would reach Kikyo Castle that night.
• Naruto and Sasuke went to the Hokage’s Office, where Shikamaru reported that the intelligent vessel was avoiding fortified positions and feeding in civilian areas.

Naruto and Sasuke confronted Zero, the monstrous vessel hunting Naruto for Asura's Chakra, in the rain-soaked streets of Kikyo Castle. Their ninjutsu proved useless against its absorption, and the fight ended with Zero slamming Sasuke into the ground.

• Naruto refused to let Boruto join the mission and asked him to protect Hinata and Himawari at home.
• Naruto and Sasuke waited at Kikyo Castle and identified the approaching monster as the discarded specimen called Zero.
• Zero recognized Naruto as Asura and struck him through the tower and into a house.
• Sasuke discovered that Zero absorbed ninjutsu, while Naruto learned that taijutsu could hurt it but its body was extremely tough.
• Naruto and Sasuke attacked together, and Sasuke pierced a gap in Zero's back with his Kusanagi Sword.
• Zero absorbed Sasuke's Chidori Stream, wrapped him in its tentacles, and slammed him into the ground.

Naruto, Sasuke, Rock Lee, and Might Guy fought a monster that absorbed Chakra, then devised a plan to defeat it with Natural Energy. The monster began attacking Naruto as he gathered energy, leaving the others to buy him time.

• The monster drained Naruto’s Chakra until Might Guy and Rock Lee interrupted its absorption with a smoke bomb.
• Guy and Sasuke explained that the monster absorbed Chakra, and Rock Lee opened the Sixth Gate to attack it with taijutsu.
• Naruto and Sasuke created an opening for Lee, who struck the monster with the Leaf Great Whirlwind and Reverse Lotus.
• The monster recovered, grew four new arms, and adapted to the fight.
• Guy proposed using Natural Energy while the monster absorbed Chakra, and Sasuke and Lee agreed to protect Naruto as he entered Sage Mode.
• Sasuke lured the monster into absorbing his Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique and called for Lee to act.

Naruto used Natural Energy to petrify the monster threatening Kikyo Castle, but collapsed from his injuries and exhaustion afterward. As the residents celebrated their victory, Sasuke carried Naruto away for help.

• Rock Lee knocked the monster off balance, and Sasuke trapped it with wires and shocked it with lightning.
• Naruto entered Sage Mode and let the monster bite him so it would absorb his Natural Energy.
• Naruto flooded the monster with Natural Energy, petrifying it and sending it crashing into Kikyo Castle's plaza.
• Naruto collapsed, and Sasuke caught him as the residents cheered their victory.
• Sasuke carried Naruto away from the crowd.

Naruto and Sasuke recovered in the Leaf Hospital after fighting the stone monster, while Boruto asked Naruto to teach him how to fight through his own skill. Evidence suggested nobles had sent the monster to Kikyo Castle, and Naruto prepared to confront the Fire Daimyo despite Shikamaru's warning.

• Naruto woke in the hospital and Sakura scolded him and Sasuke for their injuries and attempted escapes.
• Boruto brought Naruto food and Himawari's drawing, then asked to learn how Naruto had read the monster's moves without relying on Kāma.
• Shikamaru showed Naruto and Sasuke a photograph of a device found inside the monster, and Sasuke identified it as a delivery slip containing an attractant.
• Shikamaru said the attractant used Black Oil from the Land of Earth and a sealing formula linked to craftsmen serving the daimyo's estate.
• Shikamaru reported that the Fire Daimyo blamed the Leaf for the damage to Kikyo Castle and demanded Naruto appear at his estate, and Naruto vowed to explain while Shikamaru warned him against provoking the daimyo.

Naruto confronted the Land of Fire’s Daimyo and uncovered Kara’s role in the Kikyo Castle attack, along with evidence of a mole in the Daimyo’s Residence. He left with Sasuke and Shikamaru to investigate Kara’s remnants in the Land of Earth.

• Naruto and Shikamaru went to the Daimyo’s Residence, where Enen'suke accused Konoha of mishandling the Kikyo Castle disaster.
• Naruto revealed that someone had used a lure device made with the Daimyo’s artisans’ techniques, then grabbed Enen'suke after he insulted him.
• Shikamaru immobilized the guards while Naruto identified the smell of Black Oil on Enen'suke and forced him to confess that Kara had supplied the device.
• Naruto released Enen'suke and told the daimyo that Konoha would handle Kara’s remnants, while warning him to control his own officials.
• Sasuke revealed that another mole had tried to send a signal using a Mechanical Insect, and Naruto chose to pursue Kara’s remnants in the Land of Earth.

Naruto and Sasuke traveled through Broken Fang Valley toward Iwagakure, where Naruto fought off rogue ninja despite having lost the Nine-Tails' power. They reached a cliff overlooking the heavily guarded village, and Sasuke warned Naruto against entering openly.

• Naruto and Sasuke crossed the harsh borderlands and learned that Broken Fang Valley was rife with rogue ninja and smugglers.
• Naruto confronted a gang extorting a merchant caravan and defeated them using close combat and an Explosive Tag.
• The grateful caravan owner gave Naruto rice balls, and Naruto and Sasuke continued toward Iwagakure.
• Naruto and Sasuke reached a cliff outside Iwagakure, where Sasuke warned that forcing their way in could cause a diplomatic incident.

Naruto and Sasuke infiltrated Iwagakure to investigate Black Oil and the Mechanical Insect, then discovered that hidden Karasu researchers were behind a sudden attack on the village. Naruto rushed to confront the oil-powered puppets while Sasuke searched for their weak points and Kurotsuchi organized the evacuation.

• Naruto and Sasuke hid in an ore cart and entered the Tsuchikage's building through its heating system.
• Sasuke showed Kurotsuchi the Mechanical Insect from the Land of Fire's daimyō's residence and explained that its Black Oil had attracted an Otsutsuki Remnant Weapon.
• Kurotsuchi revealed that Iwagakure hardliners had continued researching Karasu and might be funded from outside the village.
• An explosion rocked the Tsuchikage's building as three Black Oil-powered puppets rampaged through Iwagakure's northern district.
• Naruto went to draw the puppets' fire, Sasuke vanished to find their weak points, and Kurotsuchi sent Akatsuchi to evacuate civilians.
• Naruto swung around a smokestack and kicked one puppet in the face.

Naruto, Sasuke, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi fought three Black Oil-powered puppets rampaging through an industrial district. They destroyed the puppets, and Kurotsuchi found signs linking their Black Oil to the Shell organization while Sasuke recovered a chip from one puppet.

• Sasuke rescued Naruto from a puppet's iron fist, then identified a delay in the puppets' joints as a weakness.
• Naruto, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi used scrap metal to jam one puppet's mouth and oil pipes, and Sasuke disabled it by stabbing its neck joint.
• Naruto lured the other two puppets into an abandoned smelting workshop while Sasuke rigged a crucible of molten iron above them.
• Sasuke dropped the molten iron onto the puppets, destroying them in an explosion that wrecked the workshop.
• Kurotsuchi found traces of the Shell organization on the puppet and suspected its Black Oil had been extracted from living organisms, while Sasuke recovered a chip.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Kurotsuchi discovered an underground facility where the Foreman used Black Oil and living captives to power machines. As the Foreman’s Cyborgs overwhelmed them, Naruto was trapped but countered a lethal attack with Frog Kumite.

• Sasuke traced a remote-control signal to an abandoned well, and the three descended into a hidden mining cavern.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Kurotsuchi found missing people and shinobi altered into Cyborgs and used as living Chakra batteries.
• The Foreman introduced himself and released the Cyborgs to capture the intruders as new batteries.
• Naruto tried to avoid damaging the Cyborgs, but one shocked him and aimed a needle at his heart while Sasuke and Kurotsuchi were pinned down.
• Naruto caught the needle tube and used Frog Kumite to strike with Natural Energy.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Kurotsuchi defeated the Foreman, but his death accelerated a countdown that threatened to detonate the Black Oil beneath Iwagakure. With Naruto’s plan to remove the oil rejected, Sasuke proposed that Kurotsuchi draw out its heat.

• Naruto entered Sage Mode and joined Sasuke and Kurotsuchi in battling the Foreman’s Black Oil dragon without using explosive ninjutsu.
• Sasuke pulled Naruto clear of the oil jets while Kurotsuchi thickened the Black Oil until the dragon collapsed.
• Naruto broke through the platform’s iron wall and seized the Foreman, who revealed that Code had taken the first finished products to the Land of Snow.
• The Foreman activated a self-destruct countdown, then exploded before he could provide the password, causing the countdown to accelerate.
• Naruto proposed using Shadow Clones to remove the oil, but Sasuke warned the plan would kill him and suggested that Kurotsuchi draw heat from the oil instead.

Kurotsuchi, Naruto, and Sasuke stopped the Black Oil from exploding by solidifying it, but they were confronted by Ishikawa and armed Iwagakure shinobi. Ishikawa blamed Kurotsuchi for the disaster, leaving the group facing a tense standoff.

• Kurotsuchi used Earth Release while Naruto cooled her with Wind Release, turning the Black Oil into a solid black crystal.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Kurotsuchi confirmed the immediate danger had passed, then surveyed the wrecked Laboratory and the dead Artificial Humans.
• Iwagakure shinobi descended by elevator and ordered everyone to surrender.
• Ishikawa accused Kurotsuchi of bringing Leaf shinobi into a restricted area and causing the disaster, while his Elite Jonin reached for their weapons.

Naruto and Sasuke helped Kurotsuchi expose Ishikawa’s role in a plot that nearly destroyed Iwagakure. After learning that Code had sent Subject 01 to the Land of Snow, they left to investigate.

• Naruto confronted Ishikawa over the underground facility, while Sasuke claimed a ledger implicated the elder.
• Kurotsuchi arrested Ishikawa and ordered an investigation into the advisory council’s accounts and the underground site.
• Over dinner, Sasuke explained that the Land of Snow’s geothermal resources and old technology could help Code process the Black Oil, and revealed that Subject 01 had been sent there.
• Naruto decided to leave for the Land of Snow immediately, and Kurotsuchi gave him a bill for the damage he caused in Iwagakure.
• Naruto and Sasuke departed in rain, and Naruto sneezed after entering the northern wasteland.

Naruto and Sasuke boarded a heavily armed tracked train carrying refined Black Oil toward Code’s hideout and fought its defenses. Sasuke disrupted the modified Chakra Armor puppets with fire, and Naruto began attacking the icy rooftop to exploit their weakness.

• Sasuke and Naruto found fresh Black Oil-scented tracks and waited for the armored train they believed would take them to Code’s hideout.
• Sasuke and Naruto leaped onto the moving train, then destroyed its roof-mounted machine guns under heavy fire.
• Modified silver-white Chakra Armor puppets emerged and attacked the pair with ice blades.
• Naruto struggled to fight on the slippery roof while Sasuke discovered that the puppets had strong physical defenses and coordinated movements.
• Sasuke used Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique to melt the ice and disrupt the puppets’ thermal sensors, then Naruto struck the rooftop with Wind Style: Ripping Wind Palm.

Naruto and Sasuke fought their way through Code’s train and discovered that Subject 01 had escaped into the underground ruins of the Land of Snow. They found the creature at the ruins and prepared to face it.

• Naruto and Sasuke used Chidori Stream to disable the puppets guarding the train entrance.
• Naruto and Sasuke searched the train’s laboratory and learned that Subject 01 had awakened and left its restraints.
• Naruto and Sasuke discovered the train had stopped in the underground ruins of the old capital of the Land of Snow, where a black tower was draining energy from the ruins.
• Subject 01 attacked from the ice, but Sasuke tracked its position after Naruto sensed it with Frog Kumite.
• Naruto and Sasuke saw Subject 01 emerge as a childlike figure with half its body made of black oil and a glowing mechanical eye.

Naruto and Sasuke defeated Subject 01’s first attack, but the prototype began assimilating the base and threatening a catastrophic eruption. Sasuke prepared to enter the corrosive vapor and sever the geothermal pipe, despite Naruto warning he might not survive.

• Subject 01 attacked Naruto and Sasuke with corrosive, Chakra-absorbing black oil, and Sasuke identified a delay between its liquid and solid forms.
• Sasuke activated the ruins’ power system to create a magnetic field that immobilized Subject 01, allowing Naruto to strike it with a Chakra-free taijutsu barrage.
• Subject 01’s human body was consumed by black oil, which began assimilating the base and connecting to the geothermal layer.
• Sasuke warned that a rupture could trigger an avalanche and a steam explosion, then decided to use Susanoo to sever the underground pipe.
• Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s cloak and objected that Susanoo could leave Sasuke unable to return, but Sasuke ordered him to let go.

Naruto and Sasuke cut the black aorta, stopping the monster’s energy supply, but the resulting collapse sent them tumbling into the Land of Snow’s underground ruins. They were left stranded in a freezing, oxygen-poor cavern with little food and no clear way out.

• Naruto stopped Sasuke from going alone to cut the aorta and proposed using Sasuke’s electrified Kusanagi Sword with Naruto’s Sage Art to clear its path.
• Sasuke threw the sword through Naruto’s air tunnel, then used steel wires to steer it past Subject 01’s attempt to intercept it and into the aorta.
• The sword’s lightning ignited geothermal vapor inside the pipe, causing an eruption that destroyed the black Tower’s foundations and weakened the monster.
• The ice field shattered, and Naruto and Sasuke fell with the armored train into an underground energy center.
• Sasuke found that the cavern had thin oxygen and was rapidly freezing, while Naruto asked for food and Sasuke gave him their last rice ball.

Naruto and Sasuke forced open a sealed door in the Land of Snow ruins and found a platform elevator leading to the surface. As Black Oil poured down the shaft after them, they struggled to raise the platform by hand.

• Naruto and Sasuke searched the ruins for a way to open the hydraulic door and found an engineer’s journal describing monsters created by experiments with Natural Energy and Black Oil.
• Naruto and Sasuke wedged a metal shaft into the door and pried it open, revealing a suspended elevator platform in a deep shaft.
• Black Oil dripped onto Naruto and began flowing down the shaft toward them, drawn by their Chakra.
• Naruto and Sasuke turned the platform’s winch by hand as the Black Oil formed reaching arms and corroded the railing.
• Sasuke cut apart a Black Oil arm while urging Naruto to keep turning, and the two pressed on despite their exhaustion.