Arc 16The Gatekeeper War
The Shinobi Alliance uncovered the Shadow Organization’s experiments and awakened the Gatekeeper, an adaptive harvesting system that threatened all life. As the Gatekeeper rebuilt itself, Naruto struck it with the Alliance Rasengan while Tsukimi vanished after entrusting Konan with a blue gem.
- Danzo survived Nagato’s soul extraction, but Nagato immobilized the Root operatives with the Demonic Statue’s chains as Yuki-onna’s condition worsened and Sora exposed his betrayal.
- Naruto and Sasuke stopped Sora’s Dragon Vein catastrophe, while Yaksha attacked the Five Kage and escaped with Danzo’s Sharingan and Hashirama Cells.
- Nagato and Konan used the Spring of Life to cure Yuki-onna, then the leaders formed the Shinobi Alliance and chose Hozuki Castle as their first target.
- Naruto, Sasuke, Yuki-onna, and Karin infiltrated Hozuki Castle, rescued captives, and battled Muon and the artificial Two-Tails experiments before Nagato redirected Muon’s self-destruct blast.
- A tailed-beast hybrid emerged near Hozuki Castle, but Nagato sealed it, and a rift then exposed the Gatekeeper, and Tsukimi sent Nagato, Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara, and Karin to the Moon Country.
- Tsukimi revealed that the Gatekeeper was an automated harvesting system, and the Gatekeeper emerged and adapted to the Alliance’s attacks by building a giant Rinnegan soldier.
- Nagato and Sasuke coordinated the Alliance’s attacks to expose and crack the Giant Soldier’s core, but its remains produced Hunters that overwhelmed the exhausted shinobi.
- Nagato found the Hunters’ central node, Tsukimi stopped the Hunters from detonating, and Naruto struck the rebuilt Giant Soldier with the Alliance Rasengan as Tsukimi gave Konan a blue gem and vanished.