Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Chihaya led Hotaru, Yakumo Kurama, and Uchiha Toka out of Konoha to investigate the attack on the Tsuchigumo Clan and draw out the hidden enemy. Sōken secretly left the village to follow them while his Shadow Clone and Kabuto maintained the Hokage’s presence in Konoha.

• Tonbei warned Hotaru that the Tsuchigumo survivors might be bait in a trap, and Hotaru reassured him that Sōken had prepared for the danger.
• Hotaru met Uchiha Chihaya at Konoha’s gate, where Yakumo Kurama and Uchiha Toka soon joined them.
• Uchiha Chihaya led the three girls out of the village toward Mount Katsuragi after checking that they were ready.
• Sōken’s Shadow Clone watched the team depart with Kabuto and explained that his real body would follow them to protect them and lure out the culprit.
• Sōken told Kabuto to keep the village running under the Shadow Clone for three days so their quarry would not realize the Hokage had left.

Shirou Tsuchigumo planned to use Hotaru Tsuchigumo to obtain the clan’s forbidden jutsu, but Kazuma arrived and proposed an alliance against Konoha. They agreed to capture Hotaru and the Sixth Hokage’s younger sister, though Kazuma doubted Shirou’s confidence in his clan’s abilities.

• Shirou learned that Hotaru Tsuchigumo had left Konoha and was heading toward Mount Katsuragi.
• Kazuma approached Shirou and Benten after witnessing Shirou use the Tsuchigumo Clan’s Binding Seal Technique.
• Kazuma revealed that he carried Nuregami in his body and offered to return it in exchange for the Sixth Hokage’s younger sister.
• Shirou agreed to work with Kazuma and insisted on holding Hotaru and her teammate until Kazuma transferred Nuregami.
• Shirou introduced himself and claimed his clan’s secret arts could defeat Hotaru’s group, leaving Kazuma unsure whether he could rely on him.

Obito Uchiha refused to help Kazuma attack Konoha, while Team 1 traveled toward Mount Katsuragi to investigate the Tsuchigumo clan massacres. After the team camped for the night, Kazuma and Shirou Tsuchigumo prepared a surprise attack.

• Obito Uchiha dismissed Zetsu’s suggestion that the Akatsuki Organization support Kazuma, arguing that attacking Konoha now would be too dangerous.
• Uchiha Chihaya decided Team 1 would camp near Mount Katsuragi and investigate the mountain the next morning rather than approach it while exhausted at dusk.
• Team 1 made camp, and Hotaru Tsuchigumo prepared dinner for the group.
• Tenmoku used his Bird's Eye View Technique to report that Team 1 had stopped near a river and would stay there for the night.
• Kazuma proposed waiting until dark before sending Team 1 a surprise attack, and Shirou Tsuchigumo agreed to wait.

Team 1 faced a vast horde of dirt-made corpses summoned by Kazuma, and Uchiha Chihaya ordered the girls to break through as the attackers demonstrated they could use Ninjutsu. Sōken secretly watched over Yakumo, Toka, and Hotaru, intending to let them fight while he protected them from danger.

• Uchiha Chihaya attacked the approaching corpses and confirmed they were real constructs rather than Genjutsu, while Yakumo used her Kekkei Genkai to destroy several.
• A corpse cast Dragon Fire Technique, and Chihaya ordered Team 1 to conserve Chakra and Explosive Tags as they fought to escape through the horde.
• Kazuma told Shirou Tsuchigumo that they would wait for their prey to tire, while Tenmoku promised his secret technique would prevent their escape.
• Sōken used his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to place Tenmoku under Genjutsu after spotting the sensory ninja's spiritual bird.
• Sōken recognized the horde as the Yamato Clan's forbidden Earth Style: Ultimate Creation Technique: Dead Soil and watched Team 1's battle as a training trial.

Uchiha Chihaya and her students were overwhelmed by Kazuma’s endless horde of zombies, and Toka and Hotaru were swallowed by the attackers. Chihaya’s grief and fury triggered a sudden change in her eyes as she fought to reach the remaining Yakumo.

• Sōken and a hidden White Zetsu watched Kazuma’s zombie horde attack Team 1 without noticing each other.
• Uchiha Chihaya fought through the undead while Yakumo used her Kekkei Genkai to destroy zombies and Toka and Hotaru relied on swordsmanship.
• The girls became exhausted and wounded as advanced zombies forced them to spend more Chakra, while the horde continued to block their escape.
• Toka and Hotaru told Chihaya they were near their limits, and Chihaya kept fighting despite her dwindling Chakra and the backlash from Military Rations Pills.
• The zombies seized Toka’s sword and swallowed her, then overwhelmed Hotaru as Yakumo struggled to defend herself.
• Chihaya’s rage and grief erupted, and a sharp pain in her eyes changed the world before her.

Uchiha Chihaya reached the battlefield searching for Toka and Hotaru, while Kazuma and Shirou Tsuchigumo realized the girls had been taken by someone else. Chihaya attacked the two groups with overwhelming force, and the chapter ended as her Mangekyō Sharingan appeared and Fuen was killed by her attack.

• Shirou Tsuchigumo demanded that Kazuma hand over Toka and Hotaru, but Kazuma insisted he had not captured them.
• A mysterious figure posing as Tenmoku revealed that Kazuma's location had been exposed, then fell unconscious as the jade-green Susanoo disappeared.
• Uchiha Chihaya confronted Kazuma and Shirou Tsuchigumo and demanded that they return her students.
• Chihaya's Vacuum Blade smashed through the groups' Earth Style defenses, and Kazuma wondered whether its destructive power came from a Mangekyō Sharingan ability.
• Chihaya launched another barrage, and Fuen was crushed by the shockwave as Chihaya's eyes revealed an eight-petaled Mangekyō pattern.

Uchiha Chihaya awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan and used its Shinatuhiko power to overwhelm Kazuma, Shirou Tsuchigumo, and their allies. After she canceled Kazuma’s Nuregami, a second destructive forbidden jutsu gathered above them, while Sōken withdrew from the scene.

• Uchiha Chihaya awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan after witnessing Toka and Hotaru fall, and discovered its wind power, Shinatuhiko.
• Uchiha Chihaya crushed Kazuma and Shirou Tsuchigumo’s subordinates, while Fūjin barely escaped and Shirou Tsuchigumo tried to hold Chihaya back.
• Kazuma began charging Nuregami, and Shirou Tsuchigumo raised repeated earth walls to buy him time.
• Uchiha Chihaya defeated Shirou Tsuchigumo and canceled Kazuma’s Nuregami with a powerful Vacuum Blade slash.
• Kazuma revealed four lightning pillars and gathering black clouds, warning Chihaya that another forbidden jutsu was already underway.
• Sōken watched the gathering storm from a treetop, then disappeared after deciding he had seen enough.

Sōken and Uchiha Chihaya stopped Kazuma and Shirou Tsuchigumo from unleashing their forbidden jutsu, then Sōken searched their memories and discovered the attack was unrelated to Obito Uchiha. A hidden White Zetsu escaped with news that another pair of Mangekyō Sharingan had awakened.

• Kazuma prepared to unleash Lightning Dream Lightning Person and threatened to destroy everyone, but Sōken appeared and revealed that Toka and Hotaru were safe.
• Uchiha Chihaya used her Mangekyō Sharingan to scatter the storm clouds, preventing the lightning technique from striking, then stopped using her ocular power at Sōken's warning.
• Sōken trapped Kazuma and Shirou Tsuchigumo in a genjutsu, captured Fūjin, and placed her inside a painting for Konoha's specialists to study.
• Sōken read Kazuma's and Shirou Tsuchigumo's memories, found no connection to Madara Uchiha or Obito Uchiha, and devoured Shirou's soul with Great Call Yama.
• A hidden White Zetsu saw the barrier, realized Kazuma and Shirou were finished, and left to report Chihaya's newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan.

While Chihaya continued toward Mount Katsuragi and Sōken returned to Konoha with Kazuma and the prisoners, Kakashi’s Team 7 protected Tazuna as he built a bridge in the Land of Waves. Gato hired two Akatsuki members to kill Tazuna, and the chapter ended with the team still unaware of the approaching threat.

• Chihaya continued the journey to Mount Katsuragi with the girls, while Sōken took Kazuma, Tenmoku, and the other captives back to Konoha.
• Tazuna resumed construction of the bridge with Kakashi’s Team 7 protecting him from Gato’s men.
• Gato summoned two members of the Akatsuki Organization and hired them to kill Tazuna and deal with the Konoha Ninja.
• One Akatsuki member recognized Naruto’s name, while Gato ordered his men to watch the bridge.
• Naruto grew bored watching the bridge construction, and Kakashi hoped the day would pass as peacefully as the last.

Orochimaru and Sasori reached the bridge, where Orochimaru planned to capture Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, while Sasori refused to get involved. Kakashi recognized the Akatsuki members and ordered Naruto and Sasuke to retreat, but Orochimaru confronted them before they could escape.

• Orochimaru told Sasori he intended to seize the rare opportunity to capture Naruto outside the Land of Fire, while Sasori declined to share responsibility for his plan.
• Kakashi spotted Orochimaru and Sasori approaching the bridge and ordered Naruto and Sasuke to abandon the mission and retreat.
• Naruto and Sasuke followed Kakashi onto the water, where Naruto sensed Orochimaru's hostility and killing intent.
• Kakashi told Naruto to run and ordered Sasuke to find Sakura and report to the Hokage, while he prepared to hold off the Akatsuki members.
• Orochimaru removed his hat, taunted Kakashi, and declared that their struggle would not change the outcome.

Kakashi battled Orochimaru while trying to protect Naruto and Sasuke, but Orochimaru wounded the boys and left them unable to fight. At the bridge, Sakura found Tazuna under attack and defeated the ruffians, then struggled to contain her nausea as she faced the aftermath.

• Kakashi killed Orochimaru's blue serpent with the Lightning Blade and defended himself and the boys against Orochimaru's Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere.
• Naruto used Super Beast Imitating Drawing to create a hawk and carried Sasuke into the air as Kakashi ordered them to escape.
• Orochimaru shed his ruined body, pierced the hawk, Naruto's right hand, and Sasuke's right leg with the Kusanagi Sword · Ruyi Blade, and caused the boys to fall into the sea.
• Sakura returned to the bridge and found Tazuna pinned down by sword-wielding ruffians who believed the other Konoha Ninja had been defeated.
• Sakura used Utakata's Bubble Technique to blast the ruffians, killing about half and driving the rest away, then fought back her nausea.

After Sakura rescued Tazuna, she found the gravely wounded Kakashi and learned that Orochimaru had captured Naruto and Sasuke. Orochimaru and Sasori contacted Pain, who ordered them to bring Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, to Amegakure.

• Sakura defeated Gato's men, rescued Tazuna, and learned that Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke had disappeared during a battle at sea.
• Sakura searched the coastline, found Kakashi alive, and heard him identify Orochimaru as Naruto and Sasuke's captor.
• Orochimaru and Sasori traveled through the northeastern Land of Fire with the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke, briefly clashing before contacting Pain.
• Orochimaru told Pain that he had captured the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Sasori confirmed Naruto's identity.
• Pain ordered Orochimaru and Sasori to send Naruto to Amegakure.

Obito and Black Zetsu agreed that Akatsuki should be ready to fight Konoha over Orochimaru’s plan to bring Naruto to Amegakure, especially after learning that Chihaya had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan. In Konoha, Chihaya received Sasori’s chakra-stabilizing serum, while Shisui learned that Orochimaru had critically wounded Kakashi and taken Naruto and Sasuke, prompting Sōken to send Shisui to help.

• Black Zetsu told Obito that Chihaya had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and argued that Akatsuki should strike Konoha before more Uchiha gained that power.
• Obito accepted the possibility of fighting Konoha but warned Black Zetsu to watch Orochimaru and Sasori and not underestimate Sōken.
• Sōken checked Chihaya after Sasori’s Mangekyō Sharingan Chakra Stabilization Serum injection, and she reported that her eyes felt better with no unpleasant reaction.
• Shisui reported that Orochimaru had critically wounded Kakashi and kidnapped Naruto and Sasuke during Team 7’s mission, while Sakura escaped to alert the Northeastern Border Defense Force.
• Sōken sent Shisui to the border to help rescue the missing team members and ensure Kakashi received medical care.

After Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha were kidnapped, Itachi Uchiha awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and joined Sōken's plan to rescue them. Sōken revealed the clan's hidden research base and said the rescue would wait a week while Itachi's new power was stabilized.

• Sōken and the two Elders argued over how quickly Konoha should move to rescue Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha.
• Itachi Uchiha asked where the Akatsuki Organization was based and revealed that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan after learning Orochimaru had captured Sasuke.
• Sōken took Itachi and Uchiha Fugaku beneath Naka Shrine and explained that Mangekyō users could learn the clan's secrets there.
• Uchiha Chihaya confirmed that she had also awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and Itachi realized the base was used to help clan members with those eyes.
• Sōken said Itachi would need a week to stabilize his Mangekyō Sharingan before the rescue, and Fugaku agreed to keep him from acting rashly.

Fugaku reassured Mikoto that Itachi was recovering after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan and vowed to bring Sasuke home. Naruto woke in Orochimaru’s prison, learned Sasuke was alive and Kakashi’s fate was uncertain, and met his jailer Haku, who warned him not to escape.

• Fugaku welcomed Shōko home and told her that Itachi and Sasuke were away on missions, concealing Itachi’s recovery at the research base.
• After Shōko went out to play, Fugaku told Mikoto that Itachi had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and promised they would rescue Sasuke.
• Naruto woke after three days in a cell, discovered his hand had healed, and learned Haku was watching over him.
• Haku told Naruto that Sasuke was alive but injured, while Kakashi had escaped badly wounded and might not survive.
• Haku warned Naruto not to attempt an escape, demonstrated his ice abilities, and left Naruto to rest.

Pain and Konan discussed the threat Konoha might pose to Amegakure and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, while Obito Uchiha and Deidara encountered Uchiha Shisui outside the village. Shisui withdrew after Obito warned Deidara about his mind-controlling Genjutsu, leaving Obito to prepare for the coming conflict.

• Konan worried that Haku, an Orochimaru subordinate, might be dangerous to the imprisoned Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but Pain trusted his control over Amegakure and said Konoha might soon make a move.
• Pain told Konan that Jiraiya had returned to Konoha and allowed her to watch the prison and organize Amegakure's forces.
• Obito Uchiha told Deidara that Konoha was their enemy, then pursued a fast-moving figure across the rooftops.
• Deidara took to the sky on a clay bird and saw Obito fighting Uchiha Shisui in the wilderness outside town.
• Obito warned Deidara that Shisui's Genjutsu could control his will, so Deidara stayed out of close range and bombarded Shisui from above.
• After Deidara's bomb exploded, Shisui withdrew, and Obito told Deidara that the main event would begin soon.

Jiraiya visited the gravely injured Kakashi and blamed himself for Naruto’s capture, then joined Sixth Hokage Sōken’s plan to raid Amegakure and rescue Naruto. Shisui reported that the Akatsuki were preparing for a fight, and Sōken welcomed the prospect of a direct clash.

• Jiraiya broke into Yakushi Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, where Kakashi blamed himself for failing to protect Naruto, and Jiraiya urged him to focus on making amends.
• Jiraiya told Kakashi that he would protect Naruto as his grandfather and left to meet Sōken at the Hokage Building.
• Sōken declared that he would rescue Naruto even if Konoha lost the Nine-Tails, and Jiraiya agreed to join a small elite force bound for Amegakure.
• Sōken explained that the mission needed more intelligence on the Land of Rain, and Shisui arrived after placing a marker during his investigation.
• Shisui reported encountering Obito Uchiha and Deidara and warned that the Akatsuki were gathering for battle, while Sōken welcomed a direct confrontation.

Sakura met with Sōken to receive a reward for her actions during Team 7’s mission in the Land of Waves. She gave up choosing between Puppet Jutsu and Medical Ninjutsu in exchange for asking him to bring Naruto and Sasuke home safely, and Sōken handed her both scrolls anyway.

• After Gato was arrested, Team 7’s mission was completed, and Sakura received a summons to meet the Hokage.
• On her way to the Hokage Building, Sakura ran into Yakumo, Toka, and Hotaru, but she hid the truth about Naruto and Sasuke’s capture and continued alone.
• Sōken praised Sakura for protecting Tazuna, saving Kakashi, and relaying important information, then offered her a choice between Puppet Jutsu and Medical Ninjutsu.
• Sakura asked to exchange her reward for a request that Sōken rescue Naruto and Sasuke and return them safely.
• Sōken said he had already planned to rescue them, then tossed both scrolls to Sakura and urged her to seize the future she wanted.

Shūgen gave Sakura scrolls on Puppet Jutsu and Medical Ninjutsu, then explained his plans for her training to Yakushi Kabuto. As Konoha’s preparations to rescue Naruto and Sasuke neared completion, Shūgen warned the clans to be ready and revealed his Rinnegan as war approached.

• Shūgen gave Sakura the Puppet Jutsu and Medical Ninjutsu scrolls, offered her access to mentors and damaged puppets, and encouraged her to work hard.
• Yakushi Kabuto questioned whether Sakura could manage both disciplines without a Puppet Master to guide her, but Shūgen said he would monitor her and believed her talent gave her a chance.
• Shūgen asked Kabuto about his forbidden technique research, and Kabuto reported improved results with Hiruko’s host material but difficulty controlling the technique with his limited Chakra.
• Shūgen told Kabuto that the time for the operation was near and ordered him to warn the Hyuga, Aburame, and other clans to be ready to depart.
• After Kabuto left, Shūgen revealed his pale violet Rinnegan as Konoha’s preparations for war continued.

Sōken led Jiraiya and a Konoha team to Amegakure to rescue Naruto and Sasuke, but the rain and its hidden chakra made finding them impossible. Uchiha Chihaya cleared the clouds with her Mangekyō ability, and Sōken ordered the sensory shinobi to locate the prisoners.

• Shisui transported Sōken, Jiraiya, and the Konoha team to a marker near Amegakure, where they prepared for a frontal assault.
• Hyuga Homura, Hyuga Iroha, and Yamanaka Santen detected chakra in the rain but could not sense Naruto or Sasuke inside the village.
• Sōken asked Uchiha Chihaya to disperse the rain, and she drew on Samehada to power her Mangekyō ability, Shinatuhiko.
• Chihaya unleashed a demonic wind that swept away the clouds and rain above Amegakure, letting sunlight reach the village.
• Sōken ordered Homura, Iroha, Santen, and the other sensory shinobi to find Naruto and Sasuke as quickly as possible.