Chapter Summaries

Madara sent Black Zetsu to gather corpses and living candidates for his plans while plotting to pressure Konoha into embracing the Eye of the Moon Plan. In Konoha, Mito discovered Nagato was her great-great-nephew and used Impure World Reincarnation to reunite him with his mother, Fuso.

• Madara ordered Ah Huo to hide his armor in the Uchiha Clan Compound and assigned him to clean his ninja tools.
• Madara gave Black Zetsu a list of powerful dead and living ninja to find, while planning to test Konoha with measured pressure.
• Isshin, Fugaku, and Tenzo visited Mito after Nagato lost his eyes, and Mito later spoke with Nagato in the hospital.
• Mito learned that Nagato's grandmother was Hana Uzumaki and that his grandfather was Senju Yo, making Nagato her great-great-nephew.
• Nagato told Mito that Konoha shinobi had killed his parents, and she explained the Uzumaki Clan's history and apologized for her family's choices.
• At the Nine-Tails' suggestion, Mito used Nagato's mother's hair to perform Impure World Reincarnation, and Fuso reunited with Nagato.

Nagato reunited with his mother, Fuso, who urged him to join Konoha, and Hiruzen Sarutobi arranged for him to serve both Konoha and Amegakure as a special commissioner. Months later, Nagato completed training in Konoha and prepared to return to Amegakure, while the villages’ cooperation and Konoha’s development continued.

• Mito used Impure World Reincarnation to reunite Nagato with Fuso, who toured Konoha with him and urged him to recognize Jiraiya’s kindness and seek a future there.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hanzo met Fuso and Nagato, and Hiruzen proposed making Nagato both a Konoha ninja and an Amegakure ninja responsible for cooperation between the villages.
• Nagato swore loyalty to Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha, received Sharingan and Byakugan transplants, and began training with the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
• Fuso returned to the Pure Land two days later as Nagato underwent surgery, and Konoha and Amegakure advanced their economic and technological cooperation during a peaceful period.
• Several months later, Nagato trained alongside Fugaku and Hyuga Tenzo, showed no fatigue from his transplanted eyes, and prepared to return to Amegakure with Minato.

Hiruzen Sarutobi used Uchiha Dojutsu Power to refine Spirit Release into a long-range technique that dismantled ninjutsu and weakened Mangekyō abilities. Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara created Six Paths Puppets that mistook him for Tobirama, and Jiraiya challenged Hiruzen to a public duel.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi trained with Yashiro, Obito, Shisui, Tobirama, and Izuna, using their Dojutsu Power to develop Spirit Release.
• Hiruzen replaced the borrowed Dojutsu Power with his own Chakra and destroyed the structure of Yashiro and Tobirama's techniques while weakening Izuna's Mangekyō power.
• Tobirama identified Hiruzen's technique as a perfected version of Ashina Uzumaki's Ten Thousand Seal Body Absorption Seal, while he and Izuna argued about Tobirama's supposed role in past events.
• Uchiha Madara created puppet versions of Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, but they mistook him for Tobirama and agreed to follow his orders after he controlled them.
• Orochimaru called Hiruzen Sarutobi after Jiraiya boasted about his Sage Mode and challenged Hiruzen to a duel, which Hiruzen planned to hold publicly the next day.

Jiraiya challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi in a public spar to demonstrate Sage Mode, but Hiruzen defeated his techniques and then encouraged him to rely on others rather than pursue peace alone. Jiraiya ended the chapter exhausted but moved by his teacher’s words, while Fukasaku and Sage Shima recognized Hiruzen as the Prophet Master.

• Orochimaru told Jiraiya about Konoha’s research projects and urged him to speak with Hiruzen Sarutobi about his worries.
• Jiraiya asked Minato for information about Hiruzen’s abilities before their public spar at Konoha First Training Ground.
• Hiruzen quickly overwhelmed Jiraiya’s Fire Release, prompting Jiraiya to summon Fukasaku and Sage Shima and enter Sage Mode.
• Jiraiya fought Hiruzen with Frog Kumite and Sage Art: Goemon, but Hiruzen disrupted the sage technique and forcibly ended Jiraiya’s Sage Mode.
• Hiruzen pushed Jiraiya through an exhausting fight and told him that peace depended on people working together, not on one Savior.
• Jiraiya listened in a daze as Hiruzen said he was proud of him, while Fukasaku and Sage Shima reacted with delighted surprise.

Hiruzen Sarutobi encouraged Jiraiya to rely on his comrades and strengthened cooperation with the Sage Regions, while Konoha’s ninjas considered new ways to grow stronger. The chapter ended with Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu surveying Kirigakure and reacting to how badly Mutori had managed it.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi helped Jiraiya rethink the Child of Prophecy and promise to work with Konoha’s other ninjas instead of carrying peace alone.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi offered Medical Chakra Scrolls to Fukasaku and Sage Shima, discussed cooperation with Katsuyu, and arranged for Mount Myoboku to train Enma in Senjutsu.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi offered to help Jiraiya train his Senjutsu, warned him to return to Konoha for reinforcements, and watched Tsunade tease Orochimaru.
• Danzo considered using weakened Hashirama Cells to strengthen Might Duy, while Kakashi and Obito decided to apply for graduation from the Ninja Academy.
• Orochimaru decided to make Kabuto his disciple and found Hiruzen Sarutobi praising Kabuto’s progress in the Mystical Palm Technique.
• Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu, controlled by Madara, surveyed Kirigakure and were appalled by how Mutori had managed the village.

Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu infiltrated Kirigakure, condemned its isolation and the Bloody Mist policies, and wondered how badly Konoha had declined. Meanwhile, Kimimaro built a covert network inside Kirigakure, and Jiraiya’s bestselling book prompted Hiruzen Sarutobi to consider making him the village’s literary voice.

• Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu argued about their villages’ leadership and worried that Kirigakure and Iwagakure had failed to nurture talent.
• Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu infiltrated Kirigakure, found that its Bloody Mist policies and lack of sensory ninja had left the village stagnant, and discussed why Senju Tobirama might want Konoha tested by an outside attack.
• Kimimaro used his position in Kirigakure’s Internal Affairs Department to protect and recruit innocent ninja, including Hozuki Mangetsu, while secretly hoping to avenge his clan and return to Konoha.
• Two months later, Uchiha Madara ordered Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu to lead Sky Hidden Village in an attack on Konoha.
• Jiraiya told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Breaking the Heavens with Ninjutsu had become a bestseller and asked how to give its royalties to the village; Hiruzen suggested he become Konoha’s literary voice.

Hiruzen Sarutobi urged Jiraiya to use his growing readership to write truthful fiction that promoted the Will of Fire, while the Sky Hidden Village prepared a surprise attack on Konoha. Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu led the aerial force into Konoha’s heartland, where the village raised the alarm and Shinno ordered a full assault on its Scientific Research Department.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained why Jiraiya’s serious first novel had failed and encouraged him to write accessible stories about ninja suffering and the Will of Fire.
• Jiraiya agreed to finish Breaking the Heavens with Ninjutsu and began considering new works based on life in the Hidden Villages.
• Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu discussed the Sky Hidden Village’s weapons and speculated that Senju Tobirama had feigned his death to pursue secret research.
• Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu entered the Land of Fire’s heartland with the Sky Ninja, while forces launched aircraft from Ancor Vantian.
• Konoha sounded its wartime alarm, and Uchiha Madara ordered Shinno to unleash the Sky Hidden Village’s full firepower against Konoha’s Scientific Research Department.

Uchiha Madara sent the Sky Ninja to attack Konoha, targeting its research department and later the Uchiha Clan, while Konoha activated its defenses and fought back. The Sky Ninja breached the village after the barrier fell, and Uzumaki Shio protected Tomie Uchiha and the clan compound from a bombing attack.

• Uchiha Madara ordered the Sky Ninja to bomb Konoha's Scientific Research Department, then designated the Military Police Force and Uchiha Clan Compound as secondary targets.
• Konoha activated its golden Defensive Barrier, which repelled the Sky Ninja's Senbon and bombs while commanders organized the village's response.
• The barrier opened, and Sky Ninja entered Konoha as Mito launched a Tailed Beast Bomb at their Aerial Fortress, forcing Uchiha Madara to evade.
• Sakumo, Fugaku, Danzo, and the Uchiha Police Force led counterattacks as villagers were evacuated and protected.
• Sky Ninja gathered over the Uchiha Clan Compound and dropped bombs, but Uzumaki Shio shielded Tomie Uchiha and destroyed the explosives with her Tailed Beast Chakra.

Uzumaki Shio defeated the Sky Ninja attacking Konoha, while Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped their falling Aerial Fortress and secured its technology. As the battle ended, Hiruzen and Mito spotted Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu using Impure World Reincarnation, revealing a new threat.

• Uzumaki Shio killed the Sky Ninja surrounding Konoha, healed the wounded, and urged Tomie to grow stronger and develop a life beyond Aosui.
• Tomie joined the cleanup while Danzo and Konoha's forces drove the Sky Ninja into retreat, and Might Duy helped Tobirama and Minato board the Aerial Fortress.
• Uchiha Madara activated the fortress's self-destruction attack, but Hiruzen Sarutobi used Danzo's Wind Release and his own Ice Release and Boil Release to stop it and set it down safely.
• Hiruzen assigned Orochimaru and Hiruko to secure the fortress, while Konoha captured the Sky Ninja's equipment and motherships.
• Uchiha Madara discussed the coming threat from the other Hidden Villages, while Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu watched Konoha from hiding.
• Mito and the Nine-Tails attacked Mu and Hozuki Gengetsu, and Hiruzen and Mito saw Mu's severed arm reform through Impure World Reincarnation.

After Konoha defeated the Sky Ninja, Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi connected the attack and the technologies they seized to the possibility that Senju Tobirama was secretly behind them, though Hiruzen rejected the accusation and claimed responsibility for the research. Mito Uzumaki reached the same conclusion and confronted Hiruzen, who insisted that Tobirama had nothing to do with it.

• Orochimaru and Hiruko found Sky Hidden's manuals and technology unexpectedly intact, while Orochimaru reported the discovery and Hiruzen shared evidence of an Impure World Reincarnation observer.
• Orochimaru linked the Sky Ninja's techniques and research to Senju Tobirama, but Hiruzen ordered him to stop speculating and redirected him toward reproducing the captured technology.
• Hiruzen assigned Orochimaru's Scientific Research Department to develop Konoha's air force and discussed cooperation with Amegakure, while Might Duy's heroism inspired Guy, Obito, and Kakashi.
• Danzo recommended repairing Uchiha Madara's statue, and Hiruzen proposed changing the statues in the Valley of the End to show the Seal of Reconciliation.
• Mito Uzumaki examined the seized techniques and Living Corpse Reincarnation, then summoned Hiruzen, Orochimaru, Hiruko, Tsunade, Isshin, Aosui, and Danzo and accused Tobirama of orchestrating the attack.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi claimed that he had privately developed Living Corpse Reincarnation, Zero-Tails, and the body-enhancement formula, insisting that Tobirama was uninvolved.

Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected the claim that Tobirama was behind the attacks, proposed that Uchiha Madara might be responsible, and ordered Konoha to prepare for war while rehabilitating Madara’s reputation. Three months later, Madara learned that Konoha’s textbooks were praising him and reacted with shock.

• Mito Uzumaki confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi about the Forbidden Techniques, and Hiruzen defended his research as a warning to future generations.
• Danzo argued that the mysterious attacker was Tobirama and defended the attacker’s actions as serving Konoha, while Hiruzen reasoned that Madara might have imitated Tobirama.
• Hiruzen ordered Konoha to prepare for a possible war, strengthen the Uchiha Clan’s loyalty, and raise Madara’s standing in Konoha’s history and textbooks.
• Hiruzen tasked Orochimaru with testing whether the Box of Ultimate Bliss could provide negative-emotion energy for Konoha’s research and production.
• Three months later, Uchiha Madara finished making Great Figurines of the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers, then reacted in shock when White Zetsu Ah Huo told him Konoha’s textbooks praised him.

Uchiha Madara was moved by Hiruzen Sarutobi’s favorable account of him but still planned to test Konoha and advance the Eye of the Moon Plan. Black Zetsu secretly altered the Sage of Six Paths’ Stone Tablet to manipulate Hiruzen, while the other Hidden Villages debated how to counter Konoha’s growing strength; the chapter ended with Kakuzu returning to Konoha with Kekkei Genkai Material.

• White Zetsu Ah Huo told Uchiha Madara that Hiruzen Sarutobi had praised him in Konoha’s notices and textbooks, prompting Madara to reconsider his bond with the village while insisting that Hiruzen prove Konoha’s strength.
• Uchiha Madara planned to give Hiruzen a year before expanding conflicts among the Hidden Villages, and he considered using Obito to test Konoha while sparing the younger generation from being killed outright.
• Black Zetsu concluded that Madara’s resolve toward the Eye of the Moon Plan was weakening, so he decided to alter the Stone Tablet of the Sage of Six Paths with information intended to lure Hiruzen toward gathering Tailed Beast Chakra.
• The Third Raikage and Ōnoki discussed waiting before acting against Konoha, while Pakura’s proposal to cooperate with Konoha was rejected by Rasa, the Third Kazekage, and Chiyo; Rasa privately considered having Pakura killed to secure his path to becoming Kazekage.
• Two months later, Kakuzu returned to Konoha with the Kekkei Genkai Material that Sakumo and Fugaku had been waiting for.

Kakuzu returned to Konoha with Magnet Release material, while Fugaku and Isshin presented Hiruzen with the Uchiha Stone Tablet and Madara’s armor. Hiruzen discovered the tablet’s incomplete method could advance his Kekkei Genkai research, as Amegakure continued its development; the chapter ended with Tomie confronting Tobirama about Aosui.

• Kakuzu returned to Konoha, praised Root’s support, and delivered Magnet Release material for Fugaku and Sakumo’s planned experiments.
• Fugaku and Isshin brought Hiruzen the newly illuminated Uchiha Stone Tablet and Uchiha Madara’s black armor, which Hiruzen accepted and displayed beside Hashirama’s armor.
• Fugaku asked Hiruzen to let his unborn son inherit Sasuke Sarutobi’s name, and Hiruzen proposed naming future children Madara and Izumi with the Uchiha leaders’ approval.
• Hiruzen read the Stone Tablet and realized its Kekkei Genkai methods could accelerate the creation of his Kekkei Genkai Threads.
• Hanzo inspected Amegakure’s factories, assigned Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan responsibilities, and prepared the village for future conflict alongside Konoha.
• After Tobirama left Root, Tomie confronted him and asked whether he truly did not like her at all.

Tomie awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan after Tobirama rejected her, gaining Dōjutsu that analyzed targets and guided her toward the best course of action. Two months later, she had become a prized guide for Konoha’s research projects and used her abilities to choose a plan for Tobirama; the chapter ended as she prepared to examine Hiruzen Sarutobi while he described his new composite chakra threads.

• Tobirama bluntly rejected Tomie, explained that he valued research and personal freedom over romance, and left her with his research notes.
• Tomie resolved to catch up with Uzumaki Shio and Aosui through scientific research, and her intense emotions awakened her Mangekyō Sharingan, granting her Kuebiko and Kotoshironushi.
• Tomie used her new Dōjutsu to identify promising research directions, while Itachi’s possible future vision led her to warn him against harming the clan or village.
• Fugaku received a Magnet Release transplant and Sakumo received a Storm Release transplant; the two discussed how they would develop their new abilities.
• Two months later, Tomie had become an invaluable guide for Konoha’s Scientific Research Department and gave Tobirama a plan for safely turning the Box of Ultimate Bliss’s negative emotions into energy.
• Tomie asked Hiruzen Sarutobi to let her examine him with her Dōjutsu as he explained his progress developing composite chakra threads.

Tomie tested her Mangekyō abilities on Hiruzen Sarutobi and discovered that his strength and Sealing Jutsu overwhelmed her analysis, prompting him to warn her to conserve her power and promise the village would support her. Months later, Naruto and Sasuke were born, and the Sage of Six Paths noticed Konoha’s unusually positive emotions and took a new interest in the Shinobi World.

• Tomie used Kuebiko to analyze Hiruzen Sarutobi, but his Sealing Jutsu resistance initially dismantled her Dōjutsu Power before she managed to gather information about his extraordinary abilities.
• Kotoshironushi warned Tomie that fighting Hiruzen would bring overwhelming danger, and Tomie reconsidered her own strength as Hiruzen advised her to conserve her Mangekyō Sharingan power.
• Orochimaru explained that Hashirama’s cells and Uzumaki Shio’s vitality might replenish Tomie’s Dōjutsu Power, then assigned Tomie and Shio to research how their abilities complemented each other.
• Tomie joined Root and challenged Tobirama over a Konoha Committee Member seat, while Tobirama asked Izuna to help him prepare to seal the Box of Ultimate Bliss’s monster within himself.
• Minato treated Obito, Nohara Rin, and Kakashi to ramen after training, and the three discussed rumors about Tomie’s Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Months later, Naruto and Sasuke were born, and the Sage of Six Paths noticed Konoha’s unusually positive emotions and decided to observe the village more closely.

The Sage of Six Paths investigated Konoha’s reforms, admired Hiruzen Sarutobi, and entered the Shinobi World in an avatar to observe events firsthand. As Konoha welcomed a new generation, Uchiha Madara prepared Kirigakure to provoke a war against it.

• The Sage of Six Paths observed Konoha’s welfare policies, cooperation between clans, and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s leadership, then decided to visit the Shinobi World in an avatar.
• The Sage of Six Paths traveled through the Land of Rain, where he encountered Roshi reading Jiraiya’s book about Konoha’s reforms and heard Roshi question Iwagakure’s claims about the village.
• One month later, the Sage of Six Paths had become a shareholder in Teuchi’s ramen shop as Konoha prepared its next generation, with Naruto and Sasuke assigned mentors.
• Uchiha Madara ordered White Zetsus in Kirigakure to stir up public unrest and push the Third Mizukage toward war with Konoha, declaring that the Third Shinobi World War could begin.

Madara established the Crimson Organization under Tobirama’s identity, recruited Sasori after reuniting him with his parents, and plotted to revive Izuna while Konoha’s families and the Sage of Six Paths enjoyed a peaceful village. The chapter ended with Kirigakure’s Third Mizukage preparing to start a war amid growing unrest.

• Madara reviewed Konoha’s newborn registry, reflected on his growing attachment to the village, and decided he might keep his identity hidden if Konoha survived his trials.
• Ah Huo announced the Crimson Organization to the assembled resurrected Kage, who questioned Tobirama’s intentions while accepting the organization’s rules.
• Madara continued researching how to revive Izuna, and Sasori arrived at the Graveyard of Mountains seeking Tobirama.
• Ah Huo reunited Sasori with his resurrected parents, who urged him to abandon revenge, and Sasori joined the Crimson Organization to work undercover in Sunagakure.
• The Sage of Six Paths invested in Ichiraku Ramen and resolved to protect the shop so he could someday cook for Naruto and Sasuke.
• Kirigakure’s shinobi began openly challenging the Third Mizukage, who summoned Genji and Kimimaro and prepared to start a war.

The Third Mizukage declared war on Konoha and rallied the other Great Hidden Villages, while Kimimaro and his allies planned to exploit the conflict and undermine Kirigakure’s Bloody Mist leadership. A month later, Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that war had been declared just as Might Duy reported success with his Hashirama Cells transplant.

• The Third Mizukage accepted Genji’s argument for war, ordered Kirigakure to launch a coastal assault on Konoha, and sent envoys to recruit the other Great Hidden Villages.
• Kimimaro, Yuki, and Kisame secretly organized their group to avoid fighting Konoha and planned to remove the Third Mizukage, Genji, and other brutal Kirigakure leaders when opportunities arose.
• Ōnoki prepared Iwagakure for war, the Third Raikage committed Kumogakure to joining, and the Third Kazekage backed Sunagakure’s participation despite Pakura’s objections.
• Sasori challenged the Third Kazekage and Rasa’s decision to wage war, arguing that Sunagakure should consolidate its resources and criticizing their leadership.
• Might Duy told Hiruzen Sarutobi that he had adapted successfully to the Hashirama Cells transplant, and Danzo then reported that the Third Mizukage had declared war on Konoha.

Hiruzen Sarutobi mobilized Konoha after Kirigakure and three other Hidden Villages declared war, assigning forces across four battlefronts and leading the counterattack against Kirigakure. Three days later, the fighting had formed clear battle lines, and Tenzo approached Hiruzen with a battlefield report.

• Danzo showed Hiruzen aerial photographs and documents confirming Kirigakure’s advance and declaration of war, and Hiruzen ordered Konoha onto its highest combat readiness.
• Teuchi and the Sage of Six Paths prepared free and low-cost meals for Konoha’s shinobi as the village mobilized for war.
• Hiruzen gathered the Konoha Committee Members and assigned commanders and forces to confront Kirigakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure, while arranging defenses and village logistics.
• Uchiha Madara sent Hozuki Gengetsu to the Kirigakure Battlefield to increase the pressure on Hiruzen, but held back the other Kage.
• Three days later, Hiruzen, Hizashi, and Tenzo reached the southeastern front, where Tenzo prepared to report the locations of Kirigakure’s elite forces.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ambushed Kirigakure’s elite vanguard with Enma’s new halberd form and overwhelming composite ninjutsu, killing five of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and routing the survivors. As Konoha captured fleeing Mist shinobi, the Third Mizukage learned that his vanguard had suffered devastating losses.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Tenzo and the others to encircle the Kirigakure force, then charged ahead with Enma transformed into a war halberd.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi struck the Kirigakure formation with five composite releases, shattering its defenses and causing severe casualties.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi killed Kushimaru Kuriarare, Munashi Jinpachi, Raiga Kurosuki, Jinin Akebino, and the wielder of Twin Blades: Hiramekarei.
• Juzo Biwa fled with Zabuza while Suikazan Fuguki escaped toward the Third Mizukage, and Hozuki Gengetsu and Mū watched the rout from above.
• Hizashi and Konoha’s forces pursued the fleeing Mist shinobi, while Tenzo called for their surrender and the Sealing Squad captured prisoners.
• Suikazan Fuguki reported to the Third Mizukage that the vanguard had been ambushed, its elite forces devastated, and more than half of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist killed.