Chapter Summaries

Shinji learned that Kumogakure had rescued Yugito Nii and was using her to lure him into an ambush, with Konoha joining the operation. He chose not to interfere and ended up hiding near Sasuke and Yakumo as they prepared to warn him.

• Tsunade explained that Kumogakure had discovered Yugito Nii's location and planned to use her as bait to ambush Shinji, while Konoha had been asked to provide support.
• Shinji confirmed that Yugito Nii knew none of his core secrets and decided against acting, accepting that he might lose her.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, Sasuke, Yakumo, and other Konoha shinobi met the Fourth Raikage and Kumogakure's forces outside the cave, where Kiba reported that Yugito Nii had been controlled by Akatsuki's 'A' and had her Chakra absorbed.
• Yugito Nii emerged and insisted on ambushing 'A' herself, and the Fourth Raikage persuaded Konoha to join the plan to capture him.
• Sasuke and Yakumo considered ways to warn Shinji about the ambush, unaware that Shinji was hiding nearby and waiting for them.

Kumogakure and Konoha abandoned their ambush for Akatsuki’s “A” but left squads to watch the area, while Yugito’s clash with Sasuke ended without a fight. Back in Konoha, Shinji monitored Karin’s developing Rinnegan and decided to wait for it to stabilize before removing it.

• Jiraiya and the Fourth Raikage called off the ambush, and Konoha and Kumogakure each left a squad to keep watch.
• Yugito insulted Sasuke, prompting him to activate his Sharingan before Kakashi and the Fourth Raikage separated them.
• Shinji said Yugito’s humiliation under the Sharingan made her taunt sound like praise, and Sasuke agreed.
• The Fourth Raikage learned that Matatabi had promised to support Yugito, potentially helping her match Killer B.
• After returning to Konoha, Shinji used “Naobi” to monitor Karin and saw that her Rinnegan was still strengthening but beginning to stabilize.

Shinji removed the Rinnegan from Karin and returned her original eyes, then used Susanoo Lamp to take control of the Rinnegan himself. He gained access to several of their abilities, though controlling them with his weaker Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan left those powers impaired.

• Shinji visited Karin and removed the Rinnegan, replacing them with her original eyes.
• Karin put on her glasses, adjusted to her restored vision, and agreed to stand by for a possible counter-invasion of the demon world.
• Shinji took the Rinnegan to his secret laboratory and used Susanoo Lamp to install them in Susanoo's third pair of eye sockets.
• Shinji endured intense pain as he took control of the Rinnegan, then acquired Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in.
• Shinji tested the Rinnegan's powers and found that he could absorb Chakra, but his abilities were weakened and Shinra Tensei took fifteen seconds to recharge.

After mastering some of the Rinnegan’s abilities, Shinji prepared a counterinvasion of the Demon Slayer World to gather intelligence. He took Haku and Karin through a Space Rift and arrived in the unfamiliar world.

• Shinji tested the Rinnegan and found that Susanoo Lamp let him use only some of its abilities, though drawing its Power of All Things continued to strengthen his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Shinji chose Haku and Karin to accompany him because they were capable and the initial mission required discretion.
• Shinji warned Haku and Karin to avoid fighting and focus on gathering intelligence.
• Shinji used the Lamp to open a Space Rift to the Demon Slayer World, and Haku and Karin followed him through it.
• Shinji arrived in the quiet Demon Slayer World and wondered if that was where they had landed.

Shinji, Haku, and Karin began investigating the Demon Slayer World after being separated during their arrival. Haku found signs of a demon in a shantytown, but two sword-wielding figures attacked him before he could follow the trail.

• Shinji sensed that the Demon Slayer World had no Chakra and located Haku and Karin in a distant city using Naobi.
• Shinji instructed Haku and Karin to investigate the city for information about demons and the Demon Slayer Corps while he stayed hidden.
• Karin slipped into a library and used Shadow Clones to search its books for information.
• Haku checked police records, found an unusual number of disappearances in a shantytown, and went there to investigate.
• Haku found a pool of blood after hearing a scream, then two figures suddenly attacked him with swords.

Haku investigated a murder scene, met members of the Demon Slayer Corps, and killed the demon attacking them. He agreed to join the Corps and was invited to Mt. Sagiri, where he would learn more about the organization.

• Haku posed as a Public Security Bureau officer and questioned two armed men at the murder scene.
• The men identified themselves as Demon Slayer Corps members and explained that the killer was a demon.
• The demon attacked, overwhelmed the two swordsmen, and was beheaded by Haku with a Nichirin Blade.
• The Demon Slayer Corps members invited Haku to join and warned him that the weakened organization faced deadly danger.
• Haku accepted, and the members said they would take him to Mt. Sagiri to meet the old man.

On the way to Mt. Sagiri, Haku learned that every Hashira had rebelled and joined the demons two years earlier, and he suspected the event was connected to the invasion of the Shinobi World. As Haku continued toward the Demon Slayer Corps for answers, Karin independently investigated the hidden demons and shared her suspicions with Shinji.

• Ichiki and Hirozane told Haku about the Demon Slayer Corps, its Breathing Technique, and a retired Water Hashira who trained at Mt. Sagiri.
• Ichiki revealed that all the Hashira had rebelled two years earlier, joined the demons, and then vanished; the Upper and Lower Ranks had also disappeared.
• A Kasugai Crow gave Ichiki a new mission, so he and Hirozane left Haku to continue to Mt. Sagiri alone.
• Haku connected the former Hashira to the demon swordsmen who invaded the Shinobi World and suspected the mysterious organizer had a hidden reason for recruiting them.
• Karin searched the library, concluded that someone was concealing the existence of demons, and told Shinji her suspicions during their routine contact.

Shinji suspected the Demon King was concealing demons from the public and sent Karin to investigate government agencies for hidden demons. Meanwhile, Haku began training with Sakonji Urokodaki at Mt. Sagiri, while Shinji sensed that the Overlord had set his sights on the world.

• Shinji ordered Karin to search newspaper offices and public safety bureaus for demons hiding among their staff.
• Haku reached Mt. Sagiri to infiltrate the Demon Slayer Corps and gather intelligence for Shinji.
• Sakonji Urokodaki tested Haku on a trap-filled mountain path and was astonished by his speed and agility.
• Haku agreed to become Urokodaki's student and learn Water Breathing despite the danger from demons.
• Shinji sensed a strange phenomenon in the sky and concluded that the Overlord had set his sights on the world.

Shinji realized the mysterious man had likely invaded the Shinobi World to escape the Overlord’s gaze and decided to capture him to learn his plan. On Mt. Sagiri, Haku recognized Water Breathing from an old battle, mastered its first form after one demonstration, and unexpectedly froze the waterfall.

• Shinji reasoned that the mysterious man was targeting him because he was the Lantern Bearer and resolved to capture him.
• Haku defeated seven Demon Slayer Corps trainees during a sparring session, surprising Sakonji Urokodaki.
• Sakonji Urokodaki brought Haku to a waterfall and demonstrated Water Breathing’s First Form, Water Surface Slash.
• Haku recognized the technique from the demonized swordsman he had fought on the island and understood that Water Breathing had been what he lacked.
• Haku copied the First Form after seeing it once and cut through the waterfall with his wooden sword.
• The severed waterfall froze upward into a glacier as Sakonji Urokodaki watched in astonishment.

Haku revealed that he could create and control ice after accidentally freezing a waterfall, surprising Sakonji Urokodaki. Urokodaki accepted Haku as his disciple and said he could become the next Water Hashira once he mastered Water Breathing.

• Haku accidentally used Ice Release Chakra and froze a waterfall with a single sword strike.
• Sakonji Urokodaki suspected Haku of using a Blood Demon Art, but Haku assured him that he was not a demon.
• Haku created an ice crystal in his palm and claimed he had controlled ice since childhood, prompting his parents to abandon him.
• Haku tested Sakonji Urokodaki's attitude toward the Demon Slayer Corps by revealing his ability, and Urokodaki invited him to stay and train on Mt. Sagiri.
• Sakonji Urokodaki warned Haku not to use his extraordinary power lightly and accepted him as his disciple, naming him a future Water Hashira.

Haku mastered all eleven forms of Water Breathing, and Sakonji Urokodaki encouraged him to pursue the Water Hashira position at the upcoming Pillars Meeting. Meanwhile, Karin found a likely demon in the Asahi Newspaper president’s wife and confronted her at her mansion.

• Sakonji Urokodaki taught Haku Water Breathing, and Haku mastered all eleven forms in one day.
• Sakonji Urokodaki told Haku about the upcoming Pillars Meeting and resolved to support his bid to become Water Hashira.
• Haku decided to join the Nine Pillars so he could determine whether the Demon Slayer Corps was trustworthy and investigate the mysterious person.
• Karin traced clues about demon cover-ups to the Asahi Newspaper president’s wife, whose reported inability to face sunlight matched a demon’s habits.
• Karin slipped into the president’s mansion and found the wife drinking blood before identifying her as a possible demon.

Karin captured the president's wife, a demon hiding among humans, and brought her to Shinji for interrogation. Shinji extracted the memories of her subordinate and then searched her memories for information about the Demon King, but what he discovered left him puzzled.

• The president's wife recognized Karin as a member of the Demon Slayer Corps and fled through a hidden passage, but Karin used the Drum Demon's drum to trap her in the mansion kitchen and bound her with golden chains.
• Shinji learned from Haku that the Demon Slayer Corps was choosing a new Nine Pillars and that Haku would become the Water Hashira.
• Karin brought the captured president's wife and her subordinate to Shinji, who sent Karin to investigate other leads.
• Shinji extracted the subordinate's soul and learned that he had only overseen blood collection.
• Shinji questioned the president's wife about the Demon King, then used his ocular technique to search her memories and remarked that what he found was strange.

Shinji forced the company president's wife to find demons hidden in human society, suspecting the mysterious man might be missing or dead. On Mt. Sagiri, Haku received his Nichirin Blade and passed the boulder-cutting test.

• Shinji learned from the company president's wife's memories that she had not contacted the mysterious man for months and suspected he might not have returned from the Shinobi World.
• Shinji threatened the company president's wife with death at sunrise unless she found the other hidden demons within five days, and she agreed before fleeing to safety.
• The company president's wife decided to find one or two demons to satisfy Shinji while wondering whether to abandon the missing Demon King.
• Haku watched Demon Slayer Corps trainees struggle to cut a boulder and felt respect for their efforts.
• Sakonji Urokodaki gave Haku a Nichirin Blade and told him he had to cut through a boulder to graduate officially.
• Haku used Water Breathing to split the largest boulder in two and sheathed his sword.

White left Mt. Sagiri for the Pillars Meeting at Mt. Fujikasane, where he joined the other elite Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen competing for the Nine Pillars. The selection began with a three-day demon-killing contest, and White entered the mountain behind the other candidates.

• Sakonji Urokodaki watched White depart for the Pillars Meeting while the trainees waved goodbye and discussed his chances of becoming the Water Hashira.
• White traveled to Mt. Fujikasane, met Zenitsu Agatsuma, and learned about the swordsmen gathered to compete, including Kanao, Genya Shinazugawa, Inosuke, and Nezuko.
• A masked old man announced that the nine candidates who killed the most demons in three days would become the new Nine Pillars.
• Inosuke charged into Mt. Fujikasane, and the other swordsmen rushed in after him; Zenitsu urged White to follow before the demons were all killed.
• After the candidates entered the mountain, the trainers and swordsmiths discussed whether Nezuko or Urokodaki's unfamiliar student White was the stronger swordsman.

Haku quickly killed demons on Mt. Fujikasane to strengthen his bid for a seat among the Nine Pillars, then began knocking out rival swordsmen. By the time the chapter ended, the selection had grown quiet as the remaining candidates hid or gathered against him.

• Haku used his Nichirin Blade, Breathing Technique, and Rapid to kill demons across Mt. Fujikasane, with his Kasugai Crow counting his growing total.
• Haku beat Genya Shinazugawa to a fleeing demon and killed it before Genya could intervene.
• After three days, Haku had killed more than fifty demons and joined a clash over another demon with Inosuke and four other swordsmen.
• Haku knocked Inosuke unconscious, defeated the four other swordsmen, and killed the demon.
• Haku began hunting rival swordsmen as well as demons, ordering their Kasugai Crows to have lower-ranking swordsmen carry the unconscious candidates down the mountain.
• The remaining candidates hid or formed groups to confront Haku, while the cultivators and swordsmiths below watched more elite swordsmen being carried down.

Haku defeated the other swordsmen competing for the Nine Pillars seats until only Nezuko remained, then fought her on a cliff. Nezuko awakened a Curse Mark and gained a surge of strength and speed, while Haku felt a power stirring within himself.

• Haku ambushed and defeated three swordsmen, then continued searching the mountain.
• Haku fought Zenitsu Agatsuma and Kanao together and knocked them both down.
• Haku found Nezuko on a cliff, where she challenged him with Sun Breathing.
• Haku used Rapid to outpace Nezuko and kick her into a rock wall.
• Nezuko awakened a Curse Mark and charged again, and Haku sensed a power beginning to erupt within him.

Haku unlocked the Curse Mark and defeated Nezuko, securing the Water Hashira seat and becoming leader of the Demon Slayer Corps’ new Nine Pillars. At their first Pillars Meeting, the Corps reviewed a surge in demon activity and learned that four locations, including densely populated cities, had lost all contact with the outside world.

• Haku’s Curse Mark awakened, allowing him to overpower Nezuko and win their duel.
• The arbitration panel named Haku Water Hashira, and the remaining eight Hashira were selected, including Nezuko, Inosuke, Zenitsu, Kanao, and Genya Shinazugawa.
• The Demon Slayer Corps made Haku the leader of the Pillars Meeting and briefed him on increasingly frequent demon attacks.
• Genya Shinazugawa urged the new Hashira to hunt the defected Hashira, while Kanao and Haku insisted that suppressing the demons came first.
• A lower-ranking swordsman told Haku that four locations had lost all communication, and Haku realized that even cities had fallen.

Shinji interrogated captured demons for the injured mysterious man's whereabouts, then investigated reports that Kyoto and Osaka had become ghost towns. New information revealed that four cities had gone silent, leaving him unsure which one concealed the mysterious man.

• The president's wife brought Shinji a demon spy, and Shinji extracted the captured demons' memories, learning the mysterious man had survived and was recovering from his injuries.
• When the demons could not identify the mysterious man's hideout, Shinji burned one with Amaterasu, prompting others to suggest Mount Hengliang, Kyoto, and Osaka.
• The president's wife reported that communications from Kyoto and Osaka had stopped, so Shinji ordered her to investigate and then traveled to the cities himself.
• Shinji found that both Kyoto and Osaka were lifeless ghost towns, then received reports from Haku, Karin, and the president's wife that four cities had gone silent.
• Shinji realized the mysterious man could be hiding in one of the four cities and worried that searching the wrong place might let him escape again.

Shinji concluded that the demons were losing control as the Demon King’s influence warped the world, while a Demon Slayer Corps squad led by Haku investigated an empty Kyoto. The squad was surrounded by countless figures after night fell.

• Shinji gathered reports that demons, including the president's wife, had suddenly gone berserk and suspected the Demon King was responsible.
• Shinji sensed the Demon Slayer World collapsing as the Overlord’s power seeped through its barrier.
• Haku led Nezuko, Zenitsu, Genya, and other Demon Slayer Corps members into deserted Kyoto to investigate missing swordsmen and search for the mysterious person.
• The squad found the city abandoned, with no people, demons, or blood, and continued deeper into its streets after dark.
• Haku heard countless footsteps surrounding the squad, and Genya ordered the swordsmen to set nearby houses ablaze, revealing layers of figures in the shadows.

Haku led the surviving Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen out of demon-infested Kyoto using Water and Ice techniques, while Shinji realized the crisis had forced him to abandon his quiet plan to capture the mysterious Demon King. Back in the Shinobi World, Sasuke, Shion, Yakumo, Kimimaro, and Neji reacted to something they had apparently heard during class.

• Haku and Nezuko led the Demon Slayer Corps through Kyoto as demons overwhelmed their ranks and killed many swordsmen.
• When the survivors were close to collapse, Haku used Water Style and Ice Release to create a glacier and lead them toward the outskirts.
• Shinji watched Haku's retreat and concluded that he would have to use force to draw the mysterious person out of Kyoto's demon domain.
• During Iruka's genjutsu lesson, Sasuke, Shion, Yakumo, Kimimaro, and Neji suddenly reacted as though they had heard something interesting.