Chapter Summaries

The Nine-Tails rampaged through Konoha after Naruto lost consciousness, and Shinji reluctantly rushed toward the beast despite the danger. Sasuke’s Sharingan awakened as he faced the Nine-Tails, which stopped its attack when its eyes changed to the Sharingan pattern.

• Shinji realized the Nine-Tails’ rampage might have begun with an attack on Naruto and worried that the village was in danger.
• Shinji tried to return to his apartment but became too restless to stay away and headed toward the Nine-Tails.
• Sasuke fled through the ruined streets, then stood to face the Nine-Tails as his Sharingan awakened.
• The Nine-Tails recognized Sasuke’s Sharingan, confronted him about the Uchiha, and swung its paw at him.
• The Nine-Tails’ paw stopped just before striking Sasuke, and its pupils changed into the Sharingan pattern.

Shinji subdued the Nine-Tails inside Naruto’s mental world and restored Naruto’s consciousness, then left before anyone noticed his involvement. The Konoha Ninja arrived to find the Nine-Tails dissolving and Sasuke credited with defeating it, while Naruto was taken for medical care.

• Shinji used his Mangekyō Sharingan to weaken the Nine-Tails and enter Naruto’s mental world.
• Shinji discovered the corroded but intact seal, drove the Nine-Tails’ chakra back behind its gate, and found the injured Naruto.
• Naruto’s consciousness recovered, the Nine-Tails began dissolving, and Shinji left without being noticed by Sasuke.
• Kakashi and the Konoha Ninja arrived and were stunned to see Sasuke’s Two-Tomoe Sharingan and the defeated Nine-Tails.
• The Medical Team Ninja confirmed Naruto could be saved, and Kakashi ordered someone to get Sasuke a change of clothes.

After stopping the Nine-Tails, Shinji hid among the evacuees and suffered severe eye pain from overusing his Mangekyō Sharingan. As Konoha’s leaders investigated the attack, the Third Hokage and Utatane Koharu began to suspect Sasuke was the masked Sharingan user who infiltrated Danzo’s base.

• Shinji entered the shelter, ignored Shion, and reunited with Haku, Rock Lee, and his classmates.
• Shinji’s vision blurred and his eyes hurt sharply, so he hid his condition and blamed the strain of repeatedly using his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Mitokado Homura announced that the Nine-Tails crisis was under control, and the evacuees began leaving the shelter.
• At the Hokage Office, an ANBU reported that Naruto’s attacker had escaped, while Danzo accused Sasuke of using a Dojutsu to control the Nine-Tails.
• A Root shinobi told the Third Hokage and Utatane Koharu that a masked Uchiha had controlled him with genjutsu, leading them to identify Sasuke as the likely suspect.

Danzo ordered Sasuke Uchiha placed under constant surveillance after the Third refused to hand him over. Meanwhile, Shinji obtained Fugaku Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan from Danzo’s vault and kept his own Mangekyō secret from Meiqiu.

• Danzo demanded that the Third hand Sasuke over, but the Third refused, so Danzo ordered Root to surveil Sasuke around the clock.
• Danzo told his subordinates to stop watching Shinji and considered Sasuke a threat he might need to eliminate.
• Shinji wondered who had attacked Naruto and suspected that a hidden village might be trying to provoke conflict between Konoha and Kirigakure.
• Shinji summoned Meiqiu, who delivered Fugaku Uchiha’s eyes after sneaking into Danzo’s vault.
• Shinji paid Meiqiu for the job and said the eyes would be useful, without revealing that he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Shinji secretly tested Fugaku Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan in the Forest of Death and used Susanoo Lamp to place the eyes into his Susanoo. His eye pain and impaired vision vanished, and he discovered a new ability involving the eyes.

• Shinji heard villagers credit Sasuke with stopping the Nine-Tails and realized Sasuke had taken the blame for him.
• Shinji entered the deserted Forest of Death to test Fugaku Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan in private.
• Shinji activated his armored Susanoo and then used Susanoo Lamp despite the severe strain on his eyes.
• Susanoo Lamp pulled Fugaku’s eyes from Shinji’s hands into its empty sockets, making Susanoo grow larger and more solid.
• Shinji’s eye pain, dizziness, and poor vision disappeared, and he learned that Susanoo Lamp had an ability called New eyes.

Shinji learned how the Susanoo Lamp could control or fuse eyes and decided he needed to strengthen his own Dojutsu before attempting to fuse it with Fugaku's Mangekyō. He discovered that Fugaku's left eye held Amaterasu and began examining the power in his right eye.

• Shinji compared control and fusion, learning that stronger Dojutsu reduced the losses and risks involved in either process.
• Shinji decided to pursue fusing his eyes into the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan so he could replenish his Dojutsu himself.
• Shinji realized Fugaku's Mangekyō retained more power than his own and that their lack of close blood relation made fusion likely to fail.
• Shinji found that controlling Fugaku's eyes had partially restored his own Dojutsu and let him obtain both of Fugaku's Mangekyō abilities.
• Shinji identified Amaterasu in Fugaku's left eye, then reacted strangely upon learning what the right eye contained.

Shinji understood that Fugaku Uchiha’s dojutsu, “Izanagi,” let him glimpse possible futures rather than rewrite fate, and concluded that relying on it had warped Fugaku into a fearful, indecisive man. The realization left Shinji wary of using the technique and convinced that it demanded courage as well as Dojutsu.

• Shinji distinguished “Izanagi,” which rewrote fate at the cost of a Sharingan, from Fugaku Uchiha’s “Izanagi,” which revealed possible future events.
• Shinji inferred that Fugaku had used “Izanagi” to assess the Fourth Hokage, Konoha’s leaders, and Itachi, and that the futures he saw had fueled his contradictory decisions.
• Shinji reflected that Fugaku’s hesitation and the Uchiha Clan’s downfall suggested “Izanagi” had gradually twisted his personality.
• Shinji imagined that visions of failure might have stopped him from entering the ANBU Building and Danzo’s Root Base.
• Shinji concluded that using “Izanagi” required exceptional strength of character and carried a cost beyond the loss of Dojutsu.

Shinji prepared for the invasion, expecting his new Mangekyō abilities to help him defeat the intruder and earn a higher rating. When the countdown ended, an unknown Lantern Bearer interfered with his transport, and Shinji learned that he was a Reserve Lantern Bearer himself.

• Shinji resolved to use Izanagi only in critical situations and prepared for the invasion with his new Amaterasu and Izanagi abilities.
• He reasoned that quickly eliminating the invader and limiting its impact could earn him a higher rating, then trained to manage the overwhelming information his Mangekyō Sharingan revealed.
• After the countdown reached midnight, Shinji prepared to be transported, but the system reported interference from an unknown Lantern Bearer and postponed target acquisition for twenty-four hours.
• Shinji questioned the system about the interference, which told him that his question exceeded his authorization and identified him as a Reserve Lantern Bearer.

Sasuke learned that Naruto was Konoha’s Jinchuriki while demanding to be released so he could kill Itachi, but an ANBU summons interrupted him with news of a massacre at Kikyo Mountain Outpost. Meanwhile, Shinji resolved to search again for the hostile Lantern Bearer, and Kakashi’s team was dispatched to investigate the attack and report its identity and purpose.

• Kakashi told Sasuke that Naruto was Konoha’s Jinchuriki, and Sasuke called him pitiful before demanding to be released to kill Itachi.
• An ANBU informed Kakashi that the five squads at Kikyo Mountain Outpost had been wiped out.
• Shinji practiced his Breathing Technique, concluded the intruder was likely another world’s Lantern Bearer, and planned to search for him again that night.
• The Third Hokage ordered Kakashi and three other ANBU to investigate the outpost attack and prioritize returning critical intelligence to the village.

Shinji was summoned to repel an invasion and found Mother Spider Demon controlling Konoha Ninja in a mountain forest. After freeing and rendering the exhausted shinobi unconscious, he turned to face her.

• Shinji arrived at an unfamiliar mountain and followed Chakra Threads through the forest after a controlled Konoha Ninja attacked him.
• Shinji found Mother Spider Demon with seven more Konoha Ninja under her control and realized the demons were learning to use Chakra.
• Mother Spider Demon ordered the seven shinobi to attack Shinji.
• Shinji cut the threads controlling the shinobi and knocked them unconscious with genjutsu.
• Shinji turned his glowing eyes toward Mother Spider Demon and challenged her.

Shinji confronted the Spider Demons on Mount Natagumo and chased Rui after Rui recognized him as the Lantern Bearer. Rui reclaimed the power he had given the other demons and attacked, but Shinji summoned a giant armored phantom that captured him.

• Shinji used his Mangekyō Sharingan to question Mother Spider Demon, but another force awakened her and Father Spider Demon ambushed him.
• Older Sister Spider Demon and Older Brother Spider Demon appeared, and the four demons surrounded Shinji before Rui arrived.
• Rui recognized Shinji as the Lantern Bearer, ordered the other demons to hold him off, and fled toward the mountaintop with Shinji pursuing him.
• Rui reclaimed the power he had given the four demons, transformed into a spider-like form, and attacked Shinji with his Blood Demon Art: Thread Rotation.
• Shinji summoned a yellow, armored half-body giant that broke through Rui’s web, seized Rui, and demanded that Rui repeat what he had said.

Shinji pursued Rui after the demon escaped Susanoo, but Rui used his regenerative body and Blood Demon Art to kill two Konoha ANBU and flee. Seeing that Rui could reinforce his Blood Demon Art with Chakra, Shinji decided he had to be killed before other demons learned the same technique.

• Rui cut himself into pieces to escape Shinji's Susanoo, reassembled, and fled into the forest.
• Two Konoha ANBU confronted Rui and attacked him with a combined Fire Release and Wind Release technique.
• Rui endured the flames, killed one ANBU by biting his neck, then dismembered the other with his Blood Demon Art despite an Earth Style Wall.
• Rui healed his burns and continued fleeing as Shinji arrived at the battlefield.
• Shinji examined the sliced earth and concluded that Rui's ability to strengthen his Blood Demon Art with Chakra made him too dangerous to leave alive.

Shinji stopped Rui from reaching a blood-colored rift and burned him to ash with Amaterasu, closing the invasion. He gained Rui’s thread-manipulation technique and spider silk, then received an A-rank reward choice.

• Rui frenziedly attacked Shinji with bloody webs, but Shinji held back while considering whether he could extract information from him.
• A blood-colored light opened above the mountain stream, and Rui split into several forms to rush toward it.
• Shinji crushed Rui with Susanoo and killed all of his forms with Amaterasu before the light vanished.
• The mysterious voice confirmed the invasion had been stopped and the rift had closed, then awarded Shinji Rui’s thread-manipulation technique and special spider silk.
• Shinji tested the chakra-reinforced silk and learned that fire weakened it, then received an A-rank reward choice.

Shinji chose a random reward over a random A-rank technique and used the Merit Points he earned to become a Junior Lantern Bearer. He discovered that a Light Mark had anchored the Shinobi World and learned that traces of other worlds could poison and ultimately destroy it, then asked the mysterious voice what it was.

• Shinji rejected the random A-rank technique and received 20 Merit Points, bringing his total to 26.
• Shinji spent 10 Merit Points to become a Junior Lantern Bearer, but learned he lacked enough to advance to Lantern Bearer.
• Shinji noticed a mark left by the blood-red light and learned it was an unremovable Light Mark anchoring the Shinobi World.
• The mysterious voice explained that traces of other worlds could contaminate the Shinobi World, causing the worlds to overlap and collapse.
• Shinji asked what the mysterious voice was, and it answered, "Light."

Shinji learned that his Junior Lantern Bearer permissions let him conceal his Lantern Shadow, block external pollution, and recruit two attendants. After he left the ravine where Rui had died, Kakashi and another Anbu followed the trail and found a wrecked battlefield with no bodies or clear evidence of what had happened.

• Shinji realized the mysterious voice and its abilities were tied to the lantern he carried, then learned his current permissions.
• Shinji found that the Konoha Ninjas controlled by Mother Spider Demon had been devoured by the demons.
• Kakashi and another Anbu arrived at the bloodstained site where their companions had died and used Ninja Dogs to track the scent.
• Kakashi's team reached the ravine and found it devastated but spotless, with the Ninja Dogs detecting only one scent that eventually disappeared.

After repelling the invasion, Shinji considered recruiting two attendants to help protect the Shinobi World and worried about Shion’s exposure to demons. The next morning, he reunited with Haku and went with him to watch the Chunin Ninja Exams, where Sasuke drew attention as the supposed hero who had subdued the Nine-Tails.

• Shinji weighed potential attendants, considered Itachi and Sasuke, and wondered whether to protect Shion from contamination.
• Exhausted from overusing his Dojutsu, Shinji fell asleep before Haku woke him the next morning with breakfast.
• Haku told Shinji that Kirigakure had cleared up the misunderstanding with Konoha and withdrawn its demand to take Haku away.
• Shinji accepted Haku’s invitation to watch the shortened Chunin Ninja Exams and went with him to the packed arena.
• Sasuke entered the arena to the attention of villagers and visiting ninja, who praised him for supposedly subduing the rampaging Nine-Tails.

Shinji watched the Chunin exams, then asked Iruka to help him learn the Shadow Clone Technique and Great Fire Annihilation. Iruka mistook his request as a response to Sasuke’s achievement and offered to submit a request to the Hokage, while Shinji left wondering whether Mizuki and Karin were connected to the attack on Naruto.

• Shinji watched Sasuke receive attention for awakening the Sharingan and supposedly subduing the Nine-Tails, while Haku and Shion tried to comfort him.
• Shinji checked Shion for taint and found that sealing away her memories of demons had temporarily suppressed it.
• After the Chunin exams, Shinji went to the Ninja Academy and asked Iruka to help him learn the Shadow Clone Technique and Great Fire Annihilation.
• Iruka assumed Shinji was comparing himself to Sasuke and offered to submit a request to the Hokage because he could not teach the advanced techniques himself.
• Shinji noticed fruit baskets intended for the injured Mizuki and learned that Mizuki had been hurt protecting Karin during the Nine-Tails’ rampage.
• Shinji left the Academy wondering whether Mizuki and Karin had been connected to the attack on Naruto.

Shinji weighed ways to strengthen his Mangekyō Sharingan and decided he needed allies as well as broader skills to face the Lantern Bearer. After gaining permission to study two B-rank jutsu, he began learning Shadow Clone Technique while hiding how quickly he understood it.

• Shinji considered using Three-Tomoe Sharingan to strengthen his Mangekyō, but decided not to risk another raid on Danzo’s guarded stockpile yet.
• Shinji recognized his weaknesses in sealing, sensory, and medical techniques and concluded that he needed to form a team against the Lantern Bearer.
• The Third approved Shinji’s request to study Shadow Clone Technique and Great Fire Annihilation at the archives.
• Shinji borrowed both scrolls and found that he could follow the instructions for Shadow Clone Technique, though he pretended to struggle when he noticed the archivist watching him.

Shinji studied the Shadow Clone Technique alongside Sasuke and Neji, while their rivalry drew attention across the village. After secretly mastering the technique, Shinji began a new plan by summoning Meiqiu and giving it instructions.

• Shinji studied the principles of the Shadow Clone Technique in the archives when Sasuke arrived and borrowed the same scroll.
• Neji also borrowed the Shadow Clone Technique scroll, and Sasuke and Neji watched each other's progress as they studied with Shinji.
• After the three left the archives, Danzo tried to recruit Sasuke, but Sasuke rejected him, prompting Danzo to keep monitoring him for Fugaku Uchiha's Sharingan.
• Shinji, Sasuke, and Neji kept studying the technique over the following days, and rumors and betting pools spread about which student would master it first.
• Shinji, who had already mastered the Shadow Clone Technique, summoned Meiqiu in his apartment and told it to follow the instructions on a piece of paper.

After training with Haku, Shinji was knocked unconscious by a masked stranger who revealed Haku was a Kirigakure spy in Konoha. The stranger forced Haku to join his organization, Akatsuki, and threatened Shinji and Haku’s loved ones if Haku exposed it.

• Shinji and Haku finished their Taijutsu training and discussed the contest between Shinji, Neji, and Sasuke to master the Shadow Clone Technique.
• A masked stranger emerged from the shadows and knocked Shinji unconscious with a glance.
• Haku recognized the stranger as the person who had helped him during the Fireworks Festival and stood between him and Shinji.
• The stranger revealed that Haku was a Kirigakure spy planted in Konoha and demanded that he join the organization or die, threatening Shinji as well.
• Haku reluctantly agreed to join and keep the organization secret, and the stranger named it Akatsuki.