Chapter Summaries

Jiraiya's pursuit team reached the silent battlefield expecting to find Shinji defeated, but Shinji emerged carrying unconscious Neji and the severed head of the enemy. He confirmed that he had defeated the mysterious attacker, an Otsutsuki Toneri puppet.

• Jiraiya halted the pursuit team when the fighting ahead went quiet, and Sasuke feared Shinji had been killed.
• Kakashi warned Sasuke not to act recklessly as the group prepared for the victor to emerge from the forest.
• Shinji walked out carrying unconscious Neji over one shoulder and the enemy's severed head in his other hand.
• Shion checked Shinji for injuries, and Shinji said he had defeated the attacker after a difficult fight.

Shinji defeated Otsutsuki Toneri’s imitation puppet by secretly using Neji’s Chakra to recover after Toneri drained him. After leaving exhausted, Shinji’s victory astonished the gathered ninjas and made Tsunade and Jiraiya reconsider why Utatane Koharu had tried to recruit him.

• Shinji decapitated Otsutsuki Toneri’s imitation puppet, and Tsunade realized their enemy had been a puppet rather than a real person.
• Shinji handed Neji over to the Hyuga clan members and left to rest, while Jiraiya and Tsunade admitted they had not detected the puppet or its puppeteer.
• Shinji’s memories revealed that he had linked himself to unconscious Neji with Naobi, used Magatsu to take Neji’s Chakra, and waited until Toneri drained his own Chakra before restoring himself and striking with Special Spider Silk.
• Shion rebuked Sasuke for doubting Shinji, then boasted that Shinji was the Ninja Academy’s top student; Sasuke wondered how large the gap between them was.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya began to worry about Utatane Koharu’s earlier attempt to recruit Shinji.

After Shinji defeated Otsutsuki Toneri’s puppet, Konoha’s leaders investigated the attack and learned that Toneri had targeted Neji and the Hyuga Clan. Hiashi concealed Neji’s ties to the Akatsuki Organization while Shinji resolved to find a way to restrain the Otsutsuki Branch Family.

• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi examined the puppet remains and battlefield, then returned to Konoha with the evidence.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade reported Shinji’s victory to the Third and the Advisor Elder Council, leaving Danzo angered and Koharu pleased with her choice of disciple.
• The Third summoned Hiashi after Tsunade said the attacker had probably targeted the Hyuga Clan.
• Neji apologized to Hiashi, who warned him not to reveal his cooperation with the Akatsuki Organization or their journey to the moon.
• At his apartment, Shinji considered Toneri’s defeat and decided he needed a way to keep the Otsutsuki Branch Family in check.

After recovering from his battle with Otsutsuki Toneri, Shinji secretly returned to the illusion passage connecting the Land of Moon to the moon to investigate the Otsutsuki Branch Family. He suspected the passage was protected by a trap and sent three Shadow Clones inside to explore.

• At the Ninja Academy, Shinji told his classmates that he had defeated a lifelike puppet and slipped away from their questions.
• Shinji learned that Hyuga Hiashi had denied the Hyuga Clan's connection to the attack and concealed Otsutsuki Toneri's origins.
• After fully recovering, Shinji traveled secretly to the Land of Moon and watched the illusion passage for a day, finding no guards.
• Shinji sent a Shadow Clone into the passage, lost contact with it without receiving any information, and concluded that a special trap had destroyed it.
• Shinji created three Shadow Clones and sent them into the illusion passage to investigate carefully.

Shinji discovered that the Otsutsuki Branch Family had sealed the illusion passage and decided to sneak through it to reach the Giant Tenseigan. After his Four Symbols Seal and Karin’s attempt both failed, Karin tried using her Adamantine Sealing Chains against the trap.

• Shinji learned that the Otsutsuki Branch Family had sealed the illusion passage with a trap maintained by the Giant Tenseigan.
• Shinji decided to infiltrate the moon and take the Giant Tenseigan, but his Four Symbols Seal was quickly erased by the trap.
• Shinji brought Karin to the passage after confirming she had left a Shadow Clone in Konoha.
• Karin’s Four Symbols Seal lasted longer than Shinji’s but still failed to open a way through the curtain.
• Karin used her Adamantine Sealing Chains against the curtain, and the golden chains shook as the seal resisted them.

Shinji and Karin used the Adamantine Sealing Chains to breach the illusion passage’s sealing trap, allowing Shinji to infiltrate the moon. He reached the Otsutsuki Branch Family’s castle and found its defenses unchanged since his previous visit.

• Karin’s Adamantine Sealing Chains withstood the passage’s sealing trap, and Shinji combined them with the Four Symbols Seal to make a narrow opening.
• Shinji sent two shadow clones through the opening; one returned after reaching the moon and reported that the passage ahead had only genjutsu traps and no guards.
• Shinji told Karin to wait behind, then passed through the passage himself and arrived on the moon.
• Shinji studied his map and headed toward the Otsutsuki Branch Family’s castle, hoping to learn more before deciding how to seize the Giant Tenseigan.
• After traveling for a day, Shinji reached the castle and saw that its barrier and Tenseigan puppet guards were arranged just as they had been during his previous visit.

Shinji infiltrated the Otsutsuki Branch Family’s castle and shrine, where his controlled Byakugan resonated with the Giant Tenseigan. Though he could not control the orb, he discovered he could draw some of its chakra and realized Neji might use it to balance the chakra in his biological exoskeleton.

• Shinji infiltrated the castle using a Tenseigan puppet and recorded its layout and puppet patrol zones.
• Shinji found that his Byakugan could not see above the castle’s tenth floor, so he abandoned plans to ambush the family there.
• Shinji evaded the flying puppets and reached the shrine housing the Giant Tenseigan.
• Shinji’s controlled Byakugan resonated with the Giant Tenseigan, but the resonance did not grant him control of it.
• Shinji discovered he could draw a small amount of Tenseigan Chakra and realized Neji might use it to balance the chakra in his biological exoskeleton.

Shinji brought Neji to the moon to test whether his Byakugan could resonate with the Giant Tenseigan. Neji succeeded, giving Shinji much greater confidence in his Tenseigan Plan, provided the Otsutsuki Branch Family did not discover them.

• Neji trained intensely after Otsutsuki Toneri defeated him, and Shinji urged him to learn from the loss instead of blaming himself.
• Shinji asked Neji to return to the moon with him, and Neji agreed before leaving a Shadow Clone in Konoha.
• Shinji and Neji reached the Land of Moon, where Karin used her Adamantine Sealing Chains and Four Symbols Seal to open a way through the barrier sealing the passage.
• Shinji led Neji through the illusion passage to the shrine housing the Giant Tenseigan.
• Neji approached the Giant Tenseigan and felt its chakra flow into him as his Byakugan resonated with it.
• Shinji realized any Byakugan could resonate with the Giant Tenseigan and concluded that his chances of succeeding with the Tenseigan Plan had risen.

Shinji took Neji to the Giant Tenseigan so he could absorb its Chakra and nourish the biological exoskeleton implanted in his body. A month later, Neji's exoskeleton had surpassed Kimimaro's in development, bringing Shinji closer to completing the hardest part of the Tenseigan Plan.

• Neji resonated with the Giant Tenseigan and absorbed a great amount of Tenseigan Chakra.
• Shinji activated Neji's biological exoskeleton and explained that Neji would use the Giant Tenseigan's Chakra to help it grow.
• Neji repeated the process four times before Shinji stopped him when he nearly collapsed.
• Over the next month, Shinji secretly took Neji to the moon several times to nourish the exoskeleton without alerting the Otsutsuki Branch Family.
• Neji's exoskeleton grew past Kimimaro's, and Shinji estimated that both halves would soon be ready for fusion.

During Sasuke and Kimimaro’s spar, Shinji noticed Sasuke’s Sharingan had grown stronger while Kimimaro’s illness continued to worsen. Neji’s connection to Kimimaro’s biological exoskeleton revealed an unexpected resonance, leading Shinji to suspect Tenseigan Chakra had awakened sentience in the exoskeleton.

• Sasuke and Kimimaro began sparring at the Ninja Academy, and Kimimaro attacked with his usual speed and ferocity.
• Sasuke used his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to keep pace with Kimimaro, surprising Shinji with how much his dojutsu had improved.
• Neji predicted Kimimaro would win, while Yakumo believed Sasuke had the advantage.
• Neji sensed a resonance between the biological exoskeletons in him and Kimimaro, despite neither using Naobi or Magatsu to connect them.
• Shinji realized the resonance might mean Tenseigan Chakra had given Neji’s half of the biological exoskeleton a mind of its own.

Shinji tested whether the biological exoskeleton on Neji had gained sentience, and it independently sent Chakra to Kimimaro during his fight with Sasuke. Kimimaro won the spar, while Shinji was left wondering whether the exoskeleton’s emerging sentience would help or hinder his Tenseigan Plan.

• Shinji secretly opened a Chakra channel between the biological exoskeletons on Neji and Kimimaro to see whether Neji’s half would transfer Chakra on its own.
• Sasuke used his Sharingan to read Kimimaro’s moves, but Kimimaro’s speed overwhelmed him as his illness worsened.
• Yakumo examined Kimimaro and told Shion that he appeared to be sick, while Neji realized Kimimaro had not been able to fight at full strength.
• As Sasuke prepared to kick Kimimaro out of bounds, Neji’s biological exoskeleton independently sent Kimimaro Chakra, easing his pain and fatigue.
• Kimimaro regained his speed, knocked Sasuke out of bounds, and looked in confusion toward Neji.
• Shinji confirmed that Neji’s biological exoskeleton was sentient and recognized Kimimaro’s half as part of itself, then wondered whether this would help his Tenseigan Plan.

Shinji considered what the Giant Tenseigan could teach him about Six Paths-level powers and worried about the sentient living exoskeleton on Neji. Meanwhile, Kakashi sensed a sinister chakra around Sasuke that suggested he might awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and resolved to protect him from the village’s ambitions.

• Shinji reflected on the Giant Tenseigan’s value and worried that Neji’s sentient living exoskeleton might affect his Tenseigan plan.
• Sasuke vented his frustration after losing to Kimimaro again, while Kakashi considered how many talented students surrounded him.
• Kakashi sensed the same chilling chakra around Sasuke that he had noticed during the search for Neji’s abductor and recalled the link between trauma and Mangekyō Sharingan awakening.
• The unsettling aura around Sasuke faded, and Kakashi debated whether to tell the Third Hokage, fearing the village might deliberately traumatize Sasuke to awaken his eyes.
• Kakashi vowed to protect Sasuke and hoped Shinji would avoid awakening the Sharingan and being drawn into the village’s power struggles.

Shinji discovered that Karin’s growth toward the Rinnegan had stalled without Ōtsutsuki Indra’s Chakra, so he planned to make Sasuke awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan by making him feel loved. At the training ground, Shinji provoked Sasuke and asked why he kept losing, leaving Sasuke eager for an answer.

• Shinji checked Neji, Kimimaro, and Karin, finding Neji stable, Kimimaro’s illness worsening, and Karin’s production of the Power of All Things stalled.
• Shinji concluded that Karin needed Ōtsutsuki Indra’s Chakra and resolved to find a way to make Sasuke awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Shinji reasoned that Sasuke was most likely to awaken through love and a sense of connection rather than pain or despair.
• Sasuke trained alone after school, determined to improve enough to defeat Yakumo and Kimimaro.
• Shinji appeared at the training ground in Akatsuki garb and provoked Sasuke by criticizing his strength and asking why he always lost.

Shinji manipulated Sasuke into believing that awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan required bloody sacrifice, pushing him toward a confrontation. When Sasuke headed for Shinji Uchiha’s apartment, Shinji and Yakumo secretly followed him.

• Shinji told Sasuke that Itachi had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan after witnessing Shisui Uchiha’s death and claimed that Sasuke would need to stain his hands with sin to awaken his own.
• After Shinji left, Sasuke resolved to become strong enough to avenge the Uchiha Clan, even if he became a demon.
• Shinji revealed that he had lied about the method and decided to watch Sasuke closely to prevent him from hurting someone unintended.
• Shinji summoned Yakumo and took her along as he secretly followed Sasuke through Konoha.
• Yakumo realized Sasuke was heading to Shinji Uchiha’s apartment, and Sasuke entered the stairwell after seeing the light on in Shinji’s room.

Sasuke lured Shinji’s Shadow Clone to the Forest of Death and challenged him to a fight to the death, hoping to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan and avenge his clan. As they fought, Shinji asked Yakumo to help him create a layered genjutsu that would make Sasuke believe he had killed Shinji.

• Sasuke took Shinji’s Shadow Clone to the Forest of Death and revealed that he intended to kill his closest friend to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sasuke explained that if Shinji defeated him, he wanted Shinji to inherit the clan’s blood feud and take revenge on Itachi Uchiha.
• Sasuke attacked Shinji’s Shadow Clone, and the two began fighting while Shinji and Yakumo watched from the shadows.
• Shinji asked Yakumo to layer her genjutsu over his Sharingan genjutsu and make Sasuke believe he had killed Shinji.
• Yakumo agreed to attempt the genjutsu plan.

Sasuke fought Shinji's Shadow Clone in a no-holds-barred battle, feeling his power grow as he drew on Ōtsutsuki Indra's Chakra. After defeating Shinji in a Genjutsu contest, Sasuke killed him and awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Sasuke's strength and bloodlust grew during his fight with Shinji's Shadow Clone, who revealed a Three-Tomoe Sharingan and warned him to stop.
• Sasuke and Shinji's Shadow Clone fought with Taijutsu, ninja tools, and matching Great Fireball Techniques, but Sasuke's fireball overpowered the clone's.
• The two Uchiha used their Sharingan to trap each other in Genjutsu, and Sasuke saw through Shinji's illusion.
• Sasuke approached the defeated Shinji's Shadow Clone and said goodbye before stabbing him with a Kunai.
• As blood splashed across Sasuke's face, his Sharingan transformed into a six-pointed star pattern.

Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan after believing he had killed Shinji, but Shinji revealed that the fight and death were staged through genjutsu. Shinji and Yakumo had engineered the illusion to push Sasuke toward awakening, and the chapter ended with Yakumo relieved that their plan had worked.

• Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan while believing he had killed Shinji, then realized he was caught in a genjutsu.
• Shinji appeared and revealed that the rain, blood, and apparent fatal wound had been illusions, while Shinji was only unconscious.
• Sasuke questioned when Shinji had cast the genjutsu, and Shinji explained that he intervened during Sasuke’s clash with Shinji’s Shadow Clone.
• Shinji revealed that Yakumo and Ido had controlled Sasuke’s five senses and staged the events to give him the final push toward awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Yakumo watched Sasuke awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, while Ido complained that Sasuke had seen through their genjutsu quickly.

Shinji recruited Sasuke into Breaking Dawn after explaining that it was a separate organization from the Akatsuki that Itachi had joined. Sasuke accepted while keeping his goal of revenge, and Shinji marked him with Naobi as he considered how Sasuke’s connection to Ōtsutsuki Indra might help with the Rinnegan Plan.

• Shinji asked Sasuke to join his organization, and Sasuke refused because he believed it was part of Itachi’s Akatsuki.
• Shinji revealed that his group was Breaking Dawn, which opposed the Dark Dawn, and Sasuke agreed to join as long as the group did not obstruct his revenge.
• Shinji used Naobi to mark Sasuke and explained that it enabled covert communication and Chakra transmission.
• Sasuke sensed Naobi’s mark and showed that he could potentially break free of it, leading Shinji to suspect he could draw on Ōtsutsuki Indra’s Chakra.
• Sasuke claimed his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan could see through anything, and Shinji warned that the organization would periodically draw Chakra from him as his membership fee.

Sasuke joined Shinji’s organization but insisted on handling his revenge against Itachi himself. Before leaving, he revealed that his second Mangekyō Dojutsu was Izanagi, a power that could reject unwanted realities, leaving Shinji to suspect it reflected Sasuke’s regret over killing his closest friend.

• Sasuke agreed to let Shinji study his chakra but asked about Shinji’s identity, and Shinji refused to reveal it while promising to protect everyone’s privacy.
• Shinji gave Sasuke a mask and Red Cloud outfit, then said he would alter his Shadow Clone’s memories so it would not remember being killed.
• Shinji asked about Sasuke’s Mangekyō Dojutsu, and Sasuke said he had awakened Amaterasu and Izanagi.
• Sasuke explained that his Izanagi could distort his fate and reject realities he did not want to accept.
• Shinji distinguished Sasuke’s fate-altering Izanagi from Fugaku Uchiha’s fate-observing Dojutsu and suspected Sasuke’s power arose from regret over killing his closest friend.

Sasuke awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan and resolved to master it before confronting Itachi, while Shinji transferred Sasuke’s Yin Release Chakra to Karin. The chakra triggered a violent clash between the Ashura and Indra chakra within Karin as Shinji monitored whether she could withstand the transformation.

• Sasuke admired his new mask, sensed his awakened Mangekyō Sharingan, and vowed to take revenge on Itachi after mastering its power.
• Sasuke allowed the organization to draw away some of his Chakra, trusting the leader and believing he owed him a favor.
• Shinji used Naobi and Magatsu to transfer Sasuke’s Chakra to Karin and asked her to sense it carefully.
• Karin’s Yang Release Chakra surged against the incoming Yin Release Chakra, reigniting the struggle between Ōtsutsuki Ashura’s and Ōtsutsuki Indra’s Chakra within her.
• Shinji recognized the fusion’s extreme danger and continued monitoring Karin, hoping she could endure it.