Chapter Summaries

Shinji learned that the Overlord was destroying the world he had invaded and that its Lantern Bearer had made a failed attempt to rally the population against it. As Shinji escaped, the Lantern Bearer revealed himself as the burly man and warned that worlds noticed by the Overlord might explain why other Lantern Bearers invaded Shinji’s world without communicating.

• The burly man told Shinji that the Overlord fed on worlds and that this world's Lantern Bearer had spread word of the threat, causing the Overlord to arrive sooner.
• The sky shattered and darkness seeped into the world, prompting the other Lantern Bearers to end their trades and leave.
• The burly man told Shinji to escape as the world crumbled, and Shinji prepared to return through his Lamp.
• The burly man revealed that he was this world's Lantern Bearer and that his final Ember was nearly exhausted.
• Shinji asked whether the Overlord could be defeated and why other Lantern Bearers invaded his world without speaking to him.
• The burly man said rumors claimed powerful Lantern Bearers had defeated Overlords, then suggested Shinji's world had probably been noticed by the Overlord.

After witnessing the Overlord devour a world, Shinji realized the Shinobi World was also at risk because the Demon Slayer World’s Lantern Bearer had anchored it. He resolved to grow strong enough to protect his world by pursuing Kekkei Mōra.

• Shinji recovered from the shock of seeing the Overlord destroy a world and inferred that the Demon Slayer World’s Lantern Bearer had put the Shinobi World in danger.
• Shinji considered a rumor that a powerful Lantern Bearer had once defeated the Overlord and recognized that his Shinobi World abilities gave him room to grow.
• Shinji decided he had time to strengthen himself and planned to combine and restore his Mangekyō Sharingan, pursue the Rinnegan, and eventually reach Kekkei Mōra.
• Shinji rejected both the burly man’s and the Demon Slayer World’s Lantern Bearer’s approaches and committed to saving the Shinobi World his own way.

Shinji planned a covert trip to Kusagakure and considered how to persuade Karin to undergo a White Zetsu Cell transplant. After a day of training in Medical Ninjutsu, he found Karin and Haku sparring and invited Karin to stay with his small group.

• Shinji summoned Meiqiu and asked him to travel to Kusagakure so he could be Reverse Summoned there later.
• Shinji decided he would discuss transplanting White Zetsu Cells with Karin after rescuing her mother and obtaining the cells.
• Shinji attended Ninja Academy classes, then assisted Kaoru Kusa with two surgeries and continued studying Medical Ninjutsu.
• Shinji found Haku and Karin sparring at his usual training ground, and Karin tried to leave when he arrived.
• Shinji told Karin to stay, welcoming her into his small team, then began sparring with Haku.

Shinji sparred with Haku and Karin, assessed Karin’s combat skills and damaged Mangekyō, and turned down Sasuke’s request to spar. Afterward, Haku began teaching Karin Water Release, while Shinji worried about his declining Dojutsu and considered the power of Karin’s remaining Mangekyō technique.

• Shinji and Haku sparred to a draw, and Shinji then tested Karin’s Taijutsu and found that her hesitation and slow reactions from her blind side exposed her lack of confidence and the limits of her Sage Body.
• Sasuke arrived and demanded that Shinji spar with him, but Shinji declined, and Sasuke rejected Haku’s offer to be his sparring partner before leaving.
• After Shinji left, Haku showed Karin how he could shape water into ice and offered to teach her Water Release’s Chakra Nature Transformation.
• Shinji used Naobi to sense the area, found only Haku and Karin, and worried that his Dojutsu was draining away faster.
• Shinji reflected that Karin’s remaining Mangekyō technique, Susanoo, could make his own Susanoo immensely powerful if he fused an Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

Shinji infiltrated Kusagakure to find Karin’s mother and discovered how badly the village had mistreated her. He tried to take her away, and the chapter ended as he promised to bring her to see Karin.

• Meiqiu reverse summoned Shinji to Kusagakure two days later than planned, and Shinji ordered it to hide in his shadow before approaching the village.
• Shinji ambushed Daisuke, a Kusagakure Chunin, used genjutsu to learn the village layout, then disguised himself as Daisuke and passed through the gate.
• Shinji followed the information he had obtained to a shabby house and found Karin’s mother living there in a frail, scarred state.
• Karin’s mother clutched a small set of clothes when Shinji tried to lead her away, and Shinji promised to take her to see Karin.

Shinji rescued Karin's mother from Kusagakure and staged an explosion to make the village believe she had died. After sealing away her painful memories and giving her a fabricated past, he sent a Shadow Clone to take her to safety in the Land of Fire while he returned to Konoha.

• Shinji calmed Karin's mother, put her to sleep with his Mangekyō Sharingan, and decided to fake her death so she could escape Kusagakure.
• Shinji's Shadow Clone staged a fight with a Kusagakure ninja and detonated Explosive Tags, destroying nearby houses and making the blast appear to be an internal conflict.
• Shinji silenced Daisuke, then fled with Karin's unconscious mother while Meiqiu treated her wounds.
• After traveling far from Kusagakure, Shinji used genjutsu to seal away most of Karin's mother's memories and replace them with a story about leaving with Karin and meeting Jiraiya.
• Shinji created a Shadow Clone to escort Karin's mother into the Land of Fire and find her a safe town, while his real body headed back to the village before dawn.

Shinji told Karin that he had rescued her mother from Kusagakure and explained that she must keep the rescue secret to protect her. He offered Karin a transplant using Hashirama Senju’s cells to strengthen her Sage Body and restore her transplanted Mangekyō Sharingan, and she eagerly agreed.

• Shinji returned to his apartment from Grass Country using Meiqiu’s Reverse Summoning and sent Meiqiu back with instructions to help his Shadow Clone settle the rescued woman.
• Shinji detected a third Spirit Body within Naobi’s range, suspected Deidara had obtained the White Zetsu Cells, and connected with Karin.
• Shinji told Karin that he had rescued her mother from Kusagakure, whose shinobi had left her severely weakened and near a mental breakdown.
• Karin learned that Kusagakure might keep using her mother to control her, and Shinji advised her to protect her mother by pretending nothing had changed.
• Shinji offered Karin a transplant with Hashirama Senju’s cells to enhance her Sage Body and restore her Mangekyō Sharingan, and Karin agreed to undergo it.

Shinji contacted Deidara through Naobi Space and confirmed that Deidara had obtained the White Zetsu Cells, gaining an informant inside the Akatsuki Organization. Obito and Zetsu watched Deidara from outside town, while Obito wondered whether Itachi was investigating something.

• Shinji reflected on the suffering common in the Shinobi World and wondered what his return mission, "Dawn," meant.
• Shinji contacted Deidara in Naobi Space, where Deidara recognized its value and asked about the Akatsuki Organization's inner circle.
• Shinji told Deidara to be wary of the Uchiha and asked how his assignment had gone.
• Deidara confirmed that he had taken the White Zetsu Cells without alerting Zetsu, and he and Shinji arranged their handoff.
• Shinji celebrated obtaining the White Zetsu Cells and gaining an informant inside the Akatsuki Organization.
• Obito and Zetsu watched Deidara from outside town, and Obito wondered whether Itachi had recruited him to investigate something.

Shinji obtained the White Zetsu Cells and compared them with First Hokage cell data, then tested how well they fused with Karin’s cells. After preparing for nearly a week, he entered Karin’s room in disguise to begin the next stage of his plan.

• Meiqiu retrieved the White Zetsu Cells from Deidara’s hidden Clay Spider and delivered them to Shinji, who confirmed their identity.
• Meiqiu told Shinji that Karin’s mother was recovering in a small house near the Land of Cats.
• Shinji tested the White Zetsu Cells in the Medical Team’s laboratory, then asked Kaoru Kusa to obtain First Hokage cell data.
• Shinji compared the data and found that First Hokage cells were far more powerful than White Zetsu Cells.
• Shinji conducted over a hundred fusion experiments with Karin’s cells and the White Zetsu Cells, achieving a fusion rate above fifty-five percent.
• After making preparations, Shinji put on his Red Cloud Cloak and mask and slipped into Karin’s room late at night.

Shinji performed a White Zetsu cell transplant on Karin after awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan in her eye to help control the chakra imbalance. The surgery appeared to heal her scars and restore her damaged eye, but her eyes then projected a red phantom, prompting Shinji to restrain her with genjutsu.

• Karin agreed to undergo the cell-transplant surgery, and Shinji used genjutsu to awaken her Mangekyō Sharingan.
• After Karin adapted to its Yin Release Chakra, Shinji completed the White Zetsu cell transplant in her arm.
• Karin felt itching at the transplant site, then used Yin Release Chakra to ease the reaction and rapidly erase the bite scars on her arm.
• Shinji noticed that Karin's damaged Mangekyō was glowing and that ink-colored pigment had begun returning to her blind eye.
• Karin's eyes suddenly projected a red phantom, so Shinji hurriedly cast genjutsu on her.

Karin’s cell fusion caused her Mangekyō Sharingan to awaken uncontrollably, manifesting Susanoo and briefly resisting Shinji’s genjutsu. Shinji subdued the Dojutsu and planned to use Karin’s growing Yang Release Chakra to restore damaged Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Karin activated her Mangekyō Sharingan and manifested Susanoo, which seized Shinji and resisted his genjutsu.
• Shinji calmed Karin and used genjutsu to suppress her runaway Dojutsu before Susanoo damaged her house further.
• Karin could not deactivate her Three-Tomoe Sharingan herself, so Shinji closed it and warned her to avoid strong emotions during the one-to-three-week cell fusion.
• Shinji returned to his apartment and concluded that Karin’s Sage Body might eventually restore multiple damaged Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Shinji planned to use Karin to restore his grandmother Chiri Uchiha’s Mangekyō and fuse recovered pairs into Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Shinji sparred with Karin and saw how much stronger she had become as she fused with White Zetsu Cells, while he continued monitoring her progress toward a perfect Sage Body. At school, he chose to form a three-person team with Haku and Karin for the upcoming final exam.

• Karin knocked Shinji around during their spar, and Shinji recognized how her improved speed and strength had raised her combat ability.
• Shinji reflected that Karin had gained Wood Release from White Zetsu Cells but had not fully assimilated them, and he planned to check whether her blind right eye had regained its sight.
• Shinji, Haku, and Karin went to the Ninja Academy together after training and sparring as a close-knit group.
• Teacher Iruka announced that the final exam would take place in three days and require teams of three.
• Tenten invited Shinji to team up with her and Neji, but Shinji declined and said he had already formed a team with Haku and Karin.

Shinji formed an exam team with Haku and Karin while several other teams gathered for training and sized up their rivals. Meanwhile, Third sent Kakashi, Kurenai, and Aoba Yamashiro to investigate missing ninjas and secretly meet an Akatsuki informant, whose identity surprised Kakashi.

• Shinji declined Tenten and Neji's invitation and teamed up with Haku and Karin, while Tenten and Neji chose Rock Lee.
• At the training ground, Shinji, Sasuke, Naruto, and their teammates discussed the upcoming matches and met Shion, Kimimaro, and Kurama Yakumo.
• Tenten noted that four geniuses were split across four teams, and Sasuke called the others' teammates deadweight as the teams went their separate ways.
• Third assigned Kakashi, Kurenai, and Aoba Yamashiro to investigate mysterious ninja disappearances linked to the Akatsuki Organization.
• Third told Kakashi that the village had an informant inside the Akatsuki Organization and ordered him to meet the informant secretly; Kakashi was surprised when Third named him.

Shinji learned that Karin’s transplanted eye and vision were recovering, then received a warning that an invader had entered the Shinobi World and wondered whether it was a trap. In Greenpine Town, Itachi and Juzo Biwa spotted someone posing as an Akatsuki member and moved to investigate.

• Shinji examined Karin’s arm and eyes, confirmed her transplanted right eye was recovering, and learned that her left-eye vision was improving too.
• Shinji told Karin to keep channeling Yang Release Chakra and mastering Wood Release, promising that her Sage Body could eventually restore her mother’s life force.
• Lantern warned Shinji that an invader had entered the Shinobi World, and he suspected the detection might be a trap.
• Itachi and Juzo Biwa visited a night-market dango shop in Greenpine Town while investigating impostors using the Akatsuki’s name to attack shinobi.
• Itachi and Juzo Biwa spotted a person wearing an Akatsuki cloak and set out to confront the impostor.

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Aoba Yamashiro encountered Doma, an Akatsuki impostor, in a crowded night market, while Itachi and Juzo Biwa also arrived to confront him. Three more masked figures appeared, and Doma revealed his identity before summoning a colossal Ice Crystal Bodhisattva.

• Kakashi, Kurenai, and Aoba Yamashiro searched the night market for the Akatsuki members responsible for attacking Konoha shinobi.
• Kakashi spotted Doma in an Akatsuki cloak and judged from his chakra that he was a formidable opponent.
• Itachi and Juzo Biwa arrived and recognized Doma as the suspected impostor behind the attacks on Konoha shinobi.
• Three masked figures in Akatsuki cloaks appeared on a rooftop, leaving Kakashi's group and Itachi's group uncertain about the factions' relationships.
• Doma removed his cloak, introduced himself as Upper Moon Five, and summoned a twenty-meter-tall Ice Crystal Bodhisattva.

Doma unleashed a massive Ice Release technique in Greenpine Town, but a masked Akatsuki member answered with Susanoo and struck the Ice Crystal Bodhisattva. Itachi and Kakashi turned their attention to the mysterious leader watching from the rooftop, while Itachi questioned whether the masked fighters were truly impostors.

• Doma raised a twenty-meter Ice Crystal Bodhisattva that spread freezing mist through the night market, killing nearby townspeople and forcing Itachi, Juzo Biwa, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Aoba Yamashiro to retreat.
• Kurenai fired a distress flare and Aoba Yamashiro sent a Ninja Crow to alert Konoha as they prepared to face Doma.
• A masked Akatsuki member charged the Ice Crystal Bodhisattva and formed an armored Susanoo that punched and cracked its face.
• Itachi recognized the Susanoo and was shocked that its user had immediately produced such a powerful armored form.
• Itachi and Kakashi wondered who the rooftop leader was, while Juzo Biwa asked whether the masked fighters were really outsiders; Itachi admitted he was no longer sure.

Asuma and his squad joined Kakashi and Kurenai in town, where they learned that the combatants belonged to separate Akatsuki factions. The battle shifted when Akaza attacked the masked Akatsuki leader and an Ice Release user trapped him inside a dome of mirrors.

• Asuma arrived with his squad after seeing the signal flare and asked what was happening in town.
• Kurenai and Aoba Yamashiro explained that three factions of Akatsuki members were present, including Itachi Uchiha and Juzo Biwa.
• Kakashi concluded that the groups were not acting together and watched Itachi, hoping to learn what was happening.
• Akaza suddenly attacked the masked Akatsuki leader, but another masked member intercepted him.
• Akaza introduced himself as Upper Rank Six and used Destructive Death: Disorder, while the Ice Release user created Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals and entered the ice mirrors.

The female Akatsuki member pierced and destroyed Doma’s Ice Crystal Bodhisattva with her Susanoo’s spear, but the Akatsuki leader vanished into the thickening mist. A scream followed, and Itachi sensed Amaterasu within the battlefield.

• Doma taunted the Susanoo’s masked controller, but she showed no discomfort from his freezing mist as his own Chakra reserves dwindled.
• The Susanoo’s controller looked toward the motionless figure on a rooftop, then revealed herself as a woman and summoned a red spear.
• The Susanoo pierced the Ice Crystal Bodhisattva, shattering it and filling the street with dense freezing mist.
• Kakashi signaled the Konoha Ninja to retreat, while Itachi and Juzo Biwa moved to a distant building.
• The figure on the rooftop vanished into the mist, and a heart-wrenching scream sounded from the battlefield.
• Itachi sensed Amaterasu, but did not explain his discovery to Juzo Biwa.

Shinji and Karin defeated Upper Moon demon Doma, while Haku trapped Akaza in Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals to delay him. Shinji headed to help Haku after realizing the demons had impersonated the Akatsuki Organization to turn Konoha and the real Akatsuki against each other.

• Karin used Susanoo to break Doma's Ice Crystal Bodhisattva, allowing Shinji to destroy Doma with Amaterasu.
• Shinji praised Karin and then set out for Haku's battle after hearing another ice mirror shatter.
• Shinji concluded that the demons had impersonated the Akatsuki Organization to draw Konoha and the real Akatsuki into conflict and distract the Lantern Bearer.
• Haku used Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals to trap Akaza and evade his attacks, relying on the cold mist to sustain the technique.
• Akaza smashed ice mirrors and cursed Haku, but grew grim when he could no longer hear Doma's screams.

Shinji and his allies defeated the invading Upper Moon demons, Akaza and Doma, thwarting the attack on the Shinobi World. After the rift closed, Shinji suspected the demons had been trying to turn the Akatsuki Organization and the Five Great Shinobi Villages against each other while assassinating him.

• Shinji confronted Akaza inside Haku's Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals and used Amaterasu to burn him.
• Akaza tore off his arms to escape the Black Flames, then struck at Shinji with Annihilation Type, but Karin's Susanoo blocked him.
• Shinji caught Akaza with Amaterasu from above, and the flames consumed him completely.
• Karin sensed nine nearby Chakra signatures, while Haku dispelled the Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals after exhausting much of his Chakra.
• The Light announced that the invasion had been thwarted and the rift had closed, and Shinji suspected the demons had targeted him while seeking to divide the Akatsuki Organization and the Five Great Shinobi Villages.