Chapter Summaries

The Otsutsuki Branch Elder defeated Killer B and unleashed a blast powerful enough to vaporize Moryo and evaporate a lake, while Shinji escaped with Yugito Nii. The Akatsuki members regrouped afterward, and Konan grew suspicious that Obito had taken both Kumogakure Jinchuriki and feared the mysterious elder's Rinnegan-like abilities.

• The Otsutsuki Branch Elder repelled the Fourth Raikage, seized Killer B, and drained the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki's chakra.
• The Otsutsuki Branch Elder fired Killer B's absorbed chakra at Moryo, vaporizing the demon and leveling forest before the blast emptied a distant lake.
• Shinji met Deidara, took a Clay Bird with the unconscious Yugito Nii and Neji, and flew toward the Land of Fire.
• The Otsutsuki Branch Elder withdrew, and the Fourth Raikage retreated with unconscious Killer B and injured Kiba while leaving Yugito Nii behind.
• Obito, Konan, and the other Akatsuki members gathered at the battlefield and learned from Kakuzu about Shinji and the Otsutsuki Branch Elder.
• Konan suspected Obito had obtained both Jinchuriki and became alarmed that the elder's attractive and repulsive forces resembled Nagato's Rinnegan abilities.

After escaping the moon with Neji and the wounded Yugito Nii, Shinji treated them and used his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to trap Yugito Nii and the Two-Tails in a genjutsu, giving him control over both. He sent a clone to hide Yugito Nii while Neji prepared to return to Konoha, and the chapter left Shinji planning to meet him again after organizing his thoughts.

• Shinji carried Neji and Yugito Nii into a forest in the Land of Fire, treated their injuries, and stabilized Yugito Nii.
• Shinji decided to control the unconscious Yugito Nii and invaded her mental world, where he trapped her subconscious and the Two-Tails in a genjutsu.
• Shinji made Yugito Nii stand and ordered a Shadow Clone to take her somewhere hidden so she could recover.
• Shinji awakened Neji, confirmed they had escaped the moon, and told him to return to Konoha until Shinji came to find him.

Shinji and Neji agreed on a cover story for Neji’s return to the village, while the Fourth Raikage’s defeat by the Akatsuki Organization alarmed the other villages. The villages concluded that the Akatsuki Organization was targeting the Tailed Beasts and began arranging a response as news of the battle spread.

• Shinji told Neji that witnesses had seen them together, and Neji planned to report that Shinji had captured and later released him without mentioning the moon.
• Shinji sent Neji ahead and returned to the village, while the Fourth Raikage arrived at the battlefield and ordered Kumogakure Ninja to search for clues.
• The Fourth Raikage told the Fourth Mizukage and Danzō that the Akatsuki Organization had abducted Yugito Nii and an elite Jonin after defeating his force.
• Danzō suggested that the Akatsuki Organization was targeting the Tailed Beasts, and the Fourth Mizukage proposed another Kage Summit to coordinate a response.
• The villages learned that the Akatsuki Organization had defeated Kumogakure, and reports described Moryo and Shinnō holding off the AB duo, Sasori defeating three elite Jonin, and Kakuzu and Hidan capturing Yugito Nii.

After being interrogated about the Akatsuki, Neji was released into Hiashi’s custody, but the Third Hokage ordered the village to watch him because the attacker had deliberately spared him. Neji concealed his contact scroll and resolved to stop the Otsutsuki Branch Family from destroying the Shinobi World with the Moon Fist.

• Mori Ibiki questioned Neji about the Akatsuki, and Neji insisted he had told the village everything he remembered.
• The Third Hokage told Hiashi that the Mangekyō Uchiha codenamed 'A' had attacked Neji and abducted Yugito Nii, then ordered Neji to be watched because 'A' had spared him.
• Hiashi brought Neji home, warned him to stay in the village, and told him to report if the Akatsuki member approached again.
• Neji recalled that he had first returned the scroll for contacting the Otsutsuki Clan on the moon to its hiding place before reporting to Hiashi.
• Neji reflected on the Hyuga Main and Branch Families’ conflict and resolved to stop the Otsutsuki Branch Family from using the Moon Fist to destroy the Shinobi World.

Tsunade treated Sasuke’s mental injuries and learned that the Akatsuki had several Mangekyo Uchiha and might be targeting the Tailed Beasts. Shinji visited Sasuke as he woke, while Sasuke remembered Itachi’s command to kill his closest friend and realized that Shinji was the one he valued most.

• Tsunade told Jiraiya that Sasuke’s mental injuries had healed and he would wake that day.
• Jiraiya asked Tsunade to help protect Naruto from the Akatsuki, but she refused because of her hemophobia.
• Shinji arrived at the hospital, and Jiraiya told him that Sasuke was recovering.
• Tsunade learned that Shinji was an Uchiha skilled in Medical Ninjutsu and was surprised he had not awakened the Sharingan.
• Sasuke woke and spoke with Shinji, then recalled Itachi’s words and recognized Shinji as his closest friend.

After Sasuke woke, Shinji learned that Sasuke recognized his defeat by Itachi and returned to his laboratory. Shinji’s research suggested that purifying Neji’s bloodline through transplantation could give him a chance to awaken the Tenseigan.

• Shinji told Sasuke that he had recovered, and Sasuke admitted that his Sharingan had been no match for Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan.
• ANBU took Sasuke away for questioning about the Akatsuki Organization after he was discharged from the hospital.
• Shinji compared cells from the Otsutsuki Branch Family’s Byakugan with Neji’s and found significant differences between their bloodlines.
• Shinji theorized that awakening the Tenseigan required both Hamura Otsutsuki’s bloodline and the blood of the Shinobi World’s natives.
• Shinji planned to purify Neji’s bloodline with Kimimaro’s Shikotsumyaku and the transplanted Otsutsuki Byakugan.

Shinji weighed ways to prepare Neji for a transplant that could awaken the Tenseigan, while considering Kimimaro as a riskier replacement. At the Five Kage Summit, Kiba’s account of the Akatsuki’s strength alarmed the village leaders as they debated forming a Joint Force.

• Shinji compared the chakra of Neji, Kimimaro, and the Otsutsuki Branch Family’s Byakugan and confirmed their shared ancestry.
• Shinji considered boosting Neji’s Byakugan with the Otsutsuki eyes or teaching him Tsunade’s Yin Seal, while keeping Kimimaro as a backup host.
• Ōnoki and the Fourth Kazekage demanded that the Raikage fully explain his battle with the Akatsuki before agreeing to a Joint Force.
• At the Raikage’s request, Kiba described the battle and confirmed that Moryo and Shinnō had held off the Raikage and Killer B.
• Kiba confirmed that Scorpion’s puppet could manipulate Iron Sand and that Kakuzu and Hidan had defeated Yugito, leaving the summit leaders shaken by the Akatsuki’s strength.

As the Kage agreed to form a Joint Force, Kiba explained that the Akatsuki Organization had targeted Kumogakure’s Jinchuriki, prompting the villages to fear for their own Tailed Beasts. In Amegakure, Nagato learned the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki had escaped capture and ordered Konan to hasten Hiruko’s ritual while warning the Akatsuki to prepare for retaliation.

• The Fourth Raikage argued that the Akatsuki Organization had ambushed Kumogakure to capture Killer B and Yugito Nii, while other leaders questioned his claims.
• Kiba reported that Scorpion had taken Karur, a Storm Release user, possibly for his own Human Puppet collection or at Hiruko’s request.
• Kiba concluded that the Akatsuki’s true targets were Kumogakure’s Jinchuriki and urged the villages to help rescue Yugito Nii before their own Jinchuriki became targets.
• The Fourth Raikage called for a vote, and the Five Kage approved forming a Joint Force.
• Konan told Nagato that the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki remained with the Raikage and that the Two-Tails Jinchuriki was missing; Nagato decided not to confront the person who had taken her yet.
• Nagato warned Konan that the Five Great Shinobi Villages would retaliate and ordered her to have Hiruko complete his ritual as soon as possible.

Obito learned that Nagato had failed to capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki and considered Nagato a growing threat, while planning to use Shinnō’s artificial Tailed Beast. After the Kage Summit, Kirigakure and Kumogakure questioned whether they could trust Konoha.

• Zetsu told Obito that Nagato had captured the Two-Tails Jinchuriki but failed to capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and they discussed the mysterious beam that destroyed Moryo.
• Obito learned Moryo could revive through the Miko and ordered Zetsu to have Shinnō complete his artificial Tailed Beast plan so they could target the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
• The Fourth Mizukage told Kirigakure’s elites that they could trust Kumogakure and likely Sunagakure against the Akatsuki Organization, but not yet Konoha or Iwagakure.
• The Fourth Raikage declared that Kumogakure could not trust Konoha, citing the Akatsuki Organization’s Mangekyo Uchiha and the mysterious old man with a Byakugan who defeated Killer B.

The Fourth Raikage ordered Kiba to investigate Neji’s connection to a mysterious Byakugan user, while Ōnoki suspected the Raikage was hiding information and considered contacting Akatsuki. Shinji checked Karin’s damaged Mangekyō Sharingan and continued pursuing his Rinnegan and Tenseigan plans.

• The Fourth Raikage sent Kiba to find out who Neji was and ordered Killer B to remain at the base while his Chakra recovered.
• Ōnoki ordered Rōshi and Han to stay in Shelter Five and told Kitsuchi he suspected the Raikage had concealed information about Akatsuki.
• Ōnoki instructed Kitsuchi to find someone trustworthy to contact Akatsuki, while Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Yugakure also discussed reaching out to the organization.
• Shinji visited Karin and learned that her damaged Mangekyō Sharingan was recovering, though she still could not see light.
• Shinji continued his Rinnegan Plan with Karin and Sasuke, and his Tenseigan Plan with Neji and Kimimaro.

Hiruko captured a Steel Release ninja with Deidara’s help and learned the Akatsuki had gathered four of the five bloodline users needed for his ritual. With a Sharingan user still missing, Scorpion proposed forcing Shinji Uchiha to awaken his Sharingan, and Kakuzu agreed to join the attempt.

• Deidara defeated a Steel Release ninja with explosions, and Hiruko confirmed that the target was still alive.
• Hiruko returned to the Akatsuki base and learned that Kakuzu and Hidan had captured a Swift Release ninja, while Konan and Raiga Kurosuki had captured a Nether Release ninja.
• Hiruko discussed possible Sharingan targets with the Akatsuki members and rejected targeting Itachi or his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha.
• Kakuzu revealed that Shinji Uchiha had not awakened the Sharingan but was a valuable kidnapping target.
• Scorpion suggested using intense emotions to try to awaken Shinji’s Sharingan, and Kakuzu agreed to take part.

Shinji discovered that the Lantern Bearer from the Demon Slayer World had linked the two worlds through five anchors, starting a four-day countdown to their destruction. With the anchors scattered across the Shinobi World and few allies he could trust, Shinji struggled to find a way to stop the catastrophe without exposing his identity.

• Shinji assessed his abilities, focused on improving his taijutsu, and reviewed the week's research and the movements of Neji, Kimimaro, and Sasuke.
• The Lantern Bearer secretly buried five stone slabs at locations across the Shinobi World, establishing five anchors.
• The Lamp warned Shinji that the Shinobi World had been captured and gave him a four-day countdown to plane destruction.
• Shinji learned that the Demon Slayer World had been linked to the Shinobi World and used Embers to reveal the anchors' locations.
• Shinji considered sending himself, Yugito Nii, Karin, and Haku to destroy the anchors, but realized they could not reliably reach all five in time.
• Shinji weighed alerting the Five Kage but feared that revealing his knowledge and identity would spread the Demon Slayer World's contamination.

Shinji devised a way to mobilize shinobi villages and factions against five anchor points without revealing the full truth about Doomsday. He recruited Karin, Haku, and Kimimaro, leaving Kimimaro facing a dangerous test to join the Akatsuki Organization.

• Shinji concluded he needed help to destroy all five anchor points within four days and planned to use village ties and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki to draw factions into action.
• Shinji explained the crisis to Karin, replaced her eyes with a Mangekyō Sharingan containing Susanoo, and sent her to act.
• Shinji briefed Haku, who agreed to do everything he could to help.
• Shinji found Kimimaro training in the Eight Gates, offered him a place in the Akatsuki Organization, and Kimimaro accepted to protect Orochimaru.
• Shinji told Kimimaro that he would have to survive a test to qualify for the organization.

Karin, Haku, and Kimimaro each reported that the Akatsuki Organization had invited them to join and assigned them a test. Their respective contacts resolved to help them pass, hoping to gain intelligence on the organization.

• At the noodle shop, Karin told the middle-aged chef that Akatsuki member A had invited her to join the organization, and he eagerly promised the Grass Shinobi would help her pass the test.
• In a grove, Haku told the shadow that Akatsuki had invited him because he was a surviving member of the Snow Clan, and the shadow urged him to accept so they could gather information.
• The shadow revealed that the Five Great Shinobi Villages had designated Haku as C, and Haku realized the Akatsuki member who had recruited him was from his clan.
• At Otogakure's temporary base, Kimimaro told Orochimaru about his recruitment test, and Orochimaru offered to assist him from the shadows.

Hiashi decided to keep Neji’s contact with the Akatsuki Organization secret and take him to the organization’s test, while the Five Great Shinobi Villages assembled a force to pursue Yugito Nii. As various village-backed recruits slipped out of Konoha, an unseen watcher observed them in the darkness.

• Hiashi told Neji not to report the Akatsuki Organization’s recruitment attempt to the village and said the Hyuga Clan would help him pass the test.
• Kumogakure detected Yugito Nii’s moving Chakra signature near Konoha, prompting the Five Kage to agree to send a Joint Force after her.
• The villages assembled an elite force led by the Fourth Raikage, Jiraiya, Chiyo, Pakura, Kitsuchi, and Demon Zabuza, then left Konoha at night.
• A Kusagakure shinobi replaced Karin in her apartment while Karin slipped out of Konoha, and Haku met Mei Terumi, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Kirigakure’s other operatives for her test.
• Kimimaro left Konoha with Kabuto Yakushi’s help, while Hiashi took Neji out of the village to reach the Akatsuki Organization.
• A pair of crimson eyes silently watched the groups depart in different directions.

Sasuke refused Naruto’s invitation to celebrate his recovery, but protected him when an Akatsuki member attacked and abducted him. The Hokage’s office identified the kidnapper as A, and the Third Hokage sent Tsunade to retrieve Naruto.

• Sasuke rejected Naruto’s invitation to join their friends, saying he did not need anyone, while hiding his fear of hurting them in pursuit of power.
• Sasuke shielded Naruto when they heard fighting in the woods and recognized the masked figure who emerged as an Akatsuki member.
• The masked figure immobilized Sasuke with a glance, knocked Naruto down, and disappeared with him.
• Sasuke reported Naruto’s abduction to the Third Hokage, and Danzo accused Sasuke of helping the Akatsuki before the Third Hokage redirected attention to rescuing Naruto.
• Tsunade arrived and learned that A, the Mangekyō Uchiha who had defeated the demon in the Land of Demons, had taken Naruto.
• The Third Hokage told Tsunade that she would have to go after Naruto herself.

After Naruto was abducted, Tsunade led a temporary Konoha squad to pursue Shinji, who was coordinating six teams to investigate five anchors. Shinji directed Yugito Nii toward the Land of Fire anchor, and the Joint Force followed her.

• Tsunade agreed to lead a squad to rescue Naruto, and Sasuke joined at her request.
• The Third Hokage assembled a team of eight led by Tsunade, including Shizune, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Shibi Aburame, a Hyuga Jonin, and Sasuke.
• Amegakure shinobi noticed unusual activity among the villages and sent a report by messenger hawk.
• Shinji reviewed the six teams he had assembled and chose the Joint Force to investigate the anchors first.
• Shinji used Naobi to order Yugito Nii toward an anchor in the Land of Fire.
• The Joint Force detected Yugito Nii's change of route, and the Fourth Raikage ordered the group to pursue her.

The Joint Force followed Yugito's chakra signature into a silent, dangerous forest, suspecting an Akatsuki trap but refusing to split up. After Yugito's signature vanished, they surrounded a cave and faced a lone samurai-like figure whom Kakashi identified as the other group of Akatsuki members.

• The Fourth Raikage led the Joint Force into the forest despite warnings that the area might be an Akatsuki trap.
• Jiraiya urged the squads to stay together, while Kiba and the Sensory Unit found no enemies nearby.
• The Joint Force advanced through the silent forest, took precautions against danger, and noticed Yugito's chakra signature suddenly disappear.
• The Sensory Unit traced Yugito's last known location to a cave, where the Joint Force surrounded the entrance.
• A samurai-like figure with strange characters in his eyes emerged, and Kakashi warned Jiraiya that he belonged to the other group of Akatsuki members.

The Joint Force confronted Kokushibo, but a biwa note scattered them into an unfamiliar town, where Jiraiya realized an unseen enemy had used Space-Time Ninjutsu. Zabuza and two Kirigakure ninja found Kokushibo eating a corpse and attacked him, ending with one of them piercing his heart.

• The Fourth Raikage charged Kokushibo, but a biwa note transported him and the Joint Force away from the cave.
• Kakashi, Asuma, and Jiraiya found themselves separated in a strange town, and Jiraiya identified the effect as Space-Time Ninjutsu triggered by another Akatsuki member.
• Jiraiya summoned Shima and Fukasaku and asked for their help.
• Zabuza and two Kirigakure assassination-unit ninja followed a smell of blood and found Kokushibo eating an Iwagakure ninja's corpse.
• Zabuza used the Hidden Mist Technique, and one Kirigakure ninja stabbed Kokushibo through the heart.

Kokushibo cut down Kirigakure ninja and wounded Zabuza, who fled to regroup, while the Fourth Raikage was diverted before reaching him. Elsewhere, Kakashi discovered that the Joint Force had been scattered through the city and rushed to help Chiyo after finding wounded Sunagakure puppeteers.

• Kokushibo killed a Kirigakure Water Clone and its user after the ninja confirmed that a blade through Kokushibo's heart had not stopped him.
• Kokushibo outmaneuvered Zabuza in the fog, wounded him badly, and killed the Kirigakure ninja who had come to his aid.
• Zabuza used the Great Waterfall Technique to escape and decided he needed to join his comrades to face Kokushibo.
• The Fourth Raikage charged toward Kokushibo, but a biwa note made Kokushibo vanish, and the Raikage realized the enemy was scattering the Joint Force through the city.
• Kakashi found two wounded Sunagakure puppeteers among broken puppet parts, and one urged him to help Lady Chiyo.