Chapter Summaries

Aoba guided Orochimaru toward studying how Tailed Beasts transform chakra into living bodies, while privately wondering whether Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki had evolved beyond physical existence by harvesting souls in the Pure Land. After a week of experiments on Utakata, they found that the Six-Tails could not be separated from his life force without killing him, and Aoba raised the question of how Tailed Beasts had been created.

• Aoba brought the unconscious Utakata and Hotaru to Orochimaru, who examined Utakata’s Six-Tails and discovered the dangerous Dohatsuten seal on Hotaru.
• Aoba explained how Tailed Beasts shifted between pure chakra and physical bodies, inspiring Orochimaru to investigate chakra materialization as a path toward overcoming the boundary between matter and energy.
• Aoba wondered whether Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki’s existence in the Pure Land resembled Shibai Ōtsutsuki’s abandonment of his body, and speculated that the Pure Land might harvest chakra from the dead.
• Aoba and Orochimaru spent a week testing Utakata, but Orochimaru found that severing the Six-Tails’ connection to Utakata’s life force caused his cells to deteriorate irreversibly.
• Aoba suggested that the bond between a Jinchuriki and a Tailed Beast might stem from how the beasts were created, prompting Orochimaru to identify Yin-Yang Release as a possibility.

Aoba and Orochimaru discussed studying Yin-Yang Release through the Sage of Six Paths' Treasured Tools, then Tsunade ordered Aoba to confront Kumogakure. In Kirigakure, Genji questioned Aoba about the Six-Tails and unexpectedly proposed that Mei Terumi marry him.

• Aoba suggested that the Sage of Six Paths' Treasured Tools could provide clues to Yin-Yang Release, and Orochimaru agreed to seek them through Kinkaku and Ginkaku.
• Tsunade ordered Aoba to travel to Kumogakure and warn the Fourth Raikage after news of the Kirigakure incident spread.
• Kirigakure Anbu escorted Aoba to meet Genji, who asked when Aoba would return the Six-Tails.
• Aoba admitted taking Utakata and said he could return the Six-Tails later, leaving Genji and Mei Terumi shocked by his claim that Utakata would survive its extraction.
• Genji praised Mei Terumi's abilities, then asked whether Aoba would marry her.

Aoba considered Genji’s proposal to marry Mei Terumi as part of an alliance between Kirigakure and Konohagakure, then flew off after promising to consider it and return the Six-Tails. Elsewhere, Konan used Impure World Reincarnation to summon Kyūsuke and Daibutsu, who revealed that a masked man and a strange companion had killed them; in Kumogakure, Raikage A raged over Enrui’s death and demanded that Konohagakure answer for it.

• Genji proposed that Aoba marry Mei Terumi to strengthen the coming alliance between Kirigakure and Konohagakure, but Aoba said he already had a childhood sweetheart.
• Genji argued that Aoba could have several wives, and Aoba left after saying he would consider the proposal and return the Six-Tails after studying it.
• Genji told Mei Terumi that Aoba’s value was immense and said the First Shinobi World War began because Senju Hashirama died.
• Konan used Impure World Reincarnation to summon Kyūsuke and Daibutsu, who recognized Yahiko’s face on Deva Path Pain and learned that they had been brought back from the dead.
• Kyūsuke and Daibutsu told Deva Path Pain that a masked man and a yin-yang-faced figure had stopped them and killed them, despite Kyūsuke sacrificing himself in an explosion.
• Raikage A destroyed his desk and insisted that Konohagakure had insulted Kumogakure by killing Enrui instead of handing him over alive.

Raikage A prepared Kumogakure for Yamashiro Aoba’s arrival and ordered Omoi to train as the Two-Tails’ Jinchuriki. In Konoha, Kakashi’s breakdown led Tsunade and the Third Hokage to conclude that the masked attacker was Uchiha Obito, while Aoba continued toward the Land of Lightning.

• Raikage A rejected Konoha’s demands, ordered maximum alert, and threatened to kill Yamashiro Aoba when he came alone to Kumogakure.
• Dodai told Raikage A that Omoi had become the Two-Tails’ Jinchuriki, and Raikage A ordered Omoi to Turtle Island to train with Killer B.
• Tsunade and the Third Hokage visited Kakashi, whose reaction to the Sharingan’s original owner revealed that he believed the masked man was Obito.
• Tsunade and the Third Hokage concluded that Uchiha Obito had attacked Kakashi and controlled the Nine-Tails, and the Third Hokage ordered the information kept secret from the Uchiha clan.
• Aoba flew toward the Land of Lightning and reflected on Genji’s offer and the three ninja prohibitions.

Aoba met Nagato through Deva Path Pain, but Nagato distrusted him and attacked to uncover his secrets. Aoba overwhelmed the Six Paths of Pain and stopped the fight, then questioned Nagato’s belief that he was destined to become a second Sage of Six Paths.

• Konan brought Aoba to meet Deva Path Pain, and Aoba revealed that he knew Nagato controlled Yahiko’s body and had already encountered Kyūsuke and Daibutsu.
• Nagato accused Aoba of deceiving Akatsuki, and Human Path tried to extract Aoba’s memories before Aoba caught its wrist.
• Deva Path Pain used Banshō Ten'in to seize Aoba, but Aoba’s Sand Clone crumbled and the Six Paths of Pain emerged from an invisible chameleon.
• Aoba used his speed and Strength of a Hundred to destroy Preta Path and Naraka Path, then severed Animal Path’s contracts with its summoned beasts.
• Deva Path Pain blasted Aoba away with Shinra Tensei, but Aoba used a Flying Thunder God mark to reappear beside him and warned that he knew Pain’s abilities and weaknesses.
• Konan stopped Nagato from continuing the fight, and Aoba asked why Nagato believed the masked man’s claim that he was the Child of Destiny and why his Rinnegan eyes could not be turned off.

Aoba confronted Nagato with evidence that the Rinnegan had been implanted and that Uchiha Obito was manipulating him to resurrect Uchiha Madara, leaving Nagato shaken and unable to control his Paths. Meanwhile, the Hyuga Fourth Elder found a glowing pool he believed led to the clan’s Ancestral Land, but its Puppet guardians attacked and knocked him unconscious.

• Aoba showed Pain that foreign ocular techniques could not be closed and argued that Nagato’s Rinnegan was not naturally his.
• Aoba explained the origins of the Rinnegan and told Nagato that he was a vessel for someone else’s eyes, causing two Paths of Pain to collapse.
• Aoba revealed that the masked man was Uchiha Obito and that Nagato was being guided to use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to resurrect Uchiha Madara.
• The Hyuga Fourth Elder found a glowing underground pool in the Land of Frost and believed it was a passage to the Ancestral Land.
• Puppets emerged from the pool and attacked the Hyuga ninja, overwhelming their formation despite their Gentle Fist techniques.
• A Puppet fired yellow chakra spheres at the retreating Hyuga, and the explosion hurled the Fourth Elder into a rock wall and left him unconscious.

The Fourth Elder woke to find his left hand gone and most of his team dead, then decided to seek help from Shimura Danzō rather than return to Konoha. In Konoha, Tsunade told Fugaku that Kakashi’s Sharingan had been reclaimed by its original owner, while Yamashiro Aoba entered Thunderclap Valley and found himself surrounded by Kumogakure ninja.

• The Fourth Elder learned that his left hand had been severed and his companions had died, so he ordered the two surviving Branch Family shinobi to take him to Shimura Danzō instead of back to Konoha.
• Tsunade visited Fugaku at the Uchiha compound, where he explained that attackers had been stealing Sharingan and that some Uchiha had used Izanagi to survive.
• Tsunade told Fugaku that Kakashi’s Sharingan had been taken back by its original owner, leading Fugaku to realize that Obito might still be alive.
• Yamashiro Aoba walked into the Land of Lightning as Kumogakure monitored his arrival.
• The Raikage ordered Kumogakure ninja to ambush Aoba at Thunderclap Valley, where several thousand ninja surrounded him.

Kumogakure trapped Aoba inside a one-way barrier and attacked him with coordinated Lightning Release, but he survived and exposed the barrier’s weakness. As Kumogakure prepared a sealing response, Aoba unleashed Radiance Release: Flame Demon, causing magma to erupt beneath Thunderclap Valley.

• Raikage A called Aoba’s name to activate the Amber Purifying Pot, but Aoba did not respond, and Dodai realized Aoba knew how the sealing tool worked.
• Dodai had Kumogakure shinobi raise a barrier that let attacks pass inward, and Aoba discovered that it blocked his attacks but not Lightning Release.
• Kumogakure launched repeated coordinated lightning barrages, but Aoba emerged unharmed and taunted the Raikage and his forces.
• Dodai ordered the Sealing Squad forward as Aoba began forming hand seals inside the barrier.
• Aoba struck the ground and unleashed Radiance Release: Flame Demon, splitting the earth and raising a vast eruption of magma.

Yamashiro Aoba unleashed a towering Flame Demon that broke Kumogakure’s barrier and devastated its forces with overwhelming heat. As the Raikage and Killer B struggled to respond, the Flame Demon spawned Lesser Flame Demons that pursued the retreating ninjas and exploded when struck.

• Aoba’s Flame Demon shattered Kumogakure’s barrier and began cutting through the army, while ordinary Water Release failed to harm it.
• The Raikage and Killer B attacked the Flame Demon, but Gyūki’s tentacles were scorched and one was severed; Matatabi refused to lend Omoi her power because Aoba was her friend.
• The Raikage ordered a retreat, but Aoba changed the Flame Demon’s sword into a whip and continued attacking the fleeing ninjas.
• Obito, Black Zetsu, and White Zetsu watched from a mountain as Black Zetsu identified Aoba’s power as a Kekkei Tōta comparable in destructive force to Susanoo.
• The Flame Demon formed hand seals and summoned thousands of Lesser Flame Demons from the magma to pursue Kumogakure’s retreating forces.
• The Raikage cut one Lesser Flame Demon in half, but it exploded, burning him and killing or badly injuring nearby Kumogakure ninjas.

Yamashiro Aoba’s clone stole the Amber Purifying Pot while Orochimaru uncovered the location of Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s graves, and Kisame and Shisui approached Takigakure. In Konoha, Tsunade exposed Danzō’s escape and Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered a search; meanwhile, news of Aoba’s devastating battle in Thunderclap Valley spread across the Shinobi World.

• A Yamashiro Aoba Shadow Clone killed the Kumogakure guards and sealed the Amber Purifying Pot into a scroll.
• Orochimaru learned from a reanimated former Raikage guard that Kinkaku and Ginkaku were buried in a canyon in the Land of Hot Water, then released the reanimation.
• Kisame and Shisui located chakra behind Takigakure’s waterfall and prepared to enter without exposing their identities.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Koharu and Mitokado Homura that Uchiha Obito had caused the Nine-Tails’ Attack, and reported that Fugaku had agreed to expel Obito and place a bounty on him.
• Tsunade revealed that Danzō had escaped and left a Root substitute in his place, prompting Sarutobi Hiruzen to order a village-wide search and authorize killing Danzō if he resisted.
• Reports of Yamashiro Aoba’s victory over thousands of Kumogakure shinobi at Thunderclap Valley spread worldwide, though other villages initially dismissed them as false.

Yamashiro Aoba’s destruction of Kumogakure’s forces and apparent capture of two Tailed Beasts alarmed the villages and threatened Obito and Black Zetsu’s plans. After learning that Uchiha Obito had been exposed, Nagato confirmed Aoba’s warning about the Rinnegan, but discovered he could not remove the eyes or take his own life.

• Ōnoki learned that Yamashiro Aoba had demonstrated a Kekkei Tōta and ordered Iwagakure ninja to abandon missions if they encountered him; he then received news that Han was missing.
• Orochimaru found the graves of Kinkaku and Ginkaku, where Jiraiya confronted him and questioned him about the Uchiha ninja accompanying him and his connection to Tsunade’s companion.
• White Zetsu told Obito that the Uchiha clan had disowned him and placed a record-breaking bounty of three billion eight hundred million ryō on his head.
• Black Zetsu informed Obito that the Seven-Tails and Han had vanished, suspected Yamashiro Aoba was responsible, and warned that Aoba might uncover the Tailed Beasts’ secrets.
• Nagato reread the intelligence identifying Obito and reconsidered his parents’ deaths as a plot to awaken the Rinnegan and make him a vessel for Uchiha Madara.
• Nagato tried to remove his Rinnegan, but an invisible force seized control of his body and prevented him from moving or killing himself.

Nagato exposed Obito’s identity while maintaining their cooperation, and Aoba advised Nagato to hide until his weakened body and mobility could be addressed. Obito learned of the moon’s Tenseigan as a possible way to strengthen his eye, while Konohagakure prepared for Tsunade to become Fifth Hokage and sign an alliance with Kirigakure.

• Nagato contacted Obito, openly called him Uchiha Obito, and agreed to keep cooperating while Obito recruited more members for Akatsuki.
• Orochimaru returned with the remaining Six Paths ninja tools, completing Aoba’s collection, and reported that Jiraiya had learned about Dan and might suspect Aoba.
• Aoba told Nagato to avoid a direct fight with Obito and to stay hidden while Aoba sought a way to restore Nagato’s body and mobility.
• Black Zetsu told Obito that the Tenseigan’s ocular power on the moon might awaken his transplanted eye’s Mangekyo Sharingan.
• After reports of Aoba’s victory in the Land of Lightning reached the Hokage’s office, Sarutobi Hiruzen said Tsunade would assume the Fifth Hokage position when Kirigakure’s delegation arrived and sign the alliance treaty.

Shimura Danzō learned of the Hyuga Clan’s Ancestral Land and its ultimate weapon, while Black Zetsu and Uchiha Obito manipulated him into scouting for the Tenseigan. Yamashiro Aoba and Orochimaru prepared to return to Konoha as foreign delegations arrived to assess Aoba’s power before Tsunade’s delayed succession ceremony.

• Shimura Danzō used Genjutsu to question Hyuga Zonghong, learned about the Ancestral Land and its ultimate weapon, and ordered Root to repair and release him.
• White Zetsu and Black Zetsu revealed they had infiltrated Root and were using Danzo to scout for the Tenseigan, while Uchiha Obito agreed to head north.
• At the Forgotten Island base, Orochimaru suffered a sudden decline, and Aoba determined that exposure to the Six Paths Treasured Tools had accelerated his body’s deterioration.
• Aoba and Orochimaru decided to return to Konoha so Orochimaru could retrieve his soul fragments while Aoba covered for him.
• Mei Terumi led Kirigakure’s delegation through Konoha as Kumogakure’s representatives stayed quiet after learning of Aoba’s victory at Thunderclap Valley.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and the elders concluded that the other great nations’ delegations had come to assess Aoba, so they postponed Tsunade’s succession ceremony until the guests arrived.

Hyuga Zonghong returned to the Hyuga compound with his memories erased and a disturbing change to his transplanted arm, while Aoba teased Yuhi Kurenai and Mei Terumi before reporting to Tsunade. Tsunade appointed Aoba a senior advisor and Konoha Hospital director, leaving him to begin his new duties as the village’s delegations gathered.

• Hyuga Zonghong returned unconscious, and Hyuga Hiashi learned that someone had tampered with his memories before ordering the clan to conceal his return and keep him confined.
• Hyuga Zonghong discovered that the skin on his transplanted arm was turning deathly white as he scratched at an itch.
• Mei Terumi provoked Yuhi Kurenai by clinging to Aoba and claiming to be his lover, prompting Kurenai to run off in tears.
• Aoba told Mei Terumi he would not give up other women for one, and she called him a scumbag before returning to the Kirigakure delegation's residence.
• Aoba visited Tsunade and Sarutobi Hiruzen, joked about his romantic entanglements, and received an appointment as a senior advisor and director of Konoha Hospital.

Danzo led Root into the moon’s hidden passage in search of the Giant Tenseigan, while Obito and Zetsu followed behind. As Toneri’s dying grand elder taught him to control the Tenseigan, Yamashiro Aoba began treating Orochimaru’s former subordinates at Konoha Hospital, where Anko lay awaiting her operation.

• News of Yamashiro Aoba’s return quieted the foreign delegations, allowing Konohagakure to prepare for Tsunade’s succession ceremony.
• Danzo used a stolen Byakugan to find a glowing underground pool in the Land of Frost and led Root through it toward the moon’s hidden world.
• The grand elder warned Toneri against the surface humans and taught him to resonate with and control the Giant Tenseigan.
• Obito and Zetsu entered the pool after Danzo; Obito shattered the memory illusions of Rin, Minato, and Kakashi without hesitation.
• Obito and Zetsu found the guardian crab and Root corpses at the passage’s end, then continued toward the depths.
• At Konoha Hospital, Aoba summoned Orochimaru’s former subordinates for treatment, while Anko lay on the operating table, exhausted by surveillance and questioning.

Aoba helped Orochimaru remove Anko’s Heaven Cursed Seal, while Danzo’s Root forces battled the moon’s Great Elder and his Puppets. Obito failed to take the Giant Tenseigan, and Black Zetsu discovered Toneri and tried to make him a vessel for Kaguya’s resurrection as Danzo ordered a retreat.

• Aoba used the Ketsuryūgan to put Anko to sleep, allowing Orochimaru to remove her Heaven Cursed Seal and regain some strength.
• Danzo’s Root shinobi adapted to the Puppets’ attacks while the Great Elder weakened from controlling them and the Giant Tenseigan.
• Obito tried to pull the Giant Tenseigan into Kamui, but its power repelled his technique, so he left to watch the battle while Black Zetsu searched deeper in the temple.
• Black Zetsu found Toneri hidden in a chamber, recognized his exceptionally pure Otsutsuki bloodline, and began spreading over him to use him as a vessel for Kaguya’s resurrection.
• Obito appeared on the battlefield, killed several Root shinobi, and prompted Danzo to order a retreat.

Obito captured the Great Elder and used the Giant Tenseigan’s power to awaken a Mangekyō in his transplanted eye, while Aoba’s Sharingan resonated with the same power and also transformed. Orochimaru’s recovered soul was stable and stronger than before, and the chapter ended with Black Zetsu noticing that the Giant Tenseigan had lost more ocular power than expected.

• Obito phased through the Great Elder’s Puppets, seized him, and pulled him into the Kamui Dimension, severing his connection to the Giant Tenseigan.
• Aoba confirmed that Orochimaru had recovered his soul fragments and examined his restored, stable mental space before sending him to Forgotten Island to rest.
• Aoba observed a Three-Tomoe Sharingan resonating in a test tube, while Obito began channeling the Giant Tenseigan’s ocular power into his transplanted left eye.
• Aoba transplanted the resonating Sharingan into his right eye and hypnotized himself as its three tomoe transformed into a Mangekyō pattern.
• Obito successfully awakened a Mangekyō Sharingan in his left eye, and Black Zetsu noticed that the Giant Tenseigan had consumed more ocular power than expected.

Aoba awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan while Konoha and Kumogakure reacted to the shifting alliances surrounding Kirigakure. Obito strengthened his Susanoo and prepared to use the Tenseigan against Aoba, while Aoba ended the chapter awkwardly walking between Mei Terumi and Yuhi Kurenai.

• Aoba examined his new Mangekyō Sharingan and wondered about the mysterious ball of light he had seen.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen learned that Aoba had removed Orochimaru's Cursed Seals and concluded that Aoba remained loyal to Konoha.
• The Raikage learned that Kirigakure planned to ally with Konoha through a political marriage and considered using war to disrupt the alliance.
• Obito awakened a fourth-stage Susanoo, learned from Black Zetsu that Madara's Susanoo had been vastly more powerful, and planned to use the Tenseigan against Aoba.
• Aoba walked through Konoha's crowded commercial street with Mei Terumi and Yuhi Kurenai each holding one of his arms.

As a meteorite attacked Konoha during Tsunade’s succession ceremony, Aoba destroyed its main body while Shisui’s Susanoo intercepted the fragments. Kushina revealed her Wood Release to protect her home, leaving Konoha and the foreign delegations stunned.

• Aoba recognized the meteorite as an attack controlled by the Tenseigan and used Sage Art: Radiance Release Rasenshuriken to shatter it.
• Shisui awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan and used Susanoo’s Yasaka Beads to destroy most of the falling fragments.
• Kushina protected her home from a meteorite fragment with Wood Release: Tree World Wall, revealing her Wood Release to the village.
• Kushina embraced her exposed power and used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.

Kushina stopped the meteor fragments with Wood Release, but her forest devastated several streets in Konoha. News of Konoha’s strength alarmed the other villages, while Sunagakure learned that Pakura was alive and had mastered Magnet Release.

• Kushina used Wood Release to block the falling meteor fragments and accidentally covered several streets in forest.
• Tsunade ordered that Kushina’s private stash cover the reconstruction costs, while Dan Katō and Konoha’s advisors celebrated the return of Wood Release and the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Obito watched the attack’s failure from the moon, and Black Zetsu warned him not to provoke Aoba before making a new plan.
• Ōnoki reacted with envy and unease to reports of Konoha’s Susanoo and Wood Release, while the Raikage ordered Kumogakure to recruit talented children and research secret techniques.
• Chiyo and Rasa discussed training new Sunagakure shinobi, and Ebizo revealed that Pakura was alive, frequenting black markets, and had mastered Magnet Release.