Chapter Summaries

After Madara gathered the Nine-Tails and left Konoha in ruins, Kushina died from having the Nine-Tails extracted. Kagura used One's Own Life Reincarnation to revive her, leaving her fate—and the cost of his forbidden technique—uncertain.

• Madara's battle devastated Konoha, and Hashirama and Tobirama began fading away after entrusting Orochimaru with flesh samples for making stronger bodies.
• Kushina, near death after losing the Nine-Tails, told Minato she had hoped to share good news about their child and urged him to live well before she died.
• Kagura stopped Minato from giving up and ordered him to move aside so he could help Kushina.
• Kagura used the forbidden technique One's Own Life Reincarnation, sending his life force into Kushina.
• Kushina's eyelids twitched, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Kagura revived Kushina and her unborn child by combining One's Own Life Reincarnation with Time Regression, narrowly surviving after the effort nearly killed him. Minato and Kushina agreed that their child would be named Uzumaki Naruto.

• Kushina awoke after Kagura revived her, while Minato saw Kagura briefly age from the strain.
• Kagura used Time Regression to restore himself after One's Own Life Reincarnation, explaining that the unborn child had consumed much of his Chakra.
• The Tailed Beasts inside Kagura transferred Chakra to him, allowing him to survive when he could not activate Time Regression.
• Minato embraced Kushina and cried with joy, while Jiraiya and Orochimaru reacted with shock and Orochimaru resolved to learn the forbidden technique.
• Kagura asked Minato and Kushina to name their future child Uzumaki Naruto, and they agreed.

Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to Konoha and learned how Kagura had helped limit the damage from Madara’s attack. As Hiruzen joined the village’s recovery efforts, Kagura exhausted herself rebuilding houses with Wood Release and escaped by sending Minato to find Qianyu and Yamato.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to Konoha with Hatake Sakumo and Hiashi, saw the damage, and questioned a gate guard about the attack.
• Hiruzen praised the guard for following Kagura’s orders, then went to the Hokage Office Building and was pressed into helping with relief work.
• Kagura used Wood Release to build rows of houses, but after two days of exhausting labor, she ran out of Chakra.
• Kagura told Minato to find Orochimaru and have him summon Hashirama, but Minato reported that the vessel was not ready and Orochimaru had suggested using a Jonin as material.
• When Hiashi and the Genin returned, Kagura spotted Qianyu and Yamato, sent Minato to find them, and fled home.
• Yamato asked Qianyu why Kagura had pointed at them before disappearing, and Qianyu feared she was about to make them do her work.

After returning from the battle with Madara, Kagura rested while Tsunade cared for him, and their son Qianyu finished building houses with Yamato. Hiruzen Sarutobi then summoned Konoha’s leaders and prominent shinobi to discuss the candidate for Fourth Hokage.

• Tsunade returned home exhausted and massaged Kagura, who admitted that Madara’s strength had made him feel afraid.
• Tsunade helped Kagura relax, and he recovered after a day of rest.
• Qianyu returned home exhausted after he and Yamato spent the day using Wood Release to build houses for Minato.
• An Anbu summoned Kagura and Tsunade to the Hokage Office, where they joined Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced that the meeting’s main objective was to discuss Konoha’s candidate for Fourth Hokage.

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Konoha’s middle-generation leaders to suggest a successor for the Fourth Hokage, but most of his former disciples were distracted or disengaged. Jiraiya proposed Hyuga Hiashi, and Kagura recommended Namikaze Minato, leaving Hiruzen to consider the candidates.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi opened the meeting by asking for suggestions for the next Hokage.
• Hatake Sakumo stayed detached from politics, Tsunade focused on her pregnancy, and Orochimaru continued researching Artificial Humans and Impure World Reincarnation.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi called on Kagura and Jiraiya after they whispered and laughed instead of paying attention.
• Jiraiya suggested Hyuga Hiashi as a candidate for Hokage.
• Kagura recommended Namikaze Minato.

Kagura proposed Namikaze Minato as Konoha’s next Hokage, arguing that his strength, reputation, and lack of clan ties made him the best choice. The leaders unanimously approved Minato, and Hiruzen Sarutobi announced him as the Fourth Hokage.

• Kagura explained why Hyuga Hiashi could not become Hokage and argued that Namikaze Minato was the most suitable successor.
• Mitokado Homura called for a vote, and he and Utatane Koharu raised their hands in support of Minato.
• Kagura, Tsunade, Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya also voted for Minato.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi joined the vote and declared Namikaze Minato the Fourth Hokage.

After the Third Shinobi World War ended, the Great Nations reckoned with heavy losses and a newly strengthened Amegakure. Kagura knew Uchiha Madara had not been injured or weakened and was using his disappearance to gather strength for a final battle.

• The ceasefire left Iwagakure severely weakened, and Ōnoki opened diplomatic relations with Yahiko while offering war reparations.
• Amegakure grew stronger after absorbing Hanzo's former subordinates, prompting neighboring Sunagakure to fear its revival.
• Sunagakure faced rumors linking Sasori to the Third Kazekage's disappearance, weakening Rasa's position despite his efforts to suppress opposition.
• Kumogakure rallied behind its Fourth Raikage after the Third Raikage died, then hid Killer B to keep the Eight-Tails from Uchiha Madara.
• Uchiha Madara disappeared after obtaining eight Tailed Beasts, while Kagura recognized that he was rebuilding his forces for a decisive battle.

After Konohagakure suffered the loss of the Nine-Tails and extensive destruction, Minato became the Fourth Hokage while Kagura welcomed a daughter and Naruto and other familiar children were born. As Konoha Year 50 began, Kagura realized he and his companions would have to stop Madara and Black Zetsu before the next generation could grow up.

• Madara took Konohagakure's Nine-Tails and left much of the village in ruins, though the Uchiha Guard helped most people escape unharmed.
• With support from the village's leaders and Kagura, Minato accepted the Hokage robes and became the Fourth Hokage.
• Tsunade gave birth to Kagura's daughter, whom he named Uchiha Kiku, and Kagura visited Minato's newborn son, Naruto.
• Fugaku welcomed his second son, Sasuke, while other familiar children, including Rock Lee, Hyuga Neji, and Sakura, were born around the village.
• As winter ended and Konoha Year 50 began, Kagura understood that he and his companions would have to confront Madara and Black Zetsu themselves.

On New Year's Eve, Kagura doted on his daughter Kiku while Tsunade sent him out to buy groceries for their traditional gathering with friends. Remembering how his growing bonds in Konohagakure had drawn him into the conflict with Uchiha Madara, Kagura sensed that the final battle was near and this might be their last peaceful New Year's Eve.

• Kagura cared for Kiku and scolded Qianyu for touching her while he was eating.
• Tsunade struck Kagura for dawdling and ordered him to buy groceries for the New Year's feast.
• Kagura took Qianyu with him and recalled how his friends had turned New Year's Eve into a tradition at his home.
• Kagura reflected that his attachments to his companions had made him abandon his plan to stay out of the coming conflict.
• Kagura sensed that the decisive battle with Uchiha Madara was close and feared this might be their last peaceful New Year's Eve.

Kagura prepared a New Year’s Eve banquet and invited friends and families, including people he rarely saw and guests he had never invited before. He hoped to bring them together before the danger posed by Uchiha Madara’s plans reached the Shinobi World.

• Kagura invited Jiraiya and Orochimaru, but Orochimaru remained absorbed in research to improve the Artificial Humans he would use for Impure World Reincarnation.
• Kagura invited Hatake Sakumo and Might Dai with their families, as well as his disciples Minato, Kushina, and Hyuga Hiashi.
• Kagura invited Shizune and Nawaki, and Tsunade wondered why he reacted strangely when she suggested inviting Minato’s family.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted Kagura’s invitation after retiring and finally having time to enjoy New Year’s Eve.
• After the Uchiha clan’s guards saved villagers during Madara’s attack, Kagura invited Uchiha Fugaku and his family for the first time, and Fugaku accepted.

Kagura prepared for a New Year's banquet while Jiraiya returned from searching for Madara without finding any leads. Orochimaru and Anko joined the gathering, where Anko innocently questioned whether Jiraiya was really Kagura and Orochimaru's classmate.

• Kagura took Qianyu to buy fresh ingredients for the banquet, and Yamato helped carry them home.
• Jiraiya told Kagura he had found no useful information about Madara, while Kagura shared that Orochimaru's experiments might soon revive Hashirama and Tobirama in their prime.
• Kagura sent Qianyu to fetch Orochimaru, then began preparing the banquet while Tsunade and Jiraiya relaxed nearby.
• Orochimaru arrived with Anko, who had nowhere else to go, and Tsunade welcomed the shy girl.
• Anko asked Jiraiya whether he was really Kagura and Orochimaru's classmate because he looked much older than them, leaving Jiraiya stunned.

Kagura hosted a New Year’s Eve banquet, welcoming friends and their families to his home. The gathering ended with Naruto and Sasuke fighting over each other’s hair while baby Hinata watched Naruto, and Kagura reflected on fate’s influence.

• Kagura learned that Anko’s remark about Jiraiya’s age had left him feeling dejected, though Jiraiya soon recovered and chatted with everyone.
• Might Dai and his family, Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi, and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s family arrived at Kagura’s home.
• Minato, Kushina, Fugaku, Mikoto, Hiashi, and others arrived after finishing their work, and Kagura learned that Kushina and Mikoto had been childhood friends.
• Naruto and Sasuke crawled out of their strollers and pulled each other’s hair until Kushina and Mikoto separated them, while Hinata watched Naruto.
• Kagura invited everyone into the courtyard, and the New Year’s Eve banquet began.

Kagura hosted a lively banquet where the people he loved gathered beneath the moonlight, inspiring him to want to become stronger and protect their smiles. The celebration ended when Qianyu’s dessert, made with Tsunade’s medicinal herbs, poisoned the gathering and earned him the nickname “Hellish Chef.”

• Kagura watched the guests enjoy his banquet while Tsunade stood quietly beside him, and he wished he could protect their happiness forever.
• Kagura heard his system respond to his desire to grow stronger, but Jiraiya called him over to try Qianyu’s dessert.
• Kagura and Tsunade praised Qianyu’s dessert before learning that its green topping was made from medicinal herbs taken from Tsunade’s room.
• The guests collapsed from food poisoning, and on the first day of Konoha Year 50, Qianyu earned the nickname “Hellish Chef” after taking down Konohagakure’s top combatants.

After Qianyu accidentally poisoned the adults at a banquet, Kagura assigned him to care for Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata while everyone recovered. Kagura then reviewed four new system missions and realized that completing two of them could bring his Rinnegan evolution forward to the end of summer in Konoha Year 50.

• Qianyu’s herb sauce poisoned the banquet guests, and Tsunade treated the adults before they were sent home to recover.
• Kagura made Qianyu care for Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata for a week as punishment.
• Kagura checked the system and found four missions involving the Uchiha clan’s stone tablet, a Five Kage Summit, Madara’s Six Paths, and Akatsuki members.
• Kagura reviewed his status and calculated that completing the stone tablet and summit missions would reduce his Rinnegan evolution time by six years.

Kagura assessed how missions could help him obtain the Rinnegan, strengthen his taijutsu, and increase his Tailed Beast Fusion Degree. As the rewards seemed to align too perfectly with his goals, he grew afraid that the system was deliberately arranging his path.

• Kagura reviewed his improved attributes and focused on raising his Eighth Gate progress, which had reached 37.1%.
• Kagura calculated that defeating six Madara Six Paths could increase his taijutsu progress by 60%, while mission rewards would also boost his Tailed Beast Fusion Degree.
• Kagura reasoned that completing the Nine-Tails Fusion Degree might unlock a way to fuse all nine Tailed Beasts into the Ten-Tails and make him its Jinchuriki.
• Kagura questioned why the system had offered a mission to revive Kushina alongside one to stop Madara from taking the Nine-Tails.
• Kagura recalled that he had revived Kushina partly because he suspected the system knew his ninjutsu could bring her back.
• Kagura noticed that the missions and Kushina's revival seemed perfectly tailored to his needs, and he began to fear the system was orchestrating events.

Kagura wondered who controlled his system and why it could create Tailed Beasts, then assessed its missions as a way to gain strength against Uchiha Madara. He realized the Uchiha Clan’s Stone Tablet might help him complete the first mission and decided to visit the Naka Shrine.

• Kagura reflected on how the system’s ability to grant him a Tailed Beast suggested a power greater than ordinary ninjutsu and feared its creator might be more terrifying than the Otsutsuki Clan.
• Kagura set aside his questions about the system and focused on gaining strength to face Uchiha Madara by completing its missions.
• Kagura judged that finding Madara or the remaining Akatsuki members would be difficult, while convening a Five Kage Summit seemed possible but persuading all five nations to ally would be hard.
• Kagura identified the Stone Tablet in the Uchiha Clan’s Naka Shrine as a possible way to fulfill Mission One and resolved to visit it.

Kagura went to the Uchiha Clan’s Naka Shrine to inspect the stone tablet and read its Sharingan-revealed contents with his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. He confirmed that Black Zetsu had altered the tablet to guide the Uchiha toward powers needed to resurrect Otsutsuki Kaguya.

• Kagura recalled that the tablet showed different messages depending on a Uchiha’s Sharingan and that Black Zetsu had tampered with it to manipulate Uchiha Madara.
• Kagura entered the shrine, found the hidden passage beneath the seventh tatami mat, and cleared its stale air with a breeze.
• Kagura reached the chamber and activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to reveal the tablet’s true writing.
• Kagura read instructions about awakening and evolving the Sharingan, followed by an ambiguous passage linking the Senju and Uchiha powers to “All Things in Nature.”
• Kagura concluded that Black Zetsu had used the tablet to encourage Sharingan evolution and eventually lead Uchiha Madara toward the Rinnegan.

Kagura took the Uchiha Clan’s Stone Tablet from its hidden chamber, hoping to use it to expose Uchiha Madara’s plan, but realized he could not read its later inscriptions without the Rinnegan. A system mission promised he could see the entire tablet’s contents if he passed the Guardian Spirit Beast’s trial, and strange creatures appeared before him when he emerged into the shrine’s main hall.

• Kagura realized he could not read the Stone Tablet’s records of the Ten-Tails and Infinite Tsukuyomi without the Rinnegan, leaving him unable to provide evidence for Madara’s plan.
• The system assigned Kagura a mission to pass the Guardian Spirit Beast’s trial and promised he would then be able to read the entire Stone Tablet.
• Kagura decided to carry the Stone Tablet out of its hidden chamber rather than wait for the trial to appear.
• Kagura lifted the Stone Tablet, carried it through the narrow passage, and emerged into the shrine’s main hall.
• Several plumes of smoke appeared before Kagura, and unfamiliar creatures emerged as the Guardian Spirit Beast.

Kagura encountered the Ninja Cat Clan, the Uchiha Clan’s traditional guardian spirits, after finding the Stone Tablet in their shrine. Grandpa Cat explained that Kagura could take it only if he passed the test left by earlier Uchiha members.

• Kagura recognized the three creatures before him as members of the Ninja Cat Clan, the Uchiha Clan’s longtime summoning partners.
• Grandpa Cat introduced himself as the Ninja Cat Clan’s leader and the shrine’s guardian spirit.
• Grandpa Cat said he had allowed Kagura into the underground chamber because he recognized him as an Uchiha.
• Grandpa Cat told Kagura he could not take the Stone Tablet without permission, but he could earn it by passing the Uchiha Clan’s test.

Kagura faced the Ninja Cats’ tests to earn permission to take the Uchiha stone tablet, passing the first two before Grandpa Cat revealed the final challenge. The chapter ended with Kagura, still transformed into a white cat, being told to groom all three cats.

• Grandpa Cat explained that the Uchiha had entrusted the Ninja Cats with guarding the stone tablet and testing any clan member who wanted to take it.
• The black-and-white Ninja Cat asked Kagura whether he liked cats, and Kagura said that he liked small animals.
• The Orange Cat demanded proof, so Kagura used the Transformation Technique to become a two-tailed white cat.
• Grandpa Cat accepted Kagura’s transformation as proof and announced that he had passed the second test.
• Grandpa Cat told Kagura that the third test was to groom the three Ninja Cats.