Chapter Summaries

Xing Ran survived the Deva Path’s ground-level Chibaku Tensei and used Shadow Clones as midair footholds to reach him. He killed the Deva Path with a kick, leaving the Kazekage and Tsuchikage caught in the aftermath of the destroyed city.

• The Deva Path launched Chibaku Tensei near the ground, drawing Xing Ran and the Kazekage and Tsuchikage into its gravitational pull.
• The Kazekage carried the Tsuchikage toward safety while the Tsuchikage used Heavy Rock Jutsu to resist the pull.
• Xing Ran dodged around the growing celestial body until Chibaku Tensei ended, then braced himself against it.
• Xing Ran created thousands of Shadow Clones and used them as footholds to advance through the air toward the Deva Path.
• The Deva Path used Shinra Tensei to repel Xing Ran’s shuriken, but Xing Ran broke through the smoke and kicked him in the neck, killing him.

Xing Ran defeated Deva Path Pain and traced the Black Rod’s signal toward Nagato, while the Tsuchikage, Kazekage, and Nagato began to suspect that Xing Ran’s strength was not what it seemed. He discovered the signal led northeast, where Orochimaru had turned another battle into a clash of Kage-level fighters.

• Xing Ran defeated Deva Path Pain with taijutsu and Shadow Clones, then retrieved a Black Rod before the collapsing Planetary Devastation buried the battlefield.
• Xing Ran told Rasa and Ōnoki that the Black Rod could trace the Rinnegan user’s Chakra signal, and they felt an unexplained suspicion toward him.
• Nagato questioned whether the Byakugou Seal could account for Xing Ran’s strength and briefly wondered if Xing Ran resembled the masked man who had attacked him.
• Xing Ran’s Shadow Clone in Sunagakure sneezed while smoothing the child’s red hair and complained that someone was gossiping about him.
• Xing Ran traced the Black Rod’s signal northeast and saw that Orochimaru had drawn powerful fighters into a prolonged Kage-level battle.

Xing Ran arrived at the devastated battlefield and found the reanimated Hokage and Tsuchikage overwhelming the allied forces. After his attempt to trace the Black Rod signal led him to another Pain, he abandoned his plan to eliminate the Rinnegan and chose Kakuzu as his next target.

• Xing Ran used Flying Thunder God to take Ōnoki and the Kazekage across Amegakure to the other battlefield.
• Xing Ran found the allied forces struggling against the reanimated Hashirama and Mū, while the Stone Ninja fled from the Second Tsuchikage.
• Ōnoki and Mū clashed with Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, and Mū recognized his former disciple and urged him to use a Sealing Technique.
• Xing Ran confirmed that the Black Rod signal came from another Pain, a young girl riding a bird Summoning Beast, and concluded that his sensory methods were inadequate.
• Xing Ran decided to target Kakuzu instead of Konan because pursuing the battle in the sky would inconvenience his allies.

Xing Ran unleashed a barrage of Wind Release: Rasenshuriken that destroyed Kakuzu’s remaining Earth Grudge Fear bodies. After confirming that every clone had been reduced to ashes, he left the Mist Ninja stunned.

• Xing Ran used the Body Flicker Technique to reach Kakuzu and his clones while they fought the allied ninja.
• Xing Ran struck Kakuzu’s wind-nature clone with a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, obliterating it and clearing the area around two fleeing Iwa Ninja.
• Xing Ran created over a hundred Shadow Clones, which formed more than thirty Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and forced Kakuzu’s four remaining bodies to flee in different directions.
• Xing Ran’s Rasenshuriken barrage chased down Kakuzu’s bodies and blasted the battlefield into barren ground.
• Ao and Chojuro wondered where Kakuzu had gone as Xing Ran sensed the remains and confirmed that every clone had been destroyed.

Xing Ran arrived to save Jiraiya from Orochimaru and the four reanimated Jinchuriki. After revealing his victories against several Akatsuki members, Xing Ran made Orochimaru judge that retreat was the safest choice, but Orochimaru escaped before Xing Ran could capture him.

• Jiraiya struggled against Orochimaru and the reanimated Yugito, Karatachi Yagura, Roshi, and Utakata, and feared he would not survive.
• Orochimaru prepared to kill Jiraiya, but the reanimated Jinchuriki shielded him when Xing Ran arrived, and Jiraiya relaxed.
• Xing Ran told Orochimaru that he had killed the Hell Path and the Deva Path and captured Kisame alive.
• Orochimaru assessed the worsening balance of power and fled using his shedding technique while the reanimated Jinchuriki covered his retreat.
• Xing Ran searched for Orochimaru but could no longer sense him.

Xing Ran looked for his next opponent and saw Obito and Kakashi fighting, while their brief clash stirred memories of their shared past. Obito used Wood Style and Kamui to overwhelm Kakashi, leaving Kakashi wounded and in danger of being worn down.

• Xing Ran surveyed the battlefield and decided Obito was his best target, but noticed Obito and Kakashi fighting amid the ruins.
• Kakashi and Obito exchanged attacks, then recognized each other as their memories of the past surfaced.
• Kakashi identified the Sharingan beneath Obito’s mask, while Obito worried that the Akatsuki Organization might be defeated and resolved to reclaim the power of both eyes.
• Obito and Kakashi resumed fighting, and Obito used Wood Style alongside Kamui despite having lost an arm.
• Obito’s attacks pushed Kakashi onto the defensive and wounded him, leaving Kakashi at risk of being worn down.

Obito defeated Kakashi and reclaimed the Sharingan he had left with him, then escaped Xing Ran. With the Akatsuki Organization losing its remaining strength on the Amegakure battlefield, the Allied Shinobi Forces gained the upper hand.

• Obito fought to kill Kakashi, but Kakashi used Kamui to defend himself and force a stalemate.
• Obito tricked Kakashi into using Kamui again, then revealed that he could return from the Other Dimension through his own Kamui.
• Obito tore the Sharingan from Kakashi's eye socket and escaped through a Kamui vortex before Xing Ran could stop him.
• Xing Ran treated Kakashi and other wounded shinobi as the Allied Shinobi Forces overwhelmed the Amegakure ninja.
• The last Pain fell, releasing the Impure World Reincarnation figures, and Pakura and Deidara returned before nightfall in dejection.

After the operation against the Akatsuki ended, Xing Ran returned to Konoha celebrated as the village’s Flying Thunder God while his adoptive family was overwhelmed by visitors and marriage proposals. Might Guy and Tenzo visited Kakashi in the hospital, where he remained despondent after losing an eye.

• The operation ended with Kisame Hoshigaki captured, Kakuzu killed, and the Six Paths of Pain defeated again, while Xing Ran earned widespread acclaim for his battlefield performance.
• After returning to Konoha, Hai Yi and Yamanaka Sae received a flood of visitors seeking connections and proposing marriage ties for Xing Ran.
• Might Guy sought out Xing Ran because Kakashi had become deeply despondent after returning to Konoha.
• At Konoha Hospital, Might Guy and Tenzo tried to encourage Kakashi, but he remained unresponsive in bed with one eye bandaged.

Xing Ran revealed to Kakashi that the Akatsuki’s Masked Man was Obito Uchiha, hoping to help Kakashi recover and use their bond to reach Obito. The chapter then shifted to an Akatsuki gathering where Nagato, Konan, Orochimaru, Obito, and Zetsu appeared, while Kakuzu and Kisame were absent.

• Asuma’s encouragement reminded Kakashi of Obito, and Xing Ran noticed Kakashi’s faint reaction to his former teammate’s name.
• After the visitors left, Xing Ran asked Might Guy to go and then revealed to Kakashi that the Masked Man was Obito Uchiha and that his ability was Kamui.
• Xing Ran reasoned that Obito had spared Kakashi’s life and believed Kakashi might help bring Obito back from the Akatsuki’s plan.
• Nagato summoned the Akatsuki members to a gathering, where Konan, Orochimaru, Obito, and Zetsu appeared alongside him.
• Orochimaru noted that Kakuzu and Kisame were missing and eyed Nagato’s Rinnegan with greed.

Nagato, Konan, Orochimaru, and Obito argued over the Akatsuki Organization’s next move after its defeat, with Obito urging an immediate hunt for the tailed beasts and Orochimaru demanding a chance to meet Nagato in exchange for his forbidden jutsu. Konan challenged Obito after he agreed to the meeting, leaving their conflict unresolved.

• Nagato told Orochimaru that the Rinnegan puppets would not return, and Konan called the surviving Akatsuki members to discuss their future.
• Orochimaru proposed hiding for two or three years, but Obito insisted they capture the One-Tail and Nine-Tails immediately.
• Orochimaru accused Obito of benefiting from the alliance’s attack while others suffered, and Obito countered that Orochimaru had wasted the power of Impure World Reincarnation.
• Orochimaru offered to give Impure World Reincarnation to Nagato if he could meet the organization’s true leader, and Obito agreed on Nagato’s behalf.
• Konan objected to the meeting because Nagato was dangerously weakened, then demanded to know what Obito meant.

Konan confronted Obito over Akatsuki Organization’s corruption, while Obito offered to restore Nagato and Zetsu proposed a hidden base. Elsewhere, Hai Yi and Xing Ran finished probing Kisame’s memories and discussed the Moon Eye plan, leaving its secrets and the Masked Man’s identity unresolved.

• Konan challenged Obito, who said he could restore Nagato’s vitality and pointed out that Zetsu’s clones were watching them.
• Orochimaru realized Zetsu was Tobi’s agent and urged Obito to leave Nagato behind, but Zetsu offered a safe secret base.
• Hai Yi finished reading Kisame Hoshigaki’s memories and found no useful intelligence beyond what they already knew.
• Hai Yi and Xing Ran discussed why they doubted the Masked Man was Uchiha Madara and condemned Akatsuki Organization’s Moon Eye plan.

Xing Ran and Kakashi discussed the lack of new information about Tobi before attending Konoha’s formal election for the Fifth Hokage. The meeting narrowed the choice to Danzō, Hiashi, and Xing Ran, while Kakashi watched from the sidelines, regretting his failures.

• Xing Ran told Kakashi that Kisame’s memories had revealed no new information about Tobi and encouraged him to grow stronger.
• Kakashi summoned Xing Ran and Hai Yi to a meeting at the Hokage Building.
• The Third Hokage announced that he would step down and called for the selection of the Fifth Hokage.
• Shikaku Nara named Jiraiya, Danzō, Hiashi, Xing Ran, and himself as the candidates, then withdrew himself and Jiraiya from the race.
• Kakashi watched the election begin and regretted that his recent failure had cost him a chance at becoming Hokage.

At Konoha’s final Hokage selection meeting, Xing Ran understood that the Third Hokage planned to use Danzo’s candidacy to reassure the Uchiha Clan and then make Xing Ran the Fifth Hokage. Danzo refused to accept his intended role as a sacrificial candidate and prepared to make one last attempt.

• Hiroshi asked whether Danzo becoming the Fifth Hokage would mean war with the Uchiha Clan.
• The meeting’s attendees considered how Danzo’s deep hostility toward the Uchiha Clan could worsen Konoha’s strained relationship with them.
• Xing Ran reasoned that the Third Hokage had let Danzo become a candidate so Danzo’s defeat could protect Konoha’s reputation and ties with the Uchiha Clan in the daimyo’s city.
• Xing Ran realized the higher-ups intended to discard Danzo after using his candidacy to support their political goals.
• Danzo chose to make one last attempt to become Hokage rather than accept a humiliating defeat.

Danzo argued that the Uchiha Clan posed no reason to fear, but the named Hokage vote exposed how few people supported him. As voting began, Shikaku tried to persuade Xing Ran to run by promising clan backing and access to forbidden techniques and research.

• Danzo defended his candidacy by arguing that the Uchiha Clan faced greater pressure than Konoha and that a war with them was unlikely.
• Many conference attendees discussed opposing Danzo, while Hiruzen’s subordinates openly urged others not to vote for him.
• Shikaku called the meeting to order for a named vote, with Anbu ready to record the results on blackboards.
• Xing Ran told Hai Yi through Mind Communication that he did not want the burdens of becoming Hokage, and he rejected Hai Yi’s appeal to make sacrifices for the clans.
• Shikaku privately urged Xing Ran to consider the benefits of becoming Hokage, including clan support, access to Konoha’s collected techniques, and restarting the Wood Release research project.

Yamanaka Xingran’s Hokage election became a contest over Danzo’s influence, as Hiruzen Sarutobi blocked Danzo’s attempt to make Xingran an Acting Hokage. Xingran won the vote decisively, while Danzo’s standing among Konoha’s leaders suffered a major blow.

• Danzo proposed making Xingran Acting Hokage and argued that his youth and inexperience made him unsuitable for the official position.
• Hiruzen rejected Danzo’s proposal, defended Xingran’s ability, and insisted that the vote finish before discussing the Hokage’s duties.
• Danzo endured Hiruzen’s public rebuke rather than risk being blamed for the Uchiha incident and forced out by Konoha’s leaders.
• The vote ended with Xingran receiving more than half the votes, Hiashi placing behind him, and Danzo receiving fewer than ten.
• Danzo’s defeat weakened his reputation and made it harder for Root to secure cooperation from other Konoha departments.

Yamanaka Xingran won the vote to become the Fifth Hokage and used his acceptance speech to propose removing Danzo from the advisory council and placing Kakashi in charge of Root. Hiruzen publicly reprimanded him, leaving the village to view Xingran as a puppet Hokage, while Xingran privately welcomed the chance to avoid the office’s political burdens.

• Shikaku Nara announced that Yamanaka Xingran had won the vote to become the Fifth Hokage and invited him to speak.
• Xingran thanked the village and praised Hiruzen Sarutobi for promising to guide him as Hokage.
• Xingran proposed removing Shimura Danzō from the advisory council, sending him to the Daimyo’s Mansion, and putting Kakashi in charge of Root.
• Hiruzen rebuked Xingran and declared that Hokage appointments had to be discussed by the advisory council, making Xingran appear powerless.
• Xingran accepted the public reprimand while privately deciding to let Hiruzen and the elders handle political affairs.

Obito, Deva Path Pain, and Zetsu entered the moon’s hidden interior to confront its Ōtsutsuki descendants. As more than a thousand armed puppets surrounded them and opened fire, the battle began.

• Obito and Deva Path Pain explored the abandoned world inside the moon while Zetsu explained that only a father, his son, and some puppets remained there.
• Obito and Deva Path Pain spotted humanoid puppets arriving on flying devices from the moon in the sky.
• Zetsu identified the moon inside the moon as an artificial celestial body and sank into the ground as the puppets closed in.
• More than a thousand puppets surrounded Obito and Deva Path Pain, charged golden energy spheres, and fired Chakra bullets at them.

Obito used Kamui to redirect the puppet army’s attacks and destroy it, revealing his Sharingan ability to the female Deva Path. Otsutsuki Sora arrived to confront Nagato’s forces, and the chapter ended as he entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode while being pulled into battle.

• Obito used Kamui to send the golden energy spheres back through spatial vortices, destroying the puppet army.
• The female Deva Path recognized that Obito had Kakashi’s Sharingan and hinted that she knew he was not Uchiha Madara.
• Otsutsuki Sora arrived aboard a flying vessel, and his Byakugan met the Rinnegan of Deva Path Pain.
• Otsutsuki Sora warned Nagato’s forces to leave, but the female Deva Path attacked him with Banshō Ten'in.
• Otsutsuki Sora entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode as the pull dragged him toward the ground.

Otsutsuki Sora fought Nagato’s Deva Path with his Tenseigan, but Pain’s Paths intervened and trapped him with Chibaku Tensei. Sora broke out with the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, leaving Nagato and the Pains stunned.

• Otsutsuki Sora used Tenseigan gravity to collide with the Deva Path and struck him with a spiritual sphere, but learned that the Rinnegan body was a puppet controlled by Nagato.
• The Asura Path bombarded Sora with missiles, and Sora protected himself inside a Truth-Seeking Orb.
• Nagato recalled the Deva Path and sent the five Paths against Sora, while the Deva Path activated Chibaku Tensei.
• The Pains escaped through reverse summoning, while the Naraka Path remained buried with Sora and absorbed his Chakra.
• Otsutsuki Sora broke through Chibaku Tensei with the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, shocking Nagato and the Pains.

Otsutsuki Sora revived the Ancestral Statue after Nagato destroyed it, then faced the Akatsuki members who arrived with his captured son, Otsutsuki Toneri. In Konohagakure, visitors gathered for Xing Ran’s appointment as Fifth Hokage, while the Land of Fire’s daimyo was notably absent.

• Otsutsuki Sora summoned the Ancestral Statue, but Nagato destroyed it with Super Shinra Tensei.
• The statue’s fragments reassembled because Otsutsuki Sora’s Tenseigan could summon it again as long as he lived.
• Three figures emerged from a Space-Time Vortex, and Otsutsuki Sora recognized that the masked man had captured Otsutsuki Toneri.
• Representatives and visitors gathered in Konohagakure for Xing Ran’s Fifth Hokage ceremony as Hiruzen Sarutobi prepared to step down.
• The Land of Fire’s daimyo did not attend the ceremony, and an Uchiha Clan member represented him instead.