Chapter Summaries

Kushina learned that Hiroki had subdued Kurama’s other half, while Minato successfully used the Flying Thunder God Technique and was recruited to guard the Five Kage Summit. In Iwagakure, Ōnoki and A prepared for the summit while worrying about Uchiha Madara and Hiroki, then learned that the Land of Wind would send a representative.

• Kushina told Kurama that Hiroki had used stronger Adamantine Attacking Chains to restrain its other half, then returned to studying the Four Symbols Seal.
• Minato successfully used the Flying Thunder God Technique in training, and Sarutobi Hiruzen recruited him as a guard for the Five Kage Summit.
• Minato reported the technique’s limits to Hiruzen, who warned that another guard might also be able to use the Flying Thunder God Technique and began testing him.
• Ōnoki and the Third Raikage discussed the threat posed by Uchiha Madara and Sawada Hiroki and considered killing Hiruzen and Hiroki if negotiations failed.
• An Iwa Ninja reported that the Land of Wind would send a representative, and Ōnoki and the Third Raikage demanded to know who it was.

Namikaze Minato passed Sarutobi Hiruzen’s evaluation and was selected for the Shadow Guard Squad, then told Nawaki and Uchiha Yoshihiro about his appointment. Sawada Hiroki arrived and asked Minato to discuss the Flying Thunder God.

• Namikaze Minato defeated Sarutobi Hiruzen’s Shadow Clone and passed the evaluation for the Shadow Guard Squad.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Minato to gather at the village gates in three days for the mission.
• Nawaki questioned Minato about his evaluation, and Minato revealed that Lord Third had chosen him for the Shadow Guard Squad.
• Uchiha Yoshihiro doubted Minato’s appointment, while Nawaki defended him.
• Minato explained that he had passed Lord Hokage’s test because he learned the Flying Thunder God.
• Sawada Hiroki approached Minato and asked to discuss the Flying Thunder God.

Hiroki asked Minato about the Flying Thunder God and discovered that his own use of the technique caused motion sickness, unlike Minato’s. After receiving notifications that two techniques had finished installing, Hiroki left Minato’s question about the Shadow Guard Squad unanswered.

• Hiroki invited Minato to discuss the Flying Thunder God and allowed Nawaki and Uchiha Yoshihiro to listen.
• At the training ground, Hiroki asked Minato what using the Flying Thunder God felt like.
• Minato said the technique felt smooth and natural, with no dizziness or nausea.
• Hiroki told Minato that using the technique made him feel dizzy and sick, and suspected he had Flying Thunder God sickness.
• Hiroki received notifications that Insect Manipulation Secret Technique and Expansion Technique had finished installing.
• Minato quietly asked Hiroki whether he had joined the Shadow Guard Squad too.

Uchiha Yoshihiro told his father that Namikaze Minato and Sawada Hiroki had joined the Shadow Guard Squad, but Uchiha Togashi doubted him until he heard both children knew the Flying Thunder God Technique. As doubts spread among Konoha’s jonin, Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed to explain his choice of the two ten-year-olds before the team departed.

• Uchiha Togashi angrily dismissed Yoshihiro’s claim that two ten-year-olds had joined the Shadow Guard Squad.
• Yoshihiro told Togashi that Sawada Hiroki had confirmed Minato’s membership and that both children knew the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• News of the Third’s choices spread through Konoha’s jonin circles, where many doubted the children’s suitability.
• Aburame Shima, Yamashiro Aosuke, and other jonin questioned Sarutobi Hiruzen about the Shadow Guard Squad appointments.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen said he would summon the two children and the doubting jonin before departure to explain his decision.

Sarutobi Hiruzen took Sawada Hiroki and Namikaze Minato to the Five Kage Summit after Hiroki incapacitated the jōnin who challenged their appointment to the Shadow Guard Squad. In Sunagakure, the newly appointed Fourth Kazekage Sasori insisted on attending the summit despite the elders’ objections, while the village’s missing leaders left its future uncertain.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Sawada Hiroki to demonstrate his abilities, and Hiroki knocked out more than thirty jōnin who had questioned the appointment of him and Namikaze Minato to the Shadow Guard Squad.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen had Anbu remove the unconscious jōnin, then set out for the Five Kage Summit with Sawada Hiroki and Namikaze Minato.
• Kushina contacted Sawada Hiroki through the Byakugan he had given her, worried about his departure, and urged him to return safely.
• In Sunagakure, elders and a defense captain objected to ten-year-old Sasori attending the summit as Fourth Kazekage while the Third Kazekage remained missing.
• Sasori dismissed their objections, said Chiyo and Pakura could protect him, and offered to turn the recovered corpses of the Third Kazekage and Rasa into puppets.

Hiroki attended the Five Kage Summit in the Land of Iron, where the Kage debated whether Uchiha Madara was alive and whether to oppose him. After Sarutobi Hiruzen secretly signaled Hiroki to silence Chiyo, Hiroki immobilized her with Shadow Possession Jutsu.

• Hiroki surveyed the assembled Kage and their guards, blocked Killer B’s noisy comment channel, and began downloading the young A’s Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
• Mifune stopped the Kage’s bickering and asked Ōnoki to explain the threat that had prompted the summit.
• Ōnoki identified Uchiha Madara as the common enemy, and Sarutobi Hiruzen cited evidence of controlled Tailed Beasts and an army of white monsters.
• Chiyo doubted Konoha’s intelligence and refused to commit Sunagakure to a war, arguing that her village was too weakened to join.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen sent Hiroki a hidden message to silence Chiyo, and Hiroki froze her in place with Shadow Possession Jutsu.

At the Five Kage Summit, Hiroki restrained Chiyo with the Shadow Possession Jutsu while the Kage discussed Uchiha Madara’s threat and debated uniting against him. Madara then appeared in a white humanoid body and summoned the Six Paths of Pain.

• Hiroki used the Shadow Possession Jutsu to restrain Chiyo, prompting Ōnoki and the Third Raikage to accuse Konoha of using underhanded tactics.
• Hiroki released Chiyo, and she withdrew from the exchange without speaking further.
• The Third Raikage revealed that Suikazan Fuguki had reported Madara’s control of Kirigakure, the Kaguya Clan, two Tailed Beasts, and possibly the Third Mizukage.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen urged the Kage to set aside their conflicts and unite against Madara’s threat.
• Madara spoke from within the summit, emerged in a white humanoid body, and used Summoning: Six Paths of Pain.

Uchiha Madara attacked the gathered Kage with six reanimated members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, now called the Six Paths of Pain, and Pakura was cut in half. As the battle erupted, Sasori and Chiyo repaired Pakura as a human puppet and summoned other dead fighters, leaving the leaders facing a fight alongside the dead.

• Uchiha Madara summoned six of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen as the Six Paths of Pain, and Hiroki realized his abilities could not connect to or reliably analyze them.
• Pain Juzo Biwa used Banshō Ten'in to pull Pakura in, and another Pain absorbed her Scorch Release fireballs before cutting her in half with Hiramekarei.
• Pakura attacked Madara again as he escaped underground, but her fireball only scorched the ground.
• Sasori and Chiyo pulled Pakura back and reassembled her, revealing that she had been transformed into a human puppet.
• Sasori and Chiyo summoned the human puppets of the Third Kazekage and Rasa as the Six Paths of Pain launched their attacks.

The Five Kage and their guards fought Pain’s forces at the summit while a weakened Uchiha Madara directed the attack from hiding. Hiroki and the others escaped to Konoha with Flying Thunder God, leaving Ōnoki and Chiyo facing the enemy as Madara ordered his final plan and sought Impure World Reincarnation.

• Hiruzen, Ōnoki, Mifune, Chiyo, and the others struggled against Pain’s forces as their ninjutsu was absorbed, the battlefield was obscured by fog, and summoned attackers pressed them.
• Uchiha Madara told White Zetsu to prioritize killing Hiroki, but delayed summoning the Third Mizukage and the two Jinchuriki until he recovered more chakra.
• The Third Raikage charged through Shinra Tensei and vanished from the battlefield, while Hiruzen used his staff to clear the fog and reveal the approaching White Zetsu and Juzo Biwa.
• Minato and Hiroki used Flying Thunder God to escape with Hiruzen to Konoha, while Ōnoki fled and left Chiyo facing Pain, the Three-Tails, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, and the Third Mizukage.
• Madara accepted that Hiroki was difficult to kill after mastering Flying Thunder God and ordered the final plan, directing White Zetsu to obtain the Second Hokage’s Impure World Reincarnation technique if needed.

After learning that Sunagakure had surrendered and joined Uchiha Madara’s sphere of control, Sarutobi Hiruzen prepared Konoha for an urgent alliance meeting with Iwagakure and Cloud Village. He ordered the delegation to hurry to the Land of Rain, where Hiroki would face a political struggle as well as the threat of war.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen read the news that Sunagakure had surrendered, leaving Uchiha Madara with influence over two great nations and three Tailed Beasts.
• Hiroki and Minato discussed the danger, and Sarutobi Hiruzen received word that the Tsuchikage and Raikage had called for a second emergency meeting in the Land of Rain.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that the other villages had to unite or risk being defeated one by one by Uchiha Madara.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Danzo and Orochimaru to wait at the border and told Minato to travel with him to the Land of Rain ahead of the Raikage and Tsuchikage.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen warned Hiroki that the meeting could turn into a political struggle over his abilities and bloodline limits, and Hiroki agreed to reveal information if it secured suitable concessions.

At the Land of Fire–Land of Rain border, Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō prepared Hiroki to take on greater leadership as Konoha’s Shadow Candidate. Hiroki deflected their expectations by teasing Orochimaru, just as Ōnoki and A arrived.

• Hiroki’s group reached Konoha’s front-line camp, where Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō were waiting.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen briefed Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade on the coming fight against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen’s corpse puppets and asked Hatake Sakumo about the western front.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Hiroki to learn the responsibilities of leadership, while Danzō stressed that Hiroki’s status had changed and he should learn from the Third.
• Hiroki realized they were preparing him to become Hokage, then jokingly asked Orochimaru to explain how his identity had changed.
• Ōnoki and A approached the camp with their chakra signatures undisguised.

Sarutobi Hiruzen met with Ōnoki and the Third Raikage to discuss how to stop Uchiha Madara, whose growing control of the Tailed Beasts threatened the villages. After the Kage agreed to invade the Land of Water, the Third asked Hiroki to weigh in as a Shadow Candidate.

• Hiroki stopped teasing Orochimaru when Ōnoki and the Third Raikage arrived to discuss Uchiha Madara.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed sending three elite squads to attack the Land of Water, while Ōnoki revealed that the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was missing and Roshi had defected from Iwagakure.
• Danzo argued that Madara's attempt to kill Hiroki suggested Hiroki threatened his plans, and the Kage speculated that Madara might intend to use Impure World Reincarnation.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen explained the forbidden technique and its limitations, but the Third Raikage urged the villages to invade the Land of Water and destroy Madara.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and Ōnoki agreed to the invasion, then the Third asked Hiroki what he thought of their decision.

The allied forces led by the Third, Hiroki, and the other Kage sailed toward the Land of Water while Uchiha Madara prepared to defend its coast with controlled ninjas and Tailed Beasts. As the ships approached, the Hyuga clan detected a likely Tailed Beast Bomb, and the battle began with opposing attacks colliding.

• Hiroki accepted the Third's judgment and joined the allied forces as they set out for the Land of Water.
• Uchiha Madara learned that Sunagakure would send no reinforcements and ordered Pain, the Tailed Beasts, and his controlled fighters to defend the shore.
• Uchiha Madara prepared to fight personally, intending to demonstrate the power of the Uchiha clan and Susanoo.
• Orochimaru and Jiraiya discussed Hiroki's past treatment of Orochimaru as the fleet neared the coast.
• Tsunade relayed Hyuga intelligence that enemy jonin had sealed the landing ports, and the ship's alarm warned of a likely Tailed Beast Bomb.
• The allied ship fired the Five-Style Great Barrage Jutsu and Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu as a black beam shot in from shore, and the attacks collided.

Jiraiya and the allied shinobi were overwhelmed by the enemy’s blast, tsunami, and impenetrable fog until Sawada Hiroki coordinated them through mental communication and shared images. The chapter ended as Jiraiya and other shinobi launched a wind-amplified fire attack against the approaching waves.

• Sensei’s Five-Style Great Barrage clashed with Ōnoki’s Dust Release, and the resulting shockwave shattered the fleet’s decks and left the shinobi unable to hear.
• Jiraiya ordered everyone to abandon ship, then saw a massive tsunami created by the enemy puppet’s Shinra Tensei approach across the sea.
• Orochimaru and nearby shinobi tried to dispel the heavy fog with Wind Release, but the puppet absorbed their techniques and the fog remained.
• Sawada Hiroki contacted the shinobi mentally, projected images of their surroundings, and gave them coordinated instructions for countering the waves.
• Jiraiya and several other shinobi released Fire Release while their allies raised strong winds to drive the flames toward the tsunami.

Sawada Hiroki coordinated the Allied Shinobi Forces through shared Byakugan vision and Genjutsu, turning the mist-covered battlefield against Uchiha Madara’s forces. As the allies advanced and Hiroki introduced a coordinate grid for locating the wounded, he continued directing the battle.

• Uchiha Madara realized Sawada Hiroki was coordinating the Allied Shinobi Forces, whose members worked together to rescue one another and counter the waves despite the fog and noise.
• A Kaguya Clan shinobi tried to ambush a Konoha shinobi, but Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to kill him with Hiroki’s shared Byakugan vision guiding him.
• Jiraiya recognized that Hiroki was using Genjutsu to share Byakugan vision and coordinate allies, and considered how the method could be adapted with Yamanaka telepathy.
• Cloud Village shinobi struck a Pain attacking an Iwa Ninja, while the Allied Shinobi continued advancing without communicating directly.
• Hiroki announced that Sarutobi Hiruzen and Ōnoki had pinned down the enemy Tailed Beasts and that the Third Raikage had reached the coast, then ordered everyone to advance and injured shinobi to report their locations.
• Hiroki displayed a Cartesian coordinate grid through Genjutsu so personnel could identify their positions, then ordered all forces to charge.

Hiroki coordinated the battlefield through shared Byakugan vision and map coordinates, enabling Minato to strike enemies with Flying Thunder God and Tsunade to rescue the wounded. As the fighting pushed the allied forces toward shore, Hiroki warned everyone to brace for Pain’s second impact.

• Minato used Hiroki’s coordinate updates and Genjutsu support to rapidly ambush and kill enemies with Flying Thunder God.
• Hiroki assigned Minato real-time battlefield support and marked rescue requests for Tsunade.
• Tsunade rescued a wounded Cloud Village ninja, drove off Pain’s summoned beast, and treated the soldier’s injuries.
• Tsunade followed Hiroki’s coordinates to treat more casualties and saw Minato cutting down enemies across the battlefield.
• Hiroki ordered all units to prepare for landing and warned that Pain’s second impact was approaching.

Uchiha Madara watched the Allied Shinobi Forces turn the battle against his forces and personally entered the fight. After Hiroki coordinated the shinobi’s safe landing from a massive wave, Madara descended in Susanoo and challenged him.

• Uchiha Madara saw Hiroki command the Allied Shinobi Forces and noted that the battle had collapsed across the battlefields.
• Uchiha Madara rose to act alongside White Zetsu, while Hiroki warned the shinobi that a nearly fifty-meter wave was about to fall.
• The Allied Shinobi Forces survived the wave’s crash onto the Land of Water coastline, and Tsunade began treating the wounded.
• Hiroki suspended coordinated command as the six Pains continued attacking him, supported by Danzo and Orochimaru.
• Uchiha Madara appeared in an enormous Susanoo, fixed his gaze on Hiroki, and declared that it was his turn.

Hiroki and Danzo exploited Uchiha Madara’s difficulty controlling his Susanoo and the Six Paths of Pain at once, while Madara fought the Kage. After Hiroki’s side crippled the Pains, Madara sent a signal challenging him to a Genjutsu battle.

• Madara appeared with Susanoo activated through his Rinnegan, and Danzo urged Hiroki to ignore his intimidation and attack the sluggish Six Paths of Pain.
• Hiroki and Danzo coordinated their attacks to kill the Preta Path Pain, while Jiraiya relayed Hiroki’s discovery to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Madara repelled attacks from Ōnoki, the Third Raikage, and Sarutobi Hiruzen with Susanoo and the Rinnegan’s absorption ability.
• Hiroki killed the Naraka Path and realized Madara seemed to be waiting for something as the battle turned against him.
• A White Zetsu emerged from the water beside the Pains with an aged figure, and Madara sent Hiroki a signal challenging him to a Genjutsu battle.

Uchiha Madara tried to trap Sawada Hiroki with Sharingan Genjutsu, believing it was the only way to stop him. Hiroki’s Firewall blocked the attack, and he redirected Madara’s Genjutsu onto Kirigakure ninja before using it against Madara himself.

• Uchiha Madara decided to target Sawada Hiroki with Genjutsu rather than risk a physical fight.
• Sawada Hiroki’s Firewall intercepted Madara’s Sharingan and Mangekyō Sharingan Genjutsu.
• Sawada Hiroki recognized the attack as a DDoS and redirected its junk data onto enemies caught in his Earth Grudge Fear.
• Sawada Hiroki used his Byakugan to make Madara’s controlled Kirigakure ninja fall into Genjutsu.
• Sawada Hiroki sent Madara a message and made Madara’s vision blur with his own Genjutsu.

Hiroki entered Madara’s mental world, revealed the secrets behind the Eye of the Moon Plan, and challenged Madara’s belief that his scheme could bring peace. Madara offered Hiroki his legacy and urged him to defeat him, while a system notification began downloading Madara’s knowledge.

• Madara opened his mental world to Hiroki and asked about his plan, but Hiroki already knew about the Eye of the Moon and Infinite Tsukuyomi.
• Madara assumed Hiroki had come from the future, and Hiroki said Madara was destined to fail and challenged him with the name Kaguya Otsutsuki.
• Hiroki questioned why the Uchiha tablet recorded the Infinite Tsukuyomi and proposed a deal: access to Madara’s knowledge in exchange for resurrection and peace in the Shinobi World.
• Hiroki said he would unify the Shinobi World through force and establish one nation, even if he had to kill those who resisted.
• Madara offered Hiroki his ninjutsu, Rinnegan, corpse, and White Zetsu, warned that future enemies and allies would betray him, and told him to hold his funeral.
• A notification announced a temporary connection to Madara and began calculating a download expected to take over 72 hours.