Chapter Summaries

Yahiko sacrificed himself to save Konan, but Nagato awakened the Rinnegan’s power and summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to attack Hanzo. Nara Dan arrived, stopped the statue’s blow with one arm, and faced Nagato’s Chakra-draining dragon.

• Hanzo revealed that he had captured Konan and forced Yahiko to choose between his own death and hers.
• Yahiko chose to die, entrusting Nagato with Konan and their dream.
• Nagato unleashed Shinra Tensei, summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and sent its Chakra Dragon after Hanzo.
• Nara Dan appeared and stopped the statue’s enormous arm with one hand, then drove it back with his strength.
• Nagato redirected the Chakra Dragon toward Nara Dan, who recognized its ability to absorb Chakra.

Nara Dan overwhelmed Nagato and stopped him from using the Rinnegan, but Nagato bargained his eyes for Hanzo's death and protection for the Akatsuki. After Nara Dan accepted, Nagato freed himself from the Demonic Statue and comforted Konan while Hanzo fled.

• Nara Dan shredded the Demonic Statue's Chakra Dragon and pushed through Nagato's Shinra Tensei.
• Nagato threatened to destroy his Rinnegan, then offered to trade them for Hanzo's death and a safe place for the Akatsuki members.
• Nara Dan accepted Nagato's terms and vanished, while Nagato freed himself from the Demonic Statue's tubes.
• Nagato held the injured Konan and vowed to avenge Yahiko, while Konan urged him not to make a deal.
• Hanzo recognized Nara Dan as Konoha's Demon and fled the battlefield, and Nara Dan went after him.

Nara Dan hunted down Hanzo in the Land of Rain and overcame his poison, underground escape, and explosive attack with overwhelming strength. Dan killed Hanzo and left with his corpse.

• Hanzo summoned Salamander Ibuse, released its poison mist, and hid inside it while fleeing underground from Dan.
• Dan resisted the poison and struck the earth, forcing Ibuse and the injured Hanzo to the surface.
• Hanzo unleashed his Explosive Flame Formation, but Dan extinguished the flames and emerged unharmed.
• Hanzo offered Dan his intelligence network and forces in exchange for his life, but Dan rejected the deal.
• Dan killed Hanzo with a Gang Qi projectile, picked up his corpse, and vanished.

Nara Dan reclaimed the Rinnegan from Nagato, replaced it with Hanzo’s eyes, and offered Nagato and Konan a choice of shelter; they chose to go to Konoha. As the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy changed and the war neared its end, Ōnoki prepared to surrender while the Third Raikage decided to support Danzo’s faction against Nara Dan.

• Nara Dan took Nagato’s Rinnegan, gave him Hanzo’s eyes, and offered him and Konan shelter in Amegakure or Konoha.
• Konan chose Konoha because Jiraiya was there and she no longer wanted to remain in the Land of Rain, and Nagato agreed.
• The Great Toad Sage prophesied that fate had changed and described a black-haired, black-eyed man who would defeat an outsider, prompting Fukasaku to resolve to tell Jiraiya.
• Ōnoki learned that Nara Dan had defeated the Mist Ninja and ordered Kitsuchi to prepare Iwagakure’s surrender agreement with Konoha.
• The Third Raikage doubted the reports about Nara Dan and decided to support Danzo’s faction so it could test Nara Dan’s strength.

Jiraiya, Minato, and the returning Konoha forces gathered outside the village, where shinobi waited to welcome Nara Dan. Nara Dan arrived with Konan and Nagato, and Jiraiya became alarmed by Nagato’s presence and the disappearance of his Rinnegan.

• Jiraiya and Minato returned to Konoha’s territory and found the shinobi from other battlefields gathered outside the village.
• Fugaku confronted Jiraiya over the Uchiha’s losses and credited Nara Dan with helping the clan on the Mist Ninja battlefield.
• Tsunade, Ino Rinya, and Hyuga Nana reunited with Jiraiya and Minato, while Kakashi was surprised to see Obito alive.
• Obito told Kakashi and the others about meeting Madara Uchiha, receiving a transplanted arm, and Rin becoming the Three-Tails Jinchuriki; he said Rin remained unconscious.
• Nara Dan arrived with Konan and Nagato, and the gathered shinobi welcomed him as a war hero.
• Jiraiya noticed Nagato’s Rinnegan was gone and wondered where Yahiko was, while Nara Dan urged everyone to return home.

Nara Dan returned to Konoha as a celebrated war hero and discussed his likely succession to the Hokage position with the Third and the Nara Clan Head. Nara Shikaku revealed the Shadow Legion, a new Yin Release technique developed with Nara Dan’s guidance, while a resentful figure watched Nara Dan from the shadows.

• The villagers welcomed Nara Dan and the returning shinobi, and the Third exchanged veiled remarks with Nara Dan about the Hokage position as a hidden observer vowed to stop him.
• Jiraiya reunited with Konan and Nagato, learned that Hanzo had killed Yahiko and Nara Dan had avenged them and taken the Rinnegan, and advised them to stay in Konoha.
• Nara Dan told the Nara Clan Head that he expected to become Fourth Hokage after resting, and proposed sending the clan’s Immortal-Eating Technique trainees into real combat.
• Nara Shikaku demonstrated a humanoid shadow construct that he had developed with Nara Dan’s guidance, explaining its abilities and weaknesses to the Nara Clan Head.
• Nara Shikaku named the new technique Shadow Secret Technique—Shadow Legion, and the Nara Clan Head recognized its potential to expand the clan’s shadow techniques.

Nara Dan studied the Rinnegan’s powers and showed Nara Shikaku how to advance the Shadow Legion through greater numbers and stronger Yin Release constructs. Shikaku reported that the Nara clan members practicing the Immortal-Eating Technique had been secretly brought back, and Nara Dan began explaining his plan.

• Dan learned that the Cloud Ninja were the only village willing to cooperate, so he ordered Root to prepare an attack using Cloud Ninja as cannon fodder before sending in Root’s elites.
• Nara Dan examined the Rinnegan, used it to float, and studied its ability to reveal the Otsutsuki cellular structure.
• Nara Shikaku summoned his Shadow Ninja, and Nara Dan advised him to develop the Shadow Legion through either quantity or quality, including forms suited to different environments.
• Nara Dan created a durable Chakra Black Receiver and gave it to Shikaku as a model for refining Yin Release and strengthening the Shadow Ninja.
• Shikaku told Nara Dan that the clan members practicing the Immortal-Eating Technique had been secretly brought back, and Nara Dan laid out his plan.

Nara Dan survived a Cloud Ninja assassination attempt and killed the attackers, only to be caught in a coordinated Root ambush led by Aburame Torune. As Danzo watched from Root headquarters, his plan to eliminate Nara Dan reached its decisive stage.

• Cloud Ninja detonated Explosive Tags beneath Nara Dan's house and attacked with a combined Lightning Release technique, but Nara Dan emerged unharmed and killed them.
• Nara Dan rescued a wounded servant from the rubble, but the servant used the Heart Sacrifice Technique to pierce his Biological Force Field with a mental attack.
• Aburame Torune emerged from hiding and covered Nara Dan with Nano-Sized Venomous Insects, while four Root ninja activated the sacrificial Reverse Four-Symbols Sealing Formation.
• Torune watched the sealing sphere grind against Nara Dan's Gang Qi and believed Danzo's assassination plan would succeed.
• At Root headquarters, Danzo reflected that Nara Dan's power and Sarutobi's willingness to yield to him had driven him to act.

Danzo’s assassination plan against Nara Dan was exposed, and Orochimaru attacked Danzo at Root headquarters after secretly siding with Nara Dan. As the Third headed to Root, Uchiha Fugaku and the Uchiha blocked his way, and Fugaku revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and summoned a towering Chakra warrior.

• Danzo explained his plan to kill Nara Dan with soul attacks, venomous insects, and a sealing technique, while Orochimaru admitted he had warned Nara Dan and chosen to help him.
• Orochimaru attacked Danzo with Hidden Shadow Snake Hands and Wind Release, declaring that Danzo’s own subordinates would not come to his aid.
• The Third learned that explosions and intense Chakra fluctuations had struck the Nara Clan Grounds and Root headquarters, then headed toward Root.
• Uchiha Fugaku and a group of Uchiha elites blocked the Third’s path and refused to let him reach Root.
• The Third summoned Enma as Fugaku revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and formed a colossal Chakra warrior, and the two sides prepared to fight.

At Minato’s home, a warm family dinner was interrupted by an explosion at the Nara Clan grounds. Nara Dan survived Root’s attempt to seal him, then reflected on the need to guard against stronger attacks.

• Kushina and Jiraiya welcomed Konan and Nagato to Minato’s home, helping them relax during a family meal.
• Kushina punched Jiraiya after he leered at Konan, and Konan began to feel the warmth of family.
• An explosion at the Nara Clan grounds interrupted dinner, so Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Jiraiya there.
• Nara Dan stopped the expanding Reverse Four-Symbols Seal with Shinra Tensei and dispelled it using the Rinnegan in his palm.
• Nara Dan recognized Root’s tailored attack as a serious threat and reminded himself to prepare for more dangerous mental assaults.

Nara Dan revealed that Danzo’s forces and Cloud Ninja had tried to assassinate him, then blocked Jiraiya and Minato from reaching the Sarutobi compound as a giant yellow samurai attacked it. He stopped Minato from intervening and swiftly defeated Jiraiya, leaving the battle’s outcome at the compound unresolved.

• Nara Dan told Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya that both enemy-village ninjas and Konoha shinobi had attacked him, and Jiraiya identified the survivors as a Cloud Ninja and an Aburame Clan Root ninja.
• Jiraiya realized Danzo had colluded with an outside enemy and feared the incident would force a confrontation between Nara Dan and the Third.
• After a giant yellow samurai appeared near the Sarutobi Clan Compound, Jiraiya suspected the Third was under attack and urged Minato to go help.
• Nara Dan blocked Jiraiya and Minato, then used a Divine Intent shockwave and a Gang Qi projectile to attack Minato, who escaped with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Jiraiya challenged Nara Dan, but Nara Dan struck him through his defensive hair technique and left him badly injured, though alive.

The Third abandoned the Sarutobi battle and used Minato to reach Danzo, while Uchiha Fugaku continued attacking the Sarutobi forces. At Root headquarters, Orochimaru overwhelmed Danzo, and Nara clan fighters cleared out Root ninja.

• Minato arrived to help the Third, and together they knocked down Fugaku's Susanoo before leaving by Flying Thunder God Technique.
• With the Third gone, Fugaku ordered the Uchiha to take down the Sarutobi, who were forced onto the back foot.
• Orochimaru poisoned Danzo with a snake bite and attacked him with the Many Snakes Array.
• Danzo summoned Baku and used Wind Release to hold back Orochimaru's snakes, but his stamina and Chakra were nearly spent.
• A Nara clan member immobilized Root ninja with Black Spider Lily, while Luzhen and other Nara fighters killed them.

The Third and Minato tried to reach Danzo but arrived too late, finding him dead after Orochimaru poisoned him. After the Uchiha withdrew from the Sarutobi compound, the Third named Nara Dan as the Fourth Hokage candidate.

• Luzhen and another Nara member argued over Taijutsu and the Shadow Secret Technique before they followed Senior Dan's arrangements.
• The Third and Minato arrived at Root Headquarters, but a Nara Yin-Yang Barrier blocked their way until the Third's attack weakened it and Minato slipped a Flying Thunder God Kunai through.
• The Third and Minato reached the battlefield and found Danzo dead from poison, while Orochimaru claimed he had killed Danzo accidentally during an attempt to capture him.
• Orochimaru told the Third that Nara Dan was the one he chose to follow, and the Third left Root carrying Danzo's corpse.
• The Third returned to find Uchiha Fugaku's clan withdrawing after restraining the Sarutobi clan members, then ordered his subordinate to announce Nara Dan as the Fourth Hokage candidate.

Konoha learned that Nara Dan would succeed the Third Hokage and that Shimura Danzō had betrayed the village, while the clans reshuffled the power and wealth left behind. At Root’s headquarters, Nara Dan discovered Hashirama Senju’s preserved corpse and let Samehada absorb its Chakra, considering Chakra a useful path for Samehada and a backup for himself.

• The Third Hokage named Nara Dan as his successor, and news spread that Shimura Danzō had colluded with the Cloud Ninja and died while fleeing.
• The Sarutobi and Shimura clans lost positions and influence, while the Hyuga and Ino-Shika-Cho clans took over posts and the Uchiha absorbed Danzō’s businesses.
• Nara Dan inspected Root’s headquarters and found Hashirama Senju’s remarkably well-preserved corpse, deciding to have Orochimaru study it.
• Samehada flowed from Nara Dan and absorbed Chakra from Hashirama Senju’s corpse, growing stronger before returning to his body.
• Nara Dan reflected that Samehada could pursue the Chakra path while he kept Gang Qi, treating Chakra as a potential backup on his journey through the Heavens and Myriad Worlds.

Nara Dan destroyed Kumogakure with a massive Shinra Tensei, then fought the Third Raikage in close combat. Their battle left the Raikage badly wounded, while Nara Dan remained in control.

• The Third Raikage learned that Danzo’s plan had failed and that Nara Dan’s reputation had grown.
• Nara Dan infiltrated Kumogakure and used Super Shinra Tensei to reduce most of the village to a vast crater.
• The Third Raikage attacked Nara Dan with One-Finger Nukite, but Nara Dan dodged and knocked him into a crater with Iron Mountain Lean.
• The Third Raikage assessed his injuries and realized he was outmatched, while lamenting Kumogakure’s destruction.
• Nara Dan and the Third Raikage fought at superhuman speed until the Raikage’s Nukite struck Nara Dan’s chest and Nara Dan’s fist crushed the Raikage’s stomach through his armor.

Nara Dan defeated the Third Raikage, destroyed Kumogakure, and drained Killer B of his chakra. He left after demanding Kumogakure surrender, while the Third Raikage named A the next Raikage and urged him to rebuild and avoid conflict with Konoha.

• The Third Raikage admitted that he and A could not defeat Nara Dan, and stopped A from attacking him.
• Killer B attacked Nara Dan with Tailed Beast Bombs and a Lariat, but Nara Dan absorbed his chakra and left him unconscious.
• Nara Dan rejected A's objection about civilian casualties, and the Third Raikage accepted responsibility and asked for his terms.
• Nara Dan demanded Kumogakure surrender for its attempt to assassinate the Fourth Hokage, and the Third Raikage agreed to send the document.
• Nara Dan left for Konoha, and the Third Raikage named A the Fourth Raikage before collapsing and ordering him to rebuild Kumogakure and avoid another clash with Konoha.

After Nara Dan destroyed Kumogakure, the other villages feared his power and suppressed their militant factions. Nara Dan became the Fourth Hokage, declaring his intention to build a new Konoha.

• The Ninja World learned that Nara Dan had destroyed Kumogakure, gravely wounded the Third Raikage, and defeated the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.
• The Third Raikage handed the Raikage position to his son and retired, while the other Kage ordered their villages not to provoke Nara Dan and began restraining or purging militant factions.
• The Third Hokage gave a brief speech and handed the Hokage hat to Nara Dan, then asked why he had acted against the old order.
• Nara Dan answered that he wanted to build a new Konoha, and the Third Hokage left the platform.
• Nara Dan gave a short speech as the Fourth Hokage, and the gathered villagers cheered for him and Konoha.

A month after becoming Hokage, Nara Dan introduced the Cabinet system to share Konoha’s administrative workload while keeping final authority in his hands. At the Cabinet meeting, he presented major reforms, including a new Criminal Justice Department led by Uchiha Fugaku.

• Nara Dan reflected on the strain of Hokage duties and explained why Shadow Clones could not simply handle the work.
• Yakushi Nonō told Nara Dan that the Cabinet elders had arrived, and he prepared to begin their meeting.
• Nara Dan met with the Nara Clan Head, Uchiha Fugaku, Hyuga Hiashi, Minato Namikaze, and Tsunade, whom he had recruited to represent Konoha’s major factions.
• Nara Dan distributed proposals for reforms to Konoha’s systems, including changes to the Police Force and legal system.
• Nara Dan appointed Uchiha Fugaku as the first head of the Criminal Justice Department, which would oversee the Police Force and the administration of law.

Nara Dan presented Konoha’s Three-Year Plan, including agricultural development, economic expansion, and a sweeping Ninja Academy overhaul. The Cabinet members prepared to implement the reforms under Nara Shikaku’s coordination, while Tsunade remained with Nara Dan after the others left.

• Hyuga Hiashi read Nara Dan’s proposal to use ninjutsu for farming and improve agricultural productivity.
• Minato Namikaze reviewed Nara Dan’s Ninja Academy reforms, which replaced the graduation exam with a credit system and expanded courses and specializations.
• Minato Namikaze recognized that the reforms could give civilian ninja more opportunities, though he worried about the scale of change and clan opposition.
• Nara Dan outlined plans to expand Konoha’s economic influence and ordered the Cabinet to complete and refine the reforms within three years.
• Nara Dan directed the Cabinet members to work through Nara Shikaku and avoid disturbing him unless an issue was urgent.
• The Cabinet members left the conference room, leaving Tsunade there with Nara Dan.

Nara Dan visited the Scientific Research Department with Nara Shikaku to hear about Orochimaru’s research on Hashirama Senju’s corpse. Orochimaru revealed Hashirama’s cells had astonishing growth and vitality, but had not yet explained why Hashirama died young.

• Tsunade wondered what kind of person Nara Dan was and felt an unfamiliar, flustering emotion as she watched him speak with Yakushi Nonō, then left when Nara Shikaku entered.
• Nara Dan gave Shikaku proposals for the Scientific Research Department and Anbu reorganization, and Shikaku approved them.
• Nara Dan and Shikaku went to the former Root headquarters, now a laboratory, where Orochimaru and Sasori were working.
• Nara Dan asked Orochimaru about his findings on Hashirama Senju’s corpse and the effects of Senjutsu on the body.
• Orochimaru said Hashirama’s cells divided with extraordinary speed and potential, nearly like cancer cells, and prepared to continue explaining.