Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Madara explained his plan to turn Nagato’s grief into hatred, make him the public wielder of the Rinnegan, and shape Obito into a hidden agent. After Madara vanished, Sou resumed calculations for his own pursuit of power while watching the war unfold.

• Madara appeared before Sou in Angkor Fortress and said the war had created favorable conditions for his plans.
• Madara explained that he would let Nagato’s despair over Yahiko’s death deepen before transplanting the Rinnegan and guiding him toward his plan.
• Madara said Obito’s attachment to Rin would be turned into an obsession, making him a hidden executor who would guide Nagato and protect the plan.
• Sou asked whether Madara would oversee Nagato’s transplantation and guidance, and Madara said he would provide a revelation at the critical moment while leaving specific tasks to his spokesperson.
• Madara instructed Sou to observe and prevent interference, then vanished from the control room.
• Sou returned his attention to the Dragon Vein and resumed calculations for the All Things Barrier, the compatibility formula, and drawing upon Indra and Asura’s power.

Uchiha Sou monitored Konoha’s shifting power struggles as Uchiha Jiri advanced her sage techniques, Danzō plotted to kill Uchiha Xiyue and Uchiha Diena, and Hatake Sakumo reported on the village. Sou left the plot untouched while concentrating on preparations to seize the Rōran Dragon Vein.

• Uchiha Jiri trained her sage techniques, using natural energy to sense her surroundings and strike moving targets with precise wind blades.
• Shimura Danzō arranged a mission with falsified intelligence and a hidden ambush intended to kill Uchiha Xiyue and Uchiha Diena and observe the clan’s reaction.
• Hatake Sakumo watched Konoha’s wartime pressures and Root’s movements, then sent encrypted reports to Angkor Fortress.
• Uchiha Sou observed Jiri, Danzō, and Sakumo without intervening in Danzō’s scheme.
• Uchiha Sou refined his preparations for the Rōran Dragon Vein, including the All Things Barrier and the merging of Madara and Hashirama Cells.

Rasa and Danzo separately arranged attacks against Konoha forces and Uchiha Xiyue’s team, intending to trap the shinobi and provoke Xiyue’s Mangekyō Sharingan. After Xiyue awakened it and appeared to die with Diena in a catastrophic explosion, Uchiha Sou’s Izanagi restored them, and Kagami carried the unconscious pair toward Angkor Fortress.

• Rasa ordered Sand Village forces to feint against Konoha and ambush its reinforcements, while Danzo directed Root to kill Xiyue and Diena and record Xiyue’s reaction.
• Xiyue detected Root’s ambush in the canyon, but the Root shinobi overwhelmed him and fatally wounded Diena.
• Diena died, triggering Xiyue’s Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo; he unleashed a devastating explosion that appeared to kill him and the Root attackers.
• Danzo ordered Root to collect evidence and spread a false account that Xiyue and Diena had died fighting an unknown enemy.
• When Sou’s Izanagi took effect, it restored and relocated Xiyue and Diena; Kagami found them alive and carried them toward Angkor Fortress.

After waking in an unfamiliar healing chamber, Xiyue Uchiha found Diena alive and learned that the man before them was his father, Kagami Uchiha, who had survived Danzo’s plot. Kagami explained that he had rescued them from Konoha, leaving Xiyue shaken and in need of time to accept the truth.

• Xiyue awoke beside Diena, who was alive despite his memory of seeing her die.
• Kagami Uchiha entered and identified himself as Xiyue’s father, though Xiyue initially accused him of impersonation.
• Kagami revealed that Danzo had arranged his supposed death during the Four-Tails mission and that he had survived with help.
• Kagami explained that he had brought Xiyue and Diena away from Konoha because Danzo would continue targeting them.
• Xiyue began to accept Kagami’s account but asked for time to process it, and Kagami left them to recover.

Xiyue and Diena encountered the long-missing Uchiha Jiri at Angkor Fortress, where she had mastered a power beyond the Sharingan. Uchiha Sou revealed that their son Shisui would remain in Konoha for now, and Xiyue and Diena committed to strengthening themselves to protect him.

• Xiyue and Diena saw Jiri training with Sage Art techniques, and Kagami explained that Sou had saved her and she had taken a path beyond the Uchiha's limits.
• Kagami brought Xiyue and Diena to the control room, where Sou welcomed them and asked Xiyue about the power he had gained through loss.
• Sou showed them that Shisui was safe in Konoha but said he would not be brought to Angkor Fortress because his trials there could help him grow into a valuable ally.
• Sou assigned Xiyue and Diena training plans to master their Mangekyou and increase their strength, and both agreed to begin.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō clashed over Konoha’s response to the Sand Village offensive and the suspicious deaths of Xiyue Uchiha and Diena Uchiha. Hiruzen ordered a new investigation, while Danzō left determined to pursue his own plans through Root.

• Hiruzen confronted Danzō over the Sand Village’s assault and rejected his call to crush the enemy, saying he had sent Jiraiya to reinforce the border and would keep negotiations possible.
• Hiruzen questioned Danzō about Xiyue Uchiha and Diena Uchiha’s disappearance, comparing it to Kagami Uchiha’s earlier death and noting Root had reached the scene first.
• Danzō denied involvement and blamed an unknown powerful enemy, claiming the evidence did not connect Root to the deaths.
• Hiruzen ordered a reinvestigation into both the border attacks and the Uchiha deaths, and Danzō promised Root’s cooperation while privately believing the scene could not be traced to him.
• Danzō left the Hokage’s Office, intending to use Root’s influence beyond Hiruzen’s control.

Minato turned a failing Konoha defense against Sunagakure into a stalemate by rescuing endangered ninja and striking at the enemy with Flying Thunder God and Rasengan. The battle remained unresolved as both sides continued fighting and Konoha awaited Jiraiya's reinforcements.

• Sunagakure's puppets broke through Konoha's defenses, and Minato arrived to destroy them with Rasengan and precise kunai strikes.
• Rasa ordered the puppet forces to retreat and sent Scorch Release ninja to bombard Konoha's positions.
• Minato used Flying Thunder God to rescue Konoha ninja from the Scorch Release attacks and guide them toward safe positions.
• Baki tried to restrict Minato's movement with Wind Release, but Minato evaded the blades and continued his rescues.
• Minato teleported beside a Scorch Release jonin and crippled him with Rasengan, interrupting his attack.
• Rasa ordered sensory ninja and other forces to target Minato, but Minato kept rescuing Konoha ninja and attacking Sand Village forces as the battle reached a stalemate.

Minato Namikaze disrupted Sand Village’s assault, deflected Rasa’s Gold Dust Grand Burial, and forced the enemy to retreat. His battlefield success earned Konoha’s admiration, while Danzō began to regard him as a threat to his plans.

• Minato used Twin Rasengan to destroy a tactical puppet and disrupt Sand Village’s combined-ninjutsu offensive.
• Minato drew Rasa into attacking, then used Flying Thunder God Guiding Thunder to deflect most of the Gold Dust Grand Burial.
• Rasa ordered Sand Village’s forces to withdraw to their second line of defense.
• An Anbu ninja reported Minato’s performance to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who praised his growth and considered Konoha’s future.
• Shimura Danzō listened to the report and saw Minato’s growing reputation as an unpredictable variable requiring vigilance.

Rasa sought to pressure Konoha from the Land of Rain by offering Hanzo profits and puppet blueprints, while Hanzo accepted the proposal ambiguously to preserve his options. Hanzo dismissed Akatsuki as harmless, unaware that Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were building support beneath his rule.

• Rasa ordered Baki to secretly offer Hanzo mineral profits and puppet blueprints in exchange for pressuring Konoha and restricting its routes through the Land of Rain.
• Hanzo considered Sunagakure's offer and said Amegakure would take defensive measures if Konoha threatened its sovereignty, without formally joining the war.
• Hanzo learned that Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were leading Akatsuki and dismissed their peace movement as harmless.
• After Hanzo returned to his luxuries, Akatsuki's young members struggled through the rain and mud, their resolve contrasting with the decay above them.

Akatsuki helped a refugee settlement while Uchiha Sou and Madara secretly monitored the young organization and manipulated its development. The chapter left Sou preparing to use intelligence about Amegakure to steer the infiltrator Xiang toward a future catalyst.

• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan used their abilities to protect a refugee settlement, while Nagato suffered pain from using his Rinnegan.
• Xiang warned Yahiko that trained strangers were moving in the eastern woods and secretly recorded Akatsuki's reactions for Uchiha Sou.
• White Zetsu spies observed Akatsuki and relayed reports about Nagato, Yahiko, Konan, and Xiang to Sou.
• Yahiko rallied Akatsuki members at an abandoned temple, while Konan remained uneasy about Xiang and Nagato sensed that someone was watching.
• Sou reviewed Akatsuki's reports and added Amegakure intelligence to the instructions he regularly sent Xiang.

Akatsuki struggled to protect refugees in an abandoned mine while Uchiha Sou monitored their progress and manipulated tensions among the Land of Rain's factions. Sou set events in motion by leaking intelligence about secret Sand Village and Amegakure contacts to a hostile rogue-ninja faction.

• Yahiko rallied refugees around Akatsuki's goal of protecting them and letting the Land of Rain decide its own future.
• Nagato used conventional Water Style to purify the mine's stagnant water while enduring pain from his Rinnegan, and Konan distributed herbal medicine.
• Sho secretly recorded Akatsuki's progress and sent his observations to Angkor Fortress as White Zetsu watched the group struggle.
• Uchiha Sou reviewed reports on Akatsuki and the secret talks between the Sand Village and Hanzo's confidant.
• Uchiha Sou ordered a rogue-ninja faction to learn that Hanzo might cooperate with the Sand Village in pressuring Konoha.

Uchiha Sou fought Uchiha Madara in Angkor Fortress, using taijutsu, precise ninjutsu, and Sage Mode to withstand Madara’s Rinnegan and Wood Style powers. After they ended the duel, they discussed their plans for Nagato and Uchiha Obito, while Sou described his preparations to use the Dragon Vein to surpass his limits.

• Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Sou began a duel as Kagami Uchiha, Xiyue, Die Na, Uchiha Jiri, Uchiha Hikari, and Black Zetsu watched.
• Sou countered Madara’s taijutsu and Fire Style with precise perception and attacks, then escaped Madara’s Wood Style trap and partially broke Shinra Tensei with Susanoo.
• Madara used Human Path, the Absorption Seal, and the King of Hell, so Sou activated Sage Mode and dodged or dismantled Madara’s attacks with enhanced perception and precision.
• After a prolonged exchange, Madara ended the duel and acknowledged Sou’s qualifications to discuss the future.
• Madara and Sou discussed using Nagato’s false Rinnegan as preparation for a later transplant and choosing Uchiha Obito as their proxy.
• Sou told Madara he planned to use the Dragon Vein to fuse Hashirama’s cells with Madara’s and break through the final boundary.

Hatake Sakumo reported Kakashi’s isolation and the shifting conflicts across the Ninja World to Uchiha Sou. Sou ordered continued surveillance of Konoha and the Earth-Lightning border as he prepared for the coming turmoil.

• Hatake Sakumo told Uchiha Sou that Kakashi had become Konoha’s youngest Chunin but had withdrawn from others and blamed himself for Sakumo’s death.
• Sakumo reported that Minato had checked the Sand Village’s offensive, while Konoha planned to promote him and assign him to a class including Uchiha Obito and Rin Nohara.
• Sakumo said Danzo was pushing to expand the war, intensifying Root’s surveillance of Konoha’s clans, and seeking contact with Black Market Exchanges in the Land of Hot Water.
• Sakumo reported rising clashes between Iwagakure and Cloud Village, including increased activity by A and Killer B.
• Sou ordered Sakumo to monitor Minato, his team, Danzo’s outside contacts, and points where the Earth-Lightning conflict might escalate.

Obito, Kakashi, and Guy went about their Academy routines as Minato returned to Konoha and reunited with Kushina. In the shadows, Danzō ordered Root to monitor Minato’s future team and the Uchiha while expanding his plans with Hanzo.

• Obito botched his shuriken practice, drew Kakashi’s scorn, and found confidence again after Rin smiled at him.
• Might Duy and Might Guy began running five hundred laps together as students watched.
• Minato returned from the Land of Wind, reassured Kushina that the front lines had stabilized, and walked with her through the village.
• Danzō speculated that Hiruzen might be grooming Minato as the next Hokage and ordered Root to watch Minato’s likely team, especially the Uchiha and Shisui.
• Danzō told his subordinate to strengthen contact with Hanzo of Amegakure as Konoha’s contest with the Sand Village continued.

Obito, Rin, and Kakashi began training as Team 7 under Minato, whose bell test pushed them to recognize the value of relying on one another. The chapter left the three Genin ready to try again as a team.

• Obito failed the shuriken exam repeatedly, while Guy earned permission to graduate through his determination and Obito barely graduated.
• Obito learned he, Rin, and the already-promoted Kakashi had been assigned to Team 7 under Minato.
• Minato explained that Kakashi needed to learn teamwork and that Obito and Rin had strengths he could learn from.
• During Minato's bell test, Obito protected Rin, and Rin treated him instead of pursuing the bells.
• Minato urged Kakashi to accept the support of companions, and Obito and Rin asked to try the test again together as Kakashi moved to support them.

Team 7 passed Minato's teamwork test and celebrated over barbecue as their bonds began to strengthen. Meanwhile, Uchiha Sou and Uchiha Madara planned to seize control of the Land of Water by manipulating the Third Mizukage, and Madara prepared to go there himself.

• Obito, Rin, and Kakashi coordinated their attacks to take Minato's bells, earning Team 7 a passing score.
• Minato treated Obito, Rin, and Kakashi to barbecue and encouraged them to value their companions and enjoy life beyond missions.
• Omoikane no Mikoto reported escalating conflict between Kirigakure and the Kekkei Genkai clans, with civil unrest in the Land of Water becoming increasingly likely.
• Uchiha Sou shared the intelligence with Uchiha Madara, who decided to personally infiltrate the Land of Water and control the Third Mizukage with his Rinnegan.
• Sou raised surveillance and resource priorities for the Land of Water and ordered the Sky Ninja and White Zetsu network to gather intelligence and prepare to assist Madara.

Uchiha Madara infiltrated Kirigakure and used the Human Path to strip Yuki Lan of his will, turning the Third Mizukage into a puppet. He ordered Yuki Lan to consolidate control, manipulate the clans, and prepare a brutal graduation exam, leaving Kirigakure’s future under Madara’s direction.

• Yuki Lan struggled to manage Kirigakure’s rival clans, the search for an Isobu Jinchuriki, and his concerns about Utakata and growing brutality in the village.
• Uchiha Madara appeared in Yuki Lan’s residence and immobilized him with the Rinnegan’s power.
• Madara used the Human Path to read Yuki Lan’s memories and uncover Kirigakure’s political divisions and the clans’ secret abuses.
• Madara made Yuki Lan his puppet and ordered him to gain control of the Anbu and Sealing Squad, inflame clan rivalries, and institutionalize a brutal graduation exam.
• Madara left Kirigakure undetected while the mind-controlled Yuki Lan returned to his duties under a concealed barrier.

As Iwagakure and Kumogakure prepared for war over the Land of Hot Water, Uchiha Sou watched the growing conflict from Angkor Fortress and ordered closer surveillance. The chapter left the nations’ forces mobilizing while Sou looked for ways to exploit the coming turmoil.

• Uchiha Madara left the Land of Water after the Third Mizukage began making covert changes to the Mist Village under his control.
• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure to reinforce its border patrols, prepare its demolition units, stockpile supplies, and monitor Konoha as clashes with Kumogakure increased.
• The Third Raikage ordered Kumogakure to keep provoking Iwagakure and secretly gather elite troops near the Land of Hot Water border.
• Omoikane no Mikoto reported that rising border clashes and military mobilization made a large-scale Iwagakure-Kumogakure war likely.
• Uchiha Sou ordered White Zetsu to intensify surveillance of the battlefield, Konoha's borders, and Sunagakure's movements.

Half a year after Uchiha Madara took control of the Mist Village, war between the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning destabilized the Ninja World as other villages weighed their choices. Team Minato grew closer through border missions, while Uchiha Sou watched the rising chaos and opportunity from Angkor Fortress.

• Cloud Village forces initially broke through Iwagakure defenses, but Ōnoki used the mountain terrain and Earth Style fortifications to force the war into a bloody stalemate.
• Shimura Danzō urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to profit from and secretly escalate the war, but Hiruzen refused and prioritized the Hidden Leaf Village's recovery.
• Hanzo rejected secret requests from Iwagakure and the Cloud Village, declared the Land of Rain neutral, and ordered tighter border security and surveillance of Akatsuki.
• Sunagakure's elders and young commanders disputed whether to intervene in the war, while Rasa gained support as a candidate for Fourth Kazekage.
• Minato and Team 7 captured Kusagakure spies hired by the Cloud Village, and Minato praised Obito, Rin, and Kakashi for their coordination and teamwork.
• Uchiha Sou observed the turmoil from Angkor Fortress as indicators of chaos and opportunity continued to rise.

The Third Raikage’s advance was halted when Ōnoki unleashed Rōshi and the Four-Tails, while tensions between Konoha and Sunagakure grew. Team Minato received an urgent rescue mission near Kikyō Mountain Fortress as Uchiha Sou observed the spreading chaos.

• Ōnoki sent Rōshi and the Four-Tails against the Cloud Village forces, inflicting heavy losses and stopping the Third Raikage’s advance.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected Shimura Danzō’s proposal to strike Sunagakure and ordered stronger defenses instead.
• Team Minato eliminated a Sunagakure reconnaissance squad, with Kakashi, Obito, and Rin working together.
• Minato assigned Team Minato to investigate a missing logistics transport near Kikyō Mountain Fortress and attempt a rescue.
• Uchiha Sou silently recorded the growing conflicts across the Ninja World.