Chapter Summaries

Queen Sara awakened and revealed a way to calm the Dragon Vein, giving Minato and the others a chance to destroy Mukade’s control core. Meanwhile, Sou assigned Zhi Li to lead his organization and entered the Dragon Vein to attempt to awaken the Rinnegan.

• Queen Sara explained that she could soothe the Dragon Vein while Minato protected her and Kakashi, Choza, Shibi, and Yamato attacked Mukade’s main control core, with Naruto creating an opening.
• Queen Sara began chanting to calm the Dragon Vein as the group prepared to carry out the plan.
• Sou told his followers that Mukade’s consciousness would eventually reform and announced he would enter the Dragon Vein to pursue the Rinnegan, leaving Zhi Li in charge.
• Sou assigned his followers missions involving Angkor Fortress, ancient energy sites, Kekkei Genkai research, Akatsuki, and recruiting or protecting potential allies.
• Sou entered a space-time vortex and arrived at the Dragon Vein’s core, where his attempt to awaken the Rinnegan began.

Minato discovered that Naruto was his future son and reunited with him before helping defend the queen from Mukade. Minato and Naruto defeated Mukade with the Taiji Rasengan, but Mukade's final words suggested the Dragon Vein had anchored the coordinates of space-time.

• Minato recognized his future self's chakra and seal in Naruto and realized Naruto was his son.
• Minato embraced Naruto and reinforced the protective seal on his abdomen as Mukade attacked the passage.
• Shibi, Choza, Yamato, Kakashi, and Naruto's Shadow Clones worked together to defend the queen and strike Mukade's core, but Mukade revealed the core was a trap.
• Minato and Naruto merged their Yin and Yang Chakra to form the Taiji Rasengan and pierced Mukade's core, purifying the Dragon Vein energy.
• Mukade dissolved into the earth's veins, warning that the Dragon Vein had remembered the moment and anchored the space-time coordinates.

After Naruto and Minato defeated Mukade, they said an emotional farewell and sealed their memories of meeting to avoid changing the future, leaving matching Chakra marks behind. Minato returned to his own time with only a lingering urge to protect someone, while Naruto returned to Konoha strengthened by a warm feeling of being loved; Mukade's consciousness began to revive, and Uchiha Sou appeared from a spacetime ripple.

• Queen Sara confirmed that the Dragon Vein had calmed after Mukade's defeat, and Naruto embraced Minato as they confronted the truth of their relationship.
• Minato explained that they had to seal their memories of meeting, gave Naruto a Heart's Guide, and asked him not to tell his future self about the encounter.
• Naruto and Minato exchanged Chakra marks before Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato entered the spacetime passage back to Konoha.
• Minato completed the Dragon Vein seal in Rōran, then traveled toward Konoha with his team while struggling to remember the meeting and deciding to spend more time in the village.
• Naruto returned to the underground factory with a warm feeling of being loved, but Mukade's lingering consciousness began to revive and Uchiha Sou emerged from a spacetime ripple.

Uchiha Sou used the Dragon Vein’s time-space energy, Gelel life force, Madara’s chakra, and the power of causality to begin transforming his Mangekyō Sharingan into a Rinnegan. He sealed himself in a cocoon to complete the long transformation, while Hagoromo and Isshiki sensed the disturbance and marked the unknown power as a potential threat.

• Uchiha Sou activated his Dragon Vein Sage Mode and used Gelel energy and Madara’s Rinnegan chakra to restore his body and awaken his bloodline’s potential.
• Sou revisited the causal anchors he had woven throughout his life, reclaiming power from events involving Madara, Izuna, Kagami, Nagato, Obito, and others.
• Sou harvested the power of those causal threads and fused perfect Hashirama Cells and Yin–Yang Release origin into his body and eyes.
• Sou began evolving his Mangekyō toward the Rinnegan, then formed a time-altering Dragon Vein cocoon to incubate the transformation until a predetermined trigger awakened him.
• Hagoromo sensed Sou’s unusual power in the Pure Land and recorded it as an unknown variable.
• Jigen sensed the same fluctuation, recognized it as a potential threat to Isshiki’s resurrection plan, and resolved to hurry his search for a vessel.

Uchiha Sou awakened his Rinnegan in the Dragon Vein and discovered that the eyes imposed a slight burden on his human body. After masking that burden with causality manipulation, he used his bond with Angkor Fortress to return there.

• Uchiha Sou emerged from the violet cocoon as his awakening pressure disrupted the Dragon Vein currents.
• Sou examined his new Rinnegan and sensed that its power was slightly out of harmony with his body.
• Sou used causality manipulation to disguise the Rinnegan's burden as a normal effect of adapting within the Dragon Vein.
• Sou traced his causal connection to Angkor Fortress and shifted his existence along it.
• Sou vanished from the Dragon Vein and headed back toward the fortress above the Land of Wind.

Ten years after Lord Cang entered his slumber, Uchiha Jiri oversaw Angkor Fortress and ordered heightened surveillance of Akatsuki and suspicious bounty activity. A mysterious black-robed figure suddenly appeared in the council chamber.

• Jiri denied Dr. Hiruko access to meteorfall alloy and approved continued monitoring of Kirigakure.
• Kagami and Sakumo reported Akatsuki's rapid expansion, suspected Uchiha Obito's involvement, and unusual bounties targeting people with rare constitutions.
• Jiri raised Akatsuki's surveillance priority and ordered the bounty investigation kept covert and classified as possibly related to ancient threats.
• Jingfan confirmed the fortress defenses were stable, while Jiri again denied Dr. Hiruko's request for a conversation about the alloy.
• A black-robed figure appeared in the council chamber, filling Jiri, Hikari, Kagami, and Sakumo with instinctive awe.

Uchiha Sou returned to Cloudpeak Fortress after ten years and used his Causality Vision to assess the Ninja World and subtly adjust key causal threads. He issued covert preparations for the Uchiha crisis as the fortress readied itself for the coming conflict.

• Uchiha Sou appeared in the council chamber, and Zhi Li, Kagami, Sakumo, and Light knelt to welcome him back.
• Sou used Causality Vision to survey the Ninja World and the fortress, then praised Zhi Li's work over the past ten years.
• Kagami reported that Konoha's Uchiha conflict was worsening, with Itachi Uchiha under pressure and Shimura Danzō active.
• Sou subtly altered causal connections involving his subordinates, Konoha's leadership, Nagato, and a force connected to unusual bounties.
• Sou ordered Kagami and Sakumo to begin the secret Uchiha Change contingency, while assigning new directives to Zhi Li and Light.

Jiri oversaw preparations for secret Uchiha safehouses as increasingly precise rumors spread in Konoha, while Sou detected connected disturbances across the Ninja World. The chapter ended with Jiri ordered to monitor Itachi’s next solo mission and any chance of meeting Obito, as she noticed another faint sign of strain in Sou.

• Jiri reviewed Shadow Shuttle’s progress establishing three safehouses and ordered the operatives to prioritize secrecy and personnel safety.
• Mirror reported that rumors of a total Uchiha purge had escalated, prompting Jiri to investigate the Uchiha Hawks’ contacts.
• Nagato woke from a dream of Yahiko with a slight wavering in his resolve to secure peace through overwhelming pain.
• A black-robed figure spotted a fresh secret mark near a special-constitution bounty notice in the Land of Grass and hurried to warn his associates.
• Sou connected the Konoha rumors, Nagato’s dream, and the mark in the Land of Grass, then ordered Jiri to track Itachi’s next solo mission and possible contact with Obito.
• Jiri noticed Sou’s finger twitch briefly as he issued the order, deepening her concern about the hidden strain behind his calm.

Shisui and Itachi struggled to find a peaceful way through the growing rift between the Uchiha clan and Konoha as the clan’s tensions escalated. Danzō’s warning deepened Itachi’s despair, while an unseen observer watched the Uchiha and their looming crisis.

• By the Naka River, Shisui considered using Kotoamatsukami to curb the Uchiha radicals or Danzō, but questioned whether manipulating them was right.
• Itachi told Shisui that Uchiha Yashiro and the Hawks were preparing an ultimatum to the Hokage, while Shisui urged Itachi to protect himself and Sasuke.
• At the Uchiha training ground, Sasuke practiced the Great Fireball Technique with Izumi and wished to grow strong enough to help Itachi, while Fugaku watched and considered taking a clearer position.
• After an Anbu mission monitoring Uchiha women, Itachi was confronted by Danzō, who accused him of omitting intelligence about the Hawks and Shisui and warned that sacrifices might be necessary to preserve the village.
• That night, a figure with pale violet Rinnegan watched Shisui, Itachi, and Sasuke as the threads of Causality tightened around them.

Itachi accepted a dangerous reconnaissance mission to investigate Dream-Devouring Forest, while Uchiha Sou and Obito independently arranged to monitor him and the forest. After saying goodbye to Shisui, Itachi set out for the border, unaware that multiple forces were watching his journey.

• Hiruzen assigned Itachi a fifteen-day mission to investigate disappearances and possible spatial anomalies in Dream-Devouring Forest, and Itachi accepted.
• Sou identified Itachi's mission as entangled with a murky causal disturbance and ordered covert surveillance and a standby extraction team.
• Obito sent Zetsu to observe Itachi and investigate the forest for space-time anomalies and powerful Chakra reactions.
• Itachi checked his gear and said goodbye to Shisui at the Naka River.
• Itachi transformed into crows and flew toward Dream-Devouring Forest.

Itachi Uchiha investigated the Dream-Devouring Forest and found a sinkhole emitting purple mist that distorted space, time, and Chakra. After a strange white creature offered answers about the Uchiha’s fate, Itachi chose to follow its directions into the unknown.

• Itachi entered the Dream-Devouring Forest, where strange whispers and illusions disrupted his senses and Chakra perception.
• Itachi found signs of missing people and followed a trace of cold, malicious Chakra deeper into the forest.
• Itachi discovered a mist-shrouded sinkhole surrounded by the remains of missing villagers and wandering ninja, and glimpsed visions of a God Tree and a battle.
• A white creature emerged from a tree and said that someone wanted to meet Itachi and could reveal truths about the Uchiha and grant him power.
• Itachi weighed the danger of the sinkhole against the creature’s offer, then headed in the direction it had indicated.

Itachi followed a strange trail to an ancient ruin, where a masked man calling himself Madara revealed knowledge of the Uchiha’s troubles and hinted at a third path. Itachi returned to the forest unsettled, while Obito and Uchiha Sou watched the consequences of their encounter begin to unfold.

• Itachi followed the white creature’s lingering Chakra through the forest and found an ancient ruin sealed by roots.
• A masked Uchiha met Itachi inside the ruin, identified himself as Madara, and warned him about the clan’s danger and Konoha’s leaders.
• Madara urged Itachi to remember the meeting and suggested he might offer another path to protect what mattered to him.
• Madara vanished, and Itachi sensed a sealed space behind the wall before leaving to report the forest anomaly without mentioning the masked man.
• Obito removed his disguise in the sealed space and reflected on the seed he had planted in Itachi.
• Uchiha Sou observed a spike in the Causality reading and remarked that Obito’s plan was not clever enough.

Itachi returned from the Dream-Devouring Forest and reported its dangerous anomalies to Hiruzen while concealing his meeting with Obito. At Angkor Fortress, Sou’s team analyzed the encounter and began subtle preparations to influence the coming Uchiha crisis.

• Itachi returned to Konoha, submitted a detailed report on the forest, and left out his contact with the masked man.
• Danzō ordered Root to monitor Itachi and investigate the forest’s residual samples.
• Hiruzen praised Itachi’s report and ordered an assessment of the forest, which might be declared a forbidden zone.
• Itachi left the Hokage Building and headed toward the Naka River, considering whether to seek advice from Shisui.
• Kagami and Sakumo reported that Obito had subtly influenced Itachi, while Sou noted the growing pressure in Konoha and ordered preparations for Uchiha evacuations and surveillance.
• Sou directed Jiri to adjust the timing of information reaching key Uchiha figures and ordered stronger monitoring of Obito and analysis of the forest ruins.

Itachi met Shisui by the Naka River, where Shisui described the growing hostility between the Uchiha and the village and admitted he did not know how to prevent the conflict. Itachi left carrying thoughts of a dangerous alternative path as the fractures between the clan and village continued to deepen.

• Itachi found Shisui sitting alone by the Naka River, visibly exhausted by the worsening tension between the Uchiha and the village.
• Shisui told Itachi that Fugaku’s meeting with the clan’s jonin had grown hostile, with Yashiro and others demanding a stronger response and renewed defensive measures.
• Itachi reported that Anbu reconnaissance around the Uchiha compound had increased and that mission reports described potential threats in harsher terms.
• Shisui feared that growing distrust would push the clan and village toward inevitable violence, and he admitted he did not know what he would do if matters reached their worst.
• Shisui urged Itachi to keep hoping for a way forward before they parted, while Itachi remained behind thinking about the masked man’s dangerous alternative path.

Fugaku struggled to balance peaceful negotiations with preparations to protect the Uchiha clan as tensions with Konoha grew. After Sasuke’s innocent praise made him question his ability to protect his family and clan, Fugaku was left facing an increasingly urgent choice.

• Fugaku reviewed clan reports and an unfinished proposal to ease tensions with Konoha after facing anger and doubt from Uchiha jonin.
• Sasuke proudly showed Fugaku his Chakra control progress and asked whether his work was as important as the Hokage’s.
• Sasuke said Fugaku protected the clan like the Hokage protected the village, deepening Fugaku’s doubts about whether he could keep his people safe.
• Mikoto comforted Fugaku as he confessed his fears about the clan’s future and his sons’ childhoods.
• Fugaku weighed a proposal for peaceful communication against plans to strengthen the compound’s defenses, knowing the clan and Konoha’s leaders were running out of patience.

Itachi and Shisui struggled with the choices and mounting pressure surrounding the Uchiha clan, while Uchiha Sou’s team monitored the brewing crisis from Angkor Fortress. The observers prepared for the coming conflict without intervening directly in Shisui’s decision.

• Itachi retreated to a secret woodland hideout and considered investigating the masked man, the Dream-Devouring Forest, and Danzō as he sought a way to protect Sasuke and break the deadlock.
• Shisui recalled Danzō’s warning and weighed the risks of using Kotoamatsukami against the danger of letting the Uchiha crisis worsen.
• At Angkor Fortress, Uchiha Jiri, Kagami, and Sakumo reported rising instability in Shisui’s, Fugaku’s, Itachi’s, and Konoha’s causality lines.
• Uchiha Sou ordered his team to monitor Danzō, possible contact between Obito and the Uchiha, and the Dream-Devouring Forest, while refusing to interfere directly in Shisui’s choice.
• The fortress expanded its surveillance as Uchiha Sou anticipated the storm gathering around Konoha.

Sasuke trained with Shisui, unaware of the turmoil troubling the Uchiha clan, while Shisui noticed that Itachi seemed to have made a grave decision. The chapter ended with Shisui fearing he had lost sight of the path Itachi was taking.

• Sasuke practiced throwing kunai and told Shisui he wanted to become strong enough to help Itachi.
• Shisui taught Sasuke to coat wooden shuriken evenly with Chakra and adjust its properties as he threw it.
• Sasuke asked whether Itachi was tired, and Shisui reassured him that Itachi could handle his missions.
• Itachi returned to the compound, and Shisui saw a resolute, unusually cold look in his eyes.
• Shisui worried that Itachi was following a dangerous path, then turned back to encourage Sasuke as his shuriken improved.

Uchiha Jiri carried out subtle Causality adjustments to influence how information reached Konoha and the Uchiha, including Itachi, while Uchiha Sou supervised. The operation appeared successful, and Sou left Jiri with a warning to understand the limits of interference before the coming storm.

• Uchiha Jiri boosted the chance that Uchiha Chunin would notice a report about casualties in recent border frictions with the Cloud Village.
• Jiri arranged staggered leaks of a Root operative’s complaint for Uchiha Inabi, Uchiha Yashiro, and Clan Head Fugaku Uchiha.
• Jiri slightly increased the chance that Itachi Uchiha would encounter sensitive information and reduced provocative background noise around him.
• Jiri reported that all Causality fine-tuning commands had succeeded without abnormal feedback, and Sou asked how the work felt.
• Sou told Jiri that manipulating fate was a trial meant to teach her the boundaries of interference and prepare her for the coming storm.

Shisui confronted the warnings surrounding Kotoamatsukami and the dilemma of using it to avert a crisis. As he reached for a mysterious purple crystal, Itachi appeared and caught him with the ancient scrolls and relic exposed.

• Shisui entered a hidden cellar behind Naka Shrine and retrieved ancient Uchiha scrolls and a sealed metal box.
• Shisui read warnings about Mangekyō powers altering wills, destroying souls, and driving their users to ruin.
• Shisui weighed using Kotoamatsukami to prevent conflict against the danger of manipulating others and worsening the crisis.
• Shisui opened the box and reached toward a strange purple energy-crystal fragment, hoping it might offer another way forward.
• Itachi appeared in the cellar and stared at Shisui, the scrolls, and the exposed fragment.

Itachi confronted Shisui in the hidden cellar after secretly tracking him and revealed he had known about the refuge for years. Their argument over Shisui’s search for forbidden power and Itachi’s own concealed intentions left their trust badly damaged.

• Itachi said he had followed Shisui from the clan grounds and had secretly discovered the cellar three years earlier.
• Itachi questioned Shisui about the ancient scrolls, the purple fragment, and whether he was seeking a dangerous shortcut to avert disaster.
• Shisui insisted he had only been searching for a way to avoid the worst outcome, though he admitted he did not understand the fragment.
• Itachi challenged Shisui’s explanation and accused him of deceiving himself about his motives.
• Shisui asked whether Itachi was also secretly pursuing his own plan, and Itachi’s silence deepened Shisui’s suspicions.