Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Madara faced the First Raikage’s devastating lightning attack with a new combination of Fire Style and Yin Release. Their clash overwhelmed the battlefield, and the First Raikage struggled to withstand Madara’s counterattack.

• The First Raikage brought down a massive purple lightning strike on Uchiha Madara.
• Madara countered with Fire Style: Wrath of the Fire God and Yin Release: Destructive Lightning Wave, merging them into Fury Lightning Wave.
• The collision’s shockwave devastated the Kumogakure shinobi capturing the Eight-Tails, while Leinuo and the Kinkaku and Ginkaku brothers survived by using defensive ninjutsu.
• The Eight-Tails curled into a ball and was pushed backward by the shockwave.
• The First Raikage’s lightning cloak neared its limit as Madara’s attack pressed against him, while Madara breathed heavily from the technique’s cost.

The First Raikage nearly fell to Uchiha Madara, but Leinuo and two armed young shinobi intervened before Madara could land the finishing blow. They revealed that the Eight-Tails had been sealed inside the Amber Purifying Pot, and Ginkaku challenged Madara with the Six Paths Ninja Tools.

• The First Raikage used Lightning Style: Lightning Self-Explosion to escape the blast above Thunder Valley, but suffered severe burns and exhaustion.
• Madara prepared to kill the First Raikage with Fire Style: Sword of Kagutsuchi after overpowering his lightning attack.
• A stranger's Lightning Style: Heavenly Lightning Slash struck Madara's flaming sword, giving the First Raikage time to retreat.
• Leinuo arrived with Kinkaku and Ginkaku, and Madara drove back a fierce wind unleashed by Kinkaku's Bashosen.
• Leinuo told the First Raikage that the Eight-Tails had been sealed inside the Amber Purifying Pot.
• Kinkaku mocked the First Raikage, while Ginkaku challenged Madara to face the Six Paths Ninja Tools.

Uchiha Madara fought the First Raikage, Leinuo, Ginkaku, and Kinkaku while conserving his dwindling chakra and stamina. The Kumogakure shinobi sealed Madara’s most-used word in the Benihisago, leaving him trapped in a dangerous fight as he assessed his options.

• Uchiha Madara dodged Ginkaku’s Seven-Star Sword strike and kicked him away.
• Kinkaku attacked Madara with the Kohaku no Johei and Bashosen, but Madara evaded his attacks and countered with Fire Style ninjutsu.
• The First Raikage and Leinuo interrupted Madara’s attack on Kinkaku, forcing Madara to retreat from their lightning strikes.
• Kinkaku’s Kohaku no Johei touched Madara, and the Benihisago sealed his most-used Spirit Word, “weakling.”
• Ginkaku explained that the Benihisago would absorb Madara if he said the sealed word or if enough time passed.
• Madara assessed the four Kumogakure shinobi and his depleted strength as he prepared a battle plan.

Uchiha Madara fought the First Raikage, Leinuo, Kinkaku, and Ginkaku, then escaped their sealing attempt by using a Shadow Clone. He stole the Amber Purifying Pot containing the Eight-Tails, and the First Raikage ordered Kumogakure’s shinobi to block his escape.

• The First Raikage taunted Madara and directed the four Kumogakure warriors to attack while Ginkaku prepared the Benihisago.
• Madara dodged Kinkaku’s Bashosen and used a Sharingan genjutsu on Leinuo, then tricked the First Raikage’s strike with the Substitution Technique.
• The four warriors surrounded Madara, and Ginkaku used the Benihisago to pull what appeared to be Madara inside.
• Madara revealed that the sealed figure had been a Shadow Clone and covered the battlefield with heated dust.
• Madara escaped with the Amber Purifying Pot containing the Eight-Tails while the four warriors struggled to clear the dust.
• The First Raikage ordered every Kumogakure shinobi to establish a blockade and stop Madara from escaping.

As Konoha's leaders worried over Uchiha Madara's failure to return from the Land of Lightning, Shin and Senju Hashirama decided to go there together if he remained missing. In Kumogakure, the First Raikage learned Madara was still trapped in the encirclement and ordered the pursuit intensified.

• The leaders returned to Konoha with the captured Tailed Beasts, and the Aburame Clan Head explained that the group capturing the Three-Tails had clashed with the Yuki Clan and needed reinforcements.
• Senju Hashirama assured Konoha's villagers that the sealed Tailed Beasts were under control.
• Shin warned Senju Hashirama that Uchiha Madara had not reported back from the Land of Lightning, and they suspected Kumogakure was involved.
• Senju Hashirama agreed to travel with Shin to the Land of Lightning if Madara had not returned by the next day.
• Leinuo reported that Madara remained inside the first encirclement, while Kinkaku and Ginkaku pursued him and the Benihisago's seal had two days left.
• The First Raikage ordered medals for the fallen ninja and intensified the pursuit of Uchiha Madara.

Uchiha Madara hid in Kumogakure while recovering from his injuries and holding onto the heavy Amber Purifying Pot. As Kinkaku and Ginkaku prepared to evacuate the village’s ninja, Madara planned to unleash a distraction, while the First Raikage secretly surrounded the village to kill him.

• Uchiha Madara learned from the Chunin he controlled that Kumogakure was still searching for him under Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s command.
• Madara decided to keep the Amber Purifying Pot rather than abandon it, despite his injuries and dwindling hiding places.
• The First Raikage ordered a search of every house after concluding Madara must be hiding in the village.
• Kinkaku and Ginkaku assured the First Raikage that the Benihisago’s Spirit Word would capture Madara, and they gathered Kumogakure’s ninja for evacuation.
• Madara watched the gathering ninja and vowed to give Kumogakure a grand gift by letting them get the Eight-Tails.
• The First Raikage secretly positioned Kumogakure’s forces around the village, determined to kill Madara.

Uchiha Madara unleashed the Eight-Tails on Kumogakure and joined the rampage, turning the village into a battlefield. The First Raikage and Cloud ninja tried to stop him, but Madara and the Eight-Tails overwhelmed them as the destruction continued.

• Uchiha Madara released the Eight-Tails from the Amber Purifying Pot while the Cloud ninja searched the village for him.
• Uchiha Madara ordered the Eight-Tails to fire a barrage of Tailed Beast Balls, devastating Kumogakure and targeting the gathered Cloud ninja.
• The First Raikage attacked Madara, but the Eight-Tails struck him underground and kept him on the defensive with a storm of tentacles.
• Uchiha Madara changed his plan and attacked the Cloud ninja with fire techniques as they countered with lightning.
• Leinuo charged Madara, who dodged his attack, kicked him down, and began cutting through the Cloud ninja with a stolen sword.

Madara rampaged through Kumogakure while fighting Ginkaku, Kinkaku, the Eight-Tails, and the First Raikage. The First Raikage ordered weaker shinobi to flee, but Madara launched a Tailed Beast Bomb at them before nine Peak Jonin deflected it, and an unseen voice answered the Raikage’s threat as the chapter ended.

• Madara killed Kumogakure shinobi and kicked Ginkaku away, while exposing his knowledge of the Benihisago’s Spirit Word trap.
• Kinkaku used the Bashosen’s five-nature attack, but Madara dodged it and the blast tore through Kumogakure’s own forces.
• The First Raikage fought the Eight-Tails, but Madara interrupted his Lightning Style attack and battled him with Taijutsu.
• The First Raikage ordered shinobi below Elite Jonin to flee, and Madara commanded the Eight-Tails to fire a Tailed Beast Bomb at them.
• Nine Peak Jonin deflected the Tailed Beast Bomb with layered lightning barriers, and an unseen speaker replied to the Raikage’s threat before invoking Wood Style: Tree World Emergence.

Senju Hashirama and Shin arrived in Kumogakure after Madara failed to capture the Eight-Tails alone. Shin challenged the First Raikage’s claim to the beast, leaving the two sides on the verge of a fight.

• Hashirama and Shin used Wood Style: Tree World Emergence to overwhelm Kumogakure and trap many Cloud shinobi.
• Hashirama identified himself to the First Raikage, while Shin noticed that Madara could no longer use Susanoo.
• Shin explained that he and Hashirama had come because Madara had not returned from capturing the Eight-Tails.
• The First Raikage accused Konoha of trespassing in the Land of Lightning and trying to take the Eight-Tails without permission.
• Shin dismissed the Raikage’s claim and threatened the Cloud shinobi, while Leinuo warned the Raikage that fighting could destroy Kumogakure.

Senju Hashirama tried to negotiate with the First Raikage over the Eight-Tails, but Shin attacked after Kumogakure refused to surrender it. Shin and the Raikage exchanged powerful blows, and the Raikage ordered his forces to attack.

• Senju Hashirama proposed sealing the Eight-Tails for peace, but the First Raikage insisted Kumogakure had the right to keep it.
• Uchiha Madara insulted Kumogakure, prompting the First Raikage to confirm that the village had evacuated its civilians and prepared its elite forces to fight.
• The First Raikage declared that Kumogakure would keep the Eight-Tails and threatened to stop Konoha from leaving.
• Shin used Flying Thunder God to attack the First Raikage with a Rasenshuriken, but the Raikage blocked it with his Lightning Cloak and counterattacked.
• Shin evaded the Raikage’s punch by reappearing atop the Eight-Tails, and the First Raikage recognized his space-time abilities before ordering his forces to attack.

Shin, Hashirama, and Madara fought Kumogakure’s forces after the First Raikage’s men attacked. The chapter ended with the First Raikage facing the Three Gods’ immense forms and realizing the true scale of their power.

• The First Raikage ordered Kumogakure’s experts to attack, and nine members of the Thundercloud Unit unleashed a combined Lightning Style technique at Shin.
• Shin used an Amaterasu-infused phantom sword slash that overwhelmed the lightning attacks and engulfed the nine peak Jonin in black flames.
• The First Raikage attacked Shin with Purple Lightning Explosion, but Hashirama blocked it with a Wood Dragon.
• Shin urged Hashirama and Madara to finish the battle quickly, and they summoned their giant Wood Human and Susanoo forms alongside the Eight-Tails.
• The First Raikage recoiled before the three colossi and recognized them as the real Three Gods.

Shin unleashed a devastating Susanoo strike against Kumogakure, while Hashirama insisted that the village not be destroyed. The First Raikage survived the attack but was left gravely wounded, and most of Kumogakure lay in ruins.

• Shin threatened to destroy Kumogakure, but Hashirama urged him not to go against Konoha’s ideals.
• Shin agreed to spare the village if it survived one strike, then brought the Complete Body Susanoo’s sword down on Kumogakure.
• The First Raikage used his ultimate Lightning Style technique and charged into the sword energy to shield his people.
• Kinkaku and Ginkaku considered waiting to see whether the Raikage survived before making their move for power.
• The First Raikage redirected the remaining sword energy into the sky, but the blast destroyed two-thirds of Kumogakure and left him collapsing in a pool of blood.

Shin, Senju Hashirama, and Uchiha Madara left Kumogakure after Shin defeated the First Raikage and devastated the village. They returned to Konoha with the Eight-Tails, while Hashirama began planning a peaceful response to Kumogakure.

• Leinuo found the First Raikage apparently breathless after Shin's attack, but the Raikage soon coughed up blood and showed signs of life, thwarting Kinkaku's planned coup.
• Shin, Senju Hashirama, and Uchiha Madara departed Kumogakure on the Eight-Tails without anyone daring to stop them.
• Shin criticized Hashirama for sparing Kumogakure, while Hashirama argued that destroying the village would reignite war and cause more deaths.
• Uchiha Madara said Hashirama's approach would not bring true peace, and Shin used the Flying Thunder God to take the group back to Konoha.
• The Uzumaki Clan sealed the Eight-Tails in the mountain behind Konoha, bringing the number of captured tailed beasts to six.
• Hashirama convened a meeting to discuss diplomacy with Kumogakure, while Shin and Madara stayed away.

After returning to Konoha, Shin saw Mito complete a powerful but chakra-intensive barrier and checked on Madara, who was trying to preserve his combat strength without eyesight. Madara revealed he had been developing a way to use Susanoo even if he became blind in both eyes, but had not yet explained whether he had succeeded.

• Shin returned home with Madara and worried that the Land of Lightning had affected him deeply.
• Hashirama sent the Nara Clan Head and a delegation to Kumogakure to assess the village and repair relations.
• Mito completed the Eight-Flame Light Crystal Barrier, which could automatically reflect attacks but required an enormous amount of chakra.
• Shin visited Madara and learned that resentment over Konoha's easy victory had unsettled him, though Madara said he could manage it.
• Madara told Shin he was seeking a way to use Susanoo even if he lost sight in both eyes.

Shin and Madara discussed Madara’s theory that Susanoo could be formed through sufficiently powerful Yin Release, then debated whether Konoha’s peace was real. Madara admitted he had no solution and rejected the Infinite Tsukuyomi, leaving Shin poised to reveal a secret plan for true peace.

• Madara explained his theory that Susanoo was an advanced application of Yin Release and might be usable without the Mangekyo.
• Shin asked Madara what he planned to do now that Konoha had been established and the village was at peace.
• Madara argued that Konoha’s peace was an illusion while people schemed and other countries remained at war.
• Madara said the altered Infinite Tsukuyomi could not achieve true peace and that he did not want to trap everyone in an illusion.
• Shin asked Madara to promise secrecy, then began revealing that he had a plan for true peace.

Shin laid out his ambitious plan for lasting peace, but Madara remained undecided and held on to hope for Konoha. Meanwhile, the injured First Raikage warned Leinuo to accept Konoha’s diplomatic overture and bide his time until Kumogakure could grow stronger.

• Madara told Shin he could not yet judge the plan but would pursue peace with all his strength.
• Shin left Madara, and Konoha continued its peaceful routine while Madara stayed secluded and Hashirama handled village business.
• Kumogakure rebuilt after Shin’s destruction, while the badly injured First Raikage relied on Leinuo to help manage the village.
• Leinuo reported Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s unusual behavior and told the First Raikage that Konoha had sent an apology and planned a diplomatic visit.
• Leinuo urged the First Raikage to detain Konoha’s delegation and demand compensation, but the Raikage rebuked him and ordered him to accept Konoha’s goodwill while Kumogakure waited for a chance to become stronger.

Kumogakure accepted Konoha’s offer of friendly relations after Mū’s attack, while relief supplies helped the damaged village rebuild. As the other great nations established their hidden villages and Konoha entered its fourth year, Tobirama returned from prison and Mū’s organization continued its work.

• The First Raikage instructed Leinuo to accept Hashirama’s goodwill, and the Nara Clan Head led Konoha’s delegation to Kumogakure, where both sides agreed to friendly relations.
• The Nara Clan Head delivered Konoha’s relief supplies to Kumogakure and then reported the successful mission to Hashirama.
• Iwagakure and Kirigakure were established, Konoha captured the Seven-Tails and Four-Tails, and Retto founded Sunagakure before the year ended.
• Mū visited the Ninja Academy to teach two classes, and Konoha’s third year ended as the era of the Five Great Villages began.
• Tobirama returned to the Senju Clan after his release from prison, while Mū’s Akatsuki expanded its intelligence network but made no progress with the Tenseigan research.

Shin explained to Hyuga Tamamo that he was building the Akatsuki with a long-term purpose beyond Konoha. At the Akatsuki’s northern base, Akabane Koromo pressed Elder Shui to make progress on the Tenseigan transplant experiments, and Elder Shui proposed a new test.

• Shin asked Hyuga Tamamo about the Anbu’s development, and she reported that it had strong surveillance in Konoha but limited reach elsewhere compared with the Akatsuki.
• Hyuga Tamamo questioned why Shin needed the Akatsuki, and Shin said he was planning for changes beyond the village and its era.
• At the Akatsuki’s northern base, Elder Shui’s team began the eighty-ninth Tenseigan transplant experiment on Otsutsuki Hufu.
• Akabane Koromo arrived and heard that the experiments had not made the Tenseigan and Otsutsuki Hufu fuse despite more than two years of work.
• Elder Shui proposed stimulating Otsutsuki Hufu’s cellular activity with chakra after the transplant to study his response.

Otsutsuki Hufu and the Tenseigan showed signs of renewed life during an experiment, prompting Akabane Koromo to halt further tests until Shin could be present. Shin learned of the discovery and considered visiting the base, while tensions between Konoha and the other villages continued to simmer.

• Medical ninja stimulated Otsutsuki Hufu with chakra, causing his cells to react and energy to gather in the Tenseigan.
• Akabane Koromo recognized the danger and ordered the experiment stopped; the Tenseigan absorbed the remaining chakra, and its eyes retained a faint sign of activity.
• Akabane Koromo stored the Tenseigan and suspended experiments involving its implantation into Subject One until Shin was present.
• Shin deciphered Akabane Koromo's message and decided he would need to visit the base carefully.
• The other four nations' villages resented Konoha's capture of the Tailed Beasts but stayed silent because of Konoha's strength and their own recent founding.

Leinuo told the First Raikage that the Nine-Tails would reform soon, prompting him to plan its capture to strengthen Kumogakure against Konoha. In Konoha, Mito asked Shin why they had not had a child, and he realized that none of the women in his life had become pregnant.

• Leinuo reported that the Nine-Tails would reform within a month, with the Land of Iron as its likeliest location.
• The First Raikage ordered Kinkaku and Ginkaku to capture the Nine-Tails and use the Amber Purifying Pot to seal it.
• Mito playfully beat Shin at Gomoku, and the two kissed.
• Mito told Shin that her cousin Suiling seemed pregnant and asked whether they should have a child.
• Shin wondered why Mito, Akabane Koromo, and the maid had never become pregnant.