Chapter Summaries

As Moryo’s rampage spread through the Land of Demons and the Land of Swamps, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha began mobilizing in response. Taiichi was identified as a nearby shinobi who could help buy time, while Zetsu sent Kakuzu, Hiruko, and Blood Crow to intensify the chaos and feed Moryo.

• Taiichi frightened Jiangtai with his spirit-body technique, then promised to train him against his fear during their journey to the Land of Demons.
• After the Kira Squad reported that Moryo had destroyed the Land of Swamps and killed its captain, Ōnoki ordered border troops into the Land of Demons and a thousand shinobi assembled as reinforcements.
• Rasa recalled Sunagakure’s border troops from the Land of Rivers and forwarded the intelligence to Konoha, which received the report before the Land of Demons’ plea for aid arrived.
• Minato and Hiruzen Sarutobi discussed Moryo’s threat, and Minato realized Taiichi was in the neighboring Land of Bears and could help delay the disaster.
• Kakuzu, Hiruko, and Blood Crow joined Zetsu in the Land of Swamps, where Black Zetsu ordered them to spread killing and panic to nourish Moryo and hinder incoming forces.
• The four left to create chaos as Moryo destroyed a village, grew larger, and spawned more Puppet Soldiers.

Jiangtai overcame his fear of the night by mastering stable Sage Mode, while Taiichi and his team reached the Land of Demons to reinforce the Shrine Maiden. Taiichi found Miroku badly injured after an assassination attempt and offered to treat her.

• During night travel, Taiichi used his spirit body to frighten Jiangtai, who repeatedly screamed while Yami and Itachi counted the outbursts.
• Jiangtai used Sage Mode to see Taiichi's spirit body, then stabilized the form and arrived with golden light shining in his eyes.
• Jiangtai told Yami and Itachi how fear had pushed him to master Sage Mode, and the four rested before continuing toward the Land of Demons.
• Taiichi reached the Shrine Maiden Palace with the Nine-Tails, met Kitsuchi, and learned that the Land of Demons' guards and Rock Ninja were under severe strain.
• Taiichi met Shrine Maiden Miroku, recognized that she was seriously injured, and offered to examine and heal her.

Taiichi examined the Shrine Maiden and discovered that the Evil God's power was worsening her injury, linking the crisis to Akatsuki and Blood Crow. After temporarily easing her pain, he left the Nine-Tails to guard her and departed with Kitsuchi for the front line.

• Taiichi questioned Miroku and Kitsuchi about Moryo's advances, and Miroku explained that the Ghost Legion could not be stopped by ordinary means and that ninja were sabotaging defenses.
• Taiichi warned Miroku and Kitsuchi that Kakuzu and Blood Crow of Akatsuki might have helped Moryo escape its seal, provoking a furious reaction from Kitsuchi.
• Taiichi examined Miroku and identified Evil God power in her wound, then used his chakra to suppress it and reduce her pain until his original body could arrive.
• Taiichi revealed that his companion was the Nine-Tails and left him with Miroku for protection; Miroku recognized the beast but accepted his help.
• Kitsuchi agreed to guide Taiichi to the front line, and the two left the palace while the Nine-Tails remained to guard Miroku.

Taiichi assessed the exhausted defenses at the canyon and promised Konoha reinforcements before flying into the Ghost Legion to locate Moryo. At the Shrine Maiden Palace, Miroku discovered her daughter playing with the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, whose eyes suddenly turned savage.

• Taiichi saw the Rock Ninja and Land of Demons soldiers struggling to hold back the regenerating Ghost Legion, while Kitsuchi explained that Moryo had evaded their previous assault.
• Taiichi told the defenders that Konoha's reinforcements might arrive in five days, raising their spirits, and Kitsuchi reorganized the exhausted troops to keep the line intact.
• Taiichi formed Chakra wings and flew alone into the enemy ranks to find Moryo and investigate possible Akatsuki involvement.
• At the Shrine Maiden Palace, Miroku found her daughter playing atop the small Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.
• The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox opened his eyes with a savage expression as Miroku prepared to take her daughter away.

Yomi, a Land of Demons Jonin serving Moryo, infiltrated the Shrine Maiden Palace to kill Miroku, but Nine-Tails stopped his first attack. After Yomi drank Moryo’s chakra medicine and transformed into a powerful monster, he overwhelmed the exhausted Nine-Tails clone, leaving its fate uncertain.

• Nine-Tails sensed Yomi approaching Miroku and struck him through the palace hall before he could attack her.
• Yomi’s wounds rapidly healed, and he revealed his allegiance to Moryo and his mission to kill Miroku.
• Yomi drank a bottle of condensed chakra, transformed into a six-armed monster, and fought Nine-Tails as the palace collapsed.
• Miroku sent the Land of Demons ninjas to support Nine-Tails, but the clone weakened as its chakra ran low.
• Yomi knocked Nine-Tails through several trees and swung his claws toward its head as the clone struggled to recover.

Taiichi reached the Shrine Maiden Palace as Yomi attacked Miroku and Shion, defeated the transformed follower of Moryo, and healed Miroku. After learning the front line was in danger, he left a Shadow Clone to defend the palace and set out with his disciples for the battle.

• Taiichi and his disciples saw wealthy people and civilians fleeing the Land of Demons and hurried toward the Shrine Maiden Palace.
• Itachi spotted the main hall collapsing, so Taiichi teleported to Nine-Tails while his Shadow Clone stayed with his disciples.
• Taiichi arrived as Yomi attacked, then used the Chakra Light Blade, Flying Thunder God Technique, and Crumbling Fist to kill him.
• Miroku thanked Taiichi, who healed her wounds and asked her for the latest account of the fighting.
• Taiichi left a Shadow Clone to organize the palace defenses and departed with his disciples for the front line.

Taiichi’s Shadow Clone discovered that Moryo and its Ghost Legion threatened the Ninja World, then saved the Gorge Defense Line by unleashing a devastating Sage Art. After Taiichi briefed his disciples on the threat, Itachi asked to join the front line.

• Taiichi’s Shadow Clone found Moryo commanding Clay Puppets and Resentful Spirits, and learned that Akatsuki had promised to help Moryo escape its seal in exchange for restraining the Five Great Nations.
• The Ghost Legion and Resentful Spirits overwhelmed the Gorge Defense Line, and Kitsuchi struggled to hold the defenders together.
• Taiichi’s Shadow Clone entered Sage Mode and burned through the enemy army with a vast wave of Senjutsu flames, then dispersed after exhausting its chakra.
• Kitsuchi rallied the defenders to counterattack and destroy the remaining puppets as morale surged.
• Taiichi briefed his disciples on Moryo and the battle, and Itachi asked to fight on the front line.

Taiichi reported Moryo’s strength and the threat posed by Akatsuki to Kitsuchi and the Iwagakure Jonin, who decided to launch a strike against Moryo. The twenty-person team departed at night with Taiichi in command, leaving Kitsuchi to defend the line.

• Taiichi sent Itachi, Jiangtai, and Yami to the third defense zone with Akaiwa, then secretly followed them with a Shadow Clone for protection.
• Taiichi told Kitsuchi and the Iwagakure Jonin that Moryo was in the Land of Swamps, could create Ghost Legion creatures, and possessed power comparable to the complete Nine-Tails.
• Ishikawa urged the group to attack Moryo, and Taiichi agreed to lead an elite team while warning that killing or sealing Moryo would be far more difficult than reaching it.
• Kitsuchi ordered a twenty-person Strike Force to depart at midnight, with Taiichi as commander and Ishikawa as deputy commander.
• After preparing for the mission, Taiichi and the Strike Force left the camp at night while Kitsuchi remained to defend the line.

Taiichi led an assault squad into the Land of Demons but was caught in Moryo’s trap and forced to retreat to the frontline camp. After treating the wounded and supporting new scouting missions, he joined Kitsuchi and Ishikawa to study intelligence showing that the Ghost Legion operated within a defined boundary around Moryo.

• Taiichi’s squad infiltrated the Land of Swamps, fought through Ghost Legion patrols, and discovered a force of thousands waiting to ambush them near Moryo.
• Taiichi regrouped with Ishikawa’s survivors and used a Sage Art fire barrier and combined fire-and-wind techniques to lead the battered squad into retreat.
• Taiichi returned to the frontline Camp on the third day, where Kitsuchi learned that Moryo had anticipated the assault and prepared a trap.
• Taiichi treated wounded soldiers and civilians, helping lower the defense line’s mortality rate and improve morale.
• Ishikawa presented scouting reports showing that Ghost Legion activity diminished outward from Moryo and stopped at a clear boundary.

The Allied Shinobi Forces gathered at the Land of Demons frontline and debated how to defeat Moryo. They approved a second decapitation operation, leaving the Land of Demons official’s plea to use the Shrine Maiden’s sealing power unheeded for now.

• Taiichi and the commanders concluded that the Ghost Legion’s movements were limited to roughly 120 kilometers from Moryo, making the canyon pass vital to containing it.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with two thousand Konoha troops, followed by Chiyo and Sunagakure’s forces, Dodai and Kumogakure’s troops, Karatachi Yagura and Kirigakure’s forces, and reinforcements from smaller villages.
• The Five Great Nations’ representatives argued over command until they agreed that Hiruzen Sarutobi would lead the Allied Forces with a joint general staff overseeing major decisions.
• Taiichi argued that the Allies should attack Moryo to test whether it could truly be killed, and Hiruzen Sarutobi secured approval for a second decapitation operation with Taiichi as the main attacker.
• A Land of Demons official urged the Allies to have the injured Shrine Maiden seal Moryo, but Hiruzen Sarutobi kept the attack plan in place and told him the proposal would be considered.

Taiichi and the Allied Forces prepared a thousand-member Strike Force while Hiruzen Sarutobi rallied shinobi from across the Ninja World for a coordinated attack on Moryo. The battle began with a massive assault on the Ghost Legion, and Itachi, Jiangtai, and Yami fought together on the front lines.

• Taiichi told Itachi, Yami, and Jiangtai that they would join the Feinting Force, while their recent battles had helped Jiangtai master Sage Mode, Yami develop Chakra Enhanced Strength, and Itachi awaken his Sharingan.
• The Allied Forces spent three days preparing, gathering one thousand elite shinobi for the Strike Force and organizing a main-force feint.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi rallied the gathered shinobi and ordered the Strike Force to attack Moryo while the main force launched a frontal assault on the Ghost Legion.
• More than seven thousand Allied Forces shinobi attacked in formation with Fire Style, Lightning Style, and Earth Style techniques, damaging and slowing the Ghost Legion.
• Itachi, Jiangtai, and Yami fought together at the front, and Itachi used his Sharingan to evade a Rock Golem's blade and kick it back through several puppets.

The Allied Shinobi Forces drew Moryo’s attention with a frontal advance while Taiichi led a thousand-shinobi Assault Force through the Ghost Legion to reach it. The Assault Force held back the surrounding enemies as Taiichi activated his seal and Sage Mode, then vanished to begin the fight against Moryo.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the Allied Shinobi Forces to advance, and their coordinated assault seized the canyon and drew Moryo’s attention.
• Taiichi led the Assault Force toward the Land of Swamps, routing Ghost Legion units until the group reached Moryo’s territory.
• Taiichi ordered Chiyo, Kitsuchi, Dodai, and Kakashi to hold off the Ghost Legion while he charged Moryo, and the Assault Force followed in an Arrowhead Formation.
• Taiichi cleared a path through the Ghost Legion with his Chakra Light Sword and Wind Style: Vacuum Continuous Waves, allowing the Assault Force to break through to Moryo.
• Chiyo and the other leaders arranged the Assault Force into a defensive line behind Taiichi while he faced Moryo alone.
• Taiichi released the Rhombus Mark’s chakra, activated Sage Mode, and vanished toward Moryo.

Taiichi defeated Moryo’s physical body, but the demon’s Negative Energy continued to dissipate and the Ghost Legion kept attacking. With the Assault Force suffering casualties and Moryo poised to be reborn, Taiichi faced a decision about whether to hold their position or retreat.

• Taiichi fought Moryo, cutting down its dragon heads while the Assault Force held off the Ghost Legion.
• Moryo’s corpse began dissolving into Negative Energy, and its remaining heads warned that its defeat was not final.
• The Assault Force relaxed after Moryo fell, allowing the Ghost Legion to break through their defenses and kill three ninja.
• Taiichi joined the defensive line, cleared a swath of Ghost Legion with a powerful slash, and explained that Moryo’s essence would be reborn.
• Kitsuchi, Chiyo, Dodai, and Kakashi gathered with Taiichi to discuss sealing Moryo or locating its revival site as the Assault Force faced an endless attack.
• Taiichi weighed the risks of holding or retreating, then began giving his decision: “Stay—”

Taiichi led the exhausted Assault Force through Moryo’s rebirth and launched a second attack, cutting down four of its five heads so the Sealing Unit could begin binding it. As the sealing chains tightened, Moryo regained his senses and threatened to return.

• Taiichi ordered the force to hold the line for an hour while his Shadow Clones searched in four directions for Moryo after its rebirth.
• Moryo’s corpse vanished, and the Ghost Legion briefly stopped before resuming its attack; when Moryo began reforming, Taiichi led the Assault Force into a second charge.
• Taiichi overwhelmed Moryo with Sage Art fire and wind attacks, severed four of its five heads, and weakened its remaining body until it collapsed.
• Taiichi ordered the Sealing Unit to use the Separation Sealing Jutsu, binding Moryo in chains formed from twenty scrolls and preparing to divide it among them.
• Moryo regained his reason during the sealing and warned the humans that he would return.

Taiichi and the allied ninja forces held off the Ghost Legion while searching for Moryo, then fought to weaken him enough for the sealing unit to act. The separation seal bound Moryo in chains, but he regained his clarity and warned that he would return.

• Taiichi sent four shadow clones to search for Moryo while Kitsuchi organized the exhausted forces into rotating defensive groups.
• Moryo's corpse disappeared and the Ghost Legion briefly stopped, but Moryo soon re-formed at the horizon and Taiichi led the assault force toward him.
• Taiichi used Sage Art fire and wind techniques to burn Moryo, then cut off four of his five dragon heads and weakened his body.
• The sealing unit surrounded the fallen Moryo and used twenty scrolls to bind and divide him with the Separation Sealing Jutsu.
• Moryo regained his clarity during the sealing and warned the ninjas that he would return.

Moryo escaped Taiichi’s sealing attempt by dissolving into Negative Energy and revived farther into the Land of Demons, forcing Taiichi to withdraw his exhausted Assault Force. As the force returned to report, Black Zetsu explained that only the Shrine Maiden’s lineage could stop Moryo’s final-stage escape and worried that the Allied Forces and Taichi Matsushita threatened Akatsuki’s plans.

• Moryo transformed into purplish-black liquid, burst apart, and escaped the sealing chains by merging with the land.
• Taiichi learned that Moryo had revived less than fifty kilometers from the Allied Forces and ordered the Assault Force to retreat because its sealing chances were low and another failure could endanger the defensive line.
• Taiichi explained to Kitsuchi and the others that Moryo’s repeated revivals could carry him closer to the Allied Forces, so the mission had failed and they needed to report back.
• Zetsu, Kakuzu, Hiruko, and Blood Crow reviewed the battle through White Zetsu’s transmitted vision, and Black Zetsu said the Shrine Maiden’s lineage could suppress Moryo’s final-stage escape.
• Black Zetsu left the cave concerned that the Allied Forces’ cooperation and Taichi Matsushita’s strength could disrupt Akatsuki’s plans.

As Moryo advanced on the Allied Forces, Black Zetsu persuaded it to join his plan while Chiyo and Dodai led a squad against human traitors. When their retreat was cut off, Hiruzen Sarutobi brought the elite reserve force to rescue them, leaving the Allied Forces poised to face Moryo without Taiichi or the Shrine Maiden.

• Moryo gathered the Ghost Legion and headed toward the battlefield, while Black Zetsu convinced it to join his plan and sign a scroll.
• Chiyo and Dodai led a twenty-person squad into the canyon to eliminate human traitors ambushing Allied Forces formations.
• Moryo was reported one hour from the front lines, so Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Chiyo and Dodai to withdraw and prepared the reserve force to delay it.
• Chiyo and Dodai's squad was surrounded by the Ghost Legion and traitors, and suffered casualties as it fought its way back.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi led the five-hundred-person reserve force into the canyon, where Taiichi's black staff cleared a path for the trapped squad.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and the blocking force fought Moryo and the Ghost Legion, but mounting casualties and Enma’s injury left them unable to stop Moryo from reaching the canyon. Taiichi arrived with Miroku, ordered the Allied Shinobi Forces to launch an all-out attack, and prepared to lead the charge through the canyon.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kitsuchi, Karatachi Yagura, Chiyo, Dodai, and the blocking force attacked Moryo and cleared waves of the Ghost Legion, but Moryo broke free and the ninjas suffered heavy casualties.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the force to harass Moryo and delay its advance, then led a final push that drove Moryo back toward the canyon.
• Moryo struck Enma with corrosive energy, leaving the blocking force without its most effective weapon as Moryo entered the canyon.
• Taiichi flew to the front with Miroku and the Nine-Tails after Miroku agreed to travel by air, arriving at the camp in two hours.
• Mimura Hamaki briefed Taiichi on the crisis, and Taiichi used his authority as the highest-ranking commander to order an all-out attack and assign the Nine-Tails to protect Miroku.

Taiichi defeated Moryo and Shrine Maiden Miroku began sealing him, but an unseen enemy detonated a Curse Mark inside her and badly wounded her. Miroku continued the ritual as the Allied Shinobi Forces watched, while Akatsuki members monitored the battlefield from an underground cavern.

• Taiichi lured Moryo away from the canyon entrance and fought him while Mimura Hamaki led the Allied Forces through to join Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other troops.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others met Miroku, confirmed she could begin sealing Moryo, and escorted her toward the battlefield.
• Taiichi knocked Moryo unconscious with a barrage of punches, and Miroku began absorbing him into a Talisman Formation.
• Moryo awoke and struggled against the formation, but its suppressive force held him as the Allied Forces cheered.
• A hidden Curse Mark inside Miroku detonated and injured her, yet she continued the sealing while Taiichi said the formation prevented anyone outside from helping.
• In an underground cavern, Hiruko asked the other Akatsuki members who had planted the Curse Mark on Miroku.

Black Zetsu separated Moryo’s soul from its body during the sealing, allowing the Allied Forces to stop the Ghost Legion while Moryo escaped in a White Zetsu body. After Miroku explained the danger and the army celebrated its victory, Moryo joined forces with Obito’s group to seek revenge on Taiichi Matsushita.

• Black Zetsu summoned Moryo’s soul into a White Zetsu body and escaped with Kakuzu, Blood Crow, and Hiruko as the sealing ended.
• Taiichi Matsushita caught the collapsing Miroku and treated her while Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the Allied Forces to search for the attackers.
• Miroku told the assembled ninjas that Moryo’s body had been sealed but its soul had escaped, and explained that it could regain limited power by possessing another body.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi declared the battle a victory, and the Allied Forces cheered after learning that Moryo’s power source had been contained.
• At Akatsuki’s base, Obito and Black Zetsu persuaded Moryo to accept its White Zetsu body and join them in seeking revenge on Taiichi Matsushita.
• Taiichi escorted Miroku and the sealing formation to the frontline Camp, where the Allied Forces still had to discuss Moryo’s sealed body and compensation for the Land of Demons.