Recaps

Kuro told Hashirama he needed time to draw out the Sage of Six Paths’ chakra and lent him Uchiha power to stall Madara. As Hashirama fought with a Susanoo-armored Giant Buddha, Madara repeatedly destroyed and the Buddha rapidly repaired, buying Kuro time while Madara wondered what he was planning.

• Kuro told Hashirama he might be able to contact the Sage of Six Paths but needed more time, and promised to lend Hashirama the power of the Uchiha.
• Madara restored his Long Halberd and decided to target Kuro, but noticed Hashirama’s Giant Buddha covered in Susanoo armor.
• Hashirama attacked Madara with the armored Buddha’s countless arms, while Madara destroyed them with his halberd and flames.
• Madara cut the Giant Buddha in half, but its severed waist rapidly healed and its Susanoo armor made it even stronger.
• Hashirama continued stalling Madara as the Buddha’s arms repeatedly shattered and regrew, silently hoping Kuro’s plan would succeed.

Kuro met Hagoromo Otsutsuki in his inner world and received the temporary Power of Six Paths after answering what kind of Ninja World he wanted to create. As Kuro prepared to return to the battle, Madara declared victory over Hashirama, only to hear Kuro speak from behind him.

• Minato told Sasuke that the Flying Thunder God Formation covering the island was complete, while they waited for Kuro to finish his transformation.
• Kuro met Hagoromo, who asked what he wanted the Ninja World to become after Madara was defeated.
• Kuro answered Hagoromo and awakened Six-Tomoe Rinnegan, gaining the temporary Power of Six Paths.
• Kuro told Sasuke and Minato that his new power was enough to face Madara, and set out for the battlefield.
• Madara held the immobilized Hashirama and declared that he had won, then asked where Kuro was.
• Kuro called out to Madara from behind him.

Kuro returned with Six Paths power and confronted Madara in the final battle, while Hashirama, Naruto, and Sasuke watched from behind. The two clashed across the island, unleashing attacks powerful enough to threaten its destruction.

• Kuro rescued Hashirama, removed the black rods from his body, and revealed his Six Tomoe Rinnegan to Madara.
• Kuro began the final battle and used spatial overlap to evade Madara's halberd, but Madara shattered his right hand before Kuro escaped with Flying Thunder God and healed.
• Madara deduced that Kuro planned to seal him by touching him with both hands, and argued that his close-range strength would prevent Kuro from doing so.
• Kuro entered Sage Mode and opened the Seventh Gate, combining Natural Energy with the Gate's power as Madara's excitement grew.
• Kuro and Madara exchanged blows at tremendous speed, their clashes carving craters and shaking the Land of Whirlpools Island.

Kuro struck Madara with nine Sage Art: Super Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken, but Madara survived and unleashed a deadly Eight Gates attack. Minato and Sasuke activated the Flying Thunder God Formation, transporting everyone away just before Madara’s Blood Dragon destroyed the island.

• Kuro and eight Shadow Clones launched nine Super Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken at Madara, devastating the coast and much of the island.
• Madara survived the attack, revealed that he was using the Gate of Death, and formed a Blood Dragon with his crimson steam.
• Madara sent the Blood Dragon toward Kuro, who used his Rinnegan to create layers of space as barriers.
• Hashirama steadied the breaking ground while Minato and Sasuke prepared and activated the Flying Thunder God Formation.
• The formation transported Madara, Kuro, Hashirama, Minato, and Sasuke away just before the Blood Dragon obliterated the island and sent tremors across the Ninja World.

At the Valley of the End, Madara believed Kuro and the others had run out of options, but Sasuke struck him with a combination of Amaterasu and his other Mangekyō technique, Enma. Madara was bound and unable to burn through his life force, as Sasuke prepared to pass judgment on him.

• Madara confronted Hashirama and Kuro at the Valley of the End, insisting they had already lost and revealing he intended to eliminate Kuro as the greatest threat to the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Hashirama warned Madara that pushing the Gate of Death beyond its limits would kill him, but Madara continued raising his power.
• Kuro admitted he lacked enough ocular power to keep Kuenebiko-no-Mikoto active, then called on Sasuke to attack Madara.
• Kuro used his remaining ocular power to restrict Madara's movement, allowing Sasuke to hit him with Amaterasu.
• Madara discovered the black flames were not ordinary Amaterasu because they stopped his life-force burn and bound his limbs.
• Sasuke revealed that Enma was his other ocular technique and declared that he would pass judgment on Madara.

Kuro nearly sealed Madara after Sasuke’s new ocular technique immobilized him, but Madara escaped with Izanagi. Kuro discovered that Obito had saved Madara and confronted the former ally, who quietly called him by name.

• Kuro realized Sasuke’s Enma technique had immobilized Madara and prevented him from using chakra or ocular techniques.
• Kuro touched Madara and began to use the Six Paths sealing technique, believing the battle was over.
• Madara vanished as Izanagi altered reality, revealing that someone had used the technique to save him.
• Kuro sensed three figures on a distant hill and recognized Obito among them by his dual Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Obito calmly looked at Kuro and spoke his name.

Kuro faced Madara, Obito, and a reincarnated Uchiha after Obito returned with Kakashi’s left eye, while learning that Obito’s forces had failed to capture the Jinchuriki. As Obito prepared to withdraw and Madara announced a coming Fourth Ninja World War, Minato called out to Obito from Naruto’s body.

• Kuro recognized that Obito had returned with Kakashi’s left eye and noticed the reincarnated Uchiha beside him.
• Madara questioned how Obito had found him, and Obito said he had come to save Madara from Kuro.
• Obito revealed that his team had failed to capture anyone in Inari City and that more than half their reincarnated fighters had been sealed.
• Madara admitted defeat and said they would withdraw before preparing for the Fourth Ninja World War.
• Obito began using Kamui to retreat with Madara and the reincarnated Uchiha, but Minato called his name from Naruto’s body.
• Obito recognized Minato’s familiar expression and asked, “Minato... Sensei?”

At the Valley of the End, Kuro and the others confronted Obito after Minato and Kushina appeared within Naruto’s body. Obito refused to change his course and retreated with Madara, leaving Kuro’s side aware that the decisive battle still lay ahead.

• Obito recognized Minato and credited Kuro with bringing him back, then threatened to kill them again to clear the way for his plan.
• Kushina, speaking through Naruto, condemned Obito’s plan and reminded him that Rin would never approve of what he had become.
• Obito insisted his actions came from his own will, while Kuro judged him beyond saving and prepared to use Magatsuhi God.
• Obito warned Kuro that his ocular power was overdrawn and that Izanagi could nullify an attack, so Kuro reluctantly stopped.
• Obito and Madara departed through a spatial vortex, and Kuro told the others that the battle was only beginning.

After the battle at High Heaven Palace, the surviving leaders regrouped among the ruins and tended to their wounded. Ōnoki proposed that the villages use Impure World Reincarnation to summon their fallen leaders and prepare to fight Uchiha Madara and the others.

• Karin led Guren, Hotaru, and the Land of Rice leaders through Inari City, where the residents remained unharmed indoors.
• Tobirama ordered Jiraiya and Gaara to help reinforce the seals binding the reincarnated Uchiha.
• Jiraiya and Might Guy comforted Kakashi as he blamed himself for losing his Sharingan and holding everyone back.
• A recalled how dangerous Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito had been, while medics struggled to save Chiyo.
• Ōnoki urged A to unite their forces and use Impure World Reincarnation against their enemies.
• Ōnoki proposed that Uchiha Kuro summon the Second Tsuchikage, and he called for A's father, the Third Raikage, to join the fight.

Ōnoki and Mei Terumi persuaded A to consider using Impure World Reincarnation to strengthen the fight against Uchiha Madara, and Kuro returned to the ruins with his allies. Tobirama then showed Kuro a scroll apparently made by Orochimaru, hinting at valuable intelligence for their next move.

• Ōnoki argued that the villages needed the strength of their dead predecessors to stop Uchiha Madara, despite A's concerns about the risks afterward.
• Mei Terumi supported Ōnoki's proposal and said the Mist Village would contribute powerful fighters, including the Second Mizukage.
• A agreed to discuss the plan with Kuro when he returned, recognizing that opposing Kuro was no longer practical.
• Kuro returned to the ruins with Sasuke, Naruto, and Hashirama, where Naruto and Sasuke rushed to Kakashi.
• Tobirama gave Kuro a scroll found on a reincarnated Uchiha and said it contained potentially important intelligence.
• Kuro recognized the scroll's style as Orochimaru's work.

Orochimaru reported that the Impure World Reincarnation forces were ready as Madara and Obito prepared for war against Kuro. At High Heaven Palace, Kuro arranged for the allied leaders to prepare their villages, and Tobirama asked what he thought of Orochimaru’s intelligence.

• Orochimaru studied the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path while Night City’s prisoners were killed after Mui’s death lifted their seals.
• Madara and Obito arrived, and Orochimaru said the Impure World Reincarnation fighters were ready to join the war using White Zetsu as sacrifices.
• Madara warned Orochimaru that his life was in Madara’s hands, then ordered him to show them his preparations.
• Kuro met with A, Ōnoki, Jiraiya, Mei Terumi, and the other leaders, promising Shadow Clone escorts and Flying Thunder God Formations to protect their villages.
• After the meeting, Tobirama asked Kuro what he thought of the intelligence Orochimaru had sent.

Kuro examined Orochimaru’s intelligence about the Uchiha ancestors and convinced Tobirama to prepare a counterplan, though he privately questioned the scroll’s message. He recognized the underlined revelation about the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path as a clue left by Uchiha Obito and wondered what Obito intended.

• Kuro read Orochimaru’s intelligence on the Uchiha ancestors and warned Tobirama that the ancient figures and their lost techniques could pose a serious threat.
• Tobirama questioned whether Madara had planted false intelligence, but Kuro insisted Orochimaru had sent it secretly as a token of allegiance.
• Tobirama agreed to develop a detailed plan based on the scroll, while Kuro hid his lingering concerns from him.
• After Tobirama left, Kuro focused on the emphasized claim that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was in Hozuki Castle’s underground laboratory.
• Kuro recognized the two underlines as Uchiha Obito’s habit and wondered what Obito was thinking.

Kuro puzzled over why Obito had secretly worked with Orochimaru and went for a late-night walk with Mei. She suggested Obito might share the same wish as everyone else: for Kuro to be happy.

• Kuro found Orochimaru's intelligence hidden in a resurrected Uchiha's armor and wondered why Obito had made a deal with Orochimaru behind Madara's back.
• Kuro decided to check on the laboratory, but found Mei waiting outside the conference room.
• Mei took Kuro's hand and invited him to walk through Inari City so he could talk about what was troubling him.
• Kuro told Mei about the intelligence and his confusion over Obito's actions, while she listened beside him.
• Mei told Kuro that Obito might feel as she and everyone else did, and said they all wanted him to be happy.

Kuro reviewed Tobirama’s plan to defeat Madara’s forces and become the Ten-Tails’ Jinchuriki, then proposed bringing Hashirama Senju back to hold Madara off. The chapter ended with Kuro declaring he would revive Hashirama completely.

• Tobirama finished a detailed battle plan, and Kuro arrived to review it with him.
• Kuro and Tobirama discussed dividing the Jinchuriki into three groups, using Orochimaru’s intelligence and Flying Thunder God to counter Madara’s forces, then gathering the Tailed Beasts at the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Tobirama warned that holding Madara back while Kuro absorbed the Ten-Tails could lead to deaths.
• Kuro said he had already chosen someone to handle Madara: Hashirama Senju.
• Tobirama objected that Hashirama could not fight Madara in his current state, and Kuro revealed he planned to bring Hashirama back completely.

Kuro explained his plan to revive Hashirama and strengthen him so he could hold off Madara. The chapter ended with Kuro revealing that Hashirama’s fallback would be to open the Eight Inner Gates and fight Madara while Madara had also opened them.

• Kuro told Tobirama he could use the Rinne Rebirth Technique to revive Hashirama without risking his life, thanks to chakra absorption and the Six Paths Yang Power stored in his Rinnegan.
• Hashirama reunited with Tsunade in the laboratory at High Heaven Palace, and the group gathered to hear Kuro’s plan.
• Kuro said Hashirama would be responsible for holding Madara off while Kuro and the others dealt with the enemy.
• Kuro proposed seeking help from the Three Great Sage Regions to strengthen Hashirama and obtaining the Enma Clan’s Adamantine Staff transformation as a safeguard.
• Kuro revealed that if the training plan failed, Hashirama would open the Eight Inner Gates and hold off Madara while Madara was also using the Eight Gates.

Kuro took Hashirama, Tobirama, Tsunade, and the others to Ryūchi Cave to seek help preparing for the crisis threatening the Ninja World. The White Snake Sage revealed that Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myoboku were ready, then led them toward Shikkotsu Forest.

• Hashirama agreed to Kuro's plan to revive him, open the Eight Inner Gates, and die again to help stop Uchiha Madara, despite Tsunade's distress.
• Kuro used the Reverse Summoning Technique to take the group from the laboratory to Ryūchi Cave.
• The White Snake Sage welcomed Kuro and his companions, then revealed that Orochimaru had told her they were coming.
• The White Snake Sage said Ryūchi Cave and Mount Myoboku were prepared, and that Toadmaru and the big slug were waiting.
• The White Snake Sage led the group toward Shikkotsu Forest, the Slug Clan's graveyard.

The White Snake Sage led Kuro and the others through Shikkotsu Forest, where she revealed that the forest was Slug’s true body and had once been the thriving slug sacred land Wet Bone Marsh. She explained that the God Tree first took root there, leaving the story with the origin of the land’s destruction still unfolding.

• Hashirama learned that Tsunade had found Shikkotsu Forest and made her contract with Slug herself, and he thanked her for fulfilling his childhood dream.
• Tsunade confronted Jiraiya after Hashirama revealed that Jiraiya and Orochimaru had speculated about how she made her contract, and Jiraiya’s excuses provoked her further.
• Kuro asked the White Snake Sage what she meant by calling Shikkotsu Forest a destroyed sacred land and the graveyard of the slugs.
• The White Snake Sage explained that Shikkotsu Forest was Slug’s true body and that it had once been Wet Bone Marsh, home to an intelligent people of slugs.
• The White Snake Sage said that Otsutsuki Kaguya brought the God Tree to the Ninja World and that it first took root in Wet Bone Marsh.

The White Snake Sage explained how the destroyed Wet Bone Marsh became Shikkotsu Forest, and Kuro realized Slug could help strengthen the resurrected First enough to fight Madara. The group arrived before the Great Toad Sage, who greeted Kuro as a miracle worker with the power to change the Ninja World.

• The White Snake Sage told Kuro that the God Tree had destroyed Wet Bone Marsh and its slug inhabitants a thousand years earlier.
• Kuro recalled that Ninja Sect descendants planted a God Tree branch in Wet Bone Marsh eight hundred years ago, and the White Snake Sage explained how its power helped the land become Shikkotsu Forest and the giant Slug.
• Kuro proposed combining the Sage Power of the Three Great Sage Regions with the God Tree's power inside Slug to strengthen the resurrected First against Madara.
• The group reached the Great Toad Sage, who recognized Jiraiya, Asura's reincarnation, and Kuro, whom he called a miracle worker.

Kuro used the Rinne Rebirth Technique to revive Hashirama, while the White Snake Sage and Great Toad Sage helped seal Slug’s true body inside him. Kuro took the unconscious Hashirama back to prepare for the battle with Madara, and the Great Toad Sage revealed that he had learned about Kuro from Hagoromo.

• The Great Toad Sage told Kuro he was a person of miracles and explained that his prophetic dreams had stopped about twenty years earlier.
• Kuro revived Hashirama with the Rinne Rebirth Technique as the White Snake Sage and Great Toad Sage poured their Senjutsu power into Slug’s true body.
• Kuro and the two sages sealed Slug’s empowered true body inside Hashirama, and Kuro caught everyone with Susanoo as the ground vanished beneath them.
• The Great Toad Sage said Hashirama would wake after adjusting to his new power, and Kuro took him away with the Flying Thunder God Technique to prepare for Madara’s final battle.
• The White Snake Sage asked why the Great Toad Sage had not spoken longer with Kuro, and he said Hagoromo had already told him what he wanted to know about the boy and his vision for the Ninja World.

Madara prepared to launch the final battle against Kuro and Hashirama, while Obito warned him not to underestimate Kuro. The chapter ended with Madara ordering the attack and Obito wondering whether Kuro was ready.

• Madara sat in Night City with Obito, the Kaneki Twins, Raiga Kurosuki, and resurrected Uchiha ancestors gathered before him.
• Obito reported that the White Zetsu in Rice City had gone missing and that Kumogakure had recovered the Third Raikage's remains for Impure World Reincarnation.
• Madara dismissed Kumogakure's preparations and declared that Kuro and Hashirama were challenging him, while Obito warned that Kuro would be difficult to defeat.
• Obito said Orochimaru was finishing the White Zetsu army's enhancement with Hashirama Cells, and Madara ordered him to prepare for the final battle.
• Madara summoned a Long Halberd and shattered his throne with a burst of pressure before Obito wondered whether Kuro had made his preparations.

Kuro prepared for Madara’s expected attack by assigning Otsutsuki Kou and Otsutsuki Ori to Tobirama’s team. He then told Hashirama he would forge him a weapon using Eternal World and a God Tree branch.

• Hashirama praised his new outfit, and he and Kuro joked until Tobirama demanded they take the coming battle seriously.
• Kuro revealed Otsutsuki Kou and Otsutsuki Ori, reincarnations of Indra and Asura, and assigned them to Tobirama’s team.
• Kuro told Tobirama that Madara and his forces would probably attack the next day, so Tobirama led the two elders to join the others.
• Otsutsuki Kou asked Kuro whether he had mastered the sword and ocular technique, and Kuro confirmed that he had.
• Kuro told Hashirama he would use Eternal World and a God Tree branch to make him a weapon.

Fifteen years ago in Konoha, Kuro left to meet his assigned guiding jonin after saying goodbye to Obito. He met Uchiha Ryuichi at the training ground, unaware that White Zetsu had just buried the real Ryuichi’s corpse nearby.

• Kuro reassured the sentimental Obito, joked with him, and set off for the training ground.
• Obito wished Kuro luck and promised to graduate soon so he could join him on missions; Kuro gave him a thumbs-up without turning around.
• Kuro met a stern man at the training ground who introduced himself as Uchiha Ryuichi and said Kuro could call him the Guiding Jonin.
• The man challenged Kuro to prove his ability, while Kuro accepted him as his assigned guiding jonin and followed him into the training ground.
• Two White Zetsu dragged the real Uchiha Ryuichi’s corpse underground and concealed it.

Madara led more than ten thousand White Zetsu toward a vast alliance of ninja from the six great nations, whose leaders traded jokes and arguments before battle. As the armies faced off, Madara noticed that Kuro and several others were missing and demanded to know where Kuro was.

• Madara and Obito led the White Zetsu army toward the allied forces gathered at the Land of Rice border.
• The allied army assembled under Kakashi, Darui, Kimimaro, Guren, and other commanders, while Natsuhiboshi led the air force and Deidara commanded the Explosion Corps.
• Hozuki Gengetsu provoked Mu, and Ōnoki tried to stop their quarrel while Deidara mocked him from his clay bird.
• Killer B pitched a Kumogakure notebook to the bewildered Third Raikage, prompting A to rush over in alarm.
• Madara exchanged remarks with Hashirama about his outfit, then asked why Kuro and several other expected fighters were absent.

Obito told Rin, Anko, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai that Kuro was at the cemetery after his mission, where Kuro mourned two fallen teammates. Kuro confronted his teacher, "Ryuichi," and asked why he had let them die.

• Rin and her friends arrived at Obito's home with gifts, hoping to visit Kuro.
• Kurenai explained that Asuma had heard Kuro returned from his mission, and Obito warned them that Kuro was not exactly safe.
• Kuro stood at the Konoha cemetery before two Memorial Stones, leaving fresh flowers for the dead.
• "Ryuichi" criticized Kuro for mourning teammates he had known only briefly.
• Kuro asked whether "Ryuichi" could have saved Kichitaro and Yoshiko and why he had stood by while they died.

Hashirama and Madara recognized that Kuro had made Hashirama strong enough to face Madara as an equal, and they eagerly began their battle. As they clashed, Obito and the commanders on both sides sent their forces into combat, officially beginning the Fourth Shinobi World War.

• Madara charged toward Gaara to check whether Kuro was with the Allied Shinobi Forces, but he retreated when Hashirama's Giant Bell fell from the sky.
• Madara realized Hashirama had gained greater Wood Release, sage power, and the power of the God Tree, and celebrated the chance to fight him as an equal.
• Hashirama agreed that he was eager to fight Madara, and the two clashed with Madara's Long Halberd and Hashirama's golden Wood Dragon.
• Obito ordered the White Zetsu army and the resurrected Uchiha to attack while Jiraiya and Tobirama sent the Allied Shinobi Forces forward.
• Kakashi, Darui, Kimimaro, Guren, and the other elite ninja led their teams into battle as the Fourth Shinobi World War began.