Chapter Summaries

Kou and Mei Terumi spoke privately about Mist Village and the deception that had kept him away. Mei told him she had come to take him home and proposed getting to know the real Uchiha Kou anew.

• Karin left the meeting room after Kou refused to give her another chance, leaving him alone with Mei Terumi.
• Kou asked whether everyone in Mist Village was well, and Mei said they were but had been downcast because of him.
• Mei asked whether she was speaking to the leader of the Land of Rice or to Uchiha Kou, and he answered that he was Uchiha Kou.
• Mei touched Kou's face and told him she had come to take him home, but Kou argued that Mist Village could not accept him after learning he had deceived them.
• Mei said they could only come to know him by spending time with him and asked to get to know the real Uchiha Kou, introducing herself as Mei Terumi of Mist Village.

Mei Terumi offered to accept Kou and get to know him as his real self, and Kou finally took her hand. She showed him letters from people in Mist Village, who wanted him to know that they still considered it his home and would await his return.

• Mei Terumi extended her hand to Kou and asked to get to know him again, despite his deception.
• Kou clasped Mei Terumi’s hand and warned her that the real him might disappoint her, but she reassured him.
• Kou asked Mei Terumi how everyone in Mist Village was doing, and she placed a thick scroll on the table.
• Kou opened the scroll and was buried beneath a flood of letters from Mist Village.
• Kou read letters from villagers and people he knew, all expressing that Mist Village was his home and they would wait for his return.

Kou found acceptance and a home with Mei Terumi and the Mist Village as he read Shin's letters. Elsewhere, Obito killed Hiruko, assigned Orochimaru to continue the Chimera Technique research, and prepared to test the experiment’s final result.

• Kou thanked Mei Terumi and the Mist Village for standing by him, and Mei assured him they would remain at his side regardless of his identity.
• Karin listened outside the conference room and left happily, glad that Kou had finally found a home.
• Obito confronted Hiruko over secretly adding a curse mark to the Chimera Technique formula and killed him when he denied it.
• Orochimaru arrived, and Obito gave him Hiruko's laboratory and ordered him to continue the unfinished research.
• Obito said the experiment was ready for its final test and departed through a spatial vortex, while Orochimaru wondered whether Uchiha Kou would topple or be stopped by the coming storm.

Raiga Kurosuki and Black Zetsu searched Cloud-Thunder Valley for Uchiha remains, while Raiga noticed that Black Zetsu seemed to know exactly where to go. Black Zetsu found a hidden cavern of Uchiha coffins, but Uchiha Obito appeared before it could take one.

• Raiga Kurosuki questioned whether Cloud-Thunder Valley still held anything worth finding, and Black Zetsu insisted they keep their search secret from Konoha and Uchiha Kou.
• Raiga Kurosuki used Ranmaru's Red Eye to watch Black Zetsu move underground along a direct route toward a specific location.
• Black Zetsu entered a concealed cavern where it had stored the coffins of Uchiha ancestors centuries earlier.
• Black Zetsu decided to take only two coffins at first so Obito would not become suspicious.
• Uchiha Obito emerged from the darkness behind Black Zetsu, surprising it before it could open a coffin.

Obito confronted Black Zetsu in an ancient cavern and revealed how he had uncovered the hidden history behind the Eye of the Moon Plan. The chapter ended with a Susanoo wielding the Totsuka Blade emerging from Kamui, and Black Zetsu recognizing Uchiha Madara.

• Obito questioned Black Zetsu about the cavern and dismissed its claim that the site was an accidental discovery.
• Obito described how unexplained events had repeatedly prevented the Uchiha and Senju from making peace, suggesting someone had manipulated their conflict.
• Obito explained that he had investigated the erased history, the stone tablet, and the true purpose of the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Obito opened a Kamui vortex and pierced Black Zetsu with the Totsuka Blade, stopping it from escaping underground.
• Black Zetsu recognized the chakra and Susanoo as Uchiha Madara emerged from the Kamui vortex.

Uchiha Madara appeared alive and restored to youth, and he and Obito confronted Black Zetsu after trapping it with the Totsuka Blade. Madara began explaining how he had eventually questioned the Eye of the Moon Plan, leaving Black Zetsu demanding to know how they uncovered its scheme.

• Obito used his left eye to summon a colossal Susanoo that pinned Black Zetsu with the Totsuka Blade.
• Madara revealed himself inside the Susanoo, and Black Zetsu realized he was alive and possessed a Rinnegan.
• Madara accused Black Zetsu of manipulating the Uchiha-Senju conflict and altering the Sage of Six Paths' Stone Tablet, while Obito silently recalled how he had cared for Madara.
• Black Zetsu demanded to know when Madara and Obito had discovered its existence and questioned the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Madara recounted how the altered tablet had once seemed to offer him a path forward, and said later circumstances had led him to reconsider it.

Madara revealed that he had reconsidered the Eye of the Moon Plan and that Uchiha Kou had been central to exposing Black Zetsu. As Black Zetsu was pulled into the Totsuka Blade’s gourd, Madara began explaining the true beginning of his scheme.

• Obito challenged Madara’s claims about his careful planning and reminded him of Kou’s advice about unfamiliar paths.
• Madara and Obito exchanged barbs before Madara resumed sealing Black Zetsu with the Totsuka Blade.
• Madara told Black Zetsu that his investigation began when he searched the Uchiha clan for candidates to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Black Zetsu realized Uchiha Kou had been meant to force it to expose itself and asked whether Obito had let Kou grow stronger on Madara’s orders.
• Madara confirmed that he had made Kou an unexpected variable to distract Black Zetsu while he investigated hidden history, then said he would explain the true beginning.

Madara explained that Uchiha Kou’s clear-eyed approach to his limitations and his success in changing the Uchiha clan and Konoha gradually shook Madara’s faith in the Eye of the Moon Plan. Black Zetsu realized Kou had changed Madara’s outlook, while a discarded side story showed how Madara first began watching Kou and Obito.

• Madara recalled choosing Obito over Kou as a successor because Kou seemed ordinary in talent and difficult to control.
• Madara said Kou’s self-awareness and deliberate use of the Uchiha clan’s resources let him grow and achieve what Madara had not: changing the clan and Konoha’s attitude toward it.
• Madara revealed that Kou’s actions and words had raised doubts about the Eye of the Moon Plan, though they had not initially been enough to overturn his conviction.
• Black Zetsu connected Kou’s influence to Madara’s growing doubts and angrily cried out Kou’s name.
• In the discarded side story, Kou and Obito helped an elderly woman, then assisted an old man on the street; Madara observed them and decided to keep watching both boys.

Madara explained how Uchiha Kou’s influence led him to question the Eye of the Moon Plan and investigate its origins. After discovering the Sage of Six Paths’ ideals and recovering hidden history, Madara revealed that Black Zetsu had manipulated the Ninja World for a thousand years to make him carry out the plan.

• Madara said Uchiha Kou’s changes to the Uchiha and Konoha made him reconsider his past and wonder how Kou had succeeded where he had failed.
• Madara revealed that he had questioned the stone tablet and secretly searched for others who knew its secrets and for traces left by the Sage of Six Paths.
• Madara admitted that his Shadow Clone, which watched Kou and Obito, had also carried out his investigation while he remained unable to move freely.
• Madara said he had discovered the Sage’s true ideals through the Ninja Sect and used them, along with recovered history, to investigate the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Madara accused Black Zetsu of provoking the Uchiha-Senju conflict and manipulating events for a thousand years to create a pawn who could enact the Eye of the Moon Plan.

Madara and Obito revealed how Black Zetsu’s failures to recognize Madara’s code phrases exposed it as the hidden mastermind. Black Zetsu was sealed by the Totsuka Blade, while Obito showed no reaction to its claim about Rin’s death.

• Madara explained that he first mistook Black Zetsu for a creation of his Yin–Yang Release and changed his escape plan to use Obito’s Kamui Dimension.
• Madara and Obito described how Black Zetsu ignored three code phrases and how they used Kou as a distraction while investigating it.
• Black Zetsu begged Obito to save it by promising to reveal the truth behind Rin Nohara’s death, but Obito remained unmoved.
• Madara revealed that Obito already knew the truth about Rin’s death and had vented his anger by killing Madara repeatedly in an illusion space.
• Madara used the Totsuka Blade to drag Black Zetsu into the gourd and seal it.

Madara and Obito discussed recovering Konan and the remaining Rinnegan, then revealed plans to use Impure World Reincarnation and Orochimaru to advance the New Moon Eye Plan. The chapter ended with Madara proposing to create powerful weapons using White Zetsu as vessels.

• Madara dismissed the idea that everything was over and asked Obito for news of Konan and the Rinnegan she had taken.
• Obito reported that searches had found no trace of Konan, though Kou's forces were also looking for her and had not obtained the eye.
• Madara blamed Obito for failing to recover both Rinnegan, and Obito defended his actions by explaining how he had secured Nagato's left eye.
• Madara proposed reviving Nagato and Yahiko with Impure World Reincarnation to draw Konan out of hiding.
• Obito questioned whether Orochimaru would cooperate with improving the Eye of the Moon Plan, and Madara said he had prepared a backup plan.
• Madara revealed that he intended to use Orochimaru's Modified Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu to create powerful weapons with White Zetsu as vessels.

Obito warned Madara that Kou’s abilities made him a dangerous opponent, but Madara revealed his overwhelming strength and promised not to kill Kou. Obito reflected that Madara’s rejuvenated body, Zero-Tails, and Eight Gates made victory seem certain, though he still looked forward to seeing Kou’s next miracle.

• Obito listed Kou’s Mangekyō abilities and other techniques, warning Madara not to underestimate him.
• Madara unleashed his black chakra, demonstrating a power that forced Obito to become intangible, then dismissed Obito’s warning about Kou.
• Madara promised Obito that he would not take Kou’s life before leaving the cavern through its stone ceiling.
• Obito recalled how the Body Activation Technique, Zero-Tails, and the Box of Ultimate Bliss had empowered Madara to keep all Eight Gates open with few side effects.
• Obito concluded that Madara would defeat Kou, but said he still looked forward to witnessing Kou bring about another miracle.

Kakuzu delivered an assassination target in the Land of Birds and returned to the hidden basement where he was sheltering Konan. Konan remained concealed with Nagato’s last entrusted possession, the Rinnegan, while Kakuzu demanded more money for her stay.

• Kakuzu turned in a target at the Land of Birds black market and carefully counted his payment.
• The black-market broker lamented that the Odd Jobs Agency had driven down the number of available missions.
• Kakuzu evaded possible followers, bought vegetables, and entered a hidden basement beneath an abandoned house.
• Konan stopped her paper shuriken and Explosive Tags when Kakuzu identified himself, then checked that he had not been followed.
• Kakuzu told Konan her payment covered only until the end of the week, and Konan reluctantly held back from confronting him because she needed to stay hidden and protect the Rinnegan.

A week after the battle at Konoha, Konan hid with Nagato’s remaining Rinnegan while trying to evade Madara and an unknown enemy. Itachi found her on Jiraiya’s orders to bring her to Konoha, but Konan asked him to secretly summon Uchiha Kou first so she could tell him something important.

• After Madara’s Shadow Clone stole one of Nagato’s Rinnegan, Nagato entrusted his remaining eye to Konan and stayed behind to face an unknown approaching enemy.
• Konan avoided seeking help from Konoha, fearing Madara had prepared a trap, and prepared to bargain with Kakuzu for another price increase.
• Itachi appeared among a flock of crows, and Konan and Kakuzu recognized him.
• Itachi told Konan that Jiraiya had sent him to find her and escort her safely to Konoha.
• Itachi explained that Jiraiya had asked him to save Konan as her master, and she accepted his explanation.
• Konan asked Itachi to contact Uchiha Kou and bring him to her in secret so she could speak with him face-to-face.

Kou tried to persuade Deidara to train a demolition unit for the Land of Rice by presenting teaching as an artist’s duty and a way to spread art. Deidara began to warm to the idea as Kou promised his students would strive to impress him.

• Deidara ate a meal prepared by Kou and accepted Kou’s betrayal of Akatsuki, though he regretted that Scorpion had died an unaesthetic death.
• Kou told Deidara he would remove his seals but first asked him to train a demolition unit for the Land of Rice.
• Deidara refused, insisting ordinary people could not understand art and that teaching them would desecrate it.
• Kou argued that people needed guidance to appreciate art and described Deidara as the artist chosen to lead them.
• Deidara began considering Kou’s vision of students working to leave a moment of art in his memory.

Kou tricked Deidara into training young ninjas in the Land of Rice, then received an urgent secret letter from Konoha and secretly left for the Land of Birds. There, he met Konan, who asked whether Madara had another powerful ally.

• Kou persuaded Deidara to sign a plan to spread art, and Deidara began training young ninjas in the Land of Rice.
• Kou told Mei Terumi that Deidara was training the group partly to prove his value, then received an urgent secret letter from Konoha.
• Kou left a Shadow Clone to handle matters in the Land of Rice and asked Mei Terumi to keep his departure secret.
• Kou met Konan in the Land of Birds, where she acknowledged that Nagato's fate might already be decided.
• Konan asked Kou whether Madara had another powerful person on his side whom they had never known about.

Kou learned that a mysterious powerhouse had confronted Nagato after Obito ambushed him and stole one of his Rinnegan. Kou concluded that the mysterious figure was the real Uchiha Madara, who had survived from the battle at the Valley of the End.

• Kou told Konan that Madara was actually Uchiha Obito, whose Madara identity had been a disguise.
• Konan said she had never fought the mysterious powerhouse and believed that person was Obito’s equal or superior, not his subordinate.
• Konan recounted how Obito ambushed Nagato, took one Rinnegan, and then his Shadow Clone suddenly dispersed before Nagato sensed a vastly powerful presence.
• Kou recognized that Obito’s Shadow Clone had vanished because he had killed Obito’s original body at the same time.
• Kou identified the mysterious powerhouse as the real Uchiha Madara, who had survived since his battle with Hashirama Senju at the Valley of the End.

Kou told Konan that Madara had secretly given Nagato the Rinnegan and that the Eye of the Moon Plan was a plot to trap the Ninja World in Infinite Tsukuyomi. With Madara too powerful to confront directly and the Ten-Tails route blocked, Kou asked Konan for Nagato’s Rinnegan, calling it their only hope of saving the world.

• Kou explained that the real Madara had placed the Rinnegan in Nagato and that Obito had manipulated Nagato to revive Madara and carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Konan grieved over the revelation, and Jiraiya comforted her before Kou urged them to focus on the threat.
• Kou said no one could face Madara head-on, and that becoming the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki was effectively impossible because Madara held the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• When Jiraiya asked if any chance remained, Kou asked Konan to give him Nagato’s Rinnegan.
• Konan questioned why Kou wanted the eye, and he promised to explain why it was their only hope of saving the Ninja World.

Kou proposed destroying Nagato’s Rinnegan to stop Madara’s Infinite Tsukuyomi, then revealed he could absorb its ocular power to awaken his own Rinnegan and fight Madara. Konan agreed to entrust Nagato’s eye to him, while Jiraiya learned Kou had prepared to use Impure World Reincarnation on the First and Second Hokage.

• Kou told Konan and Jiraiya that Madara needed a complete pair of Rinnegan to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi and suggested destroying Nagato’s eye.
• Kou explained that his Mangekyō technique, Inari God, could absorb the Rinnegan’s ocular power and help him awaken his own Rinnegan.
• Kou said he could use his refined Impure World Reincarnation to summon the First and Second Hokage if he still needed help defeating Madara.
• Jiraiya angrily confronted Kou after realizing he had been preparing to reincarnate the First and Second Hokage, and Kou threw him to the floor.
• Konan resolved to trust Kou and entrusted Nagato’s Rinnegan to him.

Kou awakened the Rinnegan and gained a major increase in power, while preparing to counter Madara and protect Naruto. After sending Jiraiya and Konan to Konoha, he confronted Itachi, who had been hiding nearby.

• Kou awakened the Rinnegan and realized it had greatly enhanced his strength, chakra, and ocular techniques.
• Kou worried that Madara might have taken Orochimaru and gained access to Impure World Reincarnation, but resolved to defeat Madara with his new power.
• Kou told Konan to go to Konoha with Jiraiya and said he would later bring Naruto to safety himself.
• Jiraiya agreed to inform Minato and Kushina of the danger, and Kou used a Shadow Clone and Flying Thunder God to send Jiraiya and Konan to Konoha.
• Kou spotted someone hiding in the alley and called him out, and Itachi emerged and greeted him as Brother Kou.