Chapter Summaries

Natsume entrusted Flame Hidden Village to his closest allies and prepared to infiltrate the Otsutsuki stronghold again. After farewells in the Ninja World, he took nine undercover team members through a portal into outer space, leaving the villagers anxious but hopeful.

• Natsume told Tsukihime, Nichiyo, Gin, Konan, and Nonō to follow his development plans and use the Totsuka Blade to summon his soul clone if a crisis arose.
• Natsume assured the five that a barrier protected the blade and that he trusted them to guard the village while he was away.
• After seven days of preparations, Hashirama and others saw off Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sukui, and the other undercover team members.
• Hyuga Fukagawa, Sasori, Mu, and Hozuki Gengetsu said farewell to their allies and urged the younger ninja not to oppose Hashirama or Flame Hidden Village.
• Natsume teleported all nine members of the undercover support team into his Primordial Space, opened a portal to outer space, and left the Ninja World.

Natsume took the second Ten-Tails from Monster Planet, then revived Urashiki to test whether his disguise as Hishiki could fool a pureblooded Otsutsuki. After Natsume ordered him to report the mission truthfully, Urashiki learned that he was the sole survivor of his squad.

• Natsume took the second Ten-Tails from Monster Planet and left the completed underground base as a fallback route.
• Natsume revived Urashiki using the Ten-Tails War Beast as a vessel and restored his body through his Karma mark.
• Natsume disguised himself as Hishiki and ordered Urashiki to report the mission honestly without adding anything.
• Urashiki said Momoshiki should make the report, but Natsume told him that Momoshiki, Kinshiki Otsutsuki, Steel-shiki, Isshiki, and Kaguya were all dead.
• Natsume revealed that Urashiki was the only survivor of the mission squad.

Natsume used his Nisshiki clone to convince Urashiki that an alien evil god had killed the Otsutsuki, then intimidated him into keeping quiet and behaving after they returned. As they reached the Wormbridge Terminal to travel back to the Otsutsuki household, an unexpected upheaval interrupted them.

• Natsume sent Urashiki edited memories that made him believe an alien evil god had killed Momoshiki, Kaguya, Steel-shiki, and others.
• Urashiki realized the alien evil god could bring the Otsutsuki great rewards and considered how to shape his mission report.
• Natsume whipped Urashiki for pretending to seek revenge and threatened to send him to the Black Death Domain if he spoke out of turn.
• Urashiki promised to behave after they returned, and Natsume opened a portal to the Wormbridge Terminal.
• As Natsume and Urashiki prepared to activate the wormbridge to the Otsutsuki household, an unexpected upheaval struck.

Natsume and Urashiki were caught in a chakra-suppressing ambush, but Natsume escaped the barrier and identified the attackers as members of the Maha Clan. He sent Urashiki to confront them while he searched Hishiki’s memories and assessed the danger.

• A hidden barrier suppressed Natsume and Urashiki as two metal feather arrows attacked, but Natsume used Dual Kamui to divert them and teleported them beyond the meteor ring.
• Urashiki recognized the barrier as the Maha Clan’s Lesser Saha Realm and cursed the clan for setting the trap.
• Natsume detected two enemies behind a large meteorite, returned Urashiki’s fishing rod and basket, and ordered him to capture one alive.
• Natsume sent Urashiki ahead to test the enemies while he searched Hishiki’s memories for information about the Maha Clan.
• Urashiki transformed into Crane Form by devouring his Red Light Fish Basket and Blue Rinnegan, then launched an all-out attack.

Natsume identified Urashiki’s enemies as members of the Maha Clan, the Otsutsuki Clan’s ancient rivals, and studied their natural-energy-based fighting style. As Urashiki fell behind against a Four-Armed Mara and its Yaksha Demon, Natsume released a Ten-Tails War Beast to raise the pressure and draw out the Mara’s hidden abilities.

• Natsume recognized the Four-Armed Mara and Yaksha Demon and learned that the Maha Clan used a natural-energy system called senjutsu, unlike the Otsutsuki chakra system.
• Natsume observed Urashiki wound the Yaksha Demon before the Four-Armed Mara joined the fight and helped turn the tide against him.
• Natsume identified the Mara’s four weapons and noted how the Maha fighters relied on powerful bodies and enchanted tools rather than varied techniques.
• Natsume decided to increase the pressure on the Maha fighters and released a Ten-Tails War Beast from a Dragon Palace Box to aid Urashiki.

Natsume watched the Maha fighters unleash Sage Arts and suspected that the Ninja World's Sage Art tradition originated with the Maha Clan. Seeing the enemies reveal their strength, he sent his Demigod Clone into the battle to attack them and seize their four weapon artifacts.

• The Ten-Tails War Beast joined Urashiki's fight and nearly crushed the Yaksha Demon with one blow.
• Urashiki attacked recklessly while the four-armed Mara and Yaksha Demon refused to retreat, then both activated their Sage Arts and transformed.
• The four-armed Mara's Three Bodies Aspect surpassed the Ten-Tails War Beast, while the Yaksha Demon grew enormous and wounded it with chakra-suppressing feather arrows.
• The four-armed Mara drove Urashiki back, forcing him to rely on Shinra Tensei and Amenosubaruyukaryu: Ryugu for defense.
• Natsume linked the Maha Clan's Sage Arts to the Ninja World's Summoning Beasts and decided to question the Maha fighter after defeating the enemies.
• Natsume sent his Demigod Clone into the battlefield and attacked the Maha fighters.

Natsume captured the Four-Armed Mara and killed the Yaksha Demon with ease, then collected their weapons and the demon’s corpse for profit. Urashiki watched in relief as Natsume stored his spoils and prepared to keep the captured enemy for interrogation.

• Natsume used [Wave God Power] and [Shenwo Yiboli Pigu] to capture the Four-Armed Mara in a Demon Bead, taking his four treasures.
• Urashiki saw Natsume defeat the enemy instantly and felt relieved that Natsume had spared him.
• The Yaksha Demon charged Natsume to rescue its master, but Natsume severed its head with [Daylight].
• Natsume recycled the Yaksha Demon’s corpse for 80,000 Gold Coins and stored its Giant Trident in his [Primordial Space].
• Natsume kept the clay jar and recycled the Scale-Breaking Halberd, Luopi Axe, and Jiapi Drum for 64,000 Gold Coins.

Natsume left the battlefield after planting Jashin Energy to make the Maha Clan suspect the Otsutsuki, then searched Four-Armed Mara’s soul during the journey home. A soul restriction burned Mara’s memories away, but Natsume salvaged a few fragments of intelligence.

• Natsume ordered Urashiki to activate the worm bridge and prepared to leave rather than risk fighting Maha reinforcements.
• Natsume stored the Ten-Tails War Beast in the Dragon Palace Box and scattered Jashin Energy across the battlefield to implicate a third party and inflame tensions between the clans.
• Natsume and Urashiki entered the wormhole bridge and began their hour-long journey back.
• Natsume used the Demon Orb to search Four-Armed Mara’s memories while Urashiki kept his head down.
• A restriction in Four-Armed Mara’s soul activated and burned it away, but Natsume slowed the destruction enough to recover some memory fragments and intelligence.

Natsume learned about the Maha Clan’s Sage Arts, branches, and strength from the extracted memories, then returned to the Otsutsuki lair disguised as Otsutsuki Hishiki. He sealed the worm bridge to keep enemies out and entered the Shiki Origin Realm with Urashiki, where his deception would face greater risks.

• Natsume discovered that the Maha Clan had spread primitive Sage Arts to cultivate resistance, harvest improved techniques, and exploit indigenous lifeforms.
• Natsume obtained the Maha Clan’s Self-Transformation Sage Art and recycled it through the System for 64,000 Gold Coins.
• Natsume learned that the Maha Clan had the Mara, Louluo, and Asura branches, each ruled by a king beneath a progenitor god.
• Natsume and Urashiki reached the Shiki Origin Realm after traveling more than ten thousand light-years, while Urashiki believed Natsume was the real Otsutsuki Hishiki.
• Natsume summoned eight Otsutsuki warriors and ordered them to seal the worm bridge and kill anyone emerging from it.
• Natsume took Urashiki into a Nebula Passage and entered the Shiki Origin Realm.

Natsume, posing as Nisshiki, confronted Otsutsuki Xingye when she came to question him about the mission and Kaguya. He told her Kaguya had died, leaving Xingye furious outside the protected tower and convinced Nisshiki was involved.

• Natsume sent Urashiki to report the mission, then went to Nisshiki's tower.
• Otsutsuki Xingye followed him and attacked the tower, but its defenses blocked her chakra beam.
• Xingye noticed Nisshiki's changed eyes and weakened aura, but Natsume deflected her questions by challenging her authority.
• Natsume told Xingye that Kaguya and two officers had died during the mission and directed her to the mission report for details.
• Xingye accused Nisshiki of involvement and threatened him, while he taunted her to break into the tower first.

After securing the High Tower and learning that Meishiki was away, Natsume used his impersonation of Hishiki to call a highest-level Mechanism Council. The council was set to begin in five minutes, leaving Natsume preparing to address the other elders.

• Natsume went to Hishiki's Starry Sky Hall and summoned the Tower Spirit Zhouyou.
• Natsume ordered Zhouyou to activate the High Tower's surveillance and defensive systems.
• Natsume learned that Meishiki was outside the Shiki Origin Realm and her destination was unknown.
• Natsume ordered Zhouyou to convene a highest-level Mechanism Council for the elders currently in the main household.
• Zhouyou reported that the other six High Towers had responded and the Supreme Chief Elder had approved the council, which would begin in five minutes.

Natsume used Otsutsuki Nisshiki’s identity to convene a secret Mechanism Council, relying on its soul projections to hide his weakened condition. He left the elders eager to pursue his claim that a newly discovered foreign evil god had killed Otsutsuki Kaguya and that he knew its approximate location.

• Natsume prepared to minimize contact with the Otsutsuki elders and chose the Mechanism Council as a way to meet them through concealed soul projections.
• Natsume entered the council’s soul space and found thirteen elders present, including Chief Grand Elder Otsutsuki Xushi.
• Upper Rank 4 urged Nisshiki to explain why he had called the council, and Xushi officially opened the meeting.
• Natsume reported that Otsutsuki Kaguya was dead, and Xushi said he already knew.
• Natsume claimed an undocumented foreign evil god had killed Kaguya and that he had located it approximately, capturing the elders’ attention with the prospect of a new Divine Tree nursery.

Natsume, posing as Otsutsuki Hishiki, convinced the elder council that a powerful alien Jashin threatened the clan and offered evidence to secure their support for a hunt. With the Jashin’s location still in his hands, he protected his leverage and prepared to introduce another scapegoat as the elders discussed their plans.

• Natsume told the elders that he could not defeat Jashin alone and proposed sharing the credit for hunting it.
• The elders questioned Jashin’s strength, and Natsume claimed it was probably no stronger than the Grand Elder.
• Natsume showed the elders a genuine battle memory and Jashin energy residue, convincing them that the alien Jashin existed.
• Elder Xushiki praised Hishiki and promised that the council would recognize his contribution after the hunt.
• Natsume kept Jashin’s location as leverage, diverting the clan’s attention from the Ninja World and Branch Family Princess Kaguya.
• As the elders discussed hunting Jashin, Natsume spoke again and brought out another scapegoat.

Natsume, posing as Nisshiki, warned the Otsutsuki elders that the Maha Clan had discovered a Star Bridge exit and might be connected to the Jashin. The council planned to seek the royal family's approval to close the bridge and considered accelerating its hunt for the Jashin, leaving Xushi waiting to hear Nisshiki's final qualification.

• Natsume reported that the Maha Clan had attacked him and proposed closing the Star Bridge to prevent them from tracing the route to the Otsutsuki Nebula.
• Otsutsuki Xushi agreed to discuss closing the Worm Bridge with the royal family, whose approval was required.
• Natsume showed memories of the Ninja World's beasts using sage arts and the Jashin Cult performing sacrifices, and suggested the Maha Clan and Jashin might have made contact.
• The elders grew alarmed and debated the possibility of an alliance between the Maha Clan and Jashin.
• Natsume recommended killing the Jashin quickly and taking over its territory, then paused after saying "Only," prompting Xushi to ask what he meant.

Natsume proposed war with the Maha Clan to distract the Otsutsuki royal family and advance the God-Hunting Plan, and the Mechanism Council approved his proposal. The council adjourned before settling the details, leaving Natsume inside the decision-making circle as he prepared to send out his undercover teams.

• Natsume warned the elders that the royal family might obstruct their plans and proposed starting a war with the Maha Clan to keep them occupied.
• The elders debated the risks, then voted eleven to three to approve Otsutsuki Hishiki's war proposal and the God-Hunting Plan.
• Natsume withdrew from discussions about the war strategy to avoid suspicion, while the elders continued arguing over how to execute it.
• Chief Grand Elder Xushi adjourned the council and planned to meet the royal family about closing the Great Worm Bridge; the council would reconvene over the following days.
• Natsume returned to the Nisshiki clone, reflected on the council's secrecy, and decided to send out his undercover support teams while wondering whether Obito, Madara, Kabuto, and the others were safe.

Natsume used his new soul-projection ability to contact Old Madara while disguised as Otsutsuki Hishiki, then updated him on the Ninja World’s costly victory. He opened a spatial rift to send Madara help, leaving a familiar figure to appear before him.

• Natsume contacted Old Madara through the Mind Link Technique and projected himself in Hishiki’s form.
• Madara raised a Truth-Seeking Orb barrier after learning Natsume was behind the projection.
• Natsume showed Madara memories of the Ninja World’s decisive battle, and Madara learned that Tobirama had died while Hashirama remained alive.
• Madara praised Natsume for saving the Ninja World and questioned why he had risked meeting him.
• Natsume opened a spatial rift beside Madara, and a familiar figure leaped out of his Primordial Space.

Natsume reunited Madara with his resurrected younger brother, Izuna, and laid out a plan to use an upcoming war to strengthen Madara. After leaving them to avoid exposure, Natsume contacted Obito, who was attending Akatsuki's new-member training meeting.

• Madara and Izuna joyfully reunited, and Izuna explained that Natsume had resurrected him and given him Tenseigan.
• Natsume told Madara that Izuna's resurrection and eyes were on his tab, then explained his plan to test Madara's ability to absorb Otsutsuki-linked Chakra Fruit.
• Natsume said the Otsutsuki Clan would likely fight the Maha Clan, giving Madara a chance to earn military merit and grow stronger by absorbing Chakra Fruit.
• Madara agreed to join the war effort, while Izuna accepted the plan and prepared to help him stay undercover.
• Natsume left Madara and Izuna's room, then contacted Obito and learned that Obito was in an Akatsuki new-member training meeting.

Natsume reunited Obito with his Double Kamui Sharingan, selling them to him for one billion taels and restoring his power. He then offered Obito a Ten-Tails for free if Obito expanded the Akatsuki safely and recruited enough members within half a month.

• Natsume explained that he had infiltrated the Otsutsuki main family and learned that Obito had begun rebuilding the Akatsuki among the slaves.
• Obito worried that his new Akatsuki members were weak and untrustworthy, while Natsume judged the organization too small to achieve much.
• Natsume offered Obito his Double Kamui Sharingan for one billion taels, and Obito agreed to buy them.
• Obito put the eyes back in and felt his power surge, while Natsume profited from the sale and the transfer fee.
• Natsume offered Obito a Ten-Tails for free if he expanded the Akatsuki without exposing it and recruited enough people within half a month.

Natsume tasked Obito with expanding Akatsuki by recruiting over ten thousand people and supplied him with six Ninja World elites to help. He then visited Kabuto, whose position in the Otsutsuki slave camp let him study advanced medical techniques with little interference.

• Natsume demanded that Obito recruit over ten thousand people within half a month and threatened to cut ties if Obito was exposed.
• Natsume sent Fukagawa, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sasori, Mu, and Hozuki Gengetsu through a spatial rift to support Obito.
• Obito hid behind his spiral-patterned mask when Kakashi arrived, but Kakashi recognized him before Obito could finish introducing himself.
• Natsume delivered two medical ninja support agents to Kabuto, who had gained protection and learned advanced medical techniques in the slave camp.

After planting his undercover agents, Natsume searched Otsutsuki Hishiki's memories for the elder's assets and learned that most were locked away in a shared treasury. He began examining the treasures in the High Tower for clues to Hishiki's hidden private stash, and found a powerful damaged divine sword.

• Natsume returned to the High Tower after planting his undercover agents and noted that Otsutsuki Xingye had left.
• Natsume learned from Hishiki's memories that most of the elder's assets were stored in a Public Grand Treasury that required Otsutsuki Meishiki's cooperation to open.
• Natsume realized Hishiki likely had a private stash hidden in the subspace of an item, but the relevant memories were missing.
• Natsume decided to inspect the High Tower's strongest treasures first and picked up the Divine Measure Sword, a damaged Half-Divine Artifact once wielded by Otsutsuki Ryushiki.