Chapter Summaries

Natsume examined Nisshiki's stored artifacts and gained a powerful soul weapon and a reserve of soul power. After destroying the Soul Cocoon inside the Wraith Wheel, he absorbed its soul power, strengthening and restoring both his main soul and clone.

• Natsume decided to keep the damaged Divine Measure Sword for now and considered using it to strengthen his Kunwu Blade.
• Natsume identified Hu Sinatuo as a soul-attacking semi-divine artifact that could harm even immortal souls, then tested its thought-controlled movement at near-teleportation speed.
• Natsume recalled Hu Sinatuo and examined the Wraith Wheel, learning it held Nisshiki's Soul Cocoon and could speed his resurrection.
• Natsume used Hu Sinatuo to destroy the Soul Cocoon inside the Wraith Wheel, releasing a vast quantity of soul power.
• Natsume absorbed the soul power, rapidly restoring and strengthening his main soul and soul clone.

Natsume recovered his soul with the power stored in Hishiki’s [Wraith Wheel] and discovered that Hishiki’s final treasure was a fragment of the divine [Thousand-Lead Stone]. He realized the fragment could connect to the Yellow Spring Realm, where Hishiki had hidden his [Small Vault], and decided to enter and retrieve it.

• Natsume absorbed most of the soul power in [Wraith Wheel], restoring his soul clone and greatly strengthening his main soul.
• Natsume identified Hishiki’s unmovable stone bead as a fragment of the [Thousand-Lead Stone], a divine artifact capable of severing anything.
• Natsume concluded that the [Thousand-Lead Stone]’s main body isolated the Yellow Spring Realm and that Hishiki’s fragment could connect to it.
• Natsume realized Hishiki had hidden his [Small Vault] in the Yellow Spring Realm to keep it beyond the main branch’s reach.
• Natsume decided to enter the Yellow Spring Realm and retrieve Hishiki’s [Small Vault], confident he could retreat if he encountered royal clan members.

Natsume entered the Yellow Spring Realm to retrieve Nisshiki’s hidden Little Vault and crossed its corrosive, colorless landscape to a ruined temple. There, he found a moving mummified corpse that greeted him, leaving the encounter unresolved.

• Natsume used the Thousand-Lead Stone fragment to enter the Yellow Spring Realm and discovered its unusual laws and dangers.
• Natsume sensed Nisshiki’s Little Vault and traveled across the bone pillars and polluted waters toward it.
• Natsume reached land and found the ruins of an ancient civilization before locating a towering stone temple.
• Natsume entered the temple and found a strange statue and a kneeling mummified corpse, but no Little Vault.
• The corpse moved and spoke to Natsume, who readied the Kushinada Dagger.

Natsume impersonated Nisshiki while questioning the Ghost Priest and retrieved Hishiki’s hidden [Little Vault]. With his main objective complete, he chose to stay and learn more about the Ghost Priest and the [Underworld].

• The dried corpse revived with water from the Yellow Springs and revealed that it was the Ghost Priest, who recognized the [Kushinada Blade] and mistook Natsume for Nisshiki.
• Natsume posed as Nisshiki and learned that the Ghost Priest had a deep grudge against the Otsutsuki Clan and a deal with Nisshiki involving a [divine artifact].
• Natsume demanded his belongings, and the Ghost Priest pulled a magatama-shaped gemstone from his chest and tossed it to him.
• Natsume recognized the gemstone as Hishiki’s [Little Vault], recovered his hidden assets, and decided not to leave the [Underworld] yet.

Natsume questioned the Ghost Priest about his secret deal with Hishiki and learned it involved gathering six [Thousand-Lead Stone Fragments] to unseal a divine artifact. He left with a second fragment after persuading the Ghost Priest to cooperate, while the priest returned to his mummified state.

• Natsume learned that Hishiki planned to gather six [Thousand-Lead Stone Fragments] and use the Ghost Priest's secret incantation to unseal a divine artifact.
• Natsume lied that he knew where another fragment was and suggested raiding the royal clan during the coming war against the [Maha Clan].
• The Ghost Priest handed Natsume the fragment he had kept in his chest, trusting Hishiki's greed to keep their plan moving.
• Natsume felt the two fragments attracting each other and considered gathering all six, even though breaking the seal could bring disaster to the Otsutsuki Clan.
• The Ghost Priest's borrowed body withered as the polluted Underworld water drained away, and he returned to his mummified state.

Natsume explored deeper into the Yellow Spring Realm, following a tributary through the ruins of the Underworld Great Kingdom. He discovered Otsutsuki Main Family royals torturing demons with the Yellow Spring’s water and watched from hiding.

• Natsume concealed his body, chakra, and soul before continuing inland through the Yellow Spring Realm.
• Natsume followed a Yellow Spring tributary for hundreds of kilometers and found increasingly large abandoned towns, including a capital far larger than Konoha.
• Natsume questioned why the towns held no corpses and whether the Otsutsuki Clan had destroyed the Underworld Great Kingdom.
• Natsume sensed dozens of living beings in a ruined city and approached after determining that only three had relatively strong souls.
• Natsume saw three Otsutsuki Main Family royals direct five slaves to pour filthy Yellow Spring water into demons bound to execution racks.

Natsume disguised himself as the Ghost Priest and ambushed three Otsutsuki Main Family Royal House members in the Yellow Spring Realm. After killing two and shredding their souls with the Kushinada Dagger, he faced the last member as the man activated his defenses and opened his Golden Rinnegan.

• Natsume watched slaves extract fluorescent liquid from the skulls of prisoners corroded by the water of the underworld.
• Natsume transformed into the Ghost Priest to conceal his identity before attacking the three royal house members.
• The Kushinada Dagger struck the leading royal house member and repeatedly tore apart his soul.
• Natsume charged the royal house member on the right and crushed him with a powerful blow, then used the dagger to shred his soul.
• The last royal house member covered himself with a Tiansubo Red Light Sphere and opened the Golden Rinnegan on his forehead.

Natsume used [Divine Word: Time Seizure] to stop the last Otsutsuki royal clan member from activating his [Golden Rinnegan], then killed him and dealt with the alien slaves. After collecting the spoils, including another [Thousand-Lead Stone] fragment, he sensed powerful reinforcements approaching and fled to escape the [Yellow Spring Realm].

• Natsume stole one second from the last royal clan member, preventing him from opening his [Golden Rinnegan], and killed him with [Hu Sinatuo].
• Natsume killed four begging alien slaves and knocked their fleeing leader unconscious, storing him in the [Kamui Dimension] for later questioning.
• Natsume absorbed and sealed the three royal clan members’ shattered souls in [Hu Sinatuo] so he could repair them and extract memories.
• Natsume found a ring, boxes of crystalline liquid, and another [Thousand-Lead Stone] fragment among the spoils.
• Natsume sensed reinforcements approaching, including a [Demigod]-level presence, and fled toward the other side of the [Yellow Spring Realm] to use the fragment to escape.

Otsutsuki Yufu pursued the attacker who had slain three royal clan members and stolen the [Thousand-Lead Stone Fragment], but lost the trail at the [Yellow Spring Sea]. Using [Uga Phantom] to replay the battle, he identified the attacker as the still-living Demon Blade Hu Sinatuo and returned to the [Demon Capital] to summon reinforcements.

• Otsutsuki Yufu chased Natsume, but Natsume accelerated and escaped into the [Yellow Spring Sea].
• The three royal clan members found no useful clues and reported that the [Thousand-Lead Stone Fragment] was missing.
• Otsutsuki Yufu used [Uga Phantom] to replay the battlefield and identify the attacker as Demon Blade Hu Sinatuo, the Yaksha Demon Priest.
• Otsutsuki Yufu ordered the others to return with him to the [Demon Capital] and call for reinforcements.

Natsume escaped from Otsutsuki Yufu with the Thousand-Lead Stone fragments and three royal family members’ corpses, then harvested their eyes, recycled their bodies, and absorbed their souls. By the end, he had begun uncovering the Yellow Spring Realm’s history and the secrets of the jade-bottle liquid through their memories.

• Natsume returned to Hishiki’s throne after escaping Otsutsuki Yufu, and concluded that the Main Family Royal House guarded a secret in the Yellow Spring Realm.
• Natsume merged three Thousand-Lead Stone fragments and sensed that another fragment was inside the Main Family’s Royal City.
• Natsume removed valuable eyes from three royal family members’ corpses and recycled the bodies for 420,000 Gold Coins.
• Natsume released the three souls from the Divine Blade Hu Sinatuo and used Shrine to consume them and extract their memories.
• Natsume spent two hours sorting through the memories and learned about the Yellow Spring Realm’s history, the conflict with the Yellow Spring lineage, and a brutal war for divine authority.

Natsume uncovered the Otsutsuki Main Family Royal House’s brutal use of Yellow Spring survivors to purify contaminated water, learning that nearly all the imprisoned demons and oni had been tortured to death. He suppressed his anger, deciding to focus on strengthening himself and disrupting the Otsutsuki, while keeping open the possibility of helping the survivors later.

• Natsume found that the Otsutsuki had confined surrendered Yellow Spring races in the Yellow Spring Realm and used them as slaves and soldiers.
• Natsume learned that five thousand years earlier, the new Otsutsuki king ordered billions of survivors penned up in Demon Capital and tortured to purify the Water of the Yellow Spring.
• Natsume discovered that more than ninety-nine percent of the captives had died, with fewer than several hundred thousand survivors remaining.
• Natsume realized that the atrocities explained the Yellow Spring priest’s hatred of the Otsutsuki Royal House.
• Natsume suppressed his rage and decided against risking his life immediately, choosing instead to grow stronger and throw the Otsutsuki into chaos.

Natsume learned that the Demon Capital held at least five Main Family Royal House Demigods, then tested the Water of Yellow Spring on his Phoenix True Spirit and watched it grow stronger. He unsealed Otsutsuki Hishiki’s Magatama Gem and discovered a pocket vault containing several hundred Chakra Fruit.

• Natsume learned from the royal family members’ and slave overseer’s memories that at least five Main Family Royal House Demigods were stationed in the Demon Capital, and he obtained two royal secret techniques.
• Natsume recycled High Sovereign's Heavenly Mandate for 160,000 Gold Coin and kept Imperial Eight Thunder Gods as a possible disguise aid.
• Natsume tested the Water of Yellow Spring on his Phoenix True Spirit, which became more solid and began growing stronger as it absorbed the water and soul power from the Wraith Wheel.
• Natsume used Hishiki’s memories to unseal the Magatama Gem and found its pocket dimension filled with several hundred Chakra Fruit.

Natsume discovered that Hishiki’s Little Vault contained hundreds of Chakra Fruits and the tools for a planned resurrection, then looted a royal family member’s relic ring. He secured the treasure and learned that a Dragon Palace Box held a Suba Mist capable of freezing targets in time.

• Natsume counted 397 Chakra Fruits in Hishiki’s Little Vault and realized they had been stockpiled to restore Hishiki and build a force of Six Paths warriors.
• Natsume found a Ten-Tails War Beast and two Jōgan in Dragon Palace Boxes, then decided to keep the fruits rather than let the system reclaim them for a large commission.
• Natsume replaced the Tenseigan in Nisshiki’s clone with a Jōgan and stored the Magatama Gem in his Primordial Space.
• Natsume erased the mark on a royal family member’s relic ring and took its contents, including three Chakra Fruits, a Dragon Palace Box, and a large collection of women’s clothing.
• Natsume learned that the Dragon Palace Box contained Suba Mist, which could freeze targets in time by drawing on Dragon Palace City’s power.

Natsume waited for the Phoenix True Spirit to complete her evolution while monitoring the Elder Council's preparations for war and the royal family's movements. After Little Huanghuang reached the mid-stage of the Six Paths level, Natsume headed to see Madara and planned to have him absorb the Chakra Fruit.

• Natsume stored the Dragon Palace Box and poured the remaining Water of Yellow Spring into Little Huanghuang, then stayed beside her as she evolved for three days.
• Natsume monitored the Mechanism Council and heard the elders propose increasingly extreme schemes to draw the royal family into the Black-Pot War and God-Hunting Plan.
• Little Huanghuang completed her evolution, reaching the mid-stage of the Six Paths level and gaining two innate abilities, though she still lacked complete intelligence.
• The Elder Council finalized most of the war budget on the fifth day, while the royal family shifted personnel to investigate trouble in the Yellow Spring Realm.
• Natsume projected his soul to visit Madara and planned to have him absorb the Chakra Fruit.

Natsume met with Madara and Izuna to have Madara test absorbing a Type I Chakra Fruit before they could be sent to war. After learning Izuna had been attacked for his Tenseigan, Madara swallowed the fruit and began absorbing it.

• Natsume learned that attackers had ambushed Izuna to steal his Tenseigan, and Madara had killed them.
• Izuna said the Second Court had not punished Madara and that a Branch Family member seemed to admire him.
• Natsume showed Madara two Chakra Fruits and explained that the Type I fruit contained chakra comparable to the Ten-Tails inside him.
• Madara asked whether Izuna could absorb a fruit, but Natsume warned that only Otsutsuki or those with many Otsutsuki genes could survive it.
• Madara swallowed the Type I Chakra Fruit and began absorbing it.

Madara absorbed two increasingly powerful Chakra Fruits, strengthening the Ten-Tails sealed inside him and advancing to the middle stage of Six Paths. He awakened the Nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan and declined a still stronger fruit until he could master his new power.

• Madara explained that the Ten-Tails had absorbed most of the first Type I Chakra Fruit, but he could use its increased power while keeping it suppressed.
• Madara absorbed a Type II Chakra Fruit and successfully subdued the Ten-Tails after it briefly struggled.
• Madara reached the middle stage of Six Paths and awakened the Nine-Tomoe Rinne Sharingan.
• Natsume offered Madara an even stronger fruit, but Madara refused until he had properly adjusted to his new power.

Obito rapidly expanded Akatsuki by offering slaves an accessible Chakra Refinement Method, bringing the organization close to ten thousand members. As he celebrated being on track to claim the Ten-Tails before his deadline with Natsume, Kakashi interrupted him and ignored his demand to use his title.

• Obito continued expanding Akatsuki with help from Jiraiya, Hozuki Gengetsu, Mu, and the other elite recruits.
• Akatsuki used the Chakra Refinement Method to attract slaves, dividing it into stages so only loyal members could learn the complete method.
• Obito and six core members, including Fukagawa and Kakashi, met secretly in a meteor crater.
• Fukagawa reported that Akatsuki had 9,845 outer members, and Obito thought he was on track to claim the Ten-Tails before his deadline with Natsume.
• Kakashi interrupted Obito's daydream, and Obito demanded that Kakashi call him Chief, but Kakashi still called him Obito.

Obito defended Akatsuki’s rapid expansion by revealing that Natsume had ordered it. Natsume appeared in person to confirm the order, then showed the group that the Otsutsuki barrier had been breached and the Great War had begun.

• Kakashi reported that a Lizardfolk and two Half-Titans had applied to join Akatsuki’s core members, and Obito said he would test their loyalty himself.
• Hozuki Gengetsu and Mu questioned the dangers of Akatsuki’s rapid expansion, and Obito said Natsume had ordered it.
• Natsume’s soul projection appeared and confirmed that he had given the order to expand.
• Natsume led the group outside, where they saw the defensive barrier torn open and energy pillars striking the [Shiki Origin Realm], beginning the war.

Natsume returned to the Ninja World through a soul clone after Tsukihime and Nonō triggered his seal to report that powerful aliens had arrived. He learned the visitors were Maha clansmen, who were holding off on attacking while investigating the planet and seeking its altered sage arts.

• Five days earlier, Natsume received an alert that the seal on the Totsuka Blade had been triggered in the Ninja World.
• Natsume hatched the soul cocoon inside the Totsuka Blade and used it to question Tsukihime and Nonō.
• Tsukihime told Natsume that aliens stronger than Momoshiki Otsutsuki's group were negotiating with Senju Hashirama and the Ninja World Grand Alliance.
• Natsume identified the visitors as members of the powerful Maha Clan and ordered Tsukihime to take him to the confrontation.
• The three Maha clansmen overwhelmed the ninja forces but held back because they suspected the planet was connected to the Otsutsuki and wanted to obtain its perfected sage arts.

Natsume learned that the Moka Clan had killed four Otsutsuki sent to investigate the Ninja World, then took control of Mooncake to intervene as Hashirama's negotiations collapsed. He faced the clan members and claimed he could offer terms they could not refuse.

• Kaguya sent Natsume a warning that the Moka Clan members had killed four Otsutsuki on their way to the Ninja World.
• Hashirama failed to meet the Moka Clan's demands for proof that the Ninja World opposed the Otsutsuki and for its senjutsu methods and Summoning Beasts.
• The Six-Armed Mara threatened to use force and ordered Hashirama to hand over the Summoning Beast, but Hashirama offered himself in its place.
• Tsukihime arrived with Mooncake, and Natsume took control of the panda through the Totsuka Blade rather than let Kaguya appear.
• Natsume identified the group as the Maha Clan and took over negotiations, saying he could offer terms they could not refuse.