Chapter Summaries

Manji revealed his true identity as the Sage of Six Paths to Kakuzu and made him promise to keep it secret. Meanwhile, Uchiha Izuna negotiated peace between Konoha and Kumogakure, but Kinkaku and Ginkaku attacked the meeting, killing the Second Raikage and leaving Izuna badly wounded.

• Manji revealed himself to Kakuzu as the Sage of Six Paths, then changed back and told Kakuzu to keep his identity secret.
• Uchiha Chirori used Izanami to defeat her opponent’s Izanagi and end the Uchiha Clan’s internal conflict.
• Uchiha Izuna traveled to Kumogakure and negotiated a peace agreement with the Second Raikage as Kinkaku and Ginkaku plotted a coup.
• Kinkaku attacked the peace meeting with the Bashōsen, and Uchiha Izuna shielded himself and the Second Raikage with his Susanoo.
• The attack destroyed the Raikage Building, killed the Second Raikage, and left Uchiha Izuna injured as Kinkaku and Ginkaku approached him.

Uchiha Izuna sent his six students toward safety and prepared to face Kinkaku and Ginkaku alone. A crow’s message made the brothers withdraw, and two black-robed figures took the unconscious Izuna away, leaving his whereabouts unknown.

• Uchiha Izuna ordered Danzo, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Homura, Koharu, Kagami, and Torifu to split into pairs and flee to the Valley of the End camp.
• Izuna refused his students’ offers to stay and fight, telling them to survive as Konoha’s future before they departed in three pairs.
• Kinkaku and Ginkaku confronted Izuna, but a black crow landed on Kinkaku, and the brothers withdrew after receiving its message.
• Izuna collapsed and passed out after confirming that Kinkaku and Ginkaku had left.
• Two black-robed figures carried Izuna away, and a White Zetsu emerged from the ground after they were gone.

Mito Uzumaki and Hyuga Tenin chose Sarutobi Hiruzen to succeed Izuna as Hokage, while Danzo reluctantly held onto hope of gaining power later. Far away, Izuna awakened in the Graveyard of Mountains, learned Tobirama had treated his Mangekyō with Hashirama’s cells, and challenged Madara’s plan to unite the Ninja World.

• Mito Uzumaki rejected Danzo as a candidate and agreed with Hyuga Tenin that Sarutobi Hiruzen should become the Fifth Hokage.
• News of Hiruzen’s expected succession reached Danzo, who suppressed his resentment and imagined Hiruzen would eventually hand him the Hokage Position.
• Uchiha Izuna awoke in a northern cave beside Madara Uchiha and Tobirama Senju, and learned they called it the Graveyard of Mountains.
• Tobirama explained that Hashirama Senju’s cells had eased the strain on Izuna’s Mangekyō Sharingan, though Izuna had nearly succumbed to their corrosive effects.
• Madara told Izuna that he and Tobirama intended to unite the Ninja World, and Izuna reproached his brother for refusing to abandon the ambition.

Manji let Madara handle Izuna while Konoha’s leaders approved a punitive northern campaign against Kumogakure, which Danzō led to victory. After Konoha recovered, Manji arranged his affairs and died, leaving Jiraiya and Orochimaru mourning at his grave.

• Manji decided not to interfere after Madara Uchiha took Izuna away.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed war against Kumogakure, and Danzō volunteered to lead the northern campaign; Mito Uzumaki, Hyuga Tenin, and Uchiha Chirori supported it.
• Danzō led Konoha’s forces alongside Kumogakure’s legitimate army, defeating Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s rebels and earning Sarutobi Hiruzen’s trust.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen chose Jiraiya and Orochimaru as students, while Manji assigned Kakuzu to oversee the black market and bounty network.
• Manji entrusted his ramen shop to Teuchi and died, and Jiraiya and Orochimaru mourned him at his grave as Sarutobi Hiruzen recalled the shop’s early days.

Manji returned to Mount Myōboku after several hundred years and reunited with its residents, including Gamamaru, Kaguya, and Uchiha Hikari. After catching up with Kaguya and Hikari, he began preparing a meal for them.

• Manji entered Mount Myōboku, where the toads and White Zetsu welcomed him as the Great Sage.
• Gamamaru embraced Manji, and Manji met the young Gamabunta.
• Kaguya nervously put on makeup while waiting for Manji, and Uchiha Hikari teased her about it.
• Manji reunited with Hikari and Kaguya, then asked what they had been doing during their time apart.
• Manji offered to cook a meal, and Kaguya and Hikari followed him to the kitchen to help.

Hashirama learned that his younger brothers had arrived in the Pure Land, while Madara awakened the Rinnegan after implanting Hashirama’s cells. Gamamaru warned Manji of a vision involving the Eye of the Moon Plan and Kaguya’s resurrection, and Manji decided Mount Myōboku would teach Jiraiya Sage Arts.

• Senju Futian told Hashirama that Itama and Wama had arrived in the Pure Land, and Hashirama wondered when Tobirama would die.
• Madara told Izuna that his eyes had felt strange since he implanted Hashirama Cells, while Tobirama reported that Impure World Reincarnation could no longer summon the dead.
• Madara’s Mangekyō Sharingan transformed into the Rinnegan.
• Gamamaru told Manji that he had dreamed of the Tailed Beasts being gathered, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, the Eye of the Moon Plan, Kaguya’s resurrection, and a white-haired boy arriving at Mount Myōboku.
• Manji decided that Mount Myōboku should teach Jiraiya its Sage Arts when he arrived.

Sarutobi Hiruzen tested Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru with a bell-snatching exercise, then summoned Enma to train Jiraiya after noticing his poor performance. The chapter ended with Jiraiya freed and secretly memorizing the Summoning Jutsu hand seals.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen set two bells as a prize for his three students, and Jiraiya made a bet with Tsunade that she would date him if he won.
• Tsunade and Orochimaru took the bells while Jiraiya ended up tied to a training post, and Tsunade teased him about losing their bet.
• Tsunade grabbed Jiraiya by the collar after he insulted her, but Sarutobi Hiruzen intervened and sent her and Orochimaru away.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned the Monkey Demon King, who introduced himself as Enma and claimed the Monkey Demon Clan had served the Sage of Six Paths.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen untied Jiraiya and told him he would need to find a suitable Summoning Beast himself, while Jiraiya secretly memorized the summoning hand seals.

Jiraiya accidentally used an uncontracted Summoning Jutsu and was transported to Mount Myōboku, where he discovered a sprawling, advanced city. Gamabunta led him into the city, and the chapter left Jiraiya surrounded by curious toads, White Zetsu, and Hyuga clansmen.

• Jiraiya performed the Summoning Jutsu without a contract, vanishing before Sarutobi Hiruzen could stop him.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen panicked over Jiraiya's disappearance, and the Monkey Demon King promised to search the major Summoning Realms for him.
• Jiraiya found himself on a strange plain in Mount Myōboku, where Gamabunta explained that he had wandered there by accident.
• Gamabunta led Jiraiya to Mount Myōboku's main city, stunning him with its towering buildings, orderly roads, and electric trains.
• Jiraiya spotted White Zetsu and Hyuga clansmen among the city's residents, who wondered how a human from the mortal world had entered.

Jiraiya arrived at Mount Myōboku, where Manji and Gamamaru offered to pass down its Senjutsu after he signed a secrecy contract. Meanwhile, the Monkey Demon King searched the Summoning Realm for Jiraiya and reached Mount Myōboku, where Manji confirmed the boy was there.

• Gamabunta brought Jiraiya through Mount Myōboku’s strange, modern-looking surroundings to the Sage Hall.
• Jiraiya met Manji, and Gamamaru explained that the Great Sage had agreed to pass down Mount Myōboku’s Senjutsu to him.
• Jiraiya read and accepted a contract requiring him to keep Mount Myōboku and its Senjutsu secret.
• The Monkey Demon King searched several summoning clans for Jiraiya but found no clues.
• The Monkey Demon King went to Mount Myōboku and asked Manji whether Jiraiya had arrived there.
• Manji identified Jiraiya, and the Monkey Demon King praised the Great Sage’s foresight.

Manji tricked Madara Uchiha into summoning a counterfeit Demonic Statue of the Outer Path while White Zetsu watched from within it. In Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen mourned his father, then celebrated the death of the Second Tsuchikage and approved Shimura Danzō's Root plan, warning him not to go too far.

• Manji learned Madara Uchiha was trying to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, so he created a counterfeit and sent White Zetsu to watch Madara and his companions.
• Madara Uchiha followed the stone tablet's instructions and summoned the counterfeit statue, while Tobirama Senju and Uchiha Izuna looked on in surprise.
• The Monkey Demon King told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Jiraiya had been chosen by Mount Myōboku, delighting Hiruzen.
• An Anbu reported that Sarutobi Sasuke had died, and Sarutobi Hiruzen arranged an honored funeral before grieving alone at his father's grave.
• Shimura Danzō told Sarutobi Hiruzen that the Second Tsuchikage, Mu, had died, and Hiruzen celebrated the news with him.
• Shimura Danzō proposed his Root plan, and Sarutobi Hiruzen approved it while cautioning him not to go too far.

Jiraiya began rigorous training at Mount Myōboku while tensions rose among the Ninja World’s great nations. In the Pure Land, Manji offered the eight clan heads their freedom, but they chose to keep overseeing its development with greater rights and freedom.

• Gamabunta told Jiraiya to build his body through Taijutsu before attempting Senjutsu, and Jiraiya began training between Mount Myōboku and Konoha under a secrecy seal.
• A-Fei watched Hanzō of the Salamander train and maintained his secret influence over Amegakure as other villages tested their borders.
• Manji met the eight clan heads who had spent centuries clearing and developing the Pure Land and offered to let them return to their clans.
• The eight clan heads declined because they valued their work overseeing twenty million people, so Manji allowed them to stay with more freedom and the rights of ordinary people.

Kaguya confessed her love to Manji in the Sage Hall, and he asked for time to consider his answer. Kaguya accepted, clinging to him as he promised to respond when he returned.

• Manji reflected on how centuries had made him calmer before returning to Mount Myōboku and finding Kaguya waiting in the Sage Hall.
• Kaguya told Manji she had sensed he was different, regretted killing him, and resented that he had joined Hagoromo against her.
• Kaguya embraced Manji and confessed that she loved him and wanted to be with him forever.
• Black Zetsu saw them embracing, panicked, and dragged Fukasaku away before they could report to Manji.
• Manji asked Kaguya for time to think, promising to give her a clear answer when he returned, and Kaguya agreed.

Hanzō turned against A-Fei and fought him after destroying much of the Akatsuki, while Manji investigated Madara’s plans and established a new identity in Konoha. The chapter left Hanzō and A-Fei locked in battle as Manji trained with Hatake Sakumo amid signs of an approaching war.

• Hanzō confronted A-Fei after purging the Akatsuki, and he rejected A-Fei’s claim that he had made him.
• Hanzō attacked A-Fei with his sickle and Water Release, but the attacks passed through him.
• A-Fei used Wood Release spikes against Hanzō, who dodged most of them and realized A-Fei could use Wood Release.
• Manji learned from White Zetsu that Madara had awakened the Rinnegan and summoned the Demonic Statue after finding a stone tablet, but he chose to observe rather than intervene.
• Manji used the Eight-Span Immortal Art to establish himself as a Konoha prodigy alongside Hatake Sakumo.
• Hatake Sakumo mentioned the possibility of war, and Manji assured him they would have a place before demonstrating Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere.

Manji met Hatake Sakumo at Ichiraku Ramen, where Tsunade and Orochimaru treated him as an old friend while Jiraiya could not remember him. Manji realized his memory-altering illusion had left Jiraiya unaffected and had caused Tsunade to develop feelings for him, and the chapter ended with Jiraiya questioning Orochimaru about Manji.

• Hatake Sakumo and Manji went to Ichiraku Ramen and reunited with Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
• Jiraiya failed to recognize Manji, but Tsunade and Orochimaru insisted they had known him for years.
• Manji realized Jiraiya had escaped his memory-altering illusion while fabricated memories had made Tsunade fall for him.
• Manji left the shop with Tsunade, who had been eager to spend time with him.
• Jiraiya asked Orochimaru whether he truly knew Manji, and Orochimaru reminded him that Manji had once bought him adult books.

After fleeing Amegakure, A-Fei learned that Madara Uchiha had the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and agreed to go undercover near him. At the same time, Madara planned to find a successor, while Konoha prepared a team to aid the besieged Land of Whirlpools.

• A-Fei fled Amegakure after losing the Nine-Tails and failing to defeat Hanzō, then learned Madara Uchiha had a fake Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and agreed to go undercover near him.
• Madara Uchiha proposed finding a successor who could bear his Rinnegan and revive him, Tobirama Senju, and Uchiha Izuna.
• Tobirama Senju reported that neighboring ninja clans were attacking the Land of Whirlpools with covert support from Kirigakure, while Madara told Izuna not to get involved.
• Jiraiya told Sarutobi Hiruzen that he could not remember Manji, but Hiruzen dismissed his concern and assigned him to support the Land of Whirlpools.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen formed a five-person team of Manji, Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade to aid the Uzumaki Clan.

Sarutobi Hiruzen sent Manji and four other Konoha shinobi to aid Uzushio Village and rescue Uzumaki infants, with Manji appointed squad leader. After reaching the besieged Land of Whirlpools, they spent the night in a temple and planned their approach, while Jiraiya remained troubled by his missing memories.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned Manji, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and Jiraiya to aid Uzushio Village and retrieve Uzumaki infants if possible, and the others accepted Manji as their leader.
• The squad reached the Land of Whirlpools, found the village surrounded by enemy forces, and took shelter in a Six Paths Temple.
• Manji ate oranges left as offerings and shared the rest with the squad, prompting laughter after Tsunade objected.
• Jiraiya struggled to join the others’ conversation because he could not remember his history with them, and resolved to ask Sage Fukasaku about his memory loss after the mission.
• The next day, Manji proposed that the squad stay together, coordinate with the Uzumaki Clan to repel the besiegers, and then rescue the infants.

Manji and his team fought their way into Uzushio Village, where they found young Kushina Uzumaki and rescued her from the ruins. A surprise attack forced the group to split up, leaving Manji alone to face the Kirigakure pursuers.

• Manji directed Sakumo, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya as they attacked Kirigakure's forces at Uzushio Village's main gate.
• The team broke through the defenses and entered the devastated village, where they found Kushina hiding behind a broken wall.
• Tsunade comforted Kushina, and Manji recognized her as an Uzumaki Clan survivor.
• Kirigakure ninjas ambushed the group, so Manji ordered everyone to retreat toward the Six Paths Temple and protect Kushina.
• Manji drew the pursuers away from the others, stopped, and faced the Kirigakure Jonin and their fighters.

Manji arranged for White Zetsu clones to gather Uzumaki babies while leaving Kushina untouched, then returned to the Six Paths Temple and learned that Amegakure and Sunagakure had declared war on Konoha. After returning to Konoha, he and Sarutobi Hiruzen discussed finding care for the too-young Kushina.

• Manji confirmed that White Zetsu had gathered Uzumaki babies and left Kushina alone, then sent his operatives back to their posts.
• A Mount Myōboku toad revealed that Jiraiya had sent it to follow Manji, and Manji told it to reassure Jiraiya.
• Manji returned to the Six Paths Temple, where Tsunade embraced him in relief, and announced that Amegakure and Sunagakure had declared war on Konoha.
• Manji and the others returned to Konoha, reported Kushina to Sarutobi Hiruzen, and discussed placing her with someone trustworthy because she was too young for the Ninja Academy.

Manji brought the orphaned Kushina to Mito Uzumaki, who agreed to care for her. As Kushina settled in with Mito, Manji reflected on the passage of time and Kurama recognized him and teased him through their shared consciousness.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Manji to raise Kushina temporarily, but Manji declined and agreed to take her to Mito Uzumaki instead.
• Kushina asked to call Manji Brother Six Paths because he resembled the Sage of Six Paths in a portrait she had seen.
• Manji brought Kushina through the desolate Senju Clan Grounds to meet Mito Uzumaki and felt overcome by memories of the past.
• Mito Uzumaki welcomed Kushina and promised to treat her like her own granddaughter.
• Kurama recognized Manji as his teacher and teased him for stirring up trouble, prompting Manji to defend himself.

Manji warned Nawaki about the horrors of war before the Second Shinobi World War broke out and sent him to the Land of Wind with Hatake Sakumo. They shattered Sunagakure’s vanguard, giving Konoha’s forces an opening to counterattack.

• Manji met Nawaki and cautioned him against romanticizing war, warning that he could die on the battlefield.
• Manji left Nawaki with Kushina and Mito, then visited Ichiraku Ramen Shop as peaceful days passed.
• The Second Shinobi World War began, and Konoha sent Manji and Hatake Sakumo to the Land of Wind while Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru went to the Land of Rain.
• Manji and Hatake Sakumo charged into the battle and overwhelmed the Sunagakure forces with ninjutsu and swordsmanship.
• Manji and Hatake Sakumo wiped out Sunagakure’s vanguard, encouraging Konoha’s shinobi to launch a counterattack.