Recaps

Aizen’s attack on Konoha’s Chunin Exams exposed Las Noches and drew the Five Kage into battle as its fighters overwhelmed the tower. With Naruto’s rampage contained and Kimimaro regenerating, Might Duy entered the fight and opened the Third Gate to face him.

• Minato revealed that Aizen had been Konoha’s Fourth Hokage and founded Las Noches, then learned that the other four Kage had arrived after attacks by Las Noches.
• Aizen’s forces launched their assault during the Chunin Exams, and Kimimaro’s group attacked the examinees while Sasuke agreed to join Las Noches.
• The attackers overwhelmed the arena and tower, while Sakumo defeated Kimimaro—only for a strange transformation to restore Kimimaro and turn him against Sakumo.
• Gin confronted Minato outside the tower as the Five Kage arrived, and Yammy challenged Mei Terumi while Aizen’s forces kept the Kage occupied.
• Kimimaro, Jirobo, and Kidomaru displayed newly evolved strength as they fought Sakumo, Kakashi, Guy, and Naruto, while the Kage and Konoha forces struggled to contain the attack.
• Kabuto and Ibiki discovered that the Rock Ninja attacking the tower could not be killed, and Sakura and other examinees were carried to safety by Might Duy.
• Jiraiya restrained Four-Tails Naruto, and Tsunade sealed away the crimson chakra before Naruto was taken for treatment.
• Dai faced Kimimaro alone, dropped his weights, and opened the Third Gate after Kimimaro attacked him with a forest of bone spikes.

Dai and the Kage fought Aizen, but his transformations overwhelmed their attacks and Dai died trying to stop him. Aizen escaped the Death God and stood over Dai’s body as an elderly man and Might Guy confronted him.

• Dai opened the Seventh Gate, defeated Gin, and rushed to help the Kage, but Aizen appeared and ordered him to stop.
• Dai opened the Eighth Gate and attacked Aizen, who transformed through the Hogyoku and withstood Dai’s techniques and the Kage’s combined assault.
• Aizen evolved again, defeated the Kage’s attacks, and forced Minato to prepare a sealing technique while Dai and the others tried to create an opening.
• Dai used Evening Elephant against Aizen as Minato began the Reaper Death Seal, but Dai’s body crumbled away.
• The Death God seized Aizen and swallowed his soul, but Aizen transformed with butterfly wings and escaped into a higher dimension.
• Aizen attacked the Death God with Kurohitsugi, vanished, then destroyed its soul body and gathered its scattered energy.
• Aizen walked to Dai’s ruined body as Jiraiya and Tsunade watched, and an elderly man and Might Guy asked whether Dai’s death was what Aizen wanted.
• Aizen said Dai’s death was the choice made by the rules of the world.

Aizen defeated the allied ninja forces, founded the Hollow Spirit Empire, and drew recruits with the promise of Hollow power. As the Empire spread and organized its ranks, Black Zetsu approached Aizen with the Eye of the Moon Plan and was pressed to reveal what he had left out.

• Aizen offered defeated ninjas immortality through Hollow serum, and Sasaki and Feishi accepted his offer and swore allegiance to him.
• Aizen and his followers vanished through a black rift, leaving the surviving ninjas to grieve Minato, Dai, and the dead of Konoha.
• Tsunade found Sarutobi dead in the ruined village, while Orochimaru left Nawaki to confront Danzo, whom Nawaki killed with Wood Release.
• Aizen established the Hollow Spirit Empire in the Land of Rain, appointed Gin to lead the Imperial Inspectorate, and welcomed civilians and ninjas seeking power.
• Nawaki became acting Sixth Hokage and rebuilt Konoha, while he and Tsunade discussed using power-enhancing drugs to resist Aizen’s Empire.
• Aizen warned his transformed followers that beings from another world would seek to eliminate them, then let new recruits choose commanders from among the Empire’s officers.
• Black Zetsu convinced Obito to approach Aizen and offer the Eye of the Moon Plan, but Aizen challenged him to name the two monks behind the plan.

Aizen agreed to help Black Zetsu revive Kaguya, while Sasuke entered the Hollow Spirit Empire and endured its brutal Hollowfication trials. As Naruto gathered allies to bring Sasuke back, Aizen set a secret plan in motion to reach the moon and evolve the Hyuga Branch Family’s Byakugan.

• Black Zetsu told Aizen how Kaguya came to Earth, fell in love with him, and was sealed by Hagoromo and Hamura, and Aizen agreed to help revive her.
• Naruto grieved Minato’s death, while Sasuke fled Konoha to join the Hollow Spirit Empire and gain power to kill Itachi.
• Karin brought Sasuke to Las Noches, where he accepted the dangerous DX-G4 serum and was sent to the Regeneration Hall to face Ryuk.
• Sasuke’s body transformed and regenerated under Ryuk’s attacks, while the Raikage approved Killer B’s proposal to assemble an infiltration team.
• Naruto rallied his friends to pursue Sasuke, shared the Nine-Tails’ chakra with them, and won Neji’s decision to join their effort.
• Aizen turned his attention to the moon, recalled Duy’s sacrifice to Minato, and investigated how Kaguya had been sealed there.
• Aizen ordered Black Zetsu to suspend the Tailed Beast operation and directed Minato to give the DX-G4 serum to the unaware Hyuga Branch Family so their Byakugan might evolve.
• Sasuke and Fu Ryosuke continued battling Ryuk after three days and nights, and Ryuk pinned Sasuke’s leg before striking at his head again.