Chapter Summaries

Nanli Hu ordered the Rock Ninja to evacuate when he realized Konoha's Hyuga could detect their outpost with the Byakugan. Hyuga Soshi joined forces with Namuie and the Cloud Ninja to attack the hidden outposts, while Minato asked Lord Aizen to let him destroy the Hyuga Clan.

• Nanli Hu spotted Hyuga eyes among the Konoha scouts and ordered the Rock Ninja to evacuate their outpost.
• Hyuga Soshi's team identified seven Rock Ninja and Sand Ninja outposts, and he dismissed Hyuga Zongji's suggestion to inform the Cloud Ninja.
• Namuie confronted Hyuga Soshi, then summoned Cloud Ninja to join the planned attack on the outposts.
• Hyuga Soshi and Namuie divided the allied forces into two squads and sent them across the border into the Land of Earth.
• Aizen and Minato watched the squads depart, and Minato asked permission to destroy the Hyuga Clan; Aizen agreed to go with him.

Hyuga Soshi led Hyuga Clan shinobi to capture a Rock Ninja at an outpost before he could destroy its intelligence, then ordered his men to kill him and move on. Soshi aimed to outpace the Cloud Ninja and win recognition from his clan and the Third Hokage, hoping to become clan head.

• A Rock Ninja Captain ordered his young subordinates to retreat while he stayed behind to destroy the outpost's tools and communications.
• Hyuga Soshi and his Byakugan-equipped shinobi surrounded the cave and learned that only one enemy remained inside.
• The Hyuga shinobi subdued the Rock Ninja Captain with Tenketsu Strike before he could destroy the intelligence.
• Soshi tortured the captain for information about other outposts, but the captain refused to betray his comrades.
• Soshi ordered another Hyuga shinobi to kill the captain and left to pursue the remaining outposts before the Cloud Ninja could claim them.
• Soshi resolved to gain his clan's and the Third Hokage's approval by competing with the Cloud Ninja, with the goal of inheriting the clan head position.

Hyuga Soshi and Namuie converged on a group of fleeing Rock Ninja as the Cloud Ninja and Hyuga Clan destroyed outposts across the region. Before they decided who would attack, three figures dropped from the sky, and the Hyuga ninja recognized the supposedly dead Hyuga Minato.

• Namuie dismissed Moki's warning and led the Cloud Ninja to attack more Sand Ninja and Rock Ninja outposts.
• Nanli Hu and his companions joined other fleeing Rock Ninja after learning that Cloud Ninja and Hyuga Clan forces were killing scouts at their outposts.
• Hyuga Soshi's group intercepted Nanli Hu's fleeing party in a sandstorm.
• Namuie and a group of Cloud Ninja arrived, prompting Hyuga Soshi to question how they had found him so quickly.
• Three figures landed between the groups, and the Hyuga ninja recognized one as the supposedly dead Hyuga Minato.

Hyuga Minato arrived with Ulquiorra and Sasori, then confronted Hyuga Soshi over the Main Branch and his clan. When Soshi insulted Sosuke, the three newcomers revealed their hostility, and Minato asked to deal with the Hyuga himself.

• Minato, Ulquiorra, and Sasori appeared on the battlefield, alarming the ninjas and making Nanli Hu recognize Minato as a Konoha ninja.
• Hyuga Soshi accused Minato of faking his death and abandoning Konoha, while Minato condemned the Main Branch elders.
• Namuie inferred that the Hyuga Clan was divided, and Nanli Hu signaled the young Rock Ninjas to look for a chance to escape.
• Soshi insulted Sosuke, provoking a sudden, chilling reaction from Minato, Ulquiorra, and Sasori that frightened everyone nearby.
• Sasori said he wanted to turn Soshi into a living puppet, and Ulquiorra declared that anyone who insulted his king deserved punishment.
• Minato condemned the Hyuga Clan and asked Ulquiorra and Sasori to let him personally eliminate its members.

Hyuga Minato confronted Hyuga Soshi after Ulquiorra and Sasori left the Hyuga and Cloud ninja for him to handle. Minato revealed that his Caged Bird Seal had been removed and attacked Soshi, while Sasori blocked Namuie and the Cloud ninja from intervening.

• Ulquiorra and Sasori left the gathered ninja to Minato, who activated his Byakugan and vowed to punish Hyuga Soshi.
• Soshi threatened Minato with the Caged Bird Seal, but Minato removed his forehead bandage and revealed the seal was gone.
• Soshi urged Namuie and the Cloud ninja to fight alongside the Hyuga, and Namuie agreed.
• Soshi insulted Minato and Sosuke, prompting Minato to rush forward and strike him with a powerful palm, sending him flying and spraying blood.
• Sasori blocked Namuie and the Cloud ninja, identified himself as being from the Land of Yellow Sand, and refused to let them interfere.

Sasori summoned ten puppets made from human bodies to face the Cloud Ninja, while Minato fought the Hyuga Clan ninja and revealed the devastating Tiger Fiend Heavenly Steel technique. The battlefield fell silent after Minato slaughtered his attackers, leaving Hyuga Soshi stunned.

• Sasori released ten human-body puppets and connected them to his chakra threads as the Cloud Ninja recoiled in horror.
• Hyuga Soshi called for the Hyuga Clan ninja to attack Minato, while Hyuga Sotsugu hesitated instead of joining them.
• Minato dodged two Hyuga ninja and killed them with rapid strikes, then declared that following Lord Aizen had taught him the true nature of the world.
• Minato unleashed Tiger Fiend Heavenly Steel, tearing through the charging Hyuga Clan ninja with the white tiger heads covering his arms.
• The fighting stopped, leaving the field strewn with blood and bodies as Hyuga Soshi and the others stared at Minato in shock.

Minato defeated the Hyuga Main Branch fighters and gouged out Hyuga Soshi’s Byakugan, declaring that he would destroy the clan rather than save the Branch Family. Elsewhere, Namuie and the surviving Kumogakure ninjas faced the boy controlling ten puppets as another figure descended from the sky.

• Minato ignored Hyuga Soshi’s threats and approached him while Hyuga Sotsugu asked Minato to help the Branch Family.
• Minato refused Sotsugu’s plea, saying he would destroy the Hyuga Clan in his own way.
• Hyuga Soshi begged Minato to spare him and promised to reform the Main Branch, but Minato immobilized him by striking his chakra points.
• Minato plucked out Hyuga Soshi’s Byakugan, saying it could help usher in a new era and telling him to thank Lord Aizen.
• Namuie saw Soshi lying with his eyes gouged out and worried that nearly everyone on Konoha’s side had been killed.
• The surviving Kumogakure ninjas launched another attack against the boy controlling ten puppets, but he repelled them before a figure descended from the sky.

Sasori and Minato finished their fights as Aizen arrived on the battlefield and learned that Minato had taken the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan. Minato revealed he sensed a hidden power in the eyes, and Aizen agreed to help him uncover it before going to inspect Hyuga Sotsugu.

• Sasori used ten puppets to defeat the Cloud Ninja, then left them unharmed behind his puppet armor.
• Nanli Hu recognized the descending Aizen as Sosuke, the 'Child of Konoha,' and told the Rock Ninja who he was.
• Ulquiorra reported to Aizen that everything had been taken care of, and Minato and Sasori returned to them.
• Minato presented Aizen with the Main Branch’s Byakugan and explained that he sensed a power hidden within the eyes.
• Aizen praised Minato, promised to help him master the Byakugan’s hidden power, and went to look at Hyuga Sotsugu.

Aizen arrived at the scene and confronted Hyuga Sotsugu, while the Cloud and Rock ninja froze under his warning. As Sotsugu recalled the Branch Family’s oppression and longed for freedom, Aizen told him to call him Aizen, leaving Sotsugu to ask whether he would be spared.

• Minato followed Aizen as Aizen and his three powerful companions approached Hyuga Sotsugu.
• Namuie and the Cloud Ninja recognized Aizen from Konoha’s S-rank danger list, and Aizen warned both the Cloud and Rock ninja not to flee.
• Hyuga Sotsugu remembered the Hyuga Clan’s Caged Bird Seal and the Branch Family’s subjugation by the Main Branch.
• Aizen told Sotsugu that the name Sosuke belonged to the past and asked him to call him Aizen.
• Sotsugu asked Aizen whether he was going to kill him.

Aizen freed Hyuga Sotsugu from the Caged Bird Seal and recruited him to gather the Hyuga Branch Family. He then questioned the Cloud Ninja about their alliance with Konoha, leaving Namuie shaken by Aizen’s insight and power.

• Aizen questioned Hyuga Sotsugu about his feelings toward him, and Sotsugu explained the Branch Family’s oppression by the Main Branch.
• Aizen removed Sotsugu’s Caged Bird Seal and offered him the chance to follow him.
• Sotsugu accepted Aizen’s orders, and Aizen tasked him with infiltrating the Hyuga Clan to unite the Branch Family.
• Aizen promised to clear the obstacles in Sotsugu’s way and said Sotsugu and Minato would divide the Hyuga Clan’s strength after the plan succeeded.
• Aizen questioned Namuie and the Cloud Ninja about Konoha’s alliance with them, and Namuie feared Aizen had uncovered the Raikage’s instructions.

Aizen dismissed Namuie's challenge and took Hyuga Sotsugu to a forest near Konoha, assigning him to gather the Hyuga Branch Family. Minato, Sasori, and Ulquiorra killed the Cloud Ninja, while Sotsugu wounded himself to make his return to Konoha appear convincing.

• Namuie refused to explain why the Cloud Ninja had joined, and Aizen mocked his faith in the Third Raikage and the limits of his understanding.
• Aizen opened a void and took Hyuga Sotsugu to a forest near Konoha, telling him to gather the Branch Family and focus on the Hyuga Clan.
• After Aizen left, Minato, Sasori, and Ulquiorra decided to kill the Cloud Ninja for insulting Aizen and attacked them.
• Hyuga Sotsugu cut himself repeatedly and set off toward Konoha, determined to secure his clan's safety.

Sasori agreed to join Las Noches after Ulquiorra questioned whether he could earn Lord Aizen’s trust. Aizen reassured the surviving Rock Ninjas, sent them back to Iwagakure with a message for Ōnoki, and anticipated the arrival of a second Tailed Beast.

• Sasori agreed to become a member of Las Noches in exchange for Lord Aizen’s promised technique to give puppets souls, and Ulquiorra accepted him with a warning not to interfere with Aizen’s plans.
• Aizen emerged from a spatial rift and told Nanli Hu and the Rock Ninjas that he was temporarily allied with Ōnoki.
• Aizen urged Nanli Hu to tell Ōnoki to withdraw troops from the area and deliver the items specified in the agreement to Las Noches.
• Nanli Hu led the Rock Ninjas back toward Iwagakure after assuring Aizen he would pass on the message.
• Minato asked whether the Rock Ninjas might reveal Las Noches’ location, and Aizen said Ōnoki would keep it secret while noting that they would need to act as before when the second Tailed Beast arrived.

Nanli Hu reported that Konoha and the Cloud Ninja had joined forces, prompting Ōnoki to secure Las Noches's help by handing over Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Aizen's group received Han, and Aizen asked Ulquiorra what he would say to an old friend.

• Nanli Hu told Ōnoki and his advisers that Konoha's Hyuga Clan and the Cloud Ninja had killed the border squads and exposed Iwagakure and Sunagakure's outposts.
• Ōnoki decided to rely on Aizen and Las Noches against Konoha, agreeing to give Aizen Han in exchange for help in the war.
• Three days later, Iwagakure Anbu delivered the unconscious Han to Aizen and his companions in a remote area of the Land of Earth.
• Aizen accepted Han and told Minato to take him, saying he needed only a portion of the Five-Tails' power.
• Aizen asked Ulquiorra what he had decided to say to an old friend.

Aizen used the Hogyoku to extract Yin Release Chakra from Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, while explaining to Ulquiorra how Tailed Beast chakra helped the Hogyoku summon him. After nearly a day, a haughty voice emerged from the chamber, claiming to be the God of Hueco Mundo.

• Aizen led Ulquiorra back to Las Noches and prepared to welcome another companion.
• Aizen explained that the Hogyoku had used Seven-Tails Chomei's Yin Release Chakra to summon Ulquiorra, then released Chomei.
• Ulquiorra carried the unconscious Han into a vast chamber, where Aizen said Five-Tails Kokuō was sealed inside him.
• Aizen ordered the Hogyoku to extract only the Yin Release Chakra it needed from Han, and a blue beam began draining his chakra.
• After nearly a day of extraction, a haughty voice declared itself the God of Hueco Mundo and offered Aizen its blessing.

Aizen confronted Barragan Luisenbarn, who emerged from black mist in the palace and discovered he had lost his power of Senescencia. After Aizen subdued him and revealed they were in another world, Barragan reacted with astonishment.

• Aizen and Ulquiorra watched as Barragan Luisenbarn emerged from the black mist and recognized Aizen.
• Barragan demanded to know what had happened to his crown and Senescencia, while Aizen taunted him about his lost power.
• Aizen’s spiritual pressure forced Barragan to his knees as Barragan vowed to kill him.
• Barragan’s hatred caused a faint trace of black mist and Senescencia to reappear, but Aizen remained unconcerned.
• Aizen released Barragan and told him they were no longer in Soul Society or Hueco Mundo, and Barragan realized they had entered another world.

Barragan arrived in a life-filled world and learned that Aizen intended to rule it and use him as a hunting hound. After Ulquiorra knocked him into rubble, Aizen explained that the world's rules had stripped Barragan of almost everything Hollow about him and bound him with an unbreakable constraint.

• Barragan sensed the world’s abundant life and imagined turning it into a realm of death, but Aizen told him the world would be his kingdom and Barragan would serve as his hound.
• Barragan attacked Aizen with black mist, but Ulquiorra struck him and sent him crashing through stone pillars.
• Barragan emerged from the rubble and recognized Ulquiorra, who accused him of ruining Lord Aizen’s plan.
• Barragan mocked Ulquiorra for becoming human and questioned whether he still had his former power.
• Aizen explained that the world’s rules had removed Barragan’s crown and nearly all of his Hollow nature, leaving him bound by an unbreakable constraint.

Ulquiorra defeated Barragan in Las Noches and revealed that he had long since attained Resurreccion Segunda Etapa. After learning Ulquiorra held the rank of First Espada, Barragan submitted while secretly vowing to reclaim his place as king of Hueco Mundo.

• Aizen ordered Ulquiorra to kill Barragan, and Ulquiorra battered him with overwhelming speed before striking him with a Cero.
• The explosion drew the attention of Minato, Sasori, Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, but Nagato sensed that Aizen's reiatsu remained calm.
• Ulquiorra explained that his technique used a human body and said Barragan's era had ended under Aizen's power.
• Barragan confronted Ulquiorra over his rank as Fourth Espada, and Ulquiorra revealed he had already attained Resurreccion Segunda Etapa.
• Ulquiorra prepared a larger Cero, and Barragan noticed the number 1 on his chest and chose to submit.

Ulquiorra defeated Barragan and forced him to accept Aizen’s arrangements, then claimed command of the Espada. Aizen promised Barragan a chance to regain his former power while he and Ulquiorra left with Han, and Ulquiorra reaffirmed his devotion to Aizen.

• Barragan agreed to follow Aizen’s arrangements after Ulquiorra defeated him, and Ulquiorra pinned his left arm to the ground with his blade.
• Aizen told Barragan that serving him faithfully could earn him a chance to reclaim his former weight and become king of Hueco Mundo again.
• Aizen ordered Ulquiorra to take Han, who possessed half of the Five-Tails’ power, and leave with him.
• Ulquiorra declared himself the First Espada and ordered the others to obey him, while Barragan vowed revenge after escaping the blade’s pin.
• Aizen gave Ulquiorra full command of the Espada, and Ulquiorra said he would do anything to keep Aizen’s mood bright.

Aizen gathered Las Noches to introduce new members as tensions over the coming war between Konoha and Sunagakure spread across the Ninja World. The gathering ended with Barragan arriving and drawing complaints from Nawaki and Yahiko.

• Iwagakure and Sunagakure publicized their alliance, while Chidong vowed to find the Third Kazekage and Ōnoki condemned Konoha.
• Aizen returned from the Land of Rain after checking Kazumi's White Zetsu research and instructed Minato to leave Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, far from Las Noches.
• Aizen assembled Las Noches, where the others noticed the new red-haired boy beside Minato and wondered about Ulquiorra's absence.
• Konan and the others silently told Nawaki that a fierce battle had taken place at Las Noches and that the Five-Tails Jinchuriki might be involved.
• Ulquiorra entered with Barragan, whose imposing appearance prompted Nawaki and Yahiko to mock his golden accessories and talk of teaching him the rules.
• Barragan overheard Nawaki and Yahiko, nearly stumbled, and glared at them angrily.

Aizen gathered everyone to meet Sasori and Barragan, whose claim to have once ruled Las Noches provoked the others. The chapter ended with Aizen confirming that Barragan had indeed been its former master, leaving the gathering stunned.

• Ulquiorra warned Barragan not to provoke Aizen, and Barragan agreed to behave.
• Sasori introduced himself as Sasori of the Red Sands.
• Barragan introduced himself as Emperor Barragan and declared that he had once been the master of Las Noches.
• Nagato sensed a frightening presence around Barragan and cautioned Nawaki and the others against acting rashly.
• Nawaki demanded that Aizen punish Barragan, but Aizen confirmed Barragan's claim and shocked everyone.