Chapter Summaries

Gin stopped fighting Tokino and accepted punishment for violating Aizen's rules, while shielding the reason for their clash. As he followed Ulquiorra into Las Noches, Gin answered Tokino's question by describing Aizen's overwhelming past.

• Ulquiorra and Minato arrived and demanded to know why Gin and Tokino had fought, while Sakuya checked on her injured brother.
• Gin claimed he had fought Tokino to test the Mangekyō Sharingan, preventing Tokino from revealing what had happened before their battle.
• Ulquiorra sentenced Gin to fifteen days in Las Noches's underground prison, and Gin accepted the punishment.
• As Ulquiorra led him away, Gin told Tokino that Aizen had overturned Soul Society's rule, faced more than a dozen captains, and defeated the King of Hueco Mundo.

After Gin revealed Aizen’s astonishing past, Minato asked Tokino how he wanted to handle the Uchiha, and Tokino chose to meet Fugaku. Gin was sent to endure Las Noches’ sealed punishment chamber, where he hinted that he had a deeper purpose and questioned whether Aizen could remain unchanged now that everyone was human.

• Gin described Aizen’s past to Sakuya, Tokino, and Minato, shocking them with accounts of his battles and conquests.
• Minato asked Tokino for his view on acting against Obito and Itachi, and Tokino said to follow Aizen’s plan but that he would meet Fugaku.
• Tokino told Sakuya that he would give Fugaku a chance to choose the Uchiha clan’s future, then walked away as she followed him.
• Gin and Ulquiorra entered a sealed hall beneath Las Noches, where Ulquiorra said Gin would endure the Hollows’ punishment for fifteen days.
• Gin dodged the hall’s electrical attacks and hinted that he had more in mind than watching events unfold, wondering whether Aizen could remain the same now that they were all human.

Aizen observed Orochimaru and Shimura Kazumi’s failed experiment in the Land of Rain and judged it to be progressing well because the subject was approaching a Hollow. He told them to continue their work while the Hogyoku neared completion.

• Orochimaru’s experimental subject convulsed and melted into sludge after its body failed to contain the power infused with natural energy from Jugo.
• Kimimaro offered to become the next test subject, but Orochimaru ordered him to stand down.
• Shimura Kazumi watched Aizen as he silently observed the experiment in the underground laboratory.
• Aizen praised the experiment, recognizing that the subject retained a Hollow-like presence despite its fading life force.
• Aizen learned that the Hogyoku was almost full and told Orochimaru and Kazumi to continue until they could keep the body from collapsing.

Aizen left Orochimaru and Kazumi to continue the Hollow evolution while telling Kimimaro that his body was not yet ready to become a test subject. Meanwhile, Itachi and Kisame infiltrated Konoha to test its defenses as Obito and Zetsu watched from the shadows.

• Aizen told Kimimaro to wait because his body could not yet withstand the Hollow evolution, then left Orochimaru and Kazumi in charge of the work.
• Itachi and Kisame approached Konoha through the rain, and Itachi said he knew gaps in the village's barriers that they could use to enter and escape.
• Zetsu and the masked Obito watched the pair from a tree and discussed how they were only testing Konoha's defenses, not capturing Tailed Beasts.
• Obito told Zetsu to call him Tobi in front of others.

Naruto showed off his Sexy Jutsu in the Ninja Academy and turned Iruka’s lesson into chaos. He confronted Sasuke over Sakura’s affection, but the moment ended with an abrupt apology.

• Naruto used the Sexy Jutsu on Iruka, who fainted after getting a nosebleed.
• Naruto celebrated his new technique and hoped Sakura would be impressed, but saw her gazing at Sasuke instead.
• Choji and Shikamaru watched as Naruto approached Sasuke, with Choji supporting Naruto and Shikamaru calling him troublesome.
• Naruto jumped onto Sasuke’s desk, and Sakura warned him not to hurt Sasuke.
• Naruto looked Sasuke over, then someone said, “Sorry, excuse me...”

Naruto accidentally kissed Sasuke at the Ninja Academy and was beaten by Sakura. That night, Itachi and Kisame secretly entered Konoha to pursue the Jinchuriki, while a mysterious figure entered the Uchiha Clan residence and two lonely children appeared at the Academy gates.

• Naruto bumped into Sasuke and accidentally kissed him, shocking the classroom.
• Sasuke shoved Naruto away, and Sakura threatened him before beating him for stealing Sasuke’s first kiss.
• Itachi and Kisame entered Konoha in disguise and agreed to split up while searching for the Jinchuriki.
• A mysterious figure with crimson, three-tomoe eyes entered the Uchiha Clan residence.
• As school ended in the rain, two small, lonely figures appeared at the Ninja Academy gates.

Naruto and Sasuke waited alone outside the Ninja Academy in the rain, where Naruto offered to walk with Sasuke but was rejected. The story then turned to the desolate Uchiha district and revealed that only Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto, and their younger son remained after Itachi’s betrayal.

• Naruto and Sasuke watched other students leave with their parents while they stood alone at the Academy gates.
• Naruto teased Sasuke for having no one come to pick him up, and Sasuke called him an idiot.
• Sasuke walked into the rain, and Naruto offered to go with him, but Sasuke refused.
• Naruto stomped away in anger, then realized he had forgotten his rain gear; Sasuke heard him and smiled faintly.
• The story shifted to the ruined Uchiha district, where it revealed that Itachi’s betrayal had left only Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto, and their younger son alive.

Itachi, disguised as an ordinary middle-aged man, ambushed Sasuke in the rain and overwhelmed him. After revealing his identity, Itachi used the Sharingan to make Sasuke relive his trauma and left him unconscious in the street.

• Sasuke noticed the disguised Itachi as they passed each other and attacked him with a kunai.
• Itachi blocked Sasuke's strike, slammed him into a wall, and revealed that he was Itachi.
• Sasuke recognized Itachi's voice and tried to break free, but Itachi punched him and pinned him by the neck.
• Itachi called Sasuke weak and urged him to survive until he could catch up, then used his Sharingan to incapacitate him.
• Itachi crouched beside Sasuke before disappearing, leaving him alone in the rain.

Naruto Uzumaki was caught in the rain and comforted by Iruka-sensei, but a disguised attacker targeting the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki ambushed them. Naruto and Iruka fled as the attacker pursued them with a Water Release technique.

• A disguised man spotted Naruto in the rain and realized he was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Naruto complained about being the Hokage’s son until Iruka arrived with an umbrella and offered to take him home.
• The disguised man asked if Naruto was Uzumaki Naruto, and Naruto tricked him by pointing in the wrong direction before warning Iruka to run.
• The attacker revealed his true appearance and chased Naruto and Iruka with Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks.
• Naruto told Iruka that the stinky guy inside him had warned him the attacker was dangerous.

Kisame attacked Naruto and Iruka, but Jiraiya arrived just as Kisame was about to take Naruto away. Jiraiya confronted Kisame and demanded to know why the Akatsuki had come to Konoha.

• Kisame ambushed Naruto and Iruka with a water attack and threatened to cut off Naruto’s leg.
• Iruka sprang up to protect Naruto, but Kisame struck him down and left him severely injured.
• Naruto used the Shadow Clone Technique and demanded that Kisame apologize to Iruka.
• Kisame unleashed a massive wave that dispersed Naruto’s clones and left Naruto and Iruka unconscious in the water.
• Jiraiya shielded Naruto and Iruka with strands of white hair, then confronted Kisame about the Akatsuki’s presence in Konoha.

Jiraiya confronted Kisame over the Akatsuki’s attempt to take Naruto, then faced Itachi when he arrived and refused to let the two leave. Jiraiya trapped them inside the stomach of the Rock Lodging Great Toad, while Itachi and Kisame searched for a way out.

• Jiraiya attacked Kisame with Frog Strike Palm, but Kisame blocked it with his bandage-wrapped blade and revealed that the technique had no effect on him.
• Itachi arrived and told Kisame to abandon their mission and leave, but Kisame warned that Jiraiya would not let them go easily.
• Jiraiya recognized Itachi and demanded to know why he had betrayed Konoha and destroyed the Uchiha Clan, but Itachi said only that it had been his choice.
• Jiraiya summoned Toad Mouth Bind, surrounding the field with the Rock Lodging Great Toad’s intestinal walls.
• Itachi activated his Sharingan and led Kisame toward a possible escape route as Jiraiya moved Naruto and Iruka into the wall.

Itachi and Kisame escaped Jiraiya’s toad stomach with Itachi’s black flames, but Minato intercepted them outside and confronted them. Itachi trapped Minato with Tsukuyomi while Kisame prepared to act, and Zetsu and the masked man decided to intervene as the mission faltered.

• Itachi and Kisame raced through the toad stomach, and Itachi used black flames to burn through its weakest wall as Jiraiya pursued them.
• Minato appeared beside Jiraiya, then teleported outside and struck Itachi and Kisame with a Rasengan, but both avoided the full force of his attack.
• Kisame recognized Minato as the Fifth Hokage, and Itachi told Kisame to contact Zetsu while he stalled Minato.
• Itachi used Tsukuyomi on Minato as Kisame formed a hand seal, and Jiraiya arrived to find Minato motionless.
• Zetsu and the masked man discussed the failed mission, and Zetsu merged into a tree to help Itachi and Kisame escape.

In Tsukuyomi, Itachi warned Minato that Akatsuki might be trying to turn the Five Great Ninja Villages against Las Noches to advance its plans. After arranging for Zetsu to extract him and asking Minato to find Sasuke a teacher, Itachi escaped Konoha with Kisame.

• Itachi told Minato that Akatsuki's attacks on Jinchuriki might be meant to redirect the villages' hostility toward Las Noches.
• Itachi said he had arranged for Kisame to contact Zetsu and suggested Minato mark Zetsu to investigate him.
• Itachi asked Minato to find Sasuke a good teacher, and Minato agreed to help him.
• Minato and Itachi returned from Tsukuyomi as Jiraiya and Kisame remained in a standoff.
• Zetsu emerged from underground, grabbed Itachi and Kisame, and began carrying them away.
• Minato and Jiraiya tried to stop the escape, but Zetsu took Itachi and Kisame underground.

Minato and Jiraiya failed to stop Itachi, Kisame, and Zetsu from escaping, so Akatsuki redirected the pair to the Land of Wind. Meanwhile, Tokino offered Fugaku another chance to help the Uchiha Clan, and Fugaku asked whether their lord was still alive.

• Minato told Jiraiya that the three Akatsuki members had escaped after his Flying Thunder God seal was removed.
• Itachi, Kisame, and Zetsu emerged from a tree outside Konoha, and Kisame asked what the organization planned to do next.
• Black Zetsu sent Itachi and Kisame to the Land of Wind to support Deidara and Sasori, and both agreed to go.
• Tokino told Fugaku that he had given him another opportunity to prevent the Uchiha Clan from perishing.
• Fugaku asked Tokino whether their lord was still alive.

Tokino confronted Fugaku over his failure to take responsibility for the Uchiha Clan and offered him a chance to join Aizen. Fugaku chose to leave, determined to stop making his children bear the clan’s burdens.

• Tokino told Fugaku that Itachi’s actions and the Uchiha Clan’s downfall demanded responsibility from Fugaku as clan head and father.
• Tokino revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and challenged Fugaku to show that he had also broken through the barrier; Fugaku awakened his own Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Tokino offered Fugaku and the Uchiha Clan a choice, warning that this might be their last meeting if Fugaku refused.
• Fugaku agreed to go to Aizen’s side, saying he needed to step forward for the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke, and Mikoto.
• Fugaku wrote a letter, then rose and prepared to leave with Tokino.

After Konoha’s attack, Minato and Jiraiya recovered Naruto and Sasuke and arranged medical treatment for them. The next day, Konoha’s leaders discussed Uchiha Fugaku’s disappearance and ordered a search for him while placing Uchiha Mikoto under surveillance.

• An Anbu ninja found Naruto, and Jiraiya and Minato discussed his danger and his admiration for Minato.
• An Anbu ninja brought the soaked Sasuke to Minato, who ordered Naruto, Sasuke, and Iruka sent for treatment.
• Minato asked Jiraiya about Sakumo, then joined him in dealing with the black flames.
• Mitokado Homura argued that Fugaku’s disappearance was suspicious, while Sarutobi urged Konoha to locate him.
• Minato ordered a full investigation into Fugaku’s whereabouts, surveillance of Uchiha Mikoto, and made separate arrangements for Sasuke.

Tokino brought Fugaku to Las Noches, revealing the vast palace hidden beneath the Land of Rain’s mountain ridge. As they arrived, Sakuya appeared to meet them, while events inside the palace hinted at shifting activity among its residents.

• Tokino told Fugaku that Las Noches lay at the bottom of the ravine, and they jumped down to reach it.
• Fugaku saw the immense bone-white palace and learned from Tokino that it was Las Noches.
• Barragan basked in his subordinates’ flattery, while Ulquiorra sat with a drowsy young attendant nearby.
• A meditating woman sensed something and vanished, while a silver-haired figure in a restricted palace spoke to Gin about Captain Aizen.
• Tokino and Fugaku entered Las Noches, where Sakuya appeared and Fugaku greeted her as his big sister.

Sakuya reunited with Fugaku and urged him to let the Uchiha begin anew, while Tokino warned him not to let Itachi bear the weight of old grudges alone. At Las Noches, Aizen released Gin and hinted that he would help him regain his Bankai power before they went to meet their next companion.

• Sakuya apologized to Fugaku for leaving him to shoulder the Uchiha Clan’s responsibilities, and Fugaku blamed himself for its decline.
• Tokino told Sakuya not to take responsibility for Fugaku’s clan and warned Fugaku not to let Itachi be crushed by the previous generation’s grudges.
• Sakuya hoped the Uchiha could take root and flourish again, but Tokino walked ahead without answering her appeal.
• Aizen and Gin emerged from the sealed gate at Las Noches, and Gin complained that Ulquiorra had imprisoned him.
• Aizen recognized that Gin wanted to reclaim the power of his Zanpakuto’s Bankai and said he looked forward to Gin’s performance.
• Aizen invited Gin to join him in meeting their next companion.

Aizen emerged in Las Noches with Gin, his presence startling its residents and revealing that he had returned stronger than before. As Barragan, Ulquiorra, and another woman reacted to his arrival, Sakuya, Tokino, and Fugaku headed toward the inner palace, where Tokino urged Fugaku to do what he thought was right.

• Aizen and Gin left the lowest hall, and Aizen appeared restored, confident, and more powerful than before.
• Barragan sensed Aizen's presence, dismissed his frightened subordinates, and headed for his palace exit.
• Ulquiorra told Xiao Zhi he was leaving for a while, then reassured her that he was not sending her away.
• A woman in a black-and-white uniform sensed Aizen's return and vanished from her palace.
• Sakuya, Tokino, and Fugaku felt Aizen's overwhelming presence, and Tokino told Fugaku to proceed as he thought best.

Fugaku followed Tokino and Sakuya through Las Noches, reflecting on his past and hoping to return to Konoha one day. They encountered four Las Noches members, and as Tokino shielded Fugaku from Barragan, another figure appeared and said Fugaku looked familiar.

• Fugaku resolved to begin again under Tokino's leadership and vowed to return to Konoha and reunite with Mikoto and Sasuke.
• Tokino, Sakuya, and Fugaku were confronted by four Las Noches members who appeared atop stone pillars.
• Barragan threatened Fugaku, but Tokino stepped between them and ordered Barragan not to attack him.
• Fugaku recognized Barragan and Hyuga Minato among the four, while wondering who the other two were.
• A figure suddenly appeared before Fugaku and remarked that he looked familiar.