Chapter Summaries

Danzo confronted Orochimaru after Orochimaru killed the Third, intending to claim the Hokage's authority by bringing back Orochimaru's corpse. Nawaki arrived, accused Danzo of conspiring in the assassination, and prepared to face him as Orochimaru left.

• Danzo told Orochimaru he planned to seize the Hokage's authority and use his death to secure the position.
• Orochimaru mocked Danzo for keeping Root Base out of his battle with the Third, and Danzo claimed the Third had chosen to die with dignity.
• Danzo declared that he would settle the Third's grudge, but Nawaki emerged from the shadows and accused him of arranging the assassination.
• Danzo accused Nawaki of betraying Konoha and said he should have had him assassinated earlier.
• Orochimaru asked whether Nawaki could handle Danzo, and Nawaki said he should manage; Orochimaru then left them to face each other.

Nawaki confronted Danzo and unleashed Wood Release as Danzo’s men attacked. In the Land of Rain, Aizen arrived beneath a strange rift in the sky, while Kinnara reassured Amegakure and went to meet him.

• Danzo questioned Nawaki about defecting to Aizen and threatened him with Tsunade’s reaction.
• Nawaki told Danzo to prepare for death, and Danzo sent two Root Base members to attack him.
• Nawaki used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, causing enormous trees to surge through the forest.
• A strange rift appeared above Amegakure, and Kinnara told his shinobi that it signaled a lord’s arrival.
• Aizen, Gin, Ulquiorra, and Yammy arrived near Amegakure, carrying unconscious Kidomaru and Kimimaro.
• Gin warned Aizen that the newly transformed Kidomaru and Kimimaro had shown signs of resistance, and Aizen agreed that the new Hollows required caution.

Aizen established the Hollow Spirit Empire and appointed Gin to lead its Imperial Inspectorate, while naming the Land of Rain its first subordinate nation. Kinnara welcomed the promised new era in Amegakure as its people gathered in the rain.

• Aizen assigned Gin to prepare for problems among evolved followers and entrusted him with the Imperial Inspectorate.
• Kinnara met Aizen and reported that Amegakure was prepared to receive the serum.
• Aizen renamed Las Noches the Hollow Spirit Empire, declared the Land of Rain its first subordinate nation, and demanded that others address him as His Majesty the Emperor.
• Kinnara returned to Amegakure, where civilians and ninjas gathered to welcome the arriving beings.
• Kinnara told the crowd that the new era he had promised had arrived.

Kinnara announced that Amegakure would become the Land of Rain, the Hollow Spirit Empire’s first subordinate nation, and led ninjas into the forest to retrieve something important. Elsewhere, Nawaki killed Danzo after resisting his Kotoamatsukami, while Black Zetsu and Obito discussed Aizen’s return and their plans to gather the Tailed Beasts.

• Kinnara told Amegakure’s people that their village would become the Land of Rain under the Hollow Spirit Empire, then took several ninjas into the forest to retrieve something.
• Nawaki explained that Danzo’s Kotoamatsukami had worked but its command to protect Konoha did not prevent him from attacking Danzo, then killed him with tree trunks.
• Black Zetsu said Aizen’s return required them to seek answers from him, while White Zetsu and Obito listened.
• Obito asked whether Minato Namikaze had died, and White Zetsu confirmed that Minato and Might Duy had been killed by Aizen.
• Black Zetsu urged Obito to set aside revenge, contact Nagato and the others, and prioritize gathering the Tailed Beasts.

After the Land of Rain joined the Hollow Spirit Empire and Aizen’s identity became public, Konoha began rebuilding under acting Sixth Hokage Nawaki. Tsunade and Nawaki concluded that ninja alone could not stop Aizen, and Nawaki proposed obtaining the Empire’s power-enhancing drugs for Konoha’s defenders.

• The Land of Rain joined the Hollow Spirit Empire, and news spread that Aizen had killed the Fifth Hokage and severely injured the other four Kage.
• Rogue ninja and illicit groups traveled to the Land of Rain seeking to join the Empire, while the weakened Konoha gained time to recover.
• Nawaki used Wood Release to rebuild houses in Konoha as acting Sixth Hokage, and Tsunade came to check on him.
• Tsunade said Jiraiya had likely gone to investigate the Hollow Spirit Empire, and she argued that Aizen’s Empire was merely a tool for him.
• Nawaki said ninja were too weak to defeat the Empire alone and suggested that Konoha’s defenders use its power-enhancing drugs to oppose Aizen.

Aizen formally established the Hollow Spirit Empire at Las Noches, where its members pledged allegiance and Orochimaru reported that the Hollow serum could be mass-produced and possibly improved. Aizen looked toward expanding the empire across the Ninja World, while its members reacted to the new order and Sakuya hoped it would bring peace.

• Aizen emerged at Las Noches, sat on the stone throne, and received the kneeling allegiance of the Hollow Spirit Empire’s members.
• Aizen asked Orochimaru about mass production of the Hollow serum, and Orochimaru said production could support the entire Ninja World and that the serum might be improved.
• Konan and Pain celebrated the empire’s founding, while Barragan complained that Gin Ichimaru and Ulquiorra had kept it secret.
• Sakuya told Tokino that Aizen’s unification of the nations could bring peace, but Tokino said he only cared about her happiness.
• Shimura Kazumi stood with a group of talented children from Amegakure whose abilities had awakened after using Hollow’s serum.

Obito and Zetsu reconsidered how to revive Madara now that Nagato had joined Aizen’s Hollow Spirit Empire, while Aizen addressed the transformed Hollows about their potential and a future threat from another world. The chapter left Aizen’s followers facing an unknown enemy and Black Zetsu preparing to negotiate with Aizen.

• Obito worried that the Hollow Spirit Empire’s strength, including Uchiha Tokino’s possible Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, could make reviving Madara pointless.
• Black Zetsu insisted Madara had to be revived and proposed making a deal with Aizen instead of secretly controlling Nagato and gathering the Nine Tailed Beasts.
• Black Zetsu said he would handle negotiations with Aizen, while Obito remained doubtful and White Zetsu watched with a faint smile.
• Aizen told the gathered transformed Hollows that they had surpassed humanity but were not invincible.
• Aizen warned that beings from another world were destined to eliminate them, and said they could only save themselves.

Aizen addressed the newcomers to the Hollow Spirit Empire and explained that their safety and prospects would depend on their strength and performance as Hollows. After the crowd accepted his words, he began the process of choosing officers to command them.

• Fuliang Jie and Qianzhang Shenheliu argued over why they had joined, then Shenheliu told Fuliang Jie that he had already decided whom to follow.
• Fuliang Jie confirmed that the Hollow serum had healed his lifelong leg disability and expressed gratitude to Aizen.
• The narration explained that the Hollow Spirit Empire accepted all kinds of recruits and classified them according to their abilities, with former ninjas and determined youths sometimes becoming stronger Hollows.
• Aizen let the newcomers vent their fears before announcing that they would choose officers to command them.
• Members of Las Noches stepped out from the ranks and approached the stone steps where Aizen sat.

Aizen introduced the Hollow Spirit Empire’s prominent figures and let the new members choose which commanding officer to follow. Fu Ryosuke considered following Starrk, while Shenhe Liu revealed his ambition to serve Barragan.

• Barragan, Starrk, Lilynette, Kaname Tosen, Yammy, and Nagato appeared before Aizen and saluted him.
• Aizen offered the Empire’s earliest arrivals the right to choose a commanding officer and encouraged them to rise through the ranks.
• Fu Ryosuke and Shenhe Liu discussed the Empire’s promise of opportunity and the potions meant to unlock their potential.
• Shenhe Liu recommended that timid Fu Ryosuke follow Starrk, believing Starrk would be forgiving.
• Shenhe Liu revealed he intended to follow Barragan, despite Fu Ryosuke’s warning about Barragan’s deadly reputation.

Gin Ichimaru used his spiritual pressure to intimidate the newly promoted members of the Hollow Spirit Empire and warned them that only the strong could earn the right to speak before Aizen. He then began introducing the Empire’s officers, starting with Barragan Louisenbairn.

• Aizen signaled Gin to address the newly promoted Hollows, whose members argued over rumors about the Fifth Hokage’s death.
• Gin praised their fighting spirit, then released powerful spiritual pressure that forced the crowd to struggle and nearly drove some of them to their knees.
• Gin claimed he had lost control of his strength, and the frightened crowd fell silent and understood they could not provoke the Empire’s lords.
• Gin warned that the weak had no right to speak and said the newcomers needed to learn about the officers who would shape their future.
• Gin introduced the Third Espada, Barragan Louisenbairn, who told Gin he could introduce himself.

Barragan declared that anyone joining his ranks had to be prepared to die, then tested Shen Heliu with a deadly blast of black mist. Shen Heliu survived and was accepted as Barragan’s subordinate as Gin began introducing Starrk and Lilynette.

• Barragan warned the crowd that anyone who failed to meet his demands would die under his command.
• Shen Heliu declared that he was willing to join Barragan, despite Fu Ryosuke’s attempt to stop him.
• Barragan sent black mist rushing at Shen Heliu, but it split around him and hollowed out the ground nearby.
• Barragan called Shen Heliu courageous and accepted him as a subordinate, and Shen Heliu knelt to pay his respects.
• Gin began introducing Starrk, and Lilynette added that she should not be forgotten.

Aizen introduced the Hollow Spirit Empire’s commanding officers and urged its new members to compete for power and rise through its ranks, ending with their pledge of loyalty. After Aizen vanished, Obito and Zetsu discussed Madara’s instructions, and Black Zetsu told Obito to search for the nine Tailed Beasts while he tried to persuade Aizen.

• Starrk introduced himself as a potential commander, and Nagato, Kaname Tosen, and the others followed with their own introductions.
• Aizen told the new members they could choose a commander and promised opportunities for power, while warning that stronger successors would replace them.
• Aizen declared that there were no enemies before him, prompting the crowd to kneel and swear loyalty to him.
• Aizen left the hall through a black hole and privately mused about invading Soul Society with the empire’s full strength.
• Obito doubted they could approach Aizen about Madara’s instructions, but Black Zetsu said he would handle the matter and ordered Obito to investigate the nine Tailed Beasts with White Zetsu.
• Black Zetsu warned Obito against trying anything else and reminded him that Kakashi, who killed Rin, was still alive.

Obito and Black Zetsu infiltrated Las Noches to reach Aizen, but Ulquiorra intercepted them and ordered them to appear before him. The chapter ended with both being summoned to meet Aizen.

• Black Zetsu separated from White Zetsu in the forest and told him to leave, keeping Obito as his companion.
• Black Zetsu asked Obito to take him directly to Aizen's palace, and Obito warned that Aizen could detect their arrival.
• Obito used his spatial ability to send Black Zetsu into the palace, then withdrew into his Sharingan space.
• Aizen sensed the spatial disturbance and told Ulquiorra to let the intruders approach.
• Ulquiorra appeared before Black Zetsu and ordered him and Obito to come meet Aizen.

Ulquiorra forced Obito and Black Zetsu to meet Aizen at Las Noches, where Black Zetsu offered to make a deal with the Hollow Spirit Empire. After requesting privacy, he revealed that he wanted to use the Eye of the Moon Plan as the basis for the deal.

• Ulquiorra stopped Obito from fleeing through his Sharingan space and escorted him and Black Zetsu to Aizen.
• Aizen questioned the pair about their visit and displayed a strange, monstrous flower beside him.
• Black Zetsu said he had come to offer a deal that would benefit the Hollow Spirit Empire.
• Black Zetsu asked to speak with Aizen alone, and Aizen sent Ulquiorra and Obito away.
• Black Zetsu told Aizen he wanted to use the Eye of the Moon Plan to make a deal.

Black Zetsu tried to recruit Aizen into the Eye of the Moon Plan, but Aizen dismissed its purpose and questioned him about the Divine Tree’s history. When Aizen asked for the names of the two monks who sealed the Ten-Tails, Black Zetsu trembled.

• Black Zetsu offered Aizen the Eye of the Moon Plan and explained that it used the Tailed Beasts and Infinite Tsukuyomi.
• Aizen said the Hollow Spirit Empire would conquer the Ninja World without needing to hypnotize its people.
• Black Zetsu revealed that Madara had found the plan on the Uchiha stone tablet and that the Divine Tree would awaken with the Ten-Tails.
• Black Zetsu described the Divine Tree, the Ten-Tails’ sealing, and the origins of the Senju and Uchiha clans.
• Aizen suspected Black Zetsu had omitted something and demanded the names of the two monks, causing Black Zetsu to tremble.

Aizen learned from Black Zetsu that Otsutsuki Kaguya was the mother of Hagoromo and Hamura, who sealed her away, and that she had once loved a man named Sosuke Aizen. Black Zetsu began recounting Kaguya’s past, ending with her decision to entrust the Divine Tree’s fruit and her ideals to Aizen.

• Black Zetsu revealed that Otsutsuki Hagoromo and Otsutsuki Hamura sealed the Ten-Tails and that he called Kaguya his mother.
• Aizen connected Black Zetsu’s account to the woman he had met in the era before ninjas and asked to hear Kaguya’s history.
• Black Zetsu said Hagoromo and Hamura sealed Kaguya, their mother, and began recounting her tragic story.
• Black Zetsu explained that Kaguya came from another world to obtain the Divine Tree’s fruit and later fell in love with Sosuke Aizen.
• Black Zetsu said Kaguya gave Aizen the fruit and entrusted him with her hopes for the future and her ideal world.

Black Zetsu told Aizen how Kaguya met the man who became her children’s father, lost him, and transformed after consuming the Chakra Fruit. He explained that Hagoromo and Hamura eventually turned against Kaguya over the God Tree, but the fragments of her memories did not reveal what they had discovered.

• Black Zetsu explained that Kaguya became pregnant with the man’s child, and that he fought the Dragon Beasts so she could claim the Chakra Fruit before disappearing.
• After consuming the fruit, Kaguya searched for the missing man and slaughtered Dragon Beasts, eventually discovering their power over time and space.
• Kaguya returned to find their kingdom ruined by war and, losing faith in their ideal world, trapped its people in Infinite Tsukuyomi; Hagoromo and Hamura were born in the following decades.
• Black Zetsu told Aizen that Kaguya devoted herself to raising Hagoromo and Hamura, but they changed after crossing the mountain barrier and seeing the God Tree.
• Black Zetsu said Hagoromo and Hamura began criticizing Kaguya and attempting to use the God Tree’s power, and he angrily blamed them for rebelling against her.

Black Zetsu revealed that Kaguya created him and explained his plan to resurrect her through Madara and the Ten-Tails. Aizen agreed to help in exchange for answers from Kaguya, leaving Black Zetsu to negotiate the details with White Zetsu.

• Black Zetsu recounted how Hagoromo and Hamura sealed Kaguya after Hagoromo accidentally killed and then revived Hamura.
• Black Zetsu revealed that Kaguya created him to awaken her and that he remembered Aizen from her memories.
• Black Zetsu explained that Madara needed to become the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki to provide the chance to resurrect Kaguya.
• Aizen agreed to help revive Kaguya because he wanted answers from her, and he told Black Zetsu to arrange terms with White Zetsu.
• Aizen warned Black Zetsu that the Hollow Spirit Empire would protect White Zetsu, then discussed Kaguya and her children with Kyoka Suigetsu.

Kyoka Suigetsu agreed to help Kaguya ease Aizen’s burden, while Black Zetsu and Obito planned to gather the Tailed Beasts with the Hollow Spirit Empire’s help. In Konoha, Tsunade took charge of investigating Root Base as Nawaki focused on rebuilding the village, and Sakura visited the injured Naruto.

• Kyoka Suigetsu told Aizen she would do her utmost to help Kaguya and ease his burden.
• Black Zetsu told Obito that Aizen had agreed to help them gather the nine Tailed Beasts, and Ulquiorra warned them not to disrespect Aizen again.
• Nawaki told Tsunade that Root Base suspected him of causing Danzo’s disappearance and had been contacting major clans, so Tsunade left to deal with them.
• Nawaki watched Tsunade leave and turned his attention to a secret scroll hidden beneath his desk.
• Sakura visited the injured Naruto, and Kushina welcomed her into his room.

Sakura visited Naruto in the hospital and found him overwhelmed by Minato’s death and his inability to stop Aizen. She reminded him that Minato believed in him, leaving Naruto to recall his father’s faith that he would one day surpass him and defeat Aizen.

• Sakura opened the curtains and tried to encourage the weakened Naruto to leave the hospital room, but he barely noticed her.
• Naruto tried to get out of bed, collapsed back onto it, and called himself useless for failing to save his father.
• Naruto broke down over Minato dying before him, and Sakura comforted him by saying Minato and Dai had sacrificed themselves to protect everyone and preserve hope against Aizen.
• Sakura told Naruto that Minato had believed he would someday defeat Aizen, prompting Naruto to remember Minato apologizing for his upbringing and saying he would surpass him.