Chapter Summaries

Naruto asked Kushina to teach him sealing techniques so he could avenge Minato, while Sasuke decided to seek power from the Hollow Spirit Empire to kill Itachi. Days later, Naruto spotted Sasuke fleeing Konoha in a storm and chased after him.

• Kushina returned to find Naruto training, and he told her he wanted to learn sealing techniques to avenge Minato.
• Sasuke, unable to use ninjutsu with his injured left arm, resolved to join the Hollow Spirit Empire and gain the power to kill Itachi.
• During a thunderstorm, Naruto spotted Sasuke on a rain-soaked street and called out to him.
• Sasuke grabbed his backpack and ran toward the outskirts of the village, and Naruto pursued him.

Sasuke critically wounded Naruto and left to pursue greater power and revenge, while a battered figure reached Amegakure, the entrance to the Hollow Spirit Empire. In Konoha, Sakura asked Naruto to bring Sasuke back, and Naruto promised he would.

• Sasuke used Chidori to stab Naruto, then said he was leaving to gain power and avenge his enemies.
• Naruto lost consciousness as Sasuke walked away through the rain.
• Several days later, a battered figure reached Amegakure and raced toward the village.
• Sakura visited the recovering Naruto and learned Sasuke had wounded him.
• Sakura asked Naruto to bring Sasuke back, and Naruto firmly promised he would.

Sasuke arrived at Rain Palace and asked to join the Hollow Spirit Empire, seeking power greater than he had before. Karin led him toward Las Noches and warned him that becoming a Hollow was irreversible, leaving Sasuke to follow her into the unknown.

• Sasuke reached Rain Palace and told the guards he had come to join the Hollow Spirit Empire.
• Sasuke revealed his Sharingan to prove his identity, and Karin agreed to take him to see Lord Fugaku.
• Karin questioned why Sasuke wanted power, but Sasuke refused to explain.
• Karin warned Sasuke that becoming a Hollow meant giving up his shinobi identity and that there was no turning back.
• Karin leaped from a cliff toward Las Noches, and Sasuke followed her.

A mysterious girl in Las Noches anticipated Sasuke’s arrival and looked forward to revealing the truth to him. Karin brought Sasuke to Las Noches, where the palace and the screams from nearby buildings left him with questions about the horrors awaiting him.

• A kimono-clad girl in Las Noches sensed Sasuke coming and sent a hidden monster away, eager to see his potential and reaction to the truth.
• Karin led Sasuke across an empty plain and showed him Las Noches, identifying it as the Hollow Spirit Empire’s center and Lord Aizen’s residence.
• Karin said she did not know how Las Noches had been created, though she believed its origins involved the great figures inside.
• Karin warned Sasuke to prepare to enter hell, then hurried toward the palace with him following close behind.
• Sasuke heard roars and agonized screams from buildings along the road, and Karin warned him that learning what happened inside might make him afraid to enter Las Noches.

Karin brought Sasuke to Las Noches, where Kimimaro and Kidomaru revealed that the Empire’s higher-ups had selected him for a dangerous experimental serum. Sasuke accepted the DX-G4 serum and followed them into the palace.

• Karin led Sasuke to Las Noches, where they encountered Kimimaro and Kidomaru.
• Kimimaro told Karin that he and Kidomaru had been ordered to receive Second Pillar and arrange a place for him.
• Kidomaru offered Sasuke the experimental DX-G4 serum, warning that it could kill him but might make him much stronger.
• Karin recognized the serum’s danger, but Kimimaro stopped her from warning Sasuke.
• Sasuke accepted the serum, and Kimimaro led him into Las Noches while Kidomaru told him to keep up.

Sasuke followed Kimimaro and Kidomaru into Las Noches, where they sent him through a passage opened by Raguki to awaken his Hollow abilities. Elsewhere, Aizen and an unidentified speaker discussed Sasuke and what he carried, with Aizen noting that Itachi would fight if Sasuke were dissected.

• Karin recognized the strength of a Hollowfied one and trembled, believing there was no chance of winning.
• Sasuke arrived at Las Noches and learned from Kidomaru that Aizen had built the palace and that the vial held the Hollow Spirit Empire's true miracle.
• Kimimaro asked whether Sasuke was prepared to endure pain, and Sasuke declared he would accept even damnation for great power.
• Kidomaru introduced Raguki and told Sasuke it would take him to someone who could awaken his Hollow abilities.
• Sasuke entered the spatial passage opened by Raguki, which then closed as the monster vanished into the darkness.
• An unidentified speaker suggested dissecting Sasuke, and Aizen replied that Itachi would fight them if he found out.

Aizen and Orochimaru discussed Orochimaru’s agreement with his inner Hollow and the possibility of controlling Hollows through threats, while Aizen chose to keep observing the Hollow within Sasuke. Sasuke then emerged into an unfamiliar place where the people around him feared an approaching figure and wondered why he had not received the serum.

• Orochimaru showed Aizen a white bone snake and explained that he had reached an agreement with his inner Hollow through experiments based on Kidomaru and Kimimaro.
• Aizen suggested finding what Hollows feared so Hollowfication users could control them through threats, and Orochimaru became eager to investigate.
• Orochimaru proposed using Sasuke as an experimental subject, but Aizen decided to follow Suigetsu’s plan and continue observing the being inside him.
• Sasuke emerged from a dark tear into a place filled with hostile-looking people, who murmured that he had not received the serum and warned that someone would soon return.

Sasuke encountered a giant spider called Ryuk, which ignored him at first but attacked the people hiding beneath the crimson rocks. He watched Ryuk slaughter them, and their severed bodies continued moving and cursing.

• A giant spider named Ryuk appeared beside Sasuke, nearly striking him with its claw before crawling toward the crimson rocks.
• Sasuke hid in a crack between the rocks while Ryuk wandered nearby.
• Someone crushed a stone and angrily demanded that the group find a way to kill Ryuk.
• Ryuk impaled the two people who had spoken, then attacked the others as they fought back.
• Sasuke watched Ryuk dismember the group, whose severed body parts kept moving and cursing.

Sasuke discovered that the bloodied people in the Regeneration Hall were Regenerators who endured endless pain to evolve, and learned that Ryuk had spared him. After identifying himself as Second Pillar, Sasuke wondered why he had been sent there and asked Fu Ryosuke how quickly the vial’s reagent would take effect when injected.

• Sasuke watched the injured people continue talking and realized they were still alive despite their wounds.
• Fu Ryosuke introduced himself as a regeneration-type subordinate of Lord Starrk and explained that the place was the Regeneration Hall, a testing ground for Regenerators.
• Fu Ryosuke said the Empire’s members endured pain and repeated trials to gain power, while Sasuke questioned whether that suffering was worth it.
• Sasuke called himself Second Pillar and said he was beginning to understand why he had been sent there.
• Sasuke looked at the vial in his hand and asked Fu Ryosuke how long its reagent would take to work after injection.

Sasuke injected the Hollow agent to gain enough strength to defeat Ryuk and pass the trial, despite Fu Ryosuke warning him of the danger. As Ryuk approached, Sasuke's painful transformation began, and white bone spikes emerged from his shoulders while the Hollow Spirit Empire watched through a mirror.

• Sasuke told Fu Ryosuke that he had to gain strength and defeat Ryuk to pass the trial.
• Sasuke injected the Hollow agent into his arm and collapsed in agony as it took effect.
• The other newly inducted Hollows watched Sasuke, and Ryuk turned toward him and advanced.
• Ryuk struck Fu Ryosuke's head away, while Sasuke convulsed as pale fluid poured from his eyes.
• White bone spikes emerged from Sasuke's shoulders as the events in the Regeneration Hall appeared in a mirror inside the Hollow Spirit Empire's palace.

Kyoka Suigetsu watched Sasuke endure the DX-G4 Hollow serum and considered using him to advance Hollow research, while Gin warned that the experiment might produce another Ichigo Kurosaki. In the Regeneration Hall, Ryuk pinned Sasuke to the floor as bone spurs erupted from his body, leaving him in unbearable agony.

• Kyoka Suigetsu watched the Regeneration Hall through a mirror and judged Sasuke’s ability to withstand the newly developed Hollow serum useful for research.
• Gin Ichimaru warned Kyoka Suigetsu that the DX-G4 serum had no fully compatible subjects and could cause Sasuke to become another Ichigo Kurosaki.
• Kyoka Suigetsu told Gin that she had the situation under control, and Gin said he would report the matter to Aizen.
• Sasuke screamed as crimson bone spurs burst from his body and he writhed in agony.
• Ryuk struck Sasuke through the waist and abdomen with a claw, pinning him to the floor.

Sasuke endured Ryuk’s brutal assault as his body transformed, then awakened an extraordinarily powerful regeneration ability that rebuilt him from near-total destruction. Fu Ryosuke helped him come around after Ryuk left, though everyone knew the monster would return the next day.

• Ryuk repeatedly pierced and mangled Sasuke while the onlookers assumed he had died.
• Bone spurs grew from Sasuke’s shoulders as his Hollow transformation continued, even after he lost consciousness.
• Sasuke’s body rapidly regenerated, astonishing the residents of the Regeneration Hall with its speed.
• Fu Ryosuke crawled to Sasuke as Ryuk stopped attacking and disappeared into the darkness.
• Fu Ryosuke woke Sasuke and reassured him that Ryuk had left for the day.

Sasuke recovered from his near-fatal battle with Ryuk after awakening powerful regeneration, while Fu Ryosuke warned that Ryuk would return the next day. Meanwhile, the Raikage and Killer B discussed the Hollow Spirit Empire’s growing influence and agreed to propose a joint infiltration team.

• Sasuke awoke beside Fu Ryosuke and learned that Ryuk had left and that he had awakened regenerative abilities.
• Fu Ryosuke told Sasuke that his regeneration surpassed that of a chang ghost and that Ryuk would likely appear again tomorrow.
• Killer B warned the Raikage that more Cloud Village residents were defecting to the Hollow Spirit Empire because of Aizen’s medicine.
• The Raikage said the villages could not confront Aizen directly and questioned what they could offer to stop people from joining him.
• Killer B proposed that the villages assemble a team of powerful fighters to infiltrate the enemy’s ranks and gather information.
• The Raikage approved Killer B’s plan and told him to send the proposal to the other villages.

Naruto persuaded his friends to help bring Sasuke back and revealed that Sasuke likely sought power to confront his brother, Uchiha Itachi. He then connected Itachi to Akatsuki and disclosed that the organization had tried to extract the Nine-Tails from him.

• Naruto told Shikamaru he would not give up on Sasuke, and Shikamaru agreed to help him.
• Shikamaru said Hinata, Shino, Kiba, and the others would join them, and Ino reluctantly agreed as well.
• Naruto explained that Sasuke likely wanted power to deal with his older brother, Uchiha Itachi, who had nearly massacred the Uchiha Clan.
• Naruto clarified that they were not going to fight Itachi and revealed that Itachi had joined Akatsuki.
• Naruto said Akatsuki had previously sent people to try to take the Nine-Tails Tailed Beast from inside him.

Naruto told Konoha’s young ninjas that Sasuke may have joined Las Noches, and they discussed bringing him back while Neji objected to Hinata taking part. Neji challenged them to face how dangerous Las Noches was and began to explain how Senior Dai and the Fifth Hokage died.

• Naruto said Sasuke may have joined Las Noches to gain the power to defeat Itachi, and Shikamaru and the others promised to help Naruto bear the burden of avenging the Fifth Hokage.
• Tenten, Neji, and Rock Lee arrived, and Neji said he would refuse on Hinata’s behalf if their gathering involved her.
• Hinata clarified that she had chosen to help Naruto, but Neji insisted that protecting her was his duty as a Branch Family member.
• Shikamaru argued that Hinata needed the chance to grow strong enough to face Las Noches, prompting Neji to condemn their plan as reckless.
• Kiba said he and Akamaru had fought Rock Ninja helpers and summoned monsters during the invasion, and Neji replied that they had not seen Las Noches’s true terror before asking whether they knew how Senior Dai and the Fifth Hokage died.

Neji opposed Naruto’s plan to challenge the Hollow Spirit Empire, convinced the gap in their strength made resistance hopeless. Naruto shared the Nine-Tails’ chakra with his companions and persuaded Neji to join them in carrying on Konoha’s legacy.

• Neji recalled the terrifying pressure of the Hollow Spirit Empire and urged Hinata to leave with him, warning the others to cherish the lives Senior Dai and Lord Hokage had protected.
• Naruto admitted that the empire was overwhelmingly powerful and that Sasuke had pursued its strength, but insisted they had to confront Aizen rather than retreat.
• Naruto transformed into his Four-Tails form and spread the Nine-Tails’ chakra to Shikamaru, Kiba, Yuno, and the others, arguing that it could help them grow stronger.
• Neji accepted that someone had to stand against the empire and asked Naruto to include him among those carrying on Konoha’s inheritance.
• The author announced a return to writing and promoted the new book, Law of Kings.

Sasuke and Fu Ryosuke entered the crimson rock formations to confront Ryuk, while Aizen searched for a way to remove the seal on the moon. After learning the Hogyoku could undo it if he reached the moon, Aizen summoned Black Zetsu back to Las Noches.

• Naruto and the others felt relieved after speaking with Neji in the forest near Konoha.
• Sasuke urged Fu Ryosuke to steel his resolve, and Fu Ryosuke decided he wanted to stay by Sasuke and Big Brother Shenhe Liu's side.
• Sasuke and Fu Ryosuke ventured into Ryuk's lair and heard a strange sound beneath a rocky ledge, where Sasuke spotted the monster below.
• Aizen asked the Hogyoku how to undo the seal on the moon, and it said he would have a strong chance if he reached the moon.
• Aizen used Tenteikūra to contact Black Zetsu, who agreed to return to Las Noches and put the Eight-Tails capture plan on hold.

Aizen told Hyuga Minato that Duy’s death had settled their karmic debt and revealed that he intended to go to the moon to repay another debt. He identified the moon as a prison where someone had been confined for nearly a thousand years, leaving Minato to realize that the moon had to disappear.

• Aizen told Hyuga Minato that he wished to go to the moon, then explained that Duy had chosen to fight and die protecting Konoha.
• Aizen said he could have revived Duy but believed Duy would not have wanted that, and noted that Konoha and the Five Great Ninja Villages survived because of Duy’s death.
• Aizen reminded Minato of his promise to overturn the Ninja World and said he would one day lead the Hollow Spirit Empire to another world and battlefield.
• Minato pleaded with Aizen not to abandon them, and Aizen said he first needed to repay another karmic debt related to the moon.
• Aizen called the moon a prison and asked what sin could warrant a thousand years of imprisonment, leaving Minato fearing what Aizen would do.

Aizen questioned how to reach the moon and learned from Black Zetsu how Kaguya had been sealed. He suspected Minato’s Byakugan could evolve into the key to reaching the moon, and Minato resolved to do whatever Aizen asked.

• Minato offered to sacrifice his awakening Byakugan to help Aizen reach the moon, but Aizen forbade needless sacrifice and said the eyes were too valuable.
• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu returned to Las Noches, where White Zetsu revealed he knew Black Zetsu had long served Aizen; Black Zetsu confirmed Obito did not know.
• Jashin Jia Jin arrived and greeted Aizen, describing how killing people had deepened his understanding.
• Aizen asked Black Zetsu how Kaguya had been sealed, and Black Zetsu recounted what he remembered of the battle.
• Aizen asked Minato whether he could sense the moon, then concluded that the Byakugan might have an evolution path like the Sharingan and could be key to reaching it.
• Minato accepted Aizen’s instruction to evolve his Byakugan and resolved that he would even slaughter his clan for Aizen.

Aizen ordered the Hollow Spirit Empire to halt its Tailed Beast operation and began a secret plan to reach the land where Otsutsuki Kaguya was sealed, using Minato’s Byakugan as a starting point. Meanwhile, Sasuke and Fu Ryosuke remained trapped in a monster’s realm, where Ryuk pinned Sasuke down and prepared to strike again.

• Aizen told Black Zetsu to suspend the Tailed Beast operation, claiming he could revive Otsutsuki Kaguya once they reached her sealed land.
• Aizen directed Minato to give the latest DX-G4 Hollowfication serum to the Hyuga Branch Family so their Byakugan could evolve, while the Branch Family members remained unaware they had been made sacrifices.
• The Hollow Spirit Empire’s upper ranks began moving frequently as they carried out Aizen’s secret plan.
• Sasuke and Fu Ryosuke struggled to escape Ryuk, a giant bladed spider that had repeatedly dismembered them over three days and nights.
• Ryuk pinned Sasuke’s left leg to the ground and lowered itself to strike at his head again.