Recaps

At Iwagakure’s graduation ceremony, Shōji welcomed the new genin and arranged their squad leaders, including Bunya for Yang, Saki, and Haku. He then revealed to Shisui that he planned to take him to the moon, leaving Shisui overwhelmed by what he learned about the Sage of Six Paths, the Uchiha, and the Hyuga.

• Shōji delivered a graduation speech warning the new genin about the hardships and dangers of shinobi life before declaring the thirty-fifth class graduated.
• Shōji asked Uchiha Ichijō to lead a squad as part of his effort to integrate the Uchiha into Iwagakure.
• Shōji appointed Bunya as the guiding Jōnin for Yang, Saki, and Haku, and Bunya accepted the assignment.
• Shisui returned from intelligence-gathering missions in Kumogakure and asked Shōji why he had summoned him.
• Shōji told Shisui that he planned to take him to the moon and explained the Uchiha’s connection to the Sage of Six Paths, the moon’s inhabitants, the Hyuga, and the Sharingan’s potential evolution.
• Shisui asked for time to process the revelations, overwhelmed by the information.

Shōji revealed more of his plans to Shisui and prepared a secret trip to the moon with Shisui and Killer B, while arranging for Iwagakure to run smoothly in his absence. Before leaving, he saw Yang and Saki off on their first mission, then departed as other shinobi leaders pursued their own plans.

• Shōji told Shisui that he sought the bloodline of Hamura's descendants on the moon, and Shisui agreed to join the mission while keeping its secrets.
• Shōji reported his departure to Ōnoki and arranged village affairs through Kabuto, Kitsuchi, Reina, Akatsuchi, Ido, and others.
• Shōji warned Yang and Saki to follow their captain Bunya's orders on their first mission, and encouraged Yang to earn recognition by his own name.
• Shōji met Shisui and Killer B outside Iwagakure, and the three secretly left for the spatial passage leading to the moon.
• While Shōji traveled, Obito planned to contact Rasa, Jiraiya set out to find Tsunade, and other leaders continued preparing their own moves.

Shōji, Shisui, and Killer B traveled through a hidden spatial passage to the moon, where they found a vast, Earth-like world and an artificial sun. Shōji led them toward a town inhabited by Ōtsutsuki Hamura’s descendants to learn whether their civil war had begun.

• Shōji summoned Byakugyoku, who guided him, Shisui, and Killer B to the concealed passage to the moon.
• Shisui used his Mangekyō Sharingan to see through the pool’s genjutsu and identify the spatial passage, then agreed to follow Shōji without demanding his secrets.
• Shōji, Shisui, and Killer B crossed the passage, avoided golden lights that could trigger genjutsu, and reached a cavern on the moon.
• Killer B swiftly killed the giant crabs that attacked the group inside the cavern.
• Shōji showed Shisui and Killer B the moon’s forest, lake, and artificial sun, and explained that Ōtsutsuki Hamura had created much of the place.
• Shōji led Shisui and Killer B toward the descendants’ town to check whether a full-scale war had begun.

Shōji, Shisui, and Killer B searched the abandoned lunar town and uncovered signs of the conflict among Hamura’s descendants, while Ōtsutsuki Tendō prepared to defend the Giant Tenseigan. Hamura’s lingering soul drew the intruders toward an underground burial ground, where Gyūki recognized his chakra.

• Shōji confirmed that the lunar town had been abandoned after a bloody battle and sent Shisui and Killer B to search its ruins for records and sealed areas.
• Ōtsutsuki Tendō learned that three intruders had entered the town, ordered his puppets to attack, and went to prepare the Giant Tenseigan as a safeguard.
• Hamura deliberately revealed his chakra to Shōji’s group, hoping they would help stop Tendō and the distorted plans of his descendants.
• Shōji sensed the presence and called Shisui and Killer B to regroup; Gyūki took control of Killer B’s body after recognizing Hamura’s chakra.
• Shōji led Shisui and Gyūki into an underground chamber, where they found a vast graveyard holding the bodies of Hamura’s lunar descendants.

Shōji met Ōtsutsuki Hamura in the lunar graveyard and learned that Hamura and Hagoromo were dead but could persist as souls in the Pure Land, which they could not control. Hamura asked Shōji to stop his descendants’ plan to crash the moon into Earth, and Shisui and Killer B saw the Giant Tenseigan’s destructive power.

• Shōji called on Ōtsutsuki Hamura to reveal himself, and Hamura appeared before Shōji, Shisui, and Killer B.
• Gyūki asked whether the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path had broken free of its seal, and Hamura confirmed it had been summoned into the shinobi world eight or nine years earlier.
• Shōji asked whether Hamura and Hagoromo were dead and whether Ōtsutsuki Kaguya could be killed; Hamura explained that the brothers’ souls endured in the Pure Land and said Kaguya could only be sealed.
• Hamura revealed that his descendants had formed a Giant Tenseigan from their clansmen’s blood and Byakugan and planned to propel the moon into Earth.
• Hamura showed Shōji, Shisui, and Killer B memories of the Giant Tenseigan’s power, shocking Shisui and Killer B.

Shōji learned about Hamura’s descendants and the Giant Tenseigan, then led Shisui and Killer B into the Artificial Sun to confront Ōtsutsuki Tendō. The chapter ended with Shōji recognizing that Tendō was using the Giant Tenseigan’s power.

• Shōji agreed to Hamura’s request and asked him for information about the Tenseigan.
• Hamura passed on his knowledge, revealing that Ōtsutsuki Toneri and his father, Ōtsutsuki Tendō, were both alive on the moon.
• Shōji, Shisui, and Killer B destroyed the puppet army outside and sealed several puppets for Iwagakure’s researchers.
• Shōji used his Susanoo to break the barrier around the Artificial Sun and flew inside with Shisui and Killer B.
• The three entered the Artificial Sun and faced Ōtsutsuki Tendō, whom Shōji recognized as using the Giant Tenseigan’s power.

Shōji fought Ōtsutsuki Tendō, who wielded the Tenseigan, while Shisui and Killer B held back the puppet army. Shōji overwhelmed Tendō’s defenses and trapped the regenerating Hamura statue in an endless storm of lightning, leaving Tendō visibly shaken.

• Ōtsutsuki Tendō identified Shōji as a descendant of Hagoromo and attacked him and his companions with a puppet army.
• Shisui and Killer B split up to intercept the puppets while Shōji charged Tendō in his Complete Body Susanoo.
• Tendō’s Tenseigan attacks cracked Shōji’s Susanoo, but Shōji broke through Tendō’s barrier and countered his lightning beams.
• Tendō summoned a durable Hamura statue that regenerated after Shōji struck it with his Susanoo and Yasaka Beads Technique.
• Shōji used Takemikazuchi to surround the Hamura statue with lightning and repeatedly destroy its regenerating body, leaving it immobilized and Tendō shocked.

Shōji survived Tendō’s sacrificial Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, killed him, and cleared the castle with Shisui and Killer B. They found the dormant, eyeless Toneri, whom Shōji ultimately spared and ordered Killer B to carry away.

• Tendō used the Tenseigan to unleash a powerful Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, but Shōji endured it with the Dragon Vein’s power and the Yata Mirror.
• Shōji recovered from the blast, defeated Tendō, extracted information from his mind, and killed him, causing the Tenseigan and Hamura statue to stop functioning and collapse.
• Shōji, Shisui, and Killer B entered the castle, overcame its remaining puppet forces, and collected the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s research materials after the female artificial intelligence puppet self-destructed.
• The three reached a sealed hall and found Tendō’s dormant, eyeless son, Otsutsuki Toneri, lying on a stone bed.
• Though Shōji considered killing Toneri to prevent him from awakening the Tenseigan, he relented and told Killer B to carry the sleeping child.

Shōji spared Toneri and arranged safeguards to keep him from awakening the Tenseigan, then brought Shisui and Killer B to the Giant Tenseigan. He revealed the threat posed by Obito and a Rinnegan-wielding Uchiha, and prepared to absorb the Giant Tenseigan’s source power to advance his own eyes.

• Shōji spared Toneri, damaged his hibernation formula, and asked Shisui to use Kotoamatsukami when the child awoke.
• Shōji led Shisui and Killer B to the Giant Tenseigan and explained that its power could accelerate his eyes’ evolution toward the Rinnegan.
• Shōji told Shisui that Obito and a hidden Rinnegan wielder planned to revive the Ten-Tails, and said the mastermind might be Ancestor Madara.
• Shisui offered to test the Giant Tenseigan, but Shōji refused and assured him that he could withstand its power.
• Shōji approached the Giant Tenseigan and sensed its apparent fear and rejection as he prepared to absorb its source power.

Shōji absorbed the Giant Tenseigan’s essence and awakened a pair of Nine Tomoe Rinnegan, then set out with Shisui and Killer B to return to Earth and pursue his plan to unite the shinobi world. Meanwhile, Obito continued arranging alliances and manipulating Shimura Danzō, unaware of Shōji’s new strength.

• Shōji entered Sage Mode, connected to the Giant Tenseigan, and endured its hostile consciousnesses while drawing out its source power.
• Shōji absorbed the Tenseigan’s essence, purged most of its impurities, and awakened Nine Tomoe Rinnegan in both eyes.
• Shisui and Killer B congratulated Shōji, while Gyūki recognized that his new eyes seemed to surpass Hagoromo’s Rinnegan.
• Shōji declared the moon mission complete and led Shisui and Killer B back toward Earth to carry out his plan to unify the shinobi world.
• Obito, unaware of Shōji’s transformation, pursued his plans by forming an agreement with the Fourth Raikage and seeking Shimura Danzō’s help against the Uchiha.

Obito secured Rasa’s agreement to cooperate against Iwagakure and prepared to use Danzo’s attempt to obtain his Mangekyō Sharingan to locate and reclaim both eyes. After returning from the moon, Shōji decided to overturn his enemies’ expectations and begin changing the shinobi world.

• Obito met Rasa, Chiyo, and Baki in the Land of Wind and persuaded Rasa to cooperate with him against Iwagakure.
• Chiyo advised Rasa to strengthen Sunagakure’s ties with Konoha and investigate Obito’s true intentions, while Rasa ordered Baki to proceed with their plans.
• Obito returned toward Konoha, intending to let Danzo take and activate his Mangekyō Sharingan so he could locate it and reclaim both eyes.
• Danzo began moving again inside Konoha as Obito’s plans advanced.
• Shōji returned from the moon with Shisui, Killer B, and the sleeping Toneri, then resolved to challenge the Four Great Shinobi Villages, Obito, and Nagato.

After learning that Obito’s alliance was taking shape, Shōji urged Ōnoki to move Iwagakure’s plan forward to midyear and revealed new resources gained from his trip. The chapter left Ōnoki stunned by Shōji’s Rinnegan and his claim that its power could let Iwagakure crush the shinobi world.

• Shōji told Ōnoki that Obito had begun acting and presented intelligence suggesting Akatsuki controlled Amegakure.
• Shōji explained that a powerful Akatsuki leader had once been targeted by Hanzō and Danzo, and urged Iwagakure to seize the initiative.
• Shōji showed Ōnoki a damaged moon puppet and its plans, explaining how Iwagakure could mass-produce autonomous combat puppets using available energy sources.
• Shōji reported that the Land of the Sky’s giant mobile fortress was nearing completion, giving Iwagakure two aerial combat units to deploy.
• Shōji revealed his Rinnegan, and Ōnoki recognized the legendary Eyes of God as Shōji claimed no one could match his power.

Shōji and Ōnoki finalized Iwagakure’s preparations to conquer the shinobi world, with Sunagakure as their first target and plans to guard against the Akatsuki. After issuing secret orders and strategic misdirection, Shōji returned home and checked on the sleeping Toneri, whose hibernation remained stable.

• Ōnoki saw Shōji’s Rinnegan and became convinced that Iwagakure could unify the shinobi world.
• Shōji and Ōnoki agreed to attack Sunagakure first, then move against Kumogakure and Konohagakure while preparing to counter Obito and the Akatsuki.
• Ōnoki accepted responsibility for support from the rear, while Shōji limited knowledge of the war plan to a small group of Iwagakure leaders.
• Shōji ordered Yakushi Kabuto to coordinate secret preparations and strategic misdirection with Nonō, including efforts to keep Kirigakure out of the early war.
• Shōji returned home and learned from Shisui and Killer B that Toneri’s hibernation formula was stable and could sustain him for another three or four years.

Shōji prepared Iwagakure for a campaign against Sunagakure while arranging for Shisui and Killer B to intercept possible interference from Konoha and Obito. After months of mastering his Rinnegan and completing military preparations, Shōji summoned Iwagakure’s leaders to an expanded high-level meeting on July 11th.

• Shōji warned Shisui that Obito might intervene to protect Sunagakure and explained Obito’s plan to gather the Tailed Beasts and revive the Ten-Tails.
• Shōji assigned Shisui to control Yugito and intercept reinforcements with Killer B, while warning him about the Rinnegan wielder connected to Madara.
• Shōji moved the sleeping Toneri to a hidden underground chamber and created a sealing formation to supply him with energy.
• Over the next three or four months, Shōji trained with the Rinnegan and prepared Iwagakure for war, paying particular attention to the threat Might Guy posed.
• On July 11th, Shōji summoned Iwagakure’s Jōnin in important positions and several clan leaders to an expanded high-level meeting, leaving most attendees uncertain about the village’s next move.

Shōji convened Iwagakure’s senior Jōnin to announce a war aimed at destroying the other great shinobi villages and unifying the shinobi world. After presenting intelligence about looming threats and Iwagakure’s vast military buildup, he left his subordinates convinced their village had the strength to begin the campaign.

• Shōji entered the high-level meeting with Ōnoki and told the gathered Jōnin that Iwagakure planned to unify the shinobi world.
• Shōji explained that Iwagakure needed to strike first before its enemies could unite against it, and Yakushi Kabuto distributed intelligence about the other villages.
• The Jōnin questioned whether Iwagakure could truly destroy the other great villages, despite believing it could defeat them in battle.
• Shōji directed the Jōnin to review records of Iwagakure’s military expansion, including its Chakra Armor, new weapons, puppet corps, and aerial forces.
• The military figures raised the Jōnin’s confidence, and they pledged their support for Shōji’s campaign.

Shōji announced Iwagakure’s plan to destroy Sunagakure and ordered preparations for an invasion in one week. As Iwagakure mobilized, other villages grew alarmed, while Kumogakure adopted a defensive posture that would leave Iwagakure’s eastern front stable long enough for the attack.

• Rōshi enthusiastically supported Shōji’s plan to unify the shinobi world, and Shōji named Sunagakure as Iwagakure’s first target.
• Shōji assigned Kitsuchi to lead the assault with Rōshi and Han, while he and Ōnoki prepared to counter possible reinforcements and urged the commanders to limit Iwagakure’s losses.
• After the meeting, Iwagakure suspended external missions, gathered troops and supplies, and asked the Land of Earth’s Daimyō to prepare to occupy seized Land of Wind territory.
• Spies reported Iwagakure’s mobilization, prompting other villages and the Land of Iron to strengthen defenses and dispatch scouts.
• Fourth Raikage A directed Kumogakure to maintain a defensive posture and delay its response, giving Iwagakure time to invade the Land of Wind.

Iwagakure launched a surprise invasion of the Land of Wind, using its aerial forces to overwhelm Sunagakure’s border defenses before allied reinforcements could arrive. Rasa mobilized Sunagakure for a desperate defense and prepared to release Shukaku if necessary, while Iwagakure pressed its advantage.

• Terumi Mei and Genji chose to keep Kirigakure out of the war, misjudging Iwagakure’s strength and the role Fourth Raikage A would play under Shisui’s control.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Konoha’s forces to mobilize and sent Jiraiya and Nara Shikaku to lead reinforcements toward the Land of Wind.
• Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizo assessed the threat from Iwagakure’s army and recognized that Sunagakure had to survive the first assault without relying on reinforcements.
• Baki reported that Iwagakure had crushed Sunagakure’s border garrison in a day, aided by airborne troops and giant flying war fortresses using the Land of the Sky’s technology.
• Rasa mobilized Sunagakure’s remaining forces, including most Ninja Academy students, and prepared to release Gaara’s Shukaku if the battle reached a critical point.

Shōji used the Rinnegan’s Human Path to remove Neji’s Caged Bird Seal, fulfilling his promise and freeing the young Hyuga. After Neji left, Yakushi Kabuto reported that Jiraiya was leading a Konoha force of three thousand toward the southeastern border, soon to join another garrison.

• Shōji used his Rinnegan to carefully erase the Caged Bird Seal from Neji’s soul and confirmed that no trace remained.
• Neji saw that the seal had vanished, wept with joy, and vowed to serve Shōji in gratitude.
• Shōji told Neji to rest and adapt to the change before sending him back to the Ninja Academy.
• Yakushi Kabuto reported that Jiraiya was leading three thousand Konoha Ninja toward the southeastern border, where their forces would exceed four thousand after joining the garrison.

Shōji prepared to lead Iwagakure’s elite forces against Konohagakure while arranging the takeover of Sunagakure’s territory and barring young and elderly clan members from combat. As the great villages mobilized, Nagato urged Obito to begin capturing the Tailed Beasts, but Obito insisted they wait.

• Shōji ordered Kabuto to monitor Sunagakure, coordinate with the Land of Earth’s capital, and prepare Ogata and the others to depart.
• After Konohagakure attacked Iwagakure’s former Kusagakure territory, Shōji assembled more than three thousand elites, including Uchiha troops and automated puppets, and led them toward the southeastern border.
• Shōji kept the Uchiha elders and children under twelve out of the campaign, while Itachi, Kurotsuchi, and Deidara joined the force.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen invited Takigakure, the Land of Iron, and Amegakure to support his alliance, but the smaller powers stayed neutral.
• Nagato summoned Obito to Amegakure and proposed exploiting the war to capture the Tailed Beasts, but Obito refused to act before the situation had weakened their enemies further.

Nagato pressured Obito into agreeing to seize the Tailed Beasts during the coming war, while both men secretly guarded their own plans. Obito headed for Konohagakure to strengthen Danzo and intensify the conflict, as Shōji prepared to meet Jiraiya’s advancing army near the Land of Earth border.

• Nagato argued that Akatsuki should exploit the war to capture the One-Tail, Four-Tails, and Five-Tails, raid Konohagakure for the Nine-Tails, and pursue the remaining Tailed Beasts.
• Obito agreed to wait for the villages to enter a brutal war and let Nagato handle the Nine-Tails, after Nagato hinted that he knew about Obito’s eye and Danzo.
• Konan warned Nagato that Obito and Orochimaru might pursue hidden agendas, and Nagato ordered her to convene Akatsuki so they could begin the plan.
• Obito left Amegakure, decided against reviving Madara, and used Kamui to travel to Konohagakure to help Danzo revive past Hokage and warn Orochimaru.
• Shōji prepared Shisui, Fugaku, Ōnoki, Nonō, and Reina to respond to Akatsuki, then led Iwagakure’s forces toward the approaching army led by Jiraiya and Nara Shikaku.

Shōji and the Iwagakure army prepared to defend against Konoha, while Jiraiya and Shikaku debated whether to attack immediately or wait for Sarutobi Hiruzen's reinforcements. Shōji expected Konoha to gather its forces before attacking and intended to use the coming battle to deal it a devastating blow.

• Shōji ordered Iwagakure to hold its ground and strengthen its defenses as Jiraiya's Konoha army approached.
• Shikaku urged Jiraiya to wait for Sarutobi Hiruzen's reinforcements and gather more intelligence, warning that Konoha's current forces were inadequate against Shōji and Iwagakure's other powerful fighters.
• Jiraiya agreed to rest the troops and send out scouts, despite his unease about the decision.
• Shōji learned that Konoha's reinforcements would arrive within two days and ordered his forces to monitor them while strengthening their defenses.
• Kurotsuchi and Deidara suggested attacking Konoha first, but Shōji chose to retain the defensive advantage and wait for the enemy to come.

Shōji prepared to face Konoha’s invasion while Iwagakure’s rapid advance pushed Sunagakure toward collapse. Sarutobi Hiruzen chose to attack Iwagakure that afternoon, relying on the expected arrival of Kumogakure and planning to confront Shōji alongside Jiraiya.

• Shōji judged that he could withstand Might Guy’s Eight Gates attack and planned to destroy the Konoha army that had come to Iwagakure’s front line.
• Shōji’s forces and Jiraiya’s army allowed nearby civilians to evacuate, and Iwagakure offered assistance to those fleeing.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived with four thousand Konoha Ninja and learned that Shōji was guarding Iwagakure rather than attacking Sunagakure.
• Nara Shikaku reported that Iwagakure’s new weapons had driven Sunagakure back toward its outskirts and gave Sunagakure less than a thirty percent chance of holding them off.
• Shikaku told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Kumogakure’s attack would be delayed by two or three days, and Hiruzen decided Konoha could not wait any longer.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered an encircling attack that afternoon and insisted that he and Jiraiya face Shōji together.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya led Konohagakure’s army into battle against Shōji’s Iwagakure forces after Shōji received intelligence from a Hyuga spy. Jiraiya entered Sage Mode and joined Hiruzen in attacking Shōji, while the armies clashed around them.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Jiraiya, Shikaku, Kakashi, Asuma, and Inoichi to prepare for the battle, while Shikaku was assigned command.
• A Hyuga Clan member secretly gave Iwagakure an intelligence report on Konohagakure’s army, and Shōji praised Hiashi’s choice to cooperate.
• Shōji ordered his key Jōnin to prepare, then led his Kage Guard Squad to meet Konohagakure’s two-wing attack outside Iwagakure’s barrier.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shōji argued over who had violated the Five Kage Summit agreement, while Jiraiya asked Shōji whether war could be avoided.
• Fukasaku and Shima helped Jiraiya enter Sage Mode, and Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Enma before they charged Shōji.
• Shōji countered Jiraiya’s Sage Art with Lightning and Earth Release, but Sarutobi Hiruzen and Enma broke through the stone pillars surrounding them.

Shōji overwhelmed Jiraiya and Sarutobi Hiruzen with his Susanoo as the battle between Konoha and Iwagakure erupted into full-scale combat. Iwagakure deployed more than a thousand autonomous flying puppets, and Shikaku ordered Inoichi to alert the Elite Jōnin to destroy the machine controlling them.

• Shōji broke through Jiraiya's Sage Art: Prancing Lion Dance Technique, then summoned his enormous Susanoo to repel Shima and Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Shōji's Susanoo stunned the battlefield and sent Iwagakure's morale soaring as its ninja poured out of their stronghold and joined the fighting.
• Iwagakure's rear-line ninja released more than a thousand puppets that flew into battle and overwhelmed Konoha's Chūnin and Genin.
• Shikaku concluded that a giant machine was controlling the puppets and ordered Inoichi to tell Kakashi, Shibi, and the other Elite Jōnin to destroy it.

Shōji used his Complete Body Susanoo and Takemikazuchi to devastate Konoha’s forces while easily suppressing Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya. With Konoha’s army near collapse, Hiruzen planned to use the Reaper Death Seal, and Jiraiya prepared to create an opening for him.

• Shikaku and the Konoha Elite Jōnin attacked the automated puppets, but Shōji unleashed Takemikazuchi and killed Yamanaka Inoichi and hundreds of other Konoha Ninja.
• Shikaku suppressed his grief over Inoichi’s death and, with Chōza, continued leading Konoha’s forces as their battlefield position deteriorated.
• Shōji’s Susanoo overwhelmed Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya, then cut down around a hundred more Konoha Ninja and shattered the army’s morale.
• Shōji urged Hiruzen and Jiraiya to surrender, but Hiruzen refused and told Jiraiya that he planned to use the Reaper Death Seal if Jiraiya could get him close.
• Jiraiya agreed to create an opening for Hiruzen and asked Fukasaku and Shima to return to Mount Myōboku after their final attack, but Shima insisted they would help him win.