Chapter Summaries

At Konoha’s war meeting, Tsunade proposed adding medical ninja to four-person mission teams, but Sarutobi Hiruzen deferred the plan until the war ended. Mingye watched Tsunade and Dan Katō grow closer, then went to the Land of Rain to confirm something near Jiraiya and his students.

• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura questioned Mingye about Danzō’s alliance with Hanzo as Konoha’s elite jonin gave their reports.
• Tsunade urged Konoha to reorganize missions into four-person teams with a medical ninja, but Sarutobi Hiruzen refused to implement the proposal during the war.
• Dan Katō supported Tsunade’s proposal, and Sarutobi Hiruzen still declined to act; afterward, Dan walked Tsunade home through the rain.
• Mingye watched Tsunade and Dan share a growing closeness, then met Kakuzu in the Land of Rain after observing them for two weeks.
• Kakuzu reported that Jiraiya was teaching three children from an enemy nation, and Mingye said they would eventually cause Jiraiya’s death before sending Kakuzu away.

Mingye confirmed Nagato had awakened the Rinnegan, then confronted Orochimaru after discovering he had taken Mingye’s research notes with Danzo’s help. Mingye moved out and cut ties with Orochimaru, while Hiruzen learned the most crucial notes were hidden and warned against letting Orochimaru reach the fifth floor of the Ninjutsu Pavilion.

• Jiraiya fought the masked Mingye, who escaped by making a fragile clone explode, then rushed to Nagato and found him standing over two dead Rock Ninja as Konan lay unconscious.
• Jiraiya recognized Nagato’s Rinnegan, while Mingye watched events unfold and discovered someone had tampered with his book.
• Mingye confronted Orochimaru about stealing his notes with Danzo, and Orochimaru rejected Mingye’s attempts to guide him.
• Mingye apologized for occupying Orochimaru’s home and left; the next morning, movers carried away his belongings as Orochimaru and Danzo discussed using the stolen notes.
• Hiruzen helped Mingye sort his books, learned Orochimaru had taken the journals, and was told the crucial notes were hidden and Orochimaru must be kept from the fifth floor of the Ninjutsu Pavilion.

Cloud Ninja abducted Uzumaki Kushina from Konoha, and a blond youth followed the trail she left to rescue her. As the youth escaped with Kushina, Mingye stayed behind to kill the remaining Cloud Ninja.

• A subdued the rampaging Eight-Tails, then rejected a proposal to abduct Uzumaki Kushina while implying that the Cloud Ninja should proceed anyway.
• Moon Night led three Cloud Ninja into Konoha, captured Kushina, and escaped with her into the Forest of Death as she dropped strands of hair along the route.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō discovered Kushina was missing and ordered a village-wide search, while a blond youth found her hair and followed it.
• The blond youth reached the Cloud Ninja camp and used his killing intent to immobilize three guards before vanishing with Kushina.
• Mingye revealed himself and began killing the Cloud Ninja left behind.

Mingye secretly killed the Cloud Ninja pursuing Uzumaki Kushina and helped Minato Namikaze rescue her, while Sarutobi Hiruzen concealed the incident. Later, Mingye discussed his ambitions and Orochimaru with Jiraiya, whose questions about three commissioned cloaks remained unanswered when Orochimaru arrived.

• Mingye killed the last Cloud Ninja and reflected that he had shaped the encounter between Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina.
• Minato Namikaze rescued Uzumaki Kushina, who praised his appearance, and Anbu escorted them away.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen recognized that someone had secretly helped Minato Namikaze, ordered the Cloud Ninja bodies burned, and forbade anyone from revealing the incident.
• Mingye told Kakuzu that he wanted to become Sarutobi Hiruzen's trusted confidant, and Kakuzu joked about Mingye's plans.
• Jiraiya visited Mingye, who rebuked him for disrespecting Shimura Danzō and said he no longer wanted to discuss Orochimaru.
• Jiraiya tried on one of Mingye's three flame-patterned cloaks and wondered whether Mingye still believed in Orochimaru before Orochimaru entered and greeted Lord Wu.

Mingye encouraged Tsunade and Dan Katō’s bond, then arranged a confrontation in which Kakuzu attacked Tsunade’s team while Mingye intercepted Dan. The chapter left Dan facing Mingye after using a secret technique that began draining Mingye’s chakra.

• Mingye gave Tsunade an azure pearl for her birthday and urged her, Dan Katō, and Jiraiya to protect Konoha.
• Dan Katō told Tsunade he wanted to become Hokage to protect the village and prevent others from losing family to war, and Tsunade kissed him and gave him her necklace.
• Mingye confirmed to Kakuzu that he had ordered him to kill Dan’s little sister and said he needed sprouts to take root.
• Kakuzu fought Tsunade and three Konoha ninja, while Tsunade realized the attack was a distraction and cried out for Dan after an explosion behind her.
• Mingye attacked Dan, who used a secret technique that enveloped Mingye and began drawing away his chakra.

Mingye killed Dan Katō, leaving Tsunade unable to save him and prompting her to leave Konoha with Shizune. A year later, as the Sand Ninja gathered for another attack, Orochimaru urged Shimura Danzō to strike first.

• Mingye fatally wounded Dan Katō and threatened him into keeping Mingye’s identity secret, while Tsunade tried in vain to save him.
• Tsunade collapsed after Dan Katō died, and Kakuzu confronted Mingye over the cruelty of his actions before leaving.
• At the Ninja Memorial, Jiraiya told Orochimaru that Tsunade had left Konoha, and Orochimaru dismissed the tragedy as the nature of war.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Mingye that Tsunade had left with the young Shizune and warned that the Land of Wind was rebuilding its forces.
• A year later, Orochimaru watched the Sand Ninja assemble at the border and advised Shimura Danzō to launch a surprise attack that night.

Hatake Sakumo proved himself in battle by killing Sasori’s parents, then fought alongside Orochimaru against Sunagakure. After Chiyo retreated, Sakumo warned Orochimaru not to provoke him, leaving their rivalry unresolved.

• Hatake Sakumo joined a Konoha ambush in the desert, killed Nami and her husband, and helped defeat the Sand Ninja force.
• During a later raid on the Sunagakure camp, Orochimaru summoned Manda and attacked with Shimura Danzō’s forces while Chiyo pursued Sakumo to avenge her son and daughter-in-law.
• A Sunagakure sage ordered a retreat, and Chiyo escaped through the Konoha formation after threatening Sakumo.
• Orochimaru asked Sakumo why Chiyo wanted revenge, and Sakumo revealed that he had killed her son and daughter-in-law.
• Orochimaru sent snakes at Sakumo, but Sakumo counterattacked and cut Orochimaru’s neck before warning him not to provoke him.

Hatake Sakumo’s clash with Orochimaru left Orochimaru wary of his potential, while Sarutobi Hiruzen sent Jiraiya toward the Land of Water to strengthen his standing as a future Hokage. Jiraiya confided in Mingye that he wanted everyone in Konoha to be happy, then was summoned for an unexplained task that he mistook for a kindergarten job.

• Hatake Sakumo left after wounding Orochimaru, who insisted the result of a future fight would not change but remembered Sakumo.
• Mingye caught Sarutobi Hiruzen spying with a crystal ball and mocked his claim that he was searching for Jiraiya.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Jiraiya to go to the Land of Water and establish his worth as a possible successor to the Hokage.
• Jiraiya accepted the assignment, recalling his dead students and agreeing to protect Konoha for his teacher.
• Jiraiya met Mingye at the public bath and said he wanted his friends, family, and everyone in the village to be happy.
• Jiraiya was summoned for an unclear task and protested that he was competing to become Hokage, not applying to be a kindergarten teacher.

Mingye urged Jiraiya to take Minato Namikaze as a disciple and gave him a scroll containing the Flying Thunder God technique, framing the boy as a future successor who could help Jiraiya leave the battlefield. The chapter then shifted to Yahiko, Konan, and a red-haired boy in the Land of Rain, where a masked man appeared carrying two dead rain ninjas.

• Mingye told Jiraiya that the Namikaze Clan descended from Uzumaki survivors and that Uchiha Mingye had accepted the clan founder's surrender after destroying the Uzumaki Clan.
• Mingye described Jiraiya's conflict over Orochimaru and Konoha, then advised him to build his reputation and prepare a successor.
• Jiraiya realized Mingye wanted him to take Minato Namikaze as a disciple and agreed to do so.
• Mingye gave Jiraiya a scroll of the Flying Thunder God technique as a gift for Minato.
• In the Land of Rain, Yahiko offered his crackers to Konan and the red-haired boy before an explosion sounded and a masked man appeared with two dead rain ninjas.

Yahiko resolved to give other abandoned children the courage to survive, but Kakuzu overwhelmed him and his companions. In Konoha, Minato Namikaze received top honors at the Ninja Academy, while Mingye and Sarutobi Hiruzen discussed a Sand Ninja who could control iron sand.

• Yahiko gathered the captive children and vowed to become their courage, then attacked Kakuzu and was quickly knocked down as Kakuzu incapacitated Nagato and Konan.
• Minato Namikaze received a perfect A+ evaluation from Sarutobi Hiruzen, then left the assembly hall with Uzumaki Kushina.
• Jiraiya met Minato Namikaze outside the hall and invited him to a meal, while Kushina mocked Jiraiya before leaving.
• Mingye told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Konoha's main force was retreating and the Sand Ninja had not surrendered.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen described a Sand Ninja who controlled iron sand and had held off a thousand Konoha ninja, though his identity remained unknown.

Mingye coordinated events across Konoha and the Land of Rain while Jiraiya took Minato Namikaze as his disciple. The chapter ended with Mingye comforting Akimichi Choza as he mourned his former teacher, Dan Katō.

• Mingye told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Nara Shikaku, Akimichi Choza, Yamanaka Inoichi, Aburame Shibi, Hyuga Hiashi, and Hizashi Hyuga had been recommended for jonin trials.
• Jiraiya pressured Minato Namikaze into accepting him as a master and gave him the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Kakuzu took Yahiko and the children away from a black market, and a black-robed man destroyed the market with the Summoning Barrier Technique: Fire Tree Silver Flowers.
• Mingye returned to his home, considered the plans he had set in motion, and went to the Ninja Memorial Cemetery.
• Mingye found Akimichi Choza mourning Dan Katō and encouraged him to keep working so others would not suffer the same loss.

After the war ended, Mingye refused to help Danzō with his cloning project and began a violent confrontation with Kagami Uchiha, demanding something from him. Kagami escaped briefly using Izanagi, but Mingye captured him again and continued pressing him for the thing he wanted.

• The five great nations agreed to end large-scale hostilities, and Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to Konoha to announce that the war was over.
• Danzō asked Mingye for help with his cloning project, but Mingye refused and warned him not to seek the missing materials again.
• Mingye attacked Kagami Uchiha in front of Shisui and demanded that Kagami hand over something, while Kagami refused.
• Kagami used Izanagi to escape Mingye’s blades, then fought back and fled, leaving Shisui in Mingye’s grasp.
• Mingye intercepted Kagami before he could alert the Uchiha Clan and transported them away; Kagami later attacked him with Phoenix Sage Fire Dance, but Mingye defended with Susanoo and repeated his demand.

Mingye trapped Shisui in Tsukuyomi, revealed Konoha’s hidden barrier seal, and began training him while directing him to pledge loyalty to Shimura Danzō. Elsewhere, Yahiko hired Kakuzu to teach the three children ninjutsu, and the chapter ended with a flashback to Mingye battling Kagami Uchiha.

• Mingye killed Kagami Uchiha, sealed the inscription on his chest, and used Tsukuyomi on Shisui.
• Shisui awoke at a familiar training ground, awakened his Three Tomoe Sharingan, and attacked Mingye, who subdued him and explained the scroll’s secret: it contained the seals protecting Konoha.
• Mingye told Shisui to train with him daily, endure the pain if he wanted revenge, and pledge loyalty to Shimura Danzō; Danzō then approached Shisui and offered to take care of him.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō investigated the scene of Kagami Uchiha’s disappearance and found a kunai that had triggered the barrier.
• Yahiko offered Kakuzu gold in exchange for ninjutsu lessons, and Kakuzu accepted the deal.
• Mingye trained Shisui in the Shadow Clone Technique, while a flashback showed Kagami using Phoenix Sage Fire Dance against Mingye’s Susanoo.

Mingye continued training Shisui while misleading Konoha’s leaders about the danger surrounding the Uchiha, and Kakuzu struck a bargain with Nagato as he watched over the children in the Land of Rain. In Sunagakure, Chiyo struggled to face her grandson, who sought comfort from puppets after losing his parents.

• Mingye gave Shisui pills and continued his punishing training, urging him to live and pursue revenge.
• Mingye presented Sarutobi Hiruzen with his findings about the kunai barrier while concealing his role in the Uchiha killings.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen connected Kagami Uchiha’s murder to the attack that Minato Namikaze survived and ordered Konoha’s defenses strengthened.
• Kakuzu praised Nagato’s Five Elements talent and agreed to help him in exchange for Nagato eventually killing someone.
• Kakuzu received word that an ally would be found for the children and was told to protect them until they were ready.
• Chiyo watched her grandson seek comfort from puppets and confessed to Ebizo that she felt unable to give him the truth or warmth he needed.

Mingye tempted the grieving Sasori with the promise of resurrecting his parents in exchange for killing thousands, then spent the postwar festival teasing Jiraiya. Afterward, he refused Danzō’s demand for forbidden content and warned him not to threaten him.

• Mingye offered Sasori a way to bring his parents back if he killed thousands, and left him a notebook marked “Monzaemon: Release.”
• Mingye encouraged Kushina to enjoy the festival, then teased Jiraiya by comparing him to a cleaner fish that was both male and female.
• The Five Great Nations ended their full-scale conflict, and Mingye attended Konoha’s first festival in five years.
• After the festival, Danzō demanded a portion of Mingye’s content, but Mingye refused and stood his ground against Danzō’s threats.

Mingye uncovered Root’s plot against a girl in his home and confronted Shimura Danzō, forcing Root to disband under a decree from the Daimyo. The chapter left Mingye warning Orochimaru that he had once hoped he would become a light for Konoha.

• Mingye’s Anbu killed two unidentified ninja who tried to arrest him outside his home, and he found a frightened girl who had been tied up there.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that Root had planted poison and tools in Mingye’s home and dug a cellar beneath it, while Mingye said he would visit Konoha’s clan heads to retaliate.
• Mingye confronted Danzō in Root’s sewer hideout, threatened the Root members, and presented a Daimyo’s decree authorizing him to eradicate corruption in Konoha.
• Orochimaru arrived and warned that disbanding Root would only lead to new roots forming, so Danzō dismissed the Root members and said they were no longer part of the organization.
• Mingye told Orochimaru he had once believed Orochimaru would become a jewel of Konoha, then lamented that this had not come to pass.

Mingye monitored Orochimaru and Shimura Danzō while directing spies to gain their trust, and Cloud Ninja leader A dealt with the failure of a decade-long infiltration. In Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Uzumaki Mito, and Uzumaki Kushina began transferring the Nine-Tails, which resisted fiercely.

• Orochimaru offered Shimura Danzō a chance to strengthen himself by transplanting the First Hokage's cells, and Danzō warned him not to use him as a test subject.
• Mingye learned that Orochimaru was pursuing the First Hokage's genetic material and that Shimura Danzō was still targeting him; he ordered Asagami Naoto to infiltrate Danzō's circle and Kokonoe Mutsue to earn Orochimaru's trust.
• Asagami Naoto and Kokonoe Mutsue reaffirmed their loyalty to Mingye, who reflected on them as moths freed from their cocoons and able to observe his enemies.
• A accepted Moon Night back into his service after a Cloud Ninja involved in the failed mission killed himself, then told Moon Night to learn Cloud Ninja taijutsu.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzō, Uzumaki Mito, and Uzumaki Kushina began transferring the Nine-Tails into Kushina; the beast roared, but Hiruzen and Danzō helped restrain it with chakra and iron chains.

After Uzumaki Mito died, Mingye tried to bring the grieving Tsunade back to Konoha, but she refused and revealed how deeply her past loss still affected her. He then guided Minato Namikaze toward developing his own approach to the Flying Thunder God, leaving Minato inspired to rethink how to master it.

• Uzumaki Mito gave Kushina a final lesson about facing the Nine-Tails with love, urged Konoha's future into her hands, and died as Kushina wept.
• Mingye found Tsunade gambling, paid her debts, and once again asked her to return to Konoha, but she refused and left with Dan Katō's cousin.
• Tsunade told Mingye that he could not understand her grief over losing someone she loved, while an Anbu shinobi later reported that she seemed to suffer from hemophobia.
• Tsunade told Dan Katō's cousin that she could no longer contribute to Konoha and did not want to return, then comforted her while secretly crying.
• Mingye explained the Flying Thunder God's battlefield potential to Minato Namikaze and suggested that he inscribe a distinctive formula of his own, giving him a new direction for learning the technique.

Minato Namikaze struggled to use the Flying Thunder God formula, while Mingye guided him toward developing a prepared formula of his own. Mingye also urged Sasori to grow strong enough to kill the Third Kazekage, as Shisui listened to Shimura Danzō’s appeal in Konoha’s sewers.

• Minato Namikaze’s first attempt to inscribe his formula on a kunai failed, and he realized he needed finer chakra control and custom kunai.
• Jiraiya lamented that Minato Namikaze showed little interest in his techniques, and Mingye reminded him that Minato shared his devotion to friends, family, and Konoha.
• Sasori demonstrated his puppet skills in class, then told Mingye that Monzaemon’s notes would not help them fulfill their dream.
• Mingye told Sasori to gain the strength to kill the Third Kazekage, and Sasori returned home to the puppet versions of his parents while Chiyo watched him sleep.
• Shimura Danzō spoke to Shisui about inheriting Kagami’s legacy, while Mingye advised Minato Namikaze to create and inscribe his own Flying Thunder God formula in advance.

Shisui followed Mingye’s instructions when Shimura Danzō tested him, but Mingye rebuked and beat him for his hesitation before explaining his view of the Uchiha Clan. Elsewhere, Kakuzu and Minato Namikaze delayed Hanzo long enough for a young traitor to escape, while Mingye guided Minato toward adapting the Flying Thunder God Technique.

• Shisui told Shimura Danzō that he did not want to fight over what belonged to him, and Shimura Danzō welcomed him home.
• Mingye criticized Shisui’s hesitation, struck him, and told him that the Uchiha Clan were warriors abandoned by Otsutsuki Hagoromo’s vision of the world.
• Hanzo attacked the fleeing youths in the Land of Rain, but Kakuzu and Konan fought back while Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear and Minato’s clones delayed him.
• Hanzo realized that the fighters had stalled him long enough for his young traitorous target to escape.
• Mingye suggested that Minato imprint a unique formula to develop his own combat method, and Minato grasped the idea.