Chapter Summaries

Mingye defeated Hanzo, then ordered Kakuzu to keep Nagato and the others from becoming powerful enough to challenge him for at least ten years. Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze perfected a space-time technique using a kunai, but Mingye pointed out a flaw as he began teaching him.

• Mingye escaped Hanzo using the Sharingan after Kakuzu had already left, and Hanzo recognized his eyes as Sharingan.
• Mingye told Kakuzu that Nagato was an Uzumaki and ordered him to delay Nagato and the others’ rise for at least ten years; Kakuzu agreed for more pay.
• Minato Namikaze successfully used a marked kunai to move through space, impressing Jiraiya and drawing praise from him.
• Kushina Uzumaki relayed Mingye’s summons, and Minato Namikaze went to Mingye’s home.
• Minato demonstrated his kunai technique to Mingye, who praised its efficiency and then warned that spatial disturbances could weaken Minato’s connection to the kunai and disrupt his chakra control.

Mingye advised Minato Namikaze on improving his space ninjutsu, guided Jiraiya toward becoming a teacher, and directed Shisui’s next steps after the deaths of four Uchiha. At Hatake Sakumo’s wedding, Mingye and Konoha’s leaders discussed Sakumo’s potential as a Hokage candidate.

• Mingye gave Minato Namikaze a notebook about his space ninjutsu, then poisoned him with tea after Minato left.
• Jiraiya and Mingye attended the Ninja Academy graduation, where Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned teams and Jiraiya learned he would be called Teacher Jiraiya.
• Mingye told Shisui that Fugaku Uchiha had become clan head and advised him to leave the Uchiha Clan’s system and secretly monitor Jiraiya.
• Shisui buried the four Uchiha Clan ninja who had come to kill him.
• Minato Namikaze, Shisui, and a child from the Akimichi Clan formed Jiraiya’s Team Four as Hatake Sakumo married.
• Mingye told Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura that Sarutobi Hiruzen viewed Hatake Sakumo’s strength as making him a candidate for Hokage.

Mingye defended Hatake Sakumo as a restrained leader and encouraged Might Duy to value his family, then shared a night of reflection with Sarutobi Hiruzen and Jiraiya. Sasori began preparing a plan in Sunagakure, while Hiruzen watched a young Might Duy and considered Sakumo as a Hokage candidate.

• Mingye persuaded Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu that Hatake Sakumo’s restraint made him a strong Hokage prospect.
• Mingye attended Might Duy’s wedding, reassured him that his family mattered as much as strength, and left him a book titled Eight Inner Gates.
• Mingye, Sarutobi Hiruzen, and Jiraiya drank together on Kage Rock, where they discussed Jiraiya’s feelings for Tsunade and her withdrawal after her losses.
• Sasori spoke with a butterfly in his room, agreed that a plan could begin, and headed to the Kazekage Building to see the Third Kazekage.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Might Duy train and reflected on the earlier child’s efforts, while Mingye explained that Hiruzen regarded Hatake Sakumo as a Hokage candidate.

Mingye and Sarutobi Hiruzen watched an exhausted young genin earn a place on the Hokage’s list, while Hatake Sakumo’s mission to escort an item turned into a clash with Mingye. Hatake fought his way through the Rock Ninja and reached Mingye, who invited him to join his cause; their battle continued as Mingye prepared another attack.

• Mingye praised the diligent young genin, and Sarutobi Hiruzen acknowledged the boy’s character and potential.
• The exhausted boy collapsed at sunset as a third name appeared on a list in the Hokage’s office.
• Hatake Sakumo fought through the Rock Ninja, rescued his squad, and then went back alone to retrieve the missing Zuo Liang Kong'er.
• Mingye ambushed the remaining Konoha ninja, killed them, and took the mission item, calling the supposed high-ranking mission a joke.
• Hatake Sakumo found Mingye and a companion beside the bodies of more than a hundred Rock Ninja, with Zuo Liang Kong'er bound nearby; Mingye invited Sakumo to join him.
• Hatake Sakumo attacked Mingye, destroyed his Susanoo, and kept fighting as Mingye began forming a mass of spinning flames.

Mingye defeated Hatake Sakumo in battle and arranged for him to return to Konoha burdened by the failure of his mission, hoping to recruit him. As Hatake Sakumo’s injuries and the political fallout mounted, Shimura Danzō began spreading damaging rumors about him.

• Hatake Sakumo shattered Mingye’s Susanoo and severed his arm, but Mingye used Godshock to wound him before Hatake Sakumo’s final technique pierced Mingye; both vanished with Zuo Liang Kong'er.
• Mingye told Sasori that Hatake Sakumo’s failed mission would leave him vulnerable and that he wanted to recruit him, while Sasori demanded permission to kill him if he refused.
• Mingye argued that Sasori’s parents had died because their country and they themselves were weak, and Sasori agreed to endure his hatred while asking to kill Hatake Sakumo in agony if recruitment failed.
• Shimura Danzō confronted Sarutobi Hiruzen over the losses in the Land of Earth, while Mingye defended Hatake Sakumo as a vital combat force and challenged Danzō.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Mingye that Hatake Sakumo’s body had been badly damaged by a technique like the Eight Inner Gates and asked him to find Tsunade.
• An aide reported that Shimura Danzō had ordered rumors spread across Konoha about Hatake Sakumo’s mission failure and exaggerated the casualties.

Mingye learned that Hatake Sakumo had crippled his chakra pathways with a costly technique and promised to find Tsunade, while Sakumo concluded that Konoha’s politics would still demand his death. Sakumo asked Mingye to support Kakashi, then left to die with dignity.

• Mingye visited Hatake Sakumo and learned that Sakumo’s Meridian Prohibition technique had left him on the brink of losing his chakra.
• Mingye ordered Anbu to find Tsunade and secretly told a butterfly to delay them or kill them if necessary.
• Mingye confronted Shimura Danzō at the hospital and barred him from visiting again, then used his Sharingan to immobilize the injured ninja in the bed.
• Sakumo explained that Konoha’s need for stability would make him the focus of blame, even if Sarutobi Hiruzen and Mingye wanted to help him.
• Sakumo stood by his choice to save lives over completing a mission, asked Mingye to support Kakashi, and walked away intending to die with dignity.

Mingye learned that Hatake Sakumo had killed himself, while Minato Namikaze remained unaware of the events that led to his death. In the Land of Wind, Mingye and Sasori fought the Third Kazekage, whose black sand forced Mingye to keep adapting as the battle continued.

• Kakashi watched Hatake Sakumo kneel on a white cloth, but someone covered Kakashi’s eyes before he could see what happened next.
• Minato Namikaze told Mingye he had created his own Flying Thunder God Technique, and Mingye began to ask him for a favor before an Anbu ninja reported Hatake Sakumo’s suicide.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen angrily confronted Shimura Danzō and ordered him to leave with the bloodstained blade.
• Sasori lured the Third Kazekage to an oasis and revealed his intention to turn him into a puppet, while Mingye launched a surprise attack.
• The Third Kazekage used black sand and wind to batter Mingye’s Susanoo, but Mingye countered with fire, wind, and multiple Susanoo before chasing him across the desert.

Mingye defeated the Third Kazekage and brought Sasori to Rōran, where he used the Dragon Eye to transfer his soul into a specially created body. He explained his plans for rebirth and told Sasori to wait for Yahiko’s death before joining Akatsuki, leaving Sasori hopeful but still waiting for his parents’ revival.

• Mingye lured the Third Kazekage to the ocean, overcame his black sand, and killed him with poison and Susanoo.
• Mingye gave the Third Kazekage’s corpse to Sasori and promised that his long-awaited plans would soon move forward.
• Mingye led Sasori into Rōran’s underground Dragon Eye hall and revealed a body he had spent thirty years creating.
• Mingye sacrificed his old body and transferred his soul into the new body, then explained that he was pursuing a way to connect the realms of yin and yang and revive the dead.
• Mingye told Sasori to keep studying his art and join Akatsuki only after Yahiko died, while promising that he wanted to spare Sasori another painful choice involving his parents.
• Sasori agreed to follow Mingye’s instructions but asked not to be kept waiting too long.

Mingye pushed Fugaku to obey the Uchiha elders while privately encouraging his ambitions, then discussed Hatake Sakumo’s death and the mysterious ninjas with Sarutobi Hiruzen. The chapter ended with Minato Namikaze meeting his new students, Kakashi Hatake, Uchiha Obito, and Rin Nohara.

• Mingye watched Fugaku agree to the elders’ plans, then told him to obey and marry Mikoto Uchiha.
• At the Ninja Memorial, Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned whether his choices had been right and discussed how Hatake Sakumo’s death strengthened his control over Konoha.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen showed Mingye a portrait of the three mysterious ninjas and identified Kakuzu as one of them.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen revealed that Ryoji’s memories had been altered and suggested that only Zuoyun knew the truth.
• Minato Namikaze met Kakashi Hatake, Uchiha Obito, and Rin Nohara at the Forest of Death and remarked that they would be a handful.

Minato Namikaze tested Kakashi, Uchiha Obito, and Nohara Rin, then Mingye explained how Minato’s mentorship of Obito could help reshape relations between Konoha and the Uchiha Clan. The chapter ended with news that the Third Kazekage had disappeared and Ebizo placing Sunagakure under Rasa’s management.

• Kakashi rejected Minato Namikaze’s team-coordination mission and attacked him with Chidori, while Uchiha Obito also challenged Minato with Fire Style and Rasengan.
• Minato Namikaze evaded and countered the attacks, and after a day of sparring Kakashi was tied to a tree, Obito was exhausted, and Nohara Rin held up a white flag.
• Mingye told Minato Namikaze that Konoha needed to change and explained how the Kaguya Clan’s resentment stemmed from Konoha’s treatment of the Uchiha Clan.
• Mingye urged Minato Namikaze to strengthen his bond with Obito, whose naturally awakened one-tomoe Sharingan could eventually give Minato’s words influence with the Uchiha Clan.
• Mingye told Minato Namikaze to take care of Kushina before disappearing into the forest.
• Chiyo learned that the Third Kazekage was missing, and Ebizo declared him dead and put Rasa in charge of Sunagakure.

Ebizo laid out Sunagakure’s plan to secretly ally with Iwagakure and Kirigakure, seize territory from the Land of Rain, and then attack Konoha. In Konoha, Mingye warned Sarutobi Hiruzen that war was approaching, while the Hokage announced he planned to step down and questioned whether Minato Namikaze could succeed him.

• Ebizo ordered Sunagakure to rotate elite forces and secretly seek alliances with Iwagakure and Kirigakure before attacking the Land of Rain and then the Land of Fire.
• After the elders left, Ebizo speculated that Sasori’s disappearance might be connected to the Third Kazekage’s, angering Chiyo.
• Mingye gave Sarutobi Hiruzen a letter and warned him that the Third Raikage’s judgment and the Land of Wind’s apparent calm signaled growing danger.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen sent Jiraiya to the Land of Lightning and told him that they should relinquish their positions after the year ended.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen explained to Mingye that he wanted time to stabilize Konoha before eventually handing leadership to someone, and doubted Minato Namikaze was ready for the role.

Mingye spoke with Sarutobi Hiruzen about Minato Namikaze’s growth as war approached, while a mysterious figure recruited Sasori into Akatsuki. Mingye then asked Sasori to provide blood essence and secretly experiment through the Immortal God Church in Yugakure.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen argued that Minato Namikaze needed to grow beyond relying on the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Mingye defended mastering one skill over many.
• Mingye left Sarutobi Hiruzen and welcomed the coming war as heavy snow fell.
• A dark figure delivered a plan to Ōnoki, who anticipated a devastating blow against Konoha and recognized the visitor’s power.
• The dark figure offered Sasori an opportunity and gave him an Akatsuki robe, which Sasori put on.
• Mingye met Sasori and asked him to send refined blood essence to the Immortal God Church in Yugakure and establish a secret base for experiments.

Mingye rescued Kakuzu from Hozuki Castle and explained that he wanted the Box of Ultimate Bliss, a weapon said to summon a creature that exists only to spread destruction and fear. He left Kakuzu still wearing chakra-suppressing chains and promised to show him the box’s power once they obtained it.

• Mingye ordered Sasori to oppose the cult and secretly deliver blood essence to it, while telling him Akatsuki was not ready for him.
• Kakuzu was transported to Hozuki Castle, where Mui took charge of his imprisonment and the guards repeatedly abused him.
• After more than a month in prison, Kakuzu killed the two guards who had tormented him, and Mingye appeared to help him recover by absorbing their blood threads.
• Mingye explained that Hozuki Castle was a sealing barrier and that Kakuzu’s chains suppressed his chakra, but Kakuzu broke out of his cell anyway.
• Mingye told Kakuzu that he wanted to obtain the Box of Ultimate Bliss, which could summon a terrifying creature devoted to destruction and fear.

Mingye took control of the Box of Ultimate Bliss and used a blood ritual to release and subdue the monster inside, Wu. He left the box with the lord of Hozuki Castle and continued considering how to complete his plans.

• Mingye restored a pillar in Hozuki Castle, then overheard the castle lord declare his ambition to become the strongest man in the ninja world.
• Kakuzu evacuated the castle lord and elders, while Mingye connected with the Box of Ultimate Bliss and vanished with it.
• Mingye appeared at an Immortality Cult altar, where he explained that his blood replacement technique had given the cultists temporary aptitude to cultivate sage energy.
• Mingye used the cultists' donated blood to weaken the box's seal, released Wu, and worked with his followers to force the creature back inside.
• Kakuzu returned with the castle lord and several elders, and Mingye gave the lord the Box of Ultimate Bliss and a vial of blood before Kakuzu transported them away.

Mingye pursued a way to oppose the Tree God while Konoha and the other villages faced growing tensions. After Sunagakure attacked the Land of Rain and inflicted heavy losses on Konoha’s patrols, Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Orochimaru, and Mingye asked what would happen to Jiraiya.

• Mingye told his Immortal God Church subordinates to recruit more believers to produce essence blood before returning to Konoha.
• Mingye and Sarutobi Hiruzen discussed rising hostility from Iwagakure and the likelihood that their clashes would escalate into war.
• Black Zetsu told Uchiha Madara that a hidden group had been stirring up wars since the First Great War, but Madara ordered him to find a successor instead.
• Chiyo praised Rasa’s growing skill with Gold Dust, and Rasa promised to work harder to protect his loved ones and Sunagakure.
• Ebizo ordered Sunagakure to seize a dam and divert its water into the Land of Wind, then notify the Land of Water and the Land of Earth of its attack on the Land of Rain.
• After hearing that Sunagakure had attacked the Land of Rain and caused heavy Konoha patrol losses, Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Orochimaru to come see him, and Mingye asked about Jiraiya.

Mingye told Konoha’s leaders that Jiraiya had begun mastering Sage Methods, using the claim to shape their view of his strength and expose Shimura Danzō’s ambitions. After the meeting, Mingye ordered a subordinate to watch Utatane Koharu because she had sensed something wrong with him, but he chose to keep her alive so she could manage wartime supplies.

• Mingye claimed that Jiraiya had achieved minor success in Sage Methods and would soon surpass Sarutobi Hiruzen, leaving Shimura Danzō and the other leaders unsettled.
• Orochimaru entered the Hokage’s office, and later Sarutobi Hiruzen told Utatane Koharu that he and Mingye had used the claims about Jiraiya to bait Shimura Danzō.
• Utatane Koharu sensed a terrifying image while looking at Mingye, then left to gather supplies for Orochimaru’s deployment.
• Mingye met with a black-clad ninja, who reported that Utatane Koharu had shown no sign of overstepping her bounds.
• Mingye ordered the ninja to keep Utatane Koharu under close watch but refused to have her killed, since Konoha needed her to mobilize supplies for the war.

Mingye ordered his agents to intervene in the Land of Rain’s conflict and led the Immortal God Church’s assault on a village in the Land of Hot Water. He confronted Shanza, Immortal’s former junior brother, to learn the secret behind his blood-based technique.

• Mingye ordered Kakuzu and Sasori to join Akatsuki, distract Hanzo, and warn Yahiko that the Land of Rain could be destroyed if Hanzo fell.
• Steel Warrior and Flame General attacked Shanza’s village, while Ghost Chariot joined them and the Immortal God Church’s guards captured the villagers.
• Shanza recognized that the attackers were not seeking power or profit, and Immortal revealed that his new master wanted to eliminate forces connected to the Land of Hot Water and the ninja world.
• Immortal told Shanza that their former master was dead and that Shanza had become a target, prompting Shanza to defend himself with his blood-red formation.
• Mingye appeared before Shanza, identified himself as the Immortal God Church’s master, and recognized that Shanza’s technique resembled Hidan’s forbidden art.

Mingye discovered that Shanza's blood-consuming technique could not withstand the memories and resentment in his blood, then concluded that linked faith and chakra could make someone a godlike center of power. After collapsing from expelling his chakra, he woke in the hospital as Minato prepared to leave for a war that had opened on multiple fronts.

• Mingye let Shanza drink his blood, causing Shanza to see overwhelming visions, crack apart, and explode; Mingye absorbed his blood to learn his secret technique.
• Mingye ordered Immortal to abandon chakra cultivation and focus solely on the Sage Method while spreading faith in Tang River Land.
• After studying Konoha's historical records, Mingye theorized that a ruler linked to the people's thoughts and chakra could become a deity, then expelled his own chakra and collapsed.
• Mingye awoke in the hospital with Jiraiya and Kushina Uzumaki nearby, and told Jiraiya that strength meant protecting people's happiness as well as possessing martial power.
• Minato Namikaze said he had come to bid farewell, and Jiraiya explained that Iwagakure and Kirigakure were attacking Konoha on separate fronts, stretching its forces thin.

Mingye learned that Konoha was fighting on several fronts as his injuries worsened, and he secretly arranged for the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to confront Might Guy’s team. The chapter ended with Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu cornered by the swordsmen, while Mingye expected Might Duy to rush to his son’s aid.

• Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze told Mingye that Konoha was fighting Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure, while Sarutobi Hiruzen sought an agreement with the Third Raikage.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Mingye that the Raikage would attack Iwagakure, but Kirigakure had already invaded the Land of Fire.
• Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist while carrying out a mission.
• Mingye learned that the Hyuga and Uchiha Clans had suffered casualties defending the Land of Fire and arranged for the swordsmen to find Guy’s team.
• Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu realized they could not escape the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, while Mingye expected Might Duy to save his son.

Might Duy sacrificed himself using the Eight Inner Gates to protect Might Guy and the other young ninjas from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. After Duy's funeral, Mingye spoke with Sarutobi Hiruzen about the war and was told to choose a name for Fugaku Uchiha's unnamed son before the child turned one.

• Might Duy opened the Eight Inner Gates and stayed behind to face the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist while Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu escaped.
• Three ninjas serving Mingye found Duy's body, left the battlefield after sending a butterfly to Konoha, and Nara Shikaku later recognized Duy's sacrifice.
• Might Guy mourned as Konoha held Duy's funeral and returned his ashes to his son.
• Mingye met Sarutobi Hiruzen at the ninja cemetery, where they discussed Duy, the war, and the deaths of those they had known.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Mingye to choose a name for Fugaku Uchiha's unnamed son and deliver it before the child turned one.
• Mingye visited Fugaku, who apologized for making him wait nearly half a day before receiving him.