Chapter Summaries

Minato admitted that serving the village had cost his family dearly and said he would willingly step down if someone more suitable became Hokage. After little Hokage asked to visit Qingchuan, Minato and Qingchuan arranged a rotation to replenish Qingchuan’s chakra without exposing the secret barrier base.

• Minato told Qingchuan’s Shadow Clone that he would resign as Hokage if a more suitable successor appeared.
• Little Hokage reached for Qingchuan and asked to visit him and play, so Qingchuan welcomed him to come whenever Minato and Kushina were busy.
• Minato explained that Qingchuan’s Yin Seal reserves were nearly exhausted and that bringing medical personnel into the secret base risked exposing its barrier formation.
• Minato proposed taking Kushina and little Hokage to the surface, then returning alone to replace Qingchuan while Qingchuan went to replenish his chakra.
• Qingchuan agreed and opened a chakra fissure for Minato to leave with Kushina and little Hokage.

Obito confronted Orochimaru over delays in preparing Nagato and the Rinnegan, while Orochimaru revealed his successful improvement of Impure World Reincarnation. Obito brought Yugito Nii and severed Eight-Tails tentacles to the cavern for sealing, as Kumogakure received intelligence about Rōshi’s disappearance.

• Obito demanded to know why Nagato had not finished absorbing the White Zetsu cells, and Orochimaru blamed a reaction between them and Hashirama Cells.
• Orochimaru said he had greatly improved Impure World Reincarnation and could stably summon Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, then offered Obito a reunion with them.
• Obito rejected Orochimaru’s attempt to test him and insisted they focus on gathering the tailed beasts to revive the Ten-Tails.
• Obito brought the unconscious Yugito Nii and two severed Eight-Tails tentacles out of his Kamui space and ordered Orochimaru to seal them.
• In Kumogakure, an ANBU agent informed the Raikage that Rōshi had disappeared after being pursued near the Land of Earth border.

A learned that a masked Sharingan user had captured Rōshi and, after Dodai warned that Ōnoki had manipulated Kumogakure into fighting over the Land of Frost, ordered the intelligence spread to turn pressure toward Konoha. A then heard that Killer B had returned fatally injured and rushed to the hospital, where B could not explain what had happened or where Yugito Nii was.

• An ANBU reported to A that a masked man with Sharingan had captured Rōshi and wiped out Kumogakure’s scouting squad, leaving only one survivor.
• Dodai argued that the masked man had deliberately allowed the survivor to escape and that Ōnoki had used the conflict to reclaim territory in the Land of Frost.
• A ordered Dodai to spread the intelligence that someone with Sharingan had captured Rōshi, hoping to direct suspicion toward Konoha.
• A medical ANBU reported that Killer B had returned with fatal wounds and nearly depleted chakra.
• A rushed to the hospital and found Killer B gravely injured; B struggled to speak as A demanded to know what had happened and where Yugito Nii was.

After Killer B revealed that the masked Sharingan user had taken Yugito, A urged the Land of Lightning, Earth, and Wind to unite against Konoha. Ōnoki received A’s proposal but refused to join immediately, choosing to pursue Iwagakure’s territorial gains first, just as someone burst into his office.

• Killer B told A and Dodai that a masked man in a black cloak with red clouds had captured Yugito and nearly taken him as well, but the Eight-Tails saved him by severing its tentacles.
• Dodai connected the attack to the earlier assault on Rōshi, and A blamed Konoha and ordered secret letters and diplomatic notices sent to Ōnoki and the Land of Wind.
• A called for the Land of Lightning, Earth, and Wind to unite and demand an explanation from Konoha over the missing Tailed Beasts.
• Ōnoki read A’s urgent letter and dismissed the claim that Konoha was responsible as unverified.
• Ōnoki told the ANBU to delay his response while Iwagakure advanced to reclaim lost territory, then the office door burst open.

After Han vanished from a supposedly secure cell, Ōnoki joined the Raikage in pressing Konoha, and the Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water nations formed an alliance against it. Minato ordered Konoha to counter the accusations by revealing the masked ninja’s attack on Konoha and linking him to Akatsuki and its leader, Pain.

• An ANBU reported that Han had disappeared from his guarded underground cell without signs of a struggle, and Ōnoki suspected space-time ninjutsu.
• Ōnoki canceled his existing plan and ordered the Raikage’s envoy to help unite the three nations against Konoha.
• The Wind, Earth, and Lightning nations accused Konoha of abducting their tailed beasts, while Kirigakure joined in by blaming Konoha for the missing Three-Tails and Six-Tails.
• Minato and Shikaku discussed how the other nations were using the accusations to pressure Konoha into concessions.
• Minato ordered Shikaku to publish evidence that the masked Sharingan ninja had attacked Konoha, verify that no Uchiha were missing, and reveal that the masked man belonged to Akatsuki.
• Minato ordered Konoha to disclose that Akatsuki’s leader, Pain, possessed the Rinnegan.

The four nations exploited Konoha’s disclosure of the Rinnegan to demand compensation, and their dispute with Minato Namikaze ended in a declaration of war. At a secret summit in the Land of Iron, the Raikage, Ōnoki, Pakura, and Yagura gathered amid sharp insults over the changing generation of Kage.

• A dismissed the Rinnegan threat and ordered the four nations to demand border mineral veins and military compensation from Konoha.
• Ōnoki and Rasa joined the pressure on Konoha, while Minato Namikaze submitted evidence that Konoha had also suffered during the Nine-Tails attack.
• After two months of failed negotiations, the four nations declared war on Konoha, and Minato Namikaze vowed not to surrender.
• Ōnoki, Pakura, and Yagura met in a secluded fortress in the Land of Iron for a summit of the four nations.
• Ōnoki mocked Pakura and Yagura, and A ridiculed Ōnoki for clinging to the Tsuchikage position.

Ōnoki provoked A by claiming responsibility for the Third Raikage’s death, nearly igniting a fight before Pakura and Yagura intervened. As the Kage resumed their summit against Konoha, Ōnoki exposed how past betrayals and secret deals had shattered their alliance.

• Ōnoki taunted A over becoming Raikage and claimed that his actions had led to the Third Raikage’s death.
• A attacked Ōnoki, but Pakura and Yagura blocked the clash and forced both Kage to stand down.
• Ōnoki warned that Konoha’s Minato Namikaze and Hyuga Seisen made the current threat greater than during the Third Shinobi World War.
• A accused Ōnoki of betraying their old alliance, and Ōnoki revealed that the Third Raikage had planned to attack Hidden Rock Village rather than Konoha.
• Ōnoki accused Rasa of delaying Sunagakure’s troops after Hiruzen Sarutobi secretly promised him border oases.

Ōnoki united the four Kage in an alliance to seize Konoha’s borderlands and pressure Minato Namikaze into surrendering. He proposed using spies to spread despair inside the Land of Fire, beginning a plan to weaken Konoha from within.

• Ōnoki accused the other nations’ leaders of being manipulated in the previous alliance, and Pakura and Yagura said their villages would pursue resources this time.
• A proposed that the four nations punish any member that betrayed the alliance, and the Kage agreed.
• Ōnoki mapped out how the nations would divide Konoha’s borderlands, and each Kage claimed territory and resources for their village.
• A marked Kumogakure’s claim with his blood and demanded war, but Ōnoki argued that political pressure could force Minato to compromise without a battle.
• Ōnoki ordered the four nations to activate their spies in the Land of Fire and begin spreading despair among Konoha’s civilians and shinobi.

Ōnoki orchestrated a campaign of rumors and troop mobilization to pressure Konoha into surrendering the Uchiha or face war. Minato Namikaze rejected the demand, and Konoha’s clan heads united behind him and the Uchiha.

• Ōnoki proposed blaming the Uchiha for the Sharingan-related disasters, stirring public anger in Konoha, and massing the four nations’ forces along the Land of Fire’s borders.
• Half a month later, the four great nations demanded that the Land of Fire hand over the so-called Sharingan murderer and compensate them for their Tailed Beast losses.
• Uchiha Fugaku denied that any clan member had awakened space-time abilities and declared that the Uchiha would fight rather than be handed over.
• Minato reassured Fugaku that he trusted the Uchiha and vowed not to surrender his comrades to the four nations.
• Shikaku Nara, Hyuga Hiashi, Choza Akimichi, Yamanaka Inoichi, and the other clan heads backed Minato’s decision and stood with the Uchiha.

Minato Namikaze mobilized Konoha’s fighters to face the four-nation alliance while Hyuga Seisen completed his transformation into a Quincy King. Seisen gained powerful new abilities, but his attempt to feed chakra into the Stone Gate triggered a dangerous siphon that he severed.

• Minato Namikaze sent Uchiha Fugaku, Jiraiya, Shisui, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and other fighters to the borders, and tasked Hyuga Hiashi with arranging the remaining Hyuga Sternritter.
• Hyuga Seisen completed his Race Imprint upgrade to Quincy King at a 50 percent fusion rate and gained four racial skills.
• Seisen reviewed his expanded abilities and saw that the Stone Gate required more energy to open and reveal projections of more powerful forces.
• Seisen sent chakra toward the Stone Gate’s two energy slots, but the gate began plundering his reserves through the connection.
• Seisen used Spacetime Perception: Neural Overlimit to sever the connection before the Stone Gate could siphon more chakra.

Hyuga Seisen tried to feed the Stone Gate chakra from the Nine-Tails, promising to stop after taking ten percent. The Stone Gate resisted Seisen’s attempt to sever the connection and drained the Nine-Tails even faster.

• Hyuga Seisen discovered that the Stone Gate had drained seventy percent of his chakra in a brief contact.
• Seisen entered the sealing space and asked the Nine-Tails to supply chakra, promising Ayane would cook for it and take it to a barbecue restaurant.
• The Nine-Tails agreed to give Seisen ten percent of its chakra, and Seisen connected it to the Stone Gate.
• When the Nine-Tails felt its chakra being drained too quickly, Seisen tried to sever the channels, but his spiritual strike failed and the siphoning intensified.

Hyuga Seisen struggled to restrain the Stone Gate as it siphoned the Nine-Tails’ chakra, leaving both of them exhausted in a dangerous stalemate. Meanwhile, Kumogakure’s forces massed at the Land of Fire’s border, where the Fourth Raikage grew impatient waiting for Konoha and Ōnoki to act.

• The Stone Gate’s siphoning surged when Seisen briefly lost concentration, nearly draining the Nine-Tails’ chakra origin.
• Seisen used his Innate Full Soul spiritual power to restrain the Stone Gate and reduce its extraction, but he and the Nine-Tails remained locked in a dangerous struggle.
• An entire day passed as the Stone Gate continued slowly drawing chakra, leaving Seisen drenched in sweat and the Nine-Tails near collapse.
• Kumogakure deployed its elite forces along the northeastern border of the Land of Fire.
• The Fourth Raikage, A, smashed a table and complained that his troops were waiting for Konoha and Ōnoki to deliver results.

Pain, Obito, and Orochimaru invaded Konoha openly and demanded the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Minato confronted them in the street, and Pain began his assault with Shinra Tensei.

• Minato sensed a violent spatial disturbance as Pain's Six Paths, Orochimaru, and Obito emerged in central Konoha.
• More than twenty ANBU surrounded the invaders while Minato created four Shadow Clones to write and seal scrolls before they departed.
• Minato appeared before Pain and identified the group as Akatsuki, demanding to know their intentions.
• Pain demanded that Konoha hand over the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and argued that fear and suffering would bring peace.
• Orochimaru mocked Pain's speech, while Obito told him to let Pain finish.
• Pain raised his hand toward Minato and used Shinra Tensei.

Jiraiya prepared the northwestern front for a threatened Hidden Rock assault when Minato arrived and arranged to send a Flying Thunder God kunai and a sealed document directly to Ōnoki. Minato denied that he intended a decapitation strike, leaving his urgent plan unexplained.

• A Konoha ANBU told Jiraiya that Ōnoki had demanded the Four-Tails and Five-Tails jinchūriki and five mineral veins, threatening to attack within half an hour.
• Jiraiya ordered the medical units to withdraw and the Explosive Tag arrays to prepare for battle.
• Minato used the Flying Thunder God to appear in Jiraiya’s tent and asked whether Ōnoki’s command tent was in the center of the Hidden Rock formation.
• Minato gave Jiraiya a sealed document and a Flying Thunder God kunai, ordering him to send them to Ōnoki’s command tent.
• Jiraiya warned Minato that the kunai’s formulas could be deciphered, but sent an ANBU to deliver both items as instructed.
• Jiraiya asked whether Minato planned a decapitation strike, and Minato denied it.

Minato used the Yin Seal to take Jiraiya and other shinobi back to Konoha after learning that Pain had entered the village. At Iwagakure's camp, Ōnoki disabled the Flying Thunder God formula on Minato's kunai before reading the Hokage's sealed document.

• Minato told Jiraiya that the masked man had brought Pain into Konoha and revealed that he possessed Tsunade's Yin Seal, even in his Shadow Clone.
• After the kunai reached Ōnoki, Minato and Jiraiya left for Konoha, while Minato also retrieved Hiruzen and Hyuga shinobi from the other border camps.
• Ōnoki used Dust Release to cut a corner from the Flying Thunder God formula, then ordered Iwagakure's Barrier Team to study the damaged kunai.
• Ōnoki explained to Kitsuchi that Minato had sent the kunai as a test and that damaging its formula had prevented a surprise attack without forfeiting the chance to study it.
• Ōnoki opened the sealed document from Konoha, and his mocking expression gave way to deep thought as he began reading.

Ōnoki interpreted Minato Namikaze’s request for three days as a sign that Konoha was ready to negotiate, and ordered the Stone vanguard to hold its position. In Konoha, Minato faced Pain, Orochimaru, and Obito as they demanded the Nine-Tails, and he challenged Obito over his past attack.

• Ōnoki read Minato’s letter offering to discuss compensation and asking the four nations to halt their advance for three days.
• Kitsuchi urged Ōnoki to reject the delay and invade, but Ōnoki believed Minato’s pride masked Konoha’s willingness to concede.
• Ōnoki granted the three days and ordered the Stone vanguard to stop probing attacks and fortify its position.
• Pain used Shinra Tensei against Minato, who escaped the blast with Flying Thunder God and recognized the Deva Path’s repulsive defense.
• Pain demanded that Minato hand over the Nine-Tails, while Obito revealed he could not locate Kushina through Konoha’s barrier.
• Minato warned Obito that he had improved Konoha’s barrier to prevent attacks like the one on the Night of the Nine-Tails.

Minato Namikaze brought Konoha's forces together to confront Obito and Pain, but Pain unleashed Super Shinra Tensei on the village. As the attack threatened to destroy Konoha, Minato activated the Sternritter Medal and a blue barrier appeared overhead.

• Minato Namikaze used Flying Thunder God to bring Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Shisui, Hyuga Ryosuke, Hyuga Himon, and other fighters back to Konoha.
• Obito Uchiha refused to negotiate, and Pain began rising into the sky.
• Pain addressed Jiraiya and condemned the great nations before Obito pulled Orochimaru into the Kamui space.
• Pain unleashed Super Shinra Tensei, sending a devastating repulsive force toward Konoha.
• Minato activated the blue Sternritter Medal, and Seisen's Shadow Clone channeled chakra into a formation that raised a blue barrier over the village.

Minato Namikaze blocked Pain’s Super Shinra Tensei with a mysterious blue barrier covered in Flying Thunder God formulas, leaving Konoha unharmed. As Obito and Orochimaru tried to understand the defense, an unexplained force descended on the Kumogakure camp where the Fourth Raikage and Killer B were gathered.

• Minato Namikaze’s blue barrier absorbed the force of Pain’s Super Shinra Tensei and protected Konoha from destruction.
• Pain wondered whether the barrier absorbed ninjutsu, while Obito Uchiha suspected its formulas resembled Minato’s Flying Thunder God technique.
• Obito released Orochimaru from Kamui, and Orochimaru reacted with excitement to the barrier’s unfamiliar energy.
• At Kumogakure’s frontline camp, the Fourth Raikage complained that Konoha had not answered his demands, while Killer B rapped about attacking the village.
• A powerful, silent force suddenly descended on the command tent, making its canvas roof cave in.

Pain’s attack devastated Kumogakure’s frontline camp, leaving the Fourth Raikage A alive amid the ruins. In Konoha, Pain summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and the assembled defenders learned it might be connected to the Ten-Tails.

• Pain’s repulsive force obliterated Kumogakure’s frontline camp and killed most of its stationed troops.
• A emerged badly wounded from the rubble, saw the destroyed camp, and desperately called for medical ninja to save the survivors.
• Pain concluded that Konoha’s barrier had absorbed his attack and decided to test its limits with a stronger assault.
• Pain summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path into Konoha.
• Jiraiya asked Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima about the monster, and Sage Fukasaku said it might be connected to the Ten-Tails.

Pain summoned seven tailed beasts from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path to attack Konoha, while Minato realized that the Three-Tails and Six-Tails had been captured after his recent negotiations with Karatachi Yagura. The chapter leaves Minato suspecting that the Fourth Mizukage’s fate is connected to Akatsuki’s latest move.

• The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path killed the ANBU who tried to ambush Pain by draining their souls, and Minato ordered the remaining ANBU to evacuate civilians.
• Pain used the statue to summon seven tailed beasts, unleashing them amid Konoha’s ruins.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Uchiha Fugaku noticed that black chakra chains bound the beasts to the statue and controlled them like puppets.
• Minato recognized that Three-Tails Isobu and Six-Tails Saiken had appeared alongside the four beasts whose disappearance had already concerned Konoha.
• Minato recalled negotiating with Karatachi Yagura while the Fourth Mizukage was still present, and concluded that Akatsuki had captured the Three-Tails and Six-Tails afterward.