Chapter Summaries

Kakashi entered the Kamui Space on Ren’s mission and discovered the masked enemy could return there unharmed after being struck. Recognizing Obito’s right eye, Kakashi confronted the man and demanded to know who he was and how he got the eye.

• Kakashi hid in the Kamui Space and attacked the first figure to appear with a Chidori.
• The masked figure reappeared unharmed after Kakashi struck him, and Kakashi saw that he possessed Obito’s right Sharingan.
• Kakashi connected the man to the Nine-Tails Rebellion and other crimes, then resolved to kill him and protect Obito’s left eye.
• Kakashi analyzed the man’s apparent abilities but could find no clear way to defeat him.
• Kakashi held back his attack and asked the man who he was and where he had gotten his right eye.

Obito identified himself as Uchiha Madara and attacked Kakashi to reclaim his left Sharingan. Kakashi discovered Obito could pass through attacks, but Obito wounded him before he could exploit the brief opening in that ability.

• Obito told Kakashi that he was Uchiha Madara and launched a Wood Release attack.
• Kakashi opened two of the Eight Gates to dodge Obito’s wooden branches, then shut one to conserve stamina.
• Kakashi fired Lightning Arrows at Obito, but the attacks passed through him, leading Kakashi to realize he had only a narrow chance to strike.
• Obito closed in with a wooden spike, and Kakashi fought him with a kunai while looking for an opening.
• Kakashi sensed Obito’s intangibility changing and opened three Eight Gates to retreat, but Obito slashed his chest and abdomen.

Kakashi fought Obito and used the Eight Gates to survive their exchanges, eventually recognizing the enemy’s taijutsu and suspecting that he was Obito. After Obito impaled and seemingly destroyed him, Kakashi attacked with lightning, asking whether the enemy was Obito.

• Kakashi opened the Eight Gates to fight Obito but struggled as the repeated exertion drained his stamina.
• Kakashi recognized the enemy’s taijutsu from their past sparring and began to suspect that the enemy was Obito.
• Obito knocked away Kakashi’s kunai and pierced his abdomen with wooden spikes, leaving him badly weakened.
• Kakashi reasoned that Ren might have sent him because the Hokage knew the enemy’s identity, while still struggling to accept that Obito could be responsible for the Nine-Tails Rebellion.
• Obito pierced Kakashi with Wood Release attacks and blasted him with expanding branches, apparently killing him.
• Kakashi suddenly charged from behind with lightning in his right hand and asked Obito if it was him.

Kakashi exposed Obito’s identity, cut through his mask, and urged him to return to Konoha, but Obito escaped into the Kamui Space. After Kakashi used Qingyue’s medicine to restore his ocular power, he followed Obito through the vortex.

• Kakashi recognized Obito and redirected his Lightning Cutter from Obito’s heart to his mask.
• Kakashi used Kamui to slice Obito’s mask apart and revealed his face.
• Kakashi asked Obito to return to Konoha, but Obito denied his identity and insisted he was Uchiha Madara.
• Obito vanished into the Kamui Space as Kakashi charged, leaving Kakashi exhausted and struggling to stay conscious.
• Kakashi dripped Qingyue’s medicine into his left eye, regained ocular power, and fell into the spatial vortex after Obito.

After Kakashi was taken for medical treatment, Obito escaped, discovered that Izanagi had removed the cursed seal in his heart, and reconsidered how he would work with Black Zetsu. He summoned Black Zetsu, while the chapter revealed that Yushu had never intended for Kakashi to kill Obito.

• Qingyue arranged for medical ninjas to take the badly injured Kakashi away, and Fugaku returned to Konoha after the mission ended.
• Obito treated his facial wound in another cave and realized the cursed seal had vanished after his latest use of Izanagi.
• Obito considered working alone but decided White Zetsu's intelligence network made that impossible, so he resolved to change how he worked with Black Zetsu.
• Obito went to the cave where Fugaku had been held and ordered a White Zetsu to summon Black Zetsu.
• Black Zetsu had assumed Obito was dead, while Yushu had intended Kakashi's fight to teach Obito a lesson rather than kill him.

Obito abandoned Madara’s identity and took command of Black Zetsu, deciding to build a force under his own control. He chose the Land of Demons as their next target, hoping to use its monsters alongside White Zetsu.

• Obito told Black Zetsu to call him Obito and insisted their cooperation would continue only under his orders.
• Black Zetsu agreed to obey Obito while secretly dismissing his abilities.
• Obito said they needed power under their direct control, especially the strength of ninja and ninja villages.
• Obito rejected targeting Kirigakure and the other Five Great Ninja Villages, then named the Land of Demons as their target.
• Black Zetsu considered using the Land of Demons’ monsters as front-line fighters and White Zetsu for infiltration.
• Obito ordered them to move out for the Land of Demons.

Obito and Black Zetsu went to the Land of Demons to pursue their undertaking while the Chunin Exams continued with Kabuto and Utakata’s final match. Their battle ended in a draw, bringing the exams to a close.

• Obito took Black Zetsu to the Land of Demons to pursue their undertaking.
• Shisui took Natsuri from the underground room and brought her back to watch the match in person.
• Kabuto and Utakata fought fiercely, using their abilities while holding back their full strength.
• Kabuto and Utakata fought until time ran out, and the match ended in a draw.
• The Chunin Exams came to a close.

After the Chunin Exams, Ren used the crisis in the Land of Earth to advance his plan for a Shinobi Alliance and prepare against future threats from the Ōtsutsuki Clan. He brought the sealed Ōnoki to Orochimaru’s laboratory with the sample Orochimaru had requested.

• The Land of Earth's daimyo and nobles realized their country was doomed, while its daimyo drank himself unconscious rather than find the courage to kill himself.
• Ren reflected on how he had spent years laying the groundwork for the Shinobi Alliance and had already won over Kirigakure and the Hidden Cloud Village.
• Ren planned to unite the remaining major villages through shared interests, though the Hidden Stone Village had ended up bearing the crisis instead of the Hidden Sand Village.
• Ren left at night with Ōnoki, whose senses had been sealed, and took him to Orochimaru's laboratory with a sample.

Ren convened a conference in Konoha to discuss the Land of Earth and Iwagakure after accusing them of plotting to provoke war. The meeting began with a small nation’s proposal to divide the Land of Earth, which drew immediate opposition from the great villages and Takigakure.

• Ren brought the sealed Ōnoki to Orochimaru’s laboratory, where Orochimaru worried that the incident might trigger a war until Ren reassured him it was part of the plan.
• Ren opened the conference by accusing the Land of Earth and Iwagakure of undermining trust between nations and inviting proposals to address the crisis.
• Cheng Liren proposed dividing the Land of Earth among four great nations and five smaller nations, including Kusagakure.
• Ren called for the attendees to state whether they supported Cheng Liren’s proposal.
• Rasa declared Sunagakure’s opposition, and Takigakure’s leader also rejected the proposal.

Ren steered the stalled negotiations over the Land of Earth toward Konoha’s proposal, urging the shinobi villages to prioritize their own interests over their daimyōs’. He left the delegates studying the region’s vast resources and considering how their villages might benefit, before revealing how the land would be divided.

• The delegates rejected Kusagakure’s proposal and spent hours opposing competing plans for dividing the Land of Earth.
• Rasa proposed splitting the land into five portions, but smaller villages objected, and Kirigakure and the Hidden Cloud Village opposed the plan after Ren did.
• Ren distributed Konoha’s prepared documents and argued that shinobi villages should control Iwagakure and the Land of Earth’s resources, while nobles should receive its land and population.
• The delegates studied a detailed resource map, and leaders of smaller villages began considering relocating their villages to land they could gain.
• After the delegates finished reading the documents, Ren asked what they thought, although the proposal did not yet explain how the Land of Earth would be divided.

Ren explained that Konoha’s factories had made the village largely independent of the Fire Daimyo’s funding, and he proposed helping other villages achieve the same stability. Rasa and the gathered leaders considered his vision as Ren declared he wanted to create a better future for all shinobi.

• Rasa reflected on Sunagakure’s history of poverty and war, then decided that securing lasting wealth mattered more than preserving his pride.
• The leader of Yugakure asked Ren what he intended to do.
• Ren described how Konoha’s factories generated ninety-five percent of its prosperity and let its villagers live comfortably.
• Ren argued that villages fought because they depended on meager Daimyo funding, and that economic independence could prevent future wars.
• Ren announced that he wanted to create a wonderful future for all shinobi.

Ren presented the leaders with a detailed plan for a Shinobi Federation, offering membership as the means to join a rescue operation for the Land of Earth and Iwagakure. As they examined the document, Mei Terumi recognized Ren’s deeper design, while Rasa grew wary of Ren and Konoha.

• Ren distributed a detailed document outlining the Shinobi Federation, its membership rules, and its ban on wars between members.
• The leaders read that only Federation members could join the rescue of the Land of Earth and Iwagakure, with rewards based on their contributions.
• Mei Terumi reread the document and realized Ren had designed the Federation to bind members to future operations.
• Ren anticipated that members who received rewards would want to stay and seek further gains, while those who withdrew could become targets for the Federation.
• Rasa carefully studied the battle plans and grew suspicious that Ren and Konoha had orchestrated the events that led to the crisis.

Ren led the shinobi villages in officially joining the Shinobi Alliance, then opened discussion on how it should operate. The members’ proposals stalled, and the four Kage rejected Cheng Liren’s plan for a rotating supreme leader.

• Ren announced that applying to join the Shinobi Alliance would count as support, and Konoha became the first to join.
• Kirigakure, the Hidden Sand Village, the Hidden Cloud Village, and the other representatives present applied to join the alliance.
• Ren welcomed the villages and invited everyone to discuss the alliance’s operating rules.
• The village leaders put forward proposals, but disagreements caused the discussion to deadlock.
• Cheng Liren of Kusagakure proposed a supreme leader with fixed terms and rotating membership, but Ren and the other three Kage rejected the plan.

Yushu’s proposed Shinobi Alliance charter was approved and signed, establishing a new peace organization and ending the conference. In the Land of Rain, Jiraiya noticed the young people’s numbness before suddenly vanishing from an izakaya, leaving a server muttering angrily about ninjas.

• Yushu presented Konoha’s detailed Shinobi Alliance proposal, which established a headquarters in the Land of Earth, branch offices in the other major villages, voting rules, and veto power for permanent members.
• The gathered representatives approved the proposal, and all the hidden villages signed it, officially concluding the peace conference.
• Yushu warned the attendees to keep confidential information from leaking and threatened consequences like Iwagakure’s current treatment.
• In the Land of Rain, Jiraiya reflected on the country’s suffering and prosperity, then noticed that its young people seemed numb and lacked hope.
• Jiraiya vanished from his private room just as he raised his cup, and a teenage server cleaned up while muttering, “Damn ninjas!”

Jiraiya was summoned to Mount Myōboku to hear a new prophecy from the Great Toad Sage. After repeatedly falling asleep, the Great Toad Sage finally declared that ninja would cease to exist.

• Gamabunta reverse-summoned Jiraiya to Mount Myōboku and told him the Great Toad Sage wanted to see him.
• Gamabunta hurled Jiraiya toward the Great Toad Sage’s hall, where Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima were waiting.
• Fukasaku told Jiraiya that the new prophecy was not about the Child of Destiny, so Jiraiya waited while the Great Toad Sage slept.
• The Great Toad Sage woke, briefly forgot Jiraiya, and fell asleep again before suddenly opening his eyes.
• The Great Toad Sage declared that ninja would cease to exist.

After Gamamaru’s prophecy left Jiraiya troubled, he decided to return to Konoha to report it to Ren and investigate what might have triggered it. He set out determined to prevent the predicted calamity, whether Ren believed him or not.

• Gamamaru fell asleep, and Fukasaku and Shima told Jiraiya they could not explain the prophecy and urged him to return to the Shinobi World to investigate.
• Jiraiya returned to the tavern, paid for the room, and left without confronting the young man the manager had been scolding.
• Jiraiya wandered through the Land of Rain and decided to return to Konoha, despite his disgust for Ren, so he could report the prophecy.
• Jiraiya resolved to gather intelligence in Konoha and find a way to prevent the prophecy from coming to pass, then set off toward the village.

Ren prepared Konoha and the other ninja villages to mobilize against the Land of Earth, using propaganda to frame the operation as a mission to prevent war and help its people. When other villages balked at joining, Ren offered them Iwagakure techniques extracted from Ōnoki, and their ninja quickly became eager to participate.

• The Kage and leaders left Konoha to gather their forces while troops there prepared to join an allied army bound for the Land of Earth.
• Ren's propaganda convinced Konoha's residents that the alliance's operation would prevent another war and save people suffering under the Land of Earth's warmongers.
• Konoha's residents donated money and many ninja volunteered, while ninja in other villages resisted joining the operation.
• Ren gave village liaisons scrolls containing low-level Iwagakure inheritances extracted from Ōnoki's mind.
• The other villages' ninja became enthusiastic about the operation after learning they could choose a technique in advance.

Ren struggled to choose a commander-in-chief for the Allied Forces’ operation against the Land of Earth until Jiraiya returned to Konoha. Ren eagerly welcomed him, and the chapter ended with Jiraiya preparing to report a serious matter in private.

• Ren considered Kakashi, Shisui, Fugaku, and Shikaku as candidates to command the Allied Forces, but found each one lacking.
• Ren learned that Jiraiya had returned to Konoha and requested an audience, and decided he was the ideal commander.
• Ren rushed to meet Jiraiya and greeted him with unusual warmth, leaving Jiraiya suspicious of his behavior.
• Jiraiya told Ren that he had an important matter concerning the Shinobi World to report, and Ren invited him inside to speak privately.

Ren listened as Jiraiya explained Mount Myōboku’s prophecies and learned that the Great Toad Sage had foretold that shinobi would cease to exist. Ren wondered whether the Sage of Six Paths might take back all chakra.

• Ren enthusiastically offered Jiraiya Konoha’s full support and asked about the intelligence he had discovered.
• Jiraiya explained that the Great Toad Sage could foresee the future and described prophecies recorded by Fukasaku and Shima.
• Ren questioned whether Jiraiya had witnessed the prophecies himself, and Jiraiya said he had seen some of them.
• Jiraiya revealed the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy: “Shinobi will cease to exist!”
• Ren was startled and wondered whether the Sage of Six Paths would take back all chakra.

Ren considered whether the Sage of Six Paths could reclaim chakra and studied Gamamaru’s prophecies to assess the threat. He found that the final prophecy of a world without ninjas was dated to the very day the Shinobi Alliance had been established.

• Ren suspected that Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki might have left a way to take chakra back and concluded he needed to take the possibility seriously.
• Ren asked Jiraiya for the dates and contents of Gamamaru’s past prophecies, and Jiraiya gave him his notebook.
• Ren read that Gamamaru’s major prophecies had almost always come true, except for the ninth prophecy foretelling the extinction of humanity and all living things.
• Ren found the prophecy about the Child of Destiny and then read the final prophecy, which matched Jiraiya’s account.
• Ren saw that the final prophecy was dated to the day he had convened the meeting and the Shinobi Alliance had been established.