Chapter Summaries

Jiraiya and Naruto fought off Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame, and Itachi as they were driven through the streets. Jiraiya trapped the enemies on the ground inside the Rock Lodging Toad’s esophagus, which began contracting around them.

• Jiraiya protected Naruto from the Akatsuki’s attacks, but Kisame’s Samehada wounded him and Deidara’s clay spiders blasted Naruto into a roadside post.
• Naruto created Shadow Clones to distract the attackers while Jiraiya used Wild Lion’s Mane Technique to pull Hidan off balance and escape along the walls.
• Jiraiya doubled back through the streets, using his hair and Flame Bullet to force Itachi down from the rooftops.
• Jiraiya completed the hand seals for Toad Mouth Bind while Naruto’s clones disrupted Kakuzu’s attack and intercepted Deidara’s Clay Bird.
• Jiraiya summoned the Rock Lodging Toad’s esophagus, enclosing Hidan, Kisame, Kakuzu, and Itachi as Deidara narrowly escaped above it.
• The fleshy walls surrounded the enemies and began contracting around them.

Jiraiya and Naruto fled Deidara’s pursuit while Hidan, Kakuzu, and Kisame struggled to escape Rock Lodging Toad’s regenerating esophagus. Deidara unleashed a C3 bomb against Gamabunta, and the explosion engulfed the giant toad with Jiraiya and Naruto on its back.

• Jiraiya opened a passage through Rock Lodging Toad’s esophagus and escaped with Naruto, leaving Hidan, Kakuzu, and Kisame trapped inside.
• Hidan, Kakuzu, and Kisame attacked the esophagus together, but its flesh repeatedly regenerated and blocked their escape.
• Deidara pursued Jiraiya and Naruto through the city, and Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta to carry them away.
• Gamabunta leaped across the forest while Naruto’s Shadow Clones intercepted Deidara’s clay bombs.
• Deidara created a C3 bomb and dropped it along Gamabunta’s landing path.
• Gamabunta knocked the bomb aside with Water Bullets, but Deidara detonated it, and the explosion swallowed Gamabunta, Jiraiya, and Naruto.

Itachi used Amaterasu to burn the group out of the Iwasuku Great Toad’s esophagus, and they returned to the city as Deidara’s explosion struck Gamabunta. Gamabunta died protecting Jiraiya and Naruto, and Naruto transformed into a Tailed Beast Cloak and charged at Deidara.

• Itachi activated Amaterasu and burned a hole through the Iwasuku Great Toad’s esophagus, allowing the group to escape.
• Itachi, Kisame, Kakuzu, and Hidan returned to the city and spotted a huge explosion in the distance, which Kisame recognized as Deidara’s work.
• Deidara’s C3 explosion badly injured Gamabunta as he shielded Jiraiya and Naruto, and Gamabunta crashed to the ground.
• Gamabunta spoke briefly with Jiraiya, then died from his injuries while Naruto watched.
• Naruto erupted in crimson Chakra, formed a Tailed Beast Cloak, and charged at Deidara as Jiraiya stayed beside Gamabunta’s body.

Chiya searched for Jiraiya and Naruto when the Six Paths of Pain ambushed him, aiming to keep him occupied. Outnumbered and repeatedly forced to flee, Chiya was left battered and realized too late that the Preta Path could absorb his fire technique.

• Chiya rushed to the area where Jiraiya and Naruto were believed to be, but he could not locate them.
• The Six Paths of Pain surrounded Chiya, and the Deva Path told him they wanted him to stay there for a while.
• Chiya used the Flying Thunder God to escape their encirclement, but the Deva Path pulled him back with Banshō Ten'in while the Asura Path attacked with missiles.
• The Animal Path summoned a Giant Multi-Headed Dog and a Giant Bird as the Six Paths destroyed Chiya’s Flying Thunder God kunai and blocked his escape routes.
• Chiya was battered by the Six Paths’ attacks and used Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame against them.
• The Preta Path absorbed Chiya’s flames, and Chiya realized he had forgotten its ability to absorb ninjutsu.

Chiya fought the Six Paths of Pain, using Flying Thunder God to destroy the Asura Path and separate the Preta Path from the group. The Animal Path summoned the Preta Path back, and the Naraka Path restored the Asura Path, leaving all six Pains ready to face Chiya again.

• Chiya tried to crush the Preta Path with Heavenly Dominion, but the Deva Path pulled him away and the other Pains forced him to flee between Flying Thunder God marks.
• Chiya appeared beside the Asura Path and cut through its mechanical body with Futsu no Mitama, causing it to explode.
• Chiya realized he needed to separate the Pains and teleported the Preta Path several hundred kilometers away using the mark on its wrist.
• The Animal Path summoned the Preta Path back, while the Naraka Path restored the Asura Path through the King of Hell.
• Chiya lamented that his effort had been for nothing as all six Pains regrouped, and the Deva Path warned him he would not get another chance to use the same trick.

Sasuke defeated Orochimaru’s attempt to take over his body and absorbed the consciousness within Orochimaru’s ritual space. He searched Orochimaru’s office for information about Itachi and found a document he dismissed as nonsense.

• Orochimaru began the Reincarnation Ritual, but Sasuke resisted by using his Sharingan to turn the connection between their consciousnesses against him.
• Sasuke pierced Orochimaru with the Shackling Stakes Technique and dragged him and his ritual space into the depths of his Sharingan.
• Sasuke woke among the white snake corpses, suppressed the extra Chakra inside his Cursed Seal, and met Yakushi Kabuto.
• Kabuto let Sasuke pass, and Sasuke went to Orochimaru’s office to search for information about Itachi.
• Sasuke found a document in Orochimaru’s desk, read it, and called it utter nonsense.

Sasuke uncovered records and recordings proving that Danzo had colluded with Orochimaru during the Konoha Crush, framed Chiya, and sought to acquire the Uchiha’s Sharingan. He found evidence that Danzo had also received ten transplanted Sharingan after the Uchiha Massacre, and continued searching through Orochimaru’s files for more of their dealings.

• Sasuke read Orochimaru’s records and heard a tape in which Danzo asked him to make ordinary Sharingan evolve like Chiya’s Mangekyo.
• Sasuke found maps, transfer orders, and a recording showing that Danzo had cleared the way for Orochimaru’s invasion during the Chunin Exams.
• Sasuke discovered Danzo’s order for Root to seize or kill Chiya during the chaos, contradicting Danzo’s claim that Root had died protecting villagers.
• Sasuke concluded that Danzo had used the Konoha Crush to remove political rivals and make Chiya take the blame, then continued searching the files.
• Sasuke found surgical records showing Orochimaru had transplanted ten Sharingan into Danzo’s Hashirama-cell-enhanced arm, using eyes Root had taken from Uchiha corpses after the massacre.

Sasuke uncovered documents and recordings showing that Danzo had prepared to seize the Uchiha’s Sharingan before the massacre and had privately pressured Itachi to stop the coup. The records supported Itachi’s claim that he had secured Sasuke’s life, but Sasuke found no evidence that the Third Hokage had approved the massacre.

• Sasuke read Orochimaru’s report and Danzo’s orders preparing Root to preserve the Uchiha bodies and deliver their Sharingan to Danzo.
• Sasuke listened to a recording in which Itachi threatened to expose Konoha’s security information if Danzo harmed Sasuke.
• Sasuke heard Danzo tell Itachi that the Uchiha would be executed after their coup and demand that Itachi resolve the clan beforehand.
• Sasuke heard Itachi agree to stop the coup only after Danzo promised to remove Sasuke from the disposal list.
• Sasuke matched the recording’s date to a high-level meeting where the Third Hokage had rejected Danzo’s proposal and ordered negotiations to continue.
• Sasuke searched the remaining records for proof that the Third Hokage later approved the massacre, but found none.

Sasuke uncovered records showing Danzo had taken Shisui's eye, urged Itachi to destroy the Uchiha Clan, and used Sasuke's life to force Itachi's decision. Though Sasuke refused to believe that Itachi had acted to protect him, he sealed the evidence and set out to confront Itachi for the truth.

• Sasuke found his name on Danzo's list, marked for Itachi's decision, and listened to a recording of Danzo offering Itachi an Anbu promotion to help resolve the Uchiha problem.
• Itachi confronted Danzo over Shisui's stolen eye and rejected Danzo's proposal to wipe out the Uchiha Clan, while Danzo insisted that Itachi would come back.
• Sasuke read Root's records confirming Danzo's operation against Shisui and reviewed the sequence of events leading to Itachi's choice to massacre the clan.
• Sasuke remembered Itachi's childhood promises and the massacre, then struggled to accept that Itachi might have wanted him to live and kill him.
• Sasuke sealed the tapes and records, took his Kusanagi Sword, and left to ask Itachi for the truth.

Jiraiya fought Itachi, Kisame, Kakuzu, Hidan, and Deidara while Naruto transformed into Four-Tails Naruto and battled Kisame. After surviving a combined attack with severe burns, Jiraiya entered complete Sage Mode and prepared to save Naruto.

• Naruto saw Gamabunta's corpse, transformed into Four-Tails Naruto, and repeatedly fired Tailed Beast Cannons at Deidara.
• Kisame attacked Four-Tails Naruto with Samehada, which absorbed his chakra, while Naruto struck Kisame with his tails.
• Jiraiya fought Hidan, Kakuzu, Itachi, and Deidara, using his hair and even his feet to form seals as they surrounded him.
• Deidara detonated clay hidden beneath Jiraiya, and Kakuzu's masks followed with a combined wind-and-fire attack that blasted him into a crater.
• Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku appeared beside the injured Jiraiya, who told them to save Naruto first.
• Jiraiya emerged from the dust with Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima on his shoulders and entered complete Sage Mode.

Jiraiya fought Kakuzu, Hidan, Itachi, and Deidara with the help of the two toad sages, then broke through their attacks to reach Naruto as Naruto and Kisame clashed. Hidan survived being burned and noticed Jiraiya’s blood, leaving his next move unclear.

• Jiraiya struck Hidan with Frog Kata and countered attacks from Kakuzu, Itachi, and Deidara with help from Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima.
• Jiraiya’s Hair Needle Senbon destroyed one of Kakuzu’s hearts, while Itachi’s real body attacked Jiraiya from behind.
• Kisame fought Four-Tails Naruto, using Samehada to absorb Tailed Beast Chakra and unleashing a water shark against Naruto’s Tailed Beast Cannon.
• Jiraiya and the two toad sages used Sage Art: Goemon to engulf the Akatsuki members in burning Toad Oil and open a path toward Naruto.
• Jiraiya charged toward Naruto with blood streaming from his shoulder as Hidan survived the flames and watched the blood drops fall.

Kisame’s Great Shark Bullet knocked Naruto out of his four-tailed state, and Jiraiya rescued him before Hidan’s ritual began burning Jiraiya through their blood link. Fukasaku and Shima trapped the battlefield’s fighters in a toad genjutsu, allowing Shima to pull Hidan from his formation and Fukasaku to destroy one of Kakuzu’s remaining hearts.

• Kisame’s Great Shark Bullet absorbed Naruto’s Tailed Beast Cannon, swallowed Four-Tails Naruto, and forced him back to his normal state.
• Jiraiya struck Kisame with a Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, then pulled the unconscious Naruto from the crater.
• Hidan used blood from the battlefield to activate his ritual, causing Jiraiya’s body to burn as Hidan’s own flames continued.
• Kakuzu approached Jiraiya while Hidan prepared to stab himself with a Black Receiver, and Fukasaku and Shima began the Toad Confrontation Chant.
• The toad genjutsu immobilized Kakuzu, Kisame, Itachi, Deidara, and Hidan as Shima dragged Hidan out of the formation.
• Fukasaku pierced a mask monster’s heart with his tongue, stopping Jiraiya’s burning.

After Hidan killed Jiraiya by driving the Black Receiver into his own chest, Naruto erupted into his eight-tailed form and attacked the enemy forces. He destroyed a city with a Tailed Beast Bomb and began charging an even larger one as Itachi prepared to stop him.

• Hidan reentered the blood formation and drove the Black Receiver into his chest, fatally wounding Jiraiya.
• Naruto saw Jiraiya fall and unleashed a burst of chakra that transformed him into an eight-tailed fox.
• Eight-Tails Naruto crushed Kisame into a crater, and Samehada healed him with the chakra it had absorbed.
• Eight-Tails Naruto struck Hidan away, while Kakuzu pulled him out of danger with black threads.
• Eight-Tails Naruto fired a Tailed Beast Bomb that destroyed a distant city as Deidara, Itachi, Kakuzu, and Kisame fled or took cover.
• Eight-Tails Naruto began forming a larger Tailed Beast Bomb, and Itachi resolved to stop it from firing.

Itachi fought Eight-Tails Naruto with Amaterasu and Susanoo, but his failing body could not withstand the battle. Sasuke arrived just as Naruto struck Itachi down and watched his brother die, leaving him in shock and denial.

• Itachi used Amaterasu on Eight-Tails Naruto, then protected himself from its attacks with Susanoo and the Yata Mirror.
• Sasuke followed Orochimaru’s information toward Itachi, remembering the message that he should live well.
• Itachi deflected Naruto’s Tailed Beast Bombs, but his vision blurred and his body weakened as Susanoo began to collapse.
• Sasuke reached the battlefield as Eight-Tails Naruto charged and struck Itachi, crushing his chest.
• Sasuke held Itachi and demanded answers about what had happened and about Danzo, but Itachi died before he could speak.
• Sasuke stared at Itachi’s body, cried, and tried to convince himself that he felt no grief.

After Itachi died, a masked figure took Sasuke and Itachi’s body away as Eight-Tails Naruto rampaged through the forest. Konoha’s reinforcements arrived, Might Guy fought Naruto while Tsunade went to Jiraiya and Kakashi headed toward the city, and the Akatsuki retreated as Naruto’s consciousness faded further.

• Itachi died before he could touch Sasuke’s forehead, and a masked figure arrived and transported Sasuke and Itachi’s body away as Eight-Tails Naruto struck the ground.
• Might Guy, Kakashi, and Tsunade arrived and found Jiraiya injured with Fukasaku and Shima guarding him; Might Guy shielded Tsunade while she went to Jiraiya, and Kakashi ran toward the city.
• Might Guy opened the Seventh Gate and fought Eight-Tails Naruto, deflecting his tails before being driven back by Naruto’s attacks.
• Kakuzu ordered the Akatsuki to retreat; Hidan agreed, and Deidara carried the unconscious Kisame away on his clay bird.
• Might Guy continued battling Naruto, who knocked him down as his own consciousness sank into darkness.

Naruto nearly removed the seal to use the Nine-Tails’ power against the people who killed Jiraiya, but Minato stopped him and showed him the destruction he had caused while transformed. Horrified by the devastation and overwhelmed with guilt, Naruto asked Minato to kill him or imprison him.

• The Nine-Tails urged Naruto to unleash its power and kill the people who had killed Jiraiya and Gamabunta, and Naruto reached for the sealing talisman.
• Minato appeared, stopped Naruto, and warned that he had already torn more than half the seal open.
• Naruto insisted that he needed the Nine-Tails’ power, but Minato told him that hatred was controlling him.
• Minato showed Naruto the ruined city and the Tailed Beast Bomb Naruto had fired while transformed, and Naruto realized he had caused the destruction.
• Naruto broke down in guilt and fear, then begged Minato to kill him or lock him inside the cage.

Naruto learned that Minato was his father and confronted the suffering and destruction caused by the Nine-Tails’ power. Minato restored the seal and urged Naruto to live, master that power, and pursue an end to hatred; Naruto awoke to find Jiraiya dead as approaching figures surrounded the battlefield.

• Minato told Naruto he was his father, and Naruto demanded to know why he had been made to bear the Nine-Tails and the suffering it caused.
• Minato explained that a masked enemy had controlled the Nine-Tails during its attack on Konoha, so he sealed half its power in Naruto to prepare him to fight that enemy.
• Minato urged Naruto to live, control the Nine-Tails, stop the masked man, and seek his own answer to the cycle of hatred.
• Minato restored the seal, and Naruto stopped reaching for it as Minato's figure faded from the sealing space.
• Naruto returned to normal, and Might Guy caught him as he fell while Tsunade failed to revive Jiraiya and wept beside him.
• A large group emerged from the forest and surrounded the battlefield.

After Jiraiya’s death and the destruction of a city by the Nine-Tails, Danzo ordered Naruto returned to Konoha and placed under Root’s control. Naruto rejected the village and its rules, renounced being a shinobi, and escaped with Fukasaku through Shima’s reverse summoning, leaving his forehead protector behind.

• Danzo arrived with Root shinobi and ordered Naruto brought back to Konoha, while Kakashi blocked their approach.
• Danzo blamed Jiraiya for his fate and ordered Root to seal Naruto’s chakra and take control of him.
• Naruto stood on his own, questioned the village’s rules and the cost of protecting Konoha, and declared he no longer wanted to become Hokage.
• Naruto renounced Konoha and being a shinobi, then let his forehead protector fall to the ground.
• As Root attacked, Shima used the Reverse Summoning Technique to take Naruto and Fukasaku to Mount Myoboku.

After Naruto left Konoha, Chiya resolved to gather all power to prepare for Sakushiki and the Ōtsutsuki threat. Meanwhile, Sasuke awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and vowed to judge Konoha himself and reclaim what it owed the Uchiha Clan.

• Chiya found Naruto’s abandoned forehead protector and told Black Zetsu that leaving Konoha was for the best.
• Black Zetsu challenged Chiya over saving Naruto and warned that his choice could doom the world, prompting Chiya to remember Kaguya and Sakushiki’s power.
• Chiya decided he could no longer wait for the Five Great Nations to unite and declared that he would gather all power into his own hands.
• Sasuke remembered Itachi’s final gesture and awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan as he mourned his brother.
• Sasuke rejected Konoha’s authority to decide who should be sacrificed and vowed to judge the guilty and reclaim what Konoha owed the Uchiha Clan.

After Jiraiya died and Naruto left Konoha, Danzo tried to contain the news and decided to shift the other nations’ attention toward Chiya Uchiha. He sent evidence of Chiya’s links to Tailed Beasts to the other four Kage and called for a Five Kage Summit in Iron Country half a month later.

• Danzo ordered Root to conceal Jiraiya’s death and Naruto’s departure, and to monitor Tsunade, Kakashi, and Might Guy without provoking them.
• Danzo judged that Konoha’s weakened position would invite pressure from other villages and decided to use Chiya Uchiha as a more urgent threat.
• Danzo reviewed Root’s records and photographs showing Chiya near Tailed Beasts and absorbing the Three-Tails’ Chakra.
• Danzo wrote letters accusing Chiya of repeatedly appearing near Tailed Beasts and invited the four other Kage to meet in Iron Country.
• Danzo sent the letters and supporting materials to the four major shinobi villages and requested that Mifune host and preside over the summit.