Chapter Summaries

Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura tortured Mitarashi Momiji for the Spirit Board's core control password, but she refused to betray Neji. Chasing Fang, Heart Butterfly, and Iron Maru burst in, and Chasing Fang killed Koharu as Homura faced him in terror.

• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura threatened and tortured Mitarashi Momiji to force her to reveal the Spirit Board's core control password.
• Mitarashi Momiji refused to betray Neji despite the pain and threats against her family.
• Chasing Fang, Heart Butterfly, and Iron Maru broke into the interrogation room and found Momiji injured on the torture rack.
• Chasing Fang used Purple Lightning: Instant Thunder to pierce Koharu's heart and kill her.
• Homura cried out over Koharu's death and realized he could not defend himself or escape.

Hiruzen intervened as Chasing Fang nearly killed Homura after Koharu’s death, then persuaded Chasing Fang to leave Homura in his custody. With Konoha’s internal crisis temporarily contained, Hiruzen prepared to leave for the collapsing Land of Rain front while Neji remained in seclusion.

• Hiruzen stopped Chasing Fang’s Purple Lightning from striking Homura and condemned Homura and Koharu for persecuting Neji’s subordinates.
• Hiruzen asked Chasing Fang to spare Homura for Konoha’s sake, and Chasing Fang agreed while taking the gravely injured Momiji to the Medical Corps.
• Chasing Fang left Homura in Hiruzen’s custody and warned that Neji’s will must be respected.
• Hiruzen ordered ANBU to take Homura into strict confinement and reflected on how power had corrupted his old friends.
• Hiruzen headed to the command center to respond to the failing Land of Rain front, while Neji remained secluded.

Danzo infiltrated Madara Uchiha’s mind through the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, planning to seize his body and Rinnegan. Madara discovered the intrusion and fought back, but Danzo’s Kaguya-infused powers began overwhelming his defenses.

• White Zetsu told Madara Uchiha that Neji had defeated the Hidden Mist army, sealed Isobu and the God of Death, and earned comparisons to Hashirama Senju.
• Danzo’s spiritual body found Madara and entered the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, intending to take Madara’s body as his vessel.
• Danzo’s will invaded Madara’s mindscape, where Madara recognized him and challenged him.
• Madara attacked with Limbo: Border Jail, but Danzo’s Filthy God Bind corroded and devoured the shadow clones.
• Danzo formed All-Killing Ash Bones: Mental Mimicry and attacked Madara, who summoned Susanoo to counter the bone spikes.

Danzo defeated Madara in the mindscape and took control of his body, then restored it to its peak by absorbing Special White Zetsu. Calling himself “Madara Uchiha,” Danzo sent the White Zetsu army toward the Land of Rain front to take revenge on Neji and Konoha, while Neji remained unaware of the threat.

• Danzo exploited Madara’s shock over Black Zetsu and Kaguya to consume Madara’s consciousness and seize control of his body.
• Danzo absorbed several Special White Zetsu, using their vitality to restore Madara’s aged body and awaken its power.
• Danzo equipped himself with Madara’s Crimson Armor and Flame War Fan, then vowed to make Neji suffer and destroy everything he valued.
• Danzo ordered one hundred thousand White Zetsu to attack the Land of Rain front, declaring that he would end the Second Shinobi World War.
• Neji remained in seclusion, unaware that Danzo and the White Zetsu army were advancing against him.

Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade struggled to hold back the endless White Zetsu as their chakra and strength ran low. Madara appeared with Danzo’s voice and Rinnegan, struck Hiruzen Sarutobi away, and left the Third Hokage launching a counterattack.

• Orochimaru’s snakes were devoured by White Zetsu, leaving him too depleted to summon more.
• Jiraiya burned through the horde but was forced to watch Impure World Reincarnation puppets, including an old friend, block his flames.
• Tsunade smashed White Zetsu apart, but the creatures multiplied and drained her chakra and strength.
• Madara emerged from a collapsing mountain, and Hiruzen recognized Danzo’s emotions behind Madara’s Rinnegan.
• Madara struck Hiruzen with a chakra shockwave, hurling him into a rock wall, and Hiruzen answered with the Five Releases: Great Combo Bullet Technique.

Danzo, controlling 'Madara,' overwhelmed the battlefield and killed the Third Hokage after absorbing his Reaper Death Seal. Neji arrived with a devastating Crystal Release technique, carving out a safe zone as he faced the enemy in a badly damaged state.

• 'Madara' erased the Third Hokage's five-nature transformation attack with Shinra Tensei and severed his right arm with Storm Release: Laser Fang.
• The Third Hokage used Reaper Death Seal, but 'Madara' swallowed the Shinigami with Absorption Seal, and Hiruzen Sarutobi collapsed dead.
• Neji tore open the clouds with Sage Art: Crystal Release: Thousand-Starfall and crystallized the White Zetsu surrounding the battlefield's center.
• Neji descended atop a giant Crystal Dragon, his armor cracked, his right arm crystallized, and blood seeping from crystalline fissures on his face.

Neji used his fused powers to counter Danzo, draining the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, redirecting Tailed Beast Balls, and destroying White Zetsu across the battlefield. When Danzo attacked with Limbo shadows, Neji trapped and impaled all four with the Crystal Domain Eight Formation Diagram, leaving their fate unresolved.

• Neji named Danzo and condemned him for stealing Madara's body and consuming Kaguya's remnants.
• Danzo summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, which sent ten Wood Dragons toward Neji's crystal forest.
• Neji bound the Wood Dragons with a silver-white chain, causing crimson flowers to drain their life energy and wither the statue.
• Neji redirected the reanimated jinchūriki's Tailed Beast Balls into the White Zetsu army and contaminated the linked White Zetsu with dark-green flames.
• Danzo sent four Limbo shadows to assassinate Neji, but Neji trapped them in the Crystal Domain Eight Formation Diagram and pierced them with crystal spikes.

Neji unleashed the Yin-Yang Divine Seal, using his crystal formation and Three-Phase Immortal Power to destroy Danzo and the power he had taken from Kaguya. The battle ended with Neji kneeling in a vast crater, half his body crystallized and seemingly near death.

• Danzo changed his body into countless All-Killing Ash Bones and fired them at Neji from every direction.
• Neji's Mystic Crystal armor shattered, and he used the released Three-Phase Immortal Power to form a shield against the bone spears.
• Neji activated the Yin-Yang Divine Seal through the battlefield's crystal clusters, merging the three energies into a chaotic current that enveloped Danzo.
• The chaotic current destroyed Danzo, his crimson armor, the Rinnegan, and the power of Kaguya within him.
• Neji's crystallization spread to his heart as the Six Paths Compass pointed to the seal characters meaning "Complete."
• Neji remained kneeling in the crater with the right half of his body and face turned into lifeless crystal.

Neji defeated Danzo but suffered fatal damage from the backlash of his power, leaving Tsunade and his allies to witness his final moments. After Neji vanished, the Sage of Six Paths told him his mission was complete and that he would return while the others would remember him as a legend.

• Neji used his remaining power to gather the fallen Konoha ninja and lay them to rest on higher ground.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Chasing Fang's Purple Lightning, Heart Butterfly, and Iron Maru reached Neji, but he told them he could not be saved.
• Neji gave Tsunade a final insight about the Sage Art of Wet Bone Forest and entrusted Orochimaru with hope of fighting together again.
• Neji shattered into fragments of light as the rain stopped and sunlight returned.
• Neji awoke in a chaotic void, where the Sage of Six Paths said the mission was complete and the others' memories would be altered so he became a legend.
• The Sage of Six Paths opened a vortex and told Neji it was time to return and that his story had only just begun.

After completing his seclusion in Wet Bone Forest, Neji revealed his new Tri-Aspect powers and developed Sage Crystal Filters that greatly strengthened Shizune and Xiao Xi. He reunited with his companions and learned Tsunade had mastered Wood Release and Wet Bone Forest Sage Arts, while turning his thoughts to the changes in the outside world.

• Neji emerged from seclusion with Tri-Aspect Return to Origin and the ability to create crystals through Sage Art: Crystal Release: Tri-Phase Genesis.
• Tsunade examined Neji and revealed that she had fused with her grandfather’s bloodline, regained Wood Release, and entered the Transcendent Shadow Rank through Wet Bone Forest Sage Arts.
• Neji created Sage Crystal Filters and implanted one each into Shizune and Xiao Xi, elevating them to Elite Jonin and bringing them close to the Shadow Rank threshold.
• Neji, Tsunade, Shizune, and Xiao Xi reunited and shared their training insights, while Neji remained concerned about changes in the outside world.

Neji’s plan brought Akatsuki into the Konoha Crush, while Shizune and Xiao Xi turned the tide against the invading forces with powerful Sage Arts. The chapter ended as Pain, Uchiha Shinichi, and Hiruko appeared above Konoha, bringing a new threat to the battlefield.

• Neji received Shinichi’s memories and learned that Nagato had agreed to attack Konoha during the Crush.
• Neji infiltrated Konoha with Shizune and Xiao Xi and watched the Chunin Exams and Orochimaru’s plot unfold.
• Orochimaru revealed himself at the final selection arena, trapping the Third Hokage in the Four Violet Flames Formation as Sand and Sound forces invaded.
• Shizune and Xiao Xi unleashed powerful Sage Arts, cutting down enemy ninja and restoring Konoha’s morale.
• Pain, Uchiha Shinichi, and Hiruko appeared near Hokage Rock and released a terrifying presence over the battlefield.

Uchiha Shinichi attacked Konoha, killing Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura before overwhelming the Hyuga clan, while Deva Path Pain shrugged off Xiao Xi’s strongest sword strike and prepared to destroy the village. Neji appeared in a colossal Mystic Crystal Wisdom King, forced Pain back with a powerful punch, and challenged his claim to godhood.

• Jiraiya and Konoha’s leaders confronted Deva Path Pain and Uchiha Shinichi after the attackers’ aura killed dozens of ninja.
• Uchiha Shinichi killed Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura, then attacked Hyuga Hiashi and the Hyuga clan, humiliating their defenders.
• Xiao Xi’s combined Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword failed to break through Pain’s Shinra Tensei, and Pain began gathering chakra for a massive attack on Konoha.
• Neji summoned a gigantic Mystic Crystal Wisdom King near the Forest of Death and struck Pain, forcing him to slide backward despite his Shinra Tensei.
• Neji appeared atop the crystal manifestation and mocked Pain for calling himself a god.

Neji ignored the Hyuga elders’ demands and fought Pain while Shinichi destroyed the Hyuga Main House. Neji then redirected Pain’s Super Almighty Push away from Konoha, leaving the village unharmed and the battle still unresolved.

• Hiashi and the Great Elder ordered Neji to abandon his fight with Pain and protect the Hyuga Main House, but he ignored them.
• The Great Elder tried to activate Neji’s Caged Bird curse mark, but it had no effect, and Shinichi mocked him.
• Shinichi killed the Great Elder, Hiashi, and several Main House loyalists with his Susanoo, leaving the Branch House survivors shaken.
• Deva Path Pain gathered the remaining Paths’ chakra and prepared to unleash Super Almighty Push against Konoha.
• Neji used Crystal Release Eight Array Diagram: Space-Time Obliteration to absorb Pain’s attack and channel its destructive force away from Konoha.

Tsunade awakened Wood Release and Senjutsu, joined Neji in turning back Konoha’s attackers, and captured Orochimaru as the Third Hokage died. With the invasion defeated, Danzō watched from underground and vowed not to abandon his plans for Konoha.

• Tsunade arrived at Hokage Rock with Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, while Hiruzen died and Hashirama and Tobirama returned to dust.
• Tsunade pinned Orochimaru to the ground with Sage Art: Dragon-Escape Stakes and exchanged words with Jiraiya.
• Tsunade and Neji faced the remaining enemies together, prompting Obito to flee, Uchiha Shinichi to retreat, and Deva Path Pain to leave for the Land of Rain.
• Konoha’s survivors cheered Neji and Tsunade after the attackers were defeated or driven away.
• Danzō watched the battle from his underground base, raged at his thwarted plans, and vowed to keep pursuing control of Konoha.

Tsunade took command as acting Hokage after the Konoha Crush, then joined Neji in confronting Danzo at Root’s underground headquarters. Neji accused Danzo of numerous crimes, but the chapter ended before Danzo answered.

• Tsunade declared herself acting Hokage and ordered the wounded treated, the village rebuilt, enemies cleared, and Konoha sealed.
• Neji sensed Root beneath the village and urged Tsunade to deal with Danzo.
• Tsunade left Jiraiya in temporary command and went with Neji to Root’s hidden entrance.
• Tsunade shattered Root’s barrier, and Danzo allowed her and Neji to enter his underground headquarters.
• Tsunade accused Danzo of exploiting the invasion to seize power, and Neji listed his alleged crimes, including supporting Orochimaru’s experiments and orchestrating the Uchiha Clan massacre.

Neji killed Danzo, disbanded Root, and helped reorganize Konoha's leadership, with Tsunade chosen as the Fifth Hokage and Neji appointed as her assistant. He then went alone to the Hyuga Ancestral Shrine, where the clan was left leaderless after its losses.

• Danzo activated Izanagi, but Neji froze him in place with Sage Art: Crystal Domain Seal: Endless Annihilation and annihilated him.
• Tsunade incapacitated the attacking Root elites, and Neji declared Root disbanded, prompting Aburame Ryoma and most of its members to submit.
• The clan heads and shinobi chose Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage, and Tsunade appointed Neji as her assistant.
• Shizune and Xiao Xi became captains of the Hokage's and assistant's guards as Konoha consolidated its new leadership.
• Neji went alone to the Hyuga Ancestral Shrine as the clan struggled without its slain head, Hiashi.

Neji abolished the Hyuga Clan’s Main House and Branch House system, transformed the Caged Bird into a strengthening clan crest, and took over as clan head. He and Tsunade then shared technologies with Konoha’s clans, while Neji located the ruins of Angkor Fortress.

• Neji abolished the Main House and Branch House system and replaced the Caged Bird with a silver Hyuga Clan Crest that strengthened every clansman.
• Neji declared himself the new Hyuga Clan head, and the clan accepted his leadership.
• Neji gave Tsunade plans for Ninja Talismans and improved Spirit Boards, and she ordered the technologies shared with Konoha’s clans.
• The major clans began forming research groups and developing businesses, increasing Konoha’s cohesion and technological activity.
• Neji used Hyuga and ANBU intelligence to locate Angkor Fortress, the Land of Sky’s ruined airborne fortress, in the mountains between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers.

Neji restored the ancient Angkor Fortress as the Soaring Palace and watched Konoha’s rise unsettle the major nations. He then traveled to Mount Myoboku, where the Great Toad Sage sent him into the distant past to seek the region’s complete Sage Art inheritance.

• Neji repaired and redesigned Angkor Fortress, then activated it as the skyborne Soaring Palace, Konoha’s secret base and ultimate deterrent.
• Reports of Tsunade becoming Fifth Hokage, Neji’s appointment as her assistant, and Danzo and Root’s removal spread across the Ninja World, prompting concern among the other villages.
• Neji explained to Tsunade that he wanted to preserve the nations’ independence and competition, then turned his attention to Mount Myoboku’s temporal Sage Art.
• Neji used Reverse Summoning to reach Mount Myoboku and asked Fukasaku and Shima for its complete Sage Art inheritance.
• The Great Toad Sage gave Neji a Space-Time Mark and sent him into the distant past to witness and learn the inheritance.

Neji traveled a thousand years into the past, observed the origins of chakra, and helped Hagoromo and Hamura seal Kaguya. He returned to Konoha with Mount Myoboku’s temporal inheritance and set his sights on Dragon Cave’s secret creation technique.

• Neji traveled back roughly a thousand years and secretly observed Hagoromo, Hamura, and the young Gamamaru.
• Neji guided Hagoromo and Hamura as they grew, and exchanged Sage Art knowledge with Gamamaru.
• During the battle beneath the Divine Tree, Neji used Tri-Aspect Return to Origin to shield Hagoromo from Kaguya’s All-Killing Ash Bones.
• Hagoromo and Hamura sealed Kaguya with Planetary Devastation, and Kaguya recognized Neji as an intruder from another spacetime.
• Neji thanked Gamamaru and returned to Konoha with a deeper understanding of Mount Myoboku Sage Art and temporal mysteries.
• Neji resolved to seek Dragon Cave’s secret creation technique and combine its knowledge with his Sage Arts.

Neji invaded Dragon Cave to seize its Sage Art inheritance and defeated the White Snake Sage and three Snake Princesses. He took the Dragon Pearl and left the injured Sage alive, then returned to Konoha to begin merging the three Sage Regions’ inheritances.

• Neji entered Dragon Cave, overcame its serpents, and announced that he had come for the Dragon Pearl.
• Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime attacked Neji, but he absorbed their assault before the White Snake Sage joined the fight.
• Neji blocked their combined attacks, bound the White Snake Sage with Three-Aspect Soul-Locking Chains, and stripped away its dragon tendons and reverse-scale hide.
• Neji placed Spirit-Controlling Seals on the three Snake Princesses and took the Dragon Pearl from its stone platform.
• Neji spared the weakened White Snake Sage, left Dragon Cave with the three sealed Snake Princesses, and returned to Konoha to study the Dragon Pearl.