Chapter Summaries

Hyuga Xiu used the Sky Screen System to expose a supposed conspiracy behind the Nine-Tails Incident, hoping to unsettle the shinobi world and change its future. The screen revealed Shimura Danzō speaking with Mahito about a masked man called Madara Uchiha planning to unleash the Nine-Tails during the Jinchuriki’s childbirth.

• Hyuga Xiu activated the Canopy Screen, sending the shinobi world into panic as its leaders ordered alerts and investigations.
• The Sky Screen displayed the title “Konoha's Shadow: The Truth Behind the Nine-Tails Incident,” alarming Konoha’s leadership and villagers.
• The screen showed Shimura Danzō meeting Mahito, who experimented on a White Zetsu and reported finding information in its memories.
• Mahito told Danzō that a masked man calling himself “Madara Uchiha” planned to release the Nine-Tails during Konoha’s Jinchuriki’s childbirth.

Hiruzen and Konoha's leaders tried to discredit a broadcast showing Danzo conspiring with Mahito, while Hyuga Xiu benefited from the growing belief in the Canopy Screen. The next broadcast began showing Obito Uchiha appearing outside Konoha's delivery room.

• Hiruzen ordered ANBU to investigate the Canopy Screen and summoned Konoha's other leaders to discuss the crisis.
• Danzo denied knowing Mahito or Nine Nether, while Hiruzen ordered Konoha to refute the broadcast despite believing much of it.
• Black Zetsu decided Mahito and Nine Nether needed closer scrutiny, and the other villages waited to verify the broadcast.
• Hyuga Xiu watched his Belief Points rise and was drafted to help Konoha distribute notices rejecting the Canopy Screen's claims.
• The Canopy Screen resumed the next day and showed Obito Uchiha appearing outside Konoha's delivery room.

The Canopy Screen revealed Obito Uchiha as the person behind the Nine-Tails attack, prompting reactions from Kakashi, Nagato, Konan, Hiruzen, and Danzo. It then showed Obito overpowering Kushina and drawing the Nine-Tails from her, ending with the beast emerging beneath the moon.

• Kakashi rejected the Canopy Screen’s revelation that Obito Uchiha had caused the Nine-Tails attack, while Obito accepted that his identity had been exposed and vanished using Kamui.
• Pain and Konan realized Obito was not Madara Uchiha, and Pain dismissed the revelation as an illusion.
• Danzo urged Hiruzen to interrogate everyone connected to Obito, but Hiruzen ordered ANBU to investigate them instead.
• The Canopy Screen showed Obito threatening baby Naruto and tricking Minato into teleporting away with him.
• Obito used Kamui to take Kushina to Naka Shrine and controlled the Nine-Tails sealed inside her.
• Obito pulled the Nine-Tails from Kushina, and the beast emerged beneath the moon.

Kakashi Hatake watched the Canopy Screen reveal Obito Uchiha's attack on Konoha and was questioned by the Hokage's leadership about Obito's identity and motives. Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Kakashi to report what he knew, then agreed to have ANBU watch him as the leaders turned to Nine Nether and the Akatsuki Organization.

• Kakashi Hatake saw Obito Uchiha release the Nine-Tails from Kushina Uzumaki and went to the Hokage's Office when summoned by ANBU.
• The Canopy Screen showed Minato Namikaze rescue Kushina, confront the Nine-Tails, and battle Obito Uchiha, who spoke cryptically about his reasons for attacking Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned Kakashi Hatake about Obito's words and ordered him to submit everything he knew about Obito to the intelligence department.
• Shimura Danzō urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to extract Kakashi's memories, but Hiruzen refused and ordered ANBU to watch him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō began discussing Nine Nether and the Akatsuki Organization.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Konoha to investigate Akatsuki covertly while limiting Danzō’s authority, as Kirigakure’s leaders connected Akatsuki to the masked man who had controlled the Fourth Hokage. Mei Terumi concluded that Akatsuki was Kirigakure’s sworn enemy if that connection was true.

• Shimura Danzō denied knowing about Nine Nether or ordering an attack on Minato Namikaze, and argued with Hiruzen Sarutobi over his past actions.
• Danzō reported that Akatsuki was a secretive mercenary organization of powerful missing-nin, and the Konoha leaders debated how to respond.
• Hiruzen classified Akatsuki as the highest-level threat and ordered an S-rank covert investigation, requiring his approval for Root operations.
• Ao told Mei Terumi that Akatsuki’s members were S-rank missing-nin and that their ultimate goal remained unknown.
• Elder Genji suggested the masked man who controlled the Fourth Hokage was Obito Uchiha and might lead Akatsuki.
• Mei said that if the masked man and Akatsuki were connected, Kirigakure considered Akatsuki its sworn enemy.

Mei Terumi ordered Kirigakure to gather intelligence on Akatsuki and cautiously probe other villages, while Iwagakure and Kumogakure considered approaching the organization and Sunagakure remained indifferent. The Canopy Screen showed Minato Namikaze outmaneuvering Obito Uchiha and striking him with a Rasengan, leaving Konoha cheering as dust obscured the outcome.

• Mei Terumi ordered an elite ANBU squad to infiltrate Akatsuki, investigate its members and goals, and cautiously seek information from Konoha.
• Iwagakure and Kumogakure prepared to show goodwill toward Akatsuki, while Sunagakure showed no interest in opposing it.
• Obito Uchiha used his phasing ability to evade Minato Namikaze's attack and tried to bind him with a chain.
• Minato Namikaze used a Flying Thunder God kunai to appear above Obito Uchiha and struck his back with a Rasengan, marking him in the process.
• Konoha's citizens cheered as the blast filled the Canopy Screen with dust and smoke, concealing what happened next.

The Canopy Screen showed Minato Namikaze injuring Obito Uchiha and separating him from the Nine-Tails before Obito escaped. Konoha’s leaders revealed that Obito had survived the Battle of Kannabi Bridge, leaving Kakashi shaken by the truth and Danzo’s accusations.

• Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Technique and a Contract Seal to separate Obito Uchiha from the Nine-Tails, but Obito escaped through space-time transfer.
• The shinobi villages concluded that Obito Uchiha had controlled the Nine-Tails during the attack on Konoha and that Shimura Danzō might have been involved in Minato Namikaze’s death.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Kakashi Hatake a report confirming that the masked man who called himself Madara Uchiha was Obito Uchiha, presumed dead at the Battle of Kannabi Bridge.
• Kakashi insisted that Obito had been crushed by a boulder while saving him and Rin, then given him his left eye before dying.
• Danzo questioned why Obito had hidden for years and accused Kakashi of noticing nothing, leaving Kakashi pale and shaken as he touched the eye Obito had given him.

Kakashi was questioned about the masked man’s identity and agreed to reveal everything he knew, while Konoha issued an enormous S-rank bounty for Obito Uchiha. The notice stirred reactions across the village and drew attention from Kumogakure and Iwagakure as Hyuga Xiu prepared to fuel the growing crisis.

• Kakashi told Hiruzen Sarutobi that he did not know whether the masked man was Obito, and Hiruzen suspended him from duty pending an ANBU investigation.
• Danzo proposed an S-rank bounty for Obito Uchiha, and Hiruzen approved it and ordered his removal from the Memorial Stone.
• Konoha posted the bounty notice, prompting civilians and ninjas to argue over Obito’s identity and alleged role in the Nine-Tails incident.
• Hyuga Xiu regarded the bounty as the first major event he had triggered and planned to keep escalating matters through the Canopy Screen and reality.
• Fourth Raikage A ordered Kumogakure to investigate Obito and the Mangekyō Sharingan and monitor bounty hunters, while Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure agents to watch Konoha and review the Kannabi Bridge mission.

Mei Terumi and Pain responded to Konoha’s bounty on Obito Uchiha, while Obito dismissed the threat. The Canopy Screen then showed Minato Namikaze seemingly destroy Mahito with the Flying Thunder God Technique and a Rasengan.

• Mei Terumi raised Kirigakure’s alert level, ordered a joint bounty with Konoha, and sent Ao to investigate Obito Uchiha.
• The bounty sparked excitement and fear among underground hunters.
• Pain told Konan to proceed with their plan and leave Obito to handle the bounty himself.
• Obito dismissed the bounty as Hiruzen Sarutobi’s desperate struggle and claimed the world’s greed and fear would hasten its destruction.
• The Canopy Screen showed Mahito attack Minato Namikaze, who marked him with the Flying Thunder God Technique and struck him with a Rasengan.

Minato Namikaze discovered that Mahito’s body could regenerate because his soul was intact, then used Contract Seal to confirm that he could affect Mahito’s soul. Mahito trapped Minato in his Domain Expansion, and Minato answered with the Reaper Death Seal as the chapter ended.

• Mahito reassembled his body after Minato Namikaze’s attack and explained that physical damage could not defeat him while his soul remained intact.
• Mahito summoned soul-made Cursed Spirits and attacked Minato with Idle Transfiguration, but Minato escaped each strike with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Minato used Contract Seal to test whether his techniques could affect Mahito’s soul, and confirmed that they could.
• Mahito activated Domain Expansion—Self-Embodiment of Perfection and trapped Minato in a realm where he could touch and reshape souls.
• As Mahito’s domain overwhelmed the area, Minato declared that he could not lose as Hokage and cast the Reaper Death Seal.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Shimura Danzō about Nine Nether, but Danzō spoke in cryptic words that made Hiruzen suspect he had become a cultist. Hyuga Xiu revealed that he had used the Sky Screen System and Belief Points to make Danzō say those things, leaving Hiruzen alarmed and summoning Jiraiya and Tsunade back to Konoha.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi demanded that Shimura Danzō explain his connection to Nine Nether, and Danzō answered with strange claims about sacrifice, Mahito, and a predetermined future.
• Danzō privately wondered whether someone had controlled him, while Hiruzen concluded that Danzō had been consumed by a dark creed.
• Danzō accused Hiruzen of tolerating Orochimaru's past experiments, and Hiruzen ordered him to stop contacting Nine Nether.
• Danzō stormed out and returned to Root to have his body examined, while Hiruzen summoned ANBU to bring Jiraiya and Tsunade back to Konoha.
• Hyuga Xiu watched his Belief Points drop and revealed that he had used the Sky Screen System to make Danzō confess and speak in riddles, choosing him as a scapegoat.

The Five Great Nations feared Mahito’s soul-altering ability and sought information and sealing techniques to counter it. Pain decided to recruit Mahito into Akatsuki, ordering Zetsu to find him and warning that Nine Nether would be eliminated if Mahito refused.

• Fourth Raikage A, Ōnoki, Mei Terumi, and Rasa reacted to Mahito’s ability and ordered investigations or expanded Sealing Technique training.
• The Shinobi nations sent representatives and spies to Konoha to seek Sealing Techniques and investigate Danzo’s ties to Nine Nether.
• Pain and Konan discussed Mahito’s power and whether recruiting him would help Akatsuki capture Jinchuriki and advance its plan.
• Pain ordered Zetsu to locate Mahito and offer him the Shinobi World as a stage for his power.
• Pain declared that Mahito and Nine Nether would be eliminated if they refused to join Akatsuki.

Minato Namikaze drove Mahito away with the threat of the Reaper, then returned to Konoha as the Canopy Screen revealed Zetsu’s plans. Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered an urgent investigation into Black Zetsu and the Akatsuki Organization.

• Minato Namikaze summoned the Reaper’s presence, frightened Mahito into retreating, and hurried back to Konoha.
• The Canopy Screen revealed Zetsu watching the battlefield and discussing Obito’s defeat and the plan to kill Minato Namikaze.
• Black Zetsu said Minato Namikaze’s victory would deepen Obito’s hatred and ultimately ensure their plan’s success.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Zetsu was the Sage of Six Paths’ younger brother and ordered every Jonin to investigate Black Zetsu and the Akatsuki Organization.

Black Zetsu faced exposure after the Canopy Screen revealed information about its past, prompting Obito Uchiha and the Akatsuki Organization to demand answers. It began a carefully crafted account, claiming Hagoromo Otsutsuki was its elder brother.

• Villagers and shinobi across the villages reacted with fear and disbelief to the Canopy Screen's claims about Zetsu and the Sage of Six Paths.
• Black Zetsu raged at being mistaken for Hagoromo's younger brother, then changed its presence to intimidate Obito Uchiha when he appeared underground.
• Black Zetsu and Obito Uchiha used Demonic Illusion: Mirage to join Nagato and the Akatsuki Organization in Amegakure.
• Deva Path Pain and Obito Uchiha demanded that Zetsu explain the Canopy Screen and reveal its identity.
• Black Zetsu claimed that Hagoromo Otsutsuki was its elder brother, drawing reactions from the gathered Akatsuki members.

Black Zetsu told Obito and Pain a fabricated history in which his plan for absolute order had been betrayed by Hagoromo and Hamura, then by Hashirama and Madara’s defeat. He claimed Pain’s goal of peace through pain continued the same vision, and urged him to finish their work.

• Black Zetsu claimed Hagoromo and Hamura had sealed him and divided his power into the nine Tailed Beasts because they opposed his plan to rule as a god.
• Black Zetsu said Madara Uchiha had accepted his vision and helped lay the foundation for the Shinobi Village System.
• Black Zetsu accused Hashirama Senju of betraying their plan by killing Madara at the Valley of the End.
• Black Zetsu argued that the Shinobi Village System had fueled larger wars and claimed this proved his and Madara’s vision had been right.
• Black Zetsu told Pain that his goal of forcing peace through pain matched their unfinished dream and urged him to complete it.

Black Zetsu convinced the Akatsuki that Nagato and Madara Uchiha shared a legacy of correcting the Sage of Six Paths’ failed world, and Pain embraced the story as a new mission for the organization. The members agreed to cooperate, while Hyuga Xiu revealed that his wish had helped Black Zetsu keep Obito and Nagato on course to collect the Tailed Beasts.

• Black Zetsu framed Nagato as the heir to his and Madara Uchiha’s cause, while Obito learned from White Zetsu spores to play along.
• Pain weighed Black Zetsu’s account against his own beliefs, and Itachi Uchiha grew more wary of the Akatsuki Organization.
• Pain declared that the Akatsuki would correct the world’s fundamental errors and demanded closer cooperation from its members.
• Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasori, and Kisame agreed to support Pain’s mission, while Itachi kept his turmoil to himself.
• Black Zetsu quietly celebrated as Hyuga Xiu revealed he had wished for Black Zetsu to persuade Obito and Nagato to continue collecting the Tailed Beasts.

Orochimaru learned that Black Zetsu was the Sage of Six Paths’ younger brother and considered capturing him to study immortality, while Shimura Danzō received news that the attempt on Minato Namikaze had failed. Naraka, the Thousand-Faced Demon, appeared and urged Danzō to turn away from the Nine Nether and trust him instead, leaving Danzō weighing his options.

• Orochimaru identified Black Zetsu as a thousand-year-old being and saw him as a potential key to immortality and immense power.
• Orochimaru decided to wait for a safer opportunity and considered using Konoha or others who resented Black Zetsu to find an opening.
• A Cursed Spirit told Shimura Danzō that Mahito’s mission had failed and Minato Namikaze was unharmed.
• Shimura Danzō destroyed the Cursed Spirit with a Wind Release Shuriken.
• Naraka emerged from the shadows and warned Danzō that the Nine Nether could betray and devour him.
• Naraka offered himself as a more reliable partner against the Uchiha, while Shimura Danzō silently weighed his choices.

Shimura Danzō accepted Naraka’s Death Paper in exchange for helping destroy the Uchiha clan, intending to use it against Minato Namikaze. Suspicious of the paper, he tested it by writing down a Root subordinate’s true name, but nothing happened after a minute.

• Naraka offered to help Shimura Danzō eliminate Minato Namikaze in return for wiping out the Uchiha clan, and Danzō agreed.
• Naraka gave Danzō the Death Paper and explained that it could kill up to three people whose true names were written on it while their faces were pictured.
• Danzō summoned a masked Root ninja and ordered him to reveal his true name, which was Kurihara Ranmaru.
• Danzō wrote Kurihara Ranmaru’s name on the Death Paper and focused on the subordinate’s face.
• Kurihara Ranmaru remained unharmed as Danzō watched for a full minute.

Shimura Danzō watched the Death Contract kill B through an improbable chain of accidents, confirming that Naraka’s paper could cause a named target’s death. Naraka explained that the curse would persist through repeated fatal accidents, leaving Danzō asking whether it could be broken.

• A falling case released Senbon, and one ricocheted off a shield to pierce B’s skull and kill him.
• Shimura Danzō saw Kurihara Ranmaru’s name darken on the paper and realized the contract had worked.
• Shimura Danzō imagined using the paper against Minato Namikaze and the Uchiha.
• Shimura Danzō asked what would happen if he tried to save a target, and Naraka said the curse would keep causing fatal accidents.
• Shimura Danzō asked Naraka whether the curse could be broken.

After Naraka confirmed that death was the only way to escape the Death Paper’s curse, Shimura Danzō wrote Minato Namikaze’s name on it. Shikaku Nara then identified possible ways to circumvent the curse and a limit on the paper’s use, prompting Hiruzen Sarutobi to order Danzō to surrender it.

• Naraka told Shimura Danzō that only death could release a target from the Death Paper’s curse, and Danzō wrote Minato Namikaze’s name.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reacted with grief and fury after seeing Danzō use the power against Minato.
• Kakashi Hatake said the Root ninja’s death by Senbon defied the principles of Ninjutsu.
• Shikaku Nara proposed that revival or convincing feigned death might break the curse, and concluded that the paper could hold only one more name.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Shikaku Nara to bring Shimura Danzō to the Hokage’s Office and make him surrender the Death Paper.