Chapter Summaries

Sasuke and Madara fought across Konoha’s ruins, with Sasuke surviving Madara’s devastating meteor attack and revealing his unusual Susanoo. They agreed to settle their battle at the Valley of the End in twenty-one days, and Madara accepted Sasuke’s condition not to attack anyone before then.

• Madara used gravity to pull Sasuke from Susanoo, but Sasuke destroyed Madara’s Susanoo with Thunderclap: Chidori Spiral Sword and shattered the Gunbai and Kusanagi Sword in their clash.
• Madara summoned two meteorites with Tengai Shinsei, and Sasuke held the first aloft with Wood Release before his Wooden Human shattered the second.
• Madara used Chibaku Tensei to reconstruct the second meteorite and Super Shinra Tensei to drive both meteorites down, reshaping the land around Konoha.
• Sasuke emerged unharmed from underground within his Susanoo and a Wood Dragon, then challenged Madara to meet him at the Valley of the End in twenty-one days.
• Sasuke demanded that Madara refrain from attacking anyone until their battle, and Madara accepted the condition.

Madara became eager for his promised battle with Sasuke, while Itachi defended the Four Red Yang Formation from Izuna and revealed Obito's role in the Uchiha massacre and Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan. Itachi trapped Izuna in Tsukuyomi, leaving him shaken and refusing to believe his brother planned to destroy humanity.

• Madara watched Sasuke leave and celebrated their upcoming battle in twenty-one days.
• Itachi maintained the Four Red Yang Formation as Izuna attacked him with Susanoo and tried to use Ayekashi.
• Itachi read Izuna's thoughts through Ame-no-Uzume and learned that Izuna had cursed Sasuke and him with Ayekashi.
• Itachi told Izuna that Obito Uchiha had helped massacre the clan and served as executor of Madara's Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Itachi cast Tsukuyomi on Izuna, who rejected the revelation and collapsed into someone's embrace.

Shikamaru told the survivors that Sasuke had supposedly allied with Naruto, while Sakura struggled to believe the accusation and began to reveal what she had seen in a vision. Elsewhere, Izuna told Madara that he had used Ayekashi on Itachi, and Madara questioned whether Izuna would still stand by him if Itachi had told the truth.

• Shikamaru told the survivors that he had seen Sasuke in the Control Room, where Sasuke claimed to have joined Naruto to avenge the Uchiha.
• Sakura asked Shikamaru whether he was certain it had been Sasuke, and learned that Inoichi had died to Amaterasu.
• Shikamaru noticed Sakura's unusual reaction and asked whether she had seen something while recovering from Sasuke's genjutsu, but Sunagakure's arrival interrupted her answer.
• Madara told Izuna that Konoha's people had escaped because he had promised Sasuke not to attack anyone until their battle in twenty-one days.
• Izuna said he had used Ayekashi on Itachi and condemned him for blaming Madara for the Uchiha massacre and the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Madara asked Izuna whether he would abandon him if Itachi had told the truth, and Izuna's smile went cold.

Madara explained to Izuna that he planned to end the Ninja world's cycle of conflict through the Eye of the Moon Plan, but Izuna challenged his reasoning and begged him to abandon it. Madara sealed Izuna underground and then turned toward a mysterious figure appearing by the waterfall.

• Madara told Izuna that the Uchiha stone tablet revealed a way to break the Ninja world's curse and described how he pursued the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Madara explained that he had awakened the Rinnegan, given his eyes to Nagato, and guided Obito, while denying any knowledge of Obito and Itachi's role in exterminating the Uchiha.
• Izuna questioned whether the Eye of the Moon Plan could truly save the world and pleaded with Madara to leave with him and live in seclusion.
• Madara restrained Izuna with Black Rods and buried him beneath sealing talismans so he could not interfere.
• Madara heard someone ask whether he truly believed his path was right, then saw a figure appear amid the waterfall.

Asura appeared before Madara and revealed that Madara was Indra’s previous Reincarnation while Naruto was Asura’s current one. Before vanishing, Asura warned Madara against using Infinite Tsukuyomi and urged him to reconsider the Uchiha Stone Tablet.

• Asura introduced himself to Madara and explained that a fusion of soul and chakra had awakened his consciousness.
• Madara attacked Asura with Susanoo, but the apparition remained unharmed and identified Naruto as Asura’s current Reincarnation and Madara as Indra’s previous one.
• Asura warned Madara that Black Zetsu was likely more than Madara’s own consciousness, and Madara identified Sasuke as Indra’s current Reincarnation.
• Asura explained that he could sense no karmic force in Sasuke and wondered whether Sasuke had already dispelled it.
• Asura urged Madara to abandon Infinite Tsukuyomi and questioned whether the Uchiha Stone Tablet truly contained the Sage of Six Paths’ will.
• Asura faded after saying that Yin-Yang Release was interfering with his consciousness, leaving Madara brooding behind him.

Madara confronted Black Zetsu over his identity and the altered Uchiha stone tablet, then destroyed him. Meanwhile, Obito planned to use Impure World Reincarnation to revive Kinkaku and Ginkaku, and targeted Tsunade for information about their bodies.

• Black Zetsu returned to Madara and claimed he had been scouting Konoha, but Madara questioned his whereabouts and knowledge of Indra.
• Madara accused Black Zetsu of tampering with the Uchiha stone tablet and burned him into black mist with a jutsu.
• Tsunade and Shikaku hurried back toward Konoha and encountered thousands of white figures blocking their route.
• Obito mourned his bond with Tobi but resolved to continue the Infinite Tsukuyomi alone.
• Obito studied the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and planned to revive Kinkaku and Ginkaku to restore the Ten-Tails.
• Obito entered White Zetsu's ambush perimeter and decided he needed Tsunade to learn where Kinkaku's and Ginkaku's bodies were.

Obito captured Tsunade and demanded the location of Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s remains, but Shikaku deduced why he wanted them and offered to help him obtain a better result. Shikaku asked Obito to spare Tsunade’s life, leaving Obito to consider the request.

• Obito lifted Tsunade and demanded to know where Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s remains were, while Tsunade refused to reveal their location.
• Obito prepared to use the Rinnegan’s Human Path to extract information from Tsunade, but Shikaku interrupted and deduced that Obito wanted the brothers’ Nine-Tails chakra for his plan.
• Shikaku reasoned that Obito was seeking an inferior substitute for the tailed-beast component he lacked, and Obito praised his intelligence.
• Shikaku offered to help Obito obtain the real version of his desired outcome and volunteered to submit to Sharingan control.
• Obito agreed to hear Shikaku’s request, and Shikaku asked him to spare Tsunade’s life.

Madara killed Black Zetsu and reaffirmed his commitment to the Eye of the Moon plan, preparing to face the coming battle without considering retreat. In Sunagakure, Konoha’s refugees speculated about their missing leaders and mysterious rescuers, while Gaara withdrew after learning of Konoha’s destruction and was approached by a pink-haired girl.

• Madara discovered that killing Black Zetsu had not changed the Black Cursed Seal and dismissed Asura’s warnings about the stone tablet and Infinite Tsukuyomi.
• Madara considered the risks posed by Sasuke and Naruto, then rejected the idea of preparing an escape route and vowed to prove himself right.
• Madara glanced at Izuna’s sealed resting place and left, resolving to devote himself to the battle twenty-one days later.
• In Sunagakure, Konoha’s refugees grew anxious about Tsunade and Shikaku’s silence, while Kurenai Yuhi and Might Guy identified the genjutsu user as Uchiha Itachi and wondered who had helped him form the Four Red Yang Formation.
• Gaara mourned Naruto’s unfair fate as he stood alone beneath the moon, then noticed a pink-haired girl approaching from the shadows.

Sakura told Gaara that Sasuke’s apparent attack on Konoha contradicted a dream she had experienced under his Genjutsu, and asked him to help uncover the truth. Gaara refused to intervene, urging her to make her own choice, and wondered whether Sasuke had ever expected anything of him.

• Gaara recognized Sakura and listened as she explained that Naruto had been controlled during the attack on Konoha.
• Sakura said Sasuke could not truly have joined Naruto, but struggled to explain why; Gaara promised to hear her out.
• Sakura recounted her decades-spanning dream of Sasuke’s experiences and argued that she had felt his genuine emotions through the Genjutsu.
• Gaara questioned how Sakura could know the dream was real, then asked what she hoped to accomplish by telling him.
• Sakura asked Gaara to help because Tsunade had not returned, but he refused to interfere in Konoha’s affairs and told her to make her own choice.
• Gaara suggested Sasuke had shown Sakura the truth so she could choose for herself, then privately wondered if Sasuke had ever expected anything of him.

Sakura resolved to stop relying on others and summoned Katsuyu to seek help finding Tsunade. Katsuyu agreed to contact Mount Myōboku after Sakura risked her life on her suspicion that Obito Uchiha had captured Tsunade.

• Sakura told Gaara she wanted a secluded place to attempt a summoning, and he brought her to his father's tomb.
• Sakura explained that she needed Katsuyu to help locate Tsunade and successfully summoned a small Katsuyu clone.
• Katsuyu revealed that her main body had failed to reverse-summon Tsunade, suggesting Tsunade was either dead or trapped in another dimension.
• Sakura suspected Obito Uchiha had taken Tsunade and asked Katsuyu to contact the Great Toad Sage so he could reach Jiraiya.
• Katsuyu questioned whether Sakura's information was reliable, and Sakura admitted it was only a suspicion before pledging her life if it led Jiraiya astray.
• Katsuyu accepted Sakura's plea and agreed to help.

Sakura and Gaara discovered that Kabuto had disturbed Rasa’s grave, then discussed ways Sakura could gain strength quickly. As Gaara took her to show her a possible source of power, Neji spotted them overhead, while Hiashi ordered Hinata to sever her ties with Naruto.

• Katsuyu vanished, and Gaara found that his father Rasa’s grave had been dug up; Sakura suspected Kabuto Yakushi had been there.
• Gaara replaced Rasa’s body with a sand replica and reburied the grave.
• Sakura told Gaara she wanted to use an external chakra source to form a temporary Yin Seal, and Gaara mentioned the dragon vein and another possible source.
• Gaara carried Sakura above Sunagakure on sand cushions, and Neji saw them through the storm with his Byakugan.
• Hiashi told Hinata that Naruto could never return to Konoha and ordered her to sever all ties with him.

Gaara took Sakura to a sealed pyramid in the desert and revealed Gold Dust Shukaku, a creature formed from Shukaku’s consciousness and Rasa’s gold dust. He gave Sakura a way to absorb its chakra for her Yin Seal, then asked her to help Naruto when the truth about him came out.

• Gaara raised the buried pyramid and removed its Sealing Talisman, releasing Gold Dust Shukaku.
• Gaara explained that Rasa had created Gold Dust Shukaku by combining his Magnet Release with Shukaku’s chakra, intending to control the creature and claim its power.
• Gaara charged the chakra stored in Sakura’s forehead with a magnetic field so she could absorb Gold Dust Shukaku’s power and form her Yin Seal.
• Gaara asked Sakura to help Naruto when he learned the truth, and Sakura promised to support her comrade even if it meant standing against Konoha.
• Gaara crushed Gold Dust Shukaku with a waterfall of sand and urged Sakura to absorb its chakra.

Sakura tried to absorb Shukaku’s Magnet Release chakra, and Gaara’s apology persuaded Shukaku to stop resisting. As Sakura neared the breaking point, Sasuke resonated with her across the distance and stabilized the power, allowing her to form a silver-gray Yin Seal; the gold dust then revealed another man whose will had remained within it.

• Sakura struggled to draw Shukaku’s Magnet Release chakra into her forehead until Shukaku’s will disrupted her concentration.
• Gaara entered Sakura’s Inner Sea, apologized to Shukaku, and knelt before him, leading Shukaku to stop obstructing Sakura.
• Sakura continued channeling the chakra until her Chakra Network neared destruction, and Neji used his Byakugan to steady her pathways and urged her to stop.
• Sakura refused to quit, and Sasuke sensed her choice from Blue Moon Island, discovered their minds’ resonance, and sent Magnet Release chakra into her heart.
• Sasuke’s chakra stabilized the power in Sakura’s body, and she formed a silver-gray Yin Seal before thanking him.
• The gold-dust covering peeled away after Shukaku was demagnetized, revealing a man whose will Gaara recognized as his father’s.

Rasa apologized to Gaara for the cruelty of his childhood and revealed that Gaara’s sand control came from Karura’s love, not Shukaku’s curse. After Rasa vanished, Gaara accepted the truth and turned back to Sakura and Neji, who challenged her to spar.

• Rasa praised Gaara and admitted that he had treated his son as a weapon and wrongly dismissed him as a failure.
• Gaara told Rasa that he did not hate him but could not love him, and explained that he had learned to love everyone from someone who shared his suffering.
• Rasa revealed that Gaara’s ability to control sand came from Karura’s love, and Gaara broke down in tears.
• Rasa urged Gaara to lead Sunagakure as Kazekage before dissolving into golden sand.
• Sakura withdrew her prejudice against Rasa, then explained that she had used a shortcut to activate the Strength of a Hundred Seal.
• Neji asked Sakura to exchange blows, and Sakura admitted she did not know how strong she had become.

Neji challenged Sakura to a spar so she could learn to use her new power, and her punches revealed extraordinary strength and a magnetic pull that nearly crushed him. Neji urged her to train in Taijutsu with Might Guy, but Sakura remained committed to Medical Ninjutsu and said she could not consider changing paths while Lady Tsunade was missing.

• Neji attacked Sakura, and she used the Horn between her eyebrows to track and react to his movements.
• Sakura's punch unleashed a powerful gale and blasted a huge crater into the sand, startling Neji.
• Sakura's next punch created a magnetic pull that dragged Neji into its path, but Gaara rescued him with his sand.
• Neji recognized Sakura's potential and urged her to train in Taijutsu under Might Guy instead of focusing on Medical Ninjutsu.
• Sakura thanked Neji but declined to consider his advice while Lady Tsunade was missing, remaining determined to become a better Medical Ninja.

Jiraiya and Konan learned that Konoha had been attacked and that Obito Uchiha had captured Tsunade, so they prepared to rescue her. The Great Toad Sage sent Jiraiya to seek the White Snake Sage’s help in locating Obito, bringing the estranged Three Sage Lands closer to reconciliation.

• Konan told Jiraiya that someone had investigated the laboratory equipment’s commissioner, but she had not uncovered their identity or confirmed whether Kara was active.
• Gamatatsu delivered a scroll revealing that Madara had attacked Konoha by controlling Naruto and that Obito Uchiha had captured Tsunade.
• Jiraiya entrusted the Naruto and Madara situation to Sasuke and Orochimaru, while he and Konan planned to rescue Tsunade; Konan stayed behind to prepare for battle.
• At Mount Myōboku, the Great Toad Sage told Jiraiya that Sakura Haruno had relayed the capture through Katsuyu and directed him to seek the White Snake Sage’s divination.
• Jiraiya agreed to visit the White Snake Sage after learning that the Great Toad Sage had already contacted her and that Fukasaku and Shima were waiting to guide him to Ryūchi Cave.

Jiraiya and the Two Great Sage Toads entered Ryūchi Cave to meet the White Snake Sage, but the Cobra King attacked them in the mist. Jiraiya countered his poison and faced the enraged snake’s next assault.

• Fukasaku and Shima accompanied Jiraiya into Ryūchi Cave despite his offer to go alone.
• The White Snake Sage sent the Cobra King to confront Jiraiya after Shinji suggested he could vent his anger over Kabuto.
• The Cobra King attacked Jiraiya, explaining that Manda had been his child, and Jiraiya dodged his strike.
• The Cobra King’s venom arrow created poisonous smoke, which Jiraiya absorbed with Wood Release: Wooden Toad Cask.
• The Cobra King launched his Ultimate Technique: Fire-Lance Tail Spike, and Jiraiya responded with Sage Art: Sealing Fire Underworld Swamp.

Jiraiya reached the White Snake Sage after trapping the Cobra King and passing Ichikishimahime and Tagitsuhime. He asked her to divine Obito Uchiha’s location so he could rescue Tsunade, and the divination began despite uncertainty about the information behind his request.

• Jiraiya sank the Cobra King into the Sealing Fire Underworld Swamp with Gamahiro and left him trapped.
• Ichikishimahime and Tagitsuhime stopped Jiraiya at the temple, but let him enter alone.
• Jiraiya met the White Snake Sage, who recognized his Sage Mode and Wood Release and discussed the coming importance of Jiraiya, Itachi, and Kabuto.
• Jiraiya asked the White Snake Sage to divine Obito Uchiha’s whereabouts, explaining that Tsunade had been captured.
• The White Snake Sage warned that the divination required a certain premise and could harm her if the claim was false, but she began the technique and a face filled with bitterness and hatred appeared.

Jiraiya learned where Obito was hiding and received a tracking Shadow Gu and a life-saving talisman from the White Snake Sage before setting out to rescue Tsunade. In Sunagakure, Sakura withheld what she knew about Sasuke from Neji, and Neji asked her to tell him first once she had sorted out the facts.

• Jiraiya saw Obito with Shikaku standing beside him and learned that their stronghold was in the mountains near the Land of Earth and Land of Rain border.
• The White Snake Sage gave Jiraiya a Shadow Gu to track Obito and a talisman infused with Ryūchi Cave sage power.
• After Jiraiya left, the White Snake Sage told Tagorihime that Jiraiya bore a heavenly mandate and faced a great calamity.
• Sakura told Neji that she knew things about Sasuke connected to his genjutsu but was still weighing the facts, and Neji agreed to keep her secret.
• Sakura asked Neji how Hinata was doing, and Neji stopped walking.

Sakura reassured Shizune after revealing Katsuyu could not bring Tsunade back, then agreed to care for the unconscious Kakashi. Meanwhile, Shikamaru confirmed that a tooth found in Konoha’s Control Room belonged to Inoichi and asked Temari to help him find the person Inoichi meant to reach.

• Neji told Sakura that Hinata had defied Hiashi to defend Naruto and was now confined, while Sakura reflected on Hinata’s long-standing bond with Naruto.
• Shizune asked Sakura to summon Katsuyu for news of Tsunade, and Sakura explained that Katsuyu’s Reverse Summoning attempt had failed.
• Sakura suggested Tsunade might be trapped in an alternate dimension, giving Shizune a possibility to hold on to before exhaustion overcame her.
• Shizune asked Sakura to treat Kakashi before dawn, and Sakura promised to care for him until Tsunade returned.
• Shikamaru received a DNA report showing that blood on the tooth from Konoha’s Control Room matched Ino’s blood as a parent-child relation.
• Shikamaru asked Temari to use Sunagakure’s intelligence division to help him find the person Inoichi had wanted to contact, and Temari teased him before considering his request.