Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru left Kabuto to handle Shikamaru’s attempt to contact him while he went away to clear his head. Shikamaru waited through the night for a reply about Impure World Reincarnation, and Kabuto appeared at dawn.

• Orochimaru transplanted Fugaku’s eyes into the sleeping Sasuke and told Kabuto he was leaving for a while.
• Asuma told Shikamaru that the Fire Daimyo had ordered Konoha’s people to leave Sunagakure, and Shikamaru decided most of them should depart at dawn while he stayed behind.
• Asuma comforted Shikamaru as he struggled with his father Shikaku’s disappearance and discussed who might become Hokage.
• Shikamaru revealed that he was waiting for Orochimaru’s reply, hoping to use Impure World Reincarnation to bring Inoichi back and learn the truth about his death.
• Kabuto appeared before Shikamaru at dawn, broke his shadow connection, and greeted him.

Shikamaru asked Kabuto Yakushi to help clear Sasuke’s name by using Inoichi Yamanaka’s tooth for Impure World Reincarnation. Kabuto challenged Shikamaru to name a living sacrifice, and their meeting was interrupted by an approaching figure.

• Shikamaru told Kabuto that he believed Sasuke had not helped destroy Konoha and presented Inoichi’s tooth as a way to reveal the truth.
• Shikamaru argued that Sasuke had stopped Madara and saved Konoha’s surviving forces, which could restore the village’s trust in him.
• Kabuto recognized that Shikamaru had pieced together Sasuke’s actions and confirmed that Shikamaru wanted Inoichi revived through Impure World Reincarnation.
• Kabuto demanded to know whose life Shikamaru would sacrifice, and Shikamaru said he had prepared an answer before apologizing for his earlier attitude.
• A figure approached beyond the railing through the windblown sand.

Obito and Shikaku decided to pursue Madara Uzumaki rather than revive the Ten-Tails, and White Zetsu’s report led them to Shikamaru and Kabuto in Sunagakure. Obito interrupted Kabuto’s Impure World Reincarnation ritual and threatened to reunite Shikamaru with his father.

• Shikaku warned Obito that reviving the Ten-Tails would leave the enemy time to detect and attack, so they chose to investigate Madara Uzumaki’s whereabouts instead.
• White Zetsu reported that Kabuto Yakushi had appeared in Sunagakure, but his spying clone had been captured and was about to be used as a Living Sacrifice.
• Gaara brought the captured White Zetsu to Kabuto and Shikamaru, who prepared to use him for Impure World Reincarnation.
• Obito appeared during the ritual, hurled black rods at Kabuto, and absorbed Shikamaru’s shadow and the Jutsu Formula.
• Obito threatened to reunite Shikamaru with his father, while Kabuto warned that Obito had suffered enough.

Obito confronted Kabuto in Sunagakure, demanding to know where Naruto—whom he called Madara—had gone, and their fight drew Gaara and the Sand shinobi into the conflict. As Obito attacked Kabuto from behind, Kabuto turned and unleashed Sage Art: White Rage Technique.

• Obito demanded to know whether Kabuto had Naruto in his custody, and Kabuto said Black Zetsu had forced them to let Madara go.
• Obito attacked Kabuto with Banshō Ten'in, but Kabuto used Blade Reversal to sever Obito's Wood Dragon and Susanoo fist.
• Gaara intervened with Sand Waterfall Funeral, and Obito escaped the sand with Shinra Tensei after threatening to destroy Sunagakure.
• Temari and dozens of Sand shinobi attacked Obito with Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel Formation while Gaara's forces protected Kabuto and Shikamaru.
• Obito used Kamui to appear behind Kabuto and tried to kill him, but Kabuto turned around and unleashed Sage Art: White Rage Technique.

Kabuto Yakushi fought Obito and convinced him that Naruto was not in their stronghold, but Obito learned that Tobi was still alive and turned his grief into an attack on Sunagakure. As Obito unleashed Super Shinra Tensei from above, Gaara and Kabuto raced to reinforce the village’s defenses.

• Kabuto Yakushi used White Rage and Stone Spit to shatter Obito’s Susanoo and petrify his arm, forcing Obito to cut it off to survive.
• Kabuto told Obito that Naruto was not with them and revealed that Tobi was alive as a test subject for Lord Orochimaru.
• Obito rose into the sky, declaring that he would offer the enemy’s homes and flesh as a grand funeral for Tobi.
• Kabuto urged Gaara to raise an Empty Sand Barrier while he used Sage Art: Super Inorganic Reincarnation to reshape Sunagakure’s buildings into supports.
• Obito unleashed Super Shinra Tensei toward Sunagakure.

Obito’s Super Shinra Tensei devastated Sunagakure, but Sakura helped Gaara keep the Empty Sand Barrier standing and prevent further destruction. After Obito escaped, Shikaku inferred that Kabuto did not have Naruto and that Orochimaru and Sasuke might be unable to fight, while Obito revealed he had taken a tooth as a trophy.

• Obito’s Super Shinra Tensei battered Sunagakure’s Empty Sand Barrier, threatening the village and its injured residents.
• Sakura used her Yin Seal chakra to strengthen one of Kabuto’s pillars, helping Gaara hold the barrier together as it cracked.
• Obito escaped into his right eye, and Gaara carefully lowered the sand while Kabuto said the changes from Non-Limit Reincarnation could not be undone.
• Shikamaru apologized for Sunagakure’s destruction, and Gaara asked him to help bring Naruto back onto the right path.
• At his hideout, Shikaku reasoned that Kabuto probably did not have Naruto and that Orochimaru and Sasuke might be unable to fight.
• Obito showed Shikaku a tooth he had taken as a trophy and wondered whose return Kabuto had wanted to arrange through Impure World Reincarnation.

Obito revived Inoichi Yamanaka with Impure World Reincarnation and accepted his conditional cooperation after learning he could make control talismans. With Shikaku and Inoichi beside him, Obito planned to hunt Naruto and Sasuke’s group and rebuild the Akatsuki as an army of puppets.

• Obito reconstructed the Impure World Reincarnation formula, sacrificed a White Zetsu, and revived Inoichi Yamanaka.
• Inoichi recognized Obito and wondered why Shikaku was serving Konoha’s enemy.
• Shikaku explained Konoha’s destruction and told Inoichi that Obito controlled his reincarnated body.
• Inoichi agreed to help Obito when doing so would not harm Konoha, and Shikaku revealed that Inoichi could make brain-rewriting talismans.
• Obito decided to search for Naruto and Sasuke’s group, then declared that he would rebuild the Akatsuki as a force of puppets under his control.

Tsunade woke in Shikkotsu Forest and learned that Sakura had helped bring together the Sages to rescue her. Jiraiya, Konan, and Orochimaru gathered with her to reveal that the world was entering a new era, sparked by Sasuke Uchiha.

• Tsunade woke in Katsuyu's pool and learned that Sakura had identified who captured her and helped unite the three great Sages to rescue her.
• Tsunade worried about the village, and Jiraiya assured her it was safe before introducing Konan, his former student and a former member of the Akatsuki.
• Tsunade apologized to Konan for the suffering caused by the great nations' war, and Konan accepted her apology.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade that she needed to learn the truth about the world, and Katsuyu led the group to meet Orochimaru at the mountain gate.
• Orochimaru revealed that old grievances were being resolved and a new era of cooperation was beginning, with Sasuke Uchiha as its spark.

Naruto woke in an alternate dimension beside Black Zetsu, who convinced him that Madara’s consciousness had possessed him but was now defeated. After seeing his altered appearance and learning Sasuke had attacked the village, Naruto chose to train before returning to confront him.

• Naruto woke beside Black Zetsu and cried with relief, while Black Zetsu hid that he had blocked the Nine-Tails and Asura from reaching him.
• Black Zetsu told Naruto a fabricated story about the coffin, Madara’s power, and the consciousness that had taken over Naruto’s body.
• Naruto forgave Black Zetsu and believed he had defeated the bad man’s consciousness and gained its power.
• Naruto saw his black-and-red hair and altered Rinnegan eyes in a pond and learned they were in an alternate dimension.
• Naruto learned Sasuke had attacked the village and asked Black Zetsu to take him back, but Black Zetsu urged him to rely on his own strength.
• Naruto chose to train before returning, and Black Zetsu announced that his special training was about to begin.

Black Zetsu helped Naruto awaken abilities his body had retained from Madara by guiding him into meditation and Sage Mode. As Naruto tried to form a Sage Art: Black Rasenshuriken, he glimpsed a vision of the Wilderness Temple and heard someone threaten Black Zetsu, leaving him startled and the technique disrupted.

• Black Zetsu attacked Naruto with trees, and Naruto instinctively formed a one-handed Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan to destroy them.
• Black Zetsu realized Naruto's body remembered combat techniques but his doubts were suppressing them, so he taught Naruto meditation to help him accept the abilities as his own.
• Naruto entered Sage Mode, formed a one-handed Rasengan, and infused it with power from the black cursed seal to create a Black Rasengan.
• Black Zetsu told Naruto to attempt a Black Rasenshuriken, and Naruto saw a vision of the Wilderness Temple with someone seated on a coffin and another person who appeared to be Black Zetsu.
• A voice in the vision threatened to kill Black Zetsu for bringing someone back, and Naruto's Black Rasengan burst apart.

Black Zetsu monitored Naruto’s dreams and encouraged his determination to save Sasuke while secretly planning to manipulate Naruto into advancing the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Meanwhile, Orochimaru finished recounting Sasuke’s past and present lives, and Tsunade learned that Jiraiya already believed the story after the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy confirmed it.

• Naruto briefly doubted Black Zetsu after seeing strange images, then fell asleep while Black Zetsu prepared dinner and watched for clues in his dreams.
• Naruto cried in his sleep over a dream in which Konoha condemned Sasuke, and Black Zetsu questioned him about what he would do if Sasuke were rejected.
• Naruto vowed to make Sasuke repent, beg forgiveness, and work toward redemption, even if Naruto had to kneel before the village himself.
• Black Zetsu served Naruto homemade ramen and secretly resolved to use him as a powerful part of his plan to resurrect his mother through Infinite Tsukuyomi.
• Orochimaru finished explaining Sasuke Uchiha’s past and present lives, and Tsunade asked Jiraiya whether he already knew.
• Jiraiya said the Great Toad Sage had verified the account through prophecy, and Tsunade realized Sasuke’s recent behavior now made sense.

Sage Katsuyu revealed that she, Gamamaru, and Medusa descended from the sages of the destroyed Firm Continent Country, which the Ōtsutsuki conquered over a thousand years ago. Her memory of the superior Ōtsutsuki who destroyed it left Orochimaru suspecting that the enemy had been Shi Mei.

• Tsunade learned that Sasuke's past actions and sudden strength had been part of an effort to prevent the Shinobi World from being destroyed by Shi Mei.
• Orochimaru explained that the Ōtsutsuki plundered planets and that Firm Continent Country had once been a powerful chakra civilization.
• Sage Katsuyu revealed that two Ōtsutsuki destroyed Firm Continent Country, while its survivors fled to Izumo Country to build a final line of defense.
• Sage Katsuyu said she, Gamamaru, and Medusa were the last descendants of the ancestral sages, sent to Moonview Country after Izumo Country fell.
• Sage Katsuyu recalled that the superior Ōtsutsuki had hovered above the land dressed in black, and Orochimaru recognized the resemblance to Shi Mei.

Tsunade learned that the shinobi world needed her to become one of the Ten Celestial Ninja, but she insisted on returning to Konoha to finish her duties as Hokage. As Kakashi, Shikamaru, and the others prepared to leave Sunagakure, Katsuyu brought someone whose arrival made Sakura cry out, “Master!!!”

• Orochimaru and Jiraiya told Tsunade that she would face blame over Naruto’s attack on Konoha and urged her to give up the Hokage office to pursue becoming a Celestial Ninja.
• Tsunade insisted she would return to Konoha, handle the crisis, and hand the Hokage position to her successor; Jiraiya told her that Shikaku was alive but under Obito Uchiha’s genjutsu.
• Sunagakure residents complained about Konoha’s role in the disaster, while Baki reflected that the Shinobi World Alliance could deter outside threats.
• Kakashi and Shikamaru prepared to leave Sunagakure because the tooth needed to revive Inoichi was missing, and Gaara asked them to clear Naruto’s name.
• As the group was about to leave, Sakura summoned a Katsuyu clone, from which a figure emerged; she recognized the arrival as her master.

Tsunade returned to Konoha’s rebuilding site at Kikyo Mountain, where grieving civilians blamed her for the village’s destruction and Naruto’s attack. She accepted responsibility, announced she would step down as Hokage, and let the crowd spit on her.

• Neji spotted Tsunade and the returning Konoha group approaching the rebuilding site, and the villagers welcomed her back.
• A group of civilians confronted Tsunade, accusing her of leaving Konoha unprotected and indulging Naruto.
• Might Guy and Asuma defended Tsunade and argued that Naruto had been controlled, but the civilians rejected their explanation.
• Tsunade admitted responsibility for her decisions and said she had decided to step down as Hokage.
• A civilian spat in Tsunade’s face, and she stopped Shizune from intervening as the crowd surged forward and spat on her.

Tsunade endured the crowd’s abuse, then announced that she would step down as Hokage and named Kakashi Hatake as her successor. She vanished through Reverse Summoning, leaving Konoha to face the consequences of her departure.

• Rock Lee wanted to stop the crowd from abusing Tsunade, but Might Guy urged him to respect her resolve and watch.
• Tsunade told Sakura Haruno that her apprenticeship was complete and encouraged her to follow what she believed was right.
• Sakura whispered to Hinata, who quietly left, and Neji noticed and followed her.
• After the crowd finished spitting on Tsunade, she summoned Katsuyu and announced her resignation, naming Kakashi Hatake as the next Hokage.
• Tsunade told the people they would need to rely on their own strength, then vanished through Reverse Summoning as the crowd realized she had left.

Sakura proposed rebuilding Root under her leadership to protect Konoha and give Hinata a way out from under her clan’s control while helping Naruto. Hinata accepted the proposal, surprising Neji.

• Sakura told Hinata that she believed Naruto was innocent and said she wanted to help save him.
• Sakura explained that she planned to stay in Konoha and propose rebuilding Root after Kakashi became Hokage, with herself as its leader.
• Sakura said Root could give Hinata greater freedom from her father and clan without requiring her to desert Konoha.
• Neji revealed that he had been listening and questioned Sakura’s plan, but accepted her reasoning about Root and ANBU.
• Sakura told Hinata she could consider the proposal and decide later, but Hinata immediately agreed to join Root.

Tsunade accepted Sage Katsuyu’s offer to learn the Stillness Sage Art and agreed to let Orochimaru use Izanami to reshape her mindset. After repeatedly fighting Orochimaru through the technique’s cycle, she became motionless as Izanami took hold.

• Tsunade bowed to Sage Katsuyu and accepted personal instruction in the Stillness Sage Art.
• Orochimaru explained that Izanami could draw out a compatible side of Tsunade, though failure could leave her mind exhausted and kill her.
• Tsunade agreed to undergo Izanami, and Orochimaru began weaving its cycle through physical combat.
• Orochimaru used insults and the faces of Dan Katō and Nawaki to provoke Tsunade, while she repeatedly countered his attacks.
• Orochimaru completed the cycle, leaving Tsunade vacant and motionless as the Mangekyō eye in his sleeve went blind.

Obito captured Ao and used Shikaku’s plan to create an undying Impure World White Zetsu special operations squad from Kirigakure ANBU. The chapter ended on Blue Moon Island, where Sasuke said he could feel his father’s Eye Power surging.

• Obito used Impure World Reincarnation to control Suikazan Fuguki, but the attempt to summon Kisame failed because Kisame was still alive.
• Ao watched Obito with his Byakugan, recognized him, and wondered why Shikaku Nara and Inoichi Yamanaka were with him.
• Obito captured Ao and bound the Kirigakure ANBU who came to his defense.
• Shikaku proposed turning White Zetsu into undying soldiers, and Obito used Impure World Reincarnation to create a special operations squad from the ANBU and White Zetsu.
• On Blue Moon Island, Sasuke told the others he could feel Father's Eye Power welling up.

Sasuke revealed his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and demonstrated how Fugaku’s Eye Power amplified his dōjutsu, but he could not manifest Susanoo’s Complete Body. After discovering that his Susanoo had developed a will of its own, Sasuke absorbed it into himself and awakened Susanoo: Living Body Mode.

• Sasuke removed his eye covering and explained to Itachi that Fugaku’s Eye Power doubled eye-related abilities while reducing their Eye Power cost.
• Sasuke showed the gathered residents his enlarged Susanoo, which consumed less power, but could not manifest its Complete Body.
• Kabuto theorized that implanting the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path’s core had sent Sasuke’s Susanoo down a new evolutionary path called the Extra Form.
• Sasuke tried to reveal the Extra Form, but suffered intense pain, and Itachi used Ame-no-Uzume’s Eye Power to discover that Susanoo had awakened its own will.
• Sasuke used a seal to draw Susanoo into his body and formed a close-fitting chakra cloak called Susanoo: Living Body Mode.

Sasuke tested Susanoo: Living Body Mode against Suigetsu, Kabuto Yakushi, Itachi, and Nagato, revealing its immense speed, defense, and attack power. When Nagato trapped him with Chibaku Tensei, Sasuke unleashed the Outer Path Relic: Flesh Demon and destroyed its gravity core, leaving Kabuto Yakushi awed by his potential.

• Sasuke named his fusion of Susanoo and his body Susanoo: Living Body Mode and invited everyone to test its power.
• Sasuke caught Suigetsu’s explosive blade barehanded, evaded Kabuto Yakushi’s Space Slash, and struck Kabuto out of Susanoo.
• Sasuke evaded Itachi’s Yasaka Magatama, countered its formation with an Earth Grudge Fear tendril, and shed Itachi’s Amaterasu flames.
• Nagato used Chibaku Tensei to lift Sasuke into the sky, but Sasuke manifested Susanoo: Extra Form and transformed it into the Outer Path Relic: Flesh Demon.
• The Flesh Demon’s Maga’s Sundering Thunder destroyed the rocks and gravity core, and Kabuto Yakushi marveled at Sasuke’s power.