Chapter Summaries

Madara Uchiha confronted Hyuga Iwame over the Caged Bird Seal and revealed he could remove it without the Main Family’s cooperation. After demonstrating the seal’s removal on Taro Hyuga, he left Iwame facing the choice of freeing the Branch Family voluntarily or losing control over them.

• Ajin and the Uchiha Hardliners watched Madara command the gathering as Hiashi apologized for Iwame’s behavior and asked to discuss abolishing the Caged Bird Seal.
• Madara promised to protect the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan, but Iwame refused to abandon the seal and insisted that only the Hyuga Council of Elders held the removal method.
• Madara revealed that he had already found a way to remove the seal and would distribute it to every ninja in Konoha, leaving the Hyuga Main Family unable to control the Branch Family.
• Madara offered Iwame one last chance to free the Branch Family voluntarily, warning that the Main Family could leave Konoha if it refused.
• Taro Hyuga asked whether Madara could remove the seal, and Madara used the Body Flicker Technique to erase Taro’s Caged Bird Seal in front of the crowd.
• Taro celebrated his freedom, and Iwame realized that Madara could remove the seals without the Main Family’s consent.

After Madara removed Neji and Hayato’s Cursed Seals and the Hyuga Clan abolished the Caged Bird Seal, Orochimaru sought Tsunade to heal his arms, offering to resurrect her loved ones. Jiraiya and Naruto arrived as Tsunade wavered, leaving the group facing off.

• Hyuga Iwame accepted the end of the Caged Bird Seal, abolishing the distinction between the Hyuga Main and Branch Families.
• Madara removed the Cursed Seals from Hayato and Neji, preferring their genuine loyalty over controlling them.
• Orochimaru learned about Konoha’s changes from intelligence, then found Tsunade and asked her to heal his arms.
• Tsunade refused until Orochimaru offered to resurrect Dan and Nawaki, then wavered after learning he planned to help build Konoha and pursue the Fifth Hokage.
• Jiraiya and Naruto arrived, and Jiraiya warned Tsunade not to help Orochimaru while Naruto declared he would become the Sixth Hokage.

Tsunade’s negotiations with Orochimaru collapsed into a battle in the wilderness, where Kabuto exploited her fear of blood to stop her from fighting. Naruto stood between Kabuto and Tsunade, refusing to abandon his dream or his promise to protect her as Kabuto prepared to attack.

• Tsunade agreed to consider healing Orochimaru, but Kabuto noticed her intent to kill and the Sannin moved their confrontation to the wilderness.
• Kabuto and Orochimaru divided the opponents, while Jiraiya warned Tsunade not to underestimate Kabuto and summoned Gamabunta against Orochimaru’s Manda.
• Kabuto cut his arm and triggered Tsunade’s hemophobia, interrupting her attempt to summon Katsuyu and leaving her unable to fight.
• Shizune attacked Kabuto to protect Tsunade, but he severed her Achilles tendons and arm muscles with his Scalpel Technique and knocked her unconscious.
• Naruto stepped in front of Tsunade and vowed to protect her until she acknowledged him as Hokage, while Kabuto drew a kunai and prepared to strike.

Naruto fought Kabuto and then stood against Orochimaru to protect Tsunade, despite being outmatched. When Orochimaru revealed he wanted to take Sasuke, Naruto unleashed the Nine-Tails’ power and filled the battlefield with hundreds of Shadow Clones.

• Naruto used Shadow Clones and a Rasengan to keep Kabuto occupied, breaking his glasses and forcing him to retreat from a direct hit.
• Orochimaru left his fight with Jiraiya and Manda to attack Naruto, piercing Naruto’s left arm with his Flying Sword.
• Orochimaru demanded that Naruto move aside so Tsunade could heal his arms, then revealed that he wanted to take Sasuke from Konoha.
• Naruto became enraged at Orochimaru’s threat to Sasuke, drew on the Nine-Tails’ chakra, and healed his wound.
• Naruto used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to summon hundreds of clones and shouted that Orochimaru would never claim Konoha or Sasuke.

Naruto lost control as the Nine-Tails’ chakra overwhelmed him, and Tsunade stopped him by giving him her necklace, overcoming her fear of blood in the process. After Jiraiya told her that Uchiha Itachi had invited her back to Konoha, Orochimaru chose to retreat, leaving Tsunade ready to fight for Naruto.

• Orochimaru and Kabuto overwhelmed Naruto’s Shadow Clones, but Naruto’s anger at Orochimaru’s threat to take Sasuke or Itachi drove him to unleash more of the Nine-Tails’ power.
• Naruto entered a three-tailed state, attacked Orochimaru, and then turned on Jiraiya and Gamabunta as the chakra consumed his reason.
• Tsunade overcame her fear of blood, embraced Naruto, and placed her necklace on him, soothing the Nine-Tails’ chakra and knocking him unconscious.
• Tsunade summoned Katsuyu and told Shizune to care for Naruto while she faced Orochimaru, and Jiraiya told her that Uchiha Itachi had invited her back to Konoha as Medical Department Director.
• Orochimaru decided not to interfere with Itachi’s plans and vanished before Jiraiya could stop him.

Madara appointed Tsunade to lead Konoha’s Medical Corps but refused to let Jiraiya take Naruto away, saying he needed Jiraiya to protect the village while he went on a long trip. Meanwhile, Kumogakure and Iwagakure plotted to obtain the Hyuga’s Byakugan, and Ōnoki decided to use the Akatsuki.

• Tsunade accepted Madara’s offer to lead the Medical Corps and take part in village decisions.
• Madara told Jiraiya to stay with Tsunade and protect Konoha until he returned from a long trip, delaying Naruto’s training.
• The Fourth Raikage and Mabui discussed exploiting the abolition of the Caged Bird Seal to take Byakugan from the Hyuga Branch Family.
• Ōnoki ordered Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi to pursue the Byakugan, arguing that Kumogakure would gain an advantage if it obtained one.
• Ōnoki said Iwagakure would use the cash-strapped Akatsuki rather than its own shinobi to carry out the plan.

Madara Uchiha brought Hayato Hyuga and Neji Hyuga to Kumogakure to avenge Hizashi Hyuga and demand that those responsible kill themselves. When the Fourth Raikage attacked Hayato and Neji, a deep-blue barrier blocked his punch, leaving Madara's defense and the confrontation unresolved.

• Mei Terumi received Konoha's message that Kirigakure could keep Ao's Byakugan but must not pursue any other Byakugan from Konoha.
• Madara Uchiha, Hayato Hyuga, and Neji Hyuga arrived at Kumogakure, where Hayato smashed the gates and incapacitated two guards.
• Hayato and Neji told Madara they were ready to die alongside him as he brought them to avenge Hizashi Hyuga.
• Hayato intercepted Raikō Shōta, and the Fourth Raikage appeared and demanded the Hyuga's eyes and the men's hands.
• Madara demanded that those responsible for Hizashi Hyuga's death kill themselves, then faced the Fourth Raikage in combat.
• The Fourth Raikage attacked Hayato and Neji, but a deep-blue barrier stopped his punch before it could hit Hayato.

Madara used Susanoo and Tsukuyomi to defeat the Fourth Raikage after he attacked Kumogakure’s gates. With the Raikage unconscious and restrained, Madara faced a warning that killing him would bring war between Kumogakure and Konoha.

• Madara shielded Hayato and the others with Susanoo, then fought off the Raikage’s attacks while reiterating his demand for Kumogakure to apologize to Hizashi and make amends.
• The Raikage refused to summon Bee and launched repeated attacks, but he could not damage Madara’s Susanoo.
• The Raikage lost his composure and looked directly at Madara, allowing Madara to trap him in Tsukuyomi.
• Madara brought the unconscious Raikage inside Susanoo, and Hayato sealed his acupoints with Gentle Fist.
• Someone warned Lord Fifth Hokage that killing the Fourth Raikage would start a war between Kumogakure and Konoha.

Madara forced Kumogakure to execute the twelve ninjas responsible for Neji’s father’s death, then returned to Konoha with Neji and Hayato. His actions made other villages wary of Konoha, while Obito postponed the Akatsuki’s plans to capture the Nine-Tails.

• Mabui summoned the twelve Kumogakure veterans named by Madara, and they killed themselves before Neji and Hayato.
• Madara spared the Fourth Raikage to avoid war, then explained the cycle of hatred to Neji, who vowed to follow him; Hayato resolved to become stronger.
• Ōnoki withdrew Iwagakure’s commission to the Akatsuki and ordered his ninja not to confront Konoha or covet the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan, while other villages issued similar orders.
• Obito learned that Uchiha Itachi had become Fifth Hokage and decided the Akatsuki should delay capturing the Nine-Tails.
• Madara returned to Konoha, where Naruto praised him, Hyuga Iwame apologized, and Madara assigned Shikaku and Fugaku responsibility for construction projects and mission assignments.

Madara delegated Konoha’s day-to-day governance to Shikaku while focusing on threats beyond the village. After Naruto departed with Jiraiya, Madara sent Sasuke and Neji to investigate Otogakure and gave Sasuke the renowned Futsu-no-Mitama sword.

• Madara appointed Shikaku to oversee Konoha’s development and village affairs, while assigning security to his father and medical reforms to Tsunade.
• Madara, Sasuke, and others saw Naruto and Jiraiya off, and Naruto promised Sasuke they would fight when he returned.
• Neji and Sasuke asked Madara to train them, so he assigned them a mission to investigate Orochimaru’s Otogakure with Shisui Uchiha and Hayato Hyuga.
• Shisui gave Sasuke the Futsu-no-Mitama sword from Madara, and Sasuke demonstrated how well it worked with his lightning release chakra.
• Shisui teased Hayato for giving Sasuke no gift, and Hayato reacted with a grimace.

Madara sent Orochimaru the method for breaking the Reaper Death Seal, while Sasuke, Neji, Shisui, and Hayato investigated the political crisis in the Land of Rice Fields. After the capital was sealed and Sound Ninja appeared in greater numbers, Shisui and Hayato returned from investigating the palace and Otogakure with no good news.

• Madara left Konoha and sent Orochimaru a secret letter and a Demon Mask explaining how to break the Reaper Death Seal.
• Orochimaru ordered Kabuto to prepare a new body and discussed their plans for the Land of Rice Fields with him.
• Shisui and the others discovered that Ishigami Kenya's peace faction and Kimura Shikyuu's pro-war faction were divided over whether to disband Otogakure or seek an alliance with Kumogakure.
• After the capital barred people from entering or leaving and more Sound Ninja appeared, Shisui and Hayato sent Sasuke and Neji to stay hidden and split up to investigate.
• Shisui and Hayato returned to the inn after investigating the palace and Otogakure, but neither had found good news.

After learning that Orochimaru’s forces were stirring up conflict in the Land of Rice Fields, Madara and Konoha’s leaders planned a cautious response. Madara decided to go to the Land of Rice Fields himself while the others prepared the border defenses.

• Hayato and Shisui reported the Daimyo’s death, Kimura Shikyuu’s takeover in the Capital, and Kabuto Yakushi’s efforts to provoke conflict through Otogakure.
• Sasuke and Neji advised informing Konoha and waiting for the Hokage’s decision before acting.
• Shikaku recommended reinforcing the Land of Fire’s border and striking only if Otogakure’s ninja crossed into its territory.
• Madara agreed that Konoha should target Otogakure’s forces in the Land of Rice Fields and build ties with its nobles, rather than appear to seize territory.
• Madara appointed Shikaku, Father, and Tsunade to manage the border defenses and chose to lead the mission to the Land of Rice Fields himself.

Kabuto Yakushi killed Zhijiu and continued impersonating him as Otogakure’s attack on the Land of Fire began. Madara Uchiha led Sasuke and the others into action in the Land of Rice Fields, where an Orochimaru experiment escaped outside Ishigami Kenya’s residence.

• A Sound Ninja told Zhijiu that Kumogakure would help only if the Land of Rice Fields declared war on the Land of Fire, but Zhijiu refused and learned Otogakure’s forces had already attacked.
• The long-haired Sound Ninja revealed himself as Kabuto Yakushi and killed Zhijiu, intending to impersonate him longer.
• Madara arrived to brief Sasuke, Hayato, Neji, and Shisui, assigning Neji to handle Sound Ninja in the capital and taking Sasuke to rescue Ishigami Kenya.
• Two Otogakure ninja left an experimental subject in a cage outside Kenya’s residence, and it woke and began shouting about killing.
• Kenya’s samurai guards went outside to confront the disturbance and found the escaped experiment instead of a Sound Ninja.

Sasuke and Madara arrived at Ishigami Kenya’s home as Orochimaru’s Test Subject attacked, and Sasuke fought the regenerative monster while Madara discussed ending Zhijiu’s rebellion with Kenya. Sasuke began running low on chakra as the fight remained unresolved.

• Orochimaru’s Test Subject broke into Ishigami Kenya’s room and threatened Kenya, his wife, and Miyabi.
• Sasuke arrived with Futsu-no-Mitama and wounded the Test Subject, whose injuries healed rapidly.
• Madara arrived, assigned Sasuke to fight the Test Subject, and identified himself to Kenya as Konoha’s Fifth Hokage.
• Madara asked whether Kenya knew the Land of Rice Fields had declared war on the Land of Fire, and Kenya blamed Zhijiu’s actions.
• Sasuke and the Test Subject clashed again as the monster matched his speed and strength, while Sasuke’s chakra dwindled.

Sasuke and Neji fought Orochimaru’s transformed test subjects in the Land of Rice Fields and defeated them with newly adapted elemental techniques. Madara left Sasuke to protect Lord Kenya’s family while he took Kenya to the Royal Palace to reclaim control of the country.

• Shisui and Hayato cleared out nearby Sound Ninja and identified Orochimaru’s experiments and Cursed Seal as the source of Neji’s opponent’s monstrous form.
• Neji struggled to damage the monster, whose chakra quickly reopened the Tenketsu he struck, and Hayato urged him to add an elemental nature to his attacks.
• Sasuke pierced the Test Subject with Chidori Sharp Spear, then combined lightning and fire to destroy him.
• Kenya and Ya thanked Sasuke, and Madara reassured him about killing the monster before leaving him to protect Kenya’s family.
• Madara took Kenya to the Royal Palace to reclaim control of the Land of Rice Fields.
• Neji used Earth Release to overpower his opponent and crushed the monster’s heart with Repeated Palms.

Madara Uchiha and Konoha’s forces ended Otogakure’s attack on the Land of Rice Fields and captured the invaders at the Land of Fire’s border. In court, Madara supported peace with the Land of Rice Fields, and after the treaty was signed, Uesugi Genshin proposed rewarding Konoha.

• Madara Uchiha killed Zhijiu and his Sound Ninja with a Majestic Destroyer Flame, ending Otogakure’s threat to the Land of Rice Fields.
• Shisui and the others defeated Otogakure’s remaining forces, while Shikaku’s squad captured the hundred ninja sent to attack the Land of Fire.
• Shinhiko Kōzuki argued for annexing the Land of Rice Fields, but Uesugi Genshin backed Daimyo Kenya’s offer of grain reparations and peace.
• Madara Uchiha said the Land of Rice Fields should be spared because Orochimaru and Zhijiu had orchestrated the attack, and the Daimyo approved an alliance and peace treaty.
• Uesugi Genshin asked the Daimyo to reward Konoha for its contribution.

After Madara rejected the Daimyo’s attempt to recruit Sasuke as a royal bodyguard, he met with Genshin and Shinhiko, who revealed that their apparent rivalry concealed an alliance. They proposed another deal to Madara, leaving its terms undisclosed.

• Genshin proposed that Konoha garrison the Land of Rice Fields and receive funds from it, while the Daimyo considered rewards for Madara and the Uchiha Clan.
• The Daimyo offered Sasuke a position as his son’s bodyguard, but Madara promised to send Sasuke to the capital in four years instead.
• Genshin invited Madara to his residence, where Madara met Genshin’s son, Uesugi Kiyoteru.
• Shinhiko entered through a secret passage with Kōzuki Ryoma and warned Madara that the Daimyo intended to use Sasuke to restrain him.
• Genshin and Shinhiko revealed that their political rivalry was a performance and said they wanted to make another deal with Madara.

Madara met with Shinhiko and Genshin, who offered their support in exchange for protection for their families. He persuaded them that his real concern was the surviving Madara Uchiha and the Akatsuki, then asked what resources they could provide.

• Genshin and Shinhiko proposed backing Madara’s rise in influence in return for security and prosperity for their families.
• Madara said he had no interest in becoming Daimyo and told them Madara Uchiha was alive and had founded the Akatsuki.
• Kōzuki Ryoma confirmed that Madara’s intelligence network focused on the Akatsuki and Orochimaru.
• Madara estimated that Madara Uchiha would make a major move within four years and offered to stand with Genshin and Shinhiko.
• Genshin offered access to Uesugi territory and scout contacts in the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
• Shinhiko offered to reveal a secret about the Bounty Reception Office if Madara promised to keep it confidential.

Madara learned that the Daimyo backed the Bounty Exchange Office to keep the shinobi villages weakened, and discovered that one billion ryō had been placed on his head. Later, Konoha’s leaders objected to his plan to lead a deployment to the Land of Rice Fields, leaving his decision to depart the village under dispute.

• Shinhiko and Genshin explained that the Daimyo used the Bounty Exchange Office to encourage conflict among ninja and limit the villages’ power.
• Shinhiko told Madara that the Bounty Exchange Office had offered one billion ryō for his assassination, and Madara laughed at the price.
• After Madara left, Genshin told Shinhiko that Madara seemed focused on intelligence about the Akatsuki, though his words might mix truth and falsehood.
• Madara returned to Konoha and named Sasuke and Neji among the troops assigned to the Land of Rice Fields, drawing objections from Tsunade and Fugaku.
• Shikaku noticed that Madara himself was listed as the deployment’s principal officer and protested that the Hokage should not leave Konoha for an extended posting.

Madara won approval to station Konoha forces in the Land of Rice Fields as a buffer and to pursue Orochimaru with Sasuke and Neji. After traveling to the former site of Otogakure with his core force, he met Orochimaru in the Sound Shadow Office basement.

• Madara explained that the Land of Rice Fields would serve as a buffer for the Land of Fire and said he would take Sasuke and Neji to track down Orochimaru.
• Tsunade and Fugaku supported Madara’s plan, and Shikaku reluctantly agreed to it and arranged weekly reports and emergency contact through the Flying Thunder God formation.
• After the meeting, Shikaku wondered whether Madara had wider plans for establishing buffer zones beyond the Land of Rice Fields.
• Madara took Sasuke, Neji, Hayato, Shisui, and his other core-force members to the former site of Otogakure that night.
• Once the others had gone to sleep, Madara entered the Sound Shadow Office basement, where Orochimaru greeted him and called him Lord Fifth Hokage.