Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Makoto injected Pakura with asura cells to turn her into a new test subject, but her body began to collapse under the strain. He ordered Nako, Shun, and Entetsu to connect a device that would transfer life force from captive ninjas to Pakura.

• Uchiha Makoto used Kakuzu’s knowledge to prepare an experiment implanting asura cells into Pakura.
• Uchiha Makoto injected Pakura with a thirty-percent-purity suspension of asura cells.
• Pakura’s chakra surged and her skin turned pale, but her vital signs plummeted as her body rejected the cells.
• Uchiha Makoto concluded Pakura needed an external infusion of life energy to survive the transformation.
• Uchiha Makoto ordered Nako, Shun, and Entetsu to bring captive ninjas from B-3 Cryogenic Storage and connect the Life Transfer Device to Pakura and the Dragon Vein.

Uchiha Makoto used chakra and Dragon Vein energy to keep Pakura alive as she integrated Asura Cells, successfully stabilizing her but leaving her unconscious and transformed. He then prepared to place her under a layered control system.

• Uchiha Makoto activated the energy-transfer formula, draining chakra from the captive ninja and drawing natural energy from the Dragon Vein to create life energy for Pakura.
• Pakura convulsed as the life energy entered her body, but her vital signs stabilized and slowly rose while her Scorch Release chakra became subdued.
• The captive ninja died and the energy flow dropped to maintenance levels; Pakura remained unconscious with extraordinarily strong vital signs and vast, higher-quality chakra.
• Uchiha Makoto concluded that Pakura had completed the initial integration of the Asura Cells, while noting that the process needed more testing and that she remained a dangerous, unstable subject.
• Uchiha Makoto prepared his puppet protocol, combining Sharingan control, a brainwashing ninja tool, and an implanted internal kill switch.

Uchiha Makoto turned Pakura into the controlled Test Subject Three and considered how to eliminate Shimura Danzō, who had resumed surveilling him. He held off on attacking Danzō inside Konoha because of Orochimaru, Minato Namikaze, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, until unexpected news offered him an opportunity.

• Uchiha Makoto hypnotized Pakura, fitted her with a device, implanted a Black Chip, and named her Test Subject Three.
• Several months passed as Uchiha Makoto's crow avatar led Nako's squad on patrols while he sensed that Shimura Danzō's agents were watching them.
• Uchiha Makoto judged that Danzō was still a dangerous but manageable target and decided he needed to kill him.
• Uchiha Makoto hesitated to attack Danzō inside Konoha because Orochimaru, Minato Namikaze, and Hiruzen Sarutobi could intervene.
• Unexpected news interrupted Uchiha Makoto's planning and gave him an opportunity.

After Shisui survived an assassination attempt he suspected was carried out by Root, Uchiha Makoto healed him and hinted that he would create an opportunity to deal with the threat. Makoto manifested a mission to the Land of Rain and departed with his team, leaving Danzo’s response uncertain.

• Shisui told Uchiha Makoto that he had escaped the assassins using the Shave and Moonwalk techniques Makoto taught him.
• After the other clan members left, Shisui identified Root as the likely culprit and spoke about his hopes for peace between the Uchiha and the village.
• Uchiha Makoto hinted that his upcoming mission to the Land of Rain could give Shisui and the clan an opportunity to deal with Danzo’s threat.
• Uchiha Makoto used Yin-Yang Release to heal Shisui’s worst wounds and promised to take care of the rest.
• Shisui’s trust enabled Uchiha Makoto to manifest the Land of Rain mission, and two days later Makoto departed Konoha with Nako, Shun, and Entetsu on a B-Rank escort mission.

Uchiha Makoto escorted merchant Yamada toward a trading point in the Land of Rain while preparing for Danzo to make a move and testing his team’s abilities. The group detected a fight among five shinobi in a village ahead, none of whom wore village forehead protectors.

• Uchiha Makoto secretly brought Test Subject Three, disguised as a guard, while leaving Number One and Number Two at the base to protect Kakuzu.
• Yamada complained to Uchiha Makoto about the Land of Rain’s disorder under Hanzō as they traveled through the country.
• At camp, Uchiha Makoto planned to train Nako and the other two, lure Danzo into action, and test Number Three’s strength.
• Uchiha Makoto considered searching for Nagato and testing whether asura cells could help him develop the Rinnegan.
• Uchiha Makoto sensed a battle in a village ahead, and Nako confirmed five combatants without shinobi village forehead protectors.

Cheng agreed to take Yamada through a village where ninja were fighting, and Uchiha Makoto recognized the two young people under attack as Yahiko and Konan. Nako, Shun, and Entetsu swiftly subdued the attackers, leaving the Konoha squad and the wary pair facing one another.

• Yamada insisted on continuing through the fighting, and Cheng ordered his team to stay alert and protect the client.
• Uchiha Makoto recognized Yahiko and Konan as the young pair being attacked by three wandering ninja.
• Entetsu launched a fireball between the attackers and Yahiko and Konan, giving them a chance to recover.
• Shun disarmed one attacker while Nako subdued another, and the team quickly captured all three.
• Nako and her companions returned to Uchiha Makoto and Yamada, and both sides watched each other warily.

Uchiha Makoto completed the escort mission in Amegakure and sent Nako, Shun, and Entetsu to investigate Akatsuki. Nako encountered Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, while Makoto watched from concealment, seeking the boy who bore the Rinnegan.

• Yahiko thanked Uchiha Makoto and his team for rescuing him and Konan, then parted ways with them.
• Nako, Shun, and Entetsu grew more coordinated as they fought off bandits along the road to Amegakure.
• Uchiha Makoto delivered Yamada and his goods, refused the merchant's dinner invitation, and suspected him of working for Root.
• Uchiha Makoto ordered the three young ninja to investigate Akatsuki while he secretly searched for Nagato.
• Nako heard conflicting accounts of Akatsuki but learned that the group was active and opposed Hanzo's rule.
• Nako found Yahiko and Konan protecting an elderly couple, and Yahiko introduced Nagato and identified the group as Akatsuki.

Nako, Shun, and Entetsu met Yahiko's Akatsuki and reported their impressions of Nagato to Uchiha Makoto, who recognized Nagato's Rinnegan and prepared to deal with threats in the Land of Rain. Uchiha Makoto's arrival drew the attention of Hanzo of the Salamander and Madara Uchiha, who both began considering how to handle him.

• Nako sensed immense, ominous chakra from Nagato while Yahiko explained the Akatsuki's goal of ending the war through dialogue.
• Nako, Shun, and Entetsu returned to the inn and reported their meeting and their wariness of Nagato to Uchiha Makoto.
• Uchiha Makoto confirmed that Nagato possessed the Rinnegan, then turned his attention to Hanzo of the Salamander and Shimura Danzō.
• Hanzo of the Salamander considered Danzō's request to eliminate Uchiha Makoto and decided to judge the young shinobi's strength.
• Madara Uchiha learned that Uchiha Makoto had appeared near Nagato and ordered Black Zetsu to investigate him and remove him if he threatened the plan.

Black Zetsu ordered White Zetsu to watch Uchiha Makoto as Makoto waited in Amegakure for events to unfold. Makoto spoke with Yahiko about ideals and reality, leaving Yahiko more reflective and offering to help him if needed.

• Black Zetsu became interested in Uchiha Makoto and told White Zetsu to send clones to watch him in Amegakure.
• Uchiha Makoto kept his real body hidden while his team gathered intelligence and Amegakure lookouts watched the inn.
• Yahiko arranged a meeting with Makoto and questioned why he had come to the Land of Rain and what ideals he held.
• Makoto challenged Yahiko's faith in achieving peace through dialogue alone and admitted he had personal reasons for coming.
• After talking for nearly an hour, Yahiko said they might become friends, and Makoto offered to help him if he faced an obstacle.

After Yahiko organized the Akatsuki to help villages across the Land of Rain, Nagato lost control of his Rinnegan and killed a group of apparent Iwagakure ninja while protecting Yahiko. Root manipulated the scene to frame the Akatsuki, and Danzo confronted Hanzō with the fabricated evidence.

• Yahiko returned from speaking with Uchiha Makoto and proposed that Akatsuki squads help villages while spreading their ideals of peace.
• Yahiko led Nagato, Konan, and other companions to the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth, where they helped villagers and recruited supporters.
• A group of apparent Iwagakure ninja attacked Yahiko's squad, and Nagato unleashed Shinra Tensei after Yahiko was injured protecting a villager, killing the attackers.
• Yahiko withdrew with Nagato and Konan toward Amegakure, while Root operatives collected bodies and staged evidence implicating the Akatsuki.
• Danzo presented Hanzō with fabricated evidence and accused the Akatsuki of murdering Iwagakure patrol ninja.

Danzo urged Hanzō to destroy the Akatsuki after framing them for an attack, while Uchiha Makoto secretly watched and decided to use the crisis to grow closer to Nagato. Makoto comforted Nagato with Chinese food and a sympathetic conversation, leaving Nagato trusting him more.

• Danzo showed Hanzō the corpses and urged him to eliminate the Akatsuki, offering Konoha's support.
• Uchiha Makoto watched through his Crow Shadow Clone and recognized Danzo's scheme, but chose not to expose it.
• After Yahiko asked for help with Nagato, Makoto brought Chinese dishes to the Akatsuki base and invited Nagato to eat.
• Nagato ate Mapo Tofu and other dishes while Makoto listened to his fears and reassured him about learning to control his power.
• Nagato's mood lifted and his trust in Uchiha Makoto grew after the meal.

Uchiha Makoto built Nagato’s trust by offering to help him control the Rinnegan and manage its power. As Makoto monitored Hanzō and Danzo’s movements, an Amegakure envoy arrived with Hanzō’s invitation for the Akatsuki to cooperate with the village.

• Uchiha Makoto reassured Nagato that losing control of the Rinnegan was understandable and offered to teach him basic ocular and chakra control.
• Nagato cautiously accepted Cheng’s guidance, and the two began forming a bond as Cheng encouraged him to balance power with his ideals.
• Uchiha Makoto learned through his shadow clone that Hanzō and Danzo were mobilizing Amegakure’s elite troops, and he prepared for their move.
• An Amegakure envoy arrived at the Akatsuki base carrying Hanzō’s letter proposing official support and cooperation.

The Akatsuki debated Hanzō’s invitation to cooperate, and Yahiko accepted it despite Nagato’s warnings that it might be a trap. Uchiha Makoto learned of the decision and recognized that Hanzō planned to destroy the Akatsuki, leaving Makoto to wonder whether he should intervene.

• Yahiko urged the Akatsuki to accept Hanzō’s offer, while Nagato and Konan questioned why Hanzō wanted to cooperate.
• Konan proposed an anonymous vote, and the members voted 45 to 29 in favor of cooperation.
• Yahiko accepted Hanzō’s invitation on behalf of the Akatsuki and promised Nagato he would remain vigilant.
• Nagato privately warned Yahiko that Hanzō was dangerous, but Yahiko remained committed to the opportunity.
• Uchiha Makoto learned what had happened through his Crow Shadow Clone and recognized Hanzō’s offer as a trap to eliminate the Akatsuki.
• Uchiha Makoto wondered whether he should save Yahiko from the trap.

Uchiha Makoto warned Nagato that Hanzō’s collaboration offer was a trap and gave him a sealing tool to protect Yahiko and Konan. Meanwhile, Akatsuki’s clashes with Iwagakure gave Hanzō and Shimura Danzō a pretext to move against the group, and Hanzō prepared to eliminate them.

• Uchiha Makoto decided to intervene to keep Nagato from falling into darkness and secretly met him near the Akatsuki base.
• Uchiha Makoto gave Nagato a sealing disc containing defensive and escape ninjutsu and urged him to protect Yahiko and Konan during the meeting.
• Nagato promised to stay close to Yahiko and protect everyone, while Uchiha Makoto prepared for possible retaliation from Amegakure and Root.
• Akatsuki members injured and killed several Iwagakure ninja while protecting villagers during a border clash.
• Kitsuchi led an Iwagakure squad into the Land of Rain and demanded that Amegakure punish Akatsuki and pay compensation.
• Hanzō and Shimura Danzō treated the incident as justification to eliminate Akatsuki.

Hanzō lured Yahiko and seven companions into Wailing Ghost Valley to destroy Akatsuki, while Iwagakure watched from nearby. As Hanzō’s trap detonated, Nagato used Uchiha Makoto’s Scientific Ninja Tool to shield the group with Triple Rashomon.

• Hanzō and Danzō agreed to ambush Yahiko and his followers in Wailing Ghost Valley.
• Kitsuchi and Iwagakure shinobi secretly watched the valley, intending to pressure the Land of Rain rather than avenge their comrades.
• Yahiko accepted Hanzō’s invitation despite Konan and the others warning that the valley could be a trap.
• Hanzō led Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and five others into the valley, where two of his attendants detonated buried explosives.
• Nagato pulled Yahiko and Konan behind him and activated the Scientific Ninja Tool, raising three Rashomon gates as the explosions engulfed them.

Hanzō betrayed Yahiko and the Akatsuki, surrounding them in Wailing Ghost Valley and demanding that Yahiko kill himself. As Yahiko struggled with the impossible choice, Nagato threw a chakra-cloaked kunai at Hanzō.

• Hanzō trapped Yahiko and his seven companions behind Triple Rashomon while over a hundred Amegakure ninja sealed the valley.
• Hanzō revealed that he had never intended to cooperate and ordered Yahiko to kill himself, claiming it would spare his companions prolonged suffering.
• Kitsuchi watched from above, Shimura Danzō observed from the shadows, and Uchiha Makoto secretly witnessed the ambush.
• Yahiko confronted Hanzō over his betrayal and trembled as he weighed his companions' lives against his own.
• Nagato took the kunai from Yahiko, coated its blade in chakra, and hurled it at Hanzō, who narrowly tilted his head aside.

Nagato rejected Hanzō’s demand and fought back as Hanzō’s forces attacked the Akatsuki. The battle escalated with poison mist and close-range assaults, while Shimura Danzō watched Nagato’s Rinnegan from the shadows.

• Nagato threw a kunai past Yahiko and declared that the Akatsuki would not surrender without a fight.
• Hanzō ordered the Rain Ninja to bombard the Akatsuki, forcing Nagato to maintain Rashomon while Konan and the others defended their companions.
• Nagato charged Hanzō, survived his Exploding Flame Formation using a Scientific Ninja Tool chakra shield, and disrupted the barrage.
• Hanzō summoned Ibuse to spread poison mist and ordered the Rain Ninja to attack the Akatsuki at close range.
• Konan and the Akatsuki fought to protect one another as Nagato faced the approaching attackers with his chakra and tools nearly spent.
• Shimura Danzō watched Nagato’s Rinnegan from the shadows, showing open greed and longing.

Hanzō captured Konan and forced Yahiko to choose between his own life and the lives of his companions, demanding that Nagato kill him. Yahiko stepped toward Nagato’s raised kunai, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Danzo ordered Root operatives in the Land of Rain to seize Nagato’s Rinnegan at any cost, while Kitsuchi watched the battle and told his forces not to intervene.
• Hanzō’s Rain Ninja overwhelmed the Akatsuki fighters, wounding several and pushing Nagato, Yahiko, and their companions toward defeat.
• Konan used her Paper Secret Technique to attack Hanzō, but he swiftly captured her and held a kunai to her neck.
• Hanzō offered to spare Konan and the remaining Akatsuki members if Nagato killed Yahiko.
• Yahiko urged Nagato not to hesitate, then stepped toward him as Nagato raised his kunai.

Yahiko sacrificed himself to save Nagato and Konan, triggering Nagato's devastating rampage against Hanzō's forces. After Nagato collapsed, Uchiha Makoto began healing his ruined legs, and Nagato awoke asking about Yahiko.

• Yahiko threw himself onto Nagato's kunai, and Hanzō ordered his forces to kill the remaining Akatsuki members.
• Nagato used a repulsive force to reach Konan, but explosive tags blasted his legs; enraged, he summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and unleashed chakra dragons across the valley.
• Hanzō fled, while Kitsuchi and Shimura Danzō also ordered retreats after witnessing Nagato's power.
• Nagato collapsed after the statue disappeared, and Yahiko's body lay among the dead as the surviving Akatsuki members mourned.
• Uchiha Makoto arrived and used Yin-Yang Release to repair Nagato's legs.
• Nagato woke as Uchiha Makoto treated him and immediately struggled to ask what had happened to Yahiko.

After treating Nagato, Uchiha Makoto pursued Shimura Danzō, who had fled the battlefield with Root elites. Makoto easily foiled Danzō’s ambush and struck him with a devastating punch.

• Nagato asked Uchiha Makoto what he should do, and Makoto urged him to see and feel the world before following his convictions.
• Uchiha Makoto decided to pursue Shimura Danzō after Danzō left the protection of Konoha.
• Danzō led several Root elites toward a remote area near the Land of Earth's border, then ordered them to hide and prepare for an ambush.
• Danzō attacked Uchiha Makoto with a poisoned kunai, but Makoto caught it between two fingers and snapped it.
• Uchiha Makoto punched Danzō in the abdomen, making him spit blood and fragments of his internal organs.