Chapter Summaries

Bai Ye explained his plan to make Mei Terumi a proxy in Kirigakure and recruited Neji, Naruto, and Sasuke as his students. After assembling the team, he brought Naruto into his mental space to explain the Nine-Tails and address the chakra interference, startling the Nine-Tails with his eyes and aura.

• Bai Ye told Hyuga Hiashi that he planned to end Kirigakure's blood mist regime by backing Mei Terumi rather than launching a full-scale war.
• Hyuga Hiashi recommended Neji for Bai Ye's squad, and Neji was transported to Hokage Rock alongside Naruto and Sasuke.
• Bai Ye introduced himself as their teacher, gave the three training assignments, and said he would help Naruto with a problem.
• Bai Ye explained the Nine-Tails' history and told Naruto that its chakra had interfered with his own, contributing to his struggles.
• Bai Ye brought Naruto into his mental space, where the Nine-Tails recognized the threat of Bai Ye's Sharingan and sensed that he possessed both Sage Eyes and a sage body.

Bai Ye confronted the Nine-Tails to negotiate an end to his interference with Naruto’s chakra, offering him eventual freedom and the return of his other half. The Nine-Tails remained wary but was shaken by Bai Ye’s sincerity and knowledge of his name, while Naruto offered to release him so they could build trust.

• Bai Ye threatened to control the Nine-Tails with his Mangekyo Sharingan after the fox refused to negotiate, and the Nine-Tails backed down and agreed to hear his proposal.
• Bai Ye called the Nine-Tails Kurama and proposed that he stop disrupting Naruto’s chakra in exchange for freedom after Naruto’s death.
• The Nine-Tails questioned whether he could trust Bai Ye, while Naruto volunteered to remove the seal and help them trust each other.
• Bai Ye offered to release the Nine-Tails now, warned that he would control and reseal him if he broke their agreement, and promised to retrieve the Yin Release Chakra half from the Shinigami’s stomach.
• The Nine-Tails was stunned by Bai Ye’s offer to reunite him with his other half and began wondering whether Bai Ye might be a good person.

Bai Ye persuaded the Nine-Tails to stop interfering with Naruto and promised to seek a way to recover his yin release chakra. As Naruto began removing the Sealing Tag, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki appeared, and Minato learned that Bai Ye had become Hokage by killing the Third; Bai Ye wondered whether to tell them what Naruto had suffered in Konoha.

• The Nine-Tails agreed to stop interfering with Naruto after Bai Ye offered to open the seal and eventually try to retrieve his other half of chakra.
• Bai Ye told Naruto to remove the Sealing Tag, and the Nine-Tails eagerly watched as Naruto began peeling it away.
• Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki appeared and stopped Naruto just before the tag came off, leaving Naruto overwhelmed at seeing his parents.
• The Nine-Tails realized Minato and Kushina had left chakra behind to prevent his escape, and he worried that Naruto might refuse to free him after learning he had killed both parents.
• Minato Namikaze congratulated Bai Ye on becoming Hokage until the Nine-Tails revealed that Bai Ye had killed the Third and seized the position.
• Minato Namikaze asked what had happened to the village, while Bai Ye considered whether to tell him and Kushina what Naruto had endured.

After the Nine-Tails revealed how Naruto had been mistreated, Kushina and Minato reunited with their son and agreed to let Bai Ye remove the seal and later revive them. Naruto gained control of his chakra and demonstrated new skills, while Bai Ye left to continue training Team 7 and planned ways to strengthen Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji.

• The Nine-Tails told Minato and Kushina how Konoha had treated Naruto, and Kushina angrily confronted the Third Hokage’s broken promises.
• Bai Ye assured Kushina and Minato that he had dealt with the Third and offered to help them reunite with Naruto; Kushina explained how to release Minato’s soul from the Death God’s Stomach.
• Minato and Kushina embraced Naruto before vanishing, and Bai Ye promised to use Impure World Reincarnation to bring them back later.
• Bai Ye removed Naruto’s seal, and the Nine-Tails agreed not to cause him trouble as Naruto demonstrated that he could use the three basic ninjutsu.
• Naruto’s sudden burst of chakra astonished Sasuke, while Bai Ye assigned further training to Sasuke and promised to address Neji’s Caged Bird Seal after returning.
• Bai Ye left to pursue his plans for making Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji a powerful team, including the possibility of awakening the Rinnegan and Tenseigan.

Bai Ye prepared to travel to Kirigakure to discuss cooperation, leaving Shikaku to manage Konoha and its pending affairs. As villagers gathered to see Bai Ye off, Mei Terumi began questioning Kirigakure’s Blood Mist Policy and resolved that she could transform her village too.

• Bai Ye instructed Shikaku to retrieve items from Uzushio Village, continue pressuring Kusagakure, and prepare to declare war once he returned.
• Bai Ye packed for Kirigakure, and Uchiha Izumi visited him, worried about the danger; his teasing embarrassed her, and she ran back to her room without getting her answers.
• Uchiha Izumi decided she would go see Bai Ye off the next day and reminded herself to trust him despite the risks.
• Villagers gathered at Konoha’s gates as Bai Ye prepared to leave with Hyuga Hiashi, Shisui, and Mei Terumi.
• Mei Terumi compared Konoha with Kirigakure, questioned the Blood Mist Policy, and decided she could lead a transformation in her village.

As Bai Ye left Konoha for Kirigakure, Jiraiya learned that the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy had become unclear, and both began to suspect that recent events involving Bai Ye had changed the future. Meanwhile, the other villages weighed Konoha’s growing influence, while Obito prepared to confront Bai Ye’s party in Kirigakure.

• Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, and other students watched the crowd send Bai Ye off, while Neji reflected on the possibility of removing his Caged Bird Seal.
• Jiraiya left Konoha to consult the Great Toad Sage, who revealed that his recent dreams no longer matched his earlier prophecy and suggested that the future had changed.
• Jiraiya suspected Bai Ye was behind the change, while the Great Toad Sage wondered whether an Uchiha descendant had altered the shinobi world.
• In Kumogakure, A ordered Samui to delay war with Konoha until Bai Ye’s visit to Kirigakure ended, and agreed to trade with Konoha despite his plans for war.
• Ōnoki read the news from Konoha and worried that another Uchiha like Madara Uchiha might have emerged.
• Obito and Black Zetsu planned to draw out Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami and have Mist Ninja attack Bai Ye’s party to test Bai Ye and provoke war between Konoha and Kirigakure.

Mei Terumi warned Bai Ye that the Fourth Mizukage’s invitation was likely a trap, fearing that his death in Kirigakure would bring war between the villages. Despite her warning and her companions urging him to retreat, Bai Ye decided to continue to Kirigakure with her, leaving Mei Terumi wondering whether he was trying to win her over.

• As the group neared Kirigakure, Mei Terumi warned Bai Ye that the Fourth Mizukage’s invitation might conceal an attempt to kill him.
• Mei Terumi explained that she had spoken up because Bai Ye’s death in Kirigakure could trigger a war between Konoha and Kirigakure.
• Hyuga Hiashi urged Bai Ye to retreat, while Shisui Uchiha briefly activated his Mangekyo Sharingan after misunderstanding Bai Ye’s teasing remark about Mei Terumi’s mission.
• Mei Terumi refused Hyuga Hiashi’s offer to go to Konoha and said she would return to Kirigakure alone.
• Bai Ye declared that he would go to Kirigakure with Mei Terumi so she would not fail her mission, leaving her and his companions to suspect he had feelings for her.

Bai Ye told Mei Terumi he planned to help change Kirigakure by killing Yagura and backing her rise to power, while arguing that Yagura might be controlled by genjutsu. Mei Terumi remained torn as the group set out for Kirigakure, uncertain who was controlling Yagura and what Bai Ye truly intended.

• Mei Terumi asked Bai Ye why he wanted to go to Kirigakure, and he said he wanted to help her change the village.
• Bai Ye proposed that he fight Yagura while Mei Terumi gathered support and introduced her policies afterward, but she worried that cooperating with an outsider would make her a traitor.
• Bai Ye suggested that Yagura had been controlled by genjutsu, and Hyuga Hiashi explained that the Byakugan could inspect his chakra flow for signs of control.
• Mei Terumi considered overthrowing Yagura but remained suspicious of Bai Ye's motives as he led the group toward Kirigakure.

Mei Terumi agreed to cooperate with Bai Ye after he promised to free Yagura and begin trade with Kirigakure, while Bai Ye planned to use Konoha’s influence to bring the village under his control. As Pakura traveled toward Kirigakure, her instincts warned her of an attack from the Mist Ninja behind her.

• Mei Terumi confronted Bai Ye about his intentions, and he proposed making Kirigakure a vassal as part of uniting the shinobi world.
• Bai Ye offered to start with trade and agreed to try to free Yagura from the control over him.
• Mei Terumi accepted temporary cooperation and promised to discuss it with Kirigakure’s allies, believing the arrangement would help her village.
• Bai Ye planned to demonstrate his strength in Kirigakure before freeing Yagura, while Hyuga Hiashi recognized that trade could give Konoha economic control.
• Pakura sensed danger in a canyon on the way to Kirigakure, turned around, and saw the Mist Ninja behind her launching a sneak attack.

Pakura was betrayed by Sunagakure and poisoned during a supposed peace mission, but Bai Ye found her as she collapsed. When Mist Ninja demanded that Bai Ye hand her over, he had Hyuga Hiashi and Shisui Uchiha eliminate them, leaving Mei Terumi questioning why he had protected Pakura.

• A Mist Ninja attacked Pakura with a poisoned kunai, but she sensed the ambush and escaped after fighting off the attackers.
• As the poison weakened her, Pakura realized Sunagakure had offered her to Kirigakure as a sacrifice for peace and despaired over her betrayal.
• Pakura collapsed into Bai Ye's arms and discovered that he was real, despite having just insulted him while thinking she was dying.
• Hyuga Hiashi warned Bai Ye that Mist Ninja were approaching, and Bai Ye asked Mei Terumi whether she could command them.
• The Mist Ninja asked Bai Ye to surrender Pakura, but Bai Ye signaled Hyuga Hiashi and Shisui Uchiha to take them out.
• Mei Terumi questioned Bai Ye for protecting Pakura, and he said he had struck first because they might face those Mist Ninja later.

Bai Ye and Mei Terumi rescued the betrayed Pakura, and Bai Ye persuaded her to travel with him to Kirigakure before deciding whether to join Konoha or pursue revenge. Pakura agreed to stay with Bai Ye for now, and the group set off for Kirigakure.

• Mei Terumi treated Pakura's poisoned wounds with an antidote, and Pakura regained consciousness.
• Bai Ye deduced that Sunagakure had betrayed Pakura and offered to bring her to Konoha, but Pakura insisted she wanted revenge.
• Bai Ye argued that Pakura would be killed if she returned to Sunagakure and promised Konoha would help her get justice.
• Bai Ye had Shisui give Pakura Konoha Anbu clothes and told her she could choose her future after accompanying him to Kirigakure.
• Pakura agreed to follow Bai Ye for now, and Bai Ye claimed she trusted his personal charm before leading the group toward Kirigakure.

Mei Terumi told Kirigakure’s clan leaders and elders that Yagura might be controlled, based on what Bai Ye had told her. After Genji revealed Yagura’s order to kill the Fifth Hokage, he believed Bai Ye’s warning and asked to meet him.

• Mei Terumi gathered Genji, Terumi Hikaru, Ao, and other Kirigakure leaders to report that Yagura might be under someone’s control.
• Mei Terumi explained that Bai Ye had warned her about Yagura and offered to free him from the control, but Terumi Hikaru and others doubted Bai Ye’s motives.
• Genji revealed that Yagura had ordered Kirigakure to kill the Fifth Hokage, alarming the gathered leaders and lending weight to Mei Terumi’s suspicion.
• Mei Terumi said Bai Ye believed the Byakugan could expose the control, but Ao no longer had his Byakugan after returning it to Konoha.
• Genji said he believed Bai Ye’s account and asked Mei Terumi to arrange a meeting with him.

Genji persuaded Kirigakure's leaders to meet Bai Ye and consider cooperating with him, while Mei Terumi supported the plan despite knowing Genji had misjudged Konoha's strength. Meanwhile, Obito and Black Zetsu planned to attack Bai Ye after Itachi and Juzo Biwa arrived, and Obito also sought to cut off Konan's contact with him.

• Genji argued that Kirigakure should meet Bai Ye because their interests aligned and Bai Ye might help free Yagura from control, persuading the gathered leaders to agree.
• Genji speculated that Bai Ye needed Kirigakure as an ally because Konoha had been weakened, while Mei Terumi privately recognized that Konoha was strong and chose not to correct him.
• Genji asked Mei Terumi to arrange a meeting with Bai Ye, and she agreed to find him at the guesthouse where he was staying under surveillance.
• Obito watched from the Mizukage's Office and discussed attacking Bai Ye with White Zetsu after Itachi and Juzo Biwa arrived.
• Obito decided he could not allow Konan to maintain contact with Bai Ye, while Black Zetsu wondered whether to revive Madara but chose to follow Obito's plan for now.

Bai Ye met with Genji and Mei Terumi in Kirigakure, explained that he wanted cooperation rather than the village’s destruction, and revealed that a Sharingan user was controlling Yagura. Genji accepted his account and agreed to prepare for Yagura’s attack the day after tomorrow, while Bai Ye kept his own plans to himself.

• Genji told Bai Ye that Yagura had ordered Kirigakure to kill him, and Bai Ye demonstrated his overwhelming strength.
• Bai Ye explained that he had come to seek cooperation and wanted to avoid leaving Kirigakure in ruins.
• Genji asked whether Yagura was being controlled by the Sharingan, and Bai Ye confirmed it.
• Bai Ye said the controller was a hidden Sharingan user connected to the Nine-Tails’ Rampage, though he could not confirm that the person was Madara Uchiha.
• Genji accepted Bai Ye’s explanation and said Yagura would attack the day after tomorrow, proposing that they work together to free him from the control.

Bai Ye explained why Konoha would gradually bring Kirigakure under its influence instead of conquering it outright, while Itachi, Juzo Biwa, and the Akatsuki prepared for an ambush. Konan argued that trade with Konoha was helping Amegakure and planned to buy two billion Explosive Tags, then ran into Kakuzu, who demanded to know why the business profits were so low.

• Bai Ye told Hyuga Hiashi that Konoha could not yet support Kirigakure’s population, so he planned to win its people over through gradual change rather than a destructive invasion.
• Itachi and Juzo Biwa traveled toward Kirigakure to ambush Bai Ye along his expected retreat route.
• Konan questioned Nagato about the ambush, explained how trade with Konoha was improving Amegakure, and warned that Vermilion Bird and South Star might not match Bai Ye.
• Konan announced that she wanted to collect two billion Explosive Tags, leaving Nagato stunned.
• Kakuzu confronted Konan about the business’s low profits, while she worried he would discover she had spent most of the money on supplies and Explosive Tags.

Obito and Black Zetsu planned to use Kirigakure to force Shisui to expend Kotoamatsukami, considering sacrificing Yagura and the village to kill Bai Ye. Their plans unraveled when Bai Ye arrived at Yagura’s office early, prompting Black Zetsu to suspect Bai Ye had allied with Kirigakure factions to overthrow Yagura’s government.

• Obito realized Kirigakure lacked fighters who could force Shisui to use Kotoamatsukami, and he feared the technique could free Yagura from his control.
• Black Zetsu suggested using Yagura as a disposable weapon and having him detonate his tailed beast to attack Bai Ye and devastate Kirigakure.
• Obito accepted the plan and decided to stop protecting Kirigakure, but Black Zetsu reported that Bai Ye had reached Yagura ahead of schedule.
• Obito sensed Bai Ye at the Mizukage’s Office, and Black Zetsu urged him to gather everyone and prepare for battle.
• Black Zetsu theorized that Bai Ye had come to Kirigakure to work with its opposition and overthrow Yagura, leaving Obito worried that his plan was out of control.

Obito and Black Zetsu realized Bai Ye’s attack on Kirigakure had derailed their plans to manipulate Yagura and spark conflict with Konoha. As Mist Ninja gathered around the wrecked Mizukage’s Office, Mei Terumi and her allies struggled to respond to Bai Ye’s unexpectedly aggressive arrival.

• Obito decided they could no longer wait, while Black Zetsu warned that Bai Ye might uncover Akatsuki secrets and disrupt their plans.
• Black Zetsu suggested making Yagura self-destruct, but Obito said it was too late because Bai Ye had already smashed the Mizukage’s Office and forced Yagura out.
• Mist Ninja rushed to the scene and argued over whether Bai Ye had attacked Kirigakure or arrived to discuss cooperation.
• Terumi Hikaru confronted Mei Terumi about Bai Ye’s reckless actions and asked whether their group should reveal themselves and support him.
• Mei Terumi insisted she had explained the plan to Bai Ye, but admitted he had ignored her instructions and acted on his own.

Bai Ye confronted Yagura, whom Hyuga Hiashi confirmed was being controlled, while Kirigakure’s leaders debated whether to intervene. Obito sent Mist Ninja to attack Bai Ye, but his Perfect Susanoo thwarted the attempt and left Obito jealous.

• Genji urged Kirigakure’s leaders to stop Bai Ye, but Mei Terumi and Ao argued they should wait and see what he intended to do.
• Hyuga Hiashi used his Byakugan to confirm that Yagura and the tailed beast inside him were being controlled.
• Bai Ye rejected Shisui’s suggestion to use Kotoamatsukami and told Yagura that a man controlled by Genjutsu had no right to cooperate with him.
• Zetsu realized Obito could not make Yagura self-destruct without Hyuga Hiashi detecting the chakra change, so Obito ordered Yagura to send the Kirigakure ninja after Bai Ye.
• Bai Ye summoned his Perfect Susanoo to face the attackers, frustrating Obito, who felt jealous that Bai Ye could use it.

Bai Ye overwhelmed Kirigakure with Perfect Susanoo, and Black Zetsu and Obito realized his eyes had become Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and that he might also possess a sage body. Mei Terumi gave Bai Ye a reason to stop before he destroyed the village, while Obito decided to leave and take Kisame Hoshigaki with him.

• Bai Ye’s Perfect Susanoo dominated Yagura and the Kirigakure ninja, while Black Zetsu and Obito debated his changed eyes and suspected he had Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and a sage body.
• Black Zetsu urged Obito to abandon Kirigakure and plan how to counter Bai Ye, but Obito chose to wait and intended to recruit Kisame Hoshigaki before leaving.
• Genji led Kirigakure’s hidden ninja out to stop Bai Ye, but Bai Ye ignored his request to end the fighting.
• Mei Terumi told Bai Ye that Kirigakure had discovered Yagura was being controlled, giving him a reason to stop and allowing the Mist Ninja to retreat.
• Obito decided to leave Kirigakure with Kisame Hoshigaki, acknowledging that Bai Ye had disrupted his plans again.

Mei Terumi tried to stop the Mist Ninja from attacking Bai Ye again by revealing that Yagura had been controlled and that the attack was meant to provoke war with Konoha. With Genji backing her, she laid out her case to the village, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.

• Obito and White Zetsu abandoned their attempt to make Yagura self-destruct and Obito left using Kamui.
• Mei Terumi told the Mist Ninja that Yagura had been controlled and that his orders to attack Bai Ye were meant to start a war between Kirigakure and Konoha.
• Several Mist Ninja accused Mei Terumi of lying and colluding with Bai Ye, but Genji silenced them and urged her to continue.
• Genji decided to support Mei Terumi as a possible successor to Yagura, and Mei Terumi resolved to seize the opportunity.
• Mei Terumi explained Yagura’s change in character, the blood mist policy, and the persecution of bloodline clans as evidence that someone had controlled him to destroy Kirigakure.