Chapter Summaries

Mei Terumi argued that Kirigakure should join Konoha before Bai Ye defeated them, and Genji acknowledged that their only alternatives were joining willingly or after a costly defeat. He gave the Mist Ninja several days to consider Kirigakure's future before deciding together.

• The Mist Ninja struggled to refute Mei Terumi's argument that joining Konoha could preserve their strength and improve their prospects.
• Genji asked whether Bai Ye or Mei Terumi had proposed the idea, and Mei Terumi explained that Bai Ye's strength and plans left Kirigakure with little chance to resist.
• Mei Terumi urged Kirigakure to join Konoha now to avoid a war and receive better treatment than if they joined after being defeated.
• Genji concluded that Bai Ye had left Kirigakure two options: join Konoha or fight until they were forced to join.
• Genji told everyone to think the choice over for the next few days before they discussed Kirigakure's future again.

Bai Ye defeated Gozu with ease, disappointing Obito and Yugito, who had hoped the monster could challenge him. Obito left with Black Zetsu to search for other powers that could stop Bai Ye, while Two-Tails warned Yugito to retreat before Bai Ye noticed her.

• Bai Ye overwhelmed Gozu, whose defeat disappointed the spectators.
• Black Zetsu explained that Gozu could only be stopped by sealing him, but Bai Ye's strength was enough to force him back into the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
• Obito left with Black Zetsu and ordered him to search for other powers that could deal with Bai Ye, hoping to avoid Madara Uchiha's resurrection.
• Black Zetsu agreed while privately believing Obito would eventually realize his plan required Madara's resurrection.
• Yugito lamented that Gozu had failed to injure Bai Ye, and Two-Tails urged her to retreat before Bai Ye discovered her.

Yugito recognized that Bai Ye might attack the Kumogakure squad and ordered a retreat, but his technique repeatedly brought them back to him. The chapter ended with Yugito realizing their escape had failed again, despite Matatabi confirming she was not under genjutsu.

• Matatabi warned Yugito that Bai Ye might capture her and that staying would put the squad in danger.
• Yugito ordered the Kumogakure ninja to abandon their mission and retreat.
• Bai Ye appeared before the squad and invited Yugito to Konoha as his guest.
• Yugito ordered another retreat after the squad returned to its starting point, then confirmed with Matatabi that they were not under genjutsu.
• The squad found itself back at the starting point once more, despite Bai Ye not chasing them.

Yugito repeatedly found herself returned to the same spot after trying to leave, and the Two-Tails realized Bai Ye’s Mangekyo ability was trapping and controlling them. Bai Ye captured Yugito’s group along with Deidara and Kurotsuchi, then prepared to finish off Gozu and take the prisoners back to Konoha.

• Yugito and the Two-Tails realized she was being teleported back rather than trapped in a genjutsu, and suspected Bai Ye’s ocular ability.
• Yugito refused Bai Ye’s invitation to visit Konoha, but he used his Mangekyo Sharingan to control her and the Two-Tails when they prepared to fight.
• Another Bai Ye arrived with Deidara, Kurotsuchi, and three Stone Shinobi captured, while the group also secured Yugito and the Kumogakure shinobi.
• Bai Ye decided to take the prisoners to Konoha and said his original body would soon finish the fight with Gozu.
• Bai Ye grew disappointed with Gozu’s strength and prepared to end the battle.

Bai Ye defeated Gozu and sealed him back inside the Box of Ultimate Bliss after learning he was created by the Evil God. The Grass Fruit lost faith in the Box and its power, while Bai Ye began considering the Shinigami and Moryo as possible future threats.

• Bai Ye asked Gozu whether the Evil God or the Shinigami had created him, and Gozu revealed his connection to Lord Jashin.
• Bai Ye knocked Gozu back into the Box of Ultimate Bliss and shut it before Gozu could propose working together.
• Bai Ye wondered whether Moryo was connected to the Shinigami and considered investigating Moryo's story as he expanded his ambitions.
• The Grass Flower ninja felt relieved that they had not used the Box, while the Grass Fruit ninja were devastated by Gozu's defeat.
• Several Grass Fruit ninja, convinced they faced a hopeless future, chose to kill themselves.

Bai Ye watched the Grass elders kill themselves after Kusagakure's defeat, then arranged for the surviving Grass Ninja to be handled by Grass Flower as the village merged into Konoha. He brought Whirlpool Hana and Karin Uzumaki to Konoha, while Orochimaru continued his experiments and considered cooperating with a masked man.

• Bai Ye watched the Grass elders slit their throats and decided their deaths spared him from dealing with them.
• Grass Flower asked Bai Ye to leave the remaining Grass Ninja in his care and confirmed Kusagakure would merge into Konoha.
• Grass Flower presented Whirlpool Hana and Karin Uzumaki to Bai Ye, who promised they could leave their suffering behind and live in Konoha.
• Karin Uzumaki eagerly accepted Bai Ye's promise that she could attend school and would no longer be used as a blood bag.
• At the Akatsuki, Orochimaru sensed something briefly, then returned to his experiment and considered the masked man's offer to cooperate.

Bai Ye returned to Konoha with Karin Uzumaki and her mother, along with Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchūriki Yugito and Ōnoki's granddaughter. Shikaku warned that the captured hostages could provoke war, then asked Bai Ye to recount the fighting in Kusagakure so he could assess Konoha's next move.

• Bai Ye brought Karin Uzumaki and her mother to Konoha and ordered that they be registered as residents and Karin enrolled in the Ninja Academy.
• Karin asked Bai Ye if she would see him again, and Bai Ye told her to visit him at the Hokage's Office, prompting Shikaku to accuse him of misleading her because he was rarely there.
• Shikaku asked what Bai Ye planned to do with the captured Yugito and Ōnoki's granddaughter, and Bai Ye said he would demand a hefty ransom.
• Shikaku doubted that Kumogakure and Iwagakure would pay and warned that taking the hostages could give them reason to cooperate and go to war against Konoha.
• Shikaku asked Bai Ye to explain everything that had happened in Kusagakure so he could judge Konoha's prospects if the enemy attacked.

Bai Ye told Shikaku how easily he had dealt with the Box of Ultimate Bliss, convincing Shikaku that Konoha could stand against multiple villages. Bai Ye then proposed conquering their enemies outright, while Shikaku worried about the burden of governing their growing territories.

• Bai Ye recounted what had happened with the Box of Ultimate Bliss, leaving Shikaku surprised by how little danger it had posed.
• Shikaku changed his assessment and said Konoha had enough strength to retaliate against its enemies because Bai Ye could challenge an entire ninja village.
• Bai Ye declared that the other side were the challengers and asked whether they could declare war on both villages immediately.
• Shikaku pointed out that Konoha still needed to manage its own affairs and govern the small nations it had annexed.
• Bai Ye argued that they could conquer more territory and handle governance later, since the other villages would likely form an alliance against Konoha.
• Bai Ye said he would not return the Jinchūriki, Kurotsuchi, or the other captives, treating them as spoils of war that weakened their enemies.

Bai Ye and Shikaku discussed Sunagakure’s plans for the Dragon Vein and the danger of the village using it against Konoha. A confidential letter revealed that Sunagakure was preparing to unseal the Dragon Vein and go to war with Konoha.

• Shikaku explained that Konoha’s intelligence had tracked Sunagakure’s interest in the Dragon Vein and warned that controlling it could threaten the entire Shinobi World.
• Bai Ye questioned whether Sunagakure could undo the seal Minato Namikaze had placed on the Dragon Vein.
• Shikaku gave Bai Ye a confidential letter from an informant in Sunagakure.
• Bai Ye read the letter and learned that Sunagakure had abandoned plans to seek cooperation with Konoha and was preparing to unseal the Dragon Vein before declaring war.
• Shikaku read the letter and realized Sunagakure’s resource crisis had pushed it toward an attack on Konoha.

Bai Ye discussed Sunagakure’s plans for the Dragon Vein with Shikaku and decided to investigate it himself. He then went to meet Konan, who was waiting in Konoha, and accidentally walked in while she was changing after a bath.

• Shikaku warned Bai Ye that Sunagakure might damage the Dragon Vein’s seal, and Bai Ye said he would go there himself.
• Shikaku told Bai Ye that Konan had stayed in Konoha to meet him, and Bai Ye agreed to see her before addressing Kirigakure’s request for talks.
• Bai Ye left Shikaku and went to Konan’s inn room, where he appeared from the shadows while she was drying her hair after bathing.
• Konan demanded to know why Bai Ye had come, then told him to step outside so she could change.

Konan confronted Bai Ye over Konoha’s wars and asked whether Amegakure would be attacked next. Bai Ye explained that he intended to unite the shinobi world and urged her to inspect the lands Konoha had conquered before deciding what to believe.

• Bai Ye asked Konan why she had stayed in Konoha despite knowing about its campaigns, and she said she needed to understand what their previous trade meant.
• Konan challenged Bai Ye over Konoha’s wars, its annexations, and the possibility that it would attack Amegakure.
• Bai Ye argued that uniting the shinobi world could end the cycle of wars and eliminate the divide between great and small nations.
• Bai Ye told Konan to visit conquered lands and countries at peace with Konoha so she could judge the changes for herself.
• Konan became interested in seeing those places firsthand, though she had not yet decided whether to accept Bai Ye’s vision.

Konan accepted Bai Ye's suggestion to travel the Shinobi World and judge his claims for herself, while leaving Kakuzu in Konoha to handle the Akatsuki's trade. Mei Terumi then met with Bai Ye to discuss Kirigakure's response to his actions.

• Konan decided to leave Konoha the next day and visit the Shinobi World to see whether Bai Ye's claims were true.
• Kakuzu returned hoping to discuss business with Bai Ye, and Konan assigned him responsibility for trade in Konoha.
• Mei Terumi arrived to speak with Bai Ye about developments in Kirigakure and complained that he showed no concern for her safety.
• Mei Terumi told Bai Ye that she had revealed his goal to Kirigakure, and the village had been persuaded.

Mei Terumi told Bai Ye that Kirigakure had agreed to join forces with Konoha and came to discuss the terms, but their businesslike conversation turned into flirtatious teasing. Mei Terumi moved close to test whether Bai Ye would back down, leaving herself unsure whether to continue or retreat.

• Mei Terumi defended her decision to bring Kirigakure toward Konoha and confirmed that the village had agreed to join forces.
• Bai Ye guessed Kirigakure's answer and asked Mei Terumi what conditions its leaders wanted to discuss.
• Mei Terumi teased Bai Ye about marriage, and Bai Ye tried to steer the conversation back to business.
• Mei Terumi challenged Bai Ye's apparent reluctance by moving close and inviting him to see what she meant.
• Mei Terumi realized Bai Ye was not backing away and struggled to decide whether to continue her test or admit defeat.

Mei Terumi kissed Bai Ye, then turned their conversation to Kirigakure’s terms for joining Konoha. After Bai Ye outlined his plans for integrating the village, Mei Terumi accepted the broad terms and invited him to drink before she left the next day.

• Mei Terumi kissed Bai Ye, wondered if he was interested in her, and grew angry when he said he did not initiate, refuse, or take responsibility.
• Mei Terumi explained that Kirigakure wanted to know how its people would be treated, whether they would move to Konoha, and how the Land of Water would be handled.
• Bai Ye said Kirigakure would relocate to Konoha, its people would receive comparable treatment, and the Daimyo system would end.
• Mei Terumi accepted the broad plan and said Kirigakure would handle its Daimyo, while leaving the details for later talks with Shikaku.
• Mei Terumi said she was leaving the next day and suggested that she and Bai Ye drink together, teasing that she might let him do whatever he wanted if he got her drunk.

Tsunade joined Bai Ye and Mei Terumi for a business dinner, then pushed them into a night of drinking that left both women unconscious. They woke at Bai Ye’s house to learn he had left them in Uchiha Izumi’s care, and Mei Terumi wondered whether Bai Ye had been saving himself for something bigger.

• Tsunade showed up at Bai Ye’s dinner with Mei Terumi, teased them about their relationship, and helped herself to the meal.
• Tsunade encouraged Mei Terumi to drink and pressured Bai Ye to join them, and the three drank until Mei Terumi passed out.
• Mei Terumi woke beside Tsunade in unfamiliar surroundings and initially thought Tsunade had taken her home.
• Tsunade realized they were at Bai Ye’s house, and Uchiha Izumi explained that Bai Ye had brought them back and asked her to change their clothes.
• Uchiha Izumi told them Bai Ye had left after entrusting them to her care, and Mei Terumi admired his restraint while wondering if he was planning something big.

Tsunade learned from Uchiha Izumi that she had drunkenly flirted with Bai Ye, then fled in embarrassment and asked Shizune for advice while pretending the incident involved a friend. Shizune saw through the disguise and identified Tsunade as the friend.

• Tsunade accused Bai Ye of taking advantage of her until Uchiha Izumi explained that Tsunade had been the one touching and teasing him while drunk.
• Tsunade accepted that Uchiha Izumi was telling the truth and hurried away, embarrassed about facing Bai Ye again.
• Mei Terumi asked whether she had behaved badly too, and Uchiha Izumi assured her she had simply been completely unconscious.
• Tsunade ran into Shizune and asked what a friend should do after drunkenly flirting with an enemy.
• Shizune recognized that Tsunade was describing herself and confronted her about it.

Pakura warned Bai Ye that Rasa planned to undo the dragon vein’s seal and use its dangerous chakra, risking disaster across the Shinobi World. Bai Ye arrived and began examining the seal, arguing that sealing the dragon vein was not a lasting solution, leaving Pakura afraid he intended to use its power himself.

• Pakura learned that Rasa planned to undo the dragon vein’s seal and use its power, so she contacted Bai Ye for help.
• Bai Ye arrived at the dragon vein, startling Pakura, and she urged him to deal with the danger.
• Pakura admitted she had no plan for resolving the problem when Bai Ye asked what she had in mind.
• Bai Ye explained that the dragon vein’s chakra constantly leaked and that its seal would not provide a permanent solution.
• Pakura feared Bai Ye intended to use the dragon vein’s chaotic chakra and warned him that it could destroy the Shinobi World.

Bai Ye decided to use the system to absorb part of the Dragon Vein’s life energy, natural energy, and chakra, despite Pakura’s warnings about the danger. As the absorption began, space warped and Bai Ye and Pakura vanished before the arriving Sunagakure shinobi could confront them.

• Pakura warned Bai Ye that harnessing the Dragon Vein could endanger the Shinobi World, and Bai Ye explained that absorbing only part of its energy could prevent an explosion.
• Bai Ye and Pakura went to the damaged seal beneath the desert, where the leaking Dragon Vein energy overwhelmed them.
• The system offered to absorb about half the energy, strengthen Bai Ye’s sage body, and grant him a Six-Tomoe Rinnegan when he awakened it, while warning of space-time fluctuations.
• Bai Ye chose to proceed with the absorption despite Pakura’s concerns and told her not to interfere.
• The system drew vast amounts of energy into Bai Ye, attracting nearby Sunagakure shinobi.
• As the Sunagakure shinobi arrived and saw Bai Ye and Pakura, space warped and the two disappeared.

After Bai Ye and Pakura vanished at the Dragon Vein, Sunagakure spread the news and the other villages considered war while Konoha tried to keep calm. With the Shinobi World preparing for conflict, Obito planned to release Moryo and further destabilize the situation.

• Sand shinobi reported Bai Ye and Pakura’s disappearance, and Rasa ordered the news spread throughout the Shinobi World.
• Shikaku told Konoha’s leaders that Bai Ye had warned he might disappear, while Tsunade argued the Dragon Vein may have transported him elsewhere.
• Mei Terumi persuaded Kirigakure to honor its agreement with Konoha despite Bai Ye’s disappearance.
• A ordered Kumogakure to prepare for war over Yugito, while Ōnoki agreed to prepare but wait for other villages to move first.
• Zetsu confirmed Bai Ye had disappeared, and Obito decided to release Moryo from the Land of Demons.

Bai Ye and Pakura realized the Dragon Vein had sent them far into the past, and they searched for a way back to their own era. At the God Tree, Bai Ye recognized the Sage of Six Paths' era and told Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Hamura Otsutsuki that they had come from the future.

• Pakura accepted that the Dragon Vein's space-time turbulence had carried her and Bai Ye into the past, while Bai Ye admitted he did not know where they had landed or how to return.
• Bai Ye sensed a massive chakra source nearby, and he and Pakura went to investigate despite their concerns about the conflict between Sunagakure and Konoha.
• Bai Ye found the God Tree and concluded that they had arrived in Ōtsutsuki Kaguya's era, leaving him worried that its powerful inhabitants were beyond his strength.
• Hagoromo Otsutsuki and Hamura Otsutsuki confronted Bai Ye and Pakura, and Bai Ye told them that he and Pakura had come from the future.