Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru announced Konoha's new Research Department and explained that his and Tobirama Senju's experiments had produced Living Corpse Reincarnation, though their attempts to resurrect the dead had failed. After the meeting, he sent Chihane to find the missing Hiruko, while Uchiha Fugaku returned home shaken and convened another Uchiha clan council.

• Tobirama Senju reunited with Tsunade and confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi before Orochimaru began the meeting.
• Orochimaru proposed creating the Konoha Research Department and a Research Class, and explained the limits of resurrection experiments and the promise of Living Corpse Reincarnation.
• Tobirama Senju was appointed director of the Research Department, and the attendees approved building its headquarters on Back Mountain.
• Orochimaru asked Chihane to find and safely bring back Hiruko, and Chihane agreed and went to the ANBU to begin the search.
• Uchiha Mikoto recovered enough to care for Sasuke, while Uchiha Fugaku convened another clan council.

Uchiha Fugaku worried that Orochimaru’s resurrection of Tobirama Senju signaled a threat to the Uchiha Clan, though he remained uncertain how to respond. He urged the clan’s elite to avoid provoking Tobirama but to resist if he targeted them, then lay awake weighing Orochimaru’s intentions.

• Uchiha Fugaku considered whether Orochimaru had resurrected Tobirama Senju to curb the Uchiha Clan, while judging that the clan could withstand Tobirama and Tsunade in a direct fight.
• Shisui Uchiha prompted Uchiha Goudan to ask why Uchiha Fugaku had summoned them, and Fugaku announced that the clan faced its greatest crisis.
• Uchiha Fugaku told the assembled elites that Orochimaru had resurrected Tobirama Senju and developed a ninjutsu that could extend a person’s lifespan.
• Uchiha Goudan asked what Fugaku intended to do, and Fugaku ordered the clan to stay disciplined, avoid giving Tobirama a pretext, and resist if Tobirama came after them.
• Uchiha Fugaku lay awake that night, still uncertain about how to protect the clan from Orochimaru’s plans.

Hiruko returned to the Land of Fire after five years in exile, hoping Orochimaru’s rise to Hokage might let him come home. In Konoha, Chihane learned Kurenai had left the village with her father on an A-Rank mission.

• Hiruko arrived in a secluded valley and recalled how Hiruzen had ordered his execution for developing the chimera forbidden technique, while Orochimaru and the others had secretly helped him escape.
• Chihane received an ANBU report confirming Hiruko’s whereabouts near Gudong Street and recognized him in the portrait.
• Chihane searched Konoha for Kurenai Yuhi while Chiriku complained about being left behind, and Chihane punched him into the pavement.
• Tsunade told Chihane that Shinku had taken Kurenai out of the village on an A-Rank mission after years of D-Rank assignments.

Chihane and Chiriku encountered the rogue ninja Kakuzu in Hot Spring Town, where Chiriku’s ambush forced Kakuzu to reveal his unusual abilities. Chihane attacked Kakuzu, and the chapter ended as Kakuzu raised an earth wall and prepared to counter with his masked clones.

• Chihane went to Hot Spring Town with Chiriku and noticed a powerful, strange man trying to avoid him.
• Chihane chased down the masked man, Kakuzu, who pretended their meeting was a misunderstanding.
• Chiriku attacked Kakuzu from behind with a powerful blow, sending him crashing into a tree.
• Chihane recognized Kakuzu as the long-lived rogue ninja who had once challenged the First Hokage.
• Kakuzu revealed his black tendrils and split into five parts, while Chiriku mistakenly marveled that he had defeated a ninja who fought the First Hokage.
• Chihane launched flying sword slashes at Kakuzu, who raised an earth wall as his masked clones prepared combination ninjutsu.

Chiriku fought Kakuzu after Chihane handed him the battle, defeating him by exploiting his assumptions and knocking off his head. Chihane revealed that Kakuzu had survived and forced him to rise, leaving Kakuzu to ask what Chihane wanted from him.

• Chihane destroyed two of Kakuzu’s masked hearts and, after losing interest, told Chiriku to fight him while suppressing him with Conqueror’s Haki.
• Kakuzu attacked Chiriku with black tendrils and combined Fire and Wind Release, but Chiriku blocked the flames with earth and used Earth Release to drag Kakuzu underground.
• Chiriku emerged behind Kakuzu and kicked his head off, believing he had killed the rogue ninja.
• Chihane told Kakuzu to stop playing dead and ordered Chiriku to destroy his remaining hearts and masks.
• Kakuzu reattached his head with tendrils, admitted he had faked his death to escape, and asked Chihane what he wanted.

Chihane forced Kakuzu to promise one billion ryo in exchange for his life, then accompanied him to a black market branch to collect it. After the black market quickly prepared the money, Chihane asked what would happen if he tried to rob the place.

• Chihane revealed Kakuzu's history and demanded money for his life, then cut through two of Kakuzu's hearts when Kakuzu offered too little.
• Kakuzu promised one billion ryo, and Chihane gave him one day to pay while insisting he still had business to attend to.
• Kakuzu led Chihane and Chiriku through a hidden entrance in a public restroom to an underground black market, where the rogue ninja fled after recognizing Chihane.
• Ishikawa Ken agreed to liquidate Kakuzu's holdings and lend him enough to reach one billion ryo, then prepared the money in under an hour.
• After Chiriku joked about robbing the black market and Ishikawa Ken warned that powerful backers protected it, Chihane asked what would happen if he robbed it.

Chihane collected a billion ryo from the black market, spared Kakuzu, and recruited him. In Konoha, Makoto Uchiha met with Uchiha Fugaku and agreed to help the clan eliminate Orochimaru as part of its plan to seize power.

• Chihane rejected Ishikawa Ken's attempt to excuse the black market's refusal to pay, then had Chiriku verify the billion ryo and accepted a bag of Water Leaves.
• Chihane kept his promise to let Kakuzu go, then offered him money and recruited him; Kakuzu accepted while secretly planning to escape later.
• Makoto Uchiha met Uchiha Fugaku in the Uchiha compound, and Fugaku told him the clan needed his strength against Orochimaru, Chihane Hatake, and Tobirama Senju.
• Fugaku revealed his plan to draw Chihane Hatake and Might Duy away while Makoto found a way to eliminate Orochimaru, promising him the position of clan head afterward.
• Makoto agreed to help the Uchiha Clan and asked Fugaku to create an opportunity for him before leaving Konoha with Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Nagato considered using Kakashi to gauge Chihane’s strength as he weighed Akatsuki’s plans against Konoha. Recovering from his injuries, Ōnoki decided Iwagakure should contact Konoha before the other villages did.

• Nagato used the Rain Tiger at Will Technique to surveil the Land of Rain and considered challenging Chihane, whom he saw as an obstacle to Yahiko’s dream.
• Nagato thought he could use Kakashi, who had been troubling Akatsuki, to estimate Chihane’s strength.
• Konan urged Nagato to rely on her, but he pulled away and left for Akatsuki’s meeting.
• Ōnoki reflected on Konoha’s growing power and decided Iwagakure could not rely on its former allies.
• Ōnoki got out of bed with his new mechanical arm and steel legs and resolved to contact Konoha ahead of the other villages.

At the Hot Spring Inn, Chiriku took the roast chickens belonging to the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, then knocked him unconscious when he attacked. Chihane ordered Root’s women to capture the man and waited with Chiriku in a hidden room beneath the inn.

• Chiriku mistook the portly man's roast chickens for plumpness and carried them away while Chihane watched.
• The portly man recognized Chiriku had taken his food, revealed he was the son of the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and kicked at him.
• Chiriku instinctively counterattacked and sent the portly man flying, leaving him badly injured.
• Chihane ordered Root’s women to leave the man alive and have him brought to him, then left the hot spring with Chiriku.
• The three Root women defeated the samurai and trapped their leader and the portly man inside the inn.
• Chihane took Chiriku to a hidden room beneath the inn and waited for the women to bring their captive.

Chihane confronted Fujimoto Yoshio about uniting the Five Great Nations and waited to see what choice he would make. He found Hiruko, who willingly returned toward Konoha with him, while a spacecraft approached Hokage Planet from sixty light-years away.

• Chiriku knocked the Daimyo's son to the floor, and Chihane revealed he was Chihane Hatake of Konoha's ANBU and urged Fujimoto Yoshio to act as the Daimyo aged.
• Fujimoto Yoshio accepted Chihane's challenge and left the secret chamber to make his choice, while Chihane decided to wait for his answer.
• Hiruko's companion warned him that Konoha ANBU had arrived, but Hiruko chose to stay and wait for Chihane.
• A humanoid commander authorized spatial folding as his spacecraft neared Hokage Planet, and the ship vanished into a spatial ripple.
• Chihane found Hiruko in the valley and left without a fight; Hiruko and his companion followed him toward Konoha.
• Chihane decided to end his travels after finding Hiruko and taking Kakuzu's fortune, and he wondered how Kakashi was faring in his search for Obito.

Kakashi and Might Guy entered Amegakure to bring Obito back, while Nagato prepared for their arrival and sent Akatsuki members after Genma Shiranui and Ebisu. Kakashi refused Konan’s demand to leave, and the Akatsuki forces attacked.

• Kakashi brought Might Guy to Amegakure and left Genma Shiranui and Ebisu outside, despite their objections.
• Kakashi demonstrated his killing intent to convince Genma Shiranui and Ebisu that they would be safer waiting outside, and he said Might Guy was probably stronger than him.
• Kakashi and Might Guy killed the Rain ninja guarding the Akatsuki base and entered Amegakure.
• Nagato detected Kakashi’s group and sent Jūtarō Iwami, Shōta Kazehaya, and Kumi Ijūin to capture Genma Shiranui and Ebisu.
• Kakashi and Might Guy found the Akatsuki forces gathered in the village center, where Konan told Kakashi to leave or die.
• Kakashi demanded Obito’s return, refused to leave without him, and faced Konan’s order to attack.

Kakashi and Might Guy overwhelmed Akatsuki’s rogue ninja until Nagato arrived with his Six Paths to confront them. After Nagato’s Almighty Push forced the two Konoha ninja to retreat, the Animal Path summoned giant centipedes and the battle began to escalate.

• Kakashi and Might Guy tore through the Akatsuki fighters, leaving Konan unsure how to stop them without risking Nagato.
• Nagato arrived, ordered the Akatsuki members to stand down, and assembled his Six Paths behind him.
• Kakashi demanded that Nagato hand over Obito, but Nagato answered with bizarre remarks before launching an Almighty Push.
• Kakashi sensed danger and pulled Guy out of the way as Nagato’s repulsive force destroyed rocks and buildings.
• The Animal Path summoned several enormous centipedes as Kakashi and Guy prepared to face Nagato’s Six Paths.

Kakashi and Might Guy fought Nagato and his Six Paths in Amegakure, trading powerful attacks as Nagato unleashed a devastating repulsive force. After surviving the blast, Kakashi tried to coordinate an ambush with Might Guy, but Guy misunderstood his signals, and the battle continued.

• Might Guy attacked Nagato, broke free of his repulsive force with the Seventh Gate, and shattered Asura Path's missiles before striking with Morning Peacock.
• Preta Path tried to absorb Morning Peacock but was destroyed when it proved impossible to absorb, while Nagato repelled the flames with Shinra Tensei.
• Kakashi and Might Guy combined their attacks against Nagato's Almighty Shinra Tensei, which devastated half of Amegakure and sent them crashing to the ground despite their substitutions.
• Nagato assessed the limits of his Paths against the two taijutsu fighters as the rogue ninja fled toward the village outskirts.
• Kakashi signaled a plan to Might Guy, but Guy misunderstood and charged straight at Nagato, forcing Kakashi to follow.

Might Guy opened the Eighth Gate and struck Nagato with the Evening Elephant, but Nagato survived by summoning Deva Path Yahiko to block the attack. Obito appeared to protect Nagato and refused Kakashi’s offer to return to Konoha, leaving Kakashi stunned by Obito’s declaration of loyalty to the Akatsuki.

• Nagato repaired Preta Path with the King of Hell while Might Guy attacked Deva Path Yahiko and forced Nagato to use Shinra Tensei.
• A timely slash from Kakashi gave Might Guy the opening to open the Eighth Gate and launch the Evening Elephant at Nagato.
• Nagato summoned Deva Path Yahiko in front of himself, and Yahiko’s Super Shinra Tensei collided with Guy’s attack in a massive explosion.
• Kakashi found Nagato and the restored Six Paths protected by Obito Uchiha, who blocked Kakashi’s Flying Slashes with a blue Susanoo.
• Kakashi asked Obito to return to Konoha, but Obito condemned the shinobi villages and declared that he would help Nagato build the Akatsuki.
• Nagato believed Obito shared his dream of peace and resolved to trust him, while Kakashi and Might Guy stared at Obito in disbelief.

Kakashi and his companions confronted Nagato and Obito in Amegakure, but Kakashi failed to bring Obito home before returning to Konoha. Three months later, with Kushina nearing childbirth, Minato asked Chihane to protect her.

• Kakashi attacked Obito with a lethal sword technique, but Obito used his Mangekyō Sharingan’s intangibility to avoid the strike.
• Nagato’s men brought Genma Shiranui and Ebisu as hostages, but Nagato ordered them released and called Kakashi and Might Guy Konoha’s Twin Stars.
• Kakashi freed Genma and Ebisu, carried the exhausted Might Guy out of Amegakure, and promised Obito he would return for him.
• Nagato asked Konan about Akatsuki’s funds, then fainted after learning the organization was operating at a loss.
• After three months passed, Minato joined Chihane in processing ANBU paperwork and asked him to protect Kushina during her childbirth.

Chihane agreed to guard Kushina during childbirth, sacrificing his chance to lure Makoto Uchiha into a trap to preserve his friendship with Minato. Makoto and Fugaku devised a different plan, but after Kushina safely gave birth, Chihane realized Makoto had not taken the bait.

• Minato asked Chihane to protect Kushina during childbirth, and Chihane agreed despite hoping to use her as bait for Makoto Uchiha.
• Makoto told Fugaku he planned to exploit the Nine-Tails' rampage to attack Konoha, but Fugaku warned him that Chihane was guarding Kushina and challenged his assumptions about Tobirama Senju.
• Makoto demonstrated his speed and abilities to Fugaku, then the two settled on a revised plan.
• Makoto collapsed his cave and vowed to wait for his chance against Konoha.
• Three days later, Kushina safely gave birth while Minato waited anxiously outside the operating room with Chihane.
• Chihane searched the village for unfamiliar presences and realized Makoto had not come.

Makoto Uchiha used Fugaku’s First Meal Ceremony as cover to infiltrate Konoha and try to release the Nine-Tails from Kushina. Chihane’s hidden slash killed Makoto’s soul inside Kushina, ending the attack before the Nine-Tails could escape.

• Minato named his newborn son Naruto, and Fugaku invited Konoha’s powerful shinobi to Sasuke’s First Meal Ceremony as part of a plan with Makoto Uchiha.
• At the banquet, Fugaku gathered the village’s notable fighters while Makoto entered Konoha and reached Minato and Kushina’s home.
• Makoto knocked on Kushina’s bedroom door, incapacitated her with Sharingan Genjutsu, and removed the seal on her abdomen, but the Nine-Tails did not emerge.
• Makoto entered Kushina’s body and found the Nine-Tails sleeping in an open cage, then tried to control it with Mangekyo genjutsu.
• A black Flying Slash Chihane had left inside Kushina struck Makoto’s soul, killing him and causing his body to collapse in the bedroom.

Makoto Uchiha failed to take the Nine-Tails from Kushina and escaped, while Chihane confronted Uchiha Fugaku over his suspected involvement and warned him not to help Makoto again. Minato found Kushina unconscious and brought her to the Uchiha compound for help, where he began to suspect Fugaku had orchestrated the attack.

• Makoto Uchiha escaped Konoha after Chihane's Slash struck him, leaving Kushina alive but unconscious under a Mangekyō Sharingan Genjutsu.
• Chihane confronted Uchiha Fugaku at the banquet, accused him of waiting for the Nine-Tails, and warned him that Makoto must die if he contacted Fugaku again.
• Uchiha Fugaku ended the banquet and later learned that Minato had arrived carrying Kushina and Naruto.
• Minato took Kushina to the hospital, but the doctor could not dispel the Genjutsu, so Minato brought her to the Uchiha compound.
• Minato suspected Fugaku had arranged the attack and started to retreat with Kushina, but Fugaku greeted him before he could leave.

Minato and Kushina accused the Uchiha Clan after Makoto Uchiha attacked Kushina and tried to break the Nine-Tails' seal, while Uchiha Fugaku denied responsibility and broke her genjutsu. As rumors spread and suspicion fell on the clan, Fugaku requested Orochimaru's approval to convene Konoha's Jonin Council.

• Uchiha Fugaku used his Mangekyō Sharingan to break the genjutsu on Kushina, who woke and told Minato that an Uchiha had attacked her.
• Kushina identified Makoto Uchiha as her attacker, while Uchiha Fugaku denied involvement and blamed the defector Obito Uchiha.
• Minato revealed that Makoto Uchiha had broken the Nine-Tails' seal, then left with Kushina and Naruto using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Uchiha Fugaku worried that Minato's faction would investigate him and considered arranging a marriage between Obito and Hyuga Sonoko to secure an alliance.
• News and rumors linking the Uchiha Clan to an attempted Nine-Tails release spread through Konoha, and Uchiha Fugaku requested Orochimaru's approval to convene the Jonin Council.

At the Jonin Council, Hiruzen Sarutobi pressed Uchiha Fugaku over Makoto Uchiha’s attack on Kushina, while Fugaku tried to clear his clan of responsibility. Chihane vouched for Makoto’s existence, but Hiruzen’s accusations escalated into a direct confrontation with Fugaku.

• Orochimaru opened the Jonin Council as Konoha’s clans and leaders assembled in opposing factions.
• Uchiha Fugaku denied that his clan arranged Makoto Uchiha’s attack on Kushina, and Uchiha Goudan argued with Inuzuka and Aburame leaders who doubted him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned Fugaku about Uchiha members who could use Mangekyo genjutsu and suggested someone had impersonated Makoto.
• Fugaku revealed that Shisui had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, but Hiruzen continued to question whether Makoto was an Uchiha secret weapon.
• Chihane stated that Makoto had survived his sword mark by using Izanagi, and Hiruzen then challenged Fugaku over Makoto’s return and his knowledge of the Four Symbols Seal.
• Fugaku slammed the table and accused Hiruzen of implying that he had orchestrated the attack, while Hiruzen rose and suggested Fugaku’s anger confirmed his suspicions.