Recaps

At the Five Kage Summit, the Kage discussed Akatsuki’s threat and agreed to attack Amegakure, while Zou Hyuga and Oto recognized Orochimaru disguised as a Sunagakure kunoichi. The chapter ended with them choosing not to expose him and agreeing to warn Zou Hyuga’s original about him.

• Ōnoki handed the other villages reports on Akatsuki, and Mei Terumi revealed that Kirigakure had captured Shinnō and learned Akatsuki’s plans.
• Mei Terumi told the Raikage that the Two-Tails and most other hunted jinchūriki had been killed, prompting him to smash the table.
• The Third Hokage proposed attacking Amegakure, and the Raikage and Ōnoki supported the plan despite the Kazekage’s warning that destroying Amegakure would leave Akatsuki unrestrained.
• Oto noticed a suspicious female Sunagakure ninja, and Zou Hyuga realized that the disguise concealed Orochimaru.
• Oto suggested exposing Orochimaru, but Zou Hyuga refused and agreed to warn his original after bargaining with Oto over her eye power.

The Five Kage agreed to send elite teams on a surprise attack against Amegakure and the Akatsuki. At the Land of Rain border, Orochimaru joined the operation under Sunagakure’s protection and realized that the Third Hokage no longer recognized him.

• Oto Uchiha sneered at Orochimaru, while Zou Hyuga considered how the Five Kage might defeat Nagato.
• The Third Hokage told the Fire Squad that the villages would form Allied Shinobi Forces, but Zou Hyuga realized the announcement was a decoy for Akatsuki spies.
• The Third Hokage and his squad used shadow clones to mislead White Zetsu while their real bodies traveled to the Land of Rain border.
• The Third Hokage and Kazekage Rasa revealed that the villages would send small elite teams to raid Amegakure instead of assembling large armies.
• Kazekage Rasa introduced his son Gaara and Orochimaru, claiming Orochimaru had joined Sunagakure after the Akatsuki destroyed Otogakure.
• Orochimaru saw that the Third Hokage had grown old and no longer recognized him.

The Five Great Shinobi Villages prepared to attack Amegakure together, while the Fire Squad suspected that the Sound Ninja woman Orochimaru was impersonating was dangerous. As the joint assault approached, Zou Hyuga learned that his original body wanted him to fight without holding back but keep Oto out of the battle.

• Zou Hyuga greeted Gaara, who said he wanted to become Kazekage and asked whether Zou would become Hokage.
• Orochimaru warned the Konoha ninja that the Akatsuki was formidable, then left the cave as the Fire Squad discussed their suspicions about him.
• The Sunagakure and Konoha teams advanced toward Amegakure and sealed a White Zetsu they encountered along the way.
• The Third and Kazekage Rasa coordinated with the Tsuchikage and Raikage to launch a joint attack in fifteen minutes.
• Orochimaru revealed to himself that he intended to seize Nagato's Rinnegan, while Zou told Oto that his original body had ordered him to fight freely but limit her involvement.

Pain prepared to abandon Amegakure rather than let its people die fighting the Five Kage’s forces, while the allied shinobi battled Akatsuki’s fusion beasts. As the Third headed for Pain, Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha confronted Orochimaru for an explanation of how Pain destroyed Otogakure.

• White Zetsu warned Pain that the Five Kage and their forces had surrounded Amegakure, and Pain used fusion beasts to force the Rain Ninja to leave the Tower and seek a way to atone.
• Killer B blasted away the storm clouds, and the allied shinobi launched their assault on Amegakure as the Third fought through waves of regenerative fusion beasts with help from Kakashi, Yamato, and Guy.
• The Third left his comrades to face the beasts and headed into Amegakure, believing he could follow the Second and Fourth Hokage’s example if necessary.
• Shisui arrived with a fusion beast under his control and explained that his Mangekyo Sharingan could control only one of them at a time.
• Orochimaru watched the battle and wondered why Pain and Konan had not appeared, then Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha demanded to know how Pain had destroyed Otogakure.

Orochimaru told Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha about the Akatsuki’s assault on Otogakure before a Dust Release attack destroyed Zou’s clone. On the battlefield, Zou faced Ōnoki, the Fourth Raikage, and Killer B, then unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb and disappeared in the resulting blast.

• Orochimaru recounted Otogakure’s destruction and discussed the Akatsuki with Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha.
• Ōnoki’s Dust Release struck Zou Hyuga’s clone, which vanished, and Oto Uchiha left Orochimaru alone.
• Zou Hyuga’s original body, who had returned to Amegakure for fragments of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, faced Ōnoki and Deidara.
• The Fourth Raikage and Killer B arrived with the Cloud Ninja Assault Unit and charged at Zou Hyuga.
• Zou Hyuga unleashed a Tailed Beast Bomb, blasting the surrounding ninja and vanishing from Ōnoki’s sight.

The Fourth Kazekage and the other village leaders regrouped after fighting Fusion Beasts and debated how to draw out the Akatsuki, then followed Ōnoki toward Amegakure’s Tower. Meanwhile, the Third Hokage reached the peaceful Inner District and headed for the Tower, wondering why Nagato and Konan had started a war.

• The Fourth Kazekage accepted Gaara’s suggestion to regroup and led Sunagakure’s unit toward the explosion.
• Chōjūrō and Mei Terumi fought Fusion Beasts before deciding to investigate the distant flames.
• The Sunagakure and Kirigakure units joined Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage, and the leaders discussed the missing Akatsuki Members.
• The Fourth Kazekage proposed using Amegakure’s Rain Ninja to force the Akatsuki out, but Ōnoki pointed toward the Tower as a place to find answers.
• The Third Hokage entered Amegakure’s untouched Inner District and hurried toward the Tower, unable to understand why Nagato and Konan had provoked a war.

The Third Hokage searched Amegakure for Nagato, Konan, and the Rain Ninja, while Oto Uchiha headed toward the explosion and encountered Zou Hyuga. The Third learned that Lady Angel might be in the central tower, and Oto questioned Zou after nearly striking him with Susanoo.

• The Third Hokage found Ajisai hiding in the Ninja Academy and used genjutsu, learning that classes had been canceled and she had nowhere to go.
• The Third Hokage visited a Tailed Beast Merchant Association shop, where a waiter directed him toward the central tower; the waiter was Orochimaru, who chose not to attack because Kakashi, Shisui, and others were approaching.
• Oto Uchiha fought past Fusion Beasts on her way to the explosion site and suspected they were connected to Akatsuki.
• Oto Uchiha sensed chakra underground and split the earth with her Skeletal Susanoo, revealing Zou Hyuga.
• Zou Hyuga warned Oto Uchiha to check chakra signatures before attacking, and she noticed that his chakra had changed.

Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha investigated a strange underground space beneath Amegakure and returned to the assault force outside the central Tower. As the Five Kage captured the fusion beasts, the Tower doors opened and bloodied Amegakure ninja called for help against the Akatsuki.

• Zou Hyuga entered Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode and led Oto Uchiha underground, explaining his plans to rebuild the Akatsuki.
• Zou Hyuga and Oto discovered an unusual node beneath Amegakure that seemed connected to an unknown alternate dimension, then concealed sealing jutsu and traps nearby.
• Zou Hyuga and Oto returned to the assault force near the central Tower and joined Kakashi and the other ninja.
• Orochimaru sensed a familiar presence in Zou Hyuga but became uncertain after Zou concealed his Ryūchi Cave senjutsu chakra.
• The Five Kage captured the fusion beasts guarding the Tower, and the assault force waited at its closed doors.
• Bloodied Amegakure ninja emerged from the Tower and said that the village had suffered under the Akatsuki for too long.

The Five Kage investigated Amegakure and heard a jonin claim that the Akatsuki had oppressed the village, though they suspected the account might have been altered. They chose sanctions and surveillance rather than attacking Amegakure, while the Akatsuki's whereabouts remained unknown.

• The Five Kage learned that over a thousand Rain Ninja were inside the prison-like Tower and questioned an Amegakure jonin.
• Shisui used genjutsu to question the jonin, who blamed Pain and Konan for Amegakure's suffering and called them traitors.
• Oto Uchiha challenged the Fourth Raikage after he accused Konoha and doubted the jonin's testimony, but the other Kage stopped their confrontation.
• The Five Kage considered whether Pain had altered the jonin's memories and decided not to retaliate against Amegakure while the Akatsuki remained at large.
• The Five Kage planned economic sanctions and elite squads to monitor Amegakure, uncertain whether the Akatsuki had already reached one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

After the raid on Amegakure, Zou Hyuga accepted the Third Hokage’s secret mission to investigate the Tailed Beast Merchant Association while preparing to leave the village. Meanwhile, Nagato planned an attack on Konoha to seize the Nine-Tails, with Madara Uchiha joining the operation.

• The Third Hokage asked Zou Hyuga to investigate the Tailed Beast Merchant Association because he suspected it was connected to the Akatsuki.
• Oto Uchiha learned that Zou Hyuga was leaving, but he persuaded her to stay in the village and support his plans by appealing to her ambition to become Hokage.
• Oto Uchiha told Zou Hyuga that Orochimaru had secretly left Amegakure while disguised as one of the Fourth Kazekage’s subordinates.
• Konan warned Nagato that the Five Kage’s Assault Unit had attacked Amegakure, and Nagato explained that he had already taken measures to avoid a direct confrontation.
• Nagato told Konan that the Akatsuki would attack Konoha to take the Nine-Tails and revive the Ten-Tails, with Madara Uchiha joining them.

Nagato led the Akatsuki in a full-scale assault on Konohagakure to capture the Nine-Tails, while Obito slipped into the village separately. Jiraiya prepared to confront his former students, and an unexpected figure appeared at the Hokage Building, offering to fight the Akatsuki while the leaders protected Naruto.

• Nagato gathered the Akatsuki and chose to attack Konoha directly while the Five Kage were in Amegakure.
• White Zetsu reported that Konoha's leaders and clan heads remained in the village, and Kakuzu speculated that Uchiha Fugaku had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Obito dismissed the concern and entered Konoha alone as Nagato led the Akatsuki toward the village.
• The Akatsuki breached Konoha's gates, prompting the Defense Force to respond and villagers to evacuate.
• At an emergency meeting, Jiraiya volunteered to face Nagato and left to fight, while Tsunade and the advisors discussed who would protect Naruto.
• An unexpected figure entered the meeting room and offered to fight the Akatsuki so Tsunade and the advisors could protect Naruto.

Danzo joined Konoha’s defense as Jiraiya arrived to help fight the Akatsuki, while Kabuto continued working in Sasori’s underground laboratory. The battle rumbled above the lab, where another administrator briefly appeared.

• Danzo surprised Tsunade and the Advisory Duo by leading Root Ninja toward the village entrance, and Tsunade set out with ANBU to protect Naruto.
• Jiraiya arrived at the ruined battlefield and received Shikaku Nara’s report on the Akatsuki’s forces and their summoning beasts.
• Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta, Gamaken, and Gamahiro to fight the enemy beasts, then entered Sage Mode with help from Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima.
• Kabuto continued experiments in Sasori’s underground laboratory and learned that Sasori was also a prisoner there.
• A tremor shook the laboratory, and Sasori said that things above were unsettled before identifying a passing figure as the laboratory’s other administrator.

Tsunade found Naruto missing and the ANBU guards protecting him dead, then learned that powerful chakra signatures and traces of Nine-Tails chakra were nearby. Obito confronted a masked blond Minato Namikaze, who insisted he was not the Fourth Hokage and cared only about protecting Naruto.

• Tsunade found the ANBU guards dead at Naruto's ruined residence and suspected that an Akatsuki member using Space-Time Ninjutsu had taken him.
• Tsunade summoned Katsuyu, who sensed Nine-Tails chakra and several powerful chakra signatures nearby.
• Tsunade ordered the Elder Advisors to accompany her toward the fight while the other ninja evacuated civilians.
• Obito recognized the masked blond fighter's Flying Thunder God Technique and assumed he was Minato Namikaze revived through Impure World Reincarnation.
• Minato Namikaze denied being the Fourth Hokage and said that protecting Naruto mattered more to him than the village.

Obito fought Minato Namikaze, failed to capture him, and escaped when more Konoha ninja arrived. Tsunade and the Advisory Duo discovered evidence that the Fourth Hokage had returned, while Naruto woke in the woods facing an angry red-haired woman.

• Obito tried to draw Minato Namikaze into the Kamui Dimension, but Minato evaded his attacks and injured him with a Rasengan.
• Obito sensed approaching ninja and escaped underground, while Minato Namikaze vanished using Flying Thunder God.
• Tsunade and the Advisory Duo found traces of Flying Thunder God and a Rasengan, then considered whether the Fourth Hokage had returned and what had happened to Naruto.
• Tsunade left to fight alongside the wounded Jiraiya, and the Advisory Duo followed to join the battle.
• Naruto woke in the woods, confronted the red-haired woman, insulted her, and was struck down.

Naruto learned that Kushina and Minato Namikaze were his parents, newly returned from death, as they protected him during an attack on Konohagakure. Minato had driven away the Masked Man, but his parents stayed with Naruto because the attackers were targeting him.

• Kushina embraced Naruto and told him she was his mother and had once been the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
• Naruto doubted Kushina's claim until she explained that she and his father had died and were recently brought back.
• A tremor revealed that giant beasts and enemy ninja were attacking Konohagakure, and Naruto asked Kushina to drive them away.
• Minato Namikaze appeared, said he had driven away the Masked Man, and told Naruto that he was his father.
• Naruto recognized Minato's resemblance to the Fourth Hokage, but Minato denied being him and stayed with Kushina to protect Naruto.

Jiraiya and Danzo fought Nagato’s Six Paths of Pain during Akatsuki’s attack on Konoha, as Jiraiya tried to buy time for the village. The battle left Jiraiya immobilized, and after Nagato accused Danzo of killing Yahiko, the two sides launched into a renewed fight.

• Shikaku Nara concluded that the Six Paths of Pain had to be defeated before anyone could find Nagato’s hidden body, then turned to help with other enemies.
• Jiraiya attacked Pain with Sage Art: Goemon, but the Six Paths emerged unharmed and continued pressing him.
• Pain pierced Jiraiya with black rods that disrupted his chakra, leaving him unable to move as Fukasaku and Shima fled for cover.
• Danzo rescued Jiraiya with Wood Release, but Nagato accused him of being Yahiko’s killer, and Jiraiya refused to abandon his ally based only on the accusation.
• Nagato sent the Six Paths and more than ten fusion beasts against Jiraiya and Danzo, who unleashed Nativity of a World of Trees despite his body beginning to turn into wood fibers.

Fugaku and the Military Police Force defended Konoha’s evacuation shelter from Kakuzu and Jūzō, and Fugaku revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan to defeat Kakuzu. Konan rescued Kakuzu and escaped under cover of explosions, while the Uchiha were left facing a new, greater tremor.

• Fugaku led the Military Police Force against Kakuzu and Jūzō to protect the evacuating villagers and shelter.
• Jūzō covered the area in mist, and Fugaku used his Mangekyō Sharingan to trap Kakuzu in genjutsu and sever the threads connecting him to his body.
• Konan attacked Fugaku with a rain of Explosive Tags, but Fugaku survived beneath a skeletal Susanoo, exposing his Mangekyō Sharingan to the Uchiha and villagers.
• Konan’s Paper Clone retrieved the half-dead Kakuzu, and Juzo Biwa joined her after escaping the Uchiha jonin.
• Konan asked Juzo Biwa whether he had found the Nine-Tails, then dropped hundreds of Explosive Tags to cover her retreat into the sky.
• The explosions shook the nearby underground shelter, and a greater tremor caught the Uchiha’s attention.

Nagato used an enhanced Planetary Devastation to trap Konoha’s defenders while searching for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Kushina restrained Deva Path, and Minato freed the trapped ninja with the toads, leaving Konoha’s fighters reunited but Danzo gravely weakened.

• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the others fought the remaining Pain bodies after the Toad Confrontation Chant destroyed four of them.
• Deva Path used Planetary Devastation to draw Konoha’s defenders and the surrounding earth into a huge sphere above the village.
• Nagato searched for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki through Deva Path and found no useful information from a dying Konoha ninja.
• Kushina bound Deva Path with Adamantine Sealing Chains and tried to sever his connection to Nagato, but the other Pain bodies arrived.
• Minato summoned Gamabunta, Gamaken, and Gamahiro onto the sphere, and they broke through its shell to free the trapped ninja.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya recognized Minato and escaped with Danzo, whose Wood Release fibrosis had advanced to his waist.

Minato and Kushina joined the battle against Pain, while Jiraiya and Tsunade worked to defeat the remaining Paths. The fight took a shocking turn when a second Naraka Path appeared, bearing the face of Hiruko.

• Minato arrived to help Kushina, and the two fought together after the Preta Path drained her Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• Minato used Flying Thunder God to evade the Deva Path's Shinra Tensei and exploit its cooldown.
• Surviving Konoha ninja recognized Minato and Kushina, while Shikaku wondered who had brought them back.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade joined the fight; the toads intercepted the Animal Path's summons, and Tsunade countered the Preta Path with her Monster Strength.
• Jiraiya destroyed the Naraka Path with an Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, but another Naraka Path appeared and began summoning the King of Hell.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade saw that the new Naraka Path had Hiruko's face.

Jiraiya and Tsunade fought Hiruko, who had become a living Pain after the Chimera Ritual threatened to destroy his body. As Konoha's reinforcements joined the battle and Nagato realized his forces had to retreat, the Deva Path unleashed another devastating attack.

• Jiraiya recognized Hiruko among the Six Paths of Pain, and Hiruko claimed he had chosen the transformation to prove himself stronger than a genius.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya attacked Hiruko, who fought back as his body adjusted to the Black Rods that Nagato had used to suppress the Chimera Ritual's deadly rejection.
• Fugaku arrived with the Military Police Force, used his Mangekyō ability to foresee that he could not defeat either the Deva Path or Hiruko, and ordered his clan to attack the Akatsuki invaders.
• Nagato learned that the Third Hokage and Fire Squad were approaching and decided to retreat from Konoha.
• The Deva Path unleashed Super Shinra Tensei, then rose into the sky and prepared Planetary Devastation.

Jiraiya and the surviving Konoha ninja drove back the Akatsuki after Deva Path vanished, though the attack left much of the village in ruins. Minato and Kushina reunited with Naruto and decided to leave the village with him, while Jiraiya mistakenly believed Orochimaru had revived them.

• Deva Path began preparing another Planetary Devastation, prompting Jiraiya to order the surviving ninja to retreat from its range.
• Deva Path vanished while the black point of gravity remained, and Shikaku, Tsunade, and Jiraiya concluded that the Akatsuki had retreated after failing to find Naruto.
• Jiraiya found Minato and Kushina with Naruto and learned they planned to leave the village with him, though Minato would not reveal who had revived them.
• Jiraiya guessed that Orochimaru was behind Minato and Kushina's return, then let them go and asked Minato to speak with Orochimaru on behalf of Hiruzen and Tsunade.
• Kushina asked Minato why he would not pursue Pain, and Minato explained that the marks on the enemy had been erased and that their incomplete resurrection made them vulnerable.

Danzo publicly confessed to crimes tied to the Uchiha’s ostracism and the Akatsuki’s tailed-beast hunt, revealing his Sharingan arm and implicating the Third Hokage. He left Konoha’s leaders facing a crisis, while Jiraiya revealed that Minato and Kushina had already left the village with Naruto.

• Danzo exposed his Sharingan and an arm covered in Sharingan, enraging the Uchiha and drawing the crowd’s attention.
• Fugaku recognized the eye Danzo had first revealed as Kagami’s, but watched cautiously as Danzo exposed the rest of his arm.
• Koharu and Homura warned Jiraiya and Tsunade to stop Danzo, but Root ninja blocked their way.
• Danzo confessed that he was a sinner and linked his actions to the Uchiha’s ostracism and the Akatsuki’s tailed-beast collection.
• Danzo recounted his past schemes, and the advisors realized he meant to drag Hiruzen down with him.
• Koharu and Homura asked Jiraiya to summon Minato and Kushina, but Jiraiya said they had left Konoha with Naruto.

The Third returned to Konoha and learned that Danzo had exposed the village’s secrets while the Akatsuki attacked. At an emergency meeting, the leaders discussed Minato and Kushina’s return and suspected Orochimaru was behind it, while Danzo remained unconscious and near death.

• The Third arrived at Konoha, noticed the villagers’ strange reactions, and called an emergency meeting after hearing Jiraiya’s report.
• The Third demanded to know where Danzo was, and Tsunade said Danzo had returned to Root unconscious while his subordinates tried to save him.
• The Third asked whether Jiraiya and Tsunade had truly seen Minato and Kushina, and Jiraiya said they had refused to return and seemed unable to act freely.
• The Third and the meeting attendees suspected Orochimaru had awakened Minato and Kushina and taken Naruto, and they wondered how to contact him.
• After the meeting, Yamato, Guy, and Kakashi discussed Minato and Kushina’s return, and Kakashi wondered whether Rin and his father might reappear next.

Zou Hyuga warned Oto Uchiha to keep the clan from exploiting Danzo’s exposure of the Third Hokage’s scandals, while Oto, Shisui, and Fugaku considered the Uchiha’s responsibilities to Konoha. The clan’s leaders settled on a cautious course of action, and Fugaku hesitated over Oto’s risky offer to restore his failing eyesight.

• Kakashi went to train after reflecting on his battle in Amegakure, while Guy followed and Zou Hyuga asked Yamato to use Wood Release to rebuild Konoha’s streets.
• Zou Hyuga denied responsibility for Danzo’s behavior and told Oto Uchiha to work with Fugaku to keep the Uchiha calm and avoid appearing to seek the Hokage position.
• Oto and Shisui returned to the clan grounds, where they found their clansmen celebrating Danzo’s revelations as though the Uchiha were about to gain a Hokage.
• Oto recounted the clan’s reaction to Fugaku, who began to recognize that the Uchiha shared responsibility for Konoha’s reputation and losses.
• Itachi returned from his shift and agreed that the clan’s behavior seemed troubling, then Fugaku, Oto, Shisui, and other Uchiha leaders settled the clan’s near-term policies.
• Oto offered Fugaku a risky operation to restore his eyesight, but he hesitated after hearing that its mortality rate exceeded one in three.

Oto told Zou Hyuga that Itachi’s Sharingan was close to awakening the Mangekyō, prompting Zou to consider the chakra limits behind its power and the risks of his own chakra network. Meanwhile, Nagato regrouped the injured Akatsuki after their failed attack on Konoha and began a post-battle meeting while worrying that using his Rinnegan was shortening his life.

• Oto left Shisui and visited Zou Hyuga, telling him that Itachi’s eye power had reached the threshold for awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Zou Hyuga considered whether the Mangekyō Sharingan weakened as more Uchiha possessed it and worried that his chakra network could make him an enemy of Kaguya and others.
• Zou Hyuga sent his compiled information to his original body through the chakra network while chatting with Oto.
• The injured Akatsuki members regrouped in a rock cave and began blaming one another for their failed operation against Konoha.
• Nagato and Konan arrived, and Nagato began a post-battle meeting while privately fearing that his Rinnegan abilities were consuming his life force.