Chapter Summaries

Zou Hyuga fought Satori while Oto Uchiha confronted Orochimaru and Kimimaro in the woods. Oto overwhelmed them with Susanoo and powerful ninjutsu, while Zou realized Satori was less durable than a Tailed Beast and headed toward Kusagakure with a new idea.

• Zou Hyuga sent Oto to deal with figures in the woods and engaged Satori, using attacks whose locations were difficult for it to sense.
• Oto Uchiha blocked Orochimaru and Kimimaro from trespassing, then challenged Orochimaru over his interest in her Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Oto struck Kimimaro back with Samehada and forced him to defend himself with bone blades.
• Oto formed Susanoo and attacked Orochimaru with successive large-scale techniques, including Fire, Water, and Lightning Release.
• Zou Hyuga recognized that Satori lacked a Tailed Beast's durability and headed toward Kusagakure while forming a Tailed Beast Rasengan.

Zou Hyuga fought Gō while investigating the Box of Ultimate Bliss, sending a clone inside and discovering its sealed, oppressive interior. He ordered Kusagakure to evacuate as the battle continued, and the village leader began explaining Gō’s weakness.

• Zou Hyuga reached Kusagakure, struck the Box of Ultimate Bliss, absorbed some of its chakra, and sent a clone inside as Gō attacked.
• Inside the box, Zou Hyuga explored its dark dimension and wondered whether it was Gō’s mental space, then found its distant exit unreachable at the boundary.
• Zou Hyuga injected natural energy into Gō, injuring it, but Gō healed by drawing chakra from the panicked villagers of Kusagakure.
• Zou Hyuga threw the Box of Ultimate Bliss out of the pit and ordered Kusagakure’s leader to evacuate the ninja and villagers.
• Kusagakure’s leader promised to explain the village’s role to the Third Hokage and began telling Zou Hyuga about Gō’s weakness.

Zou Hyuga took the Box of Ultimate Bliss away from Kusagakure while Gō followed from the sky. Elsewhere, Oto Uchiha fought Orochimaru, disrupted his Impure World Reincarnation, and faced Tobirama Senju, who realized Orochimaru had lied about their situation.

• Zou Hyuga carried the Box of Ultimate Bliss away from Kusagakure, and Gō followed overhead.
• Oto Uchiha used her Mangekyo Sharingan against Orochimaru, and Kimimaro snapped him out of her genjutsu by piercing him.
• Orochimaru summoned the First and Second Hokage with Impure World Reincarnation, but Oto Uchiha used Amenominaka to thwart his control talismans and sealed one figure back into its coffin.
• Tobirama Senju awakened and, after surveying the area, told Orochimaru that this was not Konoha and that Oto was not the source of the evil chakra.

Oto Uchiha fought Orochimaru’s reanimated Tobirama Senju while trying to reach the caster and seal the immortal Hokage. Just as she began to slow Tobirama with a sealing formula, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear behind her, where Samehada was already destroying his sword.

• Tobirama asked Oto who the current Hokage was, then warned her that Orochimaru controlled his body before launching the Darkness Technique.
• Tobirama flooded the forest with water and attacked Oto’s Susanoo, while Oto broke through the darkness and fought him to a stalemate.
• Oto sent two shadow clones to engage Orochimaru and Kimimaro, and dismissed Orochimaru’s warning about the monster from the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
• Oto summoned sealing materials and used a Sealing Jutsu Formula to slow Tobirama before his reanimated body could recover.
• Tobirama vanished with the Flying Thunder God Technique and appeared behind Oto as Samehada bit apart his samurai sword.

Oto sealed Tobirama Senju and pursued Orochimaru while Zou Hyuga fled with the Box of Ultimate Bliss and uncovered how its Black Crystal had transformed Mui into Gō. The chapter left Zou inside the Box, with Mui near death and the crystal exposed.

• Oto praised Samehada for stopping Tobirama Senju’s surprise attack, then left Bell Cat to guard him and went after Orochimaru.
• Zou Hyuga used Rotation to fend off Gō as he escaped with the Box of Ultimate Bliss, and Gō agreed to tell him about its connection to the box.
• Inside the box, Zou Hyuga’s clone touched a Black Crystal and vanished from contact, prompting Gō to rush inside after it.
• Zou Hyuga fired Tailed Beast Bombs into the box, contained the blasts with Sand Barriers, and entered after the malevolent chakra weakened.
• Zou Hyuga found Gō transformed to reveal Mui’s face and discovered the Black Crystal embedded in his collapsed clone.
• Zou Hyuga revived Mui briefly with chakra and learned from his remaining memories that the Black Crystal had turned Mui into Gō and was tied to the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

Zou Hyuga uncovered the Box of Ultimate Bliss’s history and watched Tobirama Senju’s reanimated soul depart. Meanwhile, Oto Uchiha defeated Tobirama and captured Kimimaro as Orochimaru escaped, leaving Orochimaru worried about his subordinate.

• Zou Hyuga learned that the Box of Ultimate Bliss was created by the Sage of Six Paths to imprison Gō, a monster born of the God Tree and the land, and sealed the box away.
• Zou Hyuga found Tobirama Senju bound in a sealing formation as his Impure World Reincarnation was released, then watched his soul ascend and disappear.
• Orochimaru fled from Oto Uchiha and resolved to use his connection with Danzo to activate sleeper agents against the Uchiha.
• Oto Uchiha caught Kimimaro and restrained him with Susanoo, while Kimimaro felt relieved that Orochimaru was likely safe.

Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha secured Kimimaro and sealed the Box of Ultimate Bliss after defeating Orochimaru and Gō. They left Kusagakure’s leader with a false account of what happened and prepared to depart before Pain’s forces could surround them.

• Oto Uchiha brought an unconscious Kimimaro to Zou Hyuga, who treated him and learned he was Orochimaru’s intended reincarnation vessel.
• Kimimaro woke and defended Orochimaru, but Zou Hyuga mocked his loyalty before the group continued toward the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
• Zou Hyuga knocked Kimimaro unconscious, left Bell Cat to guard him, and had Oto Uchiha seal the box while leaving a gap.
• Oto Uchiha warned Zou Hyuga that her strength had started declining, prompting him to consider accelerating his research on Hashirama and White Zetsu cells.
• The Grass Ninja leader found Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha, and Zou gave him a fabricated account of Orochimaru and Gō’s defeat.
• Zou Hyuga declined the Grass Ninja leader’s invitation to Kusagakure and decided to leave before Pain’s forces could encircle them.

Pain investigated the destruction of Kusagakure and learned that Konoha had sealed the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Back in Konoha, the Third Hokage and the Elder Advisors considered the Akatsuki threat and canceled this year’s Chunin Ninja Exams.

• Pain questioned Orochimaru about the Box of Ultimate Bliss and learned that Konoha Jonin had dealt with it.
• Zou Hyuga and Oto reported to the Third Hokage that Kusagakure had opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss and that Orochimaru had been involved.
• Zou Hyuga told the Third Hokage that Orochimaru’s chakra was chaotic and that he was probably continuing his experiments.
• Mitokado Homura and the Third Hokage worried that the Akatsuki might be cooperating with other Shinobi Villages, while Utatane Koharu raised concerns about Zou Hyuga and Oto’s strength.
• The Third Hokage and the Elder Advisors agreed to cancel this year’s Chunin Ninja Exams and judge Chunin promotions by mission performance.

Zou Hyuga studied Kimimaro’s cursed seal while considering its potential for his chakra network plan. Meanwhile, Orochimaru learned that Kimimaro had vanished from Konoha and went to help the Akatsuki train Hiruko.

• Zou Hyuga visited the cabin in the Forest of Death and examined Kimimaro’s cursed seal with his Byakugan.
• Zou Hyuga considered how cursed seal technology might help his chakra network plan, then wondered whether his own black markings had a similar origin.
• Orochimaru completed an experiment that greatly increased a subject’s strength, then received Danzo’s reply, which offered him an elder advisor position but said nothing about Kimimaro.
• Orochimaru read a spy’s report that Kimimaro had not been seen in Konoha and suspected Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha had hidden him.
• Orochimaru reflected on his vulnerability to Oto Uchiha’s genjutsu and the risks of controlling the resurrected Hokage, then left to help the Akatsuki train Hiruko.

Kakashi infiltrated Kirigakure with his squad to investigate the Fourth Mizukage, while Mei Terumi and Ao dealt with the village’s unrest. A battle erupted near the Mizukage Building, and Mei and Ao gathered forces to respond as Yagura remained absent.

• Kakashi led his squad into Kirigakure in civilian clothes to investigate Yagura and found the village desolate and wary.
• Kakashi reviewed the village during the day, then left the inn at night to continue scouting.
• Mei Terumi and Ao discussed the village’s internal strife and Yagura’s prolonged absence while handling administrative affairs.
• Ao used his Byakugan to spot several elite-level outside ninja fighting near the Mizukage Building.
• Mei Terumi and Ao gathered their forces and headed toward the Mizukage Building.

Kakashi, Guy, and Yamato confronted Obito near the Mizukage Building and confirmed their suspicion that the Akatsuki had infiltrated Kirigakure. As the fight escalated and threatened to expose them, Obito’s Susanoo repelled the ANBU Squad, leaving them facing a powerful enemy and the prospect of discovery.

• Kakashi recognized the masked man as proof that the Akatsuki had secretly taken control of Kirigakure, and Obito warned that the ANBU would be treated as criminals.
• Kakashi ordered Yamato and Guy to retreat, but Obito attacked them with Fire Release and chakra-absorbing wooden spikes.
• Guy struck at Obito while Kakashi and Yamato coordinated attacks, but Obito dodged with Intangibility and Kamui before Susanoo blocked their Chidori and Wood Release.
• Guy’s kick cracked Obito’s Susanoo, but Obito strengthened it into an armored form that broke free of Yamato’s vines and drove the ANBU Squad back.

Obito attacked Team Kakashi in Kirigakure, but Shisui’s arrival forced him to withdraw. Shisui confirmed that the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura, was under Akatsuki control, and Kakashi’s team decided to remain in Kirigakure to investigate.

• Obito pursued Kakashi, Yamato, and Guy with Kamui, injuring Kakashi before Shisui appeared and drove him away.
• Mei and Ao investigated the Wood Release traces, while Ao suspected that Yagura’s strange behavior meant he was being controlled.
• Yagura arrived at the scene, blamed the attack on Konoha and other enemy villages, and dismissed Mei’s concerns about Kirigakure’s failing administration.
• Shisui confirmed to Kakashi, Yamato, and Guy that Akatsuki controlled Yagura, and Kakashi chose to send the intelligence to Konoha while staying in Kirigakure.
• Oto received intelligence about Kirigakure from a ninja crow and headed to share it with Zou.

Zou Hyuga investigated the God Tree’s lingering influence and prepared to travel to Kirigakure after hearing Oto Uchiha’s report about Yagura. Before leaving, he visited Karin and Vortex Shizuko at the base, where Kisame returned and Zou examined the unusual chakra that had made him nearly Kage Level.

• Zou Hyuga studied the earth veins, the Box of Ultimate Bliss, and the changing mark on his palm, suspecting a connection to the God Tree and the force behind black markings.
• Oto Uchiha told Zou Hyuga that Shisui had brought back intelligence from Kirigakure, and Zou decided to go there himself while leaving the village in her hands.
• Zou Hyuga left a Shadow Clone in the village and visited the base near Daimyō Castle, where he checked on Karin and Vortex Shizuko and trained the children while waiting for Kisame.
• Kisame returned with supplies, and Zou Hyuga examined his chakra, finding enormous reserves mixed with natural energy from an old experiment that had brought Kisame close to Kage Level.

Zou Hyuga brought Kisame into Akatsuki’s plan to return several Kirigakure missing-nin to their homeland and help the organization retain control of the village. Obito outlined a route and a plan to send Hozuki Mangetsu into Kirigakure first.

• Zou Hyuga told Kisame he could return to Kirigakure and hinted that he might become Mizukage, while promising to arrange care for the children at the Leyline Base.
• Zou Hyuga and Kisame met Obito, Juzo Biwa, Hozuki Mangetsu, and Zabuza Momochi near the Land of Fire’s coast.
• Hozuki Mangetsu asked Kisame about locating ninja blades, and Kisame provoked him by asking for one of his own before Zou Hyuga stopped their confrontation.
• Obito drew the operation’s route in the sand and decided the group would travel through the Land of Bears and take a ferry to the Land of Water.
• Obito’s first step was to send Hozuki Mangetsu, whose record was clean and whose clan had standing in Kirigakure, back to the village ahead of the others.

As the Akatsuki traveled toward the Land of Water, Kirigakure’s Mei Terumi learned that Hozuki Mangetsu had returned and might be planning a coup. She and Ao followed an invitation to meet outside the village, where they confronted Kakashi’s team and suspected them of attacking the Mizukage Building.

• The Akatsuki crossed the sea toward the Land of Water while Juzo Biwa and Hozuki Mangetsu watched Zou Hyuga and wondered how he had commanded Kisame.
• Ao told Mei Terumi that Mangetsu had returned to Kirigakure and gathered ninja he knew, leading Mei to suspect he was plotting against the Fourth Mizukage.
• Mei told Ao to investigate Mangetsu’s followers and connections to missing-nin, then received an invitation to meet outside the village.
• Mei and Ao went to the forest with their ANBU guards, where Ao sensed Shisui Uchiha and realized escape was impossible.
• Mei and Ao met Kakashi’s team in a clearing, and Mei asked Kakashi whether they had attacked the Mizukage Building.

Kakashi met with Mei Terumi and Ao to propose an alliance against the Akatsuki and the Masked Man controlling the Fourth Mizukage, while Zou Hyuga returned to the Akatsuki’s gathering near the Mizukage Building. The chapter ended with Zou approaching Zabuza and the other Kirigakure missing-nin as they discussed their plans.

• Kakashi told Mei Terumi that the Masked Man had caused the Nine-Tails’ Rampage, killed Shukaku, and taken control of the Fourth Mizukage.
• Shisui joined Kakashi and explained that the Masked Man used the Mangekyō Sharingan to control a jinchūriki.
• Kakashi proposed that Konoha and Kirigakure cooperate to dispel the genjutsu on the Fourth Mizukage, and Mei Terumi agreed to seek the elders’ approval.
• Ao asked Mei Terumi whether she truly intended to work with Konoha, and she said they needed to force the Fourth Mizukage to appear.
• Kakashi told Yamato that the team would remain in place, while Shisui noticed his natural energy becoming more active.
• Zou Hyuga sensed Shisui and Team Kakashi nearby, then approached Zabuza and the other Kirigakure missing-nin as they discussed their plans.

Obito weighed which Kirigakure missing-nin to install as a pawn while Hozuki Mangetsu gathered support for a move against the Fourth Mizukage. As Hozuki Mangetsu's force approached the Mizukage Building, Mei Terumi sought Utakata's help, and the operation began.

• Zou Hyuga joked that Zabuza could take turns governing as Acting Mizukage, while Obito considered Kisame and Hozuki Mangetsu as candidates for his plan.
• Hozuki Mangetsu, Zabuza, and Kisame gathered nearly a hundred Mist Ninja to support the coming operation.
• Several days later, Hozuki Mangetsu led his force openly toward the Mizukage Building as villagers and ninja watched.
• Mei Terumi recalled how she and the ANBU had captured Utakata with help from Yamato and Shisui Uchiha, then asked Utakata to help Kirigakure.
• Mei Terumi explained the village's crisis to Utakata, and Ao announced that Hozuki Mangetsu's operation had begun.

Hozuki Mangetsu led Mist Ninja to the Mizukage Building, where they exposed the Fourth Mizukage’s apparent chakra control and clashed with his forces. Mei Terumi and Ao confirmed Yagura was being controlled, leaving them ready to act to free him and uncover the mastermind.

• Hozuki Mangetsu demanded to see Yagura, then blasted open the Mizukage Building entrance and sparked a battle between Mist Ninja.
• Kisame, Zabuza, and their allies entered the building and confronted Yagura, then claimed they had discovered he was being controlled.
• Yagura ordered the rebels eliminated and used the Water Mirror Technique to create copies that attacked them.
• Zou Hyuga fought off his Water Mirror Clone while concealing himself inside the building and avoiding a confrontation with Konoha ninja.
• Ao confirmed to Mei Terumi that Yagura was being controlled by chakra, and Mei prepared to pursue their plan to free him and expose the mastermind.

Mei Terumi and the Mist Ninja confronted the genjutsu-controlled Fourth Mizukage as the battle outside the Mizukage Building escalated. Kisame entered Sage Mode and prepared a powerful Water Release technique, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Mei Terumi led ANBU toward the Mizukage Building while the Konoha Squad withdrew from Kirigakure's internal conflict.
• Hozuki Mangetsu, Kisame, and Zabuza fought Karatachi Yagura and his Water Mirror Clones while Kisame followed orders to make the battle look convincing.
• Mei Terumi arrived with reinforcements and told the Mist Ninja that the Fourth Mizukage was under genjutsu.
• Karatachi Yagura transformed and formed a Tailed Beast Bomb as Mei Terumi attacked him with acid and Hozuki Mangetsu launched a chakra blast.
• The Tailed Beast Bomb and Hozuki Mangetsu's blast collided, and Kisame entered Sage Mode before using Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave.

Obito watched the battle in Kirigakure before being ambushed by Kakashi, Utakata, and their allies. He escaped the rooftop fight, but after passing Zou Hyuga in a passageway, he vanished, leaving Ao to investigate the unfamiliar figure.

• Obito watched Mei Terumi and the others fight the Fourth Mizukage, whom he secretly controlled as part of his plan to keep Kirigakure under Akatsuki's influence.
• Kakashi and the Kirigakure ninja ambushed Obito, and Utakata's explosive bubbles and water-based attacks forced him to dodge while Kakashi struck with Chidori.
• Obito tried to sow distrust between Ao and the Konoha squad by mentioning Ao's bounty, but Kakashi warned Ao not to fall for the ploy.
• Obito used vines to escape the rooftop, and Ao led the Mist Ninja in pursuit while Shisui pointed out Obito's location to Kakashi.
• Obito passed Zou Hyuga in a passageway and vanished; Ao arrived and activated his Sharingan to examine the unfamiliar figure.