Chapter Summaries

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.

Nagato weighed the Akatsuki’s losses and the unknown powers now obstructing its hunt for tailed beasts, then ordered the organization to lie low while it recovered. He asked Konan to contact the President, who was already in the Land of Fire, because he wanted to discuss reviving the Ten-Tails.

• Juzo Biwa asked whether Orochimaru had resurrected the Fourth Hokage couple, and Nagato concluded that Orochimaru was the likeliest culprit.
• Nagato considered whether the Akatsuki should target Kumogakure or Kirigakure while it still needed the Seven-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails.
• Obito reported that Shinnō was imprisoned in Kirigakure, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki was no longer in Shinnō’s hands, and two ninja had destroyed the Sky Ninja Village War Machine with strength rivaling the Five Kage.
• Nagato decided that the Akatsuki would find a temporary base, restore its fighting strength, and avoid large-scale attacks for the next several months.
• Konan visited Nagato, who asked her to contact the President in the Land of Fire so they could discuss reviving the Ten-Tails.

Zou Hyuga investigated the Daimyō’s ties to the Tailed Beast Merchant Association before answering Nagato’s summons. At the meeting place, he found Nagato and Obito fighting over the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and both turned their attention to him as he considered intervening.

• Zou Hyuga watched the Daimyō’s armed guards and reported his findings about the Land of Fire’s nobility to a Shadow Clone before leaving for Nagato’s hideout.
• Zou Hyuga reached the meeting place and found Obito’s azure Susanoo battling the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Zou Hyuga spotted Nagato, Konan, and Zetsu watching the fight, and noticed that Nagato was missing one Rinnegan.
• Zou Hyuga questioned Zetsu about the battle and suggested they could kill both fighters and take the Rinnegan.
• Zou Hyuga prepared to intervene from behind, but Nagato and Obito sensed him and turned to face him.

Zou Hyuga stumbled upon Obito and Nagato fighting over the Rinnegan and tried to avoid choosing a side. When Obito demanded his allegiance, Zou revealed that Zetsu was hiding nearby, leaving both factions wary of who else might be watching.

• Zou Hyuga arrived during Obito and Nagato's battle, and both combatants paused to assess his presence.
• Obito claimed to be Madara Uchiha and urged Zou to help him against Nagato, but Zou said he had joined the Akatsuki for the Land of Rain's market, not its ideals.
• Obito demanded that Zou choose between his side and Nagato's, while Zou weighed the consequences of each option.
• Zou pointed out that Zetsu was nearby, forcing Zetsu to emerge from the woods and greet the group.
• Nagato, Konan, and Obito wondered whether other Akatsuki members were also watching from the surrounding woods.

Zou Hyuga attacked Obito, then stole Nagato’s remaining Rinnegan during Konan’s explosive-tag barrage. He refused Obito’s offer to join his side and revealed that he wanted the Rinnegan for himself.

• Nagato confirmed that no other Akatsuki members were nearby, while Konan suspected Zou Hyuga would decide the fight against Obito.
• Zou Hyuga fired a weakened Tailed Beast Bomb at Obito’s Susanoo, then used his Byakugan to steal Nagato’s remaining Rinnegan and sever his arm.
• Konan detonated an enormous field of explosive tags, forcing Zou Hyuga to defend himself with Karma and natural energy mode while Obito endured the blasts with Susanoo.
• The explosions left the forest scorched, Nagato and Konan missing, and Obito’s Susanoo badly damaged.
• Obito offered Zou Hyuga the position of second-in-command and proposed that they carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan together.
• Zou Hyuga rejected Obito’s offer, drew his sword, and said he wanted the Rinnegan for himself.

Zou Hyuga held Nagato’s Rinnegan and faced Obito, who tried to reclaim it for the Eye of the Moon Plan. After their standoff, Obito withdrew and Zetsu refused Zou’s invitation to join him.

• Zou Hyuga considered the power and importance of the Rinnegan but hesitated to destroy it.
• Obito attacked Zou Hyuga with Kamui to take back the Rinnegan, but Zou evaded him and warned that the eye could be destroyed.
• Obito threatened Zou’s family and Merchant Company, while Zou countered by demanding Obito’s other Rinnegan and exploiting his exhaustion.
• Obito proposed a trade, but Zou demanded Obito’s Mangekyō Sharingan and admitted he had only been toying with him.
• Obito retreated through a vortex, and Zou let him go because Zetsu was watching.
• Zou invited Zetsu to join the winning side, but Zetsu burrowed into the scorched earth and left.

Amado’s team found a fragment containing half a finger at the battlefield and discussed using its genes for their artificial human project. Zou Hyuga tracked down Nagato and Konan in the Land of Rain and met Nagato to hear what he had in mind.

• Amado and his assistants investigated the ravaged battlefield and found half a finger enclosed in a stone resembling their God Tree sample.
• Amado said the fragment held genes needed for the artificial human project, while an assistant warned that the project was taboo and dangerous.
• Zou Hyuga learned from his shadow clone that unfamiliar figures had appeared at the battlefield and suspected they served the hidden Otsutsuki.
• Zou crossed into the Land of Rain, located Nagato and Konan in a valley, and used Inorganic Reincarnation to enclose their hut.
• Nagato offered Zou the Six Paths of Pain except the Deva Path if he spared Konan, but Zou said he had come to keep their appointment.
• Zou noticed a photograph of Jiraiya, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, then asked Nagato what he intended to do.

Zou Hyuga restored Nagato’s sight and explained that a hidden Ōtsutsuki threat endangered the shinobi world. After revealing how deeply he had infiltrated Akatsuki, he offered to keep protecting Amegakure and help Nagato and Konan revive Yahiko, leaving them shaken by the possibility.

• Zou Hyuga gave Nagato a pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and Konan implanted them to restore Nagato’s sight.
• Nagato explained his plan to ease tensions with the Five Great Shinobi Villages while seeking a substitute for tailed beast chakra, but Zou Hyuga considered it impractical.
• Zou Hyuga decided that recruiting Nagato, Konan, and Akatsuki could help him oppose the hidden Ōtsutsuki organization.
• Zou Hyuga told Nagato and Konan about the Moon Otsutsuki Clan and the greater crisis facing the shinobi world.
• Nagato realized Zou Hyuga had known about Orochimaru and Shinnō’s betrayal and had hollowed out Akatsuki, while Zou confirmed the Seven-Tails had gone to the Otsutsuki.
• Zou Hyuga offered to protect Amegakure and help revive Yahiko, and Nagato and Konan’s expressions wavered.

Zou Hyuga persuaded Nagato and Konan to consider working with him by offering to summon Yahiko’s soul and revealing his role in reviving the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki. Nagato and Konan remained conflicted about facing Yahiko, but they had few alternatives to joining Zou.

• Nagato questioned how Zou Hyuga could revive Yahiko, and Zou pointed to Orochimaru’s Impure World Reincarnation technique.
• Nagato objected that the technique sacrificed a soul and that Rinne Rebirth would cost the caster’s life.
• Zou revealed that he had helped revive the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki, leading Nagato to realize Zou had disrupted the Akatsuki’s plans.
• Zou offered to summon Yahiko’s soul if Nagato brought out his body, but Nagato and Konan hesitated at the thought of facing their friend.
• Zou judged that Nagato and Konan had few safe options and were increasingly likely to consider working with him.

The Third Hokage received Zou Hyuga’s report linking the Tailed Beast Merchant Association to powerful Land of Fire officials and possibly the Daimyō, but decided to shelve the investigation. He then heard that Akatsuki’s trail ended at a devastated forest in the heart of the Land of Fire, where ordinary people had gathered.

• The Third Hokage read Zou Hyuga’s report and realized that continuing the investigation could implicate the Daimyō and threaten Konoha’s finances.
• The Third Hokage considered possible successors, including Kakashi and Oto Uchiha, but could not choose one who would avoid destabilizing the village.
• The Third Hokage summoned assistance, but an ANBU squad arrived and reported that Akatsuki’s trail had ended at a devastated site in the Land of Fire.
• The Third Hokage questioned whether Akatsuki had fought another Kage or suffered an internal conflict, then learned that ordinary people had visited the battlefield.

The Third Hokage and his advisors planned a search for the Akatsuki while considering using the graduation exams to investigate nearby villages and replenish Konoha’s forces. In the Land of Rain, Zou Hyuga brought Nagato and Konan to an abandoned Orochimaru base and began studying the Six Paths of Pain, while Nagato and Konan accepted the loss of the Rinnegan for Yahiko’s sake.

• The Third Hokage told Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu that he planned to send the Fire Squad to search for the Akatsuki and invite other village leaders to observe Konoha’s graduation exam.
• Mitokado Homura recognized that the exam could help investigate Akatsuki infiltration and suggested combining it with the Chunin Ninja Exams to replenish Konoha’s ranks.
• Zou Hyuga led Nagato and Konan to an abandoned Orochimaru base, where Nagato asked about Zou’s senjutsu and Zou confirmed that he had learned from Ryūchi Cave.
• After discovering that Nagato’s injuries were healing without help, Zou Hyuga asked him to summon the Six Paths of Pain and took the puppets to a secret room to study them.
• Nagato and Konan watched Zou Hyuga leave and accepted that the Rinnegan had been taken from Nagato to help resurrect Yahiko.