Chapter Summaries

Tobirama questioned Minato and Orochimaru after meeting them with Zou Hyuga, then learned that the Akatsuki leader had not attacked his true body. The group was left wondering who had defeated Tobirama’s real body and where it had gone.

• Tobirama attacked Minato’s group with Water Release, but Zou Hyuga absorbed the torrent with the Rhombus Mark.
• Tobirama learned that Orochimaru had resurrected Minato and Kushina, and Orochimaru asked how Tobirama escaped from Madara.
• Tobirama told Zou Hyuga that he had lost contact with his true body in Amegakure and suspected it had been attacked or sealed.
• Zou Hyuga revealed that he and 'Madara' had defeated Nagato and that he now led the Akatsuki.
• Zou Hyuga said the attacker who defeated Tobirama’s true body belonged to a hidden, powerful group beyond the Akatsuki.

Kakashi picked up Naruto and received a sealed message from Minato inviting the village leadership to meet him outside the village. The Third Hokage decided to attend with a small group, while ordering Oto's squad to secure the village.

• Kakashi met Itachi outside the Ninja Academy and watched Naruto and Sasuke argue after school.
• Kakashi took Naruto to Ichiraku Ramen, where Naruto gave him a Sealing Scroll from Minato for the Third Hokage.
• The Third Hokage read Minato's invitation to meet outside the village and questioned what Minato intended.
• The Third Hokage ordered Kakashi to have Oto's squad lock down the village and decided to meet Minato himself.
• The Third Hokage summoned Tsunade and Jiraiya, then put on his armor and Hokage Hat.

The Third, Jiraiya, and Tsunade met Orochimaru and the resurrected Tobirama outside Konoha after receiving an invitation connected to Minato and Kushina. Tobirama warned them that he needed to discuss a threat to the survival of the shinobi world, but had not yet explained what it was.

• The Third summoned Jiraiya and Tsunade and led them outside the village to meet Minato and Kushina or whoever had invited them.
• Jiraiya scouted the meeting place and sensed no nearby ninja before Orochimaru appeared with several familiar figures.
• The Third recognized Tobirama as an Impure World Reincarnation and accused Orochimaru of controlling Minato and Kushina.
• Orochimaru said he had not invited them and claimed he would be glad to see Konoha destroyed, leaving the group to suspect the figures accompanying him.
• Tobirama stepped forward and said he was the one who needed to speak with them about a catastrophe that could threaten the shinobi world.

Zou Hyuga revealed that Madara's Successor planned to gather the tailed beasts, revive the Ten-Tails, and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi, prompting the Konoha leaders to consider opposing him. He left them stunned by declaring that peace was impossible unless everyone in the Shinobi World was wiped out.

• The Third questioned Zou Hyuga about the catastrophe, and Zou asked Tobirama to explain what he knew.
• Tobirama told the Third and the others that he and the First had been defeated by Madara's Successor, who had taken Nagato's Rinnegan.
• Orochimaru warned Jiraiya that he would have died if he had remained sentimental when Orochimaru planned to destroy Konoha, then said he was now following orders.
• Zou Hyuga explained that Madara's Successor intended to collect the tailed beasts, revive the Ten-Tails, and use the Infinite Tsukuyomi to trap the world in a genjutsu.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya questioned the motives behind the plan, and Zou said he did not seek peace because conflict could not end unless everyone was eliminated.

Zou Hyuga persuaded Konoha’s leaders to cooperate against Madara and his possible army of reincarnated shinobi, while warning them that an even greater threat faced the shinobi world. He agreed to remain in the Land of Fire for now and asked for Konoha’s Scroll of Seals.

• Zou Hyuga explained that Akatsuki wanted Konoha’s help against Madara, who might command an army of reincarnated shinobi.
• The Third Hokage agreed to alert the other major villages and prepare for a Shinobi World War, while Zou said Akatsuki would not participate.
• Zou warned that Madara was not the only catastrophe threatening the shinobi world, and Tobirama said the greater enemy was one for Akatsuki to face.
• Minato and Tobirama urged the Third, Tsunade, and Jiraiya to keep the meeting secret and cooperate with Zou.
• Zou said he would remain in the Land of Fire and asked the Third for a copy of Konoha’s Scroll of Seals.

Zou Hyuga secured the Third’s agreement to borrow the Scroll of Seals, then assured Jiraiya that Nagato and Konan were alive. After Jiraiya returned to the village, the Third, Jiraiya, and Tsunade agreed to prepare for war against “Madara” while keeping their contact with the Akatsuki secret.

• The Third agreed to lend Zou Hyuga a copy of the Scroll of Seals after recognizing the Akatsuki’s strength.
• Jiraiya followed Zou Hyuga’s group and asked about Nagato and Konan, and Zou Hyuga told him they were alive.
• Jiraiya left without pressing Orochimaru or Minato to return, while Zou Hyuga’s companions called him a good person for reassuring Jiraiya.
• Jiraiya rejoined the Third’s group and said he had failed to persuade Orochimaru and Minato to return to Konoha.
• Tsunade asked whether the villages should prepare for war, and the Third agreed while insisting they conceal Konoha’s meeting with the Akatsuki.

Zou Hyuga consulted Tobirama, Orochimaru, and Sasori about their stalled research into countering Impure World Reincarnation and learned that Tobirama’s soul was trapped outside the shinobi world. With his Karma already about sixty percent complete, Zou planned to wait until the war began before pursuing the hidden Otsutsuki.

• Zou Hyuga studied the Scroll of Seals and reflected on how ninjutsu and kekkei genkai worked.
• Zou visited the laboratory, where Orochimaru, Tobirama, and Sasori were researching ways to counter Impure World Reincarnation.
• Zou asked Tobirama whether he could sense his main body, and Tobirama explained that sealing or true space-time ninjutsu could cut off their connection.
• Orochimaru used Tobirama’s cells to attempt another Impure World Reincarnation, but the ritual failed and confirmed that Tobirama’s soul remained outside the shinobi world.
• Zou considered his growing Karma and his preparations against the hidden Otsutsuki, then told the researchers to continue their work and vanished.

Obito recovered from using Limited Tsukuyomi and weighed his plans to revive the Ten-Tails and capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki. After finding Madara Uchiha's body, he sent it into the Kamui Dimension and reaffirmed his resolve to destroy the world and create a new one for Rin.

• Obito woke after a week of recovery and learned that the reanimated First Hokage remained trapped in Limited Tsukuyomi and could not be controlled.
• Zetsu reported that they had collected the bodies of powerful shinobi, including former Seven-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, and suggested Kinkaku and Ginkaku could supply Nine-Tails chakra.
• Obito postponed reviving the Ten-Tails and ordered Zetsu to capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki before beginning the ritual.
• A White Zetsu reported that they had found Madara Uchiha's body, and Obito went to inspect it among the bodies being prepared for Impure World Reincarnation.
• Obito sent Madara Uchiha's body into the Kamui Dimension and vowed to destroy the failed world and create a new one for Rin.

The Third Hokage told Konoha’s clan heads that “Madara Uchiha” planned to start the Fourth Shinobi World War using reanimated ninja. He ordered preparations against the Impure World Reincarnation while keeping the intelligence secret until the Five Kage Summit.

• Hiashi and Fugaku noticed that the Third Hokage seemed to have regained the strength and bearing of his prime, and Fugaku suspected Zou Hyuga had restored him with Hashirama cells.
• Fugaku and Hiashi exchanged greetings, prompting the other clan heads to consider whether the Uchiha and Hyuga might join forces.
• The Third Hokage announced that “Madara Uchiha” was planning the Fourth Shinobi World War, and he confirmed the intelligence was reliable.
• The Third Hokage said the Akatsuki would use deceased ninja revived through Impure World Reincarnation, and Oto Uchiha warned the clan heads from her experience fighting the Second’s reanimated body.
• The Third Hokage instructed the clans to drill sealing jutsu, keep the information secret, and await a formal mobilization after the Five Kage Summit.

The Third revealed to the inner circle that a moderate faction of the Akatsuki had offered secret cooperation against Madara Uchiha, and the Fire Squad agreed to conceal their alliance. The meeting ended with Jiraiya reporting a warning of catastrophe from the Great Toad Sage and declining the First Hokage’s cells.

• The Third explained that the Akatsuki had split into factions and that its moderate faction wanted Konoha to secretly cooperate against Madara Uchiha.
• Oto Uchiha questioned whether the Akatsuki could be trusted, so the Third invoked the Fourth Hokage’s name to support the intelligence.
• The Fire Squad accepted the plan to remain openly hostile to the Akatsuki while secretly holding back in battle.
• Tsunade left to prepare Konoha Hospital for war, while Jiraiya and the Third discussed the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy that the Child of Prophecy had yet to mature and a catastrophe was approaching.
• The Third offered to have the First Hokage’s cells implanted in Jiraiya, but Jiraiya declined.

Kakashi and Guy delivered the Hokage’s warning about the Akatsuki and a proposed Five Kage Summit to the Fourth Raikage in Kumogakure. After they departed, Obito and Zetsu watched from the mountains and focused on capturing the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

• Kakashi and Guy arrived in Kumogakure and watched the Fourth Raikage overpower Darui during a sparring match.
• The Fourth Raikage had C inspect Kakashi and Guy, then invited Guy to join Kumogakure, but Guy refused.
• Kakashi gave the Fourth Raikage a letter proposing a Five Kage Summit and warning that Madara Uchiha planned to start a war.
• The Fourth Raikage questioned the summit’s secret location, and Kakashi and Guy left after completing their mission.
• Obito rejected Zetsu’s suggestion to intercept Kakashi and Guy, saying they would capture the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki instead.

Obito and Zetsu infiltrated Kumogakure to capture Killer B, but the Fourth Raikage confronted them after Mabui raised the alarm. Obito escaped and left the reanimated Kinkaku and Ginkaku to fight, while the Raikage struggled against their regeneration and Six Paths Tools.

• Zetsu brought Obito the reanimated Kinkaku and Ginkaku, whose Six Paths Tools could help seal the Eight-Tails.
• Obito and Zetsu entered Kumogakure and found Mabui in the Raikage's Office; Mabui sounded the alarm, and Obito sent her into the Kamui Dimension.
• The Fourth Raikage burst into the office and attacked Obito, but Kinkaku and Ginkaku intercepted him.
• Obito left through Kamui, and the Fourth Raikage recognized Kinkaku and Ginkaku as the reanimated missing-nin who had killed the Second Raikage and Second Hokage.
• The Fourth Raikage shattered Kinkaku and Ginkaku with repeated strikes, but their bodies regenerated.
• Kinkaku swung the Banana Palm Fan, unleashing a destructive storm that damaged the Raikage's building and injured the Kumogakure jonin.

Obito attacked Killer B on Turtle Island, but a Transcription Seal placed by Zou Hyuga activated and put Obito under genjutsu. As Konoha’s squad intervened, reanimated shinobi appeared, including the Second Tsuchikage, while Kakashi and Guy faced the Third Raikage.

• Obito learned Killer B’s location from Mabui and headed to the remote island where Killer B was hiding.
• Obito restrained the fully transformed Eight-Tails with Wood Release and tried to control Killer B with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Killer B’s Transcription Seal activated when he saw Obito’s Kamui eyes, inflicting genjutsu that made Obito drowsy.
• Shisui and Yamato moved to rescue Killer B, while Zou Hyuga and Oto Uchiha treated the injured Kumogakure jonin.
• Zou revealed that he had arranged the seal with Kotoamatsukami and Amenominaka, but the Second Tsuchikage appeared before them.
• Kakashi and Guy encountered the Third Raikage and were in dire straits.

Kakashi, Guy, and Shisui fought the Second Tsuchikage and Third Raikage while Oto and Zou watched to test their limits. Oto then attacked Zetsu, who summoned another reanimated ninja, and she struck at the giant clam he used to conceal himself.

• The Second Tsuchikage dissolved Shisui’s Susanoo and Yamato’s Wood Release with Dust Release, while the Third Raikage overwhelmed Kakashi and Guy with his Lightning Release Armor.
• Guy opened the Seventh Gate, and Kakashi gathered natural energy before charging the Third Raikage.
• Zou asked Oto for the fox and headed toward Killer B and Obito to take it to the Eight-Tails.
• Oto activated Susanoo and attacked Zetsu, cutting through his Wood Release defenses as he tried to protect Obito.
• Zetsu summoned a mustached man whose shadow clone used Steaming Danger Tyranny, filling the battlefield with steam.
• Oto entered senjutsu mode, enlarged her Susanoo, and struck the giant clam concealed in the mist.

Zou Hyuga drove Obito away after resisting his attack, then entered Killer B’s mental space and separated the Eight-Tails from him. He concealed the Eight-Tails and the chakra Nine-Tails before heading to the nearby battlefield to seal the reanimated Kage and pursue Zetsu.

• Zou Hyuga deflected Hozuki Gengetsu’s attack, dispersed Hozuki Mangetsu, and approached the motionless Obito.
• Obito resisted Kotoamatsukami, but his vision and eye power were badly weakened, so he used Kamui to escape Zou and the Fire Squad.
• Zou Hyuga entered Killer B’s mental space, where the Eight-Tails questioned his intentions and argued with the chakra Nine-Tails.
• Zou Hyuga used his Otsutsuki pressure to make the Eight-Tails cooperate, separated it from Killer B with Karma, and had it sign a Summoning Contract.
• Zou Hyuga dispersed the re-formed Hozuki Gengetsu, concealed the Eight-Tails and the chakra Nine-Tails, and headed toward the nearby battlefield to capture Zetsu and seal the reanimated Kage.

The Fire Squad defeated the reincarnated Kage and drove Zetsu away, then escorted Killer B back toward Kumogakure. On the journey, Zou and Oto told Kakashi that they knew Madara Uchiha was Obito, though Oto insisted his crimes still demanded punishment.

• Zou brought unconscious Killer B to the Kumogakure jonin, then joined the fight against the reincarnated Kage.
• Oto and the Fire Squad sealed the Third Raikage and restrained Mu after defeating the Giant Clam.
• Zou attacked Zetsu with a Rasengan, took the Benihisago, and made Zetsu retreat underground before Kakashi could catch him.
• The Kumogakure jonin identified the Benihisago and Seven Stars Sword as Kinkaku and Ginkaku's tools, but Zou kept them and offered to escort Killer B home.
• Kakashi asked Zou about Madara, and Zou and Oto revealed that they knew he was Obito Uchiha.
• Oto told Kakashi that Obito's crimes against the Uchiha clan and the village still required punishment.

After the Fire Squad rescued Killer B, the Fourth Raikage learned that the Eight-Tails had vanished, leaving only a tentacle and raising fears for the remaining jinchūriki. Obito and Zetsu assessed their failed attack on Kumogakure and planned around information about the coming Five Kage Summit.

• Yamato speculated that the other Akatsuki faction might also include Konoha ninja, while Zou Hyuga hid his unease.
• The Fourth Raikage met the Fire Squad, thanked them for saving Killer B, and let them leave with the Seven Stars Sword and Benihisago.
• Killer B woke and discovered that the Eight-Tails had disappeared, though a tentacle and some chakra remained.
• The Fourth Raikage realized the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was the only one not captured and decided to consider the Third Hokage's proposal before the Five Kage Summit.
• Obito questioned Zetsu and learned that the reincarnated Kage and Kinkaku and Ginkaku had been defeated, leaving the Akatsuki with only part of the Eight-Tails' body.
• Obito judged the attack a costly failure but learned from Mabui that the Five Kage planned to mobilize tens of thousands of ninja to protect the remaining jinchūriki.

After Fire Squad returned to Konoha, Zou Hyuga visited the Hyuga Clan Compound and reflected on how little the place felt like his home. He reunited with Hinata, Neji, and Hiashi, while the Five Kage Summit approached.

• Zou Hyuga studied the Seven Stars Sword and Benihisago, concluded that the Six Paths Tools were linked to the God Tree, and gave them to Oto for safekeeping.
• Kakashi received orders from the Third Hokage for Fire Squad to return to Konoha and serve as his Shadow Guard at the Five Kage Summit.
• Fire Squad reached Konoha, met with the Third Hokage, and then went their separate ways while waiting for the summit.
• Zou Hyuga returned to the Hyuga Clan Compound, visited his abandoned laboratory, and headed to the Main Family's old estate.
• Zou Hyuga found Hinata and Neji wearing ninja forehead protectors, offered Hinata Gentle Fist advice, and waited for Hiashi to arrive.

Zou Hyuga reassured Hyuga Hiashi that Hanabi was safe and warned him that the Fourth Shinobi World War could threaten even the strongest ninja. He supplied the Hyuga Clan with Scientific Ninja Tools and Chakra Armor, leaving Hiashi and Hizashi to realize that Zou might command a force comparable to a shinobi village.

• Zou Hyuga told Hyuga Hiashi that Hanabi was safe, Otsutsuki Toneri had been defeated, and the Lunar Lineage no longer threatened the Shinobi World Branch.
• Zou Hyuga warned Hiashi that the coming Fourth Shinobi World War could be beyond anything seen before and that even he might not survive it.
• Zou Hyuga gave Hiashi Storage Scrolls containing Scientific Ninja Tools and Chakra Armor to help the Hyuga Clan defend itself.
• Hiashi and Hizashi tested the equipment, and a Scientific Ninja Tool bullet pierced Hizashi's Rotation enough to mark his Chakra Armor.
• Hiashi and Hizashi realized that Zou Hyuga's resources and influence might amount to a force comparable to a shinobi village.

Kakashi learned that Minato accepted Obito as an enemy and was invited to Mount Myōboku to hear the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy before the Five Kage Summit. Meanwhile, Oto tested Itachi’s Sharingan and used Shisui’s Mangekyō genjutsu to try to trigger Itachi’s own Mangekyō.

• Kakashi visited Rin and Obito’s graves, and Minato told him that Obito’s choice had made him their enemy.
• Minato departed when he sensed approaching chakra, and Jiraiya invited Kakashi to Mount Myōboku for training and a meeting with the Great Toad Sage.
• Oto explained that she wanted the Uchiha clan prepared for the coming war and took Shisui and Itachi to Naka Shrine.
• Itachi read less than a third of the shrine’s stone tablet, and Oto concluded that his eye power was close to the Mangekyō Sharingan level.
• Oto signaled Shisui to trap Itachi in a Mangekyō genjutsu, hoping his love for his family would awaken his eyes.