Recaps

Jing Xiu told Madara that Black Zetsu had manipulated him to revive Kaguya through the Eye of the Moon Plan, then proposed ways to stop the scheme and return to his original spacetime. Madara agreed to let Jing Xiu take his Rinnegan and the Demonic Statue’s finger segments, and sent him to train Obito Uchiha.

• Jing Xiu warned Madara that Black Zetsu had manipulated the Uchiha-Senju conflict and intended to use Infinite Tsukuyomi to revive Kaguya Otsutsuki.
• Jing Xiu outlined plans involving Madara’s Rinnegan, the moon’s descendants, and the Tenseigan, and Madara agreed Jing Xiu could take his Rinnegan.
• Jing Xiu asked for segments from each of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path’s fingers, and Madara gave them to him.
• Madara handed Jing Xiu a mask and asked him to train the boy in the secret chamber before falling into a deep sleep.
• Jing Xiu returned to Obito Uchiha, told him he would have to pass a potentially deadly test to see Rin again, and announced their journey through hell.

Jing Xiu trained Obito and Kabuto before accepting Madara’s challenge, where their battle pushed him to demonstrate his abilities. Madara judged that Jing Xiu lacked a decisive attack and prepared to teach him the Uchiha Clan’s ultimate secret.

• Jing Xiu brought six-year-old Kabuto back and trained him and Obito in physical endurance, battlefield decision-making, and combat.
• Madara and Jing Xiu sparred with Obito and Kabuto, and Kabuto managed to win a few matches despite his disadvantages.
• Jing Xiu told Madara that even overwhelming strength could leave a fighter vulnerable, prompting the old Uchiha to care about his younger self’s future.
• Madara attacked Jing Xiu with powerful Fire Release, but Jing Xiu redirected the flames to Konoha’s Root Base, killing Aburame Ryoma and forcing Shimura Danzō to spend a Sharingan to survive.
• Madara and Jing Xiu fought with Susanoo, lightning, taijutsu, and weapons until Madara declared that Jing Xiu needed a decisive attack and offered to teach him the Uchiha Clan’s ultimate secret.

Jing Xiu witnessed Madara’s final display of power, chose not to capture his soul, and took his body before setting out to find the Third Mizukage. He arrived at Uzushio Village as the Mizukage’s battle with Kirigakure’s clans neared its end.

• Madara unleashed Yasaka Magatama, then died after asking Jing Xiu to give Izuna his regards.
• Jing Xiu decided against imprisoning Madara’s soul and sealed Madara’s body despite Zetsu’s objections.
• Jing Xiu learned that Zetsu had captured the girl and was waiting for the Three-Tails Jinchūriki to release the beast.
• Jing Xiu ordered Zetsu to reveal the Third Mizukage’s location and traveled there using the Mayfly Technique.
• Jing Xiu observed the Hozuki, Yuki, and Kaguya Clans surrounding the Third Mizukage at Uzushio Village and prepared to intervene.

Jing Xiu used Yuki Shirakawa’s defeat to seal the Three-Tails inside Rin Nohara and witnessed Obito Uchiha awaken his Mangekyō through his connection to Kakashi’s Sharingan. He took Obito to meet the forming Akatsuki in the Land of Rain, where he began persuading Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan that the wars they had seen were only the beginning of the brutality ahead.

• Jing Xiu captured the dying Yuki Shirakawa, released Isobu the Three-Tails from his seal, and had Zetsu seal it inside Rin Nohara while he siphoned off some of its chakra.
• Jing Xiu observed Kakashi Hatake kill Rin Nohara at Kannabi Bridge and discovered that the Sharingan in Kakashi’s eye resonated with Obito Uchiha’s Sharingan, allowing both to awaken Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Jing Xiu told Zetsu he would join the Akatsuki under Madara Uchiha’s name, ordered Zetsu to find the passage to the moon, and threatened to destroy the eyes tied to the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan.
• Jing Xiu brought Obito to the Land of Rain and approached Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and Kyusuke as the Akatsuki began to take shape.
• Yahiko described the Akatsuki’s goal of becoming a blade that pierced darkness and led the shinobi world to peace, and Jing Xiu countered that he had witnessed children’s corpses and frail women’s blood on the battlefields.

Jing Xiu manipulated Daybreak’s leaders into believing he was Madara Uchiha and joined them as an adviser, then kept Nagato behind to question his control of the Rinnegan. The chapter ended with Nagato on the verge of attacking Jing Xiu over the question.

• Nagato reacted with anguish to Jing Xiu’s account of children and civilians dying in war, and Jing Xiu described his promise with a close friend to build peace.
• Yahiko, Konan, and Kyusuke suspected Jing Xiu was the First Hokage, but Jing Xiu claimed to be Madara Uchiha.
• Jing Xiu challenged the group’s faith in Konoha by pointing to the leaders and children who had fought and died in the recent war, persuading Daybreak’s members.
• Jing Xiu joined Daybreak as an adviser and assigned Yahiko and the others to deal with Obito.
• Jing Xiu told Nagato he suspected he was descended from the Uzumaki Clan, then asked whether he could fully control the Rinnegan, nearly provoking an attack.

Jing Xiu warned Nagato that the Rinnegan came from the reunion of yin and yang, then focused on expanding his research and preparing for the Nine-Tails' Attack. At Konoha, he took control of the Nine-Tails and confronted Minato Namikaze to buy time for his puppet clones.

• Jing Xiu told Nagato that the Rinnegan arose when yin and yang reunited and criticized the Akatsuki's limited vision of peace.
• Jing Xiu learned that Sasori's Body Tempering Furnace research could give civilians ninja aptitude, though they would likely only reach Chunin, and planned to seek Orochimaru's help.
• Jing Xiu and Sasori perfected White Zetsu-based puppet clones, while Jing Xiu mastered all five elemental nature transformations and learned Iwagakure Earth Release ninjutsu.
• Jing Xiu arrived in Konoha during the Nine-Tails' Attack as his clones infiltrated the Hokage Building, Root's research base, and the Konoha Martyrs' Cemetery.
• After Minato Namikaze defeated Obito Uchiha and broke his control over the Nine-Tails, Jing Xiu took control of the beast again and confronted Minato to stall for time.

Minato Namikaze fought the masked Jing Xiu, whose mastery of lightning and space-time techniques overwhelmed him and trapped the battlefield. After Jing Xiu subdued Gamabunta and revealed Shukaku, Minato began to suspect Jing Xiu was connected to the man who had summoned the Nine-Tails.

• Minato Namikaze attacked Jing Xiu with a barrage of shadow-cloned Flying Thunder God kunai, but Jing Xiu used the Futsu Sword to destroy all but the original three.
• Jing Xiu used lightning to create a Flying Thunder God Barrier, leaving Minato stunned by his control of space-time techniques.
• Minato summoned Gamabunta, who attacked Jing Xiu with his sword and Water Release, but Jing Xiu teleported away and summoned another beast to pin Gamabunta down.
• Jing Xiu used Quicksand Waterfall Flow to bury Gamabunta, while Minato escaped after struggling to use the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Summoning Technique within Jing Xiu's barrier.
• Minato saw Shukaku and told Jing Xiu he suspected him of being the man who had summoned the Nine-Tails; Jing Xiu asked whom he meant.

Jing Xiu fought Minato Namikaze amid the Nine-Tails’ attack, then experienced an epiphany before Minato severed his connection to the beast. As Minato and Hiruzen Sarutobi sealed the Nine-Tails inside Naruto Uzumaki, Minato accepted that the sealing would cost him his life and entrusted Naruto’s future to Hiruzen.

• Minato Namikaze identified the masked Jing Xiu as Madara Uchiha, but Jing Xiu attacked him with Lightning Release: Six-Zhang Lightning Prison.
• Minato entered Sage Mode and used an Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan against Jing Xiu and Shukaku, while Hiruzen Sarutobi redirected the Nine-Tails’ Tailed Beast Bomb toward their battlefield.
• Jing Xiu combined Sage Art: Lightning Kirin with Minato’s Rasengan to meet the Tailed Beast Bomb, and the collision gave Jing Xiu an epiphany.
• Minato used the Contract Seal to sever Jing Xiu’s connection to the Nine-Tails, and Jing Xiu withdrew with his clone puppets after completing his chakra collection.
• With Kushina Uzumaki dead, Minato and Hiruzen restrained the Nine-Tails as Minato sealed it inside Naruto Uzumaki.
• Minato told Hiruzen that he accepted the life-draining seal and entrusted Naruto’s future to him.

Jing Xiu expanded his power and research in the Land of Waves, while Kimimaro underwent dangerous experiments to strengthen his bloodline. After hearing that Tazuna had hired Konoha Ninja to challenge his control of customs, Jing Xiu decided Naruto Uzumaki should meet his parents.

• Jing Xiu collected Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki's souls after Minato died, intending to reunite them as husband and wife.
• Jing Xiu developed the Land of Waves' trade and weapons production, advanced his research with Sasori, and took Karin Uzumaki and Kimimaro Kaguya from Orochimaru.
• Jing Xiu and Sasori fused a clone with Hashirama Senju's original cells, while Kimimaro's Byakugan temporarily suppressed his bloodline disease.
• Jing Xiu fused Kaguya Tiexue's Relic Flower into Kimimaro, then replaced a damaged part of Kimimaro's spine with a White Zetsu spine to manage the dangerous power.
• Guren told Jing Xiu that Tazuna had secretly hired Konoha Ninja to challenge his control of customs, and Jing Xiu planned for Naruto Uzumaki to meet his parents.

Jing Xiu learned that Shimura Danzō planned to attack the Akatsuki and the Uchiha Clan, but Nagato refused an opportunity to capture the Nine-Tails early. Jing Xiu then prepared to intervene in the coming events, while Minato and his red-haired wife waited in hiding for a chance to see Naruto.

• Kabuto told Jing Xiu that Shimura Danzō planned to work with Hanzo of the Salamander to eliminate the Akatsuki after learning Nagato possessed the Rinnegan.
• Jing Xiu learned from Zetsu that Shisui Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga were accompanying Shimura Danzō, and that Hizashi had joined Root to protect Neji from the Caged Bird Seal.
• Jing Xiu urged Nagato to seize an opportunity to capture the Nine-Tails, but Nagato refused and said the Akatsuki needed more time to grow.
• Jing Xiu arranged for two Human Body Puppets to hide along the route between Konoha and the Land of Waves.
• Minato and his red-haired wife waited in the woods, hoping to see Naruto, while Minato vowed not to let Madara Uchiha harm him.

Jing Xiu entered the Uchiha compound on the night of the massacre and confronted Uchiha Fugaku and Mikoto about the clan’s downfall and his own connection to their family. He showed them the Uchiha’s past ambush and explained why he would not support Fugaku, just as Itachi arrived and demanded to know what had happened to his parents.

• Jing Xiu slipped into Konoha and reached the Uchiha clan grounds, reflecting on the massacre and his plans for Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Jing Xiu entered Fugaku’s room, where Fugaku and Mikoto had prepared themselves for death, and challenged Fugaku’s blame and anger.
• Jing Xiu showed Fugaku and Mikoto the Senju-Hyuga ambush on Uchiha wounded and children, then identified himself as their ancestor who had crossed time.
• Jing Xiu accused Fugaku of compromising for political balance and called Itachi an ignorant, self-important fool.
• Uchiha Itachi entered the room and demanded to know what Jing Xiu had done to his parents.

Jing Xiu showed Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Fugaku scenes from Konoha’s history to challenge Itachi’s beliefs about the Uchiha, the Will of Fire, and his choices. When Itachi dismissed the visions as genjutsu and attacked with Fugaku, Jing Xiu held them off as the battle approached Konoha’s Anbu, and Itachi proposed using a forbidden technique.

• Jing Xiu pulled Uchiha Itachi into the Inner Landscape Space and showed him and Uchiha Fugaku scenes from Konoha’s founding, arguing that Uchiha survival had depended on strength and Madara’s compromise.
• Jing Xiu showed the deaths of Senju Nawaki and young genin, then questioned why children fought in wars while Konoha’s elders enjoyed victory’s rewards.
• Uchiha Itachi accused Jing Xiu of using an unbreakable genjutsu and attacked him alongside Uchiha Fugaku after asking his father to help eliminate Jing Xiu.
• Jing Xiu fought Itachi and Fugaku with his Mystic Gates Eight Trigrams Formation, while Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu worried the battle would draw in the Anbu.
• Obito watched the fight from the Uchiha Clan Compound and complained that Jing Xiu was interfering everywhere, while Itachi told Fugaku they had to use their technique.

Jing Xiu overwhelmed Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Fugaku during the attack on the Uchiha Clan Compound, destroying their Susanoo and nearly leveling the compound. He took Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan and moved to take Itachi’s eyes, but Obito Uchiha intervened and proposed recruiting Itachi instead.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Konoha to enter level-one alert and sent the Jōnin to the Uchiha Clan Compound as Fugaku and Itachi confronted Jing Xiu with their Susanoo.
• Jing Xiu used Gen: Kunlun to immobilize the Susanoo, then attacked them with a fiery meteor shower and challenged Itachi over the slaughter of the Uchiha clan.
• Uchiha Fugaku used Amaterasu against Jing Xiu, but Jing Xiu summoned a wooden Buddha statue that shed the flames and unleashed Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.
• Jing Xiu’s attacks reduced the Uchiha Clan Compound to dust and left Fugaku and Itachi dying; Jing Xiu took Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan and prepared to take Itachi’s eyes.
• Obito Uchiha appeared through a spatial vortex and asked Jing Xiu to spare Itachi so the organization’s leader could discipline him and recruit him.

Jing Xiu and Obito vanished after Jing Xiu demanded Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyo eyes, while Jiraiya was summoned to Mount Myōboku. Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki reunited with Naruto on the Land of Waves mission, and Naruto realized his parents were the Fourth Hokage and his wife.

• Jing Xiu demanded that Obito hand over Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyo eyes, then both disappeared using Space-Time Ninjutsu.
• Gamamaru summoned Jiraiya to Mount Myōboku after foreseeing something, and Minato Namikaze deduced that the Great Toad Sage had called him.
• Kushina Uzumaki told Minato Namikaze that Jiraiya had vanished, and they turned their attention to their son.
• Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki ambushed Team 7, restrained Naruto Uzumaki, and knocked Sasuke Uchiha unconscious.
• Kushina Uzumaki sealed the Nine-Tails more tightly inside Naruto, then released him so he could embrace her and Minato.
• Kushina Uzumaki told Naruto that Minato had died protecting the village, and Naruto recognized him as the Fourth Hokage.

Naruto reunited with Minato and Kushina, who learned about his lonely childhood and shared a meal and precious time with him. As the brief reunion ended, Kushina decided to return to Konoha after seeing Sakura strike Naruto.

• Naruto hugged Kushina and admitted he knew she and Minato were his parents, while Kushina apologized for making him the Nine-Tails' vessel and leaving him alone.
• Minato questioned Kakashi about Naruto's childhood and condemned Hiruzen for giving Konohamaru a protector while Naruto lacked proper care.
• Minato and Kushina cooked Naruto a meal, then listened as he shared stories about growing up in Konoha.
• As Sasuke and the others began to wake, Kushina gave Naruto parting advice and told him she loved him before the reunion ended.
• Sakura woke and punched Naruto for spacing out, prompting Kushina to decide it was time to return to Konoha and confront what had happened to him.

Jing Xiu watched as Nagato unleashed the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path against Hanzō and Danzo’s forces, while secretly manipulating the battlefield through emotional genjutsu. As Shisui covered Danzo’s retreat, Obito intercepted him and revealed himself as an Uchiha.

• Jing Xiu lifted restrictions on Minato and Kushina, then used his concealment techniques to observe Hanzō threaten Konan and demand that Nagato or Yahiko trade a life for hers.
• Yahiko chose to die, and Nagato answered by deflecting Amegakure’s kunai and enduring Hanzō’s explosive tags to protect Konan.
• Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, whose chains and dark purple dragon devastated the Rain and Root ninja while Shisui struggled to fight it.
• Danzo ordered a retreat as Hanzō’s power collapsed, and Shisui stayed behind to cover the fleeing forces.
• Obito Uchiha appeared in Shisui’s escape route, and Shisui recognized him as the mysterious Uchiha who had fought Minato on the Night of the Nine-Tails.

After Nagato declared himself Pain and tried to assert control over the Akatsuki, Jing Xiu rejected his authority and left with Obito. Jing Xiu received Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan and began planning to take Nagato’s Rinnegan while preserving Madara’s chance to return to life.

• Nagato emerged after seven days in seclusion, declared himself Pain, and ordered Jing Xiu to prove his loyalty by completing a mission with Konan.
• Jing Xiu refused Nagato’s authority, withstood Pain’s Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei, and left the Akatsuki; Obito also departed, leaving Zetsu behind to guard Nagato’s Rinnegan.
• Obito gave Jing Xiu Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan and explained that they contained Kotoamatsukami, including an eye sealed to activate automatically for a new owner.
• Jing Xiu began searching for several Jōnin as part of a plan to seize Nagato’s Rinnegan and considered how to revive Madara without depriving him of his chance to return.

Jing Xiu raided the Jashin Cult’s holy site, discovered that its rites connected the High Priest to an unknown entity, and killed him before disguising himself as the priest. He then lured Konoha’s Team 8 into the encounter and headed toward Deva Path Pain, who waited above the sea.

• Jing Xiu, Sasori, and Kimimaro attacked the Jashin Cult’s holy site in the Land of Hot Water and found that the High Priest could withstand Kimimaro’s attacks.
• Jing Xiu disrupted the High Priest with Chaotic Golden Watchman, entered his Inner Landscape, and glimpsed a dark, tentacled unknown existence with eyes that seemed to devour light.
• Jing Xiu burned the High Priest to nothing, transformed a White Zetsu into his disguise, and ordered Sasori to collect information on the Jashin Cult and arrange rumors about the High Priest’s death at Konoha’s hands.
• After learning about the other Six Paths of Pain, Jing Xiu let Kurenai Yuhi’s Team 8 discover him and escaped toward the Land of Water.
• Deva Path Pain waited above the sea for the disguised Jashin Cult High Priest to arrive.

Jing Xiu ambushed Nagato, subdued him with Mangekyō genjutsu and Heavenly Unity Water, and took his Rinnegan. He prepared to implant the eyes in himself while Sasori and Kimimaro protected him, with four years remaining until his return journey.

• Deva Path Pain captured the High Priest of the Jashin Cult and brought his corpse to Nagato, who began working on it while Konan governed the Land of Rain.
• Jing Xiu revealed himself and used his Mangekyō Sharingan to pull Nagato's soul into Yomi, then froze and sealed Nagato with Heavenly Unity Water.
• Konan found Nagato's chamber empty, while Black Zetsu sensed that something momentous was about to happen.
• Jing Xiu escaped the Land of Rain with Sasori and Kimimaro, then had Sasori guard an underground lake against the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
• Jing Xiu anesthetized Nagato, removed his Rinnegan, and transplanted Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyo and white Zetsu cells into him.
• Jing Xiu and Kimimaro hid in concealed stone chambers, where Jing Xiu examined Madara's contingency in the Rinnegan and nourished the eyes with the source of life before preparing to implant them.

Orochimaru found the Land of Waves in chaos after Jing Xiu vanished, while Black Zetsu’s search for Jing Xiu and his allies led the Akatsuki to the underground lake. Two Ōtsutsuki emerged from the lake to hunt a supposed world-ending demon, and Black Zetsu ordered an attack.

• Orochimaru arrived in the Land of Waves and found its people rioting after Jing Xiu and Guren disappeared.
• Black Zetsu mobilized White Zetsu forces and searched the shinobi world for Jing Xiu, Guren, Haku, Kabuto Yakushi, and Sasori, but found none of them.
• Black Zetsu, Obito Uchiha, and Uchiha Itachi reached the underground lake and concluded Jing Xiu had taken Nagato to the moon.
• Konan and the Akatsuki's recruits joined them, and Konan also decided that Jing Xiu had gone to the moon.
• Kiyoteru Otsutsuki and Ryusei Otsutsuki emerged from the lake, intending to find and eliminate the demon said to threaten the shinobi world.
• Black Zetsu saw the Ōtsutsuki and ordered everyone to attack.

Jing Xiu integrated the Rinnegan and underwent a month of transformation while Kimimaro guarded him. Meanwhile, Jiraiya learned of Yahiko’s death and the Uchiha massacre, then sought Tsunade’s help in understanding a prophecy that Jing Xiu and Nagato might destroy the world.

• Jing Xiu nourished the Rinnegan with the Source of Life, implanted it, and entered a month-long transformation in the Body Tempering Furnace.
• Jing Xiu refined his body and power by uniting the Eight Extraordinary Skills, while Kimimaro guarded him in the stone chamber.
• Jiraiya received a prophecy at Mount Myōboku about star-like purple eyes destroying the world, then returned to Konoha and discovered the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out.
• Jiraiya went to the Land of Rain, found no sign of Nagato or Konan, and learned that Yahiko had died in battle.
• Jiraiya found Tsunade in Tanzaku Town and asked her to consider whether Jing Xiu might destroy the world, but she questioned his faith in the Great Toad Sage and asked where the third Sannin was.

Orochimaru fought Hiruzen Sarutobi during the Konoha Crush Plan and lost the use of his hands when Hiruzen used the Reaper Death Seal. Elsewhere, Guren and Seven-Tails Chomei confronted Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, before two unknown figures appeared and ordered Guren to come with them.

• Orochimaru recalled finding a white snake's shed skin with Hiruzen Sarutobi as a child and their conversation about good fortune and rebirth.
• Orochimaru revealed his ability to transfer into a new body and told Hiruzen that he could keep living through rebirth.
• Hiruzen summoned the Shinigami and sealed the First Hokage's and Second Hokage's Impure World Reincarnation bodies.
• Hiruzen used the Reaper Death Seal to take Orochimaru's hands and their ability to perform ninjutsu before he died.
• Guren and Seven-Tails Chomei encountered Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, who chose to fight for Konoha again.
• Two figures appeared beside Guren and ordered her to come with them.

The Moon Otsutsuki captured Guren and learned from Akatsuki that Uchiha Jing Xiu was their likely target, while Akatsuki suspected he was hiding in Obito Uchiha’s Kamui Dimension. Obito and Itachi prepared to search for Jing Xiu, and Itachi later returned to Konoha with Kisame Hoshigaki, where Team 8 confronted them.

• Kiyoteru Otsutsuki and Ryusei Otsutsuki arrived in Konoha, captured Guren, and drove Seven-Tails Chomei away while Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki fled.
• Qinghui Otsutsuki and Ryusei Otsutsuki fought Akatsuki, then learned from Konan and Black Zetsu that Uchiha Jing Xiu might have taken Nagato.
• Qinghui Otsutsuki ordered Guren's capture and planned to negotiate with Konoha for two pairs of Byakugan.
• Black Zetsu asked Obito Uchiha to search his Kamui Dimension for Jing Xiu, and Obito agreed to bring only Black Zetsu and Uchiha Itachi.
• Obito delayed their search until Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan recovered, and Itachi agreed to help find Jing Xiu despite the risk to his eyesight.
• Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki entered Konoha, where Team 8 spotted them and demanded to know what they were plotting.

Jing Xiu continued his Rinnegan gestation in the Kamui Dimension as Black Zetsu and the others discovered him. Kimimaro fought off the intruders and broke free of Itachi’s Tsukuyomi through sheer will, leaving Itachi shaken.

• Itachi defeated Kurenai with the rebound of her genjutsu, while Jing Xiu continued his second Rinnegan gestation, which had lasted almost two months.
• A White Zetsu found Jing Xiu’s hiding place, and Kimimaro spotted tens of thousands of White Zetsu alongside Obito, Black Zetsu, and Itachi.
• Jing Xiu told Kimimaro to return to him if the attackers overwhelmed them, while Kimimaro cleared nearby stone pillars to prepare for battle.
• Itachi opened the fight with Tsukuyomi, trapping Kimimaro in an illusion where he subjected him to ninety-six hours of torture.
• Kimimaro’s willpower endured the illusion and shattered Tsukuyomi, leaving Itachi horrified and asking who he was.

Itachi and Black Zetsu retreated after failing to overcome Kimimaro, who continued guarding Jing Xiu as he cultivated. A week later, Black Zetsu returned with reinforcements, including two Otsutsuki seeking Kimimaro’s Byakugan, and Kimimaro attacked them first.

• Itachi fought Kimimaro with Susanoo but could not gain the advantage, while Obito refused to intervene.
• Black Zetsu called for a retreat, and Kimimaro stayed beside Jing Xiu as Jing Xiu continued developing his Rinnegan and harmonizing the power of his quickening.
• Itachi argued against recruiting Konan and the others, so Black Zetsu decided to seek out two people interested in Kimimaro’s Byakugan.
• After seven quiet days, Black Zetsu returned with Seven-Tails Chomei, Guren, Haku, three cloaked figures, and Kiyoteru Otsutsuki and Ryusei Otsutsuki.
• Kimimaro launched Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets at the entire group, piercing through Ryusei Otsutsuki’s Rotation and threatening both Otsutsuki.