Chapter Summaries

Shihōin Naraku reviewed Sasuke Uchiha's report of a deserted Underground Base and recognized it as a former Kara stronghold. He ordered the Analysis Team to support the investigation, while suspecting Isshiki may have abandoned the base because Naraku himself had become a threat.

• Shihōin Naraku read Sasuke Uchiha's report describing an Underground Base that had likely served as an Outer Circle stronghold for Kara.
• Shihōin Naraku considered whether Kara had abandoned the base voluntarily or evacuated after a threat, but ruled out the Search Team because the site had been deserted for several years.
• Shihōin Naraku realized Isshiki may have withdrawn his forces because Naraku's growing strength had made him a threat.
• Shihōin Naraku decided the base could still yield clues about Kara's movements and prepared an Order Letter sending at least six Analysis Team members to assist Sasuke and Naruto.

Shihōin Naraku ordered the Analysis Team to investigate an underground base in the Land of Rivers and considered how Ōtsutsuki Isshiki might target the Search Team during the Five-Nation Joint Chunin Selection Trials. As Naraku prepared for a possible fight, Inoichi Yamanaka led a squad out of Konoha that night to investigate the base.

• Shihōin Naraku ordered the Analysis Team to search the underground base in the Land of Rivers and report every detail to the village.
• Naraku reasoned that Isshiki might attack the Search Team during the Chunin Selection Trials, when Konoha's defenses would be stretched and Naruto would be away.
• Naraku decided he needed to prepare for Isshiki's move before the Chunin Selection Trials and drew Kurikara beneath the moonlight.
• Inoichi Yamanaka assembled a squad and led it out of Konoha in the middle of the night toward the Land of Rivers.

The Analysis Team investigated the Underground Base and concluded that it had supported a large, well-organized operation likely connected to Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. Shihōin Naraku received their findings, and Konoha's leaders gathered to review them.

• Inoichi Yamanaka led the Analysis Team through the Underground Base, where they identified a mural of the God Tree and began searching its passages and rooms.
• Over two days, Inoichi mapped the base's living quarters, storage area, laboratory, and connecting routes while his team examined its ventilation system.
• Inoichi concluded that the base had once housed more than fifty people at its peak and likely belonged to a large organization established by Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
• Shihōin Naraku read the Analysis Team's report, which estimated that the base had been abandoned for at least three years.
• Kakashi, Shikaku, Tsunade, and Jiraiya reviewed the findings with Naraku in the Hokage Building conference room.

Naraku warned that Isshiki might attack the Search Team during the Five-Nation Joint Chunin Selection Trials, when Konoha’s defenses would be stretched. He assigned security duties to Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Tsunade, then insisted on leaving the village to ambush Isshiki despite their objections.

• Naraku summarized intelligence about Isshiki’s abandoned base and warned that Isshiki might already know about the Search Team.
• Naraku predicted Isshiki would target the Search Team during the Five-Nation Joint Chunin Selection Trials, when Naruto would be recalled and Sasuke would be left as its strongest combatant.
• Naraku assigned Jiraiya and Kakashi to protect the trial venue and visiting Daimyo, Tsunade to guard visiting officials, and Shikaku to coordinate village defenses.
• Naraku announced that he would secretly leave Konoha and wait near the Search Team to counterattack Isshiki if he struck.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade challenged Naraku’s plan as too risky, but Naraku argued that the trials might be their only chance to catch Isshiki before he planted the God Tree again.

Shihōin Naraku argued that he had to confront Ōtsutsuki Isshiki before the hidden enemy could grow stronger, while Tsunade and the others worried that Konoha would be vulnerable during the Chunin trials. The discussion ended with Naraku insisting that passive defense would only give Isshiki more time to prepare.

• Shihōin Naraku explained that Isshiki was more dangerous than Kaguya because he was cautious, intelligent, and had built a hidden organization.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi Hatake, and Shikaku Nara warned that Naraku should not face Isshiki alone, but Naraku pointed out that Sasuke Uchiha would be with the Search Team.
• Naraku privately recalled Isshiki’s limits: Jigen’s body could not withstand his full power, and Isshiki had no compatible vessel for reincarnation.
• Tsunade and Shikaku warned that Isshiki’s organization might attack Konoha during the Chunin trials, when Naraku would be away and leaders from other villages would be present.
• Naraku argued that the discovered base had been abandoned three years earlier and that waiting would let Isshiki build his strength, making a future fight far more dangerous.

Shihōin Naraku secured the others’ agreement to confront Ōtsutsuki Isshiki if he attacked during the Five-Nation Joint Chunin Selection Trials. After considering the possibility that Momoshiki Otsutsuki and Kinshiki Otsutsuki might arrive early and attack Konoha, Naraku decided to leave a Special Shadow Clone behind to protect the village.

• Kakashi Hatake, Jiraiya, Shikaku, and Tsunade debated Naraku’s plan to act against Isshiki during the trials, and Shikaku and Kakashi supported it.
• Jiraiya agreed to the plan after Naraku promised to retreat if the front line became dangerous, and the group arranged for Naraku to leave Konoha quietly if the Search Team was attacked.
• Back in his office, Naraku realized Momoshiki Otsutsuki and Kinshiki Otsutsuki might arrive earlier than expected and attack Konoha while he was away.
• Naraku decided to leave a Special Shadow Clone in Konoha to help Naruto, Jiraiya, and the others defend the village.

As Konoha prepared for the Five-Nation Joint Chunin Selection Trials, Shihōin Naraku managed the swelling crowds and their strain on village resources while keeping order. Kakashi dealt with rising petty crime and accepted Naraku’s decision not to tighten entry requirements.

• Naraku ordered Konoha to expand camping areas outside the village, arrange patrols, and direct overflow visitors to nearby towns.
• Shikaku Nara reported that more than four hundred non-Ninja had entered Konoha the previous day and that the registration line was shrinking after staff were added.
• Naraku observed the crowded village, which was gaining economic and reputational benefits despite increased pressure on supplies and security.
• Kakashi’s subordinates brought a thief into custody, and Kakashi recalled that Konoha had recorded thirty-seven petty thefts the previous day.
• Kakashi remembered that Naraku had rejected tighter entry rules, explaining that someone was testing Konoha’s limits and that the village should not appear nervous.

Sasuke and Naruto investigated the Underground Base, where the Analysis Team confirmed that people had been experimented on and uncovered five buried bodies. The bodies came from Konoha, Sunagakure, and the Land of Rain, and Sasuke concluded that Isshiki’s organization likely targeted Rain ninja because their disappearances were less likely to prompt thorough investigations.

• Naruto told Sasuke that the Analysis Team had found signs of equipment and restraints in the laboratory and confirmed that some test subjects had been human.
• Sasuke and Naruto returned to the surface, then discussed Naruto’s order to go back to Konoha before the Five-Nation Joint Chunin Selection Trials; Naruto said he wanted to delay his return.
• A ninja reported that the Analysis Team had found five bodies buried near the base, and Sasuke and Naruto went to inspect them.
• Inoichi said the bodies were likely test subjects who had died during experiments and explained that identifying them would require further investigation.
• The Analysis Team determined that three bodies belonged to ninja from the Land of Rain, one to Konoha, and one to Sunagakure.
• Sasuke explained that Rain ninja were easier to abduct without attracting notice because their village’s systems and missing-person investigations were less rigorous.

Sasuke Uchiha and the Analysis Team examined five buried ninja whose bodies showed signs of prolonged experimentation and abnormal preservation. Sasuke ordered the bodies taken to Konoha for further study, while Naruto Uzumaki wondered what would happen to the three from the Land of Rain.

• Inoichi Yamanaka estimated that the five bodies had been buried for roughly five years or more, but said their condition made the time of death uncertain.
• Inoichi showed Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki healed injuries indicating that the bodies had been subjected to repeated experiments while alive.
• Sasuke ordered all five bodies taken to Konoha so the Medical Squad and laboratories could examine them and compare their injuries with village records.
• Inoichi agreed to report the findings to the Hokage and recommend contacting Sunagakure before the bodies entered Konoha's laboratories.
• Naruto asked what would happen to the three bodies from the Land of Rain and thought of Nagato and Konan.

Sasuke and Naruto discussed informing the Land of Rain about the bodies found in Isshiki’s underground laboratory and arranging proper burials. The Analysis Team then uncovered another body, identified as a Root ninja, deepening the mystery around the experiments.

• Sasuke and Naruto agreed to inform the Land of Rain and let Konoha examine the bodies before offering them back.
• Sasuke wrote a report recommending that the Hokage contact Sunagakure and the Land of Rain to prevent disputes.
• Inoichi told Sasuke that the Analysis Team had found a sixth body, which belonged to a Konoha ninja.
• Inoichi showed Sasuke and Naruto a faint mark behind the corpse’s ear and explained that it was a Cursed Seal mark identifying the dead ninja as a former Root member.

Sasuke discovered that the remains near Ōtsutsuki Isshiki’s underground base belonged to a Root ninja, suggesting Isshiki’s experiments had begun years earlier. He expanded the search and sent his findings to Hokage Shihōin Naraku, who received the scroll in Konoha.

• Sasuke, Naruto, and Inoichi identified the remains as a Root ninja and considered how the body had ended up near Isshiki’s underground base.
• Sasuke and Inoichi concluded that Isshiki’s experiments on Konoha ninja might have begun while Danzo was alive, while Inoichi ruled out the earlier unidentified body being another Root ninja.
• Sasuke ordered a search of everything within a thousand-meter radius of the base, and Inoichi arranged for the Search Team and reinforcements to assist.
• Sasuke recorded the discoveries on a scroll and summoned a white snake to deliver it directly to the Hokage.
• Shihōin Naraku received the scroll at the Hokage’s Office, and Kakashi recognized Sasuke as the sender.

Shihōin Naraku received Sasuke Uchiha’s report that an underground base linked to Ōtsutsuki Isshiki contained five bodies from several factions, including Konoha and Root. Naraku ordered reinforcements and a wider investigation, then recognized that Isshiki’s organization, Kara, had been experimenting to find a vessel capable of surviving Karma.

• Naraku read Sasuke’s intelligence with Kakashi and Shikaku, learning that five bodies had been found at Isshiki’s base, including a Root ninja and people from Konoha, Sunagakure, and the Land of Rain.
• Shikaku concluded Isshiki’s organization had been abducting people for experiments for at least five years, and Naraku ordered two Analysis Team squads and ANBU to reinforce the camp and bring back the bodies.
• Naraku directed the Intelligence Department to search records of people who had gone missing on missions five to seven years earlier, especially those connected to ANBU or Root.
• Naraku decided Konoha would formally notify all five great nations and the Land of Rain about the discoveries and share further intelligence as the investigation continued.
• After Kakashi and Shikaku left, Naraku realized Isshiki and Kara were searching for a person who could survive being branded with Karma as a vessel for Isshiki’s resurrection.

Gaara learned that a Sunagakure ninja had been abducted and killed in Ōtsutsuki Isshiki’s experiments, and ordered a confidential investigation into missing shinobi. He decided to send Temari to Konoha so its specialists could examine the remains and investigate further.

• Gaara received Naraku’s report that Sasuke Uchiha’s Search Team had found several bodies near an Underground Base, including a confirmed Sunagakure ninja.
• Gaara recalled Sunagakure shinobi who had disappeared and summoned Baki to identify possible victims from five to seven years earlier or before.
• Baki recalled that six or seven Sunagakure ninja had gone missing after the Konoha Crush Plan and agreed to search the village archives.
• Gaara ordered Baki to investigate secretly, compile a list, and keep the matter confidential.
• Gaara decided to send Temari to Konoha immediately so its Medical Squad and Analysis Team could examine the remains.

Gaara decided to send Temari to Konoha to oversee the examination of recovered Sunagakure ninja bodies and coordinate preparations for the Five-Nation Joint Chunin Selection Trials. Meanwhile, Amegakure’s leaders debated whether to leave their recovered ninja’s bodies in Konoha’s care or send someone to retrieve them.

• Gaara convinced Baki that Konoha’s experts should examine the bodies, with Temari overseeing the process on Sunagakure’s behalf.
• Gaara told Baki to prepare a list of missing-ninja files by the next morning while he handled the Daimyo’s delayed budget approval.
• Temari read Konoha’s proposal, then agreed to travel to Konoha as Gaara’s special envoy and monitor the examinations.
• Gaara instructed Temari to demand access to all examination procedures and data, ensure the bodies were returned intact, and consult him before Konoha took samples.
• Gaara assigned Temari to coordinate Sunagakure’s quota, venue, and accommodation arrangements for the upcoming joint Chunin exams.
• Amegakure’s leaders argued over whether to let Konoha continue handling their recovered ninja’s bodies or send someone to claim them, and some favored leaving the matter to Konoha.

Amegakure and the other villages delegated authority over the body investigation to Konoha, while Naraku prepared for their representatives and the bodies to arrive. Sasuke realized Naruto had sensed more than the underground base, and Naruto located a hidden chakra trace that led the search team to uncover a buried slab.

• Amegakure’s leaders agreed to give Konoha full authority over the investigation and requested that intelligence be shared; Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure also sent liaisons.
• Naraku and Shikaku discussed the villages’ replies, the expected arrival of their representatives, and the plan to examine the bodies in Konoha.
• Inoichi and Sasuke continued the search in the Land of Rivers, but Sasuke remembered that Naruto had sensed something else underground when they first found the base.
• Sasuke woke Naruto, who recalled that the chakra signatures he had sensed had not all come from the base’s passage and realized the base’s original entrance might still be undiscovered.
• Naruto used Sage Mode to locate a chakra signature about fifteen meters underground, and Sasuke ordered the search team to dig.
• The search team uncovered a large slab-like object at the location Naruto identified.

The Search Team discovered an active, unfamiliar sealing formula on the Underground Base’s stone entrance, which Naruto believed had hidden the base and kept outsiders out. Sasuke broke the seal and stone door, revealing a passage that ended at a long-collapsed section.

• The Search Team cleared earth and rock from a stone door, and Naruto sensed chakra on it.
• Sasuke struck the door with Chidori Sharp Spear, revealing a sealing formula that none of the jonin recognized.
• Naruto explained that the damaged seal likely concealed the base and prevented entry, and the jonin recorded its patterns.
• Sasuke used his lightning-charged Kusanagi Sword to shatter the sealed stone door.
• Two jonin inspected the passage beyond and reported that rubble blocked its far end.

Naruto and Sasuke inspected the Underground Base’s sealed entrance while Shikamaru’s reinforcements arrived and divided their forces to search the site and escort the remains to Konoha. The escort team departed safely, unaware that dark figures were watching them from the forest.

• Sasuke identified the rubble-blocked passage as the Underground Base’s original entrance, and he ordered the search team to inspect it for clues and chakra traces.
• Naruto greeted Shikamaru’s reinforcements, and Shikamaru explained that half his team would stay to help search while the rest escorted the remains to Konoha in case of an attack.
• Sasuke agreed with Shikamaru’s plan, and the escort team departed with the remains while the remaining Ninja continued work at the camp.
• The Ino-Shika-Cho Trio led the escort team through the forest toward the Land of Fire, unaware that dark figures were watching from a nearby tree.
• The dark figures let the Konoha Ninja pass without attacking.

Isshiki hesitated to attack the Konoha Ninja Team carrying the bodies from Kara’s abandoned base because he feared Shihōin Naraku had set a trap and might expose his secrets. He abandoned the attack and ordered Kara’s Inner Circle to destroy every Secret Base throughout the Shinobi World.

• Kara’s Inner Circle members watched the Konoha Ninja Team leave without attacking or following them.
• Isshiki, inhabiting Jigen, weighed destroying the bodies against the risk of confronting Shihōin Naraku while Jigen’s body remained vulnerable.
• Isshiki decided not to attack the Konoha Ninja Team or pursue the bodies, despite worrying that they could reveal secrets about karma.
• Isshiki ordered Kara’s Inner Circle to destroy all of Kara’s Secret Bases before Konoha or Shihōin Naraku could discover them.

Ōtsutsuki Isshiki ordered Kara to evacuate and destroy its hidden bases to prevent Konoha from uncovering more intelligence. After the bases were obliterated, Shihōin Naraku concluded Isshiki had avoided his trap and began reconsidering his plans for the Chunin Ninja Exams.

• Ōtsutsuki Isshiki ordered the Inner Circle to move valuable intelligence and supplies to the Alternate Space, then destroy Kara’s bases and retreat if they encountered opposition.
• Kara’s Inner Circle members evacuated and destroyed hidden bases across the Land of Wind, Land of Lightning, Land of Water, and Land of Earth.
• The villages found only ruins, and their shared intelligence led them to connect the destruction to Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
• Shihōin Naraku told Shikaku that Isshiki had destroyed the bases because he feared more intelligence would leak, and learned the Analysis Team had found nothing new in the bodies.
• Shihōin Naraku decided not to set further traps, told Shikaku to warn Naruto, Sasuke, and the others, and reconsidered his plans for the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Isshiki ordered Kara’s remaining bases destroyed after Konoha uncovered one, choosing to retreat rather than risk fighting Shihōin Naraku while Jigen’s failing body could not withstand battle. He planned to hide in his private Alternate Space, wait for Naraku to die, and eventually rebuild Kara’s network.

• Isshiki recalled choosing not to attack Konoha’s Search Team because he feared Shihōin Naraku and knew Jigen’s body was deteriorating.
• A Kara operative reported that the last base had been cleared, with no one captured and two Outer Circle members killed after encountering a Sunagakure patrol.
• Isshiki decided that Kara’s Outer Circle members and its bases were expendable, while he and the Inner Circle could remain safe in his hidden Alternate Space.
• Isshiki reasoned that Naraku could not enter the Alternate Space without its coordinates and planned to rebuild Kara’s network after the current crisis passed.
• Isshiki resolved to wait for Naraku to die of old age, believing no one would then remain in the Shinobi World who could stop him.