Chapter Summaries

Mizuki analyzed reports from Konoha and concluded that the Shihōin Naraku appearing there was an impostor, since Fujiwara could not find Naraku’s chakra and Naraku had been seen in the village every day. Isshiki and Urashiki agreed that Naraku remained sealed in the Alternate Space, leaving them convinced Konoha’s Hokage was a fake.

• Isshiki blamed Fujiwara for failing to find Shihōin Naraku and prepared to kill him.
• Mizuki intervened and explained that people throughout Konoha had repeatedly seen Shihōin Naraku during the joint chunin ninja exams and the days before them.
• Mizuki concluded that the Shihōin Naraku in Konoha was an impostor, and Urashiki suggested someone was impersonating him.
• Urashiki said the Time-Sealing Box could not be broken within a day or two, even by Shihōin Naraku.
• Isshiki concluded that Shihōin Naraku was still sealed in the Alternate Space and that Konoha’s Hokage was an impostor.

Urashiki left the Alternate Space to search the Land of Wind for Kama before Shihōin Naraku escaped his seal. Meanwhile, Kakashi Hatake and his injured team returned to Konoha and went to meet Jiraiya, who was disguised as Naraku.

• Isshiki ordered Urashiki to find Kama before Shihōin Naraku escaped the Time-Sealing Box.
• Urashiki opened a Space-Time Portal, traveled to the Land of Wind, and vanished beneath the desert sand to begin searching.
• Sakura Haruno treated Kakashi Hatake and the others, allowing them to return to Konoha under Naruto Uzumaki's protection.
• Kakashi entered the Hokage's Office, where Jiraiya, disguised as Shihōin Naraku, waited with Tsunade and Shikaku Nara.

Kakashi reported that an unidentified, powerful enemy had beaten him but withdrawn for unknown reasons, leading Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shikaku, and Kakashi to suspect the enemy served Ōtsutsuki Isshiki. They concluded the enemy may have come to find out whether Shihōin Naraku was in Konoha, but they could not explain why Naraku had not returned if Isshiki had escaped.

• Kakashi recounted his mission and how an overwhelmingly strong enemy withdrew instead of killing him.
• Shikaku asked whether Naruto’s arrival had caused the enemy to retreat, but Kakashi said Naruto came more than half an hour later.
• Kakashi said the enemy’s fighting style revealed no village or school, and Shikaku proposed that the man was either unknown or deliberately concealed.
• Tsunade named Ōtsutsuki Isshiki as a possible connection, and Jiraiya suggested the enemy had come to check whether Shihōin Naraku was in Konoha.
• Jiraiya argued Isshiki must have ordered the enemy to act, and Kakashi suggested Isshiki might have escaped Naraku.
• Tsunade asked why Naraku had not returned to the village if Isshiki was already back.

Tsunade and the others discussed Shihōin Naraku's disappearance and concluded that Isshiki had likely trapped him in an alternate space but did not know whether he had escaped. They left Naraku presumed alive and unable to return for now, and Tsunade ordered Konoha to secretly strengthen its defenses.

• Kakashi said Isshiki was the only one who might know what had happened to Naraku, but Tsunade noted that Isshiki had sent subordinates to investigate Naraku's whereabouts in Konoha.
• Shikaku reasoned that Isshiki did not know Naraku's current situation and might have trapped him in an alternate space without confirming whether he could escape.
• Shikaku assessed that Naraku was most likely alive because Isshiki had been defeated by him and probably lacked the strength to kill him quickly.
• Tsunade ordered Kakashi to record intelligence about the enemy, including his chakra signature and fighting habits.
• Tsunade told Jiraiya to keep impersonating Naraku so other villages would not act against Konoha.
• Tsunade ordered Shikaku to raise Konoha's alert level, expand patrols, and secretly station ANBU in civilian clothes around the Hokage Building.

Tsunade sent Kakashi to ask Sasuke how soon he could open a usable Space-Time Portal, as Konoha needed a plan to rescue Naraku. Sasuke warned that Isshiki could recover and attack again before Naraku escaped, leaving the village with little time and few fighters able to oppose him.

• Tsunade assigned Shikaku to handle security, Jiraiya to keep posing as Naraku, and Kakashi to obtain Sasuke’s training timetable.
• Kakashi found Sasuke practicing and learned that he could only tear open a brief spatial rift, not create a portal people could travel through.
• Kakashi told Sasuke that Isshiki had sent two people to Konoha to check on Naraku, and Sasuke concluded Isshiki was still capable of acting.
• Sasuke warned that Isshiki and Momoshiki might recover and start another war while Naraku remained trapped, and that Naruto and Sasuke would struggle to defeat them.

Sasuke struggled to create a stable Space-Time Portal and told Kakashi he might need at least three months to master it. He asked Kakashi to bring Naruto to help overcome the technique’s enormous chakra cost.

• Kakashi told Sasuke that Tsunade wanted to know when his Space-Time Portal would be ready, and Sasuke estimated he needed at least three months of training.
• Sasuke vowed to train as intensely as possible, warning that Isshiki’s actions could soon lead to another Shinobi World War.
• Sasuke demonstrated that his rifts lasted less than a second and consumed a third of his chakra, leaving him able to make only six or seven attempts before needing a long recovery.
• Sasuke asked Kakashi to bring Naruto so Naruto could continuously supply him with Nine-Tails Chakra, as he had shared chakra with the Allied Shinobi Forces during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Sasuke asked Naruto to replenish his chakra so he could accelerate his Space-Time Ninjutsu training, and Tsunade approved the plan. Naruto joined Sasuke at the training ground, where their practice improved Sasuke’s spatial rifts before they began fighting to train Amenotejikara.

• Sasuke explained to Kakashi that Naruto's chakra would let him make more attempts at opening a Space-Time Portal, and Kakashi agreed to ask Naruto for help.
• Kakashi reported Sasuke's request to Tsunade, who ordered Naruto to cooperate fully and let other duties make way for Sasuke's training.
• Kakashi found Naruto eating at Ichiraku Ramen and told him Sasuke needed help, so Naruto rushed to the eastern training ground.
• Naruto replenished Sasuke's chakra, and they began training together every day, allowing Sasuke to make dozens of attempts and open increasingly stable spatial rifts.
• Sasuke decided they should fight so he could practice Amenotejikara in combat, and Naruto attacked with his golden chakra cloak as Sasuke swapped places with a rock.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha trained for more than a month to improve Sasuke’s Amenotejikara and sustain a spatial rift long enough to reach the Alternate Space. As Sasuke continued training, Tsunade and Jiraiya decided Konoha needed a backup plan in case he could not open a portal before the enemy acted.

• Naruto and Sasuke fought day after day, and Sasuke grew faster at using Amenotejikara and learned to maintain a spatial rift while activating it.
• Sakura brought food and medicine to the exhausted pair, while Hinata visited Naruto with homemade treats.
• Over more than a month, Sasuke extended the rift’s duration to nearly ten seconds, though it still could not let a ninja pass through.
• On the fortieth day, Tsunade and Jiraiya watched Naruto channel nine-tails chakra into Sasuke as he practiced sustaining the rift.
• Tsunade told Jiraiya they would hold a meeting the next day to prepare a backup plan if Sasuke could not open the portal in time.

Tsunade ordered Shikaku to secretly prepare Konoha for a possible attack by Isshiki while Sasuke worked to rescue Naraku. After more than ten days of training, Sasuke successfully opened a small, unstable Space-Time Portal, giving him a first breakthrough toward reaching Naraku.

• Tsunade showed Shikaku the vulnerable points on Konoha's defenses and tasked him with planning an evacuation that could begin within an hour.
• Shikaku agreed to prepare the plan using covert ANBU rotations and drills because the senior officials were already suspicious.
• Tsunade told Shikaku that Sasuke expected to need at least another month and a half to open the portal.
• Jiraiya promised Tsunade that he would hold Isshiki off if Sasuke failed to finish in time.
• After more than ten days, Naruto and Sasuke finished sparring, and Sasuke continued practicing his Space-Time Portal.
• Sasuke stabilized a small portal, and he froze in surprise when it successfully took shape.

Sasuke made a breakthrough in opening a Space-Time Portal with Naruto supplying Nine-Tails chakra, but they continued training to make its stability reliable enough for travel to the Alternate Space. Sakura arrived at the Training Ground with lunch and found Sasuke exhausted after repeated attempts.

• Sasuke opened a Space-Time Portal that lasted nearly two seconds before collapsing, and Naruto celebrated the breakthrough.
• Sasuke and Naruto practiced repeatedly, gradually improving the portal's duration and Sasuke's control, though its collapse timing remained unpredictable.
• Sakura arrived at the Training Ground with lunch boxes and watched Sasuke and Naruto continue their portal training.
• Sasuke stopped to rest and eat, while Naruto excitedly told Sakura about the portal Sasuke had opened.

Sasuke successfully opened and controlled a Space-Time Portal, though it could not yet safely carry anyone through. He estimated it would be ready in ten days, and Tsunade set plans in motion to rescue Naraku in the Alternate Space.

• After several attempts, Sasuke held a stable portal for nearly three seconds and closed it himself.
• Sasuke told Naruto and Sakura that ten more days of training should make the portal usable, and Naruto rushed to tell Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shikaku.
• Sasuke confirmed his progress to Tsunade and estimated that the portal could carry more than ten people after ten days of training.
• Shikaku offered to prepare the rescue plan while Tsunade assigned him the operation preparations and told Jiraiya to maintain his disguise as Naraku.
• Tsunade ordered Naruto and Sasuke to continue training without exhausting themselves and declared that they would set out to rescue Naraku in ten days.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha improved their Space-Time Portal technique as they prepared to rescue Shihōin Naraku from the Alternate Space. In the Hokage's Office, Tsunade insisted on joining the mission despite concerns that Konoha would be left without its true leader.

• Naruto and Sasuke trained for days, and by the eighth day Sasuke could hold a portal open for seven seconds and let a ninja pass through safely.
• Naruto suggested synchronizing their powers so his nine-tails chakra could stabilize the portal while Sasuke used his Rinnegan to open it.
• Their combined technique held the portal stable for nine seconds, and Sasuke and Naruto agreed to keep practicing their coordination.
• Sakura brought Sasuke and Naruto water and rice balls, while privately recognizing the strain the training placed on Sasuke's eye power.
• Tsunade insisted she would join the rescue operation, while Shikaku and Jiraiya warned that her absence could leave Konoha vulnerable.

Tsunade and Konoha's leaders decided on a small rescue team to find Naraku in the alternate space, while Naruto stayed behind to defend Konoha. The team prepared to leave, and Tsunade saw Naruto and Sasuke practicing a way to conserve Sasuke's chakra while opening the portal.

• Tsunade argued that her medical skills and strength made her the best choice to lead the rescue, and Kakashi agreed that he could not face Isshiki directly.
• Jiraiya warned that Naruto and Sasuke could not both leave Konoha, so Tsunade decided Naruto would stay behind while Sasuke joined the rescue.
• Tsunade limited the team to Sasuke Uchiha, Tsunade, Kakashi Hatake, and five sealing specialists selected by Kakashi.
• Kakashi chose five experienced Sealing Squad ninja and told them to prepare for a confidential S-rank mission to undo Naraku's seal.
• The next morning, Tsunade watched Naruto and Sasuke practice opening a portal together, using Naruto's chakra to help Sasuke conserve his own.

Tsunade told Naruto to stay behind and protect Konoha while she, Sasuke, Kakashi, and the Sealing Squad prepared to rescue Shihōin Naraku. With the operation set to begin at dawn, Tsunade and Jiraiya wondered how Naraku was faring in the Alternate Space.

• Tsunade told Naruto he could not join the rescue operation because Konoha needed him as its last defense, and Naruto reluctantly agreed to stay.
• Jiraiya comforted Naruto and explained that protecting the village was part of his duty, then asked him to guard the village and Jiraiya’s disguise as Naraku.
• Over the next two days, Shikaku, Tsunade, Kakashi, and Sasuke finalized the rescue plan while Jiraiya kept Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura from uncovering the operation.
• Tsunade ordered the team to gather on the Hokage Building’s rooftop at seven the next morning, and everyone left to rest.
• After the others departed, Tsunade worried about Naraku, and Jiraiya said he was sure Naraku would not go down easily.

Tsunade led a rescue team through Sasuke's portal into the alternate space while Jiraiya stayed in Konoha disguised as Shihōin Naraku. Naruto remained behind with Jiraiya to defend the village until Tsunade and the others returned.

• Jiraiya reassured Tsunade that Naraku was likely safe and agreed to impersonate him while managing Konoha with Shikaku.
• Naruto spent the night regretting that he could not join the rescue mission, and Tsunade's team assembled on the Hokage Building's rooftop at dawn.
• Tsunade ordered the team to depart, and Naruto lent Sasuke golden chakra to open a portal to the alternate space.
• Tsunade, Kakashi, Sasuke, and the five members of the Sealing Squad entered the portal, which closed behind Sasuke.
• Jiraiya told Naruto to stay alert and help protect Konoha from possible Ōtsutsuki attacks until the team returned.

Tsunade, Kakashi, Sasuke, and the Sealing Squad entered a silent, lifeless alternate space and formed a defensive group. After Sasuke suggested the God Tree might have drained the space of life, Tsunade ordered the squad to locate Naraku.

• Tsunade arrived in the alternate space and cautiously surveyed its barren gray-white terrain and stone pillars.
• Kakashi and the Sealing Squad joined Tsunade and took up defensive positions.
• Sasuke emerged last as the portal closed, then reported that reopening it would require little recovery but repeated trips would require ten minutes.
• Sasuke sensed no nearby enemies, and the group stayed alert while assessing the lifeless surroundings.
• Sasuke suggested the God Tree had drained the space of life and energy, so Tsunade ordered the Sealing Squad to sense for Naraku.

Tsunade’s team searched the alternate space for Shihōin Naraku but could not sense his chakra, so they followed their plan and moved together. After Sasuke chose a direction away from an undamaged cluster of stone pillars, the group continued across the barren landscape without finding any trace of Naraku.

• Sasuke and two members of the Sealing Squad failed to locate Naraku’s chakra in the vast alternate space.
• Tsunade recalled the rescue plan and ordered everyone to stay together rather than split up.
• Kakashi arranged the group in a formation, with Sasuke leading and the five sealing ninja protected in the center.
• Sasuke rejected the route toward the undamaged stone pillars, reasoning that a fight involving Naraku, Isshiki, and Momoshiki would have damaged them.
• Tsunade’s group followed Sasuke’s chosen direction, while Kakashi marked their path; after more than an hour, they had found no trace of Naraku.

Tsunade’s group continued searching the vast alternate space for Shihōin Naraku, finding no chakra or signs of life as they crossed a featureless plain and reached low rocky hills. They found faintly fractured rocks that suggested something had happened there, but the search remained fruitless as the group stopped to rest again.

• Kakashi marked their route at regular intervals while Sasuke led Tsunade’s group across the silent plain.
• The Sealing Squad’s sensors and Sasuke detected no chakra or signs of life, and Tsunade ordered the group to rest before continuing.
• After hours of walking, the group reached low rocky hills, where Sasuke noticed faint fractures in the rocks and suspected something had happened there.
• Kakashi continued marking their route as the group searched the hills, but they found no residual chakra.
• Tsunade called another five-minute rest, and the group reported finding nothing in the hills.

Tsunade decided to reduce the rescue team’s vigilance and prioritize searching for Naraku, letting Sasuke focus his full attention on sensing chakra. Naraku detected the team from afar but realized they were searching in the wrong direction.

• Tsunade told Kakashi and Sasuke that their search was too slow and proposed reducing their vigilance.
• Kakashi and Sasuke agreed to prioritize finding Naraku, and Tsunade reassigned the Sealing Squad to support the search.
• Sasuke led the team at a faster pace while Kakashi watched the flanks and Tsunade stayed ready to provide support.
• Naraku sensed Tsunade and the others entering the alternate space and felt reassured that Konoha had come to rescue him.
• Naraku realized the team was searching in the wrong direction and worried that their efforts would be wasted.

Naraku struggled to alert Sasuke Uchiha’s rescue squad after sensing them heading away from him through the vast Alternate Space. He began forcing his chakra against Time Freeze’s restraints, hoping to trigger the Drums of Liberation before the squad left his range.

• Naraku sensed Sasuke Uchiha’s rescue squad traveling in the wrong direction and estimated they would leave his perception range in a little over an hour.
• Naraku considered ways to send a signal but rejected a chakra burst, his Haki, the Drums of Liberation, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and other abilities because Time Freeze prevented him from using them effectively.
• Naraku realized Time Freeze could not directly seal his One Piece powers, but his immobilized body and blocked chakra pathways kept him from activating them.
• Naraku decided to risk his hard-earned chakra by repeatedly trying to force it through the restraints and use the Drums of Liberation to restart his heartbeat.
• After several attempts, Naraku felt the Time Freeze restraints tremble faintly.