Chapter Summaries

Shihōin Naraku forced his heart to beat again by weakening Time Freeze's seal, and the Drums of Liberation shook the entire Alternate Space. Far away, Tsunade's squad sensed the rhythmic tremors and suspected they came from a heartbeat.

• Shihōin Naraku repeatedly struck a weak point in Time Freeze's seal with his chakra until a crack appeared, draining his remaining reserves.
• Shihōin Naraku made his sealed heart beat once, then poured his will into it and awakened the Drums of Liberation.
• The drumbeats fractured the ground, distorted the sky, and sent rhythmic tremors across the Alternate Space.
• Tsunade's squad felt the distant shaking, formed a defensive formation, and prepared for a possible Ōtsutsuki attack.
• Sasuke sensed that the tremors came from far away and pointed toward their source, while Kakashi recognized their rhythm as resembling a heartbeat.

After the tremors stopped, Tsunade, Sasuke, and Kakashi debated whether they were an enemy trap or a signal from Naraku. They suspected Naraku was trapped in the direction the tremors came from, but Tsunade remained uncertain about what to do.

• Naraku exhausted his chakra, causing the Drums of Liberation to stop and his heart to become still again, while he sensed that the rescue team had stopped moving away.
• Tsunade’s team confirmed that no enemies or abnormal chakra signatures were nearby, then broke formation while staying ready to fight.
• Sasuke and Kakashi said the tremors did not seem hostile and proposed that Naraku had caused them to alert the team to his location.
• Kakashi pointed out that the team had been traveling away from the tremors’ source, and Tsunade considered whether Naraku might be trapped there or the Ōtsutsuki Clan might have set a trap.
• Sasuke agreed with Kakashi’s speculation, but Tsunade questioned whether the tremors truly had not been hostile.

Tsunade, Sasuke, and Kakashi led the rescue team toward the tremor’s source, following increasingly severe damage across the wasteland. They found signs of a massive battle ahead, suggesting Naraku might be nearby, but the team stopped in shock at what they saw.

• Tsunade decided to change course toward the tremor, with Sasuke and herself scouting ahead while Kakashi guarded the Sealing Squad behind them.
• The rescue team traveled for roughly six hours and found spreading cracks in the ground, which grew worse as they approached the tremor’s source.
• Kakashi and Sasuke recognized that the irregular fissures and destruction looked like damage from a battle rather than a tremor.
• Tsunade ordered the team to move faster, believing Naraku was likely ahead, but everyone halted in shock at the sight before them.

Tsunade’s rescue team found the devastated battlefield where Shihōin Naraku had fought Ōtsutsuki Isshiki and Momoshiki Otsutsuki, but their search turned up no sign of him. After determining that the tremors came from farther north-northwest, Tsunade sent the four groups onward to search for Naraku and any hidden seal.

• Sasuke surveyed the ruins and identified them as the battlefield where Naraku had fought Isshiki and Momoshiki, locating the fiercest destruction about ten kilometers northwest.
• Tsunade divided the eight rescuers into four groups and ordered them to search around the battlefield, use signal flares, and avoid fighting alone.
• Sasuke, Kakashi, Tsunade, and the two jonin searched separate routes, then reunited without finding Naraku or detecting any chakra signatures.
• Sasuke argued that Naraku was unlikely to be sealed at the battlefield because the tremors showed he could still cause a major disturbance.
• Tsunade concluded that the tremor’s direction did not match the battlefield and ordered the same four groups to continue north-northwest, searching carefully for Naraku or a hidden seal.

Shihōin Naraku remained immobilized by Time Freeze but sensed the Rescue Team closing in and hoped they could weaken the seal. Sasuke located Naraku and reached a cliff overlooking a vast basin, but the chapter ended before he saw him.

• Shihōin Naraku sensed eight people from the Rescue Team approaching and considered how their help might weaken Time Freeze.
• Sasuke and a Sealing Squad ninja searched the ruins, following faint chakra fluctuations that Sasuke recognized as Naraku’s.
• Sasuke told the Sealing Squad ninja that the Hokage’s seal was suppressing Naraku’s chakra and ordered him to hurry.
• Sasuke and the Sealing Squad ninja crossed the ruins and climbed a cliff, where Sasuke looked down into a vast basin.

Sasuke and the other search teams found Shihōin Naraku standing motionless in a valley, apparently trapped by a seal that suppressed his chakra. After gathering everyone and cautiously approaching him, Tsunade called to Naraku, but he did not respond.

• Sasuke and a Sealing Squad ninja discovered Naraku in the valley and confirmed he was alive, though his chakra was extremely faint.
• Sasuke sent up a red signal flare, alerting Tsunade, Kakashi, and the two Jonin to converge on his position.
• Tsunade arrived first, and Sasuke warned her that approaching Naraku recklessly might trigger the sealing jutsu.
• After the other teams arrived, Tsunade sent the five Sealing Squad ninja to inspect the area, then led the group closer to Naraku.
• Tsunade called to Naraku twice, but he did not respond.

Tsunade and the Sealing Squad examined the sealed Naraku, but could not find the seal’s formula or explain why his heart had stopped while his life force remained strong. The Sealing Squad continued investigating as Sasuke and Kakashi took up watch on the cliffs.

• Tsunade ordered the Sealing Squad to investigate Naraku’s condition and identify the seal before attempting to break it.
• A Yamanaka Jonin found that Naraku’s chakra had nearly stopped flowing and seemed frozen, while Naraku’s heart had stopped despite his vigorous life force.
• A second Sealing Squad Ninja confirmed Naraku’s chakra was motionless but could not locate the seal’s core or formula nodes.
• Tsunade ordered the Sealing Squad to broaden its search for the seal beyond Naraku’s body.
• Tsunade sent Sasuke and Kakashi to guard the surrounding area from opposing cliff positions.

The Sealing Squad confirmed that Naraku was immobilized by an unfamiliar seal but could not detect its formula. Tsunade authorized their strongest detection technique, Formula: Bright Eye, but it also failed to reveal anything, leaving them without a way to identify the seal.

• The Yamanaka Jonin told Tsunade that the Sealing Squad had confirmed Naraku was bound by a seal, though their detection formula found no traces of it.
• The Yamanaka Jonin proposed using Formula: Bright Eye, an S-rank technique that could expose deeply hidden seals on its target.
• Tsunade approved any measures needed to identify and break Naraku's seal.
• The Yamanaka Jonin and four Sealing Squad ninja performed Formula: Bright Eye on Naraku three times, but no seal appeared.
• The Yamanaka Jonin told Tsunade that Formula: Bright Eye had no effect.

The Sealing Squad failed to detect or undo the seal on Naraku, leaving Tsunade to weigh the risks of moving him back to Konoha against staying in the alternate space. Kakashi warned that returning him could expose his condition and destabilize the village, and Tsunade turned to Sasuke for his opinion.

• The Yamanaka Jonin told Tsunade that the Sealing Squad’s probing methods had found no trace of Naraku’s seal.
• Tsunade proposed taking Naraku back to Konoha, but the Yamanaka Jonin warned that moving him might trigger the unknown seal.
• Tsunade summoned Kakashi and Sasuke and asked them to weigh in on whether to move Naraku.
• Kakashi warned that bringing Naraku back would make it difficult to conceal his condition and could invite political instability in Konoha.
• Tsunade asked Sasuke what he thought.

Tsunade decided to leave Naraku in the Alternate Space while the Sealing Squad searched for clues, and sent Sasuke back to Konoha to request reinforcements and Uzumaki Clan archives. Kakashi stayed with Tsunade, but the squad’s new detection formulas continued to find nothing.

• Sasuke agreed with the Sealing Squad and Kakashi that moving Naraku was too risky, and Tsunade decided to leave him where he was.
• The Yamanaka Jonin requested more detection methods and access to the Uzumaki Clan’s old archives, which Tsunade authorized.
• Tsunade ordered Sasuke and Kakashi to report Naraku’s condition to Jiraiya, Naruto, and Shikaku Nara and bring back Sealing Squad members and supplies.
• Kakashi argued that Tsunade needed another fighter to protect Naraku and the Sealing Squad, so Tsunade kept him behind and sent Sasuke through a Space-Time Portal.
• The Sealing Squad tested new detection formulas while Tsunade and Kakashi watched, but none of them detected anything.

Sasuke returned to Konoha and reported that the Rescue Team had found Shihōin Naraku sealed and unable to move in the Alternate Space. He left Jiraiya and Shikaku mobilizing the Sealing Squad and retrieving Uzumaki Clan records while the team remained behind to investigate the seal.

• Naruto met Sasuke on the Hokage Building rooftop and hurried with him to the Hokage's Office.
• Sasuke told Jiraiya and Shikaku that they had found the Hokage in a valley in the Alternate Space, sealed and unable to move.
• Sasuke explained that the Sealing Squad's detection formulas, including Formula: Bright Eye, had failed to identify the seal.
• Sasuke said Tsunade had chosen to leave Naraku in place and requested Sealing Squad personnel and the Uzumaki Clan's old records without spreading the news.
• Shikaku agreed to mobilize the Sealing Squad and retrieve the records, while Sasuke gave Jiraiya and Shikaku a full account of events in the Alternate Space.

Sasuke reported that the Rescue Team had found the Hokage in the Alternate Space, but the Sealing Squad could not detect the seal. Naruto asked to join the next trip so he could share his chakra with the Hokage, and Shikaku arrived with the preparations complete.

• Sasuke told Jiraiya and Naruto that a mysterious heartbeat had guided the Rescue Team to the Hokage in the vast Alternate Space.
• Sasuke reported that the Sealing Squad could not detect the seal and that Tsunade had chosen to leave the Hokage in place while waiting for reinforcements.
• Naruto asked Jiraiya to let him go to the Alternate Space, arguing that his chakra might help the Hokage.
• Sasuke said Naruto could transfer chakra to the Hokage, though the effect on the seal was uncertain, and promised to bring Naruto back if it failed.
• Shikaku entered the office and told Jiraiya that the supplies and ten ninja from the Sealing Squad were ready for departure.

Shikaku approved Naruto’s trip to the Alternate Space to help replenish the Hokage’s chakra and possibly break the seal, provided Naruto returned if he could not help. Naruto, Sasuke, and the Sealing Squad passed through Sasuke’s portal, leaving Jiraiya and Shikaku behind in Konoha.

• Sasuke described the vast battle damage in the Alternate Space, and Shikaku judged that the Ōtsutsuki were likely too injured to threaten Konoha soon.
• Shikaku permitted Naruto to go on the condition that he obey Tsunade and Kakashi and return if he was not needed; Jiraiya reluctantly agreed.
• The ten members of the Sealing Squad assembled on the Hokage Building’s rooftop with their equipment.
• Naruto shared chakra with Sasuke, who opened a Space-Time Portal to the Alternate Space.
• Naruto entered first, followed by the Sealing Squad and Sasuke, and the portal closed behind them.
• Shikaku reassured Jiraiya that Tsunade and Kakashi were with Naruto and that the Hokage could return to normal if they broke the seal.

Naruto and the Sealing Squad reached the Alternate Space and joined Tsunade, Sasuke, and the others as they investigated Naraku’s frozen condition. The Sealing Squad identified a time-based formula and proposed two approaches, but Tsunade rejected the slower, safer one, leaving the other approach to be considered.

• Sasuke brought Naruto and ten Sealing Squad ninja through a Space-Time Portal, and they found Kakashi keeping watch near the valley.
• Naruto offered to share the Nine-Tails' chakra with Naraku, but Tsunade delayed the attempt until the Sealing Squad completed its detection.
• The Sealing Squad concluded that a time-based formula had frozen Naraku’s body, stopping his heart and chakra while preserving his vitality.
• The Yamanaka jonin proposed searching for the formula as a safe way to undo it, though the process could take weeks or months.
• Tsunade rejected the slow approach because the peace in the Alternate Space might not last.

Tsunade weighed a risky plan to counteract the time seal trapping Shihōin Naraku against the slower option of studying it. Kakashi and Sasuke favored acting quickly, but Naruto warned that failure could endanger Naraku.

• The Yamanaka jonin proposed using similar sealing jutsu to clash with Naraku’s time stagnation seal, warning that the results were unpredictable and might harm him.
• Sasuke and the Yamanaka jonin explained that the seal’s flaw and the sound they had heard might give the counteracting jutsu a chance to break through.
• Tsunade asked Kakashi, Sasuke, and Naruto to judge the plan, and Kakashi and Sasuke favored the faster approach because the enemy might recover while they waited.
• Naruto said he did not understand sealing jutsu but feared that a failed attempt would put Big Brother Naraku in danger.

Tsunade chose the faster, riskier counteraction to undo Naraku’s sealing, despite Naruto’s objection. Just as the Sealing Squad prepared to begin, Sasuke proposed asking Kabuto Yakushi for help.

• Naruto argued that they should use the slower method to protect Naraku’s body, while Kakashi warned that their enemies might recover within weeks or months.
• Tsunade decided to use the faster counteraction and assured Naruto that she would intervene if Naraku was harmed, with Naruto ready to replenish his chakra.
• The Sealing Squad arranged the formation, and Tsunade, Kakashi, and Naruto took positions around Naraku.
• Sasuke stopped the preparations and told Tsunade he knew someone who might help undo the sealing.
• Sasuke named Kabuto Yakushi, prompting Naruto’s stunned recognition and Tsunade’s visible anger.

Sasuke persuaded Tsunade to let Kabuto examine the time seal trapping Shihōin Naraku, with Naruto backing his request. Sasuke reached Konoha's orphanage and found Kabuto treating an injured child.

• Sasuke argued that Kabuto had changed and was the best person to analyze the time seal, citing his skills and Sage Mode.
• Naruto supported Sasuke, and Tsunade agreed to let Kabuto examine the seal before the Sealing Squad tried its counteracting method.
• Tsunade sent Sasuke to fetch Kabuto and warned Sasuke and Naruto to keep a close eye on him.
• Naruto shared the Nine-Tails' chakra with Sasuke, who opened a portal and stepped through it.
• Sasuke arrived at the Konoha Orphanage and saw Kabuto healing a little girl's scraped arm.

Sasuke brought Kabuto to help rescue Shihōin Naraku, who had been sealed in a time-based alternate space. Kabuto revealed that he had noticed Naraku was missing before the Chunin Ninja Exams but had stayed silent, and he arrived in the alternate space ready to find the Hokage.

• Kabuto noticed Sasuke at the orphanage and deduced that something had happened to Naraku.
• Kabuto explained that he had sensed the real Hokage’s chakra disappear before the Chunin Ninja Exams and realized Jiraiya was impersonating him.
• Sasuke told Kabuto that Naraku had been sealed in an alternate space and that the Sealing Squad could not undo the seal.
• Sasuke said Tsunade had agreed to let Kabuto help, with Naruto and Sasuke instructed to keep watch over him.
• Kabuto changed into shinobi gear, said goodbye to the children, and left the orphanage with Sasuke.
• Sasuke opened a Space-Time Portal and brought Kabuto to the alternate space, where Kabuto asked where Lord Hokage was.

Kabuto examined the time-freeze seal binding Shihōin Naraku and found that the Sealing Squad’s counter-formula plan could not overcome its stability. He discovered that Naraku had already damaged the seal from within, giving the others proof that Naraku was actively trying to escape.

• Kabuto reviewed the Sealing Squad’s plan and judged its approach reasonable but said he needed to examine the seal before confirming it would work.
• Kabuto used a detection formula and Ryūchi Cave’s Sage Mode to study the seal on Shihōin Naraku.
• Kabuto concluded that ordinary formulas could not disrupt the powerful time-freeze seal and warned that it might take three to ten years or longer to weaken enough on its own.
• Kabuto revealed that he had found a tiny flaw in the seal and traced the damage to Naraku striking it from within.
• Kabuto explained that Naraku’s attempts to break free had consumed much of his chakra, and Naruto realized that Naraku had been searching for a way out all along.