Arc 8The Gate Beneath Ichiraku

Goten and Trunks dismantled Danzo’s Root operation, defeated Pain, and uncovered a network of gates tied to the five Chips and Yamato’s altered cells. The gate beneath Ichiraku remained under pressure, and a black liquid eyeball began squeezing through its narrow opening.

  • Goten sensed a strange chakra rushing toward Konoha, then learned from Jiraiya that Akatsuki was targeting the tailed beasts and reasoned that it wanted to open the Stone Gate.
  • Goten restrained Danzo’s Root agents near the Stone Gate and heard a voice behind it call him kin and ask for the key.
  • Goten rescued Jiraiya in Amegakure, defeated the Six Paths of Pain, and left Nagato alive as Jiraiya’s injuries were treated in Konoha.
  • As the Stone Gate’s patterns lit up, Goten and Trunks found that Danzo’s Root had been surveilling Ichiraku and excavating beneath Hokage Rock, so they destroyed Root’s base and captured Danzo.
  • Goten discovered that Orochimaru had mixed a blue fragment into Yamato’s Hashirama cells, while matching gate patterns and synchronized pulses appeared at Tenchi Bridge, beneath Ichiraku, and at the Undersea Door.
  • At Tenchi Bridge, Goten’s five Chips fused into a crystal that destroyed a phantom gate and its platform, but shifted pressure toward the gate beneath Konoha.
  • Goten used the crystal to stop the force beneath Ichiraku and stabilize Yamato, then pledged to guard the threat sealed below the shop.
  • Trunks reported that the gates were pulsing in sync, and Tsunade saw a black, liquid eyeball squeeze through the Stone Gate’s narrow gap.
Chapters 176–200 Vol. 2 Read

Ch. 176Stop fighting, there's more meat!

Goten trained Trunks, received a report linking Danzo to a secret search for ancient ruins, and discussed the increasingly active chips. The chapter ended as Goten sensed a rapidly approaching chakra signal that felt familiar.

  • At breakfast, Trunks and Son Goten broke several pairs of chopsticks competing for meat, and Teuchi brought out more chashu.
  • At the training ground, Goten easily defeated Trunks and began teaching him precise ki control, but Trunks repeatedly damaged the surroundings.
  • Goten helped Hinata with her Gentle Fist practice, while Temari confronted Ino over her unpaid ramen bill and Goten coaxed Ino into sharing cake.
  • Yamato returned with Sai and gave Goten a report on Orochimaru's bases; Sai revealed that Danzo was secretly searching for ancient ruins.
  • As the five chips in Goten's pocket heated more frequently, he told Trunks they would first decipher the four characters on the ancient scroll and leave the door untouched.
  • Goten sensed an unfamiliar but faintly familiar chakra signal rushing toward Konoha at extraordinary speed.

Ch. 177The tenth vessel

Jiraiya warned Tsunade, Goten, and Trunks that the Akatsuki was collecting tailed beasts, and Goten concluded they might be trying to open the Stone Gate. Jiraiya left alone for Amegakure to investigate Pain, while Goten secretly placed an energy signal on him and stayed behind with Tsunade.

  • Jiraiya told Tsunade that the Akatsuki had captured or targeted several tailed beasts and that Naruto might be next.
  • Trunks said the Stone Gate's seal used energy similar to tailed beast energy, and Jiraiya revealed that the Sage of Six Paths had sealed his power in ten vessels, including an unknown tenth.
  • Goten reasoned that the Akatsuki was collecting tailed beasts to open the Stone Gate.
  • Jiraiya refused Goten's offer to accompany him and said Pain had once been his student, then agreed to let Goten place a ki signal on him before leaving for Amegakure.
  • Tsunade asked whether Jiraiya would be all right, and Goten clasped her fingers without answering.

Ch. 178Kurenai, don't be afraid

Goten trained Naruto to make contact with the Nine-Tails’ power and investigated Root’s activity near the restricted zone. The Chip’s hum led Goten to sense ancient seals on the Stone Gate glowing beneath Hokage Rock.

  • Naruto told Goten that Jiraiya had warned him Akatsuki was collecting Tailed Beasts, so Goten took him to train and helped him approach the Nine-Tails’ chakra with ki.
  • Hinata brought lunch to Goten, Trunks, and Naruto during training.
  • Goten sensed cold, unfamiliar presences near the restricted military zone and told Temari he suspected Root was searching toward the Stone Gate; Temari agreed to keep watch.
  • Kurenai Yuhi told Goten she had sensed unusual chakra near the restricted zone, and he warned her not to go out alone and secretly gave her a trace of ki.
  • Goten read Yamato’s report about a fissure forced open beneath Orochimaru’s ruined base, then sensed the ancient sealing patterns on the Stone Gate glowing as the Chip hummed.

Ch. 179The Old Thing Underground Spoke

Goten stopped Danzo’s Root agents from scanning the area beneath the Stone Gate, then went underground and heard the imprisoned voice call him kin and say “Saiya.” The voice asked him to bring the key before falling silent, leaving Goten to wonder what the voice and the key were.

  • Temari told Goten that activity around the Stone Gate had intensified and that six people were approaching it.
  • Goten, Temari, and Trunks went to the restricted zone, where Goten identified the six suppressed intruders as Root agents sent by Danzo.
  • Goten restrained the Root team, destroyed their underground detection devices, and ordered them to leave the area.
  • Goten descended through the fissure while Temari and Trunks stood guard above.
  • The voice behind the gate called Goten its kin, said “Saiya,” and asked him to bring the key before the seal went quiet again.

Ch. 180The poker face smiled, Danzo cried

Goten freed Sai from Danzo’s Cursed Seal and learned that Danzo had intercepted the flour shipment bound for Ichiraku Ramen Shop. After an Anbu emergency signal summoned him to the Hokage Building, he learned that Frostwood Town had been wiped out.

  • Goten visited New Team 7, used golden Ki to destroy the Cursed Seal on Sai’s tongue, and restored Sai’s ability to speak freely.
  • Sai told Goten that Danzo was watching the ramen shop’s supply routes and had intercepted a flour caravan from Frostwood Town.
  • Goten sent Sai back to continue acting as Danzo’s double agent and tell Danzo they had only chatted over noodles.
  • Goten knocked out three watchers outside the ramen shop, while Temari reported that its flour supplies were nearly gone and Trunks prepared to confront whoever had taken them.
  • An Anbu emergency signal called Goten to the Hokage Building, where Tsunade’s report revealed that Frostwood Town had been wiped out.

Ch. 181Who Messed with My Ramen? Die!

After Frostwood Town was destroyed, Goten identified Kakuzu and Hidan as likely Akatsuki perpetrators, while Temari revealed the town had supplied Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Trunks flew to confront the thieves, and Goten dealt with Root spies spreading rumors before Trunks reached Kakuzu and Hidan to claim the stolen flour.

  • Tsunade reviewed reports of Frostwood Town’s destruction, and Goten identified the ritual killings as likely the work of Kakuzu and Hidan.
  • Temari told Goten that Frostwood Town had supplied Ichiraku’s special flour and premium pork, and Trunks flew toward the town after learning its location.
  • Goten returned to Ichiraku, where Hinata shared the last broth, then ordered Sai to deal with three Root spies spreading rumors about the shop.
  • Goten sensed Trunks racing northeast, confirmed Jiraiya was still alive, and noticed the seal beneath Hokage Rock continuing to brighten.
  • Kakuzu and Hidan hauled stolen food along a rainy road when Trunks appeared above them and declared the wagonloads of flour were his.

Ch. 182Touch My Flour? All of Akatsuki Can Work Overtime Writing Their Wills

Trunks confronted Kakuzu and Hidan over flour stolen from his family’s Ramen Shop, killed them, and carried the flour home. In Amegakure, Nagato saw both of their life signals vanish at once.

  • Kakuzu and Hidan argued over the stolen flour as Trunks crashed onto the road and demanded it back.
  • Hidan attacked Trunks with his scythe, but Trunks broke the weapon and knocked him into a mud pit.
  • Kakuzu’s masked monsters attacked Trunks and targeted the flour wagons, but Trunks’s golden aura stopped their blasts.
  • Trunks kicked Hidan and his ritual circle underground, then killed Kakuzu by destroying all five of his hearts.
  • Trunks confirmed the flour was unharmed, ate his last rice ball, and flew away carrying a wagon.
  • Nagato coughed blood when Kakuzu and Hidan’s life signals disappeared, and Konan rushed to support him.

Ch. 183The flour was coming, and a life hung by a thread

Goten crushed Danzo’s Root operation beneath Hokage Rock, while Jiraiya’s infiltration of Amegakure ended in a confrontation with Konan and Pain’s Animal Path. When Jiraiya’s Ki Beacon signaled that his life was in immediate danger, Goten rushed toward him.

  • Kurenai Yuhi warned Goten that Danzo had gathered thirty-seven Root members underground, and Goten pinned them down with ki before they could attack.
  • Shizune delivered intelligence that Jiraiya’s cover in Amegakure had been exposed and Pain had noticed him.
  • Jiraiya questioned two Rain Ninja, learned Pain was in the tallest iron tower, and climbed toward it using the Ki Beacon Goten had implanted in him.
  • Konan confronted Jiraiya, warned him to run, and was followed by Pain’s Animal Path arriving on a giant chameleon.
  • Jiraiya’s Ki Beacon pulsed at its highest alarm level, and Goten left the ramen shop at once to reach him.

Ch. 184Jiraiya: My student is far tougher than your god

Jiraiya fought the Six Paths of Pain in Amegakure, but was gravely wounded and nearly killed. Goten arrived just in time to stand between Jiraiya and Pain.

  • Jiraiya summoned Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima, entered Sage Mode, and used their genjutsu to immobilize and destroy three Pains.
  • The Asura Path severed Jiraiya's left arm, and the Deva Path revealed that Nagato sought peace before pulling Jiraiya toward the other Pains' black rods.
  • A golden barrier erupted from Jiraiya's chest and blocked the rods, while Hinata, Trunks, and Tsunade sensed the danger in Konoha.
  • Goten told Trunks to guard the village, then flew toward Amegakure at tremendous speed as the golden barrier shattered.
  • Goten landed between Jiraiya and the Six Paths of Pain, and Jiraiya recognized him through the mist.

Ch. 185A god? Are you worthy?

Goten arrived in Amegakure and saved the badly injured Jiraiya, then overwhelmed four of the Six Paths of Pain. Deva Path and Naraka Path remained standing as Jiraiya recovered behind him.

  • Goten struck Deva Path back and used golden ki to stabilize Jiraiya's life-threatening injuries.
  • Goten flattened Asura Path with a slap, while Konan warned Nagato that the opponent posed extreme danger.
  • Goten shattered Animal Path's summoned beasts with a stomp and crippled Animal Path.
  • Human Path's attempt to touch Goten ended with its body torn apart by his ki.
  • Goten let Preta Path absorb his ki until it swelled and exploded, leaving Deva Path and Naraka Path standing.
  • Nagato suffered severe injuries through his connection to the destroyed Paths, while Jiraiya rose and praised Goten as his tougher student.

Ch. 186Trying to tickle me?

Goten overpowered Pain’s remaining Paths in Amegakure while Trunks defeated Danzo’s Root squads near Ichiraku Ramen Shop. The chapter left Goten facing Deva Path’s enormous Chibaku Tensei, preparing to destroy it.

  • Goten walked through Deva Path’s Shinra Tensei and flicked him through more than a dozen buildings.
  • Goten destroyed the King of Hell and Naraka Path with a small golden ball of light, eliminating Pain’s means of revival.
  • Nagato, bleeding heavily inside a giant tree, refused Konan’s pleas to stop and declared that a god could not lose.
  • Trunks sensed seventeen Root members approaching the ramen shop and wiped out their squads with a Ki Blast, prompting Danzo to retreat.
  • Deva Path invoked Chibaku Tensei, drawing rocks and rain into a massive meteor while Goten shielded Jiraiya and the toads.
  • Goten crouched beneath the growing meteor and declared that he would take it apart.

Ch. 187Found you

Goten destroyed Pain’s Chibaku Tensei and all Six Paths, then tracked down and immobilized Nagato. As Goten carried Jiraiya home, Black Zetsu prepared to adjust the plan, while Trunks sensed mysterious symbols flash beneath Konoha.

  • Goten broke the core of Pain’s Chibaku Tensei and vaporized its falling rubble with a Kamehameha.
  • Goten destroyed the Deva Path, triggering a backlash that left Nagato badly injured and all Six Paths destroyed.
  • Goten traced the Deva Path’s chakra connection and pinned Nagato to the ground from across the distance.
  • Goten told Jiraiya that he would keep Nagato alive because he was useful, then carried Jiraiya home.
  • Black Zetsu appeared to Nagato and Konan, saying Pain’s legend had been shattered and the plan needed adjusting.
  • Trunks sensed four symbols flash on the Stone Gate beneath Hokage Rock, then stared down through the floor.

Ch. 188A Glutton from the Sky, Home for Ramen

Goten returned to Konoha with the badly injured Jiraiya, where Tsunade treated him and the group gathered at Ichiraku. During the meal, Goten, Trunks, Tsunade, and Temari discovered that the sealed force beneath the shop had fully awakened and was beginning to break through the floor.

  • Goten brought Jiraiya down to Ichiraku, where Ayame, Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and Trunks welcomed them and Sakura began treating Jiraiya.
  • Tsunade arrived, examined Jiraiya, and continued his treatment after learning Goten's golden ki had kept him alive.
  • Goten and Trunks sensed the same disturbance beneath Konoha that matched the frequency of the door on the seabed.
  • Goten enclosed himself, Trunks, Tsunade, and Temari in a ki barrier, and Trunks revealed that every sealing pattern below was lit.
  • Dark red light seeped through the ramen shop floor, which grew hot beneath Ayame's foot, while the five Chips in Goten's pocket trembled.

Ch. 189Sai's Repayment

Goten and the others discovered that the Chips matched symbols on a scroll describing the sealed gate beneath Hokage Rock, while Sai returned Root’s orders implicating Danzo. After Yamato’s Hashirama Cells suddenly reacted in sync with the Chips, Goten and Trunks set out to destroy Root’s underground base.

  • Goten forced the red light beneath the floor back down, and Tsunade reported that the foundation of Hokage Rock had cracked as the gate’s seal came under pressure.
  • Tsunade compared the four symbols from an ancient scroll with the five Chips, and the fragments matched the gate’s patterns.
  • Yamato and Naruto returned to the Ramen Shop, where Naruto immediately began washing dishes as punishment.
  • Sai gave Goten Root’s original orders, which included sabotaging the shop, sending sealing squads beneath Hokage Rock, and monitoring its visitors.
  • Yamato’s Hashirama Cells briefly proliferated abnormally, and Goten noticed the Chips pulsing in sync with the wood grain on Yamato’s face.
  • Goten and Trunks left to flatten Root’s underground base.

Ch. 190Even a rat hole had a door

Goten and Trunks traced the strange energy in Yamato’s body to a blue fragment Orochimaru had mixed with Hashirama cells, then headed to Konoha’s restricted military zone. They broke through Root’s defenses and confronted Danzo, who revealed an arm covered in eyes.

  • Goten used ki to purge a blue energy residue from Yamato and learned Orochimaru had mixed a glowing blue fragment into the Hashirama cell culture fluid.
  • Trunks sensed more than a hundred people underground near Hokage Rock, and he and Goten set out for the restricted military zone.
  • Goten and Trunks incapacitated Root sentries, then Goten destroyed the sealed bronze gate with a punch.
  • Trunks cleared the passage of over a hundred Root ninja, leaving Goten to face Danzo.
  • Danzo accused Goten of treason and defended his actions as necessary for Konoha before Goten broke his cane.
  • Danzo pulled away the bandages on his right arm, exposing pale skin covered in eyes.

Ch. 191You call that a trump card?

Goten overwhelmed Danzo in the Root Base, destroying his Sharingan arm and stopping his sealing technique. As Goten and Trunks prepared to leave, Goten sensed and struck a hidden creature underground, exposing a black-and-white face with a yellow eye.

  • Danzo attacked Goten with his Sharingan and Wind Release, but Goten's clothes remained untouched.
  • Goten repeatedly struck Danzo through his resurrections, then destroyed Baku with a Ki Blast.
  • Goten tore off Danzo's Sharingan-studded arm, and Danzo's Hashirama-cell modifications began turning his body to wood.
  • Danzo activated the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique, but Goten shattered the seal with golden ki.
  • As Goten and Trunks left the ruined Root Base, Goten sensed a living presence underground and cut into the earth with ki.
  • Goten pinned a pitcher-plant-like creature in a fissure and saw part of its black-and-white face and single yellow eye.

Ch. 192Pitcher plant, what are you looking at?

Goten and Trunks destroyed Danzo’s Root hideout and left Tsunade to secure its survivors and records. Back at Ichiraku Ramen Shop, Trunks sensed the Undersea Door pulse in sync with the Stone Gate beneath them, and Goten confirmed that its seal was glowing like a heartbeat.

  • Goten burned the White Zetsu Clone to ash before it could finish speaking.
  • Tsunade arrived at the ruined Root base, ordered the remaining Root personnel detained and the files secured, and had the still-living Danzo taken away.
  • Trunks recovered Root’s encrypted scrolls and handed them to Tsunade before he and Goten left for Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
  • At the shop, Goten ate with Trunks while Temari, Hinata, Ino, Sakura, and Ayame tended to the group.
  • Trunks sensed the Undersea Door pulse in synchronization with the door beneath their feet, and Goten used his Ki Sensing Network to find the Stone Gate glowing with a steady, heartbeat-like rhythm.

Ch. 193Yamato's Tattoo Show

Yamato’s geometric chest markings activated in the Hokage Office, and Goten suspected Orochimaru had exposed him to material from the Stone Gate. Goten took Yamato to keep him under watch and went to investigate Tenchi Bridge, where a black-armored figure began forming from a pool of dark liquid.

  • Yamato told Tsunade that his Wood Release clone found smooth, indestructible black rock with shallow engravings beneath Tenchi Bridge, then began transforming as the markings spread across his face.
  • Goten knocked Yamato unconscious and found precise geometric patterns on his chest; Temari recognized them as the Stone Gate’s sealing diagram.
  • Goten concluded that Orochimaru had mixed fragments from the gate or nearby material into Yamato’s Hashirama cells, and he ordered Naruto to move Yamato to the Ichiraku Ramen Shop basement.
  • Goten left for Tenchi Bridge to inspect the pit, leaving Trunks to hold down the fort.
  • At the bottom of the pit, black liquid gathered and formed a humanoid figure encased in armor as the engravings on the black rock glowed dark red.

Ch. 194Another Door

Goten discovered a vast metal platform beneath Orochimaru’s ruined base and fought two black-armored figures on it. Their remains activated the platform and summoned a damaged Stone Gate, while Yamato’s chest markings began pulsing in sync.

  • Goten found black frost spreading around Orochimaru’s ruined base and blasted open the ground beneath it.
  • He discovered a huge patterned metal platform that resembled the one beneath the Ramen Shop, and the five Chips in his pocket reacted to it.
  • Two black-armored figures attacked Goten, but he destroyed both of them as one tried to absorb the other’s remains.
  • The black liquid from the figures spread through the platform’s patterns, activating them and opening a pillar of black light.
  • A damaged Stone Gate appeared in the light, and Yamato convulsed as the markings on his chest lit up in rhythm with the platform.

Ch. 195Whatever Was Behind the Door Was Getting Desperate

Goten’s five chips joined into a crystal whose blue light destroyed the phantom door and erased the ruins at Tenchi Bridge. The crystal then showed another stone door opening beneath Konoha, and Goten turned to head there.

  • Goten felt the phantom door pulling at his Ki as the five chips in his pocket heated and began moving toward it.
  • The five chips forced their way through Goten’s Ki barriers and joined into a complete diamond-shaped crystal in his hands.
  • The crystal unleashed a blue pillar that split the black pillar, shattered the phantom door, and severed the arms of guardians trying to pass through.
  • The blue light burned away the platform and surrounding ruins at Tenchi Bridge, leaving a pool of molten metal.
  • Goten saw an image of the stone door beneath Hokage Rock opening and turned toward Konoha as Yamato’s chest began pulsing dark red again.

Ch. 196The Door Opened

Goten returned from Tenchi Bridge with Yamato while the destroyed gate shifted its pressure to the stone gate beneath Konoha, which began opening faster beneath Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Trunks detected the danger and warned Goten as dark red liquid seeped through the floorboards.

  • Goten suppressed the crystal, carried the unconscious Yamato toward Konoha, and explained that the gate's pressure had shifted there after he destroyed the platform at Tenchi Bridge.
  • Goten sensed the stone gate beneath Konoha pulsing faster and realized Trunks had noticed it at Ichiraku Ramen Shop.
  • Trunks and the others felt heat and a heartbeat-like pulse beneath the shop, while Hinata's Byakugan could not see through the gate's dark red light.
  • Trunks told Ino and Sakura to move supplies upstairs, and the shop's workers hurried to protect the food and equipment.
  • Trunks sent Goten a ki message saying the door had opened, and Goten replied that he was on his way.
  • Trunks found glowing dark red liquid leaking through the floorboards, and its energy matched the Chip's residual frequency.

Ch. 197The First's Written Order

Tsunade learned that Danzo and Orochimaru had investigated an ancient barrier beneath the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, while a crack beneath Hokage Rock widened as pressure shifted between three connected gates. The shop’s floor began to bow upward, and Trunks warned that the thing beneath the gate had arrived.

  • Shizune reported that Root’s files contained more than thirty-seven thousand records, and Tsunade ordered guards to retreat after seeing the crack beneath Hokage Rock widen.
  • Shikaku told Tsunade that Danzo had traded intelligence with Orochimaru for at least twelve years and had secretly surveyed the ground beneath Ichiraku, where an energy barrier had erased three days of two sensory ninja’s memories.
  • Jiraiya told Sakura that the underground fluctuations resembled those beneath Nagato’s giant tree in Amegakure and pointed her to his notebook.
  • Trunks explained to Tsunade that the three gates were synchronized and that destroying the gate at Tenchi Bridge had increased pressure on the other two.
  • Shikaku found Hashirama Senju’s sealed warning against deep excavation beneath the ramen shop, just as a heavy sound came from underground and the floor began to rise.
  • Trunks told everyone that the thing beneath the gate had arrived.

Ch. 198No remodeling allowed in the Ramen Shop

Goten arrived at the Ramen Shop and forced the dark red force beneath the floor back into silence before it could destroy the building. As he settled in to eat, the markings on Yamato’s chest began spreading rapidly, and Jiraiya warned that Yamato was about to combust.

  • Trunks tried to suppress the force rising through the floor without transforming, and Teuchi’s warning made him stop powering up.
  • A huge pressure from the sky drove the dark red light down, and Goten landed at the Ramen Shop carrying an unconscious Yamato.
  • Goten stomped golden ki into the ground, silenced the force beneath the floor, and leveled the plank.
  • Hinata checked on Goten, while he teased Tsunade about the ink smeared across her cheek and Ayame served him ramen.
  • Jiraiya spotted the geometric markings spreading across Yamato’s chest and shouted that Yamato was about to combust.

Ch. 199Underground Security Guard

Goten used the fused crystal to stop the underground force from controlling Yamato, then learned Hashirama Senju had ordered the site not to be excavated. He decided to guard the sealed threat beneath the Ramen Shop.

  • Goten revealed the fused crystal, and the movements of the entity behind the underground door stopped.
  • Goten pressed the crystal against Yamato's formation, reversing the red glow and ending Yamato's convulsions.
  • Yamato woke and headed to the kitchen for ramen.
  • Shikaku showed Tsunade and Goten Hashirama Senju's sealed order forbidding deep excavation at the site.
  • Goten said he would guard the threat locked beneath the Ramen Shop.

Ch. 200The wife in charge of the accounts wanted to dock his allowance

At the Ramen Shop, Goten and the others discussed the pressure building at the sealed Stone Gate and the synchronized Undersea Door while Yamato discovered the shop’s ramen soothed the patterns inside him. Tsunade thought the gate was stable, but the crystal revealed a black eyeball squeezing through its gap.

  • Temari charged Goten for the shop’s floor repairs, and Goten teased her about paying his debt with his body.
  • Trunks explained that the Stone Gate and Undersea Door were under extreme pressure and had pulsed in perfect synchronization.
  • Tsunade and Shikaku considered Hashirama Senju’s warning not to dig deep, while Goten declared he would handle whatever emerged.
  • Yamato found that Teuchi’s ramen soothed the rampaging patterns inside his chest.
  • Tsunade saw the Stone Gate’s image tremble as a black, liquid eyeball squeezed through the narrow gap.
Arc 8 of 9