Chapter Summaries

Jiraiya entered Mount Myōboku’s Sage Mode and fought Hatake Sakumo, but Sakumo revealed a Sage Mode of his own and defeated him. Jiraiya released his Sage Mode and withdrew, reflecting on the mysterious figure who had taught Sakumo.

• Jiraiya summoned Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima and entered Mount Myōboku’s Sage Mode while Hatake Sakumo watched.
• Jiraiya attacked Sakumo with Sage Art: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan and a fire-and-oil technique, burning his shoulder and forcing him back.
• Sakumo gathered natural energy, entered his own Sage Mode, and evaded Jiraiya’s Sage Art: Hair Needle Senbon.
• Sakumo appeared behind Jiraiya and held the White Fang against his back, revealing that he had defeated him.
• Jiraiya released Sage Mode, and the Toad Sages and Gamabunta returned to Mount Myōboku as he wondered what would become of the Shinobi World.

Hatake Sakumo left the battlefield with Naruto and Kakashi, while Jiraiya and Orochimaru returned to Konoha and agreed that Jiraiya would bring Tsunade back. Sakumo’s group reached the City of Divine Descent, where Yamahara Kaede welcomed them and prepared to take them to Abu and the Grass God; Sakumo asked whether Shisui Uchiha had arrived.

• Hatake Sakumo told Jiraiya he had left Konoha because he believed it needed to be destroyed and reborn, then departed with Naruto and Kakashi.
• Orochimaru met Jiraiya among the battlefield wreckage, acknowledged Jiraiya’s strength, and asked him to bring Tsunade back to Konoha.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru returned to Konoha with the Anbu to address the village’s turmoil.
• Hatake Sakumo, Kakashi, and the sleeping Naruto crossed into the Land of Grass and traveled to the City of Divine Descent.
• Second Division members recognized Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi, escorted them to a reception room, and notified the captains.
• Yamahara Kaede welcomed the three visitors, said their accommodations were arranged, and offered to take them to Abu and the Grass God; Hatake Sakumo asked if Shisui Uchiha had arrived.

Hatake Sakumo, Kakashi, and Naruto arrived in the City of Divine Descent, where Abu welcomed them and confirmed their places as division captains. Days later, they visited Shisui and the Uchiha refugees, while Naruto’s presence stirred Nine-Tails’ hostility; the chapter ended with the Land of Grass’s division lineup listed.

• Yamahara Kaede brought Hatake Sakumo, Kakashi Hatake, and Naruto to Abu’s office in the City of Divine Descent.
• Abu welcomed the newcomers, learned that Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and promised to issue their division documents and Captain’s Haori.
• Itachi told the group that Lu You was away, and Yamahara Kaede led them to their arranged home.
• Days later, Hatake Sakumo and Yamahara Kaede visited Shisui Uchiha and the Uchiha refugees with Naruto.
• Shisui welcomed them and warned that the Hokage might pursue them, while Nine-Tails recognized Shisui as another Uchiha.

Abu answered a joint protest from the Five Great Nations by refusing to return the tailed-beast jinchūriki, while offering to let Naruto Uzumaki choose his future when he became an adult. Years later, Sasuke Uchiha prepared to start at the Ninja Academy, where Kakashi brought Naruto on the first day of school.

• Shisui asked Hatake Sakumo when the Captain-Commander's plan would begin, and Sakumo said it would likely start once all the Squad captains had assembled.
• Itachi read the Five Great Nations' protest letters and warned Abu that the countries appeared to be joining forces; Abu said strength and long-term stability were what You wanted him to consider.
• After Konoha and the other four nations formally demanded the return of Hatake Sakumo, Shisui Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and the other jinchūriki, Abu announced that Naruto could choose whether to stay or leave as an adult and left the others' fate to the Grass God.
• Kitsuchi, the Fourth Raikage, Rasa, and Yagura gave little or no follow-up to Abu's response, and the protest led to no further action.
• In autumn of Grass God Year 10, Sasuke Uchiha prepared to start at the Ninja Academy, hoping to graduate early and fight alongside his brother.
• Uchiha Mikoto accompanied Sasuke to the Ninja Academy, while Kakashi brought Naruto to begin school.

Sasuke and Naruto met at the Ninja Academy and began arguing over their families, unknowingly forming a bond. Meanwhile, Lu You gave Uchiha Itachi his father's Mangekyō Sharingan, and Itachi chose to transplant them into himself before creating a world without suffering for Sasuke.

• Uchiha Mikoto encouraged Sasuke to make friends with Naruto, whom Kakashi had brought.
• Sasuke and Naruto met in class, discovered that both had lost their parents, and argued about whose family was stronger.
• Kakashi sneezed on his way to train his squad members.
• Lu You told Uchiha Itachi it was time for him to become a captain and gave him Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Uchiha Itachi decided to transplant the eyes into himself first and create a world without suffering for Sasuke.

Lu You discussed Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan and introduced Haku, then recalled how he tracked Black Zetsu and White Zetsu to the Land of Water while searching for Fugaku’s killer. The chapter ended with Lu You helping the homeless in the snowy north and discovering that the frail child who thanked him was a boy.

• Itachi accepted Fugaku’s eyes and planned to arrange a transplant with a medical ninja.
• Itachi met Haku, an orphan of the Yuki Clan with Ice Release, and Lu You decided Konan would look after him.
• Itachi asked whether Fugaku’s killer was still alive, and Lu You said the man had escaped despite their confrontation.
• Lu You recalled locating Black Zetsu and White Zetsu in the Land of Water after years of investigation.
• Lu You gave steamed buns to homeless people on a snowy road and realized that the child who thanked him was a boy.

Lu You found Haku in the Land of Water, brought him to an inn, and spent a month teaching him while searching for Black Zetsu, White Zetsu, and Obito. After hearing reports of a masked, dark figure near a public restroom, Lu You traced the group to a hidden base beneath a septic tank, where they were preparing to control Mizukage Yagura.

• Lu You recognized Haku, invited him to come along, and took him to a nearby town to bathe, change, and test his chakra affinities.
• Lu You confirmed Haku had Water Release and Wind Release, paid for two months at an inn, and gave him a beginner shinobi handbook to study.
• For a month, Lu You searched for his targets by day and taught Haku shinobi basics at night, but found no trace of them.
• Lu You heard townspeople describe a masked, pitch-black figure near a public restroom and realized he had a lead on Black Zetsu, Obito, and White Zetsu.
• Lu You tracked them to a concealed base beneath a septic tank, where Black Zetsu and White Zetsu discussed controlling Mizukage Yagura and restoring their plans.
• Lu You appeared behind Black Zetsu and White Zetsu as they spoke in their base.

Lu You stole Uchiha Fugaku’s Mangekyō eyes from Black Zetsu, but Black Zetsu escaped through Kamui after using a septic tank explosion as cover. Lu You returned to Haku and set out with him for the City of Divine Descent, while Black Zetsu and White Zetsu remained trapped in Obito’s alternate dimension, filthy and afraid to leave.

• Lu You surprised Black Zetsu, shattered his mask, and removed the Mangekyō eyes from Obito’s sockets.
• Black Zetsu escaped Lu You’s restraint with Kamui, then detonated a septic tank and used the chaos to enter Obito’s alternate dimension.
• Lu You chose to leave Black Zetsu for Itachi to deal with and returned to the inn, where he told Haku about the City of Divine Descent.
• Lu You left town with Haku the next day as Black Zetsu and White Zetsu waited in the alternate dimension, unable to wash for fear Lu You was still nearby.
• White Zetsu threatened to stop suppressing Obito’s consciousness, briefly causing Obito to wake and discover the filth before retreating back into sleep.

White Zetsu and Black Zetsu recovered from their failed attempt to control Yagura, while Lu You arranged for Konan to train Haku. Over the following years, Itachi gained the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and the Land of Grass expanded its ninja forces and cities, leaving Naruto and Sasuke still studying there two years before Naruto was due to return to Konoha.

• Black Zetsu restored his Mangekyō Sharingan with the three-tomoe eyes, but he and White Zetsu concluded they could no longer control Yagura and would have to rely on other schemes.
• Lu You told Itachi what had happened, and Itachi promised to deal with the dangerous man before going to have his Sharingan transplanted.
• Lu You asked Konan to take Haku as her apprentice, and she agreed to train him.
• Itachi fused his father's Mangekyō Sharingan with his own, awakened the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and became captain of the newly established Eighth Division.
• The Land of Grass formed several new divisions, grew its ninja population into the tens of thousands, and established the City of Divine Grace and the City of Divine Gift.
• Naruto and Sasuke continued studying in the City of Divine Descent, with two years left before Naruto was scheduled to return to Konoha.

The Land of Grass mobilized a hundred thousand troops to conquer the Five Great Nations, prompting their leaders to gather for an emergency summit. As the Kage weighed their desperate odds, Orochimaru proposed using Konoha’s Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu to summon the dead to fight.

• The City of Divine Grace and the City of Divine Gift were completed, and Haku formed the Nation-Protecting Thirteenth Division’s final division.
• After Abu fell gravely ill, Yahiko took over the Land of Grass’s domestic affairs, while Konoha and the other nations demanded Naruto Uzumaki, the tailed beasts, and the jinchūriki be returned.
• The Land of Grass raised a hundred thousand troops and divided ten divisions among campaigns against the Land of Wind, the Land of Fire, the Land of Lightning, and the Land of Water.
• Orochimaru, Kitsuchi, Rasa, A, and Yagura met at the Land of Iron and concluded that the Five Great Nations were badly outnumbered and outmatched.
• Orochimaru proposed using the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu to summon the dead, but Yagura condemned the idea as vile.

The Five Great Nations agreed to use the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and prepare defenses against the Land of Grass. Orochimaru arranged Konoha’s plans and learned that Black Zetsu wanted him to obtain Nagato’s Rinnegan, but he doubted Black Zetsu’s motives.

• Rasa, Kitsuchi, and the Raikage accepted Orochimaru’s proposal, and Yagura agreed after voicing concern about the suffering of the summoned dead.
• Orochimaru proposed summoning Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha to fight the Grass God, and the leaders agreed to prepare defensive fortifications.
• Back in Konoha, Orochimaru told Jiraiya and Tsunade that all five nations had agreed to use the jutsu and promised to remove it from Konoha’s Forbidden Jutsu records after the war.
• Orochimaru asked Jiraiya about summoning Minato and Kushina, and Jiraiya agreed so he could speak with Minato.
• Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade began planning defenses along the Land of Fire’s western border.
• Black Zetsu gave Orochimaru Madara Uchiha’s flesh and urged him to obtain Nagato’s Rinnegan, but Orochimaru privately mocked Black Zetsu’s plan.

Orochimaru summoned dozens of elite ninja with Impure World Reincarnation in a guarded cavern, including Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha. As Hiruzen Sarutobi began explaining Konoha’s situation, Minato Namikaze asked where Sakumo was and how Naruto was doing.

• Orochimaru decided to extract intelligence and Impure World Reincarnation knowledge from his captured enemy before seeking revenge for Minato.
• Kabuto Yakushi entered Sage Mode and used Impure World Reincarnation to summon dozens of elite ninja inside a cavern outside Konoha.
• Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju recognized the jutsu and questioned how they had been summoned, while Madara Uchiha wondered why his revival differed from his plan.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi introduced Orochimaru as the Fifth Hokage and reunited Hashirama Senju with his granddaughter Tsunade.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi introduced Jiraiya and explained that the Sannin now supported Konoha, then Minato Namikaze asked about Sakumo and Naruto.

Orochimaru told the revived Konoha shinobi that Hatake Sakumo had taken Naruto and the Uchiha survivors to Kusagakure, now the world’s strongest village, which had declared war to unify the world. As the gathered shinobi reacted to the threat, Madara Uchiha argued with Hashirama Senju over whether unification could end wars.

• Orochimaru revealed that Hatake Sakumo had defected with Naruto to Kusagakure, relieving Minato Namikaze and Kushina that their son was safe.
• Madara Uchiha recognized Kabuto Yakushi as the one controlling their Impure World Reincarnation, while Hashirama Senju suggested they listen before judging the situation.
• Chiri Uchiha asked about the other Uchiha, and Orochimaru explained that Shisui Uchiha had slaughtered the clan in Konoha before the survivors followed him to the Land of Grass.
• Orochimaru said the Land of Grass had become the world’s strongest nation and Kusagakure its strongest shinobi village, prompting Tobirama Senju to question why the revived leaders had been summoned.
• Orochimaru announced that the Land of Grass had declared war on the entire world to unify it, leaving the Five Great Shinobi Villages on the brink of collapse.
• Madara Uchiha welcomed the prospect of unification as a way to end wars, but Hashirama Senju argued that conquest could not win other nations’ hearts.

The revived leaders debated whether to take part in the war before the Grass forces advanced on Sunagakure’s defenses. Pakura and Sasori identified a weak point in the iron-sand-coated eastern wall, but the first exchange of attacks left the battle poised to intensify.

• Tobirama warned that the Land of Grass faced several fronts and controlled most of the tailed beasts, while a revived ninja jokingly proposed forcing surrender.
• Orochimaru offered to release any revived ninja who refused to fight, and several accepted; Hashirama agreed to stay after Tobirama argued that Konoha needed their help.
• The Fifth and Ninth Divisions crossed the Land of Wind under Pakura and Sasori’s command and spotted Sunagakure’s prepared defensive line.
• Pakura and Sasori noticed that the eastern wall’s iron-sand coating was thinner and chose it as the point of attack.
• Baki and the revived Third Kazekage prepared Sunagakure’s defenses as both sides launched probing attacks, damaging the wall’s coating but not its foundations.
• Pakura saw cracks forming in the eastern wall’s iron sand and stepped forward with Scorch Release flaring in her palms.

Pakura and Sasori’s forces broke through Sunagakure’s defenses with an enormous artillery barrage and advanced into the village. As Pakura spotted Rasa across the battlefield, the two prepared to settle their score.

• Pakura attacked the iron-sand wall, but the Third Kazekage recognized her and wondered how Rasa had turned her against Sunagakure.
• Sasori explained that the Ninth Division had built artillery to imitate the Captain-Commander’s strike, and its massive cannons blasted open the eastern defensive line.
• Baki, Temari, and Kankuro fought the advancing puppets, but Sunagakure’s defenders were overwhelmed as Mahito arrived and the line fell in under an hour.
• Pakura left Sasori, found Rasa across the battlefield, and charged toward him alongside the Squad.

Pakura confronted and killed Rasa with a Sage Art Scorch Release attack, turning the tide of the battle against Sunagakure. With Rasa dead and Sunagakure’s morale collapsing, Reto and Shamon remained surrounded by Kusagakure forces.

• Pakura attacked Rasa with Scorch Release, and he countered with Gold Dust defenses and a pincer attack.
• Pakura used Sage Art: Scorch Release: Great Flame Emperor, melting Rasa’s defenses and killing him in a massive explosion.
• A Fifth Division member proclaimed victory as Pakura’s attack devastated the battlefield.
• Reto watched Pakura’s attack and fought off Kusagakure ninja, while recognizing the strength of their golden generation.
• Shamon fought while controlling puppets as Sunagakure’s forces faced overwhelming numbers and their morale collapsed.

The Land of Grass forces defeated Sunagakure, and the Land of Wind was conquered and incorporated into the Land of Grass. After the fighting, Lu You ordered Gaara to accompany him to the Land of Earth.

• Pakura told the Third Kazekage that she believed the Land of Grass could bring peace, and he released his Impure World Reincarnation before asking her to care for the people of the Land of Wind.
• Sasori defeated Chiyo and spared her, saying the Land of Grass treated prisoners well.
• Sasori's arrival broke Sunagakure's defenses, and its shinobi surrendered as the First Kazekage and Second Kazekage were sealed.
• The Land of Grass army captured the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, and the country was declared dissolved and incorporated into the Land of Grass less than ten days after the war began.
• Lu You told Gaara that he was going to the Land of Earth alone and ordered him to come along; Gaara agreed.

Gaara abandoned his loyalty to Sunagakure and followed Lu You to Iwagakure, where Lu You arrived alone to destroy the village. The Iwa Shinobi mobilized in panic, and the First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, confronted Lu You with the village’s forces.

• Gaara recalled how Sunagakure had mistreated him, gave up resisting Lu You, and asked whether Lu You intended to destroy Iwagakure.
• Lu You explained that he would act alone, then carried Gaara from Sunagakure to the mountains surrounding Iwagakure.
• Gaara noticed Iwagakure’s extensive Explosive Tag defenses, but Lu You led him openly to the village’s main gate.
• An Iwa Shinobi squad leader recognized Lu You as the Grass God, triggering alarms and a panicked mobilization.
• The First Tsuchikage, Ishikawa, assembled with other leaders and questioned Lu You’s confidence, while Kitsuchi said Lu You was stronger than Hashirama Senju.

Lu You defeated the First Tsuchikage Ishikawa and Second Tsuchikage Mu, then accepted Ōnoki’s surrender of the Land of Earth. He ended the chapter by carving through the mountains to clear a road for Iwagakure.

• Ishikawa attacked Lu You with an enormous rock hand, but Lu You shattered it and cut Ishikawa in half with his Zanpakuto.
• Mu used Dust Release against Lu You, but Lu You appeared beside him and destroyed him with a flurry of sword strikes.
• Ōnoki told Kitsuchi to lead the Land of Earth in surrender, and Kitsuchi admitted he feared being blamed for the nation’s fall.
• Ōnoki declared that the Land of Earth had lost, and Lu You accepted his surrender as the Iwa Shinobi welcomed the end of the fighting.
• Lu You unleashed a powerful slash that collapsed the mountains and leveled a route through the terrain, leaving Kitsuchi stunned.

After Lu You brought down the Land of Earth, the surrounding small nations surrendered to the Land of Grass, while the remaining great nations confronted the threat of its advance. At an emergency Konoha meeting, the leaders planned to strike Grass Ninja commanders across separate fronts, though Kushina and others had little faith in Konoha’s cause.

• Lu You sheathed his blade and left the collapsed mountain range as Gaara followed, while the surviving Iwa Shinobi surrendered and faced the loss of their homeland.
• News of the Land of Wind and Land of Earth’s defeats spread, and the Land of Crafts, Land of Rice Fields, Land of Hot Water, and other neighbors surrendered to the Land of Grass.
• Danzo brooded in the Root Base, while Orochimaru called an emergency meeting of Konoha’s reanimated Hokage and other powerful figures.
• Tobirama Senju, Minato Namikaze, and others assessed the Land of Grass’s strength, and Hashirama Senju dismissed comparisons that placed him above all other possible powers.
• Jiraiya proposed uniting the remaining nations, but Hiruzen Sarutobi argued their combined forces were still outmatched; Tobirama urged them to target Grass Ninja commanders.
• Orochimaru and the others decided to keep Konoha, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure on separate fronts and attack the squad captains before the Grass God could intervene.