Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Nen confronted Isshiki and Kara’s Inner Members but failed to stop their escape after Lohak blasted him away. Nen reported back to Shin'yu, who reassured him and ordered him to return to the base to meet his Aunt and share what he had learned.

• Isshiki opened a Teleportation Gate and ordered Kara’s Inner Members to leave as Nen attacked with Yasaka Magatama.
• The Third Kazekage used Iron Sand Defense to block Nen’s attack, then escaped through the gate with Isshiki and Kenlun.
• Nen tried to stop Lohak from fleeing, but Lohak struck him with a blue energy blast and escaped.
• Nen failed to track Kara after their escape and contacted Shin'yu through a black shadow.
• Shin'yu reassured Nen and told him to return to the base, where he would meet his Aunt and discuss Kara’s intelligence.

Shin'yu guided Nagato through the Rinnegan's Projecting Technique and urged him to release the power he had been suppressing. When Nagato hesitated, Shin'yu provoked his instincts, and Nagato unleashed several Rinnegan abilities in a fierce sparring match.

• Nagato successfully used the Projecting Technique under Shin'yu's guidance, manifesting Uchiha Nen's phantom for long-distance communication.
• Shin'yu told Nagato he had passed the first steps of controlling the Rinnegan and urged him to attack with all his power.
• Nagato hesitated to attack Shin'yu, so Shin'yu suddenly thrust his fingers toward Nagato's eyes to trigger his response.
• Nagato's Rinnegan released a powerful force that flattened the ground around him with Shinra Tensei, which Shin'yu identified as a Deva Path technique.
• Nagato used the All-Attracting Heaven Technique and the Hell Path's King of Hell capture technique to pull Shin'yu toward him.
• Shin'yu broke free and slashed with Sword Qi, cutting through the King of Hell as Nagato stopped the gravitational pull.

Shin'yu tested Nagato's Rinnegan abilities in battle, countering each Path with his own techniques. He stopped Nagato before he could unleash his final move, leaving him unconscious in his arms.

• Nagato used the Asura Path to fire missiles at Shin'yu, who restrained and sliced them apart with Chakra Threads.
• Nagato attacked with the Human and Asura Paths, but Shin'yu caught his punch, severed his mechanical arm, and struck him with powerful Sword Qi.
• Nagato used the Preta Path to absorb Shin'yu's attacks and the Deva Path to unleash Shinra Tensei, while Shin'yu evaded and overwhelmed him with further attacks.
• Nagato tried to absorb Shin'yu's soul, but Shin'yu's spiritual power resisted him and sent him flying.
• Nagato began summoning the Outer Path, but Shin'yu blocked his Chakra flow through the DanZhong acupoint and caught him as he collapsed.

The Third Raikage confronted Danzo over the deaths of six Cloud Ninja and the failed abduction of Uzumaki Kushina, but left after Danzo promised an explanation. A man in a white lab coat then arrived at the Root base, surprising Danzo.

• The Third Raikage learned that Uzumaki Kushina had returned safely to Hidden Leaf Village while Sumoi and the other Cloud Ninja had disappeared.
• The Third Raikage confronted Danzo in a secret Root base and demanded that Hidden Leaf Village answer for the deaths of his six subordinates.
• Danzo argued that Minato Namikaze had not killed the Cloud Ninja and promised the Third Raikage a satisfactory explanation.
• The Third Raikage threatened Danzo but withdrew and left the base without starting a fight.
• A man in a white lab coat entered the Root base, and Danzo recognized him with surprise.

Orochimaru met with Danzo to discuss their secret experiments, then returned to his underground laboratory and learned that Nagato had awakened the Rinnegan. Nagato said Shin'yu had ordered him to train by his side in the Hidden Leaf Village, leaving Orochimaru disappointed that he had no new task.

• Orochimaru told Danzo that the laboratory needed more test subjects and replacement equipment, and asked for a new identity so he could leave his Ninja Academy role.
• Danzo agreed to provide prisoners and equipment but told Orochimaru to keep teaching for now while he considered a new identity.
• Orochimaru left Danzo's headquarters and went to the secret laboratory beneath the western Hidden Leaf Forest.
• Orochimaru found Nagato asleep in the laboratory and was shocked to see that Nagato had awakened the Rinnegan.
• Nagato told Orochimaru that Shin'yu had ordered him to stay close and train by his side, and Orochimaru eagerly asked whether he had a new task.

Uchiha Shin'yu visited Uzumaki Mito in her room and revealed that he had saved and protected the Uzumaki Clan. He left Mito reeling by claiming that Kushina belonged to him as well.

• Uzumaki Mito restored her youthful appearance with her Yin Seal after recognizing Shin'yu, who remained calm and composed.
• Mito accused Shin'yu of his crimes against the Hidden Leaf Village, but he insisted she would not dare attack him because he was half of the Uzumaki Clan.
• Shin'yu revealed that he had saved Hidden Whirlpool Village from the coalition attack sixteen years earlier and had protected the Uzumaki Clan ever since.
• Mito realized Shin'yu was the mysterious benefactor behind the rescue, whose identity had been withheld from her by her clansmen.
• Shin'yu told Mito that the tea was his and claimed that Kushina, who cared for Mito, was his person too.

Shin'yu confronted Uzumaki Mito with the past abandonment of her clan and the village's plan to trade Kushina for the Two-Tails, forcing her to choose between the village and the child. Mito chose to offer herself as the price to protect Kushina and the village.

• Shin'yu reminded Mito that he had rescued and protected the Uzumaki Clan after its destruction while she had focused on Hidden Leaf Village.
• Shin'yu revealed that he had killed six Cloud Ninja who tried to abduct Kushina and said Hidden Leaf had agreed to trade the Two-Tails for her.
• Shin'yu warned Mito that Kushina would be sacrificed as a Jinchuriki or exchanged, and declared that he would claim the Tailed Beasts and prevent harm from coming to them.
• Shin'yu made Mito choose between the village and Kushina by shaping tea into the faces of people she cared about.
• Mito drank the tea and said she hoped to be the fuel that burned to illuminate the village.

Shin'yu arranged for Kushina and Mito to speak privately before Mito released the seal holding the Two-Tails and Seven-Tails. After Shin'yu subdued the beasts, Kushina began sealing the Seven-Tails into herself, while Shin'yu prepared a summoning contract for the Two-Tails.

• Shin'yu summoned four White Zetsu to conceal the Uzumaki Shrine beneath a powerful barrier so Kushina and Mito could talk without interruption.
• Mito encouraged Kushina to carry on for the Uzumaki Clan, and Kushina agreed to become the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Mito released her layered seal and freed the Two-Tails, Matatabi, and the Seven-Tails, Chongming, while keeping them bound with Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• The Tailed Beasts attacked Mito, but Shin'yu subdued them with his Sharingan and told Kushina to seal the Seven-Tails into herself.
• Shin'yu opened a summoning contract and marked the Two-Tails with blood, prompting Mito to remark that he was exactly like Madara.

At the Ninja Academy, Kakashi told the students that Mito had died after attending an emergency meeting, then clashed with Obito and revealed he had become a Chunin. Snake called the students to class, while Kakashi reflected on the respect and unease he felt toward his theory teacher.

• Kakashi told the gathered students that Mito had died after calling an emergency meeting at the Uzumaki Shrine.
• Rin was deeply upset by the news, while Kakashi refused to share any classified details about the meeting.
• Obito confronted Kakashi, who mocked him for being late and revealed that he had become a Chunin.
• Snake arrived to start class, and the students went inside after he reminded them that theory was important for becoming a capable ninja.
• Kakashi wondered why Snake sometimes made him feel intense pressure, though he respected the knowledge he had gained from him.

Orochimaru reflected on his years of undercover work and the Hidden Leaf Village Infiltration Plan he had formed with Nian and Hiruko to secure more human test subjects. After finishing school, he returned home and found Minato waiting for him.

• Orochimaru used a face taken from a deceased prisoner to maintain his disguise as a schoolteacher in the Hidden Leaf Village.
• After the Land of Iron ran out of death-row prisoners for experiments, Orochimaru, Nian, and Hiruko devised a plan to obtain test subjects through cooperation with the Hidden Leaf Village.
• Shin'yu approved the Hidden Leaf Village Infiltration Plan, and Orochimaru continued teaching while observing the village under his assumed identity.
• Orochimaru returned to his residence after school and found Minato waiting at the door.

Minato thanked Orochimaru for teaching him a powerful Chakra blade technique that helped him grow strong enough to save Kushina. He recalled how Orochimaru first offered to teach him three years earlier, then asked whether he could call him Master.

• Minato showed Orochimaru the Chakra blade technique he had learned and thanked him for his past kindness.
• Three years earlier, Minato trained Wind Style: Vacuum Sword in a storm, frustrated that he lacked a decisive killing move.
• Orochimaru appeared at the Training Ground, advised Minato on sustaining the wind blade, and demonstrated a powerful Chakra blade that cut through a wooden dummy.
• Minato asked Orochimaru to teach him, and Orochimaru agreed to meet him monthly if he learned the demonstrated move.
• Minato practiced the technique called Autumn Dew on Leaves with one hand and asked Orochimaru if he could call him Master.

Minato offered Orochimaru a forbidden copy of the Book of Sealing as thanks for his teaching, openly trusting him despite recognizing his power and ambitions. Orochimaru accepted the scroll, while continuing to wait for Minato to encounter the darkness that would make an honest master-disciple bond possible.

• Orochimaru refused Minato's request to become his disciple for now, but Minato reaffirmed his determination to become Hokage and called Orochimaru his teacher and benefactor.
• Orochimaru recalled Shin'yu's warning not to take Minato as a disciple and reasoned that Minato needed to face reality's darkness before learning Orochimaru's secrets.
• Orochimaru sensed Minato was about to present a scroll and briefly sent White Scaled Vipers to incapacitate six hidden Anbu and Root watchers around his residence.
• Minato offered Orochimaru a copy of the Book of Sealing and explained that he trusted Orochimaru's principles and wanted to build a connection with him.
• Minato declared that the future Hokage stood by his choice, and Orochimaru accepted the scroll with appreciation.

After Uzumaki Mito died and Kushina became the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, the Hidden Leaf Village let the Cloud Ninja take the Two-Tails while Shin'yu revealed he still controlled it. Shin'yu then left with Tobi to visit his grandnephew.

• Uzumaki Mito died after urging the Hidden Leaf Village's leaders to support the next generation, and Kushina inherited her role as the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen decided the Hidden Leaf Village would announce Mito's death and the Cloud Ninja's retrieval of the Two-Tails.
• Shin'yu told Tobi that the Two-Tails was bound to him by a Summoning Contract and remained under his Illusion Technique.
• Shin'yu explained that he could extract only half of the Seven-Tails from Kushina when the time came to revive the Ten-Tails.
• Tobi asked Shin'yu about sex, then asked about their next plans; Shin'yu said they would visit his grandnephew and left with Tobi and a White Zetsu.

Tsunade comforted Shisui after he was shunned by Uchiha in the Hidden Leaf Village, and Shin'yu explained that they rejected him because he was different. Shin'yu told Shisui that the Uchiha respected strength and urged him to grow powerful enough to earn their acknowledgment, even if it came through fear.

• Tsunade reminded Shisui to attend Mito's funeral with her after sunset.
• Shisui told Tsunade that Uchiha adults and children had avoided him when he went to play in their territory.
• Shin'yu arrived and reassured Shisui that he had done nothing wrong, then said the village Uchiha were different from him and weak by comparison.
• Shin'yu told Shisui that Uchiha acknowledged strength and advised him to become the first among them to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Orochimaru tested Impure World Reincarnation with Nagato, but the summoned Sumoi's body collapsed before he could open his eyes. After the failure, Orochimaru continued pursuing his other research and reflected on his search for a way to make his soul exist eternally.

• Nagato brought a death-row prisoner to Orochimaru in the underground laboratory.
• Orochimaru prepared a scroll with blood from Sumoi's corpse and began the Impure World Reincarnation ritual using the prisoner as a sacrifice.
• The ritual summoned Sumoi, but his Impure World body collapsed, ending the experiment in failure.
• Orochimaru dismissed the failure and considered how his aging made cloning technology and eternal existence of the soul central to his plans.

Orochimaru explained how he developed Living Corpse Reincarnation to transfer his soul into new bodies and avoid aging. After discovering that soul-body rejection and cloned vessels’ shortened lifespans threatened his plan, he began researching Natural Energy and Sealing Technique, naming his proposed solution the White Snake Cursed Seal.

• Orochimaru created Living Corpse Reincarnation by combining the Spiritualization Technique with cellular modification, intending to erase another person’s soul and take their body.
• Shin'yu warned Orochimaru that his soul would reject an unfamiliar body, prompting him to seek a compatible vessel through cloning technology.
• Orochimaru discovered that cloned organisms inherited the original body's lifespan and that his animal clones lived only half as long as normal.
• Orochimaru theorized that Natural Energy could preserve stages of life and let him control a clone's progression, while Sealing Technique could extract and manipulate those records.
• Orochimaru named his planned solution the White Snake Cursed Seal.

Orochimaru ended a failed Impure World Reincarnation experiment and welcomed Shin'yu to his laboratory. Shin'yu accepted the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll, then Nagato began a remote meeting with their allies.

• Orochimaru told Nagato to clean the laboratory after the experiment failed, and Nagato washed away the blood and removed the smell.
• Shin'yu arrived and reassured Orochimaru that he believed in his research.
• Orochimaru gave Shin'yu the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll that Minato had entrusted to him, and Shin'yu accepted it.
• Nagato confirmed that he had sensed the elders' thought waves and prepared to start the meeting.
• Nagato used the Projecting Technique to gather Light, Nian, Kakuzu, and Hiruko as phantoms around the table with Shin'yu, Orochimaru, and himself.

Shin'yu gathered his allies through Rinnegan projections and announced that they would recover all the Tailed Beasts before the Third Shinobi World War. He left the group with the task of confiscating every Tailed Beast held by the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

• Shin'yu and Nian connected with their allies through Rinnegan projections, and Hikari examined the illusion before returning to her place.
• Hiruko and Orochimaru argued and nearly fought until Kakuzu ordered them to quiet down.
• Shin'yu predicted that the Third Shinobi World War would begin within three years and said he would not interfere in it.
• Shin'yu explained that he wanted to prevent any Tailed Beast from dying because that would delay his plans.
• Nagato realized Shin'yu intended to recover the Tailed Beasts, and Shin'yu ordered them to confiscate every beast held by the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

Shin'yu assigned his allies to subdue the remaining Tailed Beasts and bind them with Summoning Contracts, planning to gather them at the start of the coming war. He set a one-year deadline and declared that he would bring all the Tailed Beasts under control.

• Shin'yu explained that the group should quietly secure the Tailed Beasts by making them sign Summoning Contracts instead of publicly announcing their plans.
• Shin'yu ordered Orochimaru to remain in Hidden Leaf Village and protect Kushina, while Nian was assigned to capture the Eight-Tails from Blue B in Hidden Cloud Village.
• Shin'yu assigned Kakuzu to deal with the Three-Tails and Six-Tails in the Land of Water, and said he would handle Hidden Stone Village's two Jinchuriki with Nagato at his side.
• Hiruko volunteered to capture the One-Tail in Hidden Sand Village, hoping also to pursue Pakura as his next Devoured target, and Shin'yu approved the assignment.
• Shin'yu gave Light responsibility for protecting the base and set a one-year deadline for the group to put every Tailed Beast's name on a Summoning Contract.

Shin'yu pushed Nagato through a brutal sparring session to help him master the Nine-Tails and Rinnegan, while testing the Deva Path against his own Sea God Body. As Nagato used Almighty Attraction on him, Shin'yu welcomed the force and prepared to test his adaptation further.

• Shin'yu explained that Nagato needed battle practice to master the Nine-Tails and Six Paths power, while he sought opponents that could challenge his Sea God Body.
• Nagato used Shinra Tensei, but Shin'yu deliberately took the repulsive force without injury and challenged him to attack again.
• Shin'yu moved faster than sound and struck Nagato, prompting Nagato to enter Partial Tailed Beast Transformation and charge back at him.
• Nagato fired a barrage of Tailed Beast energy shells, but Shin'yu redirected them with his Chakra Flow Method and explained that he was immune to the Nine-Tails' Chakra.
• Nagato used Almighty Attraction to pull Shin'yu toward him, and Shin'yu smiled as the force field seized him.