Recaps

Tsunade fought Hashirama rather than submit to the unseen force controlling the reanimated Hokage, while Hashirama urged Konoha to accept the demand for five billion in protection money. Minato reunited with Naruto and warned Jiraiya that Konoha would be destroyed if it refused to pay.

• Hashirama caught Tsunade's punch and told her the enemy controlling him was far beyond Orochimaru, urging her to accept the terms for Konoha's sake.
• Tsunade attacked Hashirama and declared her resolve to protect the village as its Fifth Hokage, prompting him to challenge her with Wood Release.
• Tobirama told Zabuza to let Hashirama handle the fight, while Minato asked Zabuza for permission to move freely.
• Minato appeared beside Jiraiya, who introduced him to Naruto as the Fourth Hokage and Naruto's father.
• Minato embraced Naruto, then told Jiraiya that Orochimaru had not used the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu and Konoha would fall if it refused to pay five billion in protection money.

Minato warned Jiraiya that the hidden enemy was powerful enough to destroy Konoha, then gave him the location of the village funds so he could pay rather than provoke an attack. As Jiraiya resolved to investigate the Akatsuki and Kirigakure, Haruma prepared to summon the Three Great Sage Lands.

• Minato refused to reveal the hidden enemy's identity and warned Jiraiya that resisting could lead to Konoha's destruction.
• Naruto condemned Minato's willingness to compromise, but Jiraiya knocked him unconscious and told Minato where Konoha kept its funds.
• Minato left Jiraiya to look after Naruto, and Jiraiya decided to investigate the Kirigakure shinobi wearing Akatsuki uniforms.
• Haruma offered Orochimaru the chance to leave the laboratory after his reincarnation, but Orochimaru chose to keep studying Hidan's constitution.
• Haruma returned upstairs, drew reverse summoning runes on a scroll, and summoned the Three Great Sage Lands.

Haruma forced the White Snake Sage to emerge after slaughtering his way through Ryūchi Cave, then accepted her offer of compensation. At Mount Myōboku, the Toad Sage foresaw an honored guest arriving in three days and ordered the toads not to oppose him.

• Haruma entered Ryūchi Cave, drove Garaga back into the pool, and made the snakes guide him through the caverns.
• Haruma threatened to destroy Ryūchi Cave unless the White Snake Sage appeared, and she emerged from the rock wall.
• The White Snake Sage apologized and offered Haruma compensation, then invited him to her hall.
• At Mount Myōboku, the Toad Sage announced that an honored guest would arrive in three days and ordered the toads to fulfill his requests.

Tsunade confronted Jiraiya for secretly cooperating with Minato, but the Konoha leaders focused on identifying the powerful figure behind the enemy forces and discussing how to investigate Kirigakure. In the meantime, Nagato ordered Akatsuki to capture the Eight-Tails and decided to personally target Konoha’s Nine-Tails.

• Tsunade accused Jiraiya of colluding with the enemy, and Jiraiya defended his actions as an effort to protect Konoha’s civilians and limit the battle’s damage.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Kakashi discussed the hidden force behind Minato and the Kirigakure missing-nin, concluding that Tsunade could not question the Mizukage about them.
• Jiraiya proposed using Naruto’s connection to Sasuke to pursue the trail, but Tsunade refused to send the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to another country.
• Nagato ordered Kakuzu to join Itachi and Kisame in capturing Kumogakure’s Eight-Tails, while he planned to capture Konoha’s Nine-Tails himself.
• Nagato rejected Konan’s suggestion to wait, saying the hidden enemy’s forces were growing and that capturing the Nine-Tails would let them move against him.

Haruma presented the White Snake Sage with a contract imposing fees and duties on Ryūchi Cave, then demonstrated his power by summoning a meteor toward the ape clan’s territory. The White Snake Sage’s anger gave way to fear, and she clutched the contract as the meteor approached.

• The White Snake Sage reviewed Haruma’s contract, which charged for Senjutsu training and rescues and required monthly payments from Ryūchi Cave.
• Three young apes confronted Haruma and the snakes, and Haruma killed them with a glance before asking where the Enma clan lived.
• Haruma used Tengai Shinsei to summon a giant meteor, terrifying Manda, the snake maidens, and the White Snake Sage.
• The Enma clan saw the meteor and fled toward the plain as it descended toward their territory.
• The White Snake Sage raised a stone barrier, but Haruma shattered it and told her not to block his view, leaving her gripping the contract in fear.

Manda and the other snakes survived a meteor strike behind Haruma’s barrier, while Obito decided to investigate Kirigakure and the Three-Tails Jinchūriki himself. In Konoha, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shikaku debated Naruto’s safety before Fugaku and Shisui continued through a cave toward something a boy was seeking.

• Manda and the other snakes watched a meteor destroy the plain and kill the apes, while Haruma considered his contract with Ryūchi Cave settled.
• Obito questioned Black and White Zetsu about Konan’s return from Kirigakure and decided to investigate the village and the Three-Tails Jinchūriki.
• Tsunade refused to let Naruto leave Konoha secretly, while Jiraiya argued that visiting the Uchiha Clan’s compound would help him investigate Haruma.
• Shikaku proposed an official visit to Kirigakure with Naruto and a larger party, and Jiraiya agreed to the plan.
• Fugaku told Shisui that Tsunade no longer trusted Konoha’s advisers, then led him farther into the cave toward the object a boy was seeking.

Haruma secured the Toad Sage’s agreement to his contract after learning that refusing him would destroy Mount Myōboku. Meanwhile, Tsunade led Konoha’s delegation toward Kirigakure, with Naruto and several teams of shinobi accompanying her.

• Fukasaku and Shima escorted Haruma and Manda to the Toad Sage at Mount Myōboku.
• Haruma presented the Toad Sage with a contract, and the Sage sealed it without reading its terms.
• The Toad Sage told Haruma that the Shinobi World’s possible futures hinged on his choices and said he could not clearly see Haruma’s future.
• After Haruma departed for Shikkotsu Forest, the Toad Sage told Fukasaku that refusing the contract would have destroyed Mount Myōboku.
• Tsunade set out from Konoha as the leader of a delegation to Kirigakure, accompanied by Jiraiya, Kakashi, Might Guy, Hyuga Hiashi, Naruto, Team 7, and Team 10.

Obito let Nagato send the Six Paths of Pain toward Konoha, hoping their attack would throw Kirigakure into chaos and help him capture the Three-Tails. Meanwhile, Jiraiya summoned Fukasaku and Shima to guard Konoha’s delegation, but learned that Mount Myōboku now charged fees for summoned toads.

• Black Zetsu told Obito that Nagato had taken the Six Paths of Pain to Konoha and that Konoha’s Hokage-led delegation, including the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was visiting Kirigakure.
• Obito decided to let Nagato proceed, expecting the Nine-Tails and the Six Paths of Pain to destabilize Kirigakure and create an opportunity to capture the Three-Tails.
• Mei Terumi remained relaxed in Kirigakure, leaving paperwork to Ao while she applied makeup and chose clothes.
• At a rest stop near the Rich Man Bridge, Jiraiya summoned Fukasaku and Shima to protect Tsunade, Naruto, and the other Genin, asking them to evacuate the children to Mount Myōboku if danger arose.
• Fukasaku and Shima explained that Mount Myōboku now required service fees for summoned beasts, and Fukasaku revealed that a mysterious person had forced the Toad Sage to sign an unfair contract.

Tsunade and Jiraiya learned that a mysterious person had made the Three Great Sage Lands sign contracts that charged for summons and healing, leading them to suspect the person was connected to Kirigakure. Meanwhile, Black Zetsu discovered Madara Uchiha’s corpse missing and secretly followed Fugaku and Shisui as they circled the Land of Waves.

• Fukasaku told Tsunade and Jiraiya that the Great Toad Sage had signed a contract under threat of Mount Myōboku’s destruction and that the mysterious person had gone to Shikkotsu Forest.
• Tsunade summoned Katsuyu and learned that the Slug Sage had also signed a contract requiring fees for summons and healing, with discounted passes for Shikkotsu Forest’s contract holders.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade found that the summons could not reveal the mysterious person’s identity, so they suspected the answers lay in Kirigakure.
• Nagato headed toward the Masked Man’s base while Obito, disguised as a merchant, traveled toward Kirigakure and wondered why Black Zetsu had not returned.
• Black Zetsu discovered that Madara Uchiha’s body and the base’s valuable equipment were gone, then secretly followed Fugaku and Shisui, whom he suspected of taking the corpse.
• Shisui asked Fugaku about their unseen follower, and Fugaku said that Haruma had warned him of the pursuer.

Haruma trapped Black Zetsu in the Uzumaki ruins and revealed that he knew Black Zetsu’s hidden identity and plan to free Kaguya. He proposed working together, and Black Zetsu began weighing the offer while Haruma saw White Zetsu’s clones as his greatest prize.

• Black Zetsu entered the Uzumaki ruins after Fugaku and Shisui, but Haruma’s barrier blocked his escape.
• Haruma asked Fugaku about Madara’s remains, learned the girl’s corpse was missing, and sent Fugaku and Shisui back to Kirigakure.
• Haruma identified Black Zetsu as Kaguya’s third son and the Sage of Six Paths’ younger brother, shocking him into abandoning a fight.
• Haruma proposed working together to free Kaguya instead of manipulating Obito and relying on Madara.
• Black Zetsu considered how Haruma’s resources could overcome the obstacles to their plan, while Haruma focused on gaining White Zetsu’s hundred thousand clones.

Nagato launched an attack on Konoha’s delegation as it neared Kirigakure, seeking to capture Naruto before Obito could interfere. Naruto ignored orders and joined the battle, while Mei Terumi and Yagura reacted to the danger threatening the toll bridge.

• Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Might Guy led Konoha’s delegation across Rich Man Bridge, where Kakashi felt his Sharingan throb.
• Nagato’s summoned beasts attacked the delegation, and Jiraiya recognized the Rinnegan in their eyes.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, Might Guy, and the Anbu fought the Six Paths of Pain as the beasts regenerated and new summons joined the assault.
• Fukasaku tried to send Naruto and the other Genin to Mount Myōboku, but Naruto refused and sent Shadow Clones against Pain.
• Nagato and Konan discussed capturing Naruto quickly and avoiding a fight with Obito, whom they feared might be tied to Konoha.
• Ao spotted the battle shaking the bridge, Mei Terumi worried it might collapse, and Yagura hurried toward it after paying the tavern bill.

Deva Path Pain attacked the Konoha shinobi on the bridge and tried to capture Naruto, while Jiraiya and Kakashi fought to give Naruto and the other genin time to escape. Nagato unleashed Super Shinra Tensei, leaving the bridge shattered and a thousand-meter gap in its span.

• Deva Path Pain tried to pull Naruto toward him, but Kakashi interrupted the attack and Jiraiya urged Naruto to retreat to Mount Myōboku.
• Pain stopped Naruto’s transfer with Shinra Tensei, and Kakashi and Jiraiya attacked him while Preta Path absorbed their ninjutsu.
• Jiraiya assigned Guy to fight Preta Path while Kakashi and the Anbu escorted Naruto and the other genin toward the bridge.
• Tsunade and Hiashi drew the other Paths away as Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta and prepared to protect the genin.
• Nagato increased Pain’s chakra and unleashed Super Shinra Tensei, crushing Gamabunta into the bridge and opening a gap over a thousand meters long.

Akatsuki’s attack devastated the sea near Kirigakure, but Haruma intercepted Pain and then reached Nagato’s underwater hideout. Furious over the destruction of his bridge, Haruma replaced his left eye as Nagato and Konan were trapped in his Space-Time Freeze.

• Gamabunta shielded Jiraiya and the Konoha Genin from the impact before returning to the Summoning World badly injured, and Jiraiya used Rock Lodging Toad to shelter the survivors and Tsunade.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade and Kakashi that Akatsuki was attacking for Naruto and directed Rock Lodging Toad toward Kirigakure through the deep sea.
• Pain sensed the group escaping underwater and tried to pull them back, but Haruma struck him with a reflected Shinra Tensei and destroyed him.
• Nagato spat blood when Deva Path Pain exploded, and Haruma broke into his underwater room as seawater flooded inside.
• Haruma froze Nagato and Konan with Space-Time Freeze, removed his left eye, and replaced it with a prepared new one.

Haruma defeated Nagato in a clash that sent enormous waves toward the broken bridge, where Kirigakure and Konoha shinobi joined forces to withstand them. He held Nagato captive as Konan arrived, and Nagato pleaded with her to escape.

• Haruma and Nagato clashed at close range, and the shock wave threw Konan away and drove towering waves across the sea.
• Mei Terumi, Ao, and the Kirigakure group met Jiraiya, Tsunade, and the Konoha delegation at the broken bridge, and both groups combined techniques to split the oncoming wave.
• Konan flew through the mist and found Haruma holding Nagato, whose limbs were pinned by black rods.
• Nagato urged Konan to escape and tried to trigger his chakra, but the rods suppressed him.
• Konan steadied herself and told Haruma to let Nagato go.

Haruma defeated Nagato, took the Rinnegan and Akatsuki’s funds, and provoked Nagato into a final Shinra Tensei that left Konan devastated. Haruma preserved Nagato’s remains in the Kamui Dimension, while Obito watched from hiding and noticed a massive silhouette approaching beneath the sea.

• Haruma removed Nagato’s eyes, demanded Akatsuki’s funds from Konan, and took the scroll she handed over.
• Haruma released Nagato and threw him toward Konan, but Nagato warned her to run and unleashed a blood-red Shinra Tensei using his remaining life force.
• The blast hurled Konan into the sea, where she sank in despair before a gigantic crimson creature swallowed her.
• Haruma stored Nagato’s flesh and tissue in a medical container inside the Kamui Dimension and considered himself Akatsuki’s ruler.
• Obito watched the battle from hiding, worried about the Rinnegan, then spotted an enormous silhouette approaching beneath the sea.

Haruma explained to Mikoto why he planned to unite the Shinobi World through an alliance against the Akatsuki rather than rule through force, and promised to bring Itachi and Sasuke home for a visit. The chapter left his plan unfinished as he described the Five Great Nations gathering the smaller nations into a grand alliance.

• Black Zetsu told Obito that Madara's body had disappeared, and Obito chose not to act against the Three-Tails Jinchūriki.
• Orochimaru demonstrated his self-healing body, which he had enhanced with Hashirama Cells, and showed Haruma a treatment he had made for Kimimaro using Hidan's and Hashirama's cells.
• Haruma gave Orochimaru a sample of his own cells to study in case the treatment did not adequately slow Kimimaro's disease.
• Mikoto asked Haruma why he hid his identity and schemed despite being powerful enough to rule the five nations directly.
• Haruma explained that ruling by force would kill potential workers and that he wanted the nations to unite against the Akatsuki before he revealed himself as their ally.
• Haruma offered to bring Itachi and Sasuke home for a visit after realizing Mikoto was worried about her family.

While Tsunade questioned Mei Terumi about Kirigakure’s secretive buildings, Jiraiya met Konan at Mount Myōboku and learned that Obito Uchiha had killed Nagato and controlled the Akatsuki. Konan told Jiraiya what she knew about Obito, leaving open the possibility that Konoha and the other villages could join forces against him.

• Tsunade asked Mei Terumi why Kirigakure ninja freely entered a classified building, and Mei defended the village’s trust in its ninja.
• Naruto worried aloud that Jiraiya might be sneaking off to spy on Kirigakure’s bathhouses, while Shikamaru warned him to keep quiet.
• At Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya questioned the injured Konan about the Akatsuki and realized that something had happened to Nagato and Yahiko.
• Konan told Jiraiya that Obito Uchiha had killed Nagato and controlled the Akatsuki from behind the scenes.
• Konan described Obito and his space-time Dōjutsu to Jiraiya, hoping the villages could unite to defeat him.

Jiraiya told Tsunade and Kakashi that Mount Myōboku’s sage had indirectly confirmed Obito might be the masked man Konan described. The revelation left Kakashi shaken, while Haruma secretly gave Hiashi a scroll and portrait to deliver to someone.

• Jiraiya asked Fukasaku whether the person who set the Summoning World’s rules could be Obito, and Fukasaku warned that discussing him risked Mount Myōboku’s destruction.
• Jiraiya returned to the guesthouse, sent the others outside, and told Tsunade and Kakashi that Fukasaku’s ambiguous response supported Konan’s account of the masked man.
• Kakashi vehemently rejected the possibility that Obito was alive and responsible, but Jiraiya explained why he believed the information was credible.
• Tsunade recalled Kakashi’s recent pain in his left eye and suggested the Uchiha Clan might help explain its connection to Obito’s Sharingan.
• Hiashi secretly met Haruma, reported what he knew, and accepted a scroll and portrait to pass to a designated person if he encountered them.

Obito diverted his search toward Konan while Black Zetsu concealed that Haruma had obtained the Rinnegan. Meanwhile, Zabuza's group finished collecting protection money and prepared for a new mission, leaving Minato wondering what saving the shinobi world meant.

• Black Zetsu realized Obito was avoiding Madara's corpse and guarded against him investigating alone, so he planned to keep Obito occupied while arranging a conversation with Haruma.
• Kisame told Itachi that the boss had ordered them to take the captured Killer B directly to Kirigakure, and Itachi suspected Nagato or Obito had run into trouble.
• Hashirama and Tobirama explained that Ōnoki had surrendered because Zabuza's group demanded money rather than village assets or lives.
• Zabuza told Minato that the group had already collected protection money from Kumogakure and that Sunagakure was under the boss's control.
• Zabuza handed out disguises for a new mission, prompting Suigetsu to complain that they had to save the shinobi world instead of doing big business.
• Minato accepted a wooden mask from Zabuza and asked what saving the shinobi world meant.

Jiraiya, Kakashi, Hiashi, and Naruto visited the Uchiha Clan compound in Kirigakure to question Mikoto about Sasuke and Obito. Haruma revealed that Sasuke, Kimimaro, and others had infiltrated the Akatsuki as spies.

• Jiraiya, Kakashi, Hiashi, and Naruto entered the Uchiha compound with permission from the Mizukage.
• Naruto reunited with Haruma and met Sasuke’s mother, Mikoto, while Haruma and Jiraiya corrected and questioned him.
• Jiraiya asked Mikoto what the clan knew about Obito and Sasuke’s involvement with the Akatsuki.
• Mikoto said she knew nothing of the clan’s secrets, but Haruma revealed that Sasuke, Kimimaro, and others had been ordered to infiltrate the Akatsuki as spies.
• Naruto celebrated the revelation and called Sasuke’s assignment an S-rank mission, leaving Jiraiya and Kakashi awkwardly silent.

Haruma convinced Jiraiya and Kakashi that Obito was alive and working with the Akatsuki by sharing intelligence about Itachi and a Kirigakure spy. When Kakashi asked about his eye pain and Sharingan reactions, Haruma transformed his eyes and plucked out his left eye.

• Jiraiya questioned why Haruma would reveal Kirigakure’s classified intelligence, and Haruma claimed he had Mizukage approval to prevent mistrust between the villages.
• Haruma said Itachi had personally seen and fought Obito, and claimed Itachi’s defection was a spy mission ordered by the Third Hokage.
• Haruma explained that Akatsuki members could be spies without being expelled, and said Kirigakure had another spy inside the organization who helped Zabuza and the others join.
• Jiraiya and Kakashi found no holes in Haruma’s account and grew more convinced that Obito was alive.
• Kakashi asked Haruma about his Sharingan’s unusual reactions and the pain in his left eye, and Haruma changed his eyes to the Sharingan and plucked out his left eye.

Haruma demonstrated that a Sharingan remained faintly connected to its owner after removal, then healed his detached eye without visible chakra, unsettling Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kakashi. As Tsunade’s party traveled back to Konoha with Haruma and Shisui, Obito left Amegakure for Konoha after failing to find Konan.

• Haruma removed his eye to show that the detached Sharingan still moved and maintained a faint connection, then reinserted it and healed it instantly.
• Jiraiya suspected Haruma possessed another self-healing Kekkei Genkai, while Kakashi reconsidered what he had sensed about Obito.
• Fugaku told Shisui that Haruma planned to take a stand for justice under his real identity rather than rule through fear.
• Obito accepted Black Zetsu’s claim that Konan had survived and left Amegakure for Konoha.
• On the fourth day, Tsunade’s party departed Kirigakure with Haruma and Shisui, and Tsunade and Jiraiya discussed whether Kirigakure could be trusted.

Haruma's group returned to Konoha as Obito and Black Zetsu tried to leave, only to find a reanimated Madara attacking them. Tsunade and Jiraiya arrived and recognized Madara and the masked Obito, while Madara's accusation left the reason for the fight unclear.

• Naruto offered Haruma mission money for another Ninjutsu lesson, and Haruma sensed that Obito and Black Zetsu had reached Konoha.
• Obito visited Rin's grave, reaffirmed his plan to create a world where she could be reborn, and left with Black Zetsu.
• After Haruma's group returned to Konoha, an explosion revealed Obito and Black Zetsu beside a reanimated Madara.
• Madara used Perfect Susanoo to block their escape and accused Black Zetsu of attacking Obito, though Black Zetsu denied doing so.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya arrived with the others, recognized Madara and Obito, and realized Madara's reanimated body proved he had been dead.

Kakashi, Shisui, and Jiraiya fought Obito and Madara across two battlefields while Hiashi and the Anbu battled Black and White Zetsu. Hiashi exchanged a scroll with Black Zetsu, whose shock at discovering its contents left the confrontation hanging.

• Kakashi attacked Obito with help from Kirigakure's Shisui and another Uchiha, while Tsunade and the Sealing Squad confronted Madara's Susanoo.
• Tsunade halted Madara's Susanoo with her strength, and Shisui's green Susanoo struck back as Haruma hurled kunai at the giant.
• Jiraiya joined Kakashi's fight against Obito, determined to remove his mask and verify his identity.
• Hiashi and the Anbu fought Black and White Zetsu, whose spores drained chakra and spread through their targets.
• Hiashi used Rotation to fend off Black Zetsu, then traded a scroll for a kunai cut that removed the spore-covered flesh from his shoulder.
• Black Zetsu looked inside the scroll and froze when he saw the Rinnegan.

Black Zetsu realized Hiashi served a powerful hidden lord, while Might Guy shattered Obito’s mask and exposed him as Obito Uchiha. Konoha’s forces renewed their assault on Obito as Jiraiya and the Sealing Squad moved to contain Madara’s giant Susanoo.

• Black Zetsu understood Hiashi’s mouthed message, suspected the same lord was behind Shisui, Kirigakure’s unusual actions, and Madara’s reincarnation, then withdrew underground.
• Hiashi dismissed his shoulder wound and led the others toward the battlefields to support the Hokage.
• Obito tried to stab Kakashi, but Might Guy struck him with a kick that shattered his mask and revealed his face.
• Kakashi recognized Obito, and Tsunade accused him of attacking Konoha and harming Minato, Kushina, and Naruto; Obito declared he would meet them in a perfect new world.
• Tsunade ordered the Konoha forces to capture Obito while Haruma’s explosive-tagged kunai kept pressuring him to relocate.
• Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the Sealing Squad turned their attention to Madara’s giant Susanoo, using Gamabunta, a swamp technique, sealing scrolls, and lightning attacks against it.