Chapter Summaries

Haruma defeated the Raikage’s attackers while demanding annual protection money, and Darui realized Akatsuki’s other members were targeting Kumogakure. Killer B transformed into Gyuki as Shisui’s group reached the village to seize its gold and silver.

• Darui, A, and Killer B attacked Haruma together, but Haruma evaded their Double Lariat and sent A crashing into rubble.
• Darui asked Haruma’s purpose, and Haruma demanded five billion a year in protection money.
• Darui realized Akatsuki’s members were absent because they were attacking Kumogakure, and A urged Killer B to act.
• Killer B called on the Eight-Tails and transformed into Gyuki.
• Shisui, Suigetsu, Karin, and Kimimaro continued toward Kumogakure to take its wealth while leaving witnesses alive.

Haruma defeated the Eight-Tails’ coordinated assault and stopped Gyuki’s all-out Tailed Beast Ball with a black rod, while Killer B rescued Darui, A, and C from the blast. Back in the Land of Water, Haruma granted Yagura a month and a half of leave from collecting bridge tolls.

• Darui, A, and C attacked Haruma in succession while Gyuki charged a Tailed Beast Ball, but Haruma repelled their strikes and combined attack.
• Haruma opened three gates and stopped Gyuki’s Tailed Beast Ball with his black rod, knocking it toward the men on the ground.
• Killer B called to Gyuki, who shielded the three injured men from the explosion with his body.
• Killer B emerged from the rubble that night and carried the wounded men to a ruined village where Anbu were rescuing survivors.
• Haruma returned to the Land of Water and approved Yagura’s request for leave, arranging for three Anbu squads to guard Rich Man Bridge.

Haruma began seclusion in Kirigakure while the Land of Lightning publicly warned the Shinobi World about Akatsuki and called for a summit. After hearing Sasori’s suspicions about the Kumogakure operation, Nagato considered that impostors and spies might have infiltrated his organization.

• Haruma instructed Mei Terumi to coordinate with Shisui on the Land of Lightning’s secret techniques, then announced Orochimaru would visit in seven days and entered seclusion.
• Three days later, the Fourth Raikage and the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning issued an announcement detailing Akatsuki’s attack, its leader’s abilities, and its members, and invited the Five Great Shinobi Village leaders to discuss defeating the organization.
• Nagato received Sasori and Deidara’s report that impostors had attacked Kumogakure and agreed with Konan to gather Akatsuki’s members and verify their identities.
• Sasori privately told Nagato that the person impersonating him might be connected to the Masked Man, citing suspicious coincidences during the mission and the attackers’ decision to let him and Deidara escape.
• Sasori identified Black and White Zetsu and Uchiha Itachi as suspects who might have helped arrange the operation.

Konan deduced that the Masked Man and Black Tortoise were trying to force the Akatsuki into conflict with the Five Great Villages, and Nagato summoned the organization to investigate possible traitors. Meanwhile, battles erupted across the Land of Fire, where Tsunade and Shikamaru began to suspect that Hidan was not behaving like an ordinary living opponent.

• Konan argued that the Masked Man and Black Tortoise had provoked the villages and preserved the organization’s strength to force Nagato to begin capturing the Tailed Beasts or face the Five Great Villages.
• Nagato summoned the organization to check whether any members remained allied with the Masked Man, but several members had not appeared after half an hour.
• Kisame confronted Might Guy in the Valley of the End and began a Water Release attack.
• Jiraiya and Kakashi escaped Itachi’s black flames and charged at Itachi and Kakuzu, while Tsunade battered Hidan with her strength.
• Shikamaru warned Ino and Choji to stay away from the battlefield, then rushed toward it himself after sensing something was wrong with Hidan.
• Tsunade noticed that Hidan’s expression never changed despite his injuries, making him seem like a living corpse.

Tsunade and Shikamaru cornered the apparent Hidan, while Itachi’s battle with Jiraiya escalated as Kakuzu and Kakashi fought nearby. Itachi’s Perfect Susanoo crushed Hidan before Shikamaru could learn whether he had killed Asuma, and the surviving fighters gathered as Gamabunta confronted the giant.

• Tsunade battered Hidan while Shikamaru used Shadow Possession Jutsu to restrain him and prepare to question him about Asuma’s death.
• Kakuzu moved to support Hidan, but Kakashi held him off while Jiraiya fought Itachi across the lake.
• Jiraiya’s fire attack failed against Itachi’s Perfect Susanoo, which charged into the forest and swung its giant sword at Hidan.
• Tsunade rescued Shikamaru as the Susanoo crushed Hidan, leaving Shikamaru frustrated and unsure whether the killing was accidental or deliberate.
• Gamabunta intercepted the Susanoo’s next strike, and Jiraiya, Tsunade, Shikamaru, Kakashi, Kakuzu, and Kisame regrouped nearby.

Obito and Black Zetsu worried that the Five Great Shinobi Villages would unite against Akatsuki, while Nagato sent Konan to investigate Kakuzu and the others. In Kirigakure, Haruma's seclusion forced the Rich Man Company to relocate to the Uchiha compound, where Fugaku found himself besieged by requests from Shisui and Sasuke.

• Obito told Black Zetsu to find Kisame and learn what had happened, while insisting Akatsuki must stop the Five Kage Summit from proceeding smoothly.
• Nagato sent Konan to investigate in the Land of Fire and agreed not to trust the Masked Man while she was away.
• Haruma's pressure during seclusion caused employees near the company building to collapse, so the Rich Man Company moved its operations to the Uchiha Clan compound.
• Kirigakure's residents welcomed the Uchiha Clan, whose members benefited from the company's busy work and generous mission pay.
• Shisui asked Fugaku for special training, and Sasuke arrived soon after to ask his father for money after finishing a D-rank fishing mission.

On the fifth day of Haruma’s secluded training, Nagato accepted Kakuzu’s report of Hidan’s death while Orochimaru brought Jūgo toward Haruma, hoping he could cure him. Haruma continued testing his new strength against an endlessly powered Might Guy, and on the sixth day Konan investigated Hidan’s death and began suspecting Kirigakure.

• Kakuzu and his companions contacted Nagato, explained their missed meeting, and reported Hidan’s death; Nagato accepted Kakuzu’s account and assigned him to work alone.
• Orochimaru led Kabuto, Jūgo, and three Sound Ninja toward the Land of Water, telling Jūgo that Haruma might cure his condition.
• Haruma fought Might Guy in the mental training room, using Yin-Yang Release to withstand Night Guy as his strength and control improved.
• Konan investigated the Valley of the End in disguise, confirmed that Hidan had died there, and began suspecting Kirigakure after checking reports from Tanzaku Town.

Konan connected the Masked Man to the events in Kirigakure and secretly planned to investigate, while Obito warned Nagato that the village was dangerous. Nagato told Konan what Obito had said, strengthening her suspicion that Kirigakure hid a major secret.

• Konan linked the Masked Man's lies, the Uchiha Clan's move to the Land of Water, and the impersonations across the Shinobi World, then decided to investigate Kirigakure alone.
• Obito urged Pain to take the Five Kage Summit seriously, but Pain dismissed the villages as weak and insisted he could handle them.
• Obito warned Pain that Kirigakure was strange and that Konan should not go there, while Black Zetsu secretly followed Konan.
• Nagato summoned Konan and repeated Obito's warning, leading her to suspect that the impersonator and the attacks on the organization were connected to Kirigakure.

Haruma emerged from seclusion after spending his fortune to raise his combat power, but briefly lost control and damaged the company headquarters while overwhelming everyone nearby. He captured suspected White Zetsu infiltrators as Konan entered Kirigakure alone, followed cautiously by Black Zetsu’s clone.

• Haruma checked his system panel and saw that he had reached the upper tier of Six Paths power, though his fortune was nearly gone.
• Haruma accidentally released a burst of pressure that shattered the building’s windows, damaged its exterior, and knocked Mei Terumi and several others unconscious or to their knees.
• Haruma apologized and treated Mei Terumi, then the company’s workers repaired the building and brought in four tavern servers suspected of being White Zetsu clones.
• Haruma explained that he had been tracking infiltrators through the mist and ordered the four servers’ mouths sealed.
• Konan crossed Rich Man Bridge into the mist disguised among merchants, while Black Zetsu sent a clone after her and stayed behind.

Haruma welcomed Orochimaru into the company, restored his ability to use ninjutsu, and summoned four Hokage with Impure World Reincarnation. The Hokage learned about the village’s later history, and Hashirama was startled by the voice behind them.

• Haruma assigned Jūgo to the Gold Medal Squad and told him to follow Kimimaro, who could calm his berserk condition.
• Orochimaru pledged his loyalty, and Haruma used the Reaper Death Seal to restore Orochimaru’s soul and ninjutsu.
• Haruma used four White Zetsu Clones as sacrifices for Impure World Reincarnation and summoned Hashirama Senju, Tobirama, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Minato Namikaze.
• Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Minato discussed their identities and learned that Tsunade was the Fifth Hokage.
• An eerie voice spoke from behind the four Hokage and startled them.

Haruma subdued the four resurrected Hokage and ordered them to work under Orochimaru, then told Mei Terumi and the others to secretly observe a woman he identified as a major target. He had already detected Konan entering Kirigakure and wanted to learn what she was investigating.

• Hashirama and the other Kage turned to confront Haruma, while Orochimaru explained that Haruma had summoned them and that he worked for him.
• Tobirama tried repeatedly to release himself from Haruma’s control, then attacked him, but Haruma exposed his scheme and forced him to kneel.
• Haruma threatened the four Kage, demonstrated his overwhelming power, and warned them against resisting or leaking information to Konoha.
• Haruma sent the four Kage with Suigetsu to Orochimaru’s laboratory and said their assignments would come later.
• Haruma showed Mei Terumi and the others a woman’s portrait and told them to let her investigate without revealing they had noticed her.
• Haruma revealed that Konan had entered Kirigakure and that he planned to discover her objective before acting.

Orochimaru signed a costly contract to conduct forbidden research under Haruma, while Konan investigated Kirigakure and discovered that its peaceful streets hid an unusual system for catching offenders. The chapter left her increasingly suspicious after she witnessed Jonin-level restaurant workers compete to arrest a drunk who tried to leave without paying.

• Suigetsu praised Boss Fu extravagantly and led Tobirama and the other Hokage onward, leaving Tobirama baffled by his devotion.
• Orochimaru signed an employment contract with Haruma that charged him for laboratory rental, protection, repairs, and other costs, while granting him access to prisoners and rare abilities for research.
• Konan disguised herself and ate at a crowded seafood ramen shop, where she noticed that several restaurant workers were Jonin-level ninja discreetly watching outsiders.
• A drunken Iwa ninja flipped a table at an izakaya and tried to leave without paying, prompting workers from nearby shops to hurl hidden weapons around him.
• Akun bound the offender and claimed he had committed one of the Land of Water's most serious offenses, leaving Konan more unsettled about Kirigakure's customs.

Konan secretly followed a drunken Stone ninja into the company and discovered its prison and system for selling prisoners as experimental subjects. In the laboratory, she saw Orochimaru preparing human experiments while Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted him—and three supposedly dead Hokage stood nearby.

• Konan followed Akun as he brought a drunken Stone ninja to Ao, who gave the man the choice of a thirty-million fine or punishment.
• Ao dragged the Stone ninja into a hidden prison, where Konan learned that offenses affecting company revenue were treated as money crimes.
• Orochimaru used employee points to select ten imprisoned ninja, including the Stone ninja, as experimental subjects.
• Kabuto drugged and restrained the ten subjects in the underground laboratory as Orochimaru prepared to experiment on them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Orochimaru, and Konan was shocked to see the Second, Third, and Fourth Hokage standing there despite being believed dead.

Konan pieced together a theory about Obito’s conspiracy and left the village, while Haruma received orders concerning the One-Tail Jinchuriki and watched Jūgo’s training. The chapter ended with Zabuza calling the group to a new mission.

• Orochimaru told the resurrected Hokage that Obito had summoned them as experimental subjects, and Minato questioned him about Obito Uchiha.
• Konan overheard the conversation, concluded that the Masked Man’s conspiracy involved the Hokage and Orochimaru, and retreated from the village.
• Kisame told Haruma that Obito had ordered him and Itachi to capture Sunagakure’s One-Tail Jinchuriki, and Haruma told them to follow the orders and report changes.
• Jūgo lost control during training, but Kimimaro restrained him with his bones and promised to become his shackles.
• Zabuza arrived at the training room and told the group they had a mission.

Nagato and Konan planned to use the mysterious enemy’s forces while Haruma ordered the reanimated Hokage to demand protection money from the Five Great Nations. As Akatsuki captured several Jinchūriki and the Five Kage Summit was suspended, Haruma’s group arrived in Konoha, where Tsunade confronted them and attacked Suigetsu.

• Nagato scolded Konan for infiltrating Kirigakure alone, then decided Akatsuki would accelerate its Tailed Beast captures and kill the man manipulating them later.
• Haruma ordered the four reanimated Hokage and Zabuza’s squad to demand protection money from the Five Great Nations, threatening destruction for any nation that refused.
• Akatsuki captured the newly appointed Fifth Kazekage and several Jinchūriki, forcing the Five Kage Summit to be suspended while the villages searched for them.
• Tobirama and Minato brought Haruma’s group to Konoha, where Tsunade, Jiraiya, Naruto, and the Anbu recognized the reanimated Hokage.
• Suigetsu demanded five billion in protection money and threatened to destroy Konoha, so Tsunade attacked him with a full-power punch.

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.