Chapter Summaries

Ayato revealed to Minato Namikaze that he was the Sixth Hokage from another world and asked him to support Konoha’s orphanage. Minato named the orphaned infant Menma, pledged funding and school expenses, and Ayato left the world as he sensed his time there was ending.

• Ayato asked Minato Namikaze to take better care of the orphanage, then revealed that he was the Sixth Hokage from another world and confirmed Minato and Kushina had been meant to die in the Nine-Tails’ Riot.
• Minato Namikaze investigated the orphanage and met Yakushi Nonō and the infant Little Ayato, whose family file named Shin Daochuan.
• Minato Namikaze named the child Menma, accepted Yakushi Nonō’s choice to call him Minato Menma, and promised to fund the orphanage and pay for his Ninja Academy expenses.
• Minato Menma wet Minato Namikaze while he held him, and Minato laughed it off before leaving to change his clothes.
• Ayato watched from nearby, wondered about Minato Menma’s future alongside Naruto and Kabuto Yakushi, and vanished when he sensed his time in that world was ending.

Ayato found himself stranded in a parallel version of his world and met Minato Menma, his counterpart, whose life and strength had developed along a very different path. After Menma returned to Konoha, Ayato went to the Dragon Vein and began absorbing its power, hoping to find a way forward.

• Ayato returned to Rōran, discovered he could not sense his Spiritualized Shadow Clone, and met Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke, and Minato Menma as they emerged from the space-time fluctuations.
• Ayato and Minato Menma spoke privately, recognized each other as counterparts from different worlds, and exchanged accounts of their lives and abilities.
• Minato Menma declined Ayato’s offer to fight, shared his plans and the changes in his world, then exchanged Flying Thunder God kunai with Ayato and returned to Konoha.
• Ayato sensed a Flying Thunder God Mark from his own world, then went to the Dragon Vein’s sealing site and opened a small gap in the seal.
• Ayato sat down and began absorbing the Dragon Vein’s power.

Ayato returned from the past after training with the Dragon Vein and discovered new abilities tied to the Moon Spirit. Back in Konoha, he resumed Hokage duties, cleared the backlog, and arranged missions to help Naruto gain experience.

• Ayato drew energy from the Dragon Vein until his body neared saturation, then sensed the Moon Spirit and used it to return to Shikkotsu Forest.
• Ayato synchronized memories with his Spiritualized Shadow Clone, learned that the Moon Spirit could teleport him, and began developing a Wind Release technique that fused with space.
• Ayato returned to the Hokage Office, where Shikaku Nara and Nara Shikamaru had struggled to manage the workload in his absence.
• Ayato quickly approved the urgent documents and sent Shikamaru to notify the Advisors, then ordered him to inform Sunagakure that Mukade was dead.
• Ayato ordered Rank B and Rank A missions for Naruto, barred him from using the Nine-Tails' power except in danger, and assigned Kakashi, Hinata Hyuga, and Shizune to accompany him.

Ayato tested his new space-based techniques and found that Dimensional Blade and Dimensional Slash could overwhelm powerful barriers. After deciding to pursue a final Sage Mode through the Dragon Vein, he began cultivating there.

• Ayato used Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken against the Four Violet Flames Formation and learned that its cellular attacks could not break the second barrier.
• Ayato tested Wind Release: Shattering Void and cut through the Four Violet Flames Formation, then opened the stronger Four Red Yang Formation with another strike.
• Ayato used Ninjutsu: Dimensional Blade to displace and shatter part of the Four Red Yang Formation.
• Ayato drew Ink Shadow and demonstrated Nintaijutsu: Dimensional Slash, cutting space into misaligned fragments with rapid slashes.
• Ayato concluded that his strongest techniques were nearing perfection and traveled to the Dragon Vein to cultivate his final Sage Mode.

Ayato agreed to attend the Five Kage Summit in the Iron Country and chose Naruto and Sasuke to accompany him. After leaving the Hokage Office for a walk, he was mobbed by enthusiastic villagers, while Nagato considered accepting Konoha’s help with his failing health.

• A Kumogakure intelligence officer delivered news that the Raikage had called a Five Kage Summit to discuss the Akatsuki, and Ayato decided Konoha would attend.
• Ayato selected Naruto and Sasuke to join him, and Shikaku Nara noted that Naruto was away on a mission while Sasuke was training.
• Ayato and Shikaku left the Hokage Office to walk through Konoha, where villagers crowded around Ayato and showered him with attention.
• Konan and Nagato watched Ayato’s popularity from afar, and Nagato wondered whether replacing his eyes might ease Konan’s burden.
• Ayato finally escaped the crowd and joked that he might need the Transformation Technique to inspect his own village in peace.

Ayato checked on Sasuke’s dangerous Sage Mode training in Ryūchi Cave, then waited in Konoha for the birth of Ino’s younger sibling. After Tsunade confirmed the delivery was safe, Ayato entered the room to meet his new brother-in-law.

• Ayato visited Ryūchi Cave and learned that Sasuke had passed the first stage of training but remained at risk as he pursued Sage Mode.
• Ayato told the White Snake Sage to send Sasuke back to Konoha when he woke, then left without waiting for him.
• Ayato postponed his trip to Iron Country while waiting for news and rushed to Konoha Ninja Hospital when an Anbu reported that Ino’s mother was in labor.
• Ayato comforted Ino and Yamanaka Inoichi as they waited outside the delivery room, and Tsunade announced that mother and son were safe.
• Yamanaka Inoichi and Ino went in to see the newborn, then Ino beckoned Ayato inside to meet his new brother-in-law.

Ayato visited the Yamanaka family after the birth of Yamanaka Igawa, then prepared to leave for the Five Kage Summit with Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke returned from Ryūchi Cave having mastered Sage Mode, and the group departed for the summit together.

• Ayato visited the recovering Yamanaka Matriarch and met newborn Yamanaka Igawa, then left with Ino, who chose to stay and care for her mother.
• Ayato told Ino he would leave for the Five Kage Summit that day, and they shared a farewell embrace.
• Sasuke returned to Konoha with Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode mastered and reported that his eyes had recovered and his ocular power had grown.
• Ayato told Sasuke about the summit, and Sasuke mistakenly believed Ayato had delayed his departure to wait for him.
• Shikaku Nara arrived with Kakashi and Naruto, and Ayato appointed Naruto and Sasuke as his guards before the group departed for the Five Kage Summit.

Ayato, Naruto, and Sasuke traveled to the Iron Country for the Five Kage Summit, where Ayato anticipated hostility toward Konoha and dealt with an ambush along the way. After they arrived and took their seats, Ōnoki greeted Ayato with a pointed remark about his timing.

• Sasuke asked Shikaku Nara to notify the Anbu, Jugo, Karin, and Sakura that he was leaving for the Five Kage Summit.
• Ayato prepared for the summit, then departed Konoha with Naruto and Sasuke.
• Sasuke killed attackers linked to small countries harmed by Root, while Ayato explained that some held Konoha responsible for Root's actions.
• Ayato warned Naruto to stay calm if the other Kage criticized Konoha, and reminded him to address Gaara by his title during the summit.
• The samurai captain escorted Ayato, Naruto, and Sasuke into the Conference Room, where Ayato took his seat among the assembled Kage.
• Ōnoki made a hostile remark to Ayato about arriving at a very timely moment.

At the Five Kage Summit, Ayato defended Gaara against Ōnoki and challenged the other villages over their failures to respond to Akatsuki. After exposing the Raikage’s hidden aim of securing command of a united force, Ayato agreed to an alliance but refused to give any of the Kage the overall command.

• Ayato traded insults with Ōnoki and backed Gaara when the Tsuchikage criticized his manners.
• Gaara spoke about Akatsuki capturing him, while Ayato argued that the other villages had ignored Konoha’s warnings and underestimated Akatsuki.
• The Raikage accused the other villages of using Akatsuki, prompting Ōnoki and Mei Terumi to explain their dealings and suspicions.
• Mifune asked Ayato to share Konoha’s information, and Ayato revealed that Akatsuki’s Rinnegan wielder had attacked Konoha.
• Ayato deduced that the Raikage wanted the summit to form an alliance and secure command so he could rescue his brother.
• Ayato said he would agree to an alliance but would not hand the overall commander position to any of the Kage.

Ayato challenged the Raikage’s bid to lead the Allied Shinobi Forces, then gave the Five Kage intelligence about Akatsuki and its leader. Gaara, Mei Terumi, and Ōnoki backed Ayato for supreme commander, leaving the Raikage isolated as the alliance talks continued.

• Ayato asked Mifune for tea while the Kage considered his proposal to unite against Akatsuki, and Gaara and Mei Terumi reflected on how the Raikage had tried to gain leverage.
• Gaara and Mei Terumi endorsed Ayato as the Allied Shinobi Forces’ leader, and Ōnoki offered to nominate him if the alliance proved necessary.
• Ayato told the Kage that Akatsuki’s true leader was a masked man calling himself Uchiha Madara, and Ōnoki recalled encountering Madara decades earlier.
• Ayato explained that Akatsuki had captured the One Tail through Eight Tails, identified Naruto as the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki, and named several surviving Akatsuki members.
• The Raikage reconsidered his opposition after Ayato warned that Akatsuki’s eight captured Tailed Beasts made the threat far greater than its known members alone.

At the Five Kage Summit, the Masked Man revealed his Eye of the Moon Plan and declared the Fourth Shinobi World War after the Kage refused to surrender the Nine-Tails. Ayato became commander-in-chief of the Allied Shinobi Forces, and the leaders agreed that Naruto would fight alongside them.

• Ayato exposed White Zetsu and the Masked Man, who introduced himself as Uchiha Madara and explained that he wanted the Ten-Tails' power to cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
• The Raikage, Gaara, Mei Terumi, Ōnoki, and Ayato rejected the Masked Man's plan and refused to hand over Naruto Uzumaki.
• The Masked Man formally declared the Fourth Shinobi World War and vanished with White Zetsu.
• Gaara proposed forming the Allied Shinobi Forces with Ayato as commander-in-chief, and the other Kage and Mifune agreed to join.
• The Kage debated whether Naruto should be protected or sent into battle, and Ayato declared that Naruto would fight and that he could protect him.

Ayato learned that Killer B had returned to Kumogakure after losing the Eight Tails and ordered the Raikage to keep him sealed until the war ended. As Ayato, Naruto, and Sasuke left the summit, Ayato revealed that he planned to unify the world, leaving Naruto conflicted and Sasuke in support.

• The Raikage received news that Killer B had survived the Eight Tails' extraction, and Ayato warned that Killer B needed to be sealed to keep him alive.
• Ayato ordered the Kage to return to their villages, gather their forces, and notify the daimyo so the Allied Shinobi Forces could prepare for war.
• Sasuke asked Ayato why he had let the Masked Man escape, and Ayato revealed that he intended to unify the world to end conflict and hardship.
• Ayato told Naruto and Sasuke that their power during the war could deter resistance to unification and reduce casualties.
• Naruto struggled to accept Ayato's plan, while Sasuke agreed that the world needed reform.

Ayato told Konoha’s leaders about the Fourth Shinobi World War and began preparing the village for the Allied Shinobi Forces. He also revealed his plan to unite the countries under one nation and end the shinobi village system, then summoned Anko Mitarashi for a private meeting.

• Ayato returned to Konoha with Naruto and Sasuke, asked Sasuke to summon the Advisors and jonin, and let the exhausted Naruto go rest.
• At the meeting, Ayato announced the Fourth Shinobi World War and the Allied Shinobi Forces, then assigned preparations for Konoha’s war effort.
• Ayato secretly disclosed his unification goal to Shikaku Nara and selected clan heads, who agreed to support him and keep the plan confidential.
• Ayato clarified to Shikaku Nara that he wanted one country and no shinobi villages, then tasked him with planning the unification.
• Ayato considered using the threat of the Otsutsuki to help unite the world, and later summoned Anko Mitarashi while Sasuke guarded the door.

Ayato removed Orochimaru’s cursed seal from Anko Mitarashi and followed the extracted Spiritual Imprint to Orochimaru’s base. After discussing the Eye of the Moon Plan and seeing Uchiha Madara’s corpse, Ayato asked Orochimaru to help him after the Fourth Shinobi World War.

• Anko Mitarashi agreed to let Ayato remove Orochimaru’s cursed seal, and Ayato extracted Orochimaru’s Spiritual Imprint from it.
• Ayato sent Anko Mitarashi and Sasuke to prepare for the Fourth Shinobi World War, then used the Spiritual Imprint to find Orochimaru’s base.
• Ayato discussed the Eye of the Moon Plan with Orochimaru, who dismissed it as meaningless because anything learned in an illusion would be false.
• Orochimaru showed Ayato Uchiha Madara’s corpse, and Ayato said he did not believe the man claiming to be Madara was the real one.
• Ayato asked Orochimaru to help him after the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Ayato recruited Orochimaru to support his plans for after the Fourth Shinobi World War, promising him eternal life in exchange for research and help building a hidden force. Orochimaru agreed, though he planned to assist Uchiha Madara first, and Ayato left him with instructions to recruit Kisame Hoshigaki and avoid harming the Allied Shinobi Forces.

• Ayato revealed his goal to Orochimaru, and Orochimaru agreed to help with research and establish a concealed force in exchange for the promise of eternal life.
• Ayato allowed Orochimaru to assist the fake Uchiha Madara before the war, while warning that he would not hold back when they eventually faced each other.
• Ayato asked Orochimaru to keep the reanimated dead from endangering the Allied Shinobi Forces, and Orochimaru offered to kill potentially stubborn old opponents during the war.
• Ayato instructed Orochimaru to recruit Kisame Hoshigaki, explaining that Kisame owed him a favor and could become a trusted subordinate.
• Ayato told Orochimaru where Uchiha Madara was hiding, then left the Hideout; Orochimaru watched him go and delighted in the possibilities ahead.

Ayato weighed the cost of pursuing his unification plan, then learned that the five Daimyo had approved the Fourth Shinobi World War. When Ino brought him to meet Sakura after she lost her memories in a fall, Ayato recognized that her memories came from an opposite Mirror World and sent her home to discover the truth.

• Ayato reflected on the bloodshed his plan might cause but decided he had already committed himself to it.
• Ayato learned that the five Daimyo had agreed to begin the Fourth Shinobi World War.
• Ino told Ayato that Sakura had fallen during training and lost her memories, while Naruto was missing from the village.
• Ayato met Sakura and found the Konoha 12 acting out the reversed personalities she remembered from another world.
• Sakura described her distorted memories, including a feared Hokage and Sasuke as a playboy, and Ayato inferred that her identity had been swapped with Naruto's in the Mirror World.
• Ayato sent Ino and Sakura home to investigate the surprise awaiting them and reassured the others that Sakura would recover soon.

Ayato discovered he could sense his Mirror World counterpart but chose not to visit, while Naruto returned from the Mirror World and asked whether Ayato would make the world better through unification. Reassured by Ayato’s answer and the example of the other world, Naruto pledged to help him, leaving Ayato newly motivated to pursue his own plans.

• Ayato used the Moon Spirit to sense Naruto’s Flying Thunder God Mark in the Mirror World and encountered his cold, unwelcoming counterpart, so he decided not to travel there.
• Ino found Sakura back in Konoha, and Sakura told her about the imposing Ayato she had met in the Mirror World.
• Naruto visited Ayato and asked whether unifying the world would make it better; Ayato admitted he could not predict the future but promised to do his best for his country.
• Naruto explained that Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had supported the Mirror World’s Ayato after seeing his reforms improve the shinobi world, and Naruto pledged to help Ayato.
• Ayato told Naruto to prepare for the difficulties of unification and realized Obito might now understand Naruto’s strength, but he resolved to keep advancing.

The Masked Man reevaluated Konoha’s strength after Naruto’s display, while Orochimaru offered him cooperation and revealed a powerful Edo Tensei. Ayato finalized the Allied Shinobi Forces’ command structure, then learned that Akatsuki’s base had been found.

• The Masked Man recalled Naruto’s overwhelming Nine-Tails power and reconsidered the threat Konoha and Ayato posed.
• Orochimaru offered to help the Masked Man in the Fourth Shinobi World War and summoned former Akatsuki members with Impure World Reincarnation.
• Orochimaru revealed another coffin, shocking the Masked Man and Zetsu.
• Ayato finalized the Allied Shinobi Forces’ leadership, divisions, and unit commanders, with Gaara named captain commander and Shikamaru taking charge of the Fourth Division in practice.
• Shikaku Nara told Ayato that the Allied Shinobi Forces had found Akatsuki’s base, and Ayato hurried to the Conference Room.

Ayato and the other leaders prepared the Allied Shinobi Forces for war by evacuating civilians, establishing an Operational Base, and assigning responsibilities. After disorder broke out among the assembled troops, Gaara delivered a sincere mobilization speech that united them, and the allied army set off for the Fourth Shinobi World War.

• Ayato ordered the evacuation of residents from the countries near the battlefield and directed the Kage to establish an Operational Base, with Ōnoki and Tenzō handling key construction.
• Ayato assigned Gaara to lead the war mobilization, while Mabui and Shikaku Nara helped refine plans for the forces and civilian evacuations.
• The leaders learned that arguments and disorder had erupted among the Allied Shinobi Forces before they had even begun marching, so Ayato called the assembled troops together.
• Kakashi, Darui, Kitsuchi, Gaara, and Mifune took the platform above the eighty thousand shinobi, and Gaara delivered a speech that inspired them.
• Gaara led the allied forces toward the battlefield of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

On the first day of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Ayato explained how the Allied Shinobi Forces could counter Orochimaru’s Impure World Reincarnation while monitoring the brutal fighting from the Operational Base. As the first day ended, powerful reanimated Kage appeared before the Allied forces, and Ayato anticipated joining the battle.

• Ayato told Ōnoki and Ay that Impure World Reincarnation summons could be stopped by sealing them while they regenerated, and that only the caster could release the technique.
• Ayato and Ōnoki concluded that Orochimaru was probably the one summoning the dead shinobi, though his hiding place was unknown.
• Ōnoki went to the front lines as Ayato and Ay received reports of severe casualties, while Ayato observed the battlefield through his Spiritualized Shadow Clone.
• Ayato noted that Naruto and Sasuke were occupied by nine tailed beasts and that Neji Hyuga had survived the fighting so far.
• Ayato sensed several immense auras and considered sending a Spiritualized Shadow Clone into battle.
• On the second day, the Second Tsuchikage, Second Mizukage, Third Raikage, and Fourth Kazekage appeared before the Allied Shinobi Forces.