Chapter Summaries

Mei Terumi and Sakura Haruno fought the Grand Elder’s rebels, whose numbers and countermeasures overcame Mei’s Lava Release and Boil Release attacks. After Sakura unleashed Ice Release against them, she prepared to attack with Legion Ice Clone Technique, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Mei Terumi’s acid mist and Lava Release dragon killed or injured many rebels before their Wind, Water, and Earth Release techniques dispersed the mist and destroyed the dragon.
• The Grand Elder argued that his forces could outlast Mei Terumi and Sakura Haruno, while Mei explained that their conflict arose from opposing visions for the Mist Ninja’s future.
• Mei Terumi resumed her attack with Lava Release, but the rebels quickly countered and restrained the lava dragon.
• Sakura Haruno froze the water across the battlefield and raised an ice forest that killed many rebels.
• Sakura Haruno began forming Ice Release: Legion Ice Clone Technique and challenged the remaining rebels to withstand it.

Sakura Haruno devastated the rebels with Ice Clone explosions, leaving the great elder and a small group of elite ninja alive. As the survivors fought back with mist and a coordinated attack, the fastest rebel leaped at Sakura, who remained calm as he closed in.

• Sakura Haruno used Body Flicker Technique with her Ice Clones to evade incoming Ninjutsu and reach the rebels, where the clones exploded and killed most of them.
• Sakura gathered the surviving clones to attack in waves, and the blasts left only the great elder and one other Hydrification Technique user standing on the ice.
• The great elder rallied the surviving elite rebels and refused Sakura's offer to surrender.
• Mei Terumi and Sakura Haruno struggled to hit the scattered rebels, and the Hidden Mist Technique concealed a counterattack that Mei blocked with Water Formation Wall.
• Sakura Haruno cleared the mist with Great Breakthrough, but a rebel feinted with ninja tools before the fastest surviving ninja leaped behind her and charged.

Sakura Haruno and Mei Terumi defeated the Suikazan rebels after Sakura’s final Ninjutsu devastated the battlefield. Mei declared that Kirigakure had escaped the Bloody Mist era, though she knew the village still had to overcome its legacy.

• Sakura bound a Mist Ninja with her hair and slammed him into the ground, but a second rebel revealed himself with Hiramekarei and launched a powerful chakra sphere at her.
• Sakura used Body Flicker Technique to evade the sphere, then killed the Hiramekarei-wielding ninja as the rebels’ counterattack failed.
• Mei Terumi’s Lava Release clashed with the rebels’ Water Dragon Bullet Technique, while Sakura prepared another Ninjutsu.
• Sakura summoned a gigantic beast and unleashed Ice Release: Leviathan's Wrath, destroying the training ground and ending the battle.
• Mei confirmed the victory to the arriving Mist Ninja and declared that Kirigakure would never return to the Bloody Mist era.
• Sakura joined her three students as the Mist Ninja celebrated, while Mei resolved to eliminate the Suikazan faction and continue changing the village.

Mei Terumi told Sakura Haruno that she had considered killing her during their battle, but explained that doing so would betray Kirigakure’s reforms and endanger its future. The two then formally established friendly diplomatic relations between Kirigakure and Konohagakure.

• Mei Terumi reviewed the damage from the battle and invited Sakura Haruno to walk with her through the ruined training ground.
• Mei Terumi admitted she had considered killing Sakura because of her strength, but said doing so would make Kirigakure no better than the Bloody Mist Village.
• Mei Terumi described Kirigakure’s past losses, its shortage of young successors, and her hopes for Chojuro, Kuro, Hamaru, Hinawata, and the next generation.
• Mei Terumi declared that Kirigakure would protect its future and fight Akatsuki, and Sakura formally requested friendly diplomatic relations on behalf of Konohagakure.
• Mei Terumi accepted Sakura’s request, and the two shook hands before Mei asked for Tsunade’s real handwritten letter.

Sakura delivered Tsunade’s private letter to Mei Terumi and negotiated Konoha and Kirigakure’s cooperation, while refusing to return Haku or Kubikiribōchō. Mei accepted proposals for Kirigakure to join the Chunin Exams, open a trade route, and share Akatsuki intelligence, but the final item in the letter stunned her when she saw the name Isobu.

• Mei recognized that Sakura’s first letter had concealed the real message, and Sakura handed her Tsunade’s private letter.
• Mei asked about Sakura’s Ice Release and revealed that Kirigakure knew Konoha had taken in Yuki Haku and Kubikiribōchō; Sakura refused to give them up and directed Mei to discuss the sword with Tsunade.
• Mei read Konoha’s invitation for Kirigakure to participate in the Chunin Exams and agreed to open a trade route between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
• Mei agreed to share intelligence about the Akatsuki and other proposed areas of cooperation.
• Mei jolted when she reached the letter’s next item and read the name Isobu aloud.

Sakura Haruno persuaded Mei Terumi to consider Konoha’s help in capturing Isobu and opposing Akatsuki, though Kirigakure still needed to discuss the proposal internally. After agreeing to continue negotiations during the Chunin Ninja Exams in Konoha, the team prepared to return, and the volume ended.

• Sakura Haruno warned Mei Terumi that Akatsuki threatened all Tailed Beasts and that Kirigakure might not be able to capture Isobu alone.
• Mei Terumi weighed the dangers of Akatsuki and her village’s limited strength against the risk of Konoha coveting Isobu.
• Sakura Haruno offered Konoha personnel, including Sharingan users and Kage-level support, while promising Kirigakure would lead the operation.
• Mei Terumi declined to make an immediate decision but agreed to consider the proposal and discuss it with Kirigakure.
• Mei Terumi proposed settling the outstanding matters when Kirigakure attended the Chunin Ninja Exams in Konoha, then clasped Sakura Haruno’s hand in agreement.
• Sakura Haruno’s team prepared to return to Konoha as the eleventh volume ended.

After returning to Konoha, Sakura gathered her students to discuss their mission against the Mist Ninja and prepare them for next month’s Chunin Ninja Exams. She arranged for Sasuke Uchiha to test their progress in a sparring match, which began as the students faced him.

• Udon arrived at Training Ground 9 still recovering from a cold, and Sakura gave him medicine while explaining why she would let him recover naturally for now.
• Sakura asked Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon what they had learned from their first mission outside Konoha, then reminded them to keep mastering the Three Basic Techniques.
• Sakura told her students they would take the Chunin Ninja Exams next month and explained that witnessing the battle with the Mist Ninja would help them face future fights more calmly.
• Sakura revealed that the Suikazan Clan’s pollen technique came from Madara Uchiha’s Ninjutsu, leaving her and Tsunade questioning whether he had mastered Wood Release.
• Sakura introduced Sasuke Uchiha as the students’ temporary sparring instructor, and Sasuke warned them he would fight seriously without using his Sharingan.
• Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon faced Sasuke confidently as Sakura watched their fighting spirit and anticipated how much they had grown.

Sasuke tested Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon in a training match, steadily raising the pressure to push them to fight at their best. Sakura watched as the trio adapted to his pace and began preparing a counterattack.

• Sasuke used a Lightning Release short sword to deflect the trio’s opening barrage and outclassed them in a one-handed exchange of ninja tools.
• Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon combined Water Clones, Shadow Clones, Genjutsu, and Explosive Tags, but Sasuke escaped the blast with a Lightning Clone.
• Sasuke resumed the fight with a powerful Great Fireball and forced the trio out of their hiding place before attacking them at close range.
• Konohamaru instinctively blocked Sasuke’s sword while Moegi and Udon coordinated Water Release and Genjutsu to force him back.
• Sakura observed that the pressure had helped the trio perform naturally, and they began preparing a counterattack as the match neared its end.

Sasuke sparred with Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon, but their teamwork and Sakura Haruno’s unusual Genjutsu forced him to activate his Sharingan before he defeated them. Sakura then planned a series of sparring matches with other ninja to prepare her students for the Chunin Ninja Exams.

• Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon coordinated attacks that caught Sasuke in Udon’s Illusory Sound of Silence and trapped him in a Water Prison.
• Sasuke activated his Sharingan and defeated all three students, then admitted they had made him use it.
• Sakura Haruno treated Sasuke’s lingering dizziness, and Udon revealed that she had taught them Illusory Sound of Silence.
• Sasuke praised the Genjutsu and agreed to continue sparring with Sakura’s students.
• Sakura Haruno arranged for ninja with varied fighting styles to spar with her students as special training for the Chunin Ninja Exams.

Obito warned Pain and Konan that Konoha’s alliance with Kirigakure and Sakura Haruno’s growing strength threatened Akatsuki’s plans to capture Isobu. Pain agreed to move the Tailed Beast operations forward, and Obito assigned teams to pursue the Five-Tails and Seven-Tails.

• Obito told Pain and Konan that his spy family in the Land of Water had been destroyed, disrupting Akatsuki’s intelligence on Isobu’s revival.
• Obito revealed that Konoha and Kirigakure had allied and that Sakura Haruno had helped the Fifth Mizukage defeat the spy family, making their cooperation a greater threat than Akatsuki expected.
• Obito warned that Sakura’s secret techniques and rapid growth made her a dangerous opponent, while Pain proposed sending two teams to retrieve the Three-Tails.
• Obito volunteered to support Sasori as Tobi and urged Pain to advance Akatsuki’s capture plans before the villages became more vigilant.
• Pain agreed to move ahead, assigning the Five-Tails to Obito and Sasori and the Seven-Tails to Uchiha Itachi and Kisame.

Pain and Obito discussed Akatsuki’s plans to capture the Tailed Beasts, recruit Sasuke, and deal with Jiraiya and Sakura. Meanwhile, Sakura trained her students in Illusory Sound of Silence before agreeing to spar with Sasuke, who revealed his new Lightning Release technique.

• Pain said Akatsuki would advance its Tailed Beast captures and avoid losing more members, while Obito proposed recruiting Sasuke and accelerating Itachi’s decline.
• Obito warned Pain to watch Jiraiya and the Ice Release user Sakura, and Pain vowed to deal with Jiraiya himself if he threatened the plan.
• Sakura continued teaching Illusory Sound of Silence, but Moegi and Konohamaru struggled with it while Udon could barely use it.
• After Sasuke sparred with Sakura’s students, he challenged Sakura to a serious match outside the village.
• Sasuke revealed the first stage of Lightning Release: Chidori Demon Body Form, a lightning cloak created with Oni and Aburi through Combination Transformation.

Sasuke and Sakura fought a long-awaited duel, testing his new Chidori Demon Body Form against her powerful techniques. Sasuke gained a slight edge in close combat, but Sakura trapped him with her Mutually Multiplying Ice Clone Explosive Jutsu.

• Sasuke reflected on Sakura’s growth and prepared to fight her with his new Chidori Demon Body Form.
• Sasuke and Sakura clashed at high speed, trading repeated blows with their lightning sword and butterfly ice blades.
• Sasuke kicked Sakura into the river and they paused to discuss his technique and how much they had improved.
• Sasuke charged through Sakura’s Water Formation Wall, struck an Ice Clone, and narrowly dodged its explosion.
• Sakura summoned more than a hundred clones from beneath the river and used Mutually Multiplying Ice Clone Explosive Jutsu to surround Sasuke.

Sasuke conceded defeat to Sakura after their fight, then joined her for ramen. In Sunagakure, Gaara won the leadership vote and the Jonin vote of confidence, leaving him appointed as the Fifth Kazekage.

• Sasuke admitted defeat to Sakura, and she healed the injured Ninja Cats Oni and Aburi.
• Sasuke and Sakura went to Ichiraku for ramen as the sun set.
• Chiyo led Sunagakure's leaders in debating candidates for Kazekage, with Gaara's supporters and opponents arguing over his suitability.
• Temari and Kankuro waited with Gaara at home and reassured him before the vote results arrived.
• An Anbu informed Gaara that the leadership vote had passed his nomination eleven to eight.
• An Anbu delivered Gaara's appointment letter after the Jonin approved him as the new Kazekage.

Tsunade sent Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha to Gaara’s inauguration in Sunagakure and tasked them with investigating Takigakure for signs of the Seven-Tails and Akatsuki. Before they left, Sakura arranged for Hinata to oversee her team’s training, while Tsunade revealed plans to reunite Team 7 when Naruto returned.

• Tsunade received word that Gaara had become the Fifth Kazekage and assigned Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha to represent Konoha at his inauguration.
• Tsunade gave Sakura invitations for the Chunin Ninja Exams in Sunagakure and Takigakure, and told the pair to investigate Takigakure’s suspected ties to the Seven-Tails and Akatsuki.
• Tsunade urged the pair to treat smaller countries respectfully, while allowing Sasuke to use Sharingan Genjutsu if necessary to obtain intelligence.
• Tsunade said she planned to reorganize Team 7 into an elite unit with Naruto after his return in six months, and ordered Sakura and Sasuke to leave the next day.
• Sakura told Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi that Hinata would oversee their training while she was away, and offered them a chance to become Ninja Cat Clan contractors.

Sakura Haruno and Sasuke traveled to Sunagakure for Gaara’s inauguration as Kazekage, where he addressed the village and received an enthusiastic welcome. After the ceremony, they met with Gaara in his new role.

• Sakura Haruno’s training helped Udon and Moegi gain the Ninja Cat contract and learn Combination Transformation as a way to make up for their weaknesses.
• Sasuke met Sakura Haruno at Konoha’s gate, and they set out for Sunagakure.
• Gaara told the village how he had overcome loneliness and hatred, then pledged to protect Sunagakure as its Kazekage.
• Sunagakure’s villagers cheered for Gaara, while Temari, Kankuro, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke discussed his popularity and the challenges ahead.
• After the inauguration and its follow-up business, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke met Gaara for the first time as Kazekage.

Newly appointed Kazekage Gaara received Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha, who invited him to Konoha’s Chunin Ninja Exams and discussed matters between their villages. After tense trade negotiations, Gaara agreed to visit Konoha and offered to show the envoys around Sunagakure.

• Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha congratulated Gaara on becoming Kazekage and presented Konoha’s exam invitation and Tsunade’s letter.
• Gaara confirmed that Sunagakure would send candidates to the Chunin Ninja Exams and that he would attend in Konoha as promised.
• Gaara and the Sand shinobi leaders argued with Sakura Haruno over resuming mineral exports and a price list agreed upon by the previous Kazekage and Third Hokage.
• Gaara signed a memorandum after the negotiations, which ended with several issues left for the two Kage to discuss in Konoha.
• Gaara led Sakura Haruno and Sasuke out of the conference room and offered to show them around Sunagakure.

Sakura Haruno and Sasuke visited Sunagakure and spent time with Gaara, seeing how the village and its young Kazekage had changed. Their conversation turned to Naruto and the care his friends sent him, leaving Gaara quietly envious of their close companionship.

• Sakura praised Sunagakure's recovery, and Gaara invited her and Sasuke to a newly opened shaved-ice shop.
• The three sat among young Sand shinobi, whose attention focused on the handsome Gaara and Sasuke and on Sakura beside them.
• Sakura and Sasuke discussed Naruto's training with Jiraiya and teased each other about sending him clothes and study materials.
• Gaara laughed at their concern for Naruto but privately wished he had companions who cared for him in the same way.

Sakura, Sasuke, and Gaara discussed Sunagakure’s new cold drink business, how shinobi might produce resources instead of relying on missions and war, and the possibility of future peace. They then turned to Akatsuki’s renewed activity and the danger to the Tailed Beasts before Sakura and Sasuke departed for the Land of Waterfalls.

• Sakura praised Sunagakure’s village-run cold drink shop, and Gaara explained that it helped address the village’s financial crisis.
• Sakura asked about expanding the business, but Gaara and Sasuke said shinobi had more important duties and limited time for commerce.
• Sakura and Gaara discussed how shinobi could produce resources themselves and reduce the shortages that fueled wars; Gaara hoped to see an era without war, while Sakura expected only an end to world wars.
• Sakura warned that Akatsuki had begun stirring again and might soon start capturing the Tailed Beasts, and Gaara and Sasuke urged each other to stay alert.
• The next day, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke left Sunagakure and headed north toward the Land of Waterfalls.

Sakura Haruno and Sasuke traveled to Takigakure to deliver Konoha’s invitation to the Chunin Ninja Exams, where Sakura warned the Takikage that Akatsuki might be active again. The Takikage’s reaction left the warning unresolved.

• Sakura Haruno and Sasuke entered the Land of Waterfalls and reached Takigakure through the underground river behind its waterfall entrance.
• The Takikage greeted the Konoha envoys warily and brought them to his office.
• Sakura Haruno delivered Konoha’s invitation to the Chunin Ninja Exams and explained that Kirigakure and dignitaries from the Land of Water would attend.
• Sakura Haruno warned the Takikage that Akatsuki had become active again and might be pursuing more than intelligence, causing his expression to freeze.

Sakura Haruno tried to persuade the Takikage to accept Konoha’s help against the Akatsuki, but he denied that Takigakure had the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki and refused to trust Konoha. After the envoys left, the Takikage learned that Fū was missing and ordered his men to bring her back before she met them.

• Sakura Haruno confronted the Takikage about the Akatsuki’s hunt for Jinchūriki and pressed him to admit Takigakure had the Seven-Tails.
• The Takikage denied having a Jinchūriki and rejected Konoha’s offer of protection, suspecting it would take the Jinchūriki for itself.
• Sakura Haruno and Sasuke agreed that the Sharingan might help them uncover the truth, but they avoided using Genjutsu on the Takikage and continued the talks.
• Sakura Haruno invited the Takikage to visit Konoha during the Chunin Ninja Exams, and he said he would consider it before sending Shibuki to escort the envoys.
• After Sakura Haruno and Sasuke left, the Takikage asked Suien where Fū was and learned she had left the village.
• The Takikage scolded his subordinates and ordered them to retrieve Fū before she encountered Konoha’s envoys.