Chapter Summaries

After Tobirama gathered the survivors of the dockside brawl, he heard each faction explain how its separate grievances had converged by chance. Tsuchigumo Makoto confessed her feelings to Tamaro, who rejected her, until Izuna suggested that the Tsuchigumo Clan put down roots in the Land of Hot Water.

• Tobirama questioned Hashirama, Madara, Hiroyama, the Tsuchigumo Clan, Haruto, and Izuna about how the dockside brawl began.
• Tobirama decided Konoha would formally ask the Land of Hot Water to expel the foreign Ninja and escort them home.
• Makoto asked Tamaro to go out with her, and Tamamo-no-Mae and Hiroyama immediately encouraged the match.
• Makoto told a Tsuchigumo female Ninja that she admired Tamaro because he had protected her when her own clan had not.
• Tamaro rejected Makoto, saying she was too young and should forget him when she returned to her clan.
• Izuna suggested that the Tsuchigumo Clan put down roots in the Land of Hot Water.

Izuna forced the Tsuchigumo Clan to consider relocating to the Land of Hot Water, arguing that it was their only chance to survive and could help shield the Land of Whirlpools from attack. Hashirama’s sudden romantic outburst softened the confrontation, and the Tsuchigumo agreed to stay the night while considering the proposal.

• Izuna warned the Tsuchigumo clansmen that their attack in the Land of Hot Water and their disobedience to the Land of Fire left them with few options, then urged them to settle in the Land of Hot Water.
• Hiroyama considered how nobles manipulated ninja into fighting over the techniques and bloodlines of other clans, and concluded that the Land of Hot Water needed to strengthen itself against the coming danger.
• Izuna bluntly told the Tsuchigumo that refusing his proposal would leave them at risk of execution, while Hashirama realized their settlement could help protect the Land of Whirlpools.
• Hashirama broke the tense silence by pretending to weep over Shin and Tamaro’s romance, and Tamamo-no-Mae joined in, easing the Tsuchigumo clansmen’s resistance.
• The Tsuchigumo representative apologized and agreed to consider Izuna’s proposal, while Tamamo-no-Mae and Haruto offered the clan lodging for the night.
• Hiroyama stopped Tamaro from objecting to the marriage arrangement, and Shin laughed as the Tsuchigumo followed Haruto’s attendants to their lodging.

After the dockside confrontation, Tobirama questioned Izuna about his powers and lost memories. Madara realized Izuna’s abilities were restoring him to an incomplete original form, while Mokushō emerged from the fan and offered to answer questions.

• Madara sent the gathered workers and merchants home, while Tobirama took charge of housing the captives from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water.
• Tobirama questioned Izuna about the battle with Isshiki, and Izuna explained that Bishamonten restored his body while Kamui shattered visible space.
• Madara realized Izuna’s scars, Tengu wings, and unfamiliar movements might belong to his original form, and wondered what Izuna had sacrificed to reach their world.
• Tobirama inferred that Izuna’s Shikigami was nearby, and Izuna revealed Mokushō had been inside the fan all along.
• Mokushō emerged from the fan in a new form and invited Tobirama to question him.

Mokushō explained Contracts, Curses, and how people could use Natural Energy, then began teaching Hashirama, Tobirama, Madara, and Izuna to perceive the Light Vein. After the others went to bed, Tsukimiyo challenged Mokushō for teaching them, but Mokushō insisted they had to grow strong enough to sever Connections before the enemy arrived.

• Tobirama questioned Mokushō about the Light Vein Reversal, Izuna’s Contract Words, and his powerful Wind Release, and Mokushō explained how the Contract and fan worked.
• Mokushō described Names as Curses that bind things and explained that Curses could let people communicate with and use nature’s power.
• Mokushō said Izuna could unleash vastly greater power as a Tengu and taught the group how to try to see the Light Vein beneath them.
• Hashirama tried absorbing Natural Energy but could not see the Light Vein, while Izuna fell asleep and Madara carried him back to bed.
• After Hashirama and Tobirama left, Tsukimiyo questioned Mokushō’s decision to teach them, and Mokushō said they needed strength to sever Connections before the enemy arrived.

Jotaro Uzumaki returned to Hot Spring Street and learned from Enma about the previous night’s chaos and the flood of sealing orders that followed. He concluded that Uchiha Izuna’s actions could help protect the Land of Whirlpools, then prepared to report the orders to its ruler and meet Konoha’s delegation with Enma.

• Jotaro Uzumaki returned to Hot Spring Street after failing to meet his acquaintances in the Land of Hot Water and found Enma still in bed.
• Enma recounted the dockside brawl, Uchiha Izuna’s intervention, and the Tsuchigumo Clan’s proposal to marry Tamaro.
• Enma showed Jotaro a box of orders from merchants who wanted him to seal and reinforce their storehouses, explaining that Izuna had helped secure the work.
• Enma reasoned that Izuna had forced the Tsuchigumo Clan to settle in the Land of Hot Water, potentially blocking the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water from reaching the Land of Whirlpools.
• Jotaro decided to inform the ruler about the orders and told Enma to prepare to visit the people from Konoha with him.

Jotaro Uzumaki visited the Konoha group to thank Izuna for his actions the previous night and invite them to the Land of Whirlpools. The group postponed their departure to handle the captured Ninja, while Izuna looked forward to visiting Inari Shrine.

• Jotaro Uzumaki and Enma arrived while Hashirama and Madara were locked in a shogi game, and Jotaro asked to thank Izuna in person.
• Tobirama found Izuna flying above the inn, brought him down, and told him that Jotaro had come to see him.
• Izuna chatted with Tobirama about flying, wishes, and visiting a nearby shrine before returning to the main hall.
• Jotaro praised Izuna for helping the Land of Hot Water and protecting the Land of Whirlpools, and invited the Konoha group to depart that afternoon.
• Tobirama explained that they needed to settle the captured Ninja's fate before leaving, so Jotaro agreed to wait in Hot Spring Street.
• Jotaro told Izuna that Inari Shrine was worth visiting, and Izuna eagerly accepted the suggestion.

Izuna proposed long-term trade and an exchange student system to Jōtarō, then asked whether the Land of Whirlpools was prepared to die with its enemies. At the Tsuchigumo residence, Shin confronted her clansmen for blaming her and exposed their failures, while Tamamo-no-Mae and Tamaro decided to intervene against those mistreating her.

• Izuna outlined Konoha’s plans for trade and ties with the Land of Whirlpools, including an exchange student system, and asked Jōtarō to convey the proposals to his ruler.
• Izuna asked Jōtarō whether the Land of Whirlpools was prepared to die together with its enemies.
• Tsuchigumo Clan members blamed Shin for their predicament and mocked her proposal to Tamaro, but Shin confronted them and condemned their attempt to steal the Land of Whirlpools’ Sealing Jutsu.
• Shin left the room with a female ninja shielding her as the clansmen continued whispering about her.
• Tamamo-no-Mae explained to Tamaro that Shin had proposed to him as a desperate bid for protection, and they decided to confront the people gossiping about her.

Tamamo-no-Mae confronted the Tsuchigumo Clan after finding Makoto’s room empty, while Izuna’s meeting with Jōtarō left the Uzumaki representative troubled by Izuna’s question about dying alongside an enemy. Enma later found Makoto carrying an abandoned infant and rushed with her to find a doctor.

• Tamamo-no-Mae arrived at the Tsuchigumo villa to check on Makoto, but found her room empty and demanded to know why she had fled.
• Izuna discussed breakfast and fortune-drawing with Madara, Hashirama, and Tobirama after seeing Jōtarō and Enma out.
• Jōtarō left for the port, still unsettled by Izuna’s question about whether the Land of Whirlpools was prepared to perish with its enemy, while Enma considered how he would defend his homeland.
• Enma encountered Makoto sneaking through an alley barefoot with an infant she had rescued from a foul, black artificial ditch.
• Seeing that the baby was dangerously cold and weak, Enma wrapped Makoto and the child in his robe and led them toward a nearby clinic.

Makoto and Enma rescued an abandoned baby and learned he would need someone to take responsibility for him. Makoto set out to find his mother, and after meeting Luotai, the three prepared to search the Pleasure Quarter.

• The old doctor saved the baby and warned Makoto and Enma that abandoned children from Blackened Teeth Ditch needed someone to raise them.
• Makoto decided to find the woman who abandoned the baby, while Enma followed her despite doubting she could change anything.
• Enma and Makoto encountered Luotai in an alley of gambling dens, where he explained that Masato had been a Lightning Country spy and that he had joined Hiroyama after escaping an assassination attempt.
• After learning Makoto wanted to find the baby's mother, Luotai supported her plan and offered to help search the Yuhara area.
• Luotai revealed that he knew the Pleasure Quarter well because he was a courtesan's child himself.

Izuna accompanied Hashirama, Madara, and Tobirama to meet Daikokuten, where he arranged a plan for the Land of Hot Water to handle the captured foreign ninja. While waiting in the county government’s garden, Izuna discovered he could bind a butterfly with a word, and Tobirama worried about Mokushō’s ability to slip from people’s memories.

• Izuna reluctantly went with Hashirama, Madara, and Tobirama to the County Government before visiting the shrine.
• Izuna explained the foreign ninja’s activities and proposed that the Land of Hot Water handle their removal while Konoha provided intelligence and technical support.
• Daikokuten accepted Izuna’s plan and went to prepare documents for them to review.
• Madara explained the tea room’s customs after Izuna misunderstood Daikokuten’s invitation to wait there.
• Izuna called out “Bind!” and froze a butterfly in midair before gently placing it on his finger.
• Tobirama questioned Izuna about the binding technique and worried that Mokushō could make people forget he existed.

Izuna learned through their Contract that Mokushō was gambling, then Mokushō followed Enma, Makoto, and Luotai as they searched for the baby’s family. At Hanakiri, the owner revealed the child’s mother might be connected to the Rōchōya, and Luotai said the Hiroyama family had taken Masato before leading the others away.

• Izuna told Tobirama, Hashirama, and Madara that he could sense Mokushō through their Contract, and discovered Mokushō was gambling.
• Mokushō followed Enma, Makoto, and Luotai, witnessing a series of lucky accidents that kept them safe and deciding Makoto might make a good Onmyōji disciple.
• Luotai brought Enma and Makoto to Hanakiri, where the owner recognized him and dressed Makoto in a beautiful kimono.
• Enma and Makoto introduced themselves as Ninjas, and the owner warned them to be cautious about revealing their identities.
• The owner said the baby might belong to a courtesan at the Rōchōya, and Luotai revealed that the Hiroyama family had taken Masato before leaving with Enma and Makoto.

Tamamo-no-Mae learned that Tsuchigumo Makoto was caring for a found baby while Hashirama realized his instinct to help others could become arrogant interference. Meanwhile, Luotai led Makoto and Enma into Rōchōya to find a courtesan before the house could silence her.

• Tamamo-no-Mae visited the Tavern Keeper, learned that Tsuchigumo Makoto had brought a baby to Hanakiriya, and left to find her.
• Hashirama reflected on Izuna’s diplomacy and recognized that his well-meant offers of help could disregard what others wanted; he resolved to change.
• A courtesan searched the Blackened Teeth Ditch for her newborn child, whom the madam had taken away, but found no trace of him.
• Luotai explained that Rōchōya might move the courtesan or eliminate her after Masato’s death, so he, Enma, and Makoto hurried to find her.
• Luotai led Makoto and Enma through a back entrance toward the rooms where Rōchōya confined courtesans, and Makoto assured him she could climb the wall while carrying the child.

Luotai, Enma, and Zhen searched for a woman who had recently given birth and followed her trail toward a wealthy residence connected to one of Masato’s retainers. Meanwhile, the Seven Lucky Gods agreed to use the Tsuchigumo Clan’s presence at the docks as leverage to establish the clan in the Land of Hot Water and strengthen the country against the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water.

• Luotai, Enma, and Zhen learned from an elderly courtesan that the blond, blue-eyed woman had fled toward the Blackened Teeth Ditch to find her child.
• Zhen found the woman’s faint footprints by the ditch and used her character technique to follow them to a lavish residence that Luotai recognized as belonging to one of Masato’s retainers.
• Daikokuten and Hiroyama told the Seven Lucky Gods that the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water planned to use the Land of Hot Water’s port to blockade the Land of Whirlpools.
• Daikokuten proposed bringing the Tsuchigumo Clan into the Land of Hot Water, arguing that its presence would deter foreign powers and support an alliance with the Land of Whirlpools.
• The Seven Lucky Gods agreed to grant the Tsuchigumo Clan land and legitimate status, while Daikokuten prepared to act on Konoha’s list of illegally staying ninja and Hiroyama agreed to keep watch on the clan.

The Land of Hot Water’s leaders prepared for a politically charged festival as Luotai and the others traced a missing woman, Yūko, to Namikaze Sōichi’s gate and learned he believed the child they carried was hers. Meanwhile, Izuna and his companions planned to attend the festival before traveling to the Land of Whirlpools, and Mokushō investigated Sōichi’s connection to Yūko.

• Daikokuten showed the gods of fortune the powerful guests invited to the Early Summer Festival, and Jurōjin insisted it proceed as planned.
• Ebisu warned Fukurokuju that Uchiha Izuna’s hurricane demonstrated why the Land of Hot Water could not remain neutral as conflict approached.
• Luotai, Shin, and Enma searched Namikaze Sōichi’s home for the missing woman, but Shin’s Word Mouse indicated that the woman had stopped outside without entering.
• Sōichi recognized the baby as possibly Yūko’s and tried to persuade Luotai’s group to leave the child with him, but Luotai refused and departed.
• Sōichi ordered an attendant to investigate what had happened to Yūko, while Mokushō secretly used a coin to check Sōichi’s fortune.
• Izuna, Madara, Hashirama, and Tobirama agreed to attend the festival before heading to the Land of Whirlpools, and Izuna spotted someone about to jump from a bridge.

Izuna stopped Yūko from jumping into the river, listened to her story, and persuaded her to tell Sōichi what had happened. As he led her to find him, Madara reconsidered his beliefs about weakness and power, while Mokushō found Luotai, Enma, and Ao struggling to soothe a crying baby.

• Izuna pulled Yūko back onto the bridge and stopped her from jumping by loudly praising her beauty.
• Yūko told Izuna, Hashirama, Madara, and Tobirama how she had been sold into courtesan work, fallen in love with Sōichi, and lost their baby after the Rōchōya took the newborn away.
• Izuna urged Yūko to tell Sōichi what had happened and offered to go with her to find him; she agreed, and he draped his Haori over her shoulders.
• Madara watched Izuna accommodate Yūko’s pace and reconsidered his belief that the strong ruling the weak was simply how the world worked.
• Hashirama praised Izuna’s words and wondered what Izuna’s world was like, while Tobirama objected to calling women “sister.”
• Mokushō came upon Luotai, Enma, and Ao struggling to calm a crying baby, and Luotai decided to take the child to the Hiroyama family’s base.

Luotai, Enma, and Shin continued carrying the baby to find his mother, while the disguised Mokushō gave each of them a fortune. Izuna brought Yūko to Sōichi’s home and explained how he had stopped her from jumping into the river, leaving Madara, Hashirama, and Tobirama troubled by what his knowledge might imply.

• Luotai, Enma, and Shin changed the baby’s diaper and agreed to keep him with them so his mother would be glad to see him.
• An old woman read Luotai, Enma, and Shin’s fortunes, then transformed back into the masked Mokushō after they left.
• Izuna brought Yūko to Sōichi’s courtyard, where the gatekeeper recognized her and hurried to announce her return.
• Izuna explained to Tobirama, Madara, and Hashirama that he had distracted Yūko from suicide by catching her off guard with an unexpected compliment.
• Izuna said he had learned suicide-prevention techniques from videos, while the others wondered whether his own past had involved suicidal thoughts.
• Yūko returned to the side room and asked why everyone looked so troubled.

Izuna and the others helped Yūko learn that her newborn was likely safe, and Sōichi revealed his undercover mission and his love for her. After warning them of a planned assassination at the early summer festival, Sōichi hired the group to help, while Izuna proposed that Sōichi, Yūko, and their child move to Konoha.

• Hashirama reasoned that Yūko’s baby had probably been taken in by someone, and Madara’s black cat Nishiozaemon set out to track the child by scent.
• Namikaze Sōichi arrived and confessed his love to Yūko, asking her to marry him, but Izuna interrupted to ask why he had left her in the Pleasure Quarter.
• Sōichi revealed that he was an undercover agent for Hiroyama Boss who had infiltrated Masato’s operation, and explained that he had waited to free Yūko so he would not compromise his mission.
• Sōichi told the group that Masato’s agents were preparing an assassination for the Land of Hot Water’s early summer festival and asked them to stay and help prevent it.
• Izuna agreed to take the mission for four times an S-Rank Mission’s pay, care for Madara’s cat, and festival outfits, then asked Sōichi to bring Yūko and their child to Konoha.
• Tobirama asked Izuna why he wanted Sōichi to come, and Izuna said he was finding Tobirama a disciple.

Sōichi agreed to leave the Land of Hot Water with Yūko, while a covert operation targeting Hashirama Senju unfolded through coded messages and an assembled team. Mokushō confronted Kakuzu, warned him that his country would sacrifice him, and urged him to abandon the assassination and join Konoha; Kakuzu was left shaken after Mokushō vanished.

• Sōichi explained that he planned to leave the Land of Hot Water to protect Yūko and their child, and Izuna welcomed him into a partnership.
• Wūwū Liánběi decoded a painting’s message assigning him to work with Kakuzu, help assassinate a target, gather intelligence, and kill Kakuzu on the day of the summer festival.
• The message identified Kuroo Sanjō, Takahara Yū, Ringo Hayato, and Satō Ken as members of the operation, and Ringo confronted Kakuzu on a bridge before Kakuzu continued on with an assassination list.
• Mokushō followed Kakuzu from the bridge and confronted him at an Izakaya, revealing that Kakuzu was meant to assassinate Hashirama Senju and that the Land of Fire intended to use the mission against the Land of Waterfalls.
• Mokushō advised Kakuzu to abandon the assassination and seek a position in Konoha, then made Kakuzu see Hashirama Senju before disappearing from the tavern.

Tobirama's Shadow Clone interrogated Yotsuki A, who revealed the Land of Lightning's network in the Land of Hot Water and suggested that smaller shinobi clans might be hired for a Summer Festival assassination. Hiroyama and Tamamo-no-Mae continued questioning the prisoners, uncovering more covert routes and contacts while learning little about the suspected plot.

• After Mokushō left the Izakaya, Kakuzu remained on guard briefly, then left.
• At the warehouse, Tobirama's Shadow Clone questioned Yotsuki A, who described the Land of Lightning's agents and operations across the Land of Hot Water.
• Yotsuki A said that independent shinobi clans could be hired for an assassination at the Summer Festival, and Tobirama recognized that he might be trying to use Konoha against Kumogakure's rivals.
• After the Shadow Clone vanished, Tobirama told Hashirama and Madara that the Land of Lightning was divided and that Yotsuki A's claims needed verification.
• Hiroyama and Tamamo-no-Mae questioned the other prisoners, verified details about covert contacts and routes, and learned only a vague warning about a raised platform at the Summer Festival.
• Tamamo-no-Mae left to investigate the contacts, while Hiroyama returned to his dwelling.

Tamaro followed Ren, Enma, and Luotai as they searched for help caring for the baby, then saved Luotai from Kuroo Sanjō’s attack. After Kuroo escaped, Ren refused Tamaro’s offer to move away from her clan and insisted on returning to face her problems herself.

• Tamaro secretly followed Ren, Enma, and Luotai while they carried the fussy baby, and a vegetable seller advised them to find a wet nurse or feed the child more nourishing food.
• Ren, Enma, and Luotai joked together as they continued toward a base, while Tamaro followed behind them.
• Kuroo Sanjō attacked Luotai with Kunai, knocked Enma into a stall, and reached for Luotai’s neck before Tamaro intervened.
• Tamaro fought Kuroo, severed his wrist, and drove him into a wall, but Kuroo escaped in a Smoke Bomb after a Lightning Release attack.
• Ren checked that Tamaro was unharmed and explained that Enma had passed out while Luotai stayed with the baby.
• Tamaro offered to take Ren away from her clan, but Ren refused, saying she had to return and fight for herself, and asked him to check Enma’s injuries.