Chapter Summaries

After completing Neji’s month of brutal combat training, Hagoromo went to the Konoha Intelligence Department to deal with Kisame, who had been hiding inside Samehada. Kisame escaped the sword but was trapped and killed by Hagoromo, who prepared to inform the village about the Akatsuki.

• Hagoromo ended Neji’s month-long intensive training and told Naruto and the others to keep training at the training ground rather than at home.
• Hagoromo visited the Intelligence Department, where Inoichi had kept Samehada sealed while Kisame hid inside it for over a month.
• Hagoromo used black threads to threaten Samehada, prompting Kisame to burst out, but the Anbu trapped him in a sealing barrier.
• Kisame asked if Hagoromo had known he was hiding inside Samehada, and Hagoromo said Kisame might have escaped if he had concealed his malice.
• Kisame prepared to attack Hagoromo, but Hagoromo killed him and pulled his body over with black threads.

Hagoromo took Neji and two other ninja to accept a B-rank escort mission after the mission desk had no C-rank work available. The client revealed that he feared an attack linked to a family dispute in the Land of Vegetables, leaving Hagoromo’s team to escort him there.

• Hagoromo left Kisame under the Intelligence Division’s care and told them to bring Ibiki Morino and the Sealing Squad for the interrogation.
• Hagoromo brought Neji to the mission desk, where the registration ninja explained that the team could not take a B-rank mission with a Genin member.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi overruled the restriction and assigned Hagoromo’s team a B-rank personal escort mission.
• Hagoromo and the others met their client, a young nobleman from the Land of Vegetables, who feared an attack because of a succession dispute with the main branch of his family.

Hagoromo's squad escorted a young noble toward the Land of Vegetables, while Hagoromo kept the client at arm's length and taught Neji how to handle a mission. When Kirigakure ninja attacked under cover of mist, Neji fought back but discovered his opponent was a clone.

• Hagoromo declined the young noble's offer of a carriage and traveled with his squad toward the Land of Vegetables.
• Hagoromo explained to Neji that he was avoiding the client's attempts to make political connections and assigned Neji to stand watch.
• Neji detected six approaching Kirigakure ninja and alerted Yutoshi and Kokone as the attackers surrounded the camp.
• Hagoromo killed one attacker and wounded another with redirected Shuriken before the Kirigakure ninja spread mist across the area.
• Neji defended himself against an attacker who targeted his eyes, then realized the figure he struck was a clone.

Neji defeated a Kirigakure ninja who had ambushed Hagoromo's team during a B-Rank mission, and the group safely escorted their client to the Land of Vegetables. After completing the mission, Hagoromo discussed the danger with Neji as they headed back.

• Neji saw through a Kirigakure ninja's water clone and killed him with Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms.
• The fog cleared, revealing Hagoromo and the other members of the team had defeated the remaining Kirigakure attackers.
• The young noble promised to pay the full mission fee, and Hagoromo's team continued to the Land of Vegetables without further ninja attacks.
• After the group reached the capital, the young noble rebuked his attendant and decided to submit to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire after taking the throne.
• Hagoromo asked Neji what he had learned from the mission, and Neji acknowledged that the team might have died without Hagoromo and the two Special Jōnin.

Hagoromo’s team escorted a grain convoy safely to Konoha’s camp in the Land of Grass, despite signs that Iwagakure had discovered hidden supply routes. Akimichi Chōza told Hagoromo that the routes were being exposed one after another and led him and Neji to meet Jiraiya.

• Hagoromo’s team took an A-rank mission to deliver supplies to the front in the Land of Grass as Iwagakure raided Konoha’s convoys.
• While traveling with Neji, Hagoromo warned him that small mistakes on the battlefield could have fatal consequences.
• Hagoromo and Neji alternated sensing for danger, and the convoy reached the camp without losing its supplies.
• Akimichi Chōza told Hagoromo that Iwagakure had discovered several hidden routes, though reinforced convoys had prevented the enemy from taking their cargo.
• Hagoromo said he had defeated an Iwagakure squad before they could report the route, and Chōza brought him and Neji to see Jiraiya.

Hagoromo received Hiruzen Sarutobi’s urgent mission to wipe out Iwagakure squads infiltrating the rear and prepared to set out with his current team. The chapter left him and his teammates resting briefly and gathering supplies before the operation.

• Jiraiya gave Hagoromo a mission to eliminate Iwagakure squads that had infiltrated the area as soon as possible.
• Hagoromo agreed to complete the mission within three days and declined Jiraiya’s offer to add more people to his squad.
• Jiraiya told Hagoromo that Iwagakure’s growing forces could trigger a full-scale battle within days, while Fugaku’s team was not expected to arrive until the day after tomorrow.
• Hagoromo reassured Neji that he was stronger than an ordinary Special Jōnin and brought him to meet Yutoshi and Kokone.
• Kokone accepted the mission, and Yutoshi agreed after asking to restock her supplies.
• Hagoromo ordered the team to prepare during a two-hour rest before setting out.

Hagoromo and his team hunted Iwagakure ninja hiding along supply routes, but found little intelligence and fewer squads than expected. Neji suggested the missing teams might have gone to the route Konoha used to transport supplies, so Hagoromo decided to search it next.

• Hagoromo ordered Neji, Yutoshi, and Kokone to eliminate Iwagakure ninja along the logistics routes and gave them Military Rations Pills.
• An Iwagakure squad waited in hiding, and one Chunin left the canopy to relieve himself.
• Hagoromo's team attacked the squad, with Yutoshi killing Zhiya and Neji taking down another Chunin.
• Hagoromo subdued and killed the Iwagakure Jonin, but learned nothing about the other infiltrating squads.
• Neji proposed checking the unsearched supply route, and Hagoromo agreed to head there.

Uchiha Itachi joined Fugaku’s force on a mission to investigate Akatsuki, but the Uchiha were ambushed by Akatsuchi and a large Iwagakure force. As Hagoromo’s squad rushed toward the battle, Akatsuchi summoned an enormous clay giant to confront Fugaku and Itachi.

• Fugaku led the Uchiha toward the Land of Grass front while Itachi concealed that Hiruzen Sarutobi had sent him to investigate Orochimaru and Akatsuki.
• Akatsuchi and concealed Iwagakure ninja surrounded the Uchiha, and Itachi suspected Takigakure had allowed them through and that Konoha had a spy.
• Fugaku and Itachi ordered the Uchiha to break through, and both sides clashed in the forest.
• Hagoromo sensed a major battle about three kilometers away and led Neji, Yutoshi, and Xinyin toward it at full speed.
• Akatsuchi’s ambush failed to wipe out the Uchiha, and he created an enormous clay giant as Fugaku and Itachi continued fighting him.

Uchiha Fugaku fought Akatsuchi to keep the Stone Shinobi from catching the fleeing Uchiha, while Uchiha Itachi led the clan toward the front lines. As Fugaku’s Sharingan began to change, Itachi stopped to face the pursuers and ordered the clan members to continue without him.

• Uchiha Fugaku ordered Uchiha Itachi to lead the clan members toward the front lines while he held off Akatsuchi and the Stone Shinobi.
• Uchiha Fugaku blocked Akatsuchi’s Earth Flow River, then severed the clay giant’s foot and sent it crashing into the forest with his Fire Style.
• Akatsuchi survived Fugaku’s attacks, trapped him with Mountain Earth Technique, and then fought him at close range while avoiding his Sharingan.
• Uchiha Fugaku retreated from Akatsuchi’s assault, and his Sharingan showed faint signs of joining together as he worried about Uchiha Itachi.
• Uchiha Itachi stopped in the forest to face the pursuing Iwagakure shinobi, then ordered the Uchiha clan members to go ahead without him.

Uchiha Itachi defeated the pursuing Stone Shinobi with Susanoo while rushing to aid Uchiha Fugaku, and Hagoromo arrived to find him safe. After treating Fugaku, Hagoromo prepared to take the Uchiha Clan to the battlefield as Itachi departed on a separate mission.

• Uchiha Itachi used Susanoo to deflect the Stone Shinobi's Earth Spears, then finished off the survivors.
• Hagoromo arrived, and Uchiha Itachi told him that Uchiha Fugaku was still fighting Akatsuchi.
• Uchiha Fugaku emerged from the forest, and Hagoromo treated his external injuries while warning that his internal injuries needed medicine.
• Uchiha Fugaku suspected Iwagakure spies had revealed the Uchiha Clan's movements, and Hagoromo worried about Naruto and the others.
• Uchiha Itachi left to carry out a mission from Lord Hiruzen, while Hagoromo prepared to lead Fugaku and the Uchiha Clan to the battlefield.
• Yutoshi, Neji, and the Uchiha Clan arrived, and Neji agreed to accompany Hagoromo to the battlefield.

Hagoromo, Fugaku, and Jiraiya investigated how Iwagakure kept anticipating Konoha’s deployments and considered the possibility of an extraordinary sensor relaying their orders. Hagoromo pointed to dangerous missing-nin with unusual abilities, but the chapter ended before they identified the suspected spy.

• Fugaku told Jiraiya that the Land of Waterfalls had betrayed Konoha and disrupted its supply efforts.
• Jiraiya reported that the village had gone into lockdown and caught several suspected spies, then shared that Iwagakure had repeatedly anticipated his deployments.
• Hagoromo asked whether Konoha’s plans had ever been exposed this way before, prompting Jiraiya to realize the pattern was unprecedented.
• Hagoromo spread a Netherworld Formless Realm barrier and proposed that a special sensor ninja was overhearing Jiraiya’s orders and sending them to Iwagakure.
• Fugaku supported Hagoromo’s theory by describing the organization of missing-nin he had encountered, and Hagoromo recounted the five-hearted Takigakure shinobi and the former Kirigakure swordsman who had hidden in Samehada.

Hagoromo demonstrated Yin Release to Jiraiya and Fugaku, then discovered concealed spores that had been spying on their deployments for Iwagakure. He prepared to use a secret technique to counter them, while Fugaku revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Hagoromo explained that unusual abilities could account for the enemy’s intelligence and demonstrated how Yin Release let him vanish underground without leaving a detectable presence.
• Hagoromo failed to return when Jiraiya called, then reappeared in the tent carrying several disguised spores he had found underground.
• Hagoromo explained that Yang Release had weakened the spores and confirmed they were likely how Iwagakure learned about Konoha’s deployments.
• Hagoromo told Jiraiya and Fugaku to keep what they saw secret, then began forming seals as his Yang Release Chakra surged.
• Fugaku revealed that he had the Mangekyō Sharingan and said he had already informed Hiruzen.

Hagoromo used his new power to locate the spores hidden across the front lines, while Jiraiya and Fugaku prepared to eliminate them. As the Stone Shinobi and Akatsuki readied for battle, Deidara and Sasori set out for the front, where Deidara looked forward to facing whoever had defeated Kakuzu and Kisame.

• Hagoromo transformed with a blazing Chakra cloak and sent particles throughout the front lines to find and destroy Black Zetsu’s hidden spores.
• Fugaku and Jiraiya left the tent to prepare the front-line forces for the threats Hagoromo had detected.
• Kitsuchi met Ōnoki, who asked whether the war was worth fighting and ordered the Akatsuki to join the full-scale assault; Kitsuchi asked Han for help the next day.
• Black Zetsu reported that nearly all the hidden spores had been killed, and Pain sent Sasori to the front lines.
• Deidara asked to accompany Sasori, and the two set out while Deidara expressed excitement about facing the person who had defeated Kakuzu and Kisame.

Hagoromo and Neji fought through the battlefield after Iwagakure launched its attack, helping Konoha turn the tide and sending reinforcements to other positions. Hagoromo then reached the area where Jiraiya was likely fighting and was confronted by Iwagakure commander Kitsuchi.

• Hagoromo praised Neji's progress and told him to stay close when Iwagakure attacked.
• Hagoromo and Neji rushed to the battlefield, where Neji was startled by the carnage before Hagoromo protected him from incoming shuriken.
• Hagoromo and Neji rescued Konoha shinobi and wiped out a group of Iwagakure forces with Hagoromo's Wind Release: Rasenshuriken.
• Neji sensed powerful chakra signatures, so Hagoromo sent the Konoha shinobi with them to support other positions while he continued toward the fighting.
• Neji struck two Iwagakure Jonin with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and Hagoromo finished them with Chidori.
• Kitsuchi confronted Hagoromo and declared that stopping him was necessary for Iwagakure to win.

Hagoromo fought Kitsuchi after sending Neji away, overcoming the Iwagakure ninja’s powerful Earth Release techniques and killing him. As Iwagakure ninjas arrived beside Kitsuchi’s body, Hagoromo headed after Neji.

• Hagoromo ordered Neji to find Yutoshi and the others, then asked Kitsuchi why Ōnoki had started the war.
• Kitsuchi attacked Hagoromo with Earth Release techniques, but Hagoromo countered with Chidori and Monster Strength.
• Kitsuchi used added weight, a deep fissure, and a mountain of rock to trap Hagoromo, who smashed his way free.
• Hagoromo shattered Kitsuchi’s golem armor with Monster Strength Fourth Gear and fatally injured him with a blow that burst his internal organs.
• Hagoromo left to follow Neji, while arriving Iwagakure ninjas found Kitsuchi and a Jonin warned them not to touch him.

Neji fought off a group of Stone Shinobi, defeating an Iwagakure Special Jōnin with the Eight Trigrams Gentle Spiral Strike Style. Afterward, Yutoshi found Neji and treated his injuries.

• Neji used Gentle Fist techniques to break the Iwagakure Special Jōnin's rock armor and knock him back.
• Neji dodged the Special Jōnin's Earth Release attacks and struck through his defenses with Li Fire Form: Spiral Charge.
• Neji bound the Special Jōnin with Gen Mountain Form: Moving Mountains, slammed him into the ground, and finished him with Zhen Thunder Form: Layered Waves.
• Neji reflected that he was still too weak despite having defeated several Stone Shinobi.
• Yutoshi found Neji, confirmed that he had killed the attackers, and treated his cracked bones.

Hagoromo left his fight with Kitsuchi to confront Ōnoki and the Five-Tails after a Tailed Beast Bomb threatened the battlefield. He joined Jiraiya and Gamabunta, then pursued Ōnoki into the sky in Hazy Moon Sage Mode.

• Neji insisted on accompanying Yutoshi to help Hagoromo, and Yutoshi agreed to take him toward the fight.
• After a huge explosion, Hagoromo created a Shadow Clone to find Neji and ran toward the blast site.
• Hagoromo found Jiraiya and Gamabunta defending against the Five-Tails while Ōnoki demanded Roshi's return.
• Hagoromo told Ōnoki that he had defeated Kitsuchi, then blocked Ōnoki's Dust Release with Yang Release Armament.
• Hagoromo leaped from Gamabunta and pursued Ōnoki in Hazy Moon Sage Mode while Jiraiya and Gamabunta moved to fight the Five-Tails.

Hagoromo countered Ōnoki’s Dust Release and turned its power against him while Jiraiya summoned the toad sages to help fight the Five-Tails. Hagoromo then flew down to force Ōnoki to surrender and bring the war to an end.

• Hagoromo chased Ōnoki through the sky, smashing his Dust Release beams while taunting him about his age and his son.
• Ōnoki unleashed Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique, trapping Hagoromo in its expanding barrier as the Five-Tails knocked Gamabunta aside.
• Hagoromo dissolved Ōnoki’s technique with a black substance, and Jiraiya summoned Fukasaku and Shima to help Gamabunta battle the Five-Tails.
• Hagoromo reproduced the Detachment of the Primitive World Technique and struck Ōnoki, though his version was far weaker than the original.
• Hagoromo flew down toward Ōnoki, intending to make him surrender and end the war.

Hagoromo and Ōnoki fought in midair, trading powerful Fire, Wind, Earth, Water, Lightning, and Dust Release attacks. Hagoromo broke out of Ōnoki’s rock cage and shattered his Dust Release beam with Yang Release: Heavenly Foot of Pain, then brought his attack down toward Ōnoki.

• Ōnoki recognized that Hagoromo had absorbed and analyzed his Dust Release, then renewed his attack.
• Hagoromo used Fire Style and Wind Release while Ōnoki countered with Earth Release techniques and a Dust Release beam.
• Hagoromo smashed Ōnoki’s Rock Fist and Dust Release defenses and dodged the earth pillars Ōnoki raised beneath him.
• Ōnoki used Added-Weight Rock Technique and Rock Fist Cage to trap Hagoromo, then prepared another Dust Release attack.
• Hagoromo broke through the cage roof and destroyed Ōnoki’s Dust Release beam with Heavenly Foot of Pain, continuing his strike toward Ōnoki.

Hagoromo overwhelmed Ōnoki, but Ōnoki nearly caught him with a desperate Dust Release attack before surrendering on behalf of Iwagakure. Jiraiya restrained Hagoromo from attacking the surrendered Tsuchikage, and the chapter ended with Hagoromo taunting Ōnoki about his dead son.

• Hagoromo smashed through Ōnoki’s Earth Release defense and sent him crashing across the battlefield.
• Ōnoki countered with a small, fast Dust Release cube, grazing Hagoromo’s shoulder before Hagoromo dodged and healed.
• Ōnoki announced that he and Iwagakure surrendered, prompting the Five-Tails to return to human form and leave Jiraiya and Gamabunta behind.
• Jiraiya stopped Hagoromo from attacking Ōnoki, warning that Konoha would be held accountable if he killed a surrendered Kage.
• Ōnoki taunted Jiraiya, and Hagoromo held Jiraiya back while insulting Ōnoki about losing his son.