Chapter Summaries

Dada tested the newly hired mercenary ninja Iga Saemon and Saito Mitsumasa, then discussed his suspicions with Bogu. The chapter left Iga and Saito under surveillance as they weighed whether they could defeat Dada and continued pursuing their hidden objective.

• Dada slapped Iga Saemon and Saito Mitsumasa to provoke them, but both suppressed their anger and Furuya Jun'en hurried away with Dada.
• Bogu reported the failed escort mission, the deaths of two Kumogakure ninja, and the attempted assassination of the Daimyo to Dada.
• Dada told Bogu that Iga Saemon and Saito Mitsumasa's timing and reactions seemed suspicious, though he could not detect a disguise or identify their plan.
• Furuya Jun'en assured the Daimyo that the mercenary ninja had passed investigations, while the Daimyo warned him to remain cautious.
• Iga Saemon and Saito Mitsumasa discussed Dada's test, their need to study the snail shell, and the difficulty of defeating him head-on.

Dada received Natsu’s warning that the two mercenary ninja were suspicious and began to suspect their true identities. After questioning Prince Ryuki, he met with Prince Yukihiro, who claimed to know who had ordered the Daimyo’s assassination.

• Natsu warned Dada that the two mercenary ninja had behaved suspiciously around the servants, and Dada suspected they were Orochimaru and an accomplice.
• Dada thanked Natsu for the information, answered her cultivation questions, and approved her request to visit her grandfather the following summer.
• Dada questioned Prince Ryuki and found that his account matched Bogu’s, though the witnesses’ identical recollections seemed suspicious.
• Prince Yukihiro invited Dada to meet and promised information that would interest him.
• At a high-end restaurant, Prince Yukihiro dismissed the dancers and told Dada he knew who had ordered the Daimyo’s assassination.

Dada met Prince Yukihiro, who tried to enlist him in a bid to become the next Daimyo, but Dada refused to get involved. Later, Natsu visited Dada, and they heard a distant cry announcing an assassin in Asuka City.

• Prince Yukihiro hinted that he knew who had attempted to assassinate the Daimyo, but Dada invited him to share the information instead of reacting with alarm.
• Prince Yukihiro asked Dada to help him become Daimyo and promised a ruler devoted to Kumogakure, but Dada told him to seek the current Daimyo's favor.
• The meal ended without Prince Yukihiro revealing his information, and Dada returned to his guest room to cultivate.
• Natsu visited Dada and admitted that she had failed to find useful information.
• Dada and Natsu heard someone cry out that an assassin was in Asuka City.

Dada investigated an apparent assassination attempt in Asuka City and learned that a servant had killed himself after threatening the Daimyo. Meanwhile, Jiraiya and Orochimaru trapped a Small Katsuyu clone and used genjutsu to learn that Tsunade was in Kumogakure, had not been attacked, and that Yotsuki Dana had contracted Shikkotsu Forest.

• Dada left Natsu behind and investigated a disturbance in the servants' quarters, where he found a servant dead from a Kunai wound.
• The servants told Dada that the dead supervisor had threatened to kill the Daimyo and stabbed himself when they tried to subdue him.
• Bogu informed the Daimyo that an ordinary servant had been subdued, and the Daimyo ordered his attendant to summon Furuya Jun'en.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru used a Sealing Formula to keep a Small Katsuyu clone from dissipating or transmitting its memories.
• Jiraiya used genjutsu to make the clone reveal that Tsunade was in Kumogakure, had not been attacked, and that Yotsuki Dana had contracted Shikkotsu Forest.

After another genjutsu-driven assassination scare, Dada investigated the Daimyo’s increasingly erratic security decisions and suspected the attacks could become an opportunity to loosen the Daimyo’s hold over Kumogakure. The chapter ended with the Daimyo preparing to ask other nations for protection while the two suspicious ninja watched from outside his study.

• Dada reported that the latest assassin had been placed under genjutsu and told the Daimyo that the mastermind behind Prince Ryuki’s attack was in the Capital City of the Land of Lightning.
• Dada ordered a subordinate to seize Iga Saemon and Saito Mitsumasa when they returned to their rooms, but the Daimyo recruited twelve more Mercenary Ninja to guard Asuka City.
• Dada considered whether the attacks could help Kumogakure break free of the Daimyo’s restraints, then sent a letter to the Third Raikage with a summoned snake.
• The Daimyo shouted at Furuya Jun'en about Kumogakure’s forces and wrote letters asking the Daimyo of the Land of Fire and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind to send ninja for protection.
• The black-haired swordsman and the yellow-faced ninja exchanged a glance outside the Daimyo’s study as an attendant offered him tea.

After the Daimyo ordered the Thunder Cloud Nine Warriors out of Asuka City, Dada withdrew Kumogakure’s forces and waited for the plot to unfold. An old man revealed that the Daimyo had been captured, and Dada sent his subordinates back to secure the capital before heading to Zither Island.

• The Third Raikage told Dada to act as he saw fit but not to pressure the Daimyo too hard.
• The Daimyo ordered the Thunder Cloud Nine Warriors to leave the capital, and Yotsuki Dana accepted the order and marched Kumogakure’s forces out of Asuka City.
• Natsu told Momoko to stay with her that night and warned her not to wander around.
• Orochimaru entered the Daimyo’s room with another Mercenary Ninja, paralyzed the attendant, and told the Daimyo to drink his tea before departing.
• Furuya Jun'en received troubling information but returned to his work without acting on it.
• After Dada camped outside the capital, an old man arrived and revealed that the Daimyo was in his hands; Dada ordered his subordinates to secure Asuka City and control the Mercenary Ninja before heading to Zither Island.

Dada raced to Zither Island and confronted Jiraiya and Orochimaru, who had kidnapped the Daimyo to bargain for Tsunade. He ignored their threats and tracked their originals to a nearby island, where he caught them relocating.

• Cloud Ninja entered Asuka City and the capital to maintain order as news of the Daimyo’s disappearance spread.
• Dada traveled from the capital to Zither Island in just over an hour and found Jiraiya and Orochimaru waiting there as Shadow Clones.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru demanded that Dada bring Tsunade to them within three days in exchange for the Daimyo.
• Dada questioned their plan, then pursued the direction their originals had traveled while their Shadow Clones tried to follow.
• Dada sensed a nearby island, rushed into a cave, and caught two people attempting to relocate.

Dada fought Orochimaru and Jiraiya after declaring he had come to kill them, not rescue the Daimyo. He defeated Orochimaru and prepared to kill him in revenge for the Kumogakure ninjas who had died.

• Orochimaru and Jiraiya used the Toad Mouth Bind to hide inside the cave’s flesh walls, but Dada sliced apart the hill and destroyed most of the walls with lightning.
• Dada caught Orochimaru as he emerged, defeated his snake attacks, and repeatedly struck him across the sea.
• Orochimaru summoned Manda, but Dada sent a Lightning Dragon after the giant snake and exposed Orochimaru behind it.
• Dada told the injured Orochimaru that Kumogakure hunted down anyone who killed its people, then lifted him by the throat and asked how he wanted to die.

Dada killed Orochimaru’s snake decoy and confronted Jiraiya, who entered Sage Mode with help from Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku. Dada revealed his own Lightning Sage Mode, and their battle left both fighters blown apart by a clash of Sage techniques.

• Dada explained Kumogakure’s shared will for revenge, then lifted Orochimaru by the throat and snapped his neck.
• Orochimaru’s body became fleeing snakes, which Dada burned with Lightning Release: Superfrequency Earth Walk.
• Jiraiya revealed himself, entered Sage Mode, and summoned Sage Shima and Sage Fukasaku to help fight Dada.
• Dada activated the Lightning Sage Mode, surprising Jiraiya and the two sages, then overpowered Jiraiya in close combat.
• Jiraiya and the sages trapped Dada in a ring of fire with Sage Art: Goemon, while Manda and the Lightning Dragon fled the flames.
• Jiraiya bound Dada’s arm with Sage Art: Tongue Battle Slash and attacked with a fireball, but Dada countered with a lightning Rasengan, and the clash sent both men flying.

Jiraiya and the two Toad Sages battled Dada, but his Sage Lightning Armor overwhelmed them until they trapped him with Toad Confrontation Chant. Dada broke free with Thunderclap and prepared another technique, while Jiraiya debated whether to keep fighting for Tsunade.

• Manda tried to end its summoning, but when it failed, it stayed with the Lightning Dragon and moved toward the battle.
• Dada formed Sage Lightning Armor and outmatched Jiraiya and the two Toad Sages in close combat, badly injuring them.
• The Toad Sages used Toad Confrontation Chant to trap Dada in a sound-based genjutsu while Jiraiya approached with a stone sword.
• Dada unleashed Thunderclap to drown out the frogs’ croaks, broke free of the genjutsu, and forced Jiraiya and the Toad Sages to stop chanting.
• Dada floated and prepared another technique as Jiraiya considered retreating or continuing the fight to rescue Tsunade.

Dada defeated and killed Jiraiya to avenge two young people from Kumogakure, then searched Zither Island for Orochimaru but failed to find him. He left the island with Jiraiya’s sealed corpse and the deeply unconscious Daimyo of the Land of Lightning.

• Dada used his Sage Lightning Technique and thunder drums to overwhelm Jiraiya, piercing him with lightning and leaving him gravely wounded.
• Dada confronted Jiraiya about killing two young people for intelligence, and Jiraiya accepted that his death was just revenge.
• Jiraiya sent Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima back to Mount Myōboku, and Dada pierced Jiraiya’s throat with his staff.
• Dada searched the island for Orochimaru, while Manda escaped to Ryūchi Cave after hearing a warning in its mind.
• Dada found the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning underground and sent hidden Natural Energy into his brain.
• Dada sealed Jiraiya’s corpse in a scroll and carried the deeply unconscious Daimyo away from the island.

Dada returned the Daimyo to Asuka City, framed his kidnapping as the work of the Mercenary Ninja, and withdrew Kumogakure’s forces. Back in Kumogakure, he told the Third Raikage he had gotten revenge and set the rules, then awkwardly assured him that Natsu was not getting away.

• Dada returned the unconscious Daimyo to Asuka City and ordered the story spread that Mercenary Ninja had kidnapped and genjutsu-struck him.
• Dada offered to take Natsu to Kumogakure, but she hesitated, so he promised to leave a Cloud Ninja to protect her.
• Dada told Furuya Jun'en that he had rescued the Daimyo and killed the kidnappers, then announced he was returning to Kumogakure.
• Dada gathered the Cloud Ninja and left the capital, leaving one female ninja behind to protect Natsu.
• Two days later, Dada returned to Kumogakure and met the Third Raikage, saying he had gotten revenge and set the rules.
• The Third Raikage asked about his daughter-in-law, and Dada said Natsu was not getting away because he had arrangements.

Orochimaru revived in a secret laboratory and resolved to seek power capable of defeating Yotsuki Dana. Meanwhile, Kumogakure contained the fallout from the Daimyo’s unconsciousness as Dada resumed a major village expansion project.

• Orochimaru revived in a prepared body, learned from his Shadow Clone’s memories that Danzo was demanding progress on Hashirama Cells, and considered using their power to surpass Yotsuki Dana.
• Daimyos from the other nations sent envoys to express concern, while officials and the Land of Lightning Daimyo’s sons began expecting him to die after he remained unconscious for a week.
• Dada and the Third Raikage allowed Cloud Ninja to condemn the Daimyo’s Mansion, framing the incident as damage to Kumogakure’s reputation.
• Dada resumed the expansion plan, proposing to level new areas into tiered flatland while preserving Kumogakure’s original mountainous scenery.
• The village backed Dada’s development scheme, which promised valuable land and room for ninja clans to relocate, and Dada led an Earth Release squad to begin the work.

Dada oversaw Kumogakure’s expansion, organizing new clan lands and village facilities across the Great Circle and reclaimed space in the Small Circle. He helped the Tiexiong Clan build an imposing new estate, then moved on to inspect the Dodai Family’s site.

• Kumogakure’s new Great Circle took shape, and the village assigned expanded clan lands while planning schools, hospitals, research facilities, and housing in the Small Circle.
• The Tiexiong family secured a large plot for the Steel Release Clan and prepared a custom estate with help from the Research Department.
• Dada directed the delivery of materials and guided six ninja as they used the Technique of Thousand Mechanism Construction to build the estate in moments.
• Tetsuo Daikon and Tiexiong Daquan struggled to open their new estate’s massive steel gate until they used Chakra.
• Dada reminded the pair to decorate the interior and maintain the building, then led his team toward the Dodai Family’s site.

Kumogakure’s booming development drew ninja families into buying land and made unmarried ninja more sought after. Mihara Yuu found Kuroki Ryosuke at a matchmaking event, then Hirohiko’s family considered buying a home and shops using advice from Lord Yotsuki.

• Yugito Nii’s parents considered buying a large plot so their family could have a house and yard.
• Kumogakure’s growth and increased security made its ninja more popular in the marriage market.
• Mihara Yuu contacted Kuroki Ryosuke and, after tracking him down, learned he had been helping a colleague with matchmaking rather than dating himself.
• Mihara Yuu put away her kunai and Explosive Tag, then dragged Kuroki Ryosuke off to eat sushi.
• Hirohiko’s family asked Lord Yotsuki for advice and learned which areas suited residential living or investment, along with an offer to reserve storefronts for them.

Kumogakure completed most of its expansion and established Construction Ninjas as a new career category. In Asuka City, Prince Yukihiro and Furuya Jun'en worked to build support amid the Daimyo’s prolonged coma, while Yukihiro asked his father for money to court a samurai ally.

• The Third Raikage ordered Kumogakure to recruit talented children from across the Land of Lightning and the Land of Soup and expand the Orphanage despite concerns about clan opposition and spies.
• After nearly two months, Dada’s expansion project was mostly complete, and thirty-one Earth Release ninjas chose to form a Construction Ninja department.
• Dada praised ninjas’ productivity and argued that they should work in construction as well as combat.
• With the Daimyo still unconscious, nobles and the Daimyo’s sons held banquets in Asuka City, where Furuya Jun'en became a key figure in the struggle for influence.
• Furuya Jun'en told Prince Yukihiro that the Hirano family had joined them and planned to approach the Yamada and Suzuya families next.
• Prince Yukihiro said he had been entertaining Takezawa Taro and asked Furuya Jun'en, whom he called Father, for money to continue winning him over.

Rasa, Pakura, and Sasori arrived in Kumogakure on a diplomatic mission and were stunned by its size, prosperity, and new technology. They met Konan and Uzumaki Kagari, who joined them as guides, before the crowd rushed toward a statue unveiling.

• Rasa, Pakura, and Sasori saw Kumogakure from a hillside and marveled at its enormous scale.
• Cloud Ninja searched the Sunagakure envoys and escorted them through the gate, where Sasori sensed a barrier and Rasa noted signs of expansion.
• The envoys observed Kumogakure's busy new district and residents using communication devices, which Rasa added to his mental intelligence report.
• Sasori and Pakura recognized Uzumaki Kagari and Konan discussing a shop partnership, and the women recognized the Sunagakure visitors.
• Konan teased Sasori, and Kagari offered to guide the envoys around Kumogakure.
• A crowd hurried toward South District 1 for a statue unveiling, and Kagari and Konan urged the group to follow.

Kumogakure unveiled towering statues of the First Raikage and Second Raikage, impressing Rasa, Pakura, and the crowds. Dada met Kagari and Konan near the statues, then ordered Killer B beaten after he tried to climb one.

• Kagari explained that Kumogakure was preparing to erect statues for the First Lord and Second Lord.
• Ninja used techniques to raise two colossal, bronze-like statues beside the village’s main road, and the crowd recognized them as the First Generation and Second Generation.
• Rasa questioned whether the statues could last, while Pakura wondered how they had been made so precisely.
• Kagari and Konan greeted Dada, who learned they were considering running a shop together and welcomed the plan to bring Konan’s mother to Kumogakure.
• Killer B struggled against ninja restraining him as he tried to climb the First Raikage’s statue, and Dada ordered them to drag him away and beat him half to death.

Dada escorted Sunagakure’s delegation to meet the Third Raikage, while Yagura Karatachi failed to stop the Kaguya Clan from arranging Kaguya Tsuki’s marriage. On her wedding night, Kaguya Tsuki killed her drunken groom and prepared to act while the clan was intoxicated.

• Dada threatened Killer B into promising not to climb the First and Second Generation statues, then led Rasa, Sasori, and their companions to the Raikage Building.
• Rasa greeted the Third Raikage and delivered the Kazekage’s message about the next Joint Chunin Exam.
• Yagura Karatachi visited the Kaguya Clan and learned that Kaguya Tsuki was to marry the clan head’s son so she could bear heirs.
• Yagura Karatachi left without taking Kaguya Tsuki by force and resolved to seek another approach.
• Kaguya Tsuki waited through her wedding banquet, then killed her drunken groom with a Bone Blade and noted that the people outside should be drunk.

Kaguya Tsuki massacred much of the Kaguya Clan after her arranged marriage, then fled as Yagura Karatachi arrived to investigate. Meanwhile, Minato reached Root’s underground entrance and planned to return, still searching for Kushina.

• Kaguya Tsuki killed her father and the other men gathered at the clan head's home, then set out to free the rest of the clan from what she called their ugliness.
• Yagura Karatachi and Elder Genji found the Kaguya Clan Territory devastated and learned from a surviving girl that Kaguya Tsuki had fled while the others pursued her.
• Yagura Karatachi ordered his team to follow Kaguya Tsuki and bring her back alive or find her body.
• Minato refused to hand documents to an unverified Root ninja and left with an excuse to report back and return.
• Minato resolved to continue seeking information about Root as he searched for Kushina.