Chapter Summaries

Ebizo and Hanzo finalized an uneasy alliance against Konoha, with Hanzo insisting that Sunagakure draw uchiha ryousuke into the fighting. A month later, Hiruzen Sarutobi announced Konoha’s war orders, and Hanma accepted command of the Hunter-Killer Unit while promising Setsuna that the Uchiha would not remain sidelined.

• Ebizo and Hanzo agreed to attack Konoha but distrusted each other, and Hanzo demanded that Sunagakure commit its Tailed Beast and ensure uchiha ryousuke fought on the battlefield.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi read the Daimyo’s order and appointed Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and uchiha ryousuke to command Konoha’s forces against Amegakure, Sunagakure, and the enemy leadership, respectively.
• Hiruzen appointed Uchiha Fugaku deputy commander of the Hunter-Killer Unit, angering Setsuna and surprising the Jonin gathered at the assembly.
• Hanma told Setsuna to be patient as Konoha’s combat units departed, explaining that the Third had used an open scheme to limit his battlefield role and influence the Uchiha.
• Hanma reminded Setsuna that the Third had agreed not to interfere in Minato and Kushina’s relationship or Kushina’s choice about becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, then urged him to guard the clan home.

One year into the war, Hanma used his growing power to turn the battlefield into a training ground for the Uchiha while undermining the Third Hokage’s plans. As his allies gathered for a meal, Hyuga Yuto began to question the Hyuga clan’s treatment of its Branch Family.

• Hanma killed a Sunagakure Ninja and reviewed the Third Hokage’s order urging him to fight harder.
• Hanma deliberately slackened on the battlefield after the Third Hokage replaced his civilian shinobi with clan squads, and he let Sunagakure forces contact other nations’ Anbu.
• Kushina and Nawaki returned with game, and Hanma expanded his Predator Domain to call the others back to camp.
• Fugaku killed a Sunagakure Ninja with his Phoenix Sage Fire Claw Crimson Technique, then returned with Tekka when Hanma called.
• Hanma’s Blood Qi helped the Uchiha awaken their Sharingan, while Uchiha and Hyuga shinobi rested and ate together.
• Hyuga Yuto reflected on the freedom he had found under Hanma’s protection and began to reconsider his place in the Hyuga clan.

The Third Hokage struggled to understand Konoha’s worsening performance in the war, unaware that Hanma’s power-leveling business had inflated the village’s military record by crediting his kills to other ninja. As Sunagakure and Amegakure kept Konoha pinned down, the Third weighed making sacrifices but remained hesitant to act.

• The Third Hokage and Konoha’s leaders reviewed the battle map and wondered why Sunagakure and Amegakure ninja were outperforming Konoha despite earlier assessments.
• Hanma secretly sold credit for his kills to Konoha ninja, helping them gain ranks and rewards while making the Anbu’s accomplishments appear far greater than they were.
• Sarutobi Shinnosuke used Hanma’s services to gain the Anbu Captain position, while others helped conceal the arrangement to protect their shared interests.
• Sunagakure and Amegakure harassed Konoha from the Land of Rivers, with Hanzo avoiding direct battle and retreating whenever Konoha gathered a large force.
• The Third Hokage feared Hanzo’s battlefield-scale Water Release and the loss of Konoha’s prestige, but he hesitated over whether to make sacrifices.

Danzo left the Hokage meeting after condemning Hiruzen’s hesitation, while Nara Shikaku argued that Konoha should focus on breaking through Sunagakure’s forces. Hiruzen ordered Hatake Sakumo to launch an all-out assault, leaving Sakumo to face the command as his troops struggled with casualties and low morale.

• Danzo rebuked Hiruzen for doing nothing and left the meeting, deepening Hiruzen’s anger and doubts.
• Nara Shikaku explained that Konoha could not counter Hanzo in the Land of Rain and urged Hiruzen to have Hatake Sakumo press the attack against Sunagakure.
• Hiruzen considered deploying himself and sending Hanma, but decided against both, partly because he distrusted uchiha ryousuke’s loyalty to Konoha.
• Hiruzen ordered Hatake Sakumo to attack Sunagakure’s forces with everything he had and break through at all costs.
• Hatake Sakumo heard wounded Konoha Ninja complain about poison, dwindling medical supplies, and the war, then received Hiruzen’s full-assault order from Nara Shikayama.

Hatake Sakumo accepted the order to launch a decisive assault on Sunagakure despite his troops’ low morale, while Sunagakure’s leaders received news of Minato’s squad and orders to prepare for battle. Both sides mobilized under pressure from their leaders, bringing a major confrontation closer.

• Hatake Sakumo decided to lead Konoha’s vanguard in a general assault at dawn, and Nara Shikayama went to arrange the attack plan.
• Chiyo and Ebizo praised Koh and Hi’s performance but warned them not to underestimate Konoha.
• A Sunagakure Anbu reported that Minato’s three-person squad had destroyed most of the intelligence teams sent against them.
• Ebizo recognized Minato’s squad as a serious threat, but Chiyo revealed that the daimyo was pressuring the Third Kazekage to achieve results quickly.
• Ebizo ordered the remaining intelligence squads to join Rasa and Pakura in killing Minato’s squad as both armies prepared for a decisive battle.

Hatake Sakumo led Konoha’s surprise assault on the Sunagakure camp, using a massed attack to clear traps before cutting through Sunagakure’s Puppet Masters. After clashing with Chiyo and her Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, he broke away and killed a young red-haired Sunagakure ninja.

• Konoha’s Earth Release users raised pillars for the killing unit, whose Wind and Fire techniques struck the Sunagakure camp.
• Sunagakure’s earth walls blocked the flames, and Sakumo led Konoha’s assault squad into battle.
• Sakumo severed puppets’ Chakra threads and killed their Puppet Masters as Konoha’s forces fought the defenders.
• Chiyo confronted Sakumo with the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets and used Machine Light Shield Seal to protect herself from his slash.
• Sakumo withdrew from Chiyo and charged at a Puppet Master pursuing Konoha ninja, killing a young red-haired Sunagakure ninja.

Hatake Sakumo’s assault shattered Sunagakure’s formation, while Dan Katō used the Spirit Transformation Jutsu to fight Ebizo. Chiyo killed Dan Katō but could not save Ebizo, and both armies withdrew after the battle.

• After Hatake Sakumo killed Chiyo’s son, Chiyo pursued him with the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, but Sakumo cut down Sunagakure Ninja and disrupted their formation.
• Ebizo ordered Chiyo to protect the Sunagakure Ninja as they gathered into a defensive formation, while Nara Shikayama asked Dan Katō to use the Spirit Transformation Jutsu against Ebizo.
• Dan Katō entered Ebizo’s mental world and fought him, while Chiyo destroyed several puppets to break through Konoha’s defenders and reach Dan.
• Chiyo cut Dan Katō in half, but Ebizo had already suffered fatal injuries from their mental battle and collapsed.
• Hatake Sakumo signaled Konoha’s retreat, Naisu Shikayama gathered Dan Katō’s remains, and Sunagakure withdrew toward the Land of Wind.

Hanma failed to find Nagato and the Rinnegan, unaware that Uchiha Madara had already taken Nagato under his wing after engineering his parents’ deaths. The chapter revealed how Hanma’s rise led Madara to change Nagato’s fate, while Hanma instead took Konan with him.

• Hanma patrolled the Land of Rain with Konan on his shoulder, but withdrew his Blood Qi after Tsunade asked him not to disrupt the campaign.
• Hanma wondered why Nagato did not have the Rinnegan and regretted missing the chance to take the eyes for himself.
• Two years earlier, Konoha ninja killed Nagato’s parents and left him gravely wounded after Madara used genjutsu to provoke them.
• Madara saved Nagato and chose him as his successor, having grown wary that Hanma would otherwise take the Rinnegan.
• Hanma listened to Konan’s story while Madara explained the Shinobi World and war to Nagato, setting the two children on different paths.

Ebizo died from the damage Dan Katō’s Spirit Transformation Jutsu had inflicted, and Chiyo resolved to avenge him by persuading Sunagakure to deploy Shukaku against Konoha. Bunpuku accepted Shukaku’s offer to lend his power, and Sunagakure’s forces prepared to return to battle.

• Ebizo told Chiyo to protect Sunagakure’s puppet techniques and its future, then died alone after sending her away.
• Chiyo offered to relinquish her authority in exchange for the Third Kazekage’s permission to deploy Shukaku against Konoha, and he agreed.
• Chiyo went to Bunpuku and pleaded for Shukaku’s help while Shukaku mocked the idea that humans and Tailed Beasts could coexist.
• Bunpuku left after initially refusing to force Shukaku, but Shukaku then volunteered to lend him his power.
• Bunpuku returned and agreed to help Chiyo, and Sunagakure’s forces assembled with Shukaku’s power joining them.

Bunpuku and Shukaku shattered Konoha's defenses on the Sand Shinobi Battlefield, forcing the Third to seek Uchiha ryousuke's help. The Third sent Danzo to negotiate with the Uchiha using powerful techniques as bargaining chips, while the village elders discussed how to limit the clan's influence.

• Bunpuku unleashed Shukaku's sand and attacks, driving Hatake Sakumo and the Konoha ninja out of the Land of Rivers as Sunagakure pursued them.
• The Third reviewed the collapse of Konoha's defensive line and worried that Sunagakure might bring Shukaku into the Land of Fire while Iwagakure and Kumogakure patrolled Konoha's borders.
• Danzo blamed the Third for the defeat and warned that uchiha ryousuke would demand benefits rather than obeying the Hokage's orders.
• The Third rejected proposals to use Tsunade as leverage and ordered Danzo to negotiate with uchiha ryousuke, offering the Eight Inner Gates and Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique in exchange for his full effort.
• Koharu objected to compromising with the Uchiha, while Homura argued that the clan lacked allies and that the village could undermine its reputation if uchiha ryousuke survived a defeat.

Hanma left Konan in the Ninken clan's territory and arrived at the battlefield to stop Bunpuku and Shukaku from unleashing their full power. He slaughtered the pursuing Sunagakure Ninja, then shattered Bunpuku's sand defense with a punch, leaving the fight poised to continue.

• Hanma left Konan in the Ninken clan's territory before heading to the Land of Rivers to fulfill Danzo's order to attack Shukaku.
• Bunpuku used Shukaku's power to devastate the Konoha retreat, while Hatake Sakumo prepared to stop him from completing his Tailed Beast transformation.
• Hanma arrived and told Hatake Sakumo to organize the retreat while he faced the enemy alone.
• Hanma charged through the Sunagakure Ninja's attacks and killed the pursuing force with his speed and strength.
• Bunpuku withdrew from his Shukaku transformation, but Hanma struck him and broke through the One-Tail's Absolute Defense.

Hanma overwhelmed Shukaku with his strength after Bunpuku passed out, then dodged Shukaku’s attacks and taunted him. Shukaku swallowed Hanma with a sealing technique, leaving Hanma amused inside his body.

• Hanma shattered Shukaku’s Absolute Defense and critically injured Bunpuku, who passed out before using the Feigned Sleep Technique.
• Shukaku emerged at full size, but Hanma grabbed his tail, hurled him into the air, and struck him with a blow that shook the region.
• Shukaku recognized Hanma as an Uchiha and asked about Uchiha Madara, while Hanma mocked Madara’s history in Konoha.
• Shukaku attacked Hanma with his fists and Wind Release, but Hanma dodged and criticized his strength and lack of a Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Shukaku covered the battlefield in a desert filled with Cursed Seals, transformed it into a raccoon dog’s head, and swallowed Hanma.
• Inside Shukaku, Hanma laughed and thought of the story of the Gold and Silver Brothers.

Hanma devoured Shukaku’s flesh and Chakra from inside his body, forcing the Tailed Beast to retreat into Bunpuku. After killing Bunpuku and collecting his remains, Hanma considered how to evolve his Heaven and Earth Furnace Entry before Sakumo warned him that Kumogakure’s Jinchuriki had entered the battlefield.

• Hanma inspected Shukaku’s body and began tearing off and eating its flesh.
• Hanma’s Blood Qi consumed Shukaku’s flesh and Chakra, causing the Tailed Beast to shrink and retreat into Bunpuku.
• Hanma crushed Bunpuku’s heart, collected his remains in a Sealing Scroll, and considered using a devouring-related catalyst to evolve his Heaven and Earth Furnace Entry.
• Hatake Sakumo warned Hanma that Kumogakure’s Jinchuriki had entered the battlefield.

Danzo recalled Fugaku’s Uchiha unit and secretly cleared a path for Kumogakure’s Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Nata, to enter the Land of Fire. Nata learned the One-Tail was likely dead and headed toward the Land of Rain, where several forces were converging as Hanzo’s battle with Hiruzen’s team began.

• Danzo gave Fugaku a forged order bearing Hiruzen’s seal, sent the Uchiha back to Konoha, and ordered Root to let Nata pass toward the Sunagakure battlefield.
• Minato, Kushina, and Nawaki learned that a powerful Chakra was approaching and decided to head for the Land of Rain, where Minato believed Hanma and Tsunade would be safer to reach.
• Minato reassured Nawaki that his skill at spotting traps had improved after their guerrilla attacks wore down most of the pursuing Sunagakure Ninja.
• Nata infiltrated the Land of Fire and learned from Matatabi that the One-Tail was likely dead, so she changed course toward the Land of Rain.
• Hatake Sakumo detected Nata despite Danzo’s scheme, and Hatake Sakumo, Nata, Minato’s Team, Hanma, and Hanzo converged on the Land of Rain as Hanzo’s battle with Hiruzen’s team began.

Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade received the Third’s order to launch a full-scale attack on the Amegakure Ninja and recognized the deadly risks and political motives behind it. They were left to plan an assault on Hanzo’s forces without reinforcements, while the Third hoped their battlefield would produce enough victories and casualties to counterbalance uchiha ryousuke’s growing reputation.

• Orochimaru and Jiraiya read the Third’s order and realized it called for an immediate attack on the Amegakure Ninja despite Hanzo’s lethal poison technique.
• Jiraiya protested that the order would needlessly sacrifice Konoha’s troops, and Tsunade accused the Third of trying to keep Hanma and Sakumo from overshadowing his disciples.
• Orochimaru reasoned that Hanma and Sakumo would not be allowed to reinforce them because their achievements could threaten the Third’s preferred succession plans.
• Orochimaru warned that attacking with too few troops would let Hanzo surround them, while a full-scale assault risked exposing everyone to the Accumulated Rain Poison Cloud.
• Tsunade said her antidote would not protect troops from a sufficiently concentrated poison, while Jiraiya silently questioned his faith in the village.
• The Third hoped the Amegakure battlefield would give his disciples notable achievements and help stabilize Konoha as uchiha ryousuke’s victory over a Tailed Beast attracted attention.

Hanzo led the Amegakure forces into battle against Konoha, expecting Shukaku and Hanma to keep each other occupied, but Orochimaru countered his tactics and the fighting devastated both sides. With the Amegakure army losing and his Ibuse being hunted down, Hanzo resolved to capture Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru alive so he could negotiate with Konoha.

• Hanzo believed Chiyo's inflated report that Shukaku was fighting Hanma and mobilized the Amegakure Ninja.
• Hanzo and his Ibuse attacked the Konoha forces with poison while he cut through ninja with his Kusarigama.
• Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade summoned Gamabunta, Manda, and Katsuyu, who slaughtered Amegakure Ninja and hunted the Ibuse.
• Hanzo ordered the Amegakure Ninja to create the Rain Cloud Covering Sky Technique, but Orochimaru directed Konoha's Wind Release to disperse the mist.
• Hanzo nearly disemboweled Jiraiya, evaded Tsunade's punch, and realized the Amegakure forces had lost the battle.
• Hanzo decided he had to capture Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru alive to give himself a chance to negotiate with Konoha.

Hanzo wore down Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya with his speed and swordsmanship, while Orochimaru prepared a Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tag as a last resort. After sensing their allies weakening, Minato's team planned to infiltrate Amegakure and set a trap for Hanzo.

• Hanzo severed Orochimaru's arm and blasted him with Explosive Flame Formation, but Orochimaru escaped by crawling out of his own mouth using his Substitution Technique.
• Hanzo used his Body Flicker Technique and swordsmanship to keep attacking Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya while conserving his strength and waiting for an opening.
• Orochimaru considered detonating the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tag, knowing the blast would likely kill both Hanzo and his own team.
• Kushina sensed Tsunade and the others growing weaker, and Minato identified their attacker as Hanzo.
• Minato directed Kushina to keep using Kagura's Mind's Eye and told Nawaki to prepare a Delayed Explosive Tag trap as the team headed for Amegakure.

Minato, Kushina, and Nawaki set traps throughout Amegakure and drew Hanzo away from the village while Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade escaped. The group watched as the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tag destroyed Amegakure, leaving Hanzo’s fate uncertain.

• Minato, Kushina, and Nawaki planted more than four hundred Explosive Tags and prepared a delayed Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tag trap in Amegakure.
• The trio detonated the Explosive Tags, and Nawaki shouted that uchiha ryousuke had attacked to create panic and lure Hanzo back.
• Orochimaru used the threat of the Mutual Multiplication Explosive Tag to hold Hanzo at bay until Hanzo saw Amegakure burning and rushed back to defend it.
• Minato and the others gathered Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape to a distant plain.
• Nawaki announced that they had prepared a gift for Hanzo, and a huge explosion sent a mushroom cloud over Amegakure.

Nata and Matatabi sensed Shukaku’s Chakra beneath the Blood Qi and attacked the Uzumaki Clan, launching a massive Tailed Beast Bomb at Kushina and the others. Minato rushed to intercept it, but a broad figure appeared in front of him just before impact.

• Nata asked Matatabi what to do after seeing Amegakure destroyed, and Matatabi advised her to run after sensing Shukaku’s Chakra mixed with Blood Qi.
• Nata suspected uchiha ryousuke had eaten Shukaku, while Matatabi vowed to hide if he appeared.
• Matatabi detected the Uzumaki Clan, and Nata chose to attack them for Kumogakure.
• Nata requested Matatabi’s power, and Matatabi fully transformed and charged a powerful Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Minato, Orochimaru, and the others sensed the approaching attack; Minato rushed forward to try transferring it with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• A broad figure appeared before Minato and told him not to worry.

Hanma withstood and absorbed the explosion of Nata’s Tailed Beast Bomb, then defeated her and offered to release Matatabi so he could befriend the Two-Tails. As Hanma questioned the seal on Nata’s abdomen, Matatabi remained trapped inside her.

• Hanma caught and compressed Nata’s Tailed Beast Bomb, surviving its explosion while his Blood Qi healed his wounds.
• Tsunade embraced Hanma, Jiraiya joked about his monstrous strength, and Matatabi hid inside Nata for safety.
• Nata tried to flee toward Kumogakure, but Hatake Sakumo blocked her and she fought him with Matatabi’s Chakra.
• Hanma knocked Nata down, stopped her from forming another Tailed Beast Bomb, and asked her to release Matatabi so he could befriend the Two-Tails.