Recaps

Kaze defeated Kakuzu and Hidan, then led Konoha toward war with the Land of Lightning as Akatsuki advanced its plans to capture the Tailed Beasts. The arc leaves Deidara fighting Gaara after launching a surprise attack on his home.

• Kaze defeated Kakuzu and Hidan, captured Hidan, and handed Kakuzu’s corpse to the Anbu before leaving Hidan and White Zetsu with Orochimaru for research.
• Kaze told Konoha’s leaders that Kumogakure had attacked him and declared his intention to conquer the Land of Lightning, with Kiyoshi appointed to command the campaign alongside Shikaku.
• Setsuna and Hizashi confronted Itachi and Juzo as they tried to take Yugito from the police dungeon, and Hizashi killed Juzo while Itachi escaped.
• The Land of Lightning’s Daimyo rejected surrender and approved Elder Lu’s plan to seek peace talks while hiring other shinobi and Akatsuki for protection.
• Pain reorganized Akatsuki after Kakuzu, Hidan, and Juzo’s failures, assigned Kisame to work with Itachi, and learned that the Land of Lightning had sought outside defenders.
• Sasori sent Deidara to capture Gaara while he went to the Kazekage Building, and Deidara attacked Gaara’s home with explosive clay grasshoppers.
• Gaara’s sand protected him from the destruction, and he fought Deidara with Sand Shower and pursuing sand shuriken as Deidara realized the young ninja was difficult to handle.

Sasori and Deidara abducted Gaara, prompting Kaze to send Minato and Team 7 to Sunagakure. The rescue party reached Akatsuki’s cave, where Deidara escaped with Gaara and Minato stayed behind to fight Sasori.

• Deidara defeated Gaara with C4 Garuda and carried him away, while Sasori poisoned Rasa and used the Third Kazekage as a Human Puppet to overcome him.
• Baki asked Kaze for help, and Kaze sent Minato and Team 7 to rescue Gaara while assigning Nanami to treat Rasa.
• Minato and Team 7 reached Sunagakure, where Naruto demonstrated his strength and Nanami failed to identify Rasa’s poison.
• At Akatsuki’s cave, Karin sensed the defenders, and Minato led the team into a clash with Itachi and Kisame while Akatsuki continued sealing Shukaku.
• Karin defeated Kisame with her Eight-Tails Chakra cloak, while Sasuke fought a duplicate of Itachi and learned it was not the real one.
• Naruto broke open the cave entrance, but Akatsuki’s members were phantoms, and Deidara escaped with Gaara as the cave collapsed.
• Minato stayed behind to fight Sasori while Naruto, Sasuke, Karin, and the Sand ninja pursued Deidara, and Sasori’s poison and puppets wounded Minato, but Minato attacked his Regeneration Core and began dismantling the Third Kazekage.

Kaze defeated the Akatsuki threat to Gaara, conquered the Land of Lightning, and prepared to seize Sunagakure despite an alliance forming against him. At Mount Myōboku, he reunited Minato with Jiraiya and rapidly learned to enter Sage Mode, including without Toad Oil.

• Minato Namikaze killed Sasori, while Naruto and Sasuke captured Deidara and rescued Gaara from the Akatsuki attack.
• Kaze overruled Rasa’s objections and sent reinforcements to take Deidara, then demanded the Land of Lightning’s unconditional surrender.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi led Konoha’s forces in conquering Kumogakure, and Kaze ordered the occupation of the Land of Lightning.
• Kaze backed Uchiha Kiyoshi as its governor and planned to use the Joint Chunin Exams in Sunagakure as cover for an operation to seize the village.
• Mifune warned Kaze that Rasa, Ōnoki, and Mei Terumi planned to attack him during the exams, and Kaze traveled with Minato to Mount Myōboku to learn senjutsu.
• Jiraiya reunited with Minato and sparred with Kaze, then accepted him as trustworthy and allowed Fukasaku to teach him Sage Techniques.
• Kaze trained with Shadow Clones and Toad Oil until Fukasaku recognized that he had learned the basics of senjutsu within hours.
• Kaze demonstrated his strength in Sage Mode, then entered it without Toad Oil by meditating and absorbing Natural Energy directly.

Kaze’s new power and Konoha’s military strength turned the Joint Chunin Exams in Sunagakure into a battle against the other villages. The arc left Kaze pressing his attack on Mei Terumi while she concealed her real body and struck back with her clones.

• Kaze awakened Red Star through the Stand Arrow, then organized Konoha’s campaign against Sunagakure and won the villagers’ support by having Yamato build a villa and create a waterfall.
• Kaze overheard Rasa, Mei Terumi, and Ōnoki’s plan to ambush Konoha, and Hizashi’s forces annihilated the allied troops led by Baki, Kitsuchi, and Ao.
• As the Joint Chunin Exams began, Rasa and the other Kage used the chaos to surround Kaze, but Kaze exposed their plans and fought back, killing You Long and Chojuro.
• Kaze broke free of the Kage’s attacks and evaded Ōnoki’s Dust Release, while Rasa and Mei Terumi struggled to protect one another from his assault.
• Mei Terumi used Hidden Mist to conceal herself beneath Rasa’s Gold Dust, then sent two clones to attack Kaze with Boiling Release and Lava Release.