Chapter Summaries

Kaze told Kiyoshi he intended to conquer the Land of Lightning and make him its Daimyo, arguing that Kumogakure’s losses created an opportunity to unify the shinobi world. Meanwhile, Hidan and Kakuzu collected a bounty on their way to capture Naruto and Karin.

• Kaze told Kiyoshi he planned to declare war on the Land of Lightning and offered him its Daimyo position if the country fell under Konoha’s control.
• Yamato warned that breaking the balance among the Five Great Shinobi Villages could make the others unite against Konoha.
• Kaze said the other villages lacked the strength to help the Land of Lightning and hinted that Akatsuki’s pursuit of the Tailed Beasts would keep them occupied.
• Hidan complained that he and Kakuzu were collecting a bounty instead of pursuing the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails, while Kakuzu said they had time because Naruto’s squad was headed to the Land of Waves.

Kakuzu and Hidan learned that the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning had placed a record 600-million-Ryo bounty on Kaze, Konoha’s Fifth Hokage. Kakuzu considered fighting him if they met, but went with Hidan to the docks to wait for Naruto and the others, where they spotted a familiar face.

• Kakuzu collected his payment while the Bounty Exchange manager told him about the new bounty.
• Hidan and Kakuzu were shocked to learn that Kaze’s bounty was 600 million Ryo.
• The manager listed Kaze’s achievements and doubted anyone could claim the bounty.
• Kakuzu took Kaze’s wanted poster and said he would fight him if they happened to meet alone.
• Kakuzu and Hidan headed to the coastal docks to intercept Naruto and the others returning from the Land of Waves.
• Soon after arriving, Kakuzu and Hidan saw a familiar face.

Kakuzu and Hidan waited in the forest to ambush Team 7, but Kaze unexpectedly returned alone and detected them with his Sensory Ability and Mind Net. Kaze walked toward their hiding place, and Kakuzu revealed himself after realizing they had been discovered.

• Kakuzu confirmed that Kaze was the six-hundred-million-ryo bounty target, while Hidan checked that Kaze appeared to be alone.
• Kakuzu considered killing Kaze to gain his Lightning Release heart and Sharingan, and planned to use Hidan's unusual abilities.
• Kaze sensed intense killing intent in the forest and used his Mind Net to identify Kakuzu and Hidan from their conversation.
• Kaze calmly walked toward the forest where the Immortal Duo was hiding.
• Kakuzu concluded that Kaze had discovered them and leaped down from the tree.

Hidan charged Kaze with his Bloodthirsty Scythe, but Kaze vanished from his sight and struck him from behind, sending him flying onto his own weapon. Kakuzu watched in shock as Hidan was impaled and wondered how Kaze could move so fast.

• Kakuzu and Hidan landed before Kaze, and Kakuzu identified Kaze as a ninja with Sensory Ability.
• Hidan ignored Kakuzu's advice to observe Kaze and charged, keeping his eyes away from Kaze's to avoid Sharingan Genjutsu.
• Hidan swung the Bloodthirsty Scythe at Kaze, but Kaze vanished, leaving cracks in the ground.
• Kakuzu warned Hidan that Kaze was behind him, but Hidan turned too late to avoid Kaze's punch.
• Kaze's punch sent Hidan into the Bloodthirsty Scythe, whose blades pierced through his back and chest.

Kaze fought Hidan, whose immortal body let him recover from severe injuries while Kakuzu stitched his wounds shut. Hidan anticipated Kaze’s speed and drove his Black Spear through Kaze’s chest, believing he had finally caught him.

• Kaze appeared behind Hidan and punched him, sending him crashing to the ground with a broken nose and a scythe wound.
• Hidan rose despite his injuries and pulled the Bloodthirsty Scythe from his back, causing him to bleed heavily.
• Kakuzu used strands from his body to stitch Hidan’s wounds closed and restore him for the fight.
• Hidan charged Kaze with the Bloodthirsty Scythe and Black Spear, aiming to draw a drop of Kaze’s blood for the Jashin Ritual.
• Kaze vanished with Soru, and Hidan anticipated that he would reappear behind him.
• Hidan spun around and thrust his extended Black Spear through Kaze’s chest.

Kaze beheaded Hidan and prevented his curse ritual by turning the spot pierced by Hidan’s Black Spear into lightning. After Kakuzu realized the spear carried no blood, he attacked Kaze, who dismembered Hidan’s body.

• Hidan thrust his Black Spear through Kaze’s chest, but Kaze turned the pierced area into lightning and severed Hidan’s head with a Lightning Sword.
• Hidan’s head landed in the grass, and he tried to perform his curse ritual using the spear and Kaze’s blood.
• Hidan’s ritual failed because the Black Spear had no blood on it, and Kakuzu pointed out the mistake.
• Kaze explained that he had elementalized his chest to keep Hidan from obtaining his blood.
• Kakuzu ordered Hidan’s body to retreat and launched a Great Fireball at Kaze, but Kaze cut Hidan’s body into pieces first.

Kaze kept Kakuzu from repairing Hidan by guarding the scattered body parts, forcing Kakuzu to attack with Earth Grudge Fear Mode. Kakuzu’s wind assault failed to create an opening, and Kaze’s sword slash drove his threads away from Hidan.

• Kakuzu deduced that Kaze knew Hidan’s abilities and suspected Kaze could also know about Earth Grudge Fear.
• Hidan demanded that Kakuzu reassemble him, but Kakuzu circled Kaze while searching for an opening.
• Kakuzu activated Earth Grudge Fear Mode and used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, sending Hidan’s head spinning into the air.
• Kakuzu extended black threads toward Hidan’s scattered body parts, but Kaze swung his Lightning Sword and sent a crescent-shaped slash at the threads.
• Kakuzu pulled his threads away from Hidan’s body to avoid having Kaze’s slash sever them.

Kaze stopped Kakuzu from reaching Hidan and had Yamato imprison Hidan’s scattered body in a wooden cage. After Kaze revealed the Akatsuki members’ histories, Kakuzu recognized him as Konoha’s Hokage and wondered who he really was.

• Kakuzu’s black threads barely missed Kaze’s sword energy, which struck the ground and forced Kakuzu back.
• Kiyoshi and Yamato arrived and saw Kaze fighting Kakuzu while Hidan’s severed head remained alive and talking.
• At Kaze’s instruction, Yamato used Wood Release to seal Hidan’s body in a wooden box and sat on it to keep Kakuzu from taking it.
• Kaze identified Hidan as an immortal Jashinist and explained Kakuzu’s failed attempt to assassinate Hashirama Senju and his escape from Takigakure.
• Kiyoshi realized the Akatsuki had come to assassinate Kaze and watched Kakuzu warily, while Kakuzu grew shaken by Kaze’s knowledge of them.
• Kakuzu addressed Kaze as Konoha’s Hokage and asked who he was.

Kaze’s lightning-infused kunai pierced Kakuzu’s Water Release heart after overpowering his False Darkness. Kakuzu considered retreating and leaving Hidan behind, but Kaze sensed his intentions and called him out.

• Kaze identified himself as Konoha’s Fifth Hokage and attacked Kakuzu with a lightning-infused kunai.
• Kakuzu used Lightning Release: False Darkness, but his lightning clashed with Kaze’s kunai and failed to stop it.
• Kaze’s kunai pierced Kakuzu’s Water Release heart, destroying the heart and its mask.
• Kakuzu calmed himself and considered retreating, reasoning that he had no obligation to save Hidan.
• Kaze sensed Kakuzu’s thoughts and mocked him for considering retreating, shocking Kakuzu and Hidan.

Kakuzu tried to escape by unleashing a combined Fire and Wind Release, but Kaze countered with a massive Water Dragon Bullet and overwhelmed him with lightning. The water dragon dragged Kakuzu back to Kaze, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Kakuzu ignored Hidan’s protests and launched Flame Wind Wild Wave to cover his retreat.
• Kaze summoned a forty-meter-wide water dragon that extinguished Kakuzu’s flames and continued after him.
• Yamato shielded Kaze and Kiyoshi from the scalding steam, while the blast sent Hidan’s head flying away.
• The water dragon swallowed Kakuzu, and Kaze electrified it, shattering two of Kakuzu’s masks and leaving him with two hearts.
• The water dragon crashed down before Kaze with Kakuzu, and the forest fell silent.

Kaze killed Kakuzu after overpowering his attacks, then ordered Yamato and Kiyoshi to deal with the aftermath. Hidan remained alive but stranded as a head without Kakuzu to restore his body.

• Kaze used Finger Pistol to destroy Kakuzu’s remaining hearts, overcoming Kakuzu’s lightning counterattack.
• Hidan watched Kakuzu die and realized he had no body for Kakuzu to stitch back together.
• Kaze told Kiyoshi and Yamato to handle Kakuzu’s corpse.
• Yamato sealed Kakuzu’s body inside a coffin made with Wood Release.
• Kiyoshi asked Kaze what they should do with the wooden box beside them.

Kaze’s team captured Hidan and Kakuzu and began transporting them to Konoha, while Nagato and Konan realized Kakuzu was gone and feared their mission had failed. Nagato resolved that if he could not obtain the remaining Tailed Beasts, Akatsuki would go to war with Konoha.

• Kaze had Yamato seal Hidan’s head in a wooden box and gag him for the journey back to Konoha.
• Nagato discovered he could no longer sense Kakuzu’s Chakra and told Konan he believed Kakuzu had died.
• Nagato feared Hidan had also been defeated and worried about Itachi and Juzo’s mission to capture the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Konan asked what Nagato would do if Itachi and Juzo failed to capture the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Nagato said Akatsuki would go to war with Konoha if he could not obtain the Two-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails after capturing the other Tailed Beasts.

Kaze brought several White Zetsu and the dismembered but still-living Hidan to Orochimaru’s laboratory for research. Orochimaru agreed to study the White Zetsu and was stunned when Kiyoshi opened the crate to reveal Hidan glaring back at him.

• Kaze returned to Konoha with Kiyoshi, Hidan, and a White Zetsu, sending Kakuzu’s corpse to the Anbu.
• Kaze showed Orochimaru the White Zetsu’s ability to hide, regenerate severed limbs, and perfectly mimic another person without hand signs.
• Kaze asked Orochimaru to research the White Zetsu, and Orochimaru readily agreed.
• Orochimaru asked what was inside Kiyoshi’s crate, and Kaze told Kiyoshi to open it while warning him not to get scratched.
• Kiyoshi broke open the crate, revealing Hidan in eight pieces, still alive and glaring at Orochimaru.

Kaze delivered Hidan and White Zetsu to Orochimaru for research after explaining Hidan’s abilities and Akatsuki’s failed attempt to capture the Jinchuriki. He revealed his mastery of the Nine-Tails’ Chakra, leaving Orochimaru convinced Konoha was ready to face Akatsuki.

• Kaze explained that Kakuzu and Hidan had been sent to capture the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails Jinchuriki but had encountered him instead, and that Kakuzu had been handed over to the Anbu.
• Kaze told Orochimaru about Hidan’s immortal body and blood-based curse technique, then left Hidan and White Zetsu in Orochimaru’s care for research.
• White Zetsu carried Hidan deeper into the laboratory while Hidan listened helplessly to Kaze and Orochimaru discussing him.
• Orochimaru asked whether Kaze had mastered the Nine-Tails’ Chakra, and Kaze demonstrated Golden Body Mode.
• Orochimaru witnessed Kaze’s immense Chakra and considered that Kaze might have surpassed Madara Uchiha as Konoha’s conflict with Akatsuki loomed.

Kaze told Konoha’s leaders that Kumogakure had attacked him on Turtle Island and that he, Uchiha Kiyoshi, and Yamato had wiped out the Raikage and more than three hundred enemy ninja. He announced that Konoha would assemble a force and declare war on the Land of Lightning, leaving the leadership stunned.

• Kaze summoned Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, Kakashi, and Uchiha Kiyoshi to explain that Kumogakure had attacked him on Turtle Island.
• Kaze said the Fifth Raikage Darui and more than three hundred Kumogakure Jonin had attacked, and that he, Kiyoshi, and Yamato had killed them all.
• Mitokado Homura doubted Kaze’s account until Kiyoshi confirmed the attack and the deaths.
• Kaze declared that Konoha would assemble a ninja force and go to war with the Land of Lightning unless it surrendered.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Kakashi were left shocked by Kaze’s decision.

Kaze proposed declaring war on the Land of Lightning and annexing its territory, despite Hiruzen Sarutobi and the elders’ fears that the conflict could spread. He argued Konoha could win quickly and use Akatsuki’s movements as a reason to act, leaving Koharu and Homura alarmed and demanding confirmation.

• Kaze announced his plan to conquer the Land of Lightning and incorporate its territory into the Land of Fire, shocking Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi, Koharu, and Homura.
• Koharu and Homura opposed declaring war, warning that other shinobi villages could join the conflict and trigger another Great Ninja War.
• Kaze explained that Kirigakure and Iwagakure had suffered heavy losses, Sunagakure could be won over through cooperation, and the Land of Lightning was too weakened to resist for long.
• Kaze revealed that Akatsuki had already begun to act, prompting Koharu and Homura to ask whether the news was true.

Kaze argued that uniting the shinobi world through war was the only way to secure lasting peace, and urged Konoha to declare war on the Land of Lightning. Hiruzen, Kakashi, and Kiyoshi supported him, leaving Koharu and Homura wavering.

• Kaze recounted his encounter with Kakuzu and Hidan and warned that Akatsuki had begun moving ahead of schedule to capture the Tailed Beasts.
• Kaze argued that Konoha should eliminate the concept of nations and unify the shinobi world, beginning with a declaration of war against the Land of Lightning.
• Kaze warned Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura that Konoha's peace could collapse into another great war after his death.
• Kiyoshi and Kakashi voiced their support for Kaze's decision to declare war on the Land of Lightning.
• Hiruzen endorsed Kaze's decision, while Koharu and Homura remained shocked by his support.

Kaze appointed Uchiha Kiyoshi to command Konoha’s offensive against the Land of Lightning, despite objections from Elders Homura and Koharu. After Kiyoshi pledged to conquer the country within a week, Hiruzen proposed that Shikaku accompany him.

• Kaze appointed Kiyoshi commander of the campaign to conquer the Land of Lightning.
• Homura and Koharu objected to Kiyoshi’s appointment and recommended Inoichi or Shikaku instead.
• Kaze defended Kiyoshi, citing his abilities and the village’s communication devices, then asked him to state his position.
• Kiyoshi pledged to conquer the Land of Lightning within one week and asked the Elders to trust him.
• Hiruzen suggested that Shikaku accompany Kiyoshi, and Kaze accepted the compromise.

After Kaze finalized preparations for war with the Land of Lightning, Setsuna reported that Itachi had attempted to rescue Yugito Nii from Konoha and escaped after a clash. Setsuna had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan during the fight, and Kaze praised him before inviting him home.

• Kaze appointed Kiyoshi to lead a force into the Land of Lightning and sent Shimura Clan Anbu to deliver the war declaration and a Joint Chunin Exams proposal.
• Koharu and Homura worried that appointing Kiyoshi would raise the Uchiha Clan's standing, but Hiruzen told them not to overthink it.
• Setsuna told Kaze that Itachi had infiltrated Konoha to take Yugito Nii from the Leaf Village Police Force's dungeon.
• Setsuna and Hizashi Hyuga confronted Itachi and his companion, Juzo Biwa, and Setsuna awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan during the battle.
• Hizashi killed Juzo, the police seized his Kubikiribōchō, and Itachi escaped; Kaze praised Setsuna for protecting Yugito and invited him to return home together.

After Konoha declared war on the Land of Lightning, its Daimyo and Kumogakure's elders debated surrender, negotiation, and how to resist. The Daimyo approved Elder Lu's plan to seek peace while hiring other ninja villages and Akatsuki for support.

• Kaze's Anbu messenger delivered Konoha's declaration of war to the Land of Lightning's Daimyo and Kumogakure's elders.
• Lukui proposed surrender, but the Daimyo and other elders rejected it because they feared losing their positions and wealth.
• Aoyama urged the Daimyo to negotiate with Kaze and accept territorial concessions or compensation, prompting the Daimyo's angry reaction.
• An elder proposed pursuing peace talks while hiring other ninja villages and Akatsuki to help defend the Land of Lightning.
• The Daimyo approved Elder Lu's plan and hoped other villages would assist and Kaze would back down.