Chapter Summaries

Fugaku and Itachi launched a decapitation operation against Iwagakure, and Itachi incapacitated Roshi with Tsukuyomi. Iwagakure rescued Roshi and blocked the pursuit, forcing Konoha to break out and reconsider its strategy.

• Fugaku strengthened Susanoo to withstand Han’s attack while Roshi fired a Lava Release technique at Itachi.
• Itachi caught Roshi in Tsukuyomi and left him unconscious in the real world.
• Four Iwagakure shinobi used earth techniques to retrieve Roshi before Itachi could capture him, while Han fired a Signal Flare.
• Fugaku sent a Yasakani no Magatama toward Roshi, but Han transformed into Kokuō and charged Susanoo as Iwagakure raised stone walls to protect their retreat.
• Fugaku and Itachi abandoned the pursuit, cleared a path through the walls, and led Konoha’s assault squad in a breakout.
• Iwagakure withdrew to revive Roshi or summon Ōnoki, while Konoha began discussing new strategies after its operation failed.

Black Zetsu searched the weakened White Zetsu for one with the Spore Invasion Technique and used it to prepare a way to alert Hamura's descendants to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Wary of Senyo and determined to revive his mother, he then left to make a backup plan.

• Black Zetsu searched the submerged White Zetsu and found a small one capable of using the Spore Invasion Technique.
• Black Zetsu transferred information into the White Zetsu, which shrank into a droplet that he pressed into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Black Zetsu broke the seals on the statue so Hamura's descendants on the moon could detect it.
• Black Zetsu questioned how Senyo knew so much and decided to make a second plan before diving underground.

After Iwagakure’s attack stalled when Itachi knocked Roshi unconscious, Fugaku and Itachi assessed the battle’s costs and their limited Mangekyō stamina. Fugaku received intelligence showing major forces from Sunagakure and Iwagakure approaching the Land of Fire, while Kumogakure waited at the border, and ordered Shisui to inform Senyo.

• Fugaku ordered the wounded treated and his forces to rest after Iwagakure’s attack left both sides with casualties and Roshi unconscious.
• Itachi explained that Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki-centered group tactics weakened individual fighters, while Fugaku warned that their limited ocular power made prolonged battle dangerous.
• Fugaku told Mayumi and Shisui that Senyo’s goal was to draw enemy forces into the Land of Fire and destroy them, and urged Itachi to conserve his strength.
• Itachi asked about Fugaku’s failing eyesight, and Fugaku said he could fight in at most two more battles at full intensity.
• An Anbu member delivered Hyuga intelligence, and Fugaku learned that Rasa was leading four to five thousand Sunagakure troops toward the border, Iwagakure had over five thousand reinforcements approaching, and Kumogakure’s roughly eight thousand troops had stopped at the border.
• Fugaku gave the scrolls to Shisui and ordered him to send the intelligence to Senyo.

Senyo redirected Choza’s troops to support Fugaku as the Iwagakure battlefield grew urgent. Ōnoki and Karatachi Yagura joined forces to fire two Tailed Beast Balls at Master Zen Kong, who narrowly escaped, leaving him and Miroku facing the next attack together.

• Senyo ordered Choza to lead three thousand Akimichi troops toward Fugaku’s force and watch for Iwagakure reinforcements.
• Ōnoki received urgent messages reporting Roshi’s defeat and Konoha reinforcements moving toward Fugaku, so he prepared to return to the Iwagakure battlefield.
• Senyo and Ōnoki agreed to move immediately, and Karatachi Yagura and Senyo began forming Tailed Beast Balls in the sky.
• Karatachi Yagura and Senyo launched two Tailed Beast Balls at Master Zen Kong, forcing Moryo to retreat from their path.
• Master Zen Kong dodged the explosions, and Miroku joined him as they faced the sudden attack together.

Zen Kong fought off Moryo, two Karatachi Yaguras, a Kaguya Clan bone-user, and Iwagakure's coordinated attacks during the battle on Zen Kong. Despite his powerful Canaan Holy Seal, he was struck on the shoulder by one of the Karatachi Yaguras.

• Miroku used the barrier to repel Moryo, who then turned his attack toward her.
• Zen Kong used the Canaan Holy Seal as two Karatachi Yaguras attacked him with Coral Palm and a bone-user unleashed Sawagari no Mai.
• Zen Kong shattered the bone spears with his Nine-Ring Staff and used the Canaan Holy Seal to block the Karatachi Yaguras' attacks and suppress their Tailed Beast Chakra.
• Ōnoki watched Zen Kong hold off the attackers, then directed the Iwagakure ninja to join the assault.
• The Iwagakure ninja trapped Zen Kong with stone formations and launched a barrage of pillars and boulders.
• One Karatachi Yagura broke through Zen Kong's defenses and struck him on the shoulder.

Zen Kong unleashed a final wave of power that weakened Moryo, but Ōnoki struck Miroku with Dust Release. Miroku’s power triggered a violent underground energy eruption, which Senyo used to attack Moryo before they were both swallowed by a massive explosion.

• Karatachi Yagura and the Iwagakure forces retreated after Zen Kong was gravely wounded, allowing Zen Kong to unleash a final surge of power across the battlefield.
• Zen Kong’s runes crumbled the stone golems and forced back the energy surrounding Moryo, while Miroku prepared to attack him.
• Ōnoki hit Miroku with Dust Release, turning half her body to ash, but her Miko power disrupted the attack and surged into the sky.
• Miroku’s power set off increasingly violent explosions in the underground energy, blasting stone golems into the air.
• Senyo attacked Moryo with bone spikes while Moryo was distracted, and the underground energy erupted in a massive blast that engulfed them both.

After Miroku's final attack devastated the battlefield, Ōnoki and Karatachi Yagura assessed the destruction and went their separate ways. Senyo then directed Karatachi Yagura toward Kumogakure while he prepared to approach Fugaku's unit.

• Ōnoki was thrown through the air by the explosion's shockwave, while Iwagakure's elites shielded themselves with a stone shell.
• Karatachi Yagura cleared the dust with a hurricane, revealing that Zen Kong, Miroku, Moryo's body, and the Kaguya Clan expert had disappeared or been destroyed.
• Karatachi Yagura told Ōnoki he had no interest in the war and left, while Ōnoki inspected the blast site before leading his subordinates toward the Jinchuriki units.
• Karatachi Yagura secretly met Senyo, who said Kirigakure should wait for another war and instructed him to scout Kumogakure and prepare to cut off its retreat.
• Senyo sent Karatachi Yagura and his clone toward Kumogakure, then turned into a shadow and stealthily headed for Fugaku's unit.

Ōnoki pulled Iwagakure's forces back to join Kitsuchi's team, while Choza led Konoha's forces to rendezvous with Fugaku. In the Kamui Dimension, Moryo survived by possessing a White Zetsu and realized that Miroku had been a Shadow Clone.

• Ōnoki learned that Roshi was in a deep coma after an unusual genjutsu attack and ordered Iwagakure's forces to withdraw and regroup.
• Ōnoki sent word that Zen Kong and Miroku were dead and that Karatachi Yagura was on the battlefield.
• Choza received intelligence from the Hyuga Clan and ordered his forces to contract their line and join Fugaku's team.
• Choza's force avoided a direct clash with Iwagakure and reached Fugaku's force after half a day's march.
• Moryo recalled how Zen Kong, the fake Miroku, and a Kaguya Clan expert had trapped and nearly destroyed him before Obito opened a passage to the Kamui Dimension.
• Moryo possessed a White Zetsu and realized that Miroku had been a Shadow Clone.

Obito returned to the battlefield and learned that Miroku’s Miko power had exhausted the Earth energy there, while Moryo’s borrowed White Zetsu body would take years to recover in. Wary of Senyo and preoccupied with gathering strength, Obito decided to lie low as Black Zetsu secretly prepared another backup plan at Mount Sumeru.

• Obito returned to the empty battlefield and searched for traces of the fight while asking Moryo how long his injuries would take to heal.
• Moryo explained that White Zetsu’s strong plant nature made it incompatible with him, leaving him unlikely to recover fully for several years.
• Moryo said Miroku’s powerful Miko energy had drawn up and detonated all the Earth energy buried beneath the battlefield.
• Obito considered Minato’s return, the Nine-Tails power he sensed, and his own weakness against Senyo, then decided to lie low and wondered how Black Zetsu’s plan was progressing.
• Black Zetsu was at Hiruko’s Mount Sumeru base, preparing a second backup plan while Hiruko continued studying his Chimera Technique.

Hiruko endured a painful reaction to his experimental drugs while Black Zetsu watched, then learned that Namikaze Minato had been resurrected. The news left Hiruko fearing that his plans to take revenge on Konoha would fail.

• Hiruko’s experiments caused severe flaws in his body, and he writhed in agony after injecting himself with unknown drugs.
• Black Zetsu entered Mount Sumeru and watched Hiruko suffer for nearly an hour until the pain subsided.
• Hiruko recovered his composure and asked Black Zetsu what had been happening outside.
• Black Zetsu told Hiruko that Namikaze Minato had been resurrected, shocking him.
• Hiruko doubted the news but accepted Black Zetsu’s confirmation and worried that his revenge on Konoha was in jeopardy.

Black Zetsu told Hiruko that several villages had allied with Moryo’s Ghost Legion to attack Konoha, while Pain was dead and the revived Minato’s power remained uncertain. Hiruko insisted on joining the fight against the Uchiha, and Black Zetsu agreed to scout the battlefield for Senyo’s location.

• Black Zetsu informed Hiruko that Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure had joined Moryo’s Ghost Legion in attacking Konoha, and that Pain had died.
• Hiruko questioned why Konoha had not revealed Minato’s revival, while Black Zetsu explained that they lacked proof and discussed Senyo and Minato as key factors in the war.
• Black Zetsu decided not to intervene directly because his side was at a disadvantage and he could not predict how the battle would unfold.
• Hiruko resolved to attack the Uchiha despite Chimera’s unstable control and his fear of Senyo’s Kotoamatsukami Radiance.
• Black Zetsu agreed to go to the battlefield and find out where Senyo was, and Hiruko agreed to go with him.

Rasa joined Chiyo as Sunagakure and Iwagakure prepared to face Konoha, while the Raikage led Kumogakure’s army toward the battlefield. Senyo remained confident in his plan, but Kumogakure’s advance encountered a vast field of Explosive Tag traps that the Raikage suspected Konan had prepared.

• Rasa received word from Chiyo and hurried to join her after learning that Ōnoki’s forces had killed Zen Kong, confirming that Pain was dead.
• The Raikage consulted Dodai about Iwagakure’s intelligence, secured Kumogakure’s defenses, and led the army out.
• Senyo observed Sunagakure’s retreat and planned to defeat Sunagakure and Iwagakure before turning against Kumogakure.
• Kumogakure’s scouts discovered Explosive Tag traps spanning three kilometers and warned the Raikage.
• The Raikage wondered whether Konan had laid the traps, recalling her enormous Explosive Tag attack on Konoha.

The Raikage sent Killer B to clear a path through a huge field of Explosive Tag traps, which he blasted through with his Tailed Beast Cloak. After advancing over a kilometer, Killer B was caught in a second barrage and forced to retreat, battered and covered in dust.

• A scout told the Raikage and Dodai that the enemy had left a seemingly safe path through the traps, and the Raikage recognized it as a lure.
• The Raikage ordered Killer B to lead the advance, and the detection squad reported that thousands of Explosive Tags stretched beyond the five kilometers they had scouted.
• Killer B used his Tailed Beast Cloak as an octopus tentacle to trigger and destroy the traps as he charged forward.
• Killer B cleared more than a kilometer of ground while two sensory-type shinobi watched for an ambush.
• Countless Explosive Tags suddenly flew at Killer B, whose tentacles shielded him from the blasts until he had to retreat in torn clothes and covered in dust.

Sasori and Deidara used Iron Sand, traps, and explosive clay to overwhelm Killer B and hold back Kumogakure's reinforcements. Killer B survived Deidara's blast in Complete Tailed Beast Transformation, while the advancing cloud ninja were stopped by a barrage of explosive spiders.

• Sasori attacked Killer B with Iron Sand and flew above the Explosive Tag traps on the Third Kazekage Puppet as Killer B pursued him.
• After Killer B triggered explosions twice, he began forming a Tailed Beast Ball, but Sasori trapped him inside Black Ant and Deidara's white clay doll exploded nearby.
• Killer B unleashed Complete Tailed Beast Transformation and Gyuki emerged scorched but only lightly injured, while Deidara celebrated his and Sasori's teamwork.
• Kumogakure reinforcements arrived and attacked Sasori and Deidara with Lightning Release, but the two evaded the attacks from the air.
• Deidara scattered Little Spiders over the cloud ninja, and the resulting explosions halted their advance and left them unable to support the fight.

Konan, Deidara, and Sasori attacked Killer B and Kumogakure’s forces, but the Raikage’s arrival forced them to retreat. They escaped into the sky after unleashing a coordinated assault that stalled the enemy.

• Deidara refused Kakuzu’s request to fly lower, while Konan and Sasori attacked the Eight-Tails with Explosive Tags and poisoned iron sand.
• Gyuki used Tailed Beast: Eight Scrolls to spin away the attacks, destroy underground traps, and throw the battlefield into chaos.
• Konan and Sasori spotted the approaching Kumogakure main force and recognized that the Raikage had arrived.
• The Raikage leaped at Konan with Liger Bomb, but struck her Explosive Tag Paper Clone and was blasted back toward the ground.
• Konan, Deidara, and Sasori launched Explosive Tags, Exploding Clay, and iron sand at Kumogakure’s forces, then flew away.

Kumogakure’s forces regrouped after the Akatsuki Organization escaped, while the Akatsuki members reviewed their attack on Killer B and began considering their next strategy. Killer B remained unconscious from Sasori’s poison, and Konan turned to Kisame as a possible key to their next battle.

• Killer B returned to human form and collapsed, so the Raikage carried him to the medical unit and ordered Kumogakure’s forces to rest and regroup.
• Kisame met Konan and the returning Akatsuki members at the Land of Fire border and asked how the attack had gone.
• Sasori said his poison would likely incapacitate Killer B for at least three days, while Deidara reflected that using more Exploding Clay might have caused greater damage.
• Konan noted that Killer B’s carelessness had helped their traps succeed and warned that Kumogakure would be more cautious next time.
• Konan considered planning the next battle around Kisame’s abilities, which Kumogakure knew little about.

Senyo led a thousand Konoha ninjas to ambush Chiyo’s retreating Sunagakure force before it could rendezvous with Rasa. He unleashed four Susanoo against the much larger enemy force, leaving the battlefield in chaos.

• Senyo pursued Chiyo’s force with Hinata scouting ahead and reporting enemy movements and terrain.
• Senyo bypassed Chiyo’s unit and positioned his troops between Chiyo and Rasa to intercept the retreating Sunagakure ninjas.
• A reconnaissance unit fired a warning flare, and Senyo’s force suddenly appeared close to Chiyo’s troops.
• Chiyo released her eight remaining Chikamatsu puppets and told Pakura to help hold Senyo back while the others attacked from range.
• Senyo and three identical clones charged into Sunagakure’s formation and each summoned a thirty-meter Susanoo.
• The four Susanoo swung their light swords, smashing Sunagakure’s puppets and hurling ninjas into chaos.

Senyo led Konoha’s forces against Sunagakure with four Susanoo, overwhelming the Sand Shinobi despite Elder Chiyo and Pakura’s attempts to stop him. After suffering heavy casualties, Sunagakure retreated, and Senyo ordered Konoha to regroup.

• Pakura and Elder Chiyo watched in terror as Senyo’s four Susanoo advanced, and Chiyo decided Sunagakure had to fight them with their lives.
• Senyo charged at the front of Konoha’s formation, and the shinobi rallied around his Susanoo to advance and attack behind its defense.
• Elder Chiyo used a puppet to detonate Explosive Tags against Senyo’s fifty-meter Susanoo, but the blast failed to break its defenses.
• Senyo’s Susanoo launched twelve Yasakani no Magatama, and Pakura and the Sand Shinobi stopped only some before the rest devastated their ranks.
• After Sunagakure suffered more than four hundred deaths, Elder Chiyo ordered a retreat, and Senyo halted Konoha’s pursuit and told his forces to regroup.

Senyo received Karin and Ushio Hyuga’s report that Rasa’s forces were approaching Chiyo’s, then rested his troops while planning to wear down Sunagakure. After Karin restored some of his chakra, she confessed her feelings and asked whether he would marry her when she was older, leaving Senyo to confront the seriousness of her affection while holding firm to his boundary against relationships with minors.

• Karin and Ushio Hyuga reported that Rasa’s force was less than half a day from Chiyo’s, and Senyo ordered the troops to rest before the next battle.
• Karin drew Senyo into a medical tent and replenished his chakra by letting him absorb hers.
• Afterward, Karin clung to Senyo and asked him to stop treating her like a child.
• Karin asked whether Senyo would marry her when she was no longer a child, and Senyo realized her feelings had gone beyond those of a student for her master.
• Senyo rejected the possibility of a relationship while Karin was a minor, holding to his principle that he would not date a child.

Senyo told Karin he would not consider her marriage proposal until she was grown, then left to answer Tsunade’s summons. Kurama Yakumo learned what Karin had confessed and wondered why Senyo still saw her as a child.

• Senyo told Karin to wait until she was eighteen before asking to become his bride again.
• Kurama Yakumo entered and said Lady Tsunade had sent for Senyo.
• Senyo asked Kurama Yakumo to look after the still-weak Karin, then left.
• Kurama Yakumo asked Karin what she had told Senyo, and Karin admitted she wanted to be his bride when she grew up.
• Karin worried that Senyo did not like her, while Kurama Yakumo wondered why he considered Karin a child despite her mature appearance.