Chapter Summaries

Senyo overwhelmed Sunagakure’s forces with Susanoo, captured the unconscious Chiyo, and ordered Konoha to secure the battlefield. He planned to use Chiyo’s life-force technique for research and considered reviving her children to persuade her and possibly bring Sasori to Konoha.

• Senyo crushed the ground with Susanoo, badly injured Chiyo, and tossed her to Tsunade to keep alive.
• Senyo pursued the fleeing sand shinobi, then dismissed Susanoo when they scattered and ordered Konoha’s forces to clear the battlefield.
• Tsunade asked Senyo why he had spared Chiyo, and he explained that her life-force technique could aid his research with Orochimaru.
• Senyo proposed using Impure World Reincarnation to bring Chiyo’s children back, which might also persuade Sasori to join Konoha.
• Senyo ordered Chiyo imprisoned until the war ended.

After defeating Sunagakure’s forces, Senyo rested while his allies prepared to clean up the battlefield. Karin then helped restore his chakra and heal the strain on his eyes.

• Senyo decided to let Sunagakure’s surviving forces regroup and give Konoha’s ninjas a chance to gain combat experience.
• Senyo saw that Dan Katō and Hatake Sakumo’s bonds with him had reached four stars after the battle.
• Karin, Sasuke, Naruto, and Gaara praised Senyo, and he encouraged Sasuke while reassuring Gaara that Rasa could no longer hurt him.
• Senyo sent Naruto, Hinata, Gaara, Kurama Yakumo, and the others to clean up the battlefield.
• Karin led Senyo to a secluded medical tent and let him draw her chakra, restoring his energy and relieving the strain on his eyes.

Naruto and his group witnessed the horrific aftermath of Senyo’s battle against Sunagakure, while Black Zetsu examined Hiruko and discovered that the Chimera was conscious. Black Zetsu intervened in their mental struggle to keep neither Hiruko nor the Chimera from gaining the upper hand.

• Naruto and the others arrived on the battlefield and saw the mangled bodies of more than two thousand fallen Sunagakure shinobi.
• A White Zetsu gathered information from the battlefield and used the Mayfly Technique to report to Black Zetsu.
• Black Zetsu emerged from the ground with Hiruko in a remote borderland of the Land of Fire and examined him.
• The Chimera attacked Black Zetsu, who sensed its chaotic energy and found memories of people he had captured for their Kekkei Genkai.
• Black Zetsu examined Hiruko’s mind, found the Chimera overpowering Hiruko, and joined the mental struggle.
• Black Zetsu struck whichever consciousness began to gain dominance as Hiruko and the Chimera fought for control.

Black Zetsu learned that Uchiha Senyo had used Susanoo to defeat Sunagakure, then watched Chimera kill Hiruko and take over his body. Black Zetsu entered Hiruko’s consciousness space and destroyed Chimera, while Hiruko opened his eyes again.

• Hiruko and Chimera weakened one another in the Spiritual World until White Zetsu arrived and reported that Senyo had killed more than two thousand Sunagakure shinobi with Susanoo.
• Black Zetsu viewed White Zetsu’s memories and was shocked by Senyo’s immense Susanoo and Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
• After Black Zetsu left Hiruko alone, Chimera strangled Hiruko and took control of his body, leaving only a weak, unfamiliar consciousness.
• Black Zetsu covered Hiruko’s body with his black substance and entered Hiruko’s consciousness space.
• Black Zetsu summoned lightning that burned Chimera’s gelatinous tree to ashes, then exploded in the consciousness space as Hiruko opened his eyes in the real world.

After Uchiha Senyo routed Sunagakure’s army, Rasa regrouped the survivors and assessed their losses. He learned that more than two thousand shinobi were missing, Elder Chiyo had been captured, and Konoha was not pursuing them, so he ordered his exhausted forces to rest and keep watch.

• Rasa sent up signal flares and spent several hours gathering the scattered Sunagakure forces.
• Rasa ordered the survivors to count casualties, rest, and send reconnaissance teams to check for Konoha pursuers.
• A report showed that more than two thousand Sunagakure shinobi were missing and a little over six thousand remained.
• A sand shinobi reported that Uchiha Senyo had captured Elder Chiyo, leaving her condition unknown.
• The reconnaissance team reported that Konoha had not pursued them and was clearing the battlefield, so Rasa ordered his forces to rest while scouts took shifts.

The black market buzzed with rumors about the battle at Moryo, where the Ghost Legion had been wiped out and several major powers had intervened. Kakuzu learned that Zen Kong’s bounty had disappeared, then met a Konoha Anbu and received an intelligence scroll before leaving.

• Black market visitors traded rumors that Moryo’s Ghost Legion had been destroyed and that Zen Kong, Miroku, the Mizukage, and the Tsuchikage had been involved in the battle.
• A bald Bounty Exchange employee brought Kakuzu a bounty ledger, but Kakuzu found no missions that interested him.
• Kakuzu noticed that Zen Kong’s bounty had disappeared and inferred that Zen Kong was likely dead.
• A Konoha Anbu matched a half-shuriken with Kakuzu’s as their signal and handed him a scroll.
• Kakuzu left the black market with the intelligence scroll.

Deidara grew impatient with waiting and flew alone to attack Kumogakure’s camp, where he unveiled his newly completed C3 No. 18. The bomb plunged toward the heavily guarded camp as Kumogakure’s Giant Eagle patrols watched the skies.

• Deidara proposed attacking Kumogakure’s camp, but Sasori warned that its eight thousand soldiers made the plan dangerous.
• Deidara molded a Clay Bird and left the cave alone while Kisame Hoshigaki teased Sasori, whose hands quickened as he maintained his puppets.
• Flying above Kumogakure’s camp, Deidara finished shaping C3 No. 18 and considered modifying his hands, but decided he wanted to keep using Dust Release.
• Deidara infused C3 No. 18 with Chakra and dropped it toward Kumogakure’s camp.
• Kumogakure’s Giant Eagle patrols spotted the Chakra-flaring bomb tearing through the clouds toward their camp.

Deidara’s attack on Kumogakure was weakened by the village’s Lightning Release defenses, but his clay spiders still caused explosions in the encampment. Kumogakure then fired a concealed cannon at him, sending his Clay Bird plunging toward a waiting capture force.

• Kumogakure’s lookouts fired signal flares, and three cloud ninja struck Deidara’s C3 Number 18 with Lightning Release, reducing its blast to a brief fireworks display.
• Deidara flew on and scattered clay clumps over the encampment, where they transformed into spiders and mostly evaded a cloud ninja’s Lightning Net before exploding.
• Deidara celebrated the explosions without noticing Kumogakure’s camp remained organized and a hidden cannon was charging.
• Kumogakure’s cloud ninja opened an aerial passage, and a yellow cannon blast grazed the Clay Bird’s wing, sending it out of control.
• Deidara jumped from the falling Clay Bird and stomped on it to propel himself farther from the encirclement below.

Deidara’s night raid on the Kumogakure camp failed when the Raikage’s forces captured a Clay Clone, while the real Deidara escaped underground. He flew back toward Sasori, resolved to improve his tactics without abandoning Exploding Clay.

• Kumogakure ninja trapped Deidara in a net, and the Raikage questioned him about the Akatsuki Organization.
• C warned the Raikage that the captured Deidara was not real, and the Clay Clone swelled before the Raikage struck it down with Lightning Release.
• The Kumogakure ninja found a hole beneath the fallen Clay Bird, but the Raikage called off the pursuit after C said Deidara could not be tracked underground.
• Deidara emerged from the earth, reflected on how Lightning Release had countered his clay, and decided to develop new strategies and improve his Dust Release.
• Deidara created a Clay Bird and headed back, then saw Sasori approaching on the Third Kazekage Puppet and flew back with him.

Sasori found Deidara after he attacked Kumogakure’s encampment and learned that Kumogakure could strike targets from over a thousand meters away. At the base, Konan decoded Konoha’s intelligence: Senyo’s Shadow Clone had led a major victory over Iwagakure, and Senyo’s force was marching toward them, expected to arrive in four days.

• Deidara told Sasori that Kumogakure had shot him down from over a thousand meters away, and Sasori decided to report the weapon to Konan and Kakuzu.
• Kisame told Konan that Deidara had attacked Kumogakure’s encampment and Sasori had gone after him.
• Kakuzu handed Konan an encrypted intelligence scroll from Konoha, and she decoded the report on Senyo’s victory over Iwagakure.
• Konan told Kakuzu that Senyo’s Shadow Clone had led five thousand Konoha ninja to defeat eight thousand Iwagakure soldiers, killing more than two thousand and injuring Roshi.
• Konan said Senyo’s force would reach their location in about four days, so they needed to hold Kumogakure back until then.

Senyo's clone and Karatachi Yagura waited above the Kumogakure encampment, planning to attack after Senyo's main body finished dealing with Sunagakure. At the camp, the Raikage kept the recovering Killer B from returning to battle, then summoned advisers to assess conflicting intelligence about Moryo.

• Senyo's clone told Karatachi Yagura to wait until Senyo's main body joined them before attacking Kumogakure.
• Senyo rejected Karatachi Yagura's suggestion to contact the Akatsuki Organization and said they would rely on his main body and Konoha's elite forces.
• Killer B insisted he had recovered enough to fight, but the Raikage struck him and ordered him to stay in bed.
• A Kumogakure ninja brought the Raikage several conflicting black-market reports about Moryo.
• The Raikage summoned C, Mabui, Samui, and Dodai to review the intelligence.

The Raikage and Kumogakure's leaders analyzed reports about Moryo's defeat and Pain's possible death before Tobi arrived with news of Konoha's victory over Iwagakure. Believing an attack could secure the initiative before Konoha's reinforcements arrived, the Raikage ordered the army to move out in two hours and barred Killer B from joining the battle.

• C, Samui, and Mabui concluded that Moryo and the Ghost Legion had failed and that Konoha had not directly joined the battle.
• The group discussed reports that Karatachi Yagura and Ōnoki had killed Zen Kong and Miroku, and C suggested that Pain might be dead.
• Tobi appeared and claimed that Uchiha Senyo had led five thousand Konoha ninja to defeat Iwagakure's eight thousand, killing Roshi and two thousand ninja with Fire Release.
• Dodai judged Tobi's report at least half credible, and Killer B confirmed that Senyo's Fire Release had previously killed more than five hundred Kumogakure ninja.
• The Raikage decided Kumogakure should attack before Konoha's reinforcements arrived, ordered the army to move out in two hours, and forbade Killer B from leaving camp.

Konan and Sasori prepared a puppet upgrade while Kumogakure slowly cleared the Explosive Tag traps with Killer B’s Tailed Beast Balls. Deidara then attacked the marching force from above, and Kumogakure’s lightning users destroyed many of his Spider Bombs as he escaped.

• Kumogakure used Killer B’s Tailed Beast Balls to detonate Konan’s Explosive Tag traps and advance safely.
• Konan asked Sasori to upgrade his puppets and promised to replace any that were destroyed, then told the others not to act rashly.
• Kisame Hoshigaki, Kakuzu, and Deidara stayed back and rested while Konan and Sasori flew away to prepare.
• After an hour, Deidara attacked Kumogakure’s rear ranks from a Clay Dragon, dropping Spider Bombs from above.
• C ordered the cloud ninja to use Lightning Release, which disabled many bombs, while Deidara dropped more explosives and fled.

The Raikage’s forces fought Sasori’s puppet army while Kakuzu and Deidara threatened Kumogakure’s formation. Sasori’s explosive puppets killed four cloud ninja and blasted the Raikage backward as he pursued him.

• Sasori’s puppets attacked Kumogakure, and two Earth Grudge Fears combined Fire and Wind Style into a massive sea of flames that the cloud ninja stopped with a Water Wall.
• The Raikage ordered C to accompany him against the front, sent Killer B after Kakuzu, and told Mabui to shoot down Deidara before charging Sasori’s puppets.
• The Raikage smashed puppet after puppet, while C sensed danger and warned the cloud ninja behind him.
• Sasori detonated Explosive Tags hidden inside his puppets, killing four cloud ninja; C escaped with two others.
• The enraged Raikage pursued Sasori into the air, but Sasori sent more puppets at him, and one exploded against him, knocking him backward.

The Raikage ordered Kumogakure to target Sasori and destroyed many of his puppets, but their explosive poison threw the army into chaos. A Chakra Cannon struck the Third Kazekage Puppet and sent Sasori falling, and the Raikage closed in to attack him.

• The Raikage ordered Mabui to concentrate fire on Sasori, forbade reckless close-range attacks, and sent a ninja to retrieve Killer B.
• The Raikage hurled a boulder at Sasori's airborne puppets, destroying several and forcing the survivors down into Kumogakure's encirclement.
• Sasori detonated puppets filled with explosives and poison, causing Kumogakure ninja to vomit and suffer violent diarrhea.
• A Chakra Cannon hit the Third Kazekage Puppet, severely damaging it and sending Sasori tumbling from the sky.
• Sasori used a cable to pull himself sideways and fired flames at the pursuing Raikage, who dodged and appeared beside him to strike with a hand blade.

Deidara used the C2 Dragon’s explosion to strike the Raikage with Dust Release while Konan rescued Sasori. Elsewhere, Killer B destroyed Kakuzu’s third heart, but the Raikage rushed toward a distant Tailed Beast Ball after Konan and the others escaped.

• Deidara detonated the C2 Dragon, then pursued the Raikage with Dust Release and forced him away from the Kumogakure forces.
• Konan reached Sasori, who used Chakra threads to pull her, Deidara, and the Third Kazekage Puppet together before she flew away with them.
• The ground beneath the Kumogakure forces collapsed into a massive pit, and the Raikage called for Killer B before rushing toward a distant Tailed Beast Ball.
• Kakuzu split his four hearts apart and burrowed underground to escape Killer B.
• Killer B destroyed Kakuzu’s third Earth Grudge Fear heart with Raikiri and celebrated regaining his confidence.

Kisame fought Killer B and the Eight-Tails, using Samehada to absorb their Chakra while exchanging powerful attacks. After Killer B injured him, Samehada healed Kisame, who charged back into the fight.

• Kisame ambushed Killer B, but Samehada absorbed the Chakra Killer B used to overpower him.
• Samehada sprouted spikes to block Killer B’s tail, and Kisame kicked an octopus limb before retreating.
• Gyuki warned Killer B that Samehada could absorb Chakra, but Killer B launched a Liger Bomb at Kisame.
• Killer B struck Kisame in the chest and broke his ribs, then knocked Samehada away with his tail while it drained more Chakra from him.
• Samehada transferred Chakra to Kisame and healed his injuries, and Kisame charged at Killer B again.

Killer B’s battle with Kisame escalated after Samehada drained enough of the Eight-Tails’ chakra to weaken B’s cloak, prompting Gyuki to urge him to transform. Kisame then merged with Samehada inside a vast sphere of water and prepared to face the transformed Killer B.

• Killer B noticed Samehada had absorbed chakra equivalent to six of his tails, and his Tailed Beast Cloak began to fade.
• Gyuki urged Killer B to transform quickly and return to support their allies, so B entered Complete Tailed Beast Transformation.
• Kisame recognized the increased power of B’s chakra and used Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave to create a huge sphere of water.
• Killer B mocked Kisame for using water against the Eight-Tails, but Samehada broke apart and merged into Kisame’s body.
• Kisame transformed into a half-human, half-shark creature as Killer B swam toward him with his eight tentacles.

Kisame battled Killer B and Gyuki, using his shark techniques to absorb the Chakra in Gyuki’s Tailed Beast Ball. The resulting explosion badly injured both fighters, and after seeing a Signal Flare and sensing the Raikage approaching, Kisame escaped underground.

• Kisame evaded Gyuki’s attacks inside the water sphere and unleashed Thousand Feeding Sharks.
• Killer B spotted a distant explosion near the camp and ordered Gyuki to prepare a Tailed Beast Ball so he could return.
• Kisame’s Great Shark Bullet Technique devoured much of the Tailed Beast Ball’s Chakra before Killer B forced it to explode at close range.
• The explosion destroyed Kisame’s water sphere and severely injured both Kisame and Killer B, while Samehada began healing Kisame.
• After a Signal Flare appeared and the Raikage approached, Kisame used Subterranean Voyage to escape through the earth.

The Raikage found Killer B injured but recovering and took him back to Kumogakure’s encampment. Meanwhile, Konan rushed Deidara and Sasori to the Akatsuki base for medicine, as Deidara’s life hung in the balance.

• The Raikage found Killer B in human form, checked his rapidly healing injuries, and woke him.
• Killer B told the Raikage he was fine, and the Raikage scolded him for leaving the team before carrying him back to the encampment.
• Konan carried Sasori, Deidara, and the Third Kazekage Puppet toward their base while Deidara lay comatose and near death from exhausting his Chakra.
• Sasori asked Konan how Deidara could be saved, and Konan said medicine was waiting at their base.
• Kisame Hoshigaki and Kakuzu returned to the Akatsuki Organization’s base after Kakuzu served as bait and lookout during the mission.