Chapter Summaries

Pakura learned that Hyōri had devastated Kumogakure, leaving Sunagakure unable to count on its help against Konoha. In Iwagakure, Ōnoki called Kurotsuchi back and pressured her to marry Deidara, then planned to ask Deidara what he wanted.

• Pakura reviewed Elder Fuji's completed Wind Prison Sandstorm Great Formation and ordered preparations to use it against Konoha in the Demon Desert.
• A Sunagakure intelligence report revealed that Hyōri had attacked Kumogakure with an Ice Storm in retaliation for the Raikage's attack on the Daimyo's Mansion in the Land of Water.
• Pakura and the elders concluded Kumogakure could no longer be relied on to relieve Sunagakure's pressure, and Pakura told Elder Fuji to focus on stopping Konoha.
• Ōnoki told Kurotsuchi it was time for her to marry and asked whether she was willing to marry Deidara.
• Kurotsuchi admitted she did not know what Deidara thought, so Ōnoki said he would bring Deidara back and ask him; afterward, Ōnoki reread the report about Kumogakure and the Hidden Mist Village and privately considered their marriage urgent.

The Raikage and his companions returned to Kumogakure, where they assessed the damage from Hyōri’s attack and reviewed intelligence about Hyōri and Kyōkotsu. The Raikage ordered his subordinates to contact Black Zetsu for more information.

• The Raikage, Killer B, and the others returned to Kumogakure and were met by villagers repairing the damage and urging Killer B not to leave again.
• C raised a Silent Blur Barrier in the Raikage’s office while Dodai presented a report estimating that Hyōri’s technique had consumed Chakra equivalent to at least ten Killer Bs.
• Dodai revealed records identifying Hyōri and Kyōkotsu as experts from a hundred years earlier, leading him to suspect they had been revived.
• The Raikage and his subordinates speculated that Konoha might be involved, but the Raikage ended the discussion because they lacked enough intelligence.
• Dodai suggested asking Black Zetsu for information, and the Raikage ordered him to make contact.

Tsunade and Kyogan prepared Konoha and Iwagakure for a sandstorm after Chiyo warned them that underground shelters were safest. The allied forces sealed themselves beneath the earth as the storm approached.

• Hitomi Hyuga warned Tsunade that a sandstorm would arrive soon, and Tsunade summoned Chiyo, Fugaku, and Kyogan.
• Chiyo advised the groups to shelter underground, so Kyogan and Tsunade gathered their people and ordered them to assemble.
• Hitomi Hyuga reported that the sandstorm was seven minutes away, and both forces completed their headcounts.
• Kyogan directed Iwagakure ninja to lower the gathered forces underground with Earth Style: Super Moving Earth Core.
• Chiyo warned that the shelter needed a sealed roof, and Iwagakure ninja covered it with Earth Style: Sky Dome Cover as the groups prepared to wait.

Chiyo explained the dangers of sandstorms as the approaching storm threatened the oasis, while Sunagakure prepared to strengthen it and attack Konoha’s expansion. In Iwagakure, Ōnoki arranged Deidara and Kurotsuchi’s marriage after they both agreed, and Kurotsuchi revealed she had overheard their conversation.

• Chiyo warned Nawaki and the others that sandstorms could produce deadly tornadoes and advised them to burrow underground.
• The Hyuga clan used their Byakugan to watch a powerful sandstorm sweep toward the oasis while the people underground waited to see the damage.
• Bu Er and over a thousand Sunagakure ninja used the Wind Prison Sandstorm Great Formation to intensify the storm, hoping to destroy Konoha’s trees and halt its oasis expansion.
• Pakura worried that Sunagakure lacked the resources to fight Konoha and thought of the late Elder Ebizo.
• Ōnoki told Deidara that he should marry Kurotsuchi, and Deidara agreed after learning she was willing to marry him.
• Ōnoki set the marriage arrangements in motion, then called Kurotsuchi in after she had listened at the doorway.

Deidara agreed to marry Kurotsuchi, while Ōnoki hoped their family ties would keep Deidara from joining Uchiha Senyo. In the Land of Wind, Senyo ended plans to green the Demon Desert and prepared a younger-generation strike against Sunagakure, with Sasuke chosen to lead.

• Kurotsuchi accepted Deidara's proposal, and Ōnoki decided to register their marriage to bind Deidara to Iwagakure.
• After a sandstorm buried much of the green belt in the Demon Desert, Tsunade asked Senyo whether they should continue their work there.
• Senyo revealed that greening the desert had been a way to avoid fighting Kumogakure directly and said they would teleport across it instead.
• Senyo planned to send the younger generation to fight Sunagakure while the adults held the line.
• At the Rainbow Crystal Wall, Senyo told Sasuke he would lead the coming close-range engagement with Sunagakure, and Sasuke agreed.

Senyo prepared a team of young shinobi to join the invasion of the Land of Wind and assigned Itachi to supervise them. As Itachi continued developing his Susanoo, Senyo left the mission preparations to him and asked about his training difficulties.

• Senyo named Kimimaro, Haku, Gaara, Naruto, Hinata, Ying, Yakumo, and Shion as the main force for the Land of Wind mission.
• Orochimaru reported that Nagato's eyes remained unchanged and unstable, so Senyo decided Nagato should stay behind for further experiments.
• Itachi grew his Susanoo to fifty meters, and Senyo dismissed the Barrier Division before assigning Itachi to accompany the first Elite Class cohort to the battlefield.
• Senyo told Shion to support the team with formations and Chakra concealment, and Shion and Karin left to stock up on food.
• Senyo stayed in Konoha and asked Itachi about the difficulties he had faced while improving his Susanoo.

Senyo organized Konoha’s new generation into special combat squads and used Minato’s Flying Thunder God to send them to the Land of Wind. The chapter ended with the squads arriving near the Demon Desert, ready to attack Sunagakure.

• Dan Katō reported that roughly two thousand Sunagakure shinobi were powering a wind-strengthening formation in the Demon Desert, while guards protected several cities.
• Senyo asked Tsunade to command the operation, then traveled to the front to prepare Flying Thunder God coordinates.
• Senyo recruited Minato to transport the squads, deciding they no longer needed to conceal Minato’s Nine-Tails chakra.
• Minato summoned Konoha’s young fighters, while Senyo briefed them on their mission to investigate cities and clear out Sunagakure shinobi.
• Minato used shadow clones and Flying Thunder God to transport the gathered squads to the outskirts of the Demon Desert.

Minato led Tsunade and nearly a hundred Konoha reinforcements through the Flying Thunder God Technique to ambush Sunagakure’s exhausted forces in the Demon Desert. Konoha routed the defenders, while Sasuke failed to kill Elder Fuji and Light withdrew after running low on natural energy.

• Tsunade briefed the arriving Konoha fighters on the roughly two thousand Sunagakure ninja sustaining a sandstorm and prepared them for a surprise attack.
• Senyo infiltrated Sunagakure’s formation, then Minato transported several hundred Konoha ninja into the enemy ranks with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Konoha attacked at close range, killing many exhausted Sunagakure ninja before they could draw weapons, and Elder Fuji rallied some survivors.
• Sasuke used Susanoo’s Yasakani no Magatama against Elder Fuji, but a guard shoved the commander aside and took the blast.
• Minato watched for danger while the Konoha fighters pressed their advantage, and Light retreated after the barren desert depleted her natural energy.

Senyo and the Konoha forces defeated and captured more than a thousand Sunagakure shinobi after Karin and Shion trapped them with formations. Senyo arranged for the prisoners to be held and put to work, then returned to Konoha, leaving Tsunade in command.

• Haku and Kimimaro fought the Sunagakure shinobi while Gaara killed several with precise sand attacks, shattering their morale.
• Elder Fuji ordered the Sunagakure forces to scatter, but Karin and Shion's formations trapped them and made them lose their way.
• Senyo used Kurama Yakumo's soul avatar, Ido, to threaten the Sunagakure forces into surrendering after Elder Fuji and his guard died from a mind attack.
• The Hyuga Clan restrained more than a thousand surrendered Sunagakure shinobi by disrupting their Chakra with Gentle Fist.
• Senyo ordered an outpost and prison built, assigned Gaara, Kimimaro, and Haku to guard the prisoners, and said Sunagakure could pay to redeem them.
• Senyo left Karin and Shion at the front and returned to Konoha, leaving Tsunade in command of the fighting.

Sunagakure learned that Konoha had captured Elder Fuji’s force and demanded ransom, leaving Pakura struggling to respond as Konoha strengthened its position in the Land of Wind. Tobi recovered a hand from the burning corpses and brought it to Black Zetsu for Impure World Reincarnation, then returned to the frontline to investigate.

• An Anbu told Pakura and Baki that Konoha had killed one thousand of Elder Fuji’s two thousand ninja, imprisoned the rest, and demanded ransom.
• Pakura ordered Sunagakure to gather intelligence, reinforce nearby cities, guard against infiltration, and continue producing war machinery.
• Konoha burned the dead Sunagakure ninja in a sandpit while spies watched, and a white head emerged to steal a severed hand.
• White Zetsu reported Konoha’s advance to Black Zetsu, who admitted he could do little to stop it.
• Tobi brought Black Zetsu a severed hand for Impure World Reincarnation, then headed back to the Land of Wind frontline to search for useful intelligence.

Kusagakure’s four Grass Fruit elders met to discuss opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss as Konoha’s war against Sunagakure threatened smaller villages. Unable to persuade its gatekeeper Mui, they ordered spies to watch the Land of Wind and considered sacrificing Hozuki Castle’s prisoners if necessary, while a White Zetsu secretly overheard them.

• The four Grass Fruit elders gathered in Kusagakure to discuss the worsening conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure.
• Elder Sheep Head, Elder Tiger Head, and Elder Monkey Head supported opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss to create a powerful warrior.
• Elder Ox Head explained that Mui opposed forcing the Box open and that previous attempts had ended in disaster.
• Elder Sheep Head warned that they could not yet sacrifice Hozuki Castle’s prisoners without risking Kusagakure’s political position.
• The elders ordered their spies to gather intelligence from the Land of Wind and agreed they might sacrifice the prisoners if the situation became dire.
• A White Zetsu secretly listened to the meeting and left using the Mayfly Technique after it ended.

Black Zetsu learned that Uchiha Senyo had returned and that Konoha’s forces were growing rapidly, while Obito headed for Hozuki Castle to find the Box of Ultimate Bliss. Moryo sensed Shion’s weakening seal and sent a White Zetsu to search the Land of Wind for someone skilled in Fuinjutsu.

• Disonas used Impure World Reincarnation to question a Sunagakure shinobi, who confirmed Uchiha Senyo had appeared with Konoha’s forces and that Sasuke Uchiha had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Black Zetsu ordered continued surveillance of the Land of Wind and traveled to Kumogakure after learning they were looking for him.
• Obito learned that the Box of Ultimate Bliss was in Hozuki Castle and entered the Kamui Dimension to retrieve it.
• Moryo sensed Miko power splitting between Konoha and the Land of Wind and realized Shion’s sealing stone was gradually losing its effect.
• Moryo found a White Zetsu and sent it to investigate the Land of Wind for someone skilled in Fuinjutsu.

Mui taught Muku the hand seals for opening the Box of Ultimate Bliss and used it to draw Chakra from a prisoner. Obito appeared after absorbing the box’s malice, and Mui prepared to defend the box as he backed toward the passage.

• Mui brought an unconscious prisoner to the underground laboratory and told Muku he must learn to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss to become the next gatekeeper.
• Mui explained that Muku needed to learn the technique to deceive the Zodiac Elders, then demonstrated the hand seals while Muku copied them.
• Mui opened the Box of Ultimate Bliss and drew Chakra from the prisoner, but its malice drifted toward an unseen intruder.
• Obito emerged from the shadows, having absorbed the emotions released by the box, and Mui warned Muku to run.
• Mui attacked Obito, but his strikes passed through him; Muku tried to help Mui, who knocked him toward the passage.
• Mui confirmed that the stone carving was the Box of Ultimate Bliss and offered to let Obito take it as he backed toward the passage.

Obito seized control of the Box of Ultimate Bliss and forced Mui to open it, but Mui broke free of his genjutsu and killed Muku to keep him from being drawn inside. Mui then died in a fiery explosion, while Obito escaped with the box and one of Mui’s arms; Ryūsetsu and the guards discovered the bodies and Mui’s final message naming Obito.

• Obito defeated Muku and Mui, then used genjutsu to control Mui and force him to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss with Muku’s chakra.
• As Muku was pulled toward the box, Mui broke free of Obito’s genjutsu and burned Muku alive to prevent the box from taking him.
• Mui detonated his flames and died, triggering alarms throughout Hozuki Castle’s underground chamber.
• Obito removed the Box of Ultimate Bliss and severed Mui’s arm before escaping into the Kamui Dimension.
• Ryūsetsu and the guards found Muku and Mui dead, and Mui’s scorched body spelled out Obito’s name.

Black Zetsu told the Raikage and Dodai that Konoha could resurrect the dead with Impure World Reincarnation and hinted that he could help Kumogakure use it. After he left, Dodai ordered spies to gather intelligence in the Land of Wind.

• The Raikage summoned Black Zetsu and asked whether Konoha had a technique for resurrecting people, citing Namikaze Minato and the attacks by Hyōri and Kyōkotsu.
• Black Zetsu identified the technique as Impure World Reincarnation and explained how Orochimaru had improved it, while insisting that Namikaze Minato was alive.
• Black Zetsu warned that Konoha would soon threaten Kumogakure and offered to help them use Impure World Reincarnation if needed.
• Black Zetsu left to watch the Land of Wind, and Dodai ordered Kumogakure's spies to investigate it with all their strength.

Shion, Ajisai, and Hotaru ambushed a Sunagakure scouting team in the Land of Wind, using a formation and Hotaru’s Sage Mode to overpower them. Hotaru killed the captain and one of his teammates, while Koji’s fate remained unclear.

• Shion, Ajisai, and Hotaru tracked the Sunagakure scouts and prepared an ambush at an ancient city.
• The Sunagakure captain decided to keep moving instead of resting, so Ajisai launched Paper Shuriken from cover.
• Hotaru struck one scout and crushed his chest while the dust obscured the fight.
• Koji tried to attack Hotaru, but Shion’s formation slowed the Sunagakure captain’s Chakra and left Hotaru unaffected.
• Hotaru broke the captain’s arms and crushed his chest, and he realized that was how his teammate had died.

Hotaru and Ajisai captured Koji after Shion's strengthened formation weakened the Sunagakure ninja. Elsewhere, Obito brought the Box of Ultimate Bliss to Moryo, who planned to capture a woman with the Miko's power, but a familiar voice warned them not to act rashly.

• Hotaru defeated the Sunagakure ninja and crushed Koji's shoulder while Shion's formation suppressed them.
• Ajisai bound Koji with her Unsealing Jutsu, and Shion explained that her formation had grown stronger as she gained control over her power.
• A White Zetsu watched the battle from a distant sand dune.
• Obito brought the Box of Ultimate Bliss to Ancor Vantian and revealed that he had retrieved the gatekeeper's corpse for Impure World Reincarnation.
• A White Zetsu told Moryo that a woman among Konoha's forces possessed the Miko's power, and Moryo asked Obito to capture her.
• A familiar voice warned Obito and Moryo not to act rashly.

Obito learned that Uchiha Senyo had returned and agreed to join Moryo in seeking an opportunity to capture Miko's successor. In Konoha, Orochimaru examined Senyo and discussed creating a body for himself, while Senyo harvested Chakra from his clansmen and prepared to study his eyes further.

• Black Zetsu warned Obito that Senyo had returned and suggested installing Sharingan in his arm so he could use Izanagi if necessary.
• Obito reassured the hesitant Moryo and agreed to look for an opportunity to capture Miko's successor.
• Orochimaru told Senyo he planned to combine Sage Markings with artificial genes to create a body for himself, then examined Senyo's genes and chakra attributes.
• Orochimaru said Senyo's Yang attribute lagged behind his Yin attribute and that reaching the Rinnegan level would take years.
• Senyo harvested Chakra from his clansmen through the Star of Bonds, then planned to rest before continuing his research into his eyes.

Sasuke, Kiba, and Shino tracked a Sunagakure force across the desert and attacked after catching them at a rest stop. The fight remained underway as Sasuke closed in on a bound opponent.

• Kiba, Sasuke, and Shino pursued Sunagakure shinobi through the heat, stopping to restock water before continuing their chase.
• The Konoha team spotted the resting Sunagakure force, and Sasuke avoided a quicksand trap with explosive tags.
• Kiba and Akamaru attacked as a two-headed wolf, but a Sunagakure shinobi trapped them in a Sandworm puppet’s maw.
• Shino’s insects jammed the puppet’s gears and freed Kiba and Akamaru.
• Sasuke bound another Sunagakure shinobi with wired kunai and leaped toward him.

Sasuke defeated a Sunagakure ninja but was poisoned by an exploding puppet, then used Sage Mode to recover enough to return to base with Kiba and Shino. Meanwhile, White Zetsu reported Sasuke’s Susanoo to Black Zetsu, and Karin went looking for a teammate as Shion bragged about her battle results.

• Sasuke cut through the Sunagakure ninja’s sand decoy and puppets, then crushed him with Susanoo before poison from an exploding puppet forced him to collapse.
• Shino identified the poison as a new neurotoxin, and Sasuke used Sage Mode to recover enough to walk back to base with Kiba and Shino.
• White Zetsu spotted Sasuke using Susanoo and quickly reported it to Black Zetsu.
• Tsunade, Chiyo, Kabuto Yakushi, and Shizune prepared antidotes as Konoha received medical supplies and reinforcements from Minato.
• Shion claimed credit for weakening Sunagakure’s forces with her formation and challenged Karin, who left to find someone to accompany on a mission.