Chapter Summaries

After Might Duy died fighting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Might Guy grieved at his father’s grave and tried to regain his footing through training. Kakashi took him to the hospital to meet Tsunade, who had asked to see him.

• Might Guy mourned at Might Duy’s grave while Shiranui Genma and Ebisu left offerings and recalled how Might Duy had saved them from the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Might Guy resumed the training exercises he had shared with his father, and Kakashi interrupted him to invite him for a walk.
• Kakashi told Might Guy that Tsunade wanted to see him at the hospital, and Might Guy agreed to go.
• Kakashi and Might Guy arrived at the hospital, where Namikaze Minato waved them over from outside the ward where Tsunade was speaking with Kushina.

Tsunade offered Might Guy the chance to undergo Orochimaru’s experiment to strengthen his body and improve his use of the Eight Gates Release. Guy accepted, and Tsunade said she would take him to see Orochimaru.

• Tsunade consoled Might Guy over his father’s death and acknowledged Might Duy’s defeat of four of Mist Village’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Tsunade explained that the Eight Gates Release demanded a strong, carefully trained body and asked Guy to volunteer for Orochimaru’s experiment.
• Tsunade assured Kakashi, Minato, and his wife that the experiment’s risks were controllable and that she could save Guy if anything went wrong.
• Guy accepted the experiment, saying he wanted to become strong enough to protect the people he cared about.
• Tsunade told Guy to meet Orochimaru so he could modify Guy’s body to gain a powerful Yang Attribute physique.

Hiruko lured Kari and his Iwa squad into a trap, using powerful lightning techniques to defeat them and capture Kari. As Hiruko sensed a powerful chakra approaching, a Konoha ninja with Uchiha eyes arrived.

• Hiruko praised Two for luring Kari out of Iwagakure and promised to grant her desire once he obtained power.
• Kari and his Iwa squad attacked Hiruko, but he evaded their first techniques and struck back with Lightning Release.
• Hiruko summoned a storm of lightning that killed Kari’s companions, leaving Kari as the sole survivor.
• Hiruko overwhelmed Kari by disabling his Explosion Release with lightning and captured him.
• Hiruko sensed a powerful chakra approaching and saw a Konoha ninja with Uchiha eyes arrive.

Shisui confronted Hiruko and tried to bring him to Orochimaru, but Hiruko attacked and revealed a technique that absorbed ninjutsu. After Shisui’s attacks failed to weaken him, Hiruko sensed Shisui’s power rising to a frightening level.

• Hiruko resisted Shisui’s Genjutsu, while Shisui ordered him to come before Orochimaru alive if possible.
• Hiruko rejected Shisui’s demand and attacked with Storm Release: Thunder Cloud Cavity Wave, but Shisui evaded it.
• Shisui used Fire Release and concealed ninja tools to test Hiruko, who absorbed the flames and defended against the Shuriken.
• Hiruko absorbed Shisui’s Great Dragon Fire Technique and returned the flames before throwing a Lightning Spear at him.
• Hiruko sensed that Shisui had survived and was rapidly growing more powerful, filling him with alarm.

Shisui defeated Hiruko before Hiruko could complete his storm technique, and Orochimaru entered Hiruko’s consciousness after his capture. Orochimaru admired the Chimera Technique and began to help perfect it by devouring part of Hiruko’s soul.

• Shisui disrupted Hiruko’s storm technique and defeated him in a crater, hoping to take him alive.
• Hiruko awoke in the depths of his consciousness and recognized Orochimaru, now the Hokage.
• Orochimaru explained that they were in Hiruko’s soul and examined the stitched-together appearance created by the Chimera Technique.
• Orochimaru praised Hiruko’s Forbidden Technique and said he wanted to help perfect it.
• Orochimaru transformed into an Eight-Headed Serpent and devoured part of Hiruko’s soul.

Orochimaru used Soul Bestowal to repair Hiruko’s soul and accelerate his understanding of ninjutsu, but revealed that the technique would eventually return Hiruko’s knowledge and abilities to him. Hiruko was left facing a race to perfect his body and escape Orochimaru’s plan, while he was also warned he would lose some memories upon waking.

• Orochimaru told Hiruko that he had used his own soul to repair the flaws in Hiruko’s soul and help the Chimera Technique succeed.
• Hiruko challenged Orochimaru’s motives, and Orochimaru said he intended to claim Hiruko’s ninjutsu, knowledge, experience, and fused bloodlines.
• Orochimaru explained that Hiruko’s soul had become tougher and his inspiration for techniques had increased because of a technique planted within him.
• Orochimaru revealed the technique was Sage Art: Soul Bestowal, which would eventually return Hiruko’s abilities and knowledge to Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru urged Hiruko to create the ultimate perfect body before time ran out, then warned that the technique would make him lose some memories when he awoke.

Kushina enjoyed her increased freedom under Orochimaru and took on a role in Konoha’s Technology Development Department. Kagetsu asked her to lead research into sealing ninjutsu inside talismans, and she agreed to guide the work and train specialists.

• Kushina reflected on how Orochimaru had eased her restrictions, allowed her to take students, and appointed her deputy director of the Technology Development Department.
• Kagetsu visited Kushina and explained that he wanted her sealing expertise for the department, while encouraging her to familiarize herself with its work at a manageable pace.
• Kushina asked what kind of sealing technique Kagetsu needed, and he described talismans that could store and release ninjutsu, including techniques with different attributes.
• Kushina said existing techniques fell short of the requirements and that developing suitable ones alone would take too long.
• Kagetsu told Kushina that Orochimaru would assign her a Sealing Team and suggested she train sealing specialists among her disciples.

Minato asked Kagetsu whether Orochimaru was preparing for future wars, but Kagetsu explained that he and his teacher were exploring ways for ninjutsu to help civilians and strengthen Konoha. Minato considered the idea while reflecting on its practical obstacles, especially the limits on who could use chakra and how much they could wield.

• Minato asked Kagetsu whether Lord Hokage was preparing for future wars, and he worried about Cloud Shinobi's movements and the weakened villages.
• Minato considered Kagetsu's proposed Scientific Ninja Tools as a way to quickly equip Genin, though their cost could prevent wide distribution.
• Kagetsu told Minato that he and his teacher wanted to find more possibilities for ninja beyond battle, including adapting ninjutsu to help villagers produce food and goods.
• Minato questioned whether civilian-use ninjutsu could work because many people could not extract chakra proficiently or use demanding techniques.
• Minato recognized that even trained ninja were limited by their chakra reserves, which could leave them helpless after using a powerful technique.

Kagetsu explained how Scientific Ninja Tools could provide villages with more resources and strengthen their middle- and lower-ranked ninja, potentially reducing the pressures that caused wars. Minato left considering the risks of other villages copying the technology and how the Wind Country project could bind Sunagakure to Konoha as an ally.

• Minato asked how Scientific Ninja Tools would obtain the Chakra needed to use ninjutsu.
• Kagetsu proposed storing Chakra in tools, finding alternative sources, or using the Tailed Beasts as energy sources.
• Minato understood that other villages might copy Konoha’s tools or become more militaristic, while Kagetsu argued the tools would help protect villages by supporting their weaker ranks.
• Minato noted that Konoha’s recent war had depleted its ninja, especially its civilian and lower-ranked forces.
• Minato asked whether the joint Wind Country mission would make Sunagakure stronger and more threatening, and Kagetsu said shared interests would make it Konoha’s loyal ally.

Kagetsu led Itachi, Asuma, Kabuto, and Hizashi Hyuga out of Konoha to investigate a rare mineral in the River Country. He revealed that the mineral could store Chakra, leaving the team astonished as they began the mission.

• Kagetsu departed Konoha with Itachi, Asuma, Kabuto, and Hizashi Hyuga, while Itachi accepted that he might miss his younger brother's birth.
• Kagetsu acknowledged Hizashi's role on the team, and Hizashi reflected on the Hyuga Clan's interest in Orochimaru's Byakugan-evolution technique and his own desire for freedom from the Caged Bird Seal.
• Asuma asked what the mission involved, and Kagetsu said they were going to the River Country to find a rare mineral.
• Kagetsu clarified that the mineral could store Chakra like a battery, shocking Hizashi and the others.

Kagetsu, Hizashi, Asuma, Itachi, and Kabuto traveled through River Country, where Konoha and Sunagakure competed for influence amid widespread disorder. After reaching a coastal village, Kagetsu examined an unusual ore that contained a vast, restless power, and the story left him considering its nature as Kalan sought to seize the mineral deposits.

• Hizashi spotted ninja ambushers ahead, but they withdrew after seeing the group’s Konoha forehead protectors.
• The team traveled safely through River Country and several days later reached a coastal village.
• Kalan complained about the children in the group, then asked the Konoha team to help seize nearby mineral deposits.
• Kagetsu examined a sample of the ore with Chakra and sensed that it held a powerful substance resembling Chakra transformed by Natural Energy.

Kagetsu investigated a book claiming that the ancient kingdom of Gureiru used a Gelel Stone mineral vein to build a prosperous civilization. He ordered a search for buried ruins, leaving the team hopeful but without proof that the vein existed.

• Kagetsu reassured Asuma that no one would act on rumors before the mineral vein was confirmed.
• Kagetsu showed Asuma and the others a book claiming the kingdom of Gureiru once stood above a Gelel Stone vein.
• Hizashi Hyuga said he knew nothing about Gureiru and offered to ask the Hyuga Clan to search its records.
• Kagetsu asked Hizashi to summon Hyuga ninja with strong Byakugan to search for ruins that might be buried underground.
• Hizashi asked whether Kagetsu believed the Gelel Stone vein existed, and Kagetsu said he hoped and believed it did.

Kagetsu and his allies discovered an underground ruin connected to the Gelel Stone and descended into a sealed chamber. Kagetsu identified a bloodline seal blocking the deeper energy, which he planned to study and modify.

• Hizashi Hyuga reported that Baki's Sand Shinobi and a group of Cloud Ninja were searching nearby.
• A Hyuga ninja found an underground ruin with an energy response resembling the Gelel Stone, and Kagetsu led Itachi and the others inside.
• Kagetsu used the Gelel Stone as a guide while Hizashi Hyuga used his Byakugan to lead the group through the maze to a hidden platform.
• Kagetsu activated the platform's mechanism, carrying the group into a brightly lit underground chamber covered in sealing runes.
• Kagetsu determined that the seal required the nation's royal bloodline to open, but said he could study and modify it instead.

Kagetsu brought the Gelel Stone’s energy core to Konoha, where Orochimaru recognized its power and the risk it posed of provoking another conflict. Kagetsu proposed using it to boost food production and develop ninja tools as Konoha prepared to secure the mine.

• Orochimaru examined the purified Gelel Stone core and marveled at its powerful life force.
• Orochimaru revealed that Jiraiya and a large force of ninja had been sent to guard and claim the Gelel Ore Vein after its power drew attention.
• Orochimaru insisted that Konoha could not surrender the mine, despite the village’s exhaustion from war.
• Kagetsu explained that the Gelel Stone could accelerate food growth, strengthen people, and power ninja tools.
• Kagetsu argued that the stone could help Konoha overcome food shortages and speed up the Scientific Ninja Tool Project.

Kagetsu demonstrated experimental Gelel Stone ninja tools to Asuma and Anko, who chose to test a Black Glove that amplified her attacks. The Technology Development Department’s experiments also included dangerous Gelel Stone implants, with three subjects able to control their mutant forms.

• Asuma tested a chakra-powered short sword that released a C-rank-level attack, and Kagetsu explained that the prototype was too costly for mass production.
• Anko arrived and teased Asuma before asking to use the Black Glove, which Kagetsu allowed her to test.
• Kagetsu explained that the Gelel Stone-powered equipment was experimental and that most of the recovered crystals had gone toward testing and research.
• Kagetsu described the human experiments on prisoners and spies, noting that three subjects could control their mutant forms while retaining their consciousness.

Tsunade struggled to find a new combat style after the Hogyoku made her former Forbidden Techniques largely unnecessary. She asked Kagetsu how to develop her abilities, and he clarified whether she wanted greater skill or greater destructive power.

• Kagetsu narrowly avoided a Humanoid Lion's attack when Itachi pulled him back with steel wire.
• Tsunade's evolved body and restorative powers astonished Orochimaru, who studied a sample of her flesh and blood with her consent.
• Tsunade realized her permanent enhanced state had made the Yin Seal, Creation Rebirth, and most of the Strength of a Hundred Sealings Technique redundant, leaving her unsure how to rebuild her combat style.
• Tsunade sought advice from the Third Hokage and Jiraiya, who offered suggestions based on their knowledge and experience.
• Tsunade went to the Technology Development Department and told Kagetsu that her Medical Ninjutsu and old Forbidden Techniques offered few ways to fight; Kagetsu asked whether she wanted to improve her abilities or increase her destructive power.

Kagetsu described two paths for Tsunade to develop her Hogyoku Mode: Over-Treatment and a conceptual form of surgery that could control bodies and souls. Tsunade decided to pursue both, and began preparing to forge her Spiritual Weapon with material from Katsuyu Sage.

• Kagetsu explained that Tsunade could pursue Over-Treatment by amplifying healing power beyond the limits of a shinobi's body, and Tsunade connected the idea to the Living Liquid Spring.
• Kagetsu proposed a second path: conceptual surgery that could separate and rearrange parts of bodies and even remove souls from them.
• Kagetsu explained that this power could help Tsunade transplant Nawaki and others' souls into new bodies and counter soul-based techniques, giving Tsunade a new approach to their resurrection.
• Tsunade asked whether the ability was truly possible, and Kagetsu said she could combine existing techniques and materials through the Hogyoku's power.
• Tsunade chose to pursue both paths and said she would begin preparing to forge her Spiritual Weapon using part of Katsuyu Sage's body.

After the team defeated the Lion Man test subject, Kagetsu offered Asuma, Kabuto, and Itachi a ninjutsu reward of their choice. Asuma chose a powerful Wind Release, Kabuto received a defensive barrier technique, and Itachi chose a Sealing Technique that left Tsunade impressed by its combat potential.

• Asuma, Kabuto, and Itachi defeated the Lion Man, and the Sealing Team and Military Police Force took the unconscious test subject to the laboratory for examination.
• Asuma chose to learn the Wind Release technique Tian Lan, which Kagetsu demonstrated with Shinichi Moji and explained could also work with Asuma's Fire Release.
• Kabuto chose an auxiliary technique to protect and support his teammates, so Kagetsu taught him the S-rank barrier Tōzanshō and Tsunade offered to help increase his Chakra.
• Itachi chose Sealing Techniques, and Kagetsu demonstrated the Six Rods Light Prison, which instantly restrained Itachi and suppressed his Chakra.
• Tsunade tested the Six Rods Light Prison and broke it through physical strength and Chakra, then praised its potential to surprise and disable powerful opponents.

Tsunade and Kagetsu traveled to the Forest of Hollows to gather souls and materials, where they faced Hollows that used Tsunade’s memories to attack her. After driving off the first wave, they prepared to retreat before stronger Hollows arrived.

• Orochimaru reflected that Tsunade would reach her Spiritual Weapon before him, while Tsunade entrusted the Medical Department to Yakushi Nonō and left with Kagetsu.
• A Slug helped preserve their bodies as Kagetsu separated Tsunade’s soul from her body and led her through a Black Coffin into another world of the dead.
• Kagetsu explained that the Forest of Hollows was filled with distorted souls and that the Hollows would be drawn to their complete souls.
• Faceless Ones took the forms of Tsunade’s loved ones and attacked by stirring her memories, but Kagetsu jolted her awake and explained how their abilities worked.
• Tsunade and Kagetsu fought off the Faceless Ones, collected black crystal fragments, and Kagetsu’s aura drove the attackers back.
• Kagetsu warned that stronger Hollows would soon return and opened Shadow Space so they could retreat.

Tsunade and Kagetsu survived the Forest of Hollows while Tsunade learned how souls and Reishi shaped the dead world. Kagetsu confirmed that Orochimaru had used Hollows to repair his soul and revealed that the only known Hollow with consciousness was Third Raikage A.

• Tsunade adapted her fighting methods after discovering that soul quality mattered more than Chakra against Hollows.
• Tsunade reasoned that Orochimaru had repaired his damaged soul in the Forest of Hollows, and Kagetsu confirmed her suspicion.
• Kagetsu explained that Hollows formed from malformed souls and that devouring them was normal in this world.
• Tsunade worried that Dan and her relatives might be trapped among the Hollows, but Kagetsu said high-quality souls belonged in the Pure Land.
• Kagetsu revealed that Third Raikage A was the only confirmed Hollow with consciousness and the ability to think.