Chapter Summaries

Kagetsu tested his new Shadow Realm technique and inspected a dangerous mask before the Konoha-Kumogakure Chunin Exams matches began. Konoha won the first three bouts, and Kushina Uzumaki faced Killer B after he entered the arena as the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki.

• Kagetsu tested the Shadow Realm technique with Cat Matatabi and examined the Cursed Seal of Emptiness mask, which could harm Chakra-based beings.
• A Hyuga Clan Jonin defeated a Cloud Shinobi Jonin in the first match by using the Byakugan and Gentle Fist to block his Chakra.
• Konoha won the second and third matches as the Cloud Shinobi contestants fought cautiously and struggled against their opponents.
• Killer B entered the fourth match, and Rui recognized Kushina Uzumaki when she stepped into the arena to face him.
• Kushina attacked with Adamantine Sealing Chains, but Killer B used a Lightning Release Chakra Cloak to evade as she tracked him with the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.

Kushina Uzumaki defeated Killer B with her Adamantine Sealing Chains, but Rui intervened and surrendered for him before the Five Elements Seal could be applied. Rui then prepared to face Namikaze Minato, while Monim and Lai broke into the Technology Development Department and Monim was struck by a painful seal after taking a mask.

• Kushina Uzumaki trapped Killer B with her Adamantine Sealing Chains and suppressed the Eight-Tails' power when its tentacles emerged.
• Rui stopped Kushina Uzumaki from using the Five Elements Seal on Killer B and admitted defeat on his behalf.
• Rui stayed in the arena to take the final match against Namikaze Minato.
• Lai and Monim entered the Technology Development Department, found the Healing Tag scroll, and gathered the other scrolls as well.
• Monim took the conspicuous mask from the wall, causing its Sealing Runes to crawl onto his hand and leave him collapsing in pain.

Monim transformed into a rampaging monster after touching a mask, forcing Namikaze Minato and Rui to fight it before it could destroy Konoha. Rui battered the creature while Minato completed a sealing technique, leaving Monim restrained beneath layers of earth.

• Monim transformed into a monstrous, fast-healing creature and attacked Lai, but Namikaze Minato rescued Lai and Rui struck the monster away.
• The monster began charging a Tailed Beast Ball, so Namikaze Minato teleported it outside Konoha before the attack exploded.
• Rui learned that Monim had transformed after touching a mask and returned to find him battling Namikaze Minato with increasing speed and power.
• Namikaze Minato sensed Natural Energy in Monim and asked Rui to hold him off while he prepared a sealing technique.
• Rui smashed Monim into a crater with two powerful kicks as Namikaze Minato's sealing formula covered the creature in runes and earth.

Rui and Namikaze Minato defeated the mutated Monim, but the mask he left behind absorbed Chakra and destabilized anyone who touched it before Salam sealed it away. After the Cloud Ninja Delegation left with stolen Healing Tag production information, the Third Hokage questioned Kagetsu, who identified the mutation as a dangerous, incomplete Cursed Seal project involving Natural Energy.

• Rui and Namikaze Minato watched Monim’s sealed body explode, leaving only a sinister mask in a vast crater.
• Rui and Namikaze Minato each touched the mask and suffered Chakra disruption, so Salam sealed it and stored it in her scroll.
• The Cloud Ninja Delegation signed the peace agreement and departed, while an Anbu reported that they had stolen the Healing Tag production method.
• The Third Hokage chose not to detain the delegation, fearing that doing so would draw Konoha into a wider war, and planned to discuss the theft with Danzo.
• Orochimaru, Uchiha Shisui, and Kagetsu departed the scene; Kagetsu later met the Third Hokage, who questioned him about the monster and the stolen technology.
• Kagetsu told the Third Hokage that the mutation was an incomplete Cursed Seal that let users absorb and distribute Natural Energy, but carried great risks.

Rasa fought to contain a mask-transformed monster during Sunagakure's battle against the Cloud Ninja, sealing it before returning to face the Third Raikage. After the Cloud Ninja retreated, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki recovered the seal, and the Third Raikage studied the mask and its battlefield potential.

• A mask-transformed monster tore through Sand Shinobi defenses, resisted a barrage of Wind Release ninjutsu, and vaporized more shinobi with a blast of black light.
• Rasa suppressed the Third Raikage with Gold Dust Grand Burial, then attacked the monster with a golden cube and sealed it inside a rune-bound cube.
• The Third Raikage escaped underground, and Rasa hurried back to fight him while ordering Sand Shinobi to guard the sealed monster.
• A day and a night later, the Cloud Ninja retreated, and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki seized the monster's sealing cube.
• At the Cloud Ninja camp, Killer B removed the mask from the monster, revealing a Sand Ninja whose body turned to ash, while the Third Raikage considered how the mask could be used as a weapon.

Kagetsu met Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan in the Rain Country and proposed cooperation with Akatsuki, offering supplies and training in Healing Tag production. Konan saw the chance to help her comrades and agreed to Kagetsu’s terms in principle, leaving their partnership poised to begin.

• Shisui and Kagetsu proved their Konoha identities to Yahiko’s group, and Kagetsu earned their attention by invoking Jiraiya’s name.
• Kagetsu told Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan that he wanted to cooperate by supplying food, weapons, and medical supplies, and he identified Konan’s Paper Style as the basis for their arrangement.
• Konan demonstrated her Exploding Tags, but Kagetsu rejected them as too weak and asked her to replicate a Healing Tag instead.
• Konan tested the Healing Tag on her own wound and watched it heal rapidly, convincing her of its value to Akatsuki.
• Kagetsu offered to teach Konan the knowledge and provide materials for making Healing Tags in exchange for half of the tags she sold, and Konan pleaded for his instruction.

Kagetsu, Shisui, and Anko tracked down Kakuzu at the Underground Exchange Shop so Kagetsu could study his unusual body. Their fight revealed Kakuzu’s five chakra sources and Earth Grudge Fear, and it left Kakuzu preparing to battle them in earnest.

• Shisui questioned whether Akatsuki could safely use the technique Kagetsu had given them, and Kagetsu warned that Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan would not leave their organization for Konoha.
• Kagetsu led Shisui and Anko to the Underground Exchange Shop to find Kakuzu and ask to study his body.
• Kakuzu attacked the three after deciding they were not worth sparing, and Shisui countered his Fire Release with a Water Release technique.
• Shisui’s Sharingan revealed Kakuzu’s hardened body and five chakra sources, while Kagetsu and Anko used their techniques to evade Kakuzu’s counterattacks.
• Kakuzu revealed Earth Grudge Fear, the forbidden Takigakure technique that Kagetsu identified as their target.

Uchiha Shisui and Anko forced Kakuzu into a desperate battle, destroying most of his hearts while he struggled to escape. After Shisui struck him again, an unseen attacker stabbed Kakuzu and disrupted his control over Earth Grudge Fear, leaving his consciousness fading.

• Shisui awakened Susanoo and pierced Kakuzu with emerald arrows, forcing Kakuzu to sacrifice hearts and repair his body with Earth Grudge Fear.
• Kakuzu unleashed a sea of fire and a chakra cannon, badly damaging Susanoo, but Shisui shielded someone inside its remaining frame.
• Anko struck Kakuzu's Fire-nature mask and destroyed it with her explosive bloodline ability, leaving Kakuzu with only two hearts.
• Anko broke through Kakuzu's Wind Release: Rope Net and attacked him with Blaze Release, while Shisui's arrow struck Kakuzu again and destroyed another mask.
• A hidden attacker stabbed Kakuzu and escaped, causing Earth Grudge Fear to become sluggish and Kakuzu's consciousness to grow hazy.

Kagetsu returned to Konoha with Shisui and Anko, bringing back Kakuzu and a captured White Zetsu for research. After reporting on Akatsuki, he learned the Third Hokage had assigned Jiraiya and Kagetsu to handle the Rain Country while Danzō dealt with Mist infiltrators; Kagetsu then proposed modifying Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear by fusing Kekkei Genkai hearts.

• Shisui collapsed from the strain of using Mangekyo Sharingan, and Kagetsu treated him before White Zetsu emerged from his body and was killed and sealed away.
• Kagetsu had Cat Matatabi transport the captured Kakuzu back to Konoha, and the team reported their mission to the Third Hokage.
• Kagetsu told the Third Hokage that Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan led a growing Akatsuki, prompting Danzō to ask to go to the Rain Country and bring the organization under Konoha’s control.
• The Third Hokage refused Danzō’s request and assigned him to pursue Mist Village ninja squads while leaving the Rain Country to Jiraiya and Kagetsu.
• Kagetsu examined Kakuzu and offered to upgrade Earth Grudge Fear; Kakuzu revealed that a prior attempt to use a Kekkei Genkai heart had failed, while Kagetsu insisted the technique could still evolve.

Jiraiya discussed the risks facing Yahiko's Akatsuki with Kagetsu, who proposed ways to secure its place in Rain Country through Konan's Healing Tags. Meanwhile, Kagetsu completed surgery on Kakuzu, giving him the ability to use Bloodline Limit ninjutsu but making future heart replacements dependent on Kagetsu's treatment.

• Jiraiya met Kagetsu, Shisui, and Anko at a barbecue restaurant and said the Third Hokage had assigned him to handle Rain Country affairs and reconnect with Yahiko and the others.
• Kagetsu warned Jiraiya that Akatsuki could clash with Amegakure and suggested removing Hanzo or making Akatsuki indispensable through Konan's Healing Tags.
• Kagetsu told Jiraiya to protect Konan, bring materials for Healing Tags to Amegakure, and ensure Akatsuki settled its contract with the Technology Development Department.
• Kagetsu completed surgery that connected newly cultivated Earth Grudge Fear tendrils to Kakuzu, whose body endured severe pain and transformation.
• Kakuzu regained control of his altered body and discovered he could use Bloodline Limit ninjutsu, but Kagetsu explained that future heart replacements would require his treatment.
• Kagetsu offered to process hearts for Kakuzu in exchange for his service.

Kagetsu struck a payment-for-work deal with Kakuzu and tested the upgraded Earth Grudge Fear, which granted Kakuzu Steel Release. Kakuzu learned he could gain another Kekkei Genkai and set his sights on Wood Release, though Kagetsu warned it would be far weaker than the First Hokage’s.

• Kagetsu explained that Kakuzu’s heart modifications were a technical problem and offered to pay him for future work.
• Kagetsu showed Kakuzu the accumulated surgery and modification fees, and Kakuzu agreed to work for him with his compensation deducted from the debt.
• Kagetsu tested Kakuzu’s upgraded Earth Grudge Fear, and Kakuzu used its new power to activate Steel Release.
• Kagetsu said Earth Grudge Fear could currently support two Kekkei Genkai and listed Lava Release, Wood Release, and Flame Release as available options.
• Kakuzu asked about Wood Release, and Kagetsu warned that it would only grant him simple techniques rather than power on the First Hokage’s level.

Kagetsu gained Kakuzu’s recognition for the Second Generation Chakra Core and enlisted him to join Akatsuki as a protector and financial manager. Kakuzu chose Lava Release for his next heart and planned to leave for the Rain Country after the transplant.

• Kakuzu tested his new Steel Release and other abilities by sparring with Uchiha Shisui, then gave Kagetsu the Earth Grudge Fear scroll as payment.
• Kakuzu offered to complete missions to repay his debt, and Kagetsu told him to join Akatsuki in the Rain Country.
• Kagetsu explained that Akatsuki would manufacture Healing Tags using his technology and that Kakuzu would manage and distribute the profits.
• Kakuzu agreed to the mission, and Kagetsu promised to arrange his identification and salary after his second heart was transplanted.
• Kakuzu chose a Lava Release heart, which would give him four Chakra attributes when combined with his existing Earth and water attributes.

Chiyo and Rasa discussed the Hollow Masks, learning that they grew stronger by consuming souls and that the Cloud Ninja’s mask One had become a battlefield threat comparable to a Tailed Beast. As Sunagakure faced the possibility of unleashing the One-Tail, Rasa revealed that Ōnoki planned to join forces with them to encircle and destroy the Cloud Ninja.

• Chiyo examined the four Hollow Masks and learned from Rasa that the Cloud Ninja had obtained them through Konoha and that the masks multiplied by consuming souls.
• Rasa explained that masks evolved by devouring many souls or powerful ninjas, and Chiyo learned that the Cloud Ninja had three masks while Sunagakure had four.
• Rasa and Pakura described mask One’s defensive strength, regeneration, destructive power, and growing abilities, while Chiyo asked why the Sealing Team could not stop it.
• Chiyo questioned whether Bunbuku would use the One-Tail’s power, then accepted that the Sealing Team had to be preserved in case either side’s Tailed Beast was unleashed.
• Rasa told Chiyo that Ōnoki had gathered nearly all of Iwa’s forces and planned to join Sunagakure in encircling and wiping out the Cloud Ninja.

As Sunagakure neared defeat, Ōnoki arrived and rescued its trapped forces, while the Third Raikage realized Iwagakure had entered the war in overwhelming numbers. Dodai recognized that the Cloud Ninja faced a force of at least ten thousand Iwa shinobi, and the Third Raikage risked being caught between Rasa and Ōnoki.

• Rasa trapped the Third Raikage in a sea of gold dust as their armies fought nearby.
• The Third Raikage saw Sunagakure's forces losing ground, but sensed danger as a White Light erased his left arm.
• Ōnoki appeared in midair, and the Third Raikage realized Iwagakure's forces had likely overwhelmed the Cloud Ninja guarding its movements.
• Rasa used Gold Dust Waterfall to free Sunagakure ninja from the Cloud Ninja encirclement and retreated toward his camp.
• A Cloud Ninja reported that the sensory unit had detected at least ten thousand ninja, and Dodai identified them as Iwagakure's forces.

The Third Raikage ordered Rui and the Cloud Ninja forces to retreat while he stayed behind to hold off Ōnoki’s army. After fighting for a day and night against Iwa’s forces and two Jinchuriki, he wore the pale bone mask codenamed One as night fell.

• Ōnoki let the retreating Sand Shinobi go after learning that the One-Tail Jinchuriki was with them, and focused Iwa’s forces on the Cloud Ninja.
• The Third Raikage ordered Rui to lead the Cloud Ninja home, named him the Fourth Raikage, and kept the mask codenamed One for himself.
• Ōnoki recognized that the Third Raikage intended to sacrifice himself, then ordered Iwa’s forces to surround him and drain his Chakra.
• The Third Raikage fought through Iwa’s attacks for a full day and night, killing hundreds before Han joined the battle and clashed with him.
• Han and a second Jinchuriki pursued the Third Raikage while Ōnoki threatened him with Dust Release.
• As night fell, the exhausted Third Raikage dispelled his Lightning Release Armor and placed a pale bone mask over his face.

The Third Raikage transformed under the Cursed Seal of Emptiness and overwhelmed the Iwa forces, severely wounding Han as Roshi and Ōnoki tried to contain him. Kagetsu traced the surge in the seal’s power to the Third Raikage, then learned from Orochimaru’s battlefield report that the Raikage had fought for two days and two nights before going missing.

• The Third Raikage transformed into a monstrous form, regenerated his lost arm, and impaled Han with a lightning spear that devastated the surrounding Iwa Ninja.
• Roshi rescued Han and attacked the Third Raikage with Lava Release while Ōnoki used Earth Release to restrict his movement, but black wings began emerging from the Raikage’s back.
• Kagetsu sensed that the original Cursed Seal of Emptiness mask was connected to the Third Raikage and recorded a flood of ideas for developing the seal.
• Kagetsu examined his strengthened soul and Natural Energy control, then received Orochimaru’s report that the Iwa Ninja had entered the war and the Cloud Ninja had retreated.
• Kagetsu learned that the Third Raikage had used the Cursed Seal of Emptiness voluntarily and fought for two days and two nights, severely wounding Han and Roshi before his whereabouts became unknown.

At Mount Myoboku, the Great Toad Sage warned Jiraiya that restless souls would return to the living world, bringing upheaval and death, and pointed him toward a powerful Medical Ninja. Jiraiya began investigating Shinnō, who was revealed in the closing scene staring at a masked monster with shock and greed.

• Jiraiya visited Mount Myoboku, where the Great Toad Sage shared a prophecy about restless souls returning and shaking the ninja world.
• The Great Toad Sage said he could not tell whether the change would be good or bad, but suggested that a powerful Medical Ninja might be its source.
• Jiraiya considered Tsunade, the Wandering Shrine Maiden, and Shinnō as possible leads, then decided Shinnō was the easiest to investigate.
• Jiraiya asked Yahiko for information about Shinnō, and Kakuzu said he had heard of the doctor and once passed him by.
• Yahiko's favorable impression of Shinnō grew, while Shinnō stared at a horned, masked monster with shock and greed.

Shinnō sealed the power of a strange corpse and accepted Jiraiya’s invitation to teach Konan, while planning to exploit the Healing Tag for his research. In Konoha, Kagetsu sent Kakuzu to find the missing Third Raikage’s corpse, and Kakuzu set out with a tracking mask embedded in his arm.

• Shinnō restrained the corpse’s power with Sealing Runes, then welcomed Jiraiya and a Rain Ninja into the room.
• Jiraiya invited Shinnō to teach Medical Ninjutsu to Konan, and Shinnō examined the Healing Tag and agreed to join Akatsuki temporarily.
• Kagetsu considered creating assistants and concluded that the Third Raikage’s corpse was likely in the Rain Country, then sent Kakuzu intelligence and a tracking mask.
• Kakuzu complained about Akatsuki’s finances and Yahiko’s spending on civilians, but accepted the mission after the snake offered to deduct thirty million ryō from his debt.
• Kakuzu infused the mask with Chakra but sensed no target nearby, so he embedded it in his arm to alert him when he got close.

Kagetsu brought Might Duy and Might Guy to the Laboratory for routine examinations and physical conditioning, then offered them a new body-strengthening drug. Might Duy volunteered to test it first, but Kagetsu said he needed a few days to tailor the drug to their latest physical data.

• Might Duy and Might Guy finished their morning training and greeted Kagetsu and Shisui.
• Kagetsu led Might Duy and Might Guy into the Laboratory, where he collected their physical data and conditioned their bodies.
• Kagetsu offered Might Duy and Might Guy a drug that could strengthen the body and ease injuries and the aftereffects of the Eight Gates Release Technique.
• Might Duy agreed to test the drug first to protect Might Guy, but Kagetsu postponed the trial while he prepared a suitable dose.

Kagetsu successfully tested the Physique Enhancing Agent on Might Duy, who endured severe pain before his body stabilized. Seven days later, the tests showed that Duy’s physique and Chakra reserves had doubled, leaving him stronger but with a much larger appetite.

• Might Duy agreed to Kagetsu’s experiment and endured fourteen hours of escalating pain while Kagetsu monitored and treated him.
• Kagetsu confirmed the experiment had succeeded, examined Duy’s recovery, and warned him to eat heavily and return for observation.
• Kagetsu used his Shadow Secret Technique to support Duy as he struggled to stand, then gave him Soldier Pills to ease his hunger.
• Might Duy reunited with Might Guy outside the Technology Development Department and excitedly proposed training, but Kagetsu told him to eat and recover instead.
• Seven days later, Kagetsu reported that Duy’s physique and Chakra reserves had nearly doubled and that he could use the sixth gate without the former backlash.
• Might Duy complained about the increased cost of feeding himself and began hunting in the Forest of Death while adjusting to his stronger body.