Chapter Summaries

After Shimura Danzō's death, Konoha felt uneasy as rumors of Kumogakure's movements spread, and Mu Yue kept his disciples close while helping Yamato consider a future beyond Root. Meanwhile, Orochimaru worried that his cooperation with Danzō would be exposed, leaving him distracted as Kumogakure began its operation in the Land of Fields.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi officially announced Shimura Danzō's death, while conflicting reports and news of Kumogakure's movements unsettled Konoha.
• Mu Yue told his disciples to avoid missions, and Shisui agreed to join the Training Squad after considering what the position could offer him.
• Mu Yue visited Yamato, encouraged him to attend the Ninja Academy, and heard Yamato vow to become strong enough to protect others.
• Orochimaru worried that his past experiments with Shimura Danzō might be exposed and tried to contact his subordinates in Konoha.
• Kumogakure's forces quietly arrived by ship in the Land of Fields and began their operation.

Kumogakure prepared a covert advance toward the Land of Fire while drawing Konoha’s attention in the Land of Hot Water, and Mu Yue began rebuilding Anbu with a new Training Squad. Shisui joined as squad leader of Team 7 and led his subordinates to the training grounds to assess their abilities.

• Fourth Raikage A sent twelve hundred Kumogakure ninja toward the Land of Fire in separate groups while Kumogakure squads provoked Konoha in the Land of Hot Water.
• Orochimaru ordered additional patrols to monitor the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Fields.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi tasked Mu Yue with establishing an Anbu Training Squad and supplied him with returning veterans and promising clan ninja.
• Shisui received Anbu equipment, chose the code name Fire, and attended Mu Yue’s briefing for the Training Squad.
• Shisui met his Team 7 subordinates, Nara Shiomizu, Inuzuka Midori, and Aburame Naoya, who chose the code names Deer, Dog, and Bug.
• Shisui led Team 7 to the training grounds so they could learn one another’s abilities.

Shisui trained Inuzuka Midori, Nara Shiomizu, and Aburame Naoya, then prepared to attend Mu Yue's lesson with the Training Squad. Meanwhile, Fourth Raikage A led twelve hundred Kumogakure ninja in a midnight invasion of the Land of Fire, and a border patrol spotted the advancing force.

• Shisui defeated Inuzuka Midori, Nara Shiomizu, and Aburame Naoya in training and encouraged them to improve.
• Shisui told the squad that Mu Yue would teach them that afternoon, then reflected on how well he had led his first training session.
• Fourth Raikage A gathered Kumogakure's forces near the Land of Fields and ordered them to rest before a nighttime advance.
• Killer B vowed that the A-B Combo would prove its strength against Minato Namikaze, and Fourth Raikage A warned him not to underestimate their opponent.
• At midnight, Fourth Raikage A ordered twelve hundred Kumogakure ninja to invade the Land of Fire.
• A border patrol ninja spotted the attacking force and reached for a signal flare.

Kumogakure's forces invaded the northern Land of Fire, prompting Konoha to send Minato to respond while other villages assessed the opportunity. At Six Paths City, Mu Yue rejected Iwagakure's proposal for a deeper partnership that would have let its ninjas operate within Ninshu.

• Fourth Raikage A led Kumogakure jonin in wiping out Konoha's northern border patrols and slipping into the Land of Fire.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected Utatane Koharu's plan to move Jiraiya's forces and chose Minato to lead a response to Kumogakure.
• The Third Mizukage assigned Karatachi Yagura to command Kirigakure's forces and ordered him to wait for further instructions in the Land of Waves.
• Rasa lamented that Kumogakure and Konoha had not yet fought a major battle, while Kitsuchi visited Mu Yue in Six Paths City to discuss cooperation.
• Kitsuchi proposed expanding ninja training, establishing a joint Ninja Academy, and dispatching Iwagakure ninjas to protect Ninshu, but Mu Yue refused.

Mu Yue rejected Iwagakure’s proposed cooperation, trained the Training Squad in Dark Breathing, and developed a new technique called Balanced Breathing while continuing his research into Sun Breathing. Meanwhile, Shikaku Nara suspected Kumogakure was targeting Orochimaru’s forces in the Land of Hot Water, so Minato Namikaze rushed to intercept the A-B Combo.

• Mu Yue rejected Kitsuchi’s proposals for Ninshu to expand training, establish a school, accept commissions, or rely on Iwagakure for protection, and Kitsuchi reported the failure to Ōnoki.
• Mu Yue taught the Training Squad the Dark Breathing Method, with Shisui helping instruct members, and received lesson rewards after the classes ended.
• Mu Yue tried combining the strengths of other Breathing Techniques to develop Sun Breathing, but instead created Balanced Breathing, which had broadly even enhancements and no standout strengths.
• Minato Namikaze joined Shikaku Nara and the Konoha forces in the north, then sent two-thirds of their troops to deal with active Kumogakure squads.
• After Kumogakure forces appeared in the Land of Hot Water, Shikaku Nara suspected the northwest activity was a distraction, and Minato Namikaze led elite ninjas to intercept Fourth Raikage A’s force.

Minato Namikaze and his Konoha force intercepted Fourth Raikage A’s ambush and fought the A-B Combo and their Kumogakure troops. The Kumogakure force retreated, and Minato stopped pursuit at the Land of Fields before considering how to improve his strength.

• Mortem sensed Minato approaching, so Fourth Raikage A abandoned the surprise advance and ordered his troops to prepare for battle.
• Minato and Fourth Raikage A’s forces clashed; Shikaku Nara, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Choza Akimichi used their clan techniques to take down several Kumogakure ninjas.
• Minato exploited Flying Thunder God Kunai to strike at Killer B, but Killer B revealed his Eight-Tails power and escaped Minato’s Rasengan as Fourth Raikage A attacked.
• Fourth Raikage A ordered a retreat toward the Land of Asada, and Minato and Shikaku pursued the Kumogakure force to the border of the Land of Fields before stopping.
• Minato reported the battle’s results and decided he would ask Mu Yue to teach him advanced Breathing Techniques.

Ōnoki reconsidered his offer to Sōsuke while weighing Iwagakure’s opportunities in the war, and Minato returned to Konoha to learn Wind Breathing from Mu Yue. The next morning, Mu Yue told Hiruzen Sarutobi that he thought he had developed Wood Release.

• Ōnoki received Kitsuchi’s report that Sōsuke had rejected Iwagakure’s terms and decided to make a better offer for Ninshu.
• Ōnoki read that Kumogakure had attacked Konoha’s forces in the Land of Hot Water and considered how Iwagakure could exploit the fighting.
• Minato returned to Konoha, reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and visited Kushina before seeking Mu Yue to improve his combat power.
• Mu Yue taught Minato Wind Breathing, and they trained together until one in the morning.
• Mu Yue decided it was time to reveal his progress with Wood Release and told Hiruzen Sarutobi he thought he had developed it.

Mu Yue demonstrated that he had developed Wood Release, prompting Hiruzen Sarutobi to reconsider his potential and encourage him to focus on becoming stronger. Meanwhile, the Third Mizukage ordered Karatachi Yagura to invade the Land of Fire, opening another front against Konoha.

• Mu Yue showed Hiruzen Sarutobi a Wood Release shoot, and Hiruzen confirmed the technique and considered Mu Yue a possible successor to Hashirama Senju.
• Mu Yue taught Minato Namikaze Wind Breathing, then told Shisui he could stop attending Dark Breathing Method lessons because his skills had already advanced enough.
• Shisui visited Uchiha Itachi and continued telling him a story after explaining that his recent work was confidential.
• After learning that Kumogakure and Konoha had fought a major battle, the Third Mizukage ordered Karatachi Yagura to launch a surprise invasion of the Land of Fire.
• Karatachi Yagura prepared his troops to land in the northeastern Land of Fire and use guerrilla warfare to tie down Konoha's forces and encourage wider conflict.

Hidden Mist Village invaded the northeastern Land of Fire, prompting Hiruzen Sarutobi to send Mitokado Homura to lead Konoha’s response after Mu Yue’s Wood Release was revealed. Meanwhile, Mu Yue trained his disciples, Might Guy named a new taijutsu, and Yamato prepared to start at the Ninja Academy.

• Karatachi Yagura led over a thousand Hidden Mist Village ninja ashore and attacked Konoha’s border forces, prompting the Land of Fire Daimyo to demand action from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura that Mu Yue had independently developed Wood Release, then accepted Mitokado Homura’s offer to lead troops against Hidden Mist Village.
• Mu Yue told his disciples that Shisui had joined the Training Squad, while Obito and Kakashi continued training after watching Might Guy test his powerful new taijutsu.
• Might Guy named his new taijutsu Morning Hawk, inspired by the morning and Black Feather.
• Mu Yue told Yamato that he would begin attending the Ninja Academy the following Monday, and Yamato resumed training with Wood Release: Flying Leaf Blade.

Karatachi Yagura used intelligence from Hidden Mist Village to prepare an ambush against Konoha, while Yamato began attending the Ninja Academy with Mu Yue. By the end of his first day, Yamato had made friends and understood why Mu Yue wanted him to stay at school for at least a year.

• Karatachi Yagura divided the Hidden Mist force into three groups, then changed from guerrilla tactics to an ambush after Hidden Mist Anbu supplied intelligence on Konoha's movements.
• Mitokado Homura planned to surround Karatachi Yagura's force and launched the operation after his intelligence ninja confirmed Yagura's location.
• Mu Yue gave Yamato a personally forged kunai as an entrance gift and received Transcription Seal at Mastery Level as a reward.
• At the entrance ceremony, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mu Yue addressed the new students, and Yamato then introduced himself to Class 1-1 as someone who wanted to protect everything he cared about.
• Yamato impressed his classmates with his knowledge of Chakra and kunai throwing, made eight classmates he could talk to, and realized Mu Yue had sent him to the Academy to socialize.
• Yamato's Trust Level increased to 4.

Mu Yue received a Perfect-grade Wood Release reward from Yamato’s gratitude and tested several powerful techniques in a remote area. Meanwhile, Mitokado Homura’s force encountered Karatachi Yagura’s Hidden Mist troops and discovered a much larger enemy force approaching.

• Mu Yue brought Yamato a new training plan and Cultivation Elixir, then received Perfect-grade Wood Release as a reward for Yamato’s gratitude.
• Mu Yue tested Deep Forest Emergence, Flower Tree World Advent, and Wood Golem Jutsu on an uninhabited mountain, and considered whether to pursue Sage Mode.
• Mu Yue returned to Konoha, continued researching Breathing Techniques, and noticed the Pokémon Egg briefly glow as he went to bed.
• Mitokado Homura and Teacher Chen split their forces to eliminate Hidden Mist ninjas, and Homura advanced through a vast Hidden Mist Jutsu cloud with Hyuga scouts.
• Karatachi Yagura attacked Homura’s force with a Water Dragon Bullet, and a Hyuga ninja reported that many more Hidden Mist ninjas were approaching.

Mitokado Homura’s Konoha unit suffered a costly defeat against Karatachi Yagura’s Hidden Mist forces before Teacher Chen arrived and helped the survivors retreat. Konoha decided to send Mu Yue to the front, while Ōnoki and Iwagakure’s leaders approved deploying troops against Konoha.

• Mitokado Homura fought Karatachi Yagura and was injured as Hidden Mist elites attacked his unit from multiple sides.
• Teacher Chen arrived with Konoha reinforcements, allowing Homura’s survivors to retreat after nearly three hundred ninja died and over five hundred were wounded.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed with Homura that Mu Yue should be sent to the battlefield.
• Ōnoki learned of the Hidden Mist victory and convened Iwagakure’s leaders, who unanimously approved sending troops against Konoha.
• Iwagakure’s leaders chose Retsuishi to command the force dispatched to fight Konoha.

Mu Yue assembled his disciples and a large Konoha force for a battlefield mission against Hidden Mist after Konoha’s recent defeat. Before departing, he accepted Tsunade’s valuable necklace as a loan and revealed that he had mastered Wood Release; the force then headed east as the disciples worried about the danger to him.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi authorized Mu Yue to lead a force against Hidden Mist, and Mu Yue requested Kakashi and the others for his unit.
• Mu Yue summoned his disciples, including Shisui, and told them to prepare for a battlefield mission within the Land of Fire.
• Tsunade lent Mu Yue Hashirama Senju’s chakra-bearing necklace, and Mu Yue demonstrated that he had already mastered Wood Release.
• Mu Yue joined the assembled force at Training Ground 11, received a report from Mimura Hamaki and Teacher Chen, and led the ninjas toward the eastern coast.
• During a later combat meeting, the jonin debated whether to split up against scattered Hidden Mist squads, while Kakashi warned his companions that Konoha’s situation could put Mu Yue’s life at risk.

Mu Yue led Konoha’s divided forces into a Hidden Mist Village ambush, where Karatachi Yagura expected to repeat his earlier victory. Mu Yue unleashed Wood Release, turning the battlefield into a forest and leaving the outnumbered Mist shinobi shaken.

• Mu Yue approved splitting Konoha’s forces and led one half toward Karatachi Yagura after reconnaissance located his unit.
• Mimura Hamaki warned Mu Yue that the plan resembled Mitokado Homura’s failed strategy, but Mu Yue continued the march.
• Karatachi Yagura surrounded Mu Yue’s eight hundred shinobi with fourteen hundred Hidden Mist Village forces, and Mimura Hamaki ordered a signal flare fired.
• Mu Yue confronted Karatachi Yagura and used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence to cover the battlefield with trees that attacked the Hidden Mist shinobi.
• Konoha’s shinobi reacted with astonishment to Mu Yue’s Wood Release, while Karatachi Yagura grew grim and considered retreating.

Mu Yue used Flower Tree World Advent to overwhelm a Hidden Mist force of more than a thousand, then pursued Karatachi Yagura and the remaining elite ninjas. With his disciples’ help, he defeated the last resistance, leaving no Hidden Mist ninja able to escape.

• Mu Yue ordered the Konoha forces to withdraw, then trapped the Hidden Mist ninjas with Wood Release vines and knocked most of them unconscious with pollen.
• Mu Yue chased Karatachi Yagura as Kakashi, Might Guy, Obito, Shisui, and Nohara Rin pursued the other Hidden Mist elites.
• Mu Yue cut down a Hidden Mist jonin and then struck Karatachi Yagura with a purple lightning blade, breaking his iron club and sending him flying.
• Obito summoned Charizard and Shisui summoned Zoroark to help Kakashi defeat Hozuki Shingetsu, while Nohara Rin summoned Milotic to support Might Guy.
• Might Guy used Golden Horizon Line to send Momochika Kawazawa crashing through trees, and the Hidden Mist force was completely defeated without any survivors escaping.

Mu Yue defeated a large Hidden Mist Village force with Wood Release, captured Karatachi Yagura, and sent Konoha a major victory. Konoha planned to negotiate with Kirigakure and appoint Mu Yue Hokage Advisor, while Uchiha Madara decided to use his backup plan against him.

• Mu Yue returned to the battlefield with Karatachi Yagura captured alive, and Mimura Hamaki and Teacher Chen learned that Mu Yue had defeated the Hidden Mist Village force with Wood Release.
• Kakashi asked Mu Yue what it would take to defeat him, and Mu Yue listed greater Chakra, combat experience, powerful techniques, and a way to counter Flying Thunder God.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu received news of Mu Yue's victory and discussed negotiating with Kirigakure and sending him to support Jiraiya against Iwagakure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi proposed making Mu Yue a Hokage Advisor after he returned, and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu agreed.
• Uchiha Madara ordered Black Zetsu to capture a Grass shinobi and use their backup plan against Mu Yue, saying he would personally ensure it succeeded.

Mu Yue’s forces camped while awaiting orders, and Celebi hatched, revealing its healing, Wood Release, and time-travel abilities. After testing Celebi, Mu Yue received orders to take his disciples and four hundred ninja to reinforce Jiraiya in the Land of Grass, where Jiraiya awaited help against Iwagakure’s concealed spies.

• Mu Yue explained to Obito that he had split the troops because he suspected Hidden Mist Village had superior intelligence, then Celebi hatched in his tent.
• Mu Yue examined Celebi’s abilities, confirmed it retained time travel, tested its healing and Wood Release, and found that Transform could not copy its power of time and space.
• Mu Yue introduced Celebi to his disciples, and Kakashi declined Obito’s bet about its strength because it belonged to Mu Yue.
• Mu Yue received orders to lead his disciples and four hundred ninja to reinforce Jiraiya in the Land of Grass.
• Jiraiya struggled to defend against Iwagakure’s spies and considered using Mu Yue as inspiration for a novel before returning to his planning.

Mu Yue formed an elite squad and led it into the Land of Grass, where his team was ambushed by Kitsuchi’s Iwagakure forces. Mu Yue’s Wood Release turned the battle in Konoha’s favor, but a black-robed ninja suddenly appeared and confronted him.

• Mu Yue inspected Jiraiya’s forces but found no spies, then learned about Iwagakure’s commanders and agreed to lead a hundred-ninja elite squad.
• Mu Yue and Jiraiya selected the squad, and Mu Yue led it away from the main forces to hunt Iwagakure troops.
• Mu Yue’s squad eliminated eight Iwagakure squads without casualties before pursuing a larger force into an encirclement led by Kitsuchi.
• Mu Yue used Deep Forest Emergence to block Iwagakure’s Rock Bullet Technique and overwhelm their formation, while Might Guy charged at Kitsuchi.
• A black-robed ninja used the Body Flicker Technique to appear on the battlefield and stare at Mu Yue.

Uchiha Madara revived part of his strength and confronted Hanyu Muyue on the battlefield near Greenwood Forest. After their opening clash and Madara’s devastating Fire Release, Mu Yue extinguished the flames, but Madara summoned a towering blue Susanoo.

• Black Zetsu used Dragon Life Reincarnation to transfer a Grass ninja’s vitality to Uchiha Madara, who then absorbed the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path’s Chakra and joined with Tobi.
• Uchiha Madara rejected Black Zetsu’s plan to wait until Hanyu Muyue had fought Iwagakure, and flew straight to Greenwood Forest.
• Mu Yue identified Madara through his status panel, and the two attacked each other with black Chakra rods and Enma before separating.
• Kitsuchi, Kakashi, Shisui, Obito, and the other nearby ninjas reacted to Madara’s Sharingan and immense Chakra as he nearly killed Konoha ninja who attacked him.
• Uchiha Madara unleashed Great Fire Annihilation across the battlefield, and Mu Yue saved nearby fighters before extinguishing the blaze with Great Waterfall Technique.
• Uchiha Madara formed a blue, four-armed Susanoo as Mu Yue’s disciples gathered to prepare for the fight.

Mu Yue faced Uchiha Madara’s Susanoo while protecting the Konoha forces, then overwhelmed Madara’s four Susanoo-using Wood Clones with his Wood Golem. The battle turned in Mu Yue’s favor, but Madara’s manic smile suggested he still had something planned.

• Mu Yue countered Uchiha Madara’s Susanoo attacks, and Madara’s Yasaka Magatama devastated the Iwagakure forces until Kitsuchi ordered a retreat.
• Uchiha Madara attacked Mu Yue with Fire Release, but Mu Yue blocked it with Water Release and sent powerful Water Dragons against Madara’s third-stage Susanoo.
• Uchiha Madara created four Wood Clones and gave each one a Susanoo, surrounding Mu Yue with five towering blue giants.
• Kakashi tried to draw the Susanoo away from the Konoha forces, while Might Guy prepared to use the Eight Gates to help Mu Yue.
• Mu Yue summoned the Wood Golem and smashed all four Susanoo-using Wood Clones, leaving only Uchiha Madara’s original Susanoo standing.
• Kitsuchi and Obito watched Mu Yue gain the upper hand, but Uchiha Madara smiled wildly despite his disadvantage.