Chapter Summaries

Chiba arrived in time to strike Kitsuchi and help Ebizo’s surviving Sunagakure Ninja turn their desperate situation into a breakout battle. As Ebizo led the counterattack against the Iwagakure reinforcements, Chiba trapped a dozen Iwagakure Ninja inside a Rock Pillar Prison and vanished as their Kunai struck the ground.

• Chiba punched Kitsuchi with Monster Strength, then dodged attacks from the Iwagakure Ninja and blocked their Earth Spears with an Earth Wall.
• Chiba reassured himself that Ebizo and the Sunagakure threat remained alive, while two Iwagakure Ninja triggered Exploding Tags he had planted during his retreat.
• Chiba warned the Sunagakure Ninja about the reinforcements behind them, and Ebizo led his remaining forces into a surprise attack on the Iwagakure group.
• Chiba formed seals to hold off the Iwagakure Ninja, then raised a Rock Pillar Prison around himself and a dozen attackers.
• Chiba activated a surge of chakra and caught two Kunai, while the enemy’s Kunai struck the ground where he had stood.

Chiba used the Rock Pillar Prison to trap the charging Iwagakure Ninja and killed seventeen of them in seconds. Kitsuchi and Ebizo’s forces saw the boy standing amid the bodies, stunned by the slaughter.

• Chiba vanished at the last moment, causing the charging Iwagakure Ninja to crash into one another inside the Rock Pillar Prison.
• Chiba burst through the prison walls and struck the trapped ninja with repeated flashes of cold light.
• Kitsuchi recovered from Chiba’s earlier attack and heard screams coming from inside the prison.
• The four walls collapsed, revealing thirteen dead Iwagakure Ninja and four wounded ones around Chiba.
• The watching ninja recoiled as they realized Chiba had annihilated all seventeen enemies within seconds.

Taki Chiba revealed himself as a Konoha ninja who had come to Sunagakure by order of the Third Hokage, after killing seventeen Iwagakure ninja and shifting the balance of the standoff. He offered Konoha’s friendship and drew out a Kage’s official order, which Ebizo and Kitsuchi recognized as a document used to write an alliance.

• Chiba’s earth wall concealed the deaths of seventeen Iwagakure ninja, leaving Kitsuchi and the remaining fighters stunned as Ebizo’s forces held their formation.
• Ebizo and Kitsuchi noticed the Konoha forehead protector at Chiba’s waist and questioned why a Konoha ninja had attacked Iwagakure while helping Sunagakure.
• Chiba assessed the battlefield and recognized that his chakra reserves in Gate of Life Mode were depleted after his attack failed to injure Kitsuchi.
• Ebizo and Kitsuchi asked Chiba who he was, and he introduced himself as Taki Chiba, sent by the Third Hokage to Sunagakure.
• Chiba declared that he had come to bring Konoha’s friendship, then took out a Kage’s official order that Ebizo and Kitsuchi recognized as an alliance document.

Chiba offered Sunagakure an alliance, but Kitsuchi realized that Chiba intended to preserve Ebizo and keep Sunagakure a threat to Iwagakure. Kitsuchi attacked Chiba before he could persuade the Sunagakure ninja, and the chapter ended with Kitsuchi bringing a massive stone fist down on him.

• Chiba proposed an alliance between Konoha and Sunagakure, provoking disbelief and anger from the Sunagakure ninja and suspicion from Kitsuchi.
• Kitsuchi deduced that Chiba had saved Ebizo because his survival could keep Sunagakure strong enough to restrain Iwagakure.
• Kitsuchi decided to kill Chiba and Ebizo and make Ebizo appear responsible for Chiba's death, preventing an alliance between their villages.
• Kitsuchi used Earth Release: Earth Splitting Palm, forcing Chiba to leap away from the advancing fissure.
• Kitsuchi appeared above Chiba with a massive stone fist and swung it viciously downward.

Chiba blocked Kitsuchi’s killing blow and used its force to throw him down, then struck him with a crushing axe kick. Kitsuchi lay incapacitated, though Chiba remained wary of a possible trick.

• Kitsuchi appeared above Chiba and brought down a powerful punch, while Ebizo feared Chiba’s death would destroy the alliance with Konoha.
• Chiba blocked Kitsuchi’s punch, grabbed his fist, and used the momentum to slam him into the ground.
• Chiba followed with an axe kick that shattered the ground beneath Kitsuchi and left him bleeding and unconscious.
• Ebizo and the surrounding ninja recognized that Chiba had defeated Kitsuchi, while Chiba drew a kunai and watched for a possible attack.

Chiba defeated Kitsuchi but remained surrounded by Iwa forces, who renewed their attack on Sunagakure despite their leader’s defeat. As explosions engulfed Ebizo’s group, Chiba tried to finish off the unconscious Kitsuchi, but three Iwa Jonin struck with Earth Release: Earth Core.

• Chiba confirmed that Kitsuchi was defeated and assessed the exhausted Sunagakure forces and the still-disciplined Iwa encirclement.
• Three Iwa Jonin ordered their troops to hold Chiba back while the others attacked Sunagakure.
• Ebizo ordered the Sunagakure ninjas to prepare for battle as Iwa kunai and explosions struck his group.
• Chiba drove his kunai toward the unconscious Kitsuchi, but three Iwa Jonin used Earth Release: Earth Core to send a stone pillar surging beneath him.

Chiba used Kitsuchi as a feint to draw out three Iwa Jonin, then broke the stone pillar beneath two of them and launched a counterattack. The two Jonin were smashed into the ground as the pillar collapsed.

• Chiba nearly struck Kitsuchi, but three Iwa Jonin intervened to protect him.
• Chiba blocked attacks from two Jonin while their third ally appeared in front of Kitsuchi.
• The two Jonin began forming hand seals, but Chiba shattered the stone pillar with Monster Strength, Crushing Rock Strike.
• Chiba created a Shadow Clone that caught and hurled him toward the falling Jonin, while their kunai destroyed the clone.
• Chiba struck the two Jonin and sent them crashing into the ground amid the collapsing pillar.

Ebizo and the remaining Sunagakure Ninja seemed on the verge of defeat when Chiba suddenly killed two Iwagakure Jonin and struck down another with overwhelming strength. He urged Sunagakure to keep fighting, leaving both forces stunned.

• Ebizo withdrew from the front lines with a serious leg wound as the exhausted Sunagakure survivors lost hope.
• Ebizo prepared to order the children to scatter and run, intending to draw the enemy's attention himself.
• A collapsing stone pillar and dust cloud revealed Chiba, who had smashed the heads of two Iwagakure Jonin into the ground.
• Chiba used the Body Flicker Technique and a powerful kick to break the elite Iwagakure Jonin's facial bones and send him flying.
• Chiba shouted at the Sunagakure Ninja to pull themselves together as both sides stared in shock.

Chiba tried to rally the outnumbered Sunagakure Ninja, but an elite Iwagakure Jonin exploited his exhaustion and attacked him. Chiba and the Jonin each used Earth Clones to deceive the other, leaving the Jonin’s rock fist about to strike Chiba’s face.

• Chiba knocked an Iwagakure Ninja into an elite Iwagakure Jonin, then struggled to stay upright from exhaustion.
• The burly Iwagakure Jonin recognized Chiba’s weakened state and urged his troops to resume attacking the Sunagakure Ninja.
• The Jonin grabbed Chiba and hurled him into the air before striking what appeared to be Chiba with a rock fist.
• Chiba’s Earth Clone took the blow, and Chiba counterattacked the Jonin, only to discover that he had hit the Jonin’s Earth Clone.
• The real Jonin appeared behind Chiba and swung his rock fist toward Chiba’s face.

Chiba used a poisoned kunai to paralyze the Iwa captain, then provoked Sunagakure with the alliance agreement to stir their fighting spirit. The captain broke free and attacked Chiba from behind, but Chiba’s trap exploded and engulfed him.

• Chiba stabbed the burly Iwa captain with an anesthetic-coated kunai, stopping his attack, then released Gate of Pain Mode as he staggered upright.
• Chiba saw the Iwa and Sunagakure forces watching and chose to provoke Sunagakure rather than take the captain hostage.
• Holding up the alliance agreement, Chiba mocked Sunagakure for needing an eight-year-old Konoha ninja to save them and urged them to surrender.
• The captain pulled the kunai from his abdomen and lunged at Chiba, but an explosion from Chiba’s trap engulfed him.
• Chiba tossed the alliance agreement toward Sunagakure and declared that fighting for them made him feel ashamed.

Chiba’s explosive-tag trick defeated the Iwagakure support captain and shattered Iwa’s confidence, while inspiring Sunagakure’s exhausted troops. The battle turned into a brutal rout as Sunagakure charged with reckless fury, leaving Chiba shaken by the battlefield’s cruelty.

• Chiba’s delayed Exploding Tag struck the Iwagakure support captain, and Ebizo recognized that Chiba had bolstered Sunagakure’s resolve while frightening Iwa.
• Ebizo found the alliance-terms scroll at his feet as the Iwa troops recoiled from Chiba’s apparent strength.
• A young Sunagakure ninja killed an Iwagakure opponent and rallied his comrades by invoking the Will of Sand.
• Sunagakure’s troops charged with renewed fury, trading their lives for lethal strikes and forcing Iwa to retreat.
• Chiba watched the battle turn in Sunagakure’s favor and felt shaken by its bloody cruelty.

After the Sunagakure survivors defeated the Iwagakure force, Chiba apologized for insulting them and secured Ebizo’s agreement to bring an alliance proposal to the Kazekage. The five young shinobi then collapsed from their wounds, and Chiba began treating them with Medical Ninjutsu.

• The last Iwagakure shinobi died, leaving five wounded Sunagakure shinobi and Ebizo alive after the battle.
• Chiba recognized the cost of his earlier plan, apologized to the Sunagakure survivors, and bowed deeply to them.
• Chiba presented the alliance agreement to Ebizo, who accepted it and promised to submit the matter to the Kazekage.
• The five Sunagakure shinobi collapsed, and Chiba rushed to treat them with Medical Ninjutsu.

Chiba arranged for Ebizo and the wounded Sunagakure ninja to return to their village before their injuries became fatal. He stayed behind to hold off Iwa’s reinforcements, leaving the Sunagakure survivors hoping he would live.

• Chiba learned that the five wounded Sunagakure ninja had only three days to reach their village for treatment, while Ebizo said the journey would take more than two days at full speed.
• Ebizo revealed that he had kept a dozen Sunagakure Genin in reserve, and they began carrying the wounded toward Sunagakure.
• Chiba told Ebizo to leave with the Sunagakure ninja and declared that he would stay behind to ensure their escape.
• Chiba approached the unconscious Kitsuchi as Ebizo and the Genin departed, silently wishing Chiba would survive.

Chiba finished treating Kitsuchi amid the battlefield, where more than five hundred Iwagakure and Sunagakure shinobi had died. As an Iwagakure support force surrounded him, he faced their commander and threw Kitsuchi toward them.

• Chiba used Medical Chakra to treat Kitsuchi's chest and abdomen, then activated Gate of Pain Mode.
• Chiba weighed his options for delaying the Iwagakure reinforcements but decided there was no time to set traps.
• Around fifty Iwagakure shinobi arrived and found Chiba holding Kitsuchi on the blood-soaked battlefield.
• The burly Iwagakure commander stopped his men from attacking and studied Chiba, the battlefield, and the missing Ebizo.
• Chiba hurled Kitsuchi toward the Iwagakure force.

Chiba returned Kitsuchi to the Iwagakure reinforcements and fought their captain, Aotsuchi, after recognizing that the rested elite force greatly outmatched him. The chapter ended as Chiba struck Aotsuchi in the face with Monster Strength, Treading on Rock.

• Chiba threw Kitsuchi toward the Iwagakure formation, then hurled an explosive-tag kunai at him to draw the reinforcements forward.
• Aotsuchi ordered the others to retreat and used the Body Flicker Technique to intercept the kunai beside Kitsuchi.
• Aotsuchi escaped the explosion with the Headhunter Jutsu and attacked Chiba from underground with another explosive tag.
• Aotsuchi emerged through the smoke and struck Chiba with a rock-hardened fist, but Chiba blocked the blow with his arms.
• Chiba kicked Aotsuchi in the face with Monster Strength, Treading on Rock.

Chiba stalled Aotsuchi and the Iwagakure unit while waiting for a chance to act, but Aotsuchi counterattacked with powerful Earth Release techniques. The chapter ended with Chiba trapped between stone fists as two rock walls closed around the pillar.

• Chiba kicked Aotsuchi into a crater, but the Iwagakure support unit held its position and did not move to help Kitsuchi.
• Aotsuchi recovered, concluded Chiba was stalling for time, and decided to kill him before pursuing Sunagakure.
• Aotsuchi used Earth Core to raise Chiba on a stone pillar, then attacked him with the Rock Fist Technique.
• Chiba dodged one stone fist but was struck by another, pinned between the stone hands, and crushed until he coughed up blood.
• Aotsuchi used Earth Flow River as two rock walls rose and began closing around Chiba and the pillar.

Chiba escaped Aotsuchi’s crushing Earth Style combo by using an Earth Clone and shattered the rock wall with one punch. He landed and began casting Earth Release: Earth Core, leaving Aotsuchi and the Iwagakure Ninja stunned.

• Aotsuchi trapped Chiba between two semicircular rock walls, and the Iwagakure Ninja believed the attack had killed him.
• The walls closed around an Earth Clone while the real Chiba broke free and destroyed the left wall with one punch.
• Aotsuchi realized Chiba had used the Substitution Technique, then froze as Chiba rapidly formed hand seals.
• Chiba landed, pressed both hands to the ground, and cast Earth Release: Earth Core.

Chiba copied Aotsuchi’s Earth Release combo and used precise predictions to trap him, then broke through Aotsuchi’s counterattack with a powerful uppercut. Chiba launched Aotsuchi into the air and caught him in an imitation of Front Lotus.

• Chiba used Earth Release: Earth Core and Rock Fist Technique to raise a pillar and attack Aotsuchi.
• Chiba predicted Aotsuchi’s dodge and pinned him with an earth hand, surprising the Iwagakure Ninja.
• Aotsuchi broke free with Earth Release: Rock Hardening Technique and charged at Chiba.
• Chiba dodged Aotsuchi’s rock fist and struck him in the chest and abdomen with a full-power uppercut.
• Chiba followed Aotsuchi into the air with Shadow Dance Leaf and caught him in an imitation of Front Lotus.

Chiba defeated Aotsuchi and chose to remain behind to delay the Iwagakure troops, then stopped short of killing him when an unseen hand seized his Kunai. The chapter ended with Chiba being struck and sent flying, smiling as blood streamed from his mouth.

• Chiba revealed that he had tricked Aotsuchi into expecting a third Earth Release technique, then defeated him with a counterattack.
• Chiba healed his injuries and considered escaping, but decided to stay and protect Sunagakure's retreat.
• Chiba approached the unconscious Aotsuchi and raised a Kunai, while the Iwagakure troops rushed to stop him.
• An unseen person grabbed Chiba's hand before he could stab Aotsuchi, then struck Chiba and sent him flying.

Chiba fled into the forest after fighting Aotsuchi, and Kitsuchi stopped his unit from pursuing, suspecting an ambush. Convinced Konoha was preparing a broader attack and with Aotsuchi badly injured, Kitsuchi ordered a retreat, declaring that Iwagakure had already completed its mission.

• Chiba deliberately let Kitsuchi strike him, then ran into the forest Sunagakure had retreated through.
• Kitsuchi halted the Iwagakure Ninjas and warned them that the forest could contain traps and an ambush.
• A Medical Ninja reported that Aotsuchi was unconscious and needed more effective treatment to survive.
• Kitsuchi learned that the other Iwagakure reinforcement units had been redeployed after reports of Konoha troops near the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass.
• Kitsuchi suspected Konoha planned to attack Iwagakure and that the Land of Lightning's position was uncertain.
• Kitsuchi ordered his fifty-man unit to retreat, claiming they had annihilated thirty percent of Sunagakure's combat-ready forces and won.