Chapter Summaries

Chiba used a decoy and a wire-guided Water Clone to obscure his approach, then struck Yugito Nii with Monster Strength and sent her crashing into a tree. Yugito remained conscious and fixed her gaze on Chiba after the hit.

• Yugito Nii dismissed the falling blue flaming humanoid as too weak to have defeated Grandpa B, then noticed an Exploding Tag behind her heel.
• The tag detonated as a kunai shot from the humanoid, which shattered and revealed that it had been made of rock.
• Yugito Nii endured the blast unharmed and anticipated an attack through the smoke, but a kunai and Steel Wire drew her attention.
• Chiba appeared in her path as her kunai cut through his Water Clone, which burst into steam against her Tailed Beast Mode.
• Chiba used the steam to land a Monster Strength kick on Yugito Nii's left cheek, sending her into a massive tree.
• Yugito Nii slid down the trunk, still conscious and glaring toward the place where the smoke had cleared.

Chiba and Yugito Nii paused after a brutal exchange that left both injured, each assessing the other's abilities and waiting for a safe chance to act. Yugito recognized Chiba as the strongest opponent she had faced since mastering Tailed Beast Chakra, while Chiba judged her stance to be nearly impossible to exploit.

• Chiba used Medical Chakra to heal burns from Yugito Nii's scorching Tailed Beast Mode while considering how its defense, recovery, and temperature control made it dangerous.
• Yugito rose after Chiba's Monster Strength kick slammed her into a tree, hiding her bleeding nose and struggling with a concussion and impaired balance.
• Yugito considered attacking Chiba while his legs were injured but held back because her own condition made a counterattack too risky.
• Yugito suspected Chiba had planned the earlier sequence of Exploding Tag, Kunai, Steel Wire, Water Clone, and Body Flicker attacks to exploit her reactions.
• Yugito identified Chiba as the strongest enemy she had faced since learning to control Tailed Beast Chakra, and Chiba concluded that her stance had no openings.

Chiba realized Yugito Nii was holding back because she had been injured, and chose to use a risky technique rather than flee. He launched a taijutsu attack at her, and the chapter ended as his punch struck.

• Chiba healed his burns, assessed his dwindling Chakra, and concluded that he could not break through Yugito Nii’s Tailed Beast Mode with his usual attacks.
• Chiba recognized that escaping was possible but decided he had to defeat Yugito Nii to protect Hirohiko and the others and keep their plan on track.
• Chiba searched the muddy clearing for an advantage, then noticed that Yugito Nii had not attacked while he healed.
• Chiba inferred that Yugito Nii was injured and that her injury limited her ability to fight, so he chose to use his only remaining option despite the Chakra cost.
• Yugito Nii saw Chiba rush forward with a punch, and the blow landed with a dull impact.

Chiba tested Yugito Nii’s Tailed Beast Mode in a fierce close-range fight, discovering that its chakra tails could be pierced and that his attacks could still injure her. After Yugito nearly broke his ribs with a tail strike, Chiba accepted the fight’s lethal stakes and prepared to use his full strength.

• Chiba used a rock spike formed from his Rock Hardening Technique to attack Yugito, but she dodged by retreating.
• Yugito blocked Chiba’s follow-up with a chakra tail and struck his chest, shattering his Rock Skin and injuring him.
• Chiba endured the tail’s heat, grabbed it, and flung Yugito away, but she caught his hands with a chakra hand and hurled him into the air.
• Chiba’s Spiral Water Arrows pierced Yugito’s chakra tails partway before they shattered and the tails recovered.
• Chiba realized his attacks could pierce Tailed Beast Chakra and injure Yugito, then crouched and decided the testing was over.

Taki Chiba used the rain-filled pits to draw Yugito Nii into a close-range exchange while concealing a rock-spike attack. He escaped her Rat Tail Fireballs with a Shadow Clone and wounded her cheek, leaving her surprised by the reach of his ninjutsu.

• Yugito Nii noticed the pits gathering rainwater and concluded that Chiba was preparing a powerful Water Style technique.
• Yugito Nii struck Chiba's Rock Skin with a Chakra-wreathed fist, cracking it as he began forming hand seals.
• Yugito Nii sent Chakra hands after Chiba and launched Rat Tail Fireballs when he retreated.
• Chiba used a Shadow Clone to pull him clear of the fireballs, and Yugito Nii rushed toward where he had fallen.
• Chiba rose from his roll as a rock spike grazed Yugito Nii's cheek.

Chiba and Yugito Nii exchanged rapid attacks, with Chiba using earth techniques, water arrows, and a Shadow Clone to create an opening. As Yugito was driven into the ground, Chiba prepared a modified Four Rock Fist Technique for the decisive strike.

• Yugito Nii dodged Chiba’s rock spike, then attacked him with Chakra hands and Kunai while he countered with spinning water arrows.
• Chiba raised a Rock Wall to block Yugito’s blue fireballs, then charged through it and met her fist in midair.
• Yugito formed Chakra fists and swung at Chiba, but his Shadow Clone kicked her head downward before her blows could land.
• Chiba formed hand seals as he fell and unleashed his modified Four Rock Fist Technique.

Chiba and Yugito Nii traded feints and attacks as each tried to exploit the other’s expectations. Yugito Nii launched her hidden Rat Tail Fireballs at Chiba, but the chapter ended before their attack landed.

• Yugito Nii realized Chiba had used a Shadow Clone and the smoke from Exploding Tags to strike her from above.
• Chiba summoned four rock fists from the ground, but Yugito Nii stopped them with her hands and Chakra tails.
• Chiba kicked Yugito Nii beneath the chin and sent her several meters into the air.
• Yugito Nii revealed five concealed Rat Tail Fireballs and launched them at Chiba, expecting him to use Water Style Ninjutsu.
• Yugito Nii’s sneer froze and her expression changed as the Rat Tail Fireballs neared Chiba.

Taki Chiba fought Yugito Nii, using feints and a Shadow Clone to drive her into a crater but failing to break through her Tailed Beast Mode. As Yugito prepared to burn him at close range, Chiba forced his overloaded Gate of Pain Mode into a second-tier Monster Strength strike, and a vast column of mud swallowed them both.

• Yugito Nii realized Taki Chiba had used the Water Body Flicker Technique to appear behind her after the Rat Tail Fireballs exploded.
• Taki Chiba punched Yugito Nii down into the clearing, but his blow failed to break her Tailed Beast Mode.
• Chiba and his Shadow Clone struck each other’s feet, and Chiba reappeared inside the mud column to punch Yugito Nii back into the crater.
• Yugito Nii prepared to unleash blue flames at close range, believing Chiba had lost because his attacks had not broken her defense.
• Chiba overloaded Gate of Pain Mode, broke the bones in his right hand, and unleashed second-tier Chakra level Monster Strength as an enormous mud column erupted.

Chiba defeated Yugito Nii, but exhausted and badly wounded, he struggled to bandage his hand and protect himself before finally passing out. The clearing was left devastated, and Chiba remained unconscious beside Yugito Nii as enemies might investigate the commotion.

• Chiba shattered Yugito Nii's Tailed Beast Mode and fatally wounded her with his fist through her chest.
• Yugito Nii remembered Grandpa B, apologized for failing to avenge him and protect Kumogakure, then died.
• Chiba's Gate of Pain Mode ended, leaving him too exhausted to move and his right hand severely injured.
• Chiba worried that enemy ninja would find him, take the sealed Defense Map, or capture him, and wondered whether Hirohiko, Shiga, and the others had escaped.
• Chiba used his left hand and teeth to bandage his right hand, formed a hand seal to release the seal, and passed out on Yugito Nii.

Hiratsuka Shin emerged from hiding after Chiba and Yugito Nii had apparently knocked each other out, and he recovered the Defense Map. He decided to capture them and inspect the other scrolls, leaving their contents unknown as he opened one.

• Hiratsuka Shin surveyed the devastated battlefield and realized Chiba's attack had reshaped the clearing.
• Hiratsuka Shin revealed that he had feigned defeat and waited for an opportunity to capture Chiba and Yugito Nii.
• Hiratsuka Shin decided to take the Defense Map, the Kumogakure Jinchuriki, and Chiba back to Iwa rather than kill Chiba.
• Hiratsuka Shin found the Defense Map among Chiba's scrolls and confirmed its seal was intact.
• Hiratsuka Shin chose to inspect the remaining scrolls and opened one.

Chiba woke in the Sealed Space and found himself facing the mysterious gate inside his body again. He could not hear the voices beyond it and remained unsure who was sealed there or how to leave.

• Chiba woke on the water-covered floor of the Sealed Space and realized he was not in enemy hands.
• Chiba remembered the identical voice behind the gate declaring that it would destroy the world, and rejected the idea that the speaker was himself.
• Chiba pressed his ear to the gate but heard nothing, as if something had cut off all movement from within.
• Chiba examined the seal and wondered who was sealed inside him and how he could escape the Sealed Space.

Chiba found himself trapped in a Sealed Space while his body remained unconscious on a battlefield, and he realized he could not undo the immense seal or leave by conscious choice. With no other leads, he resolved to study the seal and deduce a way out.

• Chiba examined the darkness around him and reasoned that his spiritual body had entered the Sealed Space because he was the seal's vessel.
• Chiba recognized that the seal contained an enormous number of unfamiliar Sealing Jutsu Formulas and concluded he could not undo it with his current knowledge.
• Chiba recalled that he had entered the Sealed Space only after his body reached its limit and that his previous exit had happened without his control.
• Chiba worried that enemies could find his helpless body on the battlefield, then reminded himself to stay calm.
• Chiba decided to study the seal's components and use his knowledge of Sealing Jutsu to find a way out.

Chiba regained consciousness in a muddy clearing after his fight with Yugito Nii, badly injured and exhausted. After realizing she was still alive and wondering about her restraint and Matatabi’s aid, he spotted something nearby that made him tense.

• Chiba woke coughing in the mud and realized his injured right hand had worsened and needed a splint.
• Chiba discovered that his left hand had been pressed against Yugito Nii’s breast, then struggled to his feet despite his weakness.
• Chiba saw that Yugito Nii was still breathing and reasoned that Matatabi’s Chakra was helping preserve and heal her.
• Chiba reflected that Yugito Nii had fought cautiously and resolved to improve his training after nearly exhausting himself.
• Chiba ate a Ration Ball, scanned the clearing, and jolted when he noticed something to his lower left.

Chiba recovered beside the bodies of a Quasi-S-Rank Iwa ninja and a Kumogakure scout, reasoning through how his trapped scrolls had killed the Iwa ninja and bought him time. As he treated his fractured hand, he remembered a concern about the Sealed Space that he needed to examine.

• Chiba found the Quasi-S-Rank Iwa ninja and a Kumogakure scout dead beside the mud pit, with the Defense Map likely among the scattered scrolls.
• Chiba used sealed Medical Chakra bandages to treat his fractured hand while assessing the threat and his remaining danger inside the encirclement.
• Chiba concluded that the Iwa ninja had opened a scroll rigged with Hirohiko’s Spiral Arrow, while the Kumogakure scout had likely been killed in a sneak attack.
• Chiba recalled that he had scattered lethal trapped scrolls as bait, hoping an enemy would open one while he was incapacitated.
• Chiba’s thoughts turned to the Sealed Space, and he realized there were things there he needed to consider carefully.

Chiba weighed the risks of memorizing the immense sealing technique and escaping the enemy encirclement while recovering from his injuries. He remained unsure whether to take the unconscious Yugito Nii with him or travel alone to catch up with his teammates.

• Chiba finished bandaging his injured right arm and realized he had forgotten most of the sealing formulas he had seen in the Sealed Space.
• Chiba concluded that understanding the formulas was necessary to memorize them, but he still did not know how he entered or left the mysterious space.
• Chiba assessed his weakened condition and recognized that he could not break through the encirclement alone after Yugito Nii's arrival had ruined his plan.
• Chiba considered taking Yugito Nii with him or traveling light to follow Hirohiko and the others and ambush the Quasi-S-Rank from Kumogakure.
• Chiba left the Defense Map on the dead Quasi-S-Rank from Iwa, suspecting the corpse was a safer place for it, and remained undecided about what to do.

Chiba recovered enough to move after defeating Yugito Nii, secured her from the muddy water, and searched the dead Iwa and Kumogakure ninjas for useful items. He retrieved the Defense Map and prepared to arrange the battlefield before moving on.

• Chiba recalled how he had anticipated Yugito Nii's plan and defeated her with his Earth and Water Style techniques.
• Chiba carried the unconscious Yugito Nii to higher ground and made preparations to take her with him.
• Chiba searched Hiratsuka Shin's body, recovered the Defense Map and three scrolls, and took the ninja's other equipment.
• Chiba searched and stripped the Kumogakure ninja, then examined the battlefield and prepared to arrange it for future use.

Chiba reflected on his shortcomings after fighting Yugito Nii and decided to focus on improving his existing skills before the approaching Battle of Kannabi Bridge. After finding a detailed map among the Quasi-S-Rank Iwa ninja’s belongings, he realized he might be able to escape alone.

• Chiba judged his new techniques too costly and crude for combat and decided to put their development aside as the Battle of Kannabi Bridge drew near.
• Chiba sat beside the unconscious Yugito Nii, replenished his ninja tools, ate dry rations, and reviewed the lessons from their fight.
• Chiba resolved to prioritize practicing simplified hand seals and revise his training regimen if he escaped.
• Chiba opened the scroll taken from the Quasi-S-Rank Iwa ninja and discovered a carefully marked map of the primeval forest bearing Iwa, Konoha, and Kumogakure markers.
• Chiba concluded that the dead Iwa ninja had likely been Iwagakure’s commander and wondered whether the map could help him escape alone.

Chiba revealed that he had deliberately let Iwa read the plan scroll so he could shape their expectations, divide Iwa from Kumogakure, and control the encirclement’s reactions. His strategy had worked until Yugito Nii disrupted it, leaving him trapped inside the encirclement with the Defense Map still at stake.

• Chiba studied Iwa’s deciphered map and saw that its commander had identified his likely escape plan and marked it as the most probable course of action.
• Chiba recalled that he had secretly used a Shadow Clone to shoot down the plan scroll from Yukina, deliberately prompting her to risk returning for it so Iwa would believe it was genuine.
• Chiba explained that he had concealed from Yukina and Hirohiko that Iwa had read the scroll, because their complete trust in him made them vital to carrying out the plan without revealing its purpose.
• Chiba had intended Iwa’s confidence in the scroll to calm them, weaken their cooperation with Kumogakure, and let him anticipate and exploit their reactions.
• Chiba realized that Yugito Nii’s appearance had disrupted his plan, and he remained trapped inside the encirclement.

Chiba studied the map and realized the Iwa commander had discovered the group's hidden rendezvous point and arranged an ambush there. After recognizing that the commander's scroll gave him the initiative, Chiba prepared to face the Kumogakure and Iwa ninja surrounding him.

• Chiba concluded that Yugito's presence would draw more reinforcements and turn the conflict into a larger battle.
• Chiba spotted the marked ambush at the southwest rendezvous point where Hirohiko and the other four were headed.
• Chiba realized the group's concealed escape plan had been uncovered, putting their survival and the Defense Map at risk.
• Chiba decided he could use the map's information to turn the Iwa commander's backup plan against him.
• Chiba closed the scroll, stood, and faced the Kumogakure and Iwa ninja emerging around him.

Chiba assessed the two patrol squads surrounding him and weighed his poor chances of fighting or escaping with an injured hand and depleted stamina. The Kumogakure scout revealed how he had witnessed Chiba kill Hiratsuka Shin, but neither patrol squad knew why the other had arrived.

• Chiba realized the patrol squads had left a northern route open to lure him back toward the enemy elites, and he decided he could not retreat that way.
• Chiba judged that his injured right hand, limited access to ninjutsu, and unrecovered stamina made a fight against the eight Chunin and Elite Chunin dangerous.
• The Kumogakure and Iwa squad leaders questioned their scouts about the other village’s presence, but neither scout knew why the opposing patrol had arrived.
• The Kumogakure scout recalled seeing Hiratsuka Shin take a Defense Map and a suspected Konoha intelligence scroll from Chiba, then watching his companion die in a failed attack.
• The surviving scout had left to report what he saw and returned to find Hiratsuka Shin dead and Chiba alive, leaving him stunned that Chiba had apparently defeated both Hiratsuka Shin and Lady Yugito.