Chapter Summaries

Chiba kicked the Third Raikage away after narrowly escaping his attacks, while the Raikage recognized how Chiba’s Transformation Jutsu had shaped the fight. As the Raikage recovered, Chiba’s shadow clone hurled a sword at him, drawing his attention just as another blade flashed toward the back of his neck.

• Chiba kicked the Third Raikage away, landing beside Hirohiko with pain in his ribs.
• Chiba realized the Raikage’s flawless combat stance had kept him from using his planned Exploding Tag Kunai attack.
• The Third Raikage recognized that Chiba’s Transformation Jutsu had concealed his tactics and changed the course of the fight.
• The Third Raikage crashed into the ground, bounced several times, and finally slid to a stop.
• Chiba’s shadow clone threw a ninja sword at the Raikage, who dodged it and looked toward the clone.
• A flash of sword light struck toward the back of the Third Raikage’s neck.

Chiba attacked the Third Raikage with Sparrow Flash, but the Raikage caught the sword and counterattacked, forcing Chiba to evade. Chiba then detonated an explosive tag on Kento’s sword, sending the keepsake back to himself while the Third Raikage was engulfed in the blast.

• Chiba used Body Flicker and Sparrow Flash to strike at the Third Raikage, who caught the Ninja Sword’s tip with his fingers.
• The Third Raikage counterattacked with a lightning-wrapped hand, but Chiba dodged the blow.
• The Third Raikage praised Chiba’s combat instincts, then faced him with heightened killing intent.
• Chiba raised two fingers, igniting an explosive tag hidden at the Ninja Sword’s hilt.
• The blast engulfed the Third Raikage and hurled the sword back into Chiba’s hand.

Chiba blocked the Third Raikage with a Rock Wall while his Shadow Clone used a concentrated medicine and Creation Rebirth theory to heal Hirohiko. The healing continued slowly, and Chiba remained unable to find a solution to the battle.

• Chiba decided not to flee from the Third Raikage and raised a Rock Wall to shield himself from the blast and debris.
• A Shadow Clone treating Hirohiko disappeared, and the other clone took its place as it struggled to keep healing him.
• Chiba examined Hirohiko's regenerating lung and concluded that his limited Medical Chakra output was slowing the recovery.
• Chiba recalled that Tsunade's medical scrolls had taught him the unfinished Creation Rebirth theory and that his concentrated medicine amplified its healing effects.
• Chiba recognized that the medicine and theory had helped keep him and Hirohiko alive, though his healing remained far weaker than Tsunade's completed technique.

Chiba’s Shadow Clone kept Hirohiko alive with Creation Rebirth-level Medical Chakra while Chiba faced the Third Raikage, but the Flying Thunder God Kunai he needed to summon Minato Namikaze was missing. With Hirohiko still gravely injured and their options dwindling, Chiba searched for another way to survive without giving up.

• Chiba’s Shadow Clone stabilized Hirohiko’s breathing and continued healing his right lung, despite its Chakra rapidly running out.
• Chiba realized the Flying Thunder God Kunai Kushina had given him was missing and might have been lost in the forest or taken by the Third Raikage.
• Chiba understood that without the kunai he could not summon Minato Namikaze to evacuate them or pursue his plan involving Kakashi and the others.
• Chiba recalled that Hirohiko needed uninterrupted treatment while he had to protect him and face the Third Raikage with almost no Chakra.
• Chiba stayed determined to find another solution rather than give up.

Yukina calmed herself, concluded that Chiba had recovered enough to leave and that he might have gone to help Hirohiko, and prepared to test her condition before setting out as backup. Elsewhere, Chiba made a Shadow Clone to assist with the healing and concealed the clones behind a Four Pillars Prison, but something began cracking through the wall.

• Yukina assessed the traces at the clearing and reasoned that Chiba had left after recovering, while Hirohiko had gone on a dangerous mission.
• Yukina realized the pain in her eyes and weakness in her body had passed, and decided to rest, then seek out Chiba and Hirohiko if she was fit to fight.
• Yukina ate a specially made Ration Ball and activated her Byakugan, which shifted toward her left.
• Chiba summoned a Shadow Clone and told it to assist the healing Shadow Clone because he could only hold on briefly.
• Chiba used Earth Release, Four Pillars Prison Technique to conceal the Shadow Clones, but a crack sounded from the long wall.

Chiba used Rock Armor and an Exploding Tag Kunai to counter the Third Raikage’s surprise attack, but the Third Raikage struck back by cleaving through the resulting explosion with his Four-Finger Nukite. The attack’s aftermath left the battle unresolved as black lightning surged through the flames and smoke.

• Chiba dodged as the wall of the Four Pillar Prison exploded and covered himself in the evolved Rock Hardening Technique’s Rock Armor.
• The Third Raikage emerged behind Chiba and attacked with his lightning-wreathed Four-Finger Nukite, believing Chiba’s movements had slowed.
• Chiba’s smile revealed that he had anticipated the attack, and an Exploding Tag Kunai detonated beneath the Third Raikage.
• The Third Raikage halted his backward momentum and slashed through the fireball with his Four-Finger Nukite.
• Black lightning formed into a panther and rushed through the split flames and smoke.

Chiba and the Third Raikage assessed the results of their exchange, each recognizing that the other had anticipated his moves. Chiba decided to attempt a decisive move, but an explosion interrupted him as he raised two fingers.

• Chiba escaped the Third Raikage’s double attack using a Ninja Sword mechanism and the Four Pillar Prison, though Black Lightning badly burned his arm.
• Chiba concluded that his speed and reactions were not enough to defeat the Third Raikage through tactics alone.
• The Third Raikage reviewed how Chiba had anticipated and redirected his attacks, then hesitated to strike again.
• Chiba decided to try a final move and raised two fingers as the Third Raikage reacted.
• A muffled explosion suddenly rang out.

Taki Chiba tried to trap the Third Raikage with Headhunter Jutsu, but the Raikage used Lightning Release to defeat it and launched a sudden attack. Chiba struck the Raikage in the ribs with Monster Strength, leaving the outcome of the blow unresolved.

• Taki Chiba used Headhunter Jutsu to grab the Third Raikage from underground, but the Raikage remained unmoved.
• Chiba realized the Raikage had used Lightning Release to disrupt the jutsu and its Earth-nature Chakra.
• The Third Raikage renewed his attack, crushed Chiba’s underground clone, and vanished from his position.
• Chiba tracked the Raikage’s movement and turned to counter him as the Raikage prepared to strike toward the Rock Wall.
• The Third Raikage aimed his Hell Stab at Chiba’s left side, but Chiba punched his ribs and unleashed Monster Strength.

Yukina retrieved the Flying Thunder God Kunai, but she worried that her Byakugan was consuming more chakra and suffering from lasting mental damage. She headed toward Chiba and Hirohiko with the kunai, still troubled by her worsening dizziness.

• Yukina deactivated her Byakugan after it caused dizziness and exhaustion, then climbed a giant tree and hurried onward.
• Yukina wondered why her Byakugan had become harder to use and feared that excessive mental fatigue had caused permanent damage.
• Yukina reached a clump of bushes, searched beneath them, and found a special three-pronged Flying Thunder God Kunai.

Chiba struck the Third Raikage by predicting his movements before he attacked, sending him crashing into the ground. Though the hit succeeded, Chiba feared the risks of relying on such precise foresight and wondered whether the Third Raikage was the obstacle fate had placed before him.

• Chiba realized his punch had landed and the Third Raikage recognized that Chiba had anticipated his movement with extraordinary foresight.
• The Third Raikage crashed into the ground, cracking the earth and vanishing beneath a cloud of dust.
• Chiba steadied himself against a stone wall and considered how a slight error could have let the Third Raikage kill him or reach Hirohiko inside the Four Pillar Prison.
• Chiba doubted that his dangerous prediction would work again and wondered whether the Third Raikage was the obstacle fate had set before him.

Chiba struggled to keep fighting as Gate of Pain Mode rapidly drained his stamina and Chakra, while he worried that Hirohiko’s treatment would soon stop. The Third Raikage exploited the smoke to launch an untelegraphed Hell Stab at Chiba, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Chiba assessed that his remaining Chakra and stamina would run out within minutes and realized Hirohiko’s treatment might be interrupted.
• Chiba recalled how he had survived his internal injuries through Creation Rebirth-level healing and Hirohiko’s emergency care.
• Chiba spotted smoke where the Third Raikage had been and realized he could not track his movements through it.
• The Third Raikage burst from the smoke and appeared before Chiba with a four-fingered Hell Stab, convinced Chiba could not predict or dodge the attack.

Taki Chiba used Earth Release to deflect the Third Raikage’s Hell Stab and correctly predicted his next attack. Just as Chiba prepared a Water Release counter, the flames in his eyes went out, his chakra vanished, and the Third Raikage’s punch struck him.

• The Third Raikage lunged at Taki Chiba, but a stone pillar burst from the Four Pillar Prison wall and knocked him aside.
• The Third Raikage realized Chiba had predicted his attack and used two Earth Release techniques to defend from both sides.
• The Third Raikage shattered the pillar and charged Chiba with a lightning-wreathed fist, matching Chiba’s prediction.
• Chiba’s eye flames went out, closing his opened Eight Gates and causing his prepared Water Release technique to fail.
• The Third Raikage saw that Chiba could no longer dodge and landed a heavy punch.

Yukina found Kushina’s marked kunai and set out to find Chiba and Hirohiko, hoping to use it to escape. Meanwhile, the Four Pillar Prison collapsed after the Kumogakure ninja struck Chiba’s original body, leaving his Shadow Clone fearing that Chiba had been defeated.

• Yukina recognized the marked kunai Kushina had given Chiba and resolved to bring it to him and Hirohiko.
• Yukina swallowed two ordinary ration balls, put away the special green one, activated her Byakugan, and raced off to search for them.
• The Kumogakure ninja struck Chiba’s original body, sending him spinning to the ground as the Four Pillar Prison cracked apart.
• The Four Pillar Prison collapsed, revealing Hirohiko on the ground and Chiba’s Shadow Clone trying to heal him.
• Chiba’s Shadow Clone feared that the original body had already lost and that they were finished.

Chiba's Shadow Clone despaired after the Third Raikage appeared to defeat the original Chiba, despite Chiba's preparations and combat technique. The Third Raikage confirmed Chiba's pulse had stopped and moved to finish the survivors, but a faint crack sounded from the ground behind him.

• Chiba's Shadow Clone realized that the original's defeat contradicted his plans and the power of One Attack Prediction.
• Chiba's Shadow Clone feared that he could not change fate or save Hirohiko and the future he had hoped for.
• The Third Raikage checked Chiba's pulse and found that it had stopped.
• The Third Raikage reflected on the boys' courage, then turned toward Hirohiko and Chiba's Shadow Clone.
• A faint cracking sound came from the ground behind the Third Raikage as he stepped forward.

Chiba awoke in the Sealed Space and realized the Third Raikage’s punch had likely left him dying, ending his battle and Fate Alteration Plan. He blamed himself for putting Hirohiko and Yukina in danger and was consumed by grief and regret.

• Chiba recognized that his battered body was near death and that his consciousness had returned to the Sealed Space.
• He recalled the Third Raikage’s punch shattering the bones in his face and feared the impact had caused fatal brain injuries.
• Chiba concluded that his battle and Fate Alteration Plan had failed, leaving Hirohiko’s life at risk as well.
• He reflected on how he had prepared for many possible failures but never expected fate to defeat him with overwhelming force.
• Chiba cursed himself for drawing Hirohiko and Yukina into danger and curled up in agony as he imagined their deaths.

After realizing Hirohiko and Yukina might have been caught up in his fate, Chiba steadied himself and assessed his condition inside the Sealed Space. He concluded that his body was still alive but near death, and just as he recognized Four Symbols Seal formulas in the gate’s seal, the scene changed and pain overwhelmed him.

• Chiba struck the wall, used the pain to calm himself, and resolved not to give up.
• Chiba reasoned that he was a thought body trapped in the Sealed Space and that his physical body was probably still alive but gravely injured.
• Chiba concluded that he needed to reconnect with his body from inside the Sealed Space because he might not escape naturally while his body was near death.
• Chiba noticed the gate’s Sealing Jutsu Formula looked familiar and recognized that it contained many formulas from the Four Symbols Seal system.
• A cracking sound rang out, the scene changed, and Chiba was hit by excruciating pain, exhaustion, and weakness.

The Third Raikage believed Chiba and Hirohiko were defeated and approached to finish them, while Chiba's Shadow Clone despaired over being unable to save his friend. A sudden sign from Chiba's original body left both the Shadow Clone and the Third Raikage stunned.

• The Third Raikage turned back after hearing a faint noise but saw Chiba's original body lying motionless and concluded he was dead.
• Chiba's Shadow Clone realized Hirohiko was close to recovering but lacked the time and Chakra to heal him before the Third Raikage attacked.
• The Third Raikage judged that Chiba and Hirohiko had exhausted their options and felt relieved as he approached them.
• Chiba's Shadow Clone resigned himself to defeat as the Third Raikage came within a meter of him and Hirohiko.
• Chiba's original body showed a sign of life, making the Shadow Clone stare in disbelief and the Third Raikage react with shock.

Chiba regained consciousness in his battered body after escaping the Four Symbols Seal’s sealed space, then recovered enough strength through the Ration Ball to confront the Third Raikage. The chapter ended with Chiba struggling to his feet and demanding to know what the Third Raikage was doing to his best friend.

• Chiba woke on the sand, realizing that his body was badly injured and that the left half of his face had been shattered.
• Chiba heard footsteps and saw the Third Raikage walking toward his best friend and clone, and he fought to stay conscious and stop him.
• The Ration Ball’s energy spread through Chiba’s body, easing most of his pain and restoring his strength.
• Chiba struggled upright, faced the Third Raikage, and demanded to know what he was trying to do to Chiba’s best friend.

Taki Chiba stood again despite the Third Raikage’s crushing blow, while the Ration Ball’s effects faded and his injuries threatened to kill him. He ended the chapter by smugly questioning why the Third Raikage had asked whether he could turn the situation around.

• The Third Raikage stared in shock as the battered Taki Chiba stood before him with a smile that showed no despair.
• Shadow Clone Chiba realized that the Original’s abnormal vitality let him remain standing despite the damage to his face.
• Taki Chiba coughed blood, nearly fell, and sensed that the Ration Ball’s effects and his available Chakra were fading.
• The Third Raikage insisted that Taki Chiba was too injured and exhausted to save his companions or change the outcome.
• Taki Chiba smiled smugly and asked the Third Raikage why he had asked whether he could turn everything around.

Taki Chiba stalled the wavering Third Raikage while preparing a desperate gamble to protect Hirohiko. The chapter ended with Chiba swallowing five Ration Balls at once, alarming his Shadow Clone.

• The Third Raikage realized that Taki Chiba had made him doubt whether he could win.
• Chiba concealed several items in his Ninja Tool Pouch while trying to keep the Third Raikage distracted and away from Hirohiko.
• Chiba taunted the Third Raikage and claimed a Ration Ball had restored his ability to stand.
• Chiba revealed four more Ration Balls in his palm and swallowed all five, while his Shadow Clone feared the strain would kill him.