Chapter Summaries

Chen demonstrated Sage Mode to Orochimaru and gave him a sealed scroll of Sage Chakra to aid his research. Orochimaru revealed that the Second Hokage had extensively researched the Sharingan, while Chen accepted that Orochimaru would need Danzo’s help to obtain those records.

• Chen entered Sage Mode and demonstrated how it strengthened his elemental Ninjutsu for Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru drew Chen’s blood for research and explained that he wanted to develop a safer Sage Mode method suited to humans.
• Chen gave Orochimaru a scroll containing extracted Sage Chakra, and Orochimaru praised his sealing skills.
• Orochimaru said the Second Hokage’s research documents included extensive Sharingan studies and admitted he needed more time to pursue his research and direct the war.
• Chen inferred that Danzo was supplying Orochimaru with the sealed research and decided that Orochimaru’s dealings with Danzo were necessary.

The Third Kazekage decided to release Garaga, Sunagakure’s imprisoned One-Tail Jinchuriki, to help the village survive its costly war against Konoha. After learning Garaga could briefly control Tailed Beast Transformation, he ordered the cage opened and called the Council of Elders to unite the village.

• The Third Kazekage reflected on Sunagakure’s losses and blamed the First Kazekage’s refusal to acquire another Tailed Beast for leaving the village short of power.
• The Third Kazekage visited Garaga, who had been imprisoned for years after becoming the One-Tail Jinchuriki, and explained that the village needed his help in the war.
• Garaga asked if the Third Kazekage would free him, and the Third Kazekage agreed in exchange for his help.
• The Third Kazekage learned that Garaga could briefly enter Tailed Beast Transformation and ordered the Sealing Squad to open his cage.
• The Third Kazekage sent a ninja to gather the Council of Elders and declared that Sunagakure must end its internal strife and unite against its enemies.

Rasa faced the Council of Elders over Sunagakure’s devastating battlefield losses, while the Third Kazekage maneuvered to protect him and secure support by promising to step down after the war. Rasa was removed as commander and assigned to the vanguard, where he would fight Konoha’s forces.

• Rasa blamed the defeat on Senra’s refusal to reinforce Cloud Peak Canyon as the elders argued over their conflicting battlefield orders.
• The elders accused Rasa of fleeing, but the Third Kazekage defended him and argued that his Magnet Release was needed on the battlefield.
• Chiyo proposed removing Rasa as commander and assigning him to the vanguard, and Ebizo and the Third Kazekage’s allies supported her.
• The Third Kazekage promised to step down after the war, winning enough support for the council to set aside Rasa’s punishment.
• Rasa’s demotion was approved, and the Third Kazekage privately resolved to deal with the clans on the battlefield.

The Third Kazekage secured approval to send most of Sunagakure’s forces and Garaga to the front lines, while Sasori worked in isolation on puppets and accepted a request to fit a shinobi with a puppet arm. Sasori revealed that he had killed his former teacher and had no intention of attending the funeral.

• The Third Kazekage convinced the elders that Sunagakure could defend itself with thirty percent of its shinobi and won their approval to deploy seventy percent against Konoha.
• The elders agreed that Garaga would accompany the Third Kazekage to the front lines.
• Kogumo visited Sasori, praised his completed puppets, and asked him to make a puppet arm for an injured teammate; Sasori accepted.
• Kogumo reminded Sasori that their former teacher’s funeral was the next day, but Sasori said he might attend only if he had time and did not want to see their former classmates.
• After Kogumo left, Sasori revealed that he had killed the teacher and dismissed the idea of attending the funeral.

Chiyo visited Sasori in his workshop and learned that he intended to avenge his parents but rejected her plan for him to become the Fourth Kazekage. Sasori privately resolved to kill those he blamed and devote himself to eternity.

• Chiyo met Kogumo carrying Puppets made by Sasori and learned Sasori had been crafting lifelike Puppet arms.
• Chiyo visited Sasori and discovered he knew she was going to the battlefield to avenge Toya and Gin.
• Sasori warned Chiyo not to confront Konoha's White Fang and claimed he would avenge his parents himself.
• Chiyo told Sasori the Third Kazekage had agreed to support him as the Fourth Kazekage, but Sasori refused the position.
• After Chiyo left, Sasori named Konoha's White Fang, the Third Kazekage, and Konoha Lightning as targets, then vowed to devote himself to eternity.

After Konoha’s victories left Sunagakure weakened, Chen returned from patrol and learned that the Third Kazekage was preparing to commit most of Sunagakure’s forces to the front. Orochimaru explained Konoha’s shortage of troops and Danzo’s appointment to command against Hidden Cloud, leaving Chen doubtful that Danzo could manage the fight.

• Chen returned to the front-line camp, where Jiraiya eagerly asked him to demonstrate Sage Mode, but Chen declined to keep it secret.
• Orochimaru told Chen that the Third Kazekage planned to bring seventy percent of Sunagakure’s ninja to the front lines.
• Chen learned Konoha had sent another two thousand ninja to the Land of Wind, bringing its force there to four thousand, while Iwagakure and Hidden Cloud were also mobilizing.
• Orochimaru explained that Konoha had to divide its limited manpower across four fronts and needed to break the stalemate in the Land of Wind.
• Chen asked who commanded the front against Hidden Cloud and learned Danzo had taken over because he was nearby negotiating with Hanzō.
• Orochimaru defended Danzo’s abilities and said the Third Raikage would not enter the fight yet, but Chen remained skeptical of Danzo’s combat and command skills.

Orochimaru assigned Chen to capture the One-Tail Jinchuriki, Garaga, or kill him to make Shukaku disappear temporarily. Chen accepted a solo mission to track Garaga across the war zone, and Orochimaru planned to relay reports of attacks on Konoha squads to him.

• Orochimaru told Chen that Sunagakure had deployed the One-Tail Jinchuriki, Garaga, on a solo infiltration mission.
• Orochimaru ordered Chen to capture Shukaku or kill Garaga, and offered to take over as commander while Chen carried out the mission.
• Orochimaru gave Chen a dossier on Garaga, whose mastery of Shukaku's power remained unknown.
• Chen asked for Sensor Ninja, but Orochimaru said Chen would have to rely on Sage Mode and the Summoning Snake because none were available to accompany him.
• Orochimaru gave Chen a map of Konoha squads' operating areas and planned to relay reports of Garaga's attacks so Chen could pursue him.

Garaga infiltrated the Land of Rivers, attacked Konoha’s supply depot, and prompted Orochimaru to warn Chen that the One-Tail Jinchuriki had appeared. Chen then enlisted the miniature Shukaku to help find Garaga, leaving with Shukaku restrained by Kushina’s Adamantine Chains.

• Garaga entered the Land of Rivers by boat and ambushed a four-ninja Konoha patrol, killing them before continuing his hunt.
• Orochimaru learned that Garaga had attacked the supply depot at Ogura Castle and sent word to Chen that the Jinchuriki had appeared.
• Chen met the miniature Shukaku, which angrily confronted him for keeping it sealed away for four or five years.
• Shukaku tried to escape by turning into sand, but Chen restrained it with an Adamantine Chains Scroll made by Kushina.
• Chen read the intelligence from Big White and set off with Shukaku for the Land of Rivers to find Garaga.

Garaga ambushed a Konoha supply squad, but Uchiha Chen arrived and stopped him from killing the wounded ninja. Chen drove the squad away and faced Garaga alone as the battle continued.

• Garaga waited openly on a road for a Konoha supply squad, then quickly injured one of its ninja.
• Garaga was about to kill the wounded ninja when Chen arrived, rescued him, and struck Garaga with a knee and a kick.
• Chen told the Konoha squad to retreat with their wounded, and the captain led them away.
• Garaga recovered and sent Earth Dragon Bullets after the retreating squad, but Chen raised several Earth-Style Walls to block them.
• Chen admired the walls and thought about carving Big White and Shukaku onto them.

Chen faced Garaga, who activated Magnet Release Chakra Mode to counter Chen’s close-range attacks. Chen entered Sage Mode and defeated him with a Natural Energy strike, leaving Garaga buried in a shattered hill.

• Garaga revealed that he had watched Chen kill Inra, the previous Jinchuriki, and sought revenge.
• Garaga activated Magnet Release Chakra Mode after the mist cleared, relying on enhanced defense and sealing power.
• Garaga charged Chen while Chen entered Sage Mode after his Shadow Clones finished gathering Natural Energy.
• Chen evaded Garaga’s attack and used Sage Art: Snake Kata: Monstrous Strength to smash him into a hill.
• Chen declared that opponents who mastered both Monstrous Strength and Sage Mode were invincible at close range.

Garaga survived Chen’s attacks by transforming fully into Shukaku, who blocked Chen’s Rasengan Shuriken. With his Sage Chakra running low, Chen proposed a truce and asked Shukaku to leave.

• Garaga used Shukaku’s Chakra to recover and entered a partial Tailed Beast Transformation.
• Chen struck Garaga with Sage Art: Earth Style: Heavenly Lid Drop as he began charging a Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Shukaku urged Garaga to use the Fake Sleep Technique, then took control of his body and emerged fully.
• Chen threw a Sage Art: Wind Release: Rasengan Shuriken, but Shukaku blocked it with sand and escaped injury.
• Chen made three Shadow Clones to gather Natural Energy, then asked Shukaku to call a truce and go home.

Chen fought Shukaku as the One-Tail unleashed repeated Tailed Beast Bombs that threatened the Land of Rivers. After surviving a close-range blast, Chen briefly restrained Shukaku and prepared to use Snake Sage Mode.

• Shukaku distrusted Chen’s talk of a truce and fired repeated Tailed Beast Bombs while Chen dodged the blasts.
• Kato Dan recognized the distant tremors as Tailed Beast Bombs, learned Chen was fighting the One-Tail Jinchuriki, and selected five Elite Jonin to support him.
• Chen returned in Sage Mode and charged Shukaku, cutting off his paw with Chidori Sharp Spear before it quickly regenerated.
• Shukaku lured Chen close and detonated a partially formed Tailed Beast Bomb, but Chen survived behind Triple Rashomon and layered Earth Style defenses.
• Chen used Chakra Chains to briefly restrain Shukaku, then prepared to try Sage Jutsu in Snake Sage Mode.

Chen captured Garaga, the One-Tail Jinchuriki, and returned to Konoha’s base, where he learned about Sakumo’s costly mission against Sunagakure. Sakumo asked Chen to look after Kakashi if he ever fell in battle.

• Chen used Sage Art and sealing techniques to defeat Shukaku, awaken Garaga, and isolate the beast’s power from him.
• Kato Dan arrived with Konoha ninjas, and Chen confirmed that he had captured the One-Tail Jinchuriki alive.
• After reporting the intelligence at the base, Chen met Sakumo and went with him to eat and drink.
• Sakumo told Chen that only eight of the thirty ninjas on his ambush mission had returned and that he had encountered Chiyo.
• Sakumo asked Chen to look after Kakashi if Sakumo died on the battlefield, and Chen agreed.

Chen, Sakumo, and Jiraiya discussed Kakashi’s pride and the risk that losing his heroic father could devastate him. Jiraiya then told them the village planned to send them to another front as commanders, likely to the Land of Water, while Tsunade would replace them on the Land of Wind front.

• Sakumo worried that Kakashi idolized Konoha’s Hero rather than seeing him as an ordinary father, leaving Kakashi vulnerable if Sakumo fell.
• Jiraiya joined Chen and Sakumo and asked about Chen capturing the One-Tail Jinchuriki, learning that Chen had renamed Shukaku Laifu.
• Jiraiya told Chen and Sakumo that the village had ordered them to escort wounded ninja back and then command another battlefield because other fronts lacked powerful fighters.
• Jiraiya suggested the Land of Water as their likely destination, and Sakumo and Chen agreed it would have fewer enemies than the Land of Wind.
• Jiraiya revealed that Tsunade would transfer to the Land of Wind front to counter Chiyo’s poison, and Chen called her return a Sannin class reunion.

Chen and Sakumo received orders to leave the war zone and return to Konoha with the fallen ninja and prisoners. Chen and Minato checked the casualty records, then shared a farewell meal as they prepared to depart.

• Chen reviewed the casualty list, and Orochimaru ordered him to bring Minato along to help verify the bodies.
• Chen told Mikoto to pack for their departure, then met Minato at the body storage station.
• Chen and Minato compared the casualty lists while an elderly Jonin recounted the fallen ninja’s stories.
• Minato suggested a farewell meal, and Chen joined him for food and a drink.

Chen and Minato discussed honoring fallen ninja, Chen’s plan for peace, and Minato’s need to master the Flying Thunder God Technique. After returning to Konoha, Chen reunited with Kushina and planned to spend his short rest with her and Mikoto before returning to the front.

• Chen explained that Jiraiya had Minato verify the fallen ninja list so he would understand the weight of each life.
• Chen told Minato that he had a plan for peace and urged him to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique, then asked him to tell Nawaki not to die.
• At the end of Konoha Year 37, Chen and Sakumo returned their force to Konoha, where the Third Hokage welcomed them.
• The Third Hokage scheduled a Memorial Stone ceremony for the next afternoon and a Jonin Meeting for the following morning, and asked Chen to notify Sakumo.
• Chen met Kushina outside the Hokage Office Building and invited her to share a meal with him and Mikoto before wandering around the village.

At a Jonin Meeting, the Third Hokage assigned new graduates to the war and appointed Uchiha Chen and Hatake Sakumo to lead Konoha’s front against Hidden Mist Village. After the meeting, Chen and Sakumo prepared to inspect supplies and consult Tsunade before heading to the front.

• The Third Hokage announced that nearly eighty Ninja Academy graduates would be sent to the battlefield and assigned some to Chunin squads because Konoha lacked Jonin instructors.
• The Third Hokage sent Homura Mitokado and two thousand ninja to help Danzo stabilize the Land of Hot Water front against Hidden Cloud Village.
• The Third Hokage named Hatake Sakumo and Uchiha Chen as the highest commanders against Kirigakure and said Sensor Ninja would reinforce the front.
• The Third Hokage gave Sakumo and Chen personnel assignments and supply information, and urged Chen to meet the village’s expectations.
• Sakumo and Chen agreed to inspect the supplies the next day, and Chen said he would consult Tsunade about the front’s situation.

Chen found Tsunade gambling in an underground casino and disrupted the game by opening a window until the other gamblers left. Tsunade explained that Shizune was her new disciple, and she offered to raise Chen’s future daughter.

• Chen entered an underground casino and found Tsunade winning chips from the other gamblers.
• Shizune brought Tsunade lunch, and Chen quietly put her to sleep before opening a window to drive the gamblers away with cold air.
• After the gamblers left, Tsunade explained that Shizune’s father had died in battle and entrusted the girl to her care.
• Tsunade offered to raise Chen’s future daughter and teach her all her abilities.

Chen and Tsunade discussed the war, Konoha’s flaws, and their reasons for continuing to serve the village before parting as Tsunade headed for the Land of Wind. Shizune’s teasing left Chen embarrassed after Tsunade departed.

• Tsunade and Chen left the gambling house for an izakaya, carrying the sleeping Shizune with them.
• Chen told Tsunade that casualties in the Land of Wind were manageable, but Hidden Sand had nearly twice Konoha’s troop numbers and Chiyo’s elites were deployed.
• Tsunade reflected on how medical ninjas could not prevent death and asked Chen what he would do about Konoha’s darker side; Chen said he wanted to change the village.
• Tsunade gave Chen a Scroll detailing the front lines and said she was returning to the Land of Wind, asking him to tell Kushina goodbye and not die.
• Shizune teased Chen as Tsunade carried her away, leaving him speechless on the floor.

Chen’s friends gathered for a belated welcome-back dinner, though their real purpose was to see him before he left for the battlefield. The group ended up at Ichiraku Ramen, where they ran into Kushina and Mikoto.

• Chen challenged Obito, Asuma, Might Guy, and Kakashi over their choice of ice cream and their lackluster dinner plans.
• Chen took the coupons from Obito’s wallet and led the group toward Ichiraku Ramen.
• Chen reflected that Obito wanted to get closer to him, Asuma hoped to receive more valuable gifts, and Kakashi and Might Guy had come to see him off.
• Chen and the others encountered Kushina and Mikoto at Ichiraku Ramen, and the four boys nervously approached Kushina, their teacher.
• Kushina and Chen exchanged jokes as everyone settled in at the ramen shop.