Recaps

Ming learned that Danzo planned to frame Sunagakure for attacking civilians in the Land of Rain to spark a conflict and stall Chen and Sakumo. After returning to Akatsuki, he heard that Hanzō had been seen in the Land of Rain, leaving the organization stunned.

• Jia told Ming that Danzo wanted him to lead Akatsuki to discover a staged Sunagakure attack and provoke a clash between Akatsuki and the sand shinobi.
• Ming returned to the Akatsuki base and listened as Ten no Kyusuke and Kira argued about Konoha Lightning's victory over Hanzō.
• Nagato and Konan disliked Kira's dismissive claims about Chen, while Yahiko reflected on Akatsuki and helping the civilians of the Land of Rain.
• Daibutsu arrived and announced that a ninja had seen Hanzō in the Land of Rain, silencing the hall.

After Hanzō returned to the Land of Rain, he killed the four subordinates who had betrayed him, while Konoha and its allies deployed forces around the country. At Konoha's Base, Chen learned that Iwagakure had sent Roshi and Bunga as commanders and considered the threat they posed.

• Hanzō returned to the Hidden Rain Village, killed his four treacherous subordinates, and restored order in the Land of Rain.
• Konoha Lightning and White Fang led three thousand ninja into the Land of Rain as Sunagakure and Iwagakure forces gathered near their borders.
• Rokuun reported that Iwagakure had sent Roshi and Bunga to command its front-line forces.
• Chen recalled his earlier battle with Roshi and worried that the Four-Tails might help Roshi resist his Genjutsu.
• Rokuun explained Bunga's strength and sealing expertise, and Chen recognized that Ōnoki had sent him to protect Roshi and the Four-Tails.

Chen reassured Konoha's commanders that he, Hanzō, and the Third Hokage could stop Sunagakure if it attacked in the Land of Rain. At Sunagakure's base, Rasa weighed the village's weak position and met Sasori, who asked to see Magnet Release in action.

• Chen told Konoha's commanders that Hanzō and the Ame Shinobi would help stop a Sunagakure attack, while the Third Hokage could join them if needed.
• Rasa worried that Sunagakure's understrength forces and supply shortages made fighting Konoha in the Land of Rain dangerous.
• The Third Kazekage had ordered Rasa to preserve Sunagakure's strength, avoid Chen and Sakumo, and let them enter the Land of Earth.
• Sasori visited Rasa and suggested using poison against Konoha, but Rasa dismissed the idea because Nonō could provide medical support.
• Sasori asked Rasa to demonstrate Magnet Release, and Rasa agreed to show him the Iron Sand World Method.

Ebizo noticed Sasori’s disturbing behavior and kept his suspicions to himself while he and Rasa investigated the deaths of two scouting teams. Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato arrived with fifty Ame Shinobi, accusing Sunagakure of invading the Land of Rain, and Rasa challenged them over Hanzō’s intentions.

• Ebizo recalled Sasori’s growing closeness to Rasa, his interest in Magnet Release, and his use of Chiyo’s position to gather poison materials, but chose to keep observing him.
• Rasa demonstrated the Gold Sand Great Triangle for Sasori, who secretly considered how he might fight Rasa.
• Ebizo told Rasa that two scouting teams had gone missing and been found dead, with nearby residents reporting Ame Shinobi in the area.
• A group of fifty Ame Shinobi arrived at Sunagakure’s base and claimed to represent the Akatsuki Organization.
• Yahiko accused Sunagakure of invading the Land of Rain, and Rasa countered that they remained in the Land of Wind and questioned whether Hanzō was provoking Sunagakure.

Yahiko confronted Rasa and Sunagakure over attacks on civilians in the Land of Rain, but a claim that Akatsuki had killed missing Sand shinobi turned the dispute into a battle. Rasa’s Gold Dust overwhelmed Yahiko’s Water Release until Nagato stopped the wave and stripped it of its Chakra.

• Yahiko explained Akatsuki’s peaceful aims and accused Sunagakure of attacking civilians in the Land of Rain, citing witnesses and survivors.
• A Sand shinobi claimed that Nanmu and Isshiki had gone missing after scouting, and the enraged Sand forces blamed Akatsuki for their deaths.
• Rasa chose to attack Akatsuki to satisfy his subordinates and strengthen his standing as commander.
• Konan’s Paper Shuriken failed against Rasa’s Gold Dust Shuriken, and Yahiko used Wind Release to halt Rasa’s attack before Rasa unleashed Gold Dust Tsunami.
• Yahiko’s Water Trumpet was overwhelmed, but Nagato stepped in and made the Gold Dust lose its Chakra, causing it to fall like golden rain.

Yahiko’s Akatsuki escaped Rasa and Ebizo’s forces after being accused of killing sand shinobi. Sunagakure decided to declare war on Hanzō, and Yahiko prepared Akatsuki to join the conflict as the Land of Rain faced being pulled into the war.

• Yahiko ordered Akatsuki to retreat, and Konan detonated buried Explosive Tags to cover their escape from Rasa and the pursuing sand shinobi.
• At Sunagakure’s main tent, Rasa and Ebizo weighed the risk of provoking Konoha while their subordinates demanded retaliation against the Hidden Rain Village.
• Ebizo decided that Sunagakure would advance toward the Land of Rain and declare war on Hanzō.
• In a cave, Yahiko heard Konan warn that Sunagakure might declare war on the Land of Rain and ordered her to notify Hanzō and Konoha.
• Yahiko resolved that Akatsuki would take part in the war to protect the Land of Rain’s civilians and atone for its role in the crisis.

Konan visited the Konoha base with intelligence about Sunagakure and reunited with Chen, Nawaki, and Mikoto. As they welcomed her, Chen wondered whether he should take Nagato’s Rinnegan now that Madara’s death had been confirmed.

• Yahiko sent Konan to the Konoha base with two flame chickens after Akatsuki decided to join the war.
• Konan claimed to be Hanzō’s messenger, but told Konoha’s guards she was Jiraiya’s disciple and had urgent intelligence about Sunagakure.
• Chen hurried out with Nawaki and Mikoto, and Konan greeted them with a smile.
• Konan told Chen she had made up her connection to Hanzō because Akatsuki was too obscure for the guards to recognize.
• Nawaki joked with Konan about Akatsuki and Jiraiya’s novel, while Chen reflected on their reunion and wondered whether to take Nagato’s Rinnegan.

Chen decided not to seize Madara's Rinnegan yet and spent a brief peaceful evening with Mikoto, Konan, and Nawaki. He told Konan that he would face Sunagakure with Hanzō and the Third Hokage, and the chapter ended with three people confronting two thousand sand shinobi.

• Chen concluded that taking or destroying the Rinnegan was too risky before he could use them safely.
• Chen relaxed in the rain while Konan grew comfortable with the others, then joined them for Mikoto's lavish meal.
• Konan asked how Chen would stop Sunagakure, and he said he would go to the Land of Rain's border with Hanzō and the Third Hokage.
• Chen told Konan that Akatsuki should stay out of the battlefield and urged her to live; Konan wished him the same.
• In the autumn of Konoha Year 38, Sunagakure declared war on the Land of Rain, and three people faced two thousand sand shinobi.

Chen, Hanzō, and the Third Hokage prepared to ambush Sunagakure’s two-thousand-ninja army in the Land of Wind. The Third Hokage told Chen to escape if the battle went badly, named Orochimaru as his successor, and led the charge toward the enemy.

• Hanzō reflected on joining forces with the Third Hokage and Chen, and Chen asked the Third Hokage to stay behind him during the battle.
• The Third Hokage explained why he had joined the mission, while Hanzō reminded him that Konoha had promised to remove his Curse Mark.
• The Third Hokage and Hanzō recalled fighting together during the Second Great Ninja War, and the Third Hokage admitted that he regretted sending young people into war.
• The Third Hokage told Chen to leave if anything went wrong and entrusted the position of Fourth Hokage to Orochimaru.
• The Third Hokage released his Chakra and charged toward Sunagakure first.

Ebizo and Rasa faced the approaching Third Hokage, Chen, and Hanzō as Sunagakure’s forces prepared for battle. Chen combined Sage Art with the Third Hokage’s Wind Release to devastate the front lines, and the Third Hokage recognized him as Konoha’s first Sage Mode user since Hashirama.

• Ebizo identified the approaching shinobi as Hanzō, Konoha Lightning, and the Third Hokage, and ordered Sunagakure to meet them in battle.
• Rasa proposed wearing down the trio and capturing the Third Hokage, but Ebizo judged that their two thousand shinobi could not safely retreat or contain the enemy.
• Sunagakure’s ninja tools failed to hit the rapidly advancing trio, who charged toward the village’s front line.
• The Third Hokage used Earth Style to disrupt the sand shinobi’s formation, then prepared a Wind Release technique.
• Chen unleashed Sage Art: Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, combining it with the Third Hokage’s Wind Release to create a vast wall of fire that engulfed the battlefield.
• The Third Hokage realized that Chen had mastered Sage Mode and thought Konoha had found a successor to Hashirama.

Chen and the Third Hokage tore through the Hidden Sand forces, with Enma transforming into a staff to fight alongside the Hokage. As the Sand shinobi retreated before Chen’s overwhelming assault, he eyed Rasa and Ebizo and prepared to unleash his ultimate move.

• Ebizo ordered the Sand shinobi to use Water Release to stop the Third Hokage’s flames, and Rasa ordered Wind Release to disperse the resulting fog.
• The Third Hokage charged through the fog with Enma, who transformed into an Adamantine Staff, while Chen followed without summoning a beast.
• Chen cut through the Sand shinobi with Samehada and used a lightning-charged Kunai to redirect a Fuma Shuriken into more enemies.
• The Sand shinobi retreated as Chen continued to overwhelm them with his strength and Genjutsu.
• Chen saw Rasa and Ebizo fighting the Third Hokage and considered unleashing his ultimate move.

Rasa and Ebizo struggled to contain the Third Hokage while Chen slaughtered the Sunagakure forces. Rasa and several Jonin trapped Chen beneath a Gold Dust Great Funeral, but Chen awakened his Susanoo and swept its Spiral Sword across the battlefield.

• Rasa lost focus while watching Chen, allowing the Third Hokage to smash three of Ebizo’s Puppets and force Rasa to rescue him.
• Ebizo sent Rasa to stop Chen while Shimazu and the others helped him hold off the Third Hokage.
• Chen continued cutting through the sand shinobi as Rasa and several Jonin waited for an opening to attack.
• Rasa and the Jonin trapped Chen with Gold Dust, Rock Pillar Prison, and Gold Dust Great Funeral.
• Chen awakened his blue Susanoo, formed a Spiral Sword, and swept it across the battlefield, destroying the incoming Ninjutsu.

Chen used Susanoo to withstand Sunagakure’s attacks, then unleashed Tsunade’s Monstrous Strength through the giant avatar and devastated the battlefield. Susanoo vanished after fifteen steps, leaving Rasa and the others stunned by Chen’s power.

• Chen manifested Susanoo, shocking Ebizo and the Third Hokage with the strength of his Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Rasa’s Gold Sand attack failed to damage Susanoo, and Chen countered with a massive Fire Release attack.
• Rasa raised a Gold Sand barrier against Chen’s flames, then fled when Chen’s Susanoo advanced.
• Chen used Susanoo: Monstrous Strength to shatter the barrier and crack the ground with repeated punches.
• Chen’s final punch sent a devastating shockwave across the battlefield, clearing everyone from within several hundred meters.
• Susanoo disappeared after Chen had dragged it forward fifteen steps.

Chen and the Third Hokage devastated the Sand shinobi forces, prompting Ebizo to order a retreat. The Third Kazekage arrived and launched an attack, telling Ebizo to escape while he faced Chen, the Third Hokage, and Hanzō alone.

• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu watched Chen's Susanoo attacks decimate the Sand shinobi and discussed his strength.
• Chen flooded the crater with Water Release, and the Third Hokage set the water ablaze, further harming the Sand shinobi.
• Ebizo carried the unconscious Sasori and ordered the surviving Sand shinobi to retreat.
• The Third Kazekage arrived, saw the devastation, and attacked Chen, the Third Hokage, and Hanzō with Iron Sand.
• The Third Kazekage formed a massive Iron Sand curtain and told Ebizo to flee while he held off the three opponents.

The Third Hokage and Chen routed Sunagakure’s ambush, though the Third Kazekage and Hanzō kept them from capturing every fleeing sand shinobi. After learning of Sunagakure’s losses, Orochimaru prepared to attack Kikyō Pass before the Third Kazekage could return.

• The Third Kazekage formed a vast Iron Sand barrier, but Chen and the Third Hokage used Earth Style to bypass it and pursue the fleeing sand shinobi.
• Hanzō hesitated after being left behind, then followed the pursuit as the Third Kazekage tried to protect his scattered forces.
• The battle ended in a decisive Konoha victory, with most of Sunagakure’s two thousand shinobi dead and only a few hundred remaining.
• Orochimaru waited for Tsunade to finish an operation, then told her he had received Chen’s report about Sunagakure’s defeat and the Third Kazekage’s appearance.
• Orochimaru ordered the assembled Konoha forces to march on Kikyō Pass while the Third Kazekage was away.

Orochimaru convinced Tsunade that Konoha had to launch a decisive assault on Kikyō Castle to end the Land of Wind war. The Third Hokage prepared to join the assault, while Chen learned more about the cost of using his Mangekyo Sharingan and his father’s stolen eyes.

• Orochimaru argued that the losses at Kikyō Castle were necessary to end the war quickly, and Tsunade agreed with his plan.
• The Third Hokage decided to go to Kikyō Castle to support the assault and prevent Konoha's ninja from being worn down by its defenses.
• The Third Hokage told Chen to rest and return to the Land of Earth, where Sakumo needed help holding the front.
• The Third Hokage warned Chen that repeated use of the Mangekyo Sharingan could cause permanent blindness.
• The Third Hokage recalled that Kagami's Mangekyo Sharingan eyes had been stolen and suggested that transplanting them might restore Chen's sight.

Konoha assaulted Kikyō Castle with catapults and a frontal advance, but Sunagakure’s defenders inflicted heavy casualties under Chiyo’s command. Orochimaru summoned Manda and a Three-Headed Snake, which broke through part of the castle wall.

• Orochimaru and Tsunade arrived as Konoha prepared to attack Kikyō Castle with fifty catapults and ninja charging on both flanks.
• Akimichi Clan ninja operated the catapults, launching oil-coated, flaming boulders toward the castle.
• Kato Dan and the Konoha advance force suffered casualties from Sunagakure’s large ninja tools and coordinated defenses under Chiyo.
• Akimichi Choza moved the catapults forward for another bombardment as Orochimaru received reports of hundreds of Konoha dead within an hour.
• Orochimaru summoned Manda and a Three-Headed Snake, which climbed around the castle and shattered one side of its wall.

Konoha captured Kikyō Castle after a brutal battle, leaving Sunagakure defeated and the Third Kazekage retreating. In Hidden Stone Village, Ōnoki weighed how Konoha might redeploy and worried that Sunagakure could turn against Iwagakure.

• The Third Kazekage returned to Kikyō Castle, but the Third Hokage joined Orochimaru and Tsunade in leading Konoha’s renewed assault.
• As the battle continued into the night, Konoha’s attacks overwhelmed Sunagakure’s defenses, and the Third Kazekage retreated with help from Ebizo and Rasa.
• At dawn, the Battle of Kikyō Pass ended with nearly five thousand ninja dead and Kikyō Castle in Konoha’s hands.
• News of Sunagakure’s defeat spread across the ninja world, leaving Ōnoki to consider where Konoha would send its forces next.
• Ōnoki rejected the idea of sending Han into battle and worried that the Third Kazekage might attack Hidden Stone Village to cut Sunagakure’s losses.

After the Battle of Kikyō Pass, Konoha and Sunagakure negotiated peace, with Shukaku becoming the central dispute. Sunagakure surrendered and the Land of Wind front ended, while Konoha shifted to a defensive strategy as the wider war settled into a tense stalemate.

• After Sunagakure sought peace, Konoha withdrew its forces from the Land of Wind into the Land of Rivers and began negotiations.
• Konoha and Sunagakure finalized peace terms that included surrender, an alliance, prisoner exchanges, and war reparations.
• Konoha insisted on keeping Shukaku for use on the battlefield, and the Third Hokage guaranteed it would return to the Land of Wind whole.
• The Hokage and the Third Kazekage signed the agreement in the Land of Rivers, officially ending the war in the Land of Wind.
• At the end of October, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Konoha's forces began returning home in batches to rest before redeployment.
• Konoha contracted its defensive lines and adopted a defensive posture as the war against Cloud and Iwagakure entered a quieter stalemate.

At the Ninja Academy, Kushina’s students speculated about who would become the Fourth Hokage, and Kakashi asked to graduate early. Kushina refused until he mastered two Chakra nature transformations, then decided to demand that the Third Hokage send her to the battlefield.

• Obito asked Kushina who she thought would become the Fourth Hokage, and the class debated their favorite candidates, including Orochimaru, Chen, Tsunade, and Kushina.
• Rin chose Tsunade, Obito supported Chen, and Kakashi said he had not decided whether to support his father or teacher.
• Obito suggested that he might become the Fourth Hokage, and the class laughed before Guy declared his support for Kushina.
• Kakashi asked Kushina to let him graduate early, but she refused because he had not completed two Chakra nature transformations assigned by Chen.
• Kushina watched Kakashi return to his seat and decided to ask the Third Hokage to let her go to the battlefield as a Jonin.

Kushina sought permission to go to the battlefield, but Tsunade refused despite the Third Hokage’s supposed approval. After Kushina won money from Tsunade in a card game, Tsunade called her back and agreed to reconsider.

• Kushina asked the Third Hokage to let her go to the battlefield, and he told her to seek Tsunade’s approval.
• Kushina went to the Senju Clan Compound and woke Tsunade, who was gambling after losing three million in two days.
• Kushina claimed she had mastered Kurama’s power and argued with Tsunade, but Tsunade refused to let her go to the battlefield.
• Kushina won the card game and started to leave, prompting Tsunade to call her back and say she would think it over.

Kushina demonstrated her strength and won permission to go to the battlefield, where Tsunade began training her to control the Nine-Tails’ power. Meanwhile, Orochimaru renegotiated his deal with Danzo and began researching the First Hokage’s cells under the supervision of a Root assistant.

• Kushina showed Tsunade her strength, and Tsunade agreed that she could go to the battlefield.
• The Third Hokage approved Kushina’s deployment, concealed it as a leave from the Ninja Academy, and assigned Tsunade to train her.
• Kushina trained earnestly with Tsunade and rapidly improved her ability to wield the Nine-Tails’ power.
• Orochimaru met Danzo’s masked messenger in Root and changed his terms, asking Danzo to obtain a Ninjutsu and collect Kekkei Genkai shinobi from other villages.
• Orochimaru agreed to research the First Hokage’s cells, and Danzo’s White-Haired Shinobi became his personal assistant.

Chen and Orochimaru met at the Konoha base on the Land of Earth front, where Chen explained Iwagakure's forces and the threat posed by Bunga and Roshi. Orochimaru returned Chen's father's Mangekyo Sharingan and mentioned his research into Hashirama's cells and the Root shinobi Otsu, leaving Chen to consider Danzo's plans and the need to secure Kagami's other eye.

• Konoha's forces pushed Iwagakure back across the Land of Earth border, and Orochimaru and Tsunade brought three thousand shinobi to reinforce the front.
• Chen told Orochimaru that Iwagakure had five thousand troops nearby and described how Bunga's caution and Roshi's coordination with the Four-Tails made them difficult opponents.
• Orochimaru warned Chen to limit his Mangekyo Sharingan use and revealed that Danzo had asked him to research the First Hokage's Cells.
• Orochimaru gave Chen his father's Mangekyo Sharingan and said he had studied the eyes' powerful Yin Release Chakra.
• Chen asked why Otsu, a Root shinobi, was accompanying Orochimaru, and Orochimaru called him interesting.

Chen received the sealed Shukaku from Orochimaru and went to the Land of Rain to make the Tailed Beast his Summoning Beast. He trapped Shukaku in a barrier and caught it in his Mangekyo Sharingan Genjutsu.

• Orochimaru gave Chen a Scroll containing Shukaku and asked whether he needed help, but Chen said he could handle the Tailed Beast himself.
• Chen left the Base for the Land of Rain and summoned Big White, who produced a Scroll containing Little Shukaku.
• Chen tried to persuade Little Shukaku to convince its main body to become his Summoning Beast, but it refused.
• Chen sealed Little Shukaku away, released the main Shukaku inside a barrier, and caught it in Mangekyo Sharingan Genjutsu.

Chen led Konoha into a decisive offensive against Iwagakure, using Shukaku to strike the enemy forces. The battle began with Shukaku crashing into the Iwa-nin, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Chen, Sakumo, Orochimaru, and Rokuun agreed to plan a decisive battle against Roshi and Bunga's forces.
• Before dawn, Chen and Konoha's other leaders prepared to attack, while Roshi led the Iwa-nin out to meet them.
• Bunga began the battle, and Sakumo led Konoha's charge against the advancing Iwagakure army.
• Chen arrived on a Summoning Hawk, leaped down, and summoned Shukaku into the Iwa-nin ranks.
• Shukaku crushed more than a hundred Iwa-nin on impact, and Chen landed on Shukaku's head.