Chapter Summaries

Konoha's leaders voted against aiding Whirlpool Country, but Mimi challenged the Third Hokage for refusing to help their ally. She called him a Cowardly Ninja and left the meeting room tense as the Third Hokage invited her to continue.

• The Third Hokage and the village leaders discussed the dangers of aiding Whirlpool Country, and Danzo argued that Konoha should stay out of the conflict.
• The Third Hokage called for a vote, and no one raised a hand in favor of providing aid.
• Mimi stopped the Third Hokage from ending the meeting and praised his reputation before calling him a Cowardly Ninja.
• Danzo yelled at Mimi for disrespecting the Third Hokage, but Mimi silenced him and ordered him to sit properly.
• The Third Hokage smoothed things over and told Mimi to continue.

Mimi challenged the Third Hokage over Konoha's willingness to abandon the Uzumaki clan, arguing that its compromises betrayed its allies and values. Tsunade declared that she would rescue the Uzumaki, and the meeting turned to planning the mission.

• Mimi pressed the Third Hokage to give his own position, and he said Konoha was powerless to help the Whirlpool Country.
• Mimi confronted Koharu and warned that the Aburame clan could leave Konoha if the village treated it as insignificant while abandoning the Uzumaki.
• Mimi accused the Third Hokage of cowardice and condemned the idea of sacrificing people for peace, challenging him to give up the Hokage position if he could not act.
• The Third Hokage argued that compromise was necessary to protect the village, while Mimi challenged his claims about comrades and the Will of Fire and criticized Danzo.
• Tsunade stood up and vowed to rescue the Uzumaki, prompting other ninja to volunteer and Chiri to offer the Uchiha clan's help.
• The Third Hokage resumed the meeting and began discussing the specifics of the rescue while noting the need to maintain Konoha's defenses.

The Third Hokage struggled to appoint a leader for the Whirlpool Country rescue mission, but Mimi refused the role and Orochimaru agreed to lead instead. Mimi revealed that multiple nations were massing forces to attack the Whirlpool Country, leaving Konoha facing a far larger threat than expected.

• The Third Hokage ordered Mimi to lead the mission after no one else volunteered, but she refused and rejected his offer to restore her Ninja Status and promote her to Jonin.
• Danzo began to volunteer, but Mimi's intense killing intent stopped him; Orochimaru then offered to help Tsunade and was appointed mission leader.
• The Third Hokage reported that Kirigakure had assembled at least five thousand ninja and warned that the Wind Country and Land of Lightning were also targeting the Whirlpool Country.
• Mimi estimated that the Land of Lightning had sent nearly nine thousand troops under the Third Raikage and said the Sand Hidden Village had three thousand troops stationed in the River Country, preparing to board ships.

The Third Hokage weighed Konoha’s limited ability to defend Whirlpool Country and ordered a small force under Orochimaru to reinforce it. Mimi urged him to cripple the Land of Wind before it could join the conflict, but he rejected her proposal and sent the troops to depart that night.

• The Third Hokage assessed the danger of Konoha fighting several countries at once and set a limit of three thousand troops for the Whirlpool Country deployment.
• The Third Hokage ordered Orochimaru to cooperate with Whirlpool Country’s ninja and withdraw if the defense became impossible.
• Mimi proposed attacking the Land of Wind to weaken one enemy before the wider conflict began.
• The Third Hokage rejected Mimi’s plan, citing the risks, Sand Hidden Village’s elites, and the Land of Wind’s size and supply demands.
• The Third Hokage appointed Orochimaru front commander and ordered all departments to prepare to depart that night.

Konoha’s forces reached the Whirlpool Country, where Orochimaru learned the village was poorly defended and unlikely to hold. The Uzumaki Village Chief agreed to evacuate civilians to the Land of Fire, and Yui presented Mimi’s Star Fort plan for the defense.

• At midnight, Konoha’s assembled force set out for the Whirlpool Country while Mimi arranged for the Senju, Uchiha, and Aburame clans to prepare for a risky plan.
• Tsunade agreed to keep the Third Hokage from noticing anything unusual as Mimi prepared the clans and insect swarm to act if an opening appeared.
• By evening, Orochimaru led three thousand Konoha Ninjas safely to Uzushio Village and warned the Uzumaki Village Chief that Konoha might have to withdraw if the village could not be held.
• The Uzumaki Village Chief agreed to send the civilians to the Land of Fire and resolved that the Uzumaki clan would defend the village rather than flee.
• Yui presented a blueprint for a Star Fort, and Orochimaru agreed to have Konoha’s Earth Release users build it with the Uzumaki clan assisting with Barrier Techniques.

As Whirlpool Country began evacuating civilians to Konoha, Mimi helped prepare Uzushio Village for Kirigakure’s approaching forces. Three days later, Kirigakure reached the coast, and Madara and Mimi recognized that the Second Ninja World War had begun.

• Kushina and her mother joined the nighttime evacuation queue for Konoha while Kushina’s father stayed behind to fight.
• Mimi and the Senju Clan’s ninja built massive stone fortifications, adding barriers, traps, a moat, and specialized Insects to defend the village.
• Kirigakure’s forces reached the coastline three days later and established a camp while scouts surveyed the area.
• Mimi sensed that the fighting had begun, and Madara confirmed it from a hidden cave.

Orochimaru’s fire trap forced Kirigakure’s first assault to retreat and bought time to evacuate the people of the Whirlpool Country. As forces from the Land of Lightning and Land of Wind arrived to encircle the country, villages across the Shinobi World began preparing to join the conflict or exploit it.

• Orochimaru’s chain of Exploding Tag traps and oil-spitting snakes set the forest ablaze, forcing Genji to order Kirigakure’s shinobi to retreat.
• Genji and his commanders discussed Konoha’s strength, the absent Insect Princess, and waiting to see who led Konoha’s forces.
• Orochimaru used his snakes to observe Kirigakure’s movements and left the city wall, while rogue shinobi spread battlefield reports through the underground Gold Exchange.
• As the forest burned for three days, Konoha’s supplies arrived by sea and the people of the Whirlpool Country continued evacuating by ship and underground passage.
• The forces of the Land of Lightning and the Land of Wind arrived, surrounding the Whirlpool Country alongside the Land of Water.
• Ōnoki, Hanzo, Kusagakure, the Sky Ninja, Yugakure, and other villages began preparing to fight, profit from, or avoid the coming war.

The Third Raikage led the Cloud forces toward Uzushio Village Star Fort, while Kirigakure and Sand Hidden Village advanced by separate routes. The Cloud charge reached the fortress and triggered its first explosive defenses, but the Third Raikage’s forces kept moving.

• The Third Raikage ordered the Cloud forces to advance through a burning field, using Lightning Release to leap across it.
• Genji received reconnaissance intelligence about the Cloud forces and ordered Kirigakure to move out inside a giant water sphere.
• The Sand Hidden Village forces advanced south through a route cleared by the fire.
• Orochimaru watched from the walls of Uzushio Village Star Fort as the Cloud forces arrived, and the Third Raikage ordered his men to charge.
• The Cloud Ninjas threw back the fortress’s Kunai barrage, then Exploding Tags detonated among them, but they continued their advance.

The Star Fort’s traps and coordinated attacks devastated the advancing Cloud Ninja, forcing them to struggle through a trench filled with explosive spiders and a wall that drained Chakra. The survivors groped for a way forward under constant fire, learning how the unfamiliar battlefield worked through their losses.

• Exploding Kunai split the Cloud Ninja formation, and troops who entered the trench were ambushed by Spring Thunder Cannons that exploded into shrapnel.
• Cloud Ninja who leaped across the trench ran along its wall, where Mimi’s Chakra-absorbing speed bump made one fighter fall into flames and crash into the pit.
• Orochimaru watched the Star Fort’s defenses and noted that large-scale Earth Release and long-range heavy firepower could defeat the tactic.
• Konoha Ninja attacked from protected positions while a veteran explained to a rookie that ordinary Shinobi Wars usually involved exposed, close-range combat.
• The Cloud Ninja struggled to advance through the trapped trench as Kunai and Fire Release continued to rain down on them.

The Hidden Cloud ninjas tried several ways to cross Mimi’s deadly minefield, but the living Earth Spiders thwarted each attempt. The survivors were left horrified after a Lotus Seedpod spider massacred the ninjas crossing on a cable.

• The Hidden Cloud Jonin ordered ninjas to scout a path through the minefield, and explosions killed several before they made only slight progress.
• The Jonin tried having ninjas jump between cleared landing points, but Peach Blossom spiders appeared at supposedly safe spots and killed them.
• A ninja suggested stringing steel wire across the trench, and the Hidden Cloud ninjas formed a cableway that initially let them cross safely.
• When ninjas reached the middle of the minefield on the cable, a Lotus Seedpod spider fired a deadly spread of pellets and killed them all.
• The surviving Hidden Cloud ninjas panicked at the carnage and cried that they wanted to go home.

Hidden Cloud Ninjas tried several ways to cross Mimi’s insect minefield before Captain Rui charged through it with Lightning Armor. He reached the halfway point with minor injuries, while his troops’ morale lifted at the sight of a possible route forward.

• The Cloud Ninjas’ Lightning Release failed to reach the underground Spring Thunder Cannons, and their Lightning Clones crossed the minefield without triggering them.
• Orochimaru directed the battle from Uzushio Village’s command center while Yui watched the Cloud Ninjas’ movements.
• A Cloud Ninja blended in with a group of clones, but Mimi’s insects detected his fear pheromones and a Little Cutie exploded beside him.
• Captain Rui activated Lightning Armor and sprinted through the minefield, evading most blasts and surviving with minor injuries.
• The Cloud Ninjas cheered as Rui reached the halfway point, though he knew the danger was still close behind.

Mimi’s minefield devastated the Hidden Cloud’s first charge and stopped its advance, while the Third Raikage watched the attack fail and grew impatient. The battle settled into a stalemate as Cloud Ninja sought cover and returned fire against the Star Fort.

• The Cloud Ninja squad leader crossed an initial stretch of the minefield, and Mimi’s Spring Thunder Cannons detonated when the charging force triggered them.
• The Cloud Ninja used clones and pressed onward through the explosions, suffering heavy casualties as they reached the middle of the minefield.
• The squad leader’s troops struck Lotus Pod mines with Kunai, then Sunflower explosions blinded and stunned the attackers before Lotus Pod seed pellets cut them down.
• The wounded Cloud Ninja crawled back, and the Hidden Cloud’s first attempted charge failed to break through the minefield.
• The Cloud Ninja retaliated against the Star Fort from the trench walls and raised earthen cover on the slope, while the Third Raikage grew grim and impatient.

Kirigakure and the Sand Hidden Village launched coordinated assaults on Konoha’s defenses at Star Fort, testing the walls with several tactics. Kirigakure’s attack reached the walls under cover of fog, and its commander ordered the Hidden Mist dispelled before a full assault.

• Genji approved a Kirigakure attack after a Terumi Clan ninja claimed he could break Konoha’s tactics, while the Sand Hidden Village advanced behind five metal blocks.
• Kirigakure flooded the trenches with a combined Water Release, but Konoha’s drainage channels carried the water away.
• Kirigakure sent an underground squad toward Star Fort, but a Red Eye ninja reported that underground insects had wiped it out.
• Kirigakure asked Snow Princess to help build ice bridges, which its forces extended across the trenches toward the walls.
• Kirigakure charged across the bridges as Konoha’s Uchiha unleashed Fire Release and other defenders attacked through the fog, suffering heavy losses on both sides.
• After a Red Eye ninja warned that Kirigakure’s losses were severe, its commander ordered the Hidden Mist dispersed and a full assault launched.

Kirigakure’s assault on Uzushio Village reached the Star Fort’s walls, where Konoha’s defenses trapped the attackers behind a Barrier and forced them into deadly passages. The battle continued with heavy casualties on both sides as the Uzumaki clan held the Barrier and Konoha’s fighters resisted within the walls.

• A Kaguya Clan ninja reached the Star Fort’s walls, but the Uzumaki clan raised the Four Red Yang Formation and blocked Kirigakure from entering the city.
• Kirigakure’s commander ordered his troops to dig through the walls, and the attackers found passages where Konoha defenders ambushed them in cramped corridors.
• Kirigakure’s Red Eye ninjas disrupted the Hyuga Clan’s sensing, so the Hyuga handed that duty to the Yamanaka Clan and joined the fighting.
• Konoha and Kirigakure ninjas fought through the passages with Ninjutsu, traps, illusions, shadow techniques, and Ninja Dogs, suffering casualties on both sides.
• Kirigakure’s attacks failed to damage the Barrier, while the Uzumaki clan maintained it and prepared to hold out for at least a day.

Sand Hidden Village and Cloud Hidden broke into the city by different means, setting up battles against Yui’s forces and Konoha’s defenders. As Third Raikage led his troops through the wall, Orochimaru left the command post to face him.

• Future Third Kazekage ordered Sand Hidden Village to attack and used an Iron Sand Serpent to carry his troops underground into the city.
• Orochimaru sent Yui and reserve forces to confront the Sand Hidden Village troops, while Yui claimed to be Aburame Insect Princess and revealed her insect armor and three hundred Autumn Tiger Elephant.
• Future Third Kazekage and Yui’s forces prepared to clash as the Sand Hidden Village ninjas drew their weapons.
• Third Raikage used Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Hell Stab: Four-Finger Spear to smash a hole through the wall, then led Cloud Hidden into the city.
• Orochimaru rose from the command post to stop Third Raikage.

Orochimaru confronted the Third Raikage after he broke into the city, revealing an eerie rebirth technique and her Eight-Branched White Snake Mode. She launched a Sage Art attack at the Raikage, and the battle began.

• The Third Raikage realized the breach was closing and that fewer than a hundred Hidden Cloud ninjas had entered the city with him.
• Orochimaru faced the Third Raikage alone, revealed her identity, and traded insults with him.
• The Third Raikage pierced Orochimaru’s chest, but she stood back up and taunted him.
• Orochimaru’s rebirth technique let her emerge from her old body in a new one, while the Third Raikage watched in shock.
• Orochimaru entered Eight-Branched White Snake Mode and fired her Sage Art: Eight-Headed Shot Kill Heat Breath at the Third Raikage.

Mimi developed the Swarm Network’s weapons and prepared a sonic cannon tactic against Magnet Release, while Yui led the candidate Third Kazekage’s Iron Sand Serpent away from the battlefield. The cannon formation began deploying as Yui used Sound Release to counter the Iron Sand.

• Mimi considered Orochimaru’s soul research and prepared for the possibility of uploading her consciousness, especially if Hitomi’s illness became irreversible.
• Mimi assessed the Spring Thunder Cannon models and favored a biological sonic cannon that would not require costly Chakra transmission.
• The candidate Third Kazekage attacked with poisoned Iron Sand spikes, and Yui warned the ninjas to avoid them before drawing the serpent away.
• Yui recalled Mimi’s plan to demagnetize Iron Sand through vibration and sent a small spider underground as the cannon formation deployed.

The Kamizuru Clan’s leader, Manki, weighed the clan’s dwindling resources and internal unrest as its vanguard reached Konoha’s border. Faced with the clan’s survival or destruction, she ordered an attack on Konoha.

• The Kamizuru Clan crossed into Konoha’s border region and set up its hives, sending bees to scout the area.
• Manki’s clan struggled to sustain its massive bee colonies amid Hidden Rock Village’s scarce resources and envied Konoha’s fertile land.
• Manki considered the clan’s poverty, strict hierarchy, and growing discontent among its men, while questioning whether its traditions were right.
• Manki’s younger brother asked whether they should attack Konoha, and she ordered the Kamizuru Clan to attack.

Mimi discovered that the Kamizuru Clan’s Ninja Bees had infiltrated Konoha and studied their deadly stingers and royal-jelly-fueled growth. As the swarm prepared to establish itself near Konoha, Mimi noticed Hidden Rock had gathered about ten thousand troops earlier than expected and wondered who had emboldened Ōnoki.

• The Kamizuru Clan’s Ninja Bees bypassed Konoha’s border outposts and advanced into its hinterlands, while Mimi’s Eve Swarm detected them.
• Mimi examined the Ninja Bees and learned that they fired regenerating, poisonous stingers and depended on royal jelly for their exceptional growth.
• Mimi chose not to interfere with the swarm, while the Aburame clan remained silent after an order was passed down.
• The Ninja Bees established temporary hives near Konoha, and Mimi’s scouts found that unlimited royal jelly turned larvae into Soldier Bees; Mimi took some to analyze.
• Mimi discovered that roughly ten thousand Hidden Rock troops had gathered in the Earth Country earlier than expected and questioned why Ōnoki had committed so soon.

Manki continued the Kamizuru Clan’s mission despite the spread of Konoha Disease, while Hanzo led his force to attack Takigakure and begin the Ninja World War. In Wind Country, the Sky Ninja intercepted a caravan, and the old Queen ordered the people to abandon resistance and help some escape.

• Manki learned that Konoha Disease was killing bees and a Kamizuru ninja, but ordered the clan to move the hive and keep the battle plan unchanged.
• Hanzo led Kakuzu, Fuma Kotaro, and his other forces through Grass Country to Takigakure, where they prepared to begin the Ninja World War.
• Hanzo told Zetsu to leave, and Kakuzu, Fuma Kotaro, and Hanzo’s pale-haired subordinate agreed to cooperate in the attack.
• A vast Sky Ninja fleet and Angkor Fortress appeared off the coast of Wind Country and descended on a caravan of desert nomads.
• The old Queen ordered the caravan to abandon resistance and use the desert to help children and others escape.