Chapter Summaries

Utakata left to investigate the Land of Whirlpools with Tobi’s drawings for the daycare, while Tobi shut out a debt collector sent by Kakuzu. Elsewhere, Kazuma prepared an attack on Konoha, and Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade returned toward the village, believing Hiruzen had died protecting it.

• Utakata decided to visit the Land of Whirlpools and agreed to deliver Tobi’s drawings to the daycare.
• Tobi sealed the cave entrance when a debt collector from the Land of Whirlpools arrived, then denied being there.
• Kazuma prepared to destroy Konoha and planned to use the Nine-Tails to end the shinobi village era.
• Jiraiya returned toward Konoha with Orochimaru and Tsunade, mourning Hiruzen and unaware that he had only sealed a rabbit.

While Konoha was attacked during Minato’s absence, Shika Nara and the village ninja organized its defense and evacuated the villagers. Kazuma tried to seize Kuhon and summon the Nine-Tails, but Jiraiya arrived to protect her and confront the attackers.

• Shika Nara ordered the ninja to protect Konoha, safeguard Kuhon, and evacuate the villagers.
• Konoha ninja quickly took up their posts and guided residents to safety.
• A brown-haired jonin urged Kuhon to retreat with the child she held as Kazuma confronted them and declared his plan to abolish ninja villages.
• Kuhon defended Konoha and Minato’s efforts for peace, but Kazuma charged at her and called for the Nine-Tails.
• Jiraiya arrived atop a red toad, knocked Kazuma away, and prepared to fight the attackers with Kuhon.

After Konoha was invaded by the Land of Fire Daimyo's Twelve Guardian Ninja, nations and shinobi villages prepared for possible civil war while Konoha and the Daimyo's Mansion maintained a public silence. Meanwhile, the Red Alliance Nations advanced their reforms, and Xun Uzumaki looked toward a future beyond the Shinobi World as the age of steel approached.

• The Twelve Guardian Ninja invaded Konoha, but the Three Ninja returned in time and limited the damage.
• Nations and shinobi villages prepared for conflict as Konoha and the Land of Fire acted as though the invasion had not happened.
• The Red Alliance Nations held their Second Conference, proposed legal cooperation and Whirlpool Gold transactions, and established the Allied Shinobi Forces under Zimu Uzumaki.
• Hibiki Uzumaki told Xun Uzumaki that Whirlpool Gold was circulating more widely and asked whether to issue more; Xun sent the question to Kakuzu, Gato, and Finance Academy students for study.
• Xiangxi explained that Kakuzu was away after Finance Department employees found a chance to sell obsolete shinobi tools to nations stockpiling equipment.
• Xun Uzumaki asked Kakuzu to consider selling the wooden ships and airships at the docks and declared that the Land of Whirlpools must look beyond the Shinobi World as the age of steel arrived.

As Konoha faced a crisis with the Land of Fire’s daimyo, Minato weighed reforms inspired by the Land of Whirlpools while trying to avoid civil war and protect the shinobi. After rejecting Orochimaru’s proposal to replace the daimyo, Minato began to see a possible answer in the division of power between Hokage and daimyo.

• Jiraiya reassured Minato that they would find a way through Konoha’s political deadlock and promised to support his decision.
• Minato explained that the daimyo’s attack on Konoha and attempt to release the Nine-Tails had made him unwilling to surrender the village to the Daimyo’s Mansion.
• Jiraiya warned Minato that reforming Konoha could cost many lives, and Minato acknowledged that change would likely bring bloodshed.
• Orochimaru proposed replacing the daimyo with someone who supported Konoha, but Minato rejected the idea as dangerous and unsustainable.
• Minato considered the division of power between the Hokage and the daimyo and thought he might have found the answer he needed.

Utakata struggled with poverty after spending his savings in the Land of Whirlpools, while finding acceptance among its people and deciding to sell his Chakra. At a hotpot restaurant, Han asked Roshi for money to fund a business, and Roshi offered to teach him how he had earned his first fortune.

• Utakata recalled how the Whirlpool Police had recognized his legal status as a Jinchuriki and protected him during his early troubles.
• Utakata realized he had nearly run out of money after buying food and treats for Three-Tails and Four-Tails, and he decided he needed to find work.
• Utakata planned to visit a daycare center to ask about teaching, then entered a Chakra Center to sell his Chakra for Whirlpool Gold.
• Han asked Roshi to lend him money for a business plan, but Roshi said he was in debt and could not lend him any.
• Roshi offered to teach Han the secret method he had used to earn his first pot of gold.

On New Year's Eve, Xun Uzumaki brought his family to the Land of Whirlpools' gala, where they found Tobi eating a roast chicken. Meanwhile, Utakata headed to the event and met a red-armored man who shared his thoughts about selling tailed-beast chakra.

• Xun Uzumaki and Mikoto prepared for the gala with Itachi and the children, while Xun reflected on Madara's death and his family's ties to Konoha.
• Xun brought Kushina, Itachi, and the babies to their usual seats at the gala, where they found Tobi wolfing down a roast chicken.
• Utakata walked toward the gala after considering the Land of Whirlpools' residency requirements and finding that selling Six-Tails' chakra was not a viable business.
• Utakata and a red-armored man realized they had both wondered how Four-Tails had agreed to sell so much chakra, then greeted each other.

Utakata and Han bonded over their struggles to get by in the Land of Whirlpools, which they both felt had welcomed them despite being Jinchuriki. At the festival, Tobi revealed that debt had brought him back, and Xun Uzumaki told him that Madara had wanted him to return if he was unhappy.

• Utakata recognized Han, and the two agreed not to fight in the Land of Whirlpools, then shared snacks while waiting for the performance.
• Utakata and Han reflected on how safe and accepted they felt in the Land of Whirlpools, and the festival began with fireworks.
• Tobi told Xun Uzumaki that he had returned because he still owed money on a mortgage, then greeted the red-haired child beside him as Itachi.
• Xun Uzumaki said Madara had asked about Tobi and told him to bring Tobi back if he was unhappy.
• Tobi stopped eating at Madara's message, then offered flatbread to the child and recalled that Madara had loved it.

Xun Uzumaki watched the evening party and reflected on how entertainment in the Shinobi World was shaped by clan traditions and popular revenge stories. After the performance ended, he considered how cultural development could gradually introduce new forms of entertainment without losing the knowledge needed to create them.

• Xun Uzumaki watched the clan dances and songs, noting that shinobi entertainment mostly followed clan traditions and familiar revenge plots.
• Xun Uzumaki asked Mikoto why the performers were from the Uchiha Clan and the Yuki Clan, and Mikoto explained that both clans were popular on television and in films.
• Utakata questioned the Yuki Clan's presence in the Land of Whirlpools, while Han told him to stop worrying and tried to eat his snacks.
• Utakata and Han argued over snacks and loans as they joked about opening their own businesses.
• After the final fireworks and bell, Xun Uzumaki praised the party and reflected on developing entertainment gradually while preserving the knowledge behind it.

Xun Uzumaki outlined the Land of Whirlpools’ plans and anticipated Minato’s efforts to reshape the Land of Fire. Jiraiya and Orochimaru praised Minato after reading the system he had proposed for Konoha.

• The Land of Whirlpools resumed work and considered moving factories and its capital to the former Land of Hot Water, while starting preparations for a lunar space station.
• Xun Uzumaki considered how to gather the remaining Tailed Beast chakra needed to free Kaguya and wondered whether Qianmu Zi’s soul still remained.
• Xun Uzumaki learned that Minato was preparing to change Konoha and the Land of Fire, and looked forward to seeing whether his plan would succeed.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru read Minato’s proposal and praised his new system for addressing the Five Great Shinobi Villages’ predicament.
• Orochimaru teased Jiraiya about Minato’s training, and Jiraiya claimed credit for Minato’s achievements as his teacher.

Tobi returned to teaching art and met Utakata, who had come to interview for a music-teacher position. Meanwhile, Yahiko told Nagato he would return to the Land of Rain the next day, and Nagato mentioned that Teacher Tobi was back.

• Tobi warned his students to behave, then met Utakata at the school gate and revealed his identity after undoing his Transformation Jutsu.
• Utakata explained that he had come to interview for a music-teacher position, and Tobi agreed to take him to the interview room.
• Tobi asked Utakata about the paintings he had given him, and Utakata admitted they were still at home.
• Yahiko told Nagato he planned to return to the Land of Rain the next day after bringing a group of children to study.
• Nagato told Yahiko that Teacher Tobi had returned and asked whether he wanted to see him.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan visited the academy and reunited with Teacher Tobi, who had returned to teach. Tobi invited them to see his new drawings, still convinced his students would be impressed by his art.

• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan joked that Tobi had returned because he could not find work and learned that White Paper had grown too fat to carry easily.
• Yahiko asked what Nagato and Konan planned to do, but left his meaning unexplained and told Nagato to contact him when he figured it out.
• The three reunited with Tobi, who invited Nagato to resume drawing lessons, but Nagato declined because the classes made him sleepy.
• Tobi introduced Utakata, the academy's new music teacher, to Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, and Utakata soon left.
• Tobi invited the three to the classroom to see his new drawings, expecting them to beg to study art with him.

Konoha began a revolution against the Land of Fire Daimyo's Mansion, prompting the nations and nobles to prepare for conflict. As panic drove demand for wartime supplies, Kakuzu rushed to expand the Land of Whirlpools' production and sell more equipment.

• Minato Namikaze led Konoha's ninja in a show of force against the Daimyo's Mansion, aiming to change the Land of Fire rather than destroy its ruling family.
• The Daimyo's Mansion sought aid from neighboring nations and Shimura Danzō, but the four great nations refused while nobles gathered forces to defend themselves.
• The panicked nations bought food and ninja tools, and Kakuzu urged his assistant to expand production and ship supplies from the Land of Whirlpools to the Land of Hot Water.
• Kakuzu told his assistant to reassure the Five Great Shinobi Villages about the Infinity Gauntlets and to offer them more equipment, including airships.

The Land of Water’s daimyo planned to destroy Kirigakure and recruited the Kaguya Clan, but Mei Terumi had already become the Fifth Mizukage and moved to contain the clan’s rebellion. Shimura Danzō then confronted Minato Namikaze, demanding that he fulfill his promise.

• The Land of Water’s daimyo approved the Kaguya Clan’s demand for a town and prepared to attack Kirigakure, but learned that Kirigakure had already chosen the Fifth Mizukage.
• Mei Terumi ordered the Kaguya rebellion’s ringleaders imprisoned and the rest of the clan confined while she awaited judgment.
• Shimura Danzō ordered his Root ninja to cooperate with the Daimyo’s Mansion and threatened anyone who questioned him.
• Shimura Danzō met Minato Namikaze and said he had fulfilled his promise, then demanded that Minato keep his own.

Minato Namikaze ended the Land of Fire’s civil war by agreeing with the daimyo on a constitution that made him prime minister, then began rebuilding the nation through factories, research, and schools. As Konoha struggled to sell its products and the treasury dwindled, Minato considered joining the Ninja Trade Organization and awaited news about Danzo.

• Minato Namikaze and the daimyo promulgated the Constitution of the Land of Fire, establishing a parliament and cabinet and appointing Minato as the first prime minister.
• The bloodless Will of Fire Revolution ended, and Minato sent ninja to build factories, restore production, establish a research institute, and create schools across the Land of Fire.
• The Land of Fire’s economy revived, but its treasury steadily shrank as its goods struggled to compete with products from the Land of Whirlpools.
• Minato discussed lowering prices with Shikaku Nara, who warned that further cuts would make expenses exceed income and suggested joining the Ninja Trade Organization.
• Minato asked Shikaku to present the proposal at a cabinet meeting and monitor other major nations, while Shikaku hesitated before bringing up Danzo.

Minato Namikaze publicly defended Shimura Danzō and the Third Hokage, while Xun Uzumaki decided to expand the Ninja Trade Organization and prepare the Land of Whirlpools for reforms spreading across the Shinobi World. The other Four Great Ninja Villages then launched revolutions against their Daimyo's Mansions, which rejected their demands.

• Minato Namikaze announced that Shimura Danzō had been wrongly accused and praised the Third Hokage and Danzō's contributions to Konoha.
• Konoha's villagers accepted Minato Namikaze's defense of the Third Hokage and felt ashamed for believing foreign rumors.
• Hibiki Uzumaki told Xun Uzumaki that the Land of Fire wanted to join the Ninja Trade Organization, and Xun agreed while inviting other countries and the Four Great Ninja Villages to join as well.
• Xun Uzumaki ordered more funding for education and research, told Hibiki to urge Hiruko and Qian Luo to compete with Orochimaru, and directed Kakuzu to sell everything quickly.
• The other Four Great Ninja Villages declared revolutions against their Daimyo's Mansions, but all five Daimyo's Mansions rejected them.

Countries across the Shinobi World struggled with reforms as daimyo bought weapons from the Land of Whirlpools and ninja villages faced growing pressure to negotiate or change. The chapter left the Four Great Ninja Villages divided, with some seeking peaceful compromise while Sunagakure’s Fourth Kazekage brooded over the One-Tail and his newborn child.

• The daimyo’s mansions armed themselves with weapons from the Land of Whirlpools while screening new ninja recruits for spies and defectors.
• Countries pursued different reforms, including Daimyo Constitutionalism, while ninja academies and volunteer teaching spread among the common people.
• The Land of Whirlpools praised the volunteer teachers as New Ninja, and rival countries used newspapers to criticize the ninja villages and weaken support for war.
• The Third Tsuchikage and Fifth Mizukage opened talks with their daimyo, though their meetings mostly ended without agreement.
• The Fourth Kazekage rejected compromise with the Land of Wind’s daimyo and eyed the One-Tail’s sealing jar and his newborn red-haired child.

Xun Uzumaki directed the Land of Whirlpools’ response to refugees and foreign demand for its military technology while planning to expand its Chakra Center network. He left still researching how to undo the lunar seal without harming Kaguya.

• Xun Uzumaki learned that refugees were crossing the border and ordered them sent to the Land of Whirlpools Subcontinent for labor, with education required.
• Xiangxi told Xun Uzumaki that the four major countries wanted to buy the First Generation Model, and Xun ordered Kakuzu to sell the mech and its technology.
• Xun Uzumaki considered the Land of Whirlpools’ plans to profit from older technology while Qian Luo and Hiruko developed a second-generation mech.
• Xun Uzumaki, unable to find a safe way to undo the lunar seal, ordered the Chakra Center to establish branches in every country and shinobi village.

Mei Terumi planned to dissolve Kirigakure’s opposition to the Land of Water’s reforms and seek protection from the Land of Whirlpools by offering it the Three-Tails. In Iwagakure, elders rejected the daimyo’s demands and considered adopting Minato Namikaze’s system instead.

• Mei Terumi told an Anbu ninja that Kirigakure could no longer afford to resist the Land of Water’s reforms after its losses in recent wars.
• Mei Terumi proposed trading the Three-Tails for the Land of Whirlpools’ protection and formally recognizing its ownership of the beast.
• Mei Terumi planned to let unwilling Kirigakure ninja remain in the Land of Water while the rest left under the village’s official arrangements.
• An Iwagakure elder rejected the daimyo’s demands to control ninja, disband the Elder Council, and obtain the clans’ secret techniques.
• An Iwagakure elder urged the Tsuchikage to adopt Minato Namikaze’s rules, arguing that renaming the shinobi village could grant them greater authority.

The Fifth Mizukage transferred ownership of the Three-Tails and led Kirigakure to join the Land of Whirlpools, shocking the Shinobi World. Xun Uzumaki welcomed Kirigakure’s shinobi, rejected Iwagakure’s offer, and judged that the war was nearing its end.

• The Fifth Mizukage publicly declared the Three-Tails the property of the Land of Whirlpools and announced Kirigakure’s formal entry into it.
• The other nations’ daimyo mansions condemned Kirigakure’s decision while continuing their conflict with the shinobi villages.
• Iwagakure secretly asked the Land of Whirlpools to return its prisoners in exchange for recognizing its ownership of the Four-Tails, but Xun Uzumaki refused.
• Hibiki Uzumaki told Xun that Kirigakure’s shinobi had been settled in the Land of Whirlpools and given work, homes, and ideological instructors.
• Xun welcomed Kirigakure’s shinobi as a boost to construction and concluded that the war was almost over and the shinobi era remained dominant.

Migrant workers in the Land of Whirlpools discussed how their lives had improved, while Mei Terumi explained to a young Kirigakure jonin that the Land of Whirlpools had abolished ninja missions. The young jonin wanted to join the Whirlpool Army, but Mei said they would not pass its political review yet.

• Two migrant workers praised the Land of Whirlpools for giving their families better livelihoods, though they still lacked citizenship and could not afford a house.
• A young jonin complained to Mei Terumi that a weaker Genin had become his superior and asked to return to ninja missions.
• Mei explained that the Land of Whirlpools had abolished the ninja profession and that former ninja now worked regular jobs.
• The young jonin asked to join the Whirlpool Army, but Mei said he and the other recent arrivals would not pass its political review.