Chapter Summaries

After Hagoromo and Kushina disabled Shukaku, Granny Chiyo abandoned Sunagakure’s original plan and ordered the Sand Ninja to retrieve the tailed beast and attack Kushina. Konoha’s reinforcements turned the battle’s momentum, but the Sand Ninja chose to commit everything to the assault as Tsunade called for the sealing squad to target Shukaku.

• Kushina restrained Shukaku with her Adamantine Sealing Chains, allowing Hagoromo to beat the immobilized tailed beast.
• Granny Chiyo ordered the Sand Ninja to retrieve Shukaku and eliminate Kushina, their new priority target.
• Konoha’s returning ninja struck the Sand Ninja from behind as they charged Kushina, reversing the casualty exchange.
• Granny Chiyo committed Sunagakure to an all-out attack, while Tsunade ordered the sealing squad to act against Shukaku.

Konoha and the Sand Ninja fought over their tailed beasts, but Ebizo retrieved Shukaku and withdrew. With Kushina still surrounded and the Sand Ninja growing more reckless, Hagoromo urged her to escape, though they had no clear way through the encirclement.

• Tsunade diverted the Sand Ninja's attention while Konoha's Sealing Squad moved to capture Shukaku.
• Chiyo ordered Ebizo to retrieve Shukaku and withdraw, while she stayed behind to fight Tsunade.
• Ebizo and twelve Sand Ninja resealed Shukaku in a sand jar, and Ebizo carried it off the battlefield.
• Konoha ninja pursued Ebizo, but the chapter noted that he could handle the pursuing force himself.
• Hagoromo told Kushina that Shukaku was gone and suggested they flee as the Sand Ninja intensified their attacks.
• Kushina pointed out that the Sand Ninja had surrounded them, leaving their escape uncertain.

Wounded and losing blood, Hagoromo convinced Kushina to escape the Sand Ninja encirclement using his experimental Reverse Summoning Technique. The technique separated them, leaving Hagoromo alone in an unknown space as he treated his wounds.

• Hagoromo told Kushina they needed to flee because his injuries and blood loss made it unsafe to keep fighting.
• Hagoromo proposed using an improved Reverse Summoning Technique to escape with Kushina, though he had never tested it.
• Hagoromo completed the technique and grabbed Kushina, causing both of them to vanish from the battlefield.
• Hagoromo awoke alone in an unknown space and treated his wounds, believing the area was safe.

After the Reverse Summoning Technique stranded Hagoromo in a barren place, he fought a three-headed dog and fled. Back on the battlefield, Tsunade ordered a retreat from pursuit and sent word of Kushina’s disappearance to the Third Hokage so Minato could be contacted.

• Hagoromo recovered enough to leave his wounds bandaged and searched the barren mountain for people or a route back to Konoha.
• A hostile three-headed dog appeared, and Hagoromo’s Fire Release failed to harm it, forcing him to run while counterattacking with his limited chakra.
• Konoha’s reinforcements drove the Sand Ninja into retreat, while Kushina and Hagoromo remained missing.
• Tsunade refused to pursue the Sand Ninja and ordered Shikaku to find and treat the wounded, then report Kushina’s disappearance to the Third Hokage and contact Minato Namikaze.

Minato rushed to the Land of Rain after learning Kushina had vanished from the battlefield and found her safe in a strange space. Kushina refused to return to Konoha without finding the missing Hagoromo, so Minato reported her safety and returned to search with her.

• The Third Hokage ordered Minato to find Kushina in the Land of Wind and bring her back to Konoha.
• Minato reached Tsunade's command center, learned how Hagoromo had teleported Kushina away, and sensed the Flying Thunder God formula he had left on her.
• Minato teleported to the Land of Rain and found Kushina unharmed, but she said she could not find Hagoromo and worried that he was injured.
• Kushina refused Minato's offer to send her back to Konoha without Hagoromo, so Minato went to report her safety to Tsunade.
• Minato returned within minutes, and Kushina complained that he had taken too long.

Minato and Kushina searched for Hagoromo in an unfamiliar dimension, then recruited a Hyuga ninja to track his chakra. They followed signs of a recent battle and finally found Hagoromo’s trail leading onward.

• Kushina questioned Minato about when he had placed a Flying Thunder God formula on her, and Minato claimed he had done so at their last meeting for her protection.
• After three days without finding Hagoromo, Minato realized they could ask a Hyuga ninja to help search.
• The Hyuga ninja used his Byakugan to detect residual chakra forty kilometers to the southeast.
• Minato and Kushina identified the chakra as Hagoromo’s and examined traces of his battle with an unknown opponent.
• The three followed the battle marks for several hours until the Hyuga ninja announced that they had found him.

Kushina and Minato found Hagoromo fighting a pack of powerful beasts, only to discover he had been trying to capture them as Summoning Beasts. They joined the battle as Hagoromo warned Minato to keep the Splitting Dog alive and herd its six forms together.

• Kushina sensed Hagoromo's Chakra, and she and Minato raced ahead of the Hyuga ninja to find him.
• Minato assessed the battle as Hagoromo commanded three beasts against six Splitting Dogs from atop the Yata Crow.
• Kushina realized Hagoromo had been capturing the beasts instead of trying to return to Konoha and angrily told Minato to help him.
• Hagoromo explained that the Splitting Dog divided into six forms and asked Minato not to kill it, to gather the dogs together, and to see whether they could merge again.

Hagoromo and Minato trapped the Splitting Dog, allowing Hagoromo to bind it as a Summoning Beast. After Hagoromo laughed despite his injuries, Kushina hit him, and he fainted.

• Minato stacked the Splitting Dogs and used Gamabunta to pin them down until they merged into one creature.
• Hagoromo sealed a Summoning Contract into the Splitting Dog, which became docile and obeyed his commands.
• Minato released Gamabunta and asked Hagoromo if his injuries were all right.
• Hagoromo thanked Minato, dismissed his injuries, and laughed with joy over his new Summoning Beast.
• Kushina struck Hagoromo on the head, and he rolled his eyes and fainted.

After Kushina knocked Hagoromo unconscious while escaping the Summoning Beasts, Minato brought him back to the Konoha frontline hospital, where he woke three days later. Rin explained what had happened and revealed that people were calling him the White Yaksha.

• After Hagoromo passed out, his Summoning Beasts attacked Minato, Kushina, and the others, so Minato fled with Hagoromo and the group.
• Hagoromo woke in the Konoha frontline hospital with Rin watching over him and Kakashi reading nearby.
• Rin told Hagoromo that Minato had brought him back three days earlier and that Kushina had returned safely to Konoha.
• Hagoromo recalled Kushina punching him unconscious, and Rin awkwardly maintained that he had passed out from blood loss and Chakra depletion.
• Rin told Hagoromo that people were calling him the White Yaksha because of his blood-stained white hair and his charge across the battlefield.

Rin explained how Hagoromo had become known as the White Yaksha and one of Konoha’s three young geniuses, while he worried that the reputation would make him a target. She also described the heavy losses on both sides, and Kakashi revealed that the Third Hokage was bringing Konoha’s final mobile force to launch an all-out strike against Sunagakure.

• Rin introduced Uchiha Shisui as Body Flicker Shisui, Kakashi Hatake as the White Fang’s son, and Kamishiro Hagoromo as the White Yaksha who defeated Shukaku.
• Hagoromo feared that Konoha’s praise would spread through enemy villages and put him on their kill-on-sight lists.
• Rin reported that the Sand Ninja had suffered over two thousand casualties, while Konoha had also taken severe losses and lost much of its logistics support.
• Hagoromo concluded that Konoha could not launch a surprise attack while the front remained deadlocked.
• Kakashi said the Third Hokage was bringing about three thousand ninja to the front to lead an all-out strike against the Sand Ninja.
• Hagoromo worried that Konoha would be vulnerable after the Third Hokage took its last mobile force away from the village.

After recovering in the hospital, Hagoromo let Kakashi claim Lightning Blade as his own and learned that Kakashi could use the technique. Hagoromo wandered through the damaged camp and found Tsunade working in her command tent, where she said she had something to tell him.

• Rin left after explaining what had happened over the past few days, while Kakashi stayed behind to speak with Hagoromo.
• Kakashi demonstrated Lightning Blade and apologized for learning Hagoromo’s technique without permission.
• Hagoromo told Kakashi he could treat Lightning Blade as his own and teach it to others, then warned him about its risks and limitations.
• After Kakashi left, Hagoromo got out of bed and walked through the battle-damaged medical camp.
• Hagoromo entered Tsunade’s command tent and found her reviewing documents; Tsunade told him to sit and said she would speak with him when she finished.

Hagoromo recovered from his injuries while Tsunade questioned him about the powerful technique he had used against Shukaku. He explained that it relied on years of stored Lightning Release Chakra, then tried to convince her that his apparent Magnet Release was another application of Lightning Release.

• Tsunade finished handling the camp's reports and preparations, then asked Hagoromo whether his injuries had healed.
• Tsunade told Hagoromo that his role in defeating Shukaku and getting Kushina off the battlefield had made him the battle's greatest contributor.
• Tsunade asked whether Hagoromo could use his powerful technique at will, and he said he had stored Lightning Release Chakra that would take three or four years to replenish.
• Hagoromo demonstrated an undetectable electric arc and explained that the stored energy became difficult to sense after release.
• Tsunade asked about Hagoromo's technique resembling Magnet Release, and he insisted it came from Lightning Release before launching into an explanation of electromagnetic induction.

After Tsunade offered Hagoromo one ninjutsu lesson as repayment for his battlefield work, he chose the Summoning Technique and signed her scroll. He intended to use his new connection to Shikkotsu Forest to hide the summoning beasts he had contracted, though he had not yet asked Katsuyu for permission.

• Tsunade offered to teach Hagoromo one technique in repayment for his help on the battlefield.
• Hagoromo considered learning Medical Ninjutsu, but Tsunade explained that his strong Lightning Release made him unsuited to mastering it.
• Hagoromo chose the Summoning Technique, specifically hoping to gain access to Katsuyu and Shikkotsu Forest.
• Shizune brought Tsunade's summoning scroll, and Hagoromo signed it in blood and pressed five fingerprints onto it.
• Hagoromo planned to hide his four contracted summoning beasts in Shikkotsu Forest, believing Katsuyu might let him build them a doghouse.

After Konoha withdrew to regroup, the Third Hokage arrived with reinforcements and promoted Hagoromo to Chunin. The chapter ended as Konoha’s senior commanders gathered for a high-level meeting that Hagoromo could not attend.

• Tsunade pulled Konoha’s remaining ninja back near their headquarters to avoid major battles while they awaited the Hokage.
• After Hagoromo recovered for three days, the Third Hokage arrived with Konoha’s mobile forces and summoned him.
• The Third Hokage offered to promote Hagoromo directly to Jonin, but Hagoromo questioned whether he deserved the rank.
• The Third Hokage promoted Hagoromo to Chunin, citing his proven record of killing enemies on the front lines.
• That evening, the Third Hokage, Tsunade, Minato Namikaze, and Konoha’s commanders gathered for a high-level meeting, which Hagoromo did not attend.

The Third Hokage planned a surprise invasion of the Sand Ninja defenses to force the Kazekage to agree to a ceasefire. He appointed Tsunade to command while deciding to lead the first echelon himself and break the enemy formation with destructive ninjutsu.

• The Third Hokage assessed Konoha’s strength and ordered an attack on the Sand Ninja defensive line within three to five days.
• Minato Namikaze questioned whether Konoha’s preparations were complete, but the Third Hokage argued that the enemy was no stronger and that delaying would waste the opportunity.
• The Third Hokage assigned Tsunade full command of the operation.
• The Third Hokage announced that he would lead the first echelon into the enemy ranks, despite Minato’s warning that the Sand Ninja would target him.
• The Third Hokage explained that his opening assault would disrupt the Sand Ninja formation and help Konoha preserve its forces.

As the Third Shinobi World War against Sunagakure began, Hagoromo served as an aerial scout because his injuries kept him from the front lines. After he spotted and reported the Sand Ninja main force, the armies clashed, and the Third Hokage charged alone into the enemy formation.

• Konoha assigned Hagoromo to aerial reconnaissance under the command center because he had not fully recovered from his injuries.
• Konoha's forces crossed into the Land of Wind, and Hagoromo rode the Yata Crow ahead to scout their route.
• Hagoromo spotted an estimated 4,500 to 6,000 Sand Ninja 65 kilometers away and signaled their location to the command center.
• Konoha adjusted its course and charged toward the Sand Ninja as both armies discovered each other.
• The Third Hokage rushed alone into the Sand Ninja formation, astonishing Hagoromo and lifting Konoha's fighters' spirits.

The Third Hokage led Konoha’s charge, tearing through the Sand Ninja formation with powerful ninjutsu before fighting alongside Minato Namikaze. Hagoromo then detected the advancing Sand Ninja command headquarters and a suspected advance by the Kazekage, and warned Konoha’s command.

• The Third Hokage charged at the head of Konoha’s forces, with Minato Namikaze following to guard him.
• The Third Hokage disrupted the Sand Ninja formation with Earth Style techniques, Shadow Clones, and a Five Release Great Barrage Technique.
• Konoha’s ninja rushed through the breach, and the Third Hokage dispelled his clones as the armies became intermingled.
• The Third Hokage summoned Monkey King Enma, transformed him into an Adamantine Staff, and fought through the enemy ranks while Minato protected him.
• Hagoromo detected the Sand Ninja command headquarters advancing five kilometers ahead and reported that the Kazekage might be advancing with it.

Hagoromo tried to use the Yata Crow to bomb the Sand Ninja command post, expecting it to drop droppings, but discovered its eggs were Cloud Bombs. The explosions devastated the command post, leaving Hagoromo and both armies stunned.

• Hagoromo reported that the Kazekage might enter the fight, then continued monitoring the battlefield from the Yata Crow.
• The Yata Crow signaled its desire to attack, and Hagoromo helped it aim at the Sand Ninja command post.
• The Yata Crow dropped eggs near the Sand Ninja, and the eggs exploded in a sustained barrage.
• Hagoromo realized the eggs were Cloud Bombs and saw smoke rising from the Sand Ninja command headquarters.
• Hagoromo recognized that the Yata Crow had likely destroyed the Sand Ninja command structure and stolen the spotlight again.

Kamishiro Hagoromo used the Yata Crow to bomb the Sand Ninja command headquarters, injuring the Fourth Kazekage and throwing the enemy formation into chaos. Konoha seized the opening to attack, and Hagoromo reported that the Sand Ninja could not mount an effective counterattack in the short term.

• The Third Hokage halted his assault after explosions erupted behind the Sand Ninja formation, and Minato identified Hagoromo's aerial attack as the likely cause.
• The Third Hokage ordered Minato to have Konoha's forces attack with everything they had because the Sand Ninja command appeared disrupted.
• Hagoromo relentlessly bombed the Sand Ninja command headquarters, damaging it and striking the Fourth Kazekage amid the blasts.
• Hagoromo attacked other targets and scattered the Sand Ninja, leaving many separated from their units and vulnerable to Konoha's four-man squads.
• Hagoromo reported that he had destroyed the enemy command structure, disrupted their rear formation, and left them unable to counterattack effectively in the short term.

After confirming that Hagoromo had bombed the Sand Ninja command headquarters, Tsunade learned he had already left to attack Sunagakure Village. Hagoromo flew toward the village alone, leaving Tsunade to hope he returned safely.

• Tsunade trusted Hagoromo's report that he had bombed the Sand Ninja command headquarters and asked for confirmation.
• Hagoromo reported that he intended to launch an airstrike on Sunagakure Village, then flew off before Tsunade could stop him.
• Tsunade was angered and worried but continued commanding the battlefield, unable to focus on Hagoromo.
• Hagoromo reasoned that a lone aerial infiltration could damage Sunagakure without committing Konoha's forces to a full attack.
• Hagoromo misdirected the Sand Ninja by first flying toward Konoha, then circled around the battlefield and headed for Sunagakure.