Chapter Summaries

Hagoromo continued training Water Release to prepare for returning to the battlefield, despite his slow, gradual progress. On the fifth day after returning to Konoha, he was summoned immediately by the Third Hokage.

• Hagoromo reflected on Jiraiya’s views about gradual growth and why he had not offered a shortcut for training chakra attributes.
• Hagoromo reasoned that mastering Water Release would broaden his combat options, even if it would not increase his maximum offensive power beyond what Lightning Release allowed.
• Hagoromo practiced Water Release at home and raised the water level in a glass, showing clear progress after five days of training.
• Hagoromo abandoned a test of continuous chakra output when an Anbu ninja arrived at his door.
• The Anbu ninja told Hagoromo that the Third Hokage had summoned him immediately, and Hagoromo agreed to go.

The Third Hokage formed a team led by Hagoromo and assigned it to monitor the Land of Rain border as Konoha shifted its defenses toward the Land of Earth. Hagoromo discovered his teammates lacked any obvious reconnaissance specialty, leaving him stunned by the assignment.

• The Third Hokage confirmed that Hagoromo had recovered and appointed him captain of a new team.
• Hagoromo read the profiles of Yamashiro Aoba, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yuhi Kurenai, who would serve on his team.
• The Third Hokage explained that Konoha expected possible unusual moves from Amegakure and planned to strengthen border surveillance.
• The Third Hokage assigned Hagoromo's team to reconnaissance along the Land of Rain border, and Hagoromo realized none of its members specialized in reconnaissance.

The Hagoromo Team operated as a Konoha reconnaissance squad near the Land of Rain border, where their limited experience made the dangerous mission especially risky. After resting in a hidden tree hollow, Hagoromo prepared the team to enter enemy territory.

• The chapter described the Land of Rain's strategic position and Hanzō's ambition to raise Amegakure to the status of the Five Great Shinobi Countries.
• Asuma returned to the team's hidden tree hollow with a rabbit that had triggered one of their traps.
• The Hagoromo Team rested at the concealed base, where Hagoromo, Yuhi Kurenai, Yamashiro Aoba, and Sarutobi Asuma kept supplies and avoided detection.
• Hagoromo ordered the team to check their equipment, extinguish the fire, and prepare to move.
• The team planned to travel along the border before turning into the Land of Rain for a dangerous reconnaissance mission.

Hagoromo led Asuma, Kurenai, and Yamashiro Aoba into the Land of Rain on a reconnaissance mission, briefing them on their route and withdrawal plans. The team was attacked in the downpour, and Hagoromo and Asuma killed one enemy in a rapid combination.

• Hagoromo briefed the team on its route into the Land of Rain and outlined three withdrawal plans.
• The four ninja donned their waterproof uniforms and masks, then left Outpost B under Hagoromo's command.
• The team traveled in formation through the rain until Hagoromo signaled a possible enemy ambush.
• An enemy threw a shuriken, and Hagoromo ordered the team to attack.
• Hagoromo used Lightning Release to strike an enemy and slam him into the ground, then Asuma kicked the helpless ninja repeatedly, killing him.

Hagoromo fought a Fūma Clan mercenary group, defeating one enemy and preparing to face their masked leader. The leader recognized him as Konoha’s White Yaksha, leaving Hagoromo wondering how his identity had been exposed.

• Hagoromo used Lightning Release-enhanced taijutsu to incapacitate one of the three attackers, but the masked leader evaded his next strike.
• Asuma arrived with two companions and identified the attackers as members of the Fūma Clan.
• Hagoromo secretly directed Asuma and the others to fight the weaker enemy while he faced the masked leader.
• The masked leader said he enjoyed killing and acknowledged that his group acted like mercenaries.
• A subordinate whispered to the masked leader, who recognized Hagoromo as Konoha’s White Yaksha, apparently because of his hand-signless Lightning Release.

Hagoromo split the two Fūma ninjas apart and pursued the Masked Ninja, who used the rain and his speed to pressure him with precise shuriken and a near-fatal kunai attack. The fight remained unresolved as Hagoromo realized the rain was dispersing the power of his Chidori Current.

• The Masked Ninja guessed that Hagoromo was the White Yaksha, and Hagoromo asked how he had figured it out.
• Hagoromo used a Chidori Sharp Spear to force the two Fūma ninjas apart, then ordered his companions to follow the plan and pursued the Masked Ninja.
• The Masked Ninja weaved through the forest and threw shuriken at Hagoromo, who deflected the smaller ones and dodged the Fūma Shuriken.
• The Masked Ninja stopped in an open area, dropped his large shuriken, and charged at Hagoromo with a kunai.
• Hagoromo evaded the Masked Ninja’s first slash, then used Chidori Current and an explosive retreat to escape his follow-up strike.

Hagoromo fought a masked Fūma Clan ninja, choosing to rely on ninjutsu to hone his combat skills despite recognizing the danger. Their clashing Fire and Water Release techniques filled the rainy battlefield with searing steam.

• Hagoromo decided to prioritize ninjutsu in battle as practical training for stronger enemies he expected to face in the future.
• The masked ninja revealed that his side had information about Hagoromo's Lightning Release and Fire Release, making Hagoromo suspect an organization was monitoring him.
• Hagoromo charged through a kunai attack and caught the weapon's return with his Chidori Current, discovering it was guided by a transparent thread.
• The masked ninja used Water Release: Wild Water Wave as Hagoromo closed in, while Hagoromo countered with Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
• Hagoromo's stronger Fire Release evaporated the Water Release and the surrounding rain, sending scorching steam across the battlefield.

Hagoromo fought the Masked Ninja through dense mist, then was kicked into a Water Clone’s binding trap. As a giant shuriken flew toward him, Hagoromo completed a summoning technique and called forth Rashomon.

• Hagoromo used his sensing ability to fight the Masked Ninja inside the mist, gaining only a slight advantage and inflicting superficial wounds.
• The Masked Ninja pointed out that Hagoromo’s powerful Lightning Release consumed too much Chakra for a prolonged battle.
• The Masked Ninja changed the direction of his kick and launched Hagoromo toward a Water Clone, which bound him with Water Release: Water Whip.
• Hagoromo deduced that the Masked Ninja had disguised a Water Clone as a discarded shuriken, then declared that he could still form seals.
• The Masked Ninja hurled a giant shuriken at Hagoromo, who summoned Rashomon just before it struck.

Hagoromo used the Rashomon to reach the thunderclouds and unleash Lightning Release: Kirin, defeating the Masked Ninja. He had finally found a way to cook Fūma Clan ninjas.

• Hagoromo summoned a Rashomon, destroying the enemy's Water Clone and freeing himself from the Water Whip.
• Hagoromo explained that he had used Lightning Release to gather thunderclouds and summoned the Rashomon to gain height.
• Hagoromo unleashed Lightning Release: Kirin, directing the massive area attack into the clearing.
• Kirin devastated the ground and left the Masked Ninja carbonized and motionless.
• Hagoromo approached the fallen enemy, having found a way to cook Fūma Clan ninjas.

Hagoromo used Lightning Release: Kirin to kill a Fūma Clan ninja, leaving the battlefield devastated. He regrouped with Asuma, Yamashiro Aoba, and Yuhi Kurenai, and the team prepared to flee before the enormous attack drew more enemies.

• Hagoromo’s Kirin devastated the terrain and charred the enemy ninja, but he found no useful intelligence on the remains.
• Asuma, Yamashiro Aoba, and Yuhi Kurenai arrived and asked Hagoromo about the destructive jutsu.
• Hagoromo learned that the others had captured a ninja alive through Genjutsu, though Asuma and Yamashiro Aoba were injured.
• Asuma questioned how Hagoromo had survived his own attack, but Hagoromo urged the team to leave before the commotion attracted nearby ninja.

The Hagoromo Team retreated from the battle and hid in a mountain shelter to treat their wounds and interrogate their captive. Yamashiro Aoba discovered that an unknown person or organization had placed a bounty on Hagoromo and shared information about him.

• Hagoromo ordered the team to retreat and Kurenai to erase their tracks as they fled along the border.
• The team hid in a mountain hollow, where Kurenai treated Asuma and Yamashiro Aoba while Hagoromo planned how to question their captive.
• Hagoromo asked Yamashiro Aoba to read the Fūma Clan ninja's memories, and Aoba confirmed that the clan had accepted an Amegakure mission to assassinate Konoha ninja for a bounty.
• Yamashiro Aoba discovered that an unknown person or organization had posted a high bounty on Hagoromo and supplied information about him.

Yamashiro Aoba’s sensory ninjutsu revealed a bounty on Hagoromo issued in response to his battlefield abilities, and the team discussed the threat before planning to continue their reconnaissance in the Land of Rain. The Konoha team rested at their hidden location and prepared to resume infiltration after dark.

• Yamashiro Aoba used sensory ninjutsu to learn that a hidden Exchange Station had circulated a bounty identifying Hagoromo as the White Yaksha.
• Yamashiro Aoba recited the bounty’s details, including rewards of five million ryo for Hagoromo’s death and ten million for his corpse.
• Hagoromo realized the bounty likely came from Sunagakure and joked in exasperation about being described as a “suspected male.”
• Hagoromo told Yuhi Kurenai, Yamashiro Aoba, and Sarutobi Asuma to focus on the mission, and planned for the team to rest before continuing into the Land of Rain at night.
• The four Konoha ninja killed their captive within Genjutsu before resuming their preparations.

Hagoromo's team infiltrated the Land of Rain and carefully mapped enemy patrol patterns while advancing toward a forward base fifty kilometers from the border. After three days and four nights of stealthy travel, they finally approached their main reconnaissance target.

• Hagoromo changed the team's infiltration point three times before they bypassed the Land of Rain's border defenses.
• Hagoromo used his sensory abilities to evade Amegakure squads and deduced their patrol patterns and activity ranges.
• Hagoromo marked the enemy squads' reconnaissance ranges on a waterproof map while Asuma and Yamashiro Aoba helped without making a sound.
• Hagoromo decided the team would move at night and hide during the day to avoid detection and conserve their limited supplies.
• After three days and four nights, Hagoromo's team approached the forward base where they were to assess the number of enemy ninjas.

Hagoromo Team completed reconnaissance of an Amegakure stronghold and began withdrawing with news that most of its forces had left. Their route led them toward a clash, where they found Amegakure corpses drained and dried by a powerful ninja; Yuhi Kurenai reacted to the gruesome scene with unnerving cheerfulness.

• Hagoromo Team stopped three kilometers from the stronghold, and Yamashiro Aoba used summoned crows to scout it.
• Yamashiro Aoba narrowly avoided exposing a crow when someone threw a shuriken at it.
• Hagoromo Team discovered that fewer than two hundred Amegakure ninja remained at the stronghold and withdrew after nightfall.
• Hagoromo noticed that Amegakure's reconnaissance teams had disappeared, then led the team toward sounds of fighting blocking their route.
• Hagoromo Team found a pile of Amegakure corpses whose bodies had been dried out, and Yuhi Kurenai remarked, "Malt Aroma~"

Hagoromo and his squad identified the corpses as victims of Sunagakure’s Pakura and chose to investigate the fighting ahead. As they approached, Pakura’s Scorch Release attack appeared around a tree, forcing Hagoromo to flee with Yuhi Kurenai while Asuma and Yamashiro Aoba were knocked backward.

• Hagoromo found that the Amegakure corpses were still warm and recognized their deaths as the work of Scorch Release: Vapor Demonic Murder.
• Hagoromo, Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai, and Yamashiro Aoba deduced that Sunagakure Jonin Pakura was fighting ahead, though her presence in the Land of Rain raised questions.
• Hagoromo decided to investigate, and the other three agreed to move with him as a squad.
• The four followed a trail of roughly two dozen mummified Amegakure ninjas toward the fighting.
• An orange-white Scorch Release attack curved around a tree, and Hagoromo grabbed Yuhi Kurenai, kicked Asuma into Yamashiro Aoba, and sprinted away with Kurenai.

Hagoromo saved his squad from Pakura’s Scorch Release attack, but his escape maneuver left Asuma injured and Yuhi Kurenai paralyzed. He brought them to the battlefield, where Pakura recognized the newcomers as Konoha ninja.

• Hagoromo grabbed Yuhi Kurenai and kicked Asuma and Yamashiro Aoba beyond the blast radius of Pakura’s attack, injuring Asuma and shocking Kurenai with his Chidori Current.
• Yamashiro Aoba helped Asuma back to Hagoromo while Asuma complained that Hagoromo’s kick had been unnecessary.
• Hagoromo summoned a three-headed Splitting Dog and had Yamashiro Aoba place Asuma and Yuhi Kurenai on its back.
• Hagoromo and Yamashiro Aoba reached the battlefield and saw Pakura fighting around thirty Amegakure ninja.
• Pakura turned toward Hagoromo’s group, realized they were Konoha ninja, and questioned their arrival.

Hagoromo and Pakura recognized each other as enemies while facing off in the Land of Rain, despite their villages’ recent alliance. Pakura decided to kill Hagoromo’s team, and the others withdrew as she charged at him.

• Hagoromo questioned Pakura about her mission in the Land of Rain, and she gave no details.
• Pakura recognized Hagoromo as the White Yaksha who had destroyed facilities in Sunagakure during the war.
• Hagoromo argued that the alliance made an attack on his team politically dangerous, but Pakura said she could kill them without restarting the war.
• Pakura declared that she could wipe out the team, and Yamashiro Aoba evacuated the others on the Splitting Dog.
• Pakura charged straight at Hagoromo.

Hagoromo fought Pakura while Amegakure ninja joined the battle, turning the duel into a chaotic melee. After using an enemy’s corpse and shadow clones to set up a lightning-fast attack, Hagoromo closed in on Pakura with a neck-breaking strike.

• Hagoromo dodged Pakura’s Scorch Release attacks and probed her defenses with thrown weapons while searching for an opening.
• Amegakure ninja joined the fight and attacked the Splitting Dog, whose divisions overwhelmed them and killed one of them.
• Hagoromo paralyzed an Amegakure ninja with Chidori Current, threw him into Pakura’s attack, and kicked his corpse toward her as cover.
• Hagoromo formed shadow clones and used the corpse to conceal his plan as he and the clones rushed Pakura from both sides for a lethal strike.

Hagoromo’s attack on Pakura was interrupted by Akatsuki’s arrival, forcing both sides to withdraw. Hagoromo recognized Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato as a major threat, while Pakura mistook them for Amegakure reinforcements.

• Asuma watched Hagoromo’s clones nearly kill Pakura before a sudden barrage of paper shuriken forced them apart.
• Hagoromo dispelled his clones to conserve Chakra and identified the arriving group as Akatsuki, led by Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato.
• Hagoromo considered attacking Akatsuki but held back because he feared Nagato’s Rinnegan and did not know its full power.
• Hagoromo’s Splitting Dog reassembled, and Hagoromo withdrew into the dark forest with the three Konoha ninja.
• Pakura mistook Akatsuki for Amegakure reinforcements and called them maggots clinging to the bone.

Pakura attacked Yahiko’s Akatsuki, but Nagato stepped between them and made her Scorch Release vanish. Hagoromo watched from a distance with his group gathered to retreat if needed.

• The chapter described how Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato survived the wars, trained under Jiraiya, and founded a pacifist Akatsuki.
• Hagoromo reconsidered his plan to attack the three and chose to observe Nagato’s strength while keeping his group ready to escape.
• Pakura mistook Akatsuki for weak Amegakure reinforcements and attacked Yahiko with Scorch Release: Vapor Demonic Murder.
• Yahiko tried to counter the flames with Water Release, but his technique evaporated without stopping them.
• Nagato moved in front of Yahiko, and Pakura’s attack vanished before it reached him, leaving her frozen by Nagato’s emotionless eyes.