Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru took command of the retreat after Hanzo’s poisonous fog struck the camp, and Aburame Tetsumaru carried his orders to the wounded commander. Tetsumaru escaped the commander’s attempt to leave his squad behind and used an insect clone to delay Hanzo, leaving the three-man team safe outside the fog.

• Orochimaru persuaded the hesitant Jonin to retreat after purple poison fog erupted, and he sent Aburame Tetsumaru to inform the commander.
• Aburame Tetsumaru and his two subordinates entered the fog in protective gear, defeated several groups of Rain Ninja, and found the commander losing to Hanzo.
• The commander recovered enough to approve Orochimaru’s orders, then assigned Tetsumaru’s squad to block Hanzo while he withdrew with his trusted ninjas.
• Tetsumaru pretended to accept the assignment, created an insect clone to delay Hanzo, and escaped with his subordinates.
• Hanzo and Ibuse destroyed the insect clone, but Tetsumaru and his squad had already left the poisonous fog and reached safety.

Aburame Tetsumaru collected Ibuse's venom before rejoining Orochimaru's forces, which defeated Rain and Iwa Ninja at the camp gate. At the next defensive line, Tetsumaru used Mole Crickets to speed up fortifications, then shared his beef hot pot with the hungry Konoha Ninja while plotting revenge on his food-stealing subordinates.

• Hanzo collected beetle shells from the battlefield while Tetsumaru's buried insects stored Ibuse's venom underground.
• Tetsumaru rejoined Orochimaru's group, and the Konoha Ninja defeated a Rain Ninja force before repelling and wiping out more than twenty Iwa Ninja.
• Orochimaru ordered the Chunin and Genin to retreat, but kept Maruboshi Kosuke behind after recognizing his strength.
• Tetsumaru's Mole Crickets quickly bored holes in the rocky hill so the Sealing Squad could install a stake for the defensive line.
• Uchiha Kei and Kurama Yun ate all the food in Tetsumaru's backpack while he worked.
• Tetsumaru cooked beef hot pot from his supply hive, shared it with the hungry Konoha Ninja, and silently vowed revenge on Kei and Yun.

Orochimaru used a planned retreat to lure the pursuing Iwa Ninja into close combat, where Aburame Tetsumaru fought behind his insect defenses and tricked an Iwa swordsman into attacking his protected face. Konoha retreated when the Rain Ninja caught up, and Tetsumaru later discovered that the impact had badly bruised his nose and loosened his front teeth.

• After Iwa Ninja approached the defensive line, Orochimaru took command and drove the Sealing Squad away before preparing Konoha’s defense.
• Orochimaru’s combined Water Release initially held back Qingyan’s Iwa Ninja, but their larger force and Earth Release overwhelmed the barrier.
• Orochimaru ordered Tactic Six, and Konoha’s apparent retreat drew the Iwa Ninja into a close-combat ambush around the hill.
• Aburame Tetsumaru used his insect-covered face to bait an Iwa swordsman, while Uchiha Kei immobilized the attacker with Genjutsu and Tetsumaru killed him with explosive insects.
• The Rain Ninja caught up, forcing Orochimaru to withdraw; after the battle, Aburame Tetsumaru found that the blow had loosened his front teeth.

Aburame Tetsumaru followed Orochimaru’s retreat and joined the Konoha forces as they faced Hanzo of the Salamander and the Iwa Ninja in a massive battle. The fighting ended in a night-time disengagement, leaving Tetsumaru exhausted and wondering which of the Sannin’s battles with Hanzo this had been.

• Aburame Tetsumaru convinced Uchiha Kei and Kurama Yun that seeking Orochimaru’s protection justified accepting dangerous missions.
• Orochimaru ordered the Konoha forces to retreat to the fifth defensive line, where he met Tsunade and Jiraiya and prepared for battle against Hanzo.
• When the commander took charge, Orochimaru accepted his orders to preserve Konoha’s morale, and the Konoha army launched a counterattack that split and surrounded the enemy forces.
• Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade summoned their animals to fight Hanzo and Ibuse while Konoha tried to eliminate the Rain Ninja and suppress the Iwa Ninja.
• Hanzo broke through the Sannin’s encirclement as Konoha’s antidotes wore off, while the Iwa Ninja counterattacked with volleys of Rock Cannonballs.
• Aburame Tetsumaru, Uchiha Kei, and Kurama Yun dug foxholes that helped the Konoha force withstand the bombardment, and the exhausted armies disengaged by nightfall.

Aburame Tetsumaru’s partnership with Orochimaru let him advance his insect and Chakra research, unlocking the Domain Barrier and creating Larvae. As the Aburame Squad disbanded, Kurama Yun retired and Uchiha Kei prepared to leave, leaving Tetsumaru alone with his next steps.

• Aburame Tetsumaru met Orochimaru to discuss Hokage-sama’s reply, and the chapter recounted how their exchange of knowledge had made Tetsumaru Orochimaru’s first subordinate and close comrade.
• Tetsumaru used what Orochimaru taught him to decipher more than forty Chakra Runes, create the Secret Technique: Domain Barrier, and develop incomplete Larvae that enabled faster insect reproduction.
• Tetsumaru learned that Kurama Yun’s Bloodline Disease had worsened and that Tsunade had declared her unfit for ninja service; he held a farewell barbecue with her, Uchiha Kei, and other squads.
• The gathering’s attendees exchanged news about their classmates, then Kurama Yun promised to host another barbecue after the war.
• The next morning, Tetsumaru verified Kurama Yun’s retirement papers and saw her off with Kei; Kei left soon after, and the Aburame Squad disbanded.

After leaving the front, Aburame Tetsumaru struggled to adapt to the Secret Technique: Domain Barrier, traded his research with Orochimaru for new techniques, and trained in Konoha during a month of leave. Just as he settled into his new abilities, he activated the Field Barrier at home and was stunned by what he saw.

• Uchiha Kei left, and Aburame Tetsumaru began adapting to the sensory overload caused by the Secret Technique: Domain Barrier.
• Aburame Tetsumaru explained his discoveries and predicament to Orochimaru, then traded chakra research for forty ninjutsu, three forbidden techniques, and two Sealing Techniques; Orochimaru approved a month of leave.
• Aburame Tetsumaru returned to Konoha, found his parents away on separate assignments, and trained until he could mostly adapt to the barrier and insect-controlled movement.
• Aburame Tetsumaru received his father's letter confirming that both parents had been drafted, then mastered the Shadow Clone Technique, the Multi Shadow Clone Technique, and Orochimaru's other ninjutsu.
• After mastering the techniques by the twenty-fifth day, Aburame Tetsumaru activated the Field Barrier at home and was dumbfounded.

Aburame Tetsumaru discovered that his insects had dug into Root’s underground base and uncovered several other hidden chambers beneath Konoha, then spent his vacation sealing tunnels and gathering information. After reuniting with Aburame Kazekazu, he learned the Aburame clan remained divided over exchanging its secret techniques for the ninjutsu Tetsumaru had acquired.

• Aburame Tetsumaru used cockroaches to explore a hidden complex beneath Konoha and identified it as Root’s base, where he found experiments involving Hashirama Cells.
• Aburame Tetsumaru sealed the tunnels around Root, established insect sentries, and investigated the Barrier Squad’s Barrier Nexus, the Hyuga archives, the Uchiha secret chamber, and other underground rooms.
• Aburame Tetsumaru collected copied scrolls, weapons, and coins, and carved a warning onto the Uchiha Stone Tablet before rumors spread that the Uchiha grounds had been invaded.
• Aburame Tetsumaru reunited with Aburame Kazekazu, celebrated with him, and prepared to return to the Land of Rain to report to Orochimaru.
• Aburame Kazekazu told Aburame Tetsumaru that the clan supported broadening its ninjutsu instruction but remained unable to agree on what valuable inheritance to exchange for Tetsumaru’s ninjutsu.

Aburame Tetsumaru canceled his leave, completed a mission to rescue villagers from bandits, and then captured four Root Ninjas sent to attack him. After learning Root had targeted him as part of a graduation test, he resolved to keep the captives alive and move them far from his route.

• Aburame Tetsumaru left without saying goodbye to Aburame Kazekazu, who secretly watched him depart with other old ninjas from a tree near Konoha's gate.
• Aburame Tetsumaru tracked bandits who had kidnapped villagers, discovered two ninja among them, and killed the bandits with his insect techniques.
• Aburame Tetsumaru completed the rescue mission, discussed upgrading its rank with the village chief, and continued traveling after dark.
• Four masked Root Ninjas ambushed Aburame Tetsumaru, but he used his insects and a Wind Release technique to defeat and capture them.
• Aburame Tetsumaru confirmed the captives were Root Ninjas and learned that Shimura Danzō's organization had targeted him as part of a graduation test; he decided to move them elsewhere before killing them.

Aburame Tetsumaru built a rudimentary Mother Hive that automated the breeding and rune engraving of Ninja Insects, then returned to the battlefield and learned that Senju Nawaki had died. The chapter left Tetsumaru attacking a Root Ninja in shock as he tried to examine Nawaki’s body.

• Aburame Tetsumaru secretly killed the four unconscious Root Ninjas, disposed of their remains, and returned to camp on schedule.
• Aburame Tetsumaru reported to Orochimaru, who praised his improved ability to conceal his presence and put him on standby.
• Aburame Tetsumaru cultivated a Brain Bug-based Mother Hive that bred Ninja Insects and engraved Chakra Runes automatically.
• Aburame Tetsumaru returned to camp, noticed Orochimaru was gone, and began taking patrol missions to fill the gap in his records.
• Aburame Tetsumaru answered Orochimaru’s emergency summons and found Senju Nawaki dead beside a broken tree.
• Aburame Tetsumaru drove back a Root Ninja who blocked him, then confirmed that Nawaki was truly dead.

After Nawaki was killed in a suspicious explosion, Konoha suppressed the investigation, and Tetsumaru recognized that the clues pointed toward Root. As he relentlessly attacked the Rain Ninja with insects, Hanzo’s forces poisoned the Land of Rain, driving Konoha and Suna out but exhausting the Salamander and devastating their own territory.

• Nawaki died in an Explosive Tag trap, and Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru reacted as Konoha’s investigation found a trail of deliberately misleading evidence.
• Konoha issued a gag order, Jiraiya returned in defiance of orders, Tsunade disappeared, and Orochimaru grew increasingly withdrawn.
• Tetsumaru’s insect traps killed Rain Ninja and eroded their morale, so Hanzo ordered Salamander poison scattered across the Land of Rain.
• Tetsumaru collected and sold the poison while replenishing his insect traps, escalating the Rain Ninja’s poison campaign into a contest of attrition.
• The poisoned wasteland forced Konoha and Suna to retreat, while the Rain Ninja struggled to protect their civilians and the Salamander ran out of venom.

Aburame Tetsumaru traded his Field Barrier to Orochimaru for experimental records and the Soft Body Modification Technique, then left the Land of Rain to avoid Hanzo’s retaliation. After destroying his Mother Hive and gathering intelligence in the Land of Bears, he infiltrated Hoshigakure and fought Chisa, a Magnet Release Jonin from Sunagakure.

• Hanzo held back from seeking reinforcements while Tetsumaru withdrew from the conflict with the Rain Ninja and went to Orochimaru for help.
• Orochimaru traded experimental records and the Soft Body Modification Technique for Tetsumaru’s Field Barrier, then advised him to leave the Land of Rain.
• Tetsumaru accepted a reconnaissance mission in the Land of Bears, killed the Mother Hive with salamander venom, and buried its insects before departing.
• Tetsumaru gathered intelligence on the Wind–Earth War and infiltrated Hoshigakure, where Chisa discovered him.
• Chisa’s Magnet Release disrupted Tetsumaru’s insect clone, but Tetsumaru overwhelmed him and his three Genin companions with Ninja Insects.
• The insect swarm buried Chisa, and the Magnet Release Jonin died.

Aburame Tetsumaru’s attempt to take Chisa’s body was interrupted by the Third Raikage, who trapped him in a prolonged battle against his insects and clones. Tetsumaru escaped with three Suna Genin corpses, then headed back toward Konoha’s camp as he anticipated a major clash in the Land of Bears.

• The Third Raikage ambushed Tetsumaru’s Shadow Clone and took Chisa’s corpse, revealing that he had come to steal a Kekkei Genkai.
• Tetsumaru used successive waves of insects to stall the Raikage and his lightning-wielding subordinate, then fled while leaving clones behind.
• The Raikage hunted the clones and nearly caught Tetsumaru’s hidden body, but Tetsumaru dismissed an Insect Hive carrying three Suna Genin corpses and escaped.
• After suffering a blackout from the accumulated damage to his Shadow Clones, Tetsumaru recovered and reflected on the Raikage’s caution beneath his reckless appearance.
• Tetsumaru set out for Konoha’s main camp in the Land of Rain, expecting the Raikage’s appearance to draw other Kage into a major battle in the Land of Bears.

Aburame Tetsumaru trained three rookie Genin while researching ways to strengthen his insects, and Konoha reorganized its leadership ahead of a renewed offensive in the Land of Rain. The Sannin reunited as the Konoha, Suna, Iwa, and Rain forces prepared for another great war.

• Orochimaru assigned Aburame Tetsumaru three new Genin: Yukimura Saburo, Nanga, and Fengyuan Saburo.
• Aburame Tetsumaru put the rookies through punishing military drills, taught them what he could, and studied insect enlargement, explosives, and poison.
• After giant insects proved unable to breathe or feed themselves adequately, Aburame Tetsumaru set aside enlargement research and considered poison as a way to improve their attacks.
• Konoha's frontline ninja protested Shimura Danzō's appointment as commander, so Sarutobi Hiruzen gave Orochimaru more authority and recalled Jiraiya and Tsunade to the Land of Rain.
• With the Sannin reunited, Konoha's morale recovered and its forces advanced into the Land of Rain as Suna, Iwa, and Rain also prepared for war.

Aburame Tetsumaru rebuilt his Mother Hive and unleashed a vast Insect Swarm after Orochimaru assigned him a combat mission in the Land of Rain. The swarm set out to attack Amegakure’s outer strongholds and draw out Hanzo, while Orochimaru recognized that Tetsumaru’s insects could conceal his presence across an enormous area.

• Tetsumaru built a new Mother Hive and prepared his insects for battle, while Orochimaru’s squad reclassified his team as a support squad to protect its inexperienced Genin.
• Orochimaru arranged an independent combat mission for Tetsumaru, who vented his frustration by assigning Yukimura extra physical training.
• Tetsumaru left camp and gathered a vast gray-green Insect Swarm as he traveled into the Land of Rain.
• Near the mission site, Tetsumaru recognized Jiraiya’s prepared Toad Oil Flame Bullet and revealed his Konoha identity before Orochimaru called off the attack.
• Orochimaru ordered Tetsumaru to attack Rain Ninja strongholds loudly, draw out Hanzo, and withdraw afterward.
• A Byakugan user discovered that Tetsumaru’s insects and Shadow Clones concealed an enormous Chakra sphere that obscured his real position.

Aburame Tetsumaru used a massive insect swarm to overrun Rain Ninja strongholds and ambush a force sent from Amegakure to hunt him. He killed Jonin Qi Gaoxing with an explosive Insect Clone, while Amegakure’s response to the swarm remained underway.

• A Rain Ninja stronghold tried poison, fire, and ninjutsu to stop the insect tide, but the insects broke through and Aburame Tetsumaru killed the three Chunin who escaped.
• The swarm overwhelmed Rain Ninja patrols and strongholds, prompting Jonin Shenshui to lead more than two hundred ninjas out with Ibuse venom to hunt the Konoha ninja.
• Jonin Yan Shui warned Hanzo that the reports described an enormous swarm, but Hanzo and Jonin Qi Gaoxing remained confident in Shenshui’s force.
• Qi Gaoxing arrived to find the Rain Ninja surrounded; Aburame Tetsumaru’s clones killed Qi Gaoxing’s two disciples, and landmine insects then apparently killed Qi Gaoxing himself.
• Qi Gaoxing revealed that he had faked his death and stabbed Aburame Tetsumaru, but Tetsumaru exposed his explosive Insect Clone and killed him.

Aburame Tetsumaru helped Konoha devastate Amegakure, earning a fearsome reputation, while Hanzo defeated the Sannin in battle. Later, a false intelligence scheme by Kusagakure drew Konoha and Kumogakure into war, but the plot was exposed and the two great nations destroyed Kusagakure.

• Aburame Tetsumaru killed two Jonin and more than a hundred Rain Ninjas, then evaded Hanzo’s pursuit as the Sannin confronted him with their Summoning Animals.
• Hanzo defeated Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade, while Konoha’s forces nearly breached Amegakure and inflicted heavy losses before Iwa reinforcements forced them to withdraw.
• Three months later, Orochimaru sent Aburame Tetsumaru and Yukimura Saburo to escort a grass ninja envoy carrying intelligence that Orochimaru and Tetsumaru doubted.
• Konoha verified the intelligence that Kumogakure had assembled an army, mobilized six thousand troops, and fought Kumo Ninja in the Land of Rice Fields.
• Konoha’s White Fang killed Kumogakure’s Two-Tails Jinchuriki, prompting the Land of Lightning to seek a ceasefire with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• The Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning uncovered Kusagakure’s scheme and joined forces to destroy Kusagakure.

An Iwagakure squad carrying intelligence was ambushed by the Konoha Insect Demon and forced to surrender rather than face his vast, nonlethal insect swarm. After escaping with their lives but failing their mission, the squad learned more about the Insect Demon’s reputation and the losses he had inflicted on Iwagakure.

• An insect ambush injured Che Siren’s squad and overwhelmed them with thousands of Summoning Insects, forcing the Iwa captain to protect his team inside an Earth Prison Dome.
• After the insects breached the dome, Centipedes subdued three Iwa Ninja while Che Siren escaped onto a rock pillar and faced more than thirty Venomous Rainbow Moths.
• Che Siren surrendered the squad’s scroll to a dragonfly, and the Insect Demon’s insects withdrew, leaving the Iwa Ninja alive but their mission failed.
• As the squad left the forest, Mahiru, Huo Guang, and Taiseki apologized to Che Siren for their weakness, and he reassured them that few could withstand the Insect Demon.
• Che Siren described the Insect Demon’s methods and Iwagakure’s past failed attempts to eliminate him, including the death of Captain Ikeda and the crippling of many ninja.
• Che Siren urged his subordinates to carry their seniors’ resentment and grow strong enough to kill the Insect Demon, then ordered them to hurry back with their intelligence.

Aburame Tetsumaru returned to camp, where his squad disbanded and he was promoted to Special Jonin while Yukimura Saburo became a Chunin. Orochimaru then approved Tetsumaru’s transfer to the Land of Rivers forces, where his hidden insect techniques would face a new battlefield.

• Aburame Tetsumaru led his squad back to camp after concealing and recalling the Insect Hives, while the two new Genin complained about not getting to fight.
• The chapter recounted how Tetsumaru had protected successive squads without casualties and how the shifting alliances and defeats in the Land of Rain had left the war in a four-way stalemate.
• Aburame Tetsumaru disbanded the squad and took Yukimura Saburo to complete their promotions; Tetsumaru received the rank of Special Jonin, and Yukimura became a Chunin.
• Orochimaru told Aburame Tetsumaru that the Hokage had approved his transfer to the Land of Rivers forces, though the great clans’ demand for him to lead a squad remained.

Aburame Tetsumaru left the Land of Rain after years of being barred from independent combat, while Orochimaru questioned him about his clan’s new insect techniques. Tetsumaru had developed giant combat insects and hoped the coming decisive battle in the Land of Rivers would let him test them.

• Aburame Tetsumaru accepted his appointment as a Jonin captain, and he and Yukimura Saburo learned their squad had been disbanded and their teammates assigned to the Defense Department.
• Aburame Tetsumaru and Yukimura said farewell to their former squad, and Tetsumaru shared his contacts with Yukimura before leaving the Land of Rain.
• Orochimaru pressed Aburame Tetsumaru to reveal the direction of his insect research, and Tetsumaru disclosed that he was developing five-meter giant insects.
• Aburame Tetsumaru explained that escalating resistance to poison had weakened his Insect Swarm’s lethality, so he had turned to incapacitating toxins and giant insects.
• Aburame Tetsumaru used genetic techniques to create the Giant Locust Missile and the Blade Mantis, but he lacked combat data and hoped to test them in the Land of Rivers.

Aburame Tetsumaru traveled to the Land of Rivers to join Konoha’s war effort and lead his first team, while hoping to study the desert’s Giant Insects. The chapter ended with his three young Genin waiting at their training ground and discussing their new captain before meeting him.

• Aburame Tetsumaru decided to seek naturally occurring Giant Insects in the Land of Wind and tested his oversized Mantises on the journey, losing six to organ failure.
• Konoha recalled elite ninja, including Hatake Sakumo, and sent thousands of reinforcements to prepare an assault on Sunagakure.
• Aburame Tetsumaru reached the Land of Rivers camp, surveyed its missions and facilities, and received command of Team 121.
• Aburame Tetsumaru ordered Nara Yoshino, Inuzuka O, and Uchiha Hiroshi to gather at Training Ground No. 1 the next morning.
• Uchiha Hiroshi, Inuzuka O, and Nara Yoshino introduced themselves, argued over their roles, and speculated about Aburame Tetsumaru’s abilities while he observed them unseen.