Chapter Summaries

Kazuna arrived in Kumogakure as Hokage and reunited with the Raikage, then abandoned the official reception to attend a concert with Killer B. His companions stayed behind to prepare for the Chunin Exams, unsure whether they could trust his judgment.

• Yashiro and Kakashi worried when Kazuna disappeared just as Konohagakure's party approached Kumogakure, but Kazuna reappeared chewing bamboo and teased them for arguing.
• Kazuna met the Raikage, exchanged friendly insults and forceful back slaps with him, and entered Kumogakure after learning the Mizukage and Tsuchikage were expected to attend.
• Killer B welcomed Kazuna with a crowd of fans, and Kazuna introduced Might Guy to him; Guy excitedly began running around Kumogakure, eventually running on his hands.
• Kazuna left with Killer B to perform his new song, while the Raikage departed in anger and Yashiro urged Kakashi and the others to trust the Hokage and prepare for the Chunin Exams.

Kazuna and Killer B turned Kumogakure upside down with their songs while the Raikage gathered the other village representatives to discuss pressuring Konohagakure without starting a war. As the Chunin Exams began, Kazuna provoked the Raikage at the arena and sent his unusually powerful disciple Yakumo to compete.

• Kazuna and Killer B performed adapted songs across Kumogakure, drawing the attention of Ōnoki, Kurotsuchi, Mei Terumi, and Pakura as the village representatives arrived.
• The Raikage summoned Ōnoki, Mei Terumi, and Pakura and proposed causing Konohagakure internal trouble because they viewed Kazuna's growing power as a threat.
• The Chunin Exams began in Kumogakure, and Kazuna compared the arena and the participating villages with the exams in the original story.
• Kazuna accidentally sat in the Raikage's central chair, moved it aside, and snapped off the village symbols before the Raikage took his seat.
• Dodai started the final-round combat examination and called the twenty-two Genin from the five villages to draw lots.
• Kazuna sent Yakumo into the competition, prompting the other Kage to question her participation while his guards recognized that she was far stronger than an ordinary Genin.

At the Five Great Shinobi Villages’ Chunin Exams, Kazuna spotted Kabuto and clashed with Ōnoki and the Raikage, who challenged his legitimacy as Hokage because the Land of Fire’s Daimyo had not formally appointed him. Kazuna declared that only someone who defeated him could strip him of the title, then asked whether the other Kage would also step down if their Daimyo rejected them; the exams were allowed to proceed as his defiance threatened a break with the Land of Fire.

• Kazuna recognized Kabuto among the Sound Ninja participants and wondered whether Yakushi Nonō had already died.
• Kazuna insulted Ōnoki by questioning Kurotsuchi’s and Kitsuchi’s resemblance to him, and the Raikage had Ōnoki helped back into his chair.
• Kazuna mocked the Raikage by referring to his father’s head on Ōnoki’s experiment table, then Yashiro defended Kazuna’s right to sit with the Kage.
• The Raikage and Ōnoki challenged Kazuna’s Hokage status because the Daimyo had not formally appointed him, and Kazuna turned the question back on whether they would resign if their Daimyo rejected them.
• Kazuna declared that he was Hokage by Konohagakure’s choice and strength, and that only someone who defeated him could deny his status.
• The Raikage and Ōnoki agreed to begin the Chunin Exams, knowing Kazuna’s declaration could provoke a response from the Land of Fire’s Daimyo.

Four years into Kazuna’s Hokage tenure, Konohagakure had grown powerful and independent as the Chunin Exams began. After a Konoha ninja crushed his Kumogakure opponent and the matches continued, Yakushi forfeited, then a feather-triggered genjutsu began affecting Kazuna, making him suspect Orochimaru.

• Kazuna reflected on Konohagakure’s independence from the Daimyo and the Uchiha Clan’s growing strength as the Chunin Exams opened.
• Namu overwhelmed a Kumogakure kunoichi with explosive-tag attacks and trickery, then won when Dodai found a tag on her body.
• Kazuna called Namu despicable, provoking the Raikage, while Yashiro had Kakashi reassure the confused victor.
• Kazuna watched the remaining village matches and noted Konohagakure’s strong young fighters and the suspiciously arranged matchups.
• Yakushi forfeited his match against Konoha’s Dan, and a drifting feather made Kazuna drowsy as he suspected Orochimaru had started a genjutsu.

Kazuna and the other Kage watched Kumogakure come under attack by Orochimaru, Deidara, and a mysterious fighter while the Chunin Exams were underway. The Eight-Tails fought back, but the attackers put Killer B in grave danger, forcing the Raikage to act.

• Kazuna realized the attack might be a chance for the other villages to target him, then agreed with the Raikage to continue the Chunin Exams while Yashiro alerted the Uchiha Guard Unit.
• Explosions and a giant snake signaled the invasion, and Deidara appeared on a white bird to attack Kumogakure; Konan told Kazuna that Orochimaru had left Akatsuki and Deidara was acting independently.
• Killer B arrived as the Eight-Tails, quickly subdued the first giant snake, and drew Ōnoki's wary attention.
• A mysterious fighter pierced the Eight-Tails with a purple beam, while Deidara attacked Killer B and Orochimaru summoned a second, more savage snake.
• With Killer B beset by Deidara and the mysterious fighter and Kumogakure's ninja blocked by Orochimaru's summon, the Raikage could no longer remain seated.

Kazuna watched the invasion of Kumogakure, taunted Ōnoki, and saw the Raikage rush out after the Two-Tails’ chakra weakened. As Ōnoki joined the battle, Mei Terumi revealed she knew Kazuna was connected to the Flame Trading Company and began negotiating cooperation between Kirigakure and Konohagakure.

• Kazuna identified Deidara and Sasori among the attackers and watched Killer B lose a tentacle while fighting a giant snake.
• Kazuna and Ōnoki traded accusations about Orochimaru, until the Raikage warned them that anyone who started a fight would become his enemy.
• A cry and blue flames signaled that the Two-Tails’ chakra was weakening, and the Raikage rushed to the battlefield.
• Ōnoki left to join the fighting, while Kazuna invited Mei Terumi and Pakura for a drink; Pakura refused, but Mei Terumi accepted.
• Mei Terumi raised Kirigakure’s need for trade partners and suggested Kazuna’s Flame Trading Company could help, prompting him to ask how she wanted to cooperate.

Kazuna watched the aftermath of Kumogakure’s attack while Ōnoki pursued Deidara and caused heavy damage to the village. The Raikage confronted Ōnoki, and an unknown Kumogakure ninja joined their fight, leaving the confrontation poised to escalate.

• Kazuna eased tensions with Dodai, then drank with Mei Terumi and Pakura while Kumogakure’s forces handled the attackers.
• Ōnoki chased Deidara, while Sasori used exploding puppet duplicates to distract Kumogakure’s ninja and escape.
• Ōnoki fired Dust Release at Deidara, destroying buildings and killing Kumogakure ninja; Killer B confronted him, then tore apart the giant snake.
• Ōnoki returned to the Chunin Exams grounds and argued with Kazuna before the Raikage arrived and attacked him.
• An unknown Kumogakure ninja joined the battle and suppressed Ōnoki, prompting the Raikage and Killer B to prepare to retaliate if Ōnoki used Dust Release.

Ōnoki fled Kumogakure after a suicide attack, while the Raikage revealed that the Two-Tails had been captured. Kazuna learned Akatsuki had taken it, and he ended the chapter considering a new plan after warning the village leaders that rogue groups were targeting Tailed Beasts.

• Ōnoki hesitated to escalate the fight, but a Kumogakure Ninja covered in Explosive Tags charged him and detonated them, forcing Ōnoki to flee while the Raikage survived.
• The Raikage told Mei Terumi, Pakura, and Kazuna that the Two-Tails was missing, and Kazuna confirmed through Konan that Akatsuki had captured it during the chaos.
• Kazuna reflected that he had obtained the One-Tails, Two-Tails, Four-Tails, Eight-Tails, and Nine-Tails, and decided Akatsuki should keep Yugito alive.
• The Chunin Exams continued despite Kumogakure's devastation, and the participating shinobi from the Five Great Shinobi Villages all advanced to Chunin.
• At a meeting of village representatives, Kazuna warned that an organization was targeting Tailed Beasts, and Pakura noted that even the Land of Fire's Daimyo had once sought the Nine-Tails.
• Kazuna considered the villages' interest in Tailed Beasts and began forming a new idea.

Kazuna left Kumogakure after striking the Raikage, while Orochimaru confronted Obito over Akatsuki’s betrayal and received the materials he had requested. Kazuna then found Orochimaru’s hidden chamber and confronted him, leaving Orochimaru to ask whether Kazuna had secretly aided his forces in Kumogakure.

• Kazuna provoked the Kage, struck the Raikage away with Susanoo, and fled Kumogakure with the Uchiha Guard Unit.
• Orochimaru confronted Obito in an underground chamber and accused Akatsuki of using him as a target for Kumogakure’s shinobi.
• Obito gave Orochimaru a Sharingan, Senju Clan flesh, and an unconscious Uchiha, but refused to provide the rest of their promised payment.
• Orochimaru and Kabuto discussed Obito’s apparent fear of Kazuna before Kazuna suddenly appeared with four Uchiha.
• Orochimaru asked Kazuna whether he had been the force that helped their side hold off Kumogakure.

Kazuna confronted Orochimaru and demanded his Impure World Reincarnation research, so Orochimaru summoned Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju to demonstrate the technique. Kazuna destroyed their bodies with Blood Flame, but Orochimaru escaped using a Shadow Clone, leaving Kazuna to consider how the technique and the revived Hokage might become stronger.

• Kazuna confronted Orochimaru over the Uchiha he had injured and captured, then demanded all his research and knowledge of Impure World Reincarnation.
• Orochimaru refused and summoned Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, whose consciousnesses he had erased so they would act as puppets.
• Kazuna fought the two former Hokage, overwhelmed their Water Release and Wood Release with Blood Flame, and blasted their bodies apart.
• Orochimaru observed that he had limited the revived Hokage's power and wondered whether stronger reincarnations could withstand Kazuna's Blood Flame.
• Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju regenerated, while Orochimaru revealed that he had escaped as a Shadow Clone during the fight.

Kazuna reflected on Orochimaru’s escape and revealed that Itachi had retrieved the Totsuka Blade, then discussed the coming Kage Summit and his plan for Itachi to succeed him as Hokage. Akatsuki had begun hunting Tailed Beasts, and Kazuna sent Kakuzu and Hidan to pursue targets while leaving the One-Tails and Nine-Tails alone.

• Orochimaru escaped using a Shadow Clone and released the Impure World Reincarnation jutsu, causing the summoned Hokage to disintegrate.
• Kazuna showed Itachi the Totsuka Blade and explained that it could seal shinobi revived through Impure World Reincarnation.
• Itachi assessed the other villages’ Kage and unstable factors before Kazuna told him he might become Hokage within ten years.
• Itachi returned to Konohagakure’s Hokage office and drafted a plan for dealing with the other villages and deploying troops along the borders.
• Kakuzu and Hidan received Kazuna’s order to hunt specific people and capture Tailed Beasts, while leaving the One-Tails and Nine-Tails alone.
• Kazuna recognized that Akatsuki had begun its operation and wondered whether the plot had started.

Kazuna warned Konoha’s Jonin that Akatsuki was hunting the Tailed Beasts and formed the Hawk Squad to pursue its S-Rank Rogue Ninja. He left the meeting after demonstrating Akatsuki’s clothing and Rings, prompting the Jonin to realize something about his example seemed wrong.

• Kakashi and Might Guy attended Kazuna’s meeting, where he announced that Akatsuki had captured the Two-Tails and likely the Four-Tails.
• Kazuna identified Orochimaru, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Deidara as Akatsuki members and declared that Konoha would establish the Hawk Squad to hunt them.
• Kazuna told Jiraiya to train Naruto to control the Nine-Tails so he could protect himself.
• Kazuna appointed Shibi Aburame as captain of the Hawk Squad, with Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Hyuga Hima, and Uchiha Shisui as its other members.
• Kazuna warned Jonin to retreat if they encountered Akatsuki, then put on an Akatsuki cloak and showed them a Ring as examples of the group’s identifying marks.

Kazuna told the Uchiha that he was an Akatsuki member, then visited Amegakure to exchange Tailed Beast Chakra with Nagato and acquire the Four-Tails’ power. After collecting Chakra from five Tailed Beasts, he considered how to protect Konan from Obito’s plans.

• Kazuna admitted his Akatsuki affiliation to Fugaku, while Itachi and Shisui argued that the Uchiha’s strength made the revelation manageable.
• Itachi revealed that the Uchiha had more than one hundred and thirty Jonin, and Kazuna dismissed Fugaku’s concern about other villages opposing him.
• Five months later, Kazuna arrived in Amegakure with the One-Tails’ and Nine-Tails’ power for Nagato and took the Four-Tails’ Chakra from Roshi.
• Kazuna considered Nagato’s eventual fate and worried that Obito might kill Konan, then extracted the Four-Tails’ Chakra and added it to the power he had gathered.
• Konan offered to help Kazuna collect Chakra from all the Tailed Beasts, and she brushed off his attempt to flirt with her.

Akatsuki sealed Kazuna’s extracted One-Tails Chakra into the Ten-Tails husk, opening its first eye. Kazuna then arranged to buy the Two-Tails’ power, while Obito’s mention of Yahiko’s death raised suspicion before the meeting paused and Akatsuki learned the Three-Tails had revived.

• Konan woke Kazuna and brought him to Akatsuki’s gathering, where the members sealed the One-Tails’ Chakra into the Ten-Tails husk and opened its first eye.
• Kazuna offered 200 million ryo for the Two-Tails’ Chakra, and Pain agreed after noticing Obito’s reaction to the proposal.
• Obito objected that the plan could not be compromised and reminded Pain and Konan of Yahiko’s death; Kazuna questioned what had happened, leaving Obito and Pain wary.
• Pain agreed to let Kazuna have the Two-Tails, and Kazuna carried Yugito Nii out of the hall before the sealing was scheduled to continue in three days.
• Sasori reported that Akatsuki had found the revived Three-Tails, which Kirigakure’s Fourth Mizukage had released before his death.

Obito and Black Zetsu planned to retrieve Obito’s other Sharingan and considered reviving Madara Uchiha to counter Kazuna, while Nagato confronted Kazuna. The chapter ended as Kazuna’s clone kicked Nagato out of his wheelchair, revealing that it had not merely led him to the remote forest.

• Kazuna asked whether the revived Three-Tails was a freshwater or sea turtle, then agreed that Konan would keep Akatsuki’s money.
• Obito told Black Zetsu he would retrieve his other Sharingan, and they discussed reviving Madara Uchiha if Obito could not defeat Kazuna.
• Obito ordered White Zetsu to find Danzo so they could recruit another enemy of Kazuna.
• Nagato confronted Kazuna, who refused to answer his questions and led him to a deserted forest as Pain followed with Konan.
• Nagato assumed Kazuna had arranged a fair fight, but Kazuna’s clone kicked him out of his wheelchair.

Kazuna tricked Nagato into exhausting himself and then revealed that Nagato had been manipulated by the Masked Man and a powerful figure who implanted the Rinnegan in him. Nagato asked Kazuna to explain everything he knew, leaving the two Akatsuki leaders with new questions about their past and fate.

• Kazuna provoked Nagato into unleashing a devastating Shinra Tensei by making him fear Konan would be caught in its blast.
• Kazuna used genjutsu and a Konan disguise to fool Nagato, while the real Konan struck him unconscious with a club.
• After Nagato woke, Kazuna explained that his Mangekyo genjutsu had deceived Nagato's Rinnegan, then said he had staged the fight to make Nagato more clearheaded.
• Konan and Nagato admitted they had noticed problems with the people manipulating them, and Konan identified the Masked Man as a possible agent or mastermind.
• Kazuna revealed that the Masked Man was himself a pawn and that the true figure behind events was the Rinnegan's original owner, who had implanted the eyes in Nagato and made him a crucial chess piece.
• Nagato asked whether his parents' deaths, Yahiko's death, and even his own life had been controlled, then demanded that Kazuna explain how he knew these things.

Kazuna promised Konan he would protect Nagato as tensions rose around Akatsuki and the Rinnegan. Meanwhile, Obito took Kakashi’s Sharingan, and Sasori and Deidara captured the Three-Tails in the Land of Water before killing two Anbu witnesses.

• Kazuna told Konan that Nagato’s Rinnegan left him vulnerable because he could not fully synchronize with the eyes, and he promised to do everything possible to keep Nagato safe.
• Kakashi followed a figure he believed was Obito into a remote corner of Konohagakure, where Obito knocked him unconscious and removed his Sharingan.
• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu discussed Obito’s lingering humanity and considered reviving Madara Uchiha if Obito became uncontrollable.
• Deidara found the Three-Tails in a lake in the Land of Water and used explosive clay to knock it unconscious while Sasori watched.
• Deidara and Sasori secured the Three-Tails, and Deidara killed two Kirigakure Anbu who had witnessed its capture.

Deidara and Sasori captured the Three-Tails, but Kazuna arrived at Akatsuki and bought it after explaining why the other Tailed Beasts were not simply his to take. Kazuna made the Three-Tails his Summoning Beast, while Obito grew suspicious that Kazuna had recognized him and replaced the eye he recovered with an ordinary Sharingan.

• Deidara easily defeated two Kirigakure Anbu and asked Sasori if he should challenge Kazuna, but Sasori warned that Deidara was still far weaker than him.
• Kazuna offered to buy the Three-Tails, and Nagato agreed to let him have it after Akatsuki extracted part of its power for the Demonic Statue.
• Kazuna used his Mangekyo to subdue the Three-Tails and formed a summoning contract with it, telling Konan that a Tailed Beast could serve as a Summoning Beast.
• Obito discovered that the eye he had recovered could not become a Mangekyo Sharingan and suspected that Kazuna had replaced Kakashi's eye after recognizing him.
• Obito told Black and White Zetsu that he had contacted Orochimaru and planned to approach Danzo, the Third Hokage, the Ino-Shika-Cho, and the Raikage to oppose Kazuna.

Kazuna forced the Three-Tails to submit and warned Konan that the Moon Eye Plan might be a scam, then clashed with Nagato over her. As he prepared to leave, Kazuna gave Konan a powerful Shadow Clone sealed in a Scroll to protect her amid the coming chaos.

• Kazuna beat the Three-Tails until it agreed to follow him, then ordered it to fight their enemies.
• Kazuna told Konan he suspected the Moon Eye Plan was a scam and said Nagato’s survival depended on Nagato cooperating.
• Kazuna urged Konan not to live in the past and warned that reviving Yahiko with Impure World Reincarnation would cause him endless suffering.
• Nagato appeared and attacked Kazuna, but Konan intervened before their fight could escalate; Kazuna then left with her.
• Kazuna gave Konan a Scroll containing a powerful Shadow Clone to help protect her.

Kazuna pursued the Rinnegan and negotiated with Nagato to buy the Four-Tails’ Chakra while Danzo underwent Orochimaru’s dangerous experiment. Obito tried to protect the Moon Eye Plan, but Kazuna accepted the Four-Tails and left its Jinchuriki to Obito.

• Kazuna reassured Konan that Konohagakure would welcome her and reflected on his plans to gain the Rinnegan and the remaining Tailed Beast powers.
• Danzo pressured Orochimaru to act against Kazuna, and Orochimaru began an experiment on Danzo despite warning that he might die.
• Deidara and Kazuna watched the Three-Tails’ Chakra sealed into the Ten-Tails husk, while Nagato offered Kazuna the Four-Tails for 100 million ryo and a future favor.
• Obito objected to sealing more Tailed Beast Chakra into the Ten-Tails, but Nagato insisted the Akatsuki needed money for the Moon Eye Plan.
• Obito asked for the Four-Tails’ Jinchuriki instead, and Kazuna agreed to take the Four-Tails while leaving the Jinchuriki to Obito.