Recaps

Orochimaru, disguised as a Kumogakure Anbu captain, killed the squad investigating the Eight-Tails’ rampage and uncovered a mysterious power within himself. After obtaining the Dragon Yuan, he prepared to return to Konohagakure and change the Shinobi World.

• Orochimaru used his false captain identity to lure the Kumogakure Anbu into a trap and killed them after extracting information from the last survivor.
• Orochimaru revealed that he had caused the Eight-Tails to rampage in revenge for Nawaki’s death and had taken one of its horns as research material.
• Orochimaru reflected on how an Earth soul had fused with him after he was injured, and investigated the white point of light in his mind.
• Orochimaru discovered that the light had produced the Dragon Yuan and revealed the Power of Spacetime Fantasy, which generated items as he influenced the world.
• Orochimaru decided it was time to return to Konohagakure and set the Shinobi World in motion.

After swallowing the Dragon Yuan, Orochimaru became ageless and immortal, gained enormous power, and returned to Konoha with a believable story about his sudden breakthrough. As the three teammates discussed the war in the Land of Rain, Orochimaru proposed winning over Hanzō to help Konoha defeat one of its enemies.

• Orochimaru swallowed the Dragon Yuan in a secluded cave, which transformed his body and soul and made him immortal.
• Three days later, Tsunade and Jiraiya questioned Orochimaru about his strength, and he attributed his breakthrough to a near-death experience.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Orochimaru and his teammates through his Crystal Ball and felt more confident in Orochimaru as a future Hokage.
• Tsunade told Orochimaru and Jiraiya that Hanzō had fought Hiruzen to a draw and was causing heavy losses for Konoha's forces in the Land of Rain.
• Orochimaru argued that killing Hanzō would unite Sunagakure and Kumogakure against Konoha, then proposed winning Hanzō over to help Konoha defeat another village.

Orochimaru accepted the role of Frontline Deputy Commander as the Third Hokage outlined a campaign against Amegakure and Sunagakure. The chapter ended with Orochimaru leaving while Tsunade beat Jiraiya for insulting her.

• Jiraiya told Orochimaru that Sakumo's attack had driven Sunagakure and Amegakure into an alliance against Konohagakure.
• The Third Hokage appointed Orochimaru Frontline Deputy Commander, while Danzo returned to the village and Sakumo left to be with his wife before their child was born.
• The Third Hokage planned to lead the main force against Amegakure while Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya held Sunagakure in check.
• Jiraiya boasted about a prophecy that he would find and guide the Child of Prophecy, but Orochimaru mocked the idea.
• Jiraiya insulted Tsunade, and she smashed him away as Orochimaru left to arrange an Eight-Tails Chakra test subject.

Orochimaru departed for the Land of Rain as Hiruzen Sarutobi took command of the Konoha forces and Danzo was sent back to the village. At the front, Hiruzen divided Konoha’s troops between an assault on Amegakure and a force led by Orochimaru tasked with stopping Chiyo’s Sunagakure reinforcements.

• Orochimaru recorded his experiments with the Eight-Tails Gyūki Horn, judged its chakra too limited for major uses, and prepared to leave for the Land of Rain.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi named himself commander-in-chief and Orochimaru deputy commander before thousands of Konoha ninja set out from Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Danzo back to the village to handle intelligence work, and Danzo stormed out of the front-line camp.
• Orochimaru reached the Land of Rain and began managing battlefield operations alongside Kikume Kōtō as Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the other Konoha ninja joined the front.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to lead four thousand Konoha ninja against Amegakure while Orochimaru led a thousand to intercept Chiyo’s Sunagakure forces.

Konoha launched a two-front assault on Amegakure and Sunagakure’s reinforcements, with Orochimaru holding Chiyo back while Hiruzen Sarutobi fought Hanzō and Kakuzu. After Sunagakure’s force retreated, Orochimaru led the surviving Konoha ninja toward Amegakure to reinforce Hiruzen.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi led four thousand Konoha ninja toward Amegakure while Orochimaru positioned a thousand ninja to ambush Sunagakure’s reinforcements.
• Hanzō learned that Konoha had attacked Amegakure, broke the table to avoid his boast about eating it, and went out to fight.
• Chiyo led Sunagakure’s reinforcements into Orochimaru’s ambush, where Orochimaru fought her with ninjutsu and summoned creatures.
• At Amegakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi struggled against Hanzō and Kakuzu, while Kakuzu bargained over his bounty and Hiruzen tried to hire him.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya joined Orochimaru after Konoha routed Sunagakure’s force, and Chiyo ordered a retreat.
• After learning Hiruzen Sarutobi needed help, Orochimaru ordered the Konoha ninja who could still fight to march toward Amegakure.

At Amegakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s reinforcements turned the battle against Hanzō and Kakuzu, and the leaders agreed to stop fighting before both sides were destroyed. A few days later, Hanzō secretly met Chiyo in the Land of Rain.

• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru arrived with their summoning beasts, bolstering Konoha’s forces and treating the wounded.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Tsunade to handle Hanzo’s poison, Jiraiya to command the army, and Orochimaru to fight alongside him against Hanzo and Kakuzu.
• Orochimaru and Kakuzu exchanged ninjutsu and close-combat attacks; Kakuzu lost one heart, while Orochimaru’s ample Chakra let him sustain the fight.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Hanzō that continuing would cost him his Rain Ninja, and both sides agreed to withdraw.
• A few days later, Hanzō arrived secretly at a dense forest in the Land of Rain, where Chiyo was waiting.

Chiyo and Hanzo pursued Orochimaru while the Third Kazekage occupied the Third Hokage and their forces fought Tsunade and Jiraiya. Orochimaru lured the pursuers to Kakuzu, who ambushed Chiyo for a bounty, leaving her badly injured as Hanzo arrived.

• Chiyo proposed that she and Hanzo lure out and kill Orochimaru while the Third Kazekage held off the Third Hokage.
• The Third Kazekage arrived on the Land of Rain battlefield, trapping the Third Hokage, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and their allies in separate fights as Orochimaru fled Hanzo and Chiyo.
• Orochimaru sent Kakuzu a bounty offer and tactical instructions, then led his pursuers on a winding route to their meeting place.
• Orochimaru drew Chiyo's Minotaur Puppet away, allowing Kakuzu to emerge from underground and attack Chiyo for the bounty.
• Kakuzu badly injured Chiyo, but the Minotaur Puppet returned and Hanzo arrived to face Kakuzu and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru recovered from his fight with Chiyo while the fronts stayed quiet, then learned that Hanzō and the Third Kazekage had attacked the Third Hokage’s unit. He sent reinforcements toward the Third and set out with Tsunade and Jiraiya to stop Hanzō, determined to change the events that would earn them the title of the Three Ninja.

• Hanzō and Chiyo withdrew after Kakuzu revealed that Orochimaru had paid him sixty million ryo, and Orochimaru promised to pay Kakuzu the remaining balance.
• While Orochimaru recuperated, Jiraiya brought him chicken soup, which Tsunade tasted and immediately spat out.
• After Tsunade and Dragon Yuan helped him recover, Orochimaru learned that the Third Kazekage had attacked the Third Hokage’s unit and Hanzō had mobilized Amegakure’s forces.
• Orochimaru ordered the Jōnin to reinforce the Third Hokage and arranged for the Chunin and Genin to follow as a second wave.
• Orochimaru left with Tsunade and Jiraiya to stop Hanzō, determined to change history and earn the title of the Three Ninja on different terms.

Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya battled Hanzō and their Summoning Beasts in the Land of Rain. Watching the clash, Yahiko became determined to seek power, while Zetsu watched Nagato as part of Madara’s plan.

• Hanzō mocked the name Konoha Sannin, and Orochimaru launched the fight while Tsunade and Jiraiya moved in alongside him.
• Hanzō evaded their attacks and used his scythe, explosive traps, and Ibuse’s poisonous mist against the trio, while Tsunade treated her teammates for poison.
• The four ninja and their Summoning Beasts clashed across the battlefield, endangering people caught nearby.
• Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan fled from the battle, while Zetsu watched Nagato’s Rinnegan and considered him essential to Madara’s plan.
• Yahiko said he wanted power to change the Land of Rain and proposed asking Hanzō to take them as disciples.

Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato sought training so they could change the Land of Rain, and Jiraiya chose to stay behind and guide them. The Sannin’s fame spread as the war neared its decisive battle, but Tsunade returned to camp devastated after Danzō Katō was killed on a reconnaissance mission.

• Yahiko asked Konan and Nagato to join him in pursuing power and peace for the Land of Rain, and they agreed.
• After Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade fought Hanzō, he called the battle a draw and acknowledged the Konoha Sannin.
• Jiraiya questioned Yahiko about his dream, then decided to stay with Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato while Orochimaru and Tsunade returned to camp.
• Hanzō and Hiruzen Sarutobi signed an alliance treaty, and the Sannin’s reputation grew as the Second Ninja War approached its decisive battle.
• Tsunade returned from reconnaissance with Danzō Katō’s corpse, while Kikume Kōtō accompanied her in guilt and Tsunade stood blood-covered and vacant-eyed.

On the eve of the decisive battle, Orochimaru told Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi that Tsunade’s trauma had left her unable to fight, and Hiruzen arranged for her return to Konoha while concealing the truth. Before leaving the Land of Rain, Tsunade asked Orochimaru to investigate whether leaked intelligence had caused Dan Katō’s death.

• Orochimaru told Jiraiya that Tsunade’s physical injuries could heal, but her hemophobia and emotional wounds might keep her from fighting.
• Orochimaru proposed either giving Tsunade time away from the battlefield or putting her in danger so she could overcome her fear, but Jiraiya rejected the risky idea.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to send Tsunade back to Konoha and ordered Kikume Kōtō to spread a false account of her squad’s mission.
• Tsunade waited for Orochimaru and Jiraiya, then told them she suspected intelligence had been leaked and that Dan Katō’s death had not been an accident.
• Orochimaru agreed to investigate, and Tsunade left the Land of Rain on the night before the decisive battle.

Konoha and Amegakure prepared to attack Sunagakure’s base in the Land of Rain while Tsunade returned to Konoha and began training Shizune Katō and medical ninja. The allied forces approached the enemy encampment as the decisive battle began.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hanzo of the Salamander agreed to keep their armies separate and set out with their forces to attack Sunagakure’s base.
• Orochimaru recognized Aoi Rokushō among the Rain Ninja and sent snakes to watch him, hoping to recover the stolen Raijin’s Sword.
• Tsunade returned to Konoha with news of Dan Katō’s death and accepted his niece Shizune Katō as her disciple.
• Tsunade opened a tutoring class for medical ninja and planned to train Shizune before leaving Konoha.
• Konoha and Amegakure’s allied forces neared Sunagakure’s encampment in the Land of Rain.

Hiruzen Sarutobi’s forces attacked Sunagakure, and the battle’s Kage-level fighters clashed as Orochimaru and Jiraiya tried to restrain One-Tails Shukaku. The chapter ended with the Third Kazekage blocking Hiruzen’s strike against Shukaku with a sand iron shield.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi’s forces dismantled Sunagakure’s barrier and began attacking while Hanzō and Chiyo engaged on the flank.
• The Third Kazekage confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi, while Bunpuku transformed into One-Tails Shukaku to face Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
• Orochimaru summoned Manda and Jiraiya summoned Gamaken, and the two beasts joined them in attacking Shukaku.
• Shukaku’s sand and wind attacks battered Manda and Gamaken, while Orochimaru and Jiraiya tried to bind him.
• The Third Kazekage fired a Sand Iron Shower, and Hiruzen, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya blocked it with a combined Earth Release wall.
• Gamaken and Manda interrupted Shukaku’s attempt to form a Tailed Beast Ball, and Hiruzen’s attack was stopped by the Third Kazekage’s sand iron shield.

Orochimaru vented his anger by brutally beating Shukaku, while the Third Kazekage struggled against Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya. Hatake Sakumo arrived on the battlefield and clashed with Chiyo, who used Sasori’s parents as Puppets to seek revenge.

• Jiraiya and Orochimaru attacked the airborne Third Kazekage with Fire and Wind Release, but he formed Sand Iron wings and countered the flames with Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel.
• After Manda fled, Orochimaru turned on Shukaku and overwhelmed him with repeated ninjutsu, while Aoda joined in and helped drive Shukaku through Sunagakure’s formation.
• The Third Kazekage remained at a disadvantage against Hiruzen Sarutobi and Jiraiya, while Orochimaru’s brutal treatment of Shukaku unsettled the fighters watching them.
• Hatake Sakumo led a Konohagakure Anbu squad into battle, charging through Sunagakure’s ranks at high speed with his White Fang Shortsword.
• Chiyo abandoned her fight with Hanzo of the Salamander and attacked Sakumo with the Father and Mother Puppets, but Sakumo cut their Wind Chakra threads and moved in to strike.

Hatake Sakumo fought Chiyo and severed one of her arms, but the Third Kazekage intervened before she could trap him in a final attack. The Third Kazekage covered Sunagakure’s retreat until reinforcements arrived, and the Third Hokage chose not to pursue the fleeing forces.

• Hatake Sakumo broke through Chiyo’s puppet defenses and severed one of her arms, but she grabbed him and began Three Treasures Crushing Wave.
• The Third Kazekage rescued Chiyo with Sand Iron while Hiruzen Sarutobi, Jiraiya, and Gamaken stopped the puppets’ attack, allowing Sakumo to escape.
• The Third Kazekage used Sand Iron World Law to cover Sunagakure’s retreat, then faced a combined fire, wind, and oil attack from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.
• Ebizo arrived with Sunagakure reinforcements, took charge of the retreating forces, and left to assess Chiyo’s injuries.
• The Third Kazekage withdrew after confirming Sunagakure had escaped, and Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to pursue the defeated enemy.
• Orochimaru returned to overseeing the wounded, battle merits, and spoils after Konoha counted more than two thousand survivors from its three thousand ninja.

After the Second Ninja War ended, Orochimaru falsified the loot records to secure research funds and arranged for Kakuzu to retrieve Raijin's Sword from Amegakure. The Konoha forces prepared to return home, while Orochimaru completed his wartime duties and reviewed the battle records.

• Orochimaru altered the reported loot totals to keep part of the spoils for himself as research funding.
• Jiraiya told Orochimaru he planned to train Nagato, whom he believed was the Child of Prophecy, and left Tsunade's investigation in Orochimaru's hands.
• Orochimaru sent Kakuzu a bounty request to bring back Raijin's Sword from Amegakure without alerting Hanzō.
• Orochimaru reviewed the battle merit records, including Minato Namikaze's achievements, and finished his paperwork overnight.
• Orochimaru gave the documents to Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the Konoha Ninjas dismantled their camp to return home after the war ended.

Konoha welcomed home its victorious ninja, and Hiruzen Sarutobi honored Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru with Hokage Armbands as possible successors. That evening, Tsunade agreed to help Orochimaru investigate Dan’s death and offered him support in exchange for his full commitment.

• Villagers welcomed Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hatake Sakumo, Orochimaru, and the returning Konoha Ninja at the Main Gate.
• Tsunade asked Orochimaru about Jiraiya and the matter she had asked him to investigate, but Orochimaru postponed their discussion until they were alone.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised the returning ninja, increased battlefield benefits and death compensation, and tied Hokage Armbands onto Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru and Tsunade met at a Konoha Izakaya, where Orochimaru explained that someone in the Anbu or among the village’s higher-ups had leaked intelligence connected to Dan’s death.
• Tsunade agreed to use the Senju Clan’s connections to gather intelligence and teach Orochimaru Medical Ninjutsu, then offered him expensive experimental equipment in return for his full effort.

Orochimaru discovered that the depleted Cosmic Cube had left behind fragments containing spatial energy, which could alter Chakra and aid space-related techniques. After deciding he needed the Flying Thunder God Technique for his research, he went to the Hokage Building with Jiraiya and Minato, where both he and Minato chose it from the Scroll of Seals.

• Orochimaru tested the twenty-three Cosmic Cube Fragments for a week and found that they could convert Chakra into spatially charged Chakra, but each fragment's energy ran out with use.
• Orochimaru concluded that modifying his body with a fragment's spatial energy might help him master or improve the Flying Thunder God Technique, and decided to seek the Second Hokage's research materials.
• After resting, Orochimaru met Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze, and Jiraiya explained that he wanted Minato to use his military achievements to choose a technique from the Scroll of Seals.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi led Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Minato into the sealed chamber holding the Scroll of Seals.
• Orochimaru chose the Flying Thunder God Technique despite Hiruzen's warning about its difficulty, and Minato chose the same technique.

Orochimaru studied the Flying Thunder God Technique with Minato and rebuffed Danzo’s attempt to recruit him. He then underwent a dangerous body modification powered by the Cosmic Cube, but the machine malfunctioned before the energy stopped pouring into him.

• Orochimaru explained the Flying Thunder God Technique and the Second Hokage’s space-time research to Minato, while Kushina gave Orochimaru a book of her Sealing Jutsu insights.
• Danzo tried to recruit Orochimaru by offering power and knowledge, but Orochimaru tricked him into leaving and shut the door on him.
• Orochimaru prepared a Particle Accelerator and Cosmic Cube with Shikun Mitarashi to modify his body.
• Shikun Mitarashi activated the machine, and Orochimaru endured agonizing pain as he guided the Cosmic Cube’s energy through his body.
• Orochimaru ordered Shikun Mitarashi to shut down the machine, but Shikun reported that it had malfunctioned.

After a Cosmic Cube accident, Orochimaru passed off the Rasengan as his own new ninjutsu and demonstrated it to the Third Hokage and Minato. He chose the Eight Gates Technique from the Scroll of Seals and returned home with a plan to help Shikun Mitarashi gain the Flying Thunder God technique.

• Orochimaru ordered Shikun Mitarashi to destroy the malfunctioning equipment, and the resulting blast struck them both with the Cosmic Cube's energy.
• Orochimaru showed the Rasengan to the Third Hokage, and Minato Namikaze revealed that he had already been developing the same technique and mastered it after hearing Orochimaru's explanation.
• The Third Hokage added the Rasengan's training method to the Scroll of Seals and offered Orochimaru a technique in return, so Orochimaru chose the Eight Gates Technique.
• Orochimaru sensed that the Cosmic Cube's power had altered his perception of space and considered whether Shikun Mitarashi could learn Flying Thunder God.
• Orochimaru planned to help Shikun Mitarashi earn enough military merit to obtain the Flying Thunder God method from the Scroll of Seals.

Orochimaru assessed Danzo as his main rival for the Hokage position and prepared Shikun Mitarashi to recover Raijin's Sword. Months later, he continued refining his Flying Thunder God technique, though he still needed prewritten formulas to use it.

• Orochimaru warned Shikun Mitarashi that Danzo was his greatest rival and predicted Danzo would target Sakumo next.
• Orochimaru gave Shikun Mitarashi scrolls containing the Flying Thunder God Technique and his analysis, promising him a chance to study the Scroll of Seals.
• Orochimaru revealed that Kakuzu had recovered Raijin's Sword and planned for Shikun Mitarashi to earn merit by retrieving it from the Land of Rain.
• Orochimaru explained that the Cosmic Cube's spatial energy had greatly improved Shikun Mitarashi's potential for space-time techniques.
• Several months later, Orochimaru tested his modified Ouroboros-shaped Flying Thunder God formula, which he still had to inscribe beforehand on paper and attach to a Kunai.

Minato Namikaze mastered Flying Thunder God under Orochimaru’s guidance, then Kushina tried to feed him her cooking. Later, Shikun Mitarashi told Orochimaru he had mastered the technique too but struggled to inscribe its formula quickly.

• Orochimaru demonstrated Flying Thunder God to Minato Namikaze and explained how to sense the formula and resonate with its chakra.
• Kushina brought Minato lunch, fed him her unusual cooking, and insisted she would make his dinners from then on.
• Orochimaru urged Minato to resume training, and Minato used a marked kunai to teleport across the training ground.
• Kushina called Minato back to finish his meal, while Orochimaru left him behind and took a break from his duties.
• Shikun Mitarashi visited Orochimaru and explained that he could use Flying Thunder God but needed a day to inscribe each formula kunai.

Shikun Mitarashi learned the Flying Thunder God after returning from the Land of Rain, while Orochimaru and Minato recorded their insights on the technique. Two years later, Minato and Orochimaru trained together until Shikun arrived wounded, leaving Orochimaru asking what had happened.

• Shikun Mitarashi left for the Land of Rain after memorizing a code to contact Jiraiya and preparing Flying Thunder God kunai.
• Minato and Orochimaru told the Third Hokage that they had learned the Flying Thunder God, then recorded their insights in the Scroll of Seals.
• Orochimaru spent three days writing about the Flying Thunder God and the theory of relativity, leaving the Third Hokage baffled by his work.
• Shikun Mitarashi returned wounded with Raijin's Sword, gained permission to view the Scroll of Seals, and later recorded his own insights after learning the Flying Thunder God.
• Two years later, Orochimaru and Minato sparred at Training Ground No. 7 while Kushina cheered Minato on.
• Shikun Mitarashi arrived at the training ground injured, and Orochimaru noticed the scent of blood and asked what had happened.

After returning from his mission, Shikun Mitarashi recovered under Orochimaru’s care, and Orochimaru traveled to Ryūchi Cave. The White Snake Sage sensed the Dragon Yuan within him, mistook its aura for that of a True Dragon, and offered to teach him Sage Art.

• Shikun Mitarashi told Orochimaru that Jiraiya had rescued him from Hanzo, and Orochimaru treated his injuries.
• Orochimaru went to Ryūchi Cave and considered modifying Manda while pretending to treat his damaged eye.
• Tagorihime brought Orochimaru before the White Snake Sage, who asked where the True Dragon aura on him came from.
• Orochimaru said the Divine Dragon was no longer in this world, and the White Snake Sage offered to teach him Sage Art without endangering his life.

Orochimaru negotiated with the White Snake Sage for access to Ryūchi Cave in exchange for helping her meet the True Dragon, then set about modifying Manda. After completing the surgery, Orochimaru kept his laboratory in Ryūchi Cave and began considering its snakes as experimental material.

• Orochimaru promised to help the White Snake Sage meet the True Dragon within a hundred years, and she offered him anything in Ryūchi Cave in return.
• Orochimaru asked for Manda as well as Sage Art, then returned to Konohagakure to gather supplies for experiments.
• The Three Snake Sisters restrained Manda while Orochimaru paralyzed him and performed surgery in his converted nest-laboratory.
• Orochimaru replaced Manda's blind eye with a glowing mechanical one, removed his frontal lobe, and added a horn, venom sacs, and a fire-breathing function.
• The Three Snake Sisters left Manda's nest, and Orochimaru decided to keep his equipment in Ryūchi Cave and use its snakes for future experiments.
• Manda gradually woke up after the modifications without his usual screaming and shouting.