Chapter Summaries

Masahiko accompanied Kurotsuchi, Deidara, and his three young companions back toward Iwagakure after learning why Deidara had tried to run away. At the village gate, he met Kurotsuchi’s senior brother Akatsuchi and learned that Kitsuchi was her father.

• Masahiko let the Iwagakure ninjas eat the remaining boar while the children introduced themselves and got acquainted.
• Kurotsuchi explained that Ōnoki had ordered Deidara to live outside Iwagakure because his explosive experiments troubled civilians, prompting Deidara to try to escape the village.
• Masahiko told Deidara that pursuing art required strength, and Deidara asked why nobody had managed to kill him.
• The three Stone Shinobi finished eating and escorted Kurotsuchi and the others back toward Iwagakure, where Kurotsuchi’s senior brother Akatsuchi waited.
• Masahiko recognized Akatsuchi and learned that Kitsuchi was Kurotsuchi’s father.

Masahiko brought Karin, Kimimaro, and Haku into Iwagakure, where Ōnoki learned that the visitors meant no harm and welcomed the prospect of the younger generation training together. After winning money at a casino, Masahiko spotted Kurotsuchi and Deidara through a chakra-powered telescope.

• Masahiko and the three children entered Iwagakure with Kurotsuchi, and he took them to explore the village.
• Ōnoki learned from Kurotsuchi and Deidara about Shanks, Kimimaro, and their encounter, then agreed that the children should spar together.
• Masahiko took the children to a casino because he had run short of money, and he won enough to fund their shopping.
• Masahiko examined a costly chakra-powered telescope and saw Kurotsuchi and Deidara approaching through it.

Masahiko stayed at Deidara’s home outside Iwagakure and disrupted Deidara’s nighttime attack before training with the young Iwagakure ninjas. He learned that Akatsuchi and Kurotsuchi were formidable, then copied Iwagakure’s Explosion Release technique and tried to shape the clay into a weapon.

• Masahiko assigned rooms to himself, Kimimaro, Karin, and Haku at Deidara’s home, while Karin told him Deidara had been watching Haku.
• Deidara sent White Spiderlings into Masahiko’s room at night, but Masahiko gathered them with Gravity Pull and returned them to Deidara, knocking him unconscious.
• Kurotsuchi brought Akatsuchi to train with Masahiko’s group the next morning, and Akatsuchi proved strong enough to send Kimimaro flying and pressure him and Haku together.
• Kurotsuchi used Lava Style Ash against Karin, leaving Karin dirty and disheveled during their spar.
• Masahiko copied the Chakra properties of Deidara’s explosive clay and shaped it into a grenade, which he tossed toward Deidara’s room while calling it C4 Garuda.

Masahiko tested Deidara’s Explosion Release technique and decided to teach Karin how to use it. After ending the training battle and cooking wild boar for the group, he noticed Deidara’s awkward expression reminded him of Ōnoki.

• Masahiko tried to learn Deidara’s clay art, but he could only make a small ball with tooth marks.
• Masahiko teased Deidara about Haku being a boy, and Deidara claimed he had already figured it out.
• Karin and Kurotsuchi finished their fight, and Masahiko used water and fire ninjutsu to clean and dry Karin.
• Masahiko gave Karin a grenade and told her to sense its Earth Release Chakra so she could learn Explosion Release.
• Masahiko stopped Haku and Kimimaro’s fight with Akatsuchi and said they would train in Iwagakure for two months.
• While preparing wild boar, Masahiko noticed Deidara eyeing Haku’s telescope and said Deidara’s stubborn expression reminded him of Ōnoki.

Masahiko watched Kimimaro's team battle Ōnoki's disciples and treated Kimimaro after the children lost, while Haku spotted two unusual visitors entering the Tsuchikage Building. As Masahiko gathered the children for lunch, a blast of Dust Release streaked across the sky, leaving him wondering who Ōnoki was fighting.

• Masahiko watched Kimimaro, Karin, and Haku battle Kurotsuchi, Akatsuchi, and Deidara, and saw Kimimaro use his spine to break Akatsuchi's Earth Release.
• Masahiko stopped the fight and treated Kimimaro, warning him that using the technique worsened his Bloodline Disease.
• Karin asked Masahiko to teach her Medical Ninjutsu, while he joked that he wanted Deidara to keep challenging him with explosives.
• Haku told Masahiko that two unusual people had entered the Tsuchikage Building, but Masahiko dismissed them as clients seeking a mission.
• Masahiko gathered the children to go to lunch, then saw a beam of Dust Release cut across the sky and wondered who Ōnoki was fighting.

Masahiko arrived in Iwagakure with five children as Ōnoki fought Sasori’s steel puppet, while Sasori and Kakuzu sought an alliance with the Land of Rain. Sasori revealed a Human Puppet made from Hanzō, but Masahiko intervened to contain its toxins and came face-to-face with Sasori.

• Masahiko brought Kurotsuchi, Deidara, Karin, Kimimaro, and two other children to Iwagakure, where Ōnoki was battling a headless steel monster controlled by Sasori.
• Masahiko sensed Kitsuchi, Gari, and Iwagakure’s Five-Tails Jinchuriki confronting Kakuzu behind the collapsed Tsuchikage Building.
• Sasori stopped controlling the monster and told Ōnoki that he represented the Land of Rain in seeking an alliance, but Ōnoki rejected the request.
• Sasori produced a Human Puppet made from Hanzō, and its toxins caused several Iwagakure ninja to collapse.
• Masahiko appeared beside Sasori and trapped the toxins inside a pale blue barrier, then teased Sasori about transforming.

Masahiko stopped Sasori and Optimus Prime’s attacks, took Hanzō’s corpse, and helped Iwagakure treat its poisoned ninja. With Kakuzu and Sasori seeking peace talks, Ōnoki weighed their proposal while Sasori and Deidara argued over what counted as art.

• Sasori fired poisoned senbon from his transformed arm, but Masahiko blocked them and kicked apart Optimus Prime’s attacking arm.
• Ōnoki thanked Masahiko for looking after Kurotsuchi, who greeted Masahiko warmly and showed she already suspected his identity.
• Masahiko stored Hanzō’s Human Puppet and warned Sasori not to summon the puppet in his scroll.
• Kakuzu arrived and persuaded Sasori to hand over an antidote, which Masahiko gave to Ōnoki to treat the poisoned Iwagakure ninja.
• Kakuzu and Sasori proposed peace talks, and Ōnoki asked why the Land of Rain sought an alliance with Iwagakure as well as Konoha and Sunagakure.
• Sasori declared that eternal beauty was art, and Deidara objected that only an instant’s explosion counted as art.

Masahiko watched Sasori and Kakuzu negotiate with Ōnoki, then learned that Yahiko planned to establish the Akatsuki Organization as a neutral force to prevent wars. He doubted the plan would succeed but decided he wanted to see how much change Yahiko could bring to the ninja world.

• Sasori and Kakuzu discussed an alliance with Ōnoki while Deidara grew angry at being ignored, and Ōnoki left with them after giving Kitsuchi instructions.
• Masahiko took the five children to lunch and then strolled through Iwagakure, wondering how Yahiko intended to bring peace.
• Kakuzu told Masahiko that Ōnoki was still considering the alliance and might wait for Chiyo of Sunagakure to arrive before deciding.
• Kakuzu explained that Yahiko wanted to unite ninja villages and powerful unaffiliated fighters in the Akatsuki Organization, which would arbitrate disputes and jointly punish countries that started wars.
• Masahiko doubted the organization could restrain Konoha or succeed without a powerful leader, but respected Yahiko's commitment to peace and named his idea the Akatsuki Organization Peace Plan.

While Deidara advanced his explosive art and Masahiko continued teasing Sasori in Iwagakure, Chiyo arrived to confront her grandson about his past and ask him to return to Sunagakure. The chapter ended with Masahiko leaving the choice to Sasori.

• Deidara created C2 bombs, and Masahiko tested stronger clay explosives before Deidara’s new strength forced the children to train separately.
• Masahiko collected Sasori’s poisoned Senbon and teased him about abandoning human emotions.
• Chiyo met Masahiko at Iwagakure’s gates and asked to see Sasori, so Masahiko took her to Sasori’s residence.
• Chiyo asked Sasori why he had left Sunagakure and turned himself into a puppet, while Masahiko narrated the feelings Sasori would not express.
• Chiyo urged Sasori to return to Sunagakure and offered to restore his human body, but Masahiko said the decision was Sasori’s.

Masahiko tried to help Chiyo persuade Sasori to return to Sunagakure, but Sasori remained unmoved and redirected the conversation to the alliance between the Land of Rain and Sunagakure. Chiyo went with Sasori and Masahiko to discuss the proposal with Ōnoki.

• Sasori repeatedly called Chiyo's pleas boring, and Masahiko tried to explain the feelings he believed Sasori was concealing.
• Masahiko narrated an imagined reunion between Chiyo and Sasori, but both of them ignored his predictions and Chiyo's appeal failed.
• Masahiko asked Sasori to transform, but Sasori interrupted him to remind Chiyo to discuss the alliance with the Tsuchikage.
• Sasori explained that the Land of Rain wanted an alliance with Sunagakure, and Chiyo said she could offer only her personal opinion on the matter.
• Sasori and Chiyo left to find Ōnoki, while Masahiko called after them to urge Sasori to return home with his grandmother.

Masahiko watched Sunagakure and Iwagakure agree to pursue an alliance with the Land of Rain, then advised Yahiko on recruiting village ninjas for Akatsuki. Yahiko realized Hiruzen’s promise to consider joining was likely an excuse, and the organization’s formation remained a distant goal.

• Chiyo secured Sasori’s agreement to represent Sunagakure in Akatsuki, while he refused to return to the village and demanded a large commission.
• Yahiko and Ringo Ameyuri arrived in Iwagakure, and Yahiko asked Masahiko to help recruit peace-minded ninjas from the villages for Akatsuki.
• Masahiko warned Yahiko that Hiruzen’s promise to consider an alliance might delay Konoha’s participation for years.
• Masahiko recommended recruiting only one or two S-Rank ninjas from each village and suggested candidates from Sunagakure and Iwagakure, including Sasori, Chiyo, Roshi, and Deidara.
• Yahiko recognized that Hiruzen was making excuses, thanked Masahiko, and left to continue pursuing Akatsuki’s formation.

As Masahiko prepared to leave Iwagakure, Chiyo asked him how Sasori could regain a flesh-and-blood body, but Sasori rejected her attempt to restore him and revealed his ultimate art. Masahiko opened the door after an enormous explosion and found Sasori towering over ten meters tall.

• Masahiko decided to leave Iwagakure with the children soon and considered where to help Haku and Kimimaro grow stronger.
• Chiyo visited Masahiko and asked whether he could help Sasori regain a flesh-and-blood body.
• Masahiko asked whether Sasori wanted to be restored, and Sasori appeared behind Chiyo and refused to go along with her plan.
• Chiyo demonstrated a multi-form puppet and urged Sasori not to turn himself into a puppet, but Sasori declared that only eternity was true art.
• Sasori unleashed his ultimate art, and a massive explosion shook the ground.
• Masahiko stepped outside and saw that Sasori had grown to more than ten meters tall.

Sasori demonstrated his giant human-puppet body and four-puppet Crimson Secret Technique, defeating Chiyo and challenging Masahiko. Masahiko easily evaded Sasori’s attacks, while Sasori declared that he would eventually turn him into one of his collections.

• Sasori revealed that he controlled a giant puppet body with his own flesh-and-blood core, startling Masahiko and waking the children.
• Sasori summoned four giant puppets and attacked Chiyo, who struggled to keep up despite her experience.
• Sasori’s giant body appeared behind Chiyo, forcing her to relinquish control and accept defeat.
• Sasori sent the four transforming puppets after Masahiko, but Masahiko blocked their attacks and avoided their strikes.
• Sasori told Chiyo that she could no longer stop him and vowed to make Masahiko one of his collections, while Masahiko dismissed the threat.

Masahiko left Iwagakure with Karin, Kimimaro, and Haku to travel to the Land of Iron, where Haku could train his Ice Release and Kimimaro could learn swordsmanship. The chapter ended with Masahiko imagining Kimimaro using his bones to perform repeated quick-draw slashes.

• Masahiko joked with Chiyo about Sasori and offered to help turn him back into flesh and blood, but Chiyo said she would try to persuade Sasori herself.
• Masahiko told Deidara, Karin, Kimimaro, and Haku that they would leave Iwagakure the next morning, and the children reacted with surprise and disappointment.
• Masahiko said goodbye to Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi, while Deidara returned home and discovered his clay was missing.
• Masahiko led Karin, Kimimaro, and Haku toward the Land of Iron and explained that Haku would train his Ice Release while Kimimaro learned swordsmanship.
• Masahiko decided that the Land of Iron's quick-draw technique would suit Kimimaro's ability to produce multiple bone blades.

Uzumaki Masahiko brought Kimimaro, Karin, and Haku to the Land of Iron so Kimimaro could learn the Iaido Slash. After Mifune agreed to teach him, Masahiko learned that the country was under martial law because of an outrage against gods and men.

• Masahiko led the shivering Karin, Kimimaro, and Haku through the snow and made them climb the mountain to reach the Land of Iron.
• Samurai confronted Masahiko and the children at the summit, then escorted them to the capital after Masahiko showed his power.
• Masahiko met Mifune and asked him to arrange Iaido Slash training for Kimimaro, learning that the expert Chusuke was away and Mifune could teach him instead.
• Kimimaro revealed his arm bone as a weapon, and Masahiko asked Mifune why the Land of Iron was under martial law.
• Mifune called Masahiko a paragon of righteousness and said he could never commit an outrage against gods and men, prompting Masahiko to ask what had happened.

Masahiko learned that the Land of Water had been annihilated by a single enormous attack and suspected he knew who was responsible. As he stayed in the Land of Iron to train Kimimaro, he agreed to investigate the ruins with Mifune.

• Masahiko learned from Mifune that the Land of Water had been completely destroyed, and agreed to help find the culprit.
• Masahiko revealed Hanzō’s corpse as a Human Puppet and asked Mifune to arrange a burial.
• Mifune tested Kimimaro’s swordsmanship, then began teaching him while Masahiko trained Haku and Karin.
• Chusuke returned with Xiu, the young lord of the Land of Water, who had survived because he had been held hostage elsewhere.
• Chusuke reported that one enormous attack had reduced the Land of Water to ruins, and Masahiko said he probably knew who had done it.

Masahiko investigated the destruction of the Land of Water and found only one survivor, Tatomu. He learned that the country’s legends mentioned a thousand-year-old history and a goddess, leaving him startled by a possible connection to its destruction.

• Masahiko crossed the mountain with Xiu and Mifune’s samurai, then found the Land of Water reduced to a crater.
• Masahiko identified Akatsuki as the attackers and used Wood Style to search the ruins for survivors.
• Masahiko found and treated Tatomu, a samurai from the Land of Iron who had survived the attack.
• Masahiko questioned Xiu about possible treasures, but Xiu could not answer.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Fire said the Land of Water’s old records blamed its destruction on offending a goddess, and Masahiko reacted with surprise.

Masahiko investigated the destruction of the Land of Water and suspected that a hidden Akatsuki threat might be connected to Kaguya. On the journey back, he explained the danger to Mifune and distinguished it from Yahiko’s peace-seeking Akatsuki, leaving the Land of Iron considering a possible alliance.

• Masahiko questioned Xiu about the goddess said to have destroyed the Land of Water a thousand years earlier and suspected a Black Zetsu contingency might be behind the recent attack.
• The revived samurai Tatomu recalled that an attack from the sky had destroyed the Land of Water and explained that he had been guarding Xiu on the Daimyo’s orders.
• Masahiko told the Land of Fire Daimyo to organize survivors and warned Mifune that the attacker might threaten other nations.
• Tatomu continued guarding Xiu as Masahiko, Mifune, and the others headed back, and Masahiko explained Akatsuki’s goals and the possibility that it sought to revive Kaguya.
• Tatomu mentioned an Akatsuki in the Land of Rain, and Masahiko clarified that Yahiko’s peace-seeking organization was separate from the nation-destroying Akatsuki.
• Mifune called for the dangerous organization to be eradicated, while Masahiko considered that the attack might persuade the Land of Iron to join Yahiko’s peace plan.

Masahiko trained his swordsmanship in the Land of Iron before Akatsuki arrived to recruit Mifune into its peace plan. After learning that Yahiko had given Hanzō’s corpse to Sasori, Masahiko spoke privately with Ringo Ameyuri, who warned him that Yahiko acted strangely whenever Masahiko was mentioned.

• Masahiko reached level six in Blade Technique after practicing with Kimimaro and Xiu’s swordsmanship instructor, then advised Karin during her sparring game with Haku.
• Chusuke told Masahiko that Yahiko and Ringo Ameyuri had arrived to speak with General Mifune about Akatsuki’s peace plan.
• Mifune asked Yahiko whether he had given Hanzō’s corpse to Sasori, and Yahiko admitted that he had.
• Masahiko took Ringo Ameyuri aside, and she told him that Yahiko’s attitude changed whenever Masahiko came up and that Yahiko had refused to ask him for help in Iwagakure.

Masahiko learned that Yahiko still pursued peace despite his suspicions, and helped him form an alliance with the Land of Iron to oppose Dark Akatsuki. After two months of training, Kimimaro demonstrated a powerful new slash, and Masahiko declared the training journey over.

• Masahiko told Ringo Ameyuri he would not confront Yahiko, but asked her to report anyone suspicious approaching him.
• Masahiko explained Dark Akatsuki’s role in the Land of Water’s destruction and the Third Shinobi War, prompting Yahiko and Mifune to ally against the organization.
• Yahiko promoted the Akatsuki Organization’s peace plan while Masahiko shared intelligence about Dark Akatsuki over the next two months.
• Kimimaro used his spine to perform a powerful overhead drawing slash, staggering Tatomu before Masahiko suppressed his Bloodline Disease.
• Masahiko named Kimimaro’s new technique Earth Splitting Slash, cautioned him not to use it lightly, and told Kimimaro, Karin, and Haku to pack because their training journey was over.