Chapter Summaries

Nara Kaikei and Minato Namikaze tested candidates for becoming Isobu’s partner, with Kakashi, Rin, and Shizune enduring the first exposure to the Three-Tails’ Chakra. While Minato began preparing the next test, Kaikei returned the Flame Fan, offered Kirigakure’s swords, and considered whether Nuibari might suit Shizune.

• Isobu released his Chakra toward the candidates, and Minato Namikaze and Hyuga Kiyoshi withdrew after feeling its effects.
• Uchiha Shisui also withdrew as Isobu increased his Chakra, while Hatake Kakashi, Nohara Rin, and Shizune endured the first test.
• Nara Kaikei asked Minato Namikaze to guide the Three-Tails’ Chakra into the remaining candidates using temporary seals, and Minato agreed.
• Nara Kaikei returned the Flame Fan to Uchiha Shisui and offered the Seven Ninja Swords of Kirigakure to Shisui and Hyuga Kiyoshi.
• Uchiha Shisui tried the Kubikiribōchō but found it too heavy for his fighting style and returned it to Nara Kaikei.
• Nara Kaikei wondered whether the Nuibari would suit Shizune, then went to train Samehada.

Nara Kaikei learned that Kakashi, Rin, and Shizune could all tolerate the Three-Tails’ chakra, and arranged for them to spend more time with Isobu while Konoha chose a jinchuriki. Konoha’s elders ruled out Shizune and leaned toward Kakashi, leaving the final choice unresolved.

• Minato Namikaze told Nara Kaikei that Kakashi, Rin, and Shizune had all passed the Three-Tails chakra tolerance tests, with Rin tolerating it best, then Kakashi, then Shizune.
• Nara Kaikei arranged for the three candidates to increase their contact with Isobu before Konoha began sealing the Three-Tails into its chosen jinchuriki.
• Minato Namikaze left to report the results to the village, while Kakashi and Rin remained in the Land of Hot Water under Nara Kaikei’s watch.
• Mitokado Homura suggested that the candidates’ tolerance might be related to Nara Kaikei taming the Three-Tails.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi removed Shizune from consideration, and Shimura Danzō and Hiruzen favored choosing Kakashi over Rin.

Nara Kaikei rejected Konoha’s low offer for the tamed Three-Tails and told Nara Shikaku to negotiate for techniques and resources the clan needed. After his Shadow Clones completed several Kekkei Genkai Chakra Creation Methods, his Sage Wisdom rose from A+ to S-.

• Nara Shikaku told Nara Kaikei that the Third Lord wanted Hatake Kakashi to become the Three-Tails Jinchuriki and that Konoha had decided to buy the beast.
• Nara Shikaku revealed Konoha’s offer of three A-Rank ninjutsu, ten B-Rank ninjutsu, gold, silver, and resources, including a Rashomon Summoning Contract qualification.
• Nara Kaikei rejected the offer’s value and instructed Nara Shikaku to seek barrier, sensory, Steel Fist, Curse Mark, and sealing techniques in a better deal.
• Nara Shikaku said Minato and Kagami would return to the village, while Uchiha Shisui, Hatake Kakashi, and Nohara Rin would stay in the Land of Hot Water.
• Nara Kaikei received his Shadow Clones’ completed Kekkei Genkai Chakra Creation Methods, and his Sage Wisdom increased from A+ to S-.

After [Sage Wisdom] reached S-rank, Nara Kaikei planned new uses for the [Yin Seal] and continued guiding his squad in their dealings with the Tailed Beasts. He gave Shizune [Nuibari] to try after asking what she knew about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

• Nara Kaikei discovered that [Sage Wisdom] had reached S-rank and considered storing [Kai Release] Chakra in a second [Yin Seal].
• Nara Kaikei added research into a defensive [Kai Release] technique to his plans and reviewed his other research priorities.
• Minato Namikaze left to escort wounded ninja and important people and corpses back to Konoha, after which Nara Kaikei dismissed Uchiha Shisui and the others from their activities.
• Nara Kaikei asked Shizune about getting along with Isobu and encouraged her and the others to treat Tailed Beasts without fear.
• Nara Kaikei asked Shizune about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and handed her [Nuibari], sealing its hilt to prevent Kirigakure ninja from summoning it back.

Nara Kaikei gave Shizune the Nuibari and discussed the Three-Tails’ future partner with Isobu. He then offered to teach Isobu the Shadow Clone Technique, and Isobu became interested when he learned a clone could remain free outside a seal.

• Shizune tested Nuibari, and Nara Kaikei gave the sword to her because its piercing and stitching abilities suited her.
• Nara Kaikei sent Shizune, Uchiha Shisui, and Hyuga Kiyoshi back to camp, then asked Isobu what it thought of the ninja who had been examined.
• Isobu praised Minato Namikaze’s Sealing Technique, and Nara Kaikei said one of the three ninja present might become Isobu’s partner.
• Five-Tails King taunted Isobu and shoved it aside, while Nara Kaikei warned Isobu against fighting back.
• Nara Kaikei explained the Shadow Clone Technique and told Isobu that a clone could retain some freedom even if Isobu was sealed.
• Isobu asked Nara Kaikei how to learn the Shadow Clone Technique.

Nara Kaikei completed the exclusive S-rank Flying Thunder God Technique: Shadow Stream Blade and used it to return from the Land of Hot Water to Kikyo Castle. There, he resumed experiments on Han while Han demanded to be released.

• After two days of failed lessons, Isobu still could not learn the Clone Technique, though its opinion of Hatake Kakashi improved.
• Nara Kaikei received the Shadow Clones’ completed Flying Thunder God Technique: Shadow Stream Blade, an exclusive mark that held more Chakra than Tobirama Senju’s version.
• Nara Kaikei tested the new technique and traveled from the Land of Hot Water through an intermediate mark to Kikyo Castle.
• Nara Kaikei quietly returned to the underground laboratory, where Han was chatting with White Zetsu and appeared to be in stable condition.
• Nara Kaikei branded a Chakra Metal kunai with Shadow Stream Blade and began culturing Han’s blood and tissue as Han angrily demanded release.

Nara Kaikei returned to the underground laboratory, subdued Han, and visited Pakura, who had independently proposed reversing the wind and fire chakra proportions in Scorch Release. He restored her chakra and left her to test the idea while he departed again.

• Nara Kaikei anesthetized Han in the containment cylinder and assigned Shadow Clones to continue the experiments.
• Nara Kaikei surprised Pakura while she was reading, told her the fighting on the Kumogakure and Kirigakure fronts was nearly over, and asked her to keep his return secret.
• Pakura explained that she had hypothesized reversing the wind and fire chakra proportions of Scorch Release could create a different ninjutsu.
• Nara Kaikei removed Pakura's chakra seal and directed her to conduct experiments in the laboratory, while withholding that her idea could produce Swift Release.
• Nara Kaikei recalled his Shadow Clones, instructed Pakura to guard the laboratory and continue researching, then vanished, leaving her puzzled about his visit.

Nara Kaikei planned to make Nature Masks from cultivated blood cells so he could safely experiment with Sage Chakra, then traveled to Iwagakure to collect its jutsu archives. He obtained the Dust Release Chakra Manufacturing Method and several other valuable techniques, leaving him poised to study Iwagakure’s Kekkei Tōta.

• Nara Kaikei decided to cultivate his blood cells and use them to craft Nature Masks for Sage Chakra fusion experiments.
• He reviewed possible sources of Sage Art knowledge and calculated how often he could travel between the Land of Hot Water and Kikyo Castle.
• His two Kage clones reported that Nara Raikage had returned to Kumogakure and that Nara Tsuchikage had gathered Iwagakure’s secret jutsu archives.
• The next morning, Nara Kaikei traveled to Iwagakure and received the scrolls collected by Nara Tsuchikage.
• The scrolls revealed Dust Release techniques, gravity-manipulating Earth Style jutsu, and the S-Rank Dust Release Chakra Manufacturing Method.

Nara Kaikei tested his newly acquired Dust Release, then arranged for Nara Ōnoki to die by his own technique before escaping back to the Land of Hot Water. There, Nara Shikaku delivered Konoha’s final offer for the Tailed Beast deal, including several A-Rank techniques.

• Nara Kaikei used [Dust Release: World Splitter] to carve through a massive boulder and considered the technique’s power and potential for further research.
• Nara Kaikei decided to kill Ōnoki, and Nara Ōnoki volunteered to crash into the main body’s Dust Release, sending his memories back before disappearing.
• Nara Kaikei returned to the Land of Hot Water with the advanced Iwagakure scrolls and rested on Five-Tails King after spending much of his Chakra.
• Nara Shikaku brought Nara Kaikei Konoha’s final offer and said Hiruzen Sarutobi would send Tsunade to negotiate if he pushed for more.
• Nara Kaikei read the offer, which included [Heavenly Canopy Formation], [Self-Retribution Curse Technique], and [Eight Inner Gates Formation].

Nara Kaikei agreed to trade Isobu to Konoha and handed Nara Shikaku responsibility for the captured Kirigakure blades. After the village confirmed Hatake Kakashi as the new Three-Tails Jinchuriki, Shimura Danzō volunteered to travel to the Land of Hot Water for the sealing.

• Nara Kaikei declined to pursue sensory ninjutsu from the Yamanaka Clan and approved the village's trade terms for Isobu.
• Nara Kaikei showed Nara Shikaku four captured Kirigakure ninja blades and asked him to find clan members who could use them or decide how to dispose of them.
• Nara Kaikei stored the four blades in his sealing scroll after Nara Shikaku asked him to keep them until they returned to the village.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the other village leaders learned that Nara Kaikei had accepted the trade and confirmed Hatake Kakashi as the new Three-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Shimura Danzō volunteered to go to the Land of Hot Water and oversee sealing the Three-Tails into Hatake Kakashi.

Nara Kaikei arrived at Cloud Thunder Gorge as Nara Raikage released Two-Tails Matatabi, intending to seal it into a new Jinchuriki and take it from Kumogakure. Matatabi attacked Kaikei, and their fight began as an S-Rank mission appeared.

• Nara Raikage ordered the Kumogakure ninja to leave Cloud Thunder Gorge before opening the Amber Purifying Pot and releasing Matatabi.
• Matatabi attacked Nara Raikage, who used Lightning Release Chakra Mode to dodge its paw strike and revealed that the real Nara Kaikei was about to arrive.
• Nara Kaikei appeared using the Flying Thunder God Technique, greeted Matatabi by its true name, and explained that he planned to seal it into a new Jinchuriki before taking it away from Kumogakure.
• Matatabi learned that Kaikei already had Kokuō and decided to resist him by firing its tracking Fire Rat Ball attack.
• Kaikei dodged the fireball as Matatabi used Mind Control to split it into multiple tracking flames, and an S-Rank mission to defeat or kill Matatabi appeared on his panel.

Nara Kaikei defeated and subdued Two-Tails Matatabi in Cloud Thunder Gorge, then asked it to become his Summoning Beast. The chapter ended as he prepared to sign a contract with Matatabi.

• Nara Kaikei dodged Matatabi’s Fire Rat Balls and bound it with Adamantine Sealing Chains until it surrendered.
• Nara Kaikei told Matatabi he had controlled A and planned to take Matatabi and its Jinchuriki away from Kumogakure.
• Matatabi mistook the encounter for a dream and believed Nara Kaikei might be an incarnation of the Sage of Six Paths.
• Nara Kaikei struck Matatabi with Raikō: Senju Satsu, convincing it that the pain was real and ending its resistance.
• Nara Kaikei cut his palm and asked Matatabi to sign a contract and become his Summoning Beast.

Nara Kaikei formed a summoning contract with Two-Tails Matatabi and arranged for her to be sealed into a Kumogakure child, promising to free her when circumstances allowed. Nara Raikage brought Samui to Cloud Thunder Gorge, where she prepared to serve as Matatabi’s Jinchuriki and go to Konoha under the cover of studying Dark Shadow.

• Nara Kaikei formed a [Summoning Contract] with Two-Tails Matatabi, his third Tailed Beast contract.
• Nara Kaikei told Matatabi that she would be sealed into a Jinchuriki for now, promised he could later release her safely, and explained that he would use the [Eight Trigrams Seal].
• Nara Kaikei sent Nara Raikage to fetch Kumogakure’s preselected Jinchuriki, and Nara Raikage took the [Chakra Crystal] ring before leaving Cloud Thunder Gorge.
• Nara Raikage returned to the Kumogakure ninjas, picked Samui from the group, and carried her toward Cloud Thunder Gorge.
• Nara Raikage reminded Samui of her cover story: she would go to Konoha as a Jinchuriki to study Dark Shadow while gathering intelligence and learning about Tailed Beast power.

Nara Kaikei sealed Matatabi the Two-Tails into Samui, whom his Raikage clone had secretly chosen as Kumogakure’s new Jinchuriki. Samui fainted after the sealing, leaving Kaikei free to confront his clone.

• Samui introduced herself as Nara Kaikei’s new student, and he learned that the Raikage clone had selected her instead of Yugito Nii to become the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Nara Kaikei told Samui to stay by his side and prepared to seal Matatabi into her.
• Nara Kaikei used the [Four Symbols Seal] to transfer Matatabi’s Chakra into Samui through the [Eight Trigrams Seal].
• Samui endured the sealing but fainted once it was complete.
• Nara Raikage spread his arms and invited Nara Kaikei to attack him.

Nara Kaikei killed his Raikage clone, learned that Samui had been placed near him as a spy and sealed with the Two-Tails, then secretly carried her and the Amber Purifying Pot away from Kumogakure. On the flight back, he opened Matatabi’s S-Rank scroll and discovered a flame-manipulating Yin Release technique.

• Nara Kaikei erased the Raikage clone with Dust Release and received the clone’s memories, which revealed Samui’s covert mission and the Two-Tails sealed inside her.
• Nara Kaikei decided to keep Samui as his disciple, then used a concealed Shadow Creature to carry her and the Amber Purifying Pot out of Cloud Thunder Gorge.
• Kumogakure’s ninja discovered that the Third Raikage, Samui, and the Amber Purifying Pot had disappeared.
• While flying toward the Land of Hot Water, Nara Kaikei examined the unconscious Samui and decided to train her secretly before taking her to Kikyo Castle.
• Nara Kaikei opened the S-Rank scroll he had gained from the Two-Tails Matatabi and obtained Entangling Flame Cat Fire, a technique that created tracking flames from Yin Release Chakra.

Nara Kaikei used the Two-Tails Matatabi’s Entangling Flame Cat Fire scroll to fuse Yin Release and Fire Release, creating a Flame Release Mask and testing its purple-black flames. As he and the unconscious Samui neared the Land of Hot Water, she awoke and revealed that her natural affinity was Fire Style.

• Nara Kaikei tested Entangling Flame Cat Fire and found that its Yin Release flames could fuse with Fire Style Ninjutsu.
• Nara Kaikei forged a Flame Release Mask by combining Yin Release and Fire Release Chakra, and confirmed it produced controllable, tracking purple-black flames.
• Nara Kaikei considered whether Amaterasu might also result from fusing Yin Release and Fire Release, and planned to study Flame Release further in the Land of Hot Water.
• Nara Kaikei noticed Samui waking as they neared the Land of Hot Water and told her to rest.
• Samui reported that her Chakra nature was Fire and that she had an affinity for Fire Style.

Nara Kaikei tested Samui’s elemental aptitude, gave her beginner ninjutsu to learn, and examined the Eight Trigrams Seal while speaking with Matatabi. After Matatabi briefly manifested through Samui, Nara Kaikei assigned her the mission of earning the Two-Tails’ acknowledgment.

• Nara Kaikei used Chakra Paper to confirm Samui had an aptitude for Fire Release, then promised her scrolls for the Hemostasis Technique and Mist Servant Technique.
• Nara Kaikei used the Illusion Technique: Lacquer Eye to inspect Samui’s Eight Trigrams Seal and opened a gap in it.
• Nara Kaikei told Matatabi that the seal could convert its leaked Chakra into Samui’s Chakra and that a Shadow Clone could let it observe the outside world.
• Matatabi rejected the idea of acknowledging Samui and sent its Chakra through the opened seal, briefly appearing over Samui’s body and speaking through her.
• Nara Kaikei restored the Eight Trigrams Seal, introduced Samui to Matatabi, and gave her the mission of earning Matatabi’s acknowledgment.

Samui began training to improve her chakra control and was told to communicate with Two-Tails Matatabi, while Nara Kaikei created a Blaze Release Chakra Creation Method. Nara Kaikei returned to the Konoha camp after learning that someone from the village had arrived, where he met Lord Jiraiya, apparently sent in connection with Isobu’s sealing.

• Samui accepted Nara Kaikei’s mission to gain Two-Tails Matatabi’s approval and rested during their journey to the Konoha camp.
• Nara Kaikei brought the sleeping Samui to the temporary Research Base and created an A-Rank Blaze Release Chakra Creation Method by combining Yin Release and Fire Release.
• Nara Kaikei tested Samui’s abilities, assigned her wall-climbing and water-walking training, and reminded her to communicate with Matatabi.
• Nara Kaikei visited Five-Tails King, but Isobu ignored him because the sealing date was approaching.
• Uchiha Shisui told Nara Kaikei that someone from the village had arrived with a confidential mission for him.
• Nara Kaikei returned to the Konoha camp and found Lord Jiraiya with Nara Shikaku, then asked whether Jiraiya had come to preside over Isobu’s sealing ceremony.

Jiraiya explained why he had come to the Land of Hot Water and delivered Konoha’s payment for the Three-Tails sealing mission. Nara Kaikei examined the jutsu scrolls and obtained the Eight Inner Gates Formation, leaving him with a powerful last-resort technique.

• Jiraiya told Nara Kaikei that Shimura Danzō had been reassigned to the Land of Grass after Ōnoki disappeared, while Minato had gone to the Land of Rain.
• Jiraiya delivered thirteen jutsu scrolls as part of Konoha’s payment and said the remaining assets would be handled after the war.
• Nara Kaikei’s panel recorded three A-Rank and ten B-Rank jutsu, including Heavenly Canopy Formation and Self-Retribution Curse Technique.
• Nara Kaikei inspected the Eight Inner Gates Formation and decided he wanted the technique as a last resort despite having little interest in taijutsu.

Nara Kaikei considered the Eight Inner Gates as a powerful trump card, then offered Jiraiya a trade for Mount Myōboku’s Sage Arts. Jiraiya refused at first, but after seeing Kaikei’s transparent invisibility technique, he eagerly begged to learn it while offering any other ability in exchange.

• Nara Kaikei reviewed the Eight Inner Gates Formation and judged that his physical prowess could make its full power formidable.
• Nara Kaikei and Jiraiya left the frontline camp on a Shadow Creature to reach Isobu.
• Jiraiya praised the Shadow Creature’s flight, and Nara Kaikei offered to teach him the technique in exchange for Mount Myōboku’s Sage Arts.
• Jiraiya refused to trade Mount Myōboku’s inheritance, so Nara Kaikei demonstrated Camouflage Concealment and revealed its transparent invisibility.
• Jiraiya kowtowed to Nara Kaikei and begged to study the technique, offering any other ability he possessed.