Chapter Summaries

Nara Kaikei and Tsunade planned how to attack Shimura Danzō, but Tsunade delayed the operation so they could recover, gather intelligence, and avoid harming civilians or Root members. Their preparations also gave Tsunade time to judge whether Hiruzen Sarutobi would obstruct or support them.

• Nara Kaikei urged Tsunade to go after Shimura Danzō, whom he had hated since Danzō tried to force him into Root.
• Tsunade rejected an immediate attack because they had spent Chakra fighting Orochimaru, Root was powerful, and its base was inside Konoha.
• Nara Kaikei proposed using Flower Tree World Descent to incapacitate Root members and limit casualties during the assault.
• Tsunade learned that Nara Kaikei had mastered many Wood Release techniques but still could not produce the true scale of True Several Thousand Hands.
• Tsunade ordered them to rest and gather intelligence before attacking Shimura Danzō in a day or two, while watching to see whether Hiruzen Sarutobi would act as an enemy or ally.

After Tsunade sent Nara Kaikei to inform the Nara Clan about the plan against Orochimaru and Shimura Danzō, he opened the A-Rank scroll he had obtained from Orochimaru and discovered Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation. The jutsu led him to suspect that Orochimaru had failed to master Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode and that the failure had transformed his soul into something like a White Phosphorus Snake.

• Tsunade and Nara Kaikei discussed the assassination plan and parted outside the Senju Clan estate.
• Tsunade asked Nara Kaikei to tell Nara Shikano about Orochimaru’s defeat as the clans prepared for the Fourth Hokage election.
• Nara Kaikei sent a Shadow Clone to deliver the message and opened Orochimaru’s A-Rank Ninja Scroll.
• Nara Kaikei learned the scroll contained Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation, a Ryūchi Cave Sage Art.
• Nara Kaikei wondered whether Orochimaru’s failed Sage Mode cultivation had damaged his soul and turned it into a White Phosphorus Snake.

Shimura Danzō learned that Orochimaru had been gravely wounded and vanished after losing to Tsunade and Nara Kaikei, threatening Danzō’s plans for the Fourth Hokage election and Root’s research. Hiruzen summoned Danzō but avoided relaying Tsunade’s warning, instead asking about Uchiha Obito and extracting the Eight-Tails.

• Root reported to Shimura Danzō that Orochimaru had lost to Tsunade and Nara Kaikei, been seriously wounded, and disappeared.
• Danzō ordered two tracking squads to find Orochimaru and bring him back alive or dead.
• An Anbu ninja summoned Danzō to the Hokage Building, and Danzō went there with two attendants.
• Hiruzen saw Danzō arrive unharmed and wrestled with whether to warn him that Tsunade planned to act against him.
• Hiruzen changed the subject and asked Danzō about Uchiha Obito and a way to extract and reseal Kumogakure’s Eight-Tails.

As Konoha prepared for the Second Kage Summit and Fourth Hokage election, Minato Namikaze struggled to learn what had happened to Uchiha Obito. The chapter ended with Minato and Hatake Kakashi witnessing Nara Kaikei and Tsunade perform a Wood Release technique.

• The villages agreed to hold the Second Kage Summit in the Land of Iron in half a month after failing to agree on a host village.
• Minato Namikaze repeatedly asked Hiruzen Sarutobi about Uchiha Obito, but Hiruzen kept the investigation's status and Obito's whereabouts from him.
• Minato told Hatake Kakashi and Nohara Rin that Obito remained under investigation and their reunion would be delayed.
• Isobu warned Hatake Kakashi that Nara Kaikei was approaching, and Kakashi, Rin, and Minato saw Nara Kaikei with Tsunade performing Wood Release.
• Isobu recognized Nara Kaikei's chakra and identified the technique as Wood Release, the same type of ninjutsu Hashirama Senju had used.

Nara Kaikei used Flower Tree World Descent to break into Root's underground base and incapacitate nearly everyone inside with pollen. As Tsunade held back the arriving Konoha ninjas, Minato Namikaze sensed Uchiha Obito's Chakra within the base.

• Nara Kaikei drove a giant vine through the earth and into Root's base, where Flower Tree World Descent released pollen that knocked most people unconscious.
• Nara Kaikei stopped the jutsu after exhausting the Sage Chakra in his mask, while concealed Wood Human Clones kept watch inside the base.
• Tsunade told the arriving Konoha ninjas that she was testing a new jutsu and ordered them to stand down.
• Minato Namikaze sensed Uchiha Obito's Chakra inside Root's base and stopped before leaving.

Minato Namikaze joined Nara Kaikei and Tsunade in entering Root to find Uchiha Obito, whom Minato feared was being used for experiments. They encountered Aburame Ryoma’s insect attack, and Nara Kaikei trapped the swarm with fire and located Ryoma.

• Minato Namikaze sent Hatake Kakashi and Nohara Rin away, then told Nara Kaikei and Tsunade that he sensed one of his subordinates beneath them.
• Nara Kaikei recognized the chakra as Uchiha Obito’s and agreed to let Minato accompany them, on the condition that he not interfere.
• Nara Kaikei, Tsunade, and Minato entered the Root Base through a passage created by Flower Tree World Descent, and Nara dispersed the remaining pollen.
• Aburame Ryoma sent a swarm of Kikaichū at the three, and Nara identified him as the likely attacker.
• Nara Kaikei surrounded the insect swarm with three fire dragons and locked onto Aburame Ryoma hiding in the darkness.

Nara Kaikei defeated Aburame Ryoma and continued through Root Base with Tsunade and Minato Namikaze to pursue Shimura Danzō. He caught sight of Danzō fleeing toward a secret passage, leaving the confrontation with Root’s leader imminent.

• Aburame Ryoma attacked the group with insect swarms and clones, but Nara Kaikei saw through his deception and subdued him with the Shadow Manipulation Technique.
• Nara Kaikei learned that Shimura Danzō was the only other person in Root Base to survive the pollen assault and led Tsunade and Minato Namikaze after him.
• Shimura Danzō headed for a secret passage to escape Root Base, while Nara Kaikei realized they needed to act before Hiruzen Sarutobi intervened.
• Nara Kaikei, Tsunade, and Minato Namikaze closed the distance, and Nara Kaikei spotted Shimura Danzō fleeing.

Nara Kaikei and Tsunade confronted Shimura Danzō at Root Base, where Tsunade attacked him and Kaikei protected her with Wood Release. The chapter ended with Danzō and Minato Namikaze shocked that a Nara Clan ninja could wield the Senju Clan’s Bloodline Limit.

• Shimura Danzō turned to face Nara Kaikei and accused him of betraying the village by attacking Root Base.
• Tsunade and Minato Namikaze arrived, and Tsunade charged at Danzō before he could continue arguing.
• Danzō evaded Tsunade’s punch with the Body Flicker Technique and fired a barrage of Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere into the dust cloud.
• Nara Kaikei used Wood Style: Wood Golem Wall to shield Tsunade from Danzō’s attack.
• Danzō and Minato Namikaze reacted with disbelief when they realized Kaikei had used Wood Release.

Nara Kaikei and Tsunade defeated and captured Shimura Danzō inside the Root Base using Wood Release, while Minato refused to help Danzō escape. Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived to find Danzō alive and bound.

• Tsunade used Wood Release to attack Shimura Danzō, who evaded her vines and ordered Minato Namikaze to help him escape.
• Minato refused to get involved, and Tsunade urged Nara Kaikei to stop holding back.
• Nara Kaikei unleashed the Forest Creation Technique, filling the Root Base with trees that trapped and bound Shimura Danzō.
• Tsunade praised Nara Kaikei as he brought the captured Danzō before them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the Root Base and saw that Shimura Danzō had been captured alive.

Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at Root Base and ordered Tsunade and Nara Kaikei to release Shimura Danzō, insisting that he would handle Root through a high-level meeting. Nara Kaikei revealed that he had used Wood Release and challenged Hiruzen to execute Danzō himself if he opposed them killing him.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at Root Base and ordered Tsunade to stop and leave Shimura Danzō and Root to him.
• Tsunade refused, reminding Hiruzen that she had vowed to make Danzō answer for his crimes, while Nara Kaikei questioned how Hiruzen planned to punish him.
• Hiruzen demanded that Tsunade release Danzō and said Root's punishment would be decided at a high-level meeting, but Nara Kaikei mocked the idea of discussing it with Danzō himself.
• Nara Kaikei tightened his Wood Release restraints on Danzō and revealed that he had cast the technique, shocking Hiruzen with the scale of his power.
• Nara Kaikei argued that Hiruzen should execute Danzō in the Hokage's name if he would not allow them to kill him, then blocked Danzō from speaking.

Nara Kaikei pressed Hiruzen Sarutobi to deal with Shimura Danzō, but the Third Hokage attacked Kaikei and tried to rescue Danzō by force. Their fight began in the Root Base, with Hiruzen's first attempt to reach Danzō thwarted.

• Nara Kaikei challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi to execute Shimura Danzō himself or let them handle the matter.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi chose force and rushed Nara Kaikei, who blocked him with [Black Warrior].
• Hiruzen Sarutobi's kunai snapped against [Black Warrior]'s palm, and the panel triggered an A-Rank mission to defeat or kill him.
• Nara Kaikei attacked with another Chakra arm, but Hiruzen Sarutobi dodged and summoned King Enma, who transformed into an Adamantine Staff.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi extended the staff toward Shimura Danzō, then dodged Nara Kaikei's [Spiral Shadow Binding Bullet], causing the attack to miss Danzō.

Nara Kaikei confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi over his attempt to take Shimura Danzō, and the two fought as Hiruzen tried to free Danzō by force. Hiruzen trapped Nara Kaikei inside a cage of cloned Adamantine Staffs and called on Minato Namikaze to save Danzō, but Minato did not move.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi dodged Nara Kaikei's Shadow Clone and argued that Shimura Danzō had to be dealt with by the village.
• Nara Kaikei accused Hiruzen Sarutobi of ignoring Danzō's crimes, and Hiruzen charged at him instead of answering.
• Nara Kaikei formed the initial [Black Warrior], which withstood Hiruzen's Adamantine Staff strike without damage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi escaped Nara Kaikei's shadow restraint and used [Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique] to form an Adamantine cage around him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted for Minato Namikaze to save Shimura Danzō, but Minato did not move.

Minato Namikaze refused to rescue Shimura Danzō, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi to fight Nara Kaikei himself. Nara Kaikei overwhelmed the Third Hokage and sent him crashing into the Root Base wall.

• Minato Namikaze chose not to follow Hiruzen Sarutobi's order to rescue Shimura Danzō.
• Nara Kaikei mocked Hiruzen Sarutobi after the [Black Warrior] broke Enma's Adamantine Prison Wall.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi abandoned the failed Flying Thunder God rescue plan and attacked Nara Kaikei to reach Shimura Danzō.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi used repeated staff strikes to drain the [Black Warrior]'s Chakra while evading its Shadow Tentacles.
• Nara Kaikei launched the [Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique] and used [Flying Thunder God: Shadow Stream Blade] to strike Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi was blasted into the Root Base wall by Nara Kaikei's punch.

Nara Kaikei used the Flying Thunder God Technique and overwhelming physical strength to batter Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaving the Third Hokage badly injured and disarmed. Kaikei waited for Hiruzen to emerge again, ready to continue until the mission ended.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi escaped the crater, but Nara Kaikei activated a Flying Thunder God mark on the Adamantine Staff and attacked him again.
• Nara Kaikei struck the Adamantine Staff with Boil Release and Chakra Enhanced Strength, bending it and forcing Enma to flee by releasing the Summoning Technique.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi crashed into the wall and coughed up blood as his aura and Chakra weakened.
• Minato Namikaze, Tsunade, and Shimura Danzō each reacted to Hiruzen Sarutobi's apparent defeat.
• Nara Kaikei waited for Hiruzen Sarutobi to emerge, intending to keep attacking until the mission ended.

Nara Kaikei defeated Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaving him unable to stop Tsunade from carrying out her judgment on Shimura Danzō. Tsunade crushed Danzō with Wood Style, killing him.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi conceded defeat after Nara Kaikei beat him and received a plea to spare Shimura Danzō.
• Tsunade refused Hiruzen Sarutobi’s request and declared that Shimura Danzō had to die.
• Nara Kaikei told Hiruzen Sarutobi to intervene himself if he believed they were breaking village rules.
• Tsunade used Wood Style: Great Cloth Bag Technique to crush the wooden cocoon and Shimura Danzō inside, killing him.

Nara Kaikei and Tsunade escaped Shimura Danzō’s posthumous Reverse Four Symbols Seal after Tsunade killed him. Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted that he could not punish Nara Kaikei, while Tsunade began thinking about the Fourth Hokage election and Minato Namikaze prepared to question Hiruzen about Uchiha Obito.

• Shimura Danzō’s corpse released the Reverse Four Symbols Seal, and Nara Kaikei carried Tsunade clear of its black Chakra sphere.
• Nara Kaikei explained the sealing technique to Tsunade, and the sphere dissipated around Danzō’s body, leaving a crater.
• Nara Kaikei told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the Root shinobi had survived and left the cleanup to him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi chose not to confront Nara Kaikei, while Tsunade considered focusing on the Fourth Hokage election.
• Nara Kaikei and Tsunade departed with the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Minato Namikaze stayed to ask Hiruzen about Uchiha Obito.

Minato Namikaze found Uchiha Obito imprisoned and badly weakened in Root’s secret prison, then arranged to take him for treatment. Obito remembered the torture and felt only hatred toward Konoha and Minato as his Sharingan changed.

• Minato Namikaze found Uchiha Obito unconscious in Root’s secret prison and woke him.
• Minato told Obito that Hiruzen Sarutobi had allowed him to leave Root and that Rin would provide initial treatment before he went to the hospital.
• The chapter revealed that Root had held Obito as a living specimen for research into Wood Release because White Zetsu had altered his body.
• Obito recalled his imprisonment and his unanswered hopes that Minato, Fugaku, or Kakashi would come to save him.
• Obito silently opened his Sharingan, whose two tomoe formed a more intricate windmill pattern, and resented Minato for arriving only after the torture.

Nara Kaikei considered how to strengthen himself after the deaths of Uchiha Madara and Shimura Danzō, then joined Tsunade at Hokage Rock to pay respects to Hashirama Senju. Tsunade thanked him and declared that becoming Hokage was their next goal.

• Nara Kaikei decided to focus on improving his Chakra quality, taijutsu, senjutsu, and Kekkei Tōta.
• Nara Kaikei opened the A-Rank scroll from Hiruzen Sarutobi, found the Earth Dragon Flame Stream, and dismissed it as less useful than his Kekkei Genkai and other abilities.
• Nara Kaikei reflected that Hiruzen Sarutobi was a versatile traditional ninja but lacked the exceptional strength of the Third Raikage.
• Tsunade brought Nara Kaikei to Hokage Rock to pay respects to Hashirama Senju, whose body had been secretly placed nearby.
• Tsunade thanked Nara Kaikei for helping settle the matters of Shimura Danzō and Root, then said becoming Hokage was the remaining item on the agenda.

Nara Kaikei and Tsunade discussed the upcoming Fourth Hokage election and whether to share Wood Release with Konoha. Tsunade proposed announcing Wood Release’s return and training a dedicated Wood Release troop.

• Nara Kaikei and Tsunade left Konoha aboard a Shadow Creature to speak privately as they discussed preparations for the Fourth Hokage election.
• Tsunade asked Nara Kaikei whether he would allow other people to learn the Kekkei Genkai he had developed.
• Nara Kaikei said he did not mind sharing Wood Release if they could control its spread and keep it from dangerous people.
• Tsunade proposed announcing Wood Release’s return to Konoha to boost the village’s confidence and Nara Kaikei’s prestige.
• Tsunade suggested teaching Wood Release to the Senju Clan and talented civilian ninja, with the long-term goal of forming a specialized Wood Release troop.

Nara Kaikei agreed with Tsunade’s proposal to teach the Wood Release Chakra Manufacturing Method to selected jonin and use the new unit to ease tensions after Shimura Danzō’s death. After winning the Nara clan heads’ support, he proposed giving the Pig Deer Butterfly clans Boil Release, especially for the Akimichi Clan.

• Nara Kaikei supported Tsunade’s plan to form a Wood Release unit and urged her to maintain strict secrecy when teaching the method.
• Nara Kaikei and Tsunade told Nara Shikano and Nara Shikaku that Shimura Danzō had been killed and that they planned to teach Wood Release to selected jonin.
• Nara Shikano approved the plan, and Nara Kaikei suggested sharing another Kekkei Genkai Jutsu Scroll among the Pig Deer Butterfly clans.
• Nara Kaikei proposed teaching the clans Kokuō’s Boil Release, explaining that it could pair especially well with the Akimichi Clan’s Expansion Jutsu.