Chapter Summaries

With Black Zetsu’s guidance and resources, Orochimaru refined the Impure World Reincarnation Technique and created artificial versions of himself to serve as vessels. In Year 54 of Konoha, he successfully transferred into a new body and celebrated the return of his hands.

• Black Zetsu gave Orochimaru Uchiha Madara’s hidden research materials and White Zetsu test subjects to support his experiments.
• Black Zetsu warned Orochimaru that his original Impure World Reincarnation Technique could damage his soul instead of granting immortality.
• Orochimaru revised the technique with Black Zetsu’s guidance and began cloning his own cells to create artificial vessels.
• In an underground laboratory in the Land of Fields, Orochimaru performed his first successful body transfer in Year 54 of Konoha.
• Orochimaru inspected his restored hands and laughed as Black Zetsu urged him to test his new body.

Orochimaru attacked Black Zetsu and White Zetsu Tobi to capture them as experimental subjects, but they escaped underground using the Mayfly Technique. Orochimaru realized they could overcome the control effect of his Silent Killing Restraint Technique, learning new intelligence about them.

• Orochimaru launched the Kusanagi Sword from his mouth at Black Zetsu and White Zetsu Tobi.
• White Zetsu Tobi used Wood Release: Wood Golem Wall to block the sword, which pierced through the shield.
• Orochimaru used Wood Style: Silent Killing Restraint Technique to bind Black Zetsu and White Zetsu Tobi, then tried to pull them closer.
• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu Tobi broke free of the technique's control effect and escaped into the earth with the Mayfly Technique.
• Orochimaru retrieved only the wooden shield with the Kusanagi Sword embedded in it and realized the pair could resist his technique.

Orochimaru tested his new Wood Release-enhanced clone body and refused Black Zetsu’s request to go to Konoha, wary of Nara Kaikei’s strength. He traveled to Ryūchi Cave to resume learning sage techniques.

• Orochimaru pulled the Kusanagi Sword from the wooden shield and demonstrated his new body to Black Zetsu and White Zetsu Tobi.
• Black Zetsu asked Orochimaru to go to Konoha and reclaim the Rinnegan, but Orochimaru said they should wait because Nara Kaikei was too strong to underestimate.
• Orochimaru familiarized himself with his clone body, which combined his own cells with Hashirama Cells and White Zetsu Cells and gave him Wood Release.
• Orochimaru used the Reverse Summoning Technique to reach Ryūchi Cave and told the White Snake Sage he had come to learn sage techniques again.

Orochimaru returned to Ryūchi Cave to try cultivating its Sage Mode again, believing his new body had enough chakra to withstand the Natural Energy. The White Snake Sage bit him and injected her venom, beginning the dangerous trial.

• Orochimaru recalled how his research into Jugo’s Natural Energy had led to the Heavenly and Earthly Curse Marks, which were inferior forms of Sage Chakra.
• Orochimaru reasoned that his previous failure to learn Ryūchi Cave Sage Mode had stemmed from his former body’s limited chakra and physical ability, rather than a lack of talent.
• The White Snake Sage recognized Orochimaru and confronted him angrily when he returned to Ryūchi Cave.
• Orochimaru confirmed that he had come to cultivate Sage Mode again, and the White Snake Sage bit him to inject her venom.
• Snake scales began growing across Orochimaru’s skin as he focused on controlling his chakra.

Chiyo and the other Kikyo Orphanage children began their first day at Konoha Ninja Academy, traveling through the prosperous Konoha New City by bus. Nara Kaikei’s academy reforms kept students in school until age twelve, while he left Nara Shikaku to handle the Hokage’s annual opening speech.

• Yakushi Nonō reminded Chiyo and the other six-year-olds to listen to their teachers and seek help from Kabuto, then entrusted them to Yakushi Kabuto.
• Kabuto led the children through Konoha New City and onto a double-decker bus driven by a Nara Clan member, which took them to the Ninja Academy.
• Nara Kaikei delivered a Will of Fire speech and upheld rules requiring students to attend the academy from ages six to twelve, ending early graduation.
• Chiyo entered her classroom with her new friends as the new semester began.
• Nara Kaikei transformed into smoke after the speech, and Nara Shikaku complained that he had been made to deliver it in the Hokage’s place.

Nara Kaikei discussed Konoha’s declining Ninja Academy enrollment and New City’s expansion with Nara Shikaku, then warned him that Sunagakure’s Fourth Kazekage planned to assassinate his son Gaara. He revealed that the assassin was one of his own people, who intended to kill the Fourth Kazekage and install a new Fifth.

• Nara Shikaku gave Nara Kaikei the Ninja Academy applicant lists, and they discussed Konoha’s reduced enrollment and military needs.
• Nara Shikaku reported that rejected applicants wanted to join the taijutsu training corps, and Nara Kaikei told him to follow the usual rules.
• Nara Shikaku presented Konoha New City’s expansion plans, and Nara Kaikei directed him to seek help from the Senju Clan and Kusabi Real Estate Company.
• Nara Kaikei warned Nara Shikaku that Sunagakure’s Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had ordered Gaara’s assassination.
• Nara Kaikei explained that his agent had received the assassination mission and planned to kill Rasa and elect a new Fifth Kazekage.

Pakura watched Gaara and questioned Rasa’s plan to test his control of Shukaku by repeatedly ordering assassinations. Nara Kaikei arrived in Sunagakure and disappeared, saying he would kill Rasa and restore the village’s tradition of losing its Kage.

• Pakura observed Gaara alone on a swing and recalled how Sunagakure’s fear and isolation had shaped his life.
• Pakura learned that Rasa had ordered Yashamaru and then her to assassinate Gaara to test whether he could control Shukaku.
• Pakura contacted Nara Kaikei and asked him either to take her back to Kikyo Castle or help her kill Rasa.
• Nara Kaikei appeared beside Pakura in Sunagakure, looked at Gaara, and dismissed her concerns about entering the village.
• Pakura warned Nara Kaikei that Rasa was in the village, but he vanished and said he would kill the Kazekage.

Nara Kaikei persuaded Pakura to take him somewhere hidden instead of leading him to the Kazekage Building. When they reached her apartment, he revealed that he had already captured Rasa, leaving Pakura stunned.

• Pakura tried to stop Nara Kaikei from attacking the Kazekage Building, warning that Rasa’s death could throw Sunagakure into chaos.
• Nara Kaikei argued that killing everyone who witnessed the attack would still count as assassination.
• Pakura took Nara Kaikei to her apartment so they could talk somewhere hidden.
• Nara Kaikei dropped the unconscious Rasa onto Pakura’s floor and said he had quietly taken down the Fourth Kazekage.

Nara Kaikei captured Fourth Kazekage Rasa with his newly enhanced genjutsu and reassured Pakura that he had covered the kidnapping with a convincing clone and concealment measures. He planned to find Rasa a buyer and demanded a mission reward from Pakura, who said Sunagakure had no money.

• Pakura found Rasa lying motionless, and Nara Kaikei explained that he had subdued him with genjutsu rather than killed him.
• Nara Kaikei revealed that [Lacquer Eye] had advanced to S-Rank, allowing him to defeat Rasa with a glance.
• Nara Kaikei told Pakura that a Wood Style Shadow Clone impersonating Rasa remained in the Kazekage's office and that he had concealed the real Rasa from sensory ninja.
• Nara Kaikei said he would find Rasa a suitable buyer and asked Pakura, as Sunagakure's Fifth Generation, to pay him a mission reward.
• Pakura said she and Sunagakure had no money, and Nara Kaikei replied that the village had tanuki.

Nara Kaikei argued that Sunagakure could no longer afford Shukaku’s rampages after Rasa’s capture, while Pakura reconsidered whether the village should give up Gaara. The chapter ended with Kaikei offering to pay more when Pakura cited Gaara’s ties to the village.

• Pakura rejected Nara Kaikei’s request to take Shukaku from Sunagakure.
• Nara Kaikei argued that Shukaku had never truly served Sunagakure and that its rampages had repeatedly damaged the village.
• Nara Kaikei pointed out that without Rasa, Sunagakure had no one who could restrain Shukaku as effectively.
• Pakura realized Gaara’s lack of loyalty could make Shukaku’s rampages more frequent and considered handing him over to Konoha.
• Pakura mentioned the village’s efforts to cultivate Shukaku’s Jinchuriki and Gaara’s status as Rasa’s son, and Nara Kaikei replied that he would pay more.

Nara Kaikei negotiated with Pakura over Gaara’s fate and offered Sunagakure funding in exchange for taking the One-Tail Jinchuriki. He brought the genjutsu-bound Rasa to Gaara, leaving the boy shocked and asking whether he wanted to understand the meaning of life.

• Nara Kaikei convinced Pakura that Gaara’s disappearance could be blamed on Rasa’s assassination order, and Pakura agreed to the arrangement.
• Nara Kaikei promised to arrange funding talks with Sunagakure after Pakura became Kazekage, then left with Rasa’s body.
• Pakura prepared to claim she had completed her mission to assassinate Gaara and hurried to Gaara’s location.
• Nara Kaikei appeared before Gaara, who threatened him and noticed the apparently dead Rasa.
• Nara Kaikei asked Gaara whether he wanted to understand the meaning of life.

Nara Kaikei abducted Gaara from Sand Village and flew toward Rōran with Gaara and the unconscious Rasa. Gaara attacked him in the air, but Nara Kaikei’s genjutsu made Gaara injure himself, and Shukaku revealed that Gaara had been under genjutsu all along.

• Gaara chose to leave with Nara Kaikei, who concealed them with Shadow Stealth Jutsu and flew away from Sand Village.
• Pakura confirmed that Rasa and Gaara were gone and began moving to become the Fifth Kazekage.
• Nara Kaikei flew toward Rōran, planning to deal with Rasa there before returning to Konoha with Gaara.
• Gaara’s hand turned to sand and strangled Nara Kaikei’s arm, but Nara Kaikei appeared unharmed and continued flying.
• Gaara attacked again, but the genjutsu made him crush his own right hand instead of Nara Kaikei’s arm.
• Shukaku told Gaara that he had been controlled by genjutsu and angrily insisted that he was a Tailed Beast, not a tanuki.

Gaara let Shukaku’s power break through the seal, and the One-Tail emerged to attack Nara Kaikei and Rasa. Kaikei shielded them from Shukaku’s sandstorm, then restrained the tailed beast with his S-Rank Shadow Binding Technique.

• Gaara stopped resisting Shukaku’s rampage, allowing the One-Tail to escape the seal and transform his body.
• Nara Kaikei let Shukaku attack so he could assess its strength, while his genjutsu control over Gaara weakened.
• Shukaku unleashed a vast sandstorm at Kaikei and Rasa, and Kaikei protected them with Shadow Armor Technique.
• As Shukaku fell toward the desert, Kaikei’s black chain-sickles bound it and sealed away its ability to use Chakra.

Nara Kaikei subdued Shukaku in the Land of Wind, then released the One-Tail and asked whether it wanted freedom. Shukaku, surprised by Kaikei’s unusual respect, stopped retreating into Gaara’s seal to hear his question.

• Shukaku crashed into the desert and struggled against Nara Kaikei’s Shadow String Technique, but could not break free.
• Nara Kaikei introduced himself as the Fourth Hokage of Konoha and explained that the other Tailed Beasts had told him their names.
• After questioning why Kaikei was not afraid, Shukaku watched him voluntarily withdraw the chains.
• Shukaku began returning to Gaara’s sealed space, but stopped when Kaikei said he had a question.
• Shukaku agreed to listen, and Nara Kaikei asked whether it wanted freedom.

Nara Kaikei offered Shukaku the possibility of freedom, but explained that Shukaku remained bound to Gaara and would not be freed immediately. Shukaku withdrew into the seal after Nara asked him to reconcile with Gaara for another chance to choose his future.

• Nara Kaikei told Shukaku that Kokuō had been freed and now lived in the Nara Clan's private forest, prompting Shukaku to roar with jealousy and resentment.
• Shukaku begged Nara Kaikei to undo his seal, but Nara restrained him and explained that Shukaku and Gaara currently existed as one.
• Nara Kaikei told Shukaku that he had no current use for Shukaku's power and that Kokuō was free because Nara liked him.
• Nara Kaikei promised Shukaku another chance to choose if Shukaku tried to accept Gaara, but Shukaku rejected the offer and retreated into the seal.

Nara Kaikei reflected on how cooperation between jinchuriki and tailed beasts could prevent rampages and improve both groups’ reputations. He planned to build on Kokuō’s friendship with the Nara and Akimichi clans by making Nara Forest a sacred land and the foundation of his Tailed Beast Peace Plan.

• Nara Kaikei watched Gaara recover and considered the agreement he had made with One-Tail Shukaku.
• Nara Kaikei reasoned that tailed beasts and jinchuriki needed mutual understanding to use their power safely and avoid disasters like Konoha’s Nine-Tails attack.
• Nara Kaikei explained that his agreements with One-Tail Shukaku, Two-Tails Matatabi, and Isobu were meant to improve their relationships with their jinchuriki and reduce hostility toward them.
• Nara Kaikei identified Five-Tails King as a model for peaceful coexistence because Kokuō had built strong ties with the Nara and Akimichi clans.
• Nara Kaikei planned to make Nara Forest a sacred land centered on Five-Tails King as part of his Tailed Beast Peace Plan.

Nara Kaikei planned to turn Nara Forest into a sacred land centered on Five-Tails Kokuō, but the deer there could not use Chakra or senjutsu. Unable to find Ninja Deer, he considered creating them himself and wished Orochimaru were available to help.

• Nara Kaikei decided he could present Five-Tails Kokuō as the White Deer Sage’s mascot, since Kokuō was unwilling to improve its abilities.
• Nara Kaikei saw promoting the White Deer Sage as manageable, but worried that Nara Forest had only one great white deer.
• Nara Kaikei noted that Nara Forest had accumulated enough Natural Energy to qualify as a small sacred land, yet its ordinary deer could not refine Chakra or practice senjutsu.
• Nara Kaikei recalled that his searches and the Nara Clan’s long efforts had failed to find any Ninja Deer.
• Nara Kaikei considered creating Ninja Deer through Yin Release and Yang Release, then wished Orochimaru were still around to assist.

Gaara woke and tried to attack Nara Kaikei, but Shukaku refused to lend him Chakra. Karura’s protective sand shielded Gaara, and after Nara Kaikei put him into an illusion, the sand formed a small gourd and followed him as he continued to Rōran with Gaara and Rasa.

• Gaara woke beside Nara Kaikei and tried to summon Shukaku’s Chakra to attack him, but Shukaku refused to help.
• Gaara summoned a gentler stream of sand, which formed a protective wall around him instead of attacking Nara Kaikei.
• Nara Kaikei used [Illusion Technique: Lacquer Eye] to render Gaara unconscious, while Shukaku stayed inside the seal and the sand kept protecting Gaara.
• Nara Kaikei carried Gaara out of the sand’s shelter with a shadow beast, and the sand transformed itself into a small yellow gourd that hung from Gaara’s clothes.
• Nara Kaikei continued to Rōran with Gaara and Rasa.

Nara Kaikei brought Gaara and the captured Rasa to Rōran, where Sasori agreed to turn Rasa into a human puppet. Sasori discovered that Rasa was still alive and sealed his consciousness, only to learn that Nara Kaikei intended to claim the puppet for Konoha.

• Nara Kaikei arrived at Rōran and found Sasori waiting inside Hiruko.
• Sasori recognized Gaara as the Sand Village's One-Tail Jinchuriki and questioned Nara Kaikei about bringing him along with Rasa.
• Nara Kaikei kept Gaara with him and handed the unconscious Rasa to Sasori to be made into a human puppet.
• Sasori discovered Rasa was still alive and used the Sand Manipulation Technique to seal his consciousness.
• Nara Kaikei told Sasori to contact him when the puppet was finished so he could collect the gold-mining asset, leaving Sasori surprised.

Nara Kaikei offered Sasori of the Red Sands a reward for making a human puppet of Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage, and presented him with a choice between Dragon Vein Chakra and Han's corpse. Sasori chose Han's corpse, which Nara Kaikei promised to hand over after Sasori finished making Gold Miner's puppet.

• Sasori of the Red Sands objected when Nara Kaikei said he would have to make Rasa's human puppet as commissioned work.
• Nara Kaikei reflected on his years of cooperation with Sasori of the Red Sands and the techniques and research materials he had obtained from him.
• Nara Kaikei offered Sasori of the Red Sands either a Dragon Vein Mask containing Dragon Vein Chakra or the well-preserved corpse of Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Sasori of the Red Sands chose Han's corpse, and Nara Kaikei agreed to give it to him after he finished making Gold Miner's human puppet.