Chapter Summaries

Nara Kaikei negotiated rewards from the Nara Clan and asked for knowledge of Natural Energy and Sage Art. After completing an S-Rank mission through the clan, he opened a scroll that granted him the S-Rank Shadow Manipulation Technique.

• Nara Kaikei asked whether he could become clan head while avoiding its obligations, and Nara Shikano said the elders would discuss whether that was possible.
• Nara Shikano offered Kaikei an elder position, three million ryo in monthly research funding, and help obtaining requested items as his mission reward.
• Kaikei asked about Natural Energy and requested research knowledge and ninjutsu related to manipulating it, so Nara Shikano agreed to pursue Sage Art knowledge through the Sannin or the Temple of Fire.
• After leaving the clan grounds, Kaikei checked the panel and saw that submitting three Nara techniques had completed an S-Rank mission and earned him a Ninja Scroll.
• Kaikei opened the scroll and obtained the S-Rank Shadow Manipulation Technique, which used shadow threads to link his consciousness to a target and control the target's body and abilities.

Nara Kaikei discovered that his new S-Rank Shadow Manipulation Technique could control an opponent’s body, Chakra, ninjutsu, and Kekkei Genkai, and rushed off to test it on Pakura. Meanwhile, Nara Shikano proposed making Kaikei clan head, with Shikaku handling the duties, and the elders agreed to raise the matter after Kaikei’s next innovation.

• Nara Kaikei examined Shadow Manipulation Technique and realized its control extended to Chakra, ninjutsu, and Kekkei Genkai.
• Nara Kaikei hurried to find Pakura and test the new technique.
• Nara Shikano convened the Nara elders and presented Kaikei’s new Shadow Imitation Technique alongside its supporting ninjutsu.
• Nara Shikano proposed making Kaikei clan head because of his extraordinary contributions, and the elders enthusiastically supported the idea.
• Nara Shikano said the clan would raise the succession with Kaikei after his next ninjutsu innovation, while Shikaku would carry the clan head’s obligations.

Nara Kaikei restored Pakura’s Chakra and used Shadow Manipulation to study and wield her Scorch Release. After returning to Kikyo Orphanage, he found Tsunade drinking over the deaths of wounded Konoha ninja and learned she wanted him to deal with Orochimaru.

• Nara Kaikei extracted the Chakra-suppressing medicine from Pakura and watched her refine Scorch Release Chakra.
• Nara Kaikei used Shadow Manipulation to take control of Pakura’s body briefly and tested her Scorch Release jutsu.
• Nara Kaikei returned to Kikyo Orphanage and found Tsunade drinking there with Yakushi Nonō.
• Nara Kaikei took Tsunade into the sky on a Shadow Eagle, where she described the secret murders of severely wounded Konoha ninja.
• Tsunade stopped Nara Kaikei from naming Orochimaru and told him to remember that she was leaving Orochimaru to him.

Nara Kaikei’s squad traveled to the Land of Grass to support the frontline and received a mission to destroy an Iwagakure supply point. Shisui defeated its guards, and the squad began destroying the warehouse.

• Nara Kaikei received an S-rank mission to support Konoha’s forces at the Land of Grass border and led his squad there.
• Orochimaru assigned the squad to destroy an Iwagakure supply point and avoid getting drawn into battle.
• Hyuga Kiyoshi used her Byakugan to locate the hidden valley and scout the twelve ninja guarding the warehouse.
• Uchiha Shisui charged into the valley alone and defeated the Iwagakure guards with his Phantom Body Flicker Technique.
• Nara Kaikei urged Shisui to destroy the stone warehouse, and Shisui unleashed Fire Style: Great Fire Destruction.

Nara Kaikei’s squad destroyed an Iwagakure supply warehouse and returned to Konoha’s camp, where he confronted Orochimaru over the disposal of severely wounded ninja. After Tsunade’s message sparked a fight, Orochimaru revealed his plan to use the injured as nourishment to become the God of Shinobi, and Nara Kaikei challenged him.

• Uchiha Shisui destroyed the Iwagakure warehouse while Nara Kaikei’s team handled their assigned roles, then the squad retreated from approaching Iwagakure ninja.
• Orochimaru praised the squad’s mission and Nara Kaikei received an Earth Style: Rock House Jutsu scroll.
• Nara Kaikei told Orochimaru that Princess Tsunade had sent a message, then attacked him with Spiral Shadow Kill Cannon.
• Orochimaru survived with his Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique and struck at Nara Kaikei with the Kusanagi Sword, which Nara Kaikei blocked with Shadow Armor Technique.
• Nara Kaikei accused Orochimaru of killing severely wounded Konoha ninja, and Orochimaru admitted he used them as nourishment to pursue becoming the God of Shinobi.
• Nara Kaikei questioned Orochimaru’s claim that he could become the God of Shinobi.

Nara Kaikei confronted Orochimaru over his experiments with Hashirama's cells, but Orochimaru fled before they could fight. Back at camp, Nara Kaikei found his team safe and opened the B-Rank Ninja Scroll he earned, revealing the Four Black Mist Formation.

• Orochimaru used Hashirama's cells to unleash Wood Style: Forest Creation and declared that mastering Wood Release would make him the new God of Shinobi.
• Nara Kaikei inferred that Orochimaru had cultivated cells from the First Hokage's remains and condemned him for disregarding Tsunade's feelings.
• Nara Kaikei and Orochimaru threatened to fight, but Orochimaru burrowed underground and left combat range, completing Nara Kaikei's A-Rank Mission and earning him a B-Rank Ninja Scroll.
• Nara Kaikei returned to camp and found Uchiha Shisui, Hyuga Kiyoshi, and Shizune safe, then told them to rest and joked with Shisui about picking up missions.
• Nara Kaikei opened the scroll and obtained the B-Rank Sealing Barrier Jutsu, Four Black Mist Formation.

Nara Kaikei’s team completed another mission to destroy an Iwagakure supply point, with Uchiha Shisui and Hyuga Kiyoshi eliminating the guards. After returning to camp, Kaikei opened his mission reward and wondered whether future scrolls would also contain Earth Style techniques.

• Orochimaru gave Uchiha Shisui a mission scroll and privately considered how to deal with Nara Kaikei, whose strength made a direct confrontation risky.
• Nara Kaikei’s team flew to a hidden Iwagakure supply point in the Land of Grass and found its guards were about as strong as the previous day’s.
• Uchiha Shisui attacked the supply point with Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique, while Hyuga Kiyoshi killed a ninja trying to escape underground.
• Nara Kaikei’s team destroyed the supply point, rested and trained through the afternoon, then returned to the Konoha camp.
• Nara Kaikei received a B-Rank Ninja Scroll containing Earth Style: Rock House Collapse and wondered if his future rewards would also be Earth Style jutsu.

After a month of destroying Iwagakure supply depots, Nara Kaikei's squad was told to pause its missions while the village searched for new intelligence. Nara went to ask Orochimaru about a captured Explosion Release ninja, but news arrived that Iwagakure's Five-Tails Jinchuriki was attacking, and Orochimaru ordered Nara to come with him.

• Nara Kaikei reflected on his squad's success destroying Iwagakure supply depots and on the Earth Style techniques he had acquired over the past month.
• Uchiha Shisui told Nara that Orochimaru had suspended their missions and ordered the squad to rest while Konoha sought more intelligence on supply points.
• Nara asked Hyuga Kiyoshi to help scout for new targets and then headed to Orochimaru to collect information about the captured Explosion Release ninja.
• A Konoha sensory ninja reported that Iwagakure's Five-Tails Jinchuriki was attacking the camp.
• Orochimaru stopped to respond to the attack and ordered Nara to come with him and use his abilities.

Nara Kaikei and Orochimaru battled Iwagakure’s Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, as Kaikei tried to capture the Tailed Beast for himself. After surviving their attacks, Han evaded Kaikei’s aerial barrage and charged at Orochimaru.

• Orochimaru confronted Han while Nara Kaikei attacked from the air with a [Spiral Shadow Kill Cannon], which Han blocked with his Tailed Beast Cloak.
• Han fired a Tailed Beast Bomb, and Orochimaru summoned Triple Rashomon to shield himself and Kaikei from the blast.
• Kaikei received an A-Rank mission to defeat or kill Han and decided that the Five-Tails would be his.
• Han conserved his Tailed Beast Chakra and relied on his close-range fighting style while Kaikei fired rapid [Spiral Shadow Piercing Bullet] attacks from above.
• Han used steam for thrust to dodge Kaikei’s barrage and charged toward Orochimaru, whom he considered easier to fight.

Orochimaru and Nara Kaikei fought Han, using snake summons, shadow techniques, and explosive tags, but Han resisted and tried to escape. Kaikei then sealed Han’s consciousness and met the Five-Tails, Kokuō, asking it to become his Summoning Beast.

• Orochimaru dropped low and summoned a mass of pythons to block Han’s charge, but Han used Boil Release: Hot Steam to force a path through them.
• Nara Kaikei struck Han’s shadow with Spiral Shadow Binding Bullets, restraining him so Orochimaru could attack with Mutual Explosion Tag.
• Han’s Tailed Beast Cloak protected him from the explosions, and he used a Tailed Beast Bomb and Boil Release: Unrivaled Super Strength to create cover for his retreat.
• Nara Kaikei caught Han with Shadow Grip Technique and Shadow Manipulation Technique, sealing Han’s consciousness and entering his mental space.
• Nara Kaikei met Kokuō and asked the Five-Tails to form a Summoning Contract with him.

Nara Kaikei pursued Five-Tails King after it took control of Han and escaped the battlefield, then asked Kokuō to become his Summoning Beast. Kokuō agreed only if Nara Kaikei earned its acknowledgment, and Nara marked its hoof with the Flying Thunder God Technique.

• Nara Kaikei spoke with Five-Tails King in Han's mental space, learned its name was Kokuō, and was expelled from Han's body.
• Kokuō took control of Han and transformed into the Five-Tails, prompting Nara Kaikei to release the Shadow Grip Technique and retreat into the sky.
• Kokuō fired a Tailed Beast Bomb at Orochimaru, then fled across the Land of Grass as Nara Kaikei pursued it.
• Nara Kaikei met Kokuō on an uninhabited plain and asked it to form a Summoning Contract, but Kokuō said it was sealed inside Han and required Nara Kaikei to earn its acknowledgment.
• Nara Kaikei pressed the Flying Thunder God Technique marking onto Kokuō's right hoof so he could reach it anytime.

Nara Kaikei defeated the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han, and received a scroll containing a Boil Release technique. Back at camp, he pressured Orochimaru into giving him research data on the Ibunri Clan’s Smoke Transformation ability.

• Nara Kaikei spoke with Five-Tails Kokuō, who returned to Han’s body before the Jinchuriki regained consciousness.
• Nara Kaikei hid a Flying Thunder God mark on Han and left him alive, completing his mission and earning an A-Rank Ninja Scroll.
• Nara Kaikei opened the scroll and discovered it contained the Boil Release technique Unrivaled Super Strength.
• Nara Kaikei returned to camp and challenged Orochimaru to provide a separate reward for helping repel Han.
• Nara Kaikei invoked Orochimaru’s secret experiments and his connection to the Ibunri Clan, prompting Orochimaru to hand over a scroll of the clan’s information.

Nara Kaikei used Orochimaru’s research scrolls to create an Explosion Release mask, independently develop Explosion Release, and record its chakra-making method. He then read Orochimaru’s findings on the Ibunri Clan, learning that their unstable Smoke Release was believed to combine Yin, Water, Earth, and Fire natures.

• Nara Kaikei returned to camp with Orochimaru’s scrolls, while his teammates later learned that he and Orochimaru had severely wounded Iwagakure’s Five-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Nara Kaikei left a Shadow Clone at camp and went to a secluded forest to study Orochimaru’s research on Explosion Release.
• Nara Kaikei’s Shadow Clones fused Fire- and Earth-nature chakra into an intact Explosion Release mask, then helped him create more masks.
• Nara Kaikei fused Fire- and Earth-nature chakra within a Shadow Clone to develop Explosion Release and wrote an A-Rank scroll describing how to make its chakra.
• Nara Kaikei read Orochimaru’s research on the Ibunri Clan and learned that its Smoke Release was unstable and supposedly combined Yin, Water, Earth, and Fire natures.

Nara Kaikei returned to camp and discovered that Orochimaru had split his team between a long-term reconnaissance mission and frontline medical support. He realized the assignments were designed to endanger Uchiha Shisui, but left Shisui and the others to proceed while he scouted ahead.

• Nara Kaikei returned to camp, caught up on his teammates’ activities, and learned that Orochimaru had assigned two missions that had to be carried out separately.
• Nara Kaikei rejected Uchiha Shisui’s proposed team split, took the C-Rank reconnaissance mission for himself, and left Shisui, Hyuga Kiyoshi, and Shizune with the A-Rank frontline support mission.
• Nara Kaikei’s panel identified the reconnaissance mission as a C-Rank commission to locate Iwagakure gathering points and send intelligence to Konoha.
• Nara Kaikei scouted ahead, saw the Four-Tails Jinchuriki devastating the battlefield, and concluded that Orochimaru’s assignments were aimed at putting Uchiha Shisui in danger.
• Nara Kaikei decided not to intervene and flew away, confident that Orochimaru had underestimated the Uchiha.

Nara Kaikei used Orochimaru’s reconnaissance mission as cover to establish a temporary underground research base, then accepted an S-Rank mission to hunt Iwagakure forces across the Land of Grass. Over the following months, he repeatedly destroyed supply points and enemy ninja, and reports of the flying Black Beast reached Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki.

• Nara Kaikei built an underground research base near the Land of the Falls and used a Shadow Clone to scout Iwagakure’s rear.
• After a week, Nara Kaikei returned to camp with intelligence, and Orochimaru assigned him an S-Rank mission to find and destroy Iwagakure’s small forces in the Land of Grass.
• Nara Kaikei completed his C-Rank reconnaissance mission, received an Earth Style: Iron Bullet Technique scroll, and set out to attack an Iwagakure gathering point.
• Nara Kaikei used Spiral Shadow Mimic Bullet to overwhelm the guards at a river-valley supply point and leave the facility in ruins.
• Over the following months, Nara Kaikei continued researching and raiding Iwagakure forces from the air, prompting reports about the Black Beast to reach Ōnoki of Both Scales.

Ōnoki learned that the Black Beast terrorizing Iwagakure was likely Nara Kaikei, whose experiments had also produced a preliminary fusion of Yin Release and Earth Style. When Kaikei encountered Iwagakure ninja, Ōnoki arrived and attacked him with Dust Release, triggering an A-Rank mission to defeat or kill the Third Tsuchikage.

• Ōnoki learned from Han that the Black Beast was likely the Konoha ninja who had forced Han to flee, but Iwagakure’s intelligence division had gathered little information about him.
• Nara Kaikei destroyed his temporary research base after achieving preliminary fusion of Yin Release and Earth Style using Earth Spear.
• Nara Kaikei found a group of Iwagakure ninja, restrained them with Shadow Binding Technique, and killed them after one escaped using Reverse Summoning Technique.
• Nara Kaikei waited for the escaped ninja’s allies, then dodged a Dust Release: Limit Separation Technique fired by Ōnoki.
• Nara Kaikei’s panel triggered an A-Rank mission to defeat or kill Ōnoki of Both Scales.

Nara Kaikei fought Ōnoki, breaking through the Tsuchikage’s defensive fortress with an Explosion Release Mask. Roshi revealed himself as Iwagakure’s second attacker, and Kaikei struck Ōnoki with a surprise attack as their aerial battle continued.

• Ōnoki attacked Nara Kaikei with Dust Release, but Kaikei evaded it and countered with the Spiral Shadow Kill Cannon.
• Ōnoki used Earth Prison Dome of the World to block Kaikei’s attacks and fired Earth Dragon Bullet Technique while protected by the fortress.
• Kaikei sent a Shadow Creature carrying an Explosion Release Mask to blow open the fortress, where Roshi attacked with Lava Release.
• The mission panel identified Roshi as the Four-Tails Jinchuriki and assigned Kaikei an A-Rank mission to defeat or kill him.
• Ōnoki rose into the sky while Roshi stayed on the ground, and Kaikei used a Spiral Shadow Mimic Bullet to appear behind Ōnoki and hit him between the brows with a Spiral Shadow Piercing Bullet.

Nara Kaikei used shadow techniques, genjutsu, and Explosion Release Masks to overwhelm Ōnoki and Roshi, completing his A-Rank mission. Roshi’s Four-Tails then broke free and flooded the battlefield with magma, leaving Kaikei to aim a new attack at the battered Ōnoki.

• Ōnoki warned Roshi that Kaikei’s flight and attacks made him a dangerous opponent, then Kaikei sent shadow creatures after them.
• Ōnoki and Roshi defended themselves as Kaikei’s hidden Shadow Clone trapped them in the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
• Kaikei bound the blinded pair with Spiral Shadow Binding Bullets and detonated Explosion Release Masks nearby, completing the Magma Ninja mission.
• Roshi entered Full Tailed Beast Transformation, and the Four-Tails erupted into a frenzy that covered the ground in magma.
• Ōnoki escaped the explosion with Roshi’s protection, and Kaikei threatened him with a Spiral Shadow Kill Cannon.

Nara Kaikei battled Ōnoki while the rampaging Four-Tails attacked them, but Kitsuchi arrived and helped Ōnoki protect Roshi and escape. Kaikei completed the A-Rank mission after they fled and received a B-Rank Ninja Scroll.

• Kaikei pressured Ōnoki with rapid shadow bullets as the Four-Tails joined the fight and attacked the Tsuchikage with magma.
• Ōnoki created a Shadow Clone to help him evade Kaikei and the Four-Tails, and used Dust Release to destroy their combined attacks.
• The Four-Tails withdrew into Roshi's seal after firing a final Tailed Beast Bomb, leaving Roshi unconscious.
• Kaikei and Ōnoki raced toward Roshi, but Ōnoki blocked Kaikei with Dust Release while his Shadow Clone reached Roshi first.
• Kitsuchi arrived and used a rock giant to shield Ōnoki and Roshi, enabling them to flee underground while Kaikei was held back.
• Kaikei completed the A-Rank mission [Ōnoki of Both Scales] and obtained a B-Rank Ninja Scroll.

After forcing Ōnoki to retreat, Nara Kaikei reflected on his weak offensive power against powerful defenses and opened the two Ninja Scrolls he had obtained. He learned Earth Style: Light-Weight Rock Technique and discovered that the A-Rank scroll contained a method for refining Lava Release Chakra, which he immediately used to create and test a Lava Nature Mask.

• Nara Kaikei taunted Ōnoki, who vanished in a puff of smoke after warning that they would meet again.
• Nara Kaikei reviewed the battle and recognized that his attacks lacked the force to break through Ōnoki and Kitsuchi's Earth Style defenses.
• Nara Kaikei opened Ōnoki's B-Rank Ninja Scroll and obtained Earth Style: Light-Weight Rock Technique, which could reduce gravity and enable flight.
• Nara Kaikei opened Roshi's A-Rank Ninja Scroll and found Lava Style Chakra Mode, which included instructions for refining Lava Release Chakra.
• Nara Kaikei fused Earth Style and Fire Style masks to create a Lava Nature Mask, then had a Shadow Clone demonstrate Lava Style: Great Eruption.