Chapter Summaries

Gaara broke free of Bukūchi’s extraction and defeated the Demon Subduing Vajra, but Shukaku took control of his body and began destroying the oasis. Naruto and Kankuro went into the sandstorm to find Gaara and awaken him before Shukaku could reach the Royal Capital.

• Gaara pulled Bukūchi into the Thousand Arrow Pillar repeatedly until it shattered, then fought the Demon Subduing Vajra and freed Shukaku from its chain.
• Shukaku took control of Gaara’s body, transformed into a giant tanuki, and blasted away part of the oasis with a Tailed Beast Ball.
• Temari warned that Shukaku could destroy the Royal Capital and said Gaara’s consciousness had to be awakened.
• Kankuro and Naruto advanced into the sandstorm to search for Gaara, and Naruto sent seven shadow clones to scout Shukaku’s body.

Ming Jing questioned Bukūchi about Kaiju Mountain Temple’s Demon Subduing Vajra as Naruto and Gama Bunta fought One-Tails Shukaku. Naruto and Gama Bunta used the Transformation Technique to take the form of a nine-tailed demon fox, leaving the battle poised to continue.

• Ming Jing offered to free Bukūchi from the Immortal Exorcism Absorption Chain if he revealed Demon Subduing Vajra, then claimed he already knew Bukūchi’s secrets.
• A white mist rose after Gaara’s body was found, and Gama Bunta appeared to fight One-Tails Shukaku alongside Naruto.
• Gama Bunta exchanged attacks with Shukaku, severed one of its arms, and was struck by Shukaku’s tail and Tailed Beast Balls.
• Gama Bunta told Naruto to use the Transformation Technique to give him sharp teeth and claws.
• Naruto and Gama Bunta transformed into a massive demon fox with nine tails.

Naruto and Gama Bunta stopped Shukaku long enough for Naruto to wake Gaara. Afterward, Naruto and Gaara recognized their shared loneliness, became friends, and promised to work toward earning their respective titles.

• Shukaku attacked Gama Bunta with Tailed Beast Balls, and Jiraiya destroyed one of them with a Rasengan.
• Gama Bunta restrained Shukaku while Naruto struck Gaara, but Shukaku bound Naruto and resisted waking him.
• Naruto headbutted Gaara, and Gaara regained consciousness as Shukaku's body reverted to sand.
• Naruto told Gaara they had both suffered loneliness, and Gaara explained that he was only the acting Kazekage.
• Gaara acknowledged Naruto as a friend, and they promised to work toward becoming the Kazekage and Naruto.

Ming Jing and Qing Yan traveled into the Land of Rivers, where they stopped a missing-nin from extorting a merchant caravan and secretly followed him to his hideout. There, they discovered him reporting to a statue that glowed as if receiving a message, raising questions about who was behind him.

• Ming Jing left the Land of Wind with Qing Yan after entrusting Yuexi with the remaining negotiations, while Jiraiya took Naruto away for training.
• Ming Jing and Qing Yan entered the Land of Rivers with a merchant caravan and heard merchants praise the improved security under the Fire Alliance.
• A missing-nin threatened the caravan with fake poison pills, but Ming Jing exposed the pills as ordinary Military Ration Pills and chased him away from the merchants.
• Ming Jing and Qing Yan followed the missing-nin to a hidden cave in a valley, with Qing Yan going first in case of traps.
• Ming Jing and Qing Yan found the missing-nin kneeling before a faintly glowing statue and reporting what had happened.

Nadeshiko Kaoru found Ming Jing, Qing Yan, a rogue ninja, and two rogue kunoichi hidden inside a hill, then fought the former village members and subdued them. She left with the captives, while Ming Jing wondered whether she could become the next chief of Nadeshiko Village.

• Nadeshiko Kaoru cut open the hill and discovered five people inside, including Ming Jing and Qing Yan.
• Nadeshiko Fūko and Nadeshiko Ri accused Nadeshiko Kaoru of betraying their village, and Kaoru demanded that they return with her.
• Nadeshiko Kaoru and Nadeshiko Fūko fought fiercely while Qing Yan caught the rogue ninja and knocked him unconscious.
• Nadeshiko Ri attacked Qing Yan, but her katana could not pierce his neck, and Qing Yan warned her to stay put.
• Nadeshiko Kaoru defeated Nadeshiko Fūko, tied up both women, and left with the captives after telling Ming Jing that investigating him was not her mission.

Ming Jing confronted the rogue ninja Shisekikawa, who had lured him out of the Royal Capital to exact revenge for companions killed six years earlier. Shisekikawa revealed himself as Nakamura and trapped Ming Jing in a reed bed filled with explosive tags, then began a new attack using barrels of high-concentration alcohol.

• Ming Jing questioned Shisekikawa about robbing the caravan, and Shisekikawa claimed he had been recruited by Nadeshiko Fūko.
• Shisekikawa suddenly attacked Ming Jing, but Qing Yan punched him away before Ming Jing cut apart his Water Dragon Bullet with Wind Cutters.
• Ming Jing pursued Shisekikawa out of the capital to keep the fleeing ninja from harming bystanders.
• Shisekikawa revealed he was avenging companions killed at the border of the Land of Rain six years earlier, and Ming Jing recognized him as Nakamura, a former subordinate of Hanzō of the Salamander.
• Nakamura detonated explosive tags hidden among the reeds, but Ming Jing protected himself with Wind King Barrier.
• Nakamura returned with a boat carrying six iron barrels and threw one at Ming Jing; Ming Jing sliced it open and recognized the high-concentration alcohol inside.

Ming Jing fought Nakamura, who used chromium powder and alcohol to poison him before taking a pill that greatly increased his strength. Nakamura believed he had killed Ming Jing, but the remains were a straw dummy created through Genjutsu; Nakamura died exhausted, and Ming Jing blamed Nagato for his death.

• Ming Jing deduced that Nakamura had been buying time for an accomplice, but Nakamura denied it and surrounded him with barrels of alcohol.
• Ming Jing escaped the flames and fought Nakamura, who revealed that chromium powder and alcohol had poisoned Ming Jing and weakened him.
• Nakamura swallowed a pill that increased his size and Chakra, then struck what he believed was Ming Jing's head apart over the river.
• Ming Jing revealed that Nakamura had destroyed a straw dummy while he remained alive nearby, explaining that his Genjutsu had overcome the poison's effects.
• Nakamura died from exhaustion after the pill wore off, and Ming Jing jokingly blamed Nagato for the death.

Ming Jing investigated an attack and brought Masamune Yagyu and Kisaragi Saemon to Nadeshiko Village to verify whether it could be trusted. They found the village deserted, with signs that its residents had left willingly, and decided to search together.

• Qing Yan reported that the attack in the city had injured several residents but caused no deaths, and Masamune Yagyu told Ming Jing that he had found suspicious people near the river.
• Ming Jing ordered Masamune Yagyu to accompany him to Nadeshiko Village and had him bring Kisaragi Saemon along.
• Kisaragi Saemon told Ming Jing that Nadeshiko Kaoru could be trusted, and the group arrived to find the village guards missing.
• Ming Jing and his companions searched the village and found no villagers or signs of a struggle.
• Masamune Yagyu concluded that the villagers had left willingly, and Ming Jing ordered the four of them to stay together and watch each other's backs.

Nadeshiko Suko rallied Nadeshiko Village and rogue ninja against the Land of Fire, while Nadeshiko Kaoru challenged her motives. Ming Jing’s group arrived as the rebels prepared to move, and Masamune Yagyu confronted them.

• Nadeshiko Suko accused Nadeshiko Kaoru and Nishinoki of betraying the daimyo and announced an alliance with rogue ninja Raiga Kurosuki, Echo Tail, Sand Rat, and Feng Jiu.
• Nishinoki argued that the Land of Fire had infiltrated their country and that the village’s alliance could protect the daimyo, but Nadeshiko Suko insisted they had allies and could drive out the invaders.
• Nadeshiko Kaoru regained consciousness and accused Nadeshiko Suko of drugging her because the rebellion lacked confidence; Nadeshiko Suko said she wanted to spare Kaoru and protect the village’s future.
• Ming Jing and his companions found the gathering, and Ming Jing ordered Kisaragi Saemon to watch the wealthy households suspected of funding Raiga Kurosuki.
• As Nadeshiko Suko’s followers prepared to advance, Masamune Yagyu stepped in to stop them and identified himself as director of the Police Department; Nadeshiko Suko ordered her forces to kill him.

Masamune Yagyu fought Sand Rat, Feng Jiu, Raiga Kurosuki, and Echo Tail while Qing Yan arrived to capture them. Feng Jiu pursued Masamune with her Twin God Gale, and he answered with True Heaven Transmission.

• Sand Rat’s Flea Puppet and Feng Jiu’s Gale Palm pressured Masamune Yagyu, while Raiga Kurosuki cut apart his sword-intent hummingbird with lightning.
• Qing Yan arrived, blocked Sand Rat’s Sacrificial Attack with his body, and announced that he had come to capture the group by Akira Kurama’s order.
• Echo Tail summoned a gigantic Puppet Rattlesnake, which knocked Qing Yan aside and forced Masamune Yagyu back with its tail.
• Feng Jiu attacked Masamune with Oppression, but he cut her in half with Human Snowfall; she recovered and revealed her regenerative ability.
• Feng Jiu trapped Masamune in her pursuing Twin God Gale, and he unleashed Shinkage-ryu: Life-Giving Sword - True Heaven Transmission.

Ming Jing confronted Nadeshiko Suko and the female ninja after Qing Yan endured attacks from Sand Rat, Raiga Kurosuki, and Feng Jiu. He subdued Nadeshiko Suko and drove Feng Jiu back, but persuasion failed, and Nadeshiko Suko remained committed to protecting the daimyo.

• Masamune Yagyu and Qing Yan fought Sand Rat's puppets while Raiga Kurosuki and Feng Jiu struck Qing Yan with lightning and wind attacks.
• Nadeshiko Suko urged the female ninja to attack after Qing Yan fell, but Ming Jing emerged and persuaded them to stand down.
• Nadeshiko Suko and Feng Jiu attacked Ming Jing, who dispersed Feng Jiu's wind technique, threw Nadeshiko Suko aside, and sent pursuing Wind Cutters after Feng Jiu.
• Ming Jing asked Nadeshiko Suko who had sent her, and she said she acted from her sense of justice.
• Ming Jing described his plan for world peace through unifying the nations, but Nadeshiko Suko reaffirmed her duty to protect the daimyo.

Qing Yan fought Rattlesnake and Sand Rat while Masamune Yagyu battled Raiga Kurosuki. Masamune defeated Raiga, but Raiga unleashed a devastating final attack that sent Masamune flying and destroyed Raiga himself.

• Qing Yan stopped Rattlesnake’s puppet snake, threw it aside, and blocked Sand Rat’s puppet mantises with his Partial Golden Body.
• Rattlesnake transformed the snake puppet into a Leopard Gecko, slammed Qing Yan into the ground, and doused him with venom.
• Masamune Yagyu intercepted Raiga Kurosuki and briefly disarmed him, but Raiga recalled the Lightning Blade and attacked with lightning techniques.
• Masamune Yagyu countered Raiga’s attacks and pierced his chest with a precise sword thrust.
• Raiga Kurosuki unleashed Heaven-Rending Thunder Wheel, blasting Masamune away and destroying himself without leaving a corpse.

Ming Jing subdued Nadeshiko Suko and defeated Sand Rat while Feng Jiu surrendered. As Qing Yan stopped Echo Tail’s Leopard Gecko puppet, Ming Jing collected the Lightning Blade: Fang and moved the battle toward its conclusion.

• Ming Jing used the Nirvana Retreat Technique to put Nadeshiko Suko to sleep, then told Nadeshiko Kaoru he would imprison her for twenty years.
• Ming Jing severed Sand Rat’s modified arm and killed him with a storm of Wind Blades after Sand Rat’s puppet shield broke.
• Feng Jiu surrendered, and Ming Jing pulled her down from the sky with Chakra.
• Masamune Yagyu gave Ming Jing the Lightning Blade: Fang, which Ming Jing sealed away.
• Qing Yan tore into the Leopard Gecko puppet, disabled it, and struck Echo Tail into the air with a golden fist.

Ming Jing left the Nadeshiko Village crisis in Nishinoki’s hands and ordered him to come to the Royal Capital, while Kisaragi Saemon took custody of Echo Tail. In Konoha, Neji trained with Hanabi at the Hyuga residence, and Hinata quietly wondered what place she held in her father’s heart.

• Ming Jing ordered Nishinoki to settle the villagers and report to the Royal Capital the next day, then left with Qing Yan and Masamune Yagyu.
• Kisaragi Saemon caught up with Ming Jing while carrying Echo Tail, and Ming Jing left him to deal with the captive as punishment for his poor work.
• Neji visited the Hyuga residence, where Hinata asked about his mission and mentioned Kiba’s apparent dissatisfaction.
• Neji sparred with Hanabi, using Water Style Flow to counter her attacks before striking back at her request.
• Hinata watched Hanabi repeatedly get back up to continue training and wondered what role she held in Hyuga Hiashi’s heart.

Ming Jing confronted Fukuda Kō over his plan to profit from war and forced him to reveal the network of merchants and weapons caches behind it. After receiving the information, Ming Jing prepared to bring the conspiracy to an end as another Blood Moon approached.

• Fukuda Kō found Ming Jing waiting in his Tsukiyomi courtyard and joined him for drinks beneath the full moon.
• Ming Jing reminded Fukuda Kō of their seven-year relationship and accused him of using tax privileges and hidden iron mines to fuel a war for profit.
• Ming Jing killed Fukuda Kō’s guards and explained that Fukuda had underestimated Konoha and the Five Great Ninja Villages.
• Ming Jing ordered Fukuda Kō to write down everything he knew, promising to spare one of his descendants.
• Fukuda Kō recorded names, secret residences, and weapon depots, and Ming Jing gave the booklet to Qing Yan for Kisaragi Saemon.
• Ming Jing declared it was time to end everything while Fukuda Kō knelt beside him, defeated.

Kisaragi Saemon ordered the arrests of wealthy merchants on a prepared list, and Nishinoki led the female ninja of Nadeshiko Village in a silent raid on Takasugi Gyo’s estate. After capturing Takasugi Gyo and a female ninja, Nishinoki’s team swept through all six households on the west side of the city.

• Kisaragi Saemon gave Masamune Yagyu and Nishinoki the list of targets, and they divided the city between them.
• Nishinoki’s team surrounded Takasugi Gyo’s estate, where Nadeshiko Weiwei sensed twenty ninja inside and Nishinoki assigned the women their targets.
• The female ninja silently killed the guards, patrols, and resting ninja, leaving Takasugi Gyo and the woman in his bed as the only people inside.
• Nishinoki stopped the woman’s escape attempt and told Takasugi Gyo he was under arrest by order of the Prime Minister.
• Nishinoki’s team bound Takasugi Gyo and the woman, then arrested the occupants of all six households in the west side of the city.

After returning from a mission, Tenten learned that new weapons regulations were alarming merchants and might provoke trouble, so she planned to tell Neji. The next morning, Might Guy announced their team would escort Hinata to the Royal Capital, giving Tenten a chance to raise her concerns with her.

• Tenten returned home and found a Police Department notice requiring weapons shops to register and restricting sales of bombs, Explosive Tags, and other weapons.
• Tengu Ha told Tenten that the regulations could backfire, described a failed attempt to stir up trouble outside his shop, and asked her to warn Neji.
• Tenten met Neji, Might Guy, and Lee the next morning and saw Might Guy defeat Lee in their push-up contest.
• Might Guy announced that their team had been assigned to escort Hinata to the Royal Capital at the Prime Minister's Residence's request.
• Tenten thought Hinata might be able to help her convey the warning about the regulations.

Hinata and her escort arrived in the Royal Capital, where Ming Jing welcomed them to a banquet after preparing formal clothes for the guests. He revealed that trouble was brewing in the country and asked Kurenai’s team to help investigate, leaving them ready to follow his orders.

• Hinata and her companions arrived at the Royal Capital station, where Yami greeted them and took them to the China Grand Hotel.
• Yami told the visitors that Ming Jing was busy and provided formal clothes for the evening banquet.
• Neji reassured Tenten that Ming Jing had prepared the expensive clothes, and she returned to her room to change.
• Ming Jing welcomed the group at dinner and thanked them for escorting Hinata to the Royal Capital.
• Kurenai asked Ming Jing about his warning that danger might arise, and he explained that the Police Department had deployed its Patrol Officers across the country and needed her team’s tracking abilities.
• Might Guy pledged that his team would help Ming Jing complete the mission.

Ming Jing briefed the team on an A-rank mission to capture Kazuichi Kosaka, a powerful merchant hiding among the Royal Capital’s remaining conspirators. The team prepared to track him the next day, while Ming Jing took Hinata to admire the city from the hotel observatory.

• Ming Jing explained that he had gathered the team to find conspirators who had escaped Yuexi’s earlier scheme.
• Ming Jing identified Kazuichi Kosaka as their target and explained that his family’s mineral trade and network of hideouts spanned several countries.
• Kiba and Akamaru agreed to track Kosaka by scent, while Shino pointed out that searching the entire Royal Capital would exhaust Akamaru.
• Ming Jing ordered the team to capture Kosaka alive and warned them about his four strongest guards: Rose Kamitsururyu, Tsubo Shichiintou, Anjin, and Yue.
• Ming Jing told the team to rest before beginning the mission the next day, then took Hinata to the hotel observatory as the others returned to their rooms.

Ming Jing planned to use outings with Hinata to draw attention away from Neji’s team as they searched for Kazuichi Kosaka in the Royal Capital. After Shino explained the Kamizuru Clan’s hornet tactics, Ming Jing decided someone needed to come to the capital.

• Ming Jing planned to pick up Hinata and provide cover for Neji’s team, then chose a romance movie instead of a horror movie.
• Shino told Neji’s team that the Kamizuru Clan used hornets and explained their habits, giving the group a possible way to locate Kazuichi Kosaka’s camp by searching for beehives.
• Yami gave Neji a map of the Royal Capital and told Hinata to accompany Ming Jing on his planned outings to attract enemy attention.
• Yami supplied the team with clothes and expenses, then returned to the Prime Minister’s Residence and shared Shino’s intelligence with Ming Jing.
• Ming Jing concluded that someone needed to travel to the Royal Capital.