Chapter Summaries

Ming Jing and Orochimaru traded attacks while Ming Jing’s Genjutsu kept Orochimaru from landing a clean hit. With Ming Jing holding his own, Hizashi Hyuga and Masamune Yagyu focused on Sasori, who revealed his true body and deployed the Third Kazekage puppet; their combined assault sent Sasori crashing into a hill as Masamune unleashed another sword technique.

• Orochimaru attacked Ming Jing, but Ming Jing used Genjutsu to make Orochimaru’s strikes and Kusanagi Sword pass through an illusion.
• Reassured by Ming Jing’s performance, Hizashi Hyuga and Masamune Yagyu turned their full attention to Sasori.
• Masamune Yagyu cut Hiruko in two, but Sasori evaded the fatal blow and emerged from the puppet’s remains.
• Sasori revealed that he had turned the Third Kazekage into a puppet and attacked the two men with Iron Sand Drizzle.
• Hizashi Hyuga deflected the iron sand while Masamune Yagyu’s sword attack was blocked by Iron Sand Sky Wings.
• Hizashi Hyuga struck Sasori into a hill, and Masamune Yagyu followed with Moon Scroll: Evening Flower Tide.

Ming Jing used Sage Chakra and the Kurama Clan’s Five Senses Manipulation to fight Orochimaru, who ultimately escaped his Fire Tree Space Genjutsu by summoning a giant snake. Ming Jing realized Orochimaru had underestimated the power of the Kurama Clan’s abilities.

• Ming Jing activated Sage Mode and clashed with Orochimaru, using Auditory Manipulation and the Green Grass Leading Sheep Genjutsu to survive his attacks.
• Ming Jing and Orochimaru resumed their sword fight, and Orochimaru shattered Ming Jing’s Han Sword with the Kusanagi Sword.
• Ming Jing tricked Orochimaru with a fake Broken Sword Rebirth technique and then trapped him in the Fire Tree Space Genjutsu.
• Orochimaru summoned a giant snake and escaped the burning illusion by having it take him to Ryūchi Cave.
• Ming Jing recognized that Orochimaru had underestimated the Kurama Clan’s Five Senses Manipulation.

Ming Jing kept Orochimaru trapped in an illusion before activating Celestial Court mode as their battle escalated. Meanwhile, Sasori unleashed hundreds of puppets against Hizashi Hyuga and Masamune Yagyu, who fought back together.

• Ming Jing filled his imagined Earth Dragon Cave illusion with Poison Gas, but Orochimaru summoned a swarm of snakes and broke free.
• Orochimaru revealed that a tiny white snake had supplied the blood for his Summoning Jutsu, and Ming Jing activated Celestial Court mode.
• Sasori recalled the damaged Third Kazekage Puppet and released hundreds of puppets with Secret Red Technique: Hundred Puppet Performance.
• Hizashi Hyuga used Eight Trigrams One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms to disable Sasori's puppets, but Sasori fired Flame Prison Formation at him.
• Masamune Yagyu intercepted the attack with his sword, whose blade and hilt melted as he managed to save himself and Hizashi Hyuga.

Ming Jing defeated Orochimaru in a Genjutsu battle, then traded the Kurama Clan technique Mind Barrier for Sumitsuchi, Han, and Shū. He returned to the fight against Sasori carrying Orochimaru, leaving Sasori to face three opponents.

• Ming Jing used the Celestial Court state and layered Genjutsu to wound and put Orochimaru to sleep, but Orochimaru woke and threatened him with the Kusanagi Sword.
• Ming Jing offered Orochimaru Mind Barrier in exchange for Sumitsuchi, Han, and Shū, and Orochimaru accepted.
• Orochimaru gave Ming Jing a snake to deliver the technique and said he already had a plan in mind.
• Hizashi Hyuga and Masamune Yagyu struggled against Sasori's puppets as their strength dwindled.
• Ming Jing arrived with Orochimaru slung over his shoulder and told Sasori he would now face three opponents alone.

Ming Jing arrived in time to drive off Sasori, then used the resulting crisis to plan diplomatic pressure on the Land of Earth. The group returned to the Foreign Minister's Office to recover while Ming Jing sent letters seeking help from Sunagakure and testing Konoha's stance.

• Ming Jing arrived as Sasori carried off the unconscious Orochimaru, and Sasori chose to leave rather than fight him, Hizashi Hyuga, and Masamune Yagyu.
• Ming Jing declined to pursue Sasori and checked on Hizashi Hyuga and Masamune Yagyu, whose Chakra was depleted and whose O-Tenta had been broken.
• Masamune Yagyu asked to return O-Tenta to the Yagyu Family Shrine, and Ming Jing gave him a letter to deliver to Zuo Yang Kurama as cover for his departure.
• Ming Jing wrote to Sunagakure about Sasori turning the Third Kazekage into a puppet and to the Third Hokage about Orochimaru appearing in the Land of Grass.
• Hizashi Hyuga reported that Sumitsuchi, Han, and Shū were alive but unable to use Chakra, and Ming Jing told everyone to rest and recover.

Ōnoki and Deidara left for the Land of Grass after Akatsuki reported its mission had failed, while the Upper and Lower Brothers delivered Ming Jing’s letter about the Third Kazekage to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. Chiyo learned of the news, left the daimyo’s mansion with the brothers to find Ming Jing, and the daimyo reflected on his rift with Sunagakure before discovering she had stolen his wife’s jewelry.

• Ōnoki dismissed Akatsuki’s failure and entered the Land of Grass with Deidara, Kitsuchi, and Akatsuchi.
• The Upper and Lower Brothers crossed the desert to the Royal Capital and gave Ming Jing’s letter about the Third Kazekage to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind.
• The daimyo sent word to Sunagakure, and Chiyo arrived the next morning demanding details about the Third Kazekage.
• Chiyo learned the brothers had given the letter to the daimyo, then ordered them to take her to Ming Jing and led them out by climbing over the mansion wall.
• The daimyo reflected on his disagreement with Sunagakure and his alliance with the Land of Fire, then learned Chiyo had stolen his wife’s jewelry.

Zuo Yang Kurama forwarded Ming Jing’s letter to Konoha, where the Third Hokage and his advisors decided to send Utatane Koharu to the Land of Grass. They agreed to support Ming Jing while secretly assessing whether he deserved Konoha’s backing.

• Masamune Yagyu delivered Ming Jing’s letter to Zuo Yang Kurama, who sent it by messenger hawk to Lord Hokage in Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura discussed Ming Jing’s request and concluded he was using Konoha’s influence to pressure the Third Tsuchikage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Utatane Koharu to travel to the Land of Grass with Genma Shiranui, Hayate Gekko, and Mitaraishi Anko on a tentative A-rank mission.
• Utatane Koharu proposed that the team secretly evaluate Akira Kurama, and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed while instructing them to cooperate with Ming Jing unless something unusual happened.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the team to gather at Konoha’s main gate in two hours.

Ming Jing delayed meeting the Third Tsuchikage while he worked on the Mind Barrier, then transformed its rigid defense into a flexible technique inspired by water. He named the new technique “Supreme Goodness is Like Water” but decided to give Orochimaru the Mind Barrier as promised.

• Ming Jing decided to keep the Third Tsuchikage occupied until their allies arrived, and Ritsu no Otsugi warned him not to provoke a fight.
• Mugen introduced herself as one of Kusagakure’s leaders and invited the angry Third Tsuchikage to the Bishui Hot Springs.
• Ming Jing reconsidered the Mind Barrier after realizing its rigid structure had made it vulnerable to collapse.
• Ming Jing entered his inner world, reshaped the barrier’s shattered fragments into moving grains that formed a protective storm, and named the technique “Supreme Goodness is Like Water.”
• Ming Jing chose to finish writing the original Mind Barrier for Orochimaru, honoring their agreement.

Grandma Chiyo traveled with Upper and Lower to Bishui Hot Springs Inn, where she reunited with the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki and Utatane Koharu. The unexpected gathering brought rival leaders face-to-face, while Mugen welcomed Konoha’s representatives and explained her connection to Muson.

• Grandma Chiyo used her saved jewelry to pay for the journey, and Upper and Lower carried her to Bishui Hot Springs Inn.
• Chiyo and the Third Tsuchikage Ōnoki exchanged insults, and Chiyo pretended to die before springing up with scrolls in hand.
• Utatane Koharu arrived and stopped Chiyo and Ōnoki from fighting; Chiyo then turned away and went to eat with Upper and Lower.
• Ōnoki asked Koharu about Hiruzen, and she said the Third Hokage was doing well.
• Mugen greeted Koharu’s group as Kusagakure’s leader and said Muson was her senior brother.

Ming Jing rushed to an inn where representatives from Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Konoha had gathered, and stopped their subordinates’ fight with a powerful genjutsu. After the damaged inn’s compensation became a point of contention, he postponed the political discussion until Parliament the next day, leaving Ōnoki wary of his strength.

• Ryuga told Ming Jing that Ōnoki, Chiyo, and Utatane Koharu had gathered at an inn, so Ming Jing hurried there with Takuo Kurama.
• Ming Jing arrived as Deidara, Akatsuchi, and Kitsuchi fought Mitaraishi Anko, Genma Shiranui, and Gekko Hayate, while their battle wrecked parts of the inn.
• Ming Jing trapped the six fighters in a genjutsu and demanded they either compensate the innkeeper or help repair the damage.
• Ōnoki confronted Ming Jing for keeping him waiting, while Utatane Koharu defended Ming Jing and then left with Konoha’s group.
• Ming Jing deferred the discussion until Parliament the next day and vanished with a genjutsu; Ōnoki realized he had underestimated Akira Kurama.

Ming Jing told Chiyo that Sasori had turned the Third Kazekage into a puppet and was working with Orochimaru for Iwagakure. He sought Chiyo’s personal help against Iwagakure, and she agreed in exchange for three favors from him.

• Ming Jing met Chiyo in a mountain pavilion and showed her fragments linking Sasori to the Third Kazekage’s puppet.
• Chiyo accepted that Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage after Ming Jing showed evidence of the Kazekage’s Iron Sand and hair.
• Ming Jing told Chiyo that Sasori and Orochimaru were working for Iwagakure and suggested the village was gathering rogue ninjas for an unknown goal.
• Chiyo said helping Konoha would not benefit the Land of Wind, so Ming Jing offered to reduce the Land of Fire’s export tariffs to the Land of Wind by twenty percent.
• Chiyo offered to help Ming Jing in return for three favors, and Ming Jing agreed as long as they did not violate his principles, conscience, or loyalty.

Ritsu no Otsugu opened a tripartite conference in the Land of Grass, where Ōnoki challenged the Land of Fire’s influence over Grass. Ming Jing and Ritsu no Otsugu defended their countries’ cooperation, and Mugen stood up to Ōnoki as the argument began.

• Ming Jing arrived at the conference venue with Qing Yan and Takuo Kurama, where Ritsu no Otsugu and Mugen were already waiting.
• Ritsu no Otsugu welcomed the arriving representatives, including Utatane Koharu and Chiyo, then led everyone into the conference hall.
• Ōnoki arrived and took his seat in the grand, carefully spaced venue alongside Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, and Deidara.
• Ritsu no Otsugu opened the conference and asked the representatives not to disrupt its proceedings; Ming Jing, Mugen, Utatane Koharu, and Chiyo agreed, while Ōnoki objected to the implication that he might cause trouble.
• Ōnoki demanded that Ming Jing explain the Land of Fire’s involvement in the Land of Grass, but Ming Jing and Ritsu no Otsugu described their countries’ relationship as mutually beneficial.
• Ōnoki challenged Ritsu no Otsugu over the consequences of the alliance, and Mugen took her hand and declared that the Land of Grass would decide its own affairs.

During a tense meeting over the Land of Grass’s cooperation with the Land of Fire, Ōnoki accused the other nations of threatening the Land of Earth, while Chiyo and Utatane Koharu challenged him over rogue ninja working for him. Deidara’s explosion destroyed the palace and triggered a battle, where Utatane Koharu revealed formidable skill by cutting through a massive earthen wall.

• Ming Jing defended Ritsu no Otsugu’s right to make decisions for the Land of Grass, but Ōnoki demanded that she end cooperation with the Land of Fire.
• Chiyo accused Ōnoki of employing Sasori of the Red Sands, and Utatane Koharu demanded an explanation about Orochimaru.
• Ming Jing and Ritsu no Otsugu secretly passed notes during the meeting while the elders argued.
• Ōnoki smashed the table, and Chiyo and Utatane Koharu prepared to fight him.
• Deidara shouted about art and detonated an explosion that destroyed the palace, prompting fighters from Konoha and Iwagakure to attack one another.
• Akatsuchi sent a collapsing wall toward Utatane Koharu, who sliced through it with her Chakra blade and prepared a counterattack.

Utatane Koharu, Grandma Chiyo, and Ōnoki fought as Ming Jing returned to the battlefield and decided to use a dangerous Genjutsu with Mugen’s help. Ōnoki destroyed Chiyo’s “Father” puppet with Dust Release, and Ming Jing prepared to stop him before he could threaten the Royal Capital.

• Utatane Koharu rescued Akatsuchi from her invisible slash, but Ōnoki caught and crushed the blade before pinning her, Mitaraishi Anko, Genma Shiranui, and Gekko Hayate with the Heavy Rock Technique.
• Grandma Chiyo confronted Ōnoki while Ming Jing carried Ritsu no Otsugi to safety and entrusted his protection to Qing Yan.
• Ming Jing returned with Mugen and Takuo Kurama, and they discussed combining their strength to restrain Ōnoki.
• Ōnoki used Dust Release: World Splitter to erase Chiyo’s “Father” puppet, enraging Chiyo and frightening Mugen.
• Ming Jing told Mugen to help with a battlefield-control Genjutsu, assuring her that it would not endanger her.

Ming Jing explained how the Kurama Clan adapted Izanami into a technique that could be used without the Sharingan, then prepared to use it with Mugen and Takuo Kurama against Ōnoki. The attempt began with Ming Jing and Takuo Kurama closing in on Ōnoki as he unleashed World Splitter.

• Ming Jing told Mugen that the Kurama Clan had deciphered Izanami and adapted it to work without the Sharingan, though it required three Genjutsu-type ninja.
• Takuo Kurama explained that the modified technique temporarily blinded all three casters and taught Mugen her part in the technique.
• Ming Jing assigned three targets to himself and two to Mugen, then attacked Ōnoki while Takuo Kurama formed a hand-seal frame around them.
• Ōnoki struck at Ming Jing with Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique and Heaviness Rock Technique, but Ming Jing used the rock fist to leap toward him.
• Ming Jing and Takuo Kurama formed their hand-seal frames and attacked Ōnoki from different directions, prompting Ōnoki to fire World Splitter at Takuo Kurama.

Ming Jing, Takuo Kurama, and Mugen used Izanami to incapacitate Ōnoki and capture him and his companions. Ming Jing planned to use the Third Tsuchikage’s capture to secure a decade of peace with the Land of Earth, leaving the problems beyond that to his successor.

• Grandma Chiyo used her Puppet Technique to help Takuo Kurama evade Ōnoki’s World Splitter, and Takuo Kurama’s kunai and Ming Jing’s counterattack wounded Ōnoki.
• Ming Jing, Takuo Kurama, and Mugen formed a triangle and successfully performed Izanami, which made all three temporarily unable to see.
• Kitsuchi tried to rescue Ōnoki while Akatsuchi and Deidara carried him away, but Grandma Chiyo, Utatane Koharu, Anko, Genma Shiranui, and Gekko Hayate stopped them.
• Kitsuchi charged Ming Jing and was stopped by Beauty Guards the Boudoir; Anko and the others then bound the captured enemies.
• Ming Jing told Grandma Chiyo he would use Ōnoki’s capture to settle matters with the Land of Earth and prevent conflict for ten years, leaving what followed to his successor.

After securing the Third Tsuchikage and other Iwagakure prisoners, Ming Jing arranged for Zuo Yang Kurama to oversee affairs in the Land of Grass and set out for Konoha to keep his promise to accompany Yakumo to the Ninja Academy. In the Royal Capital, Zuo Yang Kurama sought help monitoring the daimyo and learned that Hong Lian could take the assignment.

• Ming Jing decided to return to Konoha for Yakumo’s school enrollment and sent a messenger hawk to summon Zuo Yang Kurama to the Land of Grass.
• Ming Jing gave Chiyo Sasori’s damaged Hiruko puppet, and Chiyo accepted it before leaving with the Upper and Lower Brothers.
• Ming Jing told Ritsu no Otsugu that he would be away until after the new year and trusted Zuo Yang Kurama to manage the Land of Earth situation.
• Zuo Yang Kurama prepared to leave the Royal Capital and asked Tsukishiro Yuexi to monitor the daimyo in his absence.
• Tsukishiro Yuexi recommended Hong Lian, a Crystal Release ninja trained as the Clan Head’s personal guard, for the monitoring assignment.

Ming Jing traveled home from the Land of Grass while recovering from temporary blindness, with Karin and later Yuexi looking after him. As they continued their journey, Karin grew jealous of the women close to Ming Jing, and Yuexi wondered whether Karin and Naruto might become friends.

• Karin arrived at the main gate and saw Ming Jing chatting with Ritsu no Otsugu before joining him for the journey home.
• Ritsu no Otsugu told Karin that Ming Jing's eyes were unwell, and Karin helped him into the carriage after he assured her he would recover with rest.
• Three days later, Tsukishiro Yuexi joined Ming Jing and took over caring for him while reporting on affairs in the Royal Capital.
• Yuexi teased Karin by asking Ming Jing about gifts for Hinata and Yakumo, prompting Karin to sulk over Hinata's importance to him.
• Yuexi asked whether Karin and Naruto might become good friends, and Ming Jing said they probably would because Karin was kind.

Yakumo continued her studies and impressed Kurenai Yuhi with her talent for Genjutsu. Ming Jing returned home blind for the time being, introduced Karin to Yakumo, and offered Kurenai access to the Kurama Clan’s Genjutsu library.

• Yakumo mastered the Naraku Clone in five days and asked Kurenai Yuhi to teach her the Mist Servant Technique.
• A maid told Yakumo that Ming Jing had returned, and Yakumo hurried outside to greet him.
• Ming Jing arrived with Karin and explained to Yakumo that Karin would live with them as his adopted little sister.
• Yakumo introduced Kurenai Yuhi to Ming Jing, who thanked her for teaching Yakumo.
• Ming Jing invited Kurenai Yuhi to study the Kurama Clan’s Genjutsu books, and she accepted.

Naruto felt lonely before the Ninja Academy’s opening day, but Tsukishiro Yuexi returned after three years and reunited with him. She brought him school supplies, cooked dinner, and made his apartment feel like a home.

• Naruto went to Ichiraku Ramen but realized he had left his discount coupon at home, so he returned to his apartment to get it.
• Naruto found Tsukishiro Yuexi waiting outside his door with school supplies and food, and he happily greeted her after three years apart.
• Yuexi entered Naruto’s messy apartment, told him to clean it, and began preparing dinner.
• Naruto cleaned the apartment while Yuexi cooked four dishes, then washed his hands and sat down to eat with her.
• Yuexi encouraged Naruto to eat more vegetables, and Naruto enjoyed the warm meal she had prepared.