Chapter Summaries

After the Five Kage meeting, Mei continued negotiating with Shuji while Zabuza returned to report to Yagura. Yagura ordered Zabuza to join the negotiations the next day, and Mei asked Shuji to handle the inexperienced negotiator fairly before parting with him.

• Mei stayed behind to negotiate with Shuji, then sent Zabuza back to report to Yagura.
• Yagura listened to Zabuza's report and ordered him to join the negotiations the next day, with Mei sitting in.
• Mei and Shuji met on the stadium's observation platform and discussed the negotiations and Konoha's secrets.
• Mei asked Shuji to show restraint toward Zabuza and protect Kirigakure's interests during the talks.
• Mei left Shuji, promising to treat him to tea next time.

Deidara challenged the masked Anbu he believed was an Uchiha, promising to face him in the arena, while Ōnoki questioned Shuji about Konoha’s new joint organization and the alliance. Ōnoki left without securing further negotiations but suggested he would revisit them later.

• Ōnoki worried that Deidara might cause trouble in Konoha, then left the Iwagakure residence without giving him instructions.
• Deidara met the White Cat Mask Anbu in an alley, declared that he would defeat Konoha’s contestants, and promised to face the Uchiha in the arena.
• Deidara made a small clay bird explode as a greeting, introduced himself as an artist, and walked away.
• Ōnoki asked Shuji whether he planned to join the tournament-focused joint organization, and Shuji said he did not.
• Ōnoki argued that Iwagakure could offer more to Konoha than Kumogakure and invited Shuji to negotiate, but Shuji said the five villages were cooperating as equals.
• Ōnoki left, saying he and Shuji could talk again if the alliance endured.

Zabuza endured the negotiations until the Five Kage finalized the Joint Martial Arts Tournament Bureau of Affairs and concluded their summit. As the leaders departed, A reported missing Kumogakure shinobi, while Samui stayed behind to continue arranging ninjutsu exchanges.

• Zabuza argued that joint investigative squads should use personnel suited to the village involved and submit their rosters for review in advance.
• After the framework treaty was settled, Zabuza learned that discussions about tournament reform would continue and endured the prolonged meeting.
• Ōnoki, Chiyo, A, Yagura, and Tsunade stamped their seals on the agreement establishing the Joint Martial Arts Tournament Bureau of Affairs, and Tsunade declared the summit concluded.
• Chiyo, Yagura and Mei Terumi, Ōnoki and Deidara, and finally A departed, with Mei nodding toward Shuji and Ōnoki urging Shuji to consider his earlier words.
• A told Tsunade that a Kumogakure team had disappeared overseas, and Tsunade offered Konoha's cooperation; A left Samui behind to handle ninjutsu exchanges.

Shion transferred into Konoha’s Ninja Academy while she remained unable to return to the Land of Demons, and she began adjusting to her new life as a student. Meanwhile, Shuji arranged for Kumogakure students and a jonin instructor to join an expanded exchange program.

• Naruto tried to tell Shikamaru and Choji about his break, then embarrassed himself when Shikamaru asked about his chakra nature and Second Pillar corrected him.
• Iruka introduced Shion as a new classmate, while Shuji told Ebisu that she could attend regular classes but should not receive combat training.
• Shuji instructed Ebisu to prepare for Kumogakure students from every grade except the first year and for a broader genin exchange program.
• Shion recalled choosing to attend the academy rather than remain isolated under guard in Konoha, then worried over her unfamiliar course schedule.
• Ino and Sakura stopped the other students from crowding Shion and offered to show her notes, helping her feel more comfortable at the academy.

Iruka welcomed five Kumogakure exchange students into his class and kept Naruto from approaching Shuji and Samui. Shuji and Samui discussed the exchange program and learned that Kumogakure and Sunagakure patrol squads had both gone missing at sea, prompting Konoha to investigate.

• Ebisu assigned five Kumogakure students to Iruka’s class, and Iruka managed the disruption of their first day.
• Naruto failed the Transformation Technique again, so Iruka offered to take him for ramen instead of letting him test his chakra nature.
• Naruto recognized Shuji near the Commercial District, but Iruka stopped him and pulled him away before he could approach.
• Shuji and Samui discussed the exchange students, including Samui’s younger brother Atsui, and his goal of earning a Heat shoulder marking.
• Samui told Shuji that Kumogakure and Sunagakure ninja squads had disappeared during maritime patrols, and Shuji said Konoha would confirm the situation with Sunagakure.

Sasuke watched Neji defeat three Kumogakure students, then declined to challenge him while Neji was still recovering. Meanwhile, Shuji investigated missing Kumogakure and Sunagakure ninja, reassigned Kakashi to the Joint Martial Arts Tournament Bureau of Affairs, and decided to ask Kirigakure about disappearances at sea.

• Neji defeated three Kumogakure students, and Samui stopped Atsui from fighting him and led the group away.
• Neji noticed Sasuke watching, but Sasuke postponed their fight rather than take advantage of Neji after his earlier battle.
• Shuji reviewed mission reports with Kakashi and learned that Kakashi had once escorted Kazahana Koyuki from the Land of Snow.
• Shuji told Kakashi to arrange for Yamato to take over the Anbu and to serve in the Joint Martial Arts Tournament Bureau of Affairs for at least two months.
• Shuji considered asking Kirigakure whether its ninja had also gone missing while operating at sea.

Chiyo learned that Sunagakure’s fleet was being tracked at sea and challenged Shuji to investigate who was responsible. In Konoha, Samui agreed to a joint survival competition for Konoha and Kumogakure students, then told Shuji she intended to develop their personal relationship—but not yet.

• Chiyo learned from Ebizo that Konoha wanted to know whether Sunagakure had faced trouble at sea, and she confirmed that the fleet had been tracked while daring Shuji to find out who was behind it.
• Samui decided to send Atsui back with the next group of examinees because growing hostility between Konoha and Kumogakure students worried her.
• Shuji told Samui that student sparring had caused only minor injuries and proposed joint survival simulation competitions to help the students cooperate.
• Samui approved Shuji’s plan, reconsidered sending Atsui home, and asked Shuji to be patient while she struggled to think clearly.
• Samui admitted that Shuji had made a mistake by using their private contact channel for official business, withdrew her request for leniency, and said she would plan for their relationship to develop later.

Shuji and Tsunade discussed possible disappearances of Kumogakure and Sunagakure personnel and Konoha's plans to mediate. In Kumogakure, A prepared to negotiate for his missing people, hoping Sunagakure had only intended to warn them.

• Shuji told Tsunade that Kumogakure suspected Sunagakure might be behind missing personnel, though the evidence was uncertain.
• Shuji and Tsunade agreed to protect Sunagakure's delegation on its way to the Chunin Exams and prepare to mediate between the villages.
• A found Killer B rapping in the village plaza, scolded him, and dragged him back to the Raikage Building.
• Mabui and Dodai reported that they had found no clues beyond Kumogakure's tracking of Sunagakure's ships, and A learned Konoha had proposed exchanging information during the Chunin Exams.
• A ordered Dodai to negotiate for the return of Kumogakure's people, offering to end the tracking operations or pay money if needed.

Baki, Dodai, and Shuji negotiated a joint investigation into Kumogakure’s missing ninja, agreeing to accept the findings and address any fault. Meanwhile, Nagato and Obito prepared to relocate as Madara’s plan used the dispute to conceal the Akatsuki’s actions and keep the villages occupied.

• Baki met Dodai and denied that Sunagakure had fought Kumogakure ninja or detained anyone, while Dodai demanded the return of Kumogakure’s missing personnel.
• Madara’s Zetsu explained that the operation had framed Sunagakure and gathered materials for Hiruko’s Chimera Technique.
• Obito told Nagato that Amegakure was no longer safe and that he should prepare to relocate.
• Shuji led Baki and Dodai to agree on a joint investigation, with Kumogakure providing its missing squad’s records and Sunagakure reviewing its reports.
• Shuji proposed that both villages accept the investigation’s findings, compensate the other if found seriously at fault, and involve the Martial Exhibition Bureau of Affairs if a third party was responsible.

Shuji negotiated with Samui over Konoha and Kumogakure sharing research on defenses against flying units, then received a massage from her. The next day, he assigned Yakushi Kabuto to analyze Orochimaru’s research materials.

• Shuji agreed in principle to negotiations on Konoha and Kumogakure exchanging air-defense and flying-vehicle research.
• Samui proposed the technical exchange on Kumogakure’s behalf and gave Shuji five thousand yuan before massaging his shoulders and face.
• Shuji rested under Samui’s touch, though he still went to work the next day.
• Yakushi Kabuto told Shuji that he had completed the Medical Department’s advanced courses and asked for an assignment.
• Shuji gave Yakushi Kabuto top-secret research materials left by Orochimaru and ordered him to submit a detailed evaluation and analysis report.

Naruto complained to Shuji about being mocked for not knowing his chakra nature, then found renewed motivation to win championships and become Hokage. Shuji handled Sunagakure’s investigation and proposed an exchange of students, while Kakashi agreed to investigate someone searching for Kazahana Koyuki.

• Naruto vented by the river about his classmates laughing at him, and Shuji explained puberty before encouraging Naruto to pursue championships before becoming Hokage.
• Shuji told Baki to prepare a report on Sunagakure’s internal investigation and proposed that Sunagakure send students to Konoha.
• Kakashi told Shuji that someone had recently been searching for Kazahana Koyuki, though the person’s identity was unknown.
• Shuji asked Kakashi to investigate the search and reminded him that the Land of Snow mission had ended in failure.
• Kakashi agreed to arrange an investigation, and Shuji teased him about becoming Hokage.

Shuji learned that the Land of Snow’s treasure was a geothermal generator rather than a weapon, while Obito and Shinnō seized the Snow Ninja leader and offered Kazahana Dōtō an alliance. The chapter left Shuji facing news that Dōtō had launched airship attacks on nearby island nations as the new year began.

• Kazahana Dōtō opened the hidden treasure with the hexagonal crystal and discovered it was a geothermal generator that melted the Land of Snow’s ice.
• Uchiha Obito sent Nadare Rōga into the Kamui dimension, while Shinnō killed the other two Snow Ninja.
• Obito showed Dōtō a flying fortress and offered to help him forge a new hegemony in exchange for a country willing to shelter his group.
• Samui offered Kumogakure’s help if Kazahana Koyuki commissioned a campaign to reclaim her country, and Shuji agreed Konoha could cooperate with Kumogakure.
• On New Year’s Day, Shuji learned that the snow had vanished and that the Land of Snow was using airships to attack nearby island nations.

The Land of Snow expanded across nearby islands, but its forces repelled Kumogakure’s elite squads and Kakashi’s Joint Squad. Shuji suspected Obito was behind Kazahana Dōtō’s military power and ordered a campaign to isolate Dōtō and challenge his legitimacy.

• A ordered Kumogakure to seek intervention from the Joint Martial Arts Tournament Bureau of Affairs and test the Land of Snow’s shinobi through defense commissions.
• The Bureau approved the request, but Kakashi’s Joint Squad was driven back at sea as the Land of Snow halted its expansion after taking a dozen or so islands.
• Kazahana Dōtō praised Kuchin for the conquests, while Orochimaru privately explained to Zetsu that the islands would eventually become difficult to control and would serve as a buffer for conflict.
• Tsunade and Shuji assessed the Land of Snow’s strength, and Shuji suspected that Obito was behind it.
• Shuji ordered the Shinobi World to recognize Kazahana Koyuki as the Land of Snow’s legitimate ruler and to ban ships from entering the country.

Shuji explained that the blockade against the Land of Snow relied on restricting merchant shipments and proposed that Konoha and Kumogakure share information about outside missions to prevent strategic goods from reaching their enemies. A questioned whether the plan meant linking the villages’ mission systems, and Shuji left him considering the idea.

• Orochimaru told Kazahana Dōtō that the Five Great Nations were inspecting outbound ships and that Kumogakure shinobi were monitoring nearby islands.
• Shuji met with A in Kumogakure and explained that the Land of Snow could use space-time ninjutsu and other procurement points to sustain its war.
• Shuji proposed that the villages share details of merchant escort missions so they could track and control shipments of key materials.
• A recognized that Shuji’s proposal involved changing the mission system and warned that Kumogakure’s classified missions could not be exposed.
• Shuji suggested creating a shared system only for commissions originating outside their countries, arguing that it could prevent conflicts and preserve the alliance.
• A asked whether Senju who used Wood Release were always so fanciful, and Shuji answered that they had to try.

Shuji arranged for Sunagakure to send an aerial force to counter the mist and Storm Release threatening the blockade fleet. The attack crippled Hiruko’s airship, but Shuji then raised the sea around the Akatsuki interception force, leaving Hiruko and Juzo Biwa facing a combined assault of lightning and water.

• Shuji told A that Sunagakure had agreed to send an aerial force to assist the blockade.
• Hiruko and Juzo Biwa set out aboard an airship to intercept the approaching fleet, and Juzo hid it in mist when Sunagakure’s aerial force appeared.
• Sunagakure’s force dropped explosives and corrosive liquid, and Hiruko intercepted the explosives before the liquid damaged the airship’s gasbag.
• Hiruko abandoned the damaged airship, then unleashed Storm Release against the ships as Juzo urged him to retreat.
• Shuji used Water Release to lift the fleet in a towering ring of seawater while the other ships formed wooden shields against Hiruko’s lightning attack.
• Juzo fled from the descending wave as Hiruko prepared to face the combined assault.

Shuji returned from fighting the Land of Snow’s forces and warned the Raikage that the campaign could fail because Madara Uchiha and Akatsuki posed a wider threat. He revealed that an Akatsuki member possessed the Rinnegan, leaving the Raikage to weigh an assault on the Land of Snow against the danger of leaving the villages exposed.

• Shuji recognized Hiruko and Juzo Biwa as Akatsuki members after they escaped the sea battle, then withdrew with Baki and the Sunagakure forces.
• Shuji reported to A that he had destroyed one of the Land of Snow’s airships, while the interceptors escaped.
• A demanded that Kazahana Dōtō be killed within a month, but Shuji warned that Kumogakure and Konoha might fail if they attacked the Land of Snow.
• Shuji told A, Mabui, and Darui that Madara Uchiha had masterminded the conflict and could revive Moryo and the Undead Army of the Land of Demons.
• Shuji warned that Akatsuki had a wielder of the Rinnegan, so an expedition could leave the villages vulnerable if that person was not in the Land of Snow.

A allowed Roshi to leave Iwagakure for training while arranging for him to be followed, then received an invitation from the Raikage to meet. Shuji arrived in the Land of Water and asked Mei Terumi whether the Mizukage had once been controlled by the Sharingan, prompting her to move their discussion elsewhere.

• A told Mabui to invite Ōnoki to a meeting about the Land of Snow and Kumogakure’s blockade plan.
• Roshi left Iwagakure to train despite Ōnoki’s objections, and Han briefly spoke with him on the way out.
• Ōnoki ordered Anbu to follow Roshi and record his absence as long-term training, then received the Raikage’s meeting invitation.
• Shuji traveled by boat to the Land of Water, where Mei Terumi met him at a misty pier.
• Shuji asked Mei whether the Mizukage had been controlled by the Sharingan, and Mei said they needed to discuss it elsewhere.

Obito responded to the tightening blockade by deploying the Sky Ninja’s Flying Fortress against Kumogakure. After Killer B blocked its opening blast, A ordered the village to prepare its Chakra Cannon for the fortress’s return.

• Obito recognized that his supply routes were being disrupted and decided to use another method to advance his plans.
• A reviewed the allied patrols and blockade reports, including a faint chakra fluctuation southeast of Kumogakure.
• The Flying Fortress Ancor Vantian Fortress emerged from the clouds and fired a golden beam at Kumogakure.
• Killer B transformed into Gyuki and countered the beam with a Tailed Beast Bomb, protecting the village from the blast.
• The fortress rose above the clouds and disappeared, and A ordered Dodai to prepare Kumogakure’s Chakra Cannon.

Shuji recruited Kabuto to lead experiments on using the chakra of the One-Tail through Nine-Tails to reproduce Kekkei Mōra, giving him authority to halt dangerous research. At a Konoha strategy meeting, Shuji urged the village to investigate Amegakure and build a defensive zone before responding to the Land of Snow’s aerial fortress.

• Kazahana Dōtō announced that his attack on Kumogakure was a warning and demanded concessions from the Five Great Nations, including the return of Kazahana Koyuki.
• Shuji showed Kabuto the experimental Mother Stock, which had absorbed One-Tail chakra but attacked Shuji as it grew faster.
• Shuji explained his theory about the God Tree, the Otsutsuki, and Kekkei Mōra, then asked Kabuto to lead experiments with Tailed Beast chakra.
• Kabuto agreed to take charge if he received village resources, access to materials, and authority to deploy personnel, including the power to destroy experiments that risked losing control.
• At a Konoha meeting, Shikaku warned that the Land of Snow’s aerial fortress could strike with power comparable to an Eight-Tails Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Shuji proposed confirming Amegakure’s situation and establishing an interconnected defensive zone among the five great nations before any expedition to the Land of Snow.

Four allied shinobi villages occupied Amegakure while Jiraiya searched for Akatsuki intelligence and Konan reported the occupation to Nagato. Shuji persuaded Sunagakure to provide aerial defense assistance in exchange for long-term fees and future support, then asked it to protect Shukaku by including Gaara in the exchange student program.

• Konoha, Sunagakure, Iwagakure, and Kusagakure forces surrounded and occupied Amegakure, silencing its sentries and telling residents to stay indoors.
• Konan received a paper bird reporting the occupation and Jiraiya's search, then informed Nagato that the village had fallen without large-scale fighting.
• Shuji traveled with Baki to Sunagakure and proposed sending its aerial forces to help the other villages build defenses in exchange for ongoing fees and support commitments.
• Ebizo questioned whether other villages could aid Sunagakure in time, and Shuji proposed free reconstruction assistance if Sunagakure's headquarters were badly damaged.
• Chiyo agreed to Sunagakure's cooperation, and Shuji asked Sunagakure to protect Shukaku by including Gaara in the upcoming exchange student program.