Chapter Summaries

Itachi joined Kakashi at a tense meeting over mounting losses on the eastern and northern fronts, where Kakashi uncovered Kumogakure’s real purpose. The chapter ended with Tsunade and Shuji realizing that Kumogakure intended to use Han as bait in an ambush and deciding to wait for the detailed plan.

• Itachi brought battle reports to a meeting where Dodai pressed for reinforcements and compensation for Kumogakure’s and Kirigakure’s losses.
• Kakashi ended the meeting without a decision and told Itachi that Sunagakure’s concession was meant to protect its chance of getting Gaara back.
• Kakashi questioned Dodai, who revealed that Akatsuki’s ability to strike anywhere—not rogue ninja—was causing the losses on the fronts.
• Tsunade and Shuji concluded that Kumogakure had anticipated the crisis when it proposed placing Han in the Land of Woods.
• Shuji explained that Kumogakure meant to use Han as bait for an ambush and that Konoha’s cooperation would let them keep Han within reach of reinforcements.

Han agreed to a trap intended to draw out Akatsuki, and Jiraiya received an emergency transmission from Kirigakure as Juzo Biwa and Hiruko were confronted by Zabuza Momochi and Kisame Hoshigaki. The fight split apart, and a second distress flare signaled that new enemies had arrived.

• Han agreed with Jiraiya's plan to use the base as bait and said he wanted to see the people who had taken Roshi.
• Zabuza Momochi and Kisame Hoshigaki ambushed Juzo Biwa and Hiruko in the mist, demanding that Juzo return Kubikiribōchō.
• Hiruko used Dark Release to absorb Kisame's water attack, but Kisame manipulated the water to create an opening and attack Hiruko with Samehada.
• Juzo and Zabuza continued fighting while Kisame and Hiruko exchanged attacks, and Kisame repeatedly used the water and ground to evade Hiruko.
• Hiruko spotted Juzo and Zabuza's direction and dashed after them as Kisame emerged from the ground.
• A second distress flare rose from the direction of Kirigakure, signaling the arrival of new enemies.

Kakuzu and Hidan fought Kirigakure forces, but Yagura discovered that the attackers were convincing decoys. As Shuji learned that Han and Jiraiya's reinforcements had been intercepted near Zaoxie Island, the real battle remained unclear.

• Kakuzu and Hidan fought Kirigakure Anbu in the fog, while Kakuzu recognized that Kiriame was weakening their techniques.
• Yagura reviewed the reports with Ao, then joined the fight and used his Three-Tails chakra to attack the intruders.
• Yagura's forces defeated Hidan and blasted a charred body, but Hidan's apparent corpse and scythe transformed, revealing that the attackers were decoys.
• Yagura ordered an Anbu to warn Ao and went with two others to support Kisame and Zabuza.
• Shuji received word that Han and Jiraiya's joint rapid response force had been intercepted near Zaoxie Island.

Jiraiya confronted Nagato’s Six Paths on Zaoxie Island, where Nagato revealed that he had anticipated the allied villages’ emergency plans and intended to seize the tailed beasts. As the battle began, Shuji arrived from the submarine, and Nagato unleashed Chibaku Tensei.

• Kakuzu and Hidan left Zaoxie Island by airship while Juzo Biwa and Hiruko continued their battle on the shore.
• Jiraiya challenged Deva Path over Nagato’s rejection of Yahiko’s wish for peace, and Deva Path explained how the alliance’s fears and defensive plans had led it into the trap.
• Deva Path used Banshō Ten'in to pull Han toward him, but Jiraiya summoned Gamaken to shield Han from the Six Paths’ attacks.
• The Animal Path summoned five beasts against Jiraiya and the Joint Squad, and Jiraiya used a sealing scroll to bring his Shuji wood clone onto the battlefield.
• Shuji transferred from the submarine to his wood clone, and Deva Path created a black sphere to begin Chibaku Tensei.

Shuji fought Pain’s four remaining Paths on the beach, using the Wood Golem and Living Slug to disrupt their coordinated attacks. He destroyed the Asura Path and left the Human Path and Preta Path badly injured, facing the Deva Path amid a beach covered in Living Slugs.

• Shuji smashed the rising Chibaku Tensei sphere with the Wood Golem, while Jiraiya and Han led the squad toward Kirigakure according to plan.
• Shuji used the Wood Golem and Wood Dragons to destroy Pain’s summoned beasts, then dismissed the golem when the Paths attacked from multiple directions.
• Shuji summoned the Living Slug and dispersed himself among its many bodies, confusing the Deva Path with countless identical chakra signatures.
• Shuji’s Living Slugs sprayed acid over the Deva Path, Human Path, and Preta Path, badly corroding the Human Path and the Preta Path’s arm.
• Shuji burst from the sand and kicked the Asura Path’s mechanical head apart, then faced the Deva Path and the injured remaining Paths.

The Marquis of Northern Suppression warned the empress not to interfere with Princess Anning’s return and explained why Yan Kingdom needed the Que Sect’s help against the Night Clan. Chen Qing arrived at the Martial Exhibition to face Shang Yuming, and his golden aura pushed back Shang Yuming’s overwhelming force field as the duel began.

• The Marquis of Northern Suppression told the empress to avoid provoking Princess Anning and said the court needed to unite against the Night Clan.
• The Marquis of Northern Suppression praised Chen Qing as one of Yan Kingdom’s strongest young martial artists but doubted he could defeat Shang Yuming.
• Chen Qing spent the night preparing, then set out for the Martial Exhibition with Princess Changle.
• Shang Yuming’s deep-blue force field overwhelmed the arena and deepened the spectators’ despair.
• Chen Qing entered the arena, and his pale golden aura pushed back Shang Yuming’s force field, astonishing the Que Sect elders and Yan Kingdom’s onlookers.

Obito abandoned the assault on Kirigakure after the Fourth Raikage’s unexpected arrival and the approaching reinforcements. On Zaoxie Island, Pain warned Shuji that Akatsuki would keep pursuing the Tailed Beasts, and Shuji decided to stay in Kirigakure after learning Yagura had died.

• Kisame Hoshigaki and Zabuza escaped the collapsed water prison in opposite directions, and Obito hesitated over which one to pursue.
• Zetsu told Obito that the Fourth Raikage had arrived and that Jiraiya and Kirigakure’s mobile force would soon reach the coast.
• Obito learned Pain was still fighting Shuji and that Juzo Biwa was dead and Hiruko injured, then ordered a retreat.
• The five Paths of Pain told Shuji that Akatsuki would target the Tailed Beasts and threatened to fight on remote islands if the Five Great Nations kept them.
• The Paths disappeared, and the living slug told Shuji that Yagura had been confirmed dead.
• Shuji decided to stay in Kirigakure for a while, while the living slug revealed that Tsunade had heard their conversation.

A arrived in Kirigakure after Yagura’s death and discussed the village’s options for surviving future attacks with Genji. Mei Terumi took office as the Fifth Mizukage, while Kisame warned her that the fighting was not over.

• A arrived in Kirigakure and learned that the village was preparing to hold a funeral for Karatachi Yagura.
• Genji told A that Kirigakure could not withstand another attack alone and was considering shifting some of its defensive burden elsewhere rather than sacrificing its jinchuriki.
• Mei Terumi entered Yagura’s office, took the seat of the Fifth Mizukage, and began handling the village’s urgent affairs.
• Kisame reported that the Akatsuki had withdrawn, and Mei apologized for having him kill Yagura at Yagura’s request.
• Mei promised Kisame that Yagura would be the last comrade he had to kill, but Kisame warned that the fighting was not over.

After Yagura’s funeral and a crisis involving Utakata, Shuji defended Konoha’s approach to the growing threat before the village leaders. The Raikage asked him to explain himself and Konoha’s plans for what came next.

• Shuji arrived in Kirigakure for Yagura’s funeral, which Jiraiya, A, and Han also attended.
• Harusame tried to extract the Six-Tails from Utakata, but Shuji stopped him and collected the Six-Tails’ chakra.
• At the meeting, Jiraiya argued that the villages needed to address weaknesses in their defensive system.
• A accused Konoha of using the crisis to collect all the Tailed Beasts and demanded to know Shuji’s true intentions.
• Shuji said Konoha had cooperated with other villages and shared technological progress to build trust rather than impose control.
• A accepted that few choices remained and asked Shuji to explain himself and Konoha’s plans.

Utakata visited Harusame before leaving the Land of Water to join the Joint Affairs Bureau's rapid response team. He sailed from Kirigakure with Kisame and the others, beginning a new journey to Kumogakure.

• Utakata told Harusame he was leaving for the Joint Affairs Bureau, and Harusame advised him to stay composed and warned him to keep away from Kisame Hoshigaki.
• Utakata met Kisame, then joined the rapid response team at their temporary lodging near Kirigakure's harbor.
• Jiraiya announced that the team would sail to Kumogakure with the Raikage and wait there for further orders.
• Utakata boarded the warship and saw Mei Terumi clasp hands with Shuji on the dock before the ship departed Kirigakure.

Nara Shikamaru’s vacation turned into a month of observing and delivering documents at the Joint Affairs Bureau, where he overheard signs of growing instability in the ninja world. After Shuji reorganized the Rapid Response Squad and assigned Kakashi its leadership, Kakashi gave Shikamaru an extra filing duty, ending any hope of a carefree vacation.

• Shikaku told Shikamaru that Kakashi had requested him to observe the Joint Affairs Bureau, overruling his refusal.
• Shikamaru spent his first days watching Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi work before becoming a daily messenger around the bureau.
• Shikamaru heard that Kirigakure’s Fourth Mizukage had been killed in action and noticed the bureau grow more tense.
• Shuji visited Kakashi and announced that the Rapid Response Squad would become a Permanent Mobile Squad under the bureau, with Han in command and Killer B, Nii Yugito, and Utakata joining its system.
• Kakashi told Shikamaru to arrive an hour earlier and help Uchiha Itachi with filing work.

Shuji and Tsunade discussed how to use infiltration attempts and a Martial Exhibition to buy time against Akatsuki. At the Bureau of Affairs, Killer B recruited Han and Utakata to join his concert, hoping to show that jinchuriki were more than weapons, and set off to invite the others.

• Shuji told Tsunade he expected Akatsuki to probe Konoha before internal conflict erupted, and proposed letting infiltrators in so Konoha could eliminate them and delay a larger attack.
• Shuji revealed that Killer B had asked to perform at the Martial Exhibition opening ceremony, and Tsunade joked about avoiding the concert.
• Killer B urged Nii Yugito, Utakata, and Han to join his performance, but Yugito initially dismissed the idea and Utakata refused.
• Killer B used a fist bump to bring Han into a meeting with Gyuki and Kokuō, and Han agreed to participate after recognizing Killer B wanted jinchuriki to be seen as more than weapons.
• Han encouraged Utakata to consider the performance, and Utakata reluctantly agreed before Killer B rushed off to invite the remaining jinchuriki.

Naruto struggled to learn Wind Style: Breath until Temari demonstrated the basics of wind manipulation, while Killer B recruited Naruto and Gaara into his band. Meanwhile, Shuji secured the Five Kage’s agreement to advance the Joint Affairs Bureau’s funding and cooperation plan, bringing his broader goal one step closer.

• Naruto practiced Wind Style: Breath, and Temari explained that mastering wind jutsu required sensing chakra’s flow rather than relying on strength.
• Temari demonstrated Sunagakure’s Wind Style: Airflow Dance, and Kankuro warned Naruto that Sasuke had become much stronger.
• Killer B arrived seeking Jinchūriki for his band, and Naruto and Gaara agreed to join without Naruto understanding what a Jinchūriki was.
• Shuji proposed a voluntary funding and cooperation framework for smaller nations and shinobi villages, and the Five Kage agreed to continue developing it.
• After the meeting, Shuji and Tsunade discussed Naruto learning his identity and how the Joint Affairs Bureau could help prepare the villages for a later step.

Killer B recruited Gaara, Naruto, and Kaede for a mysterious training group, while Sasuke felt excluded and asked Shuji for a chance to become stronger. Shuji sent Sasuke to find Hatake Kakashi at the Joint Affairs Bureau, leaving what Sasuke would learn up to him.

• Killer B left Naruto without explaining what a Jinchuriki was and began searching for the final member of his group.
• Killer B approached Kaede outside the Ninja Academy and asked her to join, but she refused until Gaara reassured her that they were the same.
• Killer B accepted Kaede as the final recruit and announced that drills would begin the next day at the Joint Affairs Bureau.
• Sasuke watched Naruto and the others leave together, then went to the Hokage Building and asked to see Shuji.
• Sasuke told Shuji he wanted to become stronger, and Shuji gave him a note to deliver to Hatake Kakashi at the Joint Affairs Bureau.
• Tsunade asked whether Kakashi had time to train Sasuke, and Shuji said Sasuke would decide what to do once he reached Kakashi.

Sasuke followed Kakashi away from the Joint Affairs Bureau, expecting practical training, but Kakashi instead challenged him to think about what kind of ninja he wanted to become. Meanwhile, Shikamaru dealt with Killer B’s request for a rehearsal venue and stopped Naruto from planning to use Sexy Jutsu at the tournament ceremony.

• Kakashi left the Bureau through the window with Sasuke, while Itachi used a Shadow Clone to impersonate him and Shikamaru filed a request for a sealed window.
• Shikamaru encountered Killer B arguing with the Logistics Department about finding space for band rehearsals and agreed to take him and Naruto to the Director.
• Naruto told Shikamaru he would dance with Killer B’s band at the Joint Martial Arts Tournament opening ceremony, and Shikamaru warned him not to use Sexy Jutsu.
• Kakashi took Sasuke past the Police Force branch division and into the empty Joint Martial Arts Tournament Main Arena.
• Kakashi told Sasuke he had a poor impression of him, questioned whether special training might distract him from a ninja’s foundations, and asked him to return the next day with his own answer about who he wanted to become.

Shikamaru and Naruto secured the main arena as a rehearsal venue for Killer B’s band, where Naruto joined the group while Sasuke watched from the stands and questioned what it meant to follow his own path. Meanwhile, Kakashi reported a Sunagakure reinforcement named Yura to Shuji and described the space-time ability of his Mangekyo, leaving after discussing its strain and possible treatment.

• Kakashi’s Shadow Clone approved the arena as a rehearsal venue, and Itachi completed the required application for Shikamaru and Naruto.
• Shikamaru and Naruto obtained a permit from the Police Force and entered the main arena, where Killer B and the other band members arrived to set up.
• Naruto joined the band’s preparations as Sasuke watched from the stands and wondered whether their activities reflected the path Kakashi had described.
• Kakashi told Shuji that Yura had joined Sunagakure’s reinforcements and was someone Shuji had been monitoring, so Shuji ordered Kakashi to track his contacts.
• Kakashi revealed his Mangekyo to Shuji and explained that its long-range space-time attack could draw a targeted object into another dimension, though using it caused severe backlash.

Black Zetsu approached Sasuke and tried to turn him against the Uchiha by claiming Fugaku and Itachi had sent clansmen to the Anbu prison. Two days later, Shuji investigated the unexplained death of Uchiha Enjin, whose body showed no clear cause of death.

• Black Zetsu watched the stadium and considered using Indra's reincarnation, Sasuke, as another route to advance his plan.
• Sasuke spotted a cloaked stranger near the village headquarters, pursued him into the woods, and fought him.
• The stranger told Sasuke that Fugaku and Itachi had sent Uchiha clansmen to the Anbu prison, then vanished after urging Sasuke to investigate.
• A Hyuga-led Police Force patrol found Sasuke and warned him to raise an alarm rather than face unknown enemies alone; Sasuke noticed that none of the patrol members were Uchiha.
• Two days later, Shuji learned that Uchiha Enjin had died in his cell and went to the Anbu prison to investigate.
• Shuji examined Enjin's records and body, finding normal recent health indicators and no injuries, poison, or other apparent cause for the sudden organ failure.

After Uchiha Enjin died in custody, Shuji suspected White Zetsu had drained him and warned Fugaku to watch for impostors. Sasuke investigated the clan’s situation, learned Chidori from Kakashi, and ended the chapter reassured that he could seek answers and still return home.

• Yamanaka Inoichi found no useful clues in Enjin’s memories, and Shuji suspected White Zetsu’s Spore Technique had caused his death.
• Sasuke spent three days questioning Uchiha clansmen about absent members but remained uncertain about the clan’s relationship with the village.
• Kakashi taught Sasuke Chidori at the training ground.
• Sasuke overheard Shuji tell Fugaku to increase patrols and carefully check personnel in key departments because a jutsu could not perfectly copy its target’s memories.
• Shuji told Sasuke that the Uchiha had to solve their own path forward and praised him for observing rather than jumping to conclusions.
• Sasuke chose to keep practicing Chidori and went to bed feeling that he could find his own path and still come back.

News of the National Academy of Doria Kingdom’s decisive victory over Donis Kingdom spread through Violet Empire Academy, making Doria Kingdom and Lin Mo the focus of attention. The chapter ended with spectators discussing their unexpected strength while other matches continued.

• The National Academy of Doria Kingdom swept Donis Kingdom in its opening match.
• News of the victory spread rapidly through the grand arena of Violet Empire Academy.
• Spectators who had doubted a genius from a minor kingdom began discussing Doria Kingdom and Lin Mo.

Naruto learned more about his parents and the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and Fourth Kazekage, then witnessed Shuji stop an attack on the Ninja Academy with Wind Release. At Hokage Rock, Shuji and Tsunade received Akatsuki’s proposal for a Martial Exhibition to decide ownership of the Jinchuriki and left the response to the Bureau of Affairs.

• Jiraiya told Naruto that his father was Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, and suggested he ask Iruka about Minato’s achievements.
• Naruto found Gaara’s temporary home empty, then learned from Gaara and his siblings that they had moved and that Shuji had killed their father, the Fourth Kazekage.
• Gaara explained that Minato had served as Hokage for only one year before dying, while Kankuro described the deaths of other villages’ Kage.
• A Giant Bird scattered papers over the Ninja Academy, but Shuji used Wind Release to gather them and drive the bird away; Tsunade calmed the crowd and addressed the students.
• An Anbu reported that Akatsuki had demanded a Martial Exhibition to determine ownership of the Jinchuriki, and Shuji and Tsunade discussed the proposal’s political implications.
• Shuji decided to leave the response to the Bureau of Affairs and wait for Kakashi and the others to develop a plan.