Chapter Summaries

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo sent forces, including Hyuga Matsuba and the Senju Clan, to the battlefield while keeping the Uchiha Clan out of the war. On the way, Hyuga Matsuba warned Nawaki that he was risking his life as a weak fighter, but Nawaki refused to turn back.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed with Danzo to send Tsunade's students to the battlefield but refused to punish Tsunade herself, and they decided not to deploy the Uchiha Clan unless necessary.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi assembled a force and led it to war, while Hyuga Matsuba brought Mikoto, Kushina, and Konan along.
• During a rest stop, Hyuga Matsuba met Nawaki and saw that the Senju Clan's group consisted mostly of elderly and disabled people.
• Hyuga Matsuba warned Nawaki that the battlefield could kill him, but Nawaki insisted on going so he could grow stronger and become Hokage.

Hyuga Matsuba argued with Nawaki about his reckless ambition to become Hokage, then traveled with his companions to the battlefield, where Tsunade discovered Nawaki and the Senju Clan had also arrived. Tsunade angrily confronted them over the danger they faced.

• Hyuga Matsuba criticized Nawaki for pursuing his Hokage dream while ignoring his family's safety, and Nawaki left after their argument.
• Kushina, Mikoto, and Konan reassured Hyuga Matsuba, while Mikoto explained that Nawaki's convictions were shaped by Hiruzen Sarutobi's encouragement to prove himself in battle.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others reached the battlefield, restoring the soldiers' morale as Hatake Sakumo welcomed the Hokage.
• Kushina greeted Tsunade, who teased Hyuga Matsuba and met Konan as the group explained why they had come.
• Tsunade spotted Nawaki hiding and realized the Senju Clan had come to the battlefield, then marched over in anger.

Tsunade confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi over sending Senju Clan children to the battlefield, while Hyuga Matsuba defended her and provoked Danzo. Danzo was trapped in a genjutsu that Hiruzen could not break, and Hiruzen suspected Hyuga Matsuba was responsible.

• Tsunade angrily challenged the Senju Clan leader and Hiruzen Sarutobi for bringing children to the battlefield, but Hiruzen delayed giving her an explanation until after the war.
• Jiraiya and Danzo argued against Tsunade, who proposed sending the weaker Senju and children back while the rest stayed to fight.
• Hyuga Matsuba insulted Danzo and pulled Tsunade away, while Hiruzen stopped Danzo's men from attacking them.
• Hiruzen and Orochimaru failed to wake Danzo from a genjutsu, and Hiruzen suspected Hyuga Matsuba had cast it.

Hiruzen Sarutobi discovered that Danzo had been trapped in a genjutsu and lost an eye, then went to Tsunade for help treating him. Hyuga Matsuba taunted Hiruzen and helped Tsunade refuse, leaving Hiruzen furious and Danzo without her care.

• Orochimaru and Jiraiya questioned Hiruzen Sarutobi's plan to confront Hyuga Matsuba, but Hiruzen insisted on going to see him.
• Danzo abruptly tore out and crushed his own eye while under a genjutsu, then returned to his senses in pain and confusion.
• Doctors took Danzo away and found that his psychological trauma was more serious than his eye injury, so Hiruzen Sarutobi went to find Tsunade.
• Hiruzen confronted Hyuga Matsuba, who denied the accusation and mocked him while Tsunade scolded Nawaki.
• Hiruzen asked Tsunade to treat Danzo, but Tsunade refused, and Hyuga Matsuba repeatedly provoked Hiruzen until he left furious.

Tsunade refused Hiruzen Sarutobi’s demand to treat Danzo and announced that the Senju Clan would leave Konoha, but Nawaki and the clan members objected. She agreed to postpone the decision until everyone was safe, while Hyuga Matsuba offered to help win the war in exchange for something.

• Tsunade told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the Senju Clan would sever its ties with Konoha, and Nawaki challenged her decision.
• Senju Tian explained that the clan did not want to abandon the village, and Tsunade agreed to wait until everyone was safe before withdrawing.
• Hyuga Matsuba offered to help Hiruzen Sarutobi win the war in exchange for something, but Hiruzen dismissed his offer.
• Tsunade led Hyuga Matsuba and the others away without answering his question about Danzo, while Hiruzen comforted the Senju Clan members.
• Hyuga Matsuba explained to Tsunade why Hiruzen wanted the Senju Clan on the battlefield, and Tsunade warned Kushina to stay cautious in combat.

Hyuga Matsuba built an ugly but sturdy earth house for the group, and they cleaned it up and shared a meal inside. Their dinner was interrupted when an angry visitor demanded that Matsuba tear the house down, leaving him to confront the intruders.

• Kushina demonstrated her lava-like technique, and Hyuga Matsuba pointed out how it could be countered before she bit him.
• Hyuga Matsuba used one hand to create an Earth Style: Earth House Technique, but Kushina and Tsunade mocked the dusty, bare house.
• Mikoto suggested cleaning the house with fire and wind, and everyone helped make it barely livable.
• Mikoto cooked a meal, and Kushina encouraged Konan to eat more as the group enjoyed dinner.
• A visitor demanded that Hyuga Matsuba tear down his house, and Matsuba challenged the visitor's right to do so.

Hyuga Matsuba drove off a group that came to provoke him, then welcomed Orochimaru, who asked about the technique Matsuba had used on Danzo and proposed a deal to obtain it. Matsuba explained the terrifying power of his illusion technique but left Orochimaru’s offer unanswered.

• Hyuga Matsuba slapped a squad member who challenged him, then used his ability to make the group cheer for the enemy and destroy nearby tents, causing deaths and chaos.
• Hyuga Matsuba, Tsunade, Kushina, and Mikoto speculated about who had sent the troublemakers before settling in to eat and move into the house.
• Orochimaru visited Hyuga Matsuba and asked whether he had used a technique on Danzo; Matsuba admitted that he had.
• Orochimaru asked what kind of technique Matsuba had used and offered to make a deal for it.
• Hyuga Matsuba described Terrifying Samsara’s effects, including lasting psychological damage and the risk of turning its victims into mindless puppets.

Hyuga Matsuba traded Orochimaru the Terrifying Samsara technique for forbidden jutsu scrolls, then learned he would be sent to the battlefield. As the chapter ended, he prepared to fight alongside Jiraiya while Tsunade and the others stayed behind with Konan.

• Orochimaru offered Hyuga Matsuba scrolls containing Flying Thunder God, Impure World Reincarnation, and Five Layered Rashomon in exchange for a technique.
• Hyuga Matsuba gave Orochimaru the original Terrifying Samsara technique, and Orochimaru left satisfied with the trade.
• Tsunade asked Hyuga Matsuba about Orochimaru and recognized the forbidden techniques in the scrolls as knowledge sealed away by the Second Hokage.
• A commotion woke the group the next morning, and Hyuga Matsuba was ordered to join the others on the battlefield.
• Hyuga Matsuba left Mikoto and Kushina to look after Konan, then taunted Jiraiya while drawing Ryujin Jakka.

Hyuga Matsuba joined Konoha’s forces as they faced an assault by Iwagakure, Ame, and Sunagakure, then revealed Ryujin Jakka’s power on the battlefield. After his strike destroyed an earthen wall and split enemy ninja apart, the sword began to tremble, suggesting its seal was changing.

• Jiraiya suggested that Hyuga Matsuba seek swordsmanship guidance from Hatake Sakumo, but Matsuba dismissed the idea and told Jiraiya to leave.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Hanzo of the Salamander and Ōnoki, then ordered Konoha’s ninja to combine Fire Release and Wind Release against the enemy forces.
• Hanzō ordered Water Release to counter the flames, while Ōnoki directed Iwagakure to raise an earthen wall.
• Hyuga Matsuba drew Ryujin Jakka and used Fuzhan to obliterate the wall and cut down ninja in its path, astonishing Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya, and the others.
• Hyuga Matsuba felt Ryujin Jakka trembling and wondered whether the sword needed blood to break its seal.

Hyuga Matsuba used Ryujin Jakka to slaughter the allied enemy forces, and his growing understanding of the sword brought him close to breaking its seal. The chapter ended with his enemies realizing that the devastating slash had come from a child.

• The Third Kazekage, Hanzo of the Salamander, and Ōnoki ordered their forces to attack with Explosive Tags and charge, forcing Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others into battle.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi struggled against Hanzo of the Salamander and Ōnoki, while Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Hatake Sakumo fought to hold back the enemy.
• Hyuga Matsuba raced into the allied army and killed many opponents with Ryujin Jakka, sensing the sword’s heat rise as his bond with it deepened.
• Hyuga Matsuba killed a fat man who tried to sneak up on him and then defeated six attackers with a single slash, killing five and cutting off the sixth man’s arm.
• Hyuga Matsuba’s wide-ranging air blade also killed Konoha fighters, and the surviving cripple realized that the slash had come from the child.

Hyuga Matsuba used his overwhelming speed to kill an Elite Jonin, then released Ryujin Jakka and killed four attackers with its flames. He put the sword away to protect Tsunade and began to understand how he and Ryujin Jakka could work together to release its seal.

• Hyuga Matsuba killed an Elite Jonin in an instant, frightening the surrounding ninjas.
• Hyuga Matsuba dodged attacks from Amegakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure while taunting them from the air.
• Hyuga Matsuba released Ryujin Jakka and used Pine Torch to trap and kill four attackers in a ring of fire.
• Hyuga Matsuba put Ryujin Jakka away when he saw Tsunade suffering in the heat, and the flames began to die down.
• Hyuga Matsuba realized that fighting alongside Ryujin Jakka had helped release its seal and decided to use the sword less often to avoid causing fires.

After his blade’s seal was undone, Hyuga Matsuba’s Chakra and strength surged, and he faced Ishigane to improve his combat experience. He gradually gained the upper hand while keeping his true power suppressed.

• Hyuga Matsuba unleashed Gate of Babylon, but its Kunai attack killed only weaker opponents, so he retrieved the weapons and challenged the enemy forces to send someone against him.
• Ishigane charged at Hyuga Matsuba while Tsuchikage's Assistant told Kitsuchi to handle Orochimaru, and Ōnoki warned Ishigane not to underestimate his opponent.
• Hyuga Matsuba used Armament Haki to shatter Ishigane’s rock fist, then struck what appeared to be Ishigane with a Rasengan, only to discover it was a stone clone.
• Hyuga Matsuba continued fighting Ishigane while suppressing his strength, learning from each exchange and gradually gaining the upper hand despite taking several hits.

Hyuga Matsuba overwhelmed Ishigane and Ōnoki, killing Ishigane and surviving Ōnoki’s Dust Style attack. He then summoned a Susanoo resembling Madara Uchiha’s, leaving the battlefield stunned.

• Hyuga Matsuba kicked Ishigane through the air until he died, while Ōnoki watched in fury.
• Ōnoki left Hanzo of the Salamander to fight Hiruzen Sarutobi and leapt up to rescue Ishigane, but Hyuga Matsuba struck him down.
• Ōnoki found Ishigane dead and threatened Hyuga Matsuba, then attacked with Dust Style: World Separation Technique.
• Hyuga Matsuba transformed into a beam of light, escaped the barrier unharmed, and mocked Ōnoki.
• Hyuga Matsuba summoned a Susanoo identical to Madara Uchiha’s, shocking everyone on the battlefield.

Hyuga Matsuba used his complete Susanoo and lightning blade against Ōnoki, who stood his ground despite his fear of Madara Uchiha. Matsuba’s slash devastated the battlefield, leaving many dead and injured, while Hiruzen Sarutobi grew wary of Matsuba’s overwhelming power.

• Ōnoki overcame his fear of Madara Uchiha’s Susanoo and refused help from Akatsuchi and the other Iwa shinobi.
• Hyuga Matsuba dodged Ōnoki’s Dust Release: Limit Separation Technique, suffered slight damage, and healed Susanoo with Chakra.
• Matsuba unleashed Susanoo Lightning Blade, while the Third Kazekage and Hanzo of the Salamander ordered their forces to defend.
• Kitsuchi carried the exhausted Ōnoki away as Matsuba’s slash split the earth and killed and injured many people.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru reacted to Susanoo’s immense power, while Hiruzen Sarutobi worried that Matsuba was becoming too powerful to control.

Hyuga Matsuba’s Susanoo devastated the enemy forces, forcing them to retreat while Hiruzen Sarutobi declared him a Jonin. Back at camp, Hanzo of the Salamander decided to withdraw Amegakure from the war, despite Ōnoki’s attempt to keep him in the alliance.

• Hyuga Matsuba refused to explain to Orochimaru how he had obtained the Uchiha Clan’s technique, and Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered an attack on the defeated enemy forces.
• The Third Kazekage ordered the enemy troops to lay traps and retreat, while Hiruzen Sarutobi chose not to pursue them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi declared Hyuga Matsuba a Jonin, and Matsuba left with Tsunade to return home to Konan, Mikoto, and Kushina.
• Ōnoki learned that Hyuga Matsuba had killed more than two thousand people, and Hanzo of the Salamander announced that Amegakure would leave the war.
• Ōnoki asked Hanzo of the Salamander to stay if someone could restrain Matsuba’s giant Susanoo, but Hanzo rejected the idea and accused Ōnoki of trying to deceive him.

Ōnoki, Hanzo of the Salamander, and the Third Kazekage decided to use their Tailed Beasts against Hyuga Matsuba, unaware that he had engineered their plan to gather the beasts. As the armies clashed, Matsuba took the three Jinchuriki to a desolate place and forced Rōshi to release the Four-Tails.

• Ōnoki proposed using the Tailed Beasts, and Hanzo of the Salamander and the Third Kazekage agreed not to withdraw.
• Hyuga Matsuba anticipated that the enemy would bring out the Tailed Beasts so he could capture them together.
• Enemy reinforcements arrived, and Hanzo of the Salamander and the other leaders launched an attack on Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi faced the enemy assault with Danzo at his side, while Konoha remained outnumbered.
• Hyuga Matsuba led Rōshi, Han, and Bunpuku to a desolate place and demanded that they release their Tailed Beasts.
• Hyuga Matsuba kicked Rōshi so hard that the Four-Tails emerged to protect him.

Hyuga Matsuba fought the tailed beasts summoned by the allied forces, overpowering the Five-Tails with his physical strength and abilities. The allied leaders watched their plan collapse as the tailed beasts were beaten back.

• Hyuga Matsuba summoned a massive stone statue that nearly smashed the Four-Tails, then warned the opposing forces to reveal their true forms.
• The allied forces summoned Shukaku, the Four-Tails, and Kokuō, while Hyuga Matsuba had Susanoo fight Shukaku and the stone statue battle the Four-Tails.
• Hyuga Matsuba challenged Kokuō to a physical contest and knocked the Five-Tails backward with a collision, then launched him into the sky with Sky Render.
• Ōnoki, Hanzo of the Salamander, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru reacted as the allied plan failed and Hyuga Matsuba dominated the battlefield.

Hyuga Matsuba defeated the Tailed Beasts, extracted their Chakra, and forced the Five-Tails into a summoning contract before letting it go free. He then fought Ōnoki, the Third Kazekage, and their forces, leaving Ōnoki to call him more vicious than Madara Uchiha.

• Hyuga Matsuba extracted Chakra from Sun Wukong and Shukaku, then pulled the Five-Tails from Han and made it his summoning beast.
• Hyuga Matsuba released the Five-Tails, and Han died after the beast was removed from him.
• Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage ordered their forces to attack Hyuga Matsuba and assigned opponents to the other fighters.
• Hyuga Matsuba blocked the enemies' techniques, struck Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage, and killed many soldiers as he fought through their ranks.
• Ōnoki questioned Hyuga Matsuba about killing so many people, then declared him more terrifying and vicious than Madara Uchiha.

Hyuga Matsuba unleashed Super Shinra Tensei, devastating the remaining enemy forces and forcing their leaders to retreat. After Konoha pursued them back to their camp, Danzo accused Matsuba of betraying them, and Matsuba dismissed him.

• Hyuga Matsuba used Super Shinra Tensei and killed nearly everyone beneath him, leaving Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage horrified.
• Hanzo of the Salamander praised Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru before ordering a retreat with the Tsuchikage and Kazekage.
• Konoha pursued the retreating forces to their camp but turned back when they could not breach its defenses.
• Danzo accused Hyuga Matsuba of being bought off for not pursuing farther, and Matsuba called him an idiot.

Hyuga Matsuba slapped Danzo after Danzo insulted him, then left with Tsunade while Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to contain the conflict. With Matsuba refusing to fight further, the war stalled, and rumors of his future as Hokage began to unsettle Hiruzen.

• Danzo accused Tsunade of protecting her disciple, so Hyuga Matsuba slapped him and denied that anyone had witnessed it.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped the confrontation, restrained Danzo, and sent Matsuba away to rest; Matsuba warned Danzo not to provoke him and departed with Tsunade.
• Jiraiya criticized Matsuba for speaking so bluntly, and Matsuba replied that strength meant he had no reason to fear others.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Danzo not to target Matsuba, but Danzo secretly remained determined to take revenge for his lost eye and humiliation.
• With Matsuba no longer taking the field, the war reached a stalemate as Konoha residents began discussing his power and possible future as Hokage.