Chapter Summaries

Minato infiltrated enemy territory and destroyed Kannabi Bridge after killing its Stone ninja guards. As he believed the mission was complete, Ye Zi ambushed him with Feng, piercing his heart.

• Minato reached Kannabi Bridge undetected and prepared to destroy the Stone ninja supply route.
• Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to kill the bridge's Stone ninja guards without being wounded.
• Ye Zi and White Zetsu watched the fight, and Ye Zi decided to ambush Minato after he destroyed the bridge.
• Minato gathered his formula Kunai, planted Explosive Tags beneath the bridge, and detonated them, collapsing it into the river.
• As Minato watched the bridge fall, Ye Zi attacked with Feng and pierced Minato's heart.

Ye Zi’s ambush wounded Minato, but Minato escaped with the Flying Thunder God Technique and returned to Lujiu’s base for treatment. After Kannabi Bridge was destroyed, Ye Zi stayed behind to test his wood release against the arriving Stone ninja and killed them all, prompting Gluttony to ask when he had learned the ability.

• Minato escaped Ye Zi’s blade with the Flying Thunder God Technique and appeared injured in Lujiu’s tent, where a medical ninja began treating him.
• Ye Zi confirmed the ambush had failed, while White Zetsu fled as Stone ninja gathered at the destroyed Kannabi Bridge.
• Ye Zi chose to fight the Stone ninja and tested his wood release, killing several with branches that burst through their bodies.
• Ye Zi adapted his wood release for ranged attacks and killed every Stone ninja at the scene.
• Gluttony asked Ye Zi when he had learned to use wood release.

Ye Zi brought Kui back to help dispose of the Stone ninja corpses, while Minato returned to Konoha’s base after destroying the enemy supply route. The chapter ended with Lujiu considering how to defend Konoha’s supplies against possible Stone ninja infiltrators.

• Kui awoke in the alternate dimension, and Ye Zi summoned him to eat the Stone ninja corpses.
• Kui swallowed a corpse whole, then helped White Zetsu dispose of all the Stone ninja killed by Ye Zi’s Wood Release.
• Ye Zi sent the still-hungry Kui back to the alternate dimension and considered letting him regain strength.
• Minato returned injured to Konoha’s base after destroying the Stone ninja supply route and its accompanying medical team.
• Lujiu warned Minato, Choza, and Haiyi that the Stone ninja might infiltrate Konoha’s rear to seize supplies, then considered how to deploy their forces.

Minato assigned Kakashi to lead Team 7 while he left to gather intelligence, warning him to retreat rather than risk his teammates. As the war worsened on other fronts, Kushina sought out the Third Hokage because she wanted to help defend Konoha.

• Minato placed Kakashi in charge of Team 7 and told him to retreat if they faced an enemy they could not defeat.
• Kakashi reflected on his belief that completing the mission mattered more than saving comrades, while he and Obito continued to argue until Rin intervened.
• Chiyo and Ebizo devised a plan that let the Sand ninja reverse their disadvantage and suppress Konoha with Chiyo's poison.
• Tsunade rushed to the battlefield to help counter Chiyo's poison.
• Kushina, frustrated that she could not join the war effort, went to see the Third Hokage.

Kushina persuaded Hiruzen to let her fight in the war, though he remained concerned that she would become a target as a Jinchuriki. In Duskwood, Ye Zi headed toward the clash between Konoha and Stone while Team 7 fought a Stone ninja squad, leaving Obito in danger from a hidden attacker.

• Kushina insisted that she be allowed to fight, and Hiruzen agreed to consider her request and told her to wait for further notice.
• Ye Zi entered the Land of Fire and headed for Duskwood, telling White Zetsu that he would kill whoever he encountered before going to Sunagakure.
• Konoha and Stone forces clashed in Duskwood as Stone teams tried to infiltrate Konoha's rear and attack its supplies.
• Kakashi and Obito ambushed a Stone ninja team, killing two enemies while Kakashi fought the others.
• A bald Stone ninja appeared behind Obito and attacked him; Obito slipped as he tried to retreat.

Obito survived a close call when Kakashi killed the Stone ninja threatening him, and the two continued searching for enemies. Meanwhile, Team Nine faced a powerful Stone squad: Kurenai was gravely wounded, Shizune struggled to evacuate her, and Kotoha feared they would all be killed.

• Kakashi killed the Stone ninja about to stab Obito, and Rin treated the cut on Obito's cheek.
• Team Nine confronted a strong Stone squad led by a horse-faced swordsman, while Might Guy charged their formation.
• The horse-faced Stone ninja appeared behind Kurenai and stabbed her, leaving her bleeding against a tree.
• Kotoha attacked the swordsman with senbon, but he deflected them and vanished; Shizune picked up Kurenai to escape.
• Stone used Earth Release: Splitting Earth Turning Palm to crack the ground and disrupt Shizune's escape, while Might Guy fought the female Stone ninja.
• Kotoha realized Team Nine was badly outmatched and felt an icy dread as she sensed danger.

Team 7 arrived to reinforce Team 9, saving Shizune and Kurenai and joining the fight against the Stone ninja. From nearby, Ye Zi and White Zetsu watched the battle, and White Zetsu questioned why Ye Zi had not attacked.

• Kakashi, Obito, and Rin rushed toward the battle after noticing the destruction caused by Team 9's fight.
• Shizune struggled to escape the Stone ninja's attack while carrying the badly wounded Kurenai, but Kakashi arrived and split the falling chunk of earth with his lightning-wrapped hand.
• Rin and Shizune carried Kurenai to safety and began treating her while Obito and Kakashi faced the Stone ninja.
• Kotoha fought the horse-faced Stone ninja, while Might Guy traded heavy blows with the female Stone ninja.
• Ye Zi and White Zetsu watched the battle after killing six teams on their journey, and White Zetsu asked Ye Zi if he could not bring himself to attack.

Ye Zi watched Kotoha and the others fight, resisting White Zetsu’s urging to kill them and deciding to pursue his own plan. As the horse-faced Stone ninja overwhelmed Kotoha, Ye Zi moved away from the battlefield, leaving her in danger.

• White Zetsu urged Ye Zi to eliminate the Konoha youths, but Ye Zi refused to act against them for now.
• Ye Zi noticed Kotoha wore a Kusagakure forehead protector and formed a plan before leaving the shadows; White Zetsu followed him.
• Might Guy considered opening the Eight Inner Gates while fighting the female Stone ninja.
• The horse-faced Stone ninja taunted Kotoha and drove her away from the others with a relentless blade assault.
• The Stone ninja knocked Kotoha into the air and launched a fast slash that she struggled to block.

Ye Zi saved Kotoha from a Stone ninja, then revealed his identity and reunited with her after nearly a year apart. He asked her to help him, and Kotoha agreed, saying she wanted to stand beside him.

• Ye Zi arrived in time to block the horse-faced Stone ninja's attack on Kotoha.
• Ye Zi used lightning to paralyze the Stone ninja and killed him with a slash across the neck.
• Kotoha recognized Ye Zi's familiar voice, and he removed his mask to reveal his face.
• Ye Zi considered asking Kotoha to act as his spy in Konoha and was unsettled by the thought of killing her if she refused.
• Ye Zi asked Kotoha for help, and she agreed without hesitation, saying she wanted to stand beside him.

Ye Zi recruited Kotoha as a spy in Konoha and used White Zetsu to plant six communication spores in her. After secretly killing many ninja in the Dusk Forest, Ye Zi and White Zetsu headed for Sunagakure with malicious intent.

• Ye Zi asked Kotoha to spy for him, and she agreed because she wanted to enter his heart and stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
• White Zetsu planted six communication spores inside Kotoha, and Ye Zi told her not to investigate anything or ask questions.
• Kotoha returned to watch the battle and prepared to assassinate the Stone ninja, while Might Guy, Obito, and Kakashi fought their opponents.
• Ye Zi and White Zetsu secretly hunted ninja from both sides in the Dusk Forest, killing about a quarter of the 563 Konoha and Stone forces sent there.
• After leaving the forest, Ye Zi and White Zetsu crossed into the Land of Wind and advanced toward Sunagakure while avoiding patrols.

Ye Zi and White Zetsu entered Sunagakure while most of its forces were away fighting Konoha, intending to find and take Shukaku. Ye Zi reached the altar where the One-Tail was sealed as the Fourth Kazekage arrived and recognized the danger.

• Ye Zi and White Zetsu crossed the Land of Wind and approached Sunagakure through its guarded mountain passage.
• Ye Zi broke through the Sand ninja defending the passage and entered the village openly, with White Zetsu following afterward.
• White Zetsu pointed Ye Zi toward the western altar where Shukaku was sealed.
• Ye Zi fought through the Sand ninja in Sunagakure and reached the altar containing the sealed One-Tail.
• The Fourth Kazekage arrived and watched Ye Zi prepare to attack the sealing vessel.

Ye Zi cut open the teapot sealing Shukaku, freeing the tailed beast in the middle of Sunagakure. Shukaku attacked the village, killing hundreds while Ye Zi watched from a nearby mountain with White Zetsu.

• Rasa attacked Ye Zi with Gold Dust, but Ye Zi bypassed the sand and killed the four Sand ninja guarding Shukaku’s altar.
• Ye Zi cut the teapot in half and escaped with the Body Flicker Technique as Shukaku burst free.
• Rasa ordered most of the remaining Sand ninja to evacuate civilians and sent a guard to notify Chiyo.
• Shukaku emerged, destroyed nearby buildings, and fired three wind spheres toward areas where civilians were still evacuating.
• Rasa blocked one wind sphere with a Gold Dust Wall, but the other two struck the village and killed around three hundred people.
• White Zetsu estimated the death toll as Ye Zi silently watched the destruction from the rocky mountain.

Shukaku broke free of Rasa’s gold-dust restraints and rampaged through Sunagakure, killing civilians and ninja as the Sand ninja fought to contain it. Rasa and four allies temporarily trapped Shukaku with ordinary sand and Earth Release, but the beast was still resisting when Ye Zi and White Zetsu left the village.

• Shukaku shattered Rasa’s gold-dust chains and swept through Sunagakure, killing Sand ninja and destroying buildings.
• Shukaku fired Vacuform Bullets into fleeing civilians, and the Sand ninja struck its back with Wind Release techniques.
• Rasa bound Shukaku with ordinary sand while four Sand ninja used Earth Release, Ant Hell, to pull it into the ground.
• The Sand ninja attacked Shukaku with a wave of Wind Release, but it launched itself free and fired wind blades at Rasa.
• White Zetsu discussed stirring up conflict between other ninja forces, but Ye Zi told him to leave, and the two departed as Sunagakure faced the crisis.

Shukaku’s rampage devastated Sunagakure and forced the Sand ninja to abandon the front and seek peace with Konoha. The chapter ends with the villages signing a truce, Shukaku sealed inside Karura’s unborn child Gaara, and Kushina sent to reinforce Orochimaru’s front.

• Shukaku rampaged through Sunagakure for two days while Rasa and the Sand ninja tried to keep him occupied, and most of the village was reduced to ruins.
• Chiyo and Ebizo returned from the front and decided Sunagakure had to seek peace, while Tsunade ordered Konoha to investigate the Sand ninja’s withdrawal.
• Rasa agreed to Chiyo’s plan, and Shukaku was sealed inside Gaara, who was still in Karura’s womb.
• Sunagakure sought peace with Konoha and demanded information about Shukaku’s release; Konoha denied knowing who was responsible and learned details about the attacker.
• Konoha and Sunagakure signed a truce, Ye Zi and White Zetsu were summoned back by Nagato, and Kushina was sent to assist Orochimaru.

Ye Zi and White Zetsu returned to Amegakure, where Nagato assigned them roles and discussed recruiting members and funding Akatsuki. Ye Zi challenged Nagato’s cautious approach, leaving their conflict over the plan unresolved.

• Ye Zi and White Zetsu met Nagato and Konan, and Nagato warned them against exposing themselves recklessly while Akatsuki was still weak.
• Nagato said Akatsuki needed four more powerful Chakra users and tasked White Zetsu with finding the person who killed the Third Kazekage.
• Nagato gave Ye Zi and White Zetsu rings naming them Empty Success and Black Tortoise, while naming himself Zero Burial and Konan White Tiger.
• Ye Zi objected to continuing fundraising before exploiting the Third Ninja World War to weaken the major ninja villages.
• Nagato warned that he would kill Ye Zi if Ye Zi disrupted the plan, and Ye Zi accepted while secretly resolving to bring Nagato down.

Ye Zi traveled toward the Land of Lightning while wrestling with how to make Nagato revive Madara, as Konoha struggled against the Cloud ninja and Minato defeated Ōnoki, prompting the Stone ninja to sign a truce. The chapter ended with five-year-old Itachi arriving at the battlefield between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.

• Ye Zi headed for the Land of Lightning and considered how he might persuade Nagato to use the Outer Path Reanimation Technique to revive Madara.
• The Third Raikage and the A and B combination overwhelmed Konoha's forces, and Orochimaru was wounded while trying to hold back the Raikage.
• Kushina told Orochimaru she believed she could change the course of the battle against the Cloud ninja.
• Minato defeated and captured Ōnoki after their battle, then released him and returned to Konoha's ranks.
• The Stone ninja withdrew and signed a truce after Ōnoki's defeat.
• Five-year-old Itachi arrived at the battlefield in the destroyed Land of Whirlpools.

Uchiha Itachi witnessed the aftermath of a battle between the Uchiha Clan and Mist ninja, learned from Uchiha Fugaku that war made strangers kill one another, and developed a desire for peace. Elsewhere, Ye Zi learned that the Third Raikage was invading the Land of Fire and headed there, considering whether he could eliminate him.

• Uchiha Itachi reached the battlefield between the Uchiha Clan and Mist ninja and watched its slaughter until the fighting ended.
• Uchiha Itachi gave water to a wounded Mist ninja, who tried to kill him, so Itachi stabbed him in the heart first.
• Uchiha Fugaku told Uchiha Itachi that war was a conflict between nations and urged him never to forget the battlefield.
• Ye Zi captured Cloud ninja and learned that Konoha had suffered a crushing defeat, Orochimaru was injured, and the Third Raikage was invading the Land of Fire.
• Ye Zi changed course toward the Land of Fire and considered using the war to eliminate the Third Raikage.

Konoha divided its remaining forces to slow the Cloud invasion, with Orochimaru confronting the Third Raikage and Kushina facing A and B. The chapter left both sides entering battle, as Kushina vowed to stop the Cloud ninja from advancing.

• Orochimaru split Konoha’s forces among three fronts, then led an army to meet the Third Raikage while Kushina and the older generation of Ino-Shika-Cho took charge of the other routes.
• The Third Raikage defeated Orochimaru’s opening ambush and tore through the Konoha formation despite the forest’s obstacles.
• Orochimaru ordered Manda to attack the Cloud ninja, then moved to confront the Raikage again.
• Kushina’s forces met A and B at Mushroom Forest, where A ordered his troops to capture her.
• Kushina recalled the previous abduction attempt and vowed that the Cloud ninja would not advance any farther.

Kushina fought A and Killer B alone while the Konoha and Cloud forces clashed around them. She restrained A and sealed one of the Eight-Tails’ tentacles, but Killer B broke her chains and sent her flying.

• A charged at Kushina, but she shattered the ground to slow him and dodged his attack.
• Kushina used Shadow Clones to evade Killer B’s tentacles and placed a sealing array on one of them.
• Kushina bound A with her Adamantine Sealing Chains and began forming hand seals.
• Killer B severed the sealed tentacle to restore his Chakra, then interrupted Kushina’s technique with a thrown blade.
• Killer B entered his Tailed Beast Chakra state and cut Kushina’s chains with his vibrating Lightning Release blade, sending her flying backward.

Kushina fought A and Killer B while Ye Zi hurried toward the battlefield where the Raikage was overwhelming Orochimaru. Ye Zi intervened just as the Raikage moved to kill Orochimaru, leaving their clash unresolved.

• A and Killer B shattered Kushina’s chakra chains, broke both her arms, and drove her into a tree, but she healed and declared her name as Kushina Uzumaki.
• Ye Zi heard an explosion and rushed toward the distant battle.
• The Raikage overwhelmed Orochimaru and exposed him after he tried to escape underground, then prepared to finish him.
• Ye Zi instinctively activated Lightning Dragon Armor and blocked the Raikage’s attack on Orochimaru with his blade, Edge.