Chapter Summaries

Sakumo broke through Ye Zi’s Wood Release and Scorpion’s puppets and Iron Sand to reach Scorpion, but a hidden poisoned spike paralyzed him and the two enemies impaled him. As Ye Zi and Scorpion believed they had killed him, Sakumo summoned the strength for one final slash.

• Ye Zi flooded the battlefield with roots while Scorpion’s puppets and poison iron sand blocked Sakumo’s path.
• Sakumo powered up White Fang and cut through the roots, the remaining puppets, and Scorpion’s Iron Sand World Method to reach Scorpion.
• Scorpion split flames from his palms at Sakumo, who cleaved Scorpion’s puppet body in two.
• Ye Zi threw Blood at Sakumo as Scorpion used a hidden poisoned spike to wound his calf and paralyze him.
• Scorpion pierced Sakumo’s abdomen with an iron cable, and Ye Zi impaled him with six roots.
• As Ye Zi and Scorpion celebrated Sakumo’s apparent death, Sakumo cut through the roots and cable and launched a final slash at Scorpion.

Sakumo used his final strength to strike Scorpion, but Scorpion’s core survived and Sakumo died. Ye Zi learned that a Wood Release battle was unfolding elsewhere, while in Konoha Kakashi was mysteriously pushed forward as he walked with his friends.

• Sakumo broke free of his bindings and struck Scorpion with a final blade that destroyed his puppet but failed to kill his core.
• Sakumo died, and Scorpion declared that he would focus on making human puppets from powerful living people rather than ordinary puppets.
• Scorpion collected the remains of the Third Kazekage's Puppet and the ring engraved with 'Jade,' then left to recover while Ye Zi prepared to support the others.
• Ye Zi saw trees growing rapidly in the distance and realized that someone had used Wood Release: Wood Forest.
• Might Guy treated Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and Kurenai to barbecue, and Kakashi was mysteriously pushed ahead of the group before gazing at the sky.

Ye Zi’s clone unleashed Wood Release: Wood Forest, wiping out more than a dozen Konoha ninja and driving the survivors into retreat while sparing Juzo. After the clone’s memories returned to him, Ye Zi sealed Sakumo’s corpse and White Fang, then headed to find Kotoha.

• Juzo and Ye Zi’s clone remained surrounded after the Rain ninja were wiped out, and Ye Zi’s clone warned Juzo to retreat before beginning hand seals.
• Ye Zi’s clone unleashed Wood Release: Wood Forest, forcing the Konoha ninja to flee as the trees spread across the battlefield and drained those they caught.
• More than a dozen Konoha ninja died beneath the growing trees, while Juzo escaped the technique’s range and watched in horror.
• Ye Zi’s clone exhausted its Chakra and merged into the trees, sending its memories back to Ye Zi.
• Ye Zi sealed Sakumo’s corpse and White Fang in a scroll, then left the surviving Konoha ninja behind and headed toward Kotoha.

Kotoha and Shin fought the Sand ninja after their Rain ninja allies were killed, but Shin lost a leg while saving Kotoha. They escaped Kotoha’s devastating Wood Release attack and refused to abandon each other, until Ye Zi arrived and saved them from Fūya’s pursuit.

• Kotoha and Shin used the Rain ninja’s sacrifice, genjutsu, and poisoned senbon to kill seven Sand ninja before the Rain ninja were wiped out.
• Pakura and Fūya cornered Kotoha and Shin, and Shin lost his right leg while saving Kotoha from Pakura’s Scorch Release sword.
• Ye Zi’s Wood Release: Wood Forest interrupted the Sand ninja’s assault, allowing Kotoha and Shin to escape its range.
• Kotoha used Wood Release: Strangling Vines to kill nine Sand ninja, then carried the exhausted, injured Shin as they fled the survivors.
• Fūya caught up and attacked Kotoha and Shin, but Ye Zi struck him with Blood and arrived to rescue them.

Ye Zi rescued Kotoha and Shin, then led them toward their base in the Land of Earth while Sand ninja pursued them. The battered Konoha survivors found evidence that Sakumo had likely died, and on their way back to Konoha they unexpectedly encountered Tsunade and Shizune.

• Ye Zi killed Fengshi, left a low-Chakra Shadow Clone to delay the Sand ninja, and helped Kotoha carry the injured Shin toward the Land of Earth.
• Pakura destroyed Ye Zi's Shadow Clone after it held off the pursuing Sand ninja for about three minutes, giving the trio time to widen their lead.
• The Konoha survivors regrouped and discovered a bloodstained battlefield where Sakumo had likely died and Ye Zi's main body appeared to have taken his corpse.
• The Konoha group abandoned further investigation and headed back to Konoha, while Ye Zi, Kotoha, and Shin continued toward the Land of Earth with the Sand ninja in pursuit.
• Tsunade and Shizune encountered the battered Konoha group while traveling toward the Land of Rain, startling both sides.

Tsunade treated the injured Konoha team and learned that Ye Zi had defeated Sakumo and killed many of their comrades. After failing to recover the missing bodies, she led the survivors back toward Konoha with her suspicions about Ye Zi and his Wood Release growing.

• Tsunade summoned a slug to heal the wounded Konoha ninjas and asked Uchiha Ashi what had happened.
• Uchiha Ashi described the ambush led by Ye Zi and reported that Sakumo had most likely died, prompting Tsunade to vow to kill Ye Zi.
• After the slug healed the team, Tsunade led them back to the battlefield to search for their fallen comrades' bodies.
• Tsunade examined the blood at Sakumo's battlefield and the Wood Release traces, suspecting Ye Zi might have Senju clan blood.
• The Konoha team found that all the bodies were gone and saw the traces of Kotoha's Thorny Killing Vines before heading back to Konoha.

After escaping the Sand ninja, Ye Zi and his companions returned to their stronghold and recovered from the exhausting mission. Ye Zi began preparing for future Impure World Reincarnation experiments while considering how to grow strong enough to face Nagato.

• Ye Zi, Kotoha, and Shin crossed the Land of Grass into the Land of Earth, leaving the pursuing Sand ninja unable to track them.
• The exhausted trio reached the stronghold and slept for two days and nights; Ye Zi remembered too late that Juzo had been left behind.
• After waking and eating, Ye Zi told White Zetsu to label and store collected corpses, keep watch on Orochimaru in the Land of Wind, and gather remains of powerful historical figures.
• Nanako told Ye Zi that Hashirama Cells could restore Shin's severed leg within half a day to a day, though Shin would need to train to regain its strength.
• Ye Zi left to prepare kunai talismans and formation scrolls for Impure World Reincarnation, and resolved to find a way to become stronger than he was against Nagato.

Ye Zi spent the day making talismans for Impure World Reincarnation, then shared a meal with Kotoha and let her stay as he continued working. They remained together in his room until dawn, with Kotoha watching him while he made talismans.

• Ye Zi worked on talismans from morning until night, while Kotoha visited several times and quietly left him undisturbed.
• Kotoha brought Ye Zi a meal she had cooked, and they ate together; Ye Zi praised her cooking and shared meat from the dishes.
• Ye Zi warned Kotoha to retreat if a mission turned dangerous, and she agreed to look after her safety.
• Kotoha asked to stay in Ye Zi's room after eating, and he told her she could do as she liked.
• Ye Zi continued making talismans while Kotoha watched him, and they stayed together until dawn.

After Ye Zi and Kotoha spent the night making talismans, Nagato woke Ye Zi with news that Sakumo’s mission had failed and most of the team had died. Hiruzen learned the details and summoned Minato and Jiraiya, while Obito and Rin went to tell Kakashi that his father had not returned.

• Ye Zi made talismans through the night, carried the sleeping Kotoha to bed, and fell asleep; Nagato later woke him with news about the One-Tail Jinchuriki.
• Tsunade and Uchiha Ashi reported to Hiruzen that Sakumo’s mission had failed and that Sakumo and the other missing shinobi were dead.
• Uchiha Ashi recounted the events, including Ye Zi’s use of Wood Release, and Hiruzen sent him away to rest before asking Tsunade about her involvement.
• Hiruzen used Jiraiya’s communication toad to summon Jiraiya and Minato, while Tsunade declared that she would avenge Dan by killing Ye Zi.
• News of the mission’s failure spread through Konoha, and Obito and Rin decided to tell Kakashi that Sakumo had not returned.

Kakashi learned that his father, Sakumo, had died on a mission, and Obito and Rin stayed by his side as he grieved. Might Guy arrived and tried to cheer Kakashi with an impromptu duel.

• Kakashi practiced with a short blade in the Hatake clan courtyard while Obito and Rin came to visit.
• Obito told Kakashi that Sakumo's mission team had returned without him, and Kakashi rushed off to confirm the news.
• Kushina told Kakashi that Sakumo was dead and Ye Zi had killed him.
• Obito and Rin comforted Kakashi as he broke down crying, with Kushina watching beside them.
• Might Guy arrived, lifted Kakashi's tearful face, and challenged him to a duel to vent his sorrow.

After Sakumo’s death, Kakashi resolved to gain the strength to oppose Ye Zi, while his friends and Kushina struggled with the thought of facing their former teacher. Minato and Jiraiya returned to Konoha, where rumors blamed Ye Zi for the failed mission and the village mourned Sakumo and the other fallen ninja.

• Might Guy interrupted the grieving group, and Kakashi took Rin’s hand before leaving with Obito and Rin.
• Kakashi silently fixed his gaze on Ye Zi and hurried home, determined to gain enough power to avenge his father.
• Might Guy told Kushina he did not know whether he could fight Ye Zi, then chose to go train.
• A messenger summoned Minato and Jiraiya back from Mount Myōboku, and they went to the Hokage’s office to discuss Ye Zi and what would happen next.
• Pakura and several Sand ninja arrived in Konoha days later as rumors spread that Ye Zi had killed Sakumo.
• Konoha held a grand funeral for Sakumo and the fallen Jonin, while Ye Zi’s overgrown cenotaph remained untouched and avoided.

Akatsuki captured and sealed the One-Tail Jinchuriki, opening the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path’s third eye. Nagato planned to consider the Five-Tails as the next target after the injured members recovered and Akatsuki assessed its enemies’ movements.

• Konan and Kakuzu infiltrated Sunagakure, captured the One-Tail Jinchuriki, and escaped, though Kakuzu lost four hearts.
• Nagato summoned Akatsuki’s members to the underground cavern, where Ye Zi checked on Juzo and Scorpion before the group began the sealing.
• Akatsuki completed the Nine Phantom Dragon Sealing over three days, killing the One-Tail Jinchuriki and opening the statue’s third eye.
• Ye Zi asked whether the Five-Tails Jinchuriki was next, and Nagato confirmed it would be considered after the group recovered and observed the Sand ninja, Konoha, and Mist ninja.

Scorpion asked Ye Zi to help him obtain members of the Kaguya Clan in the Land of Water for human puppet material, and Ye Zi agreed to meet him in Amegakure. As Ye Zi waited there, Nagato and Konan discussed avoiding the Five-Tails Jinchuriki if Konoha retaliated and targeting the Six-Tails and Seven-Tails instead.

• Scorpion asked Ye Zi to accompany him to the Land of Water to capture Kaguya Clan members for human puppets, and Ye Zi agreed to meet him in Amegakure.
• Nagato ended the Illusionary Body Technique, and Ye Zi asked White Zetsu to collect the One-Tail Jinchuriki's corpse.
• Ye Zi told Kotoha to remain at the base and teach the children, and instructed Jin to train his injured leg before departing for Amegakure.
• Ye Zi arrived in Amegakure before Scorpion and waited there, while Nagato did not come to greet him.
• Konan asked Nagato how he would respond if Konoha reacted strongly, and Nagato said Akatsuki would avoid the Five-Tails Jinchuriki and target the Six-Tails and Seven-Tails instead.

After Kisame returned from a disastrous mission with intelligence about the Rain ninja, the Mist leadership questioned his uninjured escape and imprisoned him for losing his nerve. With Yagura presumed dead, they chose Utakata as the next Mizukage candidate, leaving Fugu determined to free Kisame once the succession was settled.

• The Mist leadership read Kisame's report about the overwhelming Rain ninja and questioned how he had returned unharmed.
• Fugu defended Kisame, but the others accused him of losing his nerve and ordered Anbu to confiscate his weapons and escort him away.
• The Mist leadership confirmed that Yagura had likely died and decided against retaliating against Amegakure while the village recovered.
• A senior Mist ninja proposed Utakata as the next Mizukage because he was a Jinchuriki like Yagura, and the leadership accepted the candidate.
• Fugu supported Utakata's candidacy and resolved to negotiate Kisame's release after the succession was settled.

Tsunade agreed to remain in Konoha for a while, partly to protect Kushina from being drawn into research on Wood Release. Meanwhile, Orochimaru uncovered something in the Land of Wind, and Ye Zi and Scorpion arrived in the Land of Waves, where Ye Zi urged Scorpion to replace his current body.

• Jiraiya persuaded Tsunade to stay in Konoha for a while, and she agreed for her own sake and Kushina's.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade that Amegakure's Bōjiān Yán Yè could use Wood Release and that Konoha might resort to human experimentation to obtain the method.
• Tsunade grew concerned that Kushina could be forced into the research and reaffirmed that she would stay in the village to protect her.
• Orochimaru found a broken stone pillar in a wasteland in the Land of Wind, destroyed it, and said his pursuit would interest Ye Zi.
• Ye Zi and Scorpion reached the Land of Waves, where Ye Zi told Scorpion to find a suitable living body to replace his current one.

Ye Zi and Scorpion discussed sacrifice and helplessness before Ye Zi asked to revisit the wharf in the Land of Waves. Ye Zi created several sturdy wooden ships for the impoverished country, and people discovered them after the pair had left.

• Ye Zi asked whether Scorpion's core could replace his heart and suggested he could take back the body and humanity he had discarded, but Scorpion said his true end lay in his core.
• Ye Zi reflected that the Land of Waves remained unchanged because its people were weak, then asked Scorpion to take him to the wharf where they had once seized a ship.
• At the ruined wharf, Ye Zi used Wood Release to create several large wooden ships and then left with Scorpion.
• People gathered at the wharf after discovering the ships, and a man inspecting one marveled at its sturdy, seamless construction.

Ye Zi and Scorpion attacked the Kaguya Clan settlement to capture its ten strongest members, with Ye Zi studying the clan’s bone-manipulating Kekkei Genkai as the battle continued. The fighting left many Kaguya dead, while Ye Zi’s clone began knocking out promising fighters for capture.

• Ye Zi and Scorpion reached the Kaguya Clan settlement and prepared to attack, with Ye Zi creating a Wood Clone to help Scorpion capture the ten strongest members.
• Ye Zi’s clone killed two guards with Wood Release and charged into the settlement as Scorpion followed with the Fourth Mizukage puppet.
• The Kaguya clansmen rushed into battle, and Ye Zi tested the durability of their bone weapons before joining the fight.
• Ye Zi killed clansmen who attacked him, including a woman who fired bone pellets, while his clone fought the settlement’s warriors.
• Ye Zi’s clone knocked out a skilled Kaguya fighter and continued selecting strong members for capture as the battle spread through the settlement.

After Ye Zi and Scorpion defeated the Kaguya Clan, Ye Zi discovered the imprisoned child Kimimaro and freed him. Kimimaro asked to follow Ye Zi, leaving his future in Ye Zi’s hands.

• Ye Zi and Scorpion overwhelmed the Kaguya Clan, sparing ten powerful members for Scorpion to turn into human puppets.
• Scorpion poisoned the ten survivors and began storing them, while Ye Zi sensed someone inside a nearby hill and went to investigate.
• Ye Zi found a prison in the hill and discovered a starving Kaguya child named Kimimaro locked in a cell.
• Ye Zi told Kimimaro that he was the only one left in the Kaguya Clan and cut through the chains to free him.
• Kimimaro stepped toward the open cell door and asked Ye Zi if he could follow him.

Ye Zi and Scorpion left the Kaguya Clan's village with Kimimaro and searched through a worsening snowstorm for somewhere hidden to make human puppets. Along the way, Kimimaro met Haku and exchanged gifts with her, then showed Ye Zi his ability to shape bone into a flower.

• Kimimaro asked to follow Ye Zi, and Ye Zi agreed before leaving the village with him and Scorpion.
• As they traveled through the mountains, snow began to fall heavily, and Ye Zi gave Kimimaro part of his robe to keep warm.
• Kimimaro met Haku after she fell and broke a large snowflake; Haku created a new one for him, and the two children waved goodbye as their groups parted.
• Kimimaro placed Haku's snowflake in the snow, shaped a bone flower, and gave it to Ye Zi, who praised it.

Ye Zi, Kimimaro, and Scorpion waited out a snowstorm in a cave while Scorpion worked on human puppets, and Ye Zi considered Kimimaro an unexpected addition to his group. Meanwhile, the ninja villages weighed their next moves against Amegakure and Akatsuki as Nagato prepared to choose another Jinchuriki target.

• Ye Zi and Kimimaro rested in a cave during heavy snowfall while Ye Zi roasted wild boar and considered taking Kimimaro to the base.
• Ye Zi used Wood Release to wall off Scorpion as he built human puppets, and the group remained in the cave until his work was done.
• Sunagakure and Kirigakure halted overt operations against Akatsuki but continued building intelligence networks and harboring resentment toward Amegakure.
• Iwagakure and Kumogakure watched the conflict from the sidelines, while Kumogakure maintained a secret cooperative relationship with Akatsuki.
• Konoha secretly expanded its intelligence network over Amegakure, and Danzo and Minato's faction both sought the method for controlling Wood Release.
• Nagato considered targeting the Five-Tails, Six-Tails, or Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, with the Seven-Tails appearing most suitable, and he no longer cared about Ye Zi's attitude.