Chapter Summaries

The author explained Yagura’s timeline, his status as a perfect Jinchuriki, and the personality chosen for him. The chapter ended with Yagura characterized as an innocent, slightly mischievous boy who could sometimes seem foolish.

• The author placed Yagura’s likely birth and death dates around the period before Juzo Biwa died and Itachi was thirteen.
• The author reasoned that Obito controlled Yagura sometime after Itachi turned thirteen and before Naruto and Sasuke turned twelve, when Mei Terumi overthrew him.
• The author established Yagura as a perfect Jinchuriki who had been accepted by the Three-Tails.
• The author described Yagura as an innocent young boy with a slightly mischievous streak, explaining why he sometimes seemed foolish.

After the Third Shinobi World War ended, Yagura visited the Three-Tails sealed inside him and faced its attempts to persuade him to escape Kirigakure. The beast exposed Yagura’s loneliness and desire for freedom, then threatened to kill him.

• Qi Shuang agreed to take Zabuza seriously in their promised match, though Zabuza’s injuries kept him from fighting for now.
• Kirigakure and Konoha signed a ceasefire six months later, while Sunagakure and Iwagakure also ended their fighting and Kumogakure withdrew early.
• Yagura entered the sealing space to speak with the Three-Tails, which mocked him for visiting because he was lonely.
• The Three-Tails offered to help Yagura break through the barrier and escape, but Yagura accused it of lying.
• The Three-Tails told Yagura that he secretly hated his isolation and wanted a free life, then threatened to kill him for keeping it imprisoned.

Yagura resolved to free the Three-Tails, but the beast mocked his lack of control over his own life. Yagura realized that becoming Mizukage might give him the authority to gain freedom and secretly release the beast, though he remained unsure whether he could do so.

• Yagura returned to the sealing space and told the Three-Tails he had decided to set it free.
• The Three-Tails laughed at Yagura and pointed out that he could not even control his own fate as a Jinchuriki.
• Yagura struggled to answer, recognizing that Kirigakure would not willingly give up the Three-Tails.
• The Three-Tails mocked Yagura and mentioned the Third Mizukage, prompting Yagura to find a possible solution.
• Yagura declared that he could become Mizukage and secretly release the Three-Tails, though his confidence faltered as he considered Kirigakure's opposition.

Yagura argued that he could become Mizukage by becoming Kirigakure’s strongest shinobi, and the Three-Tails offered to help him achieve that in exchange for being freed. The chapter ended with Yagura refusing the Three-Tails’ condition.

• Yagura told the Three-Tails that Kirigakure’s rules allowed its strongest shinobi to become Mizukage, but the beast doubted his strength and standing.
• The Three-Tails considered helping Yagura because it wanted freedom and offered to make him one of Kirigakure’s strongest shinobi.
• Yagura doubted the Three-Tails could help until it explained that mastering its chakra would give him nearly unlimited reserves and make him a formidable fighter.
• The Three-Tails asked Yagura to promise to free it after becoming Mizukage, but Yagura refused.

Yagura worried that becoming Mizukage and freeing the Three-Tails would cost him his life, but the beast agreed to wait until he was ready to die. Meanwhile, Qi Shuang discovered a Mist ninja had entered his apartment to kill him under Kirigakure’s Chunin promotion rules.

• Yagura told the Three-Tails he feared dying if it was extracted, and the beast agreed to remain inside him until he had no attachments to life.
• Yagura promised again to free the Three-Tails after becoming Mizukage.
• Qi Shuang returned to the apartment Kirigakure had assigned him and sensed killing intent inside.
• Qi Shuang realized his attacker was likely a Mist ninja seeking promotion by killing a Chunin.
• Qi Shuang recalled Kirigakure’s rule that a Genin had to kill three allied Chunins, or one enemy Chunin, to advance.

Qi Shuang confronted a young Mist ninja who had attacked him to earn promotion by killing a third Chunin, and tried to give him a chance to leave. When the boy attacked with a rain technique that neutralized ninjutsu, Qi Shuang discovered it had begun to weaken his ice barrier.

• Qi Shuang drew the hidden Mist ninja out of his home and waited for him in a quiet alley.
• The boy explained that he had killed two Konoha Chunin and wanted to kill Qi Shuang to qualify for promotion.
• Qi Shuang warned the boy to leave, but the boy refused and attacked with Water Release: Cutting Rain.
• Qi Shuang raised an Ice Release: Ice Wall to block the rain, then parried the boy's Kunai strike.
• Qi Shuang noticed the rain had made holes in the ice and realized it was neutralizing the chakra in his ninjutsu.

Qi Shuang defeated and killed a boy who attacked him to earn promotion to Chunin, then explained the fight to Kirigakure’s enforcement squad. The squad took the boy’s body to verify whether the killing was legal and ordered Qi Shuang to remain in Kirigakure until the investigation was complete.

• The boy used Cutting Rain to dissolve Qi Shuang’s ninjutsu and challenged him to try another technique.
• Qi Shuang closed the distance with his speed, stabbed the boy through the chest, and cut his throat after revealing he was a Special Jonin.
• Kirigakure’s enforcement squad arrived and questioned Qi Shuang, who said the boy had challenged him to a fight while seeking one more kill to advance.
• The enforcement squad took the boy’s body to check his identity and whether the killing complied with Kirigakure’s rules.
• The lead ninja warned Qi Shuang not to leave Kirigakure before the investigation and told him to clean the blood from the wall.

After Kirigakure dismissed Qi Shuang’s self-defense killing, the Third Mizukage visited Yagura to assess his progress as the Three-Tails’ jinchuriki. Yagura demonstrated his growing control and revealed that Isobu had agreed to cooperate, hoping Kirigakure would end his confinement.

• Kirigakure’s law enforcement department confirmed the dead man had applied for a killing promotion and judged Qi Shuang innocent.
• The Third Mizukage visited Yagura in the cavern where Kirigakure monitored him.
• Yagura suddenly swung his weapon at the Third Mizukage, then stopped it just short of his head.
• The Third Mizukage recognized that Yagura had become far more proficient at using the Three-Tails’ chakra.
• Yagura said he could completely control Isobu’s power because Isobu had agreed to lend it in exchange for a favor, and he hoped to be released from confinement.

The Third Mizukage learned that Yagura had gained the Three-Tails’ recognition and saw him as a powerful successor who could stabilize Kirigakure. He privately asked Yagura if he would accept a nomination as the next Mizukage, leaving the decision pending.

• Yagura told the Third Mizukage that the Three-Tails no longer considered Kirigakure an enemy and had recognized him as its perfect Jinchuriki.
• The Third Mizukage considered Kirigakure’s losses, internal unrest, and his own failing health, and concluded that Yagura could succeed him.
• The Third Mizukage sent his guards away and ordered them to keep Yagura’s account secret.
• The Third Mizukage asked Yagura whether he wanted to become Mizukage, and Yagura agreed because he wanted freedom to go where he pleased and eat what he liked.
• The Third Mizukage explained the responsibilities of the office and asked whether Yagura would accept a nomination as the next Mizukage.

Yagura accepted the Third Mizukage’s support as a potential successor and prepared to return to Kirigakure. Meanwhile, Qi Shuang received Zabuza’s challenge and arrived at their secluded meeting place, where Mei Terumi and Ao were waiting.

• Isobu urged Yagura to accept the Third Mizukage’s support, explaining that his backing could give Yagura legitimacy despite the village’s distrust of jinchuriki.
• Yagura accepted, and the Third Mizukage invited him to return to Kirigakure and prepare for a future succession meeting.
• The Third Mizukage ordered the island’s guards to withdraw and told them that Karatachi Yagura no longer needed guarding.
• Qi Shuang received Zabuza’s challenge letter and suspected Zabuza had undergone brutal training to recover from his injuries.
• Qi Shuang went to the secluded training ground for the challenge and found Mei Terumi and Ao waiting there.

The author explained their interpretation of Naruto’s Genjutsu, describing it as a technique that caused cognitive errors and distinguishing ordinary illusions from inducement-type Genjutsu. The chapter ended by excluding Kotoamatsukami and Infinite Tsukuyomi from the discussion.

• The author defined Genjutsu as a technique that altered an opponent’s perceptions and explained how the severity of the illusion affected its power and difficulty to dispel.
• The author contrasted Sasuke’s subtle illusion against Danzo with Jiraiya’s Toad Song, which deprived its victims of perception and bodily control.
• The author argued that Genjutsu could make a victim vulnerable to an immediate kill and was difficult for outside observers to perceive.
• The author described the Sharingan’s Genjutsu as a major threat and the Byakugan as a counter that could prevent eye contact.
• The author explained that Itachi’s apparent control of two Anbu could have resulted from inducement-type Genjutsu that made them mistake each other for Itachi.
• The author distinguished inducement-type Genjutsu from direct control and set aside Kotoamatsukami and Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Qi Shuang met Zabuza at the training ground for their long-awaited duel, while Mei Terumi and Ao watched and discussed Qi Shuang’s growth. Zabuza accused Qi Shuang of cheating his way out of their graduation examination four years earlier, then launched the first strike.

• Mei Terumi and Ao revealed that they had tracked Qi Shuang down to watch his duel with Zabuza.
• Ao predicted that Qi Shuang had surpassed Zabuza, citing Qi Shuang’s victory over the mysterious one-eyed man and his tactical intelligence.
• Ao explained that Zabuza viewed the duel as unfinished since their graduation examination four years earlier, when Qi Shuang had been poisoned and withdrawn.
• Zabuza accused Qi Shuang of deliberately cheating his way out of the examination, but Qi Shuang insisted that his poisoning had been an accident.
• Zabuza formed the Seal of Opposition, drew his blade, and charged Qi Shuang with a horizontal slash.

Qi Shuang and Zabuza fought seriously, trading sword strikes and powerful techniques as Zabuza sought an answer to their long-standing rivalry. The chapter ended with Qi Shuang facing Zabuza’s pursuing Water Dragon and forming an Ice Release: Frost Wall to block it.

• Zabuza attacked Qi Shuang with his long blade, and Qi Shuang dodged the strikes and prepared to fight back.
• Qi Shuang launched an Ice Release: Needle Rain Technique, but Zabuza countered it with Water Release: Water Pillar.
• Qi Shuang dodged Zabuza’s water attack and charged into close combat, where the two exchanged blows before separating.
• Zabuza explained that he wanted to know which of them would have won the examination duel four years earlier.
• Zabuza unleashed Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique, and Qi Shuang formed Ice Release: Frost Wall to stop the pursuing dragon.

Qi Shuang used his Frost Wall to withstand Zabuza’s Water Dragon Bullet and sword strike, astounding Mei Terumi and Ao. He explained that the curved, thin-shell structure dispersed force, though the technique remained vulnerable to soft-kill ninjutsu such as Mei Terumi’s Lava Release.

• Qi Shuang formed a curved ice barrier that stopped Zabuza’s Water Dragon Bullet without shaking.
• Ao used his Byakugan and saw that the barrier was thin, unsupported, and shaped in an arc.
• Zabuza emerged from behind the water dragon and struck the barrier with his sword, but only left a faint mark before retreating.
• Mei Terumi and Ao were astonished by the barrier’s defenses and suspected Qi Shuang had invented a new ninjutsu.
• Qi Shuang dispelled Frost Wall and considered how its thin-shell structure spread force, while recognizing its weakness against soft-kill attacks.

Qi Shuang defeated Zabuza’s Water Clones with a Water Formation Wall and froze the water curtain, but Zabuza escaped with the Substitution Technique and launched a counterattack. The chapter ended with Zabuza firing a high-pressure water sphere at Qi Shuang.

• Zabuza sent two Water Clones to attack Qi Shuang from three directions, but Qi Shuang raised a Water Formation Wall that swept away the clones and disarmed Zabuza.
• Qi Shuang infused the water curtain with ice-natured chakra and froze Zabuza’s arm and blade, then declared victory and broke through the ice wall.
• Mei Terumi and Ao realized that Zabuza had used the Substitution Technique to leave a substitute trapped in the ice and had positioned himself above Qi Shuang.
• Zabuza threw shuriken at Qi Shuang as he emerged from the ice, then attacked him with a Kunai and knocked him away with a kick.
• Zabuza formed hand seals and fired a high-pressure Water Release: Iron Cannonball at Qi Shuang.

Qi Shuang used Water Prison Technique to survive Zabuza’s high-pressure water bullet and the impact with the ground, then turned the water sphere into a launch point for an ice-spike barrage. Zabuza blocked the incoming spikes with Water Formation Wall, leaving their training fight unresolved.

• Zabuza pursued Qi Shuang after firing a high-pressure water bullet at him.
• Qi Shuang trapped himself inside a water sphere with Water Prison Technique, cushioning both the bullet and his fall.
• Mei Terumi and Ao watched Qi Shuang turn a technique meant to trap enemies into a defense.
• Qi Shuang formed ice spikes across the water sphere and fired them toward Zabuza.
• Zabuza retreated and used Water Formation Wall to shield himself from the ice-spike barrage.

Qi Shuang used Ice Release to freeze Zabuza’s Water Wall and trapped him inside. He left Zabuza completely sealed in the contracting ice.

• Qi Shuang used the ice spikes embedded in Zabuza’s Water Wall to freeze it with the Ice Seal Technique.
• Zabuza threw two Explosive Kunai at the frozen wall, but the blasts injured him and failed to open a way out.
• Ao and Mei Terumi watched the fight and worried that Qi Shuang’s Ice Release could threaten Kirigakure’s Water Release.
• Qi Shuang noticed the ground beneath the frozen wall remained unfrozen and rushed to seal the flaw before Zabuza could escape.
• Qi Shuang poured chakra into the wall, causing it to contract and crush Zabuza inside the ice.

Qi Shuang defeated Zabuza by trapping him in an enormous sphere of ice, then freed him and helped warm him. Zabuza rejected Qi Shuang’s claim that he would have lost to him in the past and left promising to challenge him again once he could win.

• Ao and Mei Terumi approached as Qi Shuang told the frozen Zabuza that he had lost.
• Qi Shuang dispelled the ice sphere, and Mei Terumi worried that Zabuza had been frozen too severely.
• Qi Shuang used his chakra to drive the cold from Zabuza’s body and offered him the Seal of Reconciliation.
• Zabuza asked how likely Qi Shuang would have been to kill him if they had fought during the earlier exam, and Qi Shuang said he had less than a one percent chance of winning.
• Zabuza accused Qi Shuang of pitying him, refused the Seal of Reconciliation, and vowed to return when he could defeat him.

Qi Shuang explained how his specialized Ice Release could freeze other people’s Water Release, then realized the technique could make Kirigakure’s Anbu view him as a threat. Meanwhile, the Third Mizukage convened a meeting to discuss his successor, where a councilor openly challenged him.

• Qi Shuang told Ao and Mei Terumi that he had pushed Ice Release’s solidification trait beyond ordinary limits, allowing him to freeze Water Release techniques.
• Ao warned Qi Shuang that he should keep the ability secret because Kirigakure’s Anbu might eliminate him or use him as a research specimen, and he told Mei Terumi to forget what she had witnessed.
• Qi Shuang resolved not to reveal the technique until he had enough influence to protect himself, while Ao said he would warn Zabuza to keep quiet.
• The Third Mizukage called a high-level meeting and proposed discussing candidates for the next Mizukage because his health was failing.
• A councilor mocked the Third Mizukage and implied that the council would force him out, since they no longer needed to pretend to obey him.

The Third Mizukage proposed a succession battle to choose Kirigakure’s next leader, while most clans avoided committing to a candidate. A councilor revealed that his faction supported Suikazan Fuguki, leaving the gathered leaders wary of his strength.

• A councilor challenged the Third Mizukage and claimed his faction had chosen a candidate for the Fourth Mizukage.
• The Hozuki Clan’s leader rejected that faction’s claim and said his clan supported its own candidate, while the Hoshigaki Clan’s leader withdrew from the contest and promised to support whoever won.
• Most other clans and factions avoided declaring their positions, so the Third Mizukage ordered a Mizukage Succession Battle under which the strongest victor would qualify to lead.
• The Third Mizukage asked the outspoken councilor to name his candidate, and the man announced that his faction backed Suikazan Fuguki, wielder of Samehada.
• The other leaders grew wary as they considered Fuguki’s formidable reputation and Samehada’s ability to absorb chakra.