Chapter Summaries

Hozuki Mangetsu fought Jūzō Biwa for the Seven Ninja Swords and revealed that he had already arranged a hidden attack with Nuibari. After surviving Jūzō Biwa’s explosive strike, Mangetsu defeated him and declared that he could wield all Seven Ninja Swords alone.

• Kakuzu sealed off the lakeside while Aoba blocked Hozuki Mangetsu’s escape, and Jūzō Biwa attacked him with Hiramekarei.
• Jūzō Biwa wounded Hozuki Mangetsu with Hiramekarei, but Mangetsu used Water Transformation and retaliated with Water Release: Water Gun Technique.
• Hozuki Mangetsu took Exploding Blade Shibuki and began overpowering Jūzō Biwa, while Kakuzu warned that one minute remained.
• Jūzō Biwa combined Hiramekarei’s attack with Shibuki’s explosion, leaving Hozuki Mangetsu badly damaged but alive after he drank from his special water bottle.
• Hozuki Mangetsu revealed that Nuibari’s wires had already pierced Jūzō Biwa, killing him, and said he could be the Seven Ninja Swordsmen alone.

Aoba used Genryūmaru’s Bankai to defeat Hozuki Mangetsu with eleven lightning strikes while Kakuzu held off approaching Kirigakure shinobi. After collecting the fallen swords, Aoba granted the dying Jūzō Biwa’s final wish to die by the Kubikiribōchō.

• Jūzō Biwa restrained Hozuki Mangetsu, but Mangetsu escaped and used Hiramekarei to block Kakuzu’s Lightning Release: False Darkness.
• Aoba unleashed Bankai, Yellow Emperor’s Stern Spirit Palace, and struck Hozuki Mangetsu with eleven bolts of lightning, leaving him gravely injured but alive.
• Kakuzu noticed approaching shinobi and told Aoba to finish Mangetsu while he dealt with them.
• Aoba asked Mangetsu for his last words, then killed him with another volley of lightning and sealed the scattered Ninja Swords into a scroll.
• Aoba gave the Kubikiribōchō to the dying Jūzō Biwa, who asked Aoba to use it to decapitate him.

Aoba sealed Jūzō Biwa’s body and prepared to leave Kirigakure, then summoned an undead army with the Frozen Throne. The Cloud ninja undead attacked the Kirigakure forces, leaving them in retreat.

• Aoba stored Jūzō Biwa’s body and the ninja swords, while Kakuzu returned and suggested selling the corpse for a bounty.
• Aoba told Kakuzu he planned to go into seclusion and warned him not to return for the woman; Kakuzu left without responding.
• Aoba activated the Frozen Throne and summoned more than two hundred undead, mostly Cloud ninja, keeping Hozuki Mangetsu beside him.
• Aoba ordered the undead to kill every living person they saw, and they charged out to meet the Kirigakure ninja.
• The undead fought through severe injuries without fear of death, routing the Kirigakure forces and bewildering their reinforcements.

Aoba used undead Cloud ninja to stage an attack on Kirigakure, then returned to Konoha with his mission gains. Yagura blamed Kumogakure and launched a village-wide search, while Mei Terumi suspected Aoba had defected.

• Aoba recalled his undead Cloud ninja, returned to Konoha using the Prince's spatial exchange, and counted his mission rewards and upgraded skills.
• Yagura arrived at the lakeside, learned that Cloud ninja had attacked and Hozuki Mangetsu was dead, and found no trace of the intruders.
• Yagura ordered Kirigakure sealed off, demanded a search for the Cloud ninja, and sent a challenge to the Raikage.
• Kirigakure searched the village and inspected its barriers for several days without finding the intruders.
• Mei Terumi received the report and suspected that Aoba had defected to Kumogakure.

Tensions rose between Kumogakure and Kirigakure after a Cloud force infiltrated the island village and vanished, while Konoha stayed out of the dispute. Aoba avoided helping the understaffed Akatsuki recruit members, hoping its slow growth would preserve his special status in the organization.

• Hiruzen learned that more than two hundred Kumogakure ninja had infiltrated Kirigakure, clashed with Hozuki Mangetsu, and then mysteriously vanished, and he prepared to strengthen Konoha's defenses.
• Kumogakure and Kirigakure remained close to conflict as the Fourth Raikage and Fourth Mizukage refused to back down, while Hiruzen welcomed Konoha's chance to stay uninvolved.
• Aoba heard about the villages' dispute and laughed, then learned Kakuzu had escaped the Land of Water and later recruited a partner by killing him and taking his heart.
• Nagato struggled to find Akatsuki recruits and enough mission teams, so Konan returned to fieldwork alongside Kakuzu while Sasori and Orochimaru remained among the active members.
• Aoba rejected Nagato's request to help recruit, reasoning that a small, struggling Akatsuki would be more likely to tolerate his independence.
• Nagato wondered whether Konan should treat Yasuo more kindly after hearing about Yasuo's proposal and his reaction to her rejection.

Naruto asked Aoba to teach him training so he could defeat Sasuke, who had beaten him during a spar. Aoba agreed while testing Hiruzen’s attitude through the Anbu, but after an hour he still had received no instructions.

• Naruto formally asked Aoba to teach him how to train.
• Naruto explained that he wanted to defeat Sasuke after Sasuke beat him in a spar.
• Aoba weighed the risks of training Naruto early and decided to begin while gauging Hiruzen’s response.
• Aoba loudly questioned whether Naruto could endure the hard training so the eavesdropping Anbu would report his plan.
• An Anbu member returned after reporting, but Aoba received no instructions and wondered if he had been left to decide for himself.

Aoba received a mission to guide Naruto to defeat Sasuke in a fair official match, so he began training Naruto after interpreting Hiruzen’s silence as approval. He discovered Naruto had immense but unstable chakra that was difficult to control, and planned to develop his fundamentals before pursuing greater reserves.

• Aoba received the third stage of a mission requiring him to guide Naruto to defeat Sasuke in an official match within three months.
• Aoba began teaching Naruto how to extract chakra after deciding Hiruzen had likely permitted him to train Naruto.
• Aoba grew jealous of Naruto’s rapid chakra extraction and large reserves, but noticed Naruto struggled to control his unstable chakra.
• Aoba stopped Naruto’s chakra-extraction training before the excessive reserves became a burden.
• Aoba planned for Naruto to practice physical techniques, chakra control, and the Three Body Techniques, while withholding Shadow Clone Technique.

Aoba continued training Naruto and concluded that Naruto would struggle to defeat Sasuke within the mission’s two-month deadline. After spotting Sasuke’s sensitivity about losing and being scolded, Aoba decided to use teasing to provoke him.

• Naruto demonstrated a strong Transformation Technique but failed again at the Clone Technique during training with Aoba.
• Aoba judged Naruto’s progress promising but worried that Sasuke’s earlier training and skills gave him a major advantage.
• Aoba encountered Itachi carrying a red-eyed Sasuke, who had been upset after Fugaku criticized his training.
• Aoba told Sasuke that Naruto was training to defeat him and taunted him about his past loss and cross-dressing.
• Sasuke grew furious and forgot his disappointment, while Itachi watched Aoba’s teasing divert his attention.

Aoba and Naruto secretly followed Fugaku for days, then stopped after deciding they had watched him enough, leaving him baffled. Naruto and Sasuke began their formal duel, and Sasuke gained the upper hand as he charged at Naruto with a wooden kunai.

• Fugaku noticed Aoba and Naruto following him but ordered his men not to interfere.
• Aoba and Naruto continued watching Fugaku for two days before abruptly leaving when he confronted them.
• Fugaku remained puzzled after the pair stopped following him and eventually confirmed they had abandoned him.
• Gekko Hayate refereed the formal wooden-weapon duel between Naruto and Sasuke.
• Naruto dodged Sasuke's opening shuriken, then used a transformation trick and a roundhouse kick to destroy Sasuke's clone.
• Sasuke blocked Naruto's kick, threw him off balance, and charged at him with a wooden kunai.

Naruto defeated Sasuke in their match by exploiting Sasuke’s hesitation after transforming into Fugaku Uchiha. Sasuke accepted the loss and received encouragement from Itachi to win next time.

• Itachi watched Sasuke suppress Naruto and believed Sasuke was likely to win because of his longer training.
• Naruto hid behind a tree and transformed into Fugaku Uchiha, catching Sasuke off guard.
• Naruto used the opening to perform Hanging Persimmon, striking Sasuke’s chin and knocking him unconscious.
• Gekko Hayate declared Naruto the winner, and Aoba celebrated with him as the mission-completion notification sounded.
• Sasuke woke up frustrated but accepted that Naruto had used a valid tactic, and Itachi urged him to regain confidence and win next time.

Naruto defeated Sasuke after three months of preparation, and Itachi urged Sasuke to learn from his loss. The group celebrated at the Akimichi family's barbecue restaurant, and Aoba later upgraded [Immortal Fortress] before opening his new Special Treasure Chest.

• Aoba revealed that Naruto had studied Lord Fugaku for three months to prepare for his fight with Sasuke, and Itachi praised Naruto's Transformation Technique.
• Itachi explained that Sasuke had lost because he had not prepared or taken Naruto seriously, and Sasuke accepted the lesson while blaming Aoba for the scheme.
• Aoba paid for grilled meat at the Akimichi family's barbecue restaurant, where Sasuke secretly spat out food so he could order and pretend to eat more.
• Itachi caught Sasuke's trick, and Naruto tried to copy it before Aoba stopped him and threatened to cut off his allowance.
• Aoba returned home, used an Intermediate Skill Card on [Immortal Fortress], and opened his Special Treasure Chest to find familiar question marks.

Aoba tested the system’s infinite supply of mind-clearing cigars and realized their scent could let Sasuke track him from three thousand meters away. In the Uchiha compound, Fugaku encouraged Sasuke to overcome his loss while wrestling with the clan’s uncertain future and pressing Shisui about his Mangekyō Sharingan ability.

• Aoba smoked a special cigar, found that it refreshed him, and confirmed that the metal case replenished its supply.
• Aoba noticed that Sasuke could track him by the cigar’s scent and put the cigars away before leaving to show them off.
• Fugaku questioned Itachi and Sasuke about their outing, then urged Sasuke to find a way to win after losing to Shimiya Aoba.
• Fugaku reflected on his harshness toward Sasuke and worried that his choices could lead the Uchiha Clan to ruin.
• Shisui appeared before Fugaku, who asked whether he would reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan ability and reminded him of his Uchiha heritage.

In Konoha’s fifty-fourth year, Aoba trained Naruto by making him fight while reciting math, pushing him to improve as he tried to catch up to Sasuke. The session ended with Naruto showing Aoba a new transformation technique, and Aoba agreed to help him develop it.

• Aoba sent Naruto flying during taijutsu training after Naruto failed to answer how much 1000 minus 7 was.
• Aoba made Naruto recite multiplication tables while fighting, then tripped and threw him more than twenty meters when he stumbled over six sevens.
• Aoba reflected that Naruto had improved under his training, while Sasuke had withdrawn from challenges after losing to Naruto and promising Fugaku not to lose to anyone his age again.
• Naruto returned and asked Aoba to reduce his punishment of copying the multiplication table a hundred times in exchange for help with his new technique.
• Naruto used the technique to transform into a female teacher, and Aoba praised the details while asking him to remove the holy light.

Aoba, Itachi, and Gekko Hayate each refused Hiruzen’s offer to join the Anbu, despite his promises of danger, growth, and promotion. Hiruzen urged them to reconsider, while Aoba privately resolved to keep Itachi from becoming a spy for the Hokage.

• Aoba corrected Naruto’s jutsu research, reduced his punishment, and refused Naruto’s requests to showcase certain teachers.
• An Anbu member summoned Aoba to the Hokage’s office, where Hiruzen asked Aoba, Itachi, and Gekko Hayate to join the Anbu.
• Aoba refused, and Itachi also firmly rejected the offer despite Hiruzen’s appeal to his ties with the Uchiha Clan.
• Hiruzen privately viewed Itachi as a potential spy who could monitor the Uchiha, but Itachi’s refusal prevented him from making that pitch.
• Gekko Hayate chose to remain in Mikawa squad, and Hiruzen urged all three to think over the offer and hinted at future promotions.
• Aoba decided that he would keep Itachi from becoming Hiruzen’s double agent.

Aoba warned Itachi that joining the Anbu would put him between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha, and Itachi agreed it was time to carry out their plan. They resolved to approach Shisui, while Aoba prepared for the possibility that the plan could fail.

• After Aoba and Itachi left, Gekko Hayate went to visit his girlfriend.
• Aoba told Itachi that Hiruzen had targeted him for Anbu recruitment to make him spy on his own clan and force him into a double-agent role.
• Itachi firmly told Aoba to carry out their plan, and Aoba asked whether he had spoken with Shisui.
• Itachi said Shisui remained uncertain, so Aoba urged him to have a serious conversation with Shisui and ensure he would not oppose them.
• Itachi resolved to forge his own path, even if the plan failed.
• Back home, Aoba reviewed the plan and considered activating the backup plan, “Wandering Qingyu,” if it failed; he also reflected on his service to Konoha and his care for Naruto.

Aoba and Itachi said goodbye to Gekko Hayate when he decided to join the Anbu to stay with Uzuki Yugao, bringing Mikawa squad to an end. Aoba and Itachi accepted the separation and continued on together.

• Aoba reflected on his missions for Akatsuki and learned that Konan had found potential recruits, while Nagato assigned him a mission alongside Konan.
• Gekko Hayate told Aoba and Itachi that he planned to join the Anbu because Uzuki Yugao had been transferred there.
• Aoba and Itachi supported Hayate’s decision, and Hayate explained that Teacher Mikawa had told him to choose for himself.
• Aoba and Itachi treated Hayate to a farewell meal, reminisced, and jokingly kicked him away afterward.
• Aoba and Itachi agreed that Mikawa squad had disbanded, then walked on together as their own story continued.

Aoba investigated the disappearance of a Konoha team near Oxalis Gold Mountain and discovered that the Black Shovel clan had terrorized the village. He attacked the clan’s underlings with his Shuriken—Gatling, while their leader, Raiga, had yet to appear.

• Hiruzen assigned Aoba to investigate the missing Konoha shinobi near Oxalis Gold Mountain, and Aoba set out alone after learning Itachi was unavailable.
• Aoba learned that the Black Shovel clan had taken over the mining village and that its leader, Raiga, had buried the previous Konoha team alive.
• Aoba questioned a frightened villager, who confirmed that the missing shinobi had been killed by Raiga and warned Aoba to flee.
• Black Shovel clan underlings confronted Aoba and boasted that Raiga had easily defeated the previous Konoha team.
• Aoba fired his Shuriken—Gatling into the crowd, killing the underlings as they screamed.

Aoba massacred the Black Shovel clan and confronted Black Shovel Raiga, recognizing Ranmaru as the boy with the Red Eye. Aoba decided to claim both Raiga’s Lightning Sword: Fang and Ranmaru, then fought off Raiga’s lightning attacks as Raiga prepared a powerful technique.

• Aoba killed the Black Shovel clan members with his blue-fire Gatling, leaving the villagers and surviving clan members terrified.
• Black Shovel Raiga emerged from the mist with Ranmaru and objected to Aoba killing the clan members he used as tools.
• Aoba recognized Raiga as a former Seven Ninja Swordsman and identified Ranmaru’s Red Eye, then resolved to take both of them for himself.
• Ranmaru warned Raiga that Aoba was dangerous, but Raiga attacked with Lightning Release: Lightning Ball.
• Aoba used his defensive abilities and punches to destroy Raiga’s lightning balls, then dodged Raiga’s Lightning Burial: Lightning Feast.
• Raiga exploited Aoba’s jump to channel Lightning Release chakra into the sky through Lightning Sword: Fang.

Qingyu fought Raiga Kurosuki, countering his lightning techniques with Thunder Breathing and enduring his Lightning Strike Armor. When Raiga unleashed his strongest technique, Heaven-Splitting Thunder Snake, Qingyu destroyed most of the lightning snakes and vanished to escape the converging attacks.

• Qingyu used Thunder Breathing’s First Form to strike Raiga, but Raiga blocked him and summoned Lightning Strike Armor.
• Qingyu’s attacks weakened Raiga’s armor, but Raiga countered with Thunder Dragon Tornado and then fused with Lightning Blade: Fang to unleash Heaven-Splitting Thunder Snake.
• Qingyu used Thunder Breathing’s Sixth Form to cut down most of the lightning snakes, though the transformed lightning stilettos still struck at him.
• As the Thunder Dragon Tornado rushed toward him, Qingyu flashed with electricity and vanished from the spot.

Aoba revealed his newly developed Explosion Release, Killer Queen, and used it to destroy Raiga Kurosuki’s Lightning Strike Armor and leave him gravely injured. Ranmaru crawled toward the defeated Raiga, desperate to save the man who had taken him in.

• Aoba drank a potion, entered an excited state, and awakened his Explosion Release Kekkei Genkai, Killer Queen.
• Aoba struck Raiga Kurosuki repeatedly, secretly planting explosive chakra in his Lightning Strike Armor.
• Aoba snapped his fingers, detonating the explosives and shattering Raiga’s armor.
• Raiga was left bloodied and vomiting blood after the explosions, while Aoba’s attack subsided.
• Ranmaru crawled toward Raiga, fearing that his own life would have no meaning if Raiga died.