Recaps

Ronglin returned to Konoha, purged the Shimura Clan, and punished White Fang and Minato for failing to find Danzo while Akatsuki prepared to exploit the war. Kirigakure joined the Small Nations Alliance, and Ronglin returned to the front as the conflict reached a stalemate.

• Ronglin rushed back to Konoha, ordered the Shimura Clan arrested, and clashed with the Third Hokage over Danzo’s escape and the ensuing crackdown.
• Ronglin ordered the Uchiha Police Force to kill protesters, but White Fang intervened and changed the order to arrests after many villagers had already died.
• Ronglin ordered White Fang and Minato to find Danzo within two months, destroyed secret research bases, and had the remaining Shimura Clan members killed.
• Ronglin sent Kisame Hoshigaki and an Anbu squad to destroy Amegakure, prompting Akatsuki to hide and plan how to weaken Kirigakure through the war.
• Ronglin stayed in Konoha to train with the Power of Time while White Fang and Minato searched unsuccessfully for Danzo, then made them perform farm work and other humiliating novice missions.
• Kirigakure joined the Small Nations Alliance, and Ronglin left Konoha with Minato, Kisame Hoshigaki, Shisui, reinforcements, and supplies for the battlefield.
• Ronglin reached the camp and went with Minato to the Command Center, where Ōnoki, Rasa, Ay, and Tsunade looked grim and Ōnoki told him to look at something.

Ronglin led the alliance into an advance that drove Kirigakure and the Small Nations Alliance toward the shore, while protecting his own forces and gathering supplies. As the enemy split up to escape, Ronglin concealed their tracks and left the allied leaders to deal with the consequences.

• Ronglin convinced Ōnoki, Rasa, and Ay to advance against the enemy and cut off its supplies, then let Ōnoki arrange the alliance’s deployment.
• Ronglin considered bringing refugees into the Land of Fire and removing the Daimyo as the war weakened the small nations.
• The Four Great Ninja Villages advanced, and Ronglin kept Konoha and Kumogakure behind Iwagakure and Sunagakure to avoid traps and needless losses.
• The allied forces drove Kirigakure and the Small Nations Alliance toward the shore, while Ronglin ordered his troops to treat the wounded, bury the dead, and gather abandoned supplies.
• The Hozuki Clan Head prepared Kirigakure to flee by sea, but then led a smaller group toward the Land of Earth while the Small Nations Alliance headed toward the Land of Lightning.
• Ronglin erased signs of the enemy’s split routes, leading Minato to realize he planned to let Ōnoki and Ay discover infiltrators in their lands and blame Rasa.
• Ōnoki attacked Kirigakure’s ships, while Rasa stayed behind and Ay promised to stop the fleeing enemy from reaching the Land of Water.
• The alliance found a fortune in abandoned supplies as Ōnoki and Ay discussed destroying the enemy, unaware the survivors would return safely to the Land of Water.

As Kirigakure and the Small Nations Alliance ravaged the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, Ronglin used Konoha’s growing influence to prepare for a struggle with the Fire Daimyo. The destruction of the Temple of Fire and the public scandal surrounding Kazuma left the Daimyo under mounting pressure as other nations watched Konoha’s next move.

• Ronglin let Ay and Ōnoki return to defend their lands while Konoha collected abandoned supplies and profited from merchants rerouting through the Land of Fire.
• Ronglin sent Uchiha Fugaku, Shisui, and Itachi to help Kumogakure subdue the runaway Two-Tails, while he examined Hashirama Senju’s cells and considered Kaguya Otsutsuki’s statue.
• After learning that the Fire Daimyo blamed Konoha for wartime refugees and threatened its funding, Ronglin told the Third Hokage he intended to merge Konoha with the Land of Fire and ordered White Fang to prepare for the Daimyo’s removal.
• Ronglin confronted Kazuma and the Daimyo’s guards when they refused to kneel, struck Kazuma with a wooden sandal, and ordered the group arrested.
• Ronglin accused Kazuma and the Temple of Fire of plotting rebellion, then sent Kisame Hoshigaki and Mei Terumi to destroy the temple, where the Anbu killed its members and burned the complex.
• The Daimyo learned that Kazuma’s actions had led to the temple’s destruction and demanded an explanation from Ronglin, then made the scandal worse by publicly announcing the alleged attack.
• Ronglin questioned the Daimyo’s denial and accused him of trying to seize Konoha’s authority, prompting public condemnation of the Daimyo while Ay and Ōnoki continued struggling with infiltrators.

Ronglin gathered Konoha’s clans, military commanders, and politicians behind a plan to overthrow the Daimyo and take control of the Land of Fire. After three days of preparation, Konoha’s forces moved on the capital, where White Fang seized the Daimyo and the Guardians Twelve raised the alarm.

• The Daimyo blamed Ronglin for worsening their conflict, while White Fang’s agents secured the support of the capital’s generals for Konoha’s move against him.
• Ronglin ordered Hyuga Hiashi to travel to the Land of Water and bring back Kimimaro, then prepared to confront the Daimyo.
• Ronglin told Konoha’s leaders that he would remove the Daimyo and direct the Land of Fire’s tax revenue to Konoha, winning their support for the plan.
• Ronglin set the operation for three days later, assigned Nara Shikaku to manage the capital’s government affairs, and ordered the clan leaders to maintain order.
• Jiraiya returned without finding Orochimaru but brought intelligence about Akatsuki, and Ronglin assigned him to teach at the Ninja Academy as punishment for leaving Konoha.
• Ronglin, Jiraiya, and Tsunade shared a drink, and Jiraiya promised to support Ronglin as long as Konoha’s interests were safe.
• After three days of preparations, White Fang’s Anbu eliminated the Daimyo’s outer guards and entered his palace while Ronglin led Konoha’s forces into the capital.
• White Fang’s Anbu carried the sleeping Daimyo away alive, but the Guardians Twelve spotted them and raised the alarm, forcing White Fang to split his forces between the escort and the fight.