Chapter Summaries

Ronglin made the Hyuga Clan continue reconnaissance duties while the rest of the group rested, provoking complaints from its members. Tsunade recognized that he was using his authority to settle a grudge, but could not persuade him to change course.

• Ronglin ended the meeting with a joke at Sunagakure's expense, then stayed behind to handle battlefield documents.
• Tsunade accused Ronglin of targeting the Hyuga Clan, but he claimed he was working alongside them and brushed off her objections.
• Tsunade gave up trying to persuade Ronglin and apologized to the Hyuga Clan for being unable to help.
• The Hyuga Clan members protested that they alone had to remain on duty while everyone else rested.

Ronglin forced the Hyuga Clan to remain on standby while Konoha and Sunagakure settled into a standoff. Ōnoki grew furious at Sunagakure’s inaction and threatened to withdraw Iwagakure from the war.

• Ronglin shut down Hyuga Hiashi’s attempt to negotiate and required the Hyuga Clan to stay ready.
• Hyuga Hiashi told his frustrated clansmen to endure the order and carry out their duties.
• Konoha and Sunagakure contracted their battle lines and remained motionless for days.
• Ōnoki sent Rasa a warning that Iwagakure would withdraw if Sunagakure continued delaying.
• Ōnoki threatened to take Iwagakure’s forces home, leaving Sunagakure and Konoha to bear the losses.

Rasa chose to keep Sunagakure fighting, while Ronglin learned the village had moved and called an emergency meeting. He prepared Konoha’s forces to resume the war and take the battle merits from Rasa.

• After reviewing Ōnoki’s intelligence, Rasa decided Sunagakure had to continue fighting.
• Anbu reported Sunagakure’s movements to Ronglin, who asked about Iwagakure’s recent activity.
• Anbu told Ronglin that Iwagakure’s attacks had slowed, and Ronglin concluded Ōnoki was preparing something that had prompted Sunagakure to act.
• Ronglin ordered an emergency meeting, and Konoha’s personnel, including Hyuga Hiashi, gathered at the Command Center.
• Ronglin announced that everyone’s vacation was over.

Ronglin discussed Sunagakure’s decision to attack, explaining that Rasa could not afford to retreat or let his alliance with Iwagakure collapse. He urged Konoha’s forces to fight Sunagakure with full strength, while warning that Iwagakure and Kumogakure would remain threats after the battle.

• Ronglin explained that Sunagakure could not retreat into the Land of Wind without risking Rasa’s position and the Daimyo’s anger.
• Konoha’s leaders concluded that Sunagakure had to attack to preserve its alliance with Ōnoki and avoid damaging its reputation.
• The chapter recounted Ōnoki’s frustration after Kirigakure’s defeat and Sunagakure’s faltering, as well as his failed attempt to draw Kumogakure into the war.
• Ronglin told his forces not to underestimate Sunagakure and urged them to fight at full strength to end the war quickly.
• Ronglin warned that Konoha would still have to face Ōnoki’s Iwagakure and the opportunistic Kumogakure after defeating Sunagakure.

Ronglin warned Konoha’s commanders not to underestimate Sunagakure and ordered the Hyuga Clan to monitor the enemy. The chapter ended with Hyuga Hiashi agreeing to the task as Konoha prepared to press its advantage.

• Ronglin urged the Command Center to stay cautious despite Sunagakure’s weakness and stressed that Konoha had to win.
• Ronglin told the commanders to counter Sunagakure’s moves and aim to crush the enemy in one blow.
• Tsunade warned Ronglin that Sunagakure could still inflict heavy losses, but Ronglin reassured her that he would avoid repeating past mistakes.
• Ronglin asked Hyuga Hiashi to spread out the Hyuga Clan and watch Sunagakure’s every move, and Hiashi agreed.

Ronglin kept Konoha on alert and waited for Sunagakure to make the first move, knowing Rasa could not afford to delay. The chapter left Rasa facing pressure to act as he feared Sunagakure was destined to lose.

• Ronglin ordered Konoha's forces to stay alert and arranged their defenses against a possible Sunagakure attack.
• Tsunade watched Ronglin command the preparations and hoped Konoha could defeat Sunagakure decisively.
• Rasa learned that Konoha had made no major moves and realized Ronglin was waiting for him to act.
• Rasa reflected on Sunagakure's heavy losses and concluded that he had no choice but to move, with Ōnoki also denying him more time.

Rasa anticipated Sunagakure’s defeat and the financial hardship that would follow, while Konoha’s small-unit attacks drove Sunagakure into repeated retreats. As Sunagakure’s forces faltered, Ronglin studied Kikyo Mountain, which Tsunade identified as their final battlefield.

• Rasa worried that defeat would bring blame from Sunagakure’s villagers and the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, and considered the village’s bleak prospects.
• Ronglin stayed at Konoha’s Command Center, leaving the fighting to small units while he planned to deal with Sunagakure before turning to Iwagakure.
• Konoha’s attacks overwhelmed Sunagakure, and bad news from the battlefield left Rasa silent as his ninja lost the will to fight.
• Ronglin studied a map of Kikyo Mountain, and Tsunade said it would be Sunagakure’s final battlefield.

Ronglin and Tsunade discussed why Sunagakure’s leadership had stayed away from the battlefield and whether it was preserving its strongest ninja for the postwar recovery. Their conversation ended with Ronglin admiring Tsunade, who called him out for staring.

• Ronglin wondered whether Sunagakure’s upper ranks would join the fighting once the village’s forces were defeated.
• Tsunade explained that Sunagakure’s smaller ninja population and heavy losses made its survival strategy plausible.
• Ronglin questioned whether Rasa would risk the public backlash of preserving powerful ninja.
• Tsunade suggested that an influential older woman in Sunagakure might make that choice and weather the criticism.
• Ronglin stared at Tsunade and said he was looking at something nice, leaving her speechless.

Ronglin and Tsunade discussed why Sunagakure had made its suspicious decision, concluding that Granny Chiyo was the most likely person behind it. Tsunade explained her longstanding hostility toward Chiyo, whose puppets and poisons had killed many Konoha ninja, while Tsunade’s antidotes had repeatedly blunted their effects.

• Ronglin teased Tsunade before asking whether Granny Chiyo had made Sunagakure’s decision.
• Tsunade argued that Rasa was too politically vulnerable to act so recklessly and identified Chiyo as the likely decision-maker.
• Ronglin agreed that Chiyo’s involvement could explain Sunagakure’s strange movements and wondered whether the same circumstances had preceded the Kikyo Mountain Battle.
• Tsunade said she had little goodwill toward Chiyo because her puppets and poisons had killed many Konoha ninja.
• Tsunade’s antidotes had saved Konoha ninja from Chiyo’s poison, making Chiyo hate Tsunade as her chief obstacle.

Ronglin asked Tsunade to help him assess Sunagakure’s possible trap, but she tried to leave him to handle it alone. He kissed her to pressure her into agreeing, and she still refused.

• Ronglin warned Tsunade that Sunagakure might be setting a trap for him and asked what he should do.
• Tsunade declined to help, saying logistics kept her busy and Ronglin could manage the decision himself.
• Ronglin stopped Tsunade from leaving and used the Power of Time to restrain her.
• Ronglin asked Tsunade to blink once if she would help and twice if she would not, and she blinked twice.
• Ronglin kissed Tsunade and asked again, but she still blinked twice.

Ronglin teased Tsunade in the Command Center before leading an elite Konoha squad to Kikyo Mountain, where he suspected Sunagakure was preparing a trap. Konoha’s forces pursued the retreating Sunagakure ninja as Ronglin warned his people not to underestimate them.

• Ronglin repeatedly pressured Tsunade until she reluctantly agreed, then warned her not to cause trouble when he let her move.
• Tsunade recovered and lunged at Ronglin in anger, while the surrounding ninja laughed at their familiar exchange.
• Sunagakure retreated to Kikyo Mountain as Konoha pursued under Ronglin’s orders.
• Ronglin and Tsunade joined an elite squad at Kikyo Mountain because Ronglin feared Sunagakure had a special operation planned.
• Tsunade questioned Ronglin about the suspected trap, and he admitted he could not be certain but believed Sunagakure would not accept defeat without acting.
• Ronglin cautioned the increasingly restless Konoha ninja against underestimating Sunagakure.

Ronglin anticipated Sunagakure’s attempt to strike Konoha’s rear and recognized that Rasa’s raid could turn the battle despite Sunagakure’s disadvantage. He sent Kisame Hoshigaki and Shisui to stop Rasa’s teams.

• Ronglin reasoned that Sunagakure could only prolong the war through small-unit attacks, while a frontal battle would end in defeat.
• Konoha’s teams advanced into Kikyo Mountain, but Sunagakure’s traps made the fighting difficult as its forces retreated.
• Ronglin sensed several powerful Sunagakure teams moving toward Konoha’s rear and spotted Rasa among them.
• Tsunade condemned Rasa for targeting the wounded, while Ronglin explained how the raid could trap Konoha’s front line between attackers.
• Ronglin ordered Kisame Hoshigaki and Shisui to intercept Rasa’s teams, and they left at once.

Rasa led Sunagakure’s Elite Jonin on a secret raid intended to cripple Konoha’s forces, but Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki discovered them. Rasa realized his plan had failed as the two confronted his group.

• Ronglin explained that Rasa’s surprise attack could have devastated Konoha if the wounded ninja had failed to report it.
• Rasa urged his Elite Jonin to keep Konoha from spreading news of their raid, calling it Sunagakure’s last chance.
• Shisui mocked Rasa and revealed that he and Kisame Hoshigaki had found the group.
• Rasa recognized Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki and understood that their operation had failed.
• Rasa recalled Kisame’s strength and the battlefield reputations Shisui and Kisame had gained fighting Sunagakure.

Ronglin arrived with Konoha’s reinforcements and disrupted Rasa’s attempt to attack Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki. Rasa’s side regrouped defensively, and he asked Ronglin how he had anticipated his move.

• Rasa gathered golden sand and prepared to attack Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki, while Shisui taunted him and stayed alert.
• Rasa ordered his Elite Jonin to attack the two men, but Ronglin arrived and called them his guards.
• Rasa and his Elite Jonin abandoned their attack and gathered around him as Ronglin approached with Konoha’s veteran fighters, including Tsunade.
• Ronglin beckoned Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki back to his side, and they returned while glaring contemptuously at Rasa.
• Rasa asked Ronglin how he had figured out that he would take action.

Uchiha Ronglin confronted Rasa about Sunagakure’s missing upper ranks and refused to attack him or his subordinates. He told Rasa to keep his elite fighters hidden until the war ended, leaving the reason for his restraint under discussion.

• Ronglin deduced that Rasa had gathered his elite fighters together and asked why Sunagakure’s upper ranks had vanished from the battlefield.
• Rasa summoned Gold Sand and asked how Ronglin planned to deal with his group.
• Ronglin said he would not attack Rasa or his subordinates, then cut down two trees to make seats for them to talk.
• Ronglin warned Rasa’s guards to behave and told Rasa to keep his elite fighters hidden until the war ended.
• Ronglin explained that the fighters were Sunagakure’s last seeds and asked what would become of the village if they died.

Rasa confronted Ronglin about whether Konoha had caused the Third Kazekage’s death, and Ronglin denied any involvement. Rasa accepted that Sunagakure had lost the war, hoping his declaration would let his group leave safely.

• Ronglin told Rasa that Konoha had not been involved in the Third Kazekage’s death.
• Rasa’s Elite Jonin worried over him when he fell silent and appeared overwhelmed.
• Ronglin explained that Konoha had only suspected something was wrong after Sunagakure began searching along the border.
• Rasa declared that Sunagakure had lost the war and stopped his subordinates from arguing.
• Rasa told Ronglin he had declared defeat because he feared their group would not leave alive otherwise.

Ronglin let Rasa leave after securing his promise not to reveal the mask, though he admitted he was unsure whether Rasa would keep his word. He ordered Konoha’s fighting squads back to camp to rest while they waited to see what Rasa would do.

• Rasa chose not to reveal Ronglin’s mask, and Ronglin praised his decision before leaving with Tsunade and the others.
• Tsunade worried that Rasa might break his promise once he returned to safety, but Ronglin admitted he was not sure what Rasa would do.
• Ronglin said he would enter Sunagakure with Susanoo if Rasa turned hostile, and Tsunade remarked that the threat might make Rasa surrender.
• Ronglin ordered the squads still fighting on the front line to return to camp and rest while Konoha waited for Rasa’s decision.

Sunagakure admitted defeat, ending its long war with Konoha, and Konoha’s forces celebrated while Sunagakure accepted the outcome. Later that night, an Intelligence Department member rushed into the Third Hokage’s office with urgent news.

• Ronglin ordered Konoha’s forces back to camp to rest and reorganize.
• Rasa confirmed Sunagakure’s defeat to Granny Chiyo and the other leaders, and Granny Chiyo left the command tent in distress.
• News of Sunagakure’s defeat spread through both camps, and Konoha’s ninjas celebrated while Sunagakure’s ninjas accepted the arrangements.
• An Intelligence Department member burst into the Third Hokage’s office late at night, and the Third Hokage asked what had happened.

Konoha celebrated Sunagakure’s defeat and the end of the war after the Third Hokage received the ceasefire news. Ronglin’s prestige rose further as villagers credited him with the victory, and the Third Hokage stayed awake through the night.

• The Intelligence Department informed the Third Hokage that Sunagakure had been defeated and had submitted a ceasefire agreement.
• The Third Hokage read the frontline report repeatedly, then ordered the victory announced throughout Konoha.
• Villagers poured into the streets to celebrate, and many credited Ronglin with leading Konoha to victory.
• Konoha’s celebrations continued until daybreak before gradually dispersing.
• The Third Hokage remained in his office all night and refused to rest.

After completing the exhausting postwar records, Ronglin decided to take in the war orphans despite the risk of enemy spies infiltrating Konoha. The children would be accepted into Konoha, though the chapter left the security concern unresolved.

• Ronglin spent nearly half a month compiling casualty counts, battle merit records, and supply inventories with the help of other personnel.
• Ronglin regretted the exhausting work and thought Nara Shikaku would have handled the statistics with ease.
• A subordinate raised the issue of the homeless war orphans created by the war.
• Ronglin weighed the cost of raising the children against the danger that trained spies might enter Konoha among them.
• Ronglin decided Konoha would take in the war orphans, partly to avoid the harm that refusing them could do to Konoha's reputation and villagers.