Chapter Summaries

Kurotsuchi met Ronglin at the Iwagakure Command Center and bluntly rejected him as too old to be her future husband. The chapter ended as she began to say “However...” and smiled sweetly.

• Kurotsuchi arrived, and Ōnoki picked her up and asked why she was not with her father.
• Kurotsuchi noticed Ronglin and recognized him as Uchiha Ronglin.
• Kurotsuchi climbed onto the table, called Ronglin handsome, then rejected him for being too old to be her husband.
• Tsunade laughed while Ronglin and the others struggled to contain their reactions.
• Kurotsuchi’s eyes darted around, and she smiled sweetly as she began, “However...”

Ronglin tried to recover from little Kurotsuchi’s teasing by praising her and suggesting Ōnoki sell her to Konoha. The chapter left Ōnoki stunned as Ronglin described the delights awaiting her there.

• Little Kurotsuchi challenged Ronglin to defeat everyone before she would consider marrying him, leaving him despondent and making Tsunade, Ōnoki, Kisame Hoshigaki, Uchiha Shisui, and Mei Terumi laugh.
• Ronglin told little Kurotsuchi that Ōnoki was the strongest, and she turned to her grandfather for confirmation.
• Ronglin praised little Kurotsuchi and suggested that Ōnoki sell her to him.
• Ronglin tempted little Kurotsuchi with Konoha’s fertile land, delicious food, restaurants, blue skies, green leaves, and flowers, leaving Ōnoki speechless.

Ronglin tempted little Kurotsuchi with Konoha’s food and luxuries, then jokingly asked Ōnoki to sell her to him. Ōnoki had Kitsuchi take her away, determined to keep her from Ronglin.

• Little Kurotsuchi became excited when Ronglin described delicious food and fun things in Konoha.
• Ōnoki scolded Kurotsuchi, but Ronglin teased her about having to play in the mud instead.
• Ronglin asked Ōnoki if he would sell Kurotsuchi to him and take her to Konoha.
• Ōnoki called for Kitsuchi, who arrived and carried the protesting Kurotsuchi out of the Command Center.
• Ōnoki sighed in relief and resolved not to let Kurotsuchi near Ronglin again.

Ronglin left the Command Center after provoking Ōnoki over Kurotsuchi, who was then kept under close watch. Five days later, Ay and Rasa arrived with their forces, and the allied leaders remained uncertain about the enemy’s motives.

• Ronglin left the Command Center after Ōnoki glared at him, while Ōnoki worried that Kurotsuchi might take Ronglin’s jokes seriously.
• Tsunade reproached Ronglin for teasing Kurotsuchi, and Ronglin dismissed the possibility of raising her in Konoha as a small matter.
• Ōnoki restricted Kurotsuchi’s freedom, berated Kitsuchi, and ordered that she be kept away from Ronglin and watched closely.
• Five days later, Ay and Rasa arrived at the camp after their villages faced ambushes and harassment, with Sunagakure suffering casualties.
• Rasa asked what the enemy was trying to achieve, but Ronglin said he had no answer, leaving the leaders without useful intelligence.

Ronglin warned the allied village leaders that mixing their forces would reignite old grudges and undermine coordination. The commanders abandoned integration and agreed to assign each village its own region before advancing against the enemy.

• Ōnoki said the alliance should reorganize and rely on its strength because it could not gather intelligence on the enemy.
• Ronglin realized Akatsuki's Black Zetsu had thwarted the Intelligence Department's efforts and chose not to send more Konoha scouts.
• Rasa proposed integrating the armies from the different villages to make unified command easier.
• Ronglin objected that the villages' lingering grudges and distrust would cause conflict if their forces were mixed together.
• Ronglin proposed dividing the front into regions, with each village responsible for its own section.

Ronglin divided the allied villages’ duties by area and accepted Konoha’s assignment to guard the camp, supplies, and Medical Department. His subordinates protested that Konoha had been kept from the front lines, leaving them disappointed and frustrated.

• Ronglin proposed that each village command its own assigned area, and Ōnoki, Rasa, and Ay agreed to the arrangement.
• Ōnoki assigned Iwagakure to lead the main offensive, Ay offered Kumogakure as support, and Rasa took the flanking attack.
• Ronglin accepted Konoha’s role guarding the camp, supplies, and Medical Department while the other villages went to the front.
• After Ronglin announced Konoha’s assignment, Shisui protested that they had to stay behind, and Ronglin kicked him away.

Ronglin calmed Konoha’s troops by explaining that they would earn few merits by staying out of the front lines, as the four villages assigned their wartime roles. In Kirigakure, Obito and Nagato’s Akatsuki prepared to take advantage of the coming war, but still faced the challenge of persuading the others in the village.

• Ronglin warned Konoha’s people not to rush into battle for merits, and Tsunade cautioned him to watch what he said.
• Ronglin reassured the crowd that their merits could later be exchanged for items, and the troops accepted their assignment to guard the camp.
• The four villages divided their roles, with Konoha guarding the camp, Iwagakure leading the assault, Kumogakure providing support, and Sunagakure launching auxiliary attacks.
• Konoha’s people were put to work sorting supplies for the other villages while preparations continued.
• Obito reviewed reports from the front lines in an underground chamber in Kirigakure, while Konan stood beside the corpse controlled by Nagato as Akatsuki discussed how to convince the other Kirigakure shinobi.

Black Zetsu and Obito maneuvered Akatsuki into weakening and taking control of Kirigakure, using the Small Nations Alliance to push the village toward war. Kirigakure's leaders remained divided, but the Land of Water's Daimyo's influence made joining the war seem inevitable.

• Black Zetsu guarded against Ronglin and planned to seize control of Akatsuki and Kirigakure, resurrecting Madara if matters became desperate.
• Obito told Konan that the Small Nations Alliance would support Akatsuki once war began, though Konan remained uneasy about working with him.
• Black Zetsu used the Daimyo and Yagura to draw Kirigakure into a war designed to drain the village's strength.
• Kirigakure's higher-ups split over whether to join the war, with most opposing it and Yagura, the Daimyo, and a few others supporting it.
• The Daimyo's threat to withhold funding pressured Kirigakure's opponents to accept joining the war.

Iwagakure’s forces crushed the Small Nations Alliance, while Konoha’s ninja grew frustrated at being kept from the fighting. Ronglin dismissed concerns about Kirigakure and ordered Konoha’s complaints suppressed, leaving Shikaku to manage the growing discontent.

• Ōnoki led five thousand Iwagakure ninja in an assault that routed the Small Nations Alliance and caused heavy casualties.
• Konoha’s ninja in the Allied Forces camp complained that Iwagakure had taken the main attacking role while they guarded supplies.
• Ronglin read the battle report and said Iwagakure’s victory was just as expected.
• Tsunade wondered whether the Small Nations Alliance had hidden confidence and whether Kirigakure would join the war.
• Shikaku urged Ronglin and Tsunade to calm Konoha’s restless ninja, and Ronglin ordered him to shut down their complaints.

Iwagakure and Kumogakure pursued the retreating Small Nations Alliance, but scattered skirmishes and hidden traps turned the fighting against them. Akatsuki members and Orochimaru began attacking the allied squads, and the Allied Command Center received reports of mounting losses.

• The Small Nations Alliance split into three groups and fled, prompting Iwagakure and Kumogakure to divide their forces in pursuit.
• Small Nations Alliance ninja used traps and ambushes to kill and injure Iwagakure and Kumogakure fighters in scattered skirmishes.
• Black Zetsu emerged behind a Kumogakure squad, and the squad was soon found dead with no enemy in sight.
• Akatsuki members attacked allied squads across the battlefield, wiping out those that encountered them.
• Ōnoki, Ay, and Rasa returned to the Allied Command Center as reports of casualties arrived.
• A wounded Iwagakure survivor reported that Orochimaru had attacked his squad, killing three members and leaving him crippled.

After Orochimaru attacked Iwagakure forces, Ronglin warned Ōnoki that Orochimaru and Danzo had joined the enemy and that other S-rank rogue ninja might follow. Ōnoki doubted such powerful figures could be gathered or controlled, leaving the allied forces’ next move uncertain.

• An Iwagakure jonin confirmed that Orochimaru had torn off his arm and attacked the troops.
• Ronglin told Ōnoki that Orochimaru and Danzo had defected to the enemy and warned that they could devastate allied squads.
• Ronglin urged Ōnoki to withdraw the troops and investigate whether more S-rank rogue ninja had joined the enemy.
• Ronglin considered how Akatsuki members including Kakuzu, Black Zetsu, Sasori, Konan, and Nagato could threaten the allied forces.
• Ōnoki rejected the idea that many S-rank rogue ninja would gather under Akatsuki or obey its orders.

Ōnoki rejected Ronglin’s warning and ordered a large-scale pursuit of the enemy, while Rasa tried to push Ronglin into dealing with Orochimaru and Danzo. Ronglin agreed to protect the camp and its supplies, and the chapter ended with someone asking whether Orochimaru had appeared on the battlefield.

• Ronglin decided to stop trying to convince Ōnoki that Orochimaru and Danzo were dangerous.
• Ōnoki ordered Rasa and Ay to support large-scale tracking and elimination operations starting the next day.
• Rasa tried to provoke Ronglin into taking responsibility for dealing with Orochimaru, but Ronglin called it Konoha’s internal matter.
• Ōnoki promised to take action if Orochimaru and Danzo appeared, then entrusted the camp’s safety to Konoha.
• Ronglin promised to crush anyone who targeted the supplies or Medical Department.
• An unidentified speaker asked whether Orochimaru had appeared on the battlefield.

Ronglin confirmed that Orochimaru had wiped out an Iwagakure squad, while Tsunade feared he was pursuing a larger scheme involving Danzo. As Iwagakure’s casualties mounted, Black Zetsu encouraged the Small Nations Alliance to keep fighting a war of attrition.

• Ronglin told Tsunade that Orochimaru had destroyed a highly capable Iwagakure squad and seemed stronger than before.
• Tsunade worried that Orochimaru had a plan and that Danzo might also be involved, while Ronglin said Ōnoki intended to deal with them personally.
• Ōnoki received a report that Iwagakure had suffered nearly a thousand casualties, while Kumogakure had lost several hundred and Sunagakure had suffered almost none.
• Black Zetsu encouraged the Small Nations Alliance leaders, whose forces had been split apart, by pointing to the rising casualties among Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
• The Small Nations Alliance leaders gained confidence that a prolonged war of attrition would force the Four Great Ninja Villages to yield.

The Small Nations Alliance’s campaign faltered as Akatsuki ambushed and killed allied squads, and the leaders learned that Orochimaru had been spotted near Mount San Shu. Ōnoki and Ay rushed to confront him, while Ronglin and Tsunade followed and Rasa stayed behind.

• Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure joined forces, pushing the Small Nations Alliance into retreat as Akatsuki attacked allied squads from hiding.
• Ōnoki ordered his forces to report any signs of Orochimaru or Danzo, while Ronglin observed the fighting from camp.
• An Intelligence Department officer reported that Orochimaru had been spotted near Mount San Shu.
• Ōnoki and Ay left the Command Center to confront Orochimaru, but Rasa sat back down.
• Ronglin and Tsunade followed Ōnoki and Ay out of the Command Center.

Ronglin and Tsunade hurried toward Mount San Shu after Tsunade sensed Orochimaru’s presence was tied to an impending danger. Orochimaru waited there for Ronglin, but Ōnoki and Ay arrived first.

• Ronglin joked with Tsunade as they left the camp, and she said her growing unease had begun after Orochimaru appeared.
• Tsunade told Ronglin she wanted to see what was happening with her own eyes, and he urged her to hurry.
• At Mount San Shu, Orochimaru waited in an Akatsuki cloak after apparently revealing his location deliberately to draw someone there.
• Ōnoki arrived first and confronted Orochimaru over the Stone Ninja he had killed and marked with fang wounds.
• Ay arrived shortly afterward, and Orochimaru’s smile faded when he realized neither arrival was Uchiha Ronglin.

Orochimaru confronted Ronglin, Tsunade, Ay, and Ōnoki, claiming he had prepared a grand gift for Ronglin and Tsunade. The confrontation turned violent when Ay attacked, while Ronglin left Orochimaru to face the other Kage first.

• Ay demanded that Orochimaru explain why he had appeared on the battlefield, and Orochimaru taunted him about killing and tasting the blood of his people.
• Ronglin and Tsunade arrived, and Orochimaru revealed that he had deliberately lured them there and had prepared a surprise for both of them.
• Tsunade urged Orochimaru to return to Konoha, but he laughed at her appeal.
• Ay lost his temper and attacked Orochimaru with Lightning Armor, smashing the boulder Orochimaru had been standing on.
• Ronglin told Orochimaru to deal with Ay and the others first if he wanted revenge, and said he would wait for him.

Orochimaru summoned the First and Second Hokage with Impure World Reincarnation, shocking Tsunade and the assembled Kage. Ronglin watched with anticipation as Orochimaru presented the revived Hokage as his gift.

• Orochimaru mocked Ay and Ōnoki before forming hand seals for Impure World Reincarnation.
• Two coffins bearing the words “First” and “Second” rose from the ground, and Tsunade froze in alarm.
• Ay and Ōnoki stepped back cautiously as the coffin lids opened.
• Ay recognized the First Hokage, and Ōnoki identified the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.
• Orochimaru laughed and asked whether everyone liked his prepared gift, while Ronglin eagerly awaited the revived Hokage’s strength.

Orochimaru revived Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, prompting them to assess the battlefield and recognize Tsunade and Ronglin. Hashirama realized Ronglin was the Fourth Hokage rather than Madara, while Tobirama reacted uneasily to an Uchiha holding the office.

• Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju emerged from their coffins, and Ōnoki condemned Orochimaru for disturbing the dead.
• Orochimaru dismissed Ōnoki's objections, and the revived Hokage recognized him as the one who had summoned them.
• Hashirama Senju noticed Tsunade and greeted her, while Tsunade nearly wept at seeing her grandfather and granduncle.
• Hashirama Senju mistook Ronglin for Madara at first, then recognized him as an Uchiha and asked if he was the Fourth Hokage.
• Tobirama Senju grew unsettled upon realizing that Ronglin, an Uchiha, was the Fourth Hokage.

Ronglin faced Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, who questioned his standing as Hokage and prepared to fight him. As Orochimaru began controlling the two reanimated Hokage, the battle became unavoidable.

• Tsunade explained how Ronglin had reformed the Uchiha clan, served Konoha during the war, and become the Fourth Hokage.
• Hashirama Senju asked Ronglin about his connection to Madara, and Ronglin said they had no direct blood relation.
• Hashirama Senju challenged Ronglin to prove his strength, while Tobirama Senju continued to distrust him because he was an Uchiha.
• Orochimaru mocked Ronglin, who threatened to kill him; Hashirama Senju remarked that Ronglin reminded him of Madara.
• Hashirama Senju warned the others that they would fight without restraint once controlled, and Orochimaru inserted curse-marked Kunai into Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju's heads as Ōnoki watched helplessly.

Orochimaru activated Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju’s battle instincts, restoring their bodies and turning them into formidable fighters without consciousness. As Tsunade, Ay, and Ōnoki faced the revived Hokage, Ay charged at Hashirama Senju.

• Orochimaru laughed as the kunai stripped Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju of their remaining consciousness and restored their bodies.
• Ōnoki warned Ay not to underestimate the First and Second Hokage, while Ronglin reassured Tsunade that their souls would eventually return to rest.
• Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju’s battle instincts responded to the surging Chakra of Ay, Ōnoki, and Tsunade.
• Orochimaru let the Hokage fight on instinct, judging their own combat experience superior to his personal control.
• Ay roared and charged at Hashirama Senju to test the legendary First Hokage’s strength.