Chapter Summaries

Kisame Hoshigaki and Baki began their fight, with Kisame gaining the upper hand through his speed and strength. Baki countered with a thrown kunai and a kick, leaving the battle underway.

• Baki challenged Kisame Hoshigaki after their exchange of taunts, and they prepared to fight.
• Ronglin and Granny Chiyo left the area to watch from farther away.
• Kisame Hoshigaki rushed Baki and struck with Samehada, which Baki blocked with a kunai.
• Kisame forced Baki to strain against Samehada, then yanked it hard and made Baki’s arm tremble.
• Baki threw his kunai at Kisame and leapt forward with a kick.

Kisame Hoshigaki used Samehada to punish Baki’s reckless attack and absorb his Chakra, leaving Baki injured and humiliated. Kisame checked Ronglin’s reaction and realized his performance met the expected standard.

• Baki launched a whip kick at Kisame Hoshigaki, who blocked it with Samehada.
• Samehada’s spikes wounded Baki’s foot and absorbed his Chakra, forcing him to retreat.
• Kisame Hoshigaki smugly explained that Samehada could replenish his Chakra with Baki’s.
• Baki cursed Kisame, angered by the injury and the taunting reminder.
• Kisame Hoshigaki glanced at Ronglin, saw him smiling, and felt reassured about his performance.

Kisame Hoshigaki fought Baki while deliberately holding back to put on a brutal show for Ronglin. He drained Baki’s Chakra and shattered his Wind Style attack, leaving Ronglin to ask Granny Chiyo what she thought of his guard’s strength.

• Kisame Hoshigaki understood that Ronglin wanted him to torment Baki rather than defeat him quickly.
• Kisame Hoshigaki and Baki exchanged attacks as Samehada absorbed Baki’s Chakra and wore down his stamina.
• Baki used Wind Style: Hurricane Whirlwind, but Kisame Hoshigaki answered with Wind Style: Cutting Blade and shattered it.
• Ronglin asked Granny Chiyo what she thought of Kisame Hoshigaki’s strength.

Kisame Hoshigaki steadily overwhelmed Baki by using Samehada to drain his Chakra and stamina, while Ronglin explained that Kisame was still considered too young for a higher position in Konoha. The chapter ended with Granny Chiyo protesting the Hokage’s aggression as Baki was kicked away and left battered.

• Granny Chiyo asked why Konoha had not given Kisame Hoshigaki a higher status, and Ronglin replied that Kisame was still young and needed more tempering.
• Baki’s large-scale Ninjutsu failed against Kisame’s sharp Wind Release, while Samehada continued absorbing Baki’s Chakra.
• Kisame pressed Baki with repeated Samehada attacks, gradually draining his stamina and leaving him covered in small wounds.
• Kisame kicked Baki far away during another exchange, leaving the onlookers stunned by the difference in their strength.
• Granny Chiyo challenged the Hokage, asking why he had to be so aggressive.

Ronglin used Baki’s defeat to pressure Granny Chiyo over Sunagakure’s past actions and demanded access to the Land of Wind’s mineral resources. The negotiations reached Ronglin’s condition, while Konoha’s shortage of ore remained the reason behind his request.

• Kisame Hoshigaki toyed with Baki, wearing him down with minor injuries until he could barely defend himself.
• Ronglin taunted Granny Chiyo about Rasa’s past provocations and questioned why Sunagakure had feared Ōnoki more than Konoha.
• Granny Chiyo refused to accept Ronglin’s framing and asked him to state what he wanted, promising Sunagakure would comply if it could.
• Ronglin requested minerals from the Land of Wind, offering to pay for them.
• Ronglin considered Konoha’s shortage of ore, which left its craftsmen unable to produce enough ninja tools and weapons.

Ronglin demanded that the Land of Wind provide ore to Konoha, rejecting Chiyo’s suggestion to buy from the Land of Iron. After Kisame stopped attacking, Baki was left exhausted and badly outmatched.

• Chiyo protested that Sunagakure lacked authority over the Daimyo’s mineral resources and said Konoha should buy ore from the Land of Iron.
• Ronglin dismissed Chiyo’s suggestion and insisted that he represented Konoha and the Land of Fire in seeking ore from the Land of Wind.
• Kisame Hoshigaki stopped attacking Baki at Ronglin’s command and put Samehada on his back.
• Baki stood exhausted with depleted stamina and Chakra, while Kisame remained steady and nearly untouched.

Ronglin pressured Granny Chiyo to secure the Daimyo’s agreement, threatening to seize the Land of Wind if Sunagakure refused. He left after mocking the delegation and demanding that Rasa come in person next time.

• Granny Chiyo hesitated to refuse Ronglin because she feared Konoha might side with Iwagakure and Kumogakure against Sunagakure.
• Granny Chiyo offered to speak with the Daimyo, but Ronglin demanded absolute certainty and threatened to take what he wanted by force.
• Ronglin warned that Sunagakure and the Land of Wind might cease to exist if they refused him.
• Ronglin told Granny Chiyo to bring Rasa next time and mocked the Sunagakure delegation as he departed.
• Konoha’s shinobi watched Ronglin leave with admiration, while the Sunagakure group remained humiliated.

Granny Chiyo and the Sunagakure delegation left Konoha in disgrace after Konoha’s ninja mocked their defeat by Kisame Hoshigaki. Back at the Hokage’s Office, Ronglin rewarded Kisame by upgrading his file and recognizing him as a Kage-level powerhouse.

• Konoha’s ninja loudly mocked Granny Chiyo, Baki, and their companions as they remained defeated.
• Baki knelt and apologized to Granny Chiyo, blaming himself for his failure against Kisame Hoshigaki.
• Granny Chiyo ordered her people to leave, and they departed Konoha amid the mockery.
• Ronglin praised Kisame Hoshigaki at the Hokage’s Office and upgraded his file to Kage-level status.
• Kisame Hoshigaki thanked Ronglin.

Ronglin promoted Kisame Hoshigaki and ordered him to prepare for a trip to the Land of Rain, while planning to pressure Sunagakure into accepting his demands. The chapter left Rasa’s fate uncertain as Ronglin considered making him wait outside Konoha.

• Ronglin promoted Kisame Hoshigaki, told him to pack, and ordered him to summon Shisui before they left for the Land of Rain.
• Kisame Hoshigaki suspected Ronglin was leaving Konoha partly to make Rasa wait and worry outside.
• Ronglin expected the Land of Wind to accept his terms, since refusal could lead Konoha, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure to force Sunagakure into submission.
• Ronglin considered occupying other countries’ territories and pursuing resources such as ores and rubber for the Land of Fire.

Ronglin decided to leave for the Land of Rain the next day, postponing his scheduled affairs and leaving Uchiha Diqin behind. He traveled there with Kisame Hoshigaki and an eager Shisui, arriving in the rain-soaked country as they set out on their mission.

• Ronglin told Uchiha Diqin that his departure was moved up and that her scheduled matters would be postponed.
• Kisame Hoshigaki informed Shisui they would travel to the Land of Rain, and Shisui arrived at the village entrance the next morning, exhausted from excitement.
• Ronglin, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Shisui traveled to the Land of Rain in ordinary clothes.
• Ronglin complained about the relentless rain and the country's poverty as the group walked through muddy, flooded roads.
• Someone addressed Ronglin as “Lord Hokage.”

Ronglin visited the Muroku Brothers at their rain-soaked research site in the Land of Rain and heard their promising findings. The brothers were eighty percent certain that some rubber tree varieties could grow there, and they hoped Ronglin would let their experiments continue.

• Ronglin asked the Muroku Brothers how they were coping with the harsh weather and whether their surveys had produced results.
• Ronglin and the others entered a wooden shelter to talk out of the rain.
• The older Muroku Brother reported that their surveys and experiments suggested certain rubber tree varieties could survive in the Land of Rain.
• Ronglin welcomed the news.

Ronglin ordered supplies, protection, and improvements for the Muroku Brothers’ harsh test site, then promised them generous rewards if their work succeeded. He dismissed Kisame Hoshigaki’s concerns about public resentment and began considering how to build safely in the rain-soaked area.

• Ronglin ordered an Anbu member to deliver supplies and equipment, protect the Muroku Brothers and the test subjects, and renovate the surrounding area.
• Ronglin explained that the person who had appeared from nowhere was an Anbu member concealing himself with light.
• Ronglin promised the Muroku Brothers generous rewards, higher status, and benefits for their children if they succeeded.
• Kisame Hoshigaki questioned whether others would resent the rewards, and Ronglin said anyone dissatisfied could come to him.
• Ronglin decided wooden houses would not withstand the constant rain and considered safer construction for the area.

Ronglin chose to build houses in the Land of Rain from salvaged local materials, then waited for a message to arrive. He left his temporary residence with Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki to meet Black Zetsu and Konan.

• Ronglin decided to dismantle abandoned buildings nearby rather than transport construction materials from Konoha.
• Ronglin ordered Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki to help dismantle the buildings without damaging the materials.
• Ronglin's group spent days salvaging materials and building metal houses in the rain.
• A paper crane arrived at Ronglin's resting room, and he left with Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki.
• Ronglin found Black Zetsu and Konan waiting beneath a large tree near the temporary residence.

Ronglin met Konan and Black Zetsu, then traded insults with Konan until she flew into a rage. Black Zetsu said he had no objection if Ronglin took Konan away, leaving Konan confused and furious.

• Ronglin, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Shisui arrived and found Konan and Black Zetsu beneath a tree in the rain.
• Ronglin teased Konan and asked Black Zetsu whether taking her away would affect Akatsuki; Black Zetsu said he had no objections.
• Kisame Hoshigaki explained Ronglin's insult, making Konan realize he had called her a silly old woman.
• Ronglin called Konan a female tyrannosaur, and Kisame Hoshigaki and Shisui struggled not to laugh as she grew furious.

Ronglin froze Konan and sent Black Zetsu, Shisui, and Kisame Hoshigaki away to deal with Shisui’s matter. Left alone with Konan, he considered what to do with her while she remained unable to move.

• Ronglin stopped Konan and her paper sheets in midair with his time-based power.
• Ronglin told Black Zetsu to handle Shisui’s matter and ordered Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki to accompany him.
• Black Zetsu left with Shisui and Kisame Hoshigaki without helping Konan.
• Ronglin circled the frozen Konan and taunted her about what he might do next.

Ronglin intimidated Konan after using his Power of Time to immobilize her, then explained that Akatsuki might wonder why he needed their help despite controlling the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Konan stayed to hear his explanation, though she remained wary and angry.

• Ronglin threatened to cut off Konan’s clothes, then stopped teasing her when he saw her pleading and angry expression.
• Konan regained her ability to move and cursed Ronglin, but backed down when he threatened to expose her in the rain.
• Ronglin commented that Konan looked prettier when quiet and asked whether she wondered why he needed Akatsuki’s help.
• Konan turned away but stayed to listen as Ronglin began to explain his request.

Ronglin explained to Konan why Nagato could not simply stop using the Rinnegan, then warned her that she could seek his help if she ever faced danger. Konan followed him through the rain as they walked through the hometown she cherished.

• Ronglin told Konan that Nagato’s reliance on the Rinnegan made it difficult for him to stop despite its toll on his body.
• Ronglin explained that he avoided summoning the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path because he feared becoming consumed by its secrets and pursuing the Ten-Tails’ power.
• Konan admitted that Nagato would not stop using the Rinnegan because it carried the hopes he and Yahiko shared.
• Ronglin offered to help Konan if she ever came to harm, saying she would have to pay a price.
• Ronglin asked Konan to take a walk, and she followed him through the rain in their cherished hometown.

Ronglin and Konan discussed his plan to take control of the Land of Rain and protect its people from war and hunger. After sheltering from the rain, Ronglin waited several days for Shisui to recover, until Black Zetsu arrived with him.

• Konan asked Ronglin whether he wanted to occupy the unclaimed Land of Rain, and Ronglin said he could take it and protect its people.
• Ronglin blamed Konan for helping Danzo reach Konoha, and Konan admitted she had agreed to it.
• Konan hoped Ronglin would keep his promise to protect the people of the Land of Rain and considered annexation by the Land of Fire a possible good outcome.
• Ronglin and Konan took shelter in a leaking tin shack, where Ronglin waited for Shisui to recover.
• Several days later, Black Zetsu appeared with Shisui, and Shisui called out to Lord Hokage.

Ronglin asked Black Zetsu to obtain Asura’s and Indra’s Chakra so he could advance his study of Yin-Yang Release. He rejected the prospect of becoming the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and warned Black Zetsu that they were both dangerous to each other.

• Ronglin asked Shisui to step aside, then took Black Zetsu outside to speak privately.
• Ronglin told Black Zetsu that he needed Asura’s and Indra’s Chakra, not Hashirama Senju’s cells.
• Black Zetsu declared that obtaining the Chakra was impossible, but Ronglin insisted that Black Zetsu could do it.
• Ronglin said he would not become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki and explained that he wanted the Chakra to study Yin-Yang Release.
• Ronglin warned Black Zetsu that he would not target him, though he would rather study Yin-Yang Release on his own.

Ronglin demanded Indra and Asura’s Chakra from Black Zetsu, believing it would help him pursue power beyond that of Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Black Zetsu agreed to provide it within two months, then left as Ronglin wondered how Akatsuki’s plans would fare against the world’s opposition.

• Ronglin told Black Zetsu he wanted Indra and Asura’s Chakra rather than Hashirama Senju’s cells.
• Black Zetsu warned Ronglin that he would not be able to integrate the Chakra into himself, but Ronglin insisted the decision was his.
• Ronglin pointed out that Akatsuki’s plans would provoke opposition from the entire world, including the Land of Water.
• Black Zetsu agreed to provide the Chakra within two months and vanished into the ground.
• Ronglin laughed and wondered whether asking for the Six Paths’ Chakra would have enraged Black Zetsu even more.