Chapter Summaries

Yugito Nii rushed to Kumogakure after noticing its distress signal, but Orochimaru and Danzo lured her into a trap. They attacked her while preparing to contend with the Two-Tails within her.

• Yugito Nii hurried toward the distress signal after returning from a mission.
• Yugito Nii sensed two powerful Chakra signatures and realized she had entered an enemy trap.
• Orochimaru and Danzo confronted Yugito Nii, and she identified them as Konoha's rogue ninja.
• Orochimaru launched Annihilating Serpent Swarm while Danzo drew two black iron rods.
• Orochimaru and Danzo focused on defeating Yugito Nii while watching for the Two-Tails' power.

Orochimaru and Danzo captured Yugito Nii by disrupting her Chakra with Black Rods and knocking her unconscious. They left with her as Orochimaru wondered how the other Akatsuki members were faring on their missions.

• Orochimaru sent giant snakes after Yugito Nii while Danzo distracted her with Black Rods.
• Danzo pierced Yugito Nii with a Black Rod, disrupting her Chakra and leaving her unable to resist.
• Orochimaru knocked Yugito Nii unconscious, and a large snake coiled around her to carry her away.
• Orochimaru and Danzo left the decoys behind and discussed the progress of the other Akatsuki missions.

Akatsuki captured Yugito Nii after abducting Gaara, prompting Kumogakure and the other major villages to grow wary. Ronglin realized Akatsuki was hiding the Jinchuriki before extracting their Tailed Beasts, leaving Minato unable to track them.

• Akatsuki captured Yugito Nii, and Kumogakure discovered she had disappeared after finding bound corpses near her route.
• Ay hid Killer B and sent word to the other major villages about Yugito Nii's disappearance.
• Intelligence reported to Ronglin that Sunagakure had received no useful news and Akatsuki's members had vanished.
• Ronglin reasoned that Deidara and Sasori had likely carried Gaara away by air, making pursuit difficult and Minato's trip fruitless.
• Ronglin considered which Jinchuriki Akatsuki might target next and noted that the other villages might hide their Jinchuriki or unite against Akatsuki.

Ronglin considered how Akatsuki’s scattered Jinchuriki targets would complicate their plans and looked forward to the chaos they would cause. Meanwhile, Minato’s team failed to find the airborne attackers who had fled from Sunagakure.

• Ronglin noted that Roshi, Utakata, and Fuu were wandering outside their villages, while Han and Killer B remained in their villages and would be harder for Akatsuki to capture.
• Ronglin anticipated that Akatsuki might eventually attack Iwagakure and Kumogakure to seize their protected Jinchuriki.
• Ronglin thought about settling old debts once the situation grew chaotic.
• Minato led reinforcements to Sunagakure, arriving two days after receiving the mission, and began tracking the enemy with several Sand shinobi.
• Minato concluded that the airborne enemy had left no usable clues and that the team could not continue tracking them from their rough direction of travel.

Minato and his team searched with Sunagakure for Akatsuki after the enemy abducted the One-Tail Jinchuriki, but they found no trail. Minato led his men to continue helping, while accepting that their mission might have to be reported as a failure.

• Minato noted that Rasa's injuries had stabilized and told his team that Sunagakure would have to endure the consequences of the abduction.
• Konoha shinobi mocked Sunagakure's weakness and boasted about Konoha's strength, unaware that Ronglin had stopped involving himself in village affairs.
• Minato privately blamed himself for what had happened and felt guilty about summoning Gama Bunta.
• A shinobi asked how they could report their failure to Tsunade, since Akatsuki had vanished without leaving clues.
• Minato ordered his team to report the truth and help Sunagakure search, then led them into the search.

Akatsuki sealed the One-Tail’s Chakra and discussed their next targets while Gaara and the other Jinchuriki faced extraction. Nagato warned the members to stay alert as Hidan suggested attacking Konoha for the Nine-Tails.

• Akatsuki gathered in a concealed cave and began extracting Shukaku’s Chakra from Gaara.
• Nagato reprimanded Deidara and Sasori for the commotion their operation had caused, and Deidara defended his artistic approach.
• Orochimaru told Deidara that his target had been captured easily, while Danzo stayed silent.
• Nagato announced that Akatsuki had secured the One-Tail, Two-Tails, and Three-Tails and would next pursue the Four-Tails and Five-Tails.
• Hidan asked whether Akatsuki should attack Konoha for the Nine-Tails, and Danzo called him an idiot.

Akatsuki decided to avoid the Nine-Tails and pursue other Tailed Beasts, assigning the Four-Tails to Hidan and Kakuzu. Meanwhile, Ay grew impatient with the search for Akatsuki and feared Yugito Nii had been captured.

• Hidan argued for revenge against Uchiha Ronglin, but Yahiko stopped the dispute and said they could not target the Nine-Tails.
• Yahiko tasked Orochimaru with finding a substitute for the Nine-Tails and assigned the Four-Tails to Hidan and Kakuzu.
• Hidan gleefully anticipated capturing Roshi, while the others silently pitied the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki.
• Ay said the villages could not wait for Akatsuki's unknown plan to unfold.
• Ay's secretary reported that Yugito Nii was still missing, and Ay vowed not to let Akatsuki get away with it.

Ay received a report that Sunagakure had failed to find its abducted One-Tail Jinchuriki, and he worried that Akatsuki might target Killer B next. The secretary urged him to keep a close watch on Killer B.

• Ay asked whether there was any news from Sunagakure, and his secretary said the search had found nothing.
• The secretary reported that Minato Namikaze was preparing to leave Sunagakure and that Fourth Kazekage Rasa was recovering.
• Ay started to criticize Rasa, then remembered how badly Kumogakure had suffered against Uchiha Ronglin.
• The secretary explained that Deidara and Sasori were no match for Uchiha Ronglin, and Ay agreed that their attacks on Sunagakure could not be compared to his own experience.
• Ay worried that Akatsuki might target Killer B, and the secretary advised keeping a close watch on him.

Ay warned Killer B to remain in the village because of Akatsuki’s possible plans, while Ronglin heard that the search for the Sage Lands had found no leads. Ronglin dismissed the idea of involving the Uchiha clan and told his followers to continue searching patiently.

• Ay and his secretary discussed whether to invite the other villages’ Kage to a meeting about Akatsuki, then agreed not to overreact to rumors.
• Ay told Killer B he could not leave the village and ordered him to train, teach, and rest there, leaving Killer B dejected.
• Mei Terumi reported to Ronglin that the search for the Sage Lands had found no leads and suggested using Uchiha manpower.
• Ronglin refused to involve the Uchiha clan, explaining that the entrances to Mount Myōboku and Shikkotsu Forest were sealed and hard to detect.

Ronglin discussed Akatsuki’s escape and Sunagakure’s priorities, then remembered Kimimaro, the last survivor of the Kaguya clan. He sent Kisame to bring Kimimaro to meet him.

• Uchiha Diqin told Ronglin that Minato had returned without finding Akatsuki and that Sunagakure had stopped searching for Gaara.
• Ronglin reasoned that Sunagakure would prioritize protecting the injured Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, over recovering its Jinchuriki.
• Ronglin recalled how Kirigakure had wiped out the Kaguya clan after it attacked the weakened village, leaving Kimimaro as its last survivor.
• Ronglin dismissed the others and ordered Kisame to bring Kimimaro to see him.

Ronglin decided to meet Kimimaro, whose hereditary illness had left him frail despite years of training under Hyuga Hiashi. Kimimaro had long felt forgotten by Ronglin, but Kisame Hoshigaki arrived to bring him to the Hokage.

• Ronglin sent the others out of his training chamber and decided to meet Kimimaro.
• The chapter explained that Kimimaro had lived in Konoha since childhood and trained under Hyuga Hiashi, though his hereditary disease weakened him.
• Kimimaro sensed Kisame Hoshigaki approaching and reflected on how he envied Ronglin's four powerful guards.
• Kisame told Kimimaro that Lord Hokage had sent him, then called him a sickly kid.
• Kimimaro bristled at Kisame's way of addressing him.

Kimimaro followed Kisame Hoshigaki to meet Ronglin in the secret chamber, where Ronglin tested him with overwhelming pressure. Ronglin asked how he was settling into life in Konoha, and Kimimaro answered that he was doing well.

• Kisame Hoshigaki told Kimimaro to follow him to Ronglin's secret chamber.
• Kisame Hoshigaki stopped at the entrance and sent Kimimaro inside alone.
• Kimimaro knelt before Ronglin and greeted him respectfully.
• Ronglin's immense pressure made Kimimaro feel as if his bones might shatter.
• Ronglin asked whether Kimimaro had adjusted to life in Konoha, and Kimimaro said he had been doing well.

Ronglin used overwhelming pressure to force Kimimaro to his knees and explained that he believed the Kaguya clan’s hereditary disease came from a genetic defect. The chapter ended with Kimimaro unable to answer when the disease first appeared in his clan.

• Ronglin told Kimimaro that his condition was worsening and that he might not live past fifteen.
• Kimimaro rose against Ronglin’s pressure, but Ronglin ordered him to kneel and crushed the stone floor beneath him.
• Ronglin questioned Kimimaro about the Kaguya clan’s hereditary disease and proposed that a genetic defect caused it.
• Kimimaro said he did not know when the disease had first appeared because he had come to Konoha at a young age.
• Ronglin connected the Kaguya clan’s possible genetic defect to the same problem he believed the Uchiha had.

Ronglin offered to cure Kimimaro’s hereditary illness in exchange for repayment, then left him to consider the offer. Meanwhile, Tsunade learned that Akatsuki had abducted the Two-Tails Jinchuriki after taking Gaara, and feared the organization was targeting all the tailed beasts.

• Ronglin told Kimimaro he might cure his illness and asked how Kimimaro would repay him.
• Ronglin left the secret chamber with Kisame Hoshigaki and told him to have Uchiha Diqin prepare food.
• Tsunade received Minato’s report that the investigation into Akatsuki had yielded no useful intelligence.
• Tsunade learned that unknown attackers had abducted Yugito Nii, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, after Gaara was taken.
• White Fang suspected Akatsuki was collecting tailed beasts, while Tsunade lamented that the hidden enemy had left no clues.

Tsunade and White Fang discussed whether Ronglin might know something and how dangerous it would be to question him. White Fang left the problem to Tsunade, who was left to find a way to approach Ronglin.

• White Fang suggested that Ronglin might know something, and Tsunade doubted it because he stayed secluded to train.
• Tsunade recalled that Ronglin had nearly killed Jiraiya and Minato and that Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique had failed against him.
• White Fang said Ronglin's strength made confronting him too dangerous and left the matter to Tsunade.
• Tsunade remained alone in the Hokage's Office, lamenting the difficult situation.

Tsunade came to Ronglin’s house, drank heavily, and traded embarrassing jabs with him and Uchiha Diqin. Ronglin asked whether she had come to cause trouble, and Tsunade openly confirmed it.

• Tsunade entered Ronglin’s house and gulped down more than half a bottle of alcohol.
• Ronglin reminded Tsunade that the Hokage was not allowed to drink while working, and Tsunade retorted by recalling their past antics in the Hokage’s office.
• Uchiha Diqin returned with bowls and chopsticks, laughed at Tsunade’s embarrassment, and was teased by Tsunade about her own history with Ronglin.
• Ronglin stopped the bickering and asked Tsunade whether she had come to cause trouble or had Hokage business.
• Tsunade said she had come to cause trouble, and Uchiha Diqin slipped away.

Ronglin dodged Tsunade’s attempt to question him and later acknowledged her reminder that he needed to give Mei Terumi a clear answer. Mei remained by his side without knowing where their relationship stood.

• Ronglin left Tsunade alone when he realized she was trying to draw something out of him.
• Tsunade demanded an answer, and Ronglin said her earlier choices had already set events in motion.
• Ronglin told Tsunade to bring Shizune along if she wanted to persuade him to reveal anything, provoking her anger.
• The next morning, Tsunade reminded Ronglin that Mei Terumi was waiting for him to decide what their relationship meant.
• Ronglin acknowledged the reminder while Mei Terumi remained asleep beside him.

Ronglin warned Tsunade that Akatsuki was targeting the tailed beasts and that its leader could destroy the ninja villages. Tsunade rushed to mobilize Konoha, while Ronglin stayed behind and slept.

• Tsunade left after Ronglin warned her that Akatsuki was capturing the tailed beasts and that Gaara and Yugito Nii were likely dead.
• Ronglin warned that if Akatsuki captured the beasts through the Eight-Tails, a disaster would engulf the Ninja World.
• Tsunade hurried back to the Hokage's Office Building and sent Anbu and Konoha's leadership into action.
• Uchiha Diqin woke at the sound of Tsunade slamming the door, and Ronglin told her to go back to sleep.
• Konoha's ordinary ninjas noticed the tense atmosphere but did not know what had happened.

Tsunade told Konoha’s leaders that Akatsuki was abducting Jinchuriki to capture the Tailed Beasts and warned that the organization’s next targets were the remaining Jinchuriki. The meeting ended with everyone considering how vulnerable the scattered Jinchuriki were, as someone asked about the Nine-Tails.

• Tsunade summoned Konoha’s higher-ups and reported Akatsuki’s attacks on Sunagakure’s One-Tail Jinchuriki, Gaara, and Kumogakure’s Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii.
• Tsunade said Uchiha Ronglin had warned that Akatsuki sought to capture all the Tailed Beasts, and she had told Ōnoki to protect Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki.
• White Fang explained that Iwagakure’s Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Kirigakure’s Six-Tails Jinchuriki, and the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki were all vulnerable because they lived outside their villages.
• White Fang said Kumogakure’s Eight-Tails Jinchuriki was relatively safe because Ay kept him in the village.
• Someone asked what would happen to the Nine-Tails.

Tsunade warned Konoha's leaders that Akatsuki's leader could destroy any village and revealed that Jiraiya had taught the three children who founded the organization. The meeting ended with a defense of Jiraiya, though Akatsuki's origins and threat remained tied to his past.

• Tsunade said Akatsuki would avoid provoking the Nine-Tails because of its master's strength.
• The Third Hokage and others said Ōnoki and Iwagakure could protect the Five-Tails Jinchuriki from Akatsuki.
• Tsunade revealed that the Fourth Hokage had reported Akatsuki's leader could raze any village and that collecting all the tailed beasts would bring disaster.
• Tsunade reminded the meeting that Jiraiya had taught the three children who later founded Akatsuki.
• Jiraiya denied responsibility, and someone argued that a teacher should not bear the blame for a disciple's actions.