Chapter Summaries

After the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki died, Danzo learned that both attacks he had arranged had failed and ordered Root to silence the Takigakure accomplices before Anbu reached them. Yuhara recovered in Konoha Hospital, entrusted Naruto’s supervision to Tigo, and suspected Danzo would escalate his efforts.

• A Root Ninja reported that the Third Hokage had dealt with the Jinchuriki and that Yuhara had survived the first attack after helping intercept the Seven-Tails.
• Danzo accepted the Jinchuriki’s death as a good outcome, noted Yuhara’s Eight Branches Technique and connection to Orochimaru, and ordered Root to reach the Takigakure accomplices before Anbu.
• Danzo reflected on his disappointment that the Third Hokage had not been seriously injured and his underlying belief that Hiruzen Sarutobi was the only one capable of leading Konoha.
• At Konoha Hospital, Yuhara told Tigo he was only slightly injured and entrusted Naruto’s protection and supervision to her.
• Yuhara concluded that the attacker was likely to become more extreme rather than abandon the failed scheme, and suspected Shimura Danzō.

After the Seven-Tails rampage, Yuhara answered Anbu questions while Konoha’s leaders debated how to respond to Takigakure and sent Shimura Danzō as an envoy. Once Yuhara recovered and left the hospital, he received a high-level mission from an unexpected applicant.

• Yuhara told the Anbu that the Seven-Tails’ rampage had been sudden and said Orochimaru had taught him the Eight Branches Technique.
• The Third Hokage decided Konoha would investigate Takigakure’s role while avoiding war and keeping the Chunin Ninja Exams on track.
• The remaining Chunin Ninja Exams concluded, and Tenzo passed; Yuhara spent a week in the hospital developing a four-nature composite ninjutsu for the Infinite Library.
• Kakashi told Yuhara that Shimura Danzō would lead Konoha’s envoy to Takigakure, prompting Yuhara to doubt the investigation would uncover anything.
• After recovering and leaving Konoha Hospital, Yuhara received a high-level mission from an unexpected applicant outside Konoha.

After returning from the Land of Whirlpools, Kushina learned more about Konoha’s response to the Tailed Beast attack while Yuhara resumed his work and watched Naruto. Yuhara was summoned to the Third Hokage’s office, where he learned that the Sand Village wanted him to join a cooperative mission.

• Kushina returned to Konoha, surveyed the battlefield, and planned to report her mission to the Third Hokage.
• Yuhara noticed the Uchiha Police Force stepping aside for him, then delivered a scroll to Tigo and saw Naruto behaving quietly in her care.
• Yuhara continued collecting feedback from ninjas testing the system, and Kushina returned to see Naruto.
• The Third Hokage summoned Yuhara and told him that the Sand Village had requested his participation in a cooperative mission.

Yuhara accepted the Sand Village’s request to help resolve its lack of a Kazekage, while waiting for the village to gather intelligence. Back in Konoha, Kakashi exchanged for Yuhara’s S-rank composite ninjutsu, then swore he would never use it after reading its required technique name.

• Yuhara questioned the Sand Village Ninja about the mission, learned it concerned the village’s lack of a Kazekage, and accepted the commission.
• Yuhara agreed to wait until the Sand Village gathered accurate intelligence before acting, and the Sand Village Ninja left Konoha to report back.
• Danzo returned from Takigakure with an agreement that Konoha would treat the tailed beast incident as an accident and help recapture the Seven-Tails after it revived.
• Kakashi asked Tigo for Yuhara’s original ninjutsu and exchanged one thousand points for its two scrolls.
• Kakashi read the S-rank technique’s requirements and copyright declaration, then vowed never to use it because of its name.

After Sunagakure finally found a lead for its joint mission, Yuhara brought Kakashi to the Land of Wind. They met the Sand envoy and Chiyo in a desert north of Sunagakure, where Chiyo had arrived with only one guard.

• Sunagakure contacted Yuhara with progress on the mission, and he chose Kakashi as his Konoha companion.
• Yuhara found Kakashi at a secluded training ground and told him to prepare for an emergency mission to the Land of Wind.
• Yuhara and Kakashi crossed the Land of Fire and traveled into the Land of Wind.
• The two Konoha ninja stopped at a designated desert location north of Sunagakure and Kakashi fired a signal flare.
• The Sand envoy and Chiyo arrived to meet Yuhara and Kakashi, with Chiyo accompanied by only one guard.

Yuhara and Kakashi set out with Sand Village jonin Saemon Matsudai to find Sasori of the Red Sands and bring him back alive. Chiyo stayed behind, worried about the mission, while Yuhara recognized that his abilities could counter Sasori’s techniques.

• Chiyo told Yuhara that bringing Sasori of the Red Sands back alive was the mission’s priority.
• Yuhara assured Chiyo that he was a professional at dealing with Puppet Masters, without guaranteeing Sasori would be unharmed.
• Saemon Matsudai led Yuhara and Kakashi north toward the area where the Sand Village believed Sasori was active.
• Yuhara asked the Sand Village ninja’s name and learned that Saemon Matsudai was a Puppet Master.

Orochimaru and Kakuzu traveled west to recruit someone for Akatsuki, while Yuhara, Kakashi, and Saemon Matsudai searched the Land of Demons for Sasori of the Red Sands. They found Sasori in a ruined town, where Yuhara stopped his puppet attack and introduced himself and Kakashi under false names.

• Orochimaru questioned Kakuzu about Akatsuki and the Rinnegan as they traveled to recruit another member.
• Yuhara, Kakashi, and Saemon headed to a town where Saemon hoped to find Sasori of the Red Sands, while warning that Sasori might be killed if he could not return to the Sand Village.
• The squad found a village slaughtered by what appeared to be a puppet master, then searched the region for about a week.
• Yuhara sensed Sasori in a deserted town and led the others into a direct confrontation.
• Sasori attacked Yuhara with a two-sided puppet, but Yuhara seized control of it and introduced himself and Kakashi as Annie Atom and Buzz Lightyear.

Yuhara and Kakashi confronted Orochimaru and Kakuzu as the Akatsuki members came to recruit Sasori, while Saemon fought Sasori nearby. Yuhara battled Kakuzu, and Kakashi killed Orochimaru with Kamui, leaving Kakuzu and the struggle over Sasori unresolved.

• Saemon told Sasori that the village had ordered his return, and Yuhara destroyed Sasori’s hovering Puppets before leaving Saemon to keep him occupied.
• Yuhara and Kakashi met Orochimaru and Kakuzu, who confirmed they had come for Sasori.
• Kakuzu attacked Yuhara, but Yuhara blocked his weapons, severed his wrist with Lightning Blade, and cut through his Earth Grudge Fear threads.
• Kakuzu sent his heart-bearing masks after Yuhara and then engulfed him in a combined Fire and Wind Release attack.
• Orochimaru fought Kakashi while discussing the mission to take Sasori, and Kakashi used Fire Release to force Orochimaru into position.
• Kakashi revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and used Kamui to twist Orochimaru’s neck apart, killing him.

Kakashi used Kamui to decapitate Orochimaru, but Orochimaru escaped death by replacing his head and prepared to capture Kakashi for his Sharingan. As Orochimaru attacked with the Eight Branches Technique, Kakashi shouted a cringeworthy secret technique name, leaving Orochimaru frozen in disbelief.

• Kakashi used Kamui to decapitate Orochimaru, then suffered severe pain from the strain on his Sharingan.
• Orochimaru emerged from his headless body and explained that he had replaced his entire body to survive losing his head.
• Orochimaru decided to take Kakashi and his Mangekyō Sharingan, while Kakashi argued that Konoha's protection made the eye difficult to steal.
• Kakashi swallowed two blue crystals to replenish his Chakra as Orochimaru closed in.
• Orochimaru transformed with the Eight Branches Technique and lunged at Kakashi, who shouted “Ninja Art Secret Technique: Divine Maiden's Brahma Conduct—Evening Smoke Topples the Nation,” freezing Orochimaru in disbelief.

Yuhara arrived in time to stop Sasori from killing Saemon Matsudai, while Kakashi and Orochimaru fought amid a massive blaze elsewhere. Sasori revealed that he had turned the Third Kazekage into a puppet, leaving Saemon shocked as Yuhara focused on the discovery.

• Kakashi's enormous fire technique engulfed Orochimaru, and Kakuzu judged that Kakashi had matched Orochimaru's power.
• Sasori defeated Saemon Matsudai and raised his sword to kill her while preparing to flee.
• Yuhara arrived, stopped Sasori's sword, and crushed it, explaining that Saemon was his liaison with the Sand Village.
• Sasori released a puppet from a scroll marked with the character Three, and Saemon recognized it as the Third Kazekage.
• Yuhara commented on the Kazekage's fate while Kakashi remained in danger elsewhere.

Yuhara battled Sasori and took control of the Third Kazekage Puppet, while Kakashi fought Orochimaru and was trapped by the Binding Curse Technique. Kakashi awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and vanished just as Kakuzu tried to kill him.

• Sasori sent the Third Kazekage Puppet after Yuhara, who pierced it with his scythe and kicked Saemon Matsudai out of the fight.
• Yuhara evaded Sasori's attacks, revealed his Magnet Release, and tricked Sasori into thinking the puppet's iron spike had pierced him before taking Sasori's right arm and control of the Kazekage Puppet.
• Sasori summoned his Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets, and Yuhara charged into the puppet army alongside the Kazekage Puppet.
• Kakashi used his fire technique against Orochimaru's giant serpent, but Orochimaru pierced Kakashi's shoulder with the Kusanagi Sword and then immobilized him with the Binding Curse Technique.
• Kakuzu moved to finish Kakashi with a kunai, but Kakashi's Sharingan transformed into the Mangekyo and he vanished before the strike landed.

Yuhara defeated Sasori and sealed him so Saemon Matsudai could carry him back to the Sand Village, while Kakashi escaped Orochimaru and Kakuzu using a mysterious spatial ability. With Saemon gone and Yuhara joining Kakashi, Orochimaru refused Yuhara’s offer to end the fight.

• Yuhara used the Third Kazekage puppet’s Iron Sand World Method to destroy Sasori’s puppet formation, then crippled Sasori’s puppet limbs and sealed him inside an iron-sand shell.
• Yuhara handed the sealed Sasori to Saemon Matsudai and told her to return to the Sand Village while he and Kakashi held off Orochimaru and Kakuzu.
• Saemon accepted the mission item and left without asking to reclaim the Third Kazekage puppet.
• Kakashi broke free of the Binding Curse Technique and escaped more than thirty meters, leading Orochimaru to suspect that his Mangekyō Sharingan granted a spatial ability.
• Yuhara joined Kakashi and confirmed that the mission had succeeded, then offered to end the fight; Orochimaru rejected the proposal.

Yuhara fought Orochimaru, who countered his armor with a new shockwave technique and venomous snakes. Yuhara answered by unleashing a huge mass of iron sand to begin forming a giant construct, leaving the battle poised for his new technique.

• Yuhara activated Mina Shikyō and took on Orochimaru while Kakashi prepared to face Kakuzu.
• Yuhara struck Orochimaru repeatedly, but Orochimaru’s Soft Body Modification blunted the damage and his snakes and Kusanagi Sword kept the fight going.
• Orochimaru hit Yuhara with Sakuma Kami Tori Naoshi, a shockwave attack that bypassed his armor and injured him internally.
• Orochimaru’s venomous snakes began dissolving Yuhara’s armor, but Yuhara roasted them with lightning.
• Yuhara announced Sixty-Cycle Twelve Gods, released his Chakra, and drew iron sand from across the battlefield to gather beneath his feet.

Kakashi and Kakuzu fought hand to hand until Yuhara's iron-sand attack struck Kakuzu and drove him from the battle. Yuhara then overwhelmed Orochimaru with his giant metal form, leaving Orochimaru badly injured.

• Kakashi and Kakuzu exchanged taijutsu blows, with Kakashi's armor stopping Kakuzu's kunai and his short sword cutting Kakuzu's face.
• Yuhara gathered iron sand into a giant form, and Kakuzu mistook the immense Chakra for a tailed beast.
• Kakuzu rushed at Kakashi, but Yuhara's lightning-charged iron spear impaled him and hurled him beyond the ruins.
• Kakuzu freed himself from the spear with his Earth Grudge Fear threads and fled, abandoning Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru raised a giant snake to observe Yuhara, but Yuhara smashed it and struck Orochimaru into the ground, badly injuring him.

Yuhara used an extreme iron-sand technique to bury Orochimaru and force him to retreat, though the effort left him injured. After treating their wounds, Yuhara and Kakashi prepared to withdraw toward the Land of Wind, and Yuhara salvaged a familiar-looking puppet from the iron sand.

• Yuhara's iron-sand colossus collapsed after burying Orochimaru, and he climbed out injured.
• Kakashi questioned why Yuhara had used such a powerful technique, and Yuhara said it was necessary to force Orochimaru to retreat.
• Yuhara and Kakashi treated their injuries, and Yuhara explained that he had developed the technique to counter the Uchiha's Susanoo.
• Yuhara told Kakashi to head toward the Land of Wind to protect the Sand Village's ninjas, then retrieved a familiar-looking puppet from the iron-sand mound.
• Orochimaru withdrew toward the Land of Rain in a battered state, pleased by what he had discovered despite failing to obtain what he wanted.

Orochimaru and Kakuzu abandoned their mission to capture Sasori after clashing with Konoha ninja, and Konan ordered them back to the Land of Rain. Meanwhile, Yuhara and Kakashi confirmed that Chikamatsu Monzaemon had safely returned to the Sand Village and continued toward the Land of Fire.

• Orochimaru and Kakuzu argued after failing to reach Sasori, and Konan appeared to reprimand them and end the mission.
• Orochimaru grotesquely shed his injured body and emerged unharmed, unsettling Konan before the three returned to the Land of Rain.
• Konan went to report to Nagato while Orochimaru and Kakuzu parted ways; later, Orochimaru secretly sent a scroll by messenger snake from his base.
• Yuhara and Kakashi escorted Chikamatsu Monzaemon toward the Land of Wind, then turned back after confirming she had Sand Village assistance.
• A Sand Village hawk delivered word that Chikamatsu had returned safely, and Yuhara dismissed Kakashi’s concerns about leaving the puppet behind.

Yuhara gave Tigo the Third Kazekage puppet to strengthen the Secret Realm’s defenses before he and Kakashi returned to Konoha. While they recovered in the hospital, Orochimaru sent Danzō a message that prompted him to investigate an old mission in the Land of Rain.

• Yuhara presented Tigo with the Third Kazekage puppet, and she learned to control its iron sand using Magnet Release.
• Yuhara and Kakashi returned to Konoha and received increased mission rewards after reporting their encounter with Orochimaru.
• A Summoning Snake infiltrated Root and delivered Orochimaru’s scroll to Danzō.
• After reading the message, Danzō ordered a subordinate to retrieve the files about a past joint mission with Hanzō in the Land of Rain.

Orochimaru pieced together Akatsuki’s origins from an old mission dossier, while Yuhara recovered from his mission in Konoha. His rest ended when Tenzo informed him that Konoha had selected him for a jonin combat tournament proposed by Kushina Uzumaki.

• Orochimaru read a dossier about Root and the Rain Village’s failed attempt to destroy Akatsuki, and connected Yahiko’s group to the current organization.
• Orochimaru realized Jiraiya had likely stayed in the Land of Rain to find the Rinnegan’s owner and remembered that his former disciples had died.
• Yuhara finished recovering from his injuries and spent several days resting at home.
• Tenzo visited Yuhara with news that Konoha would hold a competitive event for jonin to maintain their combat skills.
• Tenzo told Yuhara that the higher-ups would select participants and that Yuhara could not avoid joining because of his reputation and medals.
• Yuhara learned that Kushina Uzumaki had proposed the tournament.

Yuhara joined Kushina Uzumaki’s jōnin combat assessment and arrived at the forest battlefield with Kakashi and Shibi Aburame. The first match began with Shibi facing Hizashi Hyuga, whose Byakugan revealed Shibi taking a substance that sharply increased his chakra.

• Yuhara learned that thirty Konoha jōnin would participate in Kushina Uzumaki’s combat assessment, with himself, Kakashi, and Shibi Aburame representing their organization.
• Yuhara observed the Crimson Crown organization preparing to host the event and learned that the duels would take place in a forest battlefield.
• A week later, Yuhara, Kakashi, and Shibi arrived at the battlefield, where Yuhara complained that no reward had been announced.
• Kushina explained the rules, served as referee, and randomly selected Shibi Aburame and Hizashi Hyuga for the opening match.
• Hizashi used his Byakugan to watch Shibi take a substance that rapidly increased his chakra.

Shibi Aburame defeated Hizashi Hyuga by overwhelming him with Kikaichū, while Yuhara waited until the final battle of the first round to face Yūhi Shinkurō. Shinkurō thanked Yuhara for his actions during the Nine-Tails incident, and Yuhara responded with an awkward warning about his health.

• Shibi Aburame used his Kikaichū swarm to drain Hizashi Hyuga's Chakra and win their battle.
• Shibi Aburame helped Hizashi leave the battlefield, while Yuhara and Kakashi recoiled from him after learning how many insect eggs he carried.
• The first round continued over several days, and Kakashi defeated his opponent on the second day.
• Yuhara waited until the final day of the first round to meet his opponent openly in the center of the battlefield.
• Yūhi Shinkurō thanked Yuhara for his actions during the Nine-Tails incident, and Yuhara told him to get up early and go to bed early.