Chapter Summaries

Tsunade told Sakumo that the Yuki Clan had asked Konoha to rescue them from Kirigakure’s extermination campaign in exchange for joining the village. Sakumo accepted the mission for the Anbu, and Tsunade promised to send him the intelligence.

• Tsunade woke beside Kawafune, then joined Sakumo, Nayuki, Minato, and the others for breakfast.
• Tsunade asked Minato about his Anbu missions, and Sakumo praised the team’s work.
• Tsunade revealed that Kirigakure was exterminating the Yuki Clan and that the clan had asked Konoha for rescue in exchange for allegiance.
• Sakumo considered the other villages’ likely responses, and Tsunade explained that Kumogakure was occupied with its Jinchuriki.
• Sakumo accepted the rescue mission for the Anbu, and Tsunade said she would send him the intelligence.

Kawafune delivered Tsunade’s intelligence on the Yuki Clan to Sakumo, who assigned Minato, Nawaki, and their team to rescue the clan from the Land of Water. The team prepared to depart with orders to prioritize their own safety if the mission became impossible.

• Kawafune visited the school, found no work waiting, and went to the Hokage Building, where Tsunade asked him to deliver intelligence on the Yuki Clan to Sakumo.
• Kawafune used the Flying Thunder God to appear in Sakumo’s office, dodged Sakumo’s attack, and handed over the document.
• Sakumo read that the Yuki Clan was endangered by Kirigakure Anbu and ordered eight Anbu members to rescue the clan and bring them safely to Konoha.
• Sakumo told the team to save whoever they could if the mission became impossible and to prioritize their own safety if necessary.
• Kawafune recognized Minato and Nawaki among the team, urged them to return safely, and left as Sakumo sent them to gather supplies.

Minato and Nawaki's team traveled to the Land of Water to rescue the Yuki Clan, learning that the Third Mizukage had targeted the clan for its Ice Release. After secretly entering the country, they set out toward the clan's hiding place while Kirigakure's Anbu continued closing in on the desperate survivors.

• Tsunade worried about Minato, Nawaki, and their team, and Kawafune reassured her by praising their abilities.
• Minato's group boarded Hiroki's cargo ship, and Hiroki explained Kirigakure's brutal rule and the Third Mizukage's purge of the Yuki Clan.
• The team disguised themselves as dockworkers and secretly left the harbor at night, while Shadow Clones remained aboard the ship to conceal their departure.
• After reuniting beneath a tree, Minato showed the others the Yuki Clan's identifying mark and led them north toward the rescue site.
• Kirigakure's Anbu continued searching for the Yuki Clan, whose survivors feared they might not hold out until Minato's team arrived.

The Yuki Clan Head decided to lead his remaining clansmen in a desperate break through before Kirigakure's Anbu could find them. Minato and Nawaki's group followed the Yuki Clan's trail, captured an Anbu, and learned the clan was still alive somewhere inside the encirclement.

• The Yuki Clan Head learned that Teng Zai had sacrificed himself and decided the clan had to break through to preserve its bloodline.
• The Yuki Clan Head told the clansmen that those who survived should flee and live under assumed names.
• Nawaki and Minato found the Yuki Clan's marks, but the trail ended in the mountains.
• Nagato sensed people ahead, and Minato captured a masked Kirigakure Anbu.
• Lion interrogated the Anbu and learned the Yuki Clan had not yet been found, though Kirigakure's forces had narrowed down its location.
• Minato led the group deeper into the encirclement, moving cautiously toward the Yuki Clan.

The Yuki Clan attempted to break through Kirigakure Anbu but fell into a trap, and the Clan Head was nearly killed. Minato, Nawaki, and their allies arrived to rescue the clan and devastated the Anbu, leaving the surviving enemies facing them beside a newly formed lake.

• The Yuki Clan Head led his people toward the sparsely guarded side, but their Ice Release attack struck water clones and dozens of Kirigakure Anbu surrounded them.
• The Clan Head trapped three Anbu with Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals while the young man used Ice Rock Dome of Nothingness to shield the clan, but the Anbu leader killed two clansmen and wounded the Clan Head.
• Minato arrived and struck the Anbu leader with Big Ball Rasengan, while Nawaki used Great Dam Water Formation Wall to sweep away Anbu around the Yuki Clan.
• Yahiko and the others joined Minato and Nawaki to protect the Yuki Clan, and Nawaki unleashed Water Shockwave against the remaining Kirigakure Anbu, causing heavy losses.

Nawaki, Minato, and their allies defeated the Kirigakure Anbu sent to hunt the Yuki Clan. They treated the clan’s wounded and began escorting the survivors to Konoha.

• Nawaki, Minato, Konan, Nagato, Yahiko, Lion, and the others slaughtered the Kirigakure Anbu with their combined abilities.
• The Yuki Clan watched the battle and agreed to join Konoha, recognizing they had no way to resist.
• Minato killed the last surviving Anbu, leaving none alive to escape.
• Nawaki and Minato told the Yuki Clan they would take them to Konoha, and Nagato healed their injured members.
• Minato ordered the enlarged group to set off down the mountain under cover of night.

Uchiha Madara learned that Nagato had gone to the Land of Water and used his power over the Third Mizukage to send the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist after him. Minato, Nawaki, Yahiko, and the Yuki Clan continued toward an eastern port, unaware that the hunters were closing in.

• Zetsu reported that Nagato had left Konoha for the Land of Water, and Madara decided to let him mature there before taking the Rinnegan.
• Madara opened his eyes, and the Third Mizukage summoned the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and ordered them to capture a red-haired boy from Konoha.
• Suikazan Fuguki proposed watching the ports for the target, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist left Kirigakure to carry out the mission.
• Minato and his companions continued escorting the Yuki Clan toward an isolated eastern port while encouraging the clan to endure leaving their homeland.
• The group neared the port, where the ship sent to receive them had already docked, as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist searched for them.

Minato’s group and the Yuki Clan confronted the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and the two sides began a fierce battle. The fight remained unresolved as each of the swordsmen engaged their opponents.

• The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist used the Hiding in Mist Technique to ambush Minato’s group and the Yuki Clan.
• The Yuki Clan leader countered with a joint Wind Style technique that cleared the mist and revealed the seven swordsmen.
• Nawaki’s Water Dragon was absorbed by Suikazan Fuguki’s Samehada, and the Yuki Clan blocked Fuguki’s hair senbon with an ice wall.
• Minato struck Juzo Biwa with a Rasengan, cracking the Kubikiribōchō, while Nawaki fought Fuguki at close range.
• Nagato faced Hozuki Chojuro, Konan and Yahiko fought Munashi Jinpachi, the Lion Trio engaged Jinin Akebino and Kushimaru Kuriarare, and the Yuki Clan battled Raiga Kurosuki.

Nawaki and Minato defeated Suikazan Fuguki after Nawaki drew him into a trap, and Nawaki claimed Samehada as his new partner. The battle with Juzo Biwa continued as Minato confronted him.

• Nawaki battled Suikazan Fuguki, endured Samehada draining his Chakra, and adapted to the living blade's attacks.
• Fuguki fused with Samehada and gained the advantage, but Nawaki fought defensively and lured him into Minato's ambush.
• Minato stabbed Fuguki through the heart, killing him and leaving Samehada behind.
• Juzo Biwa charged toward Nawaki and Minato, while Nawaki took Samehada and found that it absorbed his blood and shared Chakra with him.
• Minato began fighting Juzo Biwa as Nawaki welcomed Samehada as his new partner.

Nagato defeated Hozuki Chojuro with a coordinated five-element attack, while Minato and Nawaki killed Juzo Biwa. With their opponents down, Minato and Nawaki moved to help the Yuki Clan, which remained trapped under Raiga Kurosuki's assault.

• Juzo Biwa used a Water Clone to escape Minato and Nawaki's attack, then saw that Nagato was overwhelming Hozuki Chojuro.
• Nagato paralyzed Hozuki Chojuro with Lightning Release and destroyed him and Hiramekarei with the Five-Element Great Bullet Technique.
• Nagato exhausted his Chakra and took a Military Ration Pill while Minato and Nawaki fought Juzo Biwa.
• Nawaki drained much of Juzo Biwa's Chakra, and Minato killed him with a Rasengan that also shattered the Kubikiribōchō.
• Minato and Nawaki confirmed Nagato was safe and went to aid the Yuki Clan, whose members were still struggling against Raiga Kurosuki's Lightning Funeral: Feast of Lightning.

Nawaki and Minato helped defeat the remaining members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. After Raiga and Munashi Jinpachi fell, they joined the others and wiped out Jinin Akebino and Kushimaru Kuriarare, leaving the entire group dead.

• Minato wounded Raiga while Nawaki distracted him, and Samehada absorbed Raiga’s lightning before Minato killed him.
• Nawaki and Minato joined Konan and Yahiko against Munashi Jinpachi, whose explosive attack left a crater but failed to catch them.
• Minato used the Flying Thunder God to save himself and Nawaki from Munashi Jinpachi’s blast, and Nawaki killed the exhausted swordsman.
• Nawaki joined the fight against Jinin Akebino and Kushimaru Kuriarare as the group turned the battle into five against two.
• Nawaki beheaded Jinin Akebino, and Minato killed Kushimaru Kuriarare with a Rasengan, wiping out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

After defeating the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Nawaki and Minato secured the captured blades and prepared to leave. They boarded a ship with their Konoha contact, who planned to take them to the Land of Waves to change ships for safety.

• Nawaki and Minato collected the five captured ninja blades while Nagato treated Lion and two others for their wounds.
• The Yuki Clan leader explained Kubikiribōchō’s blood-absorbing ability and said the Hozuki Clan kept a scroll that could summon the ninja blades.
• Nawaki summoned Mao, a sealing python from Ryūchi Cave, which sealed the five blades into its scroll.
• Minato led the group to the harbor, where they verified their contact with the code phrase and met Konoha Genin Aso Ichiro.
• Aso Ichiro took the group aboard a ship and set course for the Land of Waves so they could change ships.

Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Kawafune tested their improved Hashirama-cell experiment on a prisoner, who briefly awakened Wood Style before dying. The experiment showed that the method could produce the desired ability, but the subject’s life force still failed to endure it.

• Tsunade woke Kawafune early and took him to the hospital lab to review the final experimental results with Orochimaru.
• Kawafune and Tsunade joined Orochimaru in the sealed Live Specimen Lab, where they examined a surviving test subject with unusually fast healing.
• Orochimaru awakened the restrained prisoner, whose hands transformed into enormous branches as he manifested Wood Style.
• The prisoner’s body withered and he died, leaving Kawafune to question why Orochimaru had called the experiment a success.

Kawafune learned that the latest experiment with cells fused from his and Hashirama’s cells had met expectations, making his own transplantation safe to proceed with. He also raised the possibility of using the fused cells on others, though Tsunade and Orochimaru warned that each recipient would need separate testing.

• Orochimaru and Tsunade examined the test subject and found no rejection or other abnormalities; the subject had died of natural causes after using Wood Style.
• Tsunade confirmed that the results met expectations, and Orochimaru explained that the experiments had reduced the risk of transplanting Hashirama’s cells into Kawafune.
• Kawafune kissed Tsunade to thank her for protecting him, and she denied that she had continued the experiments for his sake.
• Kawafune asked whether their fused cells could be transplanted into other people, and Tsunade said it was theoretically possible but risky.
• Orochimaru said each potential recipient would need separate cell experiments, and he and Tsunade considered themselves likely candidates for a later batch.

Tsunade and Orochimaru examined Kawafune and began transplanting Hashirama Native Cells into him. The procedure caused intense pain and alarming changes before Kawafune lost consciousness.

• Tsunade drew Kawafune's blood while Orochimaru led him to another room for a physical examination.
• Orochimaru checked Kawafune and joked that he should nourish his kidneys, prompting Tsunade to scold and hit them both.
• After reviewing the blood analysis, Tsunade prepared a transplant of Hashirama Native Cells for Kawafune.
• Tsunade injected the cloudy liquid into Kawafune while she and Orochimaru watched the monitoring instruments.
• Kawafune screamed as his body temperature and blood pressure rose, Hashirama's faces appeared across his skin, and his cells repeatedly broke down and regenerated.
• The pain suddenly stopped, and Kawafune rolled his eyes back and fell unconscious.

Kawafune awakened after surviving the fusion with Hashirama's Native Cells, and Tsunade and Orochimaru took him to celebrate with a meal. The chapter ended with Kawafune devouring barbecue while nearby ninja joked about Tsunade keeping him hungry.

• Tsunade and Orochimaru watched Kawafune's readings stabilize and waited as he smiled and spoke in his sleep.
• Tsunade and Orochimaru discussed Jiraiya's plans to marry Fukuko Maki and Orochimaru's plans to marry Pakura.
• Kawafune woke up hungry, and Tsunade helped him leave the Operating Room with Orochimaru and Misaki.
• Kawafune and the others went to a barbecue restaurant, where he ate voraciously after the cell fusion drained his strength.
• Several ninja joked that Tsunade had starved Kawafune, and Tsunade asked Orochimaru whether she seemed scary.

After awakening Wood Style through Hashirama Cells, Kawafune visited Mito and studied Hashirama’s training scrolls, then demonstrated his first Wood Style technique. He teleported Tsunade, Orochimaru, Mito, Kushina, and Misaki to a remote forest so he could try another jutsu.

• Kawafune realized he could absorb Natural Energy continuously and told Tsunade he thought he had awakened Wood Style.
• Orochimaru suggested checking the Scroll of Seals, and Tsunade led everyone to the Senju Residence to visit Mito.
• Mito gave Kawafune Hashirama’s Wood Style scrolls after the Nine-Tails reacted fearfully to him.
• Kawafune read the scroll, formed Wood Style Chakra, and grew branches from his fingertips.
• Kawafune took Tsunade’s and Orochimaru’s hands, gathered the group, and used Flying Thunder God to teleport them to a forest outside Konoha.

Kawafune demonstrated his mastery of the Flying Thunder God and summoned the enormous True Several Thousand Hands, astonishing Mito, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Kushina, and Misaki. His technique shook Konoha, and the chapter ended with several villagers recognizing the spectacle and suspecting Tsunade and Orochimaru’s experiment had succeeded.

• Kawafune transported the group with the Flying Thunder God, impressing Mito with his skill.
• Kawafune used Sage Art: Wood Style: True Several Thousand Hands and raised a colossal Kannon statue with more than a thousand arms.
• Mito confirmed that the technique had been Hashirama’s strongest Sage Art, while the Nine-Tails recalled being captured by Hashirama.
• Konoha patrol shinobi arrived to investigate, and Tsunade told them Kawafune had been practicing ninjutsu and ordered them to reassure the village.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen recognized Hashirama’s technique, Fugaku suspected it was connected to the Hashirama Cells research, and Jiraiya realized Tsunade and Orochimaru had succeeded.

Uchiha Madara replaced his eye and tightened his control over the Third Mizukage, who set out for the Land of Fire. Meanwhile, Minato and the others arrived in the Land of Waves, where a gigantic three-tailed turtle bearing a Mangekyō Sharingan approached them.

• A mist ninja reported that the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had died and their swords had been taken by Konoha, and the Third Mizukage dismissed the news without anger.
• Uchiha Madara replaced his eye with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan and drained his ocular power to strengthen his control over the Third Mizukage.
• The Third Mizukage left Kirigakure and headed toward the Land of Fire, fearing Nagato might return to Konoha and end his opportunity.
• Minato, Nawaki, Konan, Yahiko, and their companions reached the Land of Waves and joked about who would pay for dinner before eating at a rabbit restaurant.
• Minato paid for the meal, and the group went to a hot spring bathhouse while a gigantic three-tailed turtle with a Mangekyō Sharingan raced toward the Land of Waves.

Nawaki and his companions rested at a hot spring before boarding a ship from the Land of Waves to the Land of Fire, while Yahiko asked Nawaki to teach him Water Style. As the ship departed, Nagato sensed a powerful Chakra approaching from behind.

• Minato teased Nawaki about his past bathhouse visits, and Nawaki accidentally admitted that he and Jiraiya had run away after causing trouble.
• Konan told women from the Yuki Clan that Hatake Kawafune was her teacher and that the Hokage was his wife.
• Nawaki paid the hot spring bill, and the group spent the night before Aso Ichiro led them onto the transfer ship to the Land of Fire.
• Yahiko asked Nawaki to teach him Tobirama's Water Style, and Nawaki agreed while warning him that it was difficult to learn.
• Nagato sensed a powerful Chakra rapidly approaching from behind the ship and warned the others.