Chapter Summaries

Kawafune took Nayuki to the hospital, where Tsunade confirmed she was pregnant and promised to oversee her care. After teasing Tsunade and leaving the hospital, Kawafune ordered Ghost Mastiff to prepare a strong pup for his future nephew.

• Kawafune brought Nayuki to the hospital and waited with Sakumo for Tsunade to finish teaching.
• Tsunade examined Nayuki and told Sakumo that he was going to be a father.
• Kawafune asked Tsunade about the dangers of difficult childbirth, and she promised to protect Nayuki and the baby.
• Kawafune flirted with Tsunade in her office until Nayuki briefly opened the door and caught them.
• Kawafune returned home and forced Ghost Mastiff to promise it would prepare a strong pup for his nephew.

Might Duy visited Kawafune to thank him for helping him become a Chunin, and Sakumo challenged him to a taijutsu spar. Duy revealed the power of the Eight Gates and impressed Sakumo, who recognized that Duy had not truly lost.

• Might Duy thanked Kawafune for helping him earn his Chunin rank and said he could now take on better-paying missions for his pregnant wife and child.
• Kawafune suggested that Duy spar with Sakumo so his brother could see Duy's taijutsu firsthand.
• Duy removed his weights and opened the Gate of Life, overpowering Sakumo with his speed and strength.
• Sakumo used the Flying Thunder God to evade Duy and counterattacked, but Duy opened the Gate of View and unleashed Morning Peacock.
• Duy conceded the spar, and Sakumo admitted Duy would have killed him if they had been fighting seriously.

Kawafune advised Tsunade to request Hashirama’s cells from Hiruzen under strict research conditions, while Sakumo began learning the Eight Gates Formation from Duy. The chapter ended with Tsunade arriving at the Hokage’s office to make her request.

• Duy explained the Eight Gates Formation and its lethal Eighth Gate to Sakumo, then agreed to teach him.
• Sakumo and Duy bonded over lunch, and the next day Sakumo began training with him.
• Tsunade consulted Kawafune about researching Hashirama’s cells, and he advised her to ask Hiruzen for them while keeping others out of the experiments.
• Kawafune kissed Tsunade before she left, and she fled when he tried to take things further.
• Tsunade arrived at the Hokage Building and knocked on Hiruzen’s office door.

Tsunade persuaded the Third Hokage to hand over the Hashirama Cells and sealed records so she could restart the Wood Style research, promising to protect innocent people. After they retrieved the materials, war broke out when Hanzō declared war on Konoha, Sunagakure, and the Land of Iron.

• Tsunade asked the Third Hokage for Hashirama's cells and the sealed research materials, and promised not to harm innocent people in her experiments.
• The Third Hokage took Tsunade to a hidden cave built by the Second Hokage, where she discovered records of extensive live experiments.
• Tsunade stored the research cabinet and Hashirama Cells in her Storage Scroll, and the Third Hokage sealed the cave with Earth Style.
• An Anbu reported that Hanzō the Salamander had declared war on Konoha, Sunagakure, and the Land of Iron, with fighting already underway.
• The Third Hokage ordered every Jonin to gather at the Operations Department for an urgent meeting.

After the Land of Rain declared war on Konoha, the Third Hokage ordered Orochimaru to lead a force to the front, with Kawafune and Sakumo preparing to depart. Kawafune decided to take Nawaki and Minato with him, leaving them to pack for their first experience of war.

• Kawafune, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Sakumo gathered as the Third Hokage announced that the Land of Rain had declared war and ordered Orochimaru to lead the deployment.
• Sakumo signed up to go, while Kawafune agreed to follow; Kawafune advised Tsunade to remain in Konoha for now, and she accepted.
• On the way home, Sakumo told Kawafune he was risking his life so the next generation could live well.
• Kawafune learned that Minato had made no progress developing ninjutsu and that Nawaki believed his combat strength had reached Chunin level.
• Kawafune told Nawaki and Minato that he would take them to the front lines the next morning, and ordered them to pack.

Tsunade and Kawafune spent the evening together before Kawafune, Sakumo, Minato, Nawaki, and Duy departed for the Land of Rain. After a week of forced marching, Kawafune's group reached the Konoha advance negotiation force's camp.

• Tsunade agreed to let Kawafune take Nawaki to the battlefield, and Minato made peace with Kushina before leaving with them the next morning.
• Kawafune carried the drunk Tsunade to bed, while Minato returned to the Senju Clan residence and promised Kushina he would miss her.
• Sakumo and Nayuki said goodbye, and Kawafune, Sakumo, Minato, Nawaki, and Duy departed with the Konoha shinobi force.
• Kawafune split off from Orochimaru's slow-moving main force with Sakumo, Duy, Minato, and Nawaki to move ahead toward the Land of Rain.
• After a week of forced marching, Kawafune's group crossed into the Land of Rain and found the camp of Konoha's advance negotiation force.

Kawafune took command of a battered Konoha advance camp in the Land of Rain and restored its defenses and morale. He planned to strike Rain Ninja before the main force arrived, taking Minato and Nawaki with him while Sakumo and Might Duy guarded the camp.

• Kawafune and Sakumo arrived at the camp, learned that Aburame Bunseki had died and Rain Ninja attacks had caused heavy casualties, and Kawafune assumed command.
• Kawafune assigned the Konoha ninja to build shelters, care for the wounded, replace tents, and improve the camp's defenses.
• Kawafune told Sakumo that Hanzō was using harassment to buy time to defeat his enemies one by one, and proposed striking the Rain Ninja first.
• Kawafune arranged for Sakumo and Might Duy to guard the camp while he took Minato and Nawaki on a mission, relying on Flying Thunder God Technique Formulas to protect them.
• Kawafune asked Asakawa Ryo about the Rain Ninja and learned that they usually approached from the north, concealed themselves in the rain, and used Water Style and Water Clones.

Kawafune took Nawaki and Minato into the Land of Rain, scolding Nawaki for his carelessness and fighting off a Rain Ninja ambush. After killing a Rain Jonin, he returned to find Nawaki and Minato facing three Rain Chunin alone.

• Kawafune led Nawaki and Minato into the damp forest and reprimanded Nawaki for nearly slipping and failing to watch his surroundings.
• A Rain Ninja attacked Kawafune with a Water Dragon Bullet Technique, but Kawafune countered, struck him, and chased him as he fled.
• Kawafune killed the Rain Jonin with Lightning Flash: Sixfold Strike and used Flying Thunder God to return to the two kids.
• Nawaki spotted a suspicious puddle on a tree trunk, and a Rain Ninja emerged from it alongside two others.
• The three Rain Chunin charged at Nawaki and Minato while Kawafune watched, intending to let the kids fight.

Kawafune’s test forced Minato and Nawaki to fight three Rain Ninja alone, and they defeated them despite injuries and the shock of killing for the first time. Kawafune revealed he had also killed the Rain Jonin and brought the boys home, promising to teach Minato a fast Forbidden Jutsu when he grew up.

• Minato and Nawaki used teamwork, swordsmanship, and ninjutsu to battle three Rain Ninja, with Kawafune watching from hiding.
• Nawaki was wounded but killed one Rain Ninja, and Minato killed another before helping him defeat the last one.
• Minato killed the defeated Rain Ninja girl despite her plea for mercy, and Nawaki collapsed from exhaustion and his injuries.
• Kawafune emerged, treated Nawaki, praised both boys, and told Nawaki he had become a qualified ninja.
• As Kawafune carried Nawaki home, Minato asked about the Rain Jonin, and Kawafune said he had killed him and promised to teach Minato a fast Forbidden Jutsu.

Kawafune’s group struck the Rain Ninja, prompting Hanzō to order his forces to avoid Konoha while he fought Sunagakure. A week later, Orochimaru arrived with Konoha’s main force and prepared to investigate Hanzō’s intentions.

• Kawafune returned to camp with an injured Nawaki and reported that he, Minato, and Nawaki had defeated one Jonin and three Chunin.
• Sakumo and Might Duy left camp, found five Rain Ninja squads, and killed all twenty Rain Ninja.
• Hanzō ordered Miharu to avoid engaging Konoha and delay its main force, while he continued fighting Chiyo in the Land of Wind.
• Chiyo struggled to find a cure for Hanzō’s poison and went to face another Rain Ninja attack with her son and Ebizo.
• After the Rain Ninja harassment stopped, Orochimaru arrived with Konoha’s main force and organized the expanded camp.
• Kawafune told Orochimaru that Hanzō might be buying time, and Orochimaru planned to search for the Rain Ninja while feigning a major offensive.

Orochimaru led Konoha’s forces on a search for the Rain Ninja while Kawafune stayed behind with Minato and Nawaki. After Sakumo and Duy discovered traps and confirmed the Rain Ninja had been warned, Orochimaru ordered the force back to camp.

• Kawafune kept Nawaki at camp for further training while Orochimaru and most of the Konoha ninja set out to search, with Sakumo joining them.
• Zhiye reported to Miharu that Konoha’s main force was searching the forest, and Miharu ordered his Rain Ninja to avoid direct fights and lay more traps.
• Orochimaru and Sakumo realized the Rain Ninja had likely withdrawn to a hidden gathering point after Zhiye escaped to report the search.
• Sakumo and Duy found a Rain Ninja preparing Explosive Tags, killed him, and collected the traps.
• After Sakumo and Duy warned him that the Rain Ninja had been alerted, Orochimaru ordered the Konoha force to regroup and return to camp.

Orochimaru and Kawafune spent a week feinting at the Rain Ninja to wear down their commander, Miharu, before Konoha launched its offensive. The Konoha forces then marched toward the heartland of the Land of Rain, leaving the outcome to the coming battle.

• Orochimaru explained that the Rain Ninja were holding back, and Kawafune recognized that Konoha's preparations were meant to force them into a fight.
• Orochimaru, Kawafune, Sakumo, and the others drank together, while Kawafune warned the two little ones to stay within his sensory range during the battle.
• Rain Ninja scouts reported Konoha's preparations to Miharu, who grew increasingly anxious as the preparations continued for seven days.
• Kawafune and Orochimaru agreed that Miharu was nearing a breaking point and that their feint could turn into a real attack.
• Orochimaru ordered the Konoha ninja to march toward the heartland of the Land of Rain.

Miharu led the Rain Ninja in a head-on attack on Konoha, but Orochimaru’s defenses and Konoha’s powerful fighters routed them. After the battle, Kawafune warned Minato and Nawaki about the dangers of war, while remaining uneasy about advancing into the Land of Rain without Hanzō’s forces.

• Miharu rejected Jichiro’s advice to avoid Konoha and ordered the Rain Ninja to attack with Water Style.
• Orochimaru used Triple Rashōmon and Konoha’s Earth Style defenses to blunt the water assault, then led Konoha’s forces into battle.
• Sakumo, Might Duy, Orochimaru, and Kawafune’s group overwhelmed the Rain Ninja, and Miharu fled with fewer than a hundred wounded survivors.
• Kawafune protected Minato and Nawaki as they fought, then warned them that war meant killing or being killed after they vomited at the battlefield’s carnage.
• Orochimaru proposed resting before advancing and sending for supplies, but Kawafune questioned why Hanzō had left so few forces to oppose Konoha.

Konoha’s advance into the Land of Rain stalled after Miharu led a suicidal attack that destroyed the army’s supplies. Orochimaru ordered the force back to camp to await provisions from Konoha, while Kawafune reflected on the cost of the attack.

• Orochimaru sent Ito and three Chunin back to camp for supplies while the main force continued advancing.
• Miharu decided to destroy Konoha’s supplies, sent Ishimon to report to Hanzō, and led Rain Ninja in a suicide assault on the camp.
• Miharu and the supply warehouse were destroyed in an explosion, and more than a hundred Konoha ninja were killed or injured.
• Ito reported the loss of all food and supplies to Orochimaru, who regretted ignoring Kawafune’s earlier warning.
• Kawafune advised returning to camp and requesting provisions from the Third Hokage and the Daimyo, and Orochimaru ordered the force to retreat.

Kawafune returned to Konoha to report the destruction of the supplies and request replacements, then reunited with Tsunade and visited Nayuki. He left the story with Tsunade preparing to examine Nayuki while Sakumo remained safe in a border town.

• Orochimaru decided to move the troops to a town in the Land of Fire and sent Kawafune back to Konoha for supplies.
• Kawafune reported the victories and supply loss to the Third Hokage, who arranged to request supplies from the Daimyo.
• Kawafune reunited with Tsunade in the Underground Research Lab, where she told him she had cultivated her grandfather's unstable cells.
• Kawafune took Tsunade to the Hatake Clan's Training Hall and told Nayuki that Sakumo was safe in a border town.
• Tsunade offered to examine Nayuki, who was pregnant.

Kawafune stayed with Tsunade while Konoha’s supplies were delayed, and Hanzō ordered an intelligence operation to sabotage them as the Rain–Sand war intensified. Months later, Orochimaru and Sakumo remained stalled in town, with Sakumo preparing to return because his wife was about to give birth.

• Tsunade confirmed that Nayuki and her baby were healthy, then drank with Kawafune and woke beside him the next morning.
• Ishimon told Hanzō that Miharu had died after leading an attack on Konoha’s camp, and Hanzō ordered agents in the Land of Fire to delay Konoha’s supplies.
• Hanzō escalated the war against the Sand Ninja, while Chiyo continued researching an antidote and their battles reached a deadlock.
• Konoha’s Anbu secured the Daimyo’s approval to send supplies, but the supply minister repeatedly delayed them, leaving Orochimaru’s forces waiting for months.
• Orochimaru told Sakumo he suspected trouble at the Daimyo’s Mansion, and Sakumo said he and Might Duy would soon return because his wife was about to give birth.

Nayuki went into labor, and Sakumo waited anxiously outside the delivery room while Tsunade handled the birth. As the wait continued, Ghost Mastiff returned with a white puppy for Kawafune, leaving Sakumo and Kawafune still waiting to learn whether Nayuki had delivered.

• The Third Hokage sent people to pressure the Daimyo's Mansion again after Orochimaru persuaded him.
• Sakumo and Nayuki walked through the hospital courtyard, and Nayuki's labor began.
• Kawafune used Flying Thunder God to bring Tsunade from the laboratory to the delivery room, where she took Nayuki in to give birth.
• Sakumo and Kawafune waited outside, discussed names for the baby, and briefly held Might Guy when Duy visited.
• Ghost Mastiff returned carrying a white puppy and gave it to Kawafune, who recalled that he had asked the dog to find one months earlier.

Kakashi was born after a dangerous delivery, but Tsunade saved Nayuki with the blood bags Kawafune had prepared. A week later, Nayuki and Kakashi were discharged, and a new pregnant patient arrived at the hospital.

• Tsunade told Kawafune that Nayuki had survived a dangerous delivery involving Kakashi being in the wrong position and severe postpartum bleeding.
• Kawafune held newborn Kakashi, then passed him to Sakumo and Nayuki, who each reacted to the baby's appearance.
• Kawafune sent Minato, Nawaki, and Kushina home, then joined Tsunade in her office and playfully flirted with her.
• A week later, Nayuki had recovered, Kakashi had grown less wrinkled, and the family prepared to leave the hospital.
• Tsunade said another Jonin's pregnant wife would be admitted, and a couple arrived at the ward.

Kawafune strengthened ties with Yūhi Shinku as Yūhi Kurenai was born, while Hanzō ended his campaign in the Land of Wind and invaded the Land of Iron. After defeating Mifune, Hanzō left him an antidote and departed with a promise to spare the other Samurai.

• Kawafune introduced himself to Yūhi Shinku and worked to build a relationship between their families.
• Yūhi Shinku's wife gave birth to Yūhi Kurenai, and the babies Kakashi and Yūhi Kurenai began spending time together.
• Hanzō withdrew from the Land of Wind after Chiyo neutralized his poison, and Chiyo ordered Sunagakure's forces to return home.
• Hanzō traveled to the Land of Iron, where Mifune confronted him after the Samurai accompanying Mifune fled.
• Hanzō defeated and poisoned Mifune, then gave him an antidote after Mifune asked him to spare his companions.

With supplies finally reaching the front, Orochimaru led Konoha's forces into the Land of Rain, where they confronted Hanzō's army. As both sides unleashed their summons and prepared for battle, Hanzō summoned Ibuse to face Orochimaru's Manda.

• Kawafune learned the supplies were nearing the front and agreed with Sakumo to depart a week later with the children.
• Orochimaru received the supplies, then led Konoha's main force into the Land of Rain the next morning.
• After finding Rain Ninja traces, Orochimaru ordered Konoha to camp and build defenses while Hanzō gathered nearly two thousand Rain Ninja to attack.
• Orochimaru ordered his forces to fight Hanzō's approaching army, and Konoha's ninjas launched combined ninjutsu.
• Orochimaru summoned Manda, and Hanzō answered by summoning the giant salamander Ibuse.