Chapter Summaries

Yakushi Nonō proposed establishing an orphanage to care for the many children displaced by the war, and Satoru backed her plan as both humanitarian aid and a useful frontline support site. Satoru offered to secure the Third Hokage’s approval and bring Nawaki to build it, leaving Nonō ready to begin gathering people.

• As Sunagakure’s civil strife spread, fighting and refugee flows left many orphans stranded in the Land of Rivers.
• Yakushi Nonō returned from the front and asked Tsunade to help her establish an orphanage.
• Tsunade advised Nonō to seek Satoru’s support, and Satoru appeared and agreed to help.
• Satoru explained that the orphanage could protect children while serving as a temporary supply and medical logistics point and helping them become self-sufficient.
• Satoru offered to find the Third Hokage and bring Nawaki to build the orphanage, while Nonō began gathering people.

Satoru and Tsunade tested a long-range portal that could rapidly transport medical support to Konoha’s fronts, while Karin joined the orphanage project despite Nawaki’s worries. In Amegakure, Yahiko named his growing organization Akatsuki as dawn broke.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen approved Satoru’s orphanage project, and Karin persuaded Tsunade to let her help protect it near the front lines.
• Satoru and Tsunade opened a fixed-point portal to Jiraiya’s position, demonstrating a system that could transport one hundred people per day using an Arcane Crystal.
• Jiraiya celebrated the portal’s potential to reduce wartime casualties and joked about seeing Tsunade more often, prompting her to punish him.
• Satoru and Tsunade planned to visit Orochimaru and then the Land of Rivers defense line to deploy the portal system.
• Yahiko and Nagato reflected on their organization’s progress, and Yahiko named it Akatsuki while watching the dawn.

Yahiko learned that Kakuzu had left Ito Trading Company and joined Akatsuki as its financial director, with Satoru having arranged his training and support. Kakuzu urged Akatsuki to use the opportunities of war to build its influence and resources, and Yahiko welcomed him into the organization.

• Yahiko learned that Ito Trading Company had ended its financial support after a new chairman took over.
• Kakuzu visited Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, revealed that he had left the company, and showed Satoru's Flying Thunder God formula.
• Kakuzu explained that Satoru had arranged for him to train at Ito Trading Company so he could help Akatsuki build its finances.
• Kakuzu argued that Akatsuki needed money and greater fame to gain influence and communicate with the great nations.
• Yahiko welcomed Kakuzu as Akatsuki's financial director, and Kakuzu accepted.

Kakuzu’s financial management helped Akatsuki grow in reputation, while Hanzo weighed how to respond to the organization and the rising threat of war. After reconsidering Danzo’s secret proposal, Hanzo decided to pursue cooperation and sent a reply through a trusted subordinate.

• Kakuzu’s management increased Akatsuki’s available funds, and Yahiko saw the organization’s reputation rise in Amegakure.
• Hanzo worried that war among the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth would endanger Amegakure, while Akatsuki’s growing prestige made him hesitate to support them.
• Hanzo repeatedly read Danzo’s secret letter and came to suspect that Danzo intended to assassinate Sarutobi Hiruzen and take the Hokage’s position.
• Hanzo decided Danzo’s Root could help him eradicate Akatsuki without implicating his own people, and he wrote a reply agreeing to explore cooperation.
• Hanzo sent a trusted subordinate to deliver his reply to Konoha’s Root and studied the defenses around the Land of Rain.

Sunagakure faced a surprise attack from Kumogakure while weakened by the search for the missing Third Kazekage and internal strife. Rasa fought off Third Raikage A, and Sunagakure's leaders named him the Fourth Kazekage as the village prepared for war.

• Third Raikage A led Kumogakure's elite squad into Sunagakure and demanded half the village's resources, while Chiyo's puppets proved ineffective against him.
• Rasa stepped forward to challenge A, and Chiyo identified him as the Third Kazekage's talented disciple.
• Rasa used Magnet Release and gold dust to restrain and attack A, but A broke free and survived the Gold Dust Great Burial.
• A withdrew with his squad toward the Land of Earth after deciding the surprise attack had failed.
• Sunagakure's people cheered for Rasa, and its leaders ended the search for the Third Kazekage and appointed Rasa the Fourth Kazekage.

The Third Raikage’s assault drew the Third Tsuchikage and his forces toward the Land of Fire, where Satoru confronted A at Konoha’s border. As Kumogakure attacked, Satoru held the line and warned Hizashi Hyuga to watch for Iwagakure’s approach.

• The Third Raikage’s forces attacked the Land of Earth and then pushed toward the Land of Fire, while Kumogakure’s other forces were stalled by Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya.
• Orochimaru and Nawaki’s defenses stopped Kirigakure from entering the Land of Fire, while Ōnoki crushed the Land of Grass’s resistance and pursued A.
• At the Land of Grass–Land of Fire border, A mocked Konoha and Satoru, and Satoru warned that A would not return if he could stop him.
• A ordered Kumogakure’s shinobi to attack, but Satoru stopped his subordinates and raised an ice wall to block the first wave.
• Satoru told Hizashi Hyuga to watch the Land of Grass for Iwagakure’s forces, then faced A as his Hell Stab shattered the ice wall.

Mitokado Satoru used Ice Release and powerful fire techniques to destroy Third Raikage A’s assault force and fight A one-on-one. A acknowledged Satoru as the Archmage before both shinobi summoned three clones and prepared to continue the battle.

• Hizashi Hyuga withdrew with the defense force while A recognized Satoru’s Ice Release and broke through his ice wall.
• Satoru used a purple vortex to gather A’s subordinates, then killed them with a Flamestrike combo.
• A charged Satoru with Hell Stab, but Satoru dodged and used Ring of Frost, Blink, Dragon’s Breath, and Pyroblast to injure him.
• A survived the attacks with his Lightning Release Armor, recognized Satoru’s teleportation technique, and asked his name.
• Satoru introduced himself as Mitokado Satoru and asked to be called the Archmage.
• A and Satoru each summoned three clones and prepared to fight again.

Satoru used a redirected fire meteor to injure the Third Raikage A, while Ōnoki arrived with a large Iwagakure force. A retreated after warning Satoru that Konoha’s real target had arrived, leaving Satoru to face Ōnoki’s offer to join forces.

• Satoru and his Mirror Image Clones defended against A’s Quadruple Black Panther attack and set up a spell that sent a fire meteor through a portal above A.
• A survived the meteor by using his strongest Lightning Release Armor and Hell Stab, but emerged injured and drained.
• Hizashi Hyuga spotted Ōnoki approaching from the Land of Grass with nearly two thousand Iwagakure Ninja.
• A and Ōnoki traded insults as A admitted Satoru had injured him and announced that Konoha’s true target had arrived.
• Ōnoki asked Satoru to help kill A and promised to stop attacking Konoha, but Satoru refused to trust him.
• A escaped in a streak of lightning, telling Satoru and Ōnoki that Kumogakure would meet them on another battlefield.

Ōnoki attacked Konoha’s defensive line while Satoru confronted him with a barrage of unusual spells. Ōnoki survived Satoru’s attacks and used Dust Release to strike at Satoru’s position.

• Ōnoki ordered Kitsuchi to prepare for attacks from Kumogakure and Iwagakure, then sent Iwagakure’s forces against Konoha’s defenses.
• Satoru used Brilliance Aura to restore the defenders’ mental energy and told Hizashi Hyuga to lead them against the advancing Iwagakure forces.
• Satoru slowed Ōnoki in midair and chased him with tracking Pyroblast fireballs, but Ōnoki escaped by using Earth Substitution.
• Satoru summoned a meteor at Ōnoki, who narrowly dodged it, then attacked him with a barrage of ice fragments.
• Ōnoki used Dust Release: Original World Detachment Technique to disintegrate the ice and blast Satoru’s position.

Satoru battled Ōnoki, countering his Dust Release with magic and inflicting an injury before their strongest attacks collided. The blast left a vast crater, and Ōnoki demanded to know whether Satoru’s Arcane Power was a Kekkei Tōta.

• Ōnoki failed to sense Satoru, but Satoru appeared behind him and his Glacier Spike struck Ōnoki’s rock golem instead.
• Satoru summoned a Water Elemental and revealed that he had dodged Ōnoki’s Dust Release with Flying Thunder God.
• Satoru froze Ōnoki with the Water Elemental’s arrows and Deep Freeze, then hit him with Ice Lances that caused internal injuries.
• Ōnoki fired his Original World Detachment Technique, but Satoru’s Arcane Barrage met and suppressed the Dust Release beam.
• Ōnoki and Satoru increased their power until their attacks formed an orb that exploded, leaving a crater over fifty meters wide.
• Ōnoki stared at the lingering Arcane Power and asked Satoru whether it was a Kekkei Tōta.

Satoru used Arcane Power to help Konoha's defenders suppress Ōnoki's Iwagakure force, then proposed limits on casualties and attacks while the war continued. When Ōnoki rejected the terms, Satoru teleported Konoha's ninja back behind their defensive line and trapped the Iwagakure force inside a contracting purple ring.

• Ōnoki saw that Konoha's ninja were repeatedly recovering their Chakra and learned that Satoru's magic was helping them overwhelm Iwagakure's elite force.
• Satoru warned Ōnoki that the battle was not worth deciding the entire war and proposed that both sides withdraw after reaching thirty percent casualties and avoid attacking ordinary ninja while their leaders fought.
• Ōnoki rejected Satoru's proposal, suspecting it was a trap that would prolong the war to Iwagakure's disadvantage.
• Satoru teleported the Konoha ninja back to their defensive line and created a huge purple ring around Ōnoki's subordinates as it began to contract.

Satoru annihilated Ōnoki’s elite force with the Arcane Ring and forced him to accept Satoru’s proposal. Meanwhile, Third Raikage A headed for the Land of Rice Fields defensive line, where Jiraiya prepared to hold him off while Satoru worked on portals and a trump card.

• Satoru teleported away from Ōnoki’s Dust Release attack and used the Arcane Ring and summoned meteors against the Iwagakure force.
• Ōnoki’s subordinates survived the Arcane Ring’s contraction, but its explosion killed more than a thousand elite Iwagakure ninja.
• Satoru confronted Ōnoki, who agreed to his proposal after failing to save his subordinates.
• Third Raikage A fled and resolved to restrain Konoha, then raced toward the Land of Rice Fields defensive line.
• Satoru’s Mirror Image Clone warned Jiraiya that A was approaching alone, and Jiraiya agreed to hold him off while Satoru prepared improvements to the portals and a trump card.

Satoru’s advances transformed Konoha’s battlefield prospects as Jiraiya prepared to face the Third Raikage, while Konoha’s leaders considered how to use the breathing room Satoru had won. Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed holding the Chunin Exams, but the advisors worried that moving troops from the Land of Rivers front would leave Konoha vulnerable to Sunagakure.

• Jiraiya praised Satoru’s achievements and asked about the portals, and Satoru’s clone explained their limits and instability.
• Jiraiya sensed the Third Raikage’s arrival, and Satoru’s clone left to check on Minato while Jiraiya prepared to face A.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen convened a war council without Danzo, who had chosen to focus on Root’s intelligence work.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu praised Satoru’s impact, and Hiruzen proposed holding the Chunin Exams to reinforce Konoha’s position.
• Homura warned that the other fronts could not spare troops and questioned the plan to withdraw forces from the Land of Rivers while Sunagakure’s ceasefire remained uncertain.

Sarutobi Hiruzen arranged Konoha’s forces around the Chunin Exams and the Uchiha’s deployment, while Hanzō weighed Danzo’s offer to eliminate Akatsuki. Hanzō instead commissioned Akatsuki to negotiate peace with the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind, setting the organization on a diplomatic mission.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that Konoha urgently needed more chunin and decided to hold the Chunin Exams despite the strain on defenses.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Uchiha Fugaku to defend the Sunagakure front and Land of Rivers border, and directed Shikaku Nara to return elite troops to help Sakumo oversee the exams.
• Hanzō suspected that Konoha had trained Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, and feared Akatsuki could threaten his rule in the Land of Rain.
• Hanzō considered Danzo’s offer to help destroy Akatsuki in exchange for luring the Konoha White Fang into an ambush, but decided Danzo could be a useful ally.
• Hanzō ordered his guards to commission Akatsuki to represent the Land of Rain in peace negotiations with the Lands of Fire, Earth, and Wind.

Yahiko and Akatsuki accepted Hanzō’s offer to negotiate peace with the Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind, though Kakuzu suspected Hanzō meant to eliminate them. Yahiko chose to proceed while preparing to protect his companions, and Kakuzu promised to accompany them.

• Hanzō’s envoy invited Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan to meet Hanzō in a week and conduct peace negotiations, and they accepted.
• After the envoy left, Yahiko admitted the assignment seemed suspicious because Akatsuki was a civilian organization with no authority to represent the country.
• Kakuzu warned that Hanzō had grown more suspicious and might be sending Akatsuki to its deaths because he feared its influence.
• Konan questioned whether they might be misjudging Hanzō, and Yahiko said he accepted because the negotiations aligned with Akatsuki’s ideals.
• Yahiko vowed to prepare to protect Akatsuki while pursuing peace, and Kakuzu said he would accompany them and foil any scheme by Hanzō.

Uchiha Fugaku took command of Konoha’s defensive line as Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choza returned to the village for the Chunin Exams. Mikoto remained at the front despite Fugaku’s concerns, and the chapter ended with Fugaku ordering scouts to investigate suspicious movement in the Land of Rivers.

• Inoichi Yamanaka gave Mikoto intelligence on the Fourth Kazekage, and Shikaku Nara urged her to seek Satoru’s help through a portal if she faced danger.
• Mikoto recalled that the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, had killed his teammate when they were young genin, while Fugaku arrived and said he wanted to test Rasa’s Kekkei Genkai against the Sharingan.
• Shikaku, Inoichi, and Choza completed the handover to Fugaku and departed with half the troops for Konoha.
• Mikoto told Fugaku she planned to visit Nonō and Dianthus at the orphanage, but Fugaku worried about her safety and about their young son, Itachi.
• A subordinate reported uncertain movement in the Land of Rivers, and Fugaku reprimanded his troops before ordering the First and Second Squads to investigate discreetly.

Konoha's forces held their three fronts against Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and their opponents while Nawaki detected the Third Mizukage approaching the eastern coast. Orochimaru, outfitted with enchanted armor and weapons, prepared to confront him and earn battlefield merit.

• Satoru maintained a stalemate against Ōnoki and Han on the Land of Grass front, while Jiraiya pinned down the Third Raikage in the Land of Rice Fields.
• Minato used his Flying Thunder God Technique and Sage Mode to hold the Land of Hot Water front against Killer B and Kumogakure's attacks.
• Nawaki sensed a large force of Kirigakure ninja approaching through the coastal fog and recognized the Third Mizukage's Chakra.
• Orochimaru displayed his enchanted armor, accessories, and Kusanagi Sword as he prepared to face the Third Mizukage.
• Orochimaru declared that the Third Mizukage would be his prey and saw the encounter as a chance to gain merit toward becoming Hokage.

Orochimaru and Nawaki led Konoha’s forces against the Third Mizukage and Kirigakure’s army in a major coastal battle. Nawaki revealed that he had mastered a Sage Mode Wood Release defense, surprising both armies and leaving Orochimaru confident in their defense.

• Nawaki told Orochimaru to attack without holding back and promised to handle defense.
• Orochimaru confronted the Third Mizukage and challenged him to battle, while the Mizukage ordered Kirigakure’s forces to attack.
• The Third Mizukage led the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and Kirigakure’s army in a frontal assault against Konoha’s defenses.
• Nawaki used Sage Art: Wood Release: Hotei Technique to block the Third Mizukage’s attack, revealing his Sage Mode and surprising the shinobi on both sides.
• Orochimaru praised Nawaki and left the defense to him.

Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and Kakuzu were ambushed by Hanzō and Danzo while meeting in the Land of Rain, and most of Akatsuki’s members were killed. Hanzō demanded Yahiko’s death, and Nagato stepped forward to protect his friends as the confrontation began.

• Hanzō’s Amegakure forces and Danzo’s Konoha Anbu ambushed Akatsuki, killing nearly all its ordinary members.
• Danzo confronted Kakuzu and accused Yahiko of receiving Ice Release from Danzo’s enemy, while Kakuzu revealed Danzo’s rivalry with the Third Hokage and his history with that man.
• Yahiko rejected Danzo’s accusations and demanded that Hanzō explain why he had betrayed Akatsuki.
• Hanzō said Akatsuki threatened his standing and ordered Yahiko to commit suicide, then offered to spare whoever killed him.
• Kakuzu prepared to fight, and Nagato told Yahiko and Konan to escape before stepping forward to defend them.

Satoru summoned three massive Arcane I-Type War Machines to attack Iwagakure’s defensive line while he went to investigate Kakuzu’s emergency. He discovered Hanzō and Danzo attacking Nagato and prepared to intervene.

• Ōnoki and Han struck Satoru with a combined attack, but he survived using his Arcane Body Tempering Technique.
• Satoru summoned three War Machines, which blocked Ōnoki’s Dust Release and charged toward Iwagakure’s defenses.
• Satoru left three Mirror Image Clones to support the War Machines and teleported to the Land of Rain to find Kakuzu.
• Satoru used a crystal ball and Mage Eye to observe Hanzō and Danzo confronting Nagato amid a battle involving Root.
• Satoru realized Akatsuki’s destruction had begun earlier than expected and watched to see what Hanzō and Danzo would do next.