Recaps

Iwagakure's leaders debated how to exploit their surprise invasion of the Land of Fire and whether they could trust Kusagakure, then agreed to test Mujie's services. Mujie received an unsettling letter from Iwagakure asking if he wanted to become the Grass Ninja Leader.

• Iwagakure's leaders praised Kitsuchi for obtaining intelligence about Kannabi Bridge and planned to push deeper into the Land of Fire while protecting their supply lines.
• The Iwa leaders worried Kusagakure might betray them, but Kitsuchi said Mujie provided excellent service once paid and urged them to see what he wanted.
• Ōnoki and the Iwa leaders agreed to give Mujie a chance, and a few days later Mujie received a letter from Iwagakure.
• Mujie opened the letter and read that Iwagakure had heard he wanted to become the Grass Ninja Leader, leaving him shocked and fearful.

Kusagakure denied helping Iwagakure and focused on keeping the war away from the Land of Grass while preparing for its academy’s first graduation. Konoha remained convinced Kusagakure had betrayed it, and Madara learned the children were about to graduate.

• Mujie explained that his earlier contact with Iwagakure came from a paid tour-guide job, and Kusana tasked him with answering Konoha’s accusations.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng admitted Kusagakure had not yet completed Iwagakure’s earlier order, while Kusana declared that Kusagakure should avoid taking sides and prioritize the academy’s first graduation.
• Kusana sent Konoha an apology blaming Mujie, claiming to have punished him, and offering discounted intelligence; Konoha’s leaders dismissed the response and ordered their forces to hold the Land of Fire’s border.
• Spiral White Zetsu told Madara that Kusagakure had let Iwagakure pass through the Land of Grass and that the war involved Konoha, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure.
• Spiral White Zetsu mentioned the academy children’s upcoming graduation, and Madara quietly reacted to the news after he left.

Spiral White Zetsu secretly attended the Grass Ninja Village Academy graduation ceremony to film it for Madara. Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan celebrated graduating with Daibutsu and Kyusuke when Spiral White Zetsu approached them for an interview.

• Spiral White Zetsu borrowed a camera, disguised himself, and slipped into the graduation ceremony to record the event for Madara.
• Yahiko complained to Nagato that the Akatsuki Organization had failed to solve the Three Great Campus Mysteries and urged him to join.
• Daibutsu congratulated Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan on graduating and gave them a bouquet.
• Kyusuke also congratulated the three graduates, though he grumbled about taking time off work to attend.
• Spiral White Zetsu introduced himself as a reporter from Grasswood and asked to interview them.

Spiral White Zetsu interviewed Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan before Kusana arrived to celebrate their graduation. Kusana then led the academy ceremony, where Nagato was called to the stage as the Outstanding Graduate.

• Spiral White Zetsu asked Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato questions about school, their dreams, and Nagato's eyes, while Nagato answered with a speech about perspective and ideals.
• Kusana arrived, congratulated the three on graduating, and gave them flowers he had picked from Nagato's home.
• Kusana left the three to join the graduation ceremony as the Land of Grass flag was raised and the new Spirit of Grass was proclaimed.
• Kusana addressed the graduates and urged them to carry forward the academy's educational philosophy and the Spirit of Grass.
• Kusana invited Nagato Uzumaki to the stage to speak as the Outstanding Graduate.

Spiral White Zetsu returned the borrowed filming equipment to Grasswood after Madara dismissed the Grass Academy footage. The equipment manager spotted the mysteriously restored devices and fled, while Spiral White Zetsu left to find a way to earn money for Madara.

• Spiral White Zetsu showed Madara footage of the Grass Academy ceremony, but Madara called it a waste of time and went to sleep.
• Spiral White Zetsu gathered the borrowed camera and playback equipment and secretly returned them to the Grasswood equipment room.
• The equipment manager discovered that devices had gone missing and then reappeared, and he fled after thinking he had seen hands reaching out of the ground.
• Spiral White Zetsu watched the manager run away, dismissed his fear of ghosts, and continued on to look for work to buy food for Madara.

Kusana learned that Kusagakure’s warehouses were full and its funds were running low, so he planned to sell its clothing stock while holding back its Scientific Ninja Tools until the war weakened the great villages. He revealed that the intended buyer was Sunagakure, which left Uzumaki Yangzheng baffled.

• Kusana read reports about two new strange incidents involving a mysterious Academy interviewer and an anonymous street cleaner, and suspected Black Zetsu’s White Zetsu were responsible.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng told Kusana that Kusagakure’s stockpiles were growing and the village might soon be unable to pay salaries because it could not sell intelligence or accept missions.
• Kusana said he had found a place to sell the goods, but ordered that the Scientific Ninja Tools remain in storage until the great villages were weakened by war.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng confirmed that Kusagakure’s Ninja Vests had been modified according to Kusana’s requirements.
• Kusana announced that Kusagakure would sell its clothing to Sunagakure, surprising Uzumaki Yangzheng, who questioned how one of the great ninja villages could be poor.

Rasa returned to Sunagakure amid war and financial hardship, where he learned that the village had not bought any new Ninja Vests. The chapter ended with him noticing a newly graduated Genin proudly wearing a brand-new vest and questioning where it came from.

• Rasa worried that Sunagakure was outmatched by Kumogakure and might face another enemy in Kirigakure.
• Rasa returned to Sunagakure to handle village affairs and raise money for supplies.
• A Sand ninja told Rasa that the village remained stable and that its people wanted revenge on Konoha for the Third Hokage’s supposed assassination.
• Rasa overheard Genin discussing how Sunamaru had bought a Ninja Vest at half price.
• Rasa learned that Sunagakure had not purchased new Ninja Vests and pointed out that Sunamaru was wearing one.

Rasa discovered that Sunamaru had bought a discounted Ninja Vest from the Land of Grass Clothing Factory, revealing that Kusana’s group had begun advertising its goods in Sunagakure. Kusana explained their plan to build trust through sales, then sensed that it had worked.

• Mayu summoned Sunamaru, who told Rasa he had bought his Ninja Vest at half price and offered him a discount flyer.
• Rasa examined the flyer and learned that the vest was produced by the Land of Grass Clothing Factory.
• Yahiko questioned Kusana’s plan to sell Ninja Vests, and Kusana explained that Kusagakure’s poor reputation made direct deals with Sunagakure’s leaders unlikely.
• Kusana said they would first let Sand ninjas try the products so word of their quality could spread through Sunagakure.
• Kusana sensed something and told Yahiko, Konan, and the others that it had worked.

Kusana’s group completed a deal with Sunagakure and returned toward the Land of Grass as the war spread among the great villages. Meanwhile, Mujie and Uzumaki Yangzheng pursued a mission involving the Snow Clan, while Kakuzu was lured by a fake money coupon.

• Kusana’s team sold goods and intelligence to Sunagakure, then tried to recruit Pakura before leaving.
• Yahiko questioned where Kusana would travel next, and Kusana decided the group should return and wait for buyers.
• Kumogakure shifted its attack from Sunagakure to Iwagakure, and Kirigakure declared war on Sunagakure and Konoha as the conflict widened.
• Kakuzu found what looked like a one hundred ryo note, but discovered it was a coupon and angrily demanded one million ryo back.
• Mujie told Uzumaki Yangzheng that the bait had been planted to draw someone to the Land of Grass, then asked about the Snow Clan.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng said the Uzumaki Clan’s supposed friendship with the Snow Clan dated to the Warring States Period, when they had nearly exterminated them.

Kusagakure completed its deal with Sunagakure and brought the nearly vanished Snow Clan into the village. As Konoha struggled in the widening war, Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Sunagakure’s genin wore Ninja Vests bearing the mark of the Land of Grass Clothing Factory.

• Kusana arranged the shipment of Ninja Vests to Sunagakure, which paid for them with freshly mined Gold Sand.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng and the Grass ninja gathered the hidden Snow Clan members and brought them to Kusagakure, where the clan chose to join the village.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s advisers discussed ending the war with Sunagakure and disrupting Iwagakure’s supply line.
• A Konoha Anbu ninja reported that Sunagakure’s younger genin had gained an advantage because their Ninja Vests reduced injuries.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi examined a captured vest and found the Land of Grass Clothing Factory’s label, revealing Kusagakure’s role in Sunagakure’s equipment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha's advisers debated Kusagakure's mass-produced Ninja Vests after learning Sunagakure had bought them. When Iwagakure also purchased a large batch, Hiruzen decided Konoha would try to buy vests and find a way to keep Kusagakure occupied.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi convened Konoha's leaders to discuss Kusagakure's Ninja Vests, which Sunagakure had bought despite being at war with Konoha.
• Utatane Koharu explained that the vests met ninja standards but came in only four standard sizes, and Hiruzen warned that arming enemy genin could increase Konoha's casualties.
• Mitokado Homura suggested purchasing vests, but Danzo argued that Konoha should declare war on Kusagakure; Hiruzen rejected the idea because Kusagakure remained an ally and might join Iwagakure.
• Utatane Koharu warned that Konoha's war expenses and large genin population made buying vests costly, just as an Anbu ninja reported that Iwagakure had purchased ten million ryo worth of them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to have someone negotiate with Kusagakure for a discount and said Konoha needed to find something for its allies to do.

Kusagakure profited from selling Ninja Vests while its leaders debated how to enter the widening war. Kusana rejected joining any of the Five Great Ninja Villages and proposed attacking Amegakure instead, though he said they would first determine whether fighting was necessary.

• Mujie and Konan welcomed village representatives and negotiated Ninja Vest purchases with steep discounts and prioritized shipments.
• Kusana warned that Kusagakure could not remain neutral indefinitely and that the other villages might target it if it stayed out of the war.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng argued Kusagakure should choose whichever alliance best served its interests, even if that meant switching sides later.
• Kusana refused to ally with Konoha, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, or any of the Five Great Ninja Villages because Kusagakure had friendships and business ties with them all.
• Kusana pointed to the Land of Rain and proposed attacking Amegakure, while saying Kusagakure would first assess whether it actually needed to fight.

Kusana organized the Land of Grass for a staged war with the Land of Rain while planning to visit the enemy himself and negotiate peace. As he departed, Yahiko and Nagato vowed to protect Kusagakure, and Konan secretly went to meet Kakuzu for tutoring.

• The people of the Land of Grass blamed the Land of Rain for the sudden war and rallied behind Kusana.
• Kusana left the Land of Grass in the hands of his allies, charged Uzumaki Yangzheng with reassuring the factory workers, and ordered the ninja forces to prepare.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng reflected on his responsibilities and headed to the academy to carry out his assignment.
• Kusana told Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan to stay in the village, then departed for the Land of Rain.
• Yahiko and Nagato promised to protect Kusagakure and wondered where Konan had gone.
• Konan arrived at the back mountain and called out to Old Man Kakuzu.

Konan told Kakuzu that Kusagakure was going to war with the Land of Rain, and Kakuzu decided the Rain had gone too far after learning he would lose his free meals. Meanwhile, Hanzo was enraged by Kusagakure’s claim that Amegakure had started the war, and rejected Kusagakure’s leader’s request to discuss a business deal.

• Konan brought Kakuzu a lunchbox and told him Kusagakure was going to war with the Land of Rain.
• Kakuzu became angry when Konan said she would be too busy to bring him food, and declared that the Land of Rain had gone too far.
• Hanzo read intelligence claiming Amegakure had started the war and insisted his village wanted peace, not conflict.
• A Rain ninja told Hanzo that Kusagakure’s leader had arrived to discuss a business deal.
• Hanzo refused to cooperate with Kusagakure, even if Amegakure were left with only one surviving ninja.

Kusana offered Amegakure aid and business proposals, persuading Hanzo of the Salamander to negotiate despite their history of conflict. As Amegakure declared war on Kusagakure, Danzo decided to travel to Amegakure, while Kusana prepared his village for what was coming.

• Hanzo of the Salamander rejected Kusana’s offer to cooperate, citing Kusagakure’s past fraud, kidnapping, and recruitment attempts.
• Kusana presented proposals promising Amegakure aid, including an initial 100 million, and used paper dragons to press Hanzo into agreeing to talks.
• Konoha’s leadership debated how to respond to Kusagakure’s plans to sell Ninja Vests, while Danzo prepared to involve Amegakure in talks with the Five Great Ninja Villages.
• An Anbu ninja informed Danzo that Amegakure had already declared war on Kusagakure, and Danzo decided to go to Amegakure himself.
• After Kusana left, Hanzo wondered whether Kusagakure had produced a formidable ninja, while Kusana stopped outside Amegakure and said his village should prepare.

Kusagakure began recruiting workers to build factories in the Land of Rain, and Yamato offered Kawaisuke a deputy factory director position there. Daibutsu learned that the work teams were heading to his homeland but was told he could not join without approval.

• Yamato explained that Kusagakure planned to build a factory in the Land of Rain and recommended Kawaisuke to serve as its deputy factory director.
• Kawaisuke feared he was being fired, then recalled his promise to go wherever he was needed and agreed to consider the assignment with his family.
• Worker teams across the Land of Grass received orders to prepare for the project in the Land of Rain.
• Daibutsu's boss told him the team was going to the Land of Rain, but said Daibutsu needed approval before he could join.
• Daibutsu watched his boss leave and wondered if he would be going to the Land of Rain to carry bricks.

Kusana ordered factory construction and recruitment in the Land of Rain, where Kawaisuke oversaw a new factory amid war and hardship. The factory was short on workers, and Daibutsu revealed that the Land of Grass planned to hire Amegakure ninjas to help.

• Mujie fled to Kusana after Kakuzu repeatedly demanded a debt he said he did not owe, and he praised Kakuzu for improving the village’s pricing.
• Kusana rejected Mujie’s suggestion to attack Amegakure and ordered factory construction and recruitment instead.
• Kawaisuke arrived in the Land of Rain to oversee a factory project and reunited with construction team leader Daibutsu.
• Daibutsu told Kawaisuke that the factory’s framework was mostly complete but that rain and a labor shortage had slowed construction.
• Daibutsu revealed that the Land of Grass would hire Amegakure ninjas to help, leaving Kawaisuke stunned.

Hanzo of the Salamander and Kusana staged another clash in the ongoing war between Amegakure and Kusagakure, masking Kusagakure’s factory plans from the Five Great Ninja Villages. Hanzo returned to find that most of his ninja had taken paid jobs in Kusagakure, leaving him stunned by the bizarre arrangement.

• Hanzo of the Salamander and Kusana fought in the rain before withdrawing after trading threats.
• Ninja from several villages watched the clash and then left to report what they had seen.
• Hanzo returned to Amegakure and asked Ame why the village seemed so empty.
• Ame told Hanzo that Kusagakure had hired many Rain ninja to work, offering food, lodging, and overtime pay.
• Hanzo realized his ninja had gone to work for the village they were supposedly fighting and worried about how they would face Kusagakure in the next clash.

Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Kusagakure and Amegakure were fighting, while Hanzo of the Salamander discovered that his ninja were working for Kusagakure and watched its lively camp. Hanzo left feeling regret over his war and wondering how he compared with the Grass Ninja Leader.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed reports of the fierce fighting between Kusagakure and Amegakure and judged that both villages might be crippled.
• Hanzo of the Salamander learned that his ninja wanted to finish fighting early so they could return to Amegakure for work, and he ordered a temporary retreat.
• Hanzo visited Kusagakure's camp in disguise and saw Rain ninja being recruited for paid work, including Shindachi of the Salamander.
• Ame told Hanzo that Vegeta Kyusuke, once a Rain ninja, had joined Kusagakure after betraying Amegakure.
• Hanzo considered the Grass Ninja Leader's accomplishments, regretted declaring war on the Five Great Ninja Villages, and returned toward Amegakure with Ame.

Kusana approved Yang Zheng’s funding request and heard that the Third Raikage had died, while Kakuzu reacted to the news by rushing toward the front lines. The chapter left Kusagakure on alert and Kakuzu heading out, with Konan unsure what had startled him.

• Kusana listened as Yang Zheng described Kakuzu’s demanding funding process, then approved the money for the academy and Research Institute.
• Yang Zheng checked the ninja undershirt factory, where refugees from the Land of Rain worked in hopes of a better life.
• Mujie told Kusana and Yang Zheng that the Third Raikage had died.
• Kusagakure strengthened its defenses after receiving the news, while Kakuzu trembled and ordered Konan to go with him to the front lines.

Kusana ordered Kusagakure to increase production and prepare to sell ninja undershirts as the war shifted in Konoha’s favor. He strengthened the Land of Grass’s defenses and checked on new transport and surveillance projects before receiving a letter from Konoha.

• News spread that the Third Raikage had died after fighting ten thousand Iwa ninja for three days and nights.
• The ninja world learned that a Konoha genin had nearly wiped out Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen during their failed assassination mission.
• At the Kusagakure base in the Land of Rain, Kusana ordered workers to continue production and told Uzumaki Yangzheng to begin selling ninja undershirts.
• Kusana told Uzumaki Yangzheng to protect civilians and children and strengthen the village’s defenses against possible threats.
• Kusana asked about research into the Lightning Chariot and surveillance tools, and Uzumaki Yangzheng reported progress on both projects.
• Mujie rushed in and told Kusana that a letter had arrived from Konoha.

Kusagakure weighed Konoha’s offer to join its fight against Iwagakure, while Kusana delayed any help until the war with Amegakure ended. Kakuzu arrived at the front and found Kusagakure and Amegakure apparently preparing to stage a Grass-Rain War, leaving him baffled.

• Kusagakure’s leaders read Konoha’s offer to help them defeat Amegakure in exchange for support against Iwagakure, and Kusana decided to postpone sending troops until Kusagakure’s war was over.
• Konan arrived with the other children and told Kusana that Kakuzu had come to do business, prompting the leaders to rush out to find him.
• Kakuzu left the children at the front and went to inspect Kusagakure’s factory, where he saw people in Grass work uniforms wearing Amegakure forehead protectors.
• A person announced that the Grass-Rain War would begin in a week and called for three hundred Rain ninjas, leaving Kakuzu speechless.

Kakuzu witnessed Kusagakure’s strange schemes and insisted he had only come to earn money, while Hanzo encountered Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan. The chapter ended with Nagato denying that he was an orphan.

• Kusana welcomed Kakuzu to Kusagakure, but Kakuzu insisted he was only employed there and warned that he would leave if he could not make money.
• Kakuzu headed for the factory, passing Hanzo of the Salamander, who remarked that Kusagakure was not simple.
• Hanzo and Ame spotted Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan and reflected on how Kusagakure’s academy kept children from going to war.
• Hanzo stopped the three former Rain orphans and recalled their earlier attempt to poach talent from Amegakure.
• Nagato seriously declared that he was not an orphan.

As winter approached, Hanzo of the Salamander reflected on how Kusagakure had improved life in the Land of Rain and ordered Amegakure to let Leader Mang recruit as many people as he could. A Rain Ninja then arrived with a secret letter from Konoha.

• Ame turned on the Kusagakure heater while Hanzo of the Salamander considered the hardships facing the Land of Rain.
• Ame told Hanzo that Kusagakure planned a winter truce and described how Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan were helping Kakuzu sell goods to the warring villages.
• Hanzo recognized that Leader Mang had done more to help the people of the Land of Rain than he had managed to do.
• Hanzo ordered Ame to tell Leader Mang that Amegakure would not interfere with Kusagakure recruiting people from the Land of Rain.
• A Rain Ninja entered and delivered a secret letter from Konoha to Hanzo.

Kusana learned that Minato Namikaze’s team had destroyed Kannabi Bridge, cutting off Iwagakure’s supply line and shifting the war’s momentum toward Konoha. Obito woke in an underground cavern, where the elderly Madara ordered him to sit quietly and attend class.

• Kusana reviewed the war reports, arranged year-end preparations, and told his ninja to monitor Amegakure without provoking a fight.
• Mujie informed Kusana that Kannabi Bridge had been blown up.
• Minato Namikaze’s team attacked Iwagakure and destroyed Kannabi Bridge, severing its supply line and turning the battle in Konoha’s favor.
• Obito woke underground with half his body white and one arm missing, then called out for Minato, Kakashi, and Rin.
• Madara told the confused Obito to sit quietly and attend class.