Chapter Summaries

Kusana returned to Kusagakure with workers recruited from the Land of Rain, where the village prepared housing, clothes, baths, and food for them. As Kawaisuke reunited with his wife and daughter in their new clothes, he began to believe that Kusana had truly offered them a better life.

• Kusagakure's ninjas prepared to welcome the workers from the Land of Rain and organized housing and supplies for them.
• Kusana arrived at Kusagakure with the workers, and Kushina Kana accepted their records and responsibility for settling them.
• Grass Ninja captains divided the workers into teams, separated men and women, and directed them to bathe and change into new green clothes.
• Kawaisuke worried when he was separated from his wife and daughter, but his captain reassured him that he would see them soon.
• Kawaisuke reunited with his wife and daughter in the hall, felt reassured by their welcome, and returned to his team for the meal.

Kawaisuke and his family ate at the Land of Grass’s cafeteria, received a house near the factory, and began to feel hopeful about their new life. Meanwhile, Kusana reassured Kana and Mrs. Fusang that Konan and the others were fine, as Nagato began discussing how to distinguish enemies from friends with Yahiko and Konan.

• Kawaisuke overcame his fear, took food from the cafeteria, and showed the other refugees that they could eat freely.
• Shizuko and Ryukako joined Kawaisuke for food after seeing that the Grass Ninjas kept their word.
• A Grass Ninja gave Kawaisuke’s family the keys to their new home and told them to gather for work the next morning.
• Kawaisuke’s family settled into their new home and resolved to work hard so they would not be driven away.
• Kusana told Kana and Mrs. Fusang that Konan and the others were playing outside and would likely return the next day.
• Nagato wrote on a whiteboard and told Yahiko and Konan that distinguishing enemies from friends was their primary question.

Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan decided to stay in the Land of Rain and organize opposition to Hanzo of the Salamander, while Amegakure began hunting them with a poster of their laborer disguises. Back in the Land of Grass, Kusana learned they had not returned and ordered a search, promising them extra homework when they were found.

• Nagato explained that they should oppose Hanzo of the Salamander and his supporters while trying to win over people dissatisfied with his rule.
• Konan revealed that Amegakure had issued a wanted notice showing the three in their green laborer uniforms, prompting Nagato to agree with Yahiko about staying and seeking a chance to kill Hanzo.
• Mujie told Kusana that the three had not returned and that Amegakure had issued a wanted notice, though the group had not been caught.
• Kusana ordered ninja to find the three and threatened them with at least five jin of test papers when they returned.
• Kusana decided to go see how the new workers were doing on their first day.

Kusana called a meeting to address Kusagakure’s shortage of ninja labor as the Land of Grass expanded its factories and construction projects. After discussing potential clans to recruit, he proposed a ninja Literacy Campaign across the country.

• Kusana received a letter saying Yahiko, Nagato, and their teacher were well but would not return yet, easing fears that they had been captured or harmed.
• Kusana reviewed the Land of Grass’s construction drive, including its Scientific Ninja Tool factory, clothing factory, and infrastructure projects, and worried that there were too few ninja to support production.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng proposed recruiting the Fuma Clan and Tsuchigumo Clan, while Kusana considered seeking out the Snow Clan in the Land of Water.
• Kusana presented his prepared plan to launch a ninja Literacy Campaign throughout the Land of Grass.

Kusana won support for a cautious plan to teach civilians chakra refinement and production skills, arguing that the Land of Grass needed to grow stronger to defend itself. A week later, Yamato told factory worker Kawaisuke that the higher-ups had opened a Literacy Class.

• Kusana explained that chakra education could help civilians develop and proposed teaching refinement and production skills while strengthening ethics and selecting students carefully.
• Longzhi warned that creating more ninja could bring chaos and provoke the Five Great Ninja Villages into attacking the Land of Grass.
• Kusana argued that the country had to become stronger to protect its peace, and Uzumaki Yangzheng and the others pledged their support.
• Kusana sent Mujie to bring Yahiko and the other children back from the war-torn Land of Rain, warning that Mujie would inherit their twenty jin of homework if he failed.
• Kawaisuke finished work at the Scientific Ninja Tool Processing Factory and reflected on his hopes of sending his daughter Ryukako to school.
• Yamato pulled Kawaisuke aside and began telling him about the Literacy Class opened so everyone could learn ninja knowledge.

Kawaisuke learned that his daughter Ryukako might earn a school place through his work and promised his family they would all work hard. Meanwhile, Kusana brought Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan back from their unauthorized recruiting in Amegakure, ordered them to do their homework, and sent the people they had recruited to the academy.

• Captain Yamato told Kawaisuke about a limited school opportunity for Ryukako tied to his work record and an Excellent Employee Award recommendation.
• Kawaisuke asked Ryukako if she wanted to attend school, and she eagerly agreed to study hard.
• Kawaisuke shared the opportunity with Shizuko, and the family vowed to work hard together.
• Kusana scolded Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan for poaching people in Amegakure and assigned them two hundred jin of homework.
• Mujie reported that Yahiko and the others had brought back several people, including ninjas, and Kusana ordered them sent to the academy and night school.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan explained why Teacher Amang had sent them back to school, while Kyusuke and Daibutsu were placed under Kusagakure’s supervision. Madara learned the Grass Ninja Village Leader had returned the children to study and praised the principle, but a loud recitation interrupted his rest.

• Yahiko told Kyusuke that he, Nagato, and Konan had to return to school because Teacher Amang believed children should study and learn how to judge right and wrong.
• Yahiko and the others left, and Daibutsu decided to return to the dormitory and see for himself whether Grass was teaching ordinary people to refine Chakra.
• Nagato went home and lamented the two hundred jin of homework he had gained.
• White Zetsu told Madara that the Grass Ninja Village Leader had secretly knocked out and brought back the three children because children should study instead of going to war.
• Madara recalled his and Hashirama’s dream of keeping children out of war, praised the Grass Ninja Village Leader, and went to sleep.
• A chorus reciting “A grateful heart” sounded overhead, prompting Madara to ask whether morning had already come.

Black Zetsu and the White Zetsu original body discovered that Spiral White Zetsu had been secretly working and attending Kusagakure’s literacy classes. Kawaisuke tried to catch up with Student Fei after class, but Fei disappeared from the path.

• Black Zetsu worried that Madara Uchiha had become unusually talkative but concluded that Madara still followed his plan.
• The White Zetsu original body told Black Zetsu that Swirl Face had been buying Madara sweets and sometimes stayed out at night.
• Black Zetsu and the White Zetsu original body spotted Spiral White Zetsu walking with factory workers in Kusagakure.
• Kawaisuke thanked Student Fei for helping him understand lessons and Chakra extraction during night class.
• Kawaisuke turned back to invite Student Fei to his home, but Student Fei vanished from the path.

Yahiko vowed to uncover the academy’s latest ghost mystery while Kusana dismissed the incident as an Amegakure infiltration and focused on keeping Kusagakure stable. Daibutsu embraced his life in Kusagakure, while Kyusuke stubbornly refused to follow his example despite feeling cold.

• Yahiko insisted that the mysterious worker was another ghost and vowed to discover who he was, while Nagato urged him to finish his homework.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng reported that a black-haired man had attended night classes and secretly taken food, and Kusana decided to treat the case as an enemy-village infiltration.
• Kusana told Uzumaki Yangzheng to blame Amegakure, monitor the academy and workplaces, and prepare for unrest while arranging year-end wages and outings for workers.
• Uzumaki Yangzheng said Daibutsu and the other Amegakure ninja had requested permission to go out, and Kusana learned that Daibutsu had submitted a proper application.
• Daibutsu encouraged Kyusuke to study and appreciate Kusagakure, but Kyusuke rejected him and insisted he was not afraid of the cold as he eyed the green work uniform on his bed.

Madara and Spiral White Zetsu discussed the tense ninja world and recent changes in the Land of Grass while sharing dango. In the Land of Grass, Kusana suspected Nagato and Yahiko had cursed him and planned a special New Year gift for them.

• Spiral White Zetsu brought Madara tricolor dango and told him Sunagakure was searching for something amid rising tensions.
• Spiral White Zetsu described his spying in the Land of Grass, where the leader mistook him for an Amegakure spy, and reported roads, scientific tools, and farm machinery.
• Kusana sneezed repeatedly and told Kana he felt someone was cursing him.
• Nagato and Yahiko visited Kusana, said they had finished their homework, and asked permission to visit Kyusuke and Daibutsu at the factory.
• Kusana let Nagato and Yahiko go, then decided they might have cursed him and planned a New Year gift to teach them respect.

Kusana attended the Scientific Ninja Tool manufacturing plant’s payday celebration and named Kawaisuke the year’s Excellent Employee. Encouraged by his family, Kawaisuke began thanking Kusana and the Land of Grass in his acceptance speech.

• The workers gathered at the plant, excited to receive their first wages, while Kawaisuke nervously awaited the Excellent Employee selection.
• Kyusuke complained about attending the event, and Daibutsu teased him about considering a construction job in the Land of Grass.
• Kusana thanked the workers and announced Kawaisuke as the Excellent Employee, prompting thunderous applause.
• Kawaisuke accepted his certificate from Kusana and was asked to say a few words.
• Kawaisuke drew confidence from his cheering wife and daughter and began thanking Kusana and the Land of Grass.

On their holiday, Kawaisuke, Shizuko, and Ryukako enjoyed a home-cooked breakfast and prepared to explore the lively Land of Grass. After leaving through the guarded gate, Kawaisuke looked forward to working hard the following year to repay the Leader.

• Kawaisuke got up early, admired his Excellent Employee Award, and greeted his neighbor Mr. Ishigami while they went to wash up.
• Kawaisuke returned home to Shizuko and Ryukako, and the family ate their first home-cooked breakfast using their year-end gift package.
• Kawaisuke promised Ryukako she could buy what she wanted, and the family set out for their day off.
• The guards reminded the family to return early as they passed through the gate and joined other workers heading out.
• Kawaisuke admired the lively streets, held Shizuko's hand, and resolved to work hard the next year to repay the Leader.

Kusana reflected on the Land of Grass’s growth and rising tensions as the ninja world edged toward war. After spring arrived, Mujie reported that the Third Kazekage had disappeared, and Kusana concluded that war was coming.

• Kana told Kusana that Konoha had warned Kusagakure to watch Iwagakure, and that Mujitsu had replied with misplaced confidence before Konoha reinforced its border.
• Kusana visited Nagato’s home for New Year’s lunch and learned that Yahiko’s Akatsuki Organization had few committed members.
• Yahiko asked to graduate, but Kusana set an impossible standard and demonstrated it by summoning a winter-vacation gift package of books.
• As spring began, Mujie told Kusana that Sunagakure’s Third Kazekage had disappeared, and Kusana declared that war was coming.

As the Third Shinobi World War began, Kusana prepared the Land of Grass for conflict while protecting its civilians and children. Konoha then asked Kusagakure to help repel Sunagakure and safeguard peace, leaving Kusana to consider the request.

• Kumogakure attacked Sunagakure, then declared war on Konoha, while Sunagakure also attacked Konoha in the name of avenging the Third Kazekage.
• Kusana placed the Land of Grass on wartime footing, and the civilians settled under Kusagakure's organization.
• Kana reported that the Land of Grass had enough food for three years, while Oyakamon, Uzumaki Yangzheng, and Longzhi described security, production, and medical preparations.
• Kusana told Uzumaki Yangzheng not to let the first academy graduates be affected by the war, and Uzumaki Yangzheng promised to protect their studies.
• Kana reported that Konoha had asked Kusagakure to watch Iwagakure and help resist Sunagakure's attack.

Kusagakure refused Konoha’s request for help against Sunagakure, claiming it needed to guard against Iwagakure. Konoha accepted the refusal as a sign of restraint, but learned that Iwagakure had already reached the Land of Fire border.

• Mujie sent Konoha a refusal, saying Kusagakure could not spare troops while watching Iwagakure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s leaders discussed Kusagakure’s likely ability to delay Iwagakure and the need to prepare for war.
• Utatane Koharu noted that Konoha’s graduating students would help ease its shortage of ninja.
• An Anbu ninja reported that Iwagakure had entered the war.
• The Anbu ninja revealed that Iwagakure had already reached the Land of Fire border, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi stunned and asking where Kusagakure was.

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.