Chapter Summaries

Jiriku tried to save Hotaru Tsuchigumo from pursuers by appealing to Konoha, but Shirakumo Hayama refused to intervene. Jiriku claimed Hotaru was the Hokage Assistant’s future disciple, prompting Hozuki Mangetsu and Rinji Ameyuri to fight the attackers while Shirakumo watched in confusion.

• Jiriku and Tonbei asked Shirakumo Hayama for help, but Shirakumo refused because protecting them could endanger his mission and his small Konoha team.
• Kamanosuke and his group caught up, and Shirakumo warned Jiriku and Tonbei not to approach him while the pursuers said they only wanted the three fugitives.
• Jiriku threw the unconscious Hotaru Tsuchigumo toward Shirakumo and claimed she was the future disciple of the Hokage Assistant.
• Rinji Ameyuri caught Hotaru, and Hozuki Mangetsu decided to help after hearing Jiriku’s claim; he stopped Ungyo from attacking Jiriku.
• Rinji Ameyuri fought Ungyo while Hozuki Mangetsu held off Kamanosuke and Kogitsunemaru, leaving Shirakumo Hayama bewildered by the sudden battle.

Jiriku, Rinji Ameyuri, and Hozuki Mangetsu defeated Kamanosuke and Kogitsunemaru while Tenmoku escaped. Afterward, Jiriku explained his conflict with the former Guardian Shinobi to Shirakumo Hayama and Tonbei but kept his lie about the Hokage Assistant, hoping to secure their support against Kazuma.

• Shirakumo Hayama and Tenmoku watched as Rinji Ameyuri and Hozuki Mangetsu fought Ungyo, Kamanosuke, and Kogitsunemaru.
• Jiriku struck Kamanosuke with Raijin: Thousand-Armed Kill, breaking his leg, then killed him with Raijin: Fudo Myo-o Sword.
• Hozuki Mangetsu used a clone and Water Pistol Technique to kill Kogitsunemaru while Rinji Ameyuri defeated Ungyo.
• Tenmoku fled as Kamanosuke fell, and Hozuki Mangetsu decided not to pursue him.
• Jiriku agreed to explain the situation to Shirakumo Hayama and Tonbei, recounting his history with the former Guardian Shinobi while concealing his lie about the Hokage Assistant.

After Tenmoku reported that Jiriku and two Mist Ninja had killed Kamanosuke, Ungyo, and Kogitsunemaru, Obito Uchiha identified the Mist Ninja and warned Kazuma against seeking revenge. Kazuma’s group decided to lie low and study the Tsuchigumo Clan’s forbidden technique, while Jiriku and the others found En no Gyōja’s meeting place burned and empty.

• Tenmoku returned alone and told Kazuma and Shiko that Jiriku, Hozuki Mangetsu, and Rinji Ameyuri had killed Kamanosuke, Ungyo, and Kogitsunemaru.
• Obito Uchiha identified Hozuki Mangetsu and Rinji Ameyuri, warned Kazuma not to challenge them, and left after renewing his invitation to join the Akatsuki Organization.
• Kazuma agreed to pause their activities and study the Tsuchigumo Clan’s forbidden technique before hunting stronger targets.
• Kazuma, Tenmoku, and Shiko left the clearing after using Explosive Tags to destroy the remaining traces.
• Jiriku, Hozuki Mangetsu, Shirakumo Hayama, and the others arrived and found only scorched ground where En no Gyōja had been.
• Jiriku bowed in farewell and led the group toward the Daimyo Mansion to find the Hokage Assistant.

After learning that En no Gyōja had been killed while protecting the Tsuchigumo Clan’s forbidden technique, Sōken heard the survivors’ account and prepared to pursue Kazuma. Hotaru Tsuchigumo became Sōken’s disciple, while Jiriku chose to return to the Temple of Fire before joining the search later.

• Sōken learned that Kazuma and his followers had attacked En no Gyōja to steal the Tsuchigumo Clan’s forbidden technique.
• Sōken praised Hozuki Mangetsu and Shirakumo Hayama for their actions and promised to explain Hayama’s involvement.
• Hotaru Tsuchigumo asked Sōken to teach her ninjutsu, and he accepted her as his disciple and assigned her one thousand kunai throws.
• Jiriku apologized for claiming Hotaru was Sōken’s disciple, and Sōken dismissed the lie and thanked him for bringing the intelligence.
• Jiriku chose to return to the Temple of Fire until his teacher recovered, while Sōken offered to let him join the operation against Kazuma afterward.

Hotaru Tsuchigumo endured an exhausting first day of training under Sōken, who also planned to study her clan’s Binding Seal Technique to guide her future training. After completing a thousand shuriken throws, Hotaru collapsed, and Sōken treated her before warning that the next day’s training would be even harsher.

• Sōken advised Hayate Gekko to study the Konoha-style Swordsmanship technique Caress Moon and promised to demonstrate it the next day.
• Hayate Gekko praised Hotaru Tsuchigumo’s hard work, and Sōken summoned Tonbei to request the scroll containing the Tsuchigumo Clan’s Binding Seal Technique.
• Sōken explained that he wanted the scroll to plan Hotaru’s training and said the technique would become her greatest asset.
• Hotaru Tsuchigumo completed one thousand shuriken throws under the lights, then collapsed from exhaustion.
• Sōken caught Hotaru, treated her muscle strain with the Mystical Palm Technique, and told her that her future training would be harsher.

In Konoha in Year 59, Uchiha Sōken visited the ill Fifth Hokage, Torifu Akimichi, and learned that Torifu had gone blind. Torifu asked Sōken to manage the village’s affairs while he rested, leaving Konoha’s leadership in Sōken’s hands for the time being.

• Hotaru Tsuchigumo, Yakumo Kurama, and Uchiha Toka walked to the Ninja Academy, where Sōken surprised Toka and warned her not to be late.
• Sōken headed to the Akimichi Clan compound because Torifu Akimichi was ill and unable to handle Hokage duties.
• Akimichi Choza told Sōken that Torifu had gone blind despite taking medicine prepared from Tsunade’s prescription.
• Sōken entered Torifu’s room, where Yakushi Nonō and Izumi Uchiha were examining him alongside Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi.
• Torifu acknowledged that his condition might not improve and asked Sōken to handle the village’s affairs while he rested.

Sōken weighed his prospects of becoming the Sixth Hokage, encouraged Izumi Uchiha’s medical training, and granted Hozuki Mangetsu leave to return to Kirigakure. Meanwhile, Kazuma, Shiko, and Tenmoku searched Mirou Mountain and encountered a huge flying monster that attacked them.

• Yakushi Nonō told Sōken that Torifu Akimichi’s illness had reached a critical stage and could not be cured, prompting Sōken to consider preparing for the Hokage succession.
• Sōken praised Izumi Uchiha’s progress in medical ninjutsu and told her to stand up to clan members who belittled her chosen path.
• Hozuki Mangetsu told Sōken that his father had died and that his family needed him, so Sōken granted him a month of leave to return to Kirigakure.
• Sōken reflected that the joint Konoha–Kirigakure department had made little progress investigating Madara Uchiha and considered the changing future as Naruto and his peers neared graduation.
• Kazuma, Shiko, and Tenmoku searched Mirou Mountain for someone, but Tenmoku detected an approaching threat in the sky.
• A huge pale monster descended from the clouds and attacked the trio with fire, then swooped lower to tear them apart with its claws.

Kazuma, Tenmoku, and Shiko fought their way through the monsters of Mirou Mountain, where Kazuma unleashed the devastating forbidden jutsu Nuregami. The Palace Master identified them as traitors of the Twelve Guardian Ninja and confronted them, demanding to know why they had come.

• Tenmoku and Shiko battled the strange monsters while Kazuma realized they had reached the place they were seeking.
• Kazuma used Earth Style: Earth Dragon Spear and shadow clones to hold off the monsters while he prepared Nuregami.
• Kazuma unleashed Nuregami, annihilating the monsters and creating a massive crater; the Palace Master watched the blast through surveillance cameras and began to suspect the visitors' identities.
• Kazuma reassured Shiko that his body could handle the jutsu and waited for the Palace Master to appear.
• The Palace Master emerged from beneath a rock, called Kazuma, Tenmoku, and Shiko traitors of the Twelve Guardian Ninja, and demanded to know their purpose.

Kazuma revealed that he knew Hiruko’s secret plan to fuse Kekkei Genkai and offered him a tempting bargain, summoning a human sacrifice. Meanwhile, Obito Uchiha watched Uchiha Toka and her fellow students at the Ninja Academy, considering how they might serve the Akatsuki Organization’s plans without being taken hostage.

• Hiruko explained that he identified Kazuma through knowledge of the Tsuchigumo Clan’s Nuregami and the report that En no Gyōja had been killed five years earlier.
• Kazuma told Hiruko he had come to seek cooperation and identified the Chimera Technique as a means to fuse Kekkei Genkai.
• Kazuma revealed that he knew Hiruko’s plan to combine multiple Kekkei Genkai, then used the Summoning Technique to summon a human.
• Obito Uchiha watched Uchiha Toka, Yakumo Kurama, and Hotaru Tsuchigumo at the Ninja Academy as Black Zetsu reported Kazuma’s contact with Hiruko.
• Obito Uchiha rejected taking the girls hostage and said he would adapt his plans, while insisting he would fulfill his ambition for Rin.

Naruto and Sasuke battled in class, where Sasuke won through a clever deception, while Yakumo sensed someone watching her and quickly defeated Kiba. After the students split up, Obito explained that he had deliberately let Yakumo notice his presence to put pressure on Uchiha Sōken as Konoha approached major changes.

• Naruto and Sasuke fought with ninjutsu and ink beasts until Sasuke used a Shadow Clone and Transformation Technique to catch Naruto off guard and win.
• Yakumo sensed a watcher nearby, then defeated Kiba with Genjutsu while Toka and Hotaru also overwhelmed their opponents in class.
• After school, Yakumo felt the watcher’s presence again and canceled the girls’ movie plans, leaving with Toka and Hotaru.
• Obito told Black Zetsu that he had deliberately revealed his presence to pressure Uchiha Sōken, partly because he was bored.

Yakumo reported sensing a malicious presence watching her and her classmates, prompting Sōken to suspect Obito Uchiha and strengthen Konoha’s defenses. Kabuto began investigating as Sōken anticipated that trouble could arrive before Naruto and the others graduated.

• Toka, Yakumo, and Hotaru entered Sōken’s office, and Toka warned that Yakumo was being followed.
• Yakumo clarified that she had sensed someone watching her and her classmates at the Ninja Academy and near a bookstore, and she could not tell who the target was.
• Sōken considered Naruto and the others possible targets, suspected Obito Uchiha, and ordered Uchiha Arashiyama to strengthen hidden defenses and surveillance at the Ninja Academy.
• Kabuto questioned whether the measures would help, then agreed to investigate the unknown watcher.
• Sōken told Kabuto to keep the village alert and reflected that the story had already begun to diverge from the expected future.

Kazuma sought Hiruko’s help to stop the Tsuchigumo forbidden technique from killing him, while Obito offered a White Zetsu as a bargaining gift. Hiruko agreed to suppress Kazuma’s worsening condition and promised to find a permanent solution within a year if Kazuma helped him defeat Konoha.

• Hiruko examined the black pearl embedded in Kazuma’s chest and said he needed time to understand the conflict between the Tsuchigumo technique and the force suppressing it.
• Obito told Kazuma that rogue ninja Hiruko was researching the Second Hokage’s Chimera Technique, which might help fuse the forbidden technique into Kazuma’s body.
• Obito gave Kazuma a White Zetsu created from the First’s cells, and Kazuma arranged to bring it to Hiruko as a gift.
• Hiruko accepted the White Zetsu and shifted his research plans toward combining Wood Style with other bloodline abilities.
• Hiruko offered to suppress Kazuma’s deterioration and promised a permanent solution within a year if Kazuma helped him bring down Konoha.
• Kazuma withheld a definite commitment and told Hiruko to prove he could stabilize him before they negotiated further.

Kazuma and his companions traveled to the Land of Water to capture Hozuki Mangetsu’s teammate, Hiromae, as part of the deal with Hiruko. Their ambush succeeded in poisoning the group, but Mangetsu resisted the poison and fought back as Kazuma confronted him.

• Kazuma accepted Hiruko’s assignment to gather materials in exchange for help curing his condition and a future attack on Konoha.
• Kazuma, Shiko, and Tenmoku reached a roadside teahouse in the Land of Water and prepared to ambush Hozuki Mangetsu’s group.
• Shiko disguised herself as the teahouse owner and poisoned the tea, incapacitating Hiromae and the other two Mist Ninja.
• Hozuki Mangetsu liquefied his body to resist the poison, then fought off Shiko’s senbon attacks.
• Rock spears forced Mangetsu to throw his companions clear, allowing Tenmoku to seize Hiromae.
• Kazuma raised a Rock Wall to stop Mangetsu and faced him in battle.

Hozuki Mangetsu battled Kazuma and his rogue ninja companions, whose techniques and hostage-taking put Mangetsu at a disadvantage until Kazuma unleashed the Tsuchigumo Clan’s forbidden jutsu, Nuregami. Kazuma and Tenmoku escaped with Hiroaki Shimizu, while Mangetsu survived and headed to Kirigakure to report the abduction.

• Kazuma struggled to counter Hozuki Mangetsu’s Water Style and Hydrification Technique until Mangetsu recognized him as a former Twelve Guardian Ninja.
• Mangetsu wounded Shiko and threatened Tenmoku, while Shiko urged Kazuma and Tenmoku to escape and tried to cover their retreat.
• Kazuma activated Nuregami from underground, and its blast destroyed the teahouse and engulfed Shiko as Mangetsu leapt clear.
• Kazuma and Tenmoku escaped with Hiroaki Shimizu, and Mangetsu found no trail to pursue them.
• Mangetsu learned that the teahouse owner and customers had survived, then set off for Kirigakure to report Hiroaki’s capture.

Kirigakure's leaders debated how to respond after Kazuma abducted Hiroaki Shimizu and escaped, amid evidence that the same group had targeted the Cloud and Stone Ninja. The Fifth Mizukage decided that if Kirigakure's pursuit failed, Hozuki Mangetsu would ask Konoha for help and work with it to stop the kidnappers.

• Hozuki Mangetsu reported that Kazuma had abducted Hiroaki Shimizu, killed two teammates, and escaped, so Kirigakure sent six tracking squads after him.
• Kisame Hoshigaki revealed that a Cloud Ninja with Storm Release and a Stone Ninja with Lava Release had also been attacked, and warned that rescuing Hiroaki might fail.
• The Shimizu Clan head worried about Hiroaki, while Ao asked how Kirigakure should respond if the rescue failed.
• Hozuki Mangetsu argued that Kirigakure should request Konoha's aid rather than blame it, and warned that Kazuma's group might target other villages.
• Momochi Zabuza, Kisame Hoshigaki, the Shimizu Clan head, Utakata, and eventually Ao supported asking Konoha for help.
• Mei Terumi decided that if the pursuit failed, Hozuki Mangetsu would lead a team to Konoha to request aid against Kazuma's group.

Sōken dealt with rumors about the blind Fifth Hokage and pressure from Kumogakure and Iwagakure as he learned that Kazuma’s group had abducted a Mist Ninja with Boil Style. Kazuma delivered the captive to Hiruko, who prepared to use the Chimera Technique and set his sights on obtaining the Sharingan from Konoha.

• Kazuma and his group escaped Kisame Hoshigaki’s pursuit, and Hozuki Mangetsu traveled to the Land of Fire with a personal letter from the Fifth Mizukage.
• Sōken handled rumors that the Hokage Assistant had harmed the blind Fifth Hokage and rejected Kumogakure and Iwagakure’s demands for Konoha to pursue or rescue their abducted ninja.
• Kabuto warned Sōken that Kazuma might target Konoha’s Kekkei Genkai, and Sōken decided to caution his clan members and alert the Anbu.
• Kabuto told Sōken that a Mist Ninja with Boil Style had also been abducted, and that the Mist Ninja suspected Konoha and the Sand Ninja might be targets.
• Kazuma brought the unconscious Mist Ninja to Hiruko, who planned to combine the captured Kekkei Genkai with the Chimera Technique before seeking the Sharingan.
• Hiruko promised to work on Kazuma’s condition, and after Kazuma left to rest, Hiruko carried the Mist Ninja into a secret underground laboratory.

Torifu Akimichi weighed ending his prolonged tenure as Hokage while Sōken briefed him on Kirigakure’s warning about Kazuma’s group. Tsunade remained away from Konoha, gambling with Shizune on Hyakkaō Street as Torifu quietly resolved to make a decision he could not yet voice.

• Torifu Akimichi discussed the village rumors surrounding his temporary blindness with Nara Shikaku and admitted that the situation could not be allowed to drag on.
• Sōken told Torifu Akimichi that Kazuma’s group had captured a Kirigakure Boil Style ninja, and Nara Shikaku read aloud the Fifth Mizukage’s request for Konoha’s help tracking them down.
• Torifu Akimichi assigned Sōken to pursue Kazuma’s group with the Anbu and Joint Investigation Department, while declining to involve the Cloud Ninja or Stone Ninja without evidence they were sheltering the fugitives.
• After Sōken left, Torifu Akimichi confirmed to Nara Shikaku that he had made his decision but could not bring himself to announce it.
• Tsunade and Shizune arrived at Hyakkaō Street nearly out of money, and Tsunade led them into a lavish casino despite Shizune’s protests.

Kakashi Hatake and Hozuki Mangetsu led an investigation squad into Mount Sumeru to find Kazuma and his men. After strange, armored dogs ambushed them in the fog, the squad defeated the pack and Itachi Uchiha suggested following their tracks north.

• Kakashi Hatake and Hozuki Mangetsu decided to enter Mount Sumeru together while the two tracking Anbu squads waited at the foot of the mountain.
• Hozuki Mangetsu sent Water Clones ahead, but the clones were destroyed, and crossbow bolts struck the squad as strange, bone-armored dogs surrounded them.
• Uchiha Chihaya, Rinji Ameyuri, Kimimaro, Itachi Uchiha, and the others fought back and killed the attacking dogs.
• After the battle, Itachi Uchiha found footprints leading north and urged Kakashi Hatake and Hozuki Mangetsu to follow them.

Kakashi’s group reached a hidden palace on Mount Sumeru and fought off its strange creatures, while Hiruko prepared to return to Konoha after gaining Wood Release. In Hyakkaō Street, Tsunade found a coin just before a monster appeared, and she recognized something familiar about it.

• Kakashi’s group followed the tracks to a stone palace on Mount Sumeru and learned that the area had gone unpatrolled because Konoha lacked manpower.
• Itachi Uchiha and Uchiha Chihaya spotted the explosive feathers, and the group fought strange birds, crossbow-wielding dogs, and regenerating snakes.
• Rinji Ameyuri unleashed powerful Lightning Style attacks that struck down the creatures as Uchiha Chihaya and the others supported her.
• Hiruko learned that Cage No. 3 had been discovered, but celebrated his new body and Wood Release while vowing to surpass Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru.
• Tsunade and Shizune left the casino broke and indebted, and Tsunade picked up a coin in the street.
• A white, horned monster flew toward Hyakkaō Street, and Tsunade remained in place because it felt familiar to her.

Tsunade recognized a monster as resembling a design from Hiruko’s forbidden experiments and killed it with one punch. After Hozuki Mangetsu explained the pursuit of Kazuma and the fused monsters, Tsunade joined the group heading back into the mountains to investigate.

• Tsunade recalled seeing a similar monster design in Hiruko’s old laboratory records and killed the creature attacking Hyakkaō Street.
• Tsunade met Hozuki Mangetsu, Itachi Uchiha, and Kaguya Kimimaro, all former patients she had treated.
• Hozuki Mangetsu explained how three fused monsters had appeared in Mount Sumeru and how one had fled toward Hyakkaō Street.
• Tsunade questioned the connection between Kazuma and the monster, then agreed to return to the mountains with the group.
• Tsunade ordered Itachi and Kimimaro to secure the corpse and told Shizune to prepare to leave.