Chapter Summaries

Tsunade crippled the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and left, while the war around Konohagakure and Amegakure intensified. Outside Konohagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the village’s veteran ninja defeated Hanzo and the Seven-Tails, then sealed the beast.

• Tsunade spared the Seven Ninja Swordsmen but crippled them before leaving.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mito Uzumaki, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu fought Hanzo and the Seven-Tails outside Konohagakure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi coordinated attacks with the veterans, then struck Chōmei with a powerful fusion of Five Releases Chakra.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi defeated Hanzo and knocked the Seven-Tails unconscious, intimidating Shimura Danzō and the other veteran ninja.
• The sealing squad sealed the Seven-Tails, and Mito Uzumaki reinforced the seal with the Eight Trigrams Seal.

Nawaki returned to Konoha, where Mito Uzumaki reassured him that the Senju Clan was secure, while Hiruzen Sarutobi welcomed the returning reinforcements and celebrated Konoha’s gains. Orochimaru continued his advance against Amegakure as Sunagakure and Iwagakure seized territory and resources from the weakened Land of Rain.

• Nawaki returned to Konoha and found Mito Uzumaki happy because she believed the Senju Clan and Nawaki were safer.
• Shimura Danzō realized that Hiruzen Sarutobi’s secret alliances and new talents had left him behind the times.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Hatake Sakumo and celebrated the returning troops, Tsunade’s medical system, and Orochimaru’s elite forces.
• Orochimaru used the Ten-Thousand Snake Formation to break through Rain Ninja defenses while Konoha’s forces advanced.
• After news spread that Hanzo had been killed and the Seven-Tails captured, Amegakure’s resistance collapsed and Iwagakure stopped attacking Orochimaru from behind.
• Yunqing sent Rasa to seize land around Sunagakure’s borders, while Iwagakure took adjoining territory and Amegakure’s ninjutsu and resources were looted.

After Konoha took control of Amegakure, Orochimaru studied Hanzo’s research while Yunqing wandered through the war-torn Land of Rain. Yunqing rescued Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan from starving attackers and sensed power hidden in Nagato’s still-unawakened eyes.

• Orochimaru reviewed Hanzo’s research on Ibuse’s poison and the Summoning Technique before the Nara Clan Head told him to settle Amegakure’s affairs and return to study the Seven-Tails.
• Yunqing arranged for Rasa to suppress unrest and secure land bordering their territory, then walked alone through a destitute town.
• Yunqing found Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan being attacked by starving people who intended to eat them.
• Yunqing killed the attackers with water arrows and examined Nagato’s eyes, realizing their power had not yet awakened.

Yunqing visited Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato in their secret base, refused Yahiko’s request for training, but left them food, clothes, and scrolls with ninja techniques. He left hoping they could shape a better future, while the Land of Rain and the wider Ninja World remained unstable.

• Konan thanked Yunqing for saving the three children, and he said he was not a good person even though he had rescued them.
• Yahiko asked Yunqing to teach them ninjutsu so he could bring peace to the Land of Rain, but Yunqing refused because teaching would bring him no benefit.
• Yunqing left the children food, clothes, and five scrolls containing chakra extraction methods and ninjutsu before disappearing from their base.
• Nagato recognized the scrolls, and Yahiko and Konan joined him in reading them.
• Yunqing watched the children from outside, then left, hoping they would grow strong and improve the Land of Rain.
• The chapter described new attacks by the Land of Lightning and Kirigakure, while the major villages guarded their borders against Ōnoki and Iwagakure.

Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure to enter the war on several fronts while lamenting the uneasy balance among the Five Great Hidden Villages. Madara Uchiha watched the fighting and reflected on the Ninja World’s endless wars before Tobi used Madara’s food requests to get Black and White Zetsu to supply him with snacks.

• Ōnoki cursed the other Kage, assessed the threats along Iwagakure’s borders, and ordered Rōshi, Kitsuchi, and Kari to lead forces toward Kumogakure, Konoha, and Sunagakure.
• Iwagakure and Kumogakure ninjas fought fiercely along the border between the Lands of Lightning and Earth.
• Madara Uchiha watched the battle and criticized the Ninja World for its endless wars, then accepted a meal delivered by Tobi.
• Madara asked Tobi to have White Zetsu bring roast chicken and fruit wine, and Tobi decided to add his own food requests.
• Tobi told Black and White Zetsu that Madara wanted sweets and then eagerly listed the additional foods he wanted.
• Black and White Zetsu left in exasperation, thinking that Tobi’s appetite made him an embarrassing relative.

Kakuzu reprimanded his regional managers for smuggling instead of accepting legitimate transport jobs, then rewarded Tuhao with a Sunagakure household registration booklet. The four managers refused to return their stolen profits, and a sand-wielding assailant killed them and their guards.

• Kakuzu scolded the managers for fearing legitimate requisitions and smuggling goods during the war.
• Kakuzu dismissed the other managers and gave Tuhao a blank Sunagakure household registration booklet for his timely report.
• Tuhao asked whether the managers had returned their smuggling profits, and Kakuzu warned that the company had powerful backers and would not protect those who refused to change.
• The four managers mocked Kakuzu and decided not to return the money while their samurai guards stood watch outside.
• A mysterious assailant killed the guards and used sand to restrain and kill the four managers.

Kakuzu promoted Tuhao after four general managers were killed, while Tuhao abandoned his plan to resign. In Konoha, Shimura Danzō took charge of part of the intelligence network and Anbu as Root began to form, despite resenting Hiruzen Sarutobi for bringing him back into service.

• Kakuzu and three ninjas in white cloaks found four dried corpses, and an old man said Tuhao could be promoted.
• Tuhao learned that four general managers had been killed and decided to resign and return to the Land of Earth.
• Kakuzu interrupted Tuhao’s resignation and promoted him to deputy director with dividends from two percent of the shares.
• Tuhao swallowed his resignation letter and prepared for a meeting to announce his promotion.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Shimura Danzō part of Konoha’s intelligence network and Anbu, as Root began to take shape.
• Shimura Danzō resented Hiruzen Sarutobi for pulling him away from his profitable businesses and plans for his descendants.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Danzō to requisition transport vehicles from Sunagakure’s logistics company while Hiruko struggled with physics research in Orochimaru’s absence. Hiruko began pursuing a battlefield replacement for Orochimaru, as Orochimaru and the Third Mizukage remained stuck in a war made miserable by Sunagakure’s Chakra Bullets.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Danzō to contact Sunagakure’s logistics company and requisition its vehicles to carry supplies.
• Danzō accepted the task despite resenting Hiruzen Sarutobi and his plans to exploit the company.
• Hiruko received physics research assignments and decided to create something that could replace Orochimaru on the battlefield.
• Hiruko delegated the research work, returned to his private laboratory, and began using the Chimera Technique and materials researched by Orochimaru and Tsunade.
• Orochimaru sensed someone’s malice toward him and brooded over being forced to keep fighting instead of returning to Konoha.
• The Third Mizukage recalled how Sunagakure’s overwhelming barrage of Chakra Bullets had badly struck Kirigakure’s forces at the harbor.

The standoff between Kirigakure and Sunagakure continued as the Third Mizukage waited for the Three-Tails and considered reforms to Kirigakure's chakra warfare. Suke expected the Mist ninja to attack soon, while Yunqing arrived in the ancient kingdom of Roran to search for treasure.

• The Third Mizukage rejected the Kaguya Clan Head's proposal to charge through the Sand Shinobi's defenses and said Kirigakure would wait for the Three-Tails.
• The Third Mizukage ordered the Hozuki Clan's Water Gun Technique to be widely taught and called for research into sealing ninjutsu in scrolls.
• The Third Mizukage told his subordinates to maintain the ships' barrier and keep watch against a night attack before retreating to the cabin.
• Suke told a young Sand Shinobi that Kirigakure was stalling and predicted the Mist ninja would soon make their move.
• Yunqing arrived in the ancient kingdom of Roran to search for treasure.

Yunqing confronted the Queen of Roran and demanded that the Ancient Kingdom of Roran submit to the Land of Wind. After the Queen surrendered, a general led soldiers in an attack, leaving Yunqing to defend himself and the Queen.

• Yunqing decided to bring the Ancient Kingdom of Roran under the Land of Wind and went to meet its queen.
• Yunqing cut down the palace guards and told the Queen of Roran to submit.
• Roran's soldiers attacked Yunqing, and he killed the ambushers and advancing soldiers with a sword strike.
• The Queen of Roran surrendered, then walked to Yunqing's side while a general urged the soldiers to avenge her.
• The general claimed the Queen was dead and charged Yunqing, who shielded her and faced the soldiers alone.

After Yunqing secured Roran for Sunagakure, Hiruzen Sarutobi envied its gains and plotted to create territory for Konoha. As the war intensified, the Third Mizukage shifted Kirigakure’s focus toward carving out territory at sea.

• The Third Kazekage suppressed a rebellion in Roran, protected the Queen, and secured her declaration that Roran would join the Land of Wind as Roran City under Sunagakure’s jurisdiction.
• Sāmon ordered a tree-planting team and an elite ninja squad sent to Roran to develop and protect the new territory.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, jealous of Sunagakure’s gains, told his advisers to find a small country for Konoha to take over, or create one if necessary.
• Days after the Queen of Roran’s declaration, fighting intensified across the Ninja World, and Orochimaru was wounded and withdrawn from the front lines.
• Suke watched Kirigakure’s fleet shrink and mocked the villages for imitating Yunqing.
• The Third Mizukage departed with the Hozuki Clan Head to explore Kirigakure’s sea charts and pursue territory and trade routes overseas, leaving the Kaguya Clan and Seven Ninja Swordsmen at the front.

Yunqing learned that the hidden villages were using his actions in Rōran as a model for expanding their political control, though he had originally come only to see the country and its Dragon Vein. He left Ebizo with orders to prepare a fleet so Sunagakure could claim islands near the Land of Wind and counter Kirigakure.

• Yunqing interrupted Ebizo’s praise and learned that Ebizo thought he had conquered the Country of Roran to secure tax revenue for Sunagakure.
• Yunqing realized his actions had been misinterpreted, then decided the hidden villages’ attempts to expand their authority could benefit Sunagakure.
• Ebizo told Yunqing that Hiruzen Sarutobi had recalled ninjas to suppress a rising hidden country within the Land of Fire.
• Yunqing argued that Kirigakure could easily expand across unclaimed islands and establish control over them.
• Yunqing ordered Ebizo to prepare a defensive fleet and said Sunagakure must prevent Kirigakure from seizing islands near the Land of Wind.

Yunqing explained to Ebizo why Sunagakure’s early reforms did not give it an advantage over the other hidden villages, though its ability to overcome conservative resistance still mattered. He left Ebizo reassured about Sunagakure’s prospects while privately marveling at Konoha’s abundance of exceptional fighters and researchers.

• Yunqing and Ebizo agreed that Sunagakure would endure the war and discussed the other hidden villages’ likely postwar plans.
• Ebizo suggested Sunagakure’s years of preparation gave it an advantage, but Yunqing argued that its weak foundation meant other villages could catch up quickly if they reformed.
• Yunqing explained that Sunagakure’s advantage lay in having already overcome the ideological barriers to reform, while the other villages faced powerful interest groups.
• Ebizo felt relieved that Sunagakure’s progress would not be easy for its rivals to reproduce, and Yunqing reflected on Konoha’s many exceptional talents.

At Harbor Port, Suke and the Sand Shinobi fought Kirigakure’s forces, including the Three-Tails and the Kaguya Clan Head. The battle remained evenly matched, with both sides waiting for a breakthrough.

• Yunqing reflected on Sunagakure’s prospects and imagined retiring as Kazekage in twenty or thirty years to travel with his wife.
• Suke ordered the Sand Shinobi to spread out to reduce casualties from the Three-Tails’ Tailed Beast Balls, then assigned Raikage to command the troops.
• Suke used Iron Sand Shower to disperse a Tailed Beast Ball, but the Kaguya Clan Head endured the attack and struck him with bones.
• The Kaguya Clan, Yuki Clan, Hozuki Clan, and Seven Ninja Swordsmen coordinated Kirigakure’s advance against the Sand Shinobi.
• Raikage prepared the Sand Shinobi for close combat after their barrage met Kirigakure’s Ice Walls and Water Walls.
• The elite forces of Sunagakure and Kirigakure clashed at Harbor Port, but neither side gained a decisive advantage.

The battle at Harbor Port left both Kirigakure and Sunagakure with heavy losses, forcing the Kaguya Clan Head and Suke to pause and reorganize. As the Third Mizukage and Yunqing reacted to the casualties, Suke began developing a defensive technique using Iron Sand.

• Sunagakure shinobi fought desperately against Kirigakure, and a full day of battle left more than three hundred dead on each side and nearly two thousand wounded.
• The Kaguya Clan Head ordered his forces to scout a nearby island and withdraw there to rest while continuing daily probing battles.
• Suke sent wounded Sand Shinobi to Sea City, then used Iron Sand to cover his body and began refining the resulting armor.
• Yunqing and the Third Mizukage condemned the commanders for the enormous losses, while the Third Mizukage sent medical ninjas and supplies.
• Other hidden villages mocked and praised the two sides for losing hundreds in a single battle.

After their first battle caused heavy losses, Suke and the Kaguya Clan Head were warned by their villages and shifted to cautious, low-intensity fighting. Meanwhile, Tsunade battled Chiyo at the Wind–Fire border and realized Chiyo’s reinforced puppets could withstand her attacks.

• The major hidden villages congratulated the Kaguya Clan Head and Suke, then warned their commanders to avoid costly battles and unnecessary heroics.
• Suke inspected the wounded in Sea City, where En Uzumaki reported no non-combat deaths but fifteen severely injured Sand Shinobi had to retire.
• The Kaguya Clan Head received a severe reprimand from the Third Mizukage, then assigned clan members and Seven Ninja Swordsmen to probing squads to reduce losses.
• Kirigakure and Sunagakure shifted to harassment and restrained clashes, keeping the battlefield calm for the next ten days.
• Tsunade struck Chiyo’s puppets with a Gravity Fist, but their reinforcement let them withstand the blow, and Tsunade recognized that a prolonged fight would favor Chiyo.

Tsunade led Konoha’s retreat from Chiyo’s puppets, holding back because Konoha was fighting on three fronts and had orders to avoid a costly battle. Back at camp, she punished Nawaki and then discussed countermeasures with Dan Katō, leaving Konoha’s response to Sunagakure’s upgraded forces unresolved.

• Tsunade dodged Chiyo’s puppet attacks and retreated with the Konoha ninja rather than risk a desperate battle.
• Chiyo enjoyed her first freely fought battle in decades and led the Sand Shinobi back to camp.
• Tsunade confronted Dan Katō for stopping her and beat Nawaki Senju for failing to help her.
• Dan Katō arranged for Nawaki to be treated, then asked Tsunade to discuss how to counter Chiyo’s puppets and medical units.
• Tsunade recommended training Konoha ninja in taijutsu and swordsmanship, while Dan Katō agreed that their methods needed reforming.

Dan Katō urged Tsunade to persuade Konoha to develop Sunagakure-style Chakra Guns and Chakra Cannons, along with the Third Hokage’s Clairvoyance Jutsu, as ways to counter the puppet forces. Tsunade sent Hiruzen Sarutobi an exaggerated letter demanding the weapons and jutsu, and he received what he considered a terrible intelligence report.

• Dan Katō told Tsunade that Sunagakure had developed a way to reinforce ordinary materials and argued that its Chakra Guns and Chakra Cannons could transform a village’s fighting strength.
• Tsunade recognized that the weapons could help Konoha destroy puppets and target their masters from a distance.
• Dan Katō suggested combining the weapons with Hiruzen Sarutobi’s Clairvoyance Jutsu for targeted attacks.
• Tsunade wrote Hiruzen a heavily embellished letter praising her own battlefield record and demanding that he send researchers, weapons, and the Clairvoyance Jutsu.
• A few days later, Hiruzen read Tsunade’s letter and found that it contained little useful battlefield intelligence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tested his Clairvoyance Jutsu and assigned Hiruko and Orochimaru new research orders. Hiruko worked to perfect a monster meant to challenge Orochimaru, while Orochimaru eagerly left the battlefield to establish a research base.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi compared Tsunade's intelligence report with an Anbu record, tested his Clairvoyance Jutsu, and issued orders to Hiruko and Orochimaru.
• Hiruko received an order to research ninjutsu physics and continued developing Ibuse with the Chimera Technique, hoping the monster would replace Orochimaru on the battlefield.
• Orochimaru received Hiruzen Sarutobi's order to research Chakra Guns, cannons, and material reinforcement, and eagerly left to set up a laboratory.
• Jiraiya asked the Nara Clan Head where Orochimaru had gone and learned that he had left a snake behind for communication.
• The Nara Clan Head continued handling strategy, logistics, casualties, maps, and battle assessments as fighting eased between the Five Great Hidden Villages but remained severe for smaller villages.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s elders rejected the Fire Daimyo’s envoy’s offer of military funding and decided to seize the Land of Waterfalls. Hiruzen then showed Shimura Danzō that the Daimyo had allocated far more money than the envoy claimed, leaving Danzō furious at the nobles’ deception.

• The Land of Waterfalls declared independence from the Land of Fire and Konohagakure, and its leader claimed the title of Kage.
• The Fire Daimyo’s envoy offered Hiruzen Sarutobi 500 Million Ryo to punish the Land of Waterfalls.
• Utatane Koharu killed the envoy, and Hiruzen ordered Danzō to conceal his visit and death.
• Hiruzen decided to lead troops to conquer the Land of Waterfalls and left Konohagakure in the elders’ hands.
• Hiruzen showed Shimura Danzō a scroll revealing that the Daimyo had allocated one billion in military funding, and Danzō became enraged.