Recaps

Rasa argued that Konoha’s overwhelming resources had made the Ninja World’s distribution unfair and urged Sunagakure to join Kumogakure and Iwagakure in attacking it. The Third Kazekage agreed and ordered preparations for war, setting Sunagakure on a course to confront Konoha.

• Black-and-White Zetsu repeatedly tried to find Madara a Uchiha successor, but Uchiha Mai discovered and drove him out of Konoha each time.
• Rasa told Pakura that Konoha’s resource advantage had fueled the Ninja World’s wars and argued that Sunagakure should join the other villages against it.
• Pakura agreed to seek the Third Kazekage’s support for an attack on Konoha.
• The Third Kazekage emerged and said he shared Rasa’s views on redistributing the Ninja World’s resources.
• The Third Kazekage ordered Rasa to help prepare for war and Pakura to bring Sasori back to settle Sunagakure’s score with Hatake Sakumo.

Sunagakure assembled a powerful force under the Third Kazekage and marched toward the Land of Fire, prompting Konoha’s leaders to plan a response. Uchiha Mai challenged their underestimation of Sunagakure and accused Danzo and Mitokado Homura of withholding intelligence to undermine the Hokage.

• The Third Kazekage led five thousand Sunagakure ninja and puppeteers toward the Land of Fire, with Rasa, Sasori of the Red Sands, and Pakura as deputies.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen convened Konoha’s senior officials, and Danzo and Mitokado Homura argued that four thousand ninja led by Hatake Sakumo would be enough to repel Sunagakure.
• Uchiha Mai stopped Uchiha Fugaku from speaking and then objected to the proposed plan, asking Danzo and Mitokado Homura whom they would choose as supreme commander.
• Danzo proposed Hatake Sakumo and mentioned Tsunade as another candidate, while both he and Mitokado Homura avoided recommending Uchiha Mai.
• Uchiha Mai argued that Konoha had underestimated Sunagakure and Rasa, then accused Danzo and Mitokado Homura of concealing intelligence and plotting to weaken Sarutobi Hiruzen’s authority.

Uchiha Mai defended his actions and exposed Mitokado Homura and Danzo as ineffective, self-serving advisors while the Konoha leaders assessed the threat from Sunagakure. The chapter ended with Mai demanding that Danzo explain why he blamed the people who had actually fought for Konoha.

• Uchiha Mai accused Mitokado Homura of neglecting his duties and undermining Sarutobi Hiruzen, leaving Homura unable to defend himself.
• Mitokado Homura collapsed after Mai publicly cornered him, and Sarutobi Hiruzen had him taken to the hospital while reprimanding Mai only lightly.
• Uchiha Mai described Sasori of the Red Sands as a dangerous puppeteer who could threaten a Kage after turning Hanzo's corpse into a human puppet.
• Danzo blamed Mai for making Sunagakure's invasion more dangerous by letting Sasori steal Hanzo's body.
• Uchiha Mai countered that Danzo had kept Root out of the war while Mai had fought for Konoha, then challenged Danzo's right to criticize him.

Uchiha Mai defended himself against Danzo’s accusation of being a rogue ninja by arguing that Danzo had colluded with Hanzo to arrange his assassination. The confrontation escalated into a sword standoff before Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped it, while his reaction suggested he had begun to suspect Danzo’s role.

• Danzo accused Uchiha Mai of being a rogue ninja and questioned whether he could be trusted to fight Sunagakure.
• Uchiha Mai called Danzo and Mitokado Homura traitors, then explained how Hanzo had used the supposed Peace Conference to target the Akatsuki leaders and Mai.
• Uchiha Mai accused Danzo of colluding with Hanzo to assassinate him, and Danzo challenged Mai’s account by asking how he could have controlled Sarutobi Hiruzen’s choice of representative.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen realized Danzo may have manipulated his habitual opposition to influence that choice, and Mai further accused Danzo of plotting to kill him and seize the Hokage position.
• Danzo drew his sword, Mai drew Izumi no Kami Kanesada, and Fugaku joined Mai in confronting Danzo.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered everyone to lower their swords and rebuked Danzo more sharply than Mai and Fugaku.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stripped Shimura Danzo of his advisor title and appointed Hatake Sakumo to lead Konoha's forces against Sunagakure, leaving Uchiha Mai off the front lines. After a tense encounter with Danzo, Uchiha Mai unexpectedly awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen removed Shimura Danzo as Naruto's advisor after Danzo refused to defend himself against Uchiha Mai's accusation of conspiring with outsiders to assassinate a Konoha ninja.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen appointed Hatake Sakumo as commander of the Sand Front and assigned Danzo to assist him, while leaving Uchiha Mai out of the battlefield appointments.
• Hatake Sakumo asked Uchiha Mai to look after Kakashi, and Mai promised his clansmen would cooperate with Sakumo's command.
• Uchiha Mai crossed paths with Danzo at Kage Rock Plaza, where Danzo silently vowed to return and Mai met his killing stare.
• Uchiha Mai's Consciousness-Only: Sharingan transformed into a Mangekyo Sharingan with a penguin-like pattern.

Uchiha Mai awakened a powerful Mangekyō Sharingan whose techniques let him copy, integrate, and use other abilities, then spent a long stretch living and training as Konoha’s fronts fought to hold against three villages. As snow returned to Konoha, he entered his twelfth year in the Naruto world while Kirigakure still waited for an opening.

• Uchiha Mai examined his Mangekyō Sharingan and learned that its three linked techniques were Deep Learning, Knowledge Integration, and Micro-Innovation.
• Uchiha Mai concluded that his eyes reflected his talent for learning and combining skills, and he learned that Susanoo could be powered by ordinary chakra as well as eye power.
• Uchiha Mai avoided wasting his Mangekyō’s limited durability and continued training, playing cards, mentoring young Uchiha, and keeping his usual routine.
• Konoha’s fronts struggled to hold against Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, while Minato used Flying Thunder God to support Jiraiya and Orochimaru.
• Kirigakure remained poised to enter the war, and Sarutobi Hiruzen believed Uchiha Mai could face the Mizukage.
• Uchiha Mai sat in Tsunade’s living room as snow fell over Konoha, approaching another New Year and his twelfth year in the Naruto world.

Uchiha Mai agreed to write songs and perform at Konoha’s New Year gala to lift the spirits of the war-weary village. He persuaded Tsunade to join a group dance performance and began writing the first song, leaving them preparing for the gala.

• Tsunade told Uchiha Mai that Sarutobi Hiruzen wanted him to write songs for Konoha’s New Year gala, but she admitted she had forgotten to pass on the request until a few days before the event.
• Uchiha Mai agreed to write and perform songs, hoping to earn Style Points, but asked Tsunade to join one of the dance numbers.
• Tsunade refused at first, then agreed after Uchiha Mai argued that performing could encourage soldiers and promised others would join her.
• Uchiha Mai asked Tsunade to bring paper and brush, and he began recalling the melody of the Japanese dance song he had chosen.

Uchiha Mai persuaded Tsunade to perform “Gokuraku Jodo” at Konoha’s Chinese New Year Festival and assembled a three-woman dance group with Kushina and a clan member. On the eve of the festival, he arrived at Tsunade’s house with custom performance costumes for them to try on.

• Uchiha Mai convinced Tsunade that the suggestive lyrics and simple choreography were suitable for the festival performance.
• Uchiha Mai recorded the song and recruited Kushina and a young Uchiha woman after Mikoto declined to join.
• Uchiha Mai named the group GARNiDELiA and had the three women rehearse their dance together.
• Uchiha Mai watched Tsunade, Kushina, and their teammate practice in Tsunade’s courtyard, then explained that he had brought their custom costumes.
• Uchiha Mai handed the costumes over for the three women to try on before the festival.

Uchiha Mai showed Kushina, Tsunade, and Uchiha Masami their custom performance outfits for the Chinese New Year Festival, then bantered with Tsunade while the women changed. After admiring Tsunade in her costume, Mai praised her legs and feet as priceless jade.

• Uchiha Mai presented three colorful oiran-style performance costumes, and Kushina eagerly took one to change into.
• Tsunade accused Mai of wanting to peek, and they argued about his intentions and Jiraiya's novels.
• Kushina emerged in her costume, and Mai praised her appearance and teased her about Minato proposing to her.
• Tsunade and Uchiha Masami changed into their outfits, and Tsunade threw her sandals at Mai after he joked about peeking.
• Uchiha Mai admired Tsunade's appearance and declared her legs and feet worth fifteen cities.

Uchiha Mai hosted Konoha’s New Year gala, where Obito’s fireworks display and devotion to Rin Nohara prompted Mai to reflect on unrequited love. After Tsunade, Kushina, and Masami’s dance became the gala’s standout performance, Mai sang a song warning a friend against groveling for affection.

• Uchiha Mai hosted Konoha’s New Year festival while the Security Department maintained order.
• Obito secretly set off fireworks from Kage Rock for Rin Nohara, but she watched Kakashi instead, and the Security Department escorted Obito away.
• Tsunade asked Uchiha Mai whether he would make a romantic gesture like Obito, and he avoided answering directly before criticizing Obito’s persistent pursuit of Rin Nohara.
• Uchiha Mai announced Tsunade, Kushina, and Uchiha Masami’s dance, “Pure Land of Bliss,” which thrilled the crowd and earned the gala’s top acclaim.
• Uchiha Mai performed “Heart Like Still Water,” a song about unrequited love that he had dedicated indirectly to a friend.

Uchiha Mai drew and equipped Karna’s Sun Wheel Armor, gaining powerful damage reduction and healing. When Kirigakure prepared to attack the Land of Fire, Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Mai and asked how many troops he needed to take the initiative.

• Uchiha Mai spent 5,000 Style Points to draw the A-rank Sun Wheel Armor from the two-star prize pool.
• Uchiha Mai tested the armor by stabbing himself through the chest, then watched it reduce the injury and heal his heart.
• Uchiha Mai noticed that the two-and-a-half-star prize pool had opened at a cost of 20,000 Style Points.
• Kakashi brought Uchiha Mai an urgent summons after Konoha’s spies reported Kirigakure stockpiling military supplies.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Uchiha Mai to take the initiative against Kirigakure and asked how many troops he needed.

Uchiha Mai told Sarutobi Hiruzen that he could face Kirigakure alone, then revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and won permission to lead a small scouting team. Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed to send him with a few dozen to a hundred ninja, including Yamato, but worried that Mai’s growing power could threaten his control and future claim to the Hokage position.

• Uchiha Mai rejected Sarutobi Hiruzen’s offer of four thousand soldiers and insisted he could hold off Kirigakure alone.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned whether Mai could face thousands of enemies, and Mai revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted that Mai might be able to fight Kirigakure alone and approved a small accompanying unit to gather intelligence.
• Uchiha Mai said he would recruit ninja from the Uchiha Clan, the Anbu, and the village under the cover of a southern scouting mission.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Mai to bring Yamato and, after Mai left, worried that Mai’s strength and ambition could make him difficult to control.

Uchiha Mai assembled a force of over a hundred ninja to scout Kirigakure’s likely landing area and serve as Konoha’s first line of defense. On the march, he recognized Might Duy’s strength and promised to recommend a fair promotion opportunity for him.

• Uchiha Mai told the Void Division squad leaders that he would lead a hundred-strong mission south to investigate Kirigakure’s movements.
• The squad leaders recruited ninja from the Uchiha Clan and the regular forces, and Uchiha Mai noticed Might Guy and Might Duy on the roster.
• Uchiha Mai led the force out of Konoha, then explained to Shisui that they would travel together to intercept Kirigakure rather than split up for ordinary reconnaissance.
• Might Guy and Might Duy thanked Uchiha Mai for letting them join, and Uchiha Mai said Duy’s strength deserved recognition and promised to recommend him for promotion.

Uchiha Mai intercepted Mei Terumi and her squad near the Land of Fire’s coast, where he learned Kirigakure was preparing a surprise attack on Konoha. He trapped the Mist Ninja team and began questioning Mei Terumi about the size of the invading force.

• Uchiha Mai divided the group into four teams and explained that scouting from the coast would avoid provoking Kirigakure into portraying Konoha as the aggressor.
• Uchiha Mai sensed Mei Terumi and rushed through the forest to meet her as Kakashi and the others followed.
• Mei Terumi mistook Uchiha Mai’s approaching chakra for a tailed-beast-level threat and attacked him with Water Dragon Bullet, which he dispersed with a slap.
• Mei Terumi and Uchiha Mai recognized each other, exchanged greetings, and revealed that Kirigakure had chosen her as the vanguard for its surprise attack on Konoha.
• Uchiha Mai surrounded Mei Terumi’s squad with eight flame dragons, seized one subordinate, and demanded to know how many people Kirigakure had sent for the attack.

Uchiha Mai interrogated Mei Terumi about Kirigakure’s invasion, then challenged its advancing forces to face him and his troops. Mei sent the challenge to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and the Mizukage, leaving the two forces on a collision course.

• Uchiha Mai used Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu to make Mei Terumi reveal that four thousand Kirigakure ninja, including the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and the Mizukage, were attacking Konoha.
• After Mei accused him of humiliating her, Uchiha Mai sealed her in a scroll while Shisui killed her three subordinates.
• Uchiha Mai asked Mei whether she could contact Kirigakure’s main force, then ordered her to report his location and challenge the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and the Mizukage.
• Uchiha Mai freed Mei Terumi, and she used a water-mirror technique to send his message to the Kirigakure forces.

Jūzō Biwa and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen learned that Uchiha Mai had captured their scout team and challenged Kirigakure’s forces to a fight. Believing Mai was isolated and arrogant, they agreed to head for his location and confront him.

• Jūzō Biwa received Mei Terumi’s recorded intelligence through a water-mirror albatross.
• Jūzō Biwa told the swordsmen that Uchiha Mai had captured the scout team and sent the intelligence at his direction.
• Jūzō Biwa explained that Mai appeared to be Konoha’s vanguard and likely had only a few Jonin with him.
• Suikazan Fuguki argued that Mai’s challenge was arrogant, and the swordsmen and accompanying Jonin agreed to attack him.

Uchiha Mai faced the Seven Ninja Swordsmen with only a small Konoha force, while Kakashi and Shisui engaged Mist ninja. After stopping Kushimaru Kuriarare’s assassination attempt and hurling him and Jūzō Biwa away, Mai challenged the swordsmen to attack him together.

• The Seven Ninja Swordsmen and their jonin approached Uchiha Mai, who revealed that he had sent his other forces to gather intelligence and mocked them for not deserving his full strength.
• Raiga Kurosuki charged at Mai, but Kakashi intercepted him, and the two clashed swords with Kakashi gaining a slight edge.
• Shisui drove off two Mist jonin with flaming sword energy, then used his Body Flicker Technique to strike at them before escaping their formation.
• Kushimaru Kuriarare sneaked behind Mai and thrust Nuibari at him, but Mai caught the blade between two fingers.
• Mai kicked Kushimaru, and Jūzō Biwa intervened, only for Mai’s attack to send both men flying more than twenty meters.
• Mai landed among the Mist ninja and asked who wanted to help him warm up.

Uchiha Mai fought off the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and a group of Kirigakure jonin, then awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan and revealed Susanoo: Initial Form. He stood unharmed amid the attackers, leaving his allies and enemies stunned.

• Suikazan Fuguki attacked Uchiha Mai with Samehada, but Mai used the Body Flicker Technique to get behind him before Jinin Akebino blocked his slash.
• Uchiha Mai countered attacks from Raiga Kurosuki, Kushimaru Kuriarare, and Jūzō Biwa with Deathfire Blade Aura, while Bando Ken’s Hiramekarei lost its chakra power under Mai’s Positive-Negative Rotation.
• The Seven Ninja Swordsmen and more than a dozen Kirigakure jonin launched a coordinated assault that threatened to overwhelm Uchiha Mai.
• Uchiha Mai activated his Consciousness-Only Mangekyō Sharingan and formed blood-red ribs around himself.
• Uchiha Mai emerged unscathed from the attackers’ barrage and identified the technique as Susanoo: Initial Form.

Uchiha Mai revealed Susanoo and explained its power through Shisui, then defeated Jinin Akebino when the Mist swordsman challenged him. The remaining Mist Ninja lost their will to fight as Mai stood over the burning remains.

• Shisui identified Mai’s Susanoo and explained that it was a Mangekyō Sharingan technique associated with Uchiha Madara.
• Jinin Akebino dismissed Susanoo’s power and charged at Mai with the Blunt Sword: Kabutowari.
• Jinin’s combined hammer-and-sword strike blasted Susanoo back, but Mai and the chakra ribs remained unharmed.
• Mai formed Susanoo’s skeletal arms, seized Jinin, and crushed him despite his attempts to escape.
• Dusky purple Deathfire burned Jinin’s remains, and Jūzō Biwa and the other Mist Ninja lost their fighting spirit.

Uchiha Mai used Susanoo to overwhelm the Kirigakure ninja, killing Suikazan Fuguki and mortally wounding Jūzō Biwa before completing Susanoo’s first form. He then slowed time across a wide area and caught up to Bando Ken, leaving the remaining Ninja Swordsmen trapped in his attack.

• Suikazan Fuguki used Samehada to drain Susanoo’s chakra, but Uchiha Mai crushed him with Positive-Negative Rotation before he could merge with the blade.
• Uchiha Mai restored Susanoo with Deathfire and struck Jūzō Biwa, shattering the Kubikiribōchō and leaving him near death while knocking down nearby Kirigakure Jonin.
• Uchiha Mai absorbed the remains of Jūzō Biwa and other Kirigakure ninja, then used Eye Power and chakra to complete Susanoo’s first form.
• Uchiha Mai made Susanoo cast Innate Time Control, slowing time to one-fifth within a one-kilometer radius while he moved normally.
• Uchiha Mai caught Bando Ken and pierced his chest with Susanoo, burning him to ash with Deathfire.

Uchiha Mai killed the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and most of the Kirigakure force sent to stop him, then prepared to face Mizukage Yagura’s approaching army with only his Konoha unit. As Yagura’s adviser dismissed Mai as an overconfident youth, unease lingered and a commotion broke out behind the Kirigakure ranks.

• Uchiha Mai used [The World] to kill Raiga Kurosuki and Munashi Jinpachi, then killed the fleeing Kushimaru Kuriarare with Spirit Vision.
• Mei Terumi and Kakashi concluded that Kirigakure had little hope against Uchiha Mai, while Might Duy praised his victory.
• Uchiha Mai told Shisui, Kakashi, and the others that they would rest before facing Yagura’s army and that he had asked the Hokage not to send reinforcements.
• Yagura questioned Elder Genshi about their plans, and Genshi argued that Uchiha Mai would be defeated by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Yagura remained uneasy about Uchiha Mai as a commotion arose at the rear of the Kirigakure army.

After the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were wiped out by Uchiha Mai, terrified Kirigakure Jonin reported his overwhelming power to Mizukage Yagura. Elder Genji concluded that Mai’s Mangekyō Sharingan must be drained and urged Yagura to attack him immediately.

• Genji brought back several unconscious Jonin, who had escaped the battlefield traumatized and without physical injuries.
• The Jonin told Yagura that Uchiha Mai had used Susanoo and overwhelming abilities to defeat them and kill the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Yagura considered retreating, but Genji explained that Mai had likely awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and compared his strength to young Uchiha Madara.
• Genji described the Mangekyō’s limited reserves and argued that Mai would be vulnerable after using its power to defeat the Swordsmen.
• Yagura accepted Genji’s advice and ordered Kirigakure’s forces to march on Mai and kill him while his Eye Power was depleted.

Uchiha Mai refused Mei Terumi’s attempt to stop the war and flew to confront Yagura’s army, insisting Kirigakure would pay for invading the Land of Fire. He charged through the army’s ninjutsu barrage and broke into its ranks, beginning a battle against thousands of shinobi.

• Mei Terumi tried to persuade Uchiha Mai to negotiate with Yagura, but he rejected her appeal and ordered Kakashi and the others to keep her from escaping.
• Uchiha Mai flew to meet Yagura, who believed Elder Genji’s claim that Mai was exhausted and could not sustain Susanoo.
• Uchiha Mai and Yagura traded taunts before Yagura ordered the Kirigakure army to attack.
• Uchiha Mai dodged most of the army’s ninjutsu and endured the rest with Kavacha and Kundala, leaving the shinobi stunned.
• Uchiha Mai leaped through a stone wall and tore into the Kirigakure ranks, kicking two Genin to pieces.

Uchiha Mai tore through Kirigakure’s forces while Mizukage Yagura and Elder Genji argued over how to stop him. Yagura changed the plan to send powerful Jonin against Mai, and Kisame Hoshigaki and three Kaguya Clan ninja charged toward him.

• Uchiha Mai killed dozens of Kirigakure ninja, including an Anbu Jonin who tried to ambush him, and grew stronger by absorbing the Jonin’s life force.
• Mizukage Yagura questioned Elder Genji’s plan to sacrifice ordinary ninja to exhaust Mai, and Genji proposed using Jonin with Kekkei Genkai instead.
• Yagura accepted the revised strategy and signaled Kirigakure’s Jonin to join forces and confront Mai.
• Kisame Hoshigaki charged toward Mai, eager to fulfill their old agreement to fight to the death.
• Three Kaguya Clan ninja also headed toward Mai, carrying resentment from the Chunin Ninja Exams where he had sabotaged their team.

Uchiha Mai fought off Kirigakure’s Jonin, demonstrated his overwhelming strength and apparent immortality, and copied the Shikotsumyaku technique from a Kaguya ninja. He ended the chapter by preparing to warm up for real with his newly acquired Dance of the Larch.

• Kisame Hoshigaki hit Uchiha Mai with Great Shark Bullet, but Mai broke apart the water shark and reclaimed much of his chakra with Deathfire.
• Uchiha Mai unleashed six Deathfire Flame Dragons to scatter the Jonin attacking him, then told Kisame that only five more Kisames or Mizukage Yagura would make him fight seriously.
• Uchiha Mai invited Kisame to join him, but Kisame refused and declared his loyalty to Kirigakure.
• A Kaguya ninja attacked Uchiha Mai with Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets, and Mai caught the bones and flung them back before another Kaguya ninja charged with Dance of the Larch.
• Uchiha Mai appeared to be pierced and killed by Dance of the Larch, then revealed the injury was a trick and burned his attacker with Deathfire, absorbing his life energy and healing himself.
• Uchiha Mai declared himself immortal and copied Dance of the Larch, announcing that he was beginning to warm up for real.