Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Jin and A led a joint Konoha-Kumogakure raid on Yugakure, stealing enormous wealth and supplies before escaping aboard the Flying Battleship. A was impressed by the profits and the ship’s potential, leaving him eager to pursue the business again.

• Uchiha Jin and A launched a nighttime attack on Yugakure using the flying technique taken from Sky Ninja Village.
• Kumogakure shinobi overwhelmed the nobles’ and wealthy households’ defenses while Konoha shinobi seized their resources.
• Uchiha Obito sent Darui and four squads to distract Yugakure’s reinforcements, then used Kamui to store the gathered supplies.
• Uchiha Jin showed A the raid from the Flying Battleship, and A studied the vessel’s technology while suppressing his desire to take it.
• Uchiha Jin ordered the forces to retreat, and Uchiha Obito led the shinobi back to the Flying Battleship as Yugakure’s shinobi were left behind.
• Uchiha Shisui reported two serious injuries, fourteen light injuries, and nearly five billion ryo in seized goods, making A eager to repeat the operation.

Yu Ye and Kitamura Naoto’s Kirigakure outpost was hit by a sudden, coordinated attack. The enemy overwhelmed the island’s defenders, and Kitamura Naoto was killed in a barrage of Metal Bullets.

• Yu Ye complained about the dull guard duty, while Kitamura Naoto warned him that boredom meant they were safe.
• An explosion at the North Coastline triggered an enemy-attack alarm, and Kitamura Naoto ordered Yu Ye to report the attack to the village.
• Explosions struck all four coastlines, and the outpost’s leader ordered the Kirigakure Ninja to prepare for a final battle.
• Enemy forces reached the camp and opened fire with Metal Bullets and explosives, devastating the assembled defenders.
• Kitamura Naoto, wounded and missing his left arm, was killed when the enemy concentrated a barrage of Metal Bullets on him.

Kitamura Naoto sacrificed himself to give Yu Ye time to report Konoha’s attack, but White Zetsu killed Yu Ye before he could send a message. After Konoha forces seized several islands in the Land of Water, Uchiha Jin proposed isolating Kirigakure with a complete blockade and using the invasion as a test for the White Zetsu Army.

• Kitamura Naoto recognized the Konoha attackers and used the Kirigakure Technique to conceal the camp, buying Yu Ye time as he died under their fire.
• A White Zetsu emerged from underground and killed Yu Ye before he could contact Kirigakure, as Konoha worked to cut the village’s intelligence and communication channels.
• Konoha forces wiped out the Kirigakure Ninja on the island, while reports from other islands detailed casualties, captured bases, and an intercepted distress signal.
• Nara Shikaku warned Uchiha Jin that a slow blockade would give Kirigakure time to prepare, while Jin argued that the White Zetsu Army could absorb casualties and that Kirigakure should serve as a test of their tactics.

Ao reported that Yuki Haku, the last known Yuki Clan orphan, had awakened Ice Release and now lived devoted to Zabuza. Yagura decided to bring Haku back to Kirigakure with Zabuza and ordered them to return amid rising tensions with the Kaguya Clan.

• Ao told Yagura that Zabuza had found Yuki Haku, who awakened Ice Release after his father and the villagers killed his mother and tried to kill him.
• Ao explained that Haku had killed the villagers when his power went out of control, then survived by begging until Zabuza took him in.
• Ao described Haku as gentle and said he would obey Zabuza even when ordered to act against his own wishes.
• Ao said Haku had little knowledge of the Yuki Clan or Kirigakure and therefore was unlikely to hate the village.
• Yagura decided to compensate Haku and have Zabuza bring him back, then ordered Zabuza to end his search and return because the Kaguya Clan was making dangerous moves.

Yagura Karatachi considered how to choose a successor who could lead Kirigakure beyond the Bloody Mist Policy, while Ao urged him to eliminate the troublesome Kaguya Clan. Ao recommended Mei Terumī as the next Mizukage candidate, and Yagura heard why she could unite the village and shoulder the role.

• Ao urged Yagura Karatachi to move against the Kaguya Clan and remove the village's hidden dangers before a new era began.
• Yagura Karatachi resolved that his generation should finish what it had started and asked Ao to assess Zabuza as a possible successor.
• Ao explained that Zabuza's reputation and temperament made him unsuitable to become Mizukage, while Kisame Hoshigaki lacked decision-making ability despite his strength.
• Yagura Karatachi and Ao agreed that a successor should be strong enough to lead but not too damaged by the Bloody Mist Policy.
• Ao recommended Mei Terumī, citing her strength, kekkei genkai, Terumi Clan ties, and opposition to the Bloody Mist Policy.

Yagura Karatachi agreed to add Mei Terumī, Zabuza, and Kisame Hoshigaki to the Mizukage candidate list, but the discussion was interrupted by news that Kirigakure had lost contact with every station in the Land of Water. Yagura sent Anbu to investigate and ordered the village to prepare for war.

• Ao persuaded Yagura Karatachi to consider Mei Terumī as a candidate while maintaining other possible successors.
• Yagura added Mei Terumī, Zabuza, and Kisame Hoshigaki to the list of candidates for Fifth Mizukage.
• Ishida Shiya reported that Kirigakure could no longer contact any of its stations in the Land of Water.
• Yagura ordered unassigned Anbu squads to investigate the contact stations and border Guard Posts, prioritizing the return of intelligence.
• Yagura told Ao to prepare every ninja in the village for combat and war.

Yagura Karatachi and Elder Genji discussed the attacks on Kirigakure’s Contact Stations and ordered the village to prepare for war. Elder Genji concluded that Kumogakure and Iwagakure might be acting together, leaving Kirigakure facing a possible alliance.

• A Kirigakure Anbu Ninja reported that attackers had struck the sixth, eighth, and eleventh Contact Stations, killing nearly all the staff there.
• Elder Genji urged Yagura Karatachi to mobilize Kirigakure’s ninja forces, and Yagura Karatachi agreed.
• Yagura Karatachi considered which of the Five Great Shinobi Villages might be behind the attacks and found each unlikely to act alone.
• Elder Genji warned that more than one village could be involved and ruled out Sunagakure and Konoha based on his intelligence.
• Elder Genji proposed that Kumogakure might ally with Iwagakure and use Kumogakure’s territory to attack Kirigakure.

Yagura Karatachi and Elder Genji discussed how Kirigakure might withstand a joint invasion by Iwagakure and Kumogakure, with Genji arguing that Konoha would not help and advising Yagura to use the war to deal with the Kaguya Clan. Their plans changed when a wounded Kirigakure Anbu reported that the invading force was made up of Konoha ninja.

• Yagura Karatachi questioned why Kumogakure would cooperate with Iwagakure, which had killed the Fourth Raikage A's father.
• Elder Genji explained why Iwagakure and Kumogakure would target Kirigakure and argued that Konoha would benefit from the conflict rather than come to Kirigakure's aid.
• Elder Genji urged Yagura Karatachi to repel the invaders on Kirigakure's home ground and send the Kaguya Clan to the front as vanguard.
• Elder Genji advised Yagura Karatachi to use the war to deal with the Kaguya Clan, while sparing its children for correction.
• A bloodied Kirigakure Anbu Ninja reported that the invading enemy was Konoha's ninja, shocking Yagura Karatachi and Elder Genji.

Yagura Karatachi and Elder Genji learned that Konoha had invaded the Land of Water with a vast force and intended to destroy Kirigakure. Genji concluded that Kirigakure must abandon defending its territory and focus on getting news of the invasion out.

• A wounded Kirigakure Anbu Ninja reported that Konoha attackers included Uchiha and Hyuga ninja and white plant-like monsters, disproving Elder Genji's earlier analysis.
• The Anbu Ninja described Konoha's force as over ten thousand, largely biological weapons, and said its encircling army would reach Kirigakure in about three days.
• Elder Genji reasoned that Konoha was attempting to destroy and annex Kirigakure while its encirclement prevented other nations from learning what had happened.
• Genji warned Yagura Karatachi that Konoha intended to unify the Ninja World and likely had reserve armies behind the encircling force.
• Genji urged Yagura to change Kirigakure's objective from defending the village to getting news of the invasion out.

Yagura Karatachi and Elder Genji planned Kirigakure’s response to Konoha’s encirclement, including a decoy breakout and elite escape squads. Yagura accepted Elder Genji’s plan to assign Ao and Zabuza Momochi to the dangerous elite mission.

• Elder Genji urged Yagura Karatachi to contact the Daimyo Manor for support and resources.
• Elder Genji proposed sending breakout teams to draw out Konoha’s forces, then using mobile, stealthy Elite Squads to exploit gaps in the encirclement.
• Yagura warned that the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan made the Elite Squads’ chances of escape extremely low.
• Elder Genji argued that sacrificing the squads could give the rest of Kirigakure a much better chance to survive and described low-ranking ninja as tools.
• Elder Genji asked to choose the Elite Squads himself and recommended Ao and Zabuza Momochi, and Yagura agreed.

Uchiha Jin learned that Kirigakure had only about seven thousand troops left and that its breakout attempts were failing as the encirclement strengthened. With Jin's forces expected to reach Kirigakure's gates within two days, the village faced a final choice to fight desperately or be overrun.

• Nara Shikaku reported that Kirigakure had made thirteen large breakout attempts and fifty-eight Elite Squad attempts, with the latter becoming less frequent.
• Shikaku estimated Kirigakure's remaining strength at around seven thousand and explained that the Bloody Mist Policy had depleted the village and its clans.
• Shikaku told Uchiha Jin that reinforcements from Amegakure and Sunagakure had strengthened the encirclement and left Kirigakure's forces with no chance to break through.
• Shikaku revealed that Ao, Momochi Zabuza, and a Yuki Clan ninja had led an Elite Squad; Ao and the others were killed, while Zabuza surrendered after the Yuki ninja was captured.
• Shikaku estimated that Jin's forces would reach Kirigakure's gates within two days, leaving the village little time to choose a desperate battle.

Uchiha Jin and Nara Shikaku investigated the Land of Water Daimyo Manor’s response to the war and discovered that thousands of disciplined fighters had gathered at the Underground Bounty Halls. Jin revealed that White Zetsu had already infiltrated the bounty halls and daimyo manors, leaving him positioned to seize influence beyond the Land of Water.

• Nara Shikaku reported that Yagura Karatachi had requested aid from the Land of Water Daimyo Manor, which had shown no response, while at least two thousand suspiciously disciplined rogue and wandering ninja gathered at the Underground Bounty Halls.
• Uchiha Jin and Nara Shikaku suspected that the gathered fighters were private soldiers of the Underground Bounty Halls, which were commonly believed to be controlled by the Five Great Nations’ daimyo manors.
• Nara Shikaku warned that the bounty halls might use their communications network to alert other daimyo manors, but Uchiha Jin said White Zetsu had prevented information from getting out.
• Uchiha Jin revealed that White Zetsu had infiltrated every daimyo manor and replaced many nobles, explaining that widespread replacements could make the fakes seem real.
• Uchiha Jin said his plan had begun after Uchiha Shisui used Kotoamatsukami on the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, and that the Land of Fire Daimyo Manor was nearly under his control.

Uchiha Jin and Nara Shikaku analyzed Kirigakure’s plan to abandon its village and launch a decisive breakout, then prepared to counter it with reinforcements and overwhelming force. The chapter ended with Jin ordering Shikaku to include their aerial forces and promising to crush Kirigakure quickly.

• A communication ninja delivered Uchiha Obito’s intelligence to Uchiha Jin and Nara Shikaku, revealing that Yagura Karatachi planned a desperate final battle.
• Nara Shikaku and Uchiha Jin recognized that Elder Genji had abandoned the village’s defense and set a trap to exploit the enemy’s response.
• Uchiha Jin concluded that Kirigakure had used repeated breakouts to estimate the allied forces’ manpower.
• Nara Shikaku worried that their troops were too few to contain Kirigakure while guarding against the Underground Bounty Hall’s two thousand private soldiers.
• Uchiha Jin said he could bring in thousands or tens of thousands of White Zetsu within three hours and told Shikaku to plan with the current forces.
• Uchiha Jin instructed Nara Shikaku to include their aerial forces and strike Kirigakure swiftly to break its fighting spirit.

Kirigakure launched an assault on Konoha, but Konoha’s artillery and rapid-fire weapons inflicted heavy losses before the armies became locked in close combat. Just as Yagura Karatachi prepared to send in reinforcements, Kirigakure ninja suddenly turned on their own comrades.

• Yagura Karatachi sent three divisions forward to test Konoha’s strength while Kirigakure spread out to reduce losses from long-range attacks.
• Uchiha Tekka ordered Konoha’s artillery to bombard Kirigakure, and Uchiha Yashiro’s troops opened fire with Metal Bullets as the Kaguya Clan charged.
• Yagura Karatachi learned that the three divisions had suffered more than half their casualties and ordered the Fourth and Fifth Divisions to advance.
• Kirigakure’s troops reached Konoha’s lines, where the battle stalled as the White Zetsu Army struggled in close combat.
• As Yagura Karatachi prepared to deploy the Sixth Division, Kirigakure ninja suddenly attacked their own comrades.

White Zetsu infiltrated the Kirigakure Army with the Oddity Transformation Technique, causing its front lines to collapse into a deadly melee. Yagura Karatachi ordered a rescue effort, but the arrival of the Underground Bounty Hall troops made the chaos worse, and he fainted.

• Kisame Hoshigaki discovered that the Kirigakure Ninja who stabbed him was a White Zetsu, while White Zetsu infiltrators threw the Kirigakure front lines into confusion and made comrades attack one another.
• Yagura Karatachi panicked as thousands of Kirigakure Ninjas slaughtered each other, but Elder Genji urged him to regain control.
• Yagura Karatachi ordered the main camp troops to form reinforced squads and rescue as many front-line ninjas as possible while guarding against infiltrators.
• Yagura Karatachi asked where the Underground Bounty Hall troops were, unaware that White Zetsu had devastated their forces in a nearby valley.
• More than two thousand Underground Bounty Hall troops reached the battlefield and fought Kirigakure Ninjas, disrupting the rescue force before it could stabilize the situation.
• Yagura Karatachi spat out blood and fainted as the battle descended further into chaos.