Chapter Summaries

Aoba used hallucinogenic secretions and Genjutsu to drive the Five-Tails into Iwagakure’s defenses, then escaped with Jiraiya and the unconscious Rōshi. After helping save Might Duy and learning of Iwagakure’s losses, Aoba was ordered to lead thirty elite ninja to the Land of Rivers to stop Sunagakure.

• Aoba lured the Five-Tails into inhaling hallucinogenic smoke, then used Genjutsu to make it rampage through Iwagakure’s frontline defenses.
• Jiraiya arrived as Ōnoki pursued them, and Aoba and Jiraiya escaped while Iwagakure’s forces tried to contain the Five-Tails.
• Aoba’s Shadow Clones evacuated Might Duy and the others, and Aoba returned to the Konohagakure outpost with the unconscious Rōshi.
• Aoba treated Might Duy with diluted Water of Life, improving his physical condition, though Duy remained unconscious.
• After Iwagakure’s heavy losses were reported, Jiraiya ordered Aoba to lead a squad to the Land of Rivers and stop Sunagakure.
• Aoba departed that night with thirty elite ninja.

Aoba discovered that Sunagakure had divided its forces into small squads to plunder the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers rather than fight Konohagakure directly. He divided his thirty ninja to defend key towns and supply depots, then arrived at Kazematsuri City to fight off the raiders.

• Aoba used reports from a Hyuga ninja to locate Sunagakure squads raiding villages, caravans, and grain depots, then defeated a squad looting a village.
• Aoba learned from a captured Sunagakure ninja that Rasa had ordered the troops to enter the Land of Fire and steal anything valuable.
• Aoba concluded that Sunagakure was conducting widespread plunder and ordered his thirty ninja to abandon outer villages and defend three major towns and supply depots until reinforcements arrived.
• Aoba sent Hyuga Seisuke and Sarutobi Kenji with separate teams and Puppet Shadow Clones to defend their assigned towns, then sent the latest intelligence to Konohagakure by Ninja Frog.
• Aoba reached Kazematsuri City, which Sunagakure had already attacked, and ordered his team to clear the raiders from the outskirts inward while he swept the town from above with sand.

Aoba organized Konohagakure’s defenses against Sunagakure’s scattered forces and used the Water of Life to save gravely wounded shinobi. The western Land of Fire’s defenses stabilized, but Aoba was left uneasy by the situation.

• Nara Ensu arrived with 1,327 reinforcements and told Aoba that Minato was occupied fighting the Fourth Raikage, A.
• Aoba divided the western Land of Fire into eight defense zones and ordered commanders to protect towns and supply points while avoiding unnecessary direct clashes.
• Sunagakure shifted to ambushing patrols, and Aoba secretly used the Water of Life alongside the Mystical Palm Technique to rapidly heal severely wounded shinobi.
• Rumors spread that Aoba’s remarkable medical skills came from his training under Tsunade, boosting frontline morale.
• Three days later, follow-up reinforcements and a full Medical Corps arrived, stabilizing the defenses and reducing casualties.
• After leaving the operating table, Aoba studied the map and worried that something was seriously wrong.

Aoba deduced that Sunagakure’s scattered raids were a diversion for Rasa’s main force to infiltrate Kikyo Castle and attack Konoha. He warned the Hokage and raced back to the village, where Sarutobi Hiruzen prepared to fight.

• Aoba realized that Sunagakure’s looting parties lacked any plan to regroup or transport supplies and concluded they were decoys concealing Rasa’s real objective.
• After learning that Yamanaka Santen had traveled through Kikyo Castle without encountering Sunagakure ninja, Aoba identified Konoha as the main force’s target.
• Aoba sent a warning to Sarutobi Hiruzen, ordered Nara Ensu and Yamanaka Santen to defend the supply depot, and flew toward Konoha on a Sand Cushion.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen read Aoba’s message, recognized that Rasa was targeting the village, and put on the battle gear he had worn in his youth.
• Utatane Koharu entered the Hokage’s office and saw Sarutobi Hiruzen dressed for battle.

Sarutobi Hiruzen prepared Konoha for Sunagakure’s all-out assault, accepting that his earlier decision to protect civilians had weakened the village’s defenses. At Mount Kikyo, Rasa’s invasion began, but Konoha’s veteran ninja held the attacking force at the mountain.

• Utatane Koharu reported that Konoha had evacuated civilians and assembled its ninja, and Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that he had sent forces to protect innocent people in the Land of Fire.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen remembered his predecessors’ legacy and vowed that Konoha would not fall.
• Torifu Akimichi and other retired clan veterans gathered to defend Konoha, and Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered all combat personnel to assemble at Mount Kikyo.
• Rasa led more than a thousand Sunagakure ninja toward Konoha and ordered them to raze the village and seize its wealth and ninjutsu scrolls.
• Konoha’s veteran defenders met Sunagakure’s Wind Release squads and puppet masters at Mount Kikyo and held the attack at the mountainside.

Yamashiro Aoba arrived at Mount Kikyo as Rasa’s Gold Dust attack overwhelmed Konohagakure’s elderly defenders, and he rescued the endangered shinobi with his sand control. He faced Rasa in the air and told the Konohagakure forces to retreat, leaving the battle between them poised to begin.

• Torifu Akimichi swallowed a crimson pill and used his enlarged body to hold back Rasa’s Gold Dust tsunami, suffering severe injuries.
• Aoba flew toward Mount Kikyo, saw Torifu resisting the attack, and hurried to the battlefield.
• Aoba summoned a giant Summoning Lizard that crashed down near Rasa, then used sand to pull endangered Konohagakure shinobi to safety.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen recognized Aoba, while Ebizo warned Chiyo about his sand-controlling abilities and enormous summon.
• Rasa identified Aoba as the Konoha Sand Wall, and Aoba told the Konohagakure shinobi to retreat while he faced the Kazekage.

Aoba fought Rasa by matching the Kazekage’s Gold Dust with his own highly refined Sand Manipulation Technique. Rasa struggled to overcome Aoba’s defenses and seemingly endless sand supply, leaving him frustrated and at a disadvantage.

• Rasa unleashed the Great River of Gold Dust, but Aoba countered it with a massive wave of sand from his gourd and scroll.
• Rasa transformed his Gold Dust into a barrage of spears, and Aoba blocked them with a layered sand shield reinforced by metal particles.
• Rasa sensed the metal in Aoba’s shield and demanded to know how he controlled it without Magnet Release, but Aoba did not explain.
• Rasa tried mixing Gold Dust into Aoba’s sand to disrupt his control, but Aoba separated it and let it fall away.
• Aoba unfurled two more scrolls of sand while Rasa realized his Gold Dust reserves were dwindling, and he acknowledged Aoba’s Sand Control Technique had reached an extraordinary level.

Chiyo revealed the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets as she fought Sarutobi Hiruzen, while Aoba turned his battle with Rasa around by using Lava Release and defeated the Fourth Kazekage. With Rasa unconscious and Sunagakure’s morale collapsing, Chiyo began a powerful technique as the battle’s outcome shifted.

• Chiyo summoned the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets and used them to attack Sarutobi Hiruzen, who recognized the legendary puppets.
• Chiyo signaled Ebizo to prepare a retreat, believing the infiltration operation had failed.
• Aoba caught Rasa off guard with Lava Release, melted through his Gold Dust defenses, and burned him unconscious with Magma Palm.
• Ebizo used his chakra threads to pull the badly injured Rasa to safety as Chiyo realized Sunagakure could not continue fighting.
• Chiyo activated Three Treasures Suction Crush, creating a powerful tornado that drew in sand, rocks, and debris.

After Konohagakure repelled Sunagakure at Mount Kikyo, Aoba earned the veterans’ respect and revealed that he could use Lava Release. The victory was followed by the discovery of hundreds of abducted children, exposing Sunagakure’s plan to raise them as future ninja.

• Chiyo used the Three Treasures Suction Crush to launch a barrage at Aoba, but he blocked it with sand as Ebizo covered Sunagakure’s retreat with smoke bombs.
• Konohagakure celebrated its victory, and Sarutobi Hiruzen thanked Aoba, whose humble words won the approval of several clan elders.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked about Aoba’s Lava Release, and Aoba said he had developed it after encountering Rōshi’s Tailed Beast chakra.
• An Anbu ninja reported finding a hidden cave containing hundreds of children, and the group followed the Anbu to investigate.
• An Anbu reported that Sunagakure had abducted the children from western Land of Fire settlements and that all had the aptitude to become ninja.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen realized Sunagakure had intended to raise the children as future fighters and faced the problem of how to care for them.

After Konoha defeated Sunagakure at Mount Kikyo, Aoba collected Rasa’s Gold Dust and deliberately left the Kazekage alive to avoid provoking the other great villages. The victory made Aoba famous across the Shinobi World and paired him with Minato under the title “Konoha Twin Stars,” while Aoba mused that his age kept him from competing for Hokage.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen approved placing the rescued children in Konoha Orphanage while Anbu investigated their identities, and Aoba wondered whether Yakushi Kabuto was among them.
• Aoba recovered the battlefield’s sand and secretly separated Rasa’s Gold Dust into a special scroll to fund his research.
• Sunagakure’s forces withdrew after their defeat, and news spread that Aoba had severely wounded Rasa but spared his life to prevent Sunagakure from fighting to the death and to avoid a wider war.
• Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure reconsidered their plans against Konoha, bringing an uneasy calm to the Shinobi World.
• The Shinobi World began calling Minato and Aoba the “Konoha Twin Stars,” and Aoba welcomed the title while reflecting that he was too young to challenge Minato for Fourth Hokage.

Aoba enjoyed a reprieve from the front lines while the Third Hokage sought to preserve Minato’s path to succession, and he spent his free time studying Fuinjutsu with Kushina. While fishing in the Naka River, Aoba was spotted by Minato, his team, and the injured Maruboshi Kosuke, who recognized him as the shinobi who had driven back the Fourth Kazekage.

• Aoba understood that Hiruzen had approved his leave because his growing fame could disrupt Minato’s succession to the Hokage position, and he welcomed the chance to rest.
• Aoba regularly visited Minato and Kushina to discuss Fuinjutsu, impressing Kushina with his advanced questions and theory.
• Aoba went fishing while standing in the middle of the Naka River, where Obito spotted him and called the others over.
• Kakashi mocked Obito for failing to notice that the water was spinning around Aoba, and Rin calmed the two boys when they began arguing.
• Minato confirmed to the injured Maruboshi Kosuke that Aoba was the shinobi who had driven back the Fourth Kazekage at Mount Kikyo.

Aoba demonstrated extraordinary Water Release control, impressing Minato’s team and prompting Kakashi to feel renewed urgency about his own training. Minato then asked Aoba to help save Maruboshi Kosuke’s injured leg, leaving Aoba to consider the request.

• Aoba used a tightly controlled Water Formation Wall to create a dry space in the middle of a rushing river while fishing.
• Minato brought Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and Maruboshi Kosuke to meet Aoba, and Kosuke explained how Aoba’s technique worked.
• Minato and Aoba exchanged praise, and Aoba credited Konoha’s united efforts for the victory at Mount Kikyo.
• Minato introduced Kosuke and asked Aoba to try to save his leg, which the hospital had said needed amputation.

Aoba examined Maruboshi Kosuke’s badly injured leg and said he could save it despite the hospital’s amputation diagnosis. He began surgery in a makeshift operating room, teaching Nohara Rin as she assisted him.

• Maruboshi Kosuke recounted how he had been injured while protecting his squad from an elite Kumogakure unit, and Minato explained that doctors had recommended amputation.
• Aoba examined Kosuke’s leg and declared that he could treat the blockages and necrotic tissue.
• Aoba refused to take Kosuke to the crowded hospital and used Earth Release to build an operating room on the riverbank.
• Aoba produced surgical instruments from a Sealing Scroll and asked Nohara Rin to assist while Minato, Kakashi, and Obito watched.
• Aoba explained to Rin that battlefield anesthesia could endanger a squad and that reverse healing could temporarily sever local neural connections instead.

Aoba healed Maruboshi Kosuke’s leg and agreed to spar with Team Minato, then overwhelmed Kakashi, Obito, and Rin with a vast Earth Release technique and a series of feints. Kakashi devised a clever counterattack, but Aoba revealed that he had fooled the team with a puppet and remained in control of the match.

• Aoba explained his medical techniques to Rin and fully healed Kosuke’s leg, restoring his ability to walk without pain or scars.
• At a hot pot meal, Kakashi challenged Aoba to a spar, and Aoba invited Kakashi, Obito, and Rin to attack him together the next morning.
• Aoba transformed the riverside battlefield with Earth Release: Fighting Blade Staff, then used a camouflaged clone and illusion to bait Obito and knock him out of the match.
• Aoba caught Kakashi with a Sand Clone and Headhunter Jutsu, but Kakashi escaped and launched a Chidori attack before tricking Aoba with an Earth Clone and a kunai from behind.
• Aoba revealed that the apparent target was a puppet and praised Kakashi’s tactical plan while showing that he had anticipated the team’s moves.

Aoba defeated Team Minato in a training spar and warned Kakashi, Obito, and Rin about their weaknesses. Danzo’s investigation into Aoba’s vitality medicine led him to experiment on the bodies of ninjas Aoba had treated, while Hiruzen returned and told Minato he had been chosen as his successor.

• Minato ended the spar, and Aoba released Obito and Rin after decisively defeating Team Minato.
• Aoba criticized Kakashi’s reliance on Chidori, Obito’s recklessness, and Rin’s inability to defend herself, prompting Minato to reconsider the role of medical ninjas in combat teams.
• Aoba secretly collected Obito’s blood and found that his cells were compatible with Hashirama Cells.
• A Root report led Danzo to suspect Aoba possessed a medicine containing Hashirama Cells, and Danzo ordered his agents to extract it from the corpses of ninjas Aoba had treated.
• Hiruzen returned from the Daimyo’s court and told Minato that he planned to resign and had recommended him as the next Hokage.
• Minato asked why Hiruzen had chosen him over Jiraiya, and Hiruzen explained that Jiraiya had refused the position and strongly recommended Minato.

The Third Hokage assigned Aoba to command Konohagakure’s Sunagakure front and gave him Senju Tobirama’s Water Release notes, while Minato was sent to negotiate with Iwagakure. After a farewell dinner, Obito followed Aoba and asked how to awaken the Sharingan.

• The Third Hokage praised Minato and sent him to the Iwagakure front to negotiate over the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi.
• The Third Hokage appointed Aoba to command the Sunagakure front at the Land of Rivers border, and Aoba accepted the assignment.
• The Third Hokage gave Aoba Senju Tobirama’s Water Release training notes.
• Aoba and Minato received their transfer orders, then shared a farewell dinner with Kushina, Kakashi, Rin, and Obito.
• Obito followed Aoba after dinner and asked him how to awaken the Sharingan.

Obito asked Aoba how to awaken the Sharingan, and Aoba gave him a Military Ration Pill while encouraging him to wait for the right moment. Several days later, Aoba arrived as commander-in-chief at the Land of Rivers front and reunited with Ishida Ryoichi, whose missing arm surprised him.

• Obito deduced that Aoba had helped Uchiha Kei awaken his Sharingan and asked for help awakening his own.
• Obito explained that the sparring match in which Rin was swallowed had made him fear being unable to protect the people he cared about.
• Aoba gave Obito a Military Ration Pill, falsely claimed it activated the Sharingan, and told him an opportunity would be needed.
• Obito thanked Aoba and ran back to the Uchiha compound, while Aoba wondered whether his intervention could change the future.
• Aoba arrived at the Land of Rivers frontline headquarters as commander-in-chief and found the front quiet after Sunagakure withdrew its main forces.
• Aoba reunited with Ishida Ryoichi and asked why he had stayed in the ninja ranks despite losing his left arm.

Ishida Ryoichi returned Uchiha Kei’s Sharingan to Aoba and explained how Kei died protecting them after a suspected targeted ambush. Aoba restored Ryoichi’s missing hand with White Zetsu cells, then assigned him ten days to learn the Sand Control Secret Technique before an upcoming mission.

• Ishida Ryoichi told Aoba that Uchiha Kei had given him his Three-Tomoe Sharingan before dying to destroy the Kirigakure pursuers who ambushed their squad.
• Aoba accepted Kei’s eyes and suspected either Uchiha Madara and White Zetsu or Shimura Danzō had arranged the attack to obtain Sharingan.
• Aoba asked Ryoichi to continue serving under him and offered to restore his missing hand, so Ryoichi swore renewed loyalty to Aoba.
• At Pale Swamp, Aoba transplanted a White Zetsu-cell hand onto Ryoichi and monitored its strong compatibility and minimal rejection.
• Aoba gave Ryoichi an early version of the Sand Control Secret Technique and ordered him to master it within ten days for an upcoming mission.

After Sunagakure reinforced its outpost, Aoba repeatedly flooded and wrecked it with Water Release until its troops retreated into the Land of Wind. A summon from Pale Swamp brought him to a ruin filled with dead, horribly mutated lizards, where he confronted the old lizard clan chief about its failed attempt at Dragon Transformation.

• Aoba dismissed news of the renewed war between Iwagakure and Konohagakure while eating grilled meat with Nara Ensu at the Land of Rivers command tent.
• Aoba attacked Sunagakure's outpost with powerful Water Release techniques, destroying supplies and flooding the camp without deliberately killing anyone.
• Aoba returned to wreck the outpost each day, and Sunagakure's commander eventually ordered the troops to retreat into the Land of Wind.
• Aoba received a Summoning Technique call from Pale Swamp and arrived to find the stone forest in ruins and several lizards dead from violent mutations.
• The old lizard clan chief asked whether Aoba was surprised, and Aoba challenged its attempt to force its clan members into Dragon Transformation without a complete Senjutsu inheritance.

Aoba uncovered the Lizard Clan’s centuries-old secret of Dragon Transformation and was welcomed into the Blue Eyes White Dragon clan through a bloodline bond. After discovering the remains of a true ancient dragon beneath Pale Swamp, he prepared to use Impure World Reincarnation, while an assassin empowered by him infiltrated Iwagakure’s mausoleum to reach the Second Tsuchikage’s grave.

• Aoba deduced that the Lizard Clan stayed in Pale Swamp to guard its Dragon Transformation secret, and Old Lizard admitted his insight was correct.
• Old Lizard gave Aoba a bloodline-based bond with the Blue Eyes White Dragon clan and led him through a hidden barrier to an ancient dragon skeleton.
• An infiltrator killed an Iwagakure mausoleum guard, copied his appearance, and headed toward the Second Tsuchikage’s grave.
• Aoba arranged the Impure World Reincarnation ritual as Ishida Ryoichi stood beside a captured Sunagakure ninja.