Chapter Summaries

Kagura and his companions stayed at a luxurious inn, where Tsunade paid for their meals and lodging. After dinner, Jiraiya sneaked toward the women’s hot spring to spy, but Tsunade caught him and silenced his protests with a beating.

• Kagura discovered that the inn had extensive facilities, including restaurants, entertainment areas, and hot spring baths.
• Tsunade covered the group’s expenses, and the companions ate dinner together at the inn’s restaurant.
• Jiraiya finished his meal quickly and left the restaurant ahead of the others.
• Jiraiya slipped past the bathhouse guards and prepared to spy on the women’s hot spring.
• Tsunade confronted Jiraiya as he admitted he was there to peep, then attacked him until his screams stopped.

Kagura stopped Tsunade from continuing to beat Jiraiya, then helped her calm down and arranged for Jiraiya to be treated and carried back to his room. Back in their room, Tsunade pulled Kagura toward their private hot spring, where he offered her a swimsuit.

• Kagura left the restaurant to check on Tsunade and Jiraiya at the hot spring bathhouse.
• Kagura stopped Tsunade from kicking Jiraiya and soothed her with affectionate words.
• Tsunade said she had broken two of Jiraiya's ribs and agreed to treat him.
• Kagura sent a Tailed Beast to summon Orochimaru, who carried the unconscious Jiraiya back to his room.
• Tsunade led Kagura toward their private hot spring, and Kagura offered her a purple swimsuit.

Jiraiya tried to piece together what happened after Tsunade caught him gathering material, while Kagura arrived looking exhausted from his intense night with Tsunade. Jiraiya mistakenly believed Kagura had been forced to kneel all night, and the group headed to breakfast when Tsunade called them over.

• Jiraiya asked Orochimaru what had happened after Tsunade caught him, but Orochimaru said he did not know and invited him to the dining hall.
• Jiraiya hid behind Orochimaru when he saw Tsunade in a cheerful mood.
• Jiraiya noticed Kagura’s dark circles and tired appearance, then concluded that Tsunade had made him kneel all night to protect Jiraiya.
• Kagura understood Jiraiya’s misunderstanding and let him believe it, recalling that he had narrowly kept up with Tsunade the night before.
• Tsunade called the group over, and Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Kagura obediently went to join her.

Kagura told Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru that their first destination was Sunagakure, where he planned to find traces of the Third Kazekage and obtain his blood for a Six Paths candidate. He explained why the Third Kazekage suited his needs, leaving the group preparing to pursue that lead.

• At breakfast, Tsunade asked Kagura where they were going, and Jiraiya and Orochimaru also waited for his answer.
• Kagura announced they would travel to Sunagakure to search for the Third Kazekage's crime scene and collect his blood.
• Tsunade questioned why Kagura chose the Third Kazekage despite his past low opinion of the man.
• Kagura reasoned that controlling the Six Paths depended on his own combat skill, the bodies' durability, their living abilities, and his use of the Rinnegan.
• Kagura dismissed the First Generation Kage as unsuitable because he knew little about their powers and Konoha's records offered no useful information.

Kagura explained that he wanted to use people with powerful Kekkei Genkai as the Six Paths and chose the Third Kazekage for his Magnet Release. He planned to sneak into Sunagakure to find where the Third Kazekage had been killed, leaving Jiraiya responsible for locating the crime scene.

• Orochimaru realized Kagura was choosing candidates for the Six Paths based on their special Kekkei Genkai, and Tsunade and Jiraiya understood his reasoning.
• Kagura explained that the Third Kazekage's Magnet Release made him a suitable candidate despite Kagura doubting his title as the strongest Kazekage.
• Jiraiya urged the group to leave for Sunagakure, but Kagura warned that Rasa would obstruct them if he learned their purpose.
• Kagura said the group would sneak into Sunagakure and asked Jiraiya to help locate the Third Kazekage's crime scene.

After learning that Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage, Sunagakure’s leaders argued over the news and demanded an investigation. Rasa refocused them on forming the allied forces and promised to investigate the murder himself, while Chiyo vowed to kill Sasori if the accusation proved true.

• Rasa returned to Sunagakure and convened a meeting, where the leaders questioned whether Sasori had murdered the Third Kazekage.
• Chiyo remained silent under the accusations, while Ebizo comforted her and Rasa listened to the factions argue.
• When a senior official proposed sending someone to capture Sasori, Rasa challenged him and warned that Uchiha Madara’s threat made their internal disputes secondary.
• Rasa ordered the leaders to prepare proposals for the allied forces within one week and said he would personally investigate the Third Kazekage’s murder.
• Chiyo told Rasa that if Sasori was confirmed as the murderer, she would personally kill him, then left with Ebizo.

Kagura, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and their companions secretly entered Sunagakure to investigate the former Kazekage’s death, but the crime scene remained out of reach. After securing lodging, Kagura asked them to find Yura.

• Jiraiya negotiated with a Sunagakure contact, who agreed to lead the group through a secret passage for payment.
• Kagura explained to Orochimaru why bribing the contact was safer than controlling him with a genjutsu.
• The contact guided Kagura and the others through a dark tunnel into Sunagakure, where his companions offered to arrange food and lodging for another fee.
• Kagura paid for a stone house and a week of food for the four of them.
• When Jiraiya asked how they would find the crime scene, Kagura told the group to locate Yura first.

Yura met with his friend Baki, who questioned him about his former superior Sasori while the village investigated whether Yura was a spy. After leaving the tavern, Yura reflected on his admiration for Sasori and his hope for Sunagakure before a pair of mysterious eyes appeared in an alley.

• Baki complained to Yura about his demanding coalition duties and the investigation into the previous Kazekage's death.
• Baki asked Yura whether he remembered useful clues about Sasori, and Yura said Sasori had been taciturn and difficult to know.
• Baki reassured Yura that the investigation would likely end soon and that his position might be restored.
• After parting from Baki, Yura recalled admiring Sasori as a superior but hoped Sunagakure would improve.
• A pair of mysterious, magnificent eyes suddenly appeared before Yura in a narrow alley.

Kagura used his Sharingan to uncover Yura’s sealed memories and lead the group to the place where Sasori killed the Third Kazekage, where Orochimaru found a bloodstain. As they left, Baki confronted them after secretly tracking Yura, and Orochimaru suggested killing him.

• Kagura explained that Sasori had sealed Yura’s memories to hide his identity as a spy, then released the seal.
• Yura revealed that Sasori had killed the Third Kazekage in an abandoned house in Sunagakure’s southeast corner and guided the group there.
• Orochimaru’s snakes found a hidden bloodstain on the wall, and he collected a piece of it for testing.
• Baki appeared after tracking Yura and faced Kagura’s group.
• Orochimaru asked whether they should simply kill Baki.

Kagura and the others were caught collecting the Third Kazekage’s blood, but Rasa turned the encounter into a diplomatic exchange and allowed them to leave. Before departing, Kagura advised Rasa to treat his son better, leaving him wondering whether she meant Kankuro.

• Orochimaru suggested killing Baki, while Kagura considered using Kotoamatsukami to avoid a confrontation.
• Rasa arrived alone after Baki had alerted him, then greeted Kagura and framed the group’s presence as help in finding a traitor.
• Kagura claimed Yura was Sasori’s spy and that he could explain the details; Yura collapsed as he approached Baki.
• Rasa gave Kagura a token to leave Sunagakure safely, and Kagura accepted it before preparing to depart.
• Kagura warned Rasa to treat his son better because the boy would surpass him, leaving Rasa wondering if she meant Kankuro.

The Kaguya Clan prepared to attack Kirigakure while its leader planned to use the frail Kimimaro as a meat shield. Kimimaro remained imprisoned and silent as the clan readied for battle.

• The Kaguya Clan’s leader rallied the clan by declaring that they would rise to power and rule the shinobi world.
• The leader and an elder revealed that Kirigakure would send its first Ninja force to the mainland in two weeks, leaving its defenses weakened.
• The leader moved up the attack on Kirigakure, ordering the clan to prepare to strike when the Ninja force departed.
• The leader mocked the imprisoned Kimimaro for being frail and wanting peace, then said he would be sent to the front as a meat shield.

Kagura brought Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade to the Kaguya Clan's village, convinced that Kimimaro possessed exceptional potential. After slipping past the guards, he found Kimimaro sleeping in a cage and greeted him.

• Kagura, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade arrived at the Kaguya Clan's village after traveling for five days from Sunagakure.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru questioned whether the backward village could hold a powerful Kekkei Genkai, but Kagura insisted his intelligence was reliable.
• Kagura recalled the Kaguya Clan's connection to Otsutsuki Kaguya and Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku.
• Kagura used his eyes to make the two guards lower their spears and let the group enter the village.
• Kagura found Kimimaro asleep in a cage beside the square and told him, "I found you, Kimimaro."

Kagura and his companions found Kimimaro imprisoned in Kaguya Village and offered him a chance to leave and be cured. Kimimaro accepted, and the group carried him out of the village unhindered, where he experienced freedom for the first time.

• Kimimaro woke to find Kagura, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru before him and urged them to flee Kaguya Village.
• Kimimaro explained that the clan leader had imprisoned him and planned to use him as a meat shield because he was sick and refused to fight.
• Kagura offered to take Kimimaro away, cure his illness, and give him a better life, and Kimimaro accepted his hand.
• Kagura shattered Kimimaro's cage and carried him out of the village with the others.
• The guards let the group pass without noticing them, and Kimimaro looked up at the moon and felt free for the first time.

Kagura's group took the sick Kimimaro to Kirigakure, where Tsunade and Orochimaru assessed his hereditary illness and planned to treat him after returning to Konoha. Meanwhile, Kagura arranged for Kirigakure to confront the Kaguya Clan and sent Jiraiya to search the Land of Water for their next target, a pretty boy who was begging somewhere.

• Tsunade examined Kimimaro and said his illness seemed more serious than simple malnutrition.
• Kagura said Kimimaro likely had a hereditary terminal illness, and Tsunade and Orochimaru agreed they could treat him with Konoha's instruments.
• Tsunade planned to restore Kimimaro's strength over two days while Kagura's group gathered information on their next target.
• Kagura warned Orochimaru not to try to take Kimimaro's talent for himself after they returned to Konoha.
• Jiraiya told Kagura that Kirigakure would likely attack the Kaguya Clan's island within days, after Kagura had warned the village of the clan's intentions.
• Kagura told Jiraiya to search for a pretty boy begging somewhere in the Land of Water, and Jiraiya left to look for him.

A starving, homeless boy endured abuse from three merchant children in a town in the Land of Water. A young man intervened and addressed him as Haku, leaving the boy’s fate in his hands.

• A hungry, ragged boy left an alley and sat on a quiet street corner to beg.
• Three merchant children confronted the boy and beat him after he tried to walk away.
• A young man stopped the beating, smiled at the boy, and called him Haku.

Haku dreamed of the trauma that had left him orphaned and alone before Tsunade treated him in an inn. After Tsunade confirmed he was out of danger, Kagura and Jiraiya learned that Haku might be the last inheritor of Ice Release.

• Haku dreamed of his childhood on a remote snowy island, where his mother and father had once given him a warm home.
• Haku recalled how his father led villagers to kill his mother after discovering her Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, and how Haku unconsciously killed his father and the villagers in response.
• Haku remembered wandering the Land of Water as a starving beggar until Kagura's warm gaze reached him.
• Tsunade told Kagura and Jiraiya that Haku was no longer in mortal danger, though his body showed years of severe hardship.
• Jiraiya recognized Haku as a rare Ice Release inheritor, while Kagura explained that his group had spent ten days searching for him.

Kagura’s group found Haku, but Orochimaru explained that preparing the Six Paths bodies and Impure World Reincarnation materials left them only about a week to locate the final candidate. Kagura admitted he did not know where the child was and identified him as Jugo, a boy with orange hair who transformed into a powerful, uncontrollable monster.

• Kagura’s group delayed their departure from the Land of Water because Haku was in poor physical condition.
• Orochimaru told Jiraiya that preparing the Six Paths bodies, summoning materials, and time for the return trip left them only about a week to find the last person.
• Jiraiya pressed Kagura for the final target’s identity, but Kagura admitted he did not know where the boy was.
• Kagura described the target as a boy around Kimimaro’s age who had orange hair and transformed into a powerful, uncontrollable monster.
• Kagura revealed that the boy’s name was Jugo.

Kagura chose Jugo as a target for his Six Paths, and Orochimaru recalled that the boy had been seen in a village in the southern Land of Fire. While Jiraiya began searching for him, Haku woke at the inn, ate porridge, and learned from Kimimaro that Kagura had saved him.

• Kagura explained that Jugo’s uncontrolled sage transformation made him a powerful candidate for his Six Paths.
• Orochimaru recalled intelligence placing Jugo in a small village in the southern Land of Fire.
• Jiraiya left to contact his intelligence network and search for Jugo.
• Haku woke in the inn and saw Kimimaro reading beside his bed.
• Kimimaro brought Haku meat porridge, and Haku ate before asking why they had saved him.
• Kimimaro reassured Haku that Kagura was a good person and that his painful past could be behind him.

Kagura, Jiraiya, and Tsunade reached a remote southern village to find Jugo, leaving Haku, Kimimaro, and Orochimaru in Konoha. After the village shopkeeper initially denied knowing Jugo, Kagura persuaded him to cooperate, and the shopkeeper offered information about the child he called a “monster.”

• Kagura left Haku and Kimimaro in Sarutobi's care while Orochimaru returned to Konoha to begin researching Artificial Humans.
• Kagura, Jiraiya, and Tsunade traveled south through increasingly sparse settlements and arrived at a village by the ocean.
• Jiraiya asked a general-store boss whether the village had a child named Jugo, but the boss denied knowing him and told them to leave.
• Kagura explained that they had come from Konohagakure to help Jugo control his power, while Tsunade demonstrated her Medical Ninja skills.
• The shopkeeper relented and said he could give them information about the “monster.”

Kagura, Jiraiya, and Tsunade tracked down Jugo, a boy who transformed into a monster, and found him rampaging outside his village. Kagura stopped and defeated him with a single strike, restoring Jugo’s awareness, then introduced himself as another “Monster.”

• The shopkeeper told Kagura, Jiraiya, and Tsunade that Jugo had been exiled to a stone house after a rampage, though the villagers still brought him food and cared for him.
• After leaving the village, Kagura, Jiraiya, and Tsunade reached Jugo’s stone house and dodged as a transformed Jugo crashed down nearby.
• Jugo attacked Kagura, but Kagura stopped his charge and shattered the gray substance covering Jugo’s body with a single strike.
• Jugo regained clarity, and Kagura introduced himself as the “Monster” people called him.