Chapter Summaries

Sunagakure agreed to aid the Land of Lightning as the ninja villages moved toward war, while Sarutobi Toru prepared a radiation experiment with Miko Miroku’s help. He left the Senju Estate with Miko Miroku, leaving Tsunade to face the consequences of her gambling later.

• The Third Kazekage accepted the Land of Lightning’s plea and prepared to send troops, fearing Konoha’s growing strength.
• Sarutobi Toru and Yakushi Nonō discussed the villages’ readiness for war and chose to wait before warning the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.
• Yakushi Nonō told Sarutobi Toru that the concentrated Star radiation solution was ready, and he took the suitcase of vials from Root.
• Sarutobi Toru found Tsunade gambling with her disciples and Miko Miroku, while Konan studied with Tsunade’s Shadow Clone.
• Sarutobi Toru asked Miko Miroku to help with an experiment, and she agreed.

At the Senju Estate's Training Ground, Sarutobi Toru used Miko Miroku's Prophecy Art to identify a safe Radiation Potion and gained a major boost to his Chakra control and vitality. He gave the remaining potions to Tsunade to test for one that suited her.

• Sarutobi Toru had Miko Miroku divine the outcomes of drinking each Radiation Potion, and she identified only two without disastrous consequences.
• Sarutobi Toru drank one of the two potions, and his Chakra grew more active and powerful as he developed the ability to shape it into a lifelike Dragon Chakra without hand seals.
• Tsunade examined the Dragon Chakra and marveled at its realistic appearance and Sarutobi Toru's improved control.
• Sarutobi Toru abandoned the idea of drinking Super God Water after Miko Miroku foresaw that it would kill him, and he left the Book of the Dead untested.
• Sarutobi Toru handed the remaining Radiation Potions to Tsunade so she could find one suitable for her constitution.

Sarutobi Toru prepared for the approaching war, agreeing to let Kushina join the front lines before traveling to the Parallel World. There, he learned that the Akatsuki Organization’s mission was to recruit Sasori of the Red Sands.

• Sarutobi Toru sent Miko Miroku back to the Land of Demons and noted that several allies, especially Konan, had grown stronger after taking the Radiation Potion.
• Sarutobi Toru predicted that war would begin soon, and Kushina persuaded him to let her fight at the front lines.
• Sarutobi Toru traveled through Rōran to the Parallel World, then visited Queen Sara and went to Amegakure to see Pakura.
• Pakura told Sarutobi Toru that the Akatsuki Organization had been tasked with recruiting Sasori of the Red Sands.

Sarutobi Toru and Pakura tracked Sasori of the Red Sands to the Land of Grass, where Pakura went to confront him. She met him outside his underground base, and Sasori wondered why she had come.

• Sarutobi Toru agreed to accompany Pakura to find Sasori of the Red Sands and thought about taking his Puppet Core.
• White Zetsu spies located Sasori in the Land of Grass, where he was hunting ninjas for Puppet materials.
• Pakura told Sarutobi Toru that her spies in Kusagakure had found the mother and daughter he had asked about, and he ordered her to rescue them.
• Sarutobi Toru sensed Sasori's unusual Chakra, and Pakura went ahead to face him alone.
• Sasori entered his Hiruko armor and emerged from his underground base to meet Pakura, who said she had not come on Sunagakure's behalf.

Pakura confronted Sasori of the Red Sands and tried to recruit him, but he challenged her and attacked with the Third Kazekage Human Puppet. She damaged the puppet and struck Hiruko, and the fight continued as Sasori retaliated with poisoned needles.

• Pakura revealed that she knew Sasori of the Red Sands made Human Puppets and offered him a place in her organization.
• Sasori rejected her offer and challenged her, confident that he could turn her into a Human Puppet.
• Sasori unleashed the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, which attacked Pakura with Iron Sand spikes.
• Pakura dodged the attacks and used Scorch Release—Blazing Sun Pillar to melt the Iron Sand Wall and damage the puppet's right arm.
• Pakura evaded Hiruko's whip blade and punched it away, but Hiruko fired poisoned needles and forced her back.

Pakura defeated Sasori by destroying his Hundred Puppet Technique with Sage Art, Scorch Release—Great Solar Flare. Sasori accepted defeat and joined the Akatsuki Organization, then asked Pakura how his strength compared with hers and the leader’s.

• Sasori emerged from Hiruko and unleashed his Red Secret Technique—Hundred Puppet Technique against Pakura.
• Pakura used Sage Art, Scorch Release—Great Solar Flare, burning Sasori’s Puppets to ashes while his Chakra Core escaped.
• Sasori admitted Pakura was stronger and agreed to accept her conditions.
• Pakura made Sasori the Akatsuki Organization’s Jade Maiden and explained how to use his ring and request materials.
• Sasori asked where Pakura ranked in the organization and how far below her he was from the leader.

Pakura defeated Sasori of the Red Sands and joined Sarutobi Toru on his mission to Kusagakure. Toru stormed the village to find Uzumaki Kanao and her daughter, shrugging off the first wave of attacks as the fight began.

• Pakura told Sasori of the Red Sands that the Akatsuki leader possessed the Rinnegan, and Sasori left for his base after their battle.
• Pakura reunited with Sarutobi Toru, who praised her strength and her mastery of perfect Sage Mode.
• Pakura and Sarutobi Toru traveled to Kusagakure, where Toru sensed Chakra similar to Uzumaki Kanao's.
• Sarutobi Toru blew apart Kusagakure's gate and sent its two guards crashing into the village.
• Kusagakure ninja attacked Toru with weapons and restraining techniques, but he shook them off without injury.

Sarutobi Toru crushed the Kusagakure ninjas who tried to stop him and continued toward the village hospital. Kusagakure's leaders decided to bring out a mother and daughter with a Kekkei Genkai and negotiate with him.

• Sarutobi Toru smashed through the Kusagakure leader's Earth Prison and killed the ninjas caught in his punch's path.
• A Kusagakure ninja recognized Sarutobi Toru as the Devil of Lightning, and Toru killed him before asking where the hospital was.
• Sarutobi Toru headed for the hospital, killing successive squads of Kusagakure ninjas who tried to intercept him.
• Kusagakure leaders discussed whether to fight or negotiate and suspected Toru wanted the mother and daughter at the hospital.
• A Kusagakure leader ordered Bing San to bring out the mother and daughter so they could negotiate with Toru.

Sarutobi Toru rescued Uzumaki Kanao and her daughter, Karin, from Kusagakure after the village handed them over to appease him. He left them with Pakura, while a masked Kusagakure higher-up considered activating a plan involving the Box of Paradise.

• Sarutobi Toru continued toward Kusagakure Hospital after most of the village's ninja withdrew.
• Two Kusagakure Anbu took Uzumaki Kanao and Karin from the hospital and brought them to Sarutobi Toru.
• A Kusagakure higher-up asked Sarutobi Toru to spare the village, and he agreed after taking Kanao and Karin.
• Sarutobi Toru led Kanao and Karin out of Kusagakure without using ninjutsu, while its ninja watched from a distance.
• A masked Kusagakure higher-up wondered whether the village had lost its fighting spirit and considered activating the Box of Paradise plan.
• Pakura met Sarutobi Toru, who entrusted Kanao and Karin to her and said he would later strengthen their Kekkei Genkai.

Tsunade and Shizune encountered Sarutobi Toru and Pakura outside a casino, and Tsunade fought Pakura after Toru claimed to know her intimately. Pakura exposed Tsunade’s weakened combat skills and countered her techniques, leaving Tsunade wary of facing both opponents.

• Tsunade lost all her money gambling, while Shizune secretly protected their lodging money.
• Sarutobi Toru and Pakura confronted Tsunade, and Toru claimed to know her well enough to be her husband.
• Tsunade attacked Toru, but Pakura redirected her punch and struck a weakness in her Super Strength Technique.
• Tsunade expelled the alcohol from her body and questioned how Pakura knew how to counter her technique.
• Tsunade used a Chakra Scalpel against Pakura, but Pakura evaded it and kicked her several meters away.
• Shizune helped Tsunade up, and Tsunade realized Pakura’s close-combat skill and Toru’s presence put her at a disadvantage.

Tsunade and Shizune fought Pakura and Sarutobi Toru, but both were quickly overwhelmed by their opponents’ strength. Sarutobi Toru showed Tsunade compromising photographs of her, leaving her shocked and furious.

• Tsunade summoned Katsuyu to fight Pakura, but Pakura’s Scorch Release burned the slugs and kept Tsunade at a disadvantage.
• Shizune charged Sarutobi Toru and tried to anesthetize him with silver needles, but the needles bent against his body and he struck her down.
• Tsunade attacked Sarutobi Toru, who dodged her punch and tapped her forehead with Body Disturbance Charge, disrupting her movements.
• Sarutobi Toru claimed he and Tsunade had developed the technique together, but Tsunade denied knowing him.
• Sarutobi Toru showed Tsunade a stack of nude photographs depicting her in compromising poses, and she reacted with shock and anger.

Sarutobi Toru used Tsunade’s hemophobia and a genjutsu to force her to treat the gravely wounded Shizune while confronting visions of Dan Katō and Nawaki. As Tsunade struggled to save Shizune, Toru secretly stabbed her in the neck, and terror overwhelmed her.

• Tsunade accused Sarutobi Toru of using Transformation Jutsu and secretly spying on her, but the photos convinced her the women pictured were not transformed.
• Sarutobi Toru used the Uzumaki Clan’s Contract Seal to send Katsuyu back to the summoning realm, then revealed that he knew about Tsunade’s hemophobia.
• Sarutobi Toru plunged his hand into Shizune’s chest and gave Tsunade five minutes to save her, triggering Tsunade’s hemophobia at the sight of the blood.
• As Tsunade tried to heal Shizune, Sarutobi Toru trapped her in a genjutsu of Dan Katō and Nawaki standing bloodied before her.
• Sarutobi Toru silently stabbed Tsunade in the back of the neck, and overwhelming terror made her hands tremble over Shizune’s wound.

Sarutobi Toru used Tsunade’s fear of blood and his Hormone Fruit ability to break down her resistance and change her feelings toward him. Tsunade learned he came from a Parallel World and, with Shizune and Pakura present, heard his plans to recreate the photos that had first brought them together.

• Sarutobi Toru treated Shizune after Tsunade’s uncontrolled Chakra made her appear to die, then used the crisis to manipulate Tsunade’s emotions.
• Tsunade woke the next morning confused by her affection for Sarutobi Toru and embraced him when he entered, while Shizune appeared alive and well.
• Sarutobi Toru explained that he came from a Parallel World, and Tsunade confronted him about using the photos to deceive her and involving Kushina.
• Sarutobi Toru proposed reenacting the photos with Tsunade, and Pakura noted that there were enough people present to do so.
• Tsunade realized the childlike versions of herself in the photos had been created with the Yin Seal.

Sarutobi Toru taught Tsunade, Shizune, and Uzumaki Kanao before traveling to Konoha to examine Orochimaru’s research. He discovered that Orochimaru had used the Reincarnation Technique to take a body with Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku, and heard his plans to investigate the Sage of Six Paths’ bloodlines.

• Sarutobi Toru woke beside Tsunade, Shizune, Uzumaki Kanao, and Pakura, then taught Tsunade, Shizune, and Uzumaki Kanao after breakfast.
• Sarutobi Toru helped Tsunade overcome her Hemophobia and taught her advanced Medical Ninjutsu, Sage Jutsu, and the Sage Art Yin Seal over the following week.
• Sarutobi Toru went to Konoha’s Root Base to collect Orochimaru’s research results and realized Orochimaru had changed after using the Reincarnation Technique.
• Orochimaru revealed that his new body had Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku, and explained why cloning could not provide the Sharingan or Hashirama Cells.
• Orochimaru described his plan to use the compatible Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku bloodlines as a foundation for studying the Sage of Six Paths’ mutations, while Sarutobi Toru recognized the Chakra Fruit as their likely source.

Sarutobi Toru gave Orochimaru the Chimera Technique and questioned him about the Uchiha Clan and the disappearance of Uchiha Shisui. Orochimaru revealed that Konoha suspected Shisui had been killed for his Mangekyō Sharingan, while the masked attacker’s identity remained uncertain.

• Sarutobi Toru gave Orochimaru the Chimera Technique after receiving data from Orochimaru’s experiments.
• Sarutobi Toru asked Orochimaru about the Uchiha Clan, and Orochimaru said Uchiha Itachi had emerged as a genius.
• Orochimaru explained that Konoha suspected Uchiha Shisui had been killed and his Mangekyō Sharingan used to help awaken an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Sarutobi Toru and Orochimaru discussed how Mangekyō Sharingan transplants could work without requiring blood brothers.
• Orochimaru said Konoha was pursuing Shisui as its only lead, partly to prevent the village’s conflict with the Uchiha from worsening.
• Orochimaru withheld further suspicions, including Namikaze Minato’s encounter with a masked Uchiha and the Third Hokage’s doubts that the masked man was Uchiha Madara.

Sarutobi Toru learned why Konoha had not openly moved against the Uchiha Clan, then left the Parallel World after spending months with his companions. Back in his own Konoha, Orochimaru confirmed Hiruko’s reincarnation and clone research had succeeded in theory, though the Chimera Technique still posed a problem.

• Orochimaru told Sarutobi Toru that Konoha could not accuse the Uchiha Clan of taking Uzumaki Kushina without risking conflict over the Nine-Tails, and that the culprit remained unknown.
• Sarutobi Toru exchanged research and intelligence with Orochimaru, then spent five or six months in the Parallel World teaching the Yang God Martial Way and leaving White Zetsu Chakra Fruit with his companions.
• Sarutobi Toru said farewell to Tsunade, Pakura, Shizune, Uzumaki Kanao, and Queen Sara, then returned to his own Konoha Village.
• Orochimaru told Hiruko that his reincarnation and clone research had succeeded in theory, but warned that failing to use the Chimera Technique early would limit the Clone Body’s potential for absorbing Kekkei Genkai.

Hiruko reincarnated into a clone body and risked activating its Senju-Uzumaki Sage Body Kekkei Genkai before the Third Shinobi World War. After recovering from the painful procedure, he was taken to a Training Ground so Sarutobi Toru and Orochimaru could test his new abilities.

• Hiruko decided to reincarnate and use the Chimera Technique to absorb the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai before the war.
• Orochimaru and Sarutobi Toru agreed to assist Hiruko and began the procedure in the underground laboratory.
• Hiruko's reincarnation and Kekkei Genkai activation caused severe pain and nearly killed him, but Sarutobi Toru stabilized him.
• Hiruko regained consciousness and complained about the procedure.
• Sarutobi Toru and Orochimaru took Hiruko to a Training Ground to test his new body's strength, speed, physical condition, and Chakra.

Hiruko tested the enhanced physical abilities of his new Clone Body with Sarutobi Toru and Orochimaru, finding it far stronger and faster than his original body. After lifting an eighteen-ton barbell, Hiruko prepared to test his Chakra.

• Hiruko ran a lap around the Training Ground, and Orochimaru observed that his speed was nearly double what it had been in his original body.
• Sarutobi Toru brought out weighted barbells, and Hiruko struggled to lift one weighing twenty tons before managing to raise an eighteen-ton barbell overhead.
• Hiruko asked how much Sarutobi Toru lifted in training, and Toru said his barbell weighed close to fifty tons and was barely enough for a workout without Chakra.
• Orochimaru asked whether Sarutobi Toru had a body-strengthening Kekkei Genkai, but Toru declined to let them study his physique.
• Orochimaru estimated that Hiruko's lifting strength was about three times that of his original body, and Sarutobi Toru began the Chakra test.

Hiruko tested the Chakra reserves and Kekkei Genkai of his newly developed body, then demonstrated his powerful Wood Release in a spar against Orochimaru. The test ended with Hiruko killing Orochimaru’s giant python summon, though Orochimaru’s fate remained unclear.

• Orochimaru measured Hiruko’s Chakra at 31.2 Kha, nearly ten times his former reserves, and Hiruko said he could develop it further.
• Hiruko tested his Byakugan and Shikotsumyaku, confirming their capabilities and limitations.
• Sarutobi Toru took Hiruko and Orochimaru to the Forest of Death to test Hiruko’s Wood Release away from surveillance equipment.
• Orochimaru volunteered to fight Hiruko, and Sarutobi Toru began the combat test.
• Hiruko used Wood Release—Hellstorm to trap Orochimaru, who appeared to turn into a mud clone, then stabbed a giant python emerging from underground.
• Hiruko’s branch expanded inside the python, causing it to bleed heavily and lose the strength to struggle.

Hiruko tested his newly gained Wood Release against Orochimaru, but Orochimaru defeated him with a soul attack after demonstrating the technique’s strength. After Hiruko began adjusting to his new body, war broke out across several borders, and Sarutobi Toru visited the Hokage Building as Konoha prepared to rebuild its barrier.

• Hiruko used Deep Forest Emergence to create a forest that trapped Orochimaru, but Orochimaru struck him unconscious with a soul attack.
• Sarutobi Toru and Orochimaru discussed Hiruko’s adjustment to his new body and the risks repeated reincarnation posed to his soul.
• Hiruko regained consciousness and accepted Sarutobi Toru’s advice to spend more time adjusting his body and spirit.
• Sarutobi Toru, Orochimaru, and Hiruko stayed at the Ninjutsu Research Department for three days while Hiruko adjusted to his new body.
• War erupted between Konoha and the Cloud Shinobi, while Rock Ninja, Sand Shinobi, and Mist Ninja appeared along other borders.
• Sarutobi Toru visited the Hokage Building as Konoha prepared, with help from the Uzumaki Clan, to rebuild its expanding barrier.