Chapter Summaries

Facing the threat of Sunagakure recovering and attacking later, Ōnoki accepted Hanzo of the Salamander’s demand for the Five-Tails in exchange for Amegakure’s aid. Hanzo’s Rain Ninja joined Iwagakure, forcing Sunagakure to abandon the River of Rain and retreat into the desert.

• Ōnoki received Hanzo of the Salamander’s terms and agreed to give him the Five-Tails Muo in return for Hanzo’s personal intervention and at least three thousand Rain Ninja.
• Over the next two days, Hanzo led the Rain Ninja along the River of Rain and attacked the Land of Wind’s heartland.
• Hanzo poisoned a tributary supplying Sunagakure with water, but Chiyo and Sasori helped save the Sand Ninja from the poison.
• The Rain Ninja’s surprise attack caused at least a thousand Sunagakure casualties.
• Sunagakure retreated from the River of Rain into the desert, leaving Iwagakure and the Rain Ninja in control of the region.

Konan asked Sarutobi Toru to let her go on missions, but he promised she could do so only when she turned sixteen. Outside the training ground, Sarutobi Toru teased Tsunade, Uzumaki Kanao, and Uzumaki Kushina before leaving Tsunade with a promise to deal with her that night.

• Konan used her paper shuriken against Sarutobi Toru, who praised her strength and reminded her that her Explosive Tag production served Konoha.
• Konan asked to take missions, and Sarutobi Toru refused because the Shinobi World War made travel dangerous and Konoha needed her Explosive Tags.
• Konan admitted she wanted Sarutobi Toru to see her as grown up, and he promised to let her be like her older sisters and Tsunade when she turned sixteen.
• Sarutobi Toru found Tsunade, Uzumaki Kanao, and Uzumaki Kushina outside the training ground and teased them about Konan's behavior.
• Tsunade pleaded with Sarutobi Toru to spare them, and he kissed her after promising to deal with her that night.

Pakura returned to Sunagakure to help it fight the Rock Ninja and Rain Ninja alliance, prolonging the war to Konoha’s advantage. As the fighting remained deadlocked, Sunagakure decided to make a Jinchuriki with Shukaku to break it.

• Pakura showed Sarutobi Toru Sunagakure’s plea for help, and he advised her to return and support her former village.
• Sarutobi Toru reviewed his progress obtaining the Tailed Beasts’ Chakra and concluded that only Shukaku’s Chakra remained before his plan could succeed.
• Pakura’s arrival strengthened Sunagakure and forced the Rock Ninja and Rain Ninja alliance back into a stalemate.
• Konoha’s protection drew wealthy settlers to the northern Land of Earth, increasing the Daimyo’s dependence on Konoha Village.
• Sunagakure decided to activate Shukaku and create a Jinchuriki to break the stalemate.

Sasori of the Red Sands proposed using Wood Release-grown wood to build Autonomous Puppets powered by Shukaku instead of making a Jinchuriki. With Kinnara’s support, the group prepared to test the plan using Shukaku, sealed inside a teapot.

• Sunagakure found that only Rasa and the Third Kazekage met the requirements to become Shukaku’s Jinchuriki, but neither seemed like a practical choice for immediate gains.
• Sasori of the Red Sands proposed suppressing Shukaku with Kinnara’s Wood Release and using its Chakra to power an army of Autonomous Puppets made from Wood Release-grown wood.
• Kinnara questioned whether the Puppets could withstand Shukaku’s Chakra, and Sasori explained that his research showed the wood could bear it.
• After learning that Sasori had already discussed the plan with Chiyo and others, Kinnara agreed to help him try it.
• Three days later, Pakura, Chiyo, Kinnara, Rasa, and Sasori gathered around the teapot containing Shukaku, and Kinnara confirmed the Tailed Beast’s Chakra was inside.

Sasori broke the seal on the teapot, releasing Shukaku, who attacked the gathered Sunagakure ninja. After Shukaku tricked and injured Rasa, Kinnara bound him with Wood Release, leaving the Tailed Beast steadily losing chakra.

• Sasori used his chakra threads and sealing expertise to release Shukaku from the teapot.
• Shukaku emerged and attacked the humans, but Rasa stopped his sandstorm with Gold Dust.
• Shukaku feigned preparing a Tailed Beast Ball, then struck Rasa with his tail and sent him flying.
• Kinnara caught Shukaku off guard with Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence and bound him in trees.
• Shukaku struggled as the trees drained his chakra and grew stronger around him.

Kinnara and Sasori used Shukaku to power an automated puppet assembly line, with Sasori’s Chakra Clones controlling the finished puppets. The new army threatened Iwagakure and Amegakure, whose alliance was already strained as they rushed to defeat Sunagakure before Kirigakure withdrew.

• Kinnara restrained Shukaku with a Wood Dragon and drained his Chakra, then handed him over to Sasori.
• Sasori activated an automated assembly line that extracted Shukaku’s Chakra and produced powerful puppets.
• Kinnara recognized the crystals in the puppets as Artificial Chakra Cores, and Sasori explained that sealed Clones would control them for about a year.
• Kinnara realized Sasori’s puppet army could pose a major threat to Iwagakure and Amegakure.
• Iwagakure and Amegakure continued their urgent attacks on Sunagakure despite their mistrust, anticipating Kirigakure’s withdrawal from the coastline.

Hanzo of the Salamander sent Yahiko away from the battlefield after a foreboding warning, then led the Rain Ninja into battle alongside Iwagakure. Sunagakure’s massive Puppet Army arrived, catching the allied forces off guard as the attack began.

• Hanzo of the Salamander ordered Yahiko to escort the wounded back to Amegakure instead of joining the battle.
• Yahiko agreed and left the camp, while Hanzo of the Salamander went out to lead the Rain Ninja.
• Hanzo of the Salamander noticed orderly footsteps approaching as Iwagakure’s forces detected Chakra and ground vibrations from Sunagakure.
• Ōnoki learned that the readings indicated over thirty thousand approaching shinobi and sent the Scout Squad captain to verify them.
• Sunagakure’s Puppet Army surged toward the positions held by Iwagakure and the Rain Ninja.

Sasori of the Red Sands’ vast Puppet Army overwhelmed the Iwagakure and Rain Ninja, whose attacks and attempts to locate its controllers failed. As Ōnoki’s forces joined the fight and Hanzo of the Salamander struggled against the puppets, Sunagakure’s leaders prepared to enter the battle.

• The Puppet Army charged the Iwagakure and Rain Ninja, shrugging off many attacks while its coordinated Kunai volleys killed and wounded them.
• The two villages failed to find the puppeteers because Sasori of the Red Sands had implanted clones in thousands of puppets, which controlled the rest and could replace one another.
• Chiyo praised the army as the future of puppeteering, while Kinnara realized it could make ordinary puppeteers obsolete.
• Rasa announced that Sunagakure’s leaders would take the field as Ōnoki, Kitsuchi, and Rōshi began attacking the Puppet Army.
• Hanzo of the Salamander struggled to counter the puppets because the desert weakened his Water Release and his poison could not harm their wooden frames.

Sunagakure’s Puppet Army overwhelmed Iwagakure and forced its forces to retreat, while Amegakure escaped at heavy cost. After three days of pursuit, both sides were too weakened to continue fighting, and peace negotiations began without reaching an agreement.

• Ebizo ordered Sunagakure’s fliers to attack Ōnoki, and Kinnara, Rasa, and Sasori cornered him in the air while Ebizo and the others overwhelmed Kitsuchi and Rōshi on the ground.
• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure to retreat, and its remaining Jōnin raised an Earth Flow Wall to delay the Puppet Army as the village’s forces withdrew.
• Sasori observed the crude Puppets’ limitations, while Ōnoki used Dust Release attacks to cover Iwagakure’s retreat.
• The Puppet Army pursued Iwagakure and Amegakure for three days, reducing Iwagakure’s forces to fewer than a thousand and driving Hanzo of the Salamander into the River of Rain, where his fate became unknown.
• Iwagakure rebuilt its defenses behind a Great Wall, and Sunagakure halted its advance after losing most of its Puppet Army and exhausting its reserves.
• Ōnoki threatened to use his trump card, and Iwagakure and Sunagakure entered peace negotiations but failed to reach an agreement.

The Fourth Mizukage killed the Third Kazekage and led Kirigakure to plunder the Land of Wind, throwing Sunagakure into chaos and ending its negotiations with the Stone Ninja. Sarutobi Toru learned that Sasori planned to build a massive stealth airship to attack Kirigakure, while Konoha’s leadership began preparing for Tsunade to take on greater responsibilities.

• The Fourth Mizukage killed the Third Kazekage at sea, and Kirigakure raided the Land of Wind before withdrawing.
• Keiji died during the raid, and Sunagakure hastily ended its negotiations with the Stone Ninja after securing more than ten cities in the Land of Earth.
• Tsunade and Sarutobi Toru discussed the war’s outcome, while Toru expected Sasori to strike back at Kirigakure.
• Sasori showed Kinnara a stealth airship blueprint and said his Puppet Clones could build an airship for thousands of people in three months.
• Kinnara agreed to begin construction, and Sarutobi Toru considered introducing modern technology to Konoha as Tsunade took on more village affairs.

Sarutobi Toru used Shukaku Chakra to create an artificial God Tree and grow a Chakra Fruit. He obtained a fruit that could at least double his Chakra, but the tree was destroyed in the process.

• Sarutobi Toru released the stored Shukaku Chakra, sealed the miniature Shukaku, and extracted its Chakra into White Zetsu Seeds.
• Sarutobi Toru merged the Shukaku Chakra Type White Zetsu into the White Zetsu Ball, forming a powerful humanoid tree with an instinctive consciousness.
• Sarutobi Toru calmed the tree with his Hormone Fruit ability and made its flower bud bloom into a purple Chakra Fruit.
• Sarutobi Toru plucked the ripe fruit, and the artificial God Tree turned into rotten wood and collapsed.
• Sarutobi Toru judged that the Chakra Fruit could at least double his Chakra and that the tree could only produce one fruit.

Sarutobi Toru ate the Chakra Fruit and gained a massive increase in Chakra, awakening Six Paths-level power and creating Truth-Seeking Orbs. He tested his new abilities and joked about taking the nickname “Black-armed Sarutobi Toru.”

• Sarutobi Toru ate the purple Chakra Fruit, and its power increased his Chakra reserves threefold.
• Sarutobi Toru transformed Chakra of all seven attributes and created three small Truth-Seeking Orbs, which he expected to grow over time.
• Sarutobi Toru tested his new Six Paths abilities, including levitation, Chakra Black Rods, and improved physical recovery and ninjutsu.
• Sarutobi Toru used the Truth-Seeking Orbs to turn his arm black and joked about calling himself Black-armed Sarutobi Toru.

Sarutobi Toru left his secret chamber after resolving how to strengthen himself against future powerful enemies. Hanzo of the Salamander sacrificed himself to secure peace for Amegakure, but two years later Sasori of the Red Sands launched a devastating surprise attack on Kirigakure.

• Sarutobi Toru concluded that mastering Yin-Yang Release, Kekkei Mora, and the Rinnegan was essential to facing Six Paths-level enemies and the Otsutsuki Clan.
• Hanzo of the Salamander revealed that his war injuries and leaking Poison Sac had left him beyond recovery, and he offered himself to appease the Sand Shinobi.
• Yahiko and the Rain Ninja learned that Hanzo intended to make one final contribution to Amegakure by negotiating peace with the Sand Shinobi.
• Half a month later, Hanzo of the Salamander gave his life and most of the benefits from the River of Rain to secure a Peace Agreement, ending the Third Shinobi World War.
• Two years later, Sasori of the Red Sands used the stealth airship Yellow Sand and several thousand Auto Puppets to ambush Kirigakure, killing at least five thousand Kirigakure ninja.

Kirigakure reeled from Sasori of the Red Sands's devastating raid, while Sunagakure made him its Fourth Kazekage. Sarutobi Toru noted that several villages were preparing new leaders, leaving Sarutobi Hiruzen to contemplate his own eventual retirement.

• Kirigakure counted immense losses, including Juzo Biwa, Ringo Ameyuri, three Ninja Swords, strategic supplies, clan members, and research materials, though hundreds of Sasori's Puppets survived.
• The Shinobi World was shocked by Sasori of the Red Sands's raid and the strength of his mass-produced Puppet Army.
• Sunagakure chose Sasori as Fourth Kazekage after his victory, and Chiyo and Ebizo placed the hat and cloak on him as Rasa accepted the decision.
• Kinnara regretted not fighting harder during the war, while Sasori disliked the responsibilities that came with becoming Kazekage.
• Sarutobi Toru told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Ōnoki and the Third Raikage were preparing successors, prompting Hiruzen to think about his own attachment to the Hokage position.

Sarutobi Hiruzen told Sarutobi Toru that he planned to step down and that Konoha would soon enter the Fourth Generation era. Toru reflected on Konoha’s transformation and the dangers awaiting him in the Parallel World, then traveled there through the Dragon Vein.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Sarutobi Toru he had begun arranging his retirement and that the Fourth Generation era would soon begin.
• Sarutobi Toru considered how Konoha had expanded into the northern Land of Earth while Iwagakure had been badly weakened by the war.
• Sarutobi Toru visited Hokage Rock and lamented that Konoha’s towering buildings obscured the view of the village he remembered.
• Sarutobi Toru decided to return to the Parallel World, where he suspected the Akatsuki Organization might soon act.
• Sarutobi Toru spent two days with Queen Sharna, opened the Dragon Vein in Rōran, and set off for the Parallel World.

Namikaze Minato agreed to attend the Five Kage Summit as the Akatsuki Organization’s campaign against the Tailed Beasts intensified. In a parallel world, Sarutobi Toru reunited with his companions and learned that Nagato had captured Monster Wu and that the escaped prisoners of Hozuki Castle had joined the Akatsuki Organization.

• Jiraiya told Namikaze Minato that the Five Kage Summit would be a chance to demonstrate Konoha’s strength and respond to the Akatsuki Organization, and Minato agreed to attend.
• Sarutobi Toru spent the night with Queen Sara, Pakura, and his other companions before meeting Tsunade and Pakura to discuss the parallel world’s situation.
• Pakura explained that Kusagakure had opened the Box of Paradise using Takigakure’s Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, releasing Monster Wu and causing the destruction of Hozuki Castle.
• Pakura said Nagato had controlled Monster Wu with Chakra Black Rods and that the escaped prisoners had joined the Akatsuki Organization under her command.
• Pakura said White Zetsu’s reconnaissance ninjutsu and Uchiha Obito’s Kamui had helped them reach Hozuki Castle before the other villages discovered its destruction.

Pakura told Sarutobi Toru how the Akatsuki Organization had captured nearly every Tailed Beast and was preparing to strike Kumogakure again during the Five Kage Summit. Sarutobi Toru learned that Black Zetsu remained untraceable, leaving him uncertain whether Uchiha Madara or Otsutsuki Kaguya might emerge.

• Sarutobi Toru recognized that Hozuki Castle’s prisoners and other gains had greatly strengthened the Akatsuki Organization.
• Pakura explained that she and Sasori of the Red Sands manipulated Gaara into transforming into One-Tails Shukaku, then helped arrange Rasa’s assassination and capture of Shukaku.
• The Akatsuki Organization captured the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki, then attacked Kumogakure and seized the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, though Killer B escaped and Gyuki’s chakra dispersal thwarted the Ten-Tails’ revival.
• The extraction of the Three-Tails killed Yagura and exposed that he had been controlled, forcing Uchiha Obito to abandon Kirigakure.
• Pakura told Sarutobi Toru that the Five Great Shinobi Villages planned a summit while Nagato prepared another attack on Kumogakure.
• Sarutobi Toru asked about Black and White Zetsu, and Pakura admitted that her Intelligence Network could not track Black Zetsu.

Sarutobi Toru revealed the origins of chakra and the truth behind the Akatsuki Organization to Tsunade and Pakura. He then disclosed that he planned to use the organization to obtain a Chakra Fruit, leaving them surprised by his goal.

• Sarutobi Toru worried that Black Zetsu might already have revived Uchiha Madara through Impure World Reincarnation.
• Sarutobi Toru explained the Otsutsuki Clan, Kaguya, the Ten-Tails God Tree, and the origins of chakra to Tsunade and Pakura.
• Sarutobi Toru described how Black Zetsu, Uchiha Madara, and Uchiha Obito had manipulated one another and Uzumaki Nagato, shaping the Akatsuki Organization's plans.
• Pakura realized the Akatsuki Organization had been built on several lies, and Tsunade asked Sarutobi Toru what he wanted from it.
• Sarutobi Toru said he wanted to obtain the Chakra Fruit, surprising Tsunade and Pakura.

Sarutobi Toru explained that he planned to use his Hormone Fruit ability to make the Ten-Tails produce a Chakra Fruit rather than launch the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Pakura suggested he impersonate Shennong to infiltrate the Akatsuki Organization, and the chapter left Shennong captured and injured at the Amegakure base.

• Tsunade feared Sarutobi Toru planned to use the Infinite Tsukuyomi, but he reassured her and Pakura that he intended to try to force the Ten-Tails to produce a Chakra Fruit instead.
• Pakura proposed that Sarutobi Toru disguise himself as Shennong, whom the Akatsuki Organization wanted to recruit, and he agreed.
• Pakura told Sarutobi Toru she knew where Shennong was hiding and would arrange for him to replace Shennong.
• Three days later, Pakura and Konan confronted Shennong after he refused to join the Akatsuki Organization.
• Pakura beat Shennong and dragged him to the Amegakure base, where she put him in the Medical Room for treatment before questioning.

Sarutobi Toru read Shennong’s memories, copied his appearance, and joined the Akatsuki Organization under his identity. He reached the organization’s base and was introduced to its members as Shennong of Sky Ninja Village.

• Sarutobi Toru destroyed Shennong’s soul and read his memories, learning about his research and a modified version of the Eight Gates.
• Sarutobi Toru changed his body to look like Shennong and hid Shennong’s body in the Reincarnation Warehouse.
• Konan offered Shennong membership and revealed that the Akatsuki Organization had collected eight Tailed Beasts; Sarutobi Toru agreed to join and received his robe, ring, and nail polish.
• Sarutobi Toru followed the Void Ring’s guidance to the Akatsuki Organization’s base and met its members.
• Konan introduced Sarutobi Toru, disguised as Shennong, to the Akatsuki Organization, and the members largely accepted him without objection.