Chapter Summaries

After Sunagakure surrendered following a crushing defeat, Ōnoki and the Third Raikage reconsidered their military plans as Konoha prepared for further conflict. In Konoha, Tsunade woke at the Senju Estate to attend a victory celebration honoring her role in the battle.

• Ōnoki learned that Sunagakure had surrendered and was shocked by the casualties, the Kazekage’s death, and Tsunade’s feats in battle.
• Ōnoki ordered half of Iwa’s forces near the Land of Lightning withdrawn while monitoring Kumogakure’s response.
• The Third Raikage lamented Sunagakure’s rapid defeat but continued a plan that might involve the Mist Ninja and give Kumogakure better use of its Tailed Beast.
• Sarutobi Toru reflected on the diminished Senju presence in Konoha and the clan members who had joined Senju Yusuke in the Fire Country’s capital.
• Sarutobi Toru woke Tsunade and reminded her to attend Konoha’s victory celebration as the battle’s greatest contributor.

Tsunade and Sarutobi Toru learned that the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja had attacked Uzushio Village, and Konoha sent Toru ahead to help the Uzumaki Clan. As Toru prepared to go, Jinin Akebino and Blue B discussed how they expected to eliminate the village’s survivors before Konoha’s reinforcements arrived.

• Tsunade kissed Sarutobi Toru before leaving for the celebration, while Nawaki glared at him.
• Root members summoned Sarutobi Toru to an emergency meeting, where Sarutobi Hiruzen revealed that the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja had attacked Uzushio Village.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Danzo and Hatake Sakumo to mobilize Root, then chose Sarutobi Toru to reach the Land of Whirlpools ahead of the main rescue force.
• Tsunade accepted that she could not accompany Toru and urged him to return safely.
• At Uzushio Village, Jinin Akebino and Blue B said they expected to find and kill the scattered survivors before Konoha could arrive.

Sarutobi Toru decided to draw the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja away from the escaped Uzumaki Clan, while Shanks attacked their forces at Uzushio Village. The chapter ended as Kaguya Hiromasa confronted Shanks and boasted about the Kaguya clan’s Shikotsumyaku.

• Blue B expressed his desire to fight Konoha’s reinforcements, while Jinin Akebino swore to settle his score with Konoha.
• Sarutobi Toru reached the Land of Whirlpools and decided to attack the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja to relieve pressure on the Uzumaki Clan.
• Shanks blasted open Uzushio Village’s gates and killed the Mist Ninja who challenged him.
• Shanks slaughtered the charging Mist Ninja, then fought Kaguya Hiromasa as the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja surrounded him.
• Kaguya Hiromasa caught Shanks’s blade with his bones and boasted about the Kaguya clan’s Shikotsumyaku, while Shanks remained unimpressed.

Sarutobi Toru, disguised as Shanks, overwhelmed the Mist and Cloud Shinobi with his immense physical strength. After defeating Kaguya Hiromasa with one punch, he fought the arriving swordsmen and left a Hozuki Clan ninja badly wounded while Jinin Akebino was knocked back.

• Sarutobi Toru punched Kaguya Hiromasa through the battlefield, knocking him unconscious and blasting a crater into the ground.
• Experts from the Mist and Cloud Shinobi arrived and surrounded Sarutobi Toru, including Jinin Akebino, Blue B, and a Yuki Clan ninja.
• A Cloud Shinobi attacked with Lightning Release while Blue B struck from a distance, but Sarutobi Toru charged the Hozuki Clan ninja wielding Hiramekarei.
• Sarutobi Toru broke through the Yuki Clan ninja's Ice Wall and wounded the Hozuki Clan ninja with Lightning Release after he transformed into water.
• Jinin Akebino attacked with Kabutowari, but Sarutobi Toru met the blow with his fist and sent him flying, while the Hozuki Clan ninja escaped badly wounded.

“Shanks” fought off the allied ninja force at the entrance to Whirlpool Village, killing the Yuki ninja who had been restricting his movement before escaping their combined assault. The leaders realized he could hunt their troops from the outskirts, leaving them unsure how to respond.

• “Shanks” shrugged off the ninjas’ attacks and struggled to catch them as the Yuki ninja used ice to limit his speed.
• “Shanks” extended his arm with Life Return and growth hormones, grabbed the Yuki ninja, and killed him with a point-blank Lightning Style Spiraling Sphere.
• The Mist Ninja attacked “Shanks” together with Water Release, while the Cloud Shinobi followed with Lightning Release after the Yagura clan ninja ordered them to join in.
• The combined assault flooded the village entrance, but “Shanks” was gone when the water receded, and the leaders concluded he had escaped.
• Blue B asked what they would do if “Shanks” began hunting ninjas around their camp instead of attacking their main force.

Sarutobi Toru used the Spirit Transformation Technique to search the Land of Whirlpools for the hidden Uzumaki Clan shelter. He found a group of young Uzumaki, including Kushina and Kanao, and appeared before them as a golden spirit.

• Mist and Cloud Shinobi discussed staying together for protection and considered using the Uzumaki Clan to help kill Shanks.
• Sarutobi Toru returned to his own appearance in a Root stronghold and decided to search for the Uzumaki Clan in spirit form.
• Kushina and Kanao worried about their families and the slow arrival of Konoha's reinforcements, then spoke of becoming as strong as Mito.
• Sarutobi Toru found the hidden shelter and saw its young Uzumaki residents, including Kushina and Kanao.
• Kushina and the other Uzumaki confronted Sarutobi Toru and demanded to know who he was.

Sarutobi Toru found a group of Uzumaki children in hiding, learned that hundreds of clan members were still scattered across the Land of Whirlpools, and set out to disrupt the Cloud Shinobi forces. While monitoring the enemy, he discovered a powerful White Zetsu underground and moved to capture it.

• Sarutobi Toru reappeared inside the children’s shelter, subdued the Uzumaki children, and learned from Kushina that the invading forces had defeated the defenders and were hunting scattered survivors.
• Kushina explained that nearly a hundred children were hidden in shelters while adult Uzumaki members drew the enemy away, and Sarutobi Toru left to investigate.
• Sarutobi Toru found a five-hundred-man Cloud Shinobi unit divided into squads and saw that it had detained around fifty or sixty Uzumaki clan members.
• Sarutobi Toru discovered a powerful White Zetsu monitoring the Cloud Shinobi underground and struck it with a flash of golden light.

Sarutobi Toru used Shanks's identity to repeatedly ambush Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja forces, forcing them to withdraw into Uzushio Village. C planned to announce the execution of Uzumaki prisoners to lure Shanks out, but Sarutobi Toru overheard and prepared a surprise.

• Sarutobi Toru collected three more premium White Zetsu and decided to harass the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja as Shanks.
• Shanks attacked a Cloud Shinobi unit three times in one day, killing or wounding nearly a hundred and driving it back to Uzushio Village.
• Shanks ambushed another Cloud Shinobi force, inflicting severe casualties and prompting both the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja to withdraw into Uzushio Village.
• C concluded that Shanks was a greater threat than the Uzumaki remnants and proposed announcing the prisoners’ execution to lure him out before retreating.
• Sarutobi Toru overheard C’s plan underground and decided to prepare a surprise.

Sarutobi Toru secured Danzo’s support and brought elite Konoha reinforcements to the Land of Whirlpools to help the Uzumaki Clan counterattack the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja. The gathered Uzumaki forces advanced on Uzushio Village, where the enemy sensed that the entire clan was approaching.

• Sarutobi Toru found Danzo, explained the situation, and persuaded him that rescuing the Uzumaki and striking the enemy would help prepare for the coming war.
• Sarutobi Toru brought Hatake Sakumo, Might Duy, Aburame Ryoma, Hiruko, and other reinforcements to the Land of Whirlpools using the Flying Thunder God.
• Kaji reunited with scattered Uzumaki ninja and learned that Konoha forces and Shanks would help rescue their clansmen.
• The gathered Uzumaki ninja prepared to counterattack, encouraged by Konoha’s reinforcements and Shanks’s strength.
• C sensed the approaching Uzumaki Clan at Uzushio Village and warned Hozuki Meigetsu, Jinin Akebino, Kaguya Shirou, Blue B, and the other defenders that the battle would be difficult.

Might Duy and Hatake Sakumo led an assault on the forces attacking Uzushio, while Hiruko’s aerial squad prepared to free the captive Uzumaki Clan. The battle turned against the attackers, and Hiruko’s group approached the prisoners’ tent as the assault continued.

• Mist Ninja and Cloud Shinobi surrounded the Uzumaki Clan’s gate, where Might Duy and Hatake Sakumo appeared as reinforcements.
• Hozuki Meigetsu attacked Might Duy, who opened the Six Gates and killed him with Morning Peacock.
• Might Duy’s attack stabilized the Uzumaki Clan’s position while Hatake Sakumo and Shanks continued cutting through enemy forces.
• Blue B and C decided to retreat, abandoning the Mist Ninja as Jinin Akebino considered fleeing as well.
• Hiruko and Aburame Ryoma confirmed the prisoners’ location and sent the Aerial Squad toward the tent holding the Uzumaki Clan.

Aburame Ryoma unleashed his Hundred Poisons Golden Silkworm Gu against the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja while the Uzumaki Clan set up a barrier around the prisoner tents. As the allied forces turned on each other and fled, the concealed Chimera attacked from the sky with repeated blasts of flame.

• Aburame Ryoma sent his Hundred Poisons Golden Silkworm Gu into the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja near the tents, killing them with their venom and attacks.
• Aburame Ryoma confirmed his insects had found no other ninja inside the tents, and four Uzumaki Clan members raised the Four Violet Flames Formation around them.
• Hiruko prepared to take the field as the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja saw the barrier and decided to retreat rather than keep fighting.
• The Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja each expected the other side to cover the retreat, and their simultaneous flight turned into a rout.
• The Chimera emerged from concealment and rained fire across the fleeing forces, burning hundreds of meters of the battlefield and swallowing more than a hundred ninja.

After the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja were driven from the Land of Whirlpools, Sarutobi Toru helped the surviving Uzumaki Clan members recover and prepare to evacuate to Konoha. The war’s end was short-lived: Danzo’s relief fleet had been ambushed at sea, leaving Konoha’s forces badly depleted while enemy ships still surrounded the islands.

• Chimera’s flames killed more than a thousand fleeing Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja, and Hatake Sakumo and the others evacuated the rescued Uzumaki Clan from burning Uzushio Village.
• Sarutobi Toru treated Tsubaki Uzumaki, but her life force was exhausted and she had at most another year to live.
• Uzumaki Kushina thanked Sarutobi Toru and believed he had saved her aunt as the clan prepared to travel to Konoha.
• Sarutobi Toru heard the Uzumaki Clan’s theories about Shanks being a hidden clansman and reported the rescue mission’s success to Shimura Danzō.
• Four days later, Sarutobi Toru found Danzo’s battered fleet; an ambush by the Cloud Shinobi and Mist Ninja had cost Konoha half its two thousand reinforcements, while enemy fleets still prowled near the Land of Whirlpools.

After Konoha’s forces suffered heavy losses against the Mist Ninja and Cloud Shinobi at sea, Sarutobi Toru proposed using the Spirit Transformation Technique to attack their fleets. Danzo assembled Orochimaru and Dan Katō for the mission, and the three sent their souls out to target ordinary enemy ninja.

• Danzo described how the Third Mizukage’s strength and the enemy’s advantage at sea had overwhelmed Konoha’s forces.
• Hiruko proposed using the Chimera, but Sarutobi Toru argued that it would be vulnerable to enemy attacks and suggested using the Spirit Transformation Technique instead.
• Danzo ordered Sarutobi Toru to bring Orochimaru and Dan Katō to the Land of Whirlpools, while Tsunade temporarily replaced Orochimaru on the Land of Stone front.
• Sarutobi Toru gathered Orochimaru and Dan Katō, and Danzo instructed the three to target ordinary ninja while avoiding enemy experts.
• Root ninja protected the three with Sealing Jutsu and Barrier Jutsu as they ejected their souls and headed toward the enemy fleets.

The Third Mizukage disciplined Kaguya Shirou and Jinin Akebino while Sarutobi Toru, Orochimaru, and Dan Katō secretly decimated the Mist and Cloud fleet. Konoha’s reinforcements arrived, and the Third Mizukage stepped onto the frozen sea to face them.

• The Third Mizukage ordered Kaguya Shirou and Jinin Akebino to recover Hiramekarei or assassinate the Third Hokage.
• A mysterious genjutsu caused the ninja aboard one ship to turn on one another, and the Third Mizukage imprisoned the two survivors and moved the Cloud Shinobi to the fleet’s perimeter.
• Sarutobi Toru, Orochimaru, and Dan Katō returned to their bodies, and Sarutobi Toru discovered that absorbing residual Chakra had strengthened his soul.
• Over two days, Dan Katō, Orochimaru, and Sarutobi Toru killed nearly a thousand Mist and Cloud ninja with the Spirit Transformation Technique.
• Konoha’s reinforcements gathered on the shore as the Third Mizukage descended from his warship and froze the ocean surface.

The Third Mizukage ambushed Danzo and Hatake Sakumo with Ice Release and genjutsu, then withdrew after testing Konoha’s strength. Danzo and Sarutobi Toru concluded that the Mist Ninja had been covering their retreat and were unlikely to press the attack.

• The Third Mizukage concealed Ice Release traps beneath the beach and nearly killed Danzo before Sarutobi Toru intervened.
• Hatake Sakumo shattered the ice and used instinct to strike the real Mizukage through his genjutsu, damaging his armor.
• The Third Mizukage revealed that the fleet was an illusion and that he had come alone, then warned Konoha that the Mist Ninja would attack again.
• The Third Mizukage retreated across the frozen sea without turning his back on the Konoha shinobi.
• Danzo and Sarutobi Toru reasoned that the Mizukage had come to cover his troops’ retreat and would withdraw rather than suffer costly losses.

As Konoha fought the Land of Earth and Land of Lightning, the Third Raikage used a Burst Potion to badly injure Jiraiya and Torifu Akimichi. Sarutobi Toru arrived with reinforcements and set out to attack the Cloud Shinobi camp while the Raikage was still recovering.

• Ōnoki countered Tsunade with Dust Release, but Konoha continued to suppress the Rock Shinobi with Tsunade's healing ninjutsu.
• Jiraiya and Torifu Akimichi barely held off the Third Raikage until he drank a Burst Potion and gravely injured them.
• Sarutobi Toru arrived at the medical room with Hatake Sakumo and Might Duy, and Jiraiya told him the Cloud Shinobi camp's location.
• Sarutobi Toru ordered Jiraiya to coordinate with Sakumo and led the group to attack the Cloud Shinobi camp before the Third Raikage recovered.
• The Third Raikage told Karina that he had not recovered half his strength and recalled how Konoha's medicines had healed Jiraiya and Torifu Akimichi.

Sarutobi Toru and Hatake Sakumo led a small elite Konoha force in a surprise assault on the Cloud Shinobi main camp, where the Third Raikage was still weakened. As the Raikage prepared to fight after drinking a Burst Potion, Karina used the Heavenly Transfer Technique to make him vanish.

• Sarutobi Toru's group reached the Cloud Shinobi main camp, and a Hyuga Clan ninja spotted the Third Raikage in the central tent.
• Konoha's ninjas unleashed combined Fire and Wind Style attacks, killing dozens of Cloud Shinobi and starting a fierce battle.
• Hatake Sakumo and Sarutobi Toru tore through the enemy ranks before a barrage of Lightning Style techniques forced Sarutobi Toru back.
• The Third Raikage's Shadow Guard tried to keep him inside because he was still in his Weakness Period, but he drank a Burst Potion and activated his Lightning Release Armor.
• Karina ambushed the Third Raikage with the Heavenly Transfer Technique and made him disappear.

Sarutobi Toru and Hatake Sakumo captured the Raikage’s secretary, Karina, and led the Konoha forces out of the Cloud Shinobi camp after the Third Raikage escaped to Base Number Seven. The Third Raikage learned that the raid had killed hundreds of Cloud Shinobi and left Karina in Konoha’s hands, deepening the crisis as he struggled to recover.

• Karina sent the weakened Third Raikage to Base Number Seven, but Sarutobi Toru and Hatake Sakumo entered the tent and killed the two Shadow Guard members with her.
• Sarutobi Toru recognized Karina as the Raikage’s secretary and captured her after she attempted to use the Heavenly Transfer Technique on herself.
• Sarutobi Toru and Hatake Sakumo helped the Konoha forces break out, while confusion over the missing Raikage kept the Cloud Shinobi from pursuing them.
• Sarutobi Toru returned to the Konoha camp with Karina, where Jiraiya admired her and Toru wondered whether she was Mabui’s mother.
• At Base Number Seven, the Third Raikage learned that more than three hundred Cloud Shinobi had died and Karina had been captured, then angrily struggled to accept that he needed to recover.

After Konoha obtained extensive Cloud Shinobi intelligence, Torifu Akimichi sent Sarutobi Toru to disrupt their supply routes. Sarutobi Toru intercepted multiple shipments alone and sent the captured supplies to Konoha, leaving the Cloud Shinobi’s logistics badly weakened.

• Ryoichi Yamanaka gave Torifu Akimichi an intelligence scroll containing Cloud Shinobi secrets obtained from Karina.
• Torifu Akimichi ordered Sarutobi Toru to cut off all seven Cloud Shinobi supply routes using his Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Sarutobi Toru intercepted a Cloud Shinobi convoy, defeated its escorts, and sent its sealed supplies back to Konoha camp.
• Sarutobi Toru intercepted several more shipments and captured over a dozen Cloud Shinobi supply shipments in less than a month.

Sarutobi Toru survived a Cloud Shinobi trap and returned to find Konoha redirecting its forces after the Mist Ninja invaded the Land of Fire’s coast. The Third Hokage and thousands of shinobi were heading to confront them, while Toru realized the war would continue.

• Sarutobi Toru escaped a trap made from more than a hundred thousand Explosive Tags and ended his mission against the Cloud Shinobi supply routes.
• Sarutobi Toru returned to camp and found Hatake Sakumo injured after fighting the Third Raikage.
• Torifu Akimichi told Sarutobi Toru that about three thousand Mist Ninja were raiding the coast and using the Land of Whirlpools as a supply base.
• Torifu Akimichi explained that six thousand Konoha shinobi, including Hiruzen and Danzo’s forces, were being sent to defend the coastline.
• Sarutobi Toru learned that the Third Mizukage had beaten Danzo three times and concluded that the war still had a long way to go.