Recaps

Kumogakure learned that Konoha’s Tree Removal Potion had turned Iwagakure and Sunagakure against the war, leaving Kumogakure isolated. The Third Raikage arrived at the Command Center and concluded that Kumogakure could not continue fighting, though Konoha might refuse surrender or impose harsh terms.

• Fourth Raikage A read an urgent intelligence scroll and learned that Konoha had developed the Tree Removal Potion.
• Dodai warned A and Killer B that Iwagakure and Sunagakure might join Konoha against Kumogakure, and said surrender could be their only option.
• Dodai explained that Konoha might not accept Kumogakure’s surrender because it no longer feared retaliation or damage to its strength.
• The Third Raikage arrived using the Heavenly Transfer Technique, comforted Fourth Raikage A, and asked Dodai for a report on the battle situation.
• After hearing the report, the Third Raikage said Kumogakure could not continue the war and expected Konoha to demand harsh terms if it accepted their defeat.

The Third Raikage disguised himself as an ordinary Cloud Shinobi and joined Fourth Raikage A to capture Hiruko, a Konoha Wood Release ninja. After Hiruko was taken alive, both Konoha and Kumogakure withdrew their forces, leaving the battlefield in an uneasy calm.

• The Third Raikage decided to capture Hiruko as a bargaining chip and disguised himself to accompany Fourth Raikage A into battle.
• Hiruko used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence against Fourth Raikage A, then discovered the disguised Third Raikage and realized he had walked into a trap.
• The Third Raikage charged through the forest while Hiruko summoned the Flying Dragon King to escape.
• Fourth Raikage A grabbed the Flying Dragon King's tail and slammed it down, throwing Hiruko to the ground.
• The Third Raikage defeated Hiruko and carried him alive from the battlefield as Konoha ninja watched.
• Konoha and Kumogakure both withdrew their forces, bringing an eerie calm to the battlefield.

After Hiruko was captured by the Raikage, Sarutobi Toru and the Third Hokage planned to force Kumogakure to seek negotiations by sending Hatake Sakumo to the front. Sarutobi Toru then traveled to the Land of Whirlpools, where Konoha prepared to face a possible Kirigakure attack at Uzushio Village.

• The Third Hokage told Sarutobi Toru that the Raikage had captured Hiruko and explained that Konoha needed to weaken Kumogakure before negotiating.
• Sarutobi Toru proposed sending Hatake Sakumo to challenge the Raikage, and the Third Hokage agreed to have Sarutobi Toru transport Sakumo and several ninja to the front.
• Namikaze Minato returned to Konoha after helping secure an agreement with Iwagakure, while Sarutobi Toru and Tsunade planned to oversee the Land of Whirlpools.
• Three days later, Sarutobi Toru sent the group to the Kumogakure front and traveled to the Land of Whirlpools.
• Sarutobi Toru gathered Konoha's forces and the Land of Whirlpools Guard at Uzushio Village, established coastal observation posts, and brought Pakura to help face Kirigakure.

Sarutobi Toru detected a Kirigakure force approaching the Land of Whirlpools and prepared for its attack. As the Mist Ninja advanced from a deserted port, he sensed that they had brought a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki.

• Sarutobi Toru scanned the sea with his sensory abilities and left his fishing boat after detecting the approaching enemy fleet.
• Jinin Akebino, Kisame Hoshigaki, Utakata, Mei Terumi, and other Kirigakure ninja sailed toward the Land of Whirlpools as Jinin recalled their losses in the previous war.
• Jinin Akebino ordered Mizuki Fu to inspect the port, and Mizuki Fu reported that it appeared deserted.
• Jinin Akebino urged the Mist Ninja to move quickly, and they leaped from their ships and ran across the water toward shore.
• Sarutobi Toru waited at the gates of Uzushio Village, sensed the force approaching within an hour, and detected a Tailed Beast Jinchuriki among them.

Sarutobi Toru, Tsunade, and Pakura intercepted Kirigakure’s army before it could reach Uzushio Village. Tsunade’s Flower Tree Forest Emergence incapacitated nearly the entire Mist force, leaving Sarutobi Toru to reflect on how little the battle had required of him.

• Tsunade and Sarutobi Toru led Pakura and the allied forces to intercept Kirigakure’s approaching army.
• Jinin Akebino recognized Pakura’s Scorch Release, realized Kirigakure had walked into a trap, and ordered a retreat.
• Jinin Akebino assigned Juzo Biwa to organize the retreat and told him to prepare Utakata for a Tailed Beast Transformation.
• Tsunade unleashed Flower Tree Forest Emergence, and its toxic pollen rapidly incapacitated the Mist Ninja, including Ringo Ameyuri and Jinin Akebino.
• Sarutobi Toru remarked that he had not needed to fight, and Pakura teased him for overestimating the Mist Ninja.

Jinin Akebino and the other captured Kirigakure shinobi realized their force had been defeated, while Utakata was held separately at the Uzushio Village stronghold. Sarutobi Toru prepared to experiment with using the Six-Tails’ Chakra to create a Tailed Beast White Zetsu, hoping to find a path to the Six Paths level.

• Jinin Akebino woke in a cell with his Chakra sealed and found Ringo Ameyuri, Juzo Biwa, Kisame Hoshigaki, and other Kirigakure leaders imprisoned nearby.
• Jinin Akebino concluded that Tsunade had defeated them, while Ringo Ameyuri protested and Kisame Hoshigaki suspected a Konoha spy had exposed their surprise attack.
• Jinin Akebino and the other Mist Ninja realized Utakata was missing from the prison.
• Sarutobi Toru inspected the sealing formulas around the unconscious Utakata as Tsunade assured him they could restrain the Six-Tails.
• Sarutobi Toru placed a white seed near Utakata and began an experiment to create a Tailed Beast White Zetsu using the Six-Tails’ Chakra.

Sarutobi Toru extracted Six-Tails chakra from Utakata to grow a powerful White Zetsu, then began planning further experiments with White Zetsu infused with all nine Tailed Beasts. Three days later, Utakata was returned to the prison, where Ringo Ameyuri and Jinin Akebino learned that Konoha had not taken the Six-Tails from him.

• Sarutobi Toru used a sealing formula and his Hormone Fruit ability to grow a White Zetsu with purified Six-Tails chakra, leaving Utakata exhausted and unconscious.
• Tsunade inspected the White Zetsu, and Sarutobi Toru explained that he intended to experiment with fusing White Zetsu infused with different Tailed Beasts.
• Sarutobi Toru ordered another round of Six-Tails chakra extraction and planned to create several more White Zetsu.
• Three days later, two Konoha ninja brought the battered Utakata to the prison and put him in an empty cell.
• Ringo Ameyuri asked after Utakata, and he assured her and Jinin Akebino that he had suffered no serious injuries.
• Jinin Akebino took Konoha's decision not to keep the Six-Tails as a sign that the Mist Ninja still had room to negotiate with Konoha.

Namikaze Minato brought Jiraiya, Might Duy, and Hatake Sakumo to the Land of Frost front, where they joined Konoha’s young leaders against Kumogakure. Hatake Sakumo took command and set out with Might Duy to confront the Cloud Shinobi, while Jiraiya turned to Nara Shikaku to organize the troops.

• Namikaze Minato used potions to restore his Chakra and transported Jiraiya, Might Duy, and Hatake Sakumo to Konoha’s camp in the Land of Frost before returning to Konoha Village.
• Nara Shikaku told Hatake Sakumo that Konoha and Kumogakure had traded limited skirmishes, with Fourth Raikage A and Killer B leading the opposing attacks while the Third Raikage stayed off the front lines.
• Nara Shikaku reported that Konoha’s scouts had detected a female ninja with enormous Chakra in the Kumogakure camp and suspected she was the Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Hatake Sakumo drew his White Fang Dagger and led Might Duy out to confront the Cloud Shinobi, while Jiraiya stayed behind and looked to Nara Shikaku to organize Konoha’s ninja.

Hatake Sakumo and Might Duy attacked Kumogakure’s main camp, where Sakumo cut down the guards and challenged the Third Raikage. Fourth Raikage A was badly wounded trying to stop him, and the Third Raikage stepped forward to fight as the chapter ended.

• Hatake Sakumo and Might Duy reached Kumogakure’s main camp after Sakumo eliminated its hidden sentries.
• Hatake Sakumo cut down more than a dozen Cloud Shinobi at the camp gate and called for the Third Raikage to fight.
• Fourth Raikage A attacked Hatake Sakumo with Liger Bomb, but Sakumo countered and left A with a severe chest wound.
• The Third Raikage appeared to restore Kumogakure’s morale and charged Hatake Sakumo with Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite.

Hatake Sakumo and the Third Raikage fought a deadly duel, each narrowly avoiding a fatal strike before settling into a prolonged battle of skill and endurance. When Jiraiya’s Konoha forces arrived, the Third Raikage withdrew, and Sakumo retreated safely to Konoha’s ranks with Might Duy.

• Hatake Sakumo and the Third Raikage exchanged near-fatal attacks, leaving Sakumo’s armor shattered and the Raikage with a scalp wound.
• Hatake Sakumo and the Third Raikage resumed their fight cautiously, with Sakumo repeatedly cutting through the Raikage’s armor while avoiding his lethal strikes.
• After more than half an hour, the Third Raikage bore many small wounds while Hatake Sakumo showed growing exhaustion.
• Jiraiya led Konoha’s main force out of the forest, prompting the Third Raikage to retreat rather than risk his leaderless troops being overwhelmed.
• Might Duy guarded Hatake Sakumo as they withdrew, and the Third Raikage allowed them to rejoin Konoha’s ranks.

Hatake Sakumo’s show of strength led the Third Raikage to let Konoha withdraw and seek peace negotiations. In the Land of Whirlpools, Sarutobi Toru predicted that the other shinobi villages would soon turn on one another, leaving the story poised for wars beyond Konoha’s conflict with Kumogakure.

• After assessing the changed balance of power, the Third Raikage let the Konoha shinobi leave without fighting.
• The Third Raikage told the Fourth Raikage A to avoid provoking Konoha and ordered preparations for peace negotiations.
• Hatake Sakumo announced that Konoha would negotiate peace with the Cloud Shinobi, citing the costs and risks of continuing the war.
• Pakura asked Sarutobi Toru and Tsunade whether other shinobi villages would fight after Konoha’s war ended.
• Sarutobi Toru predicted that economic pressure and old rivalries would drive the Land of Lightning, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind into conflict.

Konoha ended its war with Kumogakure and secured Kirigakure’s surrender, while Sarutobi Toru made Mei Terumi a powerful, controlled asset for future use. Back in Kirigakure, the Fourth Mizukage dismissed his defeated forces and prepared to raid Sunagakure.

• The Third Raikage accepted Konoha’s demands, and Hatake Sakumo ended the war after Kumogakure agreed to pay compensation and return Hiruko.
• Sarutobi Toru used the Hormone Fruit ability on Mei Terumi, strengthening her and making her more attached to him.
• After Kirigakure surrendered, Sarutobi Toru took its funds and fleet as compensation, then released the prisoners and sent Mei Terumi back with the Mist Ninja forces.
• Sarutobi Toru returned to Konoha with Tsunade, Pakura, and the others after the war ended.
• The Fourth Mizukage told Jinin Akebino, Ringo Ameyuri, and the other leaders that Konoha was no longer a viable target and ordered them to prepare for another battle.
• Jinin Akebino guessed that Kirigakure would attack the Land of Wind, and the Fourth Mizukage’s response confirmed his suspicion.

After Hiruko passed Root’s examination, Sarutobi Toru and Orochimaru discussed his capture and the battle between Hatake Sakumo and the Third Raikage. Hiruko regained his resolve and returned to his laboratory to improve the Chimera Technique.

• Hiruko emerged from Root’s examination, and Orochimaru mocked him while Sarutobi Toru tried to reassure him.
• Hiruko asked about Hatake Sakumo’s fight with the Third Raikage, and Sarutobi Toru explained that both villages had exaggerated their claims of victory.
• Sarutobi Toru encouraged Hiruko to focus on perfecting the Chimera Technique rather than comparing himself with Hatake Sakumo.
• Hiruko vowed to surprise the Third Raikage once his technique was perfected and hurried back to his laboratory.
• Orochimaru remarked that Hiruko seemed to have recovered, while Sarutobi Toru noted that Orochimaru’s teasing did not mean he lacked concern.

Sarutobi Toru helped Orochimaru obtain Uchiha Madara’s cells for a planned body-transfer experiment, and Orochimaru set a three-month timetable for reincarnation. Meanwhile, Ōnoki launched a surprise war against Kumogakure, but the Cloud Shinobi turned the tide, leaving Iwagakure in retreat after Rōshi disappeared.

• Orochimaru told Sarutobi Toru that he planned to experiment with body transfer and wanted to combine compatible Senju and Uchiha bloodlines.
• Sarutobi Toru took Orochimaru to a laboratory holding Clone Bodies cultivated from Uchiha Madara’s cells, and Orochimaru collected samples for his experiment.
• Orochimaru said he would undergo reincarnation in three months, motivated by Hiruko’s willingness to take risks.
• Ōnoki attacked the Cloud Shinobi before they finished assembling, and the outnumbered Cloud forces held the border until the Third Raikage arrived with the Eight-Tails and Two-Tails Jinchuriki.
• The Cloud Shinobi pushed Iwagakure’s forces back toward the Land of Earth, while Rōshi vanished after leaving a note saying he was going out to clear his head.

As Iwagakure suffered attacks from Kumogakure and Sunagakure, Ōnoki secretly sought Root’s help, and Sarutobi Toru considered the terms and forces he could provide. The chapter ended with Toru weighing how to meet Ōnoki’s request while keeping the transaction profitable.

• Ōnoki’s forces were pushed back by Kumogakure on the northern front and overwhelmed by Sunagakure on the southern front, where the front’s commander was killed.
• Yakushi Nonō told Sarutobi Toru that Ōnoki had secretly asked Root for support and offered more than triple Root’s usual fee plus the spoils of war.
• Sarutobi Toru said Ōnoki had to pay the entire fee in advance because Root could not safely rely on Konoha’s public reputation to enforce payment.
• Yakushi Nonō reported that Ōnoki wanted at least five Jōnin, more than ten Special Jōnin, and fifty combat-oriented Chunin, with Kekkei Genkai ninja eligible for higher payment.
• Sarutobi Toru rejected the idea of supplying Kekkei Genkai ninja and considered using brainwashed, enhanced Chunin as expendable troops, while noting that suitable Jōnin were harder to find.

Sarutobi Toru agreed to Ōnoki’s terms for Root’s support on the northern front, while planning to exploit Rōshi’s presence to obtain Four-Tails Chakra. He then entered Root’s Secret Vault and revealed that he had turned Uchiha Madara’s body into a powerful Clone capable of rapidly absorbing Natural Energy.

• Sarutobi Toru learned that Rōshi and Kakuzu had joined Ōnoki’s forces, and decided their arrival created an opportunity to obtain Four-Tails Chakra.
• Sarutobi Toru told Yakushi Nonō to inform Ōnoki that Root accepted his terms, but demanded double compensation if any Konoha ninja were killed or wounded.
• Sarutobi Toru entered Root’s Secret Vault, which contained rare Kekkei Genkai samples and bodily materials from several powerful beings.
• Sarutobi Toru summoned Uchiha Madara’s preserved body, which revealed itself as his Clone and spat out White Zetsu seeds.
• Sarutobi Toru’s Madara Clone returned to its plant-like form, having been cultivated in the vault’s Natural Energy-gathering barrier and able to absorb Natural Energy and some of the earth’s life force.

Sarutobi Toru considered using his remaining White Zetsu Seeds to create a Five-Tails Chakra White Zetsu. At Sunagakure’s camp in the Land of Earth, Ebizo and the others weighed their gains against the risk of pushing Iwagakure into using a devastating forbidden weapon.

• Sarutobi Toru counted his remaining White Zetsu Seeds and decided to make the Five-Tails’ Chakra White Zetsu first.
• Ebizo said Sunagakure’s invasion had gone unexpectedly well and had captured more than a dozen border cities.
• Rasa explained that Ōnoki and his son were occupied resisting Kumogakure in the north, leaving Shū to face Sunagakure’s attack.
• The Sand Shinobi defeated Iwagakure’s southern forces, killing Shū and wiping out three to four thousand shinobi.
• Kinnara urged Sunagakure to resume its offensive when reinforcements arrived, while Ebizo and Chiyo warned that Iwagakure might resort to a catastrophic forbidden jutsu.

With Iwagakure attacking under the Four-Tails’ Jinchuriki, Rōshi, Ebizo’s Sunagakure forces struggled to stop a devastating Tailed Beast Ball. Kinnara and Rasa then fought the Four-Tails, using Rasa’s Gold Dust and Kinnara’s Wood Release to bring it down and bind it.

• An Anbu reported that Iwa Shinobi had attacked, and Ebizo organized Sunagakure’s forces.
• Ebizo and the Sand Shinobi tried to intercept the Four-Tails’ Tailed Beast Ball, but Rasa’s Shield of Shukaku could not stop it.
• Kinnara raised a Forest Wall that protected the Sand Shinobi from the blast, and Ebizo sent Kinnara and Rasa to fight the Four-Tails.
• Rasa blocked the Four-Tails’ swat with Gold Dust, but its recoil knocked him and Kinnara to the ground.
• Rasa formed a Sand Obelisk that injured the Four-Tails’ foot, and Kinnara’s Deep Forest Emergence toppled and bound it.
• The Four-Tails regained some clarity and cursed Kinnara’s Wood Release.

Kinnara used Wood Release to exhaust and capture the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi, while Chiyo and Ebizo struggled against Kakuzu and Root fighters. After seeing Kinnara’s Wood Release, Kakuzu decided to fight without holding back.

• The Four-Tails tried to escape Kinnara’s Wood Release, but Kinnara summoned a wooden dragon to seize it.
• The wooden dragon and surrounding trees drained the Four-Tails’ Chakra until it reverted to the unconscious Rōshi, whom Kinnara captured.
• Chiyo and Ebizo struggled against Kakuzu, whose Earth Grudge Fear made him resistant to their attacks.
• Kakuzu saw Kinnara’s Wood Release, recalled his fear of Hashirama Senju, and prepared to go all out against Ebizo.
• Summer Star and Firefly Star used their aerial advantage to keep Ebizo occupied.

Kakuzu crushed Chiyo and her Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu with his five-element Final Shot, but Rasa intervened before he could finish her. The battle ended after a masked ninja used Space-Time Ninjutsu to take Rōshi, and the Sunagakure leaders suspected Konoha had intervened.

• Chiyo attacked Kakuzu with Three Treasures Vacuum, but his Final Shot destroyed her puppets and left her unconscious beneath rubble.
• Rasa blocked Kakuzu's attack on Chiyo with Gold Dust Shield, and Kakuzu sent tentacles and masked creatures after him while considering retreat.
• Kinnara approached the defeated Four-Tails Jinchuriki Rōshi, but a masked ninja appeared, seized Rōshi, and vanished with Space-Time Ninjutsu.
• The Sand Shinobi and Rock Shinobi withdrew after the battle, and Kinnara reported that a mysterious person had rescued Rōshi.
• At Sunagakure's main camp, Ebizo and Rasa suspected Konoha had intervened because the enemy ninjas' techniques resembled Sarutobi Toru's Mysterious Peacock Method.

Ebizo and Kinnara decided the Sand Shinobi should hold a defensive posture as Iwagakure struggled without Rōshi. Sarutobi Toru extracted Four-Tails Chakra, returned Rōshi to Iwagakure, and headed toward the Cloud Shinobi–Iwagakure battlefield, where Ōnoki received reassuring news from the other front.

• Kinnara argued that Konoha’s Anbu reinforcements were limited, and Ebizo decided the Sand Shinobi should avoid attacking while Chiyo remained unconscious.
• After Rōshi was captured, Iwagakure’s ninja argued without reaching a strategy, and both armies stayed in their camps without fighting.
• Sarutobi Toru used Rōshi to create several Four-Tails Chakra-infused White Zetsu and hid them beneath Root.
• Sarutobi Toru returned the unconscious Rōshi to the Iwagakure camp, then flew toward the Cloud Shinobi–Iwagakure battlefield.
• Ōnoki read a report about the Sand Shinobi front and felt relieved, having restrained himself from deploying Iwagakure’s Explosion Corps.

Ōnoki learned that Rōshi had returned safely, but Iwagakure remained under severe pressure from Kumogakure’s attacks. Sarutobi Toru watched as Ōnoki joined the next battle, where Iwagakure’s leaders struggled to contain the Raikage and his forces.

• Rōshi returned to the Iwagakure camp after someone rescued him, extracted much of the Four-Tails’ Chakra, and healed him.
• Ōnoki reviewed the costly stalemate with the Sand Shinobi and received word that Kumogakure had launched another attack.
• Ōnoki led Iwagakure’s forces into battle, while Sarutobi Toru observed from the clouds atop the Flying Nimbus.
• Ōnoki and the Third Raikage traded ordinary elemental attacks because neither could land a decisive blow on the other.
• Kitsuchi endured Fourth Raikage A’s attacks with his defenses, unable to match A’s speed or find time to use large-scale ninjutsu.

Sarutobi Toru infiltrated Iwagakure's camp and freed the Five-Tails, Kokuō, to force the village into a crisis. Kokuō rampaged as Iwagakure's ninja tried to contain it, and Ōnoki attacked it with a massive boulder.

• Sarutobi Toru judged that he should push Iwagakure into a desperate situation rather than confront a Jinchuriki openly.
• Sarutobi Toru infiltrated Iwagakure's camp at night and entered Han's body while the young Five-Tails Jinchuriki meditated.
• Sarutobi Toru used a Sharingan Transcription Seal to control Kokuō, erased its memories of him, destroyed the seal, and released it.
• Kokuō emerged in the camp and tried to escape, but Iwagakure's ninja blocked its path with the Earth Style Mountain Technique.
• Kokuō unleashed scorching steam and broke into a ferocious struggle, burning nearby ninja.
• Ōnoki hurled a massive boulder at Kokuō's head using Earth Release.

Iwagakure sealed the rampaging Five-Tails, but Kokuō’s attack devastated the camp and killed Han. With the beast only temporarily confined and no Jinchuriki to control it, Ōnoki ordered the village to prepare for a likely Kumogakure assault.

• Kitsuchi trapped Kokuō with the Earth Mountain Technique while Ōnoki destroyed its Tailed Beast Ball, giving Iwagakure’s Sealing Squad time to prepare.
• As the Sealing Squad sealed Kokuō, the beast detonated a Tailed Beast Ball inside its mouth and blasted the Iwagakure camp, killing several ninja.
• Ōnoki attacked Kokuō with Dust Release, but Kitsuchi blocked most of the strike; the weakened beast was sealed again.
• Kokuō’s body shrank and revealed the dead Han, and the Sealing Squad warned Ōnoki that the Five-Tails would break free within two days without continued reinforcement.
• Ōnoki ordered the Five-Tails confined while he selected a new Jinchuriki, then told Iwagakure’s ninja to prepare for a Kumogakure attack.

After Iwagakure suffered catastrophic losses in a battle with Kumogakure, Ōnoki ordered a retreat and sought Konoha's aid to preserve the village's remaining strength. Kumogakure had also lost nearly two thousand shinobi, and Ōnoki prepared to unleash the Explosion Corps if Konoha refused to help.

• Ōnoki used Dust Release to inflict heavy casualties on ordinary Cloud Shinobi, forcing the Third Raikage to withdraw from the battle.
• Kitsuchi reported that only 1,223 Iwagakure shinobi remained, after Kitsuchi lost an arm and an eye and Fugai died.
• Ōnoki ordered Kitsuchi to take a letter to Konoha requesting reinforcements and announced that Iwagakure would retreat to preserve its remaining forces.
• Ōnoki ordered the Anbu to mobilize the Explosion Corps as a last resort if Konoha refused aid.
• The Third Raikage and Kumogakure mourned nearly two thousand Cloud Shinobi lost in the battle.