Chapter Summaries

Kiyohara fought Suikazan Fuguki and the Kirigakure forces as the island flooded, while Mei Terumi joined the battle after seeing him with Hyuga Ginka. With Juzo Biwa also attacking, Kiyohara entered his second Cursed Seal state and badly injured both swordsmen, leaving the wider battle unresolved.

• Kiyohara used his Cursed Seal to overpower Suikazan Fuguki, who flooded the island and fused with Samehada to fight underwater.
• Kiyohara blocked Suikazan Fuguki's Rain of Four Sharks with Gold Dust and carried Hyuga Ginka out of the way of a chain strike, while Kaguya Dairo wounded Might Guy and Kakashi joined the fight.
• Mei Terumi attacked Kiyohara with Water Release, but he copied her Water Dragon Jutsu and overpowered it; she grew furious when she saw him holding Hyuga Ginka.
• Juzo Biwa appeared to support Suikazan Fuguki, and Kakashi, Might Guy, Nohara Rin, and Kurenai Yuhi continued fighting the surrounding Kirigakure ninja.
• Kiyohara used shuriken wires to injure Juzo Biwa, then entered Cursed Seal Transformation: State 2 and knocked Kubikiribōchō from his grasp with an electromagnetically accelerated projectile.
• Kiyohara shattered Juzo Biwa's arms with an accelerated punch and scalded Suikazan Fuguki with Fire Release: Microwave Great Flame Rasengan, leaving both swordsmen badly hurt.

Kiyohara defeated Suikazan Fuguki and then turned to fight Juzo Biwa, using Samehada and multiple powerful techniques. As Juzo Biwa tried to recover by feeding on his comrades’ blood, Kiyohara summoned five water sharks to attack him.

• Suikazan Fuguki trapped Kiyohara with a thousand water sharks and fifty Water Clones, but Kiyohara dispelled the clones and countered with an enhanced Sage Art Great Shark Bullet Technique.
• Mei Terumi used Boil Release to dissolve Kiyohara’s giant shark, but Kiyohara cut off Suikazan Fuguki’s arm, paralyzed him with lightning, and crushed his neck.
• Juzo Biwa stabbed Kirigakure ninja to feed Kubikiribōchō blood and restore his strength, then challenged Kiyohara.
• Kiyohara used Samehada to deflect Juzo Biwa’s sword and drain its chakra, then pierced Juzo Biwa’s chest with Chidori Sharp Spear.
• When Juzo Biwa sought another Kirigakure ninja to drain, Kiyohara released five water sharks to attack him.

Kiyohara defeated Juzo Biwa, escaped the island with his team aboard a Gold Dust Boat, and humiliated Mei Terumi before leaving. Kirigakure reinforcements arrived too late, and Hozuki Akatsuki ordered the village to recall the stolen swords as Kiyohara headed back with Samehada and Kubikiribōchō.

• Kiyohara killed Juzo Biwa with Gold Dust Bullets, leaving the second of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist dead.
• Mei Terumi exhausted herself attacking Kiyohara, but he subdued her and used genjutsu to stop her Hidden Mist Technique.
• Kiyohara's team discovered their boat had been destroyed, so he created a Gold Dust Boat and propelled the group away from the island.
• Hozuki Akatsuki arrived with Kirigakure reinforcements, learned that Suikazan Fuguki and Juzo Biwa were dead, and ordered the village to recall the stolen swords.
• Kiyohara traveled across the sea with Samehada and Kubikiribōchō, deciding to keep Samehada for himself.

Kiyohara returned to the Konoha camp with Samehada and Kubikiribōchō after killing two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, while Kirigakure discussed changing its strategy. A new future then appeared in Kiyohara’s Ash Box: Yotsuki Kiyohara, his Kumogakure counterpart, who had been killed by the Eight-Tails.

• Kiyohara brought the captured swords to Tsunade, who arranged for them to be sealed and sent to Konoha for Kushina Uzumaki to remove their summoning formulas.
• Tsunade warned Kiyohara that his victory would make him a target, but he said he would welcome the chance to claim more ninja swords before she pulled him into a gambling match.
• Mei Terumi reported the deaths of Suikazan Fuguki and Juzo Biwa to Kirigakure’s leaders, and Hozuki Mangetsu proposed shifting to inland raids against the Land of Wind.
• Mei Terumi vowed to surpass Kiyohara and develop her Kekkei Genkai after remembering their humiliating encounter.
• Kiyohara received a new Ash Box bearing Kumogakure’s mark and met Yotsuki Kiyohara, who said the Eight-Tails had torn him apart while he tried to suppress it with Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

Kiyohara learned about Yotsuki Kiyohara’s dying wishes and Storm Release, while Konoha’s leaders debated his rising reputation and Danzō pursued Sharingan experiments. At the front, Kiyohara and Tsunade suspected Kirigakure’s skirmishes were a diversion for an inland operation through the Land of Rivers.

• Yotsuki Kiyohara asked Kiyohara to make Samui call him Master and to learn black Lightning Release, then explained Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Storm Release.
• Kiyohara displayed his own Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and Yotsuki Kiyohara advised him that his body still needed training to use it fully.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected Shimura Danzō’s attempt to bring Kiyohara back to Root, approved Kiyohara’s captured swords, and ordered his achievements publicized without overemphasizing him.
• Shimura Danzō inspected a Root experiment using Hashirama Cells and transplanted Sharingan, then resolved to build his influence and oppose Hiruzen.
• Tsunade noticed Kirigakure’s unusually low casualties in recent clashes, and Kiyohara concluded the enemy was stalling to conceal another operation.
• Tsunade and Kiyohara identified the Land of Rivers’ inland waterways as a possible route for Kirigakure to bypass Konoha’s forces.

Kiyohara continued his research to clone Samehada, using Binding Fish eggs to create a living weapon that could change shape. After the first test subject hatched and transformed into a bow before dying, Kurenai Yuhi brought word that Kumogakure was active again, offering Kiyohara a chance to leave the laboratory for the front.

• Tsunade ordered the patrols and Hyuga scouts to expand their search along the inland river, while Kiyohara revealed a binding Cursed Seal on Samehada and asked her to reforge Kubikiribōchō into a lighter straight blade.
• Kiyohara worked with Nohara Rin and Shizune in his cave laboratory, transplanting Samehada cells into Binding Fish eggs and nurturing the modified embryos.
• Kiyohara’s first successful hatchling, Number One, transformed into a living bow that formed a Chakra string and fired a weak water arrow, but it soon died despite his efforts to save it.
• Kurenai Yuhi told Kiyohara that Tsunade had reported renewed movement from Kumogakure, giving him a possible opportunity to transfer to that front.

Kiyohara prepared to escort supplies to the Kumogakure front with Kurenai Yuhi, Kakashi, and Sarutobi Asuma’s team, while planning to pursue Yotsuki Kiyohara’s last wishes. During the journey, he trained his Lightning Release and took Kurenai Yuhi flying, ending the night by teasing her in the air.

• Tsunade assigned Kiyohara an escort mission to the Kumogakure front so he could investigate the situation there, and he chose Kurenai Yuhi and Kakashi to accompany him.
• Sarutobi Asuma joined the journey with Akimichi Todo and Inuzuka Shi, and the group set out the next morning after Kiyohara gave food to Nohara Rin, Shizune, and Tsunade.
• The team traveled through the forest and camped beside a stream, where Kiyohara explained Lightning Release flight and later practiced Lightning Release: Lightning Finger.
• Kurenai Yuhi came out during Kiyohara’s night watch and asked to see the view from above, so Kiyohara flew her over the camp.
• Kiyohara used Chakra Threads to make Kurenai Yuhi bow and thank him, then released her and laughed as she called him a jerk.

Kiyohara and Kurenai Yuhi shared a flight and their first kiss before his team reached the Konoha base on the Kumogakure front. After dealing with scouts carrying information about Kumogakure strongholds, Kiyohara reunited with Tekka Uchiha and prepared to attend a meeting.

• Kiyohara took Kurenai Yuhi flying under the moon, and they kissed in the sky.
• Sarutobi Asuma left a blanket outside Kurenai Yuhi's tent, then mistook the pair flying above camp for Kiyohara and Kakashi.
• Kiyohara tested his new Lightning Release: Eye-Piercing Glare on three wandering ninja, found a scroll mapping Kumogakure strongholds, and killed them after questioning them.
• Kiyohara's team delivered its supplies to the Konoha base, where Yamanaka Kaisui asked him to attend a meeting.
• Kiyohara met Tekka Uchiha, learned that Shisui was away on a mission, and considered what to learn about Kumogakure's Chakra Cannon.

Kiyohara led Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai on a mission to ambush a Kumogakure supply unit, destroying its hidden sentries with electromagnetic Gold Dust bullets. He caught Samui in his Sharingan genjutsu and made her call him “Master,” leaving nearby Kumogakure shinobi stunned.

• Jiraiya briefed the shinobi on Kumogakure’s supply point and asked Kiyohara for a plan; Kiyohara chose to ambush the supply route with Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai.
• Kiyohara’s team reached the ambush site and discovered four Kumogakure jonin acting as hidden sentries.
• Kiyohara killed all four sentries from a thousand meters away, recovered their intelligence, and returned with his team to await the supply unit.
• At three in the morning, Kiyohara’s team attacked a unit of twenty-three Kumogakure shinobi carrying supplies, and Kiyohara killed several jonin.
• Kiyohara caught Samui in his Sharingan genjutsu and made her call him “Master,” shocking the nearby Kumogakure shinobi.

Kiyohara inherited part of Yotsuki Kiyohara’s power, broke through his physical bottleneck, and awakened the ability to use Storm Release. He defeated Kumogakure’s attackers and forced Killer B to retreat before returning to Konoha’s camp, where Jiraiya asked him to remind Tsunade about a debt.

• Samui broke free of Kiyohara’s Genjutsu, but her calling him master fulfilled Yotsuki Kiyohara’s dying wish and triggered the inheritance.
• Kiyohara’s chakra and physical abilities increased, and he gained the potential to fuse Lightning and Water Release into Storm Release.
• Kiyohara used his altered Lightning Release Chakra Mode and flowing electric attacks to overpower the Kumogakure ninja, while Kurenai Yuhi helped wound an attacker.
• Killer B arrived to protect his students and fought Kiyohara with seven swords, but Kiyohara’s Lightning Fire Sword damaged one of his blades and forced him to retreat with Samui.
• Kiyohara’s squad cleared the battlefield, secured the supplies, and returned safely to Konoha’s camp.
• Jiraiya congratulated the squad and asked Kiyohara to remind Tsunade to repay the 500,000 ryo she had borrowed.

Kiyohara returned to Tsunade’s camp, developed new Storm Release techniques, and gave Kakashi a chakra-absorbing fish that transformed into a blade. After receiving his newly forged sword, he accepted Tsunade’s arm-wrestling challenge, which she offered as a test before teaching him Strength of a Hundred.

• Kiyohara returned to the coastal camp, where Tsunade examined his partly formed Yin Seal and heard Jiraiya’s reminder about her 500,000 ryo debt.
• Kiyohara tested Storm Release: Thundercloud Cavitation and a Storm Release Chakra Mode in the eastern mountains.
• Kiyohara gave Kakashi a second-generation Samehada clone that transformed into a lightning-compatible short blade, and Kakashi named it Kiba-maru.
• Kiyohara received a newly forged ninja sword made from Kubikiribōchō, Chakra Metal, and rare alloys.
• Tsunade challenged Kiyohara to arm wrestling and promised to teach him Strength of a Hundred if he impressed her.

Kiyohara learned the basics of Strength of a Hundred from Tsunade and returned to Konoha to deliver reports and collect supplies. Mikoto brought Itachi to visit him with food and a gift from Fugaku, and Kiyohara agreed to teach Itachi before telling him about the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

• Kiyohara and Tsunade tested their strength in an arm-wrestling match, which Tsunade won with a twisting technique, then she offered to teach him Strength of a Hundred.
• Tsunade demonstrated how to gather and release Chakra, and Kiyohara managed a powerful first strike before beginning training with medicinal baths.
• Kiyohara returned to Konoha with Nohara Rin, Might Guy, and Kakashi, and he told Inabi Uchiha that Tekka Uchiha was doing well on the Kumogakure front.
• Mikoto brought Itachi to Kiyohara with pastries and a thank-you gift from Fugaku, then asked Kiyohara to teach her son.
• Kiyohara trained Itachi, answered his questions about the battlefield, and confirmed that he and Might Duy had defeated the first generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.

Kiyohara gave Uchiha Itachi an intense physical-training regimen to prepare him for awakening the Sharingan, then continued his work as a battlefield medic. He encouraged Nohara Rin to develop Medical Water Release, leaving her determined to grow strong enough to stand beside him.

• Kiyohara explained that awakening the Sharingan early required a resilient mind and strong body, then gave Uchiha Itachi a green bodysuit and a demanding three-month training plan, which Itachi accepted.
• Kiyohara ate at Ichiraku Ramen, where Teuchi gave him a special discount in recognition of his actions against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
• Uchiha Madara learned that Kiyohara had disrupted his plans for Nagato and ordered Black Zetsu to help Obito turn Nagato toward the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• At the Konoha camp, Kiyohara and Nohara Rin operated on seventeen wounded patients, then discussed improving her Chakra Scalpel control.
• Kiyohara suggested that Nohara Rin combine Medical Ninjutsu with Water Release and her Three-Tails Chakra, and she resolved to research Medical Water Release.

Nohara Rin trained intensely, and Kiyohara encouraged her before cooking dinner for her and the others. When Kirigakure invaded the Land of Wind and attacked the Hōki clan, Tsunade ordered Kiyohara to lead a force to support Sunagakure, though he suspected the enemy’s advance had gone suspiciously smoothly.

• Kiyohara found Nohara Rin training late and urged her to rest before taking her to wash and help prepare dinner.
• Nohara Rin recognized Kiyohara’s ramen-making technique as Uncle Teuchi’s method and guessed he had learned it with the Sharingan.
• Over dinner, Tsunade reported strange Kirigakure movements, and Kiyohara claimed he was researching new Kekkei Genkai while saying he had mastered the Five Elements: Great Elemental Combo Technique.
• Three mornings later, Tsunade received word that Kirigakure had attacked the Hōki clan and pushed deep into the Land of Wind, with the Third Mizukage leading the invasion.
• Tsunade ordered Kiyohara to lead five hundred ninja inland to support Sunagakure while another jonin kept two hundred on the coastal defensive line.
• Kiyohara warned Tsunade that Kirigakure’s advance seemed too smooth, then set out with the force to confront the invasion.

Kiyohara arrived at Sunagakure’s camp and helped repel a Kirigakure raid, overwhelming the attackers with his techniques. He then confronted Kaguya Tatsuno, who unleashed a vast bone forest, and Kiyohara began activating his Cursed Seal as the battle escalated.

• Baki briefed Kiyohara on Sunagakure’s retreat, the Third Mizukage’s strange Blood Release, and Kirigakure’s forces, while Pakura reacted bitterly to seeing Kiyohara again.
• Kiyohara took Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma to scout Kirigakure’s position, but an attack on Sunagakure’s camp forced them to join the defense.
• Kiyohara used Gold Dust to block an explosion, interrogated and killed a Kirigakure jonin, and defeated the surrounding attackers with his Sharingan, Fire Release, and Lightning Release.
• Kiyohara cut down more Kirigakure ninja and saved Kurenai from an ambusher as the Third Mizukage watched from his command camp and sent Kaguya Tatsuno to test him.
• Kiyohara met Kaguya Tatsuno’s bone drills head-on, cut through part of one, and dodged the bone forest created by Tatsuno’s Dance of the Seedling Fern.
• As Tatsuno sent bone spikes toward Kiyohara and declared himself the true genius, Kiyohara dismissed him and began activating his Cursed Seal.

Kiyohara defeated Kaguya Tatsuno, then faced the Third Mizukage after Madara redirected the Mizukage toward him. Their battle escalated as Kiyohara’s Storm Release lightning penetrated the Mizukage’s Blood Armor.

• Kiyohara used Sage Mode and Storm Release to break through Kaguya Tatsuno’s bone defenses, then cut him in half; Tatsuno died acknowledging Kiyohara’s strength.
• Namikaze Minato arrived, then fought the Third Mizukage until Madara controlled the Mizukage and ordered him to test Kiyohara.
• As a Six-Tails battle erupted elsewhere and Sunagakure’s One-Tails Jinchuriki began losing control, Minato went to confront the Tailed Beasts.
• The Third Mizukage attacked Kiyohara with a blood-filled lake, but Kiyohara sent Kurenai Yuhi away and countered his Blood Release with Storm Release and Sage Art Fire Release.
• Kiyohara and the Third Mizukage exchanged blade strikes; Kiyohara’s hardened skin stopped the Mizukage’s blood blade, and his Storm Release lightning penetrated the Mizukage’s Blood Armor.

Kiyohara defeated and killed the Third Mizukage, helping force Kirigakure to retreat from the Land of Wind. Back at camp, he discussed treating Tsunade’s Hemophobia before helping his drunken teacher to bed.

• Kiyohara overwhelmed the Third Mizukage with Storm Release, Water Release, and Lightning Release, then killed him with Lightning Binding Hand.
• Kiyohara used his Sharingan to stop a Kirigakure ninja from attacking, and Hideyoshi ordered the retreat as Kiyohara organized rescue operations.
• Baki reported that Kirigakure had withdrawn and that Kiyohara had also killed Kaguya Tatsuno; Namikaze Minato praised him while Rasa worried about his growing strength.
• Uchiha Madara learned that Kiyohara had developed Storm Release and reconsidered his talent for Kekkei Genkai.
• Kiyohara returned to camp and suggested that Tsunade combine Genjutsu with treatment for her Hemophobia, an idea she agreed was worth trying.
• After drinking several jugs of alcohol, Tsunade insisted she was sober, but Kiyohara supported her, helped her to bed, and covered her with a blanket.

Kiyohara completed his Yin Seal and learned that Tsunade would teach him its advanced techniques, while Konoha handed the coastal defenses over to Sunagakure. After defeating Pakura in a spar and warning her to beware of betrayal, Kiyohara returned to Konoha with the Konoha forces.

• Kiyohara discovered that his Yin Seal had fully formed and considered ways to combine its stored Chakra with the Cursed Seal or Ryūmyaku Chakra.
• Tsunade confirmed that Kiyohara’s Yin Seal was complete and promised to teach him the Strength of a Hundred Technique and Ninpō: Sōzō Saisei.
• Kiyohara and Tsunade completed the handover of the Land of Rivers coastal defenses to Baki and Sunagakure’s forces.
• Pakura challenged Kiyohara to a spar, but his Fire Style overwhelmed her Scorch Release, revealing the gap between them.
• Kiyohara denied using his Yin Seal and warned Pakura to be careful of those around her, leaving her unsettled by the suggestion of betrayal.
• Konoha’s forces withdrew from the coast and returned safely to Konoha after Kirigakure’s retreat into internal chaos.

After returning to Konoha, Kiyohara settled back in with Tsunade, arranged for Might Guy to train Uchiha Itachi, and accepted an A-rank mission near the Land of Hot Water to investigate Kumogakure. He then visited Kurenai Yuhi, who welcomed him into her home.

• Kiyohara and Tsunade returned to Konoha after losing more than three hundred members of their force, and Tsunade went straight to the casino, where she lost her money.
• At Tsunade's house, Tsunade caught a glimpse of Kiyohara after his bath, and their teasing conversation left her privately reflecting on how close they had become.
• Kiyohara brought Uchiha Itachi to Training Ground 3 and asked Might Guy to train his physique; Guy immediately put Itachi through intense exercises.
• Kiyohara accepted an A-rank escort and negotiation mission near the Land of Hot Water after Namikaze Minato approved it on Sarutobi Hiruzen's behalf.
• Kiyohara visited Kurenai Yuhi at her home, where she welcomed him inside and told him her father had just gone out.

Kiyohara visited Kurenai Yuhi, then took a solo mission to the Land of Hot Water and tracked down a Kumogakure outpost. He forced Darui to demonstrate Black Lightning Release and began reproducing it, while Yotsuki Kiyohara said his last wishes had been fulfilled.

• Kiyohara visited Kurenai Yuhi, accepted her massage, and teased her after she kissed his forehead.
• Kiyohara told Tsunade he would complete an A-rank escort and negotiation mission alone, then left Konoha the next morning.
• After escorting a caravan to the Land of Hot Water, Kiyohara interrogated disguised Kumogakure ninja and learned that Darui and Samui had been stationed at a nearby outpost.
• Kiyohara infiltrated the outpost, subdued its guards with Sharingan Genjutsu, and confronted Darui, demanding that he use Black Lightning Release.
• Kiyohara studied Darui's lightning techniques and imitated Black Lightning Release, forming an unstable black lightning ball.
• Yotsuki Kiyohara appeared behind him and said Kiyohara had fulfilled all his last wishes.