Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Pakura in an Evening Gown, the Fourth Kazekage’s Promise

Key Plot Points and Events

• Natsuki confirms that the Shichibukai has officially been recognized by the Land of Water’s daimyo. Its establishment unlocks the fourth ability of the Senji Muramasa Template, No-Origin Sword Creation.
• He considers obtaining the remaining Seven Ninja Swords—Shibuki and Hiramekarei—during the coming conflict between Kirigakure and Kumogakure. He plans to use the swords, together with the Flame ability, to create seven special ninja tools.
• Natsuki focuses on unlocking Excalibur from the Artoria Template, which requires rebuilding a nation. He concludes that the Land of Rain’s economy and living standards must be improved through:
  • Road construction, mining, and agriculture
  • Expansion of rainwater and hydropower industries
  • Education, entertainment, and elder care
• He gives development plans to Kakuzu and Yahiko. Yahiko realizes that economic stability, employment, education, and security may provide a more practical foundation for peace than traditional military or political systems.
• Yahiko agrees to have Nagato eliminate rogue ninjas, bandits, and other threats, while Amegakure ninjas with Earth Release assist with infrastructure projects.
• Natsuki visits Pakura in Sunagakure and gives her an evening gown, briefly shifting their relationship from political manipulation to personal intimacy.
• He asks Pakura to investigate Rōran and the Dragon Vein, an enormous source of chakra. Natsuki intends to acquire its power to replenish the Black Holy Grail, rather than pursue the original time-travel storyline associated with Rōran.
• Natsuki also orders Pakura to monitor the Third Kazekage and inform him if the Kazekage leaves Sunagakure.
• He reveals that he intends to help Pakura kill the Third Kazekage and become the Fourth Kazekage. Pakura agrees to cooperate, admitting that she needs a reason to continue living after Sunagakure’s betrayal and Natsuki’s Blood Curse.
• Natsuki gives Pakura an Eyeball Clone for communication and warns her that she will still need to compete with Rasa, Gravel, and other candidates for the Kazekage position.
• Back in Konoha, Natsuki reunites with Kushina. Their romantic encounter is implied, and afterward Kushina rests.
• By August, the Shichibukai is fully established. Natsuki has the Three Snake Princesses control its jonin, creating a second organized ninja power in the Land of Water, though it remains weaker than Kirigakure.

Character Developments

• Natsuki becomes increasingly focused on nation-building, resource acquisition, and unlocking his remaining abilities. He shifts from short-term manipulation toward constructing lasting political and economic systems.
• Yahiko gains a broader understanding of peace. Natsuki’s development plan helps him see that poverty, insecurity, and lack of opportunity are major causes of conflict.
• Kakuzu remains motivated primarily by money and initially questions the value of schools and public projects, but accepts Natsuki’s orders because the Land of Rain can afford the expense.
• Pakura moves closer to accepting Natsuki’s control over her life. Though she recognizes him as ruthless and morally abnormal, she decides to use his support to pursue the Kazekage position and finds a new reason to keep living.
• Kushina displays increasing romantic intimacy and comfort with Natsuki.
• Natsuki’s political influence expands across several nations: the Land of Rain, the Land of Water, Sunagakure, and Konoha.

Significant Themes

• Peace through economic development: The chapter argues that stability depends not only on military strength but also on jobs, infrastructure, education, and improved living conditions.
• Power and manipulation: Natsuki advances his goals by controlling daimyo, organizations, and individuals, often presenting coercion as opportunity.
• Rebuilding versus domination: His efforts may genuinely improve nations, but they also strengthen his personal influence and strategic position.
• Loss of identity and acceptance: Pakura struggles with the collapse of her former life as a loyal Sunagakure ninja and gradually accepts a new identity shaped by Natsuki.
• Pragmatism over ideals: Yahiko’s idealistic pursuit of peace is redirected toward practical social and economic reforms rather than relying solely on political unity or military deterrence.
• Preparation for war: Beneath the development projects and personal relationships, Natsuki continues preparing for the coming Third Ninja World War and seeking powerful resources.

Important Character Interactions

• Natsuki and Kakuzu: Natsuki commands Kakuzu to implement economic reforms, overriding his objections.
• Natsuki and Yahiko: Natsuki explains the connection between security and economic development, inspiring Yahiko to take concrete action.
• Natsuki and Pakura: Their conversation combines political planning, romantic tension, coercion, and reluctant trust. Natsuki promises to help her become Kazekage, while Pakura agrees to support him.
• Natsuki and Kushina: Their affectionate reunion reinforces their intimate relationship and contrasts with Natsuki’s more manipulative interactions with Pakura.
• Natsuki and the Shichibukai: Through the Three Snake Princesses, he establishes control over the organization’s leadership and turns it into a functioning political-military force.

Chapter Summary

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Natsuki reflects that, although the Shichibukai have completed their main mission by unlocking No-Origin Sword Creation, they could still serve as a powerful surprise force for Konoha in a future war against Kirigakure.
• He reviews reports on the ongoing, evenly matched conflict between Kirigakure and Kumogakure. Kumogakure has greater overall strength, while Kirigakure benefits from fighting near the sea.
• Uchiha Mikoto delivers an invitation to Uchiha Fugaku’s wedding to Uchiha Ria, scheduled for August 29. Natsuki agrees to attend and is told he may bring his students.
• Mikoto stays behind to prepare tea. Natsuki gives her red nail polish and persuades her to let him paint her toenails, followed by a massage that leaves her flustered and physically weak.
• After work, Natsuki continues training the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and Spirit Transformation Technique.
• Kushina surprises Natsuki, kisses him, and proudly announces that she has mastered Adamantine Sealing Chains, a powerful Uzumaki technique capable of restraining even tailed beasts.
• On August 29, Natsuki unlocks the fourth Angra Mainyu ability, The End of the Four Nights, which greatly boosts his strength at the cost of his life. He considers it an emergency technique comparable to opening all Eight Gates.
• Natsuki, Kushina, Tsunade, Guy, and Kurenai attend Fugaku and Ria’s wedding. Other notable guests include Minato, Shikaku, Nonō, Shizune, Nawaki, and Orochimaru.
• During the reception, Tsunade pressures Nawaki about marriage, leading to humorous discussion about fate and family expectations.
• After the ceremony and lunch, Mikoto follows Natsuki back to his office and apologizes for not attending to him more at the wedding. When Natsuki jokes that her attention might suggest a special relationship, she becomes embarrassed and allows him to kiss her.

2. Character Developments

• Natsuki continues to grow stronger and gains a dangerous ultimate technique, though he recognizes the severe cost of using it.
• Kushina makes significant progress by mastering Adamantine Sealing Chains, increasing her ability to protect herself and suppress the Nine-Tails.
• Mikoto becomes increasingly emotionally affected by Natsuki. Her nervousness and willingness to accept his intimate attention suggest growing attraction and trust.
• Tsunade remains outspoken and protective toward Nawaki, but her thoughts briefly turn toward Natsuki when considering marriage.
• Fugaku gains social recognition through his wedding, particularly because many influential Konoha figures attend.
• Nawaki remains uninterested in marriage, though Tsunade’s pressure highlights his position as the only remaining man in the Senju family.

3. Significant Themes

• Power and sacrifice: Natsuki’s new ability demonstrates that extraordinary strength may require an equally extraordinary price.
• Political and military maneuvering: The Shichibukai are treated as strategic assets even after completing their original purpose, while the Kirigakure–Kumogakure conflict hints at the approaching Third Ninja World War.
• Romance and emotional tension: Mikoto, Kushina, and possibly Tsunade show varying degrees of interest in Natsuki, creating an expanding web of romantic possibilities.
• Duty versus personal life: The wedding brings together military leaders, officials, and shinobi, showing how clan relationships and political alliances intersect.
• Family expectations: Tsunade’s insistence that Nawaki marry reflects the pressure placed on individuals to preserve family lines and fulfill social roles.

4. Character Interactions

• Mikoto and Natsuki share a progressively intimate encounter involving nail polish, massage, and an eventual kiss.
• Kushina greets Natsuki affectionately, kisses him, and receives praise and a promised reward for mastering Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• Tsunade teases and pressures Nawaki about finding a partner, while Nawaki argues that she should marry first.
• Orochimaru briefly supports Nawaki’s argument, provoking Tsunade before retreating into silence.
• Natsuki encourages Nawaki by saying that marriage will come naturally when fate arrives.
• At the wedding, Mikoto repeatedly takes responsibility for Natsuki’s treatment, reinforcing her special attention toward him and setting up their final romantic exchange.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After Uchiha Mikoto flees from an intimate encounter, she returns the next day and resumes assisting Natsuki as though nothing happened. Natsuki continues teasing and manipulating her.
• One of Natsuki’s clones monitoring Pakura disappears, prompting him to investigate Rōran and the Dragon Vein.
• Natsuki and Pakura travel to Rōran, an oasis city whose Queen possesses a natural energy source known as the Dragon Vein. Because Natsuki has already absorbed much of its potential through the Black Holy Grail, Mukade’s future time-traveling events will no longer occur.
• Natsuki discovers that the Dragon Vein contains enormous quantities of Chakra and natural energy—far more than the energy of previous supernatural beings he has encountered.
• Pakura suggests sealing the Dragon Vein into a ninja like a Tailed Beast. Natsuki rejects the idea because the Dragon Vein is an unconscious, constantly berserk mass of natural energy, making it far more dangerous than a sentient Tailed Beast.
• Natsuki instead tells Pakura to negotiate with Rōran’s Queen, offering Sunagakure’s protection in exchange for taking the Dragon Vein. While Pakura speaks with the Queen, Natsuki uses the Black Holy Grail to absorb the entire Dragon Vein.
• The Queen initially resists but agrees once she realizes the Dragon Vein is gone. Natsuki concludes that removing it may actually protect Rōran from future destruction.
• Over the following months, Natsuki spends time with Nonō, Kushina, Mikoto, and Pakura, while also taking Guy, Kurenai, and Shizune on missions.
• At the start of the new year, Natsuki learns that the conflict between Kirigakure and Kumogakure has escalated, with both sides deploying roughly one thousand ninja.
• The remaining two active members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen have entered the conflict, giving Natsuki an opportunity to target them. He also needs to kill another Medical Jonin to unlock the final ability of the Retsu Unohana Template.
• Natsuki orders the Three Snake Princesses to locate Toroi, a Kumogakure Jonin who uses Magnet Release and Ninja Tools. He plans to disguise himself as Toroi, kill the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and make it appear that Toroi was responsible.
• After locating Toroi’s squad at an isolated outpost, Natsuki creates a Concealment Barrier around the area. The Three Snake Princesses engage the squad while Natsuki prepares to confront Toroi.
• Toroi attacks with Magnet Release-enhanced shuriken, but the Three Snake Princesses evade them, exposing Natsuki.
• Toroi notices Natsuki’s Konoha forehead protector and realizes that his presence implies a major conspiracy. Before he can react, Natsuki traps him in a Reality Marble filled with Ninja Swords.
• Using No-Origin Sword Creation, Natsuki shatters the swords and forms one in his own hand, killing Toroi with a single slash. He is impressed by the technique’s ability to defeat nearly any opponent below the Kage level instantly.

Character Developments

• Natsuki becomes increasingly confident in his supernatural abilities and resources. Absorbing the Dragon Vein gives him an immense Chakra reserve and a vast supply of stored natural energy, potentially allowing him to maintain Sage Mode without outside assistance.
• Natsuki also shows a pragmatic form of restraint. Rather than simply seizing Rōran’s treasure, he arranges protection for the city, though his “compensation” still comes from a position of overwhelming power.
• Pakura grows more relaxed and emotionally open around Natsuki. She becomes curious about his abilities and openly interacts with him, while also beginning to recognize that he possesses more conscience than she expected.
• Uchiha Mikoto remains embarrassed and flustered by Natsuki’s advances but continues working with him. Her repeated return suggests she has not severed their relationship despite her discomfort.
• The Three Snake Princesses remain loyal and eager to please Natsuki. They are tasked with killing Toroi’s teammates and impersonating them to conceal Natsuki’s involvement.
• Toroi is established as a capable but comparatively limited Magnet Release user. His specialization in magnetically controlled Ninja Tools makes him dangerous, but he is no match for Natsuki’s Reality Marble and sword-creation ability.

Significant Themes

• Power and responsibility: Natsuki’s immense strength allows him to take the Dragon Vein effortlessly, yet he recognizes that its removal may save Rōran from future conflict.
• The dangers of uncontrolled power: Unlike a Tailed Beast, the Dragon Vein lacks consciousness and cannot be reasoned with, making its use as a Jinchūriki weapon extremely hazardous.
• Manipulation and deception: Natsuki repeatedly uses disguises, clones, impersonation, and political misdirection to achieve his goals while hiding his identity.
• Power governing morality and politics: Rōran’s Queen can resist Natsuki only until the Dragon Vein disappears, illustrating how survival in the ninja world depends on strength.
• Escalation of conflict: The Kirigakure–Kumogakure confrontation develops from minor skirmishes into a large-scale deployment, creating opportunities for Natsuki to interfere and exploit the battlefield.
• Accumulation of power: The Dragon Vein’s energy, the Black Holy Grail, Sage Mode, and the Retsu Unohana abilities all contribute to Natsuki’s rapid progression toward overwhelming strength.

Character Interactions

• Natsuki continues a provocative and intimate relationship with Mikoto, who is visibly embarrassed but still returns to serve him.
• Natsuki and Pakura travel together, discuss how the Dragon Vein might be used, and negotiate with Rōran’s Queen. Their relationship becomes more familiar and playful.
• Natsuki gives the Three Snake Princesses direct orders and relies on their transformation abilities to disguise his operation.
• Toroi’s encounter with Natsuki shifts quickly from suspicion to helplessness: after recognizing Natsuki as a Konoha ninja, he is immediately trapped and killed before he can mount a meaningful response.

Chapter Summary: Exploding Blade Shibuki and Hiramekarei Acquired

Key Plot Points and Events

• After killing Toroi, Natsuki fails to trigger a new Character Template, reasoning that Toroi is too weak and overlaps with Rasa’s role.
• He preserves Toroi’s corpse and those of three other Kumogakure ninja, intending to impersonate Toroi and eventually make it appear that Kirigakure killed them.
• Natsuki infiltrates Kumogakure’s main camp using Toroi’s identity. A, the future Fourth Raikage, assigns him a mission to ambush a Kirigakure supply ship.
• The ship is guarded by Munashi Jinpachi, wielder of the Exploding Blade Shibuki, one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Natsuki leads two Kumogakure squads in the ambush. He uses Toroi’s Magnet Release, enhanced strength, Chakra Armor, and giant shuriken to overwhelm the ship.
• Jinpachi confronts Natsuki directly and initially gains the upper hand with Shibuki’s explosive attacks. Natsuki secretly protects himself with an ice wall and uses deception to make Jinpachi believe he is vulnerable.
• Jinpachi activates Shibuki’s ultimate self-destruct technique. Natsuki secretly uses his Door-Door Fruit to seize the sword and escape, allowing the explosion to kill Jinpachi while concealing his own abilities.
• Natsuki falsely claims that Magnet Release caused the explosive tags to detonate. Kumogakure believes Toroi defeated Jinpachi through skill and luck.
• A praises Natsuki and offers him a reward. Natsuki declines, since his true desired reward—Lightning Release Chakra Mode—is restricted to the Raikage’s lineage.
• Two days later, Natsuki receives a mission to capture a Kirigakure outpost. He uses the opportunity to draw out Yuzukiro, the original wielder of Hiramekarei.
• Yuzukiro attacks with Hiramekarei’s powerful Chakra projectiles and overwhelming physical strikes, initially making Natsuki appear weaker.
• Natsuki suddenly reverses the battle by catching Hiramekarei and using Magnet Release to direct scattered weapons into Yuzukiro’s body.
• He stages a mutual-death scene: Yuzukiro appears to crush Toroi, while Natsuki secretly survives and takes Hiramekarei.
• Natsuki kills the remaining Kirigakure ninja, erases portions of their memories, and leaves with the Three Snake Princesses. A Medical Jonin among the survivors conveniently fulfills another of Natsuki’s objectives.

Character Developments

• Natsuki: Becomes increasingly skilled at infiltration, deception, and manipulating battlefield perceptions. He combines Toroi’s Magnet Release with his own physical strength, ice techniques, spatial abilities, and hidden powers. He also acquires both Shibuki and Hiramekarei while preserving his cover as Toroi.
• Munashi Jinpachi: Initially confident in his superior explosive weapon and combat ability, he becomes overconfident after seemingly defeating Natsuki. His attempt to unleash Shibuki’s final explosion ultimately causes his death.
• Yuzukiro: Begins the battle convinced that Toroi’s victory over Jinpachi was accidental. His confidence collapses when Natsuki catches Hiramekarei and turns the fight around.
• A: Develops greater respect for “Toroi,” viewing him as a valuable Kumogakure asset after Jinpachi’s death. He offers Natsuki recognition and a future reward.
• The Three Snake Princesses: Continue serving as Natsuki’s reliable partners, helping eliminate enemies and conceal evidence.

Significant Themes

• Deception and identity: Natsuki’s success depends on impersonating Toroi and carefully fabricating explanations for his victories.
• Power versus reputation: Toroi is viewed as formidable because of Magnet Release, but Natsuki’s actual abilities far exceed the reputation he is using.
• Strategic manipulation: Natsuki repeatedly allows enemies to misjudge him before revealing decisive advantages.
• The dangers of overwhelming weapons: Shibuki’s immense destructive power is also a threat to its wielder, making it a literal double-edged sword.
• Accumulation of power: Natsuki continues collecting legendary weapons and useful abilities while advancing his larger plans within the war.

Character Interactions

• Natsuki interacts with A as a subordinate Kumogakure ninja, receiving missions and earning his approval.
• He clashes directly with Jinpachi, using Jinpachi’s confidence and attachment to Shibuki against him.
• Natsuki and Yuzukiro engage in a brief psychological and physical battle in which Natsuki deliberately pretends to be overpowered.
• The Kumogakure jonin praise Natsuki for killing Jinpachi, strengthening his false identity and status within the village.
• The Three Snake Princesses remain close to Natsuki throughout both operations, assisting him without exposing his secrets.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Natsuki returns to Konoha after his operations in the Water Country and unlocks the final Retsu Unohana ability, Responded, allowing him to perform healing without incantations or hand seals.
• He also unlocks Senji Muramasa’s Flame ability, gaining advanced forging knowledge and the ability to reforge powerful ninja tools.
• Natsuki plans to create seven specialized weapons for allies. He selects:
  • Hiramekarei to forge enhanced Flying Thunder God kunai for Minato.
  • Kiba to create a lightning-based weapon for Kakashi.
  • Broken Swordōchō to forge a blood-drinking sword for Yahiko.
• He considers obtaining the Six Paths Treasured Tools by using Impure World Reincarnation on Kinkaku and Ginkaku, whose bodies are believed to remain in Kumogakure.
• At Natsuki’s request, Mikoto secretly establishes a secluded ninja-tool shop where he begins forging weapons.
• The aftermath of Natsuki’s impersonation of Toroi worsens tensions between Kumogakure and Kirigakure. Both villages misinterpret the disappearance of the Seven Ninja Swords, and Kirigakure announces plans to create a new generation of Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• In Amegakure, Natsuki reviews Yahiko’s progress. The village has suppressed bandits and rogue ninjas, established Anbu, merged CP9 into the Anbu, opened schools, improved infrastructure, begun mining gold, and researched crops.
• Natsuki orders Yahiko to use Earth Release ninjas to construct proper housing throughout the Land of Rain, emphasizing that genuine peace requires people to be safe, warm, and well-fed.
• Natsuki completes three reforged weapons:
  • Seven chakra-projecting, chakra-absorbing kunai for Minato, named the Swords of Ninja Love.
  • A lightning-enhanced sword for Kakashi, named the Thunder Fang Blade.
  • A blood-drinking sword for Yahiko, named Blood Drinker.
• Pakura informs Natsuki that the Third Kazekage will soon travel to the Land of Wind Metropolis. She is prepared to assassinate him and become the Fourth Kazekage.
• Orochimaru announces that the worsening international tensions may soon lead to war. He asks Natsuki to organize a Chunin Ninja Exam before hostilities begin.
• Orochimaru also reveals that his Wood Release experiments may succeed within the year, potentially allowing Konoha to form a Wood Release ninja unit.

Character Developments

• Natsuki becomes increasingly influential as a strategist, weaponsmith, political planner, and teacher. His new healing ability makes him even more dangerous in battle, while his forging skills allow him to strengthen key allies.
• Uchiha Mikoto continues to act as Natsuki’s trusted aide and shows growing romantic feelings toward him. She efficiently establishes the secret forge despite not understanding his full purpose.
• Yahiko demonstrates strong leadership by expanding Amegakure’s security, education, infrastructure, and social welfare systems. His vision of peace increasingly aligns with Natsuki’s broader political goals.
• Namikaze Minato receives weapons specifically designed to enhance his Flying Thunder God techniques, though he initially hesitates to accept such valuable gifts.
• Kakashi is given a lightning-based sword because he has not inherited the White Fang Blade in this altered timeline.
• Pakura grows more confident and ambitious as she prepares to overthrow the Third Kazekage and claim the position of Fourth Kazekage.
• Orochimaru continues advancing his Wood Release research and becomes increasingly focused on preparing Konoha for the coming war.

Significant Themes

• Peace as social stability: Natsuki and Yahiko recognize that peace requires more than ending combat; housing, education, food, roads, and economic development are equally important.
• Preparation before war: The chapter repeatedly emphasizes anticipation and preparation, from forging weapons and creating ninja units to organizing the Chunin Exams before international conflict erupts.
• Power through technology and tools: Natsuki’s forged weapons allow him to enhance the abilities of already powerful ninjas, demonstrating how specialized equipment can reshape the balance of power.
• Manipulation and misinformation: The confusion surrounding Toroi, Hiramekarei, and the missing swords shows how deception and misunderstanding can intensify political conflict.
• Loyalty and personal bonds: Natsuki strengthens his relationships with Minato, Yahiko, Mikoto, Pakura, and others by supporting their ambitions and equipping them for future challenges.

Character Interactions

• Natsuki privately instructs Mikoto to establish the secret ninja-tool shop, while their relationship becomes more intimate and suggestive.
• He advises Yahiko on reorganizing Amegakure’s security forces and expanding its public infrastructure, reinforcing their teacher-student relationship.
• Natsuki gives Minato the enhanced kunai and explains their destructive and chakra-absorbing abilities. Minato initially refuses out of concern over their value but eventually accepts them.
• Natsuki provides Kakashi with a lightning-enhanced blade through Minato.
• He gives Yahiko the newly forged Blood Drinker, strengthening Yahiko’s combat capabilities.
• Pakura confirms her readiness to kill the Third Kazekage and succeed him, while Natsuki promises to return when the opportunity arises.
• Orochimaru entrusts Natsuki with organizing the Chunin Exams, showing his confidence in Natsuki’s administrative and strategic abilities.

Chapter Summary: “Pakura’s Kiss, Killing the Third Kazekage”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Natsuki organizes Konoha’s upcoming Chunin Exams and orders Anbu to notify eligible Genin teams. His students—Might Guy, Yuhi Kurenai, and Shizune—are registered.
• Nawaki decides to enter his own students, primarily to humble Anko and curb her impulsive behavior. He notes that Minato’s students are also likely to participate.
• Natsuki visits Konoha Hospital, where Yakushi Nonō is training Shizune during surgery. After Shizune leaves, Natsuki and Nonō share an intimate romantic encounter.
• A week later in Sunagakure, Natsuki brings Pakura to confront the Third Kazekage. Pakura reveals that she now belongs to Natsuki and blames the Kazekage for failing to protect her when Rasa and Li betrayed and killed her.
• The Third Kazekage attacks Natsuki and Pakura with Magnet Release and Iron Sand techniques. Natsuki effortlessly counters his attacks, demonstrating superior control and overwhelming power.
• Natsuki uses sword techniques, Bankai, Blood Demon Art, Haki, and Magnet Release to dismantle the Kazekage’s defenses. He kills the Third Kazekage with a single devastating slash after defeating his Anbu escorts.
• Natsuki stores the Kazekage’s corpse, considering using it later with Impure World Reincarnation.
• He leaves Pakura to seize control of Sunagakure. She confidently declares that she will soon become the village’s leader, though Natsuki’s expected Character Template is not triggered yet.

Character Developments

• Natsuki: Continues consolidating influence in Konoha and Sunagakure. He shows confidence in his students and displays an enormous increase in combat power, defeating a Kage with little effort. His interest in Pakura’s political rise suggests he is using her as a proxy to control Sunagakure.
• Pakura: Fully embraces her allegiance to Natsuki and openly rejects Sunagakure’s leadership after its betrayal. Her kiss demonstrates growing confidence and intimacy with him. Witnessing the Third Kazekage’s defeat destroys her former image of him as an unbeatable leader and strengthens her belief in Natsuki.
• Third Kazekage: Initially confident and suspicious of Pakura’s alliance with Natsuki, he quickly becomes overwhelmed. His defeat exposes the vast difference between his power and Natsuki’s.
• Nawaki: Acts as a mentor determined to discipline Anko through hardship, recognizing that her impulsiveness resembles his own.
• Guy, Kurenai, and Shizune: Prepare for the Chunin Exams. Guy remains enthusiastically confident, Kurenai is cautiously optimistic, and Shizune begins specialized medical and combat training under Nonō.
• Yakushi Nonō: Develops a romantic relationship with Natsuki while continuing to serve as a mentor and medical instructor to Shizune.

Significant Themes

• Power and domination: Natsuki’s effortless defeat of the Third Kazekage establishes his overwhelming superiority and reinforces his growing influence over major villages.
• Betrayal and loyalty: Pakura’s resentment stems from Sunagakure’s betrayal, while her loyalty shifts decisively to Natsuki.
• Political manipulation: Natsuki avoids ruling Sunagakure directly, instead positioning Pakura to take control while he remains the power behind her.
• Growth through trials: The Chunin Exams and Nawaki’s planned training emphasize that young ninja must face setbacks to mature.
• Intimacy and allegiance: Romantic interactions between Natsuki and Nonō, and between Natsuki and Pakura, also reinforce personal loyalty and emotional dependence.
• Hidden potential: Natsuki’s mastery of multiple abilities hints that even greater powers or Character Templates may be unlocked once Pakura becomes Kazekage.

Important Character Interactions

• Natsuki and Nawaki: Discuss the Chunin Exams, their students, and the need to discipline overconfident young ninja.
• Natsuki and Guy/Kurenai: He informs them of their registration and urges them to train seriously.
• Natsuki, Nonō, and Shizune: Nonō mentors Shizune medically, while Natsuki assigns Shizune to the Chunin Exams and shares a private romantic moment with Nonō.
• Natsuki and Pakura: Their relationship combines romance, trust, and political cooperation. Pakura kisses Natsuki before the battle and later accepts responsibility for taking over Sunagakure.
• Pakura and the Third Kazekage: Pakura openly condemns him for failing to prevent her betrayal and declares her allegiance to Natsuki.
• Natsuki and the Third Kazekage: Their confrontation ends in Natsuki’s overwhelming victory, permanently shifting the balance of power in Sunagakure.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• One week after the Third Kazekage leaves for the Land of Wind Metropolis, he fails to return. An entire Anbu squad traveling with him has also vanished, and repeated searches uncover no clues.
• Chiyo convenes an emergency meeting with Sunagakure’s senior leaders, including Pakura, Rasa, Li, Ebizo, and Baki. The village realizes that the Third Kazekage has likely been killed, though no one knows who could have defeated him.
• Because the other ninja villages are preparing for war, Ebizo warns that the Kazekage’s disappearance could destabilize Sunagakure and invite enemy attacks.
• Chiyo announces that the village will secretly prepare to select a Fourth Kazekage. Rather than holding a public vote, the Kazekage will be chosen by the village’s jonin. Candidates include Rasa, Pakura, and Li.
• During the following month, Rasa assumes he has secured enough support to win. However, Pakura secretly manipulates the political situation, ensuring that many jonin who appeared to support Rasa will instead vote for her.
• On April 15, Chiyo formally declares that the Third Kazekage is dead. The jonin vote then takes place.
• Pakura unexpectedly receives the most votes, with Rasa second and Li third. Rasa demands a revote, but Pakura confidently allows the matter to be decided by a show of hands. Only about one-third of the jonin support another vote.
• Chiyo therefore declares Pakura the Fourth Kazekage, and the assembled jonin applaud her. Rasa is left stunned and humiliated.
• At the same time in Konoha, Natsuki awakens the Sōsuke Aizen Template. He concludes that the template was triggered by his killing of the Third Kazekage, mastering the Spirit Transformation Technique, and secretly taking control of Sunagakure through Pakura’s rise.
• The template grants him access to Bakudō and presents increasingly powerful abilities—Hadō, Aizen’s illusion-based Zanpakutō, its complete-hypnosis Shikai, and the Hōgyoku—each with difficult unlock conditions.

Character Developments

• Pakura demonstrates political intelligence, patience, and hidden influence. She allows Rasa to believe he is winning, then reveals her control over the jonin vote and becomes Kazekage without openly exposing her methods.
• Rasa shifts from confidence to disbelief and frustration. His expected political victory collapses, revealing that his influence is weaker than he believed.
• Chiyo acts pragmatically rather than favoring a single faction. Although she considers Rasa the strongest candidate, she supports the voting process to prevent internal division.
• Ebizo recognizes the danger posed by the Kazekage’s disappearance and supports preparations for both continued searching and succession.
• Natsuki gains confirmation that his manipulation of Sunagakure has advanced significantly. The Aizen Template’s conditions also reveal his future goals: controlling another major village, recruiting powerful subordinates, and defeating Kage-level opponents.
• Li remains a possible candidate but is ultimately overshadowed by Pakura and Rasa.

Significant Themes

• Power through manipulation: Pakura wins not through an open display of force, but through carefully arranged alliances and hidden influence.
• Political instability and succession: The Third Kazekage’s disappearance creates a leadership vacuum, forcing Sunagakure to balance secrecy, unity, and the need for a new ruler.
• Appearance versus reality: Rasa believes he has secured victory, while the actual loyalties of the jonin have already shifted. Natsuki’s influence over Sunagakure also remains concealed.
• The cost of wartime leadership: With the ninja villages approaching war, Sunagakure cannot afford prolonged uncertainty or factional conflict.
• Escalating ambition: The Aizen Template introduces increasingly overwhelming abilities whose conditions require Natsuki to expand his control, defeat stronger enemies, and reshape the balance of power among the villages.

Important Character Interactions

• Chiyo and Ebizo discuss the risks of choosing a Kazekage through factional influence. Chiyo insists on a jonin vote to preserve unity and prevent Sunagakure from splitting internally.
• Pakura, Rasa, and Baki argue for continued searches while acknowledging the need to prepare for a possible succession.
• Rasa and Fūgi clash when Rasa challenges the vote. Fūgi accuses him of questioning the entire jonin body and rejects his demand for a revote.
• Pakura and Chiyo interact strategically: Pakura proposes the show-of-hands test, while Chiyo recognizes that opposing the overwhelming result would damage the legitimacy of the leadership.
• Chiyo and Ebizo are surprised by Pakura’s victory and begin to suspect that the vote was carefully orchestrated.
• Natsuki and Pakura never meet directly in the chapter, but Natsuki’s schemes enable her political rise, while her appointment triggers the awakening of his Aizen Template.

Chapter Summary: New Developments with Mikoto, Targeting Terumi Mei

Key Plot Points and Events

• Natsuki plans his next major objectives for unlocking the Aizen template’s abilities. He postpones obtaining the Hōgyoku because its requirement—absorbing the chakra of all nine Tailed Beasts—is currently impossible.
• He selects Kirigakure as his next target because it is the weakest of the major villages, and its Third Mizukage is the weakest of the Five Kage. Controlling the village would also help him fulfill the condition of killing a Kage-level opponent and establishing the Espada.
• Natsuki decides to target young Terumi Mei as a potential student. Since she must be an “enemy ninja,” he considers forcing her into becoming his disciple rather than concealing his identity.
• Uchiha Mikoto gives Natsuki the list of participants for the Chunin Exams. He orders her to announce the exams, assigns Shikaku to prepare the written test, and asks Minato to select the examiners.
• Tagorihime reports that Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s corpses have been located in Kumogakure. Their bodies contain large reserves of Nine-Tails Chakra, which Natsuki intends to absorb with the Black Holy Grail after the Chunin Exams.
• Natsuki orders surveillance on the Third Mizukage and Terumi Mei, then visits Pakura in Sunagakure. She is preparing to become the Fourth Kazekage, with her succession ceremony scheduled for the following Sunday.
• Natsuki warns Pakura about Rasa and Li’s influence and advises her to remain cautious of Iwagakure. Pakura refuses direct assistance because she does not want Sunagakure to enter another war immediately after her accession.
• Pakura acknowledges that Natsuki’s control has benefited Sunagakure by reducing the number of enemies it must face. The two share an intimate kiss before Natsuki returns to Konoha.
• Back in Konoha, Natsuki shares an intimate encounter with Mikoto, further deepening their relationship.
• The Chunin Exams begin with a written test at the Ninja Academy. Obito worries about passing and discusses cheating with Anko, while Kakashi mocks his academic ability. Minato unexpectedly appears as the chief examiner, alarming Anko.
• Natsuki chooses not to attend the written examination, intending instead to observe the later combat rounds.

Character Developments

• Natsuki: Becomes increasingly strategic and ambitious, expanding his plans from personal power acquisition to manipulating entire villages. He identifies Kirigakure and Terumi Mei as important future assets while continuing to exploit political instability in Sunagakure.
• Terumi Mei: Although she does not appear directly, she is established as Natsuki’s next major target and a possible future student and leader of Kirigakure.
• Pakura: Shows growing independence as she prepares to rule Sunagakure. She refuses Natsuki’s offer to eliminate her political rivals, preferring to consolidate power gradually and avoid provoking war.
• Uchiha Mikoto: Her attraction to Natsuki becomes more overt. Despite occasional embarrassment and hesitation, she willingly participates in their increasingly intimate relationship.
• Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime: Continue serving as Natsuki’s intelligence and logistical network, locating valuable targets and monitoring key figures.
• Obito, Kakashi, Anko, and their peers: Their lighthearted discussion highlights their contrasting personalities—Obito is insecure and competitive, Kakashi is sarcastic and confident, and Anko is clever but overconfident.

Significant Themes

• Manipulation and control: Natsuki repeatedly strengthens his position by controlling villages, leaders, students, and information networks rather than relying solely on direct combat.
• Political instability: The weakened state of the major villages creates opportunities for Natsuki to install allies and reshape the balance of power.
• Strategic patience: Natsuki delays difficult objectives, such as acquiring the Hōgyoku, while preparing easier, achievable steps involving Kirigakure and the Nine-Tails Chakra.
• Power and dependence: Pakura’s acknowledgment that Natsuki’s control has benefited Sunagakure reflects the complicated relationship between domination and protection.
• Romance and influence: Natsuki’s relationships with Pakura and Mikoto increasingly overlap with his broader pattern of influence and possession.
• Youth and ambition: The Chunin Exams contrast the younger generation’s personal concerns—passing tests, rivalry, and reputation—with Natsuki’s large-scale political schemes.

Important Character Interactions

• Natsuki and Mikoto: Discuss the Chunin Exams, then share an intimate encounter that confirms Mikoto’s growing emotional and physical attachment.
• Natsuki and Tagorihime: Coordinate the search for Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s corpses and the surveillance of Kirigakure’s leadership.
• Natsuki and Pakura: Debate her early rule as Kazekage, her political enemies, and the threat posed by neighboring villages. Their conversation ends with a passionate kiss.
• Natsuki and Terumi Mei: They do not meet yet, but Natsuki begins arranging surveillance and devising a plan to force her into becoming his student.
• Obito and Kakashi: Kakashi teases Obito about his academic weaknesses, prompting Obito to defensively insist that he can still become Hokage.
• Anko, Rin, Asuma, Kurenai, and Shizune: Discuss the written exam and cheating rules before Minato arrives as examiner, immediately increasing the tension.

Chapter 206 Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Natsuki parts from Uchiha Mikoto and travels to a Kirigakure training ground, where Terumi Mei is practicing Water Release.
• He confronts Mei, traps her with Bakudō #61: Six Rods Prison of Light, and gives her a choice: die or become his disciple.
• Mei reluctantly accepts, insisting that she will remain loyal to Kirigakure. Natsuki clarifies that he will teach her periodically rather than take her away from the village.
• Natsuki introduces Mei to Kido, explaining its three branches—Hadō, Bakudō, and healing arts—and demonstrates Hadō #1: Thrust. This successfully unlocks the Hadō ability from the Sōsuke Aizen template.
• Mei, suspicious of possible manipulation, decides to consult the Kirigakure elder Genji to verify that she has not been placed under Genjutsu or another form of control.
• Natsuki returns to Konoha, where Mikoto waits for him. They eat together and then watch the second round of the Chunin Exams from above the Forest of Death on Natsuki’s Shikai, the flying Giant Manta Ray.
• The second round proceeds normally. Teams including Might Guy, Yuhi Kurenai, Hatake Kakashi, and others win their battles, while the three groups associated with Natsuki, Minato, and Nawaki avoid fighting one another directly.
• The following day, Natsuki and Mikoto observe the individual matches of the third round from the same vantage point.
• Namikaze Minato serves as chief examiner and announces the opening match: Hatake Kakashi versus Yamashiro Aoba.
• Kakashi immediately demonstrates his superior abilities. He splits Aoba’s Great Fireball with Tempest Kick, then uses the Thunder Fang Blade—given to him by Natsuki and enhanced with a Lightning Release Chakra Crystal—to paralyze Aoba.
• Hiruzen and the other spectators are astonished by the quality and expense of Kakashi’s weapon, while Sakumo reveals that Natsuki provided it.

Character Developments

• Natsuki expands his influence by taking Terumi Mei, a future Mizukage, as his disciple. His goal is partly strategic and partly to unlock more abilities from the Aizen template.
• Terumi Mei shifts from fearful resistance to cautious acceptance. She remains wary of Natsuki but recognizes the value of his teachings and chooses survival and advancement over immediate defiance.
• Uchiha Mikoto grows increasingly submissive and emotionally attached to Natsuki. She is anxious to meet his expectations and becomes visibly affected by their intimate interactions.
• Kakashi establishes himself as an exceptionally talented young ninja. His calmness, speed, and advanced techniques allow him to dominate an older opponent with ease.
• Namikaze Minato takes responsibility for the Chunin Exams because his students are participating, showing his continued involvement as a teacher and rising leader.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi remains attentive to the new generation, particularly because Asuma is competing, and shows interest in the extraordinary equipment being given to Konoha’s young ninja.

Significant Themes

• Power and influence: Natsuki strengthens his position by shaping future leaders such as Mei and Kakashi rather than relying solely on direct combat.
• Mentorship across enemy lines: Mei becoming the disciple of a Konoha shinobi challenges normal village loyalties and creates a potentially significant political connection.
• Coercion versus choice: Mei’s “choice” is technically voluntary but made under threat of death, highlighting the unequal power between her and Natsuki.
• Rapid advancement through superior techniques: Kido and Natsuki’s special weapons give their users abilities far beyond what their age or rank would normally allow.
• Affection and control: Natsuki’s relationship with Mikoto continues to mix intimacy, obedience, and possessiveness.
• The rising new generation: The Chunin Exams emphasize the emergence of talented young ninja who may shape the coming era and the looming war.

Character Interactions

• Natsuki and Mikoto share an intimate, increasingly unequal relationship, with Mikoto eager to serve him and Natsuki openly enjoying her embarrassment and obedience.
• Natsuki intimidates Mei into accepting discipleship, then begins treating her as a genuine pupil by assessing her abilities and teaching her Kido.
• Mei plans to seek Genji’s judgment, showing that she does not completely trust Natsuki despite accepting his instruction.
• Natsuki and Mikoto watch the exams together, with Natsuki displaying affection and physical familiarity toward her.
• Kakashi receives encouragement from Rin and teasing from Obito before fighting Aoba.
• Hiruzen, Sakumo, and the other senior ninja discuss Kakashi’s weapon, revealing Natsuki’s growing impact on Konoha’s younger generation.

Plot points and events

• Hatake Kakashi easily defeats Yamashiro Aoba. Natsuki finds most of the remaining first-round matches uninteresting and spends the time teasing Uchiha Mikoto.
• In the second round, Might Guy overwhelms Genma Shiranui with Iron Body: Wheel, shrugging off a barrage of senbon and knocking him unconscious.
• Yuhi Kurenai defeats Ebisu using the Konoha Six Powers and Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.
• Sarutobi Asuma beats his teammate Morino Ibiki. Asuma combines his Fire and Wind Release with the Konoha Six Powers and chakra blades; Ibiki is injured but recovers quickly.
• Shizune, Rin, Anko, and Obito also win their second-round matches. Eight contestants remain, all from the teams led by Natsuki, Nawaki, and Minato—except Ibiki, who is eliminated.
• In the third round’s opening match, Obito faces Guy. Obito’s one-tomoe Sharingan helps him keep up, but Guy opens the first gate and defeats him with Front Lotus.

Character developments

• Guy’s skill and dedication to taijutsu become clear: he has mastered advanced Iron Body techniques and the Eight Gates, making him a standout among the young competitors.
• Kurenai demonstrates confidence and tactical ability, while Asuma shows how effectively he can combine ninjutsu, taijutsu, and weapons.
• Obito is revealed to have awakened his Sharingan unusually early, likely because of Natsuki’s influence. Despite this advantage and his confidence, he still loses to Guy.
• Kakashi recognizes Guy as the strongest taijutsu fighter among their peers. Asuma’s performance impresses Hiruzen, though Hiruzen doubts Asuma will reach Kage-level strength.
• The adult audience sees the promising contestants as evidence of Konoha’s bright future. Fugaku is especially pleased with the Uchiha’s improved standing, including Mikoto’s position as Hokage Secretary.

Significant themes

• Youth, effort, and perseverance: Guy’s exuberant belief in his “youth” contrasts with the severe discipline behind his abilities.
• Talent versus specialized training: The contestants’ different strengths show that no single measure—such as the Sharingan or general genius—guarantees victory.
• Mentorship and influence: The students’ abilities reflect their teachers, while Natsuki’s presence appears to have altered Obito’s development and the wider political landscape.
• Konoha’s future: The tournament highlights a strong new generation and growing optimism among the village’s leaders.

Character interactions

• Guy’s father, Might Duy, enthusiastically cheers him on, while Kakashi keeps his distance from the pair’s theatrics.
• Obito boasts that he will defeat Guy; Kakashi cautions him not to focus too much on winning, and Rin watches anxiously.
• Guy treats Obito’s Sharingan as impressive but not decisive, maintaining his spirited confidence even as the fight escalates.
• Minato calls the matches and fairly awards Guy the victory despite Obito being his student.
• Natsuki observes Mikoto’s distress during the tournament, ending the chapter with a suggestive thought about helping her afterward.

Concise Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• After losing to Might Guy, Obito wakes quickly and is embarrassed, but his newly awakened One-Tomoe Sharingan earns him praise from Fugaku, who wants the Uchiha Clan to support his training.
• In the third round, Kakashi defeats Shizune, and Asuma defeats Rin. Both medical-ninja candidates accept their losses, while Hiruzen notes that the Konoha Six Powers could help medical ninja defend themselves without relying entirely on teammates.
• Kurenai defeats Anko after a close fight. Anko uses Fire Release and Orochimaru’s snake techniques, but Kurenai combines her own abilities with Natsuki-taught Observation Haki to evade attacks and land a decisive Genjutsu.
• The fourth round begins with Kakashi defeating Kurenai through the speed and power of his Thunder Fang Blade. Asuma then loses to Guy, who withstands Asuma’s attacks and overwhelms him with Taijutsu.
• In the final match, Kakashi and Guy push each other to new levels. Guy opens the first three gates, then five, while Kakashi counters with his swordsmanship, Haki, and Chidori Stream. Guy’s five-gate attack ultimately sends Kakashi crashing to the ground, unable to move; the chapter ends before the winner is formally declared.

Character developments

• Obito shows promise through his early Sharingan awakening, though his defeat and embarrassment reveal his insecurity.
• Shizune and Rin accept that their medical skills do not yet make them equal to stronger combat specialists. The chapter presents self-defense as an important addition to medical training.
• Anko learns humility: after confidently aiming for a high finish, she recognizes that she had underestimated her peers.
• Kurenai demonstrates greater confidence and skill, using Observation Haki creatively. Her loss to Kakashi shows that sensing an attack cannot compensate for a gap in speed or strength.
• Asuma recognizes his limits and is content to have advanced far, while still putting up a determined fight against Guy.
• Guy and Kakashi both reveal the exceptional abilities behind their rivalry. Guy’s willingness to open more gates shows his determination to surpass himself; Kakashi’s growing arsenal makes him a formidable match, but Guy’s five-gate power appears to give him the edge.

Significant themes

• Growth through competition: Defeats teach Anko, Kurenai, and others about their limits and potential.
• Strength and specialization: Medical ninja benefit from learning combat skills, but different fighters still have distinct advantages and ceilings.
• Perception versus power: Observation Haki can anticipate attacks, but it is not enough when an opponent is too fast or strong to counter.
• Rivalry and perseverance: Guy and Kakashi’s final battle celebrates ambition, effort, and the drive to improve.

Character interactions

• Natsuki’s teachings shape the tournament: he has trained Kurenai and others in Observation Haki, and his instruction also gave Kakashi Chidori Stream.
• Anko and Kurenai’s rivalry is friendly but intense; Anko’s confidence gives way to respect for Kurenai’s skill.
• Obito compares Observation Haki to the Sharingan, prompting discussion about their similarities.
• Natsuki teases Mikoto during the break, and she predicts that Guy will win because she believes he is stronger.
• Guy and Kakashi’s final exchange is both a fierce contest and an expression of their mutual respect as lifelong rivals.

Key plot points and events

• Might Guy defeats Hatake Kakashi after activating the Fifth Gate. The two accept the result and promise a rematch, while Guy and his father, Might Duy, celebrate tearfully.
• Minato announces the Chunin promotions from a list sent by Natsuki. All members of the three teams associated with Minato, Natsuki, and Nawaki are promoted.
• Natsuki spends the afternoon with Uchiha Mikoto, then gives her a scroll containing the Konoha Six Powers and offers to help her train.
• Reviewing intelligence, Natsuki sees that Kumogakure and Kirigakure are escalating their war and suspects Iwagakure is preparing to attack Sunagakure. He visits Kazekage Pakura and recommends that Sunagakure fight Iwagakure in the Land of Birds, keeping the conflict away from the Land of Rain. Pakura agrees to prepare.
• As the Third Ninja World War approaches, Uchiha Madara searches for a young Uchiha to serve as his Executor. He rejects Fugaku and Mikoto as unsuitable and focuses on Obito, ordering White Zetsu to watch him.

Character developments

• Guy’s victory strengthens his confidence, while Kakashi accepts that Guy currently has the advantage with the Gates open. Their rivalry remains friendly and motivating.
• Mikoto grows closer to Natsuki and is receptive to his guidance. He recognizes her aptitude for Water Release and hopes to develop her combat strength through training.
• Pakura is shown as calm and politically capable, preparing Sunagakure for war while managing opposition within her village from Rasa and Li.
• Madara becomes interested in Obito’s warmhearted nature, believing his strong emotions could make him useful to the Eye of the Moon Plan.

Character interactions

• Guy and Duy share an emotional father-son celebration; Guy and Kakashi make a promise to fight again.
• Natsuki treats Mikoto affectionately, encourages her to rest, and offers her both a training scroll and ongoing instruction.
• Natsuki and Pakura coordinate Sunagakure’s response to Iwagakure, with Pakura immediately understanding his goal of protecting the Land of Rain.
• Madara directs White Zetsu to monitor Obito, beginning a possible future recruitment plan.

Significant themes

• Rivalry and growth: Guy and Kakashi turn defeat into motivation to improve.
• Mentorship and empowerment: Natsuki supports Mikoto’s development and Pakura’s strategic decisions.
• War’s ripple effects: The villages’ shifting alliances threaten to draw more nations into conflict.
• Manipulation and fate: Madara views Obito’s emotional nature as a tool for his larger plan.

Key plot points and events

• Natsuki visits Kumogakure during its Chunin Exam finals and uses the crowd around the Third Raikage to steal Kinkaku and Ginkaku’s preserved corpses. Disguised as Dodai, he incapacitates the guards, breaks the sealing barrier, and escapes through a Spatial Gate. Kumogakure realizes someone impersonated Dodai and begins a lockdown, but Dodai is cleared because he stayed with the Raikage.
• At Hozuki Castle, Natsuki’s Black Holy Grail absorbs the Nine-Tails chakra from the corpses, substantially increasing its reserves. He then uses Impure World Reincarnation on two prisoners to revive Kinkaku and Ginkaku, removes their consciousness, and has them summon four Six Paths Treasured Tools. He sends the pair to Amegakure as potential Akatsuki assets.
• Natsuki plans to reforge the tools: he will redesign the Kōkinjō, Shichiseiken, and Benihisago, while retaining the Bashōsen’s five-nature abilities. He intends to turn the Bashōsen into a ninja sword for Nagato, whose chakra and abilities make him well suited to wield it.
• Nawaki asks Natsuki to let his three students join an upcoming mission. Natsuki agrees and decides to send two additional squads for protection.
• New intelligence reports that Iwagakure has declared war on Sunagakure after confirming the Third Kazekage’s disappearance. Fighting has begun in the Land of Birds, though both sides have committed limited forces.
• Natsuki assesses the likelihood of Konoha being drawn into the wider conflict and considers whether Kirigakure will form a new Seven Ninja Swordsmen group. He thinks Terumi Mei could benefit from joining it as a route toward a future leadership role.

Character developments and interactions

• Natsuki demonstrates careful planning and resourcefulness: he exploits Kumogakure’s distraction, conceals his identity, harvests the stolen chakra, and turns the revived brothers and their weapons into strategic assets.
• Natsuki’s relationship with Uchiha Mikoto is shown as affectionate and familiar. She brings him tea and massages him, while he initiates an intimate kiss before returning to work.
• Yakushi Nonō appears in a domestic role, preparing breakfast before leaving for the hospital. Natsuki thinks about her future connection to the young Yakushi Kabuto and considers asking Pakura to search for him.
• Nawaki trusts Natsuki with his students’ safety and temporarily hands over his Hokage Guard Platoon duties. Natsuki accepts while taking precautions against the dangers of the war-torn world.
• Natsuki reflects on the strengths and shortcomings of figures such as Yugito Nii, Mabui, Samui, Kakashi, and the emerging Kirigakure prodigies, framing them as pieces in his broader strategic calculations.

Significant themes

• Deception and strategic advantage: Disguise, illusion, and timing let Natsuki penetrate a heavily guarded village and escape before anyone understands what happened.
• Power as a resource: Chakra, corpses, reincarnation, and legendary weapons are treated as assets to collect, modify, and deploy.
• War’s expanding reach: Even distant villages are making calculations around new conflicts, and Natsuki anticipates that Konoha may soon be pulled in.
• Shaping the future: Natsuki considers how to direct promising shinobi—especially Nagato and Terumi Mei—toward roles that could influence later events.

Key plot points and events

• As war expands between Iwagakure and Sunagakure, Natsuki and Orochimaru conclude that Konoha may soon be drawn into the conflict, particularly by Iwagakure or Kumogakure. Orochimaru orders increased surveillance of both villages; Natsuki considers using Ryūchi Cave’s snakes.
• Orochimaru says his Wood Release research is ready for a human trial. He cautions that transplanted cells will not automatically grant Hashirama’s legendary power, which depended heavily on his enormous chakra reserves.
• Natsuki visits Amegakure and hears Konan’s report on the Land of Rain’s recovery: security has improved, residents have homes, infrastructure and businesses are growing, and new mining and farming industries are developing. He advises strengthening Amegakure’s ninja and preparing for war without provoking it.
• A week later, Nawaki returns from a mission. Natsuki brings him to Orochimaru’s laboratory, where Orochimaru and Tsunade jointly transplant cells into him. The procedure succeeds, awakening Wood Release.
• Watching the operation, Natsuki suspects Danzō may be conducting his own secret Wood Release experiments and resolves to investigate, seeing a chance to weaken Danzō’s political position.

Character development

• Natsuki acts as a strategic intermediary between Konoha and Amegakure, balancing wartime preparation with the Land of Rain’s development. He also shows concern for Nawaki’s safety and anticipates Danzō’s possible schemes.
• Orochimaru advances his Wood Release research but remains realistic about its limits. He chooses to perform Nawaki’s first human trial with Tsunade to maximize safety.
• Nawaki is eager to volunteer for the procedure because of Wood Release’s importance to him and the Senju, showing enthusiasm and trust in Orochimaru.
• Tsunade helps verify the experiment and offers to undergo the trial herself, prioritizing Nawaki’s safety. She accepts that awakened Wood Release will not equal Hashirama’s.
• Konan demonstrates capable leadership and takes the looming threat seriously, agreeing to improve Amegakure’s military readiness.

Character interactions

• Natsuki and Orochimaru discuss the widening war, surveillance, and the prospects and limitations of Wood Release.
• Natsuki privately relies on Mikoto to read his documents, then massages her in return; their interaction is affectionate and intimate.
• Natsuki checks in with Konan as her former teacher, hears her detailed report, and advises her on Amegakure’s preparations.
• Natsuki teases Nawaki on the way to the laboratory; Nawaki’s excitement quickly replaces his worry that he might be in trouble.
• Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Natsuki oversee Nawaki’s operation, which ends successfully.

Significant themes

• Power has limits: A powerful bloodline technique depends on the user’s own chakra and cannot simply reproduce Hashirama’s strength.
• Preparation amid escalating war: Even communities seeking peace must build defenses when conflict threatens to spread.
• Rebuilding and modernization: The Land of Rain’s security, housing, infrastructure, and industries show how sustained development can transform a country.
• Scientific ambition and responsibility: The Wood Release breakthrough is paired with caution, safeguards, and awareness of past failed experiments.
• Political distrust: Natsuki’s suspicion of Danzō highlights the danger of secret experimentation and rivalry within Konoha.

Plot points and events

• Nawaki awakens Wood Release after receiving a Hashirama-cell transplant, demonstrating it by making a flower bloom. Tsunade undergoes the same procedure and also awakens Wood Release.
• Natsuki considers how Wood Release could benefit Akatsuki, particularly through farming and construction, and plans to learn the transplant technique from Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru begins training Tsunade, Nawaki, Natsuki, and Yakushi Nonō in the procedure. He asks everyone to monitor Tsunade and Nawaki for complications over the next month.
• Natsuki orders Anbu and snakes from Ryūchi Cave to watch Root and locate Shimura Danzō’s hidden laboratory.
• Danzō suspects Orochimaru’s Wood Release experiment succeeded. He has two jōnin spy on Tsunade and Nawaki; they confirm the pair’s new ability, but Danzō chooses to wait rather than confront them.
• A month later, Tagorihime reports that the snakes have found Danzō’s laboratory in the Forest of Death, though they could not penetrate its barrier.
• Natsuki infiltrates the laboratory by disguising himself as Danzō. Inside, he finds failed transplant subjects preserved in containers and obtains the laboratory’s research records. He uses his Mangekyō Sharingan to immobilize the two researchers.

Character developments

• Nawaki is thrilled by his new power and eager to help restore Wood Release’s reputation.
• Tsunade is surprised by the success and initially doubts her ability to live up to the First Hokage, but agrees to help revive the Senju legacy.
• Natsuki takes a strategic, increasingly proactive role: he protects the new Wood Release users, investigates Danzō, and personally infiltrates Root’s laboratory.
• Danzō remains ambitious and opportunistic, but recognizes the danger of moving openly against Orochimaru and the Senju siblings.
• Mikoto feels insecure when Tagorihime calls Natsuki “Master” and tries to become more assertive, though her attempt to comfort him is awkward.

Significant themes

• Power and legacy: Wood Release’s return gives the Senju family a chance to reclaim a celebrated part of Konoha’s history.
• Knowledge as leverage: Both Natsuki and Danzō seek the transplant research, making scientific information a strategic prize.
• Ethics and ambition: The laboratory’s failed subjects reveal the human cost of Danzō’s secret experimentation.
• Secrecy and surveillance: Natsuki and Danzō each monitor the other, while the new ability is deliberately revealed only to control what Danzō learns.

Character interactions

• Orochimaru mentors Natsuki and guides the transplant work; Natsuki then assists with Tsunade’s operation.
• Tsunade encourages Nawaki’s ambition, while Natsuki urges caution and coordinates protection.
• The group tells Kushina about the Wood Release success in private after Natsuki detects two watchers.
• Natsuki and Mikoto share an affectionate but awkward exchange, colored by Mikoto’s insecurity about Tagorihime.
• Natsuki deceives Danzō’s guards by impersonating their leader, then turns the laboratory staff’s trust to his advantage.

Plot points and events

• Natsuki steals records proving that Shimura Danzō conducted forbidden human experiments with Hashirama Cells. Danzō realizes he may face execution and considers either killing Orochimaru or relying on his old allies.
• Hiruzen accompanies Danzō to meet Orochimaru and argues that Danzō should lose his offices but be spared death because of his service to Konoha. Orochimaru accepts the decision, appoints Natsuki Hokage Aide, and dissolves Root, transferring its ninja to the Anbu.
• The Uchiha Clan celebrates Danzō’s fall, while Tsunade thinks he has been treated too leniently. Natsuki warns that Danzō may cause trouble again.
• Tsunade lets Orochimaru choose the recipient of a Hashirama Cells transplant. Nawaki recommends Kushina, whose immense chakra makes her a promising candidate. Kushina agrees, and Natsuki and Nonō perform the transplant.
• Uchiha Mikoto brings Natsuki a gift from Fugaku. In return, Natsuki asks the Uchiha to harass Danzō. Pakura separately offers Danzō refuge and a powerful advisory post in Sunagakure.
• After repeated searches by Uchiha ninja make life in Konoha increasingly hostile, Danzō accepts Pakura’s offer and secretly leaves the village. At the meeting place, he finds Natsuki instead. Natsuki traps him in Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu, kills him with Minazuki, and burns his body to prevent any survival through Izanagi.

Character developments and interactions

• Natsuki consolidates political power as Hokage Aide while pursuing Danzō beyond the official punishment. He coordinates with the Uchiha and uses Danzō’s attempted defection to draw him out and kill him.
• Danzō loses his authority and support, then chooses power and a new position over his lifelong attachment to Konoha. He dies without realizing Natsuki possesses the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Orochimaru enforces the negotiated punishment, then strengthens his own administration by placing Natsuki in Danzō’s former role and absorbing Root into the Anbu.
• Hiruzen acknowledges his own responsibility for enabling Danzō, but still intervenes to spare him execution. Tsunade disapproves of the leniency.
• The Uchiha benefit from Danzō’s downfall and use their authority to pressure him. Mikoto and Natsuki exchange affection before she carries his message to Fugaku.
• Kushina willingly accepts the transplant, supported by Tsunade, Nawaki, and Natsuki.

Significant themes

• Accountability versus political compromise: Danzō’s crimes are exposed, but his service and Hiruzen’s influence soften his formal punishment.
• Power and loyalty: Danzō’s attachment to Konoha competes with his desire to regain influence, and he ultimately defects.
• Political leverage and retaliation: Natsuki and the Uchiha exploit institutional power to isolate Danzō, while his fall reshapes Konoha’s leadership.
• Sacrifice for the village: Kushina’s willingness to undergo the transplant reflects the characters’ readiness to take personal risks for Konoha’s strength.

Key plot points

• After killing Shimura Danzō, Natsuki discovers he has awakened Danzō’s Five Kage Summit-era template. He unlocks the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal immediately; Kotoamatsukami, Wood Release, and Izanagi remain locked behind conditions involving controlling a small village, rebuilding Root, and becoming Hokage.
• Natsuki realizes Danzō’s apparent disappearance was a Shadow Clone ruse—but the reader knows Danzō is already dead. He orders the Anbu to stop searching and later has Danzō officially declared an S-class rogue ninja, both to protect Konoha and to make his death seem plausible.
• Orochimaru orders Natsuki to bring Danzō back dead or alive, recognizing the danger of a defector who knows Konoha’s secrets. Natsuki also learns Orochimaru is researching ways to extend human life.
• Danzō’s death causes the seals on Root members to vanish, prompting unrest. Natsuki takes over the seventeen official Root ninja, convinces them Danzō had ordered them to serve him, and reapplies the seal. They accept him as their new master, and he folds them into the Anbu as its Fifth Squad.
• Rebuilding Root unlocks Natsuki’s Wood Release. He obtains Hashirama cells and begins learning, quickly picking up the basic Wood Transformation technique. He also considers developing Wood Release structures useful for travel and construction.
• Natsuki reassures Nawaki and Tsunade that Danzō will not escape; Tsunade condemns Danzō’s ambition, while Nawaki worries he might leak Konoha’s secrets. Natsuki also confirms Danzō’s defection to Mikoto, who can report the news to the Uchiha clan.
• Reviewing a map, Natsuki identifies Takigakure and Hoshigakure as villages worth targeting. Takigakure has the Seven-Tails; Hoshigakure has the powerful but harmful Star, whose energy Natsuki hopes to investigate.

Character developments and interactions

• Natsuki consolidates power by absorbing Root into his own Anbu structure and gains a new route toward greater abilities. His plans increasingly extend beyond Konoha, toward controlling villages and acquiring valuable resources.
• Orochimaru remains pragmatic and ruthless, willing to have Danzō killed for Konoha’s security, while pursuing life extension even without a clear lead.
• Root’s members shift their allegiance from Danzō to Natsuki. Their obedience reflects how deeply they have been conditioned to need a master and purpose.
• Tsunade and Nawaki trust Natsuki to handle Danzō, though they view the defection as a serious threat. Mikoto serves as a link between Natsuki and the Uchiha, whose interests align with Danzō’s removal.
• Natsuki’s relationship with Mikoto is portrayed as intimate and unequal: he uses physical affection and gives her an order to pass on, while she responds deferentially.

Significant themes

• Power and control: Natsuki inherits Danzō’s methods and organization, turning Root’s conditioning into a tool for his own authority.
• The continuity of ambition: Danzō’s pursuit of power is condemned, yet Natsuki also seeks influence over villages and resources.
• Pragmatism over idealism: Orochimaru and Natsuki favor decisive measures—such as eliminating Danzō—when they believe Konoha’s interests demand it.
• Power’s costs: Hoshigakure’s Star offers strength but damages those who use it, underscoring the physical price of pursuing greater power.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Natsuki gives New Year’s gifts to his students, reforging several Six Paths Treasured Tools into specialized weapons:
  • Nagato receives the Five Elements Sword, which amplifies elemental ninjutsu.
  • Might Guy receives the Seven Star Rings, which serve as training weights, improve defense, and help dispel genjutsu.
  • Yuhi Kurenai receives the Kōkinjō, a whip that restrains opponents and compels them to reveal the truth.
  • Shizune receives the Guardian Pendant, which can absorb up to four types of ninjutsu each day.
• Natsuki and Kushina share a playful, affectionate moment. Kushina acknowledges his complicated relationship with her and Nonō but chooses to leave the matter unresolved for now.
• After the holiday, Natsuki reviews reports on three conflicts: Kirigakure and Kumogakure have entered full-scale war; Iwagakure and Sunagakure remain comparatively restrained; and Hoshigakure’s Star has been taken by Natsuhi and Fire Fly.
• Natsuki sends the Three Snake Princesses to handle the Hoshigakure situation. He later absorbs the Star into the Black Holy Grail, estimating its energy at roughly half that of a tailed beast. This unlocks the Mangekyō Sharingan ability in the Shimura Danzō template.
• Amegakure discovers that Iwagakure has sent 500 ninja toward it in a concealed advance. Natsuki concludes they are a vanguard intended to neutralize Amegakure before Iwagakure turns its attention fully to Konoha.
• Natsuki advises Yahiko’s group to ambush and defeat the force, while warning that Iwagakure will retaliate. He promises Konoha reinforcements after Amegakure delays them for three days.
• Back in Konoha, Natsuki informs Orochimaru. Orochimaru recognizes the attack as a declaration of war against Konoha and orders a jōnin meeting.

Character developments and interactions

• Nagato, Guy, Kurenai, and Shizune show gratitude and excitement over their gifts; Guy hesitates to accept his until Natsuki calls it a loan.
• Natsuki uses the students’ strengths and roles to tailor each weapon’s abilities, especially supporting Guy against genjutsu and expanding Kurenai’s role into intelligence gathering.
• Kushina’s affection for Natsuki is clear, but so is her awareness of his relationship with Nonō. She admits she does not know how to resolve the situation and decides to take things as they come.
• Yahiko responds confidently to the threat, while remaining realistic about Amegakure’s limits. Konan, Nagato, and Ice Woman support the preparations.
• Orochimaru relies on Natsuki to circulate the alert and mobilize Konoha’s jōnin. Tsunade, hearing the news, recognizes that war has become unavoidable.

Significant themes

• Preparation and specialized strength: Natsuki equips allies according to their individual needs, emphasizing strategy and complementary abilities over raw power.
• Escalation and the cost of conflict: Iwagakure’s attack on Amegakure is treated as a deliberate provocation against Konoha, foreshadowing a wider war.
• Power’s dangers and origins: The Star offers immense energy but harms those who train with it; Natsuki suspects it may be linked to the Ōtsutsuki.
• Complicated relationships: Kushina’s feelings coexist with uncertainty about Natsuki’s relationship with Nonō, leaving the personal conflict unresolved.

Key plot points and events

• Konoha’s High Command learns that Iwagakure has sent 500 ninja toward Amegakure. The Third Ninja World War has reached Konoha, so Orochimaru assigns Natsuki to lead 1,000 ninja to support Amegakure, with Nawaki ready to reinforce him. Minato is sent to guard against Kumogakure, while Sakumo watches Kirigakure.
• Tsunade warns Natsuki to prioritize survival. Uchiha Fugaku offers Uchiha support for the mission, and Natsuki agrees to consider Uchiha Shisui as a future student.
• Natsuki selects his force, including Might Duy and several Uchiha, and plans to depart the next morning. He then uses his Spatial Gates to reach Amegakure and catch up with Yahiko’s force.
• Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and 500 Amegakure ninja prepare an ambush at the border. Using Geppo to attack from the air, they strike Iwagakure’s 500-man force with Nagato’s Shinra Tensei, Konan’s lightning, and Yahiko’s ice technique.
• Iwagakure commander Dōshijin attempts to organize defenses and a retreat, but the Akatsuki’s air attacks and Amegakure’s ground ambush overwhelm his force. All 500 Iwagakure ninja are killed, giving the Akatsuki a decisive victory in its first major battle.

Character developments and interactions

• Natsuki demonstrates authority and restraint: he organizes Konoha’s deployment, accepts Uchiha assistance, and lets Yahiko lead the battle rather than taking over.
• Tsunade’s concern reveals her affection for Natsuki and her trust in his judgment; Nawaki, by contrast, is eager to prove himself as a battlefield commander.
• Fugaku seeks closer ties with Natsuki, viewing him as a likely future Hokage. Natsuki responds by offering to mentor the exceptionally gifted young Shisui, exciting Fugaku and strengthening the Uchiha’s connection to Konoha’s leadership.
• Mikoto volunteers to accompany Natsuki and helps prepare the force. Yahiko leads the battle plan, while Nagato, Konan, and their comrades execute it effectively.

Significant themes

• War and readiness: Konoha can no longer remain outside the widening conflict.
• Leadership and trust: Natsuki delegates responsibility to Yahiko and supports him without overshadowing him.
• Political alliances: The Uchiha cultivate ties with Natsuki, while his offer to train Shisui could shape future relations between the clan and Konoha.
• Strategic advantage and teamwork: Aerial mobility, coordinated attacks, and an ambush allow the smaller Akatsuki force to destroy a full Iwagakure unit.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Amegakure’s forces, led by Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, annihilate Iwagakure’s 500-ninja advance force with almost no losses. Natsuki praises them, then orders them to establish a defensive position inside the Land of Earth so the fighting will not devastate the Land of Rain.
• Natsuki unlocks Excalibur, a powerful chakra-fueled ability that could exceed a Tailed Beast Ball when combined with his Black Holy Grail.
• He returns briefly to Konoha, informs Orochimaru of Amegakure’s victory, and sets out with 1,000 Konoha ninja toward the Land of Rain. Uchiha Mikoto serves as deputy commander; Natsuki organizes reconnaissance and camp security along the route.
• Iwagakure’s Ōnoki learns of the defeat and suspects Konoha helped Amegakure. He orders an even larger force, including the Explosion Corps, to the Land of Rain.
• The other villages react to the widening conflict: Kumogakure sees an opportunity to benefit from Konoha and Iwagakure fighting, while Kirigakure fears Konoha may become a threat. Sunagakure’s Pakura welcomes Konoha’s involvement because it eases pressure on her village.
• Uchiha Madara views the war as a chance to manipulate Nagato. Believing Nagato must experience suffering to mature, he decides Yahiko—one of the people closest to him—should be his first target.
• That night, Natsuki secretly visits Pakura. They discuss the war and Sunagakure’s internal politics. Natsuki suggests sending Rasa to the Land of Birds, expecting Rasa to volunteer if he learns Natsuki is commanding the Konoha forces. The plan could remove Rasa as a threat to Pakura and serve Natsuki’s own objectives.
• Natsuki and Pakura spend the night together, marking a new stage in their relationship.

Character developments

• Natsuki gains Excalibur and continues balancing battlefield command, village diplomacy, and personal relationships. He is willing to use the war to eliminate political opponents such as Rasa.
• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan demonstrate how formidable Akatsuki and Amegakure have become. Yahiko remains a confident, inspiring leader; Nagato’s power has reached Kage level.
• Ōnoki responds to the loss with escalation, unwilling to withdraw after the deaths of 500 Iwagakure ninja.
• Madara reveals his intent to deliberately push Nagato toward painful experiences, beginning with a plan focused on Yahiko.
• Pakura remains politically determined despite her sympathy for Rasa’s pregnant wife. She accepts Natsuki’s plan and allows their relationship to become more intimate.
• Mikoto shows care and affection for Natsuki, preparing him a warm meal before he departs.

Significant themes

• War’s human and political costs: Villages escalate conflict over the deaths of their ninja, while private lives and future families are caught in the consequences.
• Power and shifting alliances: Amegakure’s victory disrupts assumptions about the Five Great Villages, and each village weighs advantage against risk.
• Manipulation and trauma: Madara believes suffering can shape Nagato, foreshadowing attempts to exploit the war and the bonds Nagato values.
• Personal bonds amid conflict: Natsuki’s relationships with Kushina, Mikoto, and Pakura coexist with his military and political decisions.

Character interactions

• Natsuki encourages Yahiko and directs the trio to defend the Land of Rain, while Yahiko confidently promises to protect it.
• Kushina worries about Natsuki’s safety; Tsunade teases the couple and reminds them of Nonō’s presence.
• Mikoto supports Natsuki’s campaign through her role as deputy commander and her thoughtful care at camp.
• Ōnoki and Kitsuchi discuss the defeat, infer Konoha’s involvement, and decide to reinforce the war effort.
• Madara questions White Zetsu about Nagato and orders surveillance, identifying Yahiko as a potential pressure point.
• Pakura and Natsuki discuss Rasa, the fragile Konoha–Sunagakure alliance, and the consequences of political rivalry before their relationship deepens.