Chapter Summaries

Nara Dan used the Third Kazekage’s Human Puppet and Sasori’s likely capture to force Chiyo to reconsider her willingness to die. He revealed that he wanted Sunagakure kept stable and indirectly controlled, leaving Chiyo to understand that he intended to use her as a proxy.

• Nara Dan told Chiyo that dying was easy but living with her burdens was harder, then brought out a Human Puppet made from the Third Kazekage.
• Chiyo realized that Sasori had likely killed the Third Kazekage and that Nara Dan had both the puppet and possibly Sasori in his custody.
• Chiyo recognized that Nara Dan could expose her role in starting the war, ruining her reputation and her family’s standing in Sunagakure.
• Nara Dan explained that he wanted a stable, controllable Ninja World that could provide benefits, not to rule Sunagakure or pursue peace or domination.
• Chiyo concluded that Nara Dan wanted someone with influence to help control Sunagakure indirectly and called his thinking demonic.

Nara Dan defeated the Sand Ninja and secured Chiyo’s submission, then ordered Konoha to help with the aftermath and prepare a surrender treaty. He still sensed an unseen threat nearby, leaving the war unresolved.

• Chiyo asked about Sasori, and Nara Dan assured her that he was safe and well in Konoha.
• Chiyo accepted Nara Dan’s authority and told the defeated Sand Ninja to bear the consequences as they began tending to the wounded and clearing the battlefield.
• Nara Dan sensed that the danger was not over and speculated that Black Zetsu or Madara Uchiha might be waiting nearby.
• Tsunade and the others arrived, and Nara Dan ordered them to aid the Sand Ninja, collect the giant puppet, report to Konoha, and prepare a surrender treaty.

The Third and Danzo received reports of Nara Dan’s victories on the Land of Wind front and feared his growing power and influence. The Third rejected Danzo’s proposal to seize Dan’s abilities, then ordered Dan recalled to Konoha over alleged errors in a mission report while placing the Nara Clan grounds under surveillance.

• Nara Dan sensed an immense danger on the Sand Ninja battlefield, while a hidden figure watched him underground.
• The Third learned that Nara Dan had fought Shukaku, defeated the Sand Ninja’s airborne puppet, and captured Chiyo and hundreds of puppeteers.
• The Third worried that Dan’s battlefield feats would make him powerful enough to reshape Konoha, and Danzo urged him to bring Dan’s power under their control.
• The Third refused Danzo’s proposal, insisting that Konoha could not use such methods against one of its own ninja unless Dan defected.
• The Third ordered Yakushi Nonō taken into custody and recalled Nara Dan to Konoha to review his mission report and relinquish command to Tsunade.
• The Third sent elite Anbu to surveil the Nara Clan grounds and wondered how Dan would respond to the recall.

The Nara Clan Head prepared for Konoha’s suspicion after Nara Dan’s victory, while Uchiha Fugaku struggled against the Mist Ninja’s overwhelming assault. Konoha shinobi reached the devastated battlefield in the Land of Wind and saw the scale of Dan’s fight against the One-Tail and a giant puppet.

• The Nara Clan Head warned that Dan’s victory left the Nara Clan in danger, ordered its members to remain on the clan grounds, and prepared secret contact with Dan and battle readiness for clansmen outside the village.
• Minato Namikaze held his own against the Cloud Ninja’s AB Duo, while the Uchiha suffered heavy losses in the Land of Water because of the mist, Silent Killing Technique, and Water Release.
• Uchiha Fugaku learned that the Seven Mist Swordsmen had attacked the Uchiha flank and ordered the Third’s five hundred reinforcements to fight them, then secretly sent a request for help in another direction and placed the Uchiha’s survival in Mikoto’s hands.
• Konoha shinobi traveling through the Land of Wind found a vast basin, flattened terrain, smoke, and pools of lava-like fluid left by Nara Dan’s battle with the One-Tail and a giant puppet.
• A veteran Konoha shinobi compared Dan’s power with the Third’s past feats and recalled how the Third had earned the titles Professor and Shinobi Hero.

Konoha Ninja gathered around Nara Dan after his victory, while Tsunade reflected on his growing prestige and resolve. Hidden underground, Ōnoki and Kitsuchi realized how frighteningly powerful Nara Dan was and questioned whether to continue their plan to eliminate him.

• Konoha Ninja arrived at the wasteland and respectfully called out to Nara Dan as they gathered around him.
• Tsunade considered Nara Dan's strength, his growing reputation, and whether he had chosen his own path when he refused her offer to become his apprentice.
• Nara Dan silenced the gathered Ninja and challenged his hidden observers, whose minds wavered under the force of his will.
• Kitsuchi revealed himself as Ōnoki's son, and Ōnoki explained that Nara Dan's words had not been Genjutsu but sheer force of will.
• Ōnoki recalled coming to the battlefield to eliminate Nara Dan before Konoha gained a second Hashirama Senju, but admitted that Nara Dan had exceeded his expectations.
• Kitsuchi asked Ōnoki whether they should still carry out their plan.

Ōnoki brought Iwagakure's ten-thousand-strong army out of hiding to ambush Nara Dan and the Konoha forces. As Ōnoki confronted Dan, Dan suspected that hidden forces were manipulating the war, and the chapter ended with Ōnoki demanding to know whether Iwagakure's leaders could be trampled so easily.

• Ōnoki overcame his fear of Nara Dan and chose to face him, urging Kitsuchi to do the same.
• Iwagakure used Earth Style: Ten Thousand Mile Stealth to emerge from underground with an army of ten thousand ninja.
• Nara Dan assessed Iwagakure's disciplined forces and wondered whether the string of events targeting him was more than coincidence.
• Nara Dan sensed that unseen hands were manipulating the world and looked toward the empty distance.
• Ōnoki rose above his army and asked Nara Dan how he had discovered them, then challenged him over Iwagakure's leaders.

Nara Dan confronted Ōnoki and attacked after the Tsuchikage chose to retreat rather than risk fighting him. Dan badly wounded Han and pursued Ōnoki, but dodged a Dust Release explosion, leaving the Iwagakure forces anxiously searching the smoke.

• Nara Dan taunted Ōnoki, who began drifting backward after judging that attacking Dan would put himself and the Iwagakure army at risk.
• Dan charged Ōnoki, broke through his barrier, and dodged the Tsuchikage’s Dust Release at close range.
• Han intercepted Dan’s punch and attacked with boiling steam, but Dan struck his neck with Gang Qi and left him gravely injured.
• Dan pursued Ōnoki, while Kitsuchi used Mountain Earth Technique to block his path.
• Dan’s Pineal Gland warned him of danger, and he dodged as Ōnoki used Dust Release to destroy the earth formation.
• Ōnoki, Kitsuchi, and the Iwagakure Ninja watched the smoke tensely, uncertain whether Dan had been harmed.

Dan developed the Yin-Yang Sage Gang Sphere by combining Gang Qi, Yin-Yang Release, and Natural Energy while fighting Ōnoki. He bypassed Ōnoki and reached the Iwagakure army, leaving the sphere poised to strike as Ōnoki's Dust Release swallowed his afterimage.

• Dan formed a Tailed Beast Bomb-inspired sphere and considered how limited its power was without the Tailed Beasts' enormous Chakra reserves.
• Ōnoki and Kitsuchi ordered the Iwagakure Ninja to raise an earthen defense as Dan drew on Natural Energy and pursued Ōnoki.
• Ōnoki split into three figures and attacked Dan with Split Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, but Dan vanished from the explosion.
• Dan broke through the earthen cover and entered the Iwagakure army, then fused Natural Energy with Gang Qi to complete the Yin-Yang Sage Gang Sphere.
• Ōnoki launched Limit Dismantling Jutsu while Kitsuchi used Earth Style: Core of the Earth, but Dan vanished and left the sphere suspended above the army.

Nara Dan’s Senjutsu sphere collided with Ōnoki’s Dust Release and devastated the Iwagakure army, leaving Ōnoki to order a retreat. Dan let the surviving Iwagakure Ninja withdraw, but the threats gathering around the world made him feel he still needed greater strength.

• Ōnoki sent Dust Release into Nara Dan’s Senjutsu sphere, triggering a blinding eruption that carved a vast crater and wiped out more than five thousand Iwagakure Ninja.
• Nara Dan realized the Five-Tails had blocked part of the sphere’s power and examined the crater while injured Iwagakure Ninja discovered their limbs had been vaporized.
• Ōnoki fired Dust Release at the blinded Konoha army, but Nara Dan intercepted it with Natural Energy and made the beam explode.
• Ōnoki ordered a retreat, and Kitsuchi led the remaining Iwagakure Ninja underground with Earth Style: Ten Thousand Mile Stealth.
• Nara Dan let the Iwagakure forces escape because he was exhausted and did not want Konoha surrounded by enemies, then resolved to grow strong enough to sweep across the world.

The Third Raikage learned that Nara Dan had routed Ōnoki and the Iwagakure army, then ordered the Cloud forces to exploit Iwagakure’s weakened state while preparing for Konoha’s growing threat. He left determined to intercept Ōnoki and ordered Killer B, A, and Cloud units near Konoha’s border to return or withdraw.

• The Third Raikage learned that Ōnoki had taken Iwagakure’s main army to the Land of Fire rather than meeting the Cloud forces at the border.
• The Third Raikage initially decided to wait for news, suspecting Ōnoki had prepared a backup plan and planning to act after the battle.
• A Cloud Ninja agent delivered a report that Nara Dan had defeated Chiyo’s forces, routed Ōnoki and Han, and killed five thousand Iwagakure Ninja.
• The Third Raikage recognized Nara Dan as a threat comparable to Hashirama Senju and resolved to test him in battle.
• The Third Raikage ordered the Cloud forces to intercept Ōnoki and told Killer B, A, and units facing Konoha to return or withdraw.

In the wake of Nara Dan’s victory over the Sand and Iwagakure forces, he weighed Konoha’s orders against Uchiha Fugaku’s plea for help and agreed to aid the Uchiha. He then assessed the limits of his power and considered seeking resources from another world to advance further.

• The Third Mizukage ordered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and his other forces to intensify their attacks and push toward Konoha before Nara Dan could intervene.
• Konoha’s shinobi celebrated Nara Dan’s victory, while he dismissed Konoha High Command’s order for him to return and examined Fugaku’s secret request for aid.
• Uchiha Mikoto asked Nara Dan to save the Uchiha and said the clan was already ruled by him; he agreed not to leave them in danger.
• Nara Dan considered how helping the Uchiha could bring him closer to Indra’s reincarnation and the power of Yin-Yang Release.
• Nara Dan judged himself still short of Hashirama Senju’s peak, rejected using Otsutsuki genes to advance, and decided to draw resources from another world.

Kurenai Yuhi fled a Cloud Ninja Jonin after her squad was ambushed, then fought him using the battle awareness and Taijutsu Nara Dan had taught her. The Jonin survived her strongest attack and realized she was closely connected to Dan, leaving him intent on capturing her for leverage.

• A Cloud Ninja squad ambushed Kurenai Yuhi's patrol, scattering the Konoha ninja and forcing her to flee while a Jonin pursued her.
• Kurenai decided she could not outrun the Cloud Ninja Jonin and prepared to fight with her Chakra Blade.
• She used the battle awareness Nara Dan had taught her to dodge the Jonin's attacks and counter him in Taijutsu.
• Kurenai caught the Jonin with Hell Viewing Technique and launched a powerful Chakra Blade attack, but he escaped by activating Lightning Release.
• The Jonin recognized Dan's influence in Kurenai's skills and suspected capturing her could give the Cloud Ninja leverage over the Evil Ghost of Konoha.

Kakashi arrived in time to save Kurenai from a middle-aged Cloud Ninja, defeating him with a burst of speed before Obito and Rin reached them. After Rin healed Kurenai, Kakashi called her his teacher’s wife, prompting Obito to misunderstand who he meant.

• The middle-aged Cloud Ninja overwhelmed the weakened Kurenai, leaving her nearly paralyzed by Lightning Release.
• Kakashi appeared and fought the Cloud Ninja, then used Release: Jian to cut his neck and defeat him.
• Obito arrived and burned the falling Cloud Ninja’s body with a Great Fireball Technique, claiming he had saved the day.
• Rin used Medical Ninjutsu to help Kurenai recover, and Kakashi asked whether his teacher’s wife was all right.
• Obito mistook Kakashi’s words for a reference to Minato, and Rin explained that Kakashi meant his other teacher.

Kakashi and Kurenai Yuhi survived an ambush by three Mist Jonin after Kurenai unleashed the aura Nara Dan had sealed in her blade, but Obito and Rin vanished during the fight. Kakashi took Kurenai to safety and planned to report the suspicious attack.

• Kakashi, Obito, and Rin prepared to take the exhausted Kurenai Yuhi to a Konoha outpost when three Mist Jonin ambushed them and captured Obito and Rin.
• Kakashi used Earth Release and Human Body Release to kill one Mist Jonin, but the two remaining attackers began a combined Great Waterfall Technique.
• Kurenai activated the contingency Nara Dan had sealed in her Chakra Blade, freezing everyone on the battlefield except herself and interrupting the Mist Jonin's attack.
• Kakashi recovered from the aura's effects and beheaded the two remaining Mist Jonin before they could move.
• Kakashi found no sign of Obito or Rin among the bodies, and Kurenai reported seeing a white shadow carry them away.
• Kakashi helped Kurenai up and said he would report the incident before they headed to safety.

White Zetsu brought the unconscious Obito and Rin to Uchiha Madara, who ordered Rin taken away for the Three-Tails plan. Nara Dan sensed that his backup plan had been triggered and chose a route toward the Land of Water, while Madara began considering him as the person who might kill Rin and strengthen Obito's resolve.

• White Zetsu escaped with Obito and Rin after being frightened by the lingering aura of Nara Dan's sword.
• Nara Dan sensed a presence connected to him flicker out near the Land of Lightning and chose the road toward the Land of Water.
• White Zetsu reported the mission to Uchiha Madara, who dismissed his odd claims about breathing and farting.
• Uchiha Madara recognized Rin's pure heart and ordered White Zetsu to take her away for the plan to seal the Three-Tails inside her.
• Uchiha Madara considered who should kill Rin to manipulate Obito and settled on Nara Dan as a possible choice.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen slaughtered Konoha forces at the border and prepared to advance into the heartland. Might Duy stood to face them so the younger shinobi could escape, while Might Guy realized his father intended to use the Eight Inner Gates.

• The Seven Ninja Swordsmen argued over their orders, then followed the yellow-haired swordsman’s call to defeat the Konoha shinobi quickly.
• The swordsmen overwhelmed the five hundred Konoha shinobi, causing most of them to flee.
• Might Guy, Shiranui Genma, and Ebisu tried to escape, but Might Duy stopped and urged them to face their fear.
• Might Guy recognized that Might Duy might use the Eight Inner Gates, and father and son affirmed their resolve to protect their comrades.
• Might Duy formed Hand Seals and told Ebisu to take Might Guy away while he held off the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Kurosuki Raiga and Suikazan Fuguki dismissed Might Duy as an insignificant Konoha Genin and prepared to kill him.

As the Mist battlefield overwhelmed the Uchiha with numbers, fog, and elemental advantage, Uchiha Fugaku revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and summoned Susanoo. He withdrew it when Nara Dan arrived as reinforcements, leaving the battle poised for his intervention.

• Kurosuki Raiga charged Might Duy, who opened the Fourth Gate.
• A Mist Ninja used the Hidden Mist Technique and a Water Clone to deceive and kill an Uchiha ninja, as the Uchiha suffered heavy losses across the battlefield.
• Uchiha Fugaku struggled against several Mist Ninja Jonin and weighed revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan to reverse the Uchiha's retreat.
• Fugaku awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan and summoned a ten-meter-tall Susanoo, shocking the Mist Ninja.
• Nara Dan arrived at extraordinary speed, and Fugaku withdrew Susanoo after recognizing the reinforcements.

Nara Dan used overwhelming speed to slaughter Mist Ninja forces after arriving to aid Uchiha Fugaku, forcing the Mist Ninja to retreat by sea. He watched from the shore as their warships sailed away.

• Nara Dan reassured Uchiha Fugaku that he had arrived in time and said ending the war was their priority.
• Nara Dan killed the Mist Ninja Jonin confronting Uchiha Fugaku and told him to gather his clan and stay out of the fighting.
• Nara Dan sped between battlefields, killing Mist Ninja squads before the Uchiha shinobi could react.
• Mist Ninja commanders ordered their forces to retreat after recognizing Nara Dan as Konoha's Demon.
• Nara Dan waited at the coast and let the Mist Ninja board their warships and sail away, killing only Jonin who attacked him.

Nara Dan used his Gang Qi Sword to cut down the retreating Mist Ninja fleet and several thousand shinobi, unsettling Uchiha Fugaku with his detached attitude toward killing. As Dan reflected on his growing distance from ordinary humanity, a huge crash and surge of Chakra erupted from the nearby forest.

• Nara Dan formed a Gang Qi Sword and sent it streaking across the coast, slicing the Mist Ninja commanders and their ships in half.
• Uchiha Fugaku arrived after gathering the Uchiha Clan, learned that Nara Dan had killed every Mist Ninja, and became wary of Dan’s lack of remorse.
• Nara Dan told Fugaku that shinobi were weapons and that wars were started by leaders, while reassuring him that he treated friends differently from enemies.
• Nara Dan reflected on his growing power, his distance from ordinary humans, and his struggle to retain his sense of humanity.
• A tremendous crash sounded from the nearby forest, followed by a vast surge of Chakra.

Might Duy fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen with the Sixth Gate, then opened the Gate of Death when he could not overcome their teamwork. He unleashed Morning Peacock and sent the swordsmen fleeing, then pursued them as the hunter.

• Nara Dan and Uchiha Fugaku saw a surge of blue chakra where five hundred Konoha ninja had been sent to delay the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and Nara Dan went to investigate.
• The Seven Ninja Swordsmen coordinated their attacks against Might Duy, disrupting his movements and forcing him to recognize that the Sixth Gate was not enough to stop them.
• Might Duy resolved to open the Gate of Death, thinking of his son Might Guy and Nara Dan before releasing the Eight Inner Gates' crimson aura.
• Might Duy used Morning Peacock to overwhelm the Seven Swordsmen's combined techniques and set the nearby trees ablaze.
• Suikazan Fuguki and the other swordsmen fled, and Might Duy pursued them as the hunter.