Chapter Summaries

After Hatake Sakumo returned from a mission, Danzo urged the Third Hokage to exploit Sakumo’s decision to save Aburame Shihui and force him into Root. The Third Hokage approved Danzo’s broader schemes against Iwagakure and Kirigakure, while Sakumo’s future remained uncertain.

• The Third Hokage dismissed Hatake Sakumo and his injured teammates to the hospital after hearing their mission report.
• Danzo demanded that the Third Hokage hand Sakumo over to Root, arguing that Sakumo’s choice to save Aburame Shihui made him unreliable.
• Danzo proposed publicizing Sakumo’s failure and turning his comrades against him so Root could break his resolve and reshape him.
• The Third Hokage considered Danzo’s plan but questioned whether Sakumo would be affected by public condemnation.
• Danzo reported that he had sent the [Shrine Maiden] to Iwagakure to gather intelligence and planned an attack during the Joint Chunin Exams.
• The Third Hokage ordered Root to help defend against Kirigakure and approved Danzo’s plan to recruit clans fleeing the Bloody Mist Policy.

Ringo Ameyuri showed Araki her new lightning-charged sword technique, which he named Lightning Cutter. Araki then asked her to help him train his Water Release Secret Technique: Rain-Cutting by using her Lightning Style ninjutsu on him.

• Ringo Ameyuri cut through a thick tree with a lightning-infused sword strike, and Araki praised her skill and encouraged her to study lightning nature transformation.
• Ringo Ameyuri demonstrated a new technique that stored lightning in her scabbard and released it in a swift dash beside Araki.
• Araki named Ringo Ameyuri's move Lightning Cutter, and she happily accepted the name.
• Araki practiced coating his sword with water chakra but remained stuck on how to use Rain-Cutting to counter enemy ninjutsu.
• Araki asked Ringo Ameyuri to help train him, and she eagerly agreed to use her Lightning Rod, Lightning Ball, and Lightning Snake techniques on him.

During the voyage to the Land of the Moon, Araki fought Keqing in the Book of Sword Masters and studied the techniques that used her Lightning Stiletto. He decided to develop his wind-based swordsmanship further, then began experimenting with a wind technique inspired by her Starward Sword.

• Araki summoned Keqing from the Book of Sword Masters and sparred with her using the Yunlai Sword Technique.
• Keqing used her Lightning Stiletto and [Stellar Restoration] to attack, then unleashed [Starward Sword], shattering the space around Araki.
• After returning to his cabin, Araki concluded that Keqing’s Lightning Stiletto techniques were worth studying, but chose to focus on expanding his Wind-Slaying Sword Technique.
• Araki tried to create a [Wind Stiletto] that could enable instant movement, but his wind vortex provided no way to teleport.
• Araki went onto the deck at night and attempted to imitate [Starward Sword] with the Wind Clone Technique and Last Breath, but found that creating the clones made the attack too slow.

Araki and his squad reached the Land of the Moon and followed hidden marks to find its underground Bounty Station. Their search led them to a circus camp, where Araki noticed its name, before he and Black Bone entered the station to seek information about their targets.

• Araki, Zabuza, and Kaguya Black Bone arrived in the Land of the Moon, where Black Bone proposed tracking down the Bounty Station through its hidden symbols.
• Black Bone followed the marks to the capital's gate, and the squad traced them to a circus camp outside the city.
• Araki asked the circus Jester about the Dark Moon Circus and its boss, then continued with Black Bone toward the Bounty Station entrance.
• Araki and Black Bone descended underground through a building disguised as a toilet to look for news about their targets.

Araki and Kaguya Black Bone bought information on Shi Li, while Kakuzu tracked Shi Li and his companions to their villa in the Land of the Moon. Kakuzu attacked them, and Kongang took the lightning strike meant for Shi Li.

• Kaguya Black Bone paid the Bounty Station boss for information about Shi Li, also known as Petrified Hand.
• Shi Li and his companions agreed to poison the king for the political minister, then learned that bounty hunters were asking about them.
• Shi Li decided that he and his companions would hunt the bounty hunters, unaware Kakuzu was following them.
• Kakuzu confronted Shi Li, Xiang Lianhua, and Kongang at their villa and attacked with Lightning Style: False Darkness.
• Shi Li raised an Earth Flow Wall with his glove, but Kakuzu's lightning pierced it, and Kongang stepped in front of Shi Li and took the attack.

Araki and his team encountered Shi Li and Xiang Lianhua after Kakuzu killed Kongang. Araki defeated Shi Li and took the Petrification Gauntlet, but Kakuzu emerged to claim it and attacked the group, prompting Araki to intervene.

• Kakuzu killed Kongang, stored his body for the bounty, and pursued Shi Li and Xiang Lianhua underground.
• Araki, Kaguya Black Bone, and Zabuza Momochi confronted the fleeing rogues, and Black Bone’s attack revealed Shi Li’s petrification glove.
• Shi Li charged Araki, who killed him with Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu: Nine-Headed Dragon Flash and took the Petrification Gauntlet from Kakuzu.
• Kakuzu emerged from underground, threatened Araki’s team, and struck Kaguya Black Bone, who survived with his bone helmet protecting him.
• Araki rushed Kakuzu with his azure sword energy to defend Black Bone.

Araki and his allies battled Kakuzu, whose Earth Grudge Fear technique gave him multiple lives and powerful elemental attacks. Araki destroyed Kakuzu’s fire and wind masks, leaving Kakuzu facing a much more difficult fight.

• Araki wounded Kakuzu’s hand despite his Earth Spear defense, prompting Kakuzu to reveal the masks and his monstrous form.
• Kakuzu attacked the group with a combined fire-and-wind technique, and Kaguya Black Bone and Zabuza helped Araki block and counter it.
• Araki, Zabuza, and Kaguya Black Bone advanced through the mist and attacked Kakuzu at close range.
• Araki used Stardust Flash to draw Kakuzu’s defenses across his body, then cut down the fire and wind masks on Kakuzu’s shoulders.
• Kakuzu realized that two of his masks were gone and that the battle had turned against him.

Araki, Zabuza, and Kaguya Black Bone drove Kakuzu into retreat after destroying three of his hearts. Araki examined the Petrification Gauntlet and planned to take it to the Hozuki Clan Compound, while Kakuzu headed for the Land of Fire to find replacement hearts.

• Kaguya Black Bone and Zabuza attacked Kakuzu as Araki cut off his lightning strike, and their combined blows destroyed his remaining masks.
• Kakuzu escaped underground with Earth Release techniques before Araki and the others could capture him.
• Araki put on the Petrification Gauntlet and used its power to turn a tree’s bark to stone, which quickly crumbled into dust.
• Araki said he might take the gauntlet to the Hozuki Clan Compound to have a new ninja blade forged from it, and Kaguya Black Bone called it a Petrification Blade.
• Kakuzu emerged near the Land of the Moon’s border and decided to go to the Land of Fire to find three replacement hearts.

Danzo’s rumors and the rejection Sakumo faced left him doubting his beliefs, while Hiruzen watched and worried that Danzo’s plan had gone too far. Sakumo learned that Shihui had died and heard the words Shihui had repeated before his death.

• Danzo spread vague rumors blaming Sakumo for abandoning a mission, and Sakumo set out to comfort his teammates.
• A Hyuga gate guard told Sakumo that Washi was being punished for abandoning the mission, making Sakumo question whether he had valued Shihui above the village.
• Hiruzen watched Sakumo through the Crystal Ball and ordered an Anbu to monitor him, while Danzo insisted his plan had one final step.
• Sakumo went to the Aburame estate to ask after Shihui, and Shikuroo told him that Shihui was dead.
• Shikuroo mocked Shihui’s final words: “Captain Sakumo, if there is a next life, never save me again.”

Hatake Sakumo rejected Danzo’s attempt to recruit him into Root after realizing that Danzo and Sarutobi Hiruzen had engineered the events that shattered his resolve. He chose death over surrendering his principles and slashed toward his own abdomen.

• Hatake Sakumo left the Aburame Residence after Aburame Shikuroo told him that Aburame Shihui had been taken to Root and could not be saved.
• Hatake Sakumo taught Kakashi the Hatake family’s blade techniques, then wrote his son a farewell letter while Kakashi slept.
• Danzo arrived and told Hatake Sakumo to join Root, claiming it could give him a new life and reveal that Sarutobi Hiruzen had approved the scheme.
• Hatake Sakumo drew his blade and refused to join Root, declaring that his blade protected his comrades and that he chose his own path.
• Hatake Sakumo slashed toward his abdomen, saying he would take the path of death rather than surrender his principles.

After Hatake Sakumo’s death shocked Konoha, Sarutobi Hiruzen blamed Danzo for the disaster, removed him from Kushina’s affairs, and ordered Root to the Eastern Front. The chapter ended with Hiruzen assigning Orochimaru to monitor Danzo from within Root.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen confronted Danzo over Hatake Sakumo’s death, refused to let him train Kakashi, and ordered an ANBU guard to protect the boy.
• Hiruzen barred Danzo from involvement with Kushina and reassigned Root to guard against a possible invasion from the Land of Water.
• Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya confronted Hiruzen about Sakumo’s death, and he said Danzo had been reprimanded and sent to the Eastern Front.
• Orochimaru recognized that Hiruzen’s punishment could let Danzo avoid consequences after the war.
• Hiruzen ordered Orochimaru to join Root as an observer and report Danzo’s unusual actions.

Araki practiced using Rain Cutter to dispel non-elemental chakra with Hozuki Mangetsu, who tried and failed to create a Water Release Rasengan. Their discussion of a Petrification Gauntlet ended with Mangetsu hinting that its power could enhance an existing ninja blade.

• Araki used Rain Cutter to dispel Mangetsu's Rasengan and concluded he could reduce the chakra needed by disrupting a technique's structure.
• Araki encouraged Mangetsu to add nature transformation to the Rasengan, and Mangetsu's attempt at a Water Release: Spiral Water Gun exploded in his hand.
• Araki asked Mangetsu about the Petrification Gauntlet, and Mangetsu explained that its eye came from a rare, now-extinct Petrification Lizard.
• Mangetsu said the gauntlet's eye had too little preserved power to serve as the core of a ninja blade, but it could enhance an existing one.

Araki chose Kabutowari as the sword that could best benefit from petrification, while Hozuki Sengetsu led the Seven Ninja Swordsmen into the Land of Fire to attack three Konoha targets. As the operation began and Danzo and Orochimaru headed toward the Land of Water, Karatachi Yagura worried about the swordsmen’s escape and went to seek Araki’s advice.

• Araki ruled out most of the Seven Ninja Swords and chose Kabutowari, reasoning that petrification could make its targets brittle before its blows landed.
• Hozuki Sengetsu brought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen ashore in the Land of Fire, assigned teams to attack the Fire Temple, the Nara Clan's medicinal garden, and the Akimichi Clan's livestock farm, and gave team leaders shells for contact.
• Danzo and Orochimaru entered the sea toward the Land of Water while Root and Anbu ninja patrolled the Land of Fire's eastern coast.
• Karatachi Yagura worried that Konoha would pursue the Seven Ninja Swordsmen after their attacks and that Kirigakure could not afford to lose them.
• Yagura went to the Hozuki Clan Compound hoping to find Araki and ask for his advice.

Araki proposed using the Mirage Clan’s summoned beasts to divert Konoha’s pursuit and help Sengetsu’s group withdraw, prompting Hozuki Mangetsu to sign the clan’s contract. Mangetsu vanished through the Reverse Summoning Technique, while Araki considered the Mirage Clan’s potential for troop transport and other tactics.

• Karatachi Yagura asked Araki how to distract Konoha’s pursuers, and Araki suggested using a Mirage because the Hidden Mist Technique would not fool Hyuga Byakugan users.
• Yagura ordered Hozuki Mangetsu to try signing the Mirage Clan contract and then assist the Anbu in receiving Sengetsu’s withdrawing group.
• Mangetsu showed Araki the clan’s ancient summoning scroll and explained that no one since Lord Gengetsu had summoned the Giant Clam.
• Araki asked whether the Mirage Clan could spray steam and described how its members might use their spinning shells as weapons, exciting Mangetsu.
• Mangetsu signed the scroll and was transported away by the Reverse Summoning Technique.
• Araki considered how the Mirage Clan could carry hidden ninja and support ambushes, then reflected on the difficulty of obtaining powerful summoned beasts.

Araki considered how a summoned beast that could heal him would complement his swordsmanship, though obtaining Katsuyu’s contract seemed difficult. Meanwhile, Konoha forces found the Seven Ninja Swordsmen’s trail along the eastern coast and began pursuing them into the Land of Fire.

• Araki decided that a summoned beast’s support and recovery abilities mattered more to him than its offensive power, and he regarded Katsuyu as an ideal partner.
• Araki considered the difficulty of getting Tsunade’s summoning scroll and mused that defeating her would not guarantee it would fall into his hands.
• Inuzuka Gaku tracked the scent of the Mist Village ninja and reported that they had traveled deep into the Land of Fire.
• Gekko Seiya ordered the Anbu to pursue the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and Aburame Ryoma led the Root ninja after them.

Araki learned Lightning Release and gained Keqing’s Lightning Stiletto ability after defeating her in a sword fight. Hozuki Mangetsu returned with the Giant Clam, whose arrival crushed Hozuki Mansion, and Araki hurried Mangetsu away before he noticed the cause.

• Araki chose to learn Lightning Release: Earth Flash so he could strengthen his swordsmanship and counter opponents like Kakuzu.
• Araki fought Keqing in the Consciousness Space, using wind against her lightning and winning their close clash.
• Keqing praised what she had learned from fighting Araki, then merged into him and passed on her lightning affinity and Lightning Stiletto ability.
• Araki tested the Lightning Stiletto and discovered it let him teleport to its mark, though he worried it was too conspicuous for ninja combat.
• Hozuki Mangetsu returned with the Giant Clam, which landed on Hozuki Mansion and collapsed half the house after Araki had moved the summoning scroll.
• Araki distracted Mangetsu with praise for the Giant Clam, then grabbed him and hurried off to meet Lord Yagura.

Karatachi Yagura confirmed that Hozuki Mangetsu could summon the Giant Clam and tested how its Mirage Mist could support a planned infiltration into the Land of Fire. While Mangetsu trained with the summon, Araki developed a way to multiply and move between Lightning Stilettos, leaving the team on standby for Yagura’s order to depart.

• Hozuki Mangetsu summoned the Giant Clam before Karatachi Yagura and Araki at the Anbu training ground.
• Mangetsu and the Giant Clam used Mirage Mist, which spread across a vast area, though Yagura warned that its range depended on moisture.
• Karatachi Yagura assigned Araki and Mangetsu to infiltrate the Land of Fire and ordered them to travel along rivers to meet Sengetsu and the others.
• Over the following week, Mangetsu practiced coordinating with the Giant Clam while Araki studied Lightning Stiletto and Stellar Restoration.
• Araki used Water Clones to create multiple Lightning Stilettos and raced between them with Stellar Restoration.

Mist Village Anbu Kuriarare Kushimaru infiltrated Nara Deer Park and used Nuibari to capture the Nara clanspeople, including Nara Kashin. He left them hanging from the trees as a grisly message to Konoha, while the other Mist teams continued their diversion along the coast.

• Hozuki Sengetsu ordered Suikazan Fuguki's group to lead their pursuers in circles, while Biwa Juzo stayed behind to help delay them.
• Nara Kashin entered the deer park to bathe a fawn, unaware that a mist was spreading through the forest.
• Kuriarare Kushimaru used Hidden Mist Technique and Nuibari's steel wires to control Nara Shika-bito and capture Nara Shikano.
• Kuriarare Kushimaru captured more than a hundred Nara clanspeople, including Nara Kashin, and forced them to stand against trees.
• Kuriarare Kushimaru yanked the wires and left the captives hanging upside down from branches as a message to Konoha.

Nara Shikaku followed his uneasy premonition to Deer Garden with Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza, where they found the gatekeeper missing and the garden shrouded in mist. Meanwhile, Hozuki Sengetsu and Munashi Jinpachi attacked the Fire Temple, and Jinpachi began destroying it after dismissing a monk’s appeal to divine punishment.

• Nara Shikaku told Yamanaka Inoichi and Akimichi Choza that his twitching eye and bad feeling had unsettled him, so they went with him to Deer Garden.
• The three found Nara Shikako missing after Choza smashed open his house, and Shikaku decided they should investigate the mist-covered garden.
• Hozuki Sengetsu ordered Munashi Jinpachi to attack the Fire Temple, and Jinpachi blasted its gates with Explosive Tags.
• A middle-aged monk confronted the attackers and invoked divine punishment, but Jinpachi’s Explosive Tag left him badly wounded.
• Munashi Jinpachi declared the monk too weak and leaped toward the Fire Temple’s gates to continue the attack.

Hozuki Sengetsu defeated the Fire Temple’s golden Buddha monk and ordered the temple destroyed to demonstrate Kirigakure’s strength to Konoha. Meanwhile, Araki and Hozuki Mangetsu traveled through the Land of Fire inside the Giant Clam, and Sengetsu arranged for them to meet at the Nara Clan’s herb garden.

• Hozuki Sengetsu survived the old monk’s Buddha attacks by using his Hydrification ability, then killed the monk with a Water Gun Technique.
• Hozuki Sengetsu told Munashi Jinpachi to drive out the remaining monks, destroy the Fire Temple, and leave survivors to report the attack to Konoha.
• Hozuki Mangetsu scouted from the Giant Clam and told Araki they were near the Nara Clan’s herb garden.
• Araki considered Konoha’s forces and told Hozuki Mangetsu to spread mist and contact Hozuki Sengetsu.
• Hozuki Sengetsu received Hozuki Mangetsu’s message and replied that the group should meet at the Nara Clan’s herb garden.