Recaps

The chapter recounts Hanzo of the Salamander’s rise from humble origins to Amegakure’s leader and his defeat by the harsh realities of war. As Konoha seeks allies before a new conflict, Jiraiya secretly enters Amegakure to negotiate with Hanzo.

• Young Hanzo survived transplanting the venom sac of a black salamander named Morning and gained poisonous abilities.
• Hanzo rose to lead Amegakure and sought to expand the Land of Rain by taking territory from the Land of Grass and the Land of Birds.
• The great nations blocked Hanzo’s ambitions, and after fighting Konoha and Sunagakure, he spared the Hokage’s three disciples and named them the Legendary Sannin of Konoha.
• Hanzo became insecure and obsessed with power, keeping dozens of Amegakure ninja around him as guards.
• Orochimaru sent Jiraiya to Amegakure to persuade Hanzo to ally with Konoha, and Jiraiya entered the village concealed inside a toad.

Jiraiya secured Hanzo’s agreement to ally with Konoha by offering to relocate Amegakure to the Land of Water and give Hanzo the chance to become Mizukage. On the Nameless Island, Araki healed Linglan and began questioning him about his poisonous, cold white flame.

• Jiraiya asked Hanzo to move Amegakure to the Land of Water and promised him the position of Mizukage if Konoha replaced Mist Village’s leadership.
• Hanzo agreed to sign an alliance treaty with Konoha after Jiraiya promised Konoha would help defend Amegakure against the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth.
• Jiraiya advised Hanzo to pretend to accept an offer from Iwagakure if its representatives approached him, then departed.
• Araki used the Healing Technique to heal Linglan’s chest wound and told him that ownership of him had been transferred.
• Araki asked Linglan to demonstrate his white flame, learned that it was poisonous but cold, and questioned him about its properties and origins.

Araki watched Ringo Ameyuri defeat Afei and learned about the fighters’ abilities and circumstances. Oyashiro En secretly changed the match order to pit Ringo against Leiming, whom she defeated in a single sword strike, prompting Zhenshu to demand a meeting with Mihawk.

• Linglan explained his poisonous cold-flame Kekkei Genkai, and Araki dismissed its usefulness after learning how it worked.
• Ringo Ameyuri dodged Afei’s Boil Release attacks and endured his Air Cannon barrage before defeating him.
• Oyashiro En used his influence to change the match order, sending Leiming to fight Ringo earlier than planned.
• Araki treated Afei’s badly burned arms and decided to take him back to Kirigakure for further care and training.
• Ringo defeated Leiming with one sword strike after Zhenshu shouted at him to attack.
• Zhenshu called for someone to take him to meet Mihawk.

Araki recognized that Oyashiro En was using Zhenshu to probe him and resisted En’s Ketsuryūgan genjutsu with Samehada. After revealing that he knew En’s hidden identity and history, Araki prepared to take advantage of En’s visit.

• Zhenshu demanded to meet Araki, and Manager Suzuki led him to Araki’s room despite warning him that Oyashiro En would not provoke Araki.
• Under the Ketsuryūgan’s genjutsu, Zhenshu attacked Araki, who calmly blocked his punch and signaled to Oyashiro En through the surveillance camera.
• Oyashiro En entered the room and admitted that he had used Zhenshu to test Araki, while placing Zhenshu and Suzuki under genjutsu.
• Araki revealed his knowledge of En’s identity as Chinoike En and the Chinoike Clan’s history, including En’s slaughter of the clan after his wife’s death.
• Oyashiro En attempted to use the Ketsuryūgan on Araki, but Araki had avoided direct eye contact and used Samehada to guard against the genjutsu.
• Araki told En that his unexpected visit had given him an opportunity he could not waste.

Araki defeated Oyashiro En with a concealed Dragon Cry Flash, then persuaded him to cooperate with Kirigakure by promising a future for his daughter, Chinoike Chino. Oyashiro En agreed to help Kirigakure use the Ketsuryūgan, while Araki planned to rely on him to guard the village against Uchiha Madara's influence.

• Oyashiro En lunged at Araki, but Araki struck the coffee table with his finger and used Dragon Cry Flash to shatter Oyashiro En's balance and send him crashing into the sofa.
• Araki told Oyashiro En that he wanted to help him take revenge on the Uchiha Clan, and revealed Samehada's true form and his connection to Kirigakure.
• Araki used Oyashiro En's daughter, Chinoike Chino, as leverage, promising her a place in Kirigakure's Ninja Academy and his personal training.
• Araki proposed using the Ketsuryūgan with Kirigakure's cooperation to create living bombs from sea creatures and threaten Konoha's forces.
• Araki intended to bring Oyashiro En to Kirigakure so the Ketsuryūgan could help detect genjutsu and counter Uchiha Madara's hidden influence over the village.

Oyashiro En accepted Araki’s promise to guide Chino, while Zabuza and Hua Bing caught up with the Tiger Shark Pirates. Hua Bing fought the Trident aboard the pirate ship, where her ice techniques wounded Wenya and forced the battle to continue.

• Oyashiro En sincerely thanked Araki, and Araki agreed to watch the arranged match rather than cancel it.
• Hua Bing spotted the Tiger Shark Pirates with her Ice Release: Telescope Technique, and Zabuza steered their boat in pursuit.
• Zabuza and Hua Bing abandoned their boat, ran across the water, and boarded the pirate ship after Captain Tiger Shark Jack ordered it to stop.
• Zabuza charged Tiger Shark Jack while Hua Bing attacked Wenya, Changshi, and Tongmu, the Trident officers.
• Wenya and his teammates cornered Hua Bing with a sword strike and shuriken, but Hua Bing knocked away the shuriken and exploded an ice tachi, wounding Wenya.
• Wenya pressed his attack while Hua Bing evaded him and berated Changshi and Tongmu for their poor support.

Zabuza and Hua Bing fought the Tiger Shark Pirates, using their abilities to defeat the crew and turn the captain’s tiger shark against him. As the shark carried Jack toward the sea, Hua Bing extended Zabuza’s broken blade with ice, and Zabuza prepared a decisive strike.

• Zabuza’s Demon Transformation let him hold off Tiger Shark Jack, while Hua Bing used Ice Body Flicker to kill Tongmu.
• Zabuza unleashed Killing Intent Wave, knocking out the pirates, but Jack broke Zabuza’s crystal tachi and summoned his tiger shark.
• The tiger shark attacked Zabuza, then seized the wounded Jack and began carrying him back toward the sea.
• Zabuza called for Hua Bing to finish the shark, and she extended his broken blade with Ice Icicles.
• Zabuza wrapped the four-meter blade in Ghostly Aura, leaped above the shark, and slashed downward.

Sunagakure and Iwagakure prepared elite genin for the Joint Chunin Exams as the Third Kazekage considered an alliance against Konoha. Hanzo weighed Amegakure’s options and summoned Akatsuki, leaving Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan on their way to meet him.

• Maki captured a sand hawk under Pakura’s guidance and aimed to tame it to qualify for Sunagakure’s Chunin Exam team.
• The Third Kazekage planned to send Pakura and three genin to the exams, pursue talks with the anti-Konoha alliance, and bring Sasori to display Sunagakure’s strength.
• Iwagakure genin Karito and Katsuchi demonstrated Explosion Release and Lava Release as the village prepared its candidates.
• Small ninja villages mobilized to attend the Joint Chunin Exams, seeing the gathering as a rare chance to connect with major powers.
• After meeting Iwagakure jonin Hikō, Hanzo considered sending Akatsuki to the exams and summoned its leaders.
• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan followed Hanzo’s messenger to his tower.

Konoha sent an elite army toward the Land of Water, while Kirigakure prepared to intercept it along the sea route. Araki brought Oyashiro En to Kirigakure, where Yagura recruited him into Anbu and promised to protect his daughter.

• Jiraiya ordered Konoha’s five thousand shinobi to sail from the Land of Whirlpools toward the Land of Bears, following Shikaku’s island-hopping route to avoid being stranded at sea.
• Shikaku showed Jiraiya the planned route and explained that its islands would provide places to retreat and make camp if Mist shinobi attacked.
• Hozuki Sengetsu learned from the Clam Clan’s scouts that Konoha’s ships had departed and ordered the Hozuki Clan to gather at the docks.
• Araki introduced Oyashiro En to Karatachi Yagura, who recruited him into Kirigakure’s Anbu and promised to arrange care for his daughter.
• Oyashiro En accepted the Anbu mask and uniform and thanked Yagura.

Yamanaka Inoichi detected a Kirigakure scout and Nara Shikaku used the discovery to bait the enemy into attacking Konoha’s ships. As the Hozuki vanguard struck the trapped fleet near Tail Feather Island, Shikaku ordered the defenders to lure them into the cabins and detonate the Explosive Tags.

• Yamanaka Inoichi possessed a seagull he suspected was Kirigakure’s summoned scout, and Nara Shikaku immobilized it with the Shadow Possession Technique.
• Nara Shikaku proposed feeding the scout false intelligence, while Jiraiya assigned Tokuma Hyuga’s patrols to monitor the fleet.
• Hozuki Sengetsu received the seagull’s report and led more than thirty Hozuki ninja on Jet Shells toward Tail Feather Island.
• Nara Shikaku explained that Konoha would use fifteen ships as bait, with real ninja and Shadow Clones prepared to lure the attackers into cabins rigged with Explosive Tags.
• Hozuki Sengetsu’s forces struck the ships’ hulls from underwater, and Shikaku ordered the defenders to retreat to the lowest cabins and detonate the tags when they found the enemy.

Nara Shikaku’s small Konoha force was overwhelmed when fewer than fifty Hozuki attacked their ships, and he realized his elaborate plan had left them vulnerable. Hozuki Sengetsu confronted him and demanded to know where Konoha’s people had gone, while Shikaku tried to stall for reinforcements.

• Nara Shikaku ordered the Konoha ninjas aboard the ships to charge the cabins and fight the Hozuki, despite knowing Explosive Tags were unlikely to stop their Hydrification Technique.
• Konoha ninjas detonated Explosive Tags, destroying ships, while Nara Shikaku counted fewer than fifty Hozuki attackers.
• Nara Shikaku blamed his own schemes and reflected on how little Konoha understood Kirigakure and the Hozuki Clan’s reckless temperament.
• Hozuki Sengetsu emerged from the water, confronted Nara Shikaku, and demanded to know why so few people were aboard the ships.
• Nara Shikaku claimed the Hozuki would have been wiped out if more Konoha ninjas had been present, then planned to stall until Jiraiya and the reinforcements arrived.

Araki accepted the Third Mizukage’s order to lead Kirigakure’s team to the Joint Chunin Exams, while villages across the Shinobi World sent their participants toward the Land of Lightning. On the voyage, Kirigakure’s relaxed genin drew mockery from Sunagakure’s team, and Zabuza and Araki heard the insults.

• Araki sensed the Third Mizukage’s failing life force and learned he would lead Kirigakure’s team until the finals, when the Mizukage planned to join them.
• The Third Kazekage sent Baki, Sharan, and Maki to the exams under Pakura and Sasori’s leadership, directing them to travel by sea and avoid the Konoha–Kirigakure battlefield.
• Araki and Kaguya Black Bone sunbathed aboard Kirigakure’s ship, and the rest of the team joined them on reclining chairs.
• Sasori modified Sunagakure’s ship so it overtook Kirigakure’s, bringing the two teams alongside one another at sea.
• Baki and Sharan mocked Kirigakure’s larger, lounging team, and Zabuza Momochi and Araki opened their eyes after hearing them.

Araki confronted Pakura’s Sunagakure delegation and discovered that Sasori of the Red Sands had modified their ship. After testing Sasori’s interest in advanced puppet techniques, Araki returned to his own vessel determined to make Sunagakure—and especially Sasori—a path toward an alliance against Konoha.

• Araki challenged Pakura about Sunagakure’s intentions at the Chunin Exams and mocked the village’s past defeat by Konoha.
• Araki questioned Pakura about the speed of her ship and suggested exchanging knowledge about Puppetry Technique.
• Sasori emerged from the cabin, identified himself as the ship’s modifier, and said he could not control puppets aboard two ships at once.
• Araki described semi-automated puppets, and Sasori’s restrained response suggested he had already researched storing chakra in puppets.
• Araki returned to his ship and told Mei Terumi that Sunagakure was one of the likeliest villages to join a conflict with Konoha.
• Araki concluded that Sasori was the best person to persuade within Sunagakure and considered recruiting him to fight Konoha.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan arrived in Kumogakure to enter the Chunin Exams, where they learned that powerful teams could bypass the registration queue. Araki and his group settled into rooms arranged by Samui, who told Araki that the exams began in three days and that the Raikage wanted to see him that afternoon.

• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan joined the registration line at Kumogakure's gates after Yahiko teased a Kusagakure genin about the weather.
• Yahiko called out to Araki and his group when they bypassed the queue, and Araki recognized the three Amegakure visitors as the Akatsuki trio.
• Yahiko explained to a small-village ninja that he and his companions had come to participate without their team leader's approval.
• Samui greeted Araki and led his group to the Cloud Residence, while Ringo Ameyuri challenged Samui to meet her in the exams.
• Samui told Araki that the first round would begin in the Cloud-Lightning Tower in three days and that the Raikage wanted to see him that afternoon.

Araki and the Kirigakure group arrived in Kumogakure, where they shared a meal and discussed relations between the villages. The chapter left them preparing to gather intelligence on Chunin Exams competitors while Araki planned to meet the Raikage.

• Araki suspected the Third Raikage wanted to brief him on changes to the jointly hosted Chunin Exams after Kirigakure lost manpower.
• Araki took Mei Terumi and the others to a barbecue restaurant, where all seven ate whole roasted calves.
• Mei Terumi argued that trade between the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning would be hard to sustain because relations between nations could change.
• Araki reflected that Kirigakure and Kumogakure had little reason to fight and could build friendly ties through their campaign against Konoha.
• Mei Terumi said her group would gather intelligence on exam competitors, and Araki assigned both teams to report their findings that night.

Araki met the Third Raikage in Kumogakure, where Darui attacked him to test his strength. After Samehada absorbed Darui’s lightning strike, Araki accepted the challenge and prepared to face him with a chakra-coated finger.

• Dodai escorted Araki to the Raikage’s office but stayed outside as Araki entered alone.
• Araki suspected a trap and blocked a lightning palm blade aimed at him with Samehada.
• Araki discovered Darui had attacked him while the Third Raikage and the AB Brothers watched.
• The Third Raikage said Darui had wanted to test the gap between himself and the man who had cut off a Hokage’s arm.
• Araki agreed to face Darui and coated one finger with Wind Style chakra, declaring he would use it as his weapon.

Araki defeated Darui in a test arranged by the Third Raikage, then reviewed Kumogakure’s revised Chunin Exam plans and accepted them. After Araki left, the Third Raikage explained that he had tested him to judge Kirigakure’s strength and ordered Darui’s training to continue.

• Darui activated his Storm Release Chakra Mode and attacked Araki with Lightning Release techniques, but Araki countered him with ease.
• Araki struck Darui with a Lightning Release attack and knocked him unconscious; the Third Raikage caught Darui and judged that Araki had held back.
• Dodai gave Araki the revised Chunin Exam schedule, which shifted the second exam to a peninsula near Kumogakure and set the finals inside the village; Araki accepted the changes.
• Dodai told Araki that the Joint Chunin Exams would begin in three days with an opening ceremony in the Cloud-Lightning Tower.
• After Araki left, the Third Raikage explained to Killer B that he had tested Araki because Kirigakure had sent a young representative, then ordered Darui’s special training to continue.

Zabuza Momochi confronted a Sunagakure team outside the Cloud Residence and used his Ghostly Aura to overwhelm Sharan and Baki with a genjutsu. When Sharan attacked with a Sand Puppet, Zabuza destroyed it with one Ghost Slash, leaving the teams facing off.

• Zabuza Momochi ignored Mei Terumi's warning and approached the Sunagakure genin to gather intelligence.
• Zabuza observed Sharan bullying Maki and learned that Baki held authority over Sharan.
• Sharan demanded that Kaguya Black Bone's group hand over their accommodations, and Zabuza appeared beside him and seized him and Baki.
• Zabuza trapped Sharan and Baki in Asura Purgatory, overwhelming them with a vision of a blood-soaked hell.
• Sharan summoned a Sand Puppet to attack Zabuza from behind, but Zabuza split it apart with Ghost Slash.

Zabuza and Mei Terumi finished gathering intelligence on Sunagakure’s genin, while Araki accepted Samui’s invitation to visit her house and see Kumogakure’s seeded contestant list. Elsewhere, Takigakure’s Shibu trained as his teacher Suien doubted his future, and other Mist Village ninja continued investigating the exam participants.

• Zabuza broke Baki and Sharan’s defenses, and Maki helped her teammates up before the Mist Village group split up to continue its mission.
• Samui invited Araki to the Sea of Clouds, and Araki agreed after learning she had a list of seeded Chunin Exam contestants.
• Samui led Araki toward her house to retrieve the list, while Araki planned to use it to screen the participating genin.
• At Training Ground 22, Shibu continued training despite Suien’s advice to build relationships with talented genin from the great villages.
• Suien privately questioned Shibu’s suitability as Takigakure’s future leader and considered making plans to leave his side.
• Kaguya Black Bone, Zabuza Momochi, Mei Terumi, and others continued investigating genin from the other villages.

Konoha’s fleet faced a new Mist Village attack as remotely controlled sharks besieged its ships near Blue Shark Island. Nara Shikaku ordered everyone to abandon the other ships and gather on the flagship, leaving the fleet’s response to the attack unresolved.

• Yamashiro Akiha’s crow flocks helped Konoha secure its airspace, while its concentrated fleet repelled Hozuki Sengetsu’s earlier assaults and neared the Land of Water.
• Hozuki Sengetsu ordered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen to assemble for a decisive battle and set out with Oyashiro En and Kisame Hoshigaki.
• Konoha’s fleet entered the Blue Shark Sea, where sharks began ramming the ships; Tokuma Hyuga discovered that some exploded and traced enemy chakra to the left, three kilometers ahead.
• Oyashiro En and Kisame Hoshigaki unleashed Blood-Eye Sharks and regenerating Thousand Feeding Sharks against the fleet from a distance.
• Nara Shikaku realized the Aburame Clan’s insects could stop the sharks from regenerating, then ordered everyone to gather on the flagship and told Yamanaka Inoichi to alert the other ships.

Konoha’s forces survived Mist Village’s shark assault and regrouped aboard their flagship, where Jiraiya shielded them from the final explosions. As Kirigakure’s main force closed in through the Hidden Mist Technique, Jiraiya and Konoha’s elite prepared for battle.

• Oyashiro En used Blood-Eye Sharks to wound Konoha’s genin and drive the scattered shinobi toward the flagship, where Jiraiya and Aburame insects defended them.
• Hozuki Sengetsu ordered the second stage of the assault, and Blood-Eye Sharks exploded around the flagship until Jiraiya protected everyone with Wild Lion’s Mane: Birdcage.
• Nara Shikaku warned that a direct confrontation was coming, and Tokuma Hyuga and Yamanaka Inoichi organized their clans to counter the Hidden Mist Technique.
• Oyashiro En used Blood Plague to turn wounded creatures into sources of further explosive infection as Kirigakure’s ninja approached from four directions.
• Jiraiya called Konoha’s elite jōnin forward, and they answered his call to fight for Konoha.

Araki visited Samui’s apartment in Kumogakure and read Dodai’s list of dangerous exam contestants. The list ranked Kirigakure’s six genin as the greatest threat and revealed a young Iwagakure contestant as another trump card.

• Samui invited Araki into her apartment, and her flustered reactions amused him as they went inside.
• Samui retrieved Dodai’s contestant list and explained that it identified opponents from each village to watch.
• Araki found Zabuza Momochi ranked first and agreed that Zabuza had earned his reputation as Kirigakure’s Demon.
• Samui clarified that Kirigakure’s six genin topped the list because Dodai judged threats by village, not by individual.
• Araki spotted a smiling, blond child from Iwagakure in the photograph and wondered whether he was the village’s trump card.

Araki reviewed Kumogakure’s threat assessment for the Chunin Exams, identified unexpected dangers among the participating villages, and began devising plans to recruit Hidan. The chapter left him imagining how he could persuade Hidan to train in the Eight Inner Gates.

• Araki recognized Deidara in Iwagakure’s lineup, warned Samui that Lightning Release could neutralize his Explosive Clay, and learned that Hoshigakure’s contestants could materialize and control chakra.
• Araki examined Sunagakure’s three contestants and noted that the Amegakure trio and Hidan from Yugakure were serious threats despite Kumogakure’s low ranking for them.
• Araki resented that Yahiko’s group could enter as genin despite their strength, while he had been forced to advance to jonin.
• Araki judged Hidan’s ninja training poor but saw his immortal body as ideal for learning the Eight Inner Gates.
• Araki imagined several ways to abduct and persuade Hidan to follow him.

Araki questioned his genin teams about the intelligence they gathered and discovered that Mei Terumi's team had overlooked Iwagakure's youngest genin, while Zabuza's team dismissed its opponents outright. He disciplined all six for their arrogance and ordered each of them to write distinct battle plans for every village's seeded ace genin, leaving them with no chance to sleep until the work was done.

• Araki asked Kaguya Black Bone and Zabuza to report their findings, but both dismissed the genin from Sunagakure, Takigakure, and Kusagakure as unthreatening.
• Mei Terumi reported that her team had identified Iwagakure's Karito and Katsuchi as threats but had overlooked the young genin who had stayed at the inn.
• Araki warned Mei Terumi, Hua Bing, and Ringo Ameyuri that they had underestimated Iwagakure by ignoring its unseen competitor.
• Araki unleashed his killing pressure on all six genin and reprimanded them for arrogance and careless intelligence gathering.
• Araki gave the six a list of seeded genin from the other villages and ordered each to write a unique battle plan of at least a thousand words for every ace, forbidding them to sleep until all the plans were finished.

Araki trained against Sasaki Kojiro in the Consciousness Space and entered the initial stage of [Mind’s Eye]. After Sasaki Kojiro explained its two stages, he challenged Araki to settle their duel with Secret Sword—Swallow Reversal.

• Mei Terumi and the others woke after Araki’s outburst, and Kaguya Black Bone blamed Zabuza for angering him.
• Mei Terumi picked up Araki’s assignment documents and found Deidara’s name among them.
• Araki summoned Sasaki Kojiro in the Consciousness Space and resumed their swordsmanship training.
• Araki used Samehada and Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu techniques to attack, but Sasaki Kojiro countered with an elegant iaijutsu slash.
• Araki focused entirely on defending with Samehada’s extended hilt and entered the initial stage of [Mind’s Eye].
• Sasaki Kojiro explained [Self-Knowledge] and [Know the Enemy], then challenged Araki with Secret Sword—Swallow Reversal.