Chapter Summaries

Uesugi Shinji secretly placed a seal on Gaara to provoke Shukaku into taking over, hoping to lure Kazekage Rasa into bringing Gaara outside Sunagakure. Shinji planned to kill Rasa there and, if Gaara survived, leave him some of Shukaku’s chakra.

• Temari and Kankuro found Gaara on a rooftop, but he ordered them to leave and refused to hear Temari mention Kazekage Rasa.
• Uesugi Shinji appeared behind Gaara and placed a hidden sealing formula on his forehead.
• The seal weakened Gaara and pushed Shukaku toward taking control, while also being able to suppress the beast if Gaara reached the brink of an eruption.
• Uesugi Shinji hoped Rasa would take Gaara outside Sunagakure to stabilize Shukaku’s seal, giving Shinji a chance to kill him unnoticed.
• Gaara collapsed in pain as he struggled against Shukaku, and Uesugi Shinji decided he might leave Gaara some Tailed Beast Chakra after extracting the One-Tail.

Uesugi Shinji’s scheme drove Gaara’s One-Tail toward a rampage and lured Rasa and his guards to Wind Hill Outpost. After a planted sealing formula thwarted their efforts, attackers and Yura’s spies ambushed them, leaving Rasa surrounded and ready to fight.

• Uesugi Shinji reported Gaara’s unstable One-Tail to Sunagakure’s leaders through a spy arranged by Yura.
• Rasa brought Gaara and his Anbu guard squad to Wind Hill Outpost and ordered the Sealing Squad to reinforce Gaara’s seal.
• Uesugi Shinji’s formula kept the One-Tail and the sealing array in a stalemate, preventing Rasa and the Sealing Squad from finishing the seal.
• Rasa warned that enemy shinobi might be nearby, and more than a dozen attackers killed most of the Anbu guard squad.
• Yura’s two spies struck the remaining Anbu, leaving Rasa as the sole survivor after he escaped with Sand Body Flicker.
• Rasa accused the attackers of colluding with a traitor and challenged them as they surrounded him.

Uesugi Shinji and Sasori confronted Rasa in the desert, revealing Sasori’s identity and his control of the Third Kazekage as a Human Puppet. Rasa was trapped by a barrier and launched an attack, but Shinji stepped forward to stop him.

• Rasa surrounded himself with a gold-dust barrier and challenged the attackers, who revealed themselves as Uesugi Shinji and Sasori of the Akatsuki.
• Sasori revealed that he had turned the former Third Kazekage into a Human Puppet and told Rasa he would receive a new life as well.
• Rasa realized the area was sealed by a purple barrier and prepared to fight rather than escape.
• Rasa unleashed Magnet Release: Gold Dust Waves, but Shinji stopped Sasori from countering and said he would handle Rasa himself.
• Shinji appeared before the gold-dust wave, placed his hands on it, and used Sage Art: Inorganic Reincarnation.

Uesugi Shinji defeated and killed Rasa by overpowering his Gold Dust with Rock Crystal. Sasori began collecting the Sunagakure bodies and promised to prepare Rasa and his Anbu guard squad by morning.

• Uesugi Shinji transformed Rasa’s Gold Dust with Rock Crystal and shattered Rasa’s Gold Sand Spear.
• Rasa unleashed Gold Dust Imperial Funeral, but Uesugi Shinji’s amethyst waves overwhelmed it and swallowed him.
• Uesugi Shinji released the Rock Crystal, leaving Rasa’s intact corpse on the sand.
• Sasori collected the bodies of Sunagakure’s Anbu, and Uesugi Shinji entrusted Rasa’s body to him.
• Sasori promised to prepare a complete Kazekage and his Anbu guard squad by morning.

Sasori replaced Rasa with a human puppet and arranged Gaara’s withdrawal from the Chunin Exams while the Akatsuki prepared to extract the One-Tail. At the exams, the third round began with Sasuke facing Sakuragi, and Kakashi noticed Sasuke was moving and controlling his chakra unusually poorly.

• Sasori turned Rasa and his Anbu escort into human puppets, then impersonated Rasa with help from Yura.
• Sasori announced that Gaara was withdrawing from the third round for a secret mission, though Gaara had already been moved outside Sunagakure for the Akatsuki’s preparations.
• Namikaze Minato attended the third round beside “Rasa,” watched Naruto exchange an encouraging gesture with him, and sensed something unusual about the Kazekage.
• “Rasa” declared the exams underway, and the first match drawn was between Sasuke and Sakuragi.
• Sasuke and Sakuragi fought impressively, but Kakashi noticed Sasuke’s movements were slower than usual and his chakra control was erratic.

Sasuke lost his first tournament match to Sakuragi and, crushed by the defeat and the crowd’s ridicule, left the arena and set out for the Ninjutsu Sect Office to seek strength. As Naruto faced Sakuragi in the final match, Namikaze Minato warned the apparent Rasa against taking dangerous action, while the arena filled with unidentified black-robed figures.

• Sasuke’s hidden Cursed Seal limited his strength, and his anxiety let Sakuragi gain the advantage and knock him out of the arena.
• After the crowd mocked his loss, Sasuke rejected Naruto’s comfort and left, while Kakashi stopped Naruto from following him.
• Sasuke wrote farewell letters to Team Kakashi and his older brother, then crossed the desert toward the Land of Birds to seek training at the Ninjutsu Sect Office.
• The tournament continued until Naruto’s final match against Sakuragi, as unknown black-robed figures gathered in the stands.
• Namikaze Minato discreetly warned the apparent Rasa to reconsider his plans, but the false Kazekage responded with a strange smile and met his gaze.

Deidara’s explosions and Akatsuki’s ambush threw Sunagakure into chaos while Minato confronted the unresponsive “Rasa.” Sasori revealed himself as the one impersonating the Kazekage, leaving Baki demanding to know what had happened to the real one.

• Deidara’s planted bombs devastated Sunagakure, blocked key routes, and caused widespread casualties as Akatsuki members attacked the shinobi trying to evacuate civilians.
• Minato and “Rasa” vanished from the arena and reappeared on the stands, where Minato questioned “Rasa’s” failure to help the village.
• Kakashi told Minato that Naruto and Hinata had received emergency Flying Thunder God kunai but Sasuke was missing, so Minato sent him to search for Sasuke.
• Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to send Naruto and Hinata back to Konoha.
• Baki urged “Rasa” to organize the response, but “Rasa” stepped behind an Anbu, who removed his mask and revealed Sasori.
• Sasori mocked Baki and questioned which Kazekage he meant, prompting Baki to demand to know what he had done to Lord Kazekage.

Sasori revealed that he had turned the Third and Fourth Kazekage and the Kazekage Guard into Human Puppets, prompting Chiyo to ask Minato to help suppress the rebellion. Minato launched a sudden attack on Sasori, but a masked figure in a black cloak intervened and stopped his kunai just short of Sasori's heart.

• An Anbu transformed into the Third Kazekage, and Sasori revealed that both Kazekage were his Human Puppets.
• Kankuro recognized the forbidden technique, and Sasori revealed that the Kazekage Guard had also been turned into Human Puppets.
• Chiyo and Ebizo arrived, and Chiyo asked Minato to help quell Sasori's rebellion.
• Minato attacked Sasori at high speed, aiming for the Core of Rebirth in his heart.
• A masked figure in a black cloak appeared beside Sasori and blocked Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai with an Amethyst-colored hand.

Uesugi Shinji intervened to face Namikaze Minato while Sasori turned to the other defenders, and Shinji explained the Akatsuki’s plan to destroy Sunagakure and plunge the Shinobi World into conflict. Minato rallied the village’s ninja against the Akatsuki, while Chiyo and Ebizo saw Baki as a possible future leader, though Sunagakure’s prospects remained bleak.

• Uesugi Shinji blocked Minato’s attack, took him as his opponent, and sent Sasori to fight the others.
• Minato identified Shinji as the Akatsuki’s Azure Dragon and challenged his plan to destroy Sunagakure.
• Shinji explained that the village’s destruction would leave the Land of Wind vulnerable and trigger a struggle among the other powers.
• Minato warned the Sunagakure ninja that the Akatsuki’s core members were S-rank missing-nin, and Baki rallied them to fight.
• Chiyo and Ebizo considered Baki a suitable future leader, though they doubted Sunagakure could regain its former standing.

Uesugi Shinji and Namikaze Minato fought in the Sunagakure arena, and Minato discovered that Shinji’s purple crystals were a Kekkei Tōta. The battle left Chiyo fearing for Sunagakure while Sasori insisted that no one could save the village.

• Uesugi Shinji challenged Namikaze Minato, and the two began a taijutsu fight as Sasori watched Chiyo, Ebizo, Baki, and the others.
• Minato accelerated his attacks and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport behind Uesugi Shinji, striking with a Rasengan.
• Uesugi Shinji caught the Rasengan in his hand and shattered it, surprising Minato.
• Minato identified Shinji’s purple crystalline substance as a possible Kekkei Tōta.
• Chiyo said Sunagakure might have been destroyed without Minato, but Sasori mocked her and claimed no one could save the village.

Chiyo and the Sunagakure shinobi fought Sasori and his human puppets as he declared that the village could not be saved. Ebizo joined the battle and reached Sasori, where he began using a secret technique.

• Chiyo rejected her affection for Sasori and vowed to stop him, while Sasori challenged her and the Sunagakure shinobi to attack together.
• Chiyo summoned the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets and launched a combined Wind Release attack, which the Third Kazekage human puppet blocked with Iron Sand.
• Sasori used his puppets to keep Baki and the other Sunagakure shinobi at bay while fighting Chiyo, and Ebizo recognized the Core of Rebirth inside a damaged puppet.
• Ebizo charged Sasori across the Iron Sand Barrier, dodged its spikes and the Third Kazekage puppet's blade, then threw Kunai and began the Secret Technique: Yin Wind Illusion.

Ebizo briefly disrupted Sasori’s Third Kazekage Human Puppet, but Deidara rescued Sasori before Ebizo could strike. An Amethyst Giant then emerged in Sunagakure, forcing Chiyo to order an evacuation as Namikaze Minato summoned Gamabunta to face Uesugi Shinji.

• Ebizo used Yin Wind Illusion to disrupt the Third Kazekage Human Puppet and attacked Sasori, but Deidara carried Sasori to safety.
• Sasori resumed protecting himself with the puppet and warned Ebizo that he would not get another chance.
• An Amethyst Giant rose from beneath Sunagakure and threatened to destroy the village.
• Chiyo authorized Namikaze Minato to summon a giant ally and ordered the village evacuated.
• Namikaze Minato summoned Gamabunta, who prepared to fight Uesugi Shinji atop the Amethyst Giant.

Uesugi Shinji fought Namikaze Minato as Sunagakure’s evacuation continued, enduring Minato’s powerful attacks with his Amethyst defenses. After surviving Minato’s explosive assault, Shinji emerged from an Amethyst Statue, leaving their battle unresolved.

• Namikaze Minato unleashed the Nine-Tails’ power and attacked the Crystal Titan with Gamabunta’s Sage Art: Shinatsuhiko, but the tornado only cracked its palm.
• Uesugi Shinji drove the Amethyst Giant through the tornado and toward Minato, while Gamabunta’s sword shattered against its shoulder.
• Namikaze Minato used Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder to teleport the broken blade into Shinji, knocking him through the air.
• Uesugi Shinji caught Minato and slammed him to the ground, but Minato escaped using a Flying Thunder God Kunai.
• Namikaze Minato teleported explosive-tagged kunai around Shinji, who survived the blast inside an Amethyst Statue and stepped out as it split apart.

Uesugi Shinji unleashed Ghost Burning Flame to destroy Sunagakure, while Namikaze Minato tried to rescue its people. Minato saved Kushina and some key figures, but the village and the shinobi left behind were consumed by the pale flames.

• Uesugi Shinji announced he would end the battle and used Ghost Burning Flame to prepare a jutsu that would destroy Sunagakure.
• Namikaze Minato summoned Kushina Uzumaki and asked her to restrain the Amethyst Giant while he rescued Sunagakure shinobi.
• Kushina bound the giant with Adamantine Sealing Chains, and Minato used Flying Thunder God to rescue Chiyo and other key figures.
• Uesugi Shinji drew out the Outer Path Jade's remaining chakra and broke Kushina's chains, injuring her.
• Namikaze Minato rescued Kushina, abandoning his attempt to save the remaining villagers and shinobi.
• Uesugi Shinji brought the Amethyst Giant's arms down, spreading Ghost Burning Flame across Sunagakure and reducing the shinobi left there to ash.

Uesugi Shinji and Akatsuki destroyed Sunagakure, secured the One-Tail, and escaped as the Shinobi World reeled from the news. After learning Biwa Juzo had died fighting Kakashi, Pain appointed Tobi to replace him in Akatsuki.

• Deidara and Sasori joined Uesugi Shinji after their victory over Chiyo, Ebizo, and Baki, and Shinji said Akatsuki had achieved its objectives by destroying Sunagakure and securing the One-Tail.
• Uesugi Shinji and the others learned from White Zetsu that Kakashi had killed Biwa Juzo in a fight outside the village.
• News of Sunagakure's destruction spread, and the Shinobi villages focused on exploiting the weakened Land of Wind rather than uniting against Akatsuki.
• Akatsuki members discussed Biwa Juzo's death, and Pain silenced their remarks before announcing that Tobi would replace him as a full member.

Tobi joined the Akatsuki’s core members while secretly plotting against Uesugi Shinji. Pain and the others extracted most of Shukaku’s chakra from Gaara, and the chapter ended with the One-Tail retrieval complete and the Akatsuki awaiting upheaval in the Shinobi World.

• Tobi introduced himself as a new core member and accepted Deidara’s offer to become his partner while secretly assessing Uesugi Shinji.
• Pain asked whether Gaara was ready, and Uesugi Shinji confirmed it was while reminding Pain of their agreement to leave him one-tenth of the Tailed Beast Chakra.
• Sasori used a Human Puppet to carry the unconscious Gaara to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Pain began the Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seal, and the Akatsuki members helped extract Shukaku from Gaara.
• After several hours, Uesugi Shinji stopped maintaining the Hand Seals, and Pain ended the jutsu after extracting around ninety percent of the One-Tail’s chakra.
• Pain departed after the Demonic Statue opened one of its eyes, declaring the One-Tail retrieval mission complete.

Gaara survived the extraction of the One-Tail and agreed to stay at the Ninjutsu Sect Office after Haku offered him a place. Meanwhile, Uesugi Shinji received the Land of Wind Daimyo’s proposal to have the Ninjutsu Sect Office defend the country and make him Kazekage, but he saw the move as dangerously provocative.

• Haku told Gaara he was alive in the Land of Birds and explained that she had brought him to the Ninjutsu Sect Office.
• After learning Sunagakure had been destroyed, Gaara said he lived only for himself and had no desire for revenge or rebuilding the village.
• Haku invited Gaara to stay at the Ninjutsu Sect Office, and he accepted.
• Rin read the Land of Wind Daimyo’s letter proposing that the Ninjutsu Sect Office defend the country and Uesugi Shinji become Kazekage.
• Uesugi Shinji warned Rin that taking control of the Land of Wind would invite attacks from the other Great Shinobi Villages and the Akatsuki.

Rin questioned Uesugi Shinji’s risky partnership with Akatsuki, while he explained their mutual bargain over Tailed Beast Chakra. In Konoha, Namikaze Minato and his advisers planned a Five Kage Summit to prevent war, leaving Minato unsure whether to invite someone.

• Rin warned Uesugi Shinji that Nagato’s Tailed Beast plans could eventually make him a threat, and Shinji explained that he and Akatsuki were partners of convenience.
• Uesugi Shinji had withdrawn from further Tailed Beast capture missions after helping destroy Sunagakure and capturing the One-Tail, but still received ten percent of the extracted chakra.
• Namikaze Minato asked Hatake Kakashi, Asuma Sarutobi, Shisui Uchiha, and Uchiha Itachi how Konoha could prevent the rising tensions from becoming war.
• Shisui Uchiha proposed a Five Kage Summit, and Kakashi suggested measures that could make the other villages cooperate despite their interest in the Land of Wind.
• Uchiha Itachi asked to search for Sasuke, but Namikaze Minato postponed permission until after the summit, and Itachi accepted.
• After the others left, Namikaze Minato reviewed the plan and wondered whether to invite someone to the Five Kage Summit.

Sasuke arrived in the Land of Birds hoping to ask Uesugi Shinji for ninjutsu instruction, but encountered Gaara leaving the General's Mansion. Their curiosity and questions led them into a fight that ended with Sasuke using a fire technique.

• Sasuke marveled at the Land of Birds' prosperity and headed to the General's Mansion to seek Uesugi Shinji's instruction.
• Sasuke saw Gaara leave the General's Mansion and secretly followed him toward the Ninjutsu Sect Office.
• Gaara noticed Sasuke following and confronted him in a deserted grove, but tried to leave without explaining his presence.
• Sasuke blocked Gaara and challenged him to a fight, wagering that the loser would reveal why he was there.
• Sasuke and Gaara exchanged evenly matched Taijutsu blows before Sasuke leapt back and used the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.

Sasuke lost to Gaara and the Sand Eagle, then asked to join the Ninjutsu Sect Office to gain power. Uesugi Shinji heard his request but asked what Sasuke could offer the organization.

• Sasuke trapped Gaara with wire, but the Sand Eagle broke the wires and helped Gaara bury Sasuke in a sand pit.
• Sasuke admitted he wanted to join the Ninjutsu Sect Office, and Gaara agreed to bring his request to the General.
• Gaara brought Sasuke to the General's Mansion the next day, where Sasuke explained his reasons and bowed before Uesugi Shinji.
• Uesugi Shinji considered Sasuke's history with Orochimaru and asked what Sasuke could do for the Ninjutsu Sect Office.