Recaps

Uzumaki Kuming led his squad into the Land of Earth to disrupt Iwagakure’s supplies and communications as Konoha and Sunagakure launched a joint invasion. The invaders established connected bases, and their first clash with Iwagakure’s reinforcements ended in failure for Iwagakure.

• After hearing that Konoha and Sunagakure had begun moving, Uzumaki Kuming ordered his squad to cross into the Land of Earth and target supply convoys and messengers rather than attack Iwagakure directly.
• Konoha and Sunagakure broke through the lightly guarded border, allowing Uzumaki Kuming’s squad to slip into the Land of Earth under cover of night.
• Ōnoki received news of the invasion, ordered Iwagakure’s available shinobi to mobilize, and rushed to organize a response.
• Sunagakure shinobi slaughtered residents in several villages and turned them into bases, while Konoha established bases after killing only the shinobi.
• Konoha and Sunagakure connected their bases into a network, and Iwagakure’s first attempt to drive them out failed; Ōnoki then learned that the invaders were building bases in the Land of Earth.

After Konoha and Sunagakure invaded the Land of Earth, Roshi and Han struck their outposts and inflicted heavy losses. Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Uzumaki Kuming commander of the Surprise Attack Force, and Kuming redirected his squad to confront the assault.

• Orochimaru received word that Uzumaki Kuming’s plan had sent the Surprise Attack Force into the Land of Earth, and he began pressing the Stone Ninja on the Land of Rain front.
• Roshi and Han arrived with a large Stone Ninja force and destroyed Sunagakure and Konoha outposts, steadying Stone Ninja morale and killing or wounding more than two hundred Konoha shinobi.
• Sunagakure sent Rasa to the Land of Earth as the outpost attacks spread across the battlefield.
• After Kuming’s squad ambushed a Stone Ninja supply convoy, Hatake Sakumo delivered Hiruzen Sarutobi’s order appointing Kuming commander of the Surprise Attack Force.
• Kuming told Sakumo that Han was too powerful for the outpost forces and ordered the squad to change direction.

Uzumaki Kuming arrived at Konoha’s besieged stronghold in the Land of Earth and took command of its forces by order of the Third Hokage. The chapter ended with the Konoha ninja still skeptical of their young new commander as the Stone Ninja pressed their attack.

• Ōnoki ordered Roshi to join Han’s unit and strike Konoha’s strongholds after Rasa helped Sunagakure hold off the Stone Ninja.
• At Konoha’s main stronghold, Sarutobi Kotaro argued with Shin Hyuga about retreating as the Stone Ninja attack intensified.
• Aburame Shikuroo prepared to order a withdrawal, but a messenger announced that six Anbu had arrived with orders from the Third Hokage.
• Uzumaki Kuming entered the command tent, revealed his identity, and announced that he would lead all Konoha forces in the Land of Earth.
• Hatake Sakumo and the Hyuga ninja revealed themselves, confirming the newcomers’ identities, while Fukuyama and Sarutobi Kotaro questioned Kuming’s appointment.

Uzumaki Kuming asserted his authority over Konoha’s forces in the Land of Earth and decided to gather them in a fortified village to face Iwagakure’s counterattack. He left the troops preparing defenses and planned to coordinate with Sunagakure.

• Sarutobi Kotaro challenged Kuming’s authority, and Hatake Sakumo tried to smooth over the confrontation.
• Another ninja openly rejected Kuming’s command, so Kuming ordered Uchiha Fugaku to take over the man’s unit; Fugaku subdued him with genjutsu, and Kuming had him arrested for ten days.
• Kuming ordered the Konoha ninja in the Land of Earth to gather at the village, assigned Hatake Sakumo to oversee its expansion, and directed Earth Release users to build defenses.
• Aburame Shikuroo warned Kuming that the Stone Ninja were too powerful to face, but Kuming displayed his chakra and appointed Shikuroo as his secretary.
• Kuming and Sakumo decided to concentrate their forces and prepare for Iwagakure’s assault, while Kuming arranged to contact Sunagakure for a coordinated attack.

Uzumaki Kuming discovered that two Stone Ninja forces led by Jinchuriki were closing in on the Konoha base and decided to strike one force before they could join up. He led more than fifty Jonin in a surprise attack against Han’s force, then confronted Han directly.

• The Barrier Team detected more than a thousand Stone Ninja Chakra signatures approaching the base from the east and west, and Kuming ordered the village to prepare for battle.
• Kuming placed Hatake Sakumo in command of the base and ordered him to defend with the barrier while Kuming took every combat-squad Jonin to attack one enemy force.
• Kuming immobilized Fukuyama with a Cursed Seal after Fukuyama objected, then led the Jonin out of the base toward the Stone Ninja.
• Kuming’s force struck Han’s assembled troops with lightning, Fire Release, and attacks from above, killing and scattering Stone Ninja.
• Kuming appeared before Han and swung his blade at him, but Han used a snow-white tail to block the attack.

Kuming and the Konoha force defeated a Stone Ninja unit and captured Han by sealing off his access to Kokuō's Chakra. Kuming took most of the surviving force back to the stronghold, which was under heavy attack from Roshi.

• Kuming wounded Han with his sword and used Sage Art: Lightning Prison to kill several Stone Ninja, but Han escaped the lightning net.
• Fugaku attacked Han with his Sharingan, but Han broke free of the genjutsu and knocked Fugaku unconscious; Might Duy then struck Han with Night Phoenix and left him badly injured.
• Kuming used his speed and a strengthened Cursed Seal to cut Han off from Kokuō's Chakra and immobilize him, then knocked him unconscious and captured him.
• Kuming joined the battle with Shadow Clones, and the Konoha force routed the Stone Ninja, losing fewer than ten of its own while forty-four survivors remained.
• Kuming left Kaoru Hyuga, Hizashi, Duy, and several lightly wounded Ninja to tend the injured, then led thirty-three Ninja back to the stronghold.
• At the stronghold, Roshi's molten Chakra bombs battered the barrier until it shuddered violently.

Uzumaki Kuming returned to the outpost during the Stone Ninja assault and freed the Five-Tails from Han’s seal, unleashing Kokuō among the Stone Ninja. He watched from a nearby peak and left the beast to confront them, promising to return for it later.

• Hatake Sakumo prepared the outpost’s defenders as Roshi’s lava attacks broke the barrier, and the Konoha ninja used a Water Formation Wall to block the magma.
• Roshi transformed and began gathering Chakra for a Tailed Beast Bomb, but Uzumaki Kuming struck him and redirected the attack into the Stone Ninja ranks.
• Uzumaki Kuming returned with Han bound in Chakra chains, while Hatake Sakumo followed Kuming’s order to keep the outpost’s ninja from going outside.
• Uzumaki Kuming broke the seal on Han’s abdomen, and the Five-Tails, Kokuō, emerged as the Stone Ninja backed away.
• Uzumaki Kuming watched Kokuō from a stone peak and told the Stone Ninja not to hurt it because he would return to collect it.

Uzumaki Kuming disrupted the Stone Ninjas’ efforts to subdue the Five-Tails, while Roshi coordinated a series of Earth Style techniques that trapped and immobilized Kokuō. Roshi then confronted Kuming, and the two faced off as Roshi transformed into a more powerful form.

• Kokuō awakened, targeted Uzumaki Kuming with a Tailed Beast Bomb, and flooded the battlefield with water while fighting off the Stone Ninjas’ attempt to bind it.
• Uzumaki Kuming electrified the flood, injuring Kokuō and the Stone Ninjas, and Kokuō’s rampage caused heavy casualties.
• Roshi rallied the surviving Stone Ninjas, who used Iron Prison and Earth Pit Core to trap Kokuō underground; Roshi struck it back into the pit with a Tailed Beast Bomb.
• The Stone Ninjas pinned Kokuō with Rock Prison Pillars, but Uzumaki Kuming destroyed the sealing boulder with a Lightning Arrow and planned to keep Roshi away until their Chakra ran low.
• Roshi attacked Uzumaki Kuming, who blocked the blow with the Heavenly Feather Blade; Roshi then transformed into a one-tailed form surrounded by Magma Armor.

Uzumaki Kuming attacked Roshi while diverting his Lightning Arrows toward the Stone Ninja suppressing Five-Tails Kokuō. After entering Sage Mode, Kuming clashed with Roshi at close range, and both recognized the other as a formidable opponent.

• Uzumaki Kuming surrounded Roshi with Shadow Clones and fired Lightning Arrows at the Stone Ninja forces, battering their defensive wall.
• Roshi expanded a field of lava and charged through the Shadow Clones, forcing Kuming to retreat and assess his scorching body.
• Uzumaki Kuming used the Reverse Summoning Technique and entered Sage Mode as Roshi rushed to attack him.
• Roshi’s tail deflected Kuming’s blade thrust, but Kuming blocked Roshi’s counterattack with his Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• Uzumaki Kuming cut through a lava clone of Roshi while Roshi’s lava attack struck the chains, and Roshi rose from a river of lava to face him again.

Uzumaki Kuming fought Roshi through Roshi’s lava attacks, revealed his Nine-Tails Chakra, and gained the upper hand in their close combat. As Konoha’s troops prepared to support him, Kuming summoned a massive thunder dragon and named his next attack Heavenly Execution.

• Roshi surrounded Kuming with lava and struck him with a barrage of molten rock, burning him through his defenses.
• Kuming drew on the Nine-Tails Chakra, revealed his identity as Konoha’s Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and quickly healed his burns.
• Kuming and Roshi clashed across the battlefield, with Kuming overpowering Roshi in close combat.
• Hatake Sakumo ordered Hizashi Hyuga to prepare the troops to support Kuming, despite Aburame Shikuroo’s reminder to hold the outpost.
• Kuming pointed the Heavenly Feather Blade toward the sky and summoned a massive thunder dragon as Roshi looked on.

Uzumaki Jiuming’s Heavenly Execution nearly killed Roshi, but the resulting destruction let the Five-Tails Kokuō escape and sent the Stone Ninja into retreat. Jiuming pursued Roshi’s rescuers, and Hatake Sakumo followed north with Konoha’s troops.

• Hatake Sakumo rushed toward the battlefield as Uzumaki Jiuming’s Thunder Dragon struck Roshi and created a massive explosion.
• The blast and Kokuō’s rampage broke the Stone Ninja’s containment, and the Five-Tails escaped as its guards fled.
• Four Stone Ninja found Roshi near the crater and retreated with him rather than attack the exhausted Jiuming.
• Jiuming activated his Yin Seal and chased Roshi’s rescuers, but Roshi suddenly attacked him with a beastlike tail and the Stone Ninja escaped farther.
• Jiuming resumed the pursuit while Hatake Sakumo arrived with Konoha’s troops and followed Hizashi’s directions north.

Uzumaki Kuming returned to the Konoha base after pursuing the Stone Ninja, while Ōnoki mobilized to recover the Five-Tails and respond to Konoha’s attack. At a meeting, Kuming weighed whether to press into the Land of Earth or withdraw, but shortages and Kirigakure’s attack on Sunagakure disrupted his plans.

• Uzumaki Kuming defeated five Stone Ninja interceptors, then led Hatake Sakumo and the Konoha reinforcements back to their base when more Stone Ninja approached.
• Ōnoki learned that Han had been killed, the Five-Tails had escaped, and Roshi had been gravely wounded, so he ordered reinforcements and prepared the village for battle.
• Aburame Shikuroo urged Kuming to continue attacking, while Hatake Sakumo advised withdrawing before the Stone Ninja could gather a stronger force.
• Fukuyama reported that Konoha could not spare medical supplies, and Kuming ordered the seriously wounded sent back to the village.
• Kuming learned that Kirigakure had attacked the Land of Wind border and that Sunagakure was withdrawing, forcing the joint advance into the Land of Earth to end.

Uzumaki Kuming reorganized Konoha’s forces after Kirigakure’s attack disrupted his plans, then used retreats and guerrilla tactics to evade Ōnoki’s pursuit in the Land of Earth. The chapter ended with Kuming repeatedly resuming operations whenever Ōnoki left the front, frustrating Iwagakure’s attempts to find him.

• Kuming ordered noncombat personnel to withdraw, established plans for a rear base, and requested reinforcements as Konoha prepared for a third front.
• Kuming visited the badly injured Uchiha Fugaku, told him Han was dead, and arranged for him to return to the village to recover.
• After learning that Ōnoki was approaching with three thousand men, Kuming planted Explosive Tags beneath the base and retreated into the Land of Wind.
• Ōnoki’s scouts triggered Konoha’s traps, and he later left two thousand ninja in the Land of Earth while returning to Iwagakure with the rest.
• Kuming’s forces returned to the Land of Earth and retook their base, then withdrew again when Ōnoki arrived to intercept them.
• Kuming resumed operations each time Ōnoki left, using guerrilla tactics that repeatedly frustrated the Tsuchikage.

Uzumaki Kuming’s depleted force struggled against Roshi’s Stone Ninja, while Konoha faced urgent calls for reinforcements on every front. Hiruzen Sarutobi redeployed the troops guarding against the Land of Water, leaving Konoha with no reserves and the prospect of sending Genin to war.

• After Roshi took command of five thousand Stone Ninja, Uzumaki Kuming’s force suffered heavy losses and retreated.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi received Kuming’s request for reinforcements and learned that Jiraiya’s troops were being pushed back by the Cloud Ninja.
• Hiruzen refused to withdraw Kuming’s force because it kept five thousand Stone Ninja tied down away from Orochimaru’s front.
• Hiruzen learned that Orochimaru was advancing toward the Land of Earth border but needed reinforcements amid heavy casualties.
• Hiruzen ordered the troops guarding against the Land of Water to reinforce Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Kuming, and warned that Konoha might have to send Genin to the front.

One year later, Kuming led Konoha’s outpost forces in the Land of Wind as the war against the Stone Ninja intensified and Konoha struggled with dwindling manpower. After rejecting inexperienced Genin reinforcements, he sent a sealed scroll containing a jutsu and the Sword of the Thunder God as a gift for Fugaku’s newborn son.

• Kuming’s forces withdrew into the Land of Wind and avoided major clashes with Kitsuchi and Roshi’s larger Stone Ninja army while targeting enemy supply lines and gathering intelligence.
• Konoha’s fronts suffered heavy losses, Minato earned the title Yellow Flash of Konoha, and Third Hokage ordered shinobi aged fourteen and older to the front.
• Kuming rejected five hundred newly graduated Genin, saying they would weaken his elite force rather than help its behind-the-lines mission.
• Hizashi told Kuming that Mikoto had given birth to Fugaku’s son, and Kuming decided to send the child a gift.
• Kuming sealed a jutsu and the Sword of the Thunder God in a scroll and gave it to Hizashi to deliver to Fugaku.

Minato Namikaze led Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara on a secret supply mission from the Land of Rain toward a Konoha outpost in the Land of Wind. After a Stone Ninja scout discovered their tracks, Minato killed him and hurried the squad onward, suspecting elite enemy forces were nearby.

• Minato Namikaze told Obito Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, and Rin Nohara that they were crossing the Land of Birds to deliver supplies to a secret Konoha outpost in the Land of Wind.
• Kakashi Hatake explained that the outpost's location was restricted knowledge and fell silent when Minato mentioned his father, Hatake Sakumo.
• Minato led the squad into the Land of Birds and had them erase their tracks, but Obito and Rin left traces that Stone Ninja scouts found.
• Minato killed a Stone Ninja scout who had approached the squad undetected, then ordered everyone to move because their position had been discovered.
• Minato suspected the scout belonged to an elite Stone Ninja unit and hurried the squad through the area under cover of night.

Minato Namikaze’s team was attacked by a Stone Ninja while resting, but the attacker escaped Obito Uchiha’s fireball and remained hidden. As Stone forces led by Roshi and Kitsuchi moved to intercept Minato, Uzumaki Kuming realized the danger and led reinforcements toward him.

• Minato stopped the team so Rin Nohara could rest and left Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha to guard her while he set traps.
• A Stone Ninja emerged from the ground and attacked Kakashi, who dodged the Kunai and fought back before being knocked away.
• Obito hit the attacker’s position with a Great Fireball, but Kakashi suspected the Stone Ninja had escaped; Minato arrived and concealed his suspicion that they were still being watched.
• Minato kept watch through the night and had already sent a message to the outpost in the Land of Wind.
• Roshi and Kitsuchi led a large Stone force toward Minato after learning he was in the Land of Birds with only three young companions.
• Uzumaki Kuming learned that Roshi and Kitsuchi had mobilized, then led a large force from the outpost to support Minato.

Minato Namikaze and his team were ambushed by Roshi and nearly fifty Stone Ninja. Minato fought using the Flying Thunder God Technique, but Roshi turned his lava attack on Minato’s students to force him to protect them.

• Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport five enormous lava fireballs away from his team.
• Minato told Kakashi and Obito to get Rin and escape, but Roshi and the Stone Ninja surrounded them.
• Minato attacked with a swarm of Kunai, broke through the Stone Ninja’s stone wall, and killed a Jonin with a feint followed by a Rasengan.
• Roshi unleashed the Scorching River Rock Technique at Obito, Kakashi, and Rin while declaring that Minato would die.

Minato Namikaze struggled to protect Kakashi, Obito, and Rin from Roshi and Kitsuchi, who used their techniques to counter his speed. Just as Kakashi was in danger, Uzumaki Kuming arrived and turned the battle around, though Kakashi did not recognize him.

• Roshi attacked Kakashi, Obito, and Rin with lava and molten fireballs while Kitsuchi boosted his speed with the Light-Weight Rock Technique.
• Minato Namikaze escaped Roshi’s counterattack with Flying Thunder God, but Roshi and Kitsuchi identified a brief opening after Minato appeared.
• Minato tried to retreat with Kakashi, Obito, and Rin, but Roshi rushed them and forced Minato to block a powerful punch.
• Kakashi charged Roshi with Chidori, but Kitsuchi intercepted him and kicked him in the chest.
• Uzumaki Kuming arrived, sent Kitsuchi flying, and drove Roshi back with a Lightning Arrow.
• Obito Uchiha recognized Uzumaki Kuming as the man who had knocked him out and impersonated Minato-sensei.

Uzumaki Jiuming rescued Minato Namikaze and his team, then pursued Roshi and captured some of the Stone Ninja who stayed behind. Roshi escaped to a Stone Ninja outpost and began gathering forces to trap Jiuming in the Land of Birds.

• Uzumaki Jiuming arrived with Konoha reinforcements, struck Kitsuchi, and forced Roshi to retreat with the remaining Stone Ninja.
• Minato Namikaze rested with Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and Obito Uchiha, who recounted how Jiuming had knocked him out years earlier.
• Roshi left Kitsuchi and fled with his main force while a middle-aged Stone Ninja and more than twenty others stayed behind to delay Jiuming.
• Jiuming ordered Shikuroo and the Konoha shinobi to capture the Stone Ninja alive, and ten were taken prisoner after the battle.
• Jiuming sealed the prisoners' movements and Chakra, regrouped with Minato's team, and headed for the Land of Wind.
• Roshi reached a Stone Ninja outpost and summoned forces to trap Jiuming and his unit in the Land of Birds.

Uzumaki Kuming explained that Roshi, Iwagakure’s Four-Tails Jinchuriki, and Kitsuchi had escaped and would likely gather their forces. With Minato’s Flying Thunder God Technique, Kuming planned to isolate Roshi and capture the Four-Tails, leaving the squad preparing for battle.

• Uzumaki Kuming told Minato that Kitsuchi and Roshi had led the Iwa Ninja ambush, and that his squad had failed to catch them.
• Minato explained Tailed Beasts and Jinchuriki to Obito and Rin, and Kuming revealed that he was Konoha’s Jinchuriki.
• Uzumaki Kuming said Roshi and Kitsuchi would likely surround them, then revealed his plan to hunt the Four-Tails using a sealing container.
• Uzumaki Kuming asked Minato to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport him and Roshi to a battlefield of his choosing once the armies engaged.
• Hizashi Hyuga reported that the Barrier Team and outpost forces were on their way, and Kuming requisitioned Minato while telling Obito, Rin, and Kakashi to rest and prepare.

Minato Namikaze led a surprise attack on Roshi and the Stone Ninja, using Flying Thunder God to outmaneuver Roshi’s partial Tailed Beast Transformation. Minato marked Roshi with the Flying Thunder God formula and teleported him away, then Konoha’s forces withdrew.

• Roshi led the Stone Ninja through the forest while his scouts failed to find Uzumaki Kuming and the other Konoha ninja.
• Minato ambushed the Stone Ninja with marked kunai, Explosive Tags, and combined ninjutsu, then attacked Roshi directly.
• Roshi transformed and fought Minato with lava techniques and a Tailed Beast Bomb, which Minato transferred away at great cost to his chakra.
• Minato struck Roshi with a Rasengan and marked his abdomen with the Flying Thunder God formula.
• Minato teleported Roshi away, and the Konoha ninja retreated from the battlefield.

Uzumaki Kuming trapped Roshi inside a Four Red Yang Formation and tried to seal the Four-Tails after it took control of Roshi’s body. With the beast restrained but resisting fiercely, Kuming brought out a container to seal it in.

• Minato Namikaze transported Roshi to Uzumaki Kuming’s desert trap, where Konoha’s Barrier Team and Minato maintained the Four Red Yang Formation.
• Uzumaki Kuming activated a Four-Limb Heavy Seal beneath Roshi, but Roshi transformed fully into the Four-Tails.
• The Four-Tails took control of Roshi’s body, and Uzumaki Kuming restrained it with Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• Uzumaki Kuming released his Yin Seal to strengthen his restraints and hold the Four-Tails in place.
• Uzumaki Kuming produced a container for the Four-Tails, which struggled hard enough to weaken the sealing markings with molten rock.

Uzumaki Kuming tried to seal the Four-Tails, but Zetsu’s ambush broke the barrier and forced him to confront impostors while conserving his Chakra. Minato arrived to hold off White Zetsu as Black Zetsu pursued Kuming, and the chapter ended with White Zetsu copying Kuming’s appearance and Lightning Armor.

• The Four-Tails damaged the Four-Limb Heavy Seal and launched a Tailed Beast Bomb, but Uzumaki Kuming deflected it with an Adamantine Sealing Chain.
• Zetsu attacked Kuming’s Shadow Clone, breaking the Four Red Yang Formation, and Minato rushed into the barrier to find Kuming.
• Kuming recognized Zetsu, hesitated to seal the Four-Tails, and cut down a White Zetsu impersonating Minato.
• Black Zetsu attacked Kuming and drained his Chakra, but Minato arrived by Flying Thunder God and Kuming sent him to deal with the enemy while he moved to seal the beast.
• Black Zetsu pursued Kuming as White Zetsu split apart, with one copy transforming into Kuming and reproducing his Lightning Armor, shocking Minato.

Uzumaki Kuming and Minato Namikaze fought Black Zetsu and a White Zetsu disguised as Kuming while trying to capture the Four-Tails. Konoha reinforcements arrived, allowing Kuming to help seal the beast as Black and White Zetsu retreated.

• White Zetsu copied Kuming's appearance and Lightning Armor to keep Minato occupied while Black Zetsu attacked Kuming.
• Black Zetsu clung to Kuming, drained his Chakra, and prevented him from forming Hand Seals, so Kuming sent his Adamantine Sealing Chains to strike the disguised White Zetsu and drive Black Zetsu underground.
• The freed Four-Tails fired a Tailed Beast Bomb at Kuming, but Minato teleported it away with the Flying Thunder God Technique and collapsed from the effort.
• Konoha reinforcements disrupted the Four-Tails' next attack and formed a barrier around it, prompting Black and White Zetsu to retreat underground.
• Kuming helped the Barrier Team seal the Four-Tails, and the Konoha shinobi celebrated their capture.