Recaps

Uzumaki Kuming confronted Shimura Danzō and uncovered a Root shinobi’s genjutsu before surviving an explosive trap. He rescued Konan from Hanzo of the Salamander, but Hanzo escaped Kuming’s attack and filled the battlefield with poison mist.

• Uzumaki Kuming struck at Shimura Danzō, then realized the apparent hit was an illusion cast by a Root Anbu shinobi.
• A Root Anbu shinobi detonated Explosive Tags beneath Kuming, but Kuming survived inside his Purple Lightning Armor.
• Kuming fired Lightning Arrows at Hanzo of the Salamander, diverted them around Konan, and caught her as Hanzo pushed her aside.
• Kuming pursued Hanzo through the smoke, but Hanzo escaped the attack and released Poison Mist that forced Kuming back.

Uzumaki Kuming overwhelmed Hanzo of the Salamander’s forces with two massive Lightning Style techniques, then joined Uchiha Fugaku to defeat Hanzo. The chapter ended with Hanzo dying peacefully under Fugaku’s illusion, while Kuming and Fugaku wondered what he had seen.

• Hanzo of the Salamander offered to spare Uzumaki Kuming if he withdrew, while the Rain Ninja attacked Akatsuki and overwhelmed its weaker members.
• Uzumaki Kuming unleashed Lightning Prison and Lightning Arrow, incapacitating and killing most of the Rain Ninja forces.
• Hanzo searched for Shimura Danzō, but Kuming revealed that Danzō had fled with his men when the battle began.
• Uzumaki Kuming dodged Salamander Ibuse’s Poison Mist and attacked Hanzo with a blade of energy as Uchiha Fugaku struck from above with Fire Release.
• Fugaku trapped Hanzo in Mirror Flower, Water Moon, and Kuming’s slash mortally wounded him before Fugaku’s fireball could hit.
• Hanzo died with a peaceful smile, and Kuming asked Fugaku what the illusion had shown him.

After Kuming and Fugaku killed Hanzo, Kuming urged Yahiko to seize leadership of the Land of Rain so he could pursue peace. Kuming’s group returned to Konoha’s front-line headquarters, where Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo greeted them.

• Fugaku signaled the Uchiha ambush, and they captured or killed fleeing Rain Ninja after Hanzo fell.
• Kuming told Yahiko that Akatsuki needed more power and urged him to become the new leader of the Land of Rain.
• Yahiko decided to pursue leadership and asked Nagato and Konan to help him, while a hidden figure sank into the ground nearby.
• Fugaku worried that killing Hanzo might have violated the Third Hokage’s plans, but Kuming argued that Hanzo’s death could benefit Konoha.
• Kuming and Fugaku traveled with ten Uchiha to Konoha’s front-line headquarters and were welcomed by Orochimaru and Shimura Danzo.

Uzumaki Jiuming arrived at Konoha’s front-line camp in the Land of Rain and met with Orochimaru and Danzo before a meeting about peace talks. Orochimaru introduced Jiuming as the leader of the negotiations, and Jiuming stood to address the assembled shinobi.

• Uzumaki Jiuming greeted Orochimaru and Danzo at the camp, concealing his hostility toward Danzo.
• Orochimaru gathered the senior officers to plan the peace talks and asked Jiuming how he had killed Hanzo of the Salamander.
• Jiuming said he had eliminated Hanzo to make way for Akatsuki to lead the Land of Rain, while hiding his true motives and Fugaku’s role in the battle.
• Jiuming downplayed his use of the Nine-Tails’ power and kept Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan secret.
• Orochimaru introduced Jiuming as the leader of the peace talks, and Jiuming stood to speak to the gathered shinobi.

Uzumaki Kuming revealed that Stone Ninja had ambushed him and argued that Konoha should proceed with peace talks while remaining on guard. The talks began at the Stone Ninja camp, where Ōnoki insulted Konoha’s young envoy, Shikaichi Nara.

• Kuming told the Konoha conference that Stone Ninja had ambushed his team, prompting suspicion of a spy among the gathered ninjas.
• Kuming urged Konoha to hold peace talks cautiously, proposed that Ōnoki attend in person, and demanded compensation in money and jutsu for the Tailed Beast.
• Orochimaru arranged the negotiations and shifted Konoha’s front-line defenses from an offensive posture to a defensive one.
• Kitsuchi informed Ōnoki that Konoha’s envoy had arrived, and Ōnoki went to the conference room to meet him.
• Shikaichi introduced himself as Konoha’s lead negotiator, and Ōnoki sneered that Konoha had insulted him by sending a young nobody.

Shikaichi Nara negotiated with Ōnoki over peace, but their demands clashed and the meeting ended without an agreement. Ōnoki then planned to keep peace talks going as a ruse while moving Stone Ninja forces to attack the Cloud Ninja in the Land of Frost.

• Shikaichi Nara told Ōnoki that Orochimaru and Uzumaki Kuming could represent Konoha in signing a peace treaty, and Ōnoki agreed to hear the terms.
• Ōnoki demanded the return of the Tailed Beast, Konoha’s withdrawal from the Land of Rain and the Land of Earth, and compensation for Stone Ninja losses.
• Shikaichi said Konoha wanted the Stone Ninja to offer money and ninjutsu for the Tailed Beast, and that Konoha would keep fighting if they refused.
• Ōnoki ended the meeting, then told Houtu that Konoha’s younger generation was stronger than he had assumed.
• Ōnoki ordered Houtu to continue peace talks without his name and spread misleading reports about the failed assassination and the meeting.
• Ōnoki ordered Stone Ninja troops to cross into the Land of Frost and launch a surprise attack on the Cloud Ninja.

Konoha and the Stone Ninja secretly finalized their peace agreement while the Cloud Ninja prepared a major assault on the Land of Fire. Jiraiya’s forces were driven back by the Cloud Ninja, and he learned the Surprise Attack Force had suffered heavy losses.

• Ōnoki and other Stone Ninja officials arrived secretly at Konoha’s base to negotiate the peace agreement with Uzumaki Kuming, Danzō, Orochimaru, and Shikaichi Nara.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi hoped the peace talks would go smoothly, unaware that an elite Cloud Ninja force was approaching Konoha.
• A and Killer B led a thousand Cloud Ninja toward the border, planning to infiltrate the Land of Fire and strike Konoha alongside the Mist Ninja.
• Jiraiya’s smaller force was forced to retreat after the Cloud Ninja flooded the battlefield and attacked with Lightning Release, leaving more than a dozen Konoha Ninja dead.
• A messenger told Jiraiya that Tsunade had ordered him back to camp because the Surprise Attack Force had suffered heavy losses and medical supplies were running low.

After the Surprise Attack Force suffered heavy losses fighting an invading Cloud Ninja force deep in the Land of Fire, Jiraiya learned the enemy might be heading for Konoha and ordered an urgent response. Meanwhile, Uzumaki Kuming and his companions raced toward the Land of Lightning battlefield, unaware the Cloud Ninja had already crossed their path.

• Jiraiya returned to camp and found the Surprise Attack Force’s wounded overwhelming the medical area.
• A surviving ninja reported that a Cloud Ninja force of at least eight hundred had wiped out a company and routed the Surprise Attack Force near Yanliu Village.
• The survivor identified the enemy leaders as a muscular man and a white-haired boy who used Double Lariat, and warned that they seemed to be heading for Konoha.
• Jiraiya ordered Sakumo to intercept the Cloud Ninja, transferred command of the Surprise Attack Force to Minato Namikaze, and sent warnings to Minato and the Hokage.
• Jiraiya counted just over a hundred assembled members of the once five-hundred-strong force, then began reorganizing Konoha’s border units.
• Uzumaki Kuming, Uchiha Fugaku, and their companions hurried toward the Land of Lightning battlefield after signing a peace treaty with the Stone Ninja.

Konoha forces caught up with A and Killer B’s Cloud Ninja in the forest, and Minato Namikaze set the trees ablaze to force them out. As A and Killer B attacked Hatake Sakumo, Uzumaki Kuming arrived and knocked A away, leaving Killer B to identify him.

• Killer B ambushed and fought the three-man squad tailing the Cloud Ninja, and the explosion alerted Konoha forces nearby.
• Uzumaki Kuming and Fugaku headed toward the battle, while Hatake Sakumo and Minato Namikaze hurried their forces toward the Cloud Ninja.
• A ordered the Cloud Ninja to hide and prepare for an attack as Konoha’s forces closed in.
• Minato’s men used Fire Style and Wind Style techniques to set the forest ablaze and drive the Cloud Ninja out.
• A and Killer B attacked Minato and Hatake Sakumo, but Minato evaded A’s strike and Sakumo was left facing both attackers.
• Uzumaki Kuming arrived in a burst of purple lightning, deflected Killer B’s blades, and punched A away; Killer B recognized him from Konoha’s intelligence reports.

Uzumaki Kuming joined Hatake Sakumo and Minato Namikaze against A and Killer B, overwhelming the Cloud Ninja with his speed and power. As the Konoha fighters gained the upper hand, the Heavenly Transfer Technique brought the Third Raikage onto the battlefield.

• Kuming attacked the Cloud Ninja formation, and Hatake Sakumo and Minato Namikaze led Konoha’s forces into battle.
• Kuming blinded A with Lightning Style: Lightning Pillar, but Killer B used his sunglasses to attack Kuming with multiple blades.
• Kuming shattered the ground to disrupt Killer B’s assault, while Minato and Sakumo joined him against A and Killer B.
• A ordered his subordinates to activate the Heavenly Transfer Technique and summon the Third Raikage.
• Kuming, Minato, and Sakumo forced A and Killer B onto the defensive before the Third Raikage appeared in a pillar of light.

Uzumaki Kuming fought the Third Raikage alongside Hatake Sakumo and Minato Namikaze, then drew on his stored Nine-Tails Chakra to overcome the Raikage’s defense. After his Sage Mode briefly went out of control, Kuming stabilized himself and attacked the Cloud Ninja, leaving the Third Raikage wounded and wary.

• Hatake Sakumo and Minato Namikaze tried to protect Kuming from the Third Raikage, but Sakumo’s attacks failed to penetrate the Raikage’s Lightning Armor.
• Kuming clashed with the Third Raikage and wounded his fingers with the Heavenly Feather Blade, while A struck Kuming and sent him crashing into the ground.
• Kuming drew on his stored Nine-Tails Chakra and entered Sage Mode, but Natural Energy overwhelmed him and began transforming him into a toad.
• Kuming released the Yin Seal to restore balance, then used a vast Lightning Release attack to strike down many Cloud Ninja.
• The Third Raikage charged Kuming, who slashed him across the chest and sent him flying; the Raikage withdrew with a wound and watched Kuming warily.

Uzumaki Kuming and Uchiha Fugaku forced the Third Raikage and the Cloud Ninja to retreat, but their five-day pursuit ended when the enemy escaped by sea. As Konoha regrouped, news arrived that Team Kakashi was trapped in a battle against the Mist Ninja, and Minato teleported to support them.

• Kuming and Fugaku worked together to wound the Third Raikage and make him wary of continuing the fight, so he ordered the Cloud Ninja to withdraw.
• Kuming, Minato, and Hatake Sakumo led Konoha’s troops in pursuit, but the Cloud Ninja escaped by ship after crossing the Land of Fire.
• Kuming explained Fugaku’s role in the Raikage’s retreat while withholding details about Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan ability.
• After five days, the pursuit team reached the coast and accepted that the Cloud Ninja had escaped by way of the Land of Waves.
• An Anbu reported that Team Kakashi and more than ten others were trapped in a town south of the Land of Whirlpools, so Minato teleported to their aid and left Kuming in command of the troops.

Minato found the abandoned village where Kakashi and his companions had fought, but he could only follow their tracks as Jiuming and Fugaku left to search for them. Kakashi and Obito fled through the Land of Whirlpools carrying Rin, while grieving the fourteen comrades who had stayed behind to protect their escape, and Rin began to wake.

• Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach his kunai, found it in an abandoned village, and followed the tracks left by Kakashi and the others.
• Jiuming ordered Fugaku to contact the border guards and send an advance unit into the Land of Whirlpools, then set out with Fugaku and several Jonin when Minato failed to return.
• Kakashi and Obito escaped the Mist Ninja camp with Rin after their patrol captain and fourteen Konoha Ninja stayed behind to hold off the enemy.
• Kakashi told Obito that the captain and the others had not caught up after nearly a day, and Obito agreed not to tell Rin what had happened.
• Rin opened her eyes on Obito's back and asked where she was.

Rin woke to discover that the Mist Ninja had sealed the Three-Tails inside her and planned to unleash it against Konoha. She begged Kakashi to kill her rather than risk her comrades’ lives, but Kakashi chose to seek help from Minato-sensei; their discussion was interrupted by an enemy attack.

• Rin woke, saw the seal on her body, and collapsed after realizing the Mist Ninja had truly made her a Jinchuriki.
• Kakashi and Obito took Rin to a stream, where she woke again and asked Kakashi to kill her.
• Rin explained that the Mist Ninja intended to release the Three-Tails in Konoha and that she feared harming her comrades.
• Kakashi examined Rin’s Fuinjutsu and warned that the Mist Ninja might release the Three-Tails before Minato-sensei could undo it.
• Obito defended Rin, and Kakashi said he would head toward the village and seek help from Minato-sensei.
• A Kunai flew at Kakashi from the forest, and he told Obito to get Rin away as enemy ninjas approached.

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin were surrounded by Mist Ninja Anbu, and Obito used his Sharingan to help them fight their way through. After suffering severe wounds, Obito shielded Kakashi from a bone blade, giving Kakashi the chance to counterattack as Obito lost consciousness.

• Obito recognized that twenty-four masked Mist Ninja Anbu had surrounded them and helped Kakashi and Rin prepare to break through.
• Obito spotted a Mist Ninja attacking Kakashi through the fog and killed him before the three moved out together.
• A bone-bullet attack wounded Obito, and a Mist Ninja then pierced his chest with a bone spike as Kakashi countered with Chidori.
• When another Mist Ninja attacked Kakashi, Obito threw himself in front of him and took a bone blade through his right chest.
• Obito held the blade in place so Kakashi could attack the Mist Ninja, then began to lose consciousness.

Minato Namikaze rescued Kakashi, Rin, and the badly wounded Obito from the Mist Ninja and teleported them back to camp. The Mist Ninja returned to the forest and planned to locate Obito before releasing the Tailed Beast.

• The Mist Ninja’s bone technique deflected Kakashi’s attack, while Rin failed to heal Obito and tried to bandage his wounds.
• Kaguya Kei overwhelmed Kakashi with Shikotsumyaku, broke his blade, and brought him down with bone bullets.
• Minato Namikaze arrived, struck Kaguya Kei with a Rasengan, and forced the Mist Ninja to retreat.
• Minato found Obito badly injured, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Obito, Rin, and Kakashi back to camp.
• The Mist Ninja returned and decided to track Obito before releasing the Tailed Beast.

Uzumaki Kuming returned as the Three-Tails took control of Rin Nohara and Minato Namikaze struggled to stop the beast from breaking free. Kuming restrained Rin and began using the Phantom Nine Dragon Seal, leaving her suspended as the Tailed Beast Chakra gathered in her abdomen.

• Rin transformed under the Three-Tails' control and attacked Minato, who used the Flying Thunder God and Four Symbols Seal to halt her transformation.
• Rin collapsed in pain as purple Lightning Marks destroyed the Cursed Seal on her heart and the seals on her body, causing the Tailed Beast Chakra to spill out again.
• Kuming arrived, explained that his Cursed Seal was destroying the other seals, and bound Rin with Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi reached Minato and watched as Kuming prepared to seal the Three-Tails inside Rin.
• Kuming began the Phantom Nine Dragon Seal, lifting Rin into the air as her Tailed Beast Chakra flowed toward her abdomen.

Minato brought Rin back to camp, learned that the Mist Ninja had sealed the Three-Tails inside her, and went to inspect the seal while the Barrier Team prepared for a possible escape. Rin’s Tailed Beast Chakra began to surface, and the Mist Ninja decided to release the Three-Tails and advance.

• Sakumo welcomed Minato, Kakashi, Rin, and the gravely wounded Obito back to camp, and the Medical Corps began treating Obito.
• Kakashi revealed that the Three-Tails was sealed inside Rin, prompting Minato to prepare a barrier and investigate the Mist Ninja’s seal.
• Minato took Rin to the coast with the Barrier Team and examined the seal, deciding he needed Kuming’s help to understand its Cursed Seal component.
• A surge of Chakra erupted from Rin, forming a Tailed Beast Cloak and a tail before the barrier was complete.
• The Mist Ninja detected Rin’s Chakra at the Land of Fire border, chose to release the Three-Tails, and ordered their border unit to move out.

Uzumaki Kuming completed the Three-Tails seal on Rin Nohara, then debated whether to remain on the southeastern front against the Mist Ninja. The meeting was interrupted by news that the Third Raikage had died, leaving the Cloud Ninja forces in retreat.

• Uzumaki Kuming finished sealing the Three-Tails inside Rin Nohara, and Minato Namikaze took her to recover with Kakashi.
• Uchiha Obito woke in the hospital and reunited with Kakashi, Rin, and Minato Namikaze.
• Uzumaki Kuming argued that his forces should stay on the southeastern border and help repel the Mist Ninja, while Hatake Sakumo chose to return to the northeastern border with his troops.
• An Anbu reported that the Third Raikage had died covering his troops' retreat after several days of fighting Stone Ninja in the Land of Lightning.

After the Third Raikage’s death, Uzumaki Kuming helped Konoha drive Kirigakure back and negotiate peace, allowing Konoha to withdraw from the Third Shinobi World War. At a memorial for the fallen, Shimura Danzo publicly blamed Hiruzen Sarutobi for the war’s losses and demanded that he answer for them.

• After learning the Third Raikage had died and A had become the Fourth Raikage, Uzumaki Kuming persuaded Hatake Sakumo to join the attack on the Mist Ninja while awaiting Hiruzen Sarutobi’s orders.
• Kuming sent Minato Namikaze, the wounded, Kakashi Hatake, Obito, and Rin back to Konoha, then led the main force to the Land of Whirlpools to reinforce the border troops.
• Konoha’s forces drove Kirigakure back, and the Mist Ninja abandoned the front to focus on the war against the Land of Wind.
• Hiruzen ordered Kuming to stop advancing and negotiate; Konoha and Kirigakure signed a peace treaty in mid-December without Konoha demanding compensation.
• As the Cloud Ninja and Stone Ninja continued fighting, Konoha withdrew from the war and gathered at the village cemetery to mourn its dead.
• At the memorial, Shimura Danzo accused Hiruzen of causing Konoha’s losses and demanded that he answer for them, while Uzumaki Kuming watched Orochimaru’s reaction.

At the memorial funeral, Shimura Danzō stirred public anger against Hiruzen Sarutobi, demanding that he take responsibility for Konoha’s wartime losses and step down. The confrontation ended with a Jonin Commander meeting set for the next morning, while Jiraiya gathered allies at a tavern to discuss how to support Hiruzen.

• Shimura Danzō and members of the Shimura Clan accused Hiruzen Sarutobi of sending children to war and failing to lead Konoha, drawing many funeral attendees into the denunciation.
• Jiraiya challenged the accusers, but a Shimura Clan member blamed Hiruzen for sending his ungraduated younger brother to the battlefield and claimed other leaders had contributed more to victory.
• Mitokado Homura quieted the crowd, announced that the Jonin Commander would meet in the Hokage Building the next morning, and sent the funeral attendees home.
• Clan heads and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s supporters left to consider their positions as news of the confrontation spread through Konoha and stirred anger among bereaved families.
• Tsunade stopped Hiruzen’s sons from following him, while Jiraiya brought Kuming, Tsunade, Nawaki, Orochimaru, Minato, and Kushina to a tavern to discuss helping Hiruzen at the meeting.

At a dinner gathering, Uzumaki Jiuming reassured Jiraiya that Shimura Danzo’s efforts to undermine Hiruzen Sarutobi would not succeed. Later, Hiruzen asked Jiuming to become the next Hokage, but Jiuming refused.

• Jiraiya questioned Orochimaru about whether he had known Danzo would turn against Hiruzen, and Orochimaru denied it.
• Jiraiya asked Jiuming if he wanted to be Hokage and teased him about Minato and Kushina, but Jiuming explained that Konoha’s major clans supported Hiruzen.
• After the gathering, Jiuming left Konoha alone and met Hiruzen waiting beneath a tree outside the village.
• Hiruzen walked with Jiuming toward his home and asked him to become the next Hokage.
• Jiuming remembered Naruto’s prediction that he would become the Fourth Hokage and told Hiruzen he did not want the position.

Uzumaki Kuming refused Hiruzen Sarutobi’s offer to become Hokage, saying the duties would hinder his growth and leave him unprepared for stronger enemies. At the Jonin meeting the next morning, Hiruzen announced his resignation, and the debate over his successor began with nominations for Orochimaru and Kuming.

• Uzumaki Kuming told Hiruzen Sarutobi that he wanted to become Hokage eventually, but the position’s daily responsibilities would hold back his training.
• Kuming invited Hiruzen to his home, and they spent the night talking over tea.
• Hiruzen told the Jonin that he was stepping down as Hokage because of his age and the losses Konoha had suffered in the war.
• Shimura Danzō nominated Orochimaru as the next Hokage, prompting debate among the Jonin.
• Uchiha Fugaku nominated Uzumaki Kuming, and the meeting erupted into discussion over the candidates.

At the Jonin meeting, Uzumaki Kuming won a majority of votes to succeed Hiruzen Sarutobi as Hokage despite Shimura Danzo’s objections. Konoha began preparing for Kuming’s succession ceremony, while he started the handover with Hiruzen.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi held a vote among the nominated candidates, and Orochimaru received support from about a third of those present.
• Minato Namikaze and Dan Katō received relatively few votes before the meeting voted on Uzumaki Kuming.
• The Uchiha and Hyuga clans, along with many of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s supporters, backed Uzumaki Kuming, giving him more than half the votes.
• Shimura Danzo objected to Kuming’s age and status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but Nara Lukin and Utatane Koharu defended him, and Hiruzen declared him the Fourth Hokage.
• Uzumaki Kuming thanked the meeting and urged everyone to work together, while Shimura Danzo left in anger.
• Konoha informed the Daimyo and began preparing the succession ceremony; that night, Kuming met with Hiruzen Sarutobi to begin the handover.

Uzumaki Kuming became the Fourth Hokage and began reorganizing Konoha, while Shimura Danzō and Orochimaru plotted against him. During a visit to the orphanage with his disciple Uchiha Itachi, Kuming recognized Yakushi Nonō as the Wandering Miko, prompting her to attack him.

• Uzumaki Kuming succeeded Hiruzen Sarutobi as Fourth Hokage, then restructured Konoha's police, Anbu, and mission systems.
• Shimura Danzō recruited Orochimaru to help assassinate Kuming during his planned orphanage visit, and Orochimaru agreed.
• Kuming confronted Orochimaru, appointed him director of the new Konoha Research Institute, and ordered him to stop human experiments; Orochimaru destroyed his laboratory afterward.
• Kuming went to inspect the orphanage with Uchiha Itachi and explained how war and human desires caused suffering and created orphans.
• Yakushi Nonō reacted with alarm when Kuming identified her as the Wandering Miko, drew a Kunai, and charged at him.