Chapter Summaries

Yakushi Nonō reported Danzo’s death to Sarutobi Hiruzen and defended her leadership of Root, while Sun Keiyun and Orochimaru learned of Danzo’s suicide. Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to merge Root into the Anbu under Nonō’s command and tried to bind her to his family by arranging for Sarutobi Shinnosuke to assist her.

• Yakushi Nonō gave Sarutobi Hiruzen Danzo’s letter and investigation dossier, and he read Danzo’s accusations and final endorsement of her.
• Sun Keiyun told Snake Uncle that Danzo had committed suicide, and Orochimaru reacted with disbelief before reading the dossier.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned Yakushi Nonō about Danzo’s betrayal and Root’s members, and she explained that honest leadership had won their loyalty.
• Yakushi Nonō argued that Danzo’s crimes had to be recorded despite his repentance, and Sarutobi Hiruzen reconsidered disbanding Root after learning it had 700 core members and nearly 100,000 peripheral members.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen proposed merging Root into the Anbu under Yakushi Nonō and assigned Sarutobi Shinnosuke to assist her, hoping they would become close.

Sun Keiyun rejected sacrificing Yakushi Nonō to secure Sarutobi Shinnosuke’s engagement and instead proposed matching Shinnosuke with a girl who already liked him, while considering whether he could be recruited. He then discussed the war and Cloud Leaf Society’s expansion with Nonō and Uzumaki Kagura, ending with plans for the first class of graduates to train at the new school and spread its influence across the ninja world.

• Sun Keiyun told Yakushi Nonō not to sacrifice herself or assassinate Sarutobi Shinnosuke, and suggested finding a former classmate who liked him to bring them together.
• Sun Keiyun proposed probing Shinnosuke about his views and recruiting him if he was open to joining Cloud Leaf Society.
• Yakushi Nonō reported that Minato remained stuck in a stalemate and estimated the war could last three to five years.
• Sun Keiyun ordered Nonō to expand Root and Youjian Bookstore, aiming to make the war the last before Cloud Leaf Society united the world.
• Uzumaki Kagura reported that about eight hundred top students would graduate in July, and Sun Keiyun directed her to teach the best students Chakra extraction and send the rest to communities across the ninja world.

As a flash flood unleashed by Sun Keiyun's Shadow Hunter Squad swept toward Kirigakure's camp, Mei Terumi confronted Ao and revealed plans to exploit the chaos surrounding the Mizukage. Ao reluctantly agreed to help her, and Mei Terumi recommended Kisame Hoshigaki as Samehada's next owner.

• On July 1, Sun Keiyun ordered the Shadow Hunter Squad to release the water from seven barrier lakes, sending a massive flood down toward Kochi City.
• Yuki Kozue ordered Kirigakure's ninja to evacuate Kochi Island and assigned Ao to watch for Konoha infiltrators.
• Mei Terumi stopped Ao and asked what they could gain if the Mizukage died, then positioned herself and two subordinates around him.
• Mei Terumi explained that she was acting for Kirigakure and the Land of Water, while Ao realized the evacuation had left the Mizukage vulnerable.
• Ao agreed to support Mei Terumi's prospects of becoming the Fourth Mizukage's guard, and Mei Terumi recommended Kisame Hoshigaki as Samehada's new owner.

Sun Keiyun and his group used a staged Lava Golem to distract Kirigakure while Uchiha Kusuhi assassinated the Mizukage. The flood arrived as Uchiha Kusuhi fled, leaving the mist ninja to face the disaster and the aftermath of their leader’s death.

• Sun Keiyun summoned a giant stone beast, and the mist ninja mistook it for the legendary Lava Golem Mephisto.
• The Mizukage ordered Kirigakure’s ninja to capture the beast, and Yuki Kozue trapped it in water and froze it in a massive ice sphere.
• Yuki Kozue exhausted himself freezing the beast, and the Mizukage’s head suddenly separated from his body.
• Uchiha Kusuhi revealed himself as the assassin, claimed responsibility, and fled as the flood reached the battlefield.

Uchiha Kusuhi escaped after the Shadow Hunter Squad assassinated the Mizukage and destroyed Seto Bridge, while Sun Keiyun received the squad’s acclaim and ordered them to regroup. Karatachi Yagura took command of the disorganized Mist ninja, who evacuated Kochi City before the floodwaters arrived.

• Uchiha Kusuhi reached the far side of the bridge as Mist ninja chased him, and his allies detonated Explosive Tags that destroyed Seto Bridge and blocked pursuit.
• Uchiha Kusuhi credited Sun Keiyun and the squad for the successful assassination, while Mitaraishi Anko and Yamashiro Aoba recognized how far Sun Keiyun had surpassed them.
• Sun Keiyun ended the celebration and ordered the Shadow Hunter Squad to rendezvous with the main force for the next phase of the plan.
• Karatachi Yagura overwhelmed the arguing Mist ninja with his Chakra and ordered them to collect the Mizukage’s body and withdraw from the floodwaters.
• Ao backed Karatachi Yagura, helping unite the Mist ninja as they relocated civilians, salvaged supplies, and repaired Seto Bridge before the flood reached Kochi City.

After the Third Mizukage’s death, Karatachi Yagura struggled to unite Kirigakure’s rival factions as Orochimaru led Konoha’s forces toward the Earth Seal Stage. Mei Terumi stood up to Orochimaru, while Yuki Hyōga demanded that Konoha surrender Uchiha Kusuhi, the assassin of his father.

• Karatachi Yagura assessed Kirigakure’s losses and competing factions, while Ao advised him to have Elder Genji confirm his succession with the daimyo.
• Ao arranged for Mei Terumi to serve as Karatachi Yagura’s guard, bringing her into the Mizukage’s inner circle.
• An intelligence ninja reported that Konoha’s main force was advancing, and Karatachi Yagura ordered Kirigakure’s factions to unite against it.
• Orochimaru arrived with Konoha’s forces and revealed that he knew the Third Mizukage had been assassinated, then taunted Karatachi Yagura’s claim to the position.
• Mei Terumi challenged Orochimaru, who praised her courage and compared her to a young Tsunade before ordering Konoha to attack.
• Yuki Hyōga arrived and demanded that Orochimaru hand over Uchiha Kusuhi, prompting the Konoha Uchiha to recognize the Mizukage’s assassin as one of their own.

Orochimaru pressured Karatachi Yagura and Kirigakure into negotiating after the Mizukage’s death, but Mei Terumi rallied the gathered forces against surrender. Karatachi Yagura proposed settling control of Kochi Island with a five-on-five contest, and Orochimaru accepted the wager.

• Orochimaru revealed that Konoha held the captured Kirigakure clansmen and urged an attack while the village was weakened.
• Orochimaru warned Karatachi Yagura that Kirigakure’s divided forces might abandon him, then demanded the return of the Byakugan; Karatachi refused.
• Orochimaru demanded Kochi Island and promised retaliation if Kirigakure harmed civilians while seeking a new base.
• Mei Terumi objected to giving up Kochi Island, and Kirigakure’s forces shouted that they would rather die than accept a humiliating agreement.
• Karatachi Yagura proposed that each side send five fighters to decide who would keep Kochi Island, and Orochimaru accepted.

Sun Keiyun explained how the Mizukage was assassinated and described Uchiha Kusuhi’s Mangekyo abilities, while Orochimaru anticipated being recalled from the battlefield. Sun Keiyun proposed making Orochimaru the Ninja Academy principal, and Yakushi Nonō advised Sarutobi Hiruzen how to handle the Shadow Hunter Squad’s report in a way that shifted blame for Hyuga Fu’s death onto him.

• Karatachi Yagura and Konoha agreed to suspend hostilities while they arranged a limited arena match between selected fighters.
• Sun Keiyun told Orochimaru that the Lava Golem had distracted Kirigakure long enough for Uchiha Kusuhi to assassinate the Mizukage, then explained Kusuhi’s Mangekyo techniques.
• Orochimaru and Sun Keiyun concluded that Sarutobi Hiruzen would likely recall Orochimaru, and Sun Keiyun proposed that Orochimaru become Ninja Academy principal.
• Yakushi Nonō assured Sarutobi Hiruzen that Sarutobi Shinnosuke was progressing well in Root, where Cang Sha had been placed by his side.
• Yakushi Nonō argued that Sun Keiyun’s appointment as captain had resulted from the squad’s earlier failure, then advised Sarutobi Hiruzen to reward the survivors and report Hyuga Fu’s death and lost Byakugan to the Hyuga Clan as Fu’s responsibility.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted Yakushi Nonō’s reasoning and realized the report could turn the Hyuga Clan against Uchiha Kusuhi.

Yakushi Nonō persuaded Sarutobi Hiruzen to make Orochimaru principal of the Ninja Academy instead of giving him another military command. Hiruzen named Uchiha Kusuhi as Orochimaru’s replacement on the front lines, intending to weaken the Uchiha clan while limiting Kusuhi’s use of his Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Yakushi Nonō how to reward Orochimaru, whose battlefield successes made him too powerful to command another front.
• Yakushi Nonō proposed making Orochimaru principal of the Ninja Academy, and Hiruzen accepted after deciding the position would keep him away from the troops and the Hokage succession.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked who should replace Orochimaru as overall commander, and Yakushi Nonō recommended Uchiha Kusuhi.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen approved Uchiha Kusuhi’s promotion, seeing it as a way to divide the Uchiha clan, and agreed to limit his use of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Yakushi Nonō left the office after completing her task.

Sun Keiyun turned the Konoha–Kirigakure dispute over Kochi Island into a public tournament that could preserve lives, attract investment, and strengthen the Ninja Academies. After a merchant proposed changing the fights into timed rounds, Karatachi Yagura accepted the revised rules, and the contest became the First Kochi Cup Konoha-Kirigakure Youth Ninja Tournament.

• Konoha and Kirigakure agreed to a five-versus-five contest over Kochi Island, and merchants spread news of the match across the ninja world.
• Orochimaru accepted sponsorship, while Sun Keiyun saw the tournament as a way to build prestige, reduce the human cost of disputes, and promote education.
• Sun Keiyun's merchant arranged for Kochi Island's supplies to be appraised and turned into a fifty-kilogram gold trophy bearing the name Kochi.
• The merchant proposed three timed rounds for each match: an Item Match, a Spell Match, and unrestricted combat, with limits on ninja tools and breaks between rounds.
• Karatachi Yagura consulted Mei Terumi and agreed to the revised rules after learning Orochimaru had already accepted them.

Tsunade learned about the Kochi Cup and headed to Kochi with Shizune, while the tournament’s rapid preparations drew Konoha and Kirigakure into negotiations over its profits. Sun Keiyun proposed a home-and-away competition with no killing, giving both villages a chance to host and earn money.

• Tsunade asked a samurai why nobles were traveling south and learned about the Kochi Cup and its billion-prize betting market, then decided to go to Kochi with Shizune.
• Arima Trading Company’s workers rapidly cleared Kochi City and built a huge stadium, astonishing Orochimaru, Karatachi Yagura, and Mei Terumi.
• Karatachi Yagura confronted Orochimaru over Konoha taking most of the tournament’s revenue, but Orochimaru refused to share it.
• Sun Keiyun proposed separating the tournament from the war and holding home-and-away matches in the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
• Karatachi Yagura accepted the proposal after Sun Keiyun suggested banning deaths and allowing competitors to win by knockout, surrender, or inability to continue.

Sun Keiyun met Tsunade and his former classmate Shizune outside the Konoha camp, then used their conversation about hating war to encourage Shizune to join the Cloud Leaf Society’s work. He gave her a message-summoning scroll and literacy textbooks, leaving her willing to study and contact him.

• Sun Keiyun encountered Tsunade and Shizune spying on the camp, redirected Tsunade’s punch with Tai Chi, and learned who they were when the camp ninja recognized Tsunade.
• Tsunade accused Orochimaru of developing a move to counter her, and Orochimaru arrived and brought her into the camp.
• Sun Keiyun spoke with Shizune about her war-orphan background and argued that people could gain influence by uniting against war.
• Sun Keiyun gave Shizune a Hei Bei Clan summoning scroll for sending messages and textbooks containing rare and lost Kanji.
• Shizune accepted the books and agreed to study, though she wondered how the conversation had led to her receiving textbooks.

Tsunade questioned Orochimaru about the Kochi Cup and accused him of developing Tai Chi to counter her, but Sun Keiyun explained that he had created it and challenged her to a spar. Sun Keiyun redirected Tsunade’s attacks and threw her off balance, leaving the onlookers stunned by the ten-year-old’s skill.

• Tsunade asked Orochimaru about the Kochi Cup and suspected he had made a private agreement with the Mist ninja.
• Orochimaru told Tsunade that Sun Keiyun had developed Tai Chi, and Sun Keiyun explained that he had created several martial arts without knowing her techniques.
• Tsunade took Sun Keiyun to the training ground and challenged him, saying she would limit her strength to Chunin level.
• Sun Keiyun redirected Tsunade’s punch, caught her arm, and used her momentum to throw her, though she landed on her feet.
• Tsunade pulled her arm free and pondered the exchange while the watching Genin and Chunin struggled to believe Sun Keiyun had gained the advantage.

Sun Keiyun explained Tai Chi to Tsunade and revealed that his knowledge-sharing beliefs had led Orochimaru to teach him Flying Thunder God. Tsunade grew furious when she learned Orochimaru had given the technique away, and demanded an explanation.

• Sun Keiyun explained how Tai Chi absorbed and redirected force, then gave Tsunade a manual that revealed its Nintaijutsu principles and Chakra techniques.
• Tsunade recognized the manual's value, but Orochimaru told her Sun Keiyun had plenty of techniques and she should accept it; she then hugged Sun Keiyun and warned him that secret techniques should not be shared.
• Sun Keiyun escaped Tsunade's embrace with Flying Thunder God and explained that he had learned to sense space by studying Uchiha Kusuhi's Takamagahara markings.
• Sun Keiyun introduced the idea of knowledge sharing, and Tsunade realized Orochimaru had taught him Flying Thunder God from Konoha's Scroll of Seals.
• Orochimaru admitted that he had given Sun Keiyun the technique, prompting Tsunade to threaten him unless he explained himself.

Sun Keiyun challenged Tsunade’s belief in restricting knowledge by showing how widely Cloud Leaf Society shared Tai Chi and how shared practice could improve it. He exposed Shizune’s uncertainty about the First and Second Hokage’s abilities, leaving Tsunade devastated as he blamed knowledge restrictions for their history being forgotten.

• Sun Keiyun told Tsunade that roughly a hundred thousand people practiced the Tai Chi he had shared with farmers, workers, and students.
• Tsunade questioned whether spreading Taijutsu to commoners was dangerous, but acknowledged Tai Chi’s advantages over her Monster Strength Fist.
• Sun Keiyun argued that many practitioners could refine a martial art through their combined experience, unlike a technique researched by one person alone.
• Sun Keiyun asked Shizune whether she knew the First and Second Hokage’s abilities, and she admitted she only knew they probably used Wood Release and Water Release.
• Sun Keiyun falsely claimed the First Hokage used Lightning Release and the Second Hokage used Sand Style, and Shizune could not confidently refute him.
• Tsunade broke down over the possibility that Konoha’s younger generation had forgotten her grandfathers, and Sun Keiyun answered that knowledge restrictions had caused it.

Tsunade discovered that Konoha’s schoolbooks had nearly erased the First and Second Hokage while praising Sarutobi Hiruzen, then examined Sun Keiyun’s unfamiliar literacy textbook and recognized its new script as part of a much larger effort. Alarmed by Sun Keiyun’s growing network of civilians and new systems, she confronted him at Orochimaru’s camp, where he suggested she also ask what the Third Hokage was trying to do.

• Tsunade searched five years of Ninja Academy textbooks and found only two brief sentences about the First and Second Hokage, while the books extensively praised the Third Hokage.
• Tsunade decided to return to the village and demand an explanation, but she first inspected the literacy textbook Sun Keiyun had given Shizune.
• Tsunade found that the textbook used a coherent new Kanji-based script with unfamiliar pronunciations, and she wondered whether the Land of Fire was reforming its writing system.
• Tsunade connected the new script to Sun Keiyun’s knowledge-sharing, Tai Chi, and the more than one hundred thousand civilians gathered around him, then rushed to confront him.
• At Orochimaru’s camp, Sun Keiyun welcomed the rain-soaked Tsunade and asked what she thought the Third Hokage was trying to do.

Sun Keiyun answered Tsunade’s questions about his new script, his campaign to unite oppressed civilians, and his accusations against Sarutobi Hiruzen, backing them with Root records and mission orders. After learning how Sarutobi Shinnosuke’s assignments could secure his path to the Hokage position, Tsunade resolved to stop the village from falling into the hands of people like him.

• Sun Keiyun claimed he had begun creating a new script at two and explained that he wanted to unite the oppressed across the world.
• Sun Keiyun accused Sarutobi Hiruzen of planning to pass the Hokage position down through his family and showed Tsunade Root documents linking Danzo to the campaigns against Hatake Sakumo.
• Sun Keiyun revealed that Danzo had betrayed Root and died, then gave Tsunade documents supporting his account.
• Tsunade suspected Sun Keiyun had infiltrated Root and possibly controlled Orochimaru, so Sun Keiyun showed her mission records indicating Sarutobi Shinnosuke had received credit for missions he could not have completed.
• Sun Keiyun explained how Sarutobi Shinnosuke’s Root position and ties to the Ino-Shika-Cho and Cloud Fox could build political support for his succession.
• Tsunade concluded that the village could not be allowed to fall into the hands of people like Sarutobi Hiruzen and Sarutobi Shinnosuke.

Sun Keiyun persuaded Tsunade to abandon her bid for Hokage in favor of joining Cloud Leaf Society and its plan to create a Great Harmony Society. Tsunade agreed to quit gambling and become vice principal of the Ninja Academy, where she would help revise the textbooks.

• Sun Keiyun revealed his Wood Release and Light Release, then explained that his goal was to liberate people across the world rather than seize power for himself.
• Tsunade recalled Dan's dream of becoming Hokage and decided to join Sun Keiyun's movement, despite the prospect of war and losing her titles.
• Sun Keiyun required Tsunade to stop gambling, arguing that gambling exploited ordinary people, and she promised to quit.
• Sun Keiyun welcomed Tsunade into Cloud Leaf Society, gave her a Library Card and reading list, and arranged for her to work with Orochimaru.
• Tsunade agreed to become vice principal of the Ninja Academy and to write about the first two Hokage for its textbooks.

Sun Keiyun described Cloud Leaf Society’s plans to develop Kochi City as the organization prepared to host the first Kochi Cup Youth Ninja Tournament. As Tsunade learned how Cloud Leaf Society used surnames to build loyalty among commoners, she decided to choose one for herself.

• Sun Keiyun explained Kochi City’s advantages and how Arima Trading Company would turn it into Cloud Leaf Society’s southern base.
• Tsunade and Orochimaru joined more than ten thousand spectators at the Kochi Cup, where Ren Pingxia introduced the Water Style: Cloud Mirror Technique and the event’s commentators.
• Tsunade learned that Sun Keiyun had let orphans choose surnames from the Hundred Family Surnames, creating a distinction between Cloud Leaf Society’s people and the old nobility.
• Tsunade asked Sun Keiyun for the Hundred Family Surnames and began looking for a surname to mark her commitment to Cloud Leaf Society.

Tsunade chose the surname Wu, gave Shizune the surname Lin, and planned to assign surnames to other orphans. Meanwhile, Konoha and Kirigakure introduced their competitors for a staged tournament, and the first match was drawn.

• Sun Keiyun suggested surnames for Tsunade, but she chose Wu because it represented stopping weapons and matched her martial prowess.
• Orochimaru chose Lu as his surname, and Tsunade named Shizune Lin Shizune while planning to give surnames to Ninja Academy orphans.
• The hosts introduced five young elite Jonin from Konoha and five competitors from Kirigakure, including the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and Mei Terumi.
• Sun Keiyun told Tsunade that the tournament’s outcomes and battles had been scripted, leaving her curious about the scheme.
• Orochimaru and Karatachi Yagura drew lots to determine the match order, and Gekko Taiwa was paired against Kushimaru Kuriarare first.