Chapter Summaries

Aizen allowed Kyoka Suigetsu to take the two children under her command while planning surprises for the approaching Five Kage. Starrk and Lilynette set out to intercept the Kumo ninja, Kaname Tosen headed north, and a bald man examined dead Konoha Anbu as someone remarked that Aizen was making his move.

• Kyoka Suigetsu told Aizen she wanted to recruit the two children, and Aizen gave her permission to proceed.
• Aizen noted that the Five Kage were nearing Konoha and decided to add surprises to the examination.
• Lilynette asked Starrk whether he had received Aizen's orders, and Starrk confirmed that he had.
• Kaname Tosen chose to head north, while Starrk and Lilynette set out east to intercept the Kumogakure ninja.
• Kaname Tosen said he would seek to understand this world more earnestly, then departed as Starrk and Lilynette bickered.
• A bald man examined several dead Konoha Anbu as a nearby voice remarked that Aizen had finally decided to act.

Gin explained that Aizen intended to reveal Las Noches's power to the world and draw people toward the possibility of becoming Hollows. He and Ulquiorra chose which Kage to intercept, aiming to keep the mission from exposing Aizen.

• Yammy welcomed the prospect of Aizen acting, and Gin clarified that Aizen would reveal Las Noches's strength rather than act personally.
• Gin speculated that people would flock to Las Noches for the chance to gain power, eventually undermining the ninja's rule.
• Ulquiorra cautioned Gin against guessing Aizen's thoughts, but Gin replied that Aizen's thorough plans left subordinates little room to advise him.
• Ulquiorra told Gin that Starrk would intercept the Raikage and Kaname Tosen would intercept the Kazekage.
• Gin chose to intercept Konoha's Hokage, Minato Namikaze, because they had met before and Gin hoped to avoid revealing Aizen's existence.
• Ulquiorra decided to intercept Iwagakure's Tsuchikage, who had also seen him before.

Gin and Ulquiorra assigned Yammy to intercept the Mizukage and Kirigakure while Gin headed toward Konoha to cover Aizen’s tracks. Meanwhile, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura reached the tower, and the Kage from several villages began traveling to Konoha, unaware that Las Noches had targeted them.

• Gin and Ulquiorra decided that Yammy would stop the Mizukage and Kirigakure, and Yammy eagerly set off south to meet them.
• Gin headed toward Konoha, intending to help Aizen conceal his tracks.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura arrived at the tower, where Kabuto encouraged them before leaving.
• Naruto told Sakura that Kabuto had looked after him when he was very young, while Sasuke silently watched Kabuto depart.
• The Kage of several ninja villages set out for Konoha with their guards, unaware that someone was rushing to intercept them.

Naruto and his friends reached the tower, where Sakura reunited with Lee and Tenten and traded insults with Ino. Shikamaru told Naruto that the exam had a problem, while Sasuke spotted a familiar figure among the examinees and received a cruel smile in return.

• Naruto and Sakura entered the crowded tower, where Sakura warned Naruto that his status as the Hokage's son put him in danger.
• Lee greeted Sakura, and Naruto tried to keep him away before Sakura and Tenten struck Naruto and Lee for their behavior.
• Tenten introduced herself to Sakura, then Sakura and Ino began arguing over whether Sakura was beautiful.
• Shikamaru asked Naruto whether anyone had urged him to quit because there was already a problem with the exam, but Naruto insisted he would continue.
• Sasuke spotted a familiar person among the examinees, who recognized him and smiled cruelly.

Sasuke encountered Kidomaru and Kimimaro at the exam site and realized they were like the dangerous figures he had seen in the forest. Gaara threatened Sasuke and dismissed Naruto as disgusting, while a powerful bald man arrived near the river and released a strange force.

• Kidomaru noted that Naruto and the Second Pillar had reached the exam site, and Kimimaro briefly met Sasuke's gaze, frightening him.
• Gaara told Sasuke that they were alike and that he wanted to kill him, while Kankuro and Temari watched.
• Naruto challenged Gaara, who called him disgusting and left with Kankuro and Temari.
• Shikamaru and Neji warned the group about Gaara's power, and Sasuke told Naruto and Sakura that he had seen the dangerous man from before.
• A bald, muscular man reached a river in the forest, recognized it as the place Gin had mentioned, and sent a strange force across the land that stopped a group ahead.

Mizukage Mei Terumi and her party pursued the powerful aura Yammy was releasing through the forest, despite Ao’s warning that they needed to reach Konoha. Yammy ambushed them and introduced himself as the Zero Espada.

• Mei Terumi sensed a powerful presence nearby, but Ao urged her to stay focused on reaching Konoha.
• Zabuza wanted to fight the source of the aura, while Haku reminded him they had come to redeem themselves through merit.
• Mei grew angry at the repeated surges of power and charged toward their source with Ao and the Mizukage’s guards following.
• Yammy recognized Mei’s aura as that of the Mizukage and vanished through the forest to intercept her.
• Ao spotted Yammy appearing before Mei, and the Mist Ninja identified him as a member of Las Noches.
• Yammy introduced himself as the former Tenth Espada and said he preferred to be called the Zero Espada.

Mei Terumi confronted Yammy on the road to Konoha and taunted him about Las Noches, hoping to provoke him. Yammy unleashed his fury with a punch that split the earth toward Mei and the Kirigakure shinobi.

• Ao told Mei Terumi that Yammy was not in Kirigakure’s intelligence files and mentioned reports that Barragan called himself the Twentieth Espada.
• Mei Terumi stepped forward and accused Las Noches of hiding in the shadows, then mocked Barragan and suggested Yammy had come to seek refuge in Kirigakure.
• Yammy fell silent, and Mei Terumi considered that the Chunin Exams had drawn hidden threats such as Las Noches into the open.
• Yammy released a terrifying aura that collapsed the forest floor, making Mei Terumi and the Kirigakure shinobi retreat.
• Yammy exposed his bare upper body, demanded to know whether Mei had ever witnessed hell’s savagery, and punched the ground, sending a huge shockwave and chasm toward her group.

Mei Terumi confronted Yammy after he devastated the forest, but he struck her down and faced Ao and Zabuza. A woman in blue survived elsewhere by using a Melt Clone, while Yammy’s Steel Skin shrugged off the Kirigakure shinobi’s attacks.

• Mei Terumi refused Ao’s request to withdraw and ordered the other shinobi to retreat as she charged Yammy.
• Yammy vanished and appeared behind Mei Terumi, crushing her into the ground with one punch.
• Ao and Zabuza rushed Yammy in anger after seeing Mei Terumi fall.
• Ao’s Water Release: Azure Dragon Palm dispersed against Yammy, and Yammy’s Steel Skin snapped Zabuza’s Kubikiribōchō.
• A woman in blue appeared in the forest and said her Melt Clone had helped her escape Yammy.

Yammy overwhelmed Ao and Zabuza, proving that their attacks could not pierce his body and breaking Zabuza’s Kubikiribōchō. Mei Terumi returned and ordered the Mist forces to capture Yammy, but after he sent Ao and Zabuza flying, he turned his attention to her.

• Ao and Zabuza failed to injure Yammy, and Yammy taunted them about Las Noches’ power.
• Mei Terumi reappeared, learned that Yammy had broken Zabuza’s sword, and ordered the Mist forces to prepare to capture him.
• Yammy intensified his oppressive presence and struck Zabuza, sending him and Ao crashing into each other.
• Mei Terumi arrived as Ao and Zabuza lay defeated and vowed to kill Yammy.
• Yammy mocked Mei Terumi and said he would leave her corpse intact.

Ōnoki’s party was blocked in a canyon by Ulquiorra, who identified himself as Las Noches’ First Espada and said his mission was to keep the Tsuchikage from reaching Konoha. Ulquiorra hinted that Las Noches was advancing Aizen’s plan for a new era beyond humanity, leaving Ōnoki alarmed by the group’s ambitions.

• Kitsuchi told Ōnoki that someone had blocked the party’s path, prompting Ōnoki to leave his carriage and investigate.
• Ōnoki found Ulquiorra standing atop a massive boulder that blocked the canyon and recognized him as someone who had once followed Aizen.
• Ulquiorra introduced himself as Las Noches’ First Espada and told Ōnoki he intended to delay the Tsuchikage’s journey to Konoha.
• Ōnoki questioned what Las Noches wanted and whether Aizen was still behind its actions.
• Ulquiorra said Aizen’s goal had been to usher in a new era in which another species beyond humanity would emerge, and Ōnoki feared Las Noches planned to overthrow the Ninja World.

Ōnoki confronted Ulquiorra, who attacked the Rock Ninja forces with repeated Ceros while evading Ōnoki’s Dust Release. The Rock Ninja prepared to join the fight, and Ōnoki realized he needed a way to restrain Ulquiorra’s speed.

• Ōnoki floated away from Ulquiorra and raised a massive boulder into the sky with Earth Release: Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique.
• Ulquiorra dismissed Ōnoki’s taunts and fired a Cero at the Rock Ninja forces.
• The Rock Ninja defended themselves with Earth Release barriers, but Ulquiorra bombarded them with more Ceros, prompting Kitsuchi to urge them to attack together.
• Ōnoki fired Dust Release: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu at Ulquiorra, who dodged and countered with two Ceros that clashed with Ōnoki’s beam.
• Ōnoki searched for a way to restrain Ulquiorra’s movements as Kitsuchi and the other Rock Ninja offered to help.

Ulquiorra faced Ōnoki, Kitsuchi, and the Rock Ninja in the Gobi as they prepared to fight. Elsewhere, Starrk and Lilynette met the Kage-level ninja sent to stop them, and Darui's lightning attack missed its mark.

• Ōnoki gathered a powerful white diamond between his hands while Kitsuchi summoned a giant stone Rock Demon beneath him.
• Ulquiorra calmly formed a green Spear of Lightning and faced the assembled Rock Ninja.
• Starrk and Lilynette discussed Aizen's order to stop their opponents, and Starrk warned that the ninja's battle strategies and experience could make them dangerous.
• Starrk sensed the approaching ninja, and he and Lilynette leaped onto tree branches as a bolt of black lightning struck the ground where they had stood.
• Darui regretted that his attack had missed, and a woman blamed him for wasting time on the journey.

Samui and Darui confronted Starrk and Lilynette, but Lilynette proved able to block both of their attacks with her bare fists. The chapter ended as she fired a golden Cero from her right eye at Samui and Darui.

• Samui recognized Starrk and Lilynette's clothing as connected to Las Noches and accused Darui of alerting them.
• Lilynette decided to kill Samui because she envied her chest, and Starrk reluctantly agreed to let her handle it.
• Samui charged Lilynette, and Darui joined the attack with a black-lightning-coated ninja blade.
• Lilynette blocked Samui and Darui's attacks with her fists, leaving them astonished when their strikes failed to hurt her.
• Lilynette fired a golden Cero from her right eye toward Samui and Darui.

Samui and Darui struggled against Lilynette until Killer B and the Fourth Raikage arrived to face the Las Noches intruders. Starrk took responsibility for fighting the Raikage and declared that he would get serious, leaving their confrontation about to begin.

• Lilynette's golden Cero blasted the ground, but Samui and Darui dodged it and took cover.
• Killer B arrived and learned from Darui that the Las Noches pair had nearly killed him and Samui.
• Starrk said their target had appeared, and the Fourth Raikage emerged from the forest.
• The Raikage ordered Samui and Darui to recover while he faced Starrk, and Starrk asked Lilynette to let him handle the fight.
• Starrk released a powerful aura, then walked toward the Raikage and said he had to get serious.

Coyote Starrk challenged the Fourth Raikage, Yotsuki A, and revealed an overwhelming aura that forced the Raikage to halt his first attack. The Raikage then charged through Starrk’s Cero with a Lightning Style: Lariat, leaving their clash unresolved.

• Starrk told the Raikage he would answer his questions only after the Raikage defeated him, and Yotsuki A activated his lightning armor and charged.
• Starrk removed his eyepatch, releasing a terrifying aura that made Yotsuki A retreat and ask who he was.
• Starrk identified himself as the former First Espada, Coyote Starrk, and Yotsuki A declared he would kill the Las Noches member.
• Yotsuki A attacked at great speed, but Starrk rose into the air and fired a Cero at him.
• Yotsuki A emerged from the Cero’s explosion and continued his charge with Lightning Style: Lariat as Lilynette watched anxiously.

The Fourth Raikage fought Starrk, who dodged his Lariat and praised the Raikage’s strength before explaining his devotion to Aizen. Lilynette joined Starrk and transformed into a handgun, leaving Starrk ready to unleash Los Lobos against the Raikage.

• The Fourth Raikage charged Starrk with Lightning Style: Lariat, but Starrk vanished with Sonído and fired a Cero from behind.
• The Raikage evaded Starrk’s Cero, which struck the distant forest, and Starrk praised the Raikage’s strength and chakra control.
• The Raikage asked why Starrk served Aizen, and Starrk said Aizen’s existence affirmed people like him.
• Lilynette appeared beside Starrk, rejected the Raikage’s attempt to divide them, and demanded to fight him.
• Starrk agreed to fight, and Lilynette transformed into a metallic handgun in his hand.
• Starrk announced that he would go all out and invoked Hunt him down, Los Lobos as a fierce gale darkened the sky.

Starrk unleashed overwhelming power and appeared behind the Raikage and Killer B, challenging them to fight alongside their companions. The Raikage and Killer B evaded his sudden approach and prepared to face him.

• Starrk called for Los Lobos to pursue the Kumogakure shinobi as a violent gale and storm clouds swept over the battlefield.
• Killer B joined the Raikage, and the two decided to fight together as the AB Duo.
• Starrk released a power that terrified the Kumogakure shinobi and made even the Eight-Tails fear him.
• Starrk appeared behind the Raikage and Killer B, saying that he and Lilynette would fight them and that companions made the match fair.
• The Raikage and Killer B flashed away from Starrk.

Raikage and Killer B attacked Starrk together, but his energy wolves wounded them and exploded around them. They survived thanks to the Eight-Tails, while Starrk admitted he did not want to kill them because their partnership reminded him of Lilynette and himself.

• Raikage and Killer B charged Starrk with a simultaneous Absolute Ox: Lariat, but Starrk summoned dozens of energy wolves with Soul Split.
• Raikage and Killer B pushed through the wolves and continued toward Starrk despite being bitten and wounded.
• Starrk used Soul Explosion to detonate the wolves clinging to Raikage and Killer B, then flew above the battlefield as Cloud Ninja rushed to help.
• Starrk told Lilynette that Raikage and Killer B reminded him of their partnership, so he did not want them to die.
• The Eight-Tails protected Raikage and Killer B from the explosions, and the badly burned pair warned each other to stay cautious.

Starrk recognized Killer B as the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, then unleashed a barrage of Ceros on the injured Raikage and Kumogakure ninja. The Raikage charged Starrk while Killer B chose to draw on the Eight-Tails’ power despite the danger to his body.

• The Octopus-like monster’s tentacles vanished after warning the Raikage and Killer B to be more careful.
• Starrk identified Killer B as Kumogakure’s Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and the Raikage admitted he still knew little about Las Noches’ abilities.
• After the Raikage declared Las Noches a greater threat than the Akatsuki, Starrk fired a dense barrage of Ceros at the gathered Kumogakure ninja.
• The Raikage expanded his Lightning Style Armor and charged Starrk while ordering Killer B to get the others away.
• Killer B refused to abandon the Raikage and asked the Eight-Tails to lend him power, causing purple chakra tentacles to erupt from his body.

Killer B saved the Cloud Ninja from Starrk’s Ceros while the Raikage took the blasts head-on and was gravely injured. Killer B stayed to fight Starrk as the Raikage took medicine and prepared to recover, leaving the brothers set on facing him together.

• Killer B entered a monstrous, eight-tentacled state and flung the Cloud Ninja away from Starrk’s Ceros.
• The Raikage shielded the Cloud Ninja from the barrage, suffered severe injuries, and was pulled from the flames by Killer B.
• Starrk reflected that the Raikage had knowingly risked his life to protect others.
• Killer B gave the Raikage secret medicine and said he would hold Starrk off while his brother recovered.
• The Raikage took the medicine and urged Killer B to show Starrk Kumogakure’s strength until they could fight together.