Chapter Summaries

Sosuke defeated Uchiha Tokino after revealing Kyoka Suigetsu and trapping him in a genjutsu that Tokino could not detect. The chapter ended with Sosuke declared the winner of the first match and leaving the arena.

• Sosuke watched Tokino emerge from the rubble, while the spectators and Uchiha Sakuya worried over the fight.
• Sosuke drew Kyoka Suigetsu and activated its hypnosis, leaving the crowd unaware that they had been affected.
• Tokino suspected Sosuke was using a sword-based genjutsu and attacked with kunai and Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu.
• Tokino's fire attack struck Sosuke's position, but Sosuke's genjutsu took effect and Tokino collapsed unconscious.
• Shingo Gekko declared Sosuke the winner, and Sosuke politely left the arena.

Jiraiya fought a Grass Ninja in the Chunin Exam arena, revealing a secret weapon when he was trapped by a powerful fire technique. The chapter ended as his summoning brought a massive figure crashing down.

• Sosuke returned after defeating Uchiha Tokino, and Tsunade scolded Jiraiya for punching him while he was recovering.
• Jiraiya entered the arena and promised to show his strength, while Sosuke encouraged him to do his best.
• Uchiha Sakuya thanked Sosuke for defeating her brother and for saving her life, leaving Tsunade suspicious of their exchange.
• Jiraiya and the Grass Ninja traded attacks until an explosive plant trap engulfed Jiraiya in smoke.
• Jiraiya used his Wild Lion's Mane Technique against the Grass Ninja's ghostly flames, but the Grass Ninja trapped him inside five pillars of fire.
• Jiraiya summoned a massive figure with his Crushing Stall Technique.

Jiraiya summoned Gamaken to fight the Grass Ninja, and their combined attacks forced the opponent to surrender. Sosuke rescued the Grass Ninja and blocked the fire and oil barrage, leaving the arena intact.

• Jiraiya summoned Gamaken instead of Gamabunta, and Gamaken complained that Jiraiya was bringing shame on the Toad Clan.
• Gamaken charged the Grass Ninja and struck with Toad: Flying Fork Strike, but the Grass Ninja evaded the attack with a secret technique.
• Gamaken and Jiraiya unleashed Toad: Oil Spit Barrage and Fire Style: Great Flame Technique together, and the Grass Ninja surrendered.
• A figure grabbed the Grass Ninja and carried him away as the flames and oil fell toward the arena.
• Sosuke appeared on the field and used Bakudo #81: Danku to block the falling attack, then warned Jiraiya that damaging the arena would affect the next match.

Sosuke stopped Jiraiya’s match from destroying the arena, impressing the spectators and village leaders with his unfamiliar ninjutsu. After leaving the arena, he confronted Shijimi Tamako, who recognized him as Aizen.

• Sosuke’s intervention during Jiraiya’s match left Mui shaken and led the Third Hokage and clan leaders to suspect that Sosuke had created Danku himself.
• Jiraiya introduced Sosuke to Gamaken, who invited him to visit Mount Myoboku and meet Gamabunta.
• Jiraiya won the match, and Sosuke left the arena to clarify something while Tsunade watched him with growing unease.
• Sosuke sensed Shijimi Tamako following him through a dark passage and caught her blade with one hand.
• Shijimi Tamako recognized Sosuke and softly addressed him as Aizen.

Sosuke agreed to help Shijimi Tamako resist her father’s plan to marry her to Mitai Shichisuke, encouraging her to take control of her own fate. Tamako returned to the stands resolved to act, while Inuzuka O and Jialong defeated Suien in the arena.

• Sosuke asked Shijimi Tamako to keep his real identity secret, and she promised she would.
• Tamako told Sosuke that her father planned to marry her to Mitai Shichisuke as part of a political arrangement.
• Tamako reaffirmed that she would fight to control her own fate, and Sosuke promised to support her and mentioned he had plans that might help.
• Inuzuka O and Jialong used a secret medicine to perform Garoga together and defeat Suien.
• Shijimi Nobuo warned Tamako to take guards and said the Mitai Clan might be her true home, but Tamako remained resolved to choose her own future.

Sosuke searched Root Base’s summoning records for information about Mount Myoboku and concluded that Tsunade might know more. After Tsunade won her arena match, Danzo praised Sosuke as a potential Hokage, while Sosuke privately questioned whether Danzo would truly give up the position.

• Sosuke searched Root Base’s summoning scrolls, found Danzo’s name among the Baku Beast records, and found no information about the Sages or Mount Myoboku.
• Sosuke reasoned that the records he wanted might be held in the Hokage’s Forbidden Technique chamber or by ancient shinobi clans, and thought of Tsunade.
• Tsunade discovered a small vein in her opponent’s Earth Flow Burial and used Heavenly Foot to collapse the ground and defeat the Oborogakure shinobi.
• Shijimi Nobuo praised Tsunade to Hiruzen Sarutobi, while another Feudal Lord considered the possibility of Shichisuke marrying into the Senju Clan.
• Danzo told Sosuke that he could become the ideal person to support Konoha and take the Hokage Position, and Sosuke left while privately doubting Danzo would relinquish it.

A year after the Chunin Exams, Konoha prospered while tensions rose along its borders, and its clans celebrated the births of new children. Meanwhile, Tsunade thought of Sosuke as he traveled with Hyuga Minato and Tokino toward the Royal Capital, where he planned to surprise Tamako with a wedding gift.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi worried that conflict with neighboring countries could bring war to Konoha, whose ninja deployments were changing amid frequent border clashes.
• The Yamanaka, Akimichi, Nara, and Hyuga clans welcomed children, while the Hyuga Clan shifted its allegiance from Danzo to the Third Hokage.
• Young Fugaku admired his newborn sister Mikoto as Uchiha clan members praised Shinya's children and discussed Tokino's opposition to Sosuke.
• Tsunade returned from a mission, teased Nawaki after he accused her of thinking about Sosuke, and wondered where Sosuke was.
• Sosuke traveled toward the Royal Capital with Hyuga Minato and Tokino, saying he intended his arrival to be a wedding gift for Tamako and telling his companions to avoid trouble.

Sosuke, Minato, and Tokino arrived in the Royal Capital for Princess Tamako’s engagement to Prince Shichisuke, while Tokino recalled how Sosuke had recruited him by threatening to approach Sakuya. At the Mitai Clan’s estate, Sosuke advanced toward the guards, and Kazuhiko suddenly stabbed his fellow guard Monta.

• Sosuke, Minato, and Tokino walked through the Royal Capital as its people celebrated Princess Tamako’s engagement to Prince Shichisuke.
• Tokino recalled how Sosuke had defeated him and persuaded him to help with a plan by claiming he might improve Sakuya’s strength.
• Sosuke, Minato, and Tokino arrived at the Mitai Clan’s estate, where Tokino worried aloud about forcing their way past the guards.
• As Sosuke approached the entrance with Kyoka Suigetsu drawn, Kazuhiko stabbed Monta and accused him of conspiring with Amegakure.
• Tokino stared in shock as Sosuke continued forward without reacting to the attack.

Sosuke and his companions massacred the Mitai Clan at the Daimyo Mansion, then confronted one of the Land of Fire’s Twelve Guardian Ninja. After the guardian broke free of Tokino’s Water Prison and attacked Sosuke, Sosuke trapped him in Kurohitsugi.

• Sosuke used Kyoka Suigetsu to make the people at the Mitai Clan estate slaughter one another as he advanced with Minato and Tokino.
• Sosuke ordered Tokino to follow their plan and leave no trace of their involvement for Konoha to discover.
• A burly member of the Land of Fire’s Twelve Guardian Ninja arrived and attacked Sosuke with Lightning Style: Lightning Needle.
• Tokino trapped the guardian in a Water Prison while Sosuke and Minato revealed their Sharingan and Byakugan.
• The guardian broke free with a burst of lightning, injured Tokino, and struck at Sosuke with a thunder spear.
• Sosuke emerged unharmed and cast Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi, sealing the guardian inside a black coffin as blades pierced him.

Sosuke and his companions destroyed the Mitai estate and covered up their involvement, then news of the massacre reached Shijimi Nobuo’s mansion. Shijimi Tamako declared herself a member of the Mitai clan and vowed to avenge it, while privately setting her sights on the position of Feudal Lord.

• Sosuke ordered Tokino to destroy the attacker’s body, and Tokino helped wreck the Mitai estate and its corpses to mislead Konoha.
• A messenger reported that ninja had attacked the Mitai clan’s estate and that no survivors had been found.
• Shijimi Tamako heard the news and privately recognized Sosuke’s role in the massacre.
• Tamako entered the main hall and insisted that she would still marry into the Mitai clan and avenge its members.
• Shijimi Nobuo understood his daughter’s ambition but gave a slight nod, and Tamako considered the position of Feudal Lord.

After the Otodai clan massacre, Konoha’s leaders blamed Amegakure and prepared for war, while Sosuke’s role in engineering the crisis remained hidden. As he spent a quiet day in Konoha, Sakuya joined him for a meal, and he noticed someone watching them from the rooftops.

• Konoha’s investigation team concluded that Kirigakure or Amegakure had massacred the Otodai clan, and Utatane Koharu argued that Amegakure was the likelier culprit.
• The Third Hokage accepted that Konoha had to respond and ordered Mitokado Homura to draft a battle plan against the Land of Rain.
• Hyuga Minato joined Shimura Kazumi’s squad with Sosuke and Might Duy, while Sosuke continued to conceal his covert activities from Duy.
• Sosuke’s plan to provoke war had involved infiltrating Amegakure with Uchiha Tokino and Minato and preparing to frame the Rain Ninja.
• Sakuya shyly greeted Sosuke on the street, accepted his invitation to eat, and followed him as he noticed a shadow on the rooftops.

Hanzo and Ōnoki prepared for a new war as Konoha’s actions against the Land of Rain escalated. In Konoha, Sosuke continued teaching Sakuya to use Kido, but she could not control it, reinforcing his suspicion that its power came from another world.

• Hanzo learned that the Land of Fire had cut off Amegakure’s supplies and concluded that Konoha was breaking the peace treaty, so he ordered preparations for war.
• Ōnoki decided that the Land of Rain would be a suitable target for Konoha to blame and resolved to seize advantages in the coming conflict.
• Ōnoki remembered being defeated by Uchiha Madara and vowed that Iwagakure would not suffer the same humiliation again.
• Sakuya tried to follow Sosuke’s instructions for moving chakra, but even with her Sharingan activated, she could not do it.
• Sosuke reassured Sakuya and privately concluded that Kido’s power did not belong to this world.

Sosuke used Hogyoku to modify Sakuya so she could wield Kido, and she collapsed from the painful process. In a secluded cave, a dying old man awakened the Rinnegan and regained his strength, believing he had defeated Hashirama.

• Sosuke asked Hogyoku whether it could modify other people to use Kido, and Hogyoku agreed in exchange for more souls.
• Sosuke reassured Sakuya that he saw her as a little sister and brought her to the Konoha Forest for Hogyoku to modify her.
• Sakuya endured severe pain during the modification, spoke affectionately about Sosuke, and collapsed into his arms.
• A frail old man in a secluded cave coughed blood and believed he was dying after defeating Hashirama.
• The old man's eyes changed into the Rinnegan, restoring his vitality, and he laughed that he had won after all.

After Sakuya woke at Sosuke's home, he told her she could use his Kido, and she returned to the Uchiha compound. Tokino warned her to stay away from Sosuke, while he feared events were unfolding as he had expected.

• Sosuke reassured Sakuya after she woke, then told her she could now use his Kido.
• Sakuya thanked Sosuke and left, and Kyoka Suigetsu appeared to make dinner while Sosuke trained.
• Sakuya returned to the Uchiha compound and argued with Tokino about his cold manner.
• Sakuya asked Tokino whether anyone else lived with Sosuke, and he demanded to know why she was asking.
• Tokino warned Sakuya to stay far away from Sosuke, and she stormed off to her room.

At Sosuke’s home, Kyoka Suigetsu prepared a meal that Sosuke reluctantly tasted and found delicious. Meanwhile, Amegakure ambushed Konoha shinobi on the Land of Rain’s border, and the attack ended with their leader dying after hearing that Lord Yando had sent them to Hell.

• Kyoka Suigetsu urged Sosuke to try the meal she had prepared for him, and he finally tasted it after his stomach growled.
• Sosuke praised the food, making Kyoka Suigetsu happy, though his hand paused when she promised to cook for him forever.
• Amegakure shinobi stopped a Konoha squad crossing the Land of Rain and accused Konoha of breaking the peace treaty.
• The Amegakure shinobi used Rain Release Secret Technique: Needle Massacre Blood Burial to kill the Konoha squad, leaving its leader alive but helpless.
• A mist-shrouded figure told the dying Konoha leader that Lord Yando had sent them to Hell.

Sosuke reflected on his unusual closeness with Suigetsu as Konoha prepared to declare war on the Land of Rain. Sarutobi announced the coming conflict, while Sosuke and Danzo each saw the war as part of their plans, unaware that Hanzo’s preparations would complicate it.

• Sosuke watched Suigetsu sleep, recalled how she made him feel at home, and fell asleep beside her.
• Sarutobi and the Konoha elders decided to tell the Feudal Lord that the Land of Rain had violated the peace treaty and to declare war.
• Tsunade told Sosuke that war was about to begin, and Sosuke urged her to confirm the news with the Third Hokage before she hurried to the Hokage Office.
• Sosuke told Minato that events were unfolding according to their plans, while Minato admired him.
• Danzo learned of the declaration and planned for Root to earn glory in the war, unaware that Hanzo was already preparing to act.

Shijimi Tamako and the Fire Country nobles backed Konoha’s war against Amegakure, while other nations protested and tensions spread across the continent. As Konoha prepared for war, Hanzo ordered Amegakure to decipher intercepted intelligence and disrupt Konoha’s plans.

• Shijimi Tamako supported punishing Amegakure, and the other lords approved the war; praise for her spread through the Royal Capital.
• Shijimi Tamako wondered how she could help Sosuke and resolved to approach the most powerful people.
• The Land of Lightning, the Land of Water, and the Land of Iron opposed the war, but the Land of Fire rejected their objections and tensions rose across the Ninja World.
• Konoha shifted toward war readiness as more ninja came and went through the village.
• Hanzo ordered Kagari to decipher intelligence intercepted by Yando and disrupt Konoha’s strategic deployment while Amegakure held out.

Amegakure’s ninjas ambushed Konoha squads as the conflict widened, and Konoha’s leaders debated the growing war after learning Sunagakure had joined. The chapter ended with Sarutobi ordering newly promoted Chunin, including Sosuke, to the battlefield.

• Kinnara and Kaito killed another Konoha squad in the Land of Rain, bringing their ambush total to ten squads.
• Danzō told Konoha’s leaders that Sunagakure had joined the war after one of its outposts was destroyed in an attack that appeared to implicate Konoha.
• Sarutobi warned that other nations might join the fighting and that a war like the one from the past could begin again.
• Danzō proposed sending Sosuke to fight Amegakure, arguing that war could forge a true ninja.
• Sarutobi ordered the newly promoted Chunin to join the war as their duty as Konoha ninjas.

Inuzuka O and Aburame Shino discovered a ravine full of dead Konoha Ninja and hurried to report the massacre. Meanwhile, Sosuke and Hyuga Minato continued wiping out Danzo’s Root Base hideouts, leaving Minato surrounded by the slain as Sosuke considered using the many souls to transform someone else.

• Jialong detected the lingering smell of blood, so Inuzuka O and Aburame Shino split from the group to investigate while the others continued to the outpost.
• Sosuke and Hyuga Minato approached concealed Root Base hideouts, and Sosuke said they had to eliminate Danzo’s remaining eyes to protect their plans.
• Shino’s Kikaichū reported that the area was clear, and he and O followed Jialong to a ravine filled with mutilated Konoha Ninja bodies.
• Shino identified sword wounds among the dead and urged O to report the discovery to Konoha, so they left the ravine.
• Minato slaughtered the Root Base ninjas with his Rending Elephant technique while Sosuke watched and considered transforming another person with the many souls.

Sosuke recruited Hyuga Minato as his devoted blade and planned to travel with him and Tokino to the Land of Wind. Near the Land of Rain, Jiraiya told Tsunade that Amegakure had spies and traitors whose presence even Konoha's leaders seemed unaware of, before hurried footsteps approached their outpost.

• Sosuke praised Hyuga Minato's hatred-fueled strength and asked him to become a blade that would cleanse the corrupt world.
• Hyuga Minato vowed to follow Sosuke and cut down anyone who obstructed him, and Sosuke promised to grant him unique abilities.
• Sosuke told Hyuga Minato to help deal with more hideouts before they found Tokino and traveled to the Land of Wind.
• Jiraiya emerged from a toad near the Land of Rain and told Tsunade that Amegakure had spies and traitors despite Konoha Anbu failing to place agents there.
• Tsunade and Jiraiya wondered who in Konoha was secretly operating in Amegakure, then both tensed as hurried footsteps approached.