Chapter Summaries

Ai and Bee used their Double Lariat to kill Taiseki and threaten the Rock Ninja, while Konoha’s leaders discussed Amegakure’s request for reconciliation. Danzo was assigned to handle the talks and privately reflected that he had secured another opportunity for his student Sosuke.

• Ai and Bee charged the Rock Ninja and killed Taiseki with their Double Lariat.
• Bee and Ai declared themselves the AB Combination as the remaining Rock Ninja recoiled.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s senior officials discussed Hanzo’s disappearance and Amegakure’s offer to surrender.
• Utatane Koharu advised Hiruzen to negotiate with Amegakure’s new leader, and Hiruzen agreed to seek reconciliation.
• Danzo offered to have Root Base handle the negotiations, and Hiruzen accepted.
• Danzo privately said that he had won Sosuke another opportunity.

Tsunade let Nawaki remain at the Konoha camp after he insisted he was ready to become a ninja and pursue his dream of becoming Hokage. Meanwhile, Jiraiya taught Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan a simple method for signaling who was inside the house, as Sosuke and Minato watched nearby and Sosuke sensed something unusual.

• Tsunade scolded Nawaki for leaving the clan without permission and coming to the battlefield, but he insisted he had grown up and wanted to become Hokage.
• Tsunade accepted Nawaki's decision to stay and gave him a kiss for luck, while Nawaki vowed to protect her and Konoha.
• Jiraiya taught Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan to use signs to indicate whether each of them was inside or away, then joked that their toad costumes were simply cute.
• Minato watched Jiraiya and the children with Sosuke, who said he wanted to see what abilities the eyes would reveal before suddenly furrowing his brow.

Sosuke captured and examined a White Zetsu clone, then released it after warning that he had claimed the Rinnegan and would punish anyone who interfered. At Konoha’s camp in the Land of Rain, Nawaki prepared to leave on his first mission, while Tsunade worried over him.

• Sosuke tracked down White Zetsu and pinned him to a tree, then asked Minato to examine his unusual body.
• Minato used his Byakugan and found that White Zetsu could not be considered human in the usual sense.
• Sosuke released White Zetsu and warned him to tell whoever was behind him that Sosuke had claimed the Rinnegan.
• White Zetsu suggested that Sosuke might share his master’s ambitions, but Sosuke dismissed the offer and left with Minato.
• Nawaki showed Tsunade his combat uniform before his first mission, and Tsunade urged him to follow his team leader and return safely.
• Nawaki teased Tsunade about finding a boyfriend and declared that he would accept only Sosuke as his brother-in-law before running off.

Nawaki joined a Konoha scouting squad in the Land of Rain, where Sand Ninja ambushed them and exposed him to the brutality of war. As the Sand Ninja targeted him, Sosuke sensed the trouble nearby and remarked to Minato that a fledgling was eager to take flight.

• Nawaki traveled with Captain Morino’s Konoha squad, unaware that Sand Ninja had set an ambush ahead.
• A hidden seal triggered an explosion, and the Sand Ninja attacked the squad with Wind and Earth techniques.
• Captain Morino defended the squad with Shadow Clones and a summoned beckoning-cat contraption, but two Konoha Ninja died in the opening clash.
• Nawaki watched the deaths in horror and realized how quickly war could take a life.
• The Sand Ninja recognized Nawaki as the person the Konoha squad was protecting and aimed their next attacks at him.
• Sosuke sensed the distant battle, and he told Minato that a young ninja was eager to prove himself.

Sosuke arrived in the forest just as the Sand Ninja were about to kill Nawaki and comforted him over the Konoha Ninja who had died protecting him. He annihilated the Sand Ninja with Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi, leaving Nawaki stunned by his strength.

• Captain Morino died after telling Nawaki to flee, and Sajian destroyed Morino's body with the Flowing Blade Ribbon.
• Sajian sent the Flowing Blade Ribbon to attack Nawaki, but it crumbled into dust before reaching him.
• Sosuke appeared, comforted the grieving Nawaki, and told him to watch.
• Sosuke cast Hadō #90: Kurohitsugi and killed the Sand Ninja instantly.
• Nawaki watched Sosuke's strength in shock and remembered what his sister and Jiraiya had said about him.

After Sosuke rescued Nawaki from the Sand Ninja, he urged him to grow strong enough to protect others. Tsunade and Orochimaru learned Nawaki was missing, while Sosuke led the boy away to train.

• Sosuke comforted Nawaki after defeating the Sand Ninja and told him to grow stronger if he wanted to change the sorrow caused by war.
• Tsunade learned that the reconnaissance squad had been wiped out and Nawaki was missing, and she broke down in grief.
• Orochimaru returned to the outpost, learned what had happened to Nawaki, and reacted with sadness and confusion.
• Sosuke reassured Nawaki that Tsunade would only worry briefly and that training was worth the price.
• Nawaki resolved to become strong enough to protect Tsunade and everyone as he left with Sosuke and another young man.

After Nawaki was presumed dead, Tsunade grieved and vowed to fulfill his wish to protect the village, while Orochimaru brooded over humanity’s fragility and the prospect of eternal life. Meanwhile, Minato led Nawaki toward Amegakure during a truce, urging him to broaden his perspective and understand Sosuke’s intentions.

• Tsunade asked Orochimaru whether Nawaki might still be alive, but Orochimaru told her he had almost no chance of surviving.
• Tsunade blamed herself for Nawaki’s presumed death, then vowed to protect the village and fulfill his wish.
• Orochimaru reflected on humanity’s helplessness against nature and became fixated on forbidden techniques that could grant eternal life.
• Minato told Nawaki that Konoha and Amegakure had reached a truce and explained that Sosuke had sent him to broaden his perspective.
• Nawaki recalled Sosuke’s advice about perspective and capacity, then hurried after Minato toward Amegakure.

Sosuke returned to a Konoha outpost after secretly scouting Iwagakure and warned Kuroi to gather intelligence on Kumogakure’s AB Combination. He then answered a summons from the village and met Captain Kazumi in the central tent.

• Sosuke returned to the outpost and told Kuroi that Iwagakure was struggling against Kumogakure’s attacks.
• Sosuke warned Kuroi that Kumogakure’s AB Combination had caused Iwagakure serious trouble and urged him to gather intelligence.
• Sosuke reassured the new Konoha Ninja that he would keep them safe, while Kuroi praised Sosuke’s strength and leadership to the rookies.
• A Konoha Ninja summoned Sosuke for a mission from the village, and Sosuke left for the central tent.
• Sosuke met Captain Kazumi in the tent, and the two greeted each other after a long time apart.

Shimura Kazumi told Sosuke that Danzo had secured him a place in negotiations with Amegakure, and she would accompany him on the mission. Meanwhile, Minato led Nawaki through the Land of Rain, where Nawaki saw the devastation war had left behind, and the two continued toward Amegakure.

• Shimura Kazumi explained that Sosuke would represent Konoha in negotiations with Amegakure and warned him that the mission could affect his future.
• Sosuke teased Kazumi about worrying for him, and she hurried out of the tent, flustered.
• Minato and Nawaki walked through the Land of Rain as Nawaki complained about the downpour and asked to shelter in a village.
• Minato asked Nawaki to look closely at the village, and Nawaki saw its ruined houses and scattered bones.
• Nawaki fell silent and followed Minato onward through the rain.

As Konoha and Amegakure prepared to negotiate, Sosuke visited Tsunade at her outpost, where she finally broke down over Nawaki’s death and her guilt. Sosuke left after comforting her, and the next morning Tsunade found his note and took heart from his promise to reach a certain height.

• Kinnara and Konoha prepared for negotiations while Tsunade organized the outpost’s defenses against the Sand Ninja.
• Sosuke arrived, and Tsunade told him that Nawaki had died on a mission she had assigned him.
• Sosuke comforted Tsunade as she sobbed, then carried her to a rest area and left her a note before departing with Shimura Kazumi.
• Tsunade woke the next day, read Sosuke’s note, and smiled as she wondered what he meant by reaching that height.

Minato brought Nawaki to Amegakure and urged him to join Captain Aizen’s vision for a new world. Meanwhile, Sosuke confronted Uchiha Tokino in the Land of Rain and forced him to his knees, leaving Cang Jian asking for help nearby.

• Minato and Nawaki arrived at Amegakure, where Minato said Captain Aizen had killed Hanzo and described his plan for peace throughout the Ninja World.
• Nawaki asked if he could be part of Captain Aizen’s vision, and Minato told him to trust Captain Aizen’s judgment.
• At a Konoha stronghold, Uchiha Tokino finalized a plan to strike the Sand Ninja before abruptly leaving after an apparent summons.
• Tokino met Sosuke in a forest clearing and said he was only there because Sosuke had ordered him to come.
• Sosuke crushed Tokino into a kneeling position, and Cang Jian timidly called out for the Alliance Leader to help him up.

Sosuke pressured Tokino into revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan ability, Futsu-no-Mitama. After Sosuke lifted the crushing force, Tokino prepared to attack and show him what his dōjutsu could do.

• Sosuke crushed Tokino into a crater and offered him one chance to attack rather than submit.
• Tokino chose to test Sosuke's strength, struggling to rise under the pressure without using his Mangekyō ability.
• Sosuke intensified the force until Tokino could no longer endure it, so Tokino summoned Futsu-no-Mitama, a black skeleton wrapped in lightning.
• Sosuke released the pressure, and Tokino sprang into the air, brought his palms together, and began forming a strange object amid blue lightning.

Tokino attacked Sosuke with his Mangekyō Sharingan techniques, but Sosuke blocked his lightning cannon and caught his Thunder God Hammer with one hand. Sosuke prepared to test the strength of Tokino’s black bones, leaving Tokino shaken before his counterattack.

• Tokino formed a lightning cannon and fired his Thunder God Cannon at Sosuke.
• Sosuke blocked the blast with Bakudo #81: Danku and asked Tokino about the black bones covering him.
• Tokino identified the armor as Futsu-no-Mitama and charged Sosuke with his cannon.
• Tokino transformed the cannon into a Thunder God Hammer and struck the ground with a powerful blow.
• Sosuke caught the Thunder God Hammer with his bare hand, then said he would test Tokino’s bones.

Sosuke defeated Tokino despite Tokino’s strongest lightning attack, then warned him not to act recklessly and invoked Sakuya as a possible replacement in his plans. Dan emerged from hiding and challenged Sosuke about the battle.

• Sosuke shattered Futsu-no-Mitama with repeated attacks, leaving Tokino shocked by the skeleton’s failing defenses.
• Tokino unleashed Black Thunder God and appeared to pierce Sosuke’s heart, but Sosuke revealed that the apparent corpse was an illusion and that he had survived.
• Tokino accepted Sosuke’s warning and regained his composure after Sosuke threatened to have Sakuya take his place if something went wrong.
• Sosuke noticed Dan hiding near the battlefield and called him out, prompting Dan to step forward and question what Sosuke was doing there.

Dan followed Tokino to the wrecked clearing and was surprised to find him with Sosuke. As Dan remembered meeting Sosuke years earlier, Sosuke attacked him with White Lightning, and Dan prepared to fight back.

• Dan found Tokino kneeling in the wrecked clearing as Sosuke approached him, and he called out to check on his friend.
• Sosuke told Dan that he and Tokino had been catching up, prompting Dan to remember first meeting Sosuke through the blond girl he loved.
• Dan greeted Sosuke as Captain, and Sosuke said he preferred being called Captain Aizen.
• Sosuke appeared behind Dan and fired White Lightning, but Dan escaped by substituting a charred wooden post.
• Dan decided Sosuke was a threat and began forming an unusual Art Seal as Sosuke watched with interest.

Sosuke subdued Dan’s Spirit Transformation Technique and forced Tokino to choose between killing his friend and protecting his younger sister. Tokino killed Dan in the rain, while Sosuke watched and reflected on how interesting the scene was.

• Dan used the Spirit Transformation Technique to send his soul toward Sosuke, but Sosuke’s command forced him to the ground before he could make contact.
• Sosuke told Tokino to destroy Dan’s body himself, invoking Tokino’s younger sister and their plan.
• Tokino hesitated, then agreed to kill Dan and slowly approached him with a kunai.
• Dan urged Tokino not to turn his back on Konoha and said he had never regretted their friendship.
• Tokino stabbed Dan through the heart, and Dan’s pale blue soul began to dissipate as a downpour swept over the field.
• Sosuke watched the scene with a faint smile and considered it interesting.

Tokino vowed to kill Sosuke and Aizen after Sosuke left him beside Dan’s corpse and urged him to join Zetsu’s organization if he encountered it. Meanwhile, Nawaki met Kinnara in Amegakure and heard why Kinnara believed Captain Aizen could build a world without war.

• Sosuke told Tokino he would go to Amegakure to resume ceasefire negotiations with Konoha and instructed him to end the battle against the Sand Ninja.
• Sosuke told Tokino about Zetsu and suggested he join Zetsu’s organization to learn who was behind it.
• After Sosuke left, Tokino sank beside Dan’s corpse and vowed to kill Sosuke and Aizen himself.
• While traveling through the Land of Rain, Shimura Kazumi briefly felt dazed, and Sosuke suggested they stop to plan their negotiations.
• Minato brought Senju Nawaki to meet Kinnara, who described Amegakure’s changes and called Captain Aizen practically a god.

Yahiko and Nagato fought off a White-Haired Lion during Jiraiya's training, then were ordered to run laps as punishment. Konan felt inadequate until a mysterious figure comforted her, asking whether she was tired from training.

• Yahiko protected Konan from the White-Haired Lion while Nagato raised an earth wall and used wind to lift the beast, allowing Yahiko to kick it away.
• Jiraiya appeared and told Yahiko and Nagato to run five and three laps respectively, withholding dinner until they finished.
• After Yahiko and Nagato left, Jiraiya admitted to Konan that he had used the lion as an excuse to get back at them, then went to check on their training.
• Konan hid her injured leg and worried that she was weaker than Yahiko and Nagato and could not help Big Brother Aizen.
• A broad-palmed figure gently touched Konan's head and asked if she was tired from training.

Sosuke encouraged Konan, healed her injured knee, and helped her discover her ability to create paper flowers. He also warned her about Nagato’s dangerous eyes and asked her to watch over him.

• Sosuke healed Konan’s knee and reassured her that she had great potential.
• Following Sosuke’s instructions, Konan guided her chakra and created a small white paper flower.
• Sosuke praised Konan and tucked the flower behind her ear.
• Yahiko and Nagato returned to the hut, where Yahiko noticed Konan’s flower and Nagato complimented it.
• Konan recalled Sosuke’s warning that Nagato’s eyes could endanger him and agreed to report anything unusual she noticed.

Shimura Kazumi and Sosuke arrived in Amegakure to negotiate peace, while Sosuke instructed Kinnara and Minato to keep the village’s plans quiet and discussed Nawaki and Minato’s bloodline. Konoha and Amegakure signed a peace treaty, and Kazumi prepared to return to Konoha with it.

• Sosuke told Kinnara and Minato to follow the original plan and let Amegakure develop quietly, then asked Minato about Nawaki at the hidden outpost.
• Sosuke encouraged Minato to pass down his bloodline, and Minato pledged to follow Sosuke’s guidance.
• Shimura Kazumi and Sosuke met Amegakure’s leaders, including Kinnara, and began peace negotiations.
• Konoha and Amegakure formally signed a peace treaty after the negotiations concluded.
• Kazumi thanked Kinnara and said she and Sosuke would return to Konoha to submit the treaty.