Chapter Summaries

Jiraiya returned to Konoha and learned from Orochimaru that Tsunade had chosen Fox, the ANBU Director, rather than him. Enraged, Jiraiya challenged Fox at the Forest of Death, where Sarutobi Hiruzen, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and others gathered.

• Jiraiya returned to Konoha and surveyed its growth and new bathhouses.
• Orochimaru told Jiraiya that Tsunade had found another man during his absence.
• Jiraiya repeatedly demanded to know the man's identity until Orochimaru revealed that it was Fox, the ANBU Director.
• Jiraiya hurried to the Forest of Death, where Fox appeared and Jiraiya challenged him.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and others arrived at the Forest of Death.

Jiraiya challenged Fox to test his strength, and the two fought in a valley outside Konoha. After Jiraiya gathered Sage Energy with the help of Fukasaku and Shima, he revealed that he suspected Fox was the Child of Prophecy.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen reluctantly agreed to let Jiraiya challenge Fox outside Konoha, and the group left the village.
• Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta, who attacked Fox with his blade and a Water Release: Iron Cannonball, but Fox caught the blade with Wood Release and blocked the water with an Earth Flow Wall.
• Fox trapped Gamabunta with a chakra-absorbing Wood Dragon while Jiraiya sat down to absorb Sage Energy.
• Fukasaku and Shima emerged with Jiraiya, who told them he suspected the powerful Fox was the Child of Prophecy.

Jiraiya asked the Mount Myōboku sages to test whether Fox could change the Shinobi World, but his Sage Mode attack ended with Yagami’s death. Yagami revived more than twenty days earlier, gained Mount Myōboku Sage Mode through a lottery, and began training to face Jiraiya again.

• Jiraiya asked Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima to assess Fox’s strength and attacked him after entering Sage Mode.
• Fox blocked Jiraiya’s taijutsu, and Jiraiya and the two sages unleashed Sage Art: Gama Teppō.
• Yagami let the boiling oil swallow him, died, and revived more than twenty days earlier beside Pakura.
• Yagami chose Mount Myōboku Sage Mode as his lottery reward and learned to sense and absorb Sage Energy.
• Yagami entered Sage Mode and resolved to train before Jiraiya challenged him again.

Yagami faced Jiraiya and the two Mount Myōboku sages, using Wood Release to overpower them and absorb Sage Chakra. He entered Sage Mode during the fight and left Jiraiya questioning the value of his years of training.

• Jiraiya entered Sage Mode and challenged Yagami while Sarutobi Hiruzen, Tsunade, and Orochimaru watched.
• Yagami used the Third Wood Golem and Rank Forest Technique to withstand Jiraiya’s attacks.
• Yagami’s Wood Dragon bound Jiraiya and drained his Chakra as Jiraiya and the two sages prepared Gama Teppō.
• The Wood Dragon began to petrify after absorbing Sage Chakra, but Yagami continued absorbing it without turning to stone.
• Yagami removed his mask, revealed Sage Mode markings, and entered Sage Mode, shocking Jiraiya, Sage Fukasaku, and Sage Shima.
• Yagami explained that the Three Great Sage Regions absorbed and applied Sage Chakra differently, then said Mount Myōboku’s Sage Jutsu had disappointed him.

Yagami used his newly acquired Sage Jutsu to defeat Jiraiya and the two Mount Myōboku sages, then explained how he had learned to extract Sage Chakra. Sage Fukasaku invited him to meet the Great Toad Sage, and Yagami agreed.

• Yagami caught Jiraiya's Sage-enhanced kick and hurled him away, showing that he surpassed Jiraiya in taijutsu.
• Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima urged Jiraiya to use Toad Song, but Yagami appeared behind them and unleashed his Eight-Part Wood Dragon Technique.
• Yagami's Wood Dragons drained Jiraiya and the two sages of Chakra, forcing Jiraiya out of Sage Mode and leaving him defeated.
• Orochimaru mocked Jiraiya, who masked his distress by claiming his challenge had helped Yagami master Sage Jutsu.
• Yagami thanked Jiraiya and the sages for the opportunity to learn Sage Jutsu and described how he had extracted Sage Chakra during their battle.
• Sage Fukasaku invited Yagami to Mount Myōboku to meet the Great Toad Sage, and Yagami accepted.

The Great Toad Sage prophesied that Jiraiya would meet an orange-red-haired youth who would become the Child of Prophecy, while secretly agreeing with Hagoromo to use the youth and Indra’s reincarnation to restore the Shinobi World’s order. Jiraiya encountered the youth in Konoha, and Yefeng returned home troubled by a day of strange misfortune.

• Sage Fukasaku told the Great Toad Sage that Konoha’s Anbu Director, Fox, had reached strength approaching Hashirama Senju’s, and the Great Toad Sage wondered how Fox fit into the reincarnation cycle.
• The Great Toad Sage prophesied that Jiraiya would meet an orange-red-haired youth who would end a decades-long war and guide the Shinobi World back to its proper path.
• After Jiraiya left, the Great Toad Sage spoke with Hagoromo about Fox’s power and agreed that Jiraiya should guide the youth while Indra’s reincarnation should be strengthened through pain and hatred.
• Jiraiya returned to Konoha, noticed an orange-red-haired child in an aristocratic robe among a group of students, and decided to investigate him the next day.
• Yefeng returned to Tsurutsuki Izakaya and told his mother, Kyouko, that strange bad luck had plagued him throughout the day.

Biesheng met with Ōnoki as the Anti-Konoha Alliance prepared for war, then joined him in negotiating with Akatsuki and hearing the alliance’s invasion strategy. Pain pointed out that Fox’s Flying Thunder God could let him defend multiple battlefields, exposing a fatal weakness in the plan.

• Biesheng urged Ōnoki to declare war, but Ōnoki said he was waiting for people who could help defeat Konoha.
• Ōnoki, Biesheng, Han, and Roshi met Akatsuki in a valley, where Pain identified himself as the organization’s leader.
• Ōnoki recognized Akatsuki’s members and asked about Sarutobi Kinosuke, but Tobi denied that Kinosuke belonged to the organization.
• Gendo presented the alliance’s plan to attack the Land of Whirlpools, Land of Hot Water, Land of Grass, Land of Rivers, and Land of Fire from multiple directions.
• Pain warned that Fox’s Flying Thunder God could let him move between battlefields and asked how the alliance would counter him.

Ōnoki feared that Fox would use Flying Thunder God to avoid the Anti-Konoha Alliance and let him and the Raikage fight Sarutobi Hiruzen, leaving Fox free to seize power in Konoha. Pain revealed Obito’s space-time ability as a way to counter that possibility, and the chapter ended with Ōnoki agreeing to destroy Konoha alongside Akatsuki while planning to investigate the organization.

• Ōnoki realized Fox might ignore Konoha’s danger and let him and the Raikage kill Sarutobi Hiruzen, then return as a hero.
• Pain argued that Fox would not care about being blamed for starting the Third Shinobi World War and offered Akatsuki’s special ability to address the threat.
• Obito used his Mangekyō Sharingan to transport Ōnoki away and bring him back with the Third Raikage, demonstrating his space-time ability.
• Ōnoki accepted Akatsuki’s strength and agreed to destroy Konoha together with them.
• Ōnoki watched Obito transport the Raikage and Biesheng, then resolved to gather intelligence on Akatsuki and prepare countermeasures.

Pakura agreed to help the Three Gods Cult assassinate Rasa and take control of Sunagakure to prevent it from joining the war. As the Four Great Shinobi Villages mobilized, Yagami urged Konoha to send Minato to support the plot, leaving Hiruzen and Shikatsuno questioning the risk.

• Maki ordered Pakura to take Bunpuku's Teakettle and the Sealing Team to the Land of Rivers as Sunagakure mobilized for war.
• Yagami assembled the Disaster Organization and ordered Wind Disaster to assassinate Rasa in Wind Bird City, while Pakura agreed to provide intelligence and help end Sunagakure's chaos.
• Minato went to the Hokage's Office with Tsunade as Konoha's leaders gathered to discuss intelligence that Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure were mobilizing.
• Shikatsuno proposed sending only a small force to the Land of Rivers, and Yagami instead recommended sending Minato and at most one supporting squad to assassinate Rasa.
• Hiruzen and Shikatsuno questioned the danger of Yagami's plan to send Minato.

Yagami and Konoha's leaders planned how to confront the villages gathering for war, including Minato's mission to assassinate Kazekage Rasa. Yagami proposed Uchiha Zhong as commander of the Land of Hot Water battlefield, but Nara Shikatsuno strongly opposed him, leaving the meeting divided over the Uchiha Clan's role.

• Yagami argued that killing Rasa would exploit Sunagakure's internal divisions and make it withdraw from the war, and Minato agreed to complete the assassination within a week.
• Tsunade proposed sending herself, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and at least five thousand Konoha Ninja to face Iwagakure in the Land of Grass.
• When Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Yagami to command the Land of Hot Water battlefield, Yagami declined and recommended Uchiha Zhong instead.
• Yagami argued that the Uchiha Clan's Sharingan could counter Kumogakure's fighters and help rebuild the clan's standing in Konoha.
• Nara Shikatsuno objected that the Uchiha Clan lacked a Kage-level ninja and could not be trusted with command, while Nara Shikaku and Tsunade were surprised by Yagami's proposal.

Yagami persuaded Konoha’s leaders to appoint Uchiha Zhong as battlefield commander and deploy the Uchiha Clan, warning that Uchiha Madara’s powerful subordinates could join the war. The leaders also agreed to send Uzumaki Kushina to the Land of Whirlpools, and Yagami headed to the Uchiha Compound to confirm the clan’s loyalty.

• Yagami argued that the Uchiha Clan could provide powerful fighters and that Konoha needed them against both the Four Great Shinobi Villages and Uchiha Madara’s followers.
• Yagami named Obito Uchiha as a dangerous enemy with a space-moving Mangekyo technique and promised to kill any Uchiha who betrayed Konoha.
• The Third Hokage approved Yagami’s proposal, and Nara Shikatsuno assigned himself to the Land of Whirlpools battlefield.
• Yagami urged the leaders to send Uzumaki Kushina to face the enemy jinchuriki, and they accepted the plan.
• Minato Namikaze worried about Kushina going to war and resolved to finish the Wind Shadow assassination mission quickly.
• Yagami left the Hokage Building for the Uchiha Compound to confirm the clan’s stance.

Yagami urged Uchiha Zhong to lead the Uchiha Clan on the Land of Hot Water battlefield and help them integrate with Konoha. He revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan to Zhong and Uchiha Fugaku, leaving Zhong shocked to learn that the Anbu Director was an Uchiha.

• Uchiha Zhong welcomed Yagami and the Anbu delegation to the Uchiha Compound after they arrived.
• Yagami asked Uchiha Zhong to lead the Land of Hot Water battlefield and explained that he wanted the Uchiha Clan to build bonds with Konoha through shared combat.
• Uchiha Zhong questioned why Yagami would help the clan, and Yagami sent the others out so he could speak privately with Zhong and Uchiha Fugaku.
• Yagami removed his mask and revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, shocking Uchiha Zhong into realizing that the Anbu Director was an Uchiha.

Yagami revealed to Uchiha Zhong and Uchiha Fugaku that he was an Uchiha-Senju-Uzumaki descendant and the Anbu Director, convincing them to support the Land of Hot Water campaign. The meeting ended with Uchiha Zhong revealing his Mangekyo and wondering which Uchiha had fathered Yagami.

• Yagami revealed his Sharingan and explained that his mother was a Senju-Uzumaki ninja and his unknown father was an Uchiha.
• Uchiha Zhong accepted Yagami's sincerity and agreed to lead the Uchiha Clan on the Land of Hot Water battlefield.
• Yagami promised to send at least three thousand additional ninja, and Uchiha Zhong revealed that he possessed Mangekyo.
• Yagami warned that Uchiha Madara would eventually be resurrected and asked Zhong and Fugaku to keep his Sharingan secret.
• Yagami urged Fugaku to send Uchiha into the ANBU and train younger recruits, then Zhong asked Fugaku to investigate Yagami's Uchiha father.

Might Guy learned that his father, Might Duy, had been drafted into Princess Kushina’s guard squad for the Land of Whirlpools campaign, though Nara Shikaku suspected Duy had a hidden significance. As Konoha’s forces departed, Rasa set out to investigate the group killing nobles in the Land of Wind.

• Might Guy found Ebisu and Shiranui Genma, then saw his father, Might Duy, heading to the Konoha Gate with an Uzumaki Jonin.
• Nara Shikaku told Might Guy that Anbu Director Lord Fox had ordered Might Duy’s assignment to Princess Kushina’s guard squad.
• Lord Kakuzu led two thousand Konoha ninja, including Princess Kushina and Might Duy, toward the Land of Whirlpools.
• Nara Shikaku reflected that only a little over two thousand ninja would remain in Konoha after the other forces departed, and wondered whether the village’s plans in the Land of Rivers would succeed.
• The Daimyo pressed Rasa to stop the group assassinating nobles and offered Sunagakure five percent more war funding if he caught the killers.
• Rasa learned the target was last seen in Wind Bird City and decided to pursue the group himself.

Minato Namikaze’s team traveled through the desert while he gathered intelligence on the Disaster Organization’s plan to assassinate Kazekage Rasa. In Wind Bird City, Hidan and his followers attacked the noble estate, leaving its lord fatally wounded amid chaos.

• Uchiha Yōtō complained that the team had crossed the desert for two days without encountering an enemy, and Rin Nohara urged him to be patient.
• Minato Namikaze told Kakashi and the others to guard him while he gathered information through the Three Gods Temple.
• Fire Disaster Yakura and Plague Disaster Hidan discussed the Land of Wind’s S-rank mission and planned to lure Kazekage Rasa to Wind Bird City.
• Lightning Disaster Yagami ordered Fire Disaster to provide intelligence while Wind Disaster and Plague Disaster carried out the assassination of Kazekage Rasa.
• Hidan led Black Sail and thirty followers into the noble estate, where servants and others began suffering accidents and inexplicable deaths.
• The lord discovered a hole in his chest as blood filled his bathwater, and he called for help.

Rasa discovered that Hidan and the Three Gods Cult were behind a series of mysterious deaths and attacked them, while Minato and his students prepared to exploit Rasa’s movements. As Minato confronted Rasa, Obito appeared behind Rin and resolved to use her as a hostage to kill Minato.

• Rasa found more than thirty nobles and cult followers dead from identical wounds and tracked the killer to a warehouse where Hidan was waiting.
• Hidan fought Rasa with the Seventh Gate’s air bullets, but his attack struck a Sand Clone, while Rasa concealed his real position.
• Minato sent Kakashi, Rin, and Uchiha Yōtō to scatter Flying Thunder God Kunai around the battlefield, and Kakashi used Pakkun’s nose to locate Rasa in a pavilion.
• Rasa emerged from Gold Dust inside the pavilion, and Minato teleported to confront him.
• Obito appeared behind Rin, hesitated as memories of her surfaced, then decided to take her hostage and kill Minato.

Minato Namikaze rescued Rin Nohara from an Exploding Tag, then clashed with Obito Uchiha, while Rasa attacked Kakashi Hatake and his teammates. Yagami intervened to save Yōtō and Rin, discovering Yōtō had awakened a One Tomoe Sharingan as the battle exposed cooperation between the Akatsuki Organization and the Anti-Konoha Alliance.

• Kakashi Hatake chose to save Rin Nohara instead of letting Minato Namikaze finish his attack on Rasa, and Minato rescued Rin before the Exploding Tag detonated.
• Minato Namikaze recognized Obito Uchiha as an Akatsuki Organization ninja, and Obito told Rasa that the Tsuchikage had hired him to kill Minato's three disciples.
• Minato Namikaze and Obito Uchiha vanished into a space-time ninjutsu battle as Rasa recognized Kakashi Hatake and attacked him and his teammates with Gold Dust.
• Kakashi Hatake electrified the Gold Dust, but Rasa launched spears at the team, and Yōtō's One Tomoe Sharingan awakened as he tried to shield Rin Nohara.
• Yagami appeared before Yōtō and Rin, shattered the Gold Dust spears, and noted Yōtō's Sharingan as he assessed the battlefield.

Yagami used Wood Release to trap Rasa, while Pakura unleashed Shukaku, who broke one of the towering trees. Rasa saved civilians from the falling tree, but Shukaku attacked him as Yagami escaped Wind Bird City with Kakashi and his companions and asked Kakashi why he had stopped fighting Rasa.

• Yagami trapped Rasa inside four enormous maple trees and crushed his attempt to escape with a Gold Dust cube.
• Pakura threw Bunpuku's Teakettle, releasing Shukaku, who broke one tree at its roots.
• Kakashi identified Shukaku and considered testing the Tailed Beast, while Rin warned Yagami that the falling tree threatened civilians.
• Rasa used Gold Dust to catch the falling tree and protect the civilians, then Shukaku attacked him with a Wind Release: Void Bullet.
• Yagami escaped the city with Kakashi, Uchiha Yōtō, and Rin Nohara, then asked Kakashi why he had stopped dealing with Rasa.

Yagami killed Kazekage Rasa during Shukaku’s battle in Wind Bird City, then told Rasa that Pakura would become the Fifth Kazekage and lead Sunagakure out of the war. Pakura moved to seal Shukaku after Rasa’s death was revealed, while Kakashi and his team were sent into hiding.

• Kakashi explained to Yagami that killing Rasa publicly would provoke Sunagakure’s Militant Faction and hasten the war, and Yagami praised his judgment before ordering him to hide with Uchiha Yōtō and Rin Nohara.
• Shukaku battled Rasa in Wind Bird City, and an unknown voice urged Shukaku to use Desert Funeral again.
• Yagami entered Rasa’s Gold Dust Sphere and crushed his joints with sand that had passed through the defense, then told Rasa that Pakura would become the Fifth Kazekage.
• Rasa accepted his death, and Shukaku’s sand revealed his bloodstained Gold Dust and reddish-brown hair to the horrified Sand ninja.
• Pakura ordered the Sand ninja to seal Shukaku, released her Rhombus Seal, and attacked with Scorch Release: Scorching Orb.

Pakura sealed Shukaku after helping destroy it in Wind Bird City, then agreed to become Sunagakure's Fifth Kazekage when Advisor Maki urged her to lead the weakened village away from war. She informed Fox of the decision and was left baffled by Fox's instructions about names for Karura's future children.

• Pakura used Scorching Jade Bullets to sever Shukaku's arm, then sealed it with Monk Bunpuku's Teakettle.
• Advisor Maki ordered the rescue of Wind Bird City's residents and asked Pakura for her view of the coming war.
• Pakura advised Sunagakure to withdraw from the war, and Maki recommended her as the Fifth Kazekage.
• Pakura accepted the burden and met her new subordinates, Baki and Karura.
• Pakura told Fox that Maki would recommend her as Kazekage, and Fox told her to name Karura's future children Temari or Gaara.
• Pakura examined Karura and found she was not pregnant, then wondered why Fox was interested in her children.