Chapter Summaries

Sasori’s research was ruined when Naruto’s Wind Style caused a disturbance, and he attacked Naruto and Hinata with his puppets. Meanwhile, Shouya targeted Aoba, Yukimura Rin, and Inoue Tsukasa, leaving Rin blasted backward after she destroyed one of his puppets.

• A crash from Naruto’s Wind Style interrupted Sasori’s experiment and destroyed the Chakra Core he had been developing.
• Sasori confronted Naruto and Hinata, then attacked them with chakra threads and a massive puppet when they refused to accept blame.
• After hearing an explosion in the forest, Shouya sent his subordinates to hold Yuhi Shinku at bay and went after the Konoha newcomers himself.
• Shouya confronted Aoba, Yukimura Rin, and Inoue Tsukasa, then sent two small puppets to attack them.
• Yukimura Rin cut one puppet in half with Wind Release: Wind Cutter Blade, but its remains exploded and blasted her backward.

Kakashi’s team attacked Kirigakure shinobi on the Land of Waves Bridge to capture a middle-aged man, but Zabuza arrived and challenged them. Elsewhere, Aoba spotted Sunagakure spies near the border and warned Yuhi Shinku.

• Yuhi Shinku interrupted Shouya’s attack on Inoue Tsukasa and Rin, and Shouya summoned two puppets to face him.
• Aoba, Kakashi, Asuma, and Might Guy reached the Land of Waves Bridge, where Aoba used his Byakugan to count the Kirigakure forces.
• Kakashi’s team attacked the bridge and captured the middle-aged man, while Rin escaped with him and Kakashi stayed to fight.
• Zabuza Momochi arrived and fought Kakashi as Asuma and Might Guy battled other Kirigakure shinobi; Aoba spotted Haku approaching the battlefield.
• At the Konoha–Sunagakure border, Aoba detected Sunagakure spies and reported them to Yuhi Shinku.

Aoba fought Sunagakure spies and clashed with Baki while Yuhi Shinku’s squad confronted Ebizo at the border. Yuhi Shinku found the fugitive and began an intense battle with him, with Hyuga Neji standing ready to help.

• Aoba spotted Sunagakure spies, attacked them with shadow clones and Wind Release, and used his Sharingan to expose and defeat hidden attackers.
• Baki appeared and pressured Aoba with Wind Release attacks, while Aoba discovered another ambusher and defeated him with Chidori Stream.
• Yuhi Shinku’s squad faced Ebizo, and Yuhi Shinku used clones to distract the Sunagakure force while he searched for the fugitive.
• Aoba sensed chakra nearby, allowing Yuhi Shinku to track the fugitive, but Hyuga Neji saved him from a surprise strike.
• Yuhi Shinku confronted the fugitive and exchanged dozens of blows with him as Hyuga Neji watched for an opening.

Yuhi Shinku's squad confronted Sunagakure ninjas trying to seize Konoha's supplies, and Aoba used his lightning chakra to defeat Kankuro's puppet. After Yuhi Shinku killed an attacking fugitive, the story shifted to Uchiha Wind arriving at Dahu City to meet Yuhi Shinku and deliver intelligence.

• Yuhi Shinku led Yuhi Kurenai, Aburame Shino, and Aoba to the Sunagakure border, where Temari's group attacked them.
• Uchiha Wind dodged Kankuro's ambush, found a notch in his puppet, and destroyed it with lightning chakra before knocking Kankuro down.
• Ebizo betrayed Yuhi Shinku and joined a fugitive in attacking him while Hyuga Neji and Uchiha Shisui supported Yuhi Shinku.
• Yuhi Shinku sensed the fugitive with Aoba's help, vanished from sight, and struck the fugitive down before confronting Ebizo.
• Uchiha Wind reached Dahu City after traveling through the night and entered an inn to meet his contact, Yuhi Shinku, with vital intelligence.

Uchiha Wind delivered crucial intelligence to Yuhi Shinku, but Sunagakure ninjas ambushed them before they could leave the inn. Yuhi Shinku escaped with the badly wounded Uchiha Wind and reached Konoha, where he then joined a fight against Sunagakure attackers threatening the camp.

• Uchiha Wind handed Yuhi Shinku a sealed scroll containing intelligence vital to Konoha's safety, and they realized a Sunagakure squad was following them.
• Yuhi Shinku and Uchiha Wind fought their way toward the inn's back door, but Uchiha Wind was wounded and Yuhi Shinku carried him out under pursuit.
• Yuhi Shinku carried the gravely injured Uchiha Wind back to Konoha and brought him to a Medical Ninja.
• Sunagakure ninjas attacked Konoha's camp, trapping Konoha ninja with sand techniques as they tried to break through and report to the Hokage.
• Yuhi Shinku arrived at the camp, used genjutsu to injure and bind the Sunagakure attackers, and pressed his attack.

Yuhi Shinku fought Sunagakure’s infiltrators on Konoha’s border, was badly wounded after they trapped him with a secret technique, and helped buy time to repel their main force. He later woke in Konoha Hospital, where his companions told him he had been brought back for treatment.

• Yuhi Shinku used Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death to trap a Sunagakure ninja and face the surrounding attackers.
• A Konoha ninja warned Yuhi Shinku that Sunagakure’s main force was approaching, so he released his captive and prepared to withdraw.
• A Sunagakure ninja attacked Yuhi Shinku with Sand Explosion Funeral, leaving him badly injured as puppet attacks overwhelmed his weakened genjutsu.
• Yuhi Shinku fought through the night, and a Konoha ninja later told him Sunagakure’s main force had been driven back thanks to the time he bought.
• Yuhi Shinku lost consciousness, then woke in Konoha Hospital surrounded by medical staff and visiting companions.

Yuhi Shinku fought Baki and Sunagakure’s ninja squad, using shadow clones and traps to escape their ambush. Elsewhere, Might Guy’s team learned Sunagakure forces were approaching and hurried to find Gaara before they could capture him.

• Baki led a Sunagakure squad in an ambush against Yuhi Shinku, who fought back until the squad’s numbers forced him to retreat.
• Yuhi Shinku used the Shadow Clone Technique to evade a volley of weapons, then fled into the forest and laid Explosive Tags for his pursuers.
• The Explosive Tags injured the Sunagakure squad, and Yuhi Shinku trapped Baki in an iron cage before killing him.
• In a separate confrontation, Baki’s Third Kazekage Puppet was destroyed, and he battled Yuhi Shinku outside the Kazekage Building.
• Might Guy, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji watched the fight and resolved to find Gaara and take him safely back to Konoha.
• Ino reported that many Sunagakure ninja were heading toward them, so Might Guy led the group away from the Kazekage Building to keep Gaara out of Sunagakure’s hands.

Might Guy and his team encountered Black Zetsu, who offered to help them find Gaara in exchange for locating a stone tied to Shukaku’s seal. Meanwhile, Kazama used his secret Space Distortion Release to survive an attack by Kawaki Aoba’s shadow clone, and realized the technique might decide future battles.

• Guy-sensei protected Yuhi Shinku from a surprise attack, then led Rock Lee, Tenten, Neji, and Yuhi Shinku away from pursuing Sunagakure ninjas.
• Temari and Kankuro decided to abandon their mission and flee with Gaara, but Sunagakure ninjas caught up with them.
• Black Zetsu appeared to Might Guy’s group and asked them to find the sealing stone of the One-Tail Shukaku so he could undo Gaara’s seal.
• Kawaki Aoba’s shadow clone attacked Kazama and Sand Fang with hand grenades, but Kazama used Space Distortion Release to escape the blast and stop a grenade.
• Baki questioned Kazama about the encounter, and Kazama concealed the true nature of his technique.
• Kazama went to train the next morning, recognizing that Space Distortion Release could prove crucial in future battles.

Kawaki Aoba ambushed Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Choza during their assassination attempt on Baki, defeating Choza and revealing his strength. The story then shifted to Aoba, Naruto, and Sakura fleeing from Baki’s Sunagakure ninja, with Aoba ordering them to split up.

• Kazama trained while Sunagakure’s leaders decided to strengthen their defenses and seek help after hearing about Konoha’s Hand Grenades.
• Kawaki Aoba showed Shinku the Hand Grenades and promised to keep improving his own strength.
• Nara Shikaku and Akimichi Choza ambushed Baki, and Choza wounded him with Wind Release and a giant punch.
• Kawaki Aoba attacked Shikaku to stop him from killing Baki, then used Finger Pistol and Rankyaku to badly injure Choza.
• Baki led Sunagakure ninja in pursuit of Kawaki Aoba, Naruto, and Sakura, and Aoba told his companions to split up and run.

Kawaki Aoba escaped Sunagakure's pursuit with Naruto and Sakura, then learned that someone had deliberately leaked their whereabouts. He led a squad on a mission near Sunagakure and ambushed enemy ninja, losing one of his trump cards as the team pressed deeper into enemy territory.

• Kawaki Aoba used a smoke bomb to escape Baki's pursuit, while Naruto and Sakura were rescued, and the three returned safely to Konoha.
• Kawaki Aoba reported the attack to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who later revealed that someone had leaked their whereabouts and planned to draw out the mastermind.
• Kawaki Aoba led Naruto, Sakura, and others on a reconnaissance mission near Sunagakure, where they encountered a startled Sunagakure ninja.
• Kawaki Aoba and Iwabe Tetsushin ambushed a Sunagakure group near Konoha, and Kawaki Aoba used shadow clones and a grenade to defeat them, remarking that he had lost one trump card.
• Kawaki Aoba used the Spirit Transformation Technique against another enemy patrol as he and Iwabe continued deeper into Sunagakure territory.

Kawaki Aoba and Iwabe infiltrated Sunagakure, defeated the Kazekage, and heard a mysterious warning before an explosion disrupted the battle. As Yuhi Shinku led Konoha’s newcomers in a breakout, Kawaki Aoba killed Chiyo Umi, and the group escaped Sunagakure, only to face more puppets ahead.

• Kawaki Aoba encouraged Iwabe to focus on learning and growth, and they found a weak point in Sunagakure’s defenses, defeated the Kazekage, and completed their mission.
• A mysterious voice praised Kawaki Aoba and Iwabe Tetsushin, warned that a greater challenge lay ahead, and vanished as a streak of light.
• An explosion drew Sunagakure’s attention away from Yuhi Shinku and the Konoha newcomers, so Yuhi Shinku ordered Kawaki Aoba to lead the group in a breakout.
• Chiyo Umi attacked Kawaki Aoba and the newcomers with two puppets while Yuhi Shinku fought to hold him off and urged them to escape.
• Kawaki Aoba studied Chiyo Umi’s puppet movements, bypassed them, and killed him, allowing Yuhi Shinku to reunite with the group.
• Yuhi Shinku led Kawaki Aoba and the other Konoha newcomers out of Sunagakure, but more Sunagakure puppets confronted them at their next stopping point.

Yuhi Shinku defeated a Sunagakure puppeteer but was left fighting mysterious cloaked attackers as Kawaki and his companions fled. Later, Kawaki Aoba learned Sunagakure had invaded the Land of Fire and joined Konoha's forces at the border, where they faced Baki and a waiting Sunagakure army.

• Yuhi Shinku used a clone and a concealed Fuma Shuriken to crack Hanzo of the Salamander's puppet, then defeated its puppeteer.
• Kawaki, Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma encountered cloaked fighters battling Sunagakure ninja, were spotted, and had to flee until Yuhi Shinku arrived to hold off their pursuers.
• Kawaki Aoba cultivated sage chakra, received 500 points from the system, and saw that his strength had reached Elite Peak Chunin.
• Sarutobi Asuma told Kawaki Aoba that Sunagakure had invaded the Land of Fire, and they joined Might Guy's team and the Ino-Shika-Cho squad to respond.
• Konoha's forces reached a border valley sealed by Sunagakure ninja, where Baki confronted them and Sarutobi Asuma challenged him over the invasion.

Kawaki Aoba and his allies fought off Sunagakure forces pursuing the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, learning that the Daimyo had infiltrated Konoha in disguise. Kawaki Aoba went to report the threat to the Hokage, while the Daimyo secretly sought another chance to rebel.

• Baki ordered the Sunagakure ninja to attack Sarutobi Asuma and the others, and Kawaki Aoba killed dozens of them before confronting Baki.
• Kawaki Aoba and his allies fought a Sunagakure Elite Jonin and his puppets until the Elite Jonin's Chakra Core malfunctioned, allowing them to defeat him.
• The Sunagakure Elite Jonin revealed that he had been sent to capture the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, who had disguised himself as an ordinary person and entered Konoha.
• Kawaki Aoba refused to return to Sunagakure for questioning, defeated the Elite Jonin again, and led his allies out of the warehouse to report the matter to the Hokage.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Wind secretly searched for an opportunity to launch another rebellion, and the Hokage learned that a Sunagakure Elite Jonin had pursued the group into Konoha.

After Konoha’s leadership learned of Sunagakure’s scheme, Konoha attacked Sunagakure, where Naruto defeated Sasori and urged him to abandon his path of hatred. The chapter then returned to Kawaki Aoba’s group at an inn, where Kawaki planned to gather items for sacrifice while Yamano Yuto warned him to stay cautious.

• Kawaki Aoba and the others reported Sunagakure’s scheme to the Hokage, who praised them and said he would handle the response.
• Sasori’s Chakra Core shattered when an attack struck above his underground laboratory, and he learned that Konoha ninja had invaded Sunagakure.
• Haruno Sakura fought Sasori until Naruto arrived to help her, then Naruto defeated Sasori’s Third Kazekage Puppet with a Rasengan.
• Naruto urged Sasori to let go of his hatred, but Sasori said he could not turn back.
• At the inn, Yamano Yuto warned Kawaki Aoba that everyone was being watched and told him not to get careless.
• Kawaki Aoba returned with supplies and planned to gather items for sacrifice while Sarutobi Asuma trained in his room.

Kawaki Aoba secretly conducted a homemade sacrifice ritual in the inn, sensing a faint ripple but seeing no clear result. After Asuma urged him not to risk their mission, the team learned that suspicious foreign spies were operating in the city.

• Kawaki Aoba gathered strange objects and arranged them into a sacrificial formation while Asuma trained in his room.
• Mikazuki Rukuu questioned Kawaki Aoba's belief in the ritual, but agreed not to interfere as long as he protected the mission.
• Kawaki Aoba performed the ritual in the inn's attic and sensed a faint ripple, but the objects showed no visible change.
• Asuma found Kawaki Aoba after sensing an unusual Chakra fluctuation and warned him against dangerous experiments or distracting the team.
• Yamano Yuto and Mikazuki Rukuu reported spotting suspicious people in the city's north who appeared to be foreign spies, including one with strong Chakra.

Kawaki Aoba pursued his sacrificial experiments while Asuma and the others investigated suspicious people in the northern city. He later set a Hand Grenade ambush near the training grounds, where three men arrived at a suspected exchange point and worried that their information had leaked.

• Asuma agreed to keep an eye on Kawaki Aoba while allowing him to continue his experiments, and the team rested for the night.
• Yamano Yuto and Mikazuki Rukuu monitored suspicious people, while Kawaki Aoba bought strange objects and spent the afternoon testing them in his sacrificial array without success.
• Yamano Yuto and Mikazuki Rukuu reported that the suspicious people were likely connected to their target, and they planned another patrol to catch them.
• Kawaki Aoba went to the training grounds, created a Shadow Clone, and sent it ahead with a Hand Grenade to prepare an ambush.
• Harukawa Rin confronted Kawaki Aoba, but he warned her away from the area and she left.
• At night, Kawaki Aoba watched as three men approached the clearing and discussed whether their information had leaked.

Kawaki Aoba ambushed a group of spies stealing Konoha intelligence, defeated them, and learned they had clients connected to Amegakure and the Dawn Organization. After securing the prisoners and scroll, he was confronted by Harukawa Rin, who offered to contact the authorities.

• Kawaki Aoba used a shadow clone to attack three spies as his real body moved behind them, striking one and helping drive the group apart with a grenade.
• Kawaki Aoba planted Explosive Tags around the clearing and used a chain of blasts to incapacitate the kunai-wielding man and the scroll-bearer.
• Kawaki Aoba interrogated the scroll-bearer, who revealed that the spies sold Konoha intelligence and ninjutsu documents to an Amegakure broker and a client connected to the Dawn Organization.
• Kawaki Aoba tied up the surviving spies and took their scroll, which contained encrypted writings and maps of Konoha patrol routes and surveillance blind spots.
• Harukawa Rin arrived, questioned Kawaki Aoba, and agreed to contact the Anbu or an investigation team to take custody of the prisoners.

After defeating the Konoha attackers, Kawaki Aoba planned to earn more village recognition and access to powerful ninjutsu. The story then shifted to a desert ambush, where Kawaki, Uno Kasumi, and Chiyono Mana faced a Sunagakure Elite Jonin while Yuhi Shinku was pinned down by puppets.

• Harukawa Rin reported the defeated attackers to Konoha's Anbu, who captured them and confiscated their secret scrolls.
• Kawaki Aoba told the Anbu he intended to report his achievement and seek authorization to learn advanced ninjutsu, including the Spirit Transformation Technique.
• Harukawa Rin checked on Kawaki and warned him that his methods and Hand Grenade could damage his standing, but Kawaki dismissed her concern and returned toward Konoha.
• After a Hand Grenade blast exposed the operation in the desert, the Sunagakure Elite Jonin ordered his forces to target Kawaki Aoba and the other Konoha rookies while puppets occupied Yuhi Shinku.
• Kawaki, Uno Kasumi, and Chiyono Mana prepared to fight the Elite Jonin; Kasumi deflected his puppet's spikes, and Mana identified a delay in the puppets' attacks as a possible opening.
• Yuhi Shinku damaged one puppet but remained trapped by the other and vowed to reach his students.

Yuhi Shinku and Yuhi Kurenai defended their students from puppet attackers, and Shinku defeated the puppet master who emerged from the forest. Elsewhere, Kawaki Aoba and Sarutobi Asuma fought Sunagakure's Elite Jonin, but the battle remained unresolved; Aoba later faced Kato En alone in the desert.

• Yuhi Shinku protected Kawaki Aoba and fought off puppets while Yuhi Kurenai warned that more enemies were approaching.
• Shinku confronted the puppet master, destroyed his puppets, and defeated him as Kurenai protected the students.
• Kawaki Aoba and Sarutobi Asuma attacked Sunagakure's Elite Jonin, but his sand armor and techniques overwhelmed their initial assault.
• Aoba and Asuma coordinated a counterattack that forced the Elite Jonin to acknowledge them, though he declared the real fight was beginning.
• Kawaki Aoba met Kato En in the desert at night and accepted his challenge to fight.

Aoba was defeated by Kato En before the Kazekage intervened, then urged Canglan to share the burden of stabilizing the puppet Chakra Cores. As enemies approached Sunagakure, Canglan went to confront them, while Sasori emerged after an explosion destroyed his latest core and entered a fight with a rogue ninja and a Sunagakure pursuer.

• Aoba fought Kato En with lightning techniques, but Kato En overpowered him until the Kazekage stopped him from killing the exhausted Konoha Chunin.
• Aoba found Canglan struggling to stabilize a Chakra Core after working without sleep for seven days, and Canglan refused to let anyone share responsibility.
• A Sunagakure ninja reported five or six powerful enemies near the village, and Canglan ordered Aoba to defend the perimeter while he went to face them alone.
• An explosion ruined Sasori's Core of Rebirth, so he left his underground laboratory and found a rogue ninja battling a Sunagakure pursuer nearby.
• The rogue ninja recognized Sasori of the Red Sand, and Sasori attacked him with chakra threads after the man called the Sunagakure ninja trash.