Chapter Summaries

Yuhi Shinku and Kawaki Aoba drank blue potions to boost their chakra before facing their enemies. Shinku fought Sasori with powerful Fire Release techniques, then challenged Aoba, who countered his attacks and used Observation Haki to track him through the mist as Shinku tried to retreat.

• Yuhi Shinku drank a blue potion and struggled to control the surge of chakra; Kawaki Aoba drank a Medium Blue Potion as well, warning that its effect would last only ten minutes.
• Yuhi Shinku attacked Sasori and his Third Kazekage puppet with several Fire Release techniques, but Sasori's Iron Sand repeatedly blocked and countered her attacks.
• Sasori wounded Yuhi Shinku with Iron Sand, but Shinku endured the injuries and unleashed Fire Release: Final Flame Formation across the battlefield.
• Yuhi Shinku challenged Kawaki Aoba and attacked him with fire techniques and kunai, but Aoba dodged and countered her in close combat.
• Yuhi Shinku used Phoenix Flower Scarlet Claw, and Kawaki Aoba raised a Water Wall that filled the battlefield with mist.
• Yuhi Shinku tried to retreat, but Kawaki Aoba spread Observation Haki through the mist and sensed her position and turbulent chakra.

Aoba used explosives and a sealing array to trap Sasori of the Red Sands while trying to help his injured companion escape. The chapter ended with Yuhi Shinku cornered by Sasori and the Third Kazekage Puppet, refusing to surrender despite facing likely defeat.

• Aoba told Shinku that he could retreat or keep fighting, leaving Shinku struggling to choose.
• Aoba used an explosion to cover his escape with his injured companion, then laid Explosive Tags to slow Sasori of the Red Sands's pursuit.
• Aoba threw explosives to make Sasori's puppets clear the battlefield while he secretly arranged a sealing pattern.
• Aoba completed the sealing array and trapped Sasori and his puppets at its center.
• Yuhi Shinku faced Sasori of the Red Sands and the Third Kazekage Puppet, and refused to surrender.

Yuhi Shinku wounded Sasori of the Red Sands by cutting the chakra threads controlling his Third Kazekage puppet, while Kawaki Aoba escaped her genjutsu by detonating a forbidden explosive tag. Later, Aoba encountered Sasori in the forest, where Sasori revealed he wanted to turn him into a human puppet.

• Yuhi Shinku dodged the Third Kazekage puppet’s Iron Sand attacks, then cut several of Sasori of the Red Sands’s chakra threads and struck with Fire Release.
• Sasori reconnected the threads and began rebuilding the damaged puppet as Yuhi Shinku prepared to continue fighting.
• Kawaki Aoba used explosive tags and a Great Fireball to try to escape Yuhi Shinku’s genjutsu, but she trapped him more deeply.
• Aoba detonated his clan’s forbidden explosive tag and survived the blast, while Yuhi Shinku disappeared.
• Kawaki Aoba sensed Sasori of the Red Sand approaching in the forest, and Sasori said he wanted to make Aoba into a human puppet.

Kawaki Aoba escaped Sasori’s first pursuit, then fought him again with traps and Explosive Tags before a massive blast failed to stop him. The confrontation shifted to the desert, where Aoba battled Sasori and his Third Kazekage puppet, and the fight remained unresolved as Aoba’s ice blades pierced the Iron Sand bird.

• Kawaki used his Observation Haki to evade Sasori’s puppet and flee after sensing danger ahead.
• Aoba planted Explosive Tags and used an Earth Stone Prison to delay Sasori and his pursuing puppets.
• Aoba detonated a large trap beneath himself, but Sasori emerged with only minor damage and declared the fight would end there.
• In the desert, Aoba confronted Sasori and attacked the Third Kazekage puppet with his blade and Ice Release.
• Sasori formed a giant Iron Sand bird, but Aoba’s ice blades pierced its wings and threw it off balance.

Kawaki Aoba and his allies fought Sasori and struggled to escape his pursuit, while Aoba used magnets buried in the desert to counter Sasori’s Iron Sand Shower. Sasori responded by forming an iron sand bird and charging at Aoba.

• Sasori attacked Aoba with Iron Sand, and Aoba defended himself with ice as their battle intensified.
• Aoba ordered Yuhi Shinku to retreat with Yuhi Kurenai and the wounded Sarutobi Asuma, then fought the pursuing enemies alone.
• Aoba caught up with Shinku, Kurenai, and Asuma in the forest and helped them evade Sasori, who pursued them with his puppet and Iron Sand.
• Aoba and Shinku used Shadow Clones and combined fire and wind techniques to damage Sasori’s puppet, but Sasori summoned more puppets as the battle continued.
• Aoba directed his Shadow Clones to use magnets to divert Sasori’s Iron Sand Shower, but Sasori formed an iron sand bird and charged at Aoba.

Kawaki Aoba developed magnets that could disrupt Magnet Release and tested them against an iron puppet, but footsteps approaching the abandoned mine interrupted the experiment. Later, Aoba and Yuhi Shinku faced Sasori of the Red Sands, and Shinku spotted an unusual Chakra thread as the battle continued.

• Aoba used shadow clones and a natural magnetic field to disrupt Sasori's Iron Sand, but Sasori's puppet body exploded and poisoned needles wounded Aoba.
• Kawaki Aoba told Ogawa that magnets could weaken Magnet Release and planned to test them at an abandoned mine.
• Aoba and Ogawa used a magnet-tipped kunai against an iron puppet, briefly disrupting its movement before Aoba heard approaching footsteps.
• Yuhi Shinku and Aoba confronted Sasori of the Red Sands, whose puppets withstood their initial attacks.
• Aoba and Shinku changed tactics, with Aoba distracting Sasori while Shinku searched for an opening.
• Shinku spotted an unusual Chakra thread behind Sasori and began preparing Wind Release: Vacuum Blade.

Shinku and Aoba fought Sasori of the Red Sands, severing his chakra threads and destroying an apparent final attack, only to discover he had escaped with a puppet substitute. Aoba then faced Sasori’s Third Kazekage Human Puppet and damaged its Iron Sand defenses, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Shinku and Aoba coordinated their attacks, and Shinku severed Sasori’s chakra threads after Aoba created an opening with his Rasengan.
• Shinku used Wind Release: Heavenly Dance Blade to destroy Sasori’s final attack, and Aoba pinned him with a kunai before Sasori vanished in a puppet substitution.
• In an earlier exchange, Shinku used shadow clones, shuriken, and multiple elemental techniques to keep Sasori occupied and launch a surprise attack, but he escaped with another puppet substitute.
• Sasori summoned more puppets as Shinku vowed to continue fighting, while Aoba swallowed a pill and charged the Third Kazekage Human Puppet.
• Aoba used Earth Release: Rock Dragon Technique and Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Bullets to pressure Sasori, then struck the puppet’s chest with a Rasengan and cracked its surface.

Kawaki Aoba used Neodymium Magnets to disrupt Sasori's Magnet Release and helped Yuhi Shinku destroy the Third Kazekage Puppet's core. The story then shifted to another confrontation, where Shinku trapped Sasori in a genjutsu that Sasori struggled to escape.

• Aoba disrupted Sasori's control of Iron Sand long enough for Shinku to attack, but Shinku was grazed by poison needles and his kunai only briefly struck Sasori's core.
• Aoba repeatedly interfered with the magnetic field while Shinku landed a Chakra-blade strike that pierced the puppet core and stopped Sasori's movements.
• In a separate encounter, Shinku's Shadow Clones and attacks failed to overcome Sasori's Third Kazekage Puppet, leaving him wounded as Sasori challenged his resolve.
• Shinku created more Shadow Clones and cast a genjutsu that distorted Sasori's surroundings; Sasori broke its first effect by cutting his hand, but the illusion returned.
• Shinku's clones told Sasori that they were all real and all fake, leaving him unable to distinguish them.

Shinku overwhelmed Sasori with genjutsu, while Asuma trained Shikamaru and led his team’s reconnaissance until they discovered Amegakure was controlled by the Akatsuki. Kawaki Aoba summoned a monster through sacrifices, and Yuhi Shinku drank a blue potion that greatly refined and increased his chakra.

• Shinku explained that his genjutsu deceived Sasori’s senses and brain, slowing his puppets, but Sasori broke its effects by biting his tongue and vowed to continue fighting.
• Asuma split his team, trained with Shikamaru by refining his Chakra Cloak, and gave Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru pills that restored stamina and chakra.
• Kawaki Aoba sacrificed his blood to Lord Jashin, summoned a black monster, and led Root members across the Land of Fire to capture more sacrifices.
• Asuma’s team discovered that their village was Amegakure, secretly controlled by the Akatsuki, and Asuma said they needed to send the information back to their village.
• Yuhi Shinku drank a blue potion and felt his chakra become immensely powerful and refined, with lightning glimmering in his eyes.

Yuhi Shinku traded Aoba a blue potion for a Lightning Release Ninjutsu scroll, then battled Sasori and struggled to break through his Iron Sand defenses. Shinku spotted a brief falter in Sasori’s movements while he controlled the Third Kazekage's Human Puppet, giving him a possible opening.

• Yuhi Shinku awakened the Sharingan after drinking the blue potion and met Kawaki Aoba, a Konoha ninja.
• Shinku traded the potion to Aoba for a family Lightning Release Ninjutsu scroll and told him the potion’s effects lasted eight minutes.
• Aoba asked to buy more potions, and Shinku agreed to discuss a price.
• Yuhi Shinku attacked Sasori with Fire Release techniques, but Sasori blocked them with Iron Sand controlled by the Third Kazekage's Human Puppet.
• Shinku noticed Sasori’s movements briefly faltered while controlling the puppet and recognized a possible weakness.

Shinku defeated Sasori with a final fire attack, but the chapter then shifted to Kawaki Aoba fighting Yuhi Shinku with Water Release and Wood Release. Kawaki and Gaara arrived at a crater after Kawaki had stalled the enemy, and they waited for someone to emerge from the dust.

• Shinku used a redirected Great Fireball to disrupt Sasori, then defeated him with Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
• Kawaki Aoba countered Yuhi Shinku's Fire Release with Water Release, then revealed Wood Release by blocking his Great Dragon Fire Technique with Wood Locking Wall.
• Kawaki used Wood Dragon Technique to stop Yuhi Shinku's Vermilion Bird Volley, leaving Yuhi shocked by the strength of his Wood Release.
• Kawaki Aoba rejoined Gaara beside a large crater, explaining that he had only been stalling for time and was exhausted from the Instant Transmission and carrying Kankuro.
• Gaara watched the dust cloud and said the enemy should emerge soon.

Kawaki Aoba, Gaara, and Kankuro fought Sasori of the Red Sands, who used poison, puppets, and the Third Kazekage Puppet to overwhelm them. After Sasori knocked Kankuro unconscious and wounded Gaara, Kawaki Aoba activated Sage Body Mode and charged into battle, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Sasori of the Red Sands emerged from the smoke and poisoned Kawaki Aoba, but Kankuro pulled him away and attacked with his black puppet while Gaara used Sand Waterfall Funeral.
• Sasori summoned a hundred puppets to surround Gaara, and Kankuro helped Gaara flee before an explosion blasted them both to the ground.
• Sasori urged Kankuro to return as his disciple, then struck Gaara and knocked Kankuro unconscious when they refused to surrender.
• Kawaki Aoba fought Sasori's Third Kazekage Puppet with fire and lightning techniques, but its iron sand and powerful strike sent him flying.
• Kawaki Aoba activated Sage Body Mode and charged Sasori, who claimed the transformation still would not make him a match.

Kawaki Aoba fought Sasori with Sage Body Mode but was struck by the Third Kazekage Puppet and countered with Wood Release. Yuhi Shinku struggled against Sasori’s puppetry and Magnet Release, then used his strongest genjutsu before Sasori broke free and charged him again.

• Sasori formed a colossal iron sand giant and attacked Kawaki Aoba, whose Lightning Release scorched it without stopping it.
• Sasori’s Third Kazekage Puppet struck Kawaki Aoba and sent him flying, so Kawaki Aoba answered with Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands.
• Sasori blocked Kawaki Aoba’s wooden attacks with an Iron Sand Wall.
• Sasori broke Yuhi Shinku’s Mist Servant Technique and used the Third Kazekage Puppet’s Magnet Release to overwhelm his fire techniques and destroy his substitutes.
• Yuhi Shinku trapped Sasori in Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, but Sasori shattered the illusion’s wooden spikes and escaped.
• Yuhi Shinku sent Chakra threads from his eyes toward the charging Third Kazekage Puppet.

Kawaki Aoba defeated Yuhi Shinku and forced him to lead the way to the Third Hokage, but the chapter then shifted to Aoba fleeing Sasori and Deidara with Kakashi and Rin. After receiving a mission to escape their pursuit, Aoba led his companions to an open grassland, where he prepared to make his stand.

• Kawaki Aoba broke Yuhi Shinku's illusions, saw through his shadow clones, and defeated him with Chidori.
• Kawaki Aoba forced a poison pill on Yuhi Shinku and made him lead the way to the Third Hokage.
• Kawaki Aoba fought past an Anbu Ninja and entered the Third Hokage's office, while Sasori and Deidara observed his speed during the pursuit.
• Kawaki Aoba received a system mission to escape Sasori and Deidara in exchange for Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique.
• Kawaki Aoba changed course with Kakashi and Rin and led them to an open stretch of grassland.

Kawaki Aoba used Wood Release clones to help Kakashi and Rin escape Sasori and Deidara, then faced Sasori in a battle that ended with a Konoha ninja killing the puppeteer. Aoba left the forest with the Konoha ninja as dawn approached, knowing his battles were not over.

• Kawaki Aoba raised a Wood Release wall and sent over a hundred Wood Clones to distract Sasori and Deidara while he helped Kakashi and Rin escape.
• Sasori used Iron Sand techniques to destroy the Wood Clones, but more clones appeared and continued to delay him and Deidara.
• Kawaki Aoba confronted Sasori and fought his self-repairing iron sand puppets with bombs, but could not defeat them alone.
• A group of Konoha ninja arrived, and Aoba's bomb split through Sasori's Iron Sand barrier and shattered it.
• A Konoha ninja stabbed Sasori from behind and killed him after Sasori warned Aoba that puppet techniques were not true strength.
• Kawaki Aoba left the forest with the Konoha ninja as dawn began to break.

After receiving Tsunade’s praise for defeating Sasori, Kawaki Aoba reflected on the strength he had gained from the mission. He then fought alongside Yuhi Shinku against Sasori’s puppet army and located the mechanical beast’s core, but its protective barrier remained intact as they prepared to try a coordinated plan.

• Tsunade praised Kawaki Aoba for defeating Sasori and saving his comrades, and Kawaki Aoba reflected on the mission before falling asleep.
• Kawaki Aoba fought off a Kirigakure ninja so Yuhi Shinku could escape with the unconscious Asuma and the exhausted Yuhi Kurenai, then rejoined them to cover their retreat.
• Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Shinku used Shadow Clone Technique against Sasori’s puppets, but Sasori combined his remaining puppets into a powerful mechanical beast.
• Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Shinku found the mechanical beast’s red core, but their attacks failed to break its protective barrier.
• Kawaki Aoba proposed a plan, creating clones to distract the beast while Yuhi Shinku circled around to attack it.

Kawaki Aoba developed Magnet Release tools after battling Sasori and then went to meet Sasori and Granny Chiyo outside Sunagakure. Sasori found Kawaki Aoba's hiding place, leaving their confrontation imminent.

• Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Shinku destroyed Sasori's mechanical beast, but Sasori ambushed them and fought back with Magnet Release.
• Yuhi Shinku activated his father's talisman, and he and Kawaki Aoba pressed Sasori hard; Kawaki Aoba's shadow clones redirected Sasori's Iron Sand Shower.
• Kawaki Aoba discovered that magnets could enhance his Magnet Release, then forged metal ninja tools infused with Magnet Release Chakra.
• Kawaki Aoba left for the outskirts of Sunagakure to meet Sasori and Granny Chiyo, telling Temari only that he was going to see an old friend.
• Sasori and Granny Chiyo entered the forest searching for Kawaki Aoba, and Sasori eventually detected his hiding place.

Kawaki Aoba fled Sasori and Granny Chiyo, while Yuhi Shinku tried to protect him and Hyuga Hinata and Hatake Kakashi intervened. The fight widened into a battle between Sunagakure and Konoha, and Aoba arrived to help Kakashi, Might Guy, and Asuma.

• Sasori discovered Kawaki Aoba and chased him into the forest, where Granny Chiyo joined the pursuit.
• Yuhi Shinku attacked Sasori with shadow clones alongside Kawaki Aoba, but Sasori caught Shinku with a black thread and forced Aoba to flee.
• Hyuga Hinata blocked Aoba's escape route and tried to help him, but Sasori caught up with them.
• Hatake Kakashi arrived, rescued Aoba and Hinata from Sasori, and fought him until Deidara joined the battle.
• Kawaki Aoba reached the battle between Sunagakure and Konoha, where Granny Chiyo, Ebizo, and Sasori faced Kakashi, Might Guy, and Asuma, and offered to help his teachers.

Kawaki Aoba was sent away from Kakashi, Asuma, and Might Guy’s battle with Sasori, then used Neodymium Magnets to disrupt Sasori’s Magnet Release and helped Yuhi Shinku kill him. After returning to Konoha, Aoba and Shinku were praised by the Hokage, who told them more important missions awaited.

• Kakashi, Asuma, and Might Guy ordered Kawaki Aoba to leave their fight against Sasori, but Aoba watched from concealment as Sasori trapped them and Kakashi summoned Gamabunta.
• Yuhi Shinku fought Sasori outside Sunagakure until Kawaki Aoba arrived with Neodymium Magnets and explained that he had buried more beneath the desert to interfere with Sasori’s Magnet Release.
• Aoba’s magnets slowed Sasori’s puppet arms and tore them apart, allowing Shinku to wound Sasori as he fled into the desert.
• Aoba intercepted Sasori at a cave, burned his puppet arms with a fireball, and struck him with Chidori, giving Shinku the chance to kill him with his sword.
• Sunagakure’s ninjas praised Aoba and Shinku, and after they returned to Konoha, the Hokage commended them and said more important missions awaited.

Yuhi Shinku fought Sasori of the Red Sands with genjutsu, Fire Release, and Shadow Clones, but Sasori countered his techniques and revealed an immortal body. Trapped in an iron sand cage, Shinku unleashed his final secret technique, Scattering Crimson Leaves, leaving Sasori startled as crimson petals swept toward him.

• Yuhi Shinku trapped Sasori of the Red Sands in a genjutsu, but Sasori broke it and blocked Shinku's Fire Release with sand.
• Sasori of the Red Sands attacked with iron sand, and Shinku struck him with fireballs that appeared to burn him to char.
• Sasori of the Red Sands rose unharmed from the char, then explained the weaknesses of Yuhi Shinku's Shadow Clone Technique and destroyed his clones.
• Sasori of the Red Sands knocked Shinku's fireballs aside with Iron Sand Shower and trapped him in an iron sand cage with Iron Sand World Method.
• Yuhi Shinku unleashed Secret Technique: Scattering Crimson Leaves from inside the cage, sending crimson petals toward Sasori of the Red Sands.