Chapter Summaries

Kawaki Aoba, Asuma, and Shinku rescued villagers from a border base, then encountered another group of attackers while traveling back. The chapter ended with Asuma and Shinku fighting the attackers as Aoba hid in a cave with the box he had taken.

• Kawaki Aoba and Shinku defeated a summoned beast while Asuma injured its handler, who revealed that captured villagers were held at a secret base before dying by poison.
• Kawaki Aoba, Asuma, and Shinku infiltrated the base, freed the villagers, and escaped after the basement alarm alerted the enemy.
• While the group rested by a stream, Asuma and Shinku went upstream to investigate and were attacked by men in black.
• Kawaki Aoba and Shinku joined the fight, and Aoba seized a box that the attackers were guarding before fleeing into the forest.
• Kawaki Aoba hid in a cave on a steep slope as the men in black searched for him, while Asuma and Shinku arrived and began fighting them.

Aoba, Asuma, Shinku, and Yuhi Shinku recovered classified border files and brought them with Sunagakure ninja to a neutral town, where village leaders formed a joint investigation team. Later, the group faced another ambush by black-clad ninja and drove them off, but Yuhi Shinku chose to continue toward the village rather than pursue them.

• Aoba, Asuma, and Shinku defeated the black-clad men guarding the box and recovered files about the Land of Fire's border.
• Yuhi Shinku joined the group, and they agreed to take the files to a neutral town alongside a group of Sunagakure ninja.
• The group learned that mysterious organizations were stirring up trouble along the border and secured the files at an inn in the neutral town.
• Higher-ups from several villages formed a joint investigation team, which Aoba, Asuma, Shinku, and Yuhi Shinku joined as Konoha representatives.
• Aoba identified suspicious movement and helped the group detect and avoid Explosive Tag traps in a meadow.
• Aoba, Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai, and Yuhi Shinku fought off an ambush by black-clad ninja, and Yuhi Shinku ordered the group to continue without pursuing them.

Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Shinku’s team were ambushed by bandits while resting at their riverside camp, and they fought off the attackers despite being outnumbered. The team ended the battle exhausted and wounded but victorious, ready to continue their journey home.

• While on night watch, Kawaki Aoba sensed approaching figures and alerted Yuhi Shinku, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yuhi Kurenai.
• Yuhi Shinku ordered the team to observe the intruders, but when the bandits discovered them, he directed Asuma to engage, Kurenai to flank, and Aoba to support from the rear.
• Aoba wounded two bandits with shuriken, while Kurenai struck another from behind, but a much larger band of reinforcements emerged from the forest.
• As the team began to tire, Yuhi Shinku feigned a retreat and lured the bandits into an open area where the team could attack together.
• Asuma, Kurenai, and Aoba used their techniques to break the bandits’ formation, and Yuhi Shinku drove them away with the Great Fireball Technique.
• The bandits fled, and the wounded, exhausted team celebrated driving them back.

Kawaki Aoba and his team resumed their supply escort after defeating attackers, then learned from Kusagakure ninja that an unidentified force was active nearby. Later, Asuma fought Xiong Tie and disarmed him, while teaching Aoba to watch for weaknesses in an opponent's technique.

• Yuhi Shinku had Aoba, Asuma, and Kurenai treat their wounds before they continued escorting the supplies.
• Asuma asked to rest by a stream, where Yuhi Shinku's team met Kusagakure ninja who warned them about mysterious people in the nearby mountains.
• Yuhi Shinku decided the team should hurry to deliver the supplies and stay alert for an ambush.
• Asuma introduced himself to Xiong Tie and dodged the man's chopping-blade attacks while instructing Aoba to study his weaknesses.
• Asuma countered Xiong Tie's Wind Release attacks with Fire Release techniques, then slashed his wrist and knocked the chopping blade from his hand.

Asuma defeated Xiong Tie and secured passage for himself and Aoba to Sunagakure, but they were soon called to protect a village from Black Wolf’s bandits. As Asuma launched a surprise attack on the bandit camp, Aoba prepared to target an archer for the first time.

• Asuma beat Xiong Tie, persuaded him to take the pair to Sunagakure, and set up camp with Aoba and the caravan.
• Asuma explained to Aoba how reading an opponent’s rhythm had let him evade Xiong Tie’s attacks.
• Taro warned Asuma and Aoba that Black Wolf and more than twenty armed bandits threatened a nearby village.
• Asuma and Aoba scouted the bandit camp and heard Black Wolf order his men to kill anyone who resisted.
• Asuma assigned Aoba to target the bandit archers, then attacked the camp with a shuriken as Aoba prepared to move.

Aoba and Asuma defeated Black Wolf and his bandits, then the story shifted to their mission to infiltrate Sunagakure under the guise of caravan guards. As they crossed Windhowl Land, they questioned the caravan leader Bakher and grew wary that Sunagakure scouts might be watching them, leaving Aoba wondering whether Bakher knew who they really were.

• Aoba killed the archer, then helped Asuma fight Black Wolf and fend off the other bandits.
• Asuma killed Black Wolf, causing the remaining bandits to flee, and praised Aoba for his first real battle.
• Asuma and Aoba joined a caravan crossing Windhowl Land, where Bakher warned them to trust the camels and respect the desert.
• Asuma suspected Bakher was an experienced desert traveler with useful knowledge of the Land of Wind and urged Aoba to gather information gradually.
• Asuma warned that Sunagakure scouts might be watching the disguised caravan, and Aoba wondered whether Bakher knew their true identities.

Aoba and Asuma traveled with a desert caravan and learned that its leader relied on generations of local knowledge to avoid the desert’s dangers. As the caravan continued toward an oasis, Aoba remained uneasy about the Sand Demons the leader had warned them about.

• At camp, Aoba suspected Bakher was more than an ordinary merchant, while Asuma urged him to stay cautious and focus on the mission.
• Aoba challenged the caravan leader about their slow pace, but Asuma asked the leader to explain how he planned to guide them safely across the desert.
• The leader described how he read the wind and sand, pointed out a hidden quicksand pit, and chose a longer route along a dry riverbed toward an oasis.
• The leader warned them about Sand Demons, gave Asuma medicinal powder to deter them, and advised them to stay together, keep a fire burning, and take turns on watch.
• The caravan resumed its journey, and Aoba asked Asuma whether the Sand Demons were truly frightening.

Aoba and Asuma traveled with a desert caravan, where warnings about sand demons, quicksand, and mysterious ruins led Aoba to suspect the group was hiding something. The caravan camped for the night before Aoba asked Asuma whether they should sneak off to investigate.

• Aoba and Asuma camped at a small oasis, where the caravan leader warned that the wind carried the scent of sand demons and ordered everyone to stay alert.
• Asuma cautioned Aoba about the desert’s dangers as Aoba questioned the caravan’s detour and the leader’s strange mention of ruins.
• The leader probed the sand, detected something to the right, and redirected the caravan to the left.
• Aoba questioned a nervous guard, who said the ruins held strange things left by their ancestors and warned him not to ask further.
• Aoba told Asuma he suspected the caravan was avoiding people, and Asuma advised him to wait until they reached the next supply point.
• After the caravan made camp that night, Aoba asked Asuma whether they should sneak away and investigate.

Aoba and Asuma sent the suspicious wandering ninja away and continued across the desert, still uncertain whether he was connected to their quarry. Their caravan was then ambushed by masked pursuers, whose leader recognized them by name.

• Aoba and Asuma argued about investigating the caravan’s guarded cargo, but postponed checking it until night.
• Aoba and Asuma refused to reveal their mission to the wandering ninja and offered him supplies to leave.
• The wandering ninja took supplies and departed, while Asuma warned Aoba that the man had been testing them.
• The next morning, Aoba and Asuma led the caravan onward and heard a rumble as masked figures emerged from a sandstorm.
• The tall leader carrying a huge scythe addressed Aoba and Asuma by name and said they had chased his group a long way.

Aoba and Asuma fought off black-clad attackers with help from a wandering ninja who claimed to have his own score to settle. The wandering ninja insisted on following them, and the three entered a forest where Aoba detected faint traces of recently used chakra.

• Aoba and Asuma battled the black-clad men until the wandering ninja attacked their leader and disrupted the enemy formation.
• Aoba, Asuma, and the wandering ninja forced the attackers to retreat, after which the wandering ninja said he was pursuing them over old debts and would not take orders from Konoha.
• At camp, Aoba and Asuma discussed their suspicions about the wandering ninja and remained uneasy about the dangers ahead.
• Aoba told the wandering ninja that their paths differed, but the ninja refused to leave and insisted on joining them toward a forest where an ambush might be waiting.
• Aoba detected faint traces of recent chakra in the forest as the wandering ninja asked how many enemies were nearby and how strong they were.

Kawaki Aoba, Sarutobi Asuma, and a wandering ninja fought off an ambush and tried to escape through poisonous mist, but powerful masked enemies blocked their route. Afterward, Aoba and Asuma discussed whether the wandering ninja should remain with them as they continued toward a hidden destination said to hold a secret that could change the balance of the Shinobi World.

• Aoba detected an ambush, and he, Asuma, and the wandering ninja fought off attackers who had targeted Aoba and Asuma.
• The attackers released poisonous mist and vanished, so Aoba ordered the group to break east before reinforcements arrived.
• Three powerful figures, including a demon-masked leader, appeared ahead and prepared to fight them again.
• Aoba and Asuma later debated whether the wandering ninja should accompany them, with Asuma stressing the danger of their mission.
• As they continued toward their destination, Aoba asked Asuma whether they could succeed this time.

Asuma and Aoba were ambushed by three enemies while traveling through the forest, then faced a powerful masked ninja who targeted Aoba by name. After killing two attackers, they joined forces against the masked ninja, whose identity and motives remained unknown.

• Asuma and Aoba heard enemies searching for the two Konoha ninja and decided to observe before striking.
• Three attackers emerged, and Asuma and Aoba fought them; Aoba wounded the swordsman while Asuma blasted the archer with Fire Release.
• A masked ninja appeared, named Aoba as his target, and overpowered Asuma in a sword fight.
• Aoba subdued the archer, but killed him when he refused to reveal who had sent the attackers.
• Aoba rushed to help Asuma, and the two coordinated a pincer attack against the masked ninja.

Aoba and Asuma battled a masked ninja whose Dark Release withstood their strongest attacks, while the chapter shifted to Aoba and Yuhi Shinku approaching an ambush set for their group. Aoba discovered the concealed attackers were after a scroll and prepared to strike as Shinku dealt with another enemy.

• The masked ninja used black chakra to repel Aoba and Asuma's attacks, surviving their combined wind-and-fire techniques and blasting Asuma to the ground.
• Aoba charged the masked ninja while Asuma recovered and prepared to join him, leaving their fight unresolved.
• Yuhi Shinku and Aoba reunited after Shinku refused an envelope from a man leaving with a merchant caravan, then continued toward Asuma.
• Aoba sensed three strong enemies ahead and hurried with Shinku to prevent Asuma from walking into their ambush.
• Aoba and Shinku split up to attack the concealed enemies, with Shinku heading for the treetop and Aoba approaching two ninjas in the bushes.
• Aoba overheard the two attackers say they wanted a scroll, then drew a kunai and continued listening for more information.

Aoba and Shinku defeated two attackers seeking the sealed scroll, then regrouped with Asuma and continued traveling with Kurenai and Fujiwara Yu. During a forest camp, Aoba and Shinku worried over Kurenai’s unexplained fatigue, and Aoba confronted a masked traveler who appeared in the night.

• Aoba defeated two ninjas who attacked for the scroll, while Shinku returned after dealing with another enemy.
• Shinku questioned Aoba about the scroll, and Aoba revealed it was in his possession before Asuma joined them.
• The group erased traces of the battle and continued on, while Shinku told Aoba that Kurenai’s condition was concerning and asked him to keep an eye on her.
• The group camped for the night, and Aoba began the first watch as Kurenai rested and appeared unwell.
• Aoba heard someone approaching, challenged the voice, and watched a masked traveler emerge from the darkness.

Aoba and his teammates prepared to protect a Konoha spy from Sunagakure pursuers, while Aoba struggled to overcome his hesitation in battle. The attack began, and Kurenai was badly wounded while saving Aoba from a wind blade.

• Aoba questioned a suspicious stranger who asked to borrow fire, and Shinku warned the group to stay alert after the man left.
• Shinku revealed that Sunagakure pursuers were closing in and assigned Aoba to sense for enemies while Kurenai and Yuto were to receive the spy.
• Aoba sensed five approaching Sunagakure ninja, including two Jonin and three puppet users, and Shinku ordered everyone to prepare for battle.
• Aoba dodged a puppet's weapons, severed its chakra threads, and attacked its controller, but the Chunin countered and cut Aoba's chest.
• A wind blade flew toward Aoba, and Kurenai shoved him aside, taking a deep wound to her arm before driving the attackers back with a fireball.

Aoba and Shinku completed a mission to recover a spy’s intelligence, with Aoba saving Kurenai and earning Shinku’s praise. Later, a Dark Crow ambush outmaneuvered their defenses, and Shinku prepared to hold off an overwhelming force while ordering Aoba to flee.

• Shinku led Aoba, Kurenai, and Yuto through a battle against Sunagakure ninja, and they rescued the injured spy carrying intelligence for Konoha.
• Aoba protected Kurenai from a wind blade and was seriously wounded before Shinku defeated the enemy leader and drove off the remaining attackers.
• The team rested in a cave, where Shinku praised Aoba for becoming more decisive.
• Aoba sensed suspicious chakra near a bandit retreat, so Shinku ordered him and Kurenai to set genjutsu traps while he and Asuma reinforced the barrier.
• Night Owl bandits attacked with decoys, destroyed the traps and barrier, and revealed that their real target was a merchant caravan; Shinku identified their leader’s involvement as Dark Crow.
• Aoba sensed thirty more attackers carrying Explosive Tags, and Shinku sent Asuma and Hong to the caravan while he stayed to face the enemy and told Aoba to run southeast.

Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, Suigetsu Qingliu, and Yuhi Shinku fought a Chakra-absorbing Curse Mark unit, but Shinku died after helping them defeat it. Later, Aoba’s team was surrounded by flesh-and-steel monsters, and the chapter ended as they battled the creatures in the forest.

• Suigetsu Qingliu warned Kawaki Aoba to be careful while seeking water and sent him to fetch supplies for Yuhi Shinku’s wound.
• Yuhi Shinku detected three intruders testing the barrier, and the team was ambushed by a Curse Mark unit that could absorb Chakra.
• The attackers summoned flesh-covered vines, and Aoba awakened ghostly blue flames that helped Suigetsu Qingliu and Shinku defeat them with a barrier reversal.
• Yuhi Shinku died from Danzo’s Curse Mark after giving Aoba a scroll containing the real intelligence, while Yuhi Kurenai and Suigetsu Qingliu vowed to confront Danzo and Orochimaru.
• Torune Aburame sensed at least thirty approaching monsters, and the team prepared to hide and disrupt their senses.
• Dozens of half-human, half-machine puppets attacked the team; Aoba, Kurenai, Torune, and Shinku fought back as the creatures regenerated and struck with metal weapons.

Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Shinku’s team survived a monster attack and a clash with the Green Serpent Group, but the mission remained dangerous. As they confronted another group of attackers, Shinku identified their leader’s iron fan as a forbidden weapon developed by the Third Kazekage.

• Aoba helped Shinku, Kurenai, and Torune defeat the adaptive monsters with a sealing scroll, and Shinku found a chip containing a component similar to a Curse Mark.
• The Green Serpent Group ambushed Shinku’s team, but Aoba and his teammates fought back until the enemy leader and surviving attackers retreated.
• Shinku warned the team that the mission was more dangerous than expected and ordered them to stay alert.
• Aoba’s team encountered attackers bearing Iwagakure’s Tsuchigumo pattern, and Shinku recognized their burly leader’s iron fan as a forbidden weapon developed by the Third Kazekage.
• Shinku sent Aoba and Wakana around the flank and ordered Natsume to draw the attackers’ fire, while Aoba sensed danger behind him.

Kawaki Aoba and his team were ambushed by increasingly powerful factions while escorting intelligence tied to abnormal Chakra fluctuations and a possible Uchiha Madara contingency plan. With the team surrounded and Yuhi Shinku charging the enemy to buy them time, Aoba was left to escape with Wakana and Natsume and deliver the intelligence to the Land of Fire.

• Aoba and Yuhi Shinku helped defeat rogue ninjas whose iron fan and Purple Lightning techniques suggested their attack was organized, and the team suspected someone was trying to stir conflict in the Land of Rivers.
• Shinku revealed that the mission’s information concerned abnormal Chakra fluctuations resembling the energy field from Uchiha Madara’s revival and a possible contingency plan he had left behind.
• The Snake Hidden Group attacked the team after the secret leaked, forcing Aoba and Wakana to flee toward Red Maple Valley while Shinku and Natsume stayed behind to fight.
• Aoba caught a lacquered box from a dying courier, then used Wakana’s Water Release and Explosive Tags to distract a Sharingan wielder and escape with her.
• Natsume rejoined Aoba and Wakana, reporting that Kirigakure shinobi had tied up Shinku; the trio found Shinku surrounded by Kirigakure forces and the Fūma Clan.
• Shinku charged into the enemy ranks to give Aoba, Wakana, and Natsume a chance to escape and deliver the intelligence to the Land of Fire.

Kawaki Aoba and his companions fled through the forest, escaped a chakra snake, and were pursued by rogue ninja. Their ambush turned into a running battle, and the chapter ended with Aoba pulling Yuhi Wakana back as the swamp began to swallow her.

• Kawaki Aoba awakened the lacquer box with his blood, but the scene shifted to Yuhi Shinku leading the group through the forest toward safety.
• Yuhi Shinku ordered the group to abandon their camp after Natsume Ryo found suspicious tracks and approaching howls.
• Yuhi Shinku led the group into a swamp, where they spotted seven or eight rogue ninja and split up to ambush them.
• Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Wakana attacked the rogue ninja before retreating to Yuhi Shinku's ambush point, where the group fought back.
• Yuhi Shinku sent Aoba, Wakana, and Natsume Ryo deeper into the swamp to draw the rogue ninja after them.
• Kawaki Aoba grabbed Yuhi Wakana when the ground beneath her began to sink.