Chapter Summaries

Kawaki Aoba and his teammates escaped a bounty hunter attack after Yuhi Shinku stayed behind to cover them, but they turned back when another enemy ambushed Shinku. The chapter ended with Aoba, Shinku, Kazama, and Ayano fighting together against the masked attackers and their clones.

• Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Wakana, Natsume Ryo, and Yuhi Shinku defeated a group of rogue ninja and withdrew to tend their injuries.
• Bounty hunters ambushed the resting team, and Yuhi Shinku urged Kawaki Aoba, Jiu Jing Zhi, and Kinoshita Yuya to flee while he held them off.
• Kawaki Aoba, Jiu Jing Zhi, and Kinoshita Yuya ran southwest toward a Konoha outpost, then saw a help signal swallowed by fire and decided to carry news of the attack back to the village.
• Yuhi Shinku fought masked attackers wielding a chain blade and earth puppets, and Kinoshita Yuya and Kawaki Aoba returned to help him.
• Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Shinku, Kazama, and Ayano coordinated their defense against the masked ninja’s shadow clones as the battle intensified.

Yuhi Shinku and his team defeated the masked attackers, and Yuhi Shinku apologized for underestimating them. In Tuyuan City, Kawaki and Blue Scale uncovered signs of a forbidden experiment and a mysterious organization, while Aoba and Asuma encountered Orochimaru’s people and came under attack.

• Kawaki Aoba and Kazama combined Wind Release and Water Release to defeat the masked men, prompting Yuhi Shinku to praise his team and apologize for treating them too harshly.
• Kawaki and Blue Scale discovered bloodstains, poisoned weapons, and clues that the lord of Tuyuan City was involved in more than a stolen-treasure search.
• After escaping tracking bees, Kawaki and Blue Scale heard from refugees about a bloodied carriage and found corpses bearing bloodsucker insect bites.
• A black-veiled woman revealed that the lord’s manor sought three treasures, ordered Kawaki and Blue Scale to meet her at a ruined temple, and left behind a snake-shaped mark; they connected her cat’s fur to Lightning Style chakra.
• A bronze snake-masked figure watched Tuyuan City while holding a fragment of the Amber Purifying Pot and declared that the prey had arrived.
• Aoba and Asuma heard a shopkeeper mention Orochimaru’s people, saw a wounded youth with a snake-like eye, and faced three black-robed figures who attacked with shuriken.

Aoba and Asuma survived an ambush in Tuyuan City, where a one-eyed youth passed them a scroll linking Orochimaru, Akatsuki, and a transaction; they also uncovered a fragment of the Tailed Beast Sealing Stone. After disguising themselves as merchants, they learned that Red Scale Flowers were being secretly shipped to Iwagakure and decided to investigate the herbal shop that night.

• Aoba and Asuma fought off black-robed attackers and found the one-eyed youth, whose snake-shaped Three-Tomoe Sharingan helped reveal that the ambush was a trap.
• The youth gave Aoba a scroll bearing the words “Orochimaru... Akatsuki... transaction...” before Asuma, Aoba, and Kakashi escaped the attackers.
• Aoba showed Kakashi and Asuma a rune-carved fragment of the Tailed Beast Sealing Stone, and they concluded that Tuyuan City held deeper secrets.
• Aoba and Asuma posed as Land of Rain merchants to mislead a group of local brutes, then overheard smugglers discussing an urgent shipment of Red Scale Flowers to Iwagakure through underground waterways.
• Asuma decided to investigate the source of the Red Scale Flowers and the herbal shop owner, and he and Aoba checked into a shabby inn near the city’s edge.

Asuma and Aoba uncovered evidence that Iwagakure and Tuyuan City traitors were using Red Scale Flowers to develop a dangerous drug, but a resistance member helped them escape with the evidence. The story then shifted to Asuma and Aoba trading in a dockside town, where Miyamoto Sakura intervened when the Black Tiger Gang threatened them.

• Asuma and Aoba broke into the herbal shop, where the shopkeeper revealed Iwagakure's forbidden-drug plot and gave them an antidote and a map to Poison Mist Forest.
• Asuma and Aoba found a wounded Tuyuan City covert guard and followed him to a warehouse containing Red Scale Flowers and evidence of collusion.
• The burly man and his allies surrounded Asuma, Aoba, and the guard, but Shadow rescued the two ninja and urged them to take the evidence to Konoha.
• Asuma and Aoba traveled as traders and refused to surrender their cargo when the Black Tiger Gang demanded payment.
• Miyamoto Sakura drove off the gang and introduced herself to Asuma and Aoba, asking whether they were from the Land of Rain.

Aoba and Asuma entered Tuyuan City’s Black Market seeking information about a missing merchant caravan and uncovered a plot involving a chakra-devouring potion. After fighting alongside Red Sand, they learned the caravan’s goods and captives were beneath the city lord’s manor and prepared to infiltrate it and destroy the potion.

• Aoba and Asuma met Red Sand and her associates while asking about the missing caravan, then the gray-clad boy’s poison smoke brought a fight with masked pursuers.
• Aoba threatened Red Sand with concealed Explosive Tags, and she revealed the caravan’s goods were in the cellar beneath the city lord’s manor.
• The gray-clad boy warned that a beak-masked physician was turning people into puppets and developing a chakra-devouring drug using Curse Marks and caravan captives.
• Aoba and Asuma joined Red Sand’s group to defeat the pursuers, whose varied techniques suggested they came from multiple ninja villages.
• The boy revealed the physician needed Curse Marks as a catalyst and was seeking rogue shinobi, prompting Asuma to plan an infiltration of the city lord’s manor.
• Asuma told Aoba their mission was to find the caravan and destroy the dangerous potion, while warning him not to trust anyone.

Aoba and Asuma entered Fortune Street, where a black-veiled transit station leader agreed to help them contact an Anbu informant if they recovered a Space-Time scroll stolen by the Big Dipper Group. The story then shifted to their cover mission infiltrating a desert caravan, where they overheard guards say the cargo was vital and suspected the two newcomers; by dawn, they were helping the caravan prepare to move.

• Asuma paid for entry to Fortune Street, and he and Aoba met a fox-masked man who tested their resolve before guiding them to the transit station master.
• The black-veiled woman demanded they recover the Space-Time scroll stolen from the transit station by the Big Dipper Group, offering to contact a Land of Fire Anbu informant and lead the team herself.
• The station group planned to leave at midnight, and A-Yuan gave Aoba and Asuma transit passes and warned them that the black-veiled woman was dangerous.
• Aoba and Asuma disguised themselves as wandering ninja and joined a caravan in the desert to trace a mysterious shipment, while its leader warned them to obey her rules and stay away from the cargo wagons.
• Aoba overheard two guards confirm the cargo's seal was intact and say the newcomers seemed suspicious, then warned Asuma; Asuma told him to stay quiet and remain cautious.
• At dawn, Aoba and Asuma blended into the caravan as it prepared to depart, helping carry supplies while watching the people around them.

Aoba and Asuma fought off a coordinated attack on the caravan and faced suspicion from its leaders, while keeping their identities secret. The story then shifted to Aoba preparing with Yuhi Kurenai and her teammates to face five Sunagakure ninja as Shinku went to scout them.

• Aoba and Asuma traveled with the caravan while concealing their identities and keeping watch on its cargo.
• Attackers ambushed the caravan, and Aoba and Asuma fought them off while defending the goods.
• The attackers withdrew when a commanding voice called them back, and the caravan leaders questioned Aoba and Asuma about their abilities.
• Asuma reassured Aoba that their identities remained confidential and urged him to continue the mission under cover.
• Shinku warned Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, Yamasaki Yuto, and Fujiwara Nao about five approaching Sunagakure ninja, including a Wind Release specialist and a puppeteer.
• Shinku sent Yuhi Kurenai to lead the others in a defensive formation and disappeared into the forest to scout the enemy.

Aoba and his team defeated five Sunagakure pursuers and rescued an injured spy, then continued their mission under suspicion that organized enemies were testing them. During a night watch, Aoba and Inoue Yuki agreed that the team would face danger together.

• Nao treated the wounded spy while Aoba and the others waited for Shinku, but five Sunagakure ninja attacked their position.
• Nao sensed the enemies, and Aoba and Yuto engaged three of them while Yuhi Kurenai and Nao protected the spy and disrupted the puppeteer.
• Shinku killed the puppeteer, and the team defeated the remaining Sunagakure ninja before setting out with the surviving spy.
• Shinku warned the team to stay alert as they escorted the spy, and Aoba reflected that the ninja world had no mercy.
• During a night watch, Kawaki Aoba and Inoue Yuki suspected that their mission was being tested by organized enemies, possibly from Kirigakure.
• Inoue Yuki insisted that the team would fight and leave together, and Aoba agreed.

Kawaki Aoba discovered Kirigakure Anbu pursuing the disguised team, and Shinku drove them off before ordering the group to relocate. In Tuyuan City, the team split up to gather intelligence on the route to the Land of Rain while maintaining their disguises.

• Kawaki Aoba overheard five masked shinobi searching for a merchant caravan, but a snapped branch exposed him and they pursued him back toward camp.
• Kawaki Aoba returned to find Sarutobi Asuma and Inoue Yuki fighting; Shinku arrived, defeated several enemies, and forced the survivors to retreat.
• Shinku ordered the team to change tactics, keep their disguises, and reach the next safehouse before dawn, assigning Kawaki Aoba to scout, Inoue Yuki to manage supplies, and Sarutobi Asuma to guard the rear.
• In Tuyuan City, Shinku and Inoue Yuki split off to check the guards while Kawaki Aoba and Sarutobi Asuma entered the crowds disguised as wandering orphans.
• Sarutobi Asuma reminded Kawaki Aoba to act pitiful and avoid watching passersby too closely as they searched the city for information.

Aoba and Asuma gathered rumors in a tavern about foreign ninja and suspicious activity in Tuyuan City, then reported to Shinku. After discussing their disguises and the city’s guards, the team reviewed Aoba’s map and identified a heavily guarded City Lord’s Manor and a secret passage whose dangers remained unknown.

• Aoba and Asuma posed as poor drifters in a tavern and heard rumors of Land of Rain ninja, city patrols, and a gray-cloaked man collecting a bundle.
• The pair reported their findings to Shinku, who assigned them to scout the road toward the Land of Rain with a merchant caravan while she and Inoue Yuki investigated the guards.
• Asuma explained that suspicious men at the city gate had given them extra attention, and Aoba judged the men to be trained fighters at roughly Chunin level.
• Aoba shared a hand-drawn map showing the City Lord’s Manor, its multiple sentry lines, and a secret passage near a rockery in the rear courtyard.
• Shinku warned the team not to enter the passage blindly, and Aoba noted that strong chakra around the manor suggested barriers or ninjutsu traps.

Kawaki Aoba and Sarutobi Asuma investigated the hidden passage beneath the City Lord's Manor, where they overheard that a dangerous item had been moved before two figures attacked them. Later, Aoba and Asuma joined Fujiwara's caravan bound for Sunagakure, while Shinku warned that the caravan could face danger on the road.

• Shinku assigned Kawaki Aoba and Sarutobi Asuma to investigate the hidden passage while she and Inoue Yuki watched from outside the city.
• Aoba suppressed a barrier with an unsealing talisman, and he and Asuma entered the passage and found ancient symbols resembling sealing formulas.
• Aoba and Asuma overheard two people say that the City Lord had moved an item that needed to be dealt with, then two figures lunged at them.
• Sarutobi Asuma and Kawaki Aoba told Fujiwara they were Konoha ninja and joined his caravan traveling to Sunagakure.
• Fujiwara warned Aoba and Asuma that trained attackers had been targeting caravans, and Shinku cautioned that the large caravan faced a dangerous journey.

Kawaki Aoba and Asuma joined Fujiwara’s caravan as escorts bound for Sunagakure, but their journey soon faced an ambush by suspected ninja. When a caravan leader challenged their abilities, Aoba demonstrated precise Wind Release and Asuma showed exceptional kunai skill, earning the caravan’s respect as the approaching threat remained unresolved.

• Aoba warned Yuto to prepare for trouble in the desert, and Fujiwara arranged for the team to travel with his caravan toward Sunagakure.
• As the caravan crossed the desert at night, Aoba suspected trained attackers might be rogue ninja or shinobi from another village.
• Fujiwara spotted silhouettes ahead, and Aoba identified them as ninja while his team formed a defensive line to protect the caravan.
• A middle-aged caravan leader challenged Aoba to make a dead tree vanish, and Aoba destroyed it with Wind Release: Vacuum Bullet, clearing away every trace.
• The leader then challenged Asuma to cut a boulder into four equal pieces using only a kunai, and Asuma split it with precise, clean cuts, impressing the caravan.

Kawaki Aoba and Asuma joined a caravan to enter the Land of Wind, then tracked down desert bandits who had attacked travelers. They ambushed the bandits, and Aoba faced their leader, who identified them as members of Black Wind Stronghold.

• Kawaki Aoba and Asuma agreed to join the caravan after the middle-aged merchant promised to repay their fee double if they had to help during trouble.
• The caravan traveled through the desert and camped for the night, where hoofbeats signaled approaching bandits.
• Aoba and Asuma set out to investigate signs of a recent attack and found bandits hiding stolen goods behind a dune.
• Aoba and Asuma split up and ambushed the bandits, with Asuma cutting down two while Aoba fought their leader.
• The bandit leader declared that Aoba had provoked Black Wind Stronghold, but Aoba forced him back and mocked his strength.

Aoba and Asuma captured desert bandits and learned of their hideout, while growing suspicious that their escort mission concealed a greater danger. After Yuhi Shinku confirmed the mission was more complicated than it appeared, Aoba concluded that their teacher was wary of everyone in the caravan.

• Aoba defeated the bandit leader, and Asuma subdued another bandit as the survivors surrendered.
• The bandit leader revealed that more than twenty men remained at Black Wind Stronghold, thirty li west, and Aoba and Asuma escorted the captives back to the caravan.
• The middle-aged merchant admitted hearing rumors of Black Wind Stronghold and offered extra payment for the pair to destroy it, while Aoba suspected the man was hiding information.
• As they traveled with the caravan, Aoba warned Asuma that the bandits might be only a surface threat and that the real danger could be among the caravan members.
• Yuhi Shinku halted the caravan on a narrow mountain path and questioned Aoba and Asuma about anything unusual; Aoba pointed out suspicious guards and said the mission likely involved more than escorting goods.
• Yuhi Shinku warned them to beware of people around them, and Aoba concluded that their teacher was guarding against everyone.

Aoba, Asuma, and Yuhi Shinku repelled an attack by sand bandits and discovered that disguised infiltrators were targeting a cargo wagon. As the caravan continued toward a dangerous canyon, Aoba and Asuma grew suspicious of Tianshui Jugo and the unusually disciplined guards, while Yuhi Shinku kept the cargo’s secret to himself.

• Aoba sensed the forest had gone unnaturally quiet, and Yuhi Shinku halted the caravan and warned that the sand bandits had arrived.
• Aoba and Asuma guarded the cargo wagons while Yuhi Shinku led the guards against the bandits, and several disguised guards revealed themselves as ninja and attacked the wagons.
• Aoba fought off a black-robed ninja who tried to reach a wagon, but Yuhi Shinku ordered him not to pursue when a whistle prompted the attacker to retreat.
• After the attack, Yuhi Shinku said he knew the black-robed ninja’s identity and told Aoba and Asuma that the mission concerned the safety of the Land of Fire.
• As the caravan continued toward a canyon, Aoba questioned the secrecy surrounding the cargo and watched Tianshui Jugo and the guards closely.
• Asuma noticed that a bearded guard handled the cargo with the practiced movements of someone inspecting weapons.

Aoba and Asuma grew increasingly suspicious of Tianshui Jugo, the caravan guards, and the gorge where Yuhi Shinku chose to camp, though Shinku kept the mission’s purpose secret. After the group took turns keeping watch, the caravan continued along a suspiciously quiet road until Shinku halted it without explanation.

• Aoba and Asuma discussed their doubts about the mission and noticed Tianshui Jugo’s unusual sword and guarded manner.
• Yuhi Shinku led the caravan into a gorge, where Aoba and Asuma spotted suspicious marks on the rock walls while inspecting the surroundings.
• Tianshui Jugo warned that dangerous uninvited guests might appear at night, and Shinku ordered Aoba and Asuma to take turns keeping watch.
• As the caravan continued, Aoba and Asuma noticed that the ronin and guards moved in deliberate formations near the wagons.
• Yuhi Shinku abruptly stopped the caravan, leaving Aoba and Asuma alert and wondering what had happened.

Yuhi Shinku’s caravan was attacked while Aoba and Asuma were lured into a forest ambush, leaving them surrounded as the others fought the attackers. The story then shifted to Aoba, Asuma, and Yuhi Kurenai approaching Sunagakure, where Aoba warned that their supposedly diplomatic mission was more complicated than it seemed.

• Yuhi Shinku sent Aoba and Asuma ahead to scout after sensing an unusual presence near the caravan.
• Aoba and Asuma found signs of an intruder, pursued a masked ninja, and were trapped by three masked attackers in the forest.
• Black-clad attackers ambushed the caravan, and Yuhi Shinku and Tianshui Jugo joined the guards and ronin in fighting them.
• Aoba, Asuma, and Yuhi Kurenai crossed the desert toward Sunagakure, where Aoba suspected they had entered the village’s surveillance range.
• Aoba questioned whether the mission was truly just delivering a scroll, and Kurenai agreed that the Third Hokage’s warning suggested otherwise.

Aoba, Asuma, and Kurenai approached Sunagakure while sensing a hidden chakra barrier and four hostile ninja watching them. After the four charged, the story shifted to the team entering Dahu City, where they began searching for their contact at the Desert Flower teahouse.

• Aoba detected traces of chakra beneath the sand, and he told Asuma and Kurenai to conceal that they had noticed the barrier.
• Aoba, Asuma, and Kurenai spotted four Sunagakure ninja on a watchtower, including one with a powerful chakra signature.
• The four ninja leaped down and charged at the team as they neared Sunagakure.
• Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Asuma entered Dahu City and reviewed their contact's location and code phrase.
• Aoba led the team through the crowded city, scanning for their contact at the Desert Flower teahouse.

Aoba, Kurenai, and Asuma met Sunagakure’s contact in Dahu City and received intelligence about the village’s internal divisions and new defenses at Wind-Eroded Valley. After the contact warned them to watch the people around them, Aoba planned their return to Konoha with a guarded overnight stay and a detour around the fortifications.

• Aoba led Kurenai and Asuma to the Desert Flower teahouse and identified an elderly man through their code phrase.
• The contact handed Aoba a sealed scroll containing Sunagakure intelligence and explained that the village’s elders and Kazekage disagreed over resources and foreign policy.
• The contact warned the team about heavily guarded fortifications in Wind-Eroded Valley and told Aoba to watch the people around him.
• After the contact left, Aoba judged the intelligence reliable but suspected the man had hidden motives.
• Aoba ordered the team to examine the scroll at their inn, take turns keeping watch, and leave at first light by a route that avoided Wind-Eroded Valley.

Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Asuma met their Sunagakure contact Baki, who revealed that a dangerous ninjutsu scroll deal would take place at the Black Market in three days. After agreeing to investigate, Aoba prepared to verify the intelligence, while Yuhi Shinku warned him about the mission’s dangers.

• Asuma sensed that someone was watching the group, and Aoba spotted a suspicious ninja in a gray cloak as they headed to the tavern.
• Aoba, Kurenai, and Asuma questioned a man in a straw hat, who led them to a house and identified himself as Baki, their contact.
• Baki told the Konoha ninja that other forces might be involved in the scroll trade and gave Aoba a map to the Black Market deal scheduled for three days later.
• Aoba accepted the mission and said they would verify Baki’s intelligence and make preparations before the deal.
• Yuhi Shinku warned Aoba that the mission was dangerous and that he lacked experience, while Aoba met his concern with a fierce, resolute gaze.