Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: Sarutobi Sasuke’s Fall

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kōhei loses narrowly to Senju Lita in the tournament, despite forcing Lita to use nearly all of his abilities.
• The revival round ends without reviving anyone. All Sunagakure and Kumogakure genin are eliminated, humiliating Kazekage Reto and Raikage A. The Hidden Mist gains prestige because its lone participant advances.
• Senju Hashirama returns home after receiving a transplant of Uchiha Madara’s flesh and blood. He must rest while Madara’s chakra merges with his own before attempting to break his seal.
• Tobirama continues researching Hashirama and Madara’s cells. He discovers that Madara’s cells can suppress the dangerous corrosiveness of Hashirama Cells, potentially making them safe for future medical use, though the process remains risky.
• Hyuga Riyao repeatedly visits the Uchiha compound to spar with and befriend Kagami Uchiha. His true goal is to build a political alliance between the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, eventually supporting a marriage alliance involving his sister.
• Uchiha Yan learns that Sarutobi Sasuke is openly involved with Nadeshiko, the head chef of the Crimson Love restaurant. He summons Sasuke and warns him that, as a senior official, he must uphold Konoha’s values and avoid damaging his family or public reputation.

Character Developments

• Senju Lita proves highly capable by defeating Kōhei, though the match leaves him exhausted.
• Hashirama remains central to Tobirama’s biological experiments and is placed in recovery after the dangerous transplant.
• Tobirama makes an important scientific breakthrough: Madara Cells can neutralize the destructive qualities of Hashirama Cells. His research may eventually enable safe transplantation.
• Hyuga Riyao demonstrates political ambition and strategic patience. Though he loses to Kagami in every spar, he values the relationship and deliberately cultivates trust.
• Kagami Uchiha is portrayed as reserved but pragmatic. He recognizes Riyao’s motives yet accepts the relationship because cooperation with the Hyuga benefits the Uchiha.
• Sarutobi Sasuke is shown abusing his growing influence and becoming increasingly careless. His affair with Nadeshiko reveals his susceptibility to power, romance, and self-indulgence.
• Uchiha Yan acts as a political guardian of Konoha’s stability. He is less concerned with Sasuke’s private affair itself than with its effect on Hiruzen, Sasuke’s family, and Konoha’s public standards.

Significant Themes

• Power and corruption: Sasuke’s positions as Minister of Rites and Commander of the Guards have encouraged arrogance and reckless behavior.
• Political alliance-building: Riyao’s friendship with Kagami illustrates how personal relationships can serve broader clan interests.
• Science and danger: Tobirama’s experiments show the promise of combining rival bloodlines, while emphasizing the risks of uncontrolled biological power.
• Public duty versus private desire: Sasuke’s romance conflicts with his obligations as a high-ranking official and family man.
• Legacy and influence: Yan worries that Sasuke’s romantic behavior could negatively shape Hiruzen’s future character.

Character Interactions

• Kōhei and Lita’s intense tournament match establishes Lita’s strength despite his narrow victory.
• Hashirama and Mito’s situation highlights Mito’s unease about the many types of chakra now mixed within Hashirama.
• Riyao and Kagami develop a cautious mutual respect through daily sparring, with both understanding the political value of their association.
• Yan confronts Sasuke about Nadeshiko. Sasuke admits the affair but insists that their feelings are genuine, quoting Yan’s own romantic writing to defend himself. Yan rejects the argument, dismisses Sasuke, and warns against allowing romance to undermine duty and family harmony.

Chapter Summary: “The Exam Ends”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The third stage of the Chunin assessment begins after no one returns from the revival round. The six remaining contestants are paired for direct matches:
  • Senju Lita vs. Hongwu
  • Ōnoki vs. Uchiha Yan
  • Yuki Sumi vs. Brown Earth
• Hongwu narrowly defeats Senju Lita in a close sword-and-saber battle. Both fighters rely almost entirely on taijutsu because their constant exchanges leave no time to perform ninjutsu.
• Ōnoki and Uchiha Yan engage in a prolonged ninjutsu battle. After exhausting most of his chakra, Yan appears to be losing, but his Sharingan advances to the Two-Tomoe stage. He uses a genjutsu to briefly immobilize Ōnoki, then defeats him at blade-point.
• Brown Earth forfeits against Yuki Sumi on Ishikawa’s orders. Ishikawa recognizes that Brown Earth cannot win and wants to spare him another defeat that might damage his confidence.
• Hongwu, Uchiha Yan, and Yuki Sumi win their matches. However, the examiners judge the defeated Senju Lita and Ōnoki to possess chunin-level ability and promote them as well. Brown Earth fails.
• The five successful candidates are:
  • Two from Konoha: Senju Lita and Uchiha Yan
  • One from Hidden Stone: Ōnoki
  • One from Hidden Cloud: Hongwu
  • One from Hidden Mist: Yuki Sumi
• As the villages prepare to leave Konoha, the political situation grows more dangerous. The Raikage interprets Hashirama and Madara’s continued absence as evidence that something has happened to them and considers an alliance against Konoha.
• Hozuki Sakuya prepares to return to Hidden Mist, expecting imprisonment or death because of White Lotus’s hostility. She privately says goodbye to Danzo, whom she has grown close to during her stay.

Character Developments

• Hongwu proves himself a powerful close-combat fighter and earns promotion by narrowly overcoming Senju Lita.
• Senju Lita loses but demonstrates enough skill to be recognized as chunin-level, showing that defeat does not erase her strong performance.
• Uchiha Yan reveals the advancement of his Sharingan from one tomoe to two. His tactical use of genjutsu allows him to defeat Ōnoki despite being nearly out of chakra.
• Ōnoki displays exceptional stamina and ninjutsu ability but is defeated because he fails to anticipate Yan’s genjutsu.
• Yuki Sumi gains confidence and pride after proving the strength of both Hidden Mist Village and the Yuki Clan.
• Brown Earth is protected from a humiliating defeat when Ishikawa orders him to forfeit, emphasizing Ishikawa’s concern for his subordinate’s morale.
• Hozuki Sakuya accepts the possibility of death or imprisonment but remains courageous because of her loyalty to the Will of Fire.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen becomes increasingly anxious about Hai and waits outside the inn, hoping to explain himself and confess his feelings.
• Danzo has formed a meaningful bond with Sakuya, though they fail to say goodbye properly.

Significant Themes

• Strength is not measured only by victory: Several defeated fighters, especially Lita and Ōnoki, still advance because their overall abilities meet chunin standards.
• Adaptability and hidden abilities: Uchiha Yan wins by concealing the full extent of his Sharingan until the decisive moment.
• Protecting morale and dignity: Ishikawa’s decision to have Brown Earth forfeit shows that leadership involves preserving confidence, not simply pursuing every possible victory.
• Political tension and misinterpretation: The Raikage’s assumptions about Hashirama and Madara may lead the villages toward war with Konoha.
• Farewell and emotional uncertainty: The departing characters leave behind unresolved relationships, particularly Hiruzen’s feelings for Hai and Sakuya’s bond with Danzo.
• Courage in the face of sacrifice: Sakuya’s willingness to face death reflects her commitment to her ideals and chosen loyalties.

Important Character Interactions

• Hongwu and Senju Lita: Their intense blade duel establishes mutual combat ability and ends with Hongwu’s narrow victory.
• Uchiha Yan and Ōnoki: Their battle contrasts endurance-based ninjutsu with Sharingan-enhanced strategy. Yan ultimately wins through genjutsu and timing.
• Ishikawa and Brown Earth: Ishikawa prioritizes Brown Earth’s emotional well-being over forcing him into a hopeless battle.
• Hyuga Tenka and the Sharingan: Tenka openly envies the Sharingan’s versatility and resents the disadvantages of the Hyuga clan’s branch-family system.
• Hiruzen and Hai/Sakuya: Hiruzen desperately tries to reach Hai, while Sakuya mistakes his farewell cries for a final glimpse of her identity as Hai.
• Sakuya and Danzo: Their time together in Konoha has created a sisterly bond, but Sakuya leaves without saying goodbye, believing she may never return.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• In the Land of Fire, Mizukage White Lotus catches up with Hozuki Sakuya near the Naka River after she defects from Kirigakure.
• Sakuya declares that she will not return to the Hidden Mist Village, condemning its isolation, oppressive leadership, and fear of Konoha’s Will of Fire.
• She argues that Konoha’s prosperity comes from ideals that unite people, contrasting this with Kirigakure’s history of darkness and obedience.
• When Yuki Sumi attempts to prevent White Lotus from attacking Sakuya, he interprets her actions as a sign of disloyalty. He stabs her in the abdomen and kicks her away.
• Enraged by Sumi’s injury, Sakuya attacks White Lotus with Water Release techniques. Although White Lotus counters her Water Dragon Bullet with the Water Mirror Technique, Sakuya uses the exchange as a diversion.
• Sakuya rescues Sumi and retreats toward the Naka River. Sumi uses Ice Release to freeze her wound and slow her bleeding.
• Trapped at the riverbank, Sumi announces that she has decided to take her talent to Konoha. She vows to return one day and kill her way back into Kirigakure.
• Sakuya uses the Great Waterfall Technique to hold White Lotus back, then carries Sumi into the river and escapes through the current.
• White Lotus abandons the pursuit, partly because Sakuya is far more powerful in water and partly because Konoha’s forces may soon arrive.
• Furious, White Lotus decides that if Konoha shelters the two defectors, Kirigakure may ally with the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Sand Villages to attack Konoha.

Character Developments

• Hozuki Sakuya: Fully commits to defection and openly rejects Kirigakure’s ideology. Her anger at White Lotus’s attack on Sumi transforms her willingness to die peacefully into a determination to fight and protect her companion.
• Yuki Sumi: Moves from loyal Kirigakure subordinate to potential defector. Her attempt to defend Sakuya shows growing independence and moral courage. Even while gravely wounded, she chooses Konoha and vows revenge against Kirigakure.
• White Lotus: Reveals his deep fear of Konoha’s Will of Fire and of Kirigakure’s people becoming inspired to resist his control. His brutal attack on Sumi exposes his authoritarian nature and intensifies his hostility toward Konoha.

Significant Themes

• Ideals versus authoritarian control: Konoha’s Will of Fire is presented as a force capable of inspiring unity and hope, while Kirigakure is portrayed as closed, fearful, and oppressive.
• Loyalty and betrayal: White Lotus defines loyalty as unquestioning obedience, whereas Sakuya and Sumi view loyalty as refusing to support injustice.
• Moral awakening: Sumi and Sakuya begin rejecting the village’s traditional assumptions, choosing personal conviction over institutional allegiance.
• Youth challenging the old order: Sakuya emphasizes that Kirigakure’s aging leadership fears the younger generation’s potential to change the village.
• Political escalation: The personal defection of Sakuya and Sumi becomes a potential trigger for a wider war against Konoha.

Character Interactions

• Sakuya confronts White Lotus verbally, criticizing his fear of the Will of Fire and his dependence on obedient “blades.”
• Sumi intervenes to protect Sakuya, prompting White Lotus to attack her as a suspected traitor.
• Sakuya responds by risking herself to save the wounded Sumi, demonstrating their developing trust and solidarity.
• White Lotus’s rage at their escape links their personal conflict to his plans for an alliance with the Cloud and Sand Villages against Konoha.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hozuki Sakuya successfully brings the badly injured Yuki Sumi to Konoha after fleeing Kirigakure. They collapse near Konoha’s gates and are admitted to the hospital through Uchiha Yan’s intervention.
• Yan assures Sakuya that, having chosen Konoha, both women will be treated as Konoha citizens and will not be abandoned. He orders their arrival kept secret temporarily and assigns Kakuzu to handle their needs.
• White Lotus, the Mizukage, declares Sakuya and Sumi traitors and demands that Konoha return them under the Five Kage Summit treaty. His accusation exposes his own failure to protect or recapture Yuki Sumi.
• The Hozuki Clan cooperates with White Lotus, but the Yuki Clan strongly objects. Losing Sumi, a promising clan genius, damages the clan and further undermines White Lotus’s authority.
• The other villages react to Konoha’s apparent political vulnerability:
  • A of Kumogakure concludes that Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara are truly absent or incapacitated and begins rallying other villages against Konoha.
  • Reto returns to Sunagakure to find that the village had prepared a triumphant celebration for its expected success in the Chunin Exams. Embarrassed by their failure, he orders the decorations removed.
  • Ōnoki and Black Rock in Iwagakure obsessively praise Konoha based on exaggerated or propagandistic reports in the Konoha Digest.

Character Developments

• Hozuki Sakuya becomes more secure in her decision to defect, placing deep trust in Uchiha Yan as her mentor and in Konoha’s Will of Fire.
• Yuki Sumi’s importance becomes clearer: she is a rare and highly talented member of the Yuki Clan whose loss is a serious political and strategic blow to Kirigakure.
• Uchiha Yan is shown as both pragmatic and protective. He recognizes the value of Sakuya and Sumi’s bloodlines while sincerely offering them safety and belonging.
• Kakuzu’s position in Konoha has changed dramatically. Once an attempted assassin of the Hokage, he is now trusted to assist refugees and is viewed as an example of the Will of Fire’s reforming influence.
• White Lotus suffers a major loss of prestige. His inability to control or retrieve a young defector gives the Yuki Clan grounds to challenge him.
• A becomes increasingly confident and aggressive, interpreting Konoha’s lack of visible leadership as evidence that the village is weak.
• Reto is humbled by the contrast between his earlier boastful confidence and Sunagakure’s poor results.
• Black Rock has become an enthusiastic admirer of Konoha’s ideals and propaganda, even using the Konoha Digest as a source of personal inspiration.

Significant Themes

• The Will of Fire as political assimilation: Konoha’s ideology is presented as powerful enough to reform criminals, welcome defectors, and create loyalty among former enemies.
• The struggle between old and new orders: White Lotus and Kirigakure represent an older, harsher system threatened by Konoha’s more inclusive model.
• Propaganda and cultural influence: The Konoha Digest exaggerates Konoha’s cleanliness, kindness, education, and social welfare, yet its stories successfully shape opinions in other villages.
• Political weakness and opportunism: Konoha’s apparent leadership vacuum encourages Kumogakure and other villages to consider hostile action.
• Pride and humiliation: White Lotus, Reto, and the various clans suffer reputational damage when their authority or expectations are exposed as hollow.
• The value of talent and bloodlines: Konoha’s willingness to shelter Sakuya and Sumi is motivated both by ideological claims and by the strategic importance of their Kekkei Genkai.

Character Interactions

• Yan reassures Sakuya and establishes a mentor-student relationship based on trust.
• Sakuya’s reaction to Kakuzu’s new role highlights her surprise at how Konoha has rehabilitated a former enemy.
• White Lotus’s accusations provoke conflict with the Yuki Clan, which questions his competence and leadership.
• Reto’s subordinates remind him of his earlier promises, intensifying his embarrassment.
• Ōnoki and Black Rock bond over their admiration of Konoha, while another villager points out the contradictions in the Konoha Digest’s idealized portrayal of Konoha.

Key plot points and events

• Half a month after the Chunin Exams, Madara has recovered to full strength, his chakra boosted by Hashirama’s grafted flesh. He keeps his blind eye as a sentimental reminder of their bond, though Yan expects it may eventually awaken as a Rinnegan.
• Hashirama is also recovering. Mito has lifted his Five Elements Seal enough for him to use his chakra, but continues to restrict him until she is confident he is fully healed.
• In the Land of Hot Water, Raikage A persuades Mizukage White Lotus to join an attack on Konoha. White Lotus is driven partly by anger at Yan’s dismissive reply and fear that the Mist Village will lose unity if he cannot reclaim Sakuya and Sumi.
• A reveals the Hidden Cloud’s Six Paths Ninja Tools, explaining their powerful binding, sealing, and elemental abilities. White Lotus accepts the alliance, despite suspecting A may later turn against him.
• Kazekage Reto has already agreed to the plan. The Sand, Cloud, and Mist seek to bring Iwagakure into a coordinated assault from all sides.
• Tsuchikage Ishikawa initially hesitates, unwilling to betray Iwagakure’s alliance with Konoha or break the peace treaty. A’s warning that Konoha’s growing strength may eventually threaten the other villages changes his view.
• Ishikawa summons Mu, and together they finalize a detailed battle plan. The four villages secretly prepare for war against Konoha.

Character developments and interactions

• Madara shows unexpected sentimentality by keeping his blind eye for the sake of his bond with Hashirama; Yan is exasperated but sees strategic benefit in it.
• Hashirama is regaining his strength, though Mito remains cautious and maintains control over his recovery.
• White Lotus moves from reluctance to participation, balancing resentment and political survival against distrust of A.
• A presents himself as both an ambitious leader and a shrewd strategist, using the threat of Konoha’s future growth to convince Ishikawa.
• Ishikawa recognizes that his caution has made him politically short-sighted. He accepts the need for war despite his personal opposition to it and works with Mu to prepare.

Significant themes

• Fear of rising power: Konoha’s expanding influence pushes rival villages to consider a preemptive strike.
• Peace versus security: Leaders must choose between preserving a fragile peace and acting before they believe it is too late.
• Political ambition and distrust: The alliance is united by a common enemy, but its members expect betrayal once Konoha is defeated.
• Bonds and sentiment: Madara’s attachment to Hashirama contrasts with the strategic calculations driving the villages toward war.

Key plot points and events

• Uchiha Yan learns that the Hidden Cloud, Stone, Sand, and Mist villages are preparing a joint invasion of the Land of Fire to destroy the Wood Alliance and seize Konoha.
• At the Shinobi Clan Assembly, he rallies Konoha’s leaders and organizes its forces into four corps and ten columns, naming commanders from the major clans. Yan will move between battlefields using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Konoha secretly prepares for war while keeping the news from the public, hoping to catch the invading villages off guard. Uchiha Madara is held in reserve to raid enemy homelands once their forces are deployed. Hashirama is kept out of battle because his condition remains unstable.
• Yan visits the Tailed Beast Forest and asks the beasts to defend Konoha if trouble reaches the village, while warning them not to disturb ordinary villagers. He entrusts the group to the Eight-Tails, especially cautioning him about Shukaku’s mischief.
• In the Hidden Sand Village, Kui Lian and the other Konoha agents receive instructions to avoid fighting where possible and surrender if necessary; Konoha promises to remember their service.

Character developments and interactions

• Yan emerges as a confident wartime leader, balancing forceful preparations with efforts to limit casualties and protect civilians.
• The clan leaders respond to the invasion news with anger and unity, accepting Yan’s command structure without objection.
• Yan’s affectionate “Fourth Uncle” bond with the Tailed Beasts is reinforced. He treats them like children, while the Eight-Tails embraces the role of responsible elder brother.
• Yan’s orders to Konoha’s agents show that he values their safety over maintaining cover or resisting at all costs.

Significant themes

• Unity and resolve: Konoha’s clans rally together against a threat from multiple nations.
• Preparedness and strategy: Secrecy, flexible reinforcements, and a reserve force are central to Yan’s plan.
• Protection and restraint: Yan prepares to fight back but emphasizes avoiding unnecessary conflict and safeguarding civilians and agents.
• Found family: Yan’s relationship with the Tailed Beasts is warm and playful, framing them as trusted members of Konoha’s community.

Key plot points and events

• Konoha anticipates the four-village invasion and quietly positions forces on two fronts. Uchiha Yan assigns two army groups to the Land of Iron to face Kumogakure and Kirigakure, and two to the Land of Rain to hold back Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
• The Senju and Uchiha are matched to the Iron front because their abilities counter the opposing villages’ specialties. At the Rain front, Hyuga Tennin and Nara Shikato are ordered to defend until Konoha can defeat the other front and counterattack.
• Yan places two additional columns near the enemy homelands as a reserve, with orders to strike if the main campaign bogs down. He also plans to travel between fronts using the Flying Thunder God Technique. Mu is told to make his Dust Release look threatening while avoiding casualties, buying time.
• The four enemy villages prepare for war with large armies. Kumogakure and Iwagakure each field 15,000 ninja; Kirigakure gathers more than 10,000.
• Their leaders rally their troops with very different messages: Raikage A insists defeat is unacceptable; Mizukage White Lotus makes a theatrical threat against the Hokage; Kazekage Reto argues that conquering the fertile Land of Fire will improve future generations’ lives.
• Konoha’s spies in Sunagakure, including Kui Lian and his companions, plan to defect at the first sign of trouble and encourage others to surrender. In Iwagakure, Tsuchikage Ishikawa worries that breaking the village’s word will stain his legacy, while Ōnoki reassures him that victory matters more.

Character developments and interactions

• Uchiha Yan appears strategically confident, arranging countermeasures for each front and using deception and flexibility to control the conflict.
• Reto frames the invasion as a struggle for his people’s future, rallying the Sand with passionate, nationalistic rhetoric.
• Raikage A and White Lotus display confidence and bravado, though White Lotus’s coffin speech is treated by his troops—and even local merchants—as empty pre-battle boasting.
• Ishikawa reveals anxiety and guilt over Iwagakure’s broken promise. Ōnoki, despite admiring Konoha, puts loyalty to his village first and urges his grandfather to focus on winning.
• Kui Lian and his companions outwardly join the Sand’s enthusiasm but privately prepare to switch sides, showing how fear and self-preservation may undermine the invading coalition.

Significant themes

• Strategy over strength: Konoha’s careful positioning and tailored matchups contrast with the invaders’ confidence in their combined numbers.
• Propaganda and motivation: Leaders use duty, pride, prosperity, and spectacle to persuade their troops to fight.
• Loyalty versus conscience: Ishikawa regrets breaking his word, while Ōnoki chooses village interests over personal admiration for Konoha.
• Fear and shifting allegiance: The spies’ plan reflects the expectation that battlefield reversals can quickly turn soldiers toward surrender.

Key plot points and events

• Four great ninja villages mobilize for a surprise attack on Konoha. Their forces gather in two theaters: Cloud and Mist troops stage in the Land of Hot Water, while Sand and Stone troops assemble in the Land of Rain.
• In the Land of Hot Water, Cloud commander Lei Houyuan and Mist commander Hozuki Engetsu clash over their landing and attack plans. Raikage A ends the argument by rallying the officers with the belief that the alliance’s numerical superiority—about 50,000 troops against Konoha’s estimated 20,000—gives them the advantage.
• In the Land of Rain, Tsuchikage Ishikawa and Kazekage Reto prepare a rapid assault on the Land of Fire. Sand ninja Kui Lian and his companions secretly pass the invasion plans to Konoha.
• Konoha’s commanders, Hyuga Tennin and Nara Shikato, receive the warning and prepare traps along the border.
• On the Land of Iron coast, Hyuga Tenka spots the approaching Cloud and Mist fleets. Izuna orders the defense, and Konoha’s pre-planted Explosive Tags kill nearly a hundred enemy ninja.
• The Mist responds with a Water Release technique to clear the traps. Konoha then sends poison-filled water techniques against the invaders. The Mist counters with its own Water Release, but the resulting poisonous rain falls over the allied troops, causing widespread casualties.

Character developments

• Raikage A is forceful and confident, using his past victories and the alliance’s numerical strength to restore morale, though he downplays the danger Konoha poses.
• Reto appears relaxed and confident, even promising canned food after the battle; his optimism helps keep the Sand troops in good spirits.
• Kui Lian reveals his loyalty to Konoha by secretly leaking the invasion plans.
• Izuna remains calm and decisive under pressure, directing Konoha’s defense as the attack unfolds.
• Hanzo, strengthened by intense training after his recovery, is noted as having reached Chunin-level strength and possessing poison dangerous even to a Jonin.

Character interactions

• Lei Houyuan and Hozuki Engetsu argue over strategy, exposing distrust between the Cloud and Mist forces. A intervenes before their disagreement further undermines the alliance.
• Ishikawa consults with Reto about when to attack, while Reto coordinates with A and White Lotus through summoned messengers.
• Kui Lian conceals his espionage from the Sand leadership, then secretly contacts Konoha.
• Konoha’s coordinated scouting and preparations allow Izuna’s forces to respond quickly to the Cloud and Mist landing.

Significant themes

• Overconfidence versus preparation: The invading leaders trust their numerical advantage, while Konoha relies on intelligence, traps, and planning.
• Fragile alliances: Rival commanders’ disputes suggest that cooperation among the attacking villages may be unstable.
• Intelligence and secrecy: Kui Lian’s leak overturns the invaders’ surprise strategy.
• Turning an enemy’s strengths against it: Konoha uses poison and water-based attacks to exploit the Mist and Cloud forces’ response, showing that familiar techniques can become dangerous in unexpected ways.

Konoha’s forces fought the allied Sand and Stone armies at the Land of Rain battlefield, using traps, insect swarms, and ninjutsu scrolls despite their smaller numbers. The chapter ended with Mu secretly revealing himself as Konoha’s mole while he and the Boar-Deer-Butterfly trio staged a fierce-looking battle.

• Konoha’s explosive-tag traps and Aburame Shikuroo’s explosive micron insects inflicted heavy losses on the advancing Sand and Stone forces.
• The two armies charged, and Konoha’s ninja used stockpiled ninjutsu scrolls to compensate for their smaller numbers.
• Hyuga Tennin fought Tsuchikage Ishikawa, Kaguya Iwabi fought Kazekage Reto, and Hyuga Tenka fought Shamon, with none gaining a clear advantage.
• Mu recited Uchiha Yan’s code phrase to Nara Shikato, who answered correctly and recognized Mu as Konoha’s mole in Iwagakure.
• Mu and the Boar-Deer-Butterfly trio staged a noisy battle against empty space while Kui Lian and his companions watched, believing the fight was real.

Konoha launched a head-on assault against the allied Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist forces on the Land of Iron battlefield. Uchiha Yan, Senju Tobirama, and Uchiha Izuna engaged the enemy leaders, but their battles remained unresolved.

• Uchiha Yan assigned himself to fight Mizukage White Lotus and Raikage A, Senju Tobirama to hold off Hozuki Gengetsu, and Uchiha Izuna to face Lanzang.
• Konoha and the allied forces clashed, and Uchiha Yan summoned Kurama before attacking White Lotus and Raikage A with a Rasenshuriken.
• White Lotus and Raikage A combined their Water Release and Lightning Release attacks to pressure Uchiha Yan.
• Senju Tobirama covered the battlefield with Flying Thunder God marks and slashed Hozuki Gengetsu, but Gengetsu healed with Hydration Healing and counterattacked.
• Uchiha Izuna used Susanoo to drive Lanzang onto the defensive, but Lanzang's evasiveness prevented Izuna from finishing the fight.