Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru ordered the Konoha forces to withdraw from their assault on Hidden Hot Water Village after suffering heavy losses, then planned an aggressive advance to preserve their gains. The remaining ninja returned to camp, where Orochimaru requested reinforcements and explained his strategy to Jiraiya.

• Orochimaru ordered the Konoha ninja to hold their position for five minutes while Minato Namikaze rescued survivors and Jiraiya stopped him from making another trip.
• When the five minutes passed, Orochimaru ordered a retreat, and the Konoha ninja returned to camp with few losses during the withdrawal.
• Jiraiya reported that only forty-three Konoha ninja remained, with thirty-two fit to fight, and Orochimaru requested at least sixty reinforcements.
• Orochimaru moved Konoha's planned front line at least ten kilometers forward, explaining to Jiraiya that the extra distance would allow them to retreat while fighting until reinforcements arrived.
• Jiraiya asked about Chiyu, and Orochimaru said Chiyu had only minor injuries and was exhausted.

Jiraiya challenged Orochimaru to a bet over whether Minato or Chiyu would grow stronger faster during the war. After Minato confessed his doubts about Chiyu and his own actions, Jiraiya encouraged him to trust himself, leaving Minato determined to train harder.

• Jiraiya praised Chiyu's battle against Kuroiwa Tatsuji, and he and Orochimaru bet on whether Chiyu or Minato would improve faster during the war.
• Orochimaru dismissed Jiraiya's proposed stake but declared that he would not lose.
• Jiraiya found Minato brooding on a hill, where Minato admitted that Chiyu's ruthless tactics and superior strength had made him doubt himself.
• Minato confessed that he had hesitated to help Chiyu because he remembered Chiyu sending Daigo to die alongside a Cloud Ninja.
• Jiraiya reassured Minato that his desire to help companions was right and urged him to believe in his ability to grow stronger.
• Jiraiya told Minato that Konoha would be asked for reinforcements and that he would request the Flying Thunder God Technique's training method, and Minato resolved to train harder.

Chiyu analyzed Konoha’s plan to advance the front line and proposed using clones to make the force appear larger. Orochimaru praised his judgment and told him Konoha’s reinforcements might include ninja clan members.

• Chiyu encountered ninjas who feared him after hearing about his actions in Hidden Hot Water Village and seeing him give Daigo an Explosive Tag.
• Chiyu found Orochimaru and Jiraiya in the combat command tent, where Orochimaru said they would advance the front line ten kilometers the next day.
• Chiyu inferred that Konoha had been asked for reinforcements and explained that the attack on Hidden Hot Water Village had succeeded by intimidating the Cloud Ninja.
• Chiyu predicted that the Cloud Ninja would investigate and harass the advancing force but avoid a head-on clash, then proposed using Shadow Clones and clones to make Konoha’s numbers seem greater.
• Orochimaru praised Chiyu’s proposal, said he had reported Chiyu’s achievements to Sarutobi-sensei, and raised the possibility of a Tokubetsu Jonin promotion.
• Chiyu guessed that the reinforcements would include ninja clan members, leaving Jiraiya worried that Chiyu might cause trouble for Minato Namikaze.

Chiyu accepted Orochimaru’s mission to lead five Uchiha Chunin with full authority, then ate and went to train in the woods. There, he encountered Minato Namikaze.

• Orochimaru offered Chiyu command of five Uchiha Chunin, and Chiyu accepted after confirming he would have full authority over them.
• Orochimaru explained that reinforcements from the Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, and other clans would also arrive to support Konoha’s forces.
• Chiyu took food from the trembling Tanaka Kazuyoshi, who remembered how Daigo had sacrificed himself to save him and vowed to care for Daigo’s wife and child after the war.
• Chiyu went into the woods to train Seventh Form: Fire Thunder God and saw Minato Namikaze training nearby.

Chiyu agreed to spar with Minato Namikaze and unveiled his unfinished Thunder Breathing move, Godspeed. The spar ended almost immediately when Chiyu struck Minato with the force of his dash, leaving Minato injured and stunned by the gap between them.

• Minato Namikaze stopped Chiyu and asked to spar, explaining that he wanted to measure the gap between them.
• Chiyu accepted after Minato insisted that discovering the gap would not discourage him.
• Chiyu and Minato took their positions, and Minato began forming Summoning Jutsu hand seals.
• Chiyu used Thunder Breathing: First Form: Thunderclap and Flash! Godspeed! and rammed his sheathed sword into Minato's abdomen.
• Minato crashed into a tree, spat blood, and realized Chiyu's unfinished move had overwhelmed him in an instant.

Chiyu defeated Minato Namikaze with his incomplete Thunderclap and Flash: Godspeed, then joined Orochimaru and Jiraiya’s plan to advance the front line. During reconnaissance, Chiyu detected a three-man Cloud Ninja scouting squad and prepared to engage them.

• Chiyu struck Minato Namikaze down with Thunderclap and Flash: Godspeed, and Minato accepted the defeat while promising to keep improving.
• Chiyu reflected that Godspeed remained incomplete because his legs could not yet withstand the technique’s speed and Lightning Release Chakra.
• Orochimaru ordered the thirty-two remaining ninja to advance the front line using clone formations, while Jiraiya and Chiyu took separate roles.
• Chiyu scouted ahead of the formation and sent snakes to gather information and warn Orochimaru that enemy activity had begun.
• Chiyu learned that a three-man squad was scouting nearby and gripped his ninja blade, ready to fight.

Chiyu scouted ahead, assassinated Cloud Ninja, and sent intelligence that helped Orochimaru advance Konoha’s line ten kilometers. The force prepared traps and tents for the next stage, with Orochimaru expecting them to fight while retreating until they reached Konoha’s reinforcements.

• Chiyu ambushed and killed a three-man Cloud Ninja scouting squad after overhearing their sensor ninja detect Konoha’s large force.
• Chiyu relayed intelligence to Orochimaru, who used it to avoid Cloud Ninja patrols while Konoha advanced.
• Orochimaru called Chiyu back to the main force after it successfully advanced ten kilometers.
• Orochimaru ordered half the ninja to rest while the others maintained their clones, and had the resting group set traps around the area.
• Orochimaru gave Chiyu three scrolls of Explosive Tags and told him to rest before the force continued its advance.

After the Hidden Hot Water Village returned to neutrality, Orochimaru and Jiraiya prepared to retreat as nearly fifty Cloud Ninja gathered nearby. Orochimaru appointed Chiyu to lead thirty-two ninja during the withdrawal, and Chiyu laid out strict orders before they set off.

• The Hidden Hot Water Village declared that it would stay neutral and no longer allow Cloud Ninja to station there.
• Orochimaru told Chiyu and Jiraiya that roughly fifty Cloud Ninja had gathered two kilometers from their camp and planned to probe their position.
• Orochimaru assigned himself and Jiraiya to guard the rear while Chiyu led the other thirty-two ninja in retreat.
• Chiyu ordered the ninja to obey him, split into two teams to maintain formation and set traps, and avoid fighting unless he gave the order.

Chiyu led the Konoha ninjas in a fighting retreat while Cloud Ninjas pursued them, using traps and delaying tactics to buy time for reinforcements. After Minato reported enemy traces on the right flank, Chiyu ordered him back and searched the Exchange Shop for a sensory ability.

• Orochimaru and Jiraiya discussed Chiyu's cold leadership and their differing views on battlefield decisions.
• Orochimaru received intelligence from a snake, and Chiyu led the Konoha ninjas away from their camp.
• Double traps injured or killed some Cloud Ninjas and slowed their cautious advance.
• Jiraiya used Fire Release: Great Flame Bullet to block the Cloud Ninjas, whose commander sent two teams to flank the Konoha retreat and requested support.
• Minato Namikaze reported Cloud Ninja traces on the right flank, but Chiyu ordered him back rather than attack without knowing their numbers.
• Chiyu opened the Exchange Shop to search for a sensory ability because the group lacked Sensor Ninjas.

Chiyu exchanged for first-stage Observation Haki and used it to detect fourteen approaching Cloud Ninja. He sent Minato Namikaze to assassinate the seven on the left and attacked the seven on the right, leaving one Tokubetsu Jonin as the only survivor.

• Chiyu spent 1,000 Witness Points to exchange for first-stage Observation Haki and sensed seven Cloud Ninja approaching from each side.
• Chiyu ordered Minato Namikaze to lead five ninja in an assassination of the seven Cloud Ninja on the left, then sent a Shadow Clone with the remaining ninja and headed right.
• Chiyu surprised the seven Cloud Ninja on the right and decapitated one Tokubetsu Jonin with Thunder Breathing: Fourth Form: Distant Thunder.
• Chiyu used substitution, Fire Release, Thunder Breathing, and Earth Release to kill five more Cloud Ninja.
• Chiyu killed two Cloud Ninja with his Sharingan, leaving the last Tokubetsu Jonin hiding in the canopy and preparing to retreat.

Chiyu led the Konoha force into a breakout after sensing that Cloud Ninja were closing in from every direction. He tore through the incomplete encirclement, but stopped when he sensed about eighty ninja ahead.

• Chiyu killed the last Cloud Tokubetsu Jonin and returned to the main force while Minato Namikaze's squad remained engaged.
• Minato Namikaze rejoined with four of the five ninja he had taken, reporting that all seven pursuing Cloud Ninja had been dealt with.
• As Cloud Ninja gathered and moved to encircle the force, Chiyu ordered everyone to dismiss their clones and charge out.
• Chiyu warned the group to keep up or escape on their own, then used Fire Thunder God to cut through the Cloud Ninja blocking their path.
• Orochimaru told Jiraiya that Chiyu had begun breaking out, and they withdrew to join him.
• Chiyu stopped after sensing roughly eighty ninja ahead.

Chiyu encountered Konoha reinforcements and led them to the survivors of Orochimaru and Jiraiya’s risky operation. With the Cloud Ninja driven back, the group regrouped six kilometers from the border, and Nara Shoji learned Chiyu had helped devise the plan.

• Chiyu spotted a force of about eighty ninja, confirmed they were Konoha reinforcements, and met their acting commander, Nara Shoji.
• Chiyu warned Nara Shoji that Cloud Ninja were pursuing the force he had led out of an encirclement, and Nara Shoji ordered the reinforcements to support them.
• The reinforcements joined the battle, forcing the pursuing Cloud Ninja to retreat and allowing more than twenty Konoha ninja to escape.
• Orochimaru and Jiraiya reunited with the group, and Orochimaru told Nara Shoji that the reinforcements had made their plan a success.
• Jiraiya explained the plan and its heavy casualties, while Nara Shoji learned Chiyu had helped formulate it and that the force was now six kilometers from the border.

After Konoha's reinforcements arrived, Chiyu considered how to gain more Witness Points while sending Kushina Uzumaki a letter. Minato Namikaze received the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll and began training, while Chiyu later received Kushina's reply.

• Nara Shoji handed command to Orochimaru, who assigned duties and established a fortified camp for Konoha's reinforcements.
• Chiyu sent Kushina Uzumaki a letter and learned from the system that he had earned Witness Points by taking part in an event originally meant for Minato Namikaze.
• Chiyu resolved to develop new fighting methods and pursue more Witness Points by taking on a greater role on the battlefield.
• Jiraiya gave Minato Namikaze the Flying Thunder God Technique scroll and his Tokubetsu Jonin appointment, and Minato began practicing the technique.
• After another week of restrained clashes, Chiyu received Kushina Uzumaki's reply and read her daily-life stories with a smile.

Chiyu’s bright smile surprised the ninjas at camp, while Orochimaru and Jiraiya prepared to remove nearby Cloud Ninja outposts. Orochimaru announced that Chiyu would lead five Uchiha Chunin, but Uchiha Kazuo objected and asked to keep them under his command.

• After seeing Chiyu smile, Jiraiya hurried to tell Orochimaru, who turned their conversation toward striking Cloud Ninja outposts.
• Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Nara Shoji agreed to send ninjas on missions in three-man squads while leaving at least fifty to guard camp.
• Jiraiya explained that Orochimaru intended Chiyu to lead five Uchiha Chunin, and Nara Shoji questioned whether they would obey him.
• Orochimaru assigned camp leadership and named Uchiha Ryuhei, Uchiha Keiichi, Uchiha Kyosuke, Uchiha Raito, and Uchiha Jinno as Chiyu’s squad.
• Uchiha Kazuo interrupted the announcement and asked Orochimaru to let him continue leading the five Uchiha.

Orochimaru appointed Chiyu captain of five Uchiha Chunin despite Uchiha Kazuo's objections. When the five refused to follow Chiyu, he swiftly beat them, and Orochimaru restrained Kazuo as he tried to intervene.

• Uchiha Kazuo asked Orochimaru to reconsider making Chiyu captain, but Orochimaru insisted the order stood unless Chiyu refused.
• Chiyu accepted the captaincy, and the five Uchiha Chunin resolved to cause trouble until he gave it up.
• After the meeting, the five ignored Chiyu's order to come with him, so he attacked and defeated all five.
• Chiyu mocked the Uchiha Clan and demanded the fallen ninja answer him, while Kazuo tried to rush in.
• Orochimaru restrained Kazuo with two snakes and defended Chiyu's right to discipline subordinates who disobeyed.

Chiyu forced the Uchiha ninja under his command to accept him as their captain, while Orochimaru backed his authority and Uchiha Kazuo was unable to intervene. After most of them submitted, Chiyu dismissed Uchiha Raito for threatening him with the Uchiha Clan.

• Orochimaru warned Uchiha Kazuo not to interfere as Chiyu disciplined the Uchiha ninja who had disobeyed him.
• Chiyu broke Uchiha Jinno’s leg, then broke Uchiha Raito’s leg after Raito threatened him with the Uchiha Clan.
• Uchiha Kyosuke, Uchiha Keiichi, and Uchiha Ryuhei agreed to follow Chiyu.
• Chiyu asked Orochimaru to send the defiant Uchiha Raito and Uchiha Jinno back to Konoha, prompting both to offer to serve under him.
• Chiyu allowed Uchiha Jinno to stay but dismissed Uchiha Raito because Raito had used the Uchiha Clan to threaten him.

Chiyu dismissed Uchiha Raito and forced the four remaining Uchiha to choose whether to serve under him. Uchiha Raito failed to persuade them to return with him, and his Sharingan evolved as he reacted to their rejection.

• Chiyu sent Uchiha Raito back to Konoha while bringing Uchiha Jinno and the other three Uchiha to an empty forest.
• Chiyu warned Uchiha Kyosuke, Uchiha Keiichi, Uchiha Ryuhei, and Uchiha Jinno to obey him or leave, and they chose to stay.
• Uchiha Kazuo advised Uchiha Raito to get his broken leg treated and report what happened to the clan head.
• Uchiha Raito urged the four Uchiha to leave with him, but they refused because they would be treated as deserters.
• Uchiha Raito became furious and his Sharingan unexpectedly evolved into a Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

Chiyu assigned Uchiha Kyosuke and the others a dangerous mission to hunt Cloud Ninja despite Uchiha Jinno’s injuries. Uchiha Kazuo confronted Chiyu over his treatment of the Uchiha, and their argument escalated into a fight that ended with them clashing weapons.

• Chiyu ordered Uchiha Kyosuke, Uchiha Jinno, and the other two to prepare to hunt around ten Cloud Ninja, including several Chunin.
• Uchiha Kazuo warned Chiyu that he would eventually return to Konoha, and Chiyu mocked the Uchiha Clan and challenged him to fight.
• Uchiha Kazuo activated his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and punched at Chiyu, who evaded with the Body Flicker Technique.
• Chiyu and Uchiha Kazuo used Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique and dodged the flames with their Sharingan.
• Chiyu charged Uchiha Kazuo with his ninja sword as Kazuo drew a Kunai, and their weapons collided.

Chiyu fought Uchiha Kazuo, using his own Uchiha Fire Release techniques and a series of feints to get behind him. Jiraiya arrived and stopped the battle, leaving Chiyu and Uchiha Kazuo accusing each other of starting the fight.

• Chiyu used Fire Release: Dust Cloud Concealment Technique to obscure Uchiha Kazuo's vision, then baited him with a Lightning Release Shadow Clone while burrowing underground.
• Chiyu emerged behind Uchiha Kazuo and attacked, but Kazuo dodged the slash and knocked away all thirteen of Chiyu's flame-coated shuriken.
• Uchiha Kazuo demanded to know where Chiyu had learned Uchiha Fire Release, and Chiyu claimed Uchiha Masaki and Madara Uchiha had given him the techniques and Sharingan notes.
• Jiraiya arrived with Uchiha Kyosuke and other ninjas, stopping the fight and asking what had happened.
• Chiyu accused Uchiha Kazuo of threatening and attacking him, while Kazuo claimed Chiyu had insulted and provoked him.

Chiyu manipulated Uchiha Kazuo into attacking first, then used the incident to justify sending Kazuo’s subordinates on a dangerous mission. Orochimaru punished Kazuo by assigning him to the vanguard, while he told Jiraiya that Chiyu was not afraid of Uchiha retaliation.

• Jiraiya arrived and confirmed that Uchiha Kazuo had threatened Chiyu and attacked first.
• Chiyu ordered Uchiha Kyosuke and the other three to ambush a Cloud Ninja squad, despite Jiraiya urging him not to make things too difficult for them.
• Jiraiya took Uchiha Kazuo to Orochimaru, who ordered Kazuo to join every assault on Cloud Ninja strongholds and serve in the vanguard.
• Jiraiya worried that the Uchiha Clan would retaliate against Chiyu, but Orochimaru said Chiyu was confident and unafraid.