Chapter Summaries

Mizuki Rei noticed two newcomers at the inn who appeared to belong to the Akatsuki Organization. Hinata used her Byakugan to identify them, but they seemed to notice her surveillance.

• Mizuki Rei heard new guests arrive and glimpsed a black robe patterned with red clouds before shutting the door.
• Itachi Uchiha asked Kisame Hoshigaki what was wrong, and Kisame said he had made an incredible discovery.
• Mizuki Rei told the others that two people from the Akatsuki Organization had arrived, though he had not identified them.
• Hinata activated her Byakugan and recognized the two figures in the neighboring room, but they seemed to notice her looking.

Hinata and her companions discovered Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki at the same inn, creating an awkward standoff between the two groups. They avoided provoking each other, and Hinata later disguised herself and left the room with her trusted subordinates.

• Hinata sensed Itachi Uchiha looking toward her and deactivated her Byakugan before he could catch her observing him.
• Hinata identified Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki as members of the Akatsuki Organization.
• Hinata and her companions debated how to handle the chance encounter and decided there was no need to fight because neither side had a conflict of interest.
• Hinata used the Transformation Jutsu to disguise herself and left the room with her trusted subordinates that evening.

Hinata led her companions away from the inn after encountering Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki. Itachi stopped Kisame from attacking, warning that their opponents were strong enough to kill them, while Kisame looked forward to meeting them again.

• Hinata and her companions encountered Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki as they headed downstairs from the inn.
• Hinata joked about finding food and led her group away without acknowledging the Akatsuki members.
• Kisame grew ready to attack, but Itachi raised a hand and stopped him.
• After Hinata and the others had left, Itachi told Kisame that they would die if they fought those people because they were strong.
• Kisame became excited by the warning, voiced his anticipation of meeting them again, and followed Itachi downstairs.

Yugito met with Black Eagle and Peacock after news leaked that the Four Heavenly Phenomena had arranged for Kumogakure’s support. She rejected their concern about the village’s reputation and insisted that Kumogakure was ready to fight if challenged.

• Black Eagle and Peacock arrived at Yugito’s courtyard while she was preparing to eat.
• Yugito showed her displeasure at the interruption, and Black Eagle stopped Peacock from reacting.
• Black Eagle told Yugito that their joint arrangement had been exposed and had made them targets of criticism.
• Yugito clarified that Kumogakure had simply accepted a mission in exchange for payment.
• Black Eagle warned that other forces would still involve Kumogakure, but Yugito said the village feared no one and demanded that he state his real purpose.

Black Eagle explained the Artisan Ninja Village’s ultimate weapon to Yugito while seeking Cloud Ninja’s protection. She revealed that the Four Heavenly Phenomena had to perform the ritual themselves and that it required a tailed beast as an endless source of Chakra.

• Peacock and Black Eagle told Yugito that the Artisan Ninja Village had no choice but to pursue its goals and wanted to attach itself to Cloud Ninja for protection.
• Black Eagle said the village knew little about its ultimate weapon beyond its connection to the founder, but Yugito offered protection if the information proved accurate.
• Black Eagle described the need for four ninja tools, prompting Yugito to question why the Four Heavenly Phenomena had to carry out the ritual.
• Black Eagle said the ritual could not succeed if outsiders performed it and revealed that it required a tailed beast to supply endless Chakra.

Yugito struggled to understand her hatred toward Black Eagle, while Matatabi reassured her that she would support any choice. Kakashi’s team arrived outside Sunagakure, where they discussed Hinata’s unexplained absence as their mission remained undisclosed.

• Black Eagle left Yugito after delivering his message, and Peacock followed him out.
• Yugito told Matatabi she hated Black Eagle despite believing he had done nothing wrong, and Matatabi promised to stand by her.
• Kakashi, another elite jonin, Naruto, Sakura, and Neji reached the outskirts of Sunagakure.
• Naruto asked Neji about Hinata, and Neji said she had temporarily left Konoha on a likely clan mission.
• Sakura worried Hinata might be in danger, while Neji believed the Clan Head had arranged a safe opportunity for her to gain experience.
• Kakashi remarked that Hinata seemed special, while he continued to withhold the details of the team’s mission.

Kakashi and the others arrived in Sunagakure to cooperate with the Sand Ninja, but Naruto and Gaara immediately clashed. Baki and the others ushered the visitors inside before the confrontation could turn into a fight.

• Kakashi recalled Hinata carrying the wounded Iruka to Konoha Hospital and worried about her joining Naruto and Sasuke's team.
• Baki welcomed Kakashi's group at Sunagakure's entrance, with Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro present.
• Naruto insulted Gaara, who replied that trash did not deserve respect.
• Neji and Sakura restrained Naruto, while Kakashi warned him not to provoke the Sand Ninja.
• Baki, Temari, and Kankuro smoothed things over and invited the group inside, while Gaara walked ahead.

Kakashi briefed Naruto and the others on their dangerous mission after meeting with Sunagakure, while Konoha’s second squad reached the Land of Wind’s border and assessed the threats surrounding the Artisan Ninja Village. The squad prepared to enter the target’s territory, wary of the Four Heavenly Phenomena, Kumogakure, and an unknown force.

• Baki led Kakashi and Yagi Rei into Sunagakure to discuss cooperation with its representatives.
• After the meeting, Yagi Rei received another mission and left, while Kakashi explained the operation and warned Naruto and the others not to act independently.
• Kurenai Yuhi reviewed the squad’s map and said they were about a kilometer from the Artisan Ninja Village’s territory.
• Kurenai Yuhi identified the Four Heavenly Phenomena, Kumogakure, and a mysterious force as threats, and said Kumogakure’s motives remained unclear.
• Fukawa Masashige reported that an envoy from Kumogakure was inside the Artisan Ninja Village.

Kumogakure and Iwagakure sent teams toward the Artisan Ninja Village to pursue the Four Heavenly Phenomena, while the village’s aging conservative faction struggled to resist them. The conservatives had expected to outlast their rivals, but the Four Heavenly Phenomena’s alliance with Kumogakure threatened to undo that plan.

• Futu Yuanye warned that capturing Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, would be dangerous, and Might Guy rallied the group by pointing out that every faction faced enemies.
• Shii received the Artisan Ninja Village’s urgent message, and Kumogakure decided to intervene under orders from the Fourth Raikage, Ay.
• Kumogakure dispatched a well-equipped team, reasoning that the Four Heavenly Phenomena might be profitable to acquire or resell.
• Kitsuchi led a team from Iwagakure toward the Artisan Ninja Village, though its distance meant it might arrive last.
• The old core blacksmiths of the conservative faction reflected on their fading strength and their lack of promising successors.
• The conservative faction realized that the Four Heavenly Phenomena had invited Kumogakure as outside support.

The conservative faction of the Artisan Ninja Village believed its village’s arms-dealer status would protect it from the growing crisis, though a far greater storm was gathering. As tensions deepened, Hinata and the others noticed the inn proprietress’s agitation while she continued serving them.

• The conservatives concluded that the crisis targeted the Four Heavenly Phenomena and hoped outside help would preserve their faction’s legacy.
• The conservatives trusted the Artisan Ninja Village’s importance as a weapons supplier to keep it safe from destruction.
• After another day, the village grew unusually silent, and some residents began seeking ways to leave.
• The inn proprietress became visibly agitated when she saw Hinata and the others but continued providing her usual services.
• Hinata and the others remained neighbors to Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, with the inn keeping the two sides in balance.

Hinata watched as Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma, Might Guy, and two unfamiliar companions arrived at the inn, where Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki were already staying. The two groups recognized each other at the staircase, and Fukawa Masashige moved the innkeeper's wife out of danger.

• Hinata recognized Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma, and Might Guy among the five newcomers and tried not to draw their attention.
• Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma warned their companions to be cautious around Hinata's group.
• Fukawa Masashige stopped when Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki appeared at the staircase.
• Asuma nodded to Fukawa Masashige, who used the Body Flicker to move the innkeeper's wife behind their group.

Asuma confronted Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, but they warned that fighting might benefit a nearby enemy force. Deidara and Sasori arrived at the inn, turning the standoff into a clash with more Akatsuki members and leaving everyone threatened by Sasori’s puppet-making plans.

• Asuma removed his hood, lit a cigarette, and challenged Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki over the incident.
• Itachi Uchiha called Hinata and the others fools, and Kisame Hoshigaki warned that fighting could benefit a nearby group.
• Kurenai Yuhi and the others remembered the mysterious force nearby and reconsidered attacking Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.
• Deidara blasted open the inn doors and entered with Sasori, joining Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki.
• Itachi Uchiha apologized to Sasori for the delay, and Sasori threatened to turn those present into puppets before Deidara argued that explosions were the finest art.

Sasori confronted Hinata's group after Kurama Mutsu dismissed him, then attacked her with his poisoned tail. Kurama Mutsu vanished into specks of light, leaving Sasori only briefly surprised.

• Sasori and Deidara argued over art before turning their attention to the others.
• Sasori recognized Kurenai Yuhi and her companions as Konoha shinobi, then asked Hinata's group who they were.
• Kurama Mutsu called her group spectators and told Sasori she did not like him and did not want him to speak to her.
• Sasori took Kurama Mutsu's words as a provocation and attacked her with his poisoned tail.
• Kurama Mutsu scattered like an illusory bubble and vanished, and Sasori paused briefly.

Sasori tested Kurama Mutsu, then joined Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki as Deidara prepared an explosive attack at the inn. The others fled outside, but Deidara detonated C3 No. 15 as his Shadow Clone vanished, leaving Kurenai Yuhi's group behind as the blast began.

• Kurama Mutsu dodged Sasori's strike and reappeared several meters away, surprising him.
• Sasori stopped attacking while Itachi Uchiha nodded to Deidara, who excitedly prepared an explosive.
• Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Sasori moved toward a window as Hinata and the Dawn Organization rushed out of the inn.
• Kurenai Yuhi's group realized something was wrong and followed, but they were too slow to escape.
• Deidara slammed C3 No. 15 onto the ground, and his Shadow Clone vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Deidara detonated an explosive that destroyed the inn and its surroundings, leaving Konoha's group with a seriously injured teammate. As Kurenai Yuhi's group sought shelter and treatment, Deidara assessed the blast from the air.

• Deidara's explosive expanded and detonated, engulfing the inn in white light and spreading crimson flames across the surrounding area.
• Hinata and the others watched from a distant vantage point as the blast left only rubble behind.
• Futu Yuanye was seriously injured by the explosion's aftershock, and Fukawa Masashige restrained himself from rushing back to fight.
• Kurenai Yuhi and the others decided to find shelter and treat Futu Yuanye while remembering their grudge against the Akatsuki Organization.
• Deidara circled the blast site on his giant Explosive Clay bird and judged that the explosion's range was too small and its detonation time too long.

Deidara’s explosion alerted the Artisan Ninja Village that outsiders had arrived, and Yugito and the Four Heavenly Phenomena reacted to the news. The chapter left the village’s leaders furious as they faced the prospect of outside forces disrupting their internal struggle.

• Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Sasori left Deidara behind without commenting on his explosion.
• Yugito climbed onto a rooftop, saw the flames, and realized that outsiders had entered the Artisan Ninja Village.
• Yugito dismissed the possibility that the Four Heavenly Phenomena had staged the explosion and looked forward to the conflict that might follow.
• Black Eagle, Brown Bear, Peacock, and Green Snake learned of the explosion and grew angry that outside forces had become involved.

The Four Heavenly Phenomena reacted to an unknown faction infiltrating the Artisan Ninja Village and leaving an explosive gift. After ordering an investigation, they discussed how quickly the Great Ninja Villages were moving and considered what to do next.

• Black Eagle ordered an investigation into who had entered the village and left the explosive package.
• Peacock, Green Snake, and Brown Bear said they would personally deal with whoever was responsible if they were found.
• An Artisan Village official left confused and overwhelmed but resolved to complete the Four Heavenly Phenomena’s assignment.
• Black Eagle, Green Snake, and Brown Bear discussed how small villages struggled to compete with the Great Ninja Villages.
• Peacock urged the others to focus on deciding what to do next.

The Four Heavenly Phenomena assigned tasks to advance their plans in the Artisan Ninja Village. In Sunagakure, Kakashi briefed Naruto, Sakura, and Neji on their mission to support Gaara’s team, and they prepared to leave for Mirama the next morning.

• Black Eagle urged the Four Heavenly Phenomena to accelerate their plans, and Peacock agreed to help enlist Yugito.
• Green Snake offered to keep troubling the conservatives, but Brown Bear sent Green Snake to investigate which forces had reached the Artisan Ninja Village.
• Green Snake asked Brown Bear to obtain the Dragon Eye Retractable Sword for him, and Brown Bear agreed.
• Naruto excitedly claimed that he should lead the mission to save the ninja world, and Sakura punched him into the ground.
• Sakura realized the mission was extremely dangerous, while Kakashi told the team to meet the Sand Ninja at Mirama the next morning and head for the Artisan Ninja Village.

Konoha and Sand Ninja teams traveled together toward the Artisan Ninja Village while other factions tried to uncover their intentions. Two days later, an incident erupted at the Four Heavenly Phenomena headquarters, drawing the attention of every faction’s leaders.

• The Konoha group met Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, who were led by Baki.
• Naruto and Gaara made the joint mission’s atmosphere awkward, while Kakashi and Baki kept the teams focused.
• Informants spread news of the Konoha and Sand Ninja cooperation, prompting other factions to investigate their intentions.
• Two days later, an unknown group arrived at the Four Heavenly Phenomena headquarters as an incident erupted in the Artisan Ninja Village.

Kitsuchi led an Iwagakure delegation to confront the Four Heavenly Phenomena about their supposedly guarded ultimate weapon, while the group summoned Yugito and attracted the attention of other factions. The standoff grew tense before an unidentified voice arrived and mocked Iwagakure for threatening others.

• Kitsuchi and his group arrived at the gate and asked to speak with the Four Heavenly Phenomena about an important matter.
• The Four Heavenly Phenomena stalled Kitsuchi and sent word to Yugito after learning that Kumogakure's reinforcements had arrived.
• Other factions and ninja villages gathered as Kitsuchi waited calmly for the Four Heavenly Phenomena to emerge.
• Kitsuchi demanded that Black Eagle show Iwagakure the ultimate weapon, but Black Eagle denied knowing what he meant.
• An approaching voice mocked Iwagakure for threatening others.