Chapter Summaries

Kitsuchi discovered that an intruder had placed the guards around the Ninja Archive under powerful genjutsu and prepared to confront them. He opened the archive door and came face-to-face with Xuanyu, whose identity Kitsuchi demanded to know.

• Kitsuchi slapped Ka Yan out of a genjutsu and learned that Ka Yan remembered guarding the Ninja Archive without seeing anyone enter.
• Kitsuchi and Ka Yan found Te Er under genjutsu, and Kitsuchi freed him with a slap.
• Kitsuchi sent Ka Yan to warn Lord Tsuchikage about an intruder with powerful genjutsu.
• Kitsuchi and Te Er found the other guards trapped in genjutsu, then Kitsuchi woke all Four Jonin.
• Kitsuchi told the guards to hold the perimeter while he approached the Ninja Archive and kicked open its door.
• Kitsuchi saw Xuanyu standing inside and demanded to know who he was.

Xuanyu was discovered in Iwagakure’s Ninja Archive and told Kitsuchi he had come to borrow the Land of Earth’s ninja technique archives. They fought outside the village, where Xuanyu used his Gravity Domain to halt Kitsuchi’s attack, and Kitsuchi responded by summoning a golem.

• Xuanyu revealed his purpose for entering the Ninja Archive, and Kitsuchi attacked him in anger.
• An invisible force blasted Kitsuchi away before he could reach Xuanyu, and Xuanyu challenged him to fight outside the village.
• Kitsuchi chased Xuanyu out of Iwagakure and attacked him with Earth Release techniques.
• Kitsuchi combined the Super Lightened Boulder Technique and Added-Weight Rock Technique to charge at Xuanyu, but Xuanyu’s fourfold Gravity Domain slammed him to the ground.
• Kitsuchi rejected Xuanyu’s taunt and began forming the Earth Release: Golem Technique.

Xuanyu and Kitsuchi battled with enormous stone giants outside Iwagakure, each demonstrating the power of their Earth Release. The fight left the villagers stunned as they discovered the commotion was not caused by Deidara.

• Kitsuchi formed a Rock Giant and attacked Xuanyu, who met its strike with a punch and damaged its fist.
• Xuanyu climbed the Rock Giant and exchanged blows with Kitsuchi, whose Earth Release techniques eventually shattered the stone beneath Xuanyu and sent him flying.
• Xuanyu used Shinra Tensei to soften his landing, then created a stone giant of his own using Iwagakure's ninjutsu.
• Kitsuchi accused Xuanyu of stealing the village's techniques and attacked him with his damaged giant.
• Xuanyu and Kitsuchi fought giant against giant, shaking the earth and drawing Iwagakure's villagers outside, where they saw the battle beyond the village.

As two Rock Giants fought outside Iwagakure, Deidara prepared to join the battle, but Xuan Yu persuaded him to watch instead. Ōnoki hurried toward the battlefield, unaware that Deidara and Xuan Yu were following him.

• The fighting giants frightened Iwagakure’s civilians, while the Military Police Force reassured them that the Tsuchikage would handle the situation.
• Deidara and Xuan Yu saw the two Rock Giants, and Deidara mounted a Clay Bird to go help defend Iwagakure.
• Xuan Yu persuaded Deidara to stay out of the fight by pointing out that villagers already blamed him for trouble; Deidara agreed to watch from nearby.
• Uchiha Xia suspected that Xuan Yu had caused the disturbance, while Hua Yu worried about him; Uchiha Xia believed Xuan Yu had a purpose for staying.
• Ōnoki spotted the second Rock Giant and hurried toward the battlefield, while Deidara and Xuan Yu followed behind on the Clay Bird.

Xuanyu defeated Kitsuchi’s Rock Giant and survived Kitsuchi’s Earth Mountain Technique, then gained the advantage in their close-quarters fight. As Xuanyu moved to subdue the wounded Kitsuchi, Ōnoki intervened from the sky.

• Kitsuchi used Earth Mountain Technique to crush Xuanyu’s Rock Giant and trap him between two earthen mountains.
• Xuanyu forced the earthen mountains apart, creating a vast cleared zone and revealing that he had survived.
• Xuanyu and Kitsuchi exchanged Earth Release techniques in close combat, but Xuanyu used his Sharingan to spot an opening and strike Kitsuchi’s abdomen.
• Kitsuchi’s Rock Armor shattered, and he fell after being sent flying and spitting blood.
• Three Iwa ninjas rushed to help Kitsuchi, but Xuanyu blasted them away with an invisible force.
• Ōnoki saw Kitsuchi in danger and formed seals to use Earth Release: Rock Prison Pillar.

Xuanyu confronted Ōnoki after defeating Kitsuchi, and the two exchanged powerful Earth Release techniques and attacks. Ōnoki’s clones failed to stop Xuanyu, so he prepared to use Dust Release as the battle escalated.

• Ōnoki arrived and questioned Xuanyu, who said he had come to learn Iwagakure ninjutsu and tried to leave.
• Kitsuchi warned Ōnoki that Xuanyu had learned five Earth Release techniques, and Ōnoki blocked his path and attacked with a Rock Fist.
• Ōnoki used Super Heavyweight Rock Technique, but Xuanyu countered with Super Lightweight Rock Technique and struck Ōnoki, sending him flying.
• Ōnoki created five Rock Clones, but Xuanyu’s Gravity Domain grounded them and his Shinra Tensei and Banshō Ten'in destroyed them.
• After Kitsuchi warned him to be careful, Ōnoki began forming the seals for Dust Release.

Xuanyu studied Ōnoki’s Dust Release during their fierce battle and copied its hand seals and chakra flow. As Ōnoki prepared a decisive attack, Xuanyu formed a matching Dust Release cube, leaving Ōnoki stunned.

• Ōnoki threw a Dust Release cube at Xuanyu, who used Shinra Tensei to hold it off and narrowly avoided its annihilating blast.
• Ōnoki and Kitsuchi attacked Xuanyu together, while Xuanyu learned Earth Release techniques and studied Dust Release amid the fight.
• From above, Xuanyu persuaded Deidara to agree to return to Konoha if he lost a future match between them.
• Ōnoki told the arriving Iwagakure ninjas to hold the rear, then asked Kitsuchi to stall Xuanyu while he prepared a stronger Dust Release attack.
• Xuanyu blasted Kitsuchi away with Shinra Tensei, copied Ōnoki’s hand seals, and formed a Dust Release cube of his own.

Xuanyu and Ōnoki clashed with Dust Release, and Xuanyu’s mask was destroyed, giving Ōnoki a fleeting glimpse of his youthful face. Xuanyu claimed he had learned Dust Release by watching Ōnoki use it and vanished before the gathered Iwagakure shinobi could stop him.

• Ōnoki and Xuanyu fired their Dust Release techniques at each other, and the collision sent Xuanyu flying backward.
• Xuanyu’s mask was erased in the blast, but he covered his face with Black Flames before anyone could clearly see it; Ōnoki thought the face looked familiar and young.
• Xuanyu admitted his Dust Release was less proficient than Ōnoki’s and claimed he had learned it after seeing Ōnoki use it seven times.
• Ōnoki tried to stop Xuanyu from leaving, but Xuanyu vanished, leaving the shinobi searching the empty battlefield.

Xuanyu used the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape Ōnoki, who recognized the technique and feared the black-robed ninja’s abilities. The next morning, Uchiha Xia told Xuanyu that unrest had delayed their departure by a day.

• Ōnoki identified Xuanyu’s disappearance as the Flying Thunder God Technique and sent Kitsuchi to help clear the battlefield while he returned to Iwagakure with the other ninjas.
• In the sky, Xuanyu explained the Flying Thunder God Technique to Deidara, who wanted to learn it but became annoyed when Xuanyu doubted he could master it.
• After returning home, Xuanyu’s clone inscribed Flying Thunder God Marks around the room, and the original body soon appeared; Deidara stayed awake until dawn thinking about the technique.
• Uchiha Xia arrived with Hua Yu and told Xuanyu that unrest and undelivered goods would delay their departure by a day.

Ōnoki ordered Deidara to leave Iwagakure and live fifty li away, and Deidara flew off after saying goodbye to Xuanyu. Ōnoki then told Xuanyu to leave too, but Xuanyu refused until the merchant caravan’s goods were handed over, while Ōnoki began to suspect Xuanyu had been the black-robed fighter from the previous night.

• Xuanyu and Uchiha Xia discussed the previous night’s battle discreetly, and Xuanyu learned the merchant caravan would have to wait in Iwagakure for two more days.
• Ōnoki and Kitsuchi arrived and found Deidara, who was still asleep.
• Ōnoki announced that Iwagakure’s higher-ups had ordered Deidara to live fifty li outside the village, prompting nearby civilians to celebrate his departure.
• Deidara angrily flew away on a Clay Bird and reminded Xuanyu to visit him, and Xuanyu agreed.
• Ōnoki told Xuanyu to leave Iwagakure, but Xuanyu said he would go once the goods were handed over.
• Watching Xuanyu walk away, Ōnoki recognized a resemblance to the black-robed fighter and asked Kitsuchi where Xuanyu had been the previous night.

Ōnoki suspected Xuan Yu might be the black-robed ninja who stole Iwagakure’s techniques, but dismissed the idea and ordered him watched until he left. After leaving Iwagakure, Xuan Yu headed to meet Deidara and recruit him into the Akatsuki Organization, arriving just as Deidara’s experiment destroyed his house.

• Kitsuchi told Ōnoki that Xuan Yu had watched the battle with Deidara, and Ōnoki noticed that Xuan Yu’s back resembled the black-robed ninja’s.
• Ōnoki and Kitsuchi decided Xuan Yu could not be the black-robed ninja, but Ōnoki ordered Kitsuchi to monitor him until he left Iwagakure.
• After the goods were handed over on the third day, Xuan Yu led his group out of Iwagakure, and their pursuers withdrew ten li beyond the village.
• Xuan Yu told Uchiha Xia and Hua Yu that he planned to find Deidara, defeat him in a spar, and recruit him into the Akatsuki Organization.
• Xuan Yu’s group reached Deidara’s hideout just as an explosion destroyed his house, and Deidara greeted Xuan Yu from atop a Clay Bird.

Xuanyu challenged Deidara and defeated him by trapping him in genjutsu, showing that Deidara’s weak mental strength left him vulnerable despite his explosive clay techniques. Deidara acknowledged the loss, and Xuanyu released him, leaving Deidara staring at Xuanyu’s unusual eyes and murmuring, “Art...”

• Xuanyu told Deidara he had come to fulfill their agreement and take him away, and Deidara agreed to fight for the sake of art.
• Deidara sent Exploding Spiders crawling onto Xuanyu, but Xuanyu stayed still and told Deidara to look at his own body.
• Deidara saw the spiders on his vital spots and repeatedly tried to recall them, then realized Xuanyu had trapped him in genjutsu.
• Xuanyu told Deidara the genjutsu began when he attacked and used “Freeze!” to make Deidara see spiders binding him.
• Deidara admitted Xuanyu was better at genjutsu, and Xuanyu released him after warning that weak mental strength could leave him controlled or killed.
• Deidara stared at Xuanyu’s Double Pupils and rotating Magatama and murmured, “Art...”

Xuanyu defeated Deidara with genjutsu, then beat him again using Earth Release and Lightning Chakra after agreeing to fight without genjutsu. Deidara remained unconvinced and insisted that his usual aerial tactics would have let him escape.

• Xuanyu's genjutsu left Deidara helpless, and Deidara acknowledged its power.
• Xuanyu asked Deidara to honor their agreement and come with him, but Deidara claimed he had been careless and demanded another fight without genjutsu.
• Deidara let Xuanyu attack first, and Xuanyu trapped him with Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld before striking him with Lightning Chakra.
• Xuanyu restrained Deidara again when he tried to escape with a Clay Spider, but Deidara still argued that he had not lost because he would normally fight from the air on a bird.

Xuanyu gave Deidara another chance to fight and prove his strength, while insisting he would take him along to improve his explosive ninjutsu. Deidara took to the air on a Clay Dragon and launched two Clay Puppets at Xuanyu, beginning their third challenge.

• Deidara claimed his earlier defeats did not count because he had failed to dodge, and Xuanyu agreed to fight him again.
• Hua Yu questioned Deidara's strength, while Uchiha Xia trusted Xuanyu's judgment that Deidara had exceptional potential.
• Xuanyu invited Deidara to return with him so they could research new explosive ninjutsu, but Deidara demanded a chance to use all his techniques without genjutsu.
• Deidara created a Clay Dragon and two controllable Clay Puppets, then sent the puppets to attack Xuanyu as he readied a kunai.

Xuanyu fought Deidara and countered his explosive Clay Puppets with Black Flames before Deidara gained the advantage in the air. After Deidara bombarded Xuanyu with Clay Birds, he worried that Xuanyu might have been killed.

• Deidara sent Clay Puppets after Xuanyu, and Xuanyu examined their abilities while dodging their attacks.
• Xuanyu used Black Flames to devour the Chakra controlling the puppets, forcing Deidara to detonate them.
• Xuanyu escaped the explosion and used Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld against Deidara's Clay Dragon.
• Deidara's Clay Dragon escaped the swamp and took to the air, where Deidara sent Clay Birds diving at Xuanyu.
• Xuanyu used Shinra Tensei to shield himself from the explosions, and Deidara called out to ask whether Xuanyu was dead.

Xuanyu defeated Deidara in their aerial battle, but Deidara became convinced that everything happening was genjutsu. The chapter ended with Xuanyu kicking Deidara until he let go and fell to the ground.

• Xuanyu dodged Deidara's five Clay Birds and made them crash into trees and explode.
• Deidara thought the blast had wounded Xuanyu, but Xuanyu appeared behind him in the air.
• Xuanyu cut off one of the Clay Dragon's wings, sending it and Deidara plunging toward the ground.
• Xuanyu caught Deidara, who insisted he was trapped in genjutsu and clung to Xuanyu.
• Xuanyu kicked Deidara until he released his grip and fell to the ground.

Xuanyu defeated Deidara in their aerial fight, but Deidara refused to concede and unleashed his newly developed C4 Garuda technique. As the microscopic explosive particles began to vanish whatever they touched, Xuanyu and the others watched to see how he would withstand the attack.

• Deidara realized Xuanyu had not used genjutsu and understood that Xuanyu could fly, then reluctantly acknowledged that he had lost the fight.
• Deidara rejected Xuanyu's demand to admit defeat, summoned another Clay Bird, and revealed his new C4 Garuda technique.
• Deidara's giant clay double broke apart into tiny explosive particles that drifted into Xuanyu and the surrounding area.
• Hua Yu used green energy to clear the particles from her body and protect herself, while Uchiha Xia transferred the particles inside him into a Snake Tail.
• Deidara detonated the particles, and Xuanyu saw a bird in the sky silently disappear piece by piece.

Xuanyu defeated Deidara’s explosive techniques and encouraged him to improve his Explosive Clay and overcome its weakness to Lightning Release. Deidara joined Xuanyu’s group on the road to Konoha, while black-clad ninjas arrived at his former residence and found him gone.

• Deidara’s tiny explosive particles annihilated nearby animals, but Xuanyu suppressed the blasts and remained unharmed.
• Uchiha Xia recognized the danger of Deidara’s ability, and Xuanyu compared it to Dust Release while pointing out its limitations.
• Xuanyu urged Deidara to upgrade his Explosive Clay and overcome its vulnerability to Lightning Release, and Deidara resolved to improve and challenge him again.
• Xuanyu promised Deidara help from top Earth Release Researchers and set off with Hua Yu and the others toward Konoha.
• Deidara boasted about an ultimate technique, but Hua Yu revealed that Xuanyu had more trump cards, prompting Deidara to aim to make him reveal them.
• Black-clad ninjas arrived at Deidara’s former residence and found it empty.

Deidara left Iwagakure with Xuanyu and traveled to Konoha, where Sarutobi Asuma questioned them at the village entrance. After settling Deidara in the Uchiha Clan Grounds, Xuanyu asked Uchiha Hanjō for news and learned that a Wood Release user had killed a top-class Kumogakure rogue ninja.

• Iwagakure's monitoring team found Deidara missing and reported that he had headed toward Konoha with someone from the Uchiha Clan.
• Ōnoki decided not to retrieve Deidara, believing that forcing him back could drive him to break with Iwagakure.
• Xuanyu brought Deidara to Konoha despite Uchiha Xia's suggestion to leave him outside the village.
• Sarutobi Asuma stopped Xuanyu and Deidara at Konoha's entrance, and Xuanyu mocked him over the invasion of the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
• Xuanyu settled Deidara in the Uchiha Clan Grounds and heard from Uchiha Hanjō that a Wood Release user had killed a top-class rogue ninja from Kumogakure.

Xuanyu learned that Hashira had revealed his Wood Release while killing a Rogue Ninja, but refused to call him back and reassured Uchiha Hanjō. After settling Deidara’s urge to start explosive research, Xuanyu learned that Sarutobi Hiruzen was investigating the Wood Release Ninja, leaving Kakashi Hatake wondering if Senju Hashirama was responsible.

• Xuanyu and Uchiha Hanjō discussed Hashira’s Wood Release and the danger that other ninja might target him, but Xuanyu insisted Hashira could handle the situation alone.
• Xuanyu told Uchiha Hanjō that he would receive the Cellular Potion and train in ninjutsu with Uncle Xia, despite Hanjō’s attempts to avoid training by offering to give up the Clan Head position.
• Deidara eagerly prepared to research his explosive art after talking with Hua Yu, but Xuanyu persuaded him to wait until he could arrange an outside laboratory.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned two Anbu ninjas about reports of a Wood Release Ninja while Kakashi Hatake wondered whether Senju Hashirama was involved.