Chapter Summaries

Deidara fought Ōnoki after the Tsuchikage tried to detain him and learn about the Akatsuki Organization. Ōnoki connected Deidara to the earlier attack on Iwagakure and refused to let him leave.

• Ōnoki demanded that Deidara reveal information about the Akatsuki Organization, but Deidara refused and tried to leave.
• Ōnoki attacked Deidara, who blasted him back with clay Little Bees and evaded his Rock Giant and thrown boulders.
• Deidara destroyed the Rock Giant with clay birds, while Kitsuchi and Kurotsuchi protected the nearby villagers from flying rubble.
• Ōnoki asked whether the Akatsuki Organization member who raided Iwagakure and stole its ninjutsu was Deidara’s boss, and Deidara admitted that his boss could replicate ninjutsu after seeing it.
• Ōnoki concluded that the raider belonged to the Akatsuki Organization and warned Deidara to stay or face his full strength.

Deidara demonstrated that he could use Dust Release, shocking Ōnoki and the Iwagakure shinobi. He challenged Ōnoki to a Dust Release match, leaving the two poised to fight.

• Deidara refused to leave when Ōnoki threatened to keep him in Iwagakure and showed eagerness to fight.
• Ōnoki warned Deidara that his full-power Dust Release could erase him, then used it to annihilate half a mountain peak.
• Kurotsuchi and the other shinobi mistook the attack for Ōnoki’s display of strength as they watched in awe.
• Ōnoki realized Deidara had used Dust Release and questioned how he had learned it despite lacking the necessary Chakra attributes.
• Deidara said Xuanyu had taught him and challenged Ōnoki to a Dust Release match.

Deidara displayed his Dust Release and overwhelming strength to Ōnoki, who chose to let him leave rather than risk a fight or provoke the Akatsuki Organization. After discovering a message inviting him to Konoha’s Chunin Exams, Ōnoki ordered Kurotsuchi to attend with two others, while fearing what the Akatsuki might do next.

• Deidara threatened to fight Ōnoki, but Ōnoki stood aside because a clash could badly injure them both and invite retaliation from the Akatsuki Organization.
• Deidara used Dust Release to flatten a second mountain peak, then left on his Clay Bird after telling Ōnoki to send people to Konoha.
• Ōnoki opened an envelope from Zhatian~Qitian, which invited him to watch the Konoha Chunin Exams and see something he wanted to see.
• Ōnoki told Kurotsuchi that Deidara had flattened the mountains and could use Dust Release, then warned her not to reveal the secret.
• Ōnoki ordered Kurotsuchi to take two people to participate in Konoha’s Chunin Exams, leaving her confused about his sudden decision.

Akatsuki members pressured Iwagakure and Kirigakure to send participants to Konoha’s Chunin Exams, while Raikage Ai chose to send Kumogakure ninjas after Uchiha Xuan Yu’s threat. The villages began preparing to attend, with the reason for Xuanyu’s invitations still unclear.

• Ōnoki told Kurotsuchi to lead people from Iwagakure to Konoha’s Chunin Exams but gave no explanation for changing his mind after Deidara arrived.
• Shisui and Hashira appeared in Kirigakure and, by their leader’s order, invited the village to the exams.
• Mei Terumi agreed to send three elite but not overly old ninjas after Shisui warned that the leader might send them again if Kirigakure did not attend.
• Shisui and Hashira vanished using a space-time technique, leaving Mei Terumi and Chōjūrō wary of their power.
• Raikage Ai decided to send Kumogakure ninjas after Uchiha Xuan Yu threatened to return and take the Eight-Tails if they refused.

Raikage Ai and Dodai debated why Uchiha Xuan Yu had invited the villages to Konoha’s Chunin Exams, with Dodai concluding that Xuan Yu intended to make a show of force. Dodai began explaining that village conflicts were the Shinobi World’s greatest source of instability.

• Dodai agreed that Kumogakure should participate in Konoha’s Chunin Exams, and Raikage Ai selected Darui, Omoi, Karui, and Samui to go.
• Raikage Ai said he suspected Konoha planned a major move and guessed that Uchiha Xuan Yu intended to force another Hokage election.
• Dodai argued that Xuan Yu’s power made an election an insufficient reason to invite other villages, then realized the exams were meant to make a show of force.
• Raikage Ai asked what force Xuan Yu wanted to display, and Dodai reminded him that Xuan Yu had spoken of wanting peace in the Shinobi World.
• Dodai identified conflicts between villages as the Shinobi World’s greatest source of instability because they could trigger full-scale wars.

Dodai warned Raikage Ai that Xuanyu might seek to unite the Shinobi World, while Ai dismissed the idea and sent others to investigate before deciding how to respond. In Sunagakure, Rasa ordered Gaara to lead a team to Konoha’s Chunin Exams, surprising Gaara.

• Dodai told Raikage Ai that Xuanyu might try to end village conflicts by uniting the Shinobi World into one village.
• Raikage Ai doubted Xuanyu could overcome the villages and decided to wait for his people to investigate before responding.
• Rasa asked Gaara why he had kept him confined, and Gaara answered that a Jinchuriki did not need emotions.
• Rasa told Gaara he would lead a team to Konoha’s Chunin Exams, and Gaara was astonished that his father would let him leave the Land of Wind.

Rasa sent Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari to Konoha for the Chunin Exams, where Gaara hoped to reunite with Uchiha Xuan Yu. As the exams approached, Tsunade and Shizune returned to Konoha, with Tsunade intending to investigate who wore her pendant.

• Rasa told Gaara he would participate in the Chunin Exams, and Gaara eagerly agreed so he could visit Uchiha Xuan Yu.
• Rasa assigned Kankuro and Temari to accompany Gaara and told them to help him if needed.
• Deidara admitted that he had clashed briefly with Ōnoki while delivering a letter, and Xuanyu let him know he was not angry.
• Tsunade and Shizune approached Konoha as the Chunin Exams drew near.
• Tsunade refused Shizune's suggestion to notify Hokage-sama and continued toward Konoha to find out who wore her pendant.

Tsunade and Shizune returned to Konoha and found the village more prosperous, with people openly supporting the Uchiha Clan. After following the Uchiha Police Force to a tavern, Tsunade was stunned when a crowd cheered as its members beat a merchant from another village.

• Tsunade and Shizune entered Konoha and headed toward Martyrs' Memorial Park to pay their respects.
• Tsunade noticed Konoha's prosperity and assumed the Sarutobi Police Force was responsible for the changes.
• Shizune criticized the Uchiha Police Force for rushing through the streets, and villagers warned her not to speak ill of the Uchiha.
• Tsunade and Shizune followed the Uchiha Police Force to a tavern, where its members beat a man on the ground.
• The crowd cheered the beating, leaving Tsunade astonished.

Tsunade watched the Uchiha Police Force handle a disruptive merchant and became impressed by its changed practices and public support. After visiting Nawaki’s grave, she was confronted by several masked people and asked whether the Third Hokage had sent them.

• Tsunade questioned a cheering villager, who defended the Uchiha Police Force for punishing Yamamoto Shihe after he ate without paying, harassed a waitress, and attacked an officer.
• The Uchiha Police Force recorded Yamamoto Shihe’s offenses, gathered witnesses to verify the statement, and took him away as the crowd praised the officers.
• Tsunade recognized that the Uchiha Police Force had earned the villagers’ respect by treating civilians fairly, and Shizune agreed that the force had changed.
• Tsunade and Shizune bought flowers and went to Martyrs' Memorial Park, where Tsunade visited Nawaki’s grave.
• Several masked people appeared behind Tsunade, who asked if the Third Hokage had sent them.

Tsunade refused Sarutobi Hiruzen’s invitation while visiting Konoha’s cemetery, and Shizune criticized the Anbu for rigidly insisting she return. Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted that Tsunade needed time, then summoned Danzo to discuss the approaching Impure World Reincarnation.

• Tsunade refused the Anbu’s request to meet Sarutobi Hiruzen and told them to report that she had come to Konoha for her own reasons.
• Shizune urged the Anbu to leave, and Tsunade said a leader’s rigidity shaped the behavior of those under them.
• The Anbu returned to the Hokage Office and reported that Tsunade was in low spirits and might visit Sarutobi Hiruzen later.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to let Tsunade stay peacefully for a few days, then ordered the Anbu to summon Danzo to discuss the coming Impure World Reincarnation.

Shimura Danzō told Sarutobi Hiruzen that their hidden Impure World Reincarnation preparations, including disturbing the graves of Tsunade’s loved ones, would not be discovered. Meanwhile, Tsunade returned to Konoha and visited the Mausoleum, unaware that the graves had been disturbed.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen warned Shimura Danzō to keep Tsunade from discovering their preparations, but Danzō insisted their plans were secure and claimed she might thank them for reviving her family.
• Shimura Danzō revealed that he had dug up Kato Dan and Nawaki’s graves, alarming Sarutobi Hiruzen, and said their work would eventually be exposed after the Chunin Exams.
• Xuanyu learned that Tsunade had returned, and Hua Yu said she would not give back the Necklace; Xuanyu told her to teach Tsunade a lesson if she tried to take it by force.
• Tsunade noticed the graves looked freshly repaired, but Shizune suggested that many graves had been refurbished and Tsunade assumed Konoha had ordered the work.
• Tsunade stayed at the Mausoleum until nightfall, then left with Shizune to return to her home near the Senju Clan’s gathering place.

Tsunade and Shizune encountered the Sarutobi Police Force restricting access to their territory on the way to Tsunade’s home, and Tsunade clashed with the guards. Sarutobi Asuma recognized her and apologized, but his remarks and references to the Chunin Exams left Tsunade suspicious that something was planned.

• Tsunade and Shizune noticed the streets growing deserted as they approached Tsunade’s home.
• Sarutobi Police Force members stopped them and demanded their identities, claiming Uchiha were trying to cause trouble in their jurisdiction.
• Tsunade refused to comply and prepared to challenge the guards when Sarutobi Asuma arrived.
• Sarutobi Asuma slapped a guard for failing to recognize Tsunade, then asked her to forgive the men and defended the heightened security.
• Shizune challenged Asuma’s authority, but Tsunade ended the argument and continued toward home, privately connecting his remarks about the Chunin Exams to Uchiha Xuan Yu’s warning.

Tsunade and Shizune returned to Konoha and found the Sarutobi Police Force's district nearly deserted, with residents and businesses having moved to the Uchiha-controlled side of the village. After Shizune paid an old sushi vendor's steep management fee, Tsunade asked when the charges had begun.

• Sarutobi Asuma warned his police force members not to provoke Tsunade and ordered them to stay vigilant.
• Tsunade and Shizune walked through the empty streets toward their home, and Tsunade suggested visiting the Uchiha hospital the next day.
• The next morning, Shizune noticed that the neighborhood market had vanished, and an old sushi vendor told them that most residents had moved to the other side of the village.
• Two Sarutobi Police Force members demanded a thousand-ryo management fee from the vendor, and Shizune paid it for her.
• Tsunade's expression darkened, and she asked the vendor when the management fee had started.

Tsunade and Shizune learned that the Sarutobi Police Force charged shopkeepers management fees while neglecting the district, and that missing villagers’ cases were dismissed. Tsunade grew alarmed as she heard that Senju clansmen and civilians had disappeared, and the Sarutobi Police Force had blocked an investigation.

• Tsunade learned that the Uchiha and Sarutobi Police Forces had been charging shops management fees for about two years.
• The old woman explained that the Uchiha Police Force charged fees by district and maintained the markets, while the Sarutobi Police Force did not provide comparable help.
• The old woman told Tsunade that her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson had vanished overnight, and that the authorities had dismissed her report.
• The old woman revealed that other civilians and Senju clansmen had disappeared, including a Senju family that had moved to Uchiha jurisdiction.
• The old woman said Senju clansmen who returned to retrieve something had vanished, and the Sarutobi Police Force had stopped other Senju from investigating.

Tsunade learned that the Uchiha had been obstructed from investigating disappearances and suspected Uchiha Xuan Yu had uncovered something in Root. After seeing Uchiha Hospital and the hardship in the Sarutobi Police Force’s district, she questioned Sarutobi Hiruzen’s fitness to remain Hokage and went inside the hospital.

• An old woman told Tsunade and Shizune that the Sarutobi Police Force had blocked the Uchiha investigation, and that Uchiha Xuan Yu had been driven away by Root shinobi.
• The old woman said Root had emptied out after a night when Sarutobi Hiruzen went there, leading Tsunade to suspect Xuan Yu had uncovered something.
• Tsunade left the shop and voiced her suspicion that Sarutobi Hiruzen had been involved in the disappearances.
• Sarutobi Police Force members questioned the old woman about Tsunade and Shizune, and she privately blamed them for her son’s disappearance.
• Tsunade and Shizune left the Sarutobi Police Force’s district, and Tsunade concluded Sarutobi Hiruzen might no longer be fit to serve as Hokage.
• Tsunade admired Uchiha Hospital’s care for civilians, rejected Shizune’s claim that it was merely election campaigning, and went inside to look around.

Tsunade and Shizune visited Uchiha Hospital and saw Hua Yu treat a critically ill patient. After Tsunade recognized her First Hokage pendant on Hua Yu, Xuanyu confirmed that Tsunade could ask Hua Yu for it, but only Hua Yu could decide whether to give it back; Tsunade chose to speak with the girl.

• A nurse and Uchiha Police Force guards questioned Tsunade and Shizune when they entered the hospital, then let them look around after recognizing Tsunade.
• When a patient became critically ill, a guard went to fetch Hua Yu, who arrived with Xuanyu and went straight to the emergency room.
• Tsunade recognized her pendant on Hua Yu, and Shizune objected that Xuanyu had given such a valuable item to a child.
• Xuanyu said Hua Yu was Senju and could keep the pendant unless she chose to hand it over, and warned that he would not tolerate outsiders getting involved.
• Tsunade agreed to speak with Hua Yu herself after the girl successfully treated the patient and gave the family instructions for his recovery.

Hua Yu refused to give Tsunade the Pendant unless Tsunade defeated her in a challenge, and Tsunade accepted. Xuanyu allowed Hua Yu to use her full strength in their fight the next day, while warning her not to seriously injure Tsunade unless Tsunade tried to hurt her.

• Hua Yu covered the Pendant and rejected Shizune's appeal to respect Tsunade as a Senju elder, citing how no elders had helped her and her brother when they were mistreated.
• Xuanyu told Tsunade that Hua Yu was the future Senju Clan heir he had chosen and said she was more reliable than Tsunade, though Hua Yu insisted she only wanted to stay by his side.
• Hua Yu told Tsunade she would return the Pendant only if Tsunade beat her, and Xuanyu warned Tsunade that she might not win.
• Tsunade challenged Hua Yu, who set the fight for the next day twenty li east of Konoha.
• After leaving the hospital, Hua Yu asked Xuanyu if she could use her full strength, and he agreed while cautioning her not to seriously injure Tsunade unless Tsunade meant to hurt her.

Zhong Kui revealed that his Gravity Domain had advanced, allowing him to scatter tenfold gravity and sense meteorites in outer space. As Xuanyu, Hua Yu, and Zhong Kui left Konoha for Hua Yu’s match with Tsunade, Uchiha clansmen blocked the Anbu who were following them.

• Zhong Kui told Xuanyu that he could use tenfold gravity and scatter his domain to any point within three kilometers.
• Zhong Kui revealed that concentrating his gravity let him sense something in outer space, and Xuanyu identified it as a meteorite.
• Xuanyu told Zhong Kui to summon a meteorite after Hua Yu’s fight with Tsunade so he could test the ability safely.
• Hua Yu, Zhong Kui, and Xuanyu left Konoha, and Hua Yu warned Xuanyu that someone was following them.
• Uchiha clansmen stopped the Anbu following Xuanyu and refused to let them pass, while another group of masked figures arrived and said the Uchiha had stopped them.

Tsunade-sama met Hua Yu in a clearing outside Konoha to fight and reclaim her Pendant. Hua Yu dodged Tsunade-sama’s first three attacks, then agreed to fight properly.

• Tsunade-sama and Shizune waited in a clearing outside Konoha for Xuanyu and Hua Yu.
• Xuanyu and Zhong Kui dismissed Shizune’s fears that Tsunade-sama would overwhelm Hua Yu, and Shizune watched as the fighters faced off.
• Hua Yu and Tsunade-sama each insisted the other should attack first, with Hua Yu calling Tsunade-sama old and an elder.
• Tsunade-sama charged and struck the ground, but Hua Yu dodged her first three attacks.
• Tsunade-sama asked whether they could fight properly now that three moves had passed, and Hua Yu agreed.

Hua Yu defeated Tsunade in a taijutsu match, then revealed her Wood Release after Tsunade activated the Strength of a Hundred Sealings. The chapter left Tsunade facing Hua Yu’s massive Wood Release attack.

• Hua Yu blocked Tsunade’s powerful punch and sent her sliding back, shocking Tsunade and Shizune.
• Hua Yu continued to overpower Tsunade in taijutsu and knocked her away with a sweeping kick.
• Tsunade activated the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Sealings to test Hua Yu’s limits.
• Tsunade’s enhanced punch blasted Hua Yu backward, but vines caught her and revealed her Wood Release.
• Hua Yu formed vines to entangle Tsunade and summoned a massive Wood Release Hand to strike her.