Chapter Summaries

Danzo used his overwhelming power to slaughter the clan heads and battle the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. After Danzo shattered Enma’s transformed Adamantine Staff, Hiruzen faced Danzo’s final attack with Konoha’s fate hanging in the balance.

• The clan heads attacked Danzo together, but he absorbed their ninjutsu and killed the Uchiha Clan head before overpowering the Hyuga Clan head.
• Hiruzen arrived and interrupted Danzo, then ordered the ANBU to trap him in the Four Violet Flames Formation.
• Danzo escaped the barrier and fought Hiruzen through his attacks, including the Five Releases: Great Combo Bullet Technique.
• ANBU joined Hiruzen’s assault, but Danzo emerged from the smoke behind him and struck at his back.
• Enma transformed into a shield to protect Hiruzen, but Danzo’s blow broke the Adamantine Staff and destroyed Enma’s form.
• Hiruzen knelt beside the broken staff as Danzo prepared to deliver another blow.

Neji intervened just as Danzo was about to kill the Third Hokage, using Crystal Release to shield Hiruzen and challenge Danzo's incomplete Gate of Death. Danzo countered Neji's crystal domain with a spiritual-corruption technique and closed in for a final strike.

• Danzo's blood-red fist descended toward the helpless Hiruzen, but Neji raised a massive Crystal Release fortress to block the blow.
• Neji realized Danzo's Gate of Death was incomplete and expanded his crystal formations into a vast domain.
• Neji evaded Danzo's attack with a Crystal Clone and trapped his arm with crystal shards while confusing him with the Thousand Illusion Mirror Formation.
• Danzo used Yin Release: Myriad Souls Corrosion to contaminate the crystal domain and sever Neji's chakra connection to it.
• Danzo crossed the collapsing domain and struck at Neji's face while Neji struggled against the spiritual contamination.

Neji drove Danzo into retreat with a series of Crystal Release attacks, then collapsed from exhaustion after helping save the Third Hokage and Konoha. As the village began recovering, Jiraiya celebrated Neji’s victory while Tsunade and Orochimaru questioned him about his unusual crystals.

• Neji used Crystal Release techniques to wound Danzo and exploit the decline of his Gate of Death state.
• Danzo escaped in a blood-red fog, and the Third Hokage ordered ANBU to track him from a distance rather than pursue him.
• Neji, nearly out of chakra and suffering pain from overusing Crystal Release, apologized to the Third Hokage, who thanked him for saving Konoha.
• Jiraiya excitedly praised Neji’s fighting and joked about learning Sage Mode, while Tsunade dismissed his claims.
• Tsunade asked Neji how Crystal Release worked, and Orochimaru questioned how it related to natural energy and chakra absorption.

Neji proposed a way to help Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru learn Sage Arts by implanting Natural Energy Filters made with Sage Crystal Release. They agreed to let him prepare the filters and meet him at Stillness Garden the next day.

• Neji explained that Crystal Release crystals could store a small amount of natural energy and suggested Jiraiya seek balance while moving instead of meditating.
• Neji offered to design Jiraiya a taijutsu-based Sage Mode training regimen, and Tsunade and Orochimaru discussed the dangers of uncontrolled natural energy.
• Neji revealed that he could install Natural Energy Filters in their bodies to control absorbed natural energy and help them enter Sage Mode.
• Neji explained that each filter would be built around a spinal bone, would need replacement after about ten uses, and could eventually become less necessary as their bodies adapted.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru agreed to the experiment, and Neji told them to meet him at Stillness Garden the next day before leaving by Body Flicker.

Neji implanted a natural-energy filter crystal into Jiraiya to help him learn Sage Mode, and Jiraiya immediately sensed natural energy for the first time. Tsunade volunteered to receive the next implant, but Jiraiya began developing toad-like traits as he tried to absorb energy.

• Neji explained how his rune-carved crystal would buffer and purify natural energy, and Jiraiya volunteered to go first.
• Neji implanted the crystal at Jiraiya's fourth lumbar vertebra, enduring the procedure's intense pain with him.
• Jiraiya said he could sense natural energy without toad oil and began trying to absorb it.
• Tsunade volunteered next and sat down for Neji to implant her crystal.
• Jiraiya developed toad-like features and rough skin, prompting Tsunade to cry out his name.

Neji helped Tsunade and Orochimaru connect natural-energy filters, allowing them to sense and control natural energy. Orochimaru and Tsunade both achieved striking Sage transformations, while Jiraiya prepared to try again.

• Jiraiya’s filter expelled excess natural energy, ending his toad-like transformation, and he confirmed that he could sense natural energy.
• Neji installed a filter in Tsunade, who endured the painful procedure and then sensed natural energy with great clarity.
• Neji connected Orochimaru’s filter, and Orochimaru carefully guided natural energy through his body with precise control.
• Orochimaru transformed on his first attempt, gaining green scales, a horn, and Sage Chakra, while Jiraiya prepared to try again.
• Neji encouraged Tsunade to relax and use her chakra control, and she transformed with golden eyes, glowing hair, and a red forehead rune.

Neji helped Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya test their new Sage Chakra Charging Mode, which greatly increased their abilities but lasted only a few minutes. After explaining its limits, Neji agreed to take them to the Forest of Death to test it in battle.

• Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya activated their Sage Chakra modes, and Jiraiya accidentally blasted a hole through the meditation room wall.
• At the training ground, Orochimaru tested Sage Art: Snake Fang Devouring, Tsunade shattered a boulder with a punch, and Jiraiya reduced a wooden post to ash with Sage Art: Toad Flame Bullet.
• Neji told the trio their Sage modes were incomplete and timed their use before the transformations faded after several minutes.
• Neji explained the charging mode's limits and advantages, and the trio thanked him and asked about true Sage Mode.
• Jiraiya proposed testing their abilities in the Forest of Death, and Neji agreed while warning them not to overuse natural energy.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru tested their new Senjutsu powers in a free-for-all battle in the Forest of Death while Neji observed their techniques and weaknesses. As their Senjutsu began to run out, Neji finally moved.

• Tsunade set the rules for the fight, and Neji warned the three to control their Senjutsu and avoid overloading their filters.
• Jiraiya attacked with Sage Art: Wild Lion's Mane Technique, but Tsunade shattered his enhanced hair with a powerful punch.
• Orochimaru tried to strike Tsunade's elbow, but Jiraiya blocked him with an Earth-Style Rampart, giving Tsunade time to counterattack.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru traded Sage Art attacks while Tsunade joined the battle with overwhelming strikes, and Neji studied their chakra flows.
• The three fighters' Senjutsu powers began to fade, and Neji moved as their fight reached its end.

Neji faced the Legendary Sannin after their Senjutsu warm-up and effortlessly defeated their combined attacks with Crystal Release. He left them with advice about Senjutsu’s limits and the path toward mastering it, while gaining insight into the Three Great Sage Regions’ powers.

• Neji suppressed the battlefield’s clashing Senjutsu Chakra and challenged Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru to attack him with everything they had mastered.
• Tsunade struck Neji with Sage Art: Unrivaled Strength, Orochimaru used Sage Art: White Rage Technique, and Jiraiya trapped the area with the Rock-Dwelling Toad Esophagus and Sage Art: Five Right Gate.
• Neji protected himself with Crystal Release: Black Crystal Coffin, which absorbed Tsunade’s punch and refracted Orochimaru’s technique.
• Neji unleashed Crystal Release: Thorn Slaughter Forest, piercing Jiraiya’s summoned walls and redirecting his flames while leaving Neji unharmed.
• Neji told the exhausted Sannin that their filters were only keys and that true Senjutsu required balance and understanding, as he reflected on the powers he had observed.

At the Jonin meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi disbanded Root and appointed Neji Director of the ANBU. Neji accepted invitations from Konoha’s clans to discuss cooperation, leaving the meeting as a newly influential figure in the village’s shifting power structure.

• The Hyuga Clan patriarch demanded Root’s disbandment, and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed to disband it and appoint no new elders.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi named Neji Director of the ANBU, and Mitokado Homura’s objection was silenced by the Uchiha Clan patriarch.
• The Hyuga Clan patriarch invited Neji to discuss Ninja Talisman cooperation, and Neji agreed to visit.
• The Nara Clan, Yamanaka Clan, Akimichi Clan, Inuzuka Clan, and other clan heads invited Neji to deepen cooperation, and he accepted their offers.
• Neji thanked the clan representatives and Hiruzen Sarutobi, then left the meeting knowing his role in Konoha’s power structure had grown.

After receiving command of the ANBU from Hiruzen Sarutobi, Neji began restructuring the organization and introduced a crystal system to manage missions, locations, and rewards. The ANBU accepted his authority and prepared to operate under his new rules.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Neji the official order placing the ANBU under his command and assigned Sarutobi Hoshino to familiarize him with the organization.
• Neji arrived at the ANBU Base, where Hoshino showed him the former commander's office and masked shinobi questioned whether a thirteen-year-old could lead them.
• Neji ordered the ANBU to investigate Danzo's former subordinates, reorganize its divisions, and answer only to the Hokage, then appointed Hoshino as his deputy.
• Neji ordered all Root personnel detained and screened by Yamanaka Jonin, and the ANBU members knelt and pledged to obey him.
• Neji created a crystal display system for tracking ANBU locations, posting missions, recording contributions, and showing available exchanges.

Neji reorganized Root’s surviving shinobi into a specialized ANBU force and completed a Spirit Board that connected him with Jiraiya. The first communication test succeeded, and Neji considered how to extend the network across the Ninja World, possibly using relay stations in the sky.

• Neji had Yamanaka Haiichi retrieve the Root prisoners’ memories, screened out those who posed risks, and ordered the curse seals removed from the survivors.
• Neji declared the survivors new ANBU members and introduced specialized Crow, Falcon, Shield, and Nest divisions.
• Hoshino studied Neji’s detailed ANBU structure, and the divisions quickly coordinated to eliminate a smuggling target and gather intelligence.
• Neji completed a Spirit Board and successfully established a communication connection with Jiraiya.
• Neji showed Jiraiya a plan for relay stations that could extend Spirit Board communication across the Ninja World, then ended the call and prepared to test group communication.
• Neji considered placing relay stations in the sky and looked toward the moon.

Neji assigned ANBU to investigate Sky Ninja Village and appointed Mitarashi Momiji as his secretary. After Chasing Fang Squad returned from reconnaissance, Momiji noticed a clue about the village’s power system and Neji ordered her to analyze it.

• Neji redirected ANBU’s records team to compile intelligence on the Ninja World and ordered an ANBU squad to investigate Sky Ninja Village.
• Neji learned Chasing Fang had reached Jonin level and assigned his squad to the Sky Ninja Village mission.
• Neji asked Sarutobi Hoshino to find him a civilian secretary, and Hoshino brought him Mitarashi Momiji.
• Neji granted Momiji high-level access and gave her the squad’s reconnaissance report to enter into ANBU’s system.
• Momiji spotted a clue about Sky Ninja Village’s energy system, and Neji asked her for an analysis report and ordered a war budget simulation.

Neji secured the Third Hokage’s approval to attack Sky Ninja Village and led three ANBU Jonin squads to the hidden valley containing its fortress. After reaching the outskirts, he mapped the village and assigned each squad its targets, preparing to exploit the fortress’s failing energy core.

• Neji presented his analysis of the Land of Lightning front, and the Third Hokage approved his plan to deal with Sky Ninja Village.
• Neji briefed ANBU captains on the fortress’s aging energy core and planned to force it into flight until its power ran low and drained the Sky Ninja’s chakra.
• Neji assembled the Gale, Rock, and Chasing Fang squads, distributed Divine Foot Talismans, and led them on a rapid journey to Sky Ninja Village.
• Neji used Crystal Release to create a detailed tactical map of the village and fortress, then assigned each squad its objectives.
• Neji tested Spirit Board Communications and received confirmation from all three squads.

Neji’s ANBU squads launched a coordinated nighttime assault on the Sky Fortress, silently disabling its defenses before fighting the Sky Ninja forces. As the Rock Squad came under pressure from overwhelming numbers, Neji joined the battle by firing a Mystic Crystal arrow into the enemy ranks.

• Neji ordered the Gale Squad, Rock Squad, and Chasing Fang Squad to attack the fortress under cover of darkness.
• The Gale Squad eliminated the watchtower guards and destroyed energy node α, cutting power to much of the eastern sector.
• The Rock Squad broke through the Sector B bunkers and secured the West Gate, while Chasing Fang disabled the southern defenses and traps.
• The Sky Ninja’s six Jonin emerged to confront the ANBU, and Chasing Fang killed one Jonin with Lightning Fang.
• Sky Ninja Chunin and Genin overwhelmed the Rock Squad with numbers, so Neji created a Dark Crystal Longbow and killed four enemies with one Cloud-Piercer arrow.

Neji and Konoha’s ANBU overwhelmed the Sky Ninja and stormed their failing Sky Fortress after Neji sabotaged its cannons and disrupted its ascent. The Sky Ninja leader surrendered, but when Neji revealed Konoha knew of his plot with the Land of Lightning, he triggered the fortress’s energy-core overload.

• Neji used Crystal Release arrows to kill Sky Ninja fighters, save an ANBU Jonin, and break the enemy’s resistance.
• The Sky Ninja leader ordered the fortress to take off and charge its cannons, but Neji destroyed three secondary cannons and caused the main engine to divert power from the main cannon.
• The fortress drained its occupants’ chakra to ascend, leaving the remaining Sky Ninja weakened as Konoha’s ANBU attacked and entered through a breach.
• Neji joined the ANBU advance through the fortress, destroying defenses and energy nodes as they made for the command room.
• The Sky Ninja leader surrendered and offered the fortress and its technology, but Neji confronted him with Konoha’s knowledge of his plan with the Land of Lightning.
• The Sky Ninja leader rejected surrender, activated the emergency overload button, and ordered the energy core to explode.

Neji stopped the Sky Fortress from crashing by sealing its runaway core and using wind to lift it, then took control of the fortress after Chasing Fang killed the Sky Ninja leader. As the ANBU secured prisoners and the damaged fortress began to rise, a lightning-fast attacker launched a direct strike at Neji.

• Neji sent a Crystal Release Clone to suppress the energy core and used a Wind Release Array to halt the fortress's fall and lift it from the valley.
• Chasing Fang killed the Sky Ninja leader, and Neji ordered the ANBU to secure prisoners, clear self-destruct devices, and take over the fortress.
• The ANBU restrained the Sky Ninja prisoners with Mystic Crystal shackles and chakra-sealing runes as Neji planned the fortress's reconstruction.
• Neji sensed a powerful Lightning Release presence on a ridge below the fortress.
• The attacker used Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite to rocket up from the valley floor toward Neji's position.

The Third Raikage, A, attacked Neji’s fortress with his Three-Finger Spear, but Neji countered with Crystal Release and trapped him in a vast crystal domain. As the two clashed, Neji mobilized the fortress’s defenders and ordered his control-room clone to climb above the clouds.

• A charged the fortress, and Neji blocked his Three-Finger Spear with layered Crystal Array Walls before escaping into his Crystal World Advent domain.
• Neji struck A with a massive Dark Crystal greatsword, but A endured the blow with his Lightning Release Armor and began repairing its damage.
• Neji sent emergency orders through the Spirit Board, warning the ANBU that the Land of Lightning had attacked and ordering the prisoners and fortress defenses secured.
• The ANBU killed unsealed Sky Ninja prisoners, moved sealed prisoners below, and deployed Chasing Fang, Rock, and Gale squads to guard key areas.
• Neji ordered his control-room clone to climb toward a position above the clouds.

Neji used the Crystal Domain to weaken the Raikage while Cloud Village elites attacked the fortress, then fired a Senjutsu-enhanced arrow at the Raikage. The chapter ended as the arrow struck, leaving the result of the attack unknown.

• Cloud Village Jonin boarded the rising fortress and attacked its ANBU guards, prisoners, and control areas.
• Neji activated sealing runes in the Crystal Domain, slowing the Raikage and evading his attacks while crystal arrows harried him.
• The Raikage attacked the domain's crystal nodes as ANBU fought fiercely to protect the fortress and its core.
• Neji formed a gold-patterned Spellbreaking Arrow with Senjutsu Chakra and appeared behind the Raikage.
• Neji fired the arrow with Sage Art: Crystal Release: Sun-Piercing, and the Raikage twisted aside as it struck.

Neji wounded the Raikage with a Sage Chakra arrow, then revealed that he had taken control of the fortress’s weapons and unleashed a devastating bombardment against the Cloud Village forces. The Raikage survived the main cannon’s blast but was badly injured, and he and the remaining Cloud ninja retreated toward the Land of Lightning.

• Neji pierced the Raikage’s shoulder with a Sage Chakra arrow, infuriating him and leaving Neji weakened from the chakra cost.
• A wounded Cloud Village Jonin warned the Raikage that the fortress turrets and main cannon had powered up and were targeting the plaza.
• Neji ordered the Konoha ANBU to retreat, then activated the fortress’s close-defense cannons, devastating the exposed Cloud Village ninja.
• The Raikage escaped the Crystal Domain, rescued two injured Jonin, and destroyed several turrets while trying to flee the bombardment.
• Neji ordered the main cannon to fire at the Raikage, who shielded himself with his Lightning Release Armor and survived the blast with severe injuries.
• The Raikage and the surviving Cloud Village ninja retreated toward the Land of Lightning, and Neji finally relaxed.