Chapter Summaries

Yayoi explained why Konoha could reproduce only limited, dangerous Wood Release, while Izayoi considered Rikuo’s exceptional Sharingan. After the Chunin Exams exposed the Land of Night’s strength, Third Raikage A decided to seek greater support and expand Kumogakure’s intelligence gathering and military preparations.

• Izayoi questioned whether Yayoi had traded too much by offering Wood Release research for Flying Thunder God, and Yayoi said pressuring Konoha could ruin the deal.
• Yayoi explained that Hashirama Cells made replicated Wood Release risky, limited in power, and unsuitable for mass production; Izayoi compared that limitation with Rikuo’s genuine Susanoo.
• After the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams ended, foreign nations focused on Rikuo and Sakura Hime’s squad, and the Land of Night’s promising young shinobi alarmed neighboring powers.
• Robui briefed Third Raikage A on the exams, and A acknowledged Rikuo’s formidable potential.
• Third Raikage A decided to seek more support from the Daimyo and expand Kumogakure’s Anbu operations to gather secret techniques; Robui agreed to manage the village’s work.

Yayoi studied the Flying Thunder God Technique and arranged for Kakuzu to seek a skilled Uzumaki woman as a potential wife for Doichi. As Doichi’s wedding to Chihiro approached, he agreed to spar with Rikuo and called for their younger brothers to join.

• Yayoi studied the Flying Thunder God Technique, valuing its space-time theories, but decided Rikuo was not yet ready to learn it.
• Yayoi asked Irori to have the Ritei Unit summon Kakuzu to handle an important matter in the Land of Whirlpool.
• Rikuo congratulated Doichi, who said he and Chihiro would marry in half a month.
• Rikuo told Doichi that Jiraiya had stood out among the Genin at the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Rikuo challenged Doichi to spar, and Doichi agreed before asking him to bring Tadayuki and Hideyuki as well.

Doichi tested his younger brothers Tadayuki and Hideyuki, then faced Rikuo in a sparring match. Rikuo raised Susanoo, and Doichi unveiled a powerful modified Gentle Fist technique before preparing to charge.

• Doichi sparred with Tadayuki and Hideyuki, judged them to have reached Jonin-level strength, and sent them to rest.
• Rikuo entered the training ground with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and Susanoo already activated.
• Doichi activated his Byakugan and found that Rikuo's Susanoo had no weak points he could target.
• Doichi covered his arms in blazing, high-density chakra and named the modified technique Gentle Step Heavenly Roaring Cannon.
• Doichi warned Rikuo to prepare for his charge, leaving the thirteen-year-old bracing himself to continue the fight.

Orochimaru trained obsessively to grow strong enough to challenge Rikuo after their defeat at the Chunin Ninja Exams. Jiraiya told him that Sarutobi had summoned the three of them for a trip to the Land of Night, and Orochimaru began considering a snake-summoning contract as a way to gain power.

• Orochimaru practiced powerful Ninjutsu at Training Ground Number Thirty-Two, haunted by memories of Rikuo's Sharingan.
• Jiraiya arrived and invited Orochimaru to see Tsunade's dispute with villagers who wanted her to repay their Chunin Exam betting losses.
• Jiraiya told Orochimaru that Sarutobi wanted the three of them to accompany a delegation to the Land of Night shogun's wedding.
• Jiraiya suggested Orochimaru sign a contract with toads, but Orochimaru refused because he hated them.
• Orochimaru considered seeking power from Ryūchi Cave's snake summons so he could get closer to Rikuo.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade traveled with Shimura Danzō and Konoha’s delegation to the Land of Night for the next General’s wedding. After seeing Whitewave Town and learning about the country, they were astonished by a massive steam-powered train waiting at the station.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Shimura Danzō to lead Konoha’s delegation, which included Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and members of the Hyuga Clan.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade complained about Danzō, while Orochimaru defended him and pointed out why they disliked his scolding.
• Konoha’s delegation reached the Land of Night and entered Whitewave Town, where they observed its unusual architecture and waterfall scenery.
• Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade discussed the Land of Night’s regions, commerce, history, and puppet culture as they traveled north.
• The delegation arrived at a station, where Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade stared in surprise at a huge steam-powered train while Danzō remained unfazed.

Yayoi and Kicho prepared for Doichi and Chihiro’s wedding amid heightened security, and the ceremony began with dignitaries from several nations in attendance. At the wedding, Rikuo encountered Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, explaining that he had been assigned to security.

• Yayoi and Kicho coordinated strict security for the wedding to prevent attacks from harming attendees.
• Kicho and Yayoi reflected on their earlier wedding and how the Land of Night’s growing power had drawn more enemies.
• Doichi and Chihiro’s wedding began in late October, with Yayoi, Kicho, Hideto Hyuga, Kiyoharu Hyuga, and other guests present.
• Yayoi noticed Kiyoharu Hyuga’s young twins, Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga, among the attendees.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru watched Doichi’s ceremony before Rikuo approached them and said he was working security.

After Doichi’s wedding, Yayoi gave him a mission to investigate and punish merchants and officials involved in secretly running a private ninja school in the Land of Night. Doichi accepted the assignment as his first test of independence and leadership.

• Doichi and Chihiro’s wedding ended successfully, while guests speculated about Yayoi’s succession plans and Rikuo’s strength.
• A month later, Yayoi summoned Doichi to the snowy terrace and handed him a sealed scroll containing a mission.
• Doichi learned that merchants had secretly operated a private ninja school for two years with help from government and Military Bureau personnel who also resold arms.
• Doichi realized Izayoi had uncovered most of the scheme soon after it began and that Yayoi had delayed action so he could handle the cleanup.
• Doichi accepted the mission and prepared to make his first major test as an independent leader.

Kiyoharu arranged for Kicho to keep his sons Hiashi and Hizashi in the Land of Night, using Hizashi’s supposed frailty to protect him from the Caged Bird. Meanwhile, Yayoi inspected his vast new palace with Irori and named it the Heavenly Dao Palace.

• Kiyoharu asked Kicho to look after Hiashi and Hizashi, claiming Hizashi needed time to recuperate.
• Kicho agreed to care for both nephews and said she would eventually send Hiashi back to Konoha, leaving Hizashi’s return undecided.
• Kiyoharu acknowledged that his father, Hyuga Hideto, had chosen to retire in the Land of Night.
• Yayoi and Irori inspected the enormous palace built across the snow-covered mountain platforms.
• Yayoi noted that the palace still needed interior decorations and stronger internal barriers and sealing arrays, work he planned to entrust to Hisana.
• Yayoi named the palace the Heavenly Dao Palace.

Yayoi returned to Nightview City after heavily fortifying Heavenly Dao Palace and its surrounding defenses. Meanwhile, Doichi’s team reached Kuroda Castle and prepared to arrest those behind the privately operated Ninja Academies, leaving Doichi to confront the difficult task of sorting out the many people implicated.

• Yayoi left Heavenly Dao Palace with Irori after installing extensive defenses, including puppets, Tsuchigumo Clan summoned beasts, and a reverse summoning formation.
• Doichi arrived at Kuroda Castle with Mifune, Aburame Jūjirō, Shiraishi Aotori, Uchiha Megumi, and his other subordinates.
• Doichi ordered Aburame Jūjirō to arrange a meeting and instructed Mifune to arrest the targets, killing anyone who resisted.
• Doichi used his Byakugan to survey Kuroda Castle and stayed behind to monitor the operation and respond to trouble.
• Doichi considered how to distinguish the masterminds from coerced or uninvolved people among more than a thousand implicated individuals, realizing that handling the aftermath would be the hardest part.

Yayoi approved Doichi’s handling of the Kuroda Castle incident and sent him to purge eastern rebels, then assigned Tadayuki and Hideyuki to assist him. More than two years later, as Yayoi’s succession plans reshaped the Land of Night, the Third Kazekage faced the theft of Dragon Vein Chakra and suspected Hidden Cloud Village.

• Yayoi approved Doichi’s recommendations for punishing those involved in the Kuroda Castle incident and sent him another mission to purge eastern rebels.
• Yayoi ordered Tadayuki and Hideyuki to go to Kuroda Castle and help Doichi.
• Over two years, Doichi’s allies entered senior positions in the Land of Night, signaling that Yayoi planned to step down and name Doichi as his successor.
• The Third Kazekage took office in Sunagakure, adopted an aggressive military policy, and twice suppressed the rampaging One-Tail, Shukaku.
• The Third Kazekage learned that Dragon Vein Chakra prepared for trade with the Land of Night had been stolen and ordered a squad to explain the incident to Yayoi.
• The Third Kazekage ordered an investigation into Hidden Cloud Village, suspecting its shinobi had stolen the Dragon Vein Chakra.

After the Hidden Sand Village reported that the Dragon Vein Chakra had been stolen, Yayoi agreed to help recover it and decided to investigate personally. He invited Irori and the others to join him, turning the search into a family outing.

• A Hidden Sand Village Anbu member told Yayoi that attackers had stolen the Dragon Vein Chakra while it was being escorted back to the village.
• Irori suspected Hidden Cloud Village, but Yayoi said they were not the only possible culprits and doubted they would openly provoke both nations.
• Irori asked which squad should retrieve the Dragon Vein Chakra, while Yayoi chose to go investigate himself and enjoy a rare trip outside.
• Yayoi invited Irori, Yaya, the others, and Kicho to join the search as a whole-family outing.

Doichi and Megumi continued managing the Land of Night after Yayoi left on a trip, and Doichi decided to involve Rikuo in the work. Meanwhile, Yayoi enjoyed a hot-spring retreat with his companions and watched their performances, choosing to keep relaxing instead of remembering why he had traveled.

• Megumi helped Doichi process official documents, and he praised her work while thinking of his other wives' duties.
• Doichi received an email from Yayoi saying he had gone traveling and left home affairs to him, which Doichi interpreted as a test of his leadership.
• Doichi decided to summon his younger brother Rikuo and give him more responsibility.
• Yayoi relaxed at a hot-spring inn with Irori, Kicho, and the others while Yaya performed a song and dance.
• Hisana proposed teaching Izayoi a Shrine Maiden Dance and called Oboro and Nene to join, while Yayoi continued enjoying the retreat.

Yayoi traveled through the Land of Grass in a colossal spider puppet toward the Land of Rivers, drawing the attention of nearby powers. In Konoha, Hiruzen approved Danzo’s request for a Wood Release shinobi, then ordered the Anbu to monitor Yayoi’s movements closely.

• Yayoi piloted his giant spider puppet toward the Land of Rivers, where a signal from the Dragon Vein Chakra container had originated.
• Hiruzen approved Danzo’s request to transfer an Anbu Wood Release shinobi into Root, which was newly formed to monitor the Uchiha Clan.
• Hiruzen reflected on Konoha’s progress in Wood Release research and the three shinobi who had successfully gained the ability.
• An Anbu operative delivered a photograph and report showing Yayoi’s spider puppet traveling through the Land of Grass with a formidable entourage.
• Hiruzen sent another Anbu squad to the Land of Grass and ordered reports every three hours, telling them not to approach unless Yayoi acted suspiciously.

Yayoi tracked the stolen Dragon Vein Chakra to a hidden base in the Land of Rivers, where he discovered Shinnō researching Dark Chakra. The chapter left Shinnō pleading for his life by claiming to be Yayoi’s follower.

• Yayoi traveled through the Land of Rivers with Irori and Murasame while Anbu from Konoha and Hidden Sand Village followed at a distance.
• Yayoi found a concealed mountain entrance, and Murasame cut through its barrier to expose the base.
• Irori froze the base’s defenders and alarm systems as the group advanced into the laboratory.
• Yayoi found the Dragon Vein Chakra still sealed in its Golden Cauldron and recognized the frozen young man as Shinnō, who was studying Dark Chakra.
• Irori freed Shinnō from the ice, and Shinnō panicked upon seeing Yayoi and claimed he had adored the general since childhood.

Yayoi spared Shinnō and recruited him to the Land of Night after reviewing his research, taking his physical regeneration work and the Dragon Vein Chakra. In Sunagakure, the Third Kazekage learned that Hidden Cloud denied involvement in the Dragon Vein theft and rejected the Raikage’s request to return captured Anbu, preparing to stand against Hidden Cloud.

• Yayoi reviewed Shinnō’s research, valued his physical regeneration ninjutsu, and gave him a recommendation to join the Land of Night.
• Yayoi took the Dragon Vein Chakra and left Shinnō with a cursed seal tracking his location.
• Shinnō collapsed after Yayoi departed and hoped that joining the Land of Night would let him continue his research without hiding.
• Sunagakure Anbu tortured captured Hidden Cloud Anbu, whose statements denied that Hidden Cloud had recently targeted the Dragon Vein Chakra.
• The Third Kazekage ordered the interrogation to continue, then read the Raikage’s letter and refused to return the captured Anbu.

Yayoi learned that the Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud Villages had clashed, then enjoyed his quiet retirement on a deserted island. Back in Kumogakure, the Third Raikage discovered the Sand’s hostility stemmed from the stolen Dragon Vein Chakra and chose to avoid a larger conflict.

• Yayoi read a report that the Third Kazekage and Third Raikage had fought to a stalemate on a deserted island.
• Yayoi dismissed the conflict as unrelated to his retirement and joined his companions for a seafood feast.
• The Third Raikage returned to Kumogakure furious about the clash and the loss of two Anbu squads.
• Robui told the Third Raikage that the Hidden Sand had targeted Kumogakure because the Dragon Vein Chakra meant for trade with the Land of Night had been stolen.
• The Third Raikage decided to avoid a major conflict and ordered Anbu to stay away from Hidden Sand personnel and patrol areas.

The Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud villages ended their standoff without a major battle. In Nightview City, Doichi assigned Rikuo to lead a team abroad and crush a band of thieves, Black Market shinobi, and local schemers in the Land of Thoughts.

• The Hidden Sand and Hidden Cloud villages traded insults and minor blows until they ended their conflict in October.
• Doichi received gifts and photographs from his traveling parents, then showed Rikuo the portion set aside for him.
• Doichi gave Rikuo a mission document and explained that thieves in the Land of Thoughts had seized a shipment bound for the Land of Night.
• Doichi told Rikuo that the thieves had hired Black Market Ninja Mercenaries and ordered him to restore order quickly.
• Doichi intended Rikuo to eliminate the criminals, pressure the Daimyo of the Land of Thoughts to abandon his schemes, and gain experience for his future leadership of the Special Assault Department.

After returning from his global tour, Yayoi praised Doichi and decided to hand him most of the general’s authority, while planning his own early retirement. He prepared to invite aging veteran shinobi to discuss joining a small immortal special-operations force through controlled Cursed Seals.

• Yayoi returned to the Land of Night after his tour, bringing gifts for the children and visiting Hisana’s parents in the Land of Whirlpool.
• Yayoi praised Doichi’s management and told him to handle future work without passing it up, effectively handing him most of the general’s authority.
• Yayoi considered formally ceding the general’s position next year and arranging retirement for veteran cadres, with Kakuzu as an exception.
• Yayoi planned to offer selected aging elites Cursed Seal crystals and consider freezing their family members until better life-extension methods became available.
• Yayoi drafted a list of veteran shinobi, including Kurobei, Uchiha Hokuto, Uchiha Meirou, Aburame Yuroketsu, Hoshigaki Kairyu, Jizomaru, and Iron Sparrow, and asked Irori to summon them for a banquet discussion.

Yayoi’s former subordinates began preparing to enter the Heavenly Dao Palace and receive the Cursed Seal, while Raizo left to visit Tamaki. As the Land of Night’s senior officials retired and departments changed hands, Rikuo took charge of the Special Assault Department and set out alone to complete four missions.

• Yayoi explained that people who received the Cursed Seal would need to spend most of their time in the Heavenly Dao Palace, and he told Raizo to visit Tamaki discreetly before returning there.
• Raizo left to see Tamaki, who had become a Jonin and served in the Personnel Education Department.
• Throughout Year 35, several department heads and deputies stepped down, and Rikuo succeeded his mother Izayoi as head of the Special Assault Department.
• Doichi gave Rikuo one S-rank and three A-rank mission files, then sent him to handle them using his newly mastered Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Rikuo declined to take a companion and vanished from Doichi’s office to begin his missions.

Yayoi prepared to move the prisoners in the General’s Residence as the Land of Night’s transition of power neared completion, and offered Kinkaku and Ginkaku a chance to leave their cells. He left them to consider his proposal, while intending to keep using them for their tailed-beast chakra if they refused.

• Yayoi reflected on Doichi’s growing command of the country and Rikuo’s efficiency as a mission-grinding machine.
• Yayoi entered the underground prison and told its prisoners he planned to move them to larger quarters and might let them outside occasionally.
• Yayoi confronted Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who rejected his good intentions and accused him of wanting their Nine-Tails Chakra.
• Yayoi invited the brothers to leave their cell and use their strength to help the Land of Night, then departed before they could answer.