Chapter Summaries

Qifeng completed a new puppet body based on Sasori’s design and prepared to test it on the suna-nin. Meanwhile, Danzō searched the Land of Rain for the mysterious ninja, while the suna-nin withdrew to their border and avoided fighting Konoha.

• Qifeng completed Sasori’s puppet body, whose special core let him control many puppets and transfer to another puppet if one remained intact.
• Qifeng left his base to test the puppet on the suna-nin, while his Shadow Clones warned him to be careful.
• A Root ninja told Danzō that the mysterious attacker’s identity was unconfirmed, though he excelled at Water Release and could restrain Tailed Beasts.
• The suna-nin learned from Bunpuku that the attacker was Itachi Uchiha, a Konoha-affiliated ninja, and moved their camp back toward the Land of Wind’s border.
• Danzō’s hopes of gaining military merit stalled because Konoha could not safely attack the suna-nin, so he redirected his efforts toward finding Qifeng.

Qifeng searched the Land of Rain for Suna-nin but found none, then entered the Land of Grass to test the Sasori Human Puppet. After killing two Grass Missing-nin, he spotted Kakuzu approaching with a bounty hunter and recognized him through the Byakugan.

• Qifeng searched nearly half the Land of Rain for Suna-nin but found no trace of them.
• Qifeng entered the Land of Grass, hoping to encounter a suitable opponent for the Sasori Human Puppet.
• A Grass Missing-nin reported Qifeng’s presence to Kakuzu, who ordered him to lead the way to the target.
• Qifeng killed two Grass Missing-nin and buried them, while another escaped to report his location.
• Qifeng used the Byakugan to spot Kakuzu and recognized him by his five Chakra cores.

Qifeng chose to test Puppet Sasori’s strength against Kakuzu, who had tracked him down for a bounty on his Byakugan. Qifeng summoned the Third Kazekage Human Puppet and revealed its Iron Sand, leaving Kakuzu to realize that the Third Kazekage had become a puppet.

• Qifeng decided to stay and use Kakuzu as a test for Puppet Sasori rather than flee.
• Kakuzu killed the Grass Village missing-nin who had led him to Qifeng, then recognized Qifeng’s unsealed Byakugan as a valuable bounty target.
• Kakuzu revealed his Earth Grudge Fear hearts and prepared to attack Qifeng for the Byakugan.
• Qifeng summoned the Third Kazekage Human Puppet and controlled it with Chakra threads.
• Qifeng unleashed Iron Sand around himself and the puppet, and Kakuzu recognized the puppet as the Third Kazekage.

Qifeng, posing as Sasori, fought Kakuzu with the Third Kazekage Human Puppet, and the two unleashed powerful techniques that devastated the forest. As Qifeng launched a new barrage of accelerated Iron Sand spears, Kakuzu began countering with Earth Release.

• Qifeng acknowledged his role in the Third Kazekage’s disappearance and attacked Kakuzu with Magnet Release: Iron Sand: Sudden Shower.
• Kakuzu dodged the Iron Sand and used his Fire and Wind hearts to unleash the Combined Ninjutsu Flame Gale Barrage, melting some of the Iron Sand.
• Qifeng countered the heat with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, and the exchange left the forest destroyed.
• Qifeng gathered Iron Sand and solidified iron into giant spears, then sent them flying at Kakuzu.
• Kakuzu used Earth Release: Heavy Stone Technique as the spears accelerated toward him.

Qifeng used the Third Kazekage Puppet’s Iron Sand to pressure Kakuzu, destroying one of his hearts after trapping him in a relentless field of spikes. Kakuzu gathered his remaining masks and launched a combined ninjutsu at Qifeng.

• Kakuzu blocked and redirected Qifeng’s Heavy Stone-enhanced Black Iron Spear, avoiding the attack.
• Qifeng blew away the dust and compressed Iron Sand into a barrier of repeatedly thrusting spikes that trapped Kakuzu.
• The Iron Sand Spikes destroyed Kakuzu’s Water Attribute heart and damaged his body.
• Kakuzu gathered his three remaining masks and aimed Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot at Qifeng.

Qifeng used his puppets and Iron Sand to withstand Kakuzu’s powerful combined Chakra attack, leaving both fighters depleted. Kakuzu tried to flee, but Qifeng cut off his escape and surrounded him with puppets, forcing him to face a possible final battle.

• Qifeng layered Iron Sand and puppet defenses against Kakuzu’s combined three-nature Chakra beam.
• Qifeng’s Pakura Puppet and Puppet Disciple blocked the beam, while Kakuzu’s masks were left nearly drained.
• Kakuzu judged that he could not defeat Qifeng and fled, while Qifeng also considered retreating.
• Qifeng sent the Third Kazekage Puppet after Kakuzu and blocked his route with poisoned Iron Sand feathers.
• Qifeng positioned the Pakura Puppet and Puppet Disciple beside Kakuzu while keeping his own distance, and Kakuzu asked whether Qifeng intended to fight to the bitter end.

Qifeng and Kakuzu negotiated after their fight, each using the other’s secrets as leverage. They agreed to cooperate as Missing-nin, with Kakuzu taking sixty percent of bounties and Qifeng keeping the corpses.

• Qifeng demanded an explanation for Kakuzu destroying two of his puppets, then threatened to reveal Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear technique.
• Kakuzu pointed out that he knew Qifeng’s secrets too, including his use of the Third Kazekage, Pakura, and a Byakugan-bearing puppet.
• Qifeng proposed cooperation, arguing that both Missing-nin would benefit from joining forces and keeping each other’s secrets.
• Qifeng offered to let Kakuzu claim bounties before handing over the bodies, and Kakuzu negotiated for seventy percent of the reward.
• Qifeng and Kakuzu settled on a sixty-forty bounty split, with Qifeng receiving the corpses when he commanded an operation.

Qifeng and Kakuzu agreed to cooperate, with Qifeng posing as Sasori of the Red Sands and giving Kakuzu a scroll that could summon him. After leaving the Land of Grass, Qifeng realized Black Zetsu had been watching them and decided to avoid the region.

• Qifeng gave Kakuzu a scroll marked with the Flying Thunder God formula and offered to buy the corpses of powerful shinobi.
• Qifeng claimed to be Yu Kai, a missing-nin from Sunagakure known as Sasori of the Red Sands, and Kakuzu recognized the name.
• Kakuzu left peacefully, and Qifeng recalled his puppets before returning to his secret base in the Land of Rain.
• Black Zetsu emerged after Qifeng and Kakuzu had left, observed the aftermath, and sank underground.
• Qifeng sensed that someone had watched them and concluded the presence was likely Black Zetsu, so he resolved to stay away from the Land of Grass.

Qifeng and three Medical Ninja waited near Sakamoto Outpost while Konoha and the Kumo-nin fought over it. After spotting a wounded Konoha Ninja pursued by two Kumo-nin, Qifeng decided to intervene and went after him alone.

• Jiraiya appointed Namikaze Minato to lead a force including Hyuga Hiashi, Hizashi Hyuga, Uchiha Fugaku, and Nara Shikaku toward Sakamoto Outpost after Konoha lost contact with its stationed ninjas.
• Qifeng and three Medical Ninja waited outside the outpost, ready to treat wounded Konoha Ninja and recover the dead.
• Qifeng used his Sand Eye to scout the outpost and spotted a staggering Konoha Ninja fleeing two pursuing Kumo-nin.
• Qifeng hesitated over whether to reveal his strength to save the pursued ninja, then learned Shan Liang had orders to take the Medical Ninja along a safer route.
• Qifeng sent Shan Liang and the other two Medical Ninja ahead, then headed toward the pursued Konoha Ninja and prepared to summon his puppet.

Sarutobi Hiruzen collapsed while fleeing with a scroll, and Qifeng’s Puppet Disciple killed the two Kumo-nin pursuing him. Qifeng found Hiruzen dead but recovered the Cloud Ninja Defense Map, leaving him with the map and three bodies he could loot.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen collapsed from his injuries as two Kumo-nin prepared to kill him.
• Qifeng’s Puppet Disciple intervened and defeated the Kumo-nin with a series of Earth Release techniques.
• The Puppet Disciple found Sarutobi Hiruzen dead and discovered a scroll clenched in his hand.
• Qifeng identified the scroll as the Cloud Ninja Defense Map and saw that the defeated Kumo-nin were also available to loot.

After looting Sarutobi Hiruzen’s corpse, Qifeng found his detailed diary and devised a plan to assume the dead man’s identity. He left the chapter determined to use a powerful puppet to build Sarutobi Hiruzen into a respected figure in Konoha.

• Qifeng used all nine corpse-looting attempts and received a Lightning Release ninjutsu card, an attribute boost card, and Sarutobi Hiruzen’s diary.
• Qifeng learned from the diary that Sarutobi Hiruzen was a nineteen-year-old Special Jonin with ties to Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Nara Clan, and found no lingering regret in the diary.
• Qifeng decided to claim Sarutobi Hiruzen’s intercepted Cloud Ninja Defense Map credit under the dead man’s identity, using the diary and Kaseki’s Obsession to support the impersonation.
• Qifeng planned to build Sarutobi Hiruzen’s reputation and power in Konoha as protection for himself while keeping Sasori undercover in Akatsuki.
• Puppet Disciple asked which puppet Qifeng would use, and Qifeng said it would be strong and special enough.

Qifeng used Kaseki's Obsession to disguise the Third Kazekage Puppet as Sarutobi Hiruzen, creating a powerful Magnet Release identity. After returning to Sakamoto Outpost, the impersonator headed toward the battle to help Minato and seek a chance to make a name for himself, while Qifeng watched from among the injured.

• Qifeng decided Sarutobi Hiruzen was a suitable identity and summoned the Third Kazekage Puppet to serve as its body.
• Qifeng used Kaseki's Obsession to transform the puppet into Sarutobi Hiruzen and controlled it with his own methods.
• Qifeng and the disguised Sarutobi Hiruzen returned to Sakamoto Outpost, where the injured ninjas welcomed Hiruzen and thanked Qifeng for saving him.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen learned that Minato was still fighting Kumo-nin and set off toward the center of the outpost despite his injuries.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen used Magnet Release to lift nearby kunai, impressing the injured ninjas and inspiring some to follow him.
• Qifeng stayed behind among the injured, believing the first test of the disguise had gone well.

Qifeng reached Sakamoto Outpost, killed three Kumo-nin with Magnet Release, and found Namikaze Minato facing the Fourth Raikage and Killer B. With Kumo reinforcements reportedly coming, Qifeng prepared to join Minato in the decisive fight.

• Qifeng arrived at Sakamoto Outpost and killed three Kumo-nin who attacked him using Magnet Release: Iron Sand: Sudden Shower.
• Qifeng learned that Namikaze Minato was likely fighting in the forest behind the outpost and made his way there through the battlefield.
• Qifeng found Minato, Chōza Akimichi, and Tsume Inuzuka facing the Fourth Raikage, Killer B, and another Kumo-nin.
• The Fourth Raikage warned that Kumo had reinforcements coming, and Minato threw Flying Thunder God Kunai and told the others to leave the fight to him.
• Qifeng decided to join Minato against the Fourth Raikage and Killer B.

Qifeng awakened Magnet Release and used it to block Killer B’s attack and control Namikaze Minato’s Flying Thunder God kunai. As Minato and Qifeng faced the Fourth Raikage and Killer B, a whistle announced the arrival of Kumo-nin reinforcements.

• The Fourth Raikage attacked Minato with Lightning Armor, but Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to strike him from behind.
• Killer B’s octopus tail lashed toward the fighters, and Qifeng stopped it with a black iron barrier.
• Qifeng revealed that he had awakened Magnet Release, surprising Minato, the Fourth Raikage, and Killer B.
• Qifeng lifted and scattered Minato’s Flying Thunder God kunai through the air, giving Minato new ways to use the technique.
• A whistle sounded from Konoha’s side, signaling that Kumo-nin reinforcements had arrived.

Qifeng and Namikaze Minato faced Kumo-nin reinforcements as Konoha’s forces prepared to be overwhelmed. Qifeng revealed his Magnet Release and crushed the advancing Kumo-nin, telling the Konoha ninja to leave the battle to him.

• After Kumo-nin reinforcements arrived, Namikaze Minato decided to stay behind and hold off the Fourth Raikage and Killer B while the others retreated.
• Qifeng offered to reinforce the Konoha forces, and Namikaze Minato accepted as Qifeng spotted more than a hundred Kumo-nin approaching.
• The Konoha ninja argued over whether to flee or fight, then prepared to meet the Kumo-nin charge as Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived nearby.
• Qifeng used Magnet Release: Metal Wave to bury many of the advancing Kumo-nin beneath a massive surge of Iron Sand.
• Qifeng followed with Magnet Release: Glass Shatter, crushing Kumo-nin trapped under the Iron Sand, and told the Konoha ninja to leave the area to him.

Qifeng, disguised as Sarutobi Hiruzen, used overwhelming Magnet Release to slaughter the Kumo-nin and turn the battle around. When the surviving Kumo-nin rushed toward the injured Konoha Ninja to limit his attacks, Qifeng prepared to reveal more of his strength.

• Konoha Ninja recognized Qifeng's Iron Sand as Magnet Release and believed Sarutobi Hiruzen had awakened a Kekkei Genkai.
• Qifeng killed a Cloud Jonin with a barrage of Iron Sand needles, then crushed another Kumo-nin despite his Lightning Armor.
• Qifeng swept the battlefield with Iron Sand, killing three more Kumo Jonin and dozens of Chunin.
• The Kumo-nin tried to reach the injured Konoha Ninja, hoping Qifeng would be unable to attack them without endangering his allies.
• The Konoha Ninja urged Qifeng to ignore their safety and fight, and Qifeng said he would have to reveal more of his strength.

Qifeng used Iron Sand to protect the Konoha Ninja against the Kumo-nin reinforcements, but Nanqiyi trapped him in a lightning barrier. Qifeng broke free with his overwhelming Chakra and took control of the battlefield, killing Nanqiyi as the Kumo-nin faced a massacre.

• Qifeng scattered and reshaped Iron Sand into spikes that killed many Kumo-nin, though Konoha Ninja also died in the clash.
• Nanqiyi used the Sixteen Pillar Binding Technique to trap Qifeng and sever his control over the Iron Sand outside the barrier.
• Qifeng drew on his immense Chakra to destroy the barrier and revealed that he had concealed Iron Sand around his body.
• Qifeng rose into the air and sent Iron Sand Giant Needles across the battlefield to attack the Kumo-nin.
• Nanqiyi evaded an initial attack, but Qifeng struck him with a lightning-laced Iron Sand Giant Needle, and Nanqiyi died.

Qifeng, posing as Sarutobi Hiruzen, routed the Kumo-nin force with his Magnet Release and forced the Fourth Raikage to retreat. He gave the Raikage the name Sarutobi Asuma, leaving the Konoha ninjas puzzled and Asuma set to become famous.

• Nanqiyi's death shattered the Kumo-nin's confidence, while Qifeng worried that his display of strength had revealed too much.
• A Cloud Jonin urged the Kumo-nin to hold out until Qifeng ran low on Chakra, but Qifeng continued slaughtering them with Iron Sand Giant Needles.
• Qifeng piled the Kumo-nin corpses beneath himself, breaking their resolve and emboldening the Konoha ninjas to counterattack.
• The Fourth Raikage arrived with Killer B's group and ordered the Kumo-nin to retreat after their battle with Namikaze Minato ended.
• The Fourth Raikage recognized Qifeng as the ninja who had stopped Killer B and wanted to fight him, but a companion persuaded him to withdraw.
• When the Fourth Raikage asked his name, Qifeng called himself Sarutobi Asuma, then decided he had helped Asuma gain fame.

Qifeng, posing as Sarutobi Hiruzen, received praise after wiping out a large Kumo-nin force with his newly revealed Magnet Release. Jiraiya praised his victory but privately asked Namikaze Minato for details, wary that others might question Hiruzen’s strength.

• Konoha’s arriving ninja found Qifeng atop a heap of corpses, and the survivors credited him with saving them from the Kumo-nin attack.
• Qifeng demonstrated Magnet Release, prompting Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi to invite him to visit their clans.
• Namikaze Minato ordered the Konoha force to withdraw, while Qifeng eagerly collected corpses from the battlefield.
• At the Land of Hot Water Camp, Jiraiya praised Qifeng for killing more than sixty Kumo-nin and said he would report the feat to the village.
• After Qifeng left, Jiraiya asked Minato for the full account, explaining that some people might question how Hiruzen had become so powerful.

The Fourth Raikage ordered an investigation and bounty for Sarutobi Asuma after hearing of his devastating attack on Kumo-nin. At Konoha’s war meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi read a report that Namikaze Minato’s force had won a preliminary victory against a powerful Kumo-nin force, leaving the meeting stunned by the scale of the enemy they had defeated.

• The Fourth Raikage ordered a Kumo-nin to investigate Sarutobi Asuma and issued a thirty-five-million-ryo bounty on him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Konoha’s leaders that Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and the mist ninja all threatened the village’s strained forces.
• Utatane Koharu and other attendees debated whether Danzō or Tsunade should be sent to guard the eastern border, but Hiruzen postponed the decision.
• An Anbu Ninja delivered an urgent report from the Land of Hot Water, and Hiruzen read that Namikaze Minato’s force had won a preliminary victory at the Sakamoto Outpost.
• Hiruzen revealed that Konoha had suffered forty-eight deaths and that the defeated Kumo-nin force had included roughly two hundred reinforcements led by Ai and Killer B.