Chapter Summaries

Tsunade and Jingyi used rumors and public information to shape events in Konoha, while the village’s residents compared their wartime hardships with conditions elsewhere. The chapter left Konoha’s civilians less resentful about rising prices and Jingyi preparing to expose Madara Uchiha’s plan.

• Rumors about Orochimaru as the Orochi Princess spread through Konoha, and Orochimaru and Jiraiya were stuck splitting a huge compensation bill.
• Jiraiya abandoned his plan to write a story about the Orochi Princess after public interest faded.
• Pakura delivered scrolls from the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans to Jingyi as he prepared to expose Madara Uchiha and his scheme.
• Konoha published information about prices and living conditions in other villages, prompting its residents to reconsider their complaints about wartime costs.
• Tsunade credited Jingyi’s suggestion for easing public resentment by helping Konoha’s civilians see their lives as comparatively comfortable.

The Third Hokage read how Tsunade had resolved Konoha’s unrest by publicizing intelligence and wondered why he had not thought of the same approach. He and Mitokado Homura set aside their regrets and focused on the war, where Iwagakure continued strengthening its defenses.

• The Third Hokage read intelligence about Tsunade’s handling of the villagers’ complaints and felt resentful that they praised her but not him.
• The Third Hokage concluded that Jingyi could handle major problems because he offered useful advice, despite avoiding routine work.
• The Third Hokage recalled Jingyi’s warning against allying with Kumogakure and regretted that he had chosen the alliance instead of Jingyi’s preferred Iwagakure.
• Mitokado Homura read the intelligence and urged the Third Hokage to stop dwelling on the past and focus on the war.
• The Third Hokage resolved to fight well for the sake of their clans, and Mitokado Homura reported that Kitsuchi kept reinforcing Iwagakure’s positions rather than launching a large offensive.

Mitokado Homura returned from the Land of Grass front to seek help breaking the deadlock against Iwagakure’s fortified positions. He went to Jingyi and admitted that Konoha could not break through, leaving Jingyi to respond.

• Iwagakure’s Earth Release fortifications stalled Konoha and Sunagakure, while Kumogakure could press forward with Lightning Release.
• Mitokado Homura told the Third Hokage that a Lightning Release squad would have limited impact, and the Third Hokage agreed that reinforcements were needed.
• The Third Hokage rejected going around Iwagakure’s positions because he wanted to avoid heavy casualties among Konoha’s front-line ninja.
• Mitokado Homura left the front that night, reported the situation to Tsunade, and then went to find Jingyi.
• Mitokado Homura asked Jingyi whether the village had a way to break the deadlock and admitted that the front could not advance.

Jingyi gave Mitokado Homura a powerful Lightning Release technique that could help Konoha break through Iwagakure’s fortified defenses. Homura left with the scroll and Jingyi’s warning about using the technique safely, intending for the Third Hokage to study it.

• Jingyi told Mitokado Homura that Konoha could either attack Iwagakure’s defenses head-on or attempt to invade the Land of Earth from behind, and both options carried major risks.
• Mitokado Homura admitted that Hiruzen had already tried using Lightning Release to break through but had failed.
• Jingyi gave Homura a scroll for his Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Technique, which could be powered up by multiple shinobi working together.
• Jingyi warned Homura that the technique could become uncontrollable if a weak shinobi led a group using it.
• Homura recorded Jingyi’s warning and promised to remember his help before leaving with the scroll.

Jingyi reassured Mitokado Homura that Tsunade intended to keep him in charge of the Logistics Department after the war, provided he earned merit and repaid his clan’s diverted funds. Homura then brought the Third Hokage a new collaborative Lightning Release technique intended to break the deadlock at the front.

• Jingyi told Mitokado Homura that Tsunade had reserved the Logistics Department position for him and explained why he remained a useful choice.
• Mitokado Homura left relieved, then returned to the front-line camp exhausted and delivered ninjutsu scrolls to the Third Hokage.
• The Third Hokage hid the scroll from Chiyo before studying its contents.
• Mitokado Homura explained that Jingyi had developed the Lightning Release technique from the Fire Dragon and Water Dragon techniques, and that multiple ninjas could combine their chakra to increase its destructive power.
• The Third Hokage began studying the technique, while Chiyo doubted it could work because of the original Water Dragon Technique’s many hand seals.

As Konoha’s finances recovered, Jingyi learned that Tsunade had assigned him an unusually lucrative caravan-protection mission. The merchants demanded absolute safety on a route through several war-torn villages, and Jingyi questioned how anyone could guarantee it.

• Konoha’s finances began recovering while Iwagakure, Sunagakure, and Kirigakure struggled with the costs of the ongoing war.
• Tsunade summoned Jingyi to the Hokage Office and handed him a joint commission from several merchant caravans.
• Jingyi discovered the merchants were offering nearly three times the usual reward and demanding that Konoha guarantee their safety or pay double compensation.
• Jingyi pointed out that the caravan planned to travel from Konoha to Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure despite the war, and questioned how its safety could be guaranteed.

Jingyi accepted a lucrative mission to escort a joint merchant caravan through dangerous war zones, taking Pakura along while Tsunade kept Kushina, Nawaki, and Minato in the village. The caravan set out under Jingyi’s protection, and he spent the slow journey teasing Pakura and asking about her Scorch Release training.

• Tsunade assigned Jingyi to protect the joint caravan and told him not to take Kushina, Nawaki, or Minato.
• Jingyi agreed to the mission, chose Pakura as his companion, and learned that Tsunade expected the caravan partnership to continue through the war.
• Jingyi and Pakura joined the caravan, which departed from Konoha less than two hours after he left the Hokage Office.
• The caravan representatives worried that only two Konoha shinobi had been assigned, but Jingyi told them to stay with the goods and follow his instructions if danger arose.
• Jingyi released puppets to protect the caravan, then rode with Pakura and asked how her Scorch Release training was progressing.

Jingyi and Pakura escorted a merchant caravan by land and sea to the Land of Wind, where Pakura worried about returning to her former home. The Third Kazekage appeared after noticing the caravan's puppet scouts.

• Jingyi declined the caravan leader's dinner invitation and took Pakura into the forest to prepare their own meal.
• Jingyi explained that the joint merchant association had to stop at southern ports and villages to sell goods and buy cargo.
• After half a month, Jingyi and Pakura boarded a ship with the caravan, which stopped at several southern locations before reaching the Land of Wind.
• Pakura felt relieved when the caravan sold goods in towns and oases instead of entering Sunagakure.
• Jingyi spotted an approaching visitor and warned Pakura to rest inside the carriage if she wanted; the visitor turned out to be the Third Kazekage.
• The Third Kazekage came to investigate after learning that the caravan's scouts were puppets.

Third Kazekage met Jingyi after spotting his scouting puppets and invited him and the caravan to Sunagakure. The caravan’s leader agreed to change their route after Third Kazekage offered a three-percent tax reduction.

• Third Kazekage flew to meet Jingyi after noticing special puppets scouting the caravan’s path through the desert.
• Pakura told the caravan to continue, then decided not to meet Third Kazekage because she had joined Konoha.
• Jingyi explained that he was escorting the caravan because its merchants had offered a high reward for guaranteed safety amid the war.
• Third Kazekage invited Jingyi to Sunagakure and offered to reduce the caravan’s entry taxes by three percent.
• Jingyi told the caravan’s leader about the invitation, and the leader agreed to visit Sunagakure after hearing about the tax cut.

The Third Kazekage welcomed Jingyi to Sunagakure, where Pakura reunited with her former teammates and Jingyi met the young Sasori. Over dinner, Jingyi and the Third Kazekage discussed the worsening wars, ending with Jingyi noting Yagura’s troubles in the Land of Water.

• The caravan changed its destination to Sunagakure after the Third Kazekage offered to lower its taxes, and Jingyi reassured conflicted Pakura about returning to the village.
• After the caravan arrived, Pakura slipped away to meet her former teammates, who were surprised to see her.
• The Third Kazekage introduced Jingyi to Sasori, and Jingyi said his disciple Minato Namikaze did not know Puppet Technique.
• Jingyi and the Third Kazekage discussed Ōnoki’s increasingly fierce campaign against Kumogakure and Iwagakure’s inability to sustain a prolonged war.
• Jingyi remarked that Yagura, the Fourth Mizukage, must be troubled by the war in the Land of Water.

Jingyi warned the Third Kazekage that Sasori’s hatred was directed at him, not Jingyi, and urged him to recognize the danger. The Third Kazekage learned that his relationship with Sasori could threaten his life and the stability between Sunagakure and Konoha.

• The Third Kazekage mocked Yagura for underestimating the Third Raikage’s determination to continue the war.
• Jingyi explained that Kumogakure’s raids on the Land of Water caused humiliation even when they did little damage, and the Third Kazekage recalled Kirigakure’s raids on Sunagakure’s coastal ports.
• After Sasori left their meal, the Third Kazekage dismissed his guards so Jingyi could speak privately.
• Jingyi told the Third Kazekage that Sasori’s deep resentment was aimed at him, and perhaps partly at Hatake Sakumo.
• The Third Kazekage listened as Jingyi explained that Sasori’s hatred could lead to his death and endanger relations between Sunagakure and Konoha.

Jingyi warned the Third Kazekage that Sasori wanted to kill him and proposed closer economic ties between Konoha and Sunagakure. After Jingyi left Sunagakure, the Third Kazekage discussed Sasori and Konoha’s new Tenseigan intelligence with Chiyo.

• Jingyi warned the Third Kazekage about Sasori’s murderous intent and explained that Sasori’s death could destabilize Sunagakure and strain relations with Konoha.
• Jingyi proposed selling Sunagakure’s wine as a high-end product through cooperation with Konoha, and the Third Kazekage became interested.
• Jingyi helped Pakura rethink her painful encounters with former comrades by considering their changed allegiances and the villages’ current relationship.
• After the caravan departed Sunagakure, Chiyo showed the Third Kazekage intelligence confirming that Konoha had a Tenseigan wielder and reported Tsunade’s interest in deeper cooperation.

Chiyo took Sasori to the battlefield to teach him about war and the reasons Sunagakure had fought Konoha. She revealed that the village had gone to war for resources and development, and told Sasori not to hate the Third Kazekage; the chapter ended with her saying there was still hope of reviving his parents.

• Chiyo asked the Third Kazekage to let her keep Sasori close and guide him after learning he had developed murderous intent toward the Kazekage.
• Chiyo returned to the camp and asked the Third Hokage for permission to take Sasori onto the battlefield, and he agreed.
• Chiyo brought Sasori into battle, where he used his own puppet to kill two enemy shinobi and struggled with the experience.
• Chiyo told Sasori that Sunagakure had joined the war for profit and resources, not simply to support Konoha.
• Chiyo explained that she, Ebizo, Sasori's parents, and the Third Kazekage had all supported war to break Sunagakure's stagnant development.
• Chiyo told Sasori not to hate the Third Kazekage, embraced him, and said she had always wanted to revive his parents and that hope remained.

Chiyo tried to guide Sasori away from his dark path by explaining his parents’ sacrifice and exposing him to the cruelty of war, while promising that he might see them again through the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu. After the Third Hokage refused to teach her the forbidden technique, he arranged for her request to reach Tsunade, leaving its fate to Jingyi.

• Chiyo told Sasori that his parents had willingly fought for Sunagakure and said the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu might let him see them again.
• Chiyo led Sasori away as Iwagakure ninja tracked them, and he was wounded when fighting broke out.
• Chiyo explained to the Third Hokage that she wanted the jutsu to fulfill Sasori’s wish, but he refused to teach it and suggested she ask Jingyi through Tsunade.
• The Third Hokage arranged for Chiyo to write to Tsunade, and the letter reached Tsunade, who read it in silence.

Tsunade contacted Jingyi about Chiyo’s request to use the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, and he directed her to Orochimaru, whom he believed had already studied it. Orochimaru confirmed he had copied and researched the forbidden jutsu, leaving Tsunade stunned.

• Tsunade sent Mikoto Uchiha away and used a puppet to contact Jingyi about Chiyo’s request to use the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
• Jingyi told Tsunade to ask Orochimaru and said that strengthening ties with Sunagakure could help Konoha after the war.
• Tsunade ordered Mikoto to summon Orochimaru to the Hokage Office.
• Orochimaru reviewed the puppet’s recording, left his underground laboratory, and went to see Tsunade.
• Tsunade confronted Orochimaru, who admitted he had copied the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu from the forbidden jutsu scroll and researched it.

Tsunade confronted Orochimaru over secretly learning the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, then asked him to use it to help Chiyo reach her grandson Sasori. Jingyi reflected on Chiyo’s desperation and challenged Pakura to grill fish with her fire ability.

• Tsunade demanded that Orochimaru explain why he had learned the forbidden jutsu, and he said he sought the origin of life and eternal life.
• Tsunade threatened to have Jingyi kill Orochimaru if he used the jutsu carelessly or against anyone, and Orochimaru agreed not to misuse it.
• Tsunade told Orochimaru that Chiyo wanted to use the jutsu so Sasori could meet his deceased parents, and Orochimaru said he could perform it if the required materials and sacrifice were prepared.
• Tsunade forbade Orochimaru from consulting forbidden jutsu scrolls, explaining that she had given them to Jingyi.
• Jingyi considered how meeting Sasori’s parents might help Chiyo’s grandson and criticized Sunagakure’s sealing skills.
• Jingyi handed Pakura his catch and challenged her to grill fish using her fire ability.

Jingyi reassured the merchant caravan that it could sail through waters near the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning, then sent his giant snakes to escort it. After Gold Fang and Black Fang appeared, Jingyi left with them while Pakura stayed aboard the ship.

• Jingyi told the caravan manager to sail through the dangerous waters and said his Summoning Beast would protect the caravan.
• Gold Fang emerged from the sea, frightening the crew before the caravan manager explained that it was Jingyi's Summoning Beast.
• Black Fang surfaced after Gold Fang called for it, and Jingyi told the crew that it belonged to his disciple and would not hurt them.
• Jingyi noticed Gold Fang was much larger than Black Fang, then left the ship with both snakes while Pakura remained aboard.

Jingyi escorted a merchant caravan through a sea battle between Kirigakure and Kumogakure, keeping both sides from attacking while the ships passed. Yagura ordered Kirigakure to let the caravan through, while the Third Raikage angrily questioned Konoha’s decision to assign Jingyi to merchant protection.

• Jingyi learned that Gold Fang had grown larger than Black Fang after eating the giant turtle Kushina killed, and warned both snakes to keep the incident secret.
• Gold Fang and Black Fang reached a battle between Kirigakure and Kumogakure and told both sides to make way for Jingyi’s caravan.
• The Kumogakure Jonin urged Jingyi to attack Kirigakure, but Jingyi refused, explaining that he was there to protect the caravan and would remain neutral.
• Both villages’ shinobi withdrew, allowing the caravan to sail through the war zone toward Kirigakure.
• Yagura ordered Kirigakure to let the caravan pass safely, while the Third Raikage angrily complained that Konoha had sent Jingyi to escort merchants.

Jingyi escorted a merchant caravan safely through the Land of Water and met with Yagura in Kirigakure. Yagura bought the standard-priced information about Perfect Jinchūriki, then left to study it.

• The Third Raikage ordered Kumogakure to let Jingyi’s caravan pass safely through its waters.
• Jingyi and the merchants arrived in Kirigakure without inspections or obstruction.
• Yagura visited Jingyi at the inn and explained that he had adopted a stern expression to gain acceptance as Mizukage.
• Yagura asked for information about Perfect Jinchūriki, and Jingyi insisted that Kirigakure pay for it.
• Yagura paid the standard price and departed, while Pakura remarked that she found him strange.

After completing a safe caravan escort through the Land of Wind, the Land of Water, and the Land of Lightning, Jingyi returned to Konoha and learned that merchants wanted to hire him for more high-paying protection commissions. He agreed that the village should accept them all and planned to use his puppets, backed by coordinating Jonin, to protect the caravans.

• Jingyi and Pakura stayed in Kirigakure until the caravan finished its business, then traveled with it to Kumogakure without trouble.
• Jingyi escorted the caravan safely through Kumogakure and back to Konoha, completing the commission.
• Tsunade told Jingyi that merchants were flooding Konoha with high-paying caravan protection commissions and wanted him to handle them.
• Jingyi told Tsunade to accept every commission and explained that he would send puppets with coordinating Jonin to protect the caravans.
• Tsunade realized the village could take on all the commissions, though she remained stunned by Jingyi's plan.