Recaps

Sōji examined the powers awakened in him by Kaguya’s origin chakra and tested his Wood Release and All-Killing Ash Bones. He rested before the full ANBU assembly, leaving his reunion with Tsunade for another time.

• Sōji sensed that his chakra had grown to Super-Kage levels and demonstrated his Wood Release by growing a sapling in his palm.
• Sōji tested All-Killing Ash Bones, which weathered a teapot into powder, and recognized that using the technique placed a severe burden on his body.
• Sōji held Tsunade’s necklace and said he would give her a better one, then went to sleep before the three o’clock ANBU assembly.
• Sōji’s system panel showed his Super-Kage strength, Legendary All-Killing Ash Bones, Proficient Wood Release, and other abilities.

Sōji introduced himself as the new commander of the Hidden Mist ANBU and demanded that all missions receive his and Ao’s approval. Wolf Demon and Bear Yaksha challenged his authority, leading thirty-four members of the First and Third Squads to face him while the Second and Fourth Squads watched.

• Sōji addressed the sixty-eight ANBU members and declared that the ANBU would be under his command, with missions requiring approval from him and Ao.
• Wolf Demon mocked Sōji’s age and appointment, identifying himself as the First Squad captain and demanding that Sōji prove he was qualified.
• Bear Yaksha said he accepted Sōji’s appointment but would not take orders from him until he earned the squad’s acceptance.
• Wolf Demon and Bear Yaksha stepped forward, followed by all thirty-four members of their squads, ready to fight Sōji.
• The Second Squad captain stayed back to observe, while Yuri and the Fourth Squad remained still because they served the Mizukage.

Sōji challenged thirty-four Hidden Mist ANBU to attack him together on an isolated island and began fighting them. He left two squads of ANBU injured within moments as the rest rushed to surround him.

• Sōji told the ANBU to face him together and chose an uninhabited island east of the village for the battle.
• Wolf Demon and Bear Yaksha led the thirty-four ANBU to the island while Ao stayed behind to maintain order.
• Sōji removed his blindfold and used his speed to slip past Wolf Demon and attack the ANBU formation.
• Sōji disabled Water Monkey Yaksha by piercing his hand and then firing five phalanx bullets into his chest.
• Sōji struck Red Demon and sent him crashing into Blue Demon, leaving both Chunin unable to rise.

Sōji fought the ANBU force on the island, freezing and disabling most of its members while sparing their vital organs. Wolf Demon and Bear Yaksha then unleashed their full abilities and attacked him together, revealing speed and durability that brought them close to ordinary Kage Level combat power.

• Sōji raised an Earth-Style Wall to withstand the ANBU's attacks, then froze more than ten members with Extreme Cold Storm.
• Sōji used Dance of the Willow and his bone weapons to defeat more than half of the ANBU while avoiding Wolf Demon and Bear Yaksha.
• Wolf Demon and Bear Yaksha charged Sōji after he challenged them to keep fighting.
• Wolf Demon entered Full Release and struck at Sōji with two rapid draw slashes, but Sōji evaded both by reading his movements.
• Bear Yaksha blocked Sōji's counterattack with his armored arm, and Sōji discovered that the damage healed within seconds.

Sōji confronted Wolf Demon and Bear Yaksha, identifying the weaknesses of their Swift Release and Steel Release abilities before launching a heavy bone spear and stopping Wolf Demon’s killing thrust with an Ice Wall. The Tachi shattered against the frozen wall, leaving the clash unresolved.

• Sōji explained that Wolf Demon’s Swift Release made him fast but limited his ability to turn, while Bear Yaksha’s Steel Release left him slow and vulnerable at his joints and neck.
• Sōji drew a hardened bone spear, increased its weight with the Added-Weight Rock Technique, and hurled it at Bear Yaksha.
• Bear Yaksha blocked the spear with his body and hands, but the impact cracked the ground and left him badly shaken.
• Wolf Demon launched his Godspeed Thrust at Sōji while Bear Yaksha blocked the routes Sōji could use to escape.
• Sōji formed an Ice Wall with Ice Formation: Frost Wall, and Wolf Demon’s Tachi shattered when it pierced the freezing barrier.

Sōji defeated Wolf Demon and Bear Yaksha in a training fight, then returned to Kirigakure with the battered ANBU squads. He set their training and recovery schedules and left as the new ANBU headquarters neared completion.

• Sōji knocked Wolf Demon unconscious and broke Bear Yaksha’s wrist before throwing him across the island.
• Sōji checked Wolf Demon, gave Bear Yaksha bandages, and assured him he would recover within a few days.
• Sōji walked back to Kirigakure as the defeated ANBU members followed, while Bear Yaksha carried the unconscious Wolf Demon.
• Ao assembled the ANBU, and Sōji ordered training to resume the next day and set the squads’ return-to-duty dates.
• Ao left to assist Mei Terumi, and Sōji tied on his blindfold and headed for the inn as construction continued on the ANBU headquarters.

Sōji reviewed ANBU operations and learned that Hozuki Mangetsu was among the missing rogue ninjas the village hoped to bring back. He entered the Kaguya Clan's hidden chamber and deciphered a stele linking the Kaguya and Hyuga bloodlines to Hamura Otsutsuki, leaving him with knowledge that their powers could be combined to attain All Things.

• Sōji reviewed ANBU reports with Ao, who explained that Hozuki Mangetsu had defected with his younger brother and remained unlocated.
• Sōji told Ao to continue searching for Mangetsu without rushing, and ordered weekly reports on coastal surveillance near the Land of Wind.
• Sōji entered the Kaguya Clan's hidden basement using Shikotsumyaku to open its sealed stone door.
• Sōji read the stele's account of Hamura Otsutsuki's descendants, the Hyuga and Kaguya clans, and the changes to their inherited powers.
• Sōji learned that the Hyuga's Byakugan and the Kaguya's God Tree Body could be combined to attain All Things.

Sōji rejected the idea of pursuing the Hyuga bloodline until he could rule out Black Zetsu’s influence, and decided to raise his strength through the Jujutsu System. He accepted an S-Rank mission against pirates in the Land of Wind and planned to take Karin along for her first real combat experience.

• Sōji examined the Kaguya Clan monument and suspected Black Zetsu might be using it to tempt him toward the Hyuga Clan’s pure Byakugan bloodline.
• Sōji decided to hunt hostile ninja and other dangerous enemies to gain Cursed Energy and reach Special Grade before pursuing the Tenseigan or Wood Release.
• Ao told Sōji that Mei Terumi had requested a meeting, then handed him an S-Rank mission report about pirates led by a rogue Sunagakure Jonin.
• Sōji chose the pirate mission and told Ao they would leave at dawn with Karin and four ANBU members.
• Sōji told Karin she would join the mission for practical combat training, and she eagerly resumed practicing her Binding Formula.

Sōji met with Mei Terumi, who asked him to prioritize reconciling with Hozuki Mangetsu and other rogue ninja while planning a joint mission with Sunagakure. He prepared to take Karin and four ANBU members to fight pirates, intending to use the mission to show Sunagakure that Hidden Mist had recovered from the Blood Mist era.

• Mei Terumi told Sōji to capture rogue ninja alive and persuade them to return, especially Hozuki Mangetsu, who had been driven out during the Blood Mist era.
• Mei Terumi explained that Sunagakure had requested help suppressing pirates along the Land of Wind’s southern coast after a Jonin was killed and earlier campaigns failed.
• Sōji accepted the mission and planned to bring four ANBU members and Karin, using her presence as the Three-Tails Jinchūriki to demonstrate Hidden Mist’s renewed strength to Sunagakure.
• Mei Terumi told Sōji that Tsunade had replied “Get lost!” after she wrote that he was an official in Hidden Mist.
• Ao gave Sōji Tsunade’s note demanding that he return her necklace, and Sōji left planning to visit her after the mission.

Yamada Soji and his Hidden Mist ANBU team reached Sand Sea City to begin an S-rank joint mission with Sunagakure. Baki welcomed them and escorted them toward the garrison, promising to provide the mission details later.

• Wolf Demon questioned why Yamada Soji had brought Karin, but Soji said she was more useful than him.
• The team sailed for six days from Mistcape Port to Sand Sea City while Soji trained and Karin practiced with the ANBU and communicated with the Three-Tails.
• Yamada Soji assessed Sand Sea City's defenses and recognized Sunagakure Elite Jōnin Baki waiting with four ANBU at the docks.
• Baki introduced himself as the Kazekage's appointed liaison for the joint mission and invited the Hidden Mist team to rest at the garrison.
• Yamada Soji accepted Baki's offer and led his team from the docks.

Sōji learned the details of Sunagakure’s joint operation against a pirate group led by rogue ninjas, including Pakura’s younger sister, Ye Tong. He accepted the mission and planned to sail for the pirates’ waters the next morning, despite Baki’s warning about Ye Tong’s strength.

• Baki led Sōji, Karin, and the Hidden Mist ANBU to their base in Sand Sea City and handed Sōji a scroll of intelligence.
• Baki explained that the pirates had grown to several hundred members and were led by two puppet masters and Ye Tong, a Scorch Release user and Pakura’s younger sister.
• Baki described the pirates’ seized islands, stolen Sandwave flagship, and raids that appeared designed to implicate the Land of Wind and provoke conflict with the Land of Water.
• Baki said Sunagakure wanted Hidden Mist to help destroy the pirates but insisted that Sunagakure deal with Ye Tong itself.
• Sōji declined to promise Ye Tong to Sunagakure and requested a ship for the outer waters the next morning; Baki said he would accompany him.
• As Baki left, he warned Sōji that Ye Tong’s Scorch Release had surpassed Pakura’s, and Sōji wondered if Baki had threatened him.

Sōji explained to Karin why Pakura and Ye Tong hated both Sunagakure and Hidden Mist, then studied intelligence about the pirate stronghold and its dangerous leader. The next morning, Sōji led his Hidden Mist team aboard a joint expedition with Baki, departing toward the pirates’ island.

• Sōji told Karin that Sunagakure had betrayed Pakura and Hidden Mist had killed her, leaving Ye Tong driven by hatred of both villages and her own weakness.
• Karin resolved to become useful to Sōji and returned indoors to practice Sealing Technique.
• Sōji read Baki’s intelligence scroll, learning about the pirates’ numbers, defenses, warship, and Ye Tong’s Scorch Release abilities.
• Baki met Sōji’s team at the docks and recognized the Divine Robe as a sign that Sōji was a Mizukage candidate.
• Sōji, Karin, and the ANBU boarded a Sand Falcon-class warship with Baki’s Hidden Sand ANBU and sailed toward the pirates’ island.

Sōji outlined the joint assault on the pirate stronghold, assigning teams to clear three outposts before attacking the main island and capturing the Sandwave as evidence of a connection to someone in the Land of Wind. As the operation neared its first target, Karin sensed an unexpected force, and more than a dozen pirate ships emerged from the mist to encircle the warship.

• Sōji assigned Baki and two ANBU to the western outpost, Wolf Demon and Kite to the due-west outpost, and Bear Yaksha and Carp to the southwest outpost, with all three teams ordered to prevent warnings from being sent.
• Sōji tasked Karin with monitoring chakra across the islands using her Mind's Eye of the Kagura and a Sensing Talisman.
• Sōji agreed to let Sunagakure confront Ye Tong first, while Hidden Mist would handle the other enemies and capture the Sandwave intact.
• As the warship approached the outposts at dawn, Karin confirmed the expected chakra distributions, then sensed many signatures moving from the main island and interference with her ability.
• More than a dozen pirate ships emerged from the mist and encircled the warship, prompting Baki to suspect that the operation's intelligence had leaked.

Sōji’s team and the Hidden Sand ANBU overwhelmed the pirates around Outpost Island until Ye Tong arrived and drove them back with her Scorch Release. The group regrouped offshore and prepared to land, while Sōji decided to observe Ye Tong further before killing her.

• Sōji ordered the team to abandon its original plan and attack the approaching pirate ships, leaving Karin aboard the warship to provide sensory support.
• Baki, the Hidden Sand ANBU, Wolf Demon, Bear Yaksha, Kite, and Carp slaughtered the pirates as Karin tracked enemies and warned her allies of approaching chakra.
• Ye Tong arrived from the main island and unleashed Scorch Release, forcing the Hidden Mist and Hidden Sand fighters to defend themselves against her blazing attack.
• Ye Tong ordered the surviving pirates and rogue ninja to retreat, then returned to the fortified island through a narrow channel surrounded by hidden reefs.
• Sōji’s team regrouped offshore, and Sōji ordered everyone to rest and treat their injuries before landing while he chose to watch Ye Tong longer.

Sōji asked Karin to release the Three-Tails so it could help against Ye Tong, whose chakra was gathering in a workshop on the main island. Karin called on Isobu and gained its cooperation, leaving the Three-Tails ready to lend her its chakra.

• As the warship remained silent after the battle, Sōji noticed Karin was frightened but still holding her position at the bow.
• Karin told Sōji that Ye Tong was in the main island's largest workshop and that the Three-Tails had been awake the whole time.
• Sōji told Karin to let the Three-Tails out, shocking the others and revealing to them that Karin was its Jinchūriki.
• Karin entered her inner world and asked Isobu to help her face the powerful enemy.
• Isobu asked Karin to call it Big Brother Isobu, then agreed to help and lifted her onto its head as its chakra surged into her body.

Karin transformed into the Three-Tails’ Jinchūriki as Sōji helped control the violent chakra. The Three-Tails unleashed a Tailed Beast Ball that erased Outpost Island, leaving the surrounding forces stunned by its power.

• Sōji used Wood Release chakra to heal Karin and guide her as the Three-Tails’ chakra enveloped her.
• Karin leaped from the warship, and Isobu emerged in its full form, roaring across the sea and terrifying the defenders and pirates.
• The Three-Tails gathered chakra for a Tailed Beast Ball while Sōji stood on its head and Karin shared its senses.
• The Three-Tails fired the Tailed Beast Ball at the center of Outpost Island, vaporizing the island and everything on it.

Sōji ordered an assault on the main island after Three-Tails’ Tailed Beast Ball erased Outpost Island and its defenders. As the Hidden Mist and Sunagakure forces advanced and cleared the island, Baki headed for the stronghold while Ye Tong prepared to face the approaching attackers with her remaining followers.

• Three-Tails’ Tailed Beast Ball destroyed Outpost Island, leaving a vast crater and silencing the warship’s crew.
• Sōji ordered everyone to land and led Three-Tails toward the main island, with the Hidden Mist and Sunagakure forces following.
• Sōji sent Wolf Demon and Bear Yaksha to clear strong enemies while Kite and Carp cut off escape routes; the four began attacking the island’s defenders.
• Baki led the Sunagakure team toward the stronghold’s core to confront Ye Tong.
• Ye Tong gathered Sand Ant, Bone Shuttle, and her remaining followers at the foot of the central mountain, preparing to defend her last escape route.

Ye Tong revealed a giant formed from Scorch Release chakra and attacked the Hidden Sand ANBU before fleeing into the air with Sōji in pursuit. The remaining shinobi and pirates fought across the clearing as the battle spread into an all-out melee.

• Sōji and the others surrounded Ye Tong, who mocked his claim to be the next Mizukage and covered herself in Scorch Release chakra.
• Ye Tong formed the Scorch Release Giant, a towering construct resembling Susanoo, and fired at the Hidden Sand ANBU, killing two.
• Ye Tong used explosions and dust to escape upward, challenged Sōji to follow, and he pursued her.
• Sand Ant's puppet attacked Bear Yaksha, who blocked its mandibles with hardened arms and smashed its head with a punch.
• Bone Shuttle attacked Wolf Demon with a bone barrage, but Wolf Demon countered and pierced Bone Shuttle's shoulder while Kite and Carp attacked.
• Baki directed the remaining Hidden Sand ANBU against the pirates as shinobi and elite pirates clashed in a full-scale melee.

Sōji confronted Ye Tong outside the mine and used Ice Formation to suppress her Scorch Release Giant, then broke through its attacks and reached her. He recognized that her anger was really aimed at Sunagakure’s leaders for sacrificing Pakura, and the chapter ended as he confronted her with that truth.

• Sōji removed his blindfold and used Ice Formation: Frost Force and Melon to freeze the Scorch Release Giant’s right arm.
• Ye Tong swept at Sōji with the giant’s left arm, but he raised a Water Formation Wall to contain the lava.
• Sōji ran up the frozen arm and shattered the giant’s incoming fist with Bone Release: Chakra Enhanced Strength Fist.
• Ye Tong restored the giant’s frozen arm, but Sōji reached its chest and chose not to attack her.
• Sōji told Ye Tong that her hatred was directed at Rasa and Sunagakure’s leaders for using Pakura as a bargaining chip and concealing her fate.

Sōji persuaded Ye Tong to join Hidden Mist by offering to help her overthrow Rasa and become the Fifth Kazekage. After the mission, Ye Tong left with Sōji, while Baki accepted the outcome and Karin sensed their return.

• Sōji confronted Ye Tong with her anger over Pakura’s death and offered to help her take revenge on Sunagakure’s leaders.
• Ye Tong accepted Sōji’s offer and asked him to spare Baki and the other Hidden Sand shinobi.
• Sōji treated Ye Tong, then returned with her to the battlefield, where the pirates had been defeated and the surviving fighters were in Hidden Mist’s control.
• Sōji told Baki that Ye Tong had surrendered to Hidden Mist and declared the mission complete; Baki reluctantly agreed.
• Ye Tong told Baki that Sunagakure could never repay what it owed her sister, then followed Sōji toward the shore.
• Karin sensed Sōji and Ye Tong approaching and told the Three-Tails that they had returned.

Sōji returned to Kirigakure with Ye Tong and persuaded Mei Terumi to recruit her, then proposed an independent ANBU unit to handle top-tier threats. Mei Terumi approved the Zero Squad Shadow Guard, leaving Sōji to choose its final member and arrange its base and uniforms.

• Sōji arrived in Kirigakure with Karin, Ye Tong, Wolf Demon, Bear Yaksha, Kite, and Carp, while Ye Tong waited outside Mei Terumi's office.
• Sōji told Mei Terumi that Sunagakure had not challenged his taking Ye Tong after the Three-Tails appeared, and she agreed to let him recruit Ye Tong.
• Sōji proposed creating a seven-person ANBU Zero Squad Shadow Guard to handle Kage-level threats and named Karin and Ye Tong as candidates.
• Sōji argued for recruiting Hozuki Mangetsu, Zabuza Momochi, and Utakata, and Mei Terumi accepted his plan for a squad directly under the Mizukage.
• Mei Terumi signed and sealed the proposal, officially establishing the Zero Squad Shadow Guard, while Sōji still had to select its seventh member.

Sōji reviewed Mei Terumi’s updated list of ninja who defected during the Blood Mist Era and settled into the Kaguya Clan Grounds with the Shadow Guard. He prepared the new unit to begin operations with Karin and Ye Tong as its first members.

• Mei Terumi gave Sōji Ao’s classified list of defectors and asked him to handle the cases cleanly.
• Sōji brought Ye Tong to the Kaguya Clan Grounds and told her she would live there as the Shadow Guard’s second member.
• After clearing accumulated ANBU paperwork, Sōji reviewed the list and flagged Raiga Kurosuki for further assessment while noting Kushimaru Kuriarare’s crimes.
• Sōji returned to find Karin studying Sealing Techniques and told her she was the Shadow Guard’s first member, with Ye Tong as the second.
• Sōji wrote Karin and Ye Tong onto the ANBU Zero Squad roster and announced that the Shadow Guard would begin operating the next day.

Achun reported Yamada Trading Company's rapid growth in the Land of Water and its plans for handling loans to Sōji. Meanwhile, Kirigakure rebuilt the Kaguya Clan Grounds into a guarded ANBU base, though its training ground was designed to give people time to escape rather than withstand a Tailed Beast Ball.

• Achun described the profitable Mistcape Port and Kirigakure stores, the reopened Land of Crafts trade route, and Yamada Trading Company's strong growth in the Land of Water.
• Achun wrote to Sōji about Lady Tsunade's expenses, the Land of Fire Bank's improved credit terms, and her plan to negotiate a new trade loan in Kumogakure.
• Kirigakure's ANBU logistics unit demolished the damaged Kaguya Clan Grounds wall and rebuilt it with a sensory Barrier designed by Ao, linked to Karin's duty room.
• The logistics unit replaced the ruined Kaguya residence with a two-story main building based on Sōji's plans.
• The logistics unit constructed a reinforced training ground that could not withstand a Tailed Beast Ball but was intended to allow time for evacuation.

Sōji completed the Kaguya Clan grounds’ training barrier and assigned Karin and Ye Tong an S-Rank mission to drive a pod of Unicorn Giant Whales away from Kirigakure’s shipping lanes. The two set out at dawn, with Ye Tong reassuring a frightened but determined Karin.

• Sōji activated all six Sealing Pillars, completing the barrier over the training ground and restoring the Kaguya Clan grounds as his home.
• The ANBU assigned the Shadow Guard an S-Rank mission to drive six Unicorn Giant Whales away from Kirigakure’s southeastern waters before they reached the harbor.
• Sōji assigned Karin and Ye Tong to the mission, and both agreed to leave the next morning.
• Karin prepared her ninja tools and arrived at the training ground before dawn, where Ye Tong promised to protect her.
• Ye Tong and Karin headed toward the clan grounds’ main gate to begin the mission.

Karin and Ye Tong approached a pod of Unicorn Giant Whales and killed its male leader with a precise Scorch Release strike. The three females cried out in confusion as the leader sank beneath the sea, leaving the calves’ fate unresolved.

• Karin sensed six Unicorn Giant Whales migrating toward Hidden Mist Port and identified the male leader’s chakra and the calves’ position.
• Ye Tong ordered the warship to stop and explained that Karin would lead the mission and decide whether to kill or drive away the remaining whales.
• Karin and Ye Tong ran across the water toward the pod, and Karin located the male leader’s exposed chakra core beneath its horn.
• Ye Tong fired a compressed Scorch Release particle into the core, killing the male leader instantly.
• The three females cried out as the leader sank beneath the water, and the center of the pod was left empty.