Recaps

Ōnoki used Dust Release to wipe out Kumogakure ninja, enraging the Third Raikage and driving him to attack the Iwagakure forces. As the Iwagakure ninja fled toward Kirigakure, Ōnoki kept the Raikage occupied and reconsidered what it meant to stand firm.

• Ōnoki struck the Kumogakure forces with Dust Release, killing every ninja caught in its beam.
• The Third Raikage charged into the Iwagakure army, breaking through their attacks without injury.
• An Iwagakure ninja urged his comrades to flee, claiming it was a strategic retreat, and another joked that he would take care of their wives and children.
• The Iwagakure ninja fled toward Kirigakure, while Ōnoki blocked the Third Raikage's pursuit with another Dust Release attack.
• Ōnoki realized that stubbornly holding out against impossible odds could be a form of stupidity.

Ōnoki and the Third Raikage realized Kirigakure might have stolen the Tail-Locking Seal and turned toward its retreating forces. The Third Mizukage discovered Kirigakure had only received a fake seal, but Ōnoki and A attacked the camp, prompting him to summon reinforcements and order them to fight.

• Ōnoki denied taking the Tail-Locking Seal, and he and the Third Raikage considered whether Kirigakure had stolen it.
• Ōnoki spotted Kirigakure retreating toward the shore and flew after them, while the Third Raikage learned Kirigakure was withdrawing and decided to pursue it too.
• The Third Mizukage examined the seal and realized it was a fake, then Genji wondered whether Kirigakure had been set up.
• Ōnoki destroyed Kirigakure's ships with Dust Release, and the Third Raikage charged into the camp and demanded the seal from the Third Mizukage.
• The Third Mizukage ordered Kirigakure ninja to hold Ōnoki and the Third Raikage while signaling the forces on Cangming Island to assemble in the Land of Whirlpools.

The fight over the Tail-Locking Seal drew Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure into a bloody battle at the Land of Whirlpools. Danzo received the surviving Uzumaki on the eastern coast of the Land of Fire and ordered them taken to Konoha, where he hoped they would establish a new clan.

• Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure fought over the Tail-Locking Seal, and the Third Raikage, Ōnoki, and the Third Mizukage led their forces into battle at the Land of Whirlpools' harbor.
• Danzo told Hatake Sakumo that Konoha would receive refugees rather than fight the Allied Shinobi Forces, and Sakumo understood that Konoha hoped to bring the Uzumaki Clan into the village.
• Battered ships carrying the surviving young members of the Uzumaki Clan reached the Land of Fire's eastern coast.
• Kushina Uzumaki asked Danzo and Hatake Sakumo for help after fleeing the destruction of her homeland.
• Danzo ordered Konoha's medical ninja to treat the Uzumaki survivors and arrange their escort to Konoha.

Hanzo of the Salamander was persuaded to lead Amegakure toward the battle in hopes of claiming the Tail-Locking Seal and making the other villages submit. At the port, the Third Mizukage and the Third Raikage fought until Ōnoki diverted the Mizukage’s flood into a deep pit.

• An Amegakure ninja urged Hanzo of the Salamander to seize the Land of Rain’s chance to rise while the great villages were at war.
• Hanzo of the Salamander promoted the flattering ninja to squad leader and ordered Amegakure to head for the battlefield.
• The Third Mizukage fired Water Gun Technique at Ōnoki, forcing him to dodge in the air.
• The Third Raikage charged the Third Mizukage with Hell Stab: Three-Finger Nukite as the Mizukage unleashed Great Waterfall Technique.
• Ōnoki used Earth Moving Core to open a deep pit and drain the flood before it could overwhelm the battlefield.

The Third Mizukage, Third Raikage A, and Ōnoki fought while Kirigakure’s mist and attacks battered their enemies. A poisonous mist then felled ninja from every village, and Hanzo of the Salamander revealed that he and Amegakure had released it.

• Ōnoki attacked the Third Raikage during the three Kage-level fighters’ stalemated battle.
• Kirigakure used the Hidden Mist Technique and Silent Killing Technique to inflict heavy losses on Kumogakure and Iwagakure.
• A pale-purple poisonous mist spread across the battlefield, causing ninja from all three villages to collapse.
• The Third Raikage and Third Mizukage accused Kirigakure of poisoning the battlefield, but Ōnoki spotted poison vapor rising from the sea and warned everyone.
• Hanzo of the Salamander rose from the sea with masked Amegakure ninja and claimed responsibility for the poison.

Hanzo of the Salamander explained why he had attacked the Great Shinobi Villages and vowed to kill everyone gathered, while Ibuse’s poison weakened the Kage and their forces. Ōnoki proposed joining Hanzo to conquer the other nations, but a cold voice interrupted the negotiations.

• Hanzo of the Salamander threatened to kill everyone present and revealed that Ibuse’s poison grew stronger over time.
• The Third Raikage and Third Mizukage tried to fight back but found themselves severely weakened by the poison.
• Ōnoki decided to exploit the weakened Raikage and Mizukage and proposed an alliance with Hanzo to divide the Shinobi World.
• A cold voice interrupted Ōnoki, accusing the gathered shinobi of dividing the Shinobi World behind Konoha’s back.

Shimura Danzō arrived with Hatake Sakumo and two thousand Konoha Ninja to confront the villages that had attacked the Land of Whirlpools. He forced Kirigakure and Kumogakure to release their captured Uzumaki, while Ōnoki and Hanzo of the Salamander withdrew without fighting.

• Shimura Danzō condemned the Three Great Shinobi Villages for attacking the Uzumaki Clan and traded insults with Hanzo of the Salamander and Ōnoki.
• Danzō attacked Ōnoki with Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere, then reminded the Third Raikage A that Kumogakure had once attacked Konoha during peace talks.
• Danzō demanded that the villages release every captured Uzumaki or face Konoha's two thousand Ninja in battle.
• The Third Mizukage ordered Kirigakure to withdraw and release its captives, and the Third Raikage sent Kumogakure away with the Uzumaki it had captured.
• Ōnoki left the Land of Whirlpools after Danzō warned that Konoha's army would settle its scores with Iwagakure later.
• Hatake Sakumo ordered Hanzo of the Salamander to leave, and Hanzo withdrew with his Amegakure Ninja.

Tsunade and Jiraiya urged Konoha to avenge the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, while Hiruzen Sarutobi argued against risking another war. Danzo and Uchiha Setsuna condemned Hiruzen, and the meeting ended with everyone looking to Kagami Uchiha.

• Tsunade demanded that Konoha avenge the Uzumaki Clan, and Jiraiya supported her call to defend Konoha's ally and reputation.
• Senju Bu offered to lead the Senju into battle, while Uchiha Setsuna said he would gather his clan to fight alongside them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi urged the leaders to avoid war and said Danzo had rescued Uzumaki survivors who were now safe in Konoha.
• Danzo rebuked Hiruzen for retreating from the insult to Konoha and questioned his commitment to the Will of Fire.
• Uchiha Setsuna insulted Hiruzen and stormed out, slamming the door as the room turned its attention to Kagami Uchiha.

Kagami Uchiha put Konoha on a war footing and declared that it would fight Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure. In the Mountain Graveyard, Madara Uchiha learned of Konoha’s preparations and welcomed the coming war, leaving the conflict poised to spread.

• Kagami Uchiha ordered Konoha’s forces to prepare for war against Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure.
• Konoha’s leaders and forces began carrying out Kagami’s orders as the village shifted onto a war footing.
• Black Zetsu reported to Madara Uchiha that Konoha had rescued Uzumaki survivors and was preparing for war.
• Madara Uchiha dismissed the survivors’ hopes of restoring the Land of Whirlpools and welcomed the growing conflict.
• White Zetsu asked whether the fighting might reach them, and Madara revealed his Rinnegan and declared he feared no one.

Hatake Sakumo met Uchiha Yukiho in the Uchiha Clan Compound, and she invited him to share her mung bean soup. In Tanzaku Town, Tsunade lost at gambling and told Kagami Uchiha that the dice reminded her of her late grandfather.

• Hatake Sakumo ran into Uchiha Yukiho while visiting Kagami Uchiha and accepted her offer to try mung bean soup.
• Uchiha Yukiho told Hatake Sakumo that Kagami was likely away after Princess Tsunade had visited that morning.
• Tsunade kept gambling in Tanzaku Town, and Kagami Uchiha lent her more chips after warning that she could lose her monthly pay.
• After they left the casino, Tsunade told Kagami Uchiha that gambling brought back happy memories of playing with her grandfather.
• Kagami Uchiha comforted Tsunade and said he understood that gambling helped her remember someone she had lost.

Hanzo of the Salamander invaded the Land of Iron to seize its mines and prove Amegakure’s strength. Mifune led the country’s samurai to confront him, and the two forces prepared to fight in the snow.

• Hanzo of the Salamander led over a hundred Amegakure shinobi into the Land of Iron and seized several major mines.
• Mifune learned of the invasion and gathered the Land of Iron’s elite samurai.
• Hanzo’s force fortified a major mine and waited for the samurai to attack.
• Mifune led roughly five hundred samurai to face Hanzo’s shinobi across a snowfield.
• Hanzo declared that the strong survived and the weak died, and Mifune ordered the samurai to attack.

Mifune led the Land of Iron samurai against Hanzō and the Amegakure ninja, but Hanzō’s poison and fighting skill overwhelmed them. Mifune fell poisoned in the snow, leaving Hanzō unopposed in the Land of Iron.

• Mifune ordered the samurai to charge as Amegakure ninja attacked with Senbon and poisonous black rain.
• The samurai pushed the Amegakure ninja back, but Hanzō summoned Ibuse, whose Poison Mist killed warriors on both sides and sent many samurai fleeing.
• Mifune attacked Hanzō with his One Sword Style: Iaido—May Rain, and the two fought with sword and Scythe until they broke apart.
• Mifune realized Hanzō had poisoned him during their duel, spat black blood, and collapsed to his knees.
• Hanzō stood over the defeated Mifune, knowing no one in the Land of Iron could stop him.

Hanzō defeated Mifune in the Land of Iron but spared him and the surviving samurai after Mifune pleaded for their lives. News of the attack reached Ōnoki, who feared that Kumogakure was preparing to strike Iwagakure.

• Hanzō explained that Ibuse's poison had been implanted in him as a child, then defeated the poisoned Mifune and disarmed him.
• Mifune bowed and asked Hanzō to spare the samurai, and Hanzō gave him an antidote and ordered Amegakure's forces to withdraw.
• Mifune took the antidote and led the surviving samurai back to the Capital, wondering whether Hanzō could change the standing of the Land of Rain and the smaller nations.
• An Iwagakure subordinate reported Hanzō's attack to Ōnoki, who surmised that Hanzō might target the Land of Fire and Konoha.
• The subordinate reported that the Third Raikage was building up Kumogakure's forces and supplies, so Ōnoki recalled Iwagakure's Jonin and worried that Kumogakure might attack.

The Third Mizukage planned to exploit the coming conflict to attack Kirigakure’s bloodline clans, while the Third Raikage prepared to target Iwagakure. In Konoha, Kagami Uchiha sent Shimura Danzō to the Land of Grass as he warned that the Second Shinobi World War was near.

• The Third Mizukage learned that Hanzō had attacked the Land of Iron and resolved to use the turmoil to deal with Kirigakure’s bloodline clans.
• The Third Raikage ordered Dodai to gather Kumogakure’s Jonin and prepare for war against Iwagakure to avenge their losses in the Land of Whirlpools.
• The Third Raikage considered the danger posed by Konoha and Kagami Uchiha, then hoped Kagami would not interfere with Kumogakure’s war.
• Shimura Danzō told Kagami Uchiha that Hanzō’s attack had unfolded as predicted and asked to lead a team to the Land of Grass.
• Kagami sent Danzō with Tsunade and two others to stop Amegakure from crossing the Rain–Grass Border and warned him to watch for Ōnoki.
• Kagami predicted that Sunagakure might join the conflict and said the Second Shinobi World War was about to begin.

Kagami Uchiha reflected on the causes of war and formed a vision of uniting the Shinobi World under a shared purpose. In Sunagakure, Hanzo’s attacks on Sand caravans and defiant demands pushed Second Kazekage Shamon toward confrontation.

• Kagami Uchiha considered how rival nations and human ambition made lasting peace impossible, and imagined uniting the Shinobi World while turning the Ōtsutsuki Clan into a common enemy.
• Shamon monitored ore mining in Sunagakure and recalled how Hatake Sakumo’s scam had cost the village funding and left it unable to retaliate openly.
• A Sand Ninja reported that Amegakure forces had ambushed three caravans in the Land of Rain, killing more than twenty Sand escorts and seizing their cargo.
• The Sand Ninja said Hanzo had rejected Sunagakure’s demands and declared that Amegakure would charge passage tolls and claim the standing of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
• Shamon roared in fury and smashed the rock beneath his foot.

Shamon declared war on the Land of Rain after Sunagakure’s caravan was intercepted, while Konoha assessed how the conflict might draw in other nations. Hanzō rejected calls to back down and ordered Amegakure’s forces to the border, determined to defeat Sunagakure’s vanguard.

• Shamon ordered Sunagakure to halt mining, assemble its forces, and formally declare war on the Land of Rain.
• At Konoha’s camp, Orochimaru advised monitoring the Rain–Grass Border and Iwagakure, while Danzo chose to focus Konoha’s attention on Iwagakure.
• Shinoda told Hanzō that the Five Great Nations had been notified of the tolls on caravans, and Hanzō learned that Sunagakure had declared war.
• Amegakure leaders urged Hanzō to return the seized supplies and defuse the conflict, but he explained that he wanted to test the great nations and prove the Land of Rain’s strength.
• Hanzō ordered Amegakure’s forces to move to the border and prepare to meet the Sand Ninja; no one left the assembly hall.

During the war between Sunagakure and Amegakure, Hanzō found a young girl whose parents had been killed in the fighting and vowed to avenge them. He charged into the battlefield to kill the Sunagakure ninja and make them pay for invading the Land of Rain.

• Sunagakure and Amegakure ninja clashed in a rain-soaked village, where Sunagakure’s puppeteers and Iron Fan users gained ground against Amegakure’s defenders.
• A young girl mourned her dead parents amid the ruins as stray attacks injured her and weapons flew toward her.
• Hanzō intercepted the incoming weapons with his Chain Sickle and told the girl that her parents were dead.
• Hanzō promised to avenge the girl’s parents and protect the people of the Land of Rain from foreign armies.
• Hanzō rushed into the battlefield and killed Sunagakure ninja one by one with his Chain Sickle.

After Hanzō wiped out a Sand patrol, Shamon learned of the attack and ordered Sunagakure’s army to march on Amegakure. The chapter ended with the Sand forces preparing to confront Hanzō directly.

• Hanzō slaughtered the Sand Ninja on the battlefield and vowed to seek justice for the people of the Land of Rain.
• Niuji argued that Sunagakure had wisely avoided the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools and warned that Kagami Uchiha might retaliate against the villages involved.
• Shamon blamed Hatake Sakumo and Kagami Uchiha for Sunagakure’s losses and discussed Elder Chiyo’s mission to kill Hatake Sakumo.
• A messenger reported that Hanzō had killed all three Sand raiding squads, more than a hundred and eighty ninja, with precise strikes.
• Shamon ordered Sunagakure’s army to pack its supplies and march on Amegakure, declaring that he would face Hanzō himself.

At Konoha’s western front, Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Hatake Sakumo that Chiyo and Sunagakure might still target him over his past actions in the Land of Wind. After Sakumo led two squads toward Riftwind Valley to investigate a missing reconnaissance team, the chapter left their fate unknown.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi cautioned Hatake Sakumo against underestimating other nations and discussed Sakumo’s prospects as a future Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Sakumo that Chiyo had arrived and that Sunagakure still held a grudge over Sakumo’s financial scheme in the Land of Wind.
• Sakumo promised to protect Konoha and declared he would face Chiyo without fear before leaving to inspect the camp.
• A Konoha shinobi reported that a reconnaissance squad had lost contact near Riftwind Valley.
• Sakumo assembled two squads and led them at full speed toward Riftwind Valley.

Hatake Sakumo’s squad was ambushed by Sunagakure puppet masters in Riftwind Valley, where Chiyo revealed that she had prepared a trap to kill him. With five hundred Sand ninja blocking the valley’s exit, Yamashita Daimaru stepped in to protect Sakumo as Chiyo ordered Red Sand to attack.

• Hatake Sakumo led his squad into Riftwind Valley to search for their missing comrades, but Sunagakure puppets ambushed them and killed Koizumi.
• Hyuga Ten used his Byakugan to locate three puppet masters, and Sakumo drove them back until Red Sand’s crimson puppet blocked his attack.
• Sunagakure ninja surrounded the Konoha squad, and Yamashita Daimaru and Hyuga Ten urged Sakumo to escape while they covered him.
• Chiyo emerged, identified Sakumo, and revealed that five hundred elite Sunagakure ninja guarded the valley mouth.
• Chiyo ordered her son Red Sand to attack Sakumo, and Daimaru stood between them, declaring himself ready to fight.

Hatake Sakumo killed Saya and Red Sand during the battle with Chiyo’s forces, driving Chiyo to summon her Ten Puppets and vow revenge. As the Konoha squad prepared to protect Sakumo, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with reinforcements and confronted Chiyo.

• Yamashita Daimaru attacked Red Sand, but Chiyo intervened with a poison-laden technique until Hatake Sakumo shielded Daimaru with an Earth Flow Wall.
• Sakumo charged into the Sunagakure group and killed Saya, then killed Red Sand when he rushed at him in grief and rage.
• Chiyo mourned her son and daughter-in-law, swore vengeance on Sakumo, and summoned Chikamatsu’s Ten Puppets.
• Daimaru led the Konoha ninjas toward the fight, ready to sacrifice themselves to give Sakumo a chance to survive.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with Konoha’s main force after a devastating five-element attack on the Sand Ninja guarding the valley entrance, and challenged Chiyo.

Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived in Riftwind Valley and forced Chiyo to negotiate after destroying three of her puppets. After learning Sunagakure's main forces were fighting in the Land of Rain, Chiyo agreed to provide supplies and medicinal herbs before retreating, while vowing revenge against Hatake Sakumo.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with Konoha reinforcements and challenged Chiyo, declaring that he would not allow her to kill Konoha's young shinobi.
• Hiruzen summoned Enma and shattered three of Chiyo's puppets with the Adamantine Staff, then demanded that the Sand Ninja apologize to Koizumi.
• A Sand Ninja delivered news that Shamon and Sunagakure's main army were preparing for a decisive battle against Hanzo in the Land of Rain.
• Chiyo refused to make her troops kowtow but offered supplies and medicinal herbs as compensation, and Hiruzen accepted while warning Sunagakure not to attack Konoha again.
• Chiyo vowed to avenge her son and daughter-in-law by killing Hatake Sakumo, then ordered the Sand Ninja to retreat from Riftwind Valley.

Hiruzen Sarutobi reprimanded Hatake Sakumo for letting concern for his comrades cloud his judgment during the Battle of Riftwind Valley. Two days later, Kagami Uchiha reviewed the battle report, considered the village’s future leaders, and visited the Ninja Academy, where he spoke to the students about protecting Konoha.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi comforted Hatake Sakumo over his losses, then warned him that a commander could not let mercy dictate battlefield decisions.
• Kagami Uchiha read Hiruzen’s report on the Battle of Riftwind Valley and felt disappointed in Sakumo’s conduct, believing he needed to temper his heart to bear greater responsibilities.
• Kagami Uchiha considered potential successors, including Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, before learning that Kushina Uzumaki was enrolling at the Ninja Academy.
• Kagami Uchiha visited the Ninja Academy, greeted the students, and told them to train so they could protect Konoha and their families.
• When a student asked about going to the battlefield, Kagami Uchiha warned that entering combat before gaining sufficient skill would waste lives.

Kagami Uchiha visited the Ninja Academy class where Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze shared their dreams of becoming Hokage. He taught the children the meaning of the Will of Fire, leaving Kushina and Minato resolved to protect Konoha.

• Kushina Uzumaki introduced herself to Class 1-A, and her classmates mocked her red hair until she declared her dream of becoming the first female Hokage.
• Minato Namikaze stood and said he also wanted to become a Hokage everyone recognized.
• Kagami Uchiha arrived during his inspection, praised the children's ambitions, and urged Minato to train hard and serve the village.
• Kagami Uchiha explained how the Will of Fire passed between generations and called the children Konoha's future hope.
• Kushina and Minato took Kagami's words to heart as he left the classroom with the Anbu.

Shamon led Sunagakure’s army into the Land of Rain and confronted Hanzō’s forces in a river valley. After their armies clashed, Shamon and Hanzō began fighting one another, leaving their duel unresolved.

• Shamon’s three thousand Sand Ninja suffered losses from Amegakure ambushes as they advanced through the Land of Rain.
• A scout reported that Hanzō and Amegakure’s main force awaited the Sand Ninja in a river valley, and Shamon ordered an attack.
• Shamon unleashed Magnet Release: Quicksand Waterfall, but Hanzō countered with Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, which overwhelmed the sand.
• Shamon created a sandstorm and sent his army charging as Amegakure’s ninja met them with Water Release techniques.
• Shamon charged at Hanzō with a curved sword, and the two began their duel by clashing weapons.