Recaps

After the Daimyo of the Land of Grass demanded fifty percent more for their deal, Tetsuya decided to attack Kusagakure with Kakuzu before meeting him. The Daimyo and Lord Mui remained confident that Tetsuya would accept their new terms.

• Tetsuya and his companions arrived in the capital of the Land of Grass and met Kakuzu, who told them the Daimyo had changed the deal.
• Kakuzu explained that the Daimyo had raised his price after meeting with people from Kusagakure.
• Tetsuya asked Kakuzu about his reputation, then ordered him to help wipe out Kusagakure before they met the Daimyo.
• Kakuzu agreed to go with Tetsuya, who decided they would leave Izuna out of the plan.
• Lord Mui assured the Daimyo that Tetsuya would accept the higher price because he needed the partnership.

Tetsuya and Kakuzu attacked Kusagakure, with Tetsuya searching for possible Uzumaki descendants while they destroyed the village’s defenses. The chapter ended as Tetsuya’s Flame Emperor engulfed more than half of Kusagakure.

• Tetsuya warned Kakuzu to watch for Uzumaki descendants among Kusagakure’s people before they began their attack.
• Tetsuya used Lightning Release Chakra Mode to destroy the watchtowers and kill the guards.
• Kakuzu unleashed his compound Wind and Fire Release, sweeping Kusagakure’s ninja with a sea of flames.
• Tetsuya created a massive fireball and named it the Flame Emperor.
• Kusagakure’s remaining defenders gave up resisting as the Flame Emperor descended and engulfed more than half of the village.

Tetsuya used Sage Mode to destroy Kusagakure and hunt down its surviving Grass Ninja while Kakuzu followed. He found Karin Uzumaki’s imprisoned mother and gave her a way to escape, leaving her to begin a safer life outside the village.

• Kakuzu questioned Tetsuya’s Sage Mode and the destruction of Kusagakure, and Tetsuya explained that he had spared the prisoners.
• Tetsuya and Kakuzu went after the remaining Grass Ninja, and Tetsuya used clones to pursue those who had fled.
• Tetsuya sensed a prisoner’s location, broke into the room, and found Karin Uzumaki’s mother defending herself with a sharpened board.
• Tetsuya told Karin Uzumaki’s mother that Kusagakure had been destroyed and asked if she wanted to live; she said she wanted a proper life.
• Tetsuya gave Karin Uzumaki’s mother food, water, and a Chiba Commerce Association identification, and instructed her to travel south and seek help from one of its carriages.

Tetsuya rescued the surviving captives in Kusagakure and delayed meeting the Daimyo of the Land of Grass to gain leverage. When news arrived that Kusagakure had been destroyed, Mui mistakenly blamed the supposedly resurrected Madara Uchiha.

• Tetsuya found people with unusual bloodline abilities and ninjutsu held in Kusagakure and offered the survivors food and Chiba Commerce Association identification cards.
• Tetsuya had Kakuzu kill those who could no longer go on living, and they left Kusagakure before sunrise.
• Tetsuya and Kakuzu stayed at a hotel instead of meeting the Daimyo, expecting the delay to make him anxious.
• The Daimyo asked Mui why Tetsuya had not come to negotiate, and Mui advised him to wait rather than give Tetsuya the advantage.
• A messenger reported that Kusagakure had been destroyed, leaving the Daimyo and Mui shocked.
• Mui rejected the idea that the Chiba Commerce Association had destroyed Kusagakure and concluded that Madara Uchiha must have attacked it.

After Kusagakure’s destruction, the Land of Grass Daimyo and Mui planned to lure Chiba Tetsuya to Hozuki Castle and seize a stake in his company. Tetsuya recognized the trap, agreed to go so he could destroy Hozuki Castle, and sent Kakuzu to keep the Daimyo from escaping.

• The Daimyo demanded a twenty percent stake in the Chiba Commerce Association and persuaded Mui to help trap Tetsuya at Hozuki Castle.
• The Daimyo sent Tetsuya an invitation to Hozuki Castle, but Tetsuya recognized the prison’s purpose and learned from Kakuzu that Kusagakure elders remained there.
• Tetsuya decided to visit Hozuki Castle, destroy the people who had escaped Kusagakure’s destruction, and investigate the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
• Tetsuya ordered Kakuzu to watch the Daimyo and prevent him from fleeing while Tetsuya was away.
• Tetsuya accepted the Daimyo’s carriage and set off for Hozuki Castle.

Tetsuya arrived at Hozuki Castle, where Mui welcomed him and showed him the prison before demanding a twenty-percent stake in the Chiba Commerce Association. The chapter ended with Mui’s masked guards surrounding Tetsuya after he refused to accept the Land of Grass’s demand.

• Tetsuya traveled by boat to Hozuki Castle and was greeted by Mui and the castle guards.
• Tetsuya explained that he knew Hozuki Castle was a prison and challenged Mui to place the Heavenly Prison mark on him, insisting he was a guest.
• Mui showed Tetsuya the prisoners and confirmed that the Box of Ultimate Bliss existed, though he claimed it had no power.
• Tetsuya asked whether Mui had children and learned that Mui was unmarried, then questioned why the Daimyo was not present for their discussion.
• Mui demanded an additional fifty percent and a twenty-percent stake in the Chiba Commerce Association on the Land of Grass’s behalf.
• Mui summoned masked figures wearing the twelve zodiac animal masks and threatened to keep Tetsuya at Hozuki Castle if he refused.

Tetsuya revealed his overwhelming strength while confronting Mui and the Grass Fruit, then smashed through Hozuki Castle’s floors with a Rasengan. In the basement, Mui prepared to use the Box of Ultimate Bliss and attacked Tetsuya with a Heavenly Prison Fire Sword.

• Tetsuya released his Chakra Seal, knocked Mui through a cell, and faced an attack from the twelve Grass Fruit members.
• Tetsuya used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to overwhelm the Grass Fruit and revealed that he had destroyed Kusagakure.
• Tetsuya struck at Mui with a Rasengan, then slammed him through every floor of the castle with a Shot-Blocking Rasengan.
• Mui survived by using the Substitution Technique and turned toward a strange basement door that Tetsuya suspected led to the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
• Mui attacked Tetsuya with the Fire Release: Heavenly Prison Fire Sword, and Tetsuya answered by forming a Rasengan.

Tetsuya let Mui use the Box of Ultimate Bliss to summon Gō, then watched as the creature killed Grass Fruit and revealed its monstrous form. Tetsuya approached Gō, ready to fight.

• Mui and the twelve members of Grass Fruit used their array to drain Tetsuya's chakra and activate the Box of Ultimate Bliss, but Tetsuya dispelled Mui's technique and followed them.
• The Box of Ultimate Bliss rose into Hozuki Castle's prison yard, where Mui wished for power to rule the Shinobi World.
• The Box of Ultimate Bliss answered Mui's wish and released Gō, who took control of Mui's body and killed the twelve members of Grass Fruit.
• Gō transformed into a huge, eyeless creature with long arms and wings, while the terrified prisoners fled.
• Tetsuya walked toward Gō with his Mangekyō Sharingan glowing and challenged the monster to fight.

Tetsuya fought Gō at Hozuki Castle, countering the creature’s stolen abilities with Susanoo. He trapped Gō in his Eternal Divine Kingdom and prepared a divine strike, leaving the battle’s outcome unresolved.

• Gō failed to read Tetsuya’s thoughts, dodged his Rasengan, and attacked him with a rain of feathers that killed prisoners at Hozuki Castle.
• Tetsuya summoned Susanoo and shot Gō with a golden arrow that vanished and reappeared above him, piercing his head.
• Gō used the Heavenly Prison Cursed Seal to drain the prisoners’ chakra, swallowed it, and healed his wound before charging Tetsuya.
• Tetsuya transformed Susanoo into its Perfect form and clashed blades with Gō, shattering his crimson sword and severing his wings.
• Tetsuya activated Eternal Divine Kingdom and transported Gō to his realm, where he raised Susanoo’s blade for a powerful strike.

Tetsuya forced Gō out of the Box of Ultimate Bliss and learned that Gō had been born inside it and sealed there by the Sage of Six Paths. Gō revealed his grudge against the Sage and the Shinobi World, while Tetsuya left off with the Seven Star Sword poised to strike the box.

• After defeating Gō’s monstrous form, Tetsuya revived him by pouring chakra into the Box of Ultimate Bliss, and Gō emerged in a human form resembling Tetsuya.
• Tetsuya questioned Gō about his origins and threatened to destroy the box when Gō refused to answer.
• Tetsuya summoned the Seven Star Sword and raised it over the box, prompting Gō to explain that the Sage of Six Paths had created the box to seal someone away.
• Gō said he had been born inside the box, then sealed there by the Sage after the Sage judged his mind-reading and heart-manipulating abilities too dangerous.
• Gō revealed that he had escaped by manipulating people into supplying chakra, taken revenge by destroying half the Shinobi World, and been sealed again by the Sage’s two sons.

Tetsuya used the new Golden Prize Pool to draw unusual rewards, including a way to control the Box of Ultimate Bliss and a bizarre appraisal technique. He left stunned after Doggo explained that the Strong Appraisal Technique made anyone he glared at become pregnant.

• Tetsuya asked Doggo whether the Box of Ultimate Bliss had any useful powers, and Doggo called it a mediocre treasure.
• Doggo revealed the Golden Prize Pool, which required physical gold, and Tetsuya agreed to spend a thousand taels on a ten-pull.
• Tetsuya received several rewards, including Divine Artifact Recognition, Blade-Nurturing Technique, Senjutsu cultivation, and Strong Appraisal Technique.
• Doggo explained that Divine Artifact Recognition would let Tetsuya claim the box and that Blade-Nurturing Technique could nurture his treasures.
• Tetsuya learned that the Strong Appraisal Technique made anyone he glared at become pregnant, and Doggo confirmed the ability came from another world.

Tetsuya used an Identity Modification Card and the Strongman Appraisal Technique to make Gō experience the agony of pregnancy and childbirth, then claimed the Box of Ultimate Bliss as his own. After finding little loot in Hozuki Castle, he returned to find Gō motionless on the ground.

• Tetsuya changed Gō’s perception of him from enemy to grandfather, but Gō realized something was wrong.
• Tetsuya used the Strongman Appraisal Technique to make Gō experience ten months of pregnancy and childbirth within an hour.
• Tetsuya identified the Box of Ultimate Bliss as a sealing tool, shrank it, and strengthened his connection to it with the Blade-Nurturing Technique.
• Tetsuya searched Hozuki Castle for loot but found almost no money.
• Tetsuya left the castle and found Gō sprawled motionless on the ground.

Tetsuya secured a cooperation contract with the Land of Grass's daimyo and oversaw the region's development. Later, Kakuzu returned from Sunagakure with news of Rasa, prompting him to suggest recruiting the talented shinobi to mine gold for the Chiba Commerce Association.

• Tetsuya asked Kakuzu about Hozuki Island, then checked on Sakumo and prepared to negotiate with the Land of Grass's daimyo.
• Tetsuya, Kakuzu, and Sakumo met the daimyo, who signed Tetsuya's original cooperation contract without resistance.
• Tetsuya's plans advanced as the Land of Grass developed under the Chiba Commerce Association, while the shinobi world remained eerily peaceful.
• Kakuzu returned from Sunagakure and told Tetsuya that Rasa could control gold dust and mine it with Magnet Release.
• Kakuzu proposed poaching Rasa for the Chiba Commerce Association, but Tetsuya laughed at the idea of the Third Kazekage's student becoming a gold miner.

The Third Shinobi World War began after the Third Kazekage and Sasori disappeared, reigniting conflicts left unresolved by the previous war. Tetsuya discussed the war’s origins with Kakuzu and Uchiha Izuna, then planned to track Konoha’s movements to find business opportunities.

• The Third Kazekage and Sasori vanished, throwing Sunagakure into turmoil and prompting its Ninjas to search other villages for clues.
• Tetsuya reviewed reports of the war’s outbreak as Kakuzu and Uchiha Izuna arrived at his office.
• Izuna explained that the Kazekage’s disappearance had merely ignited conflicts left unresolved after the previous war.
• Tetsuya, Kakuzu, and Izuna recognized that Konoha had the deepest conflicts with other villages and would take center stage in the war.
• Tetsuya decided to monitor Konoha’s movements and seek profits while avoiding the conspicuous wartime stockpiling he had used before.

Tetsuya and Kakuzu discussed the growing conflict in Amegakure and chose not to intervene, while Madara approved Black Zetsu’s plan to use Obito Uchiha as his pawn. The Third Raikage then launched a surprise attack on Sunagakure, leaving everyone stunned by how his forces had crossed so many countries.

• Kakuzu told Tetsuya that Hanzo of the Salamander was oppressing Amegakure, the Akatsuki was growing stronger, and someone was stirring conflict while Konoha made contact with Hanzo.
• Izuna and Tetsuya rejected Kakuzu’s offer to help Nagato and the others, saying their students were strong enough to handle the threat themselves.
• Madara Uchiha awoke after nearly ten years, and Black Zetsu reported that the Third Shinobi World War had begun and that Obito Uchiha would serve as Madara’s representative.
• Madara praised Black Zetsu’s choice of Obito and ordered him to prepare to put the plan into motion.
• After confirming that Sunagakure’s Kazekage had disappeared, the Third Raikage led a blitz on Sunagakure, astonishing people who could not understand how his forces had crossed the intervening countries.

Sunagakure turned to Rasa and Chiyo to rally its forces against Kumogakure’s surprise attack, while Sasori completed a Human Puppet from the Third Kazekage’s corpse and set out to hunt Hatake Sakumo. Tetsuya learned that Kumogakure’s supply plan had changed after Sunagakure appointed an Acting Kazekage and stiffened its defenses.

• Rasa asked Chiyo to help unite Sunagakure’s forces, and Chiyo agreed after Karura and Yashamaru joined his plea.
• Sasori completed a Human Puppet from the Third Kazekage’s body and headed for the Land of Grass to kill Hatake Sakumo.
• Tetsuya received a message from Yeruka and Yurubi describing Kumogakure’s surprise attack and its supply route through several countries.
• Tetsuya read that Sunagakure had selected an Acting Kazekage and reorganized its defenses, stalling Kumogakure’s offensive.
• Dodai proposed sending half the supplies through the Land of Fire while the rest continued along the original route.

Tetsuya learned that Sasori was searching for Hatake Sakumo to take revenge after discovering Sakumo was still alive. He told Sakumo someone with deep ties to him was looking for him, leaving Sakumo wondering who it could be.

• Tetsuya inferred that the red-haired boy asking about Sakumo was Sasori, who had come seeking revenge for the Third Kazekage's death.
• Tetsuya and Izuna discussed whether a child raised without affection could become psychologically twisted, and Izuna suggested beating the child into behaving.
• Tetsuya visited Sakumo at a teahouse and asked why he had not returned to Konoha now that a new war had begun.
• Sakumo said his mission was to guard Tetsuya and that he would return to Konoha only if the situation became critical.
• Tetsuya told Sakumo that someone with deep ties to him was looking for him, and Sakumo tried to guess who it was.

Tetsuya confronted Sakumo about Kakashi’s lack of parental affection before Sasori challenged Sakumo on the grasslands, seeking revenge for his parents. Sasori unleashed the Third Kazekage as a Human Puppet, and the battle ended with Sakumo closing in for a sword strike.

• Sakumo said he would kill whoever came after him, while Tetsuya argued that Kakashi’s competence did not mean he could do without a father’s love.
• Tetsuya suggested Kakashi had grown up emotionally distant because Sakumo had failed to give him enough attention.
• Sasori confronted Sakumo and accused him of killing his parents, but Sakumo did not recognize him.
• Sasori summoned the Third Kazekage as a Human Puppet and vowed to destroy Konoha and Sunagakure after defeating Sakumo.
• Sakumo attacked with a flying slash, and Sasori used the puppet’s Iron Sand to block and counter with a storm of needles.
• Sakumo dodged and deflected the needles, then rushed Sasori and swung his blade with Hatake Style Swordsmanship: White Fang Flash.

Hatake Sakumo fought Sasori and the Third Kazekage puppet, but burned himself to ashes rather than let Sasori claim his body. Tobi took the White Fang blade, warned Sasori to leave the Land of Grass, and watched him depart.

• Sasori attacked Hatake Sakumo with the Third Kazekage puppet’s Magnet Release techniques, but Sakumo dodged and cut through the iron sand.
• Sakumo exploited an opening to reach Sasori, but the Third Kazekage puppet pierced him with a poisoned blade after Sakumo severed one of its arms.
• Sakumo set himself on fire and burned to ashes, leaving his White Fang ninja blade behind, while Sasori raged that he could not claim the body.
• Tobi appeared, took the White Fang ninja blade, and warned Sasori that the Land of Grass would soon become dangerous.
• Sasori left the Land of Grass for the Land of Earth, and Tetsuya watched him go.

Tetsuya warned Hatake Sakumo that returning to Konoha during wartime could make him look like he was seeking military credit and threaten people trying to erase his influence. Sakumo agreed to fake his death, and a Chiba Commerce Association messenger reported him dead to Hiruzen Sarutobi, leaving his fate hidden behind a purchased reputation as a hero.

• Hatake Sakumo worried that Kakashi might become twisted like Sasori because he had grown up without enough parental love.
• Tetsuya warned Sakumo that returning to Konoha during the war could make him appear to be seeking credit and get in the way of his political rivals.
• Tetsuya proposed an idea to Sakumo, who later arranged for a messenger to report his death.
• The messenger told Hiruzen Sarutobi that a Puppeteer had killed Sakumo while protecting the Chiba Commerce Association chairman and presented Sakumo's blade and a tattered Forehead Protector.
• Hiruzen accepted money for Sakumo's family and promised additional village compensation, helping establish Sakumo as a fallen hero.

After Konoha learned of Hatake Sakumo’s heroic death, Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Minato to investigate a Kumogakure squad led by the Third Raikage’s son and Killer B. In the Land of Grass, Tetsuya captured a White Zetsu and began plotting a special gift for Obito Uchiha.

• Konoha memorialized Hatake Sakumo as a hero, while Kakashi returned home alone and struggled to accept his father’s death.
• An Anbu ninja reported that the Third Raikage’s son and Killer B had entered the Land of Fire, and Hiruzen ordered Minato to investigate.
• Huang Bai captured a White Zetsu near the Capital City and told Tetsuya that similar beings had appeared in the Land of Grass.
• Tetsuya sealed White Zetsu in a scroll and considered using him in a future deal with Orochimaru.
• Tetsuya connected White Zetsu’s presence to Black Zetsu’s plans around Kannabi Bridge and resolved to prepare a special gift for Obito.

Tetsuya learned that the Third Raikage had died after fighting ten thousand Iwa shinobi and predicted that the Third Shinobi World War was approaching its climax, with multiple villages set to target the Land of Fire. In Iwagakure, Ōnoki prepared to intensify the war.

• Tetsuya read reports about Minato repeatedly clashing with Kumogakure's A-B Combo, and Kakuzu brought him fresh intelligence that the Third Raikage had died the previous day.
• Kakuzu told Tetsuya that the Third Raikage had fought ten thousand Iwa shinobi until he died of exhaustion.
• Tetsuya predicted that Kumogakure would retreat after the Raikage's death, but said the war's climax was about to begin.
• Tetsuya told Kakuzu that multiple villages had their eyes on the fertile Land of Fire and would invade it.
• Ōnoki addressed Iwagakure's leaders and urged them to make the ongoing war even livelier.

As Iwagakure and Kirigakure forced Konoha into a two-front war, Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Team Minato to destroy Kannabi Bridge and disrupt Iwagakure’s supply line. Minato accepted the mission, but felt uneasy about what might happen.

• Kirigakure invaded the Land of Fire from the sea while Iwagakure attacked through the Land of Grass, forcing Konoha to fight on two fronts.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi repelled Kirigakure’s main force and returned to find Konoha’s troops retreating toward their second defensive line against Iwagakure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi identified Kannabi Bridge as a key point in Iwagakure’s supply line and proposed destroying it.
• The Konoha High Command assigned Team Minato, including the newly promoted jonin Kakashi, to blow up Kannabi Bridge.
• Minato accepted the mission, then felt uneasy about what might happen behind enemy lines.

Minato led Kakashi, Obito, and Rin toward Kannabi Bridge, where Iwagakure forces were preparing a surprise attack on Konoha. After Minato left to warn the rear, Kakashi led the others toward the bridge, but they were spotted and attacked.

• Minato warned Kakashi, Obito, and Rin that they were entering dangerous Iwagakure territory and led them toward Kannabi Bridge.
• Minato discovered that more than fifty Iwagakure shinobi were gathered at Kannabi Bridge, and the team agreed to observe them before acting.
• When Dong Shiren led the Iwagakure force toward a Konoha position for a night attack, Minato appointed Kakashi temporary captain and hurried back to warn Konoha.
• Kakashi decided to destroy Kannabi Bridge and led Obito and Rin toward it despite their doubts.
• Several shuriken flew at the three young shinobi, and Kakashi deflected them with his White Fang Ninja Blade before warning that they had been exposed.

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin defeated Mahiru after Minato arrived to save them, then continued their mission to destroy Kannabi Bridge. As they entered a dark bamboo grove, an enemy launched sharpened bamboo poles at the team.

• Kakashi fought Mahiru with Chidori and Hatake Style: White Fang Flash, but Mahiru wounded him and attacked Obito from underground.
• Minato appeared and killed Mahiru with a Rasengan, then urged Kakashi and Obito to cooperate before leaving to assist at the front.
• Rin treated Kakashi's wound and made Kakashi and Obito reconcile, and the three continued their mission the next morning.
• The team reached Kannabi Bridge, planned to destroy its key supports, and entered the bamboo grove while two watchers observed them.
• An enemy ambushed the team with sharpened bamboo poles, and Obito responded with Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.