Chapter Summaries

Ōnoki ordered the Explosion Release Unit to join Iwagakure’s forces at the Amegakure front as he coordinated a two-sided attack with Sunagakure. Konoha and its allies mobilized in response, bringing the great war to the brink of eruption.

• Ōnoki told Lava he would coordinate with Third Kazekage Ryunosuke to attack Konoha from two sides and pressure Iwagakure’s Daimyo for more funding.
• Lava visited the Explosion Release Clan and told Clan Head Jianhe to prepare his people for battle at the Amegakure front.
• Jianhe destroyed a tea table with an explosive blow and quickly gathered more than a dozen clan members to depart with Lava.
• Ryunosuke agreed to cooperate with Iwagakure and sent Sunagakure ninja to the front lines.
• Danzo’s surviving spies detected the enemy movements, and Konoha transported supplies after confirming the Earth-Tunneling Unit had been wiped out.
• Hanzō led about fifty people toward the Sunagakure front, while Tsunade returned to the ranks and Jiraiya vowed to join the battlefield once the war began.

Hoshi uncovered Danzo’s attempt to lure him into a deadly mission and used a planted spy to gather evidence against him. He planned to turn Danzo’s scheme against him while leading Konoha in a raid on Iwagakure’s camp.

• Danzo sent Senju Kōhei to warn Hoshi about Iwagakure’s Explosion Release Unit, but Hoshi dismissed the threat and announced he would attack it himself.
• A guard overheard Hoshi’s plans and tried to send a secret letter, but Senju Kōhei captured him and seized the message.
• Hoshi revealed that he had staged the conversation to expose Danzo, whose incomplete intelligence report concealed the presence of Iwagakure’s Anbu Captain, Lava.
• Hoshi said he would forge a copy of the guard’s letter for Danzo and launch a raid on Iwagakure’s camp in two days.
• Hoshi told Kōhei that Konoha would take the initiative together rather than leave him to attack alone.

Hoshi prepared a night raid on Iwagakure’s main camp, while Danzo secretly helped keep the plan from reaching the enemy. As the Konoha forces moved into position, Hoshi launched his first attack on the Explosion Release Unit’s camp.

• Hoshi ordered the Konoha forces to prepare for a night raid on Iwagakure and summoned Jiraiya back.
• Jiraiya welcomed the chance to fight again, while Danzo concealed Hoshi’s plan from Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
• Sakumo, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Danzo agreed to prevent Sunagakure from reinforcing Iwagakure during the raid.
• Hoshi assembled the Konoha forces, assigned them to wait ten li away, and set a Signal Flare as the call to attack.
• At three in the morning, Hoshi used Robb to target Iwagakure’s grain supply and advanced toward the Explosion Release Unit’s camp.
• Hoshi drew Mikazuki Munechika and struck the Explosion Release Unit’s camp with his Mountain-Shattering Earth-Splitting Slash.

Hayate’s night raid set the Stone Hidden camp ablaze, but Lava escaped his attack and rallied the survivors as Konoha forces approached. Lava prepared to meet the assault while fearing for the Explosion Release Unit and hoping to return alive to Rōshi.

• Hayate used Mountain-Shattering Earth-Splitting Slash to engulf the Explosion Release Unit’s camp in flames and sent a Signal Flare into the sky.
• Hayate attacked Lava, but Lava used Shuriken to deflect the Sword Qi and narrowly escaped with only a scrape.
• Hayate fled from the pursuing Stone Hidden Ninjas by using Transparency Release, while Lava stopped Jianhe from chasing him and returned to organize the camp.
• Lava took command, ordered the granary fires extinguished, and assembled the Stone Hidden forces into a battle formation.
• After the sensing squad reported Konoha’s arrival, Lava ordered the Stone Hidden Ninjas to charge and looked at a photograph of himself with Rōshi.

Konoha and Iwagakure clashed after Hoshi used sword techniques to draw Iwagakure's left flank into a costly attack on his afterimages. Sunagakure joined the fighting when its relief force was ambushed, leaving all three villages at war again.

• Lava ordered Iwagakure's left flank to bombard the ten sword-wielding figures he believed were Hoshi's Shadow Clones.
• Hoshi told Shinku that the figures were afterimages and directed Konoha to concentrate its attack on Iwagakure's left side.
• Konoha's opening volley exploited the weakened left flank and killed hundreds of Iwagakure Chunin and Genin.
• Chiyo and Ebizo sent a relief unit to Iwagakure, but Orochimaru's ambush force surrounded it.
• Chiyo and Ebizo committed Sunagakure's full army, and fighting broke out along the Sunagakure front.

Minato and Kagetsu fought the Stone Hidden Ninjas in close combat, and Kagetsu's Inner Personality emerged after she killed an enemy to save her uncle. As she joined the fighting decisively, Jianhe challenged Hayate Hoshi, hoping to exploit his depleted Chakra and avenge his clansmen.

• Minato used his reflexes and Kunai skills to kill enemies, while Kagetsu struggled to fight decisively and avoided striking vital points.
• An uncle warned Kagetsu to stop hesitating, and she threw her Ninja Blade to kill a Stone Hidden Ninja attacking him.
• When another ninja attacked her, Kagetsu dodged, broke his arm, caught his Kunai, and cut his throat.
• Kagetsu took back her Ninja Blade and charged into battle, while Hayate Hoshi recognized that her Inner Personality had emerged.
• Jianhe caused a thunderous explosion and challenged Hayate Hoshi, believing his Chakra was depleted and seeking revenge for twelve clansmen.

Hayate Hoshi confronted Jianhe and the remnants of the Explosion Release Unit, using lightning-attribute Sword Qi to exploit Jianhe’s weakness. He destroyed Lava’s Iron Prison with a powerful iai slash and wiped out the unit, leaving Konoha’s forces holding the line.

• Shinku offered to help Hayate Hoshi kill Jianhe, but Hoshi refused so he could raise Konoha’s morale by defeating the Explosion Release Unit in front of everyone.
• Hoshi appeared among the unit’s remnants and killed one of Jianhe’s clansmen, then dodged Jianhe’s Landmine Fist and discovered that lightning-attribute Sword Qi made Jianhe hesitate.
• Jianhe tried to surround Hoshi with his clansmen while Lava moved in, but Hoshi ordered nearby Konoha ninja to retreat at least three hundred meters.
• Hoshi unleashed Sky-Rending Iai Slash: Lightning, while Lava used Earth Release: Iron Prison to contain Hoshi and Jianhe and protect the other Stone Hidden Ninja.
• Hoshi’s slash cut through the Iron Prison and killed Jianhe and the other four remnants of the Explosion Release Unit, and Konoha’s forces held the line.

Hoshi stopped the Stone Village retreat by crossing Lava’s magma river with Gamabunta’s help and attacking the retreating forces. His Sky-Rending Iai Slash killed nearly all of Iwagakure’s Jonin Second Division, though Lava escaped.

• Hoshi’s attack on the Iron Prison rallied the Konoha Ninja, while Lava unleashed magma that separated the armies and killed ninjas on both sides.
• Minato escaped the magma with Body Flicker, and Kagetsu leaped clear using her sword as leverage.
• Shinku ordered the Konoha Ninja to cool the magma, while Lava organized the Stone Village retreat and called on his Jonin Second Division to cover it.
• Hoshi asked Jiraiya to summon Gamabunta, who hurled Hoshi across the magma river with his tongue.
• Lava ordered the Stone Village ninjas to attack Hoshi in midair, but Hoshi vanished with Dance of the Startled Swan and appeared beside Lava’s forces.
• Hoshi used Sky-Rending Iai Slash to kill nearly all of Iwagakure’s Jonin Second Division, while Lava narrowly escaped.

Lava sacrificed himself to hold Hoshi back after Iwagakure’s forces fled, but Hoshi pressed the attack as Lava began a suicidal final technique. The chapter ended with Lava activating Scorching Rock Flow Burial.

• Lava survived Hoshi’s circular Sword Qi attack by dropping to the ground and escaping with Earth Body Flicker.
• After Hoshi destroyed Iwagakure’s Jonin Second Division, Lava’s commander ordered the Iwagakure Ninja to retreat.
• Lava chose to cover his comrades’ escape and charged Hoshi, unleashing a barrage of lava spheres.
• Hoshi dodged and cut through the projectiles, but Lava’s Granite Technique stopped his sword from cutting him down.
• Lava struck Hoshi with a magma-coated granite fist, sending him flying and blistering his hand through Mikazuki Munechika.
• Lava, nearly out of chakra and badly wounded, began overdraw­ing his body as Hoshi charged to finish him, then activated Lava Style: Scorching Rock Flow Burial.

Hoshi escaped Lava’s self-sacrificial magma attack and let Jiraiya lead the pursuit of Iwagakure’s retreating army. After Konoha returned to camp with a decisive victory, Hoshi awaited the casualty report.

• Lava transformed into magma and tried to trap Hoshi in a deadly lava river, but Hoshi vanished and reappeared beside the dried riverbed.
• Hoshi regrouped with the Konoha Ninja, handed command to Jiraiya, and withdrew to rest.
• Jiraiya led the Konoha Ninja across the cooled magma river and pursued Iwagakure’s routed army to its second camp before ending the attack.
• Jiraiya returned to Konoha’s main camp with Minato, Kagetsu, and the tallying ninja, while Hoshi—now cleaned and treated—asked to hear the battle statistics.

After Konoha’s victory over Iwagakure, the casualty report revealed Hoshi’s devastating kill count and Minato and Kugetsu’s achievements as Genin. Konoha also won on the Sunagakure front, where Sakumo killed Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law, and both victories made Konoha’s commanders famous across the Ninja World.

• The Kunoichi reported about one thousand Iwagakure casualties against Konoha’s three hundred and fifty, and estimated that Hoshi had killed around twenty Jonin.
• The Kunoichi reported Minato had killed a Jonin and Kugetsu a Special Jonin, prompting Hoshi’s surprise and Jiraiya’s praise for the young Genin.
• After the others left to rest, Hoshi checked his Sword Heart System and found that killing twenty Jonin had earned him over a hundred experience points.
• On the Sunagakure front, Chiyo’s son and daughter-in-law died after Hatake Sakumo surrounded and killed them, and Chiyo swore revenge against Sakumo.
• News of Konoha’s victories on both fronts spread across the Ninja World, earning Sakumo and Hoshi fame and titles including “Konoha’s Twin Stars” and “Silver Fang.”

The major villages reacted to Konoha’s victories over Sunagakure and Iwagakure, with the Third Mizukage choosing isolation and the Third Raikage looking for an opportunity to exploit Iwagakure’s losses. Ōnoki learned that Rōshi had heard of Lava’s death and rushed to the Land of Rain to bring him back.

• The Third Mizukage recalled the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and decided to maintain the village’s isolation while the other villages weakened each other.
• The Third Raikage showed his sixteen-year-old son the report, then explained that Iwagakure’s losses gave Cloud Village an opportunity to make its move.
• Ōnoki learned that Iwagakure had suffered a thousand casualties, including Lava, and realized the report could reach Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Ōnoki sent Anbu to search the Black Markets, but discovered Rōshi had already learned of Lava’s death and was heading for the Land of Rain.
• Ōnoki recalled Iwagakure’s outside squads, placed the village on wartime readiness, and flew toward the Land of Rain to retrieve Rōshi.

After Sasori’s parents died in the war, Chiyo returned to Sunagakure to raise him and introduced him to puppetry. Sasori showed extraordinary talent and named his first puppet Father and Mother.

• Ryunosuke ordered Chiyo to return home to mourn her son and daughter-in-law and care for Sasori.
• Ebizo reminded Chiyo that Sasori needed her, and she agreed to leave the battlefield and return home.
• Chiyo lied to six-year-old Sasori that his parents were away on a distant mission, and Sasori blamed Ryunosuke for keeping them away.
• Chiyo took Sasori to Sunagakure’s Puppet Workshop and began teaching him puppet techniques.
• Sasori mastered Chakra Threads after one explanation, made a miniature puppet, and named it Father and Mother.

Danzo received reports from his Root confidant about village reforms and two unusual recruits, Yakushi Nonō and Hiruko. Hiruko demonstrated a creature made by fusing Ninja Beast cells, and Danzo asked whether he could fuse human cells as well.

• Danzo dismissed an Iwagakure report describing Hoshi cutting through an Iron Prison and killing members of the Explosion Release Unit.
• Danzo's Root confidant reported that Hiruzen had introduced a medical class and started a second Genius Class Project, where he had encountered Yamanaka Fu.
• The confidant brought Yakushi Nonō and Hiruko before Danzo, describing Nonō's medical and intelligence skills and Hiruko's talent for raising Summoning Beasts.
• Hiruko summoned a doglike creature with wings, explaining that he had created it by fusing cells from two Ninja Beasts.
• Danzo asked Hiruko whether he could fuse human cells in the same way.

Danzo forced Hiruko to join Root and offered him the resources to advance his cell-fusion research. The chapter ended with Danzo ordering Hiruko to research Hashirama Cells.

• Hiruko reflected on his ambition to become as powerful as Hoshi and the Sannin through cell and gene-fusion research.
• Danzo seized Hiruko by the throat and demanded that he explain what he could accomplish with enough test subjects.
• Hiruko agreed to serve Danzo rather than die, and Danzo's subordinate restrained him.
• Danzo marked Hiruko with the Cursed Tongue Eradication Jutsu and a Reverse Eight Trigrams Seal, then promised him research resources as a Root member.
• Danzo told Hiruko to research Hashirama Cells.

Hoshi trained Kagetsu to overcome her fear of killing while her damaged Ninja Blade made him offer to find her a divine weapon. Kagetsu shyly admitted that she wanted one.

• Hoshi found the Konoha camp quiet while Ōnoki dealt with Rōshi, who blamed him for preventing revenge and was placed under guard.
• Hoshi focused on training Minato and Kagetsu, letting Minato pursue Space Ninjutsu while seeking a way to help Kagetsu face combat.
• Hoshi arranged for Shinku to use Genjutsu to expose Kagetsu to violence, and Kagetsu gradually stopped trembling at the thought of killing.
• Kagetsu's Ninja Blade developed fine cracks after repeated clashes with Mikazuki Munechika.
• Hoshi offered to find Kagetsu a divine weapon, and Kagetsu admitted that she wanted one.

Starry Night took Kagetsu out of the Konoha camp to seek information about the Kusanagi Sword, hoping to find a powerful weapon that might suit her. They reached the Land of Rain's Underground Black Market, where Starry Night headed for the main bar to make inquiries.

• Starry Night explained the abilities of the Kusanagi Swords and decided he might give Kagetsu one if it proved suitable.
• Starry Night and Kagetsu disguised themselves with different clothes and masks before leaving the Konoha camp.
• Starry Night told Kagetsu they were going to the Underground Black Market to learn where the Kusanagi Sword could be found.
• Starry Night used coded signals at a tavern near Amegakure, and its attendant opened a hidden passage for them.
• Starry Night led Kagetsu into the Land of Rain's Underground Black Market headquarters and walked toward its largest bar counter.

Hoshi intimidated the Underground Black Market, claimed a bounty for a Rogue Ninja, and obtained information about the Tenburyu Sword. He left with Kagetsu to find the sword’s owner, Black Mist, in a nearby town in the Land of Rain.

• A Kumogakure Rogue Ninja named Atro blocked Hoshi and Kagetsu, so Hoshi severed Atro’s leg with a swift strike.
• Hoshi learned that Atro carried a bounty of twenty million ryo, then cut off his head and collected the reward.
• Hoshi gave the money to Kagetsu and asked the black market manager for information about the Kusanagi Swords.
• The manager revealed that Black Mist, a notorious assassin in the Land of Rain, possessed the Tenburyu Sword and was in a nearby town.
• Hoshi and Kagetsu left the Underground Black Market to pursue Black Mist and the Tenburyu Sword.

Hayate Hoshi and Kagetsu tracked down Black Mist in Cold Rain Town to take the Tenburyu Sword. Hoshi defeated Black Mist and claimed the Kusanagi Sword.

• Hoshi found Black Mist’s house, and Black Mist came outside carrying the Tenburyu Sword.
• Hoshi and Black Mist drew their blades, and Hoshi quickly gained the advantage with his superior swordsmanship and strength.
• Black Mist recognized Hoshi as the Konoha Silver Moon and tried to escape using black mist, Lightning Release clones, and high-pitched sounds that hurt Kagetsu’s ears.
• Hoshi used Wind Guard to clear the black mist, then killed Black Mist with Shunpo and Line of Moonlight.
• Hoshi took the Tenburyu Sword, one of the Kusanagi Swords.

Hoshi tested the Tenburyu Sword and gave it to Kagetsu, who demonstrated its power with her Uchiha-style Swordsmanship. In Iwagakure, Ōnoki learned that Rōshi had escaped a day earlier and ordered the village sealed while he considered intercepting him.

• Hoshi found that the Tenburyu Sword performed about as well as Mikazuki Munechika and gave it to Kagetsu.
• Kagetsu promised to protect the Tenburyu Sword and tested it with her Fire Release Chakra and Uchiha-style Swordsmanship.
• Ōnoki received word that Rōshi had escaped Iwagakure a day earlier after an Anbu traitor drugged the guards.
• Ōnoki decided he could no longer intercept Rōshi midway and considered using the situation to attack Hayate Hoshi.
• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure's arrangements to remain unchanged and prohibited anyone from entering or leaving.