Chapter Summaries

After Konoha’s Purification operation uncovered and executed 137 spies, Uchiha Yao and Shikaku Nara chose Sunagakure as Konoha’s first target. The chapter ended with Konoha preparing to strike the Land of Wind.

• Inoichi Yamanaka told Ibiki Morino that four major shinobi villages had planted 137 spies throughout Konoha’s departments.
• Konoha carried out the secret Purification operation for three days and captured every spy.
• Uchiha Kenji reported that all 137 spies had been executed and their intelligence networks destroyed.
• Shikaku Nara assessed the Five Great Villages and identified Sunagakure as the weakest and most suitable first target.
• Uchiha Yao agreed and chose Sunagakure as Konoha’s opening target.

Uchiha Yao finalized Konoha’s three-pronged deployment for a campaign against Sunagakure and revealed his plan to unite the Shinobi World to Uchiha Fugaku. Fugaku pledged to follow Yao and help clear every obstacle in his way.

• Shikaku Nara presented a three-route plan: Yao and Tsunade would lead the assault on Sunagakure, while Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Kai would defend the northern border against Iwagakure.
• Shikaku assigned a third defensive force to contain Kumogakure, and Yao said he would arrange its leadership.
• Yao ordered Konoha’s Intelligence, ANBU, and Logistics departments to prepare secretly and have every unit reach its position within two weeks.
• Yao told Uchiha Fugaku that Konoha would begin by conquering Sunagakure and ultimately unite the Shinobi World under one Konoha.
• Fugaku accepted Yao’s vision and pledged to obey his arrangements and remove obstacles in his path.

Uchiha Yao assigned Fugaku to lead a mixed force to defend the Land of Fire’s eastern border against Kumogakure while he prepared to attack Sunagakure. He then told Daimyo Chiba that he planned to unify the Shinobi World, and Chiba pledged the Land of Fire’s full support.

• Uchiha Yao ordered Fugaku to gather six hundred clan elites and secretly fortify the eastern border against Kumogakure.
• Fugaku vowed that Kumogakure would never enter the Land of Fire and departed to carry out his mission.
• Uchiha Yao arrived at the Daimyo’s Residence, where Chiba punished a servant who had mistaken him for an intruder.
• Uchiha Yao told Chiba that Konoha would go to war with Sunagakure and that he intended to unify the Shinobi World.
• Chiba pledged the Land of Fire’s full support and promised to cooperate at any cost.

Uchiha Yao organized supplies and secretly assembled Konoha’s forces to prepare for war against Sunagakure. With three fronts in position and two thousand ninja gathered, he declared that Konoha would begin its campaign to unify the Shinobi World.

• Uchiha Yao ordered Chiba to mobilize and secretly transport weapons, medicine, and other supplies to Konoha.
• Over the following two weeks, Konoha sent ninja squads out on ordinary-looking missions as forces quietly moved toward the Land of Wind and other fronts.
• Uchiha Kenji summoned Uchiha Yao to a hidden command camp in the Kikyo Mountain Range, where Tsunade and Shikaku Nara reported that the assault force and both other fronts were ready.
• Uchiha Yao addressed two thousand assembled Konoha ninja and declared that they would begin by defeating Sunagakure and forcefully unify the Shinobi World.
• The assembled ninja roared their support for Konoha as the preparations for war concluded.

Uchiha Kenji and Konoha forces seized the Eye of the Scorpion outpost, killing all thirty-eight Sand ninja without casualties. Uchiha Yao and Shikaku Nara prepared a larger operation to destroy Hidden Sand Village’s border outposts before its main forces could respond.

• Uchiha Kenji led the Uchiha Twelve Guards and Konoha elites in a stealth raid that eliminated the guards and the sleeping Sand ninja at the Eye of the Scorpion outpost.
• Uchiha Kenji ordered his forces to remove Hidden Sand Village insignia and claim the outpost for Konoha.
• Uchiha Yao arrived at the outpost, where Tsunade and Shikaku Nara were waiting in the command room.
• Shikaku Nara briefed the captains on a plan to divide two thousand ninja into twenty teams and destroy Hidden Sand Village’s thirty-seven border outposts and strongholds.
• Shikaku Nara ordered the teams to kill any patrols, overcome resistance, then withdraw to the assembly point, and he asked Uchiha Yao whether he had anything to add.

Uchiha Yao sent twenty squads to attack thirty-seven Sunagakure border targets, and Konoha forces began eliminating the outposts under cover of night. In Sunagakure, Kenta discovered that more than a dozen outposts had stopped responding and alerted Suna.

• Uchiha Yao ordered the captains to collect their missions and maps before launching the operation into the Land of Wind.
• Uchiha Ryūka led his squad in a surprise attack on Outpost No. 17, killing its defenders in under a minute and suffering only three light injuries.
• Konoha squads attacked strongholds across the Land of Wind's border, cutting off contact with one outpost after another.
• Kenta failed to reach more than a dozen outposts during routine communications checks and called his superior for help.
• Suna stormed into the Communications Department, demanded an explanation from Kenta, and called him useless trash.

After all thirty-seven of Sunagakure’s border outposts went silent, Rasa convened an emergency meeting and learned Konoha was responsible. The village’s leaders argued over whether to fight, and Ebizo urged Rasa to resist without rushing into war.

• Suna called the border outposts on the communicator and realized all thirty-seven had been annihilated.
• Rasa learned that every outpost had lost contact and ordered an emergency meeting with Sunagakure’s senior officials, Chiyo, and Ebizo.
• Rasa told the meeting that Konoha had attacked, prompting Chiyo to demand that Sunagakure gather its shinobi for battle.
• Rasa argued that Sunagakure could not afford another war, citing the village’s weak finances, Gaara’s instability, and Konoha’s growing power.
• Ebizo stopped the argument and told Rasa that Sunagakure could not fight recklessly but could not simply do nothing.

Rasa rejected fighting Konoha alone and ordered a two-part plan to buy Sunagakure time: negotiate with Konoha while spreading news of its invasion to Iwagakure and Kumogakure. The village mobilized for war as Baki led a small envoy toward Konoha.

• Rasa assessed Sunagakure's weakness and concluded that an immediate war with Konoha could destroy the village.
• Rasa ordered Baki to lead a small delegation to confront Konoha and stall its advance through negotiations.
• Rasa directed the Intelligence Department to alert Ōnoki and Nishidai Raikage A that Konoha was invading the Land of Wind and planned to annex Sunagakure.
• Ebizo and Baki agreed with Rasa's plan, and Rasa ordered the village to abandon its outer outposts and prepare for combat.
• Several figures set out toward the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning, while Baki and four jōnin departed for Konoha.

After Konoha’s forces destroyed Sunagakure’s border outposts, harsh desert winds prevented them from establishing a camp. Uchiha Yao used Wood Release to build a vast camp, restoring the army’s morale as they prepared for the battles ahead.

• Twenty squad captains reported to Shikaku Nara that their teams had cleared the assigned outposts with no Konoha fatalities.
• Shikaku Nara ordered the troops to set up camp, but powerful winds repeatedly toppled the tents and began to lower morale.
• Tsunade and Shikaku Nara worried that the troops could not recover without shelter in the desert.
• Uchiha Yao appeared, created nearly a hundred Shadow Clones, and used Wood Release to raise a large camp of houses, walls, and watchtowers.
• The Konoha shinobi celebrated Uchiha Yao’s Wood Release, then followed his order to rest and recover for the battles ahead.

A colossal Black Sandstorm threatened to destroy the Konoha camp, but Uchiha Yao confronted it with his Perfect Susanoo. After his first slash failed to keep the storm apart, he cut it repeatedly until its core was destroyed and the sand fell harmlessly.

• A sensory ninja warned Tsunade and Shikaku Nara that a massive Black Sandstorm was racing toward the camp.
• Tsunade led Konoha jonin in raising Earth Release walls, but the storm crushed them and left the defenders helpless.
• Shikaku advised Uchiha Yao to evacuate the army, but Yao walked alone toward the storm and activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
• Uchiha Yao summoned his Perfect Susanoo and used the Heavenly Cloud Sword to cleave open the Black Sandstorm.
• When the storm began closing around the gap, Uchiha Yao unleashed a barrage of sword strikes that destroyed its core and scattered it into falling sand.

Uchiha Yao rejected Sunagakure’s protest and demanded that the village either surrender and join Konoha or face destruction. He gave Baki until the next day, when Konoha’s army would resume its advance into the Land of Wind.

• Konoha’s ninja celebrated as the enormous Susanoo stood over the battlefield.
• Baki and five Hidden Sand Village jonin found a town-sized camp built with Hashirama Senju’s Wood Release in the desert.
• Konoha’s patrol escorted Baki’s group to the central command post, where Baki challenged Uchiha Yao over Konoha’s invasion.
• Uchiha Yao accused Sunagakure of betraying Konoha and announced that Konoha was ending their alliance.
• Uchiha Yao ordered Baki to tell Rasa that Sunagakure must disband and submit or disappear from the Shinobi World.
• Uchiha Yao set a deadline of the following day, when Konoha’s army would advance into the heart of the Land of Wind.

Uchiha Yao rejected Sunagakure’s attempt to buy time and led Konoha’s army toward Sunagakure, declaring that he intended to demonstrate Konoha’s strength to its rivals. Onoki chose to keep Iwagakure out of the fighting for now and wait for Konoha and Kumogakure to weaken each other.

• Uchiha Yao sent Maki and his Sunagakure party away after declaring that Konoha’s army would keep advancing.
• Uchiha Yao ordered two thousand Konoha ninja to march toward Sunagakure despite Shikaku Nara’s concerns about supplies, casualties, and intervention by other villages.
• Uchiha Yao established a temporary camp with Wood Release and arranged for Kenji to summon him when the army neared Sunagakure.
• Onoki learned that Konoha had declared war on Sunagakure and destroyed its border outposts.
• Onoki ordered Iwagakure to strengthen its defenses and monitor the conflict while remaining inside the Land of Earth, hoping Konoha and Kumogakure would exhaust each other.

After Konoha invaded the Land of Wind, A ordered Kumogakure to launch a surprise war against the Land of Fire, while Pain sent Sasori and Deidara to investigate Uchiha Yao. At Konoha’s temporary fortress, Yao stayed behind with Tsunade and kissed her while the army advanced.

• A smashed a desk, learned Konoha had invaded the Land of Wind, and called an emergency meeting.
• A overruled an elder’s warnings and ordered Kumogakure to attack the Land of Fire and Hidden Leaf Village.
• Pain assembled the Akatsuki and ordered Sasori and Deidara to gather intelligence on Uchiha Yao, with permission to capture Sunagakure’s One-Tails Jinchuriki if possible.
• Uchiha Yao told Tsunade he had stayed behind because he could reach Kenji instantly using a marked kunai.
• Uchiha Yao pressed Tsunade against a wall, kissed her, and groped her as the Konoha army continued toward the front.

After Baki reported that Uchiha Yao had demanded Hidden Sand Village surrender or be destroyed, Rasa mobilized the village for war and ordered Gaara brought to the front lines as a weapon. Two days later, Uchiha Yao and Tsunade arrived before the village with Konoha’s army, but Yao ordered his troops to stay behind the sand dune.

• Baki returned to Sunagakure and told Rasa, Chiyo, and Ebizo that Konoha had ended its alliance and demanded Hidden Sand Village submit or disappear.
• Rasa declared the village at its highest state of war readiness and ordered Baki to bring Gaara to the front lines so he could unleash Shukaku.
• Hidden Sand Village’s ninja gathered to defend their home as the village prepared for battle.
• Two days later, Shikaku Nara halted two thousand Konoha ninja five kilometers from Hidden Sand Village, and Uchiha Kenji used a special Kunai to summon Uchiha Yao and Tsunade.
• Uchiha Yao ordered Konoha’s army to remain on standby behind the sand dune and not advance without his command.

Uchiha Yao revealed that Konoha’s two thousand ninja had come to secure Sunagakure after he defeated it alone, then confronted the village’s eight thousand defenders. He offered Sunagakure a choice between submission and destruction, leaving its response unknown.

• Tsunade and Shikaku Nara objected when Uchiha Yao ordered Konoha’s forces to stay behind, but he explained that they were not there to fight.
• Uchiha Yao declared that he would face Sunagakure alone while Konoha’s ninja waited to take prisoners and occupy the village after his victory.
• The Konoha ninja erupted in support of Uchiha Yao, while Tsunade and Shikaku Nara reacted with awe and concern.
• Nishidai Kazekage Rasa mocked Uchiha Yao and rallied more than eight thousand Sunagakure ninja against him.
• Uchiha Yao approached Sunagakure’s ramparts and offered the village a choice: submit to Konoha or be erased.

Uchiha Yao broke through Sunagakure’s defenses with a devastating Great Fire Annihilation and entered the village, where he began slaughtering its ninja. Chiyo intervened with the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu to block his advance.

• Sunagakure’s ninja and Rasa rejected Uchiha Yao’s demand to submit and attacked him with a combined Wind Release assault.
• Uchiha Yao overwhelmed their techniques with Great Fire Annihilation, destroyed the defensive barrier, and killed nearly a thousand sand ninja.
• The surviving Hidden Sand Village forces panicked and scattered as Uchiha Yao charged through the breach into Sunagakure.
• Uchiha Yao activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode and killed sand ninja at tremendous speed, using Banshō Ten'in to pull dozens of them into his attack.
• Chiyo summoned the Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu and formed a shield wall to stop Uchiha Yao.

Uchiha Yao overwhelmed Hidden Sand Village with Wood Release and Perfect Susanoo as Rasa and Chiyo mounted a desperate defense. He ended the assault by splitting the village and its ancient rock barrier with a single sword strike.

• Uchiha Yao shattered Chiyo's puppet shield, then used Wood Release to engulf Hidden Sand Village and trap thousands of sand ninja in a vast forest.
• Rasa ordered the surviving sand ninja to retreat while Chiyo revived her ten puppets and Rasa attacked Uchiha Yao with a giant wave of gold dust.
• Uchiha Yao summoned Perfect Susanoo, which crushed Chiyo's puppets and dwarfed Rasa's attack.
• Uchiha Yao slashed with Susanoo's Heavenly Cloud Sword, cutting through Rasa's gold dust and splitting Hidden Sand Village and its rock barrier in half.

Rasa, Ebizo, and Chiyo tried to delay Uchiha Yao so Sunagakure's survivors could escape, but he killed Ebizo and Chiyo with overwhelming force. As Rasa stood in despair, Shukaku's roar sounded from deep within Sunagakure.

• Ebizo and Chiyo urged Rasa to fight on, and Chiyo set out to organize the retreat while Rasa and Ebizo attacked Uchiha Yao's Susanoo.
• Uchiha Yao used Banshō Ten'in to pull Ebizo into the Susanoo's Heavenly Cloud Sword, killing him and destroying his three puppets.
• Uchiha Yao fired his Susanoo Collapsing Sphere at Chiyo, vaporizing her and leaving a massive crater.
• Rasa watched both advisors die and fell into despair as Shukaku roared from deep within Sunagakure.

Shukaku emerged as Sunagakure’s last weapon, but fled after seeing Uchiha Yao’s Perfect Susanoo. Sunagakure’s survivors and the Konoha forces were left stunned by the tailed beast’s immediate surrender.

• Shukaku broke free beneath Sunagakure and emerged, announcing that it would turn the area into a sea of sand.
• Shukaku froze when it saw Uchiha Yao standing inside a towering Perfect Susanoo.
• Shukaku abandoned its aggression, gave Uchiha Yao an ingratiating wave, and claimed it had only come out to stretch.
• Shukaku tried to retreat politely, then turned and ran from the battlefield.
• Shikaku Nara and the Konoha ninjas watched in shock as Shukaku fled, while Rasa and the surviving Sunagakure ninjas were left stunned.

Uchiha Yao defeated Shukaku by overpowering his Tailed Beast Ball with Susanoo Collapsing Sphere, then sealed him back inside Gaara. After Baki tried to seize Gaara, Yao pulled him in and killed him with Lightning Fire Rasengan.

• Shukaku's Air Bullets failed to damage Uchiha Yao's Susanoo, so Shukaku formed and fired a Tailed Beast Ball.
• Uchiha Yao countered with Susanoo Collapsing Sphere, which destroyed the Tailed Beast Ball and pierced Shukaku's body.
• Uchiha Yao used his ocular power to control the collapsing Shukaku, then sealed him back inside Gaara.
• Baki rushed from the ruins to grab Gaara, but Uchiha Yao dragged him over with Banshō Ten'in and struck him with Lightning Fire Rasengan.