Chapter Summaries

Zhou Cheng used shadow clones and Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags to attack Danzo, but Danzo survived the blasts with Izanagi. Zhou Cheng continued pressing him, aiming to exhaust the Sharingan on Danzo’s arm.

• Zhou Cheng refused to fight Danzo at close range and used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to hide his real body from Kotoamatsukami.
• Zhou Cheng ordered the shinobi to restrain the Root Shinobi and called attention to the secrets Danzo hid beneath his bandages.
• Zhou Cheng’s shadow clones surrounded Danzo, and Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags engulfed him in a chain of explosions.
• Danzo emerged unharmed after using Izanagi, though the attack cost him one Sharingan.
• Zhou Cheng sent his shadow clones after Danzo again and detonated another chain of explosive tags, but Danzo survived a second blast unscathed.

Danzo’s conspiracy was exposed when forces from Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure attacked Konoha. Zhou Cheng organized the village’s defense and prepared to face Kumogakure alone, leaving Ino, Hinata, and the others afraid he would not return.

• Zhou Cheng accused Danzo of surviving through the secret beneath his bandages, but an explosion outside Root interrupted the confrontation.
• An ANBU member reported that Kirigakure shinobi were attacking Konoha, and Zhou Cheng accused Danzo of colluding with them.
• Another ANBU member reported attacks by forces from Iwagakure and Kumogakure, prompting Tsunade to order Danzo contained while the village prepared to fight.
• Zhou Cheng assigned Tsunade to face Iwagakure and Kakashi to stall Kirigakure, giving both commanders Flying Thunder God Kunai.
• Zhou Cheng told Kakashi to take Haku and the others, then prepared to lead the fight against Kumogakure and asked Tsunade to arrange a body retrieval unit.
• Hinata, Ino, and the others threw themselves into Zhou Cheng’s arms and pleaded with him to stay.

Zhou Cheng led Konoha’s forces toward the front and arrived alone at a watchtower under attack by Kumogakure. He drove back the assault with the Earth Spear Technique, temporarily saving the watchtower.

• Zhou Cheng encouraged Konoha’s shinobi, lifting their morale before Tsunade ordered the army to move out.
• Darui, Samui, and Mabui led Kumogakure’s assault on Konoha’s northeastern watchtower, intending to seize it as a base for supplies.
• Zhou Cheng arrived at the watchtower alone and told its commander he was the reinforcement, but the commander urged him to flee and survive.
• After Kumogakure broke through the gate, Zhou Cheng jumped down to face the attackers.
• Zhou Cheng used the Earth Spear Technique to impale and drive back Kumogakure’s vanguard, and the watchtower defenders cheered.

Zhou Cheng confronted Darui and the Kumogakure force at Konoha’s gate, overwhelming their attacks and revealing the scale of his power. After the flood swept across the battlefield, he charged across the waves to keep the Kumogakure shinobi from recovering.

• Darui attacked Zhou Cheng with Storm Release: Laser Circus, but Zhou Cheng countered with Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and destroyed the water lasers.
• Darui identified Zhou Cheng as the person Danzo had accused of wreaking havoc in Konoha, and Zhou Cheng challenged Kumogakure’s reason for invading.
• A Kumogakure shinobi charged Zhou Cheng and died when his own kunai ended up lodged in his throat.
• Darui used Black Lightning to form a panther, but Zhou Cheng cut it apart with Wind Release: Wind Blade.
• Zhou Cheng warned Kumogakure to leave, then summoned a huge Water Formation Pillar that burst into a flood and swept across the battlefield.
• Zhou Cheng ran across the waves toward the Kumogakure shinobi before they could recover.

Zhou Cheng overwhelmed the Kumogakure shinobi with massive Water Release attacks, but Darui and his unit used Raikage to endure his water dragon and evade his Rasenshuriken. The chapter ended with Zhou Cheng forming another pair of Rasenshuriken after Darui had assumed he would run out of chakra.

• Zhou Cheng attacked the Kumogakure shinobi with a giant waterfall, while Darui rallied them to use Earth Release and raise a rampart that blocked it.
• Zhou Cheng sent a massive Water Dragon Bullet at the unit, and Darui, Samui, and the other shinobi activated Raikage to charge through it and wear it away.
• Zhou Cheng created two Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and challenged the Kumogakure shinobi to withstand them.
• Darui ordered his subordinates to dodge the Rasenshuriken, which exploded and filled the area with countless wind blades.
• Zhou Cheng formed another pair of Rasenshuriken, leaving Darui stunned.

Zhou Cheng overwhelmed Darui and the Kumogakure shinobi with Wind Release Chakra Mode and Flying Thunder God techniques. After ordering them to retreat, he attacked when they chose to fight, while the Kirigakure front remained a pressing concern.

• Darui charged Zhou Cheng with lightning-enhanced speed, but Zhou Cheng blocked his attacks and activated Wind Release Chakra Mode.
• Zhou Cheng used Flying Thunder God Kunai to appear among the Kumogakure shinobi and killed six or seven of them.
• Zhou Cheng stopped his attack, gave the Kumogakure shinobi one minute to leave, and threatened to kill them all if they stayed.
• Darui, Samui, Mabui, and other Kumogakure shinobi prepared to fight together instead of retreating.
• Zhou Cheng charged into their ranks, killing one shinobi with his sword and smashing another with a Rasengan as the others rescued a wounded comrade.

Zhou Cheng forced Darui and the Kumogakure force to retreat after defeating them and negotiated valuable weapons and training materials as the price of their departure. He returned to Konoha’s Watchtower, where the surviving ninja pledged their loyalty to him.

• Zhou Cheng killed many Kumogakure shinobi and taunted the survivors until Darui, Samui, and Mabui decided to withdraw.
• Darui offered to leave Konoha if Zhou Cheng guaranteed that its forces would not pursue them, and Mabui asked for Konoha’s terms.
• Zhou Cheng demanded their ninja tools, Kumogakure’s swordsmanship manual, and Lightning Release techniques below B-rank, and Darui’s group accepted.
• The Kumogakure shinobi handed over their equipment and scrolls, then followed Darui toward the Land of Lightning.
• Zhou Cheng returned to the Watchtower, where Konoha’s ninja knelt and thanked him for saving them, pledging to follow him.

Zhou Cheng left the southeastern watchtower and gave its commander a Flying Thunder God Kunai as Kirigakure attacked Konoha’s last southeastern stronghold. Kakashi and the Konoha forces struggled to hold the position until Zhou Cheng arrived at the battle’s most desperate moment.

• Zhou Cheng refused the watchtower commander’s attempt to curry favor, gave him a Flying Thunder God Kunai, and teleported away.
• Mei Terumi led Kirigakure’s force against Konoha’s southeastern watchtower, where Kakashi arrived with reinforcements and drove the attackers out temporarily.
• Mei Terumi used Boil Release to corrode the watchtower, forcing Kakashi and his ninja to retreat and build an Earth Release defensive wall.
• The Konoha 15 helped hold off Kirigakure, but Mei Terumi, Ao, and Chojuro pushed Konoha’s defenders back as their position crumbled.
• Hinata and the other girls feared for Zhou Cheng as Kirigakure advanced, then heard his voice and realized he had arrived.

Zhou Cheng arrived to help Konoha and fought Mei Terumi, matching her powerful water, lava, and boil techniques. He entered Sage Mode and challenged the Kirigakure Ninja to withstand one move, leaving the battle poised for his attack.

• Zhou Cheng defended the Konoha 15 and Kakashi with Earth Release techniques, then hurled a Rasenshuriken at the Kirigakure Ninja.
• Mei Terumi ordered her forces to retreat and explained that Kirigakure had come at the Konoha Advisors' request; Zhou Cheng accused her village of pursuing its own interests and teased her about marriage.
• Mei Terumi attacked Zhou Cheng with Water Release, Lava Release, and Boil Release techniques, but Zhou Cheng countered each one with ninjutsu.
• Mei Terumi realized Zhou Cheng had enormous chakra reserves and that Kirigakure's operation was likely to fail.
• Zhou Cheng entered Sage Mode and told the Kirigakure Ninja he would use one move, challenging them to withstand it.

Zhou Cheng unleashed a colossal Sage Art Rasenshuriken against the Kirigakure forces, forcing both armies to flee as it exploded. Mei Terumi survived the blast and began considering a counterattack before Zhou Cheng’s voice sounded above her.

• Zhou Cheng formed a thirty-meter Rasengan, infused it with Wind Release chakra, and created a forty-meter Rasenshuriken.
• Zhou Cheng hurled the Rasenshuriken at the Kirigakure shinobi, then collapsed to one knee from exhaustion as it went out of control.
• Mei Terumi and Kakashi ordered their forces to retreat, while Kakashi knocked Hinata, Karin, and Ino unconscious when they tried to return to Zhou Cheng.
• The Rasenshuriken exploded, devastating the area and injuring the surviving Kirigakure shinobi; Chojuro lost an arm.
• Mei Terumi prepared to regroup and strike back, believing Zhou Cheng might have died, when his voice rang out above her.

Zhou Cheng confronted Mei Terumi and the Kirigakure forces after surviving the blast, then used the Eight Gates to kill many of their ninja. Mei Terumi tried to recruit him by claiming he might be descended from a powerful Kirigakure shinobi, but Zhou Cheng rejected the idea of returning.

• Mei Terumi recognized Zhou Cheng, and he warned the Kirigakure ninja that anyone who attacked him would die.
• Mei Terumi tested Zhou Cheng with Earth Release, while Ao used his Byakugan to reveal that Zhou Cheng's chakra was depleted.
• The Kirigakure ninja charged, but Zhou Cheng opened the third of the Eight Gates and killed more than a dozen of them with his speed and strength.
• Mei Terumi ordered the remaining ninja to spread out, then heard that Zhou Cheng resembled a powerful Kirigakure ninja whose clan had been wiped out.
• Mei Terumi suggested Zhou Cheng return to Kirigakure and run for Mizukage, but he said Kirigakure had caused his orphaning and he had no reason to go back.

Zhou Cheng forced Mei Terumi and the Kirigakure shinobi to negotiate after they admitted defeat. When Mei Terumi refused his demands and Kirigakure could not agree to leave Ao behind, Zhou Cheng prepared to resume the fight.

• Mei Terumi admitted Kirigakure's defeat and agreed to withdraw from the Land of Fire.
• Zhou Cheng demanded Kirigakure surrender its ninja tools and Water Release secret techniques, and that Mei Terumi stay behind.
• Ao and Chojuro objected, and Mei Terumi offered to accept the first two demands if Zhou Cheng dropped the third.
• Zhou Cheng offered to let Ao stay instead and demanded that Kirigakure hand over Ao's Byakugan.
• Mei Terumi and her followers argued among themselves but refused to leave anyone behind.
• Zhou Cheng declared that all the Kirigakure shinobi would stay and raised his sword to resume the fight.

Zhou Cheng overwhelmed the Kirigakure Ninja and forced Mei Terumi to stay while demanding Ao’s Byakugan. When Ao resisted, Zhou Cheng opened the Seventh Gate, leaving the Kirigakure group terrified by his tailed-beast-level chakra.

• Zhou Cheng opened the Gate of Life and killed several Kirigakure Ninja at a speed they could not follow.
• Ao and Chojuro offered to stay in Mei Terumi’s place, but Zhou Cheng demanded that Mei Terumi remain or he would kill them all.
• Mei Terumi agreed to stay, and Zhou Cheng changed his final condition to demanding Ao’s Byakugan.
• Zhou Cheng cut Ao’s eyepatch and ordered him to surrender the Byakugan.
• Zhou Cheng opened the Seventh Gate, and the blue vapor and immense chakra left Ao, Chojuro, and Mei Terumi convinced they could not survive a fight with him.

Zhou Cheng defeated Kirigakure’s forces, and Ao gouged out his own Byakugan to save them. After restoring his chakra, Zhou Cheng headed toward Tsunade’s front, where Iwagakure’s attack reached a desperate turning point.

• Ao gouged out his right eye, and Mei Terumi treated him while the Kirigakure ninja surrendered their ninja tools and secret-technique scrolls to Zhou Cheng.
• Kakashi arrived with Konoha ninja, and Zhou Cheng reassured them before Karin treated Ao and helped restore Zhou Cheng’s chakra.
• Zhou Cheng left for Tsunade’s front, where Kurotsuchi, Kitsuchi, and Akatsuchi led Iwagakure’s forces against Konoha’s defenses.
• Tsunade summoned Katsuyu to treat Konoha’s wounded as the battle shifted back and forth and nightfall approached.
• Kitsuchi used Earth Release: Earth Mountain Technique to raise two massive earthen mountains around Konoha’s position and crush it.

Zhou Cheng arrived on Gamabunta and saved Konoha's forces by destroying Kitsuchi's Earth Mountains, then led Gamabunta against the Iwagakure Ninja. As the enemy scattered in retreat, Zhou Cheng had Gamabunta pursue Kurotsuchi and located her hiding behind a tree.

• Kitsuchi used Earth Release to trap Konoha's defenders between two mountains, but Zhou Cheng arrived on Gamabunta and sliced the mountains apart.
• Gamabunta attacked the Iwagakure Ninja while Zhou Cheng blasted a hole through their Earth Flow Rampart, forcing Kitsuchi to order a retreat.
• Zhou Cheng ordered Gamabunta to keep attacking and leap ahead of the retreating Iwagakure forces, inflicting more casualties.
• Kitsuchi ordered his forces to scatter, and Zhou Cheng sent Gamabunta after Kurotsuchi.
• Kurotsuchi raised a Rock Pillar beneath Gamabunta, but Zhou Cheng used his sensing ability to locate her behind a tree, and Gamabunta struck at her.

Zhou Cheng fought Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi while Gamabunta remained summoned beyond the supposed five-minute limit. After severing Kitsuchi’s palm, Zhou Cheng activated Wind Release Chakra Mode and rushed at Kurotsuchi with the Thunder God Sword.

• Kitsuchi and Akatsuchi found Kurotsuchi safe after she escaped the falling tree by burrowing underground.
• Kitsuchi blocked Gamabunta’s blade with Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique, but Zhou Cheng soon learned Gamabunta could remain summoned without a time limit.
• Zhou Cheng cut off half of Kitsuchi’s palm, and Kurotsuchi sealed the wound with Earth Release.
• The Iwagakure shinobi returned, and Kurotsuchi rallied them to attack Gamabunta while she and Akatsuchi prepared to fight Zhou Cheng.
• Zhou Cheng activated Wind Release Chakra Mode and appeared before Kurotsuchi with the Thunder God Sword, but Akatsuchi pulled her away and attacked the blade with Fist Rock Technique.

Zhou Cheng defeated Kitsuchi, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi after unleashing the Seventh Gate, forcing Iwagakure to surrender. He reunited with his allies and announced that the war was over.

• Kurotsuchi trapped Zhou Cheng with her Lava Release, but he escaped with an Earth Release Clone, and Akatsuchi saved her from his attack.
• Zhou Cheng opened the Seventh Gate and overwhelmed the Iwagakure trio, who surrendered after seeing him destroy half a hillside with one punch.
• Kitsuchi agreed to hand over the ninja tools and Earth Release techniques, and Zhou Cheng restored his severed hand with Yang Release chakra.
• Zhou Cheng dismissed Gamabunta, sent news to Tsunade, and returned to the Konoha 15, where he told his allies that the three villages had surrendered.
• Zhou Cheng invited his allies to dinner, returned to the watchtower, announced the war was over, and then went back to Tsunade.

After returning to Konoha, Zhou Cheng examined the techniques and rewards he had gained and planned to seek out the tailed beasts, while questions about his parents’ past remained unresolved. Danzo’s escape and the coming village delegations brought new complications, as the mysterious group and Kumogakure prepared their next moves.

• Tsunade brought Zhou Cheng back to Konoha, where the villagers celebrated him, and he later reviewed the techniques and materials he had received from the shinobi villages.
• Zhou Cheng learned the Hozuki Clan’s Hydrification Technique, considered what to do with a captured Byakugan, and planned to visit Kirigakure to find the Three-Tails and Six-Tails.
• Zhou Cheng wondered why his memories of his parents conflicted with what people in Kirigakure had said, then learned that Danzo had escaped and began swordsmanship training with Kakashi.
• Tsunade told Zhou Cheng that Konoha would reward him ten million ryo and that Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure had requested him as their host; Zhou Cheng hosted his friends for dinner.
• The group led by Zero decided to target the Four-Tails and Five-Tails in Iwagakure after the allied forces’ defeat.
• The Fourth Raikage A ordered C, Karui, and Dodai to travel to Konoha, present Kumogakure’s strength, and assess Zhou Cheng and Konoha.

The Raikage, Genji, and Ōnoki responded to Zhou Cheng’s defeat of their forces by planning diplomatic visits to Konoha and considering how to deal with him. The chapter ended with Kitsuchi tasked with finding a suitable gift to thank Zhou Cheng for restoring his hand.

• The Raikage heard Darui, Samui, and Mabui describe Zhou Cheng’s speed and strength, then ordered C to propose joint Chunin Exams and invite Zhou Cheng to Kumogakure.
• The Raikage ordered Darui to train in seclusion for three months, and Darui vowed to defeat Zhou Cheng next time.
• Mei Terumi told Genji that Zhou Cheng’s parents had come from Kirigakure and described his mastery of the Eight Gates; Genji ordered her to lead another mission to Konoha and invite Zhou Cheng to learn about his parents.
• Genji told Ao that he could expect to become an elder when the new Mizukage took office, leaving Ao dissatisfied.
• Ōnoki ordered Kurotsuchi, Kitsuchi, and another companion to return to Konoha, and told Kitsuchi to bring Zhou Cheng gifts in thanks for restoring his hand.

The Masked Man learned that Zhou Cheng could threaten the Akatsuki’s plan to capture the Nine-Tails and ordered Kakuzu and his partner to test him. Meanwhile, Zhou Cheng and Kakashi’s group traveled to Sunagakure for Gaara’s Kazekage succession ceremony, where Uzuki Yugao suspected Zhou Cheng had brought her to help avenge Gekko Hayate.

• Zetsu reported that Danzo had fled Konoha, the other villages were seeking peace talks, and Zhou Cheng had an unusual background and hidden strength.
• The Masked Man ordered Kakuzu and his partner to test Zhou Cheng and told Zetsu to keep watching Itachi.
• Kakashi led Zhou Cheng, Naruto, Uzuki Yugao, and the others toward Sunagakure to attend Gaara’s succession ceremony.
• Zhou Cheng said he could return to Konoha instantly using a Flying Thunder God Kunai, but explained that he had to travel to Sunagakure on foot because he could not sense Gaara’s marker.
• Hinata and Ino openly clung to Zhou Cheng, while the others reflected on their changing relationships with him.
• Uzuki Yugao wondered whether Zhou Cheng had brought her to Sunagakure so she could kill Baki and avenge Gekko Hayate.