Chapter Summaries

Tsunade scolded Nawaki for recklessly taking Amamiya Maki’s Rasengan head-on, while Jiraiya learned that Maki had created the seal-less ninjutsu himself. The chapter left Jiraiya astonished by Maki’s talent and Orochimaru quietly proud of his student.

• Tsunade emerged from the woods and berated Nawaki for imitating Hashirama Senju’s reckless fighting style after Maki’s Rasengan badly injured him.
• Nawaki praised Maki’s seal-less jutsu instead of worrying about his wound, leaving Tsunade exasperated.
• Jiraiya arrived with Minato Namikaze and admired Maki’s chakra control and instantly activated Rasengan.
• Jiraiya asked Orochimaru who had taught Maki the jutsu, and Orochimaru explained that Maki had developed it himself beneath a waterfall.
• Jiraiya reacted in disbelief that Maki had created an A-rank ninjutsu, while Orochimaru admitted the boy’s talent had exceeded his expectations.

Jiraiya reported that tensions among the smaller shinobi villages around the Land of Rain were escalating, potentially forming a trap for Konoha. The chapter left Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade weighing the threat of a wider war while Minato remained unaware that Jiraiya saw his spatial talent as a key to learning Flying Thunder God.

• Jiraiya explained that Minato could control his Reverse Summoning landing area, and recognized his spatial perception as rare talent suited to Flying Thunder God.
• Minato watched Amamiya Maki and eagerly imagined combining the Rasengan with his speed and possible future teleportation.
• Tsunade assessed Nawaki's injuries after his fight with Amamiya Maki and ordered Yakushi Nonō to treat him as practice for her Mystical Palm Technique.
• Orochimaru offered to create Substitution Techniques that could quickly repair Nawaki's injuries, but said his own methods would not suit him.
• Jiraiya reported that Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Hoshigakure were moving troops and that Kusagakure and Sunagakure were escalating border accusations and reinforcements.
• Jiraiya warned that Hanzō might unite the smaller villages into a war trap in the Land of Rain, drawing Konoha into a larger conflict.

Jiraiya reported evidence that several small ninja villages were secretly backing the Land of Rain, forcing Konoha to prioritize preparations for war over Tsunade’s medical-system reforms. Minato learned that Amamiya Maki had created the Rasengan and struggled with envy and admiration.

• Jiraiya showed Orochimaru and Tsunade a map of troop movements and supply clues pointing toward the Land of Rain.
• Jiraiya said the Third Hokage agreed that the small villages intended to support Hanzō, and that Tsunade’s proposed medical reforms would have to wait.
• Minato watched Nonō treat Nawaki and asked Amamiya Maki whether he had created the technique himself.
• Amamiya Maki confirmed that he had invented the Rasengan, while Minato realized the technique could be devastatingly effective in battle.
• Minato compared his new techniques with Maki’s invention, felt the gap between them widening, and thought of a name for his own move: Spiral Chain Wheel Flash Ball.

After Maki named his new technique the Rasengan, Orochimaru invited him to become his student and showed him his extensive ninjutsu collection. Maki declared he wanted to devote his finite life to studying ninjutsu, and Orochimaru began planning a training path for him.

• Minato was disappointed by Maki's plain name for the new technique, while Jiraiya concluded the intelligence meeting and the others departed.
• Jiraiya told Minato to train with Orochimaru, and Tsunade took Nawaki away after their sparring match.
• Orochimaru asked Maki about his future plans, and Maki said he wanted to learn every ninjutsu.
• Orochimaru brought Maki to his underground laboratory and gave him a large collection of scrolls suited to his current abilities.
• Maki told Orochimaru he wanted to devote his life to the endless study of ninjutsu, earning his approval.
• Orochimaru ended the day's training and began selecting a gradual, safe progression of techniques for Maki.

Orochimaru introduced Amamiya Maki to the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and explained how to study it safely. Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi weighed Konoha’s response to Hanzō’s growing power and ordered preparations for war while resisting Shimura Danzō’s calls for an immediate attack.

• Orochimaru recognized Amamiya Maki’s thirst for knowledge and gave him the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique scroll, warning him to build up gradually from dividing his chakra in two.
• Orochimaru explained that the technique returned both training experience and fatigue, and Amamiya Maki agreed not to rush into creating too many clones.
• Jiraiya presented intelligence about Hanzō’s expansion, prompting Shimura Danzō to urge Hiruzen Sarutobi to strike first.
• Jiraiya warned that Hanzō and his summon Ibuse posed a serious threat, while Tsunade and Mitokado Homura supported caution about provoking a wider alliance.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Konoha to prepare for war, strengthen border patrols, and gather intelligence on Hanzō’s allies and plans.
• Shimura Danzō renewed his demand for an immediate attack, but Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned who might be backing Hanzō and rebuked Danzō for insulting another nation’s leader.

Danzo rejected Hiruzen’s refusal to target Hanzō and decided to start a war to prove himself worthy of leading Konoha. As Root operatives infiltrated the Land of Rain, Hanzō prepared to launch a war of his own, driven by ambition, resource hunger, and domestic unrest.

• Danzo insisted that Konoha’s interests justified eliminating Hanzō, but Hiruzen refused and reminded him that he was Hokage.
• After leaving the Hokage’s office, Danzo brooded over losing the chance to become Hokage when Tobirama chose Hiruzen as his successor.
• Danzo concluded that Konoha needed a war to prove who its true hero was and ordered a Root shinobi to eliminate Hanzō.
• Root operatives infiltrated the Land of Rain in disguise and began a coordinated assault on Hanzō.
• In Amegakure’s council hall, Hanzō considered his power, his desire for territory and resources, and the unrest caused by the Land of Rain’s worsening conditions as reasons to start a war.

Hanzō turned an assassination attempt into his justification for launching a war against several great nations. He ordered Amegakure to strike the Land of Iron and the Land of Fire while recruiting smaller villages to join the campaign.

• An adviser questioned Hanzō’s plan to declare war on all five great nations, but Hanzō dismissed his concerns.
• A Root assassin disguised as an attendant attacked Hanzō, who killed him with a single sweep of his kusarigama.
• Hanzō used the assassination as a reason to declare war on the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Iron.
• Hanzō predicted Ōnoki would wait for others to weaken each other and said Iwagakure would not intervene in time.
• Hanzō ordered his people to take the Land of Iron within three days, crush the Land of Fire within seven, and invite Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Hoshigakure to share the spoils.

Amamiya Maki gathered pressure points by provoking cats, dogs, and their caretakers, then redeemed them to learn the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. Orochimaru told him that he and Jiraiya were leaving for the Land of Rain’s border and that Kumogakure and Kirigakure were preparing to attack Uzushio Village.

• Amamiya Maki found himself fifteen pressure points short of the cost to redeem the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and tested whether animals could earn him points.
• Amamiya Maki insulted strays and provoked the Bathhouse Owner, a furnace worker, and the Tofu Shop old man, earning enough pressure points to reach 2,018.8.
• Amamiya Maki redeemed and learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, then practiced splitting his chakra into five stable streams.
• Orochimaru praised Amamiya Maki’s rapid progress and told him that he and Jiraiya were leaving for the Land of Rain’s border.
• Orochimaru told Amamiya Maki that Kumogakure and Kirigakure were preparing to move against Uzushio Village.

Amamiya Maki read the Land of Whirlpools’ plea for help and learned that Konoha planned to send only an intelligence team rather than troops. As he prepared to travel with Senju Nawaki and Kushina Uzumaki, Nawaki questioned whether he was suited to be a ninja.

• Amamiya Maki concluded that the Third Hokage would likely withhold support from the Land of Whirlpools, while Orochimaru noted that Mito’s wishes could influence the decision.
• Orochimaru gave Amamiya Maki a B-rank mission to investigate Kumogakure and Kirigakure’s forces and Uzushio Village’s defenses, with Senju Nawaki and Kushina Uzumaki as teammates.
• Orochimaru explained that Kushina would visit her relatives and told Amamiya Maki to bring Nawaki back alive.
• Tsunade scolded Nawaki for seeking a mission so soon after leaving the hospital and warned him not to die in the Land of Whirlpools.
• Nawaki asked Amamiya Maki whether he was really cut out to be a ninja.

Amamiya Maki reassured Senju Nawaki about his abilities before discussing the reconnaissance mission to the Land of Whirlpools. As Konoha weighed a plea for aid from the Land of Whirlpools, Mito Uzumaki chose Konoha over her homeland.

• Amamiya Maki teased Senju Nawaki about his lack of shinobi talent, then urged him to stop comparing himself with Konoha's prodigies.
• Senju Nawaki said Tsunade had ordered him to follow Amamiya Maki's instructions during the reconnaissance mission to the Land of Whirlpools.
• Amamiya Maki asked about Kushina Uzumaki, who declared that she would not save the people of the Land of Whirlpools.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Mito Uzumaki the Land of Whirlpools' plea for aid and explained that Konoha could not afford to send troops.
• Mito Uzumaki tore up the plea and said Konoha was her home, then reflected on Hashirama and what he had left behind.

Amamiya Maki, Nawaki, and Kushina set out for the Land of Whirlpools with Tsunade accompanying them as a medical ninja. As the squad traveled northeast, Maki promised to teach Kushina chakra control once they reached the border, in exchange for her waking him each morning.

• Amamiya Maki completed the mission paperwork at the Konoha Gate, while Jiraiya sent soldier pills and a note telling them to come back alive.
• Tsunade joined the mission as an accompanying medical ninja and ordered Nawaki to follow Maki's commands as planned.
• The four traveled northeast, and Tsunade discussed establishing a medical ninja system with Amamiya Maki while Nawaki and Kushina struggled to follow their conversation.
• Amamiya Maki reassured Kushina during a break and promised to teach her water balloon training at the Land of Whirlpools border.
• Kushina agreed to Maki's terms for the lesson: she would wake him each morning by saying, “Lord Maki, please wake up.”

Tsunade’s team reached the coast and prepared to cross the sea to the Land of Whirlpools, where Amamiya Maki planned their reconnaissance mission. As the children camped for the night, Kushina began practicing chakra control while Tsunade watched over them and waited for the mission to begin.

• The group arrived at the southeastern coast, where Nawaki excitedly saw the sea for the first time and Tsunade assigned him the first watch.
• Tsunade warned Amamiya Maki about the threats near Uzushio Village, and he explained his escape plans and agreed to handle enemies below Jonin level with the others.
• Amamiya Maki studied the island map and outlined a plan to survey enemy ships and landing sites before infiltrating the village.
• Amamiya Maki reassured Nawaki about combat and helped Kushina begin Water Balloon Training, while she recalled the white walls of her home in Uzushio Village.
• Tsunade listened to the children bicker by the campfire, then watched the distant island alone without waking them.

Amamiya Maki, Nawaki, and Kushina encountered Kirigakure pirates attacking a merchant ship and planned a coordinated assault. Maki defeated the pirate captain and the mist dispersed, leaving the remaining pirates surrounded as the merchant ship’s leader emerged from the cabin.

• Kushina sensed a fight between a merchant ship and a fast boat concealed by the Hidden Mist Technique, and the squad identified the attackers as Kirigakure pirates.
• Amamiya Maki explained a plan to ambush the captain while Nawaki guarded his escape route and Kushina tracked his chakra.
• Maki used Shadow Clones and the Body Flicker Technique to strike the captain with a Rasengan, badly wounding him and breaking the mist.
• Nawaki and Kushina blocked the pirates’ escape and helped subdue them while Maki and his clones confronted the remaining attackers.
• The merchant ship’s guards watched the battle turn in their favor, and the man in charge stumbled out of the cabin.

After rescuing a merchant ship, Tsunade and Amamiya Maki discovered that a guard named Taobo was likely a spy carrying intelligence from the Land of Whirlpools to Kirigakure. They gathered evidence about his movements and prepared to arrest him.

• Tsunade praised Amamiya Maki for exploiting the pirates’ mistakes, then learned the merchant ship was headed from the Land of Whirlpools to the Land of Iron.
• Tsunade and Amamiya Maki noticed a guard tense up when she introduced herself and concluded that his chakra and reaction suggested he was a spy arranging a meeting with Kirigakure operatives.
• Amamiya Maki proposed watching the guard discreetly while Tsunade questioned Uzumaki Chen, and Tsunade told Nawaki and Kushina to stay in the cabin.
• Uzumaki Chen identified the suspicious guard as Taobo and revealed that he had joined two months earlier, avoided going ashore, and visited Komatsu Port alone the previous evening.
• Tsunade and Amamiya Maki judged that Taobo probably still had the secret documents because the pirates’ planned handoff had been disrupted, and Tsunade decided to arrest him.

Tsunade and her companions captured a Kirigakure spy and uncovered a joint plan by Kirigakure and Kumogakure to attack the Uzumaki Clan. Hiruzen Sarutobi approved a mission to protect the Land of Whirlpools and evacuate its younger generation, placing Tsunade and Orochimaru in command and assigning Amamiya Maki to the Anbu.

• Tsunade brought the unconscious Kirigakure jōnin Taobo to Konoha for interrogation by Inoichi Yamanaka.
• Inoichi Yamanaka confirmed Taobo had stolen Uzushio Village’s terrain and defense maps and had communicated with Kumogakure.
• Tsunade reported the intelligence to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who chose to evacuate the Uzumaki Clan’s younger generation while reinforcing the Land of Whirlpools.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Tsunade and Orochimaru to lead the rescue mission, and Tsunade secured authority to exclude Danzo’s Root from it.
• Tsunade vouched for Amamiya Maki’s combat ability, and Hiruzen Sarutobi transferred him to the Anbu for the mission.

Tsunade organized a secret A-rank mission to reinforce the Land of Whirlpools, while Maki prepared to deliver Mito's letter and learned the Hidden Mist Technique. The team assembled at Konoha's main gate, where Jiraiya warned that Hanzō's forces were gathering in the Land of Rain and another threat might be present.

• Tsunade set plans to preserve Taobo as a source of misleading intelligence and have Mito warn the Uzumaki Clan of Konoha's relief operation.
• Mito wrote a letter asking Uzushio Village to receive Konoha's squad, and Maki volunteered to deliver it himself.
• Tsunade ordered an A-rank team assembled from Anbu and members of the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hyuga clans.
• Maki went to Jiraiya for help learning the Hidden Mist Technique, and Jiraiya gave him his notes on breaking down the technique.
• The team assembled at Konoha's main gate, where Jiraiya reported unusual chakra fluctuations in the Land of Rain and warned that Hanzō's forces were nearly assembled.

Tsunade led Konoha reinforcements to the Land of Whirlpools, where she and Takehaya Uzumaki prepared to repel an invasion by Kumogakure and Kirigakure. After the defenses were completed and Maki mastered the Hidden Mist Technique, a Hyuga ninja spotted the enemy approaching by sea.

• Tsunade's party reached Uzushio Village and told Takehaya Uzumaki that Konoha would help repel the invasion and relocate the Uzumaki Clan's younger generation.
• Takehaya and Tsunade explained the invaders' motives and agreed to make the enemy pay until its forces withdrew.
• Uzushio Village reinforced its barrier, planted Explosive Tag Arrays, and turned abandoned mine tunnels into decoy ammunition depots.
• Maki quickly learned the Hidden Mist Technique, and Jiraiya promised to teach him a long-range ninjutsu after the mission.
• A week later, a Hyuga ninja spotted chakra-filled forces racing toward the coast and announced that the enemy had arrived.

Tsunade and the Uzushio defenders ambushed a joint Kirigakure and Kumogakure force at the abandoned salt fields. As Suikazan Fuguki and Kushimaru Kuriarare joined the fight, Orochimaru arrived to protect Jiraiya.

• Tsunade organized an ambush at the abandoned salt fields and assigned Jiraiya, the clans, and the Uzumaki sealing specialists their roles.
• The enemy’s Hidden Mist concealed its approach, but the force triggered the buried Explosive Tags and was caught in the blast zone.
• Jiraiya used a Fire Release Technique to expose and burn Kirigakure ninja, and Tsunade shattered the ground to scatter the enemy.
• Suikazan Fuguki appeared with Samehada and ordered his troops to regroup while he kept Tsunade occupied.
• Kushimaru Kuriarare attacked Jiraiya from behind with Nuibari, but Orochimaru intercepted the steel wire with his sword.

Amamiya Maki exploited Kirigakure’s mist tactics, killed a Chunin and a Water Release Special Jōnin, and rescued Hana Inuzuka. After expanding his chakra reserves with the system, he treated Hana’s wounds but could not cure the poison, leaving her in need of Tsunade.

• Orochimaru arrived at the Salt Field and faced Kushimaru Kuriarare and Suikazan Fuguki as Kirigakure’s forces reorganized.
• Amamiya Maki used shadow clones to exploit a gap in Kirigakure’s tactics and struck down Torinaka Maruki with a Rasengan.
• Maki rescued Hana Inuzuka from a Water Release Special Jōnin, then used the system to raise his chakra reserves from 1/1,000 ka to 1 ka.
• Maki overwhelmed the Special Jōnin with twenty shadow clones wielding Rasengan and burned the corpse to prevent its use in forbidden techniques.
• Maki stabilized Hana’s external wound but told her Tsunade would need to treat the poison in her chakra pathways.

Amamiya Maki picked off isolated wounded ninja in the mist before Jinin Akebino challenged him and overwhelmed him in combat. Orochimaru killed Akebino with a snake formation and explained that he had been watching the fight, leaving Maki alive but badly injured.

• Amamiya Maki ambushed and killed five isolated Kirigakure and Kumogakure ninja, earning psychological pressure and chakra fragments.
• Jinin Akebino confronted Maki and recognized his pattern of targeting stragglers and avoiding stronger opponents.
• Maki used shadow clones and a Rasengan against Akebino, but Akebino's strength and Chakra Armor defeated his attacks and wounded his left shoulder.
• Akebino trapped Maki in a Water Prison Technique and raised his axe to kill him.
• Orochimaru's venomous snakes paralyzed and killed Akebino, freeing Maki from the collapsing water prison.
• Orochimaru revealed that he had been watching as a snake clone and told Maki that the fight was a lesson.