Chapter Summaries

Rasa sent Pakura to investigate whether Sunagakure could harness the sealed dragon vein, gambling that its power might protect the village from Konoha. In Kumogakure, A abandoned his plan for an outright war after hearing of Kirigakure’s defeat, and Samui proposed backing the Land of Grass in a proxy war to test Konoha’s strength.

• Rasa ordered Pakura and the Sealing Squad to investigate harnessing the dragon vein, despite the risk that it could devastate Sunagakure and beyond.
• Pakura questioned Rasa’s decision and privately considered telling Bai Ye about the dragon vein.
• A learned that Kirigakure had sided with Konoha and realized his plan to rally the villages against Bai Ye had stalled.
• Samui warned A that war with Konoha could leave Kumogakure vulnerable to Iwagakure and urged him to recall the troops at the border.
• A refused to retreat because he feared losing face, so Samui proposed supporting the Land of Grass against Konoha to earn money and test Konoha’s forces.

After Kumogakure backed away from confronting Konoha, Ōnoki decided Iwagakure would wait rather than provoke Bai Ye. Obito then told Akatsuki to accelerate its plans, even though the group was unprepared, and considered reviving Madara Uchiha if Bai Ye could not be stopped.

• Samui warned A that Konoha's declaration of war on the Land of Grass signaled a change in its strategy, and A recognized Bai Ye as a serious threat.
• Ōnoki learned Kumogakure was retreating and decided Iwagakure would not provoke Konoha until it saw what Kumogakure did.
• Kitsuchi questioned whether Iwagakure should abandon its plans, and Ōnoki explained that waiting would protect the village from risking its strength against Bai Ye.
• White Zetsu told Obito that spreading news of Bai Ye's power had not caused other villages to unite against him as expected.
• Black Zetsu guessed Obito meant to make Bai Ye a target but argued the timing was too early, and Obito ordered Akatsuki to prepare to move sooner.
• Obito said he might revive Madara Uchiha if Akatsuki could not handle Bai Ye, while Black Zetsu doubted he could reach Nagato to use Rinne Rebirth.

Obito urged Nagato to advance the Akatsuki’s plan and fight Bai Ye before Konoha’s growing power threatened Amegakure and made Nagato’s eventual victory less likely. Nagato remained wary of acting before the organization was ready, and Obito left him and Konan to decide whether to proceed.

• Obito proposed letting Nagato fight Bai Ye and taking control of Nagato if he lost, while Black Zetsu and White Zetsu questioned how they could revive Madara Uchiha without Nagato.
• Obito and Zetsu considered Impure World Reincarnation through Orochimaru as a fallback, then went to speak with Nagato.
• Konan refused Obito’s demand to move the plan forward, warning that the Akatsuki was not ready.
• Obito argued that Bai Ye might soon threaten Amegakure and grow too strong for Nagato to defeat, making an early confrontation necessary.
• Nagato explained that the tailed beasts had to be captured in order and that the Akatsuki lacked the people and preparation to begin yet.
• Obito said he would help capture the other tailed beasts and left Nagato and Konan to decide whether to act.

Konan opposed Obito’s push to begin the plan and decided to travel to Konoha with Nagato to investigate Bai Ye and buy Explosive Tags. Kakuzu joined them, while Obito and Zetsu worried that Bai Ye might discover Nagato and take the Rinnegan.

• Konan warned Nagato that acting before they were ready would put him in danger, but Nagato feared Konoha would eventually target Amegakure and agreed to go with her to Konoha.
• Konan ran into Kakuzu, who accused her business partners of swindling her and insisted on accompanying her to protect the accounts.
• Konan explained that Kakuzu’s Rogue Ninja status could attract suspicion, but Kakuzu said he would disguise himself and revealed he also hoped to find a new teammate.
• Konan, Nagato, and Kakuzu left Amegakure together for Konoha.
• Zetsu reported their departure to Obito, who suspected Konan had brought Nagato because she feared an attack; Obito chose to wait rather than intervene.

The Grass Fruit elders struggled to respond to Konoha’s impending attack, debating whether they could use the sealed Box of Ultimate Bliss despite lacking the chakra to open it. When they learned Kumogakure would help them, they saw a chance to obtain tailed beast chakra and revive their plan to defeat Konoha.

• The Grass Fruit elders argued over Konoha’s war declaration and whether returning the two Uzumaki would prevent an attack.
• The elders considered using the Box of Ultimate Bliss, but acknowledged they lacked the vast chakra needed to open it and had no jinchūriki.
• One elder suspected Bai Ye had controlled the Land of Fire Daimyo, but the others doubted anyone would believe their speculation.
• An Elite Jonin reported that Kumogakure would help Kusagakure resist Konoha.
• The elders decided Kumogakure might provide tailed beast chakra to open the Box of Ultimate Bliss, though they still needed to learn whether Kumogakure would agree.

Bai Ye watched from backstage as the three ninjas he had brought back from Kirigakure challenged Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji at the Ninja Academy. Shikamaru suspected Bai Ye had arranged the fights as a test, and the students prepared to learn about their opponents before accepting the matches.

• Iruka told Bai Ye that the students were gathered, and Bai Ye led him backstage to watch the three returning ninjas confront his students.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji encountered Hozuki Suigetsu, Kimimaro, and Yuki Haku, who each called out one of them for a fight.
• Suigetsu challenged Naruto, Kimimaro named Neji as his opponent, and Haku looked forward to fighting Sasuke before the three left the classroom.
• Shikamaru reasoned that Bai Ye had likely arranged the challenges as a test after training the three newcomers, and Naruto immediately wanted to go fight.
• Shikamaru urged Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji to learn about their opponents first, and Sasuke and Neji told Naruto to be quiet as they turned to Shikamaru for information.

Shikamaru analyzed the students’ mismatched fights and realized Bai Ye was testing their ability to adapt and work together. Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji accepted his advice and prepared to change tactics.

• Shikamaru explained that Suigetsu, Haku, and Kimimaro belonged to Bloodline Families and described their abilities.
• Iruka questioned Bai Ye’s decision to make the children fight, but Bai Ye said the match would help them grow.
• Bai Ye revealed that he had trained the three Kirigakure children to awaken their kekkei genkai and had deliberately arranged challenging matchups.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji struggled against opponents whose abilities countered theirs, while Shikamaru concluded that they needed to switch opponents or fight together.
• Shikamaru called out that Bai Ye was testing their teamwork and adaptability, and Naruto, Sasuke, and Neji realized they should change their tactics.

Bai Ye ended the training fight, assessed both teams, and announced plans for the students’ graduation and instruction. The chapter left the academy crowd reacting to the news that he would personally guide the graduating class for two years.

• Bai Ye stopped the fight by sending all six fighters flying, and Naruto proposed that his team choose a captain, prompting Sasuke and Neji to reject him.
• Kimimaro silenced Suigetsu, while Bai Ye praised Naruto’s team for completing its task and Kimimaro’s team for its progress, then sent Kimimaro’s team back to join the cohort.
• Shikaku urged Bai Ye to begin his address and warned him that the Grass Ninja had been in close contact with Kumogakure.
• Bai Ye skipped a speech about the Will of Fire and announced a graduation exam in six months, followed by two years of personal training for students who graduated.
• Bai Ye explained that students would take different graduation tracks based on their specialties and that suitable Jonin would also guide them.

Bai Ye announced early-graduation assessments at the Ninja Academy, then discussed the looming war with Konoha’s leaders and proposed attacking Kumogakure first because it was preparing to intervene. The leaders recognized that Bai Ye’s aggressive plans would expose Konoha’s ambitions, but he intended to use the conflict to defeat Kusagakure and display Konoha’s strength.

• Bai Ye announced that students would be assessed in a month for early graduation, and he assigned Iruka to teach Kimimaro and the other two newcomers.
• Shikaku briefed Bai Ye and Konoha’s leaders on Kumogakure’s support for Kusagakure, the Box of Ultimate Bliss, and divisions within the Grass Ninja.
• Bai Ye said he could handle Kumogakure’s A and the Box of Ultimate Bliss, then proposed declaring war on Kumogakure first.
• Shikaku questioned whether moving so aggressively would reveal Konoha’s intentions, then concluded that Bai Ye’s changed policies had already made them obvious.

Bai Ye finalized plans for Konoha to attack Kusagakure while moving quickly to seize several weaker neighboring countries, leaving Shikaku to coordinate those operations. The meeting ended with Konoha preparing to move in two days, while Shikaku’s family realized the coming war might also explain the students’ early graduation.

• Shikaku accepted Bai Ye’s reasoning that Konoha should use its strength to act before future wars came, and Bai Ye said they would target smaller countries before dealing with Kumogakure.
• Bai Ye assigned Shikaku to coordinate simultaneous operations against weaker countries while he went to Kusagakure, and said he would decide later how to handle Amegakure and Nagato.
• Shikaku agreed that the shinobi could be assembled by the day after tomorrow, and Bai Ye ordered them to begin the plan quietly and move fast.
• At home, Shikaku told his wife that war was about to begin and that Konoha’s new territory would leave him with more work, while she wondered why the Land of Fire Daimyo had allowed Bai Ye’s plans.
• Shikamaru overheard Shikaku discussing the war and suspected that his class’s early graduation was connected to being sent to the battlefield.

After Bai Ye announced that Ninja Academy graduates would train with him, Shikamaru, Kiba, and Shino considered graduating early, while their families weighed what the announcement meant. Hyuga Hiashi told Hinata he expected her to pass the graduation exam, leaving her under pressure as the exam approached.

• Shikaku agreed that the Ino-Shika-Cho trio would likely graduate together, and Shikamaru realized his carefree days were ending.
• Kiba insisted he could graduate and planned to train with his mother so he could catch up to Naruto.
• Shibi asked Shino whether he wanted to graduate early, and Shino said he had prepared for the coming exam.
• Hyuga Hiashi told Hinata he expected her to pass the graduation exam, and she quietly nodded.

Hinata agreed to train for early graduation while Tsunade confronted Bai Ye about his new students and his plans for war. Bai Ye revealed he wanted to take the fight to the moon, and Tsunade wagered that if he could get her there, she would grant him one request.

• Hinata agreed to focus on training so she could graduate early and avoid disappointing Hyuga Hiashi.
• Tsunade visited Bai Ye in the Hokage's Office and worried that his decision to take on many students meant he was running out of money.
• Bai Ye said he wanted Tsunade to train Sakura and possibly Xiangling in Medical Ninjutsu, though Tsunade objected that teaching them was not part of their agreement.
• Tsunade questioned Bai Ye's plans to start a war, and he said he wanted to settle the conflict once and for all before suggesting they take the fight to the moon.
• Tsunade wagered that if Bai Ye could take her to the moon, she would grant him one request, then asked why he thought taking students would benefit her.
• Bai Ye asked whether Tsunade really wanted to work for ten years, leading her to suspect that he could no longer afford to support her.

Bai Ye persuaded Tsunade to train medical-ninja apprentices by promising to ease her workload and let her spend more time at the casino, though Tsunade suspected he had another motive. Tsunade agreed after demanding extra pay, and Shizune later reassured her while privately suspecting Bai Ye was hiding something.

• Tsunade worried Bai Ye would abandon her after she was no longer useful, but Bai Ye explained that he wanted her to train medical ninjas so she could share future medical work and rest more.
• Bai Ye said he would also teach apprentices and arrange for other specialists to help, while Tsunade questioned why her family techniques were not worth extra pay.
• When Bai Ye suggested Shizune could handle the work instead, Tsunade insisted that she would do it and demanded compensation for her effort.
• Tsunade signed the agreement, then left Bai Ye's office and asked Shizune whether Bai Ye had tricked her.
• Shizune told Tsunade that training apprentices could make her life easier, while privately suspecting Bai Ye had an undisclosed motive.

Tsunade agreed to Bai Ye’s proposal because she planned to pass most of the work to Shizune, then Bai Ye assigned several squads and training responsibilities to Konoha’s Jonin. The chapter ended with Kurenai agreeing to take Kurama Yakumo under her wing after Bai Ye promised to handle Yakumo’s condition.

• Tsunade revealed that she intended to let Shizune handle the work Bai Ye had offered her, while Shizune protested that she was already overloaded.
• Bai Ye told Might Guy to lead Tenten, Sakura Haruno, and Rock Lee, with Sakura later studying Taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu under Tsunade.
• Bai Ye assigned Yuki Haku, Kimimaro, and Suigetsu to Kakashi, who agreed to lead them.
• Bai Ye put Shisui in charge of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.
• Bai Ye asked Kurenai to take Kurama Yakumo under her wing and promised to handle Yakumo’s condition, so Kurenai agreed.

Bai Ye assigned the graduating students to six squads, giving Kurenai Yuhi a team with Kurama Yakumo, Sai, and the absent Karin Uzumaki. After everyone else left, Kurenai confronted Bai Ye about their past flirtation and asked whether he had deliberately given her an awkward team.

• Bai Ye explained that Sai and Karin Uzumaki would join Kurenai Yuhi's squad, with Karin returning from Kusagakure after the war.
• Bai Ye assigned the remaining students to squads led by himself, Kakashi, Shisui, Might Guy, and Yamato, and said Medical Ninjas would later be assigned to each team.
• Shisui asked whether there were other students to consider, but Bai Ye confirmed the six squads were settled and dismissed everyone.
• Kurenai stayed behind and teased Bai Ye about how he had once called her sweetheart when they watched the moon together.
• Bai Ye said he had been unable to seek her out after the war, and Kurenai asked whether he had deliberately given her a team whose members were difficult to teach or not yet present.

Bai Ye explained why he had assigned Kurenai Yuhi to mentor Kurama Yakumo and reconciled with her over their past, then invited her to dinner. When Anko unexpectedly joined them at the barbecue restaurant, Kurenai remembered Bai Ye had flirted with both of them and decided to confront him about their unresolved history.

• Bai Ye explained that Kurenai Yuhi's Genjutsu expertise made her the best mentor for Kurama Yakumo and apologized for upsetting her.
• Kurenai Yuhi admitted she had misunderstood Bai Ye's intentions and offered to buy him dinner.
• Kurenai Yuhi recalled that Bai Ye had once disappeared after flirting with her, and Bai Ye explained that he had prioritized his survival and clan.
• Bai Ye took Kurenai Yuhi's hand and tried to rekindle their closeness, but she asked to have dinner first and get to know each other again.
• Bai Ye and Kurenai Yuhi went to an Akimichi Clan barbecue restaurant, where Anko arrived and Kurenai resolved to confront Bai Ye about his past with them both.

Anko joined Bai Ye and Kurenai Yuhi for barbecue, but Tsunade and Shizune barged in and turned the meal into an awkward discussion about romance. Tsunade teased Bai Ye and the two women, leaving Kurenai and Anko visibly flustered as the meal began.

• Anko greeted Bai Ye and joined him and Kurenai Yuhi for barbecue, while Kurenai wondered about their past with each other.
• Tsunade arrived with Shizune, pushed into the private room, and ordered an enormous feast at Bai Ye's expense.
• Shizune objected to Tsunade's behavior, but Tsunade blamed her for wanting barbecue and told her to eat.
• Tsunade teased Kurenai Yuhi and Anko about being on matchmaking dates with Bai Ye, then called his credibility zero.
• Shizune suspected Tsunade had hit a nerve when Kurenai Yuhi and Anko reacted awkwardly.

Bai Ye teased Tsunade and the others by claiming he would choose all four women, then implied he and Tsunade had a relationship. Tsunade attacked him and demanded an explanation while the others mistook their quarrel for proof of an affair, leaving her afraid Anko would spread the rumor.

• Bai Ye revealed that Tsunade had followed him and the others, then teased her about being interested in him.
• Tsunade challenged Bai Ye to choose one of the four women, and he joked that adults would take them all.
• When Tsunade teased Bai Ye about wearing himself out, he suggested she knew what his body was like, making the others suspect they were involved.
• Anko accused Bai Ye of having an affair with Tsunade, and Tsunade angrily denied it and demanded he explain himself.
• Tsunade struck at Bai Ye, but he caught her fist as Shizune and Kurenai considered leaving and Anko stayed to watch.

Tsunade clarified that Bai Ye's suggestive remarks had referred to his Sage Body, then got tipsy and complained about him throughout the gathering. Afterward, Anko confronted Kurenai about her unspoken thoughts, and Kurenai struggled to explain her suspicions about Bai Ye.

• Bai Ye explained that he had been talking about his Sage Body, and Tsunade reluctantly backed him up.
• Kurenai asked what a Sage Body was and whether it was safe to discuss; Tsunade described it as a constitution and denied knowing what Bai Ye's earlier suggestive remarks meant.
• After drinking and eating for an hour, Tsunade drunkenly grumbled about Bai Ye and the others until Shizune pulled her away.
• Kurenai and Anko left together, and Kurenai wondered whether Anko had something she wanted to tell her.
• Anko guessed that Kurenai's unspoken concern was about Bai Ye, and Kurenai faltered as she tried to respond.

Kurenai Yuhi told Anko about her concerns over Bai Ye, and Anko described his flirtatious past and her own unexpected feelings for him. Anko then claimed Bai Ye might be pursuing Tsunade, leaving Kurenai doubtful and Tsunade sneezing as if someone had been talking about her.

• Kurenai Yuhi admitted she had once looked into Bai Ye and Anko's past and shared her worries with Anko.
• Anko told Kurenai that Bai Ye had flirted with girls at the Ninja Academy and that she had repeatedly challenged him after he beat her.
• Anko explained that she later began spending time with Bai Ye after deciding he seemed nice, and warned Kurenai not to fall too hard for him.
• Anko suspected Kurenai had feelings for Bai Ye, and Kurenai said she needed time to think about what she had learned.
• Anko guessed that Tsunade might be Bai Ye's next target, while Kurenai questioned whether their apparent hostility made that plausible.
• Tsunade sneezed several times and wondered who was talking about her.