Chapter Summaries

Chihane used his killing intent to pressure Hyuga Hiashi into considering support for Orochimaru’s bid to become Fourth Hokage, while requesting Hizashi Hyuga for a mission. Later, Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed reports on Might Duy and took comfort that the Hyuga Clan had sent only Hizashi.

• Chihane overwhelmed Hyuga Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga with his killing intent, then asked Hiashi to support Orochimaru’s bid for Hokage.
• Hiashi declined to commit the clan but offered ten Jonin and fifty Chunin; Chihane refused them and requested that Hizashi meet him at the village gate the next morning.
• After Chihane left, Hiashi told Hizashi to go meet him, deciding the Hyuga should avoid offending either side while waiting to see who gained the advantage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned a Cat-Faced ANBU about Might Duy’s ordinary mission record and learned that the Hyuga Clan had agreed to send only Hizashi.
• Hiruzen took the Hyuga Clan’s limited response as reassurance that Konoha remained under his control.

Chihane led more than two thousand Konoha ninja to reinforce Danzo on the Mist Ninja battlefield. Danzo demanded that Chihane obey his commands, but Chihane handed him a letter from Hiruzen Sarutobi.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Chihane and the Konoha force off with a speech, and Chihane rallied the ninja before leading them out of the village.
• Danzo learned that reinforcements were coming and ordered Root ninja to harass the Mist Ninja and establish another outpost.
• Chihane ordered the force to rest and form eight columns before reaching Danzo's camp.
• Danzo went to the camp entrance and saw Chihane, Hizashi Hyuga, and Sasaki Yuki arrive with the orderly force.
• Danzo told Chihane to obey his commands, and Chihane handed him Hiruzen Sarutobi's letter.

Chihane asserted his authority over Danzo, knocked him unconscious, and took command of the Konoha army. After learning that the Mist forces were led by Karatachi Yagura, Chihane announced that they would confront them the next morning, alarming Jonin Sasaki.

• Danzo rejected Chihane's orders and claimed he would explain the matter to Sarutobi, so Chihane kicked him through several tents and knocked him unconscious.
• Chihane warned Root's ninja to treat Danzo and withdraw, and they carried Danzo from the camp.
• Jonin Sasaki cautioned Chihane that Danzo's standing in Konoha could make the attack costly, but Chihane said the Hokage would not act until the war was over.
• Chihane ordered Sasaki to organize the Konoha forces, and the ninja entered the camp to rest and prepare dinner.
• Sasaki reported that Karatachi Yagura and the Mist army were advancing with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Minazuki Izumi, and Takei Sōchin.
• Chihane declared that the army would meet Karatachi Yagura the next morning, and Sasaki urged him not to face the much larger Mist force head-on.

Chihane assigned Might Duy to face the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and ordered Jonin Sasaki to prepare for a surprise attack on Karatachi Yagura’s forces. He then challenged Hizashi Hyuga to reconsider the Hyuga Main Family’s control of the Branch Family, leaving Hizashi unsettled but unwilling to act without his clan head’s authority.

• Chihane told Might Duy to take on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Duy vowed to defeat them.
• Jonin Sasaki warned Chihane about Karatachi Yagura’s overwhelming forces, but Chihane ordered him to prepare for a surprise the next day.
• Might Duy and Hizashi Hyuga asked to leave and prepare, but Chihane kept Hizashi to question him about the Hyuga Main Family and Branch Family.
• Chihane argued that the Caged Bird Seal and the clan’s hierarchy enslaved the Branch Family, and Hizashi defended the system as protection for the Byakugan.
• Hizashi said he could not change the clan’s rules and directed Chihane to speak with the clan head; Chihane told him an opportunity to act would come and left the tent.

Chihane led more than two thousand Konoha ninja toward the Mist Ninja army, where Karatachi Yagura had decided to confront them. The armies met near Xiaohuang Village, and Chihane and Yagura traded taunts as Chihane singled out Juzo Biwa and promised to test Konoha’s new Coffin Technique.

• Chihane rallied the Konoha ninja and ordered the army to march out.
• Minazuki Izumi urged Karatachi Yagura to bypass Danzo’s Root ninja and attack Konoha, while Juzo Biwa warned that they should locate Chihane Hatake first.
• A Mist ANBU reported that roughly two thousand Konoha ninja were approaching, and Yagura led the Mist Ninja army to meet them.
• The Konoha and Mist armies faced each other near Xiaohuang Village, where Juzo Biwa recognized Chihane as Chihane Hatake and recoiled from him.
• Chihane taunted Juzo Biwa with a throat-slitting gesture and told Yagura that Konoha had brought its Coffin Technique to test on the Mizukage.

Chihane overwhelmed the Mist Ninja forces with a single sword strike and his killing intent, while Might Duy revealed the power of the Eight Gates against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. As Duy pursued the fleeing swordsmen, Chihane confronted Karatachi Yagura.

• Karatachi Yagura ordered the Mist Ninja to attack, but Chihane shattered their Water Dragon Bullet Technique with one sword strike.
• Chihane unleashed his killing intent, knocking out every Mist Ninja below Jonin and forcing weaker Jonin to the ground.
• Chihane told Might Duy to take his allies away and deal with the remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, then opened the Eight Gates and advanced on Karatachi Yagura.
• Might Duy used Morning Peacock to kill Raiga Kurosuki, then pursued the fleeing Juzo Biwa as Suikazan Fuguki escaped in the other direction.
• Chihane reached Karatachi Yagura, whose humiliation and anger drove him to imagine gouging out Chihane's eyes.

Karatachi Yagura, Takei Sōchin, and Minazuki Izumi fought Chihane together, but he survived their attacks and turned the battle against them. Chihane began a powerful sword strike against Takei Sōchin, leaving the clash unresolved.

• Karatachi Yagura sent the surviving Mist jonin to carry away the unconscious ninja, then charged Chihane alongside Takei Sōchin and Minazuki Izumi.
• Karatachi Yagura flooded the battlefield, but Chihane electrified the water and Minazuki Izumi froze the lake to contain him.
• Takei Sōchin used Dance of the Young Ferns to pierce the frozen lake, but Chihane emerged with only a shallow cut after his Observation and Armament Haki helped him avoid the worst of the attack.
• Chihane opened the fifth of the Eight Gates of Death and drew his swords as Takei Sōchin, Minazuki Izumi, and Karatachi Yagura launched bone spikes, ice senbon, and a water bullet at him.
• Chihane countered their attacks with Three-Sword Style: Black Rope: Great Tornado, then charged at Takei Sōchin's bone shield with Second Gorilla Slash.

Chihane defeated Karatachi Yagura, Minazuki Izumi, and Takei Sōchin in the Battle of Xiaohuang Village. Karatachi Yagura accepted Chihane’s terms and agreed to retreat without Minazuki Izumi and Takei Sōchin.

• Chihane cut through Takei Sōchin’s bone shield and severed his hands, leaving him incapacitated.
• Minazuki Izumi trapped Chihane among ice mirrors, but Chihane used Observation Haki to find him and wounded him with a Flying Slash.
• Karatachi Yagura attacked Chihane with the Water Trumpet Technique, but Chihane split the torrent with a Flying Slash and defeated him.
• Chihane demanded that Karatachi Yagura retreat while leaving Minazuki Izumi and Takei Sōchin behind.
• Karatachi Yagura rejected the demand at first, then agreed after Chihane threatened him.

After Chihane Hatake and Might Duy helped Konoha defeat the Mist Ninja, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisers grew alarmed at Chihane and Chihane Hatake’s influence. They decided to send Chihane Hatake to Amegakure, hoping Hanzō would kill him, while planning to install Minato as Hokage instead of Orochimaru.

• The shinobi villages learned that Chihane had defeated the Fourth Mizukage and captured Takei Sōchin and Minazuki Izumi, while Might Duy killed Raiga Kurosuki and drove back Juzo Biwa and Suikazan Fuguki.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi angrily reacted to Chihane attacking Danzo, and Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu warned that Orochimaru and Chihane Hatake had grown too powerful.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi said he would nominate Minato as the Fourth Hokage and work with the Great Clans, while Utatane Koharu noted that the Daimyo had praised Chihane Hatake.
• Mitokado Homura proposed sending Chihane Hatake to Amegakure to investigate Akatsuki and possibly die at Hanzō’s hands, with Danzo handling the arrangements.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi approved the plan and considered blaming Danzo if Chihane died, while Utatane Koharu suggested using Orochimaru’s forbidden research as a pretext to deal with him.

Orochimaru received Chihane’s report of victory over the Mist Ninja and prepared to use Might Duy’s arrival to counterattack the Iwa Shinobi. Elsewhere, Madara sought an Uchiha heir for his plan, while Ōnoki and Iwagakure’s leaders discussed Chihane Hatake’s growing threat.

• Orochimaru read Chihane’s letter, which said Takei Sōchin and Minazuki Izumi were being sent to him and Might Duy would arrive the next day.
• Jonin Moonlight reported Chihane’s victory over the Fourth Mizukage’s Mist Ninja Army, and Orochimaru ordered him to gather the camp’s Jonin to plan a counterattack against the Iwa Shinobi.
• Madara Uchiha woke and asked Black Zetsu about the war and his eyes; Black Zetsu told him Chihane Hatake had defeated the Iwa and Mist forces and was now in Amegakure with Akatsuki.
• Madara told Black Zetsu to find an Uchiha heir, and Black Zetsu said Orochimaru’s camp held the clan’s elite.
• Ōnoki discussed Chihane Hatake’s victories and Kitsuchi’s death with Akatsuchi, then Kari asked what he proposed to do.

Ōnoki arranged to seek an alliance with Kumogakure against Konoha while preparing Iwa’s forces for a possible counterattack. At the Mist front, Chihane decided to return to Konoha and secured Hizashi Hyuga’s support for a plan to free the Branch Family from the Main Family, in exchange for backing Orochimaru as Fourth Hokage.

• Ōnoki sent Kari to negotiate with Kumogakure and ordered Roshi to reinforce Iwa’s frontline camp.
• After defeating the Mist Ninja, Chihane decided his unit would return to Konoha the next day.
• Chihane privately asked Hizashi Hyuga to unite the Branch Family and challenge the Main Family’s control through the Caged Bird Seal.
• Chihane promised that Orochimaru would handle the village’s opposition and demanded the Hyuga Clan support Orochimaru’s bid for Fourth Hokage.
• Hizashi agreed to Chihane’s plan, and Chihane told him to prepare for the return to Konoha.

Chihane returned to Konoha with his army and received an enthusiastic welcome, while Hiruzen Sarutobi tried to claim credit for the villagers’ reception. Chihane recognized the Uchiha guards at the gate, and the army dispersed after a ceremony that lasted until evening.

• Chihane ordered the Konoha Army to pack up and head back to Konoha as villagers gathered at the gate to welcome them.
• Uchiha Shio and Uchiha Su discussed the villagers’ resentment toward the Uchiha Clan and wondered whether their clan would ever receive a welcome like Chihane’s.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arranged the villagers into welcoming lines and greeted Chihane at the gate, but Chihane praised the Konoha villagers and the ninja still fighting on the battlefield.
• Chihane recognized Uchiha Shio and Uchiha Su and nodded to them, making both guards feel that he remembered them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi held a welcoming ceremony for the Konoha Army until evening, after which the ninja returned to their homes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi refused Chihane's request to borrow the Scroll of Seals and tried to send him to Amegakure on a dangerous mission. Chihane pretended to resist while considering the trip, and Hiruzen used the Scroll of Seals as bait to persuade him to go.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Chihane's work and invited him to request a reward.
• Chihane asked to borrow the Scroll of Seals, but Hiruzen claimed the Elders Council had to approve it after Danzo woke up.
• Chihane declined to ask for anything else, and Hiruzen suspected he had ambitions for the Hokage position.
• Hiruzen told Chihane that Hanzo of the Salamander might be preparing an invasion and asked him to investigate Amegakure.
• Chihane acted reluctant to go, while Hiruzen promised he could study the Scroll of Seals if he returned from the mission.

Chihane accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mission and left for the Land of Rain, while Hiruzen secretly plotted against him. In Amegakure, Hanzo agreed to Danzo’s plan to eliminate Chihane and destroy the Akatsuki.

• Chihane agreed to leave the next morning after Hiruzen promised him the Scroll of Seals and supplies.
• Hiruzen watched Chihane leave and privately blamed him for choosing the wrong path.
• Chihane wandered through Konoha, recalled his past, and avoided visiting Kurenai Yuhi because he feared involving her in the coming conflict.
• Chihane traveled alone and reached the Land of Rain after two days.
• Hanzo accepted Danzo’s supplies and agreed to hunt down and kill Chihane.
• A Root ninja told Hanzo that Danzo’s agents had infiltrated the Akatsuki and planned to lure its members to Amegakure for a joint attack.

Chihane entered the war-scarred Land of Rain and encountered Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato after they followed him to learn why he had come. Their confrontation ended with Chihane displaying his overwhelming power, while Yahiko refused to back down from defending his homeland.

• Hanzō accepted Danzo’s offer of supplies and agreed to eliminate Chihane and the Akatsuki, believing their ideals would ruin the Land of Rain.
• Chihane traveled deeper into the Land of Rain, witnessed civilians suffering from poverty and famine, and sensed four beings following him.
• Chihane confronted Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, jokingly asked them how many floors a bag of rice could carry, and claimed he was visiting on vacation.
• Yahiko accused Chihane of plotting against the Land of Rain and demanded that he leave, but Chihane warned the trio not to test him.
• Chihane overwhelmed the three with his killing intent and used a Flying Slash that killed a hidden creature underground, while Yahiko insisted Chihane would have to step over their corpses to harm his homeland.

After Chihane challenged Yahiko’s ideals, Yahiko renewed his resolve and returned to the Akatsuki base, where Sakata Shūichirō reported that Hanzō wanted an alliance. Yahiko agreed to meet Hanzō in Amegakure despite Konan’s suspicions, and Konan and Nagato decided to go with him.

• Chihane spared Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato, then left Yahiko questioning his ideals before Konan and Nagato reaffirmed their support.
• Yahiko regained his confidence and led Konan and Nagato back to the Akatsuki base to investigate Chihane.
• Sakata Shūichirō told Yahiko that Hanzō wanted to ally with the Akatsuki, though Sakata was secretly a Root spy and Hanzō intended to lure them into a trap.
• Konan warned Yahiko that going to Amegakure was dangerous, but Yahiko accepted Hanzō’s invitation to prove his sincerity.
• Konan and Nagato insisted on accompanying Yahiko, and Sakata agreed to contact Hanzō while privately expecting their ideals to end at the first step.

Root and Hanzō arranged a poisoned ambush for Yahiko and his companions under the guise of an alliance meeting, while Chihane planned to force his way into Amegakure to question Hanzō. Yahiko and Nagato drank the poisoned wine, but Konan refused, leaving their fate unresolved.

• Sakata Shūichirō reported that Yahiko had agreed to meet Hanzō and that Chihane had contacted the Akatsuki, prompting Hanzō to plan to kill both threats.
• Chihane discovered that his Observation Haki could detect hidden White Zetsu and decided to finish Hiruzen Sarutobi's mission by confronting Hanzō in Amegakure.
• Hanzō prepared poisoned wine and positioned his ninja to ambush Yahiko's group, while keeping the plan secret from most of the village.
• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan arrived at the banquet hall, where Hanzō welcomed them as supposed allies.
• Hanzō toasted the coming peace and drank first; Yahiko and Nagato drank their wine, but Konan remained suspicious and did not drink.

Hanzō poisoned Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan while pretending to discuss cooperation, then revealed his plan to kill Yahiko. Yahiko died, and Nagato used Shinra Tensei before collapsing, leaving Hanzō believing the poisoned Akatsuki leaders would soon die.

• Hanzō explained that his invisible, odorless breath carried poison, and he stalled Yahiko by telling the story of his own life.
• Hanzō revealed that he intended to kill Yahiko, and the poison left Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan too weak to stand.
• Hanzō struck Yahiko in the chest with a Shuriken, and Yahiko died after asking Nagato to protect Konan and not seek revenge.
• Nagato unleashed Shinra Tensei and drove Hanzō back, but the poison and strain made him lose consciousness; Konan had already passed out.
• Hanzō looked at the unconscious trio and believed the poison would destroy the Akatsuki.

Chihane attacked Amegakure and fought Hanzō, who had been unable to use his full strength without endangering his village. Hanzō offered to let Chihane leave, but Chihane insisted that the Third Hokage’s mission was to kill him, and Hanzō revealed Danzo had already hired him to do the same.

• Hanzō learned Chihane Hatake had entered Amegakure and found that Nagato, Konan, and Yahiko’s corpse had vanished.
• Chihane tore through Rain Ninja with his sword techniques, and Hanzō intercepted his attack outside the banquet hall.
• Chihane and Hanzō traded blows, but Hanzō struggled to keep up and avoided using Ninjutsu that could harm Amegakure.
• Hanzō tried to trap Chihane with his chain sickle, but Chihane countered with a spinning attack and forced Hanzō to retreat.
• Hanzō offered to let Chihane leave, but Chihane said the Third Hokage had ordered him to kill Hanzō.
• Hanzō revealed that Danzo had paid him to kill Chihane and warned that he was still capable of doing so.

Chihane killed Hanzō in Amegakure and left the village, while Nagato and Konan awoke in a cave to find Yahiko dead. As Konan mourned, Nagato resolved to protect the Akatsuki and fulfill Yahiko’s dream, discovering a new power within himself.

• Chihane defeated Hanzō’s attacks, killed Ibuse, and slew Hanzō with Three-Sword Style: Secret Art: Three Thousand Worlds, though Hanzō wounded him in their final clash.
• Chihane left Amegakure, while a White Zetsu had rescued Nagato, Konan, and the others and taken them to a nearby cave.
• Nagato woke beside Konan and Yahiko’s corpse, then told Konan that Hanzō had killed Yahiko.
• Konan broke down in grief beside Yahiko’s body as Nagato resolved to protect her and the Akatsuki, fulfill Yahiko’s dream, and avenge him.
• Nagato sensed his awakened power, formed a Black Rod, and placed his hand on Konan’s shoulder.