Chapter Summaries

Sarutobi Richuan chose to hold the coast against Kirigakure while Madara Uchiha planned to capture Obito and a girl, and the Third Shinobi World War dragged on across several fronts. Half a year later, Xuan Zhe refused a request to send troops south, citing the war’s intensity despite his northern army’s inactivity.

• Sarutobi Richuan ordered his forces to fortify the coast and avoid attacking Kirigakure while he waited for reinforcements from the west.
• Madara Uchiha, disguised as the Third Mizukage, ordered White Zetsu to capture Obito and kidnap a girl as the war erupted across the fronts.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Minato Namikaze struggled against the larger allied forces of Kumogakure and Iwagakure, while Hiruzen Sarutobi maintained a stalemate against Kirigakure.
• Xuan Zhe’s army remained camped at the Land of Lightning border for half a year as Kumogakure held its defensive line.
• A Sarutobi Jonin asked Xuan Zhe for reinforcements, but Xuan Zhe questioned the condition of the Elders Council and refused to send troops south.
• Senju Nawaki openly wished the Third Mizukage would kill the Elders Council members, and Xuan Zhe silenced him before promising support in another year.

After Kirigakure’s surprise attack drove Hiruzen Sarutobi’s forces from the southern coast, Minato Namikaze planned a dangerous mission to destroy Kannabi Bridge while Madara moved to capture Minato and Rin. With Kirigakure inside the Land of Fire, Nawaki and Shikaku Nara pressed Xuan Zhe to stop standing aside.

• Nawaki insulted the Sarutobi and Shimura clans and mocked them for failing to kill the Third Mizukage.
• Kirigakure secretly reinforced its army to six thousand and crushed Hiruzen Sarutobi’s force, allowing its troops to enter the Land of Fire.
• Minato Namikaze decided to take two Chunin students into enemy territory to destroy Kannabi Bridge, despite Jiraiya’s protest.
• Madara ordered White Zetsu to bring Minato to him and capture Rin as well, fearing the situation was becoming difficult to control.
• Nawaki and Shikaku Nara urged Xuan Zhe to act after Kirigakure’s invasion made the southern front’s crisis impossible to ignore.

Xuan Zhe sent Hatake Sakumo’s army south to reinforce Hiruzen Sarutobi after their objective of undermining the Third Hokage’s position was achieved. Meanwhile, Kakashi and Obito were trapped in a collapsing cave, and the chapter ended with Nawaki taunting Koharu as Hiruzen hinted that her advisory position might soon end.

• Xuan Zhe ordered the army to break camp and march south, while Rin Nohara accidentally revealed her Girls’ Series package and fled in embarrassment.
• Minato Namikaze split from Kakashi and Obito to attack Kannabi Bridge as the boys drew the Iwagakure pursuers away.
• Kakkō’s Rock Tail Collapse buried Kakashi and Obito, pinning Obito beneath a boulder as the cave began to collapse.
• Obito asked Kakashi to take care of Rin, and Kakashi escaped through the rock wall with Chidori just before the cave collapsed.
• Xuan Zhe met Hiruzen Sarutobi’s group with reinforcements, where Nawaki mocked Utatane Koharu and Hiruzen suggested she might not remain an adviser much longer.

With Kirigakure driving Konoha back toward the daimyo’s residence, Xuan Zhe ordered Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Elders Council to guard it while Nawaki led a squad there and Xuan Zhe took the elders to battle. The chapter ended with Konoha and Kirigakure clashing in a brutal melee, where Suikazan Fuguki noticed Konoha’s fighters were far more desperate than before.

• Kirigakure routed Konoha’s forces again, advancing to within roughly two hundred li of the daimyo’s residence and three hundred li of Konoha.
• Nawaki mocked Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Elders Council over their defeats, while Xuan Zhe warned that losing the daimyo’s funding could cripple Konoha.
• Xuan Zhe ordered Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Sarutobi and Shimura forces to guard the daimyo’s residence, and assigned Nawaki to lead a squad there.
• After Danzo challenged his authority, Xuan Zhe told the four elders to join him on the battlefield and said Nawaki would become a Hokage Advisor, angering Hiruzen and the others.
• Konoha and Kirigakure’s forces met in a bloody melee, and Suikazan Fuguki was unsettled by Konoha’s fighters’ reckless determination.

Xuan Zhe confronted the Third Mizukage and overwhelmed his Ice Release defenses, but the Mizukage survived and prepared another technique as Madara decided to bring out a powerful weapon. The chapter ended with the Third Mizukage summoning Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

• Yagura faced an attack by the Nara, Yamanaka, and Akimichi clans while Raiga Kurosuki reminded Suikazan Fuguki to focus on their mission.
• Xuan Zhe and Rin Nohara surveyed the devastation in the Land of Fire before Xuan Zhe advanced on the Third Mizukage.
• Xuan Zhe's Caress Slash shattered the Third Mizukage's Ice Rock Dome, but the Mizukage escaped the strike with an Ice Clone.
• The Third Mizukage attacked with Thousand Killing Ice Soaring and Twin Dragon Blizzard, while Xuan Zhe countered and noticed that the Mizukage's wound showed no blood.
• Madara watched the unconscious adolescent boy in his cavern and decided he had to bring out a powerful weapon.
• The Third Mizukage formed Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals around the battlefield.

The Third Mizukage trapped Xuan Zhe in a sealed ice technique and attacked him with ice dragons and clones, while Madara revealed he had trapped Xuan Zhe in an endless-loop genjutsu. As the battle fell silent, Rin Nohara was distracted and her burgundy-haired opponent took advantage.

• The Third Mizukage sealed Xuan Zhe inside a powerful ice chamber, and Chōza Akimichi failed to break through its wall.
• Xuan Zhe cracked the ice with a sword strike, then discovered the Third Mizukage had a Sharingan and fought off his ice dragons and attacks.
• The Third Mizukage used ice clones and repeated attacks to conceal his real body, while Xuan Zhe began to recognize a repeating pattern.
• Madara revealed that Xuan Zhe was caught in an endless-loop genjutsu called Izanami, then ordered Tobi to bring him a spare Sharingan and the little girl.
• Rin Nohara noticed the fighting had stopped inside the ice chamber, and her burgundy-haired opponent seized her distraction to attack.

Raiga Kurosuki captured Rin Nohara while Mei Terumi and Konoha’s forces struggled to stop him, and Xuan Zhe identified the Third Mizukage’s genjutsu as Izanami. Trapped in the loop, Xuan Zhe awakened his Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka, as flames engulfed the ice cavern and the battlefield.

• Mei Terumi struck Rin unconscious with a Water Dragon Bullet, and Raiga Kurosuki carried her toward Kirigakure as a test subject.
• Might Guy spotted Rin’s capture, and Shikaku Nara ordered Konoha’s forces to pursue, but the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist blocked their way.
• Xuan Zhe recognized that the Third Mizukage had trapped him in Izanami and realized that the loop would continue as long as he resisted.
• Xuan Zhe entered his inner world, accepted the fiery Zanpakutō’s power, and called out Ryūjin Jakka’s name to release it.
• Kushimaru Kuriarare wounded Inoichi Yamanaka while Konoha’s forces failed to reach Rin, and Danzo provoked the Ino-Shika-Cho Trio.
• A vast burst of flames swallowed the ice cavern at the center of the battlefield.

After defeating the Third Mizukage, Xuan Zhe learned that Raiga Kurosuki had taken Rin and set off to pursue him, leaving Shikaku Nara in command. He faced the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Samehada suddenly turned against Suikazan Fuguki.

• Madara sensed that Xuan Zhe had killed the Third Mizukage and ordered a White Zetsu Clone to worsen Obito's injuries if Rin could not be brought back.
• Xuan Zhe emerged from the flames after breaking free of Izanami and learned from Shikaku Nara that Raiga Kurosuki had taken Rin.
• Xuan Zhe reassured the Konoha forces, placed Shikaku in command, and announced that he would go after Rin himself.
• Karatachi Yagura searched for the Third Mizukage and suspected that Xuan Zhe had killed him in the firestorm.
• Xuan Zhe confronted the six remaining Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, and Suikazan Fuguki charged him with Samehada.
• Samehada's spikes pierced Suikazan Fuguki's hand, forcing him to drop the sword.

Xuan Zhe killed six of Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen with his flames, then left to rescue Rin. He caught her from Raiga Kurosuki, whom he had badly wounded, while Tobi and White Zetsu followed underground.

• Xuan Zhe burned Suikazan Fuguki to death and defeated the water dragon Juzo Biwa sent at him.
• Mei Terumi and the assembled Konoha ninja watched as Xuan Zhe stood among the ashes of six of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
• Xuan Zhe told Shikaku Nara to finish off the remaining Kirigakure ninja and went to save Rin.
• Raiga Kurosuki carried the unconscious Rin toward the Land of Water, unaware that Tobi and White Zetsu were tracking him underground.
• White Zetsu told Tobi that Rin had to be kept from seeing them because their plan depended on Obito's psychological transformation.
• Xuan Zhe attacked Raiga, wounded him severely, and caught Rin before she hit the ground.

Xuan Zhe rescued Rin Nohara and helped secure a decisive victory over Kirigakure, while Obito struggled with his artificial body in Madara’s cavern. The chapter ended with Mei Terumi being brought before Xuan Zhe as a prisoner.

• Rin Nohara woke in Xuan Zhe’s arms after he rescued her from Raiga Kurosuki.
• Obito insisted he wanted to return to Konoha, then awkwardly asked Madara whether his missing organ could be restored.
• Shikaku Nara reported that Kirigakure’s forces had retreated and Konoha had captured 146 prisoners.
• Xuan Zhe noticed Mei Terumi’s name on the prisoner list, and Shikaku Nara said she was young and had a kekkei genkai.
• Might Guy escorted a frightened Mei Terumi to Xuan Zhe’s tent.

Xuan Zhe returned to find Mei Terumi and Rin Nohara growing close, then ordered Mei to return to Konoha and join Rin’s squad as her protection. He planned to head west with the two girls to bring the war to an end and told Rin that Obito had died in battle.

• Mei Terumi befriended Rin Nohara and offered to teach her tricks while hoping to gain Xuan Zhe’s favor.
• Xuan Zhe caught the girls together, confirmed they were getting along, and told Mei to join Rin’s squad in Konoha.
• Xuan Zhe said Shikaku Nara would handle negotiations and compensation while he took Rin and Mei west to finish the war.
• Xuan Zhe told Rin that Obito had died in battle and suggested she leave flowers at his grave when they returned to the village.

Xuan Zhe traveled to Konoha’s Western Front, leaving Shikaku Nara to handle negotiations and political affairs. After Shikaku reported Danzo and Hiruzen’s private discussion, Xuan Zhe reunited with Tsunade and the others as preparations began to end the fighting.

• Xuan Zhe gave Shikaku Nara letters for the Fire Daimyo and White Fang before heading west with Rin Nohara and Mei Terumi.
• Shikaku Nara refused Danzo’s demand to see the letters, and Danzo grew angry as Hiruzen Sarutobi warned him that Xuan Zhe was waiting for them to make a move.
• Shikaku Nara secretly overheard Danzo and Hiruzen’s conversation and sent Xuan Zhe a report about it.
• Xuan Zhe read Shikaku’s report while traveling to the Western Front and noted that Hiruzen had recognized his plan to provoke the Elders Council.
• Kurenai Yuhi greeted Xuan Zhe at the base and bickered with Mei Terumi while Rin Nohara tried to intervene.
• Xuan Zhe reunited with Tsunade, Minato Namikaze, and Jiraiya, and Tsunade kissed him as Minato led them onward.

After Kannabi Bridge was destroyed, Minato Namikaze reported that Iwagakure’s supply lines had been severed and the war was nearing a turning point. Xuan Zhe spent the night with Tsunade, then left Jiraiya wondering whether he would act against Hiruzen Sarutobi.

• Minato Namikaze told Xuan Zhe that the raid on Kannabi Bridge had cut Iwagakure’s supply lines, and Kakashi described how Obito had saved him before being crushed.
• Xuan Zhe told Tsunade he would visit her that night, then spent the night in her tent while Kurenai Yuhi and Rin Nohara eavesdropped and Mei Terumi later joined them.
• The next morning, Tsunade canceled training because she and the girls were exhausted, while Jiraiya noticed that Xuan Zhe had not returned to their shared tent.
• Jiraiya told Xuan Zhe that Hiruzen Sarutobi had made many mistakes during the war and asked whether Xuan Zhe would take matters into his own hands.
• Xuan Zhe told Jiraiya to live for himself and walked away.

After Iwagakure turned on Kumogakure, Xuan Zhe pushed Konoha’s commanders to act quickly so he could fulfill the daimyo’s demand to end the war before year’s end. The chapter leaves the Third Raikage trapped between Iwagakure and Konoha while Ōnoki prepares to capture him and withdraw.

• After Kannabi Bridge was destroyed, Kitsuchi led Iwagakure’s ten thousand troops in a night raid that surrounded the Third Raikage’s force of fewer than two thousand.
• Jiraiya asked Minato Namikaze how Konoha should respond, and Tsume Inuzuka urged an immediate attack while Uchiha Fugaku advised waiting for the two armies to weaken each other.
• Xuan Zhe rejected waiting because the daimyo had demanded that the war end before the year was over, and he explained that he had already begun discussing reparations with Kirigakure.
• The Third Raikage learned from Dodai that Konoha had not moved and was likely waiting to exploit the fighting, while reinforcements were on their way.
• Ōnoki predicted that Konoha would wait for Iwagakure and Kumogakure to exhaust each other, then vowed to take the field, capture the Third Raikage, and withdraw.

Ōnoki planned to capture the Third Raikage as Iwagakure prepared an all-out assault, while Xuan Zhe gathered Konoha’s forces to move against Kumogakure and Iwagakure. The chapter ended with the Third Raikage attacking Ōnoki and Iwa Shinobi raising a field of earth spikes to stop him.

• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure’s army to launch an all-out assault and aimed to capture the Third Raikage for ransom.
• Kakashi reunited with Hatake Sakumo and resolved to carry on Obito’s will by protecting Rin Nohara.
• Xuan Zhe told Hatake Sakumo and the others that Konoha should exploit the arrival of Kumogakure’s reserves and Iwagakure’s assault to end the war.
• Dodai ordered Kumogakure’s remaining forces to scatter and help the Third Raikage escape, but Ōnoki declared that none would get away.
• Ōnoki fired Dust Release at the Third Raikage, who dodged and counterattacked with Hell Stab: Four-Finger Nukite.
• Kitsuchi and dozens of Iwa Shinobi used Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears to erupt spikes beneath the Third Raikage.

Xuan Zhe and Hatake Sakumo arrived on the battlefield, where Sakumo wounded Ōnoki and Xuan Zhe faced the Third Raikage. Xuan Zhe met the Raikage’s strongest attack with Ryūjin Jakka and cut through his arm, leaving Minato Namikaze stunned.

• The Third Raikage abandoned his pursuit of Ōnoki and charged back to save the Cloud shinobi trapped by the Iwa army.
• Hatake Sakumo intercepted Ōnoki and cut his waist with the Chidori White Fang Blade after Ōnoki escaped Sakumo’s first strike with an Earth Release Substitution.
• Xuan Zhe arrived with Ryūjin Jakka and burned the shinobi in his path, while Sakumo landed beside him.
• The Third Raikage confronted Xuan Zhe over A’s death and attacked with Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite.
• Minato Namikaze arrived as Xuan Zhe’s flaming blade met the Raikage’s spear, then saw that Xuan Zhe had cut through the Raikage’s right index finger and wrist.

Xuan Zhe and Konoha's forces confronted the combined Iwagakure and Kumogakure armies, and Xuan Zhe captured the Third Raikage while Tsunade proved devastating against Dodai's defenses. The Third Raikage remained pinned and alive as the battle continued.

• Rin Nohara and Mei Terumi joined Konoha's forces and marveled that the Third Raikage had survived Xuan Zhe's slash.
• Xuan Zhe ordered his allies to capture the Third Raikage and Third Tsuchikage alive, while Dodai rallied the enemy troops to protect the Raikage's retreat.
• Dodai trapped Kakashi with Lava and Earth Release techniques, but Mei Terumi melted the rubber barrier and helped him escape.
• Tsunade rescued Mei Terumi, Rin Nohara, and Kurenai Yuhi from Iwa Shinobi, then smashed through Dodai's Lava Release wall with a single punch.
• The Third Raikage struggled against Xuan Zhe's blade, but Xuan Zhe burned him into submission without killing him.

Xuan Zhe captured Ōnoki and the Third Raikage, then demanded ten billion ryō from Iwagakure and Kumogakure for their release. After Iwagakure paid and reclaimed Ōnoki, the Tsuchikage hinted that his village would attack Sunagakure to recoup its losses, leaving Kurenai Yuhi asking whether Konoha should help its ally.

• Hatake Sakumo defeated Ōnoki, while Minato Namikaze and Tsunade helped take Kitsuchi and Dodai prisoner alongside the captured Kages.
• Xuan Zhe demanded ten billion ryō from each village for its leader’s release, and Dodai agreed to raise Kumogakure’s ransom after Xuan Zhe threatened the Third Raikage.
• A week later, Iwagakure delivered ten billion ryō, and Xuan Zhe had Jiraiya release Ōnoki to Kitsuchi.
• Kitsuchi told Ōnoki that the Land of Earth’s daimyo expected half the ransom to be repaid before the war ended, and Ōnoki inferred that the war would continue.
• Ōnoki hinted that Iwagakure might attack Sunagakure to recover its losses, and Xuan Zhe told Kurenai Yuhi that they planned to take money from the Land of Wind.
• Kurenai Yuhi asked whether Konoha should help Sunagakure, while Mei Terumi and Rin Nohara reflected on the cycle of war and hatred.

Xuan Zhe and Konoha’s leaders went to the Land of Fire daimyo’s residence to choose the Fourth Hokage, as Konoha’s wartime prominence left Tsunade the clear candidate. The clan heads backed her, while Hiruzen Sarutobi’s elders faced growing isolation.

• A Senju clansman delivered Xuan Zhe a letter from Nawaki, and Xuan Zhe announced they would attend the Hokage inauguration preparations.
• Xuan Zhe ordered the shinobi clan heads to accompany him to the daimyo’s residence, while Iwagakure advanced toward the Land of Wind and Rasa sought Konoha’s help.
• At the daimyo’s residence, the daimyo considered Tsunade, Uchiha Fugaku, the clan leaders, and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s council before calling the meeting to order.
• Xuan Zhe said Tsunade was the only suitable Hokage candidate, and Uchiha Fugaku and other clan heads voiced their support.
• The Land of Fire’s political representatives stayed silent as Hiruzen Sarutobi’s elders grew increasingly displeased.

Nawaki and Xuan Zhe helped secure Tsunade’s succession as the Fourth Hokage, while Hiruzen Sarutobi warned the former elders against trying to seize power. As Konoha celebrated the war’s end, Xuan Zhe received Orochimaru’s secret report exposing Danzo’s dealings.

• Nawaki demanded that Konoha replace its Hokage and other senior leaders, but Xuan Zhe stopped him from confronting Hiruzen Sarutobi further.
• The daimyo agreed to arrange Tsunade’s succession ceremony, and Xuan Zhe ordered that it be held as soon as possible.
• Konoha announced the war’s end and Tsunade’s appointment as Fourth Hokage; Tsunade cleared out Hiruzen’s belongings, while Nawaki replaced the former leadership’s furnishings.
• Utatane Koharu and the other elders discussed seizing power, but Hiruzen Sarutobi warned that Xuan Zhe was waiting for them to use force as an excuse to kill them.
• Xuan Zhe read a secret report from Orochimaru about Danzo’s dirty business while Rin Nohara, Kurenai Yuhi, and Mei Terumi ate rice balls with him.