Recaps

Ye Feng and Minato Namikaze returned to Konoha's command camp after surviving a fight with the Third Kazekage, who ordered a massive bounty on Ye Feng. They reported to Orochimaru, who was shocked by their injuries, while three Kumogakure ninja waited outside his tent.

• Ye Feng and Minato Namikaze caught up with the Konoha group and led them safely toward the Land of Fire.
• The Third Kazekage told Chiyo and Ebizo that Ye Feng and Minato Namikaze had wounded him, then ordered a bounty of fifty million and an S-rank technique for Ye Feng's death.
• The bounty spread throughout the shinobi world, drawing bounty hunters, missing-nin, and other ninja toward the Land of Fire.
• Ye Feng and Minato Namikaze reached Konoha's command camp and saw three Kumogakure ninja waiting outside Orochimaru's tent.
• Ye Feng and Minato Namikaze entered the tent to report, and Orochimaru asked what had left them so badly injured.

Ye Feng reported his encounter with the Third Kazekage, then listened as Yahiko’s group from the Land of Rain proposed an alliance to end the war. Orochimaru dismissed them, but Ye Feng stopped them to ask their names and organization.

• Ye Feng told Orochimaru how he had rescued a Konoha Ninja and encountered the Third Kazekage, prompting Orochimaru to reconsider his battlefield plans.
• Orochimaru counted Ye Feng and Minato Namikaze’s work as an S-rank mission and invited them to hear the Amegakure ninja’s request.
• Yahiko proposed that Konoha stop fighting and promised that his group would persuade Hanzō to block Sunagakure’s forces, but Orochimaru ordered the visitors out until Hanzō agreed.
• Ye Feng stopped the Konoha Ninja escorting the visitors and asked their leader for his name and organization; he identified himself as Yahiko and his group as Akatsuki.

Ye Feng secured Yahiko’s help in persuading Hanzō to support Konoha against Sunagakure, then revealed to Minato that Yahiko’s group were Jiraiya’s students. Minato rushed to stop them from meeting Hanzō, while Ye Feng let him go and considered the danger posed by Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara.

• Ye Feng offered to spare Sunagakure if Hanzō supported Konoha and drove Sunagakure out of the Land of Fire, and Orochimaru backed his proposal.
• Yahiko left Konoha’s camp with Konan, eager to tell his group about the offer.
• Ye Feng told Minato that Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato were Jiraiya’s students, and that Nagato might be the Child of Destiny.
• Minato concluded that Nagato was the likely Child of Destiny and hurried after Yahiko’s group to prevent them from walking into danger.
• Ye Feng chose not to stop Minato, reasoning that Black Zetsu and Uchiha Madara could still manipulate events.

Minato Namikaze tried to warn Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato against trusting Hanzō, but Yahiko rejected him and continued toward the Akatsuki. At camp, Ye Feng told Orochimaru that Nagato possessed the Rinnegan and was central to their plan.

• Nagato sensed someone following the group, and Minato emerged from hiding and introduced himself as Jiraiya's student.
• Minato warned Yahiko that approaching Hanzō would anger him and put the group in danger, but Yahiko defended Hanzō and punched at Minato.
• Minato caught Yahiko's fist, gave up trying to persuade them, and left using the Body Flicker Technique.
• Konan urged caution, but Yahiko said they would continue to Hanzō while keeping their guard up, and the three resumed their journey.
• Orochimaru arrived at Ye Feng's tent and asked why Ye Feng had singled out Yahiko and Nagato for attention.
• Ye Feng revealed that Nagato was an Uzumaki with the Rinnegan, which Madara Uchiha had arranged, and said they needed to wait for Nagato to become familiar with the eyes.

Ye Feng explained Madara Uchiha’s plan to use Nagato and the Rinnegan’s resurrection technique, while he and Orochimaru looked forward to defeating Madara if he returned. The next day, Orochimaru moved the Konoha army close to Sunagakure’s main camp and began setting up, leaving the Third Kazekage and his senior figures wondering what he intended.

• Ye Feng told Orochimaru that Madara Uchiha had given Nagato the Rinnegan so he could eventually use its resurrection technique to bring Madara back to life.
• Orochimaru considered killing Nagato, but Ye Feng reassured him that they would be strong enough to face Madara when he returned, and the two laughed at the prospect.
• Orochimaru left Ye Feng’s tent, privately deciding to send him on more missions, while Ye Feng wondered whether Orochimaru had lost his mind.
• The next day, Orochimaru ordered the Konoha army to relocate, telling Ye Feng that headquarters had approved the move to better guard against Sunagakure.
• Orochimaru led the army to within fifty kilometers of Sunagakure’s main camp, where the Third Kazekage, Chiyo, Ebizo, Pakura, and Rasa watched them approach.
• The Konoha army stopped in sight of Sunagakure’s leaders and began setting up camp.

Orochimaru brought Tsunade, Minato Namikaze, and Ye Feng to confront the Third Kazekage at Sunagakure's camp, trading taunts that nearly sparked a fight. Chiyo attacked Orochimaru, but Tsunade stopped her before the Third Kazekage pulled Chiyo to safety, leaving Orochimaru mocking Sunagakure's side.

• Sunagakure's high command argued over Konoha's nearby camp until the Third Kazekage ordered everyone back to the main camp.
• After Konoha finished setting up its camp, Orochimaru gathered Tsunade, Minato Namikaze, and Ye Feng and headed toward Sunagakure.
• The Third Kazekage went out to meet Orochimaru and exchanged threats and insults with him.
• Chiyo attacked Orochimaru to avenge her son, but Tsunade shattered Chiyo's kunai and counterattacked.
• The Third Kazekage pulled Chiyo out of Tsunade's reach with an iron-sand tentacle, and Orochimaru mocked her strength.

Orochimaru demonstrated his hidden strength to the Third Kazekage, who challenged him to a duel and attacked with iron sand. Orochimaru summoned Manda to counter the barrage, and the Third Kazekage mocked him for needing a Summoning Beast.

• Orochimaru cut a deep fissure in the ground with true qi, startling the Third Kazekage, the Sand Ninja elders, Tsunade, and Ye Feng.
• The Third Kazekage recalled his subordinates and challenged Orochimaru to a one-on-one fight over Konoha's future.
• The Third Kazekage attacked Orochimaru with iron spikes and a rain of iron balls, while Ye Feng protected Tsunade and Minato Namikaze behind a true-qi-enhanced earth wall.
• Orochimaru raised an earth wall and summoned Manda, who swept away the iron balls and faced the Third Kazekage alongside Orochimaru.
• The Third Kazekage floated level with Orochimaru and mocked him for summoning a beast to withstand the attack.

Orochimaru’s Manda sent the Third Kazekage flying, while Ye Feng and his allies stopped the Sunagakure Ninja from intervening. Tsunade fought Chiyo and landed a powerful punch after Minato helped her break through Rasa’s sand wall.

• Orochimaru ordered Manda to attack the Third Kazekage, whose iron sand shield failed to stop Manda from sending him crashing through the trees.
• Ye Feng blocked the Sunagakure Ninja from reaching their Kazekage, and Tsunade rushed to fight Chiyo after Chiyo challenged him.
• Chiyo’s poisoned-needle puppet forced Tsunade to defend herself, but Tsunade used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to keep the puppet occupied and pursue Chiyo.
• Rasa raised a golden sand wall to protect Chiyo, and Minato blasted a hole through it with a Rasengan.
• Tsunade slipped through the opening and struck Chiyo in the back with Cherry Blossom Impact, sending her flying toward the Sunagakure Ninja.

Tsunade’s attack knocked Chiyo unconscious, while the Third Kazekage recovered and launched a renewed assault with iron sand. After Manda revealed that the White Snake Sage wanted to meet Ye Feng, the Third Kazekage ordered Sunagakure to pursue him, and Orochimaru unleashed his strength to attack the Kazekage.

• Tsunade’s Cherry Blossom Impact Fist sent Chiyo and two Sunagakure ninja crashing into their allies, and Chiyo lost consciousness.
• Rasa prepared to fight, but Sunagakure ninja spotted the unharmed Third Kazekage rising into the air.
• The Third Kazekage attacked Manda and Orochimaru with iron-sand pyramids, badly injuring Manda; Manda then told Uchiha Yefeng that the White Snake Sage wanted to meet him before vanishing.
• The Third Kazekage ordered Sunagakure ninja to pursue Uchiha Yefeng, and Orochimaru criticized him for breaking the one-on-one agreement.
• Orochimaru released his restrained strength, struck the Third Kazekage from behind, and watched him rise from a crater as his iron-sand armor repaired itself.

Orochimaru deceived the Third Kazekage with an afterimage and continued to outmaneuver him. Meanwhile, Ye Feng led Tsunade and Minato Namikaze in a tactical ambush against two isolated Sunagakure Ninja before escaping as Pakura, Rasa, and Ebizo arrived.

• Orochimaru used an afterimage to evade the Third Kazekage's iron whips, then taunted him after interrupting his next attack.
• Ye Feng pulled Tsunade and Minato Namikaze away from the advancing Sunagakure Ninja and led them along a circuitous route while laying Flying Thunder God Marks.
• Ye Feng used his divine sense to locate the Sunagakure Ninja and teleported Tsunade and Minato Namikaze to attack two who had fallen behind.
• Tsunade killed one Sand Ninja by twisting his neck, and Minato Namikaze killed the other by slitting his throat.
• Ye Feng teleported away with Tsunade and Minato Namikaze before Pakura, Rasa, and Ebizo reached the bodies; Ebizo began searching for traces.

Ye Feng’s guerrilla tactics forced Rasa’s Sand Ninja to regroup, while the Third Kazekage trapped Orochimaru in his poisoned Iron Sand World Method. Ye Feng rescued Orochimaru, leaving the Third Kazekage wary but still confident enough to continue fighting.

• Ebizo deduced that Ye Feng’s group was targeting isolated Sand Ninja, and Pakura launched Sunagakure’s rallying signal after the group lost another comrade.
• Ye Feng saw the signal and noted that his group had killed four Sand Ninja, while Tsunade and Minato Namikaze recognized that the ambushes had slowed their pursuers.
• The Third Kazekage unleashed Iron Sand World Method, spreading poisoned iron-wire meshes and spikes around Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru recognized the danger and activated Ye Feng’s Flying Thunder God Mark to summon help.
• Ye Feng arrived in the middle of the attack, then teleported himself and Orochimaru to Tsunade and Minato Namikaze just before the spikes struck.
• Orochimaru’s escape concealed the full extent of his strength, leaving the Third Kazekage wary but still confident in the fight.

Orochimaru negotiated an agreement with the Third Kazekage to keep both leaders and half their forces in camp while their subordinates continued the war. The Third Kazekage accepted despite his frustrated troops’ protests, and ordered Rasa to return to camp after Rasa urged him to attack Konoha’s retreating ninja.

• The Third Kazekage met Orochimaru in a clearing, where Rasa reported that Chiyo had been sent back injured and that Konoha ninja had killed several Sand ninja.
• Orochimaru proposed that both sides leave half their forces in camp and that he and the Third Kazekage remain there, leaving the war’s outcome to their subordinates.
• The Third Kazekage agreed to the terms and warned Orochimaru that he would fight to the death if Konoha broke the agreement.
• Sunagakure’s senior ninja protested the agreement, but the Third Kazekage silenced them and accepted Orochimaru’s pledge to honor the terms.
• Orochimaru left with Ye Feng and his two companions, while the Third Kazekage scolded Rasa for urging him to break the agreement and ordered everyone back to camp.

The Third Kazekage explained why he had accepted Orochimaru’s terms, then ordered Sunagakure to prepare a four-pronged advance on Konoha. At Konoha’s camp, Orochimaru’s safe return reassured the army, and Tsunade questioned how strong he had become.

• Rasa questioned the Third Kazekage’s agreement, and the Kazekage said Orochimaru’s strength had surprised him and made him a difficult opponent.
• Ebizo reasoned that the agreement favored Sunagakure because it could keep its weaker ninja behind while sending its skilled fighters forward.
• The Third Kazekage ordered his officers to prepare to divide Sunagakure’s forces into four groups and advance on Konoha the next morning.
• Orochimaru returned safely to Konoha’s camp with Ye Feng and the others, boosting the army’s confidence.
• Tsunade asked Orochimaru how he had become so strong, and Minato Namikaze confirmed that Orochimaru had pinned Jiraiya during a spar.

Orochimaru explained his agreement with the Third Kazekage to the Konoha command, arguing that it would limit casualties and give Konoha’s younger ninja time to grow. The camp rallied around a vow to defend Konoha, while the Third Kazekage recognized how difficult such a united Konoha would be to defeat.

• Tsunade asked Orochimaru whether he had learned her Cherry Blossom Impact Fist, and he claimed his physical strength came from experiments with Jiraiya’s senjutsu chakra.
• Tsunade asked Orochimaru to teach her his method, but he refused, warning that his early experiments had nearly killed him.
• After the Konoha ninja gathered in the command tent, Orochimaru described his agreement with the Third Kazekage and explained that it would keep the Kazekage out of group battles and protect the younger generation.
• Fujiwara Inomura declared that he would give his life to protect Konoha, prompting the assembled ninja and the entire camp to chant, “For Konoha, for our home, so what if we die!”
• The Third Kazekage heard the chant from his camp and said that a Konoha like this was the hardest to deal with.

Orochimaru explained that Konoha could use Uchiha Yefeng and Minato Namikaze’s Flying Thunder God Technique to move forces rapidly, and a young Nara Chunin proposed a plan built around scouts, a mobile combat unit, and larger defensive units. After Tsunade noted that Ye Feng had used a similar approach before, Ye Feng said the plan could be improved, leaving the group waiting to hear his suggestions.

• Orochimaru struggled with guilt over prolonging the war but told the Konoha ninjas that their mobility was an advantage they should use against Sunagakure.
• A young Nara Chunin proposed forming a mobile combat unit, spreading reconnaissance teams across the Land of Fire, and assigning larger units to defend key locations and routes.
• Tsunade and Minato Namikaze reacted to the plan because it resembled a tactic Ye Feng had used, and Tsunade explained this to Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru asked Ye Feng to assess the plan, and Ye Feng said it was good but could be improved.

Ye Feng explained how Konoha could draw Sunagakure’s scattered forces into the Land of Fire and wear them down, while Orochimaru ordered the troops to avoid costly direct battles. After Shikaku Nara was assigned to the staff department, Yahiko asked Hanzō to help deter Sunagakure, but Hanzō turned to Shinzō of the Salamander for advice.

• Ye Feng proposed retreating from strong Sunagakure forces and using ambushes, traps, and supply raids to slow and weaken them as they advanced.
• Orochimaru stopped the objections to Ye Feng’s plan, and the Konoha ninja accepted it after Ye Feng explained how the delay would protect Konoha and exhaust the enemy.
• Ye Feng warned that Sunagakure might retreat and that Konoha’s troops should preserve their strength; Orochimaru made avoiding unnecessary head-on battles a military order.
• Orochimaru appointed Shikaku Nara to work in the staff department after hearing his name, and Ye Feng recognized his talent.
• Yahiko asked Hanzō to help Konoha deter Sunagakure, but Hanzō sought Shinzō of the Salamander’s opinion, darkening Yahiko and his companions’ expressions.

Shinzō of the Salamander persuaded Hanzō that Yahiko’s plan to stop the war would endanger Amegakure, while privately turning Hanzō against Akatsuki. Yahiko decided to lead Akatsuki away from Amegakure to disrupt the war, and the chapter ended with its members accepting the danger and joking about their future as fugitives.

• Shinzō of the Salamander argued that forcing Sunagakure to withdraw would provoke Sunagakure and Iwagakure, and Yahiko apologized to Hanzō for failing to consider the consequences.
• Hanzō forgave Yahiko in front of the others, then privately agreed with Shinzō of the Salamander that Akatsuki might need to be eliminated if it threatened his authority.
• Yahiko told Konan that Akatsuki would leave Amegakure and act independently to stop the war, despite Konan’s fears for his and Nagato’s lives.
• Yahiko explained to Akatsuki that disrupting the war could make the organization a target of the two Great Shinobi Villages, and its members accepted the risk with jokes.

Yahiko prepared the Akatsuki to take responsibility for the conflict with the Great Shinobi Villages, while Hanzō decided that Yahiko’s growing influence made him a threat who had to die. Elsewhere, Kumogakure held back from aiding Konoha directly as Ōnoki, frustrated by the lack of fighting between Konoha and Sunagakure, planned to inflame the conflict.

• Yahiko decided the Akatsuki would act independently and bear the Great Shinobi Villages’ anger, while a spy reported his plans to Hanzō.
• Hanzō admired Yahiko’s resolve but concluded that Yahiko had to die because the Akatsuki was growing too powerful.
• Yugito Nii urged the Third Raikage to march to Konoha, but Fourth Raikage A reported that Orochimaru and the Third Kazekage may have fought to a draw.
• The Third Raikage ordered Fourth Raikage A to monitor Iwagakure, whose forces were keeping Kumogakure from moving toward Konoha.
• Ōnoki cursed the Third Kazekage for avoiding a major battle with Konoha and resolved to add fuel to the conflict.

Orochimaru lounged at the front of Konoha's camp while Ye Feng realized he had arranged the agreement to avoid leaving camp and fight the war himself. As Konoha and Sunagakure began their cautious advance, Minato Namikaze received the first call for reinforcements and departed with three ninja.

• Orochimaru relaxed in a lounge chair at camp, and Tsunade smashed the table after hearing him dismiss the prospect of becoming Hokage.
• Ye Feng accused Orochimaru of arranging the agreement so he could stay in camp, then broke the parasol pole and left with the food.
• Konoha sent out fewer than half its ninja, keeping more than a hundred elite fighters, including Ye Feng and Minato Namikaze, in camp.
• The Third Kazekage heard that Konoha's forces had departed and that Orochimaru was resting, then decided to honor their agreement.
• Konoha established two support outposts as Sunagakure split into four groups and advanced into the Land of Fire.
• Minato Namikaze sensed an activated Flying Thunder God Mark and teleported with three ninja to respond.

Ye Feng took a team to reinforce Hyuga Junin's squad, only to discover that the Sunagakure Ninjas had set an ambush. He split the defenders, sending Hyuga Junin's team to delay one group while he rushed to confront another.

• Minato Namikaze repeatedly teleported Konoha Ninjas to combat assignments, but after his seventh trip he failed to return for a long time.
• When another Flying Thunder God Mark activated, Ye Feng recruited the three Konoha Ninjas who had first fought alongside Minato and teleported them to the squad.
• Ye Feng found Hyuga Junin with the squad and learned he had joined the Combat Division to gain experience.
• Ye Feng's divine sense revealed two more Sunagakure squads lying in wait, and the hidden ninjas charged after sensing his probe.
• Ye Feng ordered Hyuga Junin's team to delay the Sunagakure Ninjas on the right for three minutes while he rushed toward the group on the left.
• Hyuga Junin told his two teammates to stay behind him and harass the enemy from a distance, but they insisted they could help hold the Sunagakure Ninjas off.

Ye Feng fought the Sand Ninja while Hyuga Junin and his two teammates were overwhelmed by another group. Hyuga Junin’s teammates refused to abandon him, and the chapter left the three facing the enemy together.

• Ye Feng opened the fourth gate, used his Sharingan and Kusanagi Sword to kill the lead Sand Ninja, then killed a Chunin as another Sand Ninja prepared to fight him.
• Hyuga Junin and his two teammates struggled against a Sand Ninja Jonin and two Chunin, suffering severe injuries.
• Hyuga Junin told his teammates to flee while he held off the enemy.
• The enemy moved in to kill Hyuga Junin, but his two teammates returned and blocked the fatal strikes.

Ye Feng rescued Hyuga Junin and his two teammates, then helped Konoha defeat the remaining Sunagakure squads. After returning to camp, he learned Minato Namikaze’s team had suffered losses in an ambush, and repeated missions left Minato’s chakra exhausted.

• Hyuga Junin sacrificed his leg to save a teammate, and he and his two comrades were left gravely wounded after the Sunagakure ninja overwhelmed them.
• Ye Feng arrived, killed the attacking Sunagakure ninja, treated the three Konoha ninja with Wood Spirit Talismans, and concealed them before rushing to another battle.
• Ye Feng joined three Konoha ninja and helped them kill three Sunagakure Jonin, then brought the wounded back to camp.
• Ye Feng learned that Minato Namikaze’s team had killed five enemy ninja but lost two Chunin and one Jonin in an ambush.
• Minato Namikaze and Ye Feng led several more missions with larger groups, killing their enemies, until repeated deployments exhausted Minato Namikaze’s chakra.

Ye Feng rushed to Konoha’s main force after learning Sunagakure was attacking, then used Flying Thunder God to turn the battle in Konoha’s favor. The fighting continued as Sunagakure’s commander ordered his troops to search for Flying Thunder God Marks.

• Ye Feng detected that the main force had activated a Flying Thunder God Mark, went to investigate, and found Sunagakure’s ninja army charging toward Konoha.
• Ye Feng returned to camp and called an emergency assembly, then agreed to Minato Namikaze’s offer to help teleport Konoha’s troops to the battlefield.
• Konoha’s army clashed with Sunagakure’s poison-armed puppets, and its commander ordered the troops to withdraw and attack from a distance.
• Ye Feng gathered six jonin and teleported them into Sunagakure’s ranks, where they unleashed enormous Fire Release attacks that killed many enemies.
• Ye Feng brought the six jonin back to Konoha’s army, while Sunagakure’s commander ordered his forces to find and destroy or secure Flying Thunder God Marks.

Ye Feng discovered that Sunagakure reinforcements were approaching and forced Konoha’s commander to order a retreat. As Konoha’s forces struggled to disengage, Ye Feng prepared to use Kirin and urged Minato Namikaze to claim credit for threatening the Sand Ninja with it.

• Ye Feng and six Jonin attacked Sunagakure’s army again, but the Sand Ninja were prepared and wounded one Jonin, so Ye Feng brought the group back.
• Ye Feng detected a Sunagakure reinforcement force approaching from more than ten kilometers away and warned Konoha’s commander.
• When the commander hesitated, Ye Feng threatened him with the Kusanagi Sword until he ordered Konoha’s ninja army to retreat.
• The Sand Ninja pressed Konoha’s retreating forces, so Ye Feng instructed the commander to have Konoha’s ninja fire Fire Release into the sky, forming storm clouds charged with lightning.
• Ye Feng told Minato Namikaze to challenge the Sand Ninja and threaten them with Kirin while Ye Feng helped unleash it, encouraging Minato Namikaze to accept the credit.

Ye Feng summoned a massive lightning Kirin over the battlefield as Minato Namikaze struggled with the Konoha ninja’s decision to sacrifice themselves to trap the Sunagakure forces. The Kirin emerged and paralyzed nearly everyone beneath it, leaving the Sunagakure commander helpless to rescue his troops.

• Ye Feng urged Minato Namikaze to help the Konoha ninja pinned down by the Sunagakure forces, and Minato rushed to the battlefield.
• Minato warned the Sunagakure commander about the lightning technique, prompting the commander to order a retreat.
• Poisoned Konoha ninja refused to flee and charged back into battle, insisting Minato use the technique to kill the trapped Sunagakure ninja.
• Minato could not bring himself to attack the Konoha ninja, but Ye Feng continued controlling the lightning despite Minato’s pleas.
• A huge lightning Kirin emerged from the thunderclouds and forced most of the ninja beneath it to the ground, while the Sunagakure commander remained unable to move.