Chapter Summaries

Anyo assembled a five-person squad for the Third Shinobi World War and learned that Fugaku had taken Itachi to the Iwagakure front. After training with his teammates, Anyo led the masked team out of Konoha toward the battlefield.

• Anyo gave Haku an Anbu uniform and recruited him to join the team.
• Mikoto told Anyo that Fugaku had taken Itachi to the battlefield, and Anyo learned they were headed to the Iwagakure front.
• Shisui Uchiha demonstrated his three-tomoe Sharingan and powerful genjutsu, so Anyo invited him to join the squad.
• Yamanaka Ertian declined Anyo's invitation but recommended Inoichi Yamanaka, who accepted.
• Anyo trained with Haku, Yugao, Shisui Uchiha, and Inoichi Yamanaka, then led the team out of Konoha for the Iwagakure Battlefield.

Anyo's team arrived at the battlefield, where he and Minato switched roles so Minato could target Iwagakure's command post while Anyo took command. As the Tsuchikage attacked Anyo with Dust Release, Anyo countered with a Mangekyō Sharingan-enhanced Iaido strike, leaving the Tsuchikage facing death.

• Anyo's team reached the battlefield and saw Konoha and Iwagakure locked in a bloody stalemate.
• Anyo contacted Minato, learned that the Tsuchikage's hidden Dust Release had kept him from joining the fight, and arranged for Minato to attack Iwagakure's command post.
• Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to switch places with Anyo, who summoned Katsuyu and ordered her to treat lightly wounded Konoha ninja.
• The Tsuchikage spotted Anyo and attacked him and Katsuyu with Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique.
• Anyo ordered Katsuyu to split apart, activated his Mangekyō Sharingan, and struck at the Tsuchikage with Iaido.

Anyo fought the Tsuchikage, using his Mangekyō Sharingan and swordsmanship to survive the Tsuchikage’s powerful Earth Release attacks. After destroying the Rock Golem and striking what he thought was the Tsuchikage, Anyo was trapped inside the Iron Fortress as the Tsuchikage unleashed Dust Release across the entire arena.

• Anyo retreated from the Tsuchikage’s enhanced stone fist and used genjutsu to escape his aerial attack.
• Anyo landed and ordered Shisui and Inoichi to help the others rather than join his fight.
• The Tsuchikage created a Rock Golem and increased its speed, forcing Anyo to use his strongest Blade-Breaking Technique to destroy it.
• Anyo pierced the Tsuchikage with the Illusion Blade Technique, but discovered that his target was a rock clone.
• The Tsuchikage trapped Anyo inside the Iron Fortress and expanded his Dust Release attack to fill the arena.

Anyo and Minato wounded the Tsuchikage and forced Iwagakure’s forces to retreat, though Anyo collapsed after the battle. On the battlefield, Itachi learned firsthand that war turned strangers into enemies, while Fugaku recognized how powerful Anyo had become.

• Anyo dispelled his Susanoo when he realized help was coming, then combined Fire Release and Wind Release with Minato’s Flying Thunder God to attack the Tsuchikage.
• The Tsuchikage countered Anyo’s Iaido with Rock Fist, and both fighters were wounded before Minato carried Anyo to safety.
• Anyo ordered Minato and Haku to pursue the retreating Iwagakure ninja, and the battle ended after a day of fighting with the Tsuchikage ordering a retreat.
• Itachi found a wounded Iwagakure ninja and offered him water, but killed him when he tried to attack.
• Fugaku explained to Itachi that war made strangers enemies and urged him to remember the battlefield, then reflected on Anyo’s strength and Itachi’s potential.

Anyo recovered at Konoha’s temporary base and reflected on how to overcome his weakness against ranged opponents, while Minato and the Third Hokage assessed the changing Iwagakure battlefield. Tsunade departed to join the front, and Anyo stayed behind to help Konoha despite being unable to fight, as he and Minato disagreed over how to end the war.

• Anyo treated his injuries and decided he needed to develop sword techniques for fighting at range after realizing he could not learn Minato’s Flying Thunder God Technique.
• The Third Hokage learned that Konoha had gained the advantage after the Tsuchikage was injured and Iwagakure’s command division was wiped out, though Iwagakure’s forces had dispersed into smaller groups.
• Tsunade persuaded the Third Hokage to let her go to the Iwagakure Battlefield, partly to assess Konoha’s medical reforms and partly because Anyo had been seriously injured.
• Minato and the Anbu squad members visited Anyo, who refused to return to Konoha and offered to help with intelligence and operations while he recovered.
• Anyo praised Minato for earning the title Yellow Flash, then urged him to kill the dispersed Iwagakure forces; Minato said he wanted peace and hoped to end the age of turmoil.

After the battle, Anyo evaluated his team and appointed Inoichi Yamanaka acting commander while he recovered from his injuries. Haku treated him and stayed by his side as Tsunade traveled toward the battlefield with the reorganized medical teams, eager to see Anyo again.

• Anyo criticized Shisui, Yugao, and Haku for their battlefield mistakes, praised Inoichi Yamanaka, and named him acting commander while Anyo was away.
• Haku returned to treat Anyo’s injuries, became upset at his recklessness, and told him he would join him if he died.
• Haku used ice blades to remove Anyo’s clothes, bandaged him, and explained that he had practiced treating injuries for three years.
• Haku rested Anyo’s head on his lap and soothed him to sleep.
• Tsunade traveled with the trained medical team, organized its members for battlefield deployment, and hurried onward because she longed to see Anyo.

Anyo reviewed his battles and developed a new swordsmanship that used soul power to control blades from a distance. After naming it Okatana Swordsmanship, he asked Haku about skilled weapon makers and considered visiting the Land of Crafts.

• Anyo used the Soul Division Technique to replay his battles against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and the Tsuchikage, identifying flaws in his swordsmanship.
• Anyo concluded that he needed to rely on swordsmanship rather than the Sharingan and considered combining his blade work with ninjutsu and soul power.
• Anyo used the Spirit Control Technique to form soul blades, but his first attempt only stirred dust from the floor.
• Anyo asked Haku to bring three ninja blades, then used chakra and soul power to control them and drive them into the wall.
• Anyo named his new technique Okatana Swordsmanship and asked Haku where weapons were forged, learning that the Land of Crafts was known for it.

Anyo recovered under Tsunade’s care as Konoha gained ground against Iwagakure, but Iwagakure’s alliance with Kirigakure turned the campaign into a crushing defeat. The chapter left Tsunade wounded, Konoha’s advantage lost, and the Tsuchikage intent on killing her.

• Tsunade treated Anyo and ordered him to rest three more days, while Minato left for the Kumogakure front to protect Kushina Uzumaki from a possible abduction attempt.
• Tsunade led Konoha’s forces deep into Iwagakure territory, but Kirigakure’s sudden intervention in thick mist caused heavy casualties and revealed that Iwagakure had feigned weakness.
• Tsunade led a vanguard of Hyuga Clan members and elite ninja forward, but the Three-Tails and Six-Tails attacked with Tailed Beast Bombs and shattered Konoha’s morale.
• Two unidentified Kage-level ninja ambushed Konoha’s retreat, wounded Tsunade, and helped the Iwagakure and Kirigakure forces inflict enormous losses.
• The Tsuchikage hovered over the battlefield and decided Tsunade had to die because Konoha’s strength frightened him.

Anyo developed Lightning Release swordsmanship before rushing to the battlefield after learning that the offensive had failed and Tsunade was in grave danger. He rescued Shisui and reached Tsunade just as the Tsuchikage prepared to kill her, breaking the barrier and catching her as she collapsed.

• Anyo practiced Lightning Release techniques with his ninja blade and developed a powerful, chakra-consuming style he called Lightning Swordsmanship.
• Inoichi told Anyo that Kirigakure and an unidentified force had disrupted the offensive, the squad had been scattered, and the wounded Tsunade was fighting the Tsuchikage.
• Anyo found the injured Shisui surrounded by enemy ninja, killed his attackers, and sent a Lightning Release: Shadow Clone with Shisui to search for the other squad members.
• Anyo flew toward Tsunade, who was weakened by injuries and toxins and trapped within a barrier as the Tsuchikage prepared to strike her with Dust Release.
• Anyo's killing intent stopped the Tsuchikage from attacking, and his lightning assault destroyed the barrier before he caught Tsunade and reassured her.

Anyo helped Tsunade recover, sent her and the Konoha ninja retreating, then held off the Tsuchikage while the armies clashed. After Kirigakure reinforcements arrived, Anyo used his Mangekyō Sharingan to turn the jinchūriki’s Tailed Beast Bombs against them, and vanished as the Tsuchikage unleashed Dust Release.

• Anyo healed Tsunade and sent her away on the Eagle Puppet while he stayed to confront the Tsuchikage.
• Anyo ordered the remaining Konoha ninja to retreat and fought the Tsuchikage in a ranged ninjutsu duel.
• Anyo secretly warned the Tsuchikage that Kirigakure might betray him, making him doubt the arriving reinforcements.
• Kirigakure Anbu sent two transformed jinchūriki to attack Anyo, who controlled them with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• The jinchūriki’s Tailed Beast Bombs struck the Tsuchikage’s reinforcements, and the Tsuchikage countered with Dust Release as Anyo vanished.

Anyo found Sasori and Kakuzu attacking a group of Konoha ninja and turned the battle into an opportunity to recruit them into the Zero Organization. After ordering the survivors transported to the organization, he learned that its membership had grown to three hundred and that Kakuzu had eliminated rival mercenary groups along the way.

• Anyo discovered Sasori and Kakuzu besieging about a hundred Konoha ninja, then revealed himself after Kakuzu spotted him.
• Anyo told Sasori to incapacitate the Konoha ninja with poison, and he directed Sasori to save those in danger so they could join the organization.
• Anyo, Sasori, and Kakuzu agreed to use the code names Megatron, Blackarachnia, and Devastator.
• Sasori ordered Da'an to inform the organization of the code names and arrange for the captured ninja to be transported and held alive.
• Sasori told Anyo that the Zero Organization had grown to three hundred external members and that Kakuzu had killed rival mercenaries recruited through the black market.

Anyo searched the battlefield for Haku and found her under attack by Kirigakure Anbu. He awakened Susanoo to defeat them, then used his dōjutsu Reversal to save Haku, but collapsed from exhaustion.

• Tsunade saved Yugao with Anyo's shadow clone, and the clone returned to Anyo with the puppet.
• Anyo learned from Kakuzu that Kirigakure Anbu had pursued Haku, then rode Kakuzu's wind monster to search for her.
• Anyo followed traces of Haku's Ice Release and broke through battlefield barriers, killing ninja who confronted him.
• Anyo found Haku near death in a Hidden Mist barrier as Kirigakure Anbu attacked her, and his Mangekyō Sharingan awakened Susanoo.
• Anyo used Susanoo and its sword to destroy the Kirigakure Anbu, then caught Haku as she fell and treated her injuries.
• Anyo activated Reversal to restore Haku's life, then passed out from exhaustion as Haku held him tightly.

Sasori and Kakuzu found Haku protecting the unconscious Anyo, whose chakra was depleted after the battle. The Zero Organization recruited Haku and captured more than a hundred ninja, while Anyo began noticing the Mangekyō Sharingan’s side effects and planned the group’s next steps.

• Sasori examined Anyo and confirmed he was alive but unconscious from severe chakra depletion, so Haku passed him a pill with a kiss.
• Sasori invited Haku to join the Zero Organization and gave her the code name Megatron's Queen; Haku agreed.
• While Anyo was unconscious, Haku, Sasori, and Kakuzu captured over a hundred ninja, including Hyuga and Uchiha clan members.
• After waking, Anyo noticed blurry vision and recognized it as a side effect of using the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Anyo ordered the group to ransom captured kekkei genkai clan members, limit their kidnappings, and keep their identities secret.
• When Sasori told Anyo that Haku had joined as Megatron's Queen, Anyo approved the code name, and Haku smiled brightly.

After the war left all five great villages weakened, Anyo’s Zero Organization emerged as the chief beneficiary. In Kirigakure, Genji discussed the village’s losses with the Third Mizukage, who was secretly an imposter under control.

• Sasori told Anyo he would send selected captives back to their villages as undercover agents and share their information through a puppet.
• Anyo returned safely with Haku, and Tsunade’s anxiety eased; the war’s aftermath left every village weakened, with Sunagakure’s Rasa holding off Kumogakure and Minato earning the name Yellow Flash.
• Anyo’s Zero Organization grew in membership and wealth, while Tsunade faced blame for Konoha’s defeat.
• Genji told the Third Mizukage that Kirigakure’s Three-Tails jinchūriki would not survive, and the Mizukage ordered the beast extracted and sealed.
• After Genji left, the Third Mizukage’s controller and another voice discussed how someone had suspected the Mizukage was being controlled; a black-and-white figure then vanished from the office.

Madara Uchiha rejected the powerful Uchiha he had learned about and reaffirmed his plan to make Obito Uchiha his spokesman. At Konoha’s temporary base, Tsunade examined Anyo, questioned his judgment of her battlefield command, then kissed him after striking him for risking himself to save her.

• Madara Uchiha learned of an unknown Uchiha with a black Susanoo but chose to keep his plan focused on Obito Uchiha.
• Anyo gathered his Anbu squad, confirmed all four members had survived, and told them to rest before returning to Konoha.
• Tsunade examined Anyo and asked what he thought of his squad’s performance and her command during the battle.
• Anyo said Konoha should have feinted to gather intelligence or retreated after learning Iwagakure and Kirigakure had allied, rather than launching an all-out attack.
• Tsunade struck Anyo and said she did not need him to sacrifice himself to save her, then kissed him.

Anyo and Tsunade reconciled after he apologized for pushing too far, then agreed to marry and spent the night together. The next morning, they left the tent together, where Anyo reunited with his godson Itachi as Tsunade organized the remaining ninja for the return journey.

• Anyo apologized after Tsunade slapped him, and Tsunade invited him to stay the night and offered to let him hold her.
• Tsunade asked whether they would marry, and Anyo promised they would before they spent the night together.
• The next morning, Anyo recalled their promises to leave Konoha after the war and wed at the Senju Clan's former grounds.
• Anyo and Tsunade left the tent together, and Tsunade went to organize the remaining ninja for the journey home.
• Itachi ran to Anyo, who gave him a lollipop, while Uchiha Fugaku looked on.

As Konoha’s defeated forces prepared to return home, Anyo suggested that the missing Uchiha might have been captured by the Tsuchikage and encouraged Itachi’s training. He then left Tsunade and the others during the ceasefire to have a personal weapon forged in the Land of Crafts.

• Anyo told Fugaku that the Tsuchikage might have captured the missing Uchiha, though Fugaku was reluctant to believe it.
• Anyo asked Itachi what he had learned from the battlefield, then praised his Great Fireball Technique and encouraged him to keep practicing swordsmanship.
• Tsunade gathered the remaining ninja and announced that they were returning to Konoha, grieving the defeat and their missing comrades.
• Anyo comforted Tsunade and said he would not return with her because he planned to visit the Land of Crafts to have a weapon forged.
• Tsunade reluctantly agreed to Anyo's departure, and he flew away on his eagle puppet after blowing her a kiss.

Anyo visited Orochimaru in the Land of Rice Fields to seek a new base for the expanding Zero Organization, and Orochimaru recommended taking over a weak Ninja village in the Land of Hot Water. Orochimaru then revealed that Danzo had hired him to kill Anyo, and the chapter ended with Orochimaru ordering Anyo to abandon his plan to kill Danzo.

• Anyo tracked down Orochimaru's base in the Land of Rice Fields and fought him, stopping his attack with a powerful sword technique.
• Orochimaru showed Anyo his large experimental base and suggested that the Zero Organization take over the weak Ninja village in the Land of Hot Water.
• Anyo accepted Orochimaru's recommendation, seeing the village's location as useful for reaching the Five Great Nations.
• Orochimaru gave Anyo intelligence from Danzo ordering the death of an Anbu codenamed Night, who was Anyo.
• Anyo accused Orochimaru of trying to kill him for Danzo, and Orochimaru told him to give up his plan to kill Danzo.

Anyo persuaded Orochimaru not to target Danzo unless provoked and received a powerful Kusanagi Sword, which he named the Unintentional Blade. He then flew to the Land of Crafts to pursue a new weapon and develop a swordsmanship that combined all his techniques.

• Anyo promised Orochimaru he would not seek trouble with Danzo as long as Danzo did not provoke him.
• Anyo asked Orochimaru for a weapon, and Orochimaru manifested the Eight Branches Technique and offered him a choice of weapons.
• Anyo chose a silver Tang-style saber, tested its compatibility with his chakra, and named it the Unintentional Blade.
• Anyo left Orochimaru and flew on the Eagle Puppet toward the Land of Crafts to obtain a new weapon and advance his swordsmanship.

Anyo reached the Land of Crafts and, after its guards mistook him for an invader, paid them to commission a complex ring-shaped weapon. He left the craftsmen with the blueprint and a warning disguised as reassurance, intending to stay until the weapon was finished.

• Anyo arrived at the Land of Crafts and returned the ambushers’ shuriken and kunai without stopping.
• The leader prepared to attack, but Anyo tossed down a chest full of money and explained that he had come to commission a weapon.
• The leader escorted Anyo through the impoverished village and complained that the great nations underpaid the Land of Crafts for its work.
• Anyo gave the leader a blueprint for a weapon made of interlocking blades that could separate into smaller blades or six larger ones.
• Anyo promised to remain until the weapon was finished, then showed the leader the Unintentional Blade and left him unsure when he had departed.