Chapter Summaries

Hiruzen Sarutobi reinforced Konoha’s collapsing eastern front and fought the Third Raikage, forcing the large armies to pause their advance. Meanwhile, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan traveled through a peaceful area near the Land of Grass’s border, where Yahiko watched the quiet countryside with envy.

• Jiraiya and Hyuga Hiashi struggled to hold Konoha’s eastern line as the Third Raikage broke through and Kumogakure’s troops forced them to retreat.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with more than half of Konoha’s forces and took the front line, summoning Monkey King Enma to fight beside him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Third Raikage clashed with their staff, ninjutsu, and lightning attacks, but neither defeated the other.
• Konoha reinforcements filled the breach, and both armies halted their advance as the eastern front shifted toward smaller engagements.
• Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan walked through peaceful farmland near the Land of Grass, and Yahiko envied the quiet surroundings while others fought in the war.

Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan traveled to Kusagakure to ask for grain to aid the people of the Land of Rain. Lu You agreed to provide it on the condition that they join his plan to unify the world and end war, leaving the three to consider his offer.

• Yahiko saw the peaceful countryside of the Land of Grass and said it was the world he wanted to see.
• Abu challenged the three about the Land of Rain's past aggression, then sent them to Lu You to decide whether Kusagakure would help.
• Yahiko asked Lu You for grain because the war between Konoha and Sunagakure was devastating the Land of Rain.
• Lu You agreed to provide grain but explained that Kusagakure sought to unite the world, erase national borders, and establish lasting order.
• Lu You invited Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan to join his plan to form thirteen divisions and bring peace to the world.

Yahiko declined Lu You’s offer to join the Grass Ninja but accepted grain and a communication scroll for the Akatsuki. Months later, with the Land of Rain’s battlefield worsening, Yahiko returned to find the relief grain gone.

• Yahiko declined Lu You’s recruitment offer, explaining that he could not abandon the Akatsuki or the people of the Land of Rain before the war ended.
• Lu You gave Yahiko a summoning scroll to contact the Grass Ninja and sent him back with grain and Grass Ninja escorts.
• After Yahiko departed, Lu You told Abu that the Akatsuki would return and that he intended to build a force to create a New World.
• Sunagakure allied with Iwagakure and renewed its assault on Konoha, while Hiruzen Sarutobi remained occupied on the eastern front against Kumogakure.
• Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato returned from disaster relief to find the Akatsuki base short of supplies and the borrowed relief grain completely gone.

Yahiko and Nagato pursued Rain Ninja who had stolen food meant for disaster victims, and Nagato used the power of his eyes to defeat them. Yahiko killed their leader and left Nagato’s mysterious physical strain unresolved.

• Geto told Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan that Amegakure ninja had raided their base and stolen the refugees’ food.
• Yahiko left Konan to protect the injured members and refugees while he and Nagato pursued the thieves.
• Yahiko confronted the Rain Ninja leader, who defended taking the food for Amegakure’s war effort and threatened to brand Akatsuki as traitors.
• Nagato used Banshō Ten'in and Shinra Tensei to crush the surrounding Rain Ninja, but felt drained by the power.
• Yahiko thanked Nagato and killed the badly wounded leader with a kunai.

After recovering the grain, Yahiko decided the Akatsuki should leave the Land of Rain and join the Land of Grass. Lu You arrived at their base, promised to resettle the refugees, and appointed Nagato captain of the Third Division.

• Yahiko and Nagato agreed that the Akatsuki could not bring peace to the Land of Rain and discussed joining Kusagakure.
• Yahiko used a Summoning Technique to send a letter to Lu You, while the Akatsuki prepared to move and protect the refugees.
• Lu You arrived at the base and told Nagato that the Akatsuki and the refugees would be welcomed and settled in the Land of Grass.
• Lu You asked Nagato to choose a number, then named him the Third Division Captain of the Land of Grass.

Yahiko, Nagato, Konan, and the refugees relocated from the Land of Rain to the Land of Grass, where Kusagakure organized its forces into four divisions. As Sunagakure’s Third Kazekage declared victory outside Amegakure, explosions struck his camp in the night.

• Yahiko accepted Lu You’s offer to bring Akatsuki and the refugees to the Land of Grass.
• Akatsuki escorted the refugees and their supplies across the border, where Abu helped settle them in newly built houses.
• Lu You appointed Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan to lead the Second, Third, and Fourth Divisions, and took command of the First Division himself.
• Over the following months, the refugees settled in and Kusagakure’s divisions began training as the war in the Land of Rain turned against Konoha and Amegakure.
• The Third Kazekage declared that Sunagakure had won the war, but explosions erupted around his camp late that night.

The Third Kazekage sacrificed himself so Sunagakure’s vanguard could escape an Iwagakure ambush, then Rasa took power as the Fourth Kazekage after his forces killed the surviving jonin. With Sunagakure trapped between enemies, Rasa ordered Pakura to pursue peace talks with Konoha.

• The Third Kazekage ordered the vanguard to break south, named Pakura as his successor, and held off Iwagakure’s forces until they killed him at dawn.
• The surviving Sunagakure jonin regrouped and reported the Third Kazekage’s death to Rasa, who had joined them with nearly four thousand troops.
• Rasa’s men stabbed the surviving jonin and urged Rasa to become the Fourth Kazekage, and he accepted the haori they placed on his shoulders.
• Pakura refused to turn back against Iwagakure because Konoha could attack Sunagakure in a pincer, and she waited for Chiyo’s and Rasa’s forces to secure the western entrance.
• After Rasa became Fourth Kazekage, he assigned Pakura and a few trusted subordinates to hold peace talks with Konoha on the eastern border of the Land of Rain.

Pakura and her Sunagakure followers walked into a trap set by Danzo’s Root, and she fought back as they were killed around her. A flashback showed that Rasa had received a secret letter from Danzo, who claimed he was merely helping him.

• Pakura sensed danger in the abandoned town and ordered her followers to retreat.
• Danzo’s Root ambushed Pakura and her team, and Pakura recognized the masked attackers as Konoha Anbu.
• Pakura used Scorch Release to kill a Root ninja and fought Danzo’s Wind Release attacks.
• Pakura’s followers fell one by one as she realized Rasa had arranged the trap and waited for Danzo’s next strike.
• Half a month earlier, Rasa questioned Danzo about a secret letter in the Sunagakure camp, and Danzo said he was giving him a hand.

Danzo persuaded Rasa to sacrifice Pakura and frame Konoha for her death, but Nagato and the Grass Ninja arrived before Danzo could kill her. Danzo’s Root forces retreated, while a strange black-and-white figure watched Nagato and remarked that he had been lured away.

• Danzo convinced Rasa that killing Pakura would remove a political threat and let Sunagakure withdraw while blaming Konoha for her death.
• After Pakura’s followers were killed and her chakra was exhausted, Danzo approached her and offered to spare her in exchange for Sunagakure’s defenses, but she refused.
• Nagato and the Third Division arrived from the north, and Nagato used his Rinnegan powers to repel Danzo and defeat several Root ninja.
• Nagato’s forces outnumbered Danzo’s Root ninja, who retreated after Danzo blew a whistle; Nagato did not pursue them because he remembered Lu You’s instructions.
• A black-and-white figure watched from a distant hilltop and said Nagato had already been lured away while he was not paying attention.

Black Zetsu reported that Nagato had joined Kusagakure and used the Rinnegan, but Madara Uchiha chose to keep observing him. At the Grass Ninja camp, Lu You offered the captured Pakura a choice between returning to Sunagakure or joining Kusagakure, and she considered his unexpected offer.

• Black Zetsu told Madara Uchiha that Nagato had joined Kusagakure, fought Konoha ninja, and revealed the Rinnegan while rescuing a Sunagakure ninja.
• Madara Uchiha ordered Zetsu to keep watching Nagato, saying he could do as he pleased as long as nothing happened to the Rinnegan.
• Pakura recovered in the Grass Ninja camp and resolved not to return to Sunagakure, fearing Rasa would betray her again.
• Lu You visited Pakura and offered to let her return to Sunagakure or join Kusagakure, promising support if she wanted revenge against Rasa.
• Pakura questioned Lu You's decision to recruit an enemy commander, and he replied that Kusagakure welcomed people from all walks of life and urgently needed talent.

Pakura joined Kusagakure after Lu You demonstrated his strength, and he assigned her to serve with Konan’s Fourth Division. Kusagakure’s forces captured Amegakure, while Lu You prepared to face the much larger Iwagakure force.

• Pakura agreed to join Kusagakure to take revenge on Rasa, but refused to fight Sunagakure’s shinobi unless its leadership became her target.
• Lu You told Pakura he intended to unite the continent and demonstrated his power by slicing a mountain in half; Pakura accepted his strength and became captain of the Fifth Division, which had no other members.
• Lu You assigned Pakura to accompany Konan’s Fourth Division, and Pakura asked to join any future campaign against Sunagakure’s leadership.
• Lu You planned to take Amegakure, hold off Iwagakure, and negotiate peace with Konoha while rival forces were distracted and weakened.
• Yahiko’s Second Division and Konan’s Fourth Division launched a night assault on Amegakure, with Pakura’s Scorch Release helping burn the village’s outer towers.
• Kusagakure’s flag rose over Amegakure at daybreak as Yahiko watched; Lu You prepared to lead the First Division against nearly ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi.

Ōnoki redirected Iwagakure's main force toward Kusagakure, while Konoha's commanders debated their next move after Kusagakure occupied Amegakure. The Hokage ordered Lu You captured alive, and Shikaku Nara proposed advancing into the Land of Grass via Kannabi Bridge.

• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure's main force to turn toward the Land of Grass and attack Kusagakure while its troops were away in the Land of Rain.
• Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, Danzo, and Shikaku Nara discussed whether Konoha should withdraw or move against Kusagakure.
• Danzo revealed that the Hokage had ordered the Western Front Force to capture Lu You alive and bring him to Konoha.
• Shikaku Nara pointed to Kannabi Bridge as the proposed route for Konoha's advance into the Land of Grass.

Lu You confronted Ōnoki and Iwagakure’s massive force at Kannabi Bridge, then destroyed the bridge and reshaped the battlefield to give Kusagakure’s First Division an opening. As Ōnoki rallied his troops, Lu You continued carving through the Iwa Shinobi alone.

• Orochimaru ordered the Konoha troops to march toward Kannabi Bridge at dawn and attack Kusagakure’s main force from behind.
• Lu You led the First Division to Kannabi Bridge, where he prepared to stop Iwagakure’s advancing army.
• Ōnoki arrived with Iwagakure’s main force and questioned Lu You about killing Hanzō.
• Lu You rejected the idea of an ambush and destroyed Kannabi Bridge with a sword strike, prompting Kusagakure’s hidden ninjas to attack.
• Lu You carved deep gorges beside Iwagakure’s formation, splitting and constraining its forces while Ōnoki rallied his troops.
• Lu You advanced through the Iwa Shinobi ranks, killing enemies with his sword as the First Division struggled against the numbers.

Lu You overwhelmed Ōnoki in their battle at Kannabi Bridge, evading and breaking apart the Tsuchikage’s Dust Release attacks. Ōnoki died after asking Lu You to treat the people of the Land of Earth well, leaving Lu You to carry forward his vision of peace.

• Ōnoki used Dust Release against Lu You, but Lu You dodged the beams and destroyed Ōnoki’s Earth Release Clone.
• Lu You cut through Ōnoki’s forming Dust Release cube, leaving the Tsuchikage unable to land an attack.
• Ōnoki unleashed a fifty-meter, all-direction Particle Style: Atomic Dismantling Jutsu, but Lu You appeared behind him unharmed.
• Ōnoki asked Lu You his name and compared him to Madara Uchiha, while Lu You promised to create a truly peaceful world.
• Ōnoki asked Lu You to treat the people of the Land of Earth well, and Lu You pierced his chest with his sword.

Lu You killed Ōnoki and used Dust Release to shatter Kannabi Bridge, driving Iwagakure's forces into retreat. He then confronted Orochimaru's arriving Konoha army and made them withdraw before returning to the battered First Division.

• Lu You killed Ōnoki, and the Iwa Shinobi cried out for revenge.
• Lu You unleashed Dust Release, destroying the cliffs around Kannabi Bridge and breaking Iwagakure's formation.
• Kusagakure's troops pushed the fleeing Iwa Shinobi toward Konoha's arriving forces, while Danzo fled and Orochimaru let the routed troops pass.
• Lu You faced Orochimaru and told Konoha to withdraw from the Land of Grass.
• Lu You sheathed his sword and returned to the First Division, and Orochimaru eventually withdrew his troops.

Kusagakure annexed the Land of Rain and reorganized its government as the western front fell quiet, while Konoha faced renewed pressure in the east. In Iwagakure, the newly appointed Fourth Tsuchikage Kitsuchi proposed a decisive offensive against an opponent other than Kusagakure.

• Yahiko's Second Division and Nagato's Third Division eliminated the remaining Rain Ninja, ending armed resistance in the Land of Rain.
• Abu moved the Land of Grass's administration into the former Daimyō Residence and oversaw the annexation of the Land of Rain.
• Lu You directed Abu to reorganize the government, establishing a Council of Elders and a Cabinet that included division captains.
• Yamahara Kaede accepted his appointment as captain of the Thirteenth Division, while Lu You became known as the New God of Shinobi.
• Orochimaru withdrew Konoha's Western Front Force, and Rasa consolidated power in Sunagakure and requested a ceasefire with Konoha.
• Kitsuchi addressed Iwagakure's leaders after the defeat and proposed an offensive against an opponent other than Kusagakure.

Kitsuchi sent Han and a ten-thousand-strong Iwa Shinobi force through the Land of Waterfalls to invade the Land of Fire, forcing Orochimaru’s unprepared troops into retreat. As the western front faltered, Minato Namikaze received an S-rank mission to lead Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara behind enemy lines and disrupt Iwa’s supply routes.

• Kitsuchi chose to send Iwa Shinobi through the Land of Waterfalls and appointed Han to command the invasion force while Roshi stayed in Iwagakure.
• Han crossed the Land of Waterfalls after reaching an agreement with Takigakure, and Iwa’s vanguard entered the Land of Fire before Orochimaru had finished setting up defenses.
• Iwa broke through Konoha’s defensive lines, forcing Orochimaru to retreat and use guerrilla tactics as casualties mounted.
• Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara joined the Eastern Front under Minato Namikaze; Kakashi excelled in missions and received a promotion to jōnin.
• Minato gave Kakashi a kunai, and Rin and Obito gave him presents before Minato revealed their urgent mission to sever Iwa’s supply lines in the Land of Waterfalls.
• Minato classified the mission as S-rank and ordered the squad to leave immediately without telling anyone.

Minato Namikaze and Team Minato entered the Land of Waterfalls to sabotage Iwagakure’s supply route by collapsing a valley with Explosive Tags. After several days of secretly preparing the trap, Minato sensed something was wrong when Iwa patrols stopped appearing and Obito went missing.

• Minato Namikaze led Kakashi, Obito, and Rin through the Land of Waterfalls to find a central supply route that could hinder Iwagakure’s advance.
• The team found a long valley used by Iwagakure’s supply convoys, and Minato planned to collapse its rock walls with Explosive Tags.
• Kakashi and Rin planted Explosive Tags on one wall while Minato and Obito marked the blast area on the other.
• Obito accidentally dislodged a stone, but Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade the nearby Iwa patrol and keep them undiscovered.
• Over the next three days, Team Minato planted Tags across several kilometers of rock wall, leaving Minato to link them with chakra.
• Minato noticed the patrols had vanished and returned to find Obito missing while Kakashi and Rin said he had gone to the bathroom.

Iwa Shinobi ambushed Minato Namikaze’s team, abducting Rin while Roshi, Dong Siren, and Mahiru engaged Minato, Obito, and Kakashi. As Obito was pushed to the brink, he awakened his Sharingan.

• An Iwa Shinobi seized Rin and fled while Roshi intercepted Minato Namikaze and challenged him.
• Dong Siren struck Obito aside and fought him while Mahiru confronted Kakashi with his katana.
• Minato Namikaze traded attacks with Roshi but could not penetrate his Lava Release defense or reach Rin.
• Dong Siren overwhelmed Obito and threatened Rin’s life, prompting Obito’s eyes to awaken with two tomoe.
• Mahiru struck Kakashi and sent him sliding into a tree as Obito’s Sharingan appeared.

Obito awakened and used his Sharingan’s power to undo Rin’s death and then Kakashi’s, allowing Minato to evacuate them from the battlefield. Left alone as Iwagakure reinforcements approached, Obito declared that he was not a dead last and detonated Explosive Tags.

• Obito awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan and charged Dong Siren, but stopped when Dong Siren threatened Rin.
• Dong Siren cut Rin’s throat, and Obito’s Sharingan evolved as Rin’s fatal wound was mysteriously undone.
• Minato wounded Dong Siren and escaped with Rin, while Roshi pierced Kakashi’s chest.
• Obito’s Sharingan changed again, and Kakashi’s fatal wound was undone before Minato transported Kakashi and Rin away.
• Obito stayed behind against Dong Siren, Roshi, and Mahiru, urged Minato to take the others, and told Kakashi he was not a dead last.
• Obito placed Explosive Tags on the rock wall and detonated them as the three Iwagakure fighters watched.