Recaps

Yubi secured Sunagakure’s leaders’ support for a national development plan funded through pharmaceutical resources and medical expertise, then traveled to arrange partnerships. In the former Amegakure, Shimizu presented Akatsuki with Sunagakure’s rebuilding plans, and Yahiko agreed to cooperate, including providing unpaid labor.

• Yubi proposed using pharmaceutical factories, research data, medical services, and equipment to obtain funding and manpower for transforming the Land of Wind.
• Chiyo, Arai, Sasori, and the other leaders supported Yubi’s plan, divided responsibilities, and spent a day and night preparing a preliminary proposal.
• After handling village affairs and leaving Arai in charge, Yubi went to the Land of Rivers to negotiate partnerships before Danzo could interfere.
• Ten days later, Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan arrived in the rebuilt Amegakure and met with Shimizu.
• Shimizu explained that Sunagakure would invest most resource-sale proceeds in rebuilding the Land of Rain and offered Akatsuki a role in managing the funds, subject to Sunagakure’s requirements.
• Yahiko agreed to cooperate with the rebuilding plan and provide Akatsuki’s labor without wages.

Yubi traveled with the Land of Wind’s diplomatic envoys and rapidly secured pharmaceutical cooperation agreements with countries bordering the Land of Wind. He then arrived in Iwagakure in disguise, where Ōnoki suspected the Kazekage had ulterior motives.

• Yubi and the daimyo’s court envoys secured a cooperation agreement with the Land of Rivers, whose Daimyo paid upfront and signed the contract.
• Yubi continued to the Land of Birds and, over the following month, obtained agreements with the countries bordering the Land of Wind, including permission to alter natural mountain ranges.
• Yubi accompanied the Land of Wind’s envoys to Iwagakure, concealing his identity and itinerary from Konoha.
• Ōnoki and Kitsuchi prepared to welcome the envoys, while Ōnoki worried that Yubi’s secretive visit meant trouble.
• Ōnoki spotted Yubi disguised as an envoy’s guard and resolved to be cautious.

Yubi visited Iwagakure and offered to establish pharmaceutical factories there and sell Iwagakure all of Sunagakure’s medicine-manufacturing information. He said he wanted to undermine Konoha’s growing pharmaceutical business, though Ōnoki remained wary of his motives.

• Ōnoki met Yubi after Yubi revealed himself and questioned why the Fourth Kazekage had secretly come to Iwagakure.
• Yubi noticed Ōnoki had filled the village with shinobi to conceal Iwagakure’s postwar weakness and reassure him of its strength.
• Yubi said he had come to discuss business and offered to establish pharmaceutical factories in the Land of Earth and sell Iwagakure all the medicine-manufacturing information.
• Ōnoki and the senior Iwagakure officials were stunned, while Ōnoki suspected Yubi’s offer was a trap.
• Yubi explained that Konoha’s generic medicines were taking Sunagakure’s market share and said he wanted to cooperate with Iwagakure to hurt Konoha.

Yubi persuaded Ōnoki to cooperate with Sunagakure on pharmaceutical production, then prepared to seek a similar deal with Kirigakure. He aimed to weaken Konoha’s market dominance and secure Sunagakure’s position through commercial alliances.

• Yubi explained to Ōnoki why Sunagakure had occupied Amegakure and argued that cooperation would keep Iwagakure from aligning with Konoha.
• Ōnoki delayed his answer and sent Kitsuchi to escort Yubi, Baki, and Yura to their lodgings.
• After several hours, Ōnoki agreed to cooperate with Sunagakure, and the villages negotiated a deal requiring Iwagakure to pay a large sum for the pharmaceutical industry chain.
• Yubi and his companions left Iwagakure the next morning and set out for Kirigakure to seek another cooperation deal.
• Yubi expected Karatachi Yagura to agree because the new Mizukage needed a major achievement to strengthen his position.

Minato Namikaze and Konoha’s leaders discussed Sunagakure’s takeover and rebuilding of the Land of Rain, its alliance with the Akatsuki, and the Land of Wind’s diplomatic outreach. Jiraiya and Tsunade agreed that the Fourth Kazekage could pursue further expansion, while Konoha’s effort to form an alliance against Sunagakure had collapsed.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Minato Namikaze, and Konoha’s senior officials examined reports that Sunagakure was rebuilding the Land of Rain and that the Land of Wind’s envoys were visiting neighboring countries.
• Shikaku Nara reasoned that Sunagakure was selling the Land of Rain’s resources to fund reconstruction and had likely made a deal giving the Akatsuki’s leader some control while retaining command authority.
• Danzo criticized Konoha’s leaders for dismissing his earlier warnings and argued that Sunagakure’s rise required a more aggressive response.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade agreed that the Fourth Kazekage seemed unlikely to remain content with peace while Sunagakure held military and economic advantages.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reported that Iwagakure had rejected an alliance, Kirigakure had not responded, Kumogakure had refused, and the planned meeting of four Kage had fallen through.

Minato Namikaze proposed easing relations with Sunagakure so Konoha could recover while gathering intelligence, but Sunagakure’s pharmaceutical partnerships threatened Konoha’s medicine industry. Shikaku concluded that Konoha faced a no-win choice: leave the factories alone and lose its market, or destroy them and damage its reputation and relations.

• Minato Namikaze argued against escalating tensions with Sunagakure and proposed building diplomatic ties, while Danzo condemned his approach and left the meeting.
• Minato explained that diplomacy would give Konoha time to recover, improve its understanding of Sunagakure, and encourage competition, though Tsunade warned that information would flow both ways.
• An Anbu member reported that Sunagakure was helping smaller countries build pharmaceutical factories.
• Tsunade ordered the Anbu member to investigate the factories, and Shikaku realized Sunagakure’s partnerships could undermine Konoha’s generic medicine markets.
• Shikaku explained that destroying the factories would make Konoha look like a villain and damage its foreign relations, while doing nothing would let Sunagakure dominate the market.

Yubi weighed Konoha’s invitation to a shinobi exchange against his plans to trigger the Nine-Tails’ Rebellion, while Sunagakure’s economic and environmental projects reshaped relations across the shinobi world. The chapter left Yubi considering whether Minato Namikaze’s continued survival posed a greater threat than the risks of attacking Konoha.

• Sunagakure’s release of pharmaceutical research data ended Konoha’s market advantage, leaving Konoha with unsold medicine while countries began building their own factories.
• Sunagakure hired workers from neighboring countries to reshape terrain and improve the Land of Wind’s environment, a project other villages dismissed as futile.
• Danzo viewed Sunagakure’s spending as a waste and welcomed the prospect that Yubi was weakening his village by pursuing the project.
• Yubi received a handwritten invitation from Minato Namikaze asking him to attend a Konoha-Sunagakure shinobi exchange gathering.
• Yubi considered using the Nine-Tails’ Rebellion to kill Minato and damage Konoha, but worried about Jiraiya, the Sannin, and the uncertain effects on Naruto’s future.

Yubi decided to stay out of the Nine-Tails Incident and accepted an invitation to visit Konoha for an exchange gathering. He went to the desert as Bunpuku neared death, where the monk released Shukaku from his body.

• Yubi chose to avoid interfering in the Nine-Tails Incident and agreed to visit Konoha for an exchange gathering.
• Baki informed Yubi that Bunpuku was near death, and Yubi went to the Shinobi Temple to see him.
• Yubi and Bunpuku spoke before Yubi brought him to the desert with monks and Sunagakure's Sealing Squads.
• Bunpuku released the One-Tail's seal before dying, and Shukaku emerged into the desert and laughed.

Yubi fought Shukaku after the One-Tail emerged, using his speed, Blood Release, and a sealing technique developed with Bunpuku to restrain him. When Shukaku tried to unleash a Tailed Beast Bomb at the Sunagakure group, Yubi used his Dōjutsu to suppress Shukaku’s consciousness and stop it.

• Shukaku emerged from his prison and attacked Yubi, but Yubi evaded his strikes and returned Bunpuku’s body to the others.
• Yubi confronted Shukaku directly and tested his defenses with Blood Release attacks, while Shukaku’s blows and Wind Release failed to hit him.
• Yubi coated Shukaku in blood and spread sealing markings over his body, gradually shrinking and restraining the One-Tail.
• Shukaku tried to form a Tailed Beast Bomb aimed toward the Sunagakure group, but Yubi controlled his consciousness with his Dōjutsu and halted the attack.

Yubi sealed Shukaku and returned to Sunagakure, then visited Karura to discuss making her newborn son Gaara the tailed beast’s Jinchūriki. He left the decision to Karura and Rasa, reassuring her that Gaara would be safe and that the village did not need Shukaku’s power.

• Yubi and the sealing team restrained Shukaku and sealed him inside a tea kettle.
• Yubi returned to Sunagakure, placed the kettle under guard at the Shinobi Temple, and approved a golden statue commemorating Bunpuku.
• Yubi visited Karura at the orphanage, where four-year-old Temari showed her displeasure at his visit.
• Yubi asked Karura to consider making Gaara Shukaku’s Jinchūriki, explaining that he believed Gaara could become a perfect Jinchūriki.
• Karura raised the threat of future wars, and Yubi assured her that Gaara’s Jinchūriki status was optional and that he would respect her and Rasa’s decision.

Yubi assembled a delegation and traveled to Konoha for a formal exchange between Sunagakure and Konoha. After inspecting reconstruction efforts in the Land of Rain, he met Jiraiya at the Land of Fire border and warned that Konoha must keep the visit free of trouble.

• Yubi chose his students, village representatives, and a small guard force to accompany him to Konoha, then arranged the exchange with Konoha.
• Yubi led the delegation through the Land of Wind, inspecting desertification projects along the way.
• In the Land of Rain, Yubi met Shimizu, Fuma Hayato, and Yahiko and observed the reconstruction work being carried out by Sunagakure and Akatsuki.
• After nearly half a month of travel, Yubi reached the Land of Fire, where Jiraiya welcomed him on Konoha's behalf.
• Yubi suggested Minato had sent Jiraiya to prevent trouble and warned that Konoha would lose face if the delegation was attacked.

Yubi led the Sunagakure delegation into Konoha for an exchange and was greeted by Minato and the village leadership amid deep hostility. He noticed the Uchiha Clan was absent and saw Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi being escorted away, suggesting Konoha had confined the clan to prevent trouble.

• Yubi and the Sunagakure delegation reached Konoha, where Minato, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and other leaders awaited them, while Uchiha Fugaku was absent.
• Yubi greeted Minato and the Konoha leaders, then deliberately ignored Danzo and spoke with Tsunade and Orochimaru.
• Minato led the Sunagakure delegation through Konoha as villagers and ninja watched them with hostility.
• Yubi noticed two Uchiha children in the crowd, Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi, being taken away by Konoha Anbu.
• Yubi concluded that Konoha had restricted the Uchiha Clan and that the clan had been forced to accept his visit.

Yubi toured Konoha with Minato, visited Ichiraku Ramen, and discussed the upcoming village exchange. When they returned to the lodgings, a clash between the younger shinobi had begun, and Yubi left Asuma Sarutobi and Sakamoto to settle their rivalry in the official matches.

• Minato showed Yubi and the Sunagakure delegation around Konoha, including Hokage Rock and the village’s reconstruction projects.
• Yubi visited Ichiraku Ramen with Minato and the others, ordered seafood ramen, and spoke with Minato about the exchange matches.
• Yubi and Minato compared the villages’ strengths, with Minato confident in Konoha’s younger generation.
• Yubi and Minato returned to the lodgings and found Konoha’s Asuma Sarutobi and Sunagakure’s Sakamoto restrained after a heated confrontation.
• Yubi told Asuma Sarutobi and Sakamoto to hold their anger until the official matches and said they would face each other there.

Yubi attended Konoha’s diplomatic meeting with Sunagakure leaders, then agreed to treat Kakashi’s transplanted Sharingan at Minato’s request. The chapter ended with Kakashi on the operating table as Yubi began the surgery under Shizune’s observation.

• Yubi and the other delegates discussed peacetime cooperation and stated their villages’ positions, with Yubi blaming Danzo for Sunagakure’s campaign in the Land of Rain.
• Minato introduced Kakashi to Yubi and asked him to help with Kakashi’s Sharingan.
• Kakashi refused Yubi’s offer to restore his original eye, saying he wanted to keep the Sharingan as a gift.
• Yubi agreed to operate for payment and went with Minato and Kakashi to Konoha Hospital, where Tsunade and Shizune were waiting.
• Tsunade had Shizune observe and report on the procedure because she feared blood, and Yubi warned them the surgery might be bloody before Kakashi lay down on the operating table.

Yubi successfully operated on Kakashi using advanced conventional surgery and Medical Ninjutsu, astonishing Tsunade and Shizune. Tsunade sought Sunagakure’s medical equipment, expertise, and training for Konoha, and Yubi agreed to discuss cooperation while requiring Konoha’s people to study in Sunagakure.

• Yubi performed delicate brain surgery on Kakashi and used Nen-Type Suturing to reconnect his cranial nerves.
• Shizune described the operation to Tsunade, who recognized Yubi’s extraordinary surgical skill and Sunagakure’s advanced medical system.
• Yubi told Minato that Kakashi’s operation had succeeded, and Tsunade and Shizune checked Kakashi before confirming he was safe.
• Tsunade asked Yubi about acquiring Sunagakure’s medical equipment, knowledge, and training for Konoha.
• Yubi agreed that cooperation was negotiable if Konoha paid, but said Konoha’s personnel would need to study in Sunagakure.
• Yubi explained that Sunagakure’s medical strength came from its knowledge and continued development, and Tsunade understood that his expertise drove its advantage.

Yubi explained why Sunagakure could benefit from Konoha’s effort to learn from it, then joined Minato at an exchange event showcasing both villages’ young fighters. The first match began with Kabuto facing a nervous Yuno, as the Konoha crowd cheered Kabuto and booed her.

• Arai questioned whether Sunagakure should let Konoha study its medical system, and Yubi argued that the exchange could bring the village money, influence, and economic growth.
• Yubi wondered why Tsunade had not asked how he knew Konoha’s Medical Ninjutsu or her Yin Seal, and suspected sensitive information had not been openly raised to avoid harming relations.
• After two days of rest, the Sunagakure delegation joined Konoha at an arena for an exchange event attended by crowds from the village.
• Yubi and Minato gave speeches before the matches began, and the children’s division featured Sunagakure’s Shira and Yuno alongside Konoha’s Kabuto and Uchiha Itachi.
• Kabuto received cheers while Yuno was booed, and the referee started their match.

At the Konoha-Sunagakure exchange, Konoha dominated the children’s matches before the genin division ended in a draw. The chunin and jonin contests began with Yubi expecting his students to lose to Konoha’s formidable competitors.

• Kabuto defeated Yuno after outmaneuvering her, and Konoha won the first children’s match.
• Uchiha Itachi swiftly defeated Shira with a joint lock, giving Konoha a second win.
• Konoha won four of the six children’s matches, while Sunagakure won two.
• Sunagakure and Konoha each won three matches in the genin division; Uzuki Yugao and Mitaraishi Anko won for Konoha, while Iruka lost to a Sunagakure puppeteer.
• Arai predicted Sunagakure could draw in the chunin division, but Yubi expected Sakamoto, Fukushima Taki, Kazuki, and Fuma Uesugi to lose to Konoha’s competitors, especially Guy and Shisui.

Sakamoto defeated Asuma in the first match by using his combat experience and remaining chakra, while Kurenai Yuhi quickly beat Fukushima Taki with genjutsu. Sunagakure and Konoha were tied one win apiece as the remaining contestants prepared to fight.

• Sakamoto and Asuma fought with ninjutsu and taijutsu until Sakamoto used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to knock Asuma down and won the first match.
• Sakamoto left the field and urged Fukushima Taki to show Konoha what Sunagakure could do.
• Kurenai Yuhi caught Fukushima Taki in genjutsu and won the second match before he could land his kunai.
• Sakamoto warned Fuma Uesugi and Kazuki that Pakura would punish them if they lost, and both promised to win.

Sunagakure puppeteer Kazuki fought Might Guy, using modified puppets and poison to counter Guy’s speed. Guy gained the advantage after opening the first three gates, but Kazuki’s hidden puppet forced him to retreat, leaving the sparring match unresolved.

• Kazuki sent two modified puppets after Guy, using underground Senbon attacks and airborne blades to wound him and keep him at a distance.
• Guy removed his leg weights and opened the first three gates, then destroyed Kazuki’s two puppets and charged at him.
• Kazuki’s bandage-wrapped puppet blocked Guy’s kick, then unfolded into wooden arms that released poisonous mist and forced Guy back.
• Kazuki used the wooden puppet’s arms as a defensive counterattack while Yubi and Arai judged that Guy had effectively won the sparring match.
• Minato praised the Sunagakure puppeteers and cautioned that the fight was not over, prompting Yubi to click his tongue.

Might Guy defeated Kazuki with the Eight Gates, and Shisui Uchiha instantly beat Fuma Uesugi using genjutsu. Yubi recognized Shisui’s power and resolved to keep his eyes from falling into Danzo’s hands.

• Might Guy opened the fourth gate and knocked Kazuki unconscious, winning his match despite being affected by poison gas.
• Shisui Uchiha entered to a cold reception from Konoha’s villagers, while Fuma Uesugi ignored his greeting and prepared to fight.
• Fuma Uesugi used Earth Release: Antlion Technique and unleashed his spider technique, but Shisui had already trapped him in genjutsu.
• Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind Fuma Uesugi and hold a kunai to his throat, winning instantly.
• Yubi concluded that Shisui’s victory served Konoha’s leaders and might improve the Uchiha Clan’s standing, then vowed not to let Danzo take Shisui’s eyes.

After Sunagakure’s younger shinobi suffered decisive losses to Konoha, Yubi encouraged them while Pakura vowed to win the next day’s Jonin gauntlet. The chapter ended with Pakura preparing her teammates for the five-person contest.

• Yubi led the defeated Sunagakure group back to their lodgings and told them that losses could help them recognize their weaknesses and grow.
• Arai recalled Shisui Uchiha’s strength, and Yubi described him as a genius with potential comparable to the Fourth Hokage’s.
• Pakura promised that no Konoha opponent would take a victory from her and warned her teammates they would face extra training after their losses.
• Yubi tried to ease Pakura’s anger, but she insisted on taking responsibility for training the team.
• Pakura discussed the coming gauntlet with the other four Sunagakure participants while Yubi reflected on how her sense of duty had changed her.

Pakura and Kakashi faced off in the opening match of the jonin division, with Pakura gaining the upper hand through speed, Gentle Fist, and her Scorch Release. Kakashi was left struggling in the heat and vapor as Pakura vanished from his senses.

• Yubi noted that Konoha had assembled a team of clan specialists to counter Sunagakure, while Arai worried that another loss would leave Sunagakure defeated across the board.
• Pakura and Kakashi entered the field as their villages’ opening aces, and Kakashi planned to wear Pakura down for his teammates.
• Kakashi activated his Sharingan and exchanged rapid close-range blows with Pakura, who struck him with a palm technique that Hyuga Hiashi recognized as Gentle Fist.
• Pakura used Scorch Release: Flame Steam Hell, and Kakashi’s Water Fang Bullet evaporated in the extreme heat.
• The scorching vapor distorted Kakashi’s view and made Pakura disappear from his senses, leaving him in trouble.

Pakura used her Scorch Release, Byakugan, and Gentle Fist techniques to overwhelm Kakashi in the arena. After Pakura won, Yubi explained that he had helped train her and had focused Sunagakure’s resources on cultivating her as a powerful fighter.

• Pakura repeatedly attacked Kakashi with Scorch Release and Gentle Fist techniques, while Kakashi struggled to defend himself in the heat.
• Pakura used heat distortion to create illusory images and kept Kakashi from destroying the fire source above the arena.
• Pakura overpowered Kakashi and held him in a chokehold as a Scorch Release fireball floated beside them.
• Minato asked Yubi whether he had taught Pakura the Gentle Fist, and Yubi credited her hard work and talent.
• Yubi reflected that he had concentrated Sunagakure’s limited resources on Pakura, whom he considered its most promising trainee.
• Pakura defeated Kakashi, and the announcer declared her the winner for Sunagakure.

Pakura led Sunagakure to a decisive victory in the jonin division of the exchange meet, defeating four Konoha opponents before losing to an Aburame jonin. After the meet ended, Yubi warned Pakura that her performance would draw attention, and the Sunagakure group prepared to leave Konoha.

• Pakura defeated Hyuga An and a Sarutobi Clan contestant after first holding her own against Kakashi, leaving Danzo to storm out of the stands.
• Pakura overcame a Kurama Clan jonin but, exhausted, lost to Konoha's Aburame Clan jonin, who used his insects to wear her down and disrupt her perception.
• A Sunagakure special jonin with a transplanted Two-Tomoe Sharingan fought the Aburame jonin to a draw, giving Sunagakure an overwhelming win in the jonin division.
• Yubi and Minato delivered closing speeches, and participants from both villages shook hands as the exchange meet ended.
• Yubi warned Pakura that other villages would watch her closely, then ordered the Sunagakure party to depart after Baki reported that everything was ready.

Yubi and his party left Konoha after the village exchange, and Minato and Hiruzen assessed Sunagakure’s growing strength. Minato privately sensed that Yubi had become even more formidable and remained the one person he did not want to lose to.

• Minato and Konoha’s officials saw Yubi’s party off, while the young participants exchanged farewells and keepsakes.
• Yubi pointedly suggested that Konoha could send Uchiha Itachi and Shisui to Sunagakure, prompting Hiruzen to recognize the warning about the Uchiha Clan.
• After Yubi departed with Jiraiya as escort, Hiruzen praised Sunagakure’s improved fighters and singled out the puppeteer Kazuki’s skill.
• Minato concluded that Sunagakure’s strength owed much to the frightening ability of the Fourth Kazekage, Yubi.
• Minato admitted that he had never beaten Yubi and now sensed an even greater gulf between them, though Hiruzen urged him to keep confidence in himself.