Recaps

Yubi and Sasori planned to secretly remove the Third Kazekage and prevent his policies from continuing, while preserving Sunagakure’s strength. They decided to pursue a slow poison and seek the Land of Wind’s daimyo’s support, ending with Yubi promising they would flee together if the plan failed.

• Yubi and Sasori agreed that the Third Kazekage had to be dealt with but rejected purging all the village’s higher-ups at once.
• Yubi and Sasori chose a slow, difficult-to-detect poison, and Sasori planned to join the Anbu to observe the Third Kazekage closely.
• Yubi and Sasori identified Rasa as the main obstacle to their plans and decided to keep him from becoming Kazekage rather than kill him.
• Yubi proposed gaining the Land of Wind’s daimyo’s support to influence who would take power in Sunagakure.
• Sasori warned Yubi that he would leave if they failed, and Yubi promised they would run away together.

After returning from a mission and becoming a Chunin, Yubi received a congratulatory gift from Pakura and met Karura, who offered to help him at home. Karura cleaned his house and invited him to visit her and meet Yashamaru.

• Yubi reviewed his experience points and concluded that defeating stronger enemies earned him more experience.
• Pakura congratulated Yubi on becoming a Chunin and gave him a ribbon-decorated kunai, which he kept as a memento.
• Karura introduced herself at Yubi's home and explained that Granny Chiyo had asked her to help him.
• Yubi welcomed Karura inside, and she tidied his home while they talked and he opened Pakura's gift.
• Karura invited Yubi to visit her, try her cooking, and meet Yashamaru, and Yubi agreed.

Yubi observed Sunagakure’s financial troubles and left with Arai and Sasori to gather firsthand intelligence on the Konoha-Kumogakure front. As they traveled through war-damaged countries, Arai explained the Land of Rice Fields’ disorganized ninja clans and the decline of the Fuma Clan.

• Yubi visited Karura and met Yashamaru, then completed reconstruction missions while noting Sunagakure’s lack of funding from the dissatisfied Land of Wind daimyo.
• Yubi waited at Sunagakure’s gates for Sasori, and the three set out with Arai to gather battlefield intelligence.
• The team traveled through the Land of Grass, the Land of Waterfalls, and the Land of Frost toward the Land of Rice Fields, observing the devastation left by war.
• Arai told Yubi that the Land of Rice Fields had no real ninja village, leaving its ninja clans scattered and disorganized.
• Arai explained that the Fuma Clan had once been the country’s strongest clan, but it had declined, and many survivors now worked as wandering ninjas.

Yubi and his squad completed their intelligence work in the Land of Rice Fields and began returning to the Land of Wind. On the way, they encountered a Konoha squad fighting Kirigakure shinobi, then found themselves targeted after Kirigakure’s Hidden Mist Technique spread around them.

• Yubi and Arai discussed Konoha’s success against Kumogakure, including Hatake Sakumo’s attacks and Orochimaru’s arrival, while noting that other villages were active in the Land of Rice Fields.
• Arai decided the squad had gathered enough intelligence, and Yubi, Arai, and Sasori set out for the Land of Wind.
• The three spotted a Konoha squad led by a middle-aged shinobi fighting Kirigakure; one of its three genin was badly injured and close to being killed.
• A Kirigakure shinobi spread the Hidden Mist Technique, obscuring the battlefield and reaching Yubi’s squad.
• After Sasori warned that they had been targeted, Yubi deflected shuriken launched from the woods and invited their attackers to come out.

Yubi and Sasori ambushed Yano’s Konoha squad after the war, and Yubi killed Aoba Yamashiro before joining Sasori, who had gravely wounded Namiashi Raidō. The chapter left the Konoha team defeated, with both boys dead and their killers continuing the attack.

• Yano warned Yubi, Sasori, and Arai that another war would be disastrous for Sunagakure, while Yubi recognized Aoba Yamashiro and suspected another boy was Namiashi Raidō.
• Sasori attacked the Konoha squad with his puppets as Yano used a smoke bomb to help his students escape, and Arai went to confront the jonin.
• Yubi intercepted Aoba, defeated him in close combat, and killed him with his threads; the system then reported Konoha hatred points and future hostility from some Konoha characters.
• Yubi found Sasori interrogating the mortally wounded Namiashi Raidō, who refused to reveal information about Konoha.
• Yubi recognized Namiashi Raidō, said farewell, and killed him.

After Yubi and his companions left the battlefield, Konoha discovered the apparent massacre and suspected a powerful intelligence squad was responsible. Back in Sunagakure, the Third Kazekage sent Yubi and Sasori to the Iwagakure front, while Arai left their team and urged them to survive and do their best.

• Yubi, Arai, and Sasori left the battlefield, and a Konoha squad later found the traces of the fighting and concluded an unknown powerful enemy had killed everyone there.
• Yubi and his companions returned to Sunagakure as Kumogakure and Konoha withdrew their forces from the Land of Rice Fields.
• After reviewing Arai's report, the Third Kazekage ordered Yubi and Sasori to stop taking missions involving Konoha and assigned them to the Iwagakure front.
• Arai told Yubi and Sasori that he was leaving their team and warned them to coordinate with the army and flee if their lives were in danger.
• Yubi bowed to thank Arai, who encouraged him and Sasori to give it their all.

Yubi and Sasori traveled with a Sunagakure team to the front against Iwagakure, where a long-term deployment was expected amid a territorial dispute. As they neared the border, Yubi anticipated joining the medical unit and saw the assignment as a chance to begin advancing through the village ranks.

• Captain Kenji explained that Iwagakure was pressuring Sunagakure to cede territory, while Rasa had kept the border conflict at a stalemate.
• Kenji told Yubi and Sasori that Iwagakure had suffered its heaviest losses against Kumogakure during the war.
• Yubi reflected that veterans now welcomed him and Sasori because both could contribute immediately in combat.
• The team discussed how they would be assigned among the front-line units, with Yubi expecting to join the medical team and Sasori the puppeteer unit.
• Yubi recognized that serving at the front could open a path to promotion within Sunagakure.

Yubi arrived at Sunagakure’s massive front-line camp and met Commander-in-Chief Shimizu, who reviewed his impressive mission record. Saori immediately claimed Yubi for her medical company, and Yubi asked Shimizu whether he could choose his own assignment.

• Yubi and his group reached Sunagakure’s front-line headquarters, where a guide explained the camp’s forces and operations.
• Sunagakure ninja recognized Yubi and greeted him warmly because he had treated them at the hospital.
• Shimizu reviewed Yubi’s mission record and questioned how a medical ninja had completed so many high-rank missions.
• Saori rushed over, hugged Yubi, and insisted that he join her medical company rather than a field medical unit.
• Yubi awkwardly asked Shimizu whether he could choose where he was assigned.

Yubi joined the frontline as leader of a five-person medical squad attached to the puppet master corps, despite Saori's concerns. During his first large-scale battle against Iwagakure, he assessed the chaos, directed his squad, and rescued a wounded Sunagakure ninja.

• Yubi told Saori he wanted to serve on the battlefield, and Shimizu approved his decision.
• Yubi joined the puppet master corps' accompanying medical squad as its leader, while Sasori became the unit's deputy leader.
• Yubi's unit received orders to intercept Iwagakure troops entering from the northwest and marched out with more than a hundred Sunagakure ninja.
• The Sunagakure and Iwagakure forces clashed, with ranged teams, vanguards, puppet masters, and sensory ninja performing their assigned roles.
• Yubi studied the battlefield, issued orders to his four squad members, and rushed to rescue the wounded.
• Yubi killed an Iwagakure ninja who was about to execute a fallen Sunagakure ninja, then carried the wounded man to safety.

Yubi struggled to treat Sunagakure’s wounded while assessing how the chaos of battle limited both medical work and individual fighters. An Iwagakure commander identified Yubi’s ability to return wounded soldiers to combat as the reason his forces were losing ground and decided to target him.

• Yubi prioritized wounded who could return to battle, directing his medical team to evacuate those unable to fight.
• As he treated casualties, Yubi recognized that his efforts could not by themselves change the battle’s outcome and resolved to continue his mission.
• Several Sunagakure ninja recovered under Yubi’s care and returned to the fight.
• An Iwagakure commander learned from sensory reports that Sunagakure’s wounded were rejoining battle after treatment.
• The Iwagakure commander concluded that Yubi was the key factor behind the setback and marked him for elimination.

Sunagakure won a battle against Iwagakure, and Yubi recognized that his limited chakra and battlefield healing abilities were inadequate for prolonged rescues. He began searching the system for ways to improve his mobility, battlefield impact, or chakra reserves.

• An Iwagakure Jonin tried to reach Yubi, but Sasori intercepted him with his puppets and kept him from killing either young ninja.
• The Iwagakure Jonin ordered a retreat, leaving some shinobi behind as a rear guard, and Sunagakure pursued only a short distance before ending the battle.
• Sunagakure cleaned up the battlefield and returned to camp, where Shimizu praised Yubi and Sasori for their performances.
• After being carried back exhausted, Yubi reflected that his chakra reserves and healing techniques could not sustain prolonged battlefield rescue work.
• Yubi summoned the system interface and searched its item list for ways to improve his battlefield mobility, influence, or chakra supply.

Yubi searched the system for a useful combat option and redeemed March of the Dead, which was converted into a special exclusive ninja tool. He also expanded his Blood Manipulation abilities, then fell asleep exhausted after spending most of his experience points.

• Yubi compared the system’s abilities and items, finding March of the Dead and Five Sights Omnipotent among the Imperial Arms.
• Yubi chose March of the Dead for its battlefield-wide emotional effects, relatively low price, and modest chakra demands.
• Yubi redeemed March of the Dead for three thousand Negative Experience Points and received a black end-blown flute as a special exclusive ninja tool.
• Yubi purchased a Cursed Womb effect to extend his Blood Manipulation and planned to acquire more techniques later.
• Yubi watched his experience balances dwindle and fell asleep exhausted.

After Iwagakure targeted Yubi and Sasori for capture, Shimizu warned them that their identities and abilities were exposed. Iwagakure’s commanders then judged the two young Sunagakure ninja a growing threat and decided to eliminate them as soon as possible.

• Yubi kept busy with battlefield training and medical work while Sunagakure and Iwagakure gathered intelligence and prepared for large engagements.
• Shimizu summoned Yubi and Sasori and told them Iwagakure had ambushed an outpost, captured two Sunagakure ninja, and learned about their abilities.
• Shimizu warned Yubi and Sasori that Iwagakure would likely target them on the battlefield because it considered them important.
• At Iwagakure’s camp, the commander reviewed information about Yubi and Sasori with the combat leader who had lost to Sunagakure.
• The Iwagakure commander concluded that Yubi could improve Sunagakure’s medical corps and Sasori could strengthen its puppeteer corps, then urged that they be eliminated early.

Yubi and Sasori endured Iwagakure’s targeted attacks and helped transform Sunagakure’s frontline forces through their medical and puppet expertise. After months of victories and failed assassination attempts, both were promoted to command positions, while Yubi continued to wait before using his ninja tool.

• Iwagakure’s ambush nearly caught Yubi while he carried a wounded shinobi, but he killed two attackers with blood threads and escaped with the injured man.
• After the battle, Yubi treated Sasori’s burns as Sasori admitted that his human body felt like a burden; Yubi told him it was too soon to modify himself.
• Over the following months, Yubi improved medical care across Sunagakure’s frontline forces, while Sasori’s puppet designs and techniques influenced other puppeteers.
• Sunagakure’s puppeteer unit continued winning against Iwagakure, whose attempts to assassinate Yubi and Sasori in the Land of Wind all failed.
• Within half a year, Yubi became captain of a medical squad and Sasori became leader of his puppeteer detachment; Yubi still had not used the ninja tool he had acquired.

Yubi persuaded Shimizu to let him lead a small rescue team into the Land of Birds after a Sunagakure scouting squad was attacked. As the team caught up with the fleeing survivors and their Iwagakure pursuers, Yubi saw the dangerous mission as the opportunity he had been waiting for.

• A wounded Sunagakure scout reported that Iwagakure had attacked his squad and begged Shimizu to save Kota and the others.
• Yubi argued that the squad might still have survivors and volunteered to lead a rescue, despite Shimizu's concerns.
• Shimizu sent Yubi, the Jonin Ito, and the scout ahead, while holding Sasori back and promising support behind them.
• Ito offered to cover Yubi's retreat if the situation became too dangerous, but Yubi privately intended to pursue his own opportunity.
• The three entered the Land of Birds and found two injured Sunagakure ninja fleeing from a group of Iwagakure pursuers.

Yubi drew the Iwagakure squad away from Ito and the wounded Sunagakure ninja, revealing the greatly strengthened Blood Release he had developed in secret over six months. After explaining that he intended to fabricate a lie and conserve chakra, he stopped to face his pursuers and raised a musical instrument to his lips.

• Yubi rushed between two Sunagakure ninja and intercepted the Iwagakure squad, allowing Ito and the others to escape with their wounded comrades.
• Yubi used Convergence: Piercing Blood to kill six or seven Iwagakure ninja and cut through the surrounding trees before evading their Earth Release attacks.
• Yubi flew away to draw the remaining Iwagakure ninja after him, and their leader ordered the squad to pursue him and send for reinforcements.
• Yubi recalled that he had spent six months treating and killing people on the battlefield, using negative experience points to acquire Eso's and Choso's cursed womb effects and strengthen his Blood Release.
• Yubi stopped when he judged the distance sufficient, faced the pursuing squad, and took out a musical instrument; the Iwagakure leader warned his teammates to watch out.

Yubi used a flute-like ninja tool to defeat pursuing Iwagakure ninja, then vanished before Ito could find him. As Iwagakure searched for him, Sasori urged Shimizu not to launch an immediate assault, convinced Yubi had a hidden plan and was still alive.

• Yubi played his ninja tool, disrupting the Iwagakure squad before killing them and disposing of the unconscious Sunagakure ninja.
• Ito returned to the battlefield, found dead Iwagakure ninja and signs of powerful Wind and Earth Release, but could not locate Yubi.
• Iwagakure reinforcements followed a marker to another site and found more dead comrades, prompting their leader to order a search for Yubi.
• Ito reported Yubi's disappearance to Shimizu, who worried that Iwagakure's response would make a rescue increasingly difficult.
• Sasori told Shimizu not to rush into war, reasoning that Yubi was too clever to die needlessly and was likely acting on a secret plan.

Yubi tested his strength and ninja tools while killing dozens of Iwagakure pursuers in the Land of Birds, then escaped toward the Land of Wind. Iwagakure's jonin assessed the losses, discussed the risks of escalating the conflict, and vowed to remember the grudge.

• Yubi killed another pursuing Iwagakure squad and decided to leave before larger forces could trap him.
• Yubi used traps and ambushes to kill roughly sixty or seventy Iwagakure ninja, exhausting his tools as he moved toward the border.
• Iwagakure jonin found their dead comrades near the Land of Wind and concluded Yubi had killed nearly a hundred ninja in a day and a night.
• The jonin discussed Yubi's nature transformation and poison, and agreed to report his abilities to the village.
• An Iwagakure ninja proposed declaring war on Sunagakure, but the jonin leader warned that other villages could exploit the conflict.
• The Iwagakure group vowed not to forget the grudge and to make Sunagakure pay on the battlefield.

Shimizu feared Yubi had been lost behind enemy lines, but Yubi returned with a powerful flute that could incapacitate Sunagakure's forces through mass genjutsu. The flute worked only for Yubi, leaving the village unable to claim or use it.

• Shimizu agonized over whether to launch an offensive to aid Yubi, fearing the casualties and consequences of defying the village's orders.
• A subordinate announced that Yubi had returned, and Yubi reported killing dozens of pursuers while escaping Iwagakure's territory.
• Yubi showed Shimizu and the officers the March of the Dead and explained its mass-hallucination effect, claiming he had taken it from a wandering ninja leader.
• Shimizu had Yubi demonstrate the flute on the Sunagakure camp, where it rendered many ninja unconscious; the officers recognized its potential to influence a battle.
• Shimizu, Ito, and Sasori tried the flute but could not activate it, and Yubi accepted that the village would claim it while knowing only he could use it.

After Iwagakure attacked Sunagakure with more than a thousand ninja, Yubi tested March of the Dead in a major battle and disrupted the enemy’s front line while boosting Sunagakure’s morale. Iwagakure commander Yamahide ordered his forces to spread out, bombard Yubi’s position, and prioritize killing him.

• Iwagakure launched a large offensive against Sunagakure to avenge the ninja Yubi had killed, and Shimizu led Sunagakure’s forces to meet them.
• Shimizu taunted Yamahide over Iwagakure’s desire for revenge, and Yamahide ordered his army to attack.
• A battalion captain told Ito and Sasori to protect Yubi as the armies clashed.
• Yubi played March of the Dead, slowing and incapacitating Iwagakure’s advancing ninja while raising Sunagakure’s morale.
• Yamahide learned that Yubi’s sound-based Genjutsu was disrupting his front line and ordered his units to spread out and attack Yubi with long-range techniques.

Yubi’s Military Music helped Sunagakure defeat Iwagakure’s attacks, while Yubi and Sasori gained battlefield reputations that earned them new titles. As Iwagakure continued to suffer losses, Sunagakure’s commanders expected either formal negotiations or one final major battle.

• Yamahide withdrew Iwagakure’s forces after Military Music amplified their fear and despair, and Sunagakure drove them beyond the border.
• Shimizu told Yubi that the Kazekage had decided he would keep Military Music until the war ended.
• Iwagakure shifted to small raids and assassination attempts against Yubi, but Sunagakure thwarted them and continued to win the fighting.
• Iwagakure launched several more large-scale offensives to counter Military Music, but each ended in heavy losses as Sunagakure’s medical ninja and puppeteers gained an advantage.
• Iwagakure identified Yubi’s Blood Release and the effects of Military Music, and its soldiers began calling him Blood Medic Yubi and Sasori Sasori of the Red Sands.
• Shimizu said Iwagakure would likely negotiate with Sunagakure or attempt one final battle, but its defeat was already certain.

Sunagakure and Iwagakure agreed to a temporary ceasefire, and Yubi and Sasori returned to camp as the troops prepared to go home. Rasa warned Yubi that both boys had bounties on the black market, leaving their rise in the Shinobi World under threat.

• Kitsuchi and Rasa exchanged a symbolic handshake at the Land of Wind border, officially ending the fighting between Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
• Rasa worried that Yubi and Sasori had gained growing prestige among Sunagakure's forces, despite their youth.
• The soldiers celebrated the ceasefire and packed to return to Sunagakure after years on the battlefield.
• Yubi handed Rasa the ninja tool Military Music to pass to Sunagakure's leadership.
• Rasa told Yubi that both he and Sasori had bounties on the black market, and advised them to stay alert.

After returning to Sunagakure from the campaign against Iwagakure, Yubi celebrated with Pakura and their friends, who praised his battlefield reputation and discussed their ambitions. The gathering ended with Sunagakure enjoying a respite from the fighting, though Kirigakure’s coastal raids remained a concern.

• Yubi treated Pakura and their friends to a tavern gathering after his return and Pakura’s graduation to Genin.
• Yubi’s friends praised his battlefield achievements, while Yubi credited the commanders’ strategies and said he did not want to become Kazekage.
• Pakura declared that she would become the greatest Kazekage and treated Yubi as a potential rival, though the others assumed she was joking.
• The group ate and celebrated until evening, then dispersed to return to their families.
• With the campaign against Iwagakure over, Sunagakure faced less pressure, but Kirigakure’s raids along the coast continued.

Yubi and Sasori discussed keeping a low profile while preparing to infiltrate Sunagakure’s leadership, and Yubi advised Sasori on his developing Puppet Core research. The chapter left Sasori pursuing his research while Yubi continued supporting him.

• Yubi told Sasori to spend another year earning military merit before joining the Anbu, while they took separate assignments and weakened the village’s impression of them as a pair.
• Yubi explained that he had concealed the full extent of his abilities so Sunagakure’s leaders would underestimate him and be less suspicious of their future plan.
• Sasori said he had found a way to make his Puppet Core work, though he still needed time to develop it.
• Yubi advised Sasori on using jutsu, chakra, and sealing techniques to preserve a dead person’s abilities in a Puppet Core.
• Yubi warned Sasori that Granny Chiyo would be heartbroken if she learned he intended to abandon his human body, and Sasori left the dune with Yubi following.

The Third Kazekage assigned Yubi to lead a team of rookie Genin against Kirigakure, partly to test his obedience and force his growth. Yubi accepted the order calmly, and Arai left worried about the risks he faced.

• Sasori left Sunagakure on a mission after agreeing with Yubi to work separately so he could get closer to the Third Kazekage.
• Arai warned the Third Kazekage that Yubi’s bounty and growing reputation made it dangerous to send him out alone, but the Kazekage insisted Yubi needed challenges and should serve the village.
• The Third Kazekage ordered Arai to tell Yubi about the assignment and watch for resentment.
• Arai informed Yubi that he would lead rookie Genin to the coast to face Kirigakure, and Yubi cheerfully asked when he would leave.
• Arai warned Yubi about enemy assassins and urged him to prioritize his safety, while Yubi understood that the assignment was a test of obedience.
• Arai left after reminding Yubi that the Third Kazekage had his own considerations, and Yubi smiled without responding.