Recaps

Yubi secured the daimyo’s funding and drove Sunagakure’s expansion, recruitment, and institutional planning while keeping the village out of the fiercest fighting. Battle reports showed the other villages locked in escalating battles as Sunagakure continued to appear largely absent from the war.

• Yubi visited the daimyo, who gave Sunagakure the funds intended for expanding the pharmaceutical factories, and the daimyo’s illness improved.
• Yubi mobilized Sunagakure’s villagers and shinobi, hired craftsmen from friendly small nations, and planned the expanded village’s buildings and land use.
• Yubi worked with the daimyo’s administration to bring civilians from the Land of Wind to Sunagakure and screen them, laying the groundwork for future recruitment.
• Yubi placed expanding the Ninja Academy and hospital, refining their systems, and building two pharmaceutical factories among his priorities.
• Yubi learned that Iwagakure’s medicine-supported forces were taking Land of Lightning territory from Kumogakure, while Konoha pushed Blue B’s forces back toward the border.
• Yubi received reports that Kirigakure had launched surprise offensives against the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, while Sunagakure remained mostly out of sight.

Yubi traveled secretly to negotiate resource deals with small nations, using Sunagakure’s growing importance as a medicine supplier to secure partnerships. He recognized that these nations had valuable technological skills and considered bringing some of their people to teach in Sunagakure once the village was stable.

• Yubi met with leaders of small nations to arrange exchanges of construction materials and other resources for Sunagakure.
• A guard reported that General Mifune of the Land of Iron had agreed to produce specialized construction machinery and escort minerals to the Land of Wind, though delivery would take time.
• Yubi traveled with four guards, including Baki and Yura, while keeping his meetings secret because his position as Kazekage made him a target.
• Yubi and his guards discussed how small nations developed strengths beyond military power, including technology and household goods.
• Yubi reflected that small nations might have valuable skills and considered hiring their people to teach in Sunagakure after the village became stable.

As Sunagakure faced less pressure than the other great villages, Yubi managed its affairs and arranged to search for Uzumaki survivors. After hearing reports of unrest in Kirigakure, he decided to personally seek out an Ice Release user.

• Yubi learned that Konoha had graduated its Academy students early and sent them to fight in the war.
• Yubi ordered Sunagakure's intelligence department to focus on the Land of Grass and offer a high price for any Uzumaki Clan survivors.
• An Anbu reported that Kirigakure was tightly guarded and that uncertainty around the Third Mizukage had fueled factional clashes and clan unrest.
• Yubi considered targeting Ice Release and Shikotsumyaku users but judged Kirigakure too unstable for negotiations.
• Yubi decided to travel to the Land of Water himself to find an Ice Release user and ordered the Anbu to keep his trip secret.

Yubi checked on Sunagakure’s test subjects after they received the Third Raikage’s cells, then secretly traveled to the coastal front to see his former students. The chapter left him leading Pakura, Yashamaru, Sakamoto, and Fukushima Taki away from their squad to meet him.

• Yubi examined Sunagakure ninja who had received the Third Raikage’s cells and learned that one could already use lightning-nature chakra, though none had obtained Black Lightning.
• Yubi told Chiyo he was leaving to handle village business, then departed Sunagakure alone without revealing his destination.
• Yubi reached the coastal front, where Pakura, Yashamaru, Sakamoto, and Fukushima Taki had adapted well to fighting Kirigakure.
• Yubi tossed Pakura the kunai she had given him, and she recognized it and spotted him outside the rock shelter.
• Pakura woke Yashamaru, Sakamoto, and Fukushima Taki and led them out after Yubi.

Yubi met with his students Pakura, Yashamaru, Sakamoto, and Fukushima Taki on the battlefield, praised their growth, and promised to give Pakura the Kazekage position if she became strong enough to protect the village. After gathering information about Kirigakure, he set out alone to infiltrate the Land of Water.

• Yubi met the four students in the Gobi Desert, and they greeted him as their teacher and the Fourth Kazekage.
• Yubi praised Pakura and Yashamaru for their battlefield records, while Sakamoto and Pakura bickered and Yashamaru made peace between them.
• Yubi told Pakura he would step aside for her if she became strong enough to protect the village, and she blushed before leaving.
• Yubi questioned the students about Kirigakure and reminded them to prioritize their safety before departing alone.
• Yubi planned to control Kirigakure shinobi, disguise himself, and cross through the Land of Artisans or the Land of Bears to reach the Land of Water.

Yubi traveled through the Land of Water and concluded that Kirigakure’s instability stemmed from rebellious clans, scattered island powers, and persistent internal conflict. He left with a clearer understanding of the country’s troubles and the pressures that would shape Kirigakure’s future.

• Yubi entered the Land of Water aboard a Kirigakure ship and headed for its coldest region to find Haku's mother.
• As Yubi traveled inland, he observed that Kirigakure watched scattered clan settlements but did not bring them under unified control.
• Yubi learned that island powers and pirate groups such as the Funato Clan also challenged Kirigakure’s authority.
• Yubi concluded that the Land of Water’s rebellious clans and recurring clashes were the root of its instability, and that the daimyo’s court would have to cooperate with Kirigakure to change the situation.
• Yubi considered that Obito’s purge of kekkei genkai clans had indirectly eased Kirigakure’s problems, then reflected on the likely succession struggle after the Third Mizukage stepped down.

Yubi traveled through the Land of Water to bring Haku’s mother and four Kaguya Clan members to Sunagakure, aiming to secure kekkei genkai descendants for the village. He also invited Honoka to join Sunagakure, but she refused, and Yubi returned home without her.

• Yubi abducted Haku’s mother and four Kaguya Clan members, then altered the Kaguya members’ appearances after operating on them.
• Yubi released Haku’s mother from genjutsu aboard a ship and explained that Sunagakure could offer her safety and a fresh start.
• Yubi traveled to the Land of the Sea, inspected and took some research data from its summoning-beast facility, and found Honoka.
• Yubi invited Honoka to Sunagakure, but she declined because she was wary of the major ninja villages, and he respected her choice.
• Yubi left the Land of the Sea and returned to Sunagakure with the others.

Yubi returned to Sunagakure with four Kaguya Clan members and Megumi, an Ice Release user, and arranged for Karura to help Megumi settle in. After Karura quickly won Megumi’s trust, Yubi recognized her talent for welcoming newcomers and considered giving her leadership roles in the village’s orphanage and elementary school.

• Yubi returned to Sunagakure, where Chiyo confronted him before he introduced the four Kaguya Clan members and Megumi.
• Yubi handed the Kaguya Clan members over to Chiyo and asked Karura to help Megumi adjust to the village.
• Karura showed Megumi around Sunagakure, gave her new clothes, and promised that her freedom would be respected whether she stayed or left.
• A few days later, Yubi learned from Karura that Megumi had settled down and was preparing to integrate into Sunagakure.
• Yubi admired Karura’s ability to put people at ease and decided she should direct the orphanage and lead the elementary school.

Yubi reviewed Sunagakure’s growth and construction projects, then planned how to secure funding and advance the village’s interests through medical-supply deals. The chapter left him preparing to approach Kirigakure and eventually exploit Konoha and Kumogakure’s wartime crises.

• A senior official reported that over two thousand outsiders had joined Sunagakure, while construction of the orphanage and civilian school continued.
• Chiyo reported that the Uchiha and Hyuga were settled, the Kaguya were housed under Anbu guard, and 121 newly trained medical personnel were ready for overseas assignments.
• Yubi instructed Chiyo to choose safe partner countries for the medical teams and ensure Sunagakure shinobi relayed intelligence from abroad.
• An official reported that the Third Tsuchikage wanted cheaper medicine and threatened war, so Yubi offered a modest price reduction and proposed accepting resources at undervalued rates.
• Yubi ordered the village to seek a medical-supply agreement with Kirigakure, predicting that its leaders would accept and that the deal would increase pressure on Konoha.
• Yubi said Sunagakure could sell medicine to Konoha and Kumogakure later, once their wartime crises left them with little choice.

Fourth Kazekage Yubi negotiated a medicine trade with Karatachi Yagura, securing Kirigakure’s cooperation while probing the Third Mizukage’s illness. He planned to profit from the warring villages by draining Iwagakure and Kirigakure before turning his attention to Konoha and Kumogakure.

• Yubi met Karatachi Yagura at the Land of Rivers border and negotiated a medicine deal with Kirigakure.
• Yubi offered to treat the unwell Third Mizukage, but Yagura rejected the offer and left warily.
• Yubi inferred from Yagura’s reaction that the Third Mizukage was indeed in trouble.
• Yubi reflected that Yagura had misjudged Sunagakure’s position, while Ōnoki had understood its hidden strength.
• Yubi resolved to profit from Iwagakure and Kirigakure’s shortages, then target Konoha and Kumogakure.

Yubi received news that Sasori had used the modified Third Raikage to inflict heavy losses on Konoha, and he ordered Sunagakure to shift to an offensive coordinated with Kirigakure. He also pursued research to address the Kaguya Clan’s kekkei genkai drawbacks, then hurried to preside over a children’s talent tournament.

• Yubi read a report that Sasori had used the Third Raikage to devastate Konoha’s forces on the Land of Rivers front.
• Yubi considered a scheme with Kirigakure to blame Konoha for the Third Kazekage’s death and worried that Mount Myōboku might learn of his plans through Jiraiya.
• Yubi ordered Sunagakure’s intelligence shinobi to change the army’s tactics, take the offensive, and let Sasori fight without restraint.
• Yubi went to the laboratory to study Kaguya Clan cells and seek a way to remove the Shikotsumyaku’s health effects and improve kekkei genkai abilities.
• An administrative shinobi reminded Yubi that the Sunagakure Little Genius Pioneer Tournament was about to begin, and Yubi left to preside over it.

Yubi held the Little Genius Pioneer Tournament to find promising children and encourage Sunagakure’s broader education plans. After noticing Shira’s persistence in the bouts, Yubi healed and encouraged him, leaving the boy inspired to become a ninja.

• Yubi attended the tournament, where Sunagakure children competed against children from across the Land of Wind.
• Yubi grew bored as the village children won repeatedly, until five-year-old Shira endured repeated defeats and then won five bouts through sheer determination.
• Yubi recognized Shira as the future creator of the Seven Heavens Breathing Method and asked Yura to search for Yuno as well.
• After the tournament, Yubi noticed the other village children had ostracized Shira, who was crying alone.
• Yubi healed Shira’s injuries and praised him, then encouraged all the children who had competed.

Sunagakure won a major battle against Konoha, while Yubi’s reforms transformed the village during the nearly two years of war. As the Third Kazekage’s funeral approached, Yubi arranged for Sasori to receive the Third’s remains and continued concealing the truth of his death.

• Sasori and Rasa helped Sunagakure defeat Konoha after three days of fighting, with Yubi’s tactics and Arai’s group-healing scroll helping secure victory.
• Yubi arranged with Kirigakure to announce that Konoha had possessed the Third Kazekage’s corpse, turning suspicion toward Konoha and inflaming Sunagakure’s anger.
• Yubi persuaded Chiyo and the other senior officials to give the Third Kazekage’s remains to Sasori, and entrusted Arai with secretly managing the transfer.
• After the fighting stabilized, Arai and other Sunagakure leaders and combatants returned home for the Third Kazekage’s funeral.
• The returning fighters were astonished by Sunagakure’s expanded defenses, new institutions, commercial district, and prosperity, and admired Yubi’s reforms.

Yubi recalled most of Sunagakure’s forces to prioritize the village’s population and development while preparing new medicines to increase births. He asked Iwagakure to provide Deidara, intending to keep the infant from joining the Akatsuki and possibly raise him in Sunagakure.

• Yubi and Sasori watched Shimizu and the others pay respects at the Third Kazekage’s empty grave, while Sasori praised Yubi’s changes to Sunagakure.
• Yubi told Sasori that Sunagakure would focus on development and population growth instead of trying to destroy an exhausted-looking Konoha.
• After half a month, Sasori and the others returned to the front, and Yubi recalled most of Sunagakure’s forces while retaining border defenses.
• Yubi prepared a new medicine that increased women’s chances of conceiving and planned to expand Sunagakure’s non-strategic medicine business.
• Baki told Yubi that Iwagakure wanted to buy medicine on credit, and Yubi agreed in exchange for a baby boy named Deidara.
• Yubi explained that he wanted Deidara to grow up in Sunagakure and avoid the fate that would lead him to the Akatsuki.

Ōnoki considered Sunagakure’s growing influence and realized the Fourth Kazekage had used medicine and wartime alliances to shape the conflict while protecting Sunagakure. He agreed to hand Deidara over in exchange for Iwagakure’s medical supplies on credit, but resolved to be more cautious around the Fourth Kazekage.

• Ōnoki received Sunagakure’s offer to provide medicine on credit in exchange for Deidara.
• Ōnoki suspected merchants had leaked information about Deidara and decided Iwagakure needed stronger defenses against information leaks.
• Ōnoki concluded the Fourth Kazekage had used medicinal supplies and cooperation with Iwagakure and Kirigakure to keep them fighting while Sunagakure developed.
• Ōnoki agreed to send Deidara to Sunagakure, recognizing that Iwagakure needed the medicine and owed the Fourth Kazekage a favor.
• Ōnoki reasoned that Sunagakure could sell medicine to Konoha and Kumogakure while supplying Iwagakure and Kirigakure for free, and he vowed to be more careful dealing with the Fourth Kazekage.

Yubi visited the temple where Sunagakure had sealed Shukaku and met Bunpuku, the One-Tail Jinchūriki, whom previous Kazekage had treated as a tool. After apologizing for the sacrifices Bunpuku had endured, Yubi said he wanted to discuss Shukaku and ask him about Sealing Jutsu.

• Yubi went to Sunagakure's ancient ninja temple with Baki and Yura, reflecting on the village's history of tailed-beast research and Sealing Jutsu.
• Yubi entered the temple's prison and dismissed the guards so he could speak with Bunpuku alone.
• Yubi introduced himself as Sunagakure's Fourth Kazekage and sat respectfully before Bunpuku.
• Yubi thanked Bunpuku for his service and apologized for the sacrifices he had made, while explaining that a Kage had duties and burdens to consider.
• Yubi told Bunpuku he had come to discuss Shukaku and ask questions about Sealing Jutsu.

Yubi received Deidara from Iwagakure and arranged for him to grow up in Sunagakure, while the village gained medicines, resources, and new alliances amid the Shinobi World War. After Iwagakure and Kirigakure’s failed pincer attack left Konoha battered, Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Yubi a letter requesting a meeting.

• Baki brought infant Deidara to Yubi, who examined his unusual hand mouths and ordered Baki to take him to the orphanage.
• Yubi considered how to guide Deidara and hoped Karura would help keep him loyal to Sunagakure rather than joining the Akatsuki.
• Sunagakure’s new fertility medicine led to a baby boom, while Megumi and Shimizu got together and Megumi became pregnant.
• Kirigakure began trading resources and Water Release materials for medicine after its economy faltered.
• Iwagakure and Kirigakure attacked Konoha from the north and south, but Konoha held its defenses; Might Duy killed three of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Yubi a letter asking to meet him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi met Yubi to negotiate a ceasefire and medicine supplies, but the Fourth Kazekage asserted Sunagakure’s dominance and insisted that Konoha accept terms drafted by his village. The chapter ended with Yubi handing Sarutobi a prepared document.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi sent a letter to Sunagakure seeking peace talks and access to its medicinal supplies.
• Half a month later, Sarutobi met Yubi in the Land of Rivers with Kazuto and Hizashi Hyuga, while Yubi arrived with Sasori, Rasa, Arai, and Shimizu.
• Sarutobi recognized that Yubi, not Arai, had been directing Sunagakure’s military strategy throughout the war.
• Sarutobi proposed a ceasefire and offered to pay for medicine, but Yubi warned that Sunagakure could attack Konoha and declared that Konoha had no right to set the terms.
• Yubi said Sunagakure would draft the ceasefire conditions and held out a prepared sheet of paper for Sarutobi to read.

Yubi negotiated peace terms with Hiruzen Sarutobi, demanding that Konoha recognize the Uchiha and Hyuga clans in Sunagakure and provide Ninjutsu resources. After Hiruzen refused to hand over forbidden techniques, Yubi revealed Konoha’s interest in copying Sunagakure’s medicines and made Impure World Reincarnation a condition of the ceasefire.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi read Yubi’s peace terms and passed the paper to Kazuto and Hizashi, who saw that Sunagakure intended to keep the Uchiha and Hyuga bloodlines.
• Hizashi questioned whether the captured clan members had been controlled, and Yubi said they were alive and that Danzo’s spies had failed to find them.
• Yubi demanded forbidden Ninjutsu, including Sealing Jutsu, Medical Ninjutsu, and techniques created by Tobirama Senju, but Hiruzen refused.
• Yubi accused Konoha of seeking to reproduce Sunagakure’s medicines and argued that selling them in bulk would put Sunagakure’s advantage at risk.
• Yubi narrowed his demand to the Flying Thunder God Technique and Impure World Reincarnation, then insisted that Konoha hand over Impure World Reincarnation or abandon ceasefire talks.

Yubi secured Sunagakure’s withdrawal from the war and a period of peace by negotiating ceasefires and medical-supply deals with the other villages. With Sunagakure rebuilt and prospering, he revealed that his next focus was the Land of Rain, surprising Arai.

• Yubi returned to Sunagakure’s encampment and secured Konoha’s agreement to a ceasefire, a medical-supply exchange, and official recognition of the Uchiha and Hyuga clans in Sunagakure.
• Yubi signed a contract scroll with Hiruzen Sarutobi and warned Konoha against attacks by the Uchiha or covert interference by Root.
• Yubi quieted Ōnoki and Kirigakure by giving each village medical supplies, then made Kumogakure accept responsibility for the Third Raikage’s death and agree to a ceasefire in exchange for medicine.
• Sunagakure withdrew from the war and spent a year operating its completed infrastructure and new institutions as the village prospered.
• Sasori asked Yubi what came next, and Yubi named the Land of Rain, prompting Arai to suspect that Yubi planned military expansion.

Yubi proposed that Sunagakure invade the Land of Rain after the other villages had weakened, hoping to reshape the shinobi world and secure resources. Sasori agreed to follow him, while Arai urged careful planning and a meeting with Chiyo before they returned to the village.

• Yubi told Sasori and Arai that Sunagakure should wait until the other villages were exhausted before sending troops into the Land of Rain.
• Arai worried that an invasion could unite the other villages against Sunagakure and undo its gains in the war.
• Yubi explained that he wanted to create his own version of peace and reshape the shinobi world's destiny.
• Sasori agreed to join Yubi's gamble, and Arai accepted that he would follow his Kazekage.
• Arai recommended informing Lady Chiyo and the others, and Yubi agreed to return to the village for a meeting.

Yubi argued that Sunagakure needed to attack Amegakure after the current war to secure the resources and territory required for lasting growth. Chiyo identified the military and political challenges of controlling the Land of Rain, and Yubi confidently claimed he could overcome them.

• Yubi explained that the other major villages would be too depleted after the war to sustain a prolonged campaign against Sunagakure.
• Yubi warned that Sunagakure's medicine monopoly would fade as competitors developed generics, and said the village needed new industries and stronger foundations.
• Yubi argued that the Land of Wind's population and resource shortages limited Sunagakure's future, and said the daimyo supported his plans to increase the population and improve the environment.
• Yubi proposed taking the Land of Rain and destroying Amegakure, arguing that the country had no daimyo and that Hanzo of the Salamander was unpopular amid worsening unrest.
• Chiyo warned that Sunagakure would have to unify and govern the Land of Rain to prevent rebellion, then questioned whether Yubi could defeat Hanzo and stabilize the country.
• Yubi replied, "Of course."

Yubi outlined Sunagakure’s crucial year of preparation before its planned war with the Land of Rain, delegating village duties while he focused on other preparations. He then visited the underground laboratory, where Saori reported that experiments to suppress the Kaguya Clan’s harmful bone-cell effects had failed so far.

• Yubi said Sunagakure needed to mature its new systems, expand and train its shinobi, strengthen key fighters, and stockpile resources before fighting Amegakure.
• Rasa took responsibility for military expansion, while Sasori was assigned to reorganize the puppet master units and research Monzaemon’s techniques with Chiyo.
• Yubi tasked Shimizu and Ebizo with analyzing newly acquired Ninjutsu and monitoring the Land of Rain, then appointed Arai to handle the Kage’s routine work.
• The meeting concluded with plans for an attack on the Land of Rain in a year, and Yubi left Arai to manage the office’s documents.
• At the underground laboratory, Saori told Yubi that Cursed Seals and cell fusion had not solved the damage caused by Kaguya Clan bone cells.
• Yubi told Saori to keep collecting cell samples from different organisms as the research continued.

Yubi began transplanting Sharingan into fourteen consenting Sunagakure Jonin to strengthen the village, then prepared to transplant a Byakugan into each of his students, Yashamaru and Pakura. The chapter ended as the two entered the operating room for their procedures.

• Yubi explained the risks of Sharingan transplants to Arai, Shimizu, and twelve other Sunagakure Jonin, and they agreed to proceed.
• Arai said the transplants were worth the sacrifice ahead of Sunagakure's planned conquest of the Land of Rain, and Yubi began operating on the fourteen Jonin.
• After a day of surgery, Yubi prepared to transplant one Byakugan each into Yashamaru and Pakura.
• Pakura insisted on receiving a Byakugan despite Yubi's warning about its drawbacks, and Yubi agreed.
• Yashamaru and Pakura confirmed they were ready and followed Yubi into the operating room.

Yubi weighed Sunagakure’s preparations and the Akatsuki’s growing conflict with Amegakure, then decided he could no longer avoid confronting Madara’s plans for the Land of Rain. He left in secret, determined to keep Yahiko alive and prevent Nagato from awakening the Rinnegan.

• Sunagakure’s younger generation remained a weakness, so Yubi planned for Shimizu and others to train them with the village’s gathered Ninjutsu resources.
• Yubi learned that Yahiko’s Akatsuki was buying medicine through Sunagakure’s covert market channels while fighting Hanzō’s forces and other armed groups in the Land of Rain.
• Yubi considered meeting Yahiko and concluded that keeping him alive could prevent Nagato from awakening the Rinnegan and the Akatsuki from turning dark.
• Yubi realized his plan directly opposed Madara’s and resolved to confront the danger rather than keep avoiding Madara and Black Zetsu.
• Yubi told Baki and Yura to conceal his departure, claiming he was conducting classified research if anyone asked.