Chapter Summaries

Hiruko rescued Hatake Sakumo from the Stone Ninja and treated his badly injured arm while carrying him away on a giant bird. Sakumo learned Hiruko had helped him because Sakumo once protected him from bullying, and Hiruko insisted that Kato Dan would be fine.

• Hiruko told Hatake Sakumo he had saved him to prove that even a former dead last could turn things around, but Sakumo urged him to leave the battlefield.
• Hiruko stopped Sakumo from pursuing Hunt by claiming Kato Dan would be fine, then revealed Sakumo had once defended him from bullies at the Academy.
• Hiruko used a sharp clap to command the Strange Bird to shriek, scattering the Stone Ninja, and flew away with Sakumo on the bird.
• Hiruko used Medical Ninjutsu to stop the bleeding in Sakumo's injured arm while the Strange Bird bombarded the Stone Ninja with explosive feathers.
• Hiruko told Sakumo that Uchiha Shin'yu was his master and that Shin'yu had taught him everything, including Medical Ninjutsu.
• Sakumo recalled Shin'yu's feared reputation across the ninja world, while Hiruko said his master did not care whether Hidden Leaf Village lived or died.

Shū fought Kato Dan, but Orochimaru intervened to save the badly injured Kato Dan and turned his attacks on Shū. After Shū survived Orochimaru’s Big Ball Rasengan, Orochimaru revealed that Shū was his target and prepared to subdue him.

• Shū used Explosion Release: Landmine Fist to destroy a tree and badly injure Kato Dan, then prepared to kill him.
• A white snake interrupted Shū’s attack, and Orochimaru emerged from its mouth to rescue Kato Dan.
• Orochimaru used his tongue and a Rasengan to knock Shū away when he charged at Kato Dan.
• Shū launched Explosion Release: Thunderclap Flash, but Orochimaru blocked him with a Big Ball Rasengan and blasted him back.
• Orochimaru told Shū that he had come for him and said he would leave him with just enough breath.

Shū fought Orochimaru but was overpowered, while Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Sage Fukasaku struggled against the Four-Tails. Just as the Four-Tails launched a devastating lava attack at Tsunade, Uchiha Nen arrived and erased it with Ame no Tokotachi.

• Shū unleashed Thunderclap Blast, but Orochimaru countered it with Sage Art: White Flash Technique and severed Shū’s arm with Autumn Dew on Leaves.
• Shū detonated his severed arm with Blood Explosion, but Orochimaru emerged from a pale afterimage and attacked him again.
• Jiraiya and Sage Fukasaku restrained the Four-Tails while Tsunade struck its face with Painful Sky Fist, knocking it into a mountain.
• The Four-Tails transformed with Lava Release: Granite, burned Jiraiya’s hair and Sage Fukasaku’s tongue, then hurled a lava attack at Tsunade.
• Uchiha Nen appeared beside Tsunade and erased the incoming lava with Ame no Tokotachi.

Uchiha Nian rescued Tsunade and Jiraiya by suppressing Four-Tails, then used Wood Release to drain its Chakra and return it to Rōshi. As the battle ended, Tsunade embraced Nian from behind.

• Nian appeared in time to save Tsunade and Jiraiya, then stunned Four-Tails with an Illusion Technique that briefly freed Rōshi's consciousness.
• Rōshi took control of Four-Tails and attacked Nian with Lava Release: Flower Fruit Mountain, but Nian countered with Amaterasu.
• Rōshi formed a Tailed Beast Ball, but Nian's Hotei Technique seized Four-Tails' tails and made the attack collapse.
• Nian used Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique to restrain Four-Tails and drain its Chakra until it returned to Rōshi's form.
• Tsunade embraced Nian from behind as the rain continued and the battle ended.

Nian rescued Tsunade, and their tender reunion left Jiraiya devastated as he realized she loved Nian. Meanwhile, Orochimaru and Hiruko carried Hatake Sakumo and the unconscious Kato Dan away, revealing their plans to forge new forms of innate potential.

• Tsunade thanked Nian for saving her and reaffirmed her promise to become Hokage, clear his Father's name, and invite him to her territory.
• Jiraiya watched Tsunade act affectionately toward Nian, accepted that she did not return his feelings, and left to search the battlefield for survivors.
• Hiruko spotted Jiraiya from the giant bird, while Orochimaru sensed that his Chakra seemed dark.
• Hatake Sakumo recognized Jiraiya and asked to be dropped off, but Orochimaru and Hiruko insisted he stay with the injured Kato Dan and seek Tsunade's treatment.
• Hiruko hinted that he planned to make himself a furnace and forge a hundred forms, and Orochimaru warned him to keep their plans secret.

After the battle, Nian and Tsunade parted on respectful terms, while Orochimaru and Hiruko reunited with Nian and prepared to leave with the Four-Tails Jinchuriki. The group flew toward Stone Ridge Mountain as Hiruko readied his plan and Nian explained that Uchiha Shen was developing his own Sage Art.

• Nian told Tsunade he would take the unconscious Four-Tails Jinchuriki, and teased her that she was not yet qualified to know why his Grand Uncle cared about the Tailed Beasts.
• Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, Kato Dan, and Hiruko arrived on the Strange Bird, and Tsunade learned that Orochimaru and Hiruko had saved her comrades.
• Tsunade bowed to Orochimaru and Hiruko to thank them, while insisting she would remember the favor despite their impure motives.
• Nian, Orochimaru, and Hiruko left with the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, and Tsunade watched them disappear into the clouds.
• Hiruko said he would head to Stone Ridge Mountain to prepare for Devouring an individual, and Nian told Orochimaru that Uchiha Shen was creating his own Sage Art.

Shin'yu tested Uchiha Hikari's improved Sage Mode in a spar, teasing her as he countered her attacks. The chapter ended with Hikari unleashing Wood Release and Shin'yu effortlessly cutting down the forest she created.

• Uchiha Hikari attacked Shin'yu with a Sage Art fire cannon, and he caught and tore apart the blast.
• Hikari used Amaterasu to obscure Shin'yu's vision, then struck him in the chest and attempted to follow up with a wooden spike.
• Shin'yu dodged Hikari's attack, punched her away, then kissed her forehead and caught her kick.
• Shin'yu lifted Hikari onto his shoulder and threw her into the mountains, telling her not to get mad because they were only testing her abilities.
• Hikari summoned a vast forest with Sage Art: Wood Release: World of Trees, and Shin'yu severed the trees with String Flick Sever.

Shin'yu and Light sparred, and Light's new insight led her to refine Sage Art Chakra and manifest a tail. Their teasing escalated into a clash between their Complete Body Susanoo, and they flew away to keep their battle from damaging the base.

• Shin'yu caught Light during their sparring and kissed her, easing her anger and helping her discover a new insight into Natural Energy.
• Light sat down to cultivate Sage Art Chakra, manifested a deep-blue tail, and showed stronger Spirit Marks.
• Light threw Shin'yu to the ground and stepped on his face before summoning her Complete Body Susanoo.
• Shin'yu summoned his own Complete Body Susanoo, and the two revealed their divine weapons.
• Shin'yu and Light agreed to move their fight away from the base and flew into the sky.

During a ring solar eclipse, Hiruko used the Kimaera Technique to fuse with Shū of the Hidden Stone Village and successfully completed his first Devouring. He gained a new power instead of Explosion Release, which Shin'yu identified as Steel Release.

• On Stone Ridge Mountain, Shin'yu, Nian, and Orochimaru watched as Hiruko prepared to perform the Kimaera Technique during the eclipse.
• Hiruko activated the technique and engulfed Shū in a multicolored mass that formed a giant egg.
• The ritual ended with Hiruko emerging younger-looking, still bearing his red forehead mole and confirming that his first Devouring had succeeded.
• Hiruko tested his new power and found that he had gained a different Chakra nature rather than Explosion Release.
• Shin'yu recognized the black, metallic power as Steel Release, and Hiruko accepted the name.

Uchiha Nen visited Uchiha Kagami’s grave on his death anniversary, reflecting on his feelings for Tsunade and his loyalty to his eldest uncle. The chapter then described the widening war between Hidden Leaf Village, Hidden Stone Village, and Hidden Sand Village, as new forces were deployed and the Land of Fire front opened.

• Uchiha Nen spoke to Uchiha Kagami beneath the giant tree about falling in love with Tsunade and wondering how he would face her if she became Hokage.
• Nen admitted that he had never seen his father and that his devotion to paying respects came chiefly from wanting to please his eldest uncle, then poured liquor onto the ground and left.
• After Shū disappeared, the Stone Ninja Assault Unit’s plan to destroy Hidden Rain Village collapsed, while Ōnoki recalled Rōshi and sent him back with Kitsuchi and a larger force.
• The Third Kazekage rejected deploying the One-Tails and instead sent Red Sand Gorou and his elite force to raid Hidden Leaf Village’s supply lines through the Land of Fire.
• Hidden Leaf Village withdrew Hatake Sakumo and Kato Dan to counter the raids and sent Uchiha Fugaku’s forces to reinforce Jiraiya and Tsunade on the western battlefield.

Light visited Kushina in the Hidden Leaf Village, where Kushina hid her from Minato and worried that becoming a Jinchuriki would keep Light away. Meanwhile, Hiruko tested his Steel Release against Orochimaru at Whirlpool Tide Village, ending with Orochimaru unleashing a Sage Art against Hiruko’s Iron Skin.

• Light arrived at Kushina’s home, and the two planned to visit an izakaya while discussing Kushina’s future as a Jinchuriki.
• Minato came to see Kushina, but she told him a relative had arrived and asked him to keep the visit secret.
• Minato left to train alone, determined to earn everyone’s recognition.
• At the Whirlpool Tide Village training ground, Hiruko used Steel Transformation and Iron Skin to withstand Orochimaru’s attacks.
• Hiruko revealed his Steel Release blade technique, and Orochimaru entered Sage Mode and launched Sage Art: Ouroboros: Eight Trigrams Halo.

Kato Dan was captured by Red Sand Gorou, whose specially prepared puppets blocked Dan’s Spiritualization Technique. Hatake Sakumo arrived in time to save him and confronted Gorou, declaring himself the sharpest blade.

• Kato Dan refused to surrender his Spiritualization Technique and tried to strike Red Sand Gorou with his Spirit Body, but the puppets’ Barrier Wall Stones repelled him.
• Gorou’s puppets wounded Dan with a barrage of senbon and hoisted him on an iron hook while Gorou demanded the technique again.
• Hatake Sakumo severed the puppets’ Chakra threads with a thrown short sword and caught Dan as he fell.
• Gorou attacked Sakumo with poison needles, but Sakumo used another short sword to deflect them and split a defensive puppet in two.
• Sakumo faced Gorou with his blade and declared that he was the sharpest blade.

Hatake Sakumo forced Red Sand Gorou to surrender an antidote by threatening Gorou’s captured wife, then carried the recovering Kato Dan toward camp. The account then described Sakumo’s rise as the White Fang and the Sand Ninja Assault Unit’s worsening position on the battlefield.

• Gorou refused to surrender, claiming Kato Dan was doomed by the nerve toxin on his puppets’ weapons.
• Sakumo’s Shadow Clone appeared with Gorou’s unconscious wife and threatened her, so Gorou handed over an antidote.
• Sakumo injected Kato Dan, waited for him to recover, and released Gorou’s wife; Gorou swore revenge and fled with her.
• Sakumo carried Kato Dan toward the Secret Base, and the two discussed comrades, death, and Sakumo’s family.
• By the end of Year 39, the Uchiha had helped the Leaf forces push back the Stone Ninja on the western battlefield while Tsunade aided Hanzo against the Sand Ninja in the south.
• Sakumo had become the White Fang, and his victories left Gorou’s Assault Unit devastated and in urgent need of reinforcements.

The Third Kazekage rejected calls to move Chiyo from the Rain Country front and planned to exploit the Hidden Leaf army’s vulnerability to disrupted supplies. Meanwhile, Kunugi Mokume escorted supplies through the Land of Fire until his squad reported an enemy attack.

• Ebizo urged the Third Kazekage to recall Chiyo and reinforce Red Sand Gorou and his wife against the White Fang.
• The Third Kazekage refused to move Chiyo, citing the importance of the Rain Country battlefield and the danger of delayed logistics.
• The Third Kazekage recalled Hidden Sand Village’s diplomatic ties with the Sky Ninja Village and said he would handle the Hidden Leaf battlefield himself.
• Kunugi Mokume led a supply convoy through a forest in the Land of Fire, eager to reach the White Fang’s forces.
• A Hyuuga ninja warned Kunugi Mokume that enemies had attacked, and Kunugi moved to the front of the formation.

Kunugi Mokume’s convoy was devastated by Sky Ninja aerial attacks, forcing White Fang’s Hidden Leaf forces to retreat. The Third Kazekage celebrated his alliance with the Sky Ninja and began imagining how their flight technology could combine with Sand puppet craft to counter Uchiha Shin'yu.

• Sky Ninja attackers bombarded Kunugi Mokume’s transport convoy from the air, killing the Hyuuga scout and destroying the supplies.
• Kunugi Mokume used Wind Release to block the falling kunai, but the attackers evaded the counterattacks with their Mechanical Glider Wings and jetpacks.
• The Hidden Leaf transport unit ran out of Chakra, and White Fang pulled the front lines back several kilometers after the battle left few survivors.
• The Third Kazekage’s alliance with the Sky Ninja restored the Hidden Sand Village’s confidence, and its officials praised his decision.
• The Third Kazekage recalled Shinnō’s advanced technology and considered combining Sky Ninja flight systems with Sand puppets and Magnet Release to oppose Uchiha Shin'yu.

Shinnō offered the Third Kazekage two forms of cooperation, and the Kazekage chose to ally with Sky Ninja Village and meet the mysterious force behind its technology. Years later, Hiruko named the Third Kazekage as his next target for devouring, and his companions began planning how to confront him.

• Shinnō offered the Third Kazekage a choice between sharing puppet research and funding or providing additional resources in exchange for Sky Ninja technology and an introduction to a thousand-year-old force.
• The Third Kazekage chose the second form of cooperation, believing it had helped Hidden Sand Village survive, though a greater crisis still awaited him.
• In a laboratory in the Land of Iron, Hiruko told Uchiha Nen, Orochimaru, and Kakuzu that he planned to target the Third Kazekage and devour his Magnet Release.
• Orochimaru recalled witnessing the Third Kazekage battle his master seven years earlier and warned that the Kazekage could fly, retreat, and use iron sand to his advantage.
• Kakuzu warned Hiruko, Uchiha Nen, and Orochimaru against fighting together atop Hiruko’s Strange Bird, saying they would lose if they put all their eggs in one basket.

Uchiha Nen, Orochimaru, and Hiruko planned how to hunt the Third Kazekage despite lacking aerial mobility. Kakuzu revealed that Sky Ninja Village had flying tools, and the group decided to obtain them by force.

• Nen explained that Hiruko’s Strange Bird was too clumsy to evade the Third Kazekage in the air, while his own Susanoo was not developed enough for flight.
• Kakuzu asked why Hiruko wanted to target the Third Kazekage, and Hiruko explained his Kimaera Technique, which also interested Kakuzu.
• Kakuzu told the group about Sky Ninja Village and its fast-flying Mechanical Wings, which the Land of Waterfall had once failed to buy.
• Hiruko said his Steel Release could make the Mechanical Wings immune to the Third Kazekage’s magnetic control.
• Orochimaru and Hiruko began gathering intelligence on Sky Ninja Village, and Nen said they would rob the village rather than pay for the tools.

Orochimaru, Uchiha Nen, and Hiruko infiltrated the Sky Ninja Village’s airborne Angkor Fortress to steal Mechanical Wings, but the Sky Ninja discovered them and a fierce battle began. The three fought off waves of Sky Ninja as they pressed toward the fortress.

• Orochimaru, Uchiha Nen, and Hiruko found the Sky Ninja Village’s Angkor Fortress and used vine masks to conceal their identities before approaching it on Hiruko’s Strange Bird.
• Orochimaru entered Sage Mode and detected the Sky Ninja forces, while Nen spotted their flying ninjas closing in.
• Hiruko ordered the Strange Bird to charge, then detonated explosive feathers that destroyed most of the first attacking group.
• Nen and Orochimaru combined Fire Release and Wind Release to strike the surviving Sky Ninja as alarms sounded throughout the fortress.
• The Sky Ninja surrounded the trio and attacked with Exploding Tag Kunai, but Orochimaru, Nen, and Hiruko countered with wind techniques, Susanoo, and Steel Shuriken.

Orochimaru, Hiruko, and Uchiha Nen fought the Sky Ninja while attempting to bring down their fused Strange Bird. After Nen used his ocular technique to save them from the Energy Heavy Cannon, Orochimaru stayed behind to attack the enemy and rejoined the others after his devastating White Flash Technique.

• Hiruko coated the Strange Bird's wings in iron-black lacquer, and Orochimaru used snakes to swing the bird into the Sky Ninja formation, killing two of them.
• Orochimaru sensed the Energy Heavy Cannon locking onto them and enclosed the group and the Strange Bird in a massive white serpent barrier, which Hiruko reinforced with Steel Transformation.
• Uchiha Nen used Ame no Tokotachi to teleport the group away from the cannon blast, badly injuring his right eye in the process.
• Orochimaru leaped away to protect Nen and unleashed Sage Art: White Flash Technique against the Sky Ninja, destroying their machines and killing many of them.
• Hiruko flew back and caught Orochimaru with the Strange Bird, while Nen recovered and complained as the three escaped.

Hiruko, Orochimaru, and Nian broke into Angkor Fortress and fought their way toward its Main Control Room. They reached the control-room doors after Hiruko used Steel Release to withstand the guards’ attack and Orochimaru subdued them with snakes.

• Hiruko, Nian, and Orochimaru entered Angkor Fortress after Nian shattered its Barrier with a lightning hammer, and Hiruko sent the injured Strange Bird back to recover.
• The three evaded Sky Ninja patrols and reached the main building, where Hiruko killed the two guards at its entrance.
• Hiruko cut down two Sky Ninja in the corridor while Orochimaru considered the Fortress’s flying technology.
• The trio rode the elevator toward the top floor and joked about going home for dinner.
• Hiruko blocked the guards’ Kunai barrage with Steel Release: Iron Skin, and Orochimaru’s Serpent Killing Bind poisoned and restrained them.
• The three stepped over the fallen guards and reached the Main Control Room doors.