Chapter Summaries

Mukai destroyed Kakuzu with the Hierarch Mecha and joined Sasori and Pakura at the Daimyo’s castle, where the Four Violet Flames Formation blocked their attack. He shattered the formation by repeatedly ramming it with the mecha and summoned Shukaku as the battle against the Daimyo’s forces resumed.

• Mukai unleashed electricity from the Hierarch Mecha and reduced Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear tentacles to ash, killing him.
• Mukai reached the Daimyo’s castle and found Sasori and Pakura unable to penetrate the Four Violet Flames Formation.
• The Daimyo and his retainers celebrated, believing the formation’s four chakra-fed anchors would hold until reinforcements arrived.
• Mukai used repulsive force to shield the Hierarch Mecha and built up speed, repeatedly ramming the formation with physical force.
• Mukai shattered the Four Violet Flames Formation, then summoned Shukaku and told Pakura to prepare a combined Ninjutsu.

Mukai and Pakura used a combined jutsu with Shukaku to destroy the Daimyo of the Land of Wind’s castle and avenge the Third Kazekage. The Daimyo of the Land of Fire refused to send aid, instead authorizing Konoha to act at the border and summoning Danzo.

• Shukaku, Mukai, and Pakura combined their jutsu into a superheated jet that shattered the Four Violet Flames Formation and engulfed the Daimyo of the Land of Wind’s castle.
• Mukai told Pakura to help clean up the battlefield, and she resolved to continue the revenge campaign.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Fire received the Wind daimyo’s appeal and dismissed his request for military or material support.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Fire offered only moral support and higher-interest loans from merchants.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Fire ordered Hiruzen Sarutobi to monitor the border and authorized him to seize mines and villages if necessary.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Fire summoned Danzo, crediting him with encouraging the Wind daimyo’s attempt to assassinate the Third Kazekage.

After the Land of Wind’s daimyo and Third Kazekage were gone, Mukai and Sunagakure began land reform, armed the village, and built border defenses. A blood-red message then reported that Hanzo and Konoha’s Root had killed Yahiko and his companions, while Amegakure forces occupied Moon Sake Town.

• The Daimyo of the Land of Fire ordered that the other nations be allowed to fight over the unfolding crisis.
• Mukai told Sasori that Sunagakure’s gains in the Land of Wind mattered more than the treasures lost in the burned castle.
• Sunagakure’s jonin removed the nobles, and the village began land reform while distributing weapons and equipment to its shinobi.
• Mukai took Pakura north, where Shukaku raised a sand wall and Mukai fused it into a solid barrier with Brilliance.
• Mukai received an urgent message that Hanzo and Konoha’s Root had killed Yahiko and his companions, and that Nagato had escaped while Amegakure occupied Moon Sake Town.

Hanzo of the Salamander mobilized Amegakure’s forces in Moon Sake Town for an invasion of the Land of Wind, hoping to conquer Sunagakure while it was leaderless. As the troops prepared to advance, Sasori arrived in the Improved Mountain God Mecha to block their route and challenge Hanzo.

• Hanzo of the Salamander rallied Amegakure’s ninja and ordered an all-out attack on Sunagakure, claiming the invasion would defend order and raise the Land of Rain.
• Amegakure deployed its Rain Tiger Assault Squad, Water Release and Earth Release forces, and poison-mist troops carrying Ibuse’s poison.
• Hanzo ordered his forces to destroy the border outposts and continue directly to Sunagakure, then demonstrated his power by cutting down a large tree.
• Sasori arrived outside Moon Sake Town in the Improved Mountain God Mecha and blocked the road to the Land of Wind’s border fortress.
• Sasori condemned Hanzo’s killing and looting and declared that he and his allies had helped Moon Sake Town.

Sasori used the Mountain God Mecha to attack Hanzo of the Salamander’s forces, but Hanzo countered with a series of powerful techniques and trapped the mecha in a mudslide. After the mecha’s devastating self-destruction, Sasori revealed a formation of thirty more puppets and began the next stage of the battle.

• The Mountain God Mecha crushed Rain Ninja and withstood an Explosive Tag and a Water Release attack, forcing Hanzo of the Salamander to confront Sasori.
• Sasori introduced himself and released Crow, Black Ant, and Twin-Blade Strongman from the mecha.
• Hanzo slashed the mecha, detonated an Explosive Tag Formation, and engulfed it in an Earth Flow River, while cutting apart Sasori’s three other puppets.
• Hanzo sent Rain Ninja to retrieve Sasori, but the trapped Mountain God Mecha erupted in a massive electrical self-destruction that killed dozens of Rain Ninja.
• Sasori unfurled a storage scroll, deployed thirty dual-blade puppets, and announced the Twin-Blade Strongman Formation.

Hanzo of the Salamander summoned his enormous, venomous salamander to overwhelm Sasori’s puppet formation. As poison mist swallowed the battlefield, Hanzo taunted Sasori and continued his assault.

• Hanzo of the Salamander challenged Sasori and attacked his Immortal mecha, but the Twin-Blade Strongman puppets destroyed his Water Clone.
• Hanzo ordered the Rain Ninja to retreat, then used the Summoning Technique on the battlefield.
• Hanzo’s giant salamander emerged from the ground and filled the area with deadly poison mist.
• The salamander smashed aside the charging puppets and advanced through Sasori’s formation.
• Hanzo called Sasori’s puppets children’s toys as the poison mist surged toward them.

Sasori’s mechas self-destructed, but Hanzo of the Salamander survived by using Water Release to stop the metal jets. Mukai, Konan, and Sasori joined forces against him, and the chapter left Hanzo under attack from all three.

• Hanzo of the Salamander used Exploding Water Shockwave and Water Barrier to contain the Immortal Mecha’s self-destruction and limit its metal jets.
• Sasori revealed that he had destroyed both the Mountain God Mecha and the Immortal Mecha to hold Hanzo back.
• Mukai, Konan, and Sasori formed a team and vowed to avenge Yahiko by taking down Hanzo.
• Mukai summoned Shukaku, who attacked Ibuse with Drilling Air Serial Bullets as Hanzo dodged and tried to return to his summon.
• Mukai charged Hanzo with his electric mecha while Konan fired paper shuriken and Sasori launched Chakra Metal swords.

Mukai, Konan, and Sasori overwhelmed Hanzo of the Salamander’s defenses while the Rain Ninja praised his legendary strength. Hanzo believed they had retreated, but then he discovered an inescapable Explosive Tag on his chest and realized the danger.

• A Rain Ninja recounted Hanzo’s past victories and praised his reputation as the Demigod of the Ninja World.
• Shukaku crushed Ibuse, and Mukai, Konan, and Sasori attacked Hanzo as he used his water-style jutsu and sickle.
• Hanzo released a deadly poison mist by removing his respirator, but the trio countered with a coordinated combination attack.
• Mukai ordered a retreat, and Shukaku protected himself behind a towering sand statue while Hanzo assumed his opponents feared the poison.
• Hanzo noticed an Explosive Tag on his chest that he could not remove and cried out in terror.

Mukai, Konan, and Sasori killed Hanzo of the Salamander with Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. Standing over the defeated Amegakure forces, Mukai offered them surrender and a chance to rebuild the Land of Rain, and the Rain Ninjas laid down their weapons.

• Konan attached a Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tag to Hanzo while Mukai kept him from escaping, and the tags detonated in an escalating chain of blasts.
• Konan ran out of Chakra and fell, but Mukai caught her and confirmed Hanzo was dead when Ibuse disappeared.
• Mukai landed on Shukaku and called on the Amegakure ninjas to surrender, accusing Hanzo of murdering Yahiko and betraying the Land of Rain.
• Hanzo’s loyal guards charged Mukai, and Shukaku killed them with Sand Binding Coffin Jutsu.
• Mukai promised safety and a better life to those who obeyed his laws, and the Rain Ninjas dropped their weapons.

After Mukai and his allies killed Hanzo and took control of the Rain Ninja, Madara investigated the upheaval and learned of Hiruko’s Impure World Reincarnation research. In Konoha, Hiruzen challenged Danzo over his unauthorized actions as a new report arrived and shocked him.

• Mukai watched the Rain Ninja surrender after Shukaku defeated the remaining defenders, but remained wary of the work of governing the Land of Rain.
• White Zetsu told Madara that Mukai, Sasori, and Konan had killed Hanzo at Moon Sake Town, and Madara wondered what had caused events to unfold early.
• Black Zetsu reported that Hiruko had used White Zetsu clones and Chimera technology to improve Impure World Reincarnation, and Madara ordered him to monitor Nagato and keep control of the research.
• Shimura Danzō urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to attack Sunagakure, but Hiruzen challenged him over sending Root ninja out despite restrictions and demanding clan heirs.
• A messenger brought Hiruzen a report, and he exclaimed in shock after reading it.

After learning that Sunagakure had killed Hanzo and that the other great villages had begun mobilizing, Konoha prepared for the Third Shinobi World War and sent Tsunade to reinforce its alliance with Sunagakure. At Oasis Workshop, Mukai learned that Nagato’s injuries were beyond the local medics’ abilities, and a message revealed that Tsunade’s escort included Minato Namikaze and Team Kakashi.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the gathered Jonin learned that Mukai, Sasori, and Konan had killed Hanzo, then received word that Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure were mobilizing against Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Shimura Danzō to stop recruiting children and assigned forces to confront the three villages while Minato Namikaze took Team Kakashi to retrieve Tsunade and stabilize Konoha’s alliance with Sunagakure.
• Yakushi Nonō told Mukai and Konan that Nagato’s internal injuries were too severe for her and Kari to heal, and that his body seemed to drain away the Chakra it produced.
• Nawaki urged Mukai to ask Tsunade for help, while Dan Katō hoped Mukai could cure her fear of blood.
• Konan received a message from Konoha stating that Tsunade would go to Sunagakure with Minato Namikaze, Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara, and Kakashi.

Minato found Tsunade gambling in Tanzaku Town and told her that Konoha faced a war on three fronts while Sunagakure had become a major power. Tsunade agreed to travel with him to Sunagakure as Konoha's envoy, determined to investigate the new Sannin and their Puppet Mecha.

• Minato approached Tsunade at the casino and asked her to hear a request from the Third Hokage.
• Minato explained that Konoha faced pressure from Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure, while Sunagakure had overthrown the Land of Wind's daimyo and subdued Shukaku.
• Minato told Tsunade that Mukai, Sasori, and Konan had killed Hanzo of the Salamander and forced Amegakure to surrender using a powerful Puppet Mecha.
• Minato asked Tsunade to serve as Konoha's envoy to Sunagakure rather than fight, and said he would escort her with Team Kakashi.
• Tsunade told Shizune to pack and chose to go straight to Sunagakure with Minato to see the new Sannin and their Puppet Mecha.

Mukai refused Tsunade’s request for Sunagakure to join Konoha’s war, but offered to negotiate in exchange for her help treating an unconscious friend. He used the Spirit Transformation Technique to bring Tsunade into his consciousness, where she saw the familiar figure of her long-lost lover.

• Kakashi, Obito, and Rin met Sunagakure escorts who guided the Konoha delegation to Oasis Fortress.
• Mukai welcomed Minato, Tsunade, and the others, and Tsunade asked Sunagakure to send troops to aid Konoha.
• Mukai rejected the alliance appeal, citing Danzo’s actions against Sunagakure, then offered a transaction requiring Tsunade’s medical skills.
• Mukai explained that his friend had fallen unconscious after overusing a forbidden power while fighting Hanzō, and Tsunade requested Shizune as her assistant.
• After everyone else left, Mukai used the Spirit Transformation Technique to link his consciousness with Tsunade’s.
• Tsunade heard a familiar voice and saw the man who called her his Princess Tsunade.

Tsunade met the consciousness obsessions of Dan Katō and Nawaki, who comforted her and urged her to trust Mukai’s plans and face Konoha’s corruption with Orochimaru and Jiraiya. Their figures faded, and Tsunade returned to reality still holding Mukai.

• Tsunade entered a consciousness space and reunited with Dan Katō, who revealed his obsession resided in Mukai’s sea of consciousness.
• Dan Katō told Tsunade that Mukai’s plans offered a way to end conflict and urged her to discuss Konoha’s darkness with Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
• Dan Katō explained that Mukai wanted Tsunade to save Nagato, after Yahiko had died in a scheme by Hanzo of the Salamander and Danzo.
• Nawaki appeared and praised Mukai’s ideals and inventions, encouraged Tsunade to overcome her hemophobia, and said Mukai would avenge him, Dan Katō, Yahiko, and others.
• Nawaki revealed that Lord Hatake Sakumo was saving his obsession for a meeting with Kakashi, then faded as Tsunade returned to reality holding Mukai.

Tsunade saved Nagato by using the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique and asked Mukai to find someone skilled in Sealing Jutsu. She then summoned Orochimaru and Jiraiya, confronted them about their failures as teammates, and demanded they help uncover the hidden crimes within Konoha.

• Tsunade treated Nagato’s failing body with Katsuyu’s help and the Healing Resuscitation Regeneration Technique, restoring him to stable condition.
• Tsunade asked Mukai for a sturdier, more spacious place and said she needed a sealing specialist to address Nagato’s underlying condition.
• Tsunade summoned Orochimaru and struck him for hiding what he knew about the mastermind behind Nawaki’s fate, then treated his injuries and asked for his help.
• Tsunade punched Jiraiya and herself, accusing both men of standing by while she grieved and lost her way.
• Tsunade told Orochimaru and Jiraiya that she had seen Nawaki’s and Dan Katō’s lingering obsessions in Mukai’s consciousness and suspected hidden forces within Konoha had caused their deaths.
• Tsunade demanded answers about Nawaki’s stolen body, Dan’s death, Danzo, Root, and Hatake Sakumo, then asked whether Orochimaru and Jiraiya were still her teammates.

Tsunade secured Jiraiya and Orochimaru’s support for her alliance with Mukai, while the Raikage and Ōnoki responded to Sunagakure’s alliance with Konoha by preparing their own military moves. The chapter ends as someone bursts into Ōnoki’s office.

• Jiraiya and Orochimaru accepted Tsunade’s request to help Mukai’s plan, and Tsunade explained that Nagato’s awakened Rinnegan needed a suppression seal.
• Jiraiya sealed Nagato’s eyes, then he and Orochimaru returned to their fronts; Tsunade agreed to establish her frontline base at Mukai’s oasis fortress.
• After learning Sunagakure had allied with Konoha and taken control of Amegakure, the Third Raikage ordered A and Killer B to reinforce the Konoha front and lead a force into the Land of Fire, while he prepared to face Sunagakure.
• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure to halt large offensives against Konoha, investigate Sunagakure’s forces and poison, avoid close combat, and attack Sand outposts with the Explosion Corps.
• Someone smashed through the door of Ōnoki’s office.

Mukai learned that Iwagakure’s Explosion Corps were attacking the border while the Third Raikage appeared near Oasis Fortress, so he sent allies to meet both threats. Tsunade fought the Raikage head-on until Mukai blocked his three-finger thrust, and she ended by demanding to know how Mukai knew about her Yin Seal.

• Komushi warned Mukai about Iwagakure’s explosive attack and the Third Raikage’s arrival, and Mukai sent Sasori, Konan, and Teacher Pakura north while he, Tsunade, and Shisō headed to confront the Raikage.
• The Third Raikage destroyed an empty lookout post and attacked the approaching group with Four-Finger Nukite.
• Tsunade met the Raikage’s attack with Monster Strength Fist, trading powerful blows despite the numbing effects of his Lightning Release armor.
• When the Raikage used Three-Finger Nukite, Mukai stopped its thrust with repulsive force, and Tsunade cushioned him from the impact.
• Tsunade struck the Raikage again, then asked Mukai why he had stopped her from using the Yin Seal and how he knew she could use it.

Mukai equipped Shisō and Tsunade with mecha to help them fight the Third Raikage. With the White Phoenix Mecha boosting her strength and protecting her from paralysis, Tsunade drove the Third Raikage back and launched a powerful kick at him.

• Mukai told Shisō to use the tiger-form mecha and open the fourth gate to hold off the Third Raikage for three minutes.
• Shisō combined the Seven Heavens Breathing Method with the Eight Gates and matched the Third Raikage's strength, then struck him with a kick to the face.
• Mukai gave Tsunade the White Phoenix Mecha, and she put it on despite its tight fit.
• Tsunade discovered the mecha amplified her healing Chakra and blocked the Lightning Release Armor's paralysis, then knocked the Third Raikage back with her Monster Strength Fist.
• Tsunade pursued the Third Raikage and brought down a powerful Heavenly Foot of Pain.

Tsunade, Shisō, and Mukai battled the Third Raikage, whose Lightning Release Armor and speed made him difficult to defeat. As Tsunade and Shisō kept him occupied, Mukai shouted for them to get down.

• Tsunade used the White Phoenix Mecha’s healing support to trade powerful blows with the Third Raikage, who dodged her attacks and struck her with a Lightning Clone and Liger Bomb.
• The Third Raikage attacked Mukai with Hell Stab, Three-Finger Nukite, but Mukai’s repulsive force stopped the thrust and sent him flying backward.
• The Third Raikage charged Shisō, who evaded his attacks with the tiger-shaped mecha’s thrusters and countered with a Muay Thai combination.
• Tsunade and Shisō alternated attacks to keep the Third Raikage from pressing either of them, while he held his own against both fighters.
• Mukai called out to Shisō and Tsunade to get down.

Mukai activated a high-energy carbon dioxide laser against the Third Raikage, piercing his Lightning Release Armor and badly injuring him. The Third Raikage escaped into the Land of Birds, and Mukai chose not to pursue him.

• Mukai told Shisō and Tsunade to get down while he prepared his secret weapon on the Hierarch Mecha.
• Mukai activated the laser and locked it onto the Third Raikage as Shisō and Tsunade took cover.
• The Third Raikage charged Mukai but was struck by the laser, which pierced his Lightning Release Armor and wounded him repeatedly.
• The Third Raikage used his damaged right arm as a shield and fled into the Land of Birds.
• Mukai refused to pursue the Third Raikage, saying that crippling his arm was enough.