Chapter Summaries

Hoshino discovered that Akasuna Arashi and his troops had withdrawn from the camp, so he sent three teams into the Land of Rivers to track them while he went to confront the Red Sand Clan’s commanders. When the commanders blamed the Anbu and stirred resentment among the border garrison, Hoshino signaled his team not to act rashly.

• Qingya reported that Akasuna Arashi and his troops had left the camp without a fight, and Hoshino ordered Team Three, Team Six, and Team One to search for them in the Land of Rivers.
• Hoshino led Team Eleven to the camp, where the three commanders discussed the Anbu’s arrival and regretted allowing Akasuna Arashi to leave.
• Hoshino presented the Kazekage’s order and said the Anbu would investigate the commanders’ handling of the defection, while Temari accused them of being in league with Akasuna Arashi.
• The commanders denied disloyalty and argued that stopping Akasuna Arashi would have risked their troops’ lives, prompting resentment among the border garrison ninja toward the Anbu.
• Hoshino recognized that the commanders were trying to shift blame and inflame tensions, so he raised his hand to stop the Anbu from acting rashly.

Hoshino persuaded the border garrison to cooperate in tracking Akasuna Arashi, then led Team Eleven toward the traces found by Team One. Meanwhile, Akasuna Arashi learned that his clan had been devastated and rejected the plan to flee to the Land of Snow, leaving him to consider his next move.

• Hoshino warned the border garrison that Akasuna Arashi's defection could provoke war and made the three commanders answer for letting him escape.
• The border garrison agreed to provide information on Akasuna Arashi's route and possible hiding places, while Hoshino ordered the camp searched and sealed.
• Temari reported that Team One had found traces of Akasuna Arashi, and Hoshino sent intelligence to the pursuit teams before moving out with Team Eleven.
• Akasuna Arashi's followers reported that the clan's businesses had been seized, many clansmen had died, and survivors in the Land of Bears planned to seek refuge in the Land of Snow.
• Akasuna Arashi refused to let the third elder take control of his branch in the Land of Snow and recalled a map of the area around the Land of Wind.

Hoshino's Anbu tracked Akasuna Arashi's forces to the coast and attacked as they fled by boat toward the Land of Tea. The ambush destroyed eight boats, but the battle continued as Qingya and Shaji's teams struck the scattered survivors.

• Akasuna Arashi ordered Rei and his trusted ninja to cross the Land of Rivers and establish a base in the Land of Tea.
• Hoshino determined that Akasuna Arashi's forces planned to leave by sea and ordered the Anbu to wait until the boats were underway before attacking.
• Hoshino split the Anbu into three groups, sending Qingya and Shaji to flank the fleet while Tieyan led the frontal assault.
• Akasuna Arashi sent Rei with two boats and forty ninja to hold off Tieyan's team while the clan's boats escaped.
• Tieyan's Wind Release techniques clashed with Rei's, rocking the boats as Qingya and Shaji detonated underwater Explosive Tags and destroyed eight boats.
• Qingya and Shaji's teams emerged from the water and charged the scattered enemy ninja.

Anbu attacked the Red Sand Clan fleet, and Hoshino used Magnet Release to fight Akasuna Arashi’s gold dust puppet. As Hizuki unleashed a devastating Blaze Release technique, Akasuna Arashi realized the power he had helped create now belonged to his enemies.

• Hoshino and the Anbu ambushed the Red Sand Clan fleet, surrounding its ships and cutting off the ninjas’ escape.
• Hoshino sank a ship with iron sand and destroyed Akasuna Arashi’s puppets, but Akasuna Arashi summoned a gold dust puppet with a secret scroll.
• Hoshino’s Iron Sand Storm battered the gold dust puppet and swept into the Red Sand Clan forces, while Akasuna Arashi tried to rally his ninjas.
• Hizuki unleashed Blaze Release: Thunder and Fire Descend from the Heavens, devastating the fleet and leaving many Red Sand Clan ninjas dead or paralyzed.
• Akasuna Arashi recognized Hizuki’s attack as the fruit of his clan’s work, and Hizuki declared that the power now belonged to her.

Hoshino and the Anbu annihilated Akasuna Arashi and the Red Sand Clan’s forces, then spent half a month destroying the clan’s bases across the Land of Wind. After returning to Sunagakure, Hoshino presented Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara with custom-made magic artifacts.

• Hoshino destroyed Akasuna Arashi’s Gold Dust puppet and killed him with Iron Sand spears.
• Hoshino ordered the Anbu to kill every Red Sand ninja, and they wiped out the force despite its members attempting to flee or surrender.
• Hoshino and the Anbu collected letters and supplies from the battlefield before he and Hizuki returned to their operations.
• Over the next half month, Hoshino led four Anbu squads in clearing Red Sand Clan bases and seizing their records, scrolls, and supplies.
• The clan’s destruction unsettled factions in the Land of Wind, while Hoshino’s ruthless reputation spread through the village and Hizuki showed no joy at the outcome.
• Hoshino met with Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara in Sunagakure and showed them three custom-made magic artifacts.

Hoshino gave Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara specialized artifacts, then assigned them roles in consolidating the resources of the three destroyed clans and building the Sunagakure Reform Society. The group prepared to put its plans into action, with Gaara overseeing security and assisting with research.

• Hoshino gave Kankuro the Three Treasure Orbs, Temari the upgraded Three-Star Fan, and Gaara the Sand Core, explaining their abilities.
• Hoshino proposed consolidating the clans’ resources into a unified power and assigned Temari the plantations, caravans, and shops.
• Hoshino assigned Kankuro the puppet factories and mineral veins, with Arashi providing the prepared manpower.
• Hoshino said he would establish a research department to develop new technologies and Ninjutsu.
• Hoshino put Gaara in charge of the Sunagakure Reform Society’s security and asked him to help research sand-based techniques.

Hoshino expanded the Sunagakure Reform Society by bringing ninja and ordinary villagers into its enterprises, while struggling to recruit talent for a research institute. Rasa visited the Society’s new headquarters and remarked on its wealth, leaving Hoshino to respond to the Kazekage’s pointed teasing.

• Temari organized the Society’s caravans, plantations, and shops and issued well-paying missions that drew many Chunin and Genin.
• Hoshino hired ordinary villagers for Society jobs and entrusted the puppet factory and mines to Arashi’s trusted people from the forgotten place.
• The Society’s growing influence alarmed powerful families and elders, while neighboring villages sent spies, especially Iwagakure.
• Hoshino reviewed the research institute’s preparations and worried that Sunagakure lacked skilled researchers despite its funding and equipment.
• Hoshino posted black-market missions seeking Shinnō, Hiruko, and mechanics experts, but had received no leads about them or the source of modern equipment.
• Rasa visited the Society headquarters, surveyed Hoshino’s office, and teased him that the Society’s building surpassed the Kazekage’s Office.

Hoshino explained to Rasa how the Reform Society funded its reforms and used shared economic interests to build loyalty across Sunagakure. Rasa questioned the Society’s growing influence and warned that concentrating control over the village could make its people vulnerable to failures among its leaders.

• Rasa asked Hoshino how the Reform Society could afford its costly reforms, and Hoshino described improving the returns from caravans, plantations, and mines while transferring non-core industries to villagers.
• Hoshino said highly paid missions and support for ordinary villagers would build long-term loyalty and create shared interests across the village.
• Rasa warned that the Society’s influence could shift power away from him, but Hoshino insisted Rasa would remain the village’s supreme leader and proposed working together.
• Hoshino pointed to the village’s activity outside and argued that the Society’s model could make traditional ninja clan factions unnecessary.
• Rasa rejected the idea as difficult and warned that concentrating resources and control in the Society could leave villagers worse off if its leaders made mistakes.

Hoshino persuaded Rasa to join the Reform Society by offering him an equal share of its leadership and control of the resources department. Rasa agreed, while Hoshino prepared to move against Sunagakure’s clans and warned that the village might face civil war.

• Rasa questioned whether the Reform Society’s concentrated power could avoid corruption, and Hoshino admitted he could not guarantee it alone.
• Hoshino invited Rasa to become the Reform Society’s fifth leader and outlined nine areas of power, with military force, ideology, laws, and information requiring joint decisions.
• Hoshino assigned research to himself, oversight to Gaara, economy to Kankuro, and public welfare to Temari, while Rasa chose resources.
• Hoshino told Rasa to prepare for a possible civil war as he moved to consolidate the clans’ resources.
• Rasa agreed to let Hoshino proceed and considered stepping down as Kazekage if Hoshino succeeded.

Hoshino reflected on the temporary arrangement between Rasa and the Reform Society before going to his private laboratory to develop a Human Puppet capable of using multiple Kekkei. He successfully completed the first stage of transforming an Ice Release shinobi’s corpse and prepared to enhance it further.

• Hoshino considered the uncertain consequences of Rasa using his Kazekage authority to help the Reform Society.
• Hoshino inspected the Reform Society’s laboratories and thought about the difficulty of finding talented researchers and persuading Orochimaru to work with him.
• Hoshino examined the preserved corpses of three Kekkei shinobi and chose to begin with the Ice Release user.
• Hoshino preserved the woman’s Chakra system and used the Human Puppet Technique to complete the first stage of her transformation.
• Hoshino opened a cabinet of puppet parts to continue modifying and enhancing the Ice Release puppet.

Hoshino successfully turned the Ice Release corpse into a remotely controlled puppet and learned that the Storm Release corpse was too unstable to modify. He also built a Swift Release puppet, confirmed a control range of about ten kilometers, and decided to disguise both puppets as people.

• Hoshino modified the Ice Release corpse into a puppet that could use Ice Release techniques and control it remotely through Divine Machine Hundred Refinements.
• Hoshino sent a Shadow Clone to test the Ice Release puppet outside Sunagakure while he studied the Storm Release and Swift Release corpses.
• Hoshino's Storm Release experiment failed when the corpse's unstable Chakra system collapsed and turned it to sludge.
• Hoshino successfully modified the Swift Release corpse into a small, wiry puppet.
• The Shadow Clone reported that Hoshino could control a puppet from about ten kilometers away, and Hoshino decided to make the Swift Release puppet resemble himself and the Ice Release puppet look ordinary.

Hoshino, operating through his modified Swift Release puppet, asked Rasa for Kekkei ninja and arranged to send a puppet and instructions to a Konoha spy. He then proposed targeting the Land of Wind’s nobles by using the rampant desert bandits as cover, leaving Rasa to weigh the dangerous scheme.

• Hoshino left his real body secured in the Reform Society laboratory and visited Rasa in the Kazekage Building using his modified puppet.
• Hoshino asked Rasa to obtain at least five Kekkei ninja for his project to make Kekkei removable, including examples from Kirigakure, Konoha, and Iwagakure.
• Hoshino gave Rasa a sealing scroll containing a puppet and instructions for a Konoha spy, and Rasa sent it to Guiya through an Anbu.
• Hoshino proposed making money by targeting the nobles and suggested blaming the Land of Wind’s rampant desert bandits.

Hoshino persuaded Rasa to approve a scheme for Sunagakure ninja to pose as sand bandits and profit from the nobles’ caravans and missions. In Konoha, Guiya received Bingkui, who questioned him about the Uchiha and Hyuga clans and ordered him to monitor the Uchiha.

• Hoshino proposed that Sunagakure ninja raid nobles’ caravans in disguise, then accept missions to suppress the supposed bandits.
• Rasa weighed Hoshino’s plan and concerns about Konoha, then authorized it and ordered the intelligence department to cooperate.
• Guiya returned to his home in Konoha with a sealing scroll, released a corpse, a note, and a radio device, and saw the corpse awaken as Bingkui, an Ice Release puppet.
• Bingkui asked Guiya about the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, and he described the Hyuga’s isolation and the Uchiha’s growing conflict with Konoha’s leadership.
• Bingkui concluded that the Uchiha Clan Massacre was approaching, ordered Guiya to watch the clan and wake her every three days, then returned to her lifeless state.

Kankuro promoted the Reform Society’s Spirit Puppet-Style Prostheses in Sunagakure, advertising their abilities and prices until Temari interrupted him and accused him of overcharging the villagers. The argument ended with Temari challenging Kankuro’s pricing in front of the crowd.

• Kankuro demonstrated that the Spirit Puppet-Style Prosthesis could move like a real limb and store three Ninjutsu.
• Kankuro presented custom, ninja, and civilian versions of the prosthesis at different prices.
• Kankuro explained that using stored Ninjutsu required Chakra Crystals, each of which cost 10,000 ryo and enabled three releases.
• Temari emerged from the shop, took the prosthesis from Kankuro, and accused him of deceiving the villagers.
• Temari told Kankuro that his prices were too high and that the Reform Society should serve Sunagakure rather than profit from its people.

Temari’s aggressive discounts, promotions, and Rasa’s endorsement drew a crowd of buyers to the Spirit Puppet-Style Prosthesis shop, while Hoshino and Rasa discussed the technology’s risks and Sunagakure’s transformation. Hoshino dismissed concerns about spies from other villages, confident that Chakra Crystal technology would remain secure.

• Temari lowered the prices of the three prosthesis editions and announced a Chakra Crystal deal despite Kankuro’s protests.
• Ceremonial cannons, falling streamers, and a banner showing Rasa endorsing the prosthesis excited the crowd, and Temari launched a prize drawing.
• Villagers rushed to buy prostheses and Chakra Crystals as Temari and Kankuro recognized Hoshino’s marketing scheme and the crystals’ high profit margin.
• At the Kazekage’s Office, Rasa warned Hoshino that people might maim themselves for prostheses and become dependent on external aids.
• Hoshino called the prostheses part of Sunagakure’s necessary transformation and said spies could spread the word as long as Chakra Crystal technology stayed secret.

Hoshino and Rasa discussed Sunagakure’s uncertain future and the risks of relying on prosthetics to survive a war. In Konoha, Bingkui began operating under a fabricated identity, observed Naruto being bullied, and noticed the Uchiha clan.

• Hoshino told Rasa that Sunagakure might be crippled or destroyed by war, but that its people would at least not disappear unnoticed.
• An Anbu operative summoned Rasa to meet Elder Ebizo, and Rasa urged Hoshino not to disappoint him or Sunagakure.
• Guiya gave Bingkui a fabricated identity as his distant cousin, and she left to explore Konoha.
• Bingkui saw children throw mud and slop at Naruto, but she avoided intervening to protect her cover.
• Bingkui sat near the Uchiha compound and watched Uchiha clan members pass by.

At a tense clan meeting, Fugaku agreed to prepare the Uchiha for war against Konoha. Itachi arrived amid accusations and learned that Fugaku had a task for him.

• Inabi showed the clan photographs and records documenting surveillance and mistreatment of Uchiha members.
• Yashiro and other clan members urged Fugaku to lead an armed resistance, and Fugaku ordered them to prepare for war.
• Fugaku assigned Yashiro, Inabi, and Yakumi tasks to obtain weapons, organize a special operations team, and prepare medical supplies.
• Itachi entered the meeting and faced angry accusations, including Inabi's claim that Shisui had been killed.
• Fugaku stopped the arguments, invited Itachi to sit, and said he had a task for him.

Uchiha Itachi left the clan meeting without choosing a side as the Uchiha prepared for a possible confrontation with Konoha. In the Hokage's office, Shimura Danzō urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to crush the Uchiha and invade Sunagakure for its prosthetic and Chakra Crystal technology, but Hiruzen refused.

• Uchiha Fugaku asked Uchiha Itachi to choose between the clan and Konoha, and Itachi said he needed time to think before leaving amid his clansmen's insults.
• Uchiha clansmen openly trained for battle and confronted Anbu surveillance as unrest spread through the compound.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the Uchiha's preparations and recognized the danger of a crisis erupting.
• Shimura Danzō entered Hiruzen's office and demanded immediate action against the Uchiha.
• Hiruzen showed Shimura Danzō a report on turmoil and new technology in Sunagakure, but Danzō argued that Konoha should eliminate the Uchiha and invade the Land of Wind.
• Hiruzen rejected Danzō's proposal, and Danzō warned him that he would regret it before Hiruzen asserted, "I'm the Hokage."

Shimura Danzō pressured Uchiha Itachi into agreeing to wipe out the Uchiha Clan in exchange for Sasuke’s safety, and Itachi recruited the Masked Man to help. Meanwhile, Hoshino learned the massacre was imminent and headed east toward Konoha.

• Shimura Danzō told Uchiha Itachi that Root would attack the Uchiha Clan in three days and promised Sasuke would live if Itachi killed the clan himself.
• Uchiha Itachi accepted Danzō’s demand, insisting that Sasuke survive and never learn the truth.
• Uchiha Itachi met the Masked Man at Naka Shrine and arranged for them to divide the Uchiha Clan Compound during the massacre.
• After the Masked Man left, Uchiha Itachi fell to his knees and sobbed beneath the eaves.
• Hoshino learned from his Shadow Clone that the Uchiha coup was likely underway, then flew east toward Konoha.

Guiya monitored the Uchiha Clan Compound as Root prepared to surround it, but Uchiha Itachi detected his fly puppets and attacked him with Tsukuyomi. Bingkui gathered the intelligence and destroyed the house to hide the evidence before escaping.

• Guiya saw Root ninja replace Anbu at observation posts and seal off routes into the Uchiha Clan Compound as Uchiha members gathered near Naka Shrine.
• Uchiha Itachi spotted and destroyed Guiya's fly puppets, then found another puppet watching him with Uchiha Izumi at the training ground.
• Uchiha Itachi used Tsukuyomi on Guiya, who pressed an alarm before losing consciousness.
• Bingkui found Guiya dead, took the map and documents, and planted Explosive Tags around the house.
• Bingkui detonated the tags and escaped through the rear window as the blast engulfed the house.