Chapter Summaries

Didaze and Umu encountered Ōiwa and Sakyū, two missing-nin who attacked them with falling rocks and poison-coated puppets. Didaze fought back with powerful Wind Release, leaving Ōiwa badly wounded as the battle continued.

• Didaze and Umu traveled together while Didaze recounted his battlefield exploits to her.
• Ōiwa and Sakyū attacked Didaze and Umu with Earth Release: Rock Drop.
• Didaze and Umu shattered the falling rocks with their Wind Release techniques.
• Sakyū launched a poison-coated puppet, but Didaze blew the puppet and its poison back into the air.
• Ōiwa attacked with Earth Flow Spears, and Didaze countered with multiple Wind Blades that slashed Ōiwa across the body.

Didaze defeated Sakyū and Ōiwa, then took them aboard a clay bird to meet Red Boar and Clown. As Red Boar and Clown traveled, Kakuzu confronted them and demanded their Anbu masks and forehead protectors.

• Didaze destroyed Sakyū's puppets with a Condensed Wind Blade, while Ōiwa fled.
• Umu knocked Ōiwa unconscious, and Didaze decided to take Sakyū to Iwagakure to obtain his Puppet Technique.
• Didaze loaded the unconscious Ōiwa and Sakyū onto a Clay Giant Bird, and Sakyū recognized him as Iwagakure's Bomb Maniac.
• Didaze made Sakyū knock himself unconscious, then flew with Umu to find Red Boar and Clown.
• Kakuzu confronted Red Boar and Clown and demanded their Anbu forehead protectors and masks in exchange for sparing them.

Didaze joined the fight against Kakuzu after Umu evacuated Red Boar and Clown, and the two tested each other’s ninjutsu. Didaze tricked Kakuzu with an apparent clay-spider explosion and launched a twin-winged bird at him, leaving the attack’s outcome unresolved.

• Kakuzu wounded Red Boar and overpowered Clown with his Earth and Fire Style attacks.
• Didaze arrived on his Clay Giant Bird, sent Umu to rescue Red Boar and Clown, and challenged Kakuzu.
• Kakuzu and Didaze’s combined Fire and Wind Style attacks collided and dissipated.
• Kakuzu unleashed attacks from his Earth Grudge Fear masks while Didaze used clay spiders and detonated them with Fire Style.
• Didaze feigned an explosion without using clay, then formed a twin-winged bird that flew toward Kakuzu at great speed.

Didaze and Kakuzu fought with increasingly powerful Ninjutsu as Didaze maneuvered through the air and prepared C3 No. 18. The chapter ended with Kakuzu firing Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot into the enormous clay bomb, their attacks colliding in a devastating blast.

• Didaze used a hidden clay bird to destroy Kakuzu's lightning-attribute Earth Grudge Fear creature, then dodged Kakuzu's attacks from atop a clay dragon.
• Kakuzu destroyed Didaze's clay bombs and struck what he thought was Didaze, but the target was a Clay Substitute that exploded and destroyed Kakuzu's fist and arm.
• Didaze threw C3 No. 18, which expanded into a giant doll-shaped bomb, while Kakuzu realized he could not escape its blast.
• Kakuzu recalled his remaining Earth Grudge Fear creatures and fired Earth Grudge Fear: Final Shot at C3 No. 18.
• The two attacks collided, collapsing mountainsides and devastating the forest as Umu and the others watched from outside.

Didaze survived his explosive clash with Kakuzu, who fled after losing three hearts. Didaze recovered with Umu’s treatment and learned that Kakuzu planned to replenish his hearts in the Land of Grass.

• Didaze cushioned his fall with Wind Release and found Kakuzu badly burned but still alive.
• Kakuzu fled with only his own heart remaining, while Didaze decided not to pursue him because of his injuries and low chakra.
• Kakuzu headed for the Land of Grass to collect hearts, taking a few Genin hearts along the way as spare lives.
• Umu treated Didaze, and he recovered from his aches while remaining low on chakra.
• Didaze told Umu that Kakuzu had targeted him for his bounty, and Clown identified Kakuzu as an S-rank missing-nin from Takigakure.

Didaze explained that Hashirama Senju had been powerful enough to unify the Five Great Nations, despite choosing peace and distributing the tailed beasts, and began recounting the final battle at the Valley of the End. Meanwhile, Uchiha Fugaku confronted Root over escalating restrictions on the Uchiha Clan, imposed under Shimura Danzō’s interpretation of Hiruzen Sarutobi’s silence.

• Umu and Red Boar questioned Didaze about the First Hokage’s strength, and Didaze said the younger generation had forgotten how powerful Hashirama Senju was.
• Didaze gathered Umu, Clown, and Red Boar aboard a Clay Giant Bird and explained that Hashirama could have unified the Five Great Nations but had chosen to yield for peace.
• Didaze began recounting Hashirama’s final battle at the Valley of the End.
• Uchiha Fugaku protested that the village was preventing Uchiha from leaving their homes and had reduced their missions to menial D-rank tasks.
• A Root ninja told Fugaku that the restrictions were Lord Hokage’s orders, while Shimura Danzō escalated the village’s targeting of the Uchiha Clan after interpreting Hiruzen Sarutobi’s silence as permission.

Root confined the Uchiha Clan to its compound, and Uchiha Fugaku argued with his father over whether to rebel. His father rejected rebellion and told him to seek Tsunade’s help, then prepared him for the appeal.

• A Root ninja ordered Uchiha Fugaku and the Uchiha Clan to stay inside their compound, and Fugaku restrained Uchiha En from attacking him.
• Uchiha Fugaku told the Uchiha Clan Head that Root had sealed them in, then proposed rebelling with his Mangekyō Sharingan and the Nine-Tails.
• The Uchiha Clan Head argued that rebellion would bring the clan’s destruction, given Konoha’s powerful leaders and shinobi.
• The Uchiha Clan Head urged Uchiha Fugaku to seek Tsunade’s help, reasoning that she had inherited the First Hokage’s will.
• Uchiha Fugaku agreed to approach Tsunade, and his father coached him before he left.

Uchiha Fugaku sought Tsunade’s help against Shimura Danzō’s restrictions on the Uchiha Clan. Tsunade went to confront Hiruzen Sarutobi, accusing him of letting Danzō pursue his own ambitions.

• Uchiha Fugaku used his Mangekyō Sharingan to pass unseen by Root members, then searched unsuccessfully for Tsunade at her home, the casino, and the bar.
• Tsunade reflected on Orochimaru’s suspicious death before catching Jiraiya spying on her in the hot spring and beating him.
• After waiting outside Tsunade’s home for hours, Uchiha Fugaku told her Shimura Danzō had confined the Uchiha Clan to its compound, and Tsunade promised to speak with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Tsunade went to the Hokage’s office and challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi for failing to rein in Shimura Danzō, accusing Danzō of seeking Uchiha Fugaku’s Mangekyō Sharingan and the Hokage position.

Tsunade demanded that Hiruzen Sarutobi end Root’s operations against the Uchiha Clan and threatened to remove Root herself if they remained. Hiruzen summoned Shimura Danzō, who refused to withdraw his agents and dared Tsunade to act.

• Tsunade rejected Hiruzen Sarutobi’s defense of Danzo and ordered him to end every operation targeting the Uchiha Clan immediately.
• Tsunade confronted Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, then announced she would visit the Uchiha Clan Compound the next day and drive out any Root members she found.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, then summoned Shimura Danzō to his office.
• Shimura Danzō arrived at Hiruzen Sarutobi’s office and learned that Tsunade had threatened to take action if Root remained at the Uchiha Clan Compound.
• Shimura Danzō refused to withdraw Root and challenged Tsunade to come after him.

Tsunade confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi after he delayed Shimura Danzō’s withdrawal of Root from the Uchiha Clan Compound. When Root remained in place the next day, Tsunade attacked its members, and Uchiha Fugaku decided to support her as the next Hokage.

• Shimura Danzō persuaded Hiruzen Sarutobi to give Root another day before withdrawing, and Hiruzen summoned Tsunade.
• Tsunade rejected Hiruzen Sarutobi’s explanation and left his office, so he ordered Root to withdraw by the next day.
• Shimura Danzō agreed outwardly to the order but had no intention of withdrawing Root.
• Uchiha Fugaku and his clansmen waited as Root stayed at the compound, while one underling urged rebellion.
• Tsunade arrived at the Uchiha Clan Compound and sent dozens of Root members flying with a punch.
• Uchiha Fugaku resolved to support Tsunade as the next Hokage, even if it meant risking the Uchiha Clan.

Tsunade stopped Shimura Danzō’s Root forces from attacking the Uchiha Clan and drove him away after he tried to accuse her of betraying Konoha. Meanwhile, Didaze returned to Iwagakure with Sakyū and the others to report that they had acquired the Puppet Technique.

• Tsunade beat back Root and told the Uchiha Clan members to stay out of the fight so Danzō could not use their actions against them.
• Danzō accused Tsunade of planning to defect with the Uchiha Clan, but Nawaki spat on him and mocked him from behind Tsunade.
• Tsunade released her Yin Seal and struck Danzō, forcing him to order Root to retreat from the Uchiha Compound.
• Uchiha Fugaku thanked Tsunade and offered her free goods from the clan’s businesses, but she told the Uchiha to seek her help if they faced further unfair treatment.
• Didaze returned to Iwagakure with Sakyū and the others, threatened Sakyū to ensure he taught properly, and prepared to report their acquisition of the Puppet Technique to the Tsuchikage.

Didaze returned to Iwagakure with Ōiwa and Sakyū, who offered to teach the village the Puppet Technique. After hearing Didaze’s report about Kakuzu, Ōnoki sent him on an S-rank mission to Kirigakure to negotiate over Kusagakure, with orders to bomb the village if negotiations failed.

• Didaze flew his companions back to the Tsuchikage Building on the Clay Giant Bird.
• Sakyū offered to teach Iwagakure the Puppet Technique, and Ōnoki ordered Ōiwa imprisoned and arranged for Sakyū to train a puppet squad.
• Didaze told Ōnoki that Kakuzu had claimed to fight Hashirama Senju, but that Didaze had defeated him and taken four of his hearts.
• Ōnoki assigned Didaze an S-rank mission to discuss Kusagakure with the Mizukage and ordered him to bomb Kirigakure if it refused.

Didaze accepted Ōnoki’s Dust Release cultivation notes and planned to leave for Kirigakure the next morning. Meanwhile, Kakuzu and a recovering Orochimaru mistook each other for Kusagakure’s leader and fought before Kakuzu escaped, leaving Orochimaru to search the village for another body.

• Ōnoki gave Didaze his Dust Release cultivation notes, and Didaze thanked him before leaving to rest.
• Kakuzu searched the Land of Grass for Kusagakure ninja, killed a civilian, and sensed a powerful chakra presence.
• Orochimaru, recovering at home and seeking a new body, sensed Kakuzu and went to confront him.
• Kakuzu and Orochimaru attacked each other, each hoping to take the other’s heart or body, and fought to a standstill.
• Kakuzu sacrificed two hearts to injure Orochimaru’s leg, but Orochimaru shed his damaged body and emerged anew.
• Kakuzu escaped using Earth Release walls and terrain, while Orochimaru abandoned the chase and went to find Kusagakure ninja.

Orochimaru found Kusagakure destroyed and headed for Takigakure to seek a body, while Didaze traveled toward Kirigakure but ended up in Yugakure. After killing a Jashin devotee and destroying a statue, Didaze stole Yugakure’s leader’s powerful heirloom statue, provoking the village.

• Orochimaru discovered a huge crater where Kusagakure had been and found a remnant of a Kusagakure forehead protector.
• Orochimaru abandoned his plan to find a body in the Land of Grass and set out for Takigakure.
• Didaze flew from Iwagakure toward Kirigakure, but his Shadow Clone found Yugakure instead.
• Didaze killed a Jashin worshipper who confronted him and shattered the nearby Jashin statue.
• Didaze flew to central Yugakure and snatched the powerful heirloom Jashin statue from the village leader.
• Yugakure’s leader called for the villagers to attack Didaze.

Didaze infiltrated Kirigakure disguised as a shinobi and blew up the Mizukage Building after Yagura attacked him. He then revealed himself above the village and began diving toward the Third Mizukage on his explosive dragon.

• Didaze reached the Land of Water and sent his shadow clone ahead with explosive clay to Kirigakure.
• Didaze's shadow clone asked local fishermen for directions, then entered Kirigakure under a transformation and genjutsu.
• Didaze claimed to be an Iwagakure envoy, but Yagura attacked him with a Water Dragon Bullet Technique.
• Didaze detonated the clay bomb, destroying the Mizukage Building and killing the Anbu, while the Third Mizukage shielded Yagura.
• The Third Mizukage decided to ally with Kumogakure against Iwagakure, but Didaze appeared overhead on a diving C2: Dragon.

Didaze used the Third Mizukage’s counterattack as an opening to fly ten thousand meters above Kirigakure and bombard the village with expanding clay bombs. The Third Mizukage organized an evacuation and tried to intercept the falling bombs while Didaze sent a Shadow Clone down to experience the explosions firsthand.

• The Third Mizukage’s water techniques slowed Didaze’s attacks, but Didaze blinded him with a flash bomb and struck his clay bird with water jets, sending him falling.
• Didaze summoned a C2: Dragon, flew ten thousand meters into the sky, and began dropping expanding clay bombs over Kirigakure.
• Yagura returned with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, the Hozuki Clan head, the Yuki Clan head, and the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, but the Third Mizukage ordered the ninja evacuated and the bombs intercepted.
• Didaze turned a Shadow Clone infused with Explosion Release chakra into a clay bomb and sent it down to detonate so he could experience the blast.

Didaze attacked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and destroyed them with an enormous explosive doll, devastating part of Kirigakure. When the Third Mizukage charged in to recover their weapons, Didaze seized three Ninja Blades and retreated into the sky.

• Didaze descended toward the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and cut Nuibari with Wind Release while using a Lightning Release sphere to draw in the Lightning Blade's strikes.
• Didaze dodged Hiramekarei and let its wielder smash the expanding Number 18, whose cracks prompted the swordsmen to realize something was wrong.
• Didaze detonated Number 18, destroying nearly a fifth of Kirigakure and apparently wiping out the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
• The Third Mizukage charged into the blast zone to recover the Ninja Blades, while Didaze sent explosive birds and his Giant Dragon after him.
• Didaze grabbed the Exploding Blade Shibuki, Kabutowari, and Hiramekarei, then retreated into the sky as the Third Mizukage attacked with a massive Water Release technique.

Didaze returned to Iwagakure with three Ninja Blades and had Karen sever their summoning connections with the Contract Seal. The Third Mizukage learned the blades could no longer be summoned back and prepared for war with Kumogakure.

• Didaze rejected the black mist offered by the statue of Jashin, then sealed the statue away again.
• The Third Mizukage ordered Yagura to find new successors for the four remaining Ninja Blades and contact Kumogakure to start a war.
• Didaze returned to Iwagakure and brought the three stolen Ninja Blades to Karen to cut off their summoning connections.
• Karen used the Contract Seal on all three Ninja Blades, allowing Didaze to take them out safely.
• The Third Mizukage sensed that his connection to the Ninja Blades had been severed and resolved to fight the war.

Didaze brought three Ninja Blades to Ōnoki and gave them to Iwagakure, suggesting who should test each one. He received the Scroll of Seals and left to study Mū’s techniques, while Ōnoki ordered him back to repair the window he broke.

• Didaze had Karen seal the scroll containing the statue of Jashin with ten layers of B-rank Sealing Jutsu.
• Didaze presented the Blast Sword, Hiramekarei, and Blunt Sword to Ōnoki and gave them to the village for free.
• Didaze suggested giving the Blast Sword to the Explosion Release Corps, Hiramekarei to a tailed beast’s jinchūriki, and the Blunt Sword to Kitsuchi or Kōdo.
• Ōnoki rewarded Karen with an S-rank mission and five million ryō, then gave Didaze the Scroll of Seals so he could study Mū’s techniques.
• Ōnoki told Kōdo to summon the jinchūriki and Explosion Release Corps for a weapons trial the next morning.
• Didaze burst through the office window as he left, and Ōnoki shouted for him to return and fix it.

Ōnoki oversaw trials to assign the ninja blades, and Han demonstrated Hiramekarei’s overwhelming power against Roshi’s fully manifested Four-Tails. After the new wielders were dismissed, Ōnoki led Didaze to Iwagakure’s cemetery.

• Ōnoki had the Explosion Release Corps test the Exploding Blade Shibuki, then awarded it to Gari for drawing out the most power.
• Kitsuchi and Kōdo tested Kabutowari against Han, and Ōnoki awarded the blade to Kōdo after his Steel Release defense proved effective.
• Roshi declined to try Hiramekarei, so Ōnoki asked him to release the Four-Tails for Han to fight.
• Han entered Perfect Steam Mode and enlarged Hiramekarei to fifty meters, striking the Four-Tails down and leaving Roshi unconscious.
• Ōnoki ordered Roshi taken to the hospital, dismissed the new blade wielders, and led Didaze to Iwagakure’s cemetery.