Chapter Summaries

Shin'un killed one of the puppeteers controlling the giant tiger puppet and tried to investigate the resulting loss of coordination. The giant puppet began thrashing uncontrollably, leaving Shin'un baffled.

• Shin'un dodged the giant tiger puppet's attack and pierced its head with Lightning Release: Great Lightning Spear, killing one puppeteer.
• The remaining puppeteers struck the tiger's own head while trying to hit Shin'un, and Shin'un noticed the puppet's movements had become unfamiliar and uncoordinated.
• Shin'un created a three-meter Lightning Blade and moved toward the giant tiger puppet to test its apparent weakness.
• The giant tiger puppet's limbs moved out of sequence, damaged its own armor, and toppled it onto the ground.
• The giant tiger puppet continued thrashing as chakra surged through it, while Shin'un watched in confusion.

Shin'un captured three Sunagakure puppeteers after dismantling their giant tiger puppet and ordered the captives secured while its remains were collected. He summoned Uchiha Yūichi and Shiina Kō to discuss the prisoners.

• Shin'un broke through the giant tiger puppet, defeated its four occupants, and captured three Sunagakure puppeteers alive.
• Shin'un knocked out the prisoners' teeth, then ordered Konoha ninja to bind them, drug them, and sever their tendons.
• Shin'un instructed the messenger squad leader to distribute supplies and use storage scrolls to carry away the giant puppet's remains.
• Shin'un called for Uchiha Yūichi and Shiina Kō, who soon arrived and asked about the captured puppeteers.

Shin'un had Yamanaka Yū probe the captured Sand Ninja puppeteers for intelligence on the giant puppets, but the memories revealed no clear combat weakness. Yamanaka Yū uncovered a shared vulnerability called the “optimal control position,” which Shin'un was left asking about.

• Shin'un told Shiina Kō that the puppeteers could provide intelligence on the giant puppets and teased Yūichi about his lack of genjutsu skill.
• Shin'un summoned Yamanaka Yū to extract information from the three captured Sand Ninja puppeteers.
• Yamanaka Yū killed two puppeteers while probing their memories and pieced together detailed intelligence from the fragments.
• Shin'un stopped Yamanaka Yū’s lengthy report and asked specifically about the giant puppets’ weaknesses.
• Yamanaka Yū said every giant puppet had a shared vulnerability the Sand Ninja called the optimal control position.

Shin'un learned the giant puppets’ optimal control positions from Yamanaka Yū and ordered the intelligence and wreckage sent to Konoha. Meanwhile, Nara Shikahito received Shin'un’s letter describing the encounter, which left him reading about the captured puppeteers and their intelligence.

• Yamanaka Yū explained that each giant puppet had one optimal control position, and the other puppeteers only helped bear the strain and chakra cost.
• Yamanaka Yū identified the vital positions as the head for beast-shaped puppets, the lower abdomen for tall humanoid puppets, and the center for fortress-shaped puppets.
• Shin'un trusted Yamanaka Yū’s intelligence, promised him credit for an A-rank mission entry, and ordered him to compile a detailed report.
• Shin'un told the messenger squad leader to safeguard the giant tiger puppet’s wreckage and send it, his battle account, and Yamanaka Yū’s report to Konoha, with extra copies for Orochimaru-sensei and Nara Shikahito.
• Nara Shikahito received Shin'un’s letter while leading Konoha ninja through a canyon and opened it to read that Shin'un had fought twenty Sand Ninja, captured three puppeteers, and obtained intelligence.

Nara Shikahito and Orochimaru read Shin'un's coded intelligence about the giant puppet and its optimal control position, recognizing its value against the Sand Ninja. Shin'un then led his team toward Orochimaru's camp, where he finally spotted his teacher.

• Nara Shikahito deciphered Shin'un's reports about the tiger-shaped giant puppet and its control position, and realized the intelligence could help his team defeat such puppets.
• Orochimaru read Shin'un's letter and coded pages, learned the term “optimal control position,” and noted that his student had discovered it before him.
• Shin'un led his team toward Orochimaru's camp and reminded a Chunin to keep their surviving puppeteer captive alive.
• A scouting squad met Shin'un's team and introduced him to three patrol ninja led by a Hyuga, who said Orochimaru had been waiting for days.
• The Hyuga ninja guided Shin'un's team to the camp, where Shin'un spotted Orochimaru nearby.

Shin'un, Shiina Kō, and Yūichi reunited with Orochimaru at camp, where Orochimaru teased Yūichi about his embarrassing past and gave Shiina Kō a Wind Release scroll. Orochimaru led them to his enormous tent to discuss something, and Shin'un was stunned to find a Gundam inside.

• Shin'un brought Shiina Kō and Yūichi to greet Orochimaru, and Shin'un recalled that Orochimaru had once treated Yūichi after his behavior worsened during the war.
• Shiina Kō showed Orochimaru his progress with Wind Release, and Orochimaru gave him a scroll for Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
• Orochimaru warned Yūichi to watch his mental state and embarrassed him by threatening to make him wear a mask and shorts again.
• Orochimaru asked Shin'un about injuring his arm with his own Lightning Release, then led the three students to his large tent.
• Shin'un entered the tent and was surprised to see what looked like a Gundam.

Shin'un examined a humanoid giant puppet with Orochimaru and discovered its weapon resembled an enlarged rifle. After narrowly avoiding an Explosive Tag trap, Shin'un reminded Orochimaru that he had called him to discuss something.

• Shin'un inspected the humanoid giant puppet and lifted a loose steel plate while Orochimaru explained its maintenance openings.
• Orochimaru warned Shin'un that Explosive Tags linked throughout the puppet would detonate if anyone tried to dismantle it, and Shin'un quickly lowered the plate.
• Orochimaru showed Shin'un the puppet's weapons, including a device that fired large-scale Wind Release Ninjutsu.
• Shin'un recognized the strange weapon as resembling an enlarged rifle and fell into thought.
• Shin'un reminded Orochimaru that he had called him to the tent, and Orochimaru confirmed he had a few things to tell him.

Orochimaru told Shin'un and his other disciples that the Third Hokage had ordered them to defeat the Sand Ninja within two months or Konoha would commit its last defensive forces to the war. Orochimaru and Shin'un agreed to try to secure victory before the village’s desperate gamble began.

• Orochimaru gathered Shin'un and the others in his living tent and discussed the war’s four-year duration.
• Orochimaru revealed that the Third Hokage had given the front two months to defeat the Sand Ninja, while Danzo and Root reinforced the fight against the Stone Ninja.
• Orochimaru explained that the Third Hokage was willing to risk Konoha’s remaining forces, accepting catastrophic casualties to preserve the village’s long-term strength.
• Shin'un recognized the logic behind the Third Hokage’s gamble but called it cruel to ordinary ninja.
• Orochimaru agreed with Shin'un that they should use the two-month deadline to prevent the final gamble from happening.

Shin'un and Orochimaru explained why Konoha could potentially end the war in the Land of Rain within two months, despite its strained resources and fighting on multiple fronts. Orochimaru revealed that one particular giant puppet had changed his plan, and he began describing the fortress-type puppet.

• Shin'un argued that Konoha had a strong chance of winning on the Stone Ninja front, where Tsunade, Hatake, and soon Danzo's Root forces were deployed.
• Orochimaru explained that Sunagakure's desert economy left it short of funds, and revealed that the Third Kazekage had been mining gold with Magnet Release to finance the war.
• Orochimaru said he had planned to prolong the fighting until the Sand Ninja's supplies ran out, but Konoha's own shortages and the Hokage's arrival forced him to reconsider.
• Shin'un guessed that the Sand Ninja's giant puppets had changed Orochimaru's plan, and Orochimaru clarified that one specific puppet was responsible.
• Orochimaru identified the three known giant puppet types and asked whether Shin'un had seen the fortress-type puppet.

Orochimaru explained the fortress-type giant puppet’s devastating attacks, layered defenses, and the losses his team suffered trying to destroy it. With only two months to win, he believed Shin'un’s Lightning Release: Lightning Strike might give Konoha a chance to defeat it.

• Orochimaru described the fortress-type giant puppet’s size, powerful Wind Release barrage, and slow movement.
• Orochimaru recounted how five barriers and a steel shell foiled his team’s attack, leaving only him and one elite jonin alive.
• Orochimaru explained that Konoha had avoided the puppet and struck Sunagakure forces and strongholds across the front instead.
• Shin'un pointed out that the strategy could only delay the war, and Orochimaru agreed they would need to confront the puppet within two months.
• Orochimaru suggested Shin'un could help destroy the puppet, and Shin'un identified the intended technique as Lightning Release: Lightning Strike.

Shin'un considered drawing chakra from the [Qi Sea] to destroy the fortress puppet, but worried that doing so might interrupt the space’s mysterious self-modification. A sudden thunderstorm gave him the chance to use Lightning Release: Lightning Strike instead, and Orochimaru began organizing a mission to destroy the puppet.

• Orochimaru asked Shin'un whether he could use Lightning Release: Lightning Strike to destroy the fortress puppet, and Shin'un considered the chakra he could draw from the [Qi Sea].
• Shin'un wondered whether using too much stored chakra would interrupt the [Qi Sea] as it changed after reaching its storage threshold.
• A thunderclap revealed heavy storm clouds overhead, and Orochimaru asked Shin'un to use them for Lightning Release: Lightning Strike.
• Shin'un agreed to use the natural lightning and leave the [Qi Sea] undisturbed, while Orochimaru ordered four Jonin squads to assemble for a mission.
• Shin'un told Shiina Kō and Yūichi to replenish their supplies and meet north of camp.

As Orochimaru led the Konoha Ninja at high speed toward the reported fortress-shaped puppet, Shin'un worked on an improvised version of Lightning Release: Lightning Strike. He had devised a way to combine parts of three Lightning Release techniques to gather lightning from the clouds, but the method remained exhausting and difficult to use.

• Orochimaru accelerated the group’s journey toward the fortress-shaped puppet as the thunderclouds began to weaken.
• Uchiha Yūichi enjoyed the fast pace while Shiina Kō and Shin'un kept up with the group.
• Shin'un repeatedly tested Lightning Release chakra in his palm, making adjustments until exhaustion forced him to stop.
• Shin'un planned to combine a Lightning Snake, a Lightning Net, and a Lightning Chain to gather and direct lightning at an enemy.
• Shin'un reasoned that currents flowing in the same direction could attract lightning, but worried that only he would understand how to use the improvised technique.

Orochimaru’s team confirmed the location and defenses of the Sand Ninja camp’s fortress-type puppet and prepared a coordinated attack. As the large Konoha force arrived to draw the enemy’s attention, Shin'un and Jonin Mōri remained behind to approach the puppet.

• Jonin Kudo sensed the Sand Ninja camp and reported that its fortress-type puppet stood on the eastern outskirts, guarded by over six hundred Sand Ninja and several giant puppets.
• Orochimaru sent Jonin Amuro to bring the Konoha force forward and assigned Jonin Mōri to take Shin'un close to the fortress puppet once the attack began.
• Shin'un calculated that the thunderclouds would let him perform his ninjutsu in four or five minutes, and Orochimaru ordered him to destroy the puppet within seven minutes of the battle starting.
• Jonin Amuro returned with 1,078 Konoha Ninja, whose approach alerted the Sand Ninja camp and created the intended distraction.
• Orochimaru and the others ran to join the Konoha force, leaving Shin'un and Jonin Mōri behind.

Shin'un and Jonin Mōri watched Orochimaru’s forces engage the Sand Ninja and saw Orochimaru summon Manda to fight the giant puppets. With the Sand Ninja focused on the battle, Shin'un and Mōri began infiltrating underground toward the fortress-type puppet.

• Orochimaru led over a thousand Konoha ninja in an attack on the Sand Ninja camp, prompting the Sand Ninja to send out their fighters and giant puppets.
• Shin'un and Jonin Mōri observed the battle as the Sand Ninja’s giant puppets overwhelmed Konoha’s attempts to surround them.
• Orochimaru summoned Manda, who struck a humanoid puppet and charged after it.
• Shin'un decided to use the distraction to approach the fortress-type puppet, and Jonin Mōri agreed to take him underground.
• Jonin Mōri used the Hiding Like a Mole Technique to sink them into the ground and warned Shin'un not to move while they were underground.

Shin'un and Jonin Mōri emerged behind the fortress-type puppet, where Shin'un began controlling lightning in the thunderclouds to prepare an attack. The puppet and nearby Sand Ninja noticed them, leaving Jonin Mōri to hold off danger while Shin'un gathered power for his strike.

• Jonin Mōri carried Shin'un underground and brought him up close behind the fortress-type puppet.
• Shin'un formed a thin Lightning Snake and sent it into the thunderclouds to connect with the lightning there.
• Shin'un warned Jonin Mōri that he could no longer conceal his Ninjutsu, and his lightning column drew the attention of Sand Ninja and the fortress-type puppet.
• Shin'un spread tiny currents through the thunderclouds and began guiding their lightning into massive charged balls.
• Shin'un fixed his gaze on the fortress-type puppet and prepared to unleash the gathered lightning upon it.

Chiyo halted the fortress puppet after detecting faint chakra signatures and saw a massive lightning pillar behind it. As Mōri struggled to defend Shin'un from the puppet’s wind barrage, Shin'un unleashed natural lightning against the fortress puppet.

• Chiyo noticed faint chakra signatures behind the fortress puppet, then halted it when a huge lightning pillar appeared.
• Chiyo aimed the fortress puppet’s cannons at the lightning’s base and ordered a volley of wind release attacks.
• Mōri fired a signal flare for Orochimaru and raised an Earth Flow Rampart to shield himself and Shin'un.
• The fortress puppet’s wind attacks demolished Mōri’s rampart, but Shin'un used lightning to disperse the barrage.
• Shin'un sent lightning chains around the fortress puppet and unleashed a storm of natural lightning that engulfed it.

Shin'un destroyed the fortress puppet with a devastating natural lightning attack, but its remains began shaking as something emerged from inside. The chapter ended with a massive figure leaping out of the wreckage, shocking Jonin Mōri.

• Jonin Mōri praised Shin'un's Lightning Release as Shin'un continued bombarding the fortress puppet with natural lightning.
• Shin'un concentrated the remaining lightning into a dense pillar that struck the fortress puppet and left it half-melted and nearly destroyed.
• Shin'un confirmed the fortress puppet could not be repaired and prepared to head toward Orochimaru's battlefield.
• Shin'un and Jonin Mōri noticed the puppet's red-hot shell shaking, and Shin'un guessed that something was hidden inside.
• A massive figure burst out of the fortress puppet's remains, and Jonin Mōri cried out in shock.

After destroying the fortress-shaped puppet, Hirakawa Shin'un faced the Sand Ninja's unfamiliar Valkyrie Puppet and discovered that Granny Chiyo was piloting it. Chiyo conjured a massive wind blade and challenged Shin'un to prove the strength behind his new nickname.

• Jonin Mōri recognized the golden-yellow humanoid puppet as unlike any of the Sand Ninja's previously revealed giant puppets, while Shin'un examined its distinctive design and damage.
• The Valkyrie Puppet spoke, and Shin'un and Mōri realized its pilot could communicate from inside it.
• Shin'un identified the pilot as Granny Chiyo, and she recognized him as Hirakawa Shin'un, the Lightning Kid.
• Chiyo controlled the Valkyrie Puppet to form a huge wind blade from gathered air currents and demonstrated its power by cutting the fortress wreckage.
• Chiyo dubbed Shin'un the Thunder-Wielding Ninja, pointed the wind blade at him, and challenged him to fight.

Shin'un confronted Chiyo’s damaged Valkyrie puppet, but she turned toward the main battlefield instead of fighting him. When Shin'un pursued, the puppet revealed it could fly, and he prepared to strike it with Lightning Release: Great Lightning Spear.

• Shin'un assessed the Valkyrie puppet’s wind blade and warned Jonin Mōri to leave and report to Orochimaru.
• Jonin Mōri departed, and Shin'un charged the Valkyrie puppet with Lightning Body Flicker.
• Chiyo turned the Valkyrie puppet toward Orochimaru’s battlefield and fled rather than fight Shin'un.
• Shin'un accelerated after the puppet and began forming hand seals for Lightning Release: Great Lightning Spear.
• The Valkyrie puppet opened four pipes in its back and used their thrust to take flight.
• Shin'un shielded himself from the gusts and hurled the Lightning Spear at the airborne puppet.

Shin'un damaged the Sand Ninja fortress puppet with a lightning attack, but Granny Chiyo escaped in the Valkyrie Puppet and flew toward Orochimaru’s battlefield. The Valkyrie Puppet then severed most of Manda’s tail, causing the injured summon to disappear and leaving Orochimaru falling through the air.

• Shin'un struck the Valkyrie Puppet with a Lightning Spear, but Granny Chiyo regained control and flew out of his range.
• Shin'un’s prepared lightning engulfed the fortress puppet and melted away nearly half its body.
• Orochimaru watched the fortress puppet’s destruction and hoped it would help Konoha win quickly.
• The Valkyrie Puppet arrived, and Manda swung his tail at it despite Orochimaru’s warning.
• The Valkyrie Puppet dodged Manda’s attack and cut most of the way through his tail, prompting Manda to vanish and Orochimaru to fall.