Recaps

Aizen, Jörmungandr, and Setsugetsu traveled to Red Rock Valley to discuss helping Iwagakure recover Roshi from Konoha. When Ōnoki failed to appear, Aizen threatened to leave, but Butō offered sixty percent of the mission reward in advance to keep the negotiations going.

• Aizen told Jörmungandr that Konoha had already uncovered clues about their organization, so they no longer needed to hide everything except their base in Rōran.
• Aizen assured Setsugetsu that they only needed to take Roshi and could avoid seriously injuring Konoha's ninja, since Roshi's seal and injuries would prevent Iwagakure from defeating Konoha.
• Aizen, Jörmungandr, and Setsugetsu reached Red Rock Valley after two days of travel and found Butō waiting with four Iwagakure ninja instead of Ōnoki.
• Jörmungandr objected to Ōnoki's absence, and Aizen said Iwagakure should not have sought a deal if Ōnoki did not trust them, then turned to leave.
• Butō stopped them by explaining that Ōnoki was occupied and offering sixty percent of the mission reward in advance.

Aizen accepted Iwagakure’s mission to rescue Roshi after Butō offered sixty percent of the reward up front. Aizen left with Jörmungandr and Setsugetsu, promising to return Roshi within three days, while Butō headed back to report to Ōnoki.

• Butō offered Aizen sixty percent of the mission reward up front, persuading him to accept Iwagakure’s mission.
• Butō handed Aizen a scroll containing two hundred million ryō and said the remaining hundred million and two B-rank Earth Release Ninjutsu would follow once Roshi was returned.
• Aizen promised to bring Roshi back within three days, and Butō warned him about Jiraiya, Kōki Itō, and Minato Namikaze.
• Aizen left with Jörmungandr and Setsugetsu as Iwagakure ninja questioned Butō’s decision to hire their organization.
• Butō told the ninja that Aizen and Jörmungandr had Kage-level strength, then led them back to Iwagakure to report to Ōnoki.

Aizen, Jörmungandr, and Setsugetsu infiltrated Konoha's camp and extracted the unconscious Roshi using Aizen's Genjutsu. As they left, Minato Namikaze encountered them, and Aizen deceived him with an explanation that let them pass.

• Aizen told Jörmungandr and Setsugetsu that he was thinking about the organization's experiments, then chose to infiltrate the camp around three in the morning.
• Aizen used Genjutsu and the Transformation Technique to guide the group into Konoha's camp and reach Roshi's guarded holding room.
• Aizen bypassed the guards, removed the seal, and carried Roshi out while Jörmungandr and Setsugetsu joined him.
• The three escaped the camp before sunrise, but Minato Namikaze stopped them and asked why they were taking Roshi away.
• Aizen used Genjutsu to make Minato accept his cover story and explained the absence of Jiraiya and Kumano when Minato questioned them.

Minato uncovered Aizen and his companions’ deception while they were taking Roshi from the Konoha position. After identifying the visual genjutsu’s weakness, Minato attacked them with Flying Thunder God kunai, which struck all three as the chapter ended.

• Minato realized Aizen’s explanation was false after noticing it contradicted what he knew about Jiraiya and Kumano.
• Minato disrupted his chakra to dispel Aizen’s genjutsu and blocked the group’s path.
• Aizen dropped his disguise and explained that his Mirror Robe genjutsu affected people who looked at him.
• Minato recognized that sight triggered the genjutsu and found a brief delay before it took effect.
• Minato threw eight Flying Thunder God kunai at Aizen, Jörmungandr, and their companion, and all eight struck them.

Minato fought Aizen, Setsugetsu, and Jörmungandr while trying to learn why they had come to Konoha to take Roshi. Setsugetsu froze what Minato thought was his real body, but Minato revealed he had escaped with the Flying Thunder God Technique and struck Setsugetsu with a Rasengan.

• Minato's Flying Thunder God attack passed through Aizen, so he targeted Setsugetsu instead and held a kunai to his neck.
• Setsugetsu identified himself and his companions as members of the Light Organization, then escaped Minato's hostage hold by unleashing ice spikes and attacking with ice kunai.
• Minato countered Setsugetsu's ice kunai with the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique as the noise alerted Konoha's encampment.
• Aizen called for the group to leave, and Setsugetsu froze Minato into an ice sculpture with Ice Time.
• Minato revealed the frozen figure was his shadow clone and struck Setsugetsu with a Rasengan.

Setsugetsu fought Minato and used her Ice Release to slow him and destroy his Flying Thunder God Kunai, leaving him facing her freezing attack. As Minato prepared to risk his life rather than let Setsugetsu’s group escape with Roshi, a familiar voice attacked from behind.

• Minato’s Rasengan failed to harm Setsugetsu, whose icy body healed itself, and the two fought to a stalemate.
• Setsugetsu trapped Minato in an ice prison and tried to leave, but he appeared before her again and refused to let her pass.
• Setsugetsu spread freezing air across the battlefield, making the ground icy and slowing Minato’s movements.
• Setsugetsu destroyed the Flying Thunder God Kunai with a giant ice ball, then sent freezing air at Minato with Ice Time.
• As Minato prepared to face the attack rather than retreat, someone behind him called out, “Fire Style: Flame Bullet!”

Jiraiya arrived in time to save Minato from Setsugetsu’s freezing attack, then joined the pursuit of Aizen’s group as they fled with Roshi. Minato slowed them with Flying Thunder God attacks, and Aizen finally allowed Jörmungandr to turn and confront the Konoha pursuers.

• Jiraiya blocked Setsugetsu’s freezing air with a Flame Bullet and reassured Minato before noticing Aizen’s group escaping with Roshi.
• Jiraiya led his ninja unit after the fugitives and ordered them to prioritize recovering Roshi, while Minato warned him about the enemy’s strength.
• Minato used Flying Thunder God Kunai to catch up and repeatedly attacked Aizen’s group, slowing their escape.
• Jörmungandr grew fed up with Minato’s harassment and asked Aizen for permission to stop and fight.
• Aizen agreed to let Jörmungandr confront the pursuers, warning him to keep his limits in check.

Jörmungandr forced Minato to face him by threatening Roshi, then battled him with speed and Dark Release. The chapter ended as Minato’s Rasengan vanished and his Chakra began draining, just as Jörmungandr’s kick came at him.

• Jörmungandr grabbed Roshi and threatened to kill him unless Minato stopped pursuing the group.
• Minato appeared before Jörmungandr and agreed to fight, asking him to release Roshi; Jörmungandr handed Roshi back to Aizen.
• Jörmungandr charged Minato with a powerful punch, and Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to appear behind him and prepare a Rasengan.
• Jörmungandr used Dark Release to send a strange wind at Minato, who dodged but was lightly brushed by it.
• Minato’s Rasengan disappeared and his Chakra began draining as Jörmungandr’s leg struck toward him.

Minato continued fighting Jörmungandr while Jiraiya confronted Aizen and Setsugetsu over the captured Roshi. Aizen refused to return him, and Jiraiya prepared to fight, leaving his subordinates to occupy the Light Organization members.

• Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade Jörmungandr's attack, then faced him again despite his depleted chakra.
• Jiraiya caught up with Aizen and Setsugetsu and asked them to return Roshi to Konoha.
• Aizen introduced himself and Setsugetsu, named Jörmungandr as Minato's opponent, and refused to give up Roshi.
• Jiraiya restrained his angry subordinates and warned them that the Light Organization included Kage Level fighters.
• Jiraiya told his ninja to hold the enemy up while he prepared to act, leaving them unaware that their carelessness would let Aizen and the others escape with Roshi.

Jiraiya confronted Setsugetsu to keep him from helping Aizen take Roshi, and the two exchanged powerful Fire and Ice Release attacks. Jiraiya’s flames destroyed Setsugetsu’s ice phoenix, but Setsugetsu’s ice spears pierced Jiraiya’s next attack and continued toward him.

• Jiraiya ordered the Konoha ninja to delay one enemy and find a chance to take Roshi, then charged at Aizen and Setsugetsu.
• Jiraiya attacked Setsugetsu with Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, but Setsugetsu dodged it.
• Setsugetsu sent an ice phoenix at Jiraiya, who countered with Fire Style: Great Flame Bullet and melted it.
• Setsugetsu launched three ice spears that tore through Jiraiya’s flame bullet and continued toward him.

Setsugetsu overwhelmed Jiraiya with a field of ice spikes, but he used Earth Release to collapse them and summoned Gamabunta. Gamabunta complained about the cold before agreeing to fight Setsugetsu alongside Jiraiya.

• Setsugetsu unleashed Ice Release: Infinite Ice Spike Hell, spreading sharp ice spikes across the battlefield toward Jiraiya.
• Jiraiya escaped the advancing spikes and used Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld to sink the ground and collapse the ice.
• Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta to help him counter Setsugetsu’s wide-range attacks.
• Gamabunta sneezed from the cold and scolded Jiraiya for summoning him in such a chilly place.
• Jiraiya warned Gamabunta that Setsugetsu was strong, and Gamabunta agreed to fight her with him.

Jiraiya and Gamabunta fought Setsugetsu, whose Ice Release dragon withstood their attacks and forced Gamabunta to take the threat seriously. They launched a combined fire-and-oil technique at Setsugetsu, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Jiraiya ordered Gamabunta to leap toward Setsugetsu, who summoned an Ice Release dragon to intercept him.
• Gamabunta's water cannonballs failed to damage the dragon, and his sword strike met its hard ice in a stalemate.
• Gamabunta evaded the dragon and landed, then admitted to Jiraiya that Setsugetsu was difficult to defeat.
• Jiraiya proposed a combination move, and he and Gamabunta prepared to attack together.
• Gamabunta spat toad oil as Jiraiya unleashed Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet toward Setsugetsu.

Setsugetsu blocked Jiraiya’s Fire Release with an ice wall, but he broke through it with a Rasengan and discovered that her body could turn into ice and let attacks pass through. Jiraiya recognized her power as an unfamiliar Kekkei Genkai, while Setsugetsu remained determined to take Roshi away.

• Setsugetsu raised a massive ice wall to stop Jiraiya’s Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet, filling the battlefield with steam.
• Jiraiya used the steam for cover, concentrated his flames on one section of the wall, then shattered the weakened area with a Rasengan.
• Jiraiya’s Rasengan passed through Setsugetsu after she turned her body into ice, leaving him astonished.
• Jiraiya concluded that Setsugetsu’s ability was not ordinary Ice Release, and Setsugetsu said she belonged to the Light Organization.
• Jiraiya assessed the Light Organization’s strength and vowed not to let them take Roshi away easily.

Setsugetsu tested the limits of her Ice Release against Jiraiya, allowing him to attack her before taking his A-rank Fire Style head-on. After the flames melted her into water, she re-formed herself, leaving Jiraiya stunned.

• Jiraiya bound Setsugetsu with his Wild Lion's Mane Technique and tightened his hair, but it cracked the ice she had turned her body into rather than harming her.
• Setsugetsu froze Jiraiya's hair and broke free, while Jiraiya severed the strands to stop the freezing from spreading.
• Jiraiya attacked with Fire Style: Dragon Fire, and Setsugetsu deliberately collided with the flames in her icy form.
• The fire melted Setsugetsu into a puddle of hot water, and Jiraiya turned to leave, believing she had been destroyed.
• Setsugetsu re-formed from the water into a body of ice, satisfied that her Ice Release had withstood the A-rank attack, while Jiraiya stared in disbelief.

Setsugetsu formed a towering ice valkyrie to stop Jiraiya from entering Sage Mode. Jiraiya and Gamabunta faced the overwhelming construct, with Gamabunta unsure whether he could hold it back.

• Jiraiya leaped onto Gamabunta and told him he would use a last-resort technique against Setsugetsu.
• Jiraiya began gathering natural energy while Gamabunta defended him from Setsugetsu’s barrage of ice kunai.
• Setsugetsu raised a massive humanoid ice warrior called Ice Release: Ice God Armament, modeled after the complete-body Susanoo.
• Jiraiya, Gamabunta, and Minato were stunned by the ice valkyrie’s size and power.
• Jiraiya asked whether Gamabunta could hold out, and Gamabunta said he would do his best.

Setsugetsu’s Ice and Snow Valkyrie overwhelmed Gamabunta while Jiraiya tried to gather sage chakra. After Gamabunta was wounded and disarmed, Jiraiya stopped him and revealed that he had failed to enter Sage Mode, leaving them to face Setsugetsu without it.

• Jiraiya hurried to gather sage chakra as the Ice and Snow Valkyrie advanced and attacked Gamabunta.
• Several thousand Konoha ninja left camp to support Jiraiya and the others.
• The Ice and Snow Valkyrie battered Gamabunta, knocked his short blade away, and wounded his thigh.
• Jiraiya told Gamabunta to stop and revealed that he had not entered Sage Mode.
• Jiraiya comforted the disappointed Gamabunta and said they could still hold off the enemy together.

Aizen, Setsugetsu, and Jörmungandr coordinated their retreat from Minato and Jiraiya, using an ice wall and genjutsu-controlled Konoha ninjas to escape with Roshi. Minato and Jiraiya eventually subdued the frenzied ninjas, but Aizen’s group had already left the battlefield.

• Aizen sensed Konoha’s main force approaching and ordered Setsugetsu and Jörmungandr to withdraw before the mission became more difficult.
• Jörmungandr used the Devouring World Technique to force Minato, Jiraiya, and Gamabunta to retreat from its expanding chakra-absorbing field.
• Setsugetsu cleaved through Jörmungandr’s technique and raised a massive ice wall that separated the fighters.
• Aizen sent the genjutsu-controlled Konoha ninjas charging at Minato and Jiraiya, keeping them occupied while he picked up Roshi.
• Aizen, Setsugetsu, and Jörmungandr escaped with Roshi, while Minato and Jiraiya knocked out the frenzied ninjas.

Jiraiya and Minato returned to camp after the Light Organization overwhelmed them and took Roshi, leaving Konoha facing a possible conflict with Iwagakure. Hiruzen Sarutobi restored Danzo’s control of Root so he could eliminate the Light Organization, while Danzo confidently underestimated his opponents.

• Jiraiya and Minato recovered after subduing the genjutsu-controlled Konoha ninjas, but Roshi had been taken by the Light Organization.
• Konoha reinforcements arrived at the damaged battlefield and found Jiraiya, Minato, Gamabunta, and the unconscious elite jonin unit.
• Jiraiya reported the defeat to Konoha, revised the deployment, and prepared for a possible attack from Iwagakure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi read Jiraiya’s report and worried over Konoha’s worsening position.
• Danzo urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to return Root to him and promised to eliminate the Light Organization.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Root back to Danzo, who confidently claimed he would handle the threat.

Aizen and his companions met Butō at Red Rock Valley to collect Iwagakure’s payment for rescuing Roshi. Aizen rejected Butō’s repeated offers to ally against Konoha, and Butō left with Roshi, angered by the refusal.

• Butō arrived with Iwagakure ninja and praised Aizen’s group for defeating Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze and rescuing Roshi.
• Aizen demanded the remaining payment, and Butō handed him the promised scrolls and bounty, plus five million ryō from the Tsuchikage.
• Butō proposed an alliance in which Iwagakure and the Light Organization would join forces against Konoha.
• Aizen refused, recognizing that Iwagakure intended to use the Light Organization as a weapon against Konoha.
• Butō tried again by warning that Konoha’s Wood Release fighter could threaten them, but Aizen refused once more.
• Butō left with Roshi for Iwagakure, visibly displeased with Aizen’s response.

Butō reported Roshi’s condition and the Light Organization’s rejection of Iwagakure’s alliance offer to Ōnoki. On the Kumogakure front, Kōki and Orochimaru discussed the organization while Konoha’s leaders questioned Kumogakure’s sudden silence; A and Dodai awaited news of Yugito’s secret mission.

• Butō told Ōnoki that Roshi had returned unconscious with a powerful sealing jutsu and injuries, and that Iwagakure’s alliance proposal had been rejected.
• Ōnoki dismissed the Light Organization’s refusal and considered how Konoha might eventually pursue them.
• Kōki told Orochimaru and Konoha’s senior officers that the Light Organization might be a bounty group seeking to establish a village, while Orochimaru urged caution.
• Orochimaru redirected the meeting to Kumogakure’s unexplained pause in attacks, which had revived Konoha’s morale but alarmed its senior officers.
• A asked Dodai for news of Yugito’s mission, and Dodai said they expected word within two days.

Yugito Nii’s surprise attack on Sunagakure failed when Rasa rallied his forces and drove Kumogakure into retreat. After learning of Kumogakure’s losses, Orochimaru ordered Konoha to attack the next day and push the front line into the Land of the Moon.

• Rasa used gold dust to hold off Yugito Nii and Kumogakure’s assault, forcing Yugito to order a retreat.
• Rasa did not pursue the retreating Kumogakure ninja because Sunagakure was too weakened by its battles with Konoha and the loss of its Tailed Beast.
• A smashed a desk in anger over the failed attack, but Dodai convinced him to prepare for Konoha’s expected advance.
• Shikaku Nara told Orochimaru that Kumogakure had been holding back its troops to attack Sunagakure.
• Orochimaru ordered Konoha to attack Kumogakure the next day, with Kōki joining him to push the front line into the Land of the Moon.

Konoha and Kumogakure fought as A clashed with Orochimaru and Kōki faced Killer B’s Eight-Tails. Kōki trapped the Eight-Tails inside a Wood Release Birdcage and escaped its grasp.

• Konoha launched an attack on Kumogakure, and A used Lightning Release Chakra Mode to fight Orochimaru.
• Kōki summoned a wooden giant and clashed with Killer B’s Complete Tailed Beast Transformation.
• The Eight-Tails recalled Hashirama Senju capturing him and attacked Kōki with renewed fury.
• Kōki used Wood Release: Birdcage to restrain the Eight-Tails and the Wood Golem.
• Kōki leaped away from the Wood Golem, freeing himself from the Eight-Tails’ entanglement.

A freed himself from Orochimaru and shattered Kōki’s wooden birdcage, allowing the Eight-Tails to escape and restrain the Wood Golem. As the Eight-Tails tried to crush the golem, Kōki struck its head with a Super Destruction Fist, knocking it down and sending it skidding across the battlefield.

• A struck the wooden birdcage with Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop, but it remained intact.
• A used Liger Bomb to crack and break open the top of the birdcage.
• The Eight-Tails destroyed the rest of the cage, then wrapped its tails around the Wood Golem and restrained it.
• A left Killer B to handle Kōki and returned to fight Orochimaru.
• Kōki hit the Eight-Tails on the head with Super Destruction Fist, making it release the Wood Golem and crash into the ground.

Kōki fought the Eight-Tails with the Wood Golem, dodging its Tailed Beast Bombs and trading blows as neither could gain the upper hand. A signal flare prompted A and the Kumogakure forces to retreat, ending the battle with heavier losses for Kumogakure.

• Kōki knocked the Eight-Tails to the ground with a punch, shocking both armies.
• The Eight-Tails fired several Tailed Beast Bombs, but Kōki directed the Wood Golem to evade them.
• The Wood Golem and the Eight-Tails clashed again, and Kōki used Wood Release: Wood Binding to counter its attack.
• Kōki considered using Sage Mode if the Wood Golem could not defeat the Eight-Tails.
• A signal flare appeared, and A, the Eight-Tails, and the Kumogakure forces withdrew from the battlefield.
• Konoha pursued the retreating forces before Orochimaru called off the chase and returned to camp; Kumogakure had suffered heavier losses.

Dodai explained that Kumogakure had retreated because its forces were suffering losses and lacked an advantage against Konoha, then revealed plans to ally with Iwagakure. Konoha’s ninja remained uneasy about the sudden withdrawal as Orochimaru warned them to stay cautious while the village investigated.

• A and Killer B questioned Dodai about why he had ordered Kumogakure to retreat.
• Dodai said Yugito had returned injured, Kumogakure had suffered losses, and the battle had turned against them, prompting him to prevent A and Killer B from fighting recklessly.
• Dodai told A and Killer B that the Third Raikage planned to meet Ōnoki and form an alliance with Iwagakure against Konoha.
• A and Killer B welcomed the prospect of Iwagakure’s support and looked forward to fighting Konoha again.
• A Konoha Jonin asked Orochimaru about Kumogakure’s sudden retreat, and Orochimaru said the village had no intelligence yet and urged caution while Anbu investigated.