Chapter Summaries

After Setsugetsu died smiling, Aizen and Jörmungandr left Kirigakure with her body, and Aizen explained why he had tried to help her. He revealed that Setsugetsu’s body held a developing fusion of Ice Release and the Hydrification Technique, but she had died before it could give her a new life.

• Aizen and Jörmungandr mourned Setsugetsu, then left with her body for the Land of Fire.
• The Hozuki Clan searched briefly for Setsugetsu, found no trace of her, and gave up.
• Aizen told Jörmungandr that Setsugetsu’s frailty came from Ice Release resisting the Hydrification Technique as it transformed into a Kekkei Genkai.
• Aizen explained that the two powers had begun to show signs of fusion, and he had used a life-consuming method to strengthen Setsugetsu and give her a chance to survive.
• Aizen said Setsugetsu’s survival could have helped them understand chakra fusion, but she had died before completing the fusion.

Aizen planned to try resolving the conflict between Setsugetsu’s kekkei genkai while letting Jörmungandr act independently. Meanwhile, Kōki asked Orochimaru to send him into battle against Sunagakure, and Orochimaru assigned him to operate alone on the battlefield.

• Aizen regretted that fulfilling Setsugetsu’s wish might have weakened her will to survive, and he decided to attempt to resolve the conflict in her body himself.
• Jörmungandr asked what they would do next, and Aizen told him to act freely, report in regularly, and recruit anyone he liked.
• Kōki finished treating patients in the medical camp and asked Orochimaru to let him join the fighting against Sunagakure.
• Orochimaru agreed, explaining that Konoha needed to defeat Sunagakure quickly because Kumogakure and Iwagakure were making moves.
• Kōki asked which combat unit he would join, and Orochimaru assigned him to operate independently so he could use his strength flexibly and avoid exposing his identity.

Kōki prepared to use Wood Release freely against Sunagakure, while worrying briefly that Madara Uchiha might target him before deciding to press ahead. As Konoha’s forces advanced, Rasa rallied Sunagakure’s ninja and won their support as their future Kazekage.

• Kōki planned to use Wood Release in the coming battle and dismissed his fear that Madara Uchiha might come after him.
• Orochimaru sent two thousand Konoha ninja toward Sunagakure under Shikaku Nara’s command while he stayed behind to guard the camp.
• Rasa saw that Sunagakure’s officers feared Konoha’s attack and decided to address the assembled frontline ninja himself.
• Rasa promised to hold Konoha back and bowed to the Sunagakure ninja, prompting them to call for him to lead them.
• Rasa urged the ninja to show Konoha Sunagakure’s mettle, and Chiyo smiled in approval of his leadership.

Rasa consulted Chiyo on how Sunagakure would withstand Konoha’s offensive, and she placed the Chikamatsu Three under his command to hold Orochimaru off. The chapter ended with Rasa leading Sunagakure’s ninja into battle to defend their position until Bunpuku arrived.

• Rasa thanked Chiyo and asked how Sunagakure should face Konoha’s offensive; Chiyo first asked whether he was ready to bear the burden of Kazekage.
• Chiyo explained that Sunagakure needed to hold its position until Bunpuku reached the battlefield and assigned Rasa her puppet squad to hold Orochimaru off.
• Chiyo revealed that Nagi, Raizo, and Saki had the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets and warned Rasa not to fall for Konoha’s traps or advance recklessly.
• Rasa agreed to defend Sunagakure’s position and use his gold dust in the large-scale battle.
• After the senior leaders raised no objections, Rasa ordered the Sunagakure ninja to move out.

Rasa held back from joining the battle, wary that Orochimaru’s absence concealed a trap, while Kōki’s first battlefield encounter turned into a display of unexpected combat skill. The chapter left Kōki surrounded by Sunagakure ninja who were beginning to realize they could not overwhelm him.

• Rasa saw Shikaku Nara leading Konoha’s forces in Orochimaru’s absence and chose to wait rather than risk a trap.
• The Konoha and Sunagakure ninja clashed, and Kōki briefly froze at the sight of the battlefield before a Sunagakure ninja attacked him.
• Kōki used a substitution to evade the attacker’s sword and struck Takada down, astonishing ninja from both sides.
• Kōki’s first kill raised Konoha’s morale, prompting several Sunagakure ninja to target him as a threat to their village.
• Kōki calmly deflected the attackers’ blows and disrupted their formation, leaving the Sunagakure ninja wary and preparing to regroup.

Kōki defeated the Sunagakure ninja who surrounded and attacked him, surviving an explosive-tag ambush before crushing the battlefield with a devastating kick. He then left for another battlefield, satisfied with the power of his strike.

• Kōki prevented the Sunagakure ninja from retreating, then used Water Whip to escape their Earth Flow River and injure two of them.
• Kōki dodged the Sunagakure ninja’s ninjutsu and used taijutsu to take down more than half of the squad.
• Sunagakure ninja threw four explosive-tagged kunai at Kōki, and he raised a thick rock wall to shield himself from the blasts.
• Believing Kōki had died, the Sunagakure ninja began to leave, but Kōki dropped from above and struck them with a powerful kick.
• Kōki’s kick devastated the battlefield and killed the remaining Sunagakure ninja, after which he hurried toward another battlefield.

Kōki fought through waves of Sunagakure Jonin until the Chikamatsu Three confronted him with the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets. He left the trio eager to learn what he knew about Sasori of the Red Sands.

• Kōki used the Advanced Superhuman Strength Technique to defeat successive groups of Sunagakure ninja while conserving chakra and avoiding area attacks.
• The Chikamatsu Three arrived to challenge Kōki after noticing his battlefield successes.
• Kōki recognized the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets, surprising the three Sunagakure puppeteers.
• When the trio questioned how he knew about the puppets, Kōki offered to reveal what he knew about Sasori of the Red Sands if they defeated him.
• The three became intent on hearing news of Sasori, whom they admired and whose disappearance had grieved their teacher, Chiyo.

Kōki told three Sunagakure puppeteers that he knew Sasori’s and the Third Kazekage’s whereabouts, but they thought he was bluffing and attacked him. He evaded their coordinated puppet strikes and nearly hit Raizo, but Saki intervened, and the fight continued.

• Kōki claimed he knew where Sasori and the missing Third Kazekage were, and the Sunagakure trio accused him of trying to fool them.
• Raizo sent three puppets to attack Kōki, who escaped their chained assault with a clone and charged at him.
• Nagi restrained Kōki with steel cables, but Kōki used the Substitution Technique and appeared behind Raizo.
• Saki sent an ox-headed puppet to protect Raizo, and Kōki blocked its blow but was sent flying.
• Saki scolded Raizo and threatened to report his carelessness to Lady Chiyo, while Raizo pleaded with her to forgive him.

Kōki fought the Sunagakure puppeteer trio and used his Superhuman Strength Technique to smash one of their puppets. Nagi and Raizo recognized the technique as the puppet-destroying secret art Chiyo had warned them about, leaving them facing an opponent who was their natural nemesis.

• Nagi warned Raizo and Saki that Kōki's speed and reactions made him dangerous, while Kōki assessed the Chikamatsu Ten Puppets and prepared to use his Superhuman Strength Technique.
• Raizo and Nagi sent their puppets to attack Kōki, but he dodged the steel cables, grabbed them, and hurled the blue-faced puppet into the red-faced one.
• Kōki evaded the twin-sword puppet's slashes, found an opening, and kicked it so hard that it crashed into the ground and shattered.
• Nagi stopped Raizo from rushing at Kōki and pointed out that the puppet's destruction resembled the damage Chiyo had warned them about.
• Raizo and Nagi concluded that Kōki had mastered Tsunade's Superhuman Strength Technique, which could easily destroy their puppets.

Kōki fought the puppeteer trio and countered their poisoned mechanisms with a Super Big Ball Rasengan. The trio diverted part of the attack and raised a barrier, leaving its ability to withstand the blast uncertain.

• Nagi convinced Raizo and Saki that Kōki was strong and ordered them to attack from a distance with their puppet mechanisms and poison.
• Kōki charged the trio, dodged the horse-faced puppet’s bombs, and was caught in midair by Raizo’s senbon barrage.
• Kōki formed a Super Big Ball Rasengan, destroying the senbon and sending the enormous chakra sphere toward the trio.
• Saki used Three Treasures Suction Crush to pull the Rasengan off course while Nagi and Raizo prepared a Machine Light Shield Seal.
• Nagi and Raizo raised the barrier as the diverted attack reached them, though Nagi doubted it could hold.

Rasa rescued the badly injured puppeteer trio and then attacked Kōki, testing whether he was the Konoha ninja Chiyo had described. After Kōki countered his assaults with Earth and Water Release, Rasa confirmed his identity and launched an even stronger attack.

• Rasa used Magnet Release to save Raizo, Nagi, and the third puppeteer from Kōki’s devastating ninjutsu, though they were left severely injured and their Chikamatsu Ten Puppets were nearly destroyed.
• Rasa sent the puppeteer trio to the rear of the battlefield and attacked Kōki with gold dust shuriken to test his identity.
• Kōki countered the shuriken with Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon, then dodged the remaining projectiles.
• Rasa attacked Kōki with gold dust claws, whips, and waves, but Kōki used Water Release: Great Exploding Water Shockwave to overwhelm the gold dust.
• Rasa recognized Kōki as the target Chiyo had described and intensified his gold dust assault.

Kōki revealed his Wood Release while defending against Rasa’s gold dust attacks, then overwhelmed Rasa with Deep Forest Emergence. Rasa escaped the forest badly injured and recognized Kōki as a powerful Wood Release successor.

• Rasa unleashed Magnet Release: Super Gold Dust Great Wave, raising Sunagakure’s morale and frightening Konoha’s forces.
• Inoichi Yamanaka questioned Shikaku Nara about Orochimaru’s preparations, and Shikaku assured him that Orochimaru’s backup had already engaged Rasa.
• Kōki used Wood Release: Wood Expulsion Jutsu to withstand Rasa’s gold dust wave and Gold Dust Funeral.
• Kōki created a dense forest with Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence, and its trees struck Rasa and forced him to fight his way out.
• Rasa escaped the forest after being hit, coughed up blood, and concluded that Kōki’s strength would take several Kage Level fighters to overcome.

Kōki used Wood Release to gain the upper hand against Rasa, but Rasa escaped with a Gold Dust Clone and countered with a concealed attack. Kōki survived by using a Wood Clone, though he was lightly injured, and acknowledged Rasa’s strength.

• Konoha’s ninja, including Inoichi Yamanaka and Shikaku Nara, were astonished when Kōki revealed Wood Release.
• Kōki trapped Rasa with Wood Release: Tree Binding Eternal Burial, but discovered that he had caught only Rasa’s Gold Dust Clone.
• Rasa launched several gold dust spears at Kōki, then changed one into a dense barrage of senbon that pierced him.
• Kōki revealed that the pierced figure was a Wood Clone and appeared nearby with minor injuries after failing to dodge completely.
• Kōki praised Rasa as a powerful opponent.

Kōki overwhelmed Rasa’s gold dust with a modified Wood Release technique and wounded him, forcing Rasa to abandon hopes of winning directly. Rasa took to the air to wear Kōki down, leaving Kōki searching for a way to bring him back within reach.

• Kōki unleashed Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence - Modified, whose roots shattered Rasa’s gold dust defenses.
• Kōki strengthened the attack, and a sharp root grazed Rasa’s arm, leaving a bleeding wound.
• Rasa decided to stall Kōki until his chakra ran low, reasoning that the young shinobi had already fought several battles.
• Rasa used gold dust to rise into the air, and Kōki failed to stop his ascent.
• Kōki considered using powerful Wood Release techniques to reach Rasa but worried they would exhaust his remaining chakra, so he searched for another way to make Rasa descend.

Kōki tried to provoke Rasa into fighting, but Rasa stayed in the air and used gold dust to keep him from attacking Sunagakure’s ninja. After trading insults about their villages, Kōki remained unable to break through Rasa’s obstruction, leaving them in a stalemate.

• Kōki goaded Rasa to come down and fight, but Rasa justified keeping his distance by praising Kōki’s Wood Release and strength.
• Kōki tried to run toward the Sunagakure ninja, but Rasa stopped him with a claw of gold dust and declared he would keep Kōki contained.
• Kōki mocked Rasa’s conduct as Kazekage, embarrassing the surrounding Sunagakure ninja, while Rasa held back his anger and refused to take the bait.
• Rasa cited Tsunade and Konoha’s White Fang to suggest Kōki’s own village might turn against him, but Kōki countered by boasting about Konoha’s talented ninja.
• Rasa and Kōki ended in a stalemate, as Rasa remained determined to keep Kōki from reaching Sunagakure’s forces and Kōki lacked a way to attack him in the air.

Rasa and Chiyo discussed Sunagakure’s worsening position after Kōki revealed his Wood Release, and Danzo confronted Hiruzen about Kōki. The chapter ended with Danzo defending his secret experiments after Hiruzen presented evidence against him.

• Kōki and Rasa traded minor blows until the exhausted forces below them forced both sides to retreat, with Sunagakure suffering heavy losses.
• Rasa met with Chiyo and the senior officers, and Chiyo warned that Kōki and Orochimaru could overwhelm Sunagakure while Bunpuku was still absent.
• Chiyo told Rasa that Bunpuku was nearly there, and urged him to hold out one more day.
• Danzo learned that Kōki had awakened Wood Release and, envious of Hiruzen’s apparent good fortune, went to confront him.
• Hiruzen challenged Danzo about the Wood Release experiments and showed him a document, leaving Danzo stunned.
• Danzo denied wrongdoing and claimed his experiments had helped Kōki shine on the battlefield.

Hiruzen removed Danzo from Root leadership and warned him to stay away from Kōki as reports of Kōki’s Wood Release spread among the villages. Kumogakure and Iwagakure prepared to attack Konoha, while Madara ordered White Zetsu to watch Kōki and investigate his Wood Release.

• Hiruzen ordered Root missions and its base placed under Anbu supervision, relieved Danzo of leadership, and warned him not to approach Kōki privately.
• After learning that Kōki had defeated the Chikamatsu Three and gained the upper hand against Rasa, Third Raikage A ordered Kumogakure’s frontline troops to attack Konoha.
• Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure to mobilize and appointed Kitsuchi as frontline commander, with Tōshinin, Maji, and other jonin supporting him.
• White Zetsu told Madara Uchiha that Kōki could fight Rasa, and Madara ordered the spore clones to monitor Kōki and investigate his Wood Release.

Orochimaru told Konoha’s Jonin that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had attacked, then ordered an all-out assault to drive Sunagakure back within a week. After the meeting, he kept Kōki behind and began recounting his past, ending by asking Kōki to guess the identity of someone he had recognized on the battlefield.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Orochimaru to finish the war with Sunagakure quickly and reinforce the other battlefields.
• Orochimaru informed the Jonin that Iwagakure and Kumogakure had attacked Konoha and explained that Konoha needed to end the Sunagakure campaign swiftly.
• Orochimaru dismissed concerns about his one-week deadline and ordered the Jonin to launch an all-out assault starting the next day, with him and Kōki fighting on the battlefield.
• Orochimaru asked Kōki to stay after the meeting and described how his failed bloodline research had left him feeling powerless.
• Orochimaru told Kōki that someone he had seen on the battlefield felt familiar and asked him to guess who that person was.

Kōki weighed whether to cooperate with Orochimaru after Orochimaru hinted at his identity and bloodline, but postponed the decision until after the war. On the battlefield, Kōki and Orochimaru injured Chiyo and Rasa and routed Sunagakure’s forces, until news of the One-Tail Jinchūriki’s approach stopped Konoha’s pursuit.

• Orochimaru probed Kōki about a person he resembled, and Kōki denied knowing who he meant.
• Kōki considered the risks and benefits of working with Orochimaru, then set the decision aside to help Rin Takakura treat the wounded and briefly reunite with his former Anbu teammates.
• Kōki and Orochimaru fought Chiyo and Rasa, severely injuring both and forcing Sunagakure’s troops to retreat in disarray.
• Orochimaru halted Konoha’s pursuit after learning that Sunagakure’s One-Tail Jinchūriki was coming to reinforce its forces.
• Orochimaru ordered Konoha’s troops back to camp, saying they would deal with the Jinchūriki when he reached the battlefield.

Rasa learned that Bunpuku and Ebizo were arriving at Sunagakure’s camp, and hoped the One-Tail would turn the war against Konoha. After Bunpuku arrived and asked Rasa to treat Shukaku well after his death, Rasa agreed and began considering how to use Sunagakure’s restored strength.

• Rasa led the retreating Sunagakure ninja back to camp after Konoha stopped pursuing them.
• Rasa learned Bunpuku and Ebizo would arrive soon, and regretted that he had not held Konoha’s forces back for a counterattack.
• Bunpuku and Ebizo arrived at the camp, and Rasa welcomed them and thanked them for helping Sunagakure.
• Bunpuku asked Rasa to treat Shukaku well after his death, and Rasa agreed.
• Bunpuku left to pray for the ninja who might be killed or injured, while Rasa turned to planning how to use Sunagakure’s strengthened fighting force.