MANGA · STORY NOTES

Naruto, Volume 31

Volume 31 of Naruto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young, socially isolated ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Naruto · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

VIZ Media

FULL SPOILERS AHEAD

The story, including the ending.

These write-ups discuss major events and outcomes for this listed work. Each source and its coverage are identified below.

Complete story — includes the ending

Chapter 272
Sakura grabs Sasori before he can reach Chiyo and pulls him towards her. She punches him and he falls apart but, being a puppet, he is able to put himself back together. Seeing that he will not be easy to defeat, Chiyo takes a puppet 's arm to replace the one she lost and brings out the Chikamatsu Collection. Sasori is impressed by her ability to control one puppet with each of her fingers, but demonstrates how his puppet body allows him to control one hundred puppets. Disappointed that the battle has dragged on for so long, Sasori prepares to finish Chiyo and Sakura.

Chapter 273
While Chiyo 's ten puppets are individually stronger than Sasori 's one hundred, they are overpowered in a contest of numbers. Sakura protects Chiyo from any puppets that get too close. Knowing this can't go on forever, Sakura attacks Sasori directly, hitting him with a chakra -suppressing seal. Though the battle seems won, Sasori's body no longer able to move or control puppets, another Sasori appears behind Chiyo. He tries to kill Chiyo but Sakura uses herself as a shield.

Chapter 274
Despite having been struck by a poisonous blade, Sakura manages to hold on to the sword to prevent Sasori from escaping. She tells Chiyo to take the last antidote, Chiyo having been struck earlier, but Chiyo ignores her and injects her with the antidote. Chiyo collapses and Sasori, disconnecting from the sword, moves to finish her. Chiyo uses the Mother and Father puppets to stab him through his core, the only part of his humanity he kept when turning himself into a puppet so that he could still use chakra. Chiyo begins healing Sakura but Sasori observes that the wound is too severe. Chiyo responds that she is not healing Sakura but transferring her life to Sakura with a technique she created to give life to Sasori's Mother and Father puppets, something he will no longer need.

Chapter 275
Because she is using a life-transferring technique, since Sakura was not dead, Chiyo does not die by reviving her. Sasori is disappointed that he has not been able to kill anyone and laments that he is now dying because he could not completely convert himself into a puppet. As his life wanes, he does something "pointless": as a reward to Sakura for surviving, he tells her of a spy within Orochimaru 's ranks that he was scheduled to meet in ten days' time at the Tenchi Bridge. He dies in the embrace of his Mother and Father puppets and Chiyo speculates about Sasori not being able to avoid her last attack. She collapses, still poisoned, but refuses Sakura's offers to take her back to Sunagakure, claiming to still have something to do. Meanwhile, Naruto and Kakashi are still following Deidara. After preparing his Mangekyō Sharingan, Kakashi tells Naruto to start.

Chapter 276
Despite Kakashi 's Mangekyō Sharingan, Naruto offers to finish off Deidara if Kakashi cannot. Kakashi agrees if that becomes necessary. He uses Kamui to try and send Deidara to another dimension, but his aim keeps missing and he is only manages to severe Deidara's arm. This at least creates an opportunity for Naruto to destroy the bird Deidara is flying on. Naruto retrieves Gaara 's body and Deidara tries to flee on foot, but is attacked by another Naruto.

Chapter 277
Naruto and his shadow clones surround and pummel Deidara, only to discover that they are attacking a Clay Clone. Frustrated, Naruto begins to develop a chakra cloak, which Kakashi suppresses with a seal given to him by Jiraiya in case this happened. Chiyo and Sakura join up with them, revealing to Deidara that Sasori has been defeated. Upset, Deidara tries to sneak away but is stopped by Team Guy, they having finally defeated their exact counterparts. Cornered, Deidara consumes some clay and starts to blow up.

Chapter 278
While Team 7 and Team Guy try to run. Kakashi, knowing they cannot get out of the blast radius in time, uses Kamui on Deidara to send the explosion to another dimension. Kakashi, exhausted from overusing his Mangekyō Sharingan, collapses afterwards. The two teams relocate to a field where Sakura tries to revive Gaara, but he has already died so there is nothing she can do. Naruto begins to cry and lashes out at Chiyo for sealing Shukaku within Gaara in the first place, therefore causing out his death after sentencing him to a life of loneliness. Knowing he is right, Chiyo begins to use her life-transference technique on Gaara.

Chapter 279
Chiyo lacks the chakra to complete her One's Own Life Reincarnation as she would die for nothing. Eager to help Gaara and ignorant of what it means for Chiyo, Naruto offers to help her bring him back. Glad to see that Naruto, a Konoha ninja, is so willing to help Gaara, a Suna ninja, Chiyo accepts. As the transfer nears completion she encourages Naruto to continue forming the bonds of friendship with rival villages her own generation discouraged. She also tells Sakura not to risk her life for an old woman again in the future. Gaara wakes up and finds himself surrounded by all of the Sunagakure ninja that went to look for him.

Chapter 280
The Sunagakure ninja celebrate Gaara 's revival. Temari and Kankurō thank Naruto for saving their brother, but he tells them they should thank Chiyo instead; when she "wakes up". They then correct him explaining that Chiyo gave her life to resurrect Gaara. Naruto reflects on her final words and realises that Chiyo, like the Third Hokage, sacrificed herself to protect the next generation. Everyone present has a moment of silence for her. Elsewhere, Deidara, having escaped Kakashi and the others, goes looking for his severed arm with his Akatsuki ring. Zetsu and Tobi also search for Sasori 's ring, which the latter takes so that he can join the Akatsuki. Tobi then starts to play with the ring, before it accidentally slips through his hand.
Sources and content license

Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Narutopedia contributors, Entrusted Feelings!! (volume). Chapter synopses combined; illustrations, author notes, publisher blurbs and reference markers omitted. · Content license