Chapter Summaries

Hinata tested how her body stored Natural Energy and discovered that Yin-Yang Release created a sealed space for it, rather than a cultivation core. She began filling that space as a long-term path to strengthening her constitution, then considered how the stored energy could influence her body and what power her future growth might allow her to contain.

• Hinata activated the Tenseigan and repeatedly dispersed and reabsorbed Natural Energy to study how her body stored it.
• Hinata realized the storage space was a Sealed Space created by Yin-Yang Release, and abandoned her ideas of Golden Cores and Nascent Souls.
• Hinata filled a Yin-Yang Seal space with Natural Energy for three hours before exhaustion forced her to stop.
• Hinata recognized that sealed Natural Energy could gradually affect her constitution, but avoided leaving gaps that might let it turn dangerous.
• Hinata concluded that strength depended on constitution, sealing, and Yin-Yang Release, and planned to build her potential through long-term accumulation.

Hinata used her connection to tease Orochimaru while he prepared to go to Ryūchi Cave, and she reflected on how her knowledge and ambitions compared with his. The chapter ended with Orochimaru trying to return to his experiments as Hinata kept him talking.

• Hinata realized that her plans for using Natural Energy resembled cultivating the God Tree, and considered how both she and Orochimaru were limited by their knowledge.
• Hinata contacted Orochimaru through the Yamanaka Clan's Secret Technique and asked when he would set out; Orochimaru said he planned to leave the next day.
• Hinata praised Orochimaru for examining himself after their earlier conversation, making him worry about how he would later explain the results of his search for her mark.
• Orochimaru tried to probe Hinata's training, but she claimed she was already invincible and could grow stronger while lying down.
• Hinata asked whether Tsunade had liked Orochimaru and whether he had killed Dan, prompting Orochimaru to insist that he needed to prepare for Ryūchi Cave.
• Hinata said she was in no hurry and continued chatting while eating, leaving Orochimaru unable to resume his experiments.

Hinata teased Orochimaru with gossip about Tsunade and the Legendary Sannin before agreeing to monitor his operation at Ryūchi Cave. After guiding Hanabi’s training, Hinata watched Orochimaru set out alone for one of the Three Great Sage Regions.

• Hinata kept asking Orochimaru about his feelings for Tsunade and Jiraiya until he ended their conversation by saying he needed to bathe.
• Orochimaru changed his plans and decided to go to Ryūchi Cave that night, and Hinata agreed to monitor him despite having to stay up late.
• Hinata napped, ate dinner, and guided Hanabi as she practiced improving her chakra control.
• After nine, Hinata connected to the Artificial Satellite’s shared vision and saw Orochimaru leave for the operation alone, without Kabuto Yakushi.

Hinata and Orochimaru investigated Ryūchi Cave and learned that its powerful snake inhabitants included four who could take human form. They planned to wait for a chance to capture Garaga, while Hinata remained wary of other Sage Regions and the Sage of Six Paths.

• Hinata used Artificial Satellites and her Byakugan to track Orochimaru to Ryūchi Cave and discovered its four human-form snakes and many Sage Chakra users.
• Orochimaru explained that the White Snake Sage tested Sage Jutsu trainees by injecting them with Natural Energy, and that those unable to withstand it were eaten.
• Orochimaru identified Garaga, a powerful, violent red snake with petrification abilities, as their intended target.
• Hinata suggested capturing a few Sage Chakra-using snakes if no chance to catch Garaga arose, and Orochimaru asked how to contact her during the operation.
• Hinata ended their conversation and worried that Mount Myōboku, Shikkotsu Forest, or the Sage of Six Paths might interfere with her plans.

Hinata wrestled with the morality of killing and eating, then asked Orochimaru what gave life and human actions their meaning. Orochimaru challenged her ideas about rules and responsibility, leaving Hinata wondering whether he was lonely.

• Hinata reflected on why she could accept killing but felt differently about eating intelligent beings like the snakes of Ryūchi Cave.
• Hinata contacted Orochimaru and asked whether people were judged by their motives, since killers could be condemned or praised as heroes.
• Orochimaru argued that life had no inherent value and that rules and responsibility were imposed to control people.
• Orochimaru contrasted Hinata's desire to protect the Hyuga Clan with Danzo's possible desire to control or destroy it, and asked whether she could break free of her obligations.
• Hinata asked Orochimaru whether he was lonely, and he admitted that he perhaps was.

Hinata reflected on her bonds and ideals after talking with Orochimaru, deciding she could pursue immortality while accepting the responsibilities and rules she chose. When Garaga left Ryūchi Cave to hunt a merchant caravan, Hinata and Orochimaru prepared to capture it.

• Orochimaru told Hinata that bonds were exchanges of emotion and that people acted according to their own ideals and choices.
• Hinata admitted she wanted both to fulfill her ideals and protect the people she cared about, even if that meant accepting responsibilities.
• Hinata concluded she had no reason to regret sparing Urashiki or to care about Ryūchi Cave's inhabitants, since those choices reflected what she valued.
• Hinata spotted Garaga leaving Ryūchi Cave and learned from Orochimaru that the violent serpent was heading toward a merchant caravan.
• Hinata used All-Knowing, All-Powerful to appear beside Orochimaru and announced they would capture Garaga, startling him with what appeared to be space-time ninjutsu.

Orochimaru followed Garaga with Hinata while trying to understand her power and intentions. Convinced she had placed a soul-bound restriction on him, he decided that serving her might be worthwhile and asked her for a Byakugan.

• Orochimaru told Hinata they should lure Garaga away from Ryūchi Cave before making a move, and they pursued the snake together.
• Orochimaru realized Hinata's teleportation and other Tenseigan abilities left him unable to resist her, so he considered how to benefit from her strength.
• Hinata told Orochimaru she wanted to conquer the universe and explore other planets, and she explained that space travel required flight and Space-time ninjutsu.
• Orochimaru concluded that Hinata had marked his soul and intended to subdue him, interpreting her earlier questions and actions as evidence.
• Orochimaru decided that becoming Hinata's subordinate could be worthwhile if he received something in return, and he asked her for a Byakugan.

Hinata and Orochimaru argued over what he expected in return for helping her hunt a snake, and Orochimaru realized he had mistaken her intentions. They then moved to intercept Garaga, with Hinata activating the Tenseigan as Orochimaru warned they had only three minutes.

• Hinata refused to give Orochimaru a Hyuga body, while Orochimaru demanded more than Natural Energy in exchange for his cooperation.
• Orochimaru declared that they would settle matters with a fight, but Hinata was confused because she had never refused to share a snake with him.
• Orochimaru realized Hinata had never intended to make him her subordinate and felt humiliated that she had disregarded his strength.
• Orochimaru led Hinata to Garaga and warned that they had to finish the fight quickly without using overly powerful ninjutsu.
• Hinata flew in front of Garaga, and her Tenseigan's ocular technique activated.

Hinata killed Garaga and relied on Orochimaru to transport the giant snake and Akaboshi’s corpse back to his base. Their discussion of snake meat and Sage Mode left Orochimaru confronting how much he depended on Hinata for his pursuit of immortality.

• Hinata pierced Garaga’s head with a Truth-Seeking Orb, killing him before he could finish asking who she was.
• Orochimaru used Impure World Reincarnation to summon the Second Tsuchikage, who used the Light-Weight Rock Technique to carry Akaboshi’s corpse through the air.
• Hinata chose to visit Orochimaru’s base and suggested eating Garaga’s meat and soaking his gallbladder in liquor.
• Orochimaru explained that absorbing another person’s power had limits and that increasing Sage Chakra would not necessarily increase strength.
• Hinata proposed that eating snake meat might let ordinary shinobi cultivate Sage Mode, prompting Orochimaru to consider its potential for his immortality research.
• Orochimaru realized that Sasuke and the Hyuga Clan were beyond his reach and that he depended on Hinata to continue pursuing immortality.

Hinata left Akaboshi’s corpse and its possible uses to Orochimaru, hoping his experiments would test her theory about Natural Energy. After she teleported home, Orochimaru began plotting to exploit the research and pursue the Byakugan, while Hinata considered how the results might transform the Hyuga Clan.

• Orochimaru reconsidered cooperating with Hinata but stayed silent until they reached the base.
• After the Second Tsuchikage delivered Akaboshi’s corpse, Orochimaru released the Impure World Reincarnation and asked Hinata what to do with it.
• Hinata entrusted Akaboshi’s corpse to Orochimaru for experiments and promised to send him her research notes, while warning him not to cheat her.
• Hinata teleported back to the Hyuga residence, and Orochimaru deduced that her eye technique enabled her space-time ninjutsu.
• Orochimaru planned to use Akaboshi’s flesh to strengthen himself, improve his control over the Impure World Reincarnation, and target Kirigakure’s Byakugan.
• Hinata hoped Orochimaru’s experiments would prove her Natural Energy theory and help the Hyuga Clan gain strength through snake meat, Sage Mode, and Yin-Yang Seals.

Hinata received Orochimaru’s findings on safely consuming Akaboshi’s Sage Chakra-rich snake meat and planned to raise the Hyuga Clan’s strength through a long-term supply. Orochimaru understood her ambitions but warned that the coming events in the Shinobi World left little time to wait.

• Hinata gave Orochimaru her notes and monitored his experiments as he worked without Kabuto Yakushi.
• Orochimaru tested more than a hundred methods and found that direct fusion or injections of snake meat’s Sage Chakra killed ordinary subjects.
• Orochimaru found that cooked snake meat could be absorbed safely over several years, especially with medicinal herbs, and suggested cloning it for a steady supply.
• Hinata offered to fund a snake-meat business so the Hyuga Clan could eat the meat and gradually strengthen its members.
• Orochimaru realized Hinata intended to build the Hyuga Clan into a powerful force, but noted that Akatsuki’s plan was approaching and he could not afford to wait years.

Hinata offered Orochimaru Urashiki’s Byakugan, which could be evolved into a Rinnegan, in exchange for him improving the snake meat’s life-force absorption. Orochimaru accepted, and Hinata prepared to begin the Hyuga Clan’s evolution.

• Orochimaru hinted that he wanted a Hyuga body and Byakugan in exchange for supplying the clan with snake meat.
• Hinata urged Orochimaru to pursue forbidden techniques and Sage Chakra rather than rely on dōjutsu.
• Hinata offered Orochimaru a Rinnegan evolved from Urashiki’s Byakugan, on the condition that he improve the snake meat’s cooking method and absorption efficiency.
• Orochimaru accepted the deal because the eye could help him investigate higher levels of power.
• Hinata looked forward to starting the Hyuga Clan’s path of evolution.

The White Snake Sage ordered Ryūchi Cave not to interfere in human affairs despite the threat to Akaboshi, and wondered about Hinata Hyuga's background after Orochimaru's betrayal. In Konoha, Hinata beat Shikamaru at shogi and heard that he was worried about organizing the Joint Chunin Exam with Sunagakure.

• Tagorihime, Ichikishimahime, and Tagitsuhime questioned the White Snake Sage about Ryūchi Cave's response to human interference, but she told them to protect the cave and avoid acting rashly.
• The White Snake Sage considered the Shinobi World's dangers, Kaguya Otsutsuki's possible revival, Orochimaru's betrayal, and Hinata Hyuga's unknown background.
• Hinata retrieved Urashiki's eyes from her space but delayed trading them to Orochimaru while he continued his experiments.
• Hinata beat Shikamaru at shogi by taking back moves, and Shikamaru explained that the Hokage had assigned him to handle the Joint Chunin Exam.
• Shikamaru asked Hinata for information about Sunagakure and worried that he could not honor its spotlight while protecting Konoha's reputation.

Hinata and Shikamaru discussed their changing lives and the distance growing between them, while Shikamaru worried that Hinata’s ambitions no longer involved Konoha. The chapter ended with Shikaku reminding him to trust his companions.

• Hinata told Shikamaru about her visits to Sunagakure, and he explained his worries about managing the Joint Chunin Exam without help from his father.
• Hinata and Shikamaru reminisced about their childhood and spoke about how they had changed as they grew up.
• Shikamaru suspected Hinata had been involved in Sasuke’s past escape and feared she was pursuing goals unrelated to Konoha.
• Hinata left the Nara residence, and Shikamaru watched her go while wondering what she was thinking.
• Shikaku Nara found Shikamaru and urged him to trust his companions, but Shikamaru admitted he felt Hinata drifting farther away.

Shikaku and Shikamaru discussed their suspicions that Hinata was pursuing a hidden goal, while Tsunade connected Hinata to the forces manipulating Akatsuki and events across the Shinobi World. Tsunade concluded that Hinata might be seeking the Sage of Six Paths’ mother and eternal life.

• Shikamaru told Shikaku that Hinata’s reaction to Danzo’s assassination and her sudden dedication to training made him suspect she was in contact with Sasuke.
• Shikaku advised Shikamaru not to investigate Hinata without evidence and revealed that Tsunade shared his concerns after hearing Jiraiya’s report from Mount Myōboku.
• Jiraiya’s investigation led him to suspect Akatsuki was being used by hidden factions, and Tsunade agreed that someone had guided him toward those secrets.
• Tsunade reviewed past events that pointed to Hinata, including the timing of battles and Hinata’s choices during Konoha’s campaign against Orochimaru.
• Tsunade suspected Hinata was connected to the hidden forces behind the Shinobi World and was seeking the Sage of Six Paths’ mother or eternal life.

Tsunade considered whether Hinata was involved in the conspiracy surrounding Akatsuki, the missing Death God Mask, and Danzo’s death, but she had no evidence and could not risk provoking the Hyuga Clan. She left the investigation to Jiraiya while outlining to Shizune how Hinata might have worked with Sasuke and the mysterious person who helped him.

• Tsunade reviewed Jiraiya’s intelligence that Orochimaru’s hands had recovered and the Reaper Death Seal might have been broken, then recalled that the Death God Mask was missing from Root.
• Tsunade searched old Senju intelligence on the Hyuga Clan but found nothing useful, and Shizune urged her not to assume Hinata would harm Konoha.
• Tsunade explained that Akatsuki’s pursuit of the Tailed Beasts could trigger a war with the Five Great Shinobi Villages, even if Hinata’s intentions did not target Konoha.
• Tsunade rejected Shizune’s suggestion to monitor Hinata, fearing that surveillance could provoke a conflict with the Hyuga Clan and Sasuke.
• Tsunade proposed that Hinata might have joined forces with Sasuke to kill Danzo and that the mysterious person’s involvement could explain Sasuke’s hours of inactivity; Shizune pointed out that these were only guesses.

Hizashi Hyuga revealed his Rinnegan and told Hizashi Hyuga that he wanted to lead the Hyuga Clan away from the shinobi profession. He said Hinata had found a way to strengthen every Hyuga, while Hizashi Hyuga remained worried about the risks of changing the clan’s future.

• Tsunade hoped the alarming reports were only speculation and vowed not to let her grandfather’s ideals be destroyed.
• Hinata returned home, assembled a spherical puppet, and used her Tenseigan to make it float and move with chakra propulsion.
• Hizashi Hyuga warned Hizashi Hyuga that the Fifth Hokage seemed wary of the Hyuga Clan and asked how he planned to respond.
• Hizashi Hyuga revealed his Rinnegan, prompting Hizashi Hyuga to suspect he was Akatsuki’s hidden leader; Hizashi Hyuga clarified that he was not its leader.
• Hizashi Hyuga said he wanted to free the Hyuga Clan from the shinobi profession and revealed that Hinata had found a way to increase every Hyuga’s strength.
• Hizashi Hyuga questioned whether his brother had truly decided to risk the clan’s uncertain future, arguing that the shinobi rules were not wrong.

Hiashi Hyuga explained the Hyuga Clan’s origins and future plans to Hizashi Hyuga, including their hopes of mastering Natural Energy and reviving Kaguya Otsutsuki. Hizashi understood that Hiashi was preparing the clan for the coming conflict between Akatsuki and the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and argued that the clan could survive even if its plan failed.

• Hiashi Hyuga told Hizashi Hyuga that the Hyuga Clan descended from Kaguya Otsutsuki and explained that the clan’s history changed its claims to the Nine Tailed Beasts.
• Hiashi explained that Hinata had a way to strengthen the Hyuga Clan through Natural Energy and the power mastered by the Three Great Sage Regions.
• Hiashi described Akatsuki’s plan to begin in about a year and said the Hyuga Clan needed to prepare for either Akatsuki’s victory or the Five Great Shinobi Villages’ victory.
• Hiashi identified Kaguya Otsutsuki’s revival as crucial to the Hyuga Clan’s future, while Hizashi recognized that Obito might betray their cooperation with Akatsuki.
• Hizashi told Hiashi that even if the plan failed, the clan could compromise or leave Konoha, and that the balance among the Five Great Shinobi Villages showed the clan could endure.

Hyuga Hiashi and Hinata discussed Orochimaru’s body-tempering medicines and how the Hyuga Clan could safely develop Sage Mode and use Yin-Yang Seals. Hiashi planned to test the medicines on selected clan members and asked Hinata to arrange a meeting with Orochimaru.

• Hiashi told Hizashi to secretly select elite branch-family members for a plan once they learned the results of Hinata’s work.
• Hinata gave Hiashi one hundred Body Tempering Pills made by Orochimaru and explained that they could improve physical strength, chakra reserves, and sensitivity to Natural Energy.
• Hiashi and Hinata agreed that clan members should master Sage Mode before receiving Yin-Yang Seals, since uncontrolled Natural Energy was dangerous.
• Hiashi said he had already selected branch-family elites with Hizashi and would begin testing the medicines with them and some main-family members.
• Hiashi asked Hinata to arrange a meeting with Orochimaru so they could cooperate, and Hinata teased him for having gone completely bad.

Hinata and Hyuga Hiashi discussed using Orochimaru to weaken Kirigakure and prepare for the threat of Kaguya Otsutsuki. Hiashi planned to meet Orochimaru next month, while the Hyuga Clan continued training with the Body Tempering Pills Orochimaru supplied.

• Hyuga Hiashi rejected Hinata's suspicion that he intended to offer a Hyuga clansman to Orochimaru and explained that Orochimaru wanted a perfect body.
• Hyuga Hiashi revealed his Rinnegan and proposed helping Orochimaru obtain two Byakugan from Kirigakure, weakening the village and encouraging Orochimaru to ally with them.
• Hinata understood that Hiashi wanted Orochimaru's strength to help counter Kaguya Otsutsuki, and she agreed to arrange the cooperation.
• Hyuga Hiashi told Hinata he would leave Konoha next month to meet Orochimaru, and said he was close to mastering Sage Mode.
• Hinata left Hiashi's study after reporting recent events; Orochimaru's monthly supply of one hundred Body Tempering Pills was expected to strengthen the Hyuga Clan's selected fighters.