Recaps

Hagoromo answered Hiruzen Sarutobi’s questions about the duties of a Hokage and how to handle Konoha’s conflict with its clans. Hiruzen approved of Hagoromo’s strategy and revealed that he was preparing to use it himself.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Hagoromo what a Hokage was, and Hagoromo described a leader who protected the village and bore the responsibilities of the position.
• Hagoromo’s answer reminded Hiruzen Sarutobi of the choices he had made to unify Konoha and of Danzo’s accusations that he was weak.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Hagoromo how he would handle the matter involving Konoha’s clans and called it an assessment.
• Hagoromo recommended winning one side over, confronting the other, and distributing benefits taken from the opposition.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed and admitted that he was preparing to use the same strategy against certain Konoha clans.

Hagoromo accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi’s offer to become his disciple, qualifying him to train Sasuke Uchiha. The next day, Hiruzen presented sweeping reforms for the Uchiha Clan and appointed Itachi and Shisui to important Konoha positions.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Hagoromo to become his disciple so he could serve as Sasuke Uchiha’s master, and Hagoromo accepted.
• The Land of Fire’s daimyō confirmed that Shimura Danzō had committed crimes warranting execution, and Konoha’s villagers welcomed his removal.
• Hiruzen announced that Danzō would be executed, Mito and Koharu would leave government, and the Council of Elders would be disbanded.
• Hiruzen granted the Uchiha Clan new territory, opened the Konoha Military Police Force to other clans, and made Uchiha Fugaku a deputy representative to the Jonin Commander.
• Hiruzen appointed Uchiha Itachi an Anbu squad leader and Shisui Uchiha captain of the Hokage Guard Platoon, and both thanked him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi negotiated the Uchiha Clan’s reintegration into Konoha, placing Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi in his service and proposing that Sasuke study under Hagoromo. The chapter ended with Hagoromo visiting Naruto at the training ground, where Naruto learned his friends had been told to stay home amid changes in the village.

• Shisui Uchiha and Uchiha Itachi stood behind Hiruzen Sarutobi, while Uchiha Fugaku accepted their new roles representing the Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Uchiha Fugaku to let Sasuke Uchiha take Hagoromo as his master, and Fugaku agreed.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi proposed assigning Uchiha graduates to different teams and involving Uchiha Chunin and Jonin in Konoha missions, and Fugaku offered to share the clan’s mission information.
• Naruto trained alone after Shikamaru told him that their elders had ordered him and the others to stay home.
• Hagoromo found Naruto resting at the training ground and learned that Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino were unavailable.

Hagoromo welcomed Sasuke as his new student after Uchiha Itachi brought him to the training ground. Sasuke doubted Hagoromo could teach him, so Hagoromo proposed a match against Naruto to prove his ability.

• Hagoromo gave Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji water after they finished warming up, then asked about their recent outings.
• Hagoromo saw Uchiha Itachi arrive with Sasuke, and Itachi introduced Sasuke as Hagoromo's new student before leaving.
• Naruto insulted Sasuke, and Sasuke called Naruto an idiot, but Hagoromo stopped Naruto from starting a fight.
• Hagoromo asked Sasuke whether he thought his brother was too strong for Hagoromo to teach him, and Sasuke stayed silent.
• Hagoromo challenged Sasuke to fight Naruto, offering to explain matters to Clan Head Fugaku if Naruto lost.

Naruto defeated Sasuke in a training match, proving how much stronger he had become. Sasuke then asked Hagoromo whether training under him could help him beat Naruto, and Hagoromo left the choice of becoming his disciple to him.

• Sasuke agreed to fight Naruto after Hagoromo offered to take him home if he won.
• Naruto charged at Sasuke, who dodged and realized Naruto was much faster and stronger than him.
• Naruto deflected Sasuke's Shuriken, kicked him away, and then appeared behind him after evading his Great Fireball Technique.
• Naruto held a Kunai to Sasuke's neck and won the match in two minutes.
• Sasuke asked Hagoromo whether training under him would let him beat Naruto, and Hagoromo asked if he wanted to become his disciple.

Sasuke accepted Hagoromo as his master and began chakra-control training under Ino after Hagoromo demonstrated the power of precise chakra control. Hagoromo assigned further training to his other students and confirmed that Naruto had completed the leaf-cutting exercise.

• Sasuke agreed to become Hagoromo’s disciple, granting Hagoromo new abilities and Yin-Yang Release scrolls through the system.
• Hagoromo told Ino to teach Sasuke chakra control and explained that Naruto had learned tree climbing faster than the others, while Ino now had the best control.
• Hagoromo demonstrated an enormous Great Fireball and explained that precise chakra control could greatly increase a technique’s power.
• Sasuke asked Hagoromo to teach him, then accepted Ino’s guidance in tree climbing and water walking.
• Hagoromo assigned Shikamaru and Choji to continue their teamwork training and confirmed that Naruto had cut a leaf in half after two months of practice.

Naruto completed the first stage of wind-nature chakra training, and Hagoromo gave him a harder branch-cutting exercise. Hagoromo tested his new Detection ability on Uchiha Itachi, whose formidable stats left him feeling pressured, while Itachi sensed the intrusion and suspected Hagoromo.

• Naruto finished leaf-cutting training in two months, and Hagoromo praised his progress.
• Hagoromo gave Naruto an arm-thick branch and instructed him to cut through it with wind-natured chakra as the next stage of training.
• Hagoromo unlocked Detection and read Uchiha Itachi’s stats while Itachi hid nearby.
• Hagoromo was intimidated by Itachi’s elite-level abilities and withdrew his detection when Itachi sensed it.
• Itachi suspected Hagoromo had been spying on him, while Hagoromo decided he needed to become stronger.

Hagoromo rescued Sasuke after he exhausted himself trying to climb a tree, then taught him that recklessness on a mission could endanger his entire squad. Sasuke accepted comfort from his classmates and joined in their laughter, ending the chapter on a warmer note with them.

• Hagoromo caught Sasuke as he fell from the tree, and Sasuke walked away embarrassed after realizing he had run out of Chakra.
• Hagoromo asked why Sasuke had kept climbing despite his exhaustion and warned that recklessness on a mission could cost his squad their lives.
• Sasuke apologized after learning that Ino, Naruto, and Shikamaru had worried about him, and Hagoromo left the children to talk among themselves.
• Ino checked on Sasuke, Naruto offered to teach him, and Choji gave him a Military Rations Pill.
• Naruto teased Sasuke into loudly thanking Choji, and the group laughed together until Sasuke smiled too.

Sasuke advanced to water-surface training while Hagoromo studied Yin-Yang Release and developed a way to cover his body with Yang Release Chakra. The new technique strengthened him, and he began testing it by striking the ground with a chakra-coated fist.

• Sasuke completed tree-climbing training, then began practicing on turbulent water under Hagoromo's Shadow Clone and was forced to stop when he ran low on Chakra.
• Hagoromo used the Yin-Yang Release basics scroll to work out how to independently develop the power, drawing on the Yang Release Chakra he had cultivated in his body.
• Hagoromo formed seals and compressed Yang Release Chakra around his right arm, creating a powerful disturbance that dispelled the Shadow Clone teaching Naruto and Shikamaru.
• Choji and Shikamaru stopped Naruto from approaching Hagoromo, and Shikamaru directed the others to keep the training ground clear.
• Hagoromo drew the Yang Release Chakra over his body, felt his strength increase, then coated his right fist in a dark layer and punched the ground.

Hagoromo tested a powerful new Chakra application and took his students to celebrate at a barbecue restaurant. That night, Shisui Uchiha and an Anbu team confronted Obito Uchiha at the ruined Root base, where Kakashi asked him to come along.

• Hagoromo struck the training field with a Chakra technique that cracked the ground, then reassured his startled students and praised Shikamaru for acting quickly.
• Sasuke's trust in Hagoromo increased, and Hagoromo agreed to take the students to a barbecue restaurant after notifying their families with Shadow Clones.
• A masked figure replaced the flowers at Rin Nohara's gravestone before appearing at the former Root Second Base and confirming Shimura Danzō was dead.
• Shisui Uchiha arrived with his Mangekyō Sharingan active and questioned the masked man, while Kakashi, Tenzo, and Uchiha Itachi surrounded him.
• Obito Uchiha mocked the two Uchiha with Mangekyō Sharingan, and Kakashi asked him to come with them, prompting Obito to react with disgust.

The Masked Man defeated Kakashi, Tenzo, Shisui, and Uchiha Itachi, then vanished after mocking them and leaving Kakashi with a sense of familiarity. Hagoromo discovered that compressed Yang Release Chakra could empower his punch into a devastating shock wave, giving him confidence for the coming war.

• Tenzo, Shisui Uchiha, Uchiha Itachi, and Kakashi attacked the Masked Man, but he evaded their techniques with intangibility and Space-Time Ninjutsu.
• The Masked Man bound Kakashi with a chain and flung him into Tenzo and Shisui, then vanished after declaring that they were not qualified.
• Uchiha Itachi and Shisui concluded that the Masked Man was wary of their Sharingan, and Kakashi decided to report the encounter to Lord Hokage.
• Hagoromo tested his Yang Release Chakra and found that it strengthened his body, speed, and chakra.
• Hagoromo concentrated compressed Yang Release Chakra into his fist and struck the air, creating a shock wave that tore through the training ground.

Hagoromo pushed Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Choji through a race and assigned homework and harder training according to their results. At the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi considered Kakashi’s report about a masked man with Space-Time Ninjutsu and wondered whether he had controlled the Nine-Tails.

• Hagoromo promised that Naruto would avoid homework if he beat his previous time, prompting Naruto and the others to race harder.
• Naruto finished first, followed by Choji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke, who came last.
• Hagoromo assigned homework based on their times and increased everyone’s training, including adding weights for Sasuke and five jin to Naruto’s weights.
• Hagoromo gave the exhausted disciples water and told them to rest.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled Kakashi’s report about a masked man with Space-Time Ninjutsu and a deep understanding of the Uchiha Clan’s Sharingan.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi thought the man might have controlled the Nine-Tails, though Uchiha Fugaku had denied that the Uchiha Clan was responsible.

Hiruzen visited Hagoromo at the training ground and taught him about Nature Transformation while the students practiced. Hagoromo left with extensive notes and planned to seek out his master more often.

• Hiruzen left the Hokage Building to visit Hagoromo after reflecting on how little time he had spent with his new student.
• Hagoromo supervised Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke, and Ino as they trained, while continuing to use Yang Release Chakra on himself.
• Hagoromo realized Hiruzen could teach him from his vast shinobi knowledge and agreed to visit him whenever he had time.
• Hiruzen praised Hagoromo's choice to have Naruto practice cutting a branch with Wind Release Chakra and offered to explain Nature Transformation for Sasuke.
• Hiruzen taught Hagoromo until sunset as Hagoromo took notes, while Naruto fell asleep with his head on Hiruzen's thigh.

Naruto rescued Hinata Hyuga from three boys who mocked her eyes, then reassured her and learned she was lost. He took her by the hand to find Teacher Hagoromo, who might know the way back to the Hyuga Clan compound.

• Naruto heard three boys insulting Hinata Hyuga and jumped down to defend her.
• The lead boy called Naruto a whiskered monster, so Naruto punched him and drove him from the alley.
• Naruto helped Hinata up, complimented her eyes, and introduced himself as her classmate.
• Hinata told Naruto she was lost and could not remember the way to the Hyuga Clan compound.
• Naruto decided Teacher Hagoromo could help and led Hinata toward the training ground.

Naruto told Hagoromo that he had encountered Nine-Tails in a strange space while sleeping, and Hagoromo explained their connection and urged him to try befriending the tailed beast. The chapter left Naruto considering that possibility, while Nine-Tails watched through Naruto’s eyes.

• Hagoromo and the others realized Naruto had passed Hinata’s compound before bringing her to the training ground, and Hagoromo sent a Shadow Clone to inform her father.
• Naruto told Hagoromo about the huge figure he had seen in a strange space and asked whether it was why villagers called him a monster.
• Hagoromo confirmed that the figure was Nine-Tails and admitted he had helped Naruto refine Chakra because Nine-Tails’ Chakra interfered with his training.
• Naruto asked if Nine-Tails could leave his body, and Hagoromo explained that either of them would die if separated from the other.
• Hagoromo told Naruto that neither he nor Nine-Tails was at fault and suggested they try talking and becoming friends.

Hagoromo advised Naruto to understand the Nine-Tails through conversation, then entered Naruto’s sealed space to speak with Kurama about giving Naruto a chance. Kurama remained distrustful, but Hagoromo reminded him of the prophecy of the blue-eyed boy who would call the Tailed Beasts by name and play with them.

• Hagoromo told Naruto that friendship required mutual understanding and urged him to learn about the Nine-Tails’ past.
• Hagoromo entered Naruto’s sealed space using a projection formed with Yin-Yang Release and greeted the Nine-Tails as Kurama.
• Kurama demanded to know who Hagoromo was and how he knew his name, then listened after seeing Hagoromo’s Yin-Yang Chakra.
• Hagoromo asked Kurama to communicate with Naruto without directing his resentment at him, explaining that Naruto had also suffered against his will.
• Kurama rejected Hagoromo’s suggestion, and Hagoromo recalled Gamamaru’s prophecy about a blue-eyed boy who would call the Tailed Beasts by name and play with them.

Hagoromo persuaded Naruto to learn the truth about the Nine-Tails, and Naruto agreed to remove the seal despite Kurama’s taunts. Minato Namikaze appeared to stop Naruto, leaving him wary of Hagoromo’s role.

• Kurama mocked Hagoromo and questioned what Naruto would do if he learned Kurama had killed his parents, but Naruto declared that he trusted Hagoromo and called Kurama a murderer.
• Hagoromo challenged Kurama to stop repeating the cycle of hatred, and Kurama agreed not to interfere while watching Naruto.
• Hagoromo told Naruto to remove the paper seal on Kurama’s cage to learn the truth, then lifted Naruto toward it with water.
• As Naruto peeled back a corner of the seal, Minato Namikaze appeared and warned Kurama to behave.
• Naruto asked Hagoromo who Minato was, and Hagoromo introduced himself as Naruto’s teacher, Sawada Hagoromo.
• Minato questioned Hagoromo and grew wary, asking whether he had urged Naruto to undo Kurama’s seal.

Naruto reunited with Minato Namikaze, confronted him over the loneliness and pain caused by the Nine-Tails seal, and heard his parents’ hopes and love for him. As Minato’s Chakra imprint began to fade, Hagoromo showed Naruto how to use his Yang Release Chakra to restore it.

• Minato Namikaze apologized to Hagoromo for mistaking him for a threat, while Naruto mocked his father for being lame.
• Minato knelt before Naruto, and Naruto punched him before breaking down in his arms and accusing him of sealing the Nine-Tails inside him.
• Minato explained that he and Kushina had sealed the Nine-Tails in Naruto so he could protect those he loved, and told Naruto they loved him and would always be proud of him.
• As Minato’s Chakra imprint began to dissipate, Naruto begged Hagoromo to save him.
• Hagoromo guided Naruto in forming hand seals and channeling his Yang Release Chakra into Minato, restoring Minato’s body and astonishing him.

Hagoromo began Taijutsu training with Shikamaru, Choji, and Sasuke, demonstrating how easily a Taijutsu master could stop Sasuke from using Ninjutsu. Naruto slept through the training and woke to find Shikamaru badly bruised and Hinata waiting to be walked home.

• Hagoromo left Naruto asleep and asked Hinata to watch over him.
• Hagoromo praised Shikamaru and the others' physical progress, then began teaching them Taijutsu.
• Hagoromo demonstrated his strength by destroying a wooden post and sparred with Sasuke, interrupting his Hand Seals and knocking him down with a kick.
• Shikamaru and Choji helped Sasuke up, and Shikamaru explained that Hagoromo had gone easy on him after months of training Naruto.
• Hagoromo sparred with Shikamaru while Naruto slept beneath a tree and Hinata fanned him.
• Naruto woke that evening, noticed Shikamaru's swollen face, and thanked Hinata for looking after him.

Naruto finished learning to cut branches with Wind Nature Transformation, so Hagoromo taught him the Shadow Clone Technique. Naruto quickly made ten clones but tried to order them to do his assignments, ending in a fight that left him bruised and disheveled.

• Naruto demonstrated that he could cut a branch instantly with Wind Nature Transformation, and Hagoromo praised his progress.
• Hagoromo checked Naruto's Chakra, confirmed the Nine-Tails was no longer interfering, and decided to teach him a new Ninjutsu.
• Hagoromo explained how Shadow Clones shared the original's consciousness and returned their memories and exhaustion when dispelled, warning Naruto not to exceed his limits.
• Naruto learned the Shadow Clone Technique after a few tries and created ten clones, then told them to do his assignments.
• Naruto's clones refused and argued that they were Naruto Uzumaki too, and they fought until the clones burst apart.
• Naruto asked Hagoromo why the clones had fought him, and Hagoromo reminded him that they shared his thoughts.

Minato spoke with the Nine-Tails about Naruto and left the fox to decide whether to trust him when the seal was undone. At the training ground, Hagoromo explained the limits of using Shadow Clones, while Naruto seized on Sasuke’s suggestion to control clones with Genjutsu before learning how difficult it would be.

• Minato told the Nine-Tails he believed Naruto would reach out to a Tailed Beast, and the fox refused to get involved for now.
• Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and the others discussed using Shadow Clones, and Hagoromo confirmed that clever tactics could make them as effective as some A-rank Ninjutsu.
• Hagoromo warned Shikamaru that Shadow Clones would strain Choji’s Chakra and weaken his Multi-Size Technique.
• Sasuke suggested using Genjutsu to control Shadow Clones, and Naruto eagerly agreed that he could use the idea to do his assignments.
• Hagoromo explained that Genjutsu would disrupt a clone’s Chakra and require refined control and enormous reserves, so Naruto sheepishly gave up on the plan.

Naruto trained to control two streams of Chakra at once so he could eventually use the Rasengan with one hand, while Sasuke asked to begin learning other skills. Hagoromo discovered Sasuke had lightning and fire Chakra natures, and Sasuke chose to learn Fire Style first.

• Naruto complained that Hagoromo's two-handed water-balloon training was difficult, but Hagoromo explained it would let him use the Rasengan without a Shadow Clone.
• Hagoromo showed Naruto a Rasengan and persuaded him that using it with one hand would be more practical than relying on a Shadow Clone.
• Naruto resumed training with Hagoromo's Shadow Clone, whom he called Shadow Clone Sensei Number One.
• Sasuke told Hagoromo he wanted to train in other areas, and Hagoromo tested his Chakra natures with Chakra test paper.
• Hagoromo identified Sasuke's innate lightning and fire natures, and Sasuke chose to learn Fire Style first.

Hagoromo taught Sasuke the Fire Release: Flame Bullet and guided him through his first attempt. Sasuke’s trust in Hagoromo increased, and the chapter ended with Sasuke asking how much Hagoromo knew about fire Nature Transformation.

• Hagoromo demonstrated Fire Release: Flame Bullet, explaining how oil made it stronger and describing its limits and risks.
• Sasuke tried the technique but produced weaker flames, and Hagoromo pointed out his shortcomings in Nature Transformation and oil timing.
• Sasuke thanked Hagoromo, whose guidance raised Sasuke Uchiha’s trust level to high and earned Hagoromo Fire Nature Transformation mastery.
• Hagoromo wondered whether betrayal could make Sasuke awaken his eyes, then dismissed the thought as Sasuke suspected his teacher had been thinking something strange.
• Hagoromo told Sasuke to continue practicing at home because he had no more oil, and Sasuke asked about Hagoromo’s knowledge of fire Nature Transformation.

Hagoromo taught Sasuke the basics of Fire Style Nature Transformation after Sasuke chose it over Lightning Release. At the training ground, Hagoromo checked his panel and anticipated the rewards from his students’ vacation training mission, which would settle in three days.

• Hagoromo warned Sasuke that Fire Style consumed a lot of Chakra and recommended learning Lightning Release first, but Sasuke insisted on starting with Fire Style.
• Hagoromo demonstrated how to transform Chakra into searing heat by burning a leaf to ash, then told Sasuke to train with passion and anger.
• Hagoromo took Sasuke back to the training ground so he could practice the first stage of Fire Style Nature Transformation.
• Hagoromo checked his panel and saw that his Yang Release Chakra Body had reached 25% and the vacation training mission would settle in three days.
• Hagoromo watched Naruto and the other students train and looked forward to receiving the mission rewards.

Naruto and Sasuke overworked themselves while training, but both showed Hagoromo that they had mastered the first stage of their respective nature transformations. Hagoromo left Shikamaru in charge of his disciples before departing on a mission to collect intelligence from a lookout post.

• Naruto and Sasuke collapsed from training, and Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji carried them to a tree and helped them recover.
• Hiruzen gave Hagoromo a mission to visit the new lookout post near the Land of Rice Fields and collect intelligence, and Hagoromo accepted.
• Hagoromo scolded Naruto and Sasuke for overtraining, then told Shikamaru to lead the group and keep an eye on them while he was away.
• Naruto and Sasuke told Hagoromo they had mastered the first stage of nature transformation, and Sasuke demonstrated by turning a leaf to ash.
• Naruto burst a water balloon through his control of water, surprising Hagoromo, who asked how he had thought to control it with all five fingers.