Chapter Summaries

Hagoromo chose Neji to receive Hamura’s Blessing after Hinata insisted that Neji needed the opportunity more than she did. He arranged to train Neji at the training ground and heard Hiashi entrust his nephew to his care, leaving Neji to follow Hagoromo somewhere.

• Hagoromo learned that Hamura’s Blessing could awaken the Hyuga’s ancestral bloodline traits and decided Neji should receive it rather than Hinata.
• Hagoromo asked Hinata who should receive a chance to grow stronger, and she earnestly chose Neji.
• Hagoromo summoned Neji to the waterfall and told him to come directly to the training ground starting the next day.
• Hiashi emerged from the woods, thanked Hagoromo, and asked him to take care of Neji.
• Hiashi acknowledged his guilt over his brother Hizashi and promised to clear away obstacles to Neji’s training within the clan.
• Hagoromo reassured Hiashi that he would teach Neji, then put an arm around Neji and led him away.

Hagoromo trained Neji and gave him a bloodline blessing Hinata had refused in favor of her older brother. Neji accepted it and began awakening the potential to develop the Tenseigan.

• Hagoromo told Neji that Hiashi had asked him to teach Neji and excuse him from some clan training sessions.
• Hagoromo trained Neji until he exhausted his Chakra, then helped him rest and offered him water.
• Hagoromo concealed them with the Netherworld Formless Realm and revealed a sphere that could restore Neji's bloodline to its ancestral state.
• Neji initially refused the sphere, but Hagoromo explained that Hinata had given him the opportunity because he needed it more.
• Hagoromo touched the blessing to Neji's forehead, and Neji later activated his Byakugan and reacted with surprise.

Neji discovered that his Byakugan had gained greater range and precision, and that he could faintly sense emotions in Hagoromo’s Chakra. The next day, he joined Naruto and Sasuke’s training, ending with Naruto challenging Sasuke to a sparring match.

• Neji described his enhanced vision and Chakra perception to Hagoromo, who told him to keep the new ability secret.
• Hagoromo told Neji to keep his headband tied on and arranged for Hinata to check him the next day.
• Naruto arrived late to training, and Hinata gave him breakfast while Hagoromo introduced Neji as a new training partner.
• Hinata examined Neji with her Byakugan and saw nothing unusual, reassuring Hagoromo.
• After breakfast, Naruto challenged Sasuke to a fight, and Neji paused his training to watch with Hagoromo.

Naruto and Sasuke fought at full strength while Neji watched and measured their progress. Sasuke awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan under pressure as Naruto attacked from underground.

• Naruto and Sasuke traded attacks, and Hagoromo told Neji that they had reached their strength through nearly a year of training.
• Neji activated his Byakugan to study Naruto and Sasuke, while Hinata noticed that his Byakugan seemed different.
• Sasuke activated the second stage of his Lightning Release Activated Mark and attacked Naruto with Chidori.
• Sasuke caught Naruto in Genjutsu with his One-Tomoe Sharingan, but Naruto broke free with a burst of chakra.
• Naruto drove Sasuke back with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, then burst from underground to strike him.
• Under pressure from Naruto’s attack, Sasuke’s Sharingan evolved from One-Tomoe to Two-Tomoe.

Sasuke advanced to the Two-Tomoe Sharingan and defeated Naruto, who surrendered after Sasuke countered his Shadow Clones with Chidori Stream. Hagoromo assigned Naruto extra training, while Sasuke's progress earned Hagoromo new rewards.

• Sasuke's Sharingan advanced to Two-Tomoe, letting him read Naruto's movements and gain the upper hand in their fight.
• Sasuke used Chidori Stream to destroy Naruto's Shadow Clones, and Naruto surrendered the round.
• Hagoromo declared Sasuke the winner, and Naruto called out that he would beat Sasuke next time.
• Hagoromo gave Naruto extra assignments and urged him to improve his Rasengan, while Sasuke smiled at Naruto's punishment.
• Hagoromo received 3,000 chakra and proficient Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique and Fire Style: Dust Concealment Technique as rewards for Sasuke's progress.

Hagoromo explained how Sasuke could develop Chidori and why Lightning Blade did not suit his current fighting style. He then reassured Naruto and pointed him toward strengthening the abilities he already possessed.

• Sasuke asked Hagoromo how to develop Chidori, and Hagoromo explained that Chidori's evolution depended on Chakra control and shape transformation.
• Hagoromo demonstrated Lightning Blade, showed how it could cut through a boulder, and explained its greater cutting power and demanding speed requirements.
• Sasuke understood that Lightning Blade did not suit his fighting style and chose to develop Chidori Stream as an attack with both range and defense.
• Naruto followed Hagoromo home feeling behind his friends, and Hagoromo told him he was not stupid and praised his existing abilities.
• Hagoromo advised Naruto to build on Rasengan, Shadow Clone, the Nine-Tails, Senjutsu, and his Uzumaki vitality rather than imitate Sasuke's precise style.

Naruto puzzled over how to improve his abilities and spoke with Minato Namikaze in the Sealing Space. Minato agreed with Hagoromo’s plan to build on Naruto’s existing strengths, leaving Naruto to ask Hagoromo for more details the next day.

• Naruto opened Hagoromo’s scroll and found the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique formula, then entered the Sealing Space after Kurama called to him.
• Naruto reunited with Minato Namikaze, checked on his recovery, and told him about his recent training and defeat by an Uchiha.
• Naruto proudly told Minato that Hagoromo had defeated Kumogakure’s Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, and Minato praised Hagoromo’s skill as a teacher.
• Naruto asked Minato how he should strengthen himself, and Minato advised him to use his enormous Chakra reserves to improve his existing techniques through quantity.
• Minato promised to visit Naruto for an hour each day, then returned from the Sealing Space, leaving Naruto wishing he would rest properly.

Hagoromo trained Naruto to make his Shadow Clones more durable and to develop his stamina and Chakra, while Choji discovered that his Butterfly Form had grown stronger. Choji’s new power reminded Hagoromo of Chakra Mode.

• Choji offered Sansan a Military Rations Pill, but Naruto’s enormous crowd of Shadow Clones startled them before Sansan could eat it.
• Hagoromo made Naruto cancel his clones and instructed him to train under a waterfall by sustaining their Chakra output against the rushing water.
• Naruto devoted himself to intense training, while Hagoromo gradually balanced the Nine-Tails’ Chakra and noticed Naruto was learning Sealing Jutsu.
• Choji activated Butterfly Form: Gluttony Form after eating a Military Rations Pill and felt his Chakra surge.
• Hagoromo asked Choji to test his speed and strength, and Choji blasted through nearby trees before Hagoromo confirmed he had mastered the technique.
• Choji’s enhanced form reminded Hagoromo of Chakra Mode.

Choji successfully converted his Chakra into Gluttony Form, but the mode drained him because he had not mastered controlling the conversion. Hagoromo then began a group battle assessment for his disciples, leaving Sansan to guard the flag as the teams entered the forest.

• Choji activated Gluttony Form with a punch, but he soon collapsed as the mode consumed too much Chakra and weakened him.
• Hagoromo told Choji to practice remembering the sensation and to limit future conversions to the equivalent of three Military Rations Pills.
• Sasuke considered developing his Activated Mark in a similar direction, while Hagoromo thought about using Yang Release and the Yin Seal to create a Chakra Cloak.
• Hagoromo assigned Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino to one team and Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata to the other for a battle to capture the flag.
• The teams rushed toward their starting points as Hagoromo and Neji went to watch, while Sansan guarded the flag on the training ground.

Shikamaru’s squad ambushed Naruto’s squad near the training ground, and both teams fought for control of the encounter. Shikamaru briefly trapped Naruto with his Shadow Imitation Technique, but Hinata broke through the chaos and forced him to release Naruto.

• Ino located Naruto’s squad and failed to disrupt Hinata with the Mind Body Switch Technique because Naruto blocked it with Yang Release Armament.
• Shikamaru assigned Choji to draw Naruto’s attention, Ino to contain Hinata, and himself to target Sasuke.
• Naruto summoned hundreds of Shadow Clones, sending some after Choji while the others searched for Shikamaru and Ino.
• Shikamaru used the confusion to catch Naruto with the Shadow Imitation Technique and ordered Naruto to attack Sasuke.
• Sasuke narrowly dodged Naruto’s Yang Release Armament strike, while Hinata used the dust and her Byakugan to reach Shikamaru and knock him back with a Vacuum Palm.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata defeated Shikamaru’s team in a flag battle, then began their second school year. On the first day, Kiba introduced his puppy Akamaru, while Shino revealed that his own partners were insects.

• Naruto and Sasuke coordinated their attacks to defeat Choji, and Shikamaru surrendered before they secured the flag.
• Hagoromo praised the students’ teamwork, gave Naruto advice about staying aware of his teammates, and handed Choji Military Rations Pills.
• At the start of the new school year, Naruto and Hinata joined Shikamaru and Ino in their classroom and learned Hagoromo was presiding over the new students’ enrollment.
• Kiba introduced his puppy Akamaru as his new partner, but the puppy slipped off his head and Kiba caught him.
• Shino revealed Kikaichū crawling from his hand as his partners, startling Naruto.

Hagoromo taught Naruto and his classmates about Kumogakure, the Yotsuki Clan, and the village’s past Raikage. He revealed that Kinkaku and Ginkaku had killed the Second Raikage and hinted that they were connected to the Sage of Six Paths.

• Hagoromo began class by asking the students about their vacation and then responded to Kiba Inuzuka’s questions about Kumogakure.
• Hagoromo explained that the Yotsuki Clan had produced nearly every Raikage and that its members’ inherited physiques let them strengthen their bodies with Lightning Release.
• Hagoromo described the difference between Kekkei Genkai, secret techniques, and hereditary physical constitutions, prompting Shikamaru to wonder about Naruto’s Uzumaki heritage.
• Hagoromo revealed that Kinkaku and Ginkaku had killed the Second Raikage, startling the class.
• Hagoromo mentioned the Sage of Six Paths, and Shikamaru asked whether Kinkaku and Ginkaku were his descendants.

Hagoromo taught his class about the Gold and Silver Brothers and assigned homework, then tested a new sealing technique on Sansan. The technique, Yang God Binding, restrained Sansan and drained his Yokai Power, leaving Hagoromo impressed by its strength.

• Hagoromo confirmed that Kumogakure had concluded Kinkaku and Ginkaku were descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, though their ancestry could not be proven.
• Hagoromo assigned the students a four-thousand-character response on the Land of Lightning section of the Shinobi World Encyclopedia and dismissed class.
• Hagoromo received Chakra, Lightning Release: Black Panther, and Lightning Release: Lightning Transmission as teaching rewards.
• At the training ground, Hagoromo pressured Sansan to transform into his true form and revealed that Sansan had been using Hagoromo's name to get extra meat from shops.
• Hagoromo tested the modified Adamantine Sealing Chains on Sansan, binding him and suppressing his Yokai Power.
• Hagoromo identified the technique as Yang God Binding and realized its aggressive Yang Release Chakra could seal energy and erode the target's power.

Hagoromo discovered that his chains drained Sansan’s Yokai Power and returned it in a purer form, leading him to suspect his Eternal trait let his Yang Release Chakra refine energy without consuming his life force. He left to teach at the Ninja Academy while Sansan considered using Chakra to cultivate Yokai Power.

• Hagoromo’s chains bound Sansan and rapidly drained his Yokai Power, nearly ruining his origin before Hagoromo released him.
• Hagoromo used the chains to return Sansan’s absorbed power, and Sansan found that his energy had become purer.
• Hagoromo guessed that Yang Release Chakra and the chains’ formula had refined Sansan’s power, and he suspected his Eternal trait prevented the process from draining his life force.
• Sansan rejected cultivating Chakra directly but considered using it to cultivate Yokai Power and imitate Hagoromo’s chains.
• Hagoromo returned to the Ninja Academy to teach, where his students wondered why he seemed unusually happy.

Hagoromo visited Naruto to help with his assignment and used sealing runes to enter Naruto’s sealing space, where he offered the Nine-Tails a piece of the Eight-Tails’ Chakra in exchange for Chakra to test a new jutsu. The Nine-Tails agreed and boasted that he could keep the other Tailed Beasts from finding out.

• Hagoromo covered Naruto’s room with sealing runes, then entered Naruto’s sealing space with him.
• Hagoromo tossed a scroll containing a severed piece of one of the Eight-Tails’ Chakra tails into the Nine-Tails’ cage.
• Hagoromo offered the Nine-Tails the Eight-Tails’ Chakra in exchange for Chakra to test his new jutsu, Yang God Binding.
• The Nine-Tails released Chakra equal to three times Naruto’s reserves, and Hagoromo said he wanted to prevent the Tailed Beasts from communicating with their main bodies.
• The Nine-Tails agreed and claimed that fooling the other Tailed Beasts would be easy.

Hagoromo captured Gyuki’s consciousness from the Eight-Tails tentacle and tested the Nine-Tails Chakra he had absorbed. He achieved Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and decided to use it as a reference for studying Chakra Mode.

• The Nine-Tails compressed the Eight-Tails Chakra fragment into a miniature Gyuki, who recognized Kurama, Minato, and Hagoromo.
• Hagoromo explained that he had traded Gyuki to the Nine-Tails, then asked the Nine-Tails for more Chakra for his chains.
• Minato warned Hagoromo to hold to his principles, and Hagoromo reassured him before leaving Naruto to ask his father about the assignment.
• Hagoromo went to the Forest of Death and transferred the chains’ converted Nine-Tails Chakra onto himself.
• Hagoromo entered Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, confirmed that it gave him Malice Perception, and chose to use the result as a guide for studying Chakra Mode.

Hagoromo taught Naruto and Sasuke about chakra natures and began training them in nature-based C-rank Ninjutsu. Naruto and Sasuke competed intensely over the following days until Hagoromo interrupted Naruto for repeating a sarcastic taunt.

• Hagoromo praised the students' assignments and warned them to keep working hard.
• Naruto privately spoke with Minato in the Sealing Space, then concealed his father's existence when Kiba and Shikamaru questioned him.
• Hagoromo assigned the students to separate training and explained to Naruto and Sasuke how innate chakra natures and trained natures worked.
• Naruto and Sasuke began learning nature-based Ninjutsu, competing with each other and making rapid progress.
• Sasuke asked to rest, but Naruto taunted him, prompting Hagoromo to smack Naruto and tell him not to pick up that sort of talk.

Neji defeated Sasuke in training and challenged Naruto to become Hagoromo’s strongest disciple. Hagoromo then developed a blazing white Yang Release Chakra Mode in the Forest of Death, though he recognized that it still needed refinement.

• Hagoromo stopped Neji and Sasuke’s match and declared Sasuke the winner.
• Naruto teased Sasuke, while Neji accepted Hinata’s healing and warned Naruto that he would surpass him.
• Hagoromo left the training ground and went into the Forest of Death to test his Yang Release Chakra.
• Hagoromo formed a blazing white Chakra cloak with a demonic pattern, white hair, and rings of light around his pupils.
• Sansan sensed that Hagoromo’s new mode was extremely dangerous, and Hagoromo concluded that he needed to refine it further.

Hagoromo tested the abilities of his Yang Release Chakra Mode in Sansan’s sage region, demonstrating its rapid regeneration and overwhelming attack power. The blast devastated a coastline, and the Great Toad Sage sensed that the future had become obscured and ordered Jiraiya summoned.

• Hagoromo used the mode’s chakra to travel through space to Sansan’s sage region by anchoring on its shrine and their contract.
• Hagoromo asked Sansan to attack him, then recovered rapidly from the severe injuries Sansan inflicted.
• Hagoromo explained that the mode’s regeneration was powerful but risky without the eternal trait of his Yang Release Chakra.
• Hagoromo launched two compressed life-energy attacks from the sage region, splitting the sea and flooding a coastline near a stone slab bearing the Uzumaki Clan crest.
• The Three Great Sage Regions reacted to the disturbance, and the Great Toad Sage Gamamaru told Fukasaku to summon Jiraiya after the future became shrouded in mist.

After Hagoromo’s attack devastated the former Land of Whirlpools, Obito and Zetsu investigated the site and sensed powerful yang release Chakra. Hagoromo returned to the training ground, sealed it against intruders, and ordered his disciples to intensify their combat training.

• Hagoromo confirmed to Sansan that he had caused the tsunami and reflected that his powerful energy-ball technique consumed too much Chakra.
• Obito and Zetsu arrived at the ruined coastline, where Zetsu sensed unusual vitality and suspected it came from yang release Chakra.
• Obito ordered Akatsuki to investigate anyone with that power, while Black Zetsu considered visiting Konoha to protect the plan to resurrect his mother.
• Hagoromo told Sansan that Obito wanted to create a fantasy world and Black Zetsu wanted to save his mother, then took Sansan back to the holy land as others approached.
• Hagoromo sealed the training ground and told Naruto and the other disciples to train and fight there, increasing their assignments whenever they lost.
• Naruto protested the difficult exercises, and Hagoromo told him that he could avoid them by not losing.