Chapter Summaries

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji began Asuma’s trainee assessment, which required them to take two bells within two hours or lose their trainee ninja qualifications. They coordinated several attacks, but Asuma’s speed and tactics kept them on the defensive as he used Fire Style to force them apart.

• Shikamaru met Ino and Choji, and the three went to Training Ground Three, where Asuma was waiting with two bells.
• Asuma announced that the trio had two hours to take the bells or lose their trainee ninja qualifications, then began the assessment.
• Shikamaru ordered Ino and Choji to spread out, and Choji blocked Asuma’s opening attack before using Yang Release Armament to throw him away.
• Shikamaru’s Shadow Imitation Technique caught Asuma’s Shadow Clone, and the trio dodged the shuriken Asuma threw from their flank.
• Ino attempted the Mind Body Switch Technique while Choji charged Asuma with Human Bullet Tank, and Shikamaru’s Shadow Tentacles struck the Explosive Tags Asuma had thrown.
• Asuma unleashed Fire Style: Ash Pile Burning, forcing Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji to retreat and threatening to separate them again.

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji combined their abilities in a coordinated assault during their test against Asuma. Asuma closed in on Ino, but she revealed that she had baited him and activated her Mind Body Switch Technique.

• Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji coordinated their attacks, but Asuma broke free of Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique and praised their teamwork.
• Choji entered Gluttony Form, and Ino took control of his body while Shikamaru used his shadow to help them attack Asuma.
• Choji fought Asuma with Armament-covered fists as Shikamaru's shadow tendrils restricted Asuma and intercepted his shuriken.
• Asuma used Wind Release to halt Choji, then spotted Ino's vulnerable body and charged at her with Whirlwind Blade.
• Ino smiled at Asuma and activated the Mind Body Switch Technique, completing Plan B as Asuma's movements faltered.

Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji passed Asuma’s bell test by working together, though they took only one bell. The chapter then began Kakashi’s test for Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata, with Kakashi warning that only two of them could pass.

• Ino used her Mind Body Switch Technique on Asuma, Shikamaru bound his shadow, and Choji trapped him long enough to take a bell.
• Shikamaru explained that Asuma had used the Substitution Technique, but he had secretly prepared to catch one bell while Choji disrupted Asuma’s senses.
• Asuma praised Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji and declared that they had passed the test with full marks.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others watched the test, and Hagoromo said Kakashi had not yet arrived to test Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.
• Kakashi arrived late and explained the bell test rules, telling Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata that only two of them could pass.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata fought Kakashi in the graduation test, coordinating their attacks and pushing him to use increasingly powerful techniques. Kakashi activated his Sharingan as the battle intensified.

• Hinata vowed to help Naruto and Sasuke pass, while Naruto insisted they would graduate together and Sasuke prepared to fight Kakashi.
• Sasuke and Naruto opened with the Great Fireball Technique and Shadow Clones, and Hinata disrupted Kakashi with Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.
• The trio followed up with a fire dragon and explosive-tagged Kunai, but Kakashi escaped the blast with the Substitution Technique and attacked Naruto from underground.
• Kakashi summoned a Water Dragon, which Naruto countered with an Armament: Rasengan, while Sasuke and Hinata attacked Kakashi from opposite sides.
• Naruto anticipated Kakashi's escape route with another Rasengan, forcing Kakashi to dodge before activating his Sharingan.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata worked together to take Kakashi’s bells during the practical test. Kakashi praised their teamwork but asked which two of them would pass.

• Sasuke told Naruto and Hinata to spread out while Kakashi activated his Sharingan.
• Naruto’s Shadow Clones and Sasuke’s Fire Release distracted Kakashi as Hinata attacked with Gentle Fist: Twin Lion Roar.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata combined their attacks, but Kakashi evaded Naruto’s Rasengan and countered the others.
• Hinata struck several of Kakashi’s acupoints, slowing his arm and creating an opening for Naruto to take the bells.
• Kakashi praised their teamwork, then asked which two of them had decided to pass the practical test.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata passed Kakashi’s practical exam after showing they would put teamwork ahead of personal gain. Hagoromo took charge of them as Team 7, and Hiruzen Sarutobi officially formed their team and awarded the young ninja their Konoha forehead protectors.

• Hinata offered to let Naruto and Sasuke pass, but Naruto and Sasuke each insisted that the other two should take the bells.
• Kakashi passed all three, explaining that they had demonstrated teamwork and would not abandon their teammates for personal gain.
• Hagoromo emerged from the woods and told Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata that he would lead their squad.
• Naruto and Hagoromo went to the Hokage’s Office, where Naruto found Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino with Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced Team Six under Asuma and Team 7 under Hagoromo, then gave Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata, Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino their Konoha forehead protectors.

After Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata passed their assessment, Hagoromo gave Naruto and Sasuke ninja tool pouches and took the group to the Hokage Building to accept their first mission. He assigned them to find the cat Tora and gave them three hours to track it down.

• Naruto arrived late after oversleeping, then ate breakfast with Sasuke and Hinata while they waited for Hagoromo.
• Hagoromo gave Naruto and Sasuke ninja tool pouches and announced that the group would take a mission.
• At the Hokage Building, Naruto complained that the available D-rank missions were menial chores.
• Hagoromo chose the mission to find the missing cat Tora and registered it.
• Hagoromo gave Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata three hours to find the cat, warning them that it knew Konoha's streets well.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata completed their first mission by catching Tora, then received advice from Hagoromo about working more efficiently. As they prepared for another mission, they met Shikamaru’s team, who had already completed two D-rank missions and invited them to barbecue.

• Naruto and Sasuke caught Tora, and Shijimi reclaimed the cat and thanked them with an eight-thousand-ryo reward.
• Hagoromo divided the reward among Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata, then advised them to use villagers to gather information during missions.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata accepted another mission, while Hagoromo received small Chakra rewards from the system for their work.
• Asuma arrived with Shikamaru’s team, and Shikamaru explained that they had completed two easy D-rank missions instead of taking the troublesome Tora job.
• Choji invited Naruto’s team to join them for barbecue after their next mission.

Hagoromo led Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata through a rapid stretch of D-rank missions before agreeing to take them on their first C-rank mission. The team selected a job investigating a giant beast in a small country between the Land of Fire and the Land of Water, and waited for their travel permit.

• Naruto and Sasuke declined Choji's barbecue invitation so they could keep completing missions, while Ino warned Asuma that treating their team would cost him dearly.
• Hagoromo led Naruto and the others through a frenzy of D-rank work, with Naruto using Shadow Clones to finish routine tasks and the team completing nearly a hundred missions in under half a month.
• Naruto and Sasuke asked Hagoromo when they could take C-rank missions, and he agreed they would rest for a day before starting them.
• Hagoromo took Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata to the mission hall and selected a C-rank job investigating a giant beast that had reappeared in a small country bordering the Land of Fire and the Land of Water.
• The registration ninja began processing the team's mission and the permit required to leave the village.

Hagoromo led Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata out of Konoha on their first mission beyond the Land of Fire, where they traveled by ship to a village troubled by a mysterious beast. The villagers explained that the beast had injured their chief, and the team learned he had stayed behind to protect them.

• Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata checked their equipment and left Konoha with Hagoromo, who taught them how to travel safely outside their homeland.
• The team crossed the Land of Fire, reached a port, and boarded a ship bound for their mission location.
• Naruto and Sasuke marveled at the sea, and Hagoromo told them they could one day see the sights they imagined if they became strong enough.
• Hagoromo and his students reached the client’s village and found it fortified with fences and wooden frames.
• A villager told Hagoromo that the village chief had been injured by a beast after staying behind to protect the others, and Naruto praised the chief as a good man.

Hagoromo treated the badly injured village chief with Hinata’s help, then went searching for the beast threatening the village. He found an unusual slime that blocked most sensing and returned after learning the chief had awakened.

• Hagoromo examined the bandaged village chief and ordered Naruto and Sasuke to stand guard while he and Hinata treated him.
• Hinata used her Byakugan and healing technique before Hagoromo used Yang Release to finish treating the chief, leaving him with only a few extra years to live.
• Hagoromo told the villagers the chief had been treated, then sent his team to rest while a Shadow Clone guarded them.
• Hagoromo searched the forest, found a strange slime that blocked most forms of sensing, and identified the beast as likely a summoning beast.
• Hagoromo learned through his dispelled Shadow Clone that the village chief had awakened and headed back to question him.

Hagoromo and his team investigated why a village’s worshipped chameleon had begun attacking its people. After learning that strange thunderstorms preceded each attack, Sasuke suspected a Lightning Release ninja was trying to capture the creature, and Hagoromo led the team toward its valley.

• Three Platforms explained that the chameleon had once protected the village from wild beasts but began attacking about a month earlier.
• Three Platforms and a villager recalled that sudden thunderstorms and downpours had occurred before the attacks.
• Hagoromo told Three Platforms to keep the villagers indoors and led Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata toward the valley.
• Sasuke guessed that a Lightning Release ninja might have provoked the chameleon while attempting to subdue it.
• Hagoromo praised Sasuke’s reasoning and warned the team to stay alert as they continued the mission.

Hagoromo and his students searched for the chameleon and learned that a ninja had been abducting villagers. After discovering where the ninja was, Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata moved in while Hagoromo watched from behind, and they heard the ninja angrily confronting someone.

• Hagoromo led Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata through the valley, where they found old signs of a battle but no trace of the chameleon.
• Hinata found no other clues in the valley, and the group returned toward the village to ask for more information.
• A villager told Naruto and Sasuke that an escaped villager had reported people being tied up and taken away one at a time.
• Hagoromo sent the students to investigate the reported location, where a lightning strike revealed the ninja's presence.
• Sasuke assigned Naruto to provide support and Hinata to watch for others, then the three students advanced toward the thunder as the ninja shouted at someone who had tried to escape.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata confronted Raiga Kurosuki after Naruto saw him striking burial mounds with lightning. Their coordinated attacks weakened Raiga, but he unleashed a powerful lightning tornado, leaving Hinata to target the swords at its center.

• Naruto spotted an arm protruding from a burial mound as Raiga Kurosuki struck it with lightning, and he charged with Shadow Clones.
• Raiga destroyed Naruto’s Shadow Clones with Falling Thunder, but Naruto attacked through the smoke with a Rasengan as Sasuke and Hinata joined in.
• Hinata struck Raiga’s wrist with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm while Sasuke and Naruto hit his Armor of Lightning with Chidori and Rasengan.
• Sasuke called for Naruto to retreat, and Naruto covered his hands with Yang Release: Armament Covering before preparing to fight again.
• Raiga summoned a Thunder Dragon Tornado, and Naruto used Shadow Clones to slow it while Hinata identified the swords as the technique’s center.
• Hinata launched herself using Naruto’s Shadow Clone and attacked Raiga’s swords with Twin Lions: Collapse.

Hinata, Sasuke, and Naruto defeated Raiga Kurosuki, and Naruto killed him after condemning his treatment of the dead. Hagoromo completed the mission by capturing the injured chameleon, then revealed Raiga had belonged to Akatsuki, prompting Sasuke to ask about the organization.

• Hinata weakened Raiga with Twin Lions and Sun-Character Straight Punch, Sasuke disarmed him, and Naruto struck him down with a Wind Release: Rasengan.
• Naruto uncovered and reburied a body, then confronted Raiga over his mock funerals and killed him with a Yang Release Armament strike.
• Hagoromo praised his disciples and said he had captured the injured chameleon while they fought Raiga.
• Hagoromo sealed Raiga's corpse in a scroll and revealed that Raiga had been an Akatsuki member.
• Naruto asked what Akatsuki was, and Sasuke asked whether its members were all like Raiga.

Hagoromo returned to Konoha with Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata after completing their mission and reporting that they had defeated Akatsuki member Raiga Kurosuki. Hiruzen praised the team and upgraded their mission to A-rank, while the Lightning Blades and the captured summoning beast remained for Konoha to handle.

• Hagoromo sealed Raiga Kurosuki’s Lightning Blades and reported the mission’s completion to the village chief before leading the team back to Konoha.
• Hagoromo let Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata explore towns along the way, and they reached Konoha after nearly a week.
• Naruto and the others encountered Kakashi at the Hokage Building, and Naruto hurried into Hiruzen Sarutobi’s office with Hinata.
• Hagoromo reported that an Akatsuki member had been capturing the summoning beast, and Hiruzen said the Intelligence Department would investigate.
• Hiruzen praised Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata for defeating Raiga Kurosuki and upgraded their mission from C-rank to A-rank.

After Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata completed an A-rank mission, Hagoromo received Chakra and the Invisibility Technique as rewards. Neji told Hagoromo that his Byakugan was close to advancing, prompting Hagoromo to realize he had forgotten to give Neji the jutsu to undo his Caged Bird Seal; Neji said he was glad the advancement had been delayed.

• Naruto celebrated the team's A-rank mission, and Hagoromo sent his disciples home to rest before training the next day.
• Hagoromo received 300 Chakra for each disciple and obtained the Invisibility Technique as an additional reward.
• Hagoromo returned home and learned from Neji that Rock Lee had been injured during a B-rank mission, putting their missions on hold.
• Neji explained that Might Guy had been using Hagoromo's breathing method and medicinal baths to help Rock Lee grow stronger.
• Neji told Hagoromo that his Byakugan was close to advancing and that Rock Lee had been injured protecting him after it fluctuated during a fight.
• Hagoromo realized he had forgotten to give Neji the Sealing Jutsu to undo the Caged Bird Seal, and Neji said he was glad his Byakugan had not advanced yet.

Hagoromo used Yin and Yang Release and Hamura’s blood to undo Neji’s Caged Bird Seal. Neji’s will connected with Hamura’s Blessing and the Tenseigan’s power, and the seal vanished, leaving him calm and free of pain.

• Hagoromo took Neji to a chamber protected by chakra markings and prepared to remove the seal.
• Hagoromo revealed the Caged Bird Seal’s structure and used Yin and Yang Release to work on it while warning Neji to endure the pain.
• Hagoromo invoked Hamura’s blood, causing the seal to resist and inflicting severe pain on Neji.
• Neji drew strength from memories of Hizashi, Hagoromo’s trust, and his desire for freedom, declaring that he would never stop.
• Neji’s will activated Hamura’s Blessing and the Tenseigan’s power, suppressing the seal until it crumbled away.

Neji broke free of the Caged Bird Seal and awakened the nascent Tenseigan, though his body could not yet keep up with his eyes. Hagoromo received Amenonuhoko and enhancement pills as rewards, while the moon's Main Family learned that a true successor had appeared on Earth.

• Neji's Tenseigan awakened after Hamura's Blessing took effect, and Hagoromo helped him deactivate his Byakugan when the power overwhelmed him.
• Hagoromo examined Neji and found that his eyes had advanced, but his body would need years of nourishment to catch up.
• After Neji left the chamber, Hagoromo received Amenonuhoko and three Super Kage Level physical enhancement pills from the system.
• Hagoromo formed Amenonuhoko with his Chakra, examined it, and decided to give the pills to Neji and Rock Lee.
• On the moon, a Main Family elder sensed the awakening and told the clansmen that a true successor had been born in the ancestor's bloodline.

After Neji awakened an embryonic Tenseigan, Hagoromo warned him that the moon’s Ōtsutsuki would sense his power and advised him to avoid using it. Neji chose to rebuild the Hyuga Main Family rather than destroy it, and Hagoromo agreed to support him when he was ready.

• The moon’s Ōtsutsuki Main Family elders ordered a detection array activated, while the Branch Family leader sensed a powerful resonance and commanded his followers to find the person responsible.
• Hagoromo gave Neji a pill, warned him to limit his Tenseigan use, and explained the moon’s connection to the Hyuga bloodline.
• Neji asked Hagoromo for help dealing with the Hyuga Main Family, but said he was not ready to act yet.
• Neji chose to rebuild the Hyuga Clan instead of destroying the Main Family, partly because he did not want to hurt Hinata.
• Hagoromo promised to support Neji and planned to visit Might Guy and Rock Lee with him, intending to strengthen Might Guy with a pill.