Chapter Summaries

Hagoromo met Might Guy in Konoha and accepted his challenge to a Taijutsu match, with Kakashi accompanying them to Hagoromo’s training ground. After Hagoromo redirected Guy’s opening kick, Guy launched a stronger attack, and Hagoromo entered the No-Self Realm to face it.

• Hagoromo ran into Kakashi, who was no longer in Anbu, and met Might Guy when he came to find Kakashi.
• Might Guy challenged Hagoromo to a match, and Hagoromo accepted to gain experience before his Jonin assessment.
• Hagoromo led Guy and Kakashi to his training ground, where Naruto and the others watched.
• Guy opened with Konoha Strong Whirlwind, but Hagoromo used Bong Sau to redirect the kick and throw him away.
• Guy attacked with Extreme: Konoha Adamantine Strong Whirlwind, and Hagoromo entered the No-Self Realm to meet the faster, stronger kick.

Hagoromo fought Might Guy using the No-Self Realm, then removed his heavy weights and asked to see Guy’s Eight Gates Formation. Guy opened the third gate and attacked with Reverse Lotus as Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi watched; the chapter left them considering how Hagoromo’s breathing method affected the strain of his own technique.

• Hagoromo used the No-Self Realm to counter Guy’s attacks while Kakashi watched with his Sharingan and Sasuke questioned him about it.
• Guy noticed Hagoromo’s weights and asked him to remove them, revealing wrist and ankle weights heavy enough to crater the ground.
• Hagoromo asked to see the Eight Gates Formation, and Guy opened the third gate before launching Reverse Lotus.
• Naruto and Sasuke struggled to follow Guy’s speed, while Kakashi warned Sasuke that his chakra pathways were already damaged.
• Kakashi explained that the Eight Gates Formation harmed its user’s body, and Naruto recalled Hagoromo’s insistence that his students master Crescent Moon Breathing Method.

Might Guy pushed Hagoromo to commit fully to his fighting path, then opened the Sixth Gate for a decisive clash. Their techniques devastated the training ground, leaving both fighters exhausted as Kakashi prepared to deal with the approaching people.

• Might Guy urged Hagoromo to fight with conviction, and Hagoromo chose to face him rather than retreat.
• Might Guy opened the Sixth Gate, while Kakashi shielded Naruto and the others behind an Earth Formation Wall.
• Hagoromo used a linked breathing technique to release his Yang Release Chakra and met Might Guy’s attacks with rapid close-range strikes.
• Might Guy and Hagoromo unleashed Morning Peacock and Tiger Hunt, whose collision wrecked the training ground.
• Might Guy collapsed from the strain, and Hagoromo sat wounded in a crater as Kakashi asked Naruto and the others to look after them and went to meet the approaching people.

Hagoromo recovered in Konoha Hospital after fighting Might Guy and agreed to seek Jonin promotion, while Hiruzen gave him the Mirage Vapor Pearls. His students visited, and Hagoromo hinted to Shikamaru that the matter he had mentioned would soon have results.

• Hiruzen told Hagoromo to rest and said Might Guy had left on a mission with Kakashi after their fight inspired him to train harder.
• Hagoromo agreed to seek Jonin promotion within a month and thanked Might Guy for changing his outlook.
• Hiruzen gave Hagoromo the Mirage Vapor Pearls, which Hagoromo examined before putting away.
• Naruto, Ino, Hinata, and the others visited Hagoromo, and Naruto was shocked to learn he should call Kakashi big brother.
• Hagoromo confirmed that Kakashi received his Sharingan from a friend during the Battle of Kannabi Bridge and told Sasuke to ask his father for more details.
• Hagoromo told his students to focus on training and told Shikamaru that the matter he had raised would soon have results.

Hagoromo used the Summoning Scroll to summon a yokai named Madara, discovered that he could suppress him and that he could transform into a gigantic beast, and learned the scroll made their bond permanent. The chapter ended with Hagoromo proposing to rename the catlike Madara Sansan.

• Hagoromo sealed off a woodland clearing, opened the Summoning Scroll, and summoned a small, white catlike creature.
• The creature called himself Madara and claimed Hagoromo was his servant, but Hagoromo slapped him and suppressed his Yokai Power.
• Hagoromo asked whether Madara could take a larger form, and Madara transformed into an enormous, white-furred beast.
• At the training ground, Madara returned to cat form and learned that the Summoning Scroll's bond meant he could not go back.
• Hagoromo teased Madara about his weight and suggested renaming him Sansan.

Hagoromo brought Sansan to the cat’s sage land and faced its dangerous trials. After threatening Sansan over his hostile behavior, Hagoromo learned the cat was willing to form a bond with him, and they agreed to get along.

• Sansan explained that he could return to a sage land rather than the scroll, and Hagoromo persuaded him to go there with an offer of sake.
• Sansan led Hagoromo through Muku Shrine’s forest, warning that its bell chimes turned those with impure thoughts into trees.
• Sansan described the river as the second trial, and Hagoromo struck him and threatened to kill him if he acted against him again.
• Hagoromo told Sansan he knew about Natsume Reiko and proposed they cooperate, prompting Sansan to agree to get along with him.
• Sansan asked Hagoromo to free him after his death and allow others to contract with him in the meantime, and Hagoromo agreed.

Hagoromo passed the Memory River trial without being affected by its water, then gained the Fate Bell’s acceptance and began cultivating Senjutsu. He reached saturation and transformed into Hazy Moon, leaving Sansan the cat astonished by his talent.

• Sansan the cat explained that the Memory River forced people to confront painful memories and could turn those who broke down into stone statues.
• Hagoromo drank from the river despite Sansan’s warning, but felt no effect and was deemed likely immune to Fate Power.
• Sansan brought Hagoromo to Muku Shrine, where the Fate Bell accepted him and entered his forehead.
• Sansan explained that Hagoromo could absorb Natural Energy and yōkai Fate Power to cultivate Senjutsu in the Hazy Moon form.
• Hagoromo quickly reached saturation and transformed, gaining feline-patterned eyes, red markings, and fluffy white hair.

Hagoromo learned that his Hazy Moon Sage Mode had reached pseudo-high-level greater demon power and discovered he could fly on clouds, though it lasted only five minutes. He returned to the training ground with San San and introduced him to Naruto and the other disciples as his summoning beast.

• Cat San San explained that Hagoromo’s Sage Mode had reached pseudo-high-level greater demon strength, while his body’s energy capacity kept him from advancing further.
• Hagoromo discovered that Hazy Moon Sage Mode gave him innate techniques, including Hazy Moon Cloud Soaring, and flew until his mode ran out after five minutes.
• Hagoromo and Cat San San returned to Muku Shrine, where San San said he had sealed the shrine behind a barrier because it held something left by the progenitor.
• Hagoromo went back to the new training ground with San San, who asked Choji for chips and noticed the fox’s smell on Naruto.
• Hagoromo introduced San San to Naruto and the others as his summoning beast, and they reacted with disbelief.

Hagoromo left Cat San San to train Naruto and the others while he prepared for his Jonin assessment and worked on a sealing formula for a trial. Shikamaru warned him that some people might try to interfere with his promotion, and Hagoromo considered asking Shisui Uchiha to help with the Genjutsu.

• Naruto called Cat San San fat, and the cat knocked him unconscious before Hagoromo caught him.
• Hagoromo agreed to leave Cat San San with the students as their trainer in exchange for buying him snacks, and told them to focus on their assignments before finals.
• Shikamaru told Hagoromo that his father had asked him to mention the upcoming Jonin assessment, prompting Hagoromo to suspect that two powerful figures might oppose his promotion.
• Cat San San made Naruto run while carrying him, and Hagoromo judged that Naruto still had room to push himself harder.
• Hagoromo studied Sealing Jutsu formulas for a trial using the Mirage Vapor Pearl and considered asking Shisui Uchiha to handle its Genjutsu.

Hagoromo borrowed Shisui from Hiruzen to help test a training Genjutsu built with Sealing Jutsu formulas. After Hiruzen assured him he could act freely against anyone stirring up trouble, Hagoromo took Shisui to the training ground and recruited Cat San San as a future sparring opponent.

• Hagoromo brought snacks to Hiruzen and asked to borrow Shisui after revealing that he had learned Senjutsu from his family's Summoning Scroll.
• Hiruzen assigned Shisui to help Hagoromo and told him to ignore anyone trying to stir up trouble.
• Hagoromo and Shisui left the Hokage Building, and Hagoromo asked Shisui to call him by his name and learned that Shisui was avoiding his clan to prevent any appearance of impropriety.
• At the training ground, Hagoromo laid out Sealing Jutsu formulas to create a looping Genjutsu environment for practical training.
• Hagoromo told Cat San San it could serve as Naruto and the others' opponent, and Cat San San protested that Hagoromo was treating it like it was not a person.

Hagoromo tested the Mirage Vapor Pearl with Shisui Uchiha and Sansan, discovering it could trap a Shadow Clone in an illusion that felt like two days. Afterward, Shikamaru struggled through intense strategic training against projections of Lelouch and Light Yagami, and he regretted asking Hagoromo for help.

• Hagoromo had Shisui Uchiha use Genjutsu on the Mirage Vapor Pearl while Sansan stood on its sealing formula.
• Hagoromo sent a Shadow Clone into the activated barrier, and the Clone dispersed after experiencing what seemed like two days in the illusion.
• Sansan said the pearl's scent reminded him of edible raw materials that might grant unexpected benefits, but Hagoromo did not know what they were.
• Naruto worried that Shikamaru looked close to collapsing after training, and Hagoromo explained that Shikamaru's mind had been working too hard.
• Hagoromo reflected that Shikamaru had spent eight hours facing projections of Lelouch and Light Yagami, while Shikamaru wished someone would save him.

Naruto and his classmates headed to the final exam, while Hagoromo discussed handing the teachers’ team leader role to Iruka and made rounds of the classrooms. The school discovered that Sansan had stolen sausages, and Hagoromo arranged for the Akimichi Clan to provide replacements.

• Naruto greeted his friends cheerfully until Ino reminded him that the final exam was that day, and Hinata’s reassurance that the written test was easy made him realize Hagoromo had said it.
• Hagoromo asked Iruka to consider becoming the next teachers’ team leader, and Iruka learned that rumors about Hagoromo’s possible Jonin promotion were spreading among the teachers.
• Hagoromo and Iruka checked the classrooms, where they spotted Sansan fleeing with a sausage.
• A teacher reported that a batch of sausages had gone missing, and Hagoromo told the teacher to ask the Akimichi Clan for replacements and pay for both batches.

Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga fought in a first-year practical sparring match, impressing the watching students with their Taijutsu and breathing techniques. Naruto won after Hinata ran low on Chakra, and the chapter ended with him praising her while irritating Sasuke.

• Naruto encouraged Hinata before their match, and both agreed to fight at full strength using Taijutsu.
• Hinata activated her Byakugan and used the Gentle Fist against Naruto's Inch Power Eight Gates techniques.
• Hinata trapped Naruto in her Eight Trigrams Formation and attacked with Vacuum Palms, but Naruto deflected her Chakra shockwave.
• With Naruto's encouragement and Hagoromo's approval, Hinata used the Crescent Moon Breathing Method and pressured Naruto, stunning the spectators and unsettling Neji.
• Naruto seized an opening and defeated Hinata, then praised her strength and compared her favorably to Sasuke, who resented being dragged into their exchange.

Naruto accepted Neji’s challenge after becoming angry at his rudeness toward Hinata, and Hagoromo urged him to fight with the same deadly resolve as Neji. The two began their full-strength Taijutsu match as Shikamaru, Hinata, and the others watched.

• Naruto sensed someone hiding in the bushes, and Hinata recognized Neji when he stepped out and challenged Naruto.
• Naruto refused at first, then agreed to fight after Neji rudely dismissed Hinata and Shikamaru gave his approval.
• Naruto and Neji began a Taijutsu match, and Neji’s Gentle Fist strike forced Naruto to retreat.
• Neji activated his Byakugan and warned Naruto that fighting without resolve to kill would lead to a crushing defeat.
• Hagoromo arrived, told Naruto to match Neji’s fighting spirit, and stopped the others from interrupting.
• Naruto promised not to hold back, and he and Neji launched into their attacks.

Naruto and Neji fought to a standstill until Hagoromo stopped Neji from attacking Naruto after the challenge had ended. After Neji left, Hagoromo followed him and revealed that he had taught Naruto and the others their Taijutsu.

• Hinata identified Neji as the Hyuga Clan's most talented young ninja, while Naruto and Neji continued fighting without either gaining the upper hand.
• Naruto refused Neji's demand to settle the fight in one move and walked away, but Hagoromo stopped Neji from striking him from behind.
• Neji apologized, and Naruto chose not to punch him, explaining that Hinata was worried about her brother.
• Neji left the training ground, while Naruto and Sasuke began bickering; Hagoromo stopped Hinata from following Neji and went after him himself.
• Hagoromo found Neji near the Forest of Death and told him that he had taught Naruto and the others their Taijutsu.

Hagoromo challenged Neji to see his strength and choices as a way to change the Hyuga clan’s rules, leaving Neji deeply moved. Hagoromo then returned to the training ground with Sansan and dismissed Naruto and the others after their final exam.

• Hagoromo invited Neji to learn from him and urged him to choose his own path rather than accept the Main Family’s rules as unchangeable.
• Neji considered Hagoromo’s words and felt ready to build his strength and challenge the fate imposed on him.
• Hagoromo offered to help Neji whenever he needed it, then walked away and left Neji beneath the moonlight.
• Sansan teased Hagoromo about being gentle, and Hagoromo scolded the cat for eating so much food and limited its future meals.
• Hagoromo returned to the training ground and told Naruto and the others to go home and rest after the final exam.
• Hinata asked about Neji, and Hagoromo told her to give him time; Hinata trusted his advice.

Hagoromo reviewed the students’ improved results and reported the school year’s progress to Hiruzen Sarutobi. After Hagoromo tried to resign as head of the faculty, Hiruzen made Iruka head of the faculty and created a vice principal position for Hagoromo, leaving him responsible for the Ninja Academy’s affairs.

• Hagoromo announced the class results, with Sasuke Uchiha first, Naruto Uzumaki second, Hinata Hyuga third, and Sakura Haruno fourth.
• Kiba Inuzuka asked Naruto about his summer plans, but Naruto did not know what plans were.
• Hagoromo thanked the teachers for their work and discussed the upcoming Jonin instructors with Kubo.
• Hagoromo and Iruka brought the school’s results to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who praised their work.
• Hagoromo asked to resign as head of the faculty and recommended Iruka for the role, which Hiruzen approved.
• Hiruzen appointed Hagoromo vice principal of the Ninja Academy, assigning him the academy’s affairs.

Hagoromo discovered that his Yang Release Chakra Body had stalled because he had only been cleansing his flesh, so he began working on his bones and meridians with Sansan's help. After enduring eight hours of intense pain, his progress reached fifty-one percent, and Sansan carried him to the sacred land to recuperate.

• Hagoromo asked Sansan why his Yang Release Chakra Body progress had stopped at fifty percent, and Sansan explained that Hagoromo's body was not naturally suited to the energy.
• Sansan suggested that Hagoromo's bones and meridians also needed cleansing, and Hagoromo realized he had focused only on his flesh.
• Hagoromo guided Yang Release Chakra into his bones and meridians, while Sansan enveloped him in Senjutsu Chakra to help him stay conscious.
• After eight hours, Hagoromo's progress rose to fifty-one percent, and he learned that deeper cleansing took much longer and caused greater pain.
• Sansan told Hagoromo to recuperate and carried him toward the sacred land after saying Naruto and the others had already finished training and gone back.

Hiruzen Sarutobi secured the Jonin's approval to promote Sawada Hagoromo, but a Utatane Clan Jonin demanded the required strength test. Kakashi Hatake, Uchiha Fugaku, and Hyuga Hiashi were chosen to provide the testers, leaving the Utatane Jonin's attempt to obstruct the promotion with a different outcome than he intended.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi recommended Sawada Hagoromo for promotion to Jonin, citing his mission record, strength, teaching ability, and devotion to Konoha.
• Shikaku Nara called for a vote, and Jonin from the Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Uchiha, and Hyuga clans, along with Might Guy, Kakashi, and Asuma Sarutobi, supported the recommendation.
• After the motion passed, a Utatane Clan Jonin reminded Hiruzen that Hagoromo needed to pass a strength test conducted by three Jonin.
• Asuma Sarutobi suggested that the Utatane Jonin conduct the test, and Kakashi Hatake stopped him from making another proposal by noting that Special Jōnin lacked that right.
• Kakashi Hatake volunteered as a tester, and Uchiha Fugaku and Hyuga Hiashi offered testers from their respective clans before Hiruzen adjourned the meeting.

Hagoromo learned that his Jonin promotion test would take place before the Daimyo's Advisor, whose visit threatened Konoha's autonomy. Shikaku Nara urged Hagoromo to overpower the test's examiners so Hiruzen Sarutobi could confront the political threat from a position of strength.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Hagoromo that his Jonin promotion had been approved, but he would need to earn the recognition of Kakashi and Jonin from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained that the test would be held at the Final Selection Arena in two days because the Daimyo's Advisor and other officials would attend.
• Hagoromo left the Hokage Building and met Shikaku Nara, who revealed that the Daimyo's Advisor was already at odds with the daimyo and might be used to pressure Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Shikaku Nara told Hagoromo that Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to keep the advisor from returning to the Daimyo's Court, but had rejected Shikaku's plan for dealing with the situation.
• Shikaku Nara urged Hagoromo to overpower his opponents in the promotion test so Hiruzen Sarutobi could challenge Konoha's political adversaries without fearing the Land of Fire's response.