Chapter Summaries

Dada received a letter from the Daimyo of the Land of Lightning proposing a marriage between Yotsuki Dana and Raihara Natsu, while also asking Kumogakure to investigate a mysterious force controlling the nation’s steel and weapons industries. After ordering a secret review of United Steel Company, Dada considered how Kumogakure’s growing independence could reshape its relationship with the Daimyo.

• Dada returned to Kumogakure after studying mathematics and cultivating Natural Energy in Shikkotsu Forest, then spent breakfast with Satomi.
• The Daimyo proposed that Yotsuki Dana marry Raihara Natsu and asked the Acting Raikage to confirm the wedding arrangements.
• The Daimyo asked Kumogakure to investigate an unknown force that had consolidated much of the Land of Lightning’s steel and weapons industries.
• Dada ordered a secret internal review of United Steel Company’s branches throughout the Land of Lightning.
• Dada reflected that Kumogakure’s growing income from its own enterprises was making the old shinobi village–Daimyo system an obstacle to development.

Dada tested Communication Snails in Kumogakure, demonstrating their communication and Chakra-sharing abilities and explaining their care. In the Land of Fire, Minato Namikaze defeated Hyuga Naoto with his self-developed Rasengan, and Hatake Sakumo considered taking him as a disciple.

• Dada distributed Communication Snails to the test subjects and demonstrated how the small Katsuyu could transmit voices, though simultaneous messages became unintelligible.
• Dada tested Chakra sharing, with himself and the Uzumaki siblings supplying Neutral Chakra to the other participants, and instructed everyone to record their use and care of the Katsuyu.
• Dada reflected that Kumogakure now held Shikkotsu Forest's Contract Scroll and could develop Katsuyu's abilities without fear of other villages copying them.
• At the Anbu base, Minato Namikaze outmaneuvered Hyuga Naoto and stopped a Rasengan just short of his face, securing victory.
• Hatake Sakumo learned that Minato had developed the Rasengan and admired his combat and ninjutsu talents, deciding he might want to take him as a disciple.

Dada’s Communication Snail trials progressed as the Third Raikage returned from his journey with news of Chakra Metal deposits in the Eastern Archipelago. The village organized an expedition to survey and begin extracting the ore, while the Third Raikage resumed his duties as Raikage.

• Dada established partnership rules and a fenced habitat for the Small Katsuyu as the first Communication Snail trial ended.
• The Third Raikage and Yotsuki Ki returned to Kumogakure with Chakra Metal ore discovered on islands in the far eastern sea.
• The Third Raikage announced his return, met with village leaders, and ended Dada’s time as Acting Raikage.
• Kumogakure’s senior officials discussed the strategic value of the ore deposits and planned their development.
• Thirty ninja departed for the Eastern Archipelago to join Dodai, survey the veins, and begin preliminary extraction.

Dada equipped Kumogakure’s senior officials with Communication Snails and discussed the Ninja Advanced Study School and the need for strong shinobi with Hirohiko and Kagari. Kakuzu arrived at Kumogakure to meet Dada, who handed him two heavy iron chests and prepared to follow him to complete their exchange.

• Dada gave Communication Snails to Kumogakure’s senior officials to improve communication between departments.
• At a barbecue meal, Dada told Hirohiko that the Ninja Advanced Study School lacked qualified teachers, and Hirohiko described his first real battle and his resolve to find his own path to strength.
• Hirohiko asked why he always sat apart from Dada, Kagari, and Nambu Maki when they ate together.
• Kakuzu reached Kumogakure and asked to see Yotsuki Dana, using the word “Chomei” to get the guards to summon Dada.
• Dada brought ten companions, handed Kakuzu two heavy iron chests, and revealed that they were ready to follow him for the exchange.

Dada brought the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki Kakuzu had captured to Kumogakure, where the Sealing Squad secured him and the Third Raikage decided to keep the beast sealed within its host. The Third Raikage offered Dada the chance to become a Jinchuriki, but Dada refused.

• Dada paid Kakuzu for the unconscious Seven-Tails Jinchuriki and asked him to pursue a future deal for the Light-Weight Rock Technique.
• Dada took the captive through a secret entrance to Kumogakure's Sealing Squad headquarters, where Brunhild and the Third Raikage were waiting.
• Dada found Blue B detained at the headquarters, and Blue B said the Eight-Tails could sense one of its kind.
• The Seven-Tails grew restless and leaked Chakra, but Brunhild and the Sealing Squad reinforced its seal.
• The Third Raikage chose to leave the Seven-Tails inside its host rather than create another Jinchuriki, then offered Dada the role.
• Dada declined, saying a Tailed Beast would not help him and would only become an unstable factor.

Dada reviewed Kumogakure’s postwar expansion and noticed reports of a major battle in the Land of Water, then faced a family interrogation about his engagement to Raihara Natsu. He asked to postpone the wedding for a year, but Third Raikage A promptly wrote to the Daimyo to set it for the end of next year.

• Dada read intelligence about Kumogakure’s expanding influence and trade operations in other countries.
• Dada noticed reports of a tremendous battle at a lake in the Land of Water and suspected Kirigakure was developing its Tailed Beast and Jinchuriki.
• Satomi, Third Raikage A, and Yotsuki Ki confronted Dada about his engagement as he neared fifteen.
• Dada said he had no dissatisfaction with Raihara Natsu but wanted to delay the wedding for another year.
• Third Raikage A agreed outwardly, then wrote to the Daimyo to schedule the wedding for the end of next year.

Hanzo of the Salamander trained with the Second Hokage’s Water Release techniques and developed Amegakure with financial aid from Kumogakure. As the village’s influence still lagged behind the Five Great Villages, Hanzo conceived a new plan and wrote several letters.

• Hanzo of the Salamander practiced Water Release jutsu and mixed his poison gas into his water needles.
• Hanzo explained that he had obtained Tobirama Senju’s Water Release techniques and cultivation notes from Hiruzen Sarutobi in exchange for releasing his prisoners.
• Hanzo received financial aid from the Third Raikage and used it, along with war reparations, to expand Amegakure and develop its Ninja Academy.
• Hanzo took three young people as disciples while the two Cloud Ninja instructors trained successive groups of Rain Ninja students.
• Hanzo considered ways to raise Amegakure’s reputation and wrote several letters as the First Amekage.

Hanzo invited the major villages to a Joint Chunin Exam in the Land of Rain, and Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Konoha considered taking part. The chapter ended with Hatake Sakumo deciding to discuss Konoha’s participation and jokingly telling Minato that he was no longer a Chunin.

• The Third Raikage and Dada agreed that Kumogakure should participate in Hanzo’s Joint Chunin Exam, and Uzumaki Hirohiko was stripped of his Chunin rank pending reevaluation.
• Yagura Karatachi received Hanzo’s invitation and decided Kirigakure should participate to build ties with other villages.
• Hatake Sakumo read Hanzo’s invitation and weighed the benefits of Konoha joining the exam.
• Hatake Sakumo decided to consult Konoha’s three elders and asked Minato his age, then mistakenly declared that Minato was no longer a Chunin.

Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage agreed to have Iwagakure and Sunagakure participate in Hanzo of the Salamander’s Joint Chunin Exam, while Pakura was assigned a new team. The exam drew all five major villages and several smaller villages, leaving Hanzo preparing to host a major event in Amegakure.

• Ōnoki decided Iwagakure would enter the Joint Chunin Exam despite his disdain for Hanzo of the Salamander’s invitation, while Kitsuchi asked to participate and was ordered back to training.
• The Third Kazekage told Pakura to delay her chunin promotion and compete in the exam with Yashamaru and Chiyo’s grandson under Elder Chiyo’s leadership.
• The Third Kazekage appointed Pakura captain of her new team because her current teammates could not keep pace with her strength.
• All five major villages agreed to participate for reasons including showing their strength, building relations, and gathering intelligence.
• Hanzo of the Salamander expanded Amegakure, built examination facilities, and invited smaller ninja villages to make the event a success.

Yotsuki Dana explained that Kumogakure’s young ninjas would face a dangerous Joint Chunin Exam in the Land of Rain and let them choose whether to participate. Most stayed, and Dana assigned them to seven teams before announcing he would coach them.

• Yotsuki Dana told the gathered students that their Chunin Exam applications had been rejected because the Joint Chunin Exam would be held in the Land of Rain.
• Dana explained the exam’s importance, warned that combat and possible deaths made it dangerous, and said participants would compete in teams.
• Killer B leaped onto a desk and boasted about becoming famous, so Dada knocked him back with a piece of chalk.
• Dana let the students choose whether to participate, and most of them remained while a few left.
• Dana assigned the participants to seven teams, including teams with Uzumaki Hirohiko, Killer B, Yahiko, and Amber Konan.
• Dana introduced himself again and announced that he would serve as their team leader and coach.

At Kumogakure’s No. 3 Training Ground, Dada had the Joint Chunin Exam participants introduce their combat specialties and team roles. The introductions revealed three promising teams, with the remaining teams still to be presented.

• Dada asked the exam participants to introduce their combat specialties by team, and Tiexiong Daquan, Uzumaki Kagari, and Uzumaki Hirohiko spoke first.
• Killer B challenged Hirohiko over claiming to be a Chunin, and Hirohiko said he had all Chakra natures, drawing disbelief from the group.
• Killer B demonstrated his Multi-Sword Style while Yahiko and Amber Konan introduced themselves; Konan used paper techniques to make an Explosive Tag circle Killer B.
• Chishin Yusuke introduced his Red Eye abilities, and the twins Red Rock and Hongling described their Crystal Release and trap-combat specialties.

Kumogakure’s delegation arrived in Amegakure for the Joint Chunin Exam, where Hanzo welcomed them and showed them the accommodations and training grounds. The contestants’ first look at Kirigakure’s trainees revealed Suikazan Fuguki and a Kaguya Clan girl demonstrating their fearsome abilities.

• Dada led seven teams through a month of special training before the Kumogakure delegation set out for Amegakure in mid-April.
• Third Raikage A, Dodai, Yotsuki Dana, and the Cloud Ninja delegation met Hanzo of the Salamander at the Land of Rain’s border.
• Hanzo told Dada that the Fourth Mizukage had arrived with Kirigakure’s team, while the Kage of Iwagakure, Konohagakure, and Sunagakure had not attended.
• Hanzo guided the delegation to Amegakure, where the contestants received a reserved building and access to three training grounds.
• The Kumogakure contestants watched Suikazan Fuguki practice swordsmanship before a Kaguya Clan girl used Shikotsumyaku to manifest bones and fight him.

Yotsuki Dana shut down Kaguya Tsuki’s reckless challenge at the Amegakure training grounds, then encountered the newly arrived Konohagakure and Sunagakure teams. The chapter ended with the Konoha group reacting fearfully to the Purple Moon Demon while the Uzumaki siblings noticed a young red-haired boy from Sunagakure.

• Kaguya Tsuki challenged Yotsuki Dana and attacked him with a bone spike, but he caught it, shattered it, and sent her crashing into a wall.
• The Kirigakure ninja apologized and took the injured Kaguya Tsuki away, while Dana tried to hide his disgust at the bone marrow on his hand.
• Hanzo of the Salamander hosted the Raikage and Mizukage at a banquet, and Dana led Kumogakure’s young ninja in training the next morning.
• Konohagakure and Sunagakure arrived together, and Tsume Inuzuka recognized Dana as the Purple Moon Demon before Minato Namikaze stopped her from confronting him.
• The Konohagakure ninja stayed silent and uneasy around Dana, while the Uzumaki siblings noticed a young red-haired boy among the Sunagakure team.

Dada watched the villages gather in Amegakure while Sasori learned of Yotsuki Dana and revealed his interest in killing Hatake Sakumo. Later, Minato Namikaze followed two hooded ninja after one whispered that Xiao Jiu sent her greetings.

• Dada noticed Uchiha Fugaku and the Konohagakure team reacting to him, then organized training for his group.
• Chiyo told Sasori about Yotsuki Dana's feats, and Sasori said that even the Kage could die.
• Kaguya Tsuki attacked Tsume Inuzuka, but Minato Namikaze pulled Tsume out of the way.
• Two hooded ninja whispered to Minato Namikaze that Xiao Jiu sent her greetings, and he followed them after calming Tsume.

Minato met with Hirohiko and Kagari, who convinced him that Kushina had been taken by Root and asked him to help uncover what had happened to her. As the Joint Chunin Exam began in Amegakure, Hanzo announced its rules and the first round, Canyon Escape.

• Minato met Hirohiko and Kagari in an alley and questioned whether he could trust the Kumogakure ninjas.
• Kagari told Minato she had seen Root ninjas take Kushina and explained why she feared Kushina was imprisoned there.
• Minato asked Kagari to share what she knew about Root, and she agreed.
• Iwagakure's ninjas arrived shortly before the exam, and several contestants from small villages withdrew after hearing the risks.
• Hanzo welcomed the contestants and laid out the exam's general rules before announcing the Canyon Escape round.
• A Rain Ninja explained that teams had to find designated exits in the canyon before sunset, and the contestants prepared to draw their starting points.

Teams began the canyon escape exam, where contestants had to navigate the terrain and use incomplete maps to locate limited escape points. The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning arrived at the observation platform as Dada watched the exam from above.

• Teams drew starting points, and the new generation of Ino-Shika-Cho descended into the canyon from Starting Point No. 2.
• Konan used paper wings to glide from Starting Point No. 1 and scout the canyon while Killer B and Yahiko headed for their rendezvous point.
• Shikaku Nara deduced that teams had been given incomplete map pieces and that collecting maps would help reveal the escape points.
• Minato Namikaze, Tsume Inuzuka, and Shibi Aburame concluded that the exam would test intelligence, map gathering, and combat.
• Han, Mabui, and Oonoki noticed strange markings on a rock and their map, then decided they might need to take other teams' maps to decipher the code.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning arrived at Amegakure's observation platform, startling Dada as he drank juice.

Pakura’s team defeated Iwagakure and Kusagakure teams, collected their maps, and continued investigating how the maps related to the exam. Elsewhere in the canyon, a group of Sunagakure participants was confronted by a three-person team demanding their maps.

• An Iwagakure team ambushed a Kusagakure team and demanded their maps, but a Sunagakure puppet attack interrupted their negotiations.
• Sasori and Pakura defeated the Iwagakure and Kusagakure teams, while Yashamaru treated the wounded.
• Pakura compared the teams’ maps with her own and found that one matched while the other differed.
• A masked Rain Ninja arrived, approved of Yashamaru treating the injured, and took the defeated participants away.
• Two Sunagakure teams joined forces and studied their maps, hoping to find more and meet Pakura’s team.
• A three-person team led by an arrogant girl demanded the Sunagakure group’s maps, and their headscarf-wearing member urged everyone to avoid a conflict.

Kirigakure's team brutally defeated a Sand ninja squad, leaving Baki disqualified after he surrendered. In the stands, Yagura worried about Kaguya Tsuki's violence, while Raihara Natsu and Dada were put on the spot by the Land of Lightning's Daimyo.

• Kaguya Tsuki, Ringo Ameyuri, and Suikazan Fuguki attacked the six Sand ninja, killing several and injuring others.
• Kaguya Tsuki killed a Sand ninja as he tried to surrender, then the masked examiner disqualified Baki when he called out his surrender.
• Chiyo watched the fight, while Yagura Karatachi regretted bringing Kaguya Tsuki and considered speaking with her after the first round.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Lightning chatted with Third Raikage A, leaving Dada and Raihara Natsu awkward beside them.
• The Daimyo called Dada his worthy son-in-law and asked which village's team was strongest, making Raihara Natsu blush.

Konan, Yahiko, and Killer B discovered that their maps revealed markings when exposed to Chakra, while Minato’s team defeated Gari’s squad and collected two maps. The two groups heard a distant explosion as they pursued the next clues.

• Konan met Yahiko and Killer B at their rendezvous point, where Killer B showed her two maps taken from a Takigakure squad.
• Konan recognized the maps as Chakra test paper, and Yahiko and Killer B used Water-attribute and Neutral Chakra to reveal their markings.
• Yahiko spotted two special symbols on the revealed map and suggested the team investigate them, just as an explosion sounded nearby.
• Minato dodged Gari’s explosive fist while Tsume Inuzuka and Shibi Aburame fought the other stone ninja.
• Minato used a clone and a Rasengan to defeat Gari, and his team obtained two maps from the defeated squad.

Shikaku Nara’s squad uncovered the map’s secret and confronted Chishin Yusuke’s Kumogakure squad at a trapped cliffside. After both teams fought to a standstill, Uzumaki Hirohiko’s squad arrived as reinforcements, leaving Minato Namikaze and Hirohiko facing each other.

• Shikaku Nara led Inoichi Yamanaka and Choza Akimichi to a cliffside map point, where Red Rock’s crystal trap captured Inoichi.
• Shikaku, Choza, and Inoichi worked together to escape the trap field and briefly control Red Rock and Hongling, but Chishin Yusuke overwhelmed Choza with his mist-assisted taijutsu.
• Chishin Yusuke rescued Red Rock and Hongling, then negotiated a withdrawal as Minato Namikaze, Tsume Inuzuka, and Shibi Aburame arrived to support Shikaku’s squad.
• Uzumaki Hirohiko’s squad arrived behind Chishin’s team, and Hirohiko and Minato faced one another as Minato reached for his short sword.