Chapter Summaries

Obito Uchiha dealt with the bounty and planned Akatsuki’s next moves, while Naruto, Sasuke, and Kitagawa Gen joked about the previous night before Gen left with Kakashi. The chapter ended with Gen heading to handle a certificate and planning to pursue his Ice Release and Yin-Yang Release studies.

• Obito Uchiha learned that Kakuzu wanted his bounty and that Itachi Uchiha had suspected his identity, then said he had removed Minato Namikaze’s Flying Thunder God Seal.
• Obito Uchiha directed the organization to focus on recruiting for Akatsuki and investigate Kirigakure, and Black Zetsu said Itachi Uchiha’s team would go there.
• Black Zetsu explained that Kakuzu was recruiting a newcomer from a cult organization who supposedly could not die, and Obito Uchiha grew interested.
• Naruto teased Sasuke about the previous night, while Kitagawa Gen denied laughing at the incident and remembered compromising records from his past life.
• Kakashi met Kitagawa Gen, who left Naruto and Sasuke to go handle a certificate and consider studying Ice Release and Yin-Yang Release.

Shimura Danzō planned to use information about Orochimaru’s bases to keep Jiraiya from gaining influence, while Kitagawa Gen became a Chūnin and continued developing his abilities. Gen began experimenting with Ice Release and studying Yin-Yang Release techniques at home.

• Shimura Danzō worried that Jiraiya would take the Hokage position and decided to use Orochimaru’s bases as bait to keep him away.
• Shimura Danzō read a report about Jashinism in the Land of Hot Water and a red-cloud-clad bounty ninja, then formed an idea.
• Kakashi congratulated Kitagawa Gen on becoming a Chūnin and told him to rest, while Gen denied teaching Naruto his technique.
• Kitagawa Gen examined the Yin-Yang Release materials Madara Uchiha had given Obito and noticed flaws in them.
• Kitagawa Gen gathered wind and water Chakra in his palm to begin experimenting with Ice Release.

Kakashi kept Kitagawa Gen in Konoha to study and train, then introduced him to Guy as a training partner. Guy mistook Gen’s newly dyed white hair for Kakashi, just as Gen received a new side quest.

• Kakashi gave Kitagawa Gen scrolls of chūnin and jōnin knowledge and explained that he needed to build experience and learn to use his power wisely.
• Kitagawa Gen reviewed his growing abilities, including Ice Release, and considered how his Otsutsuki bloodline and large chakra reserves helped him develop it.
• Kakashi told Kitagawa Gen that Jiraiya was attending a meeting about news from Kirigakure and said he had invited someone to help train him.
• Guy arrived to train Kitagawa Gen, then froze at his white hair and asked why he had turned into Kakashi.
• Kitagawa Gen’s system announced the new side quest, “I Want to Fight Two!”

Jiraiya learned of three leads involving a mysterious organization, the Land of Hot Water, and Orochimaru, while Kitagawa Gen continued training with Kakashi and Guy. The chapter ended as Anbu approached the three of them.

• Shimura Danzō told Jiraiya that the Fourth Mizukage had recalled an orange-haired man and a blue-haired woman alongside Obito Uchiha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Jiraiya to investigate Orochimaru and sent Kakashi to investigate suspected members of a mysterious organization in the Land of Hot Water.
• Kitagawa Gen reflected on how a month of sparring against Kakashi and Guy had improved his combat skills and considered ways to develop his Purple Electricity and Rasengan.
• Kitagawa Gen teased Kakashi about the later plot of Make-Out Paradise, prompting Kakashi to question how he had read it at his age.
• Guy praised Kitagawa Gen's progress and thought about a hardworking child before several Anbu approached them.

Kitagawa Gen insisted on joining Kakashi and Might Guy on a mission to the Land of Hot Water, and Hiruzen Sarutobi eventually agreed. Gen set out to prepare with a new side quest and the Eight Gates Release Formation, while Jiraiya departed to search for Orochimaru.

• Kitagawa Gen persuaded Hiruzen Sarutobi to let him join Kakashi and Might Guy by invoking his mission experience and refusing to abandon his comrades.
• Gen accepted the system’s side quest to assist Kakashi and Might Guy in the Land of Hot Water, then hurried home to prepare for their noon departure.
• Gen recalled earning the Eight Gates Release Formation after completing the quest to fight Kakashi and Might Guy, and wondered how many gates his body could withstand.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Jiraiya that Gen needed to leave Konoha’s protection and grow through missions, and Jiraiya said he would have taken Gen himself if necessary.
• Jiraiya left to search for Orochimaru, while Hiruzen reflected that Gen might surpass Minato before remembering his awkward encounter at Ichiraku Ramen.

Kitagawa Gen left to begin a mission with Kakashi and Guy, while Obito Uchiha planned to recruit Kakuzu and test a new Akatsuki member. White Zetsu sensed Gen and his companions approaching, leaving Obito alarmed at seeing Gen again.

• Kitagawa Gen met Naruto and the others, then left after they learned he had already become a chunin and Naruto recalled that Gen might examine him.
• Kitagawa Gen met Kakashi and Guy at Konoha's gate and asked them to take him to a hot spring he was allowed to enter.
• Obito Uchiha told Black Zetsu to try recruiting Kakuzu and to test a recent Akatsuki recruit.
• White Zetsu sensed Kakashi Hatake, Kitagawa Gen, and Guy approaching, and Obito Uchiha reacted angrily when he heard Gen was among them.

Kakuzu recruited Hidan after their fight, but Obito Uchiha’s arrival turned the encounter hostile. Elsewhere, Kitagawa Gen trained in the Eight Gates Release Formation before he, Kakashi, and Guy were ambushed, leaving Kitagawa facing a mysterious attacker.

• Kakuzu revealed that he understood Hidan’s blood-based technique and offered him a place in the organization, and Hidan agreed to join.
• Obito Uchiha appeared, but Kakuzu recognized him and urged Hidan to attack him for a reward.
• Guy praised Kitagawa Gen for mastering how to open four gates and warned him to keep improving his physical fitness.
• Kakashi led Kitagawa Gen and Guy through their mission and warned them to watch for an enemy who could appear through space jutsu.
• Kakashi blocked a barrage of explosive Kunai with an Earth Release wall, then dodged an attacker while Guy rescued Kitagawa Gen from rising earth spikes.
• Guy confronted Hidan, while Kitagawa Gen landed and faced another attacker who called him a brat.

Kakashi and Guy fought Obito and Hidan while Kitagawa Gen confronted Kakuzu. As Kitagawa Gen rushed Kakuzu under cover of Purple Lightning, his eyes had changed into White Eyes.

• Kakashi and Obito exchanged blows with their Sharingan, each striking the other before their attacks vanished and they clashed again.
• Guy dodged Hidan’s chained scythe, then kicked him into a tree and called himself Konoha’s Sublime Blue Beast.
• Kitagawa Gen faced Kakuzu, who attacked him with a vast sheet of flames and prepared to use Wind Release against the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Kitagawa Gen blocked Kakuzu’s flames with a Purple Lightning barrier and rushed toward him, his eyes turned into White Eyes.

Kitagawa Gen fought Kakuzu while Guy battled Hidan, and Kakashi faced Obito using the intel Gen had given him. The chapter ended with Kakashi resisting Kamui and revealing a Mangekyo Sharingan that shocked Obito.

• Kitagawa Gen used the Eight Gates Release Formation and his concealed Byakugan to press Kakuzu, observe his missing heart, and dodge the masked monsters’ attacks.
• Guy deduced that Hidan’s weapons were meant to poison him and opened the Eight Gates to fight at greater speed.
• Obito overwhelmed Kakashi with Kamui, leaving him disoriented and seemingly unable to resist being pulled in.
• Kakashi’s body turned into lightning and burst from the ground to attack Obito, but Obito phased through the Lightning Cutter.
• Obito’s Kamui vortex vanished, and Kakashi remained in place with a transformed Sharingan that Obito recognized as a Mangekyo.

Kakashi awakened the ability in his Mangekyō Sharingan and resumed fighting Obito, while Guy and Kitagawa Gen battled Hidan and Kakuzu. Kitagawa Gen pushed his power further against Kakuzu, ending the chapter as a blinding blast engulfed them and devastated the surrounding area.

• Kakashi awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan ability, blocked Obito’s attack, and prepared to continue their fight.
• Guy beat Hidan with his fifth gate, but a shock wave struck Hidan in midair before Guy could finish him.
• Kitagawa Gen identified Kakuzu’s monsters as his hearts and revealed that he had already taken another heart from him.
• Kitagawa Gen sensed his power increasing as he opened the fifth gate and wondered if Genshin had activated.
• Kitagawa Gen moved too quickly for Kakuzu to defend, and a pale light engulfed them as a shock wave shattered the surrounding trees, mountains, and rocks.

Kakashi, Guy, and Kitagawa Gen recovered in a cave after their fight with Obito and discussed what they had learned about their opponents. As the team prepared to report back, Kitagawa Gen considered using Senjutsu instead of the dangerous Eight Gates, and his system announced a side quest completion.

• Guy returned from checking the area and said he had won, while Kakashi urged the team to compile their intelligence and leave.
• Kakashi and Guy questioned Kitagawa Gen about his powerful attack, and he claimed he had used the Eight Gates Release Formation against an enemy with multiple hearts.
• Kakashi and Guy warned Kitagawa Gen not to use the Eight Gates recklessly, and he reflected on its heavy strain and his recovery from White Zetsu Cells.
• Kitagawa Gen considered improving his Senjutsu and wondered whether Sage Mode would change his black eyes to white.
• Guy reported that his opponent recovered from broken bones and used a poisoned weapon, then advised targeting the opponent's head.
• Kitagawa Gen's system announced that the side quest “This Team Can't Do Without Me!” was completed and began calculating rewards.

Obito Uchiha regrouped with Kakuzu and Hidan after their defeats, then warned them to keep their reports under control. Several days later, Guy, Kakashi, and Kitagawa Gen returned to Konoha, where Kitagawa Gen received the Uchiha Forbidden Technique: Six Paths Technique as his reward.

• Obito Uchiha found Kakuzu and Hidan alive, and Kakuzu explained that Kitagawa Gen's Lightning Release Chakra Mode had helped defeat him.
• Hidan complained about Guy's taijutsu, while Obito Uchiha explained Guy's Eight Gates Release Formation.
• Obito Uchiha warned Kakuzu and Hidan to be careful about what they reported, and Kakuzu agreed for extra payment.
• Several days later, Guy, Kakashi, and Kitagawa Gen arrived back at Konoha without visiting the hot springs.
• Guy carried Kakashi to the Hokage Building, while Kitagawa Gen headed home and checked his reward: Uchiha Forbidden Technique: Six Paths Technique.

Kitagawa Gen gained the Uchiha Six Paths Technique and considered using its tailed-beast abilities to obtain chakra, then reunited with Naruto, who had been tending his flowers. Meanwhile, Obito Uchiha sent Kakuzu and Hidan to Pain and asked Zetsu to find targets, while Black Zetsu warned him that Kitagawa Gen had grown stronger.

• Kitagawa Gen examined the Uchiha Six Paths Technique and focused on its sealing and tailed-beast chakra extraction abilities, considering Sora as a possible target.
• Naruto startled himself while watering Kitagawa Gen's flowers, then revealed he had kept visiting whenever Kitagawa Gen was away on missions.
• Kitagawa Gen invited Naruto to Ichiraku, and Naruto offered to pay to celebrate Kitagawa Gen becoming a Chunin after asking whether he would be an examiner.
• Obito Uchiha sent Kakuzu and Hidan to meet Pain, then told White Zetsu to gather information and find valuable targets.
• Black Zetsu warned Obito Uchiha that Kitagawa Gen was stronger than before, while Obito worried about Kakashi's Mangekyō Sharingan and the unknown ability of its other eye.

Black Zetsu sensed a strange, familiar aura in Kitagawa Gen and ordered White Zetsu to investigate him. Back in Konoha, Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to have Jiraiya advise Gen and teach him Sage Mode, but Jiraiya’s return ended with him falling from the Hokage Office windowsill as Gen and Naruto watched.

• Black Zetsu recalled the strange aura Kitagawa Gen had released in battle and told White Zetsu to investigate him without alerting Obito Uchiha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi heard Kakashi and Guy report on the operation, and Kakashi explained how Gen’s battle had helped the mission succeed.
• Kakashi and Guy suggested asking Jiraiya to advise Gen, and Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to have Jiraiya help him learn Sage Mode.
• Jiraiya arrived at the Hokage Office, but slipped off the windowsill as Hiruzen Sarutobi, Guy, and Kakashi watched.
• Kitagawa Gen reassured Naruto that Jiraiya would be fine, then remarked that Naruto and Jiraiya were alike.

At Ichiraku Ramen, Jiraiya agreed to teach Kitagawa Gen Sage Mode, believing it could give him an alternative to relying on the dangerous Eight Gates Release Formation. In the forest, Kitagawa Gen unexpectedly entered Sage Mode on his own, leaving Jiraiya stunned.

• Kitagawa Gen and Jiraiya ignored Naruto’s complaints about the ramen bill, though both had already paid for their meals.
• Jiraiya told Kitagawa Gen he planned to teach him Sage Mode after Hiruzen Sarutobi and the others worried about his reckless use of the Eight Gates Release Formation.
• Jiraiya explained that Sage Mode required gathering Natural Energy and maintaining stillness, and warned Kitagawa Gen that the process was dangerous.
• Kitagawa Gen raised his hand and unleashed a powerful aura as he sensed Natural Energy around him.
• Jiraiya saw red eye shadow and white eyes appear on Kitagawa Gen as his aura settled, and realized he had entered Sage Mode.

Kitagawa Gen mastered Sage Mode and spent the next month and a half developing his abilities in Konoha. As he considered leaving with Jiraiya for further training and wondered whether his evolving eyes could become the Tenseigan, Pain convened the Akatsuki.

• Jiraiya told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Kitagawa Gen had sensed Natural Energy and learned Sage Mode, and Hiruzen ordered him to train the boy with materials left by Lord First Hokage.
• Over the following month and a half, Kitagawa Gen advanced rapidly, demonstrating powerful Sage Art fire and water techniques to Jiraiya.
• Kitagawa Gen told Jiraiya that he needed training beyond Konoha, and Jiraiya went to ask Hiruzen Sarutobi about useful intelligence and a possible trip.
• Kitagawa Gen reviewed his growing Otsutsuki bloodline and considered whether his Byakugan-like eyes might develop into the Tenseigan.
• In Rain Country, Pain opened an Akatsuki meeting as chakra figures appeared around him.

Akatsuki planned to recruit Ōnoki’s troublesome disciple while discussing Kitagawa Gen’s growing power. Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Kitagawa Gen, Jiraiya, and Kakashi to investigate the organization near Iwagakure, and Jiraiya’s choice to travel through the Rain Country triggered an exclusive mission.

• Nagato reassigned Itachi Uchiha to team with Kisame after Biwa Juzo died, and Akatsuki discussed recruiting more members and gathering funds.
• Kakuzu warned Akatsuki about Kitagawa Gen, prompting a tense exchange with Sasori before Pain restored order.
• Black Zetsu proposed recruiting Ōnoki’s disciple, and Pain sent Itachi Uchiha, Kisame, and Sasori to approach him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Kitagawa Gen, Jiraiya, and Kakashi to investigate Akatsuki’s activity near Iwagakure and warned them to avoid Ōnoki’s attention.
• Jiraiya chose to travel through the Rain Country to pay respects to his former disciples, and Kitagawa Gen received an exclusive side quest to investigate Akatsuki with him.

Kitagawa Gen, Jiraiya, and Kakashi crossed Rain Country on their way to the Land of Earth, where Jiraiya paid respects to Yahiko. Black Zetsu arranged for Sasori, Itachi Uchiha, and Kisame to encounter them, while the three Konoha ninja reached a border village.

• Kitagawa Gen bought chrysanthemums from Ino and joined Jiraiya and Kakashi at Konoha's gate for their mission.
• Jiraiya warned Kitagawa Gen and Kakashi about Rain Country and Hanzō of the Salamander as they traveled through the rain.
• Jiraiya placed Kitagawa Gen's flowers at the abandoned house where he had once stayed with Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.
• Jiraiya, Kitagawa Gen, and Kakashi resumed their journey and joked about visiting the hot springs in the Land of Hot Water.
• Konan arrived at the abandoned house and stared at the chrysanthemums after the Konoha ninja left.
• Black Zetsu learned that Kitagawa Gen, Kakashi Hatake, and Jiraiya were nearing Iwagakure's border and arranged for them to cross paths with Sasori, Itachi Uchiha, and Kisame without telling Obito.

Pain and Konan learned that Jiraiya had visited Rain Country, while Akatsuki operatives searched the Land of Earth for Deidara and discovered they were being followed. Jiraiya, Kakashi, and Kitagawa Gen prepared to investigate, but Kakashi made Gen study instead of accompanying Jiraiya.

• Konan told Pain that someone had left flowers at a memorial, likely Jiraiya, and Pain ordered her to gather Akatsuki members as a precaution.
• Kisame, Sasori, and Itachi Uchiha traveled through the Land of Earth to find Deidara, and Black Zetsu revealed that an Anbu squad guarded him and that someone was following them.
• Kitagawa Gen, Jiraiya, and Kakashi reached a village near the Land of Earth, where Jiraiya said Anbu had tracked Akatsuki and the group would soon enter the country.
• Jiraiya went out to scout, but Kakashi stopped Kitagawa Gen from following and ordered him to study for his jōnin preparations.

Kitagawa Gen, Kakashi, and Jiraiya infiltrated the Land of Earth to investigate the Akatsuki’s interest in Deidara, arriving as Itachi Uchiha fought Deidara. After Kitagawa Gen struck Itachi with a Flying Thunder God attack, Sasori mistook him for the Konoha White Fang and launched a poisoned assault.

• Kitagawa Gen, Kakashi, and Jiraiya approached the ruined temple after learning that Deidara was an explosive-making Iwagakure outcast and the Third Tsuchikage’s disciple.
• Itachi Uchiha trapped Deidara in a Genjutsu, making him believe his own clay centipede had ensnared Itachi.
• Kitagawa Gen teleported into the temple and struck at Itachi Uchiha with his Purple Lightning-wreathed blade, blasting apart the floor and a Buddha statue.
• Kisame Hoshigaki recognized the attack as one that had once cut Obito Uchiha, while Kakashi Hatake, Jiraiya, and Kitagawa Gen entered the temple.
• Sasori mistook Kitagawa Gen for the Konoha White Fang, attacked with poisoned senbon, and sent Hiruko’s bladed tail through the earthen walls toward him.