Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Kiyoshi spent three months training and developing a seal to store Chakra in a kunai for use with Substitution Body Flicker. He succeeded, but the seal could safely hold only eight Ka of Chakra, so he planned to keep improving it.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi combined sealing formulas and set out to create a seal that temporarily stored Chakra in a kunai.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi trained with weights, practiced his techniques, and studied sealing theory while Orochimaru focused on Sarutobi Saku and made Nawaki study basics and Chakra control.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi stabilized his kunai seal after three months of experiments, funded partly by taking D-rank Missions.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi tested the seal and found that it safely held about eight Ka of Chakra before failing.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi judged the resulting five-meter Substitution Technique range useful enough for now and decided to test additional enhancement steps.

After six months of training in Konoha, Uchiha Kiyoshi and his teammates prepared to resume missions when Orochimaru agreed to find them a C-rank Mission. Kiyoshi reflected on his developing techniques and their limits as Nawaki eagerly anticipated leaving the village again.

• After half a year of training, Nawaki repeatedly urged Orochimaru to let Team 3 take a mission, and Orochimaru agreed to find them a C-rank Mission.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi considered ways to use Substitution Body Flicker in combat, but abandoned the idea of copying Minato Namikaze's tactics because he could not adapt quickly enough after each substitution.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi considered combining Substitution Body Flicker with solid clones or instant Sealing Formula inscription to develop other combat tactics.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi trained in Body Flicker with Orochimaru's guidance and found that his body could withstand one or two uses before needing treatment.
• As Team 3 prepared to leave, Nawaki celebrated and explained that he wanted to take missions to gain merit and become Hokage, while Uchiha Kiyoshi told him to keep a lower profile.

Team 3 prepared for and began a C-rank escort mission, traveling with merchant Ishimura Yukito toward Great Tree City in the Land of Earth. The team left Konoha under Uchiha Kiyoshi’s direction, with the journey’s dangers still ahead.

• Orochimaru reviewed Team 3’s progress and explained that they would escort a merchant caravan to the Land of Earth and back.
• Orochimaru warned Nawaki and the others that they would be responsible for completing the mission themselves, while Nawaki worried about making a mistake.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku greeted Uchiha Tao and his teammates, and Nawaki argued with them about Team 3’s previous B-rank Mission.
• Orochimaru introduced Team 3 to their client, Ishimura Yukito, who explained that they were traveling to Great Tree City to buy lumber.
• Orochimaru let Uchiha Kiyoshi decide when to depart, and Kiyoshi ordered the group to set off immediately.

Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku escorted Ishimura Yukito’s caravan toward Great Tree City, traveling through the dangerous Land of Grass. When Uchiha Kiyoshi sensed killing intent and stopped the caravan, the story left the group braced for an ambush.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi warned Nawaki to stay alert, and Sarutobi Saku reinforced the lesson as Orochimaru watched secretly.
• After nine days of travel, Uchiha Kiyoshi warned the group that bandits and Rogue Ninja were common in the Land of Grass.
• Yagi Nobuto and three Rogue Ninja decided to rob Ishimura Yukito’s caravan despite its Konoha Shinobi escorts.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi sensed killing intent and stopped the caravan, prompting Nawaki, Sarutobi Saku, and Ishimura Yukito to prepare for danger.

Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku fought off Yagi Nobuto’s Rogue Ninja group while Orochimaru watched from the shadows. The three defeated the attackers, and Orochimaru became intrigued by Kiyoshi’s use of One-Handed Seals.

• Orochimaru noticed the hidden Rogue Ninjas and chose to leave the fight to Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku as a test.
• Yagi Nobuto’s group launched an ambush, but Uchiha Kiyoshi’s team dodged the projectiles and tracked the attackers into the forest.
• Yagi Nobuto attacked Kiyoshi with Earth Bullet Technique, and Kiyoshi used One-Handed Seals to cast Earth Shield and deflect the bullets.
• Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku overwhelmed and killed Yagi Nobuto’s three Genin subordinates with Water and Wind Release techniques.
• Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku cornered Yagi Nobuto, and Sarutobi Saku killed him with Wind Release.

After defeating Yagi Nobuto and his companions, Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku continued escorting the merchant convoy to Great Tree City in the Land of Earth. The team arrived safely and explored the timber-trading city while the merchants made their purchases.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi explained that the defeated Rogue Ninja were weak because they lacked proper Ninjutsu training, and Sarutobi Saku urged his companions to appreciate the village and train hard.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi reflected on Chakra’s origins and his fear that an Ōtsutsuki could absorb it, but rejected the idea of altering his body to strengthen his bloodline.
• The convoy traveled through the Land of Earth, where bandits withdrew after seeing the Konoha Headbands.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku arrived in Great Tree City after three more days of travel.
• While the merchants spent two days buying timber, Nawaki took Uchiha Kiyoshi and Sarutobi Saku around the city.

Team 3 encountered an Iwagakure squad while escorting a caravan through the Land of Earth, and Orochimaru began fighting their Jonin, Doseki. After Orochimaru survived Doseki’s attacks with a body-shedding technique, Uchiha Kiyoshi led Team 3 into battle against the remaining Rock Shinobi.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi sensed danger and told Ishimura Yukito to hide while Orochimaru revealed the enemy’s position.
• Doseki and three Iwagakure Genin emerged from the forest, and Uchiha Kiyoshi recognized the large youth beside them as possibly Kitsuchi.
• Doseki challenged the Konoha Shinobi, and Orochimaru answered with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough before the two Jonin moved their fight into the forest.
• Doseki fought Orochimaru without gaining an advantage, then was stunned when Orochimaru shed his injured body and emerged unharmed.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi assigned himself the large Rock Shinobi and told Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku to handle the other two Genin, and the squads began fighting.

Uchiha Kiyoshi fought Kitsuchi with kunai, clones, and an Earth Clone, eventually wounding him with Earth Spikes. Orochimaru and Doseki returned and halted the battle, and Kitsuchi left hoping to fight Kiyoshi again.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi blocked Kitsuchi’s kunai with an Earth Wall, then used an exploding Fireball Jutsu and clones to obscure his real position.
• Kitsuchi saw through Kiyoshi’s clone attacks and pressed him with sword strikes, while Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku gained the advantage against the other Iwagakure Genin.
• Kitsuchi pierced an Earth Clone with his sword, but Kiyoshi trapped the blade and struck him with Earth Spikes, wounding his leg and waist.
• Orochimaru and Doseki returned from their fight, and Doseki called off the battle and led Kitsuchi’s team away.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi took Kitsuchi’s sword, while Kitsuchi reflected on their fight and looked forward to facing Kiyoshi again.

Team 3 returned to Konoha after completing its caravan escort mission and divided the increased rewards. After fighting Kitsuchi, Uchiha Kiyoshi reconsidered his training path and decided to focus more on Taijutsu and explore the Eight Inner Gates.

• Team 3 hurried away from the Rock Shinobi squad, escorted the caravan back to Konoha, and reported the accidental encounter so the mission rank and pay could be adjusted.
• Ishimura Yukito explained the compensation, and Team 3 divided the 350,000 ryo earned from the mission, with Orochimaru receiving the 200,000 ryo bonus for stopping the Jonin.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi reflected on his clash with Kitsuchi, recalling the Earth Wall hand seals and recognizing Kitsuchi's Taijutsu skill.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi considered Taijutsu as a way to build sustained combat power and reduce the danger of Chakra being reclaimed by the Ōtsutsuki.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi decided to intensify his physical training and learn the first three gates, while wondering whether the Eight Inner Gates belonged to Konoha.

Orochimaru set new training plans for Team 3, and the team spent a month addressing their weaknesses. During that month, Uchiha Kiyoshi improved his medical and physical training and developed a new Secret Jutsu, the Body Forging Technique.

• Orochimaru assigned Sarutobi Saku foundation-building, swordsmanship, Wind Release, and Chakra control training, while Uchiha Kiyoshi continued his own plan and received basic Earth Release scrolls.
• Orochimaru focused Nawaki's training on Chakra control and sparring, beating him severely before Tsunade treated him and prepared him to train again.
• A month passed without Team 3 taking another mission, and Uchiha Kiyoshi treated Nawaki's injuries with the Healing Technique while Nawaki complained about Orochimaru's harsh training.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi tested reducing hand seals for Ninjutsu and increased his physical fitness through harder training and the Body Nourishment Technique.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi developed the Body Forging Technique from movements inspired by powerful beasts and devoted his training to refining it.

Uchiha Kiyoshi refined his Body Forging Technique and looked for ways to make his physical training more effective. He considered using techniques to increase resistance and planned to ask Orochimaru for advice while continuing his Earth Wall research.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi practiced his Body Forging Technique openly, while Orochimaru studied its animal-inspired movements and became interested in it.
• After a week of refinement, Uchiha Kiyoshi completed a session and judged that the technique improved his body faster than ordinary training, though not quickly enough.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi considered adding weighted wristguards and a vest, but abandoned the idea because the equipment would be difficult and expensive to obtain.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi reasoned that increasing resistance could improve his training and considered the Added-Weight Rock Technique, the Hardening Technique, and Sealing Jutsu.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi decided to rest before experimenting and noted that his Earth Wall Technique research was nearly complete, while also considering swordsmanship practice.

Uchiha Kiyoshi tested whether the Hardening Technique could improve his Body Forging Technique and found that it greatly increased his training efficiency. After eating and reflecting on the Body Nourishment Technique’s role in his growth, he planned to practice Ninjutsu and study Sealing Jutsu that evening.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi studied the Hardening Technique scroll, then successfully cast the technique and found that it made movement more difficult.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi practiced the Body Forging Technique while hardened and found that a third of a session produced results comparable to a full session without hardening.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi exhausted his stamina and Chakra, then ate his lunch as Nawaki arrived and expressed concern about his condition.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi reasoned that the Body Nourishment Technique could support his development and identified it as the source of his training’s exceptional effects.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi decided to rest until evening, when he would continue body forging and study Sealing Jutsu with effects like the Hardening Technique.

Team 3 continued improving through training while Uchiha Kiyoshi asked Orochimaru for a gravity-affecting Sealing Jutsu to aid his Body Forging Technique. He learned and tested the Gravity Barrier, finding that it could increase gravity by up to 1.3 times normal.

• Sarutobi Saku learned Wind Release: Gale Palm, while Nawaki improved his combat skills and judgment after Orochimaru taught him about traps and other dangers.
• Orochimaru continued Team 3's training instead of assigning missions, as Uchiha Kiyoshi's Chakra and Taijutsu progressed toward Elite Chunin level.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi asked Orochimaru for a gravity-related Sealing Jutsu, and Orochimaru gave him a scroll for the Gravity Barrier.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi studied the scroll, drew the Gravity Barrier's formulas around a ten-meter radius, and completed the seal after half an hour.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi tested the Gravity Barrier and found it could raise gravity to 1.3 times normal, though 1.1 times was sufficient for his current training.

Uchiha Kiyoshi continued training under the Gravity Barrier, and Team 3 reached roughly ordinary Chunin strength after two months. At Minato Namikaze’s graduation gathering, the group discussed their new teams and instructors, leaving Uchiha Kiyoshi wondering why Jiraiya was not Minato’s instructor.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi gave up combining the Hardening Technique with the Gravity Barrier for Body Forging, though he continued training the technique for its defensive uses.
• After two months of training, Team 3 reached roughly ordinary Chunin strength, while Uchiha Kiyoshi’s Taijutsu reached Elite Chunin level.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku attended Minato Namikaze’s graduation gathering, where Uzumaki Kushina teased them for completing only two missions.
• Nawaki and Uzumaki Kushina argued and nearly fought until Minato Namikaze and Uchiha Kiyoshi intervened.
• Minato Namikaze introduced his teammates and Jonin instructor, Sarutobi Itta, while Uzumaki Kushina, Uchiha Mikoto, and Uchiha Fugaku described their own team assignments.

After learning more about the Sannin and Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Kiyoshi deduced that the Second Shinobi World War was unlikely to begin soon and turned to planning his training. He decided to deepen his Ninjutsu and Nature Transformation studies, while setting aside his ambition to cultivate Kekkei Genkai until he was stronger.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi learned that Jiraiya was likely guiding Minato Namikaze and that Tsunade was probably guiding Uzumaki Kushina.
• After returning home, Uchiha Kiyoshi inferred that the front lines were not yet tense and that a full-scale Second Shinobi World War was at least two years away.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi decided to focus on Ninjutsu because his Taijutsu training was progressing and Genjutsu would be more useful after he awakened the Sharingan.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi planned to study the C-rank Ninjutsu Orochimaru had given him and deepen his Nature Transformation training.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi considered whether cultivating Kekkei Genkai could strengthen his body and promote genetic evolution, but abandoned the idea for now because he lacked the strength to investigate it.

Over two years, Uchiha Kiyoshi strengthened his Chakra Nature Transformation, physical abilities, and tactical skills while completing missions with Team 3. In Konoha Year 35, he sensed a trace of the Nine-Tails’ power and recognized how far his own strength still fell short.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi focused on Nature Transformation and Chakra control, reaching elementary levels in Fire Release and Earth Release heaviness and an intermediate level in Earth Release hardness.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi revised his combat tactics, completed fifty-two C-rank and thirteen B-rank missions with Team 3, and studied the Five Elements Seal.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi upgraded his Gravity Barrier to version 3.0, trained under up to 2.6 times gravity, and developed physical combat strength comparable to a Genin without using Chakra.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi sensed a cold, violent Chakra six months earlier and guessed that the Nine-Tails had briefly revealed its power while changing Jinchuriki.

Team 3 accepted a B-rank intelligence mission in the Rain Country as tensions rose ahead of a possible war. After reaching Nanyun Town disguised as refugees, Uchiha Kiyoshi and his teammates settled in before beginning their reconnaissance.

• Team 3 accepted a mission to investigate Amegakure's deployment in the eastern Rain Country and set out for Nanyun Town.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi warned Nawaki to avoid unnecessary fights and escape if they encountered more than three Chunin-level enemies.
• Team 3 traveled to the Rain Country, disguising themselves among refugees to pass through the border.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi, Sarutobi Saku, and Nawaki reached Nanyun Town and found a place to settle before starting their mission.

Uchiha Kiyoshi, Nawaki, and Sarutobi Saku investigated Amegakure’s bases around Nanyun Town, but Sarutobi Saku was caught in an ambush. Kiyoshi and Nawaki rushed to help as the Amegakure Shinobi intensified their attack.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi explained how his Mental Perception sensed the area around him and assigned reconnaissance routes to Nawaki and Sarutobi Saku.
• Team 3 spent two days scouting and found thirteen suspected Amegakure gathering bases around Nanyun Town.
• A small snake informed Uchiha Kiyoshi that Sarutobi Saku had been surrounded, and Kiyoshi and Nawaki rushed to his location.
• Sarutobi Saku faced seven Amegakure Shinobi led by Ryo Captain, who planned to use him as bait for his teammates.
• Ryo Captain ordered his six subordinates to stop toying with Sarutobi Saku, and they wounded him as he struggled to defend himself.

Uchiha Kiyoshi rushed to rescue Sarutobi Saku from a Rain ninja ambush and struck first, killing two enemies and disabling another. After learning that Ryo was a Jonin, Kiyoshi prepared to face him while Sarutobi Saku held off the remaining Rain ninja, and the fight was about to begin.

• Uchiha Kiyoshi analyzed Sarutobi Saku's message, warned Nawaki through a summoned snake, and hurried toward the ambush.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi sensed six Rain ninja and another concealed enemy, then used the Earth Movement Technique to approach Sarutobi Saku unnoticed.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi killed one Rain ninja and gravely wounded another, while Sarutobi Saku killed a third after Kiyoshi dragged him underground.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi urged Sarutobi Saku to escape before reinforcements arrived and told him to hold off the remaining three Rain ninja.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi learned that Ryo was a Jonin and challenged him to a fight, prompting Ryo to step in personally.

Uchiha Kiyoshi turned the battle against Ryo's Rain Shinobi by suppressing the Jonin in close combat, while Nawaki's ambush helped Sarutobi Saku's side. The fight favored Team 3, but one Rain Shinobi managed to call for reinforcements, leaving Kiyoshi desperate to end the battle before they arrived.

• Ryo attacked Uchiha Kiyoshi with a Water Dragon Bullet, but Kiyoshi blocked it with an enhanced Earth Wall and rushed in with Earth Release techniques.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi used an earth spear to overwhelm Ryo in close combat, preventing the Jonin from using Ninjutsu.
• As three Rain Shinobi pressed Sarutobi Saku, Nawaki ambushed them with Water Release techniques, killing one and injuring the other two.
• One Rain Shinobi kept Nawaki occupied while another called for reinforcements, and Sarutobi Saku was too injured to stop him.
• Uchiha Kiyoshi realized reinforcements could put Sarutobi Saku in danger and urged Nawaki to help end the battle quickly.