Chapter Summaries

Jiraiya helped Second Pillar reconsider his anger at Naruto and the other children, then heard his report on the Fire Temple battle and Kakuzu. The chapter ended with Jiraiya warning that Second Pillar’s economic plans could intensify conflict with the Land of Fire Daimyo and joking about the danger of one wrong move.

• Jiraiya urged Second Pillar to consider why Naruto and the others had disobeyed him and to treat them with patience, reminding him that the children were not his enemies.
• Second Pillar decided to use Naruto’s younger self as a guide to understanding the children, but Jiraiya told him to wait before speaking with them and asked about the Fire Temple.
• Second Pillar reported that Hidan had been buried at the Fire Temple, described the risk of Akatsuki attempting a rescue, and explained Kakuzu’s abilities and his own plan.
• Jiraiya praised Second Pillar’s judgment and said his economic plans were ahead of their time, warning that changing the village’s economic structure could worsen tensions with the Land of Fire Daimyo.
• Jiraiya reflected that Master Chiriku’s death had revealed Hidan’s abilities and joked that a mistake could leave someone a widow.

Jiraiya showed Sasuke Sunagakure’s secret letter seeking him through a marriage proposal, but Sasuke refused the offer. Shikamaru began outlining three strategies for Konoha to respond to Sunagakure, leaving the middle and lower strategies unrevealed.

• Jiraiya showed Sasuke Sunagakure’s confidential letter and teased him about marrying Temari, but Sasuke rejected the proposal.
• Sasuke wondered whether Shikamaru knew about the possible connection between him and Temari.
• Asuma reported that the Fire Temple support mission had been canceled, and Jiraiya ordered him to strengthen surveillance of the buried Akatsuki member and improve the Temple’s information channel with Konoha.
• Sasuke questioned why Konoha’s plans for managing clan power ignored the Sarutobi Clan, and Jiraiya admitted that his ties to the Third Hokage made the issue difficult.
• Shikamaru told Jiraiya that Sunagakure’s marriage proposal was a pretext to recruit capable fighters and began presenting three response strategies; Sasuke said he had no interest in the proposal.
• Shikamaru outlined the upper strategy: tactfully refuse Sunagakure and establish a Konoha security force there to gradually absorb its forces.

Shikamaru Nara proposed that Konoha strengthen its alliance with Sunagakure by sending a loyal, powerful ninja or by connecting Sunagakure with Kirigakure’s remnants. Jiraiya and Sasuke chose the Wind-Water alliance in principle, then set conditions for pursuing it cautiously.

• Shikamaru Nara presented upper and lower strategies for addressing Sunagakure’s security needs, naming Tsunade, Kakashi Hatake, Sarutobi Asuma, and Second Pillar as possible candidates for the upper strategy.
• Sasuke judged the upper strategy too slow and the lower strategy too hasty, and said Tsunade was the best candidate while he needed more time to consider his own wishes.
• That night, Sasuke urged Jiraiya to reconsider the Wind-Water alliance, citing Mei Terumi’s severe drinking problem and the potential benefits of helping Sunagakure and Kirigakure complement one another.
• Jiraiya and Sasuke agreed to support the alliance with safeguards, though Jiraiya remained troubled by the risks of sending Sasuke away from Konoha.
• The next day, Jiraiya told Shikamaru Nara they would tentatively adopt the Wind-Water alliance proposal, and Sasuke laid out conditions: Konoha must not initiate it, the process must not be rushed, and Mei Terumi must recover first.

Shikamaru accepted a super S-rank mission to mediate between Konoha and Sunagakure, then married Temari and joined Sunagakure. A month later, he attended Jiraiya’s funeral, while Uchiha Itachi watched from afar and crushed his Anbu mask.

• Second Pillar and Jiraiya assigned Shikamaru a super S-rank mission to represent Konoha and mediate among Sunagakure’s factions.
• Jiraiya and Second Pillar revealed their plan to marry Shikamaru to Temari, who had become Sunagakure’s acting Kazekage.
• A month later, Shikamaru publicly joined Sunagakure and held weddings in both villages, leaving his grieving mother Yoshino behind.
• Shikamaru attended Jiraiya’s funeral after rushing back from Sunagakure, where he placed a white flower before the coffin.
• Uchiha Itachi watched the funeral from afar, removed his Rat Head Anbu mask, and crushed it to powder.

After Jiraiya’s funeral, Shikamaru questioned Second Pillar about the Hokage’s death and offered help, while Naruto confronted Sasuke over his lack of grief. Sai provoked Naruto into losing control, and the chapter then flashed back to Jiraiya admitting that Naruto had secretly been sent to Mount Myōboku to learn Sage Art, prompting Second Pillar to insist on going too.

• Shikamaru gave Second Pillar three basic puppet scrolls, asked whether the Hokage was really dead, and offered his help before leaving for Sand Hidden Village.
• Naruto accused Second Pillar of not grieving for Jiraiya, and Sai taunted him by claiming Sasuke was happy to become Sixth Hokage.
• Naruto attacked Sai under the influence of Tailed Beast Chakra, but Second Pillar restrained him and told him to go home.
• At dinner, Naruto revealed that Jiraiya had sent him to Mount Myōboku to learn Sage Art without telling Second Pillar.
• Jiraiya explained that he had delayed Second Pillar’s training because he was already skilled in many techniques, and promised to take both students to Mount Myōboku later.
• Second Pillar asked Naruto whether he had already learned Sage Mode.

Naruto returned from Mount Myōboku and told Second Pillar he hoped to master Sage Art Chakra and shine in the upcoming Chunin Exams. Second Pillar reconciled with Team 7, prepared them for the exams, and learned that Naruto and Sakura lacked a third teammate to register.

• Naruto told Second Pillar that his Sage Mode training had greatly improved his strength, though he had not yet mastered it.
• Second Pillar heard Team 7 confess that all three had played a part in their recent trouble, assigned them fifty laps, and told them he was not angry.
• Hanabi Hyuga, Konohamaru, and Jin Dafeng chose to enter the Chunin Exams, and Second Pillar distributed their Fire Temple mission reward among them.
• Naruto arrived, greeted Konohamaru, and asked him to team up for the Chunin Exams.
• Second Pillar explained that Konohamaru already had a three-person team, and Naruto revealed that he and Sakura could not register because they lacked a third teammate.
• Second Pillar considered the shortage of members among their generation's teams and began asking about Neji's Team 3.

Naruto struggled to find teammates for the upcoming exam, while Jiraiya weighed the threat Akatsuki posed after Takigakure fell. Shimura Danzō offered Sai and Root’s forces to Konoha, then asked Jiraiya about techniques for transferring a soul into another body.

• Naruto learned that Tenten had teamed up with Ino and Choji, leaving only him and Sakura without teams, and Second Pillar advised him to ask Toad Master about unassigned Genin.
• Jiraiya read a report stating that Akatsuki had destroyed Takigakure and likely captured the Seven-Tails, then worried that Naruto and other Jinchuriki were in danger.
• Shimura Danzō visited Jiraiya and proposed cooperation, offering Sai first and nearly fifty Root ninja afterward.
• Jiraiya examined Sai’s résumé and cautiously accepted Danzō’s offer, while suspecting that Danzō still had an ulterior motive.
• Danzō asked whether a ninjutsu could place one person’s soul in another body, and Jiraiya mentioned Transformation, the Yamanaka technique, Orochimaru’s reincarnation, and similar novels.

Jiraiya considered Naruto’s request to have Sai join Kakashi’s Team for the Chunin Exams and agreed to ask him. Danzō assigned Sai to the team as part of a second-phase mission, while Sasuke continued training his three disciples for the exams.

• Danzō asked Jiraiya about stories of people transmigrating into another world, and Jiraiya suggested he read a transmigration novel.
• Naruto found Sai’s résumé in Jiraiya’s office and asked for Sai to join Kakashi’s Team for the Chunin Exams.
• Jiraiya decided Sai’s placement could let him assess Sai while keeping him away from important political matters, and told Naruto he would ask him.
• Danzō told Sai he had been assigned to Kakashi’s Team and that the mission’s second phase would begin under the name Sai.
• Sasuke trained Konohamaru, Jin Dafeng, and Hanabi for the Chunin Exams, teaching Konohamaru the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique and weighing what to teach the others.

Sasuke trained his students, teaching Jin Dafeng Chakra Threads and Konohamaru Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, then went to meet Sai as Naruto and Sakura’s new teammate. After assessing Sai as a dangerous but inscrutable ninja, Sasuke left the group, only for Sai to call after him and leap overhead.

• Hanabi Hyuga practiced Sixty-Four Palms, but her speed faltered after Thirty-Two Palms, and she broke the wooden dummy with a powerful strike before walking away.
• Sasuke demonstrated Chakra Threads to Jin Dafeng and began teaching him the basics of Puppet Technique, while Konohamaru trained in Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
• Sasuke reached Hokage Rock and found Sakura confronting Sai over his insult, with Kakashi restraining them and Naruto watching.
• Sai introduced himself to Sasuke, who bluntly told him, “I hate you,” before Kakashi confirmed Sai would join Naruto and Sakura’s team.
• Sasuke left after concluding that Sai was powerful and hard to read, but Sai called to him and leaped over his head.

Sai questioned Sasuke about his use of Fire Release: Flame Armor, while Naruto left the Hokage Residence to continue his sage training at Mount Myōboku after Jiraiya’s death. Sasuke was left alone with Jiraiya’s voice in his mind, and the chapter shifted back to an earlier dispute between Sasuke and Jiraiya.

• Sai confronted Sasuke about Fire Release: Flame Armor and hinted that he was investigating him for Danzō.
• After Jiraiya’s funeral, Naruto packed his belongings and told Sasuke he could no longer stay in the house where Jiraiya’s scent lingered.
• Naruto summoned Gamakichi and left for Mount Myōboku, asking Sasuke to send word if he became the Sixth Hokage.
• Sasuke watched Naruto depart, spoke with Jiraiya’s voice in his mind, and called him Toad Master.
• The story shifted to September 28, Year 65 of Konoha, where Sasuke objected to something during a meeting with Jiraiya.

Second Pillar summoned Deceitful Monkey Kitsu to help settle his dispute with Jiraiya over whether Konoha should prioritize Akatsuki or Shimura Danzō. Kitsu challenged both of them to think beyond the immediate threat and consider how Konoha would fight the coming war.

• Jiraiya decided to travel to Rain Hidden Village to learn whether Pain and Konan were the war orphans he had once trained, while Second Pillar argued that the Hokage should remain in Konoha.
• Jiraiya said Akatsuki might soon target Naruto and that he needed to stop the threat before it reached the village, but Second Pillar warned that Danzo’s actions could leave Konoha vulnerable if Jiraiya died.
• Second Pillar summoned Deceitful Monkey Kitsu and explained his disagreement with Jiraiya, including Akatsuki’s plans and Danzo’s investigation of him.
• Kitsu told Second Pillar not to let anxiety rule his judgment and said that, although internal affairs usually mattered most, external threats could take priority during a chance to reshape the world order.
• Kitsu argued that Konoha’s cramped strategic position made war unavoidable and demanded that Second Pillar and Jiraiya consider how, where, and by whom it would be fought.

Deceitful Monkey Kitsu warned Jiraiya that leaving for the Rain Hidden Village would leave Konoha vulnerable and Sasuke without the political support needed to succeed him. He proposed deliberately triggering one of Konoha’s crises, while Shimura Danzō received Sai’s report on Sasuke’s activities.

• Second Pillar asked Deceitful Monkey Kitsu for advice, admitted he feared Jiraiya would die, and led him to Jiraiya’s study.
• Deceitful Monkey Kitsu and Jiraiya recognized each other, then argued over Jiraiya’s plan to go to the Rain Hidden Village and name Sasuke as Sixth Hokage.
• Deceitful Monkey Kitsu warned that Sasuke lacked influence among Konoha’s clans and that Konoha faced threats from Akatsuki, Orochimaru, the Fourth Raikage, and others.
• Deceitful Monkey Kitsu urged Jiraiya to take the initiative and set off one of the crises involving Akatsuki and Shimura Danzō.
• After the first Chunin Exam stage ended, Sai reported to Shimura Danzō about Sasuke’s summoning, techniques, sword, and past operations.

Shimura Danzō concluded that Second Pillar was a transmigrator and resolved to expose him, while Jiraiya agreed to a plan to remove Danzō. As Naruto left Konoha and Second Pillar entrusted Jiraiya’s puppet to Shikamaru, Shikamaru pledged the Nara Clan’s support to the Sixth Hokage.

• Shimura Danzō reviewed Second Pillar’s unusual growth and composure, decided his soul had been replaced by a transmigrator, and vowed to stop him.
• Deceitful Monkey Kitsu persuaded Jiraiya that eliminating Shimura Danzō was his duty as transitional Hokage, and Jiraiya agreed to hear the plan.
• On October 13, Second Pillar told Shikamaru Nara that Naruto had left Konoha and was safe.
• Second Pillar gave Shikamaru the Mind Secret Technique Puppet, asking him to take it to the Uchiha Clan’s base at the Naka River if Second Pillar died; Jiraiya protested from inside it.
• Shikamaru told Second Pillar that he did not believe the rumors and that the Nara Clan would support the Sixth Hokage.

Shikamaru pledged his support to Second Pillar while warning that the Nara Clan could not risk plunging Konoha into civil war, then entrusted him with the Puppet Doll and promised to oppose Shimura Danzō if Second Pillar died. Back at the Hokage Residence, Jiraiya summoned Deceitful Monkey Kitsu and announced that they would finalize their plan to lure Shimura Danzō into exposing a weakness.

• Shikamaru told Second Pillar that he considered him a friend, but Second Pillar urged him to keep the conflict with Shimura Danzō from involving the clans.
• Shikamaru returned the Puppet Doll to Second Pillar and vowed that the Nara Clan would reclaim his corpse and oppose Shimura Danzō if he died.
• Second Pillar accepted the doll, and Jiraiya quietly recalled that he had hidden part of the fake-death plan from Second Pillar.
• Naruto returned from Shikamaru and Temari's wedding with Second Pillar, and Second Pillar sent him away by claiming Sakura and Sai were nearby.
• Jiraiya met Second Pillar and Deceitful Monkey Kitsu in the Hokage Residence study and said they would finalize their plan to lure Shimura Danzō into exposing a weakness.

Jiraiya told Sasuke and Deceitful Monkey Kitsu that Danzō suspected Sasuke had been taken over by an alien being marked with Karma, after receiving intelligence from Orochimaru. The group rejected plans to provoke Danzō too openly, and the chapter ended with Jiraiya asking Deceitful Monkey Kitsu for a better strategy.

• Deceitful Monkey Kitsu proposed killing Sai and framing Danzō, then suggested implicating Danzō in Kirigakure’s destruction and subjecting him to an investigation.
• Jiraiya revealed that Danzō had begun organizing pressure against his faction after learning about Karma from Orochimaru’s letter.
• Jiraiya explained that Danzō and Mitokado Homura had asked to inspect Sasuke naked for a black diamond-shaped mark, enraging Sasuke.
• Jiraiya argued that the group should avoid making the first move and wait for Danzō to expose his plans, while Sasuke insisted he was ready to fight.
• Jiraiya proposed hiding while he traveled toward the Rain Hidden Village, then striking with Sasuke if Danzō attacked; Deceitful Monkey Kitsu dismissed the plan as childish.

Jiraiya, Sasuke, and Deceitful Monkey Kitsu planned to fake Jiraiya’s death to draw Shimura Danzō into acting, settling on combining two special items. Jiraiya then secretly told Uchiha Itachi to protect Sasuke as the next Hokage and prioritize his survival above their agreement.

• Deceitful Monkey Kitsu urged Jiraiya to fake his death, and Sasuke agreed that the idea made sense.
• Sasuke presented Demon Sleep Secret Medicine and a Mind Puppet; after weighing their limits, the group decided to use both and scheduled the plan for three days later.
• Jiraiya met Uchiha Itachi by Naka River and asked what he thought of Sasuke’s achievements.
• Jiraiya told Uchiha Itachi that Sasuke would become the Sixth Hokage after his death and ordered him to protect Sasuke at any cost.
• Jiraiya released Uchiha Itachi from the Three-Chapter Agreement if Sasuke faced mortal danger, insisting that Sasuke had to survive.

Jiraiya and Sasuke carried out their fake-death plan, convincing Tsunade and Konoha that Jiraiya had died of sudden causes. After the timeline converged and Jiraiya reunited with Sasuke, Shikamaru returned home on a rainy night and discovered two ninjas waiting with his mother.

• Uchiha Itachi thanked Jiraiya for releasing him from the Three-Chapter Agreement and disappeared into the mist, hoping to return to Sasuke.
• Jiraiya drank the Demon Sleep Secret Medicine and used the Puppet Doll ritual, leaving Sasuke unable to contact him as his body appeared lifeless.
• Sasuke summoned Tsunade, who examined Jiraiya and ruled out murder before determining that he had died suddenly.
• Konoha held Jiraiya's funeral, and the events involving Shikamaru, Naruto, Sai, and the Entrusted Puppet brought the timeline into alignment.
• Jiraiya and Sasuke discussed whether Shikamaru might have guessed their plan, then Sasuke went to bed.
• Shikamaru returned to the Nara Residence in the rain and found two ninjas waiting in the living room with Yoshino Nara.

Shikamaru discussed Danzo’s campaign against Second Pillar with Choza and Inoichi, and the three agreed to avoid openly choosing sides while weighing the threat of Danzo becoming Hokage. Sasuke met Neji and Kimimaro, then revealed that Jiraiya was not dead.

• Shikamaru admitted he had visited Second Pillar, and Inoichi showed him a letter claiming the real Second Pillar had been killed.
• Choza and Inoichi explained that Danzo was courting clan support and planned to spread doubts about Second Pillar throughout the village.
• Shikamaru argued that Sasuke would be a better Hokage than Danzo, while the three agreed not to make their faction’s position obvious before the power struggle was settled.
• Sasuke posted on the System Forum asking for advice about a possible conflict with Danzo and Root, then set out to meet Neji and Kimimaro.
• Neji and Kimimaro comforted Sasuke at Kimimaro’s home, and Sasuke revealed that Jiraiya was not dead.

Second Pillar recruited Neji Hyuga and Kimimaro into Sasuke’s plan against Shimura Danzō, then searched the System Forum for advice. He rejected a user’s demand for revenge, blocked him, and received a suggestion involving Obito Uchiha and Karin that could earn a B-Rank Scroll.

• Second Pillar revealed that Jiraiya was alive inside the Mind Puppet, and Neji Hyuga recognized the truth and apologized for Kimimaro’s joke.
• Second Pillar explained the plan against Shimura Danzō to Neji Hyuga and Kimimaro, who agreed to stand with him and help in the coming fight.
• Second Pillar asked Neji Hyuga and Kimimaro to gather food while he organized intelligence on Root, then entered the System Forum instead of writing.
• Fei Ya Long Shou accused Second Pillar of refusing to avenge the Uchiha Clan, and Second Pillar defended his choice to live for himself before blocking the user.
• Second Pillar read advice from Mo Li about removing Danzo legally and a suggestion from Qian Liexian to enlist Obito Uchiha and Karin; the system offered a B-Rank Scroll for completing it.

Uchiha Sasuke read forum intelligence about Shimura Danzō’s abilities and reconsidered the danger of confronting him. He then asked the senior netizens for advice about Root’s elite shinobi, learning that Yamanaka Fu, Aburame Torune, and possibly Sai were threats.

• Sasuke ignored suggestions to ally with Obito Uchiha or Sakura and kill Danzo alongside a hostage.
• Ye Bofeng warned that Sasuke might lose to Danzō and suggested waking Jiraiya, but Sasuke rejected the idea because it could compromise their plan.
• Hunshui Moyu explained that Danzō had Kage-level strength, Uchiha Shisui’s eye and its Heavenly Eye of God, ten Sharingan for Izanagi, and powerful Wind Release.
• Sasuke learned that Danzō could use Reverse Four Symbols Sealing when near death and decided to stay alert to his abilities.
• Sasuke asked the forum about Root’s elite shinobi, and TD Xian Sheng named Yamanaka Fu and Aburame Torune, with Sai as a possibility if Naruto had not won him over.