Recaps

Naruto trained his Vibration Force and spent three days improving his skills while Sasuke was absent. When Sasuke returned to school, Naruto greeted him and commented on his healed face and rare smile, while their classmates eagerly surrounded him.

• Kurama wrote recipes while Naruto held and stroked him, then Naruto went outside to train his Indestructible Body and Vibration Force.
• Naruto practiced Vibration Force by punching a hole in a tree, then learned Sasuke had taken three days off from school.
• Naruto spent the next three days training on the Back Mountain and managing his cattle and sheep, while the bulls fled when he called Kurama over to inspect them.
• Naruto returned to school and met Sasuke at the gates, where he teased him about his healed face and told him to smile more often.
• Sasuke entered the classroom and was immediately surrounded by classmates, while Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka stood beside him and told him what had happened during his absence.

Naruto and Sasuke went into the woods for their third fight, each determined to win and Naruto hoping to earn Sasuke’s friendship. Naruto revealed his immense strength and began tearing down the trees Sasuke used to evade him.

• Sasuke rejected Sakura Haruno’s invitation to go home together, and Naruto noticed Sasuke’s fighting spirit.
• Naruto bumped into Hinata Hyuga, who was too nervous to answer his apology and blushed after he left.
• Naruto and Sasuke noticed Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka following them, so they slipped into the woods to fight alone.
• Sasuke challenged Naruto, who again asked Sasuke to become his friend; Sasuke said they could discuss it after the fight.
• Naruto activated Indestructible Body, charged at Sasuke, and snapped apart two trees while Sasuke leaped away.

Naruto overpowered Sasuke in a spar, revealing that his unusual strength, resilience, and ability to sense Sasuke’s real body came from a technique he called Hardening. Sasuke ended the fight exhausted and bruised, while Naruto returned to his normal form and explained what he had been using.

• Sasuke used fire techniques and substitution to evade Naruto, but Naruto swept away the flames and pursued him with astonishing speed.
• Naruto saw through Sasuke’s clones by sensing blood and vitality, then explained why the illusions could not fool him.
• Sasuke chose to fight Naruto at close range, but Naruto’s strength and vibrating muscles overwhelmed him.
• Naruto pinned Sasuke against a tree and continued sparring until Sasuke ran out of strength.
• Sasuke asked what kind of Taijutsu Naruto had used, and Naruto declared that it was Hardening.

After Naruto defeated Sasuke, Sasuke honored his promise and agreed to become his friend. Naruto took him to his Back Mountain Breeding Farm, where he showed off his livestock and prepared to demonstrate his cooking.

• Sasuke accepted Naruto's friendship, reasoning that he had to keep his promise after losing their fight.
• Naruto invited Sasuke to a meal, and Sasuke agreed after Naruto gave him a threatening look.
• Naruto and Sasuke walked to the Back Mountain Breeding Farm, where Nine-Tails pretended to be a pet in front of Sasuke.
• Naruto showed Sasuke his pigs and explained how he judged their health by their manure.
• Naruto and Sasuke saw the bulls mate and the sheep flee from Naruto before heading to the wooden cabin to cook.

Naruto brought Sasuke to his cabin, then went out to catch a goat and prepare dinner. Sasuke discovered that the fox could talk, but Naruto dismissed his claim before serving Sasuke a feast of lamb dishes.

• Naruto told Sasuke to rest at the cabin while he went to find ingredients, then chased down and captured a goat.
• Sasuke tried to pet the Nine-Tails, which startled him by speaking before pretending to be an ordinary fox again.
• Naruto returned with the goat and denied that the Nine-Tails could talk, saying Sasuke must have been hallucinating.
• Naruto boiled eggs for Sasuke to press against his sore face, then finished cooking.
• Naruto served Sasuke a table full of lamb dishes, and Sasuke began eating.

Naruto and Sasuke shared a lamb feast, and Sasuke praised Naruto’s cooking while telling him about his brother Itachi. After Naruto and Sasuke went for a walk, Itachi was still waiting outside the Uchiha Clan Grounds for Sasuke to come home.

• Sasuke enjoyed Naruto’s lamb stew and praised it as being as good as Itachi’s cooking.
• Sasuke told Naruto that Itachi often cooked for him and promised to introduce Naruto to his brother.
• Naruto served Sasuke lamb soup, a trotter, and a leg, explaining that the sheep came from his Breeding Farm.
• Itachi prepared a table of dishes for Sasuke, then waited for him on a streetlamp outside the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
• Sasuke became too full to eat more, so Naruto devoured the remaining lamb before taking Sasuke for a walk.
• The Nine-Tails put on an apron, complained that Naruto had left no food, and washed the dishes.

Naruto took Sasuke for a walk and trained with him, encouraging him to work hard. Sasuke hurried home worried that Itachi was waiting for him, only to find his brother sitting beneath the streetlamp because his feet had gone numb.

• Nine-Tails smelled lamb in the pot and figured Naruto had left it a meal.
• Naruto showed Sasuke the farm animals before bringing him to his training spot and urging him to seize every moment and grow stronger.
• Naruto practiced the Indestructible Body while Sasuke trained Fire Release, producing a pile of charcoal.
• Sasuke remembered that Itachi might be waiting at home, said goodbye to Naruto, and hurried toward the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
• Sasuke found Itachi sitting on the ground and apologizingly asked if he had been waiting; Itachi reassured him, then admitted his feet had gone numb.

Itachi and Sasuke spent a joyful afternoon playing in a dandelion meadow, where Sasuke told his brother he had befriended Naruto Uzumaki. The chapter ended with Sasuke asking Itachi to make extra bento for Naruto, and Itachi agreed to help his brother return Naruto’s kindness.

• Sasuke massaged Itachi’s numb feet, and the brothers walked home together.
• Sasuke suggested they run through the dandelion meadow, and he and Itachi played there while recalling their childhood.
• Sasuke told Itachi that he had become friends with Naruto Uzumaki, who was both his opponent and a talented cook.
• Itachi said he was happy Sasuke had made a friend and agreed that he would like to meet Naruto.
• After they returned home, Sasuke asked Itachi to make an extra-large bento for Naruto, who ate about as much as ten Sasuke.

Naruto went to school hoping to make more friends, while Sasuke kept the contents of his enormous schoolbag a secret. After school, Sasuke revealed that he had brought Naruto a lunchbox, while Nine-Tails waited at home with a goat meal prepared.

• Naruto practiced the Indestructible Body, then headed to school and decided Choji Akimichi would be his second friend.
• Naruto met Sasuke at the school gate, but Sasuke refused to reveal what was in his heavy schoolbag.
• Sakura Haruno and Ino watched Naruto and Sasuke enter class together and each felt urgency.
• Nine-Tails completed its morning chores at the Breeding Farm, selected a goat, and cooked mutton for Naruto.
• After school, Sasuke led Naruto to a grassy spot by a river and revealed that he had packed him a lunchbox.

Sasuke brought Naruto a feast prepared by his brother, while Ino and Sakura watched from hiding before leaving to eat. The Nine-Tails reflected on how it had come to enjoy life with Naruto, and Naruto returned late and apologized to Kurama.

• Sasuke laid out a dozen lunch boxes of food made by his brother, and Naruto eagerly praised the meal.
• Naruto asked which dishes Sasuke had cooked, and Sasuke admitted he had not made anything himself.
• Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno spied on Sasuke and Naruto eating, then left to get food after their stomachs growled.
• The Nine-Tails waited for Naruto, remembered its past and its growing fondness for their life together, and heard him return.
• Naruto saw the untouched food, picked up Kurama, and apologized for coming back late.

Itachi prepared more than a dozen lunchboxes for Sasuke to share with Naruto, then secretly watched the boys eat together at the river. After Sasuke praised Naruto’s reaction to the food, he asked Itachi to teach him how to cook.

• Itachi woke before dawn and prepared breakfast and a large batch of lunchboxes for Sasuke to take to Naruto.
• Itachi told Mikoto that Sasuke’s new friend was Naruto Uzumaki, and Fugaku and Mikoto reflected on Naruto’s connection to Kushina and Minato.
• Fugaku reassured Mikoto that Sasuke’s friendship with Naruto would not cause the same concern as Itachi befriending him.
• Itachi left work at noon and secretly watched Sasuke and Naruto share the lunchboxes by a river, where Naruto ate more than a dozen of them.
• Sasuke thanked Itachi for the food and asked him to teach him how to cook.

Naruto reached the beginner stage of the Indestructible Body and tested its resistance to weapons in a battle with Sasuke. He and Sasuke parted after Naruto demonstrated his new strength, while hidden Anbu remained unaware of the change.

• Naruto sensed that he might advance his Indestructible Body and skipped school to practice at the Back Mountain.
• Naruto completed the final movement of the technique, grew to two meters tall, and received confirmation that he had entered the beginner stage.
• Naruto asked Sasuke to stab him, then challenged him to a battle between ninjas.
• Sasuke threw darts at Naruto, who proved his body could withstand the weapons without injury.
• Naruto explained that his training was called Hardening, returned to his normal height, and spoke with Sasuke while hidden Anbu watched unnoticed.

Naruto learned four new techniques from the system to strengthen his body, offense, and movement. The chapter ended with Konoha’s leaders secretly watching Naruto during a school assessment to judge his progress and temperament.

• Sasuke told Naruto he had learned the Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, and Naruto suggested using the resulting charcoal to roast lamb.
• Sasuke proposed asking his brother to teach him Shadow Clone Jutsu so a disguised clone could attend class in Naruto’s place.
• The system warned Naruto about two bodily weak points and taught him Hundred Refinements of the Perfect Anus, Shrink Yang into Abdomen, Ascension Fist, and Heaven Treading Steps.
• Sasuke returned with news that the school would hold a progress assessment the next day, and Naruto went to class for it.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō watched Naruto’s class through a crystal ball, hoping to assess his abilities and temperament.

Naruto failed the academy assessment, drawing Danzō’s criticism, but afterward he challenged Choji to a spar to become friends. Choji lost and agreed that Naruto only needed to give him tasty food to be his friend.

• Hiruzen rejected Danzō’s proposal to take Naruto into Root and said he would let Minato’s son live peacefully as long as he did not harm the village.
• Iruka and Mizuki held an assessment in which the students demonstrated the Substitution Technique, Clone Technique, and Transformation Jutsu for the Third Hokage to observe.
• Sasuke performed the techniques flawlessly, while Naruto failed all three and had not yet refined any Chakra.
• After school, Naruto asked Choji to be friends, but insisted they spar first.
• Choji agreed to spar, lost to Naruto, and told him that tasty food would have been enough to make them friends.

Naruto made Choji Akimichi his friend over a beating and a meal of grilled lamb skewers, then arranged to meet Choji’s best friend, Shikamaru Nara. Choji brought Shikamaru to Naruto, who insisted they complete a procedure before they could count as friends.

• Naruto asked Choji Akimichi to become his friend, and Choji agreed after being beaten.
• Naruto took Choji to the Breeding Farm on Back Mountain, where they grilled and ate lamb skewers together.
• Choji told Naruto about his best friend Shikamaru Nara and arranged for them to meet.
• The next day, Naruto parted from Sasuke, who said Itachi was teaching him the Shadow Clone Jutsu.
• Choji brought Shikamaru to meet Naruto, and Naruto told Shikamaru they had to complete a procedure before becoming friends.

Naruto made Shikamaru his friend and shared lamb skewers with him and Choji. The next day, Choji left school looking troubled, while Hinata followed Naruto and stopped to thank him.

• Choji persuaded Shikamaru to become Naruto's friend, and Naruto helped Shikamaru up after their confrontation.
• Naruto took Shikamaru and Choji to the Back Mountain, where they prepared and ate lamb skewers.
• The next day, Naruto noticed that Choji had left school without eating, so he sent Shikamaru after him.
• Naruto sensed someone following him on the way home and found Hinata hiding behind a tree.
• Hinata bowed and thanked Naruto.

Naruto remembered that he had helped Hinata when she fell three years earlier, and the two cleared up the misunderstanding about her Byakugan. Hinata visited Naruto’s hut and petted Kurama before going home, while Kurama ended the chapter angry that Naruto had let her treat him like a pet.

• Hinata thanked Naruto for helping her at the market three years earlier, and he remembered pulling her to her feet.
• Naruto realized he had mistaken Hinata’s Byakugan for her rolling her eyes at him, and Hinata tried to explain herself.
• Naruto invited Hinata to his hut, where she petted Kurama despite Kurama’s reluctance.
• Hinata told Naruto about her strict father and left when she feared being scolded for staying out too long.
• Naruto walked Hinata partway home, then realized he had forgotten to ask her to become friends.
• Kurama accused Naruto of breaking his promise by handing him over for Hinata to pet.

Shikamaru learned that Choji was upset because Choza had beaten him after Choji tried to introduce him to Naruto as a friend. Shikamaru and Choji returned to Naruto's Breeding Farm, where Choji happily ate while Naruto listened to the story.

• Shikamaru caught up with Choji and took him to their hill to talk.
• Choji explained that he had told Choza about Naruto and his dream of making friends with everyone.
• Choji asked Choza to become Naruto's friend, then described the friendship process, which meant Choza would have to be beaten; Choza beat Choji instead.
• Choza's Mother arrived, and Choza took her away to make another child.
• Shikamaru cheered Choji up by suggesting they visit Naruto, and Choji eagerly went to eat.
• Naruto heard Shikamaru recount Choji's story and sighed, calling them a loving father and filial son.

Naruto invited Hinata to visit his Breeding Farm, where they talked while Sasuke practiced nearby. When Hinata asked if they were friends, Naruto insisted they had to spar first, and her quick surrender left him calling her insincere.

• Naruto asked Sasuke, Choji, and Shikamaru to help sell the first batch of pigs from his Breeding Farm, and they agreed.
• Naruto noticed Hinata following him again, and she insisted they formally introduce themselves before asking to visit the Breeding Farm.
• Hinata joined Naruto at the farm and asked to pet the Nine-Tails, but Naruto claimed the fox was too shy around strangers.
• Sasuke arrived to practice Fire Release Jutsu and privately resented finding Naruto chatting with Hinata.
• Hinata asked whether she and Naruto were friends, and Naruto demanded a spar before agreeing; Hinata surrendered, prompting Naruto to say she was not sincere.

Naruto became friends with Hinata after sparring with her, and Hinata’s father praised her for showing courage. Later, the Nine-Tails sensed the Masked Man near Sasuke’s home, and Naruto rushed toward the danger despite the Anbu Ninja blocking him.

• Naruto accepted Hinata’s offer to spar, and Hinata endured his punches until he declared them friends.
• Naruto boiled eggs to reduce Hinata’s swelling, and she returned home pleased with their new friendship.
• Hyuga Hiashi saw Hinata’s injuries, praised her for sparring, and ordered her to practice the Gentle Fist.
• Sasuke told Naruto he would finish learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu that day so they could train together on the Back Mountain.
• The Nine-Tails sensed the Masked Man and a battle near Sasuke’s home, so Naruto ran toward the fighting despite the Nine-Tails staying behind.
• Two Anbu Ninja blocked Naruto on the Third Hokage’s orders, and Naruto charged at them with both fists.

Naruto knocked out two Anbu Ninja and had Kurama erase their memories, while Sasuke returned to the Uchiha compound and discovered his parents had been killed by Itachi. Itachi admitted the murders and overpowered Sasuke, leaving him gravely wounded and demanding to know why.

• Naruto sent two Anbu Ninja flying and asked Kurama to erase their memories and hang them back on the tree.
• Kurama grew to enormous size, struck the Anbu Ninja unconscious with a brick, erased their memories, and rehung them.
• Sasuke returned to the Uchiha compound, found it in ruins, and discovered Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto dead beside Itachi.
• Itachi admitted killing their parents, taunted Sasuke, and said weakness was the reason.
• Sasuke awakened one Tomoe and attacked Itachi with Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu, but Itachi struck him down and lifted him by the throat.

Itachi used Tsukuyomi to torment Sasuke, then attacked Naruto when he came to help. Itachi escaped before Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō arrived, and he met the Masked Man outside the Uchiha Clan Grounds to leave Konoha.

• Itachi provoked Sasuke with accusations about his parents and clan, then used Tsukuyomi to make him relive their deaths.
• Naruto arrived and refused to abandon Sasuke, deflecting Itachi’s Shuriken and fighting him with Taijutsu until Itachi withdrew.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō arrived after Itachi had left, and Naruto carried the unconscious Sasuke to the hospital.
• Hiruzen ordered the White-Haired Anbu to pursue the killer while he told Shimura Danzō to deal with the destroyed Uchiha Clan Grounds.
• Itachi met the Masked Man outside the clan grounds and reluctantly prepared to leave, asking to take along a streetlamp he had often stood beneath.

Naruto brought the injured Sasuke to the hospital, learned he would recover but remain unconscious for several days, and returned to the Breeding Farm to discuss Itachi and the forces behind the Uchiha massacre with the Nine-Tails. The next day, Naruto stayed by Sasuke as Iruka and their classmates visited; near midday, someone familiar called out at the ward entrance.

• Naruto rushed Sasuke to the hospital, where a doctor treated his internal injuries and fractures and predicted he would need about a month to recover.
• Naruto returned to the Breeding Farm, told the Nine-Tails that Itachi had attacked Sasuke, and suspected others had pulled strings behind the Uchiha massacre.
• The Nine-Tails said it had beaten the two men who had been following Naruto, and Naruto resumed training before visiting Sasuke the next morning with millet porridge.
• Naruto found Sasuke still unconscious and helped Iruka organize quiet, individual visits from their classmates.
• Iruka took the students back to class after they visited, while Naruto remained at Sasuke's bedside.
• Near midday, a familiar voice called to Naruto from the ward entrance.

Naruto stayed by Sasuke as he recovered from the massacre, and Hiruzen Sarutobi visited to check on him. Hiruzen promised that Itachi Uchiha would be hunted and explained how Konoha would handle Sasuke’s home, clan assets, and expenses.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi visited the hospital, asked Naruto about Sasuke’s injuries, and left without discussing Naruto’s appearance at the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
• Sasuke woke after three days and cried as he remembered Itachi killing their parents and clan.
• Naruto fed Sasuke millet porridge, reassured him as a friend, and told him about the gifts and visits from their classmates.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi returned and promised Sasuke that Itachi Uchiha had been declared a rogue ninja and that people had been sent to hunt him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Sasuke that the Uchiha had been buried, the clan homes were being repaired, and Konoha would safeguard the clan assets and provide Sasuke with monthly living and academy expenses.

After Sasuke agreed not to return to the Uchiha Clan Grounds, Naruto invited him to live at his place and told him his suspicions about the massacre. Sasuke agreed to wait until they were strong enough to seek answers, while his classmates continued visiting him in the hospital.

• Sasuke accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi's proposal for his inheritance but said he would not return to the Uchiha Clan Grounds for now.
• Naruto invited Sasuke to stay at his home after he was discharged, and Sasuke accepted.
• Naruto told Sasuke that an Anbu Ninja had stopped him from reaching the Uchiha Clan Grounds and that Hiruzen Sarutobi had arrived only after the fighting ended.
• Naruto urged Sasuke to keep his suspicions about Hiruzen Sarutobi to himself until they became stronger, and Sasuke agreed.
• Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, and Hinata Hyuga visited Sasuke during his hospitalization, though Hinata spent most of her time chatting with Naruto.