Chapter Summaries

Daren Yi learned about the Land of Hot Water’s girl groups and the Uchiha faction’s business there while hearing how the country’s economy and security were shaped by the great nations’ influence. Kyohei Oshiya revealed his personal ties to the country, leaving Daren with a new reason to question his background.

• Daren Yi learned that Naruto had approved the Uchiha faction’s girl group performance for the Chunin Exam finals, and Shikaku Nara explained that no one dared reject the submission.
• Kyohei Oshiya introduced himself as Starlight Entertainment’s production liaison and offered Daren Yi a choice among seven girl groups.
• Kyohei Oshiya described the Land of Hot Water’s idol industry and explained that the Uchiha faction controlled shares in several local conglomerates.
• Kyohei Oshiya explained that Konohagakure and Kumogakure maintained unofficial mission posts and garrisons in the country, while Kumogakure’s growing influence and exploitation had worsened life for its people and revived the Evil God Cult.
• When Daren Yi asked why Kyohei Oshiya cared about the country, Kyohei revealed that his mother was a citizen of the Land of Hot Water and that he was born after his drunk father caused an accident at a hotel.

As Konohagakure filled with visitors for the Chunin Exam, Tsunade and Jiraiya noticed an unusually large Anbu presence. A masked Anbu ninja appeared behind them with startling speed, and Tsunade began to suspect he was her grandfather.

• Daren Yi let the Land of Hot Water girl group perform at the Chunin Exam opening after sensing their fear and desperation, then quietly left.
• Two days later, Tsunade and Jiraiya traveled through crowded Konohagakure and remarked on the unusually large number of Anbu ninja.
• A disguised Anbu ninja spoke from behind Tsunade and Jiraiya, startling them into leaping away and damaging an empty shopping mall.
• The Anbu ninja appeared in front of Tsunade and Jiraiya with incredible speed and said he was not especially strong.
• Tsunade studied the masked Anbu ninja and tentatively asked whether he was her grandfather.

Tsunade recognized Hashirama and reunited with him, then stabbed and tried to seal him because she believed he was an Impure World Reincarnation controlled by Madara. Hashirama let her continue despite explaining that he might still be alive, while Itachi waited in disguise outside a sweets shop, haunted by dreams of his parents.

• Tsunade exposed Hashirama's identity, greeted him tearfully, and hugged him after recalling their gambling together in the Golden Kingdom.
• Tsunade stabbed Hashirama during their embrace and spread sealing inscriptions over him, believing he was an Impure World Reincarnation sent to infiltrate Konohagakure.
• Hashirama told Tsunade he might still be alive, but she dismissed the idea and struggled to finish sealing his unusual body.
• Hashirama suppressed his body's resistance to help Tsunade and praised her as a very filial granddaughter.
• Itachi waited in line outside a sweets shop in physical disguise while a little girl complimented his appearance and he dwelled on nightmares of Fugaku and Mikoto.

After more than two weeks without sleep, Itachi imagined his dead father Fugaku sharing dumplings with him, then encountered a vision of Fugaku that left behind an eaten skewer. As witnesses insisted Itachi had been alone, he spiraled into confusion and the shop owner called the Konoha Police Force and Konoha Mental Hospital.

• Itachi bought forty skewers of Three-Color Dumplings and solemnly set one portion out for his absent father, Fugaku.
• Itachi imagined Fugaku appearing, sharing the dumplings, and telling him to take care of himself and read more before vanishing.
• Itachi found a skewer Fugaku seemed to have eaten, but nearby customers said he had been alone and had eaten the food himself.
• A young girl said she had watched Itachi eat both portions and leave the skewer on the opposite seat.
• The shop owner called the Konoha Police Force and Konoha Mental Hospital and urged Itachi to stay calm.

Tsunade reunited with Tobirama, who kept his eyes shut to hide the Sharingan that had been forced into his eye sockets. He claimed he had invented a sound-based technique to navigate with his eyes closed, but Hashirama exposed the truth by asking about Tobirama’s Mangekyo Sharingan.

• Tsunade clung to Tobirama and tried to lift his mask, while Tobirama insisted he was cultivating a Forbidden Jutsu and told her to leave his eyes alone.
• Tobirama hurried toward the Chunin Exam arena, and Tsunade, Hashirama, and Jiraiya followed him.
• Tobirama explained that his Sound Release Ninjutsu: Closed-Eye Meditation used infrasound, ultrasound, and Chakra sensing to let him navigate without opening his eyes.
• Tsunade asked whether constantly emitting those sounds would make Tobirama’s throat dry, nearly causing him to stumble.
• Hashirama asked whether Tobirama’s Three-Tomoe Sharingan had evolved into a Mangekyo and what its ability was, causing Tobirama to crash into a building wall.

Hashirama claimed Tobirama could awaken a Mangekyō Sharingan, but Tobirama denied it and left in frustration as Tsunade and Jiraiya speculated about his secret. At the Chunin Exam arena, the other Four Kage pressed Naruto to open his eyes, and Ōnoki confidently insisted he would not be frightened.

• Hashirama urged Tobirama to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan, surprising Jiraiya and Tsunade.
• Tobirama denied having awakened the Mangekyō, while Jiraiya and Tsunade wondered how he had acquired a Sharingan.
• Tobirama sensed their thoughts, grew exasperated, and left to find somewhere quiet.
• At the Chunin Exam arena, Raikage A asked whether Naruto's closed eyes were injured, and Naruto said he was keeping them shut to avoid frightening people.
• Ōnoki assured Naruto that the Kage would not be frightened and urged him to open his eyes.

Naruto revealed Mangekyo eyes with a pattern linking the Senju and Uchiha, leading the Four Kage to believe he was the clans’ decades-long masterpiece. They then suspected Jiraiya’s search for the Child of Prophecy had been a calculated campaign to prepare the Shinobi World for unification.

• Naruto opened his eyes and revealed a crimson Mangekyo pattern resembling three pillars supporting the world, shocking the Four Kage.
• Ōnoki reasoned that the Senju and Uchiha had secretly devoted decades to creating Naruto, whom he called the greatest masterpiece of both clans.
• Raikage A connected Ōnoki’s theory to the Child of Prophecy and Jiraiya’s decades-long search for the prophesied figure.
• The Four Kage reconsidered Jiraiya’s quest and suspected he had been promoting the Child of Prophecy as part of a grand plan to unite the Shinobi World.

Naruto explained to the Four Kage that he intended to reshape the Shinobi World gradually through reforms, not force their villages into unification. The Kage were left stunned as he warned them not to interfere with his coming reforms in Konohagakure and the Land of Fire.

• The Four Kage realized Jiraiya’s Child of Prophecy legend could help Naruto win acceptance for unifying the Shinobi World, and they worried that their shinobi might be persuaded to defect.
• Ōnoki asked Naruto whether unification could bring lasting peace and invoked Hashirama Senju’s opposition to forced unity.
• Naruto said Hashirama’s principles did not bind him, prompting the Four Kage to fear he would forcibly unite their villages.
• Naruto clarified that he bore no hostility toward the Kage or their villages, but feared a vast unified state would decay and planned to proceed gradually through reforms.
• Naruto said he would begin sweeping reforms in Konohagakure and the Land of Fire and demanded that no one interfere, leaving the Four Kage stunned.

Kisame Hoshigaki tried to explore the arena but was confronted by a Konoha Anbu whose Sharingan made him believe he was Shisui Uchiha. He retreated to Kirigakure’s lounge, where Mei Terumi revealed that she had also encountered Shisui.

• Kisame wandered through the arena crowd, then confronted the Anbu ninja who had been following him.
• Kisame prepared to test the Anbu’s strength, but froze when the ninja revealed three-tomoe Sharingan eyes.
• Kisame backed down and returned to the seating area after the Anbu ordered him to stop wandering.
• The Anbu watched Kisame leave and considered calling reinforcements from the Golden Kingdom if a fight had broken out.
• Kisame returned to Kirigakure’s lounge and asked Mei Terumi if Shisui Uchiha had stopped her too.
• Mei confirmed that she had encountered Shisui, leaving Kisame wondering whether the Anbu had been a clone.

Mei Terumi, Kisame Hoshigaki, and shinobi from the other Great Shinobi Villages compared reports that Konoha Anbu with Three-Tomoe Sharingan had stopped them, appearing to be Shisui Uchiha. They feared the Uchiha Clan Downfall had been a hoax and struggled to understand Konoha’s hidden purpose.

• Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki left their room to compare their encounters with the other villages.
• Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki entered Kumogakure’s room and found Killer B rapping while Samui watched.
• Kitsuchi’s Iwagakure team and Baki’s Sunagakure team joined them, and Baki said their Anbu encounters had involved apparent Shisui Uchiha with Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
• Samui questioned how Konoha could have so many Uchiha, and Baki warned that the Uchiha Clan might never have been wiped out.
• Mei Terumi suggested contacting their Kage and escaping Konoha, but Baki feared Konoha was waiting for them to react.
• Kitsuchi struggled to reconcile the reports with the Uchiha corpses his village had verified, while Killer B wondered if they had been summoned through Impure World Reincarnation.

Kakashi arrived to escort the gathered shinobi to the opening performances, but questions about Konoha’s Anbu left the room tense. Killer B went to prepare his rap, while the performers from the Land of Hot Water recalled how conflict between great powers had repeatedly left their small nation fearing for its future.

• Kakashi told the gathered shinobi that the opening had begun and Killer B was scheduled to perform.
• Samui asked to visit the Kage, and Mei Terumi asked whether the new Three Tomoe Uchiha Anbu were Shisui's clones; Kakashi said they were not and refused to reveal more.
• Killer B announced he would prepare his performance and asked Samui to tell the Raikage not to interrupt him.
• Killer B danced and chanted in the corridor as Kakashi escorted him to the performers’ lounge.
• The Land of Hot Water performers bowed nervously to Kakashi and Killer B, recalling how past tensions between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning had made their country fear becoming a battlefield.

Killer B revealed Kumogakure’s desperate scorched-earth plan to the idol performers, then killed them and severed his own arm to demonstrate his village’s resolve to Kakashi. Kakashi learned that the shinobi world’s old rules had collapsed as Killer B declared that survival now justified any means.

• Killer B told Rei Tomosaki, Mion Hazuki, Rikako Iketani, Mahiru Koizumi, and the other performers that Kumogakure faced a dire future without the Raikage.
• Killer B recalled Neji Hyuga’s revenge against Kumogakure and worried about Naruto Uzumaki’s plans for the shinobi villages.
• Killer B shattered his mirror, killed the makeup artist, and slaughtered the performers with the Body Flicker Technique.
• Kakashi rushed into the room but arrived too late to save anyone, and Killer B apologized to the corpses before severing his own right arm.
• Killer B told Kakashi that Kumogakure’s scattered shinobi would destroy civilians and infrastructure worldwide if their leaders or village headquarters were eliminated.
• Killer B said that killing innocents violated his Nindō but insisted that war and survival now demanded abandoning all restraints.

Killer B explained to Kakashi why Kumogakure’s militant faction sought to balance Konohagakure’s power, and Kakashi recognized that he might make the same choice to protect his own village. At the Chunin Exam, Naruto promised that Konohagakure would not invade other countries and urged the Five Kage to compete through reforms, leaving the future of the Shinobi World framed as a choice between coercion and voluntary unity.

• Killer B told Kakashi that Kumogakure trusted mutual strength and restraint more than promises, and admitted he was acting out of duty to his village and the Raikage.
• Kakashi considered Killer B’s words and realized he might make the same choice if Konohagakure faced the same desperation.
• Naruto addressed the Chunin Exam audience and promised that Konohagakure would not use military force to invade any country.
• Naruto said the Shinobi World should unite through shared ideas and invited the other villages to seek membership in Konohagakure voluntarily.
• Onoki challenged Naruto to consider whether other nations could imitate and surpass Konohagakure, and Naruto welcomed the prospect, saying he would even lead Konohagakure to join them if they became better.

Naruto’s speech inspired the crowd to hail him as the Child of Prophecy, while the other villages debated whether the legend was genuine. Daren Yi warned that the new era needed more than force, and Tobirama worried that the events seemed deliberately arranged.

• Jiraiya recognized Naruto as the Child of Prophecy, and the audience joined him in chanting the title.
• The Four Kage suspected Jiraiya and Konohagakure had fabricated the prophecy to legitimize their plans.
• Deidara asked Kurotsuchi about the legend, while Temari argued that Sunagakure’s records showed Jiraiya had spread it as a rumor.
• An Amegakure shinobi said the crowd longed for a savior because the world had endured so much conflict.
• Daren Yi told Izumi Uchiha that the new era needed to replace old beliefs, not merely unite the Shinobi World by force.
• Tobirama told Hashirama that he was happy for Naruto but uneasy about how deliberately arranged everything seemed.

Naruto ordered Killer B and the victims’ bodies brought before the Five Kage and the audience for a public trial, provoking a confrontation with Raikage A. After Kakashi explained the deaths, the crowd demanded Killer B’s execution, while Raikage A argued that his brother’s apology and severed arm were already worth more than the victims’ lives.

• An Anbu ninja told Naruto about the incident, and Naruto ordered Kakashi to bring Killer B and the bodies to the stands for public judgment.
• Raikage A erupted in anger, but Naruto shielded the audience from his pressure as the other Kage joined forces and waited for an explanation.
• Kakashi brought the restrained Killer B and the victims’ bodies to the stands, then recounted what had happened in the dressing room.
• Konoha residents shouted for Killer B to be killed, while Raikage A said the victims were from the Land of Hot Water and that Killer B had already cut off his arm and apologized.
• The Land of Hot Water’s daimyo shrank from Raikage A as the crowd fell silent and grappled with his claim that the victims’ lives were worth less than Killer B’s apology.

Naruto faced Raikage A’s threat of worldwide war and asked whether some lives were worth more than others. He chose justice and fairness despite the risk of losing his position as Hokage.

• Konohagakure residents calmed down and dismissed the deaths of people from a small country as unimportant.
• In Amegakure, Nagato condemned the great nations while Konan mourned the dead girl with paper flowers.
• Naruto asked Konohagakure’s residents whether some lives were more valuable than others.
• Raikage A warned that hidden shinobi across the world would launch attacks and cause billions of deaths if the Four Great Shinobi Villages were destroyed.
• Raikage A challenged Konohagakure to choose between justice for the dead and avoiding a devastating war.
• Naruto declared that he chose justice and fairness and would not abandon his ideals, even if Konohagakure removed him as Hokage.

Naruto defended his commitment to fairness, saying he would leave the Hokage position and build an ideal nation elsewhere if necessary. Raikage A accused Konohagakure and the wider Shinobi World of systemic exploitation, and Naruto agreed that the true enemies were the oppressive hierarchies within society, leaving him determined to keep seeking a lasting path to change.

• Naruto removed his Hokage hat and said he would accept the people's judgment and could leave Konohagakure to build an ideal nation elsewhere.
• Raikage A concluded that Naruto's willingness to resign was a performance and abandoned his attempt to pressure him through Konohagakure's citizens.
• Raikage A challenged Naruto's claims of justice and accused Konohagakure and the great nations of profiting from exploitation at home and abroad.
• Naruto agreed that victims included the lower-status people of the Land of Fire and described a hierarchy in which each level oppressed those beneath it.
• Naruto declared that Konohagakure's enemies were within the village and in the hearts of its people, then rejected his idea of hanging people from trees as an inadequate, unsustainable solution.

Naruto refused Raikage A’s offer to spare Killer B, and Sasuke, Neji, the Konoha 11, Kabuto Yakushi, and the Konoha Anbu First Legion stood with him. The hidden Uchiha revealed a vast force of Sharingan users, leaving the other Kage horrified and pitying Hiruzen Sarutobi as their former enemy.

• Raikage A offered Konohagakure a price to change Naruto’s mind, but Naruto remained determined to let Killer B die.
• Yagura Karatachi and Onoki challenged Naruto’s ideals, while Sasuke, Neji, the Konoha 11, and Kabuto Yakushi pledged their support.
• Rasa mocked the young supporters, but a voice claiming to represent the Konoha Anbu First Legion answered him.
• Anbu shinobi with Three-Tomoe Sharingan surrounded the stands, revealing an immense hidden Uchiha force.
• Onoki and Rasa reacted in fear and lamented how badly Hiruzen Sarutobi had been wronged by the Uchiha.

Raikage A tried to negotiate with Fugaku, but the masked Anbu revealed himself as Madara Uchiha and dismissed him. Naruto then removed his colored contacts and revealed Mangekyō Sharingan, leaving the assembled shinobi and the broadcast audience stunned.

• Yagura Karatachi and Raikage A concluded that Fugaku Uchiha was still alive and called for him to appear.
• A masked Anbu denied being Fugaku, then removed his mask and claimed to be Madara Uchiha, startling Ōnoki.
• Raikage A tried to negotiate for Killer B, but “Madara Uchiha” insulted and ignored him.
• Rasa recognized the masked “honest man” beside “Madara Uchiha” as the genjutsu user who had defeated him, while the man returned a friendly look.
• Naruto removed his colored contacts and revealed Mangekyō Sharingan, shocking shinobi across the Five Great Nations.

Obito and Black Zetsu struggled to explain the enormous number of Uchiha Sharingan users appearing in Konohagakure’s broadcast, and Black Zetsu suspected a rival mastermind was behind it. When Uchiha Fugaku appeared on screen, Black Zetsu blamed him for the upheaval, and Obito began to believe Fugaku had orchestrated it all.

• Obito and Black Zetsu were shocked by the vast crowd of Three-Tomoe Uchiha in the broadcast and feared the threat they posed to the Moon Eye Plan.
• Obito questioned Black Zetsu about the Uchiha Clan’s hidden members and wondered whether Madara had planned their appearance.
• Black Zetsu insisted he had told Obito everything he knew about the Uchiha Clan, but Obito doubted him.
• When Uchiha Fugaku appeared on the broadcast, Black Zetsu declared that Fugaku had secretly manipulated events across the Shinobi World.
• Obito considered Fugaku’s possible schemes and concluded that he might have prepared countless contingencies.