Chapter Summaries

Neji and Sasuke continued their fierce battle, and Neji awakened the Byakugan after escaping Sasuke’s genjutsu. With his new ability, Neji gained the upper hand, leaving Sasuke wounded as the fight continued.

• Neji evaded Sasuke’s powered-up Lightning Release attack and countered with a kick that forced Sasuke back.
• Neji used Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but Sasuke trapped him in a genjutsu centered on his fear of the Hyuga Main Family.
• Neji broke free of the genjutsu, awakened the Byakugan, and charged Sasuke again.
• Neji used the Byakugan to target Sasuke’s weaknesses, gradually gaining the upper hand and leaving Sasuke bloodied.

Sasuke and Neji fought to exhaustion in a fierce battle, with Sasuke ultimately winning after their final taijutsu exchange. Naruto treated both fighters with Yang Release Chakra, and Neji recovered from his injuries while Sasuke was left exhausted.

• Neji blocked Sasuke's Great Dragon Fire Technique with Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin, then struck Sasuke with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms and sealed much of his Chakra.
• Sasuke used Lightning Release: Earth Running (Modified), and Neji met it with Heavenly Spin; the collision sent both fighters crashing to the ground.
• Sasuke and Neji resumed fighting with taijutsu, and Sasuke gained the upper hand before knocking Neji unconscious with a punch.
• Sasuke told Naruto he did not consider the victory honorable and vowed to win more fairly next time, then collapsed from exhaustion.
• Naruto used Yang Release Chakra to treat Sasuke and repair Neji's injuries and damaged meridians.

After healing Sasuke and Neji, Naruto escorted Hinata home and shared a shy, romantic walk with her beneath the moonlight. He left Hinata at the Hyuga compound, where she happily looked forward to seeing him again.

• Naruto healed Sasuke and Neji, then asked Itachi to give Sasuke more practical combat training.
• Itachi took Sasuke home, while Naruto carried Neji and walked Hinata back to the Hyuga compound.
• Naruto and Hinata talked about training and exchanged shy compliments beneath the cherry blossoms.
• Naruto offered to help Hinata train, and she said she was happy they could grow stronger together.
• At the compound entrance, Naruto handed Neji to a Hyuga ninja and told Hinata, “The moon is beautiful tonight”; Hinata replied, “And the wind is gentle.”

After Naruto received the Strongest Yin Release reward, it transformed his body, awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan, and began merging with his Strongest Yang Release. Naruto woke the next morning with greatly increased spiritual and physical power, while the beginnings of Yin-Yang Release continued developing within him.

• Naruto returned home after sending Hinata away, and Fugaku Uchiha wondered about Naruto's destruction of Root and suspected that Danzo's survival had been intentional.
• Naruto checked that he was not being monitored and received the system reward Strongest Yin Release for destroying Danzo's Root base.
• Naruto created a Shadow Clone to guard him, then fell asleep as Yin Release strengthened his spiritual power and transformed his Three Tomoe Sharingan into a Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Yin Release and Yang Release gathered in Naruto's dantian and began forming a Taijitu, increasing his spiritual power, physical strength, and bloodline power while granting him all seven Chakra attributes.
• Naruto woke after six in the morning, ate canned food, and found that his spiritual power had surged and his physical constitution had grown close to the Super Kage level.

Naruto discovered that his Byakugan was evolving toward the Tenseigan and that his Sharingan had awakened the Mangekyō. He gained two time-based eye abilities and learned they could grow stronger with him.

• Naruto sensed a living Taijitu in his body slowly merging his Yin and Yang Release.
• Naruto found that his Byakugan's Eye Power had increased and was developing toward the Tenseigan.
• Naruto activated his Sharingan and discovered it had evolved into the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Naruto's left Mangekyō, The World, let him stop time for one second, while his right Mangekyō, Flashback, let him rewind people or objects within a limited area.
• Naruto learned that both abilities grew with his Eye Power and spiritual power and could be used repeatedly if he had enough Eye Power.

Hiruzen Sarutobi visited the unconscious Shimura Danzō with Kakashi Hatake and learned that Danzō had survived the destruction of Root. Danzō awakened, described the attacker as a man claiming to be Uchiha Madara, and was left wondering why he had survived.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Kakashi Hatake and brought him to Konoha Hospital to check on Shimura Danzō.
• A doctor told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Danzō had suffered a severe mental shock but could wake at any time.
• As Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi prepared to leave, Danzō awoke and mumbled that he was the Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Danzō who had destroyed Root, and Danzō described a masked attacker with overwhelming Fire Release, Taijutsu, and Susanoo who claimed to be Uchiha Madara.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi left to handle Konoha's affairs, while Danzō closed his eyes and pondered how he had survived.

Kakashi planted doubts in Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mind about Uchiha Madara’s death, leading Hiruzen to investigate Tobirama’s records and summon Konoha’s missing former ninja. Meanwhile, Danzo ordered Root to investigate Akatsuki and Orochimaru, while Naruto made it to the Ninja Academy for the first day of term.

• Kakashi used the absence of a body and Tobirama’s forbidden techniques to make Hiruzen consider that Uchiha Madara might have survived or been resurrected.
• Hiruzen searched the classified archives, found no record of what happened to Madara’s corpse, and ordered Anbu to seek Jiraiya and Tsunade and invite Orochimaru back to Konoha.
• Danzo ordered Root to investigate the Akatsuki Organization and locate Orochimaru.
• Naruto hurried to the Ninja Academy and joined Hinata, Sasuke, and his friends just before class began.
• Iruka welcomed the students and started the new term’s lesson.

Naruto heard his classmates’ training plans and learned that Danzo had concealed information about the Akatsuki Organization after waking. He considered seeking out Tsunade and Jiraiya to help Sakura train and to learn more about sage arts.

• Sasuke invited Naruto to train with Itachi and meet Shisui, and Naruto agreed to join them when summoned with the Flying Thunder God Kunai.
• Hinata, Kiba, Choji, Sakura, Ino, Shikamaru, and Shino each described their plans to train or study after class.
• Sasuke gave Sakura books on medical ninjutsu from his father, and Sakura thanked him excitedly.
• Kakashi told Naruto that Danzo had awakened and claimed the attacker might be Uchiha Madara, while withholding any mention of the Akatsuki Organization.
• Naruto learned that Hiruzen Sarutobi was searching for Tsunade and Jiraiya and might pardon Orochimaru, then considered finding Tsunade and Jiraiya himself.

Uchiha Shisui learned from Uchiha Itachi about Naruto’s power and the Uchiha Clan’s support for him, then met Naruto at the clan’s training ground. After Naruto revealed Danzo’s theft of Uchiha Sharingan and his use of Izanagi, Shisui offered to help Naruto.

• Naruto sent hundreds of Shadow Clones to search for Tsunade and Jiraiya, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach Sasuke.
• Uchiha Itachi told Uchiha Shisui about Naruto’s abilities and the Uchiha Clan’s decision to support Naruto’s bid to become Hokage.
• Sasuke summoned Naruto to the Uchiha Clan’s training ground with a Flying Thunder God Kunai, where Naruto met Shisui.
• Naruto told Shisui and Itachi that Danzo had spread rumors about him and transplanted five Uchiha Sharingan into his arm.
• Naruto explained that Danzo used Hashirama Cells to wield Izanagi, prompting Shisui to condemn Danzo and offer Naruto his support.

Naruto learned the differences between Shisui’s two Kotoamatsukami abilities and urged him to keep his Mangekyō Sharingan secret. He recruited Shisui into his faction, arranged for Shisui and Itachi to train Sasuke, and began considering how to use Hashirama Cells to strengthen the Uchiha.

• Naruto asked Shisui whether anyone knew he had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and Shisui said only Fugaku Uchiha and Itachi knew.
• Naruto revealed that he could see the future and warned Shisui that Shimura Danzō would covet his Sharingan and ambush him.
• Shisui explained that his left Kotoamatsukami permanently changed a target’s will but had a cooldown of more than a decade, while his right eye required sustained casting and wore off when he stopped.
• Naruto told Shisui to conceal his abilities and avoid using Kotoamatsukami unless necessary, then considered Hashirama Cells as a way to preserve or restore Mangekyō Sharingan power.
• Naruto asked Shisui and Itachi to train Sasuke aggressively, especially by using genjutsu to bring out his potential.

Naruto arranged a meeting with Orochimaru and asked him to study his cells, which proved far more powerful than Hashirama Cells. Orochimaru left with a large blood sample to begin researching, leaving Naruto alone at the meeting spot.

• Shisui and Itachi seized Sasuke and put him through training despite his pleas for help.
• Naruto sent a message to Orochimaru through the Little White Snake and arranged to meet him outside Konoha.
• With Kakashi providing cover, Naruto left a Shadow Clone in the village and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach Orochimaru's meeting place.
• Naruto told Orochimaru that he had found Hashirama Cells in Danzo's arm and asked him to research Naruto's own cells.
• Orochimaru examined Naruto's sample and discovered that Naruto's cells had far greater vitality than Hashirama Cells and could strengthen both body and spirit.
• Naruto filled Orochimaru's container with blood, and Orochimaru hurried away to research it.

Naruto traveled to Hot Water Village to find Jiraiya, reflecting on the reasons Jiraiya had stayed away from Konoha. He finally met the legendary ninja at a hot spring and revealed that he was Uzumaki Naruto from Konoha, leaving Jiraiya shocked.

• Naruto learned from a Shadow Clone that Jiraiya was in Hot Water Village and set out to find him.
• On the way, Naruto considered Jiraiya’s history and wondered why he had never returned to Konoha to check on him.
• Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach Hot Water Village and asked villagers where the strange outsider had last been seen.
• Naruto found Jiraiya relaxing beside a secluded hot spring and introduced himself as Uzumaki Naruto from Konoha.
• Jiraiya’s aura changed when he heard Naruto’s name, and he demanded that Naruto repeat it.

Naruto tried to convince Jiraiya that he was Minato and Kushina’s son, and Jiraiya’s doubts faded as Naruto demonstrated his inherited techniques. Jiraiya finally believed Naruto’s identity and expressed pride in him.

• Jiraiya questioned Naruto’s identity, but Naruto explained that Danzō had spread word of his connection to the Nine-Tails and made life difficult for him in Konoha.
• Naruto led Jiraiya into the Small Forest to show him proof away from others.
• Naruto formed a Rasengan and explained that Minato’s Chakra in his seal had left him knowledge and experience.
• Naruto demonstrated the Flying Thunder God Technique using Flying Thunder God Kunai.
• Jiraiya accepted that Naruto was Minato’s son and praised his talent and accomplishments.

Naruto told Jiraiya how badly Konoha had treated him and explained that memories left by Minato and Kushina had revealed his identity and taught him techniques. He also revealed memories of the future in which Jiraiya trained him, he learned Sage Jutsu, and Jiraiya died investigating the Akatsuki Organization, leaving Jiraiya unsettled about the prophecy and the people behind the organization.

• Jiraiya grew suspicious when he realized Hiruzen Sarutobi had never told him about Naruto's exceptional ninjutsu, and he asked Naruto how the village had treated him.
• Naruto said the Third Hokage had hidden his identity, villagers had bullied him, and he had lacked food and warm clothes.
• Naruto explained that Minato and Kushina had appeared inside the seal, revealed his identity, and left memories that helped him secretly learn the Rasengan and Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Naruto told Jiraiya that Minato had advised him to seek Jiraiya's help, and Jiraiya promised to help him reclaim what Konoha owed him.
• Naruto revealed that he sometimes saw memories of the future, including training with Jiraiya at a place filled with toads and learning Sage Jutsu.
• Naruto said Jiraiya later died while investigating the Akatsuki Organization, whose leader had deep ties to him, and Jiraiya wondered whether the leader could be Nagato.

Jiraiya accepted Naruto as his disciple and took him to Mount Myōboku to meet the Great Toad Sage. The sage could not fully see Naruto’s fate but judged him highly likely to be the Child of Prophecy and allowed him to sign a contract and learn Sage Mode.

• Naruto agreed to become Jiraiya’s disciple, and Jiraiya explained how Mount Myōboku’s training had helped him become one of the Sannin.
• Jiraiya summoned a giant toad and brought Naruto to Mount Myōboku, where they met Fukasaku and Shima.
• Fukasaku and Shima took Jiraiya and Naruto to the Great Toad Sage, who sensed that Naruto’s fate was tangled in too much Karma to see clearly.
• The Great Toad Sage said Naruto had an eighty to ninety percent chance of being the Child of Prophecy and permitted him to sign a Mount Myōboku contract and learn Sage Mode.

Naruto signed Mount Myōboku’s summoning contract, revealing that he had already mastered Ryūchi Cave’s Sage Mode and allied with Orochimaru and Kabuto. He successfully summoned Gamabunta, leaving Jiraiya and the toads stunned by the extraordinary contract.

• The Great Toad Sage concealed its true awareness and recognized that Naruto’s changing future and gathered powers made Mount Myōboku safer as his ally.
• Sage Fukasaku brought Naruto and Jiraiya to an open area and presented Naruto with Mount Myōboku’s contract scroll.
• Naruto signed the contract, and golden light branded his name onto a stone slab as his Ryūchi Cave Sage Chakra manifested.
• Naruto told Jiraiya that he had defeated Snake Uncle, learned Sage Mode alongside Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi, and sent Orochimaru to investigate the Akatsuki Organization.
• Jiraiya accepted Naruto’s assurances about Orochimaru, while Sage Fukasaku marveled that Naruto held contracts with two sacred lands.
• Naruto used the Summoning Jutsu and called forth Gamabunta, Mount Myōboku’s giant red toad.

Naruto demonstrated his strength to Gamabunta by unleashing a Sage Art: Wind Style: Rasenshuriken that flattened a mountain peak on Mount Myōboku. Gamabunta acknowledged Naruto as a summoner, and Naruto asked Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima to begin teaching him Sage Mode.

• Gamabunta challenged Naruto to prove his strength before he would acknowledge him.
• Naruto combined Ryūchi Cave Sage Chakra, Kurama's Chakra, and wind nature transformation to create a massive Rasenshuriken.
• Naruto's Rasenshuriken destroyed a mountain peak, leaving Jiraiya, Sage Fukasaku, Sage Shima, and Gamabunta stunned.
• Gamabunta acknowledged Naruto and promised to help him when summoned.
• Naruto asked Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima to train him in Sage Mode, and they questioned why he wanted to learn it after mastering Ryūchi Cave's Sage Mode.

Naruto proposed learning the Sage Modes of all three sacred lands to create one of his own, and Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima agreed to help him train. Mount Myōboku prepared to begin his training the next day, while Jiraiya was hauled off to Sage Shima’s home for a meal.

• Naruto told Jiraiya, Sage Fukasaku, and Sage Shima that he wanted to master all three sacred lands’ Sage Modes and create his own.
• Jiraiya warned Naruto that combining Sage Modes without precedent was dangerous, but Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima judged the plan feasible because of Naruto’s talent and mastery of Ryūchi Cave’s Sage Mode.
• Sage Fukasaku pointed out that Naruto entered Sage Mode far more easily than Jiraiya, and Sage Shima agreed that Mount Myōboku’s training should be manageable for him.
• Jiraiya accepted Naruto’s decision and promised to support him, and Naruto reassured them that he could handle the risks.
• Mount Myōboku postponed Naruto’s training until the next day, and Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima carried Jiraiya to their home for a meal after he tried to leave.

Naruto and Jiraiya were forced to eat Sage Shima’s grotesque cooking at Mount Myōboku. Naruto discovered the dishes contained Sage Chakra, sealed off his sense of taste, and began eating eagerly, stunning Jiraiya and the toad sages.

• Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima brought Naruto and Jiraiya to their home, where Shima prepared a meal that terrified them.
• Sage Fukasaku watched Jiraiya to prevent him from escaping while he instructed other toads on materials and equipment for Naruto’s Sage Mode training.
• Sage Shima served fried locusts, pupae, chopped earthworms, and a soup filled with insects and animal parts.
• Jiraiya reluctantly ate the earthworms and soup, briefly losing consciousness after swallowing the soup.
• Naruto tasted Mount Myōboku’s tea and earthworms, then realized the food contained energy and traces of Sage Chakra.
• Naruto used his Byakugan to locate acupuncture points and sealed off his sense of taste before eagerly eating, leaving Jiraiya, Sage Shima, and Sage Fukasaku stunned.

Naruto sealed off his sense of taste and eagerly ate Sage Shima’s strange Mount Myōboku dishes, discovering that their Sage Chakra strengthened him and improved his affinity for Natural Energy. He showed Jiraiya how to do the same, and Jiraiya began eating the food too, hoping it would improve his Sage Mode training.

• Naruto secretly sealed off his sense of taste and devoured Sage Shima’s food, absorbing its energy and feeling his chakra and Natural Energy affinity increase.
• Sage Shima asked Naruto whether he truly liked her cooking, and Naruto praised it while Sage Fukasaku celebrated finding someone who enjoyed her food.
• Naruto told Jiraiya that he had sealed off his taste and explained that the food could help with Sage Mode training.
• Jiraiya asked Naruto to seal off his taste, then tried an earthworm and found that he could eat it without the overwhelming taste.
• Naruto and Jiraiya finished the food, and both sensed that it had improved their ability to absorb Natural Energy; Sage Shima promised to make more the next day.