Chapter Summaries

Chiyue and Mikoto captured the big orange cat attacking the ranch and decided to sell it rather than keep it as a Summoned Beast. On the way back to Konoha, they agreed to sell it to Sanying Luo for 300,000 ryo, leaving them with over 100,000 ryo each.

• Chiyue knocked out and tied up the big orange cat, which had been attacking the ranch's livestock.
• Chiyue suggested Mikoto make a summoning contract with the cat, but she declined because she wanted to contract with the Ninja Cat Clan.
• Chiyue set the cat's price at 300,000 ryo, and Sanying Luo agreed to buy it and help transport it to Konoha.
• Chiyue and Mikoto exchanged the cat for the money in Konoha and each earned over 100,000 ryo in spending money.

Chiyue reunited with Minato and Kushina, explained why he had formed a team with Mikoto, and treated them to barbecue with money from their mission. Kushina went home cheerful after Chiyue walked her back, while Tsunade teased her about having a sweetheart.

• Chiyue invited Minato and Kushina to barbecue, and Minato confronted him for hiding his partnership with Mikoto.
• Chiyue told Minato that Jiraiya peeped at women bathing, and Minato resolved to persuade his teacher to stop.
• Chiyue described the mission he and Mikoto completed, including catching and selling a large orange cat for 300,000 Ryo.
• Minato ordered a large meal to get back at Chiyue, but ate so much that Chiyue worried he would be sick on the way home.
• Chiyue walked Kushina home, and Tsunade teased her about being happy to see her sweetheart.

Chiyue and Mikoto accepted a rushed C-Rank escort mission to take a merchant to the Land of Fire's Daimyo Residence. After a peaceful night on the road, Chiyue sensed trouble approaching as they resumed their journey.

• With suitable D-Rank Missions already taken, Chiyue chose a C-Rank escort mission to the Land of Fire's Daimyo Residence, and Mikoto joined him.
• Chiyue warned Mikoto that the mission seemed suspicious because the reward was low, the deadline was tight, and the client acted anxious.
• At their roadside camp, Chiyue took the watch and secretly assigned Little White to patrol and kill anyone who meant them harm.
• The night passed peacefully, and Chiyue, Mikoto, and the client continued their journey after a simple breakfast.
• Chiyue sensed that trouble was coming shortly after they set out.

Chiyue and Mikoto fought off an ambush on their escort mission, and Mikoto awakened her Sharingan after killing for the first time. After the mission, the story shifted to Minato questioning why Jiraiya’s team had been sent to monitor Amegakure.

• White detected enemies waiting in ambush, so Chiyue and Mikoto split up to attack them.
• Chiyue killed several samurai with a Great Fireball Technique and finished off the wounded survivors.
• Mikoto killed the samurai on her side and awakened her Sharingan, then calmed down with Chiyue’s reassurance.
• Chiyue and Mikoto escorted their employer safely to the Land of Fire’s Daimyo Residence, completing the mission.
• Minato asked why his team had been assigned to monitor Amegakure, and Jiraiya suggested it was because the village was expanding its military strength.

As tensions between Konoha and Amegakure escalated, the Third Hokage ordered a draft and troops to the border instead of declaring war. Konoha and the Land of Rain faced each other with armies as other great villages began taking an interest in Amegakure.

• Jiraiya warned Minato that Amegakure’s growing military strength could lead Hanzō to start a war, while an Anbu shinobi reported that Amegakure forces had engaged Konoha’s forward squad.
• Danzo urged the Third Hokage to strike Amegakure before it could threaten the Fire Country, but the Third Hokage and the elders debated the risks of war.
• Utatane Koharu proposed stationing troops at the border, and the Third Hokage approved the draft and deployment instead of declaring war.
• Chiyue saw the announcement and concluded that the Second Shinobi War was approaching as Konoha’s forces moved to the border.
• Hanzō responded by massing Amegakure forces at the border and hunting shinobi from Konoha, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth, drawing the attention of Sunagakure and Iwagakure.
• The Third Kazekage considered the rising tensions an excellent opportunity.

Sunagakure pushed Amegakure and Konoha toward war, and Hanzō declared war after Konoha shinobi attacked villages in the Land of Rain. As Konoha’s forces marched into the Land of Rain, Minato’s team disbanded, and he decided to join Chiyue’s plan to train and take missions instead of rushing to the battlefield.

• The Third Kazekage ordered Chiyo to help spark a war between Konoha and Amegakure so Sunagakure could obtain resources and funding.
• Chiyo led Sand Village ninja into the Land of Rain, where Konoha and Amegakure were already locked in a tense standoff.
• Konoha shinobi wearing Konoha forehead protectors attacked villages in the Land of Rain, prompting Hanzō to declare war on Konoha.
• Konoha declared war on Amegakure and sent Danzo, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru to the front, while Minato remained in the village.
• Minato told Chiyue, Uchiha Mikoto, and Kushina that his team had disbanded after a teammate was badly injured and Jiraiya left for the front.
• Chiyue said he would keep training, taking missions, and earning contribution points, and Minato agreed to join him.

After Minato joined Chiyue’s team, Chiyue walked Kushina home and revealed that he knew she was the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki. He reassured her that he still considered her a friend, leaving Kushina relieved and the Nine-Tails furious.

• Minato asked to join Chiyue’s team after his former team disbanded, and Chiyue accepted.
• After the barbecue, Chiyue sent Uchiha Mikoto and Minato ahead so he could speak privately with Kushina.
• Chiyue asked Kushina whether she trusted him and revealed that he knew her full identity.
• Chiyue assured Kushina that being a jinchuriki would not make him distance himself from her, and Kushina fought back tears of relief.
• Chiyue joked that he had sensed the Great Fox from the beginning, enraging the Nine-Tails.

Chiyue warned Kushina that enemy villages could identify her as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and target her while Konoha’s defenses were weakened. Kushina agreed to hide and protect herself at the Senju Ancestral Home.

• Kushina restrained the raging Nine-Tails with Adamantine Sealing Chains until it stopped fighting.
• Chiyue told Kushina to remain at the Senju Ancestral Home, dig a shelter beneath her room, and sleep there while leaving a Shadow Clone upstairs.
• Chiyue explained that spies could identify Kushina as the Jinchuriki and that Konoha had too few Anbu ninja to keep her safe during the war.
• Kushina agreed to prepare, promised to keep their conversation secret, and followed Chiyue toward the Senju Clan Grounds.

Konoha’s campaign against Amegakure stalled under Danzo’s command, while Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya dealt with the difficult front. Back in Konoha, the Third Hokage reviewed Chiyue Squad’s mission records and discovered that the team had simply gone on very few missions.

• Konoha’s forces became bogged down in the Land of Rain, where Hanzō’s poison inflicted heavy casualties until Tsunade’s antidotes helped reduce them.
• Orochimaru and Tsunade complained about Danzo’s poor command, while Jiraiya defended the intelligence he had gathered and was beaten by Tsunade.
• Minato joined Chiyue and Uchiha Mikoto’s squad, improving its mission efficiency as other teams struggled with the increased workload.
• The Third Hokage reviewed Chunin Exam applications and noticed Chiyue Squad had completed far fewer missions than comparable teams.
• The Third Hokage ordered an investigation, then learned from the records that Chiyue Squad’s low mission count was accurate because the team had rarely gone out.

The Third Hokage forced Chiyue, Minato, and Uchiha Mikoto to take the Chunin Exam after they chose not to apply. Chiyue arrived early, finished the written test quickly, and left the examination room after submitting his paper.

• The Third Hokage added Chiyue, Minato, and Uchiha Mikoto to the Chunin Exam roster and sent an Anbu operative to notify them.
• Chiyue realized the Third Hokage had arranged their applications, confirmed it with Minato and Uchiha Mikoto, and told them to prepare for the next day's exam.
• Chiyue, Minato, and Uchiha Mikoto arrived at the examination venue and were assigned to separate rooms.
• Chiyue found the written questions easy, completed his test in thirty minutes, and handed it in.

Chiyue finished the written Chunin Exam in half an hour, leaving the examiner and the Third Hokage bewildered, then waited for Minato and Uchiha Mikoto. After all three passed, they headed to the practical exam, with Chiyue warning that wartime assignments might soon put them in danger.

• Chiyue handed in his error-free exam after thirty minutes, astonishing the examiner and the other candidates.
• The Third Hokage watched Chiyue through his crystal ball and learned from an Anbu ninja that he had finished early.
• Chiyue warned Minato and Uchiha Mikoto over barbecue that their team might receive dangerous missions or be sent to the battlefield.
• Chiyue, Minato, and Uchiha Mikoto checked their results and found that all three had passed the written exam.
• Minato realized wartime exams had been made easier to replenish the village's ranks, and Chiyue smacked him on the head as they went to the practical exam.

Minato and Uchiha Mikoto easily passed their practical combat assessments, impressing the other candidates. Chiyue's assessment began with a woman examiner, and the two exchanged compliments before the fight started.

• Minato went third and defeated his examiner in under twenty seconds by dodging his counterattack and striking the back of his head.
• Minato returned to Chiyue and received the high-five he wanted after Chiyue teased him.
• Uchiha Mikoto activated her one-tomoe Sharingan and easily defeated her examiner.
• Chiyue went to Examination Ground One and charmed his woman examiner with a polite compliment.

Chiyue revealed his Two-tomoe Sharingan during the chunin assessment and easily defeated his examiner, shocking the Third Hokage. He explained to Uchiha Mikoto and Minato that the Uchiha Clan would now try to recruit him, while Minato cautioned that not everyone in the village opposed the clan.

• Chiyue activated his Two-tomoe Sharingan as the assessment began, astonishing the examiner and the Third Hokage.
• Chiyue knocked his examiner unconscious with a kick and completed the assessment.
• Uchiha Mikoto and Minato met Chiyue after the assessment, and he took them home to discuss revealing his Sharingan.
• Chiyue said the Uchiha Clan would try to bring him back and that he no longer needed to hide his abilities.
• Minato warned Chiyue that not everyone held unfavorable views of the Uchiha Clan and reassured him that Uchiha Mikoto was unlikely to be targeted.

Chiyue explained why his Uchiha blood made him a target, while the Uchiha Clan debated whether to bring him back and the Third Hokage watched for their response. After Chiyue, Mikoto, and Minato became chunin, Kushina took them out to celebrate and asked Chiyue what he wanted for his upcoming birthday.

• Chiyue told Mikoto and Minato that returning to the Uchiha Clan was not important, since his Uchiha blood alone could draw trouble from certain people.
• Uchiha Fugaku urged the elderly Uchiha Clan Head to bring Chiyue back after learning he had awakened a Two-tomoe Sharingan, but the Clan Head told those who had opposed Chiyue's return to handle it.
• The Third Hokage learned from an Anbu ninja that the Uchiha Clan had made no move toward Chiyue and continued to keep the clan under surveillance.
• Chiyue, Mikoto, and Minato received notice that they had been promoted to chunin, though the village did not immediately assign them a mission.
• Kushina invited the newly promoted team to barbecue, then asked Chiyue what present he wanted for his ninth birthday; Minato tried unsuccessfully to hint that he wanted a gift too.

Chiyue’s Sharingan evolved into its three-tomoe form, granting him the Genjutsu Sakura Falling, while Kushina resolved to train harder to gain her freedom. Meanwhile, Sunagakure’s leaders weighed a surprise attack on Konoha, and the chapter ended with Sunagakure launching one.

• Kushina said she hoped Chiyue and his companions would stay in the village, and Chiyue urged her to grow strong enough to claim her freedom.
• After eating, Chiyue returned home as his Sharingan began to evolve, while Kushina asked Uchiha Mikoto for advice on what gifts he liked.
• Chiyue gained his third tomoe and unlocked Sakura Falling, a Genjutsu that forced its target to dance in an illusion.
• The Third Kazekage and Ebizo discussed whether Sunagakure should attack while Konoha was engaged in the Land of Rain, and Chiyo reviewed the intelligence.
• Sunagakure launched a surprise attack against Konoha.

Chiyue made Minato the squad captain so he could handle the mission briefing, while he stayed behind to eat with Uchiha Mikoto. Minato returned with an urgent mission to the Land of Rivers, where wartime tensions made the assignment more dangerous than it first appeared.

• Chiyue appointed Minato as squad captain and sent him alone to meet the Third Hokage while he and Uchiha Mikoto shared ribs.
• Minato accepted an urgent mission scroll from the Third Hokage on behalf of Chiyue Squad.
• An Anbu reported that Chiyue and Uchiha Mikoto were eating outside, and the Third Hokage decided not to make an issue of their absence.
• Minato returned, discovered Chiyue eating, and snatched the bento box while Chiyue read the mission scroll.
• Chiyue explained that the mission involved the Land of Rivers, where wartime unrest could complicate rescuing officials who had gone there to visit hot springs.

Chiyue, Minato, and Uchiha Mikoto began escorting officials from the Daimyo Residence to the Land of Rivers, but the oversized convoy moved painfully slowly. The chapter ended with Minato bringing back two rabbits after Chiyue sent him hunting for their meal.

• Chiyue reflected on Scorpion's reasons for targeting the Third Kazekage and worried that the Land of Rivers might become caught in the coming war.
• Chiyue told Minato and Uchiha Mikoto to meet at the village gate the next morning for the escort mission.
• The trio arrived to find an enormous convoy and set out for the Land of Rivers after it finally departed near noon.
• Less than two hours into the journey, the convoy stopped so the officials could have lunch, prompting Chiyue and Minato to joke about who should urge them onward.
• Chiyue sent Minato to hunt, and Minato returned carrying two wild rabbits.

Minato tried to show off his Summoning Technique but summoned an immature toad with a tiny tail, leaving him embarrassed while Chiyue and Uchiha Mikoto laughed. The convoy continued slowly toward the Land of Rivers, while a large Hidden Sand Village force crossed into the Land of Fire and approached a border outpost.

• Chiyue explained that the Daimyo Residence officials were courting Minato because of his ties to Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Minato demonstrated his Summoning Technique and summoned a small toad that still had a tiny tail.
• Chiyue and Uchiha Mikoto laughed at Minato's toad, and Minato sent it away before challenging Chiyue to summon his own beast.
• Chiyue organized the squad's night watch as the convoy crawled toward the Land of Rivers.
• A large force from the Hidden Sand Village crossed into the Land of Fire under cover of darkness and approached a border outpost.

Chiyue detected a Sunagakure invasion and fled with Minato, Uchiha Mikoto, and the Daimyo Residence officials. He stayed behind to cover their retreat and faced a Sunagakure squad, revealing his Three-tomoe Sharingan.

• Chiyue used Little White to sense a large group of hostile ninja approaching the camp and warned Minato and Uchiha Mikoto.
• Chiyue knocked out the Daimyo Residence officials, carried them away, and shouted that Sunagakure had invaded the Land of Fire.
• The Third Kazekage ordered his forces to kill the camp's occupants after their surprise attack was discovered, while Chiyue's traps set off explosions amid the fleeing crowd.
• Chiyue stopped to hold off the pursuing Sunagakure ninja and sent Minato and Uchiha Mikoto ahead with the officials.
• A Sunagakure jonin and three chunin confronted Chiyue, who revealed his Three-tomoe Sharingan as they realized he was an Uchiha.

Chiyue used Genjutsu to kill a Sand Village jonin squad and rejoined Minato and Uchiha Mikoto as they fled with intelligence. The Third Kazekage pursued them by flying on Iron Sand, and Chiyue stopped to face him.

• Chiyue trapped a Sand Village jonin in the Genjutsu Sakura Falling and killed him and the three chunin accompanying him.
• Chiyue sealed the jonin’s corpse, caught up with Minato and Uchiha Mikoto, and warned them that the Third Kazekage was behind them.
• The Third Kazekage learned that his pursuit squads had been wiped out and flew after Chiyue’s group on Iron Sand.
• White warned Chiyue that someone was approaching from the sky, and Chiyue stopped when the Third Kazekage arrived.