Recaps

Soji rescued Orochimaru, helped restore Minato, and reunited him with Kushina and Naruto while keeping Minato’s return from Konoha. At Naruto’s graduation, he and Sasuke faced off for first place, and their match continued with Naruto holding the advantage.

• Nagato defeated Orochimaru, but Soji intervened to save him, revealed his Ice Release, and shielded the ancestral shrine from Konan’s million Explosive Tags.
• Soji and Orochimaru used the Death God Mask to undo the Reaper Death Seal, and Soji restored Minato’s body so Minato could return to life.
• Soji brought Minato to Kushina, then arranged for Uchiha Homura to reunite with them while keeping Minato’s return secret from Konoha.
• Minato visited Naruto in disguise, revealed his identity after Naruto grew suspicious, and reunited with him and Kushina outside the village.
• Naruto and Sasuke were set to fight for first place at graduation, and Minato and Kushina secretly attended the ceremony in disguise.
• Itachi announced the graduating students’ rankings, with Shino in third place and Naruto and Sasuke slated to decide the top two places in an arena match.
• Naruto opened the match with a strong advantage, using Wind Style and concealed hand seals to send Sasuke toward the arena’s edge.
• Soji sensed Asura’s Chakra awakening in Naruto and suspected Indra’s Chakra had awakened in Sasuke as their Wind Blade Technique and Great Fire Annihilation collided.

Naruto won first place over Sasuke as Minato and Kushina secretly returned to Konoha. Soji pursued the Super Civilization Ship and its search for the Gelel Ore Vein, arriving at the ruins as Jinin Akebino defeated Heide’s forces.

• Sasuke’s Sharingan evolved to Three Tomoe, but Naruto defeated him in a direct contest and claimed first place among the Ninja Academy graduates.
• Minato and Kushina met the Third Hokage, kept their survival secret, and asked him to continue overseeing Konoha while Minato investigated the masked man.
• After Jinin Akebino reported a massacre by the Super Civilization Ship, Soji identified its search for the Gelel Ore Vein and ordered Kirigakure to track it discreetly.
• Heide’s super soldiers attacked a Sunagakure fortress, but Jinin Akebino and the Mist Village Anbu helped defeat them and persuaded Baki to keep Sunagakure out of the pursuit.
• Timsi encountered Nilu Gu and He Yan, learned that his mark made him a descendant of the Ancient Empire’s Imperial Royalty, and forced He Yan to guide him to the ruins.
• Timsi led Heide to the mountaintop ruins, while Jinin Akebino sent the location to Soji, who flew there with Pakura and Ranmaru.
• At the underground temple, He Yan separated a cylinder containing Timsi and sealed Heide’s group away from the Gelel Ore Vein.
• Jinin Akebino’s Anbu fought Heide’s remaining forces and killed the Cyborg Super Soldiers and transformed knights, while Soji arrived at the ruins.

Soji secured the Gelel Ore Vein, strengthened Kirigakure, and guided the village into an alliance with Konoha and Sunagakure. The delegations gathered in Konoha for the Chunin Exams, where Gaara shared his progress with Soji and Orochimaru arrived with the Otogakure delegation.

• Soji defeated Heide, sealed the unstable Gelel Ore Vein in ice, and took Heide, Timsi, He Yan, and Nilu Gu back toward Kirigakure.
• Timsi killed Heide to avenge his clan, while He Yan and Nilu Gu departed and Soji appointed Chiyo an Anbu squad captain and Jinin Akebino deputy director of the Anbu.
• Soji learned of Rasa’s proposed alliance and accepted Konoha’s invitations for Kirigakure to enter and co-host the Chunin Exams, recognizing Minato’s hand in the effort.
• Soji assembled Kirigakure’s genin team with Hozuki Suigetsu, Chojuro, and Chiyo, and arranged for Oyakiro Homura to help protect Chiyo if she lost control.
• Soji led Kirigakure’s delegation to Konoha as Mizuki Ember while Rasa brought Sunagakure’s delegation, and rival villages considered how to respond to their cooperation.
• Soji welcomed Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara at his home, where Gaara thanked him and described his improved control of sand, relationship with Shukaku, and reconciliation with his family.
• Hyuga Kiyoka told Soji that visitors from Otogakure had arrived, and Soji realized Orochimaru was among them.

The Chunin Exams brought Naruto’s team into conflict with Chiyo’s revenge plot as Orochimaru launched an attack on Itachi. The Kage and exam teams joined the fight, but Orochimaru’s reanimated shinobi and Ohm’s enhanced power left both battles unresolved.

• Soji agreed to give Orochimaru Itachi’s Chunin Exams schedule, then sent it through Little Black Snake while refusing to join the planned attack.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura passed Ibiki Morino’s written exam after Naruto’s confidence kept the team from giving up on the tenth question.
• Chiyo entered the Forest of Death with Hozuki Suigetsu and Chojuro, then left them to pursue Sasuke and test her Ketsuryūgan ability to turn enemies into Human Bombs.
• Naruto and Sasuke fought the Rain ninja, Kin, Zaku, and Dosu, while Chiyo approached them under a false story and the giant snake swallowed the Central Tower.
• Orochimaru and Ohm attacked Itachi inside the sealed tower, and Itachi worked with the Sand Siblings to rescue the trapped occupants before escaping with them.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and the Sand Siblings fought Ohm outside the tower as Itachi used Tsukuyomi against Orochimaru, who escaped his old body and summoned Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and the Third Kazekage.
• The reanimated Kage damaged Itachi’s Susanoo while Ohm overpowered Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, and two inhuman creatures approached the fight.