Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru completed his first Living Corpse Reincarnation with Ohm’s help, then sent Soji word that he had nearly cracked the Reaper Death Seal. Soji learned they would meet in three months to undo it and began preparing for Minato’s return.

• Soji kept Harusame under Anbu surveillance to prevent Utakata from being driven into defecting from Kirigakure.
• Orochimaru emerged from his first Living Corpse Reincarnation as a woman and ordered Ohm to destroy the abandoned laboratory.
• Ohm used Wood Release to erase the laboratory, then left the island with Orochimaru as they searched for a safer base.
• Orochimaru recalled his agreement with Soji and sent him a message proposing they undo the Reaper Death Seal in three months at the Uzumaki Clan ancestral shrine in Uzushio Village.
• Soji read the message, summoned Minato’s body, and began preparing for his return.

Soji used the Night Duke to stage a series of public punishments, hoping to prepare Konoha for Minato’s return by making the masked figure a familiar presence. After a month, the Night Duke had become a village legend, while Konoha’s leaders grew alarmed and began hunting for him.

• Soji decided to keep Minato’s planned revival secret from Uchiha Homura and Kushina Uzumaki, and came up with a plan involving the Night Duke.
• The Night Duke frightened a drunken man who had vomited in public, leaving a note explaining the punishment.
• Over the following nights, the Night Duke caught a thief and a peeping tom, then continued targeting lawbreakers around Konoha.
• After a ninja labeled “Spy” was found unconscious near the Konoha Commercial Department, Fugaku Uchiha told the Third Hokage about the Night Duke’s month-long appearances.
• The Third Hokage sent Anbu to find the Night Duke, while villagers increasingly celebrated him as a hidden hero.

Soji used the Night Duke’s appearances and supposed Flying Thunder God Technique to build speculation linking him to Minato, while Konoha struggled to identify him and inadvertently uncovered foreign spies. At the Ninja Academy, Kiba told the other prodigies that he had seen the Night Duke, and Naruto privately recognized that the village’s mysterious figure was his teacher, Minato.

• Soji planned to make Kakashi a breakthrough for persuading Konoha’s leaders about the Night Duke, while Kakashi accidentally burned his dinner after sensing a chill.
• The Night Duke appeared before selected villagers and shinobi, prompting Konoha to connect his black-light disappearance to Minato’s Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Konoha’s Anbu and Military Police Force failed to find the Night Duke but discovered numerous spies from other villages.
• Nine promising Academy students gathered during lunch, and Kiba announced that he had seen the Night Duke the previous night.
• Naruto privately understood that the Night Duke was his teacher, Minato, and wondered whether Minato’s secret mission had ended.

Kiba gathered his friends and claimed that he and Akamaru could track the Night Duke, despite their doubts. After Kiba revealed how Akamaru had gotten the Night Duke’s scent, the others accepted that they might be able to find him, though they were appalled by what the pair had done.

• Kiba told his friends he had met the Night Duke and proposed tracking him down, while Naruto reacted with alarm and Sasuke tried to challenge Naruto to a fight.
• Kiba insisted that Akamaru could track the Night Duke, even though the Inuzuka, Aburame, and Hyuga clans had all been mobilized to search for him.
• Shikamaru suspected Kiba was hiding something, so Kiba gathered everyone close and explained what had happened the previous day.
• Kiba’s friends learned how Akamaru had obtained the Night Duke’s scent and reacted with disbelief, disapproval, and sympathy for the Night Duke.
• Kiba and Akamaru proudly asked whether their friends believed they could track the Night Duke, and the group admitted that their method might work.

Kiba and Akamaru discovered that Night Duke had stepped in the dog pee Akamaru left on a park bench, and their story inspired Naruto’s group to go searching for him. Itachi secretly followed the children to verify their lead while Soji’s earlier appearance as Night Duke remained the source of the trail.

• Naruto agreed with Kiba’s plan to find Night Duke, and the other children joined them, each with their own reasons.
• Akamaru tracked Night Duke’s trail, and the nine children skipped class to follow it.
• Itachi overheard the plan, secretly followed the group, and sent a note to Kabuto to handle the Ninja Academy.
• The previous day, Akamaru accidentally peed on a park bench, and Kiba returned with him to clean it up.
• Soji appeared as Night Duke on the bench, unknowingly stepped in Akamaru’s pee, and vanished before Kiba and Akamaru recovered from the shock.

Soji used the Night Duke to approach Kakashi, hoping to prompt Konoha to connect the mysterious figure with Minato’s return. The Night Duke confronted Kakashi at the cemetery, but Kakashi suspected Orochimaru was behind the encounter.

• Soji’s earlier lapse led Kiba and Akamaru to track the Night Duke by following the dog pee he had stepped in, while Itachi Uchiha followed them.
• Kakashi visited Obito and Rin Nohara’s graves and reflected on his strict bell test, the students he had sent back to the Ninja Academy, and the bonds they later formed.
• The Night Duke watched Kakashi from the tree where Obito had once hidden, then revealed himself as the cemetery emptied.
• Kakashi questioned why the Night Duke had sought him out, and the Night Duke confirmed that he had come deliberately.
• Kakashi asked whether Orochimaru had a plan, and Soji realized Konoha already believed the Night Duke was one of Orochimaru’s followers.

Soji used the Night Duke to challenge Kakashi and demonstrate Minato’s fighting skill, hoping Kakashi would recognize the resemblance to his dead teacher. The Night Duke overwhelmed Kakashi with superior fundamentals and the Flying Thunder God Technique, leaving him under attack in midair.

• Soji told Kakashi that his connection with Orochimaru did not make him Orochimaru’s subordinate and said he had come to test Kakashi’s progress.
• Kakashi drew his Short Sword and clashed with the Night Duke, noticing the strange eyes reflected by Soji’s Tenseigan control.
• The Night Duke used Minato’s speed and fundamentals to overpower Kakashi, prompting Kakashi to reveal his Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
• Kakashi attacked with his lightning-charged Short Sword, but the Night Duke struck his wrist and stomach before throwing a kunai after him.
• Kakashi diverted the kunai with lightning, but the Night Duke used the Flying Thunder God Technique to catch up and drive a knee into his abdomen.

Kakashi fought Night Duke, who was secretly controlled by Soji, and struggled to land a hit despite using smoke, Earth Release, and Lightning Release. As Night Duke evaded his increasingly wild attacks, Kakashi risked both hands in an attempt to break through his swordsmanship, and the battle continued in a storm of black flashes and blue lightning.

• Night Duke knocked Kakashi down, but Kakashi escaped with a Smoke Bomb and tried to ambush him from underground with Earth Release.
• Kakashi’s sword strike cut through a wooden substitute, and Night Duke praised his tactics while criticizing his swordsmanship compared with Hatake Sakumo’s.
• Kakashi charged again with Lightning Release running through his Short Sword, but Night Duke avoided every sword attack and countered with basic techniques.
• Kakashi increased the lightning in his blade until it dragged his right hand out of control, then gripped it with both hands and risked crippling them to pursue a breakthrough.
• Kakashi followed his father’s swordsmanship lessons by instinct and kept attacking Night Duke, who evaded with the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Kakashi struggled to control his lightning-infused swordsmanship until Soji forced a crisis that pushed him to master it and unleash a powerful slash. His breakthrough made him a Kage-level swordsman, leaving Konoha with a newly formidable powerhouse.

• Kakashi’s hands trembled as he tried to control the Short Sword, and Soji feared the effort would cripple him before he broke through.
• Soji sent thousands of shuriken at Kakashi with the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, forcing him to face immediate danger.
• Kakashi regained control of his hands and fused Lightning Release with his swordsmanship.
• Kakashi unleashed One Character Electric Flash, annihilating the shuriken and cutting through nearby trees before Night Duke evaded with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Kakashi’s ability to release slashes marked his swordsmanship breakthrough and established him as a Kage-level powerhouse.

Kakashi’s swordsmanship broke through during his fight with the Night Duke, but Soji outmaneuvered him with a Shadow Clone and struck him. The battle drew the attention of Naruto and his companions, who rushed toward the clash despite Naruto’s attempts to send them away.

• Kakashi gained confidence in his improved swordsmanship and tried to use a planned counterattack to reveal the Night Duke’s identity.
• Soji anticipated Kakashi’s prediction, used a Shadow Clone to catch him off guard, and punched him in the cheek.
• Kakashi unleashed his Lightning Arrival Slash, sending a lightning-bright attack into the sky and alerting nearby Anbu and Konoha Military Police.
• Hinata, Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, Shino, Ino, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke saw the flash and debated whether to continue tracking the Night Duke.
• Naruto and Sasuke urged the others to turn back, but the group of nine charged toward the battle, while Naruto worried that they might expose his teacher.

Night Duke and Kakashi fought as Kakashi tried to identify his opponent, and their clash of Chidori and Rasengan left a huge crater. Kakashi was left questioning whether Night Duke was connected to his deceased teacher, Minato.

• Night Duke used Flying Thunder God Kunai to trap Kakashi, who planned to stall until Konoha reinforcements arrived.
• Kakashi formed a Chidori and declared that he would expose Night Duke's identity.
• Night Duke formed a Rasengan, startling Kakashi and deepening his suspicions about a connection to Minato.
• Night Duke and Kakashi charged and collided their Rasengan and Chidori, creating a powerful explosion that blasted them apart and pulverized the surrounding area.
• After the storm subsided, Night Duke and Kakashi stood on opposite sides of the crater, still facing each other.

Kakashi tried to protect Naruto, Sasuke, and their classmates after they interrupted his fight with Night Duke, but Itachi arrived and launched a surprise attack on Night Duke. Itachi joined Kakashi as an ally, while Naruto remained worried that the two sides would keep fighting.

• Naruto, Sasuke, and the other young elites arrived at the battlefield, and Kakashi stepped in front of them and urged them to leave.
• Shikamaru stopped Kiba from revealing that they had tracked Night Duke, and the students prepared to retreat, though Naruto stayed behind out of concern for his teacher.
• Itachi transformed from a crow behind Night Duke and slashed at him with a kunai, cutting his top hat before Night Duke escaped with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Itachi landed beside Kakashi and offered to help him, improving Kakashi's chances against Night Duke.
• Itachi revealed that he had followed the students after hearing their plan to track Night Duke and told them their truancy and reckless pursuit canceled out their good deed.
• Naruto remained focused on preventing Kakashi and his teacher from fighting again.

Soji, secretly controlling Minato’s body as the Night Duke, fought Kakashi and Itachi while the younger ninja hesitated over whether to flee. After seeing the Night Duke’s golden hair and Flying Thunder God Technique, Kakashi began suspecting that he was connected to Minato.

• Soji worried that controlling Minato’s body would limit him against Kakashi and Itachi, but decided to keep fighting as the Night Duke.
• Itachi and Kakashi charged the Night Duke together, while Naruto, Sasuke, and the others argued over whether to leave.
• Itachi used a Great Fireball and Kakashi sent a lightning hound at the Night Duke, who evaded them with Flying Thunder God and struck Kakashi with a Rasengan.
• Kakashi blocked the Rasengan with his Short Sword, then froze after recognizing the Night Duke’s golden flash as the Golden Flash.
• Itachi noticed Kakashi’s stunned state as Kakashi grew more suspicious of the Night Duke’s identity.

Kakashi and Itachi fought the Night Duke together, while Kakashi suspected the masked fighter was his supposedly dead teacher. The Night Duke’s eyes nullified Itachi’s genjutsu, leaving Itachi preparing to use his Mangekyō Sharingan as the battle reached a stalemate.

• Kakashi recovered from his distraction, apologized to Itachi, and agreed to lead their attack on the Night Duke.
• Soji controlled the Night Duke as he fought Kakashi and Itachi, curious to see Itachi’s strength and whether his Susanoo possessed the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror.
• Itachi used genjutsu on the Night Duke, but the Night Duke resisted it and kicked Itachi away.
• Itachi told Kakashi that the Night Duke’s eyes had negated his genjutsu, and he decided he might have to use his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Kakashi and Itachi continued fighting the Night Duke with swordsmanship, taijutsu, and crow clones, while Naruto, Sasuke, and the other children watched anxiously.

The Night Duke turned Kakashi and Itachi’s coordinated trap against them by using the Flying Thunder God Technique to redirect Kakashi’s slash toward Itachi. Itachi summoned his third-stage Susanoo to meet the attack, leaving the outcome hidden by smoke.

• Shikamaru tried to hold Sasuke and Naruto back, but the two secretly agreed they would join the battle if either side fell into danger.
• The Night Duke used the Flying Thunder God Technique to strike Itachi with a Rasengan, and Itachi escaped through his Crow Clone Technique.
• Kakashi used Itachi’s apparent opening to launch a lightning-fast slash at the Night Duke from behind.
• The Night Duke redirected Kakashi’s slash with the Flying Thunder God Technique, sending it toward Itachi from behind.
• Itachi activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and formed a crimson third-stage Susanoo as Kakashi’s slash struck it, leaving the result obscured by smoke.

Itachi revealed his third-stage Susanoo, armed with the Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror, and joined Kakashi in pressuring the Night Duke. Naruto rushed onto the battlefield to help the Night Duke under the pretense of aiding Kakashi and Itachi, and Sasuke and seven other Academy students followed, turning the fight into a chaotic brawl.

• Itachi blocked Kakashi’s slash with his third-stage Susanoo, and Sasuke proudly explained the technique to his friends.
• The Night Duke identified Itachi’s Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror while dodging attacks from Itachi and Kakashi, whose suspicions about his identity as Minato grew.
• Naruto charged onto the battlefield and used Wind Release: Gale Palm, accidentally pushing the Night Duke out of the attackers’ encirclement.
• Sasuke and seven other Ninja Academy students rushed into the battle, leaving Kakashi, Itachi, and the Night Duke facing a crowd of young newcomers.

Naruto, Sasuke, and their classmates attacked Soji's Night Duke, but he effortlessly countered their techniques and exposed the vast gap in their strength. As Kiba and Akamaru charged with Shino's insect support, the fight continued.

• Sasuke used Great Fireball Technique, but the Night Duke dodged it without effort.
• Shikamaru restrained the Night Duke with Shadow Imitation Technique, and Ino followed with Mind Body Switch Technique, but Soji overwhelmed Ino's consciousness and reversed Shikamaru's control.
• The Night Duke kicked Choji's Human Bullet Tank aside, knocking him unconscious, then deflected Sakura's Shuriken and Kunai.
• Kiba gave Akamaru a clan-made pill, turning him larger and crimson red, while Shino released his Kikaichū to support their charge at the Night Duke.

Soji, controlling the Night Duke, disrupted Kiba and Shino’s attack and easily stopped Hinata’s Gentle Fist. He sent Hinata flying toward Naruto, who caught her, while Kakashi and Itachi watched and continued to suspect the Night Duke’s identity.

• Shino tried to use a female insect to track the Night Duke, but the Night Duke found it and flicked it onto Akamaru.
• Shino’s Kikaichū swarmed after Akamaru, forcing Akamaru and Kiba to flee while the Night Duke mocked their failed coordination.
• Kakashi and Itachi watched the children fight, recognizing that the Night Duke was not trying to harm them and wanting to learn his identity and purpose.
• Hinata attacked the Night Duke with Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, but he caught her wrist and urged her to improve.
• The Night Duke flung Hinata toward Naruto, who caught her; Hinata blushed, then hurried away as Soji remarked on their feelings.

After the young prodigies concluded that the Night Duke was not an enemy, Kakashi and Itachi ended their fight with him and asked why he had come to Konoha. The Night Duke revealed that he had come for Kakashi, strengthening Kakashi’s suspicion that the mysterious figure was his former teacher, Minato.

• Kakashi and Itachi told Naruto and Sasuke to leave the battlefield, and the two boys rejoined their companions.
• Naruto asked what everyone thought of the Night Duke, and the group described him as strong, mysterious, and not a threat to Konoha.
• Naruto assured his companions that the Night Duke would never become Konoha’s enemy.
• Itachi withdrew his Mangekyō Sharingan and Susanoo, and Kakashi asked the Night Duke about his purpose in the village.
• The Night Duke thanked Itachi for his concern for the students, then told Kakashi that he had come for him.

Soji, using the Night Duke, released Kakashi’s sealed memories of the future, convincing Kakashi that the Night Duke was his teacher Minato and that Minato was alive. Kakashi decided to hint at Minato’s return to the Third Hokage, while he and the others were taken to report the night’s events.

• The Night Duke used a Flying Thunder God mark on Kakashi’s sword to appear beside him and release the seal on Kakashi’s memories.
• Itachi tried to stop the Night Duke, but the Night Duke evaded him and vanished from Konoha.
• Kakashi recovered memories Minato had sealed and concluded that the Night Duke was Minato, who had survived his apparent death.
• Kakashi chose not to explain the memories to Itachi and decided to give the Third Hokage a hint about Minato’s return.
• Anbu and the Konoha Military Police Force took Kakashi, Itachi, and the young Konoha elites to the Hokage’s Office to report what had happened.