Chapter Summaries

Mu Yue and Teacher Chen clashed with their strongest taijutsu techniques, ending in a draw when Day Tiger and Konoha Dragon God canceled each other out. Teacher Chen acknowledged Mu Yue’s strength and offered to teach Konoha Dragon God to Obito.

• Teacher Chen unleashed Konoha Dragon God, creating a destructive green tornado that impressed the watching Genma Shiranui, Might Guy, Ebisu, and Obito.
• Mu Yue opened the Gate of Life and fired Day Tiger at Konoha Dragon God, while the shockwave knocked Ebisu backward and forced the others to brace themselves.
• Day Tiger and Konoha Dragon God collided and tore into each other before both techniques dissipated, leaving Teacher Chen disheveled.
• Mu Yue and Teacher Chen ended their spar, and Teacher Chen admitted Mu Yue’s taijutsu was no weaker than his own.
• Obito asked Mu Yue to teach him Konoha Dragon God, and Teacher Chen offered to pass the technique on through Obito’s teacher.

Mu Yue traded Brick Break to Teacher Chen for the Konoha Dragon God and promised to teach Might Guy Day Tiger once he was strong enough. Back at the Southern Forest, Mu Yue began teaching Nohara Rin Water Release and Chakra Form Transformation, while warning his disciples that most of them would face special training the next day.

• Mu Yue gave Teacher Chen a scroll on Brick Break in exchange for the Konoha Dragon God, and told Might Guy he would teach him Day Tiger when his body was ready.
• Teacher Chen sent Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu back to training, while Mu Yue took Obito to the Southern Forest.
• Obito told Nohara Rin and Kakashi about Mu Yue and Teacher Chen's battle, and Kakashi teased Obito about his storytelling.
• Mu Yue began teaching Nohara Rin Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation and Chakra Form Transformation by the river.
• At dinner, Mu Yue announced special training for everyone except Nohara Rin the next day, and Obito worried that it would involve problem-solving.

Kakashi, Obito, and Shisui failed Mu Yue’s Shadow Clone training and were assigned fifty questions each. That evening, Jiraiya and Minato arrived at Mu Yue’s home, where Jiraiya entertained the children before everyone gathered for a feast.

• Kakashi used speed, feints, and Purple Electricity to try to hit Mu Yue’s Shadow Clones, but he could not land a strike within ten minutes.
• Mu Yue assigned Kakashi, Obito, and Shisui fifty questions each, then told them they could finish without a time limit and ask him for help.
• Mu Yue began preparing a lavish feast for Obito and the others, but Jiraiya and Minato arrived unexpectedly after returning to Konoha during a pause in the war with Iwagakure.
• Jiraiya introduced himself to the children, discussed his travels and search for the child of prophecy, and teased Obito as Kakashi watched.
• Nohara Rin asked Jiraiya about Tsunade, and Mu Yue served a large meal that drew everyone’s attention.

Mu Yue asked Jiraiya to introduce him to Tsunade so he could seek her guidance in Medical Ninjutsu, and Jiraiya agreed to bring him to her. After Mu Yue was promoted to Jonin, he met Tsunade at her home with Jiraiya, leaving his request to speak with her still ahead.

• Minato described his difficulty stabilizing a Chakra sphere for a Tailed Beast Bomb-like technique, and Mu Yue suggested practicing with a solid ball.
• Mu Yue discussed expanding his Chakra-storage seal and asked Jiraiya to introduce him to Tsunade for Medical Ninjutsu advice; Jiraiya agreed and mentioned her fondness for tender chicken.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi promoted Mu Yue from Special Jonin to Jonin and gave him a new identification card and two additional Ninjutsu Library selections.
• Jiraiya took Mu Yue to Tsunade's home, where they found Tsunade and Shizune sitting beneath the veranda.

Mu Yue sought Tsunade’s guidance on Medical Ninjutsu, and she agreed to teach him for 100,000 Ryo an hour. After paying her 600,000 Ryo for six hours, Mu Yue began the lesson.

• Shizune recognized Mu Yue and told Tsunade that he had taught her and was a capable teacher.
• Jiraiya explained that Mu Yue wanted guidance in Medical Ninjutsu, but Tsunade initially refused to teach him.
• Mu Yue offered Tsunade 100,000 taels an hour, and she agreed to take him on as a student.
• Jiraiya offered Mu Yue 600,000 Ryo, but Mu Yue declined the money and Jiraiya invited Tsunade to drink with him and Orochimaru.
• Mu Yue paid Tsunade 600,000 Ryo for six hours of instruction, and Tsunade invited him to ask his questions.

Mu Yue asked Tsunade to teach him the Medical Ninjutsu needed to develop a Chakra-storing seal, and she agreed after seeing his advanced sealing and medical skills. He won Tsunade and Shizune over with his cooking, leaving Tsunade willing to teach him for another day.

• Mu Yue explained his plan for a seal that could store extra Chakra, and Tsunade recognized it as related to the Yin Seal passed down by Uzumaki Mito.
• Tsunade tested Mu Yue’s abilities and was surprised by his mastery of the Five Elements Seal, Four Symbols Seal, Chakra Scalpel, and Mystical Palm Technique.
• Shizune persuaded Tsunade to honor the payment Mu Yue had made, and Tsunade taught him medical knowledge for nearly five and a half hours.
• Mu Yue cooked dinner for Tsunade and Shizune, and Shizune was delighted by his homemade pastries while Tsunade devoured his dishes.
• Tsunade agreed to teach Mu Yue for one more day after he promised to cook a whole-chicken dish, then looked displeased when Jiraiya and Orochimaru arrived to take her drinking.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru reunited for drinks, where their conflicting beliefs about life and death resurfaced. The next day, Mu Yue taught Tsunade and won her over with his cooking, leaving her willing to teach him for one more day so Shizune could get more desserts.

• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru drank together and argued about Jiraiya’s prophecy, Orochimaru’s pursuit of immortality, and the meaning of death.
• Orochimaru recalled how his disciple Nawaki had died in an Explosive Tag trap during the war, while Tsunade drank to avoid painful memories.
• Tsunade woke at noon and ate the two pastries Mu Yue had made for Shizune, leaving Shizune upset when she discovered they were gone.
• Mu Yue arrived at Tsunade’s house for five hours of lessons, and Tsunade answered his questions more diligently than the previous day.
• Mu Yue cooked beggar’s chicken and other dishes, and Tsunade was captivated by the meal and finished everything on the table.
• Tsunade asked Mu Yue to bring Shizune more desserts and decided to teach him for another day.

Mu Yue continued studying under Tsunade while winning her and Shizune over with pastries and excellent meals, even as Tsunade tried to convince herself to stop teaching him. After Mu Yue missed the next day, Tsunade waited for him anyway and found herself wishing for tomorrow to come.

• Tsunade waited for Mu Yue, taught Shizune the Mystical Palm Technique, and later accepted Mu Yue's payment for four hours of instruction.
• Mu Yue brought pastries and cooked dinner, then teased Tsunade with a promise of another chicken dish; Shizune praised him as a good person as he left.
• Mu Yue arrived late the next day and paid for two hours of lessons, then cooked spicy chicken that delighted Tsunade and made her postpone telling him to stop coming.
• Mu Yue said he would be busy the following day, and Tsunade insisted she was not waiting for him even as Shizune regretted missing his cooking.
• Tsunade took Shizune to an expensive restaurant, disliked the food compared with Mu Yue's cooking, and waited until evening for Mu Yue to arrive.
• With Mu Yue still absent, Tsunade complained about young ninjas' work ethic and desperately wished for the next day to arrive.

Tsunade waited for Mu Yue to arrive, then learned that his shrinking study sessions were caused by a lack of money. When Mu Yue said he could not return for a month, Tsunade realized she would also have to go without his cooking.

• Tsunade waited for Mu Yue through the afternoon and a heavy rainstorm, then asked Shizune to learn Mu Yue's recipes.
• Mu Yue arrived despite the rain, and Shizune dried him off with a towel.
• Mu Yue paid Tsunade 200,000 Ryo and explained that he could only afford two hours of study that day.
• Mu Yue told Tsunade that he would have to wait until his Ninja Academy salary arrived in a month before studying with her again.
• Tsunade understood that money explained Mu Yue's shorter visits and realized she would miss his cooking for a month.

Tsunade changed Mu Yue’s teaching compensation to private cooking lessons for Shizune, putting his Sealing Jutsu Power Bank Plan on track. The new school year began at the Ninja Academy, where Mu Yue arrived to teach Class 2-1.

• Tsunade decided to let Mu Yue exchange his 100,000-ryo-per-hour teaching fee for another form of compensation.
• After Shizune praised Mu Yue’s teaching ability, Tsunade chose cooking lessons for Shizune as the new compensation.
• Mu Yue accepted the arrangement and considered the Sealing Jutsu Power Bank Plan officially underway.
• The Ninja Academy welcomed the new school year, and Kotetsu told Izumo and Anko that he had lost a break-time contest to his cousin.
• Anko prepared to deal with Izumo and Kotetsu’s arguing, but Mu Yue entered the Class 2-1 classroom.

Mu Yue began the new school year by teaching his students and expanding his Ninjutsu skills, then attended the Jonin Meeting, where Danzo tried to reclaim him for Root. Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected Danzo’s claim, and the meeting began with Mu Yue still aligned with Hiruzen’s side.

• Mu Yue welcomed his students to second grade, encouraged them to set goals, and earned Water Release: Water Formation Wall after teaching a lesson.
• Mu Yue taught an afternoon class, then changed course to attend the Jonin Meeting at the Hokage Building.
• Teacher Chen asked Mu Yue about his Konoha Dragon God training, while Jiraiya and Tsunade spoke with him about his training with her.
• Danzo demanded that Mu Yue return to Root for intelligence missions, but Hiruzen Sarutobi reminded him that he was the Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi began the Jonin Meeting after nearly everyone had arrived.

Hiruzen Sarutobi convened a Jonin Meeting to address Kumogakure’s assault and Konoha’s wider war strategy. Orochimaru was appointed to lead reinforcements, while Mu Yue proposed training future Medical Ninja at the Ninja Academy and later began teaching Nohara Rin Basic Breathing.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi reported that Konoha’s forces had repelled Kumogakure’s assault and called for reinforcements to protect the border.
• Orochimaru volunteered to command the reinforcements, and Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed him to lead a thousand ninja.
• Danzo and other hawkish jonin advocated aggressive action, while Tsunade argued for training more Medical Ninja.
• Mu Yue proposed a Ninja Academy class for students specializing in medical work, and Hiruzen Sarutobi and Tsunade considered the idea promising.
• After the meeting, Mu Yue discussed taijutsu with Teacher Chen, went to Tsunade’s home, and began teaching Nohara Rin Basic Breathing with help from Shadow Clones.

Hiruzen Sarutobi approved Mu Yue’s plan for medical specialty students and assigned Mu Yue and Tsunade to refine it. Over the next two and a half months, Mu Yue and his disciples continued developing their skills, and Mu Yue was selected as a Chunin Exams examiner as July approached.

• Mu Yue and Tsunade discussed the medical specialty proposal and Mu Yue’s ideas for expanding the Ninja Academy while heading to the Hokage’s Office.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Mu Yue to explain the plan, then tasked him and Tsunade with refining it for approval.
• Nohara Rin reached the halfway point in Basic Breathing, Might Guy opened the Third Gate, Obito advanced his Flame Breathing practice, Kakashi developed Half-Flash, and Shisui refined his Fire Release.
• Mu Yue learned more Medical Ninjutsu from Tsunade and gained Ninjutsu of various attributes through teaching classes.
• As July approached, Mu Yue was selected as an examiner for the Chunin Exams.

Minato recommended Obito, Nohara Rin, and Kakashi for the Chunin Exams, and Mu Yue helped prepare for the event as Konoha welcomed Kirigakure’s team. Mu Yue recognized young Mei Terumi, Momochi Zabuza, and Kisame Hoshigaki among the visitors and suspected Kirigakure planned to dominate the exam.

• Minato arrived late and gave Obito, Nohara Rin, and Kakashi application forms for the Chunin Exams, explaining why Kakashi could participate despite already being a Chunin.
• Kakashi warned Obito that the first test was written, prompting Obito to worry about passing and consider seeking help from Mu Yue.
• Mu Yue took on several duties for the Chunin Exams as Jiraiya and the advisers went to greet Kirigakure’s delegation at Konoha’s gate.
• Mu Yue appraised Kirigakure’s visitors, including elder Genji, young Mei Terumi, Momochi Zabuza, and Kisame Hoshigaki.
• Mu Yue suspected Kirigakure had brought a strong team to overpower Konoha, but judged its prospects unfortunate because his students were also competing.

Mei Terumi arrived in Konoha with the Hidden Mist delegation to compete in the Chunin Exams and saw the village’s prosperity and relaxed atmosphere firsthand. After meeting Obito, she continued observing Konoha while he sought Mu Yue’s help preparing for the written exam.

• Yamamura Muneki told Mei Terumi that the Hidden Mist team’s mission was to perform well in the Chunin Exams, and Mei regarded Kisame Hoshigaki as a rival for first place.
• Mei Terumi met Mu Yue at Konoha’s gate, then explored the Main City Area and found it more prosperous and comfortable than Hidden Mist Village.
• Obito approached Mei Terumi outside a dessert shop, mistook her for a possible spy, and learned she was a Hidden Mist ninja competing in the exams.
• Obito told Mei Terumi he would become a Chunin, then went to Southern Forest and asked Mu Yue for help improving his theory grades.
• Mu Yue told Obito to come to his house that night for practice papers designed to help him prepare for the written exam.

Mu Yue helped Mei Terumi choose her ice cream, then accepted the strawberry flavor she offered him, leaving her to regret giving it away. On July 1, the Chunin Exams began, and Obito, Kakashi, Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu gathered with other candidates before the first-round rules were announced.

• Mu Yue suggested Mei Terumi buy all three ice cream flavors, and she ordered two of each.
• Mei Terumi offered Mu Yue a strawberry ice cream to thank him, and he accepted it before walking away.
• Mei Terumi tasted strawberry ice cream in the park, found it delicious, and regretted giving one away.
• On July 1, Obito, Kakashi, Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and Ebisu arrived at the Ninja Academy for the Chunin Exams.
• Ebisu noticed Kakashi was also taking the exam, while ninjas from several other villages arrived at the school.
• The candidates entered the exam room, and the proctors began explaining the first-round rules.

Obito took the Chunin Exams' theory test after studying with Mu Yue's practice papers and believed he had passed without copying Kakashi's answers. Kakashi doubted him, and the team awaited the results announcement at one o'clock.

• Shimono Hisanobu explained the test's passing score and cheating rules, warning that a team would be eliminated if one member failed.
• Obito recognized that the questions resembled Mu Yue's practice problems and answered them confidently, while Kakashi prepared answers to pass to him.
• Shimono Hisanobu caught a Grass ninja cheating five times and dismissed the ninja and the rest of the team.
• Zabuza used Hidden Mist Jutsu to steal answers during the exam, while Kakashi passed his answers to Obito and Ebisu passed his to Might Guy.
• Shimono Hisanobu ended the exam at ten, and Obito told Nohara Rin he was sure he had scored above seventy.
• Kakashi learned that Obito had not copied his answers and warned Nohara Rin that she might be eliminated with him.

Obito, Kakashi, and their friends passed the first exam, then learned that the second exam would take place in the dangerous Forest of Death. The chapter ended with the examinees preparing to sign waivers and compete to collect both scrolls and reach the Central Tower.

• Obito found that Nohara Rin scored eighty-eight points and he scored eighty, while Kakashi had earned full marks.
• Might Guy, Asuma, Obito, and their friends celebrated passing, but Zabuza mocked them and Obito challenged him before Kisame Hoshigaki led his team away.
• Kakashi warned Obito not to underestimate the other examinees, especially Kisame Hoshigaki.
• Hanyu Muyue announced that examinees had to sign consent forms accepting the risk of injury or death, and every student signed.
• Hanyu Muyue explained that teams would spend five days in the Forest of Death collecting both a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll and reaching the Central Tower.

Kakashi, Obito, and Rin collected a Heaven Scroll and began identifying teams with the Earth Scroll they needed while other examinees gathered intelligence and chose targets. As the teams were led to their entrances, Kakashi’s group and Guy’s group faced hostile attention from other villages and older ninja.

• Kakashi sent Rin to collect their scroll while he and Obito watched the hut’s exits and noted scrolls that teams exposed.
• Mei Terumi used the Hidden Mist Jutsu to hide her team’s scroll, while Kurosawa openly revealed that his team had an Earth Scroll.
• Rin returned with a Heaven Scroll, and Kakashi identified several teams that had Earth Scrolls and memorized their members.
• Kakashi noticed that many teams, especially Hidden Mist ninja, were targeting his group as easy prey because they were young.
• Ebisu and Genma felt the pressure of being targeted, and Might Guy encouraged them to trust their youth.
• Fifteen minutes after the scrolls were distributed, Mu Yue led the examinees toward their respective entrances.

Obito, Kakashi, and Rin entered the Forest of Death for the Chunin Exams and followed Kakashi’s plan to seek out other teams. After defeating a Konoha team and trading an extra Heaven Scroll for candidate information, they continued onward, unaware that a half-black, half-white figure was watching them.

• Sawada Kazuya explained that promoted chunin could take B-rank missions freely, while Minato controlled their access to A-rank missions.
• Kakashi proposed searching for teams and gathering both scrolls before heading to the Central Tower, and Obito and Rin agreed to follow his plan.
• Obito’s team encountered three Konoha genin, and Obito quickly defeated them with his speed and strength.
• The opposing team surrendered a Heaven Scroll, then traded it back for Kakashi’s information cards about other Chunin Exams candidates.
• Obito, Kakashi, and Rin continued searching while a half-black, half-white figure watched them from the darkness.