Chapter Summaries

Konoha mourned its fallen before Minato handled compensation and negotiated with Otogakure and Sunagakure. Sunagakure accepted an alliance treaty centered on Konoha, while Naruto unlocked the Swimsuit Chiyo transformation and hoped to show it to Jiraiya.

• The Third Hokage and Akimichi Torifu attended a memorial for Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and the shinobi who died protecting Konoha.
• Minato honored the fallen and arranged compensation for their families, sending children without adult relatives to Nonō and Kabuto's orphanage.
• Otogakure offered compensation, cooperation against Orochimaru's remaining forces, and requested the release of its prisoners; Konoha accepted its overtures.
• Chiyo led Sunagakure's delegation, but Minato, Tsunade, and Jiraiya rejected its attempt to negotiate from a tough position.
• Naruto unlocked the Swimsuit Chiyo Transformation Technique and planned to find a chance to show it to Jiraiya.
• Chiyo returned from negotiations with a treaty that left Sunagakure subordinate to Konoha's wishes and worried that her village had no suitable next Kazekage.

After Naruto returned to Konoha, Sasuke chased him for hours over missing a chance to train with Itachi, then ended up carried home. Naruto later found Haku at his house among family and friends, and wondered why Haku was there.

• Naruto learned that Itachi had come home to train with Sasuke while Sasuke was away, prompting Sasuke to chase Naruto through Konoha.
• Naruto outran Sasuke for several hours until Sasuke collapsed, then carried him back to the Uchiha Clan Compound.
• Naruto met Itachi and Izumi saying goodbye, teased them about dating, and left Sasuke with his brother.
• Tsunade examined Kimimaro and arranged a minor operation, while she also agreed to help remove Karin's scars.
• Naruto returned home to find Minato, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Karin, Kushina, and Haku there, and asked Haku why he had come.

Naruto brought Tokiwa and Shizuka, representatives of Nadeshiko Village, to Konoha so Jiraiya could confirm an old marriage-by-combat agreement with his former opponent. Jiraiya explained the story to Tsunade, and Naruto avoided making things worse between them.

• Tokiwa explained that Shizuka had come to find Jiraiya's disciple and fulfill the duel agreement made by their former village chief and Jiraiya.
• Kakashi agreed to let Tokiwa and Shizuka travel with the group to Konoha, where the gate guards recognized him and exposed the name he had used outside the village.
• Naruto went to Jiraiya's office and told him that people from Nadeshiko Village were waiting at the gate.
• Tsunade entered as Jiraiya recalled Nadeshiko Village, and Jiraiya hastily explained his old duel and agreement.
• Naruto confirmed Jiraiya's account while teasing him about his claims of being handsome, and Tsunade joined Naruto in laughing at Jiraiya.

Itachi defeated Hiruko with the Mangekyo Sharingan techniques Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, but the strain slightly damaged his vision. Naruto sealed the remaining flames and went to check on Sasuke, who woke up and caught him pretending to examine the cursed seal.

• Itachi trapped Hiruko in Tsukuyomi, then burned him to nothing with Amaterasu.
• Itachi explained that he had fought as Sasuke’s older brother, while Sakura found that his body was overexerted and his eyes had suffered slight damage.
• Naruto sealed the remaining Amaterasu flames in a scroll, then sent Kakashi to prepare lunch.
• Naruto arrived at Sasuke’s room and reassured Mikoto that the others were safe and Itachi only needed rest.
• Sasuke woke as Naruto reached to tease him, and Naruto pretended he was checking Sasuke’s cursed seal.

Naruto found Zero Tails and let Nine Tails take control, destroying the artificial beast by making it absorb Sage Mode Chakra. With Zero Tails gone, Naruto returned to the battle and helped the others turn on Shinno.

• Naruto followed the map to a room where Zero Tails was absorbing Chakra and found that the formulas there interfered with his own Chakra.
• Nine Tails took control of Naruto, entered Sage Mode, and let Zero Tails absorb Sage Mode Chakra until it turned to stone.
• Naruto smashed Zero Tails' stone body and returned to find Guy, Rock Lee, Kimimaro, Gan, Wen, and Cui fighting Shinno.
• Shinno realized he had lost contact with Zero Tails and charged at Naruto, but Kimimaro struck him with Konoha Rock Destroying Rise.
• Rock Lee, Guy, Gan, Wen, Cui, and Kimimaro opened the Sixth Gate and combined their kicks to knock Shinno into a human-shaped crater.

After the Dragon Vein storm, Naruto woke in Lou Lan with no memory of the battle and found his friends treating him as an impostor because his behavior and Chakra differed from their Naruto's. As the group prepared to take him back to Konoha for investigation, a handsome blond man arrived and suggested there might be a misunderstanding.

• Naruto woke in the ruins of Lou Lan and greeted Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke in ways that made them suspicious.
• Naruto insulted Kushina, who punched him, and Sasuke and Hinata noticed that his Chakra and Nine Tails seal differed from their Naruto's.
• Sasuke and Sakura tested Naruto with strange codes, but his answers convinced them he was not their Naruto.
• Kakashi asked Naruto to return to Konoha for investigation, while Naruto insisted that he was Uzumaki Naruto and tried unsuccessfully to dispel what he thought was a genjutsu.
• A handsome blond man arrived and urged the group not to be hostile, saying there might be a misunderstanding.

Minato explained the Akatsuki’s origins and warned the Kage that Nagato could revive the Ten Tails by gathering the nine Tailed Beasts. He introduced Naruto as someone who had befriended a Tailed Beast, and the Nine Tails agreed to speak with the Kage through Naruto.

• Minato explained that Hanzo and Danzo’s ambush led Yahiko to die and caused Nagato to change the Akatsuki’s methods.
• Minato revealed that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was the Ten Tails’ shell and warned that gathering all nine Tailed Beasts could revive it.
• The Raikage and Ōnoki challenged Minato’s claims, so he argued that humans had misunderstood the Tailed Beasts.
• Minato introduced Naruto as his son and a Jinchuriki who had truly befriended and communicated with a Tailed Beast.
• Naruto asked the Nine Tails to speak with the Kage, and the Nine Tails agreed to take control of Naruto’s body.

Sasuke defeated Rock Lee in a grueling match, while both fighters suffered injuries. After Kankuro forfeited his match against Hyuga Neji, Shino overheard him mention a plan involving his puppet Crow.

• Rock Lee opened the Fourth Gate and attacked Sasuke, who used the Body Flicker Technique to evade his blows.
• Sasuke caught Rock Lee's wrist, struck him, and won after they both fell from their final exchange.
• Sasuke offered Rock Lee a hand and Sakura examined their injuries before Rock Lee was taken away for treatment.
• Kankuro forfeited his match against Hyuga Neji, explaining that he did not want to expose Crow's mechanisms before the plan began.
• Shino overheard Kankuro mention the plan and Crow.

Naruto and his team reviewed their battle against Zabuza and trained to address their weaknesses while the people of the Land of Waves dealt with Gato. After the bridge was completed, Kakashi and his students left for Konoha.

• Tazuna spread word that Gato's men had been defeated, and the residents of the Land of Waves rushed toward Gato's residence.
• Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi discussed lessons from their fights with Zabuza, including improving sensory skills, stamina, and battle tactics.
• Naruto sent thirty Shadow Clones to train in sensory Ninjutsu, while the clones argued and one transformed into Naruko.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura trained individually, and Kakashi decided to work harder after reflecting on his fight with Zabuza.
• Three days later, the bridge was completed, and Tazuna said he would visit Konoha to explain the mission and arrange payment.
• Kakashi and his three students departed the Land of Waves and began their journey back to Konoha.

Naruto helped establish Aincrad as Konoha’s new Floating City and secured a long-term Chakra supply contract. At a reunion barbecue, the Konoha Twelve caught up, and Sakura asked Tenten about becoming Hokage-sama’s disciple.

• Konoha repaired and renamed the Floating City Aincrad, using a Chakra storage device as its Energy Core.
• Naruto signed a long-term Chakra supply contract with Konoha and invited his friends to a meal.
• The Konoha Twelve shared a barbecue and talked about missions, teammates, and Shikamaru’s growing closeness with Temari.
• Tenten described how Rock Lee’s relentless training made her feel overwhelmed.
• Sakura asked Tenten whether she had become Hokage-sama’s disciple.

Naruto spent the day with Hinata, playfully securing a promise from her before planning to defeat Gaara, while Orochimaru’s faction killed the Fourth Kazekage and received a letter from Danzo. The chapter left Orochimaru intrigued by news that Jiraiya and Tsunade had returned to the village.

• Naruto paid for food with Hinata’s money, and the two strolled together as they discussed the crowds and the upcoming Chunin Exams.
• Naruto told Hinata that Gaara’s strength made him uncertain, then whispered a promise he wanted from her if he won; Hinata agreed.
• Naruto walked Hinata home, then discussed fighting Gaara and Shukaku with Nine Tails, who knocked him into the air with a tail.
• In the Land of Wind, Orochimaru explained his plan to replace Rasa after Sunagakure dispatched its forces, and Guren killed the Fourth Kazekage.
• Sai delivered Danzo’s letter to Orochimaru, first using a clone and then revealing himself from a concealed sand pit.
• Orochimaru read the letter and was intrigued by its barrier optimization and the news that Jiraiya and Tsunade had returned to the village.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura began Kakashi’s bell exercise after spending hours setting traps that Kakashi made them dismantle. Naruto unleashed a coordinated Water Dragon attack with his Shadow Clones, leaving Kakashi stunned by its scale.

• Kushina asked Naruto about Shino, explaining that she sometimes overlooked the quiet child, and Naruto suggested she would get used to his low presence.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura arrived at the Training Grounds on time and spent hours setting traps while Kakashi secretly watched them.
• Kakashi appeared, made the team clear away their traps, and led them to another Training Grounds for the bell exercise.
• Kakashi explained that there were two bells and warned the three that anyone who failed to get one would be sent back to the Academy.
• Naruto used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique; after Kakashi knocked out several clones, ten others coordinated a Water Dragon Bullet attack that covered his escape routes.
• Kakashi stared at the incoming water dragons and exclaimed, "You call this Water Style?!"

The Five Kage Summit began with Ōnoki calling for the villages to unite against Akatsuki, but the Raikage challenged their trustworthiness over their connections to the organization. Ōnoki admitted the villages had hired Akatsuki as mercenaries, leaving the Kage to consider how their own policies had helped it grow.

• Ōnoki and Yagura traded insults before Mifune arrived and opened the summit.
• Mifune introduced Shibuki as a special observer, and the Five Kage began discussing Akatsuki.
• Ōnoki revealed that Iwagakure’s Four Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki had gone missing and asked about the other villages’ Jinchuriki.
• The Raikage accused the villages of harboring Akatsuki members, while Gaara confirmed that Sasori had been a Sunagakure rogue ninja and Ōnoki identified Deidara as his former disciple.
• Ōnoki explained that villages had hired Akatsuki for missions because it was cheaper than maintaining surplus ninja, prompting the Kage to reflect on their military spending.

Naruto and Minato arrived in the Land of Iron for the Five Kage Summit, joking along the way before entering the meeting site. There, Naruto reunited with Kaede and awkwardly faced her teammates after insulting them.

• Naruto pranked Minato with a snowball, and Minato retaliated by using Flying Thunder God to slip one down Naruto's clothes.
• Minato, Naruto, and Shisui reached the snowy mountain cave where the Five Kage Summit was being held, leaving Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura outside to stand guard.
• A samurai told Minato that the Raikage, Mizukage, and leader of Hidden Waterfall Village had arrived.
• Naruto and Minato discussed their past encounters with the other villages, and Naruto complained that Kaede's teammates had pretended to be genin during the Chunin Exams.
• Kaede flew out of the meeting room and hugged Naruto, then complained that he had never visited her village as promised.
• Naruto noticed Kagen and Yoro behind Kaede and realized they had heard him call them shameless.

After the summit, Minato arranged for Kaede to visit Konoha and prepared the Kage for their journeys home. Naruto and the others set off with Kaede, while Obito avoided acting and the Xuanyuan Crowd waited to ambush the Mizukage.

• Shibuki asked Minato to let Kaede visit Konoha, and Minato agreed; the Kage discussed the Jinchuriki and Minato distributed Flying Thunder God Kunai.
• Minato warned the Kazekage and Mizukage that they might be targeted on their way home, and the Kage departed with their guards.
• Kaede happily accepted the trip to Konoha, endured Shibuki's instructions, and joined Naruto's group.
• Naruto sensed Kakashi and the others nearby as they traveled through the snow, while Kaede peppered him with questions about Konoha.
• Obito stayed hidden because Minato's group had marked the Kamui Dimension, while the Xuanyuan Crowd prepared to attack the Mizukage on his return route.

Minato’s group confronted Obito and his six reanimated Rinnegan-controlled fighters, including Mito Uzumaki, whose appearance shook Kushina. Obito demanded the Nine Tails and mistook Naruto’s bizarre Shadow Clone antics for proof that he was overwhelmed by despair, leaving the group stunned by his conclusion.

• Minato named Obito’s six reanimated fighters, and Kushina recognized Mito Uzumaki among them.
• Kushina confronted Obito for desecrating Mito’s body, while Kakashi tried to speak with Obito about Rin.
• Obito insisted that the Infinite Tsukuyomi would create an eternal world of peace and demanded the Nine Tails.
• Naruto said Obito needed a beating, but Obito claimed Naruto was secretly suffering and offered him the life he wanted.
• The group regarded Obito with pity, while Zuo Zhu briefly wondered whether Naruto was truly desperate before dismissing the idea.

Naruto explored the Ninja Academy with the Third Hokage and later learned that a Hidden Cloud envoy had kidnapped Hinata Hyuga, escalating tensions between the newly allied villages. Minato went to the Hyuga Clan to investigate and seek a solution.

• Naruto wandered to the Ninja Academy, where the Third Hokage showed him around and told him about the school and his parents.
• Naruto spent two months training each morning and exploring Konoha each afternoon as winter arrived and the village prepared an alliance celebration.
• The Hyuga Clan held a formal celebration for Hinata's third birthday, where Neji was to receive the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
• A Hidden Cloud envoy kidnapped Hinata and was killed by Hiashi Hyuga, after which the envoy group accused the Hyuga Clan of murder and demanded the killer.
• Minato went to the Hyuga Clan to investigate the kidnapping and discuss how to resolve the dispute.

Naruto visited Sasuke with Minato and Kushina, while Minato spoke privately with Fugaku, and three years of relative peace followed in Konoha. The chapter ended with Naruto celebrating his third birthday and wishing for an older brother, leaving Kushina startled.

• Minato, Kushina, and Naruto visited the Uchiha Clan Compound, where Minato met privately with Fugaku and Kushina introduced Naruto to Sasuke.
• Kushina and Mikoto watched Naruto and Sasuke fuss together while Itachi stayed close to his younger brother and endured the adults' teasing.
• Over the next three years, border tensions subsided, Orochimaru was exposed as a rogue ninja, Danzo lost his elder position, and Hiruzen retired to raise the lone surviving child from Orochimaru's experiments.
• Minato, Kushina, and Kakashi celebrated Naruto's third birthday, and Naruto wished for an older brother, surprising Kushina.

Fugaku led the First Combat Division against a massive White Zetsu force, using coordinated attacks to weaken the enemy and bolster his troops’ confidence. After a barrage of ninja tools and combined Fire Release, he charged into close combat with the shinobi following him.

• Fugaku halted the First Combat Division after scouts spotted White Zetsu, then arranged his troops for the coming battle.
• Fugaku reassured the nervous shinobi that White Zetsu could be killed and reminded them that Tsunade’s Medical Unit supported them.
• Fugaku ordered the Allied Forces to bombard the approaching White Zetsu with ninja tools, while Konoha shinobi used Exploding Tags in their attacks.
• Fugaku led nearly a hundred Fire Release users in a combined assault that scorched several hundred White Zetsu.
• Fugaku charged into close combat, and the emboldened shinobi followed him.

Naruto ordered Flying Thunder God kunai and learned that Gaara and his siblings had arrived in Konoha for the Chunin Exams. Kushina worried Sunagakure might be planning an attack, while Rasa’s desperation over his village’s finances and Orochimaru’s offer set their plot in motion.

• Naruto celebrated his progress by running laps with heavier weights, then ordered one hundred Special Kunai using Minato’s kunai as a sample.
• The Nine Tails sensed Shukaku nearby, and Naruto spotted Gaara, his siblings, and their team leader on his mini-map.
• Naruto declined to confront Gaara before the exams and sent a Shadow Clone with his last money to buy barbecue for the Nine Tails.
• Naruto told Kushina that Gaara had come to Konoha, prompting her to worry that Sunagakure might have ulterior motives.
• Rasa considered risking a plan to secure benefits for impoverished Sunagakure, and Orochimaru offered to help him take revenge on Konoha.