Chapter Summaries

Sandayu revealed that Kazahana Koyuki was the missing princess of the Land of Snow and planned to help her reclaim the country, but Koyuki refused and feared returning. After the group reached Sandayu’s secret base, Naruto offered to help the samurai and admitted he wanted their technology.

• Sandayu told Kakashi and Naruto how Kazahana Dotō had seized the Land of Snow ten years earlier and how Sandayu had found Princess Koyuki working as an actress.
• Naruto questioned whether their escort mission had become a mission to restore a country, while Sandayu insisted his fifty samurai could defeat Dotō.
• Koyuki refused Sandayu’s plea to become ruler, but Kakashi warned her that Dotō would pursue her now that her identity was exposed.
• The film crew and the group continued to the Land of Snow, where Sandayu led them to a hidden base filled with aging samurai.
• Naruto judged Sandayu’s plan unreliable, offered to help, and presented three strategies while saying he wanted the Land of Snow’s technology.

Naruto and Hinata were matched against each other in the Chunin Exam preliminary round, leaving them facing a fight neither had expected. Naruto made Shadow Clones to turn the bout into training, while Hinata resolved to show him how much she had grown.

• Hayate Gekko announced one-on-one preliminary matches, and the random draw paired Uzumaki Naruto with Hinata Hyuga.
• The Konoha examinees and visitors gathered to watch, while other villages assumed the match would be exciting because Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son and Hinata was from the Hyuga Clan.
• Naruto and Hinata took their stances but hesitated to attack, and Naruto considered how to fight without hurting or humiliating her.
• Naruto created a hundred Shadow Clones and told Hinata to treat the match as combat training.
• Hinata activated her Byakugan and resolved to show Naruto her efforts so she could stand proudly beside him.

Hinata fought Naruto’s Shadow Clones with the Gentle Fist and revealed her powerful new technique, impressing the spectators. After Naruto defeated her, he caught the exhausted Hinata, who tried to tell him something before Hayate declared Naruto the winner.

• Hinata rapidly defeated successive waves of Naruto’s Shadow Clones with the Gentle Fist, then charged into their formation and wiped out the remaining eighty.
• Neji praised Hinata’s skill, while Tenten and Rock Lee marveled at her Gentle Fist technique.
• Naruto sent another hundred Shadow Clones to attack Hinata, and Naruko struck her shoulder before Hinata dispersed him.
• Hinata used Guardian: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms to destroy the surrounding clones, then asked Naruto to seriously defeat her.
• Naruto teleported behind Hinata and tried to restrain her, but she struck him with Gentle Fist Art: One Hit Body before collapsing into his arms.
• Hinata began to tell Naruto what she wanted him to see, but Hayate declared Naruto the winner, making Hinata hide her face against Naruto’s chest.

Shan Zao and the other debt collector discovered that Tsunade had already repaid her debt, and Jiraiya challenged her to gamble so she would hear his warning. After Tsunade won every game and feared her luck foretold danger, Jiraiya asked her to return to Konoha to help prepare for a possible attack by Sunagakure Village and Orochimaru.

• Tsunade showed the collectors a bill proving she had repaid her debt, and the two samurai realized they had stayed away for three years.
• Jiraiya challenged Tsunade to gamble, wagering that he would lend her money if she won and that she would listen to him if she lost.
• Tsunade won every game they played, then grew frightened that her winning streak meant someone close to her would suffer misfortune.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade that Sunagakure Village might join forces with Orochimaru to attack Konoha during the Chunin Exams and asked her to return.
• Naruto worried that the Third Hokage might die in the coming conflict and considered using the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring Tsunade back himself.

Naruto learned how Minato and Kushina had interrupted Orochimaru’s attack inside the rooftop barrier, where Orochimaru summoned the First and Second Hokage with Impure World Reincarnation. The Third Hokage resolved to keep living and serve Konoha, and the battle entered a new stage as Orochimaru summoned more fighters.

• Konoha’s ninja held the upper hand in the arena as Genma and Shisui overwhelmed Baki, while Itachi, Guy, Kakashi, and Asuma fought elsewhere.
• Naruto asked the Nine Tails what had happened inside the barrier and learned Orochimaru had kidnapped the Third Hokage and used the Sound Ninja Four to seal the rooftop.
• Minato entered the barrier with Kushina, saved the Third Hokage from Orochimaru, and Kushina punched Orochimaru away.
• Orochimaru shed her damaged body and questioned how Minato had entered the barrier; Minato revealed he had marked the Third Hokage’s clothing with the help of Kushina and Biwako.
• Minato urged the Third Hokage to live and make amends by serving Konoha, and the Third Hokage accepted his resolve.
• Orochimaru performed Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Reincarnation.

Naruto began training in Sage Mode on Mount Myoboku after turning the local insects into grilled snacks and packing more to take to Minato and Jiraiya. Sage Fukasaku taught him to sense Natural Energy, and Naruto ended the day determined to endure the painful training.

• Naruto cooked Mount Myoboku's insects on a grill, then persuaded Sage Shima to pack more for Minato and Jiraiya.
• Sage Fukasaku led Naruto to a waterfall and explained how mental, physical, and Natural Energy combined to create Sage Mode Chakra.
• Sage Fukasaku applied Toad Oil to Naruto, causing him to develop toad-like features as Natural Energy entered his body.
• Naruto tried to control the Natural Energy within him, and Sage Fukasaku repeatedly struck it out with a black rod.
• Naruto continued training despite the pain until Sage Fukasaku ended the day's lesson.

After returning to Konoha, Naruto visited Hinata and watched her make pressed flowers, while his teasing of Nine Tails ended in a comic confrontation. The chapter left Naruto sitting beside Hinata as his heart began to race.

• Naruto told Guy that Kakashi had agreed to a one-handed rock-climbing contest, and Guy eagerly accepted the challenge for the next morning.
• Naruto accused Nine Tails of spending his money, broke one of Nine Tails's whiskers while swinging from it, and fled before apologizing and calming him down.
• Naruto went to the Hyuga Clan to see Hinata, who was making pressed flowers in the study.
• Naruto encouraged Hinata to finish her pressed-flower picture and sat beside her as she worked.
• Naruto watched Hinata tuck her hair behind her ear and felt his heart race.

Naruto carried a tied-up Sasuke through the Uchiha compound to Hinata for a checkup, turning the trip into a humiliating prank. After Hinata confirmed Sasuke was fine, Naruto untied him and brought him back to Mount Sumeru, where Itachi's condition seemed to have improved.

• Naruto refused to untie Sasuke until Sasuke agreed to go with him to Hinata for a checkup.
• Naruto slung Sasuke over his shoulder and carried him through the Uchiha Clan Compound, embarrassing Sasuke as he greeted the residents.
• Naruto brought Sasuke to Hinata, whose Byakugan confirmed that the strange Chakra had disappeared; Hanabi stomped on Naruto's foot on the way.
• Naruto untied Sasuke after making him thank Hinata, and Sasuke tried to punch Naruto before his growling stomach interrupted him.
• Naruto invited Hinata to eat with them, then took Sasuke back to Mount Sumeru, where Itachi looked a little better and asked about Sasuke.

Fugaku thanked Naruto, Kakashi, Hinata, and Sakura for helping Sasuke return safely, and the group shared a warm meal at the Uchiha home. Sasuke then showed his companions around the clan grounds, where Naruto proved so familiar with the place that Sasuke ended up paying for Sakura’s charm.

• Fugaku thanked the visitors for helping Sasuke, while Mikoto praised Sakura’s care for Itachi and her medical talent.
• Mikoto invited everyone to lunch, and Sasuke panicked when Sakura offered to help cook before Mikoto politely declined.
• The group ate together, then Mikoto asked Sasuke to show his companions around the Uchiha grounds.
• Naruto guided the group through the clan grounds by naming shops and locals, leaving Sasuke, Kakashi, and Sakura astonished by his familiarity.
• Naruto pointed out a Slug Sage charm Sakura liked, and Sasuke paid for it.

Minato and the others struggled to damage Obito, who had become the Ten Tails Jinchuriki, as the Kage and other reinforcements joined the fight. Obito targeted Kushina for the Nine Tails, but Guy hurt him with taijutsu and opened the Seventh Gate.

• Minato struck Obito with Sage Art: Big Ball Rasengan, but the damage was minor and Obito recovered quickly.
• Tenten brought Neji, Rock Lee, Guy, Gaara, Yagura, and Ōnoki to the battlefield after they learned Minato was fighting the Ten Tails Jinchuriki.
• Ōnoki attacked Obito with Dust Release, but Obito passed through it unharmed and scattered Gaara's sand wall as he pressed forward.
• Obito targeted Kushina for the Nine Tails, but she used Adamantine Sealing Chains to hold him off before his Truth-Seeking Orbs shattered them.
• Guy struck Obito with Morning Peacock, revealing that taijutsu could hurt him, then opened the Seventh Gate after the Sixth Gate proved insufficient.

Naruto and the others faced the newly revived Ten Tails, but Obito’s attempt to command it went awry when it stumbled and fell. The Tailed Beasts inside Ten Tails began forcing their way out, revealing its Chakra imbalance and leaving Naruto to anticipate a struggle.

• Naruto combined Sage Mode with his Tailed Beast Transformation and struck the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path with a Sage Art: Tailed Beast Ball, but Obito used the statue to shield itself.
• Ten Tails completed its transformation, and Obito connected himself to it and announced that he would destroy the world.
• Obito tried to command Ten Tails to attack, but it initially failed to move; when it finally advanced, it tripped and crashed face-first into the ground.
• Shisui noticed that Ten Tails’ legs had uneven Chakra and appeared underdeveloped, while Black Zetsu suggested that its power was unbalanced or Obito could not fully control it.
• Matatabi, Four Tails, Five Tails, and Eight Tails formed heads on Ten Tails’ back and struggled to emerge, leading Naruto to realize that Ten Tails’ Chakra was unbalanced because several Tailed Beasts had been replaced with Chakra.

Naruto learned that his Shadow Clone had mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique and asked Minato about its risks and marks. He designed a new mark reading "Begging for Monthly Tickets" and teleported back to the training ground, leaving Minato puzzled.

• An unnamed Shadow Clone mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, then was beaten to death by jealous clones, who used the memories to teleport around the training ground.
• Naruto got distracted by his clones' memories during a spar with Hinata and took a palm strike, but Sakura confirmed he was only lightly bruised.
• Naruto went to the Hokage Office and asked Minato whether Flying Thunder God could separate a person's body or leave their clothes behind; Minato explained that it could not.
• Minato told Naruto that Flying Thunder God marks could be redesigned, though a shinobi needed to practice a mark until he could use it instantly.
• Naruto inscribed a new mark reading "Begging for Monthly Tickets" and teleported back to the training ground, while Minato wondered what a monthly ticket was.

Naruto and the allied leaders trapped Obito and Black Zetsu after extracting the Tailed Beasts, while Black Zetsu tried to force Obito to revive Madara. Obito learned the truth about Rin and used the technique to revive the war dead instead, leaving Black Zetsu to flee underground.

• The Tailed Beasts were extracted from Obito, and Black Zetsu took control of him and began forcing him to perform the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.
• Black Zetsu revealed that he had arranged Rin’s death to manipulate Obito, and Obito was devastated by the truth.
• Naruto had Kushina, Gaara, Yagura, and Ōnoki form the Four Red Yang Formation around Obito, Black Zetsu, Minato, and Naruto.
• Obito performed the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to revive the people who had died in the war instead of Madara.
• Obito rejected Black Zetsu and blamed him for Rin’s death, so Black Zetsu detached himself and fled underground.

A massive sandstorm struck the Demon Desert, forcing Naruto to evacuate his teammates and rescue groups of examinees while the Chunin Exams were suspended. As Naruto returned to the rest area, he learned that Chōmei and Shukaku were in trouble, and the chapter ended with Gaara trapped by a plan to capture him and Kaede arriving only to be defeated.

• Naruto’s team was caught in a huge sandstorm, so he used Water Formation Wall and Flying Thunder God to bring Sasuke and Sakura back to safety.
• Naruto rescued Hinata, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru, then brought Haku, Karin, and Yakumo out of the storm.
• Naruto sent clones to search for Neji and Shikamaru’s group and went with his companions to the Surveillance Post, where he learned Gaara had suspended the Chunin Exams and led a rescue effort.
• Nine Tails warned Naruto that Chōmei and Shukaku were in trouble as he reached the rest area.
• Gaara was lured into a trap by Fa Yi, who used a technique to restrain Shukaku, and Kaede arrived but was quickly defeated.

Kakashi tested Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura’s teamwork, then passed them as Team 7 after they shared the bells. The new team celebrated over a meal and headed to the training grounds, where Naruto offered to teach the Rasengan before asking what the others wanted to train.

• Kakashi stopped the fight after seeing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura work together, then gave Sakura the bells and asked how they would divide them.
• Sasuke split one bell between himself and Sakura, and Naruto split the other with Kakashi, so Kakashi declared all four of them passed.
• Naruto asked Kakashi to treat Team 7 to a celebratory meal, and Kakashi announced their missions would begin the next day.
• Naruto invited Sasuke and Sakura to train with him, then offered to teach them the Rasengan, but both declined because they lacked enough Chakra.
• Naruto asked Sasuke and Sakura what they planned to train next.

Nagato poured his strength into an enhanced Planetary Devastation to capture the Nine Tails, but Konoha's fighters destroyed its gravitational core and overwhelmed the Six Paths of Pain. Nagato and Konan escaped with their dream intact, while Naruto and the others prepared to use Pain's Black Rods to track them.

• Nagato collapsed the other Pains' power into Deva Path and raised an enhanced Planetary Devastation that pulled up the land and everyone nearby.
• Naruto and Kushina prepared Tailed Beast Balls, Minato formed a Rasenshuriken, Itachi and Shisui used Susanoo, and Guy and Kimimaro prepared Daytime Tigers to attack the sphere.
• The seven attacks destroyed the gravitational core, ended the pull, and sent the lifted earth crashing back down.
• Jiraiya bound the weakened Pains and confronted Nagato, but Konan urged Nagato to retreat, and they escaped using her paper disguise.
• Naruto, Minato, and Jiraiya removed Black Rods from Pain to trace Nagato, while Naruto wondered whether Konan's lip stud was a similar device.

Minato sent the Four Kage, Killer B, and Team Guy to intercept the four revived Kage, while Shikaku warned that the enemy might be trying to draw them away from Naruto. Gaara’s sand reached the revived Kage first, and the Third Kazekage prepared to fight.

• Yagura, Ōnoki, Gaara, and the Raikage agreed to face the previous Kage, and Minato decided to lead the counterattack despite Shikaku’s warning.
• Killer B arrived with a rap, and the Raikage knocked him down before Minato added him to the mission.
• Tenten transported the Four Kage, Killer B, Guy, Neji, and Rock Lee near the target, where Neji located four enemies with his Byakugan.
• Ōnoki led the Kage toward the battlefield while Neji stayed behind to watch, and Ōnoki mistook him for someone named Hyuga Guy.
• The revived Kage discussed their forced movement and the possibility that Tobirama’s Impure World Reincarnation was part of a Konoha conspiracy.
• Gaara sent a huge wave of sand toward the revived Kage, and the Third Kazekage recognized the sand control and raised his hands to fight.

Minato and the reinforcements freed Yagura and the Kirigakure ninja from White Zetsu spores while Sakura examined Yagura’s condition. The Xuanyuan Crowd tried to flee after Sakura confirmed the Secret Technique could be removed, but the Konoha ninja captured them, including a member who hid as a puddle.

• Minato cut the White Zetsu spores off Yagura, and Naruto and the other reinforcements arrived to help free the Kirigakure ninja.
• Minato assigned the Shadow Guard to remove the spores while Sakura examined Yagura and confirmed the Secret Technique could be treated.
• The Red-Clad Leader tried to bargain for the Xuanyuan Crowd’s freedom, but Yagura refused to let them go after their attempted assassination and possible Akatsuki connection.
• The Xuanyuan Crowd fled, but Shisui and Sasuke caught the blue- and yellow-clad members while Naruto defeated the Red-Clad Leader and two others with Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Hand Killing.
• Naruto discovered the purple-clad Xuanyuan hiding as a puddle and struck him until he reverted to human form and could no longer move.

Nearly three years after the Nine Tails began exploring Konoha through Naruto’s clone, Naruto and his classmates graduated from the Academy. With his ninja career about to begin, Naruto learned that Mizuki was already imprisoned after Team 4 stopped him from abandoning an injured teammate.

• Kimimaro began extra training to protect the family he cherished, while Naruto let the Nine Tails control a disguised clone and explore Konoha’s food stalls.
• Over the next three years, Kimimaro and Team 4 grew stronger, Naruto developed his sealing skills and other abilities, and his classmates advanced in their own training.
• Naruto passed the graduation exam, received his forehead protector, and thanked Iruka for being a dedicated teacher.
• Naruto asked Minato about Mizuki, and Minato explained that Team 4 had stopped Mizuki from trying to kill an injured teammate, after which Mizuki was sent to prison.

Sasuke recovered from overtraining while Tsunade successfully operated on Kimimaro and treated Karin’s scars. Naruto then went on his first real date with Hinata, and the two ate their way along Konoha Food Street until his wallet was empty.

• Sakura examined Sasuke and confirmed that his injuries from using Lightning Release Cell Activation were minor, while Naruto continued training nearby.
• Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi accompanied Kushina and the others to the hospital, where Tsunade successfully operated on Kimimaro.
• Tsunade treated Karin’s scars, and Haku and Karin stayed to care for Kimimaro as Minato visited for a family reunion.
• Kushina sent Naruto away from the hospital, and he waited for Hinata to change before taking her out on a date.
• Naruto and Hinata visited Konoha Food Street and shared food until Naruto ran out of money.