Chapter Summaries

Naruto secretly watched Kakashi train, but Kakashi’s Kamui nearly swallowed the boulder Naruto was hiding behind. Naruto caught the exhausted Kakashi and carried him, leaving Kakashi to ask why he had been watching him.

• Naruto decided to stake out Kakashi after finding out Guy had gone on a mission with his students.
• Guy left Kakashi after training together, eager to finish his mission and return to training.
• Naruto hid near Kakashi and watched him do push-ups for twenty minutes.
• Kakashi used Kamui on the boulder Naruto was leaning against, forcing Naruto to leap away as the boulder vanished.
• Naruto used the Body Flicker Technique to catch the exhausted Kakashi and admitted he had been hiding nearby for over twenty minutes.
• Kakashi wondered whether Naruto had come specifically to watch him train.

Akatsuki outsourced capturing Kirigakure’s Jinchuriki to the Xuanyuan Crowd after a video conference revealed the organization was short on manpower. The Xuanyuan Crowd waited outside the village, but with both targets staying inside, their leader sent reconnaissance insects into the Mizukage’s office.

• Kisame and Tobi captured the Four Tails and Five Tails, while Kakuzu and Hidan captured the Two Tails and headed toward Hidden Waterfall Village.
• Pain approved outsourcing the remaining work to the Xuanyuan Crowd after Zetsu proposed it, despite Kakuzu’s objections.
• The Xuanyuan Crowd waited outside Kirigakure Village for more than ten days, unable to act because neither Jinchuriki came outside.
• The Red-Clad Leader warned his teammates that they could not fight Kirigakure’s forces head-on and released reconnaissance insects to gather intelligence.
• The reconnaissance insects flew into the Mizukage’s office.

Naruto and the Nine Tails unleashed their power against Mukade’s giant centipede, overwhelming it but failing to destroy it completely. As the centipede began to recover, Naruto realized Mukade was still alive.

• Mukade linked the puppet fragments with purple Chakra chains and assembled them into a giant centipede that attacked Naruto and the others.
• Naruto summoned the Nine Tails’ Chakra, enveloping Minato, Kakashi, Choza, and Shibi in a giant fox form while warning Minato about what could happen if a Tailed Beast was extracted from its host.
• Naruto used the fox to batter Mukade’s centipede, restrain its tail, and blast away its upper half with a Tailed Beast Ball attack he called Excalibur.
• Minato worried about the damage to Rōran’s nearby towers, while Naruto apologized to the Nine Tails for mimicking its gestures.
• Naruto saw the centipede slowly recovering and wondered how Mukade had survived.

Minato and the others defeated the resurrected Kage and rescued the Third Hokage after Orochimaru stabbed him. Naruto brought Tsunade back to the battlefield, where she joined the group surrounding Orochimaru and the Second Mizukage.

• Naruto stalled Orochimaru while Minato used a Sage Art Rasenshuriken to destroy the Giant Clam and dispel the Second Mizukage's illusion.
• Minato and Kushina incapacitated Tobirama and sealed him, revealing Zaku as the sacrifice inside.
• Orochimaru ordered the Sound Ninja Four to release the barrier, then stabbed the pursuing Third Hokage with a sword.
• Naruto brought the wounded Third Hokage to Sakura, and Tsunade joined her to remove the sword and treat him.
• Naruto sealed Hashirama, revealing Dosu as the sacrifice inside, then returned Tsunade to the battlefield.
• The Sound Ninja Four were unconscious and Rasa had been sealed as Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, and Tsunade surrounded Orochimaru and the Second Mizukage.

Red Star secretly set a plan in motion while Kushina’s group was taken to the training ground, where they found the trainees injured and the Star missing. Kushina pursued the thief with Team 8 as Kakashi questioned Red Star, who identified a rogue ninja hiding in the forest across from Hell Valley.

• Red Star summoned Night Hawk and Four Aspects and ordered them to begin their plan.
• Mao led the Konoha group to the training ground, where they found the trainees unconscious and the Star gone.
• Sakura determined that the trainees had been harmed by uncontrolled Chakra and warned that Jian Xin could die without treatment.
• Hokuto said a masked person had taken the Star, and Kiba and Akamaru picked up the thief’s scent.
• Kushina left with Hinata, Kiba, and Shino to pursue the thief while Kakashi stayed to help the injured and question Red Star.
• Red Star told Kakashi that the likely culprit was a rogue ninja hiding in the dense forest across from Hell Valley.

Naruto learned that Mizuki and the Sound Ninja Four had escaped prison, then joined Izumi’s team as they tracked them to the Back Mountain. Mizuki led the fugitives toward something Orochimaru had supposedly left behind.

• Naruto met Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi, taught them cooler lines, and sent them off after they forgot to tell him about the prison escape.
• Nine Tails asked Naruto to send a Shadow Clone to a ruin, where he planned to meet Shukaku.
• Konohamaru told Naruto that Mizuki and four of Orochimaru’s subordinates had escaped, and Naruto set out to find them.
• Naruto caught up with Izumi and learned that the Konoha Military Police Force had deliberately let the prisoners escape to investigate their belief that Orochimaru was alive.
• Naruto joined Izumi’s tracking team and led them toward the Back Mountain, while Mizuki promised the Sound Ninja Four that Orochimaru had left something there that could help them escape Konoha.

Orochimaru disguised his group as Kazekage’s guards while Baki prepared a hiding place near Konoha. As the village welcomed the Chunin Exams, Naruto went with Minato and Kushina to the cave where he was born to begin practicing with Nine Tails Chakra.

• Orochimaru ordered Sai and the Sound Ninja Four to disguise themselves as Kazekage’s guards, while Guren went ahead to follow the plan.
• Baki surveyed a hiding place for the troops beyond Konoha’s patrol range.
• Konoha’s villagers anticipated the Chunin Exams and adapted to the village’s unusual sights and busy crowds.
• Naruto told Minato he wanted to practice controlling Nine Tails Chakra, and Kushina and the Nine Tails argued over who should guide him.
• Minato took Naruto and Kushina to the cave where Naruto was born, and Kushina playfully scolded Naruto about his birth.

Naruto and his allies rescued civilians held by the Sky Ninja and learned that their fortress was a heavily armed Floating City that threatened Konoha. Reinforcements arrived, and Naruto brought Shino into the fortress to sabotage the Sky Ninja aircraft with specially adapted Kikaichū.

• Naruto used Shadow Clones to evacuate the civilians from the cells to a Konoha shelter, while Naruko went to find Tsunade and left Tonton a note.
• Naruto told Shisui that reinforcements were arriving and explained that the Sky Ninja fortress could fly and fire a powerful weapon at Konoha.
• Over a hundred reinforcements arrived, and Naruto and Shisui began planning to eliminate the Sky Ninja and seize the fortress.
• Shino offered to destroy most of the Sky Ninja aircraft within ten minutes, so Naruto carried him into the fortress.
• Shino explained that he had bred Kikaichū to adapt to and chew through the Sky Ninja aircraft, and that he could rapidly cultivate more insects with the same trait.

The Sky Ninja attacked Konoha during Minato and Yagura’s meeting, forcing the two villages to set aside negotiations and respond to the emergency. Minato deployed Konoha’s forces, while Naruto began searching for the injured beneath the village’s defensive barrier.

• Kakashi guided Yagura and the Kirigakure delegation through Konoha before Minato and Yagura met in a conference room.
• Explosions interrupted the meeting, and an Anbu reported that nearly a hundred attackers had approached from the air and were bombing Konoha.
• Minato ordered Shisui to eliminate the attackers inside the barrier and sent Naruto and Sakura to assist the injured.
• Yagura denied Kirigakure’s involvement and agreed to remain in the conference room while Jiraiya watched over the delegation.
• Minato left with Shikaku to reassure the village, while Kakashi, Sasuke, and Itachi stayed with Jiraiya.
• Naruto took Sakura to the hospital, then created five hundred Shadow Clones to search for injured people as Konoha’s barrier repelled the aerial bombs.

Naruto and the Konoha forces defeated the Sky Ninja, killed Shinno, and began securing the battlefield. Minato praised the squads’ performance and prepared to meet the Mizukage.

• Naruto confirmed Shinno was still alive, attacked him, and watched as Shinno’s Ultimate Body failed and he died.
• Rock Lee refused help, so Guy and the others raced back toward the fortress with him.
• Shisui defeated the last Sky Ninja, ending the battle, while Neji and Tenten tied up two surrendering enemies.
• Naruto asked Tenzō and Izumi to leave people behind to guard the fortress and clean up the battlefield.
• Minato heard Naruto’s battle report, praised the teams, and arranged the follow-up work.
• Minato stopped Naruto and Shisui and said it was time to meet the Mizukage.

Deidara attacked Sunagakure, and Gaara fought to protect the village while Shukaku contacted Naruto. Naruto teleported to Gaara’s location and found himself inside Gaara’s sand defense as Deidara’s Clay Spiders seeped in.

• Deidara infiltrated the Kazekage Tower roof, but Gaara confronted him and pursued him through the air with sand.
• Kankuro’s anti-air unit fired arrows at Deidara, who destroyed the weapons with explosive birds, while Gaara shielded the nearby ninja.
• Gaara asked Shukaku to notify Naruto, and Shukaku explained that Deidara had arrived in Sunagakure.
• Naruto woke, recognized Deidara from Shukaku’s description, and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach Gaara.
• Naruto appeared inside Gaara’s Absolute Defense as Clay Spiders seeped through the sand, and he grabbed Gaara to move.

Minato promoted twelve students to chunin and Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to Special Jonin after reviewing their performance in the Chunin Exams. After celebrating with their teachers, Naruto brought Kakashi to Mount Myoboku for an unexplained task and went to resume his sage training.

• Minato promoted Neji, Tenten, Rock Lee, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Haku, Karin, and Yakumo to chunin.
• Minato awarded Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura S-Rank Missions and promoted them to Special Jonin.
• The students and their teachers celebrated the promotions together at a barbecue restaurant.
• Naruto asked Kakashi to help with an important task and took him to Mount Myoboku to meet Gamakichi.
• Naruto went to find Sage Fukasaku and prepare to continue his training.

Sasori overwhelmed Kankuro and destroyed his puppets, then fought Naruto, who countered Sasori’s fire with powerful Water Style techniques. Sasori avoided Naruto’s attacks and answered with water blades of his own, leaving their battle ongoing.

• Sasori used iron sand to immobilize Kankuro’s Salamander and dismantled Crow and Black Ant, defeating Kankuro.
• Naruto sent Shadow Clones to attack Sasori and used Flying Thunder God Technique to strike the Kazekage Puppet with Rasengans, destroying it at the cost of three clones.
• Sasori melted Naruto’s Special Kunai with fire and burned Salamander as Naruto and the others took cover behind it.
• Naruto summoned a Sage Mode Water Dragon Bullet that clashed with Sasori’s fire and filled the battlefield with mist.
• Naruto attacked with Water Severing Wave, but Sasori evaded it and fired high-pressure water blades that destroyed several Shadow Clones.

Naruto rescued Gaara from Deidara’s explosive attack and helped him open his seal so he could use Shukaku’s Chakra. Gaara prepared to lure Deidara away from Sunagakure, while Deidara flew toward the newly revealed power and readied more explosives.

• Deidara blasted apart Gaara’s sand defense but found that Gaara had vanished, while Kankuro searched for him.
• Naruto and Gaara watched Shukaku and Nine Tails argue near Sunagakure’s outer wall.
• Gaara refused to let Shukaku take over because their fight could devastate the village, and Naruto suggested luring Deidara away.
• Naruto revealed the key to Gaara’s Four Symbols Seal, and Gaara opened it to release a Tailed Beast Chakra cloak.
• Gaara recalled his defensive sand, and Deidara noticed the surge of Chakra and flew toward him with more clay.

Minato departed Konoha for the Five Kage Summit with Naruto and Shisui openly escorting him while Kakashi and the Shadow Guard followed in secret. As they traveled toward the Land of Iron, Naruto asked Minato and Shisui about samurai and wondered whether they had met one with an unusual three-sword style.

• Minato set out for the Five Kage Summit with Naruto and Shisui as visible guards and Kakashi leading the Shadow Guard ahead in secret.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade promised to look after Konoha and Kushina while Minato was away, and the villagers gathered to cheer his departure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Biwako watched Minato leave, while Jiraiya encouraged Izumo and Kotetsu to guard the village.
• Izumo and Kotetsu vowed to protect Konoha's gate and began leaping around to swat flies.
• On the way to the Land of Iron, Naruto asked Minato and Shisui about samurai, then described a three-sword swordsman who got lost and liked beautiful female swordsmen with meat.

Naruto joined the Shinobi Allied Forces as the Five Kage learned Akatsuki had gathered Tailed Beast Chakra and nearly one hundred thousand enemies were advancing into the Land of Fire. Minato identified the resurrected dead among the enemy as victims of Orochimaru’s Impure World Reincarnation.

• The Allied Forces assembled, and Kakashi led his squad and Team Guy’s assigned Rapid Mobile Force while Naruto reported to the temporary command center.
• The Raikage revealed Killer B had survived the extraction of the Eight Tails, and Minato warned that Akatsuki could awaken the Ten Tails with enough Tailed Beast Chakra.
• Gaara recalled that Kaede and he had lost Chakra to Fa Yi, leading the Kage to conclude Akatsuki already possessed Chakra from the One Tail and Seven Tails.
• Minato and the other Kage discussed Akatsuki’s unknown location and its remaining plans for the Nine Tails.
• Yamanaka Inoichi reported that nearly one hundred thousand White Zetsu and deceased ninja had entered the Land of Fire from three directions.
• Minato explained that Orochimaru was likely using the Second Hokage’s Impure World Reincarnation to summon the dead.

Deidara and Kisame attacked Kirigakure, where Ao coordinated the village’s defense against Deidara’s clay bombs. Deidara’s C4 Maiden struck the defenders with an unexplained Chakra effect, and Ao and the others vanished as the chapter ended.

• Kisame guided Deidara past Kirigakure’s defenses while Deidara bombed key locations from the air.
• Ao organized a counterattack, and Kirigakure’s ninja destroyed Deidara’s C3 Arhats with Lightning Release before it could explode.
• Deidara sent down C2 clay figures to draw Kirigakure’s Lightning Release ninja into position.
• Deidara revealed C4 Maiden, a clay figure shaped like Sasori, and it fired explosive Senbon before detonating in a flash.
• Ao saw hazy Chakra linger after the blast, and everyone it touched, including Ao, scattered like scraps of paper.

Naruto’s team tested the strange beast horde’s abilities while trying to keep it away from civilians. Guy and Lee arrived as the team prepared for the coming fight.

• Naruto sensed that the Akatsuki members were seven or eight kilometers away and said the others would arrive in a few minutes.
• Naruto used Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave to attack the horde, but several sea-themed Monsters swam through the water and resisted the attack.
• Sasuke sent electricity through the water with Chidori Stream, killing several weaker Monsters, while a Tiger-Clawed Dolphin Monster broke through Kakashi’s Earth Wall.
• Kakashi killed a Bear Shark with Raikiri, and Sakura punched a Crocodile Monster into the water, but it survived and swam away.
• Guy and Lee arrived with dramatic poses, prompting Kakashi to joke that their side had Fierce Beasts too.

The Xuanyuan Crowd adjusted its surveillance of Kirigakure after the village increased its defenses, while Konoha prepared its own barriers and trained emergency responders. After Sakura’s medical ninjutsu lesson, Ino invited the others to the baths and asked Karin to bring Yakumo and Haku.

• The Xuanyuan Crowd decided to monitor Kirigakure from rotating positions and demand more money from the Akatsuki if it pressed them to act sooner.
• Konoha strengthened its defenses, with Naruto helping improve the barriers and charging Aincrad, which had been moved near the Land of Fire’s southern coast as a refuge.
• Sakura taught emergency responders medical ninjutsu, and the group learned that Tenten could not heal a fish while Neji succeeded on his first try.
• Karin showed exceptional medical ninjutsu talent during Sakura’s lesson.
• Ino suggested a bathhouse outing, and Neji offered to invite Tenten while Ino asked Karin to call Yakumo and Haku.

Konoha's shinobi finished hunting the monsters and prepared to confront the people Minato sensed nearby. Minato sent the exhausted fighters back and tasked Hinata and Neji with scouting and spotting traps as the enemy came into view.

• Kakashi Squad, Minato, and Jiraiya fought the monsters, while Naruto's antics and Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains helped bring the battle to a close.
• Jiraiya and Naruto knocked down the remaining Strange Birds, and Minato ordered the physically exhausted fighters to return to Konoha.
• Minato asked Hinata and Neji to use their Byakugan to identify the approaching enemies and warned the group to watch for disguised Exploding Tags.
• Minato gave Hinata Little Orange and kept Little Red with him, then assigned Tenten to stay with them and help watch for traps.
• Haku, Yakumo, Karin, Kiba, and Ino-Shika-Cho were sent back; Karin asked Naruto to leave a clone with her so she could help if needed.
• Hinata spotted the approaching group, and the chapter ended as the fighters realized they had not arrived in time.