Chapter Summaries

Chiba, an outcast in Konoha with meager natural Chakra, trained for years to control the Eight Gates and finally succeeded in creating Eight Gates Mode. After breaking a wooden post with his enhanced strength, he spotted someone watching him and rushed into the forest.

• Chiba endured villagers’ contempt and worried that the approaching Third Shinobi World War would kill him unless he found a way to become stronger.
• Chiba returned to his home, where he had trained for three years with a scroll of the Eight Gates, and recalled mastering the first three gates a year earlier.
• Chiba opened the first three gates and struggled to contain the violent Chakra released by the Gate of Life.
• Chiba used his willpower and precise Chakra control to convert the Gate of Life’s Chakra into usable Chakra, successfully achieving Eight Gates Mode.
• Chiba discovered that his strength had increased when he punched a wooden post in half, then noticed a figure in the forest and pursued it.

Chiba pursued Iwaki Shin, an injured Iwagakure Jonin carrying a kidnapped Hyuga heir, and defeated him with a powerful Chakra-focused punch. The girl awakened in Chiba’s arms and struck at his face.

• Chiba spotted Iwaki Shin fleeing through the forest with an unconscious Hyuga girl and decided to rescue her.
• Iwaki Shin threw two explosives behind him to stop his pursuer, then escaped the forest toward the Land of Fire’s border.
• Chiba avoided the explosion and struck Iwaki Shin from above, defeating him and rescuing the girl.
• Chiba realized his punch had used a technique like Tsunade’s Monster Strength and resolved to practice it.
• The Hyuga girl awoke in Chiba’s arms and suddenly struck at his face.

Chiba saved Hyuga Yukina from an attacker by using Gate of Life Mode, but the mode ended when his stamina ran out. The attacker’s Earth Style Clone revealed that he was still alive, and Chiba and Yukina faced him again with Chiba exhausted and Yukina trapped.

• Chiba analyzed that Gate of Life Mode depended on stamina and ended without injuring him, just as Yukina tried to strike him again.
• Chiba told Yukina he was one of her own, and she stopped her attack after realizing he had saved her and apologized.
• The ninja in the crater turned into an Earth Style Clone, revealing that the attacker had survived.
• The attacker used Earth Release: Earth Splitting Palm, and Chiba and Yukina dodged in opposite directions.
• The attacker trapped Yukina with Earth Release: Rock Pillar Prison, leaving exhausted Chiba to face him alone.

Chiba rescued Hyuga Yukina from Iwaki Shin’s Rock Pillar Prison and outmaneuvered the wounded Jonin. The chapter ended with Iwaki Shin dead and Chiba staggering after his final attack.

• Iwaki Shin decided to kill Chiba and Yukina rather than risk capturing her alive, while secretly gathering Chakra for another attack.
• After hearing Yukina struggle inside the Rock Pillar Prison, Chiba used a charred log to help her escape with the Substitution Technique.
• Chiba took Yukina’s Ninja Tool Pouch, used a Smoke Bomb to conceal them, and gave her a Kunai to throw at Iwaki Shin.
• Iwaki Shin dodged the Kunai and pierced what he thought was Chiba with Earth Release: Earth Spear, but the target was a clone.
• Chiba had transformed himself into the Kunai Yukina threw, then stabbed Iwaki Shin in the back as he dodged it.
• Iwaki Shin collapsed and died, while Yukina realized how Chiba had deceived him and watched Chiba sway unsteadily.

After killing Iwaki Shin, Chiba was nearly killed by Hyuga Yukyō but was saved when Hyuga Yukina shielded him from the explosion. Kakashi stopped Yukyō from attacking again, then carried the exhausted Chiba and Iwaki Shin’s body back through the forest.

• Chiba confirmed Iwaki Shin was dead, then collapsed from exhaustion and nausea after his first kill.
• Hyuga Yukyō threw explosive-tagged Kunai at Chiba, and Hyuga Yukina shielded him from the blast, leaving her unconscious and badly burned.
• Yukyō drew a Kunai to kill Chiba, but Hatake Kakashi stopped him and identified Chiba as Yukina’s benefactor.
• Yukyō apologized reluctantly and left with Yukina and the other Hyuga, while Chiba resolved to watch out for him.
• Kakashi checked Chiba’s injuries, examined Iwaki Shin’s body and the nearby damage, then carried Chiba and dragged the corpse back through the forest.

After recovering from the battle, Chiba trained to improve his Eight Gates Mode and discovered his exceptional talent for ninjutsu. He learned to activate Gate of Life Mode while casting Earth Release, but still aimed to grow stronger before returning to school.

• Chiba trained at home during his five-day break after Kakashi brought him to the village clinic, where Hyuga Shinsuke thanked him for rescuing Yukina and invited him to visit.
• The Third Hokage told Chiba to keep the abduction secret, and Chiba reflected on how close he had come to dying against the wounded Jonin.
• Chiba realized he had memorized the Jonin's hand seals and successfully copied the Earth Release technique, revealing his strong Ninjutsu Talent.
• Chiba practiced opening the Gate of Life, transforming its chakra into Gate of Life Mode, and forming hand seals at the same time.
• Chiba completed the process in under two seconds and cast Earth Release: Earth Spear, then considered how to open the Fourth Gate before eating and returning to school.

Chiba reconsidered his training limits and decided to pursue early graduation so the village might recognize him as a promising ninja. At school, he saw Uchiha Hirohiko arrive to a crowd of admiring girls, then watched the boys abruptly rush toward the door.

• Chiba accepted that his body was not yet strong enough to open the Fourth Gate and resolved to keep building his strength.
• Chiba went to the Ninja Academy, where he reflected on his poor grades and the possibility that early graduation could secure him the village's support.
• Chiba decided to try for early graduation and ate a giant steamed bun, noting that his growing appetite was straining his finances.
• Uchiha Hirohiko entered the classroom, ignored the girls' attention, and took his seat with a worried, sad expression.
• Chiba noticed the boys' gazes change from jealousy to eager admiration, and they all surged toward the door.

Chiba saw Hyuga Yukina receive attention from the boys, then learned that the class would hold Ninja Sparring. He considered using the matches to show his taijutsu skill, while Yukina secretly examined his chakra and wondered about the enormous pit.

• The boys crowded around Hyuga Yukina, who rejected their advances and urged them to practice ninjutsu instead of flattering girls.
• Chiba recognized Yukina as the grade’s second-ranked genius, and she smiled faintly at him before taking a seat.
• Teacher announced Ninja Sparring and led the class to the Training Ground, prompting Chiba to consider showing off his taijutsu.
• Chiba realized he might have slept through earlier sparring matches, while Yukina deactivated her Byakugan after noticing his ordinary chakra reserves and an enormous pit.

During the Training Ground sparring matches, Uchiha Hirohiko swiftly defeated Ono, making Chiba reconsider how strong the top students were. Hyuga Yukina then chose Chiba as her opponent, and their match began amid everyone’s surprise.

• Teacher let each student choose an opponent for the day’s matches.
• Ono challenged Uchiha Hirohiko, who pinned him in a single move and won.
• Chiba noticed Hirohiko’s speed and killing intent and realized he could not underestimate the top student.
• Hyuga Yukina chose Taki Chiba instead of Hirohiko, astonishing the students and Teacher.
• Chiba and Yukina formed the Seal of Confrontation, and Teacher started their match.

Hyuga Yukina attacked Taki Chiba with the Gentle Fist, but he dodged her blows despite the weight of his training gear. She unleashed the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and Chiba shattered it with a chakra-powered punch, stopping just before her face.

• Hyuga Yukina activated her Byakugan and launched a relentless Gentle Fist assault, while Taki Chiba evaded her strikes.
• Uchiha Hirohiko, Teacher, and the students watched in surprise as Chiba continued dodging Yukina's attacks.
• Yukina stepped back and used the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, stunning the onlookers with the advanced technique.
• Chiba punched through the Vacuum Palm's chakra distortion, then stopped his fist just before Yukina's face without injuring her.
• Yukina stared at Chiba in shock, wondering how he had shattered her technique with a single burst of chakra.

Taki Chiba stunned the class by defeating Hyuga Yukina with a single punch, though the blow injured his right hand. Uchiha Hirohiko chose Chiba as his next opponent, and Chiba began removing his leg weights before their fight.

• Yukina conceded defeat after Chiba shattered her Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and Teacher announced Chiba as the winner.
• Teacher and the students realized Chiba's strength, while Chiba discovered his chakra reserves had nearly doubled and his right hand had been hurt by the recoil.
• Uchiha Hirohiko stepped forward and chose Chiba as his opponent, drawing the class's attention away from Chiba's victory over Yukina.
• Chiba asked Hirohiko to wait while he prepared, then began removing the weights from his legs as Yukina watched him with a faint smile.

Taki Chiba removed his weighted gear and fought Uchiha Hirohiko, whose two-tomoe Sharingan let him counter Chiba’s speed and taijutsu. When Hirohiko used a Shadow Clone and the Great Fireball Technique, Chiba opened two gates, destroyed the clone, and placed a kunai against Hirohiko’s neck, declaring victory.

• Taki Chiba removed his heavy training weights and began a fight with Uchiha Hirohiko.
• Chiba overwhelmed Hirohiko with speed and taijutsu until Hirohiko caught a kick and revealed his two-tomoe Sharingan.
• Hirohiko used shuriken and the Shadow Clone Jutsu to break away from the close-range fight.
• Hirohiko and his shadow clone attacked Chiba with the Great Fireball Technique.
• Chiba opened the first and second gates, vanished through the flames, destroyed the shadow clone, and put a kunai to Hirohiko’s neck.

Taki Chiba defeated Uchiha Hirohiko in a sparring match, astonishing their classmates and teacher. The teacher judged Chiba, Hirohiko, and Hyuga Yukina worthy of early graduation, while the class fell silent and the teacher called on Noda Tatsuya to spar.

• Chiba used his speed and taijutsu to defeat Hirohiko, then held a kunai to his throat as the teacher declared Chiba the winner.
• Yukina saw Chiba open the Opening Gate and the Gate of Healing, while the teacher resolved to report the three standout students to the Third Hokage.
• Hirohiko admitted defeat and reflected on the feeling of having someone ahead of him, then Chiba returned Hirohiko's borrowed kunai.
• Chiba noticed that he had crushed his Konoha Giant Steamed Bun and returned to the crowd, where the students avoided volunteering to spar.
• The teacher resumed class by calling Noda Tatsuya to step up and choose an opponent.

Hiruzen approved early graduation for Taki Chiba, Uchiha Hirohiko, and Hyuga Yukina, despite his assistant's concerns about Chiba's father. Meanwhile, Chiba completed his training and began testing whether he could perform a new technique while in Eight Gates Mode.

• Hiruzen reviewed the Ninja Academy report and approved the three students' early graduation for the following day.
• Hiruzen dismissed his assistant's concern about Chiba's background and said Chiba had grown up in Konoha with no blame for his father's treason.
• Hiruzen decided to consider who should teach the three graduates and asked whether the Sannin had returned.
• Chiba finished his daily physical training and practiced combining Eight Gates Mode with Earth Spear, building stamina and improving how quickly he opened the first three gates.
• After resting and eating a Konoha Giant Steamed Bun, Chiba activated Eight Gates Mode and started forming seals to test a new technique.

After defeating Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina, Taki Chiba learned that the three of them had been approved for early graduation. They received their Ninja Headbands and left the Academy as Genin, assigned to the same team.

• Exhausted after practicing a new technique, Chiba slept outdoors and woke the next morning eager for more time to train after graduation.
• Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina sat beside Chiba after Teacher told them to sit together, drawing their classmates’ attention and envy.
• Teacher announced that the Third Hokage had approved early graduation for Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina.
• Teacher told the three they would be Genin from that day onward, would skip class, and would receive a notice from their Jonin team leader the next day.
• Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina collected their Ninja Headbands, thanked Teacher, and left the classroom together.

Chiba said goodbye to Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina after the three were approved for early graduation and assigned to work together. Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki returned to Konoha, where Kushina was chosen to teach the three students as tensions with Hidden Stone rose.

• Chiba left Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina, who had agreed to work well together from then on.
• Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki returned to Konoha and reported that Hidden Stone had begun making moves and trouble was likely soon.
• The Third Hokage discussed finding a Jonin teacher for Taki Chiba, Uchiha Hirohiko, and Hyuga Yukina after learning that Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya were away and Minato was already leading another team.
• Kushina Uzumaki insisted that she teach the three students, and the Third Hokage agreed to let her gather them the next day.

Chiba received his Jonin teacher’s summons and arrived late at the Konoha gate, where he discovered that Kushina Uzumaki was his new teacher. After introducing themselves, the team went with Kushina to Ichiraku Ramen, though Chiba and his teammates already wondered whether she was reliable.

• Chiba found a note beneath his window summoning him to the Konoha gate at 11:00 a.m. and completed most of his daily training before setting out.
• On his way to the gate, Chiba saw Obito helping an elderly woman and realized he had truly entered the Naruto World.
• Chiba arrived ten minutes late and was struck on the head by the angry red-haired woman waiting with Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina.
• Kushina Uzumaki introduced herself as their Jonin teacher, and the three students briefly listed their names and specialties.
• After the students all asked for barbecue, Kushina chose Ichiraku Ramen instead, and the team went with her while privately doubting her reliability.

Chiba, Uchiha Hirohiko, and Hyuga Yukina shared ramen with Kushina Uzumaki, who showed care for her students as they ate and joked together. Afterward, she started a training exercise in which they had to touch her, then created dozens of shadow clones to challenge them.

• Chiba devoured his first bowl of ramen and Kushina Uzumaki gave him her untouched second bowl.
• When Chiba questioned whether Kushina Uzumaki had eaten from it, she struck him and told him to eat.
• Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina playfully stole char siu from Chiba's bowl, and Kushina Uzumaki struck all three for squabbling.
• Kushina Uzumaki paid for the meal and led the three students to a clearing for post-meal exercise.
• Kushina Uzumaki explained that they had to touch her to pass, then used Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu to create at least thirty clones.

Chiba, Uchiha Hirohiko, and Hyuga Yukina tried to reach Kushina's original body during an after-dinner exercise designed to test stealth, surprise attacks, and clone recognition. Chiba drew the Shadow Clones' attention while Hirohiko and Yukina launched attacks from concealment.

• Hyuga Yukina and Uchiha Hirohiko used their Byakugan and Sharingan but could not distinguish Kushina's original body from her Shadow Clones.
• Chiba explained that they needed to end the exercise quickly because Kushina had far more chakra than they did.
• Kushina ambushed the hidden trio, but Chiba blocked her punch and Hirohiko and Yukina struck her Shadow Clone with shuriken.
• Chiba attacked the searching Shadow Clones, then drew nine of them into surrounding him in the clearing.
• Uchiha Hirohiko fired a Great Fireball Technique from the bushes as Hyuga Yukina sent a distorted strike toward two separate groups of Shadow Clones.

Kushina Uzumaki’s students worked together to survive her Shadow Clone assault and execute a feint that let Chiba reach her. Chiba tagged Kushina’s real body, leaving her shocked that she had lost the after-dinner exercise.

• Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina ambushed and destroyed six of Kushina Uzumaki’s Shadow Clones, but the remaining clones surrounded them and Chiba.
• Chiba used Earth Release to escape the encirclement, then helped Hirohiko and Yukina regroup and break free together.
• Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina feigned exhaustion while two disguised Shadow Clones attacked Kushina’s formation, drawing her attention.
• Chiba leaped from Hirohiko and Yukina’s hands, grabbed Kushina’s fist, and revealed that he had reached her real body.
• Kushina realized Chiba had planned the maneuvers and accepted that she had lost the exercise.