Chapter Summaries

Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji entered a secluded wooden house after receiving no answer to their calls, and Shikamaru reasoned that it might be preserved in memory of the Strongest Ninja. Shikamaru opened the back door and reacted with shock, while Ino called excitedly from upstairs.

• Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji called out to the house’s owner for half an hour without getting a response.
• Shikamaru examined the garden and house, then considered that friends of the Strongest Ninja might maintain the property as a memorial.
• Shikamaru entered the house, and Ino and Choji followed after he offered to explain their presence if the owner returned.
• Shikamaru inspected the kitchen and furnishings while Ino explored the house and hurried upstairs to check the bedrooms.
• Shikamaru opened the back door and widened his eyes at what he saw as Ino called for him excitedly from upstairs.

Shikamaru Nara discovered a battered training ground behind the house and found the name Chiba on an upstairs room’s plaque, linking it to the Strongest Ninja. Meanwhile, Second Pillar returned to Sakura and Naruto with an explanation for the villagers’ strange reaction to Hada Ichiba: he looked like Taki Chiba.

• Shikamaru Nara recognized the moss-covered wooden posts behind the house as targets damaged by years of intense fist training.
• Ino Yamanaka led Shikamaru Nara upstairs, where he read the name Chiba on a plaque above the innermost room’s door.
• Uzumaki Naruto thought Hada Ichiba had fallen asleep while he and Haruno Sakura kept watch over him.
• Second Pillar returned with buns and told Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto that the villagers had reacted strangely because Hada Ichiba resembled Taki Chiba, Konoha’s Strongest Ninja.

Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino confirmed that the nameplates belonged to Taki Chiba, Uchiha Hirohiko, and Hyuga Yukina, then searched the preserved house for clues about the legendary ninja. Shikamaru discovered Chiba’s immensely heavy training gear and a scroll that intensified his determination to uncover Chiba’s past.

• Shikamaru identified Taki Chiba as the Strongest Ninja after the three nameplates confirmed their suspicions.
• Shikamaru led Choji and Ino into Chiba’s sparsely furnished room to search for information about his life and death.
• Shikamaru found black training clothes and protective gear so heavy they had crushed the floor beneath the cabinet.
• Choji showed Shikamaru a scroll from the desk, and Shikamaru became determined to investigate everything about Taki Chiba.

Shikamaru Nara studied Taki Chiba’s construction plan and became increasingly convinced that the teenage ninja had authored it while holding a high-ranking village post and maintaining intense taijutsu training. After Choji and Ino examined Taki Chiba’s heavy training gear, Shikamaru looked at the final scroll and was horrified by what it revealed.

• Shikamaru studied Taki Chiba’s detailed construction plan and inferred that its author had held a major village position as a teenager.
• Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji opened the remaining scrolls and found that their handwriting matched the plan’s, strengthening Shikamaru’s belief that Taki Chiba had written it.
• Choji discovered something on the final scroll and handed it to Shikamaru.
• Ino Yamanaka struggled to lift Taki Chiba’s Weighted Training Gear, and Shikamaru explained that he had used it for taijutsu training.
• Ino and Choji went downstairs to inspect the training area, leaving Shikamaru alone with the scrolls.
• Shikamaru looked at the final scroll and froze in shock at what he saw.

Shikamaru Nara discovered a scroll showing that Taki Chiba had completed an S-rank Earth Release ninjutsu, deepening his suspicions about the legendary ninja’s influence and hidden history. A new clue connecting Taki Chiba to Hyuga Yukina sent Shikamaru rushing to her room with Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji following.

• Shikamaru Nara confirmed that Taki Chiba had developed the completed S-rank Earth Release ninjutsu Thousand Needle Hell, though its training method had been erased.
• Shikamaru Nara concluded that Taki Chiba’s exceptional abilities and standing might explain why the village had suppressed records of his deeds and death.
• Shikamaru Nara reconsidered his theory after remembering that Hyuga Yukina had belonged to the Hyuga Main Family.
• Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji entered the room and asked Shikamaru Nara whether he had found anything.
• Shikamaru Nara suddenly rushed toward Hyuga Yukina’s room, and Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji hurried after him.

Ino Yamanaka entered Hyuga Yukina’s room before Shikamaru Nara and Akimichi Choji, feeling that the dead heroine’s private space deserved respect. The room’s bare furnishings and nearly empty wardrobe deepened Ino’s conviction that Yukina had endured a deprived life, and Ino became determined to uncover her story.

• Ino Yamanaka stopped Shikamaru Nara and Akimichi Choji at Yukina’s door, arguing that they should not barge into a dead heroine’s room.
• Ino entered the room alone and was struck by its plain furnishings, which seemed far below what a Hyuga main-family member should have had.
• Shikamaru Nara and Akimichi Choji worried when Ino stood motionless, and Choji wondered if she had been possessed.
• Ino called the two inside and warned them not to rummage through anything, reassuring them that she was acting normally.
• Ino opened Yukina’s wardrobe and found only a few hangers, leading her to imagine that Yukina had owned very few clothes and lived in hardship.
• Ino resolved to uncover what had happened to Yukina.

Ino Yamanaka urged Shikamaru Nara and Akimichi Choji to investigate Hyuga Yukina’s belongings, while Shikamaru discovered that a medical scroll had been deliberately blacked out. He suspected the scroll’s treatment was linked to Taki Chiba’s S-rank ninjutsu scroll and hinted at a larger secret, just as Choji found something that startled him.

• Ino Yamanaka ordered Shikamaru Nara and Akimichi Choji to inspect the scrolls and reminded them to preserve Yukina’s belongings.
• Shikamaru found a blacked-out Medical Ninjutsu scroll and a detailed set of basic medical notes among Yukina’s things.
• Shikamaru concluded that Yukina had studied basic medical care because she could not learn Medical Ninjutsu and wanted to help people close to her.
• Shikamaru noticed that the medical scroll’s blacked-out markings might match those on Taki Chiba’s S-rank ninjutsu scroll and suspected someone had deliberately left both behind for a hidden purpose.
• Akimichi Choji excitedly shoved another scroll in front of Shikamaru and called his attention to it.

Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji examined a heavily redacted scroll left on Hyuga Yukina’s desk and identified traces of the Defense Force seal. They concluded that Yukina had drafted and stamped the unissued Official Order, revealing that she was the Defense Force’s vice-captain.

• Akimichi Choji brought Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka a scroll, but Shikamaru found that nearly all of its contents had been erased.
• Shikamaru noticed faint red marks on the scroll and asked Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji about the Defense Force’s distinctive seal.
• The three recognized the marks as the Defense Force seal and identified the scroll as an Official Order that had not been burned or delivered.
• Ino Yamanaka reasoned that Hyuga Yukina had drafted and stamped the order, and Shikamaru concluded that she had been the Defense Force’s vice-captain.

Shikamaru Nara, Akimichi Choji, and Ino Yamanaka discovered evidence that Hyuga Yukina had been Deputy Captain of Konoha’s Defense Force while still a teenager, deepening the mystery surrounding her and Taki Chiba. Shikamaru warned that their investigation might uncover matters they should not touch, but Choji and Ino still wanted to hear his deductions.

• Shikamaru Nara, Akimichi Choji, and Ino Yamanaka realized the red mark on the scroll identified Hyuga Yukina as Deputy Captain of the Defense Force.
• The three considered how Yukina had attained such a high-ranking position as a teenager and how closely she had been connected to Taki Chiba.
• Ino Yamanaka reconsidered her assumption that Yukina had lived in poverty and wished she could meet and learn about her.
• Shikamaru Nara concluded that Yukina’s and Taki Chiba’s histories might have been deliberately concealed for a deeper reason, and that their deaths might not have been simple.
• Shikamaru Nara told Choji and Ino he would share his deductions before they decided whether to continue investigating, and both agreed to listen.

Shikamaru Nara deduced that Taki Chiba had been a candidate for Fifth Hokage and that Hyuga Yukina had been groomed to lead the Defense Force as part of a plan to prepare the village for Chiba. He concluded that the village’s higher-ups, possibly even the Hokage, had erased the pair’s deeds, leaving Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji frightened by the secret they had uncovered.

• Shikamaru Nara explained that Hyuga Yukina’s appointment as Deputy Captain of the Defense Force was too deliberate to be a coincidence, given her status in the Hyuga Main Family.
• Shikamaru Nara reasoned that the two Hokage had paved the way for Taki Chiba by placing Yukina in a position of power, anticipating Chiba’s future leadership.
• Akimichi Choji and Ino Yamanaka praised Shikamaru Nara’s knowledge, prompting him to wonder whether his father had intentionally shared the fragments that informed his deductions.
• Shikamaru Nara argued that neither Chiba’s nor Yukina’s deeds could have been suppressed merely to protect wartime morale, since Yukina’s lower profile should still have allowed her accomplishments to be remembered.
• Shikamaru Nara concluded that someone had erased the deeds of both ninja, and he warned that only the village’s higher-ups or the Hokage could have done it.

Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji decided to stop investigating Taki Chiba after realizing the mystery involved Konoha’s highest ranks, but Shikamaru suggested they check one final lead. Meanwhile, Second Pillar recruited Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura to help investigate Taki Chiba, while Orochimaru prepared to meet the Fourth Kazekage after learning Hada Ichiba was a suspect.

• Shikamaru Nara asked Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji whether they should continue investigating, then said they should stop because the matter involved the village’s upper ranks and the Hokage.
• Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji agreed to end the investigation, and Choji revealed he had started it hoping to learn a meat-eating technique that would help him pass the Chunin Exams.
• As the three left, Shikamaru Nara noticed the name Hirohiko on a doorplate and proposed they take one last look at Uchiha Nobuhiko.
• Second Pillar told Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto that he wanted to investigate Taki Chiba, and Naruto and Sakura agreed to help him.
• A bandaged man told Orochimaru that the Fourth Kazekage had arrived and that Hada Ichiba of Kusagakure was a suspect, so Orochimaru went to meet the Fourth Kazekage.

Orochimaru challenged Rasa’s assumptions about attacking Konoha and argued that Taki Chiba, not the Third Hokage, was the crucial factor. The chapter ended with Orochimaru telling Rasa that Taki Chiba was still alive.

• A bandaged man delivered Orochimaru intelligence regarding Hada Ichiba as Orochimaru entered the secret chamber where Rasa was waiting.
• Rasa complained that Orochimaru’s delays threatened their plan to attack Konoha before the Chunin Exams and considered leaving for Konoha immediately.
• Orochimaru asked Rasa what would decide the attack, and Rasa named the Third Hokage as their main obstacle.
• Orochimaru brought up Taki Chiba and asked whether Sunagakure would still attack Konoha if Taki were alive, provoking Rasa’s anger.
• Rasa insisted Taki Chiba had died, but Orochimaru stated with certainty that Taki Chiba was still alive.

Orochimaru told Rasa that Taki Chiba might still be alive and used the events surrounding Konoha and Kumogakure’s peace talks to explain why. Rasa was left stunned as he realized the hidden events might point to Taki Chiba’s involvement.

• Rasa lost his composure when Orochimaru claimed Taki Chiba was still alive, then demanded an explanation for the alliance and Orochimaru’s motives.
• Rasa agreed to hear Orochimaru out, and Orochimaru asked about the end of the Third Great Ninja War and Kumogakure’s first peace talks with Konoha.
• Rasa recounted Kumogakure’s failed attempt to abduct Hyuga Hinata and its later acquisition of a Hyuga corpse, while Orochimaru revealed that the corpse had been a substitute and had returned to Konoha.
• Orochimaru revealed that Kumogakure had stationed more than ten thousand shinobi near the Land of Grass and that many withdrew on the night the corpse was handed over.
• Orochimaru described the Fourth Raikage being severely injured five days later and Kumogakure secretly returning the corpse with a signed peace treaty ten days after the handover.
• Rasa froze in shock and began to suspect that Taki Chiba had been involved.

Orochimaru revealed to the Fourth Kazekage that Taki Chiba had survived and single-handedly devastated Kumogakure, leaving Rasa convinced the Konoha Destruction Plan could not proceed without a way to deal with him. Orochimaru implied he had such a solution and handed Rasa a scroll, whose contents confused him.

• Orochimaru confirmed that Taki Chiba had killed thousands of Kumogakure ninja, wounded the Fourth Raikage, and forced Kumogakure to make peace.
• Rasa struggled to believe Taki Chiba could have achieved this, especially with Kumogakure's two Tailed Beast Jinchuriki, defenses, and home-ground advantage.
• Orochimaru and Rasa agreed that Taki Chiba, not the Third Hokage, was the central obstacle to the Konoha Destruction Plan.
• Rasa realized Orochimaru must have a way to deal with Taki Chiba and demanded to know his solution.
• Orochimaru gave Rasa a scroll, and Rasa opened it but was confused by what he read.

Orochimaru argued that Hada Ichiba was likely Taki Chiba, who had secretly taken control of Kusagakure and entered Konoha under its banner. He convinced the Fourth Kazekage that Taki Chiba had a weakness they could exploit, and the Kazekage suspected it involved Uchiha Nobuhiko.

• Orochimaru told the Fourth Kazekage that Hada Ichiba looked exactly like Taki Chiba.
• Orochimaru pointed out that the Hada Clan had taken power in Kusagakure without bloodshed and that the Land of Grass's Daimyo had married his daughter to its leader.
• Orochimaru suggested Taki Chiba had concealed his age and was manipulating events from within the Hada Clan.
• The Fourth Kazekage questioned whether they should abandon the Konoha Destruction Plan if Taki Chiba remained loyal to Konoha.
• Orochimaru argued that Taki Chiba had something holding him back and that finding it could let them destroy Konoha despite his intervention.
• The Fourth Kazekage guessed that Taki Chiba's constraint was Uchiha Nobuhiko.

Shikamaru Nara, Akimichi Choji, and Ino Yamanaka searched Uchiha Hirohiko’s room but found little to explain his reputation as a Uchiha genius. Ino recognized the books as recommendations by the famous critic Matsushita Yoichiro, and Shikamaru noticed something on the top of the bookshelf that changed his expression.

• Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji found Uchiha Hirohiko’s room bare of personal touches, while Shikamaru Nara examined a blueprint of the wooden house.
• Shikamaru Nara struggled to see how Uchiha Hirohiko matched the reputation of a Uchiha Clan genius, especially beside his accomplished teammates.
• Ino Yamanaka excitedly recognized the books on the shelf as works recommended by the renowned novel critic Matsushita Yoichiro.
• Akimichi Choji and Shikamaru Nara dismissed the discovery as unrelated to ninja matters, leaving Ino Yamanaka exasperated.
• Shikamaru Nara spotted something on top of the bookshelf and abruptly froze with a changed expression.

Ino Yamanaka realized that Matsushita Yoichiro was Uchiha Nobuhiko, the person whose novels and reviews had brought her parents together, and mourned that she could never meet him. Shikamaru Nara found hidden photographs and a nameplate in Hyuga Yukina’s room, revealing clues about her past and Uchiha Hirohiko’s companions.

• Ino Yamanaka explained how Matsushita Yoichiro’s recommendations had brought her parents together and said she had admired his writing.
• Ino Yamanaka concluded that Matsushita Yoichiro was Uchiha Nobuhiko and had died for the village before she was born.
• Shikamaru Nara removed a wooden board from the top of the bookshelf and retrieved a nameplate and two framed photographs.
• Ino Yamanaka read the names Yukina and Nao on the damaged nameplate and wondered who Nao was.
• Akimichi Choji guessed that a photograph showed Uchiha Hirohiko and Taki Chiba, but Shikamaru Nara corrected him and pointed to a second photo showing four people, including the younger boy.

Ino Yamanaka, Akimichi Choji, and Shikamaru Nara studied photographs in Uchiha Hirohiko’s room and learned more about Taki Chiba’s team and their teacher. When Ino asked what to do next, Shikamaru said they could not continue investigating, leaving the others stunned.

• Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji recognized that the group photograph showed Taki Chiba, Hyuga Yukina, and Uchiha Hirohiko with their teacher, and Shikamaru Nara confirmed it.
• The three examined the students’ gloomy expressions and wondered how Taki Chiba had become a Hokage candidate and Hyuga Yukina had become a respected figure.
• They shut the photograph frames and felt unsettled by the eerie atmosphere in the room.
• Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji pointed out that they had found the teacher’s appearance and possibly the name Nao, giving them a lead for their investigation.
• Shikamaru Nara rejected continuing the investigation, leaving Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji stunned.

Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji stopped investigating the dangerous clues, while Sasuke convinced Naruto and Sakura to focus on the Chunin Exams before resuming their inquiries. As the five days before the exams passed, Hada Ichiba decided to train his rusty body.

• Shikamaru reminded Ino and Choji that their investigation involved matters beyond the reach of rookie Genin, and urged them to prepare for the Chunin Exams.
• Shikamaru encouraged Ino and Choji to set the investigation aside until they had become stronger and could learn more as Chunin.
• A mysterious visitor entered the now-empty wooden house and praised Asuma.
• Sasuke told Naruto and Sakura to put investigating Kazuha and Taki Chiba on hold and concentrate on the Chunin Exams.
• Naruto agreed to prepare for the exams, while Sakura left to train on her own.
• Hada Ichiba reflected that people underestimated Sasuke, then decided to tune up his rusty body before falling asleep; five days passed.

Five days after being recommended for the Chunin Exams, Team 7 reached the Academy and saw Sakura behaving uneasily around Sasuke. They passed the disguised entrance test and continued upstairs, while the examiners realized the coming exams might be exhausting.

• Sakura arrived late to meet Naruto and Sasuke, and Sasuke again wondered why she had been acting strangely since her recommendation.
• At the Academy’s second-floor entrance, two disguised examiners knocked down applicants and tried to keep them from reaching the classroom.
• Sasuke recognized the illusion hiding the floor number and asked Sakura to confirm what she had noticed; the sign changed from 301 to 201.
• Rock Lee blocked Sasuke and an examiner’s kicks, then asked Sakura to date him, but she rejected him because his eyebrows were too thick.
• Sakura took Naruto and Sasuke by the hands, and the three headed for the third floor as Lee and his teammates watched.
• The disguised examiners returned to their adult forms and worried that a certain boy would make this year’s Chunin Exams exhausting.