Chapter Summaries

Tenten waited with Taki Chiba while Neji Hyuga received private guidance, then asked what she should learn. She chose genjutsu as a way to cover her weaknesses, but Chiba told her he could not teach it.

• Tenten grew frustrated as Chiba ignored her while Neji was away.
• Chiba apologized and offered to teach Tenten, saying he could teach her almost anything except genjutsu.
• Tenten asked Chiba to decide what she should learn, but he asked what she wanted to study.
• Tenten reflected on her weaknesses and chose genjutsu as a way to surprise opponents with her weapon attacks.
• Chiba explained that he could not teach genjutsu, and Tenten questioned whether he could even use it.

Chiba advised Tenten to strengthen her close-combat taijutsu and gave her an old friend’s sword technique scroll and a Ninja Sword. As Tenten began studying them, Chiba sensed a guest arriving and sent her home to read in safety.

• Chiba reflected on how deeply Konoha still felt like home and how the village had helped him endure his losses.
• When Tenten could not think of how to improve, Chiba advised her to develop her close-combat taijutsu.
• Chiba gave Tenten a black Ninja Sword and a scroll containing a sword technique left by an old friend.
• Tenten studied the scroll and wondered whether Chiba had lost another comrade.
• After hearing a branch snap, Chiba told Tenten to take the sword and scroll home, then invited the hidden guest to have tea.

Chiba gave his black-robed disciple medicine and instructions for managing his illness, then agreed to teach Sasuke what would help him. Kurenai Yuhi arrived and learned that Chiba had already arranged lessons for Team Eight, including Hinata once she recovered.

• Chiba met his black-robed disciple, who had tried and failed to hypnotize Tenten with genjutsu.
• Chiba gave his disciple three vials of medicine, warned him to conserve them, and told him to avoid overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Chiba agreed to assess Sasuke and teach him what would benefit him after his disciple asked him to pass on what he had not taught the disciple.
• The black-robed disciple used the Body Flicker Technique to leave when Kurenai Yuhi emerged from the grove.
• Kurenai Yuhi learned that Chiba had already arranged lessons for Team Eight and heard that Hinata could join for instruction once she could walk around.

Chiba reflected on his advice to Tenten and the losses of the war before visiting the dead, while Uchiha Nobuhiko and Orochimaru discussed their rivalry with Chiba and their plans. The chapter ended with Hyuga Hiashi offering Neji the position of heir to the Hyuga main family.

• Chiba concluded that teaching Tenten Sparrow Flash would help cover her close-combat weaknesses and thought of the talented people who had died in the war.
• Chiba picked flowers and went to visit the dead.
• Orochimaru told Uchiha Nobuhiko that Chiba had chosen to become a substitute teacher, and the two discussed Chiba and their cooperation.
• Uchiha Nobuhiko dismissed Orochimaru and another associate, then wondered how to deal with Chiba despite the time needed to advance his plans.
• Hyuga Hiashi offered Neji the position of heir to the Hyuga Clan's main family.

Hyuga Hiashi explained how the Caged Bird Seal had damaged his relationship with Neji and why the Hyuga Clan needed to reform its main and branch family system. He offered Neji a Sealing Jutsu created by Taki Chiba that could seal the Caged Bird Seal, leaving Neji to understand why Chiba had been able to make the clan yield.

• Hyuga Hiashi reflected on branding Neji with the Caged Bird Seal and acknowledged that his harsh response had deepened their hatred and harmed Hinata.
• Hyuga Hiashi concluded that the main and branch family system had become dangerous and needed reform before it caused further conflict within the clan.
• Hyuga Hiashi decided that Neji should inherit the Hyuga Clan and that the Sealing Jutsu could make reform possible by allowing the Caged Bird Seal to be sealed.
• Neji Hyuga asked about the scroll, and Hyuga Hiashi explained that it contained a Sealing Jutsu capable of sealing the Caged Bird Seal.
• Hyuga Hiashi told Neji that Taki Chiba had created the technique, and Neji realized why Chiba could force the Hyuga Clan to bow.

Neji Hyuga let go of his resentment toward Hiashi Hyuga but refused to become the Hyuga Clan's heir, choosing instead to support Hiashi's chosen successor. Their conversation ended with Hiashi reminiscing about Neji's Aunt Yukina and saying that, if she were still alive, she would likely have a family.

• Neji Hyuga read his father's letter and understood that Hizashi had chosen to die in Hiashi Hyuga's place, while Hiashi had waited for the right moment to share the letter and apologize.
• Neji Hyuga decided he could no longer hate Hiashi Hyuga, but declined Hiashi's offer to make him the Hyuga Clan's heir.
• Neji Hyuga told Hiashi Hyuga he would support whichever heir Hiashi chose, and Hiashi reacted with relief and excitement.
• Hiashi Hyuga pushed a scroll toward Neji Hyuga and told him he trusted him, while Neji recognized the burdens Hiashi carried.
• Neji Hyuga asked Hiashi Hyuga about Aunt Yukina, and Hiashi said that if she were still alive, she would probably be married with children.

After learning that Taki Chiba would train them, Shikamaru Nara, Akimichi Choji, and Ino Yamanaka discussed why Chiba had disappeared after the Nine-Tails' Rampage. Shikamaru concluded that Chiba had faked his death to secretly confront the mastermind behind the attack, and the three set out to investigate.

• Akimichi Choji, Ino Yamanaka, and Shikamaru Nara discussed Asuma-sensei's extra lessons with Taki Chiba and agreed the training would be valuable.
• Ino Yamanaka suggested mixing classes for training and wondered why Taki Chiba was not Hokage.
• Shikamaru Nara reasoned that Chiba should have succeeded the Fourth Hokage and found his decade-long disappearance suspicious.
• Ino Yamanaka proposed that Chiba disappeared because the Nine-Tails' Rampage had not truly been resolved.
• Shikamaru Nara concluded a mastermind had caused the Rampage and that Chiba had to fake his death to confront them.
• Shikamaru Nara, Akimichi Choji, and Ino Yamanaka decided to investigate records about the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

Taki Chiba met Haruno Sakura at Ichiraku Ramen after Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto left to prepare for the Chunin Exams. He warned Sakura against dieting and gave her medical scrolls, leaving her convinced he could read minds.

• Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Second Pillar reunited and went to Ichiraku Ramen together.
• Second Pillar said he had to prepare for the Chunin Exams, then left after promising Haruno Sakura he would be there on time the day after tomorrow.
• Uzumaki Naruto hurried away as well, leaving Haruno Sakura alone and feeling lonely.
• Taki Chiba sat beside Haruno Sakura and startled her by guessing that she was dieting and had bought a love guidebook.
• Chiba warned Sakura that dieting could harm a female ninja and gave her three scrolls titled Medical Basics.
• Chiba asked whether Sakura felt she was falling behind Second Pillar and Uzumaki Naruto, convincing her that he could read minds.

Chiba recognized Sakura’s growing sense of distance from Naruto and Sasuke and persuaded her to stop dieting and pursue strength. He told her medical ninjutsu suited her and that, as an ordinary person beside her gifted teammates, it was her only choice.

• Sakura accused Chiba of reading her mind after he identified her loneliness and worry about falling behind Naruto and Sasuke, but he said he had guessed.
• Ichiraku served Chiba an extra-large bowl of tonkotsu ramen, and Chiba explained that eating enough nutrients helped build a ninja’s strength.
• Sakura realized dieting would weaken her, ordered her own extra-large ramen, and made Chiba pay.
• Sakura asked why Chiba had given her medical ninjutsu scrolls, and he said the discipline suited her.
• Chiba told Sakura that Naruto and Sasuke were extraordinary while she was ordinary, then concluded that medical ninjutsu was her only choice.

Chiba explained why he would not alter Haruno Sakura’s development beyond introducing her to Medical Ninjutsu, fearing unpredictable consequences and deciding to preserve her path toward becoming Tsunade’s student. Sakura reluctantly accepted that Medical Ninjutsu was her best chance to keep up with Sasuke and Naruto, though she cried as she ate her ramen.

• Chiba recalled how overconfidence and unforeseen influences had contributed to his past failures, and worried that changing Haruno Sakura’s abilities could create new unpredictable factors.
• Chiba decided to introduce Haruno Sakura to Medical Ninjutsu and planned to recommend her to Tsunade, using Tsunade’s IOU to ensure she would accept Sakura as a disciple.
• Haruno Sakura asked whether there was another option besides Medical Ninjutsu, and Chiba told her it was the only way she could stand behind Sasuke and Naruto.
• After Old Man Ichiraku served their ramen, Haruno Sakura began eating and silently struggled to accept Chiba’s answer.

Chiba planned how to give short-term training to the four teams while conserving his effort, deciding that most students needed only gradual guidance and that Tenten and Haruno Sakura warranted the most attention. After Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame told Hyuga Hinata she could observe Team 8’s training, Hinata resolved to grow stronger.

• Chiba assessed the twelve students’ abilities and secret techniques, then mapped out team-based training that preserved the Ino-Shika-Cho trio’s coordination.
• Chiba concluded that Tenten and Haruno Sakura needed the most attention, while the other students could largely build on their existing strengths.
• Old Man Ichiraku compared Chiba’s thoughtful expression to Kushina’s, but Chiba said he was only trying to save time and effort.
• Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame told Hyuga Hinata that Team 8 would train with Chiba the next day and that she could observe if she was well enough.
• Hyuga Hinata eagerly accepted the chance to learn and resolved to keep growing stronger.

Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji arrived for their first day of special training with Chiba, carrying a troubling question about Uchiha Nobuhiko. After Chiba assigned them a battery of tests, Shikamaru asked who Uchiha Nobuhiko was, abruptly unsettling him.

• Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji walked through the sea of flowers, debating whether they could ignore a shocking matter connected to Chiba.
• Chiba rested in the garden, reflecting on his physical and mental exhaustion and the need to recover.
• Chiba welcomed the three students and set out a mountain of scrolls for tests to assess their abilities and combat thinking.
• The three suspected Chiba might be planning to leave, but he said he would stay and supervise their tests.
• Shikamaru stopped and asked Chiba who Uchiha Nobuhiko was, making Chiba's smile freeze.

Chiba agreed to tell Shikamaru Nara, Akimichi Choji, and Ino Yamanaka about Uchiha Nobuhiko after they revealed what they knew. He began explaining Nobuhiko’s ties to himself and his best friend, leaving the story poised to reveal their history.

• Shikamaru Nara asked Chiba about Uchiha Nobuhiko, explaining that he knew Nobuhiko was an ultra-S-rank criminal and a mastermind behind the Nine-Tails' Rampage.
• Chiba invited Shikamaru Nara, Akimichi Choji, and Ino Yamanaka to sit and have tea, then considered how Shikamaru might have accessed the classified information through his father, Nara Shikaku.
• The three admitted they had learned about Uchiha Nobuhiko through a channel they could not reveal.
• Chiba reassured them that he would not conceal the truth and said Nobuhiko was born into the Uchiha Clan and had an extremely deep connection with him.
• Chiba described Nobuhiko as his rival and the older brother of his best friend, then began recounting their history.

Chiba explained the events behind the Nine-Tails' Rampage, including the existence of a second masked mastermind connected to Akatsuki, to Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji. He reassured them that the village had countermeasures, and Shikamaru ended by asking why Chiba had told them everything.

• Chiba confirmed to Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji that a second Masked Man had helped cause the Nine-Tails' Rampage and had fought the Fourth Hokage.
• Shikamaru asked what Chiba knew about the Masked Man, and Chiba said the man's name was unknown but that he had close ties to Akatsuki.
• Chiba withheld further details, telling the three that they could not know more about the Masked Man.
• Chiba reassured the three that Konoha had countermeasures and that other villages would not simply let Konoha be destroyed.
• Shikamaru asked Chiba why he had told them all this.

Taki Chiba explained that he had shared detailed information about Uchiha Nobuhiko so the three genin would flee if they encountered him, then gave them customized scrolls for their special training. As they worked, Chiba reflected on his guilt over Uchiha Itachi and was surprised by Shikamaru Nara’s skill; he left to prepare lunch.

• Taki Chiba told Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji that he had explained Uchiha Nobuhiko’s history so they would run if they met him, and warned them to keep the information confidential.
• The three genin sorted through the customized test scrolls and realized Chiba had prepared extensive assignments tailored to them.
• Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji struggled with their questions, while Shikamaru Nara progressed through the harder scrolls more easily than Chiba expected.
• Taki Chiba reflected on his failure to protect and teach Uchiha Itachi, and felt that his own efforts fell short of what Kushina had done for him.
• Taki Chiba told the three to keep working and went to prepare lunch, surprising them.

Chiba treated Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji to a carefully prepared meal after they completed his ninja assessment. When Chiba tried to stop Shikamaru from overanalyzing the test, his clumsy explanation convinced all three children that he could read minds, and he began grading their papers amid their growing suspicion.

• Chiba served the three children a nutritious meal, and they praised his cooking.
• Shikamaru Nara reflected on how comprehensive the test was and concluded that it showed Chiba's profound understanding of ninja combat.
• Chiba told Shikamaru Nara that he was overthinking, causing Shikamaru to fear that Chiba could read minds.
• Chiba denied being able to read minds, but his explanation made Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji more suspicious.
• Chiba began grading Shikamaru Nara's test while the three children wondered whether Chakra could grant mind-reading abilities.

Chiba judged the Ino-Shika-Cho trio’s tactical answers exceptional and decided their established teamwork should not be disrupted during the short training period. He gave them a scroll of fundamentals to strengthen their individual abilities and provide more tactical options.

• Chiba finished grading the trio’s answers and gave all three the highest evaluation, impressed by Ino Yamanaka and Akimichi Choji as well as Shikamaru Nara.
• Chiba decided that changing their tactics would risk weakening their practiced coordination, so he would focus their training elsewhere.
• After lunch, Chiba placed a scroll before the trio and told them to study it first.
• The trio questioned why the scroll covered taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu instead of improving their tactics.
• Chiba explained that tactical training required time to adjust and that the scroll would shore up weaknesses in their individual combat abilities.
• The trio understood that stronger fundamentals and skills would give them more tactical options.

Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji left Chiba’s home to train independently, while Chiba revisited a clearing tied to memories of Hirohiko and Yukina. Shikamaru explained that they had left because Chiba needed time to recover after years of pursuing Uchiha Nobuhiko.

• Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Akimichi Choji thanked Chiba and left with the training basics he had given them.
• Chiba decided to buy more food for future student lunches and wondered whether he should prepare meals for Number 14 and Number 15.
• Chiba found an old training clearing and remembered achieving perfect coordination with Hirohiko and Yukina there, though the details had faded.
• Akimichi Choji and Ino Yamanaka questioned Shikamaru Nara about leaving early instead of training at Chiba’s home.
• Shikamaru Nara explained that Chiba needed time to recover from years of tracking Uchiha Nobuhiko, and the other two agreed before hurrying after him.

Chiba returned to Konoha’s market, rejected a butcher’s half-price offer, and rediscovered the bun shop that had fueled his childhood training. As he approached it, a woman and a man emerged, discussing their search for a benefactor and the need to conserve money.

• The meat shop owner offered Chiba half-price meat out of respect and guilt, but Chiba paid the full price and left before the owner could refuse.
• The meat shop owner added a rabbit to Chiba’s order and sent his son to deliver the meat to Chiba’s home.
• Chiba reflected on how his solitary nature resurfaced when dealing with familiar shopkeepers and worried that his abrupt departure had seemed arrogant.
• Chiba found the relocated Konoha Giant Steamed Bun shop and considered whether its nourishing buns used ingredients from Ration Balls.
• A woman and a man left the bun shop, and the man complained that they had come all the way to Konoha only to eat buns.

Chiba followed a young woman and her younger brother, who had come to Konoha to find the unknown ninja who saved them as babies by leaving food and money in their swaddling clothes. Their determination and mention of a village destroyed by war stirred a long-buried memory in Chiba, and he realized who they might be.

• Chiba noticed the young woman and her younger brother leaving a bun shop and followed them as they searched for their benefactor.
• The young woman insisted she would search all of Konoha and even settle there if necessary, despite her brother's doubts.
• The young woman told her brother that their benefactor had left dried rations and money in his swaddling clothes, saving them from starvation.
• The young man suggested becoming merchants in Konoha so they could escape the threat of war and their village being destroyed.
• Chiba recognized the details as a familiar event and turned toward the departing siblings in astonishment.