Chapter Summaries

After recovering in Konoha Hospital, Chiba worried that Minato Namikaze’s intervention had ruined his chance to earn permission for solo missions. Meanwhile, the Third Hokage wondered whether Chiba was the Child of Calamity, but Minato firmly rejected the idea.

• Keiko changed Chiba’s bandages as he recovered from Chakra depletion and the injuries he suffered during the mission.
• Chiba reflected that Minato had saved him and concluded that the Third Hokage had secretly assigned Minato to protect him.
• Chiba worried that being rescued meant the Third Hokage might not trust him to complete missions alone, and resolved to learn from the battle and avoid rushing.
• The Third Hokage questioned Minato about Chiba’s unusual maturity and asked whether he could be the Child of Calamity from the new prophecy.
• Minato recalled Chiba’s actions during the mission and firmly declared that Chiba could not be the Child of Calamity.

Minato Namikaze urged the Third Hokage not to believe that Chiba was the Child of Calamity, but the Third Hokage set the matter aside while assigning Minato a mission. Alone, the Third Hokage worried about his failing health and Konoha’s fragile position, then agreed to receive Kushina.

• The Third Hokage set aside Minato Namikaze’s concerns about Chiba and gave him a mission to begin after a day’s rest.
• Minato Namikaze accepted the mission and left the Hokage’s Office using the Body Flicker Technique.
• The Third Hokage suffered a coughing fit and privately worried that he might have only months or years left to live.
• The Third Hokage recalled how Chiba’s strategy had delayed an alliance between Iwa and Kumogakure by staging their envoys’ deaths as mutual slaughter.
• An Anbu reported that Kushina requested an audience, and the Third Hokage allowed her to enter.

In Konoha Hospital, Chiba reviewed the limits of his abilities and realized that studying Chakra Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation could help him improve his ninjutsu. A blond young man entered the ward, and Chiba recognized him as someone who could explain those principles.

• Keiko was astonished when Chiba finished his hospital meal without complaint and left the ward wondering whether his tastes had changed after a head injury.
• Chiba considered the drawbacks of Eight Gates Mode, the slow accumulation of his Yin Seal, and the need to become stronger and change Kakashi, Obito, and Rin's fates.
• Chiba compared his copied Earth Release techniques with Aotsuchi's and recognized that he lacked reliable defensive ninjutsu.
• Chiba reasoned that Rock Skin and lava skin might combine Chakra Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation, and recalled the Rasengan, Rasenshuriken, and Hardening Technique as related examples.
• Chiba realized he had never thoroughly studied Chakra Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation, then sat upright as a handsome blond young man entered the ward.

While recovering in the hospital, Chiba asked Minato Namikaze to teach him Chakra Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation, and Minato agreed to prepare his notes before leaving on a mission. Minato then warned Chiba not to tell Kushina that he had been following him, leaving Chiba suspicious and confused.

• Minato Namikaze visited Chiba in the hospital, and Chiba thanked him for intervening during the mission.
• Chiba asked Minato to teach him Chakra Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation so he could develop his chakra skills.
• Minato agreed to organize his notes for Chiba, then hurried out to prepare them before an upcoming mission.
• Minato returned to warn Chiba not to tell Kushina that he had been following him, insisting they had only met by coincidence.
• Chiba agreed, then wondered uneasily what Minato and Kushina were involved in.

After Kushina scolded Chiba for going on a mission alone, she urged him to rely on his companions and asked what proposal might persuade Minato to say yes. The chapter ended with Chiba bewildered by Kushina’s question.

• Kushina burst in and hit Chiba for undertaking the mission alone, then learned Minato had visited him.
• Kushina checked Chiba’s injuries and warned him that he did not need to push himself beyond his limits.
• Kushina asked Chiba what had happened between him and Yukina, and he denied that they had fought.
• Kushina told Chiba to rely on his companions instead of trying to shoulder everything alone.
• Kushina asked Chiba what kind of proposal would make Minato agree, leaving him dumbfounded.

Kushina asked Chiba for help planning a proposal to Minato Namikaze before the war could take them away from each other. Chiba agreed to think of something, and Kushina fled in embarrassment when Minato arrived.

• Chiba was surprised when Kushina admitted she wanted to propose to Minato Namikaze, but he understood that the war and Minato’s frequent missions had made her fear leaving things unsaid.
• Kushina explained that she wanted to build a family with Minato and asked Chiba how to propose, after Mikoto Uchiha had discouraged her and Yuriko was away.
• Chiba asked for a few days to think and described marriage as a ceremony that let two people live together, making Kushina laugh and agree to leave the matter to him.
• Minato Namikaze entered the ward with a scroll, and Kushina blushed, hurried past him, and left.
• Minato wondered whether Kushina was sick, while Chiba noticed how obvious her embarrassment was.

Chiba studied Minato Namikaze’s detailed scroll and explanation of Chakra's Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation, then decided to begin practicing the fundamentals. Kakashi arrived with a burned hand, and Chiba suspected he had injured himself while training Lightning Release as he wondered what Ninjutsu he might create.

• Minato Namikaze left the hospital room while Chiba remained absorbed in the scroll.
• Chiba finished reading and resolved to train Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation.
• Kakashi entered with a charred, bloodied right hand, and he and Chiba briefly compared their injuries without discussing their missions.
• Chiba suspected Kakashi had hurt himself developing Chidori or training Lightning Release, then considered creating Ninjutsu of his own.
• Kakashi sat on another bed and stared at his injured hand as a doctor and nurse entered.

Chiba shared a hospital ward with Kakashi and reflected on the wartime situation and how to strengthen himself during the expected lull. Hirohiko arrived with minor injuries and a sorrowful expression, leaving Chiba and Kakashi asking what had happened.

• Chiba gave up on inventing powerful Earth and Water techniques for now and considered how long developing ninjutsu had taken Kakashi.
• Chiba reasoned that the shifting alliances had eased the danger to Konoha and planned to train in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, Chakra accumulation, and Gate of Pain Mode.
• Hirohiko entered the ward with bandages and bloodstains, accompanied by a worried Rin.
• Chiba asked Hirohiko what had happened, while Kakashi asked Rin the same question.

Chiba, Kakashi, and Rin struggled to comfort Hirohiko after he returned from a mission looking devastated. Obito announced that Kiko was safe, but Hirohiko revealed that others had died because of his mistake, leaving the hospital room shocked.

• Chiba asked Hirohiko what was wrong, but Kakashi urged him to let Hirohiko rest instead of pressing him.
• Hirohiko sat silently while Chiba, Kakashi, and Rin worried and struggled to find the right words to comfort him.
• Obito burst into the room and told Hirohiko that Kiko was fine and he should stop blaming himself.
• Hirohiko shouted that everyone had died because of his mistake and pounded his thighs with his fists, shocking Chiba and Kakashi.

Hirohiko broke down over the deaths of comrades on his mission, blaming himself for failing to stop them. Obito challenged his guilt and declared he would become Hokage and create peace, before Hirohiko finally revealed that Lin and Izumi had died.

• Hirohiko pounded his thighs in anguish, and Rin wept as Obito tried to comfort him.
• Obito grabbed Hirohiko and rebuked him for believing he could protect everyone, calling him an arrogant genius.
• Hirohiko’s Sharingan activated as he confronted Obito, while Chiba and Kakashi restrained him.
• Obito insisted that the fallen comrades mattered and vowed to become Hokage and create an age of peace.
• Hirohiko calmed down and admitted that Lin and Izumi were dead, blaming himself for not stopping them.

After Hirohiko recounted the ambush that killed Shirakawa Izumi and Mizutani Rin, Chiba and the others tried to comfort him. Hirohiko went to visit the injured Mito Kiko while Rin and Kakashi went to check on Obito, leaving Chiba alone and quietly furious.

• Chiba reassured Hirohiko that the fallen shinobi had chosen their sacrifice, and Obito left the room to get some air.
• Hirohiko’s account revealed that Shirakawa Izumi and Mizutani Rin had died in an explosive trap, while Hirohiko, Rin, and the badly injured Mito Kiko escaped the ambush.
• Chiba urged Hirohiko to visit Mito Kiko, and Rin went with him after Kakashi agreed to check on Obito.
• Kakashi asked Chiba if he was all right, then left to find Obito when Chiba said he was worried about Hirohiko.
• Alone in the hospital room, Chiba clenched his fist and struck the bed in anger.

After learning that Hirohiko had nearly died in an ambush linked to his plans, Chiba doubted whether changing the war’s course could protect the people he cared about. He sat overwhelmed by uncertainty until Hyuga Yukyō entered and asked why he looked so miserable.

• Chiba blamed himself for Hirohiko’s ambush and considered urging the Third Hokage to cripple the Land of Earth and restrain the Land of Lightning.
• Chiba rejected the plan, fearing that weakening Konoha might lead to an even more brutal war that endangered Hirohiko, Yukina, Kushina, and the others.
• Chiba questioned how he could protect his friends and lost confidence as he recalled how close Hirohiko and Rin had come to death.
• Hyuga Yukyō found Chiba sitting with his forehead in his hand, considered leaving him alone, then turned back and asked whether his injured hand hurt.

Obito grieved over the news of Shirakawa Izumi and Mizutani Rin and questioned why the ninja nations had to wage war, then resolved to become Hokage. When Kakashi and Obito returned to the hospital, they learned Hyuga Yukyō had gone to Chiba for help and rushed to find them wrestling in Chiba’s room.

• Hyuga Yukyō grew angry when Chiba seemed to ignore him.
• Obito mourned the news about Shirakawa Izumi and Mizutani Rin, questioned Kakashi about war, and vowed to pass the next Chunin Exams and become Hokage.
• Kakashi reminded Obito that Rin was worried about him, and the two returned to the hospital.
• Rin told Kakashi and Obito that Mito Kiko was out of danger but badly injured, and Nozawa Sota said Hyuga Yukyō had gone to find Chiba.
• Kakashi, Obito, and Hirohiko rushed to Chiba’s room and found Chiba and Hyuga Yukyō grappling on the floor.

Mito Kiko woke in the intensive care unit after Chiba treated her, and the group learned she was out of danger. She thanked Hirohiko for saving her and the Medical Ninja, but their relief gave way to grief over the teammates who had died.

• Chiba treated Mito Kiko with a minimum dose of anesthetic while Hyuga Yukyō watched and argued with him.
• Mito Kiko woke and told Chiba that she felt much better, with no pain or itching.
• Chiba confirmed that Kiko was out of danger, then left the room with Kakashi, Obito, Rin, Hyuga Yukyō, and Nozawa Sota.
• Kiko asked Hirohiko whether she had scars and whether Shirakawa and Mizutani had died, and Hirohiko silently confirmed their loss.
• Kiko thanked Hirohiko for saving her and Rin, and she and Hirohiko cried as they remembered their dead companions.

Chiba visited Kiko and quietly gave Hirohiko time to compose himself before a medical check, then encountered Hyuga Yukyō, who thanked him for helping Kiko. Yukyō’s provocation had helped Chiba resolve to protect his companions, but Chiba returned to find Keiko waiting to change his dressing, while nurse Sakurako learned how highly Yamashita Kyuya regarded his Medical Ninjutsu.

• Chiba overheard Hirohiko vow to protect his companions and persuaded Yamashita Kyuya to delay examining Kiko for five minutes.
• Hirohiko and Kiko teased each other, and Hirohiko wiped a tear from Kiko’s eye.
• Hyuga Yukyō thanked Chiba for what he had done for Kiko, then hurried away.
• Chiba recalled how fighting Yukyō had cleared his muddled thoughts and resolved to grow stronger to protect all his companions.
• Chiba returned to his room and found Keiko ready to change his dressing, while Yamashita Kyuya told Sakurako that Chiba’s Medical Ninjutsu surpassed Doctor Watanabe’s.

Chiba and Kakashi recovered in the hospital while studying their chakra techniques, as the Third Hokage and Nara Shikaku planned Konoha’s response to enemy infiltrators. Shikaku estimated that the village would need at least three months to draw out and eliminate them, so the Third Hokage ordered all Seeds recalled and assigned to village defense.

• After Keiko left, Chiba read Minato Namikaze's scroll while Kakashi resolved to improve his Lightning Release control.
• Nara Shikaku reported that Iwa and Kumogakure suspected each other and had sent covert units, one of which might have attacked near Konoha.
• Shikaku proposed recalling all Seeds, strengthening village security, and waiting for the infiltrators to reveal themselves before striking.
• Shikaku estimated the plan would take at least three months, and the Third Hokage ordered all Seeds recalled and assigned patrol and defense duties.
• The Third Hokage suppressed his urge to cough and returned to reviewing a battle report as Shikaku left to arrange the orders.

For nearly two months, Chiba trained, studied, and helped at Konoha Hospital while the village kept its young ninja “seeds” on guard and defense duties. He headed to the Hokage Building expecting the Third Hokage to disrupt his peaceful routine.

• After the Third Hokage recalled the seeds, Chiba returned to his cabin and followed an intensive training and study schedule.
• Chiba studied medical ninjutsu, sealing formulas, and Minato Namikaze’s theories, often reading and experimenting during guard duty while other ninjas covered for him.
• The Third Hokage occasionally summoned and scolded Chiba, who concluded the guard duties were mainly meant to protect and train the seeds without alarming them.
• Chiba helped at Konoha Hospital, gained practical medical experience, and learned that most Medical Ninjas, including Yuriko and Watanabe, had likely been sent to the front lines.
• Kushina did not visit Chiba or ask about his proposal, and he assumed she was under tighter protection.
• Chiba woke at eight, predicted his peaceful routine would soon end, and left for the Hokage Building to see the Third Hokage.

Chiba reflected on the villagers’ changing attitudes and his progress with Chakra Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation as he went to the Hokage’s Office. The Third Hokage summoned him and asked him to look at some things.

• Chiba noted that patients he had helped at the hospital had begun to view him more fairly, though he remained unconcerned with others’ opinions.
• Chiba reviewed his progress with Earth- and Water-nature transformations and considered a training idea that could greatly improve his combat abilities.
• Chiba entered the Hokage Building, where two ninja guards teased him about being scolded by the Third Hokage.
• Chiba wondered whether the summons concerned Shikaku’s plans, then entered the office and heard the Third Hokage ask him to look at some things.

Chiba read Konoha’s classified reports and inferred Shikaku’s defensive plan for dealing with enemy infiltrators. Asked by the Third Hokage how to handle a captured Sunagakure ninja, Chiba recommended returning him to Sunagakure.

• Chiba recognized that Shikaku had fortified Konoha’s defenses and was waiting for infiltrators to act before striking.
• Chiba read another classified scroll while Watanabe Kenshin watched him with suspicion and the Third Hokage worried about their mutual distrust.
• The Third Hokage asked Chiba how the matter should be handled, and Chiba checked whether he could speak in front of Kenshin.
• Chiba advised the Third Hokage to return the captured Sunagakure ninja to Sunagakure.

Chiba urged the Third Hokage to return the captured young Sunagakure ninja, arguing that intelligence suggested Iwa and the Land of Lightning might learn of Konoha’s deception and unite against it. The Third Hokage considered the proposal, while Watanabe Kenshin opposed it before reading the intelligence that explained Chiba’s reasoning.

• Chiba told the Third Hokage that Konoha should return the captured Sunagakure ninja to reduce the risk of a wider war.
• Chiba explained that a captured Elite Jonin might have exposed Konoha’s three-country containment plan to the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
• Watanabe Kenshin interrupted the Third Hokage to oppose Chiba’s proposal, suspecting Chiba of betraying Konoha.
• The Third Hokage invited Kenshin to offer his opinion, and Chiba asked him to read the relevant intelligence first.
• Kenshin took the scroll and began reading, while Chiba privately noted Kenshin’s obvious hostility toward him.