Chapter Summaries

After leaving Mikoto Uchiha’s home, Chiba reflected on how Itachi’s innocent smile had eased his anxiety and changed his outlook on the battles ahead. He and Yukina bought groceries together, where the villagers’ comments and the discounts she received made her blush.

• Kushina stayed with Mikoto Uchiha and Itachi, saw Chiba and the others off, and prepared to spend the night caring for the sleeping mother and child.
• Chiba remembered how Itachi had clung to him all day and realized that the baby’s smile had calmed his fears about his fate and helped him recognize the importance of protecting new life.
• Hirohiko said goodbye to Chiba and Yukina, who went to buy groceries together.
• Villagers admired Yukina and speculated about her future marriage, then whispered about her shopping with Chiba, whom they called the Traitor’s Son.
• Chiba chose a large slab of pork belly, and Yukina bought it and received automatic discounts from the sellers, leaving Chiba amazed and Yukina blushing.

Chiba began sparring with Yukina using the Gentle Fist so he could learn its combat principles, despite lacking the Byakugan and being unfamiliar with its techniques. Yukina recognized his purpose and adapted the spar to help him, leaving Chiba determined to finish his training idea and repay her.

• Yukina activated her Byakugan and attacked Chiba with a Vacuum Palm, which he dodged before she used a Body Flicker Technique to strike him and send him flying into a tree.
• Chiba got back up and resumed the Gentle Fist stance, while Yukina realized he had a reason for using the style and decided to support his training.
• Yukina repeatedly knocked Chiba down while holding back enough to avoid injuring him, and he struggled to choose and execute the Gentle Fist's defensive techniques.
• After more than a dozen exchanges, Chiba understood that Yukina was accommodating him and resolved to complete his training idea and make up for the time she spent helping him.
• Chiba returned to his stance, faced Yukina, and urged her to continue.

Over the year, Chiba honed a dangerous new technique, trained with Yukina, and became increasingly accepted by Konoha’s ninja. As the battle at Kannabi Bridge approached, he hoped the trust he had earned would let him influence what happened to Obito and the others.

• During the three-day break, Chiba completed a flawed prototype of his new technique, which nearly cost him an eye, and practiced Gentle Fist defenses against Yukina.
• Chiba settled into a year of training with Kushina Squad while classmates repeatedly came to provoke him; he beat them carefully, and they eventually gave him the nickname “that damned bastard.”
• As the boys began preparing for their graduation exams, Chiba’s former Ninja Academy teacher visited to thank him and apologize for having ignored him.
• Chiba thanked the teacher for fairly submitting his early graduation paperwork, recognizing that it had led him to Kushina Squad and the bonds he had formed.
• Chiba realized Konoha’s ninja had begun to trust him, giving him hope that he could use his influence to affect Obito and the others’ fate at Kannabi Bridge.

Over two years, Chiba and his teammates improved through training with Kushina while Konoha prepared for war and the shinobi world shifted toward open conflict. After Itachi’s visits interrupted Chiba’s training, the Third Hokage summoned him to the Hokage’s Office.

• Chiba and the other two pushed Kushina’s Six-Tails form down to two hours, giving them more time for independent training.
• Chiba trained with Weighted Training Gear, while Minato Namikaze coordinated Konoha’s defenses and Kushina reached an understanding with the Third Hokage.
• A year later, the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning entered a large-scale conflict, drawing Konoha into a three-way melee as Sunagakure constrained Iwagakure’s forces.
• Might Guy, Obito, Rin, Asuma, Ebisu, and Genma Shiranui became Chunin, while Kakashi approached Jonin level and two-year-old Uchiha Itachi began visiting Chiba.
• After Itachi ran home, Chiba received an order from the Third Hokage to go to the Hokage’s Office.

Chiba went to the Hokage Building after the Third Hokage summoned him and learned that a Konoha team carrying important intelligence was trapped at the front. The Hokage gave Chiba a choice to accept the dangerous rescue mission, and Chiba hesitated because Kento might be among the trapped shinobi.

• Chiba entered the Hokage Building and noticed the Third Great Ninja War had spread across all fronts.
• The Third Hokage told Chiba that Nara Shikaku had requested him for a rescue mission involving a trapped intelligence team.
• Chiba asked who was trapped, and the Third Hokage offered him a classified scroll that he would have to accept the mission to read.
• Chiba suspected Kento, Morino Ibuse, and Shiga Takeyoshi might be among the trapped team and struggled to decide whether to accept.
• The Third Hokage watched Chiba hesitate over the choice.

Chiba accepted a classified rescue mission to extract Konoha’s intelligence squad, which was trapped while carrying the Land of Earth’s border Defense Map. He learned the mission could affect the course of the Third Shinobi World War and was assigned Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina as his only teammates.

• Chiba accepted the Third Hokage’s classified rescue mission despite the Hokage’s hesitation.
• The Third Hokage revealed that the intelligence squad had obtained the Land of Earth’s border Defense Map and was surrounded by forces from Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
• Chiba realized that a failed rescue could trigger a wider conflict, threaten Konoha’s victory, and endanger Kushina.
• Chiba vowed to prevent the struggle over the Defense Map from escalating into an all-out war among the three nations.
• When Chiba asked whom he could bring, the Third Hokage named Uchiha Hirohiko and Hyuga Yukina, and Chiba began to object.

Chiba led Hirohiko and Yukina out of Konoha on a dangerous classified mission in the Land of Grass, accepting his responsibility as their captain. Back in the village, Mikoto helped Kushina overcome her fear for her students and trust that they would return safely.

• Chiba met Hirohiko and Yukina at Konoha's main gate and set out with them for the Land of Grass.
• Chiba planned to reveal the classified mission details once they were away from the village.
• Kushina visited Mikoto and worried about Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina, whose mission details the Third Hokage had kept secret.
• Mikoto reminded Kushina that her students were capable of facing danger, and Kushina regained confidence in them.
• Mikoto asked Kushina to have Chiba teach Itachi ninjutsu after the war, and Kushina agreed.

At the border of the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain, Chiba reviewed the rescue mission with Hirohiko and Yukina. They concluded the enemy encirclement had no gaps and began planning reconnaissance and a breakthrough, with Chiba left to work out the finer details.

• Chiba confirmed that the team had reached the forest near the border between the Land of Grass and the Land of Rain.
• Chiba showed Hirohiko and Yukina a map and explained how the intelligence team had been trapped by forces from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Earth.
• Yukina and Chiba concluded that the enemy’s sensory perimeter made a stealthy approach impossible.
• Hirohiko and Yukina proposed scouting enemy numbers and positions before Chiba and Hirohiko attempted a breakthrough.
• Chiba asked about Hirohiko’s genjutsu training, then said they would settle the mission’s overall direction before discussing finer details.

Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina rested before splitting up to search for intelligence, but their plan fell apart when Chiba and Hirohiko were poisoned by the stew. Yukina left to begin her mission while the two incapacitated boys stayed behind.

• Chiba, Hirohiko, and Yukina agreed to eat, sleep, and investigate separately the next day, with everyone returning before nightfall to report.
• Chiba carved bowls and chopsticks from wood, and the three ate Yukina's wild-game stew before sleeping.
• In the morning, Yukina checked her equipment, confirmed the scroll was safe, and activated her Byakugan before heading into the forest.
• Chiba and Hirohiko became weak and suffered stomach pain, so their reconnaissance plans had to be halted.
• Chiba suspected poisonous mushrooms in the stew but told Yukina that something else might be wrong so she would not blame herself.

A Kumogakure captain learned that three children were camped nearby and suspected they were Konoha reinforcements sent to rescue the encircled intelligence unit. He ordered a Jonin-led squad to capture the Hyuga girl, unaware of the other two children’s true condition or purpose.

• A scout reported to the Kumogakure captain that three children had camped east of the base, with their village unknown.
• The captain considered whether the children were Konoha reinforcements and wondered if one of them might be Taki Chiba.
• The scout reported that a Hyuga girl had left the camp alone while the other two children appeared injured and stayed behind.
• The captain concluded the girl was likely scouting for Konoha and ordered a three-man squad led by a Jonin to capture her.

Yukina reconnoitered Kumogakure patrols while reflecting on her determination to support Chiba and Hirohiko by completing her first mission. After she deflected a kunai, an attacker threw two explosive objects at her, and an explosion engulfed the woods.

• Yukina used her Byakugan to map the regular Kumogakure patrols and record their positions and routes.
• Yukina moved toward another reconnaissance point, aiming to survey the hundred-man Kumogakure force before nightfall.
• Yukina reflected on how her evolved Gentle Fist had helped her defeat her father and earn permission to take missions.
• Yukina resolved to protect Chiba and Hirohiko and ensure the mission succeeded.
• Yukina deflected an incoming kunai, then saw two round objects fly toward her and explode in the woods.

Yukina fought off a coordinated ambush by four Kumogakure ninja, using her Byakugan and Shurikenjutsu to evade their attacks and counter. As both sides prepared for the next exchange, a hidden observer recognized her as a Konoha ninja and left to report.

• Yukina used her Byakugan to spot the Kumogakure pursuers, then dodged a Wind Release attack and three Exploding Tag Kunai.
• Yukina leapt through the blast smoke and threw Kunai at all four attackers, forcing them to take cover as explosions erupted around them.
• Yukina assessed the four Cloud ninja as skilled and coordinated, then took a Gentle Fist stance while searching for an opening.
• A hidden observer saw the cloth covering Yukina's forehead, identified her as a Hyuga and likely a Konoha ninja, and left to report.
• The four Cloud ninja signaled one another and prepared to attack as Yukina braced for the fight.

After recovering from mushroom poisoning, Chiba and Hirohiko prepared to continue their plan to rescue Yukina and recover the Defense Map. Chiba trusted Yukina to handle her dangerous first mission, but worried that his and Hirohiko’s presence could alert Kumogakure to the map’s importance.

• Chiba gave Hirohiko medicinal herbs, and the two recovered from the mushroom poison.
• Hirohiko worried that Yukina might be overwhelmed by her first mission, but Chiba argued that her determination would keep her calm and capable.
• Chiba explained that the Defense Map revealed natural weaknesses in the Land of Earth's defenses and could lead to devastating losses if enemy villages obtained it.
• Chiba and Hirohiko agreed to rescue Yukina without making Kumogakure realize how important the situation was, then set off in separate directions.

Yukina defeated four Kumogakure ninja in a single rapid exchange, astonishing an Iwagakure scout who judged her to be an Elite Jonin-level prodigy. She escaped in a smoke cloud, and the scout hurried to report that Konoha had sent an extraordinary fighter.

• Yukina used her Byakugan and taijutsu to defeat four coordinated Kumogakure ninja in seconds.
• An Iwagakure scout watched the fight and concluded that Yukina's strength rivaled that of an Elite Jonin.
• The scout feared Yukina could become another Taki Chiba and recalled Iwa's losses in the campaign against Sunagakure.
• Yukina threw a smoke bomb and vanished from the clearing.
• The Iwagakure scout left to deliver the intelligence to his temporary base.

Chiba headed into the three-sided standoff over the Land of Earth's Defense Map, where Konoha, Iwa, and Kumogakure were trapped in a fragile balance of mutual restraint. As he reached the encirclement, enemies attacked him with kunai and explosive blasts.

• Chiba considered how the Defense Map could determine the war and how each village's interests kept the others from acting freely.
• He recognized that the encirclement was stable but fragile, and that his mission could tip the balance between the three villages.
• Chiba noticed a threat, stopped in mid-leap, and flipped away from incoming kunai.
• He landed as four Rock Walls rose around him, then explosions erupted around the walls.

A burly commander realized that the three Konoha children’s movements might be designed to weaken the encirclement and help the intelligence unit inside escape. He ordered a message and an emergency reinforcement token sent to Iwa, while deciding not to send more forces after the children.

• The burly man learned that two young Konoha ninja had been intercepted, while the Hyuga girl remained near the edge of the encirclement.
• The reconnaissance ninja reported that the two boys were attacking from the northeast and east, and the burly man marked their routes on a map.
• The burly man concluded that the children might be drawing forces away to create a gap for the Konoha intelligence unit inside to escape.
• The burly man dismissed two reconnaissance ninja and ordered the remaining one to deliver a message and an emergency reinforcement token to Iwa’s contact ninja.

Hirohiko assessed the four Kumogakure ninja who had cornered him and prepared to fight them with the experience, Sharingan, and abilities he had gained. After creating a Shadow Clone and opening the first of the Eight Gates, he launched his attack.

• The four Kumogakure ninja recognized Hirohiko’s Sharingan, avoided his gaze, and formed a coordinated anti-Sharingan formation around him.
• Hirohiko judged that his opponents were four experienced quasi-Jonin sent specifically to intercept his team, and concluded Yukina was likely safe after breaking through elsewhere.
• Hirohiko reflected on how far Chiba had advanced and compared his feelings to those he had once had about his brother.
• Hirohiko created a Shadow Clone and opened the Opening Gate, the first of the Eight Gates.
• Hirohiko vanished from his position as his Shadow Clone fired a Great Fireball at two opponents and he kicked toward another.

Chiba tested his new Earth Release technique by killing four Kumogakure shinobi, but its extreme Chakra cost made it impractical for battle. He renewed his resolve to change the future and headed west, expecting the conflict to escalate.

• Chiba unleashed his prototype Earth Release technique and killed four Kumogakure shinobi who had ambushed him.
• Chiba realized the technique drained most of his Gate of Pain Chakra, leaving him unable to fight effectively afterward.
• Chiba recalled how Itachi’s birth and his hopes for Naruto and the others had strengthened his determination to give everyone a happier future.
• Chiba ate a Ration Ball, headed west, and wondered how Kumogakure would respond to the failed interception and whether it would involve Iwa.

A burly Kumogakure commander feared that Taki Chiba and two young Konoha ninja would provoke Iwa by charging into the encirclement, but he decided to let them enter. He ordered his forces to conceal their intentions and allow the trio through, believing they would be trapped inside.

• The burly man received reports that two Konoha ninja were charging toward the encirclement and that a Hyuga girl was holding off Iwa reinforcements alone.
• The burly man recognized the three children as exceptionally powerful and worried their attack would provoke Iwa into escalating the conflict.
• The burly man reasoned that Taki Chiba’s team might be a vanguard for a larger rescue plan and considered the danger of Iwa shattering the balance.
• The burly man decided that the Konoha team would be easier to manage inside the encirclement and ordered his forces to let them in without revealing the plan.

After escaping Iwa’s forces, Yukina discovered that the scroll containing the mission plan had been stolen and sent an emergency signal despite the danger it would attract. Chiba and Hirohiko saw the signal and abandoned their routes into the encirclement to head toward her.

• Yukina realized the mission scroll was missing from her Ninja Tool Pouch and recalled that an enemy Kunai had cut away the pouch during her escape.
• Yukina decided not to return alone for the scroll and used her signal device to call Chiba and Hirohiko, fearing the plan had fallen into enemy hands.
• Chiba saw Yukina’s signal and changed direction toward it, startling a Kumogakure patrol unit lying in ambush.
• Hirohiko also recognized Yukina’s signal and headed toward it, leaving a nearby Kumogakure patrol unit confused and prompting them to report his change of course.