Chapter Summaries

Chiba discovered that an unknown intruder had placed the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber’s sentries under a powerful genjutsu and suspected Uchiha Nobuhiko was inside. Though entering could prove deadly, Chiba decided to take advantage of the opening and go in.

• Chiba saw that the nearby sentries remained motionless and realized they had been caught in genjutsu.
• Chiba concluded that a highly skilled intruder had already infiltrated the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber without alerting anyone.
• Chiba suspected the genjutsu master was Uchiha Nobuhiko, whose Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan could explain the feat.
• Chiba weighed entering against waiting, reasoning that the genjutsu might soon be discovered or lifted.
• Chiba decided to enter the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber immediately despite the danger.

Chiba entered Konoha’s Forbidden Jutsu Chamber after discovering its guards had been subdued by a genjutsu master. He found the chamber empty, concluding the intruder had already taken what he wanted and left, while Chiba was left free to pursue a Forbidden Jutsu.

• Chiba slipped past the genjutsu-controlled guards and entered the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber using his knowledge of its defenses.
• Chiba feared the unknown genjutsu master, imagining how easily the intruder had bypassed Konoha’s security.
• Chiba searched the chamber and found no sign of the genjutsu master or any hidden passages.
• Chiba concluded the intruder had already achieved his objective and left the chamber.
• Chiba stepped out from concealment, surprised that the intruder had cleared his path to the Forbidden Jutsu.

Chiba searched Konoha’s Forbidden Jutsu Chamber and realized that some scrolls had likely been taken from defeated villages as war reparations. He found the Forbidden Jutsu created by the Second Hokage that he wanted as a backup plan for the Nine-Tails’ Rampage, but first had to analyze its self-destructing seal.

• Chiba examined the Forbidden Jutsu scrolls across the first three shelves and found techniques unfamiliar to Konoha.
• Chiba recognized a puppet-based Forbidden Jutsu as a technique likely taken from Sunagakure and reasoned that Konoha had acquired it as a spoil of war or peace-negotiation demand.
• Chiba reflected that villages treated Forbidden Jutsu and other combat techniques as military resources they would fight desperately to protect.
• Chiba found the Second Hokage’s Forbidden Jutsu, which he hoped to use as a backup plan for the Nine-Tails’ Rampage.
• Chiba began analyzing the scroll’s sophisticated Sealing Jutsu so he could open it without triggering its self-destruction mechanism.

A black-cloaked man obtained the Impure World Reincarnation scroll and prepared for a final transaction, believing it would let him leave his organization and challenge Madara. Meanwhile, Chiba copied a forbidden jutsu scroll in Konoha’s Forbidden Jutsu Chamber and escaped without taking the original.

• The black-cloaked man reflected that the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan had made his plans easier and took a scroll from his robes.
• He read the scroll’s title, Impure World Reincarnation, wondered why the jutsu seemed familiar, then put it away and vanished from a utility pole.
• A concealed sentry ninja noticed the black-cloaked man’s disappearance and wondered if he had imagined it.
• Chiba removed the final seal on a forbidden jutsu scroll and decided to copy it rather than risk stealing the original.
• Chiba carefully copied and checked the scroll, restored its seal, returned it to the bookshelf, and left the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber.

Chiba weighed how to respond after discovering that an unknown infiltrator had used genjutsu on the sentries around the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber. He decided not to tell Hirohiko about the likely return of Uchiha Nobuhiko, then considered whether to expose the breach or resign and distance himself from suspicion.

• Chiba concluded that the infiltrator might be Uchiha Nobuhiko and that his newly fused Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan could make him too powerful for Chiba and Hirohiko to defeat.
• Chiba decided to keep his suspicions from Hirohiko and focus on the coming Nine-Tails' Rampage, when using the stolen Forbidden Jutsu could help save the Hokage.
• Chiba considered awakening the genjutsu-bound sentries and presenting himself as the person who discovered the breach, which could draw suspicion toward the infiltrator.
• Chiba reviewed his original plan to use his Assistant Agent position to study the chamber's defenses, steal the Forbidden Jutsu, and establish an alibi before his replacement took office.
• Chiba faced a choice between exposing the infiltration by releasing the sentries from genjutsu and resigning immediately to distance himself from the crime.

Chiba resigned as Assistant Agent and was granted a month and a half of leave by Minato Namikaze. As Minato asked who should take over the expansion plan, an Anbu Ninja interrupted to report that the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber had apparently been infiltrated.

• Chiba abandoned his original plan to discover the infiltration, changed out of his disguise, and slipped into the Hokage Building without drawing attention.
• Two Anbu sentries recovered from genjutsu, noticed that the area and its guards were abnormal, and raised the alarm about a possible infiltration.
• Minato Namikaze accepted Chiba's resignation, dismissed him from his duties, and granted him a month and a half of leave.
• Minato Namikaze asked Chiba whom he would recommend to lead the expansion plan, but an Anbu Ninja arrived and reported that the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber had apparently been infiltrated.

After the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber was suspected of being robbed, Minato ordered Konoha sealed and grew suspicious of Chiba's calm reaction. Chiba explained that fatigue had weakened the village's security, clearing Minato's suspicion as Minato asked what he recommended.

• An Anbu Ninja reported that guards around the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber had been caught in a genjutsu and that the chamber might have been robbed.
• Minato ordered the village sealed, barring anyone from entering or leaving and suspending outside construction work the next day.
• Minato questioned Chiba after noticing his lack of surprise, and he suspected Chiba might be involved in the theft.
• Chiba said he had noticed exhausted guards and explained that fatigue had created a gap in Konoha's security.
• Minato accepted that Chiba had anticipated an incident rather than caused it, then asked for his advice.

Chiba and Minato Namikaze discussed the failing martial law and the lack of an easy solution, while Minato granted Chiba leave and asked for candidates to lead the expansion plan. After Chiba left, Minato received confirmation that Chiba’s report about guard fatigue was true and ordered the Anbu to search the village, leaving the martial law crisis unresolved.

• Chiba told Minato Namikaze he had no solution beyond continuing martial law or lifting it, then asked whether the captured spies were being interrogated successfully.
• Minato Namikaze ended the discussion, granted Chiba leave starting the next day, and reassured him that he would handle the situation.
• Minato Namikaze called Chiba back to ask who could oversee the expansion plan, and Chiba recommended Hyuga Yukina while noting that Uchiha Hirohiko could not serve and that Minato should consult Kakashi.
• After Chiba left, an Anbu Ninja confirmed that there had been mischief and that the guards were visibly fatigued, validating Chiba’s report.
• Minato Namikaze ordered the Anbu to search the village once the loss report came in and said they did not need to arrange defenses around him.

After resigning and finding himself barred from returning to the camp, Chiba returned to the wooden house and began studying the copied Forbidden Jutsu scroll. He suddenly remembered something he had forgotten, but the chapter ended before revealing what it was.

• Chiba worried about Yukina at the camp but decided Kakashi and the Defense Force could protect her.
• Chiba realized the village lockdown might no longer be necessary, but chose not to tell Minato Namikaze so he could preserve his vacation and ordinary identity.
• Chiba went to the wooden house, found Kushina absent, and noticed the room had been tidied.
• Chiba opened the copied Forbidden Jutsu scroll, read its warning that training could cost his life, and studied its Chakra control methods.
• Chiba abruptly stood up after realizing he had forgotten something.

Chiba met Hyuga Yukyō in the underground chamber to collect the Barrier Jutsu notes and learn about the second mechanism. Hyuga Yukyō had opened the box and sent Chiba away, then revealed a note predicting Chiba’s death.

• Chiba arrived late and asked Hyuga Yukyō whether he had made progress on the second mechanism.
• Hyuga Yukyō showed Chiba the box engraved with his name and explained that he had cracked its combination lock using numbers from Lord Shinsuke’s letters.
• Hyuga Yukyō apologized for opening the box without Chiba and said they had overthought Lord Shinsuke’s password.
• Hyuga Yukyō told Chiba to open the remaining barrier himself and said their cooperation was over.
• Chiba left the underground chamber, and Hyuga Yukyō opened his palm to reveal a slip reading, “Chiba will die.”

Chiba wondered why Hyuga Yukyō had treated him so deferentially after he opened Hyuga Shinsuke’s box, but set aside his questions to study Yukyō’s Barrier Jutsu notes. He planned to spend his half-month of isolation developing six Sealing Jutsu Formulas to prepare for the Nine-Tails’ Rampage, leaving him puzzled about the Hyuga Clan’s knowledge of Barrier Jutsu.

• Chiba left the hidden chamber and tried to explain Hyuga Yukyō’s unusually respectful behavior by connecting it to the box Hyuga Shinsuke had left behind.
• Chiba entered his room, sat at his desk, and decided to read Hyuga Yukyō’s Barrier Jutsu notes before opening the box.
• Chiba planned to prioritize developing and testing his remaining six Sealing Jutsu Formulas during the next half-month, with Chakra Nature Transformation as a secondary focus.
• Chiba read the notes and gained a general understanding of Barrier Jutsu, then wondered whether the Hyuga Clan could use it.

Chiba learned the Barrier Jutsu formulas and discovered that their power depended heavily on the caster’s Chakra. He removed the barrier from the iron box and opened it, but the message from Hyuga Shinsuke made his brows furrow.

• Chiba compared Barrier Jutsu with Sealing Jutsu and Curse Mark Jutsu, concluding that it was simpler to learn but required far more Chakra to use effectively.
• Chiba mastered the Barrier Jutsu formulas in the notes and understood the formation on the iron box.
• Chiba found the release seal and removed the barrier from the box.
• Chiba opened the box and read Hyuga Shinsuke’s final message, then furrowed his brows at what he saw.

Chiba found six coded numbers among Hyuga Shinsuke’s last words but, frustrated and focused on improving his strength, set them aside. He memorized the copied Forbidden Jutsu scroll, planning to destroy it and begin practicing the technique before Minato Namikaze’s secret inspections could expose him.

• Chiba recognized symbols on a slip of paper as numbers from Hyuga Shinsuke’s coded messages and wondered what they meant.
• Chiba reflected that Yukina was safe and thriving in the Defense Force, so he no longer felt much need to pursue Hyuga Shinsuke’s arrangements.
• Chiba set aside the coded slip and box, then took out his copied Forbidden Jutsu scroll to study it.
• Chiba decided he needed to memorize the technique and destroy the dangerous copy before Minato Namikaze began inspecting villagers for the intruder.
• Chiba relied on his precise Chakra control to reason that he could attempt the Forbidden Jutsu before fully understanding its principles, despite the life-threatening risk.
• Chiba continued studying the scroll and found that his memory had become faster and clearer.

Chiba destroyed the Forbidden Jutsu scroll and planned where to practice the technique without attracting suspicion. He chose the Underground Medical Laboratory beneath his house, then set aside a box and a sheet of paper to work on Sealing Jutsu concepts.

• Chiba burned the Forbidden Jutsu scroll and extinguished the flames with water from his fingertips.
• He considered the need for a secluded training site and a plausible reason for leaving his house, while reflecting on his ties to Konoha and his friends.
• Chiba decided to train in the Underground Medical Laboratory and explain his time there as medicine research.
• He burned the white paper without deciphering it, put the box on the windowsill, and spent the rest of the night developing six Sealing Jutsu concepts.

Chiba woke late after developing two of six Sealing Jutsu Formulas and planned to finish the remaining four before testing them together. After cleaning his unused underground laboratory, he began training in the Forbidden Jutsu.

• Chiba examined the two completed Sealing Jutsu Formulas and estimated he could develop the other four within seven to ten days.
• Chiba decided not to decipher Hyuga Shinsuke's two sets of numbers yet and wondered what mission Minato Namikaze would assign him after his vacation.
• Chiba found that Kushina was no longer staying in the cabin, ate stored rations, and went to the underground medical laboratory.
• Chiba cleaned the laboratory and considered refining his plans for a health supplement.
• Chiba sat in a hidden corner of the laboratory and began training in the Forbidden Jutsu.

After struggling to learn a demanding Forbidden Jutsu, Chiba planned to speak with Minato Namikaze about martial law and leaving the village. He then realized how many friends the war had taken from him and, overwhelmed by grief, punched a tree.

• Chiba spent the afternoon failing to convert ordinary Chakra into the special Chakra required for the Forbidden Jutsu and recognized how difficult it was.
• Chiba planned to tell Minato Namikaze his solution to the martial law issue and request permission to leave the village so he could explain things to Hirohiko and Yukina.
• Chiba wondered who would lead the camp and resolved to protect Hirohiko and Yukina from anyone who threatened them.
• Chiba remembered friends and comrades, including Nao, Obito, Rin, Shiga, Kento, and Captain Shinsu, who had died in the Third Great Ninja War.
• Chiba stopped in a grove, realized how many friends he had lost, and slammed his fist into a tree as he struggled to contain his grief.

Chiba proposed ending the lockdown by publicly citing the ninja’s exhaustion, and Minato Namikaze agreed after recognizing that enemy villages would likely wait following the capture of spies. Chiba then learned he already had permission to return to the camp, while Minato Namikaze turned his attention back to a document marked “No losses.”

• Chiba visited Minato Namikaze and proposed canceling the lockdown because the ninja were exhausted.
• Chiba argued that announcing the reason openly after capturing enemy spies would make the enemy villages hesitate while Konoha accelerated its interrogations.
• Minato Namikaze agreed to Chiba’s plan and began issuing the order to cancel the lockdown.
• Chiba asked to return briefly to the camp and learned Minato Namikaze had already given him permission to come and go.
• Chiba left for the camp as Minato Namikaze returned to the document about the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber.

Chiba returned to the construction camp, explained that he had resigned as Assistant Agent, and prepared to leave his duties behind. After collecting Hirohiko’s notes, he returned home and began training again, drafting a plan to prepare for the future Nine-Tails’ Rampage.

• Chiba returned to the camp office and told Kakashi and Yukina that the village had been sealed after the Forbidden Jutsu Chamber was infiltrated, explaining his absence.
• Chiba revealed that he had resigned as Assistant Agent at the Fourth Hokage’s request; Yukina accepted his explanation, while Kakashi remained suspicious.
• Chiba told Kakashi and Yukina he would soon leave the camp and planned to rest, then went to inform Hirohiko.
• Hirohiko gave Chiba his notes on Fire Nature Transformation and Wind Nature Transformation, and Chiba collected them before leaving.
• Chiba discussed the work handover with Kakashi and Yukina, returned to his house, and officially gave up his duties to resume training.
• Chiba drafted a plan for a new round of grueling training to prepare for the future Nine-Tails’ Rampage.

After fifteen days of training and research, Chiba had completed seven Sealing Jutsu Formulas and shifted most of his effort to a difficult Forbidden Jutsu that could help him reach distant battlefields. His body had also developed a striking recovery ability, while his progress in Chakra Nature Transformation remained slow.

• Chiba finished his daily taijutsu routine and reflected on his progress over the past fifteen days.
• Chiba completed six Sealing Jutsu Formula concepts, bringing his total to seven, and continued testing their effects on cursed seals and the human body.
• Chiba spent most of his training time learning the Forbidden Jutsu, managing only to begin converting attributeless Chakra and estimating that mastery would take at least a year.
• Chiba made little progress in the five Chakra Nature Transformations, though Hirohiko's insights gave him a general direction.
• Chiba discovered that his body recovered rapidly from exhaustion and minor injuries after sleeping.

Chiba awaited Yukina’s latest examination report, which could confirm the suspected cause of her blindness and guide treatment. With the village’s lockdown and martial law ended and Hirohiko’s status improved, Chiba focused on preparing for Yukina’s care and his afternoon training.

• Chiba reflected on his regular examinations of Yukina and suspected that oxygen deprivation from a childhood illness had caused her blindness, though the damage might still be treatable.
• Chiba expected Koichi to deliver the latest report from the old scholars, which could confirm his diagnosis and support the treatment plan he had prepared.
• Konoha’s lockdown and martial law had ended, and the spies outside the village remained quiet amid the village’s apparent return to normal.
• Minato Namikaze appointed Chise Hibiki to lead the construction team, with Hirohiko assisting him and Yukina overseeing the team for the Defense Force.
• Hirohiko moved from a cell into a camp room and began a period of observation toward exoneration, while Minato’s handling of the matter eased tensions with Uchiha Fugaku.
• Chiba returned to the wooden house to prepare a meal and continue his training while waiting for Yukina’s report.