Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Chen demonstrated the Rasengan to Minato and Nawaki at the newly rebuilt Senju Clan Training Ground, explaining its stages and how to train it. He suggested Minato use a Shadow Clone to help, then gave Nawaki an unusually elastic water-filled balloon to practice with.

• Kushina, Mikoto, and Nonō explored the Training Ground while Kushina accidentally scratched its wall.
• Uchiha Chen explained that Tsunade had probably gotten the village to pay for rebuilding the Training Ground.
• Minato showed Uchiha Chen his Rasengan progress, and Uchiha Chen demonstrated how Chakra rotation, variation, and compression formed the technique.
• Uchiha Chen destroyed a reinforced wooden post with the Rasengan and explained that Minato could use a Shadow Clone to help control the Chakra.
• Uchiha Chen gave Nawaki a specially made, highly elastic water-filled balloon to practice breaking.

Uchiha Chen checked Mikoto and Kushina’s Lightning and Wind Release training, then demonstrated Chidori to help Mikoto advance her Lightning Release. Mikoto chose to prioritize quick combat gains, and the chapter left her studying the technique’s details.

• Uchiha Chen found that Mikoto had made progress with Lightning Release while Kushina had neglected her Wind Release practice.
• Uchiha Chen explained two training paths to Mikoto: build a complete foundation first or focus on destructive power for faster combat growth.
• Mikoto chose the faster path, and Uchiha Chen demonstrated Chidori in slow motion while explaining its Lightning Release transformation.
• Uchiha Chen explained Chidori’s combat benefits, and Mikoto deactivated her Sharingan and carefully reviewed what she had observed.

Kushina let the Nine-Tails take control so he could demonstrate a powerful Rasengan and fight Uchiha Chen. After five minutes, her body gave out, and Chen rushed to catch her.

• Kushina worried that Uchiha Chen would discover she had not learned the Rasengan, so the Nine-Tails offered to teach her.
• The Nine-Tails took control of Kushina, formed an orange-red Rasengan, and blasted a crater into the Training Ground.
• The Nine-Tails used Kushina’s body to fight Uchiha Chen with exceptionally fast and precise Taijutsu.
• After several minutes, the Nine-Tails announced that he was taking Kushina for a ride, then lost control when her body could no longer withstand his power.
• Kushina toppled from the wall, and Uchiha Chen rushed toward her as the Nine-Tails lost consciousness.

Uchiha Chen attended his first Jonin Meeting before leaving Konoha, where Tsunade introduced him to senior ninja and warned him to keep Kushina’s condition secret. The meeting left the village’s powerful figures weighing Chen’s growing influence and his ties to Tsunade and the Uchiha legacy.

• Uchiha Chen arrived at the Jonin Meeting, and Tsunade carried him to a seat beside her.
• Tsunade told Uchiha Chen that the Third Hokage might speak with him about Kushina and stressed that her situation had to remain secret.
• Tsunade said Orochimaru had skipped the meeting to avoid her planned proposal for Medical Reform.
• Tsunade introduced Uchiha Chen to Rokusen, Kato Dan, and other senior Konoha ninja, who discussed his battlefield achievements.
• The assembled jonin considered Uchiha Chen’s status as Kagami’s orphaned son and wondered whether a new power shift was coming in Konoha.

The Third Hokage opened a Jonin Meeting, where Homura Mitokado gave a long report on Konoha’s battlefield situation against the Hidden Sand Village. Aburame Shibi then challenged Danzo over Root detaining Aburame clan members, and the Third Hokage ordered their release while allowing Root to patrol the forests.

• The Third Hokage entered the meeting with Utatane Koharu, Homura Mitokado, and Danzo, and the Jonin stood to greet them.
• Homura Mitokado reported Konoha’s recent victories and its confrontation with the Hidden Sand Village at Akihabara, where the Third Kazekage had appeared and disappeared.
• Uchiha Chen noticed Tsunade dozing through Homura Mitokado’s lengthy report.
• Aburame Shibi asked who was responsible for Konoha’s security and revealed that Root had detained younger members of his clan.
• Danzo cited his ban on entering the forests, while Aburame Shibi explained that the clan needed forest space to raise its King Bugs.
• The Third Hokage ordered Danzo to release the detained Aburame, and Danzo agreed to release them while sending Root Shinobi to patrol the forests.

At the Jonin meeting, Uchiha Chen proposed training more Medical Ninjas after witnessing the lack of timely treatment on the Land of Rain battlefield. Danzo opposed him, and Tsunade left in anger when Sarutobi Hiruzen failed to support the proposal.

• Utatane Koharu assigned Uchiha Chen to lead Team Thirteen on a food-supply escort mission to Akihabara.
• Uchiha Chen proposed creating a system to train Medical Ninjas in greater numbers.
• Danzo rejected the proposal, arguing that wartime left no time to train Medical Ninjas.
• Kato Dan avoided supporting Uchiha Chen, while Sarutobi Hiruzen remained silent.
• Tsunade left the meeting room in anger after realizing no one, including her teacher, would back the proposal.

Uchiha Chen persuaded the Third Hokage to approve large-scale Medical Ninja training by presenting mortality statistics showing that teams with a Medical Ninja suffered fewer deaths. The Third Hokage agreed to build a training system and keep the data confidential, while Chen won his approval by emphasizing his concern for the village and its ninja.

• The Third Hokage asked Uchiha Chen to stay after the Jonin Meeting, and they spoke privately after the other jonin left.
• Uchiha Chen handed the Third Hokage a Scroll comparing mission deaths among teams with and without Medical Ninja.
• The Third Hokage read that the recorded mortality rates favored teams with Medical Ninja and agreed to establish a training system and gradually assign one to every team.
• Uchiha Chen explained why he had withheld the statistics, warning that releasing them before the village could meet demand would cause resentment and chaos.
• The Third Hokage praised Chen's judgment, and Chen called himself a screw who would fasten himself wherever the village needed him.

Uchiha Chen learned that the Third Hokage had approved Tsunade’s confidential plan to establish a Medical Ninja system, then realized Tsunade hoped to travel with him. He left her wondering whether Kato Dan was courting her after he guessed their conversation.

• Tsunade hurried to ask Uchiha Chen whether the Third Hokage had approved her proposal, and Chen pretended the Hokage had rejected it while Kato Dan was nearby.
• After Kato Dan left, Chen told Tsunade the Third Hokage had approved the plan after seeing her data, but had ordered them to keep it confidential.
• Tsunade suggested that Chen travel around the ninja world with her, and he changed the subject to avoid becoming her traveling caretaker.
• Chen guessed that Kato Dan had praised Tsunade’s Medical Ninja plan and invited her to dinner, then told her Dan was trying to court her.
• Tsunade admitted she had not noticed Dan’s intentions, and Chen teased her about the unusual men in her dating pool.

Uchiha Chen told Tsunade that Kato Dan was pursuing her, then visited Kushina at Konoha Hospital and discussed whether Jiraiya or Dan was the better match. Meanwhile, Jiraiya stayed with his students in the Land of Rain, convinced Tsunade was thinking of him while Yahiko wondered whether he could fulfill his dream.

• Uchiha Chen and Tsunade arrived at Konoha Hospital and found Kushina pretending to be asleep with a romance advice book hidden under her pillow.
• Tsunade took Kushina's book, then left the ward after Uchiha Chen revealed that Kato Dan was pursuing her.
• Kushina recognized Kato Dan as Kato Rin's older brother and said she would support Jiraiya if he stopped peeping.
• Jiraiya sneezed in the Land of Rain, decided Tsunade must be thinking of him, and encouraged Yahiko to transform their country.
• Yahiko recalled meeting Chen in a cave and remembered how the boy had listened to his dream.

Uchiha Chen kept Kushina’s connection with the Nine-Tails secret to protect their bond, then got drawn into Nawaki’s scheme to sabotage Kato Dan’s pursuit of Tsunade. Days later, Chen met his new subordinates at the Hokage Building as his unit prepared to leave for the battlefield.

• Uchiha Chen decided not to tell the Third Hokage, Minato, or the others that the Nine-Tails could control Kushina’s body.
• Nawaki confronted Uchiha Chen about Kato Dan pursuing Tsunade and vowed to stop him.
• Nawaki revealed that he had informed Jiraiya and pressured Uchiha Chen into writing Kato Dan a harsh rejection letter in Tsunade’s handwriting.
• Uchiha Chen avoided Tsunade and Nawaki for several days after helping with the deception.
• Uchiha Chen met his new subordinates at the Hokage Building as the troops prepared to depart for Konoha’s battlefield.

Uchiha Chen and Minato discussed Chen’s new squad, including its Hyuga Clan member, Hyuga Himeji, whom Chen had met before. Himeji arrived as Chen was calling her a Problem Girl, leaving him caught talking behind her back.

• Minato visited Uchiha Chen before Chen departed for the battlefield, and they talked about Nawaki and Jiraiya.
• Chen told Minato that his new squad included a Hyuga Clan ninja and twin siblings surnamed Taki.
• Chen explained the history and rumored tensions between the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans, and Minato questioned why a Main Family member would serve without Branch Family guards.
• Chen revealed that the Hyuga ninja was Hyuga Himeji, a former classmate whom he had defeated in their second year.
• Minato recalled that Chen had humiliated Himeji, and Chen called her a serious Problem Girl before Himeji’s voice interrupted him.

Uchiha Chen met his new Team Thirteen teammates, Taki Tōru, Hyuga Himeji, and Taki Yū, before leaving for the battlefield. As Chen reunited with friends who had come to see him off, his teammates discussed his strength and Himeji’s determination to grow stronger in battle.

• Uchiha Chen and Minato Namikaze greeted Taki Tōru, Hyuga Himeji, and Taki Yū as their new teammates.
• Taki Tōru recognized Chen from his old match against Himeji, while Taki Yū praised Chen for becoming a Special Jonin at ten.
• Uchiha Chen and Minato left to speak with friends who had come to see them off.
• Taki Tōru, Himeji, and Taki Yū admired Chen’s Earth Release bench and discussed his strength and popularity.
• Himeji said she had chosen the battlefield to improve her strength, while Taki Tōru teased her about Chen.

Uchiha Chen departed Konoha for the battlefield after saying goodbye to Nawaki, Kushina, and Mikoto. On the journey, he described himself as an all-round ninja and demonstrated his Genjutsu against Himeji, leaving her asleep.

• Nawaki asked Uchiha Chen to keep an eye on Tsunade and Kato Dan, but Kushina exposed Nawaki's own habit of watching Tsunade at night.
• Uchiha Chen told Kushina to stay close to the Nine-Tails and asked him to help her if she was in danger.
• Mikoto gave Uchiha Chen a Scroll with food and supplies, and he told her he had left snakes nearby to send him word if anything happened.
• The Third Hokage sent the troops out of Konoha, and Uchiha Chen traveled with his subordinates in a provision wagon.
• Taki Tōru asked Uchiha Chen about his abilities, and he called himself an all-round ninja.
• Himeji challenged Uchiha Chen to test his Genjutsu, and she fell asleep soon after meeting his gaze.

The supply convoy reached Rogue Town and continued toward the Land of Rivers as Orochimaru trained Uchiha Chen in command and strategy. Orochimaru warned that Sunagakure might attack the convoy to seize food, and he believed the Third Kazekage would likely lead the operation.

• The convoy arrived at Rogue Town, where Uchiha Chen remembered his first mission and learned that many former residents had left or become pirates.
• Orochimaru discussed front-line reports with Tsunade and had Uchiha Chen listen and offer strategic opinions.
• Tsunade considered finding an apprentice to inherit her Medical Ninjutsu, while Orochimaru wished she would marry before Jiraiya returned.
• The convoy crossed into the Land of Rivers as Orochimaru warned that Sunagakure might attack its supplies.
• Uchiha Chen explained that Sunagakure's food shortage and delayed harvest could force the sand shinobi to raid for food.
• Orochimaru estimated that the Third Kazekage would likely appear in the attack, startling Uchiha Chen.

Uchiha Chen proposed using the supply convoy’s food as leverage against Sunagakure’s poison attacks. Tsunade recognized the idea’s potential and summoned Orochimaru to discuss it as the convoy neared Akihabara.

• Orochimaru prepared Konoha’s ninja for a possible attack by the Third Kazekage on the supply convoy.
• Tsunade’s unit continued toward Akihabara through the rain, with scouts reporting no sand shinobi nearby.
• Uchiha Chen asked Tsunade about sand shinobi poisons and learned that new poison gases could overwhelm her antidotes.
• Uchiha Chen suggested leaving the food supplies unsealed so the sand shinobi could not poison them without ruining the supplies they wanted.
• Tsunade called for a ninja to summon Orochimaru so she could discuss Uchiha Chen’s proposal.

Uchiha Chen’s squad experienced a sudden tremor that he recognized as Shukaku’s power, and he hurried to Orochimaru’s tent. Orochimaru and Tsunade concluded that Shukaku had likely been reborn after a failed sealing, leaving them to choose between pursuing the Third Kazekage and protecting the transport supplies.

• Uchiha Chen shared Mikoto’s bentos with Taki Tōru, Himeji, and her brother while warning his squad to stay alert for a possible Sand shinobi attack.
• A violent tremor and alarm interrupted the meal, and Uchiha Chen recognized the disturbance as Shukaku’s power before rushing to Orochimaru’s tent.
• Tsunade reported that scouts had confirmed the One-Tails Shukaku’s appearance in the Land of Rivers but had found no sign of the Third Kazekage.
• Orochimaru and Tsunade reasoned that Shukaku had likely been reborn after a failed attempt to seal it into a new Jinchuriki.
• Orochimaru and Tsunade faced a choice between stopping the Third Kazekage from sealing Shukaku again and protecting the transport supplies.

Orochimaru and Tsunade weighed whether to send elite shinobi against the Third Kazekage to stop him from sealing Shukaku, despite the risk of a sand shinobi attack on their supplies. Orochimaru chose to go with Uchiha Chen, leaving Tsunade to command the troops, and the chapter ended with Tsunade warning them not to die.

• Orochimaru warned Tsunade that the Third Kazekage’s strength and the waiting Sand Shinobi Raid Unit made stopping Shukaku dangerous.
• Tsunade and Orochimaru debated the risks of surrendering their supplies or allowing the Third Kazekage to seal Shukaku.
• Orochimaru chose to confront the Third Kazekage and told Tsunade to stay behind and command the troops.
• Orochimaru selected Uchiha Chen to accompany him, and Tsunade agreed after hearing about Chen’s past feat of taking down a Tailed Beast.
• Tsunade wrote an A-rank mission order to stop the sealing and an S-rank order if they successfully sniped the One-Tail.
• Tsunade told Orochimaru not to die as he went to brief Uchiha Chen.

Orochimaru recruited Uchiha Chen for an urgent mission to confront Shukaku and the Third Kazekage. As they traveled west, Orochimaru explained the political maneuvering behind Danzo’s clash with the Aburame Clan and wondered what Danzo had offered Uchiha Yama.

• Tsunade worried that Orochimaru was risking his life and Konoha’s safety, though she understood his sense of duty.
• Orochimaru told Uchiha Chen that Shukaku had been located and asked him to join a mission that could reach S-Rank difficulty because of the Third Kazekage; Chen agreed.
• Himeji used her Byakugan to watch Orochimaru and Chen leave, while Taki Tōru wondered what mission the captain had gone to undertake.
• Orochimaru and Chen headed west across the Gobi Desert, and Chen recounted the Jonin Meeting dispute involving Danzo and the Aburame Clan.
• Orochimaru argued that Danzo had used the dispute to pressure the clans into yielding talented children, while the Third Hokage had used Danzo to restrain the clans and isolate him.
• Orochimaru wondered what Danzo had offered Uchiha Yama in exchange for temporarily surrendering Konoha’s security authority.

Orochimaru and Uchiha Chen found the Third Kazekage holding Shukaku inside an Iron Sand cage and confronted him in the Gobi Desert. After the Third Kazekage attacked with a torrent of Iron Sand, Orochimaru and Uchiha Chen countered, and Orochimaru charged through the smoke toward him.

• Orochimaru and Uchiha Chen arrived to find Shukaku trapped in an Iron Sand cage, with the Third Kazekage waiting nearby on an Iron Sand throne.
• The Third Kazekage recognized Orochimaru and Uchiha Chen, declared that neither would leave alive, and launched Magnet Release: Sandstorm Torrent.
• Orochimaru summoned Rashomon to shield them from the Iron Sand, though the gate developed cracks beneath the attack.
• Uchiha Chen used Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet to melt the Third Kazekage's Iron Sand defenses, while the Iron Sand tree replenished them.
• Orochimaru drew a longsword and charged at the Third Kazekage through the smoke created by the clash.

Uchiha Chen and Orochimaru fought the Third Kazekage, whose Iron Sand overwhelmed them and blocked Chen’s Genjutsu. Chen freed Shukaku from its Iron Sand seal with a specially marked Explosive Tag, and Shukaku fired a Tailed Beast Bomb at the Third Kazekage and Orochimaru.

• The Third Kazekage attacked Uchiha Chen and Orochimaru with vibrating Iron Sand spears and a barrage of shuriken, while Chen used Chidori and dodged the attacks.
• Uchiha Chen failed to land Genjutsu because the Third Kazekage moved too quickly and shielded his ears with vibrating Iron Sand.
• Orochimaru suffered wounds while keeping the Third Kazekage occupied, and Chen decided to free Shukaku rather than retreat.
• Uchiha Chen cut through the Third Kazekage’s Iron Sand hand with Lightning Cutter and planted a specially marked Explosive Tag on Shukaku’s seal.
• The Explosive Tag blasted open the seal, and Shukaku fired a Tailed Beast Bomb that engulfed the Third Kazekage and Orochimaru.