Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Chen and his classmates grew bored with the sweltering Ninja Academy lesson and planned a mass escape from class. Nearly everyone agreed to join the operation, while Mikoto kept studying and Kushina slept.

• During Nishimura’s lesson, Uchiha Chen woke when a leaf landed on his head and decided he wanted to escape the hot classroom.
• Chen recruited Minato and Nawaki, and the three quietly discussed how to sneak past their teacher.
• Shikaku and Choza joined the plan, saying they could no longer endure the class.
• Nawaki suggested that everyone escape together, and Chen named the plan the Summer Operation.
• All the students except Mikoto and the sleeping Kushina nodded in agreement to join.

Uchiha Chen and his classmates tried to sneak out of Teacher Nishimura’s lesson, but Nishimura stopped them and punished them with a disturbing story about his past mission with Might Duy. The class was left in disarray, while Kushina woke up and asked what had happened.

• Uchiha Chen and Minato planned to blame their classmates and slip out before throwing smoke bombs and mini explosive tags at the podium.
• Teacher Nishimura caught the students as they tried to leave and scolded them for skipping his lesson.
• Nishimura began telling the class a story about a mission with Might Duy during the First Ninja War, describing their fight with Yotsuki Ryutao in grotesque detail.
• Uchiha Liang fainted from Nishimura’s story, while Uchiha Ling, Uchiha Feng, and Nawaki reacted in alarm and distress.
• Uchiha Chen noticed Nishimura’s intimidating gaze as the class endured the story, and Kushina woke up, wiped her drool, and asked what had happened.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and his advisers discussed rising tensions between Amegakure and Kusagakure and ordered diplomatic efforts to prevent war. Their meeting turned into a dispute over who would mentor Uchiha Chen after graduation, ending with Utatane Koharu threatening Shimura Danzo when he brought up her feelings for the dead Uchiha Kagami.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen met with Homura Mitokado, Shimura Danzo, and Utatane Koharu to review clashes between Amegakure and Kusagakure in the Land of Grass.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Homura Mitokado to pursue negotiations with Hanzō, Utatane Koharu to contact the Kazekage about an alliance, and Shimura Danzo to gather intelligence at the border.
• Shimura Danzo asked about Uchiha Yama's request for an Uchiha Jonin to mentor Uchiha Chen after graduation, and Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that Tsunade had previously been considered.
• Utatane Koharu opposed giving Chen to the Uchiha Clan or Root, while Shimura Danzo proposed taking him into Root and personally mentoring him.
• Utatane Koharu punched the table and threatened Shimura Danzo when he suggested taking Kagami's orphan under his care.
• Shimura Danzo brought up Koharu's past feelings for Uchiha Kagami, and Koharu grabbed him by the collar and threatened to kill him if he spoke of it again.

After Danzo stormed out of the Hokage Office, Hiruzen explained that he had appointed Orochimaru as Chen’s Squad Leader Jonin after Uchiha Yama proposed him. Koharu questioned the Uchiha Clan’s motives, and Hiruzen ended the discussion by ordering the Squad Leader Jonin recalled.

• Danzo left the Hokage Office, lamenting that he had lost the Hokage position and Koharu’s affection to Hiruzen and Kagami.
• Hiruzen reflected on Danzo and Koharu’s feelings before telling Koharu that Uchiha Yama had suggested Orochimaru lead Chen’s squad.
• Hiruzen explained that Yama argued Orochimaru’s Ninjutsu and genjutsu expertise better suited Chen than Tsunade’s strengths in taijutsu and Medical Ninjutsu.
• Koharu suspected the Uchiha Clan had a hidden motive, but Hiruzen said he had agreed to the proposal.
• Hiruzen declared the matter closed and ordered the Squad Leader Jonin recalled.

Uchiha Chen and his friends recovered after Teacher Nishimura’s harsh lesson and learned they had been assigned the school-wide cleanup again. As Minato raised the village’s tense atmosphere and rumors of war, he invited Chen to the Training Ground for a long-overdue battle.

• Chen, Kushina, Mikoto, Nawaki, and Minato discussed Teacher Nishimura’s lecture and complained about their sunlit seats and the cleanup assignment.
• Minato mentioned that the village atmosphere was tense, and Nawaki shared rumors of friction between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass.
• Chen thought about the coming war and told Nawaki he could survive if he avoided Explosive Tags.
• Nawaki talked about wanting a girlfriend, and Chen kicked him after teasing him about his standards.
• Minato caught up with Chen and invited him to the Training Ground for a battle.

Minato showed Uchiha Chen his new Summoning Jutsu and fought alongside Toad Light, pushing the battle into a powerful oil-and-fire attack. Chen’s Shadow Clone was engulfed in flames, but a thrown Kunai nearly struck Minato, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Minato summoned Toad Light, who demanded a hundred portions of caterpillars as payment.
• Chen and Minato exchanged attacks while Toad Light used its fast tongue to deflect Shuriken and pursue Chen.
• Minato and Toad Light combined oil and Fire Release, blanketing much of the Training Ground in flames.
• Chen’s figure vanished in the flames, and Kushina identified it as a Shadow Clone.
• A Kunai flew past Minato and buried itself in the wall as a strand of yellow hair drifted down.

Uchiha Chen and his friends were caught after wrecking the Training Ground, and Teacher Nishimura ordered them to clean it up and face punishment. Afterward, Minato revealed that he had developed Chakra-storing Sealing Scrolls, and Chen left to buy oranges.

• Uchiha Chen argued that combat helped ninjas grow, but Teacher Nishimura rebuked the group for vandalizing the Training Ground and ordered them to clean it up and accept punishment.
• Nawaki compared their destruction to the Battle of the End Valley, but Teacher Nishimura dismissed his excuse and left to submit a repair request.
• Uchiha Chen reassured an upset Minato that he would help with the teacher and the punishment.
• Minato showed Uchiha Chen Sealing Scrolls that stored Chakra, explaining that his scroll could hold about one and a half times his own Chakra amount.
• Uchiha Chen praised Minato's work, then told him he was going to buy some oranges.

Uchiha Chen was ambushed on his way home, but he outmaneuvered the attacker and discovered it was Orochimaru testing him. Orochimaru took Chen to a tavern and began reflecting on mortality, leaving Chen waiting to hear what he would say next.

• Uchiha Chen sensed an ambush, deflected the attacker’s kunai, and traded attacks with him in the darkness.
• The attacker struck what he thought was Chen, but Chen’s genjutsu and a powerful kunai shot exposed and killed the attacker’s mud clone.
• Orochimaru appeared behind Chen, praised his growth, and revealed that he had returned to Konoha that day.
• Orochimaru invited Chen to walk with him, and they went to a quiet tavern where Orochimaru ordered wine and food.
• Orochimaru told Chen that the tavern’s former owner had died and asked whether all things, including people, eventually withered away.

Orochimaru told Uchiha Chen that war was approaching and explained that Jonin would lead Konoha’s students on missions to prepare them for battle. He made Chen sign a Summoning Contract, then vanished without paying for their meal.

• Orochimaru described the deaths and sacrifices he had witnessed in war, and Uchiha Chen reflected that not everyone found happiness.
• Orochimaru revealed that conflict was growing between the Land of Rain and the Land of Grass, while the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth massed troops at their borders.
• Orochimaru said the Third Hokage had recalled Jonin to lead students on missions before war began, and that Uchiha Yama had arranged for him to replace Tsunade as Chen’s Squad Leader Jonin.
• Orochimaru summoned a White Snake, which ate the roast chicken and spat out a Summoning Contract for Chen.
• Chen signed the contract, and Orochimaru vanished in a Shadow Clone without paying the bill.

Teacher Nishimura announced the teams and Jonin instructors for the students' upcoming missions. Uchiha Chen was assigned to Orochimaru's team with Uchiha Mikoto and Senju Nawaki, while the chapter ended with Nishimura warning everyone not to die and offering to make up missed lessons.

• Teacher Nishimura explained that the Hokage wanted the students to experience real battle and began reading the assignment list.
• Uchiha Chen, Uchiha Mikoto, and Senju Nawaki were assigned to Team One under Orochimaru, and Nawaki watched Chen and Mikoto celebrate being teammates.
• Uzumaki Kushina, Inuzuka Mei, and Hyuga Sakura were assigned to Team Two under Tsunade, and Kushina asked Nawaki to switch teams with her.
• Minato Namikaze, Yamamoto Den, and Zhou Xuan Long Tao were assigned to Team Three under Jiraiya.
• Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, and Akimichi Choza were assigned to Team Four under Kato Dan, whose name drew Uchiha Chen's attention.
• Teacher Nishimura told the students not to die and promised to make up missed lessons during summer break.

Orochimaru led Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki out of Konoha on a mission, pushing them through a grueling run into the eastern forest. After they stopped for the day, he revealed that they would have to hunt and gather water for themselves, including food for him.

• Orochimaru summoned Team One from class and led Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki out through Konoha's main gate without stopping to greet the guards.
• Orochimaru tested the three students' stamina as they ran east, and he noted that Mikoto and Nawaki had grown stronger while Uchiha Chen kept pace easily.
• After running until afternoon, Orochimaru stopped the group, and Nawaki collapsed while Uchiha Chen gave Mikoto salt water.
• Orochimaru told Nawaki that he had poisoned the rations and ordered the group to hunt for food and find water, saying he wanted grilled meat.

Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki searched the forest for prey as Orochimaru secretly tested their survival skills with traps. After they returned to camp, Orochimaru explained that surviving on the battlefield mattered more than learning Ninjutsu or Genjutsu.

• Uchiha Chen inferred that Orochimaru’s mission was a survival test and suggested that he, Mikoto, and Nawaki split up to find prey.
• Uchiha Chen summoned Big White, who sensed traps around him and helped him avoid them while searching for animals.
• An Explosive Tag detonated nearby, and Nawaki shouted that he would kill Orochimaru.
• Uchiha Chen returned with a wild boar, Mikoto brought back a wild chicken, and they found Nawaki blackened and battered by the explosion.
• Orochimaru told the three that Nawaki would have died on a battlefield and said he would teach them the power to survive.

Orochimaru taught Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki about methods for improving speed and shared practical advice for missions. As he watched the three young ninja gathered around the campfire, he remembered his own missions with Sarutobi, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.

• Orochimaru explained different ways ninja could improve their speed, including taijutsu, Chakra stimulation, Elemental Release, and the Flying Thunder God Slash.
• Orochimaru roasted wild boar and taught Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki about surviving missions, including when to light fires and how to prepare warnings against enemies.
• Uchiha Chen noticed genjutsu around the camp, and Orochimaru confirmed he had set it up along with traps.
• Orochimaru praised Uchiha Chen's concealed, powerful genjutsu, and Chen said he could cast many genjutsu without Hand Seals.
• Orochimaru watched Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki together and remembered the missions he had once shared with Sarutobi, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.

Uchiha Chen and his team rested with Orochimaru while discussing their mission to eliminate bandits in the Land of Fire. Orochimaru explained that the mission was meant to prepare them for war and secure Konoha’s rear, then left the three young shinobi to take the night watch.

• Uchiha Chen asked Orochimaru about his dream, and Orochimaru said he wanted to learn every technique in the world.
• Uchiha Chen introduced Big White to Nawaki as a potential girlfriend, but both Nawaki and Big White rejected the match.
• Mikoto asked about their mission, and Orochimaru said they had to eliminate bandits in the eastern Land of Fire.
• Orochimaru explained that the missions trained young shinobi to survive wartime and helped clear the Land of Fire’s rear area ahead of war.
• Orochimaru ended the discussion and went to sleep, leaving Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki to arrange the night watch.

Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki faced repeated dangers while training in the forest, then turned the tables on Orochimaru with a coordinated counterattack. Orochimaru resisted their Genjutsu and sent snakes after them, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki finished a mission by defeating a Scizor and a Venusaur after enduring numerous attacks in the forest.
• Uchiha Chen's group set a trap at camp, and Mikoto struck Orochimaru with a Great Fireball when he emerged from underground to grab Uchiha Chen.
• Uchiha Chen used Genjutsu to freeze Orochimaru briefly and landed a Super Strength Fist while Nawaki raised an Earth-Style Wall.
• Orochimaru escaped the wall with Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, and Uchiha Chen tried to hit him with a kunai while he appeared caught in Featherfall.
• Orochimaru dodged the kunai, explained that snakes could sense infrared and that his eyes and hearing had let him resist the Genjutsu, then sent snakes surging toward the three.

Orochimaru evaluated Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki after defeating them, then put them through days of ambush training as they traveled toward their mission. Near Rogue Town, he told them to change clothes to hide their identities before heading to Windmill Village, and Nawaki realized he had brought no casual clothes.

• Orochimaru praised the trio’s teamwork but criticized their overreliance on aggressive tactics and their poor reactions after his counterattack.
• Orochimaru launched more than fifty surprise attacks during several days of travel, while Uchiha Chen and the others practiced counter-ambushes.
• The four reached the area near Rogue Town, close to the Land of Rivers, and Orochimaru planned for them to rest and replenish supplies before continuing to Windmill Village.
• Orochimaru told the three students to change out of their conspicuous clan and shinobi clothes before entering town.
• Nawaki admitted he had brought only his Senju Clan uniform, and Uchiha Chen offered him Mikoto’s spare set of women’s clothes.

Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki entered Rogue Town with Orochimaru while posing as merchants and learned that the townspeople denied any bandits were nearby. Orochimaru assigned the three of them to kill everyone in Windmill Village and named Chen their squad captain, leaving them to carry out the mission themselves.

• Orochimaru and the others entered Rogue Town disguised as merchants, and Nawaki sought out clothes to replace his leaf-made disguise.
• The innkeeper's wife claimed Rogue Town was peaceful and said no bandits were nearby, which made Chen and Orochimaru suspicious.
• Orochimaru ordered Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki to go out in town so they would not attract attention by staying inside.
• After nightfall, Orochimaru told the three that their target was everyone in Windmill Village, including Rogue Ninja.
• Orochimaru made Chen squad captain, gave him a Scroll with a map to the village, and left the team to carry out the mission.

Uchiha Chen, Nawaki, and Mikoto prepared to attack a bandit village after learning it held around a hundred people and might be led by a Jonin. They began their nighttime assault by silently killing two sentries.

• Uchiha Chen summoned Arbok, whose snakes infiltrated the village and reported its defenses.
• Uchiha Chen, Nawaki, and Mikoto discussed the uncertain threat of the bandit leader and planned to strike after the bandits had been drinking.
• Uchiha Chen warned Nawaki and Mikoto to protect themselves and avoid taking on too many enemies.
• Around three in the morning, Uchiha Chen, Nawaki, and Mikoto began moving toward the village.
• Uchiha Chen used Genjutsu on two sentries, then killed them with a kunai.

Uchiha Chen and Nawaki fought their way through Windmill Village, drawing its defenders away so Mikoto could escape. After they detonated Explosive Tags and believed their mission was complete, a scarred man appeared with Mikoto held hostage.

• Uchiha Chen killed the Rogue Ninja and struggled to steady himself before fighting off more attackers.
• Uchiha Chen drew the village's attention while Nawaki waited at the target location with a wounded arm.
• Uchiha Chen and Nawaki combined Fire Release and Wind Release, then used the smoke to escape into the forest.
• Uchiha Chen and Nawaki detonated dozens of Explosive Tags in Windmill Village, causing a massive blast.
• Uchiha Chen realized Mikoto was missing, and a scarred man appeared holding her at Kunai-point.

Uchiha Chen tried to rescue Mikoto from Scarred Man, who held her hostage after the attack on Windmill Village. Chen broke Scarred Man’s concentration with a Genjutsu about a murdered couple, but Scarred Man struck back and left Chen badly wounded.

• Scarred Man threatened to kill Mikoto unless Uchiha Chen and Nawaki obeyed him.
• Uchiha Chen offered to replace Mikoto as a hostage and drove a Kunai through his own hand when Scarred Man demanded it.
• Uchiha Chen asked Scarred Man about a married couple in Rogue Town and used an inducement-type Genjutsu to make him relive their deaths.
• Mikoto escaped Scarred Man’s grasp as Chen’s Chakra and mental energy ran low.
• Scarred Man hurled a Kunai into Chen’s left chest, and Mikoto’s eyes turned blood-red.