Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Chen fought Sakamoto while poison clouded his mind, using Chidori and Genjutsu to break through Sakamoto’s Earth Release and nearly kill him. After one minute, both were gravely weakened, and Sakamoto declared he would take Chen down with him.

• Sakamoto unleashed an A-Rank Earth Release that surrounded Uchiha Chen with stone spikes as the poison weakened Chen’s consciousness.
• Uchiha Chen spent his remaining Chakra to use Chidori, tearing a path through the stone spikes and charging at Sakamoto.
• Uchiha Chen’s Sharingan and ordinary Genjutsu briefly paralyzed Sakamoto as Chen swung Chidori at his head.
• Sakamoto broke free and raised his short sword, but Chidori split it and grazed half his face, leaving him fatally wounded.
• Uchiha Chen declared victory after one minute, but Sakamoto insisted Chen had not won and vowed to take him to hell.

Sakamoto unleashed the full force of his Earth Release as he died, leaving Uchiha Chen trapped, poisoned, and near death. Tsunade rescued Chen and began treating him, then used a summoned Slug to take him to Shikkotsu Forest while Orochimaru arranged for Konoha to summon them back.

• Sakamoto spent his remaining Chakra on a final seal, causing his Earth Release to erupt and bury Uchiha Chen among stone spikes.
• As Chen lost consciousness, Tsunade arrived with Orochimaru and used Heavenly Foot of Pain to shatter the Earth Release cage.
• Tsunade examined Chen's severe injuries and poison while Orochimaru checked on Nawaki and the other two, finding them alive with minor injuries.
• Orochimaru sealed Sakamoto's corpse and identified him as a Hidden Sand Village Anbu Squad Leader.
• Tsunade found that Chen had Sand Shinobi neurotoxin and an unknown poison that she could not fully treat in the field.
• Tsunade summoned a Slug to take her and Chen to Shikkotsu Forest, and ordered Orochimaru to contact Konoha so the Third Hokage could summon them back.

Uchiha Chen woke in Konoha Hospital after the poison-induced hallucinations and realized Mikoto was safe. Tsunade scolded him for nearly dying on dangerous missions, while he began recovering from his injuries.

• Uchiha Chen woke in Konoha Hospital and recognized that his vision of Mikoto’s death had been a hallucination caused by the poison.
• Mikoto saw that Uchiha Chen was awake, cried with relief, and hurried out to notify Kushina and the others.
• Tsunade visited Uchiha Chen, criticized him for taking on dangerous missions and fighting Jonin before becoming a Genin, and warned that the poison could have killed him.
• Tsunade told Uchiha Chen that his serious condition had passed and that he needed to rest while his bones and muscles healed.

While recovering in Konoha Hospital, Uchiha Chen dealt with wild rumors about his exploits and caught up with Minato. The two realized Chen’s mission may have triggered the Second Great Ninja War.

• Rumors exaggerated Uchiha Chen’s injury into a tale of him fighting the Kazekage and Raikage, then killing the Sage of Six Paths, and visitors crowded his hospital room.
• Uchiha Chen pretended to be dying to scare away troublesome visitors, and the get-well flower baskets were replaced by funeral wreaths.
• Minato visited Uchiha Chen, apologized for the rumors that had spread from his circle, and discussed his new idea for modifying the Sealing Scroll.
• Minato told Uchiha Chen that many Ninja Academy teachers had recently left Konoha, and Chen suspected the Second Great Ninja War was near.
• Uchiha Chen explained his mission to Minato, and they concluded that it may have lit the fuse for the Second Great Ninja War.

As rumors elevated Hanzō to the title of Demigod, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Danzo, Homura Mitokado, and Utatane Koharu debated whether Konoha should seize the opportunity to fight the Land of Rain. Koharu demanded an explanation for Kagami's son's near-death, and Sarutobi Hiruzen declared war on the Land of Rain.

• Rumors spread that Hanzō had fought Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Third Kazekage without falling behind, earning him the title of Demigod.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Danzo and Homura Mitokado that Hanzō and the Third Kazekage denied responsibility for the poison, the squads, and the gold mine incident, while agreeing to negotiate peace and withdraw troops.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that the Third Kazekage and he suspected Hanzō had orchestrated the gold mine incident, and that all three leaders had been injured in a chaotic border battle.
• Danzo argued that Hanzō had spread the rumors to challenge the Five Great Nations and that Konoha should take advantage of his injuries to go to war.
• Utatane Koharu left the meeting, demanding an explanation because Kagami's son had nearly died.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered a Jonin Assembly and declared war on the Land of Rain.

Minato visited the injured Uchiha Chen and brought him a novel from Jiraiya before Hyuga Himeji and Utatane Koharu came to see him. Koharu introduced herself as a close friend of Chen’s late father and told him that his eyes resembled his father’s.

• Minato talked with Uchiha Chen and gave him Jiraiya’s novel, which Chen tucked beneath his pillow and wished an early flop.
• Hyuga Himeji arrived with flowers, replaced Minato’s bouquet, gave Chen an apple, and left after telling him that fresh air was good for his health.
• Utatane Koharu visited Chen and introduced herself as his father’s close friend and a fellow disciple of the Second Hokage.
• Koharu told Chen that his eyes looked like his father’s, leaving him puzzled by her familiar-sounding remark.

Utatane Koharu visited Uchiha Chen in the hospital and tried to transfer him to Tsunade’s team, but he refused. She told him that Konoha was about to declare war on the Land of Rain, and Mikoto’s arrival left Koharu impressed by Chen’s apparent knack for picking up girls.

• Utatane Koharu asked Uchiha Chen about his injuries and urged him to transfer to Tsunade’s team, but he declined.
• Utatane Koharu told Uchiha Chen that the Jonin Assembly was preparing to declare war on the Land of Rain.
• Uchiha Chen questioned why Konoha was targeting only the Land of Rain, and Utatane Koharu said a battle with Sunagakure would come later.
• Mikoto arrived with a lunchbox, and Utatane Koharu left the hospital room in a much better mood after seeing her with Uchiha Chen.

Uchiha Chen returned to the Ninja Academy after recovering from his injuries and attended the opening ceremony as the Second Ninja War began. Sarutobi Hiruzen framed Konoha’s invasion of the Land of Rain as self-defense and urged the students to protect the people they cherished.

• Kushina told Uchiha Chen that Uzumaki Mito could no longer hold on, and Chen comforted her.
• After the hospital approved his discharge, Uchiha Chen returned home and later went to the Ninja Academy on the first day of classes.
• Uchiha Chen joined Minato at the Training Ground, where Mikoto arrived soon after, while Kushina and Nawaki remained absent.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen addressed the students, blamed the Land of Rain for invading Konoha, and spoke about war, sacrifice, and protecting loved ones.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen said the students’ parents were fighting for his dream and bowed as the crowd applauded.

Uchiha Chen practiced Wind Release nature transformation at the Ninja Academy and helped his classmates test their chakra natures. The chapter ended with Kushina telling him that her grandmother wanted to see him.

• Uchiha Chen practiced Wind Release nature transformation during class while Minato watched and Teacher Nishimura grew impressed.
• Uchiha Chen gave Minato a chakra nature test paper, and Minato discovered he had Wind and Water Release.
• Uchiha Chen learned that Mikoto had Fire and Lightning Release, while Kushina had Wind Release.
• The Inuzuka kid approached Uchiha Chen and revealed that his Ninja Dog, Fishcake, was home for vaccinations; Uchiha Chen showed him Big White, his snake Summoning Beast.
• Kushina turned from her desk and told Uchiha Chen that her grandmother wanted to see him.

As Uzumaki Mito neared death, she shared the truth about Kushina becoming the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and asked Uchiha Chen to care for her. Mito died a week later, and Kushina became the second Jinchuriki.

• Uzumaki Mito shared wine with Kushina and Uchiha Chen and reminisced about Hashirama and Madara.
• Mito teased Kushina about her feelings for Chen, then comforted her when Kushina said Mito was her only family.
• Mito explained to Uchiha Chen that Kushina would succeed her as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and asked him to protect and cherish her.
• After leaving Mito, Uchiha Chen sat with Kushina as she cried and blamed herself for Mito's impending death.
• A week later, Uzumaki Mito died in her courtyard, and Kushina became the second Jinchuriki.

After Uzumaki Mito's secret funeral, Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected Shimura Danzo's attempts to control Kushina and assigned Hatake Sakumo to protect her. Uchiha Chen learned that Orochimaru was leaving for the Land of Rain, while Madara began his plan by giving Nagato his Rinnegan.

• At Mito's funeral, Hiruzen limited Kushina's isolation to one week and rejected Danzo's proposals to have Root monitor or guard her, saying Hatake Sakumo would protect her.
• Orochimaru told Chen that he, Jiraiya, and Tsunade would leave for the Land of Rain, then gave Chen his mission payment and Sakamoto's glasses.
• Madara drank Hashirama's wine and said he had kept his promise not to act against Konoha before Mito's death.
• Madara removed his Rinnegan and ordered Spiral Zetsu to implant them in Nagato and find him a spare pair of Sharingan.

Kushina met the Nine-Tails in her consciousness space and began visiting it each day, despite its attempts to persuade her to remove the Seal. After a week of confinement, Kushina was allowed to leave and go to the Ninja Academy.

• At night, Kushina heard a voice and followed it through darkness to a sealed cage containing the Nine-Tails.
• The Nine-Tails offered Kushina its power and threatened to kill her if she did not break the Seal, but Kushina refused.
• Following Grandma Mito’s advice to treat the fox with love, Kushina spat at it, mistakenly believing that spitting was like kissing.
• Kushina asked the Nine-Tails about her consciousness space, and it explained that it preferred Mito’s space to the new one.
• Kushina visited the Nine-Tails daily as it tried to tempt her, slept, and recounted its past exploits.
• After a week, Kushina was allowed to leave the courtyard and return to the Ninja Academy.

Kushina returned to school and tried to give Uchiha Chen homemade sour plum soup, which turned out to be nearly undrinkable. After Uchiha Chen forced himself to taste it, the Inuzuka student asked Kushina out, and she angrily rejected him.

• Kushina returned to school after a week away, and Uchiha Chen and the others were relieved the Inuzuka student would stop pestering them for information about her.
• Kushina offered Uchiha Chen a sealed container of sour plum soup, which contained a carrot and looked dangerously unappetizing.
• Uchiha Chen gave Kushina bandages for the cuts on her hands, then took a sip of the soup and claimed it tasted great while his voice trembled.
• Uchiha Chen tried to make Minato and Nawaki drink the soup, but Minato escaped with a sidestep technique.
• The Inuzuka student nervously asked Kushina if she was free after school, and Kushina told him to get lost.

The Academy students revisited their childhood dreams and wrote down their current ambitions as graduation approached. Uchiha Chen learned that Mikoto wanted to protect him, and he ended the Academy arc by writing that he wanted to be a little bear in spring.

• Inuzuka Gaku returned to class after another failed confession, and Uchiha Liang teased him about it.
• Uncle Nishimura returned the students’ first-year dream sheets and asked them to write their current dreams.
• Uchiha Chen discovered his childhood dream was for the Ninja World to achieve nuclear peace.
• Mikoto let Uchiha Chen read her sheet, revealing that she now wanted to protect him even at the cost of her life.
• Uchiha Chen thanked Mikoto, then wrote that he wanted to be a little bear in spring.

Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki graduated as Genin amid the escalating Second Great Ninja War and prepared to deploy to the Land of Rain. After Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo returned to Konoha and mourned their fallen comrades, the newly assembled ninja force set out for the battlefield.

• Uncle Nishimura handed Mikoto and Uchiha Chen their forehead protectors, and Nawaki theatrically swore loyalty at the Academy gates while the Third Hokage watched.
• Nawaki described how the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth had turned the Land of Rain into a battlefield, prompting Konoha to send its new Genin there.
• Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo returned from the Land of Rain with a group of ninjas, and Uchiha Chen joined Orochimaru at the Memorial Stone to mourn the dead.
• Uchiha Chen, Mikoto, and Nawaki met Minato at the gathering place before both their squads prepared to deploy, while Kushina stayed behind under Konoha's protection.
• The Third Hokage addressed the assembled ninjas, and Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo led the force toward the Land of Rain.

Uchiha Chen and the Konoha convoy advanced through the rain-soaked Land of Rain toward their camp. After Hatake Sakumo killed enemy scouts attacking from a giant bird, the convoy resumed its journey.

• Uchiha Chen sensed approaching Chakra and warned Mikoto, Nawaki, and the convoy as Hatake Sakumo halted everyone.
• Land of Earth scouts dropped kunai bearing Explosive Tags from a giant bird, but Konoha's ninjas deflected them with Wind and Earth Release.
• Tuhuan persuaded his captain to lower the bird and attack again, despite their orders to scout.
• Hatake Sakumo leaped into the sky and used Lightning Release infused with blade intent to cut through the bird, killing the scouts.
• A Hyuga ninja confirmed there were no other enemies, and Hatake Sakumo checked the map and led the convoy northwest toward Konoha's camp.

Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and Tsunade discussed the war and chose a reconnaissance mission for Chen’s squad to gain combat experience. Meanwhile, Kushina began causing havoc in Konoha and earned the name Bloody Habanero.

• Hatake Sakumo brought Orochimaru and the Genin to Konoha’s main camp, where he and Orochimaru joined Tsunade in the war council tent.
• Tsunade reported Iwagakure’s recent attacks and questioned why Hanzō had not intervened in the fighting in the Land of Rain.
• Orochimaru asked Tsunade to find a mission for Chen’s squad, arguing that Chen, Nawaki, and the others needed practical combat experience.
• Tsunade rejected several dangerous mission files before choosing a reconnaissance assignment on the fringe battlefield, and Orochimaru left with Hatake Sakumo to take it.
• Kushina caused trouble in Konoha, including burning the Hokage’s beard and vandalizing Hokage Rock, and became known as Bloody Habanero.

Orochimaru assigned Uchiha Chen, Senju Nawaki, and Uchiha Mikoto a battlefield reconnaissance and elimination mission to build their experience. Guided by an intelligence Chunin, they reached a remote town in the Land of Rain and arrived at a safe house.

• Uchiha Chen and Nawaki discussed how Genin were being kept safely inside the main camp instead of fighting.
• Orochimaru told Uchiha Chen and Nawaki that Tsunade wanted them to face battlefield trials, but he chose a less dangerous mission for them.
• Orochimaru appointed Uchiha Chen captain of Team One and assigned him to lead Senju Nawaki and Uchiha Mikoto on reconnaissance and enemy-clearing duties.
• Uchiha Chen, Senju Nawaki, and Uchiha Mikoto left for the eastern Land of Rain with a Chunin experienced in intelligence work.
• The Chunin led the team to a deserted town and used coded exchanges to gain entry to a dilapidated safe house.

Uchiha Chen, Nawaki, and Mikoto joined a covert underground unit tasked with reconnaissance near the Iwagakure front, where they learned that enemy encounters had already caused deaths. The unit’s members doubted the young newcomers, and the chapter ended with Chen teasing Nawaki about winning a contest with a painting of his Hokage grandfather.

• Anjiu brought Uchiha Chen, Nawaki, and Mikoto to a hidden meeting place, where the Scarred Man complained that the unit needed experienced ninjas rather than children.
• Yura led the newcomers into an underground chamber, where Ryuji angrily questioned what three young Genin could contribute after Iwa-nin attacks had killed three Chunin.
• Yura explained that the unit mainly conducted reconnaissance and reported to the main camp, though its members sometimes had to kill, and warned that the area was unsafe.
• Yura showed Uchiha Chen and the others their simple quarters and left them to rest before someone explained the situation in detail.
• Nawaki complained that the unit treated them as connections, and Uchiha Chen challenged his claim by asking how his painting of his Hokage grandfather had won the Konoha Cup grand prize.

Uchiha Chen, Nawaki, and their companion met Shugen, the leader of the Anbu unit assigned to gather intelligence on Iwa-nin. Yura took charge of showing them around and led them toward the cells holding captured enemy ninja, where pleas for mercy reached them.

• Yura returned and summoned Uchiha Chen, Nawaki, and their companion to meet the captain.
• A talkative Anbu member mistook the three newcomers for young talents trained by Anbu and followed them while chattering.
• Shugen introduced himself and explained that the unit gathered intelligence on Iwa-nin and belonged to Anbu.
• Shugen assigned the three newcomers to Yura, while Ryuji mocked her and Shugen rebuked him.
• Yura explained the passages and led Uchiha Chen and the others toward the cells, where they heard captured ninja pleading for mercy.