Chapter Summaries

Jiraiya agreed to train Naruto and set out with Sparkle and the others, while Sparkle explained the danger surrounding Naruto and the damage to Kakashi. The group prepared to seek Tsunade’s help, and Jiraiya learned that Kira had been assigned to protect Naruto.

• Sparkle brought the blood-covered Sasuke to Ichiraku Ramen, where Naruto panicked before Kushina assured him Sasuke was unharmed.
• Jiraiya offered to train Naruto and learned that Kushina’s Spirit Summoning depended on the Nine-Tails’ Chakra, though Sparkle had no solution for its risks.
• Kira, Hinata, and Sasuke insisted on joining Jiraiya, while Sparkle said they also needed to find Tsunade to treat Kakashi’s severe mental trauma.
• After Sasuke went home to change, Jiraiya asked Sparkle whether someone was targeting Naruto, and she confirmed it.
• Jiraiya inferred that Kira was protecting Naruto while Hinata used her Byakugan to scout.

Sparkle and her squad settled in a post town while Itachi and Kisame plotted to lure Jiraiya away and capture Naruto. Sparkle watched their plan through the stage’s live broadcast, but Naruto woke after their sound-based Genjutsu reached his room.

• Jiraiya hired Sparkle and her group to protect him and Naruto, and they traveled to a post town.
• Asuma and Might Guy discussed the Third Hokage’s orders and suspected the attackers had targeted someone besides Jiraiya.
• Sparkle realized Itachi and Kisame had stayed away because of her and Hinata, then watched Jiraiya sneak out after everyone appeared to fall asleep.
• Sparkle gave Kira her Fool’s Mask and prepared to direct the story as the plot shifted away from its original course.
• Itachi and Kisame decided to lure Jiraiya away and use Genjutsu to draw out the Nine-Tails, while Sparkle watched their scheme unfold.
• A sound-based Genjutsu rang through Naruto’s room, and he sat up.

Sparkle and Uchiha Hikari lured Itachi and Kisame away from Naruto, then Hikari revealed herself and faced Itachi while Sparkle fought Kisame. Hikari and Itachi clashed with matching Sharingan techniques and identical fire jutsu, leaving their battle unresolved.

• Itachi used a genjutsu to lead Naruto out of the hotel, but Sparkle appeared and revealed that Naruto was Uchiha Hikari in disguise.
• Kisame attacked Sparkle, and she blocked Samehada before their fight moved from the river into the forest.
• Hikari told Itachi she thought the Uchiha Clan was innately evil, while Itachi questioned her identity and sensed her powerful ocular prowess.
• Hikari and Itachi each cast Tsukuyomi, charged at one another, and narrowly missed with their kunai.
• Hikari and Itachi used the same Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique, sending fire dragons across the river.

Kira and Itachi fought through Tsukuyomi, leaving the real battle unresolved as the scene shifted to Sparkle fighting Kisame. Sparkle used the fight to practice her blades and pressed Kisame about his identity and organization.

• Kira and Itachi's apparent battle ended with them back at the riverbank, revealing that their confrontation had taken place inside Tsukuyomi.
• The viewers discussed the fight, and the narration explained that Itachi held back his ocular powers while Kira could draw extra Chakra from Sparkle and Naruto.
• The scene shifted to Sparkle and Kisame, who fought mainly with Taijutsu as Sparkle practiced using dual blades and her Noble Phantasm skill.
• Kisame questioned Sparkle about her Ice Style, and Sparkle asked who he and Itachi were and inferred that they belonged to the same organization.
• Kisame stopped attacking after Sparkle's deductions caught him off guard.

Sparkle and Kira drove Itachi and Kisame to retreat, while Jiraiya watched without intervening. The next morning, Sparkle discovered a Six Samurai stage prop in the Popularity Points Shop, whose strength would adapt to the studio’s setting.

• Sparkle deduced that Kisame and Itachi belonged to an organization based in the Land of Rain, prompting Kisame to attack her with Water Release.
• Itachi broke off his fight with Kira, stopped Kisame, and admitted defeat after recognizing Sparkle’s power and sensing Jiraiya nearby.
• Jiraiya left after reflecting on the Third Hokage’s warning and judging Kira’s strength and need for Taijutsu training.
• Kira and Sparkle returned to the group, and Sparkle suggested finding a cave to pay the price for their earlier exertion.
• The next morning, Jiraiya told the group they needed to search the Land of Fire for Tsunade while Sparkle browsed the refreshed shop.
• Sparkle found a 50,000-Popularity-Point Six Samurai stage prop that could only affect the studio and whose strength would adapt to the production setting.

Sparkle examined the Six Samurai stage prop and the Tear of the Sakura Dragon, then planned to introduce the Tear through a staged version of Amenominaka centered on Fountainhead Palace. Jiraiya arranged training for Naruto, Sasuke, Kira, and Hinata, while Sparkle and Hinata began special training together.

• Sparkle bought the Six Samurai stage prop and learned that its summoned characters could act autonomously or under her control, with their settings determined by her.
• Sparkle took out the Tear of the Sakura Dragon and found that it released intense Nature Energy in the Naruto World, potentially making it useful for Sage Mode.
• Sparkle decided to create an origin for the Tear by disguising Ashina Castle and Fountainhead Palace as a knockoff version of Kaguya Otsutsuki’s Amenominaka.
• Jiraiya assessed Naruto, Sasuke, Kira, and Hinata, advising them to focus on the One-Handed Rasengan, patience, ninja fundamentals, and fighting spirit, respectively.
• After the group reached a new town, Jiraiya assigned training: Sasuke meditated, Kira studied ninja basics and culture, and Naruto practiced performing the Rasengan alone.
• Sparkle linked arms with Hinata and said she had something to tell her later, while Jiraiya insisted Naruto could not cheat by relying on Kushina to help form his Rasengan.

Sparkle used a reconstructed space-time technique with Hinata’s Byakugan and transported them to Ashina Country, where a guard named Hatsume recognized them as new masters. They followed Hatsume toward Ashina Castle and found the town beneath it in ruins.

• Sparkle explained her reconstructed technique to Hinata, borrowed Hinata’s Byakugan, and performed Ninja Art: Amenominaka.
• Hinata and Sparkle arrived in a snowy temple-like place, where Hatsume introduced herself as one of the Six Samurai guarding Ashina Country.
• Hatsume said only people with their lord’s bloodline who were not Otsutsuki could reach the country, and she declared Sparkle and Hinata their new masters.
• Sparkle agreed to follow Hatsume into the city with Hinata, and they crossed a suspension bridge to the ruined town beneath Ashina Castle.

Sparkle and Hinata learned that becoming Ashina Country’s Divine Child could restore Sparkle’s sight and counter the dangerous power within her. Sparkle completed the Tear Offering at the Sakura Dragon’s shrine, appearing to receive its inheritance as the storm cleared.

• Hatsume told Sparkle that only she could become the Divine Child and that the Dragon’s Heritage could heal her eyes and resist the affliction in her body.
• Mizuho explained that Sparkle needed to complete the Tear Offering ritual and later pass the Sakura Dragon’s trial to revive Ashina Country.
• Hinata learned that Sparkle’s body was resisting the Sakura Dragon’s power and worried about her sister’s condition.
• Sparkle and Hinata traveled with Mizuho and Hatsume toward Fountainhead Palace, where Sparkle prepared for the ritual.
• Sparkle stabbed a counterfeit blade into a dragon-eye stone, causing the Sakura Dragon’s tears to flow as the storm ended and cherry blossoms surrounded her.

Sparkle reunited with Hinata after opening her eyes and returned to Fountainhead Palace, where Mizuho explained Ashina Country’s connection to the Sakura Dragon. Sparkle learned that passing the inheritance trial could restore the abandoned country, and the chapter ended with Mizuho giving her that quest.

• Sparkle descended the mountain with her eyes open, and Hinata rushed to embrace her, crying with relief.
• After the ceremony, the story returned to Naruto as he repeatedly failed to perform the One-Handed Rasengan while Sasuke endured Jiraiya’s composure training beside him.
• Sparkle and Hinata entered Fountainhead Palace, where Sparkle showed Mizuho the Tear of the Sakura Dragon and it activated near the palace.
• Mizuho explained that Ashina Country existed in an independent spacetime sustained by the Sakura Dragon’s power and had decayed after its last Divine Child died a thousand years earlier.
• Mizuho told Sparkle that passing the trial would let her inherit the Dragon’s Heritage Power and help restore Ashina Country.

Sparkle showed Jiraiya the Tear of the Sakura Dragon, whose immense Nature Energy held an inheritance she needed to claim. The sages of Mount Myōboku could not help much, so Sparkle began considering how to reach Ryūchi Cave, leaving Jiraiya and the sages warning her against a dangerous use of Flying Thunder God.

• Sparkle asked Jiraiya to examine the Tear of the Sakura Dragon outside the city, and he summoned Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima for help.
• Sparkle explained that she needed to obtain the Dragon's Heritage Power, but the sages said Ryūchi Cave or Shikkotsu Forest might be better suited to help her.
• Jiraiya offered to help Sparkle find the secret realm he assumed had given her the trial.
• Sparkle considered marking Manda with Flying Thunder God and asked whether the technique could reach Ryūchi Cave or Shikkotsu Forest.
• Sage Shima and Jiraiya warned Sparkle not to attempt the dangerous journey, while Sparkle pretended she had only been curious.

Sparkle reconsidered her plans for the Sannin Arc after the stage assigned her a mission to give Sasuke a standout performance. As she prepared to bring Orochimaru into the story, he used the research materials she had arranged to plan another attack on Konoha.

• Jiraiya warned Sparkle not to become consumed by power, and she teased him before he left.
• Sparkle considered involving Orochimaru, then received a stage mission to give Sasuke a standout performance in the Sannin Arc, with a directing opportunity as the reward.
• Sparkle decided she needed to bring Orochimaru into the arc and strengthen him, and she considered using biotechnology to support her plans.
• Tayuya brought Orochimaru research materials recovered from the offshore waters of the Land of Waves.
• Orochimaru connected the intelligence to Naruto and decided to make the Nine-Tails attack Konoha again.

Sparkle steered Orochimaru toward research that might eventually make him seek Tsunade, while she trained with Jingliu and unlocked a dangerous new power. Her first attempt to synchronize with the Plague Demon Yin talent drew her mind toward a vision of Jianmu and overwhelmed her consciousness.

• Orochimaru studied Sparkle’s information about immortality research and decided he could not fully understand it without Tsunade, but he did not yet seek her out.
• Sparkle chose to wait for Orochimaru’s interest to grow and planned to guide events toward him seeking Tsunade.
• After gaining enough Popularity Points, Sparkle raised Jingliu’s Character Card to Level 7 and gained the Plague Demon Yin talent, which could not be upgraded further until she mastered it.
• Sparkle entered a dream through Resonance, and Jingliu warned her that the talent could be dangerous unless she fully mastered her power before training her in combat.
• Sparkle asked Kira to use Tsukuyomi if she lost control, then synchronized with the talent and saw Jianmu before flowers and vines engulfed her and her consciousness vanished.

Sparkle recovered from a dangerous illusion and watched Naruto, Jiraiya, and Kushina discuss using the Nine-Tails’ power. Sasuke left feeling powerless, and Sparkle noticed a second, hidden Chakra within him and urged him to develop his Sharingan.

• Kira used Tsukuyomi to pull Sparkle out of an illusion, and Sparkle decided to be more cautious about seeking an evil god’s power.
• The scene shifted to Naruto, where Jiraiya and Kushina discussed using the Nine-Tails’ power while Kushina worried about its influence and Naruto asked why they could not speak with it.
• Sasuke arrived, noticed Jiraiya seemed to be withholding something, and left believing his weakness kept others from trusting him with the truth.
• Sparkle spotted a hidden Chakra in Sasuke that she suspected was Indra’s and encouraged him to unlock his Sharingan’s power.
• Sasuke sighed that becoming stronger would not be easy.

Sparkle activated Sasuke’s Chakra and demonstrated an incomplete Thoughtless Slash that split a mountain and froze a line through the forest. Sasuke began adapting the technique with Lightning and Fire Release, having found a promising starting point.

• Sparkle used her power to activate Sasuke’s Chakra, causing him pain and briefly knocking him unconscious before she healed him.
• Sparkle further activated the Chakra associated with Indra, making Sasuke’s power grow more active.
• Sparkle showed Sasuke her incomplete Thoughtless Slash, cleaving a mountain and freezing the forest behind it.
• Sparkle told Sasuke to learn the Thoughtless Slash before trying to strengthen his Sharingan, then left for Naruto’s side.
• Sasuke recalled Sparkle’s technique and began experimenting with Chidori and Fire Release on his sword.

Sparkle helped Naruto unlock the Uzumaki Clan’s Adamantine Sealing, but using it briefly transformed him into Naruko. Sasuke created a powerful composite sword technique combining Fire Release and Lightning Release, which he named Crimson Lightning Flash.

• Sparkle examined Naruto’s varied Chakra and offered to activate the pathway to his Uzumaki Clan techniques.
• Naruto used Adamantine Sealing to crush a boulder, briefly changing into Naruko as he drew on Kushina’s Chakra.
• Jiraiya reasoned that Kushina’s Chakra caused Naruto’s physical transformation because summoned Chakra was close to Nature Energy.
• Naruto rushed to Sasuke after an explosion and found that Sasuke had blasted a gash into the mountain with a sword infused with Fire Release and Lightning Release.
• Naruto suggested names for Sasuke’s technique, and Sasuke chose Crimson Lightning Flash.
• Jiraiya praised the technique’s destructive force, while Sasuke vowed to grow stronger and Sparkle poked him with her prosthetic limb, making him cry out in pain.

Sasuke recovered after biting Naruto, and his Sharingan evolved as their Indra and Ashura chakra interacted. Meanwhile, Sparkle watched Orochimaru and Danzo plot to stop Tsunade from becoming Fifth Hokage, then arranged for Kira to take the Ninja Academy Graduation Exam.

• Sparkle had Naruto let Sasuke bite him, restoring Sasuke's strength and helping his Sharingan evolve as their chakra mingled.
• Sparkle watched Orochimaru meet Danzo, who asked him to keep Tsunade from returning to Konoha so Danzo could challenge the choice of Fifth Hokage.
• Orochimaru agreed to deal with Tsunade, and Sparkle decided to prepare her own side for the coming conflict.
• Sparkle told Kira she had to pass the Ninja Academy Graduation Exam before becoming a ninja.
• Hinata offered to teach Kira for the exam, while Sparkle forbade Kira from cheating with her Sharingan and suggested using Tsukuyomi to study.

Sparkle’s group continued toward Tanzaku City while Sasuke pushed himself to master Crimson Lightning Flash. In Konoha, Danzo confronted Hiruzen over Tsunade’s appointment and his thwarted plans to control the Uchiha, the Nine-Tails, and Sparkle, while Hiruzen vowed to take Sparkle as his final disciple.

• Sparkle rejoined Jiraiya after Kira and Hinata left, and the group trained as they traveled toward Tsunade in Tanzaku City.
• Naruto practiced the Rasengan while Sasuke repeatedly exhausted himself trying to master Crimson Lightning Flash, determined to keep up with Naruto.
• Sparkle encouraged Sasuke and asked the Stage whether props could improve another character’s abilities; the Stage said it depended on the client and whether the use fit the plot.
• Danzo confronted Hiruzen in the Hokage’s office, demanding to know why Tsunade had been chosen as the Fifth Hokage.
• Hiruzen accused Danzo of targeting the Hyuga Clan and said he would personally teach Sparkle after retiring.
• Danzo insisted that he could save Konoha by controlling dangerous powers and demanded that Sparkle be made his disciple, while Hiruzen rejected his schemes.

After Danzo confronted Hiruzen, Sparkle planned to involve him in the story and watched Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya move toward a gathering in Tanzaku City. As the Sannin Arc approached, Sparkle considered provoking a three-way battle while giving Naruto and Sasuke roles in the conflict.

• Hiruzen refused Danzo’s demand, and Danzo left the Hokage’s office in anger.
• Sparkle noted Danzo’s schemes and decided to give him a role now that he had appeared onstage.
• Tsunade won repeatedly at a slot machine, grew uneasy about her luck, and agreed to visit Tanzaku City with Shizune.
• Orochimaru arrived outside Tanzaku City with the Sound Four and planned to recruit Tsunade, while considering the Nine-Tails, the Uchiha Clan, and the Hyuga Clan as targets.
• Sparkle declared the Sannin Arc was about to begin and considered arranging a three-way battle that would let Naruto have a major moment.

Orochimaru confronted Tsunade and offered to revive her loved ones if she cooperated with him. Sparkle intercepted him and reacted badly to a mysterious tree branch, and Naruto arrived to protect her as her condition worsened.

• Tsunade and Shizune ran into Orochimaru, who told Tsunade that the Third Hokage had recommended her as his successor.
• Orochimaru used blood to trigger Tsunade’s hemophobia, then offered to revive Dan Katō and her younger brother in exchange for her cooperation.
• Shizune warned Tsunade against trusting Orochimaru, who gave her a week to decide and left with the tree branch.
• Sparkle sensed another presence and went after Orochimaru while Jiraiya headed toward Tsunade; Naruto and Sasuke followed Sparkle.
• Orochimaru showed Sparkle the branch, noticed her Chakra react and her condition deteriorate, and realized how to deal with her.
• Naruto arrived and shielded Sparkle as she appeared to be in serious trouble.

Sparkle used a staged loss of control to make Orochimaru leave with the strange branch, then told Jiraiya and Tsunade that the power came from an evil god. Tsunade diagnosed her chaotic Chakra and advised her to use it up and refine it again.

• Naruto and Sasuke shielded Sparkle from Orochimaru, who examined the branch and then left to research it.
• Jiraiya arrived, and Sparkle explained that the branch carried dangerous power she attributed to an evil god.
• The group reached a restaurant, where Jiraiya reunited with the drunk Tsunade and asked her to examine Sparkle.
• Sparkle told Tsunade about the Medicine King of Compassion and her battles with an entity linked to the temple.
• Tsunade found Sparkle's body unharmed but weakened by chaotic Chakra and advised her to expend and refine it.
• Sparkle gave Tsunade golden dice, then left and stopped Naruto from following her.