Chapter Summaries

Shihara Hidezawa and Uzuki Yugao were ambushed in Orochimaru’s laboratory, where Hidezawa defeated the attackers and faced Orochimaru alone. After Yugao left to summon reinforcements, Hidezawa revealed his face and greeted Orochimaru as an old acquaintance, receiving an Unowned Cursed Seal from a completed side quest.

• Shihara Hidezawa warned Uzuki Yugao of an ambush and used Earth Spikes to strike the attackers.
• Hidezawa fought through the smoke and defeated Orochimaru’s lackeys while Yugao watched.
• Orochimaru approached, and Hidezawa urged Yugao to leave and bring reinforcements.
• Yugao reluctantly left Hidezawa to hold Orochimaru back.
• Hidezawa removed his mask, greeted Orochimaru, and received an Unowned Cursed Seal as a side-quest reward.

Shihara Hidezawa delivered supplies to Orochimaru while serving as a Root operative attached to the Anbu, and considered how his quest-granting system could help him escape Danzo. Orochimaru warned him to leave marks on himself before returning to his teammates, who were struggling to hold on.

• Orochimaru recognized Hidezawa as a former orphan from Root and asked whether he had brought the requested supplies.
• Hidezawa handed Orochimaru a scroll and checked his system panel, which showed his abilities, five free points, and an unowned cursed seal.
• Hidezawa recalled his transmigration, his harsh training under Danzo, and his resolve to escape Root with help from his system.
• Orochimaru questioned Hidezawa about monitoring Shisui Uchiha and his presence at the laboratory, then criticized Danzo and the Third Hokage.
• Orochimaru told Hidezawa to leave marks on himself so his return would be believable, and warned that his teammates could not hold on much longer.

Hidezawa bound and upgraded an Unowned Cursed Seal before heading to rescue the Anbu. He arrived just in time to save Uzuki Yugao from Orochimaru’s followers.

• After Orochimaru left, Hidezawa received a mission to rescue the Anbu and considered his options for improving his strength.
• Hidezawa bound the Cursed Seal, upgraded it to LV3, and sensed that his Body Comprehensive Quality had improved his perception.
• Uzuki Yugao fought Orochimaru’s mindless, powerful followers while trying to reach her teammates and rescue Hidezawa.
• As Yugao and the followers closed in on each other, Hidezawa raised an Earth Flow Wall between them.
• Hidezawa appeared behind Yugao, supported her, and told her she had been saved by him twice.

Hidezawa activated his Cursed Seal to fight Orochimaru’s monstrous test subjects in the underground laboratory. He defeated the last attacker as reinforcements arrived, completing his rescue mission.

• Hidezawa told Yugao that Orochimaru had escaped and asked her to support him against the monsters breaking through the earthen wall.
• Hidezawa activated his Cursed Seal and used its natural Chakra to dodge and defeat several of Orochimaru’s test subjects with Earth Release techniques and an Earth Clone.
• Hidezawa sensed Anbu reinforcements arriving and attacked the final test subject with Water Release.
• Hidezawa dodged the test subject’s kunai and stabbed him in the head, completing the mission to rescue Anbu members.

After the mission against Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Hidezawa’s performance and kept him in the Anbu, where he was assigned a reorganized squad with Uzuki Yugao. Hidezawa left with Yugao for ramen and gained her Konoha-Style Swordsmanship through a completed side mission.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi told the Anbu that Orochimaru had escaped but that the mission had still secured valuable information, then dismissed them.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Hidezawa, said he would reward him, and explained that Hidezawa’s squad would be reorganized while Fujikawa recovered.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Uzuki Yugao to work with Hidezawa and told him to rest before returning to Anbu duties.
• Uzuki Yugao waited for Hidezawa, and he invited her to Ichiraku Ramen and led her away by the hand.
• Hidezawa completed the side mission to rescue an Anbu member and received Konoha-Style Swordsmanship (Uzuki Yugao), merged because his Taijutsu was LV5.

Hidezawa gained new swordsmanship abilities and discussed the Anbu’s role with Uzuki Yugao as they walked through Konohagakure. After challenging Yugao’s assumptions about Naruto and the Third Hokage, Hidezawa led her toward the hungry boy.

• Hidezawa reflected on his new abilities and the rewards he could earn from his missions.
• Hidezawa and Yugao talked about their fallen teammates, the Anbu, and Yugao’s interests as they walked to Ichiraku Ramen.
• Yugao repeated the rumor that Naruto was the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox’s incarnation, and Hidezawa questioned why the Third Hokage allowed him to stay in the village.
• Hidezawa urged Yugao not to question the Third Hokage’s wisdom, then led her toward Naruto as he counted the coins in his Frog Purse.

Hidezawa and Yugao encountered the impoverished Naruto and treated him to ramen, where Naruto explained that he wanted to become Hokage so the villagers would acknowledge him. Kakashi arrived to introduce Yugao to her new teammate, and Hidezawa left Naruto with the bill for three extra-large bowls.

• Hidezawa noticed Naruto's empty Frog Purse and offered to treat him to ramen if he paid him back later.
• At Ichiraku, Naruto told Hidezawa and Yugao he wanted to become Hokage so everyone would acknowledge him.
• Kakashi arrived and told Yugao to meet her new teammate, while Hidezawa revealed that he and Yugao were ninja.
• Hidezawa told Naruto to eat all three bowls of ramen as punishment for failing to notice they were ninja, and Naruto felt acknowledged.
• Teuchi chased after Kakashi to collect payment for Naruto's three extra-large bowls of ramen.

Shisui Uchiha joined Hidezawa and Yugao’s Anbu squad, and Hidezawa challenged Shisui’s warning about Naruto by asking whether he was questioning the Hokage’s decision. At Root’s base, Danzo reviewed schemes across the Shinobi World until Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared and told him he was going too far.

• Shisui Uchiha introduced himself as the new member of Hidezawa and Yugao’s squad and explained that the Hokage had assigned him there.
• Shisui warned Hidezawa and Yugao about the rumors that Naruto brought misfortune, and Hidezawa asked if he was questioning Lord Hokage’s decision.
• Danzo reviewed intelligence and plotted to recover Obito Uchiha’s eye by testing Kano against Kakashi.
• Danzo considered ways to exploit conflicts involving Rain Country, Earth Country, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Cloud Village.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared beside Danzo and said that Danzo was going too far.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Danzo over Shihara Hidezawa approaching Naruto Uzumaki and rejected Danzo’s plan to place Naruto in Root. Hiruzen agreed to consider Root’s advantages, while Danzo planned to investigate Hidezawa’s contact with Naruto and believed the boy remained bound to Root.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Danzo why he had let Shihara Hidezawa approach Naruto Uzumaki despite their agreement.
• Danzo realized Hidezawa had contacted Naruto without his instruction and used the opportunity to argue that Root should control the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki.
• Hiruzen refused to let Naruto enter Root, saying the boy had suffered enough.
• Hiruzen said he would consider Root’s advantages, and Danzo accepted while planning to investigate Hidezawa’s contact with Naruto.
• Danzo believed Hidezawa could not escape Root because he bore Danzo’s Cursed Seal, while Hiruzen believed he could guide the boy now that he had entered the Anbu.

Hidezawa returned to the Anbu base after his break and received Yin Release as a reward for writing Danzo’s report. He met Yugao and Shisui, then learned they were going to see the Hokage about a difficult mission.

• Hidezawa considered Danzo’s investigation into his mission and planned to build Danzo’s reputation through future assignments.
• Hidezawa met Yugao and Shisui at the Anbu base, where Shisui remained uneasy about their earlier conversation.
• Hidezawa revealed that writing his report had earned him Yin Release and a Free Point, and he wondered whether future missions could reward him with Yang Release.
• Yugao reassured Shisui that he had simply failed to react in time, and Shisui suggested they prepare to see the Hokage.
• Hidezawa grew eager to hear about the difficult mission because he expected it to offer better rewards and Shisui’s presence to improve his safety.

Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Hidezawa, Shisui Uchiha, and Yugao to investigate tensions involving Sunagakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure in the Wind Country. After Danzo delivered Hidezawa a separate Root mission, Hidezawa discovered it tasked him with resolving Scorch Style Pakura.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Hidezawa, Shisui Uchiha, and Yugao a dangerous mission to investigate the situation in the Wind Country.
• Hiruzen warned the team to be cautious around Sunagakure and explained Kakashi could not accompany them because he was investigating Orochimaru.
• Hidezawa realized the conflict might involve Fourth Kazekage Rasa trading Pakura to Kirigakure while focusing on a dispute with Iwagakure.
• Aburame Ryūma delivered Hidezawa a separate mission from Danzo and refused his request to bring Kano along.
• Hidezawa opened Danzo's scroll and discovered the mission was to resolve Scorch Style Pakura.

Hidezawa, Shisui, and Yugao traveled through Wind Country and devised a plan to gather intelligence by exploiting clashes between Sunagakure and Kirigakure. A signal flare led them toward a battle, where Shisui identified Sunagakure’s Scorch Style Pakura.

• Hidezawa reflected on Danzo’s dangerous mission and suspected that Danzo might be using it to test whether Shisui could be killed.
• Hidezawa proposed disguising the team as Iwagakure shinobi and seeking intelligence from Sunagakure and Kirigakure forces fighting each other.
• Shisui and Yugao agreed with Hidezawa’s plan, and a signal flare appeared in the sky.
• The team concealed themselves and cautiously approached the signal flare, hearing explosions and combat nearby.
• Shisui warned Hidezawa and Yugao that Scorch Style Pakura appeared to be among the Sunagakure shinobi.

Hidezawa and Shisui ambushed Pakura’s exhausted Sunagakure squad, hoping to capture the powerful Scorch Release user. As the battle spread, Hidezawa used his newly strengthened Yin Release with Sage Technique to unleash a gigantic Earth Dragon.

• Hidezawa recognized Pakura as the mission target and Shisui decided to attack her squad quickly, with orders to retreat if reinforcements appeared.
• Hidezawa spent all three Free Points on Yin Release as Pakura’s squad finished defeating the remaining Kirigakure ninja.
• Shisui attacked with Great Fireball Technique, and Pakura countered with one of her Scorch Release fireballs as their fight began.
• Hidezawa activated his Cursed Seal, killed two Sunagakure ninja, and evaded several Wind Release attacks while Yugao joined the battle.
• Hidezawa combined natural Chakra and Yin Release Chakra to perform Sage Technique: Yin Release: Earth Stone Dragon, raising a massive Earth Dragon from the sand.

Hidezawa overwhelmed the Sand ninja with a massive Earth Dragon, while Shisui and the others continued fighting elsewhere. After Sunagakure's reinforcements arrived to find the battlefield devastated, Sasori of the Red Sands appeared and introduced himself.

• Hidezawa summoned a gigantic Earth Dragon, shocking Pakura and the Sand ninja as they wondered who their attackers were.
• Shisui dismissed his guilt about attacking an ally, and he and the others continued fighting while the Sand ninja surrounded Hidezawa.
• Hidezawa's Earth Dragon crushed one Sand ninja, then shattered from the impact as he assessed its power and limitations.
• Hidezawa blocked the remaining attacks with an Earth Wall and revived the broken Earth Dragon, which dove at the Sand ninja.
• Sunagakure's reinforcements arrived to find a devastated battlefield, and Sasori appeared behind them and identified himself as Sasori of the Red Sands.

Hidezawa, Shisui, and Yugao captured Pakura after ambushing her squad, but their interrogation yielded no information. Hidezawa proposed sending Pakura to Kirigakure, leaving Shisui and Yugao stunned.

• Hidezawa admitted that Shisui had hit Pakura too hard, and she remained unconscious until she began to wake.
• Pakura realized she was bound and injured, then demanded to know who had captured her and why.
• Hidezawa asked Pakura about Sunagakure's deployments, but she denied knowing anything and refused to cooperate.
• Hidezawa asked Shisui and Yugao how the Kazekage might handle the situation, then suggested sending Pakura to Kirigakure.

Rasa ordered an expanded search for the missing Pakura while weighing Sunagakure’s negotiations with Kirigakure. In the abandoned village, Hidezawa argued that Sunagakure might trade Pakura for peace, leaving her questioning what she was worth to her village.

• Rasa told Yashamaru to keep searching for Pakura, alive or dead, and approved sending Ebizo and Anbu to assist.
• Pakura dismissed Hidezawa’s claim that Sunagakure might hand her over to Kirigakure as an attempt to sow discord.
• Hidezawa explained that Kirigakure’s shinobi were disadvantaged in the desert and suggested the Fourth Kazekage might seek peace by offering a bargaining chip.
• Hidezawa compared Pakura’s situation to the Hyuga Clan’s sacrifice in Konohagakure and asked what she was worth if trading her could bring Sunagakure greater benefits.

Hidezawa reasoned that Sunagakure might seek peace with Konoha so it could focus on Iwagakure, then received Scorch Release insights as a mission reward. He sent a message to Yakushi Kabuto, hoping to bring him into the unfolding plans.

• Hidezawa explained to Shisui that Sunagakure's lack of funds could force it to settle its conflict with Konoha and confront Iwagakure.
• Hidezawa told Shisui to keep Pakura alive because she might be useful, then left to search for water.
• Hidezawa discovered that his mission had earned him a free point and Scorch Release experience and insights.
• Hidezawa sent a message to Yakushi Kabuto using a technique he had obtained from a Root mission.

Hidezawa ambushed a Sunagakure patrol and recruited Kabuto to investigate Sunagakure’s policies concerning Pakura. He then told Kabuto that Yakushi Nonō had likely left Konohagakure and that the reports about her may have been fabricated, leaving Kabuto stunned and eager to uncover the truth.

• Hidezawa killed the Sunagakure patrol members except Kabuto, who was undercover as Hideyoshi.
• Hidezawa asked Kabuto to investigate Sunagakure’s policies and any plans involving Pakura, whom Konoha had captured.
• Kabuto agreed to help and said the investigation might give him a chance to return to Konohagakure and see the Director.
• Hidezawa told Kabuto that he had joined Anbu and discovered the Director was no longer at the Orphanage.
• Hidezawa speculated that Yakushi Nonō had tried to exchange herself for the orphans’ freedom and that the information sent to Kabuto may have been false.

Hidezawa planned to use Shisui and Pakura to pressure the Kazekage and weaken Sunagakure, but their discussion was interrupted when Sasori appeared in the desert. The group faced the approaching Akatsuki member as Hidezawa recognized him and reconsidered his plans.

• Hidezawa, Shisui, Yugao, and Pakura crossed the desert after failing to obtain useful intelligence from Pakura.
• Hidezawa privately asked Shisui to help secure benefits for Konohagakure by making Sunagakure pay a price while keeping it from collapsing into chaos.
• Shisui agreed to hear Hidezawa's plan and said he would act for the village if the proposal had no problems.
• Hidezawa and Shisui noticed a lone shinobi approaching through the sandstorm, and Hidezawa recognized him as Sasori.

Hidezawa and Shisui fought Sasori, who wielded the Third Kazekage as a puppet, while Pakura recognized the threat and Yugao watched over her. As the battle shook the ground, Pakura saw her signal flare rise and cursed the man she believed responsible.

• Sasori found Hidezawa and the others, revealed he wanted them as materials, and summoned the Third Kazekage puppet.
• Sasori attacked Hidezawa and Shisui with the puppet’s iron sand, but Hidezawa blocked the needles and countered with Earth Release.
• Sasori stopped Hidezawa’s mud projectiles with an iron sand wall and drove Shisui back with a barrage of spears.
• Pakura recognized the Third Kazekage puppet and told Yugao she had no information about Sasori, though she wanted him dead.
• A violent tremor shook the ground, and Pakura’s signal flare rose into the sky, prompting her to cry out that the culprit deserved to die.