Chapter Summaries

Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned Danzo about Shisui’s missing eye and ordered Root temporarily disbanded while he investigated the masked man. He then told Fugaku that Shisui had escaped Danzo’s attempt to take his Sharingan, but Root later found him dead with his eyes removed.

• Danzo told Hiruzen that a Three-Eyed Cat Face Masked Man had taken Shisui’s right eye, while concealing his own plans and implanted arm.
• Hiruzen suspected the masked man who killed Shisui might be the one behind the Nine-Tails Incident, but Danzo thought the two masked men were different.
• Hiruzen ordered Danzo to keep out of sight, temporarily disband Root, find Shisui’s eyes, and identify the masked man.
• Danzo resented Hiruzen and vowed to obtain the Hokage position, deciding he needed more Sharingan.
• Hiruzen told Fugaku that Shisui had defeated Danzo and the Root shinobi, but Root later found Shisui dead with his Sharingan removed.

Fugaku challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi’s account of Shisui’s death, while Orochimaru implanted stolen Sharingan into Shin and received news that a Masked Man had taken Danzo’s arm and Mangekyō Sharingan. The chapter left Orochimaru shocked by the report.

• Fugaku rejected Hiruzen Sarutobi’s suggestion that a Masked Man might have killed Shisui, but Hiruzen invited him to observe the interrogation of Root personnel and said Danzo had been imprisoned and Root disbanded.
• Orochimaru implanted two Single-Tomoe Sharingan into Shin, who showed no rejection and eagerly embraced his new eyes.
• Shin crushed his original eyes and declared that he would one day obtain Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
• A snake delivered a letter to Orochimaru reporting that a Masked Man had taken Danzo’s arm along with a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.

Menma pushed Naruto through punishing training to strengthen his body enough to withstand Kurama’s chakra, while considering how to accelerate Naruto’s development. He promised Naruto a birthday present after school, leaving Naruto eager but annoyed that the Third Hokage was still watching him.

• Naruto continued doing push-ups under Menma’s Added-Weight Rock Technique, keeping his breathing steady despite the strain.
• Menma asked Kurama how many tails Naruto could withstand, and Kurama said Naruto could safely handle three if Kurama did not resist.
• Menma considered Naruto’s slowing absorption of Asura Chakra and his own need for a Power of All Things formula and a suitable body template.
• Menma thought about using Hashirama Cells to speed Naruto’s development but noted that Naruto’s current compatibility was too poor.
• Menma told Naruto he had prepared a birthday present and would give it to him after school, prompting Naruto to complain about the Third Hokage’s watchfulness.

Naruto arrived at the Ninja School after overhearing parents criticize him, while Menma suspected Mizuki had ulterior motives and might offer Naruto an unexpected benefit. In class, Naruto’s controlled aura impressed Menma, who thought he was increasingly like a villain.

• Naruto heard parents accuse him of cheating and complain that he had been placed in the Elite Class, while Mizuki defended him with backhanded remarks.
• Naruto asked Menma whether Mizuki was suspicious, and Menma called him an abandoned clown who might bring Naruto unexpected benefits.
• Naruto arrived just as Iruka’s class began, apologized politely, and took his seat.
• Ino greeted Naruto warmly, and the other students showed him varied attention, with most appearing friendly.
• Menma approved of Naruto’s ability to control his aura and thought Naruto was growing more villainous in temperament and charm.

Sasuke prepared to challenge Naruto in practical training, determined to prove how much he had improved. Naruto accepted Sasuke’s challenge as the class gathered to watch their familiar spar.

• Sasuke brooded over Naruto’s popularity and their past spars, and recalled training with his brother during the week.
• Shikamaru and Choji discussed how troublesome girls were before Iruka led the class to the Training Grounds.
• Iruka explained the sparring rules, while Kiba teased Naruto about Sasuke challenging him again.
• Sasuke challenged Naruto, who accepted and prepared to spar.

During practical training, Naruto faced Sasuke and easily outmatched him, while Sasuke surprised Iruka by using the Substitution Technique and preparing a Great Fireball. The chapter ended with Sasuke launching the fire technique at Naruto.

• Shikamaru watched Naruto and Sasuke prepare to fight, while Menma-nii explained to Naruto how overwhelming excellence could turn others’ jealousy into admiration.
• Iruka called Naruto and Sasuke forward, and the class cheered for Naruto as Sasuke reflected on the hostility Naruto endured from the village.
• Naruto quieted the crowd in respect for Sasuke, and the two formed the Seal of Confrontation before beginning their match.
• Sasuke attacked with punches and kicks, but Naruto dodged and blocked before sweeping Sasuke into the air.
• Sasuke used the Substitution Technique to escape Naruto’s counterattack, then appeared elsewhere and launched the Great Fireball Technique at him.

Naruto used the Adamantine Sealing Chains to stop Sasuke’s Great Fireball Technique and won their training match. He invited Sasuke to train with him, while Hiruzen observed Naruto’s newly revealed Uzumaki ability.

• Sasuke attacked Naruto with the Great Fireball Technique during practical training.
• Naruto kept his composure and summoned a golden chain that shattered Sasuke’s fireball.
• Iruka declared Naruto the winner, and Naruto invited Sasuke to train with him.
• Sasuke accepted Naruto’s offer after they performed the Seal of Reconciliation.
• Hiruzen watched through the Telescope Technique and recognized Naruto’s chains as the Uzumaki Clan’s Adamantine Sealing Chains.

Hiruzen concluded Naruto’s seal was secure and stopped monitoring him, giving Naruto a chance to follow Menma to an underground laboratory. There, Naruto killed a condemned prisoner as his first trial, and Menma told him this might be his last lesson.

• Hiruzen believed Naruto’s Adamantine Sealing Chains could suppress the Nine-Tails and decided to visit him and loosen one layer of the seal.
• Naruto used a Shadow Clone to fool his Uchiha follower, then followed Menma to a hidden laboratory beyond Leaf Village’s border.
• Menma warned Naruto the birthday gift could involve danger and brought him into a laboratory filled with human organs and a living prisoner.
• Menma told Naruto the prisoner was a death row inmate and that this was his first trial, so Naruto cut the man’s throat with a scalpel.
• Naruto asked whether people had to fight, and Menma explained that changing the world required establishing a new order before calling this his last lesson.

Menma explained his creed to Naruto, then began an operation to implant Hashirama Cells and Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan in him. The procedure triggered a violent reaction as Naruto’s body began to absorb the cells and the Sharingan started changing.

• Menma comforted Naruto and told him that nothing was true and everything was permitted.
• Naruto agreed to receive Menma’s birthday present and lay down for the operation.
• Menma chose one of Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan and prepared to implant it alongside Hashirama Cells.
• Menma removed Naruto’s right eye, cut away flesh from his palm, and embedded a piece of Hashirama Cells there.
• Naruto’s vital signs surged as Menma used Yang Release Chakra to guide his body and transplanted the Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Naruto’s Sharingan began spinning and transforming as it fused with his body.

Naruto successfully assimilated Asura Chakra, awakening a Sage Body and gaining increased physical and chakra abilities along with incomplete Wood Release. Menma reflected on Naruto's loyalty and his plans to manipulate the Leaf Village, while the Nine-Tails sensed its own chakra approaching a critical point.

• Menma stopped the Yang Release Chakra flow as Naruto struggled to control the Asura Chakra merging with his body.
• Naruto recovered, discovered an eye in his palm, and underwent tests that showed improvements to his physical abilities, chakra extraction, and Mangekyo ocular power.
• Naruto grew a branch from his palm, revealing incomplete Wood Release, and Menma concluded the successful experiment validated his plan to develop a physical template.
• Menma watched the sleeping Naruto and reflected that Naruto had made Menma's ideals his own, then resolved to keep exploiting the Leaf Village before destroying its faith.
• The Nine-Tails observed Menma's plans from the Sealing Space, ate chips, and sensed that its chakra purity was nearing a critical point.

Hinata continued sparring with Neji, determined to grow strong enough to change the Hyuga Clan's treatment of the Branch Family. Neji attacked her in frustration, unable to reconcile her resolve with the reasons he had to resent her.

• Neji defeated Hinata repeatedly and condemned her weakness and her inability to bear the Main House's responsibilities.
• Hinata insisted on continuing the spar, and Neji briefly hoped she had become the forceful Hinata who had challenged the Main House Elder.
• After Hinata was knocked down again, she rose with unwavering resolve and said she wanted to change things and stop being powerless.
• Hinata remembered Menma's advice about protecting herself and recognized that her weakness could cause others to suffer.
• Neji attacked Hinata with all his strength, growing increasingly frustrated as she calmly searched for an opening.
• Neji shouted that her actions left him with no reason to hate her.

Hinata defeated Neji and pushed him to help challenge the Hyuga Clan’s corruption, prompting Hiashi to reconsider the Branch Family’s resentment. Meanwhile, Yakumo learned she could not become a ninja and unleashed a terrifying power against her parents, leaving their house ablaze.

• Hinata struck Neji’s abdomen, stopping his chakra, and declared she would stand in front of everyone.
• After Neji agreed to let her do as she wished, Hinata kicked him and demanded he help her hold the Hyuga Clan’s oppressors accountable.
• Watching the fight, Hiashi recognized the Branch Family’s suppressed resentment and wondered if Hinata was right about the Main House’s weakness.
• Yuhi Kurenai told Yakumo’s parents that Yakumo’s fragile body and mind made becoming a ninja impossible.
• Yakumo’s parents entered her room and told her the news, and she accused them of lying after they had placed their hopes for the clan on her.
• Yakumo shrieked, causing her parents pain and setting the house on fire.

Kurama Yakumo trapped her parents in a deadly genjutsu space, where their attempts to escape failed as flames closed in. Menma entered the space, disrupted her control, and pulled the monster Idu from her painting.

• Kurama Murakumo recognized Yakumo’s awakened Kekkei Genkai as the power to turn genjutsu into reality.
• Kurama Yakumo drew her parents into her genjutsu space, where a voice manipulated her into seeing them as monsters who despised her.
• Kurama Murakumo tried to break free with Release, but the flames began burning the platform and threatened him and Yakumo’s Mother.
• Menma appeared and disrupted the genjutsu, causing Yakumo to awaken and lose control of the space.
• Menma challenged Yakumo and pulled the ghostlike monster Idu out of her painting by its head.

Menma subdued Idu and revealed the danger of Kurama Yakumo’s power, then tried to persuade the Kurama Clan that Yakumo was its hope. Kurama Murakumo rejected him and charged, leaving Menma irritated by what he saw as the clan leader’s blind faith in the Will of Fire.

• Menma pulled Idu from Yakumo’s painting and blocked its attacks while Yakumo recovered her memories and recognized the monster she had created.
• Yakumo’s genjutsu collapsed, and the group returned to reality as the flames around her home died out.
• Menma stomped Idu into submission and considered how Yakumo’s Kekkei Genkai could turn imagined things into real beings.
• Kurama Murakumo shielded Yakumo and her mother, recognized Menma’s mask, and demanded that the stranger explain himself.
• Menma offered the Kurama Clan a broader path and argued that Yakumo was its only hope, but Murakumo dismissed him and attacked with a kunai.
• Menma called Murakumo a fool for rejecting his offer and blamed the clan leader’s actions on the Will of Fire.

Menma demonstrated a genjutsu that simulated the Kurama Clan’s Kekkei Genkai and offered Kurama Yakumo greater power in exchange for becoming his weapon. Kurama Unkai pledged the clan’s loyalty if Menma could help Yakumo master her abilities, and Menma agreed to give the clan power.

• Menma trapped Kurama Murakumo in a genjutsu that made him believe he had stabbed the Masked Man, causing him to injure himself.
• Menma explained that he had enhanced genjutsu with Yin Release and natural elements, then demonstrated its effects on Kurama Yakumo.
• Menma offered to teach Yakumo to use her powers if she became his weapon, while Murakumo warned her that Menma wanted to use her.
• Kurama Unkai entered with three clan members and offered the Kurama Clan’s loyalty if Menma could help Yakumo master her Kekkei Genkai.
• Unkai argued that the clan needed to choose a path to recover its former strength, and Menma declared that he would give them power.

Kurama Yakumo accepted Menma’s offer to gain power, while Menma promised to protect her without forcing her to stay. Meanwhile, Itachi Uchiha discovered that ANBU had assigned him to help keep the Uchiha Clan under constant surveillance.

• Kurama Unkai told Yakumo that Leaf Village could not cure her congenital defect and considered Menma’s offer.
• Yakumo chose to pursue power, and Menma told her she could decide for herself whether to remain with him.
• Menma promised to protect Yakumo if she struggled to survive on her own.
• Tenzō led Itachi to an underground ANBU surveillance center monitoring the Uchiha Clan grounds and Naka Shrine.
• Tenzō assigned Itachi to join the round-the-clock surveillance of the Uchiha Clan, leaving Itachi shaken by how closely ANBU tracked his clan.

Itachi Uchiha continued monitoring the Uchiha Clan while trying to honor Shisui's will and prevent a rebellion. Izumi Uchiha came to see Itachi but left after Fugaku told her he was away on an ANBU mission, prompting Fugaku to realize how his burdens had affected his family.

• Itachi Uchiha accepted his ANBU duty to monitor the Uchiha Clan and resolved to delay the radicals' rebellion while seeking a peaceful solution.
• Fugaku Uchiha considered Shisui's suicide note and the growing unrest between the Uchiha Clan's factions.
• Izumi Uchiha asked Fugaku whether Itachi was home, and left after learning he was away on an ANBU mission.
• Mikoto Uchiha teased Fugaku about his stern demeanor, leading him to realize that Sasuke and Itachi had stopped smiling around him.

Itachi confronted the Uchiha clan’s radicals over Shisui’s death and the clan’s plans, while his father and Sasuke witnessed their conflict deepen. At the Kurama Clan Grounds, Kurama Yakumo’s Five Senses Manipulation deceived ANBU, revealing the power behind the unexplained fire.

• Fugaku regretted neglecting Itachi and resolved to speak with him as a father, while Itachi learned Sasuke had placed second to Naruto in every subject.
• Itachi refused Sasuke’s request to train, then faced Yashiro, Inabi, and Tekka, who questioned him about Shisui’s death and ANBU surveillance.
• Itachi admitted ANBU was monitoring the clan and rejected Yashiro’s demand that he support an Uchiha regime; when the men accused him of betrayal, he knocked them down.
• Fugaku and Sasuke arrived as Itachi threatened the radicals and declared he had lost faith in the clan, then dropped to his knees and vowed to protect Leaf Village and Sasuke’s future.
• Kurama Murakumo appeared to explain the fire to two ANBU, but Kurama Yakumo’s illusion had deceived them while the real Murakumo remained confined.
• Kurama Unkai realized Yakumo’s Five Senses Manipulation had fooled the jonin-level ANBU.

Menma eased Yakumo's symptoms, secured the Kurama Clan's loyalty and Land of Snow assets, and asked Unkai to gather intelligence there. He took Yakumo with him to study her Kekkei Genkai and revealed that his organization was called Red Moon.

• Menma explained Yakumo's unusual genjutsu ability and used Yang Release Chakra to relieve her symptoms, though he said she was not cured.
• Kurama Unkai offered the Kurama Clan's seven jonin and more than five hundred ninja to Menma in exchange for protection and a future for the clan.
• Unkai told Menma that the clan had established businesses in the Land of Snow, including a broadcasting and television enterprise, and Menma recognized its potential influence on public opinion.
• Menma ordered Unkai to investigate and record the Land of Snow's political and economic conditions.
• Menma took Yakumo with him to study her Kekkei Genkai and seek a way to heal her without diminishing her potential.
• When Unkai asked about the organization behind him, Menma answered that it was called Red Moon.

Itachi Uchiha watched the Uchiha Clan and grew suspicious of Inabi Uchiha’s visits to his imprisoned grandfather. Inabi secretly brought Menma to meet Uchiha Setsuna, where Menma proposed trading the Uchiha Clan’s resources for its future, leaving Setsuna to consider the clan’s imminent danger.

• Itachi Uchiha told Tenzō that Inabi Uchiha had visited Konoha Prison, but Tenzō dismissed the visit as routine.
• After leaving the prison, Inabi Uchiha entered a secret chamber and found Menma waiting there.
• Menma explained to Inabi that the Uchiha coup would lead to the clan’s destruction, and Inabi agreed to take him to Uchiha Setsuna.
• Inabi brought Menma into Konoha Prison, where Menma spoke to Setsuna through a mental conversation.
• Menma offered to trade the Uchiha Clan’s future for its resources and warned Setsuna that the clan was headed toward disaster.