Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru persuaded Hatake Sakumo to fake his death and become his hidden ally, while taking Kakashi in as his godson and future student. After Sakumo’s staged suicide, he began a new life as Snake Shadow, secretly serving Orochimaru.

• Orochimaru told Sakumo he wanted to become Hokage and reshape the Shinobi World through economic and cultural influence, and Sakumo agreed to become his shadow if Kakashi stayed safe.
• Sakumo introduced Kakashi to Orochimaru as his godfather, and Orochimaru gave Kakashi a scroll containing a reconstructed version of the Chidori.
• Three days later, Sakumo’s staged suicide was discovered by Kakashi, and Orochimaru took Kakashi to live with him while the Third Hokage stopped Danzo from targeting the boy.
• The Jōnin suspected that Sakumo had been suppressed, and suspicion shifted toward the Third Hokage as Orochimaru withdrew from public life and refused to become Root’s deputy leader.
• On the night of the staged suicide, Sakumo confirmed that he had covered his tracks and chose the codename Snake Shadow; Orochimaru gave him a technique to disguise his face.

Orochimaru studied Garp’s diary, which contained information on the Navy’s Six Powers and Haki, and considered how to adapt them to the Naruto world. He planned to contact Might Duy and Might Guy to learn more about the Eight Gates and investigate whether he could heal Duy’s injuries.

• Orochimaru learned that subduing Hatake Sakumo as Snake Shadow had caused a major surge in spacetime energy and produced Garp’s diary.
• Orochimaru extracted training methods for the Six Powers and Haki from Garp’s diary and began considering how to adapt them to the Naruto world.
• Orochimaru reasoned that the Eight Gates might be necessary to use the Six Powers effectively, since ordinary ninja bodies could not withstand the training.
• Orochimaru concluded that he could likely learn Shave but would need other methods, such as Wind Release, to imitate techniques like Storm Leg and Finger Gun.
• Orochimaru decided to contact Might Duy and Might Guy, hoping to study their training and see whether Duy’s hidden injuries could be healed.

Orochimaru approached Might Duy to learn more about the Eight Gates Technique, which Duy had perfected after receiving it from the Second Hokage. Duy hesitated to teach others because the technique was dangerous, but Orochimaru offered to screen trainees, leaving Duy to consider sharing it so he could support Guy.

• Might Guy finished his Academy training and joined Might Duy for intense exercises, then challenged Kakashi to a duel.
• Orochimaru revealed that he had opened the First Gate and asked Might Duy for guidance on the Eight Gates Technique.
• Might Duy explained that the Second Hokage had given him the technique decades earlier and that he had eventually perfected it, though he had never found a suitable reason to use it.
• Orochimaru suggested teaching the technique to more people so Duy could join higher-level missions, but Duy worried that it might fall into the wrong hands.
• Orochimaru promised to screen trainees and reminded Duy that greater income could help provide Guy with training resources.

Orochimaru rewarded Might Duy for sharing his taijutsu knowledge by operating on him to repair hidden injuries from Eight Gates training. Duy left with Orochimaru’s Six Powers materials and a prescription, while Guy promised to help develop new taijutsu and Duy vowed to keep away from Orochimaru.

• Might Duy agreed to help Orochimaru sell Green Spandex outfits, and Orochimaru got Minato, Shikun Mitarashi, and other subordinates to buy them.
• Orochimaru operated on Might Duy to repair hidden injuries and damage caused by his Eight Gates training, while Guy and Kakashi watched in alarm.
• After the surgery, Duy celebrated his renewed strength, but Orochimaru insisted the treatment was incomplete and operated on him again.
• Orochimaru gave Duy his Six Powers of the Navy materials and prescribed medicine to help restore his strength.
• Guy carried the unsteady Duy home, promising to help develop new taijutsu, while Duy refused Orochimaru’s invitation to bring Guy over often.

Hiruzen Sarutobi appointed Orochimaru as a Team Leader Jōnin and assigned him Asuma, while Minato Namikaze received his own team assignment. Orochimaru left after secretly recording Hiruzen and Biwako’s quarrel, and Minato mistakenly imagined a rivalry between Orochimaru and Hiruzen over their teams.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Orochimaru to become a Team Leader Jōnin and train Asuma Sarutobi, and Orochimaru accepted.
• Orochimaru left Hiruzen’s office as Biwako Sarutobi emerged and accused Hiruzen of visiting women, then beat him.
• Orochimaru eavesdropped on Hiruzen and Biwako, recorded their quarrel, and slipped away when someone approached.
• Orochimaru met Minato Namikaze, who suggested competing to see whose team members became Chunin first.
• Minato received information about his subordinate and realized Kakashi was on his team, then wrongly guessed that Orochimaru had fought Hiruzen over Kakashi.

Taro Funano announced that Obito Uchiha, Might Guy, and their classmates would take the Ninja Academy Graduation Exam the next day. Worried that Guy would fail the written portion, Might Duy sought advice from Lord Orochimaru, who told Guy to choose A for every multiple-choice question.

• Taro Funano scolded his class, took roll, and reprimanded Obito Uchiha for arriving late.
• Taro Funano announced the class would take the Graduation Exam at nine the next morning and shared their mock exam rankings.
• Might Duy brought Might Guy to Lord Orochimaru and Kakashi because Guy feared he would fail the written exam.
• Lord Orochimaru saw that Guy had scored one point on his mock exam, while Obito had scored even lower.
• Lord Orochimaru advised Guy to choose A for every multiple-choice question, and Guy eagerly accepted the strategy.

Orochimaru met his newly assigned genin team of Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yūhi, and Mitaraishi Anko, listened to their thoughts with his new Observation Haki, and had them introduce themselves. The introductions descended into a fight that Orochimaru and Anko repeatedly interrupted with punches.

• Taro Funano announced Team One for Rin Nohara, Obito Uchiha, and Kakashi Hatake, and Team Two for Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yūhi, and Mitaraishi Anko.
• Orochimaru met his three genin on Hokage Rock and used his newly developed Observation Haki to hear their thoughts.
• Orochimaru introduced himself and shared his dream of becoming Hokage and ending war, then Anko and Kurenai introduced themselves and their ambitions.
• Asuma gave a leering introduction, so Anko punched him and the two began fighting while Kurenai tried to stop them.
• Orochimaru told the team they would never kill anyone fighting like that, then hit all three and later punched Asuma again when he objected.

Orochimaru put Anko Mitarashi, Kurenai Yūhi, and Asuma Sarutobi through a harsh surprise test and criticized their mistakes. He ended by revealing that the bell he held would be part of their real survival exercise.

• Anko Mitarashi arrived early but was caught off guard by Orochimaru's snake attack and tied up.
• Kurenai Yūhi failed to notice the clues Orochimaru had left and was caught in a genjutsu beside Anko.
• Asuma Sarutobi arrived late, was tricked and beaten by Orochimaru, then joined the others tied to posts.
• Orochimaru scolded Anko and Kurenai for missing warning signs and reprimanded Asuma for being late, interrupting, and eating too much.
• Kurenai Yūhi asked whether the ambushes were the survival exercise, and Orochimaru showed them a bell as he revealed the exercise was something else.

Orochimaru checked on Kakashi’s progress, then tested Anko, Kurenai, and Asuma as they attempted to steal his bell. After their coordinated assault, he pretended to be briefly caught by their genjutsu, giving Anko an opening while still planning to make them work for it.

• Orochimaru observed Kakashi’s strong teamwork and tactical growth during his test with Minato.
• Orochimaru saw through Anko, Kurenai, and Asuma’s traps and easily countered their initial attacks.
• Orochimaru toyed with the three students, redirecting Kurenai’s punch into Asuma and narrowly avoiding Anko’s sword strike.
• Asuma told the others to focus on stealing Orochimaru’s bell rather than defeating him, and they surrounded him with a coordinated plan.
• Orochimaru used Water Fang Bullet to stop Asuma’s fireball, then pretended to be paralyzed by Kurenai’s genjutsu as Anko spotted her opening.

Orochimaru tested Anko, Asuma, and Kurenai, then accepted them as his squad after they worked together to take the bell. The next day, he reviewed their battle and began training them to become part of his plans for changing the world.

• Kurenai, Asuma, and Anko coordinated their attacks and took Orochimaru's bell, passing his test.
• Orochimaru officially formed his squad and treated the new team to dinner, where they joined Minato's squad and Kushina's enormous appetite strained Minato's budget.
• The next day, Orochimaru reviewed the fight with his students and gave each of them advice on improving their techniques and teamwork.
• Orochimaru hoped to pass his ideas to his disciples and eventually make them central to his plans for transforming the world.

Orochimaru’s squad captured the missing cat and asked Hiruzen Sarutobi for a higher-ranked mission after completing many D-rank assignments. Hiruzen assigned them to exterminate bandits in the southern Land of Fire, setting the squad on its first mission intended to expose them to bloodshed.

• Asuma, Kurenai Yūhi, and Anko caught and identified Coal Ball, the missing house cat, while Orochimaru supervised.
• Anko complained about the squad’s many D-rank Missions, and Orochimaru directed her to ask Asuma’s father, the Hokage.
• At the Hokage’s Office, Asuma demanded a higher-ranked mission, and Hiruzen Sarutobi struck him with his pipe for calling him “old man.”
• Hiruzen Sarutobi offered several C-rank Missions, and Orochimaru chose to exterminate bandits in the southern Land of Fire.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi approved the mission and handed Orochimaru the scroll.

Orochimaru’s team investigated a bandit threat in Nanta Village and learned that their client, Yuji Kawasaki, was a samurai from a fallen family whose enemies included samurai with Chakra. After explaining that the mission was a low-tier B-rank assignment, Orochimaru let his students decide whether to proceed, and Asuma volunteered to lead the mission.

• Orochimaru and his students reached Nanta Village and met its chief, Ma Bangdeque, who said bandits were approaching from the southern mountain.
• Orochimaru and Kurenai questioned the village chief’s account and recognized that the supposed hunter, Yuji, was a trained samurai with Chakra.
• Yuji revealed that he was Yuji Kawasaki, a member of a fallen samurai clan whose enemies had recently tracked him down.
• Yuji told the team that at least three of his enemies were samurai with Chakra, making the mission a low-tier B-rank assignment.
• Orochimaru explained the risks to his students and left the decision to them, and Asuma volunteered to take on the mission.

Orochimaru’s squad fought and defeated three experienced samurai in their first real battle, while Orochimaru controlled the bandits’ remaining underlings. Afterward, he assigned the youngsters lengthy battle reviews, and they each spent the night training or writing.

• Asuma, Anko, and Kurenai Yūhi infiltrated the bandit camp and killed many of the bandits before the Black-Clad Samurai noticed their absence and raised the alarm.
• Asuma and Anko engaged three samurai while Kurenai Yūhi supported them with genjutsu, and Orochimaru used genjutsu to keep the other bandits from interfering.
• Kurenai Yūhi controlled the remaining underlings as Asuma and Anko worked together to paralyze and kill the samurai.
• Orochimaru frightened the fleeing underlings to death, then agreed to buy the youngsters food and ordered each of them to write a three-thousand-word battle review.
• Anko stayed up writing, Kurenai Yūhi practiced the fight with Yūhi Shinku, and the Third Hokage supervised Asuma’s training with Enma’s Adamantine Staff.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Orochimaru to reinforce the struggling Kumogakure front, while Asuma and the other Genin were assigned to logistics work. Orochimaru departed with a supply convoy at dawn, intending to prepare his young disciples to survive the war.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed Kurenai Yūhi’s report and recorded the Orochimaru Squad’s completed C-rank mission.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Orochimaru that the Kumogakure and Iwagakure fronts were in trouble and ordered him to halt the decline at the Kumogakure battlefield.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Asuma and the other Genin to logistics and transport work rather than direct combat.
• Orochimaru agreed to leave the next day and planned to teach his disciples more ways to escape danger.
• At dawn, Orochimaru confirmed the convoy was ready, including Jōnin from the Sarutobi clan, and ordered the group to move out.

Orochimaru examined Jiraiya’s injuries after his fight with the Third Raikage, then took command of a meeting about the failing battlefield situation. He stripped three corrupt commanders of their posts and ordered a strategic withdrawal to defend Hot Spring City, prompting Jiraiya to challenge him.

• Orochimaru examined Jiraiya, warned him to avoid fighting for two weeks, and sent him to summon the staff officers.
• An intelligence officer reported that enemy forces had captured cities to the west and north, threatening to break through the defensive line.
• Orochimaru confronted three commanders for neglecting intelligence and exploiting the war, then stripped them of their posts.
• Orochimaru ordered the troops north of Hot Spring City to abandon their fortifications and concentrate on defending the city.
• Jiraiya pointed at Orochimaru and protested that he planned to abandon the territory north of Hot Spring City.

Orochimaru persuaded Jiraiya to trust his strategy of giving up the northern defenses, then taught Asuma, Anko, and Kurenai new techniques to improve their battlefield survival. The chapter left Asuma nursing another bump on his head after Orochimaru declared the result symmetrical.

• Orochimaru convinced Jiraiya to let Kumogakure advance, arguing that retreat could help them win, and gave him a book about protracted warfare.
• Asuma, Anko, and Kurenai questioned Orochimaru about abandoning the front line, and he explained that confusing the enemy was part of his strategy.
• Orochimaru gave Kurenai scrolls containing Observation Haki and the Body Flicker Technique: Shave, instructing the students to memorize and burn them.
• Orochimaru summoned Asuma and punched him on the head, saying the matching bumps made things look more symmetrical.

Orochimaru prepared his team and secretly split Konohagakure’s forces, leaving Jiraiya to defend Hot Spring City while he led raids deep into Kumogakure territory. The chapter ended as Orochimaru’s teams departed under cover of darkness, with Orochimaru heading for the enemy command headquarters.

• Orochimaru gave Asuma the Sonar Technique, Anko the Ryūchi Cave scroll, and Kurenai Yūhi his Water Release training notes.
• Orochimaru ordered Konohagakure’s shinobi to withdraw to Hot Spring City and strengthen its defenses.
• Orochimaru told the jōnin that he would secretly split the forces without revealing his plan, then left Jiraiya in charge of defending the city.
• Orochimaru selected perception- and speed-specialist shinobi for a mission to raid Kumogakure’s rear and disrupt its supplies.
• Orochimaru led around thirty disguised shinobi out at night in three teams, with himself, Shikun Mitarashi, and Yūhi Shinku as captains.
• Orochimaru set out to find Kumogakure’s command headquarters and destroy its leadership.

Yūhi Shinku’s team uncovered and raided a Kumogakure supply outpost, while Orochimaru targeted the enemy’s logistics route after failing to find its headquarters. Orochimaru blocked a canal by raising an enormous earth mountain, leaving Kumogakure’s shipping route unusable until the obstruction was cleared.

• Yūhi Shinku hypnotically interrogated a captured Kumogakure operative, discovered a hidden outpost and its defenses, then killed the operative after gathering the intelligence.
• Yūhi Shinku’s team raided the outpost, killed its Jōnin, and captured a Special Jōnin, but found no information about Kumogakure’s command echelon.
• Orochimaru chose to head north and attack the canal that Kumogakure relied on to transport supplies.
• Orochimaru ambushed the canal guards with Water Release while his squad attacked the survivors from both banks.
• Orochimaru used Earth Release: Earth Mountain Technique to build an over-eighty-meter mountain across the canal, cutting off the waterway.

Jiraiya held off the Third Raikage’s assault on Hot Spring City, while the Third Raikage learned that Konoha had destroyed Kumogakure’s rear outposts and cut its supply waterways. Shikun Mitarashi intercepted a secret message meant for the Fourth Raikage and asked Inoichi Yamanaka to uncover the enemy commander’s location.

• Jiraiya used his full strength to repel the Third Raikage’s attacks, reopening his wounds, and Kumogakure withdrew until dusk.
• The Third Raikage suspected Tsunade had reached the battlefield and ordered the Fourth Raikage to come forward.
• The Third Raikage received a report that Konoha had destroyed rear outposts and severed a river channel, then ordered an immediate renewed offensive and sent a message to the Fourth Raikage.
• Shikun Mitarashi ambushed the Kumogakure Anbu carrying the message, killed him, and recovered the letter.
• Inoichi Yamanaka began searching the dead ninja’s mind for the location of the Kumogakure commander.

Shikun Mitarashi led a Konoha strike against Dodai, but the Cloud advisor’s Lava Release and preparations for the Flying Thunder God Technique thwarted his assassination attempt. Shikun returned with Snake Shadow, revealed as Hatake Sakumo, and their renewed attack left Dodai badly wounded.

• Dodai received reports at Kumogakure Headquarters and ordered his forces to respond when the power failed and the sentries were killed.
• Shikun Mitarashi and the Konoha team launched a coordinated attack, but Dodai blocked their shuriken with a rubber wall and fought off Shikun’s Flying Thunder God attacks.
• Dodai covered Shikun’s marked kunai with rubber, forcing Shikun to retreat and summon reinforcements.
• Shikun returned with Snake Shadow, who was revealed as Hatake Sakumo, and the two surrounded Dodai.
• Shikun’s clones distracted Dodai while Snake Shadow struck with the Kusanagi Sword, cutting open one of Dodai’s eyes.