Chapter Summaries

Menma accepted Orochimaru’s invitation to join the Konoha Crush Plan after reading its details, though he intended to use the operation to make a show before leaving Konohagakure. Orochimaru confirmed Sunagakure’s cooperation and assigned Kabuto Yakushi to act alongside Menma as the attack on Konoha approached.

• Menma read the scroll outlining the joint Sound Ninja and Sand Ninja operation and realized Orochimaru intended to involve him in the Konoha Crush Plan.
• Kabuto Yakushi returned to Orochimaru’s hidden laboratory and helped finish his experiment before reporting on the plan.
• Kabuto told Orochimaru that the Sand Ninja had again promised to unleash the One-Tail and send over a thousand elite troops, though they doubted their forces could safely infiltrate Konoha’s outskirts.
• Orochimaru said Kabuto could reveal more information to the Sand Ninja or contact the Fourth Kazekage if needed.
• Kabuto reported that Menma had accepted the invitation with reservations, and Orochimaru ordered him to act alongside Menma during the plan.

With Orochimaru confirmed to have returned and targeted Sasuke, Sarutobi Hiruzen brought Jiraiya back to Konoha and prepared to confront his former disciple. As Konoha grew busy with visiting nobles and merchants, the village remained unaware that danger was approaching.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen placed Konoha's forces and Anbu on alert after Orochimaru's return, but Orochimaru disappeared after the Chunin Exams.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen summoned Jiraiya, who returned quickly to Konoha and met with his former teacher.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen confirmed that Anko and Naruto's team had encountered Orochimaru and said Orochimaru was likely after Sasuke.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Jiraiya that he would face Orochimaru himself and asked Jiraiya to take responsibility for the village if anything went wrong.
• Jiraiya agreed to stay near Konoha and departed, while Sarutobi Hiruzen resolved not to hesitate again.
• Nobles and merchants arrived in Konoha for the festivities as the villagers remained unaware of the looming danger.

Menma attempted to awaken and use the Uzumaki Clan’s Adamantine Sealing Chains after his bloodline was stimulated by using Nine-Tails Chakra. He managed to summon a golden chain twice, but both attempts ended with it breaking apart almost immediately.

• Menma continued training and judged that he could draw out more Nine-Tails Chakra, though he chose to develop his other abilities first.
• Menma traveled to a remote mountain range and used Mind's Eye of the Kagura to confirm that nobody was nearby.
• Menma focused inward and summoned an Adamantine Sealing Chain, but it snapped apart before it could fully form.
• Menma tried again with a greater burst of Chakra, but the chain broke after extending only about a meter.

Menma struggled to master the Uzumaki Clan’s Adamantine Sealing Chains, then realized he needed to draw on his bloodline instincts rather than treat the technique as ordinary ninjutsu. By the sixth day, he could release a stable chain himself and began assessing its power and Chakra cost.

• Menma created more than a hundred Shadow Clones and had them repeatedly practice releasing Adamantine Sealing Chains.
• After several days of failure, Menma realized he needed to use the technique by following his instincts and awakening the power in his bloodline.
• On the sixth day, one of Menma’s Shadow Clones released a stable, several-meter-long Adamantine Chain.
• Menma absorbed the clone’s memories and released an Adamantine Chain himself for the first time.
• Menma swung the chain into more than ten trees, then tested its Chakra consumption and dispelled it.

Menma encountered Naruto and Jiraiya after an exhausting training session, and the three went to Ichiraku Ramen together. The chapter left them ordering dinner as Jiraiya asked Menma what he wanted.

• Menma ended his training after pushing himself close to exhaustion and headed back toward town.
• Menma sensed Naruto and an unfamiliar, powerful Chakra signature approaching and realized it belonged to Jiraiya.
• Naruto introduced Menma to Jiraiya, but Menma greeted Jiraiya first and maintained a notably formal, respectful distance.
• Jiraiya invited Menma to join him and Naruto for dinner, and the three went to Ichiraku Ramen.
• Naruto and Jiraiya ordered chashu ramen, and Jiraiya asked Menma what he wanted.

After sharing ramen with Naruto and Jiraiya, Menma considered Jiraiya a stranger despite the guilt Jiraiya felt over neglecting him. Naruto invited Menma to join the training Jiraiya planned to give him, leaving Jiraiya to answer.

• Menma, Naruto, and Jiraiya ate oversized bowls of ramen at Ichiraku Ramen.
• Jiraiya remembered Minato and Kushina and felt guilty for never visiting Menma during the past twelve years.
• Menma dismissed Jiraiya's guilt and decided to judge him by the choices he made.
• Naruto asked Menma about training in the mountains, and Menma said he wanted to grow stronger before the third round of the Main Tournament.
• Naruto invited Menma to train with him under Jiraiya's guidance.

Menma rejected Jiraiya’s offer to guide him and reflected on the painful distance between them, while Jiraiya hoped he and Naruto would grow closer. As the Chunin Exams approached, Menma focused on planning for the Konoha Crush and protecting himself and Orochimaru.

• Naruto asked Jiraiya to guide him and Menma, and Jiraiya agreed.
• Menma declined Jiraiya’s help, saying he was focusing on basic training, and left after encouraging Naruto to keep training.
• Jiraiya urged Naruto to spend more time with Menma, unaware that Menma did not share his hopes for their relationship.
• Menma considered Jiraiya’s strength and decided he would flee rather than risk confronting Konoha if the Chunin Exams went badly.
• Menma planned to warn Orochimaru that Jiraiya had returned and watched the Chunin Exams arena nearing completion.

Menma met Kabuto Yakushi and Baki to finalize their plan to attack Konoha, revealing that he was the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Baki was stunned, while Menma warned that he would not take part unless the plan met his demands.

• Menma watched Konoha's busy streets as visiting nobles and officials brought prosperity to the village.
• After nightfall, Menma avoided nearby ninja and traveled to a remote area in northwest Konoha to meet Kabuto Yakushi and Baki.
• Baki questioned Kabuto Yakushi's claim that Menma was an important ally, dismissing him as a young Konoha boy.
• Menma released a restrained surge of crimson Chakra, convincing Baki that he was Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Menma told Kabuto Yakushi and Baki that only three days remained before the plan and that he would refuse to act unless it satisfied him.

Menma met with Kabuto Yakushi and Baki to confirm his limited role in the planned attack on Konoha, making clear he would act only if the operation stayed on track. After Menma detected an eavesdropper, Baki pursued the fleeing spy and blocked his path.

• Baki struggled to believe that Menma, Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had defected, then composed himself and joined the final planning meeting.
• Menma warned that Konoha was on alert and Jiraiya had returned, and said he would not risk his life if the plan went awry.
• Kabuto Yakushi outlined the plan: Gaara would begin the attack, Orochimaru and the Kazekage would target the Third Hokage, and Menma would cover Gaara when the time came.
• Menma agreed to act if events followed the plan, while Baki assured them that the Sand Ninja forces would carry out their part.
• Menma detected a hidden eavesdropper, and Baki raced after the fleeing spy and blocked his path.

Baki killed Gekko Hayate after Hayate discovered the Sand and Sound villages’ conspiracy and Menma’s involvement. As the Chunin Exams’ Main Tournament celebration began, Menma headed to the crowded venue, ready for the next stage of his plan.

• Baki stopped Gekko Hayate from reaching his signal flare while Menma appeared nearby, revealing his involvement in the conspiracy.
• Baki declared that Sunagakure would end its strained relationship with Konoha and attacked Hayate.
• Baki killed Hayate and crushed his brain to prevent Konoha from gaining intelligence from the corpse.
• Menma left for the night, and Baki reflected on the advantage of having Konoha’s Nine-Tails Jinchuriki on Sunagakure’s side.
• Two or three days later, Konoha’s Main Tournament celebration began as Menma left for the venue, where crowds had already gathered.

Menma joined the other nine finalists as the Chunin Exam Main Tournament was about to begin, knowing that the day could turn his companions into enemies. He recognized that Orochimaru had replaced the Fourth Kazekage, and Sarutobi Hiruzen officially opened the tournament.

• Menma arrived last at the packed arena and joined Naruto, Sasuke, Neji, Lee, Sakura, and the other finalists.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Lee eagerly anticipated proving themselves, while Sakura worried that she was the weakest contestant.
• Shiranui Genma gathered the contestants and directed their attention to the platform where Sarutobi Hiruzen and the Fourth Kazekage stood.
• Menma sensed Orochimaru's Chakra and realized that Orochimaru had killed Rasa and taken his place as the Fourth Kazekage.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen announced the start of the Main Tournament, and the crowd erupted in cheers.

Sasuke Uchiha and Hyuga Neji began the first match of the Chunin Exams, with Sasuke using his speed and Sharingan to seize the advantage. As Sunagakure's invasion plan remained poised to unfold, Sasuke launched a Great Fireball Technique at Neji.

• Baki watched Gaara closely while Sunagakure's elite shinobi waited beyond Konohagakure for the signal to attack.
• Shiranui Genma announced Sasuke Uchiha versus Hyuga Neji as the first match, and the other competitors returned to the stands.
• Sasuke and Neji activated their Sharingan and Byakugan, then Sasuke charged at Neji with overwhelming speed.
• Sasuke's attacks forced Neji onto the defensive, and Neji created distance by exchanging a punch with him.
• Sasuke launched a Great Fireball Technique toward Neji.

Sasuke defeated Neji in the first-round match after breaking through Neji's Rotation with Chidori. The match ended with Neji badly injured and Sasuke declared the winner.

• Neji used Rotation to block Sasuke's Fire Release, but Sasuke continued to overpower him in close combat.
• Sasuke leaped onto the arena wall and gathered lightning around his hands, revealing Chidori to the spectators.
• Sasuke charged at Neji with Chidori, and Neji used Rotation to defend himself.
• Chidori broke through Rotation, but Sasuke redirected his attack away from Neji's vital areas and cut his shoulder.
• Sasuke struck Neji in the abdomen and slammed him to the ground, and Shiranui Genma declared Sasuke the winner.

Sasuke decisively defeated Neji, and the next match began between Naruto and Gaara as the audience watched. With Gaara’s appearance signaling the start of the Konoha Crush Plan, Naruto opened the fight with a Wind Style attack.

• Sasuke overwhelmed Neji with Lightning Release, then left the injured Hyuga as Medical Ninja carried him away.
• Menma considered Neji’s potential usefulness but worried that the Caged Bird Jutsu would limit him.
• Shiranui Genma announced Naruto versus Gaara, and the crowd cheered for Naruto while Gaara’s allies watched tensely.
• Baki recognized Gaara’s appearance as the signal that the Konoha Crush Plan was nearing its critical stage.
• Shiranui Genma started the match, and Naruto charged Gaara with Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Technique.

Naruto attacked Gaara with waves of Shadow Clones and Wind Style jutsu, but Gaara's sand defenses and burial techniques destroyed nearly all of them. Naruto created more than a hundred new clones and launched a larger assault, leaving the battle raging across the arena.

• Naruto used Shadow Clone Jutsu to create dozens of clones, but Gaara trapped and destroyed most of them with sand techniques.
• Gaara's Sand Shield blocked the surviving clones' attacks, and Sandstorm Burial swallowed Naruto's main body and many clones before Naruto retreated to safety.
• Spectators and Konoha's Jonin recognized Gaara's strength as Naruto's first wave of clones was nearly wiped out.
• Naruto created more than a hundred Shadow Clones, surprising Kankuro and Temari.
• Naruto's clones attacked Gaara from multiple directions with Wind Style jutsu as Gaara unleashed his sandstorm defenses.

Gaara trapped himself inside a massive sand barrier while Naruto struggled to break through it and prepared a Rasengan. As Naruto readied his attack, Kabuto Yakushi's Genjutsu - Art of the Nirvana Temple filled the arena with falling feathers.

• Gaara lost patience with Naruto's Shadow Clones and raised a huge sand barrier around himself.
• Baki worried that Gaara had acted before the Konoha Crush Plan was ready, while Kabuto Yakushi prepared to intervene.
• Menma sensed Baki and Kabuto Yakushi and watched the plan's undercurrent reach its peak unnoticed.
• Naruto failed to breach Gaara's sand barrier and formed a Rasengan with help from a Shadow Clone.
• Kabuto Yakushi cast Genjutsu - Art of the Nirvana Temple, and dense white feathers drifted before Menma's eyes.

The Sand and Sound Ninja launched their attack on Konoha during the Chunin Exams, while Orochimaru trapped Sarutobi Hiruzen in a barrier and began fighting him. As Gaara prepared to transform into Shukaku, Naruto realized the Sand Ninja were enemies and chose to stay and fight.

• White feathers put most spectators and some weaker ninja to sleep as explosions and enemy fighters struck the arena.
• Baki joined Gaara's sand shell, while Orochimaru trapped Sarutobi Hiruzen inside the Four Violet Flames Formation and summoned the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped the last coffin from emerging and fought Orochimaru as Kakashi, Might Guy, Asuma, Kurenai Yuhi, and other ninja organized the defense.
• Baki declared that the Sand Ninja would reclaim what they had lost, and Kakashi told Naruto to evacuate civilians.
• Naruto recognized the attackers as enemies and refused to leave, saying he would fight alongside Kakashi and the others.

As the Konoha Crush began, Menma sent Naruto and the others to fight the invading forces while the Jonin tried to stop Gaara’s transformation. Just as Naruto struck Gaara’s sand sphere, Menma attacked him in a Nine-Tails Chakra cloak, leaving Naruto and the others stunned.

• Baki and Kabuto attacked as Gaara began his Tailed Beast Transformation, and Kakashi’s group engaged them and the invading Sand and Sound Ninja.
• Menma led Sasuke, Sakura, Lee, and Tenten to fight other attackers and protect the spectators, while secretly watching the battle around Gaara.
• Kakashi created an opening, and Naruto and Genma rushed toward Gaara’s sand sphere as Genma engaged Temari and Kankuro.
• Naruto formed a Rasengan and struck at Gaara’s sphere, but Menma appeared and hit him in the abdomen, dispersing his Chakra and sending him flying.
• Naruto recognized the scarlet-cloaked attacker as Menma and demanded to know why he had attacked him.

Menma revealed that Naruto was his younger brother and accused Konoha of hiding their shared parentage while granting Naruto the honor he was denied. Naruto reeled from the revelation as Kakashi and Genma could not meet his gaze, while the fighting continued around them.

• Menma attacked Naruto and declared that he hated Konoha, leaving Naruto confused about their sudden conflict.
• Genma and Kakashi confronted Menma, but he accused Konoha of betraying him and demanded to know whether they knew his identity.
• Menma told Naruto that their mother was Uzumaki Kushina, then called Naruto his foolish little brother.
• Naruto demanded that Kakashi and Genma deny Menma’s claims, but both avoided his gaze.
• Menma recalled twelve years of being treated like a monster while Naruto was honored as the Hokage’s son, and demanded an explanation.

Naruto learned that Menma was his older brother, while Menma condemned Konoha for his parents’ deaths and his own mistreatment. As Menma’s stalling ended, the One-Tail emerged in the Chunin Exams arena.

• Naruto realized that Menma was his older brother and struggled to understand why the village had hidden his identity and their family history.
• Kakashi urged Menma to stop opposing Konoha, but Menma accused the village of sacrificing his parents and using him as a container.
• Menma rejected Kakashi and Shiranui Genma’s attempts to explain, declaring that Konoha needed destruction before it could be reborn.
• Menma revealed that he had been stalling as the sand sphere behind him began to shake and split open.
• Baki, Temari, and Kankuro retreated as the One-Tail burst from the sand and wrecked the arena walls, prompting Kakashi to identify it.