Chapter Summaries

Shuichi trained with Kakashi and gave him a Fuinjutsu-powered strip that supplied Chakra to his Sharingan. As the Joint Chunin Exam approached, Shuichi disguised himself as Orochimaru to promise Anko he would watch her compete, then planned to send a Shadow Clone to see her face Shisui.

• Kakashi and Shuichi practiced Explosion Release techniques and tactics until Kakashi was exhausted.
• Shuichi inscribed Fuinjutsu on Kakashi and connected cultivated First Hokage Cells to his Sharingan, giving him a steady supply of Chakra.
• Shuichi gave Kakashi two Purple Aurora Brand High-Tech Goggles and explained how to boost their output at the cost of temporarily losing their usual effect.
• Anko asked Orochimaru to watch her compete in the Joint Chunin Exam, and Shuichi, disguised as Orochimaru, promised to attend if she reached the third stage.
• After Anko left, Shuichi revealed his disguise and planned to send a Shadow Clone to watch her likely final match against Shisui.

Shuichi used the Chunin Exam betting pools to place money on Uchiha Shisui, then warned the Daimyo of the Land of Fire that Shisui was more likely than Anko to win. As the exam opened, Shuichi watched from his guard post while Kakashi announced Shisui’s first match against Gekko Hayate.

• Disguised as a villager, Shuichi listened as locals discussed their favorites and the eight Genin who had advanced to the third stage, including Anko and Uchiha Shisui.
• Shuichi placed one hundred thousand ryo on Shisui to win first place and planned to use Shadow Clones to bet at other pools.
• Shuichi escorted the Daimyo of the Land of Fire to Konoha, where the Daimyo said he had bet on Anko.
• Shuichi told the Daimyo that Shisui was the strongest contestant and urged him to bet on the Uchiha Genin instead.
• The Chunin Exams opened in the arena, and Kakashi announced Shisui’s match against Gekko Hayate while Shuichi watched through an Ink Bird.

Shisui defeated Gekko Hayate in the Chunin Exams and then uncovered a genjutsu that had hidden Shuichi’s approach. Shuichi pressured him to lose to Anko over their championship bets, but revealed at the last moment that his threats had been a joke.

• Shisui defeated Gekko Hayate with a quick strike and won their sword match.
• Spectators debated whether Shisui or Anko would win the championship as Anko entered the arena to face Akizuki.
• Shisui sensed genjutsu, dispelled it with his Sharingan, and discovered that the people around him had been caught in the illusion.
• Shuichi told Shisui that he had come to demand he lose to Anko because he and the Daimyo had wagered heavily on her victory.
• When Shisui refused to give up, Shuichi feigned an attack, stopped his fist just short of Shisui’s face, and admitted he had been joking.

Shuichi revealed that Shisui had already awakened his Sharingan and made him the newest member of his team. He urged Shisui to defeat Anko in the Chunin Exams’ final round, while Anko’s exhaustion left her odds of winning in doubt.

• Shuichi told Shisui that he had awakened his Sharingan and announced that he would join Shuichi’s team after the exams.
• Shuichi introduced himself as Shisui’s captain and promised valuable training and resources if Shisui showed his strength in the final round.
• Shuichi admitted he had bet on Shisui to win and urged him to fight Anko with everything he had.
• Shuichi used the Flying Thunder God to leave without the nearby shinobi noticing his visit.
• Anko entered the arena exhausted after consecutive battles, causing spectators to fear that Shisui had gained the advantage.

After receiving half an hour to recover, Anko fought Shisui in the third match, but his newly awakened Three-Tomoe Sharingan and superior skills overwhelmed her. Shisui trapped her in genjutsu and won, leaving the spectators and Kakashi astonished by his talent.

• Shisui asked to delay the match so Anko could recover, and the Third Hokage approved a half-hour break.
• At the match’s start, Shisui revealed a Three-Tomoe Sharingan and charged at Anko with a precise barrage of ninja tools.
• Shisui countered Anko’s Fire Style with faster hand seals and struck her arm with a fireball.
• Shisui suppressed Anko with taijutsu, then trapped her in a genjutsu she could not escape.
• Kakashi declared Shisui the winner and marveled at how quickly he had cast the genjutsu.

Shisui defeated Anko in the Chunin Exam and joined Shuichi’s squad, while Rasa resolved to use a Tailed Beast to strengthen Sunagakure. After months of missions and training, Shuichi and Shisui pursued a group of fleeing enemies along the Land of Fire’s east coast.

• Rasa congratulated Hiruzen on Shisui’s strength, then decided Sunagakure needed a Tailed Beast despite the danger to his own child.
• Shisui’s one-sided victory over Anko made him famous, and Shuichi profited from his large bet on Shisui.
• Shuichi welcomed newly promoted Anko and Shisui into his squad and hosted a party at his luxurious home.
• Shuichi took Shisui on B-rank and higher missions for several months, helping his strength grow rapidly through instruction and combat.
• Shuichi and Shisui pursued a group of about ten people along the east coast of the Land of Fire, where their orange-haired leader killed a subordinate for hesitating.

Shuichi’s team captured the criminals who had been attacking settlements along the Land of Fire’s eastern coast, and Shisui beat Ishikawa Tatsuki in a contest to subdue their leader. After interrogating the prisoners, the team learned that the leader was a Missing-nin from Kirigakure, and prepared to hand the criminals over for judgment.

• Shuichi and the Konoha pursuers quickly knocked out the fleeing criminals, while one man knocked himself unconscious rather than be captured by them.
• Shuichi ordered Ishikawa Tatsuki and Shisui to chase the orange-haired leader using only the Body Flicker Technique and their fists.
• The leader fought back with a fast Iaido Slash, but Ishikawa Tatsuki and Shisui evaded it and battled him together.
• Shisui used Continuous Body Flicker to knock out the leader and won the contest, leaving Ishikawa Tatsuki impressed by his progress.
• Shisui interrogated the prisoners with his Sharingan and learned that the leader was a Missing-nin from Kirigakure, while the others had no official identities.

After finishing a profitable mission, Shuichi helped Orochimaru investigate Root’s Wood Release experiments and discovered that young Yamato was among the test subjects. After a two-week break, Shuichi returned to his squad and accidentally embarrassed Kurenai with a suggestive invitation.

• Shuichi completed a mission with Shisui and Ishikawa Tatsuki, shared the bonus, and learned their squad had two weeks off.
• Orochimaru told Shuichi that a Root test subject had disappeared and asked him to help identify other possible Wood Release successes.
• Orochimaru inspected Root’s laboratory while secretly marking the test subjects with Shuichi’s Flying Thunder God formulas.
• Shuichi reviewed an ink snake’s recordings, recognized child Yamato among the subjects, and resolved to keep track of the test subjects.
• After the break, Shuichi invited Kurenai to his home for a hot spring bath and massage, leaving her blushing before Shisui and Anko interrupted them.

Shuichi's squad accepted a two-month A-rank guard mission for the Koizumi clan in the Land of Glass and traveled there with Koizumi Seiji. After Shuichi challenged the clan's concealed intentions, Koizumi Kenzō agreed to the commission's secrecy terms, and Shuichi began assessing the danger facing the country.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned Shuichi's squad to escort Koizumi Seiji, who hired them to protect the Land of Glass for two months.
• Shuichi's squad reached the Land of Glass less than three days later and received a formal welcome from Koizumi Kenzō.
• Shuichi demanded that the Koizumi clan keep Konoha's arrival secret and warned that he would end the mission if they used his name for other purposes.
• Koizumi Kenzō hesitated, then assured Shuichi that the clan would honor the commission's terms and asked the squad to guard them in secret.
• Shuichi's squad settled into a concealed room in the city as Shuichi inferred that the Koizumi clan expected a powerful enemy and intended to resolve the threat within two months.

Shuichi and his squad investigated the Koizumi clan’s sudden rare-metal sales and realized the clan was using Konoha’s protection to sell off its wealth and prepare to flee. Shuichi decided to outsmart them and anticipated an imminent attack on the Land of Glass.

• Shuichi sent tiny animals to spy on the Land of Glass Village’s watchers while a Shadow Clone kept his chakra signature inside the house.
• Koizumi Seiji advised Koizumi Kenzō to abandon their original plan and sell off their assets while honoring Konoha’s mission agreement; Kenzō agreed to leave once they were done.
• Shisui reported that outsiders were arriving at night to trade for rare metals, and Shuichi showed the squad additional samples.
• Shuichi deduced that the Koizumi clan had uncovered rich mineral veins and was selling the metals cheaply to convert its wealth into portable assets before fleeing.
• Anko suggested robbing the Koizumi clan, but Shuichi warned that doing so could damage Konoha’s reputation and decided to prepare for an approaching attack.

Shuichi investigated a sudden clash among underworld figures drawn to the Koizumi Family’s rare metals, while the Land of Glass faced a growing threat from powerful outsiders. By the chapter’s end, Kakuzu and Sasori had gathered with other criminals outside the city and learned that Konoha ninjas were guarding it.

• On the third night, gangs ambushed metal traders, then fought among themselves until Sasori paralyzed them with poisoned needles and killed Wild Chicken.
• Kakuzu attacked Sasori with Lightning Release: False Darkness, and the two recognized each other as formidable opponents before clashing.
• Shuichi sensed the battle and sent an Ink Bird to scout, but it returned to find the area devastated and the fighters gone.
• The next morning, Koizumi Kenzō and Koizumi Seiji learned that unknown forces surrounded the city and that their scouts had not returned.
• Outside the city, Kakuzu and Sasori joined other powerful rogue ninjas and assassins, where a masked man reported that a four-person Konoha team had accepted the guarding mission.

Dark underworld experts launched a night assault on the Land of Glass Village, but Shisui, Kurenai, and Anko helped repel the attackers. Takeda Shuichi appeared on the city wall, and the surviving experts fled in panic.

• The Masked Man urged the gathered underworld experts to attack, and Sasori proposed sending their subordinates to probe the Konoha team together.
• Invaders killed the Land of Glass sentries and clashed with the village’s ninjas, while Shisui cut down the attackers on one side and Kurenai and Anko turned the battle on the other.
• A masked Missing-nin tried to reach the city wall, but Takeda Shuichi killed him with a Flying Thunder God Kick.
• Takeda Shuichi recognized Kakuzu, Sasori, and Hiruko among the experts gathered outside the village.
• The Masked Man recognized Takeda Shuichi and shouted for everyone to run, and three figures scattered in different directions.

Shuichi repelled Kakuzu and Sasori’s attack on Land of Glass Village, destroyed much of Sasori’s puppet army, and forced the surviving Missing-nin to submit to his conditions. After joining Shisui and the others, Shuichi began a covert scheme against the Koizumi Family and considered how Kakuzu might be useful in the future.

• Sasori and Kakuzu killed the three Missing-nin who tried to flee, then attacked Land of Glass Village with the remaining force.
• Kakuzu breached the city wall with Lightning Release, and Shuichi fought Sasori using Wind Release and Explosion Release, destroying Hiruko and most of Sasori’s puppets.
• Sasori fled after Shuichi’s explosive sandstorm devastated his puppet army, and Kakuzu escaped after Shuichi’s Shadow Clones pressured him.
• Shuichi forced the remaining Missing-nin to sign unequal agreements, killing one who resisted and assigning tasks to the others.
• Shisui defeated the attackers at the other battle site, and Shuichi’s squad returned to their residence after Koizumi Kenzō offered to handle the bodies.
• Shuichi secretly instructed Shisui to carry out another task against the Koizumi Family and considered using Kotoamatsukami to control Kakuzu in the future.

Shuichi forced the Koizumi Family to accept Konoha’s terms for selling its rare metals and escaping Land of Glass, then detected Nine-Tails Chakra near Konoha on the way home. He arrived at Danzo’s Root Base and stopped C, a Wood Release experiment subject carrying one of the Nine-Tails’ severed tails, during a rampage against Orochimaru.

• Koizumi Kenzō learned that traders were staying away, his people were being killed, and both escape passages had been destroyed, leaving the Koizumi Family trapped.
• Shuichi offered Koizumi Seiji a deal to buy the family’s rare metals and later escort them out; after more than a month of losses, the family accepted reduced terms and escaped with considerable assets.
• On the return journey, Shuichi sensed Nine-Tails Chakra near Konoha, ordered his squad to wait, and left a Shadow Clone behind before heading to the village.
• Orochimaru encountered C, a Wood Release experiment subject, in his underground laboratory; C covered himself in Nine-Tails Chakra and attacked as Root’s barriers were breached.
• Orochimaru used Flying Thunder God to move himself and C to the Root Base, where C continued rampaging and transformed into a small one-tailed beast.
• Shuichi teleported to Orochimaru and struck C with a Rasengan, stopping the rampage; he then asked whether Danzo was responsible.

Orochimaru explained that Danzo had tried to seize his research and frame him, so Shuichi teleported him away before the Third Hokage arrived. Hiruzen subdued the rampaging C and discovered a human experimentation laboratory in Root, then ordered the village alarm raised and the site sealed off.

• Orochimaru told Shuichi that Danzo had lured him out to steal his research and planned to blame him for stealing Nine-Tails Chakra and conducting illegal experiments.
• Shuichi offered Orochimaru a place to hide, and the two teleported away from the underground base.
• The Third Hokage arrived and knocked C unconscious, then recognized the Four Symbols Seal and suspected Danzo had secretly used Nine-Tails Chakra.
• The Third Hokage followed sensed Chakra to a laboratory filled with corpses and five surviving captives in containers.
• Shuichi arrived and joined the Third Hokage in inspecting the laboratory, where Hiruzen ordered Elephant to raise the village alarm and seal off the area.

Shuichi discovered two sleeping children who appeared to have survived experiments with First Hokage cells, while the Third Hokage investigated Danzo and Orochimaru’s illegal research. After the village placed both men under surveillance, Shuichi met Orochimaru outside the village to discuss their next move.

• Shuichi led the Third Hokage’s team to a medical room, where he examined two sleeping children and reported that their condition was stable.
• Danzo and the Third Hokage confronted each other at Root’s base, and Shuichi slipped away when the investigation began.
• The investigation held Danzo and Orochimaru responsible for First Hokage cell experiments, and it raised suspicion that Danzo had stolen the Nine-Tails’ tail and framed Orochimaru.
• Mokui joined Shuichi’s patrol as a close personal attendant, while Shuichi realized the Third Hokage had assigned him to monitor him.
• Shuichi’s Shadow Clone told Orochimaru that Anbu were searching for him and that both he and Danzo were under strict surveillance.

Orochimaru left Konoha to continue his research, and Shuichi helped him escape with his supplies. The Third Hokage later told Anko that Orochimaru might never return, while Shuichi learned more about the failed Nine-Tails experiment; Anko confronted him for not stopping Orochimaru.

• Orochimaru asked Shuichi to look after Anko, and Shuichi prepared and packed his research materials for the departure.
• Shuichi used Shadow Clones to help Orochimaru escape Konoha and accompanied him north before returning to the village.
• After more than a month of searching, the Third Hokage called off the hunt and told Shuichi and Anko to report Orochimaru's whereabouts if they found him.
• Anko was devastated by the news that Orochimaru had left, while Shuichi asked the Third Hokage about C and the Nine-Tails Chakra experiment.
• The Third Hokage explained that Nine-Tails Chakra had caused C to lose control, and Shuichi learned that Yamato and the other Wood Release girl had entered a secret training class.
• Anko waited for Shuichi outside the Hokage Building and demanded to know why he had not made Orochimaru stay.

After Orochimaru left Konoha, Shuichi supported his choice and used his research materials to begin developing a more controllable Cursed Seal of his own. More than a year later, he was still experimenting while training with his teammates, and he tested Kakashi against his extraordinary Earth Release at the training ground.

• Shuichi told Anko that Orochimaru had chosen to leave freely and urged her to calm down and take missions with her old teammates.
• Shuichi used Orochimaru's research notes and cells from First Hokage, Jugo, and himself to begin developing a controllable Cursed Seal.
• Shuichi secretly set up an underground laboratory outside the village after evading Mokui's surveillance and arranging for equipment to be procured.
• More than a year passed, during which Shuichi led routine missions, trained, and continued his slow Cursed Seal research.
• Shuichi used Earth Release to create a moving, regenerating wall that Kakashi attacked with Lightning Cutter, forcing Kakashi to evade stone pillars before striking its earth ball.

Shuichi demonstrated his enhanced Lightning Cutter to Kakashi before they attended a meeting about a proposed alliance with the Land of Lightning. Months later, Konoha welcomed a Cloud Village envoy with a grand ceremony, though Shuichi suspected the village’s intentions were not genuine.

• Shuichi tested his Cursed Seal-enhanced Earth Release and explained that Kakashi was not yet ready to learn Lightning Release.
• Kakashi practiced Earth Release while Shuichi pierced his Earth Flow Wall with a powerful Lightning Cutter and advised him on improving its piercing strength.
• The Third Hokage told the Jonin that the Land of Lightning had proposed an alliance treaty, and Shuichi suspected Kumogakure still had ulterior motives.
• In the winter of Konoha Year 53, Konoha held a grand ceremony to welcome the Cloud Village Envoy and celebrate the approaching new year.

During Konoha’s celebration, Shuichi learned that a masked intruder had abducted Hinata and was killed by Hiashi, only to be revealed as the leader of the Kumogakure delegation. As Kumogakure demanded Hiashi’s corpse to obtain the Byakugan, Konoha’s leaders and Jonin debated their response, with the Hyuga clan proposing Hizashi as a substitute.

• Shuichi spent the celebration with his companions and invited them to a hot pot party and medicinal hot spring bath at his home.
• The next morning, an Anbu summoned Shuichi to an urgent meeting after Hiashi killed the masked intruder who had abducted Hinata.
• Kumogakure accused Konoha of breaking its agreement and demanded Hiashi’s corpse, revealing its aim to acquire the Byakugan.
• The Third Hokage gathered Konoha’s Jonin to discuss how the village should respond to Kumogakure’s demand.
• The Hyuga clan head offered Hizashi, who resembled Hiashi, as a substitute to prevent war and keep the Byakugan out of Kumogakure’s hands.