Chapter Summaries

Shuichi decided Naruto could leave the village on missions with Kakashi after making preparations to manage the Nine-Tails’ seal and protect the team. He set out with Kakashi to address the weakening seal, leaving its solution for the next part of their journey.

• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura warned Shuichi that Naruto’s missions could expose the Jinchuriki and his teammates to danger, but Shuichi insisted Naruto needed room to grow and said he would prepare safeguards.
• Shuichi told Haku to take occasional missions so she would not neglect her ninja skills, while Haku joked that his clones handled office work better than she did.
• Kakashi reported that Second Pillar and Haruno Sakura seemed decent based on their registration forms, then asked Shuichi about Naruto Uzumaki.
• Shuichi explained that Naruto’s status as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki meant his departure from the village set a precedent, and he brought Kakashi to his Villa to prepare for the issue.
• Kakashi saw Haku caring for Takuma, Tsubasa Takeda, and Ayako Takeda before Shuichi changed into Jonin clothes and left with him.
• Shuichi told Kakashi that the seal Minato had left on Naruto was weakening and had once filtered some of the Nine-Tails’ Chakra into Naruto’s own Chakra.

Shuichi and Kakashi tested Naruto’s seal by trapping him in a genjutsu designed to provoke the Nine-Tails’ chakra. After Shuichi damaged the seal and Naruto imagined Sakura being killed, Naruto lost control and transformed into a four-tailed beast-like form.

• Shuichi explained to Kakashi that Naruto’s emotions could trigger the Nine-Tails’ chakra and asked him to observe the test.
• Shuichi and Kakashi lured Naruto to a forest clearing with a training invitation from Sakura.
• Shuichi’s Shadow Clones trapped Naruto in a barrier genjutsu, and Shuichi damaged Naruto’s seal to hasten an eruption.
• Naruto imagined a man in black torturing and killing Sakura, then erupted into a two-tailed chakra cloak and attacked Shuichi.
• Naruto’s chakra grew until he transformed into a terrifying four-tailed humanoid monster.

Shuichi subdued Naruto’s Nine-Tails transformation, broke and replaced the seal after confronting the Nine-Tails, and ordered it to cooperate with Naruto while warning it about the Akatsuki’s plans. He then assigned Kakashi responsibility for Team 7’s training and safeguards; two weeks later, Naruto had recovered, still believing the incident had been a genjutsu attack.

• Naruto transformed into a berserk Four-Tails state and fired a mutated Tailed Beast Ball, which Shuichi blocked with Ice Release.
• Shuichi restrained Naruto with Wood Style, entered his mental space, broke Minato’s seal, fought the Nine-Tails, and forced it back behind a new Eight Trigrams Seal.
• Shuichi told Kakashi that Naruto could draw on the Nine-Tails’ Chakra but warned him to watch Naruto closely and gave him Wood Style seeds as a safeguard.
• Shuichi gave Kakashi training plans for Naruto, Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura, then explained why Naruto’s Wind Release technique had been simplified.
• Two weeks later, Naruto recovered, and the Medical Ninja told him that hostile forces had trapped him in a genjutsu.

Naruto used his Harem Jutsu against Kakashi during Team 7’s bell test, but Kakashi outmaneuvered the new Genin. Meanwhile, Shuichi agreed to Sunagakure’s request to discuss holding the Chunin Exams.

• Kakashi began Team 7’s bell test, warning Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura that the Genin who failed to get a bell would be sent back to the Academy.
• Naruto charged Kakashi and used his Harem Jutsu, briefly distracting Kakashi before Kakashi’s Earth Clone vanished and Steel Wire trapped Naruto’s clones.
• Sasuke and Sakura attacked Kakashi together with Water Release and Lightning Release while Shuichi watched the exercise through the Crystal Ball.
• An Intelligence Department ninja told Shuichi that Sunagakure wanted to send envoys to discuss the Chunin Exams.
• Shuichi agreed to Sunagakure’s request and ordered the envoys to be received.

Shuichi arranged a joint Chunin Exams and directed Kakashi and other Jonin to prepare their Genin for the large competition. By July 1, fifty-seven teams from seven villages had gathered at the Ninja Academy for the exams.

• Shuichi decided to invite Kirigakure to the Chunin Exams, and Haku began compiling Konoha's promising Genin.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura finished D-rank work and received a C-rank escort mission to the Land of Waves, while Shuichi told Kakashi to intensively train Team 7 for the upcoming exams.
• Kakashi told Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura that Haku was a male Jonin and the Hokage's disciple.
• At a Jonin meeting, instructors recommended Genin teams for the exams, and Shuichi made participation voluntary despite the risk of casualties.
• On July 1, Shuichi observed fifty-seven teams from Konoha, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, Takigakure, and Otogakure gathered for the Chunin Exams.

The Genin took the first stage of the Chunin Exams, where they had to gather answers without being caught cheating. Naruto got help from Sakura, Kankuro’s restroom trip was thwarted by an examiner, and the remaining candidates passed Ibiki’s final-question test.

• Morino Ibiki appeared and began the first stage, warning candidates that fighting would result in disqualification.
• The Genin used varied abilities to cheat, while examiners caught and expelled teams that were detected too many times.
• Naruto saw Sakura’s answers through a genjutsu, then copied them so openly that Sasuke decided to copy him too.
• Kankuro was escorted to the restroom by an examiner, preventing him from using Crow to pass answers to Temari.
• Ibiki announced the rules for the tenth question, and several Konoha teams withdrew rather than risk the penalty.
• Ibiki congratulated everyone who remained and declared that they had passed the first stage.

After the first exam, the remaining teams entered the Forest of Death, where Kirigakure’s Suigetsu and Gaara’s Sunagakure team swiftly defeated their opponents. The Ino-Shika-Cho trio stole Gaara’s team’s scroll and escaped, but Temari’s wind attack swept toward them as the chapter ended.

• Morino Ibiki explained that the tenth question had tested resolve, and the remaining candidates prepared for the second stage.
• Shuichi warned Anko to tell candidates that Konoha’s surveillance cameras could record their actions and cautioned them against massacres meant to provoke other nations.
• Hozuki Suigetsu and his Kirigakure teammates ambushed and killed a team, took its Earth Scroll, and headed for the Central Tower.
• Gaara killed members of the Rain Village team, but Choji used Partial Expansion Jutsu to snatch their Heaven Scroll while Shikamaru and Ino led the trio in a planned escape.
• Shikamaru explained that the trio’s training in speed and coordinated movement helped them evade the pursuing Sunagakure team.
• Temari unleashed Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel toward the fleeing Ino-Shika-Cho trio, who turned and braced for the attack.

Shikamaru’s team struggled against the Sunagakure trio until Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura arrived and turned the fight in Konoha’s favor. Temari persuaded Gaara to retreat, leaving the teams regrouped and Shikamaru warning that they would need to be more careful in the Third Exam.

• Shikamaru’s team was caught in the aftermath of the Sunagakure trio’s Wind Release attack, and Ino was injured as Choji protected them from falling trees.
• Kankuro sent Crow after Shikamaru’s team, but Choji and Shikamaru used a feint and the Shadow Imitation Technique to immobilize the Sunagakure trio.
• Shikamaru’s attack on Gaara failed when Gaara’s sand deflected a poisoned needle, but an unseen lightning arrow wounded Temari and revealed Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura nearby.
• Sakura and Sasuke countered Gaara’s sand with a water wave and a fireball while Naruto’s Shadow Clones surrounded the Sunagakure trio, prompting Temari to urge Gaara to withdraw.
• Gaara ordered his team to leave, and Shikamaru thanked Team 7 before warning his team to be more careful in the Third Exam.

Shuichi reviewed footage of Sunagakure’s team killing other competitors, ordered the villages’ Jonin informed, and gathered the survivors to announce the Third Exam. As he began speaking, Gaara suffered a sudden bout of pain but quickly insisted he was fine.

• Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and the Ino-Shika-Cho team joined forces and reached the Central Tower at night.
• Shuichi watched footage of Kankuro’s team killing the Grass Country Female Ninja and learned that Sunagakure had wiped out three squads.
• Shuichi ordered the village Jonin to watch the footage and instructed the proctors to warn Sunagakure and tighten control during the Third Exam.
• The Second Stage ended with twenty-seven participants passing, and Shuichi summoned them and their Jonin instructors to the Central Tower’s training hall.
• Shuichi began addressing the examinees, but Gaara clutched his head in pain before quickly recovering and apologizing.

Shuichi addressed the Genin after the disturbance and began the Third Exam preliminaries under Haku’s supervision. The first matches ended with Terumi An, Naruto Uzumaki, and Dosu winning, while Hozuki Suigetsu was matched against Kiba Inuzuka.

• Shuichi warned Baki about Gaara’s agitation, then explained the purpose of the exam and ordered the preliminaries to begin.
• Haku announced the one-on-one matches, and Terumi An defeated Shirakawa Shin with corrosive mist after he surrendered.
• Naruto Uzumaki overwhelmed Kin Tsuchi with Shadow Clones and won their match.
• Dosu knocked Choji Akimichi unconscious with his speed and sound-based attacks.
• The match board paired Hozuki Suigetsu with Kiba Inuzuka, and Shisui explained the Hozuki Clan’s Water Transformation Secret Technique.

Kiba lost to Hozuki Suigetsu, while Gaara and Rock Lee won their matches after Haku intervened to stop Gaara from killing Umehara. The preliminaries continued, and Sasuke prepared to face Kankuro.

• Naruto's encouragement restored Kiba's fighting spirit, but Hozuki Suigetsu defeated him with a sword strike and Kiba was carried away for treatment.
• Gaara overwhelmed Umehara with sand, and Haku stopped him from killing his opponent before declaring Gaara the winner.
• Rock Lee defeated Katsuyu with the Front Lotus, then celebrated with Teacher Might Guy.
• The screen announced Second Pillar versus Kankuro, and Sasuke confidently prepared to fight.

Sasuke defeated Kankuro in the preliminaries, and the remaining matches determined who advanced to the Third Exam. The official bracket was announced, and the month-long preparation period began, with Team 7 training for their upcoming opponents.

• Temari warned Kankuro to surrender rather than risk serious injury, but Sasuke quickly exposed his disguise and overwhelmed him with fire, lightning, and wire techniques.
• Kankuro tried to surrender while trapped, but Sasuke's Dragon Fire Technique burned him before Haku rescued him and sent him to the Medical Unit.
• The remaining preliminary matches ended, with Sakura, Temari, Neji, Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Nara Shikamaru among those advancing; Ishikawa Tatsuki's two teammates conceded and his squad was eliminated.
• Shuichi announced the Third Exam matchups, including Naruto against Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee against Gaara, and Sakura against Dosu, then dismissed the candidates for a month of preparation.
• Naruto gained a Summoning Contract, Sasuke trained with Kakashi and clan members, and Sakura focused on preparing for Dosu until someone knocked on her door.

Sakura became Shuichi’s disciple and began training with Haku as Konoha prepared for a possible Akatsuki attack during the Chunin Exams. On his twenty-seventh birthday, Shuichi awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and discovered its traversal abilities.

• Haku brought Sakura to meet Shuichi, who officially accepted her as his disciple and assigned Haku to help train her.
• Shuichi told Jiraiya that Sakura’s intelligence and work ethic made her valuable, while Jiraiya warned that the Akatsuki had taken a mission targeting Konoha.
• Shuichi and Jiraiya discussed Naruto’s training, and Jiraiya decided not to interrupt Naruto’s growth with Team 7.
• As officials arrived for the Chunin Exams, Shuichi arranged covert surveillance and prepared Konoha’s defenses against a possible attack.
• On the night before his birthday, Shuichi awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan and learned that Ten'yomikami opened spatial gates while Ten'noTsune could invade and control souls and read memories.

Shuichi tested his Mangekyo ability before presiding over Konoha’s Chunin Exams, where Sakura defeated Dosu and Rock Lee fought Gaara as a coordinated invasion began. Orochimaru trapped Shuichi in a barrier and summoned Takeda Kenta, Shuichi’s father, with the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.

• Shuichi tested Ten'yomikami by opening a spatial passage at Hokage Rock, then returned home to sleep beside his wife.
• At the Chunin Exams, Mei Terumi and Rasa arrived as guests, and Sakura defeated Dosu with taijutsu and Water Release.
• Rock Lee opened the Third Gate and began the Reverse Lotus against Gaara, whose unstable behavior drew attention before the invasion started.
• Attackers cast Nirvana Mansion Technique in the arena while enemy forces advanced on Konoha, where the village’s defenders ambushed them.
• A bomb detonated near Shuichi, who escaped to the Heavenly Citadel and found Orochimaru behind the attack, disguised as an Edo Tensei Rasa.
• Orochimaru summoned Takeda Kenta with the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu, and Shuichi recognized the man as his father.

As Sunagakure’s attack began during the Chunin Exams, Kakashi organized the Konoha ninja to protect the spectators and respond to the threat of Gaara’s Tailed Beast. On the Heavenly Citadel, Takeda Shuichi confronted his resurrected father, Takeda Kenta, who unexpectedly freed himself from Impure World Reincarnation before Rasa summoned three more Hokage.

• Baki, Temari, and Kankuro arrived beside Gaara’s sand sphere as the invasion began, and Genma warned Rock Lee that the exams were over and sent him to safety.
• Kakashi judged Gaara to be Sunagakure’s Jinchuriki and sent Team 7 and Neji to support the stands, while Asuma led the other Genin away with the Kirigakure guests.
• Orochimaru’s Impure World Reincarnation brought Takeda Kenta back under his control, and Shuichi revealed that he was Kenta’s son and Konoha’s Fifth Hokage.
• Shuichi fought Kenta while concealing his ability to stop Impure World Reincarnation, and Kenta’s attempted Purple Aurora strike failed against Shuichi’s defense.
• After Shuichi told Kenta about his family, Kenta broke free of Orochimaru’s control and ascended as his revived body crumbled away.
• Rasa used Impure World Reincarnation inside the Four Violet Flames Formation and summoned the First Hokage, the Second Hokage, and the Third Hokage.

Takeda Shuichi let Orochimaru summon the three former Hokage so he could reclaim their souls, then fought them inside the Four Violet Flames Formation. Meanwhile, Shisui and Kakashi confronted Gaara’s transformation at the arena, where Shisui drove the growing Shukaku away from the spectators.

• Orochimaru used Impure World Reincarnation to summon Hashirama Senju, Senju Tobirama, and Sarutobi Hiruzen, who were forced to fight Takeda Shuichi.
• Temari and Kankuro attacked Shiranui Genma, but Gaara began transforming and unleashed a huge monster’s assault.
• Kakashi and Shisui arrived to protect Genma, and Shisui used Susanoo to push the transforming Gaara toward and through the arena wall.
• Shuichi advanced through Hashirama’s Wood Release and blocked the Hokage’s combined attacks before striking back with powerful Wind Release.
• The Hokage’s attacks battered the Four Violet Flames Formation, while Mei Terumi’s Lava Release failed to damage it.

Shuichi overwhelmed the reanimated Hokage while Shisui, Kakashi, and their allies fought to contain Shukaku. Might Guy opened the Seventh Gate and used Day Tiger to destroy Shukaku’s body, leaving Gaara unconscious.

• Shuichi dodged Tobirama’s Flying Thunder God Slash and severed his arm and leg before the First Hokage knocked him away.
• The reanimated Hokage praised Shuichi’s strength, and the First Hokage sensed that he was gathering Natural Energy and had not yet become serious.
• Shisui and Konoha ninja trapped Shukaku in a pit, but Gaara’s False Awakening Technique fully awakened Shukaku’s consciousness.
• Shukaku formed a Tailed Beast Ball, but Kakashi used Kamui to make it disappear, then joined Shisui and Hyuga Hizashi to attack Shukaku.
• Shisui opened a wound in Shukaku’s chest, and Might Guy opened the Seventh Gate and struck the wound with Day Tiger.
• Day Tiger blasted through Shukaku’s body, Gaara fell unconscious, and Shukaku’s body melted into sand as the Monkey Masked Anbu rhymed during the battle.

Shuichi defeated the reanimated Hokage and ended the attack on Konoha, then sensed a disturbance and left the village. He arrived at a waterfall where Orochimaru was waiting with an unconscious boy and called out to Itachi.

• Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi restrained Baki, Temari, and Kankuro while Konoha's ninja fought Shukaku.
• Shuichi used Sage Mode and powerful techniques to break through the Four Violet Flames Formation and disable Rasa and the reanimated Hokage.
• Hashirama Senju broke free of Orochimaru's control and asked Shuichi to seal him, so Shuichi sealed the four Hokage in paper wrappings.
• Shuichi told Elephant to organize the cleanup and vanished after sensing faint Chakra fluctuations to the southeast.
• Orochimaru reached a waterfall carrying an unconscious boy and greeted Itachi, saying no one would disturb them there.

Itachi pursued Orochimaru after Sasuke was abducted and defeated him with Susanoo, the Mangekyō Sharingan, and the Totsuka Blade. He recovered Sasuke and returned with Shuichi to Konoha, where the village continued organizing its response to the attack.

• Orochimaru revealed that he wanted Itachi’s body and attacked him while a snake carried off the unconscious Sasuke.
• Itachi used Susanoo and his Mangekyō Sharingan to overcome Orochimaru’s attacks and trap him in a powerful genjutsu.
• Itachi sealed Orochimaru with the Totsuka Blade, killed the snake carrying Sasuke, and recovered his brother.
• Shuichi arrived, confirmed he could no longer sense Orochimaru, and returned to the village with Itachi and Sasuke.
• At the Chunin Exams arena, Kakashi reported Sasuke’s abduction, and Shuichi told him Orochimaru had been responsible and the matter was resolved.

After the attack on Konoha, Shuichi interrogated captured enemies and pieced together the roles of Sunagakure, Orochimaru, and the Akatsuki Organization. The chapter leaves Sunagakure weakened after surrendering and paying for its prisoners, with no suitable successor to the Kazekage.

• Shuichi used Ten'noTsune to extract and record Baki's memories, then deduced that Sunagakure, Otogakure, and Akatsuki-backed forces had coordinated parts of the attack.
• Shuichi ordered a meeting with Konoha's jonin and advisors to discuss follow-up measures for Sunagakure.
• Pain's Paths killed Hanzo and his family in Amegakure, while Zetsu reported Orochimaru's betrayal and the outcome of the attack on Konoha.
• Sunagakure formally surrendered to Konoha, which held Baki, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, and other surviving shinobi as prisoners until Sunagakure paid a ransom.
• After Kankuro, Temari, and the other prisoners returned, Sunagakure found it had no suitable candidate to become Kazekage, leaving the position vacant.