Chapter Summaries

With the Joint Shinobi Village Conference less than a week away, Shuji and Kakashi reviewed the attending villages, Otogakure’s application, and Yugakure’s request for help with a dangerous missing-nin. Shuji approved a response to Yugakure and ordered Hidan’s abilities made public, then sent the complaining Anko back to work.

• Shuji visited Kakashi at the busy Joint Affairs Bureau, and they discussed staffing needs and the list of villages attending the conference.
• Kakashi explained that Otogakure, operating under the Fuma Clan, had applied to join the joint system, and Shuji agreed they should be monitored routinely rather than singled out.
• Shuji identified gaps in Yugakure’s information about Hidan, describing his physical immortality and blood-based curse technique.
• Shuji approved Yugakure’s request for assistance, and Kakashi began arranging Anbu personnel and publicity coordination.
• Shuji ordered Hidan’s abilities added to public security notices for the attending villages.
• Anko complained to Shuji about her workload, but after he teased her and told her not to slack off, she returned to the Testing Room.

Baki visited Konoha to check on Gaara and saw him sparring happily with Naruto, while Shuji accompanied him. Sasuke watched Gaara reunite with them, swallowed his questions about his own progress, and returned to training.

• Baki realized Sunagakure had been spared the brunt of the tailed-beast crisis and asked Shuji to take him to see Gaara.
• Shuji led Baki into Konoha and up to a corridor overlooking the Ninja Academy training ground.
• Baki watched Gaara spar with Naruto and was moved to see Gaara acting like a boy with a friend.
• Sasuke spotted Gaara approaching Shuji and Baki, remembered his family conversation, and stopped himself from confronting Shuji.
• Sasuke returned to the wooden post and drove himself through increasingly painful training.

Gaara spoke with Baki and reflected with Shuji on friendship, ambition, and the pressures facing people in Konoha and Sunagakure. Shuji reassured Gaara that he could choose his own path as a future Kazekage and would not become like Rasa.

• Baki asked Gaara how he was adjusting to training, and Gaara calmly told him he was well and needed nothing.
• Gaara told Shuji that Naruto might be better off waiting before joining the Special Training Class so he could focus on what he needed to improve.
• Shuji praised Gaara for considering Naruto’s needs, while Baki watched and felt out of place.
• Baki asked Shuji to take him to see Temari and Kankuro, and Ebisu led him away.
• Gaara asked whether Baki had been worried about him, and Shuji warned that forces targeting tailed beasts made Gaara a target too.
• Gaara wondered whether he would become as anxious as Rasa if he became Kazekage, and Shuji told him Sunagakure had many possible paths and he would find his own.

The Kage connected through Kumogakure’s communications equipment to discuss responding to Akatsuki, and the Fourth Raikage proposed a joint mobile force led by Iwagakure’s Five-Tails Jinchuriki, Han. Shuji questioned whether the Tsuchikage would accept the plan, but A insisted the force would be established even without Iwagakure.

• Kumogakure’s communications equipment arrived in Konoha, and the Fourth Raikage and Yagura joined Tsunade and Shuji on the call.
• A criticized Shuji for withdrawing from mediation and said Konoha’s proposed response plan offered little beyond intelligence sharing.
• Yagura reported that Kirigakure’s waterborne forces were defending waters toward the Land of Snow, while A said Kumogakure’s airships had also begun moving.
• A proposed creating a joint mobile force against Akatsuki, led by Han and based near the border in the Land of Woods.
• Shuji warned that the Tsuchikage would likely reject the proposal, but A declared that the other villages would establish the force regardless.

Shuji and the Kage representatives discussed placing a joint mobile force in the Land of Woods to protect the jinchūriki, while Shuji and Tsunade considered Akatsuki’s possible activity in the Land of Snow. The chapter left Shuji planning to send out a wood clone and asking Tsunade to take over his office work.

• Shuji considered the Land of Woods as the optimal base for a joint mobile force, and A and Yagura agreed that Kirigakure would present the formal proposal at the Five Kage representatives' meeting.
• A said Kumogakure would not interfere with Konoha protecting the other jinchūriki and argued that allowing Han to join the force would not mean stealing Iwagakure's people.
• Tsunade teased Shuji about possible benefits from A and joked about her youthful appearance, while Shuji pointed out that she had called A a brat.
• Shuji and Tsunade discussed recent moves in the Land of Snow and the possibility that Akatsuki was using the upcoming joint meeting to test villages or create a diversion.
• Shuji decided to send a wood clone outside Konoha to show the village's response, then asked Tsunade to handle his office work while he maintained it.

Kakashi briefed Fugaku on unusual movements among wandering ninja near the Land of Earth and assigned Police Force headquarters to coordinate defense with nearby small villages during the joint conference. Fugaku departed to organize the teams, while Jiraiya and Itachi discussed using the Police Force’s strength for external missions.

• Kakashi told Fugaku that wandering ninja near the Land of Earth had begun moving in organized groups, clashing with Iwagakure patrols and disappearing by sea, with possible activity toward the Land of Snow.
• Kakashi explained that Konoha feared the movements might disrupt the joint conference and ordered Police Force headquarters to coordinate directly with the Joint Affairs Bureau.
• Jiraiya was named liaison between the Hokage Office and the bureau, and Fugaku received a list of small villages needing defensive support.
• Fugaku promised to form units within two hours and send advance teams before evening, then left without pausing at Itachi’s desk.
• Jiraiya and Itachi agreed that assigning the Police Force to external defense could use its combat strength and give its personnel another path to earn merit.

Orochimaru took over Oyashiro En’s remaining forces and assets while Shuji’s patrols and Konoha’s preparations shaped the joint conference. After Iwagakure withdrew from a traditional corridor, Shuji planned to use Sunagakure’s intervention to draw Ōnoki into negotiations.

• Orochimaru took Oyashiro En’s kekkei genkai guards and Chino aboard a ship, while White Zetsu questioned his motives.
• Orochimaru explained that Shuji’s patrols were meant to deter Akatsuki and stabilize the joint conference, but they would also unsettle Ōnoki.
• Tsunade told Shuji that Banga had informed Kakashi Iwagakure was abandoning control of a traditional corridor over fears of an Akatsuki ambush.
• Shuji assured Tsunade that Ōnoki was seeking better terms within the joint framework, not planning to break away.
• Shuji told Tsunade to have Kakashi ask Baki to send Sunagakure troops into the area, expecting Ōnoki to seek talks before Sunagakure gained influence there.

On the fourth day of the joint conference, Kakashi prepared to attend another meeting while Itachi delivered the finalized draft agreement to the Hokage Office. Shuji arranged for Takigakure’s Kaede to study safely in Konoha and discussed the village’s future with Shibuki, then confirmed Itachi’s transfer out of the Anbu.

• Kakashi asked Itachi to impersonate him at a preliminary meeting, but Itachi refused, so Kakashi went himself and sent the finalized agreement to the Hokage Office.
• Shibuki thanked Shuji for arranging for Kaede to attend Konoha’s Ninja Academy, with a Takigakure ninja allowed to stay in Konoha to care for and communicate about him.
• Shibuki described Takigakure’s plans to rely on its elite-focused approach, Martial Exhibition participation, and funding, while Shuji offered Konoha’s help developing tourism or training grounds around the Great Waterfall.
• Tsunade teased Shuji for getting distracted while hosting Shibuki, and Shuji explained that his fishing rod had broken when a big fish bit.
• Shuji asked Itachi about his work at the bureau and said his file would be transferred out of the Anbu; Tsunade added that Kakashi had been advocating for him.

Ōnoki explained to Chiyo why Iwagakure had allowed Sunagakure to enter the Land of Stone front and warned that lasting cooperation mattered more than territory. Three days after the joint conference, Iwagakure and Sunagakure separately reported their decisions to Tsunade and Shuji.

• Ōnoki contacted Chiyo to ask about Sunagakure's jinchūriki, but she cut off the call and mocked him when he called again.
• Ōnoki explained that he had yielded the Land of Stone front to test Konoha's stance and investigate ties between Kirigakure and Kumogakure, and said Iwagakure would reclaim its territory if the alliance failed.
• Ōnoki warned Chiyo that Sunagakure could be left without support in a major crisis if it rejected cooperation with Iwagakure.
• Three days after the joint conference, Tsunade and Shuji received Banga and Baki, who had requested meetings at the same time.
• Banga reported that Iwagakure accepted Han as commander of the proposed Joint Rapid Response Mobile Force and the Land of Woods as its base.
• Baki reported that Sunagakure would accept Iwagakure's technical and personnel support for projects in the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.

Fugaku learned that Konoha planned to form permanent elite squads for the Joint Affairs Bureau and offered Uchiha headquarters members priority to join. Shuji left the selection to Fugaku, while suggesting that future Police Force recruits should differ more from the mostly Uchiha staff.

• Fugaku reflected on the end of the Police Force headquarters' joint work with the Bureau and held back from questioning Itachi because his son was working long hours.
• Mikoto told Fugaku that Sasuke had been discouraged, but Fugaku said Sasuke had to bear the pressure of Shuji's expectations; Sasuke later insisted he could manage the Special Training Class.
• Shuji visited the Police Force headquarters, heard Izumi report on her work, and praised the coordination between the Force and the Bureau.
• Shuji told Fugaku that the Bureau's operations would become more standardized and that temporary secondments could not continue.
• Shuji offered Uchiha headquarters elites priority to join the Bureau's direct squad and suggested that future headquarters recruits show more difference from its current Uchiha-heavy staff.

Shuji considered the dispute over funding the Joint Affairs Bureau as the Five Kage’s villages weighed their interests and timing. He went to Kirigakure to speak with its influential decision-makers, but Samui met him outside and hinted that her latest maneuver against a competitor had not produced a decisive result.

• A argued that the proposal to pool Feudal Lord funding should be delayed, while Kumogakure should cover more of the Bureau’s immediate costs.
• Ōnoki used the funding proposal to seek benefits for Iwagakure after Han had been placed in a joint force.
• Banga lobbied for pooled funding in meetings and sought support from Konoha and Kirigakure.
• Shuji headed to Kirigakure’s station to speak with people who influenced Yagura’s decisions.
• Samui met Shuji outside the station, flirted with him, and said her effort to gain an advantage over a competitor had not yet succeeded decisively.

Shuji visited Mei Terumi before she left for the Land of Woods, where he warned her about threats facing Kirigakure and urged her to stay alive. He left without discussing other business, while Mei Terumi watched him go and remembered their unfulfilled promise to visit the Land of Water’s hot springs and delicacies.

• Shuji ate the sweets Mei Terumi had prepared and joked about his failed plans to persuade her during their meeting.
• Mei Terumi told Shuji she would leave the next day with the Joint Rapid Response Team to locate a stronghold in the Land of Woods before returning to Kirigakure.
• Shuji warned Mei Terumi about black-rod attackers, the masked man who controlled the Mizukage, and Hidan, and advised her to protect blood samples from herself and Kirigakure’s elite jōnin.
• Mei Terumi promised to stay alive so she could fulfill her promise to take Shuji to the Land of Water’s hot springs and delicacies.
• Shuji left, and Mei Terumi watched him disappear toward the Joint Affairs Bureau before returning to their tea table.

Shuji began Sage Art training at the Senju residence, asking Karin and Neji to observe how natural energy changed the trainees’ chakra and bodies. After Guy continued practicing while Hiashi and Choza rested, Hiashi told Neji to come to the Main House after the Special Training Class ended.

• Hiashi brought Neji to the old Senju residence and explained that Shuji’s branch had kept its true lineage while other Senju changed their surnames.
• Guy, Choza, Karin, and Shuji arrived, and Shuji led them with Hiashi and Neji into a prepared clearing for Sage Art training.
• Shuji assigned Karin to sense changes in the trainees’ chakra and Neji to observe those changes with his Byakugan.
• Guy, Hiashi, and Choza absorbed natural energy and began to deform, but Shuji’s Wood Release restrained the effects; Hiashi and Choza stopped while Guy continued practicing.
• Shuji ended the first training session and scheduled another for the next day, then Hiashi told Neji to come to the Main House after the Special Training Class.

Fuma Arashi accepted Kakashi’s offer to help Otogakure secure funding from the Land of Rice Fields’ Feudal Lord. Shuji explained to Tsunade that using Otogakure to establish a funding precedent could encourage other small villages to join the joint system.

• Fuma Arashi waited with Fuma Kage in Konoha after receiving a summons from the Joint Affairs Bureau.
• Kakashi told Arashi that Otogakure could apply to the bureau for help coordinating basic financial support from the Land of Rice Fields’ Feudal Lord.
• Arashi accepted the offer and thanked Kakashi for his consideration.
• Shuji told Tsunade that Guy, Choza, and Hyuga Hiashi had made differing progress in Sage Art training, and that he would begin training Hyuga Neji the following week.
• Shuji explained that supporting Otogakure could set a precedent that would encourage other small villages to seek funding through the joint system.

Neji learned that his Sage Art training and examinations were part of a wider effort tied to his Hyuga heritage, while Kabuto urged him to focus on gaining the strength to escape the Branch House’s constraints. Meanwhile, Kabuto warned Shuji that the growing Mother Tree needed more nourishment and could become uncontrollable, prompting Shuji to consider becoming its jinchuriki.

• Neji sparred with Hyuga Hiashi and tried to learn the parts of Gentle Fist—Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms that were hidden from the Branch House.
• After Neji’s examination, Kabuto told him that Karin was only doing sensory training and explained that the Hyuga Main House’s Caged Bird also trapped its members through outside threats.
• Kabuto told Neji that Shuji could help open the cage once Neji had grown strong enough, then reported that Neji’s first Sage Art adaptability results showed no injuries.
• Kabuto reported that the Four-Tails chakra had fused stably with the One-Tail chakra in the Mother Tree, but warned that the tree needed more nourishment and might grow uncontrollably if it absorbed natural energy.
• Shuji considered changing eyes, and Kabuto proposed completing the tailed-beast chakra harmonization within the Mother Tree so Shuji could become its jinchuriki.

As the end-of-term tests approached, Naruto realized that Gaara might eventually return to Sunagakure and worried that they could become enemies. Tsunade urged him to strengthen their friendship through his own actions, and Naruto ran back toward the Ninja Academy.

• Iruka announced the end-of-term tests, and Naruto declared that he would surpass Shikamaru and Sasuke.
• Naruto learned that Omoi and Karui had to remain in Konoha for the Special Training Class, then wondered whether Gaara would also return to Sunagakure someday.
• Shikamaru warned Naruto that Sunagakure and Konoha could become enemies again, and Choji argued with him over what he had said.
• Naruto asked Tsunade whether Sunagakure would become Konoha's enemy, and she told him to cherish his friendship with Gaara and create possibilities through his own actions.
• Naruto ran toward the Ninja Academy, while Tsunade dragged Shuji into the Hokage Building to make him work overtime.

Konoha expanded its cooperation with the other villages by proposing a shared database and a formal program for wandering shinobi. Yamato delivered intelligence files to the Joint Affairs Bureau and agreed to help oversee construction of its new building after Kakashi appealed to him.

• Iwagakure continued pushing for pooled aid funding, while Kumogakure focused on challenges from the Land of Snow and its clashes with wandering shinobi and missing-nin.
• Shuji told Yamato to sort registered wandering shinobi and missing-nin intelligence for the Joint Affairs Bureau and scout locations for a larger bureau building.
• Three days later, Yamato delivered the intelligence backups to the bureau, where Itachi checked the inventory and issued a receipt.
• Yamato found Kakashi overwhelmed by paperwork and learned that Konoha planned a cross-village intelligence database and identification for rule-following wandering shinobi.
• Kakashi persuaded Yamato to help oversee construction of the bureau's new building, and Yamato agreed.

Nagato learned that Konoha was allowing Akatsuki intelligence to reach him and believed his pursuit of the tailed beasts was pushing the nations toward unity. In Konoha, Might Guy practiced controlling natural energy with help from the Living Slug, then tried to recruit Neji into his training by offering him a green bodysuit.

• Konan reported Konoha's recent efforts to Nagato, who concluded that Jiraiya wanted him to see what Konoha was building.
• Nagato said Akatsuki's pursuit of the tailed beasts was forcing the nations to overcome their prejudices and seek a way forward.
• Might Guy arrived exhausted for natural-energy training, and the Living Slug helped him control the energy swelling his muscles.
• Neji questioned whether extreme fatigue was necessary, and Guy insisted that training meant finding and following one's own rules.
• Guy offered Neji a green bodysuit, while Shuji confirmed that its quality was good.

Guy gave Neji a green outfit during training, while Karin struggled to forget the image of Shuji wearing one. At lunch, Karin, Ino, Sakura, and Shion discussed their futures as graduation and specialized training approached, and Sakura decided to pursue medical ninjutsu.

• Guy pushed the green outfit into Neji’s arms, and Hiashi redirected them to resume training.
• Shuji ended the morning session after an hour, and Karin hurried to the Academy while trying to clear the image from her mind.
• At lunch, Karin, Ino, Sakura, and Shion discussed their training, impending graduation, and the specialized classes that might precede team assignments.
• Karin said excellent squads would need medical ninjas, prompting Ino to consider hospital training as a way to improve her chances of teaming with Sasuke.
• Sakura decided to study at the hospital and become a medical ninja, and Ino agreed to go with her.

Shuji spoke with Samui about the Special Training Class and signed a document as she shifted toward official duties and cross-village cooperation. Neji confronted Hiashi in training, learned the truth about Hizashi’s sacrifice, and watched Hiashi kneel to apologize.

• Shuji visited Samui, who said Kumogakure’s poor standing in the Special Training Class had displeased the Raikage and that her instruction would shift toward official duties and cross-village cooperation.
• Neji ignored Hinata and trained with Hiashi, demonstrating the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms he had pieced together while Hiashi corrected his technique.
• Neji attacked Hiashi with killing intent, then waited for the Caged Bird Cursed Seal’s punishment, but it did not come.
• Hiashi told Neji to take leave from the Special Training Class and offered to train him in Senbon Kumite.
• Hiashi gave Neji a scroll explaining Hizashi’s choice to die in his place, then performed dogeza and apologized to Neji.