Chapter Summaries

Iruka accompanied Naruto and the others to Naruto’s new home, where he realized Minato was Naruto’s father. Minato then presented a proposed international badge system with absurdly elaborate titles, leaving Shikamaru, Iruka, Temari, and Kankuro poised to oppose it.

• Iruka led Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, the Sunagakure siblings, and Kaede through the Commercial District to buy snacks and gifts for Naruto’s family.
• Minato greeted the group at Naruto’s home, and Iruka realized that Minato was Naruto’s father rather than a village-appointed guardian.
• Shuji teased Iruka about the gifts while Minato invited the children and adults inside to share their snacks.
• Minato revealed a proposed system of elaborate skill badges intended to inform ninja promotions and be awarded through an international Chunin Professional Skills Exam.
• Shuji explained that the badges would be open to ninja from all member villages, prompting Temari, Kankuro, Shikamaru, and Iruka to recognize their chance to oppose the plan.

Shuji steered a debate over the names of promotion Badges into a plan to gather opinions across the village, while Iruka promised to rally support. Naruto, worried that he was falling behind his rivals, agreed to help promote the Badges after Minato offered to teach him a powerful ninjutsu.

• Shuji and Minato debated the proposed Badge titles with Shikamaru, Iruka, and the others, and Shuji turned the close vote into a plan for Shikamaru and Iruka to gather opinions at the Ninja Academy.
• Shuji assigned Naruto and Kaede to win support for the distinctive titles, while Iruka promised Shikamaru he would consult other Chunin teachers and students.
• Iruka visited Mizuki to discuss the promotion reforms and mentioned that Aoi Rokushō had described job opportunities in the Education Division of the Joint Affairs Bureau.
• Naruto told Minato that Sasuke, Neji, and Gaara seemed stronger than him, and Minato promised to teach him a powerful ninjutsu if he helped promote the Badges.

Tenten reconsidered her ambitions after discovering how difficult and expensive specialized talent evaluations were, while Naruto and Kaede campaigned for the Long Name Badge. Aoi Rokushō backed them despite Iruka explaining the badge’s significance, and the two chunin agreed to compete for support.

• Tenten decided to apply for early graduation rather than spend one hundred thousand ryo on a jonin’s specialized evaluation.
• Tenten spoke with Sai, who praised her work ethic in a way that irritated her, before Naruto and Kaede entered to promote the Long Name Badge.
• Kaede and Naruto gathered support from students, and Rock Lee enthusiastically agreed while Neji observed the campaign.
• Aoi Rokushō publicly endorsed Naruto and Kaede, prompting Iruka and another chunin to warn him that the badge affected future ninja promotions.
• Iruka explained the badge’s function to Aoi, who kept his promise to support the students and agreed to meet Iruka’s chunin friend.
• Iruka and Aoi wagered that evening’s drinks on which side would win the badge dispute.

Naruto and Kaede’s campaign for a longer Chunin badge name gained momentum after Shuji’s preference became known, while Sasuke and Shikamaru tried to keep the debate focused on practical consequences. Sasuke joined the opposition openly, and he and Naruto ended the chapter ready to compete over the outcome.

• Kaede and Naruto brought in many signatures after announcing that Teacher Midori and Shuji supported their proposed badge name.
• Sasuke challenged the proposal, but Iruka revealed that Shuji had only expressed a personal preference, prompting Karin to sign and strengthening Naruto and Kaede’s support.
• Shikamaru asked Iruka to clarify the badge’s practical impact with the other Chunin teachers and urged Sasuke to persuade classmates through reasoned arguments.
• Sasuke told Sakura and Ino to judge the proposal for themselves and ended his request for Sakura to observe Aoi Rokushō.
• Sasuke announced that he would explain his position to the other students, and Naruto accepted his challenge to see who would win.

Iruka faced questions from his fellow teachers about how Badges would affect promotions, but Shuji gave no answers when Iruka brought their concerns to him. Shuji instead focused on decorating his new office and began meeting students, leaving Iruka to manage the queue and wonder how he would report back to his colleagues.

• Iruka returned to the teachers' office, where his colleagues questioned him about Badge requirements, promotion standards, and the effect of professional examinations on academy teachers.
• The teachers asked Iruka to pass their concerns to Shuji, while Ebisu announced that he was compiling a list of students who wanted to meet Shuji at noon.
• Ebisu warned Shuji that students were discussing the new titles, and Shuji wondered aloud whether the Ninja Academy's school years should be extended.
• Iruka brought the teachers' questions to Shuji, who asked him to help decorate the office and then organize the students waiting to see him.
• Iruka arranged the student visits and reassured Tenten as she nervously entered Shuji's office.

Tenten asked Shuji how she could become an outstanding ninja and find a path suited to her, and his advice helped her see options beyond matching her classmates in combat. Meanwhile, Sasuke agreed to investigate Aoi Rokushō’s concerns through the Director’s Office in exchange for answers to his own questions.

• Tenten struggled to choose what to ask Shuji, then asked how to become an outstanding female ninja like Tsunade and what direction suited her.
• Shuji challenged Tenten’s ideas about excellence and explained that she could help others through medicine, ninja-tool research, or a particular talent such as space-time ninjutsu.
• Tenten thanked Shuji and left considering ninja-tool research and space-time ninjutsu, while Iruka worried that Shuji had given her a hard time.
• Naruto and Kaede told Shuji their signature campaign had gained support, and Shuji noticed Aoi Rokushō among the students.
• Sasuke took Aoi aside and proposed raising his doubts about Aoi through the Director’s Office while also submitting Aoi’s concerns for investigation.
• Aoi accepted Sasuke’s proposal and said he would follow Sasuke’s instructions.

Sasuke learned that Aoi Rokushō feared being killed amid political maneuvering over control of the Bureau of Affairs, and warned him not to overreach. Shuji and Minato discussed staffing, policy questions, a visit from the Kaguya Clan, and the growing dispute over who would lead the Bureau.

• Aoi Rokushō explained to Sasuke that Konoha's influence in the Bureau of Affairs had made him a target, and that he sought promotion and allies for protection.
• Sasuke promised to keep his word, questioned whether Aoi had approached Naruto and Kaede for the same reasons, and warned him not to take things too far.
• Shuji asked Iruka whether he would consider leading a school outside the village, but Iruka insisted he needed more teaching experience.
• Fugaku asked Minato to rotate Police Force personnel with Bureau of Affairs squads, but Minato refused to treat the Bureau as directly subordinate to the village.
• Shuji and Minato reviewed questions about the promotion system and discussed the Kaguya Clan's request to visit the Hyuga Clan.
• Minato warned that the Bureau's director would become a point of contention, and Shuji said the issue would ease once the Bureau had enough departments and shinobi under its authority.

Sasuke finished his report on Aoi Rokushō and received a new task from Senju Tobirama: find out what kind of person Shuji was. Meanwhile, Neji learned that Prince Kaguya Yoichi would visit the Hyuga, whose clan history with the dwindling Kaguya family was shadowed by an unexplained curse.

• Uchiha Fugaku's clansmen pressed him over the Bureau of Affairs inquiry, and Sasuke heard their concerns about losing influence and personnel.
• Sasuke completed his report on Aoi Rokushō, explaining to Senju Tobirama that his judgment had been clouded by disgust and that he had avoided involving Sakura and Ino as bargaining chips.
• Senju Tobirama asked Sasuke to investigate Shuji and mentioned a former trusted subordinate who had nearly ended his life as a traitor.
• Neji returned to the Hyuga compound and learned from Hyuga Hiashi that Prince Kaguya Yoichi would attend the clan's reception the next day.
• Hiashi explained that the Kaguya were reduced to a handful of people, relied on inherited ninja tools for their military strength, and might be nearing extinction.
• Neji and Hiashi discussed the possibility of a marriage alliance with the Kaguya's sole boy, but Hiashi said their clan's ancient curse could not be resolved that way.

Naruto and Kaede lost support for their proposed badge system at the Ninja Academy, but Shuji announced that the proposal and its name could still be revised. Sasuke confronted Shuji about spreading gossip about him, and later Kankuro spotted an unusually advanced puppet accompanying the Kaguya Clan.

• Minato accepted that Naruto would lose the vote after classmates withdrew their signatures, while Shuji explained that the dispute centered on the badge threshold rather than the system itself.
• Shuji announced that the village would respect the students' opinions and solicit a revised proposal, prompting Gaara and Temari to tell Naruto that the name and details could still be discussed.
• Naruto declared that he would win support for his father's proposed name, while Sasuke urged him to come up with an idea first.
• Sasuke followed Shuji to the school gate and asked him to stop using Sasuke as conversation material, but Shuji jokingly demanded gossip about someone else in exchange.
• Kankuro returned to the West Suburbs Old Residence and told Shuji he had seen puppets with no visible chakra strings guarding a carriage accompanied by the Hyuga Clan.

Shuji investigated a visiting Kaguya Clan party and concluded they were almost certainly Otsutsuki from the moon. He questioned Hyuga Neji about the visit and began probing what the Hyuga Clan knew about the Kaguya name.

• Shuji asked Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara to describe the covered figures and learned that the visitor had stayed in his carriage and left with the Hyuga Clan.
• Shuji ordered Yamato to gather intelligence on the Kaguya Clan and determine whether the visitors were still in the Stadium District.
• Shuji considered whether the Kaguya Clan was a ground-dwelling alias for the lunar Otsutsuki and concluded that the clan might have abandoned its ancestral mission.
• Neji told Shuji that Kaguya Yoichi had long blue-white hair, appeared peaceful, and had spoken with Hiashi about ordinary matters before inviting him to visit.
• Shuji ordered the Hyuga compound's guard detail rearranged and asked Neji what else the Hyuga Clan knew about the surname Kaguya.

Hiashi hosted Kaguya Yoichi for a courtesy visit, while Yoichi and the boy accompanying him briefly discussed Neji and the noisy surroundings. After the Kaguya departed, Shuji revealed his interest in Yoichi’s remaining lifespan and asked Hiashi to help monitor the clan’s movements.

• Hiashi explained why he had arranged for Yoichi to stay at an inn instead of hosting him at home, and Yoichi accepted the courtesy visit.
• Yoichi asked about Neji, and Hiashi described his nephew’s talent before Yoichi warned that talent could lead to loneliness.
• After Hiashi left, the boy told Yoichi that he had seen her as before and that the place was too noisy, so they prepared to return.
• Hiashi noticed that the Stadium District patrol routes had changed and went to the branch building, where Shuji asked how much longer Yoichi could live.
• Shuji ordered that the Kaguya be allowed to leave and told Hiashi to preserve the Hyuga and Kaguya’s long-standing friendship.
• Shuji asked Hiashi to help pay attention to the Kaguya’s movements, and Hiashi agreed.

Shuji ran into Sasuke, Itachi, and Kakashi in the Stadium District, then left them to dinner, where Sasuke questioned Kakashi and Itachi about Shimura Danzō and the Uchiha clan’s place in Konoha. Sasuke left with more questions about trust and Shuji’s influence, while Itachi warned that Shuji was difficult to oppose.

• Shuji invited Sasuke, Itachi, and Kakashi to eat, teased Sasuke with Itachi, and left for a ramen stall.
• Sasuke took Itachi and Kakashi to a restaurant and asked what Shimura Danzō had done.
• Kakashi said Danzō had sought power, acted against Konoha’s interests, and was killed by Shuji and Itachi after the Fifth Hokage took office.
• Itachi told Sasuke that Danzō viewed the Uchiha clan as an unstable factor, prompting Sasuke to question why the clan was not trusted.
• Itachi said power, loyalty, ability, and eloquence could earn only partial trust, while Kakashi focused on finishing the meal.
• On the way back, Itachi told Sasuke that Shuji was hard to oppose and might only restrain himself around someone with enough influence.

Minato reviewed the Kaguya Clan intelligence and the proposed Badge System promotion threshold before Shuji met Wasabi Jirocho, who reported suspicious trade activity involving Gato and islands in the Land of Tea. Shuji and Minato decided to investigate cautiously, recognizing the mission could bring them into conflict with overseas forces.

• Minato read Shuji's assessment that Konoha should observe the Kaguya Clan cautiously and considered requiring five badges for promotion through the new system.
• Shuji agreed to meet Wasabi Jirocho after Minato explained that an outside envoy had requested an audience with him or Tsunade.
• Jirocho told Shuji that Gato was monopolizing trade to Naqi Island and Great Whirlpool Island, and that the Bureau had failed to respond to the Wasabi family's investigation request for a month and a half.
• Jirocho reported a rumor that Gato had promised the Feudal Lord he could persuade the black-robed Akatsuki not to send anyone to the area.
• Shuji asked Jirocho to stay in Konoha while he passed the matter to the Bureau, and Minato suggested sending an escort team to investigate with two teams in support.
• Shuji warned that the operation might be exactly what whoever was orchestrating the events wanted.

Naruto gathered support for a revised class badge, and Sasuke signed in exchange for an explanation of a rumor about himself. The rumor turned out to have come from Naruto, while Sasuke's embarrassment unexpectedly awakened a second Tomoe in each Sharingan.

• Naruto explained why he kept seeking signatures, and Sasuke signed the revised badge form while demanding to know what Shuji had said about him.
• Naruto told Sasuke that Shuji had said he often had periods, prompting Sasuke to confront Naruto, the witnesses, and Iruka.
• Shuji explained that Naruto had made the claim himself two years earlier, and Naruto gradually remembered the riverside conversation.
• Karin, Sakura, and Ino joined the students in chasing Naruto after he admitted the misunderstanding was his fault.
• Shuji thanked Sasuke for the interesting incident, and Sasuke's Sharingan developed a second Tomoe in each eye as he resolved to get even.

Naruto persuaded Aoi Rokushō to let him join the Joint Affairs Bureau and promote the badge names among other villages, while Aoi prepared to return despite the danger he faced. At the bureau, Kakashi rejected pressure from the Feudal Lord Liaison Office over a commission involving the Land of Tea, and the representative proposed funding the incorporation of Kusagakure and Yugakure forces.

• Naruto hid from classmates chasing his Shadow Clone, then met Aoi Rokushō, who warned him that Konoha's signatures alone could not secure approval of the badge names across villages.
• Aoi explained that he planned to return to the Joint Affairs Bureau despite the risk, and Naruto insisted on going with him to help protect him and promote the proposal.
• Naruto and Aoi led the team to the bureau, where they learned an emergency meeting with representatives from every village was already underway.
• The Feudal Lord Liaison Office representative criticized the bureau's response to threats near the Land of Tea, while Baki, Banga, and other village representatives described their limited forces.
• Kakashi defended the bureau's commission procedures and said its sole standard was whether a commission served the development of the nations and ninja world.
• The Feudal Lord Liaison Office representative proposed incorporating Kusagakure and Yugakure forces into the bureau and offered additional funding.

During a recess at the Joint Affairs Bureau, Naruto persuaded Sasuke to accompany him while he tried to promote badge names, and the two toured the building together. Later, Shuji, Kakashi, and Itachi reviewed the meeting’s results, including a passed proposal to recruit shinobi from allied villages, while Kakashi’s hoped-for assignment to the Land of Tea was refused.

• Kakashi called a recess on the funding request until the representatives in the middle section had approved it, then left the Main Conference Room.
• Itachi asked Aoi Rokushō to bring the interns for a progress report and told Naruto to wait for Sasuke, saying his younger brother cared about him.
• Naruto waited for Sasuke and followed him upstairs, insisting Itachi had told Sasuke to help him promote badge names.
• Sasuke and Naruto reached Kakashi’s office, then left to look for people who could make decisions about Naruto’s proposal.
• Shuji, Kakashi, and Itachi discussed Karin’s Keyword Map, confirmed that complaints about patrol squads had concealed contact with the ninja villages, and noted that allied-village shinobi would join the Bureau’s direct ranks.
• Kakashi asked whether he could handle the Land of Tea matter, but Shuji refused.

Shuji and Kakashi set the Joint Affairs Bureau’s response to the Land of Tea’s dispute and discussed new restrictions on ninja missions. Meanwhile, Orochimaru learned more about Black Zetsu’s goal and agreed to work with him, then prepared to leave his laboratory to investigate.

• Shuji ordered Itachi to warn the Feudal Lord Liaison Office that the Joint Affairs Bureau would intervene if the Land of Tea’s daimyo failed to resolve the merchant’s issue by the deadline.
• Shuji argued that the daimyo Coordination Committee should discuss mission rules and limits on espionage, infiltration, genjutsu, and Transformation Technique commissions.
• Nagato focused on governing the Land of the Moon and its surrounding islands, while the other Akatsuki members pursued their own projects.
• Orochimaru questioned Black Zetsu about the being he called his true master and learned that the tailed beasts were her chakra and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was her vessel.
• Orochimaru agreed to consider a partnership with Black Zetsu and ordered him to cover matters in the laboratory while he went out.

Naruto struggled to recruit support for the Avengers program at the Joint Affairs Bureau before he encountered Jiraiya and learned that he and Sasuke were planning revenge on Shuji. Naruto joined them, and the three began sharing intelligence about Shuji at a hot spring.

• Naruto received little support for his Avengers program, while Sasuke warned him that returning to the Bureau would not change people's minds.
• Naruto found Jiraiya exhausted and angry about being forced to work, and Sasuke learned that Jiraiya wanted revenge on Shuji.
• Sasuke revealed his Sharingan and agreed to help Jiraiya, then persuaded Naruto to join by offering help with Bureau recruitment and a chance to learn more about Shuji.
• Jiraiya took Naruto and Sasuke to a hot spring, which he said was a safe place to discuss their plan against Shuji.
• Naruto shared what he knew about Shuji's monthly dinners and meetings with older women, but Sasuke and Jiraiya dismissed most of the information as useless.
• Jiraiya concluded that they needed to identify Shuji's remaining weakness and unite their strength to defeat him.

Shuji caught Naruto and Sasuke on their way home and made Sasuke admit he had been scared, then left with Minato’s message that the Second Hokage wanted him. At the Underground Laboratory, Tobirama outlined a plan to awaken dormant ocular abilities, with Tsunade chosen to undergo the first training.

• Naruto and Sasuke walked home from the Stadium District while discussing their plans, and Minato appeared beneath a streetlamp.
• Minato revealed that Shuji had been following the boys; Shuji teased Sasuke until he admitted he had been scared and asked him not to tell his brother.
• Minato told Shuji that the Second Hokage wanted him, so Shuji left Naruto and Sasuke in Minato’s care.
• At the Underground Laboratory, Tobirama explained that generations of chakra habits may have suppressed ocular abilities in the Senju and some Hyuga descendants.
• Tobirama proposed using White Zetsu cells, Byakugan structures, and Hyuga training methods to attempt awakening ocular power, and selected Tsunade to begin.
• Tsunade dragged Shuji out of the laboratory after they traded insults, leaving Tobirama and Kabuto behind.

Sasuke learned from Fugaku that Shuji belonged to the Senju, who had disbanded their clan before Shuji gathered its branch families again, and Fugaku urged Sasuke to seize the Uchiha’s chance to gain influence. Meanwhile, Shuji discussed the unrest in the Land of Tea with Wasabi Jirocho, who described the growing overseas trade opportunities and the Joint Affairs Bureau’s effects, leaving Shuji to acknowledge that future conflicts would concern those able to become ninja and those who could not.

• Tsunade forced Shuji out of the Hokage’s office, and Shuji joked that her gambling reputation would suffer if people learned about her Byakugan.
• Sasuke asked Fugaku about the West Suburbs gatherings, and Fugaku revealed that Shuji and Tsunade were Senju and that Shuji had reunited the Senju branch families after the clan disbanded.
• Fugaku told Sasuke that the Uchiha were closer than ever to gaining a position of power and urged him not to waste the opportunity.
• Shuji told Jirocho that the Joint Affairs Bureau had begun acting on the Land of Tea matter, and Jirocho explained how relaxed port inspections and rumors of profitable overseas trade had encouraged merchants to consider leaving.
• Shuji discussed the Bureau’s work, ninja schools, and future overseas settlements with Jirocho, saying the future conflict would be between people who could become ninja and those who could not.