Chapter Summaries

Shuji discussed village affairs with Tsunade, then guarded Uchiha Enjin while the investigation into stolen Sharingan continued. He told Uchiha Fugaku that Enjin would face no punishment beyond confinement, though the inquiry into Kakashi remained unresolved.

• Tsunade assigned Shuji to handle Uchiha Enjin and discussed tensions with Iwagakure and the next Chunin Exams in Kumogakure.
• Shuji instructed Itachi to keep Enjin isolated until the Hokage issued an official order the following day.
• Shuji visited Uchiha Fugaku and reported that three Uchiha had died fighting hired shinobi, one body was missing, and Sharingan had been stolen from the other two bodies.
• Shuji explained that Enjin had publicly accused Kakashi and was being held at the Hokage Building under Itachi's guard.
• Shuji told Fugaku that the investigation into the stolen eyes and Kakashi's involvement was ongoing, while Enjin would receive no further punishment beyond confinement.

Ōnoki worried about Iwagakure’s future as alliances shifted, while Shuji arranged a new role for Uchiha Enjin and accepted Tsunade’s assignment to lead peace negotiations with Kirigakure. He prepared to travel to the Land of Tea, where the talks could reveal how much control Obito still held over Kirigakure.

• Ōnoki worried about Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki and the joint Chunin Exams, which could leave his village isolated among the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
• Shuji told Uchiha Enjin that the village still suspected him of stealing his comrades’ eyes and temporarily assigned him to Uchiha Itachi’s squad for observation.
• Tsunade sent Kirigakure a diplomatic request for peace talks, and Kirigakure quickly proposed a meeting in the Land of Tea.
• Shuji judged Kirigakure’s choice of meeting place sincere, and Tsunade appointed him to lead Konoha’s delegation with support from the eastern forces.
• Shuji accepted the mission and began preparing to meet Kirigakure’s representatives.

Genji sent Mei Terumi to negotiate peace with Konoha, where Shuji secured Kirigakure’s agreement to hold talks on the basis of a ceasefire. Shuji also learned that Obito had likely lost control of Kirigakure, while the draft treaty still required further discussion and approval.

• Genji chose Mei Terumi to represent Kirigakure in peace talks with Konoha and assigned Ao to provide security.
• Mei Terumi arrived at the meeting site after Ao’s team checked the area and conference tent for danger.
• Shuji pressed Mei Terumi to agree that the negotiations would proceed on the premise of ending the conflict, and she accepted.
• Shuji presented Konoha’s draft peace terms, and Mei Terumi accepted their general principles while requesting revisions on specific provisions.
• Shuji inferred from Mei Terumi’s willingness to negotiate that Obito had likely lost control of Kirigakure.

Danzo regained limited freedom after Tsunade lifted his house arrest, though he was barred from Root and sought new leverage through Orochimaru and extraordinary powers. Meanwhile, Shuji and Mei Terumi reached a preliminary ceasefire consensus, leaving trade and final treaty terms for later negotiations.

• Danzo regained superficial freedom of movement but remained excluded from Root and dissatisfied with his loss of influence.
• Danzo learned that Orochimaru would not return the Sharingan soon and considered the Box of Ultimate Bliss and other extraordinary powers as ways to break his deadlock.
• Mei Terumi proposed restoring trade between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire, but Shuji said trade could resume only after a peace agreement and troop withdrawals.
• Shuji and Mei Terumi concluded their first meeting with a preliminary ceasefire consensus and agreed that Kirigakure would respond to the draft's details.
• Mei Terumi told Shuji that his negotiating approach had taught her something and said Konoha and Kirigakure might have a better future together.

Shuji studied Senju Tobirama’s Wood Release research while Tsunade guided him, and Konoha expanded Hyuga Branch House participation in the Police Force. Tsunade then tasked Kakashi with taking over and investigating Root as a special Anbu unit.

• Kirigakure and Konoha finalized a peace agreement, after which Shuji took leave to study Wood Release research with Tsunade’s guidance.
• The Hokage Office assigned Uchiha Shisui to lead a Police Force detail protecting the Feudal Lord in the Capital of Fire.
• Uchiha Fugaku accepted the mission, and the resulting shortage in the Police Force led to a second Hyuga Branch House squad joining it.
• Tsunade asked Kakashi to manage and reorganize Root as a special Anbu unit under village supervision.
• Kakashi agreed to investigate Danzo’s secret activities and any hidden intelligence, requesting two elite Anbu squads to assist him.
• Tsunade approved Kakashi’s request and said she would assign Advisor Shimura another classified mission.

Tsunade assigned Danzo to review twenty years of village financial records while giving Kakashi responsibility for reorganizing Root. Shuji developed a theory about Wood Release and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, then began experimenting with Tailed Beast chakra in growing trees as the year turned to Konoha's fifty-sixth.

• Tsunade sent Danzo sealed financial records to review and ordered Anbu to keep him isolated until he finished.
• Tsunade formally appointed Kakashi to take charge of Root's takeover and reorganization.
• Shuji reasoned that Wood Release might imitate the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and recorded his theory.
• Shuji used sealed Four-Tails and Five-Tails chakra samples to begin tree-growth experiments at the West Suburbs Old Residence.
• While the other villages recovered or prepared for Kumogakure's Chunin Exams, Shuji noticed fresh buds and realized Konoha's fifty-sixth year had begun.

Shuji returned to the Hokage Office after a month of tree experiments, where Tsunade assigned him to lead Konoha’s team to the Chunin Exams hosted by Kumogakure. He learned the village needed to travel early for discussions about the event’s arrangements and to prepare for potentially strong competitors.

• Shuji’s experiments with Wood Release and local tree species failed to produce a suitable vessel for Tailed Beast chakra.
• Tsunade noticed Shuji had grown taller, teased him, and sent him to read the Chunin Exam candidate list.
• Shuji found Umino Iruka, Uzuki Yugao, and Hayate Gekko among the candidates and asked why experienced shinobi were listed.
• Tsunade explained Kumogakure had promoted the exams to attract spectators and might field unusually strong competitors, so Konoha needed to protect its reputation.
• Tsunade appointed Shuji to lead Konoha’s team to Kumogakure and make decisions about competition arrangements if needed.

Rasa and Ebizo rejected Iwagakure's attempt to turn Sunagakure against Konoha, while Shuji reviewed reports on unrest among Konoha's clans and prepared to leave for Kumogakure. Tsunade assigned Uzuki Yugao and Hayate Gekko to serve under Shuji for the Chunin Exam mission.

• Iwagakure envoy Zhai Zhu urged Rasa and Ebizo to abandon Konoha, but Ebizo rebuked him and Rasa had him escorted away.
• Rasa told Ebizo that Konoha planned to hold a joint Chunin Exam in September, and decided to wait rather than risk further losses by acting rashly.
• Shuji read reports about Uchiha Flame Blade's intelligence gathering, tensions between the Uchiha and Hyuga clans, and the Hyuga compound's increased security ahead of Hiashi's wife's due date.
• Shizune brought Tsunade back to the Hokage Office, and Shuji prepared to leave for Kumogakure after finishing his work.
• Tsunade assigned Uzuki Yugao and Hayate Gekko to serve under Shuji until the Chunin Exam mission ended.

Shuji led Konoha’s team to Kumogakure for the joint Chunin Exams, stopping in Yugakure and meeting Hayate Gekko and Umino Iruka at a hot spring. Meanwhile, Tsunade kept Shimura Danzō under Anbu surveillance by assigning him increasingly extensive reviews, and the chapter ended with Hayate warning Shuji not to reveal his Transparent Release because it could get people killed.

• Shuji arranged Umino Iruka, Hayate Gekko, and Uzuki Yugao into a new team and prepared to search for unusual tree species during the journey.
• Itachi told Shuji that Uchiha Enjin had requested permission to investigate the missing Sharingan again, and Shuji wondered if Enjin sought to repair his reputation.
• Tsunade had Shimura Danzō review old financial records and then assigned him decades of questionable intelligence files while Anbu watched him.
• Shuji led Konoha’s twenty-eight-person delegation to Kumogakure and stopped at the increasingly prosperous Yugakure, where the team stayed at a hot spring inn.
• Shuji asked Hayate Gekko about his Transparent Release, and Hayate warned him that revealing it could get people killed.

Shuji investigated unusual plants and a local legend about a god of death in Yugakure before continuing his journey to Kumogakure, where a blonde kunoichi met his team. Meanwhile, Kakashi reported that Konoha had made little progress uncovering Root’s hidden operations, and Tsunade ordered the investigation to continue.

• Shuji used a Shadow Clone to search Yugakure for unusual plants and heard a shopkeeper mention a local legend about a god associated with death.
• Shuji suspected the legend referred to Jashin, then left Yugakure with Konoha’s ninja and continued toward Kumogakure.
• Shuji’s team rested overnight in the Land of Frost before entering the Land of Lightning, where a blonde kunoichi from Kumogakure waited to receive them.
• Kakashi told Tsunade that Root’s visible assets and personnel had been reorganized, but its hidden spies and secret operations remained difficult to uncover.
• Tsunade learned that the Sealing Squad had not found a way to counter the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal and ordered Shizune to burden Danzo with more documents while Kakashi kept searching for breakthroughs.

Shuji arrived in Kumogakure for the Chunin Exams and learned that the village wanted to cancel the wilderness survival test, leaving Konoha one day to respond. He returned to Konoha’s camp intending to review the proposed rules for hidden traps before deciding.

• Samui escorted Shuji to the Raikage, while Hayate Gekko and Uzuki Yugao watched over Konoha’s genin at their assigned camp.
• Raikage A told Shuji that Kumogakure wanted to retain the written exam but cancel the wilderness survival test, a change already accepted by Yugakure and Shimogakure.
• Shuji asked whether the main event’s procedures and scoring would be adjusted, and Mabui promised to provide Konoha with a detailed document.
• Raikage A gave Shuji one day to deliver Konoha’s response after Shuji requested time to review the proposed rules.
• At the camp, Samui pulled her brother Atsui away after he came to provoke the Konoha ninja, and Shuji gathered them to discuss the exam proposal.

Kumogakure prepared a two-stage Chunin Exam, while Shuji briefed Konoha’s genin and Itachi evaluated Uchiha Enjin’s request to join Anbu field missions. Itachi left Enjin’s home wondering who Enjin had been speaking to.

• Shi and Darui discussed Konoha’s participants with Dodai, who warned them not to underestimate Konoha’s team leader, Shuji.
• Shuji explained Kumogakure’s exam differences to Konoha’s genin, and Kumogakure delivered a schedule featuring team matches followed by individual matches.
• Itachi visited Uchiha Enjin after Tsunade requested another evaluation of Enjin’s application for Anbu field work.
• Itachi told Enjin he would lead a squad when the next batch entered Anbu, and Enjin vowed to reclaim what belonged to the Uchiha.
• After leaving Enjin’s home, Itachi wondered who Enjin had been talking to.

After Konoha’s teams passed Kumogakure’s written examination, Shuji discovered that Darui was competing as a Genin and recognized the danger he posed. Shuji asked the Fourth Raikage to adjust the match schedule so Konoha could avoid facing Darui early, and the Raikage said matchups would be announced before the competition but results would not be manipulated.

• Iruka, Hayate Gekko, and Uzuki Yugao discussed their covert role after all nine of Konoha’s teams passed Kumogakure’s easy written examination.
• Shuji reviewed the roster and found Darui among the competitors, raising concern that Konoha’s team could be outmatched.
• Shuji told Samui that Konoha understood Kumogakure’s goals for the examination and hinted that both villages could benefit from adjustments to the event.
• The Fourth Raikage summoned Shuji and questioned how Konoha had learned about Darui’s strength.
• Shuji proposed minor changes to the match schedule, and the Fourth Raikage said the pairings would be drawn and announced before the competition, with no interference once it began.

Shuji sent a Wood Clone into the mountains while the team competition began, and Konoha's Team Four was drawn against Darui and Shi. In Konoha, Itachi investigated Uchiha Enjin's suspicious behavior, and Tsunade told him to test Enjin after he left the village.

• Shuji left a Wood Clone to slip through the crowds and enter the mountains while he stayed at the venue for the drawing ceremony.
• Darui and Shi's team was matched against Konoha's Team Four, so Shuji turned his attention away from the draw.
• Uchiha Yashiro proposed restricting the Hyuga Branch House members in the Police Force to security and inspections near the village gates, and Uchiha Fugaku approved.
• Itachi noticed Uchiha Enjin had again missed the clan gathering and reviewed his earlier suspicions and failed surveillance efforts.
• Itachi asked Tsunade to review the village barrier detection records, but she noted they might contain false positives during ongoing adjustments.
• Tsunade told Itachi to test Enjin and find out what he intended to do after leaving the village.

Shuji’s Wood Clone discovered a barrier formula in the mountains near Kumogakure, while Konoha Team 9 lost the team final to Kumogakure Team 1. After the match, Darui spoke to Shuji about how much he regretted that Shuji had become a jonin so long ago.

• Shuji’s Wood Clone sensed a barrier formula beneath a moss-covered rock in the mountains and dispelled itself after retreating.
• Darui, Shi, and Jie defeated Hayate Gekko, Uzuki Yugao, and Iruka with coordinated Water and Lightning Release attacks, winning the team final.
• Iruka and the other Konoha genin returned to their quarters with Shuji after he confirmed Team 9 was not seriously injured.
• Darui recalled the Fourth Raikage’s instruction to make Shuji his goal and told Shuji it was a pity he had become a jonin so long ago.

Fugaku accepted the village’s plan to add an Aburame squad to the Police Force, while Enjin grew alarmed about the Uchiha losing influence and pressed Itachi to let him leave on a mission. In Kumogakure, the Raikage reassured Darui that recognizing his jealousy and putting the village first made him stronger.

• Darui realized that the Konoha shinobi had not regarded him as an opponent and left with Atsui.
• Tsunade told Fugaku that the village would add an Aburame squad to the Police Force, and Fugaku agreed to cooperate.
• Enjin worried that the Uchiha’s influence in the Police Force was being eroded and urged Itachi to let him lead a team outside the village.
• Itachi refused to let Enjin choose his own team, but agreed to consider his request if Enjin provided an operational plan and emergency contact method.
• The Raikage told Darui that his jealousy and shaken composure were not failings, and praised him for prioritizing the village.

Shuji encouraged Konoha’s genin to keep preparing for the individual Chunin Exams and sought a training ground in Kumogakure. Samui offered to arrange one if Shuji sparred with Darui, but Shuji insisted the genin be allowed to watch, prompting Samui to seek the Raikage’s approval.

• Shuji found no sign that Kumogakure had increased security after his clone encountered a barrier outside the village.
• Shuji told the discouraged Konoha genin that the team competition’s result did not determine their Chunin qualifications and urged them to train for the individual competition.
• Shuji asked a Kumogakure Chunin to borrow the venue’s training grounds, but the Chunin refused because they were under repair.
• Shuji asked Samui for help obtaining a training ground, and she offered to arrange one if he sparred with Darui.
• Shuji agreed to demonstrate his abilities only if the Konoha genin could watch, so Samui said she needed the Raikage’s permission.

Darui received permission from the Fourth Raikage A to use every technique in his spar against Shuji, while Hiruzen Sarutobi urged Danzō to consider retirement. Konoha’s genin watched the match begin in Kumogakure, where Shuji told Darui he would not attack first and invited him to probe his fighting style.

• The Fourth Raikage A told Darui to use any technique necessary to win and defend Kumogakure’s honor.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Danzō, said Tsunade would no longer make things difficult for him, and urged him to retire; Danzō remained suspicious after Hiruzen left.
• Shuji led Konoha’s genin into Kumogakure to watch the spar at a training ground surrounded by mountain walls.
• Darui waited in the arena as the Fourth Raikage A, Shi, Jie, Samui, and Konoha’s genin watched.
• Shuji told Darui he would not attack first and invited him to use any method to probe his fighting style, startling the Kumogakure observers.

Shuji effortlessly countered Darui’s attacks during their training match, then demonstrated a devastating combination of Water, Wind, and Lightning Release. He stopped the attack before it struck Darui, leaving the stunned shinobi to consider the gap between them as the instruction ended.

• Darui tested Shuji with a sword strike, but Shuji blocked it and stopped Darui’s wrist with overwhelming strength.
• Darui combined Water Release and Lightning Release, but Shuji overpowered the wave with a Water Dragon Bullet and sent it crashing back into him.
• At the Fourth Raikage’s urging, Darui attacked with Black Panther, but Shuji raised a massive Earth Flow Rampart that absorbed the strike.
• Darui asked Shuji to attack, and Shuji combined a Shadow Clone’s Water Release with Wind and Lightning Release to create a vast electrified waterspout.
• Shuji stopped the composite technique before it hit Darui and declared the instruction finished.

After Darui thanked Shuji for giving him a strong opponent to pursue, Uchiha Enjin left Konoha on an official mission and vanished, prompting Tsunade, Kakashi, and Uchiha Itachi to suspect he was contacting the Uchiha radicals outside the village. Enjin then met the masked man Zetsu had introduced as Madara and recognized that the man was not Madara, but saw that he possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Darui thanked Shuji for giving him a strong target to pursue, then left the training ground.
• Uchiha Enjin followed his reported route toward the southeastern Land of Fire while an Anbu squad tracked him, then disappeared in a forest.
• Tsunade, Kakashi, and Uchiha Itachi discussed Enjin's disappearance and suspected he had gone to contact Shisui and the Uchiha squad in the Capital of Fire.
• Tsunade ordered Shisui to watch his squad and told the Anbu to activate Enjin's emergency contact plan.
• Uchiha Enjin met the masked man Zetsu had called Madara, declared that he was not Madara, and saw the man's Mangekyō Sharingan.