Chapter Summaries

Might Guy explained the dangers and stages of the Eight Gates to Neji and Rock Lee, who chose to learn the technique despite its risks. As they began trying to open the Space Gate, Neji unleashed a sudden surge of chakra that was suppressed by a mysterious force.

• Tenten declined to learn the Eight Gates because she lacked time to train her body, while Neji and Rock Lee agreed to study it.
• Might Guy described the Eight Gates and the fatal risks of opening the Gate of Death, which his father Might Duy had used to defeat four of the Mist Ninja's Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Might Guy instructed Neji and Rock Lee to sit and search for the Space Gate, warning Tenten to keep her distance if they lost control.
• Might Guy said either student might open the Space Gate first, noting Rock Lee's training and Neji's strength and familiarity with the meridians.
• Neji's chakra surged with a faint dragon's roar and tiger's howl, then was abruptly suppressed by an unknown force.

Neji successfully opened the First Gate and controlled its power, then revealed that his tattoos could help suppress its violent Chakra. Might Guy rushed off to report the discovery to the Third Hokage, while Tenten continued touching Neji’s exposed tattoos.

• Neji opened the First Gate and found that Nen Flow and his Dragon and Tiger tattoos suppressed much of its violent Chakra.
• Neji demonstrated precise control of his strength, impressing Tenten and Might Guy with a kick that cut into a training post.
• Neji explained that his medical skills let him control Chakra and heal himself, prompting Might Guy to consider combining Medical Ninjutsu with the Eight Gates.
• Neji showed Might Guy and Tenten his tattoos and said they helped control rampaging Chakra and direct it toward healing.
• Might Guy hurried off to report the discovery to the Third Hokage, leaving Rock Lee still struggling to open a Gate.
• Neji asked Tenten if she had touched enough after realizing she was feeling his exposed tattoos.

Rock Lee opened the First Gate but could not close it, so Neji fought him to help him control the surge of power. Meanwhile, Might Guy told the Third Hokage about Neji’s tattoo and Medical Ninjutsu, and the Hokage ordered him to bring Neji in for questioning.

• Rock Lee broke through the First Gate, unleashing a torrent of Chakra that he struggled to control.
• Neji told Rock Lee to stay calm and try to close the gate, but Rock Lee could not close it.
• Neji took a Gentle Fist stance and sparred with Rock Lee while Tenten watched from a safe distance.
• Rock Lee gradually gained control of his strength and charged Neji, who dodged his attacks with small movements.
• Might Guy reported Neji’s tattoo and Medical Ninjutsu to the Third Hokage, who ordered him to bring Neji to the Hokage Office.

Rock Lee lost control after opening the First Gate and was badly injured when Neji ended their spar, though Neji healed him and brought him to Konoha Hospital. Might Guy then took Neji to meet the Third Hokage, while Neji prepared to discuss his tattoo and seek sealing techniques and the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

• Rock Lee gained better control of his strength during his fight with Neji, and Might Guy returned to find Lee unable to close the First Gate.
• Neji opened the First Gate and used Flash Step, Shave, and Gale Combo to knock Lee unconscious before healing his torn muscles and cracked bones.
• Might Guy, Neji, and Tenten took Lee to Konoha Hospital, where Tenten agreed to watch over him.
• Might Guy took Neji to meet the Third Hokage, and Neji planned to explain his tattoo and request access to Sealing Jutsu and the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Neji demonstrated how his Dragon and Tiger tattoos controlled some of the Chakra released by the Eight Gates, prompting the Third Hokage to investigate whether the method could help others. The Hokage learned Neji had used Medical Ninjutsu himself and became interested in Neji’s claim that stimulating certain Chakra acupoints could also heal the body.

• Might Guy brought Neji to the Hokage Office, where the Third Hokage recalled Hizashi and praised Neji’s abilities.
• The Third Hokage asked Neji to demonstrate healing while in the Eight Gates state, and Neji used the Healing Technique.
• Neji revealed his Dragon and Tiger tattoos and explained that they accidentally controlled some Chakra by connecting Chakra acupoints.
• Neji said the tattoos might work for others but would require study and Sealing Jutsu experiments to verify.
• Neji clarified that the tattoos only controlled Chakra and that he had performed the Healing Technique himself.
• Neji told the Third Hokage that stimulating certain Chakra acupoints could activate cells and heal the body, making the Hokage eager to learn more.

Neji secured secret access to Konoha’s Sealing Jutsu archives and medical materials to research a way to help Rock Lee, with a year and a half to complete the work. After the Third Hokage assigned Team 3 an S-rank mission, Neji and Tenten left Rock Lee in Might Guy’s care, and Tenten blushed after Neji comforted her.

• Neji told the Third Hokage his research would take at least a year and a half, and the Hokage granted him limited, secret access to Konoha’s Sealing Jutsu archives and Tsunade’s medical materials.
• Neji said he would use Rock Lee in the experiments, and the Third Hokage assigned Team 3 a secret S-rank mission lasting a year and a half.
• Neji asked Might Guy to teach him the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and Might Guy agreed to meet him at the hospital in two days.
• Might Guy and Neji visited Rock Lee, who remained unconscious after releasing the Space Gate, and Might Guy told Tenten and Neji the mission would be suspended while Lee recovered.
• Tenten hugged Neji excitedly when she learned of the S-rank mission, then left the hospital with him after Might Guy agreed to look after Rock Lee.
• Tenten asked Neji about his plans, and he touched her face to comfort her before leaving; Tenten blushed as she watched him go.

Neji studied Sealing Jutsu and planned to use tattoos on Uchiha Izumi’s acupoints to improve her agility and recovery. He asked Izumi to cultivate the Eight Gates first, leaving her to choose a tattoo design once she succeeded.

• Neji used Shadow Clones to study Sealing Jutsu, then dispelled them and reviewed his plans for combining sealing and medical techniques.
• Neji watched Uchiha Izumi finish training and praised her improved strength.
• Izumi declined Neji’s offer to spar, recalling how badly their fights left her hurt.
• Neji told Izumi to cultivate the Eight Gates and explained that tattoos would cover acupoints across her body.
• Izumi asked to choose her tattoo design after mastering the Eight Gates, and Neji agreed.

Neji completed the Healing Tattoo, a Sealing Jutsu that could improve Chakra control, heal injuries, and preserve youth. He applied it to Izumi, whose new lavender tattoo remained visible near her collarbone.

• Neji finalized the tattoo’s healing and youth-preserving functions and named it the Healing Tattoo.
• Neji found Izumi training and prepared to apply the tattoo after she bathed and changed.
• Izumi chose a purple lavender design, and Neji inscribed the Sealing Jutsu across her upper body.
• The completed tattoo healed Izumi’s Eight Gates muscle damage, then faded until only its core lavender cluster remained on her chest and shoulder.

Neji helped Izumi activate the Healing Tattoo and test it with the Eight Gates' First Gate, then sparred with her in the Training Room. Izumi caught Neji distracted and claimed the first round.

• Neji told Izumi to try using the Healing Tattoo herself, then went to bathe while she tested its healing effects.
• After checking Izumi's condition, Neji encouraged her to open the First Gate and activate the Healing Tattoo.
• Izumi tested her strength on a target and broke it apart with a high kick.
• Neji and Izumi opened the First Gate and fought across the Training Room, where Izumi's Tempest Kick scarred the floor of Island Cloud.
• Neji became distracted while considering the Six Powers, and Izumi slipped up beside him and declared that she had taken the first round.

Neji and Izumi continued their spar, with Neji testing several new Nen techniques against her. He defeated Izumi with a charged Nen Cannon and began healing her afterward.

• Neji used Backstep to evade Izumi, who activated her Three Tomoe Sharingan and pursued him with greater speed.
• Neji blocked Izumi's attacks with a Nen Barrier, which she shattered using her Six Powers techniques.
• Neji tricked Izumi with a Phantom Explosion clone, then attacked with Thunder Stomp.
• Neji summoned three Nen orbs that kept Izumi at bay and fired a Charged Nen Cannon that defeated her.
• Neji used the Green Healing Technique on Izumi and told her he had limited the cannon's power enough to defeat her.

Neji treated Izumi and continued his Byakugan cultivation before returning to Team 3 after Rock Lee recovered. Might Guy assigned the team a rice-planting mission, and Neji explained how their routine jobs built useful experience.

• Neji checked Izumi's recovery data, healed her injuries, and left her at the underground cultivation area.
• Neji continued cultivating Byakugan and then returned home, while Izumi watched him leave without asking him to stay.
• Half a month later, Team 3 celebrated Rock Lee's discharge, and Might Guy promised to resume his training after he fully recovered.
• Might Guy assigned Team 3 to help farmers plant rice seedlings, and Neji persuaded Tenten and Rock Lee that routine missions built their experience.

Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee received their first escort mission outside the Land of Fire after Neji demonstrated his strength to reassure their client, Nakata. As Team 3 set out for the Land of Fields, Neji suspected the mission was a test and considered whether he might encounter Orochimaru there.

• Six months later, Neji had reached level thirty-seven and gained the skills Lion's Roar and Thunderclap Spiral Strike.
• Might Guy arrived at Training Ground 7 with Nakata, who objected to Neji joining the team because he was blind.
• Neji demonstrated his power by cutting a distant target with a wind blade, and Nakata approved the team for his escort mission.
• Team 3 prepared to escort Nakata's cargo to the Land of Fields, where Neji suspected bandits might provide them with combat experience.
• As they left Konoha, Neji considered searching for Orochimaru and Hashirama's Cells, while keeping his suspicions about the mission to himself.

Neji, Tenten, Rock Lee, and Might Guy escorted Nakata’s convoy toward the border and discovered bandits waiting in a valley. Neji organized the counterattack, and the chapter ended with him finishing off the bandits on his side while checking on Rock Lee’s fight.

• Tenten told Neji she wanted to face battle so she could discover her weaknesses, and Neji urged her to stay alert and give every enemy her all.
• Neji sensed an ambush in the valley, and Nakata admitted the attackers were bandits before promising to increase the reward if needed.
• Neji divided the battlefield among Tenten, Rock Lee, and himself, while Might Guy stayed with the convoy.
• The bandits grew suspicious when Nakata’s convoy stopped outside the valley, but Neji appeared behind them and killed them with a kunai and thrown blades.
• A shout of “Ninja!” came from Rock Lee’s side before Neji lowered his kunai and extended his Observation Haki toward the fight.

Neji and his team defeated bandits ambushing Mr. Nakata’s convoy and resumed their journey. At camp, Neji overheard Mr. Nakata discussing a shipment meant to secure ninja support, and he considered using it as a way to make contact with Orochimaru.

• Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten defeated the bandits, while Neji retrieved the leader’s body and brought it to Mr. Nakata.
• Mr. Nakata praised the team and offered double payment, but Neji refused the extra money.
• The convoy continued through the valley and camped for the night, where Neji treated Tenten’s scratches and changed Rock Lee’s bandage.
• Neji overheard Mr. Nakata say the shipment could bring them ninja support and help them establish themselves in the Land of Fields.
• Neji used his Byakugan to inspect the cargo, recognized it as research materials, and wondered whether Orochimaru might be the buyer.

Neji planted a sealed device in the shipment to draw Orochimaru’s attention, and Orochimaru discovered that Neji might be behind it. The device revealed an invitation to learn the meaning of life, leaving Orochimaru and Kabuto to decide whether to activate it.

• Neji remotely watched the Sound Five collect the shipment, then triggered the device he had hidden inside it.
• Kabuto found a sealed object beneath the goods and sent the Sound Five to investigate who had supplied them.
• Orochimaru learned that the shipment had been escorted by Might Guy’s genin team and considered Neji a possible source of the device.
• Kabuto opened the seal and found a Mechanical Eye, a sheet of paper, and a Sound Shell, while Neji sensed the device had been triggered.
• Kabuto read the note inviting them to press the Sound Shell to learn the meaning of life or activate the Mechanical Eye for an exchange.

Orochimaru and Kabuto listened to a Sound Shell containing information about bloodline research before it shattered, leaving them with two mysterious syringes and a one-eyed eye. Orochimaru suspected Kaguya Kimimaro might be connected to the delivery and took Kimimaro to his laboratory, while Neji waited in Konoha for the third item to activate.

• Kabuto pressed the Sound Shell at Orochimaru’s instruction, and its recording taught Orochimaru about bloodline research before the shell shattered.
• Kabuto read the syringe labels: Female Hormone could turn a man into a woman, while Healing Hormone offered a small chance to cure incurable disease at the cost of ten years of lifespan.
• Orochimaru and Kabuto suspected Kaguya Kimimaro might be connected to the items, and Orochimaru decided to study the hormones and use Kimimaro as a test subject.
• Orochimaru considered who had sent the items and wondered whether the sender was connected to Konoha or another great nation.
• Kabuto brought Kimimaro to Orochimaru, and the three went deeper into the laboratory.
• In Konoha, Neji sensed the Sound Shells shatter and decided to wait for the third item before celebrating with Tenten and the others.

Neji tattooed a sealing design onto Rock Lee, allowing him to control a small amount of Chakra and successfully perform the Clone Technique. The Third Hokage approved Neji’s research and decided to restrict access to its files, while Neji hinted that tattoos might eventually help preserve youth.

• Neji tattooed a four-clawed dragon across Rock Lee’s upper body while the Third Hokage and Team 3 watched.
• Rock Lee sensed a small amount of controllable Chakra and produced a prone clone with the Clone Technique.
• Neji congratulated Rock Lee, and Tenten joked that she wanted a tattoo too.
• Neji said his research might eventually make Eternal Youth possible, prompting Tenten to ask for a tattoo if it worked.
• The Third Hokage decided to limit access to Neji’s research files and grant him access to most materials and some of Tsunade’s notes.
• The Third Hokage left the group celebrating, while Neji privately noted that he had achieved his goal.

Neji’s research let Rock Lee use the Three Body Technique, though trying it in the Eight Gates state caused a temporary chakra backlash. In Otogakure, Orochimaru injected Kimimaro with Healing Hormone despite the tiny chance of a cure and severe pain, leaving the procedure underway.

• Rock Lee successfully used the Transformation Technique, and Might Guy encouraged him to train the Three Body Technique.
• Rock Lee failed to use the Clone Technique in the Eight Gates state, and Neji explained that the chakra backlash would pass with rest.
• Might Guy told Neji that the Third Hokage would grant him higher access and Tsunade’s research materials.
• Orochimaru ordered Kabuto to inject Kimimaro with Healing Hormone and warned him that the treatment had a one to two percent chance of success and would cost ten years of his lifespan.
• Kabuto chained Kimimaro inside a cage and injected him, causing intense pain.

Kimimaro survived Orochimaru’s experiment with Healing Hormone, recovering from his Bloodline Disease and becoming stronger. Orochimaru then ordered Kabuto to inject him with Female Hormone, and the transformation began instantly.

• Kimimaro emerged from the secret cell ravenously hungry after enduring the Healing Hormone treatment, and Kabuto brought him food and supplements.
• Orochimaru observed Kimimaro’s rapid recovery and enhanced digestion while Kabuto recorded his condition and data.
• Kimimaro reported that using his bloodline no longer burdened him and that his body and bones felt stronger.
• After further testing confirmed that Kimimaro’s bloodline power had increased, Orochimaru asked whether he would resist being turned into a woman.
• Kimimaro accepted Orochimaru’s decision, and Kabuto injected him with Female Hormone, triggering an immediate change.

Kimimaro transformed into a woman after taking the hormones, and Orochimaru ordered more research before considering contact with the supplier. In Konoha, Neji spent his day off taking Hinata and Hanabi around the village, with Hanabi leading their outing.

• Kimimaro discovered that the hormones had changed his body and voice, and he studied his new appearance in a mirror.
• Orochimaru became interested in the hormones and told Kabuto and Kimimaro to continue examining the items before he contacted their supplier.
• Neji met Hinata and Hanabi at the Hyuga Estate, where Hanabi teased her flustered sister and asked Neji to take them shopping.
• Neji agreed to spend the day with his little sisters, carrying Hanabi and holding Hinata's hand as they explored Konoha.
• Hanabi led Neji and Hinata around the village to eat, shop for ninja tools, and enjoy its new attractions.