Chapter Summaries

Aoba developed photographs proving that Hyuga Hiashi killed the Cloud Village Envoy Group leader after the man tried to abduct his daughter, while Kumogakure prepared to use the death to pressure Konoha. Kumogakure’s delegation failed to reach Aoba or the Uchiha Clan and decided to focus on stealing the Byakugan.

• Aoba left Hyuga Hiashi to face the search party, and Hiashi was taken to meet Hiruzen after insisting he had killed the envoy leader to protect his daughter.
• Kumogakure demanded an explanation for its leader’s death and threatened not to sign the peace agreement unless Konoha answered for it.
• Aoba developed and selected photographs showing Hiashi striking the envoy leader, then returned home and found signs that someone had searched it.
• Aoba suspected Kumogakure planned to provoke him into killing one of its agents so it could demand that Konoha hand him over.
• Kumogakure’s delegation discussed its failed attempts to target Aoba and the Uchiha Clan, then agreed to focus on taking the Byakugan.

Hiruzen rejected Kumogakure’s demand to hand over the Hyuga Clan head accused of killing Hanada and confronted the envoy with photographic evidence of their secret plans. The Kumogakure representatives were shaken as the meeting’s balance shifted against them.

• Kumogakure’s envoy demanded an explanation for Hanada’s death and threatened to abandon the peace agreement unless Konoha handed over the alleged murderer.
• Hiruzen calmly asked whether Hirai had authority to declare war, then refused to be intimidated by the threat.
• Hiruzen presented photographs as evidence, leaving Hirai shocked and insisting that they were fake.
• Hiruzen recalled that Aoba had delivered the photographs the previous night and that the evidence had changed his decision not to sacrifice Hyuga Hiashi for peace.

Hiruzen pressured the Kumogakure envoys into accepting a peace treaty after evidence exposed Hanada’s crime, while protecting Hiashi from further repercussions. After the meeting, Hiruzen made Aoba surrender the photographs and negatives, then wondered whether Danzo had seen his show of force.

• Hirai accused Konoha of fabricating the photographs, but recognized that Kumogakure had been defeated and needed to protect its reputation.
• Hiruzen offered the envoys a way out by proposing they sign the peace treaty the next day and then pursue Hanada’s murderer.
• Hirai accepted the proposal and promised to report Hiruzen’s warning to the Raikage.
• Hiashi visited Hiruzen to express his gratitude, and Hiruzen told him he would not pursue the matter further.
• Hiruzen ordered Aoba to hand over all the photographs and negatives, revealed that he knew the evidence had been altered, and demanded that the matter end there.
• After Hiashi and Aoba left, Hiruzen asked whether Danzo had seen his deliberate show of force and reflected that Danzo might have met with misfortune.

Konoha and Kumogakure signed a peace treaty, and the village celebrated the end of the war. Aoba completed the mission that saved Hizashi, improved his abilities, and decided with his teammates to enter the upcoming Chunin Exams.

• Hiruzen blamed the murders on the nonexistent rogue ninja Zhang San, issued a bounty with Kumogakure, and handed over the photographs and negatives after the peace treaty was signed.
• Aoba completed the mission that changed Hizashi’s fate, upgraded [Immortal Fortress], and received LV4 [Tekkai], which he discovered could be stacked with [Hardening] and [Armament Haki].
• Konoha celebrated the peace while Shikaku and the returning front-line ninja came home as heroes.
• After Teacher Mikawa called them together, Aoba and his teammates discussed entering the Chunin Exams and agreed that the whole squad would participate.

Aoba found the first Chunin Exam easy and finished the written test quickly, but stayed until the end while searching for a hidden assessment. After Itachi and Gekko Hayate told him it was an ordinary exam, the three celebrated their smooth passage with jokes about who would pay for food.

• Aoba answered the simple exam questions with ease and watched as the chief examiner disqualified two candidates for cheating.
• Aoba finished the test but stayed until time was up, searching the examination hall for a hidden test objective.
• After the exam, Aoba asked Itachi and Gekko Hayate whether the test had concealed goals, and they told him it was just an ordinary written exam.
• Aoba realized the exam was easy because Konoha needed more Chunin during the war and invited his friends to celebrate with dango and barbecue.
• Aoba, Itachi, and Gekko Hayate exchanged middle fingers and laughed together.

Aoba, Itachi, and Gekko Hayate faced Squad 6 in the Chunin exam’s team battle, where their opponents underestimated them. Aoba easily defeated one attacker and braced for the other two brothers’ Fire Style attack.

• The Chunin exam began its 3v3 practical assessment, and Squad 3 was matched against Squad 6.
• Aoba joked about treating the others to barbecue, while Squad 6 overheard and assumed Mikawa had been responsible for Squad 3’s past successes.
• Squad 6 taunted Aoba, Itachi, and Gekko Hayate before the match, and Aoba decided to test their strength while his teammates stayed back.
• Aoba caught Cang Tian-kun’s kick, swung him into the ground, and knocked him unconscious.
• The two remaining members of Squad 6 retreated and launched coordinated Fire Style: Dragon Fire Technique attacks at Aoba.

Aoba effortlessly endured Squad 6’s strongest fire technique and forced the last two members to forfeit. A system mission then pushed him to challenge every remaining examinee at once, and he provoked the crowd while the examiners discussed his demand.

• Aoba walked through Squad 6’s Dragon Fire Styles and emerged unharmed from their combined Great Dragon Fire Style.
• The two remaining members of Squad 6 forfeited, and Squad 3 was declared the winner.
• Aoba interrupted the match and proposed that all remaining examinees fight him together so he could claim first place.
• A system mission ordered Aoba to defeat every examinee at once within an hour for an Intermediate Skill Card.
• Aoba told the others that his companions would not participate and called them trash, while the crowd erupted and the examiners discussed what to do.

Aoba faced all thirty-six remaining candidates alone in the arena while Itachi and Gekko Hayate stayed back, and swiftly overwhelmed his opponents. The spectators concluded that Mikawa squad’s students were far stronger than ordinary Chunin candidates, leaving the other teachers doubtful they could defeat them.

• Aoba persuaded Itachi and Gekko Hayate to stay out of the fight, and they agreed to watch from the back after he treated them to barbecue.
• The chief examiner announced the new rules, and all thirty-six remaining candidates entered the arena to fight Aoba and his two companions.
• When the match began, Aoba charged into the crowd and used White Strike to knock several candidates out of the arena.
• Aoba activated Hardening, Iron Body, and Armament Haki, then used his strength, speed, and technique to defeat the candidates while examiners carried the injured away for treatment.
• The teachers watching from the stands praised Aoba’s strength and wondered whether Mikawa squad’s other two students were just as powerful.
• The accompanying teachers admitted they lacked confidence in defeating the students and accepted that their side’s loss in the Chunin exam was deserved.

Aoba secured Mikawa squad’s victory in the Chunin selection exam and upgraded his [Iron Body] skill. Two months later, Nagato summoned the Akatsuki members for an important mission, interrupting Jūzō Biwa’s demand that Aoba return Kubikiribōchō.

• Aoba shifted the other teams’ anger onto Mikawa, and the examiner declared Mikawa squad the exam’s undisputed first-place team.
• Aoba upgraded [Iron Body] to LV5, and the selection results advanced Mikawa squad and several other candidates to Chunin.
• Mikawa squad stayed together, while Mikawa gave them more independence and stopped secretly following them on missions.
• Two months later, Nagato summoned the Akatsuki members through the Vermilion Ring, and Aoba appeared as the [Crimson Blademaster].
• Jūzō Biwa demanded his Kubikiribōchō back, but Pain’s Heavenly Path silenced the dispute and announced an important mission.

Pain assigned the Akatsuki a mission from the Land of Earth to assassinate Hozuki Mangetsu in Kirigakure and frame Kumogakure. Aoba, Jūzō Biwa, and Kakuzu joined the mission, while Nagato remained wary of Orochimaru’s loyalty.

• Pain told the Akatsuki to kill Hozuki Mangetsu and make it look like Kumogakure was responsible.
• Aoba learned that the Land of Earth had commissioned the mission to stir conflict between Kirigakure and Kumogakure, then volunteered to take part.
• Jūzō Biwa joined, hoping his knowledge of Kirigakure would help him reclaim Kubikiribōchō from Aoba.
• Pain assigned Kakuzu to the mission and told him to evaluate a new recruit afterward.
• Nagato considered Orochimaru a dangerous, disloyal presence but ended the meeting after giving the mission details.

Aoba traveled to the Land of Water and witnessed the disorder caused by the Fourth Mizukage’s rule. He encountered Mei Terumi punishing rogue Kirigakure ninja and repairing the damage they had caused, while Kakuzu and Jūzō Biwa were still expected to arrive.

• Aoba arranged for Prince to impersonate him in Konoha, told his companions and Naruto he would be secluded, and left disguised among a merchant caravan.
• Aoba reached the Land of Water by ship and saw civilians and ninja living in fear amid widespread disorder.
• After two Kirigakure ninja fought in the street, Aoba avoided getting involved and settled at an inn while waiting for Kakuzu and Jūzō Biwa.
• The next morning, Aoba saw Mei Terumi parade the two fighters through town as punishment for their riot.
• Mei Terumi ordered the fighters to repair the houses they had damaged without using ninjutsu, and Aoba recognized her skill at winning support.

Mei Terumi used a public confrontation to win support for her effort to save Kirigakure, while Aoba watched and questioned whether her dramatic display was genuine. She left with new followers and serious injuries, and Aoba dismissed the strange spectacle as none of his concern.

• Aoba watched Mei Terumi address the villagers and recognized that she was building support and influence in Kirigakure.
• Three Kirigakure shinobi attacked Mei Terumi, and she defeated them with a Water Dragon Bullet.
• When one attacker threatened a civilian, Mei Terumi took a kunai wound to her left shoulder while protecting the villager.
• Mei Terumi challenged the attackers to atone for disgracing their forehead protectors, then took another kunai wound to stop one from killing himself.
• Mei Terumi invited people to follow her in saving Kirigakure, and more than a dozen joined her as she left.
• Aoba questioned the authenticity of Mei Terumi's speeches but decided the matter had nothing to do with him.

Mei Terumi continued building support for her movement in the Land of Water while Aoba encouraged her to focus on the results of their campaign. When Kakuzu and Jūzō Biwa arrived, Mei Terumi’s subordinate recognized Jūzō’s distinctive features, leaving her uneasy as she continued her recruiting speech.

• Aoba reassured Mei Terumi that her efforts had improved life in Kirigakure, and she agreed to keep going despite her doubts about their methods.
• Aoba moved to another town and waited for Kakuzu and Jūzō Biwa, but Mei Terumi arrived there first and resumed her public recruiting campaign.
• Kakuzu and Jūzō Biwa walked past Mei Terumi’s group, and her subordinate staged a fall to test them.
• Jūzō Biwa caught the falling subordinate, who noticed his distinctive facial scars and markings before the two men left.
• Mei Terumi questioned her subordinate about the strangers and decided to ask Aoba about them later, then continued her speech and recruited more Kirigakure ninjas.

Aoba, Kakuzu, and Jūzō Biwa joined forces to infiltrate Kirigakure and find Hozuki Mangetsu. Mei Terumi and Qing pursued them, while Qing worried about why the rogue ninja Jūzō had returned to the village.

• Kakuzu took temporary command of the mission, and Aoba told Jūzō Biwa he had sold Kubikiribōchō and would reveal the buyer after the mission if Jūzō survived.
• Kakuzu assigned Jūzō Biwa to lead the infiltration and locate Hozuki Mangetsu using a hidden route into Kirigakure.
• Aoba, Kakuzu, and Jūzō Biwa left town to infiltrate Kirigakure.
• Mei Terumi arrived too late, then pursued the group north while Qing split his forces and followed south.
• Qing suspected Jūzō Biwa was the wanted rogue ninja and wondered why he had returned to Kirigakure and who was accompanying him.

Kakuzu, Jūzō Biwa, and Aoba were confronted by Mei Terumi, who tried to persuade Jūzō to return to Kirigakure and help change the village. When Mei used the Hidden Mist Jutsu to stop them, Aoba received a strange mission and proposed to her, offering Jūzō as a bride price.

• Mei Terumi caught up with Kakuzu, Jūzō Biwa, and Aoba, and Jūzō revealed his identity.
• Mei tried to convince Jūzō to return to Kirigakure, but he dismissed her efforts to reform the village.
• Mei cast the Hidden Mist Jutsu to prevent the group from leaving, and Kakuzu and Jūzō prepared to fight.
• Aoba received a mission ordering him to propose to Mei and insult her if she refused.
• Aoba proposed to Mei and offered to give her Jūzō as a bride price, leaving everyone stunned.

Aoba, posing as Yasuo, proposed to Mei Terumi, cursed her after she rejected him, and escaped with Kakuzu and Jūzō Biwa while she was stunned. Mei recovered and ordered her subordinates to pursue them, while Jūzō concluded that Yasuo was too dangerous to provoke.

• Kakuzu and Jūzō Biwa watched as Yasuo demanded an answer to his marriage proposal and offered Jūzō as a betrothal gift.
• Mei Terumi rejected Yasuo, and he cursed her to remain unmarried for the rest of her life.
• Mei was left dazed by the curse, allowing Yasuo, Kakuzu, and Jūzō to escape through the Mist Technique.
• Mei recovered, vented her anger with ninjutsu, and ordered her subordinates to split up and pursue the fugitives.
• Jūzō suspected Yasuo had stolen and sold Kubikiribōchō as revenge and resolved not to offend him again.

Aoba, Kakuzu, and Jūzō Biwa infiltrated Kirigakure and used a woman they spared as help while Jūzō gathered intelligence. He discovered that Hozuki Mangetsu trained at a secluded lakeside, though his Water Transformation Secret Technique would make killing him there difficult.

• Jūzō Biwa opened Kirigakure’s barrier and led Aoba and Kakuzu into the village.
• Jūzō took them to an abandoned residential district, where they killed a group of human traffickers.
• Aoba convinced Kakuzu to spare the kidnapped woman, who cleaned up the bodies and helped them at their temporary base.
• Jūzō spent three days gathering intelligence while Aoba and Kakuzu stayed at the base and dealt with intruders.
• Jūzō reported that Hozuki Mangetsu trained by a quiet lakeside each day, but warned that attacking him near water would be difficult and striking at his home risked drawing the Mizukage and the whole village.

Aoba, Jūzō Biwa, and Kakuzu planned an ambush to kill Hozuki Mangetsu and frame Kumogakure. Their attack began at Mangetsu’s lakeside training ground, where he recognized Jūzō and challenged him to bring out his helpers.

• Jūzō Biwa asked Aoba whether he could freeze the lake, but Aoba claimed his sword technique could not be summoned at will.
• Kakuzu and Aoba decided to leave evidence implicating Kumogakure and kept the woman alive for their plan.
• Aoba, Jūzō Biwa, and Kakuzu waited at the lake until Hozuki Mangetsu arrived to train.
• Mangetsu sensed the ambush, dodged Kakuzu’s black threads, and cut them apart with the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei.
• Jūzō Biwa attacked Mangetsu at close range but fell behind without Kubikiribōchō.
• Mangetsu recognized Jūzō, mocked him for losing Kubikiribōchō, and demanded that he bring out his helpers.

Old Faceless described a sudden wave of coordinated attacks on his novel and defended his story and right to moderate its reviews. He vowed to keep competing for monthly tickets and repay all owed bonus chapters.

• Old Faceless noticed a surge of nearly identical negative reviews appearing after months of silence and found that his editor had not arranged a new recommendation.
• He challenged claims that the protagonist had killed an elite ninja before entering the Ninja Academy, explaining that the Zanpakutō’s Bankai came with severe limits.
• Old Faceless deleted attacking posts and banned the accounts behind them, while thanking readers who defended the story and explaining its plot.
• He refused to rest and urged readers to vote for monthly tickets, promising an extra chapter for every two hundred tickets and to repay all owed chapters.

Aoba used [Genryūmaru] to attack Hozuki Mangetsu alongside Kakuzu and Jūzō Biwa, eventually helping Jūzō seize Hiramekarei. When Hozuki summoned more of the Seven Ninja Swords, Jūzō asked for three minutes to fight Mangetsu alone, and Aoba and Kakuzu agreed.

• Aoba released [Genryūmaru] and struck Hozuki Mangetsu with ranged lightning attacks.
• Kakuzu attacked Hozuki as Jūzō Biwa kept him occupied, and Hozuki countered with Hiramekarei’s beam.
• Aoba blasted Hozuki with the Thunder Roar Cannon, leaving him stunned and knocking Hiramekarei away.
• Jūzō seized Hiramekarei while Hozuki summoned Long Sword: Nuibari, Blunt Sword: Kabutowari, and Exploding Blade: Shibuki.
• Jūzō asked Aoba and Kakuzu for three minutes to fight Hozuki, and they lowered their stances to let him try.