Chapter Summaries

Aoba pushed Sasuke through brutal special training, leaving him exhausted and hungry, while Itachi encouraged him with stories about Aoba's own hard work. Sasuke resolved to endure the training and grow stronger, and Itachi and Aoba's quiet concern for him remained hidden behind their teasing.

• Aoba put Sasuke through strenuous exercise and combat practice, and Sasuke returned to his room too exhausted to move.
• Itachi brought Sasuke food and helped him eat when his trembling hand kept dropping it.
• Itachi told Sasuke how Aoba had trained relentlessly and endured severe beatings to improve his taijutsu.
• Sasuke decided he could endure the training too and vowed to become strong enough to beat Aoba.
• Aoba admitted he had asked Itachi to bring Sasuke food, while Itachi teased him and requested a meal for himself.

After Pain announced Orochimaru’s defection and ordered the Akatsuki to hunt him, Aoba set out for the Land of Rice Fields to find and recruit him. Orochimaru had survived his failed attack on Nagato by transferring himself into a prepared vessel, but he expected the Akatsuki to pursue him.

• Pain announced that Orochimaru had defected and ordered the Akatsuki members to kill him and recover his ring.
• Pain told Sasori to work alone or coordinate with another team until Orochimaru’s ring was recovered.
• Aoba decided to search for Orochimaru, hoping to recruit him and learn whether he planned to attack Konoha.
• Orochimaru had established Otogakure in the Land of Rice Fields and secretly taken control of the country.
• After Nagato’s Six Paths and Konan cornered him, Orochimaru used Living Corpse Reincarnation to transfer his spirit into a prepared vessel and escape death.

Aoba entered the Land of Rice Fields to find Orochimaru and encountered Kimimaro, who led him to the hidden Otogakure. He found Orochimaru inhabiting a woman’s body and told him the Akatsuki had issued a kill order against him.

• Kimimaro reported that spies were searching the Land of Rice Fields for someone matching Orochimaru’s description, and Orochimaru ordered him to select new vessels.
• Aoba entered the Land of Rice Fields in his alternate identity and was confronted by Otogakure ninja enforcing Orochimaru’s ban on foreign ninja taking missions.
• Aoba defeated the Otogakure ninja, and Kimimaro arrived and escorted him to Orochimaru.
• Aoba saw that Orochimaru was inhabiting a woman’s body and threatened him when Orochimaru moved too close.
• Aoba told Orochimaru that the Akatsuki had ordered his death and that no one besides Aoba knew where he was hiding.

Aoba confronted Orochimaru and offered him a partnership, tempting him with the possibility of creating the Rinnegan. Orochimaru accepted for now, unaware that Aoba intended to use his research and keep him from obtaining the Uchiha Clan’s Sharingan.

• Orochimaru threatened Aoba, but backed down and asked whether Aoba had deliberately arranged his earlier test against the leader.
• Aoba proposed that Orochimaru research the Rinnegan and claimed its true owner would eventually reclaim it from Pain.
• Orochimaru agreed to a partnership and recounted how Pain and Konan had trapped and defeated him in the Land of Rain.
• Aoba told Orochimaru that the Sharingan was the foundation of Rinnegan evolution, prompting Orochimaru to consider pursuing Sharingan for research.
• Aoba planned to warn Itachi and the Uchiha Clan about Orochimaru’s interest, while Orochimaru invited Aoba to stay as a guest.

At Orochimaru’s private banquet, Aoba discovered that Orochimaru had dressed and danced as a woman, then received a mission requiring him to teach Orochimaru Gokuraku Jodo. Aoba arranged the music and began the dance, leaving Orochimaru watching his lesson.

• Aoba attended Orochimaru’s banquet and watched Orochimaru appear in a kimono and perform a seductive dance.
• Orochimaru sat beside Aoba and poured him wine, prompting Aoba to refuse his offer to perform again.
• A system mission ordered Aoba to teach Orochimaru-chan to dance Gokuraku Jodo, with a bizarre reward and punishment.
• Aoba claimed he knew a dance from the Blood Moon Cult’s saintess and offered to teach it to Orochimaru.
• Aoba hummed the song for the accompanying musicians, then began dancing Gokuraku Jodo for Orochimaru.

Aoba completed the Gokuraku Jodo dance with Orochimaru, received a potent realgar wine reward, and tried to recover from the unsettling experience. The next day, Orochimaru showed him the secret base, where Aoba recognized the imprisoned Hozuki Suigetsu, before the dog system appeared again.

• Aoba taught Orochimaru the Gokuraku Jodo dance, and they performed it together until the dog system announced the task’s completion.
• Aoba examined his reward, Master Xu's Potent Realgar Wine, and decided to save it along with his Beginner Skill Card.
• Aoba dreamed that Orochimaru had disguised himself as a beautiful woman, then wore a mask beneath his own mask the next morning to feel more at ease.
• Orochimaru guided Aoba around the secret base, where Aoba saw familiar faces and recognized a prisoner in a vessel as Hozuki Suigetsu.
• The dog system appeared again as Aoba was about to continue the tour.

Aoba tested whether Hozuki Suigetsu could survive being boiled and whether his Water Transformation Jutsu filtered substances from liquids. After Suigetsu tried to escape, Aoba caught him with Lightning Release and prepared to test how dyes affected his transformed body.

• Aoba borrowed Hozuki Suigetsu from Orochimaru and boiled him in a sealed vessel with spices and chili powder.
• Suigetsu emerged from the spicy liquid, and Aoba found that he could shed its color by transforming in clean water.
• Aoba had someone taste the leftover liquid, and the tester reported that it tasted spicy and salty but otherwise seemed fine.
• Suigetsu tried to escape, but Aoba stopped him with Lightning Release and returned him to a sealed container.
• Aoba asked for clean water and several dyes so he could test how different liquid colors affected Suigetsu's Water Transformation Jutsu.

After leaving Orochimaru’s base, Aoba traveled to Kusagakure to find the young Karin and bring her away before she could be exploited. He located her at the Ninja Academy, where Karin was being bullied and neglected, and approached her classroom during lunch break.

• Aoba completed his experiments on Suigetsu, received an Advanced Skill Card, and left Orochimaru’s base after canceling the rest of the tour.
• Aoba remembered that Karin might be in the Land of Grass and headed there instead of returning to Konoha.
• Aoba disguised himself as a samurai to enter Kusagakure, then bribed a school official to learn Karin’s class.
• Aoba entered the Ninja Academy during lunch break after memorizing Karin’s class.
• Karin quietly ate a cold rice ball in the classroom, saving another for dinner while enduring bullying and neglect.

Aoba rescued Karin from bullies at her school and claimed to be her grandfather before carrying her away. Karin passed out while suspecting he might be planning to abduct and sell her.

• Karin choked on rice balls after classmates stole her water and glasses, then tripped her and laughed as she fell.
• Aoba knocked the hedgehog-haired boy unconscious, returned Karin’s water and glasses, and helped her breathe again.
• Aoba told Karin he was her grandfather and carried her out of the classroom as the other students shouted that he was a murderer.
• Aoba fled with Karin on his back while the crowd chased them.
• Karin doubted Aoba’s intentions, worried he might sell her, and passed out from hunger and exhaustion.

Aoba reassured Karin, fed her, and revealed that her mother belonged to the Uzumaki Clan, explaining Karin’s heritage and the clan’s destruction. Karin learned that only a few Uzumaki survived and was left wondering about her unknown father and the reason she had no surname.

• Karin woke beside Aoba and feared she had been sold again until he used Transformation Technique to appear as the middle-aged man she had met earlier.
• Aoba suggested Karin might be Uzumaki and gently comforted her as she ate and cried.
• After Karin finished eating, Aoba asked whether she had heard of the Land of Whirlpools.
• Aoba explained that the Uzumaki Clan had founded the Land of Whirlpools and described their traits and skill in Sealing Jutsu.
• Karin learned that the Land of Whirlpools had been destroyed and that only a few Uzumaki survivors had escaped, then wondered who her father was and why she had no surname.

Aoba told Karin that she was an Uzumaki and explained that Naruto was her cousin, then offered to take her back to Konoha under strict secrecy. Karin chose to become Aoba’s helper, and she fell asleep after he cared for her.

• Aoba assured Karin that she was a member of the Uzumaki Clan and said she could take the name Uzumaki Karin.
• Aoba told Karin about Naruto, and she eagerly asked to meet him.
• Aoba explained the risks of returning to Konoha and asked Karin to conceal her identity and their conversation.
• Karin agreed to keep the secret and chose to stay with Aoba as his helper rather than live safely as an ordinary person.
• Aoba cared for Karin as night fell, and she fell asleep with tears on her cheeks.

Aoba brought Karin to Konoha, bought a secluded house, and began settling into life with her while promising to train her. Karin struggled to believe she finally had a safe home, and the chapter ended with her nervously trying to prepare breakfast for Aoba.

• Aoba told Karin to call him Big Brother and promised to take her to see Naruto the next day after they bought a house.
• Aoba purchased a large, secluded residence and moved in with Karin after arranging for it to be cleaned.
• Aoba warned Karin that he would give her specialized training and pretended he might send her away, frightening her into reassuring him she would stay.
• Karin ate a housewarming dinner with Aoba, then eagerly cleaned the dishes to prove she was useful.
• Karin slept safely in her new home, dreamed of telling her mother she was well, and woke delighted to find it was real.
• Aoba found Karin standing on a stool in the kitchen, nervously attempting to prepare breakfast.

Aoba brought Karin into his home and began teaching her, but her poor health prevented her from completing even basic training. After noticing the bite marks on her arm, he realized she had depleted much of her vitality healing others and decided she needed to recover before training could resume.

• Karin accidentally wrecked the kitchen while trying to make breakfast, and Aoba cleaned up and cooked for them.
• Aoba showed Karin Naruto from a distance and told her not to reveal anything to him yet.
• Aoba took Karin home and started training her, but she was too weak to complete the plan.
• Aoba noticed the bite marks on Karin's arm and concluded that past vitality loss and malnutrition had left her in poor condition.
• Aoba stopped Karin from pushing herself and told her to recover before beginning training again.

Aoba tried to restore Karin’s strength with expensive medicinal food and a medicinal bath, then carried her to bed when she could not get out of the tub. Karin privately wondered why the moment had gone differently from what she imagined, while the wounds on her body had begun to fade slightly.

• Aoba gave Karin bitter medicinal food and prepared a restorative bath, while eating a lavish meal himself.
• Karin soaked in the medicinal bath as its effects caused pain, heat, and strange sensations, and Aoba waited outside.
• When Karin did not emerge, Aoba entered and found her still in the tub, too weak to climb out.
• Aoba wrapped Karin in a blanket, carried her to her room, and put her in bed.
• Karin realized Aoba had not seen her wounds, which had faded slightly after her vitality was restored.

Aoba decided to seek the Uzumaki Clan’s Sealing Jutsu through an exchange rather than stealing it, hoping to train Karin once she had recovered. At the Hokage Building, he spoke with Hiruzen, explained why he had brought Karin home, and accepted responsibility for her.

• Karin continued recovering and learning to cook, while Aoba noted that her health and appearance had improved.
• Aoba concluded that stealing the Uzumaki Clan’s Sealing Jutsu was too risky and decided to ask Hiruzen to exchange for it.
• Aoba went to the Hokage Building and passed Fugaku Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga without acknowledging them.
• Hiruzen teased Aoba about his fight with Kakashi and said Kakashi was away on a mission.
• Aoba claimed he had moved because he had rescued a war orphan, and Hiruzen warned him that he would be responsible if anything went wrong.
• Aoba assured Hiruzen that he had investigated Karin’s identity and would take full responsibility for her.

Aoba persuaded Hiruzen to let him study sealing jutsu, framing it as preparation for protecting Naruto and controlling the Nine-Tails. He left with four scrolls, including Kushina’s notes on Adamantine Sealing, intending to pass the Uzumaki techniques to Karin.

• Hiruzen approved Aoba’s request to study sealing jutsu after Aoba argued that Naruto’s Jinchuriki status could become dangerous.
• Hiruzen warned that sealing jutsu was difficult to master and considered assigning Yamato to Naruto’s team when he graduated.
• Aoba selected the Four Symbols Seal, Contract Seal, Tailed Beast Suppression Seal, and Adamantine Sealing scrolls.
• Aoba took Kushina’s insights on awakening Adamantine Sealing, planning to give the Uzumaki legacy to Karin.

Aoba gave Karin the Four Symbols Seal to study, and her exceptional talent quickly led her to master several sealing techniques. Meanwhile, Itachi defeated Orochimaru after catching him targeting the Uchiha’s Sharingan, leaving Konoha stunned and Orochimaru alive but maimed; Aoba expected Orochimaru to keep pursuing the Sharingan.

• Aoba gave Karin the Four Symbols Seal and set her a month to learn it, prompting her to devote herself to studying.
• Karin mastered the Four Symbols Seal in two weeks, learned the Eight Trigrams Seal soon afterward, and made rapid progress on the other techniques.
• Aoba began rigorous physical training for Karin after her health and strength improved.
• A mysterious attacker targeted the Uchiha and stole Sharingan, so Itachi used bait to expose Orochimaru as the culprit.
• Itachi defeated Orochimaru, who escaped after losing an arm; the incident raised the Uchiha Clan’s standing and left Hiruzen concerned about Orochimaru’s forbidden jutsu.
• Aoba watched Karin train and suspected that Orochimaru would continue coveting the Sharingan despite his defeat.

Aoba’s plans were upended when Orochimaru quickly pursued an alliance with Sunagakure to attack Konoha and obtain more Sharingan. A month later, Sunagakure announced a joint Chunin Exam in Konoha, making it the village’s key ally as the other great villages refused to participate and tried to change the venue.

• Aoba decided to keep Orochimaru waiting before offering him research help, while Karin collapsed after completing one thousand push-ups and was ordered to rest before studying Sealing Jutsu.
• Orochimaru attached a cloned arm, then traveled to the Land of Wind to persuade the Fourth Kazekage to ally with him against Konoha and eventually destroy the Uchiha Clan.
• Sunagakure announced that it would jointly host a Chunin Ninja Exams with Konoha on July 1, inviting examinees from other villages to attend in Konoha.
• Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and Kirigakure refused to send participants and secretly tried to persuade Sunagakure to move the exams to their territories.
• Sunagakure stood by Konoha and promoted the event, while Hiruzen treated the exams as a vital chance to restore Konoha’s standing.

Aoba learned that Orochimaru may have orchestrated the Sand Village’s unexpected cooperation with Konoha, then was asked by Hiruzen to examine the second stage of the joint Chunin Exam. He accepted the job and received a mission urging him to keep the pass rate below twenty percent, leaving him eager to make the exam brutal despite the risk of angering Hiruzen.

• Aoba concluded that Orochimaru was likely behind the Sand Village’s sudden cooperation and considered how to benefit from the upheaval.
• Hiruzen summoned Aoba and proposed that he serve as examiner for the second stage of the Chunin Exam.
• Aoba accepted the position after Hiruzen warned that he would be assigned to clean up the venue if his plan was unsuitable.
• Aoba received a system mission requiring him to keep the candidates’ pass rate below twenty percent, with additional rewards for reducing it further.
• Aoba considered eliminating every candidate to earn more rewards, though he worried Hiruzen might kill him first.

Aoba devised a second-stage Chunin Exam in the Forest of Death, filling it with beasts and bizarre traps while secretly planning to decide candidates’ fates himself. After Hiruzen warned him to ease up, Aoba ordered the preparations intensified and insisted that only he would determine who passed.

• Aoba presented Hiruzen with his examination plan, and Hiruzen approved it and appointed him examiner for the second stage.
• Aoba’s team released vicious beasts into the Forest of Death and covered it with traps, many of them low-damage but tormenting pranks.
• The helpers believed the traps tested candidates’ willpower, while Aoba intended to eliminate candidates himself and make the result depend on luck and his mood.
• After hearing how extreme the preparations had become, Hiruzen sent a messenger to tell Aoba to stop before the exam provoked outrage.
• Aoba waited for the messenger to leave, then ordered everyone to increase the intensity of the Forest of Death’s traps.