Chapter Summaries

Shisui, Inabi, and Izumi observed Menma train Uchiha Hikari in her newly awakened Rinnegan abilities, while Jiraiya witnessed unrest among rebels in Niga City. The chapter ended with Jiraiya learning that Tsunade had gambled away her money and owed the casino another thirty million ryo.

• Shisui told Inabi and Izumi that Hikari's Mangekyō Sharingan had evolved into the Rinnegan, then brought them to observe her training with Menma.
• Menma tested Hikari's speed and Rinnegan abilities, and she used Amenotejikara to escape an attack before he ended the sparring session.
• Menma explained Hikari's Rinnegan techniques to Shisui, Inabi, and Izumi, and told them the Mangekyō could also evolve beyond its current form.
• Jiraiya saw concession constables arrest members of the Restoration Society and reflected on Asura's ideas about revolution and the uncertain future foretold by the Great Toad Sage.
• Jiraiya met Shizune in Niga City, where she told him Tsunade had lost her money and now owed the casino another thirty million ryo.

Jiraiya reunited with Tsunade in Niga City and told her he planned to return to Konoha, but she refused to go with him. Back in the village, Jiraiya found Naruto, Menma, and Hinata cleaning up their graffiti on Hokage Rock and headed to meet the Hokage, intrigued by Menma’s familiar presence.

• Jiraiya met Tsunade at the Niga Grand Casino, where she had accumulated an 83-million-ryō bill that the casino waived because of her standing as an important partner of the Land of Stars.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade and Shizune he intended to return to Konoha and look after Minato and Kushina’s son, but Tsunade refused to go with him and kept their secret about Minato and Kushina’s resurrection.
• Jiraiya returned to Konoha after two years away and spotted Naruto painting the Hokage statues on Hokage Rock, with Menma and Hyuga Hinata alongside him.
• Iruka caught Naruto, Menma, and Hinata and ordered them to clean the graffiti; Jiraiya introduced himself to Iruka and asked about Naruto and Menma.
• Jiraiya learned that Menma was an orphan adopted by Gato, felt an unexplained familiarity with him, and went to greet the Hokage.

Naruto, Menma, and Hinata cleaned their graffiti from Hokage Rock while Hiruzen and Jiraiya discussed Naruto’s future and the rising power of the Land of Stars. Hiruzen approved Kakashi as their jōnin instructor, but Danzō’s warning that Ōnoki was secretly preparing for war left Konoha facing the prospect of a Fourth Shinobi World War.

• Naruto, Menma, and Hinata cleaned Hokage Rock, and Menma showed Naruto how to use chakra to walk on vertical surfaces.
• Hiruzen watched the children and discussed the Land of Stars and Naruto’s future with Jiraiya, who declined to become Naruto’s instructor and suggested Kakashi instead.
• After the cleanup, Iruka treated Naruto, Menma, and Hinata to Ichiraku Ramen.
• Hiruzen approved Kakashi Hatake as jōnin instructor for a squad of Uzumaki Naruto, Menma, and Hyuga Hinata.
• Danzō informed Hiruzen that Ōnoki was stockpiling military supplies and that growing unrest and alliances could lead to war against the Land of Stars.

Naruto passed the graduation exam and became a Genin, while Menma sensed Mizuki watching him and suspected a plot against Naruto. Sasuke issued his thirty-seventh challenge to Menma, and Hiruzen assigned Kakashi to become Naruto’s Jonin Instructor.

• Mizuki listened as Iruka discussed Naruto and considered ways to approach the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki.
• Naruto passed the Clone, Transformation, and Substitution Technique assessments, and Iruka awarded him a Hidden Leaf forehead protector.
• Naruto met Menma and Hinata after the exam; Hinata left for a family celebration, and Menma sensed Mizuki observing them from the teachers’ office.
• Sasuke challenged Menma to a duel, but Menma postponed it, and Sasuke agreed to compete over who would become a Chunin first.
• Hiruzen thanked Kakashi for his Anbu service and appointed him as Naruto’s Jonin Instructor, and Kakashi accepted.

Sasuke joined a new Anbu squad while Mizuki tricked Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Sealing to cover his planned defection. After Naruto wandered off with the scroll, Mizuki found him alone and revealed that the real test was to survive him.

• Sasuke visited the ruined Uchiha grounds, then met his new teammates Uzuki Yugao and Sai under Yamato's command as Hiruzen and Danzō watched.
• Naruto told Menma he hoped they would be assigned to the same team, then Mizuki falsely recruited him for an extra graduation exam and sent him to steal the Scroll of Sealing.
• Naruto stole the scroll from the Hokage Office Building, prompting Hiruzen to mobilize Anbu and Iruka to search for him while Mizuki used the chaos to flee with stolen intelligence.
• Mizuki found Naruto in the forest with the scroll, abandoned his escape plan to capture the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and told Naruto the changed exam was to survive him.

Menma discovered that Mizuki had lured Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Sealing on the Akatsuki’s orders, then went to the forest and defeated Mizuki with his Sharingan after saving Naruto from a poisoned attack. He reassured Naruto that he was not the demon fox and prepared to face the arriving Konoha ninja as Iruka reached them.

• Menma sensed Naruto and Mizuki in the western forest, learned from a Shadow Clone that Mizuki was an Akatsuki sleeper agent, and warned Uchiha Hikari to raise security.
• Menma met Iruka, gave him false locations to search, and hurried toward Naruto and Mizuki’s real location.
• Mizuki overwhelmed Naruto with taunts about being the demon fox and hurled poisoned giant shuriken at him, but Menma deflected them.
• Menma revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and used a powerful genjutsu that shattered Mizuki’s mind, then found Konoha intelligence and Akatsuki contact information on him.
• Menma told Naruto to present the incident as a trick during an exam and reassured him that he was not responsible for Menma’s parents’ deaths.
• Iruka arrived, relieved to find Naruto, and charged forward to punch him.

Iruka and the Anbu found Naruto after Mizuki’s scheme to make him steal the Scroll of Sealing, while Hiruzen learned that Mizuki’s mind-reading backlash involved visions of two demon foxes. As team assignments approached, Menma began preparing to leave his household staff and walked to the Academy with Hinata.

• Iruka found Naruto, Menma, and unconscious Mizuki, then learned Mizuki had provoked Naruto by calling him a demon fox and accusing him of killing Menma’s parents.
• Yamato’s Anbu identified Mizuki as the likely thief of classified documents and found Konoha records and a coded contact booklet among his belongings.
• Hiruzen recovered the Scroll of Sealing and took Naruto away for a serious talk, while Iruka escorted Menma home.
• Ibiki told Hiruzen that Mizuki’s memory-reading backlash had injured Hayate Yamanaka, who reported seeing two demon foxes in Mizuki’s mind.
• Menma dismissed Aunt Kuna and Aunt Kinana, gave them money and new job referrals, and prepared to transfer his Konoha assets as Orochimaru’s plan approached.
• Menma met Hinata outside the Hyuga residence and walked with her to the Academy for the team assignments.

Akatsuki discussed the loss of Mizuki’s intelligence line and the danger of confronting the Land of Stars while pursuing the tailed beasts. In Konoha, Iruka assigned Naruto, Menma, and Hinata to Team 7, and they waited for their Jonin Instructor to arrive.

• Zetsu reported that Mizuki had been captured by Konoha Anbu after trying to seize Naruto, and Pain dismissed him as a lost piece.
• Obito proposed beginning the tailed beast capture plan, but Pain warned that targeting Gaara would mean risking war with Asura and the Land of Stars.
• Zetsu said the Ten-Tails rumored to have appeared in the desert had vanished, and Pain ordered continued surveillance of every major village and its jinchuriki.
• Naruto, Kiba, Ino, and Sakura waited anxiously in the Academy classroom for team assignments, while Sasuke remained absent.
• Iruka assigned Naruto, Menma, and Hinata to Team 7, and Naruto celebrated being teamed with Menma.
• Iruka told the graduates to wait for their Jonin Instructors, and Menma rested while Naruto and Hinata speculated about their first mission.

Menma, Naruto, and Hinata waited hours for their Jonin Instructor while Kakashi procrastinated on the rooftop. After Naruto’s prank backfired and Kakashi introduced himself to Team 7, Menma said his dream was to change the world.

• Menma asked Hinata about Hanabi’s strict training, then offered to teach Naruto the move he had used against Sasuke.
• Menma guided Naruto in setting a blackboard eraser trap, while Kakashi spent the day reading on the rooftop and Sasuke, Yugao, and Sai watched nearby.
• Kakashi entered the classroom and was hit by the eraser, but Naruto’s follow-up Secret Technique: One Thousand Years of Death failed when Kakashi used the Substitution Technique and countered it.
• Kakashi recognized that Menma had likely devised the more elaborate prank and called the three students together as Team 7.
• Naruto, Hinata, and Menma introduced themselves and shared their dreams, with Menma saying he wanted to change the world.

Menma, Naruto, and Hinata challenged Kakashi’s bell test ahead of schedule and fought him with a coordinated plan. After a chain of clones, explosive tags, and Menma’s taijutsu forced Kakashi to take the battle seriously, he emerged disheveled and recognized Menma as the planner, while the bells remained on his belt.

• Menma proposed starting Kakashi’s survival test that afternoon, and Naruto and Hinata agreed to join him.
• At Training Ground 3, Kakashi announced that only two of the three Genin could pass by taking his bells and began the test while reading his book.
• Naruto flooded the field with shadow clones as Menma and Hinata coordinated attacks, including explosive-tag kunai that forced Kakashi to dodge.
• Kakashi tried to seize Hinata, but she used a substitution while Menma engaged him in close combat and Naruto and Hinata pressed him from multiple sides.
• Kakashi targeted a Hinata shadow clone and was caught in a wide explosion of explosive tags, but he escaped unharmed.
• Kakashi walked out disheveled, realized the team’s tactics had been carefully planned, and asked Menma if he had devised them.

Menma explained that Kakashi’s bell test had been designed to assess teamwork and bonds, and Kakashi passed Team 7. After treating Naruto, Menma, and Hinata to ramen, Kakashi spent nearly all his money on Hinata’s appetite and arranged their first mission for the next morning.

• Menma stopped Naruto from continuing the fight and explained that the bell test was meant to test teamwork, difficult choices, and bonds rather than their ability to defeat Kakashi.
• Kakashi confirmed Menma’s explanation and passed Naruto, Menma, and Hinata, officially establishing Team 7.
• Kakashi set a meeting at the Mission Hall for eight o’clock the next morning and took his new team to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate.
• Hinata ate twenty-one large bowls of ramen, leaving Kakashi to spend nearly all the money in his wallet on the meal.
• Kakashi reminded the team to meet the next morning, and Naruto, Menma, and Hinata looked forward to beginning their missions together.

Menma received a thousand White Zetsu from Black Zetsu in exchange for hearing his plan to use the Ten-Tails to gain the Sage of Six Paths' power. Menma recognized Black Zetsu’s deception but chose to play along, leaving the deal open while keeping control of the tailed-beast chakra he would provide.

• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu surveyed the Land of Stars’ desert transformation and Technology City before arranging to deliver the promised White Zetsu.
• White Zetsu brought Menma a sealing scroll containing one thousand dormant White Zetsu, and Menma confirmed the count.
• White Zetsu described Black Zetsu’s Eye of the Moon Plan and claimed that he needed a Ten-Tails jinchūriki to break the Sage of Six Paths’ seal.
• Menma questioned White Zetsu about the Ten-Tails and the God Tree, then mentioned Isshiki and Kaguya, causing White Zetsu to fall silent.
• Menma refused to hand over the One-Tail jinchūriki but offered to provide some One-Tail chakra and told Black Zetsu to meet him in person next time.
• After White Zetsu left, Menma kept the thousand White Zetsu as research materials and considered using the Ten-Tails jinchūriki plan for his own purposes.

Gaara and his siblings attended the Ninja Blade Tournament in Star City, where Gaara declined to compete because he wanted to master Shukaku’s power first. Uchiha Taichi reached the final against defending champion Morishita Shun-jin, setting up their match for the following morning.

• Gaara ate breakfast with Temari and Kankuro at Mikoto’s home, reflecting on how their family life had changed since leaving Sunagakure.
• Temari and Kankuro urged Gaara to enter the tournament, but he said he wanted to master Shukaku’s power before competing.
• Yukimi brought Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro to meet defending champion Morishita Shun-jin, who explained that Uchiha Taichi and Hyuga Gensui were strong challengers.
• Gaara watched the tournament matches as Uchiha Taichi advanced through the rounds and secured a place in the final.
• The announcer confirmed that Uchiha Taichi would face Morishita Shun-jin for the Twin Blades Hiramekarei at ten the next morning.

On the second day of the Ninja Blade Tournament, Gaara and his companions watched Morishita Shun-jin defend his title against Uchiha Taichi. Morishita won by anticipating Taichi’s Sharingan genjutsu, while the young fighters left with new insights and the group reunited afterward.

• Yukimi introduced Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro to her friend Murahashi Hazuki, and several other young ninjas gathered in the lounge before Morishita Shun-jin’s match.
• Oyashiro Chino bluntly asked Gaara if he was the One-Tail Jinchuriki, and Gaara calmly confirmed it as the others assessed him.
• Gaara analyzed Morishita Shun-jin’s tactical approach as he fought Uchiha Taichi, who used his Sharingan and swordsmanship to pressure Morishita.
• Morishita Shun-jin used Hiramekarei’s chakra to break free of Taichi’s genjutsu and wound him, prompting Taichi to concede and Morishita to retain his title.
• Yukimi asked her students what they had learned from the match, and the group later found Murahashi Hazuki treating Morishita’s wounds as Chino teased them.

Kushina and Mikoto discussed Gaara’s lingering grief over Yashamaru while shopping, then Kushina prepared lunches and invited Mikoto and Gaara’s family for oden. At a leadership meeting, Minato ordered stronger defenses against Kirigakure’s growing pressure in the southern waters and learned that the Hidden Leaf had invited Otogakure to its Chunin Exams.

• Kushina and Mikoto shopped together and worried that Gaara still could not let go of what happened with Yashamaru, while Kushina suspected Gaara’s mother and uncle’s deaths involved more than they knew.
• Kushina prepared lunches for Minato, Hikari, and Ajisai, then sent a Shadow Clone to deliver them and invited Mikoto, Gaara, and his siblings to dinner.
• Ajisai spoke with Yakushi Nonō about her work teaching at the Ninja Academy, and Kushina’s Shadow Clone brought her lunch and news of the oden dinner.
• Hizashi Hyuga and Kisame Hoshigaki reported rising clashes with Kirigakure and pirate attacks on the Land of Stars’ southern coast, so Minato ordered three more patrol squadrons, stricter port inspections, and increased intelligence gathering.
• Uzumaki Fuka reported that the Hidden Leaf had invited Takigakure, Amegakure, Kusagakure, and Otogakure to its Chunin Exams, leaving Minato concerned about Otogakure’s inclusion.

Minato and Kushina learned that Konoha’s Chunin Exams would involve many villages, including Kumogakure and Otogakure, and decided to await Menma’s assessment. While training with Team 7, Menma received intelligence about the exams and resolved to make them even bigger, leaving his next move undecided.

• Minato reviewed intelligence about the invited villages and left the Land of Stars’ response to Menma, while Kushina brought lunch and discussed the possible significance of Konoha’s Chunin Exams.
• Menma helped Naruto and Hinata clean an irrigation canal while teaching Naruto to walk on water; Naruto gradually mastered the technique.
• A Shadow Clone returned information about the Chunin Exams, prompting Menma to consider the changed circumstances and decide to add fuel to the situation.
• Menma demonstrated precise chakra control to Naruto, and Kakashi praised Team 7’s work before offering to treat them to ramen.

Menma proposed sending Land of Stars and Iwagakure teams to Konoha’s joint Chunin Exams, and the families discussed the plan over dinner. After Mikoto received a photograph of Sasuke, the story shifted to Iwagakure, where Ōnoki accepted the order to send a team and summoned his hidden trump card, Void.

• Menma walked home with Ajisai, who described how much she enjoyed teaching at Hoshinin Academy.
• Menma proposed using the Land of Fire’s Daimyo Mansion to secure Land of Stars and Iwagakure participation in Konoha’s joint Chunin Exams, and Minato agreed to arrange it.
• Menma invited Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and Karin’s squad to participate, then decided that Iwagakure would send one squad as well.
• Menma gave Mikoto a photograph of Sasuke, and she wept as she saw how much her son had grown.
• Inabi Uchiha ordered Ōnoki to submit Iwagakure’s team list within three days, and Ōnoki agreed before summoning Void in private.

Yakushi Kabuto visited Otogakure on Asura’s behalf and learned that Orochimaru was prepared to cooperate with the plans surrounding Konoha’s joint Chunin Exams. At an Akatsuki meeting, Zetsu revealed that the Land of Stars might send the One-Tail Jinchuriki, drawing the members’ attention.

• Yakushi Kabuto’s subordinates broke the legs of three Otogakure guards, and Tayuya escorted Kabuto and his team to Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru showed Kabuto Jugo’s violent Cursed Seal experiment and agreed to cooperate with Asura’s plans for the Chunin Exams.
• Yakushi Kabuto left Otogakure after asking Orochimaru about the orange-haired boy, whom Orochimaru identified as Jugo.
• At an Akatsuki meeting, Itachi Uchiha stopped Hidan from attacking Tobi and subdued him with genjutsu.
• Zetsu reported that the Land of Stars might send the One-Tail Jinchuriki to the Chunin Exams, prompting the Akatsuki members to react.

Sasori revealed that the Land of Stars could mass-produce autonomous Chunin-level puppets, prompting Pain to order more industrial espionage. In Niga City, Menma wagered one billion ryo against Tsunade for the coordinates of Shikkotsu Forest; Tsunade won eight rounds before Menma won the ninth, leaving her terrified that her unusual streak of luck foretold disaster.

• Sasori showed the Akatsuki intelligence about the Land of Stars’ mass-produced combat puppets, and Pain ordered Zetsu to investigate their factories and technology.
• Menma challenged Tsunade to gamble for the coordinates of Shikkotsu Forest, and Tsunade summoned the Katsuyu Sage to assess his intentions.
• The Katsuyu Sage sensed Menma’s unusual aura, offered him a summoning contract, and told Tsunade it believed he meant no harm.
• Tsunade agreed to Menma’s wager, and she won the first eight rounds of blackjack, collecting eight hundred million ryo.
• Menma won the ninth round, and Tsunade collapsed in fear that her remarkable run of good luck signaled disaster.

Menma won Tsunade’s Shikkotsu Forest contract and used it to reach the hidden sage region, where he questioned Katsuyu Sage about the planet’s history and the coming Otsutsuki threat. After discussing Katsuyu’s isolation and his plans for a new habitat, Menma revealed a power that shocked her by resembling Kaguya’s.

• Tsunade realized Menma had anticipated her winning, handed him the Shikkotsu Forest contract, and left the gambling hall with Shizune and Tonton.
• Menma had his clones analyze the contract, signed it as Uzumaki Menma, and used the Reverse Summoning Technique to travel to Shikkotsu Forest.
• Katsuyu Sage agreed to keep Menma’s true name secret from Tsunade and Shizune for two months, then questioned him about his purpose for visiting.
• Menma told Katsuyu Sage about the Otsutsuki invasion, Isshiki’s survival, and the threat of future Otsutsuki arrivals, and they compared what they knew of the Sage of Six Paths and ancient gods.
• Menma offered Katsuyu Sage the possibility of a rainforest habitat, but she explained that her immense main body could not leave Shikkotsu Forest completely.
• Menma unleashed his golden chakra cloak, opened his Tenseigan, and grew energy horns, leaving Katsuyu Sage shocked by his resemblance to Kaguya after she ate the God Tree’s fruit.