Chapter Summaries

Second Pillar confronted Gaara after he attacked civilians, but he overwhelmed her until Eriyi intervened and forced the Sand Ninja to withdraw. Afterward, Second Pillar asked about Eriyi’s strength and learned that she and Uchiha Sōgetsu had come from Yugakure for the Chunin Exam.

• Second Pillar confronted Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari for attacking civilians in Konoha.
• Gaara attacked Second Pillar, who struck him with the Body Flicker Technique and then shielded civilians from his wave of sand.
• Gaara trapped Second Pillar in Sand Binding Burial, but Eriyi used Word Spirit: Judgment to sever the sand and free her.
• Eriyi threatened the Sand Ninja, and Gaara withdrew with Kankuro and Temari after Shukaku refused to emerge.
• Second Pillar thanked Eriyi and asked about her village and the Chunin Exam, prompting Uchiha Sōgetsu to say they were from Yugakure and had received an invitation from the Third Hokage.

Uchiha Sōgetsu let Second Pillar believe that he and Eriyi were Yugakure participants, and they accepted her invitation to stay at the Uchiha compound. After hearing Second Pillar’s wildly exaggerated stories about Sōgetsu, he entered her dream and discovered a memory seal and hypnosis connected to Adam and White Zetsu.

• Uchiha Sōgetsu planted the belief that he and Eriyi were Chunin Exam participants from Yugakure, and Second Pillar welcomed them to Konoha.
• Second Pillar befriended Eriyi and invited her and Uchiha Sōgetsu to stay at her home in the Uchiha Clan Compound.
• Second Pillar enthusiastically recounted exaggerated legends about Uchiha Sōgetsu, and he cut her off before she could continue.
• Second Pillar showed them their rooms and prepared an elaborate meal, while she and Eriyi chatted happily.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu entered Second Pillar’s dream, bypassed a Mind Seal, and found that Adam had implanted hypnosis in her memories.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu discovered that White Zetsu had secretly acted while Adam was asleep.

Sasuke trained hard after realizing how far she lagged behind other prodigies, and Uchiha Sōgetsu offered to guide her. He tested her by challenging her to force him from a one-meter circle within an hour, and Sasuke passed by risking a point-blank Great Fireball Technique before fainting.

• Sasuke trained at dawn and resolved to grow stronger so she could avenge the Uchiha clan.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu found Sasuke training and offered to guide her because her usual training lacked instruction.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu challenged Sasuke to force him out of a one-meter circle within an hour, and she attacked with clones, shuriken, fire, and the Sharingan.
• Sasuke used the Phantom Body Flicker Technique to approach Uchiha Sōgetsu, then fired a Great Fireball Technique at point-blank range.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu accepted Sasuke's victory, praised her perseverance and talent, and Sasuke fainted.

Uchiha Sōgetsu assessed Sasuke’s abilities and taught her a dangerous Lightning Release technique called Instant Roar, hoping to strengthen her as a vessel for the Calamity. A Konoha Anbu then summoned him to meet the Third Hokage, leaving Sasuke to train while he was away.

• After Sasuke woke from the test, Uchiha Sōgetsu discussed her Fire and Lightning natures and offered her a choice between gradual training and a dangerous method.
• Sasuke chose the risky training method, and Uchiha Sōgetsu taught her Instant Roar, which used Lightning Release Chakra to boost her body while risking severe damage.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu explained how Sasuke could use Lightning Release Chakra to temper her body, and Sasuke listened closely.
• A Konoha Anbu arrived at the training ground and asked Uesugi Yue to meet the Third Hokage at the Hokage Building.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu left with the Anbu after telling Sasuke to train and promising to inspect her progress when he returned.

Uchiha Sōgetsu discovered that White Zetsu had replaced the Third Hokage and planned to use the Chunin Exam to advance to Sequence Four. Rather than stop it, Sōgetsu planned to help White Zetsu pursue a different pathway, preparing the conditions for an Old One.

• Uchiha Sōgetsu met the Third Hokage, who questioned him about Yugakure and Eriyi’s Kekkei Genkai, which he described as Vacuum Release.
• After Uesugi Yue left, the Third Hokage ordered an unseen subordinate to watch him and revealed his ambition to rule the world.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu recognized that White Zetsu had replaced Hiruzen Sarutobi and learned how it had taken advantage of Adam’s corruption and sleep to seize the Hokage’s identity.
• In the Nibelungen domain, Adam asked whether Sōgetsu would let White Zetsu complete its Sequence Four ritual, and Sōgetsu said they would help it instead.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu explained that White Zetsu could switch to a different Almighty pathway, and Adam realized Sōgetsu was preparing the prerequisites for an Old One.

Uchiha Sōgetsu discussed his risky plan to advance White Zetsu and revealed that the Twilight Hermit Society was gathering to target it during the Chunin Exam. Meanwhile, Lu Mingze approached Uzumaki Naruto and sealed a contract in which he would grant four wishes in exchange for Naruto’s soul.

• Adam warned Uchiha Sōgetsu that advancing White Zetsu to Sequence 1 was dangerous, and Sōgetsu said he had hidden the True Creator’s ravings in White Zetsu’s Spirit Body as a safeguard.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu and Adam discussed the Twilight Hermit Society’s return and its plan to kill White Zetsu during the Chunin Exam.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu revealed that he had sent Lu Mingze to approach Uzumaki Naruto and set him on a life of triumphs and revenge.
• Lu Mingze confronted Naruto with his loneliness and poor prospects, then offered to fulfill four wishes in exchange for one quarter of Naruto’s soul per summons and ownership of his soul after the contract ended.
• Naruto accepted Lu Mingze’s terms, and the contract was formed.

Uchiha Sōgetsu finished Sasuke’s initial body tempering and taught her Chidori and its extended techniques, then revealed the devastating Thunder Spear. After secretly mixing Dragon Blood into her treatment, he looked toward the Third Hokage and anticipated the next stage of his plan.

• Sasuke endured the punishing Instant Roar training, but Uchiha Sōgetsu stopped her so she could recover before the Chunin Exam and taught her Chidori.
• Sasuke failed her first attempt at Chidori and injured her palm, then succeeded on her second try.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu demonstrated Chidori Spear, Chidori Senbon, and Chidori Stream, showing Sasuke the technique’s varied applications.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu displayed Thunder Spear and warned Sasuke to use it only in a critical moment; Sasuke hoped to test it against Gaara.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu secretly mixed Dragon Blood into Sasuke’s treatment and, looking toward the Third Hokage, said it was time for the good show to begin.

Uchiha Sōgetsu watched Eriyi enter the Chunin Exams while more than half of the candidates were eliminated in the first test. In the Forest of Death, Sasuke’s team encountered a terrifying intruder, and Sasuke prepared to hold him off so Naruto and Sakura could escape.

• Uchiha Sōgetsu told Eriyi that Konoha’s people admired the heroic symbol they had made of him rather than the real person.
• Eriyi joined the Chunin Exams alone and was assigned to a different examination room from Sasuke.
• Ibiki Morino’s first examination eliminated more than half of the candidates, after which the Third Hokage led the officials to the Forest of Death.
• Eriyi entered the forest without a Scroll, while Sasuke’s team entered with an Earth Scroll and headed toward the central tower to prepare an ambush.
• Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura encountered a pale, serpent-eyed intruder who threatened to kill them and take their Scroll.
• Sasuke awakened her Sharingan, told Naruto to get Sakura to safety and report the intruder, and stepped forward to hold him off.

Sasuke fought Orochimaru alone while Naruto and Sakura fled, but Orochimaru overwhelmed her with a Soul Seizing Technique and targeted her for a sinister test. Naruto returned to save Sasuke, was struck down, and then rose from the wreckage with glowing golden eyes as Orochimaru sensed a terrifying power.

• Sasuke ordered Naruto and Sakura to escape, then battled Orochimaru with her Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Body Flicker Technique, and fire and shuriken attacks.
• Orochimaru survived Sasuke's trap, injured her, and used the Soul Seizing Technique to let a vengeful spirit take control of her body.
• Orochimaru told Sasuke that someone with eyes like hers, whom she suspected was Uchiha Itachi, had sent him to visit her.
• Naruto returned to protect Sasuke, but Orochimaru kicked him into a tree and turned back to Sasuke.
• Sasuke briefly resisted the vengeful spirit when Naruto was struck, then Orochimaru knocked her unconscious and declared his test complete.
• Orochimaru sensed a terrifying pressure and saw Naruto rise from the wreckage with pure golden eyes.

Naruto accepted Lu Mingze's contract to save Sasuke and gained a terrifying new power, but he struggled to defeat Orochimaru. After Naruto briefly pierced him with overwhelming speed, Orochimaru marked Naruto and told him to seek him out someday to learn why his parents disappeared.

• Lu Mingze warned Naruto that Sasuke was close to being replaced by the Vengeful Spirit, and Naruto agreed to sacrifice a Quarter of a soul to save her and kill Orochimaru.
• Naruto's eyes turned gold, and he used Word of Power - Lord's Flame to incinerate Orochimaru's summoned snakes.
• Orochimaru evaded Naruto's powerful attacks with substitutions, confinement, and Refraction Jump, while Naruto's borrowed strength began to fade.
• Naruto asked Lu Mingze for more power and used Word of Power: Instant... 128 Times Speed to pierce Orochimaru before collapsing.
• Orochimaru bit Naruto's shoulder, marked him, and told him to find him someday to learn why his parents disappeared.

Orochimaru cursed Naruto and returned to the Twilight Hermit Society, where its members planned to stop Obito’s Promotion Ritual and learned that the Aurora Society had awakened. The Sage of Six Paths agreed to hold Obito back for only half an hour, while Ōnoki’s questions raised suspicions about his loyalty and Adam’s return.

• Orochimaru planted a Curse Mark on Naruto, warned him to survive and seek him out, then vanished as Naruto and Sasuke lost consciousness.
• Sakura returned and found Naruto covered in strange patterns, Sasuke deathly pale, and the surrounding area frozen and withered.
• White Zetsu watched the Forest of Death through a crystal ball and gloated that the Twilight Hermit Society had revealed itself, while planning to deceive Adam for the Potions beyond Sequence Four.
• Orochimaru met White Fang and the other Twilight Hermit Society members, told Mikoto that Sasuke showed no signs of hypnosis, and discussed stopping Obito’s Promotion Ritual.
• Konan reported that the Aurora Society had awakened, and the group feared it might be searching for the Blasphemy Stone Tablet.
• The Sage of Six Paths agreed to hold Obito back for half an hour, while Ōnoki questioned whether Adam would return and White Fang and Orochimaru suspected Ōnoki was testing them.

Uchiha Sōgetsu answered the Aurora Society’s prayer and appeared before its surviving members as Sasriel, the Dark Angel. He ordered Mr. A and Uchiha Itachi to go to Konoha and await the True Creator’s oracle.

• Uchiha Sōgetsu sensed the Aurora Society’s prayer and decided to visit its believers.
• Mr. A threatened the dwindling congregation after Uchiha Itachi brought back the heads of defectors, then recalled the society’s defeats and Itachi’s preparations to advance to Sequence Four.
• A shadow curtain descended over the village, and Sasriel appeared before Mr. A and Uchiha Itachi.
• Mr. A’s attempt to perceive Sasriel caused his body to mutate and collapse, but Sasriel spared him and revealed his identity.
• Mr. A recognized Sasriel as the Dark Angel and celebrated the True Creator’s attention.
• Sasriel ordered Mr. A and Uchiha Itachi to proceed to Konoha and await a divine oracle.

Sasriel ordered Mr. A and Uchiha Itachi to go to Konoha for the Lord’s revival, then Uchiha Sōgetsu revealed that Sasriel was a separate personality he had created. In the Forest of Death, Sakura defended the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke from the Sound Ninja Trio until Uesugi Eriyi arrived and stopped Zaku’s attack.

• Sasriel rebuked Mr. A for nearly letting the Aurora Society disappear, forgave him, and ordered him to rebuild it while Uchiha Itachi advanced quickly.
• Sasriel told Mr. A and Uchiha Itachi to hurry to Konoha, warned them about the Twilight Hermit Society, and said they would understand the divine oracle when they arrived.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu revealed that Sasriel was a living personality he had separated from himself and said he would obtain the Hanged Man Pathway’s Uniqueness after accommodating its Sequence 1 characteristic.
• In the Forest of Death, Sakura hid the unconscious Naruto and Sasuke, but the Sound Ninja Trio found them and Zaku attacked her with Vacuum Wave.
• Sakura shielded Naruto and Sasuke from Zaku’s attacks, and Uesugi Eriyi appeared to block his final Vacuum Wave.

Eriyi defeated the Sound Ninja Trio, gave Sakura the Heaven Scroll, and used her powers to awaken Naruto and Sasuke. After learning about the strange forces affecting them, she left their origins unresolved, planning to ask Sōgetsu when she saw him.

• Eriyi blocked Zaku’s Vacuum Extreme Wave, crushed his next attack, and forced Dosu and the other Sound Ninja to surrender and hand over their Scroll.
• Eriyi gave Sakura the Heaven Scroll and revealed she had collected nearly thirty Scrolls from opponents who challenged her.
• Sakura told Eriyi that an enemy had attacked Naruto and Sasuke, and Eriyi sensed a resentful spirit in Sasuke and an unfamiliar mark affecting Naruto.
• Eriyi used a Mind Storm to wake Naruto and Sasuke, then Sakura explained how Eriyi had saved them from the Sound Ninja.
• Naruto and Sasuke vowed to settle the score with the enemy who had attacked them.

After Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura reached the tower, Anko reported that Orochimaru had infiltrated the Forest of Death, but the supposed Third Hokage was revealed as White Zetsu, who plotted against Uesugi Yue and the Twilight Hermit Society. Sasuke defeated Dosu in the preliminary duel, leaving the other Sound Ninja to consider revenge.

• Sasuke worried about Naruto's withdrawn behavior, while she and Sakura suspected the Otogakure team was involved.
• Anko identified Orochimaru as the ninja who had attacked Kakashi's team and urged the Third Hokage to send Anbu after him.
• After Anko left, the impostor Third Hokage revealed himself as White Zetsu and ordered Uesugi Yue monitored and the Twilight Hermit Society lured out.
• Sasuke was matched against Dosu in the one-on-one preliminaries and promised to avenge Sakura's mistreatment.
• Sasuke crushed Dosu's gauntlet, shattered his arm, and struck him with Chidori Stream, winning the match.

Naruto battled Gaara, who repeatedly overwhelmed him with sand and broke his leg. As Naruto began to draw on the Nine-Tails’ chakra, Lu Mingze appeared inside his mind and forced the beast to stop interfering, leaving Naruto unconscious and Gaara declared the winner.

• Naruto entered the arena determined to face Gaara, while Sasuke and Sakura watched anxiously from the stands.
• Gaara’s sand defeated Naruto’s clones and slammed Naruto around the arena, but Naruto kept getting back up and attacking.
• Gaara used Sand Binding Burial to crush Naruto’s leg, then taunted him for being weak and claimed Sasuke was the opponent he wanted.
• Naruto’s eyes changed as Nine-Tails chakra began to leak, and Gekko Hayate realized the seal might be weakening.
• Lu Mingze appeared inside Naruto’s mind, intimidated the Nine-Tails into staying out of the battle, and Naruto passed out.
• Gekko Hayate declared Gaara the winner.

After losing to Gaara, Naruto resolved to become stronger, while Sasuke prepared to train and Sakura teased her about her feelings for him. Meanwhile, Kakashi was confronted by Anbu and discovered that the Third Hokage had been replaced, before the impostor appeared to kill him.

• Naruto woke in the hospital, learned he had lost to Gaara, and resolved to become stronger and find his parents.
• Sakura teased Sasuke about admiring Naruto, and Sasuke recalled how Naruto had protected her during the Land of Waves mission.
• Sasuke planned to train to master Instant Roar and defeat Gaara, while she and Sakura criticized Kakashi for neglecting their team.
• Kakashi visited the Memorial Stone, where Anbu confronted him and tried to arrest him; he fought his way through the encirclement and fled.
• Kakashi concluded that the Third Hokage had been replaced and decided to find Jiraiya, but the impostor appeared and threatened to make him disappear.

The Five Kage gathered in Konoha for the Chunin Exam and clashed over how to divide Amegakure’s territory before the Third Hokage calmed them. As the exam began, Uchiha Itachi and Mr. A received a divine order to stop Twilight Hermit Society members, while Sasuke entered the arena to face Gaara, disappointed that Naruto was absent.

• The Third Hokage welcomed the Fourth Raikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales, the Fourth Kazekage, and Mei Terumi to Konoha, where the Kage argued over Amegakure’s share until he intervened.
• Kisame warned Mei Terumi to be careful of the Hokage, Kazekage, and Tsuchikage, then asked Hozuki Mangetsu to protect her if danger arose.
• Uchiha Itachi and Mr. A received a divine oracle to stop the Twilight Hermit Society members they saw being attacked on a rooftop, and both prepared to intervene.
• Neji Hyuga defeated Kankuro by severing his chakra threads and sealing his chakra points, while Kurotsuchi defeated Temari.
• Sasuke entered the arena to face Gaara as the crowd cheered, then realized Naruto had not come to watch and resolved to win for him.

Sasuke fought Gaara in the Chunin Exam arena, overwhelming him with her speed and strength before piercing his sand defenses with Chidori. As Gaara screamed in pain, a falling-snow genjutsu put spectators to sleep, and the Kazekage drew a blade against the Third Hokage, beginning the invasion.

• Sasuke evaded Gaara’s Sand Shuriken and struck him through his Sand Armor, sending him crashing into the arena wall.
• Gaara unleashed Flowing Sand Burial and trapped Sasuke beneath a crushing barrage, but Sasuke escaped and knocked him into the sand with a series of powerful attacks.
• Gaara lost control and encased himself in a sand egg while Baki warned the other Sunagakure jonin and Kankuro and Temari prepared to retreat.
• Sasuke formed Chidori, used her Sharingan to evade the egg’s sand spikes, and pierced Gaara’s shoulder.
• Uchiha Sōgetsu told Eriyi that the show was beginning as falling snow put spectators to sleep and the Kazekage held a blade to the Third Hokage’s neck.

The Sand and Sound Ninja invaded Konoha while Orochimaru revealed that the Third Hokage was an impostor named White Zetsu, who fought Orochimaru and Ōnoki inside the barrier. White Zetsu used its First Generation Cells revelation to exploit their shock and target their minds.

• The Fourth Kazekage ordered the invasion, and the Sound Four sealed the rooftop with a Modified Four Violet Flames Formation as Sand and Sound Ninja attacked Konoha.
• Sasuke interrupted Gaara's transformation and pursued him as Kankuro and Temari carried him away; Naruto followed to bring Sasuke back, while Might Guy fought the attackers at the venue.
• Ōnoki joined Orochimaru inside the barrier, and Orochimaru revealed himself after the Third Hokage explained that they were settling accounts.
• Orochimaru exposed the Third Hokage as White Zetsu, shocking the Raikage and Mizukage before White Zetsu knocked them unconscious with Combat Hypnosis.
• Ōnoki distorted White Zetsu's hypnosis while Orochimaru attacked with his modified Kusanagi Sword, and Ōnoki's Dust Release destroyed half of White Zetsu's body.
• White Zetsu regenerated and revealed that it had been created using First Generation Cells, then exploited Orochimaru and Ōnoki's shock to target their minds.