Recaps

On the first day of the new semester, Naruto discovered that Black Zetsu had advanced to second year and challenged him to another fight. The chapter ended as Black Zetsu transformed into Flame Dragon Armor in front of the assembled children.

• Naruto and Sasuke escorted Little Xiang to the academy, where Naruto was disappointed not to find Black Zetsu in her classroom.
• Black Zetsu revealed that he had advanced to second year and made his lackeys welcome him, stunning Naruto.
• Naruto challenged Black Zetsu to a fight, while Kusana and Madam Mikoto discussed Tsunade's visit to Kusagakure and the Uzumaki Clan.
• Kusana headed to the academy's back mountain near the end of the school day, and Mikoto guessed that he was going to watch the children.
• Naruto and Black Zetsu met with their groups in the grove, where Black Zetsu transformed into Flame Dragon Armor.

Naruto and Sasuke kept training against Black Zetsu while Kusana secretly upgraded Black Zetsu’s equipment to keep them striving. Over two years, Kabuto graduated and Tsunade remained in Kusagakure; Danzo finally prepared to open another factory.

• Naruto and Sasuke returned defeated by Black Zetsu, and Kusana restored their confidence with advice to keep training and use their ninjutsu flexibly.
• Kusana repeatedly upgraded Black Zetsu’s equipment as Naruto and Sasuke grew stronger, while Little Xiang thrived at the academy and Naruto was punished for complaining about her.
• Danzo gathered fifteen billion from Konoha’s clans and sent Gato to buy twenty-two billion worth of top-grade raw materials from Kusagakure.
• Two years passed, and Kabuto graduated at the top of his class before helping at the Medical Department, orphanage, and Research Institute.
• Naruto and Sasuke advanced to fourth grade, while Tsunade continued gambling in Kusagakure and accumulated more debt with Kusana.
• Danzo, after securing materials and planning to capture markets in three lands, finally prepared to open another factory.

Danzo opened the Root Factory with a public ceremony and promoted it as Konoha’s answer to dependence on Grass Ninja Manufacturing. The launch was thrown into chaos when a BBC Daily reporter accused Danzo and Orochimaru of abducting children for human experiments, and incriminating newspapers began raining down.

• Danzo prepared to launch the Root Factory, while Hiruzen Sarutobi, Mitokado Homura, Gato, and a crowd gathered to witness the opening.
• Danzo cut the ribbon and announced that the Root Factory had begun production.
• Danzo told reporters that he had built the factory so Konoha could produce its own goods, and Root supporters rallied the crowd behind him.
• A BBC Daily reporter appeared at the ceremony and accused Danzo of colluding with Orochimaru to abduct children and conduct human experimentation for profit.
• Newspapers bearing a sinister photograph fell over the crowd, and Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo ordered the people to stop the reporter and avoid looking at them.

Danzo’s Root Factory collapsed amid public outrage after the BBC Daily exposed it for human experimentation and exploiting workers, while Orochimaru fled with the laboratory’s remaining money. As Kusana learned that Konoha was planning a village lockdown, he was left baffled by how far the village had fallen.

• The BBC Daily published accusations and photos linking Danzo’s factory to Orochimaru’s human experiments and the exploitation of villagers, sparking protests across the Three Great Nations and Konoha.
• Danzo’s factory opening ceremony turned into a riot, and he watched his twenty-two billion disappear as villagers attacked and boycotted the factory.
• Danzo ordered his Root ninja to capture the BBC reporter, but the reporter fled and alerted villagers to Danzo’s location.
• A Root ninja told Danzo that Orochimaru had defected and emptied the laboratory, then handed him Orochimaru’s letter explaining that he had taken the remaining money.
• Konoha’s clan heads and factory investors were left stunned by the collapse, while Kusana lamented the loss before Mujie reported that Konoha was planning a village lockdown.

After Kusagakure exposed Danzo’s business and Orochimaru’s human experiments, Hiruzen tried to stop Danzo from resuming business and announced a Village Lockdown. The fallout left Tsunade in Kusagakure reading about Konoha’s latest crisis as she hurried back to work.

• Danzo woke in the hospital and learned that Hiruzen was hospitalized beside him after being angered by Kusagakure’s exposure of Orochimaru’s human experiments.
• Hiruzen told Danzo that he had dealt with the outside fallout and urged him to stop pursuing business, but Danzo insisted he would try again.
• Hiruzen repeatedly convulsed whenever Danzo said “business,” and Biwako arrived, misunderstood their argument, and decided to move Hiruzen to another ward.
• Hiruzen told Danzo he would impose a Village Lockdown, and Konoha later announced the lockdown while Hiruzen blamed Danzo publicly and ordered Orochimaru’s arrest.
• Tsunade read the news in Kusagakure, sighed over Konoha’s situation, then answered a coworker who threatened to dock her pay.

Hiruzen Sarutobi moved to seal Konoha after Danzo’s factory collapse devastated the village’s finances, while Kusagakure offered to buy back the factory’s equipment and materials. In Root’s base, Danzo told Gato he was handing the factory over to him.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi convened Konoha’s clan leaders and ordered them to prepare for Village Lockdown.
• Kusagakure’s leader praised the friendship between the villages and offered to buy Konoha’s equipment and raw materials for five hundred million.
• Kusana asked Mujie where Gato was, wondering why he had not returned.
• Root brought Gato to Danzo, who assumed Gato had lost seven billion and had been afraid to admit it.
• Danzo declared that he was handing everything in the factory over to Gato.

Danzo arranged for Gato to move Konoha’s factory supplies to the Land of Waves under a new name, while secretly joining Root. Kusana’s negotiation team learned the goods were already being handed over and decided to build the factory.

• Danzo persuaded Gato to relocate the factory equipment and supplies worth over twenty billion to the Land of Waves, giving him the business channels and requiring him to join Root.
• Gato left Konoha with the supplies and wondered what to do next.
• Kusana assembled a team led by Mujie to negotiate for Konoha’s goods at a fraction of their value.
• Mujie arrived with a report that stunned Kusana, Hanzō, Kakuzu, and Chiyo, who praised Danzo as a good man.
• Kusana told Mujie to build the factory instead of bringing the goods back.

Konoha entered a village-wide lockdown while Orochimaru fled with his money and Kusagakure’s new production base began operating. After Tsunade asked Kusana how to earn more, he offered her the lead role in a gambling movie.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi sealed Konoha and forbade ninjas from entering or leaving without permission.
• BBC Daily covered the lockdown as the Grass Ninja Village Leader called on the villages to preserve peace.
• Orochimaru learned of the lockdown, fled with his remaining money, and considered visiting the Obito Production Base in the Land of Waves.
• Tsunade told Kusana that her acting work paid poorly, and Shizune revealed that Tsunade had been blacklisted for slacking off and causing trouble.
• Kushina stopped Tsunade from asking Kusana to meet with her alone, and Kusana proposed making Tsunade the star of a gambling film.

Kusana recruited Tsunade to star in a gambling movie inspired by her unlucky life, and filming revealed that she was just as unable to win in fiction as in reality. After Tsunade’s winning cards mysteriously became losing ones during the final scene, Kusana concluded that the Third Hokage was still alive and well.

• Kusana gave Tsunade the script for Gambling Saint: Man Can Conquer Fate, and she agreed to make the film after recognizing its story as a reflection of her own.
• Shizune and Kushina mistook Kusana’s script for a heartfelt attempt to persuade Tsunade to stop gambling, and Tsunade chose to act in the movie anyway.
• Kusana brought Tsunade to Grasswood to film, where she impressed the crews by convincingly playing a shameless gambler.
• During the final showdown scene, Tsunade’s four Aces inexplicably became little threes just before she revealed them.
• Kusana decided they could fix the scene with special effects and said the missing cards showed that the Third Hokage was still alive and well.

Orochimaru watched Tsunade’s new movie and met Gato, who brought him Danzo’s research plans and pressured him to take them on. Orochimaru agreed to cooperate, though he vowed to remember Danzo’s threats.

• Kusagakure promoted and released Tsunade’s movie, while rumors about the strange incident during filming renewed an old mystery.
• Orochimaru watched the movie in the Land of Fields and considered contacting the Afēi Production Base for work.
• After receiving Gato’s intelligence, Kusana went to the Research Institute.
• Gato met Orochimaru and delivered Danzo’s research plans, including studies on trains, chakra datafication, long-distance signals, and natural energy.
• When Orochimaru resisted, Gato relayed Danzo’s threats to cut off funding and expose Orochimaru’s whereabouts to Konoha.
• Orochimaru shook Gato’s hand and agreed to cooperate, privately vowing to remember Shimura Danzō.

Two years after Konoha’s lockdown, Kusagakure had become a prosperous center of technology and production while its residents’ lives grew increasingly complicated. Kusana learned that Kakuzu and Hanzō had disrupted a railway, only for Chiyo and the academy’s puppet teachers to rebuild it and ride off in a Green Train.

• Danzo rested during Konoha’s lockdown and planned to return to the shinobi world with Orochimaru’s help once the village reopened.
• Two years passed as Kusagakure advanced technologically, Sunagakure recovered as a research and production village, and Tsunade became a famous Grasswood actress.
• Naruto and Sasuke narrowly defeated Black Zetsu’s training technology, while Little Xiang grew into a troublesome academy gang leader under Kushina’s influence.
• Mikoto and Fusang became pregnant, and Nagato returned to visit before nearly attacking Kusana for asking him to call him Dad.
• Kusana read that Kakuzu and Hanzō had cut off the railway, but Chiyo and the academy’s puppet teachers laid new tracks and drove away on a Green Train.

After Hanzō and Kakuzu sabotaged the railway to keep Chiyo from discovering Hanzō’s boasts about funding, the two village leaders fought on the road. Kusana approved Sunagakure’s funding and ordered them to stop, but Chiyo and Hanzō kept fighting in the rain anyway.

• Hanzō bragged to Chiyo about receiving funding, prompting her to apply for money to improve Sunagakure.
• Kakuzu rejected Chiyo’s application, and Hanzō joined him in tearing up the railway to prevent her from visiting Kusagakure.
• Chiyo gathered puppet masters to drive a train while Hanzō brought Rain ninja to intercept her, and their followers began fighting without knowing why.
• After Ebizo reported the fight, Kusana approved Sunagakure’s funding and sent word for Chiyo and Hanzō to stop.
• Ebizo told Chiyo that the funding had been approved, but she and Hanzō continued fighting and insulting each other in the rain.

Kusana and Pakura discussed the academy’s graduating class, the choice of Top Student, and Kusagakure’s progress as it prepared to establish long-distance communication. Pakura fell asleep at Kusana’s desk, and Kusana let her rest before dozing off himself.

• Kusana ignored the renewed quarrel between Hanzō and Chiyo while Ebizo tried to break up the fight.
• Pakura told Kusana that the academy’s graduating students needed a Top Student chosen, and Kusana said to follow the rules and select the best one.
• Pakura mentioned that Naruto wanted a little sister like Sasuke’s, and Kusana called his own coming child an accident.
• Kusana explained that the new Chakra Signal Towers would soon enable long-distance communication.
• Pakura reminisced about being rescued, becoming the academy’s dean, and watching Kusagakure grow; she fell asleep at Kusana’s desk, and he let her rest before falling asleep too.

Kusana returned home to find Kushina beating Naruto, and the family shared dinner as Naruto and Sasuke worried about their upcoming graduation and their contest to become Top Student. Naruto studied late into the night, fell asleep at his desk, and woke in a dim space before a terrifying caged monster.

• Kusana walked home through Kusagakure, recalling the Gold Medal Reporter’s dangerous infiltration of Konoha and the village’s ban on the BBC Reporter and Kusagakure Bandits.
• Kusana arrived to find Kushina beating Naruto, then joined the family for dinner and heard Naruto and Sasuke discuss graduation, homework, and their Top Student rivalry.
• Naruto went to study, secretly hoping his efforts would help his mother and Uncle Amang have another child, and smiled at a family photograph.
• Naruto tried to solve his test paper, complained that the problems were too difficult, and fell asleep at his desk.
• Naruto found himself in a dim space facing a terrifying monster locked behind bars.

Naruto encountered the Nine-Tails inside the seal and questioned it about its past and powers. After Naruto demanded rent for living inside his body, he asked the fox to solve a speed-and-distance problem, leaving it baffled.

• Naruto found himself inside the sealed space and met the Nine-Tails, which complained that it could not open the gate.
• Naruto asked about the Nine-Tails' battle with the First Hokage, and the fox grew irritated at his questions and rumors.
• The Nine-Tails tried to threaten Naruto with its claws, but Naruto said he knew they would both die if he died and mentioned Elder Yang Zheng's new seal research.
• Naruto kept questioning the Nine-Tails about its history and whether it was powerful, and the fox boasted that it could do anything.
• Naruto demanded that the Nine-Tails pay rent by answering his questions, then posed a speed-and-distance problem that left the fox dumbfounded.

Naruto woke after meeting the Nine-Tails and reassured his family and friends that he was unharmed. He refused to strengthen the seal, choosing instead to face the Nine-Tails himself, then hinted at a surprise for Sasuke, Gaara, and Jugō.

• Naruto tested the Nine-Tails with questions, frustrating it until it angrily sent him out of its consciousness space.
• Naruto woke to find Kushina, Kana, Kusana, and the others gathered around him, and he told them he was fine.
• Naruto complained that the Nine-Tails was dumb and said he had only asked it a few questions, making Sasuke call him an idiot.
• Kushina suggested strengthening Naruto’s seal, but Naruto said he wanted to face the Nine-Tails directly, and Kusana praised his growth.
• After everyone left, Naruto looked at the seal on his navel and thought about surprising Sasuke, Gaara, and Jugō.

Kusana agreed to hold the first joint graduation exam for the ninja academies of Kusagakure, Sunagakure, and Amegakure. Meanwhile, Naruto used Obito's help to enter the sealing space and demanded that the Nine-Tails train him.

• Naruto grew frustrated after repeatedly being thrown out of the sealing space, and Kusana told him Obito could help him enter.
• Hanzō and Chiyo proposed a joint exam for their villages' graduating students, and Kusana approved it.
• The leaders planned to hold the exam in Kusagakure, broadcast it on television, and prioritize the children's safety and fair competition.
• Hanzō and Chiyo left while bickering, with Hanzō planning to visit the children and Chiyo planning to see Gaara.
• Naruto secretly found Obito, entered the sealing space with his help, and asked the Nine-Tails to train him, but the Nine-Tails told him to get lost.

Naruto repeatedly entered the Nine-Tails’ sealing space, only to be thrown back out until Kurama finally let him stay and heard that Naruto had an upcoming exam. After Naruto returned, Obito stopped him, saying, “Since you’re here anyway...”

• Naruto repeatedly asked Obito to send him into the sealing space, but Kurama kept forcing him out.
• Kurama grew furious with Naruto’s persistence and demanded to know what he wanted.
• Naruto told Kurama he had an exam coming up, without explaining further.
• Obito watched Naruto’s chakra and wondered why the Nine-Tails seemed to reject him.
• Naruto emerged pleased with himself, thanked Obito, and said he would surprise Sasuke.
• Obito stepped in front of Naruto and said, “Since you’re here anyway...”

Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara, and Jugō prepared for the Three Ninja Academy Joint Exam as students from Amegakure and Sunagakure arrived in Kusagakure. Hanzo of the Salamander and Advisor Chiyo immediately resumed their bickering, leaving the exam and their rivalry poised to begin.

• Naruto and Sasuke learned about the joint exam and studied hard, while Gaara trained and Jugō continued his usual studies and research work.
• The students from the other villages arrived early in Kusagakure to rest and prepare for the exam.
• Hanzo of the Salamander urged the Amegakure students to crush Sunagakure, while Advisor Chiyo told her students to crush Amegakure.
• Hanzo and Chiyo recognized each other, traded insults, and argued over their assigned lodgings.
• Ebizo explained that Hanzo and Chiyo were old friends, then took the children out to eat while the two leaders headed to their lodgings.

Kankuro and Temari reunited with Gaara in Kusagakure, where the siblings spent the evening together and reflected on how their lives had changed. As Gaara left, Kankuro declared that he no longer feared him and challenged him ahead of the exam.

• Kankuro and Temari arrived in Kusagakure and discussed how their family and village had changed since their father’s death.
• Gaara came to meet his siblings, explaining that Aunt Yakura had encouraged him to go out and relax.
• The three siblings walked around Kusagakure, shared food and drinks, watched a movie, and talked about their upcoming exam.
• Gaara and Kankuro each claimed that they would win the Top Student title.
• As Gaara departed, Kankuro shouted that he was no longer afraid of him and challenged him not to let himself be defeated.
• Temari teased Kankuro as Gaara left, but she smiled at the sight of her brothers.

As the Three Ninja Academy Joint Exam began in Kusagakure, Nagato and Konan returned home, and Kushina reflected on Naruto growing up. Naruto faced the written tests by pulling the Nine-Tails into his sealing space and asking it to find answers from his textbooks.

• Nagato and Konan returned to Kusagakure for the joint exam and greeted Little Xiang, Kusana, and their family.
• Nagato asked how Naruto and Sasuke had prepared, while Kusana suggested the results might surprise everyone.
• Kushina worried about how quickly Naruto had grown, then tried to reassure herself that he would do well on the exam.
• Students from the three ninja academies began the first day of written tests.
• Naruto struggled when he saw the test paper, entered his sealing space, and asked the Nine-Tails to answer questions using his Kusagakure textbooks.

Naruto pressured Kurama into helping him cheat on the exam by challenging him not to let Gaara and the One-Tail win. As Naruto and Kurama worked together during the test, someone at a neighboring seat sensed the fox’s smell.

• Kurama refused Naruto’s request to help with the exam, insisting that Naruto handle it himself.
• Naruto promised Kurama rewards and freedom, then angrily claimed he could beat Gaara without help.
• Kurama agreed to help after learning that Gaara, the One-Tail’s Jinchuriki, was taking the exam, and fist-bumped Naruto.
• Naruto returned from the sealing space, where only fifteen minutes had passed, and Kurama helped him answer the test questions using books.
• A student in a neighboring seat said they could smell the stinking fox.

Naruto and Gaara relied on the Nine-Tails and One-Tail to help them compete for the Top Student spot during a written exam. The exam ended with Naruto confident in his answers, while the exhausted Nine-Tails barred him from returning to the sealing space.

• Gaara and Shukaku studied together and vowed to beat Naruto and the Nine-Tails for the Top Student spot.
• Naruto urged the Nine-Tails to help him answer questions, but the fox lost interest after hearing about Kushina and Uncle Amang.
• The Nine-Tails sensed Shukaku's Chakra and used all nine tails to flip through books at once, prompting Naruto to work hard too.
• Shukaku noticed his Chakra leaking out, but he and Gaara continued taking the exam.
• The proctor called time, and Naruto finished his paper feeling confident about his score.
• The exhausted Nine-Tails told Naruto not to involve him in another exam and set up a firewall to keep him out of the sealing space.

Black Zetsu left the academy first and claimed the difficult exam had been easy, confusing the reporters and alarming the other examinees. Naruto and Sasuke returned home confident about their results, where Kusana said Kushina was resting because she was tired.

• Black Zetsu told BBC Reporters that the exam was easy, then walked away while the other students complained that it had been difficult.
• Lord Hanzō and Advisor Chiyo encouraged their exhausted academy students to rest before the practical exam, then resumed bickering.
• Naruto and Sasuke greeted Gaara, Jugō, Lord Hanzō, and Advisor Chiyo before heading home and arguing about who would become the top student.
• Naruto and Sasuke arrived home, and Kusana noticed that they seemed pleased with their exam results.
• Naruto asked where Kushina was, and Kusana said she was tired and resting before leaving the boys to bicker again.

Naruto, Sasuke, and the other students prepared for the Three Ninja Academy Joint Exam’s practical test, which was held in Kannabi Forest. Their families and friends gathered to watch as the test began.

• Naruto and Sasuke went to bed early after dinner to prepare for the practical exam, while Naruto acted confident about his written results.
• Kusana arranged the practical test in Kannabi Forest, where students would compete to survive until the end under the watch of rescue teams, medics, and surveillance personnel.
• Kusagakure set up public viewing screens and received sponsorship from Tobi Recycling, which also applied to recycle discarded ninja tools from the exam.
• Kushina, Mikoto, Kusana, Nagato, Konan, Yahiko, and Pakura gathered at the viewing stands to watch the students, including Naruto, Sasuke, and Jugō.
• Tsunade arrived with Shizune, joked that she had wanted to bet on Naruto, and drew a warning from Kushina before everyone turned to the screens as the practical test began.