Chapter Summaries

Kitahara Kaede suppressed Shukaku’s influence in Gaara’s mind and prevented a clash between Gaara and Sasuke. After the Sunagakure siblings took Gaara back to their inn, Kitahara Kaede warned Sasuke about his Thunder Breathing technique and overconfidence.

• Kitahara Kaede entered Gaara’s Mental World, crushed Shukaku’s invading chakra and spiritual will, and left Gaara asleep.
• Temari rushed to Gaara, then took him with Kankuro back to the Sunagakure delegation’s inn after Kitahara Kaede confirmed he was safe.
• Kitahara Kaede warned Kankuro and Temari that bringing Gaara into Konoha conspicuously could cause trouble for their Kazekage.
• Kitahara Kaede praised Sasuke’s progress in Thunder Breathing but explained that Gaara’s sand would have crushed his foot if he had not intervened.
• Uzumaki Naruto cheered Kitahara Kaede, while Sasuke privately questioned whether Naruto could become the dependable Seventh Hokage.

Kitahara Kaede told the Third Hokage that he could see Shukaku inside Gaara and revealed his Sharingan, explaining that he might have Uchiha ancestry. The Third Hokage reassured him that Danzo’s attack did not represent the village and appointed him to proctor the upcoming Chunin Exams’ third stage.

• The Third Hokage praised Kitahara Kaede for stopping a potential fight between the Kazekage’s children, and Kitahara Kaede identified Gaara as the One-Tail Jinchuriki.
• Kitahara Kaede removed his cosmetic contacts, showed the Third Hokage his Sharingan, and said he might have Uchiha blood.
• The Third Hokage welcomed Kitahara Kaede’s trust, said Danzo had acted on his own, and assured him the village accepted him regardless of his surname.
• The Third Hokage asked Kitahara Kaede to proctor the third stage of the upcoming joint Chunin Exams, and Kitahara Kaede was surprised by the appointment.

The Third Hokage appointed Kitahara Kaede as the third-round Chunin Exams examiner, while Orochimaru, disguised as the Kazekage, learned that an unknown Konoha ninja had made Gaara sleep without waking the One-Tail. Worried the mysterious genjutsu expert could threaten the Konoha Collapse Plan, Orochimaru ordered an investigation.

• The Third Hokage chose Kitahara Kaede to examine the third round of the Chunin Exams, and Kaede accepted.
• Temari and Kankuro told the disguised Orochimaru that Gaara had fallen asleep while the One-Tail remained quiet.
• Orochimaru suspected an unknown Konoha genjutsu expert had subdued both Gaara and the One-Tail and considered the ninja a threat to his plan.
• Orochimaru sent Tayuya to tell Kabuto to identify the Konoha ninja responsible.

Kitahara Kaede considered moving to a larger house and listed several future threats in his Diary, prompting Jiraiya, Naruto, Itachi, and Tsunade to reassess the dangers ahead. The chapter left them preparing for powerful enemies while Tsunade secretly returned to Konoha to confront Orochimaru.

• Kitahara Kaede finished his work report, considered moving, and wrote in his Diary that he would crush anyone who damaged his house, naming Orochimaru, Uzumaki Nagato, Otsutsuki Toneri, Otsutsuki Momoshiki, Ōtsutsuki Isshiki, and Code.
• Jiraiya rejected another attempt to recruit him as Fifth Hokage, planned to train Uzumaki Naruto, and read Kaede's Diary, wondering who Otsutsuki Toneri and Code were.
• Uzumaki Naruto recognized several of the listed threats, identified Kara and Ōtsutsuki Isshiki as targets for investigation, and planned to ask Sasuke to look into them.
• Uchiha Itachi read the new names in the Diary and worried that Otsutsuki Toneri and Code were additional powerful threats.
• Tsunade, hiding at a hot spring inn, vowed not to let Orochimaru destroy Konoha and wondered whether he had already replaced the Kazekage.

Second Pillar, Minato, Naruto, and others reacted to Kitahara Kaede’s commentary about Gaara, Naruto, and the Kaguya Clan. The revelations led them to connect the Kaguya Clan’s bone ability to Hamura’s Sage Body lineage and left Itachi adding Shikotsumyaku to the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s suspected abilities.

• Second Pillar reconsidered his battle against Gaara and saw Kitahara Kaede mock his future hairstyle and mention the embarrassing Uchiha Body Slam.
• Minato became furious after reading that Danzo had considered taking Naruto into Root to raise him as a biological weapon.
• Naruto remembered his friend Gaara and reflected that Gaara had never become a Perfect Jinchuriki.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade realized that Kimimaro’s Kaguya Clan was believed to descend from Hamura and had nearly been wiped out by Kirigakure.
• Uchiha Itachi concluded that the Sage Eye and Sage Body represented separate inherited powers and added the Kaguya Clan’s Shikotsumyaku to the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s suspected abilities.

The viewers discussed Kimimaro Kaguya’s status as the final inheritor of the Hamura Lineage’s Sage Body and his connection to Orochimaru, while Uchiha Itachi and Second Pillar considered the dangers and benefits of Cursed Seals. A new video began showing Kimimaro fighting teenage Naruto, leaving Tsunade impressed by his taijutsu and eager to judge the Kaguya descendant’s strength.

• Uchiha Itachi judged the Hamura Lineage weaker than the Hagoromo Lineage, while Jiraiya realized Kimimaro had likely fallen into Orochimaru’s hands.
• Uchiha Itachi connected his worsening illness to Kekkei Genkai Disease and worried that Orochimaru’s chakra or soul fragments made Sasuke’s Heavenly Cursed Seal dangerous.
• Second Pillar concluded that Orochimaru had likely intended Kimimaro to be a vessel before turning to him, and vowed that Orochimaru deserved to die for coveting the Uchiha bloodline.
• Naruto recalled Kimimaro’s exceptional taijutsu and how thoroughly he had been outclassed during their earlier fight.
• A video titled “The Strongest Shield VS the Strongest Spear!” showed Kimimaro breaking apart teenage Naruto’s Shadow Clones, and Tsunade recognized him as a formidable taijutsu specialist.

The video showed Second Pillar leaving Konoha with Orochimaru, while his present self reflected on how his circumstances and bonds differed from those in the future. Rock Lee intercepted Kimimaro Kaguya to let Uzumaki Naruto pursue Sasuke, then entered Drunken Fist after taking his medicine.

• Kimimaro Kaguya broke the seal on the barrel and released Second Pillar, who withdrew from his Cursed Seal state and laughed at his newfound power.
• Uzumaki Naruto urged Second Pillar to return, but Second Pillar ignored him and continued toward Orochimaru’s ambitions.
• Rock Lee arrived in time to save Uzumaki Naruto from Kimimaro Kaguya and told Naruto to go after Sasuke.
• Rock Lee fought Kimimaro Kaguya, then paused to take his medicine when he appeared to be losing.
• After taking the medicine, Rock Lee entered Drunken Fist and resumed fighting Kimimaro Kaguya with faster, unpredictable movements.

Rock Lee’s Drunken Fist failed against Kimimaro’s bone-based Kekkei Genkai, and Kimimaro gained the upper hand even after Lee opened the Gate of Opening. Gaara arrived to rescue Lee, leaving the observers wondering how the hostile Sunagakure and Konoha had become allies again.

• Kimimaro used his Shikotsumyaku to injure Rock Lee and explained that he could freely create and control his bones.
• Rock Lee opened the Gate of Opening and attacked at great speed, but Kimimaro’s bone defenses countered his close-combat style.
• Kimimaro prepared to finish Rock Lee, but Gaara appeared and rescued him with sand.
• Second Pillar noticed that this Gaara seemed very different from the one he had met, while Hatake Kakashi questioned the claim that Sunagakure was Konoha’s ally.
• Minato Namikaze reasoned that Sunagakure’s alliance with Konoha must have followed renewed peace talks after the Konoha Collapse Plan, despite longstanding resentment between the villages.

Gaara confronted Kimimaro while Rock Lee, still weakened from their earlier fight, watched. Gaara revealed that he could create sand from soil, leaving Kimimaro trapped and challenging his assumption that Gaara depended only on the sand in his gourd.

• Gaara arrived on the grassland and intercepted Kimimaro after Kimimaro's finger bones failed to penetrate his sand shield.
• Gaara and Rock Lee recognized each other, and Lee explained that Gaara had crippled him in an earlier battle.
• Gaara said he had come with Sunagakure to assist Konoha under their renewed alliance, then took Lee's place against Kimimaro.
• Kimimaro tested Gaara's sand defenses with finger-bone bullets while Gaara attacked him with sand.
• Kimimaro guessed that Gaara's sand supply was limited to his gourd, but Gaara restrained his feet with Sand Shower.
• Gaara explained that he could crush rocks and minerals in the soil to make more sand and send it underground.

Gaara overwhelmed Kimimaro with enormous sand techniques, while Second Pillar reflected on how his life had grown beyond revenge. As Kimimaro fought on, memories revealed how Orochimaru had taken him in after the Kaguya Clan was destroyed, and Jiraiya called Orochimaru’s kindness an illusion.

• Gaara crushed Kimimaro with Sand Waterfall Funeral, but Kimimaro survived by shielding himself with bone and activating his Cursed Seal.
• Second Pillar reflected that revenge was no longer the sole purpose of his life and that he had found many other things worth living for.
• Gaara buried Kimimaro beneath a vast sand wave and used Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral, but sensed that Kimimaro was still alive.
• Kimimaro recalled joining the Kaguya Clan’s attack on Kirigakure and later meeting Orochimaru, who took him in.
• Tsunade compared the Kaguya Clan’s destruction with the Uchiha Clan’s fate, and Jiraiya said Orochimaru had merely created an illusion of kindness for Kimimaro.

Kimimaro fought Gaara and Rock Lee despite his terminal Kekkei Genkai Disease, while observers questioned why the Jinchuriki Gaara had so little Chakra. Gaara buried Kimimaro, but Kimimaro unleashed a forest of bone spikes and emerged behind Gaara to attack him.

• Kimimaro entered the second stage of his Cursed Seal, broke through Gaara's sand defenses, and knocked Rock Lee away with a tail strike.
• Kimimaro pulled out his spine as a bone sword and attacked Gaara, but his illness caused him to cough blood before he could finish his assault.
• Kimimaro revealed that he was the last Kaguya Clan member and declared that his bloodline would not end because he was not alone.
• Gaara used the Shield of Shukaku and then buried Kimimaro underground, while Minato Namikaze suspected Sunagakure could not let Gaara draw Chakra from Shukaku.
• Kimimaro unleashed Dance of the Seedling Fern from underground, forcing Gaara to lift himself and Rock Lee above the bone spikes.
• Kimimaro emerged behind Gaara along the bones and stabbed at him with a bone spike.

After Kimimaro died from his Kekkei Genkai Disease, the screen showed Akatsuki preparing to capture Gaara, now the Kazekage of Sunagakure. Deidara flew over the village as Gaara noticed the threat, leaving their confrontation about to begin.

• Gaara narrowly defeated Kimimaro, who died when his Kekkei Genkai Disease flared up.
• Sunagakure's leaders prepared defenses against Akatsuki, but Yura's hidden seal broke and revealed that he was Sasori's spy.
• Sasori and Deidara reached Sunagakure, where Yura bowed to Sasori after killing the guards at the checkpoint.
• Kakashi recognized Sasori as the former Sunagakure ninja Sasori of the Red Sands, while the others identified Deidara as an Iwagakure rogue ninja.
• Deidara rode a clay bird over Sunagakure and began watching Gaara, who noticed him from the Kazekage's office.

Gaara confronted Deidara over Sunagakure and used his control of the desert to fight the airborne intruder. The chapter ended with Deidara trapped inside a sphere of sand, as Kankuro and the other ninja believed the battle was over.

• Gaara intercepted Deidara after noticing his Clay Bird, and the two began fighting above Sunagakure.
• Gaara lifted himself into the air on sand and explained that Deidara had been spotted because such birds were unusual in the desert.
• Gaara raised a vast wave of sand and formed a giant Shukaku-like hand that repeatedly attacked Deidara.
• Gaara protected himself inside a huge sphere of sand while continuing to attack Deidara with a sand claw.
• Gaara caught Deidara with Sand Binding Prison and enclosed him in a giant sphere, prompting Kankuro and the other Sunagakure ninja to cheer.

Gaara fought Deidara in the skies above Sunagakure, using his chakra-infused sand to keep the Akatsuki ninja at a disadvantage. As Deidara prepared to destroy the village, Gaara reflected on Naruto’s influence and affirmed that he wanted to be needed as Sunagakure’s Kazekage, not feared as a weapon.

• Deidara escaped Gaara’s sand sphere with a clay bird, but Gaara caught him again and crippled one of his arms with his special sand.
• Deidara analyzed the properties of Gaara’s Absolute Defense sand while Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and Hatake Kakashi assessed his worsening position and considered Sasori’s possible role.
• Deidara flew beyond the reach of Sunagakure’s forces and decided to destroy the village with his remaining trump card.
• As Sunagakure’s people feared Gaara might lose control of Shukaku, Gaara recalled how Naruto had taught him that he could choose his own way of living.
• Gaara declared that he wanted to become someone others needed as Sunagakure’s Kazekage, and Tsunade reflected on the purpose of the Jinchuriki system.

The chapter examined how Naruto helped Gaara overcome the isolation of being a jinchuriki, then showed Deidara attacking Sunagakure with his C3 bomb. Gaara shielded the village from the blast, while the observers considered how his abilities countered Deidara and would have overwhelmed Sasori.

• Tsunade reflected on how Naruto and Gaara endured similar childhoods but found different paths, with Naruto helping Gaara become Kazekage.
• Minato praised Naruto for guiding Gaara, while Itachi and Second Pillar considered the Uchiha clan’s history and their own chances of escaping darkness.
• Baki ordered Sunagakure to mobilize and support Gaara as Deidara prepared to attack the village.
• Deidara dropped his C3 explosive bomb toward Sunagakure, and Gaara raised a massive sand shield that protected the village.
• Jiraiya and the other observers noted that Gaara’s defenses suited him to stopping the blast, while Sasori would likely have been overwhelmed by Sunagakure’s shinobi and Gaara’s sand.

Deidara used a carefully prepared strategy to exhaust Gaara’s chakra and capture him, revealing Akatsuki’s threat to the shinobi villages. After the footage ended, Hatake Kakashi concluded that Akatsuki would begin large-scale action in three years and considered how to prepare.

• Deidara detonated Clay Bombs hidden in Gaara’s Absolute Defense, then exploited Gaara’s exhaustion to capture him after he moved the battle sand away from Sunagakure.
• Hatake Kakashi reflected on Akatsuki’s powerful members and the danger of their plan to capture Tailed Beasts.
• Hatake Kakashi identified Deidara’s flight and bombs as threats, and thought that learning Flying Thunder God could help counter them.
• Hatake Kakashi estimated that Akatsuki’s large-scale movements would begin in three years and feared they might be preparing the Ten-Tails.
• Tsunade praised Gaara for fighting to protect Sunagakure and fulfilling his duty as Kazekage.

Tsunade and Minato considered how to counter Akatsuki’s aerial threats and recruit promising shinobi, while Sasuke resolved to pursue the Hokage position after seeing Gaara’s and Naruto’s futures. In the future, Naruto worried about threats from the Ōtsutsuki and his stalled Six Paths training before sealing the diary and going to Himawari.

• Tsunade recognized Deidara’s flying explosives as a major threat and considered developing equipment for aerial combat.
• Minato considered recruiting Kimimaro and Haku to strengthen Konoha’s ranks.
• Sasuke drew inspiration from Gaara and Naruto becoming Kage and vowed to become Hokage himself.
• Naruto and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox discussed the danger of the Ōtsutsuki and Naruto’s lack of progress in Six Paths training.
• Naruto sealed the diary and went to answer Himawari.

Kitahara Kaede drew the complete Impure World Reincarnation and assessed its power, limitations, and uses. He began preparing to build a secret laboratory, then continued his daily training.

• Kitahara Kaede drew Impure World Reincarnation and learned that the system-enhanced technique offered stronger control and could last for a month.
• Kitahara Kaede decided he would summon Senju Hashirama if he faced threats such as Nagato or Otsutsuki Momoshiki, and he accepted using sacrifices without moral qualms.
• Kitahara Kaede listed the materials needed for Impure World Reincarnation and planned to use Gato’s money to gather them and establish an underground laboratory.
• Kitahara Kaede sent the list to Gato with a Shadow Clone and stored his preparations in his Portable Space.
• Kitahara Kaede used Flying Thunder God to reach remote places for training and continued practicing the ninjutsu he had gained from the system.

Hyuga Keiko defeated Hyuga Neji in a spar after her training with Kitahara Kaede had made her faster and more experienced. Neji became curious about the technique that had strengthened her, but a summons from Hyuga Hiashi interrupted their conversation.

• Hyuga Keiko blocked Hyuga Neji's Eight Trigrams Palms attacks and overwhelmed him with her superior speed and combat experience.
• Hyuga Keiko struck Neji with the Inch Punch, a technique Kitahara Kaede had taught her, and sent him flying while holding back.
• Neji recognized that Keiko's decisive punch was not a Gentle Fist technique and asked what it was called.
• Keiko explained the Inch Punch and felt pleased at having defeated Neji for the first time.
• A middle-aged man summoned Keiko on Hyuga Hiashi's orders, and she ended the spar by telling Neji to go home for dinner.

Hyuga Hiashi sought to meet Kitahara Kaede after learning of his appointment as the Chunin Exams’ third-round examiner and his hidden strength. After Hyuga Keiko told Kitahara about the invitation and revealed her connection to Hyuga Neji, a diary suddenly appeared before Neji.

• Hyuga Keiko visited Hyuga Hiashi, who asked her to invite Kitahara Kaede to meet him.
• Hyuga Hiashi considered Kitahara Kaede a promising talent after learning he possessed Elite Jonin-level strength and had been appointed an examiner.
• Kitahara Kaede guessed Hyuga Hiashi wanted to court his favor, and Hyuga Keiko warned him to be careful.
• Hyuga Keiko told Kitahara Kaede that Hyuga Neji was her cousin and said she had finally beaten him using the Inch Punch he taught her.
• Hyuga Neji wrapped his injured hand, and a diary labeled “Kitahara Kaede's Diary (Hyuga Neji's Copy)” appeared before him.