Ch. 325Neji: Is the Byakugan Really That Bad?

Neji read Kitahara Kaede’s diary and watched accounts of powerful shinobi, forcing him to confront the limits of his strength and the Byakugan. The chapter left him wondering whether the Byakugan could match the Sharingan’s evolved abilities after learning of their shared Ōtsutsuki origins.

  • Neji read about Orochimaru’s Kage-level strength and realized that Kage described a level of power, not merely a title.
  • Neji watched Uchiha Itachi and Second Pillar display Mangekyō Sharingan abilities and questioned whether the Byakugan was inferior.
  • Neji saw battles involving the Third Hokage, Orochimaru, and Akatsuki, and his pride in the Hyuga Clan’s strength collapsed.
  • Neji learned from Kitahara Kaede’s diary that the Hyuga Clan descended from the Ōtsutsuki Clan and that the Byakugan was the origin of other dōjutsu.
  • Neji considered the Mangekyō Sharingan abilities of Uchiha Itachi, Second Pillar, Uchiha Tobi, and Hatake Kakashi, finding them almost impossible to counter.

Ch. 326The Byakugan's Second Stage

Hyuga Neji read Kitahara Kaede’s Diary and learned that he had died in the future, but that he might have the talent to reach Kage Level if he could overcome the Hyuga Clan’s limitations. The possibility that the Byakugan had a powerful second stage gave Neji hope, while Tsunade also read the claim that the Hyuga bloodline had degenerated.

  • Hyuga Neji wondered whether his absence from the future’s fragments meant that he had died in battle and blamed himself for being mediocre.
  • Kitahara Kaede wrote that Neji had died young despite his talent, and suggested that the Byakugan might have a second stage comparable to the Mangekyō Sharingan.
  • Neji accepted that he had died in the previous battle and resented being the only one among the Konoha 12 to die.
  • Neji gained hope that the Byakugan’s second stage could let him reach Kage Level, but doubted that he could overcome the Caged Bird seal.
  • Tsunade read Kitahara Kaede’s claim that the Hyuga Clan’s bloodline had degenerated.

Ch. 327An Explosion of Information, the Tenseigan!

Kitahara Kaede’s diary revealed that the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan descended from the Otsutsuki Clan and could evolve into the Tenseigan, while the Hyuga bloodline had greatly deteriorated. The revelations left Hyuga Neji furious at the diary’s insults toward his clan.

  • Tsunade connected the Hyuga Clan’s intermarriage and Main Family–Branch Family system to efforts to preserve a deteriorated bloodline.
  • Second Pillar recalled Hyuga Neji as a former rival but dismissed him as a threat because Neji was a Branch Family member and would die in the future.
  • Kitahara Kaede’s diary described the Hyuga Clan as watchdogs and homeless dogs guarding the Byakugan, and explained that the Byakugan could evolve into the Tenseigan under unknown conditions.
  • The diary’s revelations about the Otsutsuki Clan, the Byakugan, and the Tenseigan shocked its readers.
  • Hyuga Neji instinctively rejected Kitahara Kaede’s insults, which he felt demeaned the entire Hyuga Clan.

Ch. 328The Ōtsutsuki Main Family and Branch Family's Civil War Was This Brutal?

Minato Namikaze considered Kitahara Kaede’s claims about the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the Divine Tree, and the Hyuga Clan’s origins, while Hyuga Neji learned of the Tenseigan. The chapter left Neji hopeful that the Byakugan could evolve into a powerful new eye.

  • Minato Namikaze wondered how the Divine Tree had contributed to the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s strength.
  • Minato Namikaze grew alarmed at the suggestion that the Hyuga Clan were remnants of the Ōtsutsuki Main Family on the moon, then recalled that they descended from Ōtsutsuki Hamura.
  • Minato Namikaze speculated that the Hyuga Main Family and Branch Family system and the Caged Bird Cursed Seal had arisen from an earlier Ōtsutsuki civil war.
  • Hyuga Neji saw the Tenseigan and realized the Byakugan had a genuine evolved form, giving him hope for the Hyuga Clan.

Ch. 329Hamura Otsutsuki's Last Will: Destroy the Shinobi World

The diary revealed that Otsutsuki Toneri would steal Hyuga Hanabi’s Byakugan to awaken the Tenseigan and try to destroy the Shinobi World by crashing the moon into it. The readers realized Toneri was a major future threat and resolved to watch him closely.

  • A Hyuga Branch Family member learned that Otsutsuki Toneri would take Hyuga Hanabi’s Byakugan, and reconsidered Hanabi’s talent and the Hyuga Clan’s Caged Bird seal.
  • Uchiha Itachi investigated the origins of the Hyuga Clan and Ōtsutsuki Branch Family, while recording the possible evolution path from Sharingan to Rinnegan for Sasuke.
  • Jiraiya speculated that Kekkei Mōra surpassed Six Paths Level, and Hatake Kakashi connected the Ōtsutsuki Branch Family to the moon approaching the Shinobi World.
  • Kitahara Kaede’s diary explained that Otsutsuki Toneri planned to destroy the Earth Shinobi World in what he believed was fulfillment of Otsutsuki Hamura’s will.
  • The readers recognized that the moon’s approach could cause a world-ending collision and raised their vigilance toward Otsutsuki Toneri.

Ch. 330Ōtsutsuki Fishing Old Man and Dogs at the Same Table

Hatake Kakashi and Jiraiya considered the threat posed by Ōtsutsuki Toneri and the Ōtsutsuki Clan, drawing conclusions about their eyes, power, and methods of gaining strength. They ended with the hope that Naruto would stop the moonfall crisis and the suspicion that Chakra Pills were scarce resources reserved for the Ōtsutsuki elite.

  • Hyuga Neji rejected the claim that the Hyuga Clan descended from the Ōtsutsuki Main Family and could have left a moon-crashing plan as a final testament.
  • Hatake Kakashi reasoned that Ōtsutsuki Toneri could fight Naruto and Sasuke at his peak, and that taking Hyuga Hanabi’s Byakugan had likely awakened his Tenseigan.
  • Hatake Kakashi feared that Toneri could bring the moon down on the Shinobi World, wondered whether Obito’s eye could help him surpass his limits, and took comfort in the likelihood that Naruto would resolve the crisis.
  • Jiraiya considered Kitahara Kaede’s nickname for an Ōtsutsuki and concluded that the clan had members of varying strength, with Chakra Pills and the Divine Tree likely behind their power.
  • Jiraiya reasoned that Chakra Pills required rare materials and were probably reserved for the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s middle and upper ranks, leaving ordinary members far weaker.

Ch. 331The Third Otsutsuki Hidden in the Shinobi World

Jiraiya, Tsunade, Itachi, and Naruto considered what the diary revealed about the Otsutsuki clans and the threat they posed to the Shinobi World. The chapter left Naruto concerned that Otsutsuki Toneri had encountered another enemy from beyond the heavens.

  • Jiraiya wondered whether Kage Level was merely the starting point for the Otsutsuki Clan and considered confronting the Ōtsutsuki Fishing Old Man.
  • Tsunade concluded that the Otsutsuki Branch Family and Main Family were divided, and suspected the Branch Family had stayed quiet to resist the Main Family.
  • Tsunade recognized that the Branch Family's plan to destroy the Shinobi World with the moon posed a greater threat than Orochimaru's Konoha Collapse Plan.
  • Second Pillar and Itachi reacted to Kitahara Kaede's teasing references to Uchiha Body Slam and the Legend of the Tattoo.
  • Naruto realized Toneri may have fought an Otsutsuki from beyond the heavens and worried that the Ōtsutsuki Fishing Old Man had been hiding in the Shinobi World.

Ch. 332A Sword Cleaving the Moon in Half? Are You Crazy, or Am I?

Naruto and the others reacted to the revelation that Otsutsuki Toneri could split the moon, then watched footage of masked figures abducting Hyuga Hanabi and Hyuga Hinata. The video showed a future Naruto fighting the attackers and revealed that they were lifelike Puppets.

  • Naruto worried that Toneri could be ambushed by other Otsutsuki, while Kurama urged him to grow stronger.
  • The group reacted with disbelief when Kitahara Kaede’s diary described Toneri splitting the moon with one strike, and they watched the accompanying video.
  • Masked figures descended into Hyuga Clan territory and abducted Hyuga Hanabi without alerting the guards.
  • Sai pursued the abductors but could not rescue Hanabi, and the figures later seized Hyuga Hinata before Naruto fought to save her.
  • Naruto fought the attackers with fluid taijutsu and Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, while Minato Namikaze and Second Pillar marveled at his growth.
  • Uchiha Itachi realized the masked attackers were highly advanced Puppets.

Ch. 333Does the Tenseigan Require Fusing Byakugan from Distant Relatives?

The observers watched a meteor strike and learned that the Shinobi World was a sphere before seeing the blind Ōtsutsuki Toneri declare that Earth would soon be destroyed. Uchiha Itachi speculated that Toneri had taken Hyuga Hanabi’s Byakugan to create a Tenseigan and questioned whether the process required Byakugan from distant relatives.

  • Uchiha Itachi marked the puppets’ energy source as unknown because Mukade had powered them with the Ryūmyaku’s chakra.
  • The observers watched a meteor crash near Konoha and saw that the Shinobi World was a sphere.
  • A blind, white-haired youth appeared and warned that Earth would soon be destroyed, leading the observers to identify him as Ōtsutsuki Toneri.
  • Minato Namikaze deduced that Toneri had targeted Hyuga Hanabi and Hyuga Hinata to obtain their pure Byakugan.
  • Uchiha Itachi reasoned that Toneri might have taken Hanabi’s eyes to create a Tenseigan and wondered whether the evolution required Byakugan from distant branches.

Ch. 334Sasuke: If That Guy Isn't Here, I'm the Only One Who Can Protect the Village

The Five Kage learned that the moon was breaking apart and would soon threaten all life in the Shinobi World. As meteorites struck the villages, Second Pillar appeared in the future to save Konoha, leaving his present self convinced he could match Naruto and become Hokage.

  • The Five Kage discovered that fragments of the approaching moon were falling across the world and that its eventual impact could wipe out all ordinary life.
  • Minato Namikaze and Hatake Kakashi reflected on the future Kage, including Kakashi's succession and Gaara's extraordinarily long tenure as Kazekage.
  • Meteorites rained down on the villages, and the Mizukage's Water Release failed to stop them while Gaara protected his village with a Sand Shield.
  • Rock Lee and the Eight Inner Gates users shattered part of a meteorite headed for Konoha, but the remaining half continued toward the village.
  • Second Pillar destroyed the remaining meteorite with Chidori Stream and declared that, without Naruto, he alone could protect Konoha.
  • Second Pillar recognized the future version of himself and decided that saving Konoha made him as worthy as Naruto of becoming Hokage.

Ch. 335Hatake Kakashi: Where Was My Sharingan? Where Was My Huge Sharingan?

Hyuga Neji and Hatake Kakashi reflected on the future battles and the limits of their allies as the footage revealed Otsutsuki Toneri wielding the Tenseigan. The scene then showed Naruto and his team fighting a giant statue inside the moon, leaving the cause of the moon’s destruction unclear.

  • Hyuga Neji considered Rock Lee’s future mastery of the Eight Inner Gates and began wanting to learn the technique himself.
  • Hatake Kakashi worried about Might Guy’s apparent disability and judged Rock Lee’s ability to open the Sixth Gate as disappointing by comparison.
  • Hatake Kakashi realized his future self had lost the Mangekyō Sharingan and wondered what had happened to him.
  • Otsutsuki Toneri revealed sapphire-like eyes that the onlookers identified as the Tenseigan.
  • Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuga Hinata, Nara Shikamaru, Sai, and the unconscious Hyuga Hanabi were attacked by a giant Ancestor Statue inside the moon.
  • Uzumaki Naruto released Kurama, and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox fought the statue as the group saw Earth through a vast hollow inside the moon.

Ch. 336A Single Sword Strike Split the Moon, Shocking Everyone

The viewers watched Otsutsuki Toneri and Uzumaki Naruto fight on the moon, where Toneri’s Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion split the moon in two. The chapter ended with everyone stunned by the power they had witnessed.

  • The two sides landed on the moon and saw the enormous world hidden inside it.
  • Otsutsuki Toneri entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode and unleashed Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, devastating the moon’s surface.
  • Toneri seized Hyuga Hinata, locked her in a cage, and attacked Naruto with meteorites while Naruto countered with Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
  • Toneri declared that the Earth would be destroyed and clashed with Naruto, whose superior combat experience kept Toneri from gaining the upper hand.
  • Toneri unleashed Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion and split the moon in two, shocking everyone watching.

Ch. 337Ōtsutsuki Remnant? The Ōtsutsuki Clan Was Extinct?

Uzumaki Naruto defeated Otsutsuki Toneri and Hyuga Hinata recovered Hyuga Hanabi’s eyes, but Toneri returned to the fight with countless Byakugan. The revelation that Toneri was the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s last descendant left Uchiha Itachi and the others believing the clan had dwindled to extinction.

  • Uzumaki Naruto broke Otsutsuki Toneri’s Tenseigan Chakra Mode and defeated him with a barrage of attacks.
  • Otsutsuki Toneri’s Tenseigan vanished, and Hyuga Hinata removed Hyuga Hanabi’s eyes from his empty sockets.
  • Otsutsuki Toneri summoned countless Byakugan, invoked Puppet Reincarnation, and sent the Ancestor Statue against the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, which blasted it away with a Tailed Beast Bomb.
  • Hyuga Hinata urged Otsutsuki Toneri to abandon his ancestors’ mistaken teachings, but he insisted he was the last descendant of the Ōtsutsuki Clan and would fulfill Hamura’s destiny.
  • Uchiha Itachi and the others concluded that the Ōtsutsuki Clan had dwindled until only Otsutsuki Toneri remained.

Ch. 338The World Created by the Sage of Six Paths, Fallen into Darkness—Be Destroyed

Tsunade reflected on the dwindling descendants of the Ōtsutsuki brothers as the video showed Naruto stopping Toneri from destroying the Shinobi World. After the video ended, Minato considered how reconciling with the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox could strengthen Kushina and himself.

  • Tsunade noted that the Senju, Uzumaki, Uchiha, and Kaguya clans had nearly vanished, while the Hyuga Clan endured.
  • Toneri absorbed the sun's energy until his body began to warp, and Naruto pulled him back from the brink of exploding.
  • Naruto learned Hamura's true command with Toneri, who admitted his mistake and chose to guard Earth from the moon.
  • Minato took comfort in seeing Naruto and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox working together and learned from Kushina that Nine-Tails Chakra Mode required mutual understanding.
  • Minato considered helping Kushina reconcile with the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and splitting off some of its chakra for himself to address his weaknesses.

Ch. 339Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura Are Both Still Alive

Uchiha Itachi theorized that Ōtsutsuki Toneri’s chakra-absorbing ability came from the gathered Byakugan and questioned the truth behind Ōtsutsuki Hamura’s Last Will. He concluded that Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo and Ōtsutsuki Hamura were still alive through Karma, while Naruto’s father resolved to pursue Sage Fox Mode to support his son.

  • Naruto’s father considered learning Wind Style: Rasenshuriken but decided his limited chakra made Sage Fox Mode a more practical goal, then went to discuss it with Kushina.
  • Jiraiya reflected that Toneri, like Nagato, had gone astray for lack of proper guidance and decided to record what he had learned for Naruto.
  • Uchiha Itachi questioned whether Toneri’s chakra absorption came from the Tenseigan or the gathered Byakugan and wondered why Hinata had been immune.
  • Uchiha Itachi doubted that Hamura’s Last Will was genuine, reasoning that Hamura should have possessed the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s Karma ability.
  • Uchiha Itachi concluded that Hagoromo and Hamura had rebelled against the Ōtsutsuki Main Family and were still alive through Karma.

Ch. 340For His Life, He Even Said He Would Join the Akatsuki

Uchiha Itachi, Hyuga Neji, and Hatake Kakashi pondered the power and secrets of the Ōtsutsuki, while Neji struggled with the limits imposed by his Caged Bird seal. In the Akatsuki base, Deva Path Pain discussed Kitahara Kaede’s growing threat with Kakuzu and Hidan.

  • Uchiha Itachi wondered whether the Sage of Six Paths and Ōtsutsuki Hamura were hiding or entangled with Ōtsutsuki Isshiki.
  • Hyuga Neji realized the Caged Bird might permanently block him from developing the Byakugan’s greater potential and began questioning fate.
  • Hatake Kakashi considered how the Earth and Lunar Shinobi Worlds were connected and prepared to face Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams.
  • Deva Path Pain told Kakuzu and Hidan that Konoha intelligence reported Kitahara Kaede had been promoted to Tokubetsu Jonin.
  • Kakuzu grew angry as Deva Path Pain described Kitahara Kaede as nearly as strong as him, recalling how badly he had lost their previous encounter.

Ch. 341Chunin Ninja Exams Begin

As the Chunin Ninja Exams began in Konoha, Pain sent Kakuzu and Hidan to try to seize either the One-Tail or Nine-Tails Jinchuriki during the expected Sunagakure attack. At the exam venue, the young ninja assessed their rivals, including Sasuke noticing Sound Ninja among the crowd.

  • Pain told Kakuzu and Hidan that Sunagakure planned to attack Konoha during the Chunin Ninja Exams and ordered them to seek a chance to capture either Jinchuriki.
  • Kitahara Kaede ate ramen at Ichiraku while Kakashi teased him about the exam, and Kaede said he had no reason to be nervous because he was not competing.
  • Naruto imagined becoming Hokage while Sasuke surveyed the gathered Genin and identified Gaara, Kabuto, and Sound Ninja as potential threats.
  • Neji watched the rookies and envied Sasuke's freedom and potential, while Keiko warned Soten Genryu that many strong competitors had gathered.

Ch. 342Hyuga Neji: Do You Have Any Information on Kitahara Kaede?

At the Chunin Exams, Second Pillar listened as Kabuto shared intelligence on Gaara, Rock Lee, and Hyuga Neji. When Neji asked about Kitahara Kaede, Kabuto recalled reports of Kaede’s rapid promotion and formidable strength.

  • Hyuga Keiko assessed the candidates and remembered Kitahara Kaede’s warning to avoid fighting Gaara.
  • Kabuto introduced himself to the Konoha 11 and offered intelligence gathered on exam candidates.
  • Second Pillar asked Kabuto about Gaara, Rock Lee, and Hyuga Neji, and Kabuto described their missions and abilities.
  • Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten approached and asked Kabuto about Kitahara Kaede.
  • Kabuto recalled that Kaede had become a Tokubetsu Jonin, would examine the third round, and was suspected of defeating Shimura Danzō’s Root squads.

Ch. 343Lavish Credentials That Stunned the Crowd

Kabuto revealed Kitahara Kaede’s remarkably extensive mission record, stunning the young Chunin Exam candidates and prompting Second Pillar to reaffirm his goal of surpassing him. Outside the examination building, the Jonin team leaders discussed the first test, while Kitahara Kaede predicted that Team 7 would fail to understand its purpose.

  • Kabuto read out Kitahara Kaede’s ranks, teammates, and mission record, leaving the candidates astonished by his accomplishments at a young age.
  • Hyuga Neji wondered how strong Kitahara Kaede was, while Second Pillar treated him as the person he aimed to surpass.
  • Sarutobi Asuma, Kurenai, Hatake Kakashi, and Kitahara Kaede discussed the first test and worried about whether their students could handle it.
  • Kitahara Kaede recalled that Team 7 had not understood the first test’s true purpose, and Hatake Kakashi dismissed his claim that Second Pillar was not especially intelligent.

Ch. 344Orochimaru Returns, Everyone Is Shocked

Kitahara Kaede learned that Orochimaru had infiltrated the Chunin Exams in the Forest of Death, where examinees were in danger. The Third Hokage ordered the assembled ninja to find and stop Orochimaru, and Kitahara Kaede instantly entered the forest using a Flying Thunder God Mark.

  • Kitahara Kaede received word that his subordinates had passed the first exam and entered the Forest of Death for the second.
  • An Anbu summoned Kitahara Kaede and the other ninja to the Third Hokage’s office, where the Third revealed that Orochimaru had returned.
  • The Third Hokage explained that Anko had found three dead Kusagakure ninja whose faces had been taken, and that Orochimaru was disguised as one of them inside the forest.
  • The Third Hokage sent Kitahara Kaede, Hatake Kakashi, and the others to search for Orochimaru and signal for reinforcements if they found him.
  • Kitahara Kaede used a Flying Thunder God Mark to appear inside the Forest of Death.
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