Chapter Summaries

After watching the diary video of the Konoha Collapse Plan, Sasuke, Jiraiya, and Itachi vowed to stop Orochimaru, while Itachi pieced together how Orochimaru and Sunagakure attacked Konoha. The plan’s broad outline became clear, but Itachi was left wondering where the Fourth Kazekage had gone and who could have faced him.

• Sasuke mourned Sarutobi Hiruzen’s sacrifice and condemned Orochimaru for killing him.
• Jiraiya resolved to confront Orochimaru and prevent him from repeating the destruction shown in the video.
• Itachi vowed to protect Konoha, then analyzed how Orochimaru had joined forces with Sunagakure to attack from within and without.
• Itachi reasoned that Gaara’s failure to transform inside Konoha, after Sasuke stopped him, had prevented a devastating attack by the One-Tail.
• Itachi questioned what had happened to the Fourth Kazekage and who in Konoha could have fought his Sand Gold Manipulation.

Hatake Kakashi considered how Konoha could prepare for the Konoha Collapse Plan, while Kitahara Kaede gained the talent to master Flying Thunder God Stage 1. Kaede realized he could use his Sharingan to compensate for the reflexes needed to fight stronger opponents, and set his sights on combining the abilities.

• Hatake Kakashi worried that the Fourth Kazekage, Orochimaru, and retired Sunagakure elders could threaten Konoha, and decided he needed evidence of Orochimaru's alliance with Sunagakure.
• Kitahara Kaede drew and fused with a Basic Space-Time Ninjutsu Talent, which gave him a sudden understanding of the Flying Thunder God.
• Kitahara Kaede sensed his marked kunai across a much wider area and teleported to one hidden in a training forest, demonstrating his improved Flying Thunder God.
• Kitahara Kaede concluded that he still lacked the reflexes to use the technique against Kage Level opponents, but realized his One-Tomoe Sharingan could slow his perception of their movements.

Kitahara Kaede trained his squad for the approaching joint Chunin Exams, teaching Hyuga Keiko and Soten Genryu medical ninjutsu while warning them that the selection would include powerful Chunin and possibly Jonin-level fighters. The squad chose to face the danger together and continued preparing for the exams.

• Kitahara Kaede trained in Flying Thunder God and learned three medical ninjutsu from a textbook he drew, then taught the techniques to his teammates.
• Kitahara Kaede used his new funds to buy a private Training Ground near the Kitahara Family estate for the squad to practice.
• Hyuga Keiko learned Delicate Illness Extraction Technique in about three days, while Soten Genryu struggled with the textbook’s medical principles.
• Kitahara Kaede told Soten Genryu and Hyuga Keiko that the joint Chunin Exams would be a brutal wartime-style selection featuring Chunin-level competitors and possibly Jonin-level fighters.
• Soten Genryu refused to postpone the exam, and Hyuga Keiko said the squad could manage the danger with their strength and her Byakugan.

Soten Genryu and Hyuga Keiko challenged their former squad leader Akai Akimoto to show how much they had improved under Kitahara Kaede’s training. After their intense spar, Akai recognized that both had reached Elite Chunin strength and wondered how much of their rapid progress came from Kaede.

• Akai Akimoto met Kitahara Kaede, Soten Genryu, and Hyuga Keiko before their celebratory barbecue.
• Soten Genryu challenged Akai to a spar, and Hyuga Keiko joined while Kitahara Kaede watched.
• Soten Genryu’s speed, taijutsu, and Phoenix Sage Fire Technique impressed Akai as they exchanged attacks.
• Hyuga Keiko used her Byakugan and Gentle Fist to help pressure Akai, who evaded her assault with the Substitution Technique.
• The three fought until they were exhausted, and Akai realized Soten Genryu and Hyuga Keiko had reached Elite Chunin strength.
• Akai suspected Kitahara Kaede was responsible for his former students’ remarkable improvement.

Kitahara Kaede and his companions were confronted at the Training Ground by Root ninjas posing as Anbu, who tried to take him away on Shimura Danzō’s orders. Kaede refused and defeated the squad, leaving its leader unconscious.

• Kitahara Kaede noticed hostile figures approaching and identified them as Root ninjas disguised as Anbu.
• The Fox Mask ninja ordered Kaede to come with them, while Akai Akimoto challenged their authority and Kaede demanded a Hokage writ.
• The Root squad ordered its members to seize Kaede, and he swiftly kicked three attackers away.
• The Fox Mask ninja used Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique, but Kaede countered with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough and blasted him into a tree, knocking him unconscious.

Kitahara Kaede demonstrated that his Wind Release: Great Breakthrough could rival an A-rank technique, while Hyuga Keiko suspected he had awakened an unknown Dōjutsu Kekkei Genkai. After Kitahara Kaede and his companions reported Danzo’s unauthorized Root operation to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Hokage moved to restrict Root and confront Danzo.

• Kitahara Kaede used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough with overwhelming force, astonishing Akai Akimoto, Soten Genryu, and Hyuga Keiko.
• Hyuga Keiko recalled how Kitahara Kaede’s abilities had changed after a mission and concluded that he had likely awakened a Dōjutsu Kekkei Genkai, though she could not identify it.
• Akai Akimoto led Kitahara Kaede, Soten Genryu, and Hyuga Keiko to report Danzo’s unauthorized attempt to arrest them to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen praised the group and promised to address the incident, then ordered Root confined to its base, its operations suspended, and its funding reduced.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen declared that he would visit Danzo after learning Root had continued to obey him despite the Hokage’s orders.

Shimura Danzō tried to justify his failed attempt to kill Kitahara Kaede, while Sarutobi Hiruzen defended the boy as a cautious, talented friend of Naruto. The two old allies remained divided over Kitahara Kaede and Naruto, and Hiruzen’s different approach to the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox Jinchuriki remained at the heart of their conflict.

• Shimura Danzō learned that Kitahara Kaede had defeated another Root squad and concluded that Kaede had likely killed the squad that went missing earlier.
• Danzō decided Kaede’s hidden strength and friendship with Naruto made him a threat and a potential rival for the Fifth Hokage position.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen confronted Danzō over the failed attack, and Danzō argued that Kaede’s concealed strength proved he had ulterior motives.
• Hiruzen rejected Danzō’s spy accusation, reasoning that no village would waste an Elite Jonin-level teenage genius as a spy.
• Hiruzen explained that his investigation showed Kaede had met Naruto by chance and argued that Naruto needed a friend like him.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stripped Shimura Danzō of his positions and ordered Root taken over by the Anbu after rejecting Danzō’s plan to control Naruto. At dinner with Akai Squad, Kitahara Kaede considered how long Hiruzen’s protection would last and reflected on how Hiruzen became the Third Hokage.

• Shimura Danzō argued that Naruto had to be completely controlled, but Sarutobi Hiruzen defended Naruto and condemned the treatment he had received.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Danzō confined, stripped him of his positions, and placed Root under Anbu control.
• Danzō considered using Kotoamatsukami on Hiruzen but held back because he feared the genjutsu might be detected.
• Kitahara Kaede celebrated with Akai Squad, and Akai Akimoto offered to pass any future complaints about Danzō to Hiruzen.
• Kitahara Kaede thought Hiruzen’s protection would last only about half a year and reflected that Tobirama Senju had effectively chosen Hiruzen as the Third Hokage.

Kitahara Kaede weighed the need to reach Kage Level against the cost of awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, then reunited with Akai Akimoto and his teammates for a barbecue. After writing in his Diary about Danzo and Uchiha Shisui, he triggered the Diary holders’ attention while Uchiha Sasuke pushed himself through exhausting training.

• Kitahara Kaede concluded that he needed to grow strong enough to protect himself from Danzo, while considering the Mangekyo Sharingan and relying on Flying Thunder God to escape danger.
• Akai Akimoto praised Kitahara Kaede, Soten Genryu, and their teammates for their rapid growth and asked about the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Kitahara Kaede said he would recommend his teammates for the exams, and the group celebrated together late into the night.
• Kitahara Kaede wrote in his Diary that Uchiha Shisui had been naive to trust Danzo with the secret of Kotoamatsukami.
• The Diary holders reacted to Kitahara Kaede’s entry as Uchiha Sasuke finished exhausting himself with Chidori training.

Uchiha Sasuke continued training obsessively while Jiraiya investigated Kitahara Kaede and learned the Third Hokage had ordered extra scrutiny because Kaede approached Naruto. Hatake Kakashi discovered a notebook containing his father’s advanced swordsmanship insights and saw a possible path to Kage Level, but the diary updated before he could read further.

• Uchiha Sasuke chafed at basic Genin training and continued pushing himself with Chidori, frustrated that he remained far from strong enough to kill his enemy.
• Jiraiya reviewed Anbu records on Kitahara Kaede, and an Anbu Jonin explained that the Third Hokage had raised Kaede’s file clearance after he approached Naruto.
• Jiraiya concluded the investigation did not reveal Kaede’s deeper secrets, including his Uchiha blood and Sharingan.
• Hatake Kakashi found a notebook among his father’s belongings that recorded a new path beyond the Hatake Clan’s traditional swordsmanship.
• Hatake Kakashi recognized the notebook as a possible method for breaking through to Kage Level, then sensed that the diary had updated.

Hatake Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Uchiha Sasuke read Kitahara Kaede’s account of Danzo stealing Uchiha Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan and considered what it revealed about Konoha’s past. Sasuke concluded that Itachi and Danzo had conspired against Shisui, while Itachi read the entry with longing and guilt.

• Hatake Kakashi read that Danzo had tried to lure Kitahara Kaede to a Root base and learned that Danzo had taken Shisui’s Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Hatake Kakashi reflected on Shisui’s Kotoamatsukami and Kitahara Kaede’s lack of reverence for Konoha’s institutions.
• Jiraiya grew angry over Danzo’s betrayal of Shisui and suspected Danzo had used Kotoamatsukami to influence his rise toward becoming Hokage.
• Uchiha Sasuke recalled that Itachi had been suspected of killing Shisui and concluded that Itachi and Danzo had joined forces to kill him.
• Uchiha Itachi read the account in Akatsuki after taking medicine to treat his body, and his expression showed longing and guilt.

A diary video revealed how Shimura Danzō betrayed Uchiha Shisui and stole one of his Sharingan, while Kakashi and Jiraiya reconsidered the roots of the Uchiha-village conflict and Itachi’s massacre. The footage left Sasuke furious at Danzō for attacking Shisui and coveting the Uchiha’s eyes.

• Uchiha Itachi watched the diary video and wondered whether Shisui would blame him for the clan’s slaughter.
• Hatake Kakashi recalled how suspicion after the Nine-Tails Incident and longstanding tensions between the Uchiha and villagers had escalated, while Jiraiya considered whether Konoha’s leaders had been involved in Itachi’s actions.
• Shimura Danzō questioned Shisui about using Kotoamatsukami, then attacked him to take his Sharingan.
• Uchiha Shisui stopped Danzō with Genjutsu, but Danzō used Izanagi to recover, ambushed Shisui, and stole one eye before ordering Root to pursue him.
• Uchiha Sasuke became furious after seeing Danzō’s betrayal and attempted seizure of Shisui’s Sharingan.

The revealed scene showed Shimura Danzō stealing Uchiha Shisui’s right eye, after which Shisui entrusted his remaining eye to Uchiha Itachi and jumped from a cliff. Watching it, Sasuke learned that the Uchiha had planned a coup, while Itachi reflected on his choice to massacre the clan and the future they had hoped to avoid.

• Sasuke, Jiraiya, and Kakashi reacted with anger and alarm as the scene revealed Danzō had stolen Shisui’s Sharingan.
• Shisui told Itachi that the Uchiha coup could not be stopped and entrusted him with his remaining eye and the Uchiha name.
• Sasuke was stunned to learn that his clan had planned a coup, while Jiraiya suspected the village leadership and Root had helped orchestrate the massacre.
• Shisui removed his left eye, gave it to Itachi, and jumped from a cliff, awakening Itachi’s Mangekyō Sharingan.
• After the video ended, Itachi wondered whether Shisui would blame him for massacring the Uchiha and regretted how events had turned out.

Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi, and Jiraiya reconsider the truth behind the Uchiha Clan’s planned coup and massacre after learning Uchiha Shisui tried to prevent it and Shimura Danzō helped destroy the clan’s last chance. Jiraiya decides Konoha’s leadership must change and resolves to remove Danzō and the entrenched elders, though he wonders who should become Hokage.

• Uchiha Sasuke learns that Uchiha Shisui tried to stop the coup, entrusted an eye to Uchiha Itachi, and was not killed by Itachi for his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Hatake Kakashi infers that Shimura Danzō and Root were involved in the Uchiha Clan’s destruction and that Uchiha Itachi deliberately revealed Akatsuki’s target to him.
• Jiraiya concludes that Shimura Danzō pushed the Uchiha Clan toward annihilation and that Sarutobi Hiruzen’s age and caution helped the crisis worsen.
• Jiraiya recalls Minato Namikaze’s plan to improve relations with the Uchiha Clan and believes the village could have prevented the coup if its leaders had acted differently.
• Jiraiya resolves to stop Orochimaru’s Konoha Collapse Plan and replace Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Council of Elders, and especially Shimura Danzō, while considering who else could become Hokage.

Jiraiya decided Tsunade was the strongest candidate to become Hokage, while news of the Uchiha Clan’s planned coup unsettled several diary holders and pushed Jiraiya toward reform. Kitahara Kaede continued developing Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, but stopped when the unfinished technique injured him and left him marveling at Senju Hashirama’s recovery ability.

• Jiraiya judged Tsunade’s Senju connections and influence made her a better Hokage candidate than himself, then hoped she would return to the village.
• Uchiha Sasuke struggled to accept the revelation that his clan had planned a coup, while Uchiha Itachi, Hatake Kakashi, and Jiraiya reflected on people and changes tied to Konoha’s past.
• After half a month, Kitahara Kaede attempted to add Wind Release chakra to his Rasengan but stopped when the unfinished Wind Style: Rasenshuriken injured him.
• Kitahara Kaede healed his hand with Mystical Palm Technique and lamented that he lacked Senju Hashirama’s extraordinary recovery ability.

After a month of recovery and training, Kitahara Kaede received a B-rank mission to inspect the seal at Rōran, a mission tied to the Ryūmyaku and events he recognized from the future. Sarutobi Hiruzen revealed that the seal had been checked annually since Minato Namikaze returned from confronting Mukade with his team suffering sealed memories.

• Kitahara Kaede reflected on his limited talent, his recent Uchiha Style Throwing Technique draw, and the difficulty of developing powerful jutsu on his own.
• After his month of leave ended, Kitahara Kaede met Hyuga Keiko and Soten Genryu at the Hokage Building to accept another mission.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen gave the team a B-rank mission to infiltrate Rōran in the Land of Wind and check whether its seal remained intact.
• Kitahara Kaede recognized Rōran and the mission as connected to the future events of The Lost Tower and the Ryūmyaku.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that Minato Namikaze had sealed his team's memories after they confronted Mukade more than a decade earlier, and that Konoha had checked Rōran's seal every year since.

Kitahara Kaede accepted a mission to inspect the seal on the Ryūmyaku in the Land of Wind, then prepared to leave the next morning. His diary revealed that Uzumaki Naruto would meet his father, Minato Namikaze, in the past three years later, leaving Jiraiya moved and Second Pillar shocked by Naruto’s parentage.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned Kitahara Kaede’s team a mission to inspect the seal Minato Namikaze had left on the Ryūmyaku.
• Kitahara Kaede told his teammates to prepare, informed Kitahara Yoshiko that he would leave, and checked his Flying Thunder God Kunai and other ninja tools.
• Kitahara Kaede’s diary explained that Naruto would travel twenty years into the past during a mission with Tsunade, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato and meet Minato Namikaze.
• Jiraiya read the diary, realized Minato had sealed his memories to protect the future, and felt comforted that Naruto would meet his father.
• Second Pillar read the diary and reacted with shock upon learning that Minato Namikaze was Naruto’s father.

Second Pillar, Uchiha Itachi, and Hatake Kakashi reacted to the revelation that Uzumaki Naruto was Minato Namikaze’s son and considered what it meant for their own pasts and Konoha’s future. Itachi mapped out the likely Hokage succession and concluded that Pain’s attack could destroy Konoha, while Kakashi accepted that Tsunade was the likely Fifth Hokage.

• Second Pillar was shocked to learn Uzumaki Naruto was the Fourth Hokage’s son and felt briefly jealous that Naruto might see his father again.
• Uchiha Itachi confirmed his suspicion about Naruto’s identity and reasoned that Naruto could become the Seventh Hokage after Hatake Kakashi.
• Uchiha Itachi estimated the Hokage timeline and concluded that Pain might attack Konoha after Tsunade’s tenure, possibly killing her and prompting Shimura Danzō’s brief rise.
• Uchiha Itachi compared his Susanoo’s power with Pain’s village-destroying attack and resolved to seek Pain’s weaknesses and determine when he would invade.
• Hatake Kakashi briefly wished he could return to the past and see his teacher, Obito, and Rin, then dismissed the hope as unrealistic.
• Hatake Kakashi agreed that Tsunade was the likely Fifth Hokage because Konoha had few suitable candidates.

Hatake Kakashi and others watched a vision of Team Yamato pursuing Mukade in Rōran, where the rogue ninja broke the Fourth Hokage’s seal on the Ryūmyaku and drew Naruto and Yamato into its power. Naruto later encountered Minato Namikaze and other Konoha shinobi in the past, leaving the reason for his arrival in their time unresolved.

• Hatake Kakashi recognized the vision as a mission three years in the future, while Second Pillar resented Sai taking his place on Team Yamato.
• Yamato explained that the Ryūmyaku’s chakra was sealed beneath Rōran by the Fourth Hokage, but Mukade broke the seal and pulled Naruto and Yamato into its suction.
• Naruto arrived in a city filled with powerful puppets, escaped their pursuit, and was rescued by Minato Namikaze, Aburame Shibi, and Akimichi Choza.
• Minato bandaged Naruto’s wounds and identified the city as Rōran, but refused to explain who he and his team were before continuing their mission.

Uzumaki Naruto learned that he and Mukade had traveled back in time to Rōran, where Minato Namikaze helped him defeat Mukade and seal the Ryūmyaku. As Naruto began returning to his own era, Minato prepared to erase their memories, leaving Naruto desperate to tell him who he was.

• Minato Namikaze revealed that Naruto and Mukade had arrived from the future, and that Mukade had been using the Ryūmyaku to build puppet weapons and seize control of Rōran.
• Mukade exposed his plans and attacked, so Naruto fought him to give Rōran’s citizens time to escape despite being nearly out of chakra.
• Minato Namikaze joined Naruto, and their combined Taikyoku Rasengan defeated Mukade; Yamato then rescued them as the Ryūmyaku structure collapsed.
• Minato Namikaze sealed the Ryūmyaku inside the Flying Thunder God Kunai, restoring the flow of time and starting Naruto and Yamato’s return to the future.
• Minato Namikaze prepared a formula to erase everyone’s memories, while Naruto desperately tried to tell him the truth before realizing who Minato was.