Chapter Summaries

Kagura killed the Kumogakure Jonin and learned that an informant was operating in Konoha, while Minato rescued Kushina and carried her toward the village. On his way back, Kagura encountered a Konoha Jonin and suspected that he was the spy.

• Kagura used Kotoamatsukami to question the Kumogakure Jonin, learned there might be an informant in Konoha, and killed him.
• Minato defeated the three Kumogakure Genin and caught Kushina as she fell from a tree.
• Minato showed Kushina the red hair she had left as a clue, and she blushed as he carried her toward Konoha.
• Kagura watched Minato and Kushina leave, then headed back toward Konoha.
• Kagura encountered a Konoha Jonin in a black cloak and sunglasses, recognized him as a suspected spy, and confronted him.

Kagura identified Aburame Ryūma as Danzo’s hidden spy and explained how he had deduced Ryūma’s role in Kushina’s abduction. Ryūma dropped his cover and unleashed his insects to fight Kagura.

• Aburame Ryūma denied being a spy after Kagura named him as one of Danzo’s men.
• Ryūma recalled that Danzo had ordered him to help Kumogakure’s Genin kidnap Kushina and disclose Konoha’s patrol routes and her whereabouts.
• Kagura explained that Ryūma’s rapid arrival at the rendezvous point and the limited search orders exposed his connection to the plot.
• Aburame Ryūma accepted that Kagura had uncovered him and released a swarm of insects to attack.

Kagura fought Aburame Ryūma and faced the Aburame clan’s Kikaichū techniques. Ryūma’s insect clone lured Kagura into a trap, leaving him wrapped in insects as Ryūma emerged from the forest, unsure whether the attack had truly succeeded.

• Kagura dodged Ryūma’s Kikaichū swarm and used Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique to burn through it, but the insects regrouped.
• Ryūma claimed his Kikaichū were too tough to be defeated by ordinary Fire Release.
• Kagura used lightning to strike through Ryūma’s heart, only to discover that he had attacked an Insect Clone.
• The clone broke apart into Kikaichū that swarmed over Kagura, while the real Ryūma emerged from the forest and wondered if the trap had worked too easily.

Kagura defeated Aburame Ryūma after escaping his Kikaichū swarm with the Dōjutsu he named Time Regression. The chapter ended with Kagura reflecting on the newly revealed ability.

• Aburame Ryūma trapped Kagura in a swarm of Kikaichū and believed he had captured him.
• Kagura appeared elsewhere unharmed, leaving Aburame Ryūma confused about how he had escaped.
• Kagura vanished again, and Aburame Ryūma prepared to protect himself with a Kikaichū cocoon.
• Kagura struck Aburame Ryūma with a lightning-infused hand blade, paralyzing him and knocking him unconscious.
• Kagura revealed that he had deliberately taken wounds from the Kikaichū before escaping with his left-eye Dōjutsu, Time Regression.

Kagura discovered that his Time Regression Dōjutsu could restore him and his position to how they had been eight seconds earlier, but it had a one-year cooldown. After bringing Aburame Ryūma to Hiruzen Sarutobi and reuniting with his team, Kagura noticed Kushina acting shy around Minato during their New Year’s Eve dinner.

• Kagura learned that Time Regression had a one-year cooldown and regretted wasting it on an experiment.
• Kagura had the Two-Tails drag the unconscious Aburame Ryūma to Hiruzen Sarutobi for interrogation.
• Kagura returned home, where Tsunade had freed Kushina from the sealing technique and Minato and Hiashi had reunited with her.
• Kagura thanked Minato for helping, and Kushina blushed and hid her face against Tsunade.
• Team 7 began their New Year’s Eve dinner after reheating the food, and Kushina ate unusually daintily while sneaking glances at Minato.

Team 7 rescued a village head’s daughter and defeated the Iwagakure ninja who had kidnapped her. After the team reunited, Minato received a message from Kagura saying the Chunin Exam was about to begin, so they needed to finish their mission and return.

• An Iwagakure Chunin recalled how Team 7 defeated his three Genin and forced him to flee after he kidnapped the village head’s daughter.
• Hiashi caught up with the fleeing Chunin and killed him with Gentle Fist.
• Hiashi returned to the cave, where Kushina tended to Minato while the rescued girl remained safe.
• Minato received a message from Kagura announcing that the Chunin Exam was about to begin and telling the team to finish the mission and return.

Kagura returned to Konoha after Hiruzen recalled him to help prepare for the multinational Chunin Exam, then discovered that Orochimaru had been waiting to show him a successful Artificial Human. The infant had been cultivated using Kagura’s cells, leaving Kagura stunned by Orochimaru’s claim that they had created a child together.

• Kagura returned to Konoha after receiving Hiruzen Sarutobi’s order to come back for the upcoming Joint Chunin Exam.
• Kagura finished reporting his mission, learned there was no immediate work, and went home.
• Orochimaru met Kagura outside his house and took him to his underground laboratory.
• Orochimaru showed Kagura an infant Artificial Human floating in an Incubation Chamber.
• Orochimaru explained that Hiruko’s body samples and information about Shin had helped his research succeed.
• Orochimaru revealed that the Artificial Human was made with Kagura’s cells, calling it a child created through their joint efforts.

Kagura learned that Orochimaru had created an Artificial Human using his cells and named the baby Yamato. The two decided to report the experiment to Sarutobi and find someone suitable to raise the child, and Kagura ran into a familiar acquaintance after leaving the laboratory.

• Orochimaru explained that studying Hiruko's body had inspired him to create an Artificial Human from Kagura's cells, combining the potential for Wood Release and the Sharingan.
• Kagura praised Orochimaru's research and named the baby Yamato.
• Orochimaru said Yamato's Kekkei Genkai would be weaker than Hashirama's Wood Release and that his Sharingan's potential would be limited.
• Kagura told Orochimaru to report Yamato's creation to Sarutobi and insisted that Orochimaru should not raise the baby.
• Kagura and Orochimaru left the laboratory, and Kagura encountered an old acquaintance outside the gate.

Kagura reunited with Jiraiya, recruited him to help Konoha, and learned of his hopes for Yahiko and Konan. When Kagura returned home, he found Tsunade nauseated and craving sour food, leaving him wondering if she was pregnant.

• Kagura was surprised when Jiraiya returned to Konoha after completing his mission in the Land of Rain.
• Jiraiya told Kagura that Yahiko and Konan were his students and praised Yahiko as a future genius of the Land of Rain.
• Kagura recruited Jiraiya as a staff member on Hiruzen Sarutobi's behalf and asked him to prepare a Mount Myōboku Summoning Contract for Minato.
• Kagura returned home after dark and found Tsunade dry-heaving in the washroom.
• Tsunade told Kagura she had felt unwell, craved sour food, and felt like vomiting, prompting him to suspect she was pregnant.

Tsunade discovered she was pregnant and withdrew from village duties, leaving Kagura thrilled and taking on his work with unusual enthusiasm. As the Five Great Nations’ examinees and Jonin arrived for the Chunin Exam, Kagura was assigned to receive and monitor them, and he recognized the gathering as an all-star roster of future powerhouses.

• Tsunade confirmed she was pregnant, told Hiruzen Sarutobi she would not take on village work, and left him to assign her duties to Jiraiya.
• Kagura was stunned by the news and felt that becoming a father tied him more deeply to the world he had entered.
• During the week before the exam, Kagura cheerfully accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi’s assignments while continuing to leave work on time to cook for Tsunade.
• On the day the other nations arrived, Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned Kagura to receive and monitor the visiting examinees and Jonin.
• Kagura reviewed the participant roster and recognized that it included two future Kage and many others who would reach Kage-level strength.

Kagura welcomed foreign teams to Konoha ahead of the Chunin Exams, where Chiyo confronted Hatake Sakumo but restrained herself from attacking. After the Sunagakure and Kirigakure groups entered the village, a young girl asked Kagura to be her husband when she grew up.

• Kagura, Hatake Sakumo, and Jiraiya stood at Konoha Gate to welcome the visiting teams.
• Chiyo recognized Hatake Sakumo as the White Fang and threatened to kill him, but she held back to avoid causing a diplomatic incident.
• Kagura noticed Rasa and Sasori among Chiyo's Genin as a Konoha Jonin escorted the Sunagakure team to its inn.
• The Kirigakure team arrived, including the young Ao, and its Jonin gave Kagura a complicated look before entering the village.
• A young girl called Kagura handsome and asked if he would be her husband when she grew up.

Kagura greeted the arriving representatives from Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure as they came to Konoha for the Chunin Exam. With the final delegation settled in, the exam officially began, leaving Kagura eager to see how his disciples would fare against the powerful candidates.

• Kagura met the young Terumi Mei and learned that her father had brought her along with Kirigakure’s delegation.
• Kagura greeted Dodai and recognized the young Killer B among Kumogakure’s representatives.
• Kagura watched Iwagakure’s delegation arrive and recognized Kitsuchi, the son of Ōnoki.
• Kagura finished his welcoming duty and anticipated a difficult exam for his disciples.
• The Chunin Exam officially began.

The Chunin Exam began with two disguised Konoha Chunin trying to screen examinees using a fake entrance, but Hiashi saw through their trap and the candidates entered the real exam room. Minato, Hiashi, and Kushina finished the written test easily and remembered Kagura’s advice to ignore the examiner’s performance.

• Two disguised Konoha Chunin threw examinees away from the supposed first trial entrance and claimed only those who could beat them deserved to enter.
• Killer B, Rasa, Sasori, and Kitsuchi watched without taking the bait, while Minato arrived with Hiashi and Kushina.
• Hiashi used his Byakugan to expose the Chunin and reveal that the doorway was a trap that would send examinees outside.
• The Chunin dropped their disguises, opened the real entrance, and let the candidates proceed to the written exam.
• Minato, Hiashi, and Kushina completed the test without cheating and recalled Kagura’s instruction to ignore the examiner.

After 334 examinees passed the First Assessment, they were led into a Dense Forest for the Second Exam, where Uchiha Kagura announced that they would have to defeat him. Minato, Hiashi, and Kushina were shocked by the challenge.

• A total of 334 examinees passed the First Assessment, including Minato, Hiashi, and Kushina.
• The examiners announced that the Chunin Exam had four assessments and led the examinees toward a Dense Forest.
• The examiners summoned Uchiha Kagura, who questioned why so many examinees had passed.
• Kagura introduced himself as the Second Exam's examiner and said the examinees had to defeat him.
• Minato asked Hiashi whether they were actually at a Jonin assessment.

Kagura explained that the Second Exam required candidates to seize one of one hundred scrolls from the White Tower while he attacked anyone entering it. He destroyed one scroll to limit the number of possible passers to ninety-nine, then vanished, leaving the candidates wary of one another.

• Many candidates recognized Kagura and discussed his dangerous reputation, including his past battle with Uchiha Madara.
• Kagura clarified that candidates did not have to defeat him, but they still had to fight him to obtain a scroll.
• Kagura explained the exam rules: candidates failed if they lost consciousness, ran out of time after twenty-four hours, or could not obtain one of the limited scrolls.
• Kagura burned the scroll he had displayed, reducing the number of candidates who could pass to ninety-nine, then disappeared as a Shadow Clone.
• The candidates began eyeing one another with distrust as Kagura's provocation took effect.

Minato, Kushina, and Hiashi reached the White Tower and found Kagura waiting inside, while Minato concluded that cooperation was necessary to pass the examination. They encountered Rasa and Sasori, and Rasa proposed an alliance.

• Minato reflected that Kagura was powerful, unpredictable, and likely intended his provocation as a prank, while the examinees began fighting over the scrolls.
• Hiashi used his Byakugan to scout the White Tower and saw one person sitting at the center of its first floor, whom he believed was Kagura.
• Rasa and Sasori emerged from the grass, and Rasa told Minato, Kushina, and Hiashi that fighting among themselves would only lead to failure.
• Minato lowered his kunai, and Kushina and Hiashi followed his lead.
• Rasa told Minato that he had come to seek cooperation.

Minato and Rasa agreed to cooperate after learning that Kagura had defeated three groups of Genin with little effort. Kagura recognized that the Examinees had begun to understand the test and watched a large crowd gather outside the White Tower.

• Rasa shared his observations that Kagura had defeated three groups of seven to twenty-one people in under a minute using genjutsu and taijutsu.
• Rasa used an eye formed from golden sand to explain how he had watched the fights, then asked Minato to share what he knew about Kagura.
• Minato and Rasa concluded that they needed more allies and agreed to gather other Genin and return in three hours.
• Minato and Rasa departed with their Companions to recruit more Examinees.
• After several hours without another group entering, Kagura realized the Genin had understood that the assessment required broad cooperation.
• A densely packed crowd arrived at the entrance of the White Tower, and Kagura smiled in satisfaction.

Minato and Rasa united more than a hundred Genin to challenge Kagura for the ninety-nine scrolls in the White Tower. Kagura began the trial with taijutsu, and the chapter ended as Minato's prepared defenses faced Kagura's first attack.

• Minato and Rasa gathered prominent Genin from several villages and organized them into a coordinated force.
• The recruits entered the White Tower and found Kagura guarding the ninety-nine scrolls.
• Kagura praised the group, then vanished at high speed to begin the trial.
• Minato warned the first squad, and Kitsuchi led Iwagakure Genin in raising a line of Earth Walls.
• Kagura leaped onto one of the walls above Minato, who had anticipated being targeted and brought down his raised right hand.

Minato’s squads sprang their planned trap on Kagura, whose overwhelming speed and strength let him dismantle the Genin’s defense. Sasori’s disguised Puppet finally captured Kagura, and Killer B, Kitsuchi, and Kushina charged in to attack.

• Ao led the Second Squad in throwing its ninja tools at Kagura, but Kagura deflected them all with two kunai.
• Kagura charged into the Genin’s defensive formation, sent more than a dozen flying, and rapidly incapacitated others with his hand blade.
• Kagura struck an examinee who was actually Sasori’s Puppet, allowing it to wrap around him and transform into a reinforced wooden cage.
• Sasori revealed himself and deployed another Puppet to strengthen the cage around Kagura.
• Killer B, Kitsuchi, and Kushina rushed toward the trapped Kagura, following Minato’s plan to attack as though they intended to kill him.

Kushina, Kitsuchi, and Killer B attacked Kagura in a coordinated trap, but he defeated all three with taijutsu alone. He landed back atop the Earth Wall as the stunned Examinees questioned whether the test was meant for Genin.

• Kushina shattered Sasori's Puppet cage with a full-powered punch and struck Kagura, who dispersed most of its force and deliberately flew upward.
• Kitsuchi attacked Kagura with Earth Style: Fist Rock, but Kagura shattered his stone arm and sent him flying.
• Killer B used Acrobat to attack Kagura with seven blades, but Kagura neutralized every blade with his body and kicked him to the ground.
• Kagura landed atop the Earth Wall and looked down at the stunned Examinees.