Chapter Summaries

Uchiha Yun defeated Gaara’s attacks, then helped him question Yashamaru’s claim that his mother never loved him and suggested the sand’s protective power came from her. Gaara began to reconsider his past as Yun prepared to let Shukaku speak, while a Flying Thunder God Kunai marked Uchiha appeared beside the seal.

• Darui and Yugito concluded that Kumogakure should lie low rather than risk confronting Konoha, after Matatabi warned them about Uchiha Yun and the Nine Tails.
• Gaara attacked Yun in the courtyard, but Yun easily broke his sand defenses and knocked him down until Gaara fell asleep using the Feigned Sleep Technique.
• Yun told Gaara that the sand protecting him was not Shukaku’s power, but a force left by someone who had wanted to protect him; Gaara began to doubt Yashamaru’s words about his mother.
• Yun offered to let Gaara learn the truth from Shukaku, and Shukaku agreed to cooperate after Yun entered the Sealing Grounds and used his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to intimidate him.
• Yun encouraged Gaara to find people worth protecting, then placed a Flying Thunder God Kunai marked Uchiha beside Shukaku’s seal.

Yun revealed to Gaara that Shukaku had killed Yashamaru and that Gaara’s mother had protected him, then brought the hidden Tailed Beast under control while Konoha welcomed the visiting villages for the Joint Chunin Exams. As Rasa plotted to sacrifice Gaara for Sunagakure’s sake, Gaara wandered into Konoha and received a free bowl of ramen from Teuchi.

• Shukaku told Gaara that his mother’s sand had protected him and confessed that its power had killed Yashamaru, leaving Gaara in tears as he thanked Yun.
• Yun sealed Shukaku in a teapot after Mini Nine Tails provoked it, then joined Konoha’s welcome for the visiting village leaders.
• Yun reported that Uzumaki Sora had appeared and that he had tried to reach Gaara; Minato put him in charge of village security and Yun went to check on his students.
• Rasa ordered Baki to disguise himself as a Konoha shinobi and provoke Gaara, while a sand clone was told to watch and report on the situation.
• Gaara went out alone, encountered Maki and visiting Genin, and followed Shukaku’s suspicion of a stinky fox to Ichiraku Ramen.
• Naruto told Gaara that his mother and Lord Fox were friends, and Teuchi gave Gaara a free bowl of ramen because he was a young guest.

After Naruto’s words about friendship and recognition, Gaara faced an assassination attempt and learned that his father, the Kazekage, had likely ordered it. Gaara released the attacker and stood with Naruto as Rasa arrived, unaware that the confrontation had ended peacefully.

• Naruto encouraged Gaara to seek recognition by protecting others, and Gaara joined him and Sasuke on the way to train.
• Gaara detected a follower and confronted Maki, who attacked him with shuriken and a Wind Blade before Gaara restrained him with sand.
• Gaara deduced that his father had ordered Maki to kill him and questioned whether Yashamaru had also been unable to refuse the Kazekage’s orders.
• Naruto stood beside Gaara and offered to testify for him, while Sasuke urged Naruto to inform the Hokage.
• Gaara released Maki and explained that his father had brought others with him, then Rasa arrived with the Konoha Military Police Force and found Gaara calm.

Naruto and Sasuke confronted Rasa over his attempt to have Gaara killed, while Uchiha Yun persuaded Rasa that Gaara’s newfound self-control made him valuable. After Gaara left with his father, Yugito and Darui witnessed Mini Nine Tails arguing with a shopkeeper over toys modeled after it.

• Naruto challenged Rasa for wanting his own son killed, and Sasuke told Gekko Hayate that Gaara had stayed in control and that a Sunagakure ninja had tried to assassinate him.
• Gaara confirmed that Baki had attempted the assassination on Rasa’s orders, while Rasa suggested the incident had been staged to provoke Gaara.
• Uchiha Yun arrived, told Rasa that Shukaku had agreed to stop disturbing Gaara’s sleep, and warned that Konoha might take in Gaara if Sunagakure did not want him.
• Naruto encouraged Gaara to join Konoha, and Rasa left with Gaara after Yun assured Naruto that the Kazekage now saw Gaara’s value differently.
• Yugito and Darui saw Mini Nine Tails berate a toy-shop owner for selling toys that resembled it, then storm off after learning each toy cost three thousand ryo.

Mini Nine Tails entered a Konoha eating contest to win barbecue coupons, then earned compensation after discovering a shop was selling dolls modeled after him without his consent. That evening, Yun warned Izumi to master her crow Summoning Technique quickly because someone with exceptional concealment abilities might be watching them.

• Mini Nine Tails entered a Big Eater contest after deciding to sell its prize coupons to fund buying the last two Nine Tails dolls.
• Mini Nine Tails won the contest, but learned the coupons could only be used by the winner and could not be sold.
• Izumi accompanied Mini Nine Tails to the doll shop, where it claimed compensation as a registered Konoha villager for dolls sold in its likeness without permission.
• Mini Nine Tails returned home with money and gave some to Yun as rent, while Yun questioned Izumi about her trip to Commercial Street.
• Yun urged Izumi to master the crow Summoning Technique, explaining that she might be targeted because she was his younger sister.
• Yun suspected that Black Zetsu or White Zetsu was secretly watching them.

Team 10 survived coordinated attacks during the Forest of Death exam, while Yun warned the other villages against targeting Izumi and discussed how fear and hatred could turn him into an enemy. That night, Tokuma, Hana, and Izumi realized the examiners were repeatedly patrolling near them, suggesting the team remained under close scrutiny.

• Tokuma, Hana, and Izumi passed the first exam and entered the Forest of Death for the scroll test.
• Team 10 detected and defeated Iwagakure Genin who had ambushed them, but the defeated team carried another Heaven Scroll.
• Yun stopped his students from killing the injured Iwagakure Genin and warned Kitsuchi and the hidden village representatives against targeting Izumi or provoking him.
• Ao, Baki, Kitsuchi, Yugito, and Matatabi discussed Izumi's strength and the danger of turning Yun into a Uchiha with no reason.
• After Team 10 fought seven battles and collected seven Heaven Scrolls, Tokuma, Hana, and Izumi noticed the examiners were repeatedly patrolling near them.

Team 10 defeated thirty-three Genin from the Four Great Shinobi Villages after the allied squads tried to ambush them, but the enemy had hidden their Earth Scrolls. As the wounded Genin argued over old grievances, Yun watched their alliance fray, while Ao worried about Kirigakure's weakness and the Byakugan under his eyepatch.

• Izumi reasoned that the Four Great Shinobi Villages had allied to target Team 10 after gathering Earth Scrolls from other squads.
• Tokuma, Izumi, and Hana escaped an attack by three squads, then Chito withdrew when the ambush failed and Kirigakure's Genin surrounded Team 10 with thirty-three fighters.
• Team 10 fought off all thirty-three Genin, then searched them and discovered that the Earth Scrolls had been hidden.
• Yun and Kitsuchi arrived with the Medical Team, and Yun discussed Izumi's strength and the possibility that alliances could form bonds between shinobi.
• The injured Genin argued over the villages' past conflicts, and Ao worried that Konoha might demand the Byakugan hidden beneath his eyepatch.

After passing the second Chunin Exam, Team 10 learned that their opponents had spent the round gathering information on them, while the village representatives discussed the growing alliance against Konoha. The chapter ended with Minato wondering aloud what would happen if he stepped down as Hokage, then returning to his work.

• Black Zetsu watched Uchiha Izumi and planned to use the loss of loved ones to turn Uchiha Yun toward the Infinite Tsukuyomi.
• Team 10 found the required scrolls and passed the second exam, joining Chito and Muya's teams as the only remaining candidates.
• Chito and Muya explained that the other teams had targeted Konoha and gathered information on Izumi's abilities, while Yun urged the candidates to prepare for the third round.
• Minato and Ōnoki discussed the villages' cooperation against Konoha, and the representatives left without resolving whether their villages would form an alliance.
• Minato asked Shikaku about records concerning Naruto and Sasuke's reincarnated Chakra, then wondered what would happen if he stepped down as Hokage before returning to work.

At a barbecue restaurant, Tsunade tested Yun’s views on war through a dice game, then accepted Hana Inuzuka as a prospective student. The chapter ended with Yun sensing that his eyes were evolving and considering the plans he would set in motion once he awakened the Rinnegan.

• Yun invited Tsunade to share his table, and she challenged him to a dice game that would trade a question for a request.
• After Yun won, Tsunade asked his view on war, and he explained how people might fight to protect their loved ones.
• Yun asked Tsunade to train Hana, and she told Hana to come to Konoha Hospital the next day and earn her approval.
• Tsunade discussed Yun’s influence on the Uchiha Clan with Shizune, then learned that one of Yun’s students had paid her bill.
• At home, Yun felt pain in his eyes and wondered whether he was approaching the Tenseigan or the Rinnegan’s birth.

Obito and Black Zetsu planned to turn Uchiha Yun against the Five Great Nations by targeting his sister, Uchiha Izumi, while Akatsuki gathered to choose new members and assign missions. The chapter ended with Obito warning Nagato that he would regret allowing Uzumaki Sora into Akatsuki, but Pain insisted Sora was needed to oppose Uchiha Yun.

• Obito asked Black Zetsu how to deal with Uzumaki Sora, and Black Zetsu proposed making Uchiha Yun experience loss so he would join Akatsuki.
• Black Zetsu and Obito decided to use the joint Chunin Exams as the first step in a plan that could put Uchiha Izumi in danger and drive Yun to retaliate against the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
• At an Akatsuki meeting, Uzumaki Sora confronted Kakuzu about his past, while Tobi joined as a full member and Pain assigned Sora, Kakuzu, and Biwa Juzo to find Deidara and Hidan.
• After the meeting, Obito questioned Pain for promoting Tobi without consulting him and warned Nagato that he would regret letting Uzumaki Sora join Akatsuki.
• Pain replied that Akatsuki needed Sora because he was the only one who could stand against Konoha's Uchiha Yun.

Nagato and Konan learned that Obito planned to use Uchiha Izumi to push Uchiha Yun into darkness, while Uzumaki Sora revealed that Yun could use the Flying Thunder God Jutsu. Black Zetsu and Obito headed for Konoha to manipulate Yun, and Sora confronted Biwa Juzo about Kirigakure’s attempts to gather information.

• Pain asked Obito whether he could stop Uchiha Yun, and Obito admitted that he could not.
• Nagato and Konan concluded that Obito intended to target Uchiha Izumi during the Chunin Exams to draw Uchiha Yun into darkness.
• Uzumaki Sora told Nagato and Konan that Uchiha Yun had learned the Flying Thunder God Jutsu and said that he and Yun remained evenly matched.
• Black Zetsu warned Obito that Nagato likely knew he was not Madara Uchiha, and Obito decided to go to Konoha with Black Zetsu.
• Uzumaki Sora questioned Biwa Juzo about Kirigakure seeking information from him and said the person controlling Yagura was responsible for Juzo becoming a rogue ninja.

Uchiha Yun confronted Obito and Black Zetsu after they secretly entered Konoha, and learned that Obito could evade attacks with a space-time ability. After Obito escaped, Yun and Ōnoki considered the limits of that power and the warning that Yun was destined to pursue peace.

• Black Zetsu infiltrated Yun’s house, but Mini Nine Tails noticed him, and Yun followed him to Commercial Street.
• Yun confronted Obito, deduced that his Mangekyō Sharingan let him transfer his body into another dimension, and followed him and Black Zetsu out of Konoha.
• Ōnoki recognized the Akatsuki robes and followed Yun, while Kitsuchi stayed behind with instructions to retreat if Ōnoki did not return.
• At Kage Rock, Black Zetsu claimed Yun’s Bloodline Reversion could lead him to the Sage of Six Paths’ power, and Ōnoki joined Yun after being discovered.
• Yun’s Amaterasu failed to harm Obito, and Ōnoki’s Dust Release also missed as Obito escaped through a space-time vortex and Black Zetsu sank underground.
• Yun explained Obito’s defensive ability, and Ōnoki wondered whether it had a time limit.

Uchiha Yun explained the Sage of Six Paths’ recorded plan for peace to the Five Villages’ representatives, revealing that it required reviving the Ten-Tails and casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi. The leaders rejected peace through illusion, and Ōnoki ended the discussion by asking what the Ten-Tails and God Tree were.

• Uchiha Yun told Ōnoki that the black figure’s final claim about a path to peace was true, then Minato and the other village leaders arrived at Kage Rock.
• Uchiha Yun and Minato gathered the Five Villages’ representatives at the Hokage Building, where Ōnoki recounted his encounter with the Spiral-Masked man and Black Zetsu.
• Uchiha Yun described the Uchiha stone tablet and explained that its final section prescribed reviving the Ten-Tails, transforming it into the God Tree, and casting the Infinite Tsukuyomi through the moon.
• Minato called the Infinite Tsukuyomi false peace, and Darui, Terumi Mei, Rasa, and Ōnoki rejected sacrificing people or accepting a world of genjutsu.
• Ōnoki asked Uchiha Yun what the Ten-Tails and the God Tree were.

Uchiha Yun revealed the Ten-Tails’ connection to the Tailed Beasts and warned the Five Great Shinobi Villages that Akatsuki sought Infinite Tsukuyomi, prompting them to coordinate intelligence gathering. As the Joint Chunin Exams resumed, Tokuma faced Chito and used the Byakugan to counter his Earth Release attacks.

• Uchiha Yun explained that gathering the Nine Tailed Beasts’ chakra could awaken the Ten-Tails and refused to share more Uchiha knowledge with the other villages.
• Ōnoki accepted that the Masked Man might be Uchiha Madara, and the Kage agreed to gather intelligence on Akatsuki and recall their Jinchuriki.
• Minato and Uchiha Yun urged the villages to keep the Chunin Exams proceeding normally so Akatsuki would not suspect they had learned anything.
• The first one-on-one matchups favored Konoha, and Tokuma advanced after his opponent forfeited while Hana Inuzuka also won her match.
• Tokuma faced Chito, dodged his Flying Gravel with the Byakugan, and shattered his Earth Spear with Rotation.

Tokuma and Uchiha Izumi won their matches, ending the Chunin Exams, and Yun told Minato they would soon seal part of the Nine Tails inside Naruto. Meanwhile, Uzumaki Sora recruited Deidara into the Akatsuki Organization and took him toward their next recruit, but Deidara’s clash with Kakuzu threatened to turn violent.

• Tokuma used his Byakugan to expose Chito’s Earth Clone, then defeated Chito inside the Earth Prison Dome and won the match.
• Uchiha Izumi defeated Muya, placing first in Team 10 ahead of Tokuma and Hana as the Chunin Exams ended and the visiting delegations departed.
• Yun told Minato that the Power of All Creation came from Indra and Asura’s powers, and they agreed to seal part of the Nine Tails inside Naruto in a week.
• Uzumaki Sora, Biwa Juzo, and Kakuzu recruited Deidara by showing him Sora’s power in a Genjutsu and threatening him with death if he refused.
• Deidara learned that Tobi would be his partner, then wrapped Kakuzu in explosive clay and detonated it, but Kakuzu emerged unharmed and prepared to attack.

Uzumaki Sora stopped Kakuzu from attacking Deidara, then revealed that the Akatsuki had hidden layers and demanded that Kakuzu choose a side. Kakuzu agreed to follow Sora, who marked him with Flying Thunder God and said Deidara would partner with the person Sora had called the second layer.

• Uzumaki Sora stopped Kakuzu from attacking Deidara and explained that Deidara would remain in the organization.
• Kakuzu deduced that Deidara's explosive clay used an Earth Release secret technique and could be countered by Lightning Release.
• Uzumaki Sora told Kakuzu that Pain was only the leader of the Akatsuki's first layer and urged him to choose between Sora and a hidden rival.
• Deidara chose Sora's side, and Kakuzu agreed to follow Sora after hearing that Hidan would be killed for refusing to stop killing people.
• Uzumaki Sora placed a Flying Thunder God mark on Kakuzu and told Deidara that his partner would be the person Sora had called the second layer.

Uzumaki Sora confronted Hidan in the Land of Hot Water and forced him to join Akatsuki by overwhelming him in combat. After Kakuzu stitched Hidan back together as his new partner, the Akatsuki rings signaled that the Five Great Nations had begun to act.

• Uzumaki Sora told Deidara that he would partner with Tobi and warned Kakuzu that he could not defeat him with Earth Grudge Fear alone.
• Uzumaki Sora found Hidan outside a town in the Land of Hot Water and offered him a place in Akatsuki, but Hidan attacked instead.
• Uzumaki Sora dodged Hidan's attacks, pinned him down, and repeatedly threatened to dismember or dispose of him until Hidan agreed to join Akatsuki.
• Kakuzu stitched Hidan back together and became his teammate, while Deidara explained how Hidan could have avoided his humiliating defeat by gathering information.
• Uzumaki Sora and the others received a signal from their rings and decided to hold a meeting because the Five Great Nations had begun making their move.

Uzumaki Sora led Akatsuki to lie low after the Five Great Nations learned of the organization, then punished Hidan by having Kakuzu attach his head to a female wild boar. Meanwhile, Shukaku was released at Uchiha Yun’s home, where Yun asked Mini Nine Tails how its communication had gone.

• Uzumaki Sora told Akatsuki that the Five Great Nations knew of them, and the members agreed to lie low after discussing Uchiha Yun’s power and Konoha’s strength.
• Black Zetsu defended approaching Uchiha Yun, while Sora questioned his authority to recruit and dismissed his justification.
• Sora’s Shadow Clone beat Hidan, and Sora ordered Kakuzu to attach Hidan’s head to a female wild boar while preserving his original body.
• Sora, Kakuzu, Deidara, and Biwa Juzo headed toward the Land of Rain with Hidan and a group of wild boars.
• At Uchiha Yun’s home, Shukaku argued with Mini Nine Tails after being released, and Yun asked Mini Nine Tails how the communication had gone.

Yun learned that the Nine Tails resisted splitting again because it feared being mocked by another half, while Minato considered extracting the full Nine Tails and dividing it between Yun and Naruto. Minato also asked Yun to deliver promotion news to Team 10, as Konoha prepared for the possibility that Uzumaki Sora had gained more power.

• Mini Nine Tails explained that its other half disliked the idea of another split, and it and Shukaku bickered before heading out together.
• Minato discussed the Nine Tails’ reluctance with Yun and Shikaku, who pointed out that Kushina’s relationship with the beast was the real obstacle.
• Minato proposed extracting the whole Nine Tails and giving one half to Yun and the other to Naruto, pending Kushina’s agreement and Yun’s ability to restore her life force.
• Shikaku gave Yun a document confirming that Team 10’s three members had passed the Chunin Ninja Exam, and Yun left to deliver the news and collect their equipment.
• Minato and Shikaku worried that Uzumaki Sora might have gained the last of Wood Release’s power and concluded that the Nine Tails’ power could help Yun face him.

Yun delivered Team 10’s Chunin promotions and removed Tokuma’s Caged Bird Seal, openly challenging the Hyuga Clan’s treatment of its Branch Family. He then gave Hana her promotion papers and gift at Konoha Hospital, while Tsunade worried that Yun’s actions would further complicate village politics.

• Yun visited Tokuma at Training Ground 7 and gave him his Chunin appointment papers and vest.
• Tokuma told Yun that Huang had been punished with the Caged Bird Seal and condemned the Main Family’s treatment of the Branch Family.
• Yun used Secret Scroll: Release to remove Tokuma’s Caged Bird Seal and told him to send anyone who objected to Yun.
• Yun visited Konoha Hospital and gave Hana her Chunin papers, vest, and a ninja tool set.
• Tsunade learned Yun had removed Tokuma’s seal, and Yun explained that he was forcing the Hyuga Clan to respond to the Branch Family’s situation.