Chapter Summaries

Uzumaki Kuming overwhelmed Uchiha Qing and Uchiha Jin in battle, killing Qing and breaking through Jin’s Susanoo. He captured Jin with Adamantine Sealing Chains and demanded that he talk.

• Uzumaki Kuming attacked Uchiha Jin with lightning while a golden Chakra arm pursued Uchiha Qing.
• Uchiha Qing used his Mangekyō Sharingan to warp space, but Kuming appeared behind him and struck him dead.
• Uchiha Jin awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan and formed a third-stage Susanoo after witnessing his brother’s death.
• Kuming battered Uchiha Jin’s Susanoo and shrugged off the weapons Jin launched at him.
• Uzumaki Kuming pierced Susanoo with Adamantine Sealing Chains, bound Uchiha Jin, and demanded that he talk.

Uzumaki Kuming defeated the Uchiha elders but discovered an unknown enemy had escaped and stolen Uchiha Qing’s Mangekyō Sharingan. He warned Uchiha Fugaku of the threat and urged him to reintegrate the Uchiha Clan into the village, leaving the identity of the thief unknown.

• Kuming sensed a hostile presence near the shrine and destroyed a wall, but the enemy escaped, likely using Space-Time Ninjutsu.
• Kuming found Uchiha Qing’s corpse with its Mangekyō Sharingan missing, and Fugaku concluded someone had taken the eyes during the battle.
• Kuming told the arriving Konoha Ninja to hand the captured men over to the Yamanaka Clan, while Fugaku organized the cleanup and quietly left with Kuming.
• At Fugaku’s home, Kuming warned that the escaped enemy was a serious threat and told Fugaku to find a way for the Uchiha Clan to integrate into the village.

Uzumaki Kuming arranged to take his student Uchiha Itachi away from Konoha for several years to train and broaden his horizons. Itachi led his team on an escort mission to the Daimyo Mansion, where Aida Maki changed his attitude after learning Itachi’s identity.

• Uzumaki Kuming told Uchiha Fugaku he planned to travel and asked to take Uchiha Itachi with him for one or more years.
• Uchiha Fugaku agreed to let Itachi travel with Kuming, trusting that his son would benefit from the experience.
• Uchiha Itachi arrived at the Daimyo Mansion with two young shinobi and an old man carrying a pot.
• Aida Maki angrily accused Konoha of sending an unsuitable team and threatened to request another one.
• Uchiha Itachi introduced himself as a member of the Uchiha Clan and a student of Uzumaki Kuming, prompting Aida Maki to welcome the team and send them to the storeroom.

Uchiha Itachi discovered that the C-rank escort mission involved transporting a strategic supply of Star Iron to the Land of Artisans, making it far more dangerous than Aida Maki had let on. The convoy set out with two barrier ninjas, while the threat of enemy spies and an attack remained ahead.

• Tenma complained about Aida Maki, so Uchiha Itachi sent him and Shinji to buy supplies while he and Maruboshi Kosuke inspected the storeroom.
• The young man revealed that the sealed crate held Star Iron intended for weapons for the Land of Fire and explained that two barrier ninjas had to be escorted with it.
• Maruboshi Kosuke recognized the Star Iron's military value and questioned why such an important shipment had been labeled a C-rank mission.
• Uchiha Itachi realized the mission was much more dangerous than expected but calmly agreed to leave the next morning.
• Uchiha Itachi led the eight-person convoy out of the Daimyo Mansion toward the Land of Artisans, a neutral island nation where many shinobi tools were made.

A masked attacker with a three-Tomoe Sharingan ambushed the convoy transporting Star Iron, and Maruboshi Kosuke fought him until Uchiha Itachi freed Kosuke from his genjutsu. The attacker’s identity remained unknown as Kosuke charged again with Itachi covering him.

• A masked man killed two porters and two barrier ninjas in the convoy, leaving the Konoha ninja to face him.
• Maruboshi Kosuke clashed with the masked man, who used his Sharingan to counter Kosuke’s sword technique and trap him in genjutsu.
• Uchiha Itachi broke the genjutsu and warned Kosuke not to look the Sharingan user in the eyes.
• Kosuke questioned whether the attacker belonged to the Uchiha Clan, but Itachi said he could not identify him.
• Kosuke told Itachi to back him up and charged at the masked man again.

Maruboshi Kosuke and Itachi fought the Black-clothed man, who killed Itachi’s teammates Tenma and Shinji. Itachi used Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags to blast their opponent, then stood amid his grief over his teammates’ deaths.

• Kosuke fought the Black-clothed man, and Itachi helped him evade a sword strike with shuriken before launching a Water Dragon Bullet.
• The Black-clothed man countered with a Fire Style technique, and when the mist cleared, Kosuke and Itachi found Tenma and Shinji dead.
• Itachi charged the enemy with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan and the Sword of the Thunder God, while a Shadow Clone drew the man’s attention.
• Itachi used Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags to bind himself to the Black-clothed man and trigger a series of explosions.
• Kosuke survived the blast by retreating with Itachi, who explained that his teacher had taught him the technique and mourned his teammates.

After the Star Iron mission ended in disaster, Uchiha Itachi and Maruboshi Kosuke returned to Konoha with two Genin dead and no evidence left behind. Uzumaki Kuming concluded that the attack had targeted Itachi, and Minato Namikaze began investigating as the threat connected to the attack on Konoha four years earlier resurfaced.

• Uchiha Itachi and Maruboshi Kosuke searched the crater after the explosions, but found no trace of the Star Iron, their comrades, or Itachi's weapon.
• Itachi grieved over Tenma and Shinji, then left the battlefield ahead of Kosuke.
• Uzuki Yugao informed Minato Namikaze that the Star Iron convoy had been attacked and two Genin had died.
• Uzumaki Kuming took the report and reasoned that the Star Iron was not the enemy's target.
• Uzumaki Kuming suspected that the attackers had targeted Uchiha Itachi and were connected to those who had attacked Konoha four years earlier.

Uchiha Itachi returned to Konoha with Maruboshi Kosuke and reported that a masked Uchiha with a Three-Tomoe Sharingan had attacked their group and that Itachi had killed him with Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags. Uzumaki Kuming suspected the attacker might have escaped using Space-Time Ninjutsu and left to investigate his identity.

• Uchiha Itachi and Maruboshi Kosuke returned to Konoha and went to the Hokage's office, where Itachi embraced his returning master, Uzumaki Kuming, and mourned his dead teammates.
• Minato Namikaze asked Maruboshi Kosuke to explain the ambush, but Itachi stepped forward and reported that a masked, black-clad ninja had killed several members of their group.
• Itachi said the attacker had a Three-Tomoe Sharingan and that he had defeated him with Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, which left no trace of the enemy or the Star Iron.
• Uzumaki Kuming questioned whether the attacker had truly died and suspected he might have used Space-Time Ninjutsu to appear suddenly and escape.
• Uzumaki Kuming told Itachi to rest and visit him the next morning, then left to have Uchiha Fugaku investigate which Uchiha had gone missing.

Uchiha Itachi returned home troubled by the deaths of his teammates, but agreed to train Sasuke in Shurikenjutsu. Meanwhile, Kushina took Naruto to Uzumaki Jiuming’s home to practice, where Jiuming was investigating Uchiha deaths and disappearances.

• Minato Namikaze sent Uchiha Itachi home early and kept Maruboshi Kosuke behind to discuss the mission details.
• Uchiha Fugaku praised Itachi for awakening his Sharingan, but Itachi remained upset that his father did not mention his teammates’ deaths.
• Uchiha Sasuke asked Itachi to teach him Shurikenjutsu so he could compete with Naruto, and Itachi agreed to train with him.
• Kushina took Naruto out of Konoha to practice Shurikenjutsu at Uzumaki Jiuming’s home.
• Uzumaki Jiuming searched records of Uchiha Clan members who had died or gone missing and focused on the missing Uchiha Kun.

Uzumaki Kuming welcomed Kushina and Naruto, explained his search for the attacker who had targeted Uchiha Itachi, and said he planned to leave Konoha in a few months. He then began training Naruto in shurikenjutsu with a custom target designed to keep the boy motivated.

• Kushina brought Naruto to Kuming so he could teach him shuriken, since their home lacked space for practice.
• Kuming told Kushina that he suspected the attacker who had a three-tomoe Sharingan was a supposedly dead or missing Uchiha, and that he planned to leave Konoha in a few months to keep searching.
• Kushina left to fetch Minato and groceries while Naruto stayed with Kuming for training.
• Kuming carved an eye-chart-style target into a tree and explained that Naruto would call out each target's size and orientation before throwing.
• Naruto eagerly began practicing, aiming to reach level five for Kuming's promised Ebony Sword.

Kuming trained Naruto while looking after Choji and Shikamaru, pushing Naruto to take his rivalry with Sasuke seriously. Naruto’s taijutsu and shurikenjutsu improved, and the chapter ended as the boys met for a challenge in Konoha’s park.

• Kuming told Itachi, Shisui, Kakashi, Obito, and Rin that he planned to leave Konoha after spring began, taking Kakashi, Obito, and Rin with him.
• Kushina left Naruto with Kuming each day, and Kuming trained Naruto while Choji and Shikamaru watched.
• Kuming provoked Naruto by saying Sasuke might surpass him, and Naruto resumed training with greater focus.
• Shikamaru told Choji that Kuming really had been Konoha’s greatest genius and had once been stronger than the Fifth Hokage.
• Naruto’s taijutsu and shurikenjutsu improved, and he encountered Sasuke in the park as Kiba and other children gathered to watch them.

Naruto and Sasuke competed in a taijutsu duel in the park, where Sasuke defeated Naruto after exploiting his distraction. Naruto challenged him to a shuriken contest at a long distance, and the boys prepared to throw sharpened weapons as Karin Uzumaki watched anxiously.

• Ino, Sakura, and Karin watched Naruto and Sasuke prepare to spar while Karin Uzumaki told Karin that Naruto was her cousin.
• Naruto and Sasuke exchanged disciplined taijutsu attacks, impressing the shinobi and children watching nearby.
• Naruto lost focus after hearing the adults praise him, allowing Sasuke to throw him to the ground and win the duel.
• Naruto admitted defeat, then challenged Sasuke to compete with shuriken, and Sasuke accepted.
• Naruto chose a tree ten meters away as their target, and Fang marked it with four concentric circles.
• Karin Uzumaki grew concerned when Naruto and Sasuke took out sharpened shuriken for the contest.

Naruto defeated Sasuke in a shurikenjutsu match while Konoha faced a diplomatic crisis over Kumogakure envoys detained after a suspected kidnapping attempt. Minato summoned Uzumaki Kuming to discuss the Land of Lightning’s threat of war.

• Naruto hit the target with all five shuriken and defeated Sasuke, who left the park in disappointment.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Fire forwarded Minato a State Letter in which the Land of Lightning condemned Konoha and threatened war over the detained Cloud Ninja envoys.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Nara Shikaku met with Minato and urged him to explain Konoha’s response.
• Minato explained that Kumogakure envoys had infiltrated the Hyuga compound to kidnap Hinata, and that Uzumaki Kuming had urged Konoha not to yield to threats.
• Shikaku asserted that Konoha was not afraid to fight, and Minato ordered a guard to summon Kuming for an important discussion.

Uzumaki Kuming agreed to confront the Land of Lightning’s threats and set out from Konoha with four young ninja as guards. News of his return and journey to the northeastern border reached the other hidden villages, alarming Raikage Ai.

• Uzumaki Kuming read the Land of Lightning’s demand for the Hyuga Clan and urged Konoha to warn the country against overstepping.
• Minato Namikaze asked Uzumaki Kuming to intimidate the Land of Lightning, and Kuming agreed to go to the border himself.
• Uzumaki Kuming arranged to leave with Uchiha Itachi, Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and Rin Nohara, while Minato gave him command of the northeastern troops.
• Uzumaki Kuming and his companions departed Konoha by carriage, and reports of his return spread across the Shinobi World.
• Raikage Ai learned that Uzumaki Kuming was heading toward the border and reacted angrily to the news.

Nara Lukin learned that Raikage A had reached the front lines and was advancing into the Land of Rivers, so he ordered Nara Shikaichi to contact the village and locate Uzumaki Kuming. Meanwhile, Kuming and his companions traveled toward the border camp by carriage, unaware that more than a dozen figures were pursuing them.

• Nara Lukin and Nara Shikaichi discussed Kuming's return and searched for news of his whereabouts.
• Nara Lukin warned Shikaichi to remain cautious and keep watch on the Cloud Ninja forces.
• An Anbu reported that Raikage A had arrived at the front lines and entered the Land of Rivers with his troops.
• Nara Lukin ordered Shikaichi to contact the village and find Kuming as quickly as possible.
• Uzumaki Kuming, Uchiha Itachi, Rin Nohara, Kakashi, and Obito Uchiha traveled toward the border camp, with Itachi suffering from motion sickness.
• More than a dozen shadows emerged from the woods and pursued Kuming's carriage.

Konoha and the Cloud Ninja began competing for control of the Land of Rivers while Uzumaki Kuming's group was ambushed by Kirigakure Anbu during a rest in the Land of Fire. Kuming discovered that one attacker wielded two Kekkei Genkai, but the chapter ended before he identified her.

• Cloud Ninja forces seized military facilities in the Land of Rivers, prompting Nara Lukin to send Konoha Ninja to take control of its villages and towns.
• Kakashi noticed an attack in the woods and warned Uzumaki Kuming as several masked assailants struck from the trees.
• Kuming repelled the attackers targeting him while lightning trapped three figures attacking Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, Obito, and Rin.
• Kirigakure Anbu surrounded Kakashi's group, and Kuming emerged unharmed from a Water Style assault with an unconscious attacker in hand.
• A female Anbu used a white mist that burned the unconscious ninja, then attacked Kuming with lava; Kuming realized she possessed two Kekkei Genkai.

Uzumaki Kuming fought Mei Terumi and quickly captured her, but she escaped with a Water Clone and launched a massive Water Style attack. Kuming shielded Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and the others from the wave, while thick mist closed in around them.

• Uzumaki Kuming recognized Mei Terumi's lava and corrosive-gas techniques and struck her down with a fast kick.
• Kuming fired a lightning attack at Mei Terumi, and one of her Anbu subordinates took the hit while protecting her.
• Mei Terumi tried to hide her team with the Hidden Mist Technique, but Kuming grabbed her by the throat and demanded that the Mist Ninja break their encirclement.
• Mei Terumi revealed that Kuming had captured a Water Clone, then unleashed the Great Waterfall Technique from the woods.
• Kakashi raised an Earth Style wall against the Mist Ninja's explosive-tagged kunai, and Kuming shielded the group from the giant wave with golden Chakra.
• Dense mist spread through the area, reducing visibility to less than a meter.

Uzumaki Kuming fought off the Mist Ninja ambush and discovered that Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki were leading it. He sent Kakashi and the others away, then declared that he would take the two Mist Ninja back to Konoha as Mei launched her Boil Release.

• Kuming sensed the Mist Ninja hidden in the fog and killed several with a lightning attack.
• Mei Terumi signaled the Mist Ninja to retreat, while she and the unfamiliar attacker stayed behind.
• Kuming gave Kakashi a scroll and sent him, Itachi, and the others away from the battle.
• Kuming scattered the Hidden Mist Technique and recognized Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki as his opponents.
• Kuming decided to capture Mei and Kisame, and Mei attacked him with Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique.

Uzumaki Kuming defeated Mei Terumi and Kisame, sealing their movements and Chakra and declaring them his prisoners. Kisame rejected his capture, insisting that Mist Ninja did not take prisoners.

• Mei Terumi and Kisame combined their mist techniques to attack Uzumaki Kuming, who used Shadow Clones to launch himself above the mist.
• Mei Terumi struck Kuming with acid, but his Adamantine Sealing Chains shielded him, and the attack failed to injure him.
• Kuming appeared behind Mei Terumi and clashed with Kisame, then disarmed Kisame and kicked him away.
• Kuming struck Mei Terumi with a Cursed Seal, and his Shadow Clone sealed Kisame before the pair could use their full power.
• Kuming bound both Mist Ninja with golden chains, made them unable to move or use Chakra, and declared them prisoners.
• Kisame tested his restraints, then said that Mist Ninja did not take prisoners.

Jiuming captured Mei Terumi and Kisame after foiling their suicide attempts, then brought them to Konoha’s camp in the Land of Rivers. The waiting commanders welcomed him as the Fourth Hokage, leaving Jiuming startled by their formal bows.

• Jiuming stopped Kisame from biting through his tongue, questioned Mei Terumi about who had sent them, and planted doubts about her superior.
• Jiuming reunited with Uchiha Itachi, Kakashi, and the others, decided to keep the two Mist Ninja prisoners, and continued toward the camp on foot.
• Two days later, Jiuming’s party reached Konoha’s camp in the Land of Rivers with Mei Terumi and Kisame in custody.
• Nara Lukin and the other frontline leaders rushed out to greet Jiuming and bowed before him, surprising him.