Recaps

Captain Yamaguchi’s squad delivered supplies to Outpost 7 and discovered it had been devastated by a recent attack. Taiichi began treating the severely wounded, while Captain Yamaguchi and Yohei went to meet the outpost’s commander.

• Captain Yamaguchi led Taiichi, Saori, and Yohei toward the Land of Rain, explaining that each would carry a Storage Scroll of supplies.
• The squad reached Outpost 7 after nearly two days and was stopped by a warning Kunai before Tengshan verified their mission scroll.
• Tengshan told Captain Yamaguchi that the outpost had suffered serious losses, and the squad entered to find wounded comrades without medical care.
• Captain Yamaguchi sent Taiichi to treat the wounded and directed Saori to assist him, while he and Yohei went with Tengshan to meet the person in charge.
• Yukiya took Taiichi to a tent where three severely wounded people lay unconscious and bleeding through their bandages.

Taiichi used medical ninjutsu to save the outpost’s critically wounded after a surprise attack. Chiba asked Yamaguchi’s squad to help defend the vulnerable outpost until reinforcements arrived, while Taiichi began treating the rest of the injured.

• Taiichi summoned Katsuyu to stabilize two wounded ninjas, then treated three critically injured patients, though one had lost an arm that could not be reattached.
• Chiba learned that bounty ninjas had attacked the outpost to test its strength, but their leader had escaped without revealing who hired them.
• Chiba asked Yamaguchi’s squad to defend the outpost until reinforcements arrived, and Yamaguchi agreed.
• Taiichi treated Chiba’s arm and instructed Yukiya to bring him every injured ninja in the camp for treatment.

Taiichi, Yohei, Saori, and Captain Yamaguchi began guarding the outpost and went on a patrol, where they found signs of enemy activity. Taiichi and Yohei returned to warn Jonin Chiba, while Taiichi prepared to tend to the wounded in case of another attack.

• Captain Yamaguchi confirmed that his team would stay at the outpost for several days, and Taiichi collected a Short Sword from the Logistics Department.
• Captain Yamaguchi led Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori on a patrol west of the outpost and taught them what signs to watch for.
• Saori found the remains of a warm campfire, and Yohei spotted signs of several people moving through the trees about two hundred meters west.
• Captain Yamaguchi sent Taiichi and Yohei back to report the enemy traces and warn the outpost to strengthen its defenses.
• Taiichi told Jonin Chiba that the intruders might be the same enemies who had attacked before, then decided to check on the wounded.

Taiichi defended the injured soldiers’ tent during a surprise attack on the outpost and killed two attackers while the wounded helped fight off the third. The green-haired leader saw his little brother killed as the battle turned against the attackers.

• Taiichi stayed with the injured soldiers while the outpost’s defenders prepared for a surprise attack after discovering traces left by the attackers.
• The green-haired leader sent his little brother and two ninjas to kill the wounded, while the rest of the attackers charged the outpost.
• Konoha’s defenders fought back with help from reinforcements, including a Jonin, and began to overwhelm the attackers.
• Three attackers entered the injured soldiers’ tent, where Taiichi killed one and helped the wounded kill another before the last fled.
• The green-haired leader saw his little brother emerge from the tent with a blade through his chest and roared in grief.

Taiichi helped Konoha defeat the Bounty Ninja attacking the outpost, then followed a fleeing enemy with Yohei to locate their hidden base. After finding a cave, Taiichi prepared to use Earth Style to infiltrate it.

• Taiichi killed enemies with his sword, turning the battle in Konoha’s favor as the Bounty Ninja began to flee.
• Jonin Chiba assigned Taiichi to follow a deliberately released enemy and find the enemy base, and Captain Yamaguchi sent Yohei with him.
• Chiba and Masasuke Yamaguchi received the battle report: fifteen enemies were killed, nine escaped, and two Konoha ninja died.
• Taiichi and Yohei tracked the fleeing ninja through the night to a cave, using Yohei’s Sharingan to follow his winding trail.
• Taiichi asked Yohei how to enter the cave, then focused on his panel and prepared to use Earth Style Nature Transformation.

Taiichi used a Skill Point to master Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage and infiltrated the enemy’s cave, where he learned that the enemy planned to ambush Konoha’s patrols and resupply teams. Discovered while eavesdropping, he fled the pursuing ninja but ran into a Fireball at the cave entrance.

• Taiichi raised Earth Style Nature Transformation to Level 1 and quickly mastered Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage while Yohei stood guard outside.
• Taiichi traveled underground into a cave holding more than thirty enemy ninja, including several Jonin, and listened as they argued over their failed operation and faulty intelligence.
• Hijikata assigned the group to target Konoha patrols and resupply personnel, aiming to inflict casualties on Konoha’s forces.
• Hijikata detected Taiichi underground and attacked with Earth Style: Splitting Earth Needle, forcing Taiichi to leap out of the ground.
• Taiichi taunted the gathered ninja and ran for the cave exit, but a ninja at the entrance launched a Fireball toward him.

Taiichi and Yohei escaped the cave after Taiichi’s fire-and-wind attack killed several pursuers, but the enemy gave chase. Taiichi sent Yohei toward the outpost with their intelligence and stayed behind to ambush the pursuing ninja, where the fight began with a Chunin’s death.

• Taiichi combined Wind Release with the flames in the cave, then fled with Yohei as the remaining enemy ninja pursued them.
• Taiichi and Yohei set traps while running, but Taiichi told Yohei to carry their intelligence to the outpost and stayed behind to delay the pursuers.
• Taiichi burned away Yohei’s tracks, summoned three Shadow Clones, and prepared an ambush among the trees.
• Takagi led five Chunin, including Qiantai, around the burning forest to search for Taiichi.
• Taiichi and Yohei ambushed the group and killed one Chunin, while Taiichi’s Shadow Clones engaged Takagi and the remaining enemies.

Taiichi used clones and fire techniques to kill two Bounty Ninjas, while Yohei escaped toward the outpost and awakened a Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Taiichi then faced Green-haired Takagi alone and launched a close-range attack, leaving their fight unresolved.

• Taiichi's Phoenix Sage Fire killed two Bounty Ninjas, and Green-haired Takagi led the surviving pursuers after him.
• Yohei continued toward the outpost, awakened a Two-Tomoe Sharingan, and resolved to find Captain Yamaguchi to rescue Taiichi.
• Taiichi restored his chakra and stamina with an Attribute Point, but noticed that his physique attribute had not changed.
• Green-haired Takagi caught up with Taiichi, who taunted him and attacked with Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
• Taiichi followed the fire attack with a sword strike, and Takagi used his kunai to block and retreat.

Taiichi outmaneuvered Green-haired Takagi with clones and newly developed ninjutsu, while Yohei reached Outpost 7 and brought Captain Yamaguchi and reinforcements to rescue him. The chapter ended with Takagi and Taiichi both impaled during Takagi’s desperate counterattack.

• Taiichi used a hidden hand seal to unleash a barrage of fireballs, injuring Qiantai and the other chunin as Green-haired Takagi retreated.
• Taiichi’s Shadow Clone delayed the two chunin while his main body fled, then he lured Green-haired Takagi into a trap using a clone and Water Style: Wild Water Dance.
• Green-haired Takagi severely injured Taiichi in their close-quarters fight, but Taiichi escaped and used the water-sphere trap to wound Takagi with countless Water Arrows.
• Taiichi set his broken arm and treated it with Mystical Palm Technique, then taunted the bleeding Takagi until he collapsed unconscious.
• Yohei reached Outpost 7 and led Captain Yamaguchi, Yuka, and Yuta toward Taiichi’s location to rescue him.
• As Taiichi lowered his sword toward the unconscious Takagi, Takagi sprang up and drove his kunai through Taiichi’s heart while the sword pierced his lower abdomen.

Taiichi killed Takagi and the pursuing Chunin, then reunited with Yohei and returned to Outpost 7 with the Jonin’s body sealed in a scroll. After Team 8’s garrison mission ended, they returned to Konoha, and Taiichi decided to visit Minato to share what he had learned about One-Handed Seal.

• Taiichi finished off the wounded Takagi, ambushed and killed the two arriving Chunin, and gained enough experience to raise his Genin level to Lv6.
• Yohei and Captain Yamaguchi followed Taiichi’s trail through the forest until Taiichi emerged and reunited with them, carrying the sealed body of the Jonin who had pursued him.
• Taiichi reported the mission at Outpost 7, where Chiba praised his intelligence and promised to include his deeds in the report to the village.
• Team 8 spent several more days at Outpost 7 without further attacks, then departed for Konoha as Yohei reflected on the place where his Sharingan had evolved.
• After returning to Konoha, Taiichi decided to visit Minato the next day and share his insights into One-Handed Seal.

Taiichi shared his One-Handed Seals insights with Minato and Kushina, helping Minato make an early breakthrough, and received their annotated Sealing Jutsu scroll in return. After collecting his custom Short Sword, Taiichi joined Kakashi, Obito, and Rin for lunch, where Kakashi revealed the losses behind his promotion and Taiichi challenged Obito’s belief that missions should always come first.

• Taiichi visited Minato and Kushina and demonstrated his One-Handed Seals, which he had figured out during his mission.
• Minato used Taiichi’s explanation to create one-handed forms for three seals, and Minato and Kushina gave Taiichi their annotated Sealing Jutsu scroll.
• Taiichi collected his custom Short Sword from the Weapon Shop and ran into Kakashi, Obito, and Rin Nohara.
• At lunch, Kakashi said he had been promoted to Chunin half a year earlier and revealed that two previous teams had been disbanded after members died on missions.
• Taiichi recounted his latest mission and asked Obito whether he would prioritize the mission or Rin if her life conflicted with its success.

Taiichi received Tsunade’s guidance, improved his abilities, and learned the conditions for advancing his ninja class while Konoha’s leaders responded to Kumogakure’s pursuit of Sakumo. The chapter ended with Hiruzen assigning Taiichi’s squad to support Sakumo and warning that Sunagakure’s stockpiling could signal a coming war.

• At a barbecue, Taiichi challenged Kakashi, Obito, and Rin to consider whether missions or companions mattered more, then argued that each person had to make their own choice.
• Kakashi asked Hatake Sakumo about the same dilemma, and Sakumo said a companion’s life came first and a failed mission could be made up later.
• Taiichi studied the Sealing Jutsu scroll, received Tsunade’s letter through Katsuyu, and used her advice to improve his Chakra Enhanced Strength and other skills.
• Taiichi’s class advanced to Genin Lv7, and he learned the requirements for promotion while deciding to rely on training rather than spend points unnecessarily.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s other leaders discussed Sakumo’s assassination of Kumogakure officials and the pursuit against him, then assigned Minato Namikaze and Masasuke Yamaguchi’s squad to support him.
• Utatane Koharu reported Konoha’s supply purchases, and Mitokado Homura warned that Sunagakure was also stockpiling supplies.

Taiichi and Minato’s teams set out to extract Hatake Sakumo, while Danzo’s report forced Third A to abandon Cloud Village’s official pursuit and secretly keep Sakumo in danger. At the extraction point, Sakumo failed to arrive, so the teams entered the Land of Moon to search for him in pairs.

• Jiji delivered an extraction mission for Hatake Sakumo, and Taiichi met Minato and their assembled teams at Konoha’s gate.
• Danzo ordered a Root ninja to deliver an investigation report to Cloud Village, and Third A agreed to stop the official pursuit while delaying the recall and spreading news of Sakumo’s wounds.
• Taiichi told the teams that rescuing Kurama Chizuru had led to the mission, and the group traveled together toward the Land of Moon.
• After Sakumo missed the extraction time, Minato summoned a Communication Toad to watch the meeting point and organized a search using Inuzuka Makoto’s ninja dogs.
• Taiichi paired with Inuzuka Makoto and followed Kuromaru into the Land of Moon to search for Sakumo.

Hatake Sakumo escaped the Raikage and his guards after assassinating Isahai, but his injuries worsened during six days of pursuit. Taiichi and Inuzuka Makoto rescued him from Cloud Village Anbu, and Minato’s group prepared to treat him while a fifteen-member detachment continued the hunt.

• Hatake Sakumo killed Isahai, but the Raikage and his Shadow Guard Unit caught him and inflicted grievous wounds before he escaped.
• Hatake Sakumo evaded the Cloud Village Anbu for six days, then collapsed beneath debris as he neared the meeting point.
• Kuromaru detected blood nearby, and Taiichi and Inuzuka Makoto found two Anbu about to kill Hatake Sakumo.
• Taiichi defeated both Anbu, and he and Inuzuka Makoto carried Hatake Sakumo away before more pursuers arrived.
• Taiichi and Inuzuka Makoto met Minato, who ordered them to protect and treat Hatake Sakumo as a fifteen-member Cloud Village Anbu detachment closed in.
• The detachment leader ordered one final attempt to kill Hatake Sakumo, despite the risk of worsening the conflict with Konoha.

Taiichi treated Hatake Sakumo while Minato and the others defended their cave from Cloud Village Ninja, then helped the battered squad escape. After bounty hunters ambushed them and killed Inuzuka Makoto and Kuromaru, the Konoha Ninja launched a counterattack with Sakumo still badly wounded.

• Taiichi treated Hatake Sakumo’s injuries as Captain Yamaguchi, Minato, and the others laid traps around their cave.
• Cloud Village Ninja attacked, but Minato used Flying Thunder God to kill a Jonin, and Sakumo emerged from the cave to force the enemy to retreat.
• After Sakumo revealed that the Cloud Village pursuers had ignored withdrawal orders, the squad set out for Konoha and treated their wounded on the way.
• Bounty hunters ambushed the squad, killing Inuzuka Makoto and Kuromaru, while Yohei awakened a Three-Tomoe Sharingan.
• Taiichi proposed using Yohei’s newly awakened Sharingan to exploit the bounty hunters’ focus on the Jonin, and the Konoha Ninja attacked first.

Taiichi and Minato’s squads defeated the bounty hunters, mourned Inuzuka Makoto, and returned safely to Konoha after treating their wounds. At the Hokage’s Office, Sakumo’s report exposed the deadly intelligence delay, prompting Hiruzen to tighten his control over Root, while Taiichi helped treat his comrades at Konoha Hospital.

• Taiichi killed a Jonin and helped Minato, Sakumo, Yohei, Saori, Gekko Sora, and Nakamura Rei turn the battle against the bounty hunters; Yohei and Taiichi killed another Jonin.
• The survivors treated their wounds, collected Inuzuka Makoto and Kuromaru’s bodies, and traveled through the Land of Hot Water into the Land of Fire before returning to Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Danzo over the delayed mission intelligence, and Sakumo, Minato, and Masasuke arrived safely and reported what had happened.
• Sakumo questioned the intelligence failure that had led to Inuzuka Makoto’s death, while Hiruzen offered an explanation that the three Jonin recognized as incomplete.
• Danzo urged Hiruzen to fear the Uchiha, but Hiruzen ordered Root to report every operation to him, and Danzo left in anger.
• Taiichi assisted Konoha Hospital’s Medical Ninjas in treating his injured comrades, including Yohei and Saori.

After recovering from the mission, Taiichi began developing a faster version of the Body Flicker Technique and resumed training during Team 8’s month-long leave. He ended the day sparring with Kakashi, who thanked him for saving Hatake Sakumo.

• Minato explained the Hokage’s account of the mission to the injured ninja, and Taiichi suggested Danzo had likely been behind the disaster.
• Taiichi reviewed his mission gains, then experimented with converting Chakra Enhanced Strength into propulsion and badly injured himself while testing his Modified Body Flicker Technique.
• Taiichi met Might Guy during a run, raced him around the village, and narrowly won despite his injuries.
• Taiichi trained at Training Ground 3, then watched Kakashi practice swordsmanship and gained experience from observing him.
• Kakashi thanked Taiichi for saving Hatake Sakumo, and Taiichi asked him to spar; Kakashi agreed.

Taiichi defeated Kakashi in a swordsmanship spar and planned to focus his training on Fire Nature Transformation, asking Tsunade for Fire Release techniques. After welcoming Yohei and Saori home from the hospital, he discussed peace and their training plans with them, then sensed a reply from Tsunade at the chapter’s end.

• Taiichi beat Kakashi in several swordsmanship matches and gained Advanced Swordsmanship experience while learning from Kakashi’s techniques.
• Taiichi chose to focus on Fire Nature Transformation and sent Tsunade a letter asking her for many Fire Release Ninjutsu.
• Taiichi welcomed Yohei and Saori after their discharge, cooked them a meal, and discussed conflict, peace, and the Sage of Six Paths with them.
• Yohei planned special training for his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, while Saori planned to train in Sealing Jutsu, and the three agreed to meet weekly for team practice.
• Taiichi sensed a summons from Katsuyu while training and began forming Hand Seals to receive Tsunade’s reply.

Taiichi received Tsunade’s ninjutsu materials and warning about Danzo, then wrote back with news of his newly developed Chakra Enhanced Body Flicker Technique. Tsunade tested the technique, advised Taiichi to keep it from the village for now, and borrowed a million ryō from him before leaving.

• Taiichi read Tsunade’s letter, received scrolls containing techniques from all five elements, and took her warning about Danzo seriously.
• Taiichi wrote Tsunade about the Chakra Enhanced Body Flicker Technique, which he had developed after four days of experiments.
• Tsunade read Taiichi’s letter, tested the technique in a secluded grove, and managed to use it at extraordinary speed after an initial crash.
• Tsunade summoned Taiichi to Shikkotsu Forest and advised him to keep the technique secret until he was stronger, rather than hand it over to the village.
• Tsunade asked Taiichi for money, took a million ryō as a loan, and left him with an empty wallet.

Taiichi developed Chakra Perception while studying a forge’s flames, using the insight to advance his Fire Nature Transformation before returning to train with Yohei and Saori. Their spar began with the pair teaming up against him, and Taiichi warned them he was about to get serious after pushing them back.

• Taiichi visited a Konoha forge to study its furnace flames and used his chakra and spiritual energy to develop Chakra Perception, which caused severe burns when the heat sensation fed back into his body.
• Taiichi healed his burns with medical ninjutsu, understood how Chakra Perception worked, and gained experience in Fire Nature Transformation.
• Taiichi returned to the forge the next day and gained another 150 experience points in Fire Nature Transformation before his chakra ran low.
• Taiichi met Yohei and Saori at Training Ground 3, where they challenged him to a two-on-one spar.
• Yohei and Saori coordinated kunai, Lightning Style, and close-combat attacks, but Taiichi avoided their assault and fought them evenly until he forced them back with a slash.

Taiichi defeated Yohei and Saori in a sparring match, then shared training advice and taught them Basic Taijutsu. He visited the Orphanage with snacks and learned that Nonō had been away for half a month, likely on another Root mission, before the gate opened as he was preparing to leave.

• Taiichi used controlled fireballs and swift attacks to knock Saori unconscious and defeat Yohei.
• Taiichi explained how Yohei and Saori could improve their reaction speed and shared his fitness training methods and insights into Nature Transformation.
• Taiichi taught Yohei and Saori Basic Taijutsu, and they spent the day learning its techniques.
• Taiichi visited the Orphanage with snacks, reunited with Yami and the children, and spent the day playing with them.
• Grandma Keiko told Taiichi that Nonō had been away for half a month and was expected back within days, prompting him to suspect she was on a Root mission.
• As Taiichi prepared to leave the Orphanage, its gate quietly opened.

Taiichi learned that Root was using the orphanage to keep Nonō under its control and feared Danzo would kill her before she completed three more missions. He sought help from Tsunade and Kushina, and Kushina agreed to alert him when Minato and Jiraiya returned, while Taiichi's rapid progress in sealing jutsu surprised her.

• Taiichi confronted Nonō about her injuries and revealed that he suspected she was a Root operative being forced to work under threat to the orphanage.
• Nonō told Taiichi that Root had rejected her ten requests to leave but had promised to release her after three more missions.
• Taiichi urged Nonō to refuse further Root missions and promised to seek help from Tsunade and the Hokage; Nonō agreed, and Taiichi sent Tsunade an urgent letter through Katsuyu.
• Taiichi failed to find Jiraiya and went to Minato's house, where Kushina told him that Minato and Jiraiya were away on a mission.
• Taiichi explained Nonō's predicament to Kushina, who agreed not to confront the Hokage immediately and promised to notify him when Minato and Jiraiya returned.
• Taiichi asked Kushina about sealing jutsu, and she grew astonished by how much he had learned in less than three months.

Taiichi advanced his Sealing Jutsu and Fire Style training, then received Tsunade’s support for helping Nonō leave Root. The chapter ended as Taiichi’s team prepared to spar with Captain Yamaguchi, who realized they expected all three of them to fight him together.

• Kushina taught Taiichi Sealing Jutsu, and he gained enough experience to reach Lv4.
• Taiichi trained Fire Style until his flames turned gold, vitrified the soil, and killed fish in the stream.
• Katsuyu delivered Tsunade’s letter, which urged Taiichi to seek Jiraiya’s help and included a separate letter for the Hokage about Nonō.
• Taiichi showed Tsunade’s letter to Nonō, who felt hopeful about escaping Root, and then spent the morning with the orphanage children.
• Taiichi invited Captain Yamaguchi to watch his team’s training, but Yohei proposed that all three teammates spar against the Jonin, leaving the captain feeling set up.

Taiichi and his teammates trained together, and Masasuke Yamaguchi agreed to recommend them for the next Chunin Ninja Exams. After Minato and Jiraiya returned, Taiichi met with them to seek help saving Nonō, but they warned that they needed enough leverage to act against Danzo without endangering her.

• Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori fought Masasuke Yamaguchi as a team and forced him to surrender.
• Masasuke Yamaguchi praised the trio and said he would recommend them for next year's Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Kushina told Taiichi that Minato and Jiraiya had returned and arranged a meeting for him.
• Taiichi brought Tsunade's letter to Minato and Jiraiya and asked them to help save Nonō.
• Jiraiya and Minato explained that Danzo could stall any attempt to transfer Nonō and asked Taiichi for evidence or other leverage.

Taiichi and Jiraiya confronted Hiruzen with evidence that the Orphanage’s funding had been diverted and the Hokage’s seal forged, hoping to free Nonō from Root. Hiruzen recognized the fraud as an attack on his authority and began to suspect Danzo had infiltrated the Hokage’s Office and Anbu.

• Taiichi showed Jiraiya, Minato, and Kushina records indicating the Orphanage received less than its allocated funding, along with forged Hokage’s Office seals and unrelated expenses.
• Jiraiya took Taiichi to the Hokage’s Office with the evidence and Tsunade’s letter, while Minato and Kushina stayed behind.
• Taiichi told Hiruzen that Nonō was a Root ninja and asked him to transfer her to Konoha Hospital, explaining how he had pieced together her identity.
• Jiraiya urged Hiruzen to protect Nonō and the Orphanage, and Hiruzen said he would speak to Danzo.
• Taiichi showed Hiruzen the account books and forged documents, prompting Hiruzen to recognize the fraud and suspect Danzo had compromised people in the Hokage’s Office and Anbu.