Chapter Summaries

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 Nonō was trapped in Root and at risk of being killed before completing her promised three missions, so he resolved to enlist Tsunade, Jiraiya, and others to get her out. After failing to find Jiraiya, he told Kushina, who agreed to help and was astonished by his progress in Sealing Jutsu.

• Taiichi confronted Nonō about her secret Root missions, and she admitted that Root was using the Orphanage to pressure her and had promised to release her after three more missions.
• Taiichi urged Nonō to stop taking Root missions and promised to seek help from Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the Hokage; Nonō agreed to his plea.
• Taiichi sent Tsunade an urgent Shin asking her to help transfer Nonō out of Root, then searched for Jiraiya the next morning but could not find him.
• Taiichi told Kushina about Nonō's predicament, and she agreed to notify him when Minato and Jiraiya returned from their mission.
• Taiichi asked Kushina questions about Sealing Jutsu, and she became astonished by how much he already understood.

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.