Chapter Summaries

After Captain Yamaguchi returned, Team 8 discovered that New Year’s break had suspended ordinary missions, so Taiichi visited the Orphanage and then went to the hospital to help Nonō. He collected his long-prepared work ID and headed for the Emergency Department, leaving Director Fujita furious when he avoided the Trauma Department assignment.

• Jiji told Taiichi that Captain Yamaguchi had returned and summoned Team 8 to Training Ground 7.
• Captain Yamaguchi apologized for his long absence, reunited with Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori, and invited them to eat at the Barbecue Restaurant.
• Team 8 learned that the Mission Hall had closed for New Year’s break and went home to celebrate.
• Taiichi brought gifts to the Orphanage, left a Shadow Clone with the children, and went to visit Nonō at Konoha Hospital.
• Taiichi found Nonō overwhelmed with work, obtained his work ID from Director Fujita, and announced that he would help in the Emergency Department instead of the Trauma Department.

Taiichi spent New Year’s Eve helping Nonō at the hospital and making the orphanage children happy, then sent Tsunade and Shizune gifts that lifted their spirits. After gaining insight through a snowy morning walk and training, he met Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and Guy and joined them for ramen.

• Taiichi worked alongside Nonō in the Emergency Department, then gave her a warm scarf before they returned to the orphanage and saw the children playing with his Shadow Clone.
• Taiichi sent Tsunade a New Year letter and gifts for her and Shizune through Katsuyu, and Tsunade felt touched that he had remembered them.
• Tsunade and Shizune received Katsuyu’s delivery at their inn, where Shizune eagerly unpacked the gifts and Tsunade read Taiichi’s letter alone.
• Taiichi gained meditation and Spirit from walking through fresh snow, then practiced Taijutsu, swordsmanship, and Fire Nature Transformation at the Riverside Training Ground.
• Taiichi ran into Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and Guy in the village, and they headed to Ichiraku Ramen together after arguing about Obito’s Ninja Tool Pouch and proposing an eating contest.

Taiichi received the key to an abandoned Senju residence from Tsunade and began cleaning it, then moved in after finishing the initial work. The chapter left him settled in his new home, with the estate still awaiting further repairs and furnishing.

• Obito, Guy, Kakashi, Rin, and Taiichi competed to eat ramen at Ichiraku, where Obito and Guy tied after Kakashi quit; Teuchi recalled a girl who had eaten six bowls.
• Rin invited Asuma and Kurenai to join the group’s outing, leaving Asuma disappointed that his time alone with Kurenai had ended.
• Taiichi released his Shadow Clones, became overwhelmed by their accumulated memories, and passed out after sensing a summons from Shikkotsu Forest.
• Katsuyu delivered Tsunade’s letter and a key to an empty house at Number 7, Green Maple Lane, on the Senju Clan Grounds.
• Taiichi inspected the vast, neglected residence, assigned Shadow Clones to clean it, and wrote Tsunade about the house.
• Taiichi finished the initial cleaning with his Shadow Clones, packed his belongings, and moved into his new home.

Team 8 accepted a B-rank mission to protect the Tokugawa Clan’s mining rights and escorted Tokugawa Shuo toward the Land of Rivers. After surviving an ambush by bounty ninja, they treated Yohei’s poisoned wound and continued their journey.

• Team 8 chose a B-rank mission guarding the Tokugawa Clan’s mining area from interference by the rival Kawata Clan.
• Tokugawa Shuo explained that an accident or delay at the mine could cost his clan its mining rights, and Team 8 set out with him for the Land of Rivers.
• Six bounty ninja ambushed the group in the forest, but Yohei protected Tokugawa Shuo while Taiichi and the others defeated or drove off the attackers.
• Taiichi discovered that Yohei’s arm had been poisoned and mixed him an antidote, which Yohei swallowed with great reluctance.
• Team 8 cleaned up the battlefield, set up camp, and arranged the night watch.

The Yamaguchi Squad reached the Tokugawa Clan’s estate and learned that the Kawata Clan and Sunagakure were competing with them for control of the valuable Mining Area. After days of probing and harassment, Captain Yamaguchi ordered Taiichi and Yohei to ambush the Bounty Ninja attacking the mine.

• Tokugawa Yasu welcomed the Yamaguchi Squad with a banquet and explained the Mining Area’s value and the Kawata Clan’s plan to supply its ore to Sunagakure.
• Yohei asked whether Konoha should send reinforcements, and Captain Yamaguchi explained that the villages had to keep their competition within the bounds of the mission to avoid provoking war.
• Wind Wolf refused to work alongside Bounty Ninja, but Clan Head Kawata ordered his retainers to keep the Bounty Ninja away from the Sunagakure team.
• Captain Yamaguchi divided the Mining Area into defensive sectors, and Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori repeatedly spotted enemy scouts before Taiichi killed six of them in a night ambush.
• The Bounty Ninja began launching hit-and-run attacks that disrupted the mine, so Captain Yamaguchi sent Taiichi and Yohei to ambush their retreat while he used disguised Shadow Clones to mislead them.

Taiichi and Team 8 endured repeated raids on the Mining Area, then uncovered a Sunagakure poisoning attempt and treated the victims. When Sunagakure’s team attacked, Team 8 defeated its Jonin and Chunin, though the Puppet Master escaped.

• Taiichi and Yohei ambushed eight Bounty Ninjas and destroyed them with Taiichi’s Bright Gold Fire Style.
• Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori continued hunting enemies as repeated raids exhausted Team 8, so Captain Yamaguchi reorganized their duties.
• Taiichi discovered that six people, including Tokugawa Shuo, had been poisoned through the Mining Area’s water and prepared antidotes for them.
• Team 8 responded to an attack by Wind Wolf, Sha Kui, and three Chunin after their Shadow Clones reported the enemy’s approach.
• Taiichi killed a Chunin and struck Sha Kui’s Puppet Substitute, but Sha Kui escaped while Taiichi fought the puppets.
• Captain Yamaguchi killed Wind Wolf, and Yohei and Saori defeated the remaining Chunin before Team 8 regrouped.

After Team 8 returned from guarding the Mining Area, Captain Yamaguchi reported that Sunagakure was backing the Land of Rivers’ Second Young Master in a struggle over succession, prompting Konoha’s leaders to plan a response. Over the following months, Taiichi advanced his fire techniques to a Kage-level nature transformation and, after receiving a gathering order from Captain Yamaguchi, headed to Training Ground 7.

• Captain Yamaguchi learned that the City Lord’s Mansion had postponed the mining-rights bidding after pressure from the Second Young Master, who had Sunagakure’s support in the Land of Rivers succession dispute.
• Captain Yamaguchi reported the developments to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who met with Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura to discuss diplomatic outreach and stronger border defenses.
• Taiichi returned to Konoha, reached Genin class Lv10, and rested after reviewing his mission gains.
• Konoha increased its border forces and patrol missions, and Team 8 took on several assignments in the area.
• By June 23, Taiichi had advanced Fire Nature Transformation to Lv11 and demonstrated powerful flames that shattered his training barrier.
• Taiichi received a gathering order from Captain Yamaguchi through Jiji and went to Training Ground 7.

Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori entered the Chunin Ninja Exams, passed the written test, and dominated their team assessment in the Death Forest. After qualifying for the individual matches, Taiichi headed to Konoha Hospital to visit Nonō.

• Captain Yamaguchi recommended Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori for the Chunin Ninja Exams and told them to prepare for the tests.
• The three Team 8 members passed the written examination and trained together before the second day’s assessment.
• Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori reached the Death Forest tower with Captain Yamaguchi and watched other teams compete.
• Taiichi Squad defeated Ryohei Hijikata, Yasuhiro Kobayashi, and Ryoto Suzuki in under thirty seconds, earning a place in the individual assessment matches.
• Taiichi left his teammates and went to Konoha Hospital, where he worked when available and visited Nonō.

Taiichi passed the Chunin assessment, advanced to Chunin, and celebrated with his squad and the children at the orphanage. After testing his enhanced abilities, he wrote to Tsunade about his promotion and hoped she would return to teach him.

• Taiichi helped at the hospital, where Nonō explained that Medical Ninja were being reassigned to mission squads, leaving the staff short-handed.
• During the final Chunin assessment, Yohei defeated Shota Uchiha, Saori won her match, and Taiichi forced an Aburame ninja to surrender with a barrage of fireballs.
• Taiichi, Yohei, and Saori took the top three places, and Hiruzen promoted the ten strongest Genin to Chunin.
• Taiichi advanced to Chunin Lv1, gained attributes and skill points, and improved his Potent talent from 50% to 70%.
• Taiichi tested his stronger Ninjutsu, then wrote to Tsunade to tell her about his promotion and ask her to return to teach him.
• Taiichi celebrated with Nonō and the orphanage children, cooking a feast and sharing in their laughter.

Team 8 escorted the Daimyo’s envoys across the Land of Wind and began the return journey after the diplomatic visit. As a massive sandstorm bore down on the delegation, Captain Yamaguchi ordered everyone to stop and form up.

• Captain Yamaguchi assigned Team 8 to escort the Daimyo’s envoys to the Land of Wind, and the team traveled to Kyoto City.
• Taiichi sent a Shadow Clone to meet Shimazu Akira, gave him the final intelligence list, and carefully answered a question about Konoha’s next Hokage.
• Team 8 escorted the envoys through the Land of Rivers and into the Land of Wind, where Taiichi detected and reported Sunagakure observers.
• The delegation reached the Land of Wind’s capital on July 18, completed its visit three days later, and began traveling back toward the Land of Fire.
• Taiichi noticed worsening weather on the return journey, and Captain Yamaguchi spotted a huge sandstorm and ordered the delegation to stop and form up.

Taiichi protected the delegation from a sandstorm and gained a deeper understanding of Wind Release before the group encountered hostile ninjas on the journey home. He ambushed the enemy and killed several Chunin, then rushed to help Captain Yamaguchi, whose fight against three opponents included a Jonin.

• Captain Yamaguchi raised Earth Walls to shelter the delegation from the sandstorm, and Taiichi reshaped them into a protective dome.
• Taiichi ventured into the storm, observed its power, and gained 1,000 points in Wind Release Nature Transformation.
• After the delegation resumed its journey, Taiichi detected hostile ninjas gathering ahead, so Captain Yamaguchi ordered a surprise attack while Yohei and Saori guarded the envoys.
• Taiichi and Captain Yamaguchi used Subterranean Voyage to approach the enemy formation and attack; Taiichi killed three Chunin in rapid succession.
• Captain Yamaguchi became surrounded by three enemies, including a Jonin, and Taiichi rushed to his aid, breaking the siege with a barrage of Phoenix Sage Fire.

Taiichi and Team 8 escorted the Land of Fire envoys through attacks and political celebrations before encountering Sunagakure Ninja hunting Konoha shinobi. Taiichi’s Shadow Clone found the injured Hatake Sakumo and headed toward him.

• Taiichi and Captain Yamaguchi fought Iwagakure Ninja who had attacked the envoys, while Yohei and the others killed an ambushing Iwagakure Jonin; two enemies escaped.
• Sunagakure Ninja inspected the battlefield, and the envoys continued into the Land of Rivers, where they learned the Eldest Young Master had become Daimyo.
• The envoys resumed their journey and, after Taiichi detected hostile Sunagakure Ninja nearby, Team 8 sent Shadow Clones to search for the Konoha shinobi being hunted.
• Taiichi’s Shadow Clone drew pursuers away and sensed two figures, one badly injured, then recognized the injured man as Hatake Sakumo.

Taiichi treated Yusuke after Hatake Sakumo abandoned an assassination mission to save him, then helped Sakumo return to complete the task. Sakumo killed the remaining targets and escaped with Yusuke, while Chiyo ordered Sunagakure to spread news of Konoha’s actions.

• Taiichi met Hatake Sakumo, treated the critically injured Yusuke, and warned Sakumo that Sunagakure ninjas were pursuing them.
• Taiichi suggested that Sakumo resume the mission while he stayed behind with Yusuke, and Sakumo left a Shadow Clone to help them relocate.
• Yusuke woke, learned Taiichi had saved him, and expressed relief that Sakumo had continued the mission.
• Taiichi’s Shadow Clone dispersed, and Taiichi told his team that Sakumo had abandoned a mission to save a companion before returning to complete it.
• Hatake Sakumo infiltrated the capital of the Land of Rivers and assassinated the remaining targets, while Chiyo ordered Sunagakure to publicize Konoha’s killings.
• Hatake Sakumo returned to Yusuke, carried him toward Konoha, and told him that the mission targets had all been killed.

As Konoha’s leaders formally reprimanded Hatake Sakumo and rumors turned the village against him, Taiichi tried to support him and warn him to watch Kakashi. Kakashi fought three ninja who insulted his father until Guy and Obito rushed in to help.

• Sunagakure spread claims that Konoha had sent Hatake Sakumo to slaughter nobles in the Land of Rivers, prompting accusations across the Ninja World.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Advisors discussed Sakumo’s mission, and Danzo blamed him for abandoning it before Hiruzen ordered a formal reprimand.
• Vague village accusations fueled rumors that Sakumo had failed his mission and caused significant losses.
• After returning to Konoha, Taiichi heard the rumors, visited Sakumo, sparred with him, and urged him to watch how Kakashi was coping.
• Kakashi attacked three ninja who insulted Sakumo, but Guy and Obito arrived to help him fight.

Kakashi, Guy, and Obito fought men spreading rumors about Hatake Sakumo, and Kakashi affirmed to his father that saving a comrade had been the right choice. Taiichi then investigated Yusuke, stopped two men trying to recruit him into denouncing Sakumo, and urged Yusuke to stand by his beliefs.

• Kakashi, Guy, and Obito fought three ninjas who had insulted Hatake Sakumo, until the Military Police Force intervened and dismissed both sides.
• Guy and Obito reassured Kakashi that comrades mattered most, and Kakashi told them how the men had attacked his father’s decision to abandon a mission.
• Hatake Sakumo asked Kakashi whether he thought saving a comrade had been right, and Kakashi firmly agreed before the two shared a heartfelt conversation.
• Taiichi accessed Yusuke’s hospital records to find his address, then went to investigate whether the people spreading rumors planned to use him.
• Yusuke rejected two men’s demand that he denounce Hatake Sakumo and tried to take them to the Hokage, but Taiichi knocked them unconscious.
• Taiichi told Yusuke to hand the men over to the Military Police Force and stand firm in support of Sakumo.

Taiichi explained to Kakashi that Root and Danzo were behind the rumors against Hatake Sakumo, then helped Kakashi counter them by spreading sensational rumors about Danzo. They agreed to continue the scheme discreetly, and the chapter ended with the two friends relaxing over barbecue.

• Taiichi ran into Kakashi, who was searching for help dealing with the rumors about his father.
• Taiichi told Kakashi that Root ninja had tried to pressure Yusuke into testifying against Sakumo and explained why Danzo might target him.
• Taiichi proposed burying the rumors about Sakumo beneath new rumors about Danzo, and Kakashi agreed to help.
• Taiichi and Kakashi used shadow clones and Transformation Technique to spread several sensational rumors throughout Konoha.
• Taiichi and Kakashi agreed to keep spreading the rumors over the next few days without involving anyone else, then shared barbecue and laughed together.

Taiichi and Kakashi spread damaging rumors about Danzo, prompting Root to surveil them and hunt down their Shadow Clones. As the rumors took hold across Konoha, Danzo blamed Hiruzen and ordered Zi to spread new information, setting up another escalation.

• Taiichi and Kakashi heard villagers discussing rumors about Danzo and continued to the Training Ground to practice swordsmanship.
• A Root ninja told Danzo that rumors accusing him of human experimentation, abandoning comrades, and murdering fellow ninja had surfaced, and Danzo ordered an investigation.
• Taiichi's Shadow Clone spread the rumors in the market, noticed a watcher, and escaped by dispersing; Kakashi also spotted a follower and used Shadow Clones to evade him.
• Taiichi and Kakashi met at Training Ground 7, shared what they knew, and decided to stop spreading rumors themselves while Root watched them spar.
• Rumors about Danzo spread across Konoha, and Root destroyed the pair's Shadow Clones; Danzo grew furious and concluded Hiruzen was behind the rumors.
• Danzo summoned Zi and ordered him to spread new information through the village.

Taiichi heard rumors accusing Hiruzen Sarutobi of approving human experiments and causing the Senju clan’s decline, while Hiruzen and Danzo each suspected the other of spreading them. After Hiruzen swore he had not ordered the earlier rumors against Danzo, they agreed to investigate the real source, unaware Kakashi and Taiichi had started the rumor campaign to defend Hatake Sakumo.

• Taiichi overheard new rumors blaming Hiruzen Sarutobi for human experiments, the Senju clan’s fate, and suppressing powerful ninja.
• Hiruzen read reports about the rumors and summoned Danzo, suspecting him of spreading accusations against the Hokage.
• Danzo denied responsibility and accused Hiruzen of framing him, while both men argued over the rumors and Konoha’s secrets.
• Hiruzen swore he had not ordered the rumors against Danzo, and Danzo accepted that a third party might be stirring up conflict.
• Hiruzen and Danzo agreed to investigate the rumors and spent the night considering possible suspects, never realizing Kakashi and Taiichi had started them to protect Hatake Sakumo.

After Konoha suppressed the rumors about Sakumo and its leaders, tensions between the nations escalated, and Taiichi’s squad was reorganized for wartime missions. Taiichi mastered full-body flame transformation and accepted an A-rank mission to eliminate foreign ninja in the Land of Fire, leaving his new teammate Kaze Wafu uneasy about its broad orders.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo ordered Root, Anbu, and the Military Police Force to suppress discussion of the rumors, while Taiichi and Kakashi avoided further action and evaded suspicion.
• Hatake Sakumo became a jonin instructor, easing Kakashi’s concerns, as Konoha’s controversies faded from public view.
• By spring of Year 46 of Konoha, foreign nations reinforced their borders, and Masasuke Yamaguchi left Team 8 as Taiichi became captain of a reorganized squad with Yohei Uchiha, Saori Furukawa, and Kaze Wafu.
• Taiichi perfected the Fire Transformation Technique, learned to transform his whole body into flames, and formed a chakra blade while in that state.
• Taiichi accepted an A-rank mission to eliminate foreign ninja operating in the Land of Fire, and Yohei told the apprehensive Kaze Wafu that anyone found behind the battlefield could be treated as an enemy.

Taiichi's squad fought through a week of dangerous missions against enemy ninja, while Kaze Wafu worked to keep pace with his stronger teammates. The chapter ended as the squad charged into battle against eight Sunagakure ninja, including four Jonin.

• Taiichi detected four hidden Sunagakure ninja, and his squad killed them in a battle that lasted less than thirty seconds.
• Taiichi saved Kaze Wafu from a Jonin's Fire Style attack, then killed the Jonin as the squad continued fighting enemy groups.
• Kaze Wafu improved through repeated combat, and Taiichi encouraged him to grow stronger so he could survive the squad's missions.
• Around a campfire, Kaze Wafu described his old squad's miserable meals, and Taiichi later told him he needed to improve his fighting ability.
• Taiichi sensed eight approaching enemies, including four Jonin, and led his squad into a charge against them.