Chapter Summaries

Ueno Kei fought a Kaguya Clan survivor who arrived to protect Jugo, Guren, and Suigetsu. The three escaped while Ueno Kei, weakened and injured, faced the transformed man and was knocked into a tree.

• Ueno Kei tried to stop Guren and Suigetsu from carrying the unconscious Jugo away, but the cold-faced Kaguya Clan man attacked him.
• The Kaguya Clan man ordered Guren and Suigetsu to take Jugo and leave, then used his bones to keep Ueno Kei from pursuing them.
• The Kaguya Clan man activated his curse marks and transformed while Ueno Kei assessed his depleted chakra and injuries.
• The two men faced off until a flash blinded Ueno Kei, and the Kaguya Clan man struck him into a large tree.

Ueno Kei’s wounded team returned to Konoha after surviving Orochimaru’s ambush, while Kaguya Kimimaro and the others carried out a separate plan. The chapter ended with a large force of Sunagakure and Otogakure ninja advancing toward Konoha as Ueno Kei brought the sealed Kazekage’s body to the Third Hokage.

• Kaguya Kimimaro attacked Ueno Kei but abruptly retreated, and Ueno Kei chose not to pursue him.
• An Anbu reported that the Otogakure ninja had been eliminated, with four Konoha members killed, and Ueno Kei ordered the survivors to return immediately.
• After Ueno Kei left, Jugo confirmed his departure, and Kaguya Kimimaro said he would meet with Sunagakure’s leader while the others returned.
• More than a thousand Sunagakure and Otogakure ninja crossed into the Land of Fire and advanced toward Konoha.
• Four days later, Ueno Kei arrived in Konoha and headed to the Third Hokage’s office carrying the scroll that sealed the Kazekage.

Ueno Kei and the Third Hokage learned that the corpse resembling Rasa was an ordinary person disguised with Rasa’s chakra, but the Third Hokage still suspected a connection between Rasa and Orochimaru. After Kei returned home, the Lizard Clan’s Great Elder visited him.

• The Third Hokage told Ueno Kei that the real Rasa had already arrived in Konoha, raising doubts about the corpse and the visitor.
• A medical ninja reported that the corpse belonged to an ordinary person and had only been covered with Rasa’s chakra nature.
• The Third Hokage dismissed Ueno Kei and ordered him to rest before taking over security for the Chunin Exams.
• The Third Hokage privately wondered whether Rasa had been tainted by Orochimaru or was himself the snake, and vowed to protect Konoha.
• Ueno Kei returned home and found the Lizard Clan’s Great Elder waiting for him at his tea table.

The Great Elder explained that the Wind Wing Clan’s true strength came from drawing natural energy into a blade, offering Ueno Kei a possible path to Sage Transformation. He warned that few could unite with their blades well enough to use that energy themselves, leaving Kei determined to master the technique.

• The Great Elder revealed that the Wind Wing Mental Method altered the body in a way that prevented its practitioners from drawing natural energy into themselves.
• The Great Elder explained how Wind Wing descendants developed a method for inscribing runes on a blade and teaching it to absorb natural energy.
• Ueno Kei realized that unity with the Lingyu Blade might let him enter Sage Transformation by combining its natural energy with his own.
• The Great Elder warned that most who made their blades absorb natural energy could only strengthen the blade, not themselves.
• Ueno Kei declared that he believed he could unite with the Lingyu Blade, which hummed softly in response.

Ueno Kei learned that making the Lingyu Blade continuously absorb natural energy required discovering a balance between the blade and the energy, a feat only two Wind Wing Clan members had achieved. Days later, while inspecting Konoha’s barriers before the Chunin Exams’ final stage, he sensed a powerful chakra presence and learned that Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya were ahead.

• The Great Elder explained that the Lingyu Blade’s greatest hurdle was absorbing natural energy on its own and said Kei would need to find the right balance through experience.
• The Great Elder recalled that the clan’s scrolls held guidance from the two Wind Wing Clan members who had mastered the technique.
• Kei agreed to begin training in ten days, once matters in the village had settled, and the Great Elder returned to his clan.
• On the day before the Chunin Exams’ final stage, Kei sensed a powerful chakra presence near Konoha’s eastern outskirts while inspecting the barriers.
• Kei questioned the Anbu sentry Ke, who reported that Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya were ahead.

Ueno Kei found Naruto training with Jiraiya and a giant toad summon, then entrusted Jiraiya with protecting Konoha and the Third Hokage before leaving the village. Jiraiya promised to protect his teacher and the village, reassuring Ueno Kei as his ominous premonition lingered.

• Ueno Kei recalled that Naruto was the Fourth Hokage's son and the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, a secret he had never revealed to Naruto.
• Ueno Kei spotted Naruto clinging to Jiraiya's giant toad summon and realized Jiraiya had taught him the toad summoning technique.
• Jiraiya appeared and asked Ueno Kei about his discovery at the border, while Ueno Kei said it had brought no good news.
• Ueno Kei solemnly asked Jiraiya to look after the village and the Third Hokage while he was away.
• Jiraiya promised to protect Konoha and the Third Hokage, calling Konoha his home.

Ueno Kei questioned Jiraiya's decision to teach Naruto the Summoning Technique, and Jiraiya explained Naruto's talent and possible connection to the Toad Clan's Great Sage. After resting through the afternoon, Ueno Kei woke at dusk and saw Naruto finally lose his grip on Gamabunta.

• Ueno Kei asked Jiraiya whether Naruto should learn the Summoning Technique before mastering chakra control, and Jiraiya praised Naruto's talent and determination.
• Jiraiya said Naruto might be connected to the Toad Clan's Great Sage and that the clan had matters concerning the Nine-Tails.
• Jiraiya dragged Ueno Kei toward a place where women were bathing, but Ueno Kei sat under a tree and fell asleep.
• Ueno Kei woke at dusk, and Jiraiya pointed out that Naruto was still trying to hold on to Gamabunta.
• Naruto ran out of strength, released his grip on Gamabunta, and fell from his back.

Naruto endured a day atop Gamabunta and earned the toad’s acknowledgment before waking to find Ueno Kei had returned. Kei gave Naruto a set of custom-made clothes, leaving him eager to see them.

• Naruto challenged Gamabunta to stay on his head for a day, but fell unconscious just before sunset.
• Ueno Kei caught Naruto and asked Gamabunta to look after him, and Gamabunta agreed before returning to Mount Myoboku.
• Naruto woke the next day, remembered losing his endurance challenge, and went to wash up.
• Ueno Kei greeted Naruto and explained that he had returned in time for Naruto’s final Chunin Exams match.
• Ueno Kei unsealed a pile of custom-made clothes and urged Naruto to put them on.

Ueno Kei gives Naruto a new ceremonial outfit and removes his whisker marks, but their preparations make Naruto late for his opening match against Hyuga Neji. Just as Shiranui Genma is about to declare Naruto’s forfeit, Naruto arrives in a striking new look and astonishes the crowd.

• Ueno Kei dresses Naruto in new white, red, and black outfits and removes his whisker marks with a special chakra blade.
• Naruto vows to defeat Hyuga Neji, his first opponent, and rushes with Ueno Kei toward the exam venue after realizing they are late.
• At the venue, Shiranui Genma prepares to declare Naruto’s forfeit as the five-minute deadline approaches, while Neji and the other contestants wait.
• Sakura, Hinata, and Naruto’s peers worry as Shiranui Genma begins announcing the forfeit.
• Naruto shouts for them to wait, then appears in a white ceremonial robe, stunning everyone present.

Naruto entered the arena for his match against Hyuga Neji, shocking the crowd with his resemblance to the Fourth Hokage while remaining unaware of the suspicion Ueno Kei hoped to stir. Their fight began with Naruto using a wind technique, but Neji gained the advantage in close combat and forced Naruto to reconsider his approach.

• Naruto's appearance in white robes reminded the crowd of the Fourth Hokage, while Ueno Kei and the Third Hokage reflected on the resemblance.
• Shiranui Genma announced Naruto's match against Hyuga Neji and started the fight.
• Naruto rushed Neji, then used Wind Style—Great Breakthrough, forcing Neji to dodge the powerful gust.
• Neji counterattacked in midair with Gentle Fist and sent Naruto crashing into the arena wall.
• Naruto evaded Neji's next strike and decided to avoid close combat if he could.

Naruto fought Neji in the Chunin Exam, using shadow clones to counter the Byakugan before Neji identified his original body. Naruto unleashed a powerful Wind Release technique as Neji closed in.

• Naruto created several shadow clones, but Neji used the Byakugan and Gentle Fist to fend off their attacks.
• Neji realized Naruto's chakra reserves made a drawn-out fight dangerous and focused on finding the original.
• Neji spotted Naruto's anger when he thought of Hinata and charged directly at him.
• Naruto sent his clones after Neji while completing hand seals for Wind Release—Dimensional Slash.
• Naruto formed three crescent-shaped wind blades around himself as Neji approached.

Naruto used Dimension Slash against Hyuga Neji, who survived with Rotation before trapping Naruto in his Eight Trigrams Domain and striking him with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Two Palms. Neji thought he had won, but Naruto's apparent body was a Shadow Clone, and Neji was hit from behind.

• Naruto formed three wind blades with Dimension Slash and released them at Hyuga Neji.
• Neji used Rotation to block the attack but emerged battered and bleeding.
• Neji declared Naruto was within his Eight Trigrams Domain and struck him with Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Two Palms.
• Shiranui Genma and the jonin present thought Neji had won as he approached Naruto's motionless body.
• Naruto spoke from behind Neji, and the body on the ground vanished in a puff of smoke.
• Naruto struck Neji from behind and sent him flying.

Naruto defeated Neji and urged him to take control of his own destiny. As an invasion threat emerged near Konoha, Ueno Kei organized the village’s defenses but kept most of the Anbu inside, leaving the enemy’s identity unknown.

• Naruto revealed that Neji had struck a clone after Naruto hid his real body during their clash, and Shiranui Genma declared Naruto the victor.
• Naruto told Neji that destiny had always been in his own hands, and Neji departed looking less bitter.
• An Anbu informed Ueno Kei that unidentified invaders had attacked Konoha’s outer sentries, and the Hokage ordered Kei to investigate and stop them outside the village if possible.
• Ueno Kei ordered Anbu squads to protect the Hokage, dignitaries, and civilians, then assembled six squads to investigate the threat.
• The Third Hokage and the Fourth Kazekage exchanged pointed remarks about the Hokage’s successor while Second Pillar fought Gaara.
• Ueno Kei sent the six Anbu squads out in two groups but kept most Anbu inside Konoha, believing the threat might be better handled at the village barrier.

Ueno Kei sent summoned lizards to scout beyond Konoha while he investigated the area himself. At the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru launched the invasion, trapped the Third Hokage in a barrier, and summoned four legendary shinobi to face him and Jiraiya.

• Ueno Kei summoned Shin and the other lizards, ordering them to search outside Konoha for anything unusual, then left to investigate.
• An Anbu member cast the Temple of Nirvana Technique at the Chunin Exams, putting most spectators to sleep as explosions and attacks by Sound and Sunagakure ninja began across Konoha.
• The Fourth Kazekage revealed himself as Orochimaru and trapped the Third Hokage inside a Four Violet Flames Formation while Kaguya Kimimaro blocked the Anbu squads.
• The Third Hokage told Orochimaru that he had recognized him from the disguised Kazekage corpse and his scent of snakes, and Jiraiya appeared to help confront him.
• Orochimaru used the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu to summon the First Hokage, Second Hokage, Third Kazekage, and Fourth Kazekage, leaving the Third Hokage and Jiraiya facing five enemies.

As the Third Hokage and Jiraiya fought Orochimaru’s resurrected Kage, Ueno Kei learned that the invasion had already reached Konoha and hurried to help defend the village. A large force of Sand Ninja and Sound Ninja surrounded him to keep him from returning.

• Jiraiya summoned two toads from Mount Myoboku, while the Third Hokage summoned Enma to battle the four resurrected Kage.
• Ueno Kei captured and interrogated a Sand Ninja, learning that the invasion included forces already inside Konoha and hidden troops within the village.
• An Anbu reported that over a thousand Sand Ninja and Sound Ninja, along with large summoned beasts, had invaded Konoha while Jiraiya and the Third Hokage were occupied at the arena.
• Ueno Kei ordered Anbu squads to retreat into Konoha and prioritize protecting civilians, then set off toward the village.
• Nearly thirty Sand Ninja and Sound Ninja ambushed Ueno Kei, and their leaders confirmed that their mission was to hold him back.

Ueno Kei was held in a delaying fight as the invasion worsened, while Shimura Danzō kept Root in reserve despite pressure from Konoha's other elders. The chapter left Root waiting for Danzō's order as the battle continued across the village.

• A Sand Ninja jonin and a Sound Ninja jonin led more than thirty shinobi in a formation designed to stall Ueno Kei.
• Ueno Kei struggled to break away as Konoha's defenders and civilians faced an invasion by more than a thousand shinobi and summoned beasts.
• Shimura Danzō refused to deploy Root's more than two hundred shinobi, telling his subordinate to wait for his order.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu confronted Danzō and urged him to send Root into battle.
• Danzō dismissed their objections, and the two elders left in anger while he warned a Root member to watch what he said.

Danzo waited for the Third Hokage and Orochimaru to weaken each other so he could kill Orochimaru and claim the Hokage title. As Konoha’s forces fell back and Jiraiya and the Third Hokage struggled against Orochimaru and his reanimated fighters, the Third Hokage proposed using a fatal forbidden technique, which Jiraiya refused to allow.

• Danzo planned to send Root into the battle after the Third Hokage and Orochimaru had fought each other to exhaustion, hoping to become the Fifth Hokage.
• Konoha’s shinobi were forced back as they fought Sunagakure and Otogakure, while summoned beasts occupied some of the Anbu and others protected civilians.
• Orochimaru restricted Jiraiya’s Sage Mode and pressed the advantage alongside the First, the Second Hokage, the Third Kazekage, and Rasa.
• The Third Hokage told Jiraiya that they could not hold out and proposed ending the fight with a forbidden technique.
• Jiraiya rejected the plan because the technique would kill the Third Hokage, but the Third Hokage insisted it was their only option to protect Konoha.

Sarutobi Hiruzen began using the Reaper Death Seal against Orochimaru and the four reanimated Kage-level fighters while Jiraiya tried to protect him. Ueno Kei reached Konoha’s breached wall and summoned allies to help defend it.

• Jiraiya urged Sarutobi Hiruzen to trust his preparations instead of sacrificing himself with the Reaper Death Seal.
• The First and Second attacked Jiraiya and Sarutobi Hiruzen with Wood and Water Release, forcing them to defend and retreat.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen created Shadow Clones and began the Reaper Death Seal, while Orochimaru ordered the four Kage-level fighters to kill him.
• Jiraiya charged the approaching fighters to keep Sarutobi Hiruzen’s sacrifice from being in vain.
• Ueno Kei killed the Sand Ninja jonin leading the ambush, broke through the remaining attackers, and hurried toward Konoha.
• Ueno Kei arrived to find Morino Ibiki and Konoha’s Anbu defending the damaged wall, then summoned three allies against the Sand Ninja controlling the summoned beasts.

Ueno Kei rushed to the Chunin Exams arena but failed to stop Orochimaru from escaping, then learned that the Third Hokage had died defending Konoha. Grieving and blaming himself for being unable to protect those he cared about, Kei walked away as Kakashi and Jiraiya watched over him.

• Ueno Kei left Morino Ibiki and the three lizards to fight the invaders, then hurried toward the arena as the Four Violet Flames Formation faded.
• Ueno Kei and Jiraiya pursued Orochimaru, but Orochimaru used a cloud of gray mist to escape with his escorts.
• Konoha's forces defeated or captured most of the invading Sound and Sunagakure ninja, while the Third Hokage's death was revealed.
• Ueno Kei confronted Jiraiya over failing to protect the Third Hokage, then apologized and wept as he blamed his own weakness.
• Kakashi tried to follow Ueno Kei, but Jiraiya stopped him and said Kei had to work through his grief himself.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen’s funeral, Danzō argued with Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura over the next Hokage, insisting that he was the best candidate. Koharu and Homura rejected him in favor of Jiraiya or Tsunade, just as a menacing voice challenged Danzō.

• Danzō mourned Sarutobi Hiruzen privately while reflecting on their decades of friendship.
• Ueno Kei attended Hiruzen’s funeral with an icy expression, but Naruto’s conversation with him reassured Jiraiya that he had not shut away his heart.
• Mitokado Homura accused Danzō of failing to support Hiruzen, while Danzō insisted that his actions had served Konoha.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura named Jiraiya and Tsunade as the only candidates for Fifth Hokage, rejecting Danzō’s claim that he should take the position.
• Danzō dismissed Jiraiya and Tsunade as unsuitable, and a cold, sinister voice challenged him about his own suitability.