Chapter Summaries

Shikamaru outlined three possible routes Sakura might take to reach the Land of Rice, judging the mountain route the fastest but admitting his predictions could be wrong. The young ninjas then considered how to search for her without splitting up the Cockroach Assault Team.

• Shikamaru compared the waterway, trade route, and mountain route Sakura could use to reach the Land of Rice.
• Shikamaru judged that Sakura might take the mountain route but cautioned that her emotional state made her choices hard to predict.
• The young ninjas debated whether to search the mountains or send people to other routes.
• The young ninjas hesitated to split up because they did not want to lose any member of the Cockroach Assault Team.

Shikamaru Nara split the young ninja into teams to search three routes for Sakura. Meanwhile, Sakura continued alone through the forested mountains, determined to leave Konoha and find Sasuke.

• Shikamaru Nara assigned Hinata and Tenten to investigate the waterways, Kiba Inuzuka and Rock Lee to search the main road, and the remaining four to explore the forested mountains.
• The young ninja accepted the plan and headed for Konoha's gates after Naruto shouted.
• Sakura traveled through the mountains for six hours with a small red backpack, growing more resolute about leaving Konoha.
• Sakura looked back toward Konoha and thought it might be the last time she saw it.
• Sakura imagined she could reach the Land of Rice before anyone noticed she was gone and reassured herself that Tsunade would understand.

Hinata and Tenten searched along the waterway for Sakura while Hinata worried about Sakura's unexpected decision to leave Konoha. During their search, Tenten asked Hinata about her previous mission and her use of Explosive Tags.

• Hinata and Tenten began searching along the river after leaving Konoha, while Hinata doubted Sakura had taken that route.
• Hinata wondered why Naruto had not stopped Sakura from leaving Konoha as he had in the story she remembered.
• Tenten asked Hinata what had happened on their previous mission and said she had heard conflicting accounts.
• Tenten asked whether Hinata had really thrown out forty or fifty Explosive Tags at once.
• Hinata said she had used the tags as a life-saving trump card against a strong opponent, and Tenten asked whether the technique worked.

Hinata and Tenten searched the waterway for Sakura but found no clues at a busy ferry crossing. They returned to Konoha near midnight, still hoping the other rookies would find her.

• Hinata reassured Tenten about the power’s outrageous consumption and decided she could take the Bomb Queen title.
• Hinata searched the ferry crossing with her Byakugan but found no sign of Sakura.
• Hinata and Tenten gave up the search and began returning to Konoha.
• Hinata and Tenten stopped at a roadside shop for a hot meal before continuing through the night.
• Hinata and Tenten reached Konoha near midnight.

Tenten and Hinata found an unconscious, living man floating in a lake and carried him to Konoha Hospital. They arrived late at night, where Naruto and the other youngsters had already returned.

• Tenten asked Hinata to use her Byakugan to inspect a shape floating on the lake.
• Hinata saw that the man still had Chakra flowing through his body, and Tenten rescued him from the water.
• Tenten persuaded Hinata to help carry the unconscious man toward Konoha.
• Tenten and Hinata reached Konoha Hospital after a journey that took nearly an hour, learning that Naruto and the other youngsters had returned early.

Hinata and Tenten brought injured strangers to Konoha Hospital and then joined Tsunade and the others in Sakura’s room. The chapter ended with Sakura seeing them arrive.

• Hinata and Tenten took the strangers to Konoha Hospital, where Konoha Anbu had taken control.
• A nurse led Hinata and Tenten to the hospital room where Tsunade and the others had gathered.
• Hinata saw Shikamaru, Kiba, Rock Lee, Naruto, Shino, and Ino in the crowded room, with Shizune absent.
• Hinata and Tenten entered the room, and Sakura saw them through the gap the others made.

Tsunade left Sakura’s hospital room after scolding the group, and Hinata wondered why she had been so angry. The young ninja discussed the mystery, but Hinata could only guess that Tsunade had encountered someone or something unpleasant.

• Sakura thanked Tenten and Hinata when they returned to her hospital room.
• Tsunade angrily questioned why they had shut the door and told them they should rest.
• Tsunade left to return to her duties, and the room’s tense atmosphere eased.
• Kiba Inuzuka and Shikamaru Nara discussed Tsunade’s anger while Hinata tried to figure out its cause.
• Hinata guessed Tsunade was probably upset by an unpleasant person or event.

Hinata speculated that Danzo might have bizarre, disgusting techniques, while Sakura reflected on why she had left Konoha and Naruto’s words that made her reconsider returning. The chapter ended with Sakura remembering that her friends and parents still awaited her in Konoha and that she could help Naruto save Sasuke.

• Hinata joked to herself that Danzo might have a second Kekkei Genkai involving an overpowering stench and decided she would avoid him.
• After Tsunade left, the others quietly departed to give Sakura space, trusting her to understand their unspoken feelings.
• Sakura recalled leaving Konoha feeling lost, then using lies to persuade herself that she wanted to stay away.
• Sakura remembered gaining the upper hand when Naruto and the others caught up with her, but her resolve wavered when Naruto fell down and pleaded with her.
• Naruto told Sakura he did not want to lose her as well as Sasuke and reminded her that Konoha, her parents, and the chance to save Sasuke were still there.

Hinata reflected on Naruto’s plea and finally let go of some of her burden, then returned to the Hyuga Clan exhausted. The next day, Tsunade struggled to focus on her paperwork as the gloomy weather left her uneasy, while Shizune quietly put the office back in order.

• Naruto’s tearful plea made Hinata reconsider leaving and reflect on her companions’ concerns.
• Hinata returned to the Hyuga Clan unhappy after spending the day helping Sakura without earning Reward Points or getting a proper dinner.
• Tsunade idly shuffled her documents in the Hokage's Office, too restless to work.
• Shizune sorted the scattered documents, and her diligence eased Tsunade’s irritation.

Tsunade briefly settled down and began working, but the calm in the Hokage's Office ended when a scarred Konoha shinobi rushed in, signaling an emergency. The chapter left Tsunade and Shizune awaiting news of a new threat to Konoha.

• Shizune noticed Tsunade seemed unwell, and Tsunade blamed certain people's actions and the weather.
• Shizune reassured Tsunade that she could handle the day's few tasks at her own pace.
• Tsunade drank water, stretched, and returned to work, putting her worries aside.
• A scarred Konoha shinobi rushed into the Hokage's Office without knocking, indicating an emergency.

Tsunade learned that the prisoners at Konoha Prison had revolted under Mizuki’s leadership and ordered Konoha’s available ninjas to capture those who escaped. Shizune questioned the order because they had already carried out a similar mobilization the previous day.

• A messenger reported that nearly all the prisoners at Konoha Prison had revolted and beaten several stationed jonin into critical condition.
• The messenger said Mizuki had led the rebellion, based on accounts from prisoners who had not escaped.
• Tsunade ordered the messenger to verify what had happened at the prison.
• Tsunade told Shizune to mobilize Konoha’s available ninjas to capture the escaped prisoners.
• Shizune questioned the order, noting they had done the same thing the day before.

Tsunade dealt with the unrest at Konoha Prison and ordered the village to pursue the escaped prisoners. As the search began, Hinata and Naruto’s faction’s ninjas joined in, while suspicions grew that Mizuki’s riot had a purpose beyond escape.

• Tsunade told Shizune to watch for complaints and record them so they could be handled after the crisis.
• Shizune suspected the prison disturbance had happened around three or four in the morning, during the village’s large-scale operation.
• Konoha issued a mission to find the escaped prisoners, sending idle ninjas into action.
• Hinata received the summons during breakfast, grumbled about working for free, and left the Hyuga Clan to respond.
• Naruto’s faction’s ninjas mobilized, while many prisoners—mostly ordinary people—were reported to have fled.
• Konoha gave Mizuki special attention, and some suspected he had a larger plan behind the riot.

Hinata avoided joining the operation to arrest Wind God and Thunder God, wary that her frustration could lead her to reveal her strength and invite trouble. At Root headquarters, Danzo heard a report about the situation and reacted with concern.

• Hinata received the official notice and headed off without joining the arrest operation.
• Hinata decided to stay away from Naruto's side because Wind God and Thunder God frustrated her and could draw her into a dangerous cycle of violence and exposure.
• A Root ninja knelt before Danzo at Root headquarters and reported on the situation.
• Danzo listened to the report, opened his remaining left eye, and tapped his cane against the floor.

Danzo weighed whether to intervene in the upheaval surrounding Mizuki and chose to wait, wary of Mizuki’s possible connection to Orochimaru. Since the unrest would not threaten Tsunade’s position as Fifth Generation, Danzo decided to stir up publicity to make her resent the role.

• Danzo regretted not recruiting Mizuki into Root earlier after seeing the upheaval Mizuki had caused.
• Danzo considered Mizuki’s possible ties to Orochimaru and decided that interfering rashly could create trouble.
• Danzo considered cooperating with Orochimaru but saw no benefit and did not want to owe him a favor.
• Danzo concluded the unrest would not shake Tsunade’s position as Fifth Generation.
• Danzo decided to find someone to inflame the situation through publicity and make Tsunade sick of her position.

Danzo ordered Root to spread rumors discrediting Tsunade and recruit selected prison escapees. Meanwhile, Konoha’s Hokage Advisors discussed Tsunade’s difficulties and Danzo’s ambitions.

• Danzo told a Root ninja to monitor developments and spread claims that Tsunade was unfit to be Hokage.
• Danzo ordered another Root ninja to recruit selected escapees from the Konoha Prison riot into Root.
• Danzo said he would make Hiruzen Sarutobi understand that his methods were destroying Konoha.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu discussed the unrest under Tsunade and agreed that Danzo lacked the capacity to tolerate others.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu suspected Danzo was behind Konoha’s recent troubles and discussed how to limit his growing influence. They decided to support Tsunade, judging her more suitable than Danzo to serve as Hokage, and left without discussing the matter further.

• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu speculated that Danzo may have helped Orochimaru’s Sound Ninja enter Konoha and tempt Sasuke Uchiha to defect.
• Mitokado Homura warned that indulging Danzo’s mistakes could make him impossible to stop later.
• Utatane Koharu said Danzo would be difficult to oppose because of Root and his standing, while both elders avoided discussing their own involvement in the Uchiha Clan Downfall.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu agreed to support Tsunade’s reasonable proposals as a way to counter Danzo.

Mizuki reflected on abandoning Konoha and seeking power through Orochimaru, whose offer gave him a chance to become stronger. The chapter left Mizuki with a secret medicine prescription and the warning that it could have serious aftereffects.

• Mizuki stood with the Wind God and Thunder God brothers on a mountain overlooking Konoha and accepted that he had become the village’s enemy.
• Mizuki chose his own survival and strength over loyalty to Konoha.
• Mizuki decided to seek power from Orochimaru, whom he both feared and respected.
• Orochimaru offered Mizuki a secret medicine that could grant great strength if he obtained its ingredients and prepared it, but warned of serious aftereffects.

Mizuki reflected on his decision to betray Konoha in pursuit of strength and resolved to see his fiancée, Chie Tsubaki, before pursuing the Nara Clan’s treasure. He intended to protect Rin from being dragged into his downfall and hoped Tsubaki would follow him.

• Mizuki remembered how he had once hesitated to use a plan requiring a hereditary treasure of the Nara Clan because he was attached to Konoha and did not know where the item was kept.
• Mizuki decided that he had chosen himself rather than Orochimaru, and accepted that pursuing strength by resisting Konoha was the path he wanted.
• Mizuki recalled escaping the Konoha Prison riot, gathering the necessary materials, and learning where the Nara Clan’s item was kept.
• Mizuki went to see his fiancée, Chie Tsubaki, whom he could marry whenever he wished.
• Mizuki resolved to clear Rin of suspicion as much as possible and hoped Tsubaki would follow him.

Mizuki reflected on his resentment toward Iruka and planned to use their reunion to test his newly gained power. He also considered handing Wind God and Thunder God over to Orochimaru, while the brothers complained that their food was unsatisfying and insufficient.

• Mizuki admitted that he blamed Iruka for his past choices, though he knew his own ambition and greed had clouded his judgment.
• Mizuki planned to use Iruka to test the strength of his new power and draw out powerful opponents.
• Mizuki recalled recruiting Wind God and Thunder God after learning of their formidable strength and their role in the prison riot.
• Mizuki decided he might offer Wind God and Thunder God to Orochimaru as a token of allegiance so he could focus on becoming stronger himself.
• Thunder God complained that the food tasted bad and was not filling, and Wind God asked him to hand over his portion.

Mizuki watched Wind God and Thunder God share their food and decided he could not keep the brothers with him for long. He set off to visit his fiancée for supplies, leaving Wind God and Thunder God eagerly demanding food.

• Wind God took all of Thunder God’s food and ate it, then told him they would make up for the day’s meals tomorrow.
• Mizuki decided Wind God and Thunder God were too foolish and potentially dangerous to keep around for long.
• Mizuki decided to visit his fiancée to get supplies and test his suspicions, while also ensuring the brothers had food.
• Wind God told Thunder God they could listen to Mizuki if he had food or beat him up and take it if he was lying.
• Wind God and Thunder God turned to Mizuki and shouted for food.