Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru vented his resentment toward Sarutobi Hiruzen, then became fascinated by Senju Hanayu’s Cellular Potion research and invited her to experiment with him. Hanayu followed him into his cave despite Owuya Bai’s objections, leaving Hashira to reassure him outside.

• Orochimaru told Owuya Bai that Sarutobi Hiruzen had used him as a pawn in research and enjoyed Konoha’s praise after Orochimaru’s betrayal.
• Owuya Bai said he believed only half of Orochimaru’s claims and asked where Orochimaru had learned the Cursed Seal Technique.
• Senju Hanayu told Orochimaru that she had developed the Cellular Potion herself and explained how she adapted cells and used Wood Release Energy to stabilize them.
• Orochimaru recognized Hanayu’s research talent, offered to teach her his Scientific Research techniques, and took her into the cave to experiment.
• Owuya Bai objected to Orochimaru taking his disciple, while Hashira reassured him that Hanayu would be fine.

Akatsuki held a meeting to discuss advancing its arrest plan and destroying the Akatsuki Organization, which Obito saw as a growing threat. Xuanyu suddenly appeared in their mental space and challenged them, wearing Hidan’s ring.

• Sasori mocked Kisame over losing Samehada, and Kisame angrily blamed Orochimaru for his misfortune.
• Zetsu reported that the Evil God Sect had been destroyed and its Red Robe Cultists had disappeared, while Itachi suggested the Uchiha Clan might be helping the Akatsuki Organization hide its movements.
• Tobi announced that Akatsuki might bring forward its arrest plan and ordered the members to locate and destroy the Akatsuki Organization.
• Xuanyu appeared among the gathered members, startling Kisame and the others, and Obito recognized Hidan’s ring on his hand.

Xuanyu entered the Akatsuki’s Mental Space and negotiated several years of peace between his Akatsuki Organization and Obito’s faction. He returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds determined to study the communication Ring, while Obito decided to seek more allies.

• Xuanyu explained that his Akatsuki Organization was punishing Hidan, provoking Kakuzu and drawing Obito into a negotiation.
• Xuanyu proposed that both factions avoid conflict for the next few years, and Obito agreed on behalf of his Akatsuki.
• Xuanyu left the Mental Space at will, astonishing the gathered members, and Obito resolved to find more companions.
• Back at the Uchiha Clan Grounds, Xuanyu studied his Ring and planned to have communication Rings researched and manufactured.
• Time passed in the Shinobi World.

Years after the Uchiha Merchant Guild’s expansion, Xuanyu formed his Sixth Tomoe and prepared to carry out Orochimaru’s plan. He planned to take Konoha’s Ninja School graduation assessment as part of his bid to claim the village’s leadership and eventually unify the Shinobi World.

• The Uchiha Merchant Guild prospered across the Shinobi World while Orochimaru criticized Sarutobi Hiruzen, Akatsuki members made waves, and Jiraiya’s new book became a bestseller.
• Xuanyu completed the formation of his Sixth Tomoe and decided it was time to put Orochimaru’s plan into action.
• Hua Yu told Xuanyu that the Clan Head expected him to take the Ninja School graduation assessment and leave an official record.
• Xuanyu explained that the Uchiha needed legitimacy and that he intended to make Konoha his own before unifying the Shinobi World.

Xuanyu set out for Konoha Ninja School to take the graduation exam, drawing attention from Uchiha clansmen and villagers who respected him. He arrived at the school as Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Sasuke noticed him, just as the exam was about to begin.

• Xuanyu announced that he was going to take the Ninja School graduation exam, and Uchiha Xia wondered whether his outing signaled a larger move.
• Hua Yu followed Xuanyu as he crossed Konoha, where civilians warmly greeted him and the Uchiha Police Force's districts prospered while Sarutobi-run areas declined.
• Xuanyu arrived at Ninja School and entered the exam gathering, leaving Hua Yu to wait outside.
• Shikamaru and Sasuke reacted warily to Xuanyu's arrival, while Hinata and Naruto greeted him excitedly and Naruto hugged him.

Xuanyu invited Naruto and their classmates to dinner, but the gathering turned tense when Hyuga Sosuke insulted Neji and Hinata defended the Branch House. As Sosuke moved to attack Hinata, someone restrained his hand.

• Naruto excitedly reunited with Xuanyu, who invited him and their classmates to eat at Ichiraku Ramen.
• Several children from great clans mocked Xuanyu, and Hyuga Sosuke insulted Neji as a Branch House rebel.
• Hinata stood up to Sosuke and insisted the Branch House deserved respect for its sacrifices to the Hyuga Clan.
• Sosuke challenged Hinata to a spar and lunged at her, but an unseen person seized his raised hand.

Xuan Yu intervened when Hyuga Sosuke mistreated Hinata Hyuga, broke Sosuke’s wrist, and argued with his companions before Iruka stopped the fight. As Sosuke left, Hinata challenged the Hyuga Clan’s division between the Main Family and Branch House, while a white-eyed youth watched with interest.

• Hyuga Sosuke tried to pull free from Xuan Yu and accused him of meddling in Hyuga Clan affairs, but Xuan Yu challenged him over calling him trash.
• Xuan Yu dodged Sosuke’s kunai, broke his wrist, and kicked him away as Sosuke’s companions prepared to fight.
• Iruka intervened, and Xuan Yu and Sosuke’s companions blamed each other for the fight before Iruka ordered them to stop and arranged treatment for Sosuke.
• Hyuga Sosuke threatened to make Xuan Yu pay and left, but Hinata Hyuga told him the Main Family and Branch House were equal and that the Main Family owed the Branch House.
• A white-eyed youth watched Hinata speak and murmured that the Main Family owed the Branch House.

Neji reflected bitterly on the Main House’s treatment of the Branch House before leaving to train, while Xuanyu watched the academy graduation exam begin. Naruto entered for his assessment amid classmates’ doubts, and the chapter ended with him standing before Iruka and another teacher.

• Neji told Rock Lee he was going to train, privately hoping the Branch House would one day resist the Main House, and Lee followed him.
• Sakura and Ino argued over Xuanyu and Sasuke, while Ino admitted she expected little contact with the Uchiha because of the clan’s conflict with Konoha’s leaders.
• Iruka began the graduation assessments, and Shikamaru, Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and Sasuke all passed, with Sasuke performing best.
• Naruto greeted Xuanyu and went into the assessment as nearby students questioned whether he could pass.
• Xuanyu dismissed the students’ insults and thought Naruto was a talented Jinchuriki before the assessment began.

Naruto passed the Ninja Academy exam after demonstrating his Clone and Substitution Techniques and using his Transformation Technique to prank Iruka. Xuanyu then entered the classroom and chose to take the ninjutsu exam, leaving Iruka and the others waiting to see what he could do.

• Naruto used the Nine-Tails' Chakra to create Shadow Clones and perform the Substitution Technique flawlessly, then shocked the classroom by transforming into a blonde beauty.
• Iruka scolded Naruto for his transformation, but still gave him a forehead protector after judging him capable of passing the exam.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen watched Naruto through a Crystal Ball and hoped to guide him into becoming a perfect Jinchuriki and guardian of the Sarutobi Clan, while Shimura Danzō discussed Naruto's potential as a war machine.
• Naruto congratulated Xuanyu after passing, and Xuanyu entered the classroom when Iruka called his name.
• Iruka offered Xuanyu a taijutsu test because of his special circumstances, but Xuanyu declined and asked to take the ninjutsu exam.

Xuanyu took the Ninja Exam despite Iruka’s doubts and passed after demonstrating that he could use ninjutsu. Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō discussed the implications of Xuanyu’s abilities as his classmates congratulated him.

• Xuanyu insisted on taking the Ninjutsu Exam, and Iruka reluctantly told him to perform the Clone Technique.
• Xuanyu created two Shadow Clones and flawlessly completed the Substitution and Transformation Techniques, passing the Ninja Exam and receiving a Konoha Forehead Protector.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō watched Xuanyu’s exam through a Crystal Ball and discussed his ninjutsu, mutated eyes, and potential threat.
• Naruto, Hinata, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji congratulated Xuanyu, who invited them to eat ramen.
• Xuanyu invited Sasuke to join them, but Sasuke left to train, and Sakura followed him.

Xuanyu noticed Kakashi, Might Guy, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma watching from a rooftop as the Jonin began deciding which graduates to teach. Kakashi claimed Naruto as his student and Kurenai secured Xuanyu, leaving Asuma to contest the remaining arrangements as a white-haired teacher watched Naruto from the shadows.

• Xuanyu left with Naruto and the others, sensing that several Jonin were gathered on a Ninja School rooftop.
• Asuma announced that he wanted Naruto, Shikamaru, and Xuanyu as his students, citing the assignments arranged by Hiruzen.
• Kakashi rejected Asuma's claim to Naruto and said he would teach Minato's son.
• Kurenai said she had been asked to take Xuanyu as her student, and Asuma reluctantly agreed while disputing the plans for Naruto.
• Kurenai turned down Asuma's invitation to dinner and left to inform Iruka.
• A white-haired teacher watched in silence from outside the Ninja School in the direction Naruto had gone.

Mizuki plotted to make Naruto Uzumaki defect and steal the Sealing Scroll, while Neji Hyuga was ambushed by Hyuga Sosuke and other clan members. As they threatened Neji’s mother and continued to torment him, Neji opened his eyes with killing intent.

• Mizuki watched Naruto Uzumaki and planned to lure him out of Konoha to obtain the Sealing Scroll.
• Neji Hyuga returned to the Hyuga Clan grounds early to see his mother, but Hyuga Sosuke and other clan members blocked his path.
• Hyuga Sosuke blamed Neji for associating with Uchiha Xuan Yu and ordered the others to attack him.
• Neji repelled the attackers with a wave of force, but Hyuga Sosuke activated Neji’s Caged Bird curse mark and brought him to his knees with pain.
• Hyuga Sosuke kicked Neji and ordered the group to beat him, then threatened Neji’s mother and family.
• Neji endured the beating in silence and finally opened his eyes, fixing Hyuga Sosuke with a cold stare and killing intent.

Neji resisted the Caged Bird Curse Mark and defeated Hyuga Sosuke and the Branch House members attacking him. He left Sosuke crippled and begging for his life after confronting him over threatening Neji’s mother.

• Hyuga Sosuke ordered the others to beat Neji until he submitted, but Neji seized an attacker and crippled each of the men who assaulted him.
• Hyuga Sosuke intensified the Caged Bird Curse Mark, but Neji endured the pain and advanced while blood streamed from his eyes.
• When Sosuke’s fear weakened his control of the curse mark, Neji broke the hand he was using to form seals and grabbed him by the throat.
• Neji condemned Sosuke for abusing Branch House members and thinking of harming his mother, then broke all four of Sosuke’s limbs.
• Neji asked Sosuke about threatening his mother, and Sosuke denied it and begged Neji not to kill him.

Neji crippled Hyuga Sosuke by destroying his chakra pathways, then hid the fight from his mother, who quietly recognized that he had been bullied. The discovery of injured Hyuga clansmen in an alley set the clan on the verge of chaos.

• Xuanyu sensed that Neji was in trouble but decided to let him handle the confrontation, while preparing to intervene if Neji faced a fatal attack.
• Neji ignored Sosuke's threats and pleas, crushed his chakra pathways, and left him unconscious with injuries that would take at least a year to repair.
• Neji returned home and told his mother that his torn clothes came from taijutsu practice, while she hid her tears and resolved to speak with Hyuga Hiashi.
• A Hyuga clansman found several injured members lying in an alley and called for help.

Neji Hyuga’s fight with Hyuga Sosuke drew the Main Family’s attention, and the witnesses confirmed that Neji had injured them after they attacked him under Sosuke’s orders. Hyuga Hiashi challenged the Main Family’s treatment of the Branch House, while the Eighth Elder still sought revenge for his grandson.

• Neji Hyuga calmly ate with his mother while the clan grounds erupted over Hyuga Sosuke’s injuries.
• Hyuga Hiashi arrived with Hinata as the Eighth Elder demanded justice for his grandson.
• A conscious Branch House disciple identified Neji Hyuga as the one who had crippled him, though he had not seen who injured Sosuke.
• Hyuga Hiashi questioned the witnesses and learned that Hyuga Sosuke had ordered them to attack Neji to retaliate against Uchiha Xuan Yu.
• Hyuga Hiashi condemned the attack and declared that Branch House members were also Hyuga clan members, while the Eighth Elder continued to seek revenge.
• A Medical Ninja arrived, and the Eighth Elder turned his attention to getting Hyuga Sosuke treated.

The Hyuga Main House demanded that Neji be punished for Zong Jie’s injuries, but Hyuga Hiashi postponed a decision until Zong Jie woke. Xuanyu decided Neji was not in immediate danger, then asked Hua Yu about the successfully refined Shikotsumyaku Cellular Potion.

• A Medical Ninja told the Hyuga elders that Zong Jie’s severe injuries would take six months to a year to heal and that he should remain unconscious for now.
• The Eighth Elder and other Main House members demanded that Hyuga Hiashi punish Neji, while Hinata worried that Neji was in danger.
• Hyuga Hiashi ordered the clan members not to act against Neji and delayed the matter until Zong Jie woke, then left for Neji’s home with Hinata following.
• Xuanyu observed that Neji was not in mortal danger and chose to let him handle the situation himself.
• Xuanyu stopped near Uchiha Hospital and asked Hua Yu about the Shikotsumyaku Cellular Potion she had said was successfully refined.

Xuanyu fused with the Shikotsumyaku Potion despite Hua Yu’s warnings, enduring severe pain as his bones adapted to contain and channel Chakra. Meanwhile, Hyuga Hiashi confronted Neji about injuring Hyuga Sosuke, and Neji faced him with cold composure.

• Hua Yu warned Xuanyu that the unstable Shikotsumyaku Potion could cause uncontrolled bone growth, but Xuanyu insisted his physique could absorb the cells.
• Hua Yu injected the potion into Xuanyu’s blood vessel in the underground laboratory, and the crystals spread through his body to his bones.
• Xuanyu endured intensifying pain as his bones transformed, with Hua Yu using Wood Release Light to ease the suffering and accelerate the process.
• Xuanyu discovered that his new bones could contain and be controlled through Chakra, and he speculated that they might strengthen Susanoo.
• Hyuga Hiashi entered Neji’s courtyard with Hinata and angrily asked whether Neji had injured Hyuga Sosuke; Neji remained calm and looked at them coldly.

Neji admitted injuring Hyuga Sosuke and confronted Hyuga Hiashi about the Branch Family’s suffering under the Main House. Hiashi arranged for Neji to leave Konoha in three days, but Neji later stood outside Hiashi’s residence.

• Neji admitted injuring Hyuga Sosuke and argued that the pain he inflicted was minor compared with the suffering caused by the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
• Neji accused Hyuga Hiashi of breaking the promise he made to Hizashi Hyuga, while Hiashi warned that the elders would punish him for defying the Main House.
• Neji's Mother pleaded with Hyuga Hiashi to protect Neji, and Hiashi promised to hold off the Elders Council and have Neji leave temporarily.
• When Neji refused to apologize, his mother slapped him, and Hyuga Hiashi ordered him to leave Konoha in three days to protect himself and his mother.
• After two days, Neji stood before Hyuga Hiashi's residence.

Neji visited Hyuga Hiashi, agreed to leave Konoha for a while, and asked him to protect his mother. After Neji departed, the Eighth Elder learned of his escape and sent Hyuga Changliu to hunt him down secretly.

• Hinata welcomed Neji and led him to Hyuga Hiashi, who advised him to leave and apologize to the Main House later.
• Neji asked Hiashi to protect his mother while he was gone, then left Konoha without eating.
• A doctor told the Eighth Elder that Hyuga Sosuke might remain unconscious for weeks and needed about a year to recover his damaged meridians.
• A Hyuga clan member reported that Neji had left Konoha, and the Eighth Elder accused Hiashi of helping him escape.
• The Eighth Elder ordered Hyuga Changliu to pursue Neji quietly, and Changliu agreed to make him suffer using the Caged Bird.

Neji Hyuga was captured by Hyuga Changliu and tortured with the Caged Bird Mark after admitting he had injured Changliu’s son. As Changliu prepared to intensify the punishment, someone appeared and stopped him.

• Neji Hyuga wandered alone, unsure whether to travel the Shinobi World or seek Xuanyu and the dangerous Cellular Potion.
• Hyuga Changliu’s group caught up with Neji, and the Caged Bird Mark’s pain kept him from escaping.
• Hyuga Changliu kicked and interrogated Neji, demanding to know who had helped him injure Zong Jie.
• Neji mocked the Main Family and refused to reveal an accomplice, enduring the curse’s pain without crying out.
• A figure seized Hyuga Changliu’s hands and declared that the farce was over.