Chapter Summaries

Xuanyu rallied the examinees against Ibiki after the tenth question caused widespread protests, and demanded that Konoha admit its mistake and reconsider the exam. Ibiki faced the threat of losing the candidates as Xuanyu and the others prepared to leave.

• Darui, Omoi, and Karui stood up to protest Ibiki's handling of the exam, and Naruto joined them.
• Sasuke and Sakura also stood up, while several other examinees voiced dissatisfaction with the tenth question.
• Ibiki asked the protesters how they wanted him to resolve the situation, and they looked to Gaara, Darui, and the others for an answer.
• Xuanyu demanded that Ibiki apologize, discard the tenth question, and invite back those who had withdrawn so their papers could be graded.
• Xuanyu warned that the candidates would leave unless Ibiki made amends, then moved as Naruto, Gaara, Darui, and others prepared to follow.

Xuanyu forced Ibiki to admit the tenth question was unfair and bring back the examinees who had withdrawn. As Ibiki began addressing the room, an irritable, anxious woman kicked open the door and interrupted him.

• Ibiki agreed to cancel the tenth question and remark the papers after Xuanyu warned that the examinees’ withdrawal would damage Konoha’s reputation.
• Ibiki sent a proctor to bring back the withdrawn examinees, while privately blaming Xuanyu and vowing to remember the grudge.
• The returning examinees thanked Xuanyu and criticized Ibiki, and Xuanyu told them Ibiki had acknowledged his mistake.
• Ibiki threatened the noisy examinees with permanent disqualification, then started to announce changes to the following exams.
• An irritable, anxious woman kicked open the exam room door before Ibiki could finish speaking.

Anko interrupted Ibiki’s first examination, but Ibiki postponed the second examination and sent the examinees away after collecting their papers. Xuanyu offered the grateful examinees a chance to join his Uchiha Merchant Guild, while Kakashi asked the masked Shisui to reveal whether he was an Uchiha or the Akatsuki’s Phantom Tiger.

• Anko entered the examination room and demanded that Ibiki begin the second examination, but Ibiki ordered her to postpone it.
• Anko argued with Ibiki before leaving, and Ibiki told the examinees their answer sheets would be graded and their results announced the next day.
• Xuanyu invited the examinees to consider joining the Uchiha Merchant Guild, and several thanked him for the offer.
• Kakashi questioned the masked Shisui about his identity and asked him to remove his mask so they could prepare to help each other if Konoha fell into chaos.

Shisui revealed himself to Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai, and Might Guy, explaining how Xuanyu had saved him after Shimura Danzō attacked him. The others learned that Shisui had returned with restored eyes, while Might Guy was left wondering how Xuanyu had been so strong as a child.

• Shisui removed his mask and revealed his identity to Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai, and Might Guy.
• Kakashi questioned how Shisui had survived after Itachi saw him jump from a cliff, and Shisui said Xuanyu had saved him and restored his eyes.
• Shisui explained that Shimura Danzō had lured him out of the village, stolen one eye using Izanagi, and driven him to jump from the cliff.
• Shisui said Xuanyu had stopped Itachi from continuing down the wrong path after the Uchiha Clan Massacre began.
• Might Guy wondered how Xuanyu could have saved Shisui and stopped Itachi when Xuanyu had been only a few years old.

Kakashi and Shisui recognized Xuanyu’s overwhelming power as the exam ended unexpectedly, and Xuanyu explained that he had challenged the chief examiner and recruited examinees for the Uchiha Merchant Guild. As Xuanyu’s group departed, he teased Shisui about Yuhi Kurenai and promised his father would arrange their marriage, while Kurenai’s interest in Shisui left Sarutobi Asuma jealous.

• Kakashi told Might Guy that Xuanyu was stronger than the Hokage, and Shisui confirmed that Xuanyu’s Doujutsu Power surpassed the Eternal Mangekyo despite his not having awakened the Mangekyo.
• Shisui and the others went outside after hearing the exam had ended, where they found grateful examinees gathered around Xuanyu.
• Xuanyu said he had spoken up against the unreasonable chief examiner and recruited examinees for the Uchiha Merchant Guild.
• Xuanyu left with his group after nodding to Kakashi, who stayed behind to wait for Naruto and Sasuke.
• Xuanyu teased Shisui about revealing his identity so Yuhi Kurenai could see him and promised his father would arrange their marriage.
• Kakashi teased Kurenai as she watched Shisui leave, while Sarutobi Asuma grew jealous.

Sarutobi Asuma ordered a subordinate to identify and eliminate the masked guard Shisui after seeing Yuhi Kurenai show affection toward him. Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen learned that Uchiha Xuan Yu had disrupted Ibiki’s exam and answered every question correctly, leaving him suspicious that Xuan Yu had known the answers in advance.

• Sarutobi Asuma sent a man to investigate Shisui and make him suffer for winning Yuhi Kurenai’s affection.
• Xuanyu told Shisui to kill the man following them, and Shisui left the group to lure the tail out of Konoha.
• Darui explained that Xuanyu had signaled him to intervene at the exam, while Karui and Omoi worried that Xuanyu might overhear them.
• Orochimaru left the exam hall, anticipating Xuanyu’s next move against Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Ibiki reported to Sarutobi Hiruzen that Xuanyu had forced changes to the exam by threatening to make the examinees withdraw.
• Kabuto told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Xuanyu had answered every question correctly without cheating, and suspected that Xuanyu had known the answers beforehand.

Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned Kabuto’s claim that Xuan Yu had known the exam answers, then ordered the second Chunin Exam canceled and the Third Match to proceed. After Ibiki and Kabuto left, Shimura Danzō arrived to mock Hiruzen, who was waiting for someone and told him to leave if he had nothing else to discuss.

• Kabuto told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Xuan Yu had slept through the written exam and answered the questions without reading them, suggesting someone had leaked the answers.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Ibiki to investigate a possible leak and warned that Xuan Yu must not pass through improper means.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen canceled the second exam and ordered the Third Match to proceed, while Ibiki agreed to arrange the draw and investigate the suspected traitor.
• Ibiki explained to the confused Kabuto that Sarutobi Hiruzen could not openly order them to rig the match, then left to notify Anko, arrange the draw, and interrogate the exam staff.
• Shimura Danzō entered the Hokage Office to mock Sarutobi Hiruzen, who told him he was waiting for someone and to leave if he had no other business.

Uchiha Itachi confronted Sarutobi Hiruzen in the Hokage Office over his rule, his use of villagers as sacrifices, and his hostility toward the Uchiha Clan. Sarutobi Hiruzen defended his actions and accused the Uchiha of threatening Konoha, while Itachi condemned him and warned that he would face backlash.

• Shimura Danzō told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Jiraiya and Tsunade were secretly investigating the disappearances and warned him to act on the Impure World Reincarnation plan.
• Uchiha Itachi entered the Hokage Office, where Sarutobi Hiruzen pretended to welcome him and Itachi called him hypocritical.
• Itachi accused Sarutobi Hiruzen of betraying his promise, mismanaging the village, and using civilians as sacrifices.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen blamed the Uchiha Clan for the sacrifices and accused them of ties to the Akatsuki Organization and the destruction of the Hyuga Main Family.
• Itachi said the Hyuga Branch Family's revolt was understandable and accused Sarutobi Hiruzen of treating villagers even worse, warning him about the consequences.

Uchiha Itachi confronted Sarutobi Hiruzen over his plan to destroy the Uchiha Clan and threatened him not to target Sasuke. Hiruzen brought out two Impure World Reincarnation users as leverage, but Itachi immediately set Sarutobi Daqing ablaze with Amaterasu.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen insisted the Uchiha Clan had to be destroyed and invited Itachi to help him.
• Itachi refused and warned Hiruzen not to target Sasuke, while Hiruzen threatened Sasuke if Itachi would not cooperate.
• Shimura Danzō watched as Hiruzen accepted Itachi's threat to destroy the Sarutobi Clan.
• Sarutobi Daqing and Sarutobi Shuo entered to back Hiruzen, and Itachi recognized them as Impure World Reincarnation users.
• Sarutobi Daqing charged at Itachi, who used Amaterasu to engulf him in black flames.

Uchiha Itachi defeated Sarutobi Daqing and Sarutobi Shuo with Genjutsu and Amaterasu, then refused Sarutobi Hiruzen’s demand to help destroy the Uchiha Clan. He left after warning Hiruzen not to harm Sasuke, while Hiruzen raged and Shimura Danzō told him to stop.

• Sarutobi Daqing cut away his burning flesh to escape Amaterasu, but Itachi’s Genjutsu soon trapped him and Sarutobi Shuo.
• Itachi used Amaterasu on the immobilized men, then confronted Sarutobi Hiruzen and asked whether killing him would undo Impure World Reincarnation.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen threatened Sasuke and offered to spare him if Itachi helped destroy the Uchiha Clan.
• Itachi rejected the offer and threatened to kill Konohamaru and Asuma if Hiruzen harmed Sasuke.
• Itachi left, and Sarutobi Hiruzen raged until Shimura Danzō told him to stop.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō struggled to free Sarutobi Daqing and Sarutobi Shuo from Uchiha Itachi’s genjutsu, then discussed how to protect the Sarutobi clan from him. Hiruzen decided to take Asuma and Konohamaru to the Root Laboratory and involve two special people in Impure World Reincarnation, while Kisame questioned Itachi after he emerged from the Hokage Office.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō tried to remove Amaterasu from Sarutobi Daqing and Sarutobi Shuo, but neither their efforts nor Hiruzen’s soul attack could wake them from Itachi’s genjutsu.
• Sarutobi Daqing and Sarutobi Shuo eventually woke when the genjutsu ended, and Hiruzen explained what had happened.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen and the others concluded that Itachi’s body was failing but warned that his genjutsu remained dangerous.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Sarutobi Daqing to bring Asuma and Konohamaru to the Root Laboratory and said he would have two special people protect them and possibly join the Impure World Reincarnation.
• Kisame met Itachi outside the Hokage Office and asked why he had fought after going in to talk things over.

Uchiha Itachi concealed the severe backlash from using his Sharingan to intimidate Sarutobi Hiruzen, while Shisui killed a man who discovered he was alive. Ibiki brutally interrogated exam staff for allegedly leaking the questions to Uchiha Xuan Yu, but they all denied it.

• Uchiha Itachi spat blood in an alley after Kisame helped him leave the Hokage Office, then explained that he had used his Sharingan to put Sarutobi Hiruzen under Genjutsu and hide his weakness.
• Uchiha Itachi used Black Flames to erase the blood, and two figures arrived after he and Kisame left but found nothing unusual.
• Masked Shisui confronted the man following him, revealed his identity, crushed the man's throat, and vanished using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Ibiki demanded that his bloodied captives confess to leaking the exam questions to Uchiha Xuan Yu, but they all denied it.
• Ibiki insisted that someone must have leaked the questions because Uchiha Xuan Yu had finished too quickly, then continued the interrogation as screams filled the room.

Asuma and Konohamaru were summoned to Root’s temporary Experiment Base after Uchiha Itachi spoke with Sarutobi Hiruzen. Jiraiya and Tsunade followed them in secret, and the chapter ended with Hiruzen preparing to perform Impure World Reincarnation again.

• Asuma grew suspicious when a messenger told him to bring Konohamaru to Root’s secret Experiment Base and threatened the man with his sword.
• Asuma arrived with Konohamaru and explained that Hiruzen had summoned them after meeting with Uchiha Itachi.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade secretly followed the group into the Utatane clan grounds, where the Root base was located.
• Asuma sensed they might be followed, but the group passed an inspection and entered the underground base.
• Jiraiya stopped Tsunade from rushing in, warning that Hiruzen, Danzō, and reincarnated dead were inside.
• Hiruzen greeted Asuma at the laboratory while stabilizing his Chakra for another Impure World Reincarnation.

Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō arranged for Edo Tensei guards for Asuma and Konohamaru, then resurrected two shinobi to learn how the missing reanimated fighters had died. Their account implicated Akatsuki Qi Tian and left Danzō questioning the identity of the powerful woman they had ambushed.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Asuma and Konohamaru that Uchiha Itachi posed a threat and that they would perform Edo Tensei to summon guards.
• Konohamaru declared that he wanted every Uchiha Clan member dead, and Hiruzen promised that the clan would soon be destroyed.
• Shimura Danzō resurrected several Root and Anbu shinobi, including two of the Edo Tensei fighters who had disappeared.
• The two reanimated shinobi told Danzō and Hiruzen that a powerful woman had been trapped by their group before someone wearing a Monkey Mask bound them with Black Flames that absorbed their chakra and stopped their bodies from regenerating.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen identified the Monkey Mask figure as Akatsuki Qi Tian, and Shimura Danzō suggested that the woman’s abilities seemed familiar.

Hiruzen and Danzō suspected Tsunade and Jiraiya were aligned with the Akatsuki, so they resolved to hasten the Uchiha extermination plan and revive twelve powerful shinobi. The newly revived Nara Ka explained that their resurrection required sacrificing living people, leaving the group to confront the sin behind their return.

• Danzō persuaded Hiruzen that Tsunade was investigating Root and might be working with the Akatsuki, while Jiraiya was likely on her side.
• Hiruzen decided to expedite the Chunin Exams and carry out the Uchiha Extermination Plan as soon as they ended.
• Hiruzen used Impure World Reincarnation to revive twelve powerful shinobi from Konoha's major clans, binding them with Cursed Seals.
• Nara Ka recognized the technique and questioned Hiruzen about the sacrifice required to bring them back.
• Nara Ka explained that living people had to be killed to summon the dead, and declared their resurrection a sin.

Sarutobi Hiruzen convinced some of the reanimated shinobi that Konoha faced a threat from the Uchiha Clan, then sent them away while preparing Sarutobi Asuma to summon more reanimated fighters. The chapter ended as Root delivered two corpses for Asuma's summoning.

• Nara Ka challenged Sarutobi Hiruzen to explain why he had resurrected them using Impure World Reincarnation.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen claimed the Fourth Hokage had died sealing the Nine-Tails after an Uchiha summoned it to attack Konoha.
• Aburame Shuku confirmed that he had seen a Sharingan in the Nine-Tails' eyes, while Nara Ka remained suspicious of Sarutobi Hiruzen's explanation.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen blamed the Uchiha Clan for threatening Konoha and asked the reanimated shinobi to help, then told Sarutobi Shuo to take them away and explain Impure World Reincarnation.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Sarutobi Asuma to summon two of Konoha's top fighters, and Root brought over two corpses.

Sarutobi Hiruzen had Asuma summon Hyuga Masame and Hyuga Wangqi through Impure World Reincarnation to guard him against Uchiha Itachi, then misled the revived Branch House shinobi about the Hyuga Clan’s condition. After arranging for them to rest, Hiruzen turned to Konohamaru and asked whether he had learned the hand seals.

• Asuma used Impure World Reincarnation to summon two Hyuga shinobi, while Hiruzen explained that their Byakugan could help protect Asuma from genjutsu.
• Hyuga Zhengming and Hyuga Wangqi realized they had been revived and discovered that their Caged Bird Marks remained; Zhengming asked Hiruzen how the Hyuga Clan was doing.
• Hiruzen falsely told them that the Uchiha Clan had tricked a Hyuga child into wiping out half the clan, and the two blamed the Main House and Uchiha.
• Hiruzen told the Hyuga shinobi to protect Asuma from an Uchiha attack, then persuaded them to rest despite Tianqi wanting to attack the Uchiha immediately.
• After arranging the Hyuga shinobi’s rest, Hiruzen asked Konohamaru whether he had learned the hand seals.

Sarutobi Hiruzen helped Konohamaru perform Impure World Reincarnation and recruited Hatake Sakumo to guard him. Jiraiya and Tsunade saw the revived shinobi emerge from the laboratory, including Nawaki and Dan Katō, leaving Tsunade shaken.

• Konohamaru began Impure World Reincarnation, and Sarutobi Hiruzen transferred Chakra to him when the ritual drained him.
• Hatake Sakumo was summoned, and Sarutobi Hiruzen persuaded him to protect Konohamaru by claiming Konoha was threatened by the Uchiha Clan.
• Konohamaru celebrated controlling Hatake Sakumo, and Sarutobi Hiruzen scolded him before explaining the jutsu to Sakumo.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade waited outside the laboratory as Sarutobi Hiruzen and Shimura Danzō emerged with Konohamaru, Sarutobi Asuma, and the revived shinobi.
• Jiraiya recognized several revived clan experts, and Tsunade cried out when she saw Nawaki and Dan Katō.

Tsunade and Jiraiya secretly watched Sarutobi Hiruzen after he revived Dan Katō and Nawaki Senju, but their presence was discovered. Dan Katō recognized Tsunade, concealed her identity from Sarutobi Hiruzen, and grew suspicious of the Hokage’s explanation about the Akatsuki Organization.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen revived Dan Katō and Nawaki Senju, prompting Tsunade to nearly confront him before Jiraiya persuaded her to stay hidden.
• Tsunade’s unstable Chakra exposed her and Jiraiya, and Dan Katō used the Spirit Transformation Technique to investigate them.
• Dan Katō recognized Tsunade as she and Jiraiya escaped with a space-time technique, then wondered whether they had come to investigate Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Dan Katō told Sarutobi Hiruzen that the masked intruder had vanished using a technique like the Fourth Hokage’s, and he denied seeing the person clearly to protect Tsunade.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen attributed the intruder’s escape to the Akatsuki Organization and explained that its ties to the Uchiha Clan had prompted him to summon the dead ninjas.

Sarutobi Hiruzen warned the resurrected Konoha figures about the Akatsuki Organization and assigned them tasks, while Jiraiya and Tsunade escaped to Mount Myōboku. Gamabunta then told them the Great Toad Sage had predicted Jiraiya’s arrival and wanted to see him.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen said the Akatsuki Organization had ties to the Uchiha Clan and had attacked Konoha ninja, but he had failed to capture Akatsuki Qi Tian because of his Space-Time Ninjutsu.
• Dan Katō and the others grew angry at Sarutobi Hiruzen, who asked them to hide and prepare for assigned tasks.
• Jiraiya asked Tsunade whether Impure World Reincarnation might tempt her with the chance to revive her family, and Tsunade said the dead should remain in the Pure Land.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade agreed to work together against Sarutobi Hiruzen’s schemes and protect the souls in the Pure Land.
• Gamabunta told Jiraiya and Tsunade that the Great Toad Sage had predicted Jiraiya would come and instructed him to bring Jiraiya to see him.