Chapter Summaries

Kakuzu and Hozuki Reigetsu left the Konoha ninja to face the rampaging Seven-Tails Chomei, and Sarutobi Sasuke and Sarutobi Hiruzen fought to restrain it. After their attacks failed to stop the beast, Sarutobi Sasuke went to prepare a sealing technique while Sarutobi Hiruzen headed toward Hibari for help.

• Sarutobi Sasuke ordered the Konoha ninja to hold off the Seven-Tails, while Kakuzu and Hozuki Reigetsu departed and discussed another job.
• Hibari took soldier pills to recover chakra and told Sarutobi Hiruzen he had a technique that might restrain the beast.
• Sarutobi Sasuke trapped the Seven-Tails in a fire wall and struck it with burning oil-soaked clay, but it survived and fired a Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen pinned the Seven-Tails between two boulders, and Sarutobi Sasuke covered it in an oil swamp that Hiruzen set ablaze.
• The Seven-Tails broke free, fired another Tailed Beast Bomb at Sarutobi Sasuke, and he escaped underground before asking Sarutobi Hiruzen to buy time while he prepared the Nightmare Sealing Style.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen, nearly out of chakra, left to find Hibari, who had almost recovered his strength.

Hibari used Adamantine Sealing Chains to restrain the Seven-Tails, draining his chakra and life force while Sarutobi Hiruzen supported him. Kakuzu ambushed Hibari, but Senju Hashirama arrived in time to block the attack and began countering with Wood Release.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen asked Hibari to restrain the Seven-Tails while Sarutobi Sasuke prepared a Sealing Jutsu.
• Hibari used Adamantine Sealing Chains to bind Seven-Tails Chomei, and Sarutobi Hiruzen added Enma’s Adamantine Prison Wall to hold it in place.
• Hibari exhausted his chakra and drew on his life force to keep the Seven-Tails pinned as Sarutobi Sasuke’s Sealing Jutsu neared completion.
• Hozuki Reigetsu’s deal sent Kakuzu back to kill Hibari, and Kakuzu attacked while Hibari could not defend himself.
• Senju Hashirama blocked Kakuzu’s Earth Grudge Fear with a Wood Locking Wall, and Sarutobi Hiruzen rushed to Hibari’s side.
• Senju Hashirama faced Kakuzu and began using Wood Release Secret Technique: Deep Forest Emergence.

Hibari survived his mission after Hashirama rescued him and subdued the Seven-Tails, then recovered quickly and went with Hiruzen to report to the Hokage. At the Hokage Building, Tobirama confirmed that Kirigakure had been involved, and the leaders agreed to remember the attack and settle the score later.

• Hashirama killed Kakuzu, then used Sage Art: Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands to batter the rampaging Seven-Tails until Hibari and Sarutobi Sasuke persuaded him to stop.
• Back in Konoha, Hibari exaggerated his role in the mission to Tsunade and Uzumaki Mito until Hiruzen arrived and caught him bragging.
• Hiruzen asked after Hibari's health and took him to the Hokage Building to report the mission and receive credit.
• Tobirama told Hashirama and Sarutobi Sasuke that Hibari's vitality was replenishing on its own and that he only needed rest.
• Sarutobi Sasuke confirmed that Hozuki Reigetsu of Kirigakure had joined the attack, and Tobirama said Konoha would remember the incident and settle the score later.

Tobirama explained the S-rank mission system and paid Hibari, Hiruzen, and Sarutobi Sasuke for their work. Hibari left vowing to settle the score with Hozuki Reigetsu, while Hashirama protested after Tobirama refused to give him a share.

• Tobirama classified Hibari and Hiruzen’s mission as S-rank and explained the village’s mission payments and wartime salary rules.
• Hibari learned the mission paid one million five hundred thousand ryo and argued until Tobirama gave him an equal share.
• Hibari told Hashirama he wanted to face Hozuki Reigetsu himself, then left the office.
• Tobirama paid Sarutobi Sasuke for his work and reassured him that Hibari’s recovery was not his fault.
• Hashirama asked for a share of the payment, but Tobirama refused because he would waste it gambling.

Hibari bought Orochimaru a stack of books and arranged for him to get more on credit, while Hashirama and Tobirama discussed village security. In Kirigakure, Byakuren heard that the mission to seize the Seven-Tails had failed and ordered Hozuki Reigetsu to keep an eye on Hibari.

• Tobirama rebuked Hashirama for asking for a reward, and Hashirama then eyed Hibari's money as something he could keep safe for him.
• Hibari found Orochimaru outside a bookstore, bought him 140,000 ryo worth of books, and told the shopkeeper to put future purchases on his tab.
• Orochimaru thanked Hibari and headed home with his books, while Hibari went to buy takoyaki for Tsunade.
• Hozuki Reigetsu reported the failed Seven-Tails mission to Byakuren and described Hibari's potential and his apparent avoidance of water.
• Byakuren told Hozuki Reigetsu to watch Hibari without provoking trouble, then asked whether Gengetsu had made up his mind.

Hozuki Gengetsu accepted Byakuren’s plan for him to become Second Mizukage and proposed forming the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, while he began raising a strange chakra-absorbing creature called Samehada. In Konoha, Hashirama sent Tsunade to steal Hibari’s money as Tobirama worked on a sealing technique and explained that the Shadow Clone Technique had spread to other villages.

• Byakuren told Hozuki Reigetsu to persuade Hozuki Gengetsu to become Second Mizukage and assigned Reigetsu three months of confinement for his exposed identity.
• Hozuki Gengetsu told Hozuki Reigetsu he believed Byakuren was testing his composure before handing over the Mizukage position.
• Hozuki Gengetsu showed Reigetsu the chakra-absorbing creature Samehada and proposed forming an elite team called the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Hashirama recruited Tsunade to steal the money in Hibari’s room and promised to take her to a gambling den, so she slipped away to carry out the mission.
• Tobirama continued developing a Sealing Jutsu for Hibari and said the Shadow Clone Technique had spread after the Uchiha Clan copied it with the Sharingan.

Hibari persuaded Second Uncle Tobirama to lend him the Shadow Clone and Multi-Shadow Clone techniques, then discussed village development and the need to eventually unite the clans under the village. While Hibari studied, Tsunade and Senju Hashirama emptied his savings and headed to the gambling den.

• Hibari convinced Second Uncle Tobirama to lend him scrolls containing the Shadow Clone and Multi-Shadow Clone techniques.
• Hibari asked whether the village needed a complete system to support development and whether the clans would keep operating independently.
• Second Uncle Tobirama explained how clan-backed ninja gained resources while civilian ninja and their children fell behind, and said reforms would have to wait until the timing was right.
• Hibari mentioned feeling uneasy because his right eyelid kept twitching, but Second Uncle Tobirama told him to rest his eyes.
• Tsunade found and emptied Hibari's hidden money jar with Senju Hashirama's help, and they headed to the village gambling den while celebrating their newfound wealth.

Hibari discovered that Hashirama and Tsunade had taken all the money from his room, but Tobirama promised to repay him from Hashirama’s salary. After studying the Shadow Clone Technique, Hibari tried to use it, but the jutsu failed and left him with chest pain.

• At lunch, Mito told Hibari and Tobirama that Hashirama had taken Tsunade to the gambling house, and Tobirama said Hashirama had not received payment for his mission.
• Hibari realized Hashirama and Tsunade had probably taken his savings, while the family joked about his loss.
• Hibari returned to his room and found the money box empty and Tsunade’s footprints on the floor.
• Tobirama promised to repay Hibari from Hashirama’s salary, so Hibari chose not to confront Hashirama at the gambling house.
• Hibari studied the Shadow Clone Technique and attempted it, but his chakra churned, the jutsu failed, and his chest began to hurt.

Hibari discovered that his Shadow Clone Technique had been altered by the Human-Human Fruit, creating a living clone that could bleed, use jutsu, and recover chakra. After realizing the first clone drained all his chakra, he tested whether he could make another and confirmed a second clone appeared, only for the first to strike it away.

• Hibari slowed the Shadow Clone Technique and found that it drained nearly all his chakra to create one clone.
• Hibari stabbed the clone with a Kunai and discovered it bled, endured real injuries, and could stop its own bleeding.
• The clone used Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere and found that its chakra recovered on its own.
• Hibari worried that the clone's chakra cost made the technique dangerous to use, and the clone suggested testing whether another could be created.
• Hibari successfully created a second clone, but the first clone punched it and made it vanish.

Hibari tested his mutated Shadow Clone, confirmed he could dispel it and recover its chakra, and began considering how to develop the ability. The chapter ended with Tsunade returning after secretly taking money, though she claimed she had meant to give it back.

• Hibari and his special Shadow Clone discussed how the clone worked and how the Yin Seal might help with its chakra costs.
• Hibari used Release to dispel the clone, confirming it vanished normally and returned its chakra along with its pain and fatigue.
• Hibari considered keeping the mutation secret and developing a dedicated technique to control the Human-Human Fruit’s influence.
• Hibari spotted Tsunade hiding behind a tree and called her out for sneaking back to his home.
• Tsunade admitted she had secretly taken money while with Great-Grandpa Hashirama and handed Hibari less than a hundred thousand ryo.

Hibari settled the dispute over Hashirama taking his money, then headed out to hunt bears with Tsunade while his Shadow Clone, Yaoji, went to study with Tobirama. Tobirama grew suspicious of Yaoji and forced him to undergo a test.

• Hibari let Tsunade off with a warning, while Mito scolded Hashirama and Tobirama ordered his 1.5 million ryo debt to be deducted from his salary.
• Tsunade woke Hibari early and persuaded him to go bear hunting in the back hills.
• Hibari sent a Shadow Clone to visit Tobirama and named it Yaoji, then teased Tsunade about her childhood promise to marry him.
• Yaoji tried to avoid Tobirama's planned test by pretending he felt sick.
• Tobirama suspected Yaoji was a Shadow Clone, struck him to check his reaction, and forced him onto a bench for testing.

Yaoji’s clone was exposed when Tobirama and Hashirama recognized that he was not the real Hibari, and the two began discussing a village school. Meanwhile, Hibari took Tsunade into the woods, where Sarutobi Hiruzen’s experimental S-rank technique obliterated the bear they planned to hunt and nearly hit them.

• Tobirama pinned Yaoji, and Hashirama joined him in questioning the apparent Hibari until Yaoji explained he was a mutated Shadow Clone and proved it by using the Rasengan.
• Hashirama proposed setting up a school in the village, and Tobirama decided to discuss the plan with Hashirama and Sarutobi at the Hokage Building.
• Hibari took Tsunade into the woods to hunt a bear, and Tsunade volunteered to face one they spotted.
• Hibari sensed a large chakra buildup and pulled Tsunade back as Sarutobi Hiruzen tested his S-rank Composite Ninjutsu, which caused a massive explosion and destroyed the bear.
• Hibari shielded himself and Tsunade with Earth-Style Walls, then found Sarutobi celebrating and scolded him for nearly hitting them.

Hibari and Sarutobi Hiruzen tested a devastating composite ninjutsu and agreed it should be kept secret, while Tobirama won Sarutobi Sasuke’s support for a village academy. The chapter ended with Uchiha Madara finding Kurama and declaring his intention to impose his own vision of peace, as Hibari returned to the village after Tsunade spared the bear cubs.

• Tsunade scolded Sarutobi Hiruzen for destroying the bear she wanted to practice on, and he promised to take her to find bear cubs.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Hibari their combination of four C-rank jutsu had produced immense power, and they agreed to keep the technique secret as a forbidden jutsu.
• Tobirama proposed a small trial of the Ninja Academy, and Sarutobi Sasuke pledged to support the reform while protecting the clans’ secret techniques.
• Uchiha Madara found Kurama in a remote valley, awakened his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, and vowed to create lasting peace by his own methods.
• Hibari returned to the village with Sarutobi Hiruzen and Tsunade after Tsunade changed her mind and asked them not to eat the bear cubs.

Hibari returned to the Senju estate with Tsunade and two bear cubs, where Tobirama confronted him about using a clone and heard about his S-rank compound ninjutsu. Over lunch, Hibari proposed trading the technique for Mito’s Yin Seal, and Tobirama later revealed plans for a Ninja Academy and said Hibari and Tsunade should attend.

• Tsunade persuaded Hibari to take two bear cubs home instead of eating them.
• Tobirama caught Hibari after learning he had used a clone to fool him, then dragged him into the estate.
• Hiruzen told Tobirama that Hibari had created the S-rank compound ninjutsu Annihilation, and Hibari offered to trade it for Mito’s Yin Seal.
• Tobirama considered Hibari’s proposal but postponed his decision.
• Tobirama told Hibari that the village planned to establish a Ninja Academy, with Hiruzen teaching, and proposed that Hibari and Tsunade attend as students.

Tobirama told Hibari that the Senju Clan planned to open a Ninja Academy and asked him and little Tsunade to enroll as examples for the other clans. Hibari refused at first, but agreed to appear at the school occasionally after Tobirama stressed the political need, then tried to make Yaoji take his place.

• Tobirama and Sarutobi Sasuke explained that the village would open a Ninja Academy, with Hiruzen teaching there.
• Tobirama asked Hibari and little Tsunade to attend so the Senju Clan could lead by example and encourage other clans to enroll their children.
• Hibari argued that he had already mastered the basics and did not want to spend time with children his age.
• Tobirama said Hibari had to put his name on the roster and visit the school occasionally, or lose his allowance for three months.
• Hibari agreed to the arrangement but pointed to Yaoji as a possible substitute, and Tobirama left the choice between them.

Hibari agreed to support the Ninja Academy by appearing on its roster, then tried to shift the school obligation to Yaoji. As Tobirama announced the Academy, the Ino-Shika-Cho clan leaders discussed how to respond and Nara Lvxun urged them to pledge support first.

• Hibari rejected regular classes but agreed to appear at the Ninja Academy, then proposed sending Yaoji in his place.
• Tobirama announced the Ninja Academy, and news of its opening quickly spread through Konoha.
• Yamanaka Kiyono and Akimichi Kira met with Nara Lvxun to discuss the Academy and whether their clans should support it.
• Nara Lvxun argued that public support for the Academy made opposition too risky and urged the three clans to pledge their loyalty before the others.
• Nara Lvxun suggested that supporting the Academy might bring an unexpected bonus, as the Hokage Building would need more staff for the village's internal projects.

Nara Lvxun persuaded the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans to support Lord Hokage's Ninja Academy, while the Hyuga hesitated and the Uchiha opposed it. Kagami Uchiha defended the village's interests before Sarutobi Sasuke entered the hostile Uchiha gathering.

• Nara Lvxun convinced Yamanaka Kiyono and Akimichi Kira that backing the academy could win their clans political influence, and they agreed to issue a joint statement of support.
• Torifu Akimichi reported that the Sarutobi Clan had endorsed the academy and that Hiruzen would teach there, prompting Nara Lvxun to propose seeking teacher positions and recruiting promising students.
• The Hyuga Clan argued over whether to support the academy, while its head chose to wait and see.
• The Uchiha Clan decided the academy threatened its interests and sent a representative to the Hokage Building to oppose it.
• Kagami Uchiha told his clan that the academy was already underway and argued that Uchiha were members of the Hidden Leaf Village first; Uchiha Eisen rebuked him.
• Sarutobi Sasuke arrived, eased Kagami's departure, and entered the Uchiha gathering as its members looked on displeased.

Sarutobi Sasuke visited the Uchiha to discuss the planned Konoha Police Force while the clans debated the Hokage’s Ninja Academy. The Uchiha rejected the Academy, but Sarutobi Sasuke’s talk of the new force gave Uchiha Eisen reason to consider the clan’s potential share of power.

• Sarutobi Sasuke told Uchiha Eisen that the Hokage was establishing the Konoha Police Force, and Eisen wondered what control of it could mean for the Uchiha.
• The Hyuga Clan argued over whether to support the Ninja Academy, while the Uchiha decided to oppose it.
• The Uchiha gathered to criticize the Academy, and Kagami Uchiha reported that the Hokage would proceed with the plan despite the clans’ objections.
• An elder rebuked Kagami Uchiha for siding with Konoha, but Sarutobi Sasuke intervened and sent him away on another task.
• Sarutobi Sasuke explained the Police Force to Uchiha Eisen, who welcomed him and listened as he began to elaborate.

Sarutobi Sasuke persuaded Uchiha Eisen to support the Ninja Academy in exchange for the Uchiha taking charge of Konoha’s new Security Force. With the Uchiha joining the Senju-led supporters, the other clans were left without a clear opposition leader, while Hibari wondered whether the village’s changing policies involved him.

• Sarutobi Sasuke offered the Uchiha Clan responsibility for organizing the Security Force and asked them to support the Ninja Academy.
• Uchiha Eisen accepted the offer, promised the Uchiha would publicly back the Academy, and told his clan to secure the Security Force for themselves.
• The Senju, Sarutobi, Ino-Shika-Cho, and Uchiha clans publicly supported the Hokage’s decision, leaving the other clans uncertain and the Hyuga silent.
• Hibari discussed the political situation with Sarutobi Hiruzen and wondered whether the village’s early policy changes were connected to him.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Hibari that he could eventually join the Hokage Building as a backbone of the Senju Clan’s third generation.

Hibari discussed the Hokage succession with Sarutobi Hiruzen, then introduced Orochimaru and Jiraiya as students for him to teach. The four settled in for barbecue, with Hibari insisting that Hiruzen pay.

• Hibari told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Hashirama was grooming Tobirama to become the Second Hokage and said he had no interest in taking the position himself.
• Hibari said Hiruzen had a good chance of becoming the Third Hokage, and Hiruzen admitted he was working toward that goal.
• Hibari introduced Orochimaru and Jiraiya to Hiruzen and asked them to become his students.
• Orochimaru accepted Hiruzen as his teacher, and Jiraiya agreed after Hibari urged him to pursue training as a shinobi.
• Hibari told Orochimaru and Jiraiya to order barbecue and declared that Hiruzen was paying, so Hiruzen proposed splitting the bill.