Chapter Summaries

Kakashi recounted how Zabuza earned the name “Saint” by refusing to kill his classmates and changing the Hidden Mist Village’s graduation exam. Zabuza and Kakashi agreed to negotiate the dispute over the Land of Waves, leaving the conflict poised as a contest between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire.

• Kakashi explained that Zabuza had stopped his classmates from killing one another during their graduation exam and endured severe punishment rather than attack them.
• The Fourth Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, abolished the exam and took Zabuza as his disciple after the students’ parents pressured the village leaders.
• Zabuza told Kakashi that the Land of Water had allied with the Land of Waves and that Dazna had been elected its new leader.
• Kado revealed that he had obtained a handwritten decree from the Land of Fire’s daimyo recognizing him as the Land of Waves’ daimyo, while Dazna produced a decree from the Land of Water recognizing him.
• Kado asked Kakashi to kill Dazna for an increased payment, but Kakashi refused, citing the rule against harming daimyos and the powerful guard protecting Dazna.
• Zabuza and Kakashi agreed to negotiate at the docks that night, with each side also discussing the leadership dispute between Dazna and Kado.

Kado confronted Dazna over his agreement to open the Land of Waves’ trade ports and let the Land of Water establish a police station at the docks. After Kado explained how the deal could provoke war and ruin the country, Dazna regretted his actions, but the letter containing the agreement was gone, leaving Kado to involve the Konoha ninja.

• Kado and Dazna argued over the workers’ poverty and why Dazna had turned against him.
• Dazna revealed that he had agreed to open the trade ports and allow the Land of Water to establish a police station at the docks.
• Kado warned Dazna that the deal could drain the Land of Waves’ wealth and make it a target in a conflict between the Land of Water and the Land of Fire.
• Dazna realized the danger and admitted that the Land of Water Jonin had taken the letter containing the agreement.
• Dazna offered to do anything to save the Land of Waves, and Kado decided to notify the Konoha ninja for help.

Kakashi and Zabuza discussed their pasts and negotiated over the Land of Waves, rejecting an initial set of harsh demands in favor of a more balanced agreement. Kakashi agreed to send the second agreement to the Hokage for a decision, leaving formal negotiations between Konoha and the Hidden Mist Village pending.

• Zabuza recounted how he first saw blood during the Third Shinobi World War and explained why he trusted Kakashi more than other Konoha shinobi.
• Kakashi and Zabuza discussed their duties, the costs of war, and the possibility of working together despite serving different villages.
• Zabuza presented the Hidden Mist Village's initial demands for the Land of Waves, including its governance, Kado's surrender, a bridge, trading rights, and 180 million ryo.
• Kakashi rejected the demands and warned that Konoha could still fight back, while Zabuza argued that Konoha could not afford a war.
• Zabuza gave Kakashi a second, more balanced agreement concerning cooperation and the division of the Land of Waves.
• Kakashi said he would send the agreement to the Hokage, who would decide whether to send an envoy to the Hidden Mist Village.

Kakashi and Zabuza failed to settle four clauses in negotiations between Konoha and the Hidden Mist Village, so they agreed to decide the dispute through battle. After Menma identified their opponents and the teams planned their matchups, Menma asked Kakashi to help him train.

• Konoha accepted most of the Land of Water's cooperation terms but refused to allow the Hidden Mist Village to station an organized military force in the Land of Waves.
• Kakashi and Zabuza argued over mission commissions, the return of two swords, prisoner exchanges, and who would govern the Land of Waves, then agreed to settle the dispute through combat.
• Kakashi told Menma, Sasuke, and Sakura that they would fight Zabuza and his three subordinates in three days.
• Menma shared information about Haku and Hozuki Suigetsu, and Sakura identified the Demon Brothers as the remaining opponents.
• Sasuke chose to fight Suigetsu, Sakura chose Haku, and the group planned their battle before returning to train.
• Menma asked Kakashi to help him with his training.

Konoha’s Sakura Haruno fought Mist Village’s Yuki Haku in the first duel, which would determine the distribution of Land of Waves missions. Sakura used a clone to evade Haku’s finishing attack, and Kakashi declared Sakura the winner.

• Kakashi and Zabuza brought their teams to the arena, explained the rules, and began the match between Sakura Haruno and Yuki Haku.
• Sakura prepared explosive-tagged kunai while Haku waited, then the two exchanged attacks as Sakura dodged and deflected Haku’s ice senbon.
• Sakura detonated her kunai and used Earth and Water Release, while Haku blocked her attacks and froze the arena’s water.
• Haku used Ice Body Flicker and Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals to trap Sakura, then launched Thousand Flying Water Needles.
• Haku’s senbon struck an Earth Clone, which melted into mud, and Kakashi appeared to declare Sakura the winner.
• Haku protested the result and demanded to know how she had lost.

Sakura defeated Yuki Haku by exploiting the arena boundaries, and Zabuza urged Haku to learn from the loss. Sasuke then fought Hozuki Suigetsu, wounded him with his Sharingan, and provoked his anger.

• Zabuza explained how Sakura used the arena rules and her varied abilities to defeat Haku, then warned Haku against arrogance.
• Sakura thanked Menma for his advice and wished Sasuke luck before he entered the arena.
• Suigetsu summoned the Kubikiribōchō and used its power to send Sasuke flying toward the edge of the field.
• Menma warned Sasuke not to clash with Suigetsu directly, but Sasuke charged and dodged Suigetsu’s strike with his Sharingan.
• Sasuke cut Suigetsu across the waist and insulted his swordsmanship, enraging him by insulting his brother.

Sasuke and Suigetsu fought over the Hidden Mist swords, and Suigetsu won the match by carrying Sasuke outside the arena before collapsing. Sakura treated Suigetsu, the next battle was postponed until tomorrow, and Menma wondered whether medical Ninjutsu hurt as much as Suigetsu’s treatment had.

• Suigetsu used his Water Transformation Secret Technique to freeze his waist wound, then enlarged his arm and legs to charge at Sasuke and smash through Yuki Haku’s ice wall.
• Sasuke dodged Suigetsu’s attacks, struck him with a Great Fireball, and watched the heat thaw Suigetsu’s wound until he collapsed.
• Suigetsu suddenly used the Grand Water Ankle Technique to carry Sasuke beyond the arena boundary, so Zabuza declared the Hidden Mist Village the winner and Kakashi agreed to return Nuibari and Kabutowari.
• Suigetsu told Sasuke that the swords had belonged to his brother, then fainted; Sakura treated his wound while Yuki Haku and Menma held him still.
• Zabuza postponed the next battle until tomorrow, and Menma asked Sakura whether medical Ninjutsu hurt as much as Suigetsu’s treatment had.

After Sakura accepted a Ninjutsu scroll from Zabuza, Menma faced Utakata, whom Zabuza claimed was an eight-year-old Genin. Menma recognized Utakata as a Jinchuriki, and after Kakashi and Zabuza argued over the choice of opponent, Menma reluctantly agreed to fight rather than risk a recorded surrender.

• Kakashi brought Menma and the others back to the battlefield, where Zabuza thanked Sakura and gave her a Water Release: Great Water Arm Technique scroll.
• Menma challenged the Demon Brothers, but Zabuza instead introduced Utakata as his opponent and claimed Utakata was an eight-year-old Genin.
• Menma recognized Utakata as a Jinchuriki, and Kakashi explained that Menma could sense Chakra because his mother had been an Uzumaki and a Jinchuriki.
• Kakashi and Zabuza argued over whether Utakata's disguise was fair, then Kakashi told Menma to fight or surrender.
• Menma considered calling in another Konoha Genin, but after Kakashi warned that surrender would affect his evaluations and promotions, Menma agreed to fight.

Menma fought Utakata in the arena, overwhelming him with shadow clones and coordinated wind attacks until Utakata called on the Six-Tails and struck down nearly all the clones. The fight left Menma battered and unsteady while Utakata stood in a two-tailed cloak.

• Menma asked Sasuke to lend him his Sharingan, but Sasuke refused.
• Menma and Utakata discussed their reasons for fighting, then Menma released his Four Symbols Seal and created hundreds or thousands of shadow clones.
• Menma’s clones used wind techniques to destroy Utakata’s bubbles and pressure him with tornadoes and compressed air bullets.
• Utakata defended himself with water and sticky foam, then called on the Six-Tails as Menma’s attacks began to overwhelm his defense.
• Utakata’s red chakra tentacles wiped out most of the clones and struck Menma three times, leaving Menma struggling to stand as Utakata manifested two tails.

Utakata lost control and entered his Half-Tailed-Beast Transformation, forcing Kakashi and Zabuza to coordinate against him. Kakashi fled with his team, but Menma stopped and insisted they could not leave.

• Utakata attacked Menma with Chakra tentacles, but Kakashi severed one and declared Konoha's concession.
• Utakata's rage triggered his Half-Tailed-Beast Transformation, and the Six-Tails tempted him by turning his thoughts toward his teacher.
• Zabuza, Suigetsu, and Haku joined Kakashi and tried to restrain Utakata with water and ice techniques.
• Kakashi secretly signaled Sasuke and Sakura to evacuate Menma, then escaped with them while Zabuza's group held Utakata back.
• Menma jumped down from Sasuke's back and told Kakashi and the others they could not leave.

Menma and Team 7 returned to stop Utakata after Menma convinced Kakashi that a rampaging Jinchuriki could draw the nations into war. The Six-Tails emerged, but Menma addressed it by name and invoked the Sage of Six Paths, leaving it questioning who he was.

• Menma persuaded Kakashi to return by claiming his seal could help contain a Jinchuriki.
• Utakata broke free of the ice and severely injured Zabuza, Haku, and Suigetsu as they tried to escape his attacks.
• Kakashi and Team 7 arrived in time to deflect Utakata's Tailed-Beast Bomb and protect Zabuza's group.
• Menma's shadow clones and wind attacks created an opening for Sasuke to strike Utakata with lightning, causing the Six-Tails to emerge in its complete form.
• Menma called the beast Saiken and mentioned the Sage of Six Paths, prompting the Six-Tails to ask who Menma was.

Menma used a fist-bump technique to enter Utakata’s mental world and convinced Saiken that he was Ashura’s reincarnation. He warned Saiken that Grandma might emerge from the moon, arranged for Saiken to hide in Utakata, and received some of the Six-Tails’ Chakra.

• Menma and Saiken touched fists, sending Menma into Utakata’s mental world.
• Menma let Saiken sense his Chakra and claimed to be Ashura’s reincarnation, formerly reborn as Hashirama Senju.
• Menma told Saiken that Grandma might be coming out of the moon and invoked Gamamaru’s prophecy about a blond, blue-eyed boy.
• Menma persuaded Saiken to remain hidden in Utakata rather than move into Menma’s body, and promised to return with the other Tailed Beasts when the time was right.
• Saiken gave Menma a portion of his Chakra and agreed not to kill Utakata as Menma returned to his body.

Menma helped end Utakata’s rampage and the group left the Land of Waves, while Kakashi chose to conceal what Menma had done. The chapter ended with the Great Toad Sage waking again amid confusion at Mount Myōboku.

• Menma pretended to seal the Six-Tails, and Saiken returned to Utakata’s body as Zabuza agreed to keep the incident secret.
• Zabuza conceded the final match to Konoha, then led his group back toward the Land of Water while Gato paid the mission fee.
• Kakashi and the others left the Land of Waves, where Inari glared at them after Kaiza died in the tsunami.
• Gato paid Menma an extra one million ryo and claimed he had destroyed the camera footage.
• Kakashi decided not to tell Danzo about Menma’s actions, while Menma worried about explaining the Six-Tails’ Chakra to Kushina.
• At Mount Myōboku, Gamaba explained that the Great Toad Sage had awakened and fallen asleep again, before the Sage finally woke.

The Great Toad Sage prophesied that a golden-clad Child of Destiny would lead the Shinobi World's transformation, then sent the toads to find Jiraiya. Back in Konoha, Menma revealed to Kushina that he had obtained the Six-Tails' Chakra during the Land of Waves mission, leaving her alarmed and asking him to explain what happened.

• The Great Toad Sage told Fukasaku and Shima that the suffering Child of Destiny had awakened and warned that the Shinobi World faced an unprecedented crisis.
• Menma and his companions returned to Konoha, and Kakashi went to report their mission while Menma went home.
• Minato told Menma that Kushina was busy preparing Konoha's barriers and sealing scrolls for the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Menma waited for Kushina to return and asked whether she could sense changes in his Chakra.
• Kushina sensed the Six-Tails' Chakra inside Menma, and he told her it had entered his body while he helped Utakata suppress the Six-Tails during the mission.

Kushina explained how Menma’s gentle Six-Tails Chakra could help him build and store vast amounts of Chakra, and Menma devised a plan using the Yin Seal. She then gave him a large collection of introductory Uzumaki Sealing Arts books to study.

• Kushina checked Menma’s Four Symbols Seal and explained that the leaking Tailed Beast Chakra would stimulate his Chakra production while his Uzumaki vitality and the Chakra’s healing ability protected him.
• Kushina described how the Yin Seal stored excess Chakra and contrasted the Uzumaki Clan’s gradual release method with Tsunade’s Strength of a Hundred Technique.
• Menma proposed storing most of the Six-Tails Chakra and his newly refined Chakra in a Yin Seal, and Kushina agreed that the plan seemed feasible if he learned the technique first.
• Kushina brought Menma a tall stack of introductory Uzumaki Sealing Arts books she had gathered and urged him to study them.

Menma gave Kushina the money he had earned on the Land of Waves mission, then learned that his team would enter the upcoming Chunin Ninja Exams and take another A-Rank mission. He went to the Yamanaka Clan to retrieve his exam forms and undergo counseling, and ended the chapter heading to the clan home with Ino.

• Menma unsealed one million ryo and gave it to Kushina for the household, sharing a warm moment with her.
• Kakashi split the mission earnings among the four teammates and told them Konoha would host the Chunin Ninja Exams with the Sand Village and several smaller countries.
• Kakashi said Menma's registration forms were with the Yamanaka Clan and that he needed counseling before collecting them, then assigned the team an A-Rank mission beginning in ten days.
• Menma visited the Yamanaka flower shop, where Ino told him her father, Inoichi, was still at the Intelligence Division and invited him to wait.
• Menma explained Kakashi's counseling request to Ino, helped her tidy the shop, and walked with her to the Yamanaka Clan home.

Menma discussed his violent impulses with Inoichi, who warned him to respect life and control his desire to kill. Back home, Menma learned Jiraiya would visit the next day and was stunned by Kushina’s description of him as a celebrated documentary writer.

• Inoichi invited Menma into the Yamanaka Clan compound and questioned him about his thoughts on killing and Zabuza Momochi.
• Inoichi warned Menma that his instinctive desire to kill was dangerous and urged him to reflect on the value of life.
• After dinner, Ino walked Menma out and encouraged him to stay true to himself; they agreed to call each other by their names.
• Menma returned home, where Kushina told him Jiraiya would visit the next day to discuss taking him as a disciple.
• Kushina described Jiraiya as a powerful, serious Ninja and a renowned documentary writer, leaving Menma shocked.

Jiraiya accepted Menma as his disciple and tested his abilities at the training grounds. After Menma identified his weaknesses and asked to learn the Rasengan, Jiraiya revealed that he had never heard of it.

• Jiraiya explained his rules for taking Menma as a disciple, and Minato and Kushina agreed to the terms.
• Jiraiya accepted Menma and took him to the training grounds to assess his abilities.
• Menma attacked Jiraiya with Multiple Shadow Clones and Wind Release techniques, but Jiraiya defended himself with Needle Jizō.
• Jiraiya asked Menma to assess his strengths and weaknesses, and Menma identified his large Chakra reserves and limited combat skills.
• Menma asked to learn the Rasengan, but Jiraiya asked what it was.

Menma explained his Rasengan idea to Jiraiya, who agreed it seemed feasible but wanted time to study it. Jiraiya then taught Menma the Summoning Technique and demonstrated it by summoning a giant toad.

• Menma described the Rasengan as a hand-seal-free technique that compressed and rotated Chakra, and said the Tailed-Beast Bomb had inspired the idea.
• Jiraiya tried gathering and compressing Chakra but could not keep it from leaking, so he decided to study Menma's idea before teaching him how to develop it.
• Menma asked to learn Jiraiya's hair Ninjutsu, and Jiraiya proposed teaching him the Summoning Technique as well.
• Jiraiya challenged Menma to learn the Summoning Technique within a day and summon a toad larger than himself before he would teach him Needle Jizō.
• Jiraiya explained the blood-contract summoning method and demonstrated it, summoning a gigantic orange-red toad with black flame-like markings.

Menma was accidentally sent to another dimension when he attempted his first Summoning Technique, and Jiraiya failed to bring him back from Mount Myōboku. The Great Toad Sage said Menma was safe and would return in a few days, while Menma found himself on a barren world facing a shattered planet.

• Menma signed the Mount Myōboku contract and tried the Summoning Technique, but vanished instead of summoning a toad.
• Jiraiya returned to Mount Myōboku and asked Fukasaku to use the Reverse Summoning Technique, but it failed to reach Menma.
• Fukasaku said Menma’s contract connection remained intact, and the Great Toad Sage told Jiraiya that Menma was safe and would return in a few days.
• Menma woke in a desolate dimension and saw a massive shattered planet and a nearby moon in the sky.