Chapter Summaries

Ren used the zombies and natural energy on Beast King Mountain to strengthen his Flying Thunder God space, then learned from Shikaku that the Chunin Exams and the Five Great Shinobi Villages’ Kages were approaching. After Tsunade’s protest over Nawaki’s treatment, Ren told her to focus on getting stronger while Nawaki recovered and awakened Wood Release.

• Ren sent zombies into his Flying Thunder God space to detonate as energy sources, leaving one hundred for research, and had the Red Queen clear the mutated plants.
• Ren stored the harvested plants and told the sheepdog and Red Queen to investigate the mutated medicinal herbs.
• Shikaku told Ren that elite Genin from several villages were heading to Konoha and that the Chunin Exams would begin within two months, with the villages’ Kages attending.
• Ren asked Shikaku to investigate several things, and Shikaku warned him that Hanzo’s publicity had made many ninja view him as a threat.
• Tsunade eventually stopped demolishing the Hokage Office, and Ren told her that the higher-ups had shifted their attention to the exams while Nawaki recovered and awakened Wood Release.
• Ren urged Tsunade to cultivate and grow stronger, believing his Flying Thunder God gave him an advantage over her fighting style.

Ren assessed the shinobi power rankings and explained that his own abilities were still developing, then revealed training resources to help Tsunade grow stronger. A month later, Tsunade trained with a heavy sword in Ren’s Gravity Chamber, where she asked for the gravity to be restored.

• Ren compared prominent shinobi by their normal combat strength and judged himself roughly on par with the young Sannin, though he still lacked their experience.
• Tsunade said her established fighting style left her few quick ways to improve and that she could not master Shikkotsu Forest's Sage Mode.
• Ren took Tsunade to a secret chamber and showed her the Yoga Technique, meditation, and a Gravity Chamber.
• Ren gave Tsunade a special, extremely heavy green longsword suited to her Chakra Enhanced Strength.
• A month later, Tsunade trained beneath the pavilion with the sword and called for the gravity to be restored.

Ren and Tsunade continued training while Konoha prepared for the Chunin Ninja Exams, which Kushina and Mikoto could not enter. As the exam candidates gathered, A arrived with Killer B and Darui and confronted Ren about his missing teacher.

• Tsunade told Ren her training had reached a bottleneck, and he encouraged her to keep building strength.
• Ren wrote his name on the exam registration form while Kushina and Mikoto were barred from participating for their safety and inability to use Chakra.
• Ren noticed A approaching with Killer B and Darui as the two groups prepared for a possible fight.
• Ren and A shook hands while secretly straining against each other, and A asked where his teacher was.
• Ren told A that his teacher was locked up and was eating and drinking well.

Ren warned Konoha’s candidates that the Chunin Ninja Exams would be deadly, then arrived at the Ninja Academy as the first round began. There, he faced the gathered leaders and elites of the Five Great Shinobi Villages and addressed their attention on him.

• A and Ren exchanged threats before A left with Darui and Killer B, and Ren told Shikaku the dispute concerned Nawaki.
• Ren warned the Konoha candidates to train because many shinobi could die during the exams, while Kushina questioned why a Jinchuriki could participate and she could not.
• Half a month later, Ren went with Shikaku to the Ninja Academy, where the first examination was about to begin.
• Ren recognized Rasa and the One-Tail Jinchuriki among the Sand Ninja, then saw groups from Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure arrive.
• Ren noted that the other villages had gathered their elites and told them their attention showed that Hanzo’s title for him had spread.

Ren faced the leaders of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, and their confrontation erupted into a fight before the Chunin Ninja Exams began. After Ren and A clashed, Ren used Flying Thunder God to appear above A and attack him with an Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan.

• Ren challenged the gathered leaders as the Konoha ninja and the Five Great Shinobi Villages formed opposing groups.
• A charged Ren with a lightning-coated fist, prompting Rasa and Gari to attack while Hozuki Mangetsu rushed in with a blade.
• Ren struck A with a Big Ball Rasengan as Might Duy intercepted Mangetsu and sent him flying with the Great Whirlwind.
• The Rasengan and A's lightning attack exploded, throwing both fighters back.
• Ren used Flying Thunder God to appear above A and brought down an Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan, declaring that A would die.

Ren’s clash with A and Yagura destroyed a Konoha teaching building and drew the attention of the village leaders, who agreed to begin the first exam. At the auditorium, Orochimaru announced the exam’s start as ninjas from the villages formed hand seals.

• Ren countered A’s attack with a mirrored Rasengan, wrecking the teaching building, then mocked the rival examinees before leaving with his group.
• Yagura accused Ren of using a simplified Tailed Beast Ball, and Ren teased him before departing.
• The village leaders agreed to start the first exam as soon as possible, with Jonin from their villages contributing to it.
• Ren entered the auditorium with Shikaku and noticed that representatives from many villages had gathered to oversee the exam.
• Orochimaru appeared as chief examiner, announced the first exam’s start, and the assembled ninjas formed hand seals.

Ren recognized that Orochimaru’s first test involved tracking and defeating one of one hundred hidden ninjas to obtain proof for the next round. After uncovering the ninjas’ concealment barrier, Ren headed to Training Ground 4 and planned to collect all the proofs, while Yagura followed and learned of his plan.

• Orochimaru explained that examinees had to find and defeat one of one hundred ninjas to earn proof and qualify for the second test.
• Ren stayed behind instead of immediately searching, then exposed the Water Mirror Barrier concealing the one hundred ninjas beneath the podium.
• Orochimaru moved the battles to Training Ground 4 and warned the remaining examinees to choose their opponents carefully.
• Yagura explained that the barrier was the Hidden Mist Village’s Water Mirror Barrier and asked how Ren had detected it.
• Ren told Shikaku to take all one hundred proofs and destroy all but nine, prompting Yagura to follow Ren’s group toward Training Ground 4.
• Shikaku asked whether to deal with the Hidden Mist group following them, but Ren declined so their discovery would not spread.

Ren reached Training Ground 4 first and challenged a Cloud Ninja to obtain proof for the exam’s second stage. He overwhelmed Yueye Xincang with Rasengan and revealed that he could use the Flying Thunder God, but Xincang counterattacked with Lightning Release—False Darkness.

• Ren recognized that the apparent examinees who had escaped the hall were Konoha Shadow Clones and headed for Training Ground 4.
• Ren arrived at the training ground, where the Kage watched, and challenged Yueye Xincang, an Elite Jonin from Kumogakure.
• Yueye Xincang activated Lightning Armor as Ren attacked with two Rasengan and used the Flying Thunder God to strike him at close range.
• The Kage identified Ren’s technique as the Flying Thunder God, while Naruto wondered how Ren had learned it.
• Ren threw another kunai and a senbon at the injured Xincang, who answered with Lightning Release—False Darkness and hit the kunai with a bolt of lightning.

Ren defeated Shinkura but was interrupted by the Third Raikage, who attacked him to save his clansman. Ren killed Shinkura, rejected the Raikage’s compensation, and threatened Kumogakure’s examinees as he returned to the viewing area injured.

• Ren used the Flying Thunder God and a Purple Flame Rasengan to attack Shinkura, but the Third Raikage rushed in and struck him.
• Ren countered the Raikage’s punch with the Purple Flame Rasengan and trampled Shinkura’s neck, while both Ren and the Raikage suffered burns.
• The Third Raikage said Shinkura was his clansman and offered Konoha a share of the spoils as compensation, but Ren refused and said Shinkura had died beneath his foot.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned the Raikage to restrain himself as his guards retrieved Shinkura’s body.
• Ren taunted the Raikage and threatened to leave every Kumogakure examinee behind in the upcoming exams, then sat beside Shikaku with blood at his mouth.

Ren treated his burns while Yagura revealed his interest in Ren’s shipping company, then they watched Might Duy defeat a Cloud Ninja with overwhelming taijutsu. The fighting continued as Kurama Yun subdued another Cloud Ninja, leaving Ren impressed by his strength.

• Ren warned Shikaku and the others to avoid choosing opponents from Kumogakure because the Cloud Ninja intended to kill.
• Yagura gave Ren medicine for his burns and asked about the shipping company near the Land of Whirlpools, revealing his interest in its future prospects.
• Might Duy challenged the Cloud Ninja Ning Zheng and battered him with powerful taijutsu until the fight ended.
• Kurama Yun made a Cloud Ninja beg for mercy, and Ren praised the strength he had displayed.

Kurama Yun and Might Duy secured proof by defeating Kumogakure ninja, and the first exam ended after a bloody struggle left only a little over a hundred contestants. Ren returned home, where Tsunade decided to visit her old home in Konoha, and his grandfather appeared as Ren recovered from the Raikage’s punch.

• Kurama Yun used his genjutsu to make a Kumogakure ninja kill himself, then brought the exam proof to Ren.
• Shikaku and the others obtained proof, and the Raikage grew furious over the deaths of Kumogakure ninja.
• The examinees fought over the remaining spots until Orochimaru announced that the first round had ended and the second would begin in ten days.
• Ren returned to his courtyard, told Tsunade that Konoha had many of the successful examinees, and heard that she planned to visit her home.
• Ren soaked in a medicinal bath to recover from the Raikage’s punch, then saw his grandfather arrive.

Ren learned that Madara Uchiha’s Chakra had appeared in Konoha, then reviewed Red Queen’s research into an enhanced T Virus that could evolve ninja. He left with ten doses available, while Red Queen continued research on a version for ordinary people.

• Ren’s grandfather warned him that Madara Uchiha had returned and that his Chakra had briefly appeared in Konoha.
• Ren visited his underground laboratory and asked Red Queen about her research on the Ōtsutsuki Clan, the God Tree, and materials provided by Orochimaru.
• Red Queen reported that an Enhanced T Virus made with Magical Beast genes could strengthen ninja, extend their lifespan, and temper their spiritual power, but it could not grant special abilities.
• Red Queen told Ren that ten doses had been produced with Sheepdog’s help and warned that the virus should not be given to elderly ninja, whose bodies lacked enough energy to sustain evolution.
• Ren accepted the limit, asked Red Queen to develop a virus for ordinary people, and left the laboratory.

Ren strengthened Kurama Yun with a genetic serum, enabling him to overcome his physical limits and awaken a powerful Genjutsu ability. After confirming the serum was safe, Ren used it on Shikaku and others, then received the intelligence he had requested as the Chunin Ninja Exams advanced.

• Ren gave Kurama Yun a genetic serum that caused intense pain and hunger while strengthening his physique and spiritual power.
• Kurama Yun ate enormous quantities of food, discovered his physique had increased tenfold, and said he had awakened the ability to turn Genjutsu into reality.
• Ren told Kurama Yun that the elderly and children in his clan could not yet receive the serum, and that the children would need medicinal baths first.
• Ten days later, Ren arrived at the training ground, where only one hundred Chunin Ninja Exam participants remained from more than two thousand.
• Shikaku gave Ren the intelligence scroll he had requested, and Ren reflected that he had safely given the T Virus to Shikaku and the others while excluding Minato.

Ren’s group entered the deadly second exam, where contestants had to collect ten pass tokens in a changed forest. Shikaku and several others chose to withdraw, while Duy and Kurama Yun stayed in, and the group encountered Fugaku Uchiha’s team.

• Yagura questioned Ren about cooperating with the Mizukage, and Ren said the Mizukage could not make him sacrifice profit.
• The examiner announced that the hundred contestants had ten days to collect ten pass tokens, with only ten advancing to one-on-one battles.
• Shikaku advised five of the group to withdraw; Duy and Kurama Yun chose to continue, while Minato withdrew and offered his token.
• Ren set a goal of collecting thirty tokens for the group, and they entered the forest outside Konoha, whose terrain Iwagakure had altered.
• Ren’s group encountered Fugaku Uchiha and eight companions in the forest.

Ren confronted Fugaku Uchiha and Dan Katō over their clearance certificates, then learned Dan had been tracking his movements with Spirit Transformation Technique. After Ren killed Dan, Yagura, Rasa, and Gari arrived, leaving Ren facing several rival villages.

• Ren threatened Fugaku Uchiha and demanded the clearance certificates from his group.
• Shikaku confirmed that one person had passed, and Kurama Yun used Genjutsu to knock Fugaku and the others unconscious and erase their memories.
• Yagura arrived with Rasa and Gari and explained that Dan Katō had used Spirit Transformation Technique to sense Ren's location.
• Ren woke Dan Katō, severed both his arms, and demanded to know how long he had been tracking him.
• Dan Katō admitted he had sensed Ren's movements since their return from the Land of Rain, and Ren beheaded him.

Ren defeated Dan Katō and ordered Kurama Yun to extract intelligence from his preserved head, then faced Gari after Yagura and Rasa declined to fight. Ren overwhelmed Gari with Lightning Release and Flying Thunder God, put him under genjutsu, and demanded the Iwagakure shinobi hand over their proof of passage.

• Ren ordered Kurama Yun to preserve Dan Katō's head and uncover everything he knew.
• Yagura and Rasa said they would not join the battle, leaving Ren to face Gari.
• Ren used Chidori to extinguish Gari's Explosion Release fist and kicked him into the forest.
• Gari launched a ranged Impact Wave, but Ren teleported behind him using a marker he had planted during their earlier clash.
• Ren injected Gari with a syringe, caused him to collapse under genjutsu, and demanded that the Rock Ninja surrender their proof of passage.

Ren defeated Gari, prompting Rasa and Yagura to retreat, and his group gathered enough clearance certificates before hiding to wait out the exam. Meanwhile, Madara ordered Black Zetsu and White Zetsu to approach Ren with the secret of the Sharingan's evolution, while Ren examined Dan Katō's intelligence records.

• Ren subdued Gari, and Rasa withdrew with the Sand Ninja while Yagura left after Ren signaled agreement to discuss cooperation.
• Ren's group counted eighteen certificates from the Rock Ninja and fourteen of their own, then headed for a hidden cave to rest and avoid attention.
• White Zetsu left a clone to watch Fugaku Uchiha, and he and Black Zetsu reported to Madara Uchiha in his cave.
• Madara told Black Zetsu and White Zetsu to contact Ren and reveal the secret of the Sharingan's evolution, saying he wanted Ren to grow stronger before they met.
• Ren read Dan Katō's records with Kurama Yun and dismissed Dan Katō's plans to threaten or recruit him as delusional.

Ren confronted White Zetsu and Black Zetsu, who delivered Madara Uchiha’s explanation of the Mangekyō Sharingan and its ocular techniques. After they left, Ren kept White Zetsu’s severed arm to investigate its origins.

• Ren left the cave after sensing intruders and found White Zetsu and Black Zetsu waiting on a hill.
• Ren attacked them with his lightning-wrapped Stellar Katana, but Black Zetsu recovered from being cut in half and White Zetsu regrew his severed arm.
• Black Zetsu explained that First Hokage vitality could preserve and strengthen the Mangekyō Sharingan, while ocular techniques reflected a person’s experiences, desires, and emotions.
• Ren thanked Madara Uchiha for the information, and Black Zetsu and White Zetsu returned to report to him.
• Ren picked up White Zetsu’s discarded arm and prepared to study it for clues about White Zetsu and the God Tree.

Ren returned White Zetsu's severed arm to Konoha so Red Queen could study it, then resumed the Chunin Ninja Exams. After capturing three Takigakure ninjas, he investigated a hidden laboratory and recognized it as Hiruko's.

• Ren used Flying Thunder God to take White Zetsu's arm to his laboratory and ordered Red Queen to study it.
• Ren returned to the forest and shared food from Konoha with Shikaku, Choza, and the others.
• Ren defeated three Takigakure ninjas who had tried to ambush him and take his proof of passage.
• One Takigakure ninja offered information about a hidden laboratory, and Ren left Shikaku to interrogate them while Might Duy accompanied him.
• Ren searched the laboratory and identified it as Hiruko's after finding the word “Chimera” in the documents.

Ren discovered that the abandoned laboratory had belonged to Hiruko, who was researching the Chimera Technique, and destroyed it to keep its secrets hidden. After Kurama Yun’s Genjutsu killed three Takigakure ninja, she recovered clues about Takigakure’s forbidden technique, Earth Grudge Fear.

• Ren recognized the laboratory as Hiruko’s former research site and realized Hiruko could be a valuable scientist for his plans.
• Ren destroyed the cleaned-out laboratory and ordered Duy to eliminate the three Takigakure ninja so no information would leak.
• Shikaku told Ren that the Takigakure ninja had yielded no useful ninjutsu, so Ren ordered Kurama Yun to search their memories with Genjutsu.
• The seals in the Takigakure ninja’s minds activated and killed them, but Kurama Yun glimpsed information about Earth Grudge Fear.
• Ren explained that Earth Grudge Fear could make someone immortal, then burned the corpses and left with the others.