Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru, Sousuke, and the research team completed the Thunder Halberd-α Prototype Verification Unit and began its live-fire tests at the No. 7 Underground Comprehensive Test Range. Its first shot pierced a hardwood target cleanly, leaving the team with a successful initial result as testing continued.

• Orochimaru and the researchers finished connecting and checking the Thunder Halberd-α’s energy circuits and safety systems.
• Akimichi Doto authorized final assembly after the modules passed their independent tests.
• The team assembled the Thunder Halberd-α and confirmed that its static power-on self-test had passed.
• Akimichi Doto ordered the verification unit transferred to the No. 7 Underground Comprehensive Test Range for live testing.
• Orochimaru fired the Thunder Halberd-α at a hardwood target, and the beam bored a clean hole through it.

The Thunder Halberd-α passed its first live-fire tests, and Akimichi Doto celebrated the project team's success. In the Hokage's office, Nangō Kumoi approved Uchiha Sora's genjutsu teacher qualification and summoned Uchiha Kagami.

• Orochimaru oversaw the Thunder Halberd-α's power and moving-target tests, which all succeeded without damaging the verification unit.
• Akimichi Doto ordered the test data sealed and the prototype returned for inspection, then promised the project team a celebratory feast.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Nangō Kumoi the finalized genjutsu teacher qualification results.
• Nangō Kumoi reviewed Uchiha Sora's application, confirmed his strong assessment results, and approved his qualification.
• Nangō Kumoi sent a summons for Uchiha Kagami to come see him.

Kumoi approved the next phase of the Thunder Halberd project after Torifu reported that its first integrated live-fire test had succeeded. Months later, Konoha University opened, and its first students awaited their class and instructor assignments under the new three-to-one teaching system.

• Torifu Akimichi reported to Kumoi that the Thunder Halberd Alpha prototype had passed its first integrated live-fire test.
• Kumoi designated a site in the West District for a confidential pilot production workshop and pledged the resources needed to prepare the weapon for frontline use.
• Kumoi ordered a special bonus for the Research and Development Department project team and encouraged them to rest before working on improved and variant models.
• Several months later, Konoha University officially opened, and its first generation of students gathered for class and instructor assignments.
• The university announced a teaching model in which one lead instructor would oversee three students, while assistant Chunin mentors were reserved for future wartime or especially difficult missions.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Uchiha Gen waited for their university team assignments while the Jonin instructors received their student files. The instructors headed to meet their teams, leaving Nangō Kumoi to watch over the start of Konoha’s new educational era.

• Jiraiya worried about who would teach them and lamented that the four friends would have to split into three-person teams, while Tsunade mocked him and Uchiha Gen calmed them down.
• Uchiha Gen reflected that the Hawk Faction had stopped openly resisting and was now seeking benefits for the clan within Konoha’s new order.
• Nangō Kumoi and Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the students through the Telescope Technique and discussed how quickly they had grown into team leaders.
• Nangō Kumoi distributed sealed student files to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kagami Uchiha, Shimura Danzō, Torifu Akimichi, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.
• The Jonin instructors left with their files to meet their students, while Nangō Kumoi dispelled the Telescope Technique and looked toward the campus.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kagami Uchiha formed Teams 7 and 10 at Konoha University, introducing their students to contrasting training plans. Team 7 prepared for intensive combat training, while Team 10 was set to study barrier construction and coordination.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi called Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Senju Tsunade from class and named himself Team 7's lead instructor.
• Hiruzen outlined his expectations for each student and planned an afternoon assessment at Training Ground Three.
• Kagami Uchiha led Uchiha Gen and two other students into the Team 10 guidance room and encouraged them to set aside their origins and focus on ability and character.
• Kagami asked Gen to pursue personal growth while cooperating with teammates from different backgrounds.
• Kagami arranged for Team 10 to observe the Barrier Team's work at the West District Integrated Barrier Simulation Training Ground that afternoon.

Hiruzen Sarutobi trained Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade to synchronize their chakra as Team 7. After practicing while building a rope frame, they began a bell challenge that required them to keep their chakra in resonance as they tried to take the bells.

• Hiruzen gave Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade Resonance Tokens and taught them to synchronize their chakra output.
• The three coordinated their chakra until the tokens stayed lit steadily for over ten seconds.
• Hiruzen required them to build a triangular rope frame between three trees without breaking the tokens' resonance.
• Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade completed the frame after forty minutes of mistakes and adjustments.
• Hiruzen started a bell-taking challenge, requiring the students to maintain resonance while trying to take his bells.

Hiruzen tested Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru by making them maintain chakra resonance while trying to steal the bells at his waist. They failed to keep their resonance through their final attack, but Hiruzen passed them for achieving the threshold of true teamwork.

• Hiruzen began the bell test, and Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru struggled to maintain resonance while dodging his Taijutsu.
• Orochimaru proposed moving together to steady their resonance, and the three coordinated their movements.
• Orochimaru identified Hiruzen's brief pause after evading three attacks, and the students planned a coordinated three-sided assault.
• Hiruzen stepped toward Orochimaru to disrupt their predictions, then hooked Tsunade's ankle and caused all three wooden tokens to lose their glow.
• Hiruzen declared the test a pass for their teamwork, placed the bells on the ground, and the three students cheered.

After training, Hiruzen and Team 7 met Kagami and Team 10 on Konoha’s bustling commercial street and shared a meal. The young ninja grew more comfortable with one another, beginning a friendly connection between the teams.

• Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru admired the lively commercial street and ran into Kagami with Uchiha Gen, Watarai Kenta, and Kuno Chigusa.
• Hiruzen suggested that the two groups eat together, and Kagami agreed.
• Gen introduced Kenta and Chigusa to Team 7, and the young ninja greeted one another.
• At the restaurant, Kenta asked Orochimaru about chakra control, Chigusa asked Tsunade about medical techniques, and Jiraiya chatted with Gen.
• Hiruzen and Kagami watched the young ninja bond as everyone shared a relaxed meal.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, and their peers shared a relaxed dinner with Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kagami Uchiha, discussing training, barrier theory, and their work. The gathering ended with laughter as the teachers watched the students grow closer.

• Jiraiya recounted his training with Hiruzen, while Tsunade corrected his exaggerated story.
• Orochimaru explained barrier techniques to Watanabe Kenta and offered to draw him a diagram.
• Uchiha Gen explained to Kuno Chigusa how a barrier could resonate with natural energy to stay stable.
• Kagami told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Root was stable, and they discussed their workload and the students’ future independence.
• Tsunade joked that Jiraiya’s appetite made him a heavy load, making the group laugh.

After Team 7 and Team 10 parted ways, Hokage Nangō Kumoi met late at night with Uzumaki Clan Head Shui Yuan, who had sensed scattered Uzumaki survivors in the Land of Hot Water. Kumoi promised to arrange a careful search, then considered whom to send.

• Kagami Uchiha and Hiruzen Sarutobi watched their teams depart after dinner and then went their separate ways.
• Nangō Kumoi worked late in the Hokage Office as Konoha University’s opening had added to his workload.
• Shui Yuan Uzumaki told Kumoi that the clan’s Bloodline Resonance Technique had detected Uzumaki survivors toward the southeastern Land of Hot Water.
• Shui Yuan explained that he hoped to reunite the survivors with the clan, and Kumoi assured him Konoha would help bring them home.
• Kumoi promised to send people to find the survivors and had Anbu escort Shui Yuan back to the West District.
• After Shui Yuan left, Kumoi studied a map and wondered whom to send to the Land of Hot Water.

Kumoi planned a low-risk mission to receive Uzumaki survivors in the Land of Hot Water and assigned it to Hiruzen and Team 7 as a chance for the young ninja to gain field experience. The chapter ended as Kumoi explained the mission to Hiruzen and entrusted him with leading it.

• Kumoi considered sending Hiruzen to receive the Uzumaki survivors and negotiate a medicinal-herb project, then decided to include Team 7 and supporting Chunin.
• Kumoi finished his paperwork and planned to assign the mission to Team 7 the next morning.
• Hiruzen arrived at the Hokage Building and was summoned to meet Kumoi in the Hokage Office.
• Hiruzen reported that Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru had decent foundations but needed to improve their coordination and teamwork.
• Kumoi told Hiruzen about the stranded Uzumaki clansmen and handed him the mission scroll, saying that bringing family home was a duty they could not refuse.

Hiruzen accepted a C-rank mission to lead Team 7 to the Land of Hot Water, publicly inspecting a commercial project while secretly receiving Uzumaki survivors. Concerned that the mission could become dangerous, Nangō Kumoi ordered an elite Anbu team to shadow them covertly.

• Kumoi explained that the mission would bring back Uzumaki survivors, begin trade discussions, and give Team 7 its first real experience outside the village.
• Hiruzen accepted the mission and planned to travel with Team 7 and supporting Chunin under the cover of a commercial inspection.
• Kumoi warned Hiruzen that other forces might target the Uzumaki survivors and urged him to stay alert.
• After Hiruzen left, Kumoi recalled a similar first-mission incident from another spacetime and grew wary of unforeseen dangers.
• Kumoi ordered an elite Anbu team, excluding Root, to secretly follow Team 7 throughout the mission.

Kumoi ordered covert protection for Team 7’s mission while allowing them to face ordinary setbacks, then the young ninja reviewed their failed bell exercise and identified how to improve. The chapter left Team 7 preparing to work together more effectively as they awaited Hiruzen.

• Kumoi tasked the Dark Crow Unit with discreetly monitoring Team 7 and intervening only if they faced a fatal threat beyond their abilities.
• Kumoi reflected on the chance that unexpected dangers could still arise, then returned to his village work.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru met at Training Ground Three before Hiruzen arrived and decided to review their bell-grabbing exercise.
• Orochimaru identified their lack of coordination, while Tsunade admitted her kick was slow and Jiraiya recognized that he had overcommitted.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru each resolved to adjust their approach for their next attempt against Hiruzen.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru trained together while waiting for Hiruzen Sarutobi, then learned that he had an outside-the-village mission for Team 7. Orochimaru questioned why newly graduated genin were being sent out so soon, leaving the mission’s circumstances unexplained.

• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru completed coordination drills, and Jiraiya admitted he was eager to learn from their new teacher.
• Jiraiya and Tsunade resumed bickering while Orochimaru declined to take sides.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived and announced an outside-the-village mission for the three of them as Team 7.
• Jiraiya reacted with excitement, while Tsunade asked what the mission was.
• Orochimaru pointed out that the assignment broke normal procedure and asked whether a special situation or a non-combat mission was involved.

Hiruzen prepared Team 7 for a low-risk mission to the Land of Hot Water, presenting it as a chance to learn about the world beyond Konoha. He and the three newly graduated genin gathered at Konoha Park and set off toward the village gates for their first mission.

• Hiruzen explained that Team 7 would accompany him on a diplomatic inspection and observe, while he and assistant Chunin handled the mission’s main work.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru accepted Hiruzen’s orders and went home to pack for the trip.
• Jiraiya packed in a rush, Orochimaru carefully checked his gear and brought a Land of Hot Water gazetteer, and Tsunade told Mito she was leaving the village.
• Hiruzen met the three students at Konoha Park with their village-exit permits, and they headed together toward Konoha’s gates.

Nangō Kumoi sent Team 7 out on an escort mission to the Land of Hot Water while the Third Raikage ordered Kumogakure to capture suspected Uzumaki survivors there. After Madara learned that Kumogakure was closing in on his hidden Incubator, he sent Black Zetsu to move its people toward the Land of Grass.

• Nangō Kumoi watched Team 7 depart and told an Anbu to proceed according to plan.
• A Kumogakure intelligence officer reported suspected Uzumaki survivors near a hot spring town in the Land of Hot Water.
• The Third Raikage ordered a Chunin squad to identify and secretly bring the survivors to Kumogakure alive and unharmed.
• White Zetsu warned Madara that unfamiliar chakra signatures, likely from Kumogakure, were approaching the Incubator.
• Madara ordered Black Zetsu to lead the Incubator's people toward the Land of Grass without revealing their involvement.

Team 7 explored the Land of Fire's Daimyo's Palace during a day of rest, then split up to wander on their own. Jiraiya headed toward Drunken Fragrance House, curious to see the kind of place he had read about in books.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi let Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru explore the city before continuing their journey the next morning.
• Jiraiya saw foreign merchants buying Konoha ninja tools and felt proud of the village's popularity.
• Tsunade recalled visiting the same street as a child with her parents and noted that little had changed.
• Jiraiya suggested that the three explore separately and meet at the park's fountain after sunset.
• Jiraiya went to Drunken Fragrance House, intending to investigate the place he had read about in novels.

Jiraiya met a regular outside Drunken Fragrance House who advised him to write about why people visited, while Tsunade finally entered a casino but lost all her money. Jiraiya left inspired to record the man's words, and Tsunade departed determined to try gambling again.

• Jiraiya told a middle-aged man that he was researching for future books, and the man advised him to write about why people came to Drunken Fragrance House.
• Jiraiya gave the man his pen name, Ero, then left to explore the town and remember the advice.
• Tsunade went to Casino Street and entered a casino, where she lost repeatedly at dice, Pai Gow, and Hanafuda.
• After losing all her money, Tsunade left the casino and vowed to return another time.

Orochimaru visited the Fire Temple’s library and encountered a mysterious man who tested his views on the Ninja World’s legends. The man, Jigen, considered recruiting Orochimaru but withdrew after noticing Konoha’s Anbu watching him, while Orochimaru wondered how he had vanished.

• Orochimaru entered the Fire Temple and received the abbot’s permission to read in its library until sunset.
• Orochimaru explored ancient texts and legends in the library, becoming absorbed in a book about mechanized puppets.
• A mysterious middle-aged man questioned Orochimaru about whether the Ninja World’s legends and history were true.
• The man, Jigen, considered recruiting Orochimaru but noticed elite Konoha Anbu nearby and chose to wait.
• Jigen vanished using a space-time technique, and Orochimaru noticed his disappearance before returning to his book.

Hiruzen Sarutobi attended a banquet at the Daimyo's Palace, where the Daimyo subtly questioned Konoha's rapid development. He returned to the inn planning to report the palace's attitude to Kumoi.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted Sato's invitation to a banquet at the Daimyo's Palace and brought the documents he had planned to submit.
• The Daimyo welcomed Hiruzen Sarutobi and asked about Tsunade and the other students, who were sightseeing on their own.
• The Daimyo brought up Konoha's university, the West District, and its recent growth, then asked whether Konoha might become livelier than the Daimyo's Palace.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reassured the Daimyo that Konoha depended on the Land of Fire and served to protect it, and the banquet continued with other conversation and performances.
• After returning to the inn, Hiruzen Sarutobi recorded the conversation so he could report the Daimyo's subtle concerns to Kumoi.