Chapter Summaries

The latest Chunin Ninja Exams began in Konoha with a written test designed to challenge the Genin’s intelligence and resolve. When the examiner threatened a lifelong ban for anyone who answered the final question incorrectly, Kushina Uzumaki refused to back down and inspired the others to continue.

• Nibisho Morino explained the written exam rules and started the test as Shikaku Nara, Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki took part.
• Minato Namikaze realized the exam tested observation, intelligence-gathering, and mental fortitude, then worried when Kushina Uzumaki left her paper blank.
• Nibisho Morino gave the examinees a choice between abandoning the exam as a team or risking a permanent ban if they answered the final question incorrectly.
• Some examinees gave up and left, while Kushina Uzumaki declared that she would pass and become Hokage.
• Minato Namikaze, the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, and the other examinees admired Kushina Uzumaki and resolved not to give up.

Minato Namikaze and the other promising genin passed the written exam, the Forest of Death, and the preliminary matches to reach the Chunin Ninja Exams finals. The chapter ended as Minato faced Hyuga Hiashi, while Tokuma Hyuga urged his son to defeat the civilian-born genius and defend the Hyuga Main Family’s prestige.

• Nibisho Morino passed the examinees who dared to answer the tenth question, then the teams began the Forest of Death scroll trial.
• Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Choza Akimichi advanced through the forest with coordinated teamwork, while Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki fought their way through together.
• Team Minato, the Ino-Shika-Cho team, and Hyuga brothers Hiashi and Hizashi passed the forest assessment.
• Shikaku, Choza, Inoichi, Minato, and Kushina won their preliminary arena matches and qualified for the final tournament.
• Minato Namikaze and Hyuga Hiashi took their places for a final match, and Tokuma Hyuga told Hiashi to teach Minato a lesson and uphold the Main Family’s standing.

Minato Namikaze defeated Hyuga Hiashi in the final elimination match, breaking through Hiashi’s Gentle Fist and Rotation with his speed and Rasengan. After the referee declared Minato the winner, he offered Hiashi a hand, and Hiashi accepted his loss.

• Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru watched Minato face Hiashi, while Nawaki returned from a mission and joined the spectators with Kushina.
• Hiashi activated his Byakugan and attacked Minato with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but Minato evaded the strikes using Body Flicker Technique.
• Hiashi fired Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, and Minato dodged before charging at him with a kunai.
• Hiashi defended himself with Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation, but Minato struck the chakra shield with his Rasengan and shattered it.
• The referee declared Minato the winner after Hiashi fell and could not continue, and Minato offered him a hand.

Minato Namikaze defeated a Hyuga Main Family fighter with a powerful seal-less technique, impressing Konoha's spectators and drawing praise from Kagami Uchiha's companions. At the Hokage Office, Kagami revealed that he had mastered Wood Release and offered to help Tsunade awaken it, but she declined and leaned on his promise to protect her.

• Kushina Uzumaki and Senju Nawaki cheered Minato Namikaze's victory, while Hizashi Hyuga questioned his brother's defeat and Tokuma Hyuga urged Hizashi to restore the clan's prestige.
• Hatake Sakumo, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru recognized the strength and originality of Minato's seal-less chakra technique, and Kakashi watched him with admiration.
• Minato, Kushina, Nawaki, Sakumo, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru went to the Hokage Office, where Kagami Uchiha correctly guessed that Minato had won.
• Kagami showed the group a living twig he had created with Wood Release and said he had mastered the kekkei genkai years earlier.
• Kagami offered to help Tsunade awaken Wood Release, but Tsunade declined, saying she preferred medical work and trusted Kagami to protect her.

Minato received his Chunin promotion from Kagami Uchiha and described the new ninjutsu he had developed. After Orochimaru suggested adding chakra nature transformation, Minato left with Kushina to test the idea, while the others departed and Hiruko remained alone with Kagami Uchiha.

• Kagami Uchiha promoted Minato to Chunin, kept his squad with Kushina intact, and reminded him to protect her.
• Hiruko arrived, and Jiraiya asked Minato about the seal-less ninjutsu he had used in his assessment.
• Minato explained that Halo Frozen Dessert Automatic, Whorling Matatabi Twin-Style Ball was inspired by Matatabi's Tailed Beast Bomb and used compressed, rapidly rotating chakra.
• Orochimaru suggested adding chakra nature transformation, and Minato excitedly left with Kushina to experiment with the technique.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru followed Minato, while Hatake Sakumo took Kakashi home and invited Kagami Uchiha to dinner.
• Tsunade left Kagami Uchiha and Hiruko alone in the office.

Hiruko told Kagami Uchiha that the research institute had found the Byakugan might evolve through purification, and Kagami explained that its ultimate form was the Tenseigan. He summoned Tobirama Senju to discuss a better way to obtain the Byakugan needed for the research.

• Hiruko asked Kagami Uchiha to help the institute obtain more of the Hyuga Clan's spare Byakugan for experiments.
• Kagami explained that the Byakugan descended from Hamura Otsutsuki and could ultimately evolve into the Tenseigan, but that the Hyuga Clan might not possess enough eyes for the process.
• Kagami told Hiruko to bring Tobirama Senju to him so he could explain a better option to them both.
• Hiruko found Tobirama Senju working at the institute and relayed Kagami's invitation, while Tobirama complained about the researchers' work hours.
• Tobirama went with Hiruko, reflecting that the Ōtsutsuki Clan posed a future threat that Konoha needed to prepare for.

Tobirama Senju learned from Kagami Uchiha about the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon and their threat to destroy the Shinobi World. Suspecting the Hyuga Clan had a teleportation array linking them to the moon, Tobirama ordered the clan surrounded so Tokuma Hyuga could be captured and forced to reveal its location.

• Kagami Uchiha explained that the Hyuga's distant relatives, the Ōtsutsuki on the moon, viewed the Shinobi World as a failed creation they should destroy.
• Tobirama Senju rejected cooperation and proposed attacking the moon to eliminate the Ōtsutsuki and claim their Byakugan.
• Kagami Uchiha said the Hyuga Clan might possess a secret teleportation array to the moon that required a pure Byakugan to activate.
• Tobirama Senju accused the Hyuga Clan of betraying Konoha by maintaining contact with the moon and ordered Kagami Uchiha to surround the clan.
• Tobirama Senju planned to capture Tokuma Hyuga and force him to reveal the teleportation array's location.

Kagami offered Tobirama a chance to be resurrected through Madara Uchiha’s Rinnegan and receive the Tenseigan, but Tobirama recoiled at relying on Madara. After Kagami argued that Tobirama needed a living body and greater power to protect Konoha, Tobirama agreed to reconsider once they had taken the moon and obtained the Tenseigan.

• Kagami asked Tobirama whether he wanted to leave his Impure World Reincarnation body and live again, but Tobirama said he preferred his tireless body for research.
• Kagami explained that he meant the Rinnegan’s Rinne Rebirth, which could resurrect Tobirama at the cost of a White Zetsu body.
• Tobirama rejected the offer when Kagami revealed that Madara Uchiha possessed the Rinnegan, and warned Kagami that Madara was dangerous.
• Kagami assured Tobirama that he controlled their cooperation and argued that Madara had been misled, then offered Tobirama the Tenseigan to help him surpass the limits of his reincarnated body.
• Tobirama agreed to discuss resurrection after they took the moon, gained control of Hamura’s bloodline, and obtained the Tenseigan.

Madara Uchiha waited in the Mountain Graveyard for Kagami Uchiha to return the Rinnegan, while planning to revive Hashirama and Izuna and refusing to let Tobirama return. In the Land of Rain, Kakuzu proposed that Akatsuki seize Takigakure’s Seven-Tails, secretly hoping to earn Kagami’s favor and eventually manage the Shinobi World’s finances.

• Madara Uchiha decided to keep waiting for Kagami Uchiha to awaken the Rinnegan and vowed to revive Hashirama and Izuna while keeping Tobirama in the Pure Land.
• Kakuzu told Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan that Nagato’s Rinnegan belonged to someone else but could remain with him until it was time to return them.
• Kakuzu proposed that Akatsuki obtain Takigakure’s Seven-Tails to strengthen the Land of Rain.
• Yahiko worried that taking a Tailed Beast would violate the Shinobi Federation’s peace rules, but Kakuzu argued that strength would secure peace.
• Kakuzu privately planned to offer the Seven-Tails to Kagami later and gain control of the Shinobi World’s finances.

At Konoha’s monthly tailed-beast chakra collection, Matatabi arrived late and casually supplied chakra while the other beasts resented her freedom and special treatment. Shukaku and Son Goku complained about the extraction and mocked Kurama’s supposed influence in Konoha, while Kurama silently rejected their claims.

• Bunpuku and Roshi waited at the Konoha Research Institute for the monthly chakra collection, and Kushina arrived and asked whether Matatabi had come.
• Hiruko explained that Matatabi’s special status as Kagami Uchiha’s summoning beast meant he could not hurry her along.
• Matatabi strolled into the hall late, prompting Shukaku to resent her freedom and wish he could charm Kagami Uchiha too.
• Son Goku complained that Konoha’s chakra extraction was harsh and accused Matatabi of betraying the tailed beasts by cooperating with humans.
• Shukaku, Son Goku, Gyuki, and the other beasts argued about Kurama’s standing and Matatabi’s absence, while Kurama silently recalled his history and refused to answer them.

The tailed beasts resented Matatabi’s freedom and special treatment as they gathered chakra for the Konoha Research Institute. After Matatabi contributed only a token amount and left, Kurama resolved to find a way to change his circumstances.

• Kurama, Shukaku, and Son Goku complained that Matatabi lived freely while they were sealed and forced to surrender chakra.
• Hiruko activated the collection formation and instructed the jinchūriki to release their monthly chakra quotas.
• Bunpuku, Roshi, and Kushina released chakra for Shukaku, Son Goku, and Kurama, leaving the beasts weakened and resentful.
• Matatabi released a small amount of chakra, and Hiruko recorded her contribution without protest.
• Matatabi left the collection hall, provoking furious complaints from Shukaku, Son Goku, and Kurama.
• Kurama cursed Matatabi and resolved to find a way to change his situation.

Kurama offered to help Kushina achieve Perfect Jinchuriki Mode in exchange for a chance at greater freedom from Kagami Uchiha. Kushina agreed to raise the proposal and began training with Kurama, who revealed his name.

• After Matatabi left the chakra collection hall, Hiruko recorded the Tailed Beasts’ chakra and dismissed the others.
• Kurama told Kushina he would fully cooperate with her training if it could prove his worth and persuade Kagami Uchiha to let him move around more freely.
• Hiruko noticed Kushina was distracted and offered to extract more of Kurama’s chakra, prompting her to leave the hall quickly.
• On her way through Konoha, Kushina considered Kurama’s offer and agreed to bring it up with Kagami Uchiha if Kurama truly cooperated.
• Kurama agreed to begin training with Kushina and told her his name was Kurama.

Kushina told Kagami Uchiha that Kurama had agreed to help her master perfect Nine-Tails Jinchuriki mode and wanted permission to move a chakra clone around a safe area. Kagami entered Kushina’s sealed space, challenged Kurama’s beliefs about prophecy, and suggested that Kurama could earn a life like Matatabi’s by following his rules.

• Kushina and Kurama reconciled, then Kushina went to the Hokage Building to speak with Kagami Uchiha.
• Kushina told Kagami that Kurama would help her train and asked permission for him to use a chakra clone in a village-designated safe area.
• Kagami weighed the risks and benefits, then revealed that he knew Kurama’s origins and the Sage of Six Paths’ prophecy about a blue-eyed boy.
• Kagami used his Sharingan to enter Kushina’s sealed space and meet Kurama face-to-face.
• Kagami dismissed the prophecy as the sleep-talking of a toad and said humans and tailed beasts could coexist if Kurama followed his rules.
• Kagami suggested Kurama envied Matatabi’s life in Konoha and asked whether he wanted to keep envying her.

Kagami persuaded Kurama to trust Konoha and officially recognize him as its Tailed Beast, then learned from Black Zetsu that the injured Ōtsutsuki Isshiki was hiding at the Fire Temple. Kagami chose to keep monitoring Isshiki while considering how to trap and defeat him.

• Kagami offered Kurama a peaceful place in Konoha, and Kurama agreed to trust humans and become Konoha's official Tailed Beast.
• Kagami named the fox Kurama, and Kushina left the Hokage Office with him, resolved to build a good relationship with him.
• Black Zetsu reported that Isshiki, disguised as a monk called Jigen, was recovering from injuries at the Fire Temple.
• Kagami ordered Black Zetsu to keep observing Isshiki from a safe distance and not reveal himself.
• Kagami considered how to counter Isshiki's Dōjutsu and wondered what power his own Rinnegan would grant him.

Kagami Uchiha visited Hatake Sakumo’s home with Tsunade, where Yukihō urged him to make a commitment to Tsunade. Sakumo asked to change his surname to Uchiha and become Kagami’s son, but Kagami told him he had always regarded him as a child, leaving Sakumo calling him Father and Kakashi calling him Grandpa.

• Tsunade worried about Kagami Uchiha’s troubled expression as they walked through Konoha, but he reassured her and took her to buy gifts for Sakumo’s family.
• Kagami Uchiha and Tsunade visited Sakumo’s home, where they greeted Yukihō, Sakumo, and two-year-old Kakashi before sharing dinner.
• Yukihō urged Kagami Uchiha to give Tsunade a proper commitment, and he promised to do so once things had been stable longer.
• Sakumo told Kagami Uchiha that he wanted to change his surname to Uchiha and become his son.
• Kagami Uchiha said Sakumo had been his child in his heart since becoming his disciple, and Sakumo tearfully called him Father.
• Yukihō encouraged Kakashi to call Kagami Uchiha Grandpa, while Tsunade privately wondered whether that made her a grandmother before marriage.

Kagami Uchiha’s Rinnegan fully awakened, bringing him to the Six Paths level and granting him new powers. Tobirama Senju arrived after sensing the disturbance, and Kagami declared that Konoha no longer had anything to fear.

• While standing on the Hokage Building rooftop, Kagami Uchiha felt his Sharingan evolve as his Rinnegan awakened.
• Kagami Uchiha manifested Truth-Seeking Orbs and black rods, then tested his ability to fly before returning to his normal appearance.
• Kagami Uchiha recognized that he had reached the Six Paths level and recited a poem about his power.
• Tobirama Senju sensed the awakening’s aura and used Flying Thunder God to reach the Hokage Building.
• Tobirama Senju asked whether Kagami Uchiha had awakened the Rinnegan, and Kagami confirmed it and proclaimed that Konoha had nothing to fear.

Kagami reassured Tobirama that his new Rinnegan power had not changed him, then explained the abilities of several Ōtsutsuki Clan members. Tobirama resolved to help prepare the Shinobi World to face them, even if defeating Momoshiki required sacrifices.

• Tobirama worried that Kagami had been changed by gaining the Rinnegan, and Kagami assured him he still intended to protect Konoha and his comrades.
• Kagami described Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's powerful abilities and warned that her dimensional techniques could trap opponents without space-time ninjutsu.
• Kagami explained that Ōtsutsuki Isshiki could shrink himself and store objects in another space, and Tobirama considered how difficult such powers would be to counter.
• Kagami described Kinshiki's combat skills and Momoshiki's ability to absorb and amplify ninjutsu.
• Tobirama proposed using Might Duy and the Eight Gates to counter Momoshiki, declaring that Konoha ninja would accept sacrifices for the Shinobi World's future.

Kagami Uchiha told Tobirama Senju about the Ōtsutsuki Clan’s godlike figure, Ōtsutsuki Shibai, and his overwhelming abilities. Tobirama resolved to defend the Shinobi World, while Kagami explained that Shibai had transcended their dimension and was not an immediate threat.

• Kagami Uchiha refused to let Tobirama Senju casually sacrifice the subordinates who trusted him, and Tobirama revealed that he had been testing him.
• Kagami described Urashiki’s abilities, then introduced Ōtsutsuki Shibai as a figure beyond ordinary understanding.
• Kagami explained that Shibai had repeatedly consumed Chakra Fruits and described his Clairvoyance, Ten Directions, Omnipotence, and Reflection abilities.
• Tobirama Senju accepted how dangerous Shibai was and vowed that he and Kagami would stand between the village and its enemies.
• Kagami revealed that Shibai had transcended their dimension and that only his remains were in their universe, so the threat could wait while they faced the other Ōtsutsuki members.

Tobirama Senju learned that Kagami Uchiha’s Rinnegan could counter the Ōtsutsuki’s spatial abilities and destroy their bodies and souls. They decided to attack the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon first, reclaim the Tenseigan, and then prepare to confront Isshiki.

• Tobirama Senju worried that Isshiki could escape into Daikokuten, but Kagami Uchiha assured him that his Rinnegan could counter spatial abilities.
• Kagami explained that Ame no Tokotachi could collapse other dimensions and that Futsu Dankaison could strike anyone in his sight, cutting through bodies and wearing down souls.
• Tobirama praised Kagami’s abilities and asked what they should do next.
• Kagami proposed wiping out the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon, reclaiming the Tenseigan, and using White Zetsu’s body for Rinne Rebirth to revive Tobirama.
• Tobirama agreed to begin by approaching the Hyuga Clan for information about the teleportation array and privately warned Tokuma not to oppose him.

Kagami Uchiha summoned Tokuma Hyuga to the Hokage Office and questioned him about the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon. Tokuma denied knowing the Hyuga secret, and Kagami threatened to show him the truth himself.

• Tokuma Hyuga left the Hyuga compound under escort by Kagami Uchiha's Shadow Guard and went to the Hokage Office.
• Kagami Uchiha dismissed the guards and asked Tokuma how much he knew about the moon and the Ōtsutsuki Clan residing there.
• Tokuma recognized the Ōtsutsuki Clan as a closely guarded Hyuga Main Family secret but pretended he had never heard of it.
• Tokuma insisted he would rather die than answer and threatened to complain to Lord Tobirama in the Pure Land.
• Kagami Uchiha told Tokuma he would grant his wish immediately and warned him not to be frightened by what came next.