Recaps

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sara reached the sheltered ruins of Rōran, where a vast barrier drew power from the Ryūmyaku. As Minato and the Nine-Tails discussed how changes to the past affected the future, Minato concluded that events already experienced would remain unchanged.

• Sara led Naruto and Sasuke out of the stopped wagon after Taro ordered the caravan inspected.
• Naruto saw the inhabited ruins beneath a huge purple barrier and spotted the Ryūmyaku chakra pillar powering it.
• The Nine-Tails and Minato recognized that the Uchiha Clan had likely used Anrokuzan's research to build the barrier.
• The Nine-Tails asked whether Sara's changed past meant Mukade would still become Anrokuzan and Naruto would still travel back to meet her.
• Minato argued that changing the past would not erase events that had already happened, citing the Nine-Tails' unchanged future memories.

Sara’s caravan arrived at the Uchiha settlement, where Sasuke encountered children training with puppets and was attacked after they learned he was an Uchiha from outside the clan. Their tangled chakra threads sent the puppets into chaos until Sasuke cut the threads with a kunai and continued on.

• Sara greeted Taro Uchiha and the other children, who crowded around her for gifts and attention.
• Taro questioned Sasuke, and a little girl revealed his name before Sasuke said he was also an Uchiha.
• The children repeated their families’ warnings about outsiders and sent their puppets to attack Sasuke.
• Sasuke kicked one puppet, tangling the children’s chakra threads and causing their puppets to fight as the children panicked.
• Sasuke severed all the threads with a kunai, stopping the puppets, while Naruto and Kurama grumbled about the Uchiha.

Sasuke explored the Uchiha survivors’ settlement and felt like a stranger among his clansmen, until Uchiha Izumi showed him the work she did caring for them. He learned that the young survivors had left the ruins to work, not to seek revenge, and was caught off guard by the explanation.

• Naruto stayed behind with Sara and the Uchiha children while Sasuke went farther into the ruins alone.
• Sasuke saw that the settlement was home mostly to elderly people and children, and he found no one he recognized.
• Feeling no connection to the survivors, Sasuke feared he was becoming like Uchiha Itachi and began to question his own concern for the clan.
• Sasuke overheard Uchiha Izumi caring for an elderly woman and thanked her for everything she had done as Clan Head Izumi.
• Izumi told Sasuke that some young survivors were elsewhere, and he was startled when she explained that they had gone out to work.

Sasuke reunited with Izumi and learned how the surviving Uchiha had rebuilt their lives in the Ruins, prioritizing food, shelter, and safety over revenge. Izumi explained that the clan had chosen to remain hidden until the next generation grew up.

• Izumi warmly welcomed Sasuke, teased him, and invited him to talk about the Uchiha Clan while Naruto waited elsewhere.
• Izumi described the new houses built in the Ruins and explained that many elderly clanspeople stayed in the unsafe old homes because they could not bear to give them up.
• Izumi told Sasuke that the survivors worked in nearby towns, running stalls and restaurants, because the clan had to earn money to provide food, water, clothing, and care for its children and elderly.
• Izumi explained that few rescued clanspeople had awakened the Sharingan and most had little or no ninja training.
• Izumi said the clanspeople had considered leaving, returning to Konoha, or abandoning the Uchiha name, but chose to stay hidden until the next generation grew up.

Izumi explained to Sasuke that a clan was bound by shared beliefs, then took him to the Uchiha graveyard. There, Sasuke found memorials for his parents and learned that a space had been left for Uchiha Itachi.

• Izumi described the Uchiha Clan’s hardships and asked Sasuke what beliefs he carried as an Uchiha.
• Naruto sensed hostility nearby and left the children, while Sara redirected them to inspecting the Caravan’s goods.
• Sasuke followed Izumi past grieving Uchiha survivors to a graveyard filled mostly with cenotaphs.
• Sasuke recognized the headstones for Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto and learned that their burial mounds were only symbolic.
• Izumi told Sasuke that the space left at his parents’ memorials was for Uchiha Itachi.

Sasuke rejected Izumi’s invitation to avenge the Uchiha clan after confronting a group of weak Uchiha who tried to punish him for being Itachi’s brother. He left them alive and decided that his conviction and the Uchiha name did not belong there.

• Izumi asked Sasuke whether he would kill Itachi, but several Uchiha Avengers appeared and accused Sasuke of being important to Itachi.
• Sasuke condemned the Uchiha for targeting him instead of Itachi and said they lacked the strength and resolve to call themselves avengers.
• Sasuke revealed his three-tomoe Sharingan and overwhelmed the group with his killing intent.
• Uchiha Shinji attacked Sasuke with a Great Fireball Technique, but Sasuke split it with lightning and answered with a much larger fireball that he stopped just before it hit Shinji.
• The Uchiha lowered their weapons, and Sasuke apologized to Izumi before declaring that his conviction and the Uchiha name did not belong there.

Sasuke rejected the Uchiha survivors’ offer to join him, insisting that his revenge against Uchiha Itachi was his alone. After Naruto revealed himself, Sasuke asked him to stay and help with what came next as Izumi led them away from the ruins.

• Sasuke told Izumi he would kill Uchiha Itachi for his own family and refused help from the Uchiha survivors.
• Sasuke called out Naruto, who appeared carrying an unconscious Sunagakure jonin he had caught sneaking around the ruins.
• Izumi explained that the Sunagakure ninja had likely followed Shinji and the others, then rebuked them for their failed ambush and their defiance.
• Sasuke looked back at his parents’ gravestones before following Izumi and Naruto to another place she wanted them to see.
• Izumi told Sasuke and Naruto that Shinji and the others had awakened their Sharingan after the massacre and clung to revenge, while Naruto described meeting the Future Squad and trying to teach them the Clone Technique.

Izumi explained the Uchiha Clan’s weakened state and revealed that her left Mangekyō Sharingan held the Tsukuyomi ability, which concealed a separate space. She led Naruto and Sasuke into that space, where they found a huge block of ice, leaving the nature of what lay inside unknown.

• Izumi told Naruto and Sasuke that she was now the strongest surviving Uchiha, despite having been only a genin, and Naruto sensed unusual chakra within her.
• Izumi revealed that her left eye’s Mangekyō Sharingan ability was Tsukuyomi and warned Sasuke that Uchiha Itachi also possessed Mangekyō Sharingan powers.
• Naruto left a Shadow Clone to guard the captured Sunagakure ninja, then followed Izumi into the hidden space with Sasuke.
• The sandy surroundings transformed into a cold, moonlit desert, where Naruto and Sasuke saw an enormous opaque block of ice.
• The Nine-Tails remarked that Tsukuyomi seemed to create its own separate space, similar to Kamui.

Izumi told Sasuke and Naruto that her Mangekyō Sharingan was making her lose her eyesight, then pressed Sasuke to become the Uchiha Clan Head. She leaves the conversation after sensing the Nine-Tails' seal inside Naruto and realizing what it is.

• Izumi met Sasuke and Naruto by a block of ice and said she might not have much time left.
• Izumi asked Sasuke to become the next Uchiha Clan Head, but he refused and explained his plan to relocate the clan to the Land of Waves or the Land of Snow.
• Naruto and Sasuke joked about Sasuke's debts and money, then Naruto promised to help move the Uchiha clan members.
• Izumi revealed that using her Mangekyō Sharingan had severely damaged her eyesight and that she could no longer see Sasuke and Naruto's faces clearly.
• The Nine-Tails told Naruto that Izumi could sense its communication, and Izumi recognized the power of the Nine-Tails' Seal inside him.

Naruto told Sasuke and Izumi that Kurama lived inside him and had become his ally, then learned that Izumi’s Mangekyō ability, Daybreak, could absorb chakra from seals and genjutsu. Izumi began explaining how her clan’s pursuit of the Ryūmyaku Chakra led to her current predicament, but the chapter ended before she revealed what happened after they broke its seal.

• Izumi sensed fluctuations in Naruto’s seal, so Naruto explained that Kurama was speaking to him and had helped him before.
• Naruto told Izumi that Kurama knew Mangekyō Sharingan could cause blindness without being fatal unless its wielder overused chakra.
• Izumi offered to use her other Mangekyō ability, Daybreak, to absorb and reconstruct the chakra in Naruto’s seal.
• Izumi explained that Daybreak had helped her remove Naruto’s Mark and that it was connected to her lack of time left.
• Izumi recounted how she and her clansmen found Anrokuzan’s notes, learned about Puppet techniques and Ryūmyaku Chakra, and accidentally undid its seal during their investigation.

Izumi explained how she contained the rampaging Ryūmyaku Chakra by channeling it through Puppets, using it to create a vast Tsukuyomi Barrier, and then using Daybreak to dismantle and stabilize it. Her account revealed that Tsukuyomi and Daybreak formed a cycle that let her repeatedly absorb the dangerous chakra, while leaving her reflecting on the conflicting desires behind her powers.

• Izumi recalled that undoing the seal unleashed the Ryūmyaku Chakra, killed several clan members, and left her and two companions to escape.
• Minato realized the Ryūmyaku Chakra had already been out of control when he sealed it, and Kurama confirmed Anrokuzan's Puppet had detonated the ruins.
• Izumi said she used Puppets as relays to absorb the Ryūmyaku Chakra and cast a Tsukuyomi Barrier over the ruins.
• Izumi used Daybreak to dismantle and reconstruct the barrier, turning the chakra into a stable form and repeating the cycle to contain the eruption.
• Izumi reflected that Tsukuyomi represented her wish to flee while Daybreak forced her to face her responsibility and the truth.

Izumi explained how she had used the Ryūmyaku Chakra and Tsukuyomi Barrier to shelter the surviving Uchiha, and admitted that she had hidden the danger of sealing the chakra because she expected to die. Naruto challenged her plan to give up and insisted that he would protect her and find another solution.

• Izumi recounted how she repeatedly stabilized the Ryūmyaku Chakra to maintain a refuge for the Uchiha and how Sara later helped her control it.
• Izumi told Sasuke and Naruto she wanted to help before Naruto sealed the Ryūmyaku, but Naruto accused her of concealing that sealing it would endanger her life.
• Naruto recognized that Izumi had suffered severe damage when she first absorbed the Ryūmyaku Chakra and that its connection to the barrier was keeping her alive.
• Naruto urged Izumi and the Uchiha to return to Konoha and demand justice, promising to protect them.
• Izumi explained that her blindness and loss of Mangekyō Sharingan abilities could make the Ryūmyaku Chakra run out of control, but Naruto vowed to design a new seal and keep her alive.

Naruto completed the enormous Reincarnation Seal, designed to bind the Ryūmyaku Chakra and recreate the Tsukuyomi Barrier that sustained Izumi. Most of the Uchiha had relocated to the Land of Snow, while the rest stayed in Rōran to wait for the sealing attempt.

• Naruto finished laying the Reincarnation Seal’s formulas around the Ryūmyaku Chakra pillar and collapsed from exhaustion.
• Naruto recalled how Minato and the Nine-Tails had helped him design the seal to divide and contain the Ryūmyaku Chakra while preserving Izumi’s life and barrier.
• Sasuke told Naruto that everyone who wanted to leave had relocated to the Land of Snow, where Kazahana Koyuki could protect them.
• Naruto learned that the remaining Uchiha chose to stay in Rōran with Izumi, and that the clan planned to develop the settlement and make use of the Ryūmyaku Chakra.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Izumi prepared to test a newly developed Reincarnation Seal, but Naruto doubted his ability to use its enormous sealing array. He asked Izumi to undo the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style within him so that Kurama could help, leaving the experiment on the brink of beginning.

• Naruto told Sasuke he was unsure whether he could perform the massive Reincarnation Seal or whether Izumi’s ability could be sealed, and Sasuke offered himself as a test subject.
• Naruto asked about the captured Sunagakure jonin, and Sasuke explained how he had wounded and released the man after repeatedly beating his shadow clone.
• Naruto and Sasuke joined Izumi in the Tsukuyomi space, where she agreed to let Naruto attempt the seal despite his lack of confidence.
• Naruto clarified that testing the seal would not endanger Sasuke and asked Izumi whether using her Mangekyō Sharingan would risk blindness.
• Izumi said she could use her eyes once or twice safely, so Naruto asked her to undo the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style inside him and bring in a more skilled sealing expert.

Naruto, Izumi, Sasuke, Minato, and the Nine-Tails worked to undo Naruto’s seal and release Kushina’s stored chakra. After Kushina mistook Minato for a Nine-Tails trick and begged the fox to spare Naruto, Minato and the Nine-Tails revealed the truth, allowing Minato and Kushina to reunite beneath the moonlight.

• Izumi used Daybreak to dissolve Naruto’s Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, releasing the Nine-Tails and bringing Kushina’s stored chakra out of the seal.
• Kushina’s chakra formed Adamantine Sealing Chains that bound the Nine-Tails and Minato, then took Kushina’s human form.
• Kushina mistook Minato for a Nine-Tails impostor and begged the fox not to leave Naruto’s body.
• The Nine-Tails stopped teasing Kushina, and Minato escaped the chains and revealed his identity.
• The Nine-Tails gave Kushina prepared memories, and she understood what had happened before embracing Minato.
• The Nine-Tails brought the moonlight into the Inner Space as Minato and Kushina reunited.

Naruto reunited with Minato and Kushina inside the Inner Space while the Nine-Tails took control of Naruto’s body to test the Reincarnation Seal on Sasuke. The test stalled when Naruto switched back, and the Nine-Tails secretly kept some Ryūmyaku Chakra.

• The Nine-Tails interrupted Minato and Kushina’s embrace and drew Naruto’s consciousness into the Inner Space.
• Naruto embraced Kushina and reunited with his parents, while Minato realized the Nine-Tails was acting outside in Naruto’s body.
• The Nine-Tails began applying the Reincarnation Seal to Sasuke and drawing in Ryūmyaku Chakra as Izumi rested.
• Naruto switched back into his body after the Nine-Tails struggled with the hand seals, halting the test.
• The Nine-Tails explained that Naruto could reclaim control because their powers were now shared, then secretly carried some Ryūmyaku Chakra into the Inner World.

Kushina took control of Naruto and used her sealing expertise to complete the Reincarnation Seal, trapping Izumi’s Tsukuyomi Barrier and Ryūmyaku Chakra inside Sasuke. After confirming Sasuke could release the barrier at will, Kushina prepared to help with the larger project outside.

• Kushina took over Naruto’s body while the Nine-Tails returned Naruto to Minato and reminded him to use the chakra left behind.
• Kushina formed a sealing formula around the Tsukuyomi Barrier and drew Ryūmyaku Chakra into it.
• Kushina noticed the person inside the ice, but stayed silent after Izumi asked her not to reveal it.
• Kushina activated the Reincarnation Seal, folding the Tsukuyomi space and its chakra into Sasuke.
• Sasuke released the barrier at will, and Kushina confirmed the seal had worked before agreeing to help with the larger project outside.

Hinata spent the morning preparing breakfast for Naruto and tending to his empty apartment with Karin, then took her friend to train under Jiraiya. The chapter ended with them finding Jiraiya encouraging Rock Lee to run handstand laps around Konoha’s bathhouses while Tenten tried to stop him.

• Hinata prepared bento boxes and told Hiashi that Naruto had promised to return before the Chunin Ninja Exams; Hiashi asked her to make him a portion the next day.
• Hinata met Karin at Naruto’s apartment, and the two tidied the boys’ rooms and aired them out before Hinata left a new note for Naruto.
• Hinata and Karin ate breakfast in Naruto’s room, and Hinata explained that Karin would train with her while Naruto and Sasuke were away.
• Hinata took Karin to the training ground, where they found Jiraiya urging Rock Lee to do six thousand handstand laps around Konoha’s bathhouses as Tenten tried to hold him back.

Jiraiya coached Hinata, Karin, Tenten, Rock Lee, and Neji while their usual teachers were away, then reported on the students to the Third Hokage. The Third pressed Jiraiya about the Hokage succession, but Jiraiya refused and explained his bizarre training plan for Rock Lee.

• Jiraiya welcomed Hinata and Karin and explained that he was coaching the young ninja preparing for the joint Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Jiraiya sent Rock Lee to run laps around the bathhouse, dismissed Neji’s request for guidance, and arranged separate training for the three girls.
• Tsunade rejected the Third Hokage’s repeated attempts to discuss the next Hokage and left the office after Jiraiya arrived.
• Jiraiya also refused the Hokage position and suggested Kakashi as a possible successor, prompting the Third Hokage to complain.
• Jiraiya reported that Rock Lee’s combat analysis and intelligence-gathering skills were weak, then explained that he had assigned Lee to spy on the women’s bathhouse while running laps.

Jiraiya agreed to serve as chief examiner for the Chunin Exam after praising the young ninja, while the Third Hokage reflected on Konoha’s future and his own mistakes. At the Training Ground, Hinata mastered her technique, then rushed to help Hanabi, Moegi, and Udon after sensing they were in a fight with unfamiliar outsiders.

• Jiraiya advised the Third Hokage about Tenten, Karin, Hinata, and Neji, and criticized the village’s handling of the Hyuga and Uchiha clans.
• Jiraiya accepted the role of chief examiner for the Chunin Exam but refused to help with other duties, and he urged the Third to consider Kakashi for Hokage.
• Hinata successfully formed her ninjutsu, then heard Moegi calling for help and used her Byakugan to locate the children in a fight.
• Hanabi protected Moegi and Udon from Kankuro and two other unfamiliar outsiders in a narrow alley, while Kankuro angrily questioned the trick that had hurt his hand.
• Hinata vanished from the Training Ground to reach Hanabi and the others.

Hinata stopped Kankuro from attacking Konohamaru and Hanabi, then faced Gaara when he arrived. After she gave Gaara her name, he reacted as if he were about to lose control, and Temari rushed him away.

• Kankuro threatened Konohamaru and Hanabi, but Hinata appeared and stopped his chakra with a touch.
• Hinata rebuked Kankuro for bullying children, and he set down his puppet as if preparing to fight.
• Gaara arrived and ordered Kankuro to stop, then apologized to Hinata on his teammate's behalf.
• Gaara asked Hinata's name, and when she introduced herself as Hinata Hyuga, he clutched his head as sand began to rise around him.
• Temari grabbed Gaara and hurried to take him to Baki, while Hinata insisted she had done nothing and Neji watched from beside a tree.

In the Land of Snow, Izumi reassured the Uchiha clan before deciding to stay behind and watch over them, then travel to Konoha alone. Meanwhile, Koyuki prepared to attend the Three-Village Joint Exams and keep Izumi in check, while Naruto remained unconscious as the Nine-Tails monitored his recovery.

• The Uchiha urged Izumi to remain in the Land of Snow, but she reassured them and stood by her decision to leave for a while.
• After the clan members left, Izumi told Sasuke she would stay several more days before going to Konoha on her own, and Sasuke accepted her choice.
• Sasuke left Izumi and silently entrusted the situation to the Land of Snow's Daimyo Mansion.
• Koyuki learned that she needed to reply to Konoha's invitation to the Three-Village Joint Exams and agreed to attend after Naruto told her to bring Izumi and prevent her from seeking revenge.
• The Nine-Tails watched Naruto, Kushina, and Minato sleeping amid the Ryūmyaku chakra and predicted they would wake in about half a day.

The Reincarnation Seal drew an unexpected flood of Ryūmyaku chakra into Naruto, Minato, and Kushina, leaving Minato and Kushina asleep as their chakra grew stronger. With the seal complete, the Nine-Tails took control of Naruto’s shadow clone and traveled to the Ryūmyaku Seal site to begin his own plan.

• During the Reincarnation Seal, Ryūmyaku chakra flooded into Naruto, Kushina, and Minato, strengthening Minato’s and Kushina’s chakra before the surge put them into a deep sleep.
• The Nine-Tails reassured Naruto that his parents were merely sleeping after taking in too much chakra, while considering that their chakra might develop into independent lifeforms.
• Naruto fell asleep from exhaustion, and the Nine-Tails used his chakra to create a shadow clone under his control.
• The Nine-Tails used the Flying Thunder God Technique to reach the sand-covered ruins near Rōran.
• At the Ryūmyaku Seal site, the Nine-Tails sensed the calm chakra below and prepared to practice making hand seals and change his appearance.

Foreign ninja arrived in Konoha for the Three-Village Alliance Chunin Ninja Exams, where Orochimaru disguised as an Otogakure team leader noticed Konoha’s new Chakra Armor. At a meeting to confirm Konoha’s participants, Team 10 and Might Guy’s team were recommended, while Kurenai Yuhi’s team chose to wait.

• Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane observed foreign ninja arriving at Konoha’s gate and noted that even smaller villages had sent participants.
• Orochimaru, disguised as an Otogakure jonin, examined the Chakra Armor worn by Konoha’s gate guards and noticed other people using false identities.
• The Third began confirming Konoha’s exam participants, and Asuma Sarutobi recommended Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara, and Choji Akimichi.
• Might Guy recommended Neji Hyuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten for the exams.
• Kurenai Yuhi told Asuma that Sakura and Shino wanted more time to train after the Land of Waves mission, while Kiba wanted to enter alone.

Naruto rushed to the meeting with Kakashi’s recommendation for Sasuke and Hinata, only to learn they had already been registered alongside Karin. Jiraiya then outlined the unusually large chunin exams and set a 99% elimination target for the first three rounds.

• Naruto arrived late and relayed Kakashi’s recommendation for Sasuke and Hinata to enter the chunin ninja Exam.
• The Third told Naruto that Kakashi had already registered Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin, and reminded Naruto that he was an examiner.
• Guy explained that Kakashi had left on another mission and trusted his students to manage without him.
• Jiraiya appeared to explain that the exams would have three rounds and aim to leave ten candidates for the final round.
• Jiraiya announced that the first three rounds would have a 99% elimination rate.