Chapter Summaries

Sasuke woke in Konoha Hospital and discovered that his nightmare of Itachi massacring the Uchiha clan had really happened. As Sasuke faced the clan’s ruins, Konoha’s leaders named Itachi and Shisui Uchiha as S-rank missing-nin and announced plans to issue wanted notices.

• Sasuke woke from his nightmare, noticed his injuries, and overheard hospital staff say that the Uchiha clan had been massacred and his older brother had disappeared.
• Sasuke ran from the hospital to the Uchiha Clan Compound and found it reduced to burned ruins.
• Sasuke reached his family home and realized that his parents and clan were truly gone.
• Shikaku announced that Konoha would issue wanted notices naming Uchiha Itachi and Shisui Uchiha as S-rank missing-nin.

The Third Hokage assigned Kakashi to deliver the notice of Shisui Uchiha’s Missing-nin status to Kirigakure and gave him wide discretion in negotiating. Kakashi left the office looking hardened by a year of hunting Missing-nin, while Might Guy dragged Gekko Hayate off to train.

• The Third dispatched Konoha shinobi to inform the major villages that Shisui Uchiha had been declared a Missing-nin.
• Danzo proposed sending a candidate to Kirigakure, but the Third assigned Kakashi before Danzo could finish.
• Kakashi entered the office in a striking new outfit and asked how firmly he could negotiate with Kirigakure; the Third told him to use his judgment.
• Kakashi left using the Body Flicker Technique, and Guy told Hayate that Kakashi had spent over a year taking difficult missions against Missing-nin and terrorist groups.
• Guy seized Hayate and rushed him off to train, leaving the Third, Danzo, the Advisors, and Shikaku in the office.

Hiruzen Sarutobi defended his decision to send Kakashi Hatake to Kirigakure despite Danzo's objections and the risks of provoking the village. After Danzo stormed out, Hiruzen remained alone, having chosen Kakashi because he had been Minato Namikaze's student.

• Danzo and the advisors challenged Hiruzen Sarutobi's decision to send Kakashi Hatake to Kirigakure after the Uchiha Clan's extermination.
• Danzo proposed pursuing an alliance with Kirigakure and offering aid, and suggested replacing Kakashi with one of his subordinates.
• Hiruzen refused to replace Kakashi, saying the mission was to deliver a wanted notice and that Kakashi could handle the assignment.
• Hiruzen rebuked Danzo and asserted that he was still the Hokage, prompting Danzo to leave in anger.
• After the advisors departed, Hiruzen acknowledged to himself that he had chosen Kakashi because Kakashi was Minato Namikaze's student.

Naruto struggled with Izumi’s disappearance and his inability to sense her mark, so Hinata urged him to visit Sasuke. At the Riverside, Neji found Sasuke grieving and shared how the Hyuga Main Family’s actions had cost him his parents and bound him to the Caged Bird Seal.

• Naruto worried that he could no longer sense the mark on Izumi and wondered whether something had happened to her.
• Hinata suggested visiting Sasuke, and Naruto hurried with her to the hospital.
• Sasuke left the hospital and sat alone at the Riverside, grieving for his parents.
• Neji found Sasuke and followed him as he ran until they were both exhausted.
• Neji told Sasuke that his parents had died because of the Hyuga Main Family and revealed the Caged Bird Seal that forced him to protect them.

Neji helped Sasuke reconsider his grief by explaining how Naruto inspired him to believe he could change his fate, and Sasuke accepted Neji’s encouragement to grow stronger. Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails finished reshaping Naruto’s inner world and brought Naruto inside, still guarding a secret about how he would prevent future loss.

• Neji told Sasuke that Naruto had inspired him to believe the Caged Bird Seal and his fate could be overcome through strength.
• Neji gave Sasuke a get-well apple and urged him to start by eating, training, and getting strong enough to beat Naruto.
• Sasuke split the apple in half and shared it with Neji, while Naruto and Hinata watched from a tree and quietly cheered them on.
• The Nine-Tails completed a bright, grassy landscape in Naruto’s inner world and reflected on his bond with Minato and his fear of loss.
• The Nine-Tails decided to keep his plans secret and summoned a bewildered Naruto into the inner world.

Naruto met the Nine-Tails in his Inner World, where the fox explained his role in Naruto’s training and answered questions about recent events. The Nine-Tails could not explain why Naruto’s Flying Thunder God Mark on Izumi had vanished, then began telling him about the Uchiha Clan.

• Naruto recognized the Nine-Tails as the fox sealed inside him and calmly asked how it lived in his body.
• The Nine-Tails explained that he had no intention of harming Naruto or Konoha and would train Naruto to use a special energy in the Inner World.
• The Nine-Tails said Naruto would need precise control, willpower, food, sleep, and someone to care for him after training.
• Naruto asked whether the Nine-Tails had saved him during the strange incident that brought him to Hinata’s house, and the fox confirmed he had taken control of Naruto’s body.
• Naruto told the Nine-Tails he could no longer sense the Flying Thunder God Mark on Izumi, but the fox did not know why it had disappeared.
• Naruto asked about Sasuke’s family, and the Nine-Tails launched into a warning about the Uchiha Clan and Madara Uchiha.

Naruto walked Hinata to school while exhausted after listening to the Nine-Tails ramble all night. He asked Hinata to come over after school to help with Training, leaving her and Neji to misunderstand his intentions.

• Hinata left the Hyuga Clan compound with Naruto, while Neji followed them at a distance.
• Hyuga Hiashi overheard Ichita and Hengzuo gossiping about Naruto and Hinata and ordered them to fight until one was unconscious.
• Naruto told Hinata he had not slept because the Nine-Tails had talked to him all night.
• Naruto invited Hinata to his place after school to help with Training, and she blushed and agreed.
• Neji grew alarmed at Naruto's invitation and considered reporting it to the clan before it was too late.

Naruto was punished for sleeping in class, and Rock Lee used their time in the corridor to ask Naruto if he could train with him. Naruto agreed, leaving Lee encouraged and ready to train alongside him.

• Naruto slept through Iruka's lesson, brushed away Iruka's chalk, and was sent into the corridor after apologizing.
• Rock Lee tried to hug Iruka for punishing Naruto, so Iruka sent Lee into the corridor too.
• Lee told Naruto that Might Guy had trained him and that Guy's old training ground had been given to Naruto.
• Lee doubted that Naruto understood his hint about training together and felt discouraged by the gap between them.
• Remembering Might Guy's encouragement, Lee directly asked Naruto to let him train with him, and Naruto agreed.

Naruto asked Hinata to help him practice Sage Mode while he trained with the Nine-Tails in his inner world. He turned to stone almost immediately, leaving the Nine-Tails to prepare another attempt.

• Naruto, Rock Lee, and Sasuke returned to class, where Sasuke received a small gift of money from his classmates after Hinata, Neji, and Naruto had explained his situation.
• After school, Neji and Sasuke left to handle their own affairs, so Naruto took Rock Lee to the training ground and then brought Hinata home to help with his training.
• Naruto told Hinata to hit him with a chakra-coated stick if he stayed motionless for over an hour, then entered his inner world to practice Sage Mode with the Nine-Tails.
• The Nine-Tails sent natural energy into Naruto, who immediately turned into a stone statue and lost consciousness.
• The Nine-Tails prepared more natural energy clusters, expecting Hinata's blow to wake Naruto after an hour so they could try again.

Naruto trained to withstand natural energy in his Inner World while Hinata watched over him, and Hiashi misread the situation after hearing Neji's message. The chapter ended with Kakashi reaching the Land of Water's border on a mission to visit Genji of Kirigakure.

• Hyuga Hiashi heard Neji's message, injured his hand crushing a teacup, and warned Hanabi not to ask Hinata about what happened that day.
• Hinata struck Naruto with a wooden club to wake him from petrification, and Naruto found his legs temporarily unable to move.
• Naruto asked the Nine-Tails about the training, and the Nine-Tails explained the effects of petrification before sending another Natural Energy Orb at him.
• Kakashi identified himself to a Kirigakure border ninja and said he was on a mission to visit Lord Genji.

Kakashi entered Kirigakure under Mei Terumi’s escort, but she revealed that the village intended to capture and interrogate him. He effortlessly broke through the Hidden Mist Technique and subdued Mei, then ordered her to continue leading him without guards.

• Mei Terumi introduced herself and escorted Kakashi toward Kirigakure despite another Ninja demanding his weapons.
• Mei admitted that she would not let Kakashi meet Lord Genji easily and ordered the Kirigakure Ninjas to capture him alive.
• The Kirigakure Ninjas surrounded Kakashi and used the Hidden Mist Technique to obscure his senses.
• Kakashi cut through the mist with a lightning-fast slash and appeared at Mei’s throat before she could finish her Jutsu.
• Kakashi spared Mei, sheathed his sword, and told her to continue leading him without guards.

Naruto’s natural-energy training left him mentally and physically numb, so the Nine-Tails told him to practice only for short periods. After Naruto and Hinata shared noodles and prepared to leave, they found Sasuke and Neji outside the neighboring room, and Sasuke said the village had arranged for him to stay there.

• Naruto woke from a painful blow, and Hinata treated his injury while asking whether he could move his legs.
• Naruto told the Nine-Tails that he had temporarily lost control of his thoughts and body, so the Nine-Tails ended the session and limited his future practice.
• Naruto recovered, shared instant noodles with Hinata, and walked her toward home.
• Neji waited outside Naruto’s building and encountered Sasuke, then asked to join him in investigating Naruto’s strength.
• Naruto and Hinata found Sasuke and Neji fumbling with a key, and Sasuke explained that the village had arranged for him to stay in the neighboring room.

Naruto learned Sasuke had become his landlord and worried about Hinata’s family after noticing Neji’s strange behavior. Meanwhile, the Nine-Tails developed an unusual mass of self-refining senjutsu chakra, and Kakashi proposed a deal with Kirigakure after informing Lord Genji that Shisui had joined Akatsuki.

• Naruto told Hinata that Sasuke had bought his apartment building after selling the Uchiha land to the village, then briefly fought Neji after they misunderstood each other.
• The Nine-Tails reflected on Naruto’s happier childhood and cultivated an expanding mass of natural energy with a trace of chakra, planning to use it against the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
• Kakashi told Lord Genji that Shisui had joined Akatsuki and that defected Mist swordsmen might also belong to the organization.
• Kakashi asked whether Konoha could make a deal with Kirigakure, and Genji listened without revealing his response.
• Mei Terumi continued to watch Kakashi closely as he walked through Kirigakure with her and two Elite Jonin.

Itachi joined the Akatsuki as a covert observer for the Will of Fire and discovered that its ranks included Orochimaru and the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura. As the organization continued recruiting, Konan grew increasingly wary of Madara Uchiha’s influence and prepared for trouble.

• Shisui brought Itachi to the Akatsuki’s hideout and explained that he used the alias Shika while Madara operated under the name Tobi.
• Itachi encountered Orochimaru and Tobi, then met Pain, who described the Akatsuki’s plan to replace the Five Great Nations and rule the world.
• Itachi accepted a Vermilion ring and joined the Akatsuki, resolving to monitor it for the Will of Fire.
• Pain paired Itachi with Juzo Biwa, and Itachi noticed that Karatachi Yagura, the missing Fourth Mizukage, was also an Akatsuki member and worked with Shisui.
• After the members dispersed, Konan questioned whether the Akatsuki needed more recruits, but Pain agreed to prepare more rings.
• Konan remained suspicious of Madara’s growing influence and decided she needed to prepare for what might come.

After mastering Sage Mode with Hinata’s help, Naruto wondered whether their closeness made them family and visited Sasuke, who was training alone at the Uchiha Clan’s Secret Training Ground. Back in his Inner World, Naruto learned that a ghostly flame claiming to be his father had something to tell him.

• Naruto finally mastered Sage Mode after more than a year of Training with Hinata, then celebrated with her before becoming dizzy and eating her cooking.
• Naruto asked Hinata if they were family, then walked her home and felt lonely as she returned to the Hyuga Compound.
• Naruto secretly watched Sasuke train at the Uchiha Clan’s Secret Training Ground, and Sasuke sensed someone before deciding to tell Neji and Rock Lee that Naruto had succeeded.
• Naruto entered Sage Mode at will in his Inner World, and the Nine-Tails warned him to take time adjusting to his increased abilities.
• The Nine-Tails told Naruto that his father had a message for him, and a ghostly flame appeared and introduced himself as Naruto’s father.

Naruto reunited with Minato in his mental world and learned that his father had watched over him throughout his childhood. After they embraced and shared stories, Minato began telling Naruto about his past and his mother, Kushina Uzumaki.

• The Nine-Tails helped Minato shape his chakra into a human form so he could speak with Naruto.
• Naruto recognized Minato as the Fourth Hokage and asked if he was really his father.
• Naruto punched Minato, then embraced him and cried as he realized the voice from his dreams had been watching over him.
• Minato and Naruto comforted each other, then shared stories about their lives and Kushina Uzumaki.
• The Nine-Tails watched quietly, trusting Naruto to choose his own path now that he had grown stronger.

Naruto reunited with Minato in his Inner World, thanked Kurama for teaching him Fox Sage Mode, and learned the mode’s dangers required careful instruction. Back in reality, Naruto told Sasuke he had mastered it and promised to stand by him as he faced Itachi, leaving the two friends closer as spring arrived.

• Naruto and Minato thanked Kurama, who let Naruto return to reality after Sage Mode exhausted him.
• Minato asked Kurama about teaching Fox Sage Mode safely, and Kurama’s silence led Minato to decide he would guide Naruto’s training.
• Naruto welcomed Sasuke, confirmed he had mastered his new move, and offered to teach it to Sasuke and their friends.
• Naruto told Sasuke he knew where his clansmen might be and offered to face the matter of Itachi with him.
• Sasuke resisted Naruto’s involvement but accepted his wish to witness the confrontation and remain by his side.
• Naruto smiled after Sasuke returned to his room, and spring arrived.

Sasuke passed the Ninja Academy graduation exam, while Naruto faced Konohamaru’s challenge outside the gates. Naruto promised to teach Konohamaru after becoming a genin, then left with Hinata, who asked to clean his home again.

• Iruka praised Sasuke’s exam performance and awarded him a forehead protector, while Mizuki recalled Naruto’s extraordinary exam.
• Sasuke learned that Konohamaru Sarutobi had called Naruto outside to challenge him for the Academy’s top spot.
• Konohamaru transformed into a naked woman with his Sexy Jutsu, stunning Naruto, Hinata, Neji, and his friends.
• Naruto scolded Konohamaru for claiming he had learned the jutsu from magazines under Naruto’s bed, then promised to teach him after graduating.
• Konohamaru vowed to carry on Naruto’s Academy legacy, and Hinata caught up with Naruto to ask if she could clean his home again.

The Third Hokage and the Jonin watched the graduating students as Iruka announced their teams. Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten were assigned to Team 3, while Sasuke, Hinata, and Naruto were assigned to Team 7.

• The Jonin praised the abilities of Neji, Hinata, and Sasuke before Kakashi said he was most interested in top graduate Naruto.
• The students waited for their assignments, as Hinata hoped to join Naruto and Tenten misread Rock Lee's intense attention to Neji.
• Iruka warned the graduates that their difficult life as ninjas was only beginning and explained that they would work in teams under Jonin teachers.
• Iruka assigned Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten to Team 3, leaving Tenten distraught.
• Iruka assigned Sasuke, Hinata, and Naruto to Team 7.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata received their team assignment, while Neji challenged Sasuke to a match over their rankings. Kakashi prepared to lead his team and assured Guy that he understood the risks of Naruto's exceptional strength, then evaded Guy's proposed contest.

• Naruto celebrated being assigned to a team with Hinata and Sasuke, and the graduates were dismissed until their afternoon meeting.
• Neji taunted Sasuke that the team assignments meant the village ranked him second and Sasuke third, then arranged a match for the following evening.
• Naruto invited Sasuke and Hinata to eat ramen, but Sasuke declined and left using a Shadow Clone.
• Guy warned Kakashi that Naruto's power could lead to dangerous overconfidence and urged him to guide Naruto carefully.
• Kakashi reassured Guy that he understood his concern, then disappeared with the Body Flicker Technique to avoid Guy's challenge to a contest between their students.