Chapter Summaries

Cangyue caught Sasuke and Ino following him, invited them in for dinner, and then agreed to give Sasuke a few pointers. He began Sasuke’s training by blindfolding him and challenging him to land a touch in exchange for borrowing the Flame Sword for a month.

• Cangyue noticed Sasuke tailing him through the market and realized Ino was secretly following them too.
• Sasuke confronted Cangyue about Naruto’s Dream Training, but Cangyue left him waiting outside while he cooked.
• Cangyue invited Sasuke and Ino to share dinner, and both denied wanting to stay before eating and helping clean up.
• Sasuke followed Cangyue into the backyard, where Cangyue gave him a wooden sword and told him to blindfold himself.
• Cangyue challenged Sasuke to fight without sight, promising to lend him the Flame Sword for a month if he touched him once.

Cangyue trained Sasuke to fight without relying on his eyes, using false sounds and sword intent to teach him to sense an attack. Sasuke began practicing blindfolded, while Mizuki reviewed Naruto’s records and decided he could not wait any longer.

• Cangyue blindfolded Sasuke and repeatedly outmaneuvered him with deceptive sounds, showing that Sasuke’s hearing could be misled.
• Cangyue challenged Sasuke to consider what strength he had without the Sharingan, and Sasuke tightened the blindfold and agreed to continue.
• Cangyue approached silently with sword intent, and Sasuke sensed the danger and blocked in the right direction, though the impact knocked his wooden sword away.
• Sasuke interpreted Cangyue’s words about the heart cutting the soul as learning to sense an attacker’s intent, then resumed practicing blindfolded.
• Ino asked Cangyue what was wrong with her, and he told her she needed no medicine.
• Mizuki reviewed Naruto’s performance records at the Ninja Academy and decided he could not wait any longer.

Mizuki tricked Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals, but Naruto told Cangyue, who devised a plan to expose Mizuki while letting Naruto study the scroll. That night, Naruto watched Mizuki lead the patrol away from the Hokage Building and prepared to enter.

• Mizuki told Naruto that learning an advanced jutsu from the Scroll of Seals could improve his chances of passing the graduation exam, then gave him a map and patrol details.
• Naruto revealed Mizuki’s plan to Cangyue, who advised him to leave obvious graffiti at the scroll’s location so Konoha’s guards would suspect a setup.
• Cangyue told Naruto to read the scroll anyway and use the Shadow Clone Technique to study multiple sections at once.
• Naruto gathered paint and approached the Hokage Building at night, where he saw Mizuki divert the patrolling ninja.

Naruto followed Mizuki’s instructions to steal the Scroll of Seals, while leaving an unmistakable trail that led Hiruzen Sarutobi to suspect the theft was bait. In the eastern woods, Naruto learned the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and used his clones to study the scroll, ending with a clone discovering the Fourth Hokage’s Flying Thunder God Technique.

• Naruto used his wall-walking skills to enter the Hokage Building, painted his name and Mizuki’s on the wall, and carried off the Scroll of Seals.
• ANBU found Naruto’s graffiti, and Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that Mizuki had diverted the patrols and Naruto had gone east with the scroll.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the ANBU to watch Naruto without alerting him, hoping to discover who else wanted the scroll.
• Naruto read the instructions and successfully created dozens of shadow clones, then assigned them to practice and study different sections of the scroll.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Naruto use the clones to divide up the reading while Naruto ate Cangyue’s meal, and suspected Cangyue had planned the operation.
• A shadow clone found the Flying Thunder God Technique left by the Fourth Hokage and excitedly told Naruto.

Naruto used his Shadow Clones and Kurama’s chakra to learn the basics of the Flying Thunder God Technique, successfully teleporting a leaf and then himself. Cangyue stopped him from practicing further for the night, while Mizuki realized Naruto’s progress had upended his plan and prepared to act.

• Naruto divided his Shadow Clones among studying the formula, placing marks, sensing chakra, and testing the Flying Thunder God Technique, learning from each failure.
• Kurama guided Naruto’s chaotic chakra, allowing him to sense the marks and understand how the technique connected them.
• Naruto teleported a leaf to a mark, then teleported himself several steps and landed headfirst in the grass.
• Cangyue confirmed Naruto had grasped the basics, explained that his poor landing did not mean the technique had failed, and made him stop practicing for the night.
• Cangyue gained 50 Valor Points as Naruto organized his notes, bringing his accumulated total to 1,236 and his available total to 681.
• Mizuki watched Naruto’s teleportation, decided he could not wait any longer, and took the Fūma Shuriken from his back as Iruka called for Naruto nearby.

Naruto confronted Mizuki after Iruka found him practicing techniques from the stolen Scroll of Seals, and Mizuki exposed Naruto's connection to the Nine-Tails. With Kurama's chakra helping him, Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Technique to dodge Mizuki's attack and surrounded him with shadow clones.

• Iruka found Naruto and Cangyue with the Scroll of Seals and learned Naruto had studied the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and Flying Thunder God from it.
• Naruto explained that Mizuki had directed him to steal the scroll, while Cangyue had advised him to leave evidence so Mizuki could not deny his involvement.
• Mizuki arrived, admitted he had used Naruto to obtain the scroll, and tried to break Naruto by revealing that the Nine-Tails had attacked Konoha and killed Iruka's parents.
• Naruto said he had met Kurama and defended him, believing there was another reason for the attack; Kurama responded by sending Naruto more chakra.
• Mizuki threw a Fūma Shuriken at Naruto and Iruka, but Naruto used the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape and then created over a hundred shadow clones around Mizuki.

Naruto used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and Flying Thunder God to defeat Mizuki, but Iruka told him he still had to pass the official graduation exam. After the Anbu took Mizuki and the Scroll of Seals, Cangyue returned home and prepared to upgrade his swordsmanship.

• Naruto spread Flying Thunder God marks through the woods and used his shadow clones to confuse and overwhelm Mizuki.
• Naruto struck Mizuki down and let his shadow clones beat him until Iruka stopped them.
• Iruka told Naruto he could not yet give him a forehead protector, so Naruto vowed to pass the official exam.
• Cangyue arrived carried on a chair by Naruto's shadow clones, and he told Naruto to eat before returning the scroll.
• The Anbu took Mizuki and the Scroll of Seals, while Cangyue returned home and considered his next swordsmanship upgrade.

Cangyue upgraded his swordsmanship and gained the ability to control the Flame and Thunder Swords from a distance, using them to fly around instead of walking. He flew into the Ninja Academy and drew his classmates’ attention just as Iruka warned them that the graduation exam was ten days away.

• Cangyue spent 800 Valor Points to upgrade his swordsmanship and learned to control the Flame and Thunder Swords without touching them.
• Cangyue tested the swords’ speed and precision, then used them as a flying bed and decided he would stop walking.
• Cangyue flew through the classroom window while eating breakfast, surprising Naruto, Kiba, Sasuke, and Ino with his new ability.
• Ino grabbed Cangyue’s sleeve when he deliberately dipped the swords, and Cangyue stopped Naruto from climbing aboard by saying he would fidget.
• Iruka ordered Cangyue to sit properly, but Cangyue stayed on the hovering swords and argued that they were steadier than a chair.
• Iruka announced that the graduation exam would begin in ten days and told the students to pay attention in their remaining classes.

Kambara Sogetsu passed the graduation exam and refused to join Team 7, while Naruto and the others became genin. With a mission outside the village, Sogetsu left Konoha with Gojō Ryūsen, eager to find a new audience for his feats.

• Kambara Sogetsu passed Iruka's graduation exam with a clone and transformation trick, while Naruto passed using three stable clones after improving his control of his chakra.
• Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, and the other students passed their exams, and Sasuke's swordsmanship had improved through Cangyue's lessons.
• Sasuke and Naruto invited Cangyue to join their team, but he refused, saying the strong walked their own path.
• Iruka assigned Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to Team 7, and Kakashi arrived to take them away.
• Gojō Ryūsen emerged from the wall and offered Cangyue a mission outside Konoha; Cangyue eagerly flew out on his swords, and Gojō followed.

Pain assigned the Akatsuki members their missions while Itachi dismissed a report about Sasuke's Dream Training as a rumor. As Pain and Konan prepared to advance their plan to collect the tailed beasts, a distress signal came from Hidan and Kakuzu at the border of the Land of Fire.

• Pain distributed war missions to Deidara and Sasori and bounty missions to Kakuzu and Hidan.
• Hidan protested being left out of the mission choice, then went with Kakuzu to hunt bounty targets near the Land of Fire.
• Itachi asked Kisame about training in one's sleep and decided Konoha's report about Sasuke's Dream Training was unverified intelligence.
• Pain and Konan discussed how the Akatsuki's growing reputation and network would support their plan to collect every tailed beast and create an ultimate weapon.
• Pain received a distress signal from Hidan and Kakuzu at the border of the Land of Fire.

Cangyue and Gojō Ryūsen traveled to the Land of Flowers on a mission when Hidan and Kakuzu ambushed them. After Cangyue repelled Hidan with a powerful lightning technique, he challenged both Akatsuki members, leaving the battle poised to begin.

• Cangyue spent 500 Valor Points on an intermediate physique enhancement while traveling with Gojō Ryūsen to the Land of Flowers.
• Hidan ambushed Cangyue with his Triple-Bladed Scythe as Kakuzu attacked Gojō Ryūsen with Fire Release.
• Cangyue struck Hidan with Heavenly Guardian Calamity, blasting him into a crater but failing to stop him.
• Kakuzu emerged, and Cangyue recognized him and Hidan as the Akatsuki's Undying Duo.
• Cangyue claimed both opponents for himself and summoned the Thunder Sword, using his sword intent to halt Hidan and split the flames.

Cangyue and Gojō Ryūsen fought the Undying Duo, with Cangyue overwhelming Hidan in close combat and destroying one of Kakuzu’s hearts. Hidan lost an arm and called Pain for backup as Cangyue faced the two Akatsuki members alongside Gojō Ryūsen.

• Cangyue blocked Hidan’s scythe and wounded him with his swords while Gojō Ryūsen engaged Kakuzu.
• Kakuzu attacked with Wind Release, and Gojō Ryūsen countered with earth techniques before Kakuzu’s threads caught and injured him.
• Cangyue pinned Hidan with his swords, then continued trading blows without letting Hidan land a hit.
• Cangyue struck Kakuzu with Formation-Breaking Strike, destroying one of his hearts, and severed Hidan’s right arm.
• Hidan forced chakra into his ring and shouted for Pain to come help them.

Kambara Sogetsu defeated Hidan and Kakuzu, then received an invitation from Pain to join the Akatsuki. He accepted a meeting in the Land of Rain and told Gojō Ryūsen he planned to go undercover.

• Pain appeared through the ring and assessed the damage Cangyue had inflicted on Hidan and Kakuzu.
• Pain offered Kambara Sogetsu a place in the Akatsuki, but Sogetsu demanded that a decision-maker meet him in person.
• Pain arranged to meet Sogetsu at an Abandoned Shrine in the Land of Rain in three days, and Sogetsu asked whether the Akatsuki would cover travel expenses.
• Kakuzu reattached Hidan's arm while Sogetsu taunted him, then the two Akatsuki members left the battlefield.
• Gojō Ryūsen warned Sogetsu about the danger of going to the Land of Rain, and Sogetsu said he intended to infiltrate the Akatsuki as an undercover agent.

Cangyue persuaded Gojō Ryūsen to seek approval for his plan to infiltrate the Akatsuki, then completed the Land of Flowers mission by killing the bandits and wandering ninja who attacked a merchant caravan. He flew north toward the rain-soaked horizon while Gojō Ryūsen returned to Konoha with the mission report and infiltration application.

• Cangyue drafted a long-term undercover mission application after pointing out how little Konoha knew about the Akatsuki, and Gojō Ryūsen agreed to bring it to the Hokage.
• Cangyue insisted on finishing the Land of Flowers mission before returning to Konoha, and he and Gojō Ryūsen found a merchant caravan under attack on a mountain road.
• Cangyue used the Flame Sword and Thunder Sword to kill the bandits and wandering ninja, while Gojō Ryūsen blocked the fugitives’ escape with an Earth Release technique.
• Cangyue freed the surviving merchants, and officials from the Land of Flowers confirmed the mission’s completion and provided an emergency intelligence scroll.
• Gojō Ryūsen headed back to Konoha with the mission records while Cangyue flew north toward the rain-soaked horizon.

After Gojō Ryūsen reported Cangyue’s encounter with Akatsuki, Hiruzen Sarutobi approved him for an S-rank long-term infiltration mission. Cangyue crossed into the Land of Rain, where Deva Path Pain sensed his arrival.

• Gojō Ryūsen told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Cangyue had defeated Hidan and damaged one of Kakuzu’s hearts before accepting Akatsuki’s invitation to meet its leader.
• Gojō Ryūsen reported that Cangyue had completed his mission in the Land of Flowers, killing five wandering ninja and seventeen bandits and rescuing the merchant caravan.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi authorized an S-rank infiltration mission for Kambara Sogetsu and ordered ANBU to arrange intelligence drops and distant support.
• Cangyue flew into the Land of Rain on the Flame Sword while checking his valor points.
• Deva Path Pain sensed Cangyue’s arrival and opened his Rinnegan.

Cangyue openly flew into Amegakure and withstood the Rain Ninja’s attacks without harming them, then asked Konan to recruit him as the Akatsuki’s second-in-command. Konan escorted him to an Abandoned Shrine, where he met Deva Path Pain to discuss joining.

• Cangyue rode his Flame Sword through Amegakure while the Thunder Sword deflected the Rain Ninja’s attacks, and he asked one of them for directions to the Akatsuki’s base.
• Pain sensed Cangyue’s advance through the Rain Tiger at Will Technique and sent Konan to intercept him.
• Cangyue told Konan he wanted to apply for the Akatsuki’s second-in-command position, refused to surrender his swords, and demonstrated the Thunder Sword’s precision.
• Konan escorted Cangyue toward the Akatsuki base and answered his questions about lodging, meals, and mission pay.
• Cangyue arrived at the Abandoned Shrine and entered the hall, where Deva Path Pain waited to meet him.

Cangyue challenged Pain’s ideals and demonstrated his strength in a fight against Pain and Konan. Pain exploited an opening with Banshō Ten’in, pulling Cangyue toward a black rod aimed at his heart.

• Cangyue arrived at the Akatsuki hall and complained that only Pain and Konan were there to welcome him.
• Pain explained the Akatsuki’s goal of breaking the great nations’ control over war, but Cangyue dismissed the pitch and cut the spear from the hall’s statue.
• Pain used Shinra Tensei, and Cangyue braced against the repulsive force with his Flame and Thunder Swords.
• Cangyue launched repeated attacks, used Pain’s five-second Shinra Tensei interval to press him, and forced Konan to shield Pain with paper.
• Pain used Banshō Ten’in to pull Cangyue toward him and aimed a black rod at Cangyue’s heart.

Cangyue fought Pain and Konan to a stalemate, convincing Pain that he was strong enough to join the Akatsuki. After Cangyue asked to meet his future coworkers, Pain began a holographic meeting, where an Akatsuki member immediately objected to his joining.

• Cangyue used his swords and close-combat skills to battle Pain while Konan attacked him with paper blades.
• Cangyue, Pain, and Konan briefly reached a stalemate, but Pain blasted Cangyue from the hall with Shinra Tensei.
• Pain acknowledged Cangyue's strength and invited him to join the Akatsuki, while Konan stopped their fight before the hideout was destroyed.
• Cangyue agreed to join but asked to meet the organization's members, and Pain summoned their holographic projections.
• Cangyue's system unlocked a second entry slot, and an unidentified Akatsuki member objected to his joining.

Cangyue impressed the Akatsuki with his swords and disruptive behavior, then accepted associate membership while withholding details about his abilities. The chapter ended with him preparing to interview his new colleagues, starting with Hidan.

• Cangyue equipped the green Flame and Thunder Swordmaster trait, strengthening both swords after Amegakure's ninja witnessed his power.
• Cangyue provoked Hidan and Deidara during the Akatsuki meeting, while Kisame enjoyed the arguments and Sasori dismissed them as a waste of time.
• Cangyue hinted to Itachi that Sasuke missed him, leaving Itachi unsettled about what Cangyue knew.
• Pain made Cangyue an associate member, restricted his access to Akatsuki intelligence, and assigned him a trial mission before full membership could be considered.
• Cangyue filled out Konan's registration form but added fields for his colleagues, then asked Hidan for his height and weight.

Cangyue openly declared himself a Konoha spy, but Pain allowed him to join Akatsuki under conditions and assigned him a trial mission before granting full access to the hideout. As Cangyue turned the induction meeting into a member-measurement session, a masked figure appeared in the shadows to watch him.

• Cangyue told Akatsuki that he had joined as a Konoha spy and was gathering information, prompting Pain to reject the arrangement at first.
• Cangyue started to leave for Konoha, but Pain stopped him and agreed to let him retain his Konoha identity and pass nonessential intelligence back, provided Akatsuki's interests came first.
• Cangyue recorded Hidan, Kakuzu, Deidara, Sasori, Kisame, Itachi, and Konan's measurements, assigning them informal names based on their rings and asking Konan for personal measurements.
• Konan gave Cangyue an Akatsuki cloak, which he used as bedding while Pain declared him an auxiliary member who needed to complete a trial mission before gaining hideout access.
• After the meeting ended, a figure wearing a Swirl Mask appeared in the shadows and watched Cangyue.