Chapter Summaries

Hatake Ziyan tested the young Konoha 12 with his killing intent after challenging Sasuke’s confidence. Naruto resisted first, Sasuke awakened his One-Tomoe Sharingan, and Naruto went to help Sakura, who was still overwhelmed.

• Neji apologized to Hatake Ziyan, then hurried away to train after Ziyan told him to stop worrying and get to work.
• Hatake Ziyan told the twelve children that they had to train harder to match the first Konoha 12, and Sasuke scoffed at the comparison.
• Sasuke insisted he would surpass Itachi and blamed peacetime for not having awakened his Sharingan; Hatake Ziyan countered that Itachi had awakened two tomoe by age nine.
• Hatake Ziyan released some of his killing intent, causing several children to collapse while the others struggled to stand.
• Naruto endured the pressure by stabbing his thigh with a kunai and vowed to lead his comrades to surpass the first Konoha 12.
• Sasuke awakened his One-Tomoe Sharingan and broke free, the others followed, and Naruto limped toward Sakura as she remained on the ground crying.

Hatake Ziyan tested the children with his killing intent, healed Naruto, and handed out demanding individual training plans for the original Konoha 12. Sakura questioned whether they could complete the training, but Naruto urged her to trust Hatake Ziyan’s plan.

• Sasuke encouraged Sakura to recover from Hatake Ziyan’s killing intent, while a short-haired girl with the Byakugan blushed at Naruto.
• Hatake Ziyan withdrew his killing intent, criticized the children’s weakness, and challenged Sasuke’s claim that he could match his brother.
• Hatake Ziyan used mental pressure to silence Sasuke, then healed Naruto’s injured leg.
• Neji distributed the children’s individual training plans, and Hatake Ziyan warned them to expect grueling daily training.
• Sakura protested that the training was impossible for children, but Naruto reminded her she had completed Hatake Ziyan’s training that morning and urged her to trust him.

Hatake Ziyan stopped Sakura from quitting by threatening to kill her, and Sasuke persuaded her to continue training. After sending the Twelve to their assignments, Ziyan asked Shikamaru to become their captain, leaving Shikamaru wondering why he had been chosen.

• Sakura said she was quitting, so Hatake Ziyan put his blade to her neck and threatened to kill her.
• Sasuke urged Sakura not to give up, and Sakura apologized to Hatake Ziyan and asked for another chance.
• Hatake Ziyan withdrew his blade, ordered the Twelve to begin training, and took Shikamaru to the office.
• While playing shogi, Hatake Ziyan told Shikamaru that strength was needed to put intelligence into practice.
• Hatake Ziyan asked Shikamaru to become captain of the Konoha 12, and Shikamaru questioned why he had been chosen despite hating troublesome responsibilities.

Hatake Ziyan appointed Shikamaru captain and gave him a demanding training plan, leaving him responsible for supervising the others. After Naruto complained about the harsh training, Minato urged him to persevere and tasked him with earning the trust and respect of the Konoha 12.

• Hatake Ziyan explained why he chose Shikamaru as captain, and Shikamaru agreed to take the role.
• Hatake Ziyan gave Shikamaru a more demanding training plan and assigned him to supervise everyone's training.
• Naruto complained to Minato Namikaze that Hatake Ziyan's training was too harsh and asked to quit the Konoha 12 team.
• Minato Namikaze told Naruto to keep training, revealed that Kushina was exceptionally strong, and urged Naruto to earn the Konoha 12's trust and respect.

Minato Namikaze urged Naruto to build trust and leadership within his squad, while Kushina secretly listened and then visited Hatake Ziyan. Kushina began to explain that her request concerned Naruto, but the chapter ended before she stated what she wanted.

• Minato Namikaze told Naruto to earn his squadmates’ trust and demonstrate leadership, and Naruto asked how to do so.
• Kushina overheard their conversation, made up her mind, and left through the back door to visit Hatake Ziyan.
• Kushina greeted Hatake Ziyan affectionately, and he teased her about acting like a little girl.
• Hatake Ziyan guessed that Kushina had come because of Naruto and promised to teach him carefully.
• Kushina insisted that she had complete confidence in Hatake Ziyan’s teaching and began to clarify that her request was different.

Kushina asked Hatake Ziyan to transfer the Nine-Tails from her into Naruto, accepting that the extraction would kill her. Hatake Ziyan rejected the idea and suggested giving Naruto half the Nine-Tails instead.

• Kushina told Hatake Ziyan she wanted to transfer the Nine-Tails to Naruto so he could keep up with his peers and stay safe.
• Hatake Ziyan warned Kushina that extracting the Nine-Tails would kill her, but she said she was willing to die for Naruto.
• Hatake Ziyan insisted Naruto was talented enough to succeed without the Nine-Tails, but Kushina doubted him and pressed her request.
• Hatake Ziyan asked whether Minato and Naruto would accept Kushina's plan, and Kushina said she would knock Minato out if necessary.
• Hatake Ziyan told Kushina there was another way to help Naruto and proposed giving him half the Nine-Tails.

Hatake Ziyan convinced Kushina that he could divide the Nine-Tails’ yin and yang chakra and seal it safely into Naruto. The group gathered on Konoha’s Back Mountain to begin the transfer, while Minato awkwardly struggled with Kushina’s blunt instructions.

• Kushina bound the Nine-Tails with Adamantine Sealing Chains and hesitated when it warned that splitting it might kill it and leave Naruto powerless.
• Hatake Ziyan asked Kurama whether separating its yin and yang chakra would destroy it, then used Kurama’s reaction to convince Kushina the method would work.
• Kushina kissed Hatake Ziyan, fetched Naruto, and headed for the Back Mountain with the bound Nine-Tails.
• Hatake Ziyan told Kakashi Hatake to alert his teammates and prevent anyone from interrupting the sealing, then went to the Back Mountain.
• Minato Namikaze arrived with a slap mark on his cheek, and Kushina soon brought Naruto and prepared to have Hatake Ziyan transfer the Nine-Tails.
• Kushina told Minato to leave, while Minato tried to reassure himself that the procedure was only about splitting and transferring the Nine-Tails.

Hatake Ziyan removed the Nine-Tails from Kushina and split Kurama into two halves, then sealed one half inside Kushina and the other inside Naruto. Kushina lost consciousness after the extraction and resealing.

• Minato left after Kushina insisted he go, and Hatake Ziyan began releasing the seal on Kushina.
• Hatake Ziyan forced the Nine-Tails out of Kushina and threatened Kurama until he agreed to be split.
• Hatake Ziyan used his soul form to divide the Nine-Tails into two foxes, one savage and one warm and sacred.
• Hatake Ziyan sealed one half of Kurama inside Kushina and the other inside Naruto.
• Kushina lost consciousness after Hatake Ziyan finished the seals.

Hatake Ziyan handled Naruto’s awakening after the Nine-Tails was sealed inside him, then left Minato to explain what happened. Naruto wrongly suspected Minato and began plotting to kill him, while Ziyan returned to Konoha and found its top fighters facing off at Hokage Rock.

• Naruto woke in the mountain forest, saw Hatake Ziyan holding Kushina, and angrily accused him of harming his mother.
• Hatake Ziyan restrained Naruto, stopped his brief Tailed Beast Transformation, and told Minato to add a Five Elements Seal over Naruto’s Eight Trigrams Seal.
• Minato took Kushina and explained that she was fine, but Naruto misunderstood his words and silently began plotting to kill his father.
• Hatake Ziyan left the Back Mountain and found Hatake Sakumo, the Konoha 12, Jiraiya, and clan leaders confronting one another at Hokage Rock.

After Kushina transferred half of the Nine-Tails to Naruto with Hatake Ziyan’s help, Minato explained the incident to Konoha’s leaders and returned home to care for his family. Three years later, Ziyan had grown far stronger and no longer feared the threats lurking in the shinobi world, including the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

• Hatake Ziyan left Hokage Rock after telling Jiraiya to ask Minato about the Nine-Tails incident.
• Minato carried the exhausted Kushina home with Naruto, then went to the Hokage Building to explain that Ziyan had split the Nine-Tails and made Naruto a second Jinchuriki.
• Minato told Jiraiya he did not know why Kushina had chosen to transfer half of the Nine-Tails to Naruto and left to care for her.
• Minato found Naruto asleep beside Kushina’s bed and moved him to his own bed.
• Three years passed, during which Hatake Ziyan’s students grew stronger and his cultivation advanced by a major realm, leaving him confident against the Ōtsutsuki Clan.

Hatake Ziyan announced a difficult graduation exam for the Konoha 12: they had to earn recognition from the previous generation and permission to inherit their title. With the exam set for three days later and its standards left flexible, Shikamaru considered how the students could negotiate with their predecessors.

• Hatake Ziyan recalled searching unsuccessfully for the underground organization and Yan before deciding they were not worth his attention.
• Hatake Ziyan told the Konoha 12 their graduation exam would require each student to earn a predecessor’s recognition and permission to inherit the title, or lose their place and the jutsu he had taught them.
• Shikamaru asked when the exam would take place, Naruto asked how recognition would be judged, and Sasuke asked what would happen if he defeated a predecessor.
• Hatake Ziyan scheduled the exam for three days later, left recognition to the predecessors’ judgment, and said he would pass Sasuke if Sasuke defeated one.
• Shikamaru reasoned that the flexible standards could let the students negotiate an acceptable way to demonstrate their worth, then asked whether Hatake Ziyan would leave the method up to them.

Shikamaru and Naruto proposed competing plans for the new Konoha 12’s graduation assessment, and Shikamaru called for a vote after neither could convince the other. The chapter ended before the teammates chose which plan to follow.

• Hatake Ziyan approved Shikamaru’s approach and left to inform the predecessors.
• Shikamaru challenged Naruto and Sasuke to present plans that could help their teammates pass, while Sasuke insisted they should simply defeat their opponents.
• Naruto suggested that he and Shikamaru present their plans and let the team vote, and the others agreed.
• Shikamaru proposed negotiating with Uchiha Shisui and using gathered information to arrange favorable matches against the previous Konoha 12.
• Naruto proposed turning the assessment into a public ceremony with sparring demonstrations, but Shikamaru warned that Hatake Ziyan might intervene.
• Shikamaru asked the teammates to vote after neither he nor Naruto persuaded the other.

Shikamaru and Naruto split the Konoha 12 into two teams to prepare competing plans for their graduation assessment, with the winning leader set to become captain. Shikamaru’s team began searching for Shisui Uchiha, while Naruto remained confident that his prestigious lineup would win.

• Sasuke rejected both plans and declared that he would qualify for the assessment by challenging and defeating one of the Konoha 12 on his own.
• Shikamaru and Naruto held a vote, and Shino’s choice gave Shikamaru five supporters against Naruto’s four.
• Shikamaru proposed that both teams prepare their separate plans, and Sasuke agreed to join Naruto’s team after Shikamaru praised his strength.
• Naruto wagered that whichever team’s plan helped them pass the assessment would have its leader become captain of the Konoha 12, and Shikamaru accepted.
• Shikamaru led his five supporters to search for Shisui Uchiha so he could negotiate with him, while Naruto stayed behind to plan with his team.

Naruto assigned his allies to publicize the Konoha 12 succession challenge, while Shikamaru negotiated its terms with Shisui. Shisui agreed that winning one of six matches would count as victory, but made Shikamaru’s shogi game against him the first match.

• Naruto asked Hinata and Neji to use the Hyuga Clan's intelligence channels to announce the succession challenge, and Sasuke and Kiba agreed to help spread the news and monitor public opinion.
• Naruto assigned Sakura to help compile intelligence, then left to ask his father for assistance.
• Shikamaru met Shisui at Hokage Rock and asked him to disrupt Naruto's preparations or public opinion campaign.
• Shikamaru proposed three three-on-three matches and three one-on-one matches, with one win enough for the younger shinobi to pass.
• Shisui agreed to the one-win condition if Shikamaru beat him at shogi, then activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and invited Shikamaru to move first.

Shikamaru broke free of a genjutsu cast by Shisui and Itachi, then met the first-generation Twelve Rookies’ captain and learned the team’s abilities and strength classifications. Shisui agreed to explain his teammates’ skills as the assessment drew closer.

• Shikamaru played shogi with Shisui while guarding himself against genjutsu, but eventually realized the game and his surroundings were an illusion.
• Shikamaru broke the illusion and found himself on Hokage Rock with Shisui and Itachi, who confirmed that he had escaped their combined genjutsu.
• Shisui introduced himself as captain of the first generation of the Twelve Rookies and warned Shikamaru that winning even one match against them would be difficult.
• Shikamaru explained that Lord Ziyan had strengthened his mental energy by combining techniques from the Kato and Tanaka clans.
• Shisui described the abilities and strength levels of himself, Itachi, Obito, Nawaki, Kakashi, Guy, Hayate, Shizune, Yamato, Haku, Kimimaro, and Jugo.

Shikamaru learned that Ziyan's twelve students were overwhelmingly powerful, then told the Konoha 12 that Naruto's effort to launch a public opinion campaign had failed. He laid out the negotiated assessment terms and rallied the group around a strategy focused on the individual matches.

• Shikamaru left Shisui and Itachi after hearing how powerful their team was, while Shisui wondered whether he had crushed Shikamaru's spirits.
• Two days later, Naruto told the Konoha 12 that the Hyuga Clan and Minato Namikaze's Anbu had refused to help spread their message.
• Shikamaru described the assessment terms he had negotiated with Shisui, including three team matches and three individual matches against a formidable lineup.
• Shikamaru urged the Konoha 12 to trust his arrangements and focus on their chances in the individual matches.
• Sasuke declared that he would defeat the opposing team's strongest member, making the group laugh and easing the tension.

Shikamaru organized the Second-generation Konoha 12 for their assessment against the First-generation Konoha 12, assigning individual and team matches. The assessment began at the Training Ground on Back Mountain with Naruto challenging Shisui.

• Shikamaru got Naruto to agree to follow his lead and organized the team’s assessment plan.
• Shikamaru selected Sasuke, Hinata, and Naruto for individual matches; they chose Itachi, Hayate, and Shisui as their opponents, respectively.
• Shikamaru assigned three teams for the group matches, and everyone agreed to the matchups.
• The next morning, Shikamaru found that only six of Shisui’s teammates had arrived, but Shisui agreed to begin anyway.
• Shisui questioned the individual match list, then Naruto stepped forward to fight him first.

Naruto and Shisui fought in an assessment match, with Shisui easily countering Naruto’s attacks and hundreds of shadow clones. The chapter ended with Shisui using Susanoo to seize Naruto and hurling him into the arena wall.

• Shikamaru encouraged Naruto before Naruto and Shisui entered the arena and began the assessment.
• Naruto attacked with shuriken, Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere, and a wind-coated kunai, but Shisui blocked the attacks and kicked him away.
• Naruto created hundreds of shadow clones and sent them to attack Shisui with Rasengans.
• Shisui used Flame Slash to destroy Naruto’s shadow clones and their Rasengans.
• Naruto burst through the smoke with a Big Ball Rasengan, but Shisui awakened Susanoo, grabbed him with a skeletal arm, and flung him into the wooden wall.

Naruto entered a one-tail Tailed Beast Transformation during his match with Shisui, who escalated his Susanoo until Hatake Ziyan intervened and subdued Naruto. After Naruto was carried to Kushina for treatment, Sasuke entered the arena to face Itachi in the next match.

• After Naruto crashed into the wall, Kushina tried to reach him, but Sakumo restrained her and Hatake Ziyan stopped her with wooden branches.
• Naruto transformed and charged Shisui, forcing Shisui to activate his Susanoo and reveal its third stage as Naruto's transformation intensified.
• When Naruto attacked again, Hatake Ziyan caught him and Shisui's greatblade, ended Naruto's transformation, and sent the unconscious Naruto to Kushina and Tsunade for treatment.
• Hatake Ziyan told Kushina that Naruto's Five Elements Seal should be removed after the assessment, and Shisui acknowledged Naruto's abilities before the next match began.
• Sasuke jumped into the arena and challenged his older brother, so Itachi flickered down to face him.

Sasuke fought Itachi, who defeated him with Tsukuyomi and left him unconscious for two days. After awakening at home, Sasuke learned what had happened and resolved to face his defeat.

• Sasuke and Itachi traded shuriken and Great Fireball Techniques before Sasuke attacked with Chidori.
• Itachi caught Sasuke's wrist, dispersed his Chidori, and trapped him with Tsukuyomi.
• Itachi tormented Sasuke in the genjutsu for seventy hours, while Sasuke refused to concede and his Sharingan showed signs of evolving.
• Itachi ended the genjutsu, and Sasuke awoke at home after being unconscious for two days.
• Uchiha Mikoto told Sasuke that Itachi had used Tsukuyomi, and Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration at losing.