Chapter Summaries

Sasuke awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan during Itachi’s assessment and used its powers before exhausting himself and collapsing. After Itachi carried him away, Hinata and Gekko Hayate prepared to begin the next match.

• Mikoto reassured Sasuke that Fugaku was proud of him, then Sasuke saw an illusion in which Itachi killed their parents and threatened him.
• Sasuke’s Sharingan evolved into a six-pointed-star Mangekyō Sharingan, and he realized Itachi had trapped him in an illusion.
• Sasuke attacked Itachi with Amaterasu and Kagutsuchi, but Itachi blocked the flames with his fully developed Susanoo.
• Sasuke summoned a skeletal Susanoo, overused his ocular powers, and collapsed unconscious.
• Itachi received Hatake Ziyan’s approval, declared Sasuke had passed the assessment, and carried him away.
• Shikamaru called for the next match, and Hinata faced Gekko Hayate after activating her Byakugan.

Hinata used tai chi and the Eight Trigrams Palm to gain the upper hand against Gekko Hayate, who then prepared a powerful sword strike. As Hayate unleashed his attack, Hinata answered with a new technique that shocked Hiashi, leaving the result of their clash unresolved.

• Hinata activated her Byakugan and used Air Palm, then established a tai chi domain to counter Hayate’s swordsmanship.
• Hinata redirected Hayate’s Tachi, struck him with Deflecting Fist, and landed 128 Eight Trigrams Palm strikes.
• Hayate reopened the chakra points in his injured arms and warned Hinata before preparing his all-out technique.
• Hiashi and Fugaku discussed Hinata’s performance as Hayate gathered power for Startling Swan.
• Hinata gathered power and answered Hayate’s descending sword with Eight Trigrams Palm: Divine Air Strike, shocking Hiashi.

Hinata defeated Gekko Hayate after Hatake Ziyan intervened to stop her attack from striking him. Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji then faced Haku, whose ice techniques enclosed the arena as the fight continued.

• Hinata's Divine Sky Strike overwhelmed Gekko Hayate's attack, but Hatake Ziyan appeared and dispersed it before it hit him.
• Gekko Hayate conceded defeat, and Hinata returned to her team after thanking him for holding back.
• Shisui reprimanded Hayate, then sent Haku to fight Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji alone.
• Haku opened the match with an Ice Release: Saber-Toothed Tiger, which Choji shattered with his expanded arm.
• Haku surrounded the arena with Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals and vanished into the mirrors.
• Shikamaru called on Ino and Choji, who used Mind Network Sensing and Super Multi-Size Technique as Choji grew to over ten meters tall.

Shikamaru used Wind Queen's Strange Gate and a series of unfamiliar techniques to help Choji and Ino defeat Haku inside the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. The match ended with Shikamaru nearly out of chakra and Haku returning to Shisui's side, frustrated by the unexpected abilities.

• Choji attacked Haku's ice mirrors, but they regenerated, and Shikamaru pulled Choji away from Haku's white whale attack with his shadow techniques.
• Haku launched water attacks, and Shikamaru used Wind Queen's Strange Gate to make a pit that swallowed a Great Waterfall Technique.
• Shikamaru raised a wooden wall to block Haku's water and ice jutsu, then interrupted Haku's Absolute Zero with Golden Casket Disorder.
• Ino took control of Haku with Mind Body Switch Technique, allowing Choji to strike him and break the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.
• Hatake Ziyan declared Shikamaru's team the winners and helped Haku, who returned to Shisui and said Shikamaru's abilities had caught him unprepared.

Hatake Ziyan explained how Shikamaru’s Wind Queen's Strange Gate controlled time and space, then demonstrated its power on Shisui. After Shikamaru warned everyone that learning the jutsu meant mastering it or going insane, the next match began, and Nawaki slipped into the arena before an ice dragon attacked him.

• Hatake Ziyan explained the limits of Shikamaru’s Wind Queen's Strange Gate and used Golden Casket Disorder to leave Shisui dazed for over ten seconds.
• Shisui accepted Haku’s defeat and returned to his team’s stands while Shikamaru and his teammates went back to theirs.
• Shikamaru told Kiba and the others that the jutsu’s only possible learning outcomes were mastery or insanity.
• Shikamaru sent Kiba, Tenten, and Sakura into the arena for the second match.
• Nawaki slipped on ice and fell from the stands into the Training Ground, then an ice dragon plunged toward him and breathed white mist.

Haku demonstrated his strength by freezing and shattering Nawaki, who survived through a substitution, before Nawaki began his assessment match against Kiba, Sakura, and Tenten. Nawaki overwhelmed them with Wood Release and was taken home by an angry Tsunade; the final match then began with Neji, Rock Lee, and Shino facing Kimimaro.

• Haku froze Nawaki and shattered the ice, revealing that Nawaki had escaped with a substitution, and Hatake Ziyan stopped Haku from continuing.
• Nawaki started his match against Kiba, Sakura, and Tenten, using Wood Release to block their attacks and trap them.
• Nawaki released poisonous pollen, incapacitating Tenten and Sakura before Kiba also collapsed from exhaustion.
• Tsunade angrily ordered Nawaki home, while Hatake Ziyan cleared away the trees and announced the final match.
• Neji activated his Byakugan and charged at Kimimaro with Rock Lee as Shino joined the attack.

Kimimaro overwhelmed Neji, Rock Lee, and Shino with his bone techniques, nearly impaling Neji before Hatake Ziyan rescued him. Kimimaro continued fighting the remaining boys, even as Shino’s venomous insects attacked his back.

• Kimimaro drew his spine out as a Bone Blade and repelled Neji’s Air Palm before firing finger bones at Neji and Rock Lee.
• Rock Lee opened the Fourth Gate and fought Kimimaro, who vanished and bound Neji with a bone whip before preparing to impale him.
• Shino sent insects to gnaw through the bone whip, and Rock Lee opened the Sixth Gate and kicked Kimimaro’s spike aside to save Neji.
• Kimimaro grew spikes across his body and pulled Neji toward him, while Shino’s nano-sized venomous insects began poisoning Kimimaro’s back.
• Hatake Ziyan rescued Neji, and Kimimaro attacked Rock Lee and Shino with the Dance of the Camellia.

Kimimaro defeated Rock Lee after overcoming Shino and countering Lee’s Daytime Tiger with his Dance of the Seedling Fern. Hatake Ziyan ended the assessment, confirmed Kimimaro’s victory after he shed layers of skin to remove Shino’s venomous insects, and announced that the Second-generation Konoha 12 had passed.

• Kimimaro used the Dance of the Larch and the Dance of the Eightfold Vines to wound Shino and force him to surrender.
• Rock Lee opened the Gate of Wonder and launched the Daytime Tiger, but Kimimaro’s Dance of the Seedling Fern blocked the attack and trapped Lee in the air.
• Hatake Ziyan stopped the fight before Kimimaro could strike Lee and declared Kimimaro the winner.
• Shikamaru objected that Shino’s venomous insects would eventually kill Kimimaro, but Kimimaro shed two layers of bone membrane and removed them.
• Neji and Shino helped Rock Lee as Sakura treated him, and Hatake Ziyan announced that the Second-generation Konoha 12 had passed.

Hatake Ziyan agreed to teach Hiashi the Hyuga Clan the Tai Chi technique in exchange for a favor. He asked the clan to monitor all of Konoha for signs of the hidden organization, leaving Hiashi stunned by the scale of the request.

• Hatake Ziyan dismissed the Twelve and told everyone, including Shisui, to gather at the Ninja Academy the next morning.
• Hiashi visited Hatake Ziyan to ask about the fighting style Hinata and Neji had used, including Divine Sky Strike.
• Hatake Ziyan offered Hiashi a scroll teaching Tai Chi in exchange for one favor, and Hiashi accepted before hearing the terms.
• Hiashi awkwardly offered Hatake Ziyan his daughter, but Hatake Ziyan rejected the idea and explained that he wanted the Hyuga Clan to watch all of Konoha for the hidden organization.
• Hiashi questioned whether the Hyuga Clan could surveil the entire village without provoking its other clans and residents.

Hatake Ziyan recruited Hiashi and the Hyuga Clan to monitor all of Konoha around the clock for a month, promising compensation and support from the village's forces. Hiashi also asked about Hinata's Divine Sky Strike, but Hatake Ziyan refused to teach the Byakugan-enhancing Ninjutsu to the clan.

• Hatake Ziyan told Hiashi to have the Hyuga Clan surveil all of Konoha continuously for a month, with the Military Police and Anbu helping them begin the checks.
• Hiashi agreed to organize the surveillance after Hatake Ziyan promised to handle complaints and compensate the clan based on its results.
• Hatake Ziyan instructed the Hyuga Clan to cover every part of Konoha, report anything unusual immediately, and expect someone to coordinate the operation.
• Hiashi reminded Hatake Ziyan to explain how Hinata had used Divine Sky Strike, and Hatake Ziyan said her Byakugan's purity had increased.
• Hatake Ziyan refused to teach the Byakugan-enhancing Ninjutsu to the Hyuga Clan, explaining that its success depended on a person's bloodline and that the technique was too dangerous.
• Hiashi accepted the refusal and left to prepare the Hyuga Clan for the surveillance.

Hatake Ziyan assigned four senior ninja to mentor the newly graduated students and divided them into teams. He then gave them a month-long mission to help the Hyuga Clan surveil Konoha for members of a dangerous hidden organization.

• Hatake Ziyan took Kakashi to the Ninja Academy, where he proposed that four senior ninja mentor the graduates until they passed the chunin exams.
• Sasuke argued that the graduates deserved jonin rank, but Hatake Ziyan rejected his objection and Shikamaru persuaded the students to accept their seniors as instructors.
• Shisui, Kakashi, Guy, and Nawaki volunteered to mentor the students, and Hatake Ziyan assigned the four teams and their leaders.
• Hatake Ziyan appointed Shikamaru and Shisui as captains for a joint mission to help the Hyuga Clan surveil Konoha for a month.
• Hatake Ziyan warned that powerful members of an unidentified organization might be hiding in Konoha, possibly under its control, and explained that he had once captured their leader before letting him escape.

Hatake Ziyan ordered the Hyuga Clan to monitor all of Konoha for a month to find a powerful hidden enemy he believed had returned to the village. Minato Namikaze informed Konoha’s leaders, and the surveillance began with Shisui coordinating investigations across the village.

• Hatake Ziyan assigned Shisui and Hiashi an S-Rank mission to keep every part of Konoha under surveillance for a month.
• Hatake Ziyan told Minato Namikaze that he suspected a powerful person he had once encountered was hiding in Konoha again.
• Minato Namikaze summoned Konoha High Command and the clan leaders to explain the surveillance plan, though he withheld that monitoring would start before they were notified.
• Shikamaru, Shisui, and Hiashi organized the Hyuga Clan’s Byakugan users into groups to watch all of Konoha.
• Shisui led two generations of the Konoha 12 to investigate suspicious locations and collect reports from the surveillance.

As Konoha’s growing anger forced Minato Namikaze to ask Hatake Ziyan to end the surveillance, Shikamaru warned that the hidden organization might act when the Hyuga withdrew. A system choice prompted Hatake Ziyan to pursue Yan, and he expanded his sensory range as the Hyuga clansmen hurried back to their compound.

• Konoha’s surveillance uncovered spies in its first few days, but weeks without finding the hidden organization fueled complaints among clans and villagers.
• An elderly Hyuga man criticized Hiashi for making their clan surveil the village, then watched the Hatake Clan compound with a mocking gaze.
• Minato Namikaze asked Hatake Ziyan to end the surveillance, and Hatake agreed but said he would provide an answer once the month was up.
• Shikamaru predicted the hidden organization would report its intelligence after the Hyuga withdrew, and asked Hatake Ziyan to capture and follow its powerful agent.
• A system choice offered Hatake Ziyan rewards for finding Yan or letting him operate freely, and Hatake chose to investigate.
• Hatake ordered Shikamaru and Shisui’s squads to watch Konoha’s outskirts, then used Mind’s Eye of the Kagura to see the Hyuga clansmen rush back to their compound.

Hatake Ziyan resumed monitoring Konoha and discovered that Yan had been hiding in the Hyuga Clan under an old man's disguise. Yan believed his identity and Hatake Ziyan's surveillance had remained secret, and looked forward to confronting him again.

• Hatake Ziyan overheard Naruto arranging with Kabuto Yakushi to obtain a drug that would prevent someone from using chakra, but stopped investigating when Naruto left.
• After three days of searching for Yan, Hatake Ziyan spotted a powerful old Hyuga clansman leaving the compound and heading to a brothel.
• The old man knocked a woman unconscious, transformed into a young man, put on a mask, and left; Hatake Ziyan recognized him as Yan.
• Yan checked the streets for a tail, then went to a rooftop overlooking the Hatake Compound.
• Yan said he had been a Hyuga Clan member all along, knew Hatake Ziyan had used the clan to monitor Konoha, and planned to learn the ninjutsu Hatake Ziyan had taught them.

Hatake Ziyan discovered that Yan was coordinating a spy network and used Yan’s disguise as Hyuga Yūwa to confront him at the Hyuga compound. The chapter ended with Hatake Ziyan holding a blade to Yan’s neck as Yan tried to talk his way out of the accusation.

• Yan met two operatives and learned that Konoha had captured five low-level members of their network.
• Yan ordered the operatives to leave the village and report to their organization, while Hatake Ziyan sent word to Shikamaru and the others to capture them.
• Yan disguised himself as the elderly Hyuga Yūwa, and Hatake Ziyan approached him at the Hyuga Clan’s compound.
• Hatake Ziyan questioned Yan’s identity after Yan declined his invitation to stay and chat, and Hiashi realized the elder might be an impostor.
• Hatake Ziyan drew his blade and pressed it against Yan’s neck, while Yan hurriedly challenged him about his bloodthirsty reputation.

Hatake Ziyan confronted the disguised Hyuga elder Yan and claimed he had evidence that Yan was a spy. Neji and Hinata brought in captives and their statements, leaving Hiashi to face proof that the elder he trusted was not who he claimed to be.

• Hatake Ziyan threatened to kill Yan, but Hiashi pleaded for mercy and asked him to provide evidence.
• Hatake Ziyan had Hiashi tie Yan up and brought them to the Hyuga Clan reception room.
• Hatake Ziyan called the elder Yan and demanded that he stop pretending, while Yan insisted he was Hyuga Yūwa.
• Hatake Ziyan summoned Neji and Hinata, who arrived with captives and handed over their interrogation statements.
• Neji and Hinata addressed Hiashi as Lord Hiashi and Father, and Hiashi realized the situation had gone far beyond what he expected.

Hatake Ziyan exposed Hyuga Yūwa as a spy and prevented him from escaping with chakra-suppressing restraints. After sending Hyuga Hiashi, Hinata, and the third person to inform Minato and the others, Hatake Ziyan faced a vacant-eyed man who claimed he should have killed him.

• Hatake Ziyan revealed that Yan was Hyuga Yūwa and explained how Yan had exposed himself by spying on him and meeting with the three people.
• Yan tried to break free and flee, but Hatake Ziyan’s restraints tightened and suppressed his chakra.
• Hatake Ziyan told Hyuga Hiashi, Hinata, and the third person to leave and inform Minato and the others.
• Hatake Ziyan explained that the restraints were a device he had made, while Yan demanded to be killed rather than answer questions.
• A vacant-eyed man sat up, accused Hatake Ziyan of becoming uncontrollable, and claimed Hatake Ziyan had been looking for him.

Hatake Ziyan questioned Yan after Yan’s mysterious boss appeared, spoke cryptically, and collapsed. Yan demanded proof that Hatake Ziyan could protect him before revealing what he knew, but he remained unconvinced and was left tied up under Hatake Ziyan’s watch.

• Hatake Ziyan questioned the broken-necked man, who identified himself as the leader but refused to give his name or explain his goals before collapsing.
• Hatake Ziyan sent the corpse and two others out of the room, then pressed Yan to explain what made his boss special.
• Yan said he would reveal secrets only if Hatake Ziyan proved he could protect him, and described the boss as at least as strong as the Sage of Six Paths.
• Hatake Ziyan claimed he could defeat even Kaguya Otsutsuki, but Yan doubted him because of Hatake Ziyan’s past actions.
• Hatake Ziyan said Yan would remain tied up and under his watch until he revealed what Hatake Ziyan wanted to know, and Yan still trusted his boss more to spare him.

Hatake Ziyan arranged for Minato Namikaze to inform Konoha’s villagers about the captured spies, then persuaded Yan to reveal his identity and the origins of his organization. Yan explained that his leader claimed the Hyuga Clan descended from him and that Owl coordinated the organization’s forces across the Five Great Shinobi Villages.

• Hatake Ziyan told Minato Namikaze to publicize the captured spies and said he would question the remaining prisoner before explaining why they had infiltrated Konoha.
• Minato Namikaze took the prisoners away, while Hinata persuaded Hiashi to leave Hatake Ziyan alone.
• Yan revealed that his real name was Hyuga Yūwa and that the organization’s leader had saved him, taught him Hyuga techniques, and shown him a way to increase his Byakugan’s purity.
• Yan said the leader had claimed the Hyuga Clan descended from him, then later contacted Yan through Owl after Konoha was founded.
• Yan explained that Owl deployed the organization’s forces and that its operatives, including Yan and four others, each oversaw a different Great Shinobi Village.
• Hatake Ziyan asked Yan how strong Owl was and where he could find him.

Hatake Ziyan questioned Yan about the secret organization and learned that its leader had ordered surveillance of Konoha, attention to Ziyan, and an attempt to kill Minato Namikaze and Kushina on the night of their child’s birth. Yan asked to stay with Ziyan for protection, leaving Ziyan wondering whether the mysterious leader was a transmigrator or connected to Kara.

• Yan told Hatake Ziyan that Owl relayed messages from a leader whose organization mostly gathered intelligence and watched children in the villages.
• Yan described the order to monitor Kushina’s delivery and kill her and Minato Namikaze, then said the leader later told him to leave them alone.
• Yan revealed that the leader had ordered agents to watch Hatake Ziyan and had forbidden Yan from approaching him after Yan exposed himself.
• Yan admitted he had arranged the attempt to kidnap Kurama Yakumo to test whether Ziyan was as formidable as the organization claimed.
• Hatake Ziyan released Yan, but Yan insisted on staying with him for protection, prompting Ziyan to ask whether the leader was truly so terrifying.