Chapter Summaries

Chihane fought Orochimaru to a standstill long enough to impress him, though Chihane knew he would lose if the fight continued. As the Ninja Academy’s team assignments began, Kurenai Yuhi was assigned to Shinku Yuhi, leaving Chihane’s team undecided.

• Chihane resisted Orochimaru’s Genjutsu, countered his attacks, and forced Orochimaru to acknowledge his strength before ending the fight.
• Chihane recognized that his success came from knowing Orochimaru’s abilities and training harder after Orochimaru left.
• Kurenai Yuhi hoped to join Chihane’s team, while Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha talked about joining Minato Namikaze’s team.
• Chihane predicted that Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha might join Minato Namikaze, and Obito became distracted imagining a future with Rin.
• Shinku Yuhi called Kurenai Yuhi and Itsuki Nomori to join his team after glaring at Chihane.

Chihane became Orochimaru’s student and followed him to a secret laboratory so Orochimaru could examine his unusual physical abilities. Orochimaru gave Chihane a Kusanagi Sword, and Chihane entered the lab despite being unsettled by its contents.

• Minato Namikaze took Rin Nohara and Obito Uchiha away, while Chihane remained alone in the classroom and realized Orochimaru would be his team leader.
• Orochimaru took Chihane to the woods, explained that his earlier attack had been a test, and questioned him about his strength and black Haki.
• Chihane described his natural physical growth and claimed Haki might be his kekkei genkai.
• Orochimaru gave Chihane a Kusanagi Sword and invited him to his laboratory for an examination.
• Orochimaru opened a hidden passage into his secret base, and Chihane followed him into the laboratory, where its preserved organs and limbs made him uncomfortable.

Orochimaru accepted Chihane as his disciple after Chihane admired his research, then assessed his abilities and discussed how to overcome his combat weaknesses. He proposed developing a version of Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode with Chihane, who realized he might become Orochimaru's test subject.

• Chihane praised Orochimaru's scientific work, and Orochimaru decided he genuinely regarded Chihane as his disciple.
• Orochimaru collected samples and measurements from Chihane, then identified his strong conditioning, perception, and will alongside his lack of ranged attacks and speed.
• Chihane explained that his limited chakra made ninjutsu difficult, and Orochimaru considered Tsunade's Yin Seal as a way to store chakra.
• Chihane told Orochimaru that his only chakra nature was lightning, so Orochimaru proposed developing Kumogakure's Lightning Release Chakra Mode for him.
• Orochimaru grew excited about experimenting on the technique, and Chihane worried he would have no choice but to serve as the test subject.

Chihane returned home and eased Kakashi’s anger with a dinner shared with Kurenai Yuhi, but Kakashi later challenged him to sword practice and was soundly beaten. The chapter ended with the brothers reminiscing beneath the moon as Chihane teased Kakashi about Rin Nohara.

• Orochimaru sent Chihane home and told him to return for afternoon training the next day.
• Chihane prepared Kakashi’s favorite dishes and invited Kurenai Yuhi to dinner, and Kakashi set aside his anger while she was there.
• Chihane and Kurenai Yuhi walked home together, but Shinku Yuhi charged at Chihane, who escaped with the Body Flicker Technique.
• Kakashi challenged Chihane to swordsmanship practice at the Hatake Clan residence, and Chihane easily overpowered him until Kakashi asked to stop.
• Chihane and Kakashi sat together beneath the moon, and Chihane teased Kakashi about Rin Nohara’s crush, leaving Kakashi flustered.

Chihane and Orochimaru developed Chihane’s ability to control lightning and began using it to activate his cells, while Chihane also nudged Kakashi toward Rin Nohara. After two months of training, Chihane achieved basic mastery and tested his lightning against Orochimaru’s Rashomon in Konoha.

• Chihane gave Kakashi Jiraiya’s The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi, and Kakashi later got together with Rin Nohara while Obito Uchiha supported them from the sidelines.
• Orochimaru and Chihane completed a month of experiments that let Chihane control lightning, then began stimulating the cells in his legs.
• Chihane’s calves cramped during the cell-activation experiment, and Orochimaru stopped the session after Chihane recovered.
• After two months of repeated training, Chihane gained basic mastery of cell activation and charged into Orochimaru’s Rashomon in the Back Mountain woods.
• The Konoha ANBU watching the woods observed the sparring without intervening, accustomed to the pair’s destructive training.

As Hiruzen Sarutobi worried about Chihane Hatake’s rapid rise, Orochimaru ended their spar and was summoned to lead Konoha’s forces against Iwagakure as several nations prepared for war. Hiruzen assigned Orochimaru only ten Jonin and the Uchiha Clan, while keeping open the possibility of joining him if Ōnoki appeared.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi reflected on Chihane Hatake’s Jonin-level strength and worried about Orochimaru’s growing influence.
• Orochimaru stopped his spar with Chihane after the Dog-Faced ANBU delivered Hiruzen’s summons.
• Chihane checked his system status, saw that he had reached peak near-Kage strength, and resumed training alone.
• Hiruzen told Orochimaru that the Third Kazekage had disappeared and several villages were preparing or declaring war.
• Orochimaru accepted command of Konoha’s forces against Iwagakure and asked how many Jonin he would receive.
• Hiruzen assigned Orochimaru ten Jonin and the Uchiha Clan, and said he would join the front if Ōnoki appeared.

Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Orochimaru to lead a force against Iwagakure with only ten Jonin and two thousand Chunin and Genin, despite promising him the Hokage position if they won. Orochimaru then visited Uchiha Kageyama to discuss the coming war, but left him wondering why he had not received a notice.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi insisted that Orochimaru accept command of the mission and promised he would become Hokage if they won the war.
• Orochimaru accepted the order and left, while Hiruzen muttered angrily that Orochimaru had forgotten who had given him everything.
• Orochimaru told Chihane that war was about to begin, and Chihane excitedly resumed training with his sword.
• Orochimaru visited the Uchiha compound and met clan head Uchiha Kageyama.
• Orochimaru feigned surprise that Kageyama had not received Sarutobi's notice about the war.

Orochimaru persuaded Uchiha Kageyama to support his bid to become Fourth Hokage by promising to train Kageyama’s grandson as a future Fifth Hokage. As Chihane prepared to leave for the battlefield, he gathered his friends for dinner and asked them to share their dreams.

• Orochimaru told Uchiha Kageyama that war had begun and offered to help the Uchiha join Konoha High Command in exchange for their support in his campaign to become Hokage.
• Orochimaru promised to take Kageyama’s grandson as his disciple and help him become Fifth Hokage, and Kageyama accepted the proposal and said Fugaku would bring Itachi to meet him.
• Orochimaru left, while Kageyama murmured about the possibility of a Fifth Hokage.
• Chihane received orders to leave with the advance force the next morning and invited his friends to dinner at the Hatake Clan home.
• Chihane joked with his friends about their possible futures on the battlefield, then asked everyone to share their dreams.

Chihane and his friends shared their dreams during a lively gathering, then Chihane left Konoha with Orochimaru for the journey ahead. His friends rushed to the gate to see him off, and he set out determined to protect them.

• Chihane declared his dream of becoming the strongest in the Shinobi World, the World's Greatest Swordsman, and bringing peace.
• Obito Uchiha shared his dream of becoming Hokage, and Hyuga Sonoko defended him when the others mocked him.
• Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, Rin Nohara, Hyuga Namikaze, Hyuga Sonoko, and Kakashi each shared their dreams.
• Chihane led everyone in a toast to their futures, and the group celebrated together late into the night.
• Chihane went to the Konoha Gate with Orochimaru, but his friends arrived in time to call out their farewells.
• Chihane tearfully said goodbye to his friends and set out with Orochimaru, determined to protect the people who cared about him.

Konoha's main force reached the Land of Fire border, where Kitsuchi's surprise attack began a fierce battle with Iwagakure. Chihane survived Wenya's explosive attack, killed the Iwa Jonin, and rushed toward another target as Kitsuchi noticed his strength.

• Orochimaru ordered Konoha's ninja to establish a camp, but a scout soon warned that enemy ninja were approaching.
• Kitsuchi smashed through Konoha's Earth-Style Wall defenses, and his shuriken barrage wounded and killed Konoha ninja before the Iwa forces charged.
• Orochimaru engaged Kitsuchi while Jonin Moonlight led Konoha's counterattack, and Chihane cut down Iwa ninja with three blades.
• Wenya trapped Chihane with an Iwa Chunin and hit him with Earth Release: Explosive Missile, but Chihane survived by activating the Eight Gates of Death, Lightning Release Chakra Mode, and Armament Haki.
• Chihane killed Wenya in an instant, turned the fighting in his vicinity, and raced toward another Iwa Jonin as Kitsuchi noticed him while battling Orochimaru.

Chihane Hatake and Orochimaru forced Kitsuchi and the Iwa vanguard to retreat after a fierce battle, though Konoha suffered heavy losses. Chihane earned several system achievements, and his name began spreading across the battlefield.

• Kitsuchi charged Chihane to stop him from killing more Iwa shinobi, but Chihane and Orochimaru fought back together and wounded him.
• Kitsuchi escaped into the air and ordered the Iwa shinobi to retreat after Chihane identified himself as Chihane Hatake.
• Konoha’s shinobi stopped pursuing the retreating Iwa forces and faced the aftermath of four hundred deaths and more than a thousand wounded.
• The system rewarded Chihane for killing a Jonin, killing one hundred shinobi, and winning the first shinobi war battle, granting him Zoro’s sword energy experience each time.

Uchiha Kageyama arrived with supplies to reinforce Orochimaru’s struggling army, but their food shortage forced them to consider retreating or seizing provisions from Iwagakure. At the Jonin Council, Chihane asserted his strength to justify his place and help Orochimaru establish authority over the Uchiha Clan.

• Orochimaru greeted Uchiha Kageyama at camp and said he had wounded Kitsuchi and killed five Jonin.
• Uchiha Kageyama brought shuriken, rations, and bandages, while Orochimaru explained that the army faced a food shortage and might need to retreat or take supplies from Iwagakure.
• Uchiha Kageyama called for a Jonin Council, and Orochimaru summoned the Konoha and Uchiha Jonin along with Chihane.
• Uchiha Kageyama challenged Chihane’s right to attend the council because he was a Genin and Orochimaru’s student.
• Chihane answered that his strength entitled him to attend, as Orochimaru and Chihane sought to demonstrate their power to the Uchiha Clan.

At the Jonin Council, Orochimaru revealed Chihane’s battlefield accomplishments and secured Uchiha Kageyama’s cooperation. The council voted to raid Iwa’s supplies, and Orochimaru assigned an elite squad to attack the convoy while the main force engaged Kitsuchi.

• Uchiha Kageyama challenged Chihane’s claim to strength, but Orochimaru explained that Chihane had killed five Iwa Jonin and hundreds of other ninja and helped drive Kitsuchi back.
• Orochimaru told the council that their food would last only two more days and presented retreating or raiding Iwa’s supply convoy as their choices.
• Uchiha Kageyama silenced the arguing Jonin, and the council unanimously voted to raid Iwa’s supplies.
• Orochimaru said the main force would attack Kitsuchi’s forces the next morning to open a path for an elite squad targeting Kakkō’s convoy.
• Uchiha Kageyama assigned Uchiha Fugaku, Izumi, and Kōtan to accompany Chihane Hatake and handle the other three Iwa ninja.

Orochimaru briefed Chihane on the Iwagakure squad guarding the supplies and warned him that three elite jonin would be involved in the raid. Chihane prepared to face them, while Orochimaru planned for him to quickly defeat two and return to support Uchiha Fugaku.

• Orochimaru shared Kakkō's intelligence with Chihane and the three Uchiha jonin, prompting Uchiha Fugaku to worry that Kakkō might outmatch him.
• Obito Uchiha moved into the Hatake compound to keep Kakashi company and became excited by Jiraiya's book after Kakashi called it a secret to strength.
• Kakashi trained with his father's White Fang short blade and vowed to live up to his father's reputation.
• Orochimaru showed Chihane a report listing Kakkō, Mahiru, Taiseki, and Sumashi as the Iwagakure squad assigned to guard the supplies.
• Chihane asked what would happen if the three elite jonin fled, and Orochimaru told him to defeat Mahiru and Taiseki quickly before returning to help Uchiha Fugaku hold off Kakkō.

Chihane and Uchiha Fugaku prepared to ambush an Iwa supply convoy, with Fugaku planning to face the jonin Kakkō while Chihane dealt with the other shinobi. Their trap failed to harm the four Iwa shinobi, who emerged from an earthen fortress and confronted the Konoha team.

• Uchiha Fugaku asked Chihane to leave Kakkō to him and eliminate the other Iwa shinobi before coming to support him.
• Chihane agreed on the condition that Orochimaru approved Fugaku’s plan.
• Chihane and the Uchiha Clan ninja hid along the fastest road to the Iwa frontline and waited for the supply party.
• Four Iwa shinobi arrived, and Uchiha Fugaku detonated the explosive tags buried beneath them.
• Sumashi used an earthen fortress to shield the Iwa shinobi from the explosion, and Kakkō angrily challenged the Konoha ambushers.

Chihane fought Mahiru during the supply raid and killed him with his three-sword style. After surveying the battlefield, Chihane saw Uchiha Izumi close to defeat, and Taiseki abandoned his chance to kill Izumi when he sensed danger.

• Chihane challenged the Iwa Shinobi and charged at Mahiru while Uchiha Fugaku, Uchiha Izumi, and Uchiha Kōtan engaged the other opponents.
• Uchiha Fugaku used shurikenjutsu and Sharingan Genjutsu against Kakkō, while Uchiha Izumi struggled against Taiseki’s Camouflage Concealment and Uchiha Kōtan gained the advantage over Sumashi.
• Mahiru summoned three shadow clones, but Chihane destroyed them and wounded Mahiru with his Three-Sword Style.
• Chihane used Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Oni Giri to cut Mahiru down.
• Chihane noticed Uchiha Izumi was badly wounded and saw Taiseki dodge away from his chance to kill Izumi after sensing danger.

Chihane defeated Taiseki and searched him for the Iwa Shinobi supply scroll, but found only money and Explosive Tags. Meanwhile, Uchiha Fugaku continued fighting Kakkō and launched a counterattack after escaping his Earth Release technique.

• Chihane told the wounded Uchiha Izumi to treat his injuries, then chased the fleeing Taiseki.
• Chihane used Observation Haki to locate Taiseki despite his Camouflage Concealment and killed him with Three-Sword Style: Tiger Hunt.
• Chihane searched Taiseki's body, found three hundred ryo and a few Explosive Tags, then cut off his head and returned toward the battlefield.
• Kakkō used Earth Release: Fissure Earth Palm to open the ground beneath Uchiha Fugaku.
• Uchiha Fugaku escaped with the Substitution Technique and fired a Great Fireball Technique at Kakkō from behind.

Chihane returned to find Fugaku Uchiha struggling against Kakkō, an Iwa Shinobi Elite Jonin, and killed Kakkō with a single slash after Kakkō rejected his offer to surrender. Fugaku was left stunned by Chihane’s speed and strength.

• Fugaku Uchiha and Kakkō traded ninjutsu, and Fugaku considered retreating as his chakra ran low.
• Chihane returned, revealed that he had killed Kakkō’s companions, and tossed Taiseki’s head at Kakkō’s feet.
• Chihane offered to spare Kakkō if he surrendered, but Kakkō attacked him with Earth Release: Earth Flow River.
• Fugaku countered Kakkō’s mud with Fire Release while Chihane activated the Eight Gates of Death and Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
• Chihane cut through Kakkō’s rock defense and killed him with one slash before Kakkō could finish forming hand seals.
• Fugaku watched in disbelief as Chihane killed the Elite Jonin who had just overwhelmed him.

Chihane returned with the stolen supply scroll after killing Kakkō and Sumashi, while Orochimaru and Uchiha Kageyama faced Kitsuchi’s Iwa forces. Konoha struck with a prepared combination ninjutsu and withdrew, leaving Kitsuchi to suspect that Kakkō’s squad had been lost.

• Chihane recovered the supply scroll from Kakkō’s corpse, told Uchiha Fugaku that he accepted the risk of dying, and killed Sumashi while Uchiha Kōtan remained in a genjutsu battle.
• Uchiha Fugaku decided to discuss binding the Uchiha Clan’s rise to Chihane and his master with Uchiha Kageyama.
• Orochimaru and Uchiha Kageyama stalled Kitsuchi as they waited for Chihane and the others to return.
• After learning that Chihane had returned, Orochimaru launched a massive Fire and Wind Release attack against the Iwa army.
• Kitsuchi’s shinobi raised earthen defenses, but the attack killed and wounded many Iwa shinobi before Konoha’s army vanished.
• Kitsuchi noticed that Kakkō’s squad had not arrived and sent shinobi to search along their route.

Chihane’s team returned with a major haul after he killed three Iwa Shinobi Elite Jonin, earning the camp’s astonishment and Orochimaru’s approval. Two days later, as Konoha finished planting traps with the captured Explosive Tags, four figures arrived at camp at night and passed the guards’ password check.

• Orochimaru reassured Jonin Moonlight that Iwa Shinobi forces lacked supplies and would be unlikely to retaliate before their main force arrived.
• Uchiha Kageyama learned from Fugaku Uchiha that Chihane had killed Kakkō and proved far stronger than expected.
• Chihane gave Orochimaru the supply manifest, and Orochimaru announced the large quantities of food, military ration pills, Explosive Tags, and Shuriken they had captured.
• Fugaku Uchiha clarified that Chihane had killed the three Elite Jonin escorting the supplies, prompting the camp’s shinobi to marvel at Chihane.
• Konoha shinobi spent two days turning the captured Explosive Tags into traps around the battlefield and camp.
• Four figures arrived at the camp at night and were admitted after giving the correct password.