Chapter Summaries

Tahm and his allies trapped Sasori and overwhelmed his puppet army, leaving him increasingly desperate. Sasori destroyed his remaining puppets to deny Tahm the spoils, provoking Tahm to prepare a new technique.

• Sasori recognized that Tahm, Mei Terumi, Itachi, and Jūzō Biwa had surrounded him, then ordered Gato to send the Calabash Brothers to help.
• Big Brother revealed that the Calabash Brothers were undercover agents, seized Gato, and raised an earthen arena that trapped Sasori.
• Tahm challenged Sasori to single combat and destroyed many of his puppets with his Sage Art and Alpha Strike.
• As Tahm battered the shrinking puppet army, Sasori destroyed his remaining puppets, denying Tahm experience and enraging him.
• Tahm threatened to make Sasori wish he were dead and activated Bewitching Demon Technique.

Tahm used Genjutsu on Sasori, restrained him, and forced Gato to reveal where the captured Hidden Mist shinobi had been taken. The group found Sasori's human-puppet workshop, and after Hinata recoiled from its horrific contents, she asked Tahm to leave.

• Tahm's Bewitching Demon Technique made Sasori feel as if he had once loved Tahm, but Sasori broke free by shutting off his vision.
• Tahm disassembled Sasori's puppet body and demanded to know where Hozuki Suigetsu and Kimimaro were being held.
• Tahm used Mikael's Crucible on Gato, who revealed that Zetsu had taken Kimimaro and Sasori had locked Hozuki Suigetsu in the workshop.
• Tahm led the group into Sasori's workshop, where they found a gruesome scene of human-puppet crafting.
• Hinata trembled at the sight, clung to Tahm, and eventually asked him to leave.

Tahm punished Sasori by sealing his flesh core inside a chakra-powered Pleasant Goat rocking ride, leaving him trapped as a children’s toy in Konoha’s park. The chapter ended with children lining up to ride Scorpion Goat while Tahm walked away.

• Hinata demanded to kill Sasori, but Tahm decided to punish him instead and mocked his tragic backstory.
• A month later, Tahm visited Tenten’s workshop to collect a specially built, chakra-powered rocking ride with strong chakra isolation and sealing formulas.
• Tahm placed Sasori’s flesh core inside the Pleasant Goat ride, which sealed Sasori inside and used his chakra as its power source.
• Tahm connected an external speaker so Sasori could speak once, then destroyed it and left Sasori unable to respond or speak again.
• Tahm had workers place Scorpion Goat in Konoha’s children’s park, where children rode it as it rocked and played songs.

Tahm rescued a boy captured by Gato’s mercenaries and gave him to the Calabash Brothers as their new Third Brother. Meanwhile, Obito and Zetsu prepared to relocate their White Zetsu operation, but Tahm suddenly landed on their island and faced Obito, Zetsu, and Tobi.

• Tahm restored the nameless boy’s body with his cleaver and learned that he was an orphan with a Steel Release bloodline.
• Tahm handed the boy to the Calabash Brothers and named him Third Brother.
• Obito visited Zetsu’s island, where thousands of people had been transformed into White Zetsu clones, and affirmed his commitment to the plan.
• Zetsu told Obito that Tahm and Kakashi had killed one of his clones in the Land of Waves, prompting them to consider relocating the operation.
• Tahm landed on the island and came face-to-face with Zetsu, Tobi, and Obito.

Tam fought Obito and the White Zetsu army, using Riftwalk and a surprise Alpha Strike to injure Obito. As Obito began pulling Tam into the Kamui dimension, Tam realized he could use the spatial mark he had placed on Obito to access an alternate dimension of his own.

• Tam tried to escape Obito and Zetsu, then used his giant tongue to cut down White Zetsu clones while waiting for an opening.
• Tam Riftwalked back toward Obito as he entered the Kamui dimension and struck him with an enhanced Alpha Strike.
• Obito recovered from his injuries and attacked Tam with Tobi's Wood Release, forcing Tam to flee into a swarm of White Zetsu.
• The White Zetsu immobilized Tam, and Obito began sucking him into the Kamui dimension.
• Tam noticed the spatial mark left on Obito and activated Devour.

Tahm discovered that Kimimaro was fused inside Tobi and used Mikael’s Crucible to separate them before rescuing Kimimaro. With Kimimaro safely in his ally space, Tahm escaped Obito and the White Zetsu by triggering a massive bomb as a parting attack.

• Obito was trapped in Tahm’s Devour, but Tahm spat him out when swallowing him drained too much chakra and Tobi and the White Zetsu closed in.
• Obito and Tobi attacked Tahm together, forcing him to consider abandoning his search for Kimimaro.
• Tobi struck Tahm with gray bone spikes that damaged him and drained his chakra and life force.
• Tahm spotted Kimimaro’s portrait beneath Tobi’s on the minimap and used Mikael’s Crucible to tear Tobi away from Kimimaro.
• Tahm told Kimimaro that Mei Terumi had hired him to save him, then swallowed him into his ally space and protected himself with Divine Protection.
• Tahm left an iron ball packed with one hundred thousand Explosive Tags for Obito and the White Zetsu before escaping through Abyssal Dive.

Tahm bombed Obito and Zetsu’s White Zetsu army, gaining levels and enough gold to buy Iceborn Gauntlet and Ardent Censer. After rejoining the others, he returned Kimimaro to Mei Terumi and later revived Kakashi, who learned the mission was over and suspected Tahm had left him unconscious on purpose.

• Tahm’s bomb killed hundreds of White Zetsu clones, earning him two levels and over five thousand gold.
• Tahm bought Iceborn Gauntlet and Ardent Censer, considering how their effects could help him and Hinata.
• Hinata woke Tahm by stabbing his face with a kunai, and Tahm pulled the weapon out without concern.
• Tahm spat out Kimimaro, and Mei Terumi embraced her rescued disciple.
• Tahm, the three children, and the others wrapped up the mission after the Gato Group was eradicated and the missing people’s fate was explained to Tazuna.
• Kakashi woke after Tahm revived him, learned the mission was complete, and questioned why Tahm had waited so long to bring him back.

At the Akatsuki meeting, Jūzō Biwa told a fabricated story about Sasori’s death that blamed a formidable gathering of Konoha and Kirigakure fighters. Orochimaru considered using Sasuke’s hunger for power to lure him away from Konoha, while Sasuke was shown kindly helping a little girl recover her pet cat.

• Pain demanded an explanation from Itachi and Jūzō Biwa for Sasori’s death, and Jūzō volunteered to tell their prepared story.
• Jūzō claimed Mei Terumi joined the battle and that Tahm later attacked Sasori, with Jiraiya and Tsunade arriving to help defeat him.
• Pain accepted the explanation, warned the Akatsuki to conceal their operations, and ended the meeting; Hidan asked to hear more about the Jashin Lord, prompting Pain to order Kakuzu to sew his mouth shut.
• Orochimaru told Kabuto that Sasuke had been present when Sasori was killed and decided he could lure Sasuke away from Konoha by pointing him toward power.
• Sasuke returned a little girl’s recovered pet cat, accepted her thanks, and left her in the crowd.

Hanabi trained against the sleeping Tahm, who woke only after she used a kunai, while Hinata explained that their attacks would mark Hanabi’s progress. Hinata told Tahm that their team would enter the Chunin Exams in Kirigakure, and Orochimaru prepared to attend disguised as a female Hidden Grass genin.

• Hanabi repeatedly struck Tahm during training but could not wake him, then tied his tongue into a knot while he slept.
• Hinata arrived, reassured Hanabi about her training, and asked her to wake Tahm so they could talk.
• Hanabi used a kunai to trigger Tahm’s combat mode, and Hinata used her gravity control to untie his tongue.
• Hinata told Tahm that their team would take the Chunin Exams in Kirigakure and that she was concerned about the village’s ominous reputation; Tahm said he would accompany them.
• Orochimaru’s subordinates ambushed the Kusagakure team, and Orochimaru decided to disguise himself as the female genin whose identification document they had taken.

Tahm and the Konoha genin toured Kirigakure under Zabuza’s awkward smile-service assignment, then met Mei Terumi and her disciples at the training grounds. The chapter ended with Haku calling Zabuza “Father.”

• Sakura and Karin noticed that Kirigakure felt less frightening and more welcoming than its Bloody Mist reputation suggested.
• Jiraiya welcomed the Konoha delegation, while Sakura warned Naruto not to imitate his womanizing or read his novels.
• Zabuza arrived at the inn and, under Yagura’s orders, offered to guide the Konoha shinobi around Kirigakure.
• Tahm and five genin accepted Zabuza’s offer and toured the village, with Tahm watching Zabuza’s forced smile closely.
• At the training grounds, Tahm met Mei Terumi and her disciples, including Kimimaro, Hozuki Suigetsu, and Haku.
• Zabuza’s expression softened when he saw Haku, who finally called him “Father.”

At the Kirigakure Chunin Exam preliminaries, Yagura turned a lake into a deadly speedboat course, and Kurotsuchi used her aerial technique to avoid its monsters. Hinata, Karin, and Sasuke overtook her on a speeding white sphere, while Orochimaru watched in disbelief.

• Kurotsuchi confronted Tahm and learned that Hinata would compete without relying on him.
• Yagura announced that teams had to circle the lake in speedboats within an hour, then carved waterways through the ground with massive Water Release techniques.
• Aquatic monsters attacked the leading teams, capsizing boats and killing several genin.
• Kurotsuchi used the Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique to carry Akatsuchi into the air and bypass the lake monsters.
• Hinata, Karin, and Sasuke sped past Kurotsuchi on a floating white sphere, leaving her behind as Orochimaru watched.

Orochimaru failed to abduct Hinata during the lake-course selection and continued plotting to capture Sasuke and other promising bloodline users. Naruto summoned Gamaken to carry Team Kakashi toward the finish, while Orochimaru's boat was left beneath the giant toad.

• Orochimaru abandoned his attempt to pursue Hinata and set off with Akadō Yoroi and Tsurugi Misumi, while many genin withdrew or died in the water-monster course.
• Kimimaro, Suigetsu, and Haku fought through the monsters and passed Orochimaru, whose boat became surrounded by more creatures attracted to their blood.
• Sakura complained about the slow journey and hurled a giant octopus into another team's boat, while Naruto decided to summon a faster ride.
• Naruto summoned Gamaken, who leaped across the lake with Naruto and Sakura and sent waves surging through the other teams' boats.
• Orochimaru continued scheming about Sasuke and other targets until the lake shook and Gamaken's enormous rear end descended from the sky above his boat.

Orochimaru searched the Bloody Mist Grounds for Team Kakashi while the shrinking fog forced contestants into conflict. Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi discovered Hinata, Karin, and Sasuke playing cards on a flying sphere, and the two groups faced off in the air.

• The Chunin Exam preliminaries began in the fog-shrouded Bloody Mist Grounds, where contestants had to survive for a day as the fog ring gradually shrank.
• Orochimaru explained that the shrinking fog would force contestants toward the valley's center and hurried to find Team Kakashi, but could not locate them after searching the area.
• Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi defeated two opponents, then used Kurotsuchi's Ultra-Light-Weight Rock Technique to fly above the fog and avoid further battles.
• Kurotsuchi heard voices above the fog and found Hinata, Karin, and Sasuke playing cards on a huge white sphere with a tabletop.
• Kurotsuchi and Karin exchanged pointed remarks as the two groups recognized each other and prepared for a confrontation.

Hinata, Sasuke, Karin, Kurotsuchi, and Akatsuchi shared the sky while waiting out the Chunin Exams, until Orochimaru found them and attacked. Orochimaru placed the Cursed Seal of Heaven on Sasuke, but Hinata’s gravity diverted his bite to Sasuke’s buttock.

• Akatsuchi proposed that the teams avoid fighting and wait together for the zone to shrink, and Hinata, Sasuke, and Karin agreed.
• Karin invited Kurotsuchi to play cards, and the group shared snacks while Akatsuchi watched from nearby.
• Orochimaru followed the scent of discarded snacks, spotted the five shinobi overhead, and summoned a pillar of snakes to reach them.
• Orochimaru lunged at Sasuke, but Hinata’s gravity shifted his attack so he bit Sasuke’s buttock and placed the Cursed Seal of Heaven there.
• Orochimaru retreated, and Karin, Hinata, and Kurotsuchi found the bleeding bite wound and seal on Sasuke’s exposed buttock.

Sasuke woke after Orochimaru attacked him and left a Cursed Seal on his buttocks. Tahm's treatment removed its harmful effects but strengthened the seal, giving Sasuke powerful Sage Chakra and shape-changing black armor that he was forced to accept as his new cheat code.

• Sasuke woke on the floating sphere with his pants missing, and Hinata pulled him back from a fall while Akatsuchi lent him a coat.
• Karin told Sasuke that Orochimaru had bitten him and left a Cursed Seal, which spread across his body and filled him with strange chakra.
• Sasuke told Tahm and Jiraiya what had happened, and Tahm tried using Mikael's Crucible to remove the seal.
• Tahm realized the treatment had removed the seal's harmful effects while enhancing its natural-energy power, so he told Sasuke to draw on it.
• Sasuke used the seal to produce Sage Chakra and grow shape-changing black armor from his arms, but he remained upset that the power came from his buttocks.

Sasuke realized Kotoamatsukami’s Genjutsu had been dispelled but sincerely chose to pursue his dream of becoming Hokage. At the Chunin Exams semifinals in Kirigakure, Jiraiya’s security inspection ended with Tahm discovering that a beautiful spectator was actually Orochimaru in disguise.

• Tahm encouraged Sasuke by invoking the Will of Fire, and Sasuke recognized that his Genjutsu had been dispelled.
• Sasuke recalled his bonds and experiences as a torchbearer and declared that he would become Hokage to protect his loved ones and the village.
• Kirigakure searched for Orochimaru after his appearance but failed to find him, and five days later the Chunin Exams semifinals began with genin facing jōnin examiners for scores.
• Jiraiya acted as a security inspector and used the search for Orochimaru as an excuse to inspect beautiful female spectators until Tahm intervened.
• Jiraiya examined a beautiful young woman while Tahm defended her, but a system notification revealed that the woman was Orochimaru.

Tahm sat with Orochi Princess and Jiraiya to watch the match, while Orochi Princess concealed her desire to take Tahm's body and assessed Sasuke. The tense encounter ended with Tahm publicly revealing that Orochimaru had bitten Sasuke's butt, prompting Orochi Princess to crush Tahm's arm in anger.

• Orochi Princess admired Tahm and asked Jiraiya for a front-row seat beside him, then linked arms with Tahm as they went to the stands.
• Tahm prepared to defend himself from Orochi Princess while Jiraiya mistook their wary closeness for flirtation.
• Orochi Princess praised Hinata's eyes, and Tahm warned her not to harm Hinata as they silently threatened each other.
• Kakashi returned to the stands with his students, and Orochi Princess turned her attention to Sasuke.
• Tahm revealed that Orochimaru had appeared and bitten Sasuke's butt, embarrassing Sasuke and enraging Orochi Princess, who tightened her grip on Tahm's arm.

Tahm kept Orochimaru’s attention with a lecture about immortality and a supposed Innate Realm while neglecting Hinata’s match. After her Hidden Mist opponent insulted her and Tahm, Hinata unleashed Sage Mode and Tenseigan Chakra Mode, overwhelming him.

• Tahm sent Hinata and Karin to sit with Kakashi and the others, then asked Jiraiya to leave so he could speak privately with Orochimaru.
• Tahm warned Orochimaru that he could erase the Cursed Seal, while Orochimaru explained his plans to draw Sasuke toward power.
• After Kurotsuchi lost to a Hidden Mist jōnin, Hinata entered the arena for her match against another Hidden Mist jōnin.
• Orochimaru argued that Hinata would age and die while Tahm might live for centuries, then urged Tahm to help him uncover immortality.
• Tahm countered with a cultivation lecture about converting chakra into Natural Origin Force, and Orochimaru became absorbed in his explanation.
• When Hinata’s opponent mocked her and Tahm, Hinata activated Sage Mode and Tenseigan Chakra Mode and struck him with two Sage Arts, forcing him to apologize.

Hinata overwhelmed a Hidden Mist jōnin with her Tenseigan powers while Orochimaru became fascinated by her abilities. Tahm steered Orochimaru toward researching natural energy and the Innate Realm, unaware that Orochimaru was taking his improvised theories seriously.

• Hinata lifted the Hidden Mist jōnin into a chakra storm, then hurled him a thousand meters away, where he carved a deep trench into the ground.
• Orochimaru admired Hinata’s power and argued to Tahm that inherited bloodline abilities let people reach heights ordinary shinobi could not.
• Tahm claimed that reaching the Innate Realm could elevate even a mediocre bloodline through the universe’s primal force.
• Orochimaru eagerly considered experimenting with the Cursed Seal, Ryūchi Cave senjutsu, and natural energy, while Tahm secretly congratulated himself for misleading him.
• Tahm began expanding his lecture by turning to senjutsu.

Sasuke faced Raiga Kurosuki in the arena and struggled against the Mist swordsman’s overwhelming strength. After Raiga insulted Konoha and provoked him, Sasuke transformed into a massive, spiked black-armored warrior, leaving Orochimaru and Tahm baffled.

• Orochimaru expected Raiga Kurosuki to overpower Sasuke and deepen his desire for strength, while Tahm insisted Sasuke would not be taken away.
• Raiga mocked Sasuke and Konoha before attacking him with his Lightning Blades, forcing Sasuke to dodge and fall into a desperate disadvantage.
• Sasuke refused to use his Cursed Seal, but Raiga’s taunts about Konoha made him abandon his attempt to surrender.
• Raiga struck Sasuke with Lightning Blade Technique: Lightning Strike, and Sasuke emerged from the dust in a huge, spiked black armor form.
• Sasuke declared that he would defend the sanctity of the Will of Fire, while Orochimaru questioned his transformation and Tahm remarked that it did not seem to be caused by Raiga’s attack.