Chapter Summaries

C.C. and Tsunade parted after an awkward encounter, and Naruto learned that Gato had appeared in the Land of Waves and set out to recruit Zabuza Momochi and Haku. On the way, Naruto exposed an attacker disguised as a boatman, but the person who sent him revealed themself at the end.

• C.C. teased Tsunade after waking in her room, and Tsunade attacked her before Naruto dropped the disguise and gave Tsunade her clothes.
• C.C. exchanged names with Tsunade and left; Shizune arrived and helped clean up the damaged room.
• Naruto received a report that Gato had opened a shipping company in the Land of Waves and was smuggling goods and dealing drugs, then sent a message to Otogakure.
• Naruto headed for the Land of Waves to recruit Zabuza Momochi and Haku, but the old man rowing her rented boat accidentally sank it.
• Naruto carried the old man back toward shore, recognized he was an impostor when he attacked her, and struck him with a Rasengan.
• The captured attacker said that the person who sent him was present.

Naruto escaped Gato’s attack at sea, then learned how Gato’s control of trade kept the Land of Waves’ fishermen impoverished. As he headed toward town, an unseen attacker ambushed him, but his body was revealed to be a substitution log.

• Gato threatened Naruto into accepting a shipping deal, but Naruto deflected a cannonball back into the cargo ship and forced Gato to flee.
• Gato hired Zabuza Momochi to kill Naruto, offering him three million ryo; a masked figure followed Zabuza.
• Naruto escaped the sinking ship and sharks, then kicked several stranded sharks back into the sea before frightening nearby fishermen.
• Naruto found a poor village, stayed with a family, and learned that Gato monopolized shipping and seafood trading in the Land of Waves.
• On the road to town, Naruto wondered why no one had killed Gato, then dodged a great sword before a substitution revealed that the attacker had struck a log.

Naruto fought Zabuza and White, provoking them to expose the bond between them. White trapped Naruto in his ice mirrors to help Zabuza escape, but Zabuza realized his feelings for White and stayed; Naruto then shattered the prison and carried the unconscious White.

• Naruto defeated Zabuza in battle and drew White out by pretending to threaten him.
• White fought Naruto to protect Zabuza, but Zabuza called him merely a tool and prepared to continue fighting.
• White used Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals to trap Naruto and buy Zabuza time to flee.
• Naruto taunted White and unleashed enough Chakra to make him fear the ice prison would fail, while White kept fighting despite his worsening injuries.
• Zabuza remembered his time with White and realized he had formed deep bonds with him, so he chose not to run away.
• Naruto shattered White's ice mirrors with Wind Release: Pressure Damage and carried the motionless White as Zabuza remained nearby.

Naruto stopped Zabuza from killing himself, defeated Gato and his men, and brought Zabuza and Haku into Otogakure. Back in the village, Zabuza became a Genin instructor while Haku built a career as a seamster, and Naruto praised the expensive clothes Haku made for him.

• Naruto stopped Zabuza from stabbing himself and fought off Gato's men before killing Gato.
• Naruto used the Nine-Tails' Chakra to heal Haku, then invited Zabuza and Haku to join Otogakure.
• Zabuza accepted Naruto's offer, and Naruto, Kakuzu, Hidan, Zabuza, and Haku left the Land of Waves after Naruto sponsored Tazuna's bridge project.
• In Otogakure, Zabuza became an instructor for an elite Genin class, while the Four Heavenly Kings taught ordinary classes.
• Haku mastered advanced sewing and became Sound Ninja Apparel's only male senior seamster, making Zabuza an outfit worth several million Ryo.

Naruto spoke with Zabuza about his students and learned that Haku was settling in at the tailoring workshop, then defended herself when Mayfly attacked her. Yoru saved Naruto with Triple Rashōmon, and Mayfly collapsed after her attack failed, while Black Zetsu escaped after being spotted.

• Naruto discussed Zabuza’s teaching duties and the students’ poor health before reminding him that he was about to be late for a mission.
• Naruto told Qin that Haku was a boy, then their playful moment was interrupted by a kunai thrown through the window.
• Naruto pursued the attacker and recognized the hunchbacked man as an associate of Mayfly, who emerged from a sand shell and attacked with her Chakra wings.
• Yoru summoned Triple Rashōmon to shield Naruto, and Mayfly collapsed as her wings withered.
• Black Zetsu watched the failed attack, noticed that Yoru appeared to be from the Hyūga clan, and fled after Nine-Tails detected him.

Naruto rescued Mayfly after she attacked her with a life-threatening ninjutsu, then suspected Obito Uchiha had controlled her. Unable to confront him without proof, Naruto baited the hidden Zetsu during training and summoned the three Snake Princesses.

• Naruto brought Mayfly to the hospital, where Yakushi Nonō saved her after her condition worsened.
• Naruto told Yakushi Nonō she suspected Mayfly had been controlled, while Karin and Kou checked that Naruto was safe and Koto returned her shoe.
• Naruto sent a transformed Shadow Clone into the emergency room to guard Mayfly from anyone who might try to silence her.
• Naruto concluded Obito Uchiha had likely used his Sharingan to control Mayfly and decided to wait until she could catch him in the act.
• The next day, Naruto trained near Zetsu's hiding place, nearly hitting him with a Rasengan and summoning Tagohime, Tagitsuhime, and Ichikishimahime.

Naruto decided to remove the seal containing the Nine-Tails, believing her body could withstand its chakra, and traveled far from Otogakure to do it. Just as she began to tear off the seal, Minato Namikaze appeared and stopped her.

• Naruto dreamed of killing Danzo, then told Yoru that she hated him because he had forced her to leave Konohagakure.
• Naruto asked the Nine-Tails about undoing its seal, and they agreed to do it somewhere far from other people the next day.
• Naruto left Otogakure with people she trusted and reached a distant empty plain to remove the seal.
• Naruto gripped the seal’s talisman, but Minato Namikaze appeared, pulled her away, and told her not to open it.
• Naruto recognized Minato, struggled against him, and punched him in the face.

Naruto broke the seal and freed the Nine-Tails, but faced painful memories of Konohagakure and her father Minato. Kushina appeared in their shared inner world, learned what Naruto had endured, and vanished after comforting her, leaving Naruto devastated.

• Naruto rejected Minato and asked him not to persuade her to return to Konohagakure, so he vanished after realizing how badly she had been treated.
• Naruto removed the seal and freed the Nine-Tails, transforming their inner world into a bright grassland.
• Kushina appeared, and Naruto embraced her before explaining everything she had suffered in Konohagakure.
• Kushina supported Naruto’s decision to leave and asked the Nine-Tails to care for her, which it promised to do.
• Kushina kissed Naruto’s forehead and disappeared, leaving Naruto crying and clutching her chest as the Nine-Tails tried to comfort her.

Naruto grieved with Nine-Tails, who took human form to comfort him as a mother. After Naruto entrusted her with his body while he slept, Nine-Tails explored Otogakure, enjoyed her first meal, and stopped a thief.

• Nine-Tails transformed into a red-haired woman resembling Kushina and embraced Naruto, who accepted her as his mother.
• Nine-Tails formed a kimono from Chakra after Naruto told her she needed clothes.
• Naruto fell asleep and trusted Nine-Tails to control his body while he rested.
• Nine-Tails met Karin, Yoru, Yakushi Nonō, and Kin Tsuchi, then explored the surroundings and nearly ate a poisonous mushroom.
• Nine-Tails ate every dish on an Otogakure restaurant's menu and left without paying.
• Nine-Tails tripped a thief with a Chakra rope and helped a female merchant recover her wallet.

Nine-Tails used her ability to uncover and capture a gang of thieves in Otogakure, then struggled to walk in her transformed body while Naruto helped her. After Naruto confirmed their bond and considered their newly available powers, she prepared to focus on training and left Otogakure in Qin’s care.

• Nine-Tails sensed the thieves’ ill intent and captured every member of the gang in Otogakure in less than half a day.
• Nine-Tails carried Yoru around Otogakure, and Yoru marveled at how effectively Nine-Tails’ ability exposed the thieves.
• Nine-Tails fell while trying to walk in her own body, so Naruto supported her through several laps in the inner world.
• Naruto and Nine-Tails decided not to test Sage Mode or Tailed Beast Transformation yet, since they wanted to keep those abilities secret from Uchiha Obito and Black Zetsu.
• Naruto reassured Yakushi Nonō and the others that she and Nine-Tails were family, then told Qin to manage Otogakure while she trained.

Naruto trained relentlessly for the Chunin Ninja Exams while helping Nine-Tails adjust to her human body. As winter arrived in Otogakure, Tayuya took her students to a barbecue, and Yoru told Naruto that her next challenge was gaining combat experience.

• Nine-Tails scrubbed Naruto in the bath, kissed her, and admitted she wanted to be closer to her; Naruto hugged her, moved by her affection.
• Naruto focused on training and studying Yoru’s forbidden techniques while Kakuzu and Qin handled Otogakure’s affairs, and Nine-Tails gradually learned to walk normally.
• Tayuya took her students to a barbecue and ran into Kidomaru, Jirobo, and Ukon with their own students; she kicked Kidomaru after he teased her.
• Yoru told Naruto that she had taught her everything she could and that Naruto needed actual combat experience, then overheated in the hot spring.
• Naruto carried Yoru out of the hot spring, while Nine-Tails said she wanted to try soaking in it too.

Naruto and Nine-Tails built a snow sculpture that Hidan accidentally destroyed, prompting Naruto to chase him off. Meanwhile, Konoha invited Uba Village and Otogakure to its Chunin Ninja Exams; Shisui hesitated over accepting, while Naruto decided she would participate herself.

• Naruto and Nine-Tails dressed up and built a snow sculpture of Nine-Tails in the snow.
• Hidan fell onto the sculpture and smashed it, so Naruto chased him and attacked him with Rasengan.
• A Konoha messenger delivered Shisui Uchiha an invitation for Uba Village to join the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Shisui Uchiha asked Uba Village's influential figures for advice, but they all said they would follow his orders.
• Konoha also invited Otogakure to the exams, and Naruto told Yoru that she planned to participate herself.

C.C. prepared to enter Konoha for the Chunin Exams while teams from several villages set out, and Hinata resolved to grow strong enough to protect Hanabi from the Caged Bird Seal. The chapter ended with Hinata beginning her training in the dojo.

• Naruto used Shadow Clones and Transformation Jutsu to disguise herself and her clones before heading to Konoha, while Yoru asked to go with her and was warned the Hyuga clan might capture her.
• Shisui Uchiha agreed to send Sasuke Uchiha, Ling, and Xi to the exams under Mikoto Uchiha's leadership, and Sasuke joined after insisting.
• Baki led Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari toward Konoha as Sunagakure planned to unleash the One-Tail during the official matches.
• Kaede was denied permission to enter the exams and left the registration office after villagers mocked her as a monster.
• C.C. walked through Konoha with her transformed Shadow Clones and passed Hinata Hyuga and Sakura Haruno, prompting Hinata to sense something familiar.
• Hinata Hyuga resolved to protect Hanabi from the Caged Bird Seal, then went to the dojo to train and become stronger.

C.C passed the Chunin Exams’ Written Exam, killed Gekko Hayate after he caught her meeting with Kabuto Yakushi, and entered the Forest of Death with the Scroll of Heaven. The chapter ended as Gaara’s team confronted her for the scroll.

• Hinata Hyuga trained with her Gentle Fist and looked forward to fighting strong opponents in the Forest of Death.
• C.C used Nine-Tails to copy Sakura Haruno’s answers, while her Shadow Clones found another way to complete the Written Exam.
• C.C destroyed Gaara’s Sand Eye, then teased Gaara after the Written Exam; the One-Tail recognized Nine-Tails’ presence.
• Kabuto Yakushi gave C.C information and told her that Otogakure would establish an orphanage, and C.C agreed to help kill Danzo.
• Gekko Hayate saw C.C meeting with Kabuto, so C.C killed him; the Third Hokage investigated his death while Uzuki Yugao vowed revenge.
• C.C entered the Forest of Death with the Scroll of Heaven, where Gaara’s team confronted her and demanded it.

Hinata Hyuga and her teammates defeated Amegakure ninja, then clashed with Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro. Hinata knocked Gaara down but could not break through his sand armor, and Team 7 escaped under cover of Shino Aburame’s insects.

• C.C escaped Gaara’s sand attack, then found and took a Scroll of Earth from unconscious Amegakure ninja.
• Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Sakura Haruno defeated a group of Amegakure ninja and found the Scroll of Heaven they needed.
• Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara attacked the three Konohagakure ninja, and Sakura Haruno injured Kankuro with a kunai after trapping him in genjutsu.
• Gaara crushed the unconscious Amegakure ninja with sand, shocking Sakura Haruno while Hinata Hyuga charged at him.
• Hinata Hyuga struck Gaara with Gentle Fist and knocked him down, but his sand armor protected him from serious damage.
• Shino Aburame covered the Sand ninja with insects, allowing Team 7 of Konohagakure to escape.

C.C. watched Sasuke Uchiha and Team 7 fight Gaara’s team, then revealed herself and left with the Heaven and Earth scrolls. After the Forest of Death exam ended, the Third Hokage added preliminary matches, and C.C. chose to compete.

• Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Sasuke Uchiha helped Team 7 repel Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara, who then withdrew from the fight.
• C.C. revealed she already held the Scroll of Heaven and Scroll of Earth, then vanished after Hinata Hyuga fainted from embarrassment.
• Sasuke Uchiha’s group left, and Shino Aburame stayed behind to watch over his unconscious teammates.
• The Third Hokage added preliminary matches because too many examinees passed the Forest of Death exam.
• The remaining Amegakure and Takigakure ninja withdrew, while C.C. chose to compete.

C.C defeated Rock Lee in the Chunin Exam preliminaries, then confronted Gaara and Shukaku through their shared inner world. She and the Nine-Tails proposed joining forces against whoever possessed the Rinnegan, leaving Shukaku to consider their offer.

• C.C won her preliminary match by overwhelming Rock Lee with wind techniques and knocking him unconscious before he could use the Eight Inner Gates.
• The spectators and jonin reacted with shock to C.C's swift victory, while she teased Gaara after returning to the stands.
• Gaara, C.C, the Nine-Tails, and Shukaku appeared in a gloomy inner space, where C.C called Shukaku a little tanuki and the Nine-Tails revealed she was C.C's family.
• Shukaku explained to Gaara that he was the One-Tail, a Tailed Beast rather than a monster, and Gaara questioned what a Tailed Beast was.
• C.C told Shukaku that someone had the Rinnegan and could summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and the Nine-Tails proposed that they join forces rather than remain weapons in others' bodies.

C.C persuaded One-Tail to consider working with her and left Gaara’s inner world with Nine-Tails, then watched the Chunin Ninja Exams. Hinata Hyuga and Neji began their match, and Hinata revealed her powerful Lion Fist.

• C.C offered to work with One-Tail and told it to find her in Otogakure after the Chunin Ninja Exams if it could convince Gaara.
• C.C spoke with Mikoto Uchiha while the exam matches continued, and Xi won Uba Village’s civil-war match using crows.
• Sakura Haruno defeated Ino Yamanaka, then Hinata Hyuga and Neji entered the arena for their match.
• Neji used Rotation to repel Hinata’s attack and revealed that he had learned the Hyuga Clan’s secret technique himself.
• Hinata formed visible lion-shaped Chakra in her hands, shocking Neji and the Jonin instructors with her Lion Fist.

Hinata defeated Neji in the preliminaries, then C.C. dodged Kakashi’s questions about Rasengan. Choji and Kiba began their match, which ended in a foul-smelling mishap.

• Hinata broke Neji’s Rotation with Lion Fist, then defeated him after he lost his composure.
• Neji accepted his defeat and reflected on the different perspectives he and Hinata had seen.
• Hinata asked C.C. if they had met before, and C.C. denied knowing her while reminding her to treat her injured hand.
• Kakashi questioned C.C. about using Rasengan during her match with Rock Lee, but she pretended not to know what it was.
• Choji faced Kiba after Asuma promised an all-you-can-eat barbecue if Choji won.
• Choji became stuck in a wall with Human Bullet Tank, and Kiba and Akamaru accidentally struck his backside, leaving the arena silent.

Choji recovered from Kiba and Akamaru’s attack as the preliminary matches continued, and Sasuke surrendered to Gaara after testing the limits of his sand defense. After the matches, C.C left Konohagakure, while Naruto transformed into Orochimaru and met Kimimaro and Jugo, who had brought an unexpected guest.

• Kiba and Akamaru injured Choji, while Shino won his match after his opponent surrendered in fear of his insects.
• Gaara and Sasuke began their match, and Sasuke discovered that Gaara’s sand automatically protected him from attacks.
• Sasuke pierced Gaara’s sand defense with a fast strike, then surrendered after concluding he could not defeat him with his remaining Chakra.
• Gaara returned to the stands without attacking Sasuke, who told Mikoto that he had been unable to damage Gaara effectively.
• After the preliminary matches, C.C left a Shadow Clone in Konohagakure and departed the village.
• Naruto transformed into Orochimaru and met Kimimaro and Jugo, then demanded an explanation after seeing Yoru sitting on Jugo’s shoulders.