Chapter Summaries

Tsunade agreed to return to Konoha as Hokage, and the group traveled toward the village while Son Goten flirted with her and Shizune. After detecting several sinister chakra signatures near their campsite, Son Goten stayed close to Shizune as the intruders approached.

• Tsunade agreed to return to Konoha and take the Hokage position, and Jiraiya led the group toward the village.
• In a town along the way, Son Goten accepted sweets from a wealthy lady and teased Tsunade while she carried him.
• Son Goten pretended to faint so Shizune would catch him, then flirted with her as the group continued traveling.
• At the campsite, Son Goten claimed to fear the dark and curled up with Shizune in her tent while Tsunade let him stay.
• Son Goten sensed several sinister chakra signatures approaching the sleeping group and quietly warned Shizune that he had noticed them.

Son Goten returned to Konoha with Tsunade and Shizune, then backed Tsunade’s succession as Fifth Hokage by humiliating the advisers who challenged his presence. After the inauguration, Danzo watched from the darkness, and an urgent knock interrupted Son Goten as he offered Tsunade a massage.

• Son Goten returned to Konoha with Tsunade and Shizune and announced to Teuchi that Tsunade was his wife.
• At the inauguration, Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura objected to Son Goten’s presence, so he used his Ki to force them to the ground.
• Tsunade accepted the Hokage’s hat as the villagers cheered, while Son Goten greeted Hinata and Ino in the crowd.
• Danzo watched the celebration from the darkness with a sinister gaze.
• Son Goten brought Tsunade ramen and began massaging her shoulders, but an urgent knock interrupted them.

Sakura asked Tsunade to train her in Medical Ninjutsu, and Tsunade accepted her as a disciple. As Son Goten sensed a hostile presence near Konoha Hospital, Sasuke faced four mysterious figures on its rooftop.

• Son Goten flirted with Tsunade in the Hokage's Office until Sakura entered and caught them together.
• Sakura asked Tsunade to take her as a student and teach her Medical Ninjutsu so she could become stronger.
• Son Goten teased Sakura, and Tsunade agreed to train her starting the next day.
• Son Goten sensed a jealous, hostile aura and several unfamiliar presences near Konoha Hospital.
• Sasuke stared at the hospital's water tower while four strangely dressed figures watched him from the shadows.

Sasuke challenged Naruto to a fight on the hospital rooftop, but Kakashi stopped them and Sasuke’s envy deepened after he saw the damage Naruto’s Rasengan had done. As Sasuke considered abandoning Konoha, Orochimaru’s agents appeared, while Goten sensed unfamiliar chakra signatures lurking nearby.

• Sasuke lashed out at Naruto’s attempt to bring him ramen and challenged him to fight despite his injuries.
• Sasuke and Naruto charged with Chidori and Rasengan, but Kakashi intercepted them and threw them into opposite water tanks.
• Sasuke saw that Naruto’s Rasengan had torn a huge hole through his tank and lost more confidence in his own strength.
• Kakashi tied Sasuke to a tree and warned him about revenge, but Sasuke decided he would never kill Itachi if he stayed in Konoha.
• Four dark figures arrived bearing Orochimaru’s invitation as Goten enjoyed a meal at Ichiraku with Ayame and Haku.
• Goten sensed several foreign chakra signatures in a dark alley and set out to investigate the intruders in Konoha.

Sasuke left Konoha to seek Orochimaru, but the Sound Four intercepted him and quickly overpowered him. Son Goten appeared, effortlessly destroyed Jirobo’s boulder, then unleashed a crushing pressure on Tayuya and the others.

• Sasuke tried to leave Konoha, but the Sound Four blocked his path and mocked him.
• Sasuke attacked the Sound Four, but Jirobo extinguished his Great Fireball and pinned him in the mud.
• Son Goten appeared on a utility pole, and the Sound Four realized they had not sensed him.
• Jirobo hurled a boulder at Goten, who shattered it with a breath of compressed air.
• Goten grabbed Tayuya by the waist and taunted her, provoking her and the others to attack.
• Goten released a terrifying pressure that froze Tayuya and left Sasuke coughing up blood.

Goten overwhelmed the Sound Four but let Sasuke leave with them after Sasuke declared he would seek Orochimaru’s power. As Goten headed back toward Ichiraku, he heard a familiar girl sobbing near the village entrance.

• Goten’s crushing presence immobilized the Sound Four and Sasuke, and he mocked Tayuya while revealing that he had previously defeated Orochimaru.
• After Goten released the pressure, Sakon and Ukon urged Sasuke to leave Konoha for Orochimaru, and Sasuke chose power over staying in the village.
• Goten warned Sasuke that he would no longer share his father’s ramen, but did not stop him from going with the Sound Four.
• The Sound Four fled Konoha with Sasuke, while Goten taunted Tayuya as she looked back at him.
• As Goten prepared to return to Ichiraku, he heard a familiar girl sobbing near the village entrance.

Sakura begged Goten to bring Sasuke back, and Goten comforted her by embracing her and claiming her as his future wife. When Shikamaru arrived with an emergency summons for the Pursuit Squad, Goten refused until he learned that Tsunade would cut off Ichiraku Ramen Shop’s supply reimbursement, then set off to confront her.

• Sakura cried at Konoha’s entrance after waking to find Sasuke gone, and Naruto vowed to bring him back.
• Goten arrived, mocked Sakura’s tears, then agreed to help her in exchange for a reward and pulled her into an embrace.
• Goten told Sakura to forget Sasuke and look only at him, while Naruto protested and Goten silenced him.
• Shikamaru arrived with Choji, Kiba, and Neji to summon Goten as special combat support for the Pursuit Squad.
• Goten refused to join the mission until Shikamaru warned that Tsunade would withhold the Ichiraku Ramen Shop’s next supply reimbursement.
• Goten angrily agreed to go, declaring that he would confront Tsunade.

Tsunade pressured Goten into joining the mission to retrieve Sasuke and deal with the rogue ninja by threatening his ramen supply, then promised him a barbecue feast and other favors. Goten left the Hokage's office fired up and led the waiting team out on their mission.

• Shikamaru told Goten that Tsunade had ordered him to catch rogue ninja and threatened to cut off funding for Ichiraku's meat purchases if he refused.
• Goten rushed to Tsunade's office to protest the threat to his ramen money.
• Tsunade offered Goten an all-you-can-eat wagyu feast if he returned Sasuke and dealt with the rogue ninja.
• Goten pushed for additional favors involving Shizune, and Tsunade agreed to turn a blind eye if he completed the mission.
• Goten emerged from the office and ordered Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Neji to move out.

Shikamaru’s squad pursued the Sound Four, but Goten turned the S-rank mission into a search for the red-haired kunoichi he wanted as a ramen-shop hostess. After Neji detected traps ahead, Goten charged into the forest despite Shikamaru’s warning and triggered an explosive tag.

• Shikamaru led Naruto, Kiba, Choji, Neji, and Goten into the forest to pursue Sasuke and the Sound Four.
• Goten rode on Neji’s back and demanded that he use the Byakugan to find the red-haired kunoichi, while the squad protested his priorities.
• Goten threatened Kiba for wanting to see the woman and promised Choji a discount if she became a ramen-shop hostess.
• Neji detected the Sound Four’s chakra and a dense array of traps several kilometers ahead.
• Goten rushed ahead to find the red-haired kunoichi, ignored Shikamaru’s warning, and set off an explosive tag that blasted the forest.

Son Goten and Shikamaru’s squad were trapped in Jirobo’s chakra-draining Earth Prison, but Goten shrugged off the trap and prepared to smash it. The chapter ended as a terrifying burst of air pressure erupted from inside the prison and Jirobo’s triumphant grin froze.

• Naruto, Choji, Kiba, and the others found Son Goten unharmed in the crater left by an explosion, and the Sound Four arrived soon after.
• Jirobo trapped Goten and Shikamaru’s squad inside an Earth Prison that absorbed chakra and repaired damage, while Shikamaru warned everyone not to waste their strength attacking it.
• Goten bit into the prison wall, spat out the dirt, and complained that the earthen jutsu tasted like a lousy snack.
• Goten ignored Shikamaru’s warning and punched the wall, prompting Jirobo to expect the prison to drain his power.
• A terrifying burst of air pressure erupted from inside the Earth Prison, freezing the smile on Jirobo’s face.

Son Goten shattered Jirobo’s Earth Prison Dome while Tayuya and the others fled, then watched Choji fight Jirobo instead of joining the pursuit. After Jirobo transformed and threatened Choji, Goten killed him with a single golden shot and worried that Tayuya had escaped too far.

• Goten broke Jirobo’s Earth Prison Dome with a punch, leaving Jirobo badly injured, and called after the fleeing Tayuya.
• Tayuya activated Cursed Seal stage one and fled with Kidomaru, Sakon, and Ukon, while Choji stayed behind to face Jirobo.
• Shikamaru led Naruto, Kiba, and Neji onward in pursuit of Sasuke as Goten remained in a tree to watch Choji fight.
• Choji used the Three-Colored Pills and Butterfly Bomb to defeat Jirobo, then collapsed from exhaustion.
• Jirobo entered Cursed Seal stage two and raised a boulder over Choji, but Goten pierced Jirobo’s heart with a golden shot.
• Goten landed beside Choji and lamented that Tayuya had gotten far away.

Goten and Shikamaru’s squad encountered Kidomaru’s spider-web ambush, but Goten tore through the trap with ease. Neji stayed behind to fight Kidomaru while Shikamaru, Naruto, and Kiba continued deeper into the forest.

• Goten stopped after sensing a damp, unpleasant smell, and Shikamaru warned the squad that an ambush lay ahead.
• Kidomaru emerged and cast a massive golden spider web over Goten and the squad.
• Naruto’s Rasengan rebounded from the web and injured him, but Goten tore a hole through it by hand.
• Goten joked about using the spider silk for clothes and decorations, enraging Kidomaru into activating his Cursed Seal.
• Neji stepped forward to fight Kidomaru, while Shikamaru led Naruto and Kiba through the gap and onward.
• Neji activated his Byakugan and took up the Gentle Fist stance against Kidomaru.

Neji struggled against Kidomaru until Goten urged him to sense chakra and movement beyond what his Byakugan could see. Neji used this new awareness to defeat Kidomaru, then left with Goten reflecting on his insight and their growing bond.

• Neji was overwhelmed by Kidomaru’s poisonous spider silk and began to lose chakra and control of his movements.
• Goten told Neji to sense chakra fluctuations and air currents instead of relying only on his eyes.
• Neji closed his eyes, developed a new form of Ki Sensing, and began dodging Kidomaru’s attacks with ease.
• Neji struck Kidomaru’s chakra points with Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, destroying his chakra network and knocking him unconscious.
• Goten praised Neji as a barely acceptable brother-in-law and urged him to grow stronger so he could protect Hinata.
• Goten hurried off to meet his red-haired wife, while Neji reflected on the insight into ki and accepted Goten as a companion.

Son Goten reached the battlefield where Kiba, Shikamaru, and Neji faced Sakon and Ukon, but his germophobia made him refuse to fight the fused brothers. He left to find Tayuya, leaving Kiba to battle Sakon and Ukon while Shikamaru and the others prepared to help.

• Shikamaru, Kiba, and Neji arrived at the battlefield and saw Sakon and Ukon fighting Naruto.
• Goten reached the group, recoiled at Sakon and Ukon's appearance, and refused to fight them because he found their fused bodies disgusting.
• Goten assigned Sakon and Ukon to Kiba, teasing him that they would be suitable opponents for him and Akamaru.
• Sakon and Ukon attacked Goten, but he raced past them and disappeared toward Tayuya, knocking them backward with the force of his passage.
• Kiba confronted Sakon and Ukon, while Shikamaru told Naruto and Neji to help Kiba before they went after Goten.

Son Goten caught Tayuya as she tried to take Sasuke Uchiha to Orochimaru, then easily outmaneuvered her summoned monsters. After tying the monsters together, he turned his attention to Tayuya.

• Tayuya raced through the forest carrying Sasuke Uchiha in a barrel, but Son Goten intercepted her and said he would take her to work at the Ramen Shop.
• Tayuya set down the barrel, summoned three monsters, and used her flute to order them to attack Goten.
• Goten darted between the monsters, tricked them into striking one another, and left Tayuya unable to control the fight.
• Goten used a vine to bind the monsters' weapons and limbs together, then told Tayuya that her turn had come.

Tayuya transformed with her Cursed Seal Level 2 and trapped Goten in her Phantom Sound Chains genjutsu, but he resisted by blocking the flute’s sound with ki. Goten then forcibly removed her cursed seal and left her helpless on the ground.

• Tayuya activated Cursed Seal Level 2 and attacked Goten with Demon Flute: Phantom Sound Chains.
• Tayuya approached the apparently trapped Goten and tried to stab him in the heart with a kunai.
• Goten caught Tayuya’s wrist and revealed that he had blocked the flute’s sound with ki.
• Goten poured golden energy into Tayuya, dispelling her cursed seal and returning her to her original appearance.
• Tayuya collapsed, unable to move, while Goten admired how much better she looked.

Son Goten subdued Tayuya and claimed her as a future hostess for the Ramen Shop, then confronted Kimimaro as he tried to take Sasuke's barrel. The chapter ended with Goten blocking Kimimaro and insisting he could not take the barrel.

• Son Goten used golden energy to destroy Tayuya's Cursed Seal and leave her unable to move.
• Son Goten bound Tayuya with a red rope, declared her his trophy and future hostess, and carried her away.
• Son Goten hung Tayuya from a tree and told her to wait while he confronted a white-haired youth carrying Sasuke's barrel.
• Son Goten recognized the youth as Kimimaro and told him he could not take the barrel because he had promised Sakura Haruno to bring Sasuke back.

Goten fought Kimimaro after he hurled a barrel toward the Valley of the End, dodging his bone attacks and mocking him. When Kimimaro unleashed the Dance of the Young Fern, Goten answered with a Kamehameha that erased the bone forest and left Kimimaro cracked and trembling.

• Kimimaro hurled the barrel toward the Valley of the End and attacked Goten when he refused to hand it over.
• Goten dodged Kimimaro’s bone-blade strikes while taunting him about Orochimaru and his appearance.
• Kimimaro entered Curse Mark Stage Two and unleashed the Dance of the Young Fern, raising a vast forest of bone spikes.
• Rock Lee and Gaara arrived at the battlefield and watched as the bone forest surged toward Goten.
• Goten fired a Kamehameha that swept away the bone forest, carved a broad path through the ground, and blasted a hole in the clouds.
• Kimimaro survived at the end of the destroyed path, his body covered in cracks as he stared at Goten’s attack in terror.

Goten effortlessly demolished Kimimaro’s bone forest, then defeated him and left him unconscious rather than dead. As Goten prepared to take Kimimaro and Tayuya away, Rock Lee was left puzzled by Goten’s advice to eat more meat for calcium, while Gaara began doubting his own defense.

• Goten carved a massive road through Kimimaro’s bone forest, leaving Rock Lee, Gaara, and Tayuya stunned by his power.
• Kimimaro, badly injured, gathered his remaining strength and charged Goten with a bone spear for Orochimaru’s sake.
• Goten dodged into close range and punched Kimimaro, scattering his chakra and Cursed Seal power while protecting his heart and leaving him alive.
• Goten caught the unconscious Kimimaro and decided to take him to Tsunade for study, joking that his bones might make sturdier tableware.
• Goten told Rock Lee that building strength was simple: eat more meat, especially meat on the bone, for calcium.
• Goten set off to collect Tayuya as Rock Lee repeated his advice and Gaara stared at his own sand shield, newly doubtful of its strength.

Goten carried off Kimimaro and Tayuya, then watched Naruto and Sasuke’s final clash at the Valley of the End. He kicked Sasuke into the river, took his scratched forehead protector as proof, and sensed a troublesome presence approaching.

• Goten carried the unconscious Kimimaro and terrified Tayuya away, then headed toward the Valley of the End after sensing a fierce fight.
• Goten arrived at the Valley of the End, used Tayuya as a cushion, and watched Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha clash with Rasengan and Chidori.
• After Naruto collapsed and Sasuke prepared to leave, Goten told Sasuke he was too weak and kicked him into the river for making Sakura cry.
• Goten picked up Sasuke’s scratched Konoha forehead protector and shouted after him to train with Orochimaru.
• Goten looked over his captives and the unconscious Naruto, then sensed a familiar presence approaching and worried about explaining the mission’s outcome.