Chapter Summaries

Three years after the Nine-Tails incident was prevented, Yūto and Tsukimi took a cheerful young Naruto around Konoha, where he briefly crossed paths with Hinata and ate ramen. An ANBU member then summoned Yūto to meet the Hokage.

• Yūto and Tsukimi walked through Konoha with three-year-old Naruto, whose parents and villagers had raised him with affection.
• Naruto saw Hinata Hyuga, and her Branch Family guard led her away before the children could speak.
• Yūto took Naruto and Tsukimi to Ichiraku Ramen, where Teuchi and Ayame welcomed them.
• Naruto asked about Pakura, and Yūto explained that she was vacationing in Rōran and promised Naruto he could visit when he was older and stronger.
• An ANBU member arrived at the ramen shop and told Yūto that the Hokage wanted to see him.

Minato planned joint Chunin Ninja Exams to deter the other great villages and appointed Yūto as head examiner. Yūto accepted and began considering dangerous exam sites, while Maki announced she would enter the exams and got mocked for still being a Genin.

• Yūto left Naruto and Tsukimi at Ichiraku and went to meet Minato in the Hokage's Office.
• Minato told Yūto that the other great villages had recovered from the war and were showing signs of renewed hostility.
• Minato proposed hosting joint Chunin Ninja Exams to display Konoha's strength, and Yūto approved the plan.
• Minato appointed Yūto head examiner for the exams, and Yūto accepted.
• Yūto began thinking of dangerous exam sites before Maki told him she planned to enter the exams.
• Yūto teased Maki about still being a Genin, and she angrily shouted his name.

Sunagakure and Iwagakure agreed to the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams while secretly hoping to humiliate Konoha, but Minato insisted Konoha would face them fairly. Yūto discovered his disciples were on Konoha’s roster, while Ringo signed them up and an unidentified figure appeared at the training ground.

• Kumogakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure agreed to the exams, with Sunagakure and Iwagakure intending to send powerful ninja disguised as Genin to embarrass Konoha.
• Yūto offered to put the other villages in their place, but Minato insisted Konoha should defeat their teams fairly.
• Yūto worried over Konoha’s Genin roster until Minato pointed out that Chino, Izumi, and Itachi were listed and had recently completed a B-rank mission.
• Ringo told Chino, Izumi, and Itachi that she had signed them up for the exams, and Chino questioned why a Kirigakure ninja was handling their registration.
• Izumi soothed Ringo after Chino’s objection, and an unidentified figure appeared before the team.

Yūto argued with Ringo over her Thunder Sword debt, then told his students that winning the Chunin Ninja Exams was a crucial political mission. He took Chino, Izumi, and Itachi to the Training Ground to begin secret training, where Chino discovered that his method involved sparring against Susanoo.

• Ringo confronted Yūto about her growing Thunder Sword debt and threatened to stop paying, but Izumi stepped between them.
• Chino revealed that Ringo had registered the students for the Chunin Ninja Exams, and Yūto thanked Ringo before reducing her interest by one percentage point.
• Yūto told Chino, Izumi, and Itachi that they had to win the exams to protect Konoha’s reputation and strategic plans.
• Yūto led the students to the Training Ground and attacked them with Susanoo, knocking Chino into a crater.
• Chino climbed out of the crater and berated Yūto for using Susanoo to spar with his students.

After ending the grueling training, Yūto agreed to let the Chinoike Clan’s hot spring inn handle some lodging for the Joint Chunin Ninja Exams after Chino offered him a VIP card. The next day, he welcomed Kumogakure’s delegation at Konoha’s gate, where Yugito Nii greeted him before a mocking voice interrupted them.

• Chino, Izumi, and Itachi finished several days of intense training and acknowledged their gains despite Chino’s complaints.
• Chino tried to persuade Yūto to arrange lodging at her clan’s hot spring inn, and he changed his position after she offered him a lifetime VIP card.
• Yūto left to inspect the exam grounds, then took charge of receiving visiting candidates and leaders at Konoha’s gate the next day.
• Yūto greeted Yugito Nii and noticed Killer B among Kumogakure’s delegation.
• An unseen speaker mocked the Kumogakure group as they arrived.

Yūto welcomed the Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure delegations to Konoha ahead of the Chunin Ninja Exams. After he mocked Iwagakure's wartime losses and sent its party to an inn, Mei Terumi arrived with Kirigakure and teased Yūto about his relationships, leaving him stunned when Yugito blushed.

• Yūto mocked Iwagakure's losses in the Third Shinobi World War, and Kitsuchi escorted his chastened party to lodging arranged by an ANBU.
• Yugito asked Yūto to arrange accommodations for Kumogakure, but Kirigakure's delegation arrived before he could respond.
• Mei Terumi greeted Yūto and introduced herself to Yugito, while Yūto noted that Kirigakure had changed since the Bloody Mist era ended.
• Mei Terumi teased Yūto about Yugito being one of his sweethearts, and Yūto denied that anything was going on between them.
• Yūto noticed Yugito blushing and froze in confusion.

Yūto hosted the arriving villages while Sunagakure remained delayed, and Killer B hinted that someone had blocked its team. On the road to Konoha, Pakura confronted Sunagakure’s convoy, revealed that Rasa had sold her to Kirigakure, and threatened to disgrace the team unless it turned back.

• Mei Terumi asked Yūto why Sunagakure had not arrived, and Yūto said he could not disclose the reason.
• Killer B hinted that Pakura had blocked Sunagakure’s path, while Kitsuchi inferred the cause and Yugito Nii remained confused.
• Pakura ambushed Baki and Sunagakure’s Genin team on the road and faced accusations of betrayal.
• A young Kunoichi accused Pakura of betraying the village because she lusted after Uchiha Yūto, interrupting Pakura’s account of her betrayal.
• Pakura accused Rasa and Sunagakure’s leadership of selling her to Kirigakure, then demanded that the team turn back or attend the exams injured.

Sunagakure's battered team arrived in Konoha and endured mockery until Uchiha Yūto silenced the crowd and began the Chunin Ninja Exams. During the first written test, Yūto secretly watched the candidates and saw Chino cheat clumsily before someone reported a cheater.

• Sunagakure's injured team arrived in Konoha, where ninja from other villages mocked them for their condition.
• Baki ordered his team to endure the insults and focus on their mission rather than retaliate.
• Yūto stopped the mockery, announced the start of the Chunin Ninja Exams, and sent the candidates to the first exam hall.
• Yūto watched secretly as Izumi and Itachi used their Sharingan to gather answers, while Chino tossed a note to another candidate and escaped the proctors' notice.
• Mei Terumi tried to answer the written test using her own knowledge, and a candidate stood up to report someone for cheating.

During the written Chunin Exam, Chino was caught passing notes, but the proctors protected her because she was Uchiha Yūto’s disciple. Yūto later reprimanded them for covering up the cheating, then offered them possible ANBU positions, while preparing a dangerously difficult second exam in the Forest of Death.

• A candidate reported Chino for cheating, but the proctor told her to continue the exam and accused the reporter of disrupting it.
• The candidate backed down and apologized after the proctors surrounded him and dismissed his accusation as unsupported.
• Yūto left the examination hall and confirmed that powerful traps and dangerous summoning beasts had been prepared for the second exam.
• After the written test ended, the proctors reported to Yūto, who reprimanded them for covering up Chino’s cheating.
• Yūto warned the proctors not to repeat their conduct and invited them to interview for positions in the ANBU.

At the Forest of Death, Pakura explained the second exam’s rules and supervised the teams as they drew scrolls. Chino nearly took two scrolls but settled for one, while a team discovered their case was empty and Pakura refused to let them draw again.

• Chino teased Izumi about her risky cheating during the written exam, and Tsukimi arrived to greet the three Genin.
• Tsukimi revealed she was the assistant examiner, and Pakura announced herself as head examiner for the second round.
• Pakura explained that each team would draw either a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll and would need to defeat another team to pass.
• Chino tried to take two scrolls from the box, but Pakura’s icy stare made her return one and leave with a Heaven Scroll.
• A blond boy and his teammates found their case empty and demanded another draw, but Pakura refused.

Yūto’s Chunin exam sent candidates into the Forest of Death with many teams lacking scrolls and facing dangerous beasts and traps. As the exam began, Yūto refused to help his students and remained wary of Obito’s disappearance, until an urgent report interrupted him.

• Pakura explained that teams without scrolls had to defeat two other teams to obtain a Heaven Scroll and an Earth Scroll, then sent the candidates into the forest.
• A team withdrew after encountering dangerous Summoning Beasts, while Chino, Izumi, and Itachi prepared to protect their Heaven Scroll and find an Earth Scroll.
• Tsukimi learned that Maki had missed the exam after oversleeping on the first written exam day.
• An examiner told Yūto that all teams had entered the forest, and Yūto declined to arrange special assistance for Chino, Izumi, and Itachi.
• Yūto reflected on Obito’s unexplained absence and suspected he was preparing something, then an urgent report arrived.

After a White Zetsu was exposed during the Chunin Ninja Exams, Yūto kept the discovery secret and investigated the candidates traveling with it. Obito and Orochimaru began the Konoha Crush Plan, and Yūto warned Minato that Obito had appeared.

• An ANBU Ninja reported that a candidate’s corpse had turned into a white, plantlike body after a Summoning Beast killed a patrol member, and Yūto ordered the discovery concealed while the exam continued.
• In a cave outside Konoha, Black Zetsu told Obito and Orochimaru that Konoha had found the White Zetsu corpse; Obito dismissed the discovery and declared that the Konoha Crush Plan would begin.
• Orochimaru told Obito that he had perfected Impure World Reincarnation to reproduce or exceed the dead’s former strength.
• At the Forest of Death, Yūto identified the corpse as White Zetsu and knocked its two teammates unconscious so they could not leave or reveal the incident.
• Yūto went to the Hokage’s Office and quietly told Minato that Obito had appeared.

Yūto learned that a White Zetsu had appeared during the Chunin Ninja Exams and warned Minato that Obito might be targeting Konoha. As the exams continued, Itachi, Chino, and Izumi confronted a disguised enemy and discovered it was a White Zetsu corpse.

• Yūto told Minato that an examinee had died in a Summoning Beast attack and been exposed as a White Zetsu, and Minato agreed to keep the exams running while preparing for an attack.
• Yūto visited Tsunade’s laboratory, received several bottles of eye drops, and learned that Tsunade was ready to join the fight against Obito.
• Tsunade ordered Yíngsháo to alert the key Medical Team personnel and keep them ready to deploy.
• Itachi stopped Chino and Izumi on a secluded path after hearing a noise near some crates, then restrained a disguised examinee with a wire-bound kunai.
• Izumi attacked the figure with Fire Release and Chino struck it with Dynamic Entry, but the girls discovered that the apparent examinee concealed a white corpse.

Itachi, Izumi, and Chino suspected disguised White Zetsu had infiltrated the Chunin Exam and decided to hurry to the central tower so they could report it to Teacher Yūto. After defeating a Land of Water team and taking its Earth Scroll, they continued through the Forest of Death with the required scroll pair.

• Itachi, Izumi, and Chino examined a White Zetsu corpse and realized the creatures might have entered the exam disguised as examinees.
• Chino, Izumi, and Itachi decided to finish the exam quickly rather than break the rules by leaving the Forest of Death early.
• After the trio left, ANBU arrived on Lord Yūto’s orders, removed the corpse, and teased their captain about his connection to Chino.
• Chino, Izumi, and Itachi encountered a Land of Water Genin team, and the Ketsuryūgan genjutsu left all three opponents unable to resist.
• Chino searched the female team leader and took the Earth Scroll, giving the trio the scrolls needed to complete the exam set.

As the third stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams began, Yūto persuaded Minato and Tsunade to continue the matches in hopes of drawing out Obito and White Zetsu. Chino noticed something strange about her opponent, Toki, just as a cloaked intruder appeared in the arena and used Impure World Reincarnation.

• Chino, Izumi, and Itachi told Yūto about the white creature they had killed in the Forest of Death, and Yūto ordered them to keep the matter secret.
• Minato proposed suspending the exams because Obito and White Zetsu remained at large, but Yūto and Tsunade convinced him to proceed.
• Minato arranged security for the third-stage matches, while Chino, Izumi, and Maki waited in the arena and joked together.
• Chino drew Toki of Iwagakure as her first opponent and sensed that his stiff expression and empty eyes seemed familiar.
• A cloaked man ignored a staff member, leapt from the stands, and performed Impure World Reincarnation on the arena grass.

Madara Uchiha was reincarnated into the Chunin Ninja Exams arena, where he confronted Yūto after Chino challenged him. Orochimaru revealed himself as Madara’s summoner and hinted at another attack on Konoha, but Yūto made the Tailed Beast Bomb disappear, leaving Orochimaru stunned.

• Madara Uchiha emerged from a coffin in the arena after Orochimaru summoned him with Impure World Reincarnation.
• Chino demanded that Madara surrender so she could win her exam match, but Yūto arrived and sent her away.
• Yūto faced Madara and sensed that his reanimated body had been specially enhanced.
• Orochimaru revealed himself as the hooded figure who had summoned Madara and announced another guest had made a move.
• A Tailed Beast Bomb appeared above Konoha and vanished immediately, prompting Yūto to taunt the surprised Orochimaru.

Yūto had prepared a Dragon Vein barrier that protected Kushina from Madara’s attempt to summon the Nine-Tails, while Madara renewed his fight against Yūto. In Konoha, Minato confronted Obito and used Flying Thunder God to strike him with a Rasengan.

• Minato diverted Obito’s Tailed Beast Bomb away from Konoha with Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder.
• Madara failed to summon the Nine-Tails, which Kushina was safely guarding in Rōran behind a Dragon Vein-powered barrier.
• Yūto’s secret cannon, powered by the Dragon Vein, stood ready as a weapon against Madara or the Ōtsutsuki Clan.
• Madara charged at Yūto, eager to fight with his revived body’s power.
• Minato confronted Obito, who explained that he wanted a war-free world where Rin would approve of his actions.
• Obito charged Minato with a chain, but Minato teleported behind him and struck his back with a Rasengan.

Minato sealed Obito’s Kamui and nearly captured him, but Black Zetsu rescued him and brought him to Madara and Yūto’s battle. Yūto unveiled a Shukaku-powered Susanoo as he realized Magatsu could no longer defeat Madara because Orochimaru had added a backup soul connection to the Impure World Reincarnation technique.

• Minato used a new sealing jutsu to disable Obito’s Kamui, then bound him when Obito refused to surrender.
• Black Zetsu emerged from underground, pulled Obito away from Minato, and took him to Madara and Yūto’s battlefield.
• Madara mocked Obito, who shouted back at him and distracted him during his fight with Yūto.
• Yūto summoned a large Susanoo marked with Shukaku’s sealing runes, which made Madara sense danger.
• Yūto realized Magatsu had failed to send Madara back to the Pure Land because Orochimaru had added a backup soul connection to the reanimated body.

Orochimaru summoned four former Kage with Impure World Reincarnation, enraging the villages whose leaders had been revived. As Yūto continued fighting Madara, Nagato arrived in Konoha to fulfill Amegakure’s promise of support, but Obito attacked him to take his Rinnegan.

• Orochimaru summoned Mu, Gengetsu Hozuki, Third Raikage A, and the Third Kazekage, prompting fury among the ninja from their villages.
• Yugito Nii tried to charge at the Third Raikage, but Killer B stopped her and promised to draw the Raikage’s attention while she prepared sealing jutsu.
• Mei Terumi led the Kirigakure examinees away from the battlefield, while the other villages’ ninja stayed back rather than risk confronting the reanimated Kage.
• Nagato entered Konoha to honor Amegakure’s promise to Yūto, after secretly undergoing an eye operation to keep Madara and Obito from taking his Rinnegan.
• Madara ordered Obito to seize Nagato’s Rinnegan, and Obito appeared before Nagato and struck his right eye.

Obito’s stolen Rinnegan trapped and blinded him, while Minato and Nagato held off the reincarnated Kage. Black Zetsu freed Madara’s power, and after Minato teleported away Madara’s first meteor, a second descended on Konoha.

• Obito implanted the fake Rinnegan Yūto had prepared, triggering sealing marks that blinded him and left him incapacitated.
• Madara ordered Orochimaru to send the reincarnated Kage against Minato and Nagato, but the two held them off with Sealing Jutsu and the Rinnegan.
• Black Zetsu possessed Orochimaru and removed the restraints on Madara’s power, awakening Madara’s Rinnegan.
• Madara summoned a meteor with Tengai Shinsei, and Minato used Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder to teleport it away at the cost of nearly all his chakra.
• Madara sent a second meteor toward Konoha and urged the village to despair.