Chapter Summaries

Sasori told Pain that a masked man with long white hair used repulsion and gravity and demanded the secrets of Human Puppets. Pain and Obito ordered an investigation, while Black Zetsu suspected the man came from the moon and might possess an unknown dojutsu.

• Sasori told Pain about the masked man who summoned a meteor and sought his Puppet Technique and Human Puppet-making method.
• Pain asked Black Zetsu to investigate and said to kill the man if he had the Rinnegan and threatened Pain’s control of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Black Zetsu and White Zetsu relayed Sasori’s account to Obito Uchiha in the Kamui Dimension.
• Black Zetsu suspected that the man came from the moon and wondered whether Hamura Otsutsuki’s dojutsu could control repulsion and gravity.
• Black Zetsu said the White Zetsu Clones would watch powerful figures and alert Pain and Obito if they found the man.

After the Eighth Squad’s vacation, Izayoi encountered Tazuna and discussed the upcoming Chunin Exams with Hinata before meeting Kakashi’s Seventh Squad. Izayoi’s praise of Kakashi’s reputation left him under pressure to train Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, while Izayoi slipped away with Hinata.

• After the vacation ended, Hinata offered Izayoi his payment, but he refused, and she resolved to help ease his financial burden.
• Izayoi recognized the elderly outsider as Tazuna, the Bridge Builder from the Land of Waves, and asked Hinata whether they should enter the Chunin Exams.
• Hinata said she wanted to become a Jonin quickly but kept her reason secret, and Izayoi teased her before they encountered Kakashi and the Seventh Squad.
• Kakashi compared Izayoi favorably to Naruto and Sasuke, and Izayoi praised Kakashi’s many accomplishments in front of his students.
• Naruto and Sakura confronted Kakashi for not teaching them ninjutsu, Sasuke eyed him intensely, and Izayoi escaped with Hinata.

Izayoi discovered the Hidden Leaf Village’s Perception Barrier had a brief daily gap and decided to rob Gato in the Land of Waves to fund his puppet-making. He reached Gato’s residence ahead of the Seventh Squad and confronted Zabuza Momochi and Haku.

• Izayoi used his farsight to observe the Hidden Leaf Village and learned that the Perception Barrier vanished during sensor shift changes.
• After spotting Tazuna’s group, Izayoi decided to steal from Gato to obtain money and materials for making puppets.
• Izayoi bought two Storage Scrolls, created a Shadow Clone, and slipped out of the village while the Sensor Team changed shifts.
• Izayoi traveled to the Land of Waves, overtook the Seventh Squad, and flew to Gato’s luxurious villa in disguise.
• Izayoi interrupted Gato and Zabuza Momochi as they discussed killing Tazuna, and Haku and Zabuza prepared to fight him.

Izayoi overwhelmed Zabuza Momochi and Haku with the power of Shinra Tensei, then kept Gato alive to find his hidden fortune. After locating and breaking open Gato’s basement safe, Izayoi discovered it was filled with dazzling riches.

• Gato ordered Zabuza Momochi to kill Izayoi, but Izayoi lifted Gato into the air with an unseen force.
• Zabuza Momochi hurled the Executioner's Blade at Gato and Izayoi, but Izayoi stopped it in midair.
• Izayoi used Shinra Tensei, destroying Gato’s villa and leaving Zabuza Momochi and Haku badly injured beneath the rubble.
• Izayoi created a shadow clone to treat Zabuza Momochi and Haku, then forced Gato to reveal that his money was in a basement safe.
• Izayoi broke into the safe and found it packed with treasure.

Izayoi stole Gato’s treasure, took Zabuza and Haku to a Black Market, and ordered materials for making Human Puppets and Chakra Cores. Black Zetsu identified him as the Mysterious Man, and Akatsuki set out to attack him with Pain, Obito, and Itachi.

• Izayoi packed Gato’s treasure into two Storage Scrolls and sent a Shadow Clone to take Gato away.
• Izayoi and another Shadow Clone brought Zabuza Momochi and Haku to a Black Market in the Land of Fire.
• Izayoi ordered thirty sets of puppet-making materials and paid a two-hundred-thousand-ryo deposit, with the goods due in three days.
• White Zetsu told Black Zetsu that the Mysterious Man had bought Human Puppet materials, and Black Zetsu urged him to alert Madara.
• Obito Uchiha, Black and White Zetsu, and Deva Path Pain agreed to target Izayoi, with Obito bringing Itachi Uchiha as support.

Izayoi spared Zabuza Momochi and Haku after taking Gato’s fortune, sending Haku to the Sand Village to buy materials while keeping Zabuza under guard. Suspecting that Sasori’s report would draw Nagato, Obito Uchiha, and Black Zetsu’s attention, Izayoi prepared a second plan to avoid being caught off guard.

• Izayoi questioned Zabuza Momochi and Haku, then offered to release them if they completed a task for him.
• Izayoi ordered Haku to travel to the Sand Village within ten days and buy materials listed in a scroll, giving him a thirty-million-ryo budget.
• Izayoi healed Haku’s injuries with Physical Stamina Healing, but refused to heal Zabuza Momochi.
• Haku left for the Land of Wind while Izayoi had a Shadow Clone carry Zabuza to a cave and guard him.
• Izayoi used the Tenseigan to monitor the Land of Fire and suspected Black Zetsu would search for him after learning about his abilities and purchases.
• Izayoi decided that sparing Haku and Zabuza was part of a second set of preparations against the threat of being ambushed.

Izayoi discovered that Konan, Nagato, the Six Paths of Pain, Itachi, and Obito had assembled to ambush him, but his Tenseigan revealed their positions and he avoided the trap. Six days later, Haku delivered the supplies Izayoi had requested, while Zabuza prepared to rob other robbers.

• Izayoi spotted Konan entering the Land of Fire and used his Tenseigan to find her, Nagato, and the Six Paths of Pain concealed inside a paper tree.
• Obito and Itachi joined Deva Path Pain near the Black Market, while a White Zetsu Clone replaced a man there using the Mayfly Technique, which the Tenseigan could not detect.
• Izayoi realized the group was setting a trap for him, kept his advantage secret, and left with Zabuza instead of approaching the Black Market.
• On the third day, the group waited for their target, then left after White Zetsu reported that nothing had happened to the planted clone.
• Six days later, Haku delivered three scrolls of supplies to Izayoi, who rewarded Haku and Zabuza with the leftover money.
• Zabuza, recovering with crutches, told Haku they would rob the robbers.

Izayoi stayed away from the Hidden Leaf Village while he gathered Gato’s wealth, then traveled to the Land of Rivers to test whether killing Kurosuki Raiga and Ranmaru would produce traits. The test failed, leaving Izayoi to consider more forceful ways to discover how the trait system worked.

• Izayoi sorted through Gato’s assets, sold several valuable Land Deeds, and bought a villa and clothing store in the Land of Fire.
• Izayoi left a Shadow Clone to study tailoring and design, then carried two empty Storage Scrolls into the Land of Rivers.
• Kurosuki Raiga attacked Izayoi with Lightning Release, but Izayoi used Almighty Pull and Shinra Tensei to devastate the Kurosuki Clan and mortally injure Raiga and Ranmaru.
• Izayoi tested whether killing Raiga and Ranmaru with the Lightning Blades would produce traits, but neither corpse yielded any.
• Izayoi wondered what determined trait drops and resolved to try another method, warning that he might make the Ninja World suffer if it failed.

Izayoi hurried back to the Hidden Leaf Village for his birthday, where Hinata and Hanabi surprised him with a cake and gifts. After exchanging presents, he gave the sisters handmade sailor suits, and Hanabi wondered aloud how he knew Hinata’s measurements.

• Izayoi left the Land of Rivers with minerals and corpses, then returned to the Hidden Leaf Village with souvenirs for Hinata and Hanabi.
• Hinata and Hanabi surprised Izayoi with a birthday cake and celebrated his June 16th birthday.
• Izayoi opened the sisters’ gifts: a handmade scarf, a Snowman Suit, and a Flame-Patterned White Robe.
• Izayoi gave Hanabi and Hinata clothing as souvenirs, then encouraged them to try on the handmade sailor suits.
• Hanabi exclaimed that the suits fit perfectly and asked why Izayoi knew Hinata’s measurements.

Izayoi-kun celebrated with Hinata and Hanabi, taking photos in their new outfits before their cake fight left the dining room in disarray. Later, he demonstrated Lightning Release Chakra Stimulation Cells to Sasuke Uchiha, who asked to learn the dangerous technique.

• Izayoi-kun praised Hinata and Hanabi in their sailor-style outfits, then took photos with them as they posed together.
• Izayoi-kun and the Hyuga sisters shared cake and juice, but their celebration descended into a cake fight that ruined their clothes and dining room.
• After Hinata and Hanabi went home, Izayoi-kun vowed that soon no one would be able to stop them from spending time together.
• During a sparring match on the Naka River, Izayoi-kun used Lightning Release Chakra Stimulation Cells to outpace Sasuke Uchiha and punch him.
• Izayoi-kun explained the technique as Lightning Release Nature Transformation that stimulated cells, then agreed to teach Sasuke Uchiha.

As the Chunin Exams approached, Izayoi-kun, Hinata, and Shino Aburame decided to enter after Red Yuhi registered them. Izayoi-kun encouraged Hinata and shared his goal with Sasuke Uchiha, promising Sasuke he would succeed in avenging his family without sacrificing his soul.

• An eagle’s cry brought the Jonin to the Hokage Building, and Izayoi-kun, Hinata, and Shino Aburame guessed that the Chunin Exams were near and agreed to participate.
• Red Yuhi told Eighth Squad that the exams would begin July 1st and gave them application forms she had already registered.
• Izayoi-kun asked Hinata to train with him, but she chose to seek guidance from her father in the Gentle Fist; Izayoi-kun promised to help her become a Chunin.
• Izayoi-kun and Sasuke Uchiha trained and grilled fish together, then discussed their goals: Izayoi-kun wanted to overcome lifespan’s limits with Hinata, while Sasuke wanted revenge on That Man.
• Izayoi-kun assured Sasuke Uchiha that he would succeed without giving up his life or soul.

As the Chunin Exams began in Hidden Leaf Village, Seventh Squad arrived at the Ninja Academy and encountered a genjutsu barrier and Neji Hyuga. Izayoi-kun and Hinata then reunited with Naruto Uzumaki, who confidently promised to beat them and Sasuke Uchiha.

• Three days passed as shinobi from other villages arrived in Hidden Leaf Village for the Chunin Exams.
• Izayoi-kun, Hinata, and Shino Aburame went to the Ninja Academy with their application forms and discovered a genjutsu barrier inside the building.
• Hinata greeted Neji Hyuga, who warned Izayoi-kun that he had no hope of being with Hinata because of their bloodlines; Hinata sharply told Neji to stop.
• Izayoi-kun and Shino Aburame praised Hinata for confronting Neji, and she blushed at their compliments.
• Naruto Uzumaki greeted Seventh Squad and told Izayoi-kun that he would not lose to him this time.

Izayoi let Sasuke Uchiha take Rock Lee’s challenge, and the two fought in the lobby while their classmates watched. Sasuke copied Lee’s taijutsu with his Sharingan, leaving the onlookers astonished as the match continued.

• The squads submitted their Chunin Exam applications, and Sasuke asked Izayoi about outsiders secretly watching them.
• Rock Lee challenged Izayoi, but Izayoi sent Sasuke to fight him instead.
• Sasuke charged Rock Lee, who used rapid movement and powerful taijutsu to knock him into the air.
• Sasuke used his Two-Tomoe Sharingan to copy Lee’s movements and returned the same attack.
• Naruto, Sakura, and Shino were stunned by Sasuke’s copied technique, while Izayoi and Hinata watched calmly.

Rock Lee prepared to break a taijutsu taboo to prove himself to Sasuke Uchiha, but Might Guy arrived and postponed his punishment until after the Chunin Exams. Izayoi’s Eighth Squad reached the examination room, where Red Yuhi reminded them that the exam had begun with their application forms.

• Rock Lee began unwrapping his hand bandages to challenge Sasuke Uchiha, but Might Guy appeared and stopped their rematch.
• Might Guy greeted the squads, and Izayoi vouched for his reputation as a powerful taijutsu expert before reminding everyone that the exam was about to begin.
• Naruto Uzumaki teased Sasuke Uchiha about being Izayoi’s little brother, and the two fought as they walked toward the School Building.
• Izayoi led Hinata and Shino Aburame to meet Red Yuhi, Kakashi Hatake, and Asuma Sarutobi outside the examination room.
• Red Yuhi explained that the Chunin Exams tested whether squad members could earn recognition and become capable team leaders, then sent Eighth Squad into the room.

Izayoi and Hinata settled into the first Chunin Exam while Naruto and Sasuke struggled with a difficult written test. After Ibiki announced the final question, the exam room waited to learn its stakes.

• Izayoi swapped seat numbers with Naruto, becoming Hinata's desk mate and leaving Naruto beside Sasuke.
• Izayoi and Hinata discussed Hanabi's progress in the Gentle Fist while examinees gathered.
• Ibiki Morino arrived, explained the exam rules, and began the written test.
• Naruto panicked at the questions, while Sasuke used his Sharingan to copy Izayoi's answers.
• Ibiki's proctors penalized cheating, and teams were eliminated when their members lost all ten points.
• After Izayoi and Hinata finished and communicated with coded hand signals, Ibiki announced that he would reveal the Tenth Question.

The examinees passed Ibiki Morino’s first exam after enduring his choice between withdrawal and risking permanent disqualification, and Anko Mitarashi announced the next exam. Afterward, Izayoi and his friends reunited with Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka, who asked Hinata about her figure.

• Many examinees withdrew after Ibiki Morino warned that failing the Tenth Question would bar them from taking the Chunin Exams again.
• Naruto Uzumaki remained confident because Sasuke Uchiha used the Uchiha Clan's Shuriken Manipulation Technique to fill in his answers.
• Ibiki Morino revealed that everyone remaining had passed, explaining that the first exam tested knowledge, intelligence-gathering, and team cohesion.
• Anko Mitarashi entered the examination room and ordered the examinees to gather outside Konoha Training Ground 44 by three o'clock the next afternoon.
• Izayoi and his friends met Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Ino Yamanaka after the exam, while Ino Yamanaka asked Hinata how she had developed her figure.

Izayoi-kun brought his former classmates together for a barbecue, strengthening the group’s ties, then prepared to conceal his Tenseigan before the Chunin Exams. He told Hinata that he was taking precautions in case the exams turned into a fierce battle.

• Izayoi-kun invited the Seventh Squad and Tenth Squad to barbecue, and Shikamaru Nara agreed after Izayoi-kun offered to pay.
• At the restaurant, Naruto Uzumaki and Choji Akimichi competed over the food while Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka tried to impress Sasuke Uchiha, and Izayoi-kun grilled meat for Hinata.
• Izayoi-kun took a group photo of the Konoha 11, and the gathering brought the classmates closer together.
• The next afternoon, Hinata woke Izayoi-kun and playfully kissed him until he got up.
• Izayoi-kun put on Colored Contact Lenses to hide his Tenseigan, and he told Hinata he was preparing in case the Chunin Exams became dangerous.

Izayoi and his allies gathered at the Death Forest for the second Chunin Exam, where teams had to survive for five days and obtain both scrolls. At Entrance 8, Hinata detected Earth Scroll teams nearby, including a powerful Sand Ninja whom Izayoi recognized as a serious opponent.

• Izayoi and Hinata met Shino Aburame at the Death Forest, where they caught up with Minako and the other squads.
• Sasuke Uchiha warned the group about the dangers of the exam, and Izayoi teased him for sounding hungover.
• Karin watched Hinata and the other girls before blushing when Izayoi smiled at her; Izayoi said she had the same ability as Hinata and Hanabi.
• The examinees signed consent forms, collected their scrolls, and learned they had 120 hours to gather both scrolls and reach the Central Tower.
• Hinata used her Byakugan at Entrance 8 and found Earth Scroll teams at Entrances 7 and 9, including a powerful Sand Ninja carrying a gourd.

During the second round of the Chunin Selection Exams, Izayoi led Hinata and Shino to Karin, intending to recruit the talented Kusagakure kunoichi before Orochimaru could claim her. After they defeated Karin’s abusive teammates, Hinata showed her compassion, leaving Karin moved by an enemy’s kindness.

• Izayoi used the Tenseigan to locate Karin and told Hinata and Shino that he planned to recruit her.
• Shino warned Izayoi that recruiting a ninja from another village was illegal, but agreed not to report him if Karin did not remain in the Hidden Leaf Village.
• Karin’s Kusagakure teammates berated her as she set traps, while her arms bore numerous bite marks from people draining her healing chakra.
• Hinata and Shino attacked Karin’s teammates, defeating them as Izayoi approached Karin.
• Hinata saw Karin’s injuries, killed the surviving Kusagakure ninja, and moved Karin to tears with her unexpected care.

Izayoi comforted Karin by claiming they shared Uzumaki ancestry, then restored her strength and invited her to leave with him. Karin accepted, and Izayoi sent her toward safety with his Shadow Clone while he continued the exam.

• Izayoi offered Karin his arm to heal her and told her they were clansmen descended from the same clan.
• Shino searched the defeated enemies and guessed that Izayoi carried Uzumaki blood and had awakened the Mind's Eye of the Kagura.
• Hinata gave Karin a handkerchief, and Karin accepted Izayoi's offer to bite his arm and recover.
• Izayoi asked Karin to follow him, warning that she would have to give up being a ninja and might not join Hidden Leaf Village.
• Karin agreed, and Izayoi created a Shadow Clone to take her somewhere safe until he finished the exam.