To be honest, on overhauls like this, I've re-used the bearings with great results. Unless, of course, the balls are messed up. The bigger problem is when the bearing races are scored or pitted.
I would remove the chain however you need to (chain breaker is probably the way to go), and replace it with a cheaper 6-7-8-speed chain. I've used a bunch of KMC chains at about $12 for this purpose over the recent years.