Chapter Summaries

Hikari and Kakashi teased each other after dinner, discussing Kakashi's feelings for Shizune and Hikari's interest in Kurenai. Kakashi agreed to let Hikari stay at his house in exchange for two illustrations for his book, with the rule that Hikari could not bring a woman there while Kakashi was away on a mission.

• Hikari and Kakashi saw Tsunade and Shizune off after dinner, which Hikari had enjoyed without paying for.
• Hikari teased Kakashi for not pursuing Shizune, and Kakashi said he was unsure he could give her a happy life.
• Hikari asked Kakashi to introduce him to Kurenai, while Kakashi accused Hikari of setting his sights on women from other villages.
• Kakashi told Hikari to find somewhere else to stay because he had a mission the next day.
• Hikari offered Kakashi two illustrations for his book, and Kakashi agreed to let him stay at his house as long as he did not bring a woman there.

Tsunade encouraged Shizune to build a life of her own and questioned her about potential husbands, revealing that Shizune preferred Kakashi. The chapter ended with Shizune pondering her feelings while Tsunade secretly planned to bring her and Kakashi together.

• Tsunade told Shizune she should pursue marriage and a future independent of her, while assuring her she could still live at Senju Residence.
• Tsunade asked Shizune about Might Guy, Hikari, and Kakashi, and Shizune said she would choose Kakashi.
• Shizune wondered why she had not plainly admitted her feelings for Kakashi and went to bed thinking about him.
• Tsunade reflected that Kakashi remained influenced by Rin and privately considered forcing him and Shizune together if necessary.

Kakashi woke Hikari early before leaving for morning training with Yamato, Genma Shiranui, and Aoba Yamashiro. Hikari arrived at Training Ground 10 and encountered Might Guy, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten, where Tenten and Lee joined Guy’s enthusiastic training while Neji was left exasperated.

• Kakashi repeatedly knocked on Hikari’s door, angering Hikari, who threatened to burn paper offerings at Kakashi’s grave if he woke him again.
• Kakashi met Yamato, Genma Shiranui, and Aoba Yamashiro at the Hidden Leaf Village Gate, and the group set out together.
• Unable to fall asleep again, Hikari got up, bought breakfast, and went to Training Ground 10 before half past six.
• Hikari met Might Guy, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuga, and Tenten, and complained that Kakashi had woken him early.
• Might Guy led the group into training, Rock Lee opened the Gate of Opening to catch up, and Tenten followed while Neji watched in dismay.

Hikari healed Shikamaru’s hand and encouraged him to keep training, then teased Ino until she attacked him and he calmly blocked her punches. He assigned the Ino-Shika-Cho trio their next exercises at Training Ground 10.

• Hikari admired the tree growing from Danzo’s remains before Shikamaru arrived early and admitted he had not trained after returning home.
• Hikari healed Shikamaru’s hand and told him to overcome his hesitation and continue practicing.
• When Ino complained that Hikari had teased her, he mocked her figure, prompting her to launch a furious attack.
• Hikari let Ino punch his stomach after redirecting her hands, leaving her fists numb and her anger spent.
• After Choji arrived, Hikari ordered the trio to run ten laps, then told Shikamaru to practice the first stage and Choji to train with Ino on the second.

Da Ju and Kotetsu Hagane asked Tsunade to approve their marriage, and she signed their documents. They planned to arrange a wedding date with Hikari and left to find him, while Tsunade considered renting Hikari a room in her home.

• Da Ju and Kotetsu Hagane visited Tsunade to ask for approval to marry, explaining that they had already made up their minds.
• Tsunade approved their marriage, signed their documents, and promised to attend their wedding.
• Tsunade offered to send Anbu to fetch Hikari, but Kotetsu Hagane refused and said they would tell him themselves.
• Shizune told Da Ju and Kotetsu Hagane that Hikari was training newcomers at Training Ground 10.
• After they left, Shizune laughed at Da Ju calling Hikari hardworking, and Tsunade decided against giving him a house but considered renting him a room at her home.

Da Ju and Kotetsu Hagane visited Hikari at Training Ground 10 and announced their relationship, while Shikamaru trained nearby. Hikari approved their marriage and gave Da Ju Kotetsu’s supposed savings to manage, then Da Ju offered to find Hikari a wife as the couple left to plan their wedding.

• Da Ju and Kotetsu Hagane arrived at Training Ground 10, where they found Hikari relaxing and Shikamaru training by striking blood-soaked paper.
• Hikari teased the couple about their relationship and gave them his blessing when Da Ju confirmed they would not break up if he objected.
• Hikari handed Da Ju a bankbook, claiming it held Kotetsu Hagane’s savings, and Da Ju accepted it for safekeeping.
• Da Ju offered to help Hikari find a wife and suggested he could marry several women, while warning Kotetsu Hagane against infidelity.
• Kotetsu Hagane hurried Da Ju away, and the two agreed to choose the nearest auspicious day for their wedding.

Hikari trained Shikamaru to unlock his body's potential, helping him learn the first step of a new taijutsu. Shikamaru left to continue training with Choji and Ino while Hikari relaxed, confident that the Chakra Seeds he had planted would help his students grow.

• Hikari scolded Shikamaru for slacking and rested in a hammock while Shikamaru practiced punching through paper.
• Shikamaru finally pierced the paper and tree with an instinctive punch, injuring his hand in the process.
• Hikari healed Shikamaru and taught him to let instinct guide his body and Chakra rather than overthinking his movements.
• Shikamaru used the lesson to punch into a tree trunk and learned the first step of Hikari's taijutsu.
• Shikamaru ran off to rejoin Choji and Ino's training, while Hikari revealed that he had planted Chakra Seeds in all three students.

Shikamaru joined Ino and Choji’s training, and the three turned their practice into a kunai battle that tested their new techniques. Ino and Shikamaru restrained Choji, who agreed to teach them his improved technique in exchange for an expensive meal.

• Shikamaru arrived at Ino and Choji’s training and dodged their kunai barrage after they attacked him.
• Shikamaru returned the favor by throwing kunai at Ino and Choji, and Choji blocked them with his improved Partial Expansion Jutsu.
• Shikamaru and Ino coordinated their attacks, tricking Choji with Ino’s Mind Body Switch Technique and Ninja Art: Eggplant.
• Shikamaru used the Shadow Imitation Technique to restrain Choji while Ino praised his improved technique.
• Choji agreed to teach Ino his technique in exchange for an expensive meal from Shikamaru.

Might Guy and his team planned to visit Hikari’s genin students and challenge them to a duel the next day, while Tenten offered to help Hikari find a house near her home. At Training Ground 10, Hikari ignored the hungry genin until they asked what he wanted to eat.

• Might Guy realized his team had gathered at the village gates because he was accustomed to visiting Hikari for meals, then suggested they visit Hikari’s students at Training Ground 10.
• Might Guy planned to challenge Hikari to a duel the next day and warned his team not to reveal the plan.
• Tenten asked to take the afternoon off to help Hikari find a house near her home, but Might Guy decided the whole team would help after lunch.
• Hikari rested in a hammock at Training Ground 10 while Ino, Shikamaru, and another genin waited for him to arrange food.
• Hikari first asked for roasted wild boar, then switched to fish, and the genin led him toward the fish.

Asuma continued training on Mount Huaguo, mastering Metal Release Chakra while becoming increasingly monkey-like and detached from the outside world. In Konoha, Hikari bought a house with Tenten's help and looked forward to his students' challenge against Guy's team the next day.

• Asuma mastered Metal Release Chakra and completed the initial strengthening of his body, though his appearance grew more like Enma's.
• Enma told Asuma that the Stone of Curse was behind his rapid improvement and that every gain came at a price.
• Tenten showed Hikari a villa, and Hikari agreed to buy it and completed the purchase and registration.
• Tenten told Hikari that Guy planned for her group to challenge his team the next day.
• Hikari encouraged Tenten to use all her strength against his students, while Tenten privately resolved to train harder.

Hikari and Might Guy arranged a training-ground match between their teams, with Hikari warning Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji that they would face harsh training if they lost. Shikamaru chose to fight, and both teams agreed to battle in the open training ground.

• Might Guy challenged Hikari to a match between their three students, and Hikari told Shikamaru's team they would train from seven in the morning until seven at night if they lost.
• Shikamaru chose to fight so his team could assess their strength and improve.
• Hikari praised Rock Lee's future strength, inspiring Lee to declare he would run around the Hidden Leaf Village until he collapsed.
• Shikamaru offered the teams a choice of battlefield, but Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee settled on the training ground.
• Shikamaru agreed to a real fight on the open training ground, confident in his team's strength.

Shikamaru’s team battled Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten, but Ino and Choji were taken out and Shikamaru admitted defeat. Tenten then revealed that she had been controlled by Ino’s technique, and Choji intervened as Neji and Rock Lee prepared to respond.

• Choji attacked with Partial Expansion Technique while Neji told Tenten and Rock Lee to separate Ino-Shika-Cho and handle their opponents individually.
• Rock Lee opened the first three Eight Inner Gates, breaking Shikamaru’s Shadow Imitation Technique and injuring him with the backlash.
• Choji charged as a Human Bullet Tank, but Neji struck him with Gentle Fist techniques and stopped his spin.
• Tenten brought the unconscious Ino to Shikamaru, who admitted that his team had lost.
• Tenten pretended to attack Shikamaru, then threw her kunai at Rock Lee, leading Neji to suspect she was under Ino’s control.
• Choji used Expansion Jutsu to shield Shikamaru and Tenten as Neji prepared to attack.

Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten fought Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino in a sparring match that ended when Shikamaru surrendered after his team lost its advantage. Hikari and Might Guy assessed the teams’ strengths and weaknesses, leaving the young ninja to reflect on their need to train and work together better.

• Neji’s Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm barely affected Choji, so Neji yielded the fight to Rock Lee, who opened the Gate of Pain and clashed with Choji.
• Shikamaru coordinated Choji’s retreat with Shadow Binding and Explosive Tags, but Rock Lee broke through the explosions with Reverse Lotus and attacked him.
• Shikamaru trapped Rock Lee with Ino’s Mind Body Switch Technique, while Choji broke his arm trying to seize Rock Lee and Neji charged at Shikamaru.
• Tenten captured Ino, and Shikamaru surrendered before Neji could attack him.
• Might Guy praised Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten, while Hikari told Shikamaru and the others to train harder and improve their teamwork.

Hikari and Anko reunited after returning to Hidden Leaf Village, where they traded barbs over an old scandal and Anko asked him to help Kurenai’s former student, Yakumo Kurama. Hikari resisted the request and denied rumors about his closeness to Tsunade, leaving Anko unconvinced.

• Anko greeted Might Guy’s group, and Hikari hurriedly pulled her into an alley before she could reveal his identity to the others.
• Hikari reminded Anko not to mention their old scandal, but she teased him about the pornographic illustrations he had once made using her as a model.
• Anko demanded Hikari’s help, and he jokingly mistook her request for a romantic proposition.
• Anko explained that Kurenai wanted Tsunade to examine her former student Yakumo Kurama, who seemed to be ill.
• Hikari denied that he was Tsunade’s kept man, but Anko said she believed the rumor about him.

Hikari agreed to report Yakumo Kurama’s situation to Tsunade while Anko threatened to move in with him if he failed. At lunch, Anko and Tenten competed for Hikari’s attention, and Anko’s intensely sweet dumplings were passed around the group.

• Anko teased Hikari, then told him she had bought all his books and asked him to sign them.
• Hikari agreed to report Yakumo Kurama’s case to Tsunade, while Anko said she would move into his house if the request failed.
• Hikari took Anko’s extra-sweet dumplings and left with her to find food.
• Tenten glared at Anko when she arrived with Hikari, and Anko briefly hugged Hikari’s arm to provoke her.
• Hikari offered Anko’s dumplings to Tenten and Ino, who found them unbearably sweet, and Ino and Tenten passed them on to Choji, Neji, and Rock Lee.

At Ichiraku Ramen, Hikari discussed the upcoming wedding of his brother Izumo and Da Ju with Ayame and Tenten, who urged him to take marriage seriously. He left Ayame and Tenten openly hinting at their feelings for him while Anko backed his preference for staying single.

• Hikari told Ichiraku that the diners felt unwell because they had eaten dumplings with several times the usual amount of sugar.
• Ayame asked Hikari about Izumo and Da Ju's wedding, and Hikari explained that they had taken his gift money without telling him the date.
• Tenten offered to go with Hikari to ask about the wedding, but Ayame said it was set for three days later and that she would attend with him.
• Ayame lectured Hikari that marriage was an important matter, while Hikari said he would rather stay single.
• Ayame and Tenten both rejected Hikari's wish to stay single, and Tenten said being with the person one loved was the happiest thing.

Hikari hurriedly left the ramen shop, leaving Might Guy to answer Ayame's questions about Hikari and Anko's relationship. Guy suggested Hikari might have concerns about starting a family, while wishing Ayame would stop questioning him.

• Hikari finished his meal and left Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji to continue eating before training.
• Shikamaru and Neji looked forward to another match as Shikamaru led Ino and Choji toward the training grounds.
• Anko left the ramen shop after telling Ayame she would return that evening, while Tenten watched her and asked Guy about her closeness with Hikari.
• Ayame pressed Might Guy about whether Anko and Hikari would end up together, and Guy said Hikari might not be ready to start a family.
• Might Guy regretted coming for ramen as he worried about his tight finances and wished Ayame would stop asking him questions.

Hikari accompanied Kurenai Yuhi to see Yakumo after she asked him to help with Yakumo’s worsening condition, though he warned he could not promise a solution. Meanwhile, Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji continued training, and Ino forced Choji to share his snacks.

• Kurenai Yuhi told Hikari that Yakumo’s physical and mental condition had worsened and asked him to help.
• Hikari said he could not guarantee he could solve Yakumo’s problem, then left with Kurenai Yuhi.
• Shikamaru watched Hikari leave with Kurenai Yuhi and worried about Asuma’s absence.
• Ino asked Choji for snacks, and when he refused, she struck his shoulder with her Nerve Interruption Technique.
• Choji surrendered and shared several packs of snacks with Ino and Shikamaru.

Hikari accompanied Kurenai Yuhi to Yakumo Kurama’s residence and discovered that Yakumo had manipulated Kurenai into bringing him there. Yakumo revealed that she had hypnotized Kurenai using abilities inspired by Hikari’s books.

• Hikari and Kurenai Yuhi arrived at the remote Kurama Clan grounds, where Hikari sensed a strange aura around Yakumo’s residence.
• Yakumo Kurama greeted Kurenai with an unnaturally flat voice, then showed emotion when she saw Hikari.
• Hikari realized Yakumo had orchestrated Kurenai’s visit and learned that Kurenai had come straight to find him instead of visiting the Hokage.
• Yakumo used her ability to shape stones into a bench and invited Hikari to sit while explaining that she had wanted to meet him.
• Yakumo revealed that Hikari’s Hypnosis Series had inspired her to develop abilities that let her hypnotize Kurenai Yuhi.

Hikari tried to persuade Yakumo Kurama not to pursue a relationship based on fantasy, even after she offered him Kurenai Yuhi and confessed that she loved him. He questioned whether she liked the real him or whether he could genuinely return her feelings.

• Yakumo offered Hikari Kurenai as a bonus and said she could reshape Kurenai's personality, but Hikari objected to making her an unresponsive doll.
• Yakumo explained that she had chosen Hikari because he was Teacher Shenguang and wanted him to guide her toward an adult life.
• Hikari warned Yakumo that desire alone would not bring happiness and urged her to consider whether she truly liked the person involved.
• Yakumo consulted a worn book, then told Hikari she was sure she loved him and believed she could change him back if he changed.
• Hikari challenged Yakumo to consider whether she liked the real him and whether he could truly like her in return.