Chapter Summaries

Soji visited Orochimaru’s underground laboratory, received genetic research materials, and signed a snake Summoning Beast contract. After returning home, he considered how to secretly collect blood from the Hyuga Clan and received the rest of Orochimaru’s materials.

• Orochimaru invited Soji into the soon-to-be-abandoned research facility and tested whether he was searching for information about the First Hokage’s cells.
• Orochimaru gave Soji genetic research materials and a Summoning Beast contract, which Soji signed and used to summon a small black snake.
• As Soji left, Orochimaru admitted he wanted to learn what secrets Soji was hiding, while a small snake revealed it had been spying on him.
• On his way home, Soji weighed the risks of collecting blood from every Hyuga Clan member without exposing his strength or identity as Ember.
• Soji returned home and received the remaining cellular research materials from Orochimaru’s Summoning Beast.

Soji continued researching how to awaken the Tenseigan by secretly collecting blood from Hyuga clansmen, then encountered Might Duy and his son Might Guy in Konoha. He asked Duy to teach him Hard Fist, and Duy invited him to train with them outside the village.

• Soji compared his cells and genes with those of Hyuga servants and confirmed that collecting genes from other Hyuga clansmen could help him pursue the Tenseigan.
• Over the next three months, Soji secretly arranged minor accidents to collect blood samples from fewer than three hundred Hyuga clansmen.
• Soji saw Might Duy and young Might Guy walking on their hands through Konoha and recognized the father and son.
• Soji respectfully introduced himself to Might Duy, who remained wary because of the Hyuga Clan's contempt for Hard Fist.
• Soji bowed and asked Might Duy to guide him in Hard Fist, and Duy invited him to train with him and Might Guy outside the village.

Soji sparred with Might Duy to study Hard Fist and the Eight Inner Gates, while Might Duy sought to test his Gentle Fist. After pushing Duy through five gates without being seriously hurt, Soji prepared to meet Duy’s strongest attack head-on with a new move of his own.

• Soji, Might Duy, and Might Guy went to the training ground, where Soji and Duy agreed to spar and study each other’s fighting styles.
• Soji struck Might Duy with Gentle Fist and urged him to open the Eight Inner Gates, explaining that he had learned about the technique from the Scroll of Seals.
• Might Duy opened the first two gates and attacked with kicks and Front Lotus, but Soji disrupted his chakra, broke free, and knocked him down.
• Might Duy opened the third and fourth gates and used several Leaf Style Taijutsu techniques, but Soji blocked his attacks without injury.
• Might Duy opened the fifth gate, raised a cloud of dust, and attacked Soji from behind, but Soji dodged by relying on training for fighting without sight.
• Might Duy announced his strongest move, and Soji agreed to face it head-on with a new technique he had developed.

Soji tested his new Ice Release Gentle Fist technique in a spar with Might Duy, then encouraged Might Guy and asked the father and son to keep his Ice Release secret. The Third Hokage investigated the battle’s Kage-level Chakra traces and learned that the combatants were Might Duy and Hyuga Soji.

• Might Duy used Morning Peacock, and Soji countered with Ice Release Gentle Fist—Rotating Ice Condensation, proving his new technique could combine offense and defense.
• Might Guy returned to find his injured father, and Soji encouraged him to pursue strength through taijutsu.
• Soji asked Might Duy and Might Guy to conceal his Ice Release, cleared away the ice, and took Might Duy to the hospital, offering to pay for his treatment.
• The Third Hokage arrived at the battlefield and heard that Konoha genin Might Duy and Hyuga Soji had fought there, though the Anbu captain doubted Duy could be Kage-level.

After the Anbu accepted Soji and Might Duy's accounts of their battle, Soji focused on developing Ice Release techniques, including a powerful Ice Clone. He later encountered Kakashi and Konoha's future generation at Ichiraku Ramen, where he teased Kakashi by messing up his white hair.

• The Third Hokage accepted the matching accounts from Soji and Might Duy, then decided the Eight Inner Gates deserved closer attention.
• Soji combined Ice Release with Gentle Fist techniques, adding frost damage to his strikes.
• Soji created an Ice Clone that consumed substantial Chakra and released a wave of cold when dispelled.
• Soji went to Ichiraku Ramen and recognized Kakashi, Obito, Rin, and many other future Konoha shinobi gathered there.
• Kakashi confronted Soji about staring at the children, and Soji joked about kidnapping them before messing up Kakashi's hair.

After Hatake Sakumo returned from a failed mission, rumors condemning him spread through Konoha, and Soji recognized the danger of the scheme behind them. Soji resolved to protect Sakumo, while Minato Namikaze and their friends went to visit him.

• Soji watched Kakashi celebrate his Ninja Academy graduation with friends, then left without joining them.
• Hatake Sakumo returned from a mission with one badly injured teammate, and Kakashi struggled to understand why his father had failed.
• The surviving teammate explained that Sakumo had abandoned the mission to save him, briefly calming the villagers’ gossip.
• Soji feared that Konoha’s leaders were deliberately undermining Sakumo and resolved to repay the debt Sakumo owed his grandfather by protecting him.
• A new wave of rumors accused Sakumo of putting a person above a mission, and Soji recognized that someone was manipulating public opinion.
• Uchiha Homura, Minato Namikaze, Kushina Uzumaki, and Shikaku Nara discussed the rumors, then Minato suggested visiting Sakumo at home.

Soji went to the Land of Fire’s Daimyo City to seek the daimyo’s help in saving Hatake Sakumo from growing public condemnation and Danzo’s schemes. The chapter ended with the daimyo recognizing Sakumo’s name and reacting with alarm to Soji’s request.

• Soji dismissed his suspicion that Orochimaru had caused the rumors after seeing him visit Hatake Sakumo, then told his friends he would travel to Daimyo City for a mission.
• Hatake Sakumo’s rescued teammate publicly accused him of being unfit as a ninja, intensifying the village’s demands that he take responsibility and driving Sakumo into seclusion.
• Danzo revealed that he had coerced the teammate into turning against Sakumo and promised to restore Sakumo’s reputation if he gave up his claim to become Hokage; the Third Hokage had allowed the scheme.
• Fearing that Kakashi Hatake might become the final blow to Sakumo, Soji raced to Daimyo City and requested the daimyo’s help.
• The daimyo warmly received Soji, but grew alarmed when Soji asked him to help Hatake Sakumo.

Soji persuaded the Fire Daimyo to write a letter supporting Hatake Sakumo and hurried back to Konoha. Meanwhile, Kakashi argued with his friends and asked his father why he had abandoned a mission to save comrades, but he could not bring himself to approve of Sakumo’s choice.

• Soji told the Fire Daimyo about the rumors against Hatake Sakumo and Sakumo’s despair, and the Daimyo wrote a sealed letter for Sakumo and Konoha.
• Soji left Daimyo City at night and raced back toward Konoha, hoping Sakumo could endure until he arrived.
• Kakashi lashed out at Obito Uchiha over Sakumo’s situation, then left his friends and went home.
• Obito recognized that Kakashi’s approval was what Sakumo needed, while Rin Nohara and the other children worried about Kakashi.
• Kakashi asked Hatake Sakumo why he had abandoned a mission to save comrades, and Sakumo asked whether Kakashi would put a mission or his comrades first.
• Kakashi could not answer and privately leaned toward believing his father had made the wrong choice.

Kakashi struggled to understand Hatake Sakumo’s strange behavior, while Soji recognized that Sakumo might be in danger and questioned Kakashi about the past two days. The chapter ended with Kakashi urgently asking Soji to explain his growing unease.

• Hatake Sakumo hid his distress after Kakashi said he did not know whether his father’s choice was right, then trained with him late into the night.
• Before Kakashi left to meet his friends, Hatake Sakumo told him to remember Might Guy as a future rival and watched him go with a solemn farewell.
• Kakashi wandered to the village gate instead of apologizing to his friends, where Soji found him and introduced himself as Hatake Sakumo’s former subordinate.
• Soji asked Kakashi about his father’s recent behavior, and Kakashi described everything unusual that had happened since the previous day.
• Kakashi anxiously asked Soji to identify the source of his unease.

Soji explained to Kakashi why Sakumo could not become Hokage if he abandoned either his mission or his comrades, then warned that Sakumo might be planning to commit suicide. Kakashi rushed home and stopped his father from stabbing himself, and the chapter ended with Sakumo tending to Kakashi’s wounded hands as he and Soji faced each other in silence.

• Soji asked Kakashi whether the mission or his comrades mattered more and helped him understand the impossible position Sakumo faced as a candidate for Fourth Hokage.
• Soji suspected Sakumo planned to commit suicide after noticing his unusual behavior and apparent farewells.
• Kakashi recalled Sakumo’s recent actions, feared the suspicion was true, and sprinted home with Soji.
• Kakashi found Sakumo pointing the White Fang Short Sword at his abdomen and grabbed the blade, badly cutting both hands.
• Soji knocked Kakashi unconscious, and Sakumo bandaged his wounds before he and Soji sat in silence.

Soji persuaded Hatake Sakumo to abandon suicide by warning that Kakashi might turn against Konoha if he grew up believing the village had caused his father’s death. Hatake Sakumo asked Soji what he should do, and Soji proposed that he leave Konoha.

• Soji explained that Hatake Sakumo’s unusual calm had revealed his intentions.
• Soji reminded Hatake Sakumo that Kakashi might be manipulated into resenting Konoha if his father died.
• Hatake Sakumo admitted Soji’s warning made sense and began to reconsider suicide.
• Hatake Sakumo asked Soji what he should do, and Soji told him to leave Konoha.

Soji gave Hatake Sakumo a letter from the Daimyo offering him a way to serve the Land of Fire without betraying Konoha, and helped him abandon his plan to die. Sakumo accepted the post and left Konoha, while Kakashi remained with his father and the village’s scandal over Sakumo’s failed mission faded.

• Soji handed Hatake Sakumo the Daimyo’s letter, which offered him a role as the Daimyo’s personal bodyguard and commander of the Guardians of the Twelve Ninja.
• Hatake Sakumo apologized for suspecting Soji and reconsidered his plan to take his own life after Kakashi woke from a nightmare and clung to him.
• Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi thanked Soji, who accepted their gratitude and went home to sleep.
• Hatake Sakumo left Konoha the next day, leaving half a sleeve from his Hokage’s Robes and the Daimyo’s letter behind.
• Soji learned that Sakumo’s new position gave him a way to support Konoha and ended the village gossip surrounding the mission.

After Hatake Sakumo left Konoha, Soji saw that his intervention had changed the course of events and offered support to Kakashi. As Year 39 ended, Soji looked ahead to the coming war and planned a trip to Kirigakure.

• The Third Hokage rejected Danzo and the elders' demands to bring Hatake Sakumo back, and said he would take the field himself if war came.
• Soji met Kakashi, reassured him that he could seek help, and watched him rejoin Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara, and their friends.
• Soji ran into Minato Namikaze, learned that he had recently joined the Anbu, and did not ask about his confidential mission.
• Minato's investigation found that the ninja who had accused Hatake Sakumo had killed himself out of guilt, and the village quietly put the matter aside.
• Soji spent the following months training and collecting blood from clan members while the ninja world remained peaceful through Year 39.
• On the final day of the year, Soji planned to travel to Kirigakure because his schemes would be easier to carry out there.

Soji revealed to Minato that he was Ember, the Ice Release expert Konoha had been searching for, and asked him to cover for a long absence. Though Minato objected to Soji’s plan to travel to Kirigakure, he eventually agreed and urged him to prioritize his safety.

• Soji visited Minato on New Year’s Day and revealed his Ice Release by freezing tea and forming an Ice Mask.
• Minato recognized Soji as Ember, and Soji confirmed the identity and explained that he had awakened Ice Release when his grandfather died.
• Minato promised to keep Soji’s Ice Release secret, and Soji asked him to cover for him while he left the village for an extended time.
• Soji told Minato he planned to go to Kirigakure to further develop his Ice Release, and Minato strongly objected because of the danger.
• Soji threatened to ask Homura instead, prompting Minato to agree to help while warning him to flee if his safety was at risk.

Soji left Konoha under Minato’s cover and traveled toward Kirigakure by way of the Land of Tea and the Land of Rainbow. In the Land of Tea, he decided to use the Festival of Sacrifice race to reach the Land of Rainbow and sought out Wasabi Jirobo’s group as a protector.

• Soji arranged for Minato to replenish his Shadow Clone every two days and received Minato’s Flying Thunder God Kunai as a safeguard.
• Seven days later, Minato helped Soji leave Konoha, and Soji traveled under the identity of Ember.
• Soji reached a border town, learned about the Festival of Sacrifice, and decided to protect a contestant so he could cross into the Land of Rainbow unnoticed.
• Soji investigated the competing groups, chose the well-regarded group led by Wasabi Jirochō, and went to meet its leader, Wasabi Jirobo.
• When guards blocked Soji from entering, he used Ice Release to intimidate them.

Soji agreed to protect a participant in the Festival of Sacrifice’s boat race and arrived at the docks as the competition began. When three Amegakure ninja attacked at sea, Soji froze their water techniques and then froze the surrounding sea to stop their escape.

• Soji intimidated Wasabi Jirochō’s group with Ice Release and agreed to protect the race participants during the first half of the journey.
• Soji spent three days in the Land of Tea before appearing at the docks as the Festival of Sacrifice began.
• The Wasabi Family secretly sent three Amegakure ninja to attack Soji and the participant he was protecting.
• Soji dispersed a Water Whip and froze a nearly ten-meter Great Waterfall Technique into ice.
• The Amegakure ninja tried to flee beneath the sea, but Soji used Ice Release—Ice Tomb to freeze the sea around their boat.

Soji completed his escort mission in the Land of Rainbow and set out to infiltrate Kirigakure in the Land of Water. He obtained a Kirigakure forehead protector by killing a Mist genin, then crossed the sea under cover of night and reached the mainland before dawn.

• Soji froze three Rain Village ninjas beneath the sea, escorted the contestant to the Land of Rainbow, and left him to finish the race alone.
• Soji traveled to Daimyo City to find stationed Mist Ninjas and acquire a Kirigakure forehead protector as a pass for infiltration.
• When a Kirigakure genin followed him to the inn roof, Soji killed him, took his forehead protector, and sealed away the corpse.
• Soji left a Shadow Clone at the inn, then used Hyuga Kumokawa's map to plan a route around Kirigakure's monitored islands.
• After night fell, Soji changed into black clothes and crossed the sea with his Byakugan active, reaching the Land of Water before sunrise.

Soji entered Kirigakure to seek the Yuki Clan’s knowledge of Ice Release and approached its Clan Head with a proposal to examine their techniques. After revealing his own Ice Release and identity, he left Mizuki Fuukaze believing he was a Kirigakure shinobi who had developed the kekkei genkai independently.

• Soji recovered in a forest, reached Kirigakure, and used Transformation Jutsu to enter the village disguised as a resident.
• Soji found the Yuki Clan Head’s home and asked to make a deal for access to all the clan’s Ice Release ninjutsu.
• Soji froze his teacup with Ice Release, prompting Mizuki Fuukaze to demand an explanation.
• Soji canceled his disguise, introduced himself as Ember, and showed Mizuki Fuukaze his familiar appearance.
• Soji denied being a lost Yuki Clan bloodline member, while Mizuki Fuukaze welcomed him as a fellow Kirigakure shinobi who wielded Ice Release.

Soji negotiated with Mizuki Fuukaze and agreed to join the Yuki Clan in name, giving him a public identity in Kirigakure. He also agreed to represent the clan in a fight against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen three months later.

• Mizuki Fuukaze asked Soji to prove his strength, travel under the Mizuki name, and fight the Seven Ninja Swordsmen on the Yuki Clan's behalf.
• Soji agreed to use the name Mizuki Ember, while Fuukaze welcomed him into the clan and began imagining arranging a marriage for him.
• Fuukaze explained that the Third Mizukage had ordered every clan to send at least one ninja to challenge the newly assembled Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Soji agreed to all three conditions and looked forward to testing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's strength.

Soji demonstrated his Ice Release against Mizuki Fuukaze and was caught in the Clan Head’s connected Ice Mirror Technique. After Soji began breaking its mirrors, Mizuki Fuukaze unleashed his strongest attack, Ice Dragon Twin Kill.

• Soji opened the duel with Ice Spear, breaking through Mizuki Fuukaze’s Ice Rock Dome as Yuki Clan members gathered to watch.
• Mizuki Fuukaze used Ice Mirror Technique to attack Soji from connected mirrors, forcing him to defend himself with Ice Crystal Barrier.
• Soji realized the mirrors were linked and shattered his barrier before destroying several mirrors with his Ice Release and Gentle Fist fusion.
• Mizuki Fuukaze launched Ice Dragon Twin Kill, sending two spiraling ice dragons toward Soji.