Chapter Summaries

Genma killed Raiga Kurosuki while Guy opened the Eight Inner Gates and battered Suikazan Fuguki to death. After Guy fainted, Kosuke urged Genma to take the swords and offered to seal them so Kirigakure could not retrieve them.

• Genma killed Raiga Kurosuki with earth spikes, then asked Washi, Raiton, and Kurenai to collect the Thunder Swords: Fangs.
• Guy opened the Eight Inner Gates to the fourth gate and struck Suikazan Fuguki from behind while Kosuke fought him.
• Suikazan Fuguki transformed with Samehada and trapped Genma and Kosuke's blades, but Guy's attacks sent him flying and beat him to death.
• Guy fainted after Genma stopped him from continuing to attack Suikazan Fuguki, and Kosuke carried him away.
• Kosuke advised Genma to take the swords and offered to use sealing techniques so Kirigakure could not summon them back.

After Genma and his companions returned with the seven ninja swords, Kirigakure withdrew and Might Duy’s sacrifice was honored while the details of the battle remained secret. Kosuke’s guilt eased during a meal with the others, and Guy vowed to follow his father’s example.

• Genma and his companions returned to camp with the swords and Dai’s body, while Kirigakure’s ninjas collected the slain Seven Ninja Swordsmen and left without reclaiming the swords.
• Kosuke showed the Hyuga elder something, ending the punishment for Genma and the others, and rumors spread that Konoha Genin were hidden masters.
• Konoha publicized that Might Duy had opened the Eight Inner Gates and killed four sword wielders, while Genma and the others received no reward and handed over the seven swords.
• Kirigakure withdrew its troops days after the battle report reached Konohagakure, and Genma’s group realized Konoha had helped bring about the retreat.
• Kosuke ate with Genma and the others and admitted he felt responsible for his former teammates’ deaths, but their response left him reconsidering his guilt.
• Guy thanked Kosuke and the others, then promised to work hard like his father, while the group’s teasing and conversation lifted Kosuke’s mood.

Konoha won the Third Shinobi World War, but faced resentment and lingering clashes with Kumogakure and Kirigakure. Hiruzen Sarutobi and the advisers nominated Namikaze Minato as Fourth Hokage, while Genma worried Hiruzen might obstruct the selection of Minato’s guards.

• Kirigakure and Iwagakure withdrew from the war, and Konoha secured total victory three months later.
• Kumogakure and Kirigakure hawkish units continued causing trouble, but fled when they encountered the Golden Flash or Body Flicker Shisui.
• Danzo accused Hiruzen Sarutobi of mishandling the war and demanded a new Hokage, recommending Orochimaru.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi recommended Namikaze Minato, and Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura shifted their support to Minato.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and the two advisers unanimously nominated Namikaze Minato as Fourth Hokage, and Konoha’s villagers cheered the news.
• As selection began for Minato’s guards, Genma worried Hiruzen Sarutobi would interfere and found the prospect of Special Jonin serving as guards suspicious.

Genma received an Iron Token from Hatake Sakumo that let recognized blade masters challenge fighters in the Land of Iron. After remembering Kakashi’s pain and his own guilt over past deaths, Genma stopped Hatake Sakumo and offered to talk about Kakashi.

• Genma trained with Raiton and Washi while preparing to become a Hokage guard and refining his swordsmanship.
• Hatake Sakumo visited Genma and gave him an Iron Token from the Land of Iron, which allowed blade masters to challenge fighters there.
• Genma suggested that Kakashi could use the token because he had inherited Hatake Sakumo’s swordsmanship, but Hatake Sakumo said Kakashi might not like swordsmanship.
• Genma recalled Kakashi’s grief and his own guilt over deaths he could not prevent, then called Hatake Sakumo back to discuss Kakashi.
• Hatake Sakumo agreed to hear Genma out, and Genma said he wanted to help as Kakashi’s classmate.

Genma discussed Kakashi’s withdrawn behavior with Hatake Sakumo and proposed using books and friendship to help him. He left planning to find or create books for Kakashi and considering how literature could spread political ideas.

• Genma decided that supporting Kakashi’s reading and encouraging a friendship with Might Guy were the best ways to help him.
• Genma asked Hatake Sakumo about Kakashi, and Sakumo explained that Kakashi woke in fright, washed his hands for a long time, stayed home, and avoided people.
• Genma reassured Sakumo and recommended letting Kakashi read freely instead of restricting his books by age.
• When Sakumo asked for recommendations, Genma realized Make-Out Paradise had not been written yet and promised to find something within a month.
• Genma considered creating books inspired by novels he had read and wondered whether literature could help spread political ideals and challenge the Daimyo system.

Shiranui Genma persuaded Hatake Sakumo to rely on Might Guy to help Kakashi emerge from his emotional darkness. Genma took Sakumo to Guy’s home, but Guy was absent, leaving them to reflect on the quiet house and Might Duy’s death.

• Genma told Hatake Sakumo that Kakashi needed a friend who radiated warmth and suggested Might Guy.
• Sakumo remembered Guy as a hardworking, inspiring child and asked Genma to take him to Guy’s home.
• Genma and Sakumo went to Guy’s house, where they found it bare and Guy absent.
• Sakumo felt disappointed, while Genma quietly worried that Guy might still be grieving Might Duy.

Genma launched newspapers featuring Battle Through the Heavens and Otherworldly Genin Abin, which spread across the Land of Fire and became popular. After Genma passed the Hokage Guard selection, Hatake Sakumo gave him a scroll containing Hatake Swordsmanship.

• Genma hired writers to create Battle Through the Heavens, Legend of Might Duy, and Otherworldly Genin Abin.
• Tony opened a newspaper office in the Capital of the Land of Fire and published separate editions for the novels.
• Readers across the Land of Fire embraced the newspapers, and Hatake Sakumo began buying Battle Through the Heavens for Kakashi.
• Genma passed the Hokage Guard selection and celebrated with Kurenai.
• Hatake Sakumo thanked Genma for helping Kakashi, asked for more chapters, and gave Genma a scroll detailing Hatake Swordsmanship.

Genma received Hatake Swordsmanship from Hatake Sakumo, then returned home and met his aunt, who had come to discuss something with him. His aunt began teasing him, but Riya made her explain her purpose.

• Hatake Sakumo gave Genma Hatake Swordsmanship and confirmed that his badge had no expiration limit.
• Hatake Sakumo told Genma that Kakashi had been taking better care of himself around Might Guy.
• Genma returned home and found Riya speaking with a woman he eventually recognized as his aunt.
• Genma's aunt teased him about having promised to marry her as a child and joked about his interest in older women.
• Riya stopped her sister's teasing and asked what she wanted to discuss with Genma and what the family had instructed her to do.

Ayabu Haruko explained how she built her merchant caravan and came to Konohagakure to discuss selling newspapers and give Genma the Shiranui Clan’s financial token. Genma agreed to the partnership and began discussing how newspaper sales and serialization could be expanded.

• Ayabu Haruko told Genma how she left the path of a ninja, built a successful merchant caravan, and discovered newspapers while traveling through the Capital of the Land of Fire.
• Haruko explained that she had come to discuss a partnership and give Genma the Shiranui Clan’s token for managing its money, and Genma accepted the responsibility.
• Haruko asked whether Genma had helped create the newspaper’s content, and Genma denied writing Battle Through the Heavens.
• Haruko proposed having her caravan sell the newspapers in other countries, and Genma agreed while warning her that there were two newspapers to consider.
• Haruko teased Genma about having a girlfriend, playfully wrestled him, and said she planned to stay in Konohagakure for a few days.
• Genma and Haruko discussed publication schedules, and Genma explained that holiday releases would increase to four chapters to keep readers eager for more.

Genma explained to Haruko how newspaper sales could build an audience and how early access could help a newspaper office dominate its market. After dinner, he studied the Hatake Swordsmanship scroll and discovered that its eight basic saber forms incorporated Chakra.

• Genma described how newspapers could sell advertisers attention and suggested opening offices or partnering with local people at the borders.
• Haruko teased Genma about his childhood, then asked whether his family could control Tony and a newspaper office.
• Genma explained that controlling access to key goods and being first to market could build lasting customer habits.
• Riya served sweet soup and candied walnuts, and Haruko became distracted by the food while Genma stopped explaining.
• Genma opened the Hatake Swordsmanship scroll and saw that its eight basic saber forms incorporated Chakra.

Genma studied Hatake Swordsmanship and began training its basic forms, discovering that Blade Momentum greatly increased their power. He left his mother and aunt to go shopping and ended the day able to split a large boulder with a single strike.

• Genma realized Hatake Swordsmanship relied on precise Chakra control and might need Blade Momentum to reach its full potential.
• Genma decided not to interfere with Kakashi’s choices and created a Shadow Clone to study the sword technique.
• Haruko teased Genma and Riya about where she would sleep, then fled when Riya reacted sternly.
• Haruko went shopping with Riya, while Genma trained alone in the eight forms of the Basic Saber Technique.
• Genma mastered one sword form and used Blade Momentum to split a boulder with a strike he estimated had B-Rank power.

Genma explained his newspaper partnership plan and its business strategy to Haruko, then demonstrated a flipbook to show her a possible future form of entertainment. Haruko was impressed and eagerly asked to see more, leaving her excited about Genma’s plans.

• Haruko discussed whether to start a newspaper alone or find an influential partner, and Genma argued for sharing profits with local partners to expand the market.
• Genma explained that publishing a story one installment at a time would make imitation difficult until the completed work provided a template.
• Genma said the million-word story could support more than a year of publication, after which they could turn it into comics.
• Genma made Shadow Clones help create a flipbook, then demonstrated how its pages made a drawn little man appear to move.
• Haruko excitedly replayed the flipbook and asked whether Tony knew about it, and Genma said he did not.

Genma advanced his publishing plans and attended Minato’s Hokage inauguration, where he met Jiraiya reading the novels printed in the newspaper. The chapter left Jiraiya chastened by Hiruzen Sarutobi after getting caught reading during the ceremony.

• Haruko agreed to Genma’s business strategy, claimed his future manga ideas for herself, and left the next day with a telescope he gave her.
• Genma wrote to Tony about expanding the newspaper and recruiting artists, then began producing a Battle Through the Heavens manga with a group of enthusiastic young artists.
• Genma attended Minato’s Hokage inauguration as a guard while Hiruzen Sarutobi handed Minato the Hokage hat and the villagers cheered.
• Jiraiya complained about a novel’s cliffhanger and threatened to mail the author kunai, then eagerly read another newspaper story beside Genma.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi caught Jiraiya hiding his newspaper and scolded him for failing to set an example.

Minato became Hokage and selected Genma and four other promising shinobi as his guards, assigning them a sealing technique to learn. Genma studied the Three-Tailed Seal and wondered whether Minato might eventually teach them the Flying Thunder God Array instead of the Flying Thunder God Technique.

• Jiraiya inspected Minato's new Hokage Robe, gave him a suggestive newspaper, and left after urging him to marry Kushina.
• Minato explained the five guards' rotating duties and gave each of them a sealing-technique scroll with a one-month deadline and assessment.
• Genma read the scroll and found that the Three-Tailed Seal required a Shadow Clone to perform.
• Genma speculated that learning sealing techniques might lead to the Flying Thunder God Array, then went back to training.

Shiranui Mukai visited Genma to discuss the clan’s finances and the industries outside Konohagakure. Genma persuaded Mukai that their business partner Tony had proved trustworthy, and Mukai ended by asking whether the clan could open a newspaper office in Konohagakure.

• Mukai questioned Genma about receiving the clan’s key without reporting to or consulting the clan.
• Genma suggested dividing financial authority so he could handle external affairs while another clan member managed internal matters.
• Mukai agreed to raise the division of authority with the clan and said Genma was suited to oversee the outside industries.
• Genma argued that the growing profits and Tony’s continued cooperation showed that Tony could be trusted.
• Mukai remained cautious about Tony’s future independence but asked whether the clan could open a newspaper office in Konohagakure.

Genma weighed the risks of the clan opening a newspaper agency and helped Mukai prepare a plan to establish it jointly with the Hokage. After Mukai approved the clan’s financial plans and left to negotiate, Genma received a wedding invitation from the woman living with Str and began considering wedding-related businesses.

• Genma explained to Mukai how newspapers could eventually report real-time news and why the clan needed agreements with the Hokage to avoid conflict with Konoha’s leadership.
• Mukai enjoyed lunch with Genma and Riya, then approved Genma’s proposal to divide the clan’s financial responsibilities.
• Genma proposed purchasing Shueisha of Konoha, using the bookstore as the newspaper agency’s foundation, and preparing a written plan for Hokage negotiations.
• Mukai left delighted, carrying Genma’s proposal and ready to arrange negotiations with the Hokage.
• A woman living with Str shyly gave Genma a wedding invitation, and Genma realized wedding supplies could become a new business for Tony.

As Genma planned a wedding business, Shiranui Mukai reflected on how Genma and his father had transformed the Shiranui Clan. Mukai praised Genma to Clan Chief Yamazaki, then became distracted when Yamazaki mentioned novels.

• Genma decided to start a wedding business and wrote to Tony about dresses, music, decorations, and fireworks.
• Mukai arrived at the Shiranui Clan chief's residence and recalled how Hideyoshi's achievements had brought prosperity to the clan.
• Mukai remembered doubting the clan inheritance and Genma's prospects, then came to see Genma as an exceptional talent worthy of responsibility.
• Mukai met Clan Chief Yamazaki and asked whether he resented Genma's selection as a Hokage's guard over Yamazaki's son.
• Yamazaki denied any jealousy and mentioned novels, prompting Mukai to ask if he had read Battle Through the Heavens.

Yamazaki read Genma’s proposals for a family newspaper and realized they could help the family earn the Hokage’s attention, while Mukai reminded him that the plan would require careful organization and resources. Mukai then persuaded Yamazaki to attend Hideyoshi’s wedding and reconsider the value of the family’s inheritance.

• Yamazaki read Genma’s three proposals and praised their potential to build a lasting connection with the Hokage.
• Mukai warned Yamazaki that timely newspaper delivery would be costly and suggested dividing family responsibilities so Genma would not be burdened with internal affairs.
• Yamazaki showed Mukai a wedding invitation, and Mukai urged him to attend Hideyoshi’s wedding.
• Mukai argued that the family’s inheritance deserved more study, and Yamazaki began to agree and considered having his own child learn it.

Genma mastered the Chakra-intensive Three-Tailed Seal and spent his duty shifts handling paperwork for Minato. After discussing Minato's motivation and marriage plans with Shikaku, Genma gave Minato a wedding dress design and urged him to prepare early.

• Genma trained with a Shadow Clone and mastered the Three-Tailed Seal after three weeks of practice.
• During periods of low Chakra, Genma handled minor errands and observed Might Guy and Kakashi's daily lives.
• Genma worked as Minato's guard by delivering documents, and Shikaku Nara joined Minato at the Hokage's Office.
• Shikaku and Genma asked Minato about his tiring work and his plans to marry Kushina.
• Genma gave Minato a wedding dress design and recommended that he prepare for the wedding early.

Genma showed Minato and Shikaku custom wedding outfit designs, then joined them for lunch at Teuchi’s ramen shop. While they ate, Minato asked about Genma’s family business structure, and Genma explained that the work had been split into internal and external branches after he became Minato’s guard.

• Genma showed Minato and Shikaku wedding outfit designs and explained that each custom-made outfit cost two million ryo.
• Minato and Shikaku considered ordering outfits for Kushina and Shikaku’s wife, and Genma gave them customization forms.
• Minato realized they were on their lunch break and invited Genma and Shikaku to eat with him.
• Minato, Shikaku, and Genma went to Teuchi’s ramen shop and ordered different bowls of ramen.
• Minato asked Genma whether his family had influenced the wedding outfit designs, and Genma explained how his family’s businesses were divided.