Chapter Summaries

Jueming secretly trained in his wheelchair while recovering in the hospital, then encountered Yakushi Nonō and two guards outside Kakashi’s room at midnight. Nonō stopped him as he tried to enter, leaving the reason for their meeting unclear.

• Kakashi struggled to hold a cup and picked up its broken pieces while Jueming and Yakushi Nonō observed him.
• Jueming told Yakushi Nonō he intended to help Kakashi, then sped away in his wheelchair before she could follow.
• Jueming reflected to Mito Uzumaki that his speed and durability had improved during his hospital stay.
• Jueming trained by racing his wheelchair through the hospital at night and gained more movement progress.
• At midnight, Jueming found Yakushi Nonō and two male ninja speaking outside Kakashi’s room, and Nonō stopped him as he reached for the door.

Jueming was attacked in Konoha Hospital by someone disguised as Yakushi Nonō, but he exposed the impostor and pursued her through the streets. He defeated her with his wheelchair and awakened two Grass Release techniques.

• Yakushi Nonō questioned Jueming about impersonating Kakashi Hatake and accused him of draining Kaguya Bone through human experimentation.
• The impostor disguised as Yakushi Nonō stabbed Jueming, but he resisted the blade and struck her hard enough to send her through the ward door.
• Jueming recognized that the attacker was not the real Yakushi Nonō when the real Nonō and Aoki Senju appeared in the corridor.
• The impostor escaped through a window, and Jueming chased her through Konoha in his wheelchair.
• Jueming blocked the impostor's blade, punched her, and crashed his wheelchair onto her, awakening Grass Rope and Vine Whip.

Senju Jueming captured an assassin who had disguised herself as Yakushi Nonō and refused to hand her over before the truth was known. He brought her to his home to interrogate her, while Yakushi Nonō continued investigating Aoki Senju.

• Senju Jueming bound the assassin with Grass Release: Grass Rope before Yakushi Nonō and Aoki Senju could intervene.
• Jueming refused to surrender the assassin to Yakushi Nonō and said he would take her to his Jonin Instructor, Momoka Senju.
• Aoki Senju praised Jueming’s capture and asked Yakushi Nonō if he was cleared of suspicion, but she said the investigation would continue.
• Jueming took the assassin to his home and inspected her disguise while Mito Uzumaki watched from his spiritual space.
• Jueming created a Grass Release: Vine Whip and began interrogating the bound assassin by asking her name.

After Ryoko's assassination attempt on Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's leaders discussed the growing threat of another war while Jueming interrogated the captured assassin through the night. Ryoko revealed her identity and mission, and Jueming took her to the Senju Clan Forbidden Ground to hand her over for further questioning.

• Yakushi Nonō reported the assassination attempt, prompting Hiruzen Sarutobi to mobilize Anbu and convene a late-night meeting with Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura.
• Shimura Danzō warned that militant factions were rising across the nations and said Root would purge spies, foreign agents, and traitors from Konoha.
• The officials agreed that Senju Jueming could keep interrogating the assassin until Momoka Senju finished questioning her, after which Danzō's people would take over.
• Jueming learned that the assassin was Ryoko, a Bloody Mist Village agent of the Fukumen Clan sent by Suikazan Fuguki, and that she could transform herself to perfectly impersonate others.
• Ryoko admitted she had discovered that the person calling himself Kakashi Hatake was actually Senju Jueming and had planned to assassinate both men before framing Yakushi Nonō.
• Jueming revived the battered Ryoko with the Water Bullet Technique, bound her again, and wheeled her toward the Senju Clan Forbidden Ground.

After interrogating the female ninja assassin, Jueming used the information she gave him to hunt down her Hidden Mist contact. He absorbed the spy’s stamina to heal his injuries, then hid his recovery when Root arrived.

• Momoka Senju questioned the captured assassin with an Illusion Technique and learned that Jueming had continued whipping her for hours after she revealed her information.
• Jueming saw Anbu, Root, and the Uchiha MPD arrest suspected spies and traitors across Konoha.
• Jueming tracked the assassin’s Hidden Mist contact to a private residence and broke in when the spy refused to open the door.
• Jueming defeated the spy and used a Parasitic Seed to absorb his stamina, healing his injuries and allowing him to stand.
• Jueming sat back in his wheelchair and told Root that the spy had already fled when they arrived; Mito Uzumaki sealed the spy’s remains.

Jueming was discharged from the hospital and prepared to enter the Chunin Exams as Jiraiya returned to Konoha. Jiraiya promised Minato he would help Kakashi, then approached Kakashi in disguise and took him out while Anbu and Root guards followed.

• Mito warned Jueming to avoid using the Parasitic Seed after Root witnessed its terrifying effect, and Jueming decided to focus on the Chunin Exams.
• Jiraiya returned to Konoha and was spotted by the village’s ninja.
• Jiraiya met Minato at the hot springs, learned about Kakashi’s trauma, and promised to take care of his grand-disciple.
• Jueming was discharged after his injuries healed and told Kakashi he would compete in the Chunin Exams despite sitting in a wheelchair.
• Jiraiya approached Kakashi at the hospital disguised as Gōketsu, offered him bread and food, and left with him as Anbu and Root guards followed.

Jiraiya took Kakashi home, got him drunk, and introduced him to his erotic novels, which kept Kakashi reading through the night. Kakashi left the next morning newly eager for life, while Minato remained unaware of what Jiraiya had taught him.

• Jiraiya brought Kakashi to his home and invited him to choose whatever he wanted at a convenience store.
• Jiraiya and Kakashi teased the drunken Minato before Jiraiya led Kakashi to his collection of erotic novels.
• Kakashi read Jiraiya's books throughout the night while Jiraiya checked on his reaction.
• Minato woke to find Kakashi absorbed in a book, and Kakashi hid a novel before hurriedly leaving.
• Jiraiya reassured Minato that Kakashi's mental state had improved, while Kakashi eagerly headed home to keep reading.

Rin Nohara brought Anko Mitarashi, Natsu Hyuga, and Kurenai Yuhi to Senju Jueming for training, but the three arrived intending to confront him while he was injured. Jueming revealed he was ready for their challenge, and a fight began.

• Rin Nohara impressed her classmates by dodging Uzuki Yugao's attacks, then credited her improvement to Jueming's guidance.
• Rin invited her female classmates to train with Jueming, prompting Anko, Natsu, and Kurenai to consider taking revenge on him.
• At Jueming's home, Anko mocked his wheelchair, and Jueming shut the doors and windows with wooden boards.
• Anko, Natsu, and Kurenai assumed fighting stances and demanded that Jueming apologize.
• Jueming laughed, used Hand Seals, and launched into a brawl with the three girls.

Jueming defeated Anko and Natsu, then spent an hour whipping them and Kurenai under the pretense of preparing them for future enemies. Afterward, he began training Rin and left Anko wondering whether Jueming liked her.

• Jueming bound Anko with Grass Release, then defeated Natsu despite her Gentle Fist attacks and tied her up too.
• Jueming used Grass Release: Vines to whip Anko, Natsu, and Kurenai for an hour, then pushed them out the door.
• Jueming praised Rin for bringing the girls to him and claimed their punishment would help them face future enemies like those who had hurt Kakashi.
• Jueming began sparring with Rin and promised to teach her a new skill while the three girls slowly recovered from their injuries.
• Anko replayed the whipping in her mind that night and concluded that Jueming might like her because he had gone easy on her.

Jueming visited Yakushi Nonō, accepted the Third Hokage’s ginseng and ate at her home, then rejected her probing question about abandoning Konoha to cure the Senju bloodline problem. He left to focus on training for the Chunin Exams, while Nonō watched him thoughtfully.

• Aoki Senju warned Jueming that Yakushi Nonō worked for Root and urged him not to trust her.
• Yakushi Nonō invited Jueming to her home with ginseng she said the Third Hokage had given him, and Jueming agreed despite Mito Uzumaki’s doubts.
• Kakashi saw Jueming leave with Nonō and secretly followed them, intending to stop them from straying onto the wrong path.
• At Nonō’s home, Jueming ate the meal and ginseng she had prepared.
• Nonō asked Jueming whether he would abandon the Will of Fire and his identity as a Konoha ninja to cure the Senju bloodline problem.
• Jueming declared his loyalty to Konoha and left to train for the Chunin Exams, leaving Nonō watching him thoughtfully.

Jueming challenged Kakashi to preserve his convictions even as he sought strength, then continued training while tensions rose across the shinobi world. Konoha invited the other villages to the Chunin Exams, and Kirigakure and Kumogakure planned to use the event to gather intelligence and target Konoha’s promising ninja.

• Jueming knocked Kakashi from his wheelchair after Kakashi said he might abandon the Will of Fire to stand again, then urged him not to give up his values.
• Jueming continued cultivating with Rin Nohara, Kurenai Yuhi, and Uzuki Yugao while Momoka Senju improved her D-rank techniques.
• Militaristic factions grew stronger and border conflicts intensified as Konoha invited the other shinobi villages to the Chunin Exams.
• Suikazan Fuguki ordered Kisame Hoshigaki to travel to Konoha with Mei Terumī and Mangetsu Hōzuki and seek a chance to kill Kakashi.
• The Third Raikage and his son decided to send a token delegation to the Chunin Exams to gather intelligence, dismissing Senju Jueming as a limited threat.

Ōnoki and the Third Kazekage prepared to use the Chunin Exams to gather intelligence and advance their villages’ plans. In Konoha, Senju Sayuri and Senju Jueming prepared to use the exams to change the Senju Clan’s future, and Jueming gained a perfect-memory skill.

• Ōnoki decided Iwagakure would feign weakness during the Chunin Exams while preparing for an eventual war.
• The Third Kazekage ordered Baki to gather intelligence on Konoha’s Genin during the exams.
• Senju Sayuri told the Great Elder she supported Tobirama’s ideals and intended to win the exams to give the Senju Clan a future.
• Momoka Senju urged Senju Jueming to crush the competition and show the other villages that the Senju Clan had returned.
• Senju Jueming received Grass Release - Illusion - Perfect Memory, which let him remember anything he saw.

Jueming learned about the Chunin Exams and discovered that the Konoha higher-ups had assigned Kakashi Hatake and Tekka Uchiha as his teammates while backing Senju Sayuri. As the Great Elder warned that the exams could determine the Senju Clan’s future, Jueming rejected the idea that the clan’s old generation had no place in the new era.

• Momoka Senju explained that the Chunin Exams began with a written test and reminded Jueming that the exams were two weeks away.
• Jueming learned that Kakashi Hatake and Tekka Uchiha had been assigned to his team by the Konoha higher-ups, while Senju Sayuri had Shimura Danzō’s support.
• Mito Uzumaki warned that the team arrangement was politically motivated, and Jueming wondered aloud whether he should leave the village after the village betrayed the Senju Clan.
• The Great Elder told Jueming that the Chunin Exams could decide the Senju Clan’s fate and that the higher-ups wanted mixed blood to lead the clan.
• Jueming told the Great Elder that skilled young people could repair and renew an old ship, leaving the Great Elder encouraged about the clan’s future.

The Great Elder urged Jueming to lead the Senju Clan’s resurgence by defeating Sayuri, and Jueming agreed while considering how to protect the clan’s allies. He decided to train Kakashi and Tekka Uchiha before the Chunin Exams, then met Kakashi outside Ichiraku Ramen.

• The Great Elder called Jueming the Senju Clan’s last hope and asked him to defeat Sayuri and take first place.
• Jueming learned that Kakashi Hatake and Tekka Uchiha did not know about the clan’s political struggle, and he resolved to keep them from becoming enemies of the Senju.
• Mito Uzumaki and Jueming considered the Senju Clan’s perilous position, and Jueming decided to train Kakashi and Tekka during the two weeks before the Chunin Exams.
• Jueming arrived outside Ichiraku Ramen and saw Kakashi pushing his wheelchair while reading a disguised indecent novel.
• Jueming called Kakashi’s book garbage, and Kakashi picked it up and defended it as knowledge.

Jueming invited Kakashi and Tekka Uchiha to eat before gathering them to prepare for the Chunin Exams. At the Konoha Library, he revealed that he could memorize books almost instantly, leaving Mito Uzumaki astonished.

• Jueming treated Kakashi and Tekka Uchiha to bowls of rice at Ichiraku Ramen, where Tekka said he had been training hard and had not eaten all day.
• Jueming proposed that the three form a study group for the Chunin Exams, and Tekka declared himself their leader because Kakashi and Jueming were injured.
• At the Konoha Library, Jueming rapidly read a book about relations between nations and answered Kakashi's questions about its contents.
• Kakashi and Tekka suspected Jueming had memorized the book earlier, while Mito Uzumaki was unsure how he could recall it so quickly.
• Jueming continued rapidly reading books, then recited an ancient music score word for word and shocked Mito Uzumaki.

Jueming discovered he could memorize anything after seeing it once and spent the afternoon absorbing more than a hundred books. After leaving the library, he treated Kakashi and a reluctant Tekka Uchiha to ramen, while Mito Uzumaki began to see Jueming’s new ability as a sign of hope for the Senju Clan.

• Jueming read more than a hundred books in an afternoon, memorized their contents perfectly, and felt his wisdom grow as he absorbed what he had learned.
• Jueming recited passages from a book to Tekka Uchiha, but Tekka remained unconvinced, while Mito Uzumaki urged Jueming to prove his ability.
• Mito Uzumaki connected Jueming’s sudden talent to the Great Elder’s words and the Great Toad Sage’s prophecy about the Senju Clan’s future.
• Kakashi asked Jueming to pay for dinner, and Jueming agreed to take him for ramen.
• Kakashi encouraged Tekka Uchiha to set aside his pride, and Tekka awkwardly complimented Jueming so he could join them for dinner.

With eight days left until the Chunin Exams, Rin Nohara excelled in her final exam and secretly advanced her Medical Ninjutsu, while Jueming, Kakashi, and Tekka continued studying for the exams. Their library session drew several girls, including Senju Sayuri, who was astonished by Jueming’s astonishing reading speed.

• Rin Nohara placed first in theory, declined early graduation, and resolved to keep training at the Ninja Academy.
• Rin reflected that her Medical Ninjutsu had reached C-rank and hoped to heal Kakashi and Jueming.
• Anko learned that Jueming and his teammates spent their days at the library and went there to see him.
• Senju Sayuri arrived at the library and watched Jueming rapidly finish one newly published book and begin another.

Senju Jueming stunned his classmates with his extraordinary reading and memorization speed, then learned that treating Kakashi would require rare tiger pelt from the Forest of Death. Yakushi Nonō revealed that the ingredients could be gathered during the Chunin Exams’ second round, and Jueming asked whether Kakashi had agreed to the treatment.

• Senju Jueming demonstrated that he could read and memorize newly printed books at incredible speed, stunning Senju Sayuri, Kakashi, Tekka Uchiha, Rin Nohara, and Kurenai Yuhi.
• Jueming returned home after the group agreed to study together again, and Anko followed him inside to offer a sparring match.
• When someone knocked at the door, Jueming bound Anko with Grass Release: Grass Rope and hid her beneath a table before admitting Yakushi Nonō.
• Yakushi Nonō explained that Kakashi’s surgery required rare medicinal ingredients, including tiger pelt from a giant tiger in Training Ground Forty-Four, the Forest of Death.
• Jueming recognized that the Forest of Death would be the Chunin Exams’ second-round venue and offered to obtain the tiger pelt for Kakashi’s treatment.
• Jueming asked Yakushi Nonō whether Kakashi had agreed to the treatment.

Kakashi rejected Yakushi Nonō’s offer to join Root, while Nonō later gave Jueming a letter revealing her Root affiliation. As the Chunin Exam approached, foreign teams and Yahiko arrived in Konoha, and Danzo and Orochimaru advanced their experiments with Senju cells.

• Yakushi Nonō offered Kakashi a risky treatment in exchange for joining Root, but Kakashi refused.
• Yakushi Nonō gave Jueming a letter revealing that she belonged to Root, leaving him suspicious of her motives.
• Mei Terumī, Mangetsu Hōzuki, Kisame Hoshigaki, Baki, and other foreign ninja arrived in Konoha ahead of the Chunin Exams.
• Yahiko arrived in Konoha and planned to visit Jiraiya while observing the exams’ impact on the Ninja World.
• Danzo ordered Root ninja to watch foreign team leaders, then gave Orochimaru Hashirama Senju’s cells.
• Orochimaru proposed recruiting Hiru as an assistant for the next stage of their research.

Jueming, Kakashi, and Tekka Uchiha gathered to enter the Chunin Exams, where they encountered Kisame and Mei Terumī. As the teams assembled at the Ninja Academy, Jueming and Tekka prepared to represent Konoha among the exam’s rising competitors.

• Kakashi accidentally bumped into Kisame, who threatened to cut off his hands, but Yahiko intervened and condemned the violence.
• Mei Terumī stopped Kisame and realized Jueming was the Senju boy they had mistaken for the Kakashi Hatake who killed Kaguya Bone.
• Jueming thanked Yahiko for helping Kakashi, and Tekka Uchiha later joined Jueming and Kakashi on their way to the Ninja Academy.
• Jueming reminded Kakashi and Tekka of their rehearsed signals and plans as they approached the Chunin Exams venue.
• Tekka Uchiha imagined that he and Jueming would showcase Konoha’s strength, then led the way into the academy.