Chapter Summaries

Aoba recovered his payment for the spy’s goods, then received one million ryo from Konoha and struggled to find a way to donate it to people in need. Itachi suggested funding civilian children who wanted to become shinobi, giving Aoba a practical plan as he pursued greater standing in Konoha.

• Aoba reclaimed his one hundred ryo from the captured spy and made Ibiki Morino pay one million ryo for the goods.
• Ibiki interrogated the spy, obtained the latest intelligence, and arranged for the one million ryo payment to Aoba.
• Aoba decided he needed to spend the money on people in need to fulfill his mission, but rejected simply handing cash to the poor.
• Aoba asked Itachi for advice, and Itachi suggested using the money to support aspiring shinobi from civilian families.
• Aoba embraced the idea of giving grants to impoverished children who wanted to become shinobi.

Aoba abandoned his broad academy scholarship idea in favor of Itachi’s plan to reward top civilian students, then found a way to turn his own money into mission funds by staging an extortion at Konoha’s main gate. The chapter left him playing a tyrant as the first staged victim handed over one million ryo.

• Aoba calculated the cost of supporting academy students and asked Itachi how to make his scholarship plan effective.
• Itachi advised Aoba to work with the Ninja Academy and reward high-performing civilian students to build goodwill and prestige quickly.
• Aoba decided to follow Itachi’s advice and realized that raising his influence could help him secure the highest reward for his undercover mission.
• Aoba lost fifty million ryo to Itachi in a staged gamble, then arranged for a disguised clan member to extort him at Konoha’s main gate so the money would count as mission funds.
• Aoba threatened a passerby at the gate, and the man theatrically offered his one million ryo rather than be arrested.
• Aoba accepted the money and mocked the man as a penniless loser.

Shimiya Aoba staged a series of fake extortions at Konoha’s gate with Uchiha actors, frightening travelers and drawing Hiruzen’s anger. After learning that the Uchiha had acted voluntarily, Hiruzen heard Aoba’s cover story but remained unsure what he and Itachi were plotting.

• Aoba directed Uchiha actors to perform staged confrontations and hand over one million ryō each, alarming merchants and passersby.
• A frightened, genuine visitor offered Aoba money and claimed to be Gato’s son, but Aoba returned the cash; the man fainted, and the crowd fled.
• Hiruzen summoned Aoba and scolded him for making people afraid to enter or leave Konoha.
• Anbu reported that everyone Aoba had extorted was from the Uchiha Clan and had participated voluntarily under the clan head’s orders.
• Aoba claimed that Itachi had arranged the payments to repay a fifty-million-ryō debt, and said he had earned the money by hunting wanted criminals.
• Hiruzen doubted Aoba’s explanation but stopped pressing for details and wondered what the Uchiha were trying to accomplish.

Aoba secured Hiruzen’s approval to fund scholarships for civilian Ninja Academy students, using the donation to build support for his bid to become Fifth Hokage. As the scholarships spread his name and improve his standing, he also remembered that the boy he had frightened was Gato’s son and considered preparing for the Land of Waves.

• Aoba accepted Hiruzen’s terms for the fifty-million donation, including a limit on how long the scholarship could bear his name, while focusing on the prestige it could bring him now.
• Aoba remembered that the unconscious chubby boy was Gato’s son and thought about making preparations related to the Land of Waves.
• The Ninja Academy distributed the first Aoba-named scholarships to hardworking civilian students, easing their expenses and drawing more families to ask about enrollment.
• Hiruzen welcomed the increased interest in the Academy and planned to take over the scholarship effort after Aoba’s money ran out.
• Civilian-born ninjas heard about Aoba’s donation and began to regard him as a genuine advocate for their class, strengthening his reputation and making his possible path to Hokage seem less remote.
• Aoba’s mission reward raised his Konoha prestige, and his Intermediate Skill Card increased Thorn Halo to LV6.

Aoba used his growing reputation to fund the Aoba Scholarship and took a protection mission escorting Hushang Shu back to the Land of Waves. After learning the boy hoped to reunite with his mother, Aoba prepared to help him, but the chapter ended with Aoba supervising Hushang Shu as he struggled to pack lightly.

• Aoba directed civilian shinobi's donations into the Aoba Scholarship and had Teacher Fujiwara oversee the fund and publish a donor list.
• Aoba learned that Hushang Shu was one of Gato's neglected illegitimate sons and had saved money to bring his mother from the Land of Waves to Konoha.
• Aoba decided to help Hushang Shu find his mother and accepted a mission to protect him on the journey back to the Land of Waves.
• Hushang Shu arrived with an enormous bundle and several belongings, insisting he needed to take everything because he might not return to Konoha.
• Aoba ordered Hushang Shu to repack, then watched and approved as the boy reluctantly chose a change of clothes instead of an iron pot.

Aoba took Hushang Shu to the Land of Waves, where he saw how Gato’s men oppressed the people. After Hushang Shu revealed that he was Gato’s son, a suited man arranged for them to meet Gato.

• Aoba forced Hushang Shu to reduce his luggage and led him out of Konoha.
• On the journey, Hushang Shu repeatedly climbed trees to escape animals, and the pair eventually reached the sea.
• Aoba learned that Gato controlled the Land of Waves through wealth and armed men, and Hushang Shu said he cared only about his mother.
• After arriving, Aoba saw suited men beating workers and silently memorized their faces.
• A suited man confronted them, but Hushang Shu identified himself as Gato’s son and said his name was Hushang Shu.
• The suited man sent someone to notify Gato and offered to escort them to a place to rest; Aoba identified himself as Hushang Shu’s bodyguard.

Aoba accompanied Shōki to Gato’s palace so Shōki could reunite with his mother, while Gato secretly considered killing them if Shōki had learned of his past crimes. The chapter ended with Aoba asking why Gato’s wife had not joined the meal, unaware of how little food remained after he ate.

• Gato learned that Shōki had returned and ordered him and his bodyguard brought to the palace, while refusing to involve Zabuza.
• Aoba and Shōki arrived at Gato’s palace, where Shōki trembled with fear and relied on Aoba’s promise that he would see his mother.
• Gato welcomed Shōki to a lavish meal and promised to take him to his mother after they finished eating.
• Aoba ate most of the feast while Shōki struggled to eat, then asked Gato why his mother had not been invited to join them.

Aoba confronted Gato after learning that Shōki's mother was dead, then offered the grieving little fatty a chance to take revenge and inherit Gato's estate. Aoba killed Gato's guards and began hunting him down, learning that Gato had returned to his room.

• Gato confirmed that Shōki's mother was dead and offered the little fatty the choice of leaving or dying to join her.
• Gato ordered two wandering ninjas to kill Aoba and the little fatty, but Aoba swiftly killed them.
• Aoba asked the little fatty to hire him to kill Gato, and the little fatty agreed to give him half the company in return.
• Aoba killed Gato's guards as he searched the estate and shot a fleeing man to force him to reveal Gato's location.
• The injured man told Aoba that Gato had gone back to his room to rest.

Aoba fought his way through Gato’s headquarters, slaughtering more than a hundred men and forcing the survivors to flee. Cornered and terrified, Gato ordered Zabuza to face Aoba, and Zabuza demanded a hundredfold increase in his payment.

• Aoba killed a man with [Kunai—Desert Eagle] and headed deeper into Gato’s headquarters.
• Gato ordered his men to gather and told Zabuza to kill the attacker, but Zabuza refused to act until the others were defeated.
• Aoba used Thunder Breathing—Sixth Form—Electric Roar Thunder Roar to kill more than a hundred of Gato’s men and demolish much of the building.
• Aoba slaughtered over forty more missing-nin, while the survivors fled rather than face him.
• Gato urged Zabuza to confront Aoba, and Zabuza demanded a hundred times the mission payment or he would kill Gato himself.

Aoba confronted Zabuza and Haku in the Land of Waves and swiftly defeated Zabuza by using his defenses and perception to counter the Mist and Silent Killing techniques. Haku rushed to Zabuza’s side as the others realized Zabuza was near death and Aoba remained unharmed.

• Aoba recognized Zabuza and Haku, and Zabuza decided to kill him after Aoba identified him as a missing-nin.
• Zabuza filled the area with mist and attacked Aoba using the Silent Killing Technique.
• Zabuza’s kunai failed to penetrate Aoba’s defenses, and Aoba used his perception to catch Zabuza’s wrist.
• Aoba struck Zabuza with a series of taijutsu moves, breaking his jaw and ribs and knocking him unconscious near death.
• Haku hurried to Zabuza as the mist dispersed, while the onlookers stared at Aoba, who had not been injured.

Aoba defeated Zabuza and let Haku carry him away after Haku feigned his death and offered a deal. Aoba then confronted Gato, who tried to buy his loyalty and secretly planned to punish his son Shōki.

• Haku used needles to make the unconscious Zabuza appear dead, then begged Aoba to let him take Zabuza away.
• Aoba let Haku leave after Haku offered to pay twice Zabuza’s bounty, but revealed that he had recognized the feigned death.
• Aoba offered Haku a deal: Haku and Zabuza would work for him for ten years if Zabuza survived, or twenty years if he died.
• Haku left with Zabuza to seek treatment while Aoba walked toward Gato.
• Gato offered Aoba money and a vice president position, while privately deciding to throw his son Shōki to the dogs once Aoba worked for him.

Aoba killed Gato’s bodyguards and left Gato’s son to take revenge, then helped Hushang Shu seize control of the Kato Company. Hushang Shu purged the company’s rivals and began reforms that ended its drug business and improved workers’ treatment.

• Gato offered Aoba more money, but Aoba rejected the offer, and the Zōri Brothers turned on Gato before Aoba killed them.
• Aoba brought Gato back to the restaurant, where the chubby boy killed him with a steak knife.
• After Gato’s death, Hushang Shu took over his inheritance with the help of Aoba’s forces and eliminated rivals and traitors.
• Hushang Shu ordered the Kato Company to end its drug business while continuing to build an armed force and monopolize smuggling and shipping.
• Hushang Shu ordered better benefits for workers and prohibited the company’s old practice of beating them.

After consolidating his control over the Land of Waves, Aoba left with his earnings and made Zabuza and Haku serve as the chubby boy’s bodyguards and his informants. Elsewhere, Orochimaru decided to investigate Pain alone, while Sasori finished modifying the Fourth Mizukage and prepared to test his new puppet.

• Aoba stabilized the Shōki Shipping Company’s control over the Land of Waves, arranged for Zabuza and Haku to guard and monitor the chubby boy, and left with tens of millions in mission rewards.
• Orochimaru learned that Pain was likely based in the Land of Rain, rejected Yasuo’s offer to cooperate, and set out to investigate Pain alone.
• Sasori completed his human puppet modification of the Fourth Mizukage, which he considered inferior to Yasuo’s [Seven Ninja Sea Pirates].
• Sasori failed to contact Orochimaru and decided to visit the underground exchange to find a target for testing his new puppet.

After returning to Konoha, Aoba joined a conveyor belt sushi eating contest and encountered Might Guy and Kakashi. The contest left Aoba stunned when Kakashi ate with his mask on, cheeks puffed out beneath it.

• Aoba returned to Konoha, turned in his mission, and signed up for a sushi eating contest after spotting the shop's prizes.
• Aoba entered the restaurant, noticed a sumo wrestler and an Akimichi contestant, and planned to use his regenerative body to keep eating.
• Aoba found Might Guy and Kakashi at the contest, where Guy explained that he and Kakashi had come for a youthful competition.
• The eating contest began, and Aoba and Guy started eating while Kakashi waited before joining in.
• Aoba watched Kakashi lift only the edge of his mask to eat, then stared as his cheeks bulged beneath it and dropped his chopsticks in shock.

Aoba received a mission to photograph Kakashi’s face beneath his mask, then competed in a gluttony contest and used his regeneration ability to keep eating. He won by a huge margin, while the mission to uncover Kakashi’s appearance remained unresolved.

• Aoba received a timed mission to photograph Kakashi’s face beneath his mask, with an Advanced Skill Card among the rewards.
• Aoba, Kakashi, and Might Guy joined the gluttony contest, and Guy withdrew after eating 58 plates.
• Aoba drank water, then stabbed himself with a kunai so his Super Speed Regeneration Body could restore his stamina and aid digestion.
• The Akimichi clan contestant copied Aoba by drinking water, then withdrew after becoming too full to continue.
• Aoba passed 300 plates, leaving the other contestants far behind, and put away his kunai after they conceded first place.

Aoba won the sushi contest, then challenged Kakashi to a spar while plotting to uncover his face beneath his mask. The spar began with Aoba launching a lightning-fast attack that Kakashi narrowly avoided with the Substitution Technique.

• Aoba won the sushi contest with 333 plates, while Luci placed second, a little girl placed third, and Kakashi quietly took fourth.
• Aoba received ten all-you-can-eat coupons and vowed to get revenge on the restaurant for its pricing trick.
• Aoba asked Kakashi to spar and secretly hoped to remove his mask during the fight; Kakashi agreed, and Might Guy refereed.
• Aoba activated several abilities at once and struck at Kakashi with Thunder Breathing First Form: Thunderclap and Flash.
• Kakashi escaped the slash with the Substitution Technique and realized Aoba's attack had been dangerously serious.

Qingyu sparred with Kakashi, using his speed and Perception Eye to overcome Kakashi’s techniques and defenses. He exposed Kakashi’s face by pulling off his mask and tried to take a picture while restraining him.

• Qingyu chased Kakashi around the training ground, but Kakashi escaped with Shadow Clones and used the Sharingan to counter him.
• Kakashi hid underground with the Double Suicide Decapitation Technique, but Qingyu detected him with the Perception Eye and attacked.
• Kakashi used Water Style, Earth Style, and Chidori to strike at Qingyu, but Qingyu’s defenses stopped the Chidori from penetrating fully.
• Qingyu seized Kakashi’s wrist and pulled off his mask, revealing Kakashi’s face and scar.
• Qingyu restrained Kakashi and reached for a camera while Kakashi struggled and called for Guy.

Aoba used Prince to photograph Kakashi during their spar, then escaped with the pictures before Kakashi could catch him. He checked his mission rewards and received a mask with protective properties and an unusual effect on romance.

• Aoba had Prince break Kakashi’s Genjutsu and take several photos of him.
• Aoba tricked Kakashi with a false claim that the Hokage was behind him, then escaped using a smoke bomb.
• Kakashi summoned his ninja hounds to track Aoba, and Might Guy offered to show him where Aoba lived.
• Aoba opened his special treasure chest and received a Kakashi-style N95 Mask that filtered dust and poison gas but made him ignore romantic advances.
• Aoba put on the mask and wondered whether he would remain single for the rest of his life.

Shimiya Aoba tried to escape Kakashi’s pursuit while protecting the photos he had taken, eventually vanishing into a river and using the Prince’s ability to return to Konoha. With Kakashi still searching, Aoba decided to lie low somewhere in the village.

• Aoba imagined selling his photo of Kakashi before the Prince warned him that Kakashi and eight ninja hounds were close behind.
• Kakashi used Lightning Wolf Annihilation to destroy Aoba’s Shadow Clones, while Aoba fled through Konoha’s crowded streets and out the gates.
• Aoba deliberately let Kakashi strike him near a river, then dove underwater to escape the pursuit.
• Kakashi sent Pakkun and the other hounds to search the river, but they lost Aoba’s scent.
• Aoba used the Prince’s ability to return to Konoha and decided to find a place to hide until Kakashi stopped searching.

Qingyu hid in the Uchiha compound and enjoyed the clan’s hospitality while Itachi asked him to train Sasuke. After Qingyu repeatedly beat Sasuke to the food at dinner, he sent the hungry boy to the training ground for even harsher practice.

• Qingyu chose the Uchiha compound as a safe hiding place, where Itachi’s standing helped keep clan members from provoking him.
• Qingyu spent several comfortable days at the compound, eating well, cultivating, and following Itachi’s request to beat up Sasuke.
• Sasuke returned from school and competed with Qingyu for dinner, abandoning his table manners after repeatedly going hungry.
• Qingyu knocked Sasuke away from the food until he ate the last rice balls, leaving Sasuke defeated and hungry.
• Qingyu told Sasuke to drink tea and meet him at the training ground for tougher training, then left.
• Sasuke drank the hot tea, vowed not to submit, and headed angrily to the training ground.