Chapter Summaries

Tejima Shinichi, the class’s top student, watched his classmates bicker before effortlessly defeating Uchiha Sasuke in a fight near the school gates. Sasuke went home battered and demanded Uzumaki Naruto keep the incident secret, but Naruto realized he could use it to tease him later.

• Tejima Shinichi left class as Ino and Sakura argued over whether he or Sasuke was stronger, while their classmates discussed the upcoming graduation assessment.
• Tejima Shinichi encountered Naruto and Sasuke at the school gates, where Naruto was knocked into him during another attempt to fight Sasuke.
• Sasuke challenged Tejima Shinichi to find out how much stronger he was, and Shinichi caught Sasuke’s kick before slamming him into the ground twice.
• Sasuke struggled to his feet, told Naruto not to tell anyone what had happened, and headed home while Naruto stayed behind.
• Naruto realized Sasuke’s secret could give him a way to tease Sasuke and laughed to himself at the school gates.

After graduating from the Academy, Tejima Shinichi encountered Hyuga Neji, who challenged him again and lamented the gap between them. Shinichi returned home to his parents, where his father dodged his request to spar before the family gathered for dinner.

• Tejima Shinichi met Hyuga Neji on his way home, and Neji said he wanted to confirm the gap between them before graduating.
• Tejima Shinichi reminded Neji that their past spars had already shown the difference in their strength and told him to show his true ability when they fought on a real stage someday.
• Hyuga Neji stayed behind, thinking about fate as Shinichi walked away.
• Tejima Shinichi arrived home, where Mori Chie welcomed him and Teshima Kazuto celebrated his upcoming graduation exam.
• Tejima Shinichi asked Teshima Kazuto to spar, but Kazuto made excuses and escaped to help Mori Chie with dinner.

At dinner, Tejima Shinichi questioned his mother Mori Chie about how the First Hokage awakened Wood Release, then secretly tested his own power that night. He discovered he had naturally awakened true Wood Release and ended the chapter exhilarated by the possibilities.

• Teshima Kazuto and Mori Chie celebrated Tejima Shinichi's impending graduation as Top Student while recalling Mori Chie's career as a Special Jonin.
• Tejima Shinichi realized his Chakra reserves were dozens of times greater than Mori Chie's peak reserves, far beyond what the Senju Bloodline seemed to explain.
• Tejima Shinichi asked Mori Chie about the First Hokage's Wood Release, and she said it had not awakened naturally like the Byakugan.
• That night, Tejima Shinichi grew a tiny sapling from his palm and confirmed that he had naturally awakened true Wood Release.
• Tejima Shinichi hid his discovery, looked out toward Konoha, and laughed at the thought of the power he had finally gained.

Tejima Shinichi passed the graduation exam with an impressive Clone Technique and received his Konoha forehead protector, while Uzumaki Naruto failed. Shinichi left without joining his classmates, deciding not to interfere with the events he expected that night as he considered the Scroll of Seals.

• Tejima Shinichi's parents encouraged him before he left for the academy, and he arrived calm and confident.
• Umino Iruka announced that the graduation exam would test the Clone Technique, and Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji passed before Shinichi was called.
• Tejima Shinichi created three clones, impressing Umino Iruka and Mizuki, and received his Konoha forehead protector.
• Yamanaka Ino, Haruno Sakura, and Sasuke passed, but Uzumaki Naruto failed the Clone Technique exam and returned without a forehead protector.
• Umino Iruka dismissed the class, and Tejima Shinichi left first, choosing not to interfere with the night's expected events or pursue the Scroll of Seals.

After the graduation exam, Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected Shimura Danzō’s attempt to take Tejima Shinichi into Root and make him a backup Jinchuriki. Hiruzen resolved to find Shinichi a reliable mentor, then used the Telescope Jutsu to watch Uzumaki Naruto.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen reviewed Tejima Shinichi’s exceptional exam performance and considered who should mentor him.
• Shimura Danzō demanded that Sarutobi Hiruzen hand Tejima Shinichi, the Uchiha boy, and Uzumaki Naruto over to Root.
• Danzō proposed turning Tejima Shinichi into a weapon and a backup vessel for the Nine-Tails, but Sarutobi Hiruzen refused.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen declared that he was the Hokage, and Shimura Danzō left the office in anger.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen resolved to find Tejima Shinichi a reliable mentor, then used the Telescope Jutsu to view Uzumaki Naruto.

Tejima Shinichi’s class received their team assignments, and he was assigned to Team 1 with Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu. When their Jonin Instructor arrived, Shinichi recognized Yamato and grew wary because Yamato also wielded Wood Release, the power Shinichi had recently awakened.

• Tejima Shinichi sat beside Second Pillar, then nudged Uzumaki Naruto into accidentally kissing him, setting off a classroom brawl that Tejima Shinichi deflected blame for.
• Iruka announced the team assignments: Tejima Shinichi joined Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu, while Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Second Pillar formed Team 7.
• Kakashi Hatake and the other Jonin watched the classroom chaos through a Crystal Ball in the Hokage's Office.
• Tejima Shinichi met Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu, answered them cordially, and left to prepare for the afternoon gathering.
• The Jonin Instructors arrived and took their teams away until only Team 1 and Team 7 remained in the classroom.
• Yamato introduced himself as Team 1’s Jonin Instructor, and Tejima Shinichi recognized him as the Wood Release user Tenzo and wondered whether their meeting was deliberate.

Yamato met his newly assigned Team 1 and had the three Genin introduce themselves, learning that Tejima Shinichi possessed an unusually broad range of skills. He then announced a two-bell test that would send one Genin back to the Academy, and Tejima Shinichi asked Kobayashi Ken whether he trusted him.

• Yamato nervously consulted Kakashi Hatake’s notes as he introduced himself and asked his students to do the same.
• Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu described their skills and ambitions, while Tejima Shinichi revealed his Wind Style, Water Release, Earth Release, and Medical Ninjutsu abilities.
• Yamato announced that Team 1 had to take two bells from him at Training Ground 3 before noon, warning that the person who failed would return to the Ninja Academy for retraining.
• Yamato vanished, leaving the three Genin uneasy about becoming competitors, and Tejima Shinichi asked Kobayashi Ken, “Do you... trust me?”

Tejima Shinichi convinced Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu that Yamato’s two-Bell test was meant to assess their teamwork, then led them in a coordinated attack. Shinichi revealed his mastery of the Rasengan, shocking Yamato and Sarutobi Hiruzen, who wondered whether he had learned the technique on his own.

• Tejima Shinichi explained that the Bell test was a trial of teamwork, and Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu agreed to trust him and follow his lead.
• Yamato began the test, and Team 1 launched a coordinated attack that impressed him, though he easily countered Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu’s close-range strikes.
• Tejima Shinichi used a Shadow Clone and attacked Yamato from behind with a Rasengan, forcing Yamato to defend himself with Wood Release: Wood Stake Wall.
• Yamato, Kobayashi Ken, and Sato Yu reacted with shock to Shinichi’s technique and Yamato’s Wood Release.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen watched through a Crystal Ball and wondered who had taught Shinichi the Rasengan, considering that he might have mastered it by himself.

Tejima Shinichi revealed that he had taught himself the Rasengan, stunning Yamato and Sarutobi Hiruzen. Yamato knocked out Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu to focus the test on Shinichi, who responded by summoning two Shadow Clones.

• Tejima Shinichi explained that he had learned the Rasengan by training with Shadow Clones and practicing chakra control on water balloons and rubber balls.
• Yamato and Sarutobi Hiruzen recognized Shinichi's talent and perseverance, and Yamato decided to reassess him and continue the test.
• Yamato used Wood Clones and Wood Release to bypass Shinichi's Earth Spears and swiftly incapacitate Sato Yu and Kobayashi Ken.
• Yamato challenged Shinichi to show his full strength, and Shinichi summoned two Shadow Clones and formed a triangular formation with them.

Tejima Shinichi fought Yamato in a Genin test, forcing the Jonin to defend against a coordinated barrage of powerful Ninjutsu. The fight ended with Shinichi’s full-firepower attack overwhelming Yamato’s defenses, though the victor remained undecided.

• Tejima Shinichi used Shadow Clones and combined Water and Earth Release attacks, but Yamato disrupted them with Wood Release.
• Yamato exploited a distraction to attack, and Shinichi narrowly avoided his wooden bind and rising Earth Spears by creating an Earth Wall.
• Yamato praised Shinichi’s reactions and strength, while Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu watched in shock after waking in the flooded training ground.
• Shinichi concluded that Yamato’s Chakra reserves were his weakness and summoned four Shadow Clones to overwhelm him with five simultaneous Ninjutsu.
• Yamato raised two wooden barriers and used the Body Flicker Technique to evade and redirect the barrage, but Shinichi’s attacks drove him into a fully defensive position.

Tejima Shinichi overwhelmed Yamato with relentless ninjutsu until Yamato ended the fight and awarded him the Bells. Shinichi and his teammates chose to put one another first, passing the teamwork test, while Sarutobi Hiruzen recognized Shinichi’s strength and potential to illuminate Konoha’s future.

• Tejima Shinichi used Shadow Clones and repeated Water and Earth Release attacks to keep Yamato and his Wood Clones from closing in, forcing Yamato to stop the fight and declare Shinichi had passed.
• Yamato gave Shinichi the two Bells, but Shinichi handed one to Kobayashi Ken and one to Sato Yu rather than keep his own place at their expense.
• Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu returned their Bells to Shinichi, insisting that he was the strongest and should stay with the team.
• Yamato revealed that the test had measured trust and sacrifice, not the ability to claim the Bells, and declared Team 1 had passed.
• Yamato encouraged Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu after they doubted whether they were strong enough to be ninja.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen watched the test’s recorded images and concluded that Shinichi’s destructive power and stamina rivaled a Special Jonin’s, while his concern for his teammates reflected the Will of Fire.

Tejima Shinichi returned home to celebrate becoming a Konoha ninja and told his parents that Yamato, his jonin instructor, could use Wood Release. In Root, Shimura Danzō ordered close surveillance of Team 1 and a reassessment of the Wedge plan to draw Shinichi into Root.

• Tejima Shinichi's parents welcomed him home with a celebration for becoming a Konoha ninja.
• Tejima Shinichi told Mori Chie and Teshima Kazuto that Yamato was his instructor and could use Wood Release, leading Chie to believe Yamato was a Senju clan senior.
• A Root member reported to Shimura Danzō that Tejima Shinichi had immense chakra, used several ninjutsu, and had mastered the Rasengan.
• Shimura Danzō resented that Shinichi had been assigned to Yamato and declared that the boy belonged in Root.
• Shimura Danzō ordered a close watch on Team 1 and directed Root to reassess the Wedge plan to make Shinichi approach the darkness willingly.

Tejima Shinichi and his teammates began their first day as Genin, completing several D-rank missions and earning their first pay. As they parted ways, three masked ninjas suddenly surrounded Shinichi on a quiet street.

• Yamato led Team 1 to the Hokage Building, where Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned them a riverbed cleanup mission.
• Kobayashi Ken and Sato Yu were disappointed by the D-rank assignment, but Yamato explained its purpose and led the team to work.
• Tejima Shinichi used three Shadow Clones to speed up the cleanup, and the team completed four D-rank missions by sunset.
• Shinichi teased Yamato into promising to treat the team to barbecue at Yakiniku Q after their next mission.
• Three ninjas wearing animal masks appeared and surrounded Shinichi as he walked home alone.

Tejima Shinichi confronted Root Ninja sent by Danzo to bring him in, dismissed their authority, and attacked them with powerful ninjutsu. The clash wrecked part of the village and drew Konoha forces, leaving Root’s mission in ruins as help rushed toward the scene.

• Tejima Shinichi recognized the masked men as Root Ninja after their leader said Danzo had sent them to invite him for a discussion.
• Tejima Shinichi refused to go, claiming he answered only to the Third Hokage and Yamato, and threatened the masked men as enemy-country ninjas.
• Tejima Shinichi and his three Shadow Clones unleashed four high-level techniques against the Root Ninja.
• The Tanuki Mask Ninja raised an Earth Flow Wall, but the attack demolished nearby property and sent water, mud, and debris through the area.
• The Konoha Military Police sounded an emergency signal, nearby Jonin rushed in, and the Root Ninja realized their mission had failed.

Tejima Shinichi accused Root of trying to abduct him, and Yamato and Konoha’s arriving ninja backed his account. At the Hokage’s office, Shinichi challenged Sarutobi Hiruzen to explain Root’s authority, but an unknown person interrupted just as Hiruzen was about to rule.

• Tejima Shinichi told the Anbu and Police Force that Root’s ninja had threatened to take him to Danzo without authorization.
• Yamato returned, condemned Root for targeting his disciple, and joined the group escorting everyone to the Hokage’s office.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen heard the Anbu captain’s report while the Root ninja stood accused before him.
• Tejima Shinichi questioned whether Root and Danzo served Konoha and who had authorized them to threaten village ninja.
• A cold snort sounded from outside the office as Sarutobi Hiruzen prepared to speak.

Tejima Shinichi confronted Shimura Danzō after Root members attacked him, challenging Danzō’s authority and defending his family’s loyalty to Konoha. He ended by demanding that Danzō explain why his background and loyalty were considered suspect.

• Shimura Danzō entered the Hokage’s office and accused Tejima Shinichi of injuring Root members and causing trouble.
• Tejima Shinichi said Root had intercepted and attacked him, and argued that only Sarutobi Hiruzen or his instructor Yamato could review him.
• Danzō claimed Root had grounds to investigate Shinichi’s strength, chakra, origins, and potential, while Sarutobi Hiruzen warned him to stop.
• Tejima Shinichi recited his family’s service and deaths in defense of Konoha, then presented his mission rewards and said the village’s records could verify his history.
• Tejima Shinichi demanded that Danzō explain why Root had treated him as suspicious and accused him of questioning Konoha’s fallen heroes and archives.

Tejima Shinichi confronted Shimura Danzō in the Hokage’s Office, prompting Sarutobi Hiruzen to defend Shinichi and threaten to disband Root if it targeted Konoha’s young ninja again. Danzō withdrew, and Hiruzen ordered protections for Shinichi and his family, while privately recognizing Shinichi’s composure and resolve.

• Shimura Danzō lost control after Tejima Shinichi’s accusations, but Sarutobi Hiruzen stood up and condemned Danzō for targeting a Genin without following procedure.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Danzō and Root to leave Tejima Shinichi alone and threatened to eradicate Root if it interfered with Konoha’s young ninja again.
• Shimura Danzō left the Hokage’s Office, followed by the three Root Ninjas.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen promised Tejima Shinichi that Root would not harass him or his family and ordered the Anbu Captain to record the incident and confine the three Root Ninjas.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen privately considered Tejima Shinichi’s unusual composure and worried that his unyielding nature could leave him vulnerable.

After Sarutobi Hiruzen admitted the village had wronged Tejima Shinichi, he offered him a chance to learn one Water Release Ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals. Shinichi chose Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade, but left the vault regretting he could not take a Wood Release technique.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen stopped Yamato from criticizing Danzo and offered Tejima Shinichi compensation for the village's failure.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen authorized Tejima Shinichi to learn one Water Release Ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals and sent an Anbu to escort him.
• In the vault, Tejima Shinichi noticed the Wood Release Ninjutsu section but resisted the urge to choose from it.
• Tejima Shinichi selected Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade as a powerful finishing technique for his arsenal.
• The supervising Anbu copied the technique onto a smaller scroll, and Tejima Shinichi left with lingering regret that he had chosen only a Water Release technique.

Sarutobi Hiruzen learned that Tejima Shinichi had chosen the Second Hokage’s Hard Vortex Water Blade and resolved to tighten oversight of Danzo. At Root, Danzo kept Shinichi as his top candidate for the Nine-Tails container plan and ordered preparations to capture and control him.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen heard from an Anbu that Tejima Shinichi had chosen Hard Vortex Water Blade.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen decided to review Root’s missions and funding to restrain Danzo.
• Danzo raged over Shinichi’s defiance and Sarutobi Hiruzen’s protection of him.
• A Root ninja asked whether Shinichi should remain a candidate for the Child of Promise Plan.
• Danzo kept Shinichi as the highest-priority target, ordered close surveillance and a Forced Control Plan, and said he would place a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal on him.

Tejima Shinichi returned home with a copied scroll after the day’s disturbance had been covered up, and his parents celebrated hearing that he had talked with his teammates. Over dinner, he thought about the person who did not eat beef and the Wood Release ninjutsu he needed to follow that person’s path.

• Tejima Shinichi came home late and realized his parents knew nothing about the disturbance that afternoon.
• Tejima Shinichi told Teshima Kazuto and Mori Chie that he had stayed to talk with Sato Yu and Kobayashi Ken, making his parents happy.
• Mori Chie reheated dinner and served Tejima Shinichi stewed beef while his parents encouraged him to eat.
• Tejima Shinichi laughed at the beef, remembering someone who supposedly did not eat it.
• Tejima Shinichi thought about the Wood Release Ninjutsu in the Scroll of Seals and how he lacked the techniques to use his awakened power.