Chapter Summaries

Aoba nudged Guy into recognizing Kakashi’s hard work, then used his hidden strength to warn Kakashi not to interfere with his peaceful life. As Guy prepared to challenge Kakashi after completing his training goal, Kakashi applied for early graduation, leaving Aoba concerned about what came next.

• Guy went to Training Ground 11, saw Kakashi training, and resolved to run five thousand laps before challenging him, with Might Duy encouraging him.
• Aoba told Kakashi he wanted an easy life and used an unseen genjutsu to immobilize him, warning him to leave Aoba alone.
• Guy trained intensely and eventually completed five thousand handstand laps around Konohagakure, while Aoba enjoyed a quieter life and continued visiting the Forest of Death with Akimichi Kota.
• Guy rushed to challenge Kakashi at the Ninja Academy, but Kakashi submitted an early graduation application instead.
• Aoba remembered Kakashi’s early graduation and realized Kakashi would take first place in their grade.

Kakashi challenged Aoba to a fight, and Aoba agreed to spar after Kakashi graduated and became a genin. After Kakashi set a record by graduating at five, the two began their match in the Forest of Death, where Kakashi proved to be Aoba’s equal in close combat.

• Kakashi waited for Aoba and challenged him to a fight, but Aoba said he would spar with him after he received his forehead protector.
• Aoba explained to Kurenai that delaying the fight until after Kakashi’s graduation would give Kakashi’s exam some of his attention.
• Two days later, Kakashi passed the graduation exam with perfect marks and became Konohagakure’s youngest genin at five years old.
• Aoba congratulated Kakashi and took him to a clearing in the Forest of Death for their agreed match.
• Aoba opened with the Golden Binding genjutsu, but Kakashi quickly shook it off and attacked.
• Aoba used Dynamic Capture to predict Kakashi’s movements, and the two traded taijutsu blows without either gaining a clear advantage.

Aoba defeated Kakashi in a fierce spar, using weapon counters, ninjutsu, and his newly devised Phantom Body Flicker Technique. After reviewing the fight, Aoba left, while a young Uchiha emerged from hiding, impressed by his technique.

• Aoba outmaneuvered Kakashi in their weapon exchange, seized his hands, and forced him to complete the seals for a Great Fireball Technique.
• Kakashi blocked the flames with an Earth Flow Wall and sent clones at Aoba, but Aoba used the Phantom Body Flicker Technique to disperse them and strike him.
• Aoba pinned Kakashi against a tree with a kunai at his neck, and Kakashi admitted defeat before promising to win next time.
• Aoba reviewed the battle and recognized that his performance and Kakashi's reactions had been affected by uncertain human factors.
• Aoba noticed someone hiding nearby and left; a young boy bearing the fan clan crest emerged and wondered how Body Flicker could create afterimages.

After Kakashi’s early graduation inspired a wave of applications, Obito failed the demanding assessment and Kakashi’s fame spread across Konoha. Aoba’s skill drew attention at the Academy, but he saw a new medical ninjutsu course as the chance to pursue his research legitimately.

• Obito applied for early graduation after hearing classmates discuss Kakashi, despite Rin warning him that he had not mastered the Clone Technique.
• A week later, Obito scored only twenty points on the theory exam and was eliminated; every early graduation applicant failed the assessments.
• Kakashi’s reputation as a five-year-old genius spread through Konoha and attracted the attention of other villages’ intelligence divisions.
• Araki-sensei asked Aoba to demonstrate the Substitution Technique, and Aoba used Obito’s jacket as the substitute, impressing the class and angering Obito.
• Aoba read a notice about a new battlefield first aid and medical ninjutsu course and recognized it as a legitimate path into Konoha Hospital or the Medical Corps for his research.

Aoba joined the battlefield first aid course and helped Rin and Shizune prepare for its demanding exam, while Kurenai enrolled despite her lack of enthusiasm. After the theory and practical assessment, Aoba remained confident and Kurenai had already given up, as the students gathered to compare answers.

• Aoba applied for the Medical Ninjutsu Experimental Class, and Kurenai followed after he explained his supposed desire to save comrades.
• Obito regretted not enrolling when Rin left for the course and complained to Araki after seeing Aoba accompany her.
• Yamanaka Hana taught the students battlefield first aid, explaining that blood loss and infection killed many ninja and assigning them medical books to study for an exam in one month.
• Rin and Shizune grew nervous as the exam approached, so Aoba shared answers and explained the material to them; Obito grew jealous, and Kurenai chased him off.
• Aoba reviewed the practical exam clues with Rin and Shizune before the students took the theory and practical sections of the assessment.
• After the exam, the students compared answers in groups while Aoba stayed confident and Kurenai showed little concern.

Aoba passed the practical chakra-control test and ranked first in the theoretical exam before beginning medical-ninjutsu lessons under Tsunade. As Tsunade taught the Experimental Class, rumors began to spread that White Fang had failed a mission by saving his comrades, and Aoba sensed the village turning against him.

• Aoba easily lifted a basketball-sized ball of water and passed the chakra-control test.
• The exam results were posted, with Aoba in first place, Shizune in second, and Rin in seventh; Rin and Shizune thanked Aoba for helping them prepare.
• Tsunade began teaching the Experimental Class, warning the students about the brutality of medical work and explaining battlefield treatments through personal experience.
• Aoba listened closely and mentally recorded Tsunade's lessons, while several students grew pale at her descriptions of injuries.
• Rumors spread that White Fang had failed a mission by saving his comrades, and Aoba noticed people looking at him differently as the accusations gained traction.

Aoba witnessed Hatake Sakumo’s suicide and attended the former hero’s quiet farewell, where he encountered Orochimaru. Sakumo’s death was followed by Tsunade’s departure from the Experimental Class and a new lesson in live dissection.

• Aoba watched Hatake Sakumo endure public condemnation and reflected that Sakumo had chosen to uphold his ninja way rather than retreat from the accusations.
• Hatake Sakumo died by suicide, and villagers later laid white flowers at his grave; Aoba paid his respects at the tombstone.
• Orochimaru appeared at the grave, dismissed human emotions, and singled out Aoba as an interesting child before leaving.
• Tsunade stopped teaching the Experimental Class after arguing with the Hokage, and Teacher Ueno took over her lessons.
• Teacher Ueno began a live-dissection lesson by cutting open an anesthetized frog, making some students feel sick.

Aoba stood out during the Experimental Class’s anatomy lesson, and Teacher Ueno mistook his composure for an understanding of how medical ninjas must set aside emotion. His success earned him early instruction in Basic Medical Ninjutsu and access to advanced medical and chakra materials.

• Teacher Ueno made the students dissect anesthetized animals and told them to treat patients as experimental supplies rather than people.
• Aoba used the assistance function to study a rabbit’s anatomy and worked with steady hands, explaining that his family ran a restaurant.
• Teacher Ueno praised Aoba’s performance, and Rin used his example to steady herself during the dissection.
• Teacher Ueno taught Aoba Basic Medical Ninjutsu early, and the class became more comfortable with the anatomy lessons.
• Aoba asked the librarian about Nature Transformation in the five other chakra attributes and gained permission to borrow relevant materials.

Aoba discovered that chakra could assimilate sand, letting him crudely control it with Earth Release. At the Experimental Class, Tsunade returned and gave the students an unexpected exam, leaving Aoba weighing what score to earn.

• Aoba used his chakra and Earth Release to make chakra-infused sand float, and realized his crude technique might be an early form of Sunagakure's Sand Control Secret Technique.
• Tsunade returned to the Experimental Class, where the students celebrated the end of Teacher Ueno's dissections.
• Tsunade silenced the class by announcing an unprepared exam and warned students not to cheat.
• Aoba reviewed the manageable questions but paused before writing to decide what score he should get.

Aoba deliberately tried to earn an unremarkable score on Tsunade’s theory exam, but he was the only student to pass and scored 82. Tsunade’s praise made him stand out, and she left him with little chance of keeping a low profile in class.

• Aoba carefully limited his exam answers while Rin, Shizune, and the other students struggled to remember the theory.
• After the papers were collected, Rin and Shizune told Aoba they had forgotten much of what they had learned.
• The next day, Tsunade announced that only one student had passed and scolded the class for their poor results.
• Tsunade revealed that Aoba had scored 82, praised his clear thinking, and identified him as the class’s only passing student.
• Over the following days, Tsunade moved Aoba to the front and repeatedly called on him to answer or summarize questions.

Aoba impressed Tsunade and his classmates with his practical medical reasoning, becoming the Experimental Class’s unofficial little teacher. Obito grew jealous of Rin’s admiration for Aoba and challenged him to a spar, which Aoba accepted.

• Tsunade asked how to handle a poisoned, bleeding ninja without an antidote, and Aoba proposed stabilizing the patient and evacuating them for professional treatment.
• Tsunade approved of Aoba’s reasoning, and his classmates began gathering around him for help with their studies.
• Tsunade gave Aoba permission to consult materials in Konoha Hospital’s Archives Room, while Rin and Shizune praised him.
• Obito grew jealous as Rin spoke admiringly of Aoba and decided to teach him a lesson.
• During practical combat class, Obito requested to spar with Aoba, and Aoba agreed.

Aoba defeated Obito by using a modified Hell Viewing Technique, making him attack a wooden post while believing he was fighting Aoba. The humiliating scene spread through Konohagakure, leaving Obito furious and the Uchiha clan embarrassed.

• Aoba secretly cast a modified genjutsu on Obito as they formed the Seal of Confrontation.
• Obito charged at a wooden post, mistaking it for Aoba, and shouted boasts while attacking it in front of the laughing students.
• The taijutsu teacher dispelled the genjutsu, and Obito realized what he had done before trying to attack Aoba again.
• The teacher restrained Obito and ended the match, while Sarutobi Asuma recognized how strong Aoba's genjutsu was.
• News of Obito's defeat and his attack on the wooden post spread throughout Konohagakure before the academy dismissal bell rang.

After Aoba humiliated Obito with Genjutsu, Fugaku ordered Obito to undergo harsher training. Aoba went to Konoha Hospital to use Tsunade’s pass and look up information, where he impressed a skeptical nurse by demonstrating Medical Ninjutsu.

• Fugaku confronted Obito over losing to Aoba’s Genjutsu and ordered the clan to expand his special training, warning him to try not to die.
• Aoba dismissed Kurenai and rushed to Konoha Hospital, eager to use the pass Tsunade had given him.
• A nurse stopped Aoba at the entrance to the hospital’s logistics area and questioned whether a Ninja Academy student could enter the Archives Room.
• Aoba showed the nurse his pass and explained that he was a student in the medical Experimental Class.
• When the nurse remained doubtful, Aoba demonstrated stable Basic Medical Ninjutsu and told her he was eight years old.

Aoba used Tsunade’s pass to enter Konohagakure’s medical Archives Room and began scanning its case files with the Chip. After two hours, the effort left him drained and low on chakra, so he took a Military Ration Pill.

• Aoba showed Teacher Ueno the pass from Tsunade and received permission to study in the Archives Room under Yumiko’s supervision.
• Yumiko led Aoba to the Archives Room and explained the rules for handling its materials.
• Aoba realized the room’s medical case files could serve as a valuable database and ordered the Chip to scan them.
• After two hours of scanning, Aoba felt exhausted and weak from the strain on his brain and chakra.
• Aoba ate a Military Ration Pill to recover and decided he would someday develop better-tasting varieties.

Aoba used Tsunade’s stimulant medicine to stay alert, then demonstrated his Medical Ninjutsu by healing a fish during practical training. Tsunade left him responsible for teaching the rest of the class, leaving Aoba frustrated.

• Shizune gave Aoba two pills of Tsunade’s medicine, and he used his Chip to analyze its ingredients.
• Tsunade began practical training and told the class to catch a live fish; Aoba quickly returned with a grass carp.
• Tsunade assigned Aoba to save the fish, and he used Medical Ninjutsu and an auxiliary Cursed Seal scroll to revive it.
• Tsunade wrote the class’s Medical Ninjutsu principles and hand seals on the blackboard, then told the students to ask Aoba for help.
• Tsunade left for tea and warned the students not to bother her, while Aoba realized he had been left in charge.

Aoba took over Tsunade’s medical ninjutsu lesson, guiding the students through their first attempts before settling into a demanding routine teaching and organizing Konoha Hospital’s archives. As he and his classmates advanced to their third year, renewed tensions between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth cast a shadow over Konohagakure.

• Aoba clarified Tsunade’s meridian diagram, explained chakra control, and guided the students until a few briefly performed Basic Medical Ninjutsu.
• Tsunade watched Aoba teach, gave him a thumbs-up, and vanished, leaving him furious.
• Aoba began organizing Konoha Hospital’s Archives Room for Yumiko while continuing to teach the medical Experimental Class.
• Aoba and his classmates advanced to their third year as a new batch of Ninja Academy students enrolled.
• The Land of Fire and the Land of Earth clashed along their border, but both sides showed restraint and avoided a wider conflict.

Yamashiro Aoba began his clinical internship at Konoha Hospital, where Ueno assigned him to assist in surgery. As he received the Strength of a Hundred scroll from Shizune, he teased her and Tsunade, then thanked Tsunade and left the classroom.

• The Experimental Class students began rotating internships at Konoha Hospital, and Ueno assigned Aoba to assist her in the operating room.
• Yumiko watched Aoba maintain precise Medical Ninjutsu during surgery and acknowledged his skill.
• Shizune gave Aoba a scroll marked Strength of a Hundred, and Aoba deduced that she lived with Tsunade.
• Aoba teased Shizune about caring for Tsunade and mocked Tsunade's drinking before Tsunade struck him on the head.
• Aoba hugged Tsunade, bowed, thanked her for taking care of him, and ran from the classroom.
• Tsunade watched Aoba leave, recalled a familiar figure, and muttered that he was a damn brat.

Aoba earned Doctor Ueno’s trust with his skill in surgery while keeping his abilities understated, and he uncovered evidence that the border conflict was worsening. While studying Ueno’s medical notes, he found an incomplete technique designed to extract chakra directly from an enemy, leaving him intrigued by its potential.

• Aoba helped Doctor Ueno save a wounded chunin by sealing ruptured blood vessels and stimulating damaged tissue during surgery.
• Aoba noticed foreign chakra from multiple people inside the patient and suspected the border situation had grown more dangerous.
• Aoba chose to conceal his medical talent to avoid the scrutiny faced by celebrated geniuses like Hatake Kakashi.
• Doctor Ueno shared her medical materials with Aoba, and the two formed a tacit understanding about his quiet approach.
• Aoba discovered an unfinished technique in an old notebook that could extract chakra from an enemy’s body.

Aoba used the Chip System to develop a crude Chakra Absorption Technique and tested it on Yuhi Kurenai. He left for the hospital after confirming the technique worked, though it absorbed and converted Chakra inefficiently.

• Aoba studied the unfinished Chakra Absorption Technique and used the Chip System to simulate its formula overnight.
• Aoba decided to test the technique and brought Red Bean Dumplings to Yuhi Kurenai.
• Aoba persuaded Yuhi Kurenai to let him try the technique, then activated Chakra Absorption Technique Version 1.0 by touching her shoulder.
• Aoba observed that the technique absorbed Chakra slowly and left it impure, while Yuhi Kurenai felt tired and hungry.
• Aoba gave Yuhi Kurenai the dumplings and hurried to the hospital, leaving her annoyed.

Aoba assessed his weak chakra-absorption technique and worried that war might arrive sooner than expected, so he accelerated his training and gathered combat data while posing as an intern medical ninja. At Training Ground 3, he found spiral-shaped damage that led him to suspect Namikaze Minato was developing the Rasengan.

• Aoba reviewed the Chip’s results and found his chakra absorption had a low conversion rate and slow speed, though he hoped to improve it.
• Aoba worried that the Third Shinobi World War’s timeline might have changed and decided to speed up his plans while keeping Tsunade’s Strength of a Hundred hidden.
• Aoba skipped Ninja Academy classes and visited training grounds, using free medical treatment to collect combat data and learn from other ninja.
• Aoba arrived at Training Ground 3 and spotted spiral-shaped damage in the clearing and trees.
• Aoba recognized the damage as signs of the Rasengan and suspected Namikaze Minato was developing the technique.