Chapter Summaries

Shuji and Shiden discussed Konoha’s position and Kumogakure’s choices before Sunagakure’s approach forced Shiden to withdraw. Back in Konoha, Shuji and Sarutobi Hiruzen considered Iwagakure’s plans, but Danzo interrupted them and challenged Hiruzen over his selection of personnel.

• Shiden asked Shuji what Konoha was good at, and Shuji refused to reveal Konoha’s strengths.
• Shiden questioned whether Kumogakure might join Iwagakure’s alliance, and Shuji argued that Iwagakure threatened Kumogakure too.
• An Anbu reported Sunagakure ninja nearby, so Shiden withdrew while Shuji left to return later.
• Shuji told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Kumogakure’s Anbu planned to escort the captured Iwagakure Jonin back to Kumogakure.
• Shuji said Iwagakure might target Konoha with economic and supply blockades, but Danzo burst into the Hokage Office and confronted Hiruzen over the documents he brought.

Sarutobi Hiruzen confronted Shimura Danzō over Root Division standards and the village’s unpaid mission rewards, prompting Danzō to quit his posts and leave. Shuji revealed that he and Orochimaru were discussing a jutsu to resurrect the First Hokage, while Hiruzen sent him to deliver a Kumogakure Anbu and invited him to dinner before setting out for Danzō’s home.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Danzō he could find someone else to lead the Root Division if Danzō could not meet the Anbu standards.
• Danzō demanded the village pay its debts to him and the Shimura clan by sunset, then quit as Root Division leader and Hokage's Assistant.
• Danzō urged Shuji to return to the Root Division to discuss a jutsu with Orochimaru, then left the Hokage's office.
• Shuji told Hiruzen that he and Orochimaru were discussing a jutsu to resurrect the First Hokage and said it required no human experimentation.
• Hiruzen invited Shuji to dinner and told him to train at Shikkotsu Forest after he sent the Kumogakure Anbu back to the Land of Lightning.
• Hiruzen left his office and headed to Danzō's home.

At Sarutobi Hiruzen’s dinner, Shuji and Orochimaru discussed developing a resurrection jutsu, while Shuji revealed his talent for senjutsu and argued for a strategy against Iwagakure’s planned blockade. Hiruzen assigned Shuji to report directly to him and promised he could train at Shikkotsu Forest after Konoha dealt with the coming threat.

• Hiruzen asked Shuji and Orochimaru about their plan to develop a jutsu that could revive dead ninja, and Orochimaru identified finding a suitable body as the main difficulty.
• Shuji revealed that he could sense and partially control Natural Energy, and Hiruzen agreed he could go to Shikkotsu Forest after his Anbu duties ended.
• Orochimaru volunteered to focus on developing the resurrection jutsu while Shuji pursued senjutsu.
• Hiruzen told the group that Iwagakure planned to join Sunagakure and Kirigakure in an economic and material blockade against Konoha.
• Shuji proposed joining forces with Kumogakure and targeting the weaker Sunagakure first, and Hiruzen approved the plan.
• Hiruzen said Shuji would report directly to him starting the next day and promised to send him to Shikkotsu Forest once the immediate situation was resolved.

Shuji continued carrying out missions for Konoha and Kumogakure while helping Nawaki and Mikoto grow through battle. Mikoto repeatedly visited his dorm with injuries from training, and Shuji treated her before returning to practice the Spirit Transformation Technique.

• Shuji used the Flying Thunder God Technique to carry Nawaki and Mikoto between missions as Konoha and Kumogakure pressured the Land of Wind and its allies.
• Nawaki and Mikoto improved rapidly through real battles and guidance from Shuji and their elders.
• Mikoto entered Shuji's dormitory and asked him to treat a wound she had received while training.
• Shuji healed Mikoto's wound with Medical Ninjutsu, and she blushed as he treated the injury near her chest.
• Mikoto left to continue training, and Shuji returned to practicing the Spirit Transformation Technique.

Shuji successfully used the Spirit Transformation Technique to absorb Nen Energy into his spiritual body, discovering a way to strengthen his soul. Meanwhile, Sarutobi Hiruzen reviewed the gains from Konoha and Kumogakure’s economic cooperation and judged their position in the Shinobi World to be favorable.

• Shuji entered a meditative state, performed the Spirit Transformation Technique, and left his body as a spiritual form.
• Shuji saw Nen Energy as golden points of light and absorbed it directly into his spiritual body.
• Shuji concluded that the technique strengthened his soul and decided to train his spiritual body every day.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen read an intelligence report showing that Konoha and Kumogakure had won cooperation from several small nations.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen assessed that Konoha and Kumogakure held an advantage over the rival alliance in trade and Anbu operations.

After exhausting himself with spirit-body training, Shuji returned to his body and considered the Spirit Transformation Technique’s resemblance to Orochimaru’s Living Corpse Reincarnation. Mikoto brought him a bento and began massaging him, recognizing his exhaustion as a chance to grow closer to him.

• Mikoto prepared a bento for Shuji while worrying that the Hyuga clan might arrange a wife for him before she could make progress with her feelings.
• Shuji returned from spirit-body training and realized that the training increased his spirit body’s potential but also drained it, leaving sleep as the only cure for his exhaustion.
• Shuji compared the Spirit Transformation Technique to Orochimaru’s Living Corpse Reincarnation and briefly wondered whether he could use it to possess another body.
• Mikoto arrived at Shuji’s room with a bento and found him too tired to stay awake.
• Mikoto pressed Shuji onto her lap and massaged his temples, deciding that his unusual weakness gave her an excellent opportunity to get closer to him.

After Shuji returned exhausted from his mission, Mikoto cared for him and revealed her feelings through her attentive gestures. Shuji accepted her feelings and fell asleep, while Mikoto resolved to grow stronger and avoid becoming a burden to him.

• Shuji realized Mikoto might like him and decided to give a relationship with her a try.
• Mikoto nervously fed Shuji miso soup, and Shuji teased her trembling hand.
• Shuji told Mikoto he accepted her feelings, but asked to sleep before eating more.
• Mikoto massaged Shuji’s temples as he drifted off, and she resolved not to become his weakness.
• Shuji considered how to replan Mikoto’s growth so she could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan and become a Kage-level powerhouse.

Shuji considered how Mikoto might grow stronger, deciding that the Mangekyō Sharingan was not essential and that she could develop through combat training instead. As Mikoto silently resolved to deepen her bond with him, Sarutobi Hiruzen turned his attention to pressuring the Land of Rain into an alliance with Konoha.

• Shuji weighed ways to awaken Mikoto's Mangekyō Sharingan, then concluded she could become powerful through Lightning Release, Nen Energy, and training.
• Mikoto massaged Shuji's temples as he fell asleep, then silently vowed not to let go of the chance to grow closer to him.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen reviewed the political map and decided Konoha should use the Anbu to pressure small countries that had refused an alliance.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen chose the Land of Rain as Konoha's first target because Amegakure supported Sunagakure and Iwagakure and unsettled trade with neighboring countries.

Shuji exhausted himself using the Spirit Transformation Technique and fell asleep before Sarutobi Hiruzen could discuss the unresolved situation with Amegakure. The next morning, Sarutobi told Shuji that one final problem remained before he could go train at Shikkotsu Forest.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen considered how to make Amegakure support Konoha and prepared to ask Shuji for advice.
• Nawaki burst into Shuji's dorm with barbecue and found Mikoto there, while Shuji recovered from the strain of using the Spirit Transformation Technique.
• Shuji told Nawaki and Mikoto he needed to sleep, and both left his dorm.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen sensed that Shuji did not respond to his Flying Thunder God Kunai, visited his dorm, and let him sleep rather than waking him.
• The next morning, Sarutobi Hiruzen told Shuji that one last problem remained before he could train at Shikkotsu Forest.

Shuji proposed coercing Amegakure by eliminating the Land of Rain’s Daimyo and key ministers, prompting Sarutobi Hiruzen to reconsider whether civilians could be backed by Konoha as successors. The discussion ended with Shuji arguing that Iwagakure’s restraint came from uncertainty about defeating Konoha, not friendship.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen explained that Amegakure was Konoha’s hardest problem and that Shuji could not remain in the Anbu indefinitely.
• Shuji considered supporting the Akatsuki or offering Amegakure financial incentives, but judged both options impractical.
• Shuji suggested targeting the Land of Rain’s Daimyo and important ministers to create a power vacuum.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned whether civilians could become Daimyo, then realized Konoha could support them.
• Shuji proposed repeatedly killing new Daimyo and ministers until the Land of Rain submitted, and argued that Iwagakure avoided war because it lacked confidence in victory.

Shuji persuaded Sarutobi Hiruzen to let him handle Amegakure’s situation, then left to focus on building his influence and strength. Meanwhile, Mikoto rejected her father’s order to marry Uchiha Fugaku and refused to meet him.

• Shuji argued that Amegakure’s declaration of war posed little threat while the other villages waited, and Hiruzen agreed to leave the matter to him.
• Shuji’s spiritual cultivation had sharpened his senses and control, strengthened his mental energy, and increased his Chakra reserves.
• Shuji reminded Hiruzen to pay his 230 million ryo mission fee, then left the Hokage’s office.
• Uchiha Chisaku told Mikoto to meet Uchiha Fugaku and prepare to marry him the following month.
• Mikoto refused, walked away, and then calmly rejected Chisaku’s renewed demand to meet Fugaku.

Mikoto refused Uchiha Chisaku’s attempt to arrange a meeting with Fugaku, while Shuji prepared her and Nawaki for a mission to assassinate the Land of Rain’s Daimyo. The chapter left Shuji testing the Spirit Transformation Technique as Mikoto and Nawaki guarded his body at an inn.

• Mikoto firmly refused to meet Fugaku, even after Chisaku offered to let her decide later whether they were suited for each other.
• Chisaku suspected Mikoto had someone she liked and sent her back to the Anbu, planning to pressure her gradually and observe her relationship.
• Shuji told Mikoto and Nawaki that their target was the Land of Rain’s Daimyo, and the team agreed to gather in civilian clothes.
• At an inn near the Daimyo’s estate, Shuji said he would test the Spirit Transformation Technique while Mikoto and Nawaki protected his body.
• Mikoto promised to protect Shuji and moved closer to him, while Shuji chose not to move away.

Shuji returned to Konoha after his mission destabilized the Land of Rain, where the daimyo and numerous ministers died. Sarutobi Hiruzen approved Shuji’s departure for Shikkotsu Forest, and Shuji told Tsunade he was going to train in Sage Mode.

• The Land of Rain’s daimyo died by apparent suicide, and a minister who tried to conceal his death also died, along with more than a dozen other ministers.
• The power vacuum sparked conflicts among the Land of Rain’s factions, and Amegakure ninja suspected Konoha’s Dan Katō was responsible for the deaths.
• Back in Konoha, Shuji reported to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who told him to train at Shikkotsu Forest and say goodbye to his family and friends.
• Shuji visited Tsunade and told her he had left Anbu and planned to learn Sage Mode at Shikkotsu Forest.
• Tsunade accepted Shuji’s plan and told him to train hard and return soon.

Before leaving for Shikkotsu Forest, Shuji gathered his closest young comrades to urge them to train, stay safe, and prepare for the future. Mikoto admitted she would miss him, and Shuji reaffirmed his plans to leave while accepting their growing relationship.

• After visiting his senior acquaintances, Shuji gathered Nawaki, Hiashi, Mikoto, Hizashi, Hinagiku, Minato, and Kushina in their old grove and told them to prioritize safety and contact him if they faced danger.
• Shuji gave his friends training advice, including directing Nawaki toward Water Release, the Flying Thunder God Technique, and the Yin Seal, and asking Hinagiku to share the Eight Inner Gates method.
• Shuji asked Minato to exchange Lightning Release Chakra Mode notes with Mikoto and promised to help Kushina when she became the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Mikoto asked how long Shuji would train in Shikkotsu Forest, and he said he would stay until the village needed him again.
• Mikoto told Shuji she would miss him, then said she supported his decision and would wait for him in the Anbu.
• When Mikoto called herself Shuji's Mikoto, Shuji smiled and agreed that his Mikoto could become the Anbu's Captain General.

Shuji and Mikoto shared a tender farewell before Shuji left to train in Shikkotsu Forest. Mikoto asked when he would return, and they kissed after she revealed she had secretly kissed him years earlier.

• Hiashi and Kushina noticed Shuji and Mikoto’s closeness, and the group prepared to leave.
• Nawaki accepted that they would share a meal after Shuji returned, while Kushina left with Minato.
• Mikoto asked Shuji if she could hug him, then embraced him and asked when he would come back.
• Shuji told Mikoto he expected to train in Shikkotsu Forest for many years, but said she could call him back to eat together.
• Mikoto kissed Shuji and revealed she had secretly kissed him when he fell asleep on her lap.
• Shuji and Mikoto held each other, then decided to buy fruit for Katsuyu Sage before leaving.

Shuji visited Shikkotsu Forest and demonstrated that he could enter Sage Mode by combining Nen Energy and Chakra. Katsuyu Sage agreed to let him stay and train there, though Shuji still could not exit Sage Mode until his Senjutsu Chakra ran out.

• Shuji confirmed to Katsuyu Sage that Mikoto was his girlfriend, and Katsuyu Sage advised him to pay attention to her feelings.
• Katsuyu Sage began explaining senjutsu training, but Shuji entered Sage Mode by fusing Nen Energy and Chakra.
• Shuji explained that he could maintain Sage Mode for about two hours, but could not separate the energies to leave it voluntarily.
• Shuji asked to stay in Shikkotsu Forest to train instead of doing village missions, and Katsuyu Sage agreed to take him in.

Shuji continued training in Shikkotsu Forest and discussed Nen Energy cultivation with Katsuyu Sage. She revealed that Nen Energy cultivation had a limit, though Shuji was still far from reaching it.

• Shuji realized that leaving Sage Mode was difficult and worked out how to conserve energy by making Sage Art Chakra in portions during combat.
• Katsuyu Sage asked about the Natural Energy Shuji had sensed as a child, and Shuji explained that he called it Nen Energy.
• After Shuji described Nen Energy as energy sensed through intent, Katsuyu Sage shared that its cultivation had limits.
• Shuji guessed the limit concerned strengthening the body, and Katsuyu Sage praised his insight but said he was still far from reaching it.

Shuji learned from Katsuyu Sage that Nen Energy could slow aging by restoring cells, though she could not confirm whether it granted immortality. She also revealed that Nen Energy could strengthen a person's innate traits and that Shuji might learn abilities such as acid and body splitting.

• Katsuyu Sage told Shuji that Nen Energy's physical strengthening slowed at high levels, but its ability to restore the body remained effective.
• Shuji realized Nen Energy might repair cellular damage and extend his lifespan, and Katsuyu Sage said she had lived for about a thousand years.
• Katsuyu Sage urged Shuji to apply Nen Energy to his cells and explained that it could strengthen bodily traits.
• Shuji credited Nen Energy with improving his Byakugan, but Katsuyu Sage said his greatest trait was learning from other living beings.
• Katsuyu Sage said Shuji could try learning her acid and body-splitting abilities, and explained that she had chosen to share her knowledge with him.

Shuji used up nearly all his Chakra while showing the Katsuyu Sage the beauty of senjutsu Chakra, then collapsed into a deep sleep. In Konoha, Mikoto told Nawaki she intended to keep Shuji for herself, while Nawaki proposed joining forces with the Senju and Hyuga clans to support their relationship.

• Shuji fired countless Nen Beads into the sky, creating a gold-blue display of exploding senjutsu Chakra.
• After exhausting himself, Shuji fell asleep, and the Katsuyu Sage realized he had refined and used most of his Chakra.
• Nawaki asked Mikoto whether her family approved of her relationship with Shuji, and Mikoto said she had not told them yet.
• Mikoto told Nawaki that Shuji could only be hers and that she would kill anyone who tried to take him.
• Nawaki suggested that he and Hiashi take over their clans in two years so the Senju and Hyuga could support Mikoto and Shuji, and Mikoto thanked him.
• Mikoto advised Nawaki to wait a little longer before leaving the Anbu, leaving him confused about her reason.

Mikoto advised Nawaki that remaining in the Anbu would help him build influence within the Senju Clan, changing his plans for his future. In Shikkotsu Forest, Shuji trained his spirit and began teaching Katsuyu Sage how to sense and separate her soul.

• Nawaki planned to leave the Anbu after becoming a Jonin and return to the Senju Clan, but Mikoto advised him to stay and use Anbu leadership positions to bring Senju members into his units.
• Mikoto suggested Captain White Fang could help Nawaki secure Anbu positions for Senju members, and Nawaki was surprised by the idea.
• Shuji completed two hours of Steel Muscles and Iron Bones training, then began his daily Spirit Realm practice.
• Katsuyu Sage noticed Shuji separating his soul from his body, and Shuji offered to teach her the technique.
• After struggling to understand his explanation, Katsuyu Sage followed Shuji's suggestion to use the state in which she first sensed Nen Energy.