Chapter Summaries

After Yuhi Kurenai assigned Team 8 its survival exercise, Ryusuke led Hinata and Aburame Shino in discussing their abilities and planning to face her. He then spent time alone with Hinata at his home, where they trained and shared a meal before she went back.

• Aburame Shino yielded Team 8's leadership to Ryusuke, who suggested they discuss their ninjutsu and make a simple plan rather than set traps for Yuhi Kurenai.
• Ryusuke, Hinata, and Aburame Shino described their abilities, and Ryusuke's hidden skills astonished Aburame Shino and impressed Hinata.
• After Team 8 disbanded, Ryusuke invited Hinata to his home to train together, and she agreed.
• Ryusuke and Hinata practiced Taijutsu, but he gained no light orbs from defeating her.
• Hinata stayed for lunch, then washed the dishes and helped clean Ryusuke's house before saying goodbye.

Ryusuke and Team 8 began Yuhi Kurenai’s bell test, and their opening attacks revealed Hinata’s Shadow Clone Technique and Ryusuke’s powerful Water Release. The chapter left Yuhi Kurenai watching in shock as Ryusuke raised his hand toward a giant wave his clone had unleashed at him.

• Ryusuke arrived at the training ground, where Hinata and Aburame Shino were already waiting for Yuhi Kurenai.
• Yuhi Kurenai appeared at eight o’clock, explained that Team 8 had to take her three bells, and began the test.
• A teammate attacked Yuhi Kurenai with kunai, but she used the Substitution Technique to evade them.
• Hinata struck Yuhi Kurenai’s smoke-covered position with Air Palm, then revealed that she had used a Shadow Clone.
• Ryusuke unleashed the Great Waterfall Technique, forcing Yuhi Kurenai to evade, and he and his Shadow Clone charged toward her.
• One Ryusuke used the Great Waterfall Technique against the other, and the front Ryusuke raised his hand toward the oncoming wave.

Ryusuke used a self-developed Water Release technique to hold Yuhi Kurenai’s attention while Aburame Shino stole the bells, winning the team’s test. Afterward, Ryusuke reflected on his secretly awakened Two-Tomoe Sharingan and revealed that Chakra Control had helped him master the Rasengan.

• Ryusuke unleashed the Spiral Water Dragon Roll, forcing Yuhi Kurenai to evade its destructive force.
• Yuhi Kurenai trapped Ryusuke with Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, but Ryusuke revealed that Aburame Shino had taken all three bells while she focused on him.
• Aburame Shino gave two bells to Ryusuke and Hinata, and Yuhi Kurenai admitted defeat, triggering a Blue Light Cluster to drop for Ryusuke.
• Ryusuke deactivated his Sharingan and recalled awakening it as a Two-Tomoe Sharingan half a year earlier.
• Ryusuke recalled secretly training the Rasengan and explained that the Chakra Control he obtained from Sakura had finally let him overcome his difficulty learning it.

Ryusuke impressed Yuhi Kurenai with his self-developed Signless Water Release and let her believe he was independently approaching the Rasengan. On the way to the Hokage Building, he fused with the Genjutsu Expert talent he had obtained from Kurenai.

• Yuhi Kurenai asked Ryusuke how he developed his Signless Water Release, and he explained his experiments with chakra control and rotation.
• Ryusuke demonstrated a chakra vortex that briefly formed a ball before exploding, prompting Kurenai to offer to ask a disciple of the Fourth Hokage about the Rasengan.
• Yuhi Kurenai praised Ryusuke and advised him to practice carefully with Shadow Clones, while Hinata and Aburame Shino admired his ability.
• Ryusuke checked his Virtual Panel and found a Blue Light Cluster labeled Genjutsu Expert in his Space Backpack.
• Ryusuke fused with the Genjutsu Expert talent as the group headed to the Hokage Building.

Over two months of D-Rank missions and training, Ryusuke mastered genjutsu and awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan while growing closer to Hinata. Yuhi Kurenai then told Team 8 that their work had earned praise and she would take them to receive higher-level missions.

• Team 8 completed D-Rank missions while Yuhi Kurenai taught them ninja fundamentals and tested their chakra attributes.
• Ryusuke learned Yuhi Kurenai's genjutsu scroll in one day, so she gave him extra lessons and focused on cultivating his talent.
• Ryusuke's Sharingan evolved into the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, greatly strengthening his genjutsu.
• Ryusuke and Hinata trained together after missions, and Hinata often ate dinner at Ryusuke's home and helped him with chores.
• Yuhi Kurenai arrived at Team 8's usual meeting place and announced that she would take them to receive higher-level missions.

Ryusuke welcomed Team 8’s first C-Rank mission outside the village and hoped it would help him expand his combat experience and arsenal. After arranging to escort a merchant caravan to Iron Mine Village, he went home to train with Hinata, who fainted after he teased her about her development.

• Ryusuke reflected on how he could strengthen himself by gaining combat experience, new techniques, and chakra abilities.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned Team 8 to escort a merchant caravan from Konoha to Iron Mine Village in the Land of Rivers.
• Yuhi Kurenai negotiated with the caravan’s leader, who appeared especially interested in Hinata’s Byakugan, then told the team to meet at the village entrance the next morning.
• Ryusuke invited Hinata to train, and they bought ingredients before returning home to spar in the training room.
• Ryusuke caught Hinata when she lost her balance and teased her about developing, causing her to blush and faint.

Team 8 escorted Mr. Yamada’s merchant caravan to Iron Mine Village, where they declined his invitation and started back toward Konoha. A group in black raincoats appeared in their path, and Hinata warned that her Byakugan had not detected them earlier.

• Ryusuke explained that he stored his luggage in his Space Backpack, while Hinata remained shy around him.
• Yuhi Kurenai introduced Mr. Yamada, and Team 8 left Konoha with his merchant caravan.
• After entering the Land of Rivers, Hinata spotted bandit scouts, and Shino’s insects stopped bandits who followed the caravan.
• Team 8 reached Iron Mine Village on the fifth day, collected the mission reward, and began the return journey without resting there.
• A group in black raincoats appeared ahead, prompting Kurenai to signal caution as Hinata told Ryusuke and Shino that her Byakugan had not seen them.

Team 8 survived Raiga Kurosuki’s mist ambush and discovered that he could evade the Byakugan and sensory insects. Kurenai, Ryusuke, Hinata, and Shino chose to face the rogue ninja together as he launched another lightning attack.

• Kurenai recognized the Hidden Mist Technique as Raiga’s group passed Team 8, and Hinata detected what appeared to be a hundred enemies in the mist.
• Shino identified the apparent attackers as illusions, and Ryusuke used the Spiral Water Dragon Roll to sweep Raiga’s companions away.
• Raiga struck Team 8 with a massive lightning bolt, but Ryusuke rescued Hinata and helped the group escape the blast.
• Ryusuke located Raiga and explained that the enemy had a method for countering the Byakugan and sensory abilities.
• Kurenai proposed holding Raiga off while the others fled, but Ryusuke, Hinata, and Shino stood with her, and the team prepared to fight together.
• Raiga sent another enormous bolt of lightning down toward Team 8.

Raiga Kurosuki used a hidden warning to expose and knock Yuhi Kurenai unconscious, forcing Ryusuke to take command of Team 8. Ryusuke countered Raiga with clones, rock avalanches, water techniques, and a Sharingan genjutsu, then pierced him with a Hard Vortex Water Blade.

• Raiga Kurosuki used a Lightning Ball to strike Yuhi Kurenai after the boy in his raincoat revealed her position, and she fell unconscious.
• Ryusuke sent Hinata to rescue and treat Kurenai, ordered Shino to protect them, and created five Shadow Clones to attack Raiga.
• Raiga and Ryusuke used Rock Avalanche against each other, then Ryusuke's clones combined water techniques into two Water Dragon Tornadoes.
• Raiga destroyed the unfinished Water Dragon Tornadoes with Lightning Strike and landed on the ground, where the boy warned him to move.
• Ryusuke trapped Raiga in Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique and pierced him with a Hard Vortex Water Blade that also struck the hidden boy beneath his raincoat.

Ryusuke developed new techniques and defeated Raiga Kurosuki, then discovered that the fight had yielded several loot drops, including the Red Eye and Lightning Attribute. He fused with the Lightning Attribute and realized that killing an enemy did not necessarily make all their abilities drop.

• Ryusuke combined his Sharingan genjutsu with the Body Freeze Technique to create Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, and developed a Shadow Clone-assisted Hard Vortex Water Blade.
• After landing, Ryusuke saw seven colored light clusters emerge from the Water Dragon Tornado and fly toward him.
• Ryusuke identified the red cluster as the Red Eye, which had interfered with Hinata's Byakugan, and the blue cluster as Lightning Attribute.
• Ryusuke fused with the Lightning Attribute and identified five white clusters as ninjutsu Raiga Kurosuki had known.
• Ryusuke noticed the drops did not include Raiga Kurosuki's lightning slash and reconsidered his idea of killing Sasuke Uchiha for his abilities.

After killing Raiga Kurosuki, Ryusuke secured Lightning Blade: Kiba and concealed his Sharingan technique by destroying the corpses. Team 8 returned to Konoha, where Ryusuke recognized the bridge builder Tazuna as he passed him.

• Ryusuke worried about his weaknesses in defense and speed, then learned that Yuhi Kurenai had recovered from Raiga Kurosuki's attack.
• Yuhi Kurenai praised Ryusuke for killing Raiga Kurosuki, and Ryusuke claimed he had used her Body Freeze Technique to immobilize him.
• Ryusuke chose Lightning Blade: Kiba as his spoils, and Yuhi Kurenai agreed to conceal what happened by destroying Raiga Kurosuki's corpse.
• Ryusuke realized the corpse could expose his Sharingan, so he helped destroy and remove the remains before Team 8 returned to Konoha.
• Yuhi Kurenai gave Ryusuke, Hinata, and Aburame Shino three days off, and Ryusuke recognized Tazuna while shopping in the village.

After acquiring the Red Eye, Ryusuke learned its abilities and used it to track Tazuna. When Team 7 began escorting Tazuna toward the Land of Waves, Ryusuke secretly left Konoha and followed them.

• Ryusuke fused the Red Eye and discovered it gave him red-tinted vision, long-range and X-ray sight, and the ability to create illusions that fooled sensory abilities.
• Ryusuke reasoned that the Red Eye resembled the Byakugan, which he believed was the origin of all eye techniques.
• Ryusuke used the Red Eye to watch Tazuna, then saw Team 7 gather at the Hokage Building after Tazuna arrived there.
• Ryusuke disguised himself, hypnotized the gate guards with genjutsu, and left Konoha without a Village Exit Permit.
• Ryusuke hid near the village gate behind a Red Eye illusion and followed Team 7 and Tazuna as they set out for the Land of Waves.

Team 7 escorted Tazuna to the Land of Waves, where Kakashi fought Zabuza while Naruto and Sasuke worked together to free him. Ryusuke watched from hiding until Haku took Zabuza’s body, then followed Haku.

• Kakashi Hatake, Sakura, and Ryusuke watched Team 7 travel toward the Land of Waves, with Ryusuke following unseen to test the Red Eye’s illusion ability.
• Sakura spotted the suspicious puddle and signaled Sasuke Uchiha, but the Demon Brothers still ambushed Team 7; Sasuke defeated them while Naruto froze in shock.
• Team 7 chose to continue escorting Tazuna, crossed to the Land of Waves, and encountered Zabuza Momochi in the fog.
• Zabuza trapped Kakashi Hatake in a Water Prison, but Naruto and Sasuke coordinated an attack that forced Zabuza to release him.
• Kakashi defeated Zabuza with the Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, but Haku appeared and took Zabuza’s body after striking him with senbon.
• Ryusuke recognized Haku as his objective and followed him using the Body Flicker Technique.

Ryusuke captured Zabuza Momochi and Haku, then experimented with repeatedly healing and knocking them unconscious to trigger equipment drops. After obtaining an orb from Zabuza but none from Haku, he concluded that unequal strength and poor evaluations lowered the drop rate and decided to try another method.

• Kakashi Hatake collapsed from overusing the Sharingan after Haku left.
• Ryusuke ambushed Haku and Zabuza Momochi with a wave, Hidden Mist Technique, and genjutsu, then captured them.
• Ryusuke repeatedly had his Shadow Clone heal Zabuza Momochi and knocked him unconscious whenever he woke, eventually producing a white orb.
• Ryusuke tried the same process with Haku but obtained no orb, even by nightfall.
• Ryusuke reasoned that unequal strength and low evaluations reduced the drop rate, so he stopped the experiment and prepared to try another method.

Haku woke to find Zabuza captive and agreed to help Ryusuke with an experiment in exchange for Zabuza’s release. After repeated fights against Ryusuke’s Shadow Clones, Ryusuke discovered that their victories could trigger equipment drops and exploit the system’s drop-rate rules.

• Haku woke beside a campfire, saw Zabuza tied up, and offered himself to Ryusuke in exchange for Zabuza’s freedom.
• Ryusuke freed Haku’s chains and had him fight a powerful Shadow Clone using only weapons from a ninja tool pouch.
• The Shadow Clone defeated Haku ten times, and Ryusuke recorded each loss before switching to a clone with chakra comparable to Haku’s.
• Haku continued losing to the weaker Shadow Clone until blue light appeared when it defeated him.
• Ryusuke realized that his Shadow Clones’ victories counted as his own and could trigger equipment drops, revealing a loophole in the system.

Ryusuke used a Shadow Clone to test whether the game system would reward him for defeating Haku, then gained Ice Release and One-Handed Seals by collecting Haku’s drops. After treating Haku, he left without killing him or Zabuza Momochi.

• Ryusuke’s Shadow Clone used mist and the Red Eye’s red powder to trap Haku in a genjutsu, making Haku believe he was winning.
• The Shadow Clone defeated Haku with Spiral Water Dragon Roll, and the system dropped a red light cluster despite the opponent being defeated by a clone.
• Ryusuke inspected the drops from Haku and Zabuza Momochi, then fused One-Handed Seal and Ice Release into himself.
• Ryusuke used one-handed seals to create Ice Rock Dome No Jutsu and considered developing colder, more powerful ice techniques.
• After his Shadow Clone treated Haku, Ryusuke confirmed Haku was alive, dispelled the clone, and left without killing Haku or Zabuza Momochi.

After returning to Konoha, Ryusuke bought a film camera and began photographing Hinata during their training. As the exhausted Hinata finally lost another spar to his Shadow Clone, a red light appeared, signaling that Ryusuke had obtained the Byakugan.

• Ryusuke returned to Konoha, took a day off, and bought a compact film camera after negotiating its price down to 88,888 ryo.
• Ryusuke returned to Team 8's D-Rank Missions, and Yuhi Kurenai felt confident that her students could defeat Kakashi Hatake's team in the approaching Chunin Exams.
• Ryusuke invited Hinata to spar at an abandoned training ground and secretly photographed her with his new camera.
• Ryusuke used increasingly weaker Shadow Clones to find and exploit Hinata's openings as they sparred over the next several days.
• After a Shadow Clone defeated Hinata again, a red light appeared on her, and Ryusuke recognized it as the sign that he had gained the Byakugan.

Ryusuke fused the Byakugan and trained with Lightning Blade: Kiba to improve his speed and defense. In late June, an eagle’s call sent Konoha’s jonin rushing to the Hokage Building, and Ryusuke realized the Chunin Exams were likely near.

• Ryusuke fused the Byakugan, tested its vision, and learned that activating it revealed chakra and meridians across a kilometer.
• Ryusuke decided to avoid using the conspicuous Byakugan veins unless necessary and trained Lightning Release with Kiba to address his speed and defense.
• Team 8 continued taking only D-Rank missions as late June approached.
• An eagle’s piercing cry rang across Konoha, and the jonin rushed to the Hokage Building with the Body Flicker Technique.
• Yuhi Kurenai told Ryusuke and his teammates to finish their mission, disband, and meet at their usual place the next day, while Ryusuke suspected the Chunin Exams were approaching.

Team 8 decided to enter the Chunin Exams, and Ryusuke trained while reconsidering his role in the coming Konoha Crush. He formed a risky plan that could change his future and returned home to refine it.

• Yuhi Kurenai gave Ryusuke, Aburame Shino, and Hinata their Chunin Exams applications and warned them about the risks of facing genin from other villages.
• Ryusuke, Aburame Shino, and Hinata agreed to participate, then parted ways to prepare for the exams.
• Ryusuke trained at a waterfall with five Shadow Clones while using them to watch for anyone approaching or spying on him.
• After reviewing his diary and the Chunin Exams plot, Ryusuke considered a bold plan involving the coming Konoha Crush.
• Ryusuke abandoned his training and returned home to perfect his plan.

After several days indoors, Ryusuke rejoined Team 8 to submit their Chunin Exam applications and demonstrated his genjutsu against foreign genin and Konoha’s gatekeepers. The team passed the Academy’s deception and reached the registration area, while Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki wondered what other talented genin the exams might reveal.

• Ryusuke left home and met Hinata, taking photographs of her before Aburame Shino arrived and caught him.
• Team 8 set off for the Ninja Academy with their completed application forms, and Ryusuke used genjutsu to unsettle hostile foreign genin along the way.
• At the Administration Building, Team 8 resisted the genjutsu that made other examinees mistake the second floor for the third.
• Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki assumed Hinata had broken the genjutsu with her Byakugan, but Ryusuke put both chunin under genjutsu without hand seals and the team passed them.
• Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki realized Ryusuke had used genjutsu on them and looked forward to seeing more talented genin in the exams.