Chapter Summaries

Kawaki Aoba insisted on joining Yuhi Shinku’s dangerous mission into the Land of Wind and was appointed vice-captain alongside Yuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma. The team departed for the border to meet the covert operative Shadow Snake, with Aoba assigned to plan their scouting at the rendezvous point, Sand Eye.

• Kawaki Aoba convinced Yuhi Shinku that he was prepared for the mission, and Shinku named him vice-captain responsible for the team if anything happened to him.
• Yuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma joined Aoba and Shinku, and the group discussed the dangers of Sunagakure, including sandstorms, puppets, poison, and Sasori of the Red Sands.
• After Aoba and Shinku reaffirmed their commitment to protect the team, Aoba went home while a mysterious figure carried a letter marked “Land of Wind.”
• The next morning, Aoba, Kurenai, Asuma, and Shinku left Konoha for the Land of Wind.
• On the journey, Shinku explained that they had to retrieve the covert operative Shadow Snake alive and revealed that the rendezvous point was an abandoned oasis called Sand Eye.
• Shinku assigned Aoba to devise a scouting plan for Sand Eye, with Kurenai and Asuma assisting him.

Yuhi Shinku's team traveled to the Land of Wind to investigate missing merchant caravans and suspected Sunagakure involvement. At the border, Kawaki Aoba encountered Sand ninja who knew about Shadow Snake, while the chapter ended with the team preparing to scout Sand Eye Oasis.

• Yuhi Shinku briefed Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Kazama Taro on the mission to investigate the missing caravans and warned them to gather solid evidence before acting.
• The team traveled west from Konoha, and Yuhi Shinku suspected that someone high up in Sunagakure might be involved in provoking conflict.
• After three days, Kazama Taro handed out protective cloaks as the team reached the desert border of the Land of Wind.
• Yuhi Shinku ordered the team to hide near Sand Eye Oasis and split up to scout three routes, with Kurenai taking the northeast, Asuma the west, and Aoba the southeast.
• Aoba overheard Sand ninja say Konoha's spy had been exposed, then fought one of them after a blade revealed his hiding place.
• Aoba used Water Release to strike the Sand ninja and dodged a sandstorm attack while hoping Kurenai and Asuma would arrive.

Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Yuhi Shinku investigated a wrecked caravan near the Land of Wind and discovered masked wandering ninja who had taken its goods to the Sand Snake Nest. The story then shifted to the team’s journey from Konoha toward the Land of Wind, where Aoba spotted a possible threat near a rock.

• Kawaki Aoba sensed three strong chakra signatures near the caravan wreckage, and he and Yuhi Kurenai found masked ninja discussing goods taken to the Sand Snake Nest.
• Yuhi Shinku ordered Aoba and Kurenai to watch the suspects while he and Kazama Taro searched for caravan survivors.
• Yuhi Shinku led Aoba and Kurenai out of Konoha toward the Land of Wind and warned Aoba that the mission would test his combat experience.
• Yuhi Shinku halted the team in a forest, but Aoba and Kurenai found no threat beyond a startled deer.
• As the team approached the desert, Aoba spotted something glinting near a large rock and warned Yuhi Shinku.

Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Yuhi Shinku encountered a mysterious fighter battling Sand ninja over stolen Sunagakure secrets, then joined the fight when the stranger tried to escape. Aoba and Kurenai retreated to find reinforcements while Shinku stayed behind, and the stranger identified himself as Black Snake and hinted at a larger plan.

• Yuhi Shinku, Yuhi Kurenai, and Kawaki Aoba investigated movement behind a boulder and were caught in a Sand ninja ambush, where Aoba was injured.
• The trio observed a mysterious fighter defeat and ensnare Sand ninja with black vines, after hearing that he had stolen Sunagakure secrets.
• Yuhi Shinku, Yuhi Kurenai, and Kawaki Aoba attacked the mysterious fighter, but he broke Kurenai's genjutsu and wounded Aoba with a vine.
• Yuhi Shinku ordered Aoba and Kurenai to retreat while he held off the mysterious fighter, and they left to seek reinforcements.
• The mysterious fighter told Yuhi Shinku that he was Black Snake and that Sunagakure's secrets were only a small part of his plan.

Yuhi Shinku, Kawaki Aoba, and Yuhi Kurenai survived Black Snake and a masked ally’s attack after Konoha reinforcements arrived, then continued their mission in the Land of Wind. They watched a mysterious swordsman slaughter Sunagakure ninja, while Yuhi Shinku suspected the confrontation was bait for an ambush.

• Yuhi Shinku fought Black Snake, but a second attacker ambushed him as Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Kurenai returned to help.
• Black Snake trapped Aoba and Kurenai in black vines; Kurenai’s genjutsu gave Aoba a chance to break them free.
• The attackers pressed Shinku and his students until Konoha reinforcements arrived, prompting Black Snake and the shadow to retreat.
• Shinku said the enemies’ mention of classified information was connected to their mission and ordered the group to report back to the Hokage.
• Aoba followed Shinku to a battle outside Sunagakure, where a mysterious cloaked swordsman killed several Sunagakure ninja.
• Shinku warned that the mysterious man might be bait in a Sunagakure ambush, but he could not identify the swordsman’s black energy technique.

Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Shinku tried to capture a mysterious man as Sunagakure reinforcements attacked him, but the man’s strange black sealing technique overwhelmed them. After Yuhi Shinku was badly wounded while protecting Aoba, Aoba escaped with him and vowed to uncover the man’s identity and avenge his captain.

• Yuhi Shinku warned Kawaki Aoba not to trust the mysterious man, then spotted Sunagakure reinforcements approaching across the dunes.
• The mysterious man activated the Black Prison Sealing Formation and clashed with the masked Sunagakure Jonin and his elite companions.
• Yuhi Shinku and Kawaki Aoba charged into the battle, but the mysterious man expanded his formation and overpowered their combined fire-and-lightning attack.
• Yuhi Shinku told Kawaki Aoba to retreat, but the mysterious man struck him with black sword energy as he shielded Aoba.
• A Konoha Anbu shinobi blocked the man’s next attack and ordered Kawaki Aoba to carry Yuhi Shinku away.
• Kawaki Aoba escaped with the wounded Yuhi Shinku and vowed to uncover the mysterious man’s identity and avenge his captain.

Kawaki Aoba’s team escorted medical supplies toward the Land of Rivers while questioning the mission’s hidden purpose and choosing a safer route. After Ino sensed three Chunin-level ambushers, the scene shifted to a ruined settlement where Shino and Mizuki warned that local outlaws used traps and underhanded tactics.

• Yuhi Shinku explained that the team was delivering medical supplies to an epidemic-struck border town and warned that bandits might target them.
• At the waystation, Yuhi Kurenai suspected the mission had another purpose, and the mysterious man promised to warn the team if danger arose.
• The team chose the main road over Ino’s canyon shortcut, then Ino detected three Chunin-level Chakra signatures lying in ambush.
• Yuhi Shinku ordered Ino to track the ambushers, Kawaki Aoba to prepare a Defensive Barrier, and the mysterious man to watch the flank.
• In a ruined settlement, Yuhi Shinku warned that outlaws had arranged hidden sentries and traps, while Shino dismissed them and Mizuki cautioned against underestimating them.

Kawaki Aoba and his team discovered a concealed Jonin-level figure performing a ritual beneath a ruined house while Yuhi Shinku met with Sato to arrange the supply handover. After the team prepared to depart, Aoba and his companions sensed that their surroundings were suspiciously quiet.

• Kawaki Aoba spotted hidden sentries and traps, and Yuhi Shinku ordered the team to find their contact, Sato, at the town warehouse.
• Kawaki Aoba and Aburame Shino investigated a watched house and discovered a Jonin-level person performing a ritual in its basement behind a barrier.
• Yuhi Shinku sent Kawaki Aoba and Aburame Shino to keep watch while he and Mizuki went to meet Sato and secure the supply handover.
• Yuhi Shinku and Mizuki found Sato in the warehouse, where he warned them that the town was unsafe and discussed cooperation.
• After the supplies were loaded onto carts, Kawaki Aoba, Nara Yu, and Aburame Zhihui prepared to depart and noted the eerie silence around them.

Kawaki Aoba and his team escorted a supply convoy through a suspicious town, where black-clad ninja ambushed them and targeted the carts. The fight continued as Aoba, Nara Yu, and Aburame Zhihui worked together to stop two attackers preparing a powerful Fire Release.

• Yuhi Shinku ordered Kawaki Aoba, Nara Yu, and Aburame Zhihui to scout their assigned sides and keep the convoy in formation.
• Aoba spotted movement in a building, and black-clad ninja attacked the convoy with kunai.
• Shinku and the team fought back as more attackers emerged, while Aoba guarded the supplies and Zhihui's insects swarmed the enemies.
• Zhihui detected two ninja preparing Fire Release behind an earthen wall, and their flames narrowly missed Aoba.
• Aoba interrupted the attackers' next hand seals with a Wind Release technique, then coordinated with Yu and Zhihui to surround them and bind one with the Shadow Imitation Technique.

After returning from the Land of Rivers, Kawaki Aoba learned that the Third Hokage had been attacked and recognized a possible link to a purple liquid carried by one of the black-clad men. At Anbu Headquarters, he gave his account and asked to inspect the attack scene to confirm the connection.

• Kawaki Aoba and his team returned to Konoha amid rumors that the Third Hokage had been attacked, and Yuhi Shinku took them to the Hokage Building.
• Kakashi confirmed that the Third Hokage had suffered severe injuries and described corrosive damage and traces of purple smoke at the scene.
• Kawaki Aoba connected those traces to a small bottle of glowing purple liquid he had seen on a black-clad man during the Land of Rivers mission.
• Yuhi Shinku warned Kawaki Aoba, Nara Shikamaru, and Choji Akimichi that the village faced danger, then told them to report to Anbu Headquarters the next morning.
• At Anbu Headquarters, Kawaki Aoba described the bottle and the suspicious behavior of its owner, while Yuhi Shinku and the others recalled the black-clad leader's secrecy.
• Kawaki Aoba asked Kakashi to let him see the attack scene so he could check whether the purple liquid was connected.

Kawaki Aoba linked marks at the Hokage assassination scene to evidence he had seen in the Land of Rivers, while Sarutobi Hiruzen remained gravely ill from Orochimaru’s poison. After training with Yuhi Shinku, Aoba joined a mission to investigate Orochimaru’s nearby subordinates and kept watch with his team in the forest.

• Kawaki Aoba recognized charred marks at the assassination scene as similar to marks he had seen in the Land of Rivers, giving Kakashi and Yuhi Shinku a lead to investigate.
• Kawaki Aoba visited the injured Sarutobi Hiruzen and learned from Nara Shikaku that Orochimaru’s poison had left the Hokage in serious condition.
• Kawaki Aoba trained with Yuhi Shinku for two hours, determined to grow strong enough to protect Konoha and the Third Hokage.
• An Anbu ninja summoned Yuhi Shinku and Kawaki Aoba, and Nara Shikaku assigned Shinku to lead a team investigating Orochimaru’s spotted subordinates near the village.
• Kawaki Aoba and his team camped in the forest, where he watched the unusually quiet surroundings as Yuhi Kurenai offered him her canteen.

Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Kurenai guarded the camp when three concealed enemies attacked, while Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Shinku investigated a chakra presence nearby. After an explosion sounded in the distance, Aoba rushed to support them, and the chapter left him and Kurenai at the watchtower, still uneasy about the unusually quiet forest.

• Yuhi Shinku sensed concealed chakra northwest of the camp, so Sarutobi Asuma took him to investigate and ordered Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Kurenai to stay behind.
• Three masked figures attacked the camp, and Kawaki Aoba fought their leader while Yuhi Kurenai trapped the other two with genjutsu.
• Kawaki Aoba was wounded while protecting Yuhi Kurenai, who then ensnared the attackers with the Hell Viewing Technique.
• After an explosion lit the distant forest, Kawaki Aoba left Yuhi Kurenai to watch the captives and hurried toward Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Shinku.
• At dawn, Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Kurenai reached the watchtower and remarked on the strange quiet surrounding the woods.

Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yuhi Shinku encountered a powerful stranger and his enormous wolf at the Land of Fire border, then the story shifted to the team training at Kage Rock. Yuhi Shinku urged the three young ninja to hurry as they struggled through their run.

• Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Kurenai found a huge claw mark in an abandoned watchtower and heard a heavy impact outside.
• Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Kurenai fought a giant black wolf until a hooded man appeared and claimed it was his companion.
• Sarutobi Asuma and Yuhi Shinku joined the confrontation, but the stranger blocked Asuma's attack, evaded Shinku's fireball, and threatened the four ninja.
• The four ninja formed up and Kawaki Aoba began preparing a genjutsu against the stranger.
• Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma ran laps around Kage Rock while Yuhi Shinku called for them to pick up the pace.

Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma completed Yuhi Shinku’s grueling run and prepared for a combat exercise against Kakashi, Might Guy, and Rin. The chapter ended with Aoba explaining how he used his hearing and sense of touch to navigate the forest despite being unable to see.

• Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Asuma raced beneath Kage Rock and finished their training run together.
• Yuhi Shinku announced that the next morning’s exercise would test their teamwork against an opponent they could not handle easily.
• Aoba, Kurenai, and Asuma discussed the coming drill on their way home, and Aoba worried that Kakashi might be among their opponents.
• The next morning, Yuhi Shinku brought Kakashi, Might Guy, and Rin to the training ground as the opposing squad.
• Yuhi Shinku told Sarutobi Hiruzen that Aoba’s sharp senses, willpower, and adaptability gave him the potential to become one of Konoha’s pillars.
• As Aoba ran through the forest with Kurenai and Asuma, he explained that he navigated by listening to sounds and sensing the air and ground.

Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma completed their exercise, and Sarutobi Hiruzen praised Aoba’s sensory abilities before warning them that a stricter test awaited the next day. The three returned to Konoha and shared a barbecue dinner, while Aoba wondered what tomorrow’s test would bring.

• Yuhi Kurenai struggled to navigate with her eyes closed, while Kawaki Aoba explained how he relied on his other senses and said he did not want to be left behind.
• Sarutobi Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai, and Kawaki Aoba reached the target field, where Asuma said first place would earn personal guidance from Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned Kawaki Aoba about his sensory abilities, praised him, and told Yuhi Shinku to pay close attention to Aoba’s development.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen announced that a stricter test would take place the next day, leaving Asuma eager to try actual combat and Aoba quietly anticipating the challenge.
• Sarutobi Asuma invited Yuhi Kurenai and Kawaki Aoba to barbecue, and the three celebrated their performance while speculating about tomorrow’s test.

Kawaki Aoba spent time with Yuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma after their exercise, impressing them and their teachers with his ability to navigate by sound despite being blind. The chapter ended with the three teammates walking through Konoha together, growing closer as they looked toward the future.

• Kawaki Aoba joked with Yuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma over dinner, then told them he trained because he wanted to keep up with his teammates.
• After the exercise, Yuhi Shinku and Sarutobi Hiruzen praised the three students and discussed Kawaki Aoba's potential.
• Kawaki Aoba explained that he used wind, footsteps, and ground vibrations to find his way, even during a noisy run up Kage Rock.
• Yuhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma bickered as Yuhi Shinku threatened to make them copy the Shinobi Code ten times.
• The team headed back through Konoha, where Kawaki Aoba confidently sensed the people around him and shared jokes with his friends.

Kawaki Aoba trained with Yuhi Shinku, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma before learning that the Hokage had assigned them a dangerous reconnaissance mission near the Land of Wind. The team prepared to leave the next morning, wary that the rogue ninja might include former Konoha shinobi.

• Yuhi Shinku treated Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma to barbecue, where they praised Aoba's hard work and sensory training.
• Yuhi Shinku trained the students in the clearing and reminded Aoba not to push himself too hard.
• Yuhi Shinku told the team to investigate a suspected rogue-ninja hideout near the Land of Wind and avoid direct confrontation if possible.
• Yuhi Shinku warned that the rogue ninja might be connected to Konoha's past and could know the village's tactics and weaknesses.
• Yuhi Shinku told Aoba to show no mercy if Konoha's rogue ninja attacked, while prioritizing the team's safety.
• Yuhi Shinku ordered the team to rest and depart early the next morning, and Sarutobi Asuma urged everyone to get dinner before the mission.

Kawaki Aoba and his team learned that their mission in the Land of Rivers involved mysterious ruins and a powerful forbidden technique, then continued through the forest toward the border. They detected traces of a recently destroyed barrier and signs of battle, leaving them on alert for nearby threats.

• Yuhi Shinku told Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Hyuga Hinata that the ruins might contain a forbidden technique capable of changing a nation's fate, while warning that rival forces could interfere.
• Kawaki Aoba and Hyuga Hinata admitted their fears, pledged to rely on their teammates, and prepared to scout and guard the group as they traveled.
• After the team set out at night, Kawaki Aoba sensed a faint, unusual Chakra trace about two hundred meters ahead.
• Hyuga Hinata used her Byakugan to confirm scattered Chakra, a destroyed barrier, and recent signs of battle in the forest.
• Yuhi Shinku ordered the team to stay vigilant, and Kawaki Aoba vowed to fight alongside his companions if they encountered enemies.

Kawaki Aoba and Yuhi Shinku's team encountered the Black Fiend Gang in Black Rock Valley and fought off an initial group of rogue ninja. As a larger group attacked, Aoba battled one of its members while Shinku faced the leader, and the fight remained unresolved.

• Yuhi Shinku led Kawaki Aoba, Yuhi Kurenai, and Nara Yuto toward an abandoned tower in Black Rock Valley to investigate clues to a target ninjutsu.
• Yuhi Kurenai sensed ninja nearby, and three masked shadows ambushed the team and demanded their intelligence.
• Aoba helped Kurenai defeat one attacker, but another cut his arm before Shinku knocked him down and ordered the team to fall back.
• Several stronger Black Fiend Gang members appeared, and Hyuga Hinata joined the group, using her Byakugan to count twelve enemies and identify unusual chakra in their leader.
• Aoba used Wind Style: Gale Palm and close combat against one of the gang members while Shinku clashed with the leader, who taunted him that his swordsmanship was not good enough.

Kawaki Aoba and his team defeated the Black Fiend Gang in the Land of Rivers, but Yuhi Shinku warned that a greater danger lay ahead. As they continued through an unnaturally quiet forest, Shinku sensed concealed Chakra and ordered the team to stay alert.

• Yuhi Kurenai, Hinata, Yuhi Shinku, and Kawaki Aoba fought the Black Fiend Gang through the leader’s poisonous Blood Mist Technique, and Aoba protected Hinata while counterattacking.
• Kurenai’s Genjutsu and Aoba’s Wind Release exposed the leader, allowing Yuhi Shinku to pierce his chest; the remaining gang members fled.
• Yuhi Shinku ordered the team to conserve Chakra, and Hinata confirmed that no enemies remained nearby.
• The team continued through the forest, where Kawaki Aoba and Tsukino Saori noticed the unnatural silence.
• Yuhi Shinku sensed that someone had concealed the forest’s Chakra flow and assigned Kazama Ryosuke and Tsukino Saori to scout while Aoba stayed with him.