Chapter Summaries

Hinata told Wu Zhu to choose his next destination and asked him to establish a secure new headquarters for the Dawn Organization in a hidden cave near the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Soup. She planned to summon several core members to help him, leaving the base’s construction as the next task.

• Wu Zhu surveyed the barren mountain where he had appeared and acted as though he found his isolation amusing.
• Hinata explained that Wu Zhu was in the Land of Rivers and could visit Konoha, travel through the ninja world, or head to the Land of Fire–Land of Soup border.
• Hinata asked Wu Zhu to turn a hidden cave there into a new Dawn Organization headquarters for the group’s valuable assets.
• Hinata said she would call a core meeting the following night and propose that Ethereal, Winter Rain, Gensei, Kurama Mutsu, and Mizuki Rei return to help Wu Zhu.

Hinata planned to gather several Dawn Organization members to help clean up a hidden base, arranging to meet Wu Zhu at Hokage Rock in ten days. After their call ended, she reflected that Wu Zhu’s behavior had unexpectedly unsettled her.

• Hinata proposed bringing several outer-circle Dawn Organization members to help clean up the base, and Wu Zhu agreed.
• Hinata told Wu Zhu to meet her at Hokage Rock in ten days and said she would send the other members there.
• Hinata hurriedly finished the conversation as the system warned that real-time sharing was about to end, and the call disconnected.
• Back in her room, Hinata realized she had been cautious because Wu Zhu had thrown her off and decided he might be more troublesome than the others.

Hinata waited in bed for daylight while Wu Zhu searched for a way down the sheer mountain cliffs. By sunrise, Wu Zhu had reached the foot of a mountain in the Land of Rivers, battered and disheveled but still smiling.

• Hinata decided to stay in bed and tell her hungry stomach to wait until morning.
• Wu Zhu set out to find a way down the mountain, irritated that Hinata had watched him during their call.
• Wu Zhu found the surrounding peaks had no paths and realized he would have to climb down using vines.
• Wu Zhu climbed down and reached the foot of a perilous mountain in the Land of Rivers around sunrise, with torn, dirty clothes and a steady smile.

Wu Zhu reached the ground after climbing down from the mountain and set off after washing and drinking at a river. In Konoha, Hyuga Hiashi watched Hinata eat at an astonishing pace and worried that her appetite would strain the clan, briefly considering marrying her into a wealthy clan before deciding against raising the idea for now.

• Wu Zhu washed his face and drank from a river after reaching the ground, then chose a direction and set off.
• Hinata finally received food after several hours and ate far more quickly than before.
• Hyuga Hiashi worried that Hinata's appetite could become too expensive for the Hyuga Clan to support.
• Hyuga Hiashi considered marrying Hinata into a wealthy clan but suppressed the idea because she was still young.

Hinata finished eating while Hyuga Hiashi watched, then he left after asking her to rest and visit Neji at the hospital. Hinata planned to write letters and visit Yuhua Senju to arrange clothes for Wu Zhu and learn more about the mysterious former Senju ninja.

• Hinata finished the food and soup at the table, while Hyuga Hiashi stood nearby without eating.
• Hyuga Hiashi told Hinata to rest and asked her to visit Neji, who was being discharged from the hospital that day.
• After Hyuga Hiashi left, Hinata decided to spend the day handling her errands because Hanabi would not return until the next day.
• Hinata planned to write letters to Liu, Heyan, and Passerby A, then visit Yuhua Senju to order clothes for Wu Zhu and meet the mysterious ninja.

Hinata delivered three letters and then visited Granny Yu Hua’s tailor shop to order another set of clothes. There, she discovered that Moegi was visiting and learned that Granny Yu Hua was Moegi’s grandmother.

• Hinata delivered three letters to three Flying Foot Ninjas.
• Hinata went to Granny Yu Hua’s tailor shop and found Moegi there with her grandmother.
• Moegi greeted Hinata and told her that Granny Yu Hua was her grandmother.
• Granny Yu Hua asked Hinata whether she had come to order another set of clothes, and Hinata agreed.

Hinata ordered three sets of clothes for Wu Zhu from Yuhua Senju, with a flexible deadline because he would arrive later. Before Hinata left, Yuhua thanked her for what she had done during the incident involving Moegi, Udon, and Hanabi.

• Yuhua Senju sent Moegi out to play so she could get to work, and Moegi reluctantly left the tailor shop.
• Hinata gave Yuhua Wu Zhu's measurements, and Yuhua agreed to make three sets of clothes within a week.
• Hinata paid Yuhua and explained that she would bring Wu Zhu to collect the clothes when he arrived.
• Yuhua thanked Hinata for her part in the incident involving Moegi and Udon, though Hinata said the children had escaped before she arrived.
• Yuhua acknowledged that the attackers had been after Hanabi's Byakugan but insisted on thanking Hinata anyway.

Hinata learned that Moegi was Yuhua Senju’s biological granddaughter and heard how Moegi’s mother died after childbirth. After Hinata left, Yuhua suspected that Hinata led the organization Dawn, which had quietly wiped out branches of the Hundred Slaughter Hunting Group.

• Yuhua Senju confirmed that Moegi was her biological granddaughter and explained that Moegi’s mother died after giving birth to her.
• Yuhua said Moegi lived with her father, Kazari Kuma, who was often too busy to spend time with her.
• Hinata chose not to press Yuhua for more details and left after their conversation.
• After Hinata departed, Yuhua connected Hinata to Dawn and suspected it had destroyed branches of the Hundred Slaughter Hunting Group.

Wu Zhu traveled toward Konoha and, hungry and exhausted, spotted smoke that suggested a merchant caravan ahead. He approached, hoping the caravan’s kindhearted members would take him in and make his journey easier.

• Wu Zhu hurried toward Konoha after descending the mountain.
• By midday, Wu Zhu was tired, sweaty, and hungry, and dismissed searching for wild fruit or catching fish.
• Wu Zhu spotted smoke and reasoned that people nearby might share food with him.
• As more smoke appeared, Wu Zhu guessed an entire merchant caravan was ahead and hoped to travel with it.
• Wu Zhu confidently headed toward the caravan, believing its members would accept him, and rounded a small mountain peak.

Wu Zhu approached a sprawling, loosely organized merchant caravan, seeing its mix of people and goods as a good place to blend in. A wary man questioned him as he neared the group, leaving Wu Zhu’s response unknown.

• Wu Zhu observed that the caravan was a chaotic alliance of small merchants traveling toward their chosen destinations.
• He decided the varied group would make it easier for an outsider like him to go unnoticed.
• Wu Zhu walked toward the busy caravan, and most people assumed he was a merchant’s child.
• A burly man stopped him and asked which family he belonged to and why he had come from behind the group.
• The man suspected Wu Zhu might be a bandit scout, though he was not especially worried about the threat.

Wu Zhu approached a merchant convoy, but its wary leader refused to take in a stranger. As the convoy watched the tense exchange, Wu Zhu tried to reassure the man while noticing his hand near a blade.

• The burly man noticed Wu Zhu's young appearance and tattered clothes and asked about him.
• Wu Zhu said he was not part of the convoy.
• The burly man refused to take Wu Zhu in, explaining that the convoy would not risk helping an unknown stranger.
• Wu Zhu said he meant no harm while the burly man reached toward the blade on his back.
• The convoy members noticed the burly man's movement and grew serious.

Wu Zhu explained that he had washed up in an unknown place and asked the group for directions and food. When a man challenged his claim that he was a ninja, Wu Zhu demonstrated Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, sending a fierce gale into a pile of rocks.

• Wu Zhu introduced himself as a ninja who had passed out and fallen into a river while on a mission.
• Wu Zhu asked the group where he was and whether they could spare him some food.
• A muscular man carrying an iron hammer questioned whether Wu Zhu was really a ninja.
• Wu Zhu formed hand seals and used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to strike a pile of rocks with a powerful gale.

Wu Zhu revealed that he was a Konoha ninja and offered to protect the caravan in exchange for food, water, and a place to rest. The caravan appeared willing to accept, though its members had not explicitly agreed.

• Wu Zhu demonstrated his abilities, confirming to the caravan that he was a ninja.
• Wu Zhu said he was returning to Konoha and offered to protect the caravan if they provided basic supplies and shelter.
• A tough-looking woman told Wu Zhu the caravan could provide food and water but could not afford to hire a ninja.
• The caravan stayed silent rather than formally agreeing, but Wu Zhu’s Konoha affiliation reassured its members.

Wu Zhu won over the merchants with his modest, courteous manner and was invited to share a meal. He blended into their group, avoiding the need to infiltrate them by force or stealth.

• Wu Zhu asked the merchants to call him Zhu instead of Ninja-sama and reminded them that he was younger than they were.
• A merchant invited Zhu to eat at his home, saying his food was ready.
• The narrator explained that the merchants were a loose alliance rather than a family, but Zhu’s friendly approach made it easy for him to join them.
• The narrator noted that ninjas were rare despite their prevalence in anime, pointing to the small size of the forces assembled during the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Wu Zhu learned that the merchants traveled the ninja world as a wandering caravan. Finding his tent stuffy, he left it late at night to get some air on the nearby hill.

• Wu Zhu learned that the caravan had no fixed home and followed a wandering route through the ninja world.
• After most of the caravan went to sleep, Wu Zhu quietly left his tent without disturbing the guards.
• Wu Zhu headed toward the low hill beside the camp to get some air.

Wu Zhu climbed a small mountain at night to enjoy the moonlit scenery and listen to the quiet sounds around him. His solitude ended when he heard someone approaching, leaving him curious about who else had come up the mountain and why.

• Wu Zhu climbed the mountain because he could not sleep and wanted some fresh air.
• At the summit, Wu Zhu noticed how small the hill was compared with the towering peaks around it.
• Wu Zhu sat on a flat rock near the cliff and quietly listened to the night sounds.
• Wu Zhu heard distant footsteps and wondered who was approaching and what had brought them there.

Wu Zhu waited on a hill to investigate the person approaching the caravan and discovered a young man in black. The stranger recognized Wu Zhu as a ninja and asked if he could not sleep either.

• Wu Zhu decided to investigate the visitor who had interrupted him.
• Wu Zhu sat on a flat stone and waited for the visitor to arrive.
• A thin young man in loose black clothes and short hair approached the hill.
• The young man noticed Wu Zhu and asked whether the ninja could not sleep either.

Wu Zhu spoke with Sai, who explained that he and an elder had joined the merchant caravan to travel from the Land of Rivers back to Konoha. Wu Zhu and Shanteng then continued a friendly-looking conversation, each watching the other carefully.

• Wu Zhu told the man he had come to walk around, and the man introduced himself as Sai.
• Sai said he was fifteen and was traveling with an elder from the Land of Rivers to Konoha.
• Sai explained that he and his elder had paid to join the merchant caravan because they were ordinary people and could not safely travel alone.
• Wu Zhu and Shanteng smiled and spoke like old friends while their contrasting expressions and watchful gazes hinted at mutual caution.

Wu Zhu and Shanteng distrusted and disliked each other while pretending to chat pleasantly. Shanteng probed Wu Zhu about his background, suggesting he belonged to the Hyuga Clan.

• Wu Zhu judged Shanteng’s smile to be fake and suspected he had a hidden purpose, but chose not to expose him.
• Wu Zhu kept talking despite Shanteng’s attempts to leave, while Shanteng considered ways to kill him without drawing attention.
• Shanteng recalled that he had been made an emotionless killer devoted to his Lord and suspected Wu Zhu was the same kind of person.
• Shanteng praised Wu Zhu’s abilities and asked whether he came from a prestigious ninja clan such as the Hyuga Clan.

Wu Zhu explained that he had been separated from his companions after falling into a river, and Shanteng offered to help him return to Konoha with the caravan. Both men suspected the other served a hidden power, but neither confirmed it, and Shanteng concluded that further probing would be pointless.

• Wu Zhu claimed he had lost contact with his companions after a river carried him into the Land of Rivers.
• Shanteng offered to take Wu Zhu back to Konoha with his caravan and suggested they become friends.
• Shanteng suspected Wu Zhu might serve the same lord, but decided not to test him further.
• Shanteng recognized that his own identity and the information he had shared were fabricated.