Chapter Summaries

Che and the other students practiced switching a wood chip between hands and keeping it steady while someone walked past. The training ended with everyone recording what affected their attempts, including small distractions and reactions.

• Teacher Mizuno taught the students to switch a wood chip between hands after holding it for three breaths.
• Zhen Shu switched too quickly and scraped his palm, then slowed down after Keisuke advised him.
• Che let a chip tilt rather than pull it straight, and recorded its nail hole, Kiyo's voice, and his own smile as distractions.
• Aoki Haruka corrected his handoff after Che and Kiyo reassured him, though his chip still fell.
• Teacher Mizuno paired the students to practice while someone walked past; Kiyo warned Aoki Haruka before walking, while Keisuke helped Zhen Shu notice he was anticipating interference.
• Che recorded that Teacher Mizuno's chalk scent slowed his switch by half a beat, and the students left after finishing their notes.

After overhearing older students comment on the number of Uchiha in Group Two, Che and his classmates practiced staying on their route despite unsettling corridor talk. The chapter ended with Zhen Shu asking how they should respond if the remarks continued, and Che distinguishing passing comments from someone blocking their way.

• Older students remarked that there were a lot of Uchiha in Group Two, and Kiyo, Zhen Shu, and the others reacted uneasily.
• Teacher Mizuno had Zhen Shu redraw his route after his first line crossed a wall, telling him not to draw outside voices into it.
• Aoki Haruka cautiously told Che that the older students might only have been talking about numbers, and Che agreed it was possible.
• Teacher Mizuno led Group Two along the route to the infirmary, where they heard teachers mention Uchiha and record verification; Zhen Shu kept walking after Keisuke coughed.
• The students wrote down what they had heard and whether they strayed, and Che credited Kiyo with bringing his attention back to the route.
• When Zhen Shu asked what to do if the comments returned, Che said they should keep walking if the speakers were only passing by, but treat it differently if they blocked the way.

During a map lesson, Che and his classmates revisited the evacuation assembly point associated with the Nine-Tails attack, focusing on where they were today rather than forcing themselves to remember the past. The chapter ended with Kiyo, Aoki Haruka, and Morita Yu making a rough map to the cafeteria for tomorrow’s lunch.

• Teacher Mizuno assigned the class to map routes between the ninja academy, the infirmary, and the evacuation assembly point, prompting Aoki Haruka to ask Che if he had been there during the Nine-Tails attack.
• Che and Aoki Haruka drew their routes, and Aoki Haruka later learned from his mother that he had gone to the assembly point that day rather than the infirmary.
• Teacher Mizuno led the class to the edge of the assembly point and told them to confirm its location without needing to remember the past; Aoki Haruka recalled that a tree had fallen, and Teacher Mizuno explained that it had been a temporary wooden frame.
• The students wrote down details at the site that were absent from the map, and Che wrote that the old map did not point to that day and that they had only walked to the edge of the open space.
• After school, Kiyo led Aoki Haruka to find the cafeteria, and Morita Yu added directions to their rough map before Kiyo declared it complete.

Kiyo and Aoki Haruka corrected the cafeteria map and followed it with their group, where Kiyo defused a tense remark about Che by saying there were stools at the table. Zhen Shu recorded the incident rather than turning it into a fight, and the group ended the day testing the route back to the East Corridor.

• Aoki Haruka corrected the map’s third turn from right to left, and Kiyo accepted her revision.
• Teacher Mizuno led the groups to the cafeteria and told them to follow room signs, turns, and other groups instead of running or chasing the smell of food.
• When someone asked why Che was sitting there, Kiyo answered that there were stools, and Zhen Shu continued eating instead of confronting them.
• Che and Zhen Shu recorded the cafeteria incident, and Teacher Mizuno classified Zhen Shu’s note as a reaction record rather than a route revision.
• Kiyo insisted on testing the route back from the cafeteria, and Aoki Haruka stopped him from taking a wrong turn.

Che discovered an old scratch on the back of his meal tag, and Teacher Mizuno had the group record their tags’ visible marks and practice carrying them safely. Che remained curious about the scratch’s origin but chose not to investigate, and Nao replaced his fraying cord before the next day.

• Che found an old scratch on his meal tag, and Teacher Mizuno told him to record it without investigating where it came from.
• Teacher Mizuno had the group inspect their meal tags and write down visible characteristics, including Aoki Haruka’s chipped edge and Saori’s ink spot.
• Che recorded that the scratch did not affect his tag’s use, then added that he wanted to know its origin but would not investigate that day.
• During three laps of tag-protection practice, Zhen Shu’s loose knot nearly let his tag fall, while Che let his tag knock against his backpack without holding it.
• Sosuke suggested several possible causes for Che’s scratch and warned him against chasing origins at random.
• Nao replaced Che’s fraying cord and showed him how to hang the tag farther inside his backpack, while Morita Yu helped Kiyo untie his own knot.

Che and Group Two recorded how the upper-year wooden sword class affected them, while Zhen Shu noticed that the sword noises made him use too much force. The next day, the older student carried his sword carefully and asked how to report the mark he had left on the East Corridor doorframe.

• Kiyo, Morita Yu, and Che watched an upper-year student’s wooden sword strike the doorframe, and Teacher Mizuno told them to record only what they had observed.
• During training beside the wooden sword class, Zhen Shu heard a sword strike a post and clamped his wooden piece too tightly, then admitted he had used extra force.
• Che kept his piece steady through the sword noise but said unexpected laughter had affected him most.
• The older student asked why Group Two had been recording him, and Che pointed out the fresh mark on his sword as evidence that it had hit the doorframe.
• The next morning, Group Two recorded the shallow mark on the doorframe, and the older student passed by holding his sword upright so it would not strike again.
• The older student asked Teacher Mizuno how to report the damage, and Zhen Shu briefly laughed before the two left without arguing.

Aoki Haruka lent Yamada his short pencil, then practiced lending, receiving, and returning items with his classmates. After sharpening the pencil and lending it again in training, he placed it in an easy-to-reach slot instead of hiding it away.

• Aoki Haruka lent Yamada his short pencil, and Teacher Mizuno had them record who borrowed it, why, and when it would be returned.
• Yamada returned the pencil after class, and Aoki Haruka recorded that its tip was dulled but still usable.
• Teacher Mizuno turned the handoff into an exercise, and Aoki Haruka practiced lending a wooden chip to Che and receiving it back.
• Aoki Haruka sharpened the short pencil and recorded that it was shorter but still usable.
• During pencil handoff practice, Yamada borrowed the short pencil again and returned it without dulling the tip further.
• Aoki Haruka placed the short pencil in the outer slot of his pencil case so it would be easier to take out.

Teacher Mizuno taught the children to sort questions by whether they could be asked, whom they should ask, and whether they should wait. The next day, they revised their questions, while Zhen Shu placed his question about the Uchiha on the upper side of the boundary and Che left his records-access question on hold.

• Teacher Mizuno drew a line dividing questions they could ask from those they could not, and left Zhen Shu’s question about why people said there were many Uchiha in Group Two on the line.
• During training, Zhen Shu decided asking might start a fight and put his question on hold, while Che directed his records-access question to the Recorder and noted that he should ask with a guardian accompanying him.
• Aoki Haruka asked Teacher Mizuno whether wooden-piece edges could cut his hand, and Teacher Mizuno told him to check the edges and report any injury instead of hiding it.
• The next morning, Saori and Aoki Haruka updated questions they had resolved, while Zhen Shu rewrote his question and placed it above the line because he would ask again if the words blocked his way.
• Che kept his records-access question on hold, and Teacher Mizuno moved Kiyo’s question about whether a rice ball could understand him beneath Cannot Ask.

Teacher Mizuno told East Corridor Group Two that they would sit in on a class with Class One the following week, while leaving the line beneath the blackboard unerased. As Che and the others prepared for the visit, they considered what the boundary meant and left the classroom ready to take the next step themselves.

• Teacher Mizuno announced that East Corridor Group Two would sit in on one Class One lesson next week and explained the schedule and expectations.
• Che asked whether the visit meant they would be assigned to Class One, and Teacher Mizuno said they first needed to learn the classroom and its door.
• Teacher Mizuno had the students practice changing seats, and Saori quietly moved her chair so Kiyo's scrape would not extend the mark on the floor.
• Kiyo asked why Teacher Mizuno had not erased the line beneath the blackboard, and she explained that it was not dirt and could remind them where they had stood.
• The students wrote their names on practice sheets, and Che imagined his name entering another classroom before he left the line beneath the blackboard behind.

Che, Kiyo, and Morita Yu delivered rosters to the Academic Affairs Room and learned their group would sit in on Class One next week. As the school prepared their paperwork, Che saw Naruto Uzumaki’s name in an old register and began to feel that the upcoming change was real and unavoidable.

• Teacher Mizuno sent Che and Morita Yu to deliver the rosters after Kiyo claimed his feet felt tight.
• The paperwork teacher told Che that their group would sit in on Class One next week and showed him the seating arrangements on a new form.
• Che spotted Naruto Uzumaki’s name in the old register, and the paperwork teacher described him as a child who took a long time to learn the rules.
• Morita Yu admitted he was afraid of writing something wrong, while Che accepted his explanation without pressing him.
• Teacher Mizuno had the group check their packing list, and Kiyo joked that it was a ticket to the future.
• The paperwork teacher secured the roster envelope with an old wooden clip and a new one, and Che delivered it to Teacher Mizuno feeling next week draw near.

Che and East Corridor Group Two heard Naruto and Sasuke across the playground, catching only brief glimpses of the two Academy students. Che let go of some of the weight of his memories of their future and decided he could meet them as children first.

• Che, Kiyo, Morita Yu, Saori, and Zhen Shu heard Naruto being scolded for standing on a windowsill and heard Sasuke’s name called from across the playground.
• Che glimpsed Sasuke’s black-haired back and later saw Naruto holding a crumpled scrap of paper while asking to borrow a pencil.
• Kiyo and the others joked about Class One’s noise as Teacher Mizuno kept their group waiting by the playground.
• On the way back, Che told Saori they would meet the other group someday, but not by running over recklessly.
• Kiyo, Morita Yu, Saori, and Zhen Shu wrote about the encounter, while Che accepted Naruto and Sasuke as children rather than placing their future on them.

East Corridor Group Two borrowed seats in a regular classroom and learned to observe its layout and sounds without treating the room as theirs. Teacher Mizuno announced that they would spend half their mornings there starting next week, while formal class placement remained pending.

• Teacher Mizuno told East Corridor Group Two to borrow seats without claiming them, and Che noticed the worn desk and the classmates around him.
• Naruto and Sasuke passed the classroom, and the group observed them without rushing to speak.
• Che, Kiyo, and the others recorded what they saw, including the classroom's noises and their reactions to sitting there.
• Teacher Mizuno had the group close their eyes for ten breaths, and Kiyo resisted looking when Naruto ran past the doorway.
• Teacher Mizuno announced that the group would spend half their mornings in the classroom starting next week, even as formal class placement took longer.

Teacher Mizuno taught East Corridor Group Two to share a doorway without rushing or blocking others, preparing them for a morning observation in Class One next Monday. Che accepted that he would have to enter the new classroom despite his fears, and the chapter ended with him readying himself for that step.

• Teacher Mizuno had East Corridor Group Two practice entering and leaving through a classroom door while making room for others.
• Che noticed a black-haired boy pass through the corridor after someone called him Sasuke, then practiced holding the door for his classmates.
• Teacher Mizuno posted the schedule for the group’s observation morning in Class One the following Monday.
• Che told Nao that the visit was not too soon, and Sosuke urged the children to learn to open doors for themselves.
• Che kept the schedule despite Kiyo’s soup stain and, before bed, decided he could not stay frozen outside the next classroom forever.

Che, Kiyo, and Saori entered Class One at the Ninja Academy for a morning visit, bringing their practiced routines and anxieties with them. Kiyo got through the doorway with his shoelaces still tied, and the chapter ended as the class bell rang.

• Kiyo struggled with his shoelaces before Che helped him tie them, while Nao checked their school supplies and schedule.
• Che, Kiyo, and Saori walked to the Ninja Academy with Teacher Mizuno’s schedule and tried not to treat the visit like a drill.
• At the gate, Teacher Mizuno checked Kiyo’s shoelaces, and Che picked up a fallen broom from the hallway.
• Che and Kiyo entered Class One without catching their bags or straps, then took their assigned seats.
• Naruto asked why the group was borrowing the classroom, and Che joked that they had to return the desks at noon.
• The bell rang, and Kiyo whispered that he had won because his shoelace knot had held.

Che and the other East Corridor Group Two students joined Class One for roll call and a literacy lesson, where Che began to connect with Naruto through a borrowed pencil. The morning ended with Naruto asking whether Che would return tomorrow, leaving Saori to record that the class had shared half a good morning.

• Iruka took attendance in Class One, where Naruto answered loudly and Che, Kiyo, and Saori each responded when called.
• Iruka told the class to follow the schedule and not crowd the East Corridor Group Two students, while Naruto nearly asked them questions.
• During the literacy lesson, Che helped Kiyo correct his sentence and lent Naruto a spare pencil.
• Naruto returned the pencil at dismissal and asked Che whether he would come back tomorrow.
• Saori wrote the words “good morning” in her notebook and crossed out half of them.

Iruka had Class One adjust the spacing between their desks and practice moving through the aisles, turning small classroom mishaps into lessons in noticing others. By the end, the students had become more careful with their belongings, and Che reflected that a little space helped make small problems visible.

• Iruka had the students leave a finger's width between desks and walk through the aisles, while Naruto nearly stumbled and Kiyo almost bumped into a chair.
• Saori picked up Sasuke's pencil and returned it to him after Iruka nodded, and Sasuke quietly thanked her.
• Iruka asked the students to write about who they sat beside, and Che wrote that he sat beside Kiyo and a borrowed desk.
• Naruto argued with Sasuke during the writing exercise, and Iruka told Naruto to sit properly and Sasuke to keep writing.
• After the class repeatedly restored and adjusted their seats, Che picked up a pencil shaving and threw it away, while Kiyo kept his shoelaces tucked in.

Naruto broke his pencil before class, and Che returned the pieces before Iruka-sensei began a chakra basics review. Che practiced keeping his chakra contained and noticed Naruto responding to Iruka-sensei’s acknowledgment of his own observations; Naruto kept the broken lead as the chapter ended.

• Naruto’s broken pencil rolled to Che, who handed it back and kept the snapped lead on the desk instead of throwing it away.
• Iruka-sensei returned and began a chakra basics review, during which Che focused on sensing his own chakra without letting his attention wander to others.
• Iruka-sensei told Naruto not to slap or grab the desk during the palm-sensing exercise, and the students wrote down what they felt.
• Iruka-sensei read Naruto’s note that the desk was cold and affirmed that it described something Naruto had truly felt.
• Naruto offered Che the broken lead, then decided to keep it because it could still write a little.

Che and his classmates wrote observations about their morning, and Che chose not to turn Sasuke into the target of a joke. As the class ended, Sasuke acknowledged East Corridor Group Two with a curt warning, while Che kept his private observation of Sasuke on the page.

• Iruka assigned the class to write about things they had personally seen, and Che wrote about Naruto's broken pencil and Sasuke pressing down a page lifted by the wind.
• Che stopped himself from joking that Sasuke was easy to complain about, and Saori noticed that he had not joined in.
• Naruto read aloud about his pencil nearly sacrificing itself, while Sasuke and Che declined to share their observations.
• After class, Sasuke asked whether Che belonged to East Corridor Group Two and told them not to block the aisle.
• Che kept the sentence about Sasuke in his notebook without changing it or reading it aloud.

East Corridor Group Two returned to their borrowed desks after spending the morning in Class One, then recorded what they had observed. Che left the question of whether they would visit again unanswered as he rested in the afternoon quiet.

• Naruto found the broken pencil lead in his desk, washed his hands, and asked Che whether East Corridor Group Two would return that afternoon.
• Kiyo worried about properly returning his chair and desk, while Teacher Mizuno told him the desk still had class in the afternoon.
• Iruka told Che to record where things were, when to speak, and when to stop, rather than judge his classmates.
• Naruto asked whether East Corridor Group Two would visit again tomorrow, and Che joked that it depended on whether the desks agreed.
• Teacher Mizuno had the group write about the borrowed desks after lunch, and Che recorded Naruto's question without crossing out his own answer.
• Che rested in East Corridor and dreamed of the broken pencil lead left inside the borrowed desk.

Che and East Corridor Group Two prepared to shift from temporary borrowed seats toward regular attendance in Class One. After Teacher Iruka announced they would go there every morning and return to East Corridor in the afternoons, Che recorded the change in his wooden notebook and prepared for the next step.

• Teacher Mizuno erased the chalk line beneath the blackboard and told Kiyo they no longer needed it to know where they belonged.
• The children sorted their belongings in the East Corridor desk cubbies, and Che put a short piece of chalk in the classroom's wooden box.
• Teacher Iruka told East Corridor Group Two they would attend Class One every morning and return in the afternoon to pack up and make up lessons.
• Che wrote in his wooden notebook that the folded corner should be kept safe and added a note about Kiyo's shoelaces.
• Nao asked Che whether the door had closed, and he said it had closed halfway, with the other half still to be pushed tomorrow.