Chapter Summaries

Ryosuke and Hinata enrolled at the Ninja Academy, where they saw Naruto Uzumaki and other future notable students. After the Third Hokage gathered the new students for a speech, Ino Yamanaka recognized Ryosuke.

• Hyuga Hiashi brought Ryosuke and Hinata to the academy gates and warned them to keep their distance from Naruto Uzumaki.
• Ryosuke and Hinata filled out their enrollment forms and joined the students gathered on the playground for a speech by Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hinata led Ryosuke to the front of the crowd, where she stood beside Sasuke Uchiha.
• Ino Yamanaka called out to Ryosuke.

Ryosuke attended the Academy’s opening ceremony and mingled with his future classmates while observing the village’s social divisions and Hiruzen Sarutobi. The chapter left Naruto unsettled after he sensed that the students in the front rows did not feel the hostility toward him that he had expected.

• Ryosuke sat near the front with Hinata and greeted Ino, Shikamaru, Choji, and Sakura, while Sasuke remained isolated nearby.
• Ryosuke spoke with his classmates and noticed Shikamaru briefly probing him about his training.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived and introduced himself as the Third Hokage and the school’s principal.
• Hiruzen called Naruto Uzumaki from the back row to sit at the front beside Sasuke.
• Sasuke told Naruto he should have sat behind him, and Naruto froze after sensing no hatred or alienation from the students nearby.

Hiruzen Sarutobi explained the Will of Fire to the academy students, while Ryosuke reflected on Konoha’s history and ideology. After the students entered class, Ryosuke encouraged Hinata to make friends, then watched as a cautious student approached him for a seat.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave the students a lengthy speech about the Will of Fire and asked Naruto what he wanted to do in the future.
• Ryosuke recalled how the Senju and Uchiha founded Konoha and how the Senju Clan gave up its surname to integrate into the village.
• Ryosuke sat in the back row and told Hinata she should make friends instead of following him.
• Hinata agreed and moved to sit beside Ino among the girls.
• Ryosuke observed the students entering the classroom until an uneasy student asked if they could sit beside him.

On his first day at the Academy, Ryosuke sat beside Naruto Uzumaki and heard about Naruto’s confusion over the hatred he faced. As the class introductions began, Naruto declared his dream of becoming Hokage and received no encouragement from Iruka, while Ryosuke stayed in his chosen seat.

• Naruto sat beside Ryosuke, introduced himself, and asked why Ryosuke did not hate him.
• Ryosuke said he did not know why people rejected Naruto and suggested Naruto ask Third-sama.
• Umino Iruka began the students’ introductions, asking them to share their names, ages, and dreams.
• Naruto said he wanted to become Hokage, but Iruka ignored his dream and the other students sneered.
• Ryosuke said his dream was to become a great ninja and declined Iruka’s offer to move to the front.

After Hyuga Hiashi asked Ryosuke about his dream, Ryosuke said he wanted to gain enough strength to protect himself and his family, then live peacefully and continue improving. Hiashi urged him to use his talent to restore the Hyūga’s prestige, but Ryosuke remained focused on cultivation and personal growth.

• Hyuga Hiashi asked Ryosuke and Hinata about their dreams, and Hinata repeated that she wanted to become a qualified clan head.
• Ryosuke said his true dream was to become strong enough to protect himself and his family, then steadily improve while living an ordinary life.
• Hyuga Hiashi grew angry and challenged Ryosuke for having such modest ambitions despite his Ancestral Regression bloodline.
• Hyuga Hiashi recounted how the Hyūga had repeatedly lacked a leader to match the great figures of other clans and urged Ryosuke to bear the clan’s banner.
• Ryosuke calmly explained that peaceful living and gaining strength took time, and reflected that his fascination with cultivation and transcendent power shaped his goals.

Ryosuke told Hyuga Hiashi that surviving in the future would be difficult, prompting Hiashi to consider preparing him for real combat. At the Ninja Academy, Naruto grew closer to Iruka and pursued his dream of becoming Hokage, while Ryosuke questioned whether the timeline had truly stayed unchanged.

• Ryosuke reassured Hyuga Hiashi that he would handle the troubles ahead but refused to reveal details about the future.
• Ryosuke left with Hinata, and Hyuga Hiashi considered advancing the plan to expose Ryosuke to real combat and killing.
• After a week at the Ninja Academy, Iruka called Naruto to his office for extra instruction because Naruto had not paid attention in class.
• Ryosuke observed that Naruto had become cheerful and determined to become Hokage after speaking with the Third Hokage.
• Iruka showed Naruto care and attention after the Third Hokage told him part of the truth about Naruto's background, and Naruto gradually accepted him.

Ryosuke realized Naruto’s withdrawn behavior came from missing the friendships and influence that had shaped him in the original timeline. He watched Naruto train and wondered whether the boy would still grow into the sunny, selfless person he remembered.

• Naruto complained to Ryosuke that controlling his Chakra after refining it felt difficult, while Ryosuke wondered why Naruto was studying instead of sparring.
• Ryosuke asked Naruto what he thought of Sakura Haruno, and Naruto said she was impressive for ranking second in the theory exam.
• After learning Naruto had no romantic feelings for Sakura, Ryosuke concluded that Sakura had never rescued him and that he had not befriended Shikamaru and the others.
• Ryosuke reflected on how Sakura, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Iruka had shaped Naruto’s original personality, while Naruto in this timeline remained withdrawn and introverted.
• Ryosuke watched Naruto train to become Hokage and wondered whether he could still become the sunny, selfless boy from the original story.

Ryosuke quietly guided Naruto toward asking Hiruzen Sarutobi about his chakra loss while warning him not to rely entirely on the Third Hokage’s influence. On the way home with Hinata, Ryosuke described fate as a chessboard and revealed his interest in people who strayed from their destined paths, then recovered from a strange state that seemed to show him the future.

• Naruto asked Ryosuke why much of his chakra seemed to disappear inside his body, and Ryosuke suggested that he ask Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Ryosuke warned Naruto that earning recognition as Hokage required making his own efforts rather than following Hiruzen Sarutobi’s path completely.
• Hinata told Ryosuke that her father had cautioned him against getting too close to Naruto, and Ryosuke dismissed her concern about their limited contact.
• Ryosuke asked Hinata whether she accepted determinism and used a genjutsu chessboard to explain how he watched people depart from their fates and sometimes pushed them onward.
• Hinata trembled under the pressure of Ryosuke’s chakra, and he comforted her before reflecting that he had briefly seemed to perceive the future.

Ryosuke examined his hazy memory of frightening Hinata and wondered whether his evolving Byakugan had revealed a new power. He reconsidered how to develop the true Byakugan’s crushing pressure, but still lacked a way to release enough spiritual power through his eyes.

• Ryosuke recalled that Hinata had trembled with fear after they left school, but he could not remember what had happened between saying goodbye to Naruto and seeing her reaction.
• Ryosuke suspected that his Byakugan had triggered an ability as his experience bar neared completion and his sixth birthday approached.
• Ryosuke considered the true Byakugan’s potential abilities and noted that he had developed Genjutsu and crushing pressure, though the latter remained unreliable.
• Ryosuke identified the obstacles to using crushing pressure: his Byakugan absorbed spiritual power as Pupil Power, and his spiritual power was too weak to affect the world.

Ryosuke realized that momentum might let the Byakugan create tangible pressure without relying on increased physical or chakra power, and he tried to recover the state he had experienced. At school, Naruto finally told Ryosuke that he believed a huge, evil fox lived inside him.

• Ryosuke concluded that momentum could explain the tangible strength he had felt and began trying to enter that state again.
• After more than a month of school, Naruto remained isolated and focused on studying, ranking third in his class behind Hinata and Sakura Haruno.
• Naruto whispered that he was a monster, and Ryosuke suspected Hiruzen Sarutobi had finally told him about the Nine-Tails.
• Naruto asked Ryosuke why the villagers hated him, then said he believed a huge, evil fox lived inside his body.

Ryosuke helped Naruto make sense of learning that he was the Nine-Tails’ container, urging him to see himself as someone protecting the village rather than an outcast. Naruto’s hope of becoming Hokage returned, while Hiruzen Sarutobi listened outside the classroom and reconsidered what he had heard.

• Naruto confronted Ryosuke about knowing the Nine-Tails’ secret and keeping it from him, and Ryosuke explained that he had feared Naruto would act on his anger and regret it.
• Ryosuke sensed that Hiruzen Sarutobi was secretly watching Naruto from near the classroom.
• When Naruto called himself an outcast, Ryosuke urged him to define himself as a hero bearing the burden of protecting the village.
• Ryosuke reminded Naruto that his dream was to become Hokage and that containing the Nine-Tails had already protected the village from harm.
• Naruto regained hope that the villagers might accept him as Hokage if they learned what he carried, while Hiruzen Sarutobi listened and reflected on Ryosuke’s words.

Ryosuke used his advice to Naruto to signal goodwill to Hiruzen Sarutobi while urging Naruto to question whether becoming Hokage was truly his own choice. He left Naruto with a warning to hide his thoughts and find his own path, then went home with Hinata, pleased by the possibility of seeing Naruto choose differently.

• Ryosuke recognized that Hiruzen Sarutobi had used a genjutsu to make the class overlook Naruto, and he considered how his advice might signal the Hyuga Clan's goodwill to the Hokage faction.
• After class, Naruto eagerly prepared to train, but Ryosuke asked whether becoming Hokage was a goal Naruto had chosen for himself.
• Ryosuke warned Naruto that the village could control the fox inside him and told him to conceal his thoughts while finding his own path.
• Ryosuke told Naruto he would be away for a while, then left the classroom with Hinata, leaving Naruto stunned.
• On the way home, Ryosuke reflected that he wanted Naruto to choose his own future rather than blindly follow a path arranged for him.

Ryosuke visited the Valley of the End with Souji and Seisai, where the scars left by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha’s battle stirred his excitement about the power ninjas could attain. He then left Konoha for the first time on a mission to visit the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, recognizing that nobles held real power in the Ninja World.

• Ryosuke examined the Valley of the End’s statues and the battle damage left by Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.
• Souji and Seisai discussed the Uchiha Clan’s pride in Madara Uchiha and debated the peace that Hashirama Senju’s ideals had brought.
• Ryosuke calmed himself and told Souji and Seisai it was time to leave the valley.
• Ryosuke set out from Konoha for the first time on the Hyuga Clan’s annual visit to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire.
• Ryosuke reflected that Daimyo and nobles, despite being ordinary people, ruled their countries and controlled their lifeblood.

Ryosuke and his companions reached Kyoto City, where he reflected on the Land of Fire’s prosperity and the different roles of its civilian rulers and Konoha. After entering the inner city as Hyuga shinobi, they were met by Nagahira, who said the Daimyo was waiting for them.

• Ryosuke and his companions arrived in Kyoto City after an uneventful journey from Konoha.
• Ryosuke observed the bustling outer city and considered how the Land of Fire’s civilian administration had fostered stability and prosperity.
• Souji revealed his Byakugan at the inner-city gate, and the soldiers allowed the Hyuga shinobi to pass.
• Ryosuke led Souji and their companion into the quieter inner city to look around and scout its layout.
• Nagahira, a retainer of the Daimyo, stopped them and said the Daimyo had been awaiting the three Hyuga shinobi.

Ryosuke Hyuga visited the Tokugawa Daimyo’s lavish mansion and reflected on the view of the city below. When the Daimyo mistook him for Neji Hyuga, Ryosuke corrected him, prompting the Daimyo to reconsider their standing and ask whether their agreement needed to change.

• Chounohei led Ryosuke, Souji, and Seisai through the Daimyo’s Mansion and asked them to compare it with Konoha’s Hokage Building.
• Ryosuke praised the mansion while pointedly remarking on its extravagance and the resources it consumed.
• Seisai observed that the mansion burned costly Calming Incense in nearly every room.
• Ryosuke opened a window and looked out over the city, recalling his earlier impressions as the view stirred memories of the past.
• The Tokugawa Daimyo greeted Ryosuke as Neji Hyuga, but Ryosuke identified himself as Ryosuke Hyuga of the Hyūga Main Family.
• The Tokugawa Daimyo, realizing Ryosuke’s status, asked whether the agreement between the Hyūga Clan and his side needed to change.

Ryosuke met Tokugawa Shigemomo to discuss the Hyuga Clan’s private work for the nobles, and hinted that the clan wanted better terms because its expenses had risen. Tokugawa resisted, citing limited commissions and the Uchiha Clan’s similar demand, leaving the negotiations unresolved.

• Tokugawa Shigemomo welcomed Ryosuke and invited him to stay at the Daimyo's Mansion for a banquet with nearby nobles.
• Tokugawa probed Ryosuke about the Hyuga Clan’s affairs and the purpose of his visit, while Ryosuke answered cautiously without revealing clan secrets.
• Ryosuke confirmed that the Hyuga Clan’s cooperation with Tokugawa would continue, but explained that the clan’s increased expenses made the arrangement more important.
• Ryosuke pointed out that the Hyuga Clan had charged five percent less than village mission fees despite receiving relatively few assignments.
• Tokugawa said the Uchiha Clan had also asked to raise its rates, but argued that the nobles could not afford higher prices and might instead issue commissions through Konoha.

Hyuga Ryosuke used the Kumogakure attack on the Hyūga Clan to pressure Tokugawa Shigemomo into supporting stronger compensation, while stirring up outrage over Konoha’s peaceful approach. The chapter ended with Ryosuke claiming the Hyūga could barely afford food as Tokugawa struggled to answer.

• Ryosuke reminded Tokugawa that Kumogakure envoys had visited him and revealed that Kumogakure shinobi had tried to kidnap a Hyūga and steal its bloodline.
• Tokugawa learned that Hiruzen Sarutobi had not informed him of the incident and worried that war might follow.
• Ryosuke said Hiruzen wanted to resolve the matter peacefully in exchange for compensation, and Tokugawa praised the decision as sensible.
• Ryosuke challenged Tokugawa’s support for peace talks, and Tokugawa tried to calm him by citing the Land of Fire’s weak national strength.
• Souji joined Ryosuke in demanding action, while Ryosuke claimed the Hyūga were being treated unfairly and could barely afford food.

Ryosuke explained how he pressured Tokugawa Shigemomo into granting the Hyūga Clan benefits, then left Kyoto with Souji and Seisai. He suspected the Uchiha Clan would attack them on the journey back, which he had planned as a chance for combat.

• Ryosuke said he had used Tokugawa Shigemomo’s greed and Konoha’s secrecy to secure concessions for the Hyūga Clan.
• Souji and Seisai asked why Ryosuke had not stayed longer in Kyoto, and he explained that he wanted the return trip to be more entertaining.
• Ryosuke warned Souji and Seisai to stay alert because he expected trouble on the road.
• Seisai identified the Uchiha Clan as the likely threat, and Ryosuke confirmed he suspected they would attack.

Ryosuke and his companions discovered three Uchiha ninja plotting to assassinate the Hyūga delegation and sabotage its agreement with the Daimyo. He ordered Souji and Seisai to ambush them, arguing that they could strike before the Uchiha activated their Sharingan.

• Three Uchiha ninja searched the forest for the Hyūga delegation, intending to kill them and take their contract scrolls back to Kyoto.
• Seisai detected the Uchiha through Sensory Ninjutsu, and she assessed them as possibly two Chunin and one Jonin.
• Ryosuke and his companions watched the Uchiha from a cliff and confirmed that the men were approaching.
• Souji and Seisai urged Ryosuke to retreat, but he ordered them to prepare an ambush.
• Ryosuke explained that the Uchiha expected to be hunters and that the Hyūga could attack before they activated their Sharingan.

Ryosuke, Souji, and Seisai ambushed three Uchiha pursuing them, killed one, and prepared to continue fighting the two survivors. The remaining Uchiha fled with their Sharingan activated as Ryosuke warned his companions to avoid their eyes.

• Ryosuke, Souji, and Seisai hid in the forest and waited for the three Uchiha to approach.
• The trio launched a planned pincer attack, and Souji and Seisai disrupted one Uchiha's Chakra while Ryosuke cut his throat.
• The two surviving Uchiha regrouped, and Ryosuke and his companions briefly widened the distance before charging again.
• The remaining Uchiha used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat, activating their Sharingan as Seisai spotted Chakra gathering around their eyes.
• Ryosuke warned Souji and Seisai not to look into the Uchiha's eyes because the Sharingan's abilities were their main unknown.