Chapter Summaries

Naruto sought Ryosuke after Rin Sarutobi's death and confessed his doubts about continuing as a ninja, troubled by the deaths he had caused and the blurred line between good and evil. Ryosuke helped him reconsider his beliefs, then returned home to hear Hinata challenge the clan head over a flawed system.

• Naruto visited Rin Sarutobi's cenotaph, then waited outside the Hyūga compound for Ryosuke, but the guard said Ryosuke could not meet him.
• Naruto spent several days grieving and waiting for Ryosuke before finally meeting him and admitting he wanted to stop being a ninja.
• Naruto told Ryosuke that Rin's death and his experience killing Kumogakure ninjas had made him question his role and his understanding of good and evil.
• Ryosuke explained that right and wrong depended on perspective and urged Naruto to act according to what he believed was right.
• Naruto's mood improved, and he treated Ryosuke to ramen before Ryosuke left to resume his training.
• Ryosuke returned home and heard Hinata assert that, as a future clan head, she could challenge the clan head and change the flawed system.

Hinata argued with Hyuga Hiashi for a fairer Hyuga Clan system that would remove the Caged Bird Seal’s ability to control Branch Family members’ lives, but learned that clan elders could block the change. As Ryosuke comforted Hanabi, Neji Hyuga arrived to request permission to take an early graduation examination.

• Hinata urged Hyuga Hiashi to abolish the Caged Bird Seal’s life-controlling techniques and let the capable lead the clan, while preserving the Main Family’s prestige.
• Hyuga Hiashi explained that the clan elders would have to agree to any changes, leaving Hinata stunned at the challenge of putting her proposal into practice.
• Hanabi returned from training, feared that she was causing Hinata and Hyuga Hiashi to argue, and cried that she would leave if it restored their relationship.
• Ryosuke reassured Hanabi, then greeted Neji Hyuga as he arrived to request permission to take an early graduation examination.

Ryosuke comforted Neji after Neji failed his early graduation assessment and used a constructed Genjutsu to recreate the battle. He left Hinata and Neji watching the illusion as he prepared to teach them about realistic combat against opponents familiar with Hyuga techniques.

• Hinata defeated a classmate in the practical assessment and took first place, while Kiba challenged her to beat him next time.
• Ryosuke took Hinata's hand as they left the academy, and Neji stopped them to apologize for bringing shame upon the Hyuga family by failing his assessment.
• Neji described how the Chunin examiner kept him at a distance and countered his Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm with ninjutsu.
• Ryosuke brought Hinata and Neji to a Branch Family training ground and reconstructed Neji's assessment battle as a Genjutsu.
• Ryosuke explained that the illusion would help Hinata prepare for realistic combat against enemies familiar with the Hyuga Clan's techniques.

Ryosuke helped Neji and Hinata analyze Neji’s failed graduation examination, then advised Hinata on building support for changing the Hyūga clan’s system. As Konoha prepared to choose a Fifth Hokage, Ryosuke focused on developing his abilities, especially Yang Release, to prepare for greater threats.

• Ryosuke reconstructed Neji’s examination battle in a Genjutsu and explained how the Chunin had exploited Neji’s predictable approach and kept him at range.
• Neji escaped Ryosuke’s ordinary Genjutsu by regulating his Chakra, and Ryosuke asked him to support Hinata as she pursued changes to the clan.
• Ryosuke advised Hinata to win support from a majority of clan members before the assembly, prompting her to discuss a major move with Hyuga Hiashi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi began arranging the Fifth Hokage election after sensing his strength decline, while Jiraiya returned to Konoha but appeared unlikely to seek the position.
• Ryosuke relied on reports from his subordinates and trained alone, studying Yang Release to improve his healing ability and prepare for threats such as Akatsuki and Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Ryosuke healed the stray fat cat and prepared to develop a Yang Release technique to improve his self-healing. Hinata reported growing support for her proposed clan reforms, and Hyuga Hiashi arrived with Hizashi Hyuga and Neji Hyuga, suggesting the brothers were cooperating to change the Main Family and Branch Family system.

• Ryosuke removed a broken claw from the fat cat's paw and healed its wound with Yang Release Chakra.
• After the cat left, Ryosuke decided to focus his Yang Release research on improving his body's self-healing.
• Hinata told Ryosuke that more than half of the clan's ninja supported her proposed system.
• Hyuga Hiashi returned with Hizashi Hyuga and Neji Hyuga and introduced Neji to Hanabi as her cousin.
• Ryosuke welcomed Neji as a brother and explained that Hinata's reforms could unite the Main Family and Branch Family without status distinctions.

Hinata presented her plan to abolish the Caged Bird Seal and reform the Hyūga Clan, but the elders challenged her with the system’s historical purpose and practical risks. As Hinata weighed whether to postpone the reforms, the Great Elder asked whether an unidentified man supported the system.

• At the annual clan meeting, Hyuga Hiashi introduced Hinata as the future clan head and invited her to speak.
• Hinata proposed changing the clan system and removing the Caged Bird Seal, while Elder Kazuo accused Hyuga Hiashi of using her to voice his own objections.
• Hinata insisted the reforms were her idea, said more than half the clan supported them, and argued that the system stifled talent and harmed Branch Family members.
• Elder Kazuo, Elder Nai Hyuga, and other elders challenged Hinata’s arguments and explained why they believed the system protected the clan from decline and internal conflict.
• Unable to answer every concern, Hinata considered stepping back and delaying the reforms until she had addressed the elders’ objections.
• The Great Elder stopped the discussion and asked Hinata whether an unidentified man also agreed with the system.

Hinata won the Hyuga elders' and Jonin's support for reforming the clan's system, and Hyuga Hiashi formally approved gradual changes. As the Branch Family celebrated the canceled Caged Bird ceremony, the Great Elder asked how the reform might unfold, and Ryosuke warned that it was dangerous because restless members might act.

• The Great Elder supported Hinata's proposed system, and the elders and Jonin present raised no further objections.
• Hinata told Hyuga Hiashi that the proposal had passed, and he announced gradual changes to the Hyuga Clan's long-standing operations.
• After the meeting, Ryosuke caught the exhausted Hinata and carried her home as she fell asleep.
• The Hyuga Clan canceled its Caged Bird Seal imprinting ceremony and announced amendments to its rules, prompting Branch Family members to celebrate Hinata.
• The Great Elder asked Hinata and Ryosuke how the changes felt and might develop, and Ryosuke warned that restless people could soon step forward.

While Ryosuke continued cultivating during the Hyuga Clan’s reforms, he learned that Jiraiya had left to search for Tsunade and worried that trouble was brewing in Konoha. Naruto struggled against the Nine-Tails’ influence as he investigated his origins, and the chapter left him desperate to ask Ryosuke for guidance but unable to reach him because the Hyuga Clan had closed its grounds.

• Seisai Hyuga told Ryosuke that Jiraiya had left the village and was searching gambling houses across the Land of Fire.
• Ryosuke suspected Jiraiya was looking for Tsunade and considered the tensions surrounding Konoha’s leadership and Naruto’s situation.
• Ryosuke recalled that Naruto had resumed missions with Sasuke Uchiha’s team, then chose to focus on cultivating his Yang Release Secret Technique.
• At Konoha Park, Naruto argued with the Nine-Tails, accusing it of manipulating his emotions and refusing its offer to reveal the truth about his family.
• The Nine-Tails provoked Naruto by blaming the person who had sealed it inside him, and its Chakra began to manifest around Naruto.
• Naruto hid from view and realized that facts he had ignored were forcing him to doubt even Grandpa Third, but he could not visit Ryosuke because the Hyuga Clan had closed its grounds.

Hinata took part in the Hyūga clan’s reforms while Naruto waited outside the compound, hoping to ask Ryosuke about his origins. Later, Sasuke confronted Naruto during training, and Naruto’s Nine-Tails power erupted as he grabbed Sasuke.

• Hyuga Hiashi ended a council meeting where clan members discussed reforms to the Caged Bird Seal, Secret Techniques, and the clan’s governance.
• Hinata learned that Naruto had been waiting outside the Hyūga grounds for several days, but Ryosuke refused to meet him because he could not answer Naruto’s question about his father.
• Ryosuke explained to Hinata that Naruto needed to face the truth about his origins himself, and Hinata fell asleep beside him before Hanabi woke her.
• Sasuke pressed Naruto about his visits to Ryosuke and his troubled mood while attacking him during a forest training session.
• Naruto’s eyes turned scarlet, red Chakra surged around him, and a clawed hand seized Sasuke’s ankle as Sasuke tried to retreat.

Naruto subdued Sasuke, then learned that Sasuke had killed Mizuki after Mizuki tried to take his Sharingan, and Sasuke insisted that his suffering was no less than Naruto’s. Meanwhile, Ryosuke prepared for his third transformation and discussed its dangers with Hyuga Hiashi, who agreed to keep its details secret.

• Naruto overwhelmed Sasuke with the Nine-Tails’ Chakra, but calmed down and forced the Chakra back into the seal after Sasuke surrendered.
• Sasuke told Naruto that Mizuki had approached him as a teacher to awaken his bloodline and steal his Sharingan, and that Sasuke killed him after awakening his two-tomoe Sharingan.
• Sasuke declared that he had suffered no less than Naruto, vowed to kill the man he was pursuing, and promised to surpass Naruto before walking away.
• Ryosuke realized his third transformation was approaching as his Progress Bar neared completion, after three years of intense physical and mental training.
• Ryosuke warned Hyuga Hiashi that transformations could leave him vulnerable to attack, and Hiashi advised him to keep the changes secret while promising that only he knew the details.

Ryosuke endured his third transformation, which greatly increased his strength and changed his Byakugan, while Hyuga Hiashi urged him to keep his abilities secret and prioritize the clan’s collective growth. After a week of recovery and training, Ryosuke and Hinata took Hanabi to her first day at the Ninja Academy, where Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno mistook them for a couple with a child.

• Ryosuke completed a painful transformation that elevated his physical strength and altered his eyes into a state between the Byakugan and the Tenseigan.
• Hyuga Hiashi examined Ryosuke, told him to conceal his abilities, and encouraged the clan to grow strong enough to stand beside him.
• Ryosuke stayed home for less than a week to observe his body and adapt to his new strength before finding the training dull without an opponent.
• Hyuga Hiashi apologized that work kept him from accompanying Hanabi to her first day at the Ninja Academy, and Hinata and Ryosuke took her instead.
• Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno saw Ryosuke and Hinata escorting Hanabi and asked whether they had taken leave to have a baby.

Ryosuke and Hinata brought Hanabi to her first day at the Ninja Academy, where they met Ino and Sakura and encouraged Neji to reconsider applying for early graduation. After Hinata reflected on balancing clan duties with training, Ryosuke began planning to use the Hyūga’s reforms to draw out hidden radicals within the clan.

• Ino and Sakura mistook Hanabi for Ryosuke and Hinata’s child before Hinata explained that she was their younger sister.
• Ino and Sakura escorted Hanabi into the Academy, while Ryosuke and Hinata stayed behind to attend to clan affairs.
• Neji told Ryosuke and Hinata that he was considering another graduation assessment application, and they encouraged him to try again.
• Hinata told Ryosuke she felt she was no longer a ninja because clan duties had kept her from training, and he reassured her that her work for the clan was worthwhile.
• Ryosuke considered how the clan’s changes could expose radical Hyūga members who secretly opposed its reforms and exploited its old system.

After hearing villagers blame Naruto for his team’s injuries, Ryosuke reached out to him and learned that Orochimaru had attacked the team during an A-rank mission. Naruto revealed that Orochimaru had told him Minato was his father and a political pawn, leaving Naruto struggling to contain the Tailed Beast’s influence as he processed the revelation.

• Hanabi, Hinata, and Ryosuke visited Konoha’s Food Street, where Ryosuke explained that the alliance had brought merchants and goods from other countries.
• Ryosuke and Hinata overheard villagers blaming Naruto for his team’s troubles, so Ryosuke went to contact him while Hinata headed home with Hanabi.
• Ryosuke reached Naruto through their mental connection and learned that Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke, and Uesugi had faced Orochimaru during an A-rank intelligence mission.
• Naruto explained that he had entered the Four-Tails state, suffered serious injuries, and needed longer to recover after Orochimaru reinforced his Tailed Beast seal.
• Naruto told Ryosuke that Orochimaru had revealed Minato Namikaze was his father and claimed the Third Hokage had made Minato a controllable pawn.

After Orochimaru’s revelations stirred Naruto’s doubts about the Third Hokage and his father, Ryosuke urged him to stay calm and seek the truth directly from Hiruzen Sarutobi. Naruto decided to meet the Third Hokage, but an ANBU told him Hiruzen was too busy and would explain later.

• Naruto told Ryosuke he suspected Hiruzen Sarutobi had been manipulating him and feared the Hokage might silence him or replace him as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.
• Ryosuke laid out several possible reasons Hiruzen had not restrained Naruto and urged him to make his own judgment by asking the Hokage directly.
• Ryosuke promised to help Naruto escape the village or avenge him if he came to harm, then left and ended their mental communication.
• Naruto spent the night considering the possibilities, then asked to see the Third Hokage after breakfast.
• An ANBU appeared and told Naruto that Hiruzen was busy and would explain everything after handling his affairs.

Ryosuke discussed Naruto’s uncertain future with Hyuga Hiashi, then celebrated Hyuga Neji’s successful early graduation and shared intelligence with trusted clan members. The chapter ended with Ryosuke wondering how strong he had become and longing for an opponent capable of giving him a serious fight.

• Ryosuke told Hyuga Hiashi that Naruto’s situation was complicated and hoped Jiraiya would bring Tsunade back, while Hiashi asked whether he would help Naruto.
• Ryosuke and Hyuga Hiashi agreed that Naruto had to make his own choices, then watched the moon together.
• Hyuga Neji passed the graduation exam, and Ryosuke’s loyal clansmen brought him intelligence from Kyoto City.
• Ryosuke told the clansmen he believed he could defeat Kakashi Hatake but could not judge himself against Itachi Uchiha, whose Mangekyō Sharingan made him a formidable opponent.
• Ryosuke shared selected intelligence with his subordinates and reflected that he wanted to test his strength against a worthy opponent, imagining Naruto might eventually challenge him with six tails.

Ryosuke heard villagers debate Neji Hyuga’s rise and the Hyūga clan reforms before a precognitive dream showed Shimura Danzō confronting Naruto. He woke with ten minutes to act and rushed toward Naruto’s home to stop or observe Danzō’s attempt to use Kotoamatsukami.

• Ryosuke overheard villagers praise Neji Hyuga for independently comprehending and improving the Hyūga Main Family’s Rotation technique.
• Ryosuke listened to Branch Family members argue that Neji’s achievements entitled him to contend for clan leadership, but he chose not to confront them.
• Ryosuke dreamed that Shimura Danzō appeared in Naruto’s room and tried to recruit Naruto as his successor and the guardian of Konoha’s darkness.
• Ryosuke recognized that his vision would occur in ten minutes and suspected Danzō planned to use Kotoamatsukami on Naruto.
• Ryosuke hurried toward Naruto’s home so he could observe the confrontation and respond if necessary.

Shimura Danzō tried to use Shisui Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan to control Naruto, but Ryosuke blocked Kotoamatsukami and Naruto escaped. Naruto headed for the village outskirts to avoid being sealed again, while Ryosuke sensed other people lurking nearby.

• Shimura Danzō entered Naruto Uzumaki’s home with Root’s support and tried to control him with Kotoamatsukami.
• Naruto resisted the genjutsu, transformed with Tailed Beast Chakra, and fled through the window as Root and Anbu pursued him.
• Naruto told Ryosuke he wanted the Third Hokage to explain what was happening, then changed course toward the village outskirts to reduce the danger he posed.
• Ryosuke blocked Danzō’s Kotoamatsukami through the Byakugan and took control of part of Naruto’s Chakra.
• The Nine-Tails sensed Ryosuke’s Otsutsuki power, and Ryosuke warned Naruto that other people were lurking in the village.

Naruto lost control of the Nine-Tails’ Chakra and fled Konoha as Danzo tried to force him out and capture him. Ryosuke investigated Naruto’s seal and found that the transformation could not stop on its own; outside the village, Naruto asked to see the Third Hokage, while Danzo claimed to have Hiruzen’s secret orders and approached Tora with a document.

• Naruto’s transformation erupted in Konoha, and Danzo ordered Root and Anbu to drive him out of the village despite an Anbu officer’s doubts.
• Ryosuke entered Naruto’s sealing space, examined the seal, and learned that Naruto could not halt the transformation once the Chakra began flowing uncontrollably.
• Ryosuke told Naruto he would help end the transformation after the Third Hokage arrived, while Naruto’s fourth tail began to emerge in the forest outside the village.
• Danzo ordered the ninja surrounding Naruto to restrain him, but Naruto demanded to see the Third Hokage, and Tora ordered everyone to hold their positions.
• Tora confirmed Naruto still had control and challenged Danzo’s authority, so Danzo claimed Hiruzen had secretly ordered him to turn Naruto into a war machine and produced a document bearing the Hokage’s seal.

Naruto’s suspicions and unstable Tailed Beast Transformation left him unable to fight, so he trusted Ryosuke to take control of his body. Ryosuke stabilized the transformation, subdued the Anbu and Root forces, and turned his attention to Shimura Danzō.

• Naruto overheard Shimura Danzō and the Anbu discussing a mission to restrain him, and his fear that Hiruzen wanted to kill him intensified the Nine-Tails’ influence.
• Ryosuke calmed Naruto by explaining that Hiruzen had not yet arrived and urging him to focus on the approaching ninja.
• As the Anbu and Root forces attacked, Ryosuke offered to control Naruto’s body, and Naruto immediately agreed.
• Ryosuke took control through Naruto’s open mind, stabilized his Tailed Beast Transformation, healed his body, and suppressed the Nine-Tails’ power.
• Ryosuke used Naruto’s Chakra to defeat and restrain the attackers, then entered a five-tail state and singled out Shimura Danzō.
• Ryosuke declared that Danzō was next and vanished from the encirclement in an explosive burst.

Ryosuke used Naruto’s body to pursue Shimura Danzō, expose his Izanagi and Sharingan arm before the pursuing Anbu and Root, and provoke him into revealing his Wood Release. The chapter left Ryosuke’s Tailed Beast Chakra overpowering Danzō’s wooden attack as their fight continued.

• Ryosuke crushed Shimura Danzō with underground Tailed Beast Chakra claws, but discovered that Danzō had escaped using Izanagi and was fleeing toward the village.
• Ryosuke caught up with Danzō and killed him again, forcing Izanagi to consume another Sharingan; Danzō reappeared nearby as the Root and Anbu pursued them.
• Ryosuke used Naruto’s body to accuse Danzō of involvement in the Nine-Tails’ attack, provoking him to reveal his arm covered in Sharingan.
• Tora and the other pursuers saw Danzō alive and witnessed his transformed arm as he declared Naruto a threat to Konoha.
• Danzō attacked Naruto with Wood Release, but Ryosuke’s Tailed Beast Chakra claws crushed the wooden branches and surged toward him.