Chapter Summaries

Hayate Hoshi, the last heir of the declining Hayate Clan, broke through to introductory swordsmanship and gained a new skill from his Sword Heart System. As the Ninja Academy term approached, he looked forward to meeting Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others.

• The chapter described how the Hayate Clan lost its former strength and was reduced to Hayate Hoshi and his mother, Hayate Rie.
• Hoshi finished his training and celebrated privately after reaching introductory swordsmanship with the Sword Heart System.
• The system granted Hoshi the secret technique Assault, which briefly made him invisible before a swift thrust.
• Rie asked why Hoshi was so cheerful, and he said he had thought of something happy.
• Rie guessed Hoshi was excited about the Ninja Academy, which Hoshi had passed the entrance exam for and would soon attend.

On his first day at the Ninja Academy, Hoshi joined Class A’s Placement Assessment and drew Jiraiya as his opponent. After watching Tsunade win her match, Hoshi decided to fight Jiraiya and keep things friendly, but Jiraiya charged at him as their match began.

• Hoshi arrived at the Ninja Academy, attended Hiruzen Sarutobi’s opening ceremony, and was assigned to Class A.
• Uchijima Mitsui brought Class A to the training grounds and explained the Placement Assessment and its seat-selection reward.
• Hoshi drew number twenty-seven, matching him against Jiraiya, who had drawn number four.
• Uchiha Iwa defeated his opponent, and Tsunade beat Nakakura Kuri with a single powerful punch.
• Hoshi agreed with Jiraiya to keep their match friendly, but Jiraiya seized the initiative and charged at Hoshi with a punch aimed at his face.

Hoshi defeated Jiraiya in the Placement Assessment, though his attempt to save him ended with Jiraiya’s clothes tearing and another fall. After watching Hatake Sakumo beat Hyuga Ken, Hoshi chose the seat in front of Tsunade and asked if he could sit there.

• Hoshi outmaneuvered Jiraiya and caught him before he fell, but Jiraiya’s clothes tore and he hit the ground anyway.
• Hoshi apologized and offered to buy Jiraiya new clothes, while Jiraiya accepted the loss and promised to win next time.
• Hatake Sakumo defeated Hyuga Ken without using chakra or drawing his sword, drawing Hoshi’s attention.
• Teacher Mitsui ended the Placement Assessment and let the fifteen winners choose seats by rank.
• Hoshi chose the desk in front of Tsunade and politely asked if he could sit there.

Hoshi discovered that Orochimaru was a low-ranked student in Class C, then treated Jiraiya to new clothes after their first day of school. As they left the clothing store, Hoshi warned Jiraiya that someone was following them.

• Hoshi sat beside Tsunade and chatted with Jiraiya, then asked him to find out whether Orochimaru attended the Academy.
• Jiraiya learned that Orochimaru and Might Duy had placed last and second to last in Class C, and Hoshi confirmed Orochimaru's identity by looking into the classroom.
• Hoshi told Jiraiya he had expected Orochimaru to be a genius, then insisted on buying him replacement clothes and taking him for ramen.
• Hoshi whispered to Jiraiya to act naturally because someone was following them.

Hoshi and Jiraiya discovered that their stalker was their classmate Hatake Sakumo, who challenged Hoshi to a sword fight at Hoshi’s house. Sakumo gained the upper hand by exploiting Hoshi’s weaker physical abilities, and Hoshi prepared to use his ultimate move to turn the fight around.

• Hoshi led Jiraiya into an alley to confront the man following them, and Jiraiya attacked him with a broken brick.
• The stalker disarmed Jiraiya and was revealed to be Hatake Sakumo, who demanded to know where Hoshi’s sword was.
• Hoshi invited Sakumo to spar at his house, where he took a Ninja Blade from his father’s collection and faced Sakumo’s White Fang.
• Hoshi and Sakumo began a sword-only match as Jiraiya watched and realized how far their abilities surpassed his.
• Sakumo struck Hoshi’s shoulder and overwhelmed him with a relentless assault, prompting Hoshi to resolve to use his ultimate move.

Hoshi used his Transparency Release to defeat Sakumo in their spar, then explained his Kekkei Genkai to Sakumo and Jiraiya. After Sakumo accepted the loss, Hoshi noticed his swordsmanship experience had increased and wondered if fighting Sakumo had caused it.

• With Sakumo about to break through his defenses, Hoshi activated Secret Technique: Assault and became invisible, leaving Sakumo and Jiraiya stunned.
• Hoshi enjoyed his altered senses until he noticed his Chakra was running low, then circled behind Sakumo and reappeared before thrusting his blade to Sakumo's throat.
• Sakumo admitted defeat, and Hoshi helped him up and said he would have lost without his Kekkei Genkai.
• Hoshi told Sakumo and Jiraiya that his Kekkei Genkai was Transparency Release, which let him become invisible for a short time.
• Hoshi noticed his Introductory Swordsmanship experience had risen from 0/100 to 5/100 and wondered if sparring with Sakumo had increased it.

After discovering that the system rewarded his sword fight with Hatake Sakumo, Hoshi decided that challenging stronger opponents with a sword was the key to gaining experience. He made friends with Sakumo and Jiraiya, brought them home for dinner, and ended the chapter preparing weapons for future battles.

• Hoshi found a system log showing that his over-level fight with Hatake Sakumo had earned him five experience points.
• Hoshi encouraged Sakumo to spar with him regularly, while Sakumo felt uneasy about Hoshi’s sudden enthusiasm.
• Hayate Rie welcomed Sakumo and Jiraiya into the home and served them dinner, then urged Hoshi to make more friends and find a girlfriend.
• Hoshi studied the system log and concluded that it rewarded sword battles against stronger opponents, not unarmed fights like his match with Jiraiya.
• Hoshi found a Wooden Sword for school sparring and a Dagger for emergencies, then began his next investigation.

Hoshi practiced Transparency Release by memorizing the chakra route used by Secret Technique: Assault, but his first attempt only produced patchy camouflage. After exhausting himself and sleeping late, he arrived at school to jealous classmates mocking his sword; he ignored them and drew more admiration from his classmates.

• Hoshi activated Secret Technique: Assault and studied the chakra flow, but his first attempt to circulate chakra along the route failed when he forgot where it went.
• Hoshi used a Human Meridian Diagram to record the chakra route, then depleted his chakra and spent over two hours recovering.
• Hoshi followed the recorded route and produced a faint, patchy shadow over his body, which he judged useful only as camouflage and chakra training.
• Hoshi exhausted himself practicing and slept through the morning, arriving late to class; Teacher Mitsui let him in after warning him to be careful with his sword and dagger.
• Hoshi explained that his mother had told him to learn the family swordsmanship, but jealous classmates accused him of showing off and imitating Sakumo.
• Hoshi calmly ignored the insults and stopped Jiraiya from arguing, while Tsunade and several girls took greater interest in him.

Hoshi spun a Dagger during a tedious lesson, drawing Tsunade’s attention and inspiring her to try the trick with Yazi’s pencils. After repeatedly failing, Tsunade blamed Hoshi and demanded that he teach her how to do it.

• Hoshi ignored the teacher’s repetitive lesson and practiced spinning his Dagger beneath his desk.
• Tsunade noticed Hoshi’s skill and tried to imitate it with pencils she took from Yazi, but repeatedly dropped and broke them.
• Tsunade reassured the upset Yazi that they were friends, then decided to confront Hoshi.
• Hoshi caught his Dagger when Tsunade poked him, and Tsunade told him she wanted to learn the trick.

Hoshi teased Tsunade into betting that she could master pen-spinning within three days, then gave her a hand-in-hand lesson that drew attention from their classmates. Tsunade left with Yazi as the classroom buzzed, while Uchiha Iwa quietly plotted to confront Hoshi.

• Hoshi challenged Tsunade to wager a condition on whether she could learn pen-spinning within three days, and Tsunade accepted.
• After class, Hoshi demonstrated pen-spinning to Tsunade, Jiraiya, Yazi, and curious classmates.
• Tsunade asked Hoshi to guide her hand in hand, prompting Yazi to warn her about holding hands with boys.
• Their classmates gossiped and grew jealous as Hoshi held Tsunade's hand during the lesson.
• Uchiha Iwa decided to find a chance to warn Hoshi, while Tsunade left the classroom with Yazi to escape the commotion.

After Uchiha Iwa confronted Hoshi at the Academy, Sakumo intervened and drove Iwa’s group away, though Iwa promised revenge during the practical assessment in two months. Meanwhile, Tsunade practiced pencil spinning to beat Hoshi’s challenge, and Mito learned that Hoshi had taught her.

• After class, Tsunade left with Yazi, while Hoshi noticed that Sakumo had already gone ahead.
• Uchiha Iwa and his three companions blocked Hoshi and Jiraiya on the stairs, and Iwa accused Hoshi of stealing his spotlight.
• Sakumo stopped Iwa from grabbing Hoshi and challenged him, then dismissed Iwa’s claim to represent the Uchiha Clan.
• Iwa backed down, threatened to expose Hoshi during the practical assessment in two months, and left with his companions.
• Hoshi, Sakumo, and Jiraiya headed off to train.
• Tsunade practiced spinning a pencil to win her bet with Hoshi, and she told Mito that Hoshi had taught her.

Mito investigated Gekko Hoshi after hearing Tsunade describe his pen-spinning, then taught Tsunade to use chakra to control her strength. Meanwhile, Hoshi, Sakumo, and Jiraiya finished training and celebrated at Teuchi Ramen, where Hoshi learned the baby Teuchi was the shop’s namesake.

• Tsunade told Mito about Hoshi, and Mito ordered an Anbu ninja to investigate him.
• Mito showed Tsunade how to balance a pencil with chakra and taught her to guide her strength with chakra as training.
• Mito received Hoshi’s file and examined his photograph and description.
• Hoshi and Sakumo finished sparring, while Jiraiya thanked Hoshi for notes that helped him extract chakra.
• Hoshi took Sakumo and Jiraiya to Teuchi Ramen, where the owner and his wife served them during an opening promotion.
• Hoshi asked about the baby on the aunt’s back and learned that his name was Teuchi and the shop was named after him.

Hoshi and Tsunade brought their pencil-spinning bet before Uzumaki Mito after Tsunade demonstrated her chakra-powered technique at school. Mito sensed no ill intent from Hoshi and invited them to begin the contest.

• Tsunade challenged Hoshi to settle their pencil-spinning bet and used Chakra Control to perform a series of dangerous tricks.
• Hoshi tried to call the contest a draw, but Tsunade said Uzumaki Mito would witness it and summoned him to the Senju Clan Compound after school.
• A masked ninja escorted Hoshi to the compound while Tsunade went with him and Hoshi sent Jiraiya and Sakumo ahead.
• Uzumaki Mito sensed Hoshi with Nine-Tails Chakra, found no ill intent, and told him and Tsunade to begin their bet.

Hoshi impressed Lady Mito with his dagger performance, and she thanked him for helping Tsunade improve her Chakra Control. She offered him Tobirama's swordsmanship insights and a B-rank ninjutsu of his choice, leaving Hoshi poised to claim the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

• Tsunade won their bet after Hoshi agreed to let her have the victory.
• Hoshi performed an elaborate dagger routine that amazed Tsunade, Lady Mito, and the Anbu guard.
• Lady Mito invited Hoshi inside and explained that his pencil-spinning had inspired her to help Tsunade control her strength.
• Lady Mito recognized Hoshi's dagger training as Hayate Clan secret teachings and thanked him for sharing them with Tsunade.
• Lady Mito gave Hoshi Tobirama's Swordsmanship Insights and offered him one of several B-rank ninjutsu, including the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Hoshi investigated why Mito had given him Tobirama's Swordsmanship Insights and learned that Hashirama's plan to integrate Senju Clan Members into Konoha had once been intended to unite the village and cultivate civilian ninjas. Mito recalled that Hashirama and Tobirama's deaths had left Konoha vulnerable, turning the plan into a constraint on the Senju Clan and forcing her to stake everything on a desperate gamble.

• Hoshi searched Hayate Eichi's notes and found an account of Hashirama integrating Senju Clan Members among civilians to strengthen village unity and create civilian ninjas.
• Hoshi questioned how that account could explain the deserted Senju Clan Compound and wondered what had happened to the Senju Clan.
• Mito recalled that Madara's return and battle at the Valley of the End had left Hashirama severely wounded, and Hashirama died after spending his last years with Tsunade.
• Mito remembered that Tobirama and many of Hashirama's loyal subordinates died during the First Shinobi World War, leaving Konoha beset by threats inside and outside the village.
• Mito concluded that the plan had become a bind because recalling the dispersed Senju Clan Members could provoke the other clans, so she had staked everything on a desperate gamble.

Mito gambled the Senju Clan’s future on Tsunade, planning to protect her and eventually restore the clan through her rise to power. At the Academy, Hoshi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade finished a Clone Technique test and learned that their combat assessment was next week, prompting Hoshi to wonder who might appear.

• Mito planned to scatter the Senju among Konoha’s civilians and rely on Tsunade to revive the clan, while she supported Hiruzen and arranged for him to train and protect Tsunade.
• Mito tucked in the sleeping Tsunade, picked up her pencil, and wondered whether Hayate Hoshi might become Tsunade’s right-hand man.
• After more than a month of school, Jiraiya produced a crooked Clone Technique and earned praise from Teacher Mitsui for his progress.
• Jiraiya thanked Hoshi for his notes, then Tsunade demanded credit for hers and beat him after he called her a violent woman.
• Teacher Mitsui ended the Clone Technique test and announced the bimonthly Combat Assessment for the following week, leaving Hoshi wondering whether someone would visit the class.

After Teacher Mitsui announced the upcoming class placement assessment, Hoshi reassured Jiraiya and reviewed how much his training had improved his abilities. He estimated that reaching Basic Swordsmanship could soon give him the stamina and strength to fight at Chunin level.

• Hoshi comforted Jiraiya, who feared being eliminated and separated from his friends, and Sakumo told him he was not weak enough to be dropped to Class B.
• Jiraiya regained his confidence and challenged Sakumo to a future fight.
• Hoshi, Sakumo, and Jiraiya practiced taijutsu together after school before heading home.
• At home, Hoshi reviewed his progress in Ninja Tools, ninjutsu, and swordsmanship, including his use of the Shadow Clone Jutsu to gain training experience.
• Hoshi noted that his Introductory Swordsmanship had reached 70/100 and estimated that breaking through to Basic Swordsmanship would improve his stamina enough to fight at Chunin level.

Hoshi unsettled Uchiha Iwa by predicting his words before Teacher Mitsui began the Combat Assessment. Iwa chose Hoshi as his opponent, setting up their match.

• Hoshi predicted Uchiha Iwa’s next words, leaving Iwa frustrated and silencing him in front of the class.
• Jiraiya, Tsunade, and other students asked Hoshi how he had read Iwa, and Hoshi said Iwa was easy to read.
• Teacher Mitsui led the class to the training grounds and explained how the Combat Assessment would award or deduct points.
• Uchiha Iwa made a theatrical entrance onto the field before choosing Hayate Hoshi as his opponent, accepting that points might be deducted.

Hoshi accepted Uchiha Iwa’s challenge and defeated him after blocking his attacks and evading a dirty strike with the Substitution Technique. Teacher Mitsui declared Hoshi the winner and asked the boys to reconcile, leaving their feud unresolved until they formed the Reconciliation Seal.

• Teacher Mitsui offered Hoshi the chance to refuse Uchiha Iwa’s challenge, but Hoshi accepted.
• Uchiha Iwa threw three kunai at Hoshi, who deflected one with his Wooden Sword and avoided the others.
• Uchiha Iwa charged with a kunai, but Hoshi struck his wrist, dodged his elbow, and hit him in the back with his sword hilt.
• Uchiha Iwa grabbed another kunai and launched a sneak attack, but Hoshi used the Substitution Technique and kicked him out of bounds.
• Teacher Mitsui declared Hayate Hoshi the winner, helped Uchiha Iwa up, and called for the boys to form the Reconciliation Seal.

After Uchiha Iwa vowed to drive Hayate Hoshi out of Class A, Uchiha Yang warned Hayate that Iwa planned to use his uncle in the Police Force against him. The combat assessments ended with Jiraiya’s win, but Hayate stayed to watch as Orochimaru challenged Class A’s tenth-from-last student for a place in the class.

• Uchiha Iwa rejected Uchiha Yang’s advice to drop his feud with Hayate Hoshi and swore to force Hayate out of Class A.
• Uchiha Yang warned Hayate that Uchiha Iwa planned to have his uncle, the Deputy Captain of the Police Force, target him.
• Jiraiya defeated his opponent in the Combat Assessment, and Teacher Mitsui named ten students for a second ranking match against Class B.
• Hayate stayed with Jiraiya and Sakumo to watch Class C’s top students, including Orochimaru, arrive for the ranking matches.
• Orochimaru asked the three teachers for permission to enter Class A by defeating its tenth-from-last student, and the student accepted his challenge.