Recaps

Zhou Cheng transmigrated into Konoha as a war orphan and discovered a gourd-shaped cheat that let him copy other people's talents. After copying a Konoha shinobi's abilities, he planned to impress the village's talent assessors and copy the Third Hokage's talent.

• Zhou Cheng woke among war orphans being escorted to Konoha and recovered memories of his life as a Kirigakure orphan.
• A burning birthmark revealed a gourd-vine cheat that could copy talents and refine them into liquid to improve his attributes.
• Zhou Cheng used Talent Replication on a Konoha shinobi and acquired shinobi knowledge, the Chakra Refinement Method, and the Shuriken Throwing Technique.
• Zhou Cheng learned that the orphans would receive a talent assessment after the Third Hokage welcomed them.
• Zhou Cheng resolved to demonstrate his copied skills, enter the Ninja Academy, and use Replication on the Third Hokage.

Zhou Cheng used two drops of talent original liquid to improve his strength and speed before entering Konoha, where he discovered that the child he had picked up was Haku. In the square, he sensed someone within Talent Replication range but waited for Hiruzen Sarutobi to appear.

• Zhou Cheng allocated the talent original liquid to the Vermilion Gourd and Jade Green Gourd, increasing his strength and speed.
• Kotetsu inspected Zhou Cheng, remarked on his strength, and let him enter Konoha.
• Zhou Cheng saw the child he had picked up identify himself as Haku and realized he might be Yuki Haku.
• Zhou Cheng entered a square full of war orphans guarded by ANBU and sensed that a possible Talent Replication target was nearby.
• Zhou Cheng decided to wait for Hiruzen Sarutobi rather than use Replication on the ANBU.

Zhou Cheng copied Hiruzen Sarutobi’s chakra control talent, planned to impress Konoha’s assessors, and began extracting chakra at the children’s temporary lodgings. When a group of bullies tried to take his and Haku’s beds, Zhou Cheng fought back and prepared to free Haku.

• Zhou Cheng used Talent Replication on Hiruzen Sarutobi and gained his top-tier chakra control talent, which would take a month to assimilate.
• After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, an ANBU member announced that the children would be assessed the next day, and Zhou Cheng planned to demonstrate his chakra and shuriken skills.
• Zhou Cheng confirmed that the boy traveling with him was Yuki Haku, a Kirigakure refugee whose parents had died in the civil war.
• At their temporary lodgings, Zhou Cheng secretly began extracting chakra while pretending to sleep.
• A burly child and his companions tried to force Zhou Cheng and Haku out of their beds, and Zhou Cheng knocked one attacker into the bully before ordering him to release Haku.

Zhou Cheng defended Haku from bullies in the Thatched Hut, revealing that he had extracted chakra and could overpower them. Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered an investigation into Zhou Cheng and Haku, while Danzo decided he wanted Zhou Cheng for Root.

• Zhou Cheng defeated the boys who attacked Haku, snapping their leader’s arm and kicking him and his lackeys out through the wall.
• Zhou Cheng told Haku that he knew Haku had extracted chakra and claimed they were both war orphans from Kirigakure.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi watched the fight through his crystal ball and ordered an Anbu Ninja to investigate Zhou Cheng’s and Haku’s backgrounds.
• A Root Shinobi reported Zhou Cheng’s chakra extraction and strength to Danzo, who declared that a genius like him must serve Root.

Zhou Cheng secretly tested his chakra control by performing the Shadow Clone Technique, impressing Hiruzen Sarutobi and the watching Anbu. After absorbing his clone’s training experience, he continued with the children and saw that the boys he had kicked had died.

• Danzo decided he wanted to recruit Zhou Cheng into Root before Hiruzen Sarutobi could approach him.
• Zhou Cheng slipped out at night and successfully created a shadow clone, which he ordered to practice tree climbing while he returned to sleep.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Zhou Cheng perform the Shadow Clone Technique through a Crystal Ball, while the Purple Hair ANBU observed him in person.
• At sunrise, Zhou Cheng dispelled the clone and absorbed its chakra-control training, then suspected Haku had begun to trust him.
• Konoha genin led the children toward the Square, where Zhou Cheng saw that the boys he had kicked the previous day were dead.

Zhou Cheng impressed the examiners and Hiruzen Sarutobi by easily passing the strength, bench-press, and speed tests. As the ninja-tool test began, he planned to display his full skill and make himself stand out as a genius.

• Zhou Cheng lifted a 50-kilogram dumbbell with ease, astonishing the children, Genin evaluators, and the Purple-Haired ANBU while Hiruzen Sarutobi praised him from afar.
• Haku lifted a 30-kilogram dumbbell and drew admiration, though Zhou Cheng's feat had already raised expectations.
• Zhou Cheng pressed 70 kilograms without strain, then challenged a boy who had doubted him; the boy struggled to lift 60 kilograms and stopped taunting him after the others laughed.
• Zhou Cheng completed the 200-meter sprint in 18 seconds without using chakra, while Haku passed by finishing in 20 seconds.
• Before the ninja-tool test, Zhou Cheng decided to show off his full shuriken and kunai skill to impress the Shinobi and Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Zhou Cheng stunned the Konoha testing crowd with extraordinary shuriken skills and the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique. His display drew the attention of Hiruzen, Danzo, the ANBU, and the village’s jonin, who learned he had only arrived in Konoha the day before.

• Zhou Cheng hit three bullseyes, then redirected three shuriken through collisions to strike three different targets at once.
• The Purple-Haired ANBU praised Zhou Cheng’s talent and planned to bring him into ANBU training after he became a genin, while Hiruzen considered taking him as a student and Danzo arrived hoping to recruit him.
• Zhou Cheng coated a shuriken with chakra and used the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique to create two more, striking three bullseyes simultaneously.
• The jonin questioned the Purple-Haired ANBU, who revealed Zhou Cheng had arrived the previous day and had learned to mold chakra and perform the Shadow Clone Technique overnight.

Konoha’s leaders debated whether Zhou Cheng should be trained by Hiruzen or Danzo, while Zhou Cheng and Haku settled into a house after qualifying for the Ninja Academy. Hiruzen arranged for Zhou Cheng to join a class with clan children, and Zhou Cheng wondered whether he could replicate Naruto’s talent and gain the Nine-Tails.

• The Jonin praised Zhou Cheng’s talent, but Danzo decided he must join Root while Hiruzen refused to hand him over.
• Hiruzen ordered an ANBU to place Zhou Cheng in the same Ninja Academy class as the clan children.
• Haku also passed the assessment, and an attendant told Zhou Cheng and Haku that they had qualified for the Academy and would receive a house.
• Zhou Cheng and Haku moved into their new home, ate ramen, bathed, and changed into clothes provided by Konoha.
• Zhou Cheng reflected on his appearance, hoped to join the Konoha 12’s class, and wondered if replicating Naruto’s talent could give him the Nine-Tails.

Zhou Cheng and Haku’s reported talent stirred excitement and skepticism among Konoha’s clans, while Ino, Shikamaru, and Neji reacted to the news of the transfer students. Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Zhou Cheng the next morning and asked him to call him Third Grandpa, but Zhou Cheng privately distrusted him.

• Inoichi Yamanaka told Ino that two talented orphans would transfer into her class, and Ino was startled to hear they had extracted chakra in one night.
• Shikaku Nara told Shikamaru about the transfer students, and Shikamaru briefly reacted with disbelief to their reported talent.
• Hyuga Hiashi told Hinata and Neji about the transfer students, prompting Neji to declare that he would prove himself superior.
• Konoha’s clans debated Zhou Cheng and Haku’s talent, with some hoping to bring them into their families and others dismissing their lack of clan connections.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Zhou Cheng early the next morning and told him to call him Third Grandpa.
• Zhou Cheng greeted Hiruzen respectfully but privately recalled the Hokage’s past decisions and resolved not to trust him.

Hiruzen Sarutobi tested Zhou Cheng and Haku’s chakra affinities, gave them ninjutsu scrolls, and sent them to the Ninja Academy. Zhou Cheng joined Naruto Uzumaki’s class, where he began thinking about copying his classmates’ talents.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Zhou Cheng how he learned the Shadow Clone Technique, and Zhou Cheng explained that he had memorized it during Kirigakure’s civil war.
• Zhou Cheng’s Chakra Paper showed water and earth affinities, while Haku’s showed wind and water.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave the pair water and wind ninjutsu scrolls and gave Zhou Cheng two B-rank Earth Release scrolls.
• A genin escorted Zhou Cheng and Haku to the Ninja Academy, where Umino Iruka welcomed them as new students.
• Zhou Cheng introduced himself to the class, heard Naruto Uzumaki declare that he would become Hokage, and encouraged him.

Zhou Cheng attended his first Ninja Academy lesson and impressed the class by casting the Clone Technique perfectly on his first try. His unexpected success left his classmates and Iruka shocked and questioning how he had learned it so quickly.

• Ino admired Zhou Cheng’s looks and wondered whether she should give up on Sasuke to pursue him, while Neji eyed Zhou Cheng as a rival genius.
• Iruka seated Zhou Cheng and Haku near Hinata, then taught the class the Clone Technique ahead of a test the next day.
• Naruto tried the technique twice to impress Sakura, but both clones failed and the class laughed at him.
• Zhou Cheng volunteered to try, formed the hand seals, and produced a flawless clone on his first attempt.
• The class erupted in disbelief, with some students suspecting Zhou Cheng had learned the technique before.

Zhou Cheng refused Neji’s challenge after weighing their strength, then stunned the class by using the Shadow Clone Technique. He promised to challenge Neji in one month, leaving the students shocked by his confidence.

• Neji demonstrated the Clone Technique and challenged Zhou Cheng, who declined because he knew he was not yet strong enough to face him.
• After classmates mocked him, Zhou Cheng used the Shadow Clone Technique to silence them.
• Ino Yamanaka reminded the class that Zhou Cheng had taught himself powerful ninjutsu and placed first in the Foreign Village Naturalization Talent Assessment.
• The clan children accepted Zhou Cheng as a true genius, while Neji watched him with renewed seriousness.
• Zhou Cheng told Neji he would challenge him in one month, stunning the classroom.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo watched Zhou Cheng’s progress and considered recruiting him, while Zhou Cheng’s challenge to Neji drew widespread disbelief. After school, Zhou Cheng and Haku practiced Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique, and both successfully performed it using different methods.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Zhou Cheng’s talent and planned to investigate him and Haku further, while Danzo decided to claim Zhou Cheng if he defeated Neji.
• Naruto encouraged Zhou Cheng to win his challenge, and Zhou Cheng praised Hinata before leaving the academy with Haku.
• At home, Zhou Cheng and Haku studied the ninjutsu scroll Hiruzen had given them and practiced Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique.
• Zhou Cheng produced mist by breathing it out, and Haku succeeded by condensing mist from the air.
• An unseen observer watched Zhou Cheng and Haku practice in the courtyard.

Zhou Cheng and Haku practiced the Water Shark Bullet Technique and discovered that meditation could replenish and increase their chakra. After proposing an intensive training routine, Zhou Cheng was ambushed by two intruders and faced a Jonin-level pursuer in the courtyard.

• Zhou Cheng performed the Water Shark Bullet Technique on his first attempt, while Haku failed and Zhou Cheng encouraged him to keep trying.
• Zhou Cheng and Haku meditated to restore their chakra, and Zhou Cheng found that his reserves had increased after an hour.
• Zhou Cheng proposed that they use shadow clones for school while their real bodies trained through physical exercise, ninjutsu practice, and chakra molding.
• Two figures appeared in Zhou Cheng and Haku's room, and Zhou Cheng used a Shadow Clone Technique and escaped through the window.
• A man used the Body Flicker Technique to intercept Zhou Cheng in the courtyard, and Zhou Cheng formed fast hand seals and launched the Water Shark Bullet Technique.

ANBU captured Zhou Cheng and Haku and brought them to a Konoha basement for interrogation. The Gourd Vine seemed to shield Zhou Cheng from Inoichi Yamanaka’s memory probe, and the chapter ended as Zhou Cheng passed out and everyone waited for Inoichi’s findings.

• Zhou Cheng tried to escape the ANBU but Uzuki Yugao knocked him back into the courtyard, and the fox-masked ANBU captured him.
• The ANBU took Zhou Cheng and Haku to a basement where Inoichi Yamanaka and other Shinobi prepared to probe their memories.
• The tanuki-masked ANBU released Haku from genjutsu, and Inoichi began interrogating him while Zhou Cheng’s Gourd Vine birthmark grew hot.
• Haku suffered through the memory probe and passed out, while Zhou Cheng feigned agony as the Gourd Vine appeared to block the probe.
• Zhou Cheng screamed that he would kill the ANBU, then passed out as Inoichi stopped his ninjutsu and the room awaited his conclusion.

After confirming that Zhou Cheng and Haku were not spies, Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to let Danzo or the Hokage Advisors claim them, intending to keep them in Konoha. Zhou Cheng woke in the hospital and decided that he and Haku needed a powerful teacher, considering whether Kakashi could be persuaded with copies of Icha Icha Paradise.

• The Purple-Haired ANBU reported that Haku and Zhou Cheng had survived Kirigakure's civil war and that investigators had found no evidence they were spies.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed the others' attempts to take charge of Zhou Cheng and Haku, provoking Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura to leave.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura agreed to cooperate with Danzo to get control of the children.
• Zhou Cheng woke at Konoha Hospital, checked that Haku was still unconscious, and pretended to sleep in case Hiruzen Sarutobi was watching.
• Zhou Cheng decided that he and Haku needed a strong teacher and considered offering Kakashi volumes of Icha Icha Paradise.

Zhou Cheng received a hospital visit from Naruto, Hinata, and Ino, then used a shadow clone to go to class while remaining in the hospital. After they left, Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived and asked to take Zhou Cheng as his disciple, unaware that Zhou Cheng remembered the abduction and the failed memory-altering techniques.

• Naruto, Hinata, and Ino visited Zhou Cheng and Haku in the hospital, believing the village's account that ANBU had saved them from attackers.
• Hinata brought Zhou Cheng lunch, and Ino announced that she would bring him lunch the next day, prompting Zhou Cheng to recognize them as friends.
• Zhou Cheng ate quickly, made a shadow clone to attend class, and offered to teach Naruto, Hinata, and Ino ninjutsu.
• After Naruto, Hinata, and Ino left, Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Zhou Cheng and asked to take him as his disciple.

Zhou Cheng avoided choosing between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo as his teacher, then taught Naruto, Hinata, Ino, and Haku the Shadow Clone Technique. A month later, Hiruzen Sarutobi's talent refinement produced twelve drops of talent original liquid, which Zhou Cheng planned to use to grow stronger.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo both tried to take Zhou Cheng as their disciple, but Zhou Cheng persuaded them to discuss it and leave him to rest.
• Danzo gave Zhou Cheng a scroll for Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, and Zhou Cheng studied the A-Rank ninjutsu.
• Haku woke with altered memories, and Zhou Cheng later taught him, Naruto, Hinata, and Ino the Shadow Clone Technique.
• Zhou Cheng walked Ino and Hinata home, then spent the following days training while his friends visited for meals.
• After a month, Zhou Cheng completed the refinement of Hiruzen Sarutobi's talent and received twelve drops of talent original liquid.

After a month of training, Zhou Cheng used most of his talent original liquid to greatly improve his physique, vitality, strength, speed, and sensory abilities, bringing his chakra reserves close to Jonin level. His enhanced senses revealed that Uzuki Yugao was watching him from a nearby rooftop.

• Zhou Cheng reviewed his progress in training and considered how to use his remaining talent original liquid to address his weaknesses.
• He spent four drops on the Dark Yellow and Indigo Gourds, strengthening his physique and vitality and raising his chakra reserves to elite Chunin level.
• He used two drops on the Vermilion Gourd to increase his strength and two on the Jade Green Gourd to improve his speed and agility.
• Zhou Cheng spent two more drops on the Orange Sun Gourd, sharpening his sensory abilities.
• He sensed an ANBU watcher nearby and identified her as Uzuki Yugao by her purple hair and Ninja Blade.

Zhou Cheng searched for Might Guy so he could copy his Taijutsu talent before his match with Neji, but failed to find him and worried about the coming fight. After dinner, he reassured his friends that he would defeat Neji and encouraged Hinata as he walked her home.

• Zhou Cheng decided to seek out Might Guy and use Replication on his talent before his match with Neji.
• Zhou Cheng and Haku ran around Konoha, but Zhou Cheng could not find Might Guy or Rock Lee at the training ground or elsewhere in the village.
• Naruto, Hinata, and Ino worried about Zhou Cheng's upcoming match, and Zhou Cheng promised he would beat Neji.
• Zhou Cheng coached his friends in Ninjutsu after dinner, then walked Ino and Hinata home.
• Zhou Cheng told Hinata to be happy and brave and said he would always be there for her, leaving her stunned.

Zhou Cheng tested whether top-tier chakra control could reduce the hand seals needed for ninjutsu without weakening it, then taught Haku the method. He and Haku stayed at Rock Lee’s training ground, where Zhou Cheng persuaded Might Guy to let him watch taijutsu training so he could copy it.

• Zhou Cheng tested simplifying the Water Dragon Bullet Technique and successfully removed four hand seals without reducing its power, though the strain on his meridians set a limit.
• Zhou Cheng taught Haku the method, and Haku learned to remove two or three seals while Uzuki Yugao watched from a rooftop.
• Zhou Cheng and Haku trained through the night, and Zhou Cheng urged Haku to live for himself rather than worry about being useful to him.
• Zhou Cheng and Haku waited at Rock Lee’s training ground, where Zhou Cheng convinced Rock Lee to let them watch his taijutsu lesson with Might Guy.
• Might Guy recognized Zhou Cheng and asked how he had found the training ground, so Zhou Cheng admitted he had secretly followed Rock Lee and asked to learn taijutsu.

Zhou Cheng copied Might Guy’s Taijutsu talent and gained knowledge of the Perfect Eight Gates Released Formation, then declined Guy’s offer to become his student by claiming the Third Hokage had already approached him. He returned home with Haku to train for his fight against Neji the next day.

• Zhou Cheng used Talent Replication on Might Guy and acquired his Taijutsu knowledge, including the Perfect Eight Gates Released Formation.
• Guy and Rock Lee were astonished when Zhou Cheng demonstrated flawless Taijutsu, and Guy offered to take him as a student.
• Zhou Cheng said the Third Hokage had offered to teach him, then clarified that he had refused the offer, shocking Guy, Rock Lee, Haku, and Uzuki Yugao.
• Zhou Cheng left with Haku and planned to master Guy’s Taijutsu and practice opening the Eight Gates before fighting Neji.

Zhou Cheng planned to learn Gentle Fist before his match with Neji, while Neji trained to defend his reputation and prove his genius. When Zhou Cheng asked Hinata to spar with him, she was torn between helping her friend and loyalty to her cousin.

• Zhou Cheng considered secretly learning the Eight Gates of Life, trained with shadow clones, and decided to ask Hinata to teach him Gentle Fist.
• Neji practiced techniques reserved for the Main Family, and Hyuga Hiashi watched with conflicted feelings before leaving.
• Hinata and Ino brought ingredients to Zhou Cheng's home, where Naruto complained about finding Sakura with Sasuke.
• Zhou Cheng asked Hinata to spar so he could prepare for his match with Neji, leaving her caught between them.

Hinata agreed to spar with Zhou Cheng using only basic Gentle Fist, and Might Guy watched Zhou Cheng develop an impressive taijutsu style. Guy urged Hiruzen Sarutobi to give up recruiting Zhou Cheng, but Uzuki Yugao’s report revealed that Zhou Cheng excelled at ninjutsu too and might win his match the next day.

• Hinata agreed to help Zhou Cheng train but refused to use her clan’s secret techniques.
• Zhou Cheng and Hinata sparred with basic taijutsu, and he recognized Gentle Fist’s strengths.
• Might Guy watched from a rooftop, marveled at Zhou Cheng’s rapidly developed taijutsu, and went to the Hokage Building.
• Might Guy asked Hiruzen Sarutobi to let him take Zhou Cheng as a student, explaining Zhou Cheng’s extraordinary taijutsu talent.
• Uzuki Yugao reported Zhou Cheng’s exceptional ninjutsu abilities and said his taijutsu had reached Chunin level, making him a possible winner in the next day’s match.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Guy, Kakashi, and Uzuki Yugao debated whether Zhou Cheng could defeat Neji Hyuga, while Zhou Cheng continued preparing for their match. The chapter ended with Zhou Cheng judging his chances against Neji and considering which talent to choose next.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Guy doubted that Zhou Cheng could overcome Neji, and Hiruzen proposed waiting until after the match to decide who would take him as a student.
• Guy found Kakashi and brought him to watch Zhou Cheng spar with Hinata, then told him Zhou Cheng had reached that level of taijutsu in one day.
• Uzuki Yugao confirmed Zhou Cheng had never trained in taijutsu before and revealed that the Third Hokage wanted him as a student, while Zhou Cheng had not agreed.
• Kakashi predicted Neji would win, but Uzuki Yugao said her intuition told her Zhou Cheng would win.
• Ino kissed Zhou Cheng on the cheek to encourage him, and Hinata felt jealous as she wished him luck at the Hyuga Clan gate.
• Zhou Cheng concluded that he could beat Neji if Neji used only the Gentle Fist, but feared Neji's secret techniques and chakra-point strikes.