Chapter Summaries

Uzumaki Hayashi weighed Kakashi Hatake’s offer to become his Jonin instructor, then secured Kakashi’s promise to protect him before agreeing. Kakashi left believing Linshi had accepted, while Linshi celebrated privately over gaining a powerful protector and wondered whether he had met the system’s requirement.

• Uzumaki Hayashi considered the consequences of joining Kakashi’s squad and asked what a Jonin instructor was.
• Kakashi explained the role and offered to ask the Third for approval, noting that the squad might be unusual.
• Uzumaki Hayashi asked Kakashi whether he would protect him, and Kakashi promised he would.
• Uzumaki Hayashi mouthed “Okay,” went inside, and closed the door before Kakashi could finish speaking.
• Kakashi left feeling moved by Linshi’s smile, while Linshi dropped his act and called for the system.

Uzumaki Hayashi completed a quest to comfort Kakashi Hatake and received a major increase in chakra reserves. He began studying the Ice Release scroll Kakashi had given him, unaware that a hidden note was slipping out beside him.

• Uzumaki Hayashi received special jōnin-level chakra reserves after completing the quest to help Kakashi make up for his regrets.
• Uzumaki Hayashi checked his system panel and realized his larger chakra reserves had also strengthened his body.
• Uzumaki Hayashi opened Kakashi's Ice Release scroll and chose to practice the C-rank Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm first.
• Uzumaki Hayashi started analyzing the technique, then fell asleep with the scroll on his chest.
• A slip of paper hidden inside the scroll slid toward Uzumaki Hayashi's pillow as he slept.

Uzumaki Hayashi discovered that the mysterious note by his bed had slipped out of the Ice Release scroll, then mastered Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm and went to the Ninja Academy. He met Mizuki at the school gate and enjoyed a chaotic morning with Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, and Sasuke, while planning to visit the Third that night.

• Uzumaki Hayashi realized the note beside his bed had fallen from the Ice Release scroll and had not been left by an intruder; the note invited him to visit the Third that night.
• Uzumaki Hayashi completed his analysis of Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm and formed sharp, resizeable ice shuriken that pierced a concrete wall.
• Uzumaki Hayashi saw Mizuki waiting at the Ninja Academy gate and recognized him as the teacher who would later trick Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Seals.
• Naruto, Kiba Inuzuka, and Akamaru tumbled out of the classroom in a scuffle, then laughed when Uzumaki Hayashi saw them.
• Sasuke Uchiha called Naruto and Kiba idiots and walked into the classroom with Uzumaki Hayashi.

Uzumaki Hayashi frightened two bullies away from a younger student and unexpectedly ruffled Naruto's hair before leaving the Academy. That evening, he went to meet the Third Hokage, who had summoned him for an unknown reason.

• Uzumaki Hayashi scared off two upperclassmen who were bullying a younger student, and they called him the "Violent Tomato Girl."
• Uzumaki Hayashi ruffled Naruto's hair as Naruto slept, then hurried away after telling him it felt nice to touch.
• Naruto happily dwelled on Linshi's compliment, while Sasuke Uchiha, Shikamaru Nara, and Kiba Inuzuka reacted and the class erupted into roughhousing.
• Uzumaki Hayashi wondered why he had patted Naruto's head and decided not to explain himself.
• Uzumaki Hayashi headed to the Hokage Building, speculating that the Third might discuss Kakashi as his Jonin instructor or offer him more help with Ice Release.
• The Third Hokage recognized Uzumaki Hayashi outside his office and invited him inside before Linshi could knock.

Uzumaki Hayashi agreed to a special Genin assessment after the Third revealed Kakashi wanted him on a team. The Third then asked Linshi to help Naruto, leaving the nature of that favor unclear.

• Uzumaki Hayashi visited the Third, who praised him and mentioned wishing his grandson were more like him.
• The Third said Kakashi had agreed to become a Jonin team leader on the condition that Uzumaki Hayashi join his team.
• The Third told Uzumaki Hayashi that he had to earn Kakashi's approval in a one-on-one spar to become a Genin.
• Uzumaki Hayashi accepted the assessment, and the Third asked him to help Naruto.

Uzumaki Hayashi learned that the Third suspected Mizuki of targeting Naruto and agreed to help with a planned trial, on the condition that he would protect Naruto if he was in danger. Just as the Third signaled someone in the shadows, a visitor entered and startled Linshi.

• Uzumaki Hayashi told the Third he was willing to help Naruto, and the Third called him softhearted.
• The Third revealed that ANBU had found Mizuki making frequent contact with forces outside the village and feared Mizuki would lure Naruto out.
• Uzumaki Hayashi questioned why Mizuki was not simply arrested and objected to using Naruto as bait.
• The Third explained that Naruto was not ready to face the shinobi world alone, and Linshi agreed to the trial while promising to intervene if Naruto was endangered.
• The Third nodded toward a figure hidden in the office shadows, then someone entered and Linshi recognized them with surprise.

The Third assigned Gekko Hayate to protect Uzumaki Hayashi and Naruto during their covert mission, then reacted jealously when he learned Hayate was teaching Linshi swordsmanship. He made the lessons an official, village-funded A-rank mission and, after Hayate and Linshi left, spoke to Kakashi in the shadows.

• Gekko Hayate arrived to receive the mission, and the Third assured Uzumaki Hayashi that Hayate would stay with him and Naruto as a bodyguard.
• The Third questioned Hayate about Linshi calling him master, and Linshi explained that Hayate had offered to teach him swordsmanship.
• The Third grew jealous of Hayate's connection with Linshi, but Linshi defended Hayate and confirmed his explanation.
• The Third approved Hayate's swordsmanship lessons as a village-funded A-rank mission and told Linshi to meet Hayate after school.
• Hayate thanked Linshi outside the Hokage Building and arranged to pick him up after school the next day.
• After they left, the Third addressed Kakashi, who had been concealed nearby, and told him the children would be kept safe.

The Third warned Kakashi not to mistake Hayashi for people from his past, and Kakashi affirmed that Lin deserved attention and love for his own sake. The Third tasked Kakashi with assessing Lin and helping him build a reputation in Konoha, while Lin returned home and activated his system to analyze his jutsu.

• Kakashi emerged from the shadows and thanked the Third for protecting Naruto and Hayashi.
• The Third told Kakashi that Lin was his own person, and Kakashi admitted he had seen traces of others in the boy but cared for him in his own right.
• The Third asked Kakashi to assess Lin and help him build a formidable reputation in Konoha.
• Kakashi accepted the task and left the office as the Third wished Lin well.
• Uzumaki Hayashi returned home, reviewed his jutsu, and activated his system to analyze them all.

Uzumaki Hayashi received two analyzed jutsu and spent the school day eager to test them, while Mizuki’s hostility toward him continued to grow. After school, Linshi hurried to meet Gekko Hayate for his first swordsmanship lesson.

• Uzumaki Hayashi received Ice Release: Nadare Rōga and Water Release: Water Formation Wall, while analysis of Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale continued.
• Mizuki complimented Linshi at the academy gate but secretly insulted him after Linshi walked away.
• Linshi greeted Shino Aburame warmly and reassured him that his insects were nothing to fear, prompting Kiba Inuzuka to wish he had spoken to Linshi too.
• Linshi turned down Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka’s invitation to go shopping so he could attend his swordsmanship lesson.
• Linshi hurried to the academy gate and found Gekko Hayate waiting to pick him up.

Uzumaki Hayashi went home with Gekko Hayate for sword practice, while Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha argued about how Naruto should respond to people insulting Hayashi. At Hayate’s house, Linshi met Uzuki Yugao and received a Tachi, ending the chapter in awe of the sword.

• Gekko Hayate took Uzumaki Hayashi to his home dojo for sword practice and introduced him to Uzuki Yugao.
• Naruto Uzumaki grew angry when villagers called him the demon fox, but Sasuke Uchiha stopped him and told him to get stronger instead of causing trouble for Hayashi.
• Sasuke Uchiha challenged Naruto Uzumaki to consider whether he and Hayashi still needed to attend the Academy, then headed for the training ground.
• Naruto Uzumaki vowed to catch up with Sasuke Uchiha and shouted that Hayashi would never act like him.
• Uzuki Yugao warmly greeted Uzumaki Hayashi and stroked his red hair while Gekko Hayate fetched a Tachi.
• Gekko Hayate tossed the Tachi to Uzumaki Hayashi, who caught it and exclaimed, “Wow.”

Uzumaki Hayashi received a blade from Gekko Hayate and rapidly learned basic swordsmanship, though his body initially struggled to follow what he had learned. After correcting his movements, Gekko Hayate questioned whether the style felt uncomfortable.

• Gekko Hayate gave Uzumaki Hayashi a finely forged blade as a gift and explained that he could not use it safely without swordsmanship training.
• Gekko Hayate led Uzumaki Hayashi into the dojo, where Linshi used his analysis ability to absorb the Basic Swordsmanship Guide almost instantly.
• Uzumaki Hayashi tried to swing a wooden sword, but his body failed to coordinate with his newly learned movements and he nearly fell.
• Gekko Hayate returned after hearing a noise, saw Linshi had finished reading, and began teaching him basic stances and strikes.
• Uzumaki Hayashi improved with each correction until he completed a set of basic movements, prompting Gekko Hayate to ask whether the swordsmanship felt uncomfortable.

Uzumaki Hayashi learned that the Konoha Style swordsmanship did not suit him, then found inspiration to follow his own ideas. After Gekko Hayate defeated him in a practice bout, Linshi asked to try again with his emerging sword moves.

• Gekko Hayate told Uzumaki Hayashi that the Konoha Style constrained his movements and explained that Yugao had created her own Illusion Sword Technique for the same reason.
• Gekko Hayate challenged Linshi to a practice bout using basic swordsmanship, and Linshi's attacks were repeatedly anticipated and deflected.
• Linshi changed an upward slash into a thrust, prompting Hayate to dodge and praise the move before disarming him with a flick of his wooden saber.
• Linshi retrieved his sword and practiced a flourish of his own, then asked Hayate to try another bout while he developed his own sword moves.
• Hayate agreed to spar again, and Linshi declared that he would follow his own ideas.

Uzumaki Hayashi tested his swordsmanship against Gekko Hayate, combining it with taijutsu and ninjutsu until Hayate used Dance of the Crescent Moon to stop his strongest strike. Exhausted but pleased, Linshi asked Hayate what he thought of the move.

• Uzumaki Hayashi charged Gekko Hayate with a fierce sword strike and followed it with a kick, prompting Hayate to say the attack suited him better.
• Uzumaki Hayashi launched a relentless series of sword strikes, then used a kick and a hidden burst of ice spikes to force Gekko Hayate to dodge with the Body Flicker Technique.
• Uzumaki Hayashi charged again, combining kicks, wind release, and an ice-coated sword strike.
• Gekko Hayate created two shadow clones and used Dance of the Crescent Moon to block Uzumaki Hayashi's strongest attack.
• Uzumaki Hayashi collapsed into a panting stance and asked Gekko Hayate how he liked the move.

After Gekko Hayate praised Uzumaki Hayashi’s evolving swordsmanship, Linshi named it Konoha Style-Uzumaki Swordsmanship and learned he would need to improve it through his own training. He shared dinner with Hayate and Uzuki Yugao, then found a small, lonely figure waiting outside his home.

• Gekko Hayate told Uzumaki Hayashi that his swordsmanship had grown beyond Konoha Style and encouraged him to name it.
• Uzumaki Hayashi named his technique Konoha Style-Uzumaki Swordsmanship, and his system confirmed it could only improve through independent training.
• Uzuki Yugao invited Uzumaki Hayashi to stay for dinner, where he enjoyed a home-cooked meal with her and Gekko Hayate.
• Gekko Hayate invited Uzumaki Hayashi to return after school the next day to keep practicing swordsmanship.
• Uzumaki Hayashi left Hayate's home and found a small, lonely figure crouched outside his front door.

Uzumaki Hayashi found Naruto waiting outside his door late at night and invited him in, where he cooked him noodles. Naruto thanked him, said he would soon learn powerful ninjutsu and make everyone acknowledge him, then hurried home, leaving Linshi confused about what he meant.

• Uzumaki Hayashi caught Naruto as he stood up after waiting outside Linshi’s door and invited him inside.
• Naruto admired Linshi’s pink-decorated home and offered to pay for a meal, but Linshi made him noodles instead.
• Naruto cried over the bowl, then ate every noodle and praised Linshi’s cooking.
• Naruto told Linshi that he would soon get powerful ninjutsu and make everyone acknowledge him, then washed his bowl and rushed home.
• Uzumaki Hayashi watched Naruto disappear and wondered what he had meant by powerful ninjutsu.

Uzumaki Hayashi received the completed analysis of Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale and continued his routines at the Academy and in sword practice. Gekko Hayate told him to prepare for his Genin exam and for the mission assigned by the Third, leaving Linshi alert to the possibility that Naruto was in danger.

• Uzumaki Hayashi woke to learn that Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale had finished analysis and added the beginner technique to his jutsu list.
• At the Academy, Uzumaki Hayashi mistook Naruto Uzumaki's secretive behavior for preparation to practice the Sexy Jutsu and praised him.
• Uzumaki Hayashi continued his usual classes, visits with Sakura and Ino, sword training with Gekko Hayate, and sparring with Uchiha Sasuke.
• Gekko Hayate told Uzumaki Hayashi to prepare for his Genin exam and promised him a graduation present.
• Gekko Hayate warned Uzumaki Hayashi to prepare for the mission assigned by the Third, and Linshi remembered his promise to intervene if Naruto was truly in danger.

Uzumaki Hayashi learned that Naruto was considering secretly borrowing a ninjutsu scroll, while the Third arranged for Kakashi to give Linshi a separate Genin examination. The chapter ended with Kakashi tasked with giving Linshi a chance to make a name for himself.

• Iruka announced that the Genin examination would begin the following afternoon, and Shikamaru wondered what it would mean to become Linshi’s comrade.
• Linshi noticed Shikamaru staring, winked at him, and then asked Naruto why he had seemed troubled.
• Naruto asked Linshi whether secretly borrowing and quickly returning a ninjutsu scroll would be wrong, and Linshi advised him to get the owner’s permission.
• The Third watched Linshi and Naruto through a crystal ball as Kakashi arrived at the Hokage’s office.
• The Third told Kakashi to give Linshi a separate Genin examination at the training ground after the other students finished.

On the eve of the genin assessment, Uzumaki Hayashi reassured Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka that he would stay in the village, while his classmates discussed teams and missions. Naruto Uzumaki left school discouraged, and Linshi went to bed looking forward to his private test against Jonin Kakashi.

• Kakashi Hatake left the Third's office, planning to test Uzumaki Hayashi at the training ground after the assessments.
• Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka asked Linshi if he would leave after the exam, and he told them the Third had asked him to stay in the village.
• Ino Yamanaka asked Linshi to join her team, while Naruto Uzumaki learned that new genin would be assigned to three-person squads.
• Sasuke Uchiha mocked Naruto and told Linshi he looked forward to going on missions with him; Shikamaru Nara wished Linshi luck on the exam.
• Naruto Uzumaki left the classroom alone, troubled by Sasuke's remark and uncertain who would be on his team.
• Linshi lay awake thinking about his one-on-one assessment with Kakashi and the pay he would earn from missions, while a faint cold gleam appeared on his Tachi's sheath.

Uzumaki Hayashi arrived at the Genin assessment carrying a Tachi, but learned that he would be tested separately. After defending him from a classmate’s insults, Kakashi Hatake announced that he would personally judge Linshi’s assessment and took him to the training ground.

• Uzumaki Hayashi brought a Tachi to class, drawing the attention of his classmates and Sasuke Uchiha.
• Umino Iruka discovered Linshi was not on the assessment roster, and Linshi explained that someone else would assess him separately.
• Naruto Uzumaki failed the Clone Technique, while Mizuki comforted him and classmates mocked Naruto and Linshi.
• Shino Aburame sent insects onto the loudest heckler, and Linshi made a threatening gesture toward the boy.
• Kakashi Hatake rebuked the heckler, declared that he would personally assess Linshi, and led him to the training ground.

Kakashi Hatake escorted Uzumaki Hayashi to a private genin assessment and promised him a graduation gift if he passed. Their sword fight began with Kakashi testing Linshi’s reflexes, and Linshi launched his own attack.

• Kakashi Hatake took Uzumaki Hayashi from the examination room to the training ground ahead of the other students, drawing an excited crowd’s attention.
• Uzumaki Hayashi complained that the early escort was showy, while Kakashi Hatake said he was following Lord Third’s orders.
• Uzumaki Hayashi mentioned that Teacher Hayate had promised him a graduation present, prompting Kakashi Hatake to promise one of his own if Linshi earned his forehead protector.
• Kakashi Hatake attacked with kunai, and Uzumaki Hayashi used Mind's Eye of the Kagura to detect and block the strike with his tachi.
• Uzumaki Hayashi recovered from the impact and charged at Kakashi Hatake, declaring that he had not let his guard down.