Chapter Summaries

Amamiya Maki explained why Konoha rejected Tsunade’s medical ninja proposal and urged Nawaki to focus on discovering what kind of ninja he wanted to become and staying alive. Nawaki resolved to reflect on his future, thanked Maki, and ran out of the classroom.

• Amamiya Maki told Nawaki that the proposal was rejected because of its costs, the Third Hokage’s support for Orochimaru’s research, and Konoha High Command’s belief that the village did not yet need a full medical system.
• Nawaki said he wanted to prove himself as Senju Nawaki and eventually help Tsunade fulfill her wish for the medical ninja system.
• Amamiya Maki urged Nawaki to set aside others’ expectations, consider what he truly wanted, and avoid rushing to the front lines, reminding him that he had to stay alive to protect anything.
• Nawaki broke down in tears because Maki was the first person to tell him plainly to stay alive, then stopped crying and resolved to think seriously about his future.
• Nawaki apologized for getting snot on Maki’s desk, left a tissue, and ran out, colliding with someone in the corridor.

Amamiya Maki invited Choza Akimichi, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Shikaku Nara to a barbecue meal, using separate conversations to make each believe the others had already agreed. After arranging the group’s visit to Choza’s uncle’s new restaurant, Maki left for his general store, pleased that his scheme had worked.

• Amamiya Maki approached Choza Akimichi, praised his food expertise, and got him to recommend his uncle’s new barbecue buffet.
• Choza agreed to meet Maki and the others at the restaurant entrance the next day and promised to save them a good table.
• Amamiya Maki told Inoichi Yamanaka that everyone else had agreed to the meal, and Inoichi accepted the invitation.
• Amamiya Maki invited Shikaku Nara, who checked the details mentally and agreed to attend.
• Amamiya Maki watched Shikaku leave, reflected that the information gap had fooled everyone, and headed to his general store.

Amamiya Maki and his friends visited the Akimichi Clan’s new barbecue restaurant, where they joined the Third Hokage and enjoyed a meal. The group left full and laughing after Maki scolded his friends for choosing fried rice and cake over barbecue, and Shikaku and Inoichi joked over an untouched lobster.

• Amamiya Maki, Minato, and Nonō arrived at the crowded Akimichi barbecue restaurant and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi praising the restaurant with its grill master.
• Amamiya Maki eased the grill master’s hesitation about shaking Hiruzen’s greasy hand by saying that both men served Konoha, and Hiruzen praised Maki’s insight.
• Choza Akimichi led the group to their reserved table, and Amamiya Maki teamed up with him to gather plates of freshly sliced beef.
• Amamiya Maki returned to find Minato eating fried rice, Nonō eating cake, and Shikaku and Inoichi enjoying seafood, so he scolded them for ignoring the barbecue.
• Choza Akimichi ate Minato’s fried rice and Nonō’s cake, and everyone enjoyed the meal before Shikaku and Inoichi teased each other over an untouched lobster.

Amamiya Maki sparred with Minato Namikaze, then learned that Tsunade had agreed to meet Yakushi Nonō and guide talented youngsters. The chapter left Nonō preparing eagerly for the meeting while Maki considered how to grow stronger amid the looming possibility of war.

• Yakushi Nonō studied Senju En’s medical text while Minato Namikaze trained, and Amamiya Maki joined Minato for a spar that ended with Maki catching him in the Headhunter Jutsu.
• At breakfast, Maki noted that their supply of experimental rabbits was running low, prompting Yakushi Nonō to pause over her meal.
• Senju Nawaki visited and told Maki that Tsunade was willing to meet talented youngsters, then said Aunt En would take Maki and Nonō to Konoha Hospital to see her.
• Yakushi Nonō hurried back to her study to continue studying after hearing that Tsunade would meet her.
• After Nawaki left, Maki reflected that Nonō had earned a chance to study medical ninjutsu under Tsunade, while he needed to focus on getting stronger.

After Mito Uzumaki released her Yin Seal and accepted that her life was nearing its end, Tsunade tried to create jutsu that could preserve life but discovered they would instead consume it faster. Grieving and withdrawn, she agreed to meet Nawaki’s friends, including Amamiya Maki, whom she planned to scrutinize.

• Mito Uzumaki told Tsunade that a successor from the Land of Whirlpools would soon take her place as the Nine-Tails’ jinchūriki, and that she had stopped maintaining her Yin Seal.
• Tsunade rejected the thought of losing Mito, then returned to her research and completed preliminary versions of the Strength of a Hundred Technique and Creation Rebirth.
• Tsunade tested the jutsu and discovered that their accelerated healing consumed cell divisions and shortened the user’s lifespan.
• Tsunade shut herself away, drinking and grieving, while Mito stayed away and Nawaki left meals outside her door.
• Nawaki asked Tsunade to meet Yakushi Nonō and his friend Amamiya Maki, and Tsunade agreed.
• Tsunade cleaned herself up and decided to bring Amamiya Maki to see Mito so she could judge his intentions toward Nawaki.

Amamiya Maki and Nonō went to the Senju Clan Compound to meet Tsunade, after Senju En recommended Nonō as Tsunade’s student. As Nawaki went to fetch his troubled sister, Maki waited in the courtyard with Nonō and met Mito Uzumaki.

• Minato woke Amamiya Maki before dawn and told him Senju En had arrived to say Tsunade would meet him and Nonō.
• Senju En praised Nonō’s medical talent, said she could not teach her further, and instructed both visitors to mind their conduct at the Senju Clan Compound.
• Nawaki met Maki and Nonō at the compound gate, spoke about the Senju and Uchiha clans, and explained Tsunade had been drinking and planned to leave the compound.
• Nawaki led Maki and Nonō into the courtyard, where they saw Mito Uzumaki; he went to fetch Tsunade from her room.
• Mito Uzumaki greeted Maki with a faint smile and briefly sensed his chakra as Maki and Nonō waited for Tsunade.

Amamiya Maki and Nonō visited Mito Uzumaki and met Kushina, whom Maki reassured about her red hair. Tsunade then took the children to Konoha Hospital for a practical test as potential medical apprentices.

• Nawaki told Amamiya Maki that Tsunade had been packing to leave after speaking with Mito.
• Mito welcomed Amamiya Maki and Nonō and introduced them to the shy Kushina Uzumaki.
• Amamiya Maki sincerely praised Kushina's red hair, easing her uncertainty and earning Sealing Jutsu talent fragments from the system.
• Tsunade emerged exhausted and told Nonō and Amamiya Maki to follow her to Konoha Hospital for a practical test.
• Amamiya Maki challenged Tsunade's claim that medical ninjas could revive the dead, causing her stress and earning him Monster Strength and Chakra Control fragments.

Tsunade tested Yakushi Nonō's medical skills at Konoha Hospital and took her on as a disciple, while Amamiya Maki helped with the surgeries and earned his wages. Maki affirmed Tsunade's goal of establishing a medical ninja system before leaving, and his words left her reflecting on why she wanted to save Konoha's ninja.

• Tsunade brought Nonō and Amamiya Maki to Konoha Hospital, where she assigned the injured patients to the Medical Ninja despite one patient's demand that she treat him personally.
• Nonō performed surgery on the demanding patient under Tsunade's supervision, while Tsunade briefly left to save an Anbu Ninja from poison in his chakra pathways.
• After Nonō's chakra nearly ran out, Amamiya Maki used Deep Blue Point Allocation to learn the Chakra Scalpel and help complete the final operation.
• Tsunade named Yakushi Nonō her disciple and told Amamiya Maki to collect pay for his work instead of offering him an apprenticeship.
• Amamiya Maki told Tsunade that her proposal for a medical ninja system was right because trained medical ninja could save lives, then left her office.
• Tsunade put Maki's signed pay slip in the drawer with Nawaki's note and reflected on her wish to bring more ninja home alive.

Amamiya Maki mastered the Rasengan after spending most of summer break training beside a secluded waterfall. Orochimaru, who had secretly watched his efforts, decided that Maki’s way of thinking and persistence made him an intriguing potential apprentice.

• Minato Namikaze cooked breakfast and asked Amamiya Maki to spar, but Maki declined so he could finish his own plans before summer break ended.
• Amamiya Maki reviewed his jutsu progress and used 110 pressure points to complete the Rasengan after months of practice.
• Amamiya Maki formed a stable Rasengan and tested it against the pool, creating a deep whirlpool.
• A green snake watched Amamiya Maki’s training and carried what it saw back to Orochimaru at Konoha Laboratory.
• Orochimaru recalled Nawaki’s recommendation and Tsunade’s assessment of Amamiya Maki, then concluded that Maki’s analytical mindset and persistence made him a promising apprentice.

Amamiya Maki completed the Rasengan and was approached by Orochimaru, who recognized his curiosity and talent for creating techniques. Orochimaru invited Maki to become his apprentice, but Maki remained undecided as Orochimaru offered to discuss ninjutsu with him whenever he wished.

• Amamiya Maki completed the Rasengan after months of practice and tested it against the lake.
• Orochimaru arrived, revealed he had heard of Maki through the Third, and asked him to become his apprentice.
• Orochimaru explained that Nawaki had asked him to take Maki as an apprentice, though he had also admired Maki's pursuit of knowledge.
• Amamiya Maki demonstrated the Rasengan again, and Orochimaru studied his technique and his focused curiosity.
• Orochimaru invited Maki to visit him to discuss ninjutsu, then left without pressing him for an answer.

Amamiya Maki watched Kushina Uzumaki begin school and face relentless ridicule for her red hair and dream of becoming Hokage. When Kushina asked whether everyone would treat her badly because she was different, Minato told her to get used to the teasing, and Maki challenged that advice.

• Amamiya Maki reflected on Orochimaru's interest in him and on the danger and value of Orochimaru's research.
• Kushina Uzumaki introduced herself to the class and declared that she dreamed of becoming Konoha's first female Hokage.
• The students mocked Kushina's red hair and outsider status, and she sat down quietly while looking toward Amamiya Maki.
• After class, Kushina asked Amamiya Maki whether everyone would treat her badly because her hair was different.
• Minato Namikaze told Kushina that the students meant no harm and that she would get used to their teasing.
• Amamiya Maki questioned Minato's advice, pointing out that Kushina was new and should not have to endure the same treatment he had learned to brush off.

Amamiya Maki challenged Kushina Uzumaki to stop seeking approval and fight back against the Konoha students bullying her. Kushina unleashed her anger in a classroom brawl, while Minato Namikaze struggled with the realization that urging victims to endure could hurt them too.

• Amamiya Maki told Minato Namikaze that his ability to shrug off bullying did not mean everyone could, and Kushina Uzumaki overheard them.
• After classmates mocked Kushina and a boy yanked her hair, Amamiya Maki told her that the bullies would keep targeting her if she continued to endure it.
• Amamiya Maki urged Kushina to hit the bullies hard, and she brightened before asking Minato to stop telling her to make peace.
• Kushina threw the boy who had grabbed her hair and fought the students who rushed her, while Minato tried to intervene and was repeatedly struck.
• Amamiya Maki pulled Minato out of the melee and said Kushina was mixing it up with Konoha's villagers as her red hair blazed through the classroom.

Kushina Uzumaki fought back against classmates who bullied her, earning the nickname Red-Hot Habanero, while Junji Ito tried to contain the damage. After Kushina claimed the seat beside Amamiya Maki, Minato Namikaze dragged Maki out, warning him that the girl was getting too close.

• Kushina Uzumaki defeated several boys who had mocked and bullied her, then challenged the class's pride in Konoha.
• Junji Ito entered after the fight, scolded both sides, assigned the students a copying task, and carried the injured boys to the infirmary.
• Amamiya Maki recognized that Junji Ito had delayed intervening to avoid responsibility and had left him to handle the remaining trouble.
• Kushina told Amamiya Maki that she had followed his advice to hit hard, then took Minato Namikaze's seat beside him.
• Minato Namikaze yanked Amamiya Maki away from Kushina and warned him that she was getting too close.

Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze competed for Amamiya Maki’s attention, first over the seat beside him and then through increasingly elaborate packed lunches. The chapter left Amamiya caught between their offerings, with each waiting to see whose food he would choose first.

• Kushina Uzumaki’s reputation for brutal fighting stopped the students from bullying Minato Namikaze, while Amamiya Maki regretted the chaos that followed her arrival.
• Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki repeatedly competed for the seat beside Amamiya Maki until he added a third chair and sat between them.
• Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki began bringing competing packed lunches for Amamiya Maki, escalating their meals with increasingly elaborate dishes.
• Amamiya Maki faced a piece of Minato’s fried shrimp and Kushina’s grilled eel as both waited to see whose offering he would eat first.

Kushina’s fights at the Ninja Academy prompted Danzo to demand that she be placed under Root’s supervision, but Hiruzen rejected the plan and ordered that she be left alone. The chapter ended with Hiruzen deciding that the villagers’ complaints mattered less than keeping the new Jinchūriki settled in Konoha.

• Junji Ito ignored the commotion among the three students in the back row and warned the class that anyone causing trouble could be assigned as a sparring partner for fifth graders.
• Shimura Danzō presented Hiruzen Sarutobi with a Root report cataloguing Kushina’s fights and demanded that she be placed under Root’s strict supervision.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura argued that Konoha should not mistreat Kushina over children’s squabbles or let Lady Mito hear of it.
• Hiruzen rejected Danzo’s demand, saying Kushina needed guidance and acceptance rather than being turned into a weapon.
• Danzo stormed out after warning that Hiruzen would regret his decision, and Hiruzen ordered continued observation with no intervention.

Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Amamiya Maki to help guide Kushina Uzumaki and give her a sense of belonging, explaining that bonds could keep fear and isolation from turning her against the village. The chapter ended with Maki understanding the importance of bonds, while Nawaki still believed Orochimaru’s promised apprenticeship was about to begin.

• Senju Nawaki summoned Amamiya Maki and said Orochimaru had arranged to take him as an apprentice during a family dinner.
• Amamiya Maki discovered the dinner was at Hiruzen Sarutobi’s home, where Orochimaru’s favorite foods had been prepared.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Amamiya Maki for being cooperative and asked him to help with Kushina Uzumaki’s behavior at school.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained that Kushina was the next jinchūriki and feared that rejection and isolation could lead her to hate the village.
• Amamiya Maki identified bonds as what Kushina needed, and Hiruzen Sarutobi agreed.

At a family dinner, Hiruzen Sarutobi explained that he had encouraged Kushina Uzumaki to make friends so bonds could keep her from hating Konoha, and arranged teachers for the young people around him. The chapter ended with Nawaki accepting his role as Amamiya Maki’s senior fellow student and promising to look after him.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Amamiya Maki that he had tolerated Kushina Uzumaki’s school troubles to give her a chance to form bonds in Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained that Nonō would study under Tsunade, Minato Namikaze would study under Jiraiya, and Amamiya Maki would study under Orochimaru.
• Amamiya Maki agreed to become Orochimaru’s student, and Orochimaru accepted him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gently urged Orochimaru to leave his laboratory and eat properly, prompting Orochimaru to remember his own days as a young student.
• Nawaki asked what opportunity awaited him, and Hiruzen Sarutobi told him to care for his new junior fellow student, Amamiya Maki.
• Nawaki accepted the duty and promised to look after Amamiya Maki.

At dinner, Hiruzen Sarutobi reflected on the burdens of leading Konoha and saw Amamiya Maki help Kushina Uzumaki feel at home in the village. Afterward, Nawaki embraced Amamiya Maki as a new fellow disciple, and Orochimaru summoned them for training as the threat of renewed turmoil approached.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi thanked Amamiya Maki for helping Kushina Uzumaki settle into Konoha and reflected on the responsibilities and frustrations of being Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi recalled how Amamiya Maki had gently scolded Nawaki for wasting food, reminding him of Teacher Tobirama's care when he was young.
• Outside the Sarutobi Clan's residence, Nawaki hugged Amamiya Maki and declared that they were fellow disciples, while Amamiya Maki struggled to free himself.
• Orochimaru recognized that Nawaki had found a genuine friend and reflected on the bonds he shared with Jiraiya and Tsunade.
• Orochimaru told Nawaki and Amamiya Maki to meet him the next morning for assessments and individual training plans, warning that peace in the Shinobi World might not last.

Amamiya Maki learned that Jiraiya had taken Minato Namikaze as his student, then began a no-holds-barred training fight against Nawaki under Orochimaru's supervision. Nawaki's overwhelming strength drove Maki to fight evasively, and the chapter ended with Maki shouting at him after narrowly escaping a crushing punch.

• Amamiya Maki returned to the Ninja Academy and learned from Kushina Uzumaki that Jiraiya had taken Minato Namikaze away.
• Amamiya Maki saw Kushina leave with Uchiha Mikoto, then found Minato's note and two rice balls at home.
• Orochimaru ordered Nawaki to run laps and Amamiya Maki to retrieve kunai before setting the boys against each other without restrictions.
• Orochimaru warned that war might be near, citing Jiraiya's intelligence about Hanzō of Amegakure's dissatisfaction with the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
• Nawaki attacked with devastating Monster Strength, while Amamiya Maki used the Body Flicker Technique and thrown weapons to evade him.
• After Nawaki nearly struck him with a punch, Amamiya Maki shouted, asking whether Nawaki thought he was Hashirama Senju.

Amamiya Maki confronted Nawaki’s reckless imitation of Hashirama and his refusal to fight seriously, then used a carefully planned feint to land his Rasengan. The chapter ended as the Rasengan struck Nawaki in the left side of his abdomen.

• Amamiya Maki criticized Nawaki for copying Hashirama’s fighting style without the First Hokage’s vitality or healing ability.
• Amamiya Maki asked why Nawaki had not used ninjutsu, and Nawaki admitted he had held back to avoid injuring him.
• Orochimaru realized Nawaki had ignored the no-rules combat simulation and watched as Amamiya Maki resolved to teach him the danger of battlefield mercy.
• Amamiya Maki maneuvered Nawaki near a pit and tree, then used a transformed Shadow Clone as a kunai to distract him.
• Amamiya Maki rushed in during Nawaki’s blind spot and struck his abdomen with the Rasengan.