Recaps

Ruri accompanied Momokusa Harukawa through the market and waited while she bought underwear. After she teased him by asking whether he wanted to see her purchases, Ruri said he would rather see her wearing them.

• Momokusa Harukawa invited Ruri to accompany her to buy underwear, and he agreed to wait outside the shop.
• While waiting, Ruri reflected on the nearly seven years he had spent in this world and wondered whether he could return to his original world.
• Momokusa Harukawa came out of the shop with a bag and told Ruri she had bought everything she needed.
• Momokusa Harukawa teasingly asked whether Ruri wanted to see the clothes she had bought, and Ruri replied that he would rather see her wearing them.

Ruri and Momokusa Harukawa finished shopping and headed home after teasing each other about Harukawa wearing something for him to see. They left the night’s outing on a cheerful note, with Harukawa saying that shopping made her happy.

• Momokusa Harukawa blushed and said she had only been joking, while Ruri teased her in return.
• Harukawa asked Ruri not to say unlucky things, and Ruri asked her not to joke that way again.
• After seeing Harukawa’s bashful side, Ruri privately admired her appearance and imagined their future marriage.
• Harukawa said she had bought nearly everything she needed, and she and Ruri agreed to go home because it was late.
• As they walked along Main Street, Ruri asked whether shopping tired her, and Harukawa replied that it made her happy.

Ruri and Momokusa Harukawa rested after shopping and shared how happy they felt together. Momokusa said she was joining the Anbu to stay by Ruri, and they looked forward to being together more often next year.

• Ruri complained that shopping had left his legs numb, and Momokusa Harukawa teased him about needing more exercise.
• Momokusa Harukawa took Ruri's bags and sat with him by the roadside to rest.
• Ruri told Momokusa Harukawa that being beside her made him feel relaxed and happy.
• Momokusa Harukawa said she was joining the Anbu because being with Ruri made her happy and content.
• Ruri said he felt the same and looked forward to spending more time with her after she joined the Anbu next year.

Ruri and Momokusa Harukawa enjoyed the bright full moon before walking home together. They parted at Harukawa’s gate, and Ruri headed toward Mei Ling Hyuga’s house.

• Ruri and Momokusa Harukawa admired the round, bright moon and agreed to spend more time together after Harukawa joined the Anbu.
• Ruri carried two large bags as she followed Harukawa home, thinking about how peaceful life was and wondering when wars would come to the Naruto world.
• At Harukawa’s darkened home, Ruri offered to carry the bags inside, but Harukawa thanked her and declined.
• Harukawa unlocked her courtyard gate, said good night to Ruri, and went inside with the bags.
• Ruri turned and headed toward Mei Ling Hyuga’s house.

After shopping with Harukawa, Ruri returned quietly to Mei Ling Hyuga's home and went to bed, exhausted. He prepared to report to the Anbu the next day, when Uchiha Itachi would also join, while Konoha remained peaceful despite the war beyond its outskirts.

• Ruri returned from shopping with Harukawa and headed to Mei Ling Hyuga's house, thinking that shopping with the person he loved had been worth the exhaustion.
• Seeing the house was dark, Ruri quietly entered and made his way to his bedroom without waking Mei Ling or Neji.
• Ruri went to sleep early because he needed to report to the Anbu the next day, the same day Uchiha Itachi would join.
• Konoha remained calm and its villagers felt safe, while ninja guarded the outskirts and small battles continued beyond the village.

Ruri woke early and went to a popular breakfast shop in Konoha before reporting to the Anbu to welcome Uchiha Itachi. He ordered century egg and lean pork congee and stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, then waited eagerly for his meal.

• Ruri got up early and left Mei Ling Hyuga's house without waking Reika Hyuga or Neji Hyuga.
• Ruri walked through Konoha to his favorite breakfast shop and found it nearly full.
• Ruri ordered a bowl of century egg and lean pork congee and a serving of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.
• Ruri found an empty table and waited for his food with anticipation.

Ruri remembered making century egg and lean pork congee during college and reflected on how much he missed those days. The owner served him congee and stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, and Ruri prepared to eat.

• Ruri recalled eating and cooking century egg and lean pork congee with stir-fried tomatoes and eggs during college.
• Ruri remembered the recipe for century egg and lean pork congee and thought about his lonely college days.
• The owner brought Ruri his congee and stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, along with optional sesame oil, cilantro, and chopped scallions.
• Ruri thanked the owner and examined the food in front of him.

Ruri enjoyed century egg and lean pork congee and stir-fried tomatoes and eggs at a breakfast shop, then waited for two takeout portions to share with Meilin, Auntie, and Neji.

• Ruri admired the dishes and began eating the congee and stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.
• Ruri praised the congee and decided to bring two portions home for Meilin, Auntie, and Neji.
• Ruri finished both dishes, feeling full and satisfied.
• Ruri asked the breakfast shop owner to prepare two portions of congee to go.
• Ruri waited at the shop while watching pedestrians outside.

Ruri bought century egg and lean pork congee for Mei Ling Hyuga and Reiko before heading to the Anbu to report for duty and welcome a new teammate. Mei Ling Hyuga enjoyed the congee, and Ruri left for the Anbu after she invited him home for lunch.

• Ruri bought two portions of century egg and lean pork congee and carried them to Mei Ling Hyuga's house.
• Ruri explained that he had bought breakfast because he needed to report to the Anbu and did not want to wake Mei Ling Hyuga by cooking.
• Mei Ling Hyuga tasted the congee, enjoyed it, and asked where Ruri had bought it.
• Ruri told Mei Ling Hyuga that a new teammate was joining his squad and that he had to go welcome him.
• Mei Ling Hyuga offered to make Ruri lunch, and he left for the Anbu.

Ruri used Space-Time Ninjutsu to reach Anbu headquarters on time, where he found Uzuki Yugao waiting alone. They joked together as they waited for the others to arrive.

• Ruri realized he would be late if he walked to Anbu headquarters and used Intangibility to teleport there from a nearby grove.
• Ruri entered Anbu headquarters and saw Uzuki Yugao, who said she had arrived early because she had nothing to do at home.
• Ruri and Uzuki Yugao realized they were the only ones at headquarters and laughed about Ruri’s carelessness.
• Uzuki Yugao asked whether Ruri had eaten breakfast, and he told her he had come early because she had asked him to.
• Uzuki Yugao blushed and laughed at Ruri’s sweet talk, and Ruri laughed with her.

Ruri and Uzuki Yugao discussed a mission to kill foreign invaders at Konoha’s border and worried that the village’s peace was nearing its end. They resolved to resist any invasion, then laughed together.

• Uzuki Yugao told Ruri that Captain Kakashi had assigned them a border mission to kill foreign invaders.
• Uzuki Yugao said Uchiha Itachi would join them as a teammate and warned Ruri to be careful.
• Ruri said Konoha’s peace was threatened by countries watching the village and by ongoing border battles.
• Uzuki Yugao considered Ruri’s warning, then declared that they would keep resisting and hold off any invasion.
• Ruri and Uzuki Yugao encouraged each other and laughed together.

Ruri chatted with Uzuki Yugao about her future in the Anbu and found himself reflecting on her grief and beauty. When Yugao noticed him staring, Ruri blushed and lowered his head.

• Ruri invited Uzuki Yugao to sit with him and asked what she planned to do in the future.
• Uzuki Yugao said she had no clear goal and would keep working in the Anbu, where her friends made the work worthwhile.
• Ruri remembered Uzuki Yugao's grief and understood the pain of parting and death.
• Ruri stared at Uzuki Yugao until she blushed and asked why he was looking at her face.
• Ruri came back to his senses, reddened, and lowered his head.

Ruri praised Uzuki Yugao’s beauty, leaving her flustered, then reflected on her name, the yugao flower, and her tragic connection to Gekko Hayate. The chapter ended with a meditation on the moonlight flower and the sorrow attached to Yugao’s story.

• Ruri told Uzuki Yugao that she was beautiful and would become even more so as she grew up.
• Uzuki Yugao blushed and told Ruri that his compliments embarrassed her.
• Ruri apologized but insisted that he was only telling the truth about Yugao’s beauty.
• The narrator connected Yugao’s name to the short-lived bottle gourd blossoms and recalled how Hayate had left her.
• The narrator reflected on Yugao’s loneliness and compared her to a flower that bloomed at dusk beneath the moon.

Ruri waited with Uzuki Yugao at the Anbu entrance for Kakashi and the others, reflecting on Yugao’s tragic future and reassuring her that he would stay in the Anbu for the next few years. Kakashi finally arrived, and Ruri complained that his announcement about a new team member had made them report early.

• Ruri recalled Uzuki Yugao’s sorrow over Gekko Hayate’s death and thought about how much hardship she had endured.
• Uzuki Yugao asked Ruri about his plans, and Ruri said he would remain in the Anbu with her for the next few years.
• Ruri and Uzuki Yugao waited at the Anbu entrance for Kakashi and the others.
• Kakashi and the others arrived, and Ruri complained that they had come early because Kakashi had announced a new team member.

Ruri, Uzuki Yugao, and Yamato waited at the Anbu headquarters for Uchiha Itachi to join their team. Itachi left home for the Anbu after reassuring his mother that he could take care of himself.

• Ruri stopped complaining to Kakashi after Uzuki Yugao intervened.
• Kakashi asked Yugao whether she had briefed Ruri and when Itachi would arrive, then went inside the headquarters.
• Yugao and Ruri chatted with Yamato while they waited for Itachi.
• Itachi said goodbye to Uchiha Mikoto, his father, and Sasuke before leaving for the Anbu.
• Itachi reassured Mikoto that he was old enough to look after himself.

Uchiha Itachi left home for the Anbu, where Ruri and Uzuki Yugao had been waiting for him. Itachi finally arrived, and Ruri immediately complained about the delay despite promising Yugao he would not give him a hard time.

• Uchiha Itachi said goodbye to Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto before leaving for the Anbu.
• Uchiha Mikoto remarked that Itachi had grown up, and Uchiha Fugaku told her to prepare him a delicious lunch.
• Ruri impatiently waited for Itachi at the Anbu, and Uzuki Yugao urged him not to give Itachi a hard time.
• Uchiha Itachi arrived at the Anbu, and Ruri stood up and complained that he had taken so long.
• Uzuki Yugao frowned and whispered to Ruri, reminding him of their agreement.

Ruri confronted Uchiha Itachi for arriving late, but accepted his apology after Uzuki Yugao intervened. After Itachi and Yamato introduced themselves as teammates, Yugao arranged for Ruri to show Itachi around the Anbu, leaving Ruri complaining that she had set him up.

• Ruri whispered to Uzuki Yugao that he needed to reprimand Itachi, and she agreed to let him speak to Itachi briefly.
• Ruri scolded Uchiha Itachi for arriving late, and Itachi explained that he had not expected the others to arrive so early and apologized.
• Uzuki Yugao asked Ruri to forgive Itachi, and Ruri relented for her sake.
• Yamato and Uchiha Itachi introduced themselves and said they looked forward to working together.
• Uzuki Yugao arranged for Ruri to show Itachi around the Anbu, and Ruri muttered that she had set him up.

Ruri showed Uchiha Itachi around the Anbu after welcoming him on his first day. They strengthened their friendship as they talked about Itachi’s nearly three-year-old brother, Sasuke.

• Ruri led Uchiha Itachi around the Anbu while Uzuki Yugao and Yamato watched them joke together.
• Ruri asked Itachi why he had arrived late, then welcomed him and shook his hand.
• Ruri asked about Itachi’s younger brother, and Itachi said Sasuke was almost three and wondered whether he would have time to teach him ninjutsu.
• Ruri encouraged Itachi, saying he would teach Sasuke plenty and that he expected Sasuke to become strong.

Ruri and Uchiha Itachi discussed the children growing up around them and how Ruri might change their futures. The chapter ended with background on Naruto Uzumaki’s difficult childhood and eventual rise to become Hokage.

• Ruri reflected that his arrival might change the futures of Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata.
• Uchiha Itachi asked Ruri about Neji, and Ruri said he planned to teach his young cousin and help him become strong.
• Uchiha Itachi noted that Naruto Uzumaki and the other children were around three years old and wondered what they would become in Konoha.
• The narration described how Naruto was orphaned, feared as a jinchūriki, and hated by many villagers.
• The narration recounted how Naruto trained, became Hokage, helped end the war, and married Hinata Hyuga.

Ruri and Uchiha Itachi discussed Naruto Uzumaki’s difficult childhood and his potential to become powerful. The chapter ended with an account of Naruto’s personality, convictions, and bonds with his companions.

• Ruri recalled admiring Naruto and empathized with the discrimination he faced as an orphan.
• Ruri told Uchiha Itachi that Naruto would overcome his hardships and become strong, and Itachi agreed he might surpass them.
• Naruto became the Nine-Tails’ Jinchūriki as an infant, but villagers feared and rejected him instead of treating him as a hero.
• Naruto’s teacher Iruka gradually accepted him, helped him overcome his loneliness, and became like family to him.
• Naruto valued justice and his companions, and his clever battle tactics showed he was more than a rash troublemaker.

Ruri and Uchiha Itachi discussed the Anbu monitoring room and the growing threat of war. They left each other expecting to fight in the coming conflict and determined not to die on the battlefield.

• Ruri showed Uchiha Itachi the Anbu monitoring room and said that watching the village there was boring.
• Uchiha Itachi remarked that the ninja on duty seemed to enjoy their work, and Ruri warned he would find it dull after a few days.
• Uchiha Itachi said Konoha had been unsettled and that a major war seemed likely to break out.
• Ruri agreed that other countries were eyeing Konoha and said the Anbu would fight when war came.
• Uchiha Itachi said he would kill to his heart's content and told Ruri not to die on the battlefield, while Ruri promised he would survive and become Konoha's strongest ninja.

Ruri and Uchiha Itachi discussed Itachi’s eagerness to experience battle and Ruri’s warnings about war. Ruri revealed that their upcoming mission would take them to the border to eliminate enemies, and Itachi eagerly continued exploring the Anbu base.

• Uchiha Itachi told Ruri he found peacetime boring and wanted to fight on the battlefield to test his strength.
• Ruri warned Uchiha Itachi that war brought death, grief, and suffering, but Itachi argued that strength had to be proven through battle.
• Ruri told Uchiha Itachi that their upcoming mission would take them to the border to wipe out enemies.
• Uchiha Itachi celebrated getting a combat mission on his first day in the Anbu, then continued exploring with Ruri.

Ruri showed Uchiha Itachi around the Anbu headquarters and welcomed him as a comrade, while the two exchanged promises not to hold each other back. They returned to the gathering, where Uzuki Yugao asked why they had taken so long.

• Ruri told Uchiha Itachi that he had a general understanding of the Anbu headquarters and would be joining him there as a comrade.
• Uchiha Itachi said he liked the Anbu and challenged Ruri not to hold him back on the battlefield.
• Ruri answered that neither of them would hold the other back and said they could make a name for themselves together.
• Ruri warned Uchiha Itachi not to betray his friends, and Uchiha Itachi promised he would surpass Ruri.
• Ruri and Uchiha Itachi returned to the gathering, and Uzuki Yugao asked why they had been gone so long.

Ruri and Uchiha Itachi returned to the Anbu headquarters together, where Kakashi Hatake introduced himself as Itachi’s captain. Itachi sensed an unspoken connection between himself and Kakashi as the three young ninjas began working together.

• Ruri and Uchiha Itachi told Uzuki Yugao they had been chatting on the way and kept their conversation a secret.
• Ruri introduced Kakashi Hatake to Uchiha Itachi as their captain and mentioned that Kakashi had a Sharingan too.
• Ruri explained that Kakashi’s Sharingan was not his own and promised to tell Itachi the story later.
• Kakashi introduced himself as Itachi’s Anbu captain, and Itachi greeted him respectfully.
• Uchiha Itachi sensed a subtle feeling between himself and Kakashi as they met.

Uchiha Itachi received his Anbu equipment and learned that his team would leave on a border mission the next morning. Ruri took him to Hokage Rock and began telling him about their captain Kakashi.

• Kakashi gave Uchiha Itachi a short sword and cat mask and ordered the team to meet at Anbu headquarters at eight the next morning.
• Uzuki Yugao said the others could leave, and Ruri and Uchiha Itachi departed together.
• Uchiha Itachi asked Ruri about the team, and Ruri explained that it had five members, including Kakashi, Uzuki Yugao, and Yamato.
• Ruri took Uchiha Itachi to Hokage Rock to talk, then told him Kakashi became a Jonin at twelve and was now fifteen.