Recaps

After Harukawa mastered controlling chakra to burst water-filled balloons, Ruri fed her grilled fish and introduced the sturdier rubber balls for the third stage of Rasengan training. Harukawa followed him back to the training area to begin practicing.

• Harukawa burst the water-filled balloons in four or five seconds, and Ruri told her to rest after hours of training.
• Ruri served Harukawa grilled fish that he had caught from the Small River, and she praised its taste.
• After finishing the fish, Ruri took out rubber balls and explained that bursting them was the third stage of Rasengan training.
• Ruri told Harukawa that completing the stage would let her cause minor surface damage with the Rasengan, and she followed him back to the training area.

Ruri taught Momokusa Harukawa how to burst a rubber ball with chakra, then entered the Ring to practice Lightning Blade. Harukawa stayed behind to continue training.

• Ruri burst a rubber ball by making his chakra move violently and irregularly inside it.
• Momokusa Harukawa tried the technique, but her rubber ball only wobbled slightly.
• Ruri encouraged Harukawa to keep practicing and told her to ask him if she needed help.
• Ruri entered the Ring to practice Lightning Blade, a Ninjutsu he had not yet mastered.

Ruri practiced Lightning Blade, first using it to destroy a Peach Blossom Tree and then infusing Ruowu with chakra to create a powerful ranged attack. He began testing Lightning Transmission with a Shadow Clone, leaving the two of them holding a stretched chain of lightning.

• Ruri formed Lightning Blade and thrust it into a Peach Blossom Tree, bursting the tree apart.
• Ruri infused Ruowu with Lightning Blade and threw it through several rocks without losing momentum.
• Ruri reflected that using Ruowu made Lightning Blade a penetrating ranged attack that overcame its close-range limitation.
• Ruri created a Shadow Clone, and they activated Lightning Blade and joined their attacks.
• Ruri and his Shadow Clone moved apart, stretching their connected Lightning Blades into a chain of lightning.

Ruri tested Lightning Transmission and saw it slice cleanly through a large rock before checking on Momokusa Harukawa’s Rasengan training. He demonstrated the Rasengan’s power by drilling through a tree, leaving Harukawa to see its effects.

• Ruri used Lightning Transmission with his shadow clone and successfully formed a short lightning chain between them.
• Ruri and his clone swept the lightning chain around a large rock, slicing off a section of it.
• Ruri returned to find Momokusa Harukawa exhausted and still unable to burst the rubber ball while practicing the Rasengan.
• Ruri agreed to demonstrate the Rasengan and formed one in his palm for Harukawa to watch.
• Ruri thrust the Rasengan into a tree, carving a hollow through its trunk until it pierced all the way through.

Ruri showed Momokusa Harukawa the Rasengan’s power, then returned home, where he learned Uncle Hizashi was still away on missions. After dinner, Ruri went shopping with Mei Ling Hyuga and little Neji, beginning with a baby supplies store.

• Ruri demonstrated the Rasengan to Momokusa Harukawa and told her to continue practicing with a rubber ball while taking breaks.
• Ruri and Momokusa Harukawa left the mountain and returned to their separate homes.
• Mei Ling Hyuga told Ruri that Uncle Hizashi’s return was delayed because he was still on missions.
• Ruri ate dinner, cleaned the dishes, and agreed to go shopping with Mei Ling Hyuga and little Neji.
• Ruri followed Mei Ling Hyuga into a baby supplies store to shop for Neji’s everyday needs.

Ruri went shopping with Mei Ling Hyuga, who bought him new clothes and groceries. They returned home, put the food away, and went to bed for the night.

• Mei Ling Hyuga asked Ruri about his grades and friends, and Ruri told her he got along with Reika Hyuga and Momokusa Harukawa.
• Mei Ling Hyuga took Ruri clothes shopping and bought him a tracksuit he tried on.
• Mei Ling Hyuga and Ruri bought groceries at the supermarket and carried the bags home.
• Ruri put the groceries away, then Mei Ling Hyuga went to bed with Neji while Ruri fell asleep on the sofa.

Hyuga Hiashi summoned Ruri after hearing that he had defeated a Uchiha prodigy. The chapter ended with Hiashi asking Ruri about his fight with the Uchiha children at the Ninja Academy.

• Two Branch Family members woke Ruri and told him that the clan head had summoned him.
• Ruri prepared and followed them to the Main Family's mansion, guessing the summons was about his fight with the Uchiha.
• Ruri met Hyuga Hiashi and addressed him formally as Lord Patriarch.
• Hiashi asked Ruri about his recent fight with several Uchiha children at the Ninja Academy.

Ruri explained his sparring with Uchiha classmates to Hyuga Hiashi, who praised his talent and reminded him to uphold the Branch Family’s standing. At the Ninja Academy, Momokusa Harukawa demonstrated that she had learned to form a weak Rasengan, and Ruri continued studying basic techniques over the following two months.

• Ruri told Hyuga Hiashi that he had figured out Eight Trigrams Rotation himself and learned Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms from Hizashi.
• Hyuga Hiashi marveled at Ruri’s talent and told him to avoid damaging relations with others while not allowing anyone to look down on the Hyuga Clan.
• Ruri went to the Ninja Academy, where Momokusa Harukawa showed him a weak Rasengan she had formed.
• Ruri encouraged Momokusa Harukawa to keep practicing and grow the Rasengan’s power.
• Over the next two months, Ruri studied basic theory and became proficient in the Transformation Technique, Clone Technique, and Substitution Technique.

Ruri and Uchiha Itachi continued competing at the Ninja Academy, with Itachi challenging Ruri to a combat assessment after claiming his eyes could read Ruri’s moves. Asuma Sarutobi led the class to the Playground to begin the assessment.

• Ruri remained first in the class while Uchiha Itachi ranked second and kept striving to catch up with him.
• Ruri and Itachi’s daily rivalry gradually developed into a friendship.
• Itachi challenged Ruri to be his opponent in the day’s combat assessment and declared he would win.
• Ruri accepted Itachi’s challenge, while Momokusa Harukawa and Reika Hyuga watched their exchange.
• Asuma Sarutobi announced the assessment and led the students to the Playground.

Class Five held a practical combat assessment, and Ruri Hyuga was paired against Uchiha Itachi. Their long-awaited duel began with both boys determined to win.

• Asuma Sarutobi announced the matchups, including Yamanaka Fū versus Senju Lishang and Ruri Hyuga versus Uchiha Itachi.
• Yamanaka Fū defeated Senju Lishang with practiced taijutsu and the Substitution Technique.
• Several other matches took place as the class waited for Ruri and Itachi's duel.
• Momokusa Harukawa wished Ruri luck before he and Itachi entered the arena and bowed to each other.
• Ruri challenged Itachi to show the strength behind his confidence, and Itachi activated his Sharingan, revealing one tomoe in each eye.

Ruri recognized that Uchiha Itachi had awakened his One-Tomoe Sharingan early and reflected that his own abilities left him with no need to envy it. As their match resumed, Itachi calmly used shuriken and Ruowu to redirect his first throws toward Ruri.

• Ruri recognized Itachi's One-Tomoe Sharingan and considered how it had improved his vision, perception, and agility.
• Ruri thought about the Sharingan's abilities and said he no longer envied it because of his own powers.
• Asuma Sarutobi and Reika Hyuga reacted to Itachi's awakened Sharingan while Momokusa Harukawa asked what it was.
• Itachi calmly declared that they would settle who was stronger and threw two Shuriken at Ruri.
• Itachi followed with two Ruowu that struck the Shuriken and redirected all four projectiles toward Ruri.

Uchiha Itachi’s shuriken struck Ruri, but Ruri had used the Substitution Technique and counterattacked with powerful taijutsu. Itachi awakened his Sharingan, dodged Ruri’s kick, and launched the Phoenix Flower Jutsu as he sought to prove himself against his stronger rival.

• Itachi’s shuriken hit Ruri, who turned out to be a substituted log, surprising the watching students.
• Asuma praised Itachi’s shurikenjutsu and Ruri’s quick Substitution Technique.
• Ruri appeared behind Itachi and drove a powerful kick into his raised arms, forcing him backward.
• Ruri used Itachi’s hands as a pivot to swing a second kick at his face.
• Itachi’s Sharingan activated, and he dodged the kick while completing the hand seals for the Phoenix Flower Jutsu.

Ruri was trapped by Itachi’s steel wires and Explosive Tags after Itachi devised a counter to his Eight Trigrams Palms: Heavenly Spin. Ruri escaped with a substitution and appeared beside Itachi, launching Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms.

• Itachi used a Fire Release attack to conceal steel wires and bind Ruri.
• Itachi explained how he had prepared the trap to stop Ruri from using Heavenly Spin.
• Ruri questioned whether Itachi was sure he had won, then vanished in a cloud of smoke.
• Ruri reappeared beside Itachi and swiftly attacked with Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms.

Ruri defeated Uchiha Itachi in their Ninja Academy match by using the Shadow Clone Technique and Gentle Fist to seal Itachi’s chakra. After school, Ruri agreed to train with Momokusa Harukawa at Back Mountain the next afternoon.

• Ruri used his Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms to defeat Uchiha Itachi, whose Sharingan could follow Ruri but whose body could not keep pace.
• Ruri explained that Itachi’s chakra points had been sealed, and Itachi reflected that he still needed to improve beyond his Sharingan and Ninjutsu.
• Asuma Sarutobi declared Ruri the winner and told Ruri and Itachi to form the Seal of Reconciliation.
• The students praised the match, and Momokusa Harukawa celebrated Ruri’s victory.
• Momokusa Harukawa asked Ruri to train with her at Back Mountain, and Ruri agreed to go the following afternoon.

Ruri returned home after defeating Uchiha Itachi in a practical combat assessment, then reflected that his presence might have caused Itachi to awaken his Sharingan early. The next morning, Ruri went to his training ground and began Taijutsu practice with weights strapped to his legs.

• Ruri told Mei Ling Hyuga that he had won his spar with Uchiha Itachi, and she checked that he was uninjured.
• Ruri ate dinner with Mei Ling Hyuga and Neji Hyuga, then wondered whether his appearance had caused Itachi to awaken his Sharingan early.
• Ruri woke early and went to his training ground in the woods above Hokage Rock.
• Ruri warmed up, strapped five-kilogram weights to each leg, and began practicing walking with them.

Ruri trained with weighted leg and arm exercises, pushing himself until exhaustion and reflecting on why he needed to become stronger in the Hokage world. After resting, he got up to test whether his training had improved his strength.

• Ruri removed his twenty-jin leg weights after running and found that he was faster and his Konoha Whirlwind had become stronger.
• Ruri strapped the weights back on and practiced kicking until he collapsed from exhaustion.
• After resting, Ruri resumed leg-strength training, collapsed again, and massaged his numb muscles.
• Ruri moved the weights to his arms and practiced lifting them while thinking about his former college life and his need to survive.
• Ruri recovered, removed the arm weights, and walked toward several small trees to test his training results.

Ruri tested how his improved physical fitness had strengthened his Vacuum Palm and Konoha Whirlwind by smashing young trees during training. Momokusa Harukawa visited him with homemade rice balls, and their conversation ended with her hinting that she hoped to marry him someday.

• Ruri used Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm to burst a young tree apart and concluded that the technique had grown stronger.
• Ruri performed Konoha Whirlwind and snapped several young trees with his spinning kicks.
• Momokusa Harukawa arrived at Ruri's training spot, and Ruri helped her rest after she ran up the mountain.
• Momokusa Harukawa gave Ruri two rice balls she had made, and he praised her cooking.
• Momokusa Harukawa murmured that Ruri would be the lucky person to marry her, then denied saying anything when he asked what she had said.

Ruri and Momokusa Harukawa shared their dreams of becoming strong ninjas who could protect the people they cared about, then tested Harukawa’s progress with the Rasengan. They spent the rest of the day training together on the hill.

• Ruri encouraged Momokusa Harukawa after she said she wanted to become a ninja and protect others.
• Ruri said he wanted to become Konoha’s strongest ninja and protect Uncle Hizashi and Mei Ling Hyuga.
• Ruri asked Momokusa Harukawa to demonstrate the Rasengan he had taught her.
• Momokusa Harukawa formed a Rasengan and struck a tree, twisting its trunk and making a hole in it.
• Ruri praised Momokusa Harukawa’s progress and trained with her throughout the day, with the two catching fish for lunch.

Ruri felt uneasy under a scarlet-tinged moon while walking home with Momokusa Harukawa, as Naruto Uzumaki was born in a cave outside Konoha. A masked man appeared above Konoha, declared his intent to seize the Nine-Tails and destroy the village, then vanished before Naruto's birth.

• Ruri and Momokusa Harukawa ended their training and walked home as the moon turned scarlet.
• Minato Namikaze anxiously waited outside the barrier while Kushina Uzumaki gave birth in a cave outside Konoha.
• A Masked Man appeared on Hokage Rock and said he would take the Nine-Tails and use it to destroy Konoha.
• The Masked Man vanished as Naruto Uzumaki was born safely, and Minato handed the baby to the Third Hokage's guard.
• Minato thanked Kushina, who smiled at Naruto despite being physically exhausted.

Ruri stayed home with Neji while Mei Ling left, and he realized Naruto’s birth would coincide with the Nine-Tails’ attack on Konoha. As Ruri waited, a masked man abducted newborn Naruto, drew Minato away from Kushina, and extracted the Nine-Tails.

• Mei Ling told Ruri to stay home and protect Neji while she went out, and Ruri agreed.
• After Mei Ling left, Ruri played with Neji, then waited in the courtyard for the Nine-Tails to break free.
• A masked man appeared beside Minato Namikaze and seized his newborn son, Naruto.
• Minato fought the masked man, who used Naruto to lure him away and temporarily took Kushina Uzumaki with him.
• The masked man extracted the Nine-Tails and controlled it with the Sharingan.

The Masked Man summoned the Nine-Tails into central Konoha, triggering a destructive attack and widespread panic. Ruri stayed home with little Neji while Hizashi left to help evacuate villagers, believing the Hyuga grounds were safe.

• The Masked Man used the Summoning Technique to bring the Nine-Tails into central Konoha.
• The Nine-Tails rampaged through the village, launching Tailed Beast Bombs and causing heavy casualties.
• Ruri carried little Neji inside as the Nine-Tails' attack shook the area around their home.
• Hizashi arrived with an emergency order from Lord Third, told Ruri to stay home, and left to help maintain order and evacuate villagers.
• Ruri played with Neji indoors, confident that the Hyuga grounds were far from the fighting.

Minato Namikaze defeated the Masked Man in an exchange and severed his control over the Nine-Tails, then rushed to protect Konoha as the beast attacked. He redirected a Tailed Beast Bomb away from the village, leaving the Konoha ninja watching his golden flash from Hokage Rock.

• Minato Namikaze used his reflexes and Flying Thunder God Second Step to break the Masked Man's left hand and sever his connection to the Nine-Tails.
• Minato Namikaze returned to Kushina Uzumaki, who was barely alive after the Nine-Tails had been extracted, and told her he had to take responsibility as Fourth Hokage.
• The Third Hokage summoned Enma, who transformed into a staff and pushed the Nine-Tails outside the village.
• The Nine-Tails fired a Tailed Beast Bomb toward Konoha's center.
• Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God Barrier atop Hokage Rock to transport the Tailed Beast Bomb to Konoha's outskirts.

After the Nine-Tails attacked Konoha, Ruri learned that Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had died protecting the village and their son. Following Minato’s funeral, Ruri returned to the Ninja Academy with Reika Hyuga and Momokusa Harukawa.

• Ruri realized the battle was over and that Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki had lost their lives.
• Hizashi Hyuga and Mei Ling Hyuga returned home, and Hizashi told Ruri that the Nine-Tails had escaped its seal and Minato had died protecting Konoha.
• Konoha’s ninjas attended Minato Namikaze’s funeral several days later.
• Ruri saw the destruction left by the Nine-Tails as he walked through Konoha toward the Ninja Academy.
• Reika Hyuga and Momokusa Harukawa greeted Ruri, and the three went into school together.

Ruri chatted with Momokusa Harukawa and Reika Hyuga at the Ninja Academy, then went home for lunch. Mei Ling Hyuga invited him to return to their house with her and Neji, but Ruri declined and stayed behind.

• Momokusa Harukawa told Ruri that the Fourth Hokage and his wife had died protecting the village, and Reika Hyuga said she hoped to marry someone like the Fourth Hokage.
• Ruri asked Momokusa Harukawa and Reika Hyuga whether they had considered graduating early, and he said Uchiha Itachi was the only other student likely to do so.
• Ruri spent the morning staring out the classroom window, then went home for lunch when it began snowing.
• Mei Ling Hyuga told Ruri she was returning to their house with Neji and invited him to come along.
• Ruri declined Mei Ling Hyuga's invitation and ate lunch with her.

Ruri explained the Anbu’s duties, secrecy, uniforms, and difficult missions to Momokusa Harukawa and Reika Hyuga at the Ninja Academy. When Momokusa asked whether he wanted to join, Ruri said he was still interested, leaving her unhappy.

• After seeing Mei Ling Hyuga and Neji Hyuga off, Ruri cleaned up and headed to the Ninja Academy.
• Ruri joined Momokusa Harukawa and Reika Hyuga, who asked him what the Anbu were.
• Ruri described the Anbu’s role, missions, masks, organization, and uniforms.
• Ruri warned the girls that Anbu missions were harsh and members sometimes ate terrible-tasting soldier pills.
• Ruri told Momokusa Harukawa he might still want to join the Anbu, and she lowered her head unhappily.