Chapter Summaries

Mei Ling Hyuga prepared breakfast for Ruri while he slept, then woke him so he could get ready for the day. Ruri sat up and began dressing after learning his breakfast was ready.

• Mei Ling Hyuga woke at six and quietly left the bedroom so she would not disturb Neji Hyuga.
• Mei Ling Hyuga made rice porridge and side dishes for Ruri, then rested while waiting for him to wake.
• Mei Ling Hyuga dished up Ruri's breakfast and carried it to the dining table shortly before seven.
• Mei Ling Hyuga went to Ruri's bedroom and repeatedly shook him until he woke.
• Ruri told Mei Ling Hyuga he was getting up, then rubbed his eyes, sat up, and began dressing.

Ruri got ready for his mission and ate the breakfast Mei Ling Hyuga had prepared before she went back to sleep. After cleaning up, he planned to head to the Anbu.

• Ruri gathered his clothes, equipment, Thousand Mechanisms, and compressed rations for the mission.
• Ruri found Mei Ling Hyuga resting on the sofa, and she told him she had made breakfast for him.
• Ruri ate breakfast while Mei Ling Hyuga went to sleep beside Neji.
• At half past seven, Ruri finished eating and decided to clear away the dishes before heading to the Anbu.

Ruri gathered his gear and arrived at the Anbu on time, where he met Uzuki Yugao and Uchiha Itachi. The three waited for Captain Kakashi and Yamato, who had not yet arrived.

• Ruri finished cleaning up, packed his mission gear, and left Mei Ling Hyuga’s home after assuring her he would return safely.
• Ruri reached the Anbu at 7:40 and greeted Uzuki Yugao, who had arrived early.
• Ruri told Uzuki Yugao that Mei Ling had made him breakfast and helped him avoid being late.
• Uchiha Itachi arrived and told Ruri and Uzuki Yugao that he had already eaten breakfast.
• Uchiha Itachi asked whether Captain Kakashi and Yamato had arrived, and the others had not seen them yet.

Ruri and Uchiha Itachi waited to hear whether the Third Hokage would change their mission, which Uzuki Yugao said would likely involve killing enemies at the border. They both hoped for a more challenging assignment and were left waiting for Kakashi and the others to return.

• Uzuki Yugao told Uchiha Itachi and Ruri that the Third Hokage had called Kakashi and the others away to discuss the mission.
• Uzuki Yugao said she knew little about the assignment but thought it involved killing enemies at the border.
• Ruri wondered whether the mission would change and hoped for a challenge that would let him use his abilities.
• Uchiha Itachi joined Ruri and said he also wanted a difficult mission to test his abilities and reveal his shortcomings.
• Ruri agreed that he wanted a more challenging mission too.

Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, and Uzuki Yugao discussed whether they wanted difficult missions and the risks they brought. Ruri and Itachi promised to protect Yugao, and she said she trusted them to keep their word.

• Uzuki Yugao argued that difficult missions brought greater risks and said she preferred easier assignments.
• Uchiha Itachi said difficult missions helped ninja recognize their weaknesses and grow stronger.
• Ruri said ninja should put their lives first and choose missions suited to their abilities.
• Ruri and Uchiha Itachi promised to protect Yugao because she was the only girl on their team.
• Uzuki Yugao said she believed they would keep their promises, and the three laughed together.

Ruri, Uzuki Yugao, and Uchiha Itachi waited for Kakashi and the others while discussing their supplies and planning a celebration after the mission. Ruri expected the mission to take a long time, and the three remained cheerful about facing it together.

• Loli and Uchiha Itachi complained that Kakashi and the others had been away too long, while Uzuki Yugao urged them to wait.
• Uzuki Yugao asked about Ruri's large pack, and Ruri explained that Aunt Meiling had packed him extra compressed rations.
• Uzuki Yugao and Uchiha Itachi showed Ruri the supplies they had brought for the mission.
• Uzuki Yugao suggested that the group celebrate together after the mission, and Ruri agreed while predicting the mission would last a long time.
• Uzuki Yugao and Uchiha Itachi said they would be happy to spend the mission alongside Ruri, and Itachi added that fighting with Ruri stirred his desire to fight.

Kakashi and Yamato returned from the Third Hokage with a new mission for their team: escort a vital scroll to Konoha's front-line comrades within three days. The team accepted the dangerous assignment, determined to deliver the scroll and save their comrades.

• Kakashi and Yamato returned to Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, and Uzuki Yugao carrying a large scroll.
• Kakashi explained that the Third Hokage had changed their mission from eliminating enemies to escorting the scroll to the front lines.
• Kakashi warned that enemy ninja had learned of the mission and would try to intercept them.
• Kakashi said they had to deliver the scroll within three days or their comrades might die.
• Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, and Uzuki Yugao vowed to complete the mission and protect their comrades.

Kakashi led Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, Uzuki Yugao, and Yamato out on a distant mission, warning them that powerful enemies might try to stop them along the way. The group reached Konoha’s gates ready to depart, and Ruri said he hoped the enemies would attack there instead.

• Kakashi told the team their destination was far away and urged them to follow him and Tenzo.
• Ruri and Uchiha Itachi discussed how many enemies might appear, and Itachi said he hoped for as many as possible.
• Ruri warned Itachi that the enemies would be numerous and unusually strong, and Itachi looked forward to fighting them.
• The five shinobi arrived at Konoha’s gates, where Kakashi cautioned that enemies could attack after they left the village.
• Ruri said he hoped the enemy would attack at the gates so the team could avoid being intercepted along the way.

As Kakashi prepared to lead the group out of Konoha, Ruri, Uzuki Yugao, and Uchiha Itachi discussed whether enemies would dare attack near the village. Ōkawa and Yamato raised the possibility of a Jinchūriki, leaving Uzuki Yugao angry at Yamato for frightening them with the joke.

• Kakashi told Ruri and the others to wait while he spoke with the guards at Konoha's gate.
• Uzuki Yugao asked Ruri whether enemies might attack as soon as they left the village, and Ruri said they would not dare.
• Uchiha Itachi agreed, but Ōkawa asked how they would react if a Jinchūriki appeared, making Ruri and Uzuki Yugao lose their smiles.
• Ruri warned Uchiha Itachi that Jinchūriki were terrifying, while Uchiha Itachi said he wanted to fight one someday.
• Yamato assured them that reliable intelligence ruled out a Jinchūriki on the mission, and Uzuki Yugao angrily told him not to joke about their greatest fear.

Kakashi led Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, Uzuki Yugao, and Ōkawa out of Konoha on a time-sensitive mission. He assigned Ruri and Itachi to protect Yugao and attack from the flanks if enemies ambushed them, while he and Ōkawa took the front.

• Yamato joked that no Jinchūriki were involved in the mission but warned that the group should still expect numerous enemies.
• Ruri and Yamato discussed her past encounter with Killer B, while Uchiha Itachi asked what Jinchūriki were like.
• Kakashi finished speaking with the gate guards and led the group out of Konoha, warning that they needed to hurry to protect lives in danger.
• Kakashi assigned Ruri and Itachi to protect Yugao and attack from either side if enemies ambushed them, while he and Ōkawa charged at the front.

Ruri and Itachi caught up with Kakashi’s group after falling behind, and the team continued along their complicated route. When hunger forced them to stop at noon, Uzuki Yugao suggested they eat together.

• Ruri and Itachi praised Kakashi’s task assignments, then ran to catch up with him and the others.
• Kakashi scolded Ruri and Itachi for lagging behind and warned them not to lose the group again.
• The five continued their journey until noon, when Ruri asked Kakashi to stop for a meal.
• Kakashi agreed to rest and eat, and Uzuki Yugao suggested they share a meal rather than choose separate food.

Ruri and his companions stopped to eat before continuing toward the fighting, while Uzuki Yugao volunteered to prepare lunch. After she startled Ruri in payback for his earlier prank, the group planned to celebrate with a feast once the mission was over.

• Ruri suggested that the five of them eat together before setting off again, and Kakashi asked what they would have.
• Uzuki Yugao offered to make lunch, while Kakashi assured Ruri that her cooking was delicious.
• Uchiha Itachi said he was too hungry to care what they ate, and Ruri hoped for a particularly good meal.
• Uzuki Yugao startled Ruri and explained she was paying him back for frightening her earlier.
• Uzuki Yugao returned to preparing the food, and Ruri defended his startled reaction to Kakashi and Uchiha Itachi.

Ruri told Uchiha Itachi and Kakashi that he had been lonely and unpopular in his past life, though he had no memories of it and only imagined his popularity with women was a gift from heaven. Uzuki Yugao called them to eat, and Kakashi said they would rest briefly afterward before setting off.

• Uchiha Itachi questioned Ruri about why girls liked him and whether he had been a womanizer in a past life.
• Ruri said he had been lonely and unpopular, and explained that he had no past-life memories and was only guessing his popularity was a gift from heaven.
• Uchiha Itachi accepted Ruri's explanation, while Kakashi listened silently.
• Uzuki Yugao called the three of them to eat the food she had prepared.
• Kakashi led Ruri and Uchiha Itachi over to eat and said they would rest briefly before setting off.

Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, Kakashi, and Yamato gathered around Uzuki Yugao for a meal she had cooked with limited ingredients. After enjoying the food, they began eating before preparing to leave.

• Ruri asked Uzuki Yugao what she had made, and he and Uchiha Itachi bantered while she downplayed the meal.
• Kakashi urged them to stop bickering and join the others, and Ruri and Uchiha Itachi followed Yugao to the stove.
• Uchiha Itachi and Ruri praised the food's aroma, and Yugao explained that she had learned to cook by helping her parents.
• Yugao served Ruri and Uchiha Itachi, then joined them for the meal and reminded them they would leave once they finished.

Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, Kakashi, Yamato, and Uzuki Yugao finished a meal together before noticing enemies closing in around them. The group prepared to confront the five attackers Ruri spotted nearby.

• Ruri praised Uzuki Yugao's cooking, and she served broth to him, Kakashi, Yamato, and Uchiha Itachi.
• Ruri and the others finished eating, and Ruri joked that he had eaten so much to keep up his strength for the mission.
• Kakashi heard rustling in the bushes and warned the others to stay quiet and watch for enemies.
• Ruri activated his Byakugan and spotted five chakra signatures nearby, while Uchiha Itachi activated his Sharingan.

Ruri's team waited as five jonin-level enemies closed in, then prepared to fight when the attackers threw shuriken at them. The chapter ended with Ruri warning his teammates to watch out.

• Ruri identified five approaching enemies and estimated that they were all around jonin level.
• Ruri suggested attacking first, but Kakashi ordered the team to wait and stay alert.
• The five enemies slowly closed in, and Kakashi told Ruri, Uzuki Yugao, and Uchiha Itachi to draw their weapons.
• One enemy said their boss had described Ruri's team as weak, and the five attackers threw shuriken at them.
• Ruri shouted a warning to his teammates as the shuriken flew toward them.

Ruri and his companions confronted five enemy ninjas who had attacked them with shuriken and challenged them to a fight. Kakashi assigned Uzuki Yugao to guard the scroll, and the battle began with Ruri facing two enemies.

• Ruri blocked the incoming shuriken with Thousand Mechanisms, while his companions deflected the rest.
• Ruri called out the hidden attackers, and five ninjas emerged from the bushes and threatened the group.
• Uchiha Itachi and Ruri mocked the enemies, while Kakashi ordered Uzuki Yugao to guard the scroll.
• The five enemies charged, and Ruri ran to meet them despite Kakashi shouting a warning.
• Ruri began fighting two of the five enemies.

Ruri killed two enemies instantly by throwing Lightning Blade-infused kunai, then faced three more who attacked him from different directions. Uchiha Itachi worried that Ruri was in serious danger.

• Ruri infused two kunai with Lightning Blade and threw them, killing the two enemies with strikes to their hearts.
• Uchiha Itachi and Uzuki Yugao watched in shock as Ruri defeated the pair, and Itachi resolved to keep training.
• Ruri taunted the three remaining enemies and asked whether they wanted to be finished off in one move too.
• The three enemies attacked Ruri from different directions, and Uchiha Itachi warned Kakashi that Ruri was in serious danger.

Ruri defeated the three ninja who attacked him using Shadow Clone Rasengan, and their chakra dissipated before they died. He then returned to Kakashi and the others, leaving all five enemy ninja dead.

• Itachi worried that Ruri was in grave danger, but Kakashi said Ruri could handle the five ninja alone.
• Three ninja surrounded Ruri and attacked him together.
• Ruri created two Shadow Clones and struck each attacker in the chest with a Rasengan.
• The three ninja fell incapacitated, then lost their chakra and stopped breathing.
• Ruri noted that all five ninja had died and walked back to Kakashi and the others.

Ruri returned to Kakashi and his teammates after defeating five Jonin with ease, leaving Yamato, Uzuki Yugao, and Uchiha Itachi stunned by his strength. Itachi thanked Ruri for his confidence in him and promised to surpass him someday.

• Ruri defeated five Jonin in a short fight, astonishing everyone watching.
• Yamato, Uzuki Yugao, and Uchiha Itachi reflected on how powerful Ruri was, while Itachi remained confident despite the gap between them.
• Ruri joined Kakashi and the others and asked why they looked so surprised.
• Kakashi praised Ruri's strength and said he had stopped Itachi from rushing to help because he trusted Ruri to handle the fight.
• Ruri thanked Itachi for wanting to help, and Itachi said he would surpass him someday; Ruri accepted the challenge and promised to keep training.