Chapter Summaries

After Ruri's fight, Uzuki Yugao and Yamato praised his rapid growth, while Kakashi reminded the team to finish cleaning up and continue their mission. The group prepared to travel, with Kakashi estimating the journey would take one or two days and Ruri vowing to defeat any enemies who intercepted them.

• Uzuki Yugao told Ruri he had grown much stronger, and Ruri credited his training while saying he still wanted to improve faster.
• Yamato warned Ruri not to overtrain, and Ruri promised to take care of his health while urging the others to work hard.
• Ruri and Kakashi discussed Might Guy's intense training and exceptional constitution.
• Kakashi told the team to clean up their dishes, rest briefly, and hurry so they could continue their mission.
• Kakashi estimated they would reach their destination in one or two days, and Ruri said they would defeat any enemies who intercepted them before moving on.

Ruri and Uchiha Itachi washed dishes while discussing the mission and the enemies they expected to face. After finishing, they rested beneath a rock before setting out again.

• Ruri complained that missions and training were exhausting and questioned why people resorted to war.
• Uchiha Itachi suggested their enemies believed they had the strength to oppose them, and Ruri mocked the boss who had sent five Jonin to stop them.
• Uchiha Itachi predicted that stronger ninja would come after them, while Ruri hoped the next fight would be more challenging.
• Uzuki Yugao urged Ruri and Uchiha Itachi to finish washing the dishes so the team could rest and continue moving.
• Ruri and Uchiha Itachi finished the dishes, then sat beneath a rock, where Ruri joked that the earlier fight had eased his full stomach.

After a battle, Ruri advised Uchiha Itachi to improve his ninjutsu while the group rested before setting off. Ruri entered the Ring to train, where Ring Butler Zero appeared to greet him.

• Uchiha Itachi praised Ruri for escaping three enemies, and Ruri asked what Itachi would have done in the same situation.
• Itachi said he would have used two Shadow Clones, and Ruri urged him to learn more ninjutsu.
• Uzuki Yugao told Ruri and Itachi to rest while Kakashi and Yamato kept watch.
• Ruri and Itachi settled down to rest, but Ruri entered the Ring to train instead.
• Ring Butler Zero appeared and explained that he knew when Ruri entered the Ring.

Ruri chose rest mode in the Ring, where he relaxed on a newly provided bed while slowly condensing his chakra. As he rested, he worried about the enemies and possible Jinchūriki he might encounter during the mission, but resolved to fight them regardless.

• Ruri asked Ring Butler Zero whether rest mode could improve his strength and condense his chakra.
• Ring Butler Zero explained that resting in the Ring would slowly improve Ruri's strength and help him recover chakra.
• Ruri entered rest mode and found a soft bed and chair in the pavilion.
• Ruri lay on the bed, felt his chakra begin to gather, and decided to use rest mode whenever he had time.
• Ruri considered the enemies and possible Jinchūriki ahead, then resolved to fight even if he could not defeat them.

Ruri rested inside the upgraded Ring, where time passed at one-sixth the speed of the outside world. After returning, he found Kakashi Hatake keeping watch and took over so Kakashi could rest.

• Ruri fell asleep in the Ring and learned from Ring Butler Zero that an hour inside had equaled ten minutes outside.
• Ruri decided he had rested enough and left the Ring to check on his teammates.
• Ruri found Kakashi Hatake awake and standing guard while the others slept.
• Ruri offered to take over watch, and Kakashi went to rest by a large rock.

While escorting a large scroll toward the front lines, Ruri stood watch and reflected on the journey, his family, and the prospect of a life spent away on missions. The group continued its trip, with Ruri wondering what the scroll contained and hoping he would not be sent away from home often.

• Ruri watched the large scroll and wondered what it contained that could help Konoha’s front-line ninja turn the tide.
• Ruri thought about missing Aunt Meiling’s cooking and promised himself he would feast on it after the mission.
• Ruri stood guard, checked the area, and found no sign of enemies.
• Ruri reflected on the long journey and wondered whether his future as an Anbu would mean frequent assignments far from home.
• Ruri thought of his uncle, Hizashi Hyuga, whose missions often kept him away for ten days or half a month.

Ruri missed Mei Ling Hyuga, Nichijo, Harukawa, Linghua, and the others while away on a mission and resolved to spend more time with them when he returned. Uzuki Yugao noticed his worried expression and asked what was on his mind.

• Ruri reflected on how work far from home could separate people from their families.
• Ruri realized he missed his family and friends and decided he would spend more time with them after the mission.
• Uzuki Yugao woke from her rest and found Ruri sitting in a daze.
• Ruri told Uzuki Yugao that nothing was wrong and explained that he had taken over the watch from Captain Kakashi.
• Uzuki Yugao sat beside Ruri and asked again what had made him look worried.

Ruri and Uzuki Yugao talked about long missions, feeling secure with teammates, and missing home. Yugao recalled that she had missed her family and friends on her first distant mission but had grown used to being away.

• Ruri told Uzuki Yugao that this was his first mission far from Konoha and offered to protect her on future missions.
• Uzuki Yugao thanked Ruri for his kind words and promised to let him try her cooking.
• Ruri asked Uzuki Yugao whether she had missed home during her first mission.
• Uzuki Yugao said she had missed her family and friends at first but had gotten used to being away on missions.

Ruri talked with Uzuki Yugao about feeling unsettled on his first mission, then asked how much farther they had to travel. They continued toward the front lines with a dangerous scroll, whose forbidden technique might turn the battle.

• Uzuki Yugao comforted Ruri, saying it was natural to miss family and friends on a first mission.
• Ruri thanked Uzuki Yugao for keeping him company, and they joked about him dying of misery.
• Ruri asked when they would reach the mission site, and Uzuki Yugao said they still had a long way to go and needed to hurry.
• Ruri wondered what the scroll contained, and Uzuki Yugao said it held a powerful, dangerous forbidden technique.

Ruri and Uzuki Yugao checked that Kakashi and the others had recovered, then prepared to resume their mission to deliver the scroll. Kakashi urged the team to hurry so they could reach their comrades before the deadline.

• Ruri reassured Uzuki Yugao that she would not touch the scroll or put herself in danger.
• Ruri noticed Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, and Yamato waking after nearly an hour of rest.
• Ruri and Uzuki Yugao approached the others and asked whether they were ready to continue.
• Kakashi thanked Ruri and Uzuki Yugao for their hard work and checked that Ruri was holding up.
• Kakashi told Uchiha Itachi and Yamato to get up and pack so the team could speed up and deliver the scroll on time.

After recovering and packing their equipment, Kakashi’s team set off through the trees to deliver the scroll. Ruri marveled at the speed he had gained as an Anbu ninja.

• Itachi and Yamato told Kakashi they had recovered, and the team packed its equipment.
• Ruri asked Itachi about his sleepy appearance, and Itachi said he was fine and had only just woken up.
• Kakashi led Ruri, Yugao, Itachi, and Yamato toward their destination to deliver the scroll.
• The team darted through the trees at high speed as Ruri reflected on how incredible his ninja abilities felt.

Ruri and his teammates spent the afternoon rushing through the trees with a scroll for their comrades on the front line, leaving most of them exhausted. Kakashi called a rest and decided they would take the rest of the journey more slowly.

• Ruri thought about how exhausting it was to weave through the trees all afternoon as the five hurried toward the front line.
• Kakashi stopped the group near evening and led them down from the trees to rest.
• Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, and Uzuki Yugao sank to the ground with trembling, exhausted legs.
• Kakashi suggested that Might Guy train the exhausted teammates, but Ruri refused and promised they would practice more themselves.
• Kakashi agreed to take a proper rest and travel in shorter stretches, then sat beneath a tree with Yamato.

Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, and Uzuki Yugao rested after exhausting leg training and discussed how they would fare if attacked before recovering. Kakashi said he would deal with any ambush alone.

• Ruri and Uchiha Itachi joked about Ruri needing to train his legs more.
• Uzuki Yugao said she was recovering but still needed more rest.
• Kakashi invited Ruri, Uchiha Itachi, and Uzuki Yugao to rest beneath a large tree.
• Ruri asked Kakashi what they would do if enemies ambushed them while their legs were weak.
• Kakashi said the others could rest while he took out any attackers himself.

Ruri explained that the enemy was using ordinary ninja to mislead their group into lowering their guard before a surprise attack by stronger ninja. The group understood the enemy’s plan and recognized that the repeated use of weak opponents had made them suspicious.

• Ruri told the group that the enemy would send stronger ninja as they approached their front-line teammates.
• Ruri said the enemy wanted them to defeat ordinary ninja and gain confidence before powerful ninja attacked by surprise.
• Ruri argued that the enemy’s repeated use of ordinary ninja had aroused suspicion.
• Kakashi understood the plan and explained how it was meant to make the group lower their guard.
• The others understood Ruri’s reasoning and praised his insight.

Ruri and Kakashi’s team suspected their pursuers were using ordinary ninja to wear them down, so they planned to stay alert and preserve their stamina. They chose towering trees as a place to rest overnight and intended to leave at first light.

• Ruri suggested that their enemies were sending ordinary ninja because they underestimated the children and wanted to catch them off guard later.
• Kakashi told the team to pretend they knew nothing about the tactic while remaining vigilant, and agreed that the attacks were meant to exhaust them.
• Kakashi proposed resting more often and avoiding travel at night so the team could keep its stamina up.
• Ruri used his Byakugan to find several tall trees ahead, and the team ran there to make camp.
• Kakashi climbed a tree to survey the surroundings after deciding the team would leave at first light.

After a long day of travel, Ruri went looking for food while the others rested and prepared to camp. He heard something moving in the bushes ahead and cautiously approached the darkness.

• Uzuki Yugao collapsed from exhaustion after the group traveled all day.
• Ruri told the others to rest while he searched for food, and Uchiha Itachi agreed that a campfire and barbecue would help them stay warm.
• Ruri searched the area but found no meat and remembered that Aunt Meiling had given him packets of food.
• Ruri continued into a quiet, cold, pitch-black area and heard rustling in a clump of bushes.
• Ruri raised his guard when he noticed the bushes move.

Ruri investigated the noise in the bushes and found three aggressive rabbits. When they charged at him, he killed them with his short blade, leaving him with rabbits for dinner.

• Ruri approached the rustling bushes with his short blade ready.
• Ruri parted the foliage and discovered three rabbits baring their teeth at him.
• Ruri waved his blade to test whether the rabbits would flee, but they became more aggressive.
• Ruri slashed at the rabbits when they charged, killing all three.

Ruri killed three rabbits that had attacked him and carried them back to his unit, planning to cook them for dinner. Kakashi found no enemies nearby and helped the others prepare their campsite for the night.

• Ruri killed three rabbits after they challenged him instead of fleeing, then apologized to their bodies.
• Ruri picked up the rabbits and planned to stew them with mushrooms he had gathered.
• Kakashi surveyed the area from a tree and found no enemies, only animals.
• Kakashi joined his teammates in preparing a place to sleep for the night.

Uchiha Itachi and Uzuki Yugao prepared branches for a fire while waiting for Ruri to return with food. Ruri came back with three rabbits, and Uzuki Yugao began preparing them as the group got ready to eat.

• Uchiha Itachi asked Kakashi if they would sleep in the trees, and Kakashi explained that it would keep them safe from animals and damp ground.
• Uchiha Itachi asked Uzuki Yugao about sleeping in trees, and she told him she had grown used to it on missions.
• Uchiha Itachi and Uzuki Yugao gathered branches to build a warming fire and make cooking easier for Ruri.
• Ruri returned carrying three dead rabbits, and Uchiha Itachi said he was hungry.
• Ruri invited the group to eat and said he would explain where he found the rabbits; Uzuki Yugao took them and began removing their innards and fur.

Ruri returned from scouting with mushrooms, vegetables, and three rabbits, while Kakashi reported no signs of enemies nearby. The group gathered around a fire, and Ruri suggested making rabbit soup so all five of them could eat.

• Ruri returned with food he had gathered and three rabbits he had caught.
• Yamato praised Ruri for catching the rabbits in the dark.
• Ruri used fire-nature chakra to light the pile of firewood.
• Kakashi told Ruri that he had seen no enemies while watching from a tree.
• Uzuki Yugao cleaned the rabbits, and Ruri suggested making soup instead of roasting them.
• Uzuki Yugao agreed and set the rabbits and branches aside.