Chapter Summaries

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.

A year after the Nine-Tails attack, Ruri had reached jonin-level chakra and developed powerful Flame-Flame Fruit abilities as he prepared for his early graduation assessment. He expected to face three genin the next day and looked forward to testing his strength.

• Ruri used Eight Trigrams: Mountain Crusher to blast apart two trees during training.
• Ruri reflected on his year of training, his growing strength, and his hopes of fighting in the coming war against the Cloud Ninja.
• Ruri learned that his graduation assessment would include a fight against three genin and dismissed them as no challenge.
• The Third Hokage reviewed Ruri Hyuga's early graduation application and expressed surprise at the request.

The Third Hokage approved Ruri’s application for early graduation and planned a strict test before sending him to the Anbu. Ruri reassured Momokusa Harukawa that she could join him after graduating, and she promised to find him there.

• The Third Hokage compared Ruri’s talent to Orochimaru’s, approved his application, and decided to test him before graduation.
• News spread that Ruri would have to avoid defeat by three Genin within a set time to qualify for early graduation.
• Momokusa Harukawa confronted Ruri about leaving the Ninja Academy, and he told her he had outgrown its lessons.
• Ruri comforted the tearful Momokusa Harukawa by promising to pave the way for her to join the Anbu after she graduated.
• Momokusa Harukawa promised to find Ruri and admitted she would miss his Ninjutsu lessons.

Ruri Hyuga completed the first two parts of his graduation assessment with perfect scores and began the final test against three elite Genin. As the Genin attacked, Ruri watched a thrown Ruowu approach without moving.

• A crowd gathered at the Ninja Academy to watch Ruri Hyuga's early graduation assessment, while the Third Hokage observed through a crystal ball.
• Ruri earned perfect scores on the basic test and the Ninjutsu test, as Momokusa Harukawa and Reika Hyuga watched nervously.
• A Chunin teacher set the final test: Ruri had to last ten minutes against three Genin or defeat them.
• The three Genin mocked Ruri, and he answered that he might try killing someone before smiling wickedly.
• The Genin charged, and the scarred Genin hurled a Ruowu at Ruri as Ruri watched it approach without dodging.

Ruri defeated two Genin with chakra and taijutsu techniques, then discovered that the third had used an earth clone. The remaining Genin appeared stronger, leaving Ruri facing him next.

• Ruri struck the scarred Genin in the stomach with concentrated chakra, making him collapse.
• The Genin with a cigarette attacked Ruri with a Great Fireball Technique, but Ruri dispersed it with Eight Trigrams: Mountain Crusher and struck him down.
• The last Genin charged Ruri with a large blade, and Ruri countered with Leaf Great Whirlwind.
• The two watching Chunin praised Ruri's skill as the Genin he had kicked turned into mud.
• Ruri recognized the mud as an earth clone and judged the remaining Genin stronger than the others.

Ruri defeated a Genin in his graduation match and received his ninja Forehead Protector, becoming the first student of Asuma Sarutobi to graduate. After saying goodbye to his classmates, he was summoned by the Third Hokage, who wanted to discuss his joining the Anbu.

• Ruri used Rotation to defeat the Genin who attacked him from underground, and the Genin surrendered.
• A masked ninja watched Ruri's victory and left to report his talent to Danzo.
• Asuma Sarutobi congratulated Ruri and gave him a ninja Forehead Protector, which he wore over his Caged Bird Seal Cursed Seal.
• Ruri congratulated Momokusa Harukawa and spoke with Uchiha Itachi and Reika Hyuga before saying goodbye to his classmates.
• A masked ninja appeared and told Ruri that the Third Hokage wished to see him.