Recaps

Senju Chen and Shisui began their night patrol in Konoha’s third district, where Chen sensed three thieves breaking into a warehouse. After Shisui prepared to apprehend them, Chen stepped into the open and began singing a ghost-story nursery rhyme.

• Uchiha Tekka assigned Senju Chen and Shisui to patrol the third district from eleven p.m. to five a.m.
• Shisui and Senju Chen met at the district entrance and began patrolling together.
• Senju Chen secretly sensed several suspicious chakra signatures in an alley and alerted Shisui.
• Shisui and Senju Chen found three thieves trying to break into the back door of a warehouse.
• Senju Chen stopped Shisui from rushing in, then approached the thieves while singing a nursery rhyme.

Senju Chen used Wood Release and psychological warfare to make three thieves confess, then completed a successful week of patrols with Shisui Uchiha. After celebrating their mission, Senju Chen noticed someone following him on his way home and ordered them to come out.

• Senju Chen bound three thieves with vines and frightened them into admitting they had tried to steal Boss Takahashi's offerings.
• Shisui Uchiha emerged from hiding and helped Senju Chen take the thieves to the Konoha Military Police Force Unit.
• Senju Chen and Shisui worked smoothly together throughout the rest of their patrol week, catching thieves, breaking up fights, and rescuing kittens.
• Uchiha Tekka praised Senju Chen and Shisui for earning excellent evaluations and reducing crime in their district by fifty percent.
• Senju Chen and Shisui celebrated their completed mission with tri-colored dango, and Shisui asked about Senju Chen's Wood Release.
• Senju Chen noticed someone following him along a deserted path and called on them to come out.

Senju Chen met Maruboshi Kosuke in an alley and won the veteran’s devoted loyalty by revealing his Senju heritage and comforting him about his regrets toward Tobirama. Kosuke escorted Chen home, and Chen began forming a plan involving his new, highly capable ally.

• Maruboshi Kosuke revealed himself after following Senju Chen through the night, and Chen recognized the legendary Eternal Genin.
• Chen introduced himself as a member of the Senju Clan, prompting Kosuke to kneel and pay respects to Tobirama’s descendant.
• Kosuke recalled how Tobirama had saved him and taught him ninjutsu, and Chen urged him to honor Tobirama by continuing to serve the village.
• Kosuke escorted Chen home and explained that he carried his cooking pot so he could make meals for comrades on missions.
• Kosuke refused Chen’s invitation to come inside, and Chen watched him leave as a bold idea took shape.

Senju Chen planned to recruit Maruboshi Kosuke as an experienced teammate and considered stealing the Flying Thunder God Technique and Sharingan for his combat skills. After Chen raised the idea with Tsunade, she agreed to discuss Kosuke’s possible assignment with the Hokage.

• Senju Chen identified Maruboshi Kosuke as an ideal teammate and mentor for his and Shisui’s two-person team.
• Senju Chen planned to provoke Minato Namikaze into revealing the Flying Thunder God Technique and targeted Shisui Uchiha’s Sharingan as another ability to steal.
• Senju Chen told Tsunade that his missions with Shisui had gone well but that their team could use another member for safety and experience.
• Tsunade became angry when Chen suggested Orochimaru had left him to handle missions alone, but Chen calmed her and defended his teacher.
• Senju Chen suggested that Maruboshi Kosuke join their team, and Tsunade agreed to discuss it with the Hokage, subject to Kosuke’s wishes.

Senju Chen used ideas he attributed to Tobirama Senju to persuade Shisui to make the Konoha Military Police Force Unit serve and earn the trust of villagers. Shisui embraced the ideas, while Chen’s system offered him the chance to steal a one-tomoe Sharingan, which he chose.

• Senju Chen bluntly told Shisui Uchiha that the Uchiha Clan seemed insular, then reassured him that they would remain best friends.
• Shisui explained that his clan wanted to get along with villagers but faced prejudice, and Senju Chen began sharing advice he claimed came from Tobirama Senju’s notes.
• Senju Chen urged Shisui to serve the people, learn their needs, and enforce strict rules against taking anything from villagers.
• Shisui was deeply shaken by Chen’s advice and recognized that his clansmen’s entitled behavior damaged the Military Police Force’s reputation.
• The system offered Senju Chen a choice of abilities, including Uchiha bloodline (one-tomoe Sharingan), and he chose option C.

Senju Chen secretly awakened a one-tomoe Sharingan after stealing the Uchiha Bloodline from Shisui, then decided to hide it from everyone in Konoha. He began considering how to develop the eyes while rejecting the idea of harming Shisui or Tsunade to awaken the Mangekyō.

• Senju Chen left Shisui in a hurry after the system confirmed he had acquired the Uchiha Bloodline.
• Senju Chen activated his Sharingan in his bedroom mirror and discovered he could turn the eyes on and off without constant chakra drain.
• Senju Chen concluded that Hiruzen, Danzō, Orochimaru, and the Uchiha Clan could pose threats if they learned about his new bloodline.
• Senju Chen resolved to keep the Sharingan secret and considered training through combat to advance its tomoe.
• Senju Chen rejected killing Shisui or sacrificing Tsunade to awaken the Mangekyō and decided to find another method.

Senju Chen awakened the perceptive power of his one-tomoe Sharingan as Tsunade pushed for better protection and guidance for him. Hiruzen Sarutobi approved adding Maruboshi Kosuke to Chen’s team, and Kosuke accepted the assignment.

• Senju Chen practiced controlling his new Uchiha chakra and experienced his one-tomoe Sharingan’s enhanced perception.
• Tsunade confronted Hiruzen Sarutobi and demanded that Maruboshi Kosuke join Senju Chen’s team after criticizing Orochimaru’s lack of guidance.
• Shimura Danzō and the advisors proposed keeping Chen inside the village under Root’s protection, but Tsunade threatened them and rejected the plan.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi approved transferring Maruboshi Kosuke to Senju Chen’s team.
• Maruboshi Kosuke received the order from an Anbu and accepted the mission to guide and protect Chen.

Senju Chen, Shisui Uchiha, and Maruboshi Kosuke received their first C-rank mission to escort a merchant to the Land of Grass. At Konoha’s gate, they discovered that Orochimaru had left them to complete it alone as a test.

• Senju Chen apologized to Maruboshi Kosuke for involving him in the team, and Shisui Uchiha welcomed Kosuke as their senior.
• Orochimaru gave the team its first C-rank mission to escort silk merchant Tokugawa and his caravan to a border town in the Land of Grass, then disappeared.
• Senju Chen told Kakashi and Might Guy he was leaving on a C-rank mission, prompting Kakashi to resolve to graduate as soon as possible.
• Tsunade and Shizune prepared a huge pile of supplies and money for Senju Chen, who took only a small portion of it.
• At Konoha’s main gate, Senju Chen, Shisui, and Kosuke received Orochimaru’s message declaring the mission an independent test, leaving them uncertain what to do.

After Orochimaru left them without an instructor, Senju Chen, Shisui, and Maruboshi Kosuke escorted Tokugawa’s caravan out of Konoha. Chen grew suspicious of Tokugawa’s interest in their clan ties and, while keeping watch, used his Sharingan to observe the merchant awake in his tent.

• Shisui was shaken when Orochimaru left the squad behind, but Maruboshi Kosuke steadied him and led the team to meet Tokugawa.
• Tokugawa showed unease when he learned no Jonin would lead the mission, though Maruboshi Kosuke assured him the squad could protect the caravan.
• Maruboshi Kosuke taught Shisui and Senju Chen wilderness skills, set traps, organized the night watch, and cooked them a hot meal.
• Tokugawa questioned Shisui and Senju Chen about their clans, and Chen noticed the merchant’s unusual tension and suspected the mission concealed something.
• During his watch, Senju Chen activated his Sharingan and saw that Tokugawa was awake and tossing in his tent.

Maruboshi Kosuke, Shisui, and Senju Chen fought off an ambush in Wind-Weeping Canyon and discovered the attackers were trained men posing as bandits. After their leader killed himself with poison, Senju Chen noticed Tokugawa’s relief and suspected the merchant was hiding something.

• Maruboshi Kosuke warned the caravan guards to stay alert as they approached Wind-Weeping Canyon, while Senju Chen noticed Tokugawa acting strangely nervous.
• Dozens of attackers ambushed the caravan, and Shisui and Senju Chen used their jutsu to disrupt the assault while Kosuke subdued most of the attackers.
• Kosuke questioned the captured leader, who broke a poison-filled tooth and died before he could reveal who had sent him.
• Senju Chen and Kosuke concluded the attackers were trained and likely disguised ninjas, then questioned Tokugawa about the trip and its cargo.
• Tokugawa claimed he was transporting only silk, but Senju Chen noticed him relax when he learned the leader was dead and suspected the merchant was involved.

Maruboshi Kosuke taught Senju Chen and Shisui the principles of Konoha Style: Willow, then demonstrated his lethal swordsmanship by defeating a wolf pack attacking the caravan. Senju Chen was left with a new understanding of Kosuke’s true strength.

• Maruboshi Kosuke taught Senju Chen and Shisui to read signs of pursuit and recognize the principles of Konoha Style: Willow.
• Maruboshi Kosuke used a willow branch to redirect Senju Chen’s kunai thrust and explained how yielding could turn an opponent’s force against them.
• A wolf pack surrounded the camp, and Shisui and Senju Chen used fire and Wood Release to protect the caravan.
• Maruboshi Kosuke drew his short sword and killed the attacking wolves with precise, effortless movements.
• Maruboshi Kosuke split the pack leader in two, forcing the surviving wolves to flee and leaving Senju Chen and Shisui stunned.

Senju Chen, Shisui, and Maruboshi Kosuke entered a fog-filled forest, where Kusagakure ninja ambushed the caravan with explosive tags. Tokugawa betrayed them, revealing that the escort mission had been a trap to expose Senju Chen’s Wood Release, and the chapter ended with the enemy surrounding them.

• After Maruboshi Kosuke killed the attacking wolves, the caravan traveled peacefully for a week, and Tokugawa grew unusually friendly with the guards.
• As the caravan approached the Land of Grass border, Senju Chen grew suspicious of Tokugawa’s excitement while Maruboshi Kosuke prepared for danger.
• The caravan entered a fog-filled forest, where Senju Chen sensed a jutsu and Maruboshi Kosuke warned that enemies had arrived.
• Senju Chen raised a Wood Locking Wall to shield the caravan from Kusagakure ninja’s explosive-tag attack.
• Tokugawa ran to the Kusagakure Jonin and revealed that Senju Chen could use Wood Release, exposing the escort mission as a trap.

Senju Chen recognized that Kusagakure had lured him into a trap and split him from his allies. He pretended to flee from three Chunin, drawing them deeper into the forest as the battle continued elsewhere.

• Tokugawa realized Kusagakure had used him to lure Senju Chen into a prepared ambush, and a Kusagakure Jonin killed him.
• Maruboshi Kosuke told Shisui and Senju Chen to hold off the Chunin and Genin while he faced the two Jonin.
• Shisui engaged four Chunin while three others surrounded Senju Chen.
• The three Chunin attacked Senju Chen together, but he feigned panic and escaped their first strikes.
• Senju Chen fled deeper into the forest, leading the three Chunin away from the main battlefield.

Senju Chen revealed his Sharingan to mislead the Kusagakure Chunin, then used a Wood Clone and Wood Release to trap them. He killed all three with his sword and vines, leaving the forest battlefield littered with corpses.

• Senju Chen pretended to collapse and revealed his Sharingan, leading the Kusagakure Chunin to mistake him for the Uchiha boy.
• The lead Chunin sent Shuizhi to kill Senju Chen while he and another Chunin went to support the fight against the supposed Senju target.
• Senju Chen stopped the two departing Chunin and had his concealed Wood Clone bind them with Wood Release vines.
• Senju Chen killed Shuizhi with the Sword of the Thunder God and Hatake Style Kenjutsu.
• Senju Chen crushed the other two Chunin with the vines and received system notifications for killing all three.

Senju Chen returned to help Shisui defeat the Kusagakure ninja surrounding him, then both boys turned toward Maruboshi Kosuke’s battle with two Kusagakure jonin. Kosuke, badly wounded, tried to send Shisui away with scrolls and a warning to escape.

• Senju Chen silently killed two Kusagakure genin and joined Shisui’s fight against the remaining two Kusagakure chunin.
• Senju Chen warned Shisui about a chunin’s Substitution Technique, allowing Shisui to wound and kill him with Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu.
• Senju Chen trapped the last chunin with Wood Release: Thorn Binding, and Shisui finished him with a kunai.
• Maruboshi Kosuke, fighting two Kusagakure jonin, used Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique to make an opening and tried to draw them away from the boys.
• Maruboshi Kosuke ran toward Shisui with two scrolls and urged him to escape to the village and report.

Senju Chen stopped Shisui from charging into Maruboshi Kosuke’s battle and devised a risky plan to disrupt the two Kusagakure Jonin. Shisui launched the planned attack, and one Jonin noticed a second shuriken hidden beneath the enormous one.

• Senju Chen restrained Shisui and explained that rushing to Kosuke’s aid would only make them burdens.
• Senju Chen outlined a plan using a disguised Wood Release Clone and Shisui’s attack to create an opening against the Jonin.
• Shisui agreed to the plan and charged toward the wounded Kosuke, who threw him two scrolls and urged him to escape.
• Shisui used a Great Fireball Technique against one Jonin while throwing an enormous shuriken at the other.
• One Jonin blocked the fireball with a Water Formation Wall as the other spotted a second shuriken concealed beneath the first.

Senju Chen used a layered Wood Clone trap to capture the Kusagakure Jonin, and Maruboshi Kosuke killed him. The last Kusagakure Jonin emerged as the battle turned in their favor.

• Senju Chen struck at the Kusagakure Jonin with a kunai, but the Jonin dodged and counterattacked, knocking Chen into the air and grabbing him by the throat.
• The Kusagakure Jonin threatened Maruboshi Kosuke with Chen's life, prompting Kosuke to charge toward them.
• A Wood Clone appeared behind the Jonin and used Wood Release: Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-Bringing Hands to bind him in vines.
• Maruboshi Kosuke recognized Chen's trap and slashed the captured Kusagakure Jonin's throat.
• The final Kusagakure Jonin emerged from the dissipating steam and stared in horror at his fallen companion.

Senju Chen, Shisui Uchiha, and Maruboshi Kosuke defeated the remaining Kusagakure Jonin in the Forest of Death. After hiding the bodies and signs of battle, the three fled into the forest to avoid enemy reinforcements.

• The Kusagakure Jonin tried to break through the encirclement by attacking Senju Chen, but Maruboshi Kosuke and Shisui Uchiha forced him to dodge into Chen’s traps.
• Chen’s wooden spikes and vines caught the Jonin, allowing Kosuke and Shisui to attack as he struggled to escape.
• The Jonin used the Substitution Technique to flee, but Chen’s Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs pierced and killed him.
• Chen received chakra and combat experience from the kill, while Kosuke praised him and Shisui and warned them to leave before enemy forces arrived.
• The three cleaned up the battlefield, concealed the corpses underground, and disappeared into the Forest of Death.

After surviving an ambush targeting Senju Chen, Maruboshi Kosuke reviewed the mission with him and Shisui, then decided they would return to Konoha to report a village mole. During his watch, Chen reflected on his first lethal battle and discovered that his system might reveal people’s true identities.

• Maruboshi Kosuke led Shisui and Senju Chen to a hidden cave, treated his wounds, and asked them to assess the mission.
• Shisui recognized the mission as a trap, and Chen concluded the enemy force had been assembled to kill them or capture a specific target.
• Kosuke explained that the enemies had targeted Senju Chen for his Senju bloodline and Wood Release, and suspected Tokugawa had worked with a mole in Konoha.
• Maruboshi Kosuke decided the group would return to the village the next morning and report the ambush to the Third Hokage.
• During his watch, Senju Chen reviewed the fear and guilt he felt after killing enemy ninja and considered how the battle had strengthened him.
• Senju Chen noticed the system had identified the Kusagakure Jonin as Wuzhi and suspected it could expose people’s true identities.

Orochimaru revealed that the mission had been a village leadership trap to expose spies, with Senju Chen, Shisui, and Maruboshi Kosuke serving as bait. Senju Chen concealed his anger at being used, but Orochimaru immediately assigned him another mission.

• Orochimaru appeared as the team prepared to leave and praised their performance in battle.
• Orochimaru explained that seven teams had been used as bait in a village-wide operation to expose traitors and eliminate foreign spies and attackers.
• Maruboshi Kosuke and Shisui accepted the plan as evidence of Konoha's strength, while Senju Chen secretly resented being placed in danger without his knowledge.
• Orochimaru told Maruboshi Kosuke and Shisui to return to the village, then ordered Senju Chen to accompany him on another mission.

Orochimaru took Senju Chen to the Land of Rain, claiming they needed to retrieve S-rank intelligence and visit Hatake Sakumo, who was secretly operating as “Fang.” Chen suspected Konoha’s leaders were using him to influence Sakumo, but he also saw the journey as a chance to advance his own plans.

• Orochimaru sent Maruboshi Kosuke and Shisui away, then told Senju Chen they were going to meet “Fang.”
• Orochimaru brought Chen to a hidden underground base, where Chen wondered whether Sakumo’s supposed death and their mission had been part of Konoha’s plans all along.
• After a day at the base, Orochimaru and Chen traveled west and entered the Land of Rain.
• Orochimaru explained that Sakumo was watching Hanzo of the Salamander and had obtained important intelligence about Iwagakure.
• Orochimaru said Chen would visit Sakumo and report on Kakashi, while Chen suspected the real aim was to bind Sakumo more closely to Konoha.
• Chen agreed enthusiastically and considered recruiting Sakumo into Akatsuki as they continued through the rain.

Senju Chen reunited with Hatake Sakumo in a Rain Country safe house, where Sakumo learned Chen had proposed faking his death. Sakumo then shared intelligence about Hanzo’s son and Iwagakure, and Orochimaru asked Chen to analyze the situation.

• Orochimaru brought Senju Chen to Hatake Sakumo’s safe house in the Land of Rain.
• Orochimaru revealed that Chen had suggested faking Sakumo’s death, and Chen said he wanted to spare Kakashi from losing his father.
• Sakumo thanked Chen and promised to take him for barbecue after the mission.
• Sakumo reported that Hanzo’s son had died under suspicious circumstances and that Iwagakure’s Kitsuchi had been trying to approach Hanzo.
• Orochimaru asked Chen to assess the intelligence, and Chen considered whether Yahiko, Nagato, or Konan could be responsible.

Senju Chen argued that Konoha should focus on preventing Hanzo from blaming them for his son’s death rather than finding the actual killer, and proposed that Orochimaru visit Hanzo to offer condolences. Orochimaru decided to bring Chen along the next morning, while Hatake Sakumo seized the chance to ask about Kakashi.

• Senju Chen outlined revenge and political manipulation as possible motives for Hanzo’s son’s death, but said the key issue was whom Hanzo would blame.
• Senju Chen proposed that Konoha send Orochimaru to Hanzo’s residence to offer condolences and support, distinguishing Konoha from villages with hidden agendas.
• Hatake Sakumo and Orochimaru were stunned by Chen’s political insight, and Orochimaru praised his analysis.
• Orochimaru told Senju Chen to stay the night and accompany him to visit Hanzo the next morning.
• After Orochimaru left, Hatake Sakumo asked Senju Chen how Kakashi was doing.

Senju Chen comforted Hatake Sakumo with news of Kakashi and secured his promise to watch over Jiraiya’s students in the Akatsuki. Sakumo agreed to help and pass along news, leaving Chen eager to meet Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.

• Senju Chen told Hatake Sakumo that Kakashi had struggled after Sakumo’s apparent death but had found support from Chen and Might Guy.
• Hatake Sakumo wept over the pain he had caused Kakashi and asked Chen to guide his son if he ever seemed to go astray; Chen promised he would.
• Senju Chen asked Sakumo to look out for Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan, explaining that Jiraiya had taken them as students and that they had formed the Akatsuki.
• Hatake Sakumo agreed to help the Akatsuki members if he encountered them and to share any news through Orochimaru.

Orochimaru and Senju Chen visited Hanzō to offer condolences after Hanzō’s son was murdered, but Hanzō’s aide suspected them of having ulterior motives. Senju Chen defended their visit, and Hanzō accepted their explanation while remaining wary and grief-stricken.

• Orochimaru and Senju Chen entered Hanzō’s fortress in Amegakure and were brought before him.
• Hanzō questioned why Konoha’s visitors had arrived so soon after his son’s death, and his aide accused Orochimaru of being involved.
• Senju Chen defended Orochimaru’s visit as an expression of friendship and challenged the aide’s accusation.
• Hanzō ordered his aide to stand down and praised Senju Chen’s courage and intelligence.
• Orochimaru said they had come to mourn and would leave after the ceremony, and Hanzō accepted their condolences.