Recaps

Nobuhiko, Tsunade, and Kushina worked together to help Kushina approach Nine-Tails, who revealed that his name was Kurama. Kushina learned she had made progress with him, while Tsunade grew irritated at the pair’s closeness and decided to expose Nobuhiko’s “true colors.”

• Nobuhiko and Kushina persuaded Tsunade to face the risk of trying to reach Nine-Tails together.
• Kushina confronted Nine-Tails in the sealing space, and he tested her before asking to meet Nobuhiko.
• Nine-Tails revealed his name was Kurama and told Nobuhiko he did not want to see Kushina for a while.
• Nobuhiko explained Kurama needed time to think, and Tsunade congratulated Kushina on taking the first step toward him.
• Kushina and Tsunade argued over hugging Nobuhiko, and Tsunade decided to show Kushina his true colors.

Nobuhiko tried to calm Tsunade after she drove him and Kushina out, and thanked her for indirectly protecting Kushina from his advances. Tsunade refused to explain her concerns to Kushina for now, saying the war might end within a year or two.

• Tsunade threw Nobuhiko to the floor and ordered him and Kushina out, so Nobuhiko took Kushina back to her room.
• Kushina asked Nobuhiko whose embrace he preferred, and he told her he liked hers better before agreeing to apologize to Tsunade for her.
• Nobuhiko brought hot water to Tsunade and washed her feet despite her protests.
• Nobuhiko reminded Tsunade of her promise not to bottle up her troubles and thanked her for hinting at his inappropriate behavior rather than telling Kushina outright.
• Tsunade decided not to tell Kushina about the matter yet and said she expected the war to end in another year or two.

Tsunade prepared to leave for the battlefield and arranged for Nobuhiko and Kushina to support each other in training. She gave Nobuhiko new ninjutsu scrolls and safety advice, leaving him with a plan to study sealing, water, and wind techniques while she was away.

• Tsunade told Nobuhiko she would return after the war and asked him to look after Kushina while she was gone.
• The next morning, Tsunade sent Nobuhiko with Kushina to collect sealing jutsu scrolls and encouraged them to learn from each other.
• Kushina took on more D-rank missions, while Nobuhiko returned home to find Tsunade had obtained additional ninjutsu scrolls for him.
• Tsunade instructed Nobuhiko to practice three water release techniques before studying four B-rank wind release techniques, and reminded him to seek help from the Third Hokage if needed.
• Tsunade advised Nobuhiko to report any danger or surveillance to the Third Hokage and told him to ask Kushina about the sealing scrolls.

After Tsunade left, Nobuhiko reassured Kushina that he would protect her if she ever went to the battlefield, then began discussing training with her. Kushina asked how Nobuhiko got his Shadow Clones to study, and the chapter ended with her stunned to learn that he actually enjoyed studying Ninjutsu.

• Tsunade left Nobuhiko in Kushina's care before departing for the battlefield.
• Nobuhiko told Kushina he would protect her if she ever had to go to war, and Kushina accepted his promise.
• Nobuhiko said his Shadow Clone was practicing Ninjutsu while he planned to study Sealing Jutsu with Kushina.
• Kushina explained that her Shadow Clones refused to study and sometimes punched themselves to dispel, leaving her to feel the pain.
• Nobuhiko suggested the clones resisted because Kushina disliked studying, but Kushina challenged him about why his clones studied.
• Nobuhiko said he enjoyed studying Ninjutsu, shocking Kushina.

Kushina taught Nobuhiko how sealing jutsu differed from barrier ninjutsu and agreed to teach him the One-String Light Formation. Pleased to discover that she enjoyed teaching, she invited him to celebrate over barbecue, while Nobuhiko remembered her inherited wealth and cheered her on.

• Kushina explained that sealing jutsu restricted or sealed opponents, while barriers protected or isolated areas, and described how the two could sometimes overlap.
• After Nobuhiko understood the distinction, Kushina agreed to teach him the One-String Light Formation as a foundational sealing jutsu.
• Kushina realized she enjoyed teaching Nobuhiko and proudly told him she had experienced the joy of studying.
• Nobuhiko congratulated Kushina on understanding education's long-term effects, but she did not understand what he meant.
• Kushina offered to buy Nobuhiko barbecue, and he cheered her on after remembering that she was rich.

Nobuhiko trained in ninjutsu and sealing techniques while living at the old Senju residence. Danzo learned that Nobuhiko returned there alone each evening and ordered Root to arrange a covert operation against him.

• Nobuhiko reassured Kushina that he was loyal to the Third Hokage, then shared barbecue with her and walked her home.
• Nobuhiko encountered Yuhi Shinku and Kurenai, who were relieved to see that he was doing well under Tsunade’s care.
• A month passed as Nobuhiko trained in Water Trumpet Jutsu, Exploding Water Colliding Wave, and three sealing techniques taught by Kushina.
• A Root operative reported that Anbu surveillance had obstructed their efforts to investigate Nobuhiko, but confirmed he returned alone to the old Senju residence each evening.
• Danzo ordered Earth Dog to secretly bring Black Pig into the village and arrange an attack on Nobuhiko, then have Root seize control of the scene and frame someone else.

Nobuhiko fought off a masked attacker and discovered evidence that the man had been sent by Danzo. He fled to the Hokage building and begged the Third Hokage for justice, leaving the Third Hokage to ask what had happened.

• Nobuhiko was ambushed in an alley by a masked man and used ninjutsu to hold him off while trying to make enough noise to attract help.
• Nobuhiko stabbed the masked man with a kunai, then removed his mask and found a Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal at the base of his tongue.
• Nobuhiko concluded that Danzo had sent the attacker and ran to the Hokage building, ignoring everyone else along the way.
• The Third Hokage came downstairs, saw Nobuhiko covered in blood, and promised to give him justice.
• Nobuhiko appealed to the Third Hokage for help, and the Third Hokage asked him to explain what had happened.

After a Root ninja tried to kill Nobuhiko, he used the incident to win the Third Hokage’s favor and prompt a crackdown on Danzo. The Anbu began taking Root’s forces for the front line, but Danzo’s people refused to obey, and the Anbu leader ordered his squad to act.

• Nobuhiko told the Third Hokage that a masked ninja had attacked him, while an Anbu squad brought in the attacker’s corpse and identified him as a Root ninja.
• Nobuhiko comforted and praised the Third Hokage, who promised to protect him and ordered Root sealed, Danzo confined, and half of Root’s elite forces sent to the front line.
• Anbu, supervised by Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, counted Root’s ninja and found that 110 were present, including the dead ninja Black Pig.
• Danzo refused to dispatch Root’s forces or meet Hiruzen, so the Anbu leader selected fifty-five ninja from the roster for the front line.
• When none of the selected Root ninja responded, the Anbu leader ordered his subordinates to act.

The Anbu commander subdued Root after Danzo's men defied the Third Hokage, then helped Hiruzen frame Sunagakure for the attack on Kihara Nobuhiko. Hiruzen planned to keep Nobuhiko silent, while the Great Toad Sage-Gamamaru sensed that the future had changed.

• The Anbu commander ordered Root's resisters killed, had Danzo taken away under guard, and confined the surviving Root ninjas.
• The Anbu commander reported to the Third Hokage that Root had disobeyed his orders and presented Root's personnel register.
• Hiruzen and the Anbu commander blamed Sunagakure for the attack on Kihara Nobuhiko and arranged to prepare evidence before Nobuhiko's visit.
• Hiruzen planned to offer Nobuhiko a technique from the Scroll of Seals and persuade him not to tell Tsunade about the incident.
• The Great Toad Sage-Gamamaru awakened, summoned Fukasaku and Shima, and told them that the future had changed.

The Third Hokage reviewed the account of Nobuhiko defeating Black Pig, a Sunagakure Special Jōnin, and decided to blame Sunagakure for the abduction attempt. He persuaded Nobuhiko to keep the incident secret and rewarded him with a chance to choose a Ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals.

• The Third Hokage read the Anbu report and recognized Nobuhiko's skill in killing Black Pig, then resolved to stop Root from replenishing its ranks.
• Nobuhiko went to the Hokage's office, where the Third Hokage claimed Sunagakure had tried to abduct him because of Tsunade's wartime actions.
• The Third Hokage asked Nobuhiko to keep the incident confidential, including from Tsunade and Kushina, and Nobuhiko agreed.
• The Third Hokage offered Nobuhiko the chance to learn one Ninjutsu from the Scroll of Seals.
• The Third Hokage opened the Scroll of Seals, and Nobuhiko began looking through it.

After weighing the techniques in the Scroll of Seals, Nobuhiko chose Fivefold Rashomon over Flying Thunder God and memorized its instructions. He planned to master Rashomon before the Third Shinobi World War, help Tsunade become Hokage, and eventually settle his scores with Danzo.

• Nobuhiko reviewed the Scroll of Seals and decided Fivefold Rashomon was a safer choice than the difficult Flying Thunder God Technique.
• The Third Hokage unsealed Fivefold Rashomon for Nobuhiko, who quickly memorized it and was told to practice only Single Rashomon for now.
• Nobuhiko returned to the Senju residence and recalled how Rashomon's gates could defend against and disperse powerful attacks.
• Nobuhiko reasoned that Rashomon could help him protect the battlefield in the coming war and support Tsunade's rise to Hokage.
• Nobuhiko planned to cure Tsunade's fear of blood, gain access to the Scroll of Seals through her, and kill Danzo once she took office.

After a near-fatal encounter with a Root ninja, Nobuhiko reassessed his abilities and resolved to improve his jutsu before the coming war. He comforted Kushina over missing Mito and encouraged her to treat Kurama with respect, but she could not bring herself to do it.

• Nobuhiko concluded that he was around the upper-middle level of Chunin after surviving and killing a likely Special Jōnin from Root.
• Nobuhiko decided to simplify his Ninjutsu seals and continue improving his Wind Body Flicker Technique before the Third Shinobi World War.
• Kushina arrived upset that Nobuhiko had visited the Hokage instead of training with her, and he claimed Hiruzen had let him choose a jutsu from the Scroll of Seals.
• Kushina said the Scroll of Seals had once sat unused while Mito was alive, then admitted that she missed Mito.
• Nobuhiko reassured Kushina that Mito would be proud of her improving relationship with Kurama.
• Nobuhiko urged Kushina to address Kurama as Senior, but she became embarrassed and left the sealed space without saying it.

Nobuhiko persuaded Kushina to pity Kurama and treat him like a pet, encouraging her to be patient, spend more time talking with him, and make him comfortable. The chapter ended with Kushina promising to protect Nobuhiko if Kurama discovered their secret, leaving Nobuhiko alarmed by her response.

• Nobuhiko asked Kushina to block Kurama from hearing them and secretly made his case to her.
• Nobuhiko argued that Kurama was lonely and had lost his freedom, moving Kushina to tears.
• Nobuhiko told Kushina to treat Kurama like a pet and patiently tolerate his flaws, even taking blame and raising disagreements indirectly.
• Nobuhiko urged Kushina to talk with Kurama more, seek his advice, and improve his living conditions in the sealed space.
• Kushina promised to protect Nobuhiko if Kurama found out, and Nobuhiko inwardly panicked at her answer.

Nobuhiko persuaded Kurama that he was powerful enough to defeat the other eight tailed beasts, then tried to convince him to give Kushina a chance to become a perfect jinchūriki. Kurama agreed for Nobuhiko’s sake and began to suspect that he might be the person from the future foretold by the Sage of Six Paths.

• Nobuhiko told Kushina that Kurama could likely fight all eight other tailed beasts at once, and Kurama took control of her body to question him.
• Nobuhiko argued that the First and Second Hokage must have distributed the other tailed beasts because they knew Kurama could suppress them all.
• Kurama asked whether Nobuhiko wanted Kushina to become a perfect jinchūriki, and Nobuhiko praised her while saying he would respect Kurama’s wishes.
• Kurama agreed to give Kushina a chance for Nobuhiko’s sake and said Nobuhiko felt unlike anyone else he had met.
• Kurama recalled the Sage of Six Paths’s prophecy and wondered whether Nobuhiko might be the person from the future, linked to a jinchūriki.

Nobuhiko persuaded Kurama to let him and Kushina experience the Nine-Tails' chakra after they prepared, and gained permission to tell Tsunade. He and Kushina then convinced the Third Hokage to let them test her sealing skills in the Forest of Death, where the Hokage and his forces stood ready as Kushina prepared to begin.

• Kurama agreed to let Nobuhiko and Kushina experience his chakra after several days of preparation, and allowed Nobuhiko to tell Tsunade.
• Kurama teased Nobuhiko about sensing malice toward the Third Hokage, and Kushina confronted Nobuhiko about it.
• Nobuhiko persuaded Kushina that his resentment was really about her being kept under protection, and promised to change her situation.
• Nobuhiko planned for Kushina to ask the Third Hokage to test her improved Sealing Jutsu, keeping Kurama's chakra offer secret.
• Three days later, Kushina and Nobuhiko convinced the Third Hokage to accompany them to the Forest of Death with a Sealing Squad and Anbu team.
• After the Hokage's forces prepared for danger, he told Kushina to begin.

Kushina tested how much of Kurama’s chakra she could control, reaching a two-tailed cloak before the Third Hokage challenged her to a fight. Their battle showed Nobuhiko just how formidable the Third Hokage remained.

• Kushina entered the seal space, and Kurama gradually released chakra as she transformed into a one-tailed cloak while keeping her reason.
• Kushina asked Kurama to release more chakra, and a second tail appeared as her mood and fighting instincts intensified.
• The Third Hokage urged Kushina to stop, but she insisted she was fine and challenged him to fight.
• The Third Hokage summoned Enma, who transformed into the Adamantine Staff, and accepted Kushina’s challenge.
• Kushina and the Third Hokage exchanged rapid, forceful blows, while Nobuhiko watched the Third Hokage easily block her attacks with Enma.

Kushina recovered at home after exhausting herself fighting the Third Hokage, while Nobuhiko humored her and promised to praise her to enemy ninja. Three months later, the Third Hokage summoned Nobuhiko and told him that Tsunade’s lover had been killed in action.

• Kushina ended her fight with the Third Hokage after becoming exhausted, and he erased the other participants’ memories of the incident.
• Nobuhiko helped Kushina recover at home, where she asked him to tell enemy ninja that she was invincible in the Shinobi World.
• Kushina fell asleep, and Nobuhiko covered her with a blanket before leaving to get food.
• Nobuhiko returned with Ichiraku Ramen, and Kushina ate it after he left.
• Three months later, the Third Hokage summoned Nobuhiko and told him that Tsunade’s lover had been killed in action.

After Dan Katō died, Tsunade returned to the village grieving and emotionally numb, and Nobuhiko and Kushina tried to support her. As Nobuhiko comforted her at home, Tsunade decided to push him away and ordered him to stay away from her.

• The Third Hokage told Nobuhiko that Tsunade would return with Dan Katō's body and asked him and Kushina to help her through her grief.
• Nobuhiko told Kushina that Dan Katō had died, and they agreed not to burden Tsunade with other news yet.
• Nobuhiko and Kushina met Tsunade outside the Hokage Building and accompanied her home, where she remained hollow and unresponsive.
• Nobuhiko sent Kushina home and tried to comfort Tsunade with a foot bath and a massage.
• Tsunade recalled how accustomed she had become to Nobuhiko's company, then told him to move back to his own home and stay away from her.

Nobuhiko learned that Tsunade wanted to send him away because she feared he would die after receiving a gift or kiss from her, as her younger brother and lover had. He comforted her and persuaded her not to leave him behind, though Tsunade remained puzzled by his sudden insistence that he was not afraid of dying.

• Nobuhiko pleaded with Tsunade not to send him away and tried to win her sympathy.
• Tsunade told Nobuhiko that her younger brother and lover had died on the battlefield shortly after she gave them gifts and kissed their foreheads.
• Nobuhiko held Tsunade, reminded her of her promise to share her troubles, and told her his death would not be her fault.
• Tsunade cried on Nobuhiko's shoulder, then regained her composure after he poured out her cold foot-soaking water.
• Tsunade questioned why Nobuhiko was no longer afraid of dying, and he challenged her to test whether her affection would bring him harm.
• Tsunade pulled Nobuhiko into her arms, and he grinned foolishly as she dismissed his earlier show of courage.

Tsunade told Nobuhiko that her fear of blood and exhaustion had made her decide to leave the village and travel, and he chose to go with her. After hearing about his training and the Masked Man’s attack, Tsunade planned their preparations to depart.

• Tsunade gave Nobuhiko her grandfather’s necklace and asked him to promise he would stay alive.
• The next morning, Tsunade told Nobuhiko she feared blood and wanted to leave the village to clear her head.
• Nobuhiko insisted on accompanying Tsunade, and she agreed not to leave him behind.
• Nobuhiko listed the jutsu he had learned and recounted the Masked Man’s attack, while concealing the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
• Tsunade told Nobuhiko to say goodbye to people in the village, gather jutsu scrolls, and prepare to leave in a few days.

Nobuhiko told Kushina that he would leave the village with Tsunade, upsetting them both because they would be separated. As they resolved to grow stronger so Kushina could join them, Nobuhiko's Sharingan evolved into its Two-Tomoe form.

• Kushina arrived while Nobuhiko sorted ninjutsu scrolls, and he told her Tsunade planned to leave the village to clear her head.
• Nobuhiko revealed that he would accompany Tsunade, and Kushina protested that she would miss training with him.
• Nobuhiko and Kushina agreed to grow stronger so they could travel together without being constrained by the village's rules.
• Tsunade returned, sent Kushina away, and sealed the room after noticing Nobuhiko was distressed.
• Nobuhiko's One-Tomoe Sharingan evolved into a Two-Tomoe Sharingan.

After Nobuhiko’s Sharingan evolved, Tsunade left him several Water Release scrolls before preparing to leave, and he chose five techniques to learn. He reunited with Kushina, who accepted that he and Tsunade were keeping a secret and planned to join them on their travels once she grew stronger.

• Nobuhiko told Tsunade that his Sharingan evolved after he felt sad and blamed himself over Kushina’s reaction to his travel plans, and she urged him to deactivate it.
• Tsunade gave Nobuhiko two S-rank and three A-rank Water Release scrolls, then left to spend time with people in the village.
• Nobuhiko read the scrolls and set aside four techniques to master first: Water Release: Heavenly Weeping, Water Release: Water Severing Wave, Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade, and Water Release: Water Dragon Bite Explosion Jutsu.
• Nobuhiko found Kushina and asked why she had left; she said she was upset that he and Tsunade were keeping a secret from her.
• Kushina told Nobuhiko not to reveal the secret until they were strong enough, and said she would join him and Tsunade on their travels after Kurama helped her grow stronger.

Nobuhiko spent time with Kushina before she gave him four Sealing Jutsu scrolls to practice while he traveled with Tsunade. After two quiet days, Tsunade told him they would leave the next morning, and the two departed Konoha together.

• Nobuhiko promised to become strong enough to protect Kushina, and she treated him to barbecue before they spent the afternoon chatting instead of training.
• Kushina gave Nobuhiko scrolls for the Four Symbols Seal, Contract Seal, Memory Seal, and Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
• Nobuhiko decided not to visit Kurenai Yuhi before leaving, choosing to keep the departure quiet.
• Tsunade returned home early and told Nobuhiko she had said goodbye to everyone and wanted to leave the next morning.
• Tsunade and Nobuhiko arrived at the Konoha Gate early the next day, and they left the village together.

Nobuhiko and Tsunade traveled to Ishikawa Town, where Tsunade tried to send him back to the inn so she could gamble. After he insisted on joining her, Nobuhiko sent a transformed Shadow Clone into the casino to bet against her.

• Tsunade and Nobuhiko wandered along the road until they reached Ishikawa Town and booked a luxury room with two bedrooms.
• After lunch, Tsunade urged Nobuhiko to return to the inn, and he realized she planned to go gambling.
• Nobuhiko persuaded Tsunade to take him to the casino by promising to enter with a Shadow Clone.
• At the casino, Nobuhiko transformed his Shadow Clone into a middle-aged man and sent it inside with their money to bet against Tsunade.

Nobuhiko studied new ninjutsu while his Shadow Clone gambled against Tsunade, earning 3.5 million ryo. Meanwhile, Kushina learned more about Kurama’s power, and Tsunade returned furious without realizing Nobuhiko was behind her losses.

• Nobuhiko had a Shadow Clone study Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere while he practiced the Memory Seal Jutsu.
• Nobuhiko tried to buy goggles but left the shop without purchasing any because he had given his money to his Shadow Clone.
• Kushina entered the sealed space and asked Kurama when she could withstand his power; Kurama estimated she would be seventeen or eighteen and boasted that he could destroy Konoha with a few Tailed Beast Bombs.
• Nobuhiko’s Shadow Clone returned with 3.5 million ryo after defeating Tsunade in a hundred bets, then dispelled and passed the memories to him.
• Tsunade stormed into the inn, complained about a gambler who had beaten her every time, and smashed the table without knowing Nobuhiko was responsible.