Chapter Summaries

Nobuhiko met Kushina and fought her to test his strength, using several powerful water techniques before she countered with wind and water jutsu. The Third Hokage praised both children and reflected on Konoha’s promising future.

• The Third Hokage asked Nobuhiko to become friends with Kushina, and Nobuhiko agreed.
• Tsunade brought Kushina back, and Nobuhiko introduced himself and praised her hair and dream of becoming Hokage.
• Nobuhiko asked Kushina to fight him, then attacked with a series of water techniques while she defended herself with wind and water jutsu.
• Kushina dodged Nobuhiko’s final close-range attack and declared that she would not lose to him.
• The Third Hokage praised Nobuhiko’s performance and spoke of Minato, Nobuhiko, and Kushina as future pillars of Konoha.

Nobuhiko tried to impress Kushina during their spar, but she sealed him and caught him when he fell. After he pretended to be unconscious, Tsunade exposed his act, and Kushina forgave him after he admitted he had been embarrassed.

• Nobuhiko used Wind Release: Gale Palm against Kushina, but she sealed him in midair and caught him.
• Nobuhiko pretended to be unconscious, so Kushina carried him to Tsunade and the Third Hokage for help.
• Tsunade sent the Third Hokage away and pulled Nobuhiko into her embrace to reveal that he was pretending.
• Kushina realized Nobuhiko had fooled her, and Tsunade dangled him by his collar while he tried to explain.
• Nobuhiko told Kushina he had been embarrassed to be held by a pretty girl, and Kushina laughed before forgiving him.

After Nobuhiko and Kushina reconciled over their fight, Tsunade treated them to barbecue and questioned them about what they had learned. Kushina agreed to teach Nobuhiko sealing jutsu and to keep training with him, while Tsunade concluded that leaving the village was still too dangerous for her.

• Tsunade stopped Nobuhiko and Kushina from celebrating together and took them to a barbecue restaurant.
• Nobuhiko said he needed more offensive ninjutsu and better knowledge of combat, then asked Kushina to teach him sealing jutsu.
• Kushina explained her Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal and promised to bring Nobuhiko basic scrolls in a few days.
• Tsunade criticized Kushina for needing a sealing jutsu to defeat Nobuhiko and warned that missions outside the village were too dangerous for her.
• Kushina agreed to keep training with Nobuhiko and teach him sealing jutsu, while Nobuhiko privately praised Tsunade's plan.

Tsunade and Kushina told Nobuhiko that Kushina was a Jinchūriki, and he responded by sympathizing with both her and the Tailed Beast sealed inside her. Kushina was relieved that Nobuhiko accepted her and embraced him.

• On the way home, Tsunade invited Kushina to stay and said they would discuss what to tell Nobuhiko.
• After Tsunade and Kushina spoke privately, Tsunade asked Nobuhiko whether he knew about Tailed Beasts and explained Jinchūriki.
• Nobuhiko called the sealing of Tailed Beasts and the treatment of Jinchūriki a tragedy, moving Kushina to tears.
• Nobuhiko said Jinchūriki were heroes who deserved gratitude and respect, then realized Kushina was one of them.
• Kushina asked whether Nobuhiko feared her, and he reassured her before she hugged him and sobbed.

Nobuhiko encouraged Kushina to learn the Nine-Tails’ name and consider making peace with it. After the Nine-Tails asked to meet Nobuhiko, Kushina sought Tsunade’s advice, and Nobuhiko argued that they should give the offer a chance despite the risks.

• Nobuhiko questioned Kushina and Tsunade about whether the Tailed Beasts had names, and Tsunade suggested that the Nine-Tails must have one like the One-Tail, Shukaku.
• Kushina entered the sealed space and asked the Nine-Tails its name, then acknowledged that she had overlooked its feelings as her Jinchūriki.
• The Nine-Tails said it would reveal its name if Kushina let it take over her body to meet Nobuhiko, promising not to harm Konoha.
• Kushina woke and told Tsunade and Nobuhiko what the Nine-Tails had asked.
• Nobuhiko urged Kushina and Tsunade to accept the risk, arguing that Kushina deserved a chance to make peace with the Nine-Tails.

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.