Chapter Summaries

Kei returned to Kiko Minazuki’s home after passing Kirigakure’s graduation exam, easing her fears and celebrating with the family. He left determined to become stronger so he could protect the warmth he shared with them.

• Kei reunited with Ayumi and told her he had come to visit after finishing his schoolwork.
• Kiko Minazuki saw Kei’s Mist Ninja forehead protector and asked if he had passed the graduation exam.
• Kei confirmed that he had graduated, and Kiko wept with joy and congratulated him.
• Kiko announced that the family would celebrate with a feast, then went out to buy food and tell Uncle Hisashi to come home early.
• Kei stayed with Ayumi and learned that Takahiro had gone out again, then vowed to grow stronger to protect his family.

After celebrating Kei’s graduation with the Minazuki family, Kei left with Takahiro, who wanted to discuss enrolling in the Ninja Academy next year. Kei guessed that Takahiro wanted to enroll early and that Kiko opposed it.

• The Minazuki family celebrated Kei’s graduation, and Hisashi drank too much sake before falling asleep.
• Kei declined Kiko’s offer to stay the night and prepared to leave while Ayumi slept on his lap.
• Takahiro waited outside and asked Kei to speak with him, so they went for a walk.
• Kei guessed that Takahiro wanted to enroll in the Ninja Academy next year and that Kiko would not agree.

Kei advised Takahiro to prove he was ready for the Ninja Academy through his actions, suggesting he master the Yuki Clan’s Ice Release before next year. Takahiro left determined to try, while Kei reflected on the danger of the world they lived in.

• Takahiro told Kei that his mother, Kiko, refused to let him enroll in the Ninja Academy at five, and asked whether he was wrong to want to go.
• Kei asked Takahiro why he wanted to enroll, and Takahiro said he wanted to become a capable ninja and make his mother proud.
• Kei urged Takahiro to speak with Kiko and prove his readiness through his actions.
• Kei demonstrated Ice Release and told Takahiro that mastering it before next year could convince Kiko to let him enroll.
• Takahiro left excited and determined to master Ice Release, while Kei watched him go and reflected on the harshness of their world.

The graduation assessment ended with heavy casualties, which Kei accepted as an entrenched part of Kirigakure’s system. He waited anxiously for news about his clan’s plans for team assignments until the January 11 graduation ceremony began.

• By dusk, about half the candidates had completed the assessment, more than sixty had died, and most of the survivors were injured.
• Kei dismissed the assessment’s casualties and focused on getting a capable squad for the coming war.
• Kei waited three days for the clan to discuss team assignments, but only Ranne visited and she had no useful information.
• On January 11, Kei and the candidates who had passed returned to school for the graduation ceremony.
• Hozuki Shingetsu, a nine-year-old son of the Hozuki Clan head, was revealed as the first candidate to complete the assessment.

The graduation assessment results showed that most candidates passed, while the Yuki Clan suffered the most failures, including Minazuki Shinya after Heiji Kaguya defeated him. Kei arrived at the Ninja Academy to await his team assignment, where Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki were also present, and Kisame still resented losing to him.

• More than eighty percent of the candidates passed, while six of the Yuki Clan's fifteen participants failed.
• Minazuki Shinya lost his collected nameplates and was seriously injured by Heiji Kaguya, then withdrew from the assessment.
• Kei arrived at the Ninja Academy, where graduates waited in separate lecture halls for their team assignments.
• Kei noticed Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki in his classroom and wondered if he might be assigned to their team.
• Kisame Hoshigaki watched Kei with resentment because Kei had beaten him during the assessment.

Minazuki Kei attended the Ninja Academy graduation ceremony as Kirigakure prepared its new Genin for increasingly unstable times in the Shinobi World. After the ceremony, his teacher Minato began announcing the graduates’ team assignments.

• Mei Terumi watched Minazuki Kei and noticed that he was more unsettled than he appeared.
• Vice Principal Koshimizu Tsuki moved the graduation ceremony forward after all two hundred graduates arrived, citing the urgency of the changing Shinobi World.
• Koshimizu Tsuki delivered the graduation address while Karatachi Yagura was away on official business.
• Minato congratulated his students, urged them to remember their identities and duties, and explained how Genin teams would work.
• Minato began calling out names to announce team assignments as the graduates listened.

Minato announced Team 7 as Minazuki Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame Hoshigaki, an assignment that surprised all three. Kei realized the team’s strength might earn them a Jonin captain and leave them eligible for high-intensity missions, though the captain had not yet been named.

• Minato announced several teams before calling out Team 7.
• Minato assigned Minazuki Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame Hoshigaki to the same team, surprising all three.
• Mei Terumi quietly thought their pairing felt like fate, while Kisame Hoshigaki smiled at the prospect of working with Kei.
• Kei reconsidered the assignment and recognized that his team’s combined strength could rival some Chunin squads.
• Kei hoped Kirigakure would assign the team a Jonin captain, but Minato had not yet announced their leader.

Minato announced the graduates’ teams, and Kei was assigned to Team 7 with Kisame Hoshigaki and Mei Terumi. Their instructor, the young Jonin Ao, took them to the village outskirts and said they would begin missions the next day, leaving Kei to realize Ao was the future Byakugan Ao from the original story.

• Minato finished announcing the teams and told the graduates to wait for their instructors.
• Mist Ninja instructors collected their teams, and Kei watched as ordinary Chunin led the first groups away.
• Ao called for Team 7, and Kei, Kisame Hoshigaki, and Mei Terumi followed him from the academy.
• Ao led the three graduates to an open space west of the village, then introduced himself as their Jonin instructor and said missions would begin the next day.
• Kei recognized Ao as the future Byakugan Ao, though he had not yet transplanted the Byakugan.

Kei was pleased to learn that Ao would lead his squad alongside Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki, and the three new teammates discussed their first mission. After parting ways, Kei returned to his clan compound, eager to begin his shinobi path.

• Ao told Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame Hoshigaki to meet at the village gate at seven the next morning for their first mission.
• Mei Terumi welcomed Kei and Kisame Hoshigaki as teammates, while Kisame Hoshigaki warned Kei that he would teach him plenty.
• Kei suggested that Ao might take Team 7 on a C-rank mission outside the village, and Mei Terumi and Kisame Hoshigaki agreed to follow their instructor's orders.
• Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame Hoshigaki said goodbye, with Kisame leaving first and Mei Terumi departing soon after.
• Kei reflected on his teammates and instructor, then leaped back toward his clan's compound.

Ao visited Genji, Kirigakure’s founding elder, but left after Genji insisted that the village’s future belonged to the younger generation. Genji later warned his bodyguard Abe to keep out of his affairs, while Fourth Mizukage Karatachi Yagura learned of the visit; Kei focused on preparing for his first team mission.

• Ao visited Genji at his residence and was told not to waste time paying respects to an old man.
• Genji urged Ao to devote himself to the village’s future, and Ao left after briefly acknowledging him.
• Abe questioned Genji’s decision to turn away Ao, Midori, Gonbei, and Tasumori, so Genji reprimanded him and warned him not to repeat the mistake.
• Karatachi Yagura learned that Ao had visited Genji and left within a minute, then returned to his work.
• Kei focused on developing as a ninja and preparing for his first team mission.

Ao led Team 7 out of Kirigakure and tested Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame Hoshigaki’s speed and endurance. After Kisame outlasted his teammates, Ao stopped them to rest and explained that their first assignment would be a C-rank mission.

• Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame Hoshigaki met Ao at Kirigakure’s gates, and the team departed after registering with the guards.
• Ao increased their pace during the journey to test their speed and endurance, and all three pushed themselves to keep up.
• As the young ninjas neared their limits, Kisame maintained a lead while Kei and Mei Terumi fell behind.
• Ao stopped the run when Kei and Mei Terumi could barely continue, and Kisame took satisfaction in finishing ahead of Kei.
• Ao led the team to a clearing, where he announced that their first assignment would be a C-rank mission.

Ao led Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame Hoshigaki on their first mission: investigating a series of deaths on Kujiraai Island. They reached Fuyuki Castle at sunset and met Shinji Akita, who prepared to guide them to the island.

• Kei, Mei Terumi, and Kisame Hoshigaki questioned whether the deaths and missing investigators made the C-rank mission more dangerous than its classification suggested.
• Ao provoked the three into affirming they would carry out the mission and led them toward Fuyuki Castle.
• Ao and his team reached Fuyuki Castle after more than five hours of travel.
• Shinji Akita introduced himself as their guide to Kujiraai Island and invited Ao's team to set out.

Kei and his team traveled with Shinji Akita to Kujiraai Island to investigate a series of murders that had alarmed Fuyuki Castle. After arriving quietly at night, they met the island’s security officer, and Shinji asked whether anything unusual had happened recently.

• Shinji Akita led the group from Fuyuki Castle to a steamship bound for Kujiraai Island.
• The chapter explained that the island’s people still identified as citizens of the former Land of Whales and resisted outside administration through noncooperation.
• A string of murders, including the killing of a Land of Water official, prompted Governor Hirogane to request a Kirigakure investigation.
• Kei and his teammates arrived on Kujiraai Island late at night and felt nervous about their first real mission.
• Man greeted Shinji Akita at the port, and Shinji asked him about recent unusual events on the island.

Shinji Akita and the Kirigakure ninja arrived on Kujiraai Island to investigate a series of murders, while Matou and his followers landed elsewhere to advance their plan to restore the Land of Whales. The chapter left Matou concerned that the arriving Mist Ninja could disrupt his plans.

• Man told Shinji Akita that the murders had claimed more than a hundred lives, including an entire household, and accepted responsibility for the unsolved killings.
• Shinji Akita said the investigation would begin with reviewing the case files at the security garrison, and Kei noticed Man secretly glance at Ao.
• Matou arrived on Kujiraai Island and was welcomed by his hidden followers, whom he praised for helping him prepare to restore the Land of Whales.
• Aguang reported that the planned killings were complete and explained that he had destroyed the Yamamoto Clan after it refused to support Matou.
• Aguang warned Matou that Hirogane had sent for Kirigakure ninja and that their arrival might threaten the plan.

Matou prepared to reclaim the Land of Whales with Hato, a Kumogakure Jonin, and eight Cloud Ninja, creating a lethal threat to Team 7. Unaware of the danger, Team 7 began investigating the Yamamoto family murders and found signs that the killer might have been a ninja.

• Matou asked Hato whether his forces could overcome the opposition, and Hato promised to eliminate any enemy force of up to two Jonin or three squads.
• Hato revealed that he had brought eight Cloud Ninja, while Kumogakure hoped the mission would help establish a stronghold near the Land of Water.
• Team 7 and Captain Akita Saemon spent the night reviewing case files but could not determine whether ninja were behind the killings.
• At daybreak, Team 7 escorted Captain Akita to the Yamamoto residence, where Man opened the gate and the group encountered a powerful stench of blood.
• Kei assessed the clean, efficient massacre and considered whether the killer was a ninja from a great or small village, or a wandering ninja.

Ao and Shinji Akita investigated the massacre of the Yamamoto family and concluded that the killings might involve ninja, though evidence suggested the victims may have let their attackers inside. As the possibility of a wider plot grew, Akita organized a broader investigation and requested reinforcements.

• Ao told Shinji Akita that the clean, efficient killings suggested ninja, but traces at the entrance also supported the possibility that the victims had invited their killers in.
• Ao and Shinji Akita connected the Yamamoto family massacre to the previous investigative officer’s death and feared the killers were concealing a larger plot.
• Shinji Akita proposed splitting the team to investigate the previous officer’s death, earlier killings, and the island’s important figures.
• Shinji Akita said he would contact the city commander for several hundred additional troops, and Ao agreed to investigate the previous officer’s death with him.

Ao divided the investigation team to protect island families and investigate earlier deaths, while Matou and Hato launched their plan to seize the island and restore the Land of Whales. Hato targeted Ao’s group first and sent subordinates after Kei and Mei Terumi, leaving the teams moving into an ambush.

• Ao assigned Mei Terumi and Kei to contact and protect family members, sent Kisame to investigate earlier deaths, and agreed on the plan with Shinji Akita.
• Matou learned the island’s situation and, with Hato’s Cloud Ninja squad, began the final stage of his plan to reclaim the Land of Whales.
• Shinji Akita split the group: Ao accompanied him to investigate the previous officer’s death, Kisame headed east, and Kei and Mei Terumi went south with Man.
• Ao warned his subordinates that the mission was likely B-rank but remained confident in their abilities.
• Hato decided to kill the Mist Ninja before they could call for reinforcements, leading a team toward Ao while sending subordinates after Kei and Mei Terumi.

Kei and Mei Terumi escorted Man while investigating the sudden murders, but Kei remained suspicious of how normal the public security officer seemed. Their discussion was interrupted by an ambush, and the chapter ended with them facing three Cloud Ninja.

• Kei questioned Man about the sudden deaths, and Man said the incidents had begun without warning and worried about being punished for failing to protect the investigators.
• Kei privately doubted Man's overly normal behavior, while Mei Terumi watched for his reaction and trusted Kei's instincts.
• Kei sensed an attack, warned the others, and used Water Release: Water Formation Wall Technique to block a volley of kunai and shuriken.
• Mei Terumi moved to protect Man as he drew his blade and braced himself.
• Kei and Mei Terumi recognized three approaching attackers as Cloud Ninja and prepared to fight without expecting reinforcements.

Kei and Mei Terumi confronted three Cloud Ninja, with Kei taking on their leader while Mei intercepted the other two. Kei revealed his Wind Release and Ice Release, then froze the blue-haired Cloud Chunin into an ice sculpture.

• Kei rushed to fight the blue-haired Cloud Ninja while Mei Terumi moved to intercept the other two attackers.
• The blue-haired Cloud Ninja used Lightning Release, but Kei countered it with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
• Kei and the blue-haired Cloud Ninja clashed, and Kei matched the Chunin's strength.
• Kei formed ice across the ground and trapped the Cloud Ninja's feet.
• Kei overwhelmed the Cloud Ninja and encased him in ice.

Kei killed a Kumogakure Chunin while Mei Terumi defeated two more Cloud Ninja and caught the security commissioner, Man. Their interrogation revealed that the former prince Matou had allied with the Cloud Ninja to reclaim the Land of Whales, and Kei and Mei planned to gather information and support Ao-sensei and Kisame.

• Kei froze the blue-haired Cloud Ninja and shattered the ice sculpture, killing him.
• Mei Terumi defeated two Cloud Ninja, killing one with Boil Release and incapacitating the other, while Kei discovered that Man had tried to attack her.
• Kei and Mei questioned the surviving Cloud Ninja and Man, but the Cloud Ninja stayed silent while Man revealed everything he knew.
• Man revealed that former prince Matou had allied with the Cloud Ninja to reclaim the Land of Whales and had targeted people who betrayed the country or refused to cooperate.
• Kei and Mei decided to gather more information and support Ao-sensei and Kisame, while Kei concluded that their final payment would need to be recalculated.