Recaps

After recovering from foundation establishment, Shinsei returned to Konoha and learned that he would take part in the first round of the joint Chunin Ninja Exams with Hashihime and Sai. He met his new teammates and received registration forms, with the team set to register the next day.

• Shinsei recovered from foundation establishment and found that his chakra reserves had risen to about six Kakashis and were still growing.
• Shinsei reported back to Captain Wood Kite, who assigned him to the first round of the joint Chunin Ninja Exams with Hashihime and Sai.
• Shinsei suspected Sai was a Root ninja assigned to watch him and decided not to confront him while he remained unsure of Hiruzen Sarutobi's intentions.
• Wood Kite introduced Shinsei to Hashihime and Sai, and Hashihime punched Sai after he teased her about her age.
• Wood Kite gave the three registration forms and told them to register the next day.

Shinsei accompanied his companions through Konoha as candidates gathered for the Chunin Exams, then accepted Rock Lee’s challenge outside the exam room. He easily defeated Lee before Might Guy arrived, leaving the group stunned by Guy’s speed and eccentricity.

• Shinsei and his companions noticed more outsiders in Konoha, including ninja from Sunagakure, as they headed toward the exam site.
• Sasuke revealed that a genjutsu made the entrance to classroom 301 appear to be the exam room, and Shinsei reunited with Naruto and Ino.
• Neji expressed interest in fighting Shinsei, then Rock Lee challenged him after asking Sakura out and being rejected.
• Shinsei dodged Lee’s kicks, caught his attempted Reverse Lotus, and flung him into a corner.
• Rock Lee prepared to remove his leg weights, but Might Guy appeared, stopped him, and introduced himself as Kakashi’s rival.

Shinsei and his teammates took the first stage of the Chunin Ninja Exam, where Ibiki Morino tested their nerve as much as their ability to gather information. Naruto refused to withdraw from the tenth-question challenge, and everyone who remained passed before Mitarashi Anko led them toward the second stage.

• Naruto announced his ambition to become Hokage after Shinsei encouraged him to stand up to the hostile candidates.
• Kabuto Yakushi shared information about Gaara and Shinsei, and Shinsei kept his own Ninja Info Card.
• Ibiki Morino began the written exam, and Shinsei answered eight questions while the candidates used various methods to cheat.
• Ibiki announced that anyone who answered the tenth question incorrectly would be barred from future Chunin exams, prompting about half the candidates to withdraw.
• Naruto declared that he would not run away, and Ibiki announced that everyone remaining had passed.
• Mitarashi Anko entered the classroom and summoned the candidates to the second exam.

Shinsei entered the Forest of Death for a mission to scout for Orochimaru, whom Konoha suspected had infiltrated the village. After traveling into the forest with Hashihime and Sai, the trio were confronted by three ninjas demanding their scroll.

• Mitarashi Anko introduced the Genin to the Forest of Death and warned them about the dangers inside.
• Shinsei spotted a disguised Orochimaru among the Genin and worried that Orochimaru might target his Senju bloodline.
• Shinsei, Hashihime, and Sai collected a Heaven Scroll and headed into the forest.
• Hashihime teased Sai and helped Shinsei exchange a quiet signal while he pretended to use the bathroom.
• A white-clad ninja and two companions confronted the trio and demanded their scroll.

Shinsei, Hashihime, and Sai defeated three Takigakure ninja and claimed their Earth Scroll. As they prepared to turn it in, Orochimaru appeared and addressed Shinsei.

• Shinsei told Sai to face the three Takigakure ninja while he watched from a tree.
• Sai summoned ink beasts to attack, while Hashihime and Shinsei fought off the other ninja.
• Hashihime disabled the short-haired kunoichi, and Shinsei cut the white-clad ninja’s Water Release whip and severed two of his fingers.
• The black-clad ninja surrendered the mission scroll, and the defeated trio withdrew.
• Sai identified the scroll as an Earth Scroll, and Shinsei sensed someone hiding nearby.
• Orochimaru appeared from behind a distant tree and greeted Shinsei.

Shinsei confronted Orochimaru, who approached him with an offer of a mysterious gift and brought up his Senju heritage. When Orochimaru attacked, Shinsei fought back with powerful Water Release techniques and formed a towering Water Kirin.

• Shinsei challenged the disguised Orochimaru, who said he had come to meet the young Konoha genius and understood what it was like to be betrayed by a teacher.
• Orochimaru told Shinsei that he belonged to the Senju Clan and said he wanted to give him a gift to test whether he could accept it.
• Shinsei realized Orochimaru intended to place a Cursed Seal on him and attacked with Water Release: Great Water Shockwave.
• Shinsei ordered Hashihime and Sai to leave and raise the alarm, then severed Orochimaru's extended neck with his Water Sword.
• Shinsei continued his assault and formed a thirty-meter Water Kirin around himself.

Orochimaru ambushed Sasuke and Sakura, cursed Sasuke with a mark to tempt him with power, and fought Naruto after Naruto returned in a Nine-Tails cloak. Sakura was swept away with Sasuke after her Water Dragon Bullet failed, but Rock Lee arrived to protect them.

• Sasuke saw through Orochimaru’s disguise as Naruto, and Orochimaru revealed his identity and said he had come for Sasuke.
• Orochimaru taunted Sasuke about his weakness, then bit his neck and gave him a curse mark.
• Naruto returned and attacked Orochimaru with Nine-Tails chakra, but Orochimaru burned his hand and knocked Naruto unconscious by striking his abdomen.
• Sakura tried to defend Sasuke with Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet, but the current swept them apart and left Sakura holding Sasuke against a tree’s roots.
• Rock Lee arrived in front of Sakura and Sasuke, declaring that he would protect them.

Shinsei demonstrated Water Release: Kirin to Orochimaru, who praised the technique and tried to recruit him before choosing to fight. After Manda wounded the Kirin, Orochimaru trapped it in a vast swamp, and Manda lunged for Shinsei.

• Shinsei used Water Release: Kirin and discussed ways to improve it with Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru invited Shinsei to join his village, but Shinsei declined because his family and friends were in Konoha.
• Orochimaru revealed his killing intent and summoned Manda to fight Shinsei.
• Shinsei fired a jet of water that badly wounded Manda, who burrowed underground.
• Orochimaru's Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld made the Kirin sink, but Shinsei used jets of water to leap free.
• Manda burst from the earth, coiled around the Kirin, and lunged to bite Shinsei.

Shinsei fought Orochimaru with his Water Kirin, but Orochimaru wore it down and unleashed the Eight-Headed Serpent Technique. Orochimaru bit Shinsei, only to discover he had attacked a Shadow Clone.

• Shinsei used the Water Kirin’s high-speed currents to mangled Manda’s mouth, forcing Orochimaru to abandon the summon.
• Orochimaru attacked the Water Kirin with his Kusanagi Sword and Earth Release techniques while Shinsei dodged and fought back.
• Orochimaru used a clone and the Swamp of the Underworld to slow the shrinking Water Kirin and exhaust Shinsei’s chakra.
• Orochimaru summoned the Eight-Headed Serpent, which constricted and tore apart the Water Kirin before coiling around Shinsei.
• Orochimaru bit Shinsei’s neck, but Shinsei dispersed into smoke, revealing that Orochimaru had attacked a Shadow Clone.

Rock Lee used the Eight Gates Released Formation to defeat the strange man and protect Sakura, then collapsed from his injuries. As he lay on the ground, the surviving ninja demanded Konoha’s mission scroll.

• Sakura urged Rock Lee to find Shinsei, while Shinsei watched from hiding with Hashihime and questioned whether the strange man was really Orochimaru.
• Rock Lee removed his heavy leg guards and refused to leave Sakura when Neji Hyuga and Tenten arrived and departed without him.
• The strange man trapped Rock Lee in a swamp and threatened Sakura, prompting Rock Lee to open four gates and unleash the Reverse Lotus.
• Rock Lee battered the strange man into a crater, where the man’s body lay mangled and covered in white snake scales.
• Rock Lee collapsed after assuring Sakura he was fine, and a ninja of Konoha was asked to hand over the mission scroll.

Naruto refused to surrender the mission scroll, and Neji intervened when the Sound Ninja threatened Rock Lee. After Neji left with Lee, the female Sound Ninja took Sakura hostage and forced Naruto to choose between her and Sasuke.

• Sakura tossed the mission scroll toward the Sound Ninja, but Naruto caught it and insisted he would not give up.
• Dosu Kinuta ordered Zaku to kill Rock Lee, but Neji threw a shuriken to stop him and came to Lee's defense.
• Neji carried the unconscious Rock Lee away while Naruto refused to hand over the scroll; Shinsei and Hashihime recovered memories from their destroyed shadow clones.
• The Sound Ninja took Sakura hostage and demanded that Naruto choose whether she or Sasuke would live.

Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji found explosive tags that Shikamaru suspected Shinsei had left to guide them toward trouble. Meanwhile, Sakura cut off her hair, escaped her captor, and joined Naruto in turning the fight against the Sound ninja, ending with Sakura holding a shuriken at her opponent’s throat.

• Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji searched for a weak team and discussed Shinsei’s unfamiliar teammates and possible secret mission.
• Shikamaru spotted a disturbance and led Ino and Choji toward it, where they found an unlit explosive tag and guessed Shinsei had left it for them.
• Sakura cut off her hair to escape the female ninja and resolved to stop relying on Sasuke and Naruto for protection.
• Naruto used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to attack Zaku and Dosu Kinuta, though their blasts and sound-based attack dispersed many of his clones.
• Sakura and Naruto coordinated their attacks, with Naruto restraining the female ninja so Sakura could threaten her with a shuriken.

Sasuke awakened his cursed seal after Naruto protected him and defeated Zaku, but Sakura’s plea stopped him from attacking Dosu Kinuta. Dosu gave up the Earth Scroll, and the group continued the mission after Naruto recovered.

• Sakura killed the female ninja as Zaku attacked Sasuke, but Naruto protected Sasuke and collapsed after taking the blow.
• Sasuke’s cursed seal activated, and his Sharingan changed as he confronted Zaku.
• Sasuke defeated Zaku and broke both his arms, then turned toward Dosu Kinuta until Sakura embraced him and his cursed seal receded.
• Dosu Kinuta surrendered the Earth Scroll and left with Zaku, while the others treated Naruto.
• Naruto recovered enough to continue the mission, and the six traveled on as Ino’s team also obtained the scroll they needed.
• A voice called out to the group after they succeeded.

After the Chunin Ninja Exams, Shinsei reported his encounter with Orochimaru to Hiruzen Sarutobi and gained the Hokage’s support for his ninjutsu research. Hiruzen offered him time off and help developing a sensory technique, and the chapter ended with someone calling out, “Hakutaku!”

• Ino greeted Shinsei affectionately as the exam participants celebrated passing, while Sasuke supported Naruto.
• Shinsei and Hashihime followed a masked messenger to meet Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mitarashi Anko.
• Shinsei described his encounter with Orochimaru, and Hiruzen praised his talent and offered to help him.
• Shinsei agreed to submit Water Release: Kirin to the Scroll of Seals in exchange for choosing a technique from it.
• Shinsei asked Hiruzen for help developing a sensory ninjutsu, and Hiruzen told him to visit the Hokage Building daily during a half-month leave.
• After Shinsei and Hashihime left, a voice called out, “Hakutaku!”

Shinsei returned home after his battle, while Hiruzen and Danzō argued over his power and the Hokage’s indulgence. After checking on Naruto and Sasuke, Shinsei reviewed his abilities and planned how to grow stronger.

• Shinsei left Sai and Hashihime, and Danzō confronted Hiruzen about Shinsei’s destructive power and the Senju Clan’s influence.
• Shinsei returned home, reassured his mother, and visited Naruto in the hospital, where he learned that Sasuke had awakened his two-tomoe Sharingan.
• Shinsei reviewed Water Release: Kirin, his sword techniques, and his chakra reserves, identifying sensing and medical ninjutsu as gaps in his abilities.
• Shinsei considered developing Storm Release and pursuing Sage Mode, while concluding that Water Release: Kirin could give him Kage-level combat strength under certain conditions.
• Shinsei copied the construction method for Lightning Release: Lightning Sword and began working on a new idea for the technique.

Shinsei considered developing a Lightning Release ninjutsu that could replace nerve signals and greatly accelerate his reactions, but recognized that the idea required extensive research. He obtained the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique from Hiruzen Sarutobi and was attacked by a shuriken on his way home.

• Shinsei reasoned that Lightning Release Chakra might replace the body's nerve signals, though he acknowledged that developing the technique would require detailed knowledge of nerves and human experimentation.
• Shinsei practiced activating cells with Lightning Release in his basement.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Shinsei he needed two more days to experiment with the sensory ninjutsu and offered him a choice from the Scroll of Seals.
• Shinsei reviewed the scroll's contents, selected the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, and received Hiruzen's transcription of it.
• As Shinsei headed home, a shuriken flew toward him, and he dodged it before turning to look.

Sasuke challenged Shinsei to test the power of his cursed seal, but Shinsei easily overcame him. Sasuke recognized how large the gap between them remained, then asked Shinsei whether he knew about the cursed seal.

• Sasuke brought Shinsei to an abandoned training ground and challenged him to a fight.
• Shinsei dodged Sasuke's shuriken and fire-style attacks, then defended himself with a Water Formation Wall.
• Sasuke activated the cursed seal and attacked at greater speed, but Shinsei caught him and overwhelmed him with lightning chakra.
• Sasuke used a cursed-seal-enhanced Chidori, but Shinsei caught his wrist and left him unable to continue.
• Shinsei called off the fight, and Sasuke asked how he knew about the cursed seal.

Shinsei reassured Sasuke that Konoha could help him grow stronger without surrendering himself to Orochimaru, and explained Kakashi's history and ties to the Uchiha Clan. He demonstrated his self-developed Lightning Release: Lightning Sword and offered to teach Sasuke.

• Shinsei told Sasuke that Orochimaru had failed to place a cursed seal on him and offered to help him because Shisui Uchiha had once taught him.
• Sasuke admitted he could see no path to revenge except accepting Orochimaru's instruction, even if Orochimaru took over his body.
• Shinsei argued that Konoha could train Sasuke and explained Kakashi's achievements, Sharingan, and connections to Obito Uchiha and the Konoha White Fang.
• Shinsei demonstrated Lightning Release: Lightning Sword by slicing a shuriken in half and offered to teach Sasuke.
• Sasuke eagerly agreed, and Shinsei told him to call him teacher.

Shinsei began teaching Sasuke Lightning Release control and examined the Cursed Seal, while the Great Toad Sage summoned Jiraiya. Jiraiya met Naruto while peeping at a bathhouse, then vanished when Shima's toad told him she was looking for him.

• Shinsei demonstrated Lightning Release chakra to Sasuke and assigned him practice burning characters into wood as preparation for Lightning Sword.
• Shinsei briefly examined Sasuke's Cursed Seal and theorized that it stored natural energy, telling Sasuke to strengthen his body.
• The Great Toad Sage woke from a dream and asked Shima to bring Jiraiya, but fell asleep before explaining the dream.
• Jiraiya was peeping through a bathhouse window when Naruto confronted him, and he introduced himself as the Toad Sage of Mount Myōboku.
• Shima's toad told Jiraiya that Shima was looking for him, so Jiraiya vanished in a cloud of smoke as the bathers called for the pervert to be caught.

Jiraiya visited Mount Myōboku, where the Great Toad Sage warned him of a malicious sage with purple eyes. Shinsei developed the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique and received Hiruzen Sarutobi’s written ideas for his sensory ninjutsu.

• Jiraiya ate Sage Shima’s insect dishes before meeting the Great Toad Sage.
• The Great Toad Sage told Jiraiya he had dreamed of a faceless sage with purple eyes and sensed immense malice.
• Shinsei practiced the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, successfully blinding a shadow clone while leaving its hearing and smell intact.
• Shinsei identified protecting allies within the darkness and reducing the technique’s hand seals as his next goals.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Shinsei a scroll containing ideas for improving his sensory ninjutsu, and Shinsei hurried home to read it.

Shinsei developed a mist-based sensory ninjutsu by combining water and lightning chakra, then prepared to test its range. Sakura Haruno asked him to guide her training, but an enormous noise interrupted their conversation.

• Shinsei studied Hiruzen Sarutobi’s notes and realized his sensory technique needed chakra-created mist and a way to sense through it.
• Shinsei combined water and lightning chakra to create a mist that let him sense his surroundings and a shadow clone in the basement.
• Shinsei noted that the mist consumed too much chakra and planned to test its range in the woods, but his mother stopped him for lunch.
• After lunch, Sakura Haruno asked Shinsei to guide her training, and he agreed he was only surprised by the request.
• An enormous noise sounded in the distance, and Shinsei leaped onto the roof to investigate.

Shinsei agreed to guide Sakura and Sasuke and taught them how a ninja’s strength depended on Ninjutsu, chakra, experience, speed, defense, and chakra control. After demonstrating his techniques, he explained that constant chakra-control training let him use Ninjutsu more efficiently and powerfully.

• Sakura asked Shinsei to guide her, and he brought her to the training ground where Sasuke was practicing.
• Shinsei began teaching Sakura and Sasuke, asking them to identify the qualities that made a ninja strong.
• Shinsei demonstrated Lightning Release: Lightning Sword and showed how quickly he could retrieve the branch he had cut down.
• Shinsei used Water Release: Water Formation Wall to shield them, then turned it into an attack that cut down surrounding trees.
• Shinsei explained that strong chakra control made Ninjutsu more flexible and powerful while reducing the hand seals needed.

Shinsei demonstrated chakra control and trained Sakura and Sasuke while his original body tested a new sensory ninjutsu in the woods. After refining the technique to filter the flood of information it gathered, he detected a man hiding behind a tree.

• Shinsei showed Sakura and Sasuke how precise chakra control could shape water and help with everyday tasks.
• Shinsei taught Sakura water-release techniques and planned to teach her Subterranean Voyage, while he trained Sasuke in chakra control and Lightning Release: Lightning Sword.
• Shinjō went to a grove away from Konoha to test his sensory ninjutsu and reflected on his ambition to develop a human system for senjutsu cultivation.
• Shinsei combined water and lightning to spread a mist across the grove, but the information it gathered overwhelmed him.
• Shinsei adjusted his focus to prioritize important information and sensed a man peeking from behind a large tree.

Shinsei completed the first version of Heavenly Net, a vast mist-based sensing technique, then returned to training and meditation. During meditation, a violent energy suddenly entered his body.

• Jiraiya caught Shinsei practicing and left to teach Naruto after showing off his giant toad summon.
• Shinsei tested his mist technique, named it Heavenly Net, and measured its range at a radius of one kilometer and over two hundred meters high.
• Shinsei concluded that Heavenly Net could detect moving targets within its area, but he could not yet manipulate the chakra in the mist.
• Shinsei ended the day’s training with Sakura and Sasuke, then saw Jiraiya, Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, and their exhausted genin returning from a field-plowing mission.
• Shinsei meditated at home, and a violent energy suddenly burrowed into his body.

Shinsei returned to Anbu duty after a dangerous meditation session exposed him to natural energy, then guarded the third round of the Chunin Ninja Exams. Sasuke pierced Gaara’s defenses before a genjutsu began, signaling that the invasion was underway.

• Shinsei expelled the natural energy he had absorbed while meditating, suffered hair loss, and decided not to pursue Sage Mode training alone.
• Shinsei, Hashihime, and Sai disguised themselves as civilians and took positions near the Hokage at the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Naruto defeated Neji, and Shikamaru forfeited his match against Temari.
• Sasuke fought Gaara and pierced his sand defenses with Chidori.
• Feathers fell over the arena, and Shinsei recognized the genjutsu as the start of the attack.