Chapter Summaries

After his first mission outside Konoha nearly cost him his life, Shinsei reviewed his weaknesses, warned his grandfather about his suspicions of Danzo, and received Lightning Release: Chidori from the Scroll of Seals. He began developing a mist-based reconnaissance technique and ended the chapter offering to help Team 7 with its chores.

• Shinsei assessed his lack of combat experience, reconnaissance skills, speed, and reliable ninjutsu, then assigned shadow clones to develop new techniques.
• Shinsei visited his grandfather, who warned him that Danzo and possibly the Third Hokage might threaten the Senju bloodline and told him not to investigate Nawaki's death.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced that Shinsei's squad would receive credit for an S-rank mission and a technique from the Scroll of Seals, while Aburame Torune and Yamanaka Fū would be placed on Konoha's wanted list.
• Shinsei chose Lightning Release: Chidori from the Scroll of Seals and began devising a Water Release reconnaissance technique that would spread chakra through dense mist.
• Shinsei went looking for Team 7 and found Naruto and Sasuke fishing trash from a ditch while Sakura bagged it, then offered to help.

Shinsei helped Team 7 clean up a mission site and then asked Kakashi to teach him Chidori, while Kakashi trained the rest of the team. After a day of lessons, Naruto agreed to treat everyone to ramen at Ichiraku.

• Shinsei used a water snake made of sewage to gather garbage, then suggested Naruto and Sasuke train their ninjutsu control while cleaning up.
• Naruto's Wind Release scattered garbage and sewage over Sakura, who punched him and made him finish the cleanup with Shadow Clones.
• Kakashi agreed to teach Shinsei Chidori and assigned Naruto chakra-control training, Sasuke ninjutsu instruction, and Sakura water-release lessons with Shinsei.
• Shinsei demonstrated Chidori by piercing and blasting apart a boulder, then learned lightning-release fundamentals from Kakashi.
• Kakashi invited Shinsei to continue studying the next day, and Shinsei accepted.
• Shinsei persuaded Naruto to treat the group to ramen at Ichiraku, and Naruto agreed to pay for everyone.

Shinsei secretly followed Team 7 to the Land of Waves and watched Kakashi battle Zabuza while Naruto and Sasuke worked together to free him. When Tarō Kakumoto intervened and exposed Shinsei’s hiding place, Shinsei removed his mask and appeared in the clearing.

• Shinsei followed Team 7 from Konoha, watched Naruto freeze during an attack by two Chunin, and saw Sasuke and Sakura protect Tazuna.
• Shinsei crossed the sea to the Land of Waves using Water Walking and tracked Team 7 through the mist.
• Zabuza Momochi attacked Team 7, and Kakashi revealed his Sharingan before Zabuza trapped him in a Water Prison.
• Naruto and Sasuke coordinated a shuriken attack that forced Zabuza to release Kakashi.
• Tarō Kakumoto emerged from the woods and called out Shinsei, who removed his mask and appeared beside Kakashi.

Shinsei defeated Tarō Kakumoto with his powerful Water Release: Kirin, forcing Zabuza to abandon his mission and surrender. After the bridge was completed, Shinsei and his companions parted from Zabuza and Haku and left the Land of Waves.

• Shinsei and Kakashi confronted Tarō Kakumoto, and Shinsei used the Water Kirin to defeat him while protecting Tazuna and the others.
• Zabuza abandoned the mission after seeing the Kirin, and Haku offered to serve as a hostage; Shinsei accepted Zabuza as a prisoner.
• Kakashi sealed Zabuza's chakra, Sakura treated Haku, and Shinsei collected Tarō Kakumoto's head before the group reached Tazuna's home.
• During the bridge's construction, the team trained; Kakashi learned Shinsei's Lightning Sword, and Naruto and Sasuke defeated Gato's attackers without Shinsei's help.
• After hearing Haku's past, Shinsei and Kakashi let Zabuza and Haku go; Zabuza gave them the Hidden Mist Technique, and Tazuna named the completed bridge the Konoha Friendship Bridge.
• The group said farewell at the dock and left the Land of Waves.

Shinsei was hospitalized when the final stage of his Foundation Establishment meditation brought out his latent illnesses, and he expected to recover with a stronger body. While his classmates visited and discussed the coming Chunin Ninja Exams, Ino and Hinata took turns caring for him, leaving him unsure how to respond to their attention.

• Shinsei checked into the hospital after several illnesses struck at once, recognizing them as the return of illness that accompanied the final stage of Foundation Establishment.
• Ino and Hinata visited Shinsei, and Riya left them to chat while Shinsei pretended to pass out from embarrassment.
• Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame joined the visit, and Shinsei told them the Chunin Ninja Exams were coming up.
• Shinsei explained that the exams included a difficult written test, which upset Naruto, and the classmates talked together in hushed voices after a nurse scolded them.
• Shinsei stayed in the hospital for five days while Hinata and Ino took turns caring for him, and he avoided acknowledging their apparent interest.

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.