Chapter Summaries

Hirakawa Shin'un’s eight-year wait for his Skill Editor’s first skill ended when [Extreme Reaction] finished loading, giving him vastly enhanced perception. During combat class, he was paired against Uchiha Yūichi and watched Minato Namikaze spar with Akimichi Chōza, seeing the fight clearly for the first time.

• Hirakawa Shin'un trained before dawn as usual and checked his Skill Editor, where [Extreme Reaction] had reached ninety-nine percent after eight years of loading.
• During the lunch break, [Extreme Reaction] finished loading, and Shin'un installed it, gaining perception that made the world seem to move in slow motion without improving his own movement speed.
• The homeroom teacher paired Shin'un with Uchiha Yūichi for combat class, and Yūichi looked at him disdainfully.
• As Minato Namikaze used the Body Flicker Technique to evade Akimichi Chōza’s Human Bullet Tank, Shin'un observed the battle in detail and began to laugh.

Shin'un used his newly acquired [Extreme Reaction] to defeat Uchiha Yūichi in a spar, first throwing him and then disarming and subduing him with a kunai. He returned to the class line, pleased that his years of training had paid off, and resolved to keep training.

• Minato Namikaze won his spar against Akimichi Chōza through attrition, and the two formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
• Shin'un faced an impatient Uchiha Yūichi and intercepted his attack, throwing him to the ground.
• Yūichi used Uchiha Style Shurikenjutsu to surround Shin'un with kunai, but Shin'un knocked them all away.
• Shin'un charged Yūichi, disarmed him, and held a kunai to his neck, winning the match.
• Mizukawa Masaru announced Shin'un's victory, and Shin'un and Yūichi formed the Seal of Reconciliation.
• Shin'un returned to the class line, pleased with his improved reactions and determined to continue training.

Shin'un returned home to his family and then helped Tsume Inuzuka with her homework at the Ninja Academy. The next day, Kushina Uzumaki joined his class as a transfer student and introduced herself with her dream of becoming Konoha’s first female Hokage.

• Shin'un came home from training, ate dinner with his parents, and silently let Shinkaku Hirakawa bear Toyoko Hirakawa’s teasing and interrogation.
• Shin'un went to the Ninja Academy and explained Tsume Inuzuka’s homework to her and a crowd of classmates.
• Mizukawa Masaru entered the classroom with Kushina Uzumaki and announced that she was transferring into the class.
• Mizukawa Masaru had the students introduce themselves, and Kushina Uzumaki declared her dream of becoming Konoha’s first female Hokage.

Shin'un watched Kushina Uzumaki endure mockery and bullying at the Ninja Academy, then explained that the other children targeted her because she came from another village and had no family in Konoha. He advised her to bring a trusted adult to the school, leaving Kushina resolved to try his suggestion.

• Mizukawa Masaru defended Kushina when students mocked her dream of becoming Hokage and assigned her the empty seat beside Shin'un.
• A few days later, students teased Kushina about her red hair, and she fought back by throwing one of them down and punching him.
• Kushina hesitated to speak to Shin'un, who asked why she thought the students bullied her and told her it was because she was from another village without family in Konoha.
• Shin'un urged Kushina to bring a trusted adult to visit the Ninja Academy, and she decided to try.

Hiruzen Sarutobi investigated Hirakawa Shin'un after Kushina asked for help, then brought Kushina to the Ninja Academy and publicly urged the class to treat her well. With Kushina no longer likely to be bullied, Shin'un wondered how she and Minato Namikaze would meet and began considering what to do.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi learned from an Anbu ninja that Hirakawa Shin'un was a talented student with Senju blood and decided to pay more attention to him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived at the Ninja Academy with Kushina Uzumaki and asked her classmates to study hard and get along with her.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi glanced approvingly at Shin'un before leaving the classroom to Mizukawa Masaru.
• Kushina told Shin'un that no one would dare bully her again, while Minato Namikaze watched her from across the classroom.
• Shin'un worried that Kushina and Minato might not get to know each other and vaguely settled on a decision.

Shin'un decided to leave Minato Namikaze and Kushina's relationship to fate and planned his next skill around improving his combat potential. He entered Lightning Release Mastery into the Skill Editor and began a new loading process, hoping it would take less than eight years.

• Shin'un considered arranging Minato Namikaze and Kushina's relationship but decided to let events take their course.
• Shin'un reviewed his principles for future skills and identified Lightning Release as the nature he wanted to develop.
• Shin'un entered the name and effect for Lightning Release Mastery into the Skill Editor.
• Shin'un confirmed the skill, starting its loading progress from the beginning.
• Shin'un recalled his failed attempts to speed up Extreme Reaction's eight-year loading process and hoped the new skill would load sooner.

Two years later, Shin'un defeated Uchiha Yūichi in another Ninja Academy sparring match by outsmarting his Shadow Clones with a Shadow Clone of his own. Afterward, Minato Namikaze asked Shin'un to talk after school and teased him about Shiina Kō.

• Shin'un dodged Uchiha Yūichi's Phoenix Flower Jutsu and watched for an opening to counterattack.
• Uchiha Yūichi attacked Shin'un from both sides with clones, but Shin'un blocked one attack and exposed the other as a clone.
• Shin'un escaped Yūichi's Great Fireball by revealing that the Shin'un in danger was a Shadow Clone.
• Shin'un appeared behind Yūichi disguised as a pebble and won the sparring match with a kunai at Yūichi's neck.
• Yūichi protested that he would win next time, while Shin'un joked about Uchiha being tsundere.
• Minato Namikaze asked when Shin'un had learned Shadow Clones, then suggested they talk after school and teased him about Shiina Kō.

Shin'un had grown stronger and gained a young admirer, Shiina Kō, while Minato Namikaze asked to speak with him about unsettling developments. Minato described signs of preparation and disruption in Konoha, leaving Shin'un to consider what they might mean.

• Shin'un's training improved his combat rank, and Shiina Kō transferred into his elite class to be closer to him.
• After sparring practice, Shin'un waited for Minato Namikaze and encountered Shiina Kō, Kushina Uzumaki, and Uchiha Mikoto at the school gate.
• Minato arrived and told Shin'un that recent events in the Land of Rain and unusual activity in Konoha had made him uneasy.
• At a training ground, Minato reported that grain carts were entering Konoha but not leaving, ninja tool prices were rising, available missions were dwindling, and many ninja were idle.

Shin'un warned Minato Namikaze that someone in Konoha was stirring up war sentiment by spreading rumors about the Land of Rain, while Minato remained reluctant to suspect the Third Hokage. At the Ninja Academy the next day, Kushina teased Shin'un about Shiina Kō's outfit and gave him the ninjutsu scrolls he had requested.

• Shin'un told Minato Namikaze that rumors about their mission in the Land of Rain were likely being spread deliberately to encourage war.
• Minato Namikaze worried that the Third Hokage might be behind the rumors, but Shin'un said another Konoha higher-up could be responsible and kept his own suspicions about Hiruzen Sarutobi to himself.
• Shin'un arrived at the Ninja Academy and heard students repeating increasingly alarming stories about the Land of Rain, including claims that Iwagakure had sent a hundred-ninja squad there.
• Kushina told Shin'un that she and Uchiha Mikoto had dressed Shiina Kō to match what Shin'un supposedly liked, and Shin'un objected to the revealing outfit.
• Kushina handed Shin'un the ninjutsu scrolls he had asked her to get, and Shin'un noticed one was a Lightning Release Ninjutsu scroll.

Shin'un obtained three Lightning Release scrolls from Kushina and struggled to learn one technique before his Lightning Release Mastery skill finished loading the next morning. With his newly enhanced talent, he began testing Lightning Release: Electric Current at his training ground.

• Kushina gave Shin'un one C-rank and two B-rank Lightning Release scrolls after he asked her to find techniques for him.
• Shin'un studied Lightning Release: Electric Current at his training ground, but after an hour managed only a few weak currents and nearly burned his sleeve.
• Shin'un noticed that he had more Chakra than anyone in his class except Kushina Uzumaki.
• The next morning, Shin'un installed the completed Lightning Release Mastery skill and hurried to his training ground.
• Shin'un began practicing Lightning Release: Electric Current again and immediately noticed a difference as he mobilized his Chakra.

After loading [Lightning Release Mastery], Shin'un quickly mastered Lightning Release: Electric Current and tested its power. He then successfully performed Lightning Release: False Darkness on his first try, leaving a boulder blasted apart by the lightning spear.

• Shin'un found that [Lightning Release Mastery] made his chakra flow and hand-seal formation much smoother.
• Shin'un performed Lightning Release: Electric Current twice, refining his technique and producing a stronger attack on the second attempt.
• Shin'un tested the electric current on a tree, scorching its trunk and leaving a fist-sized pit.
• Shin'un read a scroll about Lightning Release: False Darkness and memorized its instructions.
• Shin'un performed Lightning Release: False Darkness on his first try and launched an unstable lightning spear at a boulder.
• Shin'un inspected the aftermath and found the boulder split apart with a large hole pierced through its center.

Shin'un realized Konoha was preparing for war and predicted that tensions in the Land of Rain could ignite the Second Shinobi World War. Hiruzen Sarutobi observed Shin'un’s insight and considered him and Minato Namikaze promising students, but worried war would leave them little time to grow.

• Anbu questioned Shin'un about his early-morning Lightning Release training, and he concluded Konoha was on high alert as war approached.
• Shin'un heard that the Ninja Academy’s seventh-year students would take their graduation exams half a year early and decided to double his training.
• Kushina asked Shin'un whether war was about to start, and he told his classmates that the growing conflict in the Land of Rain could spark the Second Shinobi World War.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Shin'un’s classroom through a crystal ball and judged his understanding of the political situation unusual for a civilian-born student.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi considered giving Shin'un and Minato Namikaze focused training, but feared war would prevent them from having time to grow.

Shin'un treated Kushina and her friends to barbecue after she helped him find Lightning Release scrolls, bringing Minato Namikaze along. At Yakiniku Q, Akimichi Chōza joined them and ate far more than the rest of the group combined.

• Shin'un and Minato Namikaze waited at the training ground for Kushina, who arrived late with Uchiha Mikoto and Shiina Kō.
• Kushina privately told Shin'un she had invited her two friends and urged him to use the barbecue outing as a chance with Shiina Kō.
• The group walked toward Yakiniku Q, where Shin'un eagerly greeted Akimichi Chōza and learned he was going there to eat.
• At Yakiniku Q, Akimichi Chōza ate stacks of grilled meat while the others watched in amazement.
• Akimichi Chōza took the last piece from Shin'un's plate and ate it in one bite.

Shin'un and his friends spent the afternoon together, visiting Hokage Rock before Kushina led them to Ichiraku Ramen for dinner. After paying for the meal, Shin'un went home feeling content but remained worried that war could soon break out.

• After lunch at Yakiniku Q, Kushina led Shin'un, Minato Namikaze, Uchiha Mikoto, and Akimichi Chōza to the top of Hokage Rock to enjoy the view.
• As evening fell, Chōza admitted he was hungry, and Kushina suggested a noodle shop; she insisted Shin'un pay because Chōza had covered the barbecue meal.
• Shin'un recognized the shop as Ichiraku Ramen and met Teuchi and the woman he suspected was Teuchi's wife.
• Shin'un and his friends ate ramen, while Chōza finished seven bowls; Teuchi's wife rounded the bill down to two thousand ryō.
• The group parted outside the shop, and Shin'un walked home thinking about the looming possibility of war and the need to train harder.

Shin'un learned that the Second Shinobi World War had prompted Konoha to move his graduation exam up to the next day, likely sending graduates into wartime service. As he considered his prospects and the Jonin he might be assigned to, he reflected on how the Hokage had remained connected through family and student lineages.

• Shin'un observed Konoha's tense, deserted streets and recalled how the Sand and Stone forces had attacked Konoha's camp in the Land of Rain, starting the Second Shinobi World War.
• Kushina told Shin'un that Mizukawa Masaru had announced the graduation exam would take place the next day.
• Shin'un saw his classmates react to the news with resignation, fear, or excitement, while he calmly prepared for class.
• Shin'un considered that graduation would likely bring him a forehead protector and a mission, and he weighed the risks of being sent to the front.
• Shin'un unconsciously sparked blue-violet electricity around his hand and wondered which Jonin would be assigned to him.
• Shin'un reflected on the family and student connections linking the successive Hokage.

Shin'un passed the Ninja Academy graduation exam with a perfect score on his kunai throws and went to collect his forehead protector and identification. While waiting in line, he joined his classmates and turned down Shiina Kō’s invitation to meet the next day, uncertain whether he would be sent to the battlefield after graduation.

• Shin'un threw five kunai into the bull's-eye and earned full marks on the graduation exam.
• The examiner told Shin'un he had passed and directed him to the auditorium to take his photo and collect his forehead protector and shinobi identification.
• Shin'un found a long line outside the auditorium, where Kushina had pulled several classmates ahead and made room for him to join them.
• Shiina Kō asked Shin'un whether he had free time the next day, and he declined because he might be sent to the battlefield after graduation.
• Shiina Kō accepted Shin'un's answer and said they could meet another time.

Shin'un received his ninja identification and graduated as a Genin, then joined the other rookies for team assignments the next morning. He was assigned to a team with Shiina Kō and Uchiha Yūichi, and suspected Kushina had arranged it.

• Shin'un received his forehead protector and ninja identification after graduating from the Ninja Academy.
• Kushina teased Shin'un about rejecting Shiina Kō's invitation and hinted that she had a surprise planned for the team assignments.
• Shin'un's parents worried over him as he left home to report to Konoha's main gate for his first mission.
• Mizukawa Masaru assigned Shikaku Nara, Choji Akimichi, and Inoichi Yamanaka to Team 3, and Minato Namikaze, Yamamoto Kōsuke, and Edogawa Konan to Team 6.
• Mizukawa Masaru assigned Hirakawa Shin'un, Shiina Kō, and Uchiha Yūichi to Team 7, and Shin'un suspected Kushina had engineered the pairing.

Shin'un joined Uchiha Yūichi and Shiina Kō as a team, then learned that his team and Minato Namikaze’s team were being sent to the Land of Rain. Their teachers there were Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

• Shin'un greeted Uchiha Yūichi and Shiina Kō, and the three agreed to work together.
• Shin'un found Minato Namikaze still waiting at the Konoha Gate because no team leader had come for his team.
• A Jonin approached Shin'un’s and Minato Namikaze’s teams and told them to follow him with a supply convoy to the Land of Rain.
• The Jonin explained that the teams’ teachers were waiting on the Land of Rain front.
• The Jonin told Shin'un that his team’s teachers were Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

Shin'un and Minato Namikaze’s genin squads were ordered to eliminate a bandit group ambushing the supply convoy. After scouting the thirty-four bandits, the two squads prepared to attack, and Uchiha Yūichi asked whether they should kill them.

• Edogawa Konan and Yamamoto Kōsuke excitedly discussed their connection to the Hokage, while Uchiha Yūichi mocked Yamamoto Kōsuke’s talent.
• Shin'un stopped Uchiha Yūichi from arguing and apologized to Yamamoto Kōsuke on his behalf.
• A Hyuga Clan ninja detected thirty-four people without chakra hiding ahead, and the transport squad jonin ordered the newly graduated genin to defeat them.
• Shin'un led his squad toward the ambush, and Minato Namikaze brought his teammates after them.
• Shin'un scouted the bandits and reported that none appeared to be ninja, prompting Uchiha Yūichi to ask whether they should kill them.

Shin'un, Minato Namikaze, and their teammates attacked and killed a group of bandits who were exploiting the war. Afterward, Shin'un felt strangely calm about killing until he stepped in a pool of blood and became nauseated.

• Minato Namikaze explained that Konoha had a duty to eliminate the bandits, and Shin'un agreed with Uchiha Yūichi’s proposal to attack.
• Shin'un and Minato Namikaze split the bandits into two groups and agreed to attack after receiving a signal.
• Shin'un used Lightning Release: Lightning Current to paralyze most of the bandits, while Yūichi and Shiina Kō charged in to kill them.
• Shin'un killed the bandit who had escaped the lightning and several others as his teammates and Minato Namikaze’s group finished off the rest.
• Shin'un felt no distress as he examined the corpses, but stepping into blood made him nauseated, so he wiped his feet with leaves.