Recaps

Hatake Sakumo brought the abandoned Minazuki Yuzuru to Konoha and raised him alongside Kakashi as his son. Two years later, while Sakumo continued serving in the war, the boys trained, and both learned to extract chakra.

• Hatake Sakumo found an abandoned infant named Minazuki Yuzuru and took him to Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi approved Yuzuru staying in the village and told Sakumo to raise him alongside Kakashi.
• Sakumo trained three-year-old Kakashi and Yuzuru, then promised to teach them chakra extraction when they were older.
• While Sakumo was away at war, Yuzuru ate extra ramen to build his strength, and Kakashi followed his example.
• Four months later, Sakumo taught both boys the Chakra Extraction Technique; Kakashi extracted chakra in about two and a half hours, and Yuzuru did so in a little over three.

Yuzuru met Kurenai Yuhi during a stroll, then resumed training with Kakashi and realized his strength was growing. When Hatake Sakumo returned a month later, he tested the boys’ chakra and considered how Yuzuru might learn Ice Release techniques.

• Yuzuru and Kakashi decided to enter the Ninja Academy at five, and Kakashi hurried home while Yuzuru continued strolling alone.
• Yuzuru met Kurenai Yuhi, who mistook his name and teased him for looking pretty, before her father, Yūhi Shinku, recognized him as Sakumo’s family.
• Yuzuru joined Kakashi in sparring and chakra training, surprising Kakashi by growing strong enough to knock the wooden sword from his hand.
• After returning home a month later, Hatake Sakumo observed the boys’ training and suspected Yuzuru would awaken Ice Release.
• Hatake Sakumo told Yuzuru and Kakashi he would test their chakra natures and showed them chakra paper.

Yuzuru and Kakashi learned the Three Basic Techniques and trained their hand seals under Hatake Sakumo. A year later, after passing his test, they began learning new ninjutsu: Kakashi studied a genjutsu, while Yuzuru learned a Water Release technique.

• Yuzuru and Kakashi tested their chakra natures, revealing Yuzuru's standard Yuki Clan natures and Kakashi's lightning nature; Hatake Sakumo demonstrated his own five natures.
• Hatake Sakumo taught the boys the Transformation, Clone, and Substitution Techniques, explaining how chakra control and hand seals worked.
• The boys practiced ninjutsu and hand seals during Sakumo's two days at home, then continued training together after he left.
• A year later, Yuzuru and Kakashi passed Sakumo's test, showing proficiency with the Three Basic Techniques, hand seals, and throwing weapons.
• Hatake Sakumo taught Kakashi the Hell Viewing Technique and demonstrated it on him, while he taught Yuzuru the Water Prison Technique.

Yuzuru and Kakashi trained under Hatake Sakumo, improving their chakra control and learning new techniques. Yuzuru awakened Ice Release and later defeated Kakashi in a sparring match.

• Yuzuru learned the Water Prison Technique, and Kakashi asked Hatake Sakumo to teach him another ninjutsu.
• Hatake Sakumo showed them how to climb trees using chakra, and Yuzuru and Kakashi practiced until they reached the branches.
• Yuzuru awakened the Yuki Clan's Ice Release and realized he could use it to lower temperatures.
• Over the following days, Yuzuru and Kakashi mastered Tree Climbing and Water Walking, then learned additional ninjutsu under Hatake Sakumo's guidance.
• Half a year later, Kakashi and Yuzuru sparred with wooden swords, and Kakashi tried to use genjutsu and Earth Release to catch Yuzuru off guard.
• Yuzuru used a substitution and Ice Release to freeze Kakashi's chakra flow, then told him that he had lost again.

Yuzuru and Kakashi enrolled at the Ninja Academy, where they reunited with Kurenai and met classmates including Might Guy, Rin, Asuma, and Obito. On the first day of class, Yuzuru sat with Kurenai while Kakashi kept his distance and Might Guy declared him his eternal rival.

• Yuzuru and Kakashi discussed their plans before starting school, and Yuzuru joked about getting a few girlfriends while Kakashi said he wanted to surpass their father.
• At the Academy gates, Yuzuru encouraged Might Guy and prompted Might Duy to add more laps to Guy’s training, while Kakashi doubted Guy would become a strong opponent.
• Kurenai Yuhi greeted Yuzuru and joined the families for a barbecue meal; Sakumo told Yūhi Shinku that he planned to take a mission to the Land of Water so Yuzuru could learn Ice Release techniques.
• Yuzuru and Kakashi arrived at the Academy the next morning and were assigned to the same class as Might Guy, Rin Nohara, Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, and Obito Uchiha.
• Yuzuru claimed the back-window seat and sat with Kurenai, while Kakashi sat in front and Asuma grew jealous as Yuzuru chatted with Kurenai and Rin.
• Might Guy sat in front of Kakashi and challenged him to a youthful duel after class, but Kakashi refused.

Yuzuru and Kakashi began classes at the Ninja Academy, where both quickly showed their mastery of the Clone Technique. Kakashi decided to pursue early graduation, while Yuzuru stayed; just over a month later, Konoha celebrated its victory and the end of the Second War as its forces returned.

• Kakashi and Yuzuru introduced themselves to their classmates, and Yuzuru declared that his dream was world peace.
• Yuzuru complimented Kurenai Yuhi, and she blushed during their theory lesson.
• Kakashi and Yuzuru demonstrated the Clone Technique so well that their teacher praised them as already having mastered it.
• Kakashi told Yuzuru he wanted to graduate early, but Yuzuru chose to remain at the Academy for a few more years.
• Sakumo and the returning Konoha forces came home, and the village celebrated its victory as the Second War officially ended.
• Yuzuru reflected bitterly on the war’s casualties and blamed Hashirama Senju for leaving behind the conflicts that led to it.

After the victory celebration, Yuzuru questioned whether the shinobi world could have avoided war and received a collection of Ice Release scrolls from Sakumo. He began studying the techniques at home while Sakumo promised to teach Kakashi new ninjutsu.

• Yuzuru watched grieving villagers at the victory celebration and asked Sakumo whether the shinobi world might have been more peaceful without its current political and village systems.
• Sakumo gave Yuzuru a storage scroll of ninjutsu he had collected during a visit to the Land of Water, and promised Kakashi new techniques instead of a gift.
• At a barbecue restaurant, Jiraiya asked whether Yuzuru had awakened Ice Release, and Yuzuru demonstrated that he had.
• After dinner, Yuzuru found roughly a dozen Ice Release scrolls, including techniques from Kirigakure and the Land of Snow.
• Yuzuru began studying the scrolls to develop his Ice Release, while Sakumo taught Kakashi new ninjutsu.

Sakumo taught Kakashi the Shadow Clone Technique and Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, and Kakashi quickly mastered both before asking to graduate early. After passing an official genin match, Kakashi left the Academy, while Yuzuru continued attending and revealed to Kakashi that a shadow clone had been doing his training for him.

• Sakumo taught Kakashi the Shadow Clone Technique, which Kakashi mastered on his second attempt.
• Sakumo taught Kakashi Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall, and Kakashi learned it after about an hour of practice.
• Sakumo and Kakashi saw Yuzuru's Ice Release training ground, where Yuzuru had created ice formations hard enough to withstand Sakumo's blade.
• Kakashi asked to graduate early, and Sakumo agreed to respect his choice while Yuzuru chose to remain at the Ninja Academy.
• Kakashi defeated an official genin and graduated after less than two months at the Academy; Kato Shizune then joined Yuzuru's class.
• Kakashi asked why Yuzuru still attended class, and Yuzuru revealed that his shadow clone, not the original, had been going to school and training.

Yuzuru trained in Ice Release while secretly using shadow clones, then spent time with Kurenai and his classmates at the academy. At a barbecue restaurant, he spotted Orochimaru and Jiraiya, and Orochimaru noticed him in return.

• Yuzuru told Kakashi that his Ice Release restricted his chakra natures, then resumed practicing Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals after Kakashi left.
• Yuzuru's shadow clones dispersed, giving him real headaches that prompted Kurenai, Rin, and Shizune to care for him, while Obito and Asuma grew jealous.
• Yuzuru invited Kurenai, Shizune, and Rin to barbecue, ignoring Asuma's challenge and leaving him and Obito to bond over their frustration.
• Yuzuru ate at an Akimichi Clan barbecue restaurant, where he had earned a lifetime discount by suggesting new sauces and seasonings.
• Yuzuru spotted Orochimaru dining with Jiraiya, and Orochimaru turned to meet his gaze with a subtle smile.

Yuzuru completed the Rasengan, an A-rank, seal-free ninjutsu, and agreed to teach it to Sakumo and Kakashi. At school the next day, he continued prioritizing Ice Release and his efforts to master Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

• Orochimaru praised Yuzuru's strength and chakra after seeing him at dinner with Jiraiya.
• Yuzuru trained with a rubber ball until he could break it in seconds, then formed a Rasengan.
• Sakumo and Kakashi saw Yuzuru demonstrate the Rasengan's power, and Yuzuru agreed to teach them both.
• Yuzuru sent two Shadow Clones home to teach the Rasengan and train Ice Release while he went to school.
• Yuzuru slept through class as Kurenai teased him and pinched his cheeks.

Yuzuru sent Guy to watch Kakashi train, convincing him to intensify his own workouts, while Yuzuru No. 1 continued teaching Sakumo and Kakashi the Rasengan. Yuzuru No. 2 remained stumped by how to enter the ice mirrors.

• Yuzuru told Guy that Kakashi trained at Hokage Rock and secretly regarded Guy as his greatest rival, prompting Guy to rush off and add more training to his routine.
• Yuzuru praised Guy's taijutsu ability, while Kurenai, Shizune, and Rin questioned his intense training and Kakashi's supposed regimen.
• Yuzuru No. 1 explained that the Rasengan's chakra had to move chaotically within a limited area, helping Sakumo and Kakashi improve their water-balloon practice.
• Sakumo compared the Rasengan to a Tailed Beast Bomb and promised to explain the Tailed Beasts after their training.
• Yuzuru No. 2 stood among his ice mirrors, still unable to figure out how to enter them.

Yuzuru tricked Guy into chasing Kakashi for training, then visited Kurenai and spent the afternoon with her at the Yuhi home. Yūhi Shinku watched helplessly as Kurenai favored Yuzuru and planned to practice Ninjutsu with him.

• Yuzuru convinced Guy that Kakashi secretly admired his youthful dedication and asked him to make Kakashi train, then revealed that Kakashi was a Shadow Clone.
• Guy sprinted off to pursue Kakashi while Yuzuru went to the Yuhi home and Kurenai happily brought him inside.
• Kurenai invited Yuzuru to eat with her, and Yūhi Shinku tried to keep them apart before learning she wanted Yuzuru to teach her Ninjutsu.
• Kurenai gave Yuzuru the remaining meat from her bowl, and Yūhi Shinku grew increasingly jealous as she praised Yuzuru’s appetite and closeness.

Yuzuru trained Kurenai by the stream and met Minato, who was developing a new Ninjutsu that Kakashi recognized as similar to Yuzuru’s Rasengan. Yuzuru agreed to show Minato the technique later that afternoon, while Kakashi returned home to keep practicing the Rasengan.

• Yūhi Shinku watched Kurenai leave with Yuzuru, then stormed toward the Hatake Clan home in anger.
• Yuzuru and Kurenai met Minato, Kakashi, and Guy at a stream while practicing Water Walking.
• Kushina arrived after escaping the Anbu, and Minato agreed to take her on a date instead of training Kakashi and Guy.
• Kakashi told Minato that Yuzuru’s Rasengan resembled the Ninjutsu Minato was developing, and Yuzuru agreed to demonstrate it that afternoon.
• Kakashi left using a clone, Guy ran after him, and Yuzuru continued training Kurenai as Kakashi practiced the Rasengan at home.

Yuzuru trained Kurenai in the Shadow Clone Technique and walked her home, where Yūhi Shinku doubted that Yuzuru could have created the Rasengan. Back at home, Yuzuru found Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, and Tsunade waiting, and Tsunade punished him for insulting her.

• Yuzuru taught Kurenai the Shadow Clone Technique and encouraged her to practice.
• Yuzuru walked Kurenai home after they ate barbecue, and she told Yūhi Shinku about her training and the Rasengan.
• Yūhi Shinku wondered whether Yuzuru had created the Rasengan, then dismissed the possibility as impossible.
• Yuzuru returned home to find Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, and Tsunade with Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi.
• Yuzuru called Tsunade a big-boobed woman, so she scooped him up and slapped his bottom while Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi watched.

Yuzuru demonstrated his Rasengan to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Minato, then asked Tsunade to take him as her apprentice to learn Medical Ninjutsu. Tsunade agreed, and Minato quickly mastered the Rasengan before leaving with Jiraiya.

• Yuzuru showed the Rasengan’s destructive power by using it to shatter a block of ice, impressing Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Minato.
• Minato asked Yuzuru to teach him the Rasengan, and Yuzuru agreed while rejecting Jiraiya’s offer to trade the Mount Myōboku Summoning Technique.
• Yuzuru asked Tsunade to make him her apprentice so he could learn Medical Ninjutsu, and Tsunade accepted after Sakumo approved.
• Yuzuru explained the Rasengan to Minato, who mastered it in half an hour and promised not to teach it casually to others.
• Jiraiya tried again to persuade Yuzuru to learn his Summoning Technique, but Tsunade threatened him, so he left with Minato while Kushina stayed behind.

Yuzuru attended his first practical combat class, where the students tested their shuriken throwing and he earned a high score. Afterward, Rin asked Kurenai and Shizune to teach her, while Obito and Asuma grew jealous of Yuzuru’s closeness with the girls.

• Yuzuru said he had become Tsunade’s apprentice because he preferred avoiding combat, then went to bed after teasing Sakumo.
• Yuzuru went to school, where his class teacher announced weekly practical combat lessons and rankings.
• Uchiha Tekka scored 96 points in the class’s first shuriken test, while Yuzuru scored 90 and Kurenai scored 93.
• Rin scored 60 points, and Shizune scored 92 during the shuriken test.
• Rin asked Kurenai and Shizune to teach her, and Kurenai agreed while explaining that Shizune faced some restrictions.
• Obito and Asuma grew jealous as Yuzuru spent time with Kurenai, Rin, and Shizune.

Students at the Academy took part in shuriken practice and their first combat lesson, where Yuzuru watched his classmates fight and defeated Hyuga Asa. The lesson ended with Yuzuru returning to Kurenai after dismissing the Hyuga Clan’s reputation.

• Asuma scored ninety-one points in shuriken practice, while Obito scored fifty-six and was mocked by Tekka.
• Yuzuru drew the last match number and encouraged Guy to take Obito seriously before their fight.
• Guy defeated Obito with Konoha Whirlwind, while Kurenai beat Genma Shiranui with Hell Viewing Technique; Rin, Shizune, Asuma, and Tekka also won their matches.
• Yuzuru insulted Hyuga Asa and the Hyuga Clan, prompting Asa to attack him with Gentle Fist.
• Yuzuru vanished, kicked Asa in the waist, and knocked him unconscious before returning to Kurenai.

Yuzuru sparred with Guy at the academy and later visited Tsunade’s home, where Kushina began teaching him the Four Symbols Seal. Tsunade returned in the evening after being away, and Yuzuru questioned where she had gone.

• Yuzuru let Guy win their spar, then praised his strength and urged him to keep training to catch up with Kakashi.
• Kurenai lost to Uchiha Tekka after reaching the last eight students in their class.
• Yuzuru went to the Senju residence but found Tsunade away, so he asked Kushina to teach him Sealing Jutsu.
• Kushina agreed to teach Yuzuru the fundamentals of Sealing Jutsu and the Four Symbols Seal.
• Tsunade returned that evening, and Yuzuru asked where she had been.

Yuzuru called out Tsunade for forgetting their meeting and persuaded her to give him two Water Release scrolls. He began learning the techniques at home, while Kurenai sneaked out of school to visit him and his shadow clone continued practicing Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

• Yuzuru confronted Tsunade about forgetting his visit and asked for compensation in the form of ninjutsu.
• Tsunade gave Yuzuru scrolls for the B-rank Water Dragon Bullet Technique and the A-rank Great Waterfall Technique, telling him to study them himself.
• Yuzuru sent a shadow clone to school, and Kurenai used a transformed clone to cover for her as she slipped out to visit him.
• Yuzuru practiced the Water Dragon Bullet Technique and launched a water dragon at his shadow clone, which blocked it with an ice wall.
• Yuzuru reflected on the importance of chakra control while his shadow clone continued practicing Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals.

Kurenai practiced the Shadow Clone Technique while Yuzuru learned the Great Waterfall Technique, and the two skipped school to train and eat together. Orochimaru visited and spoke with Yuzuru about Ryūchi Cave, then invited him to demonstrate his Ice Release.

• Kurenai overheard Yuzuru training, praised his strength, and resumed practicing the Shadow Clone Technique after he encouraged her.
• Yuzuru studied and mastered the Great Waterfall Technique through repeated experiments, muddying the courtyard and sealing the ground with Ice Release.
• Kurenai told Yuzuru she had learned the Shadow Clone Technique but could not give her clone much chakra, and he advised her to eat more and exercise.
• Yuzuru and Kurenai ate grilled meat together, and Yuzuru's shadow clone disappeared when school ended.
• Orochimaru arrived, learned Yuzuru had become Tsunade's apprentice, and said he had found Manda himself rather than stumbling upon a summoning place.
• Yuzuru agreed to show Orochimaru his Ice Release, and Orochimaru invited him to visit.

Yuzuru discussed summoning contracts and revealed his theory for upgrading Jiraiya’s Rasengan into a technique beyond S-rank. The chapter ended with Jiraiya realizing that senjutsu chakra could solve the upgraded Rasengan’s main drawback.

• Tsunade joined Yuzuru, Kurenai, and Orochimaru for a meal and agreed to take Yuzuru to sign a contract with Shikkotsu Forest.
• Yuzuru asked about other sage lands and said he wanted a summoning beast contract, so Tsunade invited him to her house.
• Tsunade and Orochimaru examined Yuzuru and remarked on his chakra and unusual appetite.
• Jiraiya asked Yuzuru to teach him the Rasengan, and Yuzuru revealed that it could be upgraded into a technique beyond S-rank with Sage Mode.
• Yuzuru explained that the upgraded Rasengan’s power could injure its user and that ordinary chakra would dissipate if thrown.
• Jiraiya realized senjutsu chakra could overcome that problem because natural energy was everywhere.

Yuzuru negotiated with Jiraiya to teach him powerful Rasengan techniques in exchange for money, while Tsunade handled the deal. After spending time with Kurenai, Yuzuru returned home, where Tsunade came back drunk and demanded his help.

• Yuzuru asked Tsunade to negotiate with Jiraiya for new Ninjutsu in exchange for his techniques.
• Tsunade persuaded Jiraiya to pay seven million immediately and write an IOU for the remaining thirteen million.
• Yuzuru offered to teach Kurenai his wind-based Ninjutsu, and she embraced him before her father, Yūhi Shinku, hurried her home.
• Yuzuru returned to the Senju residence, where Tsunade arrived drunk and ordered him to bring her slippers and help her up.

Yuzuru studied the Wood Dragon Technique to develop an Ice Release dragon and joined Tsunade’s Shikkotsu Forest summoning contract. A year later, he had made substantial progress on the Ice Dragon Technique but still needed to resolve how its chakra flow differed from Wood Release.

• Tsunade gave Yuzuru the Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade and Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique scrolls after he showed her his Ice Release: Wolf Fang.
• Tsunade introduced Yuzuru to Katsuyu, and Yuzuru signed the Shikkotsu Forest contract and summoned a Katsuyu over ten meters long on his first try.
• Yuzuru went home and began studying the Wood Dragon Technique, while Tsunade offered to help him understand it.
• Over the following year, Yuzuru taught Minato and Jiraiya the Rasengan, Big Ball Rasengan, and Rasenshuriken extension, and Minato began teaching him Flying Thunder God.
• Yuzuru made considerable progress on Ice Release: Ice Dragon Technique, but he still struggled to adapt the Wood Dragon Technique’s chakra-absorbing trait to Ice Release.

Yuzuru encouraged Sakumo after Sakumo returned from a failed mission and faced public criticism for abandoning it to save people. Yuzuru defended his father and criticized the shinobi system, leaving Sakumo and Kakashi wary of his blunt views.

• Kurenai showed Yuzuru that she had mastered the Rasengan, and he praised her progress.
• Sakumo returned from an A-rank mission that had become too dangerous, explaining that his team had retreated after its difficulty rose to S-rank.
• An Anbu summoned Sakumo to the Hokage Building, and public criticism of his mission decision spread over the following days.
• Yuzuru reassured Kakashi and Sakumo that Sakumo had chosen correctly by saving people rather than completing the mission.
• Yuzuru called the shinobi profession rotten and criticized Hashirama Senju, prompting Sakumo and Kakashi to check whether anyone was listening.

Yuzuru condemned the ninja system to Sakumo and Kakashi, then confronted the two men at the center of rumors about Sakumo's failed mission. He forced them to kneel and demand that they publicly accept blame, but they refused, insisting Sakumo had abandoned the mission by choice.

• Yuzuru argued that Hashirama had not ended the age of chaos and told Sakumo and Kakashi that being a ninja meant profiting from ordinary people's suffering and serving as a weapon of war.
• Kakashi questioned his ambition to become a ninja, and Sakumo admitted that Yuzuru's description of the ninja world was true.
• Yuzuru led Sakumo and Kakashi to a barbecue restaurant, where he dragged out two men and broke their arms after they insulted Sakumo.
• Three Anbu tried to stop Yuzuru, but he blocked them with ice mirrors and sent ice wolves to attack them.
• Yuzuru used ice senbon to chill the two men, forced them to kneel before Sakumo, and demanded that they apologize and publicly say they had held Sakumo back.
• The two men refused, saying Sakumo had abandoned the mission on his own and that they had never asked him to save them.