Recaps

Araki convinced Tsunade that his visions showed Nawaki was safest at home, and Tsunade ordered Nawaki to stay inside for a year unless Araki approved him going out. After leaving Tsunade’s house, Araki studied a poison manuscript and worried about affording ingredients, then headed home before his appointment with Might Duy.

• Araki told Tsunade and Nawaki that his vision showed Nawaki safe at home studying Medical Ninjutsu, and Tsunade ordered Nawaki to stay home for a year unless Araki approved an outing.
• Nawaki initially objected, but Araki stepped on his foot and signaled him to agree, so Nawaki accepted the restriction.
• Araki finished his lesson with Tsunade and told Nawaki privately that going out was up to him, though he had no intention of approving it.
• Araki read a manuscript on poisons and worried that he lacked the money to buy the medicinal ingredients needed to practice.
• Araki left for home instead of going straight to his appointment with Might Duy, hoping to learn more about the household’s finances.

Araki returned home and unexpectedly walked in on Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto changing into matching outfits, then recognized Mikoto from his earlier encounter in the woods. Mikoto misunderstood Kushina’s living arrangement with Araki and teased her, while Kushina struggled to explain.

• Araki arrived home and heard Kushina and a guest laughing inside.
• He opened the door while Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto were changing clothes, and the girls yelled at him and threw a dress over his head.
• Kushina scolded Araki for not knocking, while Mikoto reacted with shock that Kushina was living with a boy.
• Araki recognized Mikoto as the girl he had seen in the woods and wondered why she was visiting Kushina.
• Mikoto teased Kushina about living with Araki, and Kushina's attempts to explain only made the misunderstanding worse.

Araki left Kushina and Mikoto at home and went to meet Might Duy for training. Duy offered him a bright green training suit, but Araki refused and urged him to save it for his future son.

• Araki fled the house while Kushina Uzumaki and Uchiha Mikoto talked, leaving them confused before they teased each other and grew closer.
• Araki decided to meet Might Duy for training after considering how to earn money and wondering why Mikoto had visited Kushina.
• Araki arrived at the park and joined Might Duy, who proposed buying him a green training suit for their next session.
• Araki rejected the outfit, explaining that he wanted to train in secret and telling Duy to save the suit for his son.

Araki spent half a year studying medicine with Tsunade and training with Might Duy, becoming proficient in medical theory while Nawaki remained confined at home. Tsunade told Araki he would take a final assessment the next day, and Nawaki begged in vain for permission to go outside.

• Araki refused to wear Might Duy's training outfit but agreed to begin two hundred laps of high-knee running.
• Araki kept up his daily routine of Academy studies, medical lessons with Tsunade and Nawaki, and night training with Might Duy as his energy and learning improved.
• The inquiry into Sora Hyuga faded without further news after Uchiha Nanagen'u questioned him.
• Tsunade told Araki that he would take a final assessment the next day and could begin studying Medical Ninjutsu if he passed.
• Nawaki begged Araki to ask Tsunade to let him go out, but Araki refused and left for training with Might Duy.

Araki returned home and found three men restraining Kushina and preparing to abduct her. The intruders turned on him, while Kushina begged him to escape.

• Nawaki angrily vowed to confine Araki when he became Hokage, then dismissed the thought of Araki marrying his sister.
• Araki arrived home and heard Kushina struggling and calling for help inside.
• Araki rushed through the door and saw three men tying up Kushina.
• Kushina pleaded with Araki to save her, and the scar-faced leader revealed that the men had come to take her away.
• Two intruders advanced on Araki with kunai as Kushina tearfully urged him to run.

Araki confronted the Kumogakure ninja who had come to kidnap Kushina and tested his Taijutsu training against them. After killing two attackers with speed and precision, he prepared to face the scar-faced ninja.

• Araki recognized the intruders as Kumogakure ninja and locked the door to keep them inside.
• Araki took a fighting stance, reassuring Kushina and surprising her with his concealed strength.
• Araki rushed the right-hand ninja and knocked him unconscious with a powerful punch.
• Araki dodged the left-hand ninja's kunai, disarmed him, and slit his throat.
• Araki stabbed the unconscious right-hand ninja through the heart, then turned to face the scar-faced ninja.

Araki faced a scar-faced Kumogakure ninja who held Kushina hostage and offered to trade her for Araki. Araki agreed to approach Kushina, leaving the confrontation poised for the switch.

• The scar-faced ninja used Kushina to block Araki and proposed taking Araki as a hostage in exchange for releasing her.
• He threatened Kushina with a kunai and struck the back of her head when she urged Araki to flee.
• Araki agreed to the deal and calmly walked toward Kushina, while Kushina shouted at him not to put himself in danger.
• The scar-faced ninja praised Araki for agreeing and said he only wanted to leave safely.

Araki rescued Kushina from the scar-faced Kumogakure ninja by using a Wood Clone to deceive him and secretly attack. After freeing Kushina, Araki comforted her as she clung to him and cried.

• Araki pretended to surrender so the scar-faced man would tie up his Wood Clone while Araki's real body stayed hidden.
• The scar-faced man revealed he would not release Kushina and tried to stab Araki.
• Araki's hidden real body paralyzed the scar-faced man, who collapsed and never woke again.
• Araki untied Kushina and explained that the bound Araki had been a Wood Clone.
• Kushina hugged Araki, and he comforted her as she sobbed.

Araki comforted Kushina after rescuing her, then killed the unconscious scar-faced kidnapper and concealed how he had used poison to incapacitate him. He disposed of the three bodies and cleaned the bathroom, leaving Kushina wondering where they had gone.

• Kushina bit Araki's shoulder and scolded him through tears for risking himself to save her.
• Kushina kissed Araki's cheek, and Araki killed the unconscious scar-faced man with a kunai.
• Araki told Kushina he had used a medical anesthetic, while privately keeping the contact poison and his methods secret.
• Araki refused to report the deaths to the Konoha Military Police Force and told Kushina to keep quiet while he handled the bodies.
• Araki looted the three bodies and disposed of them in the bathroom, then cleaned away every trace.
• Kushina looked into the spotless, empty bathroom and asked Araki where the three men had gone.

Araki protected Kushina after killing the Kumogakure intruders, then followed clues on their map toward Konoha’s outskirts, suspecting a mole had helped them enter the village. He left Kushina with a wooden ball and instructions for defending herself, and headed to investigate the marked exit route.

• Araki told Kushina that he had dissolved the intruders’ bodies and replaced the bloodstained bathroom floorboards.
• Araki gave Kushina a wooden ball and a green pill, instructing her how to incapacitate and kill any enemies who appeared.
• Araki left Kushina at home and sent a Wood Clone to tell Might Duy he would miss training.
• Araki studied a map taken from the scar-faced intruder and saw marks showing Kushina’s home and an exit at Konoha’s barrier.
• Araki suspected a mole had guided the Kumogakure ninja into the village and hurried toward the marked barrier.

Araki investigated how the Kumogakure ninja had learned Konoha’s secrets and found the village’s sensory barrier intact. After slipping through it, he concealed himself near twelve Kumogakure ninja waiting outside and prepared to ambush them.

• Araki approached Konoha’s boundary and confirmed that its sensory barrier was functioning normally.
• Araki received his Wood Clone’s report that Might Duy had approved a day off and taught him how to pass through the barrier.
• Araki used the method to leave Konoha and spotted Kumogakure ninja waiting in the woods.
• Araki counted twelve Kumogakure ninja and inferred that they were supporting a team sent to kidnap Kushina.
• Araki blended into the forest and chose to wait for an opportunity to assassinate the Kumogakure ninja rather than confront them directly.

Araki used Wood Release vines to distract a Kumogakure squad while poison gas incapacitated its twelve members. He killed all twelve, then wondered who was serving as their inside contact.

• Araki used a green pill to protect himself from poison, then summoned vines with Wood Release: Tree Binding Eternal Burial.
• The Kumogakure ninja dodged the slow vines and suspected a hidden Wood Release user near Konoha.
• Poison gas released from a wooden ball numbed the three Chunin and nine Genin, and Araki approached as they lost consciousness.
• Araki decided to improve his poison supply and develop a way to administer poison from a distance.
• Araki stabbed each of the twelve fallen Kumogakure ninja through the heart, then questioned who their inside contact was.

Araki looted the dead Kumogakure ninja and found a map suggesting another group was waiting at the Land of Fire’s border. He decided not to pursue them, left the bodies for nearby beasts, and retrieved the bloodstained floorboards before leaving.

• Araki searched the Genin’s tool pouches but found only ordinary ninja tools, Explosive Tags, and Military Rations Pills.
• He found stacks of 500-yen bills in the Chunin’s pouches and took the money.
• Araki discovered a map marked with a red cross at the Land of Fire border and a red circle at his location.
• He compared the maps and concluded that another group of Kumogakure ninja was waiting at the border, possibly with a Jonin.
• Araki chose not to pursue the group and left the bodies for nearby beasts to dispose of.
• He returned to his hiding place and retrieved the two bloodstained floorboards from his home.

Araki returned home after disposing of evidence and told Kushina he had eliminated the Kumogakure intruders, but did not know whether more remained. He decided to stay at her house for safety, while Kushina misunderstood his intentions and anxiously anticipated sharing her only bedroom.

• Araki burned the wooden boards and put out the fire before leaving the forest as beasts gathered nearby.
• Kushina embraced Araki when he returned home, and he reassured her that he was staying for the night.
• Araki explained that Kumogakure ninja might still be in the village and began preparing the room for a possible attack.
• Kushina fixated on Araki staying overnight and wondered how she should respond if he wanted to share her bedroom.

Araki focused on turning his stolen Explosive Tags into money and asked Kushina about their value and how to make more. Kushina agreed to sell his tags and teach him the crafting method, while misunderstanding his excitement as romantic interest.

• Araki counted his twenty-four Explosive Tags and asked Kushina how much they were worth.
• Kushina told Araki that Explosive Tags sold for three hundred ryo, and he decided to sell his supply to fund poison-making.
• Kushina said a shop would buy the tags for two hundred ryo each and agreed to sell them for Araki.
• Araki lamented that he had no reliable way to earn money and wished he could make Explosive Tags.
• Kushina told Araki she knew how to make Explosive Tags and agreed to teach him.
• Araki let go of Kushina's shoulders, set a chair behind her, and asked how she had learned to make the tags.

Kushina told Araki about her Uzumaki Clan origins and her exchange-student journey from Uzushiogakure to Konoha. Araki realized the Uzumaki Clan and its village still existed in this altered timeline, leaving him troubled by the unexplained changes to history.

• Kushina explained that she came from Uzushiogakure, where the Uzumaki Clan specialized in Sealing Jutsu, and that Village Chief Ashina had sent her to Konoha as an exchange student.
• Araki asked whether Kushina's village had suffered any problems, and Kushina invited him to visit her home.
• Araki recalled that Uzushiogakure should already have been destroyed and the Uzumaki Clan wiped out, and wondered what had changed the timeline.
• Araki asked Kushina whether Grandpa Ashina was well, and she said he was alive but old and less nimble.
• Araki struggled to identify the cause of the historical changes and concluded that the Uzumaki Clan's survival might only be temporary.

Araki had Kushina lend him a scroll explaining basic Sealing Jutsu and studied how paper tags stored chakra and produced special effects. Kushina went to bed while Araki stayed up to guard her and learn how to make tags.

• Araki set aside his concerns about the Uzumaki Clan and asked Kushina to teach him how to make Explosive Tags.
• Kushina gave Araki a scroll containing instructions for basic Sealing Jutsu, including how to make Explosive Tags.
• Araki thanked Kushina and began studying the scroll, learning that drawn formulas let paper tags store chakra and create effects such as explosions.
• Kushina asked Araki when he would come to bed, but he told her he would stand watch in case Kumogakure ninja were still in Konoha.
• Kushina accepted Araki's offer and went to sleep, feeling grateful and reassured.

Araki studied the Uzumaki sealing scroll through the night, then repaired the damage left by the Kumogakure intruders before going out to run. He left the grove exhausted and still waiting for the green chakra to appear.

• Araki finished studying the sealing scroll and reflected on the Uzumaki Clan's powerful Sealing Jutsu, including the Reaper Death Seal.
• Kushina urged Araki to rest, but he refused to skip his run and reminded her to keep their relationship secret.
• After Kushina left for class, Araki used Wood Release to restore the damaged floorboards and conceal traces of the intruders.
• Araki inspected and repaired the rest of the house so visitors such as Uchiha Mikoto would be less likely to notice anything unusual.
• Araki ran in his old training grove, but exhaustion overwhelmed him before the green chakra appeared.

Araki restored his energy with the green chakra in his heart, then attended a mock exam briefing at the Ninja Academy. As the class argued over combat matches that would affect their final scores, Ibuki-sensei noticed Araki stayed focused on his studies.

• Araki raised his heart rate during training, releasing green chakra that healed his body and renewed his energy.
• Araki put Kushina's scroll in his schoolbag and went to the Ninja Academy.
• Ibuki-sensei announced a mock written exam and said students at the bottom would attend remedial lessons to prepare for next week's final.
• Ibuki-sensei announced mock matches for the next morning, with winners gaining ten points and losers losing ten points on their exam scores.
• Several students objected to the match rules, and Minato Namikaze argued that they were unfair.
• Ibuki-sensei saw that Araki ignored the discussion and kept reading.

Araki rapidly completed the written portion of the mock exam while studying how to make Explosive Tags, and Ibuki-sensei was stunned by his unusual speed. The exam ended with the students relieved, while Araki’s performance remained to be checked.

• Kushina admired Araki’s calm confidence as Ibuki-sensei explained the mock combat rules and said a written score above seventy would prevent students from being held back after losing.
• Ibuki-sensei handed out the written exam and required a passing score, warning that low-ranking students would attend a week of remedial lessons.
• Araki decided to avoid remedial lessons by targeting about 270 points, then answered questions at high speed while planning his Explosive Tag research.
• Ibuki-sensei watched Araki read each next question as he wrote and resolved to check whether his answers were accurate.
• Araki finished in about half an hour and returned to studying Explosive Tags as the other students continued their exams.
• The bell ended the exam, and the students handed in their scrolls with relief.

Araki prepared to study Explosive Tag-making and left to take Tsunade’s medical theory assessment, while Kushina’s closeness to him unsettled Minato. The chapter ended with Minato questioning why he viewed Araki as a threat to his feelings for Kushina.

• Araki gave Kushina Explosive Tags and asked her to trade them for blank tag paper, brushes, and ink so he could practice making tags.
• Kushina left with Uchiha Mikoto after happily approaching Araki, and Mikoto watched him with curiosity.
• Araki set off to meet Tsunade-sensei for an assessment of his basic medical theory before starting Medical Ninjutsu training.
• Minato Namikaze asked Araki about his studies and learned that Tsunade-sensei was teaching him, then promised to keep it secret.
• After Araki left, Minato wondered why Kushina’s interaction with Araki had made him feel jealous and threatened.

Araki returned to Tsunade’s house, where Nawaki’s confinement-fueled fantasies about Araki becoming his brother-in-law embarrassed him in front of Tsunade. After lunch, Tsunade gave Araki and Nawaki medical tests and stressed the importance of accurate knowledge when treating patients.

• Araki arrived at Tsunade’s house, where Nawaki begged him to help end his confinement, but Araki refused.
• Nawaki blurted out that he would let Araki become his brother-in-law, and Tsunade overheard him and demanded an explanation.
• Tsunade told Araki she would test him, then brought out lunch for the three of them.
• Nawaki wondered whether Araki disliked Tsunade’s age gap and began siding with his sister in his imagination.
• After lunch, Tsunade gave Araki and Nawaki test scrolls and warned them that mistakes in medical treatment could endanger lives.

Kushina asked Mikoto to sell Araki’s explosive tags so she could buy supplies for making more, and Mikoto used the errand to press Kushina about her feelings for Araki. Mikoto agreed to complete the costly exchange, leaving the hungry girls inside the shop.

• Kushina led Mikoto to a ninja tool shop and confessed that she wanted Mikoto to sell Araki’s explosive tags and buy tag-making supplies.
• Mikoto questioned Kushina about her relationship with Araki, and Kushina insisted they were friends despite blushing and stumbling over her answers.
• Mikoto asked what Kushina liked about Araki, and Kushina nearly answered before realizing the question was a trap.
• Mikoto took the explosive tags into the shop, learned that each tag would buy only two sheets of blank paper, and asked Kushina whether she still wanted the exchange.
• Kushina confirmed she wanted the paper, brushes, and ink, and Mikoto returned to the shop to help while both girls were hungry.

Kushina bought brushes, ink, and blank tags for Araki, while Mikoto grew suspicious of her friend’s infatuation and decided to investigate him. Meanwhile, Araki completed Tsunade’s medical ninjutsu assessment, and Tsunade finished reviewing his answers with a smile.

• Kushina insisted Mikoto buy a second set of brushes and ink for Araki, and Mikoto agreed to pay for it rather than trade away blank tags.
• Mikoto questioned Kushina about her relationship with Araki and resolved to investigate him to make sure he was worthy of her friend.
• Kushina carefully packed the supplies for Araki, then went to eat with Mikoto, who remained determined to look into him.
• Araki seriously answered Tsunade’s medical ninjutsu questions while Nawaki lost interest and gave up on the assessment.
• After Araki handed in his scroll, Tsunade reviewed his answers and smiled when she finished.

Araki completed Tsunade’s medical theory assessment and began learning Medical Ninjutsu, while Tsunade insisted Nawaki continue accumulating chakra for his Yin Seal. Araki refused to practice the seal, saying he wanted to remain a pure medical-nin, and Tsunade took him inside to begin his next lesson.

• Tsunade praised Araki for mastering medical theory in six months and said she would teach him Medical Ninjutsu.
• Nawaki asked to learn Medical Ninjutsu, but Tsunade told him to keep working toward forming his Yin Seal before learning anything else.
• Nawaki asked Araki to practice the Yin Seal with him, but Araki refused because he wanted to be a pure medical-nin.
• Tsunade told Araki to come inside with her.