Chapter Summaries

Araki returned home after sensing an unidentified person watching him, then found Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto waiting there. After learning Mikoto had always exchanged his Explosive Tags and kept his skill secret, he began making tags in front of them.

• Araki returned home and wondered whether the person following him was a Jonin, an Anbu, or a Root ninja.
• Kushina introduced Uchiha Mikoto as her best friend, while Araki greeted Mikoto coolly and avoided shaking her hand.
• Kushina gave Araki a bag of blank tags and the remaining money from exchanging his Explosive Tags.
• Mikoto explained that ninja tool shops served only ninja and that she had exchanged Araki’s tags from the beginning, keeping his ability to make them quiet.
• Araki counted seventy blank tags, set some aside, and started making Explosive Tags in front of Kushina and Mikoto.

Araki demonstrated his Explosive Tag-making skill for Uchiha Mikoto, astonishing her with his speed and precision. He left to train, while Mikoto remained stunned by what she had witnessed.

• Uchiha Mikoto arrived hoping to learn more about Araki and asked to watch him make Explosive Tags.
• Araki agreed and used chakra to draw an Explosive Tag with elegant, precise strokes.
• Uchiha Mikoto was captivated by Araki as he finished the first tag and immediately began another.
• Araki completed a second Explosive Tag, leaving both on the table for Mikoto to inspect.
• Araki took his brush and ink and left to train while Uchiha Mikoto remained overwhelmed by his skill.

After Araki left to train, Mikoto persuaded Kushina to follow him and watch from a distance. Araki sensed someone tracking him and intensified his training to test whether he could shake them off, but the feeling returned.

• Mikoto questioned Kushina about Araki’s strength and learned he had become much stronger over the past six months.
• Mikoto convinced Kushina to sneak out with her to observe Araki’s training, and Kushina agreed despite valuing his privacy.
• Araki sensed he was being watched as he left for the grove and wondered whether the watcher was targeting him or Tsunade.
• Araki loudly announced a plan to run 300 laps around Konoha and sprinted through the trees to test his pursuer.
• Araki briefly shook off the watcher by dropping down, but the feeling of being watched soon returned, and he continued training with abundant chakra sustaining him.

Araki used a long run through the woods to expose the person who had been watching him, sensing their qi and confirming they were human. He accelerated to exhaust the pursuer, but the figure suddenly caught up with steady breathing, leaving Araki unsure of their true stamina.

• Araki ran circuits through the woods, using the wild beasts and his sensory ability to try to reveal the watcher.
• After about seventeen laps, Araki sensed the pursuer’s qi roughly three hundred meters behind him and confirmed the watcher was human.
• Araki slowed down and continued running through beast-filled areas, hoping to learn the pursuer’s identity and strength.
• When the pursuer’s presence reappeared and remained detectable, Araki roared and sprinted to widen the gap.
• The figure immediately caught up, moving faster than before and breathing steadily despite the long pursuit.

Araki reversed course during a long run to expose the Konoha ninja following him and discovered that it was Dan Katō. As Araki tried to leave without confronting him, Dan called his name with a voice that carried chakra and soul power, disrupting Araki's pace.

• Araki shouted that he was exhausted and turned around, forcing the pursuer to flee in the opposite direction.
• Araki chased the figure while carefully keeping his distance, then recognized the Konoha ninja as Dan Katō.
• Araki decided not to confront Dan because he did not know Dan's intentions and wanted to avoid risking a fight.
• Dan called out to Araki, and the chakra and soul power in his voice briefly disrupted Araki's running.

Araki confronted Dan Katō, who revealed that his hostility came from his desire to court Tsunade and his jealousy of the people she cared about. Dan declared that Nawaki was his next target, leaving Araki to face a dangerous enemy with the truth about Nawaki’s death still unresolved.

• Araki pretended not to know Dan Katō and denied having a relationship with Tsunade, provoking Dan with his sarcasm.
• Dan threatened Araki, but Araki challenged him to explain why he wanted him dead and quietly prepared his paralyzing poison pill.
• Dan revealed that Araki was only the beginning and that he intended to target Nawaki next.
• Dan explained that he wanted to court Tsunade and resented Nawaki and Araki for occupying her attention.
• Araki taunted Dan about his jealousy, and Dan admitted that he hated it.

Dan Katō revealed that he planned to kill Nawaki and exploit Tsunade’s grief to gain her affection and the Hokage succession, but changed targets after Araki angered him. Araki recognized that Dan might be only a pawn in a larger conspiracy and was left considering who stood to benefit.

• Dan Katō said Tsunade had rejected his advances and revealed his plan to kill Nawaki so he could comfort her afterward.
• Dan Katō admitted he had intended to spare Araki if he helped kill Nawaki, but decided to kill Araki instead because of his attitude and closeness to Tsunade.
• Araki praised Dan Katō’s ambition while realizing Nawaki’s death could remove a strong Hokage candidate and open the way for Dan.
• Araki compared Dan Katō to Uchiha Itachi and suspected that an unseen mastermind was using him as a blade to secure the Hokage succession.
• Araki concluded that Dan Katō might be eliminated after serving his purpose, leaving him to wonder who the hidden mastermind was.

Araki feigned willingness to join Dan Katō’s plot, but Dan Katō decided to kill him to protect his plans to eliminate Nawaki and become Hokage. Araki revealed his Wood Release and bound Dan Katō with vines while a soporific gas made him drowsy.

• Dan Katō confessed that he wanted to marry Tsunade, kill Nawaki, and become Hokage, and he explained that he planned to murder Araki and disguise it as a wild-beast attack.
• Araki claimed he would join Dan Katō, but Dan Katō rejected the offer because he could not trust Araki and chose to kill him instead.
• Araki said he did not want to die and released a colorless, odorless gas around Dan Katō.
• Araki transformed into wood and trapped Dan Katō in resilient vines.
• Dan Katō recognized Araki’s Wood Release, struggled against the vines, and began to lose consciousness from the gas.

Araki trapped Dan Katō with a Wood Clone, but Dan used the Spirit Transformation Technique to leave his body and pursue Araki as a soul. Araki realized he had to kill Dan’s immobilized body, yet he could not turn back while the soul chased him.

• Dan Katō formed hand seals while bound and paralyzed, then appeared to fall asleep as his body’s activity nearly stopped.
• Araki received the Wood Clone’s memories and realized the clone had restrained Dan before being dispelled.
• Araki sensed Dan’s qi fade and felt the unseen presence watching him draw closer, so he fled at full speed.
• Araki recognized the pursuer as Dan’s soul using the Spirit Transformation Technique and understood that ordinary attacks could not stop it.
• Araki realized he needed to destroy Dan’s body but could not return while the soul pursued him, and regretted trading away his Explosive Tags.

Araki fled Dan Katō’s pursuing spirit through Konoha, realizing he needed to outlast the Spirit Transformation Technique rather than risk confronting it. Dan Katō’s soul began to weaken, but he accelerated and nearly caught Araki as the chase continued.

• Araki and Dan Katō’s spirit raced through Konoha, with neither able to gain a lasting advantage.
• Dan Katō’s soul weakened after remaining away from his poisoned body for too long, and he feared he would not return in time.
• Araki reasoned that Dan Katō’s spirit could not remain outside his body indefinitely and that the weakening depended on time, not distance.
• Dan Katō suddenly sped up and nearly caught Araki, who pushed himself harder and used his green chakra to repair his strained leg muscles.
• Araki abandoned the idea of confronting Dan Katō’s spirit and decided to keep running until it had to return to its body.

Araki was pulled into Dan Katō’s mental space after the green chakra stopped replenishing his stamina, leaving him facing Dan in a soul battle. Dan explained his Spirit Transformation Technique and prepared to devour Araki, while Araki silently threatened the green chakra into helping him survive.

• The green chakra stopped replenishing Araki’s stamina, causing him to fall as Dan Katō caught up and used the Spirit Transformation Technique.
• Araki found himself in a bright world above the clouds and recognized it as a mental space.
• Dan Katō said Araki was inside his mental space, where he intended to devour Araki’s soul and restore his own strength.
• Dan Katō questioned whether Araki belonged to the Senju Clan or was a successful Wood Release experiment subject.
• Araki refused to answer and silently threatened the green chakra, saying Tsunade would be defiled and Nawaki would die if it did not help him.

Araki fought Dan Katō in the consciousness space, where they tore at and consumed each other’s souls. Green chakra immobilized them before pulling Dan Katō’s soul into Araki, who returned to his body and rushed to finish off Dan Katō.

• Dan Katō attacked Araki’s soul and tore away part of his neck, but Araki seized a piece of Dan Katō’s soul and ate it.
• Araki realized that he could absorb soul power by eating Dan Katō’s soul, while Dan Katō continued attacking his vital areas.
• Dan Katō struck at Araki’s heart, but green light surged from Araki and immobilized them both.
• The green chakra drew Dan Katō’s soul into Araki, sending Araki back to his body with his vitality restored.
• Araki hurried toward Dan Katō’s restrained body to deliver a finishing blow.

Araki killed Dan Katō and unexpectedly gained the ability to use the Spirit Transformation Technique. After testing it, he dissolved Dan Katō’s corpse to prevent anyone from recovering his DNA and took the contents of his ninja tool pouch.

• Araki stabbed the paralyzed Dan Katō through the heart, killing him.
• Araki experienced fragments of memories and gained the Spirit Transformation Technique, which he briefly tested by leaving his body.
• Araki decided to destroy Dan Katō’s corpse so Kabuto Yakushi could not use his DNA for the Impure World Reincarnation Jutsu.
• Araki dissolved Dan Katō’s body with Corpse-Dissolving Water and found money, Explosive Tags, Military Rations Pills, and a key in his ninja tool pouch.

Araki concealed the evidence of Dan Katō’s death and returned to training, while Mikoto’s attempt to spy on him failed. The next morning, Araki confronted Mikoto about her curiosity and revealed that he had overheard her meeting with Fugaku and Ueki.

• Araki burned Dan Katō’s clothes and the blackened remains, mixed pepper into the ash, buried it, and planted a Kumogakure Forehead Protector to obscure the scene.
• Araki spread his scent through the woods, then left to resume training and making Explosive Tags.
• Kushina persuaded Mikoto to abandon their search for Araki, and Araki watched them leave from a tree.
• The next morning, Mikoto questioned Araki about his whereabouts, and he implied that someone had interrupted his training the previous night.
• Araki challenged Mikoto about her interest in him and revealed that he had overheard her meeting with Fugaku and Ueki.

Araki revealed to Uchiha Mikoto that he had overheard her investigations and used the information to establish an alibi while urging her to stay away from him. When Mikoto asked whether he had killed Sora Hyuga, Araki admitted it, leaving her horrified.

• Araki told Mikoto he had watched her and knew about the Junior Detective League's meeting and its discussion of him.
• Araki proved he had overheard the group's conversations by repeating details, including that wild beasts were afraid of Mikoto.
• Araki explained that he wanted Mikoto to stay away from him because she suspected him of killing Sora Hyuga and her investigation gave him a chance to establish an alibi.
• Mikoto said she had not discovered anything and asked Araki whether he had really killed Sora Hyuga.
• Araki admitted that he had, and Mikoto jumped up in shock.

Araki deflected Uchiha Mikoto’s suspicions by describing his past bullying and convincing her that he had not killed Sora Hyuga. He then stunned her by revealing that Tsunade had also taught him medical skills, and Mikoto asked whether he was telling the truth.

• Araki denied killing Sora Hyuga and said Sora had bullied him before he escaped.
• Araki recounted his past mistreatment and said he had trained under Might Duy so no one could bully him again.
• Araki used his emotional account to make Uchiha Mikoto apologize, and Kushina briefly came out to complain that they had woken her.
• Uchiha Mikoto believed Araki after realizing he had defeated Maemoto Takashi rather than fleeing from him.
• Uchiha Mikoto recalled Araki calling Tsunade his teacher, and Araki revealed that Tsunade had taught him medical skills alongside Might Duy.
• Uchiha Mikoto sat stunned and asked Araki whether he really had two teachers.

Araki explained to Uchiha Mikoto that he studied under both Might Duy and Lady Tsunade, convincing her to stop suspecting him of killing Sora Hyuga. Reflecting on his fight with Dan Katō, he recognized how vulnerable he had been and resolved to carry Explosive Tags as a precaution.

• Uchiha Mikoto was shocked that Araki had studied under both Might Duy and Lady Tsunade, and she believed that Tsunade would not teach a disciple with a crooked heart.
• Araki told Uchiha Mikoto that he had explained himself because she was Kushina's best friend, and warned her to move out if she continued to suspect him.
• Uchiha Mikoto apologized to Araki and said she had misunderstood him.
• Araki kept the Explosive Tags he had made instead of returning them, then reviewed his past battles and the danger he had faced against Dan Katō.
• Araki concluded that he had underestimated the dangers posed by other ninja and resolved never to go without Explosive Tags again.

Araki reflected on his Wood Release, his prospects in Konoha, and the danger of defying the ninja world’s established order. He decided to build influence within that order, then tested Uchiha Mikoto’s assumptions by asking what she would do if the Hokage killed Sora Hyuga.

• Araki concluded that the green chakra was powerful but remained unsure what it was connected to.
• Araki recognized that he needed Tsunade’s support and decided to study medicine to improve his prospects.
• Araki decided that defecting would make him a target, so he would develop quietly and eventually use Konoha’s rules and connections to gain power.
• Araki asked Uchiha Mikoto what she would do if he killed Sora Hyuga, and she said he would face Konoha’s justice.
• Araki asked what would happen if the Hokage killed Sora Hyuga, and Uchiha Mikoto insisted that the Hokage would never do such a thing.

Araki spent his unexpected free time developing poisons and training while pursuing a future political career in Konoha. A week later, he was practicing the Mystical Palm Technique on a dying carp in Tsunade’s room, where his green chakra restored it to life.

• Araki convinced Uchiha Mikoto that he was not Sora Hyuga’s killer, then left to plan how to advance his standing in Konoha.
• Araki used his vacation to buy rare medicinal ingredients and prepare poisons, reasoning that they could help him defeat stronger opponents by surprise.
• Araki spent the following week making poisons, studying the Mystical Palm Technique with Tsunade, training, and making explosive tags.
• Araki noticed that Uchiha Mikoto continued lingering at his home, but let her stay because she helped sell his tags and Kushina was comfortable with her presence.
• Araki practiced the Mystical Palm Technique on a dying carp, and his green chakra restored its vitality.

Araki mastered the Mystical Palm Technique, impressing Tsunade and earning three days off, though he planned to keep studying with Nawaki. He drained the First Hokage's Necklace while teasing Nawaki, who called Araki his brother-in-law to try to make Tsunade intervene.

• Araki examined a reusable Summoning Scroll and decided he needed to learn how it worked from Kushina.
• Tsunade congratulated Araki on mastering the Mystical Palm Technique and said he could treat Might Duy in about three months.
• Tsunade gave Araki three days off, but he asked to keep visiting and help Nawaki study medical theory.
• Araki tried to convince Nawaki to let him ruffle his head by promising an outing, then admitted he would not take him anywhere.
• Nawaki called Araki his brother-in-law, but Tsunade ignored the familiar protest as Araki drained the First Hokage's Necklace and headed home.