Chapter Summaries

Ayato learned that Naruto had graduated and received the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique from the Third Hokage to give him. The Third Hokage arranged for Ayato to leave the Anbu and work as a rotating support instructor, and Ayato headed home to see Sinai before encountering Yamanaka Inoichi.

• The Third Hokage told Ayato that Naruto and everyone else in their class had graduated, then gave him a scroll of the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique as Naruto's graduation gift.
• Ayato considered the Third Hokage's lack of a clear successor but refused to lead a team of his former classmates.
• The Third Hokage made Ayato a non-combat support instructor and instructed him to rest, teach, and stop drawing his sword.
• Ayato left the Hokage Office intending to visit Sinai after staying away to shield her from his growing killing intent.
• The Third Hokage discussed Ayato's departure from the Anbu with the Anbu Captain, who regretted losing such an effective ninja.
• Ayato encountered Yamanaka Inoichi, who sensed the bloodlust and killing intent surrounding him.

Ayato returned to Konoha after leaving the Anbu, but the killing intent surrounding him frightened Naruto and left him confused. Ayato finally reached home and reunited with Sinai, while Mizuki began plotting to use Naruto to steal the Sealing Scroll.

• Ayato met Yamanaka Inoichi, who urged him to visit his family and Ino, and explained that his killing intent made him avoid them.
• Ayato walked home, reflecting on his combat experience and considering whether to pursue further training in ninjutsu, swordsmanship, or senjutsu.
• Naruto spotted Ayato but was overwhelmed by his killing intent and watched him leave, losing his excitement over passing the exam.
• Mizuki noticed Naruto's distress and decided to follow him, planning to use him to obtain the Sealing Scroll and then frame him.
• Ayato found Sinai grilling meat at home, apologized for making her worry, and was welcomed back safely.

Ayato reunited with Ino and his mother, Sinai, after returning from a long-term mission, and reassured them that he would stay home for a while. He revealed that he had become a Special Jonin, then shared a meal with them as Sinai teased Ino about their future together.

• Ayato caught the plates Ino dropped when she saw him, and Ino overcame her fear of his blood-red aura to hug him.
• Sinai explained that Ino had often visited and helped her while Ayato was away, and Ayato promised to spend more time with them.
• Ayato used his Flying Thunder God Mark to quickly buy more grilled meat, then revealed his Jonin appointment letter to Sinai and Ino.
• Sinai had Ayato grill meat for her and Ino, then encouraged Ino to learn to cook for him.
• Sinai asked whether Ino would grill for Ayato in the future, and Ino shyly agreed.

Ayato reunited with Ino, then learned that Root had been watching Sinai and suspected Danzo was targeting his family. When Naruto stole the Sealing Scroll, Ayato went to investigate whether Mizuki had manipulated him.

• Ayato apologized to Ino for disappearing, and the two reconciled as he walked her home.
• The Yamanaka Matriarch learned that Ayato had become a Special Jonin and encouraged Ino to invite him over.
• White Eagle told Ayato that Root members had watched Sinai, and Ayato ordered him to report directly to him from then on.
• Ayato suspected Danzo had targeted Sinai but set aside his anger for the moment.
• After hearing that Naruto had stolen the Sealing Scroll, Ayato headed into the forest and used his perception to locate him.
• Ayato approached Naruto without revealing himself so he could determine whether Mizuki had bewitched him.

Naruto stole the Sealing Scroll after Mizuki told him its techniques could help him catch up to Ayato, but Iruka uncovered Mizuki’s scheme and Ayato arrived after the bond between Iruka and Naruto had formed. Ayato reassured Naruto, confronted Mizuki, and urged Naruto to prove his strength; Naruto answered by using the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

• Naruto told Iruka that he stole the Sealing Scroll to learn ninjutsu and catch up to Ayato, then revealed that Mizuki had encouraged him.
• Iruka realized Mizuki had manipulated Naruto, while Ayato chose to let Mizuki reveal Naruto’s identity as the Nine-Tails’ jinchuriki before stepping in.
• Ayato appeared, reassured Naruto that he still considered him a friend, and knocked him on the head for doubting him.
• Mizuki attacked Ayato, but Ayato caught the Windmill Shuriken with his lightning and revealed that he had just been appointed a jonin.
• Ayato pointed out Iruka’s wound and challenged Naruto to show what he had learned from the Sealing Scroll.
• Naruto formed the Ren seal and used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique.

Ayato helped Naruto defeat Mizuki, returned the stolen Sealing Scroll, and promised to teach Naruto more about the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique. The next morning, Ayato surprised Ino with a photograph and walked with her to the Ninja Academy for the team assignments.

• Naruto used the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique to overwhelm Mizuki, and an Anbu took the unconscious Mizuki away.
• Ayato reassured Iruka that the Hokage knew about the incident, returned the Sealing Scroll to Naruto, and promised to teach him the technique properly.
• Iruka invited Ayato, Naruto, and himself to celebrate at Ichiraku Ramen.
• Ayato prepared to attend the Academy's team assignments and bought a camera to photograph Ino.
• Ayato surprised Ino outside her home, took her picture, and walked with her to school.

Ayato returned to his former classroom with Ino and drew attention after Iruka announced that he had become a jonin at thirteen. The chapter ended with Iruka beginning to announce the students’ team assignments.

• Ayato entered the classroom with Ino, reunited with his classmates, and sat beside her as Sasuke hoped to challenge him and Sakura tried to approach Sasuke.
• Naruto sat on the desk in front of Sasuke, then accidentally fell into him and shared Sasuke’s first kiss while Ayato photographed the moment.
• Iruka announced that Ayato had become a jonin, prompting the students to crowd around him until Ayato used arcs of electricity to drive them back.
• Sasuke gained confidence that he could grow strong enough to take revenge, while Shikamaru suspected Ayato’s jonin promotion was tied to a major accomplishment.
• Ayato told Ino that she would be teamed with Shikamaru and Choji because their families’ Ino-Shika-Cho formation could not be split apart.
• Iruka finished his opening remarks and began announcing the team assignments.

Ayato joined Team 10 with Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, then learned they would face an assessment the next day. After Ino told him her family wanted their parents to meet, Ayato agreed, and the two shared their first kiss before parting; he then went to his Anbu training ground to consider his next path.

• Ayato reassured Ino that Shikamaru and Choji were capable teammates, explaining their strengths and the Ino-Shika-Cho formation.
• Asuma Sarutobi collected Team 10 and took Ayato, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji to a grilled meat restaurant, where he announced a team assessment for the next day.
• Sasuke asked Ayato to meet at their usual time and place, and Ayato agreed.
• Ayato told Ino to prepare for the assessment, then listened as she shared the Yamanaka Matriarch's request for their families to meet.
• Ayato agreed to arrange a meeting between their parents, and Ino hugged and kissed him before they walked to her home together.
• After Ino went inside, Ayato visited an Anbu-prepared Training Ground and began considering what path to take next.

Ayato reviewed his swordsmanship and several areas of ninjutsu while training at the Anbu Training Ground. He put his sword Ink Shadow away and planned to wait for his killing intent to fade before attempting sage arts, while considering new ways to develop his Lightning and Wind Release techniques.

• Ayato stopped practicing swordsmanship because it stirred up his killing intent, then named his sword Ink Shadow and sealed it inside a Scroll.
• Ayato decided to delay learning sage arts until his killing intent faded and his Void State could improve.
• Ayato concluded that Lightning Release Massage no longer strengthened his body much and considered expanding the range of his electromagnetic field by studying Chidori Stream.
• Ayato planned to learn Wind Release: Rasenshuriken and eventually develop a decisive cutting technique based on Wind Release: Vacuum Wave.
• Ayato decided to master the Eight Trigrams Sealing and Four Symbols Sealing before pursuing other sealing techniques, and noted that he had already learned Medical Ninjutsu.

Ayato trained in Medical Ninjutsu and experimented with combining Lightning Release with other techniques, while continuing to pursue a faster, sharper attack. When his scheduled meeting with Sasuke arrived, Sasuke challenged him to fight, but Ayato first asked about his school performance.

• Ayato learned Medical Ninjutsu quickly and used his Chakra Scalpel skills to cut internally and disrupt opponents' Chakra flow.
• Ayato failed to create a Wind Release Rasenshuriken, then successfully made a Lightning Release Rasengan that accelerated into a target and exploded.
• Ayato tried to combine Lightning Release with Vacuum Wave but found the technique difficult to adapt, so he planned to experiment by combining it with Wind Cutter Technique first.
• After a period of training, Ayato went to meet Sasuke on the day of their appointment.
• Sasuke challenged Ayato to fight, but Ayato asked about his grades, prompting Sasuke to boast that he had been first in class after Ayato graduated.

Ayato sparred with Sasuke and pushed him to the brink with his speed and killing intent, causing Sasuke to awaken his Two-Tomoe Sharingan. Ayato’s reflected Genjutsu left Sasuke collapsed in fear, while Ayato sat beside him, satisfied with the result.

• Sasuke challenged Ayato to a spar, but Ayato caught his Shuriken and easily countered his attacks with the Body Flicker Technique.
• Sasuke used Explosive Tags and the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, but Ayato avoided the attack with the Substitution Technique and caught Sasuke from behind.
• Ayato focused his killing intent on Sasuke, who became unable to move as Ayato approached with a Chakra Sword.
• Sasuke bit his tongue and moved at the last moment, awakening his Two-Tomoe Sharingan and casting Genjutsu on Ayato.
• Ayato dispelled and reflected Sasuke’s Genjutsu, leaving Sasuke collapsed in terror as Ayato waited beside him.

Sasuke awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan after Ayato’s life-threatening illusion and learned that Ayato had reflected Sasuke’s own Genjutsu back at him. Ayato urged Sasuke to balance his pursuit of revenge with caring for his teammates, and the chapter ended with Sasuke asking whether Ayato would help him if he faced his enemy.

• Sasuke woke unharmed and discovered that he had awakened the Two-Tomoe Sharingan during Ayato’s illusion.
• Ayato explained that Sasuke had used Genjutsu to save himself, then apologized when Sasuke admitted he had doubted Ayato.
• Ayato told Sasuke to deactivate his Sharingan and consider his teammates, Naruto and Sakura, instead of focusing only on revenge.
• Ayato explained that Sasuke could catch up to his enemy and warned that Naruto and Sakura would risk their lives to help him.
• Sasuke asked Ayato whether he would help him, and Ayato replied that Sasuke should hope his enemy never encountered him.

Ayato helped Sasuke reconsider his pursuit of revenge, then won the Third Hokage’s approval to prepare safeguards for Naruto as he learned to control the Nine-Tails. He began teaching Naruto how Shadow Clones could transfer their experiences, leaving Naruto excited by the discovery.

• Ayato explained that he could counter Itachi but did not want to take revenge away from Sasuke, and Sasuke agreed to train with him at his own Training Ground.
• Ayato gave Sasuke a Flying Thunder God kunai, then went to the Hokage Office to discuss helping Naruto control the Nine-Tails.
• Ayato convinced the Third Hokage to let him place a Flying Thunder God mark and sealing formula on Naruto as protection if the Nine-Tails went berserk.
• Ayato met Naruto and told him to have a Shadow Clone memorize a note before dispelling it, demonstrating how the clone’s experiences returned to him.
• Naruto realized he knew what the note said despite never reading it himself, and Ayato teased him about a photograph of his accidental kiss with Sasuke.

Ayato taught Naruto to use Shadow Clones for studying, then asked Naruto’s permission to open a way for him to communicate with the Nine-Tails and borrow its power. Naruto agreed to meet the fox, and Ayato entered the seal to confront Kurama, who reacted with shock after examining him.

• Ayato explained that Shadow Clones could study while Naruto trained, but Naruto’s clones initially refused until he persuaded them to go.
• Ayato told Naruto about the Nine-Tails’ rampage, his parents’ deaths, and his plan to let Naruto communicate with the fox and borrow its power.
• Naruto agreed to meet the Nine-Tails, saying he wanted to decide whether he could forgive it and would demand some of its power as rent.
• Ayato revealed Naruto’s sealing formula and entered the space where the Nine-Tails was imprisoned.
• Ayato called the fox Kurama and said he had learned its name from the other tailed beasts, then proposed talking with it.
• The Nine-Tails demanded to know how Ayato knew its name, then stared at him in shock and confusion.

Ayato confronted the Nine-Tails, urged it to give Naruto a chance, and left after briefly rubbing its head. He then marked Naruto and carefully opened part of Naruto’s seal, before taking him out for grilled meat.

• The Nine-Tails sensed a faint, mysterious aura in Ayato and agreed to hear why he had come.
• Ayato argued that the Nine-Tails would remain vulnerable to capture or death if it escaped, and encouraged it to get to know Naruto.
• Ayato rushed forward and patted the Nine-Tails’ head before leaving the Sealing Space.
• Naruto agreed to Ayato placing a tracking mark and Four Symbols Sealing on him, and Ayato carefully engraved the seal and slightly opened the Eight Trigrams Sealing.
• Ayato noticed the Anbu Captain nearby and led a hungry Naruto toward the Grilled Meat Restaurant instead of Ichiraku Ramen.

Ayato spent his free time training and advising Konoha’s young ninja, while reflecting on how little he could do for most of them. The Third Hokage summoned him to the office, where Naruto asked him to join Team 7 on more challenging missions, and Ayato agreed.

• Ayato studied Wind Release Rasenshuriken, learned more about dispelling Genjutsu from Kurenai, and sought Taijutsu guidance from Guy.
• Ayato considered how to help the Konoha 12, but decided that Naruto and Sasuke were the only ones he could meaningfully guide for now.
• An Anbu summoned Ayato to the Third Hokage’s office, where he found Team 7, Iruka, and a drunken old man waiting.
• Naruto asked Ayato to join Team 7 so they could take more exciting missions, and the Third Hokage invited Ayato to decide.
• Ayato agreed to accompany Team 7, while Kakashi regarded him with surprise and admiration.

Ayato accompanied Team 7 on the Land of Waves mission while secretly keeping watch over Naruto, and Kakashi staged an attack to test the team’s reactions. As the group continued toward the bridge, Ayato sensed Zabuza approaching.

• Naruto eagerly accepted the mission, and Kakashi led Team 7 and Tazuna out of the village with Ayato accompanying them.
• Ayato used the journey to study how Chakra might reveal a person’s identity and sensed two attackers hiding nearby.
• Ayato left the group, and the attackers struck Kakashi; Naruto and Sasuke charged at them while Sakura protected Tazuna.
• Ayato revealed that Kakashi’s apparent dismemberment had been a staged test, and Kakashi praised the team’s reactions and skill.
• After Kakashi questioned Tazuna about the mission’s concealed risks, Team 7 continued toward the Land of Waves without Ayato joining them.
• Ayato sensed a powerful figure approaching and anticipated meeting Demon Zabuza.

Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke confronted Zabuza on the road to Wave, while Ayato intervened to keep White from helping him. The chapter ended with White writing down how to form hand seals with one hand as Zabuza fell into danger.

• Zabuza ambushed Kakashi's team with his Executioner's Blade and demanded that they hand over Tazuna.
• Naruto and Sasuke resisted Zabuza's killing intent, and Kakashi revealed his Three-Tomoe Sharingan as Sasuke revealed his Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
• Kakashi ordered Sakura to take Tazuna to safety, then fought Zabuza with Naruto and Sasuke ready to help.
• Ayato confronted White in the shadows and overwhelmed him with his killing intent as Kakashi injured Zabuza.
• White attacked Ayato with water senbon, but Ayato blocked and countered the attack before White raised an ice wall.
• Ayato demanded that White explain one-handed seal formation, and White began writing the method on a Scroll while Zabuza struggled against Kakashi.

Ayato obtained White’s method for forming one-handed hand seals, then revealed himself and helped end the fight with Zabuza and White. Zabuza abandoned the mission, Team 7 reached the Land of Waves, and Ayato hoped Gato would give him a reason to act.

• White gave Ayato the one-handed hand-seal method, and Ayato quickly used it to make a clone before letting White go save Zabuza.
• Ayato appeared before Team 7, drove away Zabuza and White’s mist, and praised Naruto and Sasuke for their efforts.
• Ayato told Naruto and Sasuke that past missions had left him with minor psychological issues, while Kakashi asked him to avoid fighting so the Third Hokage would not reprimand him.
• Zabuza recognized Ayato as Konoha’s White Fang and decided to abandon the mission rather than risk fighting Kakashi, Ayato, and Team 7 again.
• Kakashi’s group reached the Land of Waves without further trouble, and Ayato thought of Gato as a possible reason to take action.

After the mission ended, Kakashi stayed in the Land of Waves to recover and planned to train his students, only to discover Ayato had already taught Naruto and Sasuke the basics. Ayato arranged for Kakashi to teach them advanced techniques while he instructed Sakura and urged her to consider a path suited to her strengths.

• Kakashi suggested that the group remain in the Land of Waves for two days because he was drained from using the Sharingan.
• Kakashi tried to teach tree climbing and water walking, but Naruto and Sasuke said Ayato had already taught them those skills.
• Ayato persuaded Kakashi to teach Naruto and Sasuke Ninjutsu suited to their chakra natures, including a Lightning Release technique for Sasuke.
• Ayato began Sakura's training and explained that her chakra control was strong, though her chakra reserves were low.
• Ayato advised Sakura to consider Genjutsu or Medical Ninjutsu, then started teaching her tree climbing and water walking.