Recaps

Chiya Rikuto reflected on his mutated Woods-Woods Fruit abilities and began preparing to cultivate Sage Techniques. He revealed that he had awakened a three-tomoe Sharingan after absorbing Shisui Uchiha’s Chakra and flesh, and wondered how his eyes might develop further.

• Chiya Rikuto recalled that his medical-ninja parents had died during the Nine-Tails’ attack, leaving him to live with his grandmother.
• Chiya Rikuto described eating the Woods-Woods Fruit at age five and discovering that it had mutated through its combination with his Chakra, allowing him to create and control plants without hand seals.
• Chiya Rikuto explained that he had trained his Chakra control, learned medical ninjutsu, and sensed Natural Energy while meditating in the forest.
• Chiya Rikuto revealed his three-tomoe Sharingan and recalled finding Shisui Uchiha’s corpse, absorbing its remaining Chakra, and accidentally consuming some of his flesh and blood.
• Chiya Rikuto wondered when his Sharingan would evolve into a Mangekyo Sharingan as he considered how his mutated fruit ability had affected his eyes.

Chiya Rikuto reflected on the Uchiha Clan’s imminent downfall and planned to study Puppet Techniques while keeping his Wood Release hidden. At school, he met Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga, who challenged one another and urged Rikuto to fight him seriously.

• Chiya Rikuto deactivated his Sharingan and concluded that the Uchiha Clan would likely be wiped out within days.
• Chiya Rikuto decided to use his upcoming school holidays to study Puppet Techniques and explore extracting Senjutsu Chakra.
• Chiya Rikuto passed Naruto Uzumaki causing trouble in the village and continued on to the ninja school.
• Rock Lee greeted Chiya Rikuto and proudly told him he had run ten laps around Konoha.
• Lee vowed to defeat Neji Hyuga in their next taijutsu match, while Neji challenged Rikuto to face him at full strength.
• Chiya Rikuto insisted he had already gone all out and joked that, as a medical ninja, he should stay behind his teammates.

Chiya Rikuto turned down the attention of his classmates, accepted a bento from Tenten, and defended his interest in learning Puppet Technique alongside Medical Ninjutsu. After school, he went home to his grandmother and his neighbor Kurenai Yuhi, though the chapter ended just as he heard someone coughing in the living room.

• Girls crowded around Chiya Rikuto at the Academy gates, while Rock Lee resolved to run ten extra laps and Neji Hyuga headed to class.
• Rikuto escaped the crowd and joined Tenten, who gave him a homemade bento.
• Tenten questioned why Rikuto was reading puppet books when he planned to become a medical-nin, and Rikuto argued that Puppet Technique could help him protect himself.
• The teacher dismissed the students for the afternoon and the next two days, and Rikuto declined Rock Lee's invitation to train.
• Rikuto returned to the apartment he shared with his grandmother, where Kurenai Yuhi often looked after them; someone in the living room coughed and greeted him.

Chiya Rikuto cared for his ailing grandmother, Chiya Nao, and used a Wood Clone to test whether he could create Senjutsu Chakra. After the clone succeeded, Rikuto absorbed its experience and entered Sage Mode, marveling at his enhanced power and perception.

• Chiya Rikuto read Kurenai Yuhi's note saying she had left on a three-day mission and shared the meal she had prepared with Chiya Nao.
• Chiya Rikuto treated Chiya Nao with life-force-rich Chakra and helped her rest before returning to his room.
• Chiya Rikuto created a Wood Clone and instructed it to combine spiritual, physical, and natural energy in equal proportions.
• The Wood Clone successfully produced stable Senjutsu Chakra, transforming its hair and surroundings with vivid green growth.
• The Wood Clone dispelled itself, transferring its Senjutsu Chakra and experience to Chiya Rikuto, who entered Sage Mode and sensed Konoha and the lands beyond.

After Chiya Nao revealed that she and Rikuto’s aunt were Senju, Rikuto learned that his Wood Release came from his bloodline. That night, he finished carving and controlling two miniature puppets, including a doll modeled after Tenten.

• Chiya Nao told Chiya Rikuto that she and his late aunt Kaz Matsuri Sonoko had belonged to the Senju Clan.
• Rikuto realized his cousin Moegi Kazamatsuri had likely inherited Wood Release through her Senju bloodline.
• Chiya Nao confirmed Rikuto had inherited the Senju Clan’s exceptional chakra and sensory abilities as well as Hashirama Senju’s Wood Release.
• After Chiya Nao went to sleep, Rikuto began building a pair of palm-sized puppets from his designs.
• Rikuto used chakra threads to control the finished puppets, making them move and dance with ease.

Chiya Rikuto prepared puppet dolls as gifts for Ino Yamanaka and Tenten, then visited Kurenai Yuhi’s home to water her flowers and voiced his desire to be with her. He met Ino and Tenten in a forest and gave each girl a gift box.

• Chiya Rikuto prepared likenesses of Tenten and Ino Yamanaka as gifts, drawing on his close ties with both girls and the Ino-Shika-Cho families.
• After breakfast, Chiya Rikuto used his Wood Release Chakra to nourish his grandmother, then left home with the gift boxes.
• Chiya Rikuto entered Kurenai Yuhi’s home with her key, watered her flowers, and looked at a photograph of Kurenai Yuhi and her late father, Yūhi Shinku.
• Chiya Rikuto thought about Kurenai Yuhi’s preferences in a partner and imagined taking care of her in the future.
• Chiya Rikuto reached the forest where Ino Yamanaka and Tenten were waiting, apologized for being late, and gave each girl a gift box.

Rikuto gave Ino and Tenten lifelike puppet dolls and showed them how expertly he controlled them with Chakra Threads. He encouraged Ino to practice the basics for chakra control and invited Tenten to train as a puppet master, and Tenten eagerly agreed.

• Ino and Tenten opened their gifts and found puppet dolls modeled after themselves.
• Rikuto controlled the dolls with Chakra Threads, astonishing the girls with their lifelike movements.
• Rikuto explained that puppet practice could improve Ino's chakra control and said he would later teach her simple Medical Ninjutsu.
• Rikuto suggested that Tenten could become a puppet master and offered to develop combat puppets for her.
• Tenten decided she wanted to learn the Puppet Technique with Rikuto's guidance.

Rikuto trained Ino and Tenten to control puppets, but his good looks repeatedly distracted them. After letting the girls practice on their own, he secretly tested several strange abilities on fallen leaves.

• Tenten decided to work hard at puppetry and become a great kunoichi like Lady Tsunade, and Rikuto encouraged her alongside Ino.
• Rikuto corrected Ino and Tenten as they practiced controlling puppet dolls with Chakra Threads, but they struggled to concentrate while looking at him.
• Ino kissed Rikuto several times and blamed his handsomeness for distracting her, while Tenten watched in surprise.
• Rikuto told Ino and Tenten to practice on their own, then checked that nobody was watching him.
• Rikuto split a leaf cleanly, charred another with electricity, and made it catch fire, go out, become soaked, and break into fragments.

Rikuto continued training while teaching Tenten and Ino the Puppet Technique, and the Third Hokage noticed his remarkable talent. Rikuto sensed Hiruzen’s surveillance and left to treat Rock Lee before another challenge to Neji.

• Rikuto saw Rock Lee training and resumed his own Taijutsu practice, reflecting on his exceptional strength and potential.
• Tenten showed Rikuto how much she had improved at controlling a puppet doll with Chakra Threads, and he praised her progress.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi watched Rikuto and Tenten through the Telescope Technique and admired Rikuto’s puppet-making skill and Chakra control.
• Hiruzen anticipated that Konoha might gain a master puppeteer skilled in Medical Ninjutsu, while Rikuto sensed the surveillance and smiled.
• Rikuto told Tenten that Rock Lee was challenging Neji again and that he needed to go treat Lee.

Rikuto healed Rock Lee after another defeat by Neji and revealed he could use the Mystical Palm Technique with one-handed seals. As Rikuto sensed a familiar chakra entering Konoha, Hiruzen learned that Tsunade had returned and wondered why she had come back.

• Tenten gave Rikuto the materials her family had gathered for his combat-puppet project, and he headed to the training ground.
• Neji defeated Rock Lee again, and Rikuto healed Lee's injuries while warning him to balance training with rest.
• Neji was surprised to see Rikuto use the Mystical Palm Technique with one-handed seals, and Rikuto modestly credited his chakra control and training.
• Rikuto sensed a powerful, familiar chakra entering through Konoha's gate and suspected its owner might be Tsunade.
• An Anbu reported Tsunade's return to Hiruzen, who wondered whether she planned to stay in the village.

Tsunade returned to Konoha to visit the dying Chiya Nao, who told her that her eight-year-old grandson Rikuto had mastered the Mystical Palm Technique and awakened Wood Release. Tsunade was stunned by his talent and recognized that Nao hoped she would take him as a disciple, but the chapter ended before she responded.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi welcomed Tsunade's return but suspected she might have political aims because of her prestige and ties to the Senju Clan.
• Tsunade and Shizune visited Chiya Nao, and Tsunade supported the frail old woman into her home.
• Tsunade examined Nao and learned that Rikuto had been using Chakra to keep her alive.
• Nao said Rikuto had mastered the Mystical Palm Technique at eight, astonishing Tsunade and Shizune.
• Nao revealed that Rikuto had awakened the First Hokage's Wood Release and explained that she had summoned Tsunade hoping she would guide him.

Chiya Nao told Tsunade and Shizune that her grandson, Chiya Rikuto, had awakened Wood Release, and Tsunade was startled by the news. When Rikuto arrived, he met Tsunade and Shizune and considered traveling with Tsunade after realizing his grandmother had sought someone he could rely on.

• Chiya Nao revealed that Chiya Rikuto had awakened Lord Hashirama's Wood Release, shocking Tsunade and Shizune.
• Tsunade believed Nao after recalling the unusual, vital chakra she had sensed in her body.
• Chiya Rikuto returned home, recognized Tsunade through her chakra, and noticed the power held in her pendant.
• Shizune asked Rikuto whether he had truly awakened Wood Release, and Nao encouraged him to trust Tsunade and her disciple.
• Rikuto reflected on Nao's failing health and considered leaving Konoha to travel with Tsunade.

Chiya Rikuto awakened Wood Release and became Tsunade’s disciple, then showed Tsunade and Shizune his unusually powerful Mystical Palm Technique. His healing could not save his grandmother, whose life was nearing its end.

• Chiya Rikuto demonstrated Wood Release, astonishing Shizune and Tsunade.
• Tsunade accepted Rikuto as her disciple, and he agreed to learn from her.
• Rikuto called Tsunade his sister, then formally presented her with a cup of tea.
• Rikuto demonstrated the Mystical Palm Technique with one-handed hand seals, and Tsunade praised his Chakra control and vitality.
• Tsunade comforted Rikuto, telling him he had already done all he could for his grandmother.

Chiya Rikuto demonstrated his rapid self-healing to Tsunade and Shizune, confirming Tsunade’s suspicions about his unusual vitality. Tsunade accepted his plans to remain with his dying grandmother, gave him Medical Ninjutsu study scrolls, and arranged to train him further before taking him away from Konoha.

• Tsunade asked whether Rikuto could heal himself without Hand Seals, and Rikuto confirmed that ordinary injuries healed almost instantly.
• Rikuto cut his arm with a fruit knife, and Shizune watched the deep wound close without leaving a scar while Tsunade turned away from the blood.
• Tsunade explained that she had suspected Rikuto could heal himself after sensing his immense vitality, then gave him two scrolls of Medical Ninjutsu knowledge and case studies.
• Rikuto accepted the scrolls happily, and Tsunade promised to take him to Konoha Hospital for practical experience in a few days.
• Tsunade decided to stay in Konoha so Rikuto could spend his grandmother’s final days with her before leaving the village with Tsunade.

Kurenai Yuhi visited Rikuto, who told her that Tsunade had taken him as her disciple. As Kurenai prepared lunch, she learned that Granny Nao was too unwell to eat and left Rikuto feeling grateful for Tsunade’s support and eager to care for his grandmother.

• Tsunade told Rikuto he could leave the Ninja Academy and advised him to arrange a leave of absence under her name.
• Rikuto watched Tsunade and Shizune leave, then greeted his neighbor Kurenai Yuhi when she arrived with groceries.
• Rikuto asked whether Asuma Sarutobi was still pursuing Kurenai, and she explained that he had backed off after an expensive meal with Rikuto and Anko.
• Rikuto told Kurenai that Granny Nao was sleeping and had asked not to be woken for lunch because her health and appetite had worsened.
• Kurenai was surprised to learn that Granny Nao had once belonged to the Senju Clan and that Tsunade had taken Rikuto as her disciple, then congratulated him on his promising future.

Rikuto teased Kurenai Yuhi about marrying him when he grew up, and she indulged his jokes while discussing her lack of interest in Asuma. The chapter ended with Kurenai agreeing to spend her free afternoon with Rikuto.

• Rikuto asked Kurenai Yuhi whether Asuma’s pursuit had ever tempted her, and she said she saw him only as a friend and disliked smokers.
• Rikuto hugged Kurenai Yuhi and asked if he suited her as a partner; she playfully said he was her type.
• Rikuto asked Kurenai Yuhi to marry him when he grew up, and she agreed jokingly, treating it as a child’s remark.
• Rikuto told Kurenai Yuhi he had thought of their future daughter’s name and offered to teach her Tsunade’s ways of preserving her youth.
• Kurenai Yuhi said she had the afternoon free, then agreed to spend it with Rikuto and warned him to keep his hands to himself.

Chiya Nao revealed that her Senju ancestor, Senju Toka, had been a renowned genjutsu expert and left behind a scroll of her techniques. The chapter ended with Chiya Rikuto learning that the scroll contained advanced genjutsu and training insights.

• Kurenai Yuhi woke Rikuto and learned he planned to leave the Ninja Academy to study at Konoha Hospital with Tsunade.
• Rikuto returned home and used healing chakra to comfort his coughing grandmother, Chiya Nao.
• Chiya Nao told Rikuto that Tsunade was a renowned healer and urged him to learn from her.
• Chiya Nao asked Rikuto to retrieve a locked iron box that had belonged to her mother, Senju Toka.
• Chiya Nao opened the box and showed Rikuto jewelry and a scroll recording Senju Toka's genjutsu techniques and training insights.

Rikuto studied the Senju Genjutsu scroll and used Wood Clones to train in parallel, choosing the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique. Meanwhile, Tsunade drank through her grief in Konoha until the Third Hokage arrived at the tavern.

• Rikuto examined the Genjutsu scroll Chiya Nao had given him and found several powerful techniques, including sound-based Genjutsu and the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
• Rikuto created Wood Clones and assigned them different Genjutsu to study and practice.
• Rikuto began learning the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, noting that it might suit Kurenai Yuhi as well.
• Tsunade drank at a Konoha tavern while Shizune tried to comfort her over painful memories of Nawaki and Dan Katō.
• The Third Hokage entered the tavern, and Shizune recognized him as Tsunade dismissed his arrival.

Tsunade rejected the Third Hokage’s attempt to discuss Konoha’s troubles and explained that she had taken Chiya Rikuto as her student. Rikuto recovered from overworking his Wood Clones, then left three clones to build a puppet while he went for a stroll.

• Tsunade bluntly criticized the Third Hokage and refused to hear about the restless Uchiha Clan.
• Shizune told the Third Hokage that Tsunade had returned to visit Chiya Nao and had taken Chiya Rikuto as her student.
• Rikuto dispelled Wood Clones after they practiced many Genjutsu, and the combined memories left him mentally exhausted.
• Rikuto rested, then learned from a Wood Clone that Sister Kurenai had gone out.
• Rikuto created three Wood Clones, assigned them to build a puppet and watch Grandma, and went for a stroll.

Rikuto escaped Anko and went to the countryside, where a masked attacker ambushed him. He turned the encounter into a genjutsu battle and left the attacker surrounded by countless copies of himself.

• Anko tackled Rikuto in the street, and he eventually escaped her clutches.
• Rikuto washed up by the river and decided to find Tsunade after sensing her chakra.
• A masked figure attacked Rikuto with a Ninja Blade, but Rikuto reappeared unharmed after turning into black mist.
• The masked figure used Release to dispel Rikuto's first genjutsu, only for Rikuto to appear nearby and attack with Shuriken.
• Rikuto charged the masked figure with a Kunai, then revealed that countless copies of himself surrounded the attacker.
• The masked figure realized he was caught in another genjutsu and bit his tongue.

After absorbing a White Zetsu Clone, Chiya Rikuto gained its concealment and impersonation abilities and considered using them to infiltrate the Uchiha before the massacre. The chapter then shifted to Kurenai Yuhi, who was attacked at home and trapped in darkness by a masked figure.

• Chiya Rikuto incapacitated a masked tester with Genjutsu without moving from his original spot.
• A White Zetsu Clone tried to escape, but Chiya Rikuto detected it and absorbed its Chakra through the tree.
• Chiya Rikuto gained the White Zetsu Clone's Mayfly Technique and Impersonation Technique, which could help him infiltrate the Uchiha unnoticed.
• Chiya Rikuto weighed the dangers of the coming Uchiha massacre and resolved to stay cautious about threats such as Kamui, sealing techniques, and barriers.
• Kurenai Yuhi returned from a mission and was attacked in her room by a masked figure who used the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique to blind her.

Rikuto revealed to Kurenai that he had mastered the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique overnight and gave her a scroll. The next morning, his Wood Clones finished a weapon-filled humanoid puppet and tested its mechanisms.

• Rikuto dispelled his Genjutsu and revealed that he had frightened Kurenai with the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.
• Rikuto told Kurenai he learned the A-rank technique from a scroll his grandmother had given him, and Kurenai was stunned that he had mastered it in one night.
• Rikuto presented Kurenai with a scroll as a gift.
• The next morning, Rikuto's Wood Clones completed a humanoid puppet fitted with hidden weapons.
• A Wood Clone controlled the puppet with Chakra Threads, demonstrating its spinning blades and cable-mounted claws, which the other clones caught with vines.

Rikuto completed a weaponized puppet called Rikuto No. 1 and tested it against Tenten, giving her the puppet and instructions so she could train with it. Tenten admired the puppet and asked whether Rikuto really planned to stop attending the Ninja Academy.

• Rikuto returned from Kurenai Yuhi's home and inspected the puppet his Wood Clones had built, then named it Rikuto No. 1.
• Rikuto tested Rikuto No. 1's mechanisms and stored the finished puppet after making a few adjustments.
• Rikuto challenged Tenten to fight Rikuto No. 1, and Tenten conceded after failing to defeat it.
• Rikuto gave Tenten scrolls explaining the puppet's functions, controls, maintenance, and replacement parts.
• Tenten praised Rikuto and asked whether he was really no longer going to the Ninja Academy.

Rikuto continued training Tenten as a puppeteer and went with Tsunade to Konoha Hospital for medical practice. After Danzo decided to focus on other plans and summon Itachi, Rikuto prepared to operate on an injured Chunin, prompting doubts because his experience was as a veterinarian.

• Rikuto encouraged Tenten to work hard as a puppeteer and decided to design her a flying support puppet before leaving Konoha.
• Danzo learned that Rikuto had defeated a Chunin with layered Genjutsu, chose not to test him further, and ordered Root to summon Uchiha Itachi.
• Tsunade returned to Konoha Hospital, where the staff and patients welcomed her enthusiastically.
• Shizune assigned Rikuto to help treat a Chunin whose leg had been mangled by an Explosive Tag.
• Rikuto volunteered to remove the dead tissue, but Yamashiro Kawaki objected when he learned Rikuto's operating experience came from veterinary work.

Rikuto impressed Konoha Hospital with his medical skill and learned about the Akimichi Clan’s Military Rations Pills while dining with Tsunade and Shizune. The story then shifted to Danzō questioning Itachi about the Uchiha Clan’s delayed coup and demanding his answer.

• Rikuto removed rotten tissue from an injured Chunin’s leg and healed the wound with the Mystical Palm Technique.
• Rikuto’s success treating patients earned him the title of Little Medical Sage, and Hiruzen visited the hospital to praise him before Tsunade sent him away.
• Tsunade took Rikuto and Shizune to the Akimichi Clan’s barbecue restaurant and explained the popularity of its Military Rations Pills and the clan’s secret Three-Colored Pills.
• Danzō learned that Tsunade’s return had temporarily postponed the Uchiha Clan’s coup plans and asked Itachi to give his answer.