Surudoi (SL)

is a shinobi of Kumogakure's Yotsuki clan. A Human/Celestial Being hybrid who spent most of his youth unaware of his heritage, he has been identified as truly gifted in the ninja arts, even compared to other prodigies in his generation. His ultimate goal is to become the Raikage, with the dream of defending the peaceful era he was born into and continuing to move the village and it's people forward.

Background
Surudoi was born to Noroi, a former Kumo ANBU agent. After the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, he left the ANBU and became Kumogakure's first Jōnin Commander. After bonding with a fellow ninja named Nibui, he married her. Before the marriage, Nibui revealed her greatest secret: she was actually a celestial being whose true name was Toyotama, who was secretly observing the ninja world. Despite the truth being out, Noroi married her anyway. Several months after the the, she became pregnant, giving birth to Surudoi. Deciding to leave Earth after he was born, Toyotama faked her death,  but stayed hidden in Kumo to be with her family before she left. The night she left, she revealed her true form to her husband: that of a giant dragon. Before leaving, she told Noroi that the necklace she gave him at their wedding could be used to contact her, and a toy for her son. She also promised to return when Surudoi called for her. Though unaware of what she meant by that, he trusted his wife's words and set to work raising their son while waiting for his love to return.

In his early years, Noroi worked hard to raise Surudoi while still doing his job. Unwilling to be too dependent on a sitter, he often took Surudoi with him to work during his early years of life, and he spent a lot of time near of the Raikage, watching his father and A do their part to support the village. He also used some of his free time to teach Surudoi some of the skills he learned during his ANBU days. Eager to grow, Surudoi took all the teaching head-on, and flourished in the ninja arts because of it. His father's training revealed that not did he have an incredible instinct for learning, he was wise beyond his years. When Darui replaced A as Raikage, he gave Surudoi an IQ test in secret. Upon learning of how he fared, Darui told his father that his intellect was above average and his level of wisdom was close to Jōnin-level. When he was enrolled into Kumogakure's Ninja Arts & Academics School, his talent caused his teachers to declare him fit for graduation after 8 months of teaching.

One day, Surudoi meets a strange girl at his secret training spot. When he questions her, she refuses to answer his questions. He grabs her in an attempt to get answers, but she responds with taijutsu attacks. Recognizing she is not a shinobi, but has the skills of one, he fights her for a while to test her, then stops. The girl, who enjoyed the fight, then opens up a bit, but gives a fake name when he asks. Though wary, Surudoi agrees to let her train at his spot provided she agree to train with him when he is present. The girl agrees, and the two begin training together periodically.

Right before Surudoi was set to graduate, the course of his life underwent a paradigm shift. On his way home from school, he witnessed a fire happening on his route home. Seeing a young woman the emergency fire services on site could not reach, Surudoi charged in to help. Though he managed to save her, an explosion cost him his left lower arm, and later cost the woman he was saving the use of her legs. The incident rocked Surudoi to his core, but it had an even greater effect on Noroi. On top of having his son lose his arm, camera footage of the incident showed something only he could notice; Surudoi inherited his mother's abilities and he accidentally tapped into them to survive the explosion. Knowing that life as a ninja would almost certainly expose him as a celestial being, Noroi refused to give authorization for Surudoi to become a genin in order to keep his heritage secret. Even Darui, who saw Surudoi's potential, could not get him to budge on the matter.

Assuming that his father lost faith in him, Surudoi was left wounded by this for a long time. One day, he goes to his training spot, finding the mysterious girl being there by chance. Though she notices his missing arm, she demands a sparring match. He refuses, still upset at his inability to become a ninja. The girl pesters him about it, until he snaps and unloads his feelings of inadequacy regarding his disability. Instead of getting upset, the girl listens to him, then encourages him not to give up. Moved by her kindness, he agrees to spar with her. Even with one arm, he goes toe-to-toe with her until they both tire themselves out. With renewed determination, he thanks the girl for being a good friend. He then gets her to reveal her real name: Kumoihime, Kumoi for short. Before leaving, he shocks her by revealing that he deduced her surname:. He explains that he is willing to keep her secret and keep training with her, but vows to sell her out if he believes she has evil intentions.

Unable to see talent die, Darui made Surudoi an intern in his office so he could contribute without becoming a ninja. After accidentally learning what Surudoi was up to, A sought him out and offered to become his master. He agreed, and Surudoi picked up Nintaijutsu under A's tutelage. Though A did not teach him everything he knew, he learned plenty, but still had no way to apply his training.

One day, the three living Hokage come to the Hidden Cloud for a political meeting. The day after business concluded, Surudoi learned to find that his father's prized necklace was stolen by a drunk Tsunade over the night. When he asked for it back, she refused to return it. Surudoi couldn't stand seeing his dad without the last gift his wife gave him, so he tracked down Tsunade - who had chosen to travel back to Konoha by foot - and politely explained the necklace's significance and asked for it back. When Tsunade brushed him off, he tried to take it back by force. Impressed by his audacity, Tsunade agreed to return it if he could knock her down. Surudoi agreed, then shocked her by using his training from A to push her back. Once the shock wore off, Tsunade managed to deliver a clean hit. Though she held back, Surudoi was heavily injured, but still refused to quit. Using a shadow clone, he renewed his attack. Tsunade easily repelled his attacks, until she tried to counterstrike, only to find that what she thought was a shadow clone was actually an afterimage made by pure speed. Using the opening, Surudoi hit Tsunade with all his strength, and she was forced to use Strength of a Hundred to recover. Though she healed immediately, she was shocked that she was forced to resort to using one of her ace techniques against someone who wasn't even a ninja, and resolved to fight with her seal active to finish the fight quickly.

Before they could continue, Darui and A appeared and intervened. The three then tell Surudoi that everything that happened was a test. Tsunade stole the necklace to motivate him to track her, and the fight was a test of his skill and determination. Seeing the upper limits of Surudoi's abilities in action, Darui authorized Surudoi to drop out of middle school and become a genin the spot. Though overjoyed that he was allowed to become a ninja, he knew his father would disapprove, the one downside of the happiest moments of his life. Despite fearing his father's response, he accepted the headband Darui had for him and began his life as a shinobi. After registering, he was assigned to serve under Samui, who had decided to take on a new team since her old students had grown up. He was teamed with Fukai, a new graduate. Due to a shortage of graduates, the cell could only have two genin, but the shortage did not stop them from having a 97% success rate on all their missions.

Personality
Underneath his harsh and standoffish exterior, Surudoi is a kind, honorable, fun-loving person. Living up to his given name, he is incredibly perceptive, able to quickly analyze a situation and respond. He also possesses a knack for seeing through dishonesty and deducing the truth of a matter, even with a limited amount of knowledge. When speaking, Surudoi avoids mincing words, preferring to get the heart of a conversation quickly. He also possesses a blunt nature inherited from his parents. He is willing to speak his mind honestly with little regard for whether his words will hurt. He is also sharp-tongued, so he is critical towards anyone he dislikes or feels is unworthy of respect. Though he prefers not to speak ill of others, when he does, he combines all of these traits to emotionally damage a person. The only line he refuses to cross is using profanity, as he feels uncomfortable swearing at anyone.

Because of his drive to grow strong, Surudoi enjoys a challenge for the sake of his betterment. He also enjoys fighting with others, but knows when to take a fight seriously and when to relax and enjoy himself. As such, battling potentially strong opponents almost always excites him, and he almost always puts his best foot forward in battle. He will only shy away from confrontation if the opponent is too weak to stand a chance. In such instances, he will not fight to avoid seriously hurting someone. Also, if he sees an opponent is not giving their full measure, he will push them to stop holding back. Should he fail, he will end the conflict as quickly as possible, seeing a onesided match as a waste of time.

When he recognizes and opponent with potential, Surudoi will push them to grow by any means necessary. He does this to instill them with a desire to defeat him. Though he takes no joy in it, he is willing to antagonize others if it motivates them to get stronger, even if he actually likes them. This is done in an effort to increase his pool of powerful rivals and to push other ninja in his generation to become better ninja and people. Though a harsh approach to motivation is his default tactic, Surudoi is also able to take a gentler approach when he wants to, offering advice and encouragement to increase their determination. As a sign of respect, he will acknowledge anyone who manages to exceed his expectations. One of his greatest signs of respect is to laugh at an opponent, showing that they have provided an entertaining challenge.

Though he has a habit of antagonizing people due to his nature, Surudoi has a small group of people that he considers friends. He also has great respect for his rivals, whether they are friendly to him or not. However, he has four people who he considers to be his "lights"; those he has bonded with the most and have had the most impact on his life. His first light is his father Noroi. Because he understood from a young age how hard his father worked to take care of him, he loves and respects him. He is always polite to him, strives to please him, and avoids adding unnecessary trouble to his life. When making important decisions, he factors in his potential responses, and will usually discard an idea if he feels it may displease him. Because his approval is so important to him, it depresses him greatly when Noroi expresses displeasure with him.

His second light is Darui. Having spent more time around the Raikage than most shinobi, Surudoi developed great respect for the Raikage name, eventually deciding to become one when he grew up. He also spent a lot of time near Darui, who occasionally took time from his work to mentor Surudoi and help him hone his mind. Recognizing his exceptional wisdom, Darui would seek Surudoi's opinions on problems and actually rely on them to make decisions. Because Darui personally made him a ninja, Surudoi respects and treasures Darui's faith in him, and seeks to honor that trust in his service as a ninja.

His third light is A. Surudoi considers him an invaluable mentor and friend. Because he took the time to help him adjust to having a missing arm and train him in nintaijutsu, he has nothing but respect for A. He also relies on A's life experiences to understand what the world was like in the past to better understand how to move forward towards a better future.

His fourth light is Kumoihime. Despite not trusting her initially, he developed a strong friendship with her. Their bond is made evident by the fact that she was able to inspire him to continue training to be a ninja after he lost his arm when no one else was able to. Though he is fond of her, Surudoi also sees Kumoi as his strongest rival, and enjoys competing with her.

Appearance
Surudoi is a dark-skinned boy with white hair and black eyes. His outfit consists of a dark colored hoodie and baggy white pants. Additionally, he has bandages around his arms, extending to the back of his hands. After becoming a genin, he began wearing a standard Kumogakure flak jacket over his hoodie and a black Kumo forehead protector. He keeps a kodachi strapped horizontally to his lower back. After a certain incident, Surudoi's missing arm regenerates, but instead of a normal arm, it grows back with dark gray skin.

After tapping into his dragon abilities, Surudoi's eyes gain the ability to change depending on his mood. Most of the time, his eyes resembles a normal human's. When upset, angry, or in a serious mood, his pupils will slit to resemble a reptile's, but his dark eyes keep most people from catching the change. At his most serious or when excited about something, his pupils will slit and his irises turn purple, causing them to fully resemble a dragon's eyes.

Abilities
Even before he began official ninja training at Kumogakure's Academy, Surudoi proved himself to be an adept at the ninja arts. Unlike others in his generation, Surudoi takes his growth seriously, and trains more intensely than most people his age, being dubbed "a genius at hard work." This, combined with his father passing on his ANBU training and his instinct for learning new skills quickly, he was leagues beyond peers in his age group. Even after losing his arm, he was considered "elite among prodigies" by experienced ninja. On top of that, by the age of 13, his skill level had progressed to the point where he was able to force a Sannin to take him seriously. Because he is a Celestial Dragon, he also has range of traits that enhance his skillset.

Chakra and Physical Prowess
Due in part to his celestial parentage, Surudoi has abnormally high chakra reserves for his age. As such, he is not afraid to use learn and use techniques that demand more chakra than genin are expected to have. His father's training gives him excellent chakra control, so he is able to avoid putting too much chakra into techniques. Despite his high reserves, Surudoi prefers to conserve chakra as much as possible for fear of getting carried away. To avoid a burnout, Surudoi sets limits on how much chakra he will expend in a fight, and tries to defeat his opponents before reaching that limit. If the difficulty of a battle exceeds his expectations, he will abandon any use of conserving chakra and use whatever techniques will give him the best chance of victory.

Thanks to Surudoi's training under A, he has bolstered his physical strength to levels his peers consider monstrous. Though not as strong as his master, he is able to lift objects several times his weight, destroy walls, and rip secured objects out of the ground. His greatest feat of strength include catching a punch from Tsunade without losing ground. His speed is also well above average, which proves useful when he needs to close the gap between himself and enemies. At full speed, he is capable of getting through the guard of a Sharingan user. A drawback Surudoi has is that he cannot move at full speed for long periods.

Thanks to his celestial blood, Surudoi has a higher skin density than a human being. This grants him greater durability than most. That, combined with the increased pain tolerance his training provided him, allows him to withstand forces that would injure most people without a scratch and continue fighting even if something manages to injure him. While he can shrug off most blunt attacks, piercing attacks and objects with enough sharpness have an easier time penetrating his body, though he is still able to withstand them better than the average ninja.

Nature Transformation
Surudoi's nature transformations include Lightning, Fire, and Water Release. Being a predominantly mid-range fighter, he uses his transformations to attack from a distance or create openings for close range attacks. To compliment his close quarters skills, he has learned to stream Lightning and Fire chakra into weapons to increase their power. He has also learned to create powerful Water Release constructs to fight with. To compliment his use of Water Release, he has a seal for storing a large quantity of water inscribed into his pant leg to allow him to use Water Release when there is little water around him.

Surudoi also learned to utilize Aether Release, a nature release Kekkei Tota that draws out subatomic energies for various applications. Having mastered the core abilities of this nature, he is able generate bursts of heated plasma, powerful lightning attacks, and create energy constructs of varying shapes and sizes.

Bukijutsu
Having been taught by a former ANBU, Surudoi is well versed in swordplay, able to quickly draw his weapon and apply it for offense or defense. He is also an adept at shurikenjutsu. A near-perfect marksman, his skill is great enough that he can use an enemy's projectiles to change the trajectory of his own to reach a target.

Celestial Dragon Transformation
Because he is part Celestial Dragon, Surudoi has the ability to transform into a dragon as a secondary form. In this form, he unleashes the full measure of his abilities. As such, his strength, speed, and the power of his jutsu dramatically increase while transformed. As a winged creature, he also develops the ability to fly. The transformation also alters his physiology, allowing him to function in places with little to no air, such as underwater. He also masters the ability to transform individual parts of body in situations that don't require a full transformation.

Versus Urashiki Arc
Eight months after the during the, the Five Kage hold a social outing in Kumogakure, to gather as friends instead political leaders. As part of the initiative, the Kage bring their friends and family to the village. Due to a discrepancy in assigning guards for the civilians, Team Samui and Team Konohamaru are both assigned to watch over. Worse still, Samui is away on a solo mission, so Surudoi and Fukai are the only ones available. The teams get over their feelings about the mix-up and agree to safeguard her as best they can. To give Naruto and Hinata alone time, the detail decides to keep their daughter entertained for few hours. Team Konohamaru, having the only Jōnin, takes point as they travel through the village seeking ways to distract Himawari. Two hours in, they run into A, who they stop to talk to. While Sarada bombards A with questions, Boruto makes a rude remark about him. As his student, Surudoi immediately gets upset.

Boruto, unwilling to apologize, nearly instigates a fight, but they are cut off by the Storm Watch Alarm going off, signaling that a typhoon of the highest category heading in the direction of the village. After Fukai defuses the situation, they focus on getting Himawari to her parents in preparation for the coming storm. On the way, they notice explosions happening in other parts of the village. Assuming someone is capitalizing on the storm to launch an attack, they look for a faster route to the Kages' location. On the way there, they are cut off by, who explains his intent to capture Himawari. Before he can move, an ANBU squad - Himawari's secret protection detail - and Konohamaru engage him, but are dispatched.

After they are defeated, Surudoi and Fukai launch a coordinated attack to hold Urashiki in place long enough for them to escape. Surudoi takes charge and comes up with a plan. He instructs Mitsuki to find the Five Kage and bring them for support while the rest of them hide in a nearby building and stall as long as possible. Team Konohamaru objects to the plan, but he intimidates them into compliance. They go through with his plan, but Urashiki finds them in the time it takes them to find a hiding place. Despite the difference in power, the group uses the predictability of his jutsu to confound and restrain him, but he easily escapes and dispatches them. Before he grabs Himawari, Surudoi manages to tackle him out of a window. Uraskiki recovers immediately and attempts to kill Surudoi, but he senses something inside him that disturbs him. The Kage arrive, but Urashiki slips through their attacks and escapes through a portal with Himawari.

When everyone recovers, Team Samui apologizes to Naruto and Hinata for failing, but they forgive them immediately. Unable to accept defeat, Surudoi analyzes Urashiki's behavior during the skirmish, the path of the incoming typhoon, and a map of the village and the surrounding region. He uses it to determine the most likely spot Urashiki would hide; the mountain dubbed. He relays the information to the Kage, but they cannot act until the typhoon passes. Before leaving to aid in securing the village and civilians, Naruto tests Surudoi's wisdom with a hypothetical scenario. Satisfied with his answer, he instructs Team Konohamru to act as support for Team Samui until the storm ends. They reluctantly submit to their leader's will, and vow to help as best they can. He also asks Sasuke - who was present in anticipation of danger happening at the outing - to keep an eye on them. However, instead of helping with the evacuation, Surudoi declares that they are going to rescue Himawari.

Everyone objects, seeing no possible way to defeat an Celestial Being, but Surudoi has an ace in the hole: a possible lead on what Urashiki is searching for. With Sasuke, A and Killer B tagging along, Surudoi leads the group to a small village not far from Kumo. There, he goes to meet his secret weapon: a young Ōtsutsuki girl. When he explains the situation, the girl confirms his hunch: Urashiki is looking for her. Surudoi asks her to give herself up to save Himawari. Despite being attached to the life she has made on Earth, she agrees without hesitation. After rejoining the others, he explains the situation, and they leave after they get over the fact that Surudoi was harboring an Ōtsutsuki.

Once they get close to Mountain Storm, Surudoi has Kumoi allow Urashiki to sense her. Once he arrives, they demand Himawari's return, else they kill his quarry. Urashiki agrees and produces Himawari, but reneges halfway during the exchange and grabs both girls. Before he can escape, they spring the trap they prepared in anticipation of his betrayal. While Sasuke, A, and B engage him, the genin grab Himawari and try to get back to the village. To cover their tracks, Surudoi leads them into the typhoon, now hitting Kumo. Before they could get back, Urashiki's Summoning Animal, a levitating turtle, catches up to them. Unable to put a scratch in it, they struggle to stay ahead of it as they try to avoid debris whipped up by the storm. As they all begin to tire, Fukai creates a strategy to use the debris to attack the summon. The team manages to uproot some support beams and use the gusts to guide them into the turtle's eyes, wounding it.

As they get closer to one of the evacuation shelters, Urashiki arrives. Angereed at his summon being injured, he defeats all of the genin. In the melee, Surudoi orders Kumoihime to fly Himawari to safety while they stall, and she reluctantly complies. Urashiki easily dispatches everyone, with Surudoi taking the most punishment. Before Urashiki can leave to grab the girls, Surudoi struggles to his feet again. However, he begins to emit a disharge of abnormal chakra that forms a cloak around him. He then engages Urashiki, but the odd chakra allows him to keep up. Surudoi is able to deliver a heavy attack that injures Urashiki, but the strange cloak runs out immediately after, and Surudoi passes out. Upset at being wounded by a child, Urashiki prepares to kill him, but Kumoi, who returned with the Five Kage, shields him with her body. The Kage catch up and push a wounded Urashiki back, forcing him to retreat, but Naruto and Darui attack him at the last second. Urashiki manages to get a portal open, but Surudoi, who regained consciousness, uses his remaining chakra to launch a jutsu to distract Urashiki long enough for Naruto and Darui's combo to connect. After Urashiki is, Surudoi is taken alongside the rest of the group to shelter, where they receive medical attention while they continue waiting out the storm.

The day after the incident, the Five Kage convene officially to discuss the attack, Surudoi's punishment for harboring a celestial being, and Kumoihime's fate. After having the two explain how they met and their intentions, Kurotsuchi and Gaara question Surudoi's motives for hiding Kumoihime's presence. Surudoi explains that he considers Kumoihime a dear friend, and unapologetically stands by his decision to keep her presence hidden. After the Kage agree to reconvene the next day, Darui has Surudoi and Kumoihime brought to his office. Deciding to trust Surudoi's judgement, he offers Kumoi a chance to avoid life in imprisonment by becoming a Kumo genin, which she accepts. As punishment for harboring her, Surudoi is forced to take responsibility for her actions: not only must he monitor her as she adjusts to being a shinobi, but he will be punished if she betrays them. He accepts the terms, and she is assigned to be the last member of Team Samui.

After Surudoi is returned to the hospital and turns in for the night, he has a dream of Urashiki, the two of them hovering over the ocean. Congratulating him for standing against him so valiantly, Urashiki offers him a warning about his future: that his fangs will something precious to him one day. Urashiki also leaves him with a gift that Surudoi cannot yet see, before he is dragged into the sea by a dragon. Surudoi wakes up shaken by the dream, to the attending doctors with shocked looks on their faces. He then notices a strange feeling where his left arm used to be. Pulling back the sheets, he finds that he has a left arm again, though it is a dark gray color. Though shocked at first, he remembers his dream and realizes that Urashiki somehow generated a new arm for him. He silently thanks his enemy as the doctors begin to study his new arm.

Team Samui Completion Arc
One month after the fight with Urashiki, doctors and scientists finish studying Surudoi's arm, allowing him to return to active duty. After reuniting with his team he is surprised to find that Kumoihime is getting along with Samui and Fukai. He asks about how they were able to get along, but Samui informs him that they have a mission assigned and promises to catch him up along the way.

High Queen Dragon Arc
3 months after the battle with Urashiki, Surudoi is out doing solo training after Team Samui is given mandatory leave due to shortage a of missions. While training, he feels he is being watched. He detects a presence nearby, and demands that they come out. The stalker complies, coming out into the open, revealing herself to be a woman. He discerns that she is not a threat, but also feels a faint recognition that he cannot place. Impressed that he caught her, she praises his instincts, claiming they came from his mother. Since few people ever actually talk about his mother, he asks how she knew her. Unable to contain herself, she reveals that she is his mother. Surudoi gets upset, since he was told his mother died in childbirth. In response, she tells him to talk to his father, who she addresses by name, then vanishes.

Surudoi immediately finds his dad and tells him what happened. Noroi responds by telling him the truth: the woman he met was his mother, who faked her death to hide her true identity. Though angry at being lied to his entire life, Surudoi controls himself and demands answers. To answer them, he takes Surudoi home, where his mother is waiting. The two parents agree to answer all of Surudoi's questions. Going through them all, Surudoi works to process his mother's identity and origin, and how it relates to him. He then asks his final question: Toyotama's reason for showing up now. She explains that the fight with Urashiki triggered the dormants physical traits he inherited from her, and her intent to equip him to get through the resulting changes. She offers to train him not only to deal with the changes, but to teach him the unique jutsu of the Celestial Dragons. Though he has not yet processed all of his thought on the topic, he is unwilling to pass up a chance to get stronger, and agrees to train until his mandatory leave is up. Exposing her true form to him, she flies him to a secluded mountain to start training.

The first two days of training are spent trying to get Surudoi to unleash his Roar of the Soul, which will truly begin his change into a Celestial Dragon. After numerous failures, Toyotama challenges him to a fight, which she wins easily. Surudoi's contempt for losing kicks in, and begins challenging her repeatedly, only to lose each time. After enough losses, Toyotama reminds him that showing anger is not a weakness, and reminds him of the importance of releasing his feelings. He takes her advice and successfully releases his Roar. His mother is impressed by the power he releases, and declares they can begin the real training.

When the side effect of Surudoi's roar draws attention to their position, Toyotama flies them away to look for a new training ground. While flying over the, Chōmei, who had been tailing them, catches up. Toyotama readies herself for battle, but Surudoi convinces her to flee instead. The chase extends into the Land of Fire, and sets off the nation's Air Defense Network. Before Toyotama can escape, several airships try to cut her off, unable to slow down, she maneuvers past them, and uses a Space–Time Ninjutsu to teleport the two of them to another dimension.

The duo wind up in Kaguya's palace in her Ice Dimension. Because she teleported on the fly, they are stranded until Toyotama regains her strength. To pass the time, she has Surudoi test his newfound strength out while they wait. She also begins to teach him the basics of Aether Release. After they complete that stage of training, the two take time to bond. Though he is angry at her for not being around, he also comes to see the importance in her reason for leaving. After he manages to express forgiveness, the two bond.

Toyotama returns them to Earth immediately after she recovers enough chakra. After that, the two return to Noroi and spend quality time together. The next day, Team Samui regroups from their leave for a training session. Surudoi and Kumoihime spar, until their rivalry pushes them to fight seriously. In the middle of the match, Toyotama appears and attacks Kumoi. After separating Kumoihime from her human comrades, she grabs Surudoi to shield him and goes on the attack. Kumoi tries to defend herself, but gets frozen in place also. Toyotama tries to incinerate Kumoi with her Inner Flame, but Surudoi manages to break her grip and stop her counter with his own Flame. Her being impressed that Surdoi reaching a milestone stops her long enough for Surudoi to explain that Kumohime is a friend, which confounds her enough to make her retreat.

After reporting the incident without exposing his mother, Surudoi invites his team to his house. Once there, he has to keep his mother and Kumoihime from fighting while he explains the truth to everyone. Though Kumoi and Toyotama have a hard time of it, they agree to a truce, and his human teammates agree to keep his secret. Also, since Surudoi managed to release his Inner Flame, Toyotama decides it is safe for her to leave him to finish growing alone. She tells Surudoi all of the remaining milestones of his change into a Celestial Dragon is complete. The next day Surudoi is present at her sendoff. Though still conflicted about her, he tells her that he is glad to have met her.

A few days later, Surdoi and Noroi come home to find Toyotama there. Having been granted permission to leave her old home, she declares her intent to stay on Earth permanently. Surudoi is happy she wants to stay, but between the fact that her human alias was declared dead and the international scare from her chase with Chomei, he warns her that she can't simply come back. Seeing the truth in their argument, she decides to force the heat on her to die down, and leaves. Four days later, Toyotama returns, having managed to convince the Hokage to abandon his search for her. Surudoi asks how she managed it, but she responds by say that she hopes he never has to find out what she did.

Beigoma Tournament Arc
Three weeks later, Surudoi introduces Kumoihime to one of his favorite hobbies: playing Bakuten Shoot Beigoma. He is surprised to learn that the game exists on her world with a different name. Seeking a battle to see if he can play with his new arm, he asks her to play, and she happily agrees. The two battle, and he easily defeats Kumoi, proving he his edge has not dulled. Kumoi is inspired to regain her skill for the game and asks for rematch to train, so they battle until it gets too late to continue. When Kumoi resolves to retrain herself to her original level, Surudoi promises to keep growing so he does not to lose to her.

Several weeks later, Surudoi and the rest of Team Samui visit the special park ninja who play Beigoma frequent, hoping to find a worthy opponents to practice with. Later, Surudoi watches Kumoihime defeat the Beigoma player who unofficially ran the park, earning herself the title of Park Boss. He then is challenged by, currently the best player in the village, and now one win away from surpassing the current winning streak.

Because Kumoihime insisted that Toroi take the title of best by gaining the win he needs from the current holder of the streak, Surudoi has to reveal that he is the one with the longest winning streak in the village. Before he lost his arm, he was the best player in the village and was given the title of Spin Emperor, marking him as the true best player in Kumo. Agreeing to the challenge, Surudoi defends the title by winning the match, proving he is still the best.

A few days later, Team Samui is given an A-rank mission: to serve as the honor guard for the Raikage on his visit to Konoha. When they get there, they find that Team Konohamaru was given the same mission. While Darui and Naruto meet, Surudoi and his genin comrades leave, as they all figured out that the mission was a red herring to hide the true purpose of the visit: to let Konoha monitor Kumoihime and determine if she is still docile. The three look for a place to play Beigoma, while Team Konohamru tries to get them to return to their post. Surudoi explains the truth to them, and reveals that they are being watched by ANBU agents. Eventually, they find a suitable spot near the Konoha Hospital. As the three practice, Sakura shows up having seen her daughter outside. Sakura recognizes the game they are playing, and asks a favor: that they come to the hospital and play to entertain the child patients. Having no problem with it, they move their game to the playground on the campus so kids can watch them.

After a while, Sakura leaves, then returns and presents a Beigoma top. Sakura challenges Kumoi to a battle and wins, prompting Surudoi to challenge her. The two reach a tie, but Surudoi edges out the win. He praises her connection with her top and asks how Sakura got it, as they only recently became popular in other villages. She explains that a patient she helped many years ago gave it her as a gift. Sarada, who has been watching, asks what he meant by "connection." He explains that most Beigoma tops made in the present are factory-made, but older Beigoma tops were made for fun and chakra control training. The method used to forge them also imbued them with a will that, when connected to, made them move faster, hit harder, and access special abilities of the parts. The players who possess these tops and can draw out their maximum power are the best. Sarada then pulls out a top, and Surudoi gets serious and asks her where she got it. She explains that a Jōnin gave it to her, and also gave Boruto one too. Boruto thinks his is cool, but she has no interest in the game.

Incensed at her carelessness, Surudoi explains that their beys are the workmanship of the Kumo-nin who crafted the older Beigoma tops, all of whom died during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Given the design and weight, they were probably among the last ones made by their hands. He takes their beys and streams chakra into them, sensing strong wills inside both of them. Hearing the voices of their beys, he tells Boruto that his is made for one who has the guts to charge forward no matter what. He tells Sarada that hers was made for the hands of one with an indomitable fighting spirit and the will to seek the title of strongest. The problem is, he does not see either of those qualities in her. This angers Sarada, who exclaims that her aspiration to become Hokage is proof he is wrong, but he doesn't believe she has the will for that either. She then challenges him to match to prove herself. Though he does not expect a challenge, he accepts. The two battle, and Surudoi's bey easily blows Sarada's away, but when it seems as though victory is certain, Sarada's will to win causes her chakra to resonate inside the bey. She then instinctively uses the power of the resonance to launch an attack strong enough to push him back. Surudoi gets serious and resonates as well, and while he wins with a two-point finish, his bey loses stability and stops spinning. He realizes that she would have scored a point on him if her bey had lasted a second longer. He then leaves, but tells Sarada that while she's not as strong as him, he was wrong about her level of willpower. The group then heads back to prepare for their mission to end.

A few days later, Surudoi is walking through Kumo when he spots a news feature regarding a International Beigoma Battle Tournament being held in. However, he finds that he missed the registration date to enter. Angered that no one mentioned it to him, he goes to the park where the qualifying rounds are being held to talk to his friends, who he learns all entered without saying anything. Before he can find them, he learns from a spectator about a second qualifier tournament being held. Surudoi enters, and learns that the tournament is a battle royale. When he learns that not everyone will participate at once, he petitions the officials to have one battle with all participants involved. Because everyone agrees to it, the officials grant his request. Surudoi then goes on to defeat everyone in the battle royal on his own, earning a spot in the international tournament.

When the time for the tournament comes, he confronts Kumoihime about not mentioning the tournament to him. She tells him that his mother demanded that he not be told. He confronts her on the matter, but she stubbornly refuses to elaborate. Sensing the futility of getting answers, he refocuses on winning the tournament. Before the tournament starts, he is interviewed by a news outlet. Instead of answering questions, he gives a challenge to all of the other players who made it to the tournament to make it entertaining for him. However, Surudoi secretly visits Kitsui, the son of two of the original Beigoma crafters and the only Beigoma player in Kumo better than him. As the only one left who knows the old way of crafting Beigomas, he asks that he upgrade his bey for the tournament. When he asks why the Spin Emperor needs a better top, he says that there is someone he does not want to lose to.

Surudoi manages to make it to the quarterfinals without yielding a point in any match, defeating each opponent with one strike. During his match against, he preys on Lee's anxiety throwing him off enough to easily defeats Metal in the first round. In the next round, he is shocked when Metal shakes off his anxiety and forces a draw. Recognizing how close he came to losing, he gets serious for round three. Despite going all-in, he is overwhelmed by Metal's skill and power. Being pushed to the edge of defeat, Surudoi creates a new technique that defeats Metal's Beigoma top. Before leaving, he gives Metal a new part for his top and acknowledges him as a Spin Emperor. In the semifinals, Surudoi faces Hanabi Hyūga, Kitsui's ex-girlfriend and rival. Because of their relationship, she became the only Beigoma player in the world that's Kitsui's equal, and the only person in the tournament better than him. Despite her superior skills, he narrowly bests Hanabi and advances to the finals. He thanks her for giving him a heated battle, then leaves to watch the other semifinal match.

He is surprised to see Kumoihime lose to her opponent: Sarada Uchiha. Before leaving, he warns Sarada to bring her best so she can entertain him. That night, Surudoi gets some last minute practice in, but Toyotama interrupts him, insisting he rest. He decides to listen to her, but before they go to their room, she hugs him and tells him not to lose before giving his full measure. Though he brushes his off, he is moved heavily by her gesture.

When the final match comes, Surudoi faces Sarada in a five point match. Seeing that she has improved, but is still unworthy of his full power, he manages to score four points in the first two matches while still holding back. In the third round, he is surprised at Sarada managing to force a draw. He decides to up his game slightly to see if she can keep up with a stronger launch. He does so, but Sarada's will to win allows her to score one point against him. He laughs it off, though inwardly he is truly impressed by her growth and decides to battle seriously, and warns her that he will not allow her to score again. He is shocked when Sarada manages to score two points, though she injures her shoulder in the process. When she refuses to call a timeout to get medical attention, he calls for a timeout himself to buy her the time to get examined. He uses the time for a bathroom break, but before returning to the stadium, he is cut off by Naruto. Naruto shows Surudoi a Beigoma top that looks exactly like his did before he upgraded it, realizing that it came from Toyotama. He then returns to the stadium, realizing that Naruto knows that he is Toyotama's child, and that she tried to keep him from competing to keep that from happening.

The revelation of a foreign Kage learning his identity concerns him, but he sets it aside to focus on the match. However, his thoughts wander during the match, throwing off his launch, and He manages to recover, but Sarada wins the match, gaining another point. Refusing to lose another point, he goes all in. In the last battle, he unleashes his full power in response to Sarada coming close to winning, but the intensity of both players' chakra end up breaking the stadium and forcing a draw. However, Hanabi - who was refereeing - reveals that Surudoi's bey held out for a fraction of a second longer than Sarada's, granting him the championship. After receiving the first place medal, he meets up with his mother, who is happy he won but worried about the Kage finding out the truth about him. The next day, they take a train back to Kumo, but before leaving, he meets with Sarada and bestows her the title of Spin Emperor as a sign of respect. He then challenges her to improve for their next match.

Chūnin Exams Repeat Arc
When the time for the next Chūnin Exams arrives, Surudoi enthusiastically registers along with his teammates after Samui declares them qualified to enter. He then suggests they all spar together in preparation, and agrees with Kumoihime's suggestion that they go to the training area they used when they first met. While there, he participates in a three way sparring session that quickly escalates into a serious ninjutsu battle. The fight is interrupted by an Ōtsutsuki male attacking Surudoi. As he manages to force the Ōtsutsuki off of him, the rest of team rushes to his defense, only for five more to appear. Surudoi tries to stop them when they grab Kumoihime, but is pushed back again. He managed to pin one of them down and threatens his life, but is caught off guard when things are escalated by the appearance of four Celestial Dragons, who attack the Ōtsutsuki. After Toyotama and Noroi, who sensed that he was in danger, arrive and convince everyone to stop, he has his injuries treated by Kumoi.

Once the violence ends and both sides are calmed, Surudoi is introduced to his aunt, uncle, and maternal grandparents. Angered that they attacked his friend, he immediately threatens to beat them all up. Toyotama convinces him to behave while she smooths things over. He then overhears the Ōtsutsuki group - revealed to be Kumoihime's mother, four sisters, and cousin - are planning to take her from Earth. After Darui and a battalion of shinobi arrive to deal with the situation, Surudoi watches on as he gives the celestial beings a chance to leave. Surudoi then voices support for Kumoi's suggestion to wager her fate on her performance in the Chunin Exams, even though he will be punished if she loses the bet. Surudoi spends the next few days training with Darui to ensure that he is strong enough to make it to the Exam finals. When the time comes to depart for the exams, he reunites with his team, where they resolve to do their best.

When Surudoi and his team arrive in Konoha early, he gets some last minute training in while his team settles in to relax. His training is interrupted by Sarada, who challenges him to a ninjutsu battle. Curious to see her strength, he complies, on the condition that she surrender her Beigoma top to him if she loses, to which she agrees. The two fight, and Surudoi notes that despite her growth since the last time he saw her skills, she has not improved enough to be a worthy adversary. He easily corners her, but he gets distracted when he detects a rising in Boruto, exposing himself long enough for Sarada to counterattack. However, he regains his bearings and incapacitates her with a blast of Soulfire. He then follows Sarada to her home, where she surrenders her top. Rather than keep it as a trophy, he crushes it in his hand to punish her for losing to him. He then calls her out her weakness, telling her she is unworthy to pursue the title of Hokage, and vows to further punish her should they cross paths in the Exams. Later, Kumoi chastises and questions his actions. He calmly counters that she already knows why he did what he did.

The day before the Exams begin, Surudoi's training is again interrupted by Sarada, who challenges him to a Beigoma match, having repaired and improved her own top. Curious, he accepts on the condition that they battle until one of them scores a two-point finish, with one point finishes counting as draws. The two battle, with both sides drawing until they run out of time to keep battling. His inability to defeat her thrills him, but he senses that she is still not ready to face him in the exams. Before leaving to rest for the next day, he declares his intent to uphold his previous vow to break her.

The next day, Surudoi and his team arrive to the site of the written portion of the exams with the rest of the participants. When he completes the test, he takes time to analyze the rest of the contenders, noticing only a few that may be worthy of his effort. When the proctor prepares to give the last question to decide who passes and who fails, he is one those who don't break, allowing his team to pass the first stage of the exams. Once the test is done, he returns to his training until dinner. When a fight nearly breaks out during the meal, Surudoi radiates enough malice to intimidate everyone into calming down before finishing his food and leaving.

The following morning, Surudoi gathers along with the remaining contenders and participates in a race to Konoha's airfield, where an airship meant to transport participants to the stage of the second part of the exams. He and his team get ahead of the competition, but are stopped by a barrier, which Surudoi and Fukai both recognize as a weakened Thirty-Six Layer Self-Repairing Barrier. Though Surudoi manages to put a hole in the first layer, it repairs itself before he can pass through. Unable to break through alone, Surudoi convinces the competing teams to work together. While the strongest genin break open the barrier, the weaker ninja use various jutsu to hold the breaks open long enough for them to pass through, allowing everyone to make it to the airfield. As they travel to their destination, Surudoi continues his training. He is surprised when several genin, Sarada included, ask to train with him. Deciding it won't impede his own efforts, he agrees.

When they arrive at the island where the next part of the exams is held, Surudoi listens to the rules being explained, then heads out with his team. As they traverse the island and get the lay of the land, Surudoi suggests a spot where they may find a shinobi carrying their target, a scroll. He leads his team to the spot he pointed out. His suspicion pans out, and the team find a ninja guarding a scroll. However, the guardian is Kurotsuchi. Though shocked that a Kage is getting involved, Surudoi agrees with Fukai when he suggests they try to take the scroll despite the skill of their opponent. Despite his best efforts, He and Fukai are both restrained without getting near the scroll, and can only watch as she sends a clone after a retreating Kumoihime.

While they wait, Kurotsuchi expresses disappointment in their efforts, expecting more. Surudoi replies that he has more power to show, but is waiting for Kumoi to dispatch her clone before moving. He explains that he has faith in his teammate because she may be the only genin in Kumo with as much determination as him, a fact proven true when Kumoi destroys the clone. Sensing the time is right, Surudoi and Fukai collaborate to break her restraints and renew their attack. Working with his team, he helps them to defeat Kurotsuchi's counterattack and grab her scroll. After listening to the Tsuchikage's praise, he leaves with his friends to rest before they go to commandeer an airship to leave the island and head to the finish line in.

The next morning, he notices Team 7 tailing them as they head to find an airship. Turning to confront them, he ignores Sarada's challenge for his scroll. When she attacks out of anger, he defeats her, and leaves a message for Sarada with Mitsuki. When he reaches the dock with the airships and sees only one remaining, he asks Kumoihime to search for remaining competitors. When she finds Team Konohamaru and  heading their way, he asks his teammates to wait for them. When all of the teams arrive, Surudoi offers a truce and ride the airship to the finish line together, and when they agree, Kumoihime help get the airship moving. As all of the teams work together, they are able to overtake the remaining teams. However, once they enter Kiri's borders, Shinki turns on them. Shinki demands everyone's scrolls.

Fortunately, Kumoi, who has her team's scroll, is not on the ship. Anticipating a trap, Team Samui decided to have Kumoi fly ahead with the scroll. Surudoi and Fukai collaborate to break free and escape with Kumoi. Summoning an eagle to carry his team, he orders his summon to get them to the finish line, then sets off a second set of explosive tags he hid on the airship, forcing the other teams to abandon ship. Partway there, they are intercepted by Team Shinki, following on Iron Sand clouds. As they battle, Surudoi is knocked off of his eagle, forcing him to keep up on foot, only to be attacked by Team Konohamaru. Determined to win, he decides to use Lightning Release Chakra Mode to catch up to his team. Once he does, he sees his eagle disappear, throwing his team off long enough for them to get knocked to the ground. Seeing their distance from the finish line, he risks exhausting his chakra reserves and uses Lightning Release: Body Flicker to grab his team and carry them across the finish line, being the first team to finish. He inquires about his teammates' condition, and once satisfied they aren't badly injured, he collapses from exhaustion.

Chūnin Exams Finals Arc
Surudoi is sent to medics, where he recovers from his exhaustion and is told that he helped his team finish the second round of the exams. He then finds his team, who inquire about his health. Kumoihime scolds him for being so reckless, and Fukai is simply glad he is alright. They explain that the finals will be held in one month, so the finalists have time to hone their skills. Surudoi decides to find a place to train apart from his team, since they ill likely be foes in the finals. Kumoi decides to go to the Valley of Clouds and Lighting. He leaves to think of somewhere else to train, but tells his friends to do their best so they can go all out when they face off.

During the month of training, Surudoi trains to finish his transformation into a Celestial Dragon. Since the final step is to actually transform, he tries repeatedly without success. His mother has taken an interest in teaching one of Kumohime's sisters, so she has less time to help him practice. To compensate, his grandparents also help him hone his Aether Release skills. He also trains with Darui, who is trying to make sure his performance reflects well on Kumogakure. When the month to train is nearly up, Surudoi has improved, but still has not transformed. During the final week of preparation, everyone warns him to be careful: the battles ahead of him could trigger the transformation, and out him to the world if it happens during the exams. The time for the finals comes, and Surudoi reunites with his team at : the site of the finals. They all agree to hang on until they meet at the end. They gather with the other contenders, and hear that the finals will be battle royale, and the entire area is the battlefield. Contenders must fight until they are unable to continue. Each participant is be given a single smoke bomb they can use to withdraw from exactly one fight without being removed from the finals. The last four participants standing after a certain amount of time will participate in a tournament bracket the next day. If less than four remain after time is up, whoever is left will fight in one final match.

When the exams begin, Surudoi begins searching for an opponent. He encounters Metal Lee, who challenges him to a match. The two engage, and Surudoi holds the upper hand due to his superior speed and striking power. Metal refuses to yield, and begins using the Eight Gates to try to turn the tides. Surudoi is still stronger against the first gates, but he loses ground when Metal opens the second gate. Not to be outdone, he counters with Lightning Release Chakra Mode, able to hold it longer thanks to training. Metal then activates the third gate, which pushes his strength to match Surudoi blow for blow. Metal manages to catch him in the Hidden Lotus, opening the fourth gate to ensure it connects, then pushes his limits to open the fifth gate for a finishing blow. Surudoi takes a great deal of damage and thinks to himself that Metal is far stronger than he could have imagined. Metal closes the gates to avoid further injury, and he drops his guard. Surudoi uses the opening to grab Metal and knock him out with a weak Liger Bomb. Getting the win,, who is part of the team of proctors monitoring the fighting, comes out of hiding to wait with his son for medics to arrive. Surudoi tells Rock to let his son know he would like to face him again one day, then leaves to find another opponent. Along the way, he learns from a screen set up in the forest that Fukai was eliminated after a battle with. The two fought until neither could continue, but there is no footage of their battle. Curious about Mitsuki's strength and saddened that his friend was knocked out, he moves on.

Twenty minutes later, Surudoi runs into a trio of opponents:, the latest Ino-Shika-Chō team. He initially thinks very little of them, but they do not retreat, so he decides to fight. He easily avoids getting caught in their Ino-Shika-Chō combo, until he gets caught in Shikadai's shadow. He gets caught off guard, since Shikadai's shadow is nowhere near him. He then catches the trick: Inojin used a black and white drawing to make him misjudge the length of Shikadai's shadow. Inojin then uses Mind Body Switch Technique to take him over. In his mind, Inojin says that he intends to keep Surudoi in one place long enough for Chōchō to hit him. Surudoi decides to let him get away with it, believing he could take the hit. Oddly, the spirit inside his Beigoma top - which he kept in his pocket - appears in his mind and tells him not to make it so easy for his foes. Taking its advice, he uses his connection with his bey to regain control of his body while keeping Inojin's consciousness trapped within him.

He still allows Chōchō to land a hit, but since Inojin is still inside him, his body takes damage too. The rest of the team hesitates in fear of hurting Inojin, so he uses the moment to attack Shikadai. He then releases Inojin, freeing Chōchō up to retaliate, which she does by using her clan's secret food pills. Using the boost to her strength and chakra, she enlarging herself and attacks him with a barrage of Lightning Release punches. Surudoi dodges most of them, but he catches a few of them while climbing a giant rock formation in retreat. Chōchō corners him, but in the instant she tries to finish him, he uses a drop-kick to deflect her attack to the ground. Unfortunately for her, the formation lies next to a small lake, which Surudoi intentionally lured her to. The result is Chōchō shocking herself, leaving her exposed long enough for Surudoi to deliver a high speed punch. As Chōchō reverts to normal size, he dashes behind her teammates and knocks them out with neck chops. Angered at the defeat of her teammates, Chōchō goes all out, using her last food pill to enter Butterfly Mode. Channeling all her power into her fist, she charges in for a final attack. Fired up by her going all-in, Surudoi rushes her, intentionally aiming for a mutual blow. The two punch each other full-force and are sent flying. Surudoi manages to recover, but Chōchō is unable to move. He gives her props for damaging him more than he expected, then leaves to rest.

Not far from the site of his last battle, he runs into, who immediately attacks him. Surudoi decides to fight him, but before he can attack, Sarada arrives to fight him. Shinki attacks her, but Surudoi saves her. At the same time, and  show up, wanting to avenge Metal Lee. The four begin fighting over who should face him first, so Surudoi decides to face them all at once, attacking them all at once. Shinki tries to trap in in Iron Sand, but Surudoi counters with his his enhanced lightning. The lightning disrupts Shinki's Magnet Style, leaving him open to attack. Before he can get close, Sarada and Iwabee intercept him, but are still pushed back. Sarada convinces Shinki to cooperate, but even then Surudoi holds the advantage. Even though their persistence begins to wear him down, he continues to push them back. Their efforts start to excite him, but he then gets overwhelmed by a strange feeling. It distracts him long enough for his foes to hammer him consecutive attacks. Shinki and Iwabee work together to bury him alive. Trapped underground and unable to move, Surudoi believes himself to have exhausted himself. He then sees a vision of a dragon telling him that he has reached his limit, but can find the strength to continue if he knows how to reach it. Surudoi then thinks back to his training with his grandparents, and realizes why he hasn't been able to transform into his dragon form yet.

Having figured out his mistake, Surudoi manages to transform and break out of his entrapment. To avoid suspicion, he changes back into a human. Now aware of his newfound strength, he tests it out, easily overwhelming his four opponents. When he corners them, Boruto, who was watching, joins the fray. Even still, Surudoi is still strong enough to overpower them. Deciding to end the battle, Surudoi fires off an Aether Release attack that breaks through Iwabee and Shinki's hastily made defense. However, he catches Boruto and Sarada flying out of the path of his attack on Iron Sand, as Shinki and Iwabee sacrificed themselves to give the other two a chance to attack him, he prepares a counter, but is trapped by Denki, who had been felled already. The instant of paralysis allows Boruto to at him, allowing her secret weapon - the Chidori to hit him. As he is struck, he faintly hears the referees calling off the fight. Because Shinki and Iwabee were incapacitated by his earlier attack, and Denki wore himself out with his barrier ninjutsu, only four contenders remain. Between that nad the fact that time for the battle royale ran out, Surudoi, the two Konoha-nin, and Kumoihime are put in the final four that will fight the next day.