Chapter Summaries

Itachi Uchiha fought Zabuza while Ye Liangnai’s group and Kakuzu’s team watched and plotted around the Nako Stone. Ye Liangnai then appeared on the battlefield to stop Tenzo from killing Hozuki Suigetsu and Ringo Ameyuri, leaving the opposing ninja facing off.

• Itachi Uchiha used precise kunai attacks and fire techniques to wound Zabuza, who dispelled his Mist Concealment Technique after suspecting Itachi could see through it.
• Juzo Biwa wondered how Itachi Uchiha had overcome Zabuza’s signature technique.
• Ye Liangnai’s group watched the fight and planned to let the combatants weaken each other before taking advantage of the battle.
• Kakuzu and Hidan learned from Zetsu that White Cold Light had joined Kirigakure and decided to claim his head and the Nako Stone.
• Ye Liangnai appeared before Hozuki Suigetsu and Ringo Ameyuri, blocked Tenzo’s fatal strike, and challenged Tenzo to fight.

Ye Liangnai attacked Tenzo, then used a silent Hidden Mist Technique to obscure the battlefield and pursue the Nako Stone. Itachi Uchiha recognized the plan, but a Kumogakure attack scattered the mist, and both Konoha and Kirigakure realized Ye Liangnai had vanished.

• Ye Liangnai wounded Tenzo with a blade and Water Release, then Kakashi and Itachi Uchiha intervened to protect him.
• Ye Liangnai let the attacks hit a Water Clone, and Itachi Uchiha deduced that he intended to use the mist to steal the Nako Stone.
• Ye Liangnai cast Hidden Mist Technique, silencing and blinding the Konoha and Kirigakure shinobi.
• An Anbu agent prepared to attack through the mist, while Juzo Biwa ordered Zabuza and the Kirigakure ninja to disperse it.
• Kumogakure ninja attacked both sides with lightning, dispersing the mist, and the Konoha and Kirigakure shinobi noticed Ye Liangnai had disappeared.

Ye Liangnai seized Nako Stone and escaped the combined forces of several ninja villages by unleashing a powerful Water Wall and concealing himself in mist. As the pursuers closed in, Zetsu spotted him heading toward a canyon, and Kakuzu and Hidan moved to intercept him.

• Ye Liangnai strapped Nako Stone to his back and used his Chakra to blast past Might Guy and Kisame Hoshigaki underwater.
• Might Guy opened the Seventh Gate, while Kakashi, Tenzo, and Juzo Biwa urged the others to stop Ye Liangnai.
• Ye Liangnai unleashed a powerful Water Wall that swept away his attackers, then escaped into the forest with Nako Stone.
• Ye Liangnai spread a vast cloud of mist to cover his escape, and his Water Clone rushed after him at Dou Lang's command.
• Zetsu reported that the mist blocked his perception, then spotted Ye Liangnai heading toward a canyon; Kakuzu and Hidan went after him.

As the mist cleared, the three village teams found the wounded Ye Liangnai and formed a joint pursuit party to chase White Cold Light toward a canyon. Along the way, the chase collided with Kakuzu and Hidan, while Zabuza’s group was attacked by bone bullets and recognized the Kaguya Clan’s signature technique.

• Qing Cheng found Ye Liangnai badly wounded, and Ye Liangnai said White Cold Light had escaped toward the canyon after defeating him.
• Dou Lang, Juzo Biwa, and Kakashi agreed to send four ninja from each village to pursue White Cold Light and compete for the Nako Stone.
• Kakashi selected Might Guy, Itachi Uchiha, Tenzo, and a sensory ninja; Juzo Biwa chose Kisame Hoshigaki, Zabuza, Ringo Ameyuri, and Hozuki Suigetsu; Dou Lang chose Qing Cheng and three other ninja.
• The Water Clone confronted Kakuzu and Hidan, then fled as Zetsu tracked him underground.
• Zabuza’s group found many victims killed with single throat slashes, then blocked an attack of bone bullets and identified it as a Kaguya Clan technique.

Kimimaro Kaguya and Yuki Haku delayed the Mist Ninja pursuing Ye Liangnai, allowing him time to escape, while Ye Liangnai’s Water Clone fought Kakuzu and Hidan over the stone tablet. The clone remained engaged with Kakuzu as a lightning strike descended.

• Kimimaro Kaguya appeared to confront Zabuza, and Yuki Haku stopped Juzo Biwa and the other Mist Ninja from pursuing Ye Liangnai.
• Yuki Haku trapped the Mist Ninja in Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, but Itachi Uchiha and Juzo Biwa broke through and wounded him.
• Kimimaro Kaguya blocked Juzo Biwa’s attack, and he and Yuki Haku retreated after buying Ye Liangnai enough time to escape.
• Three li ahead, Ye Liangnai’s Water Clone refused Kakuzu’s demand to hand over the stone tablet and attacked him and Hidan with Lightning Release.
• Kakuzu counterattacked with False Darkness and Earth Grudge Fear tentacles, but the Water Clone severed the tentacles and called down another lightning bolt at him.

Ye Liangnai’s Water Clone staged a fight with Kakuzu and Hidan so the three great ninja villages would blame them for stealing Nako Stone. After the clone vanished and Kakuzu escaped with Zetsu and Hidan, the villages lost every trace of them and failed to recover the stone.

• Ye Liangnai’s Water Clone cut Hidan into pieces while trading attacks with Kakuzu, then waited for the three great ninja villages to arrive.
• The Water Clone checked the approaching pursuers and deliberately let Kakuzu’s tendrils pierce him, accusing Kakuzu of stealing Nako Stone before escaping.
• Juzo Biwa and the others confronted Kakuzu over Nako Stone, and Kakuzu realized the Water Clone had framed him.
• Kakuzu summoned a torrent of flames to cover his retreat, and Zetsu carried Kakuzu and Hidan underground.
• The three great ninja villages found that Kakuzu and the Water Clone had vanished, while Qing Cheng could not sense their trail.

After the Nako Stone mission failed, the villages blamed and investigated one another, while Ye Liangnai secretly celebrated the success of his deception and kept the stone. The groups returned home with no answer about the mysterious attacker.

• Qing Cheng asked Konoha's sensory ninja to confirm that he could not detect the vanished enemy, and the gathered shinobi decided to report the failure.
• Kakuzu tunneled away, still vowing revenge on the boy he believed he had encountered, while Ye Liangnai privately resolved to keep using Sasuke Uchiha's face for his schemes.
• Kisame Hoshigaki and Juzo Biwa suspected the mysterious attacker had used Ye Liangnai's Mist Concealment Technique, while a Cloud Ninja accused Kirigakure of collusion.
• Hozuki Suigetsu denied the accusation, and Dou Lang argued that the attacker had no reason to aid Kirigakure before leading the Cloud Ninja away.
• Kakashi Hatake led the Konoha team away, and the villages investigated Kirigakure but found nothing and eventually withdrew.
• Ye Liangnai returned with his group, reflecting that the deception had succeeded and that the Nako Stone would help revive Kirigakure.

The three great villages traced the mysterious killer who stole the Nako Stone to the elderly Takigakure rogue ninja Kakuzu, turning him into a target for a huge bounty. Meanwhile, Mei Terumi worried about Ye Liangnai, who recovered in Kumogakure and learned he was being reassigned to guard Yugito.

• The Fourth Raikage ordered an investigation into Takigakure rogue ninjas after Dou Lang described the masked man who had killed the fake White Cold Light and taken the Nako Stone.
• Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Konoha identified the culprit as the eighty-three-year-old Kakuzu and issued wanted orders, prompting the Land of Lightning to blame Takigakure before the Land of Fire settled the dispute.
• The three great countries placed a joint bounty of three hundred million yen on Kakuzu, and he cursed the nations for making him take the blame.
• Deva Path Pain told the Akatsuki members that the Five Great Countries caused unrest and urged them to prepare for the plan to capture the tailed beasts; he also warned Kakuzu to stay out of sight.
• Mei Terumi concluded that the White Cold Light who stole the Nako Stone was not Ye Liangnai and hoped he would return safely to Kirigakure.
• After recovering from his injuries, Ye Liangnai learned that Kumogakure had transferred him out of the Assassination Squad and Anbu, restored his name as Kira, promoted him to Special Jonin, and assigned him to guard Yugito at Dragon Containment Cave.

Ye Liangnai was assigned to guard Yugito, the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, at Dragon Containment Cave, where he quickly proved his strength. Yugito recognized him from a past fight and questioned why the Raikage had sent him there.

• Dou Lang told Ye Liangnai that the Raikage had ordered him to guard the Two-Tails Jinchuriki at Dragon Containment Cave.
• Ye Liangnai accepted the assignment from the Fourth Raikage and headed to the cave, where three Cloud Ninja mocked him and expected Yugito to attack him.
• Ye Liangnai entered the cave and explained to Yugito that he needed to observe her as part of his guard duty.
• Yugito attacked Ye Liangnai, but he stopped her with the Binding Technique and held a blade to her neck.
• Yugito recognized Ye Liangnai from their fight two months earlier and asked what mistake had led the Raikage to assign him to the cave.

Ye Liangnai settled into guarding Yugito in Dragon Containment Cave, where the two began peacefully sharing the space. After a week without incident, he remained there with Yugito, while the Cloud Ninja stayed too frightened to enter.

• Yugito questioned Ye Liangnai about his demotion, and he explained that he had failed a mission to reclaim the Nako Stone.
• Yugito warned Ye Liangnai that she might lose control, but he began practicing with his sword while she cultivated.
• Three Cloud Ninja entered the cave to check on Ye Liangnai, saw him calmly training beside Yugito, and fled in terror when she opened her eyes.
• The Cloud Ninja activated the sealing barrier and decided to wait before checking whether Ye Liangnai was alive.
• Yugito declared Ye Liangnai her punching bag, and he welcomed the prospect of fighting her.
• A week passed peacefully, with food delivered to the cave but no one entering to check on them.

Ye Liangnai and Yugito sparred in the Dragon Containment Cave, where his lightning and sword techniques overcame her Tailed Beast form. After Yugito conceded, Ye Liangnai dismissed the destruction as an earthquake to the rogue ninjas who came to investigate.

• Yugito challenged Ye Liangnai to test the strength she had gained, and both agreed not to hold back.
• Yugito transformed into her Two-Tails form and clashed with Ye Liangnai as their attacks wrecked the Dragon Containment Cave.
• Ye Liangnai's lightning pierced Yugito's fireball, and his Flash Erasure struck through her Tailed Beast cloak and cut her arm.
• Yugito conceded and praised Ye Liangnai's power, then returned to her cultivation as her wound healed.
• Three rogue ninjas came to investigate the cave's damage, and Ye Liangnai claimed an earthquake had caused it.

Ye Liangnai persuaded Yugito to consider leaving Kumogakure for Kirigakure, promising he could help them find acceptance there. After another half month in Dragon Containment Cave, he used his accumulated Enhancement Points to enhance his speed.

• Ye Liangnai told Yugito that Kirigakure might accept and protect them, and she agreed to consider leaving Kumogakure.
• The Fourth Raikage received another report of unusual activity at Dragon Containment Cave and dismissed it because no distress signal had been sent.
• Ye Liangnai accumulated 440,000 Enhancement Points over twenty-two days while training and sparring with Yugito, defeating her in every match.
• Yugito questioned why Ye Liangnai had been demoted, but he hid the truth about his strength and his reasons for staying undercover.
• Ye Liangnai used the system to enhance his speed.

After enhancing his strength, Ye Liangnai adjusted to his new power while sparring with Yugito and asked her to leave Kumogakure with him. Darui arrived to challenge him again, and Ye Liangnai met him on the mountainside platform as Darui activated Lightning Strike Armor mode.

• Ye Liangnai used 500,000 Enhancement Points to improve himself, then began training to adapt to his increased strength.
• Ye Liangnai and Yugito sparred, and Yugito noticed his speed and reactions had improved.
• Ye Liangnai asked Yugito whether she would leave with him, and she hinted that she was tempted to accept.
• Darui came to Dragon Containment Cave to challenge Ye Liangnai, prompting Yugito to wonder about Ye Liangnai's connections in Kumogakure.
• Ye Liangnai met Darui on a mountainside platform, where Darui activated Lightning Strike Armor mode.

Ye Liangnai defeated Darui in a sparring match, overwhelming him with his swordsmanship and Lightning Release while the Fourth Raikage and Sarui watched. Darui admitted defeat after realizing Ye Liangnai had been deliberately holding back, and Ye Liangnai claimed his victory came from a recent breakthrough.

• Ye Liangnai overpowered Darui with a series of sword strikes and a knee, sending him crashing into a cliff.
• The Fourth Raikage and Sarui watched and praised Ye Liangnai as the ideal sparring partner to help Darui improve.
• Darui used his enhanced Cloud Style Crescent Moon Slash, creating three attackers, but Ye Liangnai dispelled the clones and wounded the real Darui.
• Ye Liangnai unleashed Lightning Release: Thunder Array, forcing Darui to dodge an overwhelming barrage of lightning.
• Darui surrendered after realizing Ye Liangnai had repeatedly avoided hitting him, and Ye Liangnai downplayed his victory as the result of a recent breakthrough.

Ye Liangnai secretly held back when the Fourth Raikage tested his strength, then returned to Dragon Containment Cave and told Yugito that he expected to cause a major disturbance in Kumogakure soon. He continued to conceal his abilities until the agreed six-month period with Kirigakure was over.

• The Fourth Raikage appeared with Sarui, praised Darui, and challenged Ye Liangnai to exchange blows.
• Ye Liangnai defended himself and was sent crashing into a boulder, then claimed the Raikage had broken his arm and held back.
• The Fourth Raikage gave Ye Liangnai two days to recover and ordered him to keep working as Darui's training target before leaving with Darui and Sarui.
• Ye Liangnai privately vowed to punch the Fourth Raikage someday and went back into Dragon Containment Cave without explaining his strength to his teammates.
• Yugito questioned why Ye Liangnai had let the Raikage defeat him so easily, and he said he could not reveal his full strength yet but expected the time to come soon.

Ye Liangnai and Yugito escaped the cave and raced toward Kumogakure, where the Fourth Raikage learned that the guards had helped them. The Cloud Ninja mobilized to stop the pair as they approached the village exit.

• Ye Liangnai revealed his newly enhanced abilities and set out with Yugito for the outside world.
• Ye Liangnai bound the three cave guards, and Yugito transformed into her Tailed Beast Cloak and raced toward Kumogakure.
• An Anbu told the Fourth Raikage that Kira had helped Yugito escape, and the Raikage charged toward the commotion.
• Cloud Ninja gathered about two kilometers from the exit to confront Yugito and the enemy standing behind her.

Ye Liangnai fought his way through Kumogakure with Matatabi, defeating Darui, Dou Lang, and Tenshin in one strike and resisting the Cloud Ninja’s attacks. As he pushed toward the gate, Sarui, Feiyu, and another man attacked him, and he answered with Lightning Release: Gratitude Wave.

• Ye Liangnai rejected the Cloud Ninja’s offer to surrender and challenged Darui, Dou Lang, and Tenshin to face his full strength.
• Ye Liangnai defeated Darui, Dou Lang, and Tenshin in a single strike, shocking the watching Cloud Ninja and Anbu.
• Ye Liangnai and Two-Tails fought off waves of Cloud Ninja while moving toward the gate, and Ye Liangnai cut down an Anbu attacker who ambushed him.
• Feiyu and other Cloud Ninja attempted to strike Two-Tails with coordinated lightning techniques, but Ye Liangnai used Lightning Release: Lightning Strike Formation to protect her.
• Sarui, Feiyu, and another man surrounded Ye Liangnai and attacked, so he unleashed Lightning Release: Gratitude Wave against them.

Ye Liangnai fought the Fourth Raikage after devastating the Cloud Ninja forces and wounding Sarui. He blocked the Raikage’s powerful attacks, but the battle continued as the Raikage launched another devastating strike.

• Ye Liangnai blasted away the Cloud Ninja surrounding him with a massive lightning attack, then pursued Sarui and nearly killed him.
• The Fourth Raikage arrived, rescued Sarui, and attacked Ye Liangnai, but Ye Liangnai bound him briefly with the Binding Technique.
• Ye Liangnai charged through the Raikage’s defense with Flash Erasure, cutting his shoulder and opening a huge gash across his chest.
• Ye Liangnai repeatedly struck the Raikage with lightning bolts, but the Raikage retaliated with Liger Bomb.
• Ye Liangnai blocked Liger Bomb with Lightning Pillar Wall, and the Raikage leaped up to deliver Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop.

Ye Liangnai defeated the Fourth Raikage, revealed that the apparent victory over him had only involved a Water Clone, and captured him alive to escape Kumogakure with Yugito. As Mabui appeared to accept his terms, she called on Killer B to attack Ye Liangnai from behind.

• Ye Liangnai used Nirvana Technique to disrupt the Fourth Raikage's chakra and struck him down, but the Raikage later beheaded what turned out to be Ye Liangnai's Water Clone.
• Ye Liangnai incapacitated the weakened Fourth Raikage, explained his reasons for betraying Kumogakure, and bound him with Binding Flow Karma Curse.
• Ye Liangnai seized the Fourth Raikage and joined Yugito on the Two-Tails, demanding that the Cloud Ninja let them leave.
• The Cloud Ninja refused to stand aside until Mabui arrived and appeared to accept Ye Liangnai's conditions.
• Mabui called on Killer B, who appeared behind Ye Liangnai in a Tailed Beast cloak and prepared a Lightning Scythe attack.

Ye Liangnai thwarted Mabui’s plan to rescue the Fourth Raikage, then used the Raikage as leverage to leave Kumogakure with the Two-Tails. He forced the pursuing Cloud Ninja to retreat and continued on with his captives.

• Ye Liangnai blocked Killer B’s attack with the Six Pillars Flame Formation and drove him back with black-red flames.
• Ye Liangnai warned Killer B not to act and threatened the Fourth Raikage, then enclosed the Two-Tails in the barrier and led her out of Kumogakure.
• The Two-Tails returned to Yugito’s form and praised Ye Liangnai for freeing her.
• Ye Liangnai warned the Fourth Raikage that he could plunge Kumogakure into chaos, then threatened his safety when Mabui and the Cloud Ninja pursued them.
• Mabui ordered the Cloud Ninja to retreat, and Ye Liangnai also made Dodai withdraw to prevent him from interfering.