Chapter Summaries

Lin Ke discovered that the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique could speed up physical training by repairing damage caused by repeated stress. After Xia apologized to Haruno Sakura for bullying her, Lin Ke reassured her and announced that he and his companions would begin another round of intense training.

• Lin Ke found that the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique could repair bodily damage and realized it could make physical training more efficient.
• Xia nervously approached Haruno Sakura outside the Ninja Academy and apologized for mocking her wide forehead.
• Yami and another friend rejected Xia's apology, while Haruno Sakura called Xia fake and refused to accept it.
• Lin Ke stopped Yuan Wei from intervening and told Xia she was becoming the better version of herself she imagined.
• Lin Ke announced that the group would begin another round of hellish training the next day, and Yuan Wei offered the tearful Xia a tissue.

Lin Ke tested his Delicate Illness Extraction Technique and summoned Rashomon, opening a passage to the Pure Land and briefly seeing his father. A month later, after training with Xia and Yuan Wei, he ended their training as they prepared to resume missions.

• Lin Ke tested overload training on himself and found that the technique repaired physical damage but did not remove mental fatigue.
• Lin Ke summoned Rashomon and saw his father emerge from the gate before gray hands dragged him back into the Pure Land.
• Lin Ke realized his technique could open a passage to the Pure Land, but sustaining it caused severe pain from chakra depletion.
• Lin Ke decided he needed to save the Third Hokage during the Konoha Crush Plan to preserve his future proxy-fighting service.
• One month later, Lin Ke, Xia, and Yuan Wei finished a strenuous training session and agreed to gather at the Hokage Building the next day for missions.

Lin Ke Squad completed a mission to assassinate a rogue Konoha ninja and spent the next two and a half months on assignments, including an escort through the Land of Rain. Back in Konoha, Lin Ke encountered Hatake Kakashi and Team 7, realizing the story had begun.

• Lin Ke received a B-Rank mission from the Third Hokage, who also lent him the Five Elements Sealing scroll.
• Lin Ke led Yuan Wei and Xia into the Land of Grass, where they found and killed a rogue ninja suspected of being an Iwagakure spy, recovering the stolen intelligence.
• Lin Ke Squad completed further missions over the next two and a half months, including escorting an official through the rain-soaked Land of Rain.
• Returning to Konoha, Lin Ke met Hatake Kakashi, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and a black-haired boy, who asked Kakashi who Lin Ke and his companions were.

Lin Ke received an A-Rank commission to protect a wealthy merchant traveling to the Land of Wind and learned that Nara Shikaku wanted to speak with him about his shadow ability. He planned to visit the Nara Clan Grounds when he had time and prepare for the mission in two days.

• Nara Yan Shui told Lin Ke that the wealthy merchant from the Gold Mine mission had requested him for an A-Rank protection commission, leaving in two days from Tanzaku Street.
• Lin Ke reflected on his rapid growth and unusually developed muscles, then went shopping for new clothes and sweets.
• Nara Yan Shui returned and told Lin Ke that Nara Shikaku wanted to see him about his shadow technique.
• Lin Ke agreed to visit the Nara Clan Grounds whenever he had time and recognized that the village had finally decided to discuss his abilities with him.
• Lin Ke considered how excessive muscle growth could hinder his development and concluded that building stamina required more than simply adding muscle.

Lin Ke met Mitarashi Anko while buying sweets, then visited Nara Shikaku after dinner with his teammates. Shikaku offered to take Lin Ke as his student, leaving Lin Ke to decide whether to accept.

• Lin Ke bought larger clothes and shared sweets with Mitarashi Anko, who offered to help him if he needed anything.
• Lin Ke returned home, then treated his teammates to a barbecue and told them about the mission Nara Yan Shui had mentioned.
• Lin Ke visited Nara Shikaku with a gift of yokan and asked why he had been summoned.
• Nara Shikaku offered to take Lin Ke as his student, explaining that the Third Hokage was unlikely to take more disciples and that Lin Ke's shadow techniques had prompted the offer.
• Lin Ke considered the offer and recognized it as a gesture from the conservative faction led by the Third Hokage.

Lin Ke became Nara Shikaku’s disciple and endured an awkward evening with the Nara family. Later, he contacted Nawaki through the Summoning Jutsu and asked whether he wanted to return to the living world.

• Nara Shikaku introduced Lin Ke to Shikamaru and accepted Lin Ke as his disciple.
• Shikaku left Lin Ke and Shikamaru alone, but Shikamaru struggled to make conversation and slipped away.
• Nara Yoshino warmly kept Lin Ke at the Nara home until after nine, while Shikamaru ran off and Shikaku stayed beside them.
• Lin Ke used the Summoning Jutsu to search the Pure Land for Konoha ninja souls, but encountered a hostile dead ninja and canceled the jutsu.
• Lin Ke contacted Nawaki through the Summoning Jutsu and asked if he had considered returning to the living world.

Lin Ke escorted the Land of Fire Merchant and Nara Yan Shui’s team from Tanzaku Street to the Land of Wind, remaining suspicious of the merchant’s sudden change in manner. In the city, the Fourth Kazekage arrived to negotiate, and Lin Ke waited outside on guard while meeting Temari again.

• Nawaki refused Lin Ke’s attempt to persuade him to cooperate, so Lin Ke spoke with his father before ending the summoning.
• Two days later, Lin Ke and Nara Yan Shui met the Land of Fire Merchant in Tanzaku Street and set out with samurai for the Land of Wind.
• Lin Ke suspected the merchant might be connected to Orochimaru and used coded signals to warn Nara Yan Shui and his companions.
• The group traveled without incident and reached the Land of Wind city where the merchant would negotiate gold prices.
• The Fourth Kazekage visited the hotel, and Lin Ke waited outside with Temari while Nara Yan Shui joined the meeting.

Lin Ke and the Konoha team began sharing escort duty with Sunagakure after negotiations, and Gaara confronted Lin Ke on the hotel rooftop that night. Lin Ke’s shadow broke through Gaara’s Sand Shield and interrupted his attack, leaving their conflict unresolved.

• After the Fourth Kazekage’s negotiations with Nara Yan Shui went smoothly, the Konoha and Sunagakure teams agreed to share escort duty until the client left the Land of Wind.
• Gaara gave Lin Ke and the other Konoha ninjas a murderous look before the teams spread out to guard the hotel.
• Lin Ke took a rooftop watch position and used his chakra perception to monitor the hotel.
• Gaara appeared behind Lin Ke, accused him of looking at him the wrong way, and attacked with his sand shield.
• Lin Ke’s shadow slipped through a gap in Gaara’s shield, kicked him away, and then interrupted his next attack.

Lin Ke thwarted Gaara’s sand attack by using a shadow clone to ensnare Gaara’s shadow, while Xia and Temari also clashed. Baki stopped Gaara from escalating the fight, then led his team away, leaving Lin Ke and his allies safe.

• Nara Yan Shui stayed in the corridor as Baki blocked the way upstairs, while Lin Ke fought Gaara on the rooftop.
• Lin Ke’s shadow clone kicked Gaara’s shadow, draining Gaara’s stamina and breaking his sand technique.
• Xia and Temari joined the rooftop confrontation, and Gaara returned with Sand Body Flicker before Baki restrained him.
• Nara Yan Shui arrived carrying the unconscious Yuan Wei, and Baki chose to withdraw rather than escalate the fight.
• Lin Ke caught Yuan Wei, confirmed he was unharmed, and woke him with a flick to the forehead.

Lin Ke and Nara Yan Shui grew suspicious of the Land of Fire Merchant after he offered Sunagakure the gold mine for less than he had paid, while Lin Ke reassured Yuan Wei after his defeat. A flashback revealed that the merchant and more than a dozen others had already been murdered in a Tanzaku Street hotel.

• Yuan Wei described how Kankuro’s puppet had tricked him and knocked him unconscious, and Lin Ke reassured him that he had not disappointed him.
• Temari teased Lin Ke, while Gaara watched the Konoha group with killing intent and Kankuro still bore a bruise from his clash with Nara Yan Shui.
• Nara Yan Shui told Lin Ke that the Land of Fire Merchant had proposed selling the gold mine to Sunagakure at a price below his purchase cost, then warned his subordinates to be careful.
• Three days earlier, a drunken gambler entered an apparently empty hotel in Tanzaku Street and followed the smell of blood to a room full of corpses.
• The gambler found the Land of Fire Merchant dead in a chair among more than a dozen bodies.

Lin Ke and Nara Yan Shui’s return journey was ambushed by Orochimaru, who had disguised himself as the samurai leader. The fight began with Yan Shui wounded and Lin Ke trying to keep Orochimaru occupied aboard the Earth Dragon.

• The Fire Country merchant gave Lin Ke a knowing smile before the Konoha group left the hotel, while the Sunagakure team departed separately.
• On the road through the Land of Rivers, Orochimaru revealed himself by stabbing Nara Yan Shui through the shoulder.
• Lin Ke summoned an Earth Dragon to carry the group into the air, and Orochimaru blocked its attack with Rashomon before leaping onto its back.
• Orochimaru trapped Yuan Wei, Xia, and Lin Ke in a genjutsu, but Lin Ke broke free and Xia helped Yuan Wei recover.
• Lin Ke used a shadow clone to disrupt Orochimaru’s flying sword attack, while Nara Yan Shui stopped Yuan Wei and Xia from charging into the fight.
• Lin Ke repeatedly cast the Substitution Technique as Orochimaru calmly battled his own shadow on the Earth Dragon’s back.

Lin Ke tried to use the Earth Dragon and high altitude to limit Orochimaru’s options, but Orochimaru’s speed and caution kept him on the defensive. With his transformation running out and Orochimaru closing in, Lin Ke ordered the Earth Dragon to dive toward the ground for a final struggle.

• Lin Ke dismissed several weak substitutes and summoned the Earth Dragon to carry Yuan Wei, Xia, and Nara Yan Shui toward the Land of Fire.
• Orochimaru struck Nara Yan Shui with Genjutsu and a kick, then attacked Lin Ke at close range.
• Lin Ke transformed parts of his body into blades and nearly landed the Five Elements Sealing on Orochimaru, who evaded it.
• Orochimaru sensed the danger of Lin Ke’s technique and declared that he wanted Lin Ke more than ever.
• Lin Ke realized Orochimaru could exploit his limited chakra and transformation time, so he ordered the Earth Dragon to dive toward the ground.

Team 3 rushed to support the missing Lin Ke Squad while Konoha’s leaders weighed the political fallout of the failed mission. In the forest, Lin Ke prepared to fight Orochimaru, and the injured Nara Yan Shui urged his other subordinates to escape.

• Might Guy led Team 3 toward the battlefield after Neji and Tenten shared Lin Ke’s reputation and accomplishments.
• The Third Hokage assigned Nara Shikaku to address the nobles’ accusations while the elders discussed the disappearance and suspected Sunagakure’s involvement.
• Orochimaru’s attack devastated the forest, and Lin Ke protected his companions with an Earth Flow Wall.
• Lin Ke used Subterranean Voyage Technique and asked Nara Yan Shui to help him create an opening to approach Orochimaru.
• Nara Yan Shui, growing numb from his wound, told Yuan Wei and Xia to escape and report Orochimaru to Konoha.

Lin Ke and his team coordinated an attack on Orochimaru, using their teamwork to create an opening for Lin Ke to apply the Five Elements Sealing. The seal crippled Orochimaru’s hands whenever he tried to form hand seals, leaving Lin Ke confident that he had turned the battle in their favor.

• Yuan Wei and Xia attacked Orochimaru with ninja tools and a combined Fire Release and Wind Release technique while Nara Yan Shui restrained him with Shadow Possession.
• Orochimaru stabbed Nara Yan Shui with the Kusanagi Sword, but Yan Shui bound the sword with Shadow Sewing Jutsu as Lin Ke rose from underground to attack.
• Xia threw shuriken at Orochimaru as he leaped away, and Lin Ke used his Five Elements Sealing palm while Orochimaru’s shadow caught it and pressed it against his arm.
• Orochimaru’s fingers transformed under the seal when he tried to form hand seals, and Lin Ke explained that only he could undo the Five Elements Sealing.

Lin Ke and the Konoha team forced Orochimaru to retreat when Might Guy arrived, but Nara Yan Shui was critically wounded. Lin Ke used the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to stabilize him, then collapsed from exhaustion as Konoha prepared to return to the village and Baki reconsidered the Konoha Crush Plan.

• Lin Ke renewed his techniques and prepared to fight Orochimaru's shadow while worrying that Nara Yan Shui might die.
• Yakushi Kabuto arrived and told Orochimaru that Konoha's reinforcements had come, as Might Guy and Team 3 reached Lin Ke's group.
• Lin Ke stopped Yan Shui's bleeding and used the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to improve his condition, then fainted from overexertion.
• Xia took over treating Yan Shui while Might Guy's team prepared to carry him back to the village.
• Baki refused Temari's suggestion to attack the retreating Konoha group and worried that Lin Ke's abilities could threaten the Konoha Crush Plan.

After surviving Orochimaru, Lin Ke reviewed how his weak taijutsu and slow reactions had undermined his combat plans and decided to seek specialist training. He learned that Nara Yan Shui was out of immediate danger but might have to retire, and resolved to heal his teacher.

• Lin Ke woke in Konoha Hospital and concluded that he needed a taijutsu expert to train his reaction speed and close-combat skills.
• Lin Ke reviewed how Orochimaru had exposed his limitations and forced him to exhaust his tactics during the battle.
• Xia told Lin Ke that Nara Yan Shui was out of critical condition but might never be able to continue as a ninja.
• Lin Ke visited the badly injured Nara Yan Shui and resolved to use his Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to heal him.

After Lin Ke reported his encounter with Orochimaru, the Third Hokage ordered him to remain in the village and reassigned his subordinates. The Hokage then told his advisors he would kill Orochimaru himself if he appeared again.

• Lin Ke recounted the mission and his confrontation with Orochimaru and Yakushi Kabuto to the Third Hokage, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu.
• The Third Hokage told Lin Ke to stay in the village while Yuan Wei and Xia were assigned to other teams.
• Lin Ke greeted Team 7 outside the Hokage Building, then left alone, and Uzumaki Naruto recognized his loneliness.
• Utatane Koharu suspected Orochimaru had a scheme, and the Third Hokage vowed to kill him if he appeared again.

Lin Ke treated Nara Yan Shui, who woke and learned he might never be a ninja again, then continued his training and joined Team 7 for ramen. The chapter ended with Ichiraku giving Lin Ke an extra-large bowl as a special bonus.

• Lin Ke used the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique to improve Nara Yan Shui's condition, and Nara Yan Shui woke in the hospital.
• Nara Yan Shui asked about Yuan Wei and Xia, learned they had returned safely, and accepted that his injuries might end his ninja career; Lin Ke promised to heal him.
• Lin Ke trained at the Seventh Training Ground and reflected on his ambitions and his decision to grow within Konoha rather than take dangerous shortcuts.
• Uzumaki Naruto bought Lin Ke a can of Sweet Red Bean Soup with Mochi, and Lin Ke teased him about his poor tracking skills.
• Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, and Second Pillar joined Lin Ke and Uzumaki Naruto at Ichiraku Ramen, where Ichiraku gave Lin Ke an extra-large bowl with Tempura.

Orochimaru learned that Lin Ke’s Five Elements Sealing could permanently damage chakra control and resolved to obtain its Natural Energy technique. In Konoha, Lin Ke added killing Orochimaru to his goals, continued training, and reunited with Yuan Wei and Xia, who invited him to visit their recovering teacher.

• Yakushi Kabuto explained that the Five Elements Sealing would progressively ruin Orochimaru’s ability to use ninjutsu, and Orochimaru ordered him to prepare Living Corpse Reincarnation.
• Lin Ke discovered he had not grown in a month, blamed his shadow, and trained at the Seventh Training Ground.
• Lin Ke added killing Orochimaru to his goals and practiced summoning Stands, reflecting on their random abilities and his slow progress developing them.
• Yuan Wei and Xia arrived late after joining new teams and told Lin Ke that Teacher Yan Shui had awakened.
• Lin Ke agreed to go see Teacher Yan Shui with Yuan Wei and Xia, then doubled their training as punishment for arriving late.

Lin Ke asked Nara Shikaku to help him join the Medical Team and find a taijutsu instructor, then went with Nara Shikamaru to meet Team 10. At Barbecue Q, he met Akimichi Choji, Yamanaka Ino, and their instructor Asuma.

• Nara Shikaku reassured Lin Ke that the village would handle his mission and asked which department he wanted to join.
• Lin Ke chose the Medical Team, and Nara Shikaku agreed to ask about a place for him and find him a taijutsu instructor.
• Nara Shikaku told Nara Shikamaru to bring Lin Ke to Team 10's gathering, and Shikamaru invited him to Barbecue Q.
• Lin Ke met Akimichi Choji and Yamanaka Ino at Barbecue Q, where Asuma welcomed him and offered to treat the group with mission reward money.