Chapter Summaries

Liuyun defended Kushina after she punched Jiraiya, then the Four Nations withdrew their forces after his threat. Sarutobi Hiruzen announced that he would resign as Hokage and remove the two advisors from the Leaf High Command.

• Kushina punched Jiraiya through a wall after he criticized her, and Liuyun promised not to follow Jiraiya's lecherous ways.
• Liuyun paid for Jiraiya's medical treatment, drinks, and the damaged walls before leaving with Kushina.
• The Land of Earth withdrew its troops, and the Cloud Village, Sand Village, and Hidden Mist Village soon followed.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura that he would resign in three days and remove them from their positions.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen rejected the advisors' claim that their teacher's appointments made them irremovable and invoked Tobirama Senju's ruthless stance.

Konoha nominated Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and Minato Namikaze as candidates for Fourth Hokage after Sarutobi Hiruzen dismantled the Leaf High Command and announced his retirement. Orochimaru remained tempted by the office but refused to abandon his experiments, and Danzo Shimura ended their secret meeting with evidence that could ruin his candidacy.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen dissolved the Leaf High Command, removed Danzo Shimura, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu from their positions, and nominated Orochimaru, Hatake Sakumo, and Minato Namikaze for Fourth Hokage.
• Orochimaru admitted to Liuyun that the Hokage's authority tempted him, but rejected Liuyun's advice to destroy his human experimentation facilities and evidence.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen announced that he was stepping down and urged Konoha's residents to vote for the next Hokage.
• Danzo Shimura secretly offered Orochimaru research materials and asked him to preserve Danzo's control of Root if elected, but Orochimaru refused to help him.
• Danzo Shimura showed Orochimaru criminal evidence of his abductions, harm to civilians, and human experiments, threatening his chances of becoming Hokage.

Liuyun intervened when Danzo Shimura confronted Orochimaru, but evidence of Orochimaru’s crimes reached Sarutobi Hiruzen and ended his hopes of becoming Hokage. Hatake Sakumo won the election and became the Fourth Hokage, while Liuyun, Kushina, and Orochimaru watched from Hokage Rock.

• Liuyun arrived during Orochimaru and Danzo Shimura’s fight and kicked Danzo through several houses before Orochimaru stopped him from killing Danzo.
• Danzo Shimura kept evidence of Orochimaru’s crimes from being publicly released but delivered it to Sarutobi Hiruzen, who rejected Orochimaru as a Hokage candidate.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen campaigned for Hatake Sakumo, while Jiraiya visited Liuyun and Kushina kicked him out after he explained Konoha would not support Orochimaru.
• Hatake Sakumo narrowly defeated Orochimaru and Minato Namikaze to become Konoha’s Fourth Hokage.
• Liuyun asked Orochimaru if he regretted losing, and Kushina’s laughter drew Hatake Sakumo’s attention during the ceremony.

Three years of peace under Liu Yun’s deterrence had made him a celebrated god, and Nagato kept a portrait of the man he had once met. Madara Uchiha observed Nagato’s slowly awakening Rinnegan for the last time, dismissed Liu Yun’s reputation, and left Black Zetsu privately considering him as a possible replacement.

• Three years passed in a period of peace and prosperity maintained by Liu Yun’s power, and the Shinobi World came to revere him as the Phantom Sun Dragon God.
• Nagato studied a portrait of Liu Yun and recalled their conversation about peace at the Akatsuki base.
• Madara Uchiha watched Nagato with Black Zetsu and White Zetsu and said less than twenty percent of the Rinnegan’s power had awakened.
• White Zetsu pointed out that Nagato’s portrait depicted Liu Yun, whom people called the Phantom Sun Dragon God.
• Madara Uchiha mocked Liu Yun’s strength, while Black Zetsu privately wondered whether Liu Yun could become Madara’s replacement.

Madara Uchiha dismissed Uchiha Liuyun as a threat while considering Nagato's possible connection to him. Meanwhile, Liuyun confronted Kakuzu in the Land of Rivers and began overpowering him after demanding his submission.

• White Zetsu asked Madara Uchiha whether Liuyun and his Tailed Beasts could become obstacles, and Madara said Nagato's Rinnegan and the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path would make them manageable.
• Madara Uchiha wondered how Liuyun had discovered his existence in the past, then discussed Nagato's portrait of Liuyun with White Zetsu.
• In the Land of Rivers, Liuyun found Kakuzu using Orochimaru's intelligence and demanded that he submit or die.
• Kakuzu attacked with Earth Grudge Fear, combining wind and fire, but Liuyun evaded the flames and easily deflected Kakuzu's Lightning Release: False Darkness.
• Liuyun countered with his own False Darkness and then used Chidori Sharp Spear to cut apart Kakuzu's water-nature tentacled monster.

Liuyun defeated and subdued Kakuzu, then traveled to the Ancient City of Rōran to reach the Dragon Vein. He fought through the city’s guards and confronted its ruler, Anrokuzan, underground.

• Liuyun blocked Kakuzu’s attacks, pursued him as he fled, and forced him to surrender.
• Liuyun gave Kakuzu a dragon token and ordered him to report to Orochimaru in the Hidden Sound Village once a year.
• Liuyun traveled across the desert for a month and arrived at the Ancient City of Rōran, drawn there by the Dragon Vein.
• Liuyun activated Sage Mode and cut through the city’s puppet guards with the Ama-no-Murakumo.
• Liuyun fought his way underground, where Anrokuzan demanded to know who he was and why he had come.

Liuyun defeated Anrokuzan before the puppet could use the Dragon Vein’s power, then controlled Sara and claimed the Dragon Vein for himself. After discovering its life-rich energy accelerated his Sage Body’s growth, he decided to cultivate in seclusion in Rōran until it reached Major Completion.

• Anrokuzan transformed into a giant puppet scorpion and attacked Liuyun, who cut it apart and destroyed its core with an Immortal Technique rock fist.
• Liuyun caught the fleeing Sara and used his Sharingan to control her into opening the Dragon Vein’s sealed gate.
• Liuyun examined the dense purple energy, found it pure and rich in vitality, and cautiously began cultivating above it.
• After a day of cultivation, Liuyun realized the Dragon Vein’s life energy accelerated the growth of his Sage Body.
• Liuyun resolved to remain hidden in the Ancient City of Rōran until his Sage Body reached Major Completion.

Liuyun spent five years cultivating in Rōran, transforming into a Black Flood Dragon and refining his Dragon Ball as he prepared to awaken his own immortal cells. Worried by his long silence, Kushina tried to visit him, but Hatake Sakumo refused and sent Minato’s Team to bring him home; meanwhile, Queen Sara regained her consciousness.

• Liuyun adapted to the Dragon Vein’s Natural Energy, transformed fully into a Flood Dragon, and increased the amount of food Queen Sara brought him.
• Over the next three years, Liuyun compressed his Dragon Ball to walnut size and changed its color to violet-gold as he focused on completing his Sage Body.
• After five years without hearing from Liuyun, Kushina asked Hatake Sakumo for permission to leave Konoha and find him.
• Hatake Sakumo refused because of the danger to Kushina and sent Minato’s Team to bring Liuyun back to Konoha.
• Liuyun remained motionless beneath the Ancient City of Rōran for months without eating, while Queen Sara regained her normal consciousness after the Sharingan’s restraint was lifted.

Kushina left Konoha to search for Liuyun, persuading Minato to escort her to Loulan despite the danger and without the Hokage’s approval. Minato sent Kakashi, Rin Nohara, and Obito Uchiha back to report as he and Kushina set out together.

• Kushina bound the two Anbu guarding her home and left to find Liuyun.
• At Konoha’s gate, Kushina asked Minato to take her along, but he initially refused.
• Kushina tearfully explained her frustration with Konoha, and Minato agreed to escort her rather than risk her sneaking out alone.
• Kakashi objected to taking Kushina out without the Hokage’s permission, but Minato sent him, Rin Nohara, and Obito Uchiha back to report.
• Minato and Kushina left Konoha and began their journey to Loulan.

Kushina and Minato reached Rōran and learned that Liuyun had stayed beneath the Dragon Vein for months. After Sara explained his treatment of her, Kushina realized he had only made her carry food, but Liuyun remained out of sight in the Spirit Liquid.

• Sara worried about the Black Dragon in the Dragon Vein but recalled that Liuyun had not harmed her beyond making her prepare food.
• Kushina and Minato arrived in Rōran, and Sara asked them about their connection to Liuyun.
• Kushina introduced herself as Liuyun’s fiancée, and Sara led the pair to the Dragon Vein after Minato called Liuyun a good person.
• Sara complained that Liuyun had controlled her with genjutsu and made her carry food; Kushina grew angry until she learned that was all he had done.
• Kushina tried to enter the Spirit Liquid to find Liuyun, but Minato stopped her, and Sara explained that his steady breathing showed he was alive.
• Sara asked whether Liuyun was human or a dragon.

Minato and Kushina discovered that the Black Dragon sleeping beneath the Dragon Vein was Liuyun, who had gradually transformed while cultivating there. Kushina chose to stay in Rōran and wait for him to wake, while Sara agreed to host her.

• Minato tested the Spirit Liquid, found its Natural Energy pure and easy to absorb, and entered Sage Mode.
• Kushina joined Minato atop the pool, where he sensed a Black Dragon sleeping at the bottom.
• Sara explained that Liuyun had transformed into a dragon and had remained in that form for four years.
• Kushina recognized her necklace as a scale Liuyun had taken from himself and became emotional over his gift.
• Minato warned Kushina that waking Liuyun during his cultivation could be dangerous, so she decided to wait beside him.
• Sara allowed Kushina to stay in Rōran without payment, though she remained resentful that Liuyun had controlled her for years without speaking to her.

After months of waiting in Rōran, Kushina witnessed Liuyun begin to awaken from his long cultivation in the Dragon Vein. His emergence left the Dragon Vein diminished and ended with him swimming toward the surface.

• Kushina, Minato, and Sara discussed Liuyun’s obsession with power and his possible desire to revive Asuka.
• Minato returned to Konoha, while Kushina stayed in the Dragon Vein’s core area waiting for Liuyun.
• The Dragon Vein boiled and trembled as a vortex formed around Liuyun and its water level rapidly fell.
• A figure burst from a crack in Black Dragon’s body, grabbed the old body, and swam toward the surface.

Liuyun emerged from the Spirit Liquid and reunited with Kushina, who asked him to marry her. After they dressed, he proposed teaching her the Immortal Technique and Yang Seal, and they headed up to eat.

• Kushina kissed Liuyun as he surfaced from the Spirit Liquid, and they embraced while Queen of Rōran watched.
• Liuyun ordered Sara to fetch his clothes, noticed her response had changed, and dressed after she brought them.
• Kushina asked Liuyun to marry her, and he teased her about having children together.
• Liuyun explained that he had shed his dragon-shaped shell and planned to have it made into protective armor for Kushina.
• Liuyun told Kushina that the Dragon Vein energy in her body might let her learn the Immortal Technique, and promised the Yang Seal could preserve her youthful beauty.
• Liuyun asked Sara to prepare food, then reassured Kushina that she alone was enough for him.

After Hanzō killed Yahiko and Nagato awakened the Rinnegan, Nagato and Konan turned their hopes toward Uchiha Liuyun. In Rōran, Liuyun explained the Dragon Vein’s cost and offered Sara protection for Loulan in exchange for the right to use it, leaving her to consider whether she could refuse.

• Hanzō lured Yahiko and Nagato into a battle by kidnapping Konan, and Nagato awakened his Rinnegan after Yahiko died.
• Nagato, who had lost both legs, told Konan that Uchiha Liuyun might be a pioneer they could seek out.
• Kushina and Sara questioned Liuyun about his five years of secluded cultivation, and he said he had awakened his Sage Body and would teach Kushina Immortal Technique.
• Sara warned Liuyun that draining the Dragon Vein could harm Loulan, and Liuyun explained that it gathered vitality from the surrounding land.
• Liuyun offered to protect Loulan and preserve the Dragon Vein if Sara granted him the right to use it, and Sara asked whether he would keep controlling her if she refused.

Liuyun taught Kushina to cultivate while the Four Nations prepared for war against him and Konoha. As the ten-year peace period neared its end, Hatake Sakumo resolved that Konoha would face the coming conflict without relying on Liuyun.

• Liuyun used Shadow Clones to gather natural energy and stored the returning Sage Chakra in his Yang Seal while Kushina practiced sensing it.
• The Four Nations cooperated to strengthen their Jinchuriki, while Sasori killed the Third Kazekage and defected from Sand Village.
• Konoha and the smaller countries watched the great nations mobilize as supplies dwindled and the Third Shinobi World War drew closer.
• Minato told Hatake Sakumo and Sarutobi Hiruzen that Liuyun would not return to Konoha or allow Kushina to be taken back against her will.
• Hatake Sakumo said Konoha must prepare to face the Four Nations itself, and Sarutobi Hiruzen agreed.

Liuyun trained Kushina in Immortal Techniques at the Dragon Vein so she would better endure having the Nine-Tails extracted from her in the future. After seven months, she condensed a Dragon Ball and began learning his more complex Yang Seal, which Liuyun still had not fully filled or understood.

• Liuyun explained that he was teaching Kushina Immortal Techniques and the Yang Seal to strengthen her vitality before the Nine-Tails was extracted from her.
• Kushina struggled with meditation, then gradually learned to absorb Natural Energy under Liuyun's instruction.
• After a month, Kushina combined Natural Energy with her Chakra and began gathering Sage Chakra in her dantian.
• Seven months later, Kushina condensed a Dragon Ball and gained an initial grasp of the Immortal Technique.
• Liuyun told Kushina they would leave after she learned the Yang Seal, and explained its pocket dimension and why it was harder to master than the Yin Seal.

After nearly seven years in Loulan, Liuyun and Kushina left after Kushina mastered the Yang Seal, and Liuyun promised to solve Loulan’s food shortage. As they traveled toward the Land of Rice Fields, they saw preparations for war and discussed the coming Third Shinobi World War, ending with Kushina suddenly asking whom to invite to their wedding.

• Kushina mastered the Yang Seal and stored Sage Chakra in its inner space while Liuyun taught her how to maintain it.
• Liuyun stopped draining the Dragon Vein, then told Sara he and Kushina were leaving and gave her two Little White Snakes to contact him if Loulan faced trouble.
• Sara told Liuyun that Loulan was suffering a food shortage, and he promised to send grain from the Land of Rice Fields.
• Liuyun and Kushina crossed the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers into the Land of Fire, where they saw ninja squads, sealed borders, and defensive preparations.
• Kushina suggested Liuyun prevent the war by holding another Five Kage Summit, but Liuyun said the Third Shinobi World War could not be stopped and would be severe.
• Liuyun promised Kushina that the Land of Rice Fields and Hidden Sound Village would stay out of the war, and Kushina asked whom they would invite to their wedding.

Liuyun returned to Hidden Sound Village with Kushina, settled with her in the Yamikage Estate, and asked the Land of Rice Fields Daimyo to handle two matters. The Daimyo agreed to send food to Loulan and arrange Liuyun and Kushina’s wedding.

• Orochimaru welcomed Liuyun and Kushina back, and Kushina said she would make Hidden Sound Village her second home.
• Liuyun and Kushina toured the village and moved into the luxurious Yamikage Estate, where a young Genin recognized Liuyun and let them pass.
• Liuyun invited the Land of Rice Fields Daimyo to the estate after they had settled in.
• Liuyun asked the Daimyo to send grain to Loulan, promising that Hidden Sound Village ninja would escort the caravan.
• Liuyun told the Daimyo he and Kushina were getting married and asked him to arrange a village wedding feast.
• The Daimyo accepted both tasks and planned to prepare for the coming war upon returning.

Liuyun arranged for the Land of Fire to supply grain to the Ancient City of Rōran and explained that its Dragon Vein was vital to the nation and could help Orochimaru recover his human form. He also confirmed that his wedding to Kushina would take place on the final day of the peace period, with preparations kept simple.

• Liuyun proposed that Orochimaru ask the Fourth Hokage to arrange grain deliveries from the Land of Fire, using the Land of Rice Fields' promise to guard the northern border as leverage.
• Liuyun instructed Orochimaru to have the Seven Ninja Swordsmen ensure that Rōran received enough high-quality grain.
• Liuyun revealed that Rōran's Dragon Vein could support Immortal Technique cultivation and might help Orochimaru shed the effects of the White Snake Sage's bite.
• Orochimaru agreed to visit Rōran and ask its queen to open the Dragon Vein for him.
• The Land of Rice Fields Daimyo noted that Liuyun and Kushina's wedding fell on the final day of the ten-year peace period, and Liuyun again asked him to keep the ceremony simple.

Hatake Sakumo confronted the other Kage during a Five Kage meeting as the four nations threatened war over the Tailed Beasts. After the talks collapsed, he and Sarutobi Hiruzen prepared an ambush for the Sand forces they expected to attack first.

• Hatake Sakumo asked whether the four nations had massed troops to break the peace, and the Tsuchikage, Kazekage, Mizukage, and Raikage accused Konoha of provoking them.
• Hatake Sakumo denied Konoha was at fault and taunted the Kage, while Rōsa revealed that the other nations suspected Kushina, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, had disappeared.
• Hatake Sakumo insulted Sand Village over the Third Hokage's death, prompting Rōsa to smash the table and disconnect from the meeting.
• Ōnoki, the Raikage, and the Mizukage demanded that Uchiha Liuyun return their Tailed Beasts, but Hatake Sakumo argued that they were using the demand as a pretext for war.
• The Fourth Raikage and the other Kage ended the meeting after Hatake Sakumo challenged their claims, leaving him to ask Sarutobi Hiruzen which nation would attack first.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen predicted Wind Country would strike first, and Hatake Sakumo ordered the front lines to prepare an encirclement for Sand Village.