Chapter Summaries

Zhang Miao wondered whether Naruto’s first mission to escort Tazuna would still happen despite the Land of Waves’ changed circumstances. After learning that Tazuna had gone to the Land of Fire and that Black Heart planned to eliminate Gato through someone else, Zhang Miao sent Aburame Mushi to investigate the road to Konoha.

• Zhang Miao recalled that Naruto and his classmates should have graduated and wondered whether they would still encounter Zabuza and Haku while escorting Tazuna.
• Zhang Miao asked Kakashi Hatake about Black Heart’s latest report and the bridge builder’s whereabouts.
• Kakashi Hatake said Black Heart planned to use someone else to kill Gato, then dismantle the Gato Group and send its money to the Land of Waves.
• Kakashi Hatake confirmed that Tazuna was building the bridge but had gone to the Land of Fire.
• Zhang Miao ordered Aburame Mushi to scout the road to Konoha for news of Tazuna and report back without taking action.

Zhang Miao learned that Team 7 and Zabuza’s group had reached Grass Wave Coast, just as he expected, and watched their battle from afar with the Byakugan. As Naruto and Sasuke struggled against Haku’s Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals, Zhang Miao set off for the Land of Waves to arrive after the fight and recover the fallen.

• Aburame Mushi reported that Tazuna was returning to the Land of Waves with Team 7, and Zhang Miao predicted that Zabuza’s final attack would take place at the Grass Wave Coast bridgehead.
• Zhang Miao ordered Aburame Mushi to guard the bridgehead and notify him when both sides arrived, explaining that he wanted to watch Naruto’s battle rather than capture Zabuza.
• Three days later, Aburame Mushi reported that Kakashi, Zabuza’s group, and Gato had reached Grass Wave Coast.
• Zhang Miao watched Kakashi and Zabuza stalemate in the Hidden Mist while Haku trapped Naruto and Sasuke in Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals and struck them with senbon.
• Expecting Naruto and Sasuke to turn the fight around soon, Zhang Miao boarded his Eight-Man Palanquin and ordered his group to return to the Land of Waves.

Naruto collapsed during his fight with Haku, and Sasuke took Haku’s attack to protect him, appearing to die in Naruto’s arms. Overcome with grief, Naruto released the Nine-Tails’ Chakra, and Kakashi realized he had to defeat Zabuza quickly before the seal gave way completely.

• Naruto exhausted himself using the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, while Sasuke continued fighting Haku with his Sharingan.
• Haku targeted the unconscious Naruto, and Sasuke shielded him from the senbon, then collapsed from his injuries.
• Naruto held Sasuke and grieved as Haku prepared to resume the battle.
• Naruto’s grief loosened the Eight Trigrams Seal, and Nine-Tails Chakra erupted as his eyes changed and he threatened to kill Haku.
• Kakashi recognized the Nine-Tails Chakra and urged himself to defeat Zabuza quickly before Naruto’s seal was fully undone.

Kakashi used his ninja hounds to track and restrain Zabuza, but Haku sacrificed himself to protect Zabuza from Kakashi’s Lightning Cutter. Zabuza killed Gato and died beside Haku; then a flower float and palanquin arrived, and Kakashi recognized the guard as his father.

• Kakashi used blood on a scroll to summon his Eight Ninja Hounds, which tracked and restrained Zabuza.
• Kakashi attacked Zabuza with Lightning Cutter, but Haku appeared and took the strike, dying as he held Kakashi back.
• Gato arrived with his men and insulted Haku, prompting Naruto to confront Zabuza about Haku’s devotion to him.
• Zabuza acknowledged Naruto’s words, killed Gato with a kunai held in his mouth, and was fatally wounded by Gato’s men.
• As snow fell, Zabuza died beside Haku after asking Kakashi to take him to Haku’s side.
• A flower float and palanquin arrived, and Kakashi was shocked to recognize the guard beside it as his father.

Kakashi was stunned to see his father, Hatake Sakumo, alive among Zhang Miao’s Jonin escort and learned that Zhang Miao had brought him back from another world. After father and son spoke about their past, they went to retrieve Momochi Zabuza and Haku’s bodies at Zhang Miao’s request.

• Kakashi saw Hatake Sakumo with Zhang Miao’s procession and rushed toward them, but the Jonin guards stopped him.
• Zhang Miao told Hatake Sakumo to speak with Kakashi and let him know he planned to take Momochi Zabuza and Haku’s bodies.
• Hatake Sakumo greeted Kakashi, and the two silently faced one another before Hatake Sakumo apologized for the suffering his choices had caused.
• Kakashi accepted his father’s apology and asked whether he was returning to the Land of Waves.
• Hatake Sakumo confirmed he was escorting Zhang Miao and said Zhang Miao wanted the bodies; Kakashi worried that Hades might revive the dangerous ninjas.
• Hatake Sakumo reassured Kakashi and headed toward Zabuza and Haku’s bodies, with Kakashi following.

Kakashi introduced his father, Kakashi Hatake, who had returned from the dead as a guard of Hades, and watched as Zhang Miao revived Zabuza and Haku. After the pair pledged their loyalty to Zhang Miao, Sasuke begged him to revive his parents in exchange for anything, even his own life.

• Naruto mistook Kakashi Hatake for Kakashi's older brother before learning he was Kakashi's father, Hatake Sakumo, revived by Hades.
• Kakashi Hatake carried Zabuza and Haku's bodies to Zhang Miao's palanquin, with Naruto following and Kakashi leading the others after them.
• Zhang Miao used the Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to heal and revive Zabuza and Haku.
• Zabuza and Haku pledged to serve Zhang Miao and followed his palanquin as he set out for the Land of Whirlpools.
• Naruto wondered if ghosts existed, while Sasuke knelt before Zhang Miao and begged him to revive his parents, offering even his own life.

Sasuke asked Hades to revive his parents and accepted the goal of becoming stronger and killing Itachi Uchiha in return. As Kakashi began training Team 7, Zhang Miao returned to the Land of Waves and learned that Haku was male.

• Kakashi relayed that Hades had agreed to revive Sasuke's parents if Sasuke chose and accomplished a life goal.
• Sasuke declared that he would become stronger and kill his elder brother, and Hades accepted his goal while warning him that what he saw might not be the truth.
• The palanquin party walked across the sea toward the Land of Waves, while Kakashi reassured Sakura about Sasuke's reaction.
• Sasuke asked Kakashi how to become stronger, and Kakashi began tree-climbing training for Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura Haruno.
• Zhang Miao returned to the village and asked Haku whether he was male or female; Haku said he was male.

Zhang Miao assigned Haku to train Naruto and Sasuke through real combat, while sending Zabuza to learn a dance in a qipao. As Haku began the training fight, Zhang Miao decided to organize a competition called “Super Happy Run Ninja.”

• Zhang Miao sent Haku to spar with Naruto and Sasuke so they could grow stronger before leaving the Land of Waves.
• Zabuza asked to spar with Kakashi, but Zhang Miao gave him a qipao and ordered him to learn the Pure Land of Bliss dance from the Three Sisters of the Flower Float.
• Haku found Naruto and Sasuke practicing chakra tree climbing and explained that he would train them through real combat.
• Haku trapped Naruto and Sasuke in Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals and attacked them with Thousand Killing Water Flight.
• Sasuke dodged Haku's attack and warned Naruto to be careful, while Naruto used Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu and charged toward the ice mirrors.
• Zhang Miao watched the fight and decided to hold a competition called “Super Happy Run Ninja.”

Zhang Miao organized a ninja martial arts tournament in the Land of Waves to entertain himself and showcase the village’s strength. The Five Kage attended, and after witnessing Madara Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha fight with Susanoo, Ōnoki recognized the masked Madara and stunned the others.

• Zhang Miao ordered a village tournament with a fifty-million-coin prize pool and the title “Blade of Hades” for the top ten contestants.
• After Naruto and the others left the Land of Waves, all five Kage arrived for the tournament, though the Five Great Nations’ daimyo stayed away.
• Zhang Miao recognized Mei Terumi’s arrival as a sign that Yagura was dead and suspected she had come to assess the Land of Waves’ strength.
• The Kage watched the tournament’s strongest fighters, growing uneasy when seven-star ninjas entered and then astonished when Itachi Uchiha and Madara Uchiha fought using Susanoo.
• Ōnoki identified the masked fighter in red armor as Madara Uchiha, shocking the other four Kage.

The Five Kage watched Madara Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha fight until Zhang Miao ended the match and declared Madara the winner. The next morning, the Kage arrived to find the arena protected by a Four Red Yang Formation, leaving them to wonder who would fight in the advanced division.

• Ōnoki recognized Madara Uchiha in the arena, and the other Kage accepted that the fighters were beyond their ability to challenge.
• Madara Uchiha unleashed his complete-body Susanoo and fought Itachi Uchiha from daytime until dusk.
• Zhang Miao told Minato Namikaze to end the match, and Minato declared Madara Uchiha the winner of the intermediate division.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Rasa realized an advanced division might follow, and the Five Kage left the stands wondering what it would bring.
• The Five Kage returned at dawn and found a Four Red Yang Formation around the arena, which Hiruzen explained required four S-rank Ninja to activate.

Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Uchiha Sasuke began the Land of Waves Martial Arts Tournament finals by unleashing their strongest techniques. Their clash left the arena devastated and the Five Kage stunned, with the battle still underway.

• Naruto Uzumaki and Uchiha Uchiha Sasuke entered the arena as the Five Kage watched, and Naruto’s “Strongest Shadow” attire prompted them to reconsider the Land of Waves’ power.
• Minato Namikaze began the final match and vanished with the Flying Thunder God Technique as Naruto activated Kurama Mode and Sasuke summoned Susanoo.
• Sasuke took to the air and fired a Kagutsuchi arrow, creating a huge crater and covering the arena in Amaterasu flames.
• Naruto shifted into Six Paths Sage Mode to withstand Sasuke’s attack, then hurled a Tailed Beast Ball Rasenshuriken at him.
• The blast struck Sasuke in midair and made the barrier bulge, leaving the Five Kage astonished by the fighters’ power.

Naruto Uzumaki defeated Uchiha Uchiha Sasuke by a narrow margin, bringing the first Land of Waves Martial Arts Tournament to a close. As the Five Kage discussed Hades’s identity and power, Hades announced that the Land of Waves would remain neutral in the shinobi world’s conflicts.

• Naruto Uzumaki defeated Uchiha Uchiha Sasuke after their battle lasted all day, and Minato Namikaze declared Naruto the winner.
• Minato Namikaze announced that the next tournament would take place in three years and that Hades might grant a wish to a worthy fighter.
• Mei Terumi questioned Hades’s promise, and Rasa, the Fourth Raikage, Ōnoki, and Hiruzen Sarutobi identified him as Uzumaki Ryunosuke and discussed his deeds.
• Mei Terumi learned that Hades had visited four of the Five Great Hidden Villages and worried that Kirigakure’s weakness might leave it vulnerable to him.
• Hades addressed the Five Kage telepathically and promised that the Land of Waves would stay neutral and never interfere in other nations’ wars.

After the tournament, Zhang Miao chose to give birth to Bleach through divine power despite the year-long Chakra recovery, and woke three days later to find him born as a child. Bleach pledged to protect Zhang Miao, who named him Ling Bai and stopped him from killing Orochimaru.

• After the tournament ended, the Five Kage resolved to keep their villages away from the Land of Waves.
• The system told Zhang Miao that Bleach had finished gestating and explained the two birth methods, including the painful divine-body option.
• Zhang Miao chose divine-power delivery, was drained of his Chakra, and lost consciousness for three days.
• Zhang Miao woke to find Bleach beside his bed, and Bleach explained why he looked like a young child despite being newly born.
• Bleach offered to kill Orochimaru, but Zhang Miao stopped him because Orochimaru still had a role to play.
• Bleach asked Zhang Miao for a new name, and Zhang Miao named him Ling Bai.

While recuperating, Zhang Miao prepared to attend Konoha’s Chunin Ninja Exams with Ling Bai and selected Genin from his village. As they set out, Senju Workshop asked to join them, and Zhang Miao agreed.

• Kakashi East delivered Konoha’s invitation to the Chunin Ninja Exams, and Zhang Miao approved three Genin candidates with Big Pillar as their supervising Jonin.
• Zhang Miao told Ling Bai to call him Brother and spent two months teaching him restraint while recovering his Chakra.
• After regaining nearly twenty percent of his Chakra, Zhang Miao set off for Konoha with Ling Bai.
• Senju Workshop met Zhang Miao at the village gate and requested to accompany him to Konoha; Zhang Miao agreed.

Zhang Miao returned to Konoha with Ling Bai and three masked revived ninja, letting them enter without revealing their identities. On the way home, he found Naruto down on the ground while Sakura faced off against the Third Elder’s grandson.

• Zhang Miao invited Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, and Hizashi Hyuga to accompany him to Konoha and told them to keep their identities hidden.
• Zhang Miao covered Reaper Ling Bai’s horns, then led the group to Konoha with Hizashi Hyuga scouting ahead and the others guarding him.
• At Konoha’s gate, Izumo Kamizuki recognized Zhang Miao, and Kotetsu Hagane welcomed him and his masked attendants into the village.
• As the group headed toward Zhang Miao’s home, they came upon Naruto sprawled on the ground and Sakura confronting the Third Elder’s grandson.

Zhang Miao watched Naruto and Konohamaru get chased by Sakura, then recognized Kankuro and Temari and realized the Chunin Exams could lead to Orochimaru’s plan to attack Konoha. He resolved to stop the attack by recruiting Rasa, but first needed to learn whether the Sand siblings had come with a secret mission.

• Zhang Miao explained to Senju Workshop that Konoha’s peaceful years had left children like Konohamaru inexperienced, then stopped Fugaku Uchiha from discussing the Uchiha massacre.
• Konohamaru insulted Sakura, prompting her to chase him and Naruto as they fled with their companions.
• Zhang Miao followed the commotion and found Kankuro and Temari had arrived in Sunagakure attire for the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Zhang Miao recalled Orochimaru’s Konoha Crush Plan and decided to recruit Rasa to keep the Sand Ninja from joining the attack.
• Zhang Miao wondered whether Kankuro and Temari had come only for the exams or had a special mission to carry out the Konoha Crush Plan.

Kankuro and Temari clashed with Naruto and Konohamaru, until Sasuke intervened and challenged Kankuro. Zhang Miao watched and made a bet with Fugaku Uchiha about Sasuke’s future, while Kankuro prepared to bring out his puppet before someone ordered him to stop.

• Kankuro knocked Naruto down with a Chakra Thread and threatened Konohamaru, but a thrown stone struck his hand and made him release the boy.
• Sasuke revealed himself on a tree branch, and Senju Workshop praised his Shurikenjutsu while Fugaku Uchiha proudly identified him as his son.
• Zhang Miao bet Fugaku Uchiha that Sasuke would defect from Konoha, wagering that Fugaku would bleat like a sheep at Naruto Bridge if he lost.
• Kankuro took down his puppet, “Crow,” and prepared to attack Sasuke, but an icy voice ordered him to stop.

Zhang Miao noticed Gaara’s unsettling behavior and secretly met with Kankuro, who revealed that Gaara had lost control two years earlier and Shukaku had killed Karura. Zhang Miao realized that Gaara’s father, siblings, and the loss of his mother had shaped his current state.

• Gaara appeared beside Sasuke, introduced himself, and dismissed Naruto before leaving with Kankuro and Temari.
• Zhang Miao privately contacted Kankuro and asked him to meet at Konoha’s Dumpling Shop without telling Gaara or Temari.
• Kankuro told Gaara he wanted to buy dumplings, and Gaara let him go while ordering him to avoid trouble.
• Gaara suspected Kankuro was acting strangely and sent Temari to follow him.
• At the Dumpling Shop, Zhang Miao asked Kankuro what had changed with Gaara, and Kankuro said Gaara had lost control two years earlier.
• Kankuro revealed that Shukaku’s rampage had killed Karura, and Zhang Miao connected her death to Gaara’s troubled behavior.

Zhang Miao learned that his influence could only temporarily change the fates of people he spent little time with, then discovered Gaara had taken Karura to Hades Temple, where she remained in suspended death. After promising Temari he would save her mother, Zhang Miao warned that Orochimaru had impersonated the Fourth Kazekage and that Temari’s father was likely in grave danger.

• Zhang Miao learned from the system that the World Will shaped his fortunate fate and that his influence over others depended on how much time he spent with them.
• Kankuro told Zhang Miao that Gaara had taken Karura into Hades Temple, and the system explained that the temple could preserve recruited individuals in suspended death with Chakra.
• Zhang Miao told Kankuro and Temari that Karura could be revived, and promised to save her after the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Temari admitted that her father had ordered her to join the Sound ninja in destroying Konoha.
• Zhang Miao told Temari he was ninety percent certain Orochimaru had impersonated the Fourth Kazekage and warned that her father was likely in grave danger.

Zhang Miao warned Temari that Rasa might be in danger and explained Orochimaru’s plan to Senju Workshop. As the Chunin Ninja Exams approached, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Zhang Miao, who returned the Hokage’s pipe and hinted at a coming surprise.

• Zhang Miao told Temari to have Baki investigate the canyons around Sunagakure, and she agreed to pass on his warning.
• Zhang Miao told Kankuro not to inform Gaara about the matter until after the Chunin Ninja Exams.
• Zhang Miao explained to Senju Workshop that Orochimaru had perfected Impure World Reincarnation and intended to use it to destroy Konoha.
• An Anbu summoned Zhang Miao to Hiruzen Sarutobi’s office, where Hiruzen announced that the Chunin Ninja Exams would begin in seven days.
• Zhang Miao returned Hiruzen Sarutobi’s pipe and promised a surprise, then left the office.