Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru introduced Anko to Guren as his new disciple and began organizing Northern Land Village, including its academy and laboratory. Anko and Guren competed for his praise, then fought at the training ground while Orochimaru watched.

• Guren learned that Anko was Orochimaru's new disciple, and the two reluctantly greeted each other as senior and junior sisters.
• Orochimaru organized the laboratory and planned Northern Land Village, using clones to supervise construction and staff the Ninja Academy.
• Orochimaru assigned Anko to teach at the academy, while she and Guren competed in their duties and training to earn his praise.
• Anko challenged Guren to fight after school, and Guren accepted at the training ground.
• Guren attacked with crystal kunai, Anko blocked them with a boulder, and the two exchanged taijutsu blows as Orochimaru watched.
• Orochimaru felt a faint stirring within his soul as he considered how to guide their training.

Orochimaru learned that Pakura had accepted his offer and welcomed Hozuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri to the Northern Lands. He recognized Ringo as one of Kirigakure’s Seven Ninja Swordsmen, while she challenged him to make her heart race.

• Shiro reported that Pakura had taken the bait, and Orochimaru welcomed the news because the Northern Lands needed talent.
• Anko and Guren sparred without seriously injuring each other while Orochimaru watched.
• Orochimaru sensed two powerful strangers approaching the Northern Lands and went to meet them.
• Hozuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri arrived at the Rice Field Ninja Village, where Orochimaru greeted Mangetsu.
• Mangetsu introduced Ringo to Orochimaru, and she challenged him to make her heart race.

Orochimaru welcomed Hozuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri to the newly expanded Rice Field Ninja Village and asked them to help train Anko and Guren. After learning that Ringo Ameyuri's health had declined since she began wielding Kiba, he offered to examine her at the hospital.

• Orochimaru showed Hozuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri the planned village and explained that it needed more residents.
• Orochimaru introduced the two newcomers to Anko and Guren, then asked them to guide the girls' training.
• Ringo Ameyuri praised Anko, while Hozuki Mangetsu said Guren seemed composed and agreed to teach them.
• Orochimaru hosted a welcome dinner for the group at his home in the Northern Lands.
• Orochimaru asked Ringo Ameyuri about her poor health, and she explained that her condition began after she started using Kiba.
• Orochimaru told Ringo Ameyuri to get examined at the hospital the next day and offered to assess whether he could treat her.

Orochimaru revealed that he had recovered four of Kirigakure’s lost ninja swords and gave one each to Hozuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri. Their new weapons rekindled their resolve to fight, and both pledged their loyalty to him.

• Orochimaru asked Hozuki Mangetsu why he and Ringo Ameyuri lacked the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, and Mangetsu explained that four blades had been lost after the Third Great Ninja War.
• Orochimaru released the four recovered swords from a Sealing Scroll, surprising Mangetsu and Ameyuri.
• Mangetsu and Ameyuri identified the swords, and Orochimaru gave Lightning Blade: Kiba to Ameyuri and Twin Swords: Hiramekarei to Mangetsu.
• Orochimaru told them that people could not simply withdraw from the jianghu, strengthening their resolve to remain involved.
• Ameyuri pledged herself to Orochimaru, and Mangetsu promised not to refuse his commands.

Orochimaru learned that his companions had reached the Northlands and prepared to return with Pakura, then went to rescue Haku from the snowy streets. After Haku accepted Orochimaru’s offer to take him in, Orochimaru noticed another shivering figure approaching.

• Orochimaru heard that his companions had reached the Northlands and decided to return early with Pakura once she recovered.
• Orochimaru’s subordinate reported that the child he had been watching had made a move, and Orochimaru went to find him.
• Haku, who had fled after his Kekkei Genkai killed his father and the villagers, became too weak from hunger and cold to stand.
• Orochimaru fed Haku meat buns and offered to take him with him, and Haku tentatively accepted.
• Orochimaru began to leave with Haku but spotted another shivering figure walking toward them.

Orochimaru defeated Zabuza on the bridge and took him along with Haku, intending to make use of him. Meanwhile, Yagura responded to defections from Kirigakure by declaring fugitives rogue ninja, then learned the Kaguya Clan had rebelled and ordered the village to prepare for battle.

• Orochimaru met Zabuza on the bridge, mocked him, and crushed him with Gravity Suppression after Zabuza attacked.
• Zabuza used the Hiding in Mist Technique and tried to strike Haku, but Orochimaru found him and knocked him unconscious with another gravity attack.
• Orochimaru took the unconscious Zabuza and Haku away, deciding Zabuza might still be useful.
• An Anbu ninja told Yagura that Hōzuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri had fled Kirigakure, and Yagura ordered the village to monitor the Hōzuki Clan and label the fugitives rogue ninja.
• Another Anbu ninja reported that the Kaguya Clan had rebelled, and Yagura ordered all ninja to prepare for combat.

The Kaguya Clan rebelled against Kirigakure, and Orochimaru decided to save Kimimaro after meeting him outside the village. After fighting through the night, Kimimaro woke among the dead and heard someone tell him that living could lead to finding meaning and being found.

• Mei Terumī received orders to evacuate civilians as the Kaguya Clan’s rebellion engulfed Kirigakure.
• Kimimaro hurried toward the village, met Orochimaru outside it, and continued on after Orochimaru pointed out the way.
• Orochimaru judged the Kaguya Clan’s uprising doomed and decided that Kimimaro had to be saved.
• The Kaguya Clan’s patriarch declared that they dared defy Heaven as the clan slaughtered Mist Ninja.
• Kimimaro fought until his Chakra ran out, then woke at dawn among corpses and wondered what meaning there was in living.
• A familiar voice told Kimimaro that living could lead him to find a flower and be found.

Orochimaru returned to the Northern Lands with Pakura, Haku, Kimimaro, and Zabuza, expanding his village’s growing team. He introduced the newcomers, arranged care for them, and left Zabuza bewildered by the village’s rousing work chants.

• Orochimaru recruited Kimimaro after comforting him, then returned to the Northern Lands with Pakura, Haku, Kimimaro, and Zabuza.
• Pakura and Zabuza were surprised by the size of the Northern Lands, while Ringo Ameyuri regained hope after Orochimaru promised to treat her kidney failure.
• Orochimaru introduced the newcomers to Hozuki Mangetsu, Ringo Ameyuri, Anko, and Guren, then sent Pakura and Zabuza to rest and tour the village.
• Orochimaru took Kimimaro and Haku to Northern Land Hospital for physical examinations.
• Zabuza heard a foreman rallying workers with chants about hard work and wealth, and wondered why the slogans stirred him.

After absorbing Tailed Beast Chakra, Orochimaru expanded his energy-control abilities and emerged from secluded training with red hair. He accepted Kimimaro and Haku as disciples and chose the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack reward, leaving the two children under his personal instruction.

• Orochimaru absorbed most of his stored Tailed Beast tails, strengthening his body and expanding his Gravity Field to ten meters.
• Orochimaru discovered he could drain energy from living things, withering a plant, but could not limit the effect to a single touched area.
• Orochimaru ended his secluded training and surprised Kimimaro and Haku with his newly red hair.
• Orochimaru asked Kimimaro and Haku to become his disciples, and both children immediately agreed and performed the disciple ceremony.
• Orochimaru chose the system's Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack reward instead of Shikotsumyaku and promised to teach his new disciples personally.

Orochimaru learned the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack and examined ways to preserve Kimimaro’s life while developing his disciples’ abilities. He welcomed Ajisai as a new student, and with the village nearly complete, he prepared to advance his plans.

• Orochimaru gained knowledge of the Eighty Gods Vacuum Attack and considered adapting it into new taijutsu for his disciples.
• Orochimaru confirmed Kimimaro had mild symptoms of a genetic disorder and considered gene research or Living Corpse Reincarnation as ways to save him.
• Orochimaru assessed Haku’s talent and planned to help him study Ice Release and eventually use a Curse Mark.
• Orochimaru’s clone returned from Amegakure with Ajisai, whom Orochimaru welcomed as a student and invited Kimimaro and Haku to meet.
• Kimimaro, Haku, and Ajisai quickly began talking as Orochimaru learned the shinobi village was nearly complete.

Orochimaru developed the Northern Lands by training young ninjas, assigning Pakura and Zabuza to the Ninja Academy, and establishing a ninja system with the Shadow Guard and a covert intelligence group called The Net. As the Hashirama Cells serum neared completion, he considered recruiting future Akatsuki members to help build his northern power.

• Orochimaru found several young ninjas from the Land of Rice Fields, including Dosu Kinuta, Zaku Abumi, Kin Tsuchi, and members of the Sound Four, but chose to support them from afar until they were older.
• Orochimaru guided the children in training, while Pakura taught at the Ninja Academy and Zabuza supervised physical training.
• Orochimaru's clone raced to develop the Hashirama Cells serum, which Orochimaru expected to be ready in about a month.
• Orochimaru established administrative departments and copied the established ninja system, creating the Shadow Guard to serve the Kage.
• Orochimaru formed The Net as a secret intelligence organization whose members answered only to him and could gather intelligence and recruit talented children across nations.
• Orochimaru considered recruiting Kakuzu, Hidan, and Deidara as he planned to build the Northern Lands into a powerful Assassin Dynasty.

Orochimaru received a Ten-Tails cultivation method and began planning new experiments as he pursued greater power. Meanwhile, Jiraiya searched the Land of Wind for him, and Tsunade and Shizune learned that he had left Konoha.

• Orochimaru received the Ten-Tails cultivation method and realized his defection had brought him a valuable reward.
• Orochimaru considered pursuing Ōtsutsuki bloodlines and immortality, then had a clone begin researching the Ten-Tails materials.
• Orochimaru added research into Kimimaro's Shikotsumyaku and its possible links to Konoha's great clans to his plans.
• Jiraiya searched the Land of Wind for Orochimaru, hoping to learn why he had left Konoha and bring him back.
• Tsunade and Shizune heard that Orochimaru had left Konoha, and Tsunade drank while Shizune suggested he might only be traveling.

Kakuzu arrived in the Northern Lands and clashed with Orochimaru, who sought to recruit the S-rank Rogue Ninja. Orochimaru transported them away from the restaurant and challenged Kakuzu to fight, leaving them on the verge of battle.

• Kakuzu ordered a feast of animal organs at a Northern Lands restaurant and berated the staff and customers.
• Orochimaru confronted Kakuzu, identified him as the Long Hidden Village Rogue Ninja, and offered him a place in the Northern Lands.
• Kakuzu rejected Orochimaru's claims and swept the food off the table, threatening to take his heart.
• Orochimaru transported Kakuzu to another location and declared that victory would earn Kakuzu his freedom, while defeat would make him join the Northern Lands.
• Kakuzu summoned four masked monsters with Earth Grudge Fear, and Orochimaru expressed interest in studying the technique as the fight began.

Otsutsuki Toneri and his father searched Earth for Hyuga descendants whose eyes could replace Toneri’s missing eyes, then massacred villagers who learned about their mission. Orochimaru’s clone sensed the blast and flew toward the pair, recognizing them as a valuable target.

• Otsutsuki Toneri and his father arrived on Earth to locate the Hyuga branch family and find suitable eyes for Toneri.
• The pair questioned villagers near the border of the Land of Gold and the Land of Fire, learning that the Hyuga Clan lived near Konoha.
• After leaving, Toneri’s father fired an energy beam that destroyed the village to keep their purpose secret.
• Orochimaru’s clone sensed the explosion with Mind’s Eye of the Kagura and found the village in ruins.
• Orochimaru detected the two figures leaving his sensing range and flew after them, calling them a big catch.

Orochimaru tracked Otsutsuki Toneri and his father through the forest, recognizing that they had come from the moon. He approached their camp at midnight, then abruptly turned to leave, leaving the two unsure whether his visit had been accidental.

• Orochimaru sensed two people flying and followed them, suspecting they were connected to the moon.
• Orochimaru recalled his plans to find Yakushi Nonō and Kabuto in Konoha and considered interfering in the coming conflict over Hinata Hyuga.
• Otsutsuki Toneri and his father traveled through the day, ate dry rations, and camped in the forest overnight.
• Orochimaru waited five kilometers away until midnight, then approached the camp while Toneri and his father were resting.
• Orochimaru greeted the pair and suggested a chat, but when they watched him warily, he turned around and left.
• Toneri and his father began to wonder whether Orochimaru had truly just passed by when an unexpected incident occurred.

Orochimaru ambushed Toneri and his father, wounded Toneri, and captured the old man after Toneri escaped. He collected the Ōtsutsuki remains and blood for research and prepared to rest until dawn.

• Orochimaru trapped the old man and wounded Toneri, taking a piece of Toneri’s flesh and bloodied kunai.
• The old man attacked Orochimaru, but Orochimaru subdued him with gravitational manipulation and demanded that Toneri run.
• Toneri fled into the night on his flying carpet, promising to remember Orochimaru’s scent.
• Orochimaru crushed the old man’s limbs, removed his eyes, and collected his body, blood, Toneri’s hair, and other samples.
• Orochimaru summoned Shiro to retrieve his mask, stored the collected materials, and decided to rest at the campfire until dawn.

Orochimaru gathered the Northern Lands’ ninjas at a temple and assigned them missions to expand his influence beyond their borders. Mangetsu and Ameyuri would lead the relocation of Snow Ninja Village’s villagers, while Kakuzu would accompany a team to the Land of Hot Water.

• Orochimaru addressed his followers at the temple and led them in offering incense to the White Snake Sage.
• Orochimaru ordered Hozuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri to lead a team, assisted by Zabuza and Shadow Guard members, to relocate Snow Ninja Village’s villagers.
• Orochimaru told Kimimaro, Haku, Ajisai, and the other young ninjas to join the mission and gain battlefield experience.
• Kakuzu asked to take part, and Orochimaru assigned him to travel to the Land of Hot Water with Anko, Guren, and a clone.
• Orochimaru planned to develop Yugakure into the Capital City of the Land of Gold and bring some of its ninja guards back to protect the Daimyo.

Orochimaru sent his people on a large operation to bring the Northern Lands under control and reassured Pakura that he did not fear the Five Great Nations. After sharing dinner with his allies, he remembered something he wanted to tell Kakuzu.

• Orochimaru ordered his people to keep the operation quiet and capture anyone who resisted.
• Pakura asked whether the other Five Great Nations might oppose the operation, and Orochimaru said he would crush any nation that intervened.
• Orochimaru and Pakura flirted, and she left him with a teasing promise for that night.
• Orochimaru cooked dinner for his allies, who gathered around the table and joked together.
• Orochimaru stopped Kakuzu from drinking because everyone had work the next day, then said he had almost forgotten to tell Kakuzu something.

Orochimaru told Kakuzu and the others about Hidan's blood-based immortality and said he would recruit him himself. After the group prepared for the next day's work, Orochimaru and Pakura shared an intimate moment.

• Orochimaru ordered Kakuzu to investigate the Jashin Religion and revealed that he wanted to recruit Hidan, a young man with an immortal body.
• Orochimaru warned that Hidan could kill anyone whose blood he obtained, and told the others not to confront him carelessly.
• Orochimaru decided to recruit Hidan personally, then sent everyone away to prepare for work the next day.
• Pakura cleared the dinner table, bathed, and found Orochimaru drinking wine and thinking alone.
• Orochimaru pulled Pakura into his arms, and they teased one another as their intimate encounter began.

Orochimaru sent teams to conquer small countries while he set out to recruit Kisame before Obito could reach him. Near the Land of Fire’s border, he unexpectedly ran into Jiraiya, who had been searching for him.

• Hozuki Mangetsu and Kakuzu led their squads out to conquer a small country.
• Orochimaru woke beside Pakura, shared breakfast with her, and then went to the Gold Kage’s office.
• A Shadow Guard reported that Konoha had sent Ibiki Morino to intercept Kisame, so Orochimaru sent a message to his counterpart in Konoha.
• Orochimaru in Konoha received the note, abandoned his plans to investigate the Hyuga Clan, and hurried to recruit Kisame before Obito could reach him.
• Near the Land of Fire’s border, Orochimaru encountered Jiraiya, who recognized him and said he had finally found him.