Chapter Summaries

After leaving Madara’s hideout, Li Yao learned that Little Yezi had been abducted by the Third Raikage and decided to rescue her. Dan Katō’s memories then revealed that White Zetsu had exposed Li Yao’s location, leaving him convinced Madara had arranged events to put him under control.

• White Zetsu told Li Yao that Little Yezi had survived the battle but had been taken by the Third Raikage, and Li Yao vowed to save her.
• After White Zetsu left, Li Yao flew high into the sky and suspected Madara had secretly placed a powerful curse on him.
• Li Yao examined Dan Katō’s memories and learned the Spirit Transformation Technique, including its soul-perception abilities.
• Li Yao confirmed that the Underground Bounty Exchange had supplied Dan Katō’s group with his location near the Arctic Circle.
• Li Yao realized White Zetsu had leaked his location, apparently helping Madara bring him under control.

Li Yao chose to pursue Kekkei Mōra after deciding he needed Six Paths-level strength to escape Madara's control, while prioritizing his plan to develop the Perfect Transformation Jutsu and seize Konoha. In Kumogakure, Little Yezi was moved from a research facility to a secluded valley and realized the men arriving at night were assaulting the women housed there.

• Li Yao ruled out gaining Ten-Tails Chakra and chose to develop Six Paths-level Kekkei Mōra, postponing the work until after he developed the Perfect Transformation Jutsu and took control of Konoha.
• A Kumogakure ninja escorted Little Yezi from her sealed chamber, where researchers drew two tubes of her blood.
• The ninja led Little Yezi to a secluded valley filled with wooden houses and told her she would live in one of them.
• After night fell, men entered the valley and went into the occupied houses, where Little Yezi heard women crying and understood what was happening.

Little Yezi was held captive in Red Lantern Valley while Fanma Renzha planned to use her to establish his clan with the Uzumaki bloodline. When she tried to knock herself unconscious rather than submit, Fanma Renzha stopped her and reacted to someone approaching.

• Little Yezi armed herself with a shard of a flowerpot when Fanma Renzha entered her room.
• Fanma Renzha revealed that he intended to father children with Little Yezi and claim the Uzumaki bloodline for his clan.
• Little Yezi resolved to survive and avenge her family and clansmen, though she was terrified and furious.
• Fanma Renzha told Little Yezi to come to him, but she tried to strike her own head instead.
• Fanma Renzha immobilized Little Yezi and grabbed her, then realized she had meant to knock herself unconscious.
• Fanma Renzha leaned toward Little Yezi, but suddenly called out when he sensed someone nearby.

Li Yao’s Spirit Body arrived in time to stop Fanma Renzha from assaulting Little Yezi and promised that no one could hurt her again. Little Yezi confronted Fanma Renzha over the abuse she had suffered, but inflicting pain on him did not satisfy her.

• Li Yao’s unseen technique paralyzed Fanma Renzha, allowing Little Yezi to break free.
• Li Yao revealed himself to Little Yezi as a Spirit Body and explained that his real body was still on its way.
• Li Yao reassured Little Yezi that he was now powerful enough to protect her and that they would leave once his real body arrived.
• Little Yezi approached the immobilized Fanma Renzha, remembering the abuse and experiments she had endured over the past year.
• With Li Yao restoring Fanma Renzha’s ability to feel pain, Little Yezi used an ink-and-water kunai to cut him, but found the revenge unsatisfying.

Li Yao used Genjutsu to question Fanma Renzha and learned about his possessive obsession with his mother and five younger sisters. After discovering what Fanma Renzha cared about most, Li Yao asked Little Yezi what she wanted to do, and she agreed to let him help.

• Little Yezi asked Li Yao how to make Fanma Renzha suffer more, and Li Yao suggested targeting what he cared about.
• Li Yao used Genjutsu to control Fanma Renzha and questioned him about his family.
• Fanma Renzha revealed that he had five younger sisters and a mother he considered the most beautiful woman in Kumogakure.
• Fanma Renzha admitted he wanted to control his mother and sisters and would not allow them to marry.
• Li Yao asked Little Yezi what she wanted to do, and Little Yezi nodded when he offered to help.

Li Yao freed Little Yezi from the Forbidden Curse and used genjutsu to lead Fanma Renzha out of Red Light Valley. He reached Fanma Renzha’s home and took control of his mother and five sisters, leaving their fate unresolved.

• Li Yao covered Little Yezi with an Ink Coat and removed the Forbidden Curse from her body by copying its Chakra.
• Li Yao sent Little Yezi out of Red Light Valley on an Ink Vine, then controlled Fanma Renzha with genjutsu and made him leave the valley.
• Fanma Renzha passed Kumogakure’s nighttime checks under Li Yao’s control and arrived at his home.
• Fanma Renzha’s fourth sister opened the door and greeted him, but Li Yao took control of Fanma Renzha and deprived the six women inside of control over their bodies.
• Li Yao bound Fanma Renzha’s mother and five sisters with ink and inspected them.

Li Yao abducted Fanma Renzha’s mother and younger sister and attacked Kumogakure, drawing the village’s defenders and the Third Raikage into action. He forced the Third Raikage to choose between pursuing him and protecting the village, and the Raikage turned back to intercept the bombs.

• Li Yao carried Fanma Renzha’s mother and younger sister away on a Clay Bird, but a Kumogakure jonin spotted them and raised the alarm.
• Kumogakure’s ninja began evacuating villagers and attacking the Clay Bird with lightning-charged crossbow bolts, which Li Yao deflected with a Wind Barrier.
• The Third Raikage learned that one enemy had been detected, ordered a wider search, and flew out to confront the attacker.
• Li Yao scattered at least a hundred thousand Clay Flying Birds over Kumogakure, sending many toward the Third Raikage’s clan compound.
• The Third Raikage abandoned his pursuit of Li Yao and returned to protect the village, intercepting the Clay Flying Birds with Black Lightning.

Li Yao attacked Kumogakure with Clay Flying Birds, devastating the village, Red Lantern Valley, and Eagle Thunder Canyon. He wiped out the Daruma Family’s eagles and left the family unable to recover.

• Li Yao’s Clay Flying Birds bombed Kumogakure, killing villagers and triggering landslides while the Third Raikage blamed Iwagakure.
• Li Yao Shadow Clone dropped a Giant Doll on Red Lantern Valley, killing the Kumogakure ninjas and the women held there.
• A Daruma Family jonin ordered his clansmen to launch their Giant Eagles and support Kumogakure after hearing that the village was under attack.
• Li Yao’s Clay Flying Birds struck Eagle Thunder Canyon and destroyed the Daruma Family’s eagles before the clan could stop them.
• Li Yao, possessing Fanma Renzha, watched the destruction and noted that his soul and Chakra perception had revealed everything in Kumogakure.

Li Yao reunited with Uzumaki Yezi after destroying Kumogakure’s defenses and rescuing her, while the Third Raikage assessed the severe casualties and the Daruma Family’s losses. Li Yao hid in the mountains with Yezi and his captives, and he began plotting to infiltrate Konoha and become Hokage.

• Li Yao reunited with Uzumaki Yezi on the Ink Eagle and took her away from Kumogakure.
• The Third Raikage learned that the attack had destroyed buildings and bridges, killed many people, and wiped out nearly all the Daruma Family’s eagles.
• The Third Raikage decided the Daruma Family would be held responsible and ordered the clans to reorganize Kumogakure’s sensory defenses.
• Li Yao settled in the mountains with the sleeping Uzumaki Yezi and captive Fanma Renzha, whose family members massaged him.
• Li Yao planned to obtain the Perfect Transformation Jutsu, infiltrate Konoha using an Uchiha disguise, and become Hokage, while Yezi woke and teased him.

Li Yao experimented with Genjutsu and Spiritual Energy while developing a way to dominate all five senses, and Ōnoki’s raid into the Land of Lightning went awry. In the Land of Rain, Jiraiya chose to stay with Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan, prompting Madara’s allies to consider recalling Li Yao.

• Li Yao spared Fanma Renzha and his family for a ninjutsu experiment, then used Genjutsu on Fanma Renzha’s mother to study the Spiritual Energy signals produced by her imagined perceptions.
• Li Yao continued cultivating his Spirit Body Chakra and pondering how to simulate another person’s Spiritual Energy.
• Ōnoki led Iwagakure’s Explosion Unit into the Land of Lightning, where Kumogakure discovered and pursued them before they reached their target.
• Jiraiya met Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan in the Land of Rain and decided to withdraw from the war temporarily to train them.
• White Zetsu told Madara that Jiraiya planned to remain in contact with Nagato, and asked whether they should call Li Yao back.

Madara assigned Li Yao to watch Nagato’s Rinnegan and stop Jiraiya from taking it. Li Yao headed for the Land of Rain, leaving Little Yezi in the Land of Rice with a Shadow Clone to protect her.

• Madara told White Zetsu to have Li Yao monitor the Rinnegan and intervene only if Jiraiya targeted it.
• Li Yao accepted the mission and left the valley after Little Yezi killed Fanma Renzha and his family; Li Yao noticed Fanma Renzha’s soul had vanished instead of dispersing.
• Li Yao suspected the Sage of Six Paths had taken Fanma Renzha’s soul into the Pure Land, then traveled toward the Land of Rain with Little Yezi and White Zetsu.
• In the Land of Rice, Li Yao sent Little Yezi ahead with his Shadow Clone, promised he was not abandoning her, and continued toward the Land of Rain.

Li Yao watched over Nagato for three years while Jiraiya cared for the Trio, then left the Land of Rain once Jiraiya departed. In the Land of Rice, Little Yezi prepared to fight a group of wandering ninja who had surrounded her and Li Yao’s Shadow Clone.

• White Zetsu told Li Yao to guard Nagato’s Rinnegan while Jiraiya and the Trio stayed in the Land of Rain.
• Li Yao sensed the Rinnegan’s powerful Chakra but chose not to risk copying it while Madara’s curse remained inside him.
• Li Yao spent a year watching Nagato and Jiraiya, then waited two more years until Jiraiya left after the war ended.
• Li Yao confirmed he could leave, said goodbye to White Zetsu, and flew away from the Land of Rain.
• Li Yao’s Shadow Clone ate ramen with Little Yezi in the Land of Rice, where she asked when Li Yao would return.
• Little Yezi and Li Yao’s Shadow Clone went into a forest, where wandering ninja surrounded them, and Little Yezi readied her Paper Release Explosive Tags.

Little Yezi demonstrated her newly mastered Paper Release Explosive Tags, and Li Yao returned after three years away. He became intimate with her, then said they would travel while waiting for bounty hunters or Kumogakure’s ninja to pursue her.

• Little Yezi used Paper Release Explosive Tags to kill a group of wandering ninja and their leader, impressing Li Yao’s Shadow Clone.
• Li Yao’s true body returned, and Little Yezi embraced him after three years of unease; they then became intimate.
• Li Yao declined to discuss their future, while Little Yezi privately felt that their bond had changed and that she now belonged with him.
• Li Yao told Little Yezi they would wander and wait for bounty hunters or Kumogakure’s ninja, who still sought her for her connection to the attack on Kumogakure.
• Li Yao planned to use the coming pursuers to test the strength of his Spirit Body Chakra.

Li Yao explained how Kumori had been sealed by the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique and promised Little Yezi they could find a way to save her. After Little Yezi began studying the seal, Li Yao installed a huge Chakra-storage array and set his Shadow Clones to develop several abilities, including a seal-powered black-hole weapon.

• Li Yao told Little Yezi that Kumori had been sealed inside a Space Node and assured her that studying the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique could reveal a way to rescue her.
• Little Yezi eagerly began studying the sealing knowledge while Li Yao inscribed the Devouring Seal Array onto his body.
• Li Yao stored one-third of his Chakra in the new array and found that it could hold at least the Chakra of an entire Nine-Tails.
• Li Yao's Shadow Clones refined Genjutsu Chakra and Black Water Space Chakra, and developed an Ink Flying Bird vessel that could become a black-hole bomb.
• Li Yao focused on developing the Perfect Transformation Jutsu.

Kakuzu attacked Li Yao and Little Yezi for the bounty, but their explosive trap failed to kill him. Little Yezi fought Kakuzu and destroyed one of his masked hearts, while Kakuzu realized she could sense Chakra.

• Kakuzu ambushed Little Yezi and Li Yao, but they escaped by turning into Explosive Tags and detonating twenty thousand of them.
• Kakuzu survived the blast and lamented the cost of the Explosive Tags as Li Yao and Little Yezi approached him.
• Little Yezi asked Li Yao to let her fight Kakuzu, then attacked him with paper Explosive Tags.
• Kakuzu countered with Fire Release, but Little Yezi blocked the flames with Water Release and Li Yao sent back a stronger torrent.
• Kakuzu fled and used a hidden heart to ambush Little Yezi with Wind Release, but she turned into paper and destroyed its masked body with explosions.
• Little Yezi returned to the air, and Kakuzu realized she had Chakra-sensing abilities.

Little Yezi was overwhelmed by Kakuzu’s coordinated attacks until Li Yao struck Kakuzu with a devastating kick, destroying one of his hearts. Li Yao then faced Kakuzu directly, matching and overpowering his combined ninjutsu before Kakuzu shrouded the battlefield in mist.

• Kakuzu attacked Little Yezi with Earth, Fire, and Lightning Release, paralyzing her and reaching for her heart.
• Li Yao vanished and kicked Kakuzu through his hardened defense, sending him crashing through stone spikes and destroying one of his hearts.
• Little Yezi recovered and watched as Li Yao revealed the strength of his physical training; Kakuzu replaced his destroyed heart and entered Earth Grudge Fear mode.
• Li Yao challenged Kakuzu, and the two unleashed Water Lightning Dragon techniques; Li Yao’s larger dragon destroyed Kakuzu’s attack.
• Kakuzu evaded Li Yao’s dragon and covered the surrounding area in mist with Hidden Mist Technique.

Li Yao immobilized Kakuzu and used the Spirit Transformation Technique to explore his memories, discovering how Kakuzu stole Earth Grudge Fear and defected from Takigakure. The chapter ended with Li Yao withdrawing from Kakuzu’s memories and confirming that Kakuzu had genuinely fought Hashirama Senju.

• Kakuzu approached Li Yao through the Hidden Mist Technique, but Li Yao sensed him and deprived him of control over his body and black threads.
• Li Yao examined Kakuzu’s heart and learned that Earth Grudge Fear’s black threads were flesh and blood fused with special Chakra.
• Li Yao used the Spirit Transformation Technique to possess Kakuzu and search his memories for the Earth Grudge Fear Secret Technique.
• Kakuzu’s memories showed that Takigakure’s elders sent him to kill Hashirama Senju as a pretext to undermine his reputation and block his rise to power.
• After the villagers turned against him, Kakuzu stole the Earth Grudge Fear scroll, mastered the technique, killed the village elders, and defected from Takigakure.
• Li Yao withdrew from Kakuzu’s memories and concluded that Kakuzu had truly fought Hashirama rather than simply throwing a kunai and fleeing.

Li Yao killed Kakuzu after discovering that Earth Grudge Fear used assimilation to prevent rejection, and he considered combining it with the Spirit Transformation Technique. He and Little Yezi traveled to the Land of Water to copy the Mizukage’s techniques, while Li Yao continued investigating spiritual energy and the effects of his mutated soul.

• Li Yao realized Earth Grudge Fear assimilated stolen hearts, preventing bodily rejection, and decided to develop a possession technique combining it with the Spirit Transformation Technique.
• Li Yao speculated that his mutated soul had allowed him to possess Kimura Yao without rejection, but he chose not to risk testing the theory.
• Li Yao drained Kakuzu’s three hearts of Chakra, killing him, then set out with Little Yezi for the Land of Water.
• Li Yao captured ninjas along the way and examined their souls, but he still could not distinguish differences in their Spiritual Energy.
• After more than half a year of travel, Li Yao and Little Yezi entered the Land of Water.

Li Yao experimented on captured Kirigakure ninjas to learn whether intense emotions made differences in Spiritual Energy easier to detect, but he only sensed a faint anomaly once. He left for the Land of Water’s capital, surprising Little Yezi, who thought they were going to Kirigakure to find the Third Mizukage.

• Li Yao subdued six Kirigakure scouts on a small island and sealed their Chakra.
• Li Yao used his Shadow Clones to subject two female ninjas to extreme emotional upheaval and sensed a faint difference in one woman’s Spiritual Energy as she died.
• Li Yao considered having his Shadow Clones attack the male ninjas but abandoned the idea after they objected, then tortured the four men without detecting a Spiritual Energy difference.
• Li Yao concluded that violent emotional fluctuations might reveal differences in Spiritual Energy, though they might not occur in everyone or the emotions might not have been intense enough.
• Li Yao burned the bodies, returned to the Clay Flying Bird, and told Little Yezi they were heading to the Feudal Lord’s Mansion in the Land of Water’s capital.
• Little Yezi questioned Li Yao because she had expected them to go to Kirigakure and find the Third Mizukage.

Li Yao and Little Yezi arrived in Kyoto, where Li Yao noticed a stark separation between ordinary people and ninjas and wondered whether the system deliberately confined ninjas to killing one another. He used genjutsu to take control of the Water Daimyo's household and gathered the mansion's guards, ending the chapter as he began experimenting with a female ninja's Spiritual Energy.

• Li Yao told Little Yezi he planned to take revenge on the Water Daimyo, and she admitted she feared the trouble killing a national ruler could cause.
• After a week, Li Yao and Little Yezi reached Kyoto and found that, despite its huge population, almost no ninjas lived among its ordinary residents.
• Li Yao suspected that someone had restricted the spread of ninjas and made them slaughter one another, but set the question aside.
• That night, Li Yao placed the people and guards in the Feudal Lord's Mansion under genjutsu and ordered the Daimyo to gather his clan.
• Li Yao used the Spirit Transformation Technique to possess one of the mansion's three female ninja guards and began exploring Spiritual Energy fluctuations with his Shadow Clones.