Chapter Summaries

Neji reunited with his returning father, Hizashi, who tested his Gentle Fist and promised to teach him a new taijutsu form. At the Kurama Clan gathering, Ming Jing considered Taichi’s grief and promised the recovering Fuma Yami a mission once she was well.

• Neji came home and joyfully greeted Hizashi, who had returned to Yuriko and their family.
• Hizashi sparred with Neji, praised his progress, warned him not to rely blindly on his eyes, and promised to teach him a new taijutsu form the next day.
• Ming Jing attended a lively Kurama Clan gathering, where Yakumo played with the children and Taichi asked to visit the families of his slain comrades.
• Ming Jing agreed that Taichi could bring food to the families and worried that grief might derail the boy’s talent.
• Fuma Yami told Ming Jing that her recovery was going well and asked if she could stay by his side; Ming Jing said he had a mission for her once she recovered.

Hizashi Hyuga visited the Main Family with Neji and offered to teach Water Binding Stream, but Hyuga Hiashi excluded Hinata from the lessons. After Hizashi encouraged Hinata to find the path that suited her, she decided to seek Ming Jing’s guidance.

• Hizashi Hyuga and Neji visited Hyuga Hiashi, Hinata, and Hanabi at the Main Family.
• Hizashi offered to teach Water Binding Stream, but Hyuga Hiashi allowed only Neji and Hanabi to study it, upsetting Hinata.
• Hizashi demonstrated Water Binding Stream and explained its principles to Hyuga Hiashi, Neji, and Hanabi.
• Hyuga Hiashi asked Hizashi to call Hinata to lunch, hinting that she should go find Ming Jing.
• Hizashi comforted Hinata and urged her to find someone who knew her well and could help her discover a suitable path.
• Hinata remembered Ming Jing protecting her and resolved that he might be able to help her.

Ming Jing woke to find Hinata waiting and happily received the Snowy Mochi she had made for him. When Hinata confessed that she doubted her Gentle Fist talent, Ming Jing proposed that they work together to reconstruct a taijutsu style he remembered, and she eagerly agreed.

• Ming Jing hurried from his room after Qing Yan told him Hinata had been waiting in the courtyard with Yuexi and Yami.
• Hinata gave Ming Jing homemade Snowy Mochi, and he praised it and asked her to explain how she had made it.
• Hinata asked Ming Jing whether she was suited to the Gentle Fist and said she felt she had disappointed her father.
• Ming Jing realized he could not teach Hinata the Gentle Fist, but suggested they reconstruct a different taijutsu style together.
• Hinata agreed enthusiastically to work with Ming Jing, with tears in her eyes.

Ming Jing took Hinata to the training room to teach her Wing Chun, but stopped when he realized he could not recall the movements well enough. He tried to reinsert a memory extracted from his mind and immediately lost consciousness.

• Ming Jing promised Hinata he would marry her when she grew her hair to her waist, then Yuexi interrupted them with tea.
• Ming Jing drank Yuexi’s super-spicy black tea and left with Hinata, holding her hand as he led her to the training room.
• Ming Jing showed Hinata the Wing Chun wooden dummy and attempted to demonstrate its use, but found that his movements felt wrong.
• Ming Jing asked Hinata to fetch old Master Zuo Yang if anything unusual happened, then extracted a golden memory from his mind and pressed it back in.
• Ming Jing’s vision went dark, and he lost consciousness.

Ming Jing found himself inside the story of Prodigal Son, where he followed Liang Zan and watched him begin learning Wing Chun. He remained an invisible observer, secretly learning Liang Erdi’s techniques alongside Liang Zan.

• Ming Jing discovered that his illusion techniques could not affect the people in the teahouse, then recognized Liang Zan and Liang Erdi from Prodigal Son.
• Ming Jing realized he was only a projection and followed Liang Zan after Liang Erdi exposed the truth behind his Street Buster reputation and drove him away.
• Liang Zan returned home, learned that the masters his parents hired had been pretending to lose, and later recovered enough to pursue Liang Erdi as a disciple.
• Liang Erdi accepted Liang Zan after seeing his honest nature, and began teaching him Short Bridge Wing Chun.
• Ming Jing secretly watched the lessons and copied Liang Erdi’s Wing Chun techniques.

After Liang Erdi was nearly killed by assassins sent to protect Ni Fei, he brought Liang Zan to the countryside to seek help from his senior martial brother, Huang Baohua. Liang Zan offended Huang Baohua and ended up calling him Godfather, while the threat from Ni Fei remained unresolved.

• Sengge Rinchen sent assassins to kill Liang Erdi, who was badly injured and fell into the river as the opera troupe burned.
• Liang Zan rescued Liang Erdi and used his family's medicinal herbs to stabilize his injuries, while Ming Jing stayed by Liang Erdi as his guardian spirit.
• After Ni Fei injured Liang Zan in Foshan, Liang Erdi took him to the countryside to seek help from Huang Baohua, a master of Changqiao Wing Chun.
• Huang Baohua demonstrated his calligraphy skills to Huang Enmei and sent her next door with two eggs for Liang Erdi.
• Huang Enmei caught Liang Zan stealing a chicken and beat him with a wooden stick, prompting Huang Baohua to charge out and get kicked away by Liang Zan.
• Liang Erdi made Liang Zan apologize, and Huang Baohua persuaded Liang Zan to call him Godfather.

Liang Zan became Liang Erdi’s disciple and began learning Wing Chun, while Ming Jing trained alongside him and struggled to keep up. Huang Baohua taught Liang Zan practical combat tactics, leaving Ming Jing impressed by the fat man’s skill and cunning.

• Huang Baohua began teaching Huang Enmei kung fu, and Ming Jing and Liang Zan joined the practice.
• After Liang Erdi refused to teach him, Liang Zan argued that kung fu should be passed on and left; Huang Baohua urged Liang Erdi to reconsider.
• Liang Erdi invited Liang Zan to kneel and serve tea, formally accepting him as his disciple.
• Liang Zan and Ming Jing began studying Short Bridge Wing Chun, but Liang Zan advanced much faster than Ming Jing.
• Huang Baohua explained the differences between Short Bridge and Long Bridge Wing Chun and taught Liang Zan to target injuries and weak points in a fight.

Ming Jing recovered after using Mother-Child Green Coins, then taught Hinata Wing Chun and demonstrated its speed and leverage against her Gentle Fist stance. He left the chapter unsure how to combine Wing Chun with Chakra, while Hinata eagerly promised to help him work it out.

• Hinata stayed beside the unconscious Ming Jing, and he woke to find her examining his face before she fainted from embarrassment.
• Ming Jing cooled Hinata with Wind Blades and reflected on the missing memories from his use of Mother-Child Green Coins as The Goose Illusionary Book changed.
• Ming Jing apologized for teasing Hinata, and she told him she had only been happy that he was all right.
• Ming Jing began teaching Hinata Wing Chun, showing her its stance, forms, and techniques on a wooden dummy.
• Ming Jing demonstrated Wing Chun against Hinata's Gentle Fist stance, stopping a fast punch at her nose while bracing his bow stance against her thigh.
• Ming Jing admitted he had not figured out how to use Chakra with Wing Chun, and Hinata offered to work with him to find a way.

Hinata joined Ming Jing at the Kurama Clan compound to continue researching how to combine Wing Chun with Chakra. After studying Chakra circulation diagrams, Ming Jing realized that release pathways might offer a clue and planned to use Hinata’s Byakugan to investigate further.

• Hinata left home early and went to train with Ming Jing, who arranged for Up, Down, Left, Right to escort her in the cold.
• Ming Jing and Hinata tried to adapt Gentle Fist Chakra control to Wing Chun, but Hinata’s Chakra dissipated as she opened her fists into palms.
• Mirai brought scrolls showing hand seals and Chakra circulation patterns for ten ninjutsu, prompting Ming Jing to consider how Chakra release routes affected techniques.
• Hinata offered to share the Hyuga Clan’s Gentle Fist circulation method, but Ming Jing refused and instead asked her to use her Byakugan to help him investigate.
• Ming Jing learned that Yami was with Might Guy and asked Mirai to send Yami to the training room when she returned.

Ming Jing had Yami demonstrate her Chakra circulation so Hinata could study it, then tried to cheer Hinata up with snacks and a scarf. Hinata promised to grow up soon, but Uchiha Itachi and Izumi Uchiha interrupted to accuse Ming Jing of abducting her.

• Ming Jing introduced Yami to Hinata and asked Yami to demonstrate the Eight Extraordinary Meridians’ Chakra circulation.
• Hinata used her Byakugan to observe Yami’s movements and drew a diagram of the Chakra flow for Ming Jing and Mirai to study.
• As Hinata left for home, Ming Jing took her to Konoha’s snack street and bought her a red scarf.
• Ming Jing told Hinata he wanted her to grow up soon, and Hinata embraced him and promised she would.
• Uchiha Itachi and Izumi Uchiha confronted Ming Jing, citing the penalty for abducting a young girl and demanding he turn himself in or be arrested.

Ming Jing, Hinata, Itachi, and Izumi stopped at a ring-toss stall, where Itachi’s skill exposed the vendor’s rigged game. The vendor tried to hide his remaining prizes, but Hinata used her Byakugan to reveal them.

• Ming Jing and Hinata ran into Itachi and Izumi on the snack street, and the four continued shopping together.
• Hinata spotted a ring-toss stall and asked for a plush dog for Hanabi, while Izumi bought twenty rings and tried to win prizes.
• Itachi discovered the rings were unevenly weighted, then accurately won the dolls chosen by Izumi, Hinata, and Ming Jing.
• Ming Jing asked the vendor to bring over the five won dolls and refill the empty spots, but the vendor claimed he had no more toys.
• Hinata activated her Byakugan and spotted more plush toys in a black bag behind the vendor.

After Itachi privately told Ming Jing that the Uchiha Clan was planning a rebellion, Ming Jing promised the Land of Fire would not descend into chaos. The four friends reunited at a ramen shop, where Ming Jing and Itachi each shared a bowl with the girl beside them.

• Itachi secretly sent Izumi to take Hinata away, then led Ming Jing to Hokage Rock for a private conversation.
• Itachi asked whether Konoha needed to change and confirmed the Uchiha Clan was planning a rebellion.
• Ming Jing said the Land of Fire would remain stable despite Konoha's turmoil, easing Itachi's burden.
• Itachi left as a crow, and Ming Jing returned to the ramen shop to join Izumi and Hinata.
• Ming Jing shared his ramen with Hinata, and Itachi ordered another bowl for Izumi, flustering her.

Ming Jing stayed up late using Heavenly Court Mode to combine Wing Chun movements with Chakra circulation, then tested the incomplete technique and collapsed from exhaustion. The next day, he attended Hinata’s birthday celebration, where the Third Hokage arrived and exchanged greetings with him.

• Ming Jing used Heavenly Court Mode to study Wing Chun masters and Chakra diagrams, then began combining them into a new circulation method.
• Ming Jing tested the unfinished technique on a wooden dummy, broke off one section with an Inch Punch, and collapsed into Yuexi’s arms.
• Ming Jing woke late the next morning and went with Yakumo, Xiangling, Shikouin, and Yuexi to Hinata’s birthday celebration.
• Ming Jing, Yakumo, and Yuexi presented their gifts to Hinata at the Hyuga Clan gathering.
• The Third Hokage arrived, congratulated Hinata, and asked Ming Jing why he had not visited him; Ming Jing offered early New Year’s greetings.

Danzo sent Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame to replace Ming Jing and force him to sign an agreement, but Fū’s mind-control technique failed when he entered Ming Jing’s mind. Ming Jing restrained Fū and demanded to know who had sent him.

• The Third Hokage attended Hinata’s birthday banquet, and Ming Jing gave Hinata a scroll as her birthday gift.
• A hidden Kikaichū and listening device let a man in sunglasses overhear information about the banquet.
• Danzo ordered Fū Yamanaka and Torune Aburame to begin a plan targeting Ming Jing as he traveled to the Hokage Building.
• Fū hid inside a cloth doll and used the Mind Body Switch Puppet Technique on Ming Jing, hoping to impersonate him and sign Danzo’s agreement.
• Ming Jing entered his own mind, resisted Fū’s technique, and restrained him with the Binding Technique.
• Ming Jing asked Fū whether he would confess voluntarily or be forced to do so.

Ming Jing met with the Third Hokage, who asked the Kurama Clan to support Konoha, and Danzo presented him with an agreement that would strip the Police Department of authority and put the Prime Minister’s Residence under Konoha’s control. After Ming Jing passed the unsigned agreement to the Third Hokage, Danzo denied preparing it and claimed it had been switched.

• The Third Hokage welcomed Ming Jing and Yuexi, shared tea with them, and asked the Kurama Clan to lend Konoha its strength.
• Ming Jing said the clan could offer financial support but was reluctant to provide ninja, citing its past mistreatment by Konoha.
• Danzo arrived and proposed cooperation, then handed Ming Jing an agreement containing sixteen clauses that would undermine the Police Department and expand Konoha’s authority.
• Ming Jing recognized the agreement’s danger, asked whether it was the Third Hokage’s idea, and passed it to him unsigned.
• The Third Hokage was surprised by the agreement, and Danzo claimed it had been switched and promised to find whoever was responsible.

Ming Jing pressured Danzo to let the Anbu and Police Department review Root after its members interfered with the Police Department. Danzo agreed, while Fū Yamanaka was returned to the Yamanaka Clan, where Inoichi recognized symptoms linked to Kyōmu Kurama.

• Ming Jing argued that Root should be disbanded, then agreed with the Third Hokage that Root would undergo a review involving both the Anbu and the Police Department.
• Danzo accepted the review and left, while the Third Hokage recognized that Danzo would now treat Ming Jing as a serious opponent.
• Ming Jing left the Hokage Building with Yuexi and Qing Yan, and Danzo ordered Torune Aburame to send the unconscious Fū Yamanaka back to the Yamanaka Clan.
• Torune Aburame left Fū Yamanaka at the back door of Ino's family flower shop, where Ino found him and called for her father.
• Inoichi Yamanaka recognized Fū Yamanaka's symptoms as resembling those caused by Kyōmu Kurama and considered whether to contact Shikaku Nara.

Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Choza Akimichi concluded that Danzo had returned Fū Yamanaka to manipulate their clans, and they agreed to support Inoichi’s response. At Ming Jing’s home, Hinata thanked him for his gift while Yuexi found reassurance from Qing Yan and Shikouin.

• Shikaku Nara reasoned that Danzo had sent Afeng back because Root could not save him and wanted to use the three clans against Ming Jing.
• Inoichi Yamanaka angrily rejected Danzo’s attempt to manipulate him, and Shikaku Nara and Choza Akimichi supported his decision.
• Hinata visited Ming Jing to thank him for his gift and happily took his hand as they entered the house.
• Yuexi felt out of place watching Ming Jing and Hinata, but Qing Yan and Shikouin encouraged her and reminded her she had their support.
• Ming Jing worried about Yuexi’s feelings, then cheered Hinata up when she blushed over whether she had eaten as she promised.

Inoichi Yamanaka asked Koji Kurama for help rescuing Fū Yamanaka, whose consciousness remained unreachable after the Yamanaka clan’s attempts to wake him. Zuo Yang Kurama found no trace of Fū inside his mind and returned to seek answers, leaving it unclear whether Ming Jing’s genjutsu was overwhelming or had trapped Fū elsewhere.

• Inoichi Yamanaka visited Koji Kurama and explained that Fū Yamanaka could not be awakened.
• Koji Kurama asked Zuo Yang Kurama to examine Fū, and Inoichi led him to where Fū was resting.
• Zuo Yang entered Fū’s mind and found only darkness, then created a Mind Barrier without detecting a response.
• Zuo Yang used the Mirror Flower Technique but saw only the Crystal Wall, leaving him unsure whether Fū’s consciousness was elsewhere or Ming Jing’s genjutsu was too powerful.
• Zuo Yang told Inoichi that Fū’s life was not in danger and returned to the Kurama Clan to investigate further.

Ming Jing released Fū Yamanaka after explaining how he had trapped his consciousness, at the request of the Yamanaka Clan. Fū revealed that Danzo had abandoned him, leaving Ming Jing’s hope of placing a spy in Root dashed.

• Ming Jing watched Hinata train until Zuo Yang Kurama interrupted to ask about Fū Yamanaka’s imprisoned consciousness.
• Zuo Yang Kurama explained that the Yamanaka Clan had asked the Kurama Clan for help, and Ming Jing described how Fū had been trapped after his retreating consciousness gave him an opening.
• Ming Jing entered his mind, restored Fū’s awareness, and told him he would release him for the sake of friendship between their clans.
• Fū said Danzo had abandoned him and would never trust him, so Ming Jing realized he could not use Fū as a spy in Root.

Ming Jing rescued Fū Yamanaka from Root and offered him a place in the Police Department, while Inoichi Yamanaka urged him to recover before deciding. Ming Jing returned to Hinata’s training room, where Yakumo and Yuexi had joined her.

• Ming Jing offered Fū Yamanaka a job in the Police Department and arranged to return him to Inoichi Yamanaka.
• Ming Jing removed the technique keeping Fū Yamanaka unconscious and reminded Inoichi Yamanaka to care for him.
• Fū Yamanaka told Inoichi Yamanaka about the Police Department offer and worried about losing his place in Root and facing Danzo.
• Inoichi Yamanaka told Fū Yamanaka to rest and focus on himself while the clan handled the matter.
• Ming Jing returned to find Yakumo and Yuexi with Hinata, who explained that they had brought medicine for her practice.