Chapter Summaries

On New Year's Eve, the Hyuga Clan's seating arrangement suggested Hinata had been passed over for Hanabi, while Neji worried about the Caged Bird Seal. At the Uchiha home, Sasuke welcomed Shisui and the family gathered to enjoy a dinner prepared largely by Itachi.

• At the Hyuga banquet, Hanabi sat beside Hyuga Hiashi and Hinata took the second seat, leading clan members to assume Hanabi would inherit the Main Family.
• Neji worried that Hinata might be branded with the Caged Bird Seal, but Hizashi Hyuga reassured him and believed Ming Jing could remove it if necessary.
• Hyuga Hiashi addressed the clan before the family ate together in their customary solemn manner.
• At the Uchiha home, Sasuke greeted Shisui, who gave him a slightly melted fruit candy as a New Year's gift.
• Itachi prepared most of the Uchiha family's holiday dinner, and the guests praised his cooking.

Ming Jing hosted a lively New Year’s Eve celebration at the Kurama Clan, where the guests enjoyed a comedy act, hot pot, and fireworks. As the new year began, Danzo plotted against Ming Jing, while Yuexi shared an intimate moment with him in public.

• Ming Jing and Yakumo enjoyed the comedy performance and shared a meal of swished mutton with the Kurama Clan guests.
• Yakumo grew sleepy before midnight, and Mirai carried her back to her room.
• At midnight, the Kurama Clan set off fireworks as the Third Hokage and Asuma, Hinata, Itachi, and Shisui watched from elsewhere in Konoha.
• Danzo watched the Kurama Clan’s fireworks and vowed to make Akira Kurama despair before Ming Jing’s planned visit to Root.
• Yuexi took Ming Jing’s hand and rested her head on his shoulder while wishing him a happy new year, and Ming Jing activated a genjutsu instead of pushing her away.

Hizashi Hyuga accompanied Kakashi Hatake to Root to inspect its trainees and take talented children away under orders from Ming Jing and the Third Hokage. After provoking Danzo into leaving, they discovered a group of exceptional young children at Root’s secret training base and questioned where they had come from.

• Hizashi Hyuga left home and met Kakashi Hatake, who confirmed that their mission was to select people from Root.
• Hizashi Hyuga and Kakashi Hatake confronted Danzo at Root, and Hizashi taunted him until Danzo ordered Torune Aburame to lead the inspection.
• Torune Aburame led Hizashi Hyuga and Kakashi Hatake to Root’s secret training base, where they saw many children training in thin clothes.
• Hizashi Hyuga asked where the children had come from, but Torune Aburame refused to disclose the information.

Danzo sent eight Root operatives on a mission to infiltrate the Anbu and the Police Department, rise through their ranks, and seize control. During an inspection of Root, Hizashi Hyuga and Kakashi selected Sai and Shin for their organizations, then met Dusa Hyakko, the head of Root's Intelligence Statistics Group.

• Danzo assigned eight Root operatives a three-stage mission to infiltrate, gain influence in, and take control of the Anbu or the Police Department.
• Hizashi Hyuga chose Sai for the Police Department, while Kakashi chose Shin for the Anbu.
• Torune urged Hizashi Hyuga and Kakashi to leave, but they insisted on inspecting Root's adult members.
• Dusa Hyakko confronted the visitors and defended Root's pride.
• Hizashi Hyuga asked Dusa Hyakko if she was interested in working for the Police Department.

Hizashi Hyuga recruited Dusa Hyakko and her subordinate Asuna from Root into the Police Department, then brought Sai out as well. Akira Kurama welcomed the three and considered how they would fit into the department.

• Hizashi Hyuga persuaded Dusa Hyakko to leave Root, and she asked to say farewell to Danzo before agreeing to join the Police Department.
• Dusa Hyakko chose Asuna to accompany her, and Hizashi welcomed the reluctant Water Release ninja into the group.
• Hizashi met Sai at the hall and led him out of Root, telling him he would become a patrol officer in the Police Department.
• Hizashi took Dusa Hyakko, Asuna, and Sai to meet Akira Kurama, who welcomed them and wondered about Dusa Hyakko's unfamiliar presence.

Ming Jing saw Sakai and Matsumoto off as they left Konoha to work on the railway project, then prepared to depart himself for the Konan Plan. At dinner, Asuma revealed that he had recommended Ming Jing, Yuexi, and Qing Yan for this year’s Chunin Exam, scheduled for May 7.

• Ming Jing introduced railway experts Sakai and Matsumoto and Taichi Odagiri’s team at Konoha’s gate as they left under a mission to protect the experts.
• Ming Jing told Taichi to keep Sakai and Matsumoto safe and contact the nearest Police Department if they encountered trouble.
• Ming Jing returned home to prepare for his own departure and asked Yuexi to notify Captain Asuma.
• Asuma invited Ming Jing, Yuexi, and Qing Yan to Choji's Family's Barbecue Restaurant and announced that he had recommended them for the Chunin Exam.
• Asuma told the three that the exam would begin on May 7, and Ming Jing promised they would become Chunin.

Ming Jing returned to the Royal Capital and learned that refugees from the Land of Waves had occupied land intended for construction, while armed pursuers threatened them. He assigned Dusa Hyakko and Asuna to handle the crisis without pointless casualties.

• Ming Jing told Hizashi Hyuga to watch the two untrustworthy Root recruits and kept Sai by his side because he valued Sai's secret technique.
• Ming Jing's group reached the Royal Capital, where Hizashi Hyuga went to the Police Department and Nanakusa Kanae told Ming Jing that refugees were occupying their land.
• Nanakusa Kanae explained that the seventy-five refugees from the Land of Waves included forty-two women and children, only twelve able-bodied adults, and had been chased to the capital by attackers.
• Ming Jing summoned Dusa Hyakko and Asuna and assigned them to resolve the refugee crisis, insisting that they avoid pointless casualties.

Asuna discovered that the camp outside the Royal Capital was sheltering a princess and intervened when armored attackers came for her. Yagyu Masamune and Dusa Hyakko helped repel the attack, while the attackers retreated and Kirigakure Anbu remained hidden nearby.

• Asuna recognized the camp’s defensive formation and realized its residents were refugees seeking protection.
• When the camp came under attack, Asuna entered through its water channel and found Kirigakure Anbu and armored fighters confronting the princess’s people.
• Sandayu tried to protect the princess from the attackers, but Yagyu Masamune arrived and drove back the burly fighter and blocked the ice attacks.
• Asuna used Great Waterfall Technique to force two Kirigakure Anbu from the water, and Dusa Hyakko raised an Earth Flow Wall to shield everyone from the flood.
• The armored captain ordered his fighters to retreat, while the Kirigakure Anbu concealed themselves again.

Nanakusa Kanae brought Kazahana Koyuki, Asama Santa, and Tazuna to meet Ming Jing after they sought the Land of Fire’s help. Tazuna gained approval to build a bridge between the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire, then asked Ming Jing to help fund it.

• Asama Santa revealed that he and the refugees came from the Land of Snow and were seeking protection for Princess Kazahana Koyuki.
• Nanakusa Kanae assigned Dusa Hyakko to calm the refugees and Asuna to guard the camp, then agreed to take the visitors to the Prime Minister’s Residence.
• Ming Jing was surprised to learn that Tazuna had arrived years before he expected and ordered the visitors brought in.
• Kazahana Koyuki introduced herself as Princess of the Land of Snow and presented Asama Santa and Tazuna to Ming Jing.
• Tazuna asked permission to build a bridge connecting the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire, and Ming Jing agreed.
• Tazuna asked Ming Jing whether the Land of Fire could contribute funds to the bridge project.

Ming Jing refused to fund Tazuna’s bridge and learned that Sandayu had brought Kazahana Koyuki to the Land of Fire while fleeing Kirigakure’s Anbu. After the Mist Anbu infiltrated the Prime Minister’s Residence to seize them, Ming Jing’s guards captured the pair alive, and he asked what Kazahana Dōtō had offered Kirigakure.

• Ming Jing refused Tazuna’s request for Land of Fire funding, and Sandayu revealed that the refugees had been hired to protect Kazahana Koyuki.
• Sandayu explained that Kazahana Dōtō had hired Kirigakure to capture Koyuki, forcing them to disguise themselves among the refugees.
• Two Kirigakure Anbu appeared in the Prime Minister’s Residence and demanded that Ming Jing hand over Koyuki and Sandayu.
• The Anbu tried to escape after Qing Yan withstood their blade technique, but Yuexi froze them both in an Ice Coffin.
• Ming Jing asked Sandayu what Kazahana Dōtō had offered to make Kirigakure send its Anbu.

Ming Jing interrogated a captured Mist Ninja Anbu by entering his mind and discovered that the Fourth Mizukage had ordered Kazahana Koyuki captured, apparently at Obito Uchiha’s behest. As Ming Jing investigated the order’s connection to armor, the Fourth Mizukage’s Mangekyō Sharingan appeared within the Anbu’s memories.

• Nadare Rōga told Crane Wing Blizzard and Eastern Bear Freezing Rain to investigate the Prime Minister’s Residence while he watched for Kazahana Koyuki.
• Yuexi used her ice control to expose the heads of two captured Mist Ninja Anbu, and Ming Jing began questioning one of them.
• Ming Jing used Genjutsu: Tōshō Daigongen to enter the Anbu’s mind and search through his memories.
• Ming Jing saw the Fourth Mizukage order Kazahana Koyuki brought back and anyone interfering killed, then noticed a document mentioning armor.
• The Fourth Mizukage turned toward Ming Jing inside the memory, and his Sharingan transformed into a Mangekyō Sharingan.

Ming Jing defeated a Kirigakure Anbu’s attempt to trap him in Genjutsu, then learned that Kirigakure was targeting the Land of Snow’s Chakra Armor. He left Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayu facing the country’s uncertain future after discovering the armor could not be reproduced because its blueprints had been burned.

• The Fourth Mizukage’s Mangekyō Sharingan power trapped Ming Jing in a Genjutsu, but Ming Jing broke through it and returned a mental attack.
• Ming Jing read the Anbu ninja’s memories, learned Kirigakure was interested in the Land of Snow’s Chakra Armor, and told the man to abandon his mission.
• Ming Jing went with Yuexi and Qing Yan to meet Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayu at their temporary residence.
• Ming Jing comforted the tearful Kazahana Koyuki and told Sandayu that Kirigakure had targeted the Land of Snow’s armor.
• Sandayu revealed that the country had only three complete sets and one partial set of Chakra Armor, and that the Daimyo had burned its blueprints and related materials before his death.

Nadare Rōga, Eastern Bear Freezing Rain, and Crane Wing Blizzard infiltrated the Prime Minister's Residence to abduct Kazahana Koyuki, but Ming Jing's subordinates intercepted them. The battle continued as Yuexi fought Crane Wing Blizzard and Hyakuhiko faced Nadare Rōga.

• Crane Wing Blizzard convinced Nadare Rōga and Eastern Bear Freezing Rain to exploit their ability to fly and infiltrate the Prime Minister's Residence at dawn.
• Hyakuhiko noticed the intruders and alerted Yuexi, who told her and Qing Yan to intercept them while Ming Jing stayed in bed.
• Yuexi confronted Crane Wing Blizzard in the sky and overwhelmed her with successive Water Release techniques.
• Hyakuhiko blocked Nadare Rōga, countered his snow wolves with Earth Release, and dodged his One-Horned White Whale attack.
• Nadare Rōga used Earth Release: Ant Hell to make Hyakuhiko sink into the ground.

Yuexi and Hyakuhiko defeated Nadare Rōga and Crane Wing Blizzard, while Qing Yan subdued Eastern Bear Freezing Rain outside Kazahana Koyuki’s courtyard. Two Kirigakure Anbu escaped with intelligence about Akira Kurama and the Yuki Clan, and Yuexi later brought Ming Jing three captured Snow Ninja to make up for the lost prisoners.

• Yuexi blocked Nadare Rōga’s Snow Giant with an ice turtle shell and froze Crane Wing Blizzard, while Hyakuhiko trapped Nadare Rōga with Rock Slab Coffin and Heavy Rock Technique.
• Qing Yan threw Eastern Bear Freezing Rain out of Kazahana Koyuki’s courtyard and defeated him with a punch, then carried him away as Sandayu watched.
• Number Six and Number Thirteen escaped the temporary prison and decided to report Akira Kurama’s strength and the Yuki Clan remnant to Kirigakure.
• The prison steward apologized to Ming Jing for the escape, and Ming Jing chose not to blame him.
• Yuexi apologized to Ming Jing for losing two prisoners and presented him with three captured Snow Ninja.

After capturing Nadare Rōga and the other Snow ninjas, Akira Kurama left their fate to Hyakuhiko and Kazahana Koyuki. Ming Jing then began planning how to modify White Tiger Strikes the Sky into a powerful technique he could use quickly without spending too much Chakra.

• Nadare Rōga woke up tied to a cross and argued with Akira Kurama about entering the Land of Fire without authorization.
• Akira Kurama said someone else would deal with the Snow ninjas, while Hizashi Hyuga sealed Nadare Rōga’s Chakra and Yagyu Masamune left without addressing him.
• Akira Kurama assigned Hyakuhiko to handle the matter and told her that he and Yuexi would be busy.
• Ming Jing considered how to fight opponents with enormous abilities such as Susanoo and Tailed Beast Transformation.
• Ming Jing decided to modify White Tiger Strikes the Sky to make it faster and less costly, then realized the task might be harder than creating a new technique.

Ming Jing granted Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayu authority over the three Snow Ninja, then developed an idea for a powerful summoned creature based on a White Tiger and set out alone for the Land of Lightning. After finding his note, Yuexi organized a search for him across Kumogakure, Konoha, and Sunagakure.

• Ming Jing let Kazahana Koyuki and Sandayu decide what to do with the three Snow Ninja, asking only that the Land of Snow help him someday.
• Ming Jing discussed his ninjutsu idea with Yuexi, then realized he could create a summon like a Tailed Beast using White Tiger Strikes the Sky as its body.
• Ming Jing left a note, slipped out of the Prime Minister's Residence, and flew toward the Land of Lightning to seek knowledge about Two-Tails Matatabi.
• Qing Yan blamed Yuexi for Ming Jing's departure, but she focused on finding him and reasoned that he might have gone to Kumogakure, Konoha, or Sunagakure.
• Yuexi sent Qing Yan to Konoha and Hizashi Hyuga to Sunagakure, while she went to Kumogakure and Yagyu Masamune stayed to guard the Royal Capital.

Ming Jing arrived in Kumogakure seeking the Two-Tails Jinchuriki but was sidetracked by food and intercepted by Mabui. She brought him to a swordsmanship school, where he was unexpectedly entered as a challenger and refused to fight the young Karui.

• Ming Jing reached Kumogakure and decided to look for Yugito, though he stopped to buy a snack first.
• Mabui confronted Ming Jing, and he claimed to be a swordsman from the Great Tang Empire of the East seeking to study Kumogakure's swordsmanship.
• Mabui took Ming Jing to a mountain school where he was registered as a challenger despite only wanting to observe.
• Ming Jing entered the arena for a match against Karui and refused to fight her because she was a young girl.
• Karui angrily charged at Ming Jing but was stopped, and Ming Jing noticed Samui nearby.

Ming Jing defeated Samui in a sword match at Kumogakure, earning the instructors’ respect while Mabui agreed to keep watch over him. Afterward, he considered how to find Yugito without alerting Killer B, then escaped Karui by feeding her a lollipop.

• Samui challenged Ming Jing, and their sword match showcased her Cloud Style techniques and his clever use of the Azure Luan Blade and its scabbard.
• Ming Jing caught Samui off guard and held his blade to her neck, winning the match; the instructors praised his swordsmanship and scheduled another match for the next day.
• Mabui escorted Ming Jing from the mountain and declined his invitation to dinner, saying she would meet him at eight thirty the following morning.
• Ming Jing pondered how to locate Yugito without alerting Killer B and worried that Kumogakure might become stronger than Konoha if the Uchiha Clan were destroyed.
• Karui confronted Ming Jing in the village, but he put a lollipop in her mouth, paid the vendor, and ran away before she could react.

Ming Jing faced Atsui in a dojo challenge and used the Azure Luan Blade to defeat him with a sudden gale attack. The instructors suspected Genjutsu, but Mabui sensed no abnormal Chakra.

• Ming Jing arrived on time and followed Mabui up the mountain to the dojo.
• The instructors named Atsui, seeking to avenge his sister, as Ming Jing’s opponent.
• Atsui pressed Ming Jing with his rippling blade technique, but his strike only opened a button on Ming Jing’s coat.
• Ming Jing countered Atsui’s charge with Wind-Worn Gale, then placed the Azure Luan Blade at his throat.
• An instructor suspected Genjutsu, but Mabui said she had sensed no abnormal Chakra.

Ming Jing explained how he had figured out Atsui's sword technique, then faced Mabui in a match at the dojo. Mabui's disappearing swords overwhelmed him, leaving him on the defensive.

• Ming Jing invited Mabui to dinner and explained that he had identified Atsui's visual distortion as light refraction rather than Genjutsu or spatial travel.
• Mabui returned with Ming Jing to the dojo on the third day, where the instructors named her as his next opponent.
• Mabui revealed her Three-Sword Style, making one sword disappear and reappear beside Ming Jing's head.
• Ming Jing evaded Mabui's twin-blade assault, but she made another sword vanish and used her Fist-Clenched Hand Seal Technique.
• Mabui's swords appeared and disappeared unpredictably, suppressing Ming Jing as the instructors praised her skill.