Chapter Summaries

Ming Jing received three C-rank Wind Release techniques from the Third Hokage and arranged for Kanon and Qing Yan to take his weapon blueprint to the Land of Artisans. He began training Wind Severing Technique with Yuexi and learned its stages of cutting and penetration, leaving him eager to explore Wind Release further.

• Ming Jing was disappointed that the Third Hokage had given him only three C-rank Wind Release documents instead of access to the Scroll of Seals.
• Ming Jing designed a ring-pommel sword and sent Kanon and Qing Yan to the Land of Artisans with the short blade and blueprint.
• Ming Jing began practicing the three Wind Release techniques under Yuexi’s guidance at the Kurama Clan training ground.
• Yuexi demonstrated how Wind Severing Technique advanced from making a smooth cut to sawing through and then splitting a wooden post.
• Ming Jing pretended to master the advanced technique through a genjutsu, then thanked Yuexi and continued his interest in Wind Release.

Ming Jing trained in Wind Release with Yuexi, whose demonstration turned into a kiss that unsettled him and challenged his feelings for Hinata. After spending the night calming himself, Ming Jing apologized for not returning Yuexi’s feelings, but she declared that she would keep pursuing him.

• Ming Jing used Wind Severing Technique to cut six wooden posts, then struggled to control Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere until Yuexi explained how to shape his mouth and tongue.
• Yuexi kissed Ming Jing to demonstrate the technique, leaving him flustered and unwilling to continue training.
• Ming Jing returned to his room to cultivate Chakra and reflect on his feelings for Hinata while Yuexi guarded his door.
• The next morning, Ming Jing told Yuexi to cherish herself and apologized because he could not disregard his feelings for Hinata.
• Yuexi told Ming Jing she would not give up, insisting that staying by his side was meaningful to her.

Ming Jing entered Unity of Heaven and Man on a remote mountain, unleashing a wind that accelerated aging and devastated the surrounding forest. Yuexi managed to wake him, and they left after discovering their hair and skin were returning to normal.

• Ming Jing meditated atop a mountain and entered Unity of Heaven and Man with the help of The Goose Illusionary Book.
• Ming Jing unconsciously controlled the wind, flew above the summit, and caused the trees and animals nearby to age and die.
• Yuexi’s hand began to age, and she could not reach Ming Jing through the forceful wind.
• Yuexi used six Ice Release mirrors to reflect sunlight into Ming Jing’s face and jolt him awake.
• Ming Jing learned what had happened and saw the forest’s destruction, while Yuexi recalled his eerie Qin Opera chant.
• Ming Jing and Yuexi noticed their hair and skin returning to normal, then left for Konoha and agreed to keep the incident secret.

Ming Jing and Yuexi stopped at the Akimichi Clan Barbecue Restaurant on their way back to Konoha and ate an enormous meal. Choza Akimichi joined them and declared Ming Jing a good person, making him a friend of the Akimichi Clan.

• Ming Jing and Yuexi entered the Akimichi Clan Barbecue Restaurant, ordered fifty portions of barbecue, and began eating ravenously.
• Ming Jing and Yuexi discussed how eating restored their vitality as the waiters brought more barbecue, rice, and fried rice.
• Choza Akimichi learned that the Prime Minister and the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs were eating fifty portions and went to meet them.
• Choza Akimichi sat beside Ming Jing and helped himself to the barbecue, while Ming Jing told Yuexi to keep his food on a separate tab.
• After the meal, Choza Akimichi called Ming Jing a good person because he loved barbecue and welcomed him as a friend of the Akimichi Clan.

Ming Jing paid for a meal with Choza Akimichi, then decided to leave Konoha for the Royal Capital with Yuexi. Meanwhile, Sakai, Matsumoto, and two Kurama Clan genin were kidnapped, and Taichi Odagiri found a ransom note demanding ten million before sunset the next day.

• Ming Jing joked with Choza Akimichi at the barbecue restaurant, paid the bill, and left with Yuexi.
• Ming Jing told Yuexi to inform Captain Asuma that they would leave Konoha the day after tomorrow and return to the Royal Capital.
• Sakai and Matsumoto woke up bound in a dilapidated house and wondered what had happened to Taichi Odagiri.
• Taichi Odagiri returned from hunting and discovered that Sakai, Matsumoto, and two Kurama Clan genin were missing, while Furukawa was unconscious.
• Taichi Odagiri found a ransom note demanding ten million in cash by sunset the next day, and Furukawa urged him to rescue the captives.

Taichi and Furukawa tracked the kidnappers holding Katsura Yuu and Saiko, while Taichi used stealth to enter their valley. After overhearing the captors discuss harming their employer, Taichi was discovered and surrounded.

• Taichi roasted venison with Furukawa, then set out with him to find the missing experts.
• Taichi spotted cooking smoke from a mountaintop and led Furukawa to a guarded valley.
• Taichi left Furukawa hidden outside and slipped past the patrols into the valley.
• Taichi approached a bamboo building and overheard five people discuss returning Katsura Yuu and Saiko while injuring their employer.
• An elderly voice attacked the roof with a fireball, forcing Taichi to jump down, where four figures surrounded him.

Taichi Odagiri fought a group of five attackers who had kidnapped his companions, then escaped their ambush with a Fire Clone. When Taichi and Furukawa saw three pursuers behind them, Taichi abandoned the plan to find help and decided to fight.

• Taichi used his sword techniques to fend off the attackers’ coordinated assault and escaped Old Man Sato’s flames.
• Taichi realized the glamorous woman had tried to drug him with an arrow, but he had held his breath after noticing the attackers doing the same.
• Old Man Sato urged Taichi to stop serving the Kurama Clan, but Taichi rejected his advice and used a Fire Clone to escape.
• Taichi found Furukawa outside the valley and fled with him toward the nearest Police Department branch to seek help.
• Furukawa spotted three attackers pursuing them, so Taichi decided they would turn around and kill the three instead.

Ming Jing selected Shikouin as a potential teammate and protector for Yakumo, offering her a Seed Golden Elixir in exchange for her commitment. Shikouin accepted, agreeing to put Yakumo’s safety first.

• Ming Jing told Mirai Kurama to train Karin to become Yakumo’s personal doctor within a year.
• Mirai recommended Shikouin, and Ming Jing watched her excel at the clan training grounds before encouraging the other children to improve.
• Ming Jing learned that Yakumo and Shikouin had become friends after Shikouin retrieved Yakumo’s kite from a tree.
• Ming Jing offered Shikouin a mission to become Yakumo’s classmate, companion, and teammate, prioritizing Yakumo’s safety above other missions.
• Shikouin accepted, saying that protecting her friend Yakumo was something she should do.

Ming Jing tested Karin, Shikouin, and Yakumo's Chakra natures, then gave Shikouin the Thunder Dragon Cicada Seed Golden Elixir. After arranging for Yuexi to spar with Shikouin, Ming Jing withdrew to study Sakura's scroll about Kyōmu Kurama.

• Ming Jing had Mirai bring Chakra test papers so Karin, Shikouin, and Yakumo could discover their natures.
• Karin tested as wind-natured, and Shikouin tested as lightning-natured, so Ming Jing gave Shikouin the Thunder Dragon Cicada elixir and entrusted Yakumo's safety to her.
• Yakumo accidentally set her test paper on fire, and Ming Jing realized she had both fire and wind natures but kept the second nature to himself.
• Shikouin took the elixir under Mirai's guidance, while Yuexi told Ming Jing that Captain Asuma would meet them at the main gate.
• Ming Jing asked Yuexi to spar with Shikouin the next day and requested time alone, then examined Sakura's scroll and wondered whether Kyōmu Kurama was truly powerful.

Yakumo asked Karin to befriend Shikouin, while Shikouin woke stronger after her training and prepared for a test. Yuexi took over the test from Ming Jing, and Shikouin challenged her at the training ground.

• Yakumo told Karin about her friendship with Shikouin and asked her to get along with the girl when she joined their companions.
• Shikouin woke feeling ten times stronger, and Mirai confirmed there were no adverse reactions before telling her Ming Jing would test her.
• Yuexi told Mirai she would handle Shikouin's test because Ming Jing had other important matters.
• Yuexi and Mirai brought Shikouin to the training ground, where Shikouin declared she would defeat Yuexi.
• Shikouin formally asked Yuexi for guidance, and Yuexi returned the courtesy before their test began.

Yuexi tested Shikouin’s new abilities, and Shikouin managed to land a powerful blow before collapsing from the strain. Mirai found that Shikouin had been badly injured by her own lightning technique and would need three months to recover, leaving Yuexi and Mirai to realize she had used Lightning Release without prior training.

• Yakumo worried about Shikouin during Iruka’s lesson, then correctly answered a question about the five Chakra attributes.
• Yuexi attacked Shikouin with ice techniques, and Shikouin escaped the trap using Empty Cicada.
• Shikouin used Lightning Dragon Transformation: One Scale to break Yuexi’s wind technique and strike her with a lightning-fast punch.
• Yuexi emerged unharmed from the crater, and Mirai and Yuexi praised Shikouin before she collapsed from exhaustion.
• Mirai examined Shikouin and estimated that her lightning injuries would take three months to heal.
• Yuexi and Mirai realized Shikouin had not trained in Lightning Release before using it.

Ming Jing summoned Kyōmu Kurama’s preserved thought at Naruto’s birthplace and discovered that she had trapped him in her Genjutsu. She forced him to survive her attacks for half an hour, warning that failure would mean dying and reviving to fight again.

• Ming Jing traveled to the cave where Naruto was born and prepared to use Control of the Five Senses.
• Ming Jing summoned Kyōmu Kurama, who introduced herself as a fragment of thought preserved from when she was young.
• Kyōmu Kurama explained that she had been disturbing Ming Jing’s state of mind and had drawn him into her Genjutsu.
• Kyōmu Kurama told Ming Jing he had to endure her attacks for half an hour and could not defeat her to escape.
• Kyōmu Kurama warned Ming Jing that if he failed, he would die, revive, and continue fighting in her Genjutsu world.

Ming Jing trained with Kyōmu Kurama, who overwhelmed him with powerful Wind Style attacks and a punishing counter to his surprise attack. After recovering, Ming Jing entered Sage Mode and opened Celestial Court, preparing to face her again.

• Kyōmu Kurama launched Ming Jing into the cave ceiling with Wind Style: Rising Tornado.
• Ming Jing dodged and blocked Kyōmu Kurama’s Wind Style: Thousand Blades, but her Ten Thousand Blades sliced him apart.
• Ming Jing woke on the stone bed, recovered from the training, and tried to ambush Kyōmu Kurama with a punch and Blade-less Head Shave.
• Kyōmu Kurama countered Ming Jing’s attack with Grounded Explosion, slamming his head into the ground.
• Ming Jing and Kyōmu Kurama took their positions for another round, and Ming Jing activated Sage Mode and Celestial Court.

Ming Jing fought Kyōmu Kurama as she revealed the immense power of her Sage Mode and strongest Wind Style techniques. After surviving her White Tiger Cleaves the Sky, Ming Jing was left shocked by the devastation it caused.

• Ming Jing cut apart Kyōmu Kurama’s wind arrows, but she sensed danger and escaped the cave before his blades could strike.
• Kyōmu Kurama activated Sage Mode and trapped Ming Jing in a Wind King Barrier, interrupting his Hundred-Step Lamp Extinguisher by stripping away the air around him.
• Kyōmu Kurama summoned a Wind King avatar and struck Ming Jing with its Storm Hammer, sending him through a mountain and into a boulder, but he blocked the blow.
• Kyōmu Kurama rose into the sky and unleashed White Tiger Cleaves the Sky, summoning a lifelike wind tiger that attacked Ming Jing.
• The White Tiger’s attacks passed through Ming Jing but devastated the forest, leaving a vast sinkhole and shocking him with the technique’s power.

Ming Jing parted from Kyōmu Kurama after learning powerful Wind Release techniques and Tōshō Daigongen. He returned to the cave with a better understanding of how Kyōmu had manipulated him and set off at dawn, determined to grow stronger.

• Kyōmu Kurama demonstrated White Tiger Strikes the Sky, and Ming Jing praised her technique.
• Ming Jing thanked Kyōmu Kurama and left the Genjutsu world after she urged him to think of the clan and avoid causing trouble for Konoha.
• Ming Jing woke in the cave at dawn, retrieved the scroll, and realized he had spent a day and night inside the Genjutsu.
• Ming Jing concluded that Kyōmu Kurama had taken control of his Control of the Five Senses and guided him into believing the Genjutsu world was hers.
• Ming Jing recalled the five powerful Wind Release techniques and Kyōmu Kurama's Genjutsu, Tōshō Daigongen, then flew away.

Yuexi waited anxiously at Konoha's main gate for Ming Jing to return, while Asuma and Anko discussed Ming Jing's victory over the Third Tsuchikage. After Ming Jing arrived and ate, he set out with Asuma, Yuexi, and Kiki for the Royal Capital to handle affairs and inspect the railway route.

• Yuexi kept Asuma, Izumo Kamizuki, and Kotetsu Hagane at the gate while she waited for Ming Jing to return safely.
• Anko joined Asuma at a food stall and told him she had witnessed Ming Jing capture the Third Tsuchikage alive.
• Ming Jing flew back to the gate, greeted Yuexi, Asuma, and Anko, and ate at the stall while Yuexi paid for his food.
• Asuma and Ming Jing set out toward the Royal Capital, with Yuexi and Kiki following, intending to inspect the railway route.

Ming Jing’s group reached a mountain town, where they discovered that Taichi Odagiri had been badly wounded and was hiding nearby. After Yuexi found his signal and went to help, Taichi’s pursuers surrounded and set fire to his hut, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Ming Jing and his group stayed at the town’s finest inn while Taichi lay unconscious in hiding with his subordinate Furukawa.
• Taichi woke and told Furukawa to leave a pear-blossom mark at the best inn in hopes that Ming Jing would find it.
• Yuexi spotted the mark, and Furukawa revealed himself and begged her to save Taichi.
• Ming Jing sent Asuma after Yuexi as she followed Furukawa to Taichi’s hiding place.
• A cold-faced man and a baby-faced young man surrounded Taichi’s hut with more than thirty warriors and had it set on fire.

Yuexi rescued Taichi from a burning hut and defeated the attackers who had set it ablaze. Taichi survived and promised to train more diligently, while the indifferent man escaped.

• Furukawa spotted the distant fire, and Yuexi rushed toward it after confirming its direction.
• Trapped in the burning hut, Taichi lost hope until Yuexi froze the flames and saved him.
• Yuexi confronted the attackers, froze the charging samurai, and captured the baby-faced young man in a Water Prison.
• The indifferent man tried to escape, but two samurai held Yuexi back and then committed seppuku after their attack failed.
• Yuexi found Taichi alive, and he promised not to slack off during training again.

Asuma rescued Taichi and captured the men who had attacked him, then brought them to Ming Jing for questioning. Ming Jing used Genjutsu to uncover their ties to the Watanabe Family and Yamamoto Family, and confronted them over targeting his people.

• Asuma knocked out the cold-faced man and baby-faced young man, while Yuexi carried the injured Taichi back toward the inn.
• Furukawa reunited with Taichi, and the group returned to the inn, where Ming Jing examined Taichi and ordered Yuexi to arrange treatment.
• Ming Jing questioned the two captives, but the cold-faced man refused to speak and the baby-faced young man demanded to be released.
• Ming Jing used Genjutsu: Tōshō Daigongen on the baby-faced young man and learned that he belonged to the Yamamoto Family and the cold-faced man belonged to the Watanabe Family.
• Ming Jing identified the families as members of the Six Great Clans of Akina and angrily challenged them for attacking his people.

After Taichi was injured in an attack, Ming Jing and Asuma went to the Six Great Clans of Akina’s hidden base to confront them. Yamashita Kuchiki convinced Hatano Koii and Yamanouchi Kikuto that they had to kill Ming Jing, setting up a fight.

• Yuexi told Ming Jing that Taichi was settled in, and Ming Jing identified the Six Great Clans of Akina as the attackers.
• Ming Jing left Yuexi to care for Taichi and took Asuma to find the clans’ base, following information he had already obtained.
• Ming Jing and Asuma reached the valley, passed its patrolmen under Ming Jing’s Genjutsu, and entered the guarded area.
• Ming Jing dispelled the Genjutsu and called out Yamashita Kuchiki, Hatano Koii, and Yamanouchi Kikuto.
• Yamashita Kuchiki urged Hatano Koii and Yamanouchi Kikuto to kill Ming Jing, and Yamanouchi Kikuto agreed.