Chapter Summaries

Ye Zi found Nanako alive in a hidden laboratory beneath the Land of Wilds castle, where she was studying Hashirama Cells. After Fish attacked him to protect Nanako, Ye Zi spared her, and Nanako suggested Orochimaru had been responsible for her survival.

• Ye Zi reached the basement laboratory and reunited with Nanako, whose death he had believed confirmed.
• Fish ambushed Ye Zi, but Nanako stopped him from killing her, and he caught Fish’s lightning attack before treating her burned hands.
• Nanako introduced Fish as her subordinate, then called Ye Zi a one-of-a-kind important experimental subject to explain their relationship.
• Ye Zi examined a sample cultivated from Hashirama Cells and asked how Nanako had survived and obtained them.
• Nanako said Orochimaru might have been responsible for her survival, while Fish left to guard the laboratory entrance.

Nanako told Ye Zi how Orochimaru’s experiments gave her a regenerated arm, how she survived after escaping Root, and how she pursued research after learning Ye Zi had died. Reunited, they agreed to work together, with Nanako accepting his request to improve the medicine.

• Nanako explained that Orochimaru implanted her with Ye Zi’s cells and Hashirama Cells, and that she escaped Root after her arm regenerated.
• Nanako revealed she had resorted to using a recently buried corpse to survive, and Ye Zi reassured her that she had done the right thing.
• After hearing Ye Zi had died, Nanako sought help from the Daimyo of the Land of Wilds and began researching medicine using her arms.
• Nanako said she had never regretted her choices, and Ye Zi told her he was alive and asked for her help improving the medicine.
• Nanako agreed to shorten the medicine’s time to take effect and extend its duration, then embraced Ye Zi when she saw his altered arm.

Ye Zi reunited with Nanako and decided to build a hidden force of his own, beginning by recruiting war orphans. He agreed to move Nanako and her research to a new base, while revealing that he could supply unlimited Hashirama Cell material.

• Fish watched Ye Zi and Nanako embrace and vowed to protect Nanako from anyone who betrayed her.
• Ye Zi told Nanako to destroy the laboratory and said he would prepare a new base for her, since he no longer had ties to Konoha.
• Nanako suggested recruiting war orphans as manpower, and Ye Zi decided to begin building his own force in secret.
• Nanako asked about Ye Zi's arms and black hair, and he explained that his arms came from Hashirama Cells and that their quantity might explain his body's compatibility.
• Ye Zi promised Nanako as much Hashirama Cell material as she needed, and they agreed to leave the laboratory.

Ye Zi escaped the Capital City of the Land of Wilds with Nanako and Fish, leaving Ku to destroy the citadel and kill its pursuers. In Konoha, Danzo warned Orochimaru that Hiruzen had noticed his experiments, but Orochimaru revealed he already had a secret base and remained devoted to pursuing the truth beyond the Gate of Truth.

• Ye Zi summoned Ku to hold off the citadel guards, then left with Nanako and Fish as Ku destroyed the city and slaughtered those who could not escape.
• Nanako questioned Ye Zi's willingness to cause such destruction, and he called it a trivial matter before the three left the Capital City of the Land of Wilds.
• Orochimaru dissected a boy in Root's base while Danzo informed him that Hiruzen had noticed his experiments and advised him to move them outside the village.
• Orochimaru agreed to pause abducting Konoha ninja but privately revealed that he had already established a secret base outside the village.
• Orochimaru dismissed the village, companions, and humanity as insignificant beside the truth beyond the Gate of Truth, echoing Ye Zi's outlook.

Ye Zi brought Nanako and Fish to the Land of Earth to begin building a concealed research base near Kannabi Bridge. After demonstrating Nanako’s life-draining potion to White Zetsu, Ye Zi used Wood Release to carve out the base beneath a nearby mountain.

• Ye Zi took Nanako and Fish to the ruins of Kannabi Bridge, where White Zetsu appeared and asked why they had come.
• Ye Zi called a Hashirama Cells clone and had it inject Nanako’s potion, which increased its Chakra before draining its vitality and causing it to crumble.
• Ye Zi explained that Nanako had developed the potion to boost the clones’ combat power and told White Zetsu he planned to build a research base nearby.
• Ye Zi chose a mountain several kilometers from the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and used Wood Release to create underground rooms and passageways.

Ye Zi completed an underground base, secured funding and equipment, and began preparing a prototype that could provide combat strength and insurance against the plan. Afterward, Scorpion contacted him, apparently having suffered a hidden loss in the Land of Water.

• Ye Zi used Wood Release to build an underground base, then worked with White Zetsu to conceal the entrance and restore the surrounding forest.
• Ye Zi assigned Nanako, Fish, and White Zetsu tasks to support research and procure equipment for the base.
• Ye Zi traveled to the Land of Fire's Capital City and waited two days for Muzi to return home.
• Ye Zi agreed to kill someone for Muzi and requested one hundred million, while promising to return with qualified guards.
• Ye Zi left with the money and worked with White Zetsu and Fish to deliver the equipment materials, completing the prototype.
• Scorpion contacted Ye Zi after apparently suffering a hidden loss in the Land of Water.

Ye Zi met with Scorpion and saw how the newly made Black Iron Ore weapons strengthened his attacks. Six months after the Third Ninja World War, Konoha’s young ninjas celebrated their Chunin promotions, and a white-haired man appeared at the dango shop.

• Ye Zi and Scorpion returned to Amegakure, where Konan said Jūzō Biwa had joined as Southern Dipper and the Phantom Nine Dragon Seal still needed one more candidate.
• Scorpion collected his Black Iron Ore weapons and demonstrated how the Third Kazekage's Puppet could use them to nearly catch Ye Zi off guard.
• Half a year after the war, the great nations decided to reduce funding for their ninja villages despite the villages’ efforts to argue against the cuts.
• Obito and his friends celebrated becoming Chunin at a Konoha dango shop, while Kakashi noted that he had already been a Jonin for a long time.
• A long-haired middle-aged man in red and green arrived at the shop after hearing the group’s cheers.

Jiraiya returned to the village and reunited with Tsunade, Kushina, and the younger ninja, stealing Obito’s dango before Tsunade knocked him down. He revealed that he had learned Akatsuki’s goal and location and had information about Ye Zi, then left with Tsunade and Kushina to speak with Minato.

• Jiraiya entered the dango shop, ate Obito’s skewers, and fled before Tsunade punched him down outside.
• Obito complained to Kushina, who told him to beat Jiraiya up, while Rin shared her dango with him.
• Kakashi showed off his dango, but Might Guy took the plate and shared the skewers with Kurenai.
• Jiraiya said the younger ninja would support the village in the future, then told Tsunade he had learned Akatsuki’s goal and location and had information about Ye Zi.
• Tsunade took Jiraiya to the Hokage’s office to speak with Minato, and Kushina followed after her smile faded.

Jiraiya reported to Minato and Hiruzen that Akatsuki was made up of rogue ninjas, had established its base in Amegakure, and included Ye Zi among its core members. The group’s motives and its connection to Ye Zi remained unclear, while the possibility that an Akatsuki member wielded Wood Release deepened Konoha’s concerns.

• Might Guy watched Ye Zi leave and struggled to decide whether to follow him, while Kurenai and Kakashi noticed his distress.
• Kushina, Tsunade, and Jiraiya entered Minato’s office and learned that Minato and Hiruzen had been discussing Orochimaru.
• Jiraiya told Minato and Hiruzen that Akatsuki recruited rogue ninjas, that Ye Zi was a core member, and that Amegakure was the organization’s base under a mysterious Divine Envoy.
• Jiraiya said Hanzo was likely dead and suggested Ye Zi might have crossed paths with Akatsuki during an earlier mission in the Land of Rain, possibly one assigned by Hiruzen.
• Jiraiya urged Minato to focus on Akatsuki rather than Ye Zi, describing its S-rank rogue ninja members and suggesting its apparent mercenary purpose concealed a larger ambition.
• Tsunade asked whether anyone in Akatsuki knew Wood Release, and Jiraiya said he did not know; Minato suspected the power might be connected to the black-and-white figure who had tried to steal Konoha’s forbidden scrolls.

Jiraiya urged Konoha to take the Akatsuki seriously, and Minato agreed to send a carefully chosen team to investigate. Kushina and Tsunade insisted on joining, while Hiruzen revealed that Orochimaru was almost certainly conducting human experiments.

• Jiraiya explained the Akatsuki's strength and argued that the organization warranted serious attention.
• Minato suggested that the black-and-white creature's ability to merge into trees might be connected to Wood Release, giving Tsunade a lead in her search for Dan Katō's murderer.
• Kushina proposed sending a team to investigate the Akatsuki, and Minato reluctantly agreed after she insisted on going.
• Tsunade declared that she would join Kushina, despite Jiraiya's attempt to dissuade her.
• Hiruzen told Jiraiya and Tsunade that Orochimaru was almost certainly conducting human experiments, leaving them shocked and disappointed.

Konoha prepared a powerful deployment to capture or kill Orochimaru for his human experiments. Ye Zi learned of the force and rushed to investigate, while Hiruzen, Jiraiya, and Tsunade closed in on Orochimaru’s hidden base, uncertain whether they could kill their former companion.

• Hiruzen and Jiraiya took responsibility for deciding Orochimaru’s fate, and Konoha began assembling a covert force against him.
• Ye Zi left Scorpion beside the roasting boar legs and met a White Zetsu clone, who reported that Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and other ninja had left Konoha.
• Ye Zi learned Kotoha was following the group and headed toward Konoha with the White Zetsu clone to investigate.
• Scorpion waited until the boar legs burned to charcoal, then realized Ye Zi had left without telling him where he was going.
• Hiruzen led Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kushina, Kakashi, and other Konoha ninja through the forest toward Orochimaru’s suspected experiment site.
• Tsunade asked Jiraiya whether they truly had to kill Orochimaru, and Jiraiya admitted he did not know.

Danzo ordered Root to erase evidence linking him to Orochimaru as Hiruzen’s forces surrounded Orochimaru’s secret base. Hiruzen confronted Orochimaru and discovered human experiments, while Orochimaru declared that he sought everything.

• Danzo ordered three masked Anbu to destroy every trace Orochimaru had left behind, while deciding he had no reason to regret their alliance.
• Hiruzen positioned Konoha ninja around Orochimaru’s base and sent Jiraiya and Tsunade to strengthen the perimeter.
• Hiruzen entered the base with two Anbu, avoided its traps, and found Orochimaru conducting experiments among numerous corpses.
• Hiruzen questioned Orochimaru about the missing villagers and his experiments, and Orochimaru admitted that he was developing ninjutsu.
• Orochimaru said he wanted everything, and Hiruzen stared at the ambition and malice in his eyes.

Orochimaru escaped Hiruzen’s laboratory after Hiruzen hesitated to stop him, then ran into Jiraiya while trying to flee Konoha. As their summoned beasts fought, Kotoha alerted Ye Zi that Konoha’s operation was targeting Orochimaru.

• Hiruzen summoned Enma but could not bring himself to attack Orochimaru, who immobilized Hiruzen, Enma, and the Anbu before escaping.
• Orochimaru left his base through a hidden exit and headed away from Konoha, unaware that Hiruzen’s ninja had surrounded him.
• Jiraiya confronted Orochimaru, but Orochimaru dodged Jiraiya’s attack and tried to escape.
• Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta, and Orochimaru summoned Manda to hold Jiraiya back while he fled.
• Kotoha saw the summoned beasts fighting and sent a White Zetsu clone to tell Ye Zi that Konoha’s operation was targeting Orochimaru.

Ye Zi learned that Konoha had mobilized against Orochimaru and raced to the battlefield, hoping to help him escape if the risk was manageable. He arrived as Orochimaru faced Jiraiya and a powerful Konoha encirclement, with his escape options dwindling.

• Ye Zi learned from a White Zetsu clone that Konoha's operation targeted Orochimaru and decided to assess whether he could help him.
• Ye Zi hurried toward the battlefield, slowed to conserve Chakra, and took a military ration pill before entering the forest.
• Ye Zi saw the enormous summoning beasts Gamabunta and Manda fighting, then sensed no nearby Chakra to replenish his reserves.
• Jiraiya held Orochimaru back despite a severe arm wound while Konoha's Jonin closed in around them.
• Orochimaru realized that Tsunade had joined the operation and weighed his limited escape options as his Chakra ran low.

Orochimaru escaped Konoha’s encirclement with Shadow Clones, but he was badly wounded and nearly out of Chakra. Ye Zi intercepted him, killed three pursuing Jonin to replenish his strength, and offered to help Orochimaru while the Konoha forces gathered to face him.

• Orochimaru used two Shadow Clones to break through the encirclement, killing two Jonin as he passed Kakashi and leaving Kakashi guilt-stricken.
• Jiraiya ran out of Chakra, while Kakashi and the other Konoha ninja pursued the wounded Orochimaru.
• Ye Zi encountered Orochimaru and attacked the pursuing Jonin, absorbing Chakra from three of them and killing one.
• Ye Zi told Orochimaru that he needed his talent and promised to delay the Konoha pursuers so Orochimaru could escape.
• Eight Konoha Jonin gathered before Ye Zi, Kakashi arrived, and Kushina sensed Ye Zi approaching.

Ye Zi held off the Konoha ninja to give Orochimaru time to escape, then fought Kakashi and nearly killed him before Kushina rescued him with her golden chains. As more reinforcements gathered, Kushina confronted Ye Zi, who declared himself her enemy.

• Ye Zi waited for Konoha’s pursuit party, using his presence to stall them while Orochimaru escaped.
• Kakashi charged Ye Zi with Lightning Release, but Ye Zi caught his wrist and prepared to strike him with a matching technique.
• Kushina stopped Ye Zi’s killing blow with her golden chains, and Ye Zi threw Kakashi aside before retreating from the restraints.
• Kushina rescued the injured Kakashi and asked Ye Zi how he had become this way.
• Ye Zi used the conversation to buy time and told Kushina, “I am your enemy.”

Ye Zi rejected Kushina’s hope of reconciliation and fought the Konoha Jonin pursuing Orochimaru. Kotoha joined him after silently killing five Jonin, declaring that she had made her choice.

• Ye Zi identified himself as Konoha’s enemy and admitted that he had killed the three corpses Kushina pointed out.
• Ye Zi activated his Lightning Prison technique, and Kushina decided the Jonin had to capture him before Orochimaru escaped.
• Ye Zi used his lightning-enhanced speed to kill three Jonin and wound another, then extracted Chakra from the survivor.
• Kushina warned the Jonin before Ye Zi’s next attack and sent golden chains to protect them, but he escaped their grasp and reappeared a hundred meters away.
• Ye Zi drew the Jonin’s attention away from Kotoha, who crossed the battlefield and killed five of them with senbon.
• Kotoha arrived beside Ye Zi and calmly told the Konoha ninja, “This is my choice.”

Bōjiān Yán Yè sided with Ye Zi against the Konoha ninja, and Ye Zi fought his way through their forces before trying to leave. Kushina caught up with him, broke her own arm to seize his collar, and begged him to come back, leaving his response uncertain.

• Bōjiān Yán Yè attacked the Konoha ninja with poisonous senbon and stood with Ye Zi, abandoning her ties to Konoha and Kusagakure.
• Ye Zi used Lightning Prison and his speed to kill more than a dozen Konoha ninja while Kushina's golden chains failed to bind him.
• With his Chakra nearly depleted, Ye Zi called Yán Yè to leave, and the Konoha ninja watched without pursuing.
• Kushina suddenly chased Ye Zi, dismissed her golden chains, and punched at him with an ordinary blow.
• After Ye Zi caught her fist, Kushina broke her own right arm and grabbed his collar, telling him, "I caught you," and begging him to come back.
• Ye Zi placed his hand over Kushina's grip without answering, as Kakashi and the other Konoha ninja watched in astonishment.

Ye Zi rescued Orochimaru from Konoha's failed capture mission and brought him into a cooperative relationship. They traveled with Kotoha to the Land of Earth, where Ye Zi planned for Orochimaru to work with Nanako.

• Kotoha stopped Kakashi from attacking as Ye Zi pried Kushina's hand open and left with Kotoha, devastating Kushina.
• Konoha's mission to capture Orochimaru failed, and Kakashi stayed with the wounded Kushina after the pursuers withdrew.
• Ye Zi and Kotoha met a White Zetsu clone, followed it to Orochimaru, and Kotoha treated his wounds.
• Ye Zi told Orochimaru that Konoha had given up the pursuit and offered an exchange, and Orochimaru agreed to retrieve something with him.
• Ye Zi, Kotoha, and Orochimaru collected materials and the unconscious Uchiha Jin from Orochimaru's secret base, then headed for the Land of Earth.
• During their journey, Ye Zi told Orochimaru about Nanako and the Rinnegan, and the group reached their destination after several days.

Ye Zi brought the injured Orochimaru to his Wood Release base and showed him Nanako’s laboratory, where Orochimaru accepted a place to rest but left Ye Zi’s strange egg-shaped wall intact. In Konoha, Minato studied the failed mission report and resolved to grow stronger as he watched Ye Zi as a future threat.

• Ye Zi showed Orochimaru the base and Nanako’s laboratory, and Nanako explained that the children would not be used as test subjects.
• Orochimaru examined the laboratory, asked about Ye Zi’s Wood Release, and said he was interested in Ye Zi’s body, but Ye Zi refused to become his test subject.
• Ye Zi took Orochimaru to his room, where Orochimaru considered destroying the egg-shaped wall but left it alone and went to bed.
• Jiraiya and Kushina struggled with the failed mission, while Minato repeatedly tried to visit Kushina and was turned away.
• Minato studied the battle report, recognized Ye Zi’s extraordinary speed and Lightning Release control, and committed himself to becoming stronger.