Chapter Summaries

Qi Shuang explained that White Zetsu, one of Obito Uchiha’s mass-produced soldiers, most likely infiltrated the prison and killed the former Kirigakure leaders. He told Mei Terumi how White Zetsu’s Wood Release, stealth, and imitation abilities worked, while noting that identifying him could be difficult.

• Qi Shuang deduced from the wounds and wood-like traces that a Wood Release user had killed the victims, but ruled out Obito Uchiha because he had been fighting Qi Shuang at the time.
• Qi Shuang revealed that Obito commanded mass-produced soldiers born with Wood Release and skilled at infiltration and disguise.
• Mei Terumi arrived and asked Qi Shuang to explain what he knew about the soldiers.
• Qi Shuang explained that the black-and-white creature was Black Zetsu attached to White Zetsu, a mass-produced soldier who could use Earth Release and Wood Release.
• Qi Shuang told Mei Terumi that White Zetsu could imitate a target’s appearance and chakra but could not reproduce that target’s Kekkei Genkai or unique techniques.

Kakashi Hatake's team failed to find Obito Uchiha's remains in the Land of Grass, while Qi Shuang and Mei Terumi discussed how to speed up Kirigakure's reconstruction. Qi Shuang proposed sending ninja to spread news of the ceasefire and entice people and merchants to return, leaving Mei Terumi concerned about the tax incentives.

• Kakashi Hatake identified the skeleton dug up in the Land of Grass as not Obito Uchiha's because its bones showed no fractures, and his team found no second body after digging deeper.
• Kakashi Hatake told his squad that returning without remains was the best answer to give the Hokage.
• Mei Terumi worried that Kirigakure's ruins would take too long to clear because too few people had returned.
• Qi Shuang proposed using fast-moving ninja to spread news of the ceasefire at nearby towns and along roads so refugees would return sooner.
• Qi Shuang suggested offering tax reductions and priority in purchasing shops to attract residents and merchants, while Mei Terumi questioned the cost to Kirigakure's future revenue.

Qi Shuang advised Mei Terumi to attract wealthy families and merchants with tax incentives to restore Kirigakure’s economy and discussed how to prepare for rebuilding. After Kirigakure announced its armistice and new policies, former residents began returning and merchants showed interest.

• Qi Shuang explained that Kirigakure needed tax incentives to attract wealthy families and merchants and revive its economy.
• Mei Terumi worried about the cost of rebuilding, and Qi Shuang told her to commission a new village layout and delay construction until the ruins were cleared.
• Mei Terumi said she had abolished the Killing Rules and banned fighting among Mist ninja after the armistice.
• Mei Terumi sent nearly a hundred ninja to spread news of the armistice and Kirigakure’s tax incentives across the central main island.
• Former Kirigakure residents hurried back, while wealthy families and merchants grew interested in the village’s new policies.

Merchants and workers from across the Land of Water headed to Kirigakure to profit from its rebuilding, while returning residents strained the village’s dwindling food stores. Qi Shuang went to the coast to help bring back a giant whale, leaving Kirigakure with a temporary solution to its food shortage.

• Merchants and wealthy households verified the Mizukage’s announcement and prepared supplies and workers to travel to Kirigakure, while postponing decisions about moving there.
• Former residents returned to Kirigakure, accelerating the village’s cleanup but pushing its grain stores close to exhaustion.
• Mist Shinobi reported that they had caught a giant whale but could not transport its enormous body back to the village.
• Mei Terumi ordered the whale butchered at the shore and organized a transport team, while Qi Shuang volunteered to freeze the meat with his Ice Release.
• Qi Shuang reached the coast, learned that Hozuki Ninja had subdued the whale by attacking it from inside, and ordered the Mist Shinobi to cut the meat into manageable chunks.

Qi Shuang froze the Giant Whale’s meat into stackable blocks and built ice carts to transport it after Kirigakure’s workers arrived without vehicles. By nightfall, the whale meat had all been hauled back to Kirigakure, while the Fourth Raikage set sail south.

• Qi Shuang and ten ice clones froze the whale meat into neat square blocks for easier storage and transport.
• Mist shinobi brought temporary transport workers to the coast, but they had no vehicles and said Kirigakure could not spare any.
• After learning Mizukage-sama expected him to solve the problem, Qi Shuang built nearly a hundred ice carts and warned the workers to avoid overloading them.
• The workers loaded the frozen meat onto the carts and transported the entire Giant Whale back to Kirigakure by nightfall.
• The Fourth Raikage finished settling Kumogakure’s internal affairs and boarded a ship heading south.

After finishing the exhausting work of freezing the Giant Whale’s meat, Qi Shuang told Mei Terumi that Kirigakure would ransom Killer B to the approaching Fourth Raikage rather than risk war with Kumogakure. He also planned to recover Sasori of the Red Sands’ corpse and trade it to Sunagakure, while Mei Terumi claimed any proceeds for Kirigakure’s treasury.

• Mei Terumi thanked Qi Shuang for freezing the Giant Whale’s meat, and he said the work had left him exhausted.
• Mei Terumi told Qi Shuang that the Fourth Raikage was sailing south to retrieve Killer B, and Qi Shuang said Kirigakure would release him for a ransom rather than fight Kumogakure.
• Qi Shuang asked Mei Terumi whether Kirigakure had found Sasori of the Red Sands’ Puppet Body, then explained that he intended to trade it to Sunagakure.
• Mei Terumi objected that selling Sasori’s corpse could help Sunagakure, but Qi Shuang argued that its Human Puppet research would provide limited benefits.
• Qi Shuang revealed that Sasori was the grandson of a senior Sunagakure advisor and predicted the village would pay for his corpse.
• Mei Terumi demanded that Qi Shuang put the ransom money in Kirigakure’s treasury, and he left in frustration.

Qi Shuang was summoned before dawn to receive the Fourth Raikage, A, who had rushed to Kirigakure to save Killer B. As A charged through the village gates, Qi Shuang confronted him with Ice Release and prepared to block his attack.

• A messenger woke Qi Shuang at five in the morning and told him that Kumogakure's delegation was arriving early.
• Mei Terumi ordered Qi Shuang to receive the Fourth Raikage and protect Kirigakure's reputation.
• At the village entrance, Qi Shuang heard guards complain that profiteering merchants were driving up prices, and he assured them the problem would ease as the village recovered.
• A rushed toward Kirigakure, calling out that he had come to save Bee, while the guards prepared to stop him.
• Qi Shuang identified A, warned him to halt, and summoned an Ice Release: Frost Wall as A attacked with Heavy Flowing Fist.

Qi Shuang blocked the Raikage’s attacks with his Frost Wall at Kirigakure’s entrance, forcing A and the arriving Kumogakure shinobi to recognize his strength. A calmed down after two failed strikes but charged the barrier again, insisting it could not stop him.

• A slammed into Qi Shuang’s Ice Wall with his Heavy Flowing Fist, but the barrier remained unscathed.
• Qi Shuang explained that his Frost Wall dispersed impacts, while the guards at the village entrance praised his defense.
• A struck the wall with Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop, yet failed to damage it and wondered how Killer B had been defeated.
• Darui and the other Kumogakure shinobi arrived, saw A stopped outside Kirigakure, and fell silent.
• Qi Shuang warned A to show Kirigakure respect, and A admitted he could not break the barrier before charging it again.

Qi Shuang fought the Raikage outside Kirigakure’s gates, using ice techniques to counter A’s overwhelming speed and strength. A froze solid, while Qi Shuang began struggling free from the crater where A had slammed him.

• A raced over the Ice Wall and struck the ground with Wrathful Lightning Axe, but Qi Shuang escaped the blow and survived the shock wave behind semiliquid ice.
• Qi Shuang tried to freeze A, but A’s speed left an afterimage as he moved behind Qi Shuang and locked his arms around him.
• A hurled Qi Shuang into the air and slammed him headfirst into the ground while Cloud shinobi cheered.
• As Qi Shuang activated Lightning Core Bomb and Ice Seal Technique, ice spread from A’s arms until it completely froze his head and body.
• The Cloud shinobi realized Qi Shuang had survived, and the Mist shinobi watched his legs begin to work free from the ground.

Qi Shuang and A fought outside Kirigakure’s gates, but neither could gain a decisive advantage. After Qi Shuang reminded A that Killer B was still in Kirigakure’s custody, A abandoned his attempt to force entry and accepted Qi Shuang’s invitation to enter the village.

• Qi Shuang emerged unharmed after A’s Lightning Core Bomb, while the Cloud ninja feared for A and then cheered as he began breaking free of the ice seal.
• A shattered the Humanoid Ice Sculpture and faced Qi Shuang warily, recognizing that Qi Shuang’s Ice Release defenses made a reckless attack unwise.
• Qi Shuang quieted the Kirigakure crowd as A demanded entry, then warned him that forcing his way in would endanger his subordinates while Killer B remained in Kirigakure’s hands.
• A dispersed his Chakra Cloak and agreed not to storm the village, and Qi Shuang invited him to enter Kirigakure.
• A put on his Raikage hat, walked toward the gates, and asked Qi Shuang’s name; Qi Shuang introduced himself.

A and the Kumogakure shinobi saw the devastation in Kirigakure before A reunited with the captive Killer B. A failed to break the Senjutsu-made Cold Chains, and Qi Shuang invited him to meet the Mizukage and discuss B’s release.

• Qi Shuang led A and the Kumogakure shinobi through ruined Kirigakure and apologized for the village’s slow reconstruction.
• A rushed to Killer B, hugged him, and checked him for injuries before scolding him for gaining weight.
• Killer B explained that his confinement left him with little to do but eat and sleep, and A slammed his head into the ground before a Cloud shinobi stopped him.
• A tried to cut through Killer B’s Cold Chains with Lightning Oppression Horizontal Chop, but the chains remained intact.
• Qi Shuang explained that Senjutsu reinforced the Cold Chains and invited A to rest and meet the Mizukage to discuss Killer B’s release.

A met with Mei Terumi to negotiate Killer B’s ransom, but the talks quickly grew tense over Kirigakure’s demand for an enormous sum. Qi Shuang raised the price to 1.1 billion ryo and challenged A as he threatened war.

• A agreed to meet Mei Terumi, leaving Killer B with the Cloud ninja while Samui, Darui, and two other guards accompanied him.
• Mei Terumi welcomed A to the negotiation table, but he demanded that she state Kirigakure’s conditions immediately.
• Mei Terumi asked for one billion ryo to return Killer B alive, and A angrily accused her of refusing to negotiate in good faith.
• A Cloud ninja asked Mei Terumi and Qi Shuang to lower the ransom, but Qi Shuang raised it to 1.1 billion ryo.
• A threatened war, and Qi Shuang shielded Mei Terumi with his Chakra Cloak and challenged A to follow through.

Qi Shuang and Mei Terumi negotiated with A over Killer B’s release, using the threat of other villages exploiting a war to raise the ransom. A agreed to exchange supplies worth one billion for B, leaving Kirigakure with vital food to aid its recovery.

• A threatened to attack Kirigakure if it harmed Killer B, but Qi Shuang warned that war would invite Konoha and other villages to invade the Land of Lightning.
• Qi Shuang demanded a 1.2-billion ransom, and A countered with a final offer of one billion to secure B’s release.
• Mei Terumi accepted A’s one-billion offer, after Qi Shuang and Mei had privately agreed to push for that amount.
• Qi Shuang asked Kumogakure to provide food supplies worth one billion instead of cash, and A readily agreed.

A traded a billion in food supplies for Killer B and asked Kirigakure to reduce his meals. Qi Shuang explained how Kirigakure could use the shipment to lower grain prices without letting merchants hoard it, leaving Mei Terumi reassured that other prices would eventually settle too.

• A agreed to provide a billion in food supplies in exchange for Killer B and requested that Kirigakure give him plain meals.
• Mei Terumi welcomed the shipment, which would help Kirigakure survive its food shortage until the rice harvest.
• Qi Shuang warned Mei Terumi that selling grain cheaply on the open market would let merchants buy it up and hoard it.
• Qi Shuang proposed serving the grain through Kirigakure's public cafeterias so merchants could not stockpile it and would have to lower their prices.
• Qi Shuang said lower grain prices would eventually bring other prices back to normal.

Qi Shuang’s decision to keep Kumogakure’s grain out of Kirigakure’s market set grain prices up to collapse, and merchants began reacting to the coming glut. After grain merchants forced Xiao Quan to close his discount shop, he went to seek an audience with Qi Shuang.

• News spread that Kirigakure would not sell the billion units of grain it had obtained from Kumogakure, and merchants expected prices to fall when the grain arrived.
• Xiao Quan lowered his rice prices, drawing customers who had grown tired of the canteen’s meat-heavy meals.
• Grain merchants confronted Xiao Quan and threatened him, so he agreed to close his shop for the day and restore the old prices tomorrow.
• A Kirigakure ninja told Qi Shuang that Xiao Quan was waiting to see him, and Qi Shuang allowed him into the Mizukage’s tent.

Qi Shuang explained to Mei Terumi how he had used Xiao Quan to trigger falling grain prices across Kirigakure, then told Xiao Quan to follow the other merchants’ prices rather than lead the cuts. The price drop was expected to spread on its own, while Kirigakure’s reconstruction plans were still being drawn up.

• Xiao Quan arrived in disguise, and Qi Shuang explained that he had recruited him to make the first grain price cut and set off a broader decline.
• Mei Terumi learned that Qi Shuang had promised Xiao Quan a free street-facing shop and a fifty percent tax reduction after Kirigakure was rebuilt.
• Xiao Quan said other merchants had threatened him into restoring his prices, but Qi Shuang told him to match their prices instead of leading further cuts.
• Qi Shuang assured Xiao Quan that he would honor his promise, and Xiao Quan left the tent.
• Mei Terumi told Qi Shuang that the village designs would take time and might not be finished before the ruins were cleared.

Qi Shuang’s plan to break Kirigakure’s high grain prices succeeded, and he learned that Orochimaru was waiting in the Land of Fields. Before setting out to find Orochimaru and bring Hozuki Suigetsu back, Qi Shuang began preparing a Senjutsu technique to protect Mei Terumi.

• Xiao Quan raised rice prices as agreed, but the news of incoming grain from Kumogakure kept customers away from the market.
• As grain merchants faced mounting losses, most lowered their prices, triggering a collapse in Kirigakure’s grain prices and a decline in inflated prices across the market.
• A Summoning Snake from Ryūchi Cave delivered Orochimaru’s message that he was in the Land of Fields, and Qi Shuang told the snake he would set out soon.
• Qi Shuang informed Mei Terumi that he planned to visit Orochimaru and bring Hozuki Suigetsu back, and she reminded him to return quickly.
• Qi Shuang entered Senjutsu mode and formed a large sphere of freezing energy, then shrank it and began encasing it in ice crystals as a protective technique for Mei Terumi.

Qi Shuang made Mei Terumi a whale-shaped ice sculpture containing a one-use Senjutsu technique that she could activate with her chakra. After leaving Mei, he passed Killer B and Kisame Hoshigaki, who remained prisoners near the village square.

• Mei Terumi asked Qi Shuang to shape the ice crystals into a whale as a keepsake.
• Qi Shuang sealed his Senjutsu into the whale with a trigger that Mei could activate by making her chakra resonate with the strand she had supplied.
• Qi Shuang warned Mei that the whale could freeze every living creature except her within a one-li radius, but that it could be used only once.
• Qi Shuang said goodbye to Mei and left the main tent, then walked toward the village entrance through the rubble-clearing work.
• Qi Shuang saw Killer B singing to the Cloud ninja while Kisame Hoshigaki lay nearby, miserable from having to listen.

Qi Shuang traveled to the Land of Fields to meet Orochimaru, who sent Kimimaro to escort him. As they headed toward Orochimaru’s hideout, Qi Shuang failed to persuade Kimimaro to leave, and they spotted a figure waiting on a hill.

• Qi Shuang left Kisame and Killer B, sailed to the Land of Rivers, and continued into the Land of Fields to draw Orochimaru’s attention.
• Orochimaru’s informants reported Qi Shuang’s arrival, and Orochimaru ordered Kimimaro to bring him in.
• Kimimaro met Qi Shuang outside a town and led him toward Orochimaru’s hideout.
• Qi Shuang asked Kimimaro about his cursed seal and offered him a place in Kirigakure, but Kimimaro refused and reaffirmed his loyalty to Orochimaru.
• Qi Shuang and Kimimaro hurried through a forest and saw a figure standing on the highest of a stretch of barren hills.

Qi Shuang met Orochimaru to negotiate for Hozuki Suigetsu, offering information about Akatsuki in exchange. He revealed the organization’s leaders, goals, and connection to the Ten-Tails, leaving Orochimaru shocked by the truth about the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

• Kimimaro and Qi Shuang reached the hill where Orochimaru waited, and Orochimaru recognized Qi Shuang as the shinobi known as Blue-Eyes White Dragon.
• Qi Shuang asked Orochimaru to hand over Hozuki Suigetsu, and Orochimaru agreed to consider it in exchange for answers to his questions.
• Qi Shuang confirmed that Obito Uchiha was the masked figure behind Kirigakure’s civil war and told Orochimaru that Obito had once claimed to be Madara Uchiha.
• Qi Shuang explained that Akatsuki had two leaders, Obito in the shadows and Pain in the open, and sought to gather the Nine Great Tailed Beasts to revive the Ten-Tails and rule the world.
• Qi Shuang revealed that the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path was the Ten-Tails’ empty shell, shocking Orochimaru.