Chapter Summaries

After passing the Chunin Exams, Ronglin asked Orochimaru to teach him the Summoning Jutsu so he could pursue a snake summon like Manda. Orochimaru agreed to meet him the next day, and Ronglin went on to seek Uchiha Fugaku despite being short on money.

• Orochimaru congratulated Ronglin on passing the Chunin Exams and began to leave.
• Ronglin called Orochimaru back and asked for guidance on the Summoning Jutsu.
• Ronglin said he preferred Manda to Katsuyu and the toads, and Orochimaru agreed to help him.
• Orochimaru told Ronglin to come find him the next day and left.
• Ronglin headed to meet Uchiha Fugaku, reflecting that he could barely afford the Immortal Dragon restaurant after Jiraiya took his savings and he paid Might Guy's medical expenses.

Uchiha Fugaku summoned Ronglin to a private room at the Immortal Dragon, where Ronglin met Fugaku, Uchiha Mikoto, and her younger sister, Uchiha Diqin. The meeting ended with Ronglin wondering why Diqin seemed to dislike him.

• Uchiha Izumi Nishi led Ronglin into the Immortal Dragon and escorted him to a private room upstairs.
• Uchiha Fugaku invited Ronglin to sit while Uchiha Mikoto and Uchiha Diqin were also present.
• Uchiha Diqin criticized Ronglin for not acknowledging himself as an Uchiha, and Uchiha Mikoto scolded her.
• Ronglin wondered whether Diqin's hostility toward him was deliberate or simply her personality.

Ronglin met with Uchiha Fugaku, who hoped to persuade him to join the Uchiha Clan, while Uchiha Diqin's outbursts added tension to the gathering. Ronglin challenged Fugaku to explain why he should join after the Uchiha and Hyuga had abandoned him.

• Uchiha Fugaku reprimanded Uchiha Diqin for interrupting and apologized to Ronglin for her behavior.
• Uchiha Diqin angrily objected, but Uchiha Mikoto helped Fugaku discipline her, and Ronglin teased her by calling her a child.
• Uchiha Fugaku asked Ronglin to discuss the reason for his visit, and Ronglin agreed before asking why he should join the Uchiha Clan.
• Ronglin reminded Uchiha Fugaku that both the Uchiha and Hyuga had abandoned him, and asked why he should now help the Uchiha Clan.

Uchiha Fugaku tried to persuade Ronglin to return to the Uchiha Clan by comparing clan support with Tsunade's. Ronglin pressed him for concrete benefits and weighed the clan's resources against his needs for money and genjutsu.

• Uchiha Fugaku reminded Ronglin that he carried Uchiha blood and warned that Tsunade's support might not last.
• Ronglin rejected vague promises of clan support and asked what tangible benefits he would receive if he returned.
• Uchiha Fugaku offered Ronglin visits to the Clan Ancestral Hall, Izumi as a special instructor, help with daily life, and other assistance.
• Ronglin considered the clan's offer useful because he lacked money and wanted Uchiha genjutsu suited to his Sharingan.

Ronglin teased Uchiha Fugaku about finding him a partner and singled out Uchiha Diqin, provoking her anger. He left after Fugaku asked him to consider a proposal and answer within three days.

• Ronglin suggested that Uchiha Diqin would make a suitable partner, surprising Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto.
• Uchiha Diqin grew furious, while Uchiha Mikoto calmed her down.
• Uchiha Fugaku asked Ronglin to consider his proposal and give him an answer in three days.
• Ronglin left the Immortal Dragon, taunted Uchiha Diqin on his way out, and laughed as he walked down the street.

Uchiha Fugaku arranged for Ronglin to return to the Uchiha clan and told Uchiha Izumi Nishi to have Uchiha Diqin act alongside him and teach him. Diqin feared Fugaku would persuade her father to give her to Ronglin, while Uchiha Mikoto tried to reassure her.

• Uchiha Fugaku told Uchiha Izumi Nishi to inform the clan that Ronglin would return and to have Uchiha Diqin teach him.
• Fugaku asked Izumi Nishi to notify the Second Elder that he wanted to discuss something with him.
• Uchiha Diqin returned to Uchiha Mikoto's home and cried that Fugaku and Ronglin were bullying her.
• Uchiha Mikoto comforted Diqin and said Fugaku would not casually bow to Ronglin, even if Ronglin was talented.
• Diqin asked whether Mikoto was telling the truth, and Mikoto reminded her that she was a genius too.

Uchiha Mikoto reassured Uchiha Diqin after her clash with Ronglin, while privately considering the possibility of his talent. The next day, Ronglin went with Orochimaru outside the village to form a snake summoning contract.

• Uchiha Diqin blamed Ronglin for upsetting her, and Uchiha Mikoto laughed as her sister made a fuss.
• Uchiha Mikoto worried that the Uchiha clan might send more people to Ronglin if he proved as talented as she suspected.
• Ronglin met Orochimaru at his laboratory, and they left the village to perform the Summoning Jutsu away from others.
• Ronglin told Orochimaru he had studied the jutsu but had waited to choose a summoned beast before forming a contract.
• Orochimaru cut Ronglin's thumb, let his blood fall onto an old scroll, and Ronglin performed the Summoning Jutsu.

Orochimaru summoned Manda to help Ronglin-kun find a suitable Summoned Beast, then Ronglin used a summoning technique of his own. A massive figure emerged from the smoke, leaving Ronglin and Orochimaru stunned.

• Orochimaru summoned Manda and asked it to help Ronglin-kun form a contract with a suitable Summoned Beast.
• Manda agreed to help but reminded Orochimaru of the price of summoning it.
• Ronglin performed the summoning technique while Orochimaru watched.
• A huge figure emerged from the smoke, and Ronglin and Orochimaru stared at it in shock.

Ronglin summoned the giant snake Black Scale, who attacked him after he mocked its name. Ronglin used his time-controlling Kekkei Genkai to dodge and strike Black Scale, leaving Orochimaru stunned by his abilities.

• Ronglin summoned a giant snake resembling Manda, and it introduced itself as Black Scale.
• Black Scale recognized Orochimaru and taunted him about Manda before Ronglin revealed he had summoned it.
• Ronglin mocked Black Scale’s name, provoking it to lunge at him.
• Ronglin used his Sharingan, Byakugan, and Power of Time to slow Black Scale’s attack and evade it.
• Ronglin struck Black Scale with Monstrous Strength, making it stagger as Orochimaru watched in surprise.

Ronglin used his time-manipulating Kekkei Genkai and Fire Style to overwhelm the Black Scaled Giant Snake, leaving Orochimaru stunned by his abilities. He ended the chapter on the snake’s head, striking it with repeated punches.

• The Black Scaled Giant Snake attacked Ronglin with its tail, but Ronglin accelerated time and made the strike miss.
• Orochimaru realized Ronglin seemed able to control time directly.
• Ronglin used the Great Dragon Fire Technique to attack the Black Scaled Giant Snake.
• Ronglin slowed time around the snake, allowing his fire dragon to hit its vulnerable abdomen.
• Ronglin leaped onto the Black Scaled Giant Snake’s head and punched it repeatedly.

Ronglin fought the Black Scaled Giant Snake, using his time-slowing ability to make it strike its own head before attacking it with a chakra-coated blade. The snake refused to submit and continued its assault as Ronglin prepared to cut it open.

• Ronglin dodged the Black Scaled Giant Snake’s tail with Time: Slow, causing it to smash its own head into the ground.
• Ronglin climbed onto the snake’s head and demanded that it submit, but the Black Scaled Giant Snake refused and threatened to eat him.
• Ronglin jumped aside as the Black Scaled Giant Snake writhed and attacked wildly.
• Ronglin coated his short blade with Wind Release Chakra, slowed time around the approaching snake, and stabbed into it, pulling the blade hard.

Ronglin-kun forced the Black Scaled Giant Snake, Black Scale, to submit after brutally wounding it with his short blade and time-manipulating ability. Once the serpent fled, Ronglin-kun collapsed from exhaustion, and Orochimaru congratulated him on subduing a powerful Summoned Beast.

• Ronglin-kun repeatedly slashed Black Scale, covering its body in deep wounds as he demanded its submission.
• Black Scale surrendered, and Ronglin-kun warned it to behave before ordering it to leave.
• Black Scale fled, and Ronglin-kun sat down, exhausted from the fight and the chakra he had spent.
• Orochimaru congratulated Ronglin-kun on subduing the Black Scale Serpent.

Ronglin subdued the Black Scale Serpent with Orochimaru’s help and gained a powerful Summoned Beast. After returning home, he told Tsunade about the battle, and she suspected Black Scale had a connection to Manda.

• Ronglin thanked Orochimaru for helping him subdue Black Scale, and Orochimaru left to prepare for dealing with Manda.
• Ronglin washed the blood off himself in a river and returned home with his bloodstained clothes ruined.
• Tsunade confronted Ronglin for choosing Orochimaru’s Summoned Beast over Katsuyu, and Ronglin explained that Katsuyu was a support type.
• Tsunade asked Ronglin what had happened, and he recounted the battle against Black Scale.
• Tsunade said Black Scale might be directly connected to Manda and noted that Ronglin had avoided Orochimaru’s earlier trouble commanding the giant snake.

Ronglin told Tsunade he intended to return to the Uchiha Clan, and she accepted his decision while warning him to remember his promises. Tsunade also revealed that the Third Hokage might promote him to Special Jonin and give him new teammates, leaving Ronglin surprised by the news.

• Ronglin told Tsunade that Snake Uncle and Manda had helped him obtain Black Scale as a Summoned Beast.
• Tsunade asked whether Ronglin was returning to the Uchiha Clan, and he confirmed that he still needed things there.
• Tsunade teased Ronglin about rumors that he was interested in Uchiha Diqin, and he denied that he was pursuing women.
• Tsunade told Ronglin that the Third Hokage might promote him to Special Jonin and assign him new teammates.
• Ronglin watched Tsunade leave and wondered why he was being promoted so soon after the Chunin Exams.

Ronglin received his Special Jonin promotion and learned that he would join Minato Namikaze’s team as its new member. As his classmates celebrated, Kakashi quietly struggled with his reaction to Ronglin’s success.

• The Third Hokage heard reports about Ronglin’s negotiations with the Uchiha clan and ordered Minato to review the file for his team’s new member.
• Minato learned that Ronglin was a Special Jonin with a Three Tomoe Sharingan and a record of killing multiple Special Jonin, and looked forward to meeting him.
• Ronglin collected his Special Jonin identification card and equipment and received notice of when he would meet his teammates.
• Ronglin’s classmates gathered at a barbecue restaurant to celebrate his promotion, while Kurenai watched him with admiration and Obito felt envious.
• Kakashi sat quietly at the gathering, but clenched his hand beneath the table as the others praised Ronglin.

After a lively gathering with his classmates, Ronglin accepted Uchiha Fugaku’s offer and returned to the Uchiha Clan, where he received a new home, training support, and access to the clan’s ancestral hall. He entered the hall to choose ninjutsu, while rumors about his decision spread outside.

• Ronglin attended a barbecue gathering with Kakashi, Obito, Kurenai, and their classmates, while Might Guy remained in the hospital recovering.
• After three days of rest, Ronglin told Uchiha Fugaku he would return to the Uchiha Clan.
• Uchiha Fugaku arranged a mansion, monthly funding, five visits to the Clan Ancestral Hall, and guidance from Uchiha Izumi Nishi on the Sharingan and genjutsu.
• Ronglin moved into the Uchiha grounds and ignored people who called him a snob for accepting the clan’s offer.
• Ronglin entered the Clan Ancestral Hall and examined the ninjutsu scrolls on its shelves.

Ronglin finished specialized genjutsu training with Uchiha Izumi Nishi and went to meet his new teammates. He discovered that Minato Namikaze would be joining him, and the two began chatting while they waited.

• Ronglin reflected on the resources that helped clan ninja grow and dismissed people who slandered him.
• Uchiha Fugaku arranged Ronglin's training, and Uchiha Izumi Nishi helped him rapidly improve his genjutsu.
• Ronglin's interactions with Obito deepened after he moved into the Uchiha Clan Compound.
• After half a month of instruction, Ronglin went to meet his new teammates and wondered who had joined Tsunade Class.
• Minato Namikaze greeted Ronglin, and they joked about their teachers being late.

Ronglin and Minato chatted while they waited for their final teammate, Dan Katō, whose arrival surprised Ronglin. Minato introduced Dan as a transfer arranged by Tsunade and urged both men to cooperate as teammates.

• Minato and Ronglin joked about Jiraiya’s hobbies and chatted easily while waiting for the last teammate.
• Dan Katō arrived, and Ronglin was shocked to learn he had been assigned to the same team.
• Minato explained that Tsunade had recently transferred Dan to the team.
• Dan greeted Ronglin politely, and Ronglin returned the greeting without trying to smooth over their strained relationship.
• Minato reminded Ronglin and Dan that they needed to get along and rely on one another during missions, and both agreed.

Minato, Dan Katō, and Ronglin traveled to the Land of Lightning to steal a document from a base. After reaching a staging point near the base, Minato assigned himself and Dan to infiltrate while Ronglin provided support.

• Minato introduced the A-rank mission to Dan Katō and Ronglin, then led them out of Konoha toward the Land of Lightning.
• The three crossed the territories of three small countries and reached the Land of Lightning after three days of travel.
• Minato stopped the team less than five kilometers from the enemy base so they could rest and prepare.
• Minato and Dan decided to infiltrate the base while Ronglin stayed behind to provide support.
• Ronglin accepted Minato's assignment without objection, while Dan had suggested it because Ronglin was young and inexperienced.

Ronglin watched Minato and Dan Katō infiltrate the enemy base, where they found more and stronger ninja than intelligence had reported. Dan Katō encountered the base leader, an Elite Jonin, and fled while Minato continued cutting down enemies.

• Ronglin used his Byakugan to spot the base's larger-than-expected force but kept the information to himself as Minato and Dan Katō entered.
• Minato and Dan Katō split up inside the base and took separate routes.
• Dan Katō used the Spirit Transformation Technique to possess and kill a patrolling Special Jonin.
• Minato swiftly killed the enemies he encountered with the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Dan Katō ran into the Elite Jonin leading the base, was discovered, and fled as the enemy ordered his capture.