Chapter Summaries

After unrest in the Land of Fields ended, Rasa and Orochimaru each secured favorable terms for Sunagakure and Konoha. Orochimaru persuaded Hiruzen Sarutobi to let him learn Impure World Reincarnation, and Hiruzen conveniently misplaced the Sealing Scroll and its key.

• After speaking with Ayu, the three youngsters left, convinced that Black Zetsu could not be trusted.
• Rasa arrived in the Land of Fields after the fighting had ended, then accepted the new Daimyo’s offer to cover Sunagakure’s expenses and grant it land.
• Rasa wrote back to Sunagakure to explain the outcome and planned to bring Karura to join him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi sent Orochimaru to the Land of Fields and offered support for his experiments in exchange for a share of the results.
• Orochimaru asked to learn Impure World Reincarnation, arguing that its Kage-level fighters could help defeat the Third Kazekage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi claimed he felt unwell and had forgotten both the Sealing Scroll and the key to the forbidden jutsu.

Orochimaru rapidly advanced his Impure World Reincarnation research while guarding Konoha’s leased land in the Land of Fields. Hiruzen Sarutobi sent him a secret box of bloodline samples, which left Hatake Sakumo alarmed by its contents.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi arranged a well-paid guard unit for Orochimaru, who moved into the Land of Fields with the trusted ninja.
• Orochimaru advanced the Impure World Reincarnation research in three days and received funding and genetic samples from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Orochimaru requested samples of the Sharingan, Byakugan, and other bloodline limits, and Hiruzen Sarutobi approved the request.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi entrusted Hatake Sakumo with a secret box and ordered him to destroy it if anything went wrong.
• Hatake Sakumo opened the box, found three pairs of Sharingan, two pairs of Byakugan, and ten bottles of labeled blood, then agreed to protect it.

Hatake Sakumo set out alone to escort a box of dangerous materials, while Orochimaru brought Nawaki to meet a revived Wood Dragon. The Wood Dragon formed a summoning contract with Nawaki.

• Hatake Sakumo accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi’s mission to escort the box, becoming complicit in Orochimaru’s experiments.
• Orochimaru led Nawaki deep underground and presented him with a Wood Dragon he and Hiruko had revived using Hashirama Senju’s, Nawaki’s, and Yunqing’s power, along with ancient material.
• Nawaki questioned why the Wood Dragon would contract with him, and Orochimaru reassured him that it would.
• The Wood Dragon formed a summoning contract with Nawaki without resistance.

Orochimaru tested Nawaki’s Wood Dragon against Manda, then left Nawaki to bond with the injured beast. After Hatake Sakumo arrived with a box from the Third Hokage, Orochimaru persuaded him to stay, hoping to use him as a sparring partner.

• The Wood Dragon fought Manda with ruthless physical attacks until Manda returned to Ryūchi Cave and the Wood Dragon began recovering.
• Orochimaru compared the Wood Dragon’s fighting style to Nawaki’s, embarrassing Nawaki, who then used Medical Ninjutsu to treat the beast.
• Orochimaru left Nawaki and the Wood Dragon alone to bond, believing their partnership needed time away from battle.
• Hatake Sakumo arrived and gave Orochimaru a box delivered at the Third Hokage’s request.
• Orochimaru recognized what was in the box and persuaded Hatake Sakumo to stay so he could spar with Nawaki and the Wood Dragon.

Yunqing struggled with an unexplained irritation as Sunagakure’s expansion and fleet plans added to his burdens. Meanwhile, Hatake Sakumo defeated Nawaki in sparring, and Orochimaru watched the match.

• Yunqing grew increasingly irritable over Sunagakure’s crowding and the debates surrounding First Ray of Sky, while Sasori and Ebizo burdened him with fleet and expansion plans.
• Yunqing told Pakura that his irritation did not come from his workload and that he could not identify its cause.
• Hatake Sakumo fought Nawaki, whose Wood Release and Wood Dragon enhanced by Natural Chakra kept him under pressure.
• Hatake Sakumo cut through Nawaki’s attacks, reached him with the Body Flicker Technique, and held a blade to his throat, prompting Nawaki to concede.
• Orochimaru emerged from the darkness and praised Hatake Sakumo’s attack.

Hatake Sakumo hurried back to Konoha after explaining that it needed support, leaving Orochimaru to learn that Nawaki and Wood Dragon had driven him off with their overwhelming fighting style. Orochimaru decided against sparring with Nawaki and planned to send him against Rasa, who unknowingly faced an approaching threat.

• Hatake Sakumo told Orochimaru he needed to return to Konoha, then departed before Orochimaru could respond.
• Nawaki explained that he and Wood Dragon had attacked Hatake Sakumo with relentless long-range and wide-area techniques until he grew angry and beat them.
• Orochimaru realized Nawaki's fighting style made sparring miserable, declined to train with him, and said he would take him to a real battle later.
• Orochimaru considered having Nawaki and Wood Dragon fight Rasa, the Magnet Release Ninja, instead.
• Hatake Sakumo headed back to Konoha and defeated several groups of bandits along the way.
• Rasa shopped for Land of Fields specialties with his wife, unaware of the malice approaching him.

Rasa and Karura toured Sunagakure’s leased district in the Land of Fields while Yunqing’s training had made Karura far stronger than Rasa realized. The chapter left the district’s residents unaware of how dangerous the powerful people around them were.

• Rasa and Karura walked through the district, and Rasa praised Sunagakure’s reforms while refusing to pay merchants from the Land of Fields.
• Karura reflected on her limited experience outside Sunagakure and focused on supporting Rasa and their hoped-for future family.
• Yunqing had trained Karura to value strength, warning that it could help her protect Rasa and their future children.
• Yunqing judged that Karura could take on Rasa and might even challenge Suke and Bunpuku with her advantages.
• Rasa saw Karura as a delicate woman who needed his protection, while the people of the Land of Fields remained unaware of the formidable figures around them.

Konoha and Sunagakure quietly exploited the Land of Fields while their cooperation brought jobs and prosperity to its residents. Ōnoki tried to claim a share but was blocked by the two villages and had to endure his frustration.

• Rasa, Karura, and Orochimaru prepared for conflict by altering the environment or scouting the Land of Fields with snakes.
• Konoha and Sunagakure used the Land of Fields for farms and resources, while residents gained work and opportunities without knowing their land was effectively controlled by the two villages.
• Black Zetsu cooperated with Rasa and Orochimaru while pursuing his plans, and Orochimaru continued his research instead of training Nawaki.
• Rasa enjoyed his life with Karura and other women as the Land of Fields continued to prosper.
• Ōnoki sought to claim a share of the Land of Fields, but Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha joined with Sunagakure to shut him out.
• Ōnoki recognized that he was not strong enough to challenge both villages and chose to wait for a chance to retaliate.

Yunqing learned that Orochimaru and Nawaki Senju had attacked Rasa and Karura using a living Wood Dragon, then reviewed the battle and identified it as a creature created mainly from Hashirama Senju's genes. He left the footage knowing what he needed to do next.

• Yunqing learned from Rasa's report that Orochimaru and Nawaki Senju had attacked Rasa and Karura with a living Wood Dragon.
• Yunqing reviewed information in the Dark Plane and realized the creature had been created using residual energy from Hashirama Senju, Nawaki Senju, and his own battles.
• Rasa and Karura confronted Orochimaru and Nawaki Senju, and Nawaki summoned the Wood Dragon to break through Rasa's Gold Dust Magnetic Storm.
• Karura countered Nawaki's Wood Release with Desert World and Sand Augmentation, withering the trees and giving Rasa and Karura the advantage.
• Orochimaru summoned Fourfold Rashōmon to cover his and Nawaki's escape, and Yunqing concluded that the Wood Dragon was mainly based on Hashirama Senju's genes.

Yunqing visited Orochimaru’s secret laboratory to claim the Wood Dragon research and left with it after overwhelming Orochimaru. That night, Yunqing also obtained materials from Hiruzen Sarutobi and gene-fusion data from Hiruko, while all three men were left reflecting on the need for strength.

• Yunqing decided to create a copy of the genetic monster and to punish Konoha for using his legacy without permission.
• Orochimaru returned to his laboratory after taking injured Nawaki to the medical ninja and found Yunqing reading his research.
• Yunqing demanded the Wood Dragon materials, and Orochimaru handed him a scroll that Yunqing sent through a wormhole.
• Yunqing met Hiruzen Sarutobi and Hiruko that night, receiving materials from Hiruzen and gene-fusion data from Hiruko.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hiruko, and Orochimaru each concluded that strength was essential, with Orochimaru recognizing that immortality without strength was an illusion.

After Yunqing’s overwhelming display left him convinced Konoha could no longer claim to be the strongest hidden village, Hiruzen Sarutobi resolved to build its power for the next generation. He ordered Hiruko to expand his genetic research into a full project, providing Kekkei Genkai blood samples and demanding a finished product.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi mourned his failure to preserve Konoha’s status and admitted he could neither match nor overcome Yunqing.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to strengthen Konoha’s military and expand research into gene monsters and Impure World Reincarnation.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi selected loyal subordinates and established a massive arms factory.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Hiruko and asked about his encounter with Yunqing, learning that Yunqing had taken the Wood Dragon’s genetic data.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Hiruko to develop the Chimera Technique as a full project and offered Kekkei Genkai blood samples for his research.

Hiruzen Sarutobi promised Hiruko Konoha’s full support and convened a high-level meeting, where he revealed the Wood Dragon experiment and defended it as necessary for Konoha. The meeting ended with Hiruzen lamenting that Konoha had fallen from the top spot in the Ninja World.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Hiruko that Minato would escort him and that Konoha would devote all its resources to supporting him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Konoha’s elders, powerful ninjas, and clan heads to a high-level meeting.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi showed footage of Nawaki fighting Rasa and Karura with the Wood Dragon, prompting Tsunade to demand an explanation.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi explained that the Wood Dragon was a genetic monster bred from Lord Hashirama’s technique and said the experiment was intended to strengthen Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised his leadership but said he had failed his teacher because Konoha had lost its status as the Ninja World’s number one hidden village.

Tsunade and Danzō clashed over whether Konoha should violate taboos to gain strength, until Orochimaru showed evidence of Yunqing’s overwhelming power. The meeting ended with the group shaken and reconsidering the need to pursue forbidden power to face him.

• Danzō defended sacrificing lives and violating taboos for Konoha’s strength, while Tsunade argued against it, and the meeting split into opposing factions.
• Orochimaru returned with Hiruko and interrupted the argument, then presented a recording of his encounter with Yunqing.
• After the recording showed Orochimaru unable to fight effectively, Orochimaru explained that he had lost his nerve merely sensing the Third Kazekage’s presence.
• Hiruzen revealed that Enma had dropped to his knees upon seeing Yunqing, leaving the meeting participants frightened and silencing Tsunade and Jiraiya.
• The group recognized that Yunqing was too terrifying to face without seeking additional power, even through forbidden arts.

Hiruko explained that the Wood Dragon had inherited a faint presence from energy taken from the Third Kazekage, and that it was tied to Hashirama’s genes. Hiruzen Sarutobi proposed putting all of Konoha’s resources into genetic engineering and Impure World Reincarnation research, leaving the gathered leaders stunned by the implications.

• Hiruko explained that the Wood Dragon could resist the Third Kazekage’s suppressive presence because it carried energy left behind by him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi proposed devoting all of Konoha’s resources to genetic engineering and Impure World Reincarnation research.
• Tsunade warned that Hiruzen’s plan amounted to terrifying research into evolution and fundamental changes to living beings.
• Orochimaru suggested that the Third Kazekage, Hashirama, and Madara Uchiha had surpassed the boundaries of humanity.
• Hiruko revealed that the Wood Dragon’s appearance was closely connected to Hashirama’s genes, shocking everyone present.

Yunqing studied Hashirama Senju’s unusually active cells and speculated that Hashirama might have evolved into a long-lived being if he had not chosen to die. He then brought Konoha’s Wood Dragon research materials to Sunagakure’s medical laboratory and discussed the research with Aizawa Uzumaki and Uzumaki Kōshi.

• Yunqing examined Hashirama Senju’s cells and wondered whether Hashirama’s vitality could have let him live for centuries or become like the sages and Otsutsuki.
• Yunqing considered how Hashirama Cells had been used as a versatile tool and compared Konoha’s supply of geniuses with Sunagakure’s research team.
• Yunqing met with Aizawa Uzumaki and Uzumaki Kōshi in Sunagakure’s medical research laboratory to discuss genetics.
• Yunqing gave Kōshi Konoha’s Wood Dragon research materials and said he wanted to invest in the research.
• Aizawa admired Yunqing’s youthful appearance, but declined Yunqing’s suggestion that he learn the Yin-Yang Seal.

Yunqing reflected on how Yin-Yang Sealing had driven Sunagakure’s ninjas to study and learn Sealing Techniques, potentially shaping the village into a center of sealing arts. After reading Orochimaru and Hiruko’s report, Uzumaki Kōshi asked whether Yunqing wanted to create a living monster, and he denied wanting to create life.

• Yunqing described how the pursuit of youth through Yin-Yang Sealing had pushed Sunagakure’s ninjas to improve their skills and education.
• Yunqing imagined Sunagakure developing a village-wide Sealing Technique system over generations.
• Uzumaki Kōshi read Orochimaru and Hiruko’s experimental report and concluded that their work involved creating life.
• Uzumaki Kōshi asked Yunqing whether he wanted to create a monster, and Yunqing said he did not want to create life.

Yunqing persuaded Aizawa Uzumaki and Uzumaki Kōshi to help research the evolution of living beings so powerful leaders could live longer and protect their nations. They agreed, while Yunqing kept his own research plans and the Ninja World's hidden dangers to himself.

• Yunqing declared that he wanted to accelerate the evolution of living beings from finite life to infinite life.
• Aizawa Uzumaki and Uzumaki Kōshi were tempted by the prospect of longevity but hesitated because they worried about Sunagakure's aging leaders and vulnerable next generation.
• Yunqing invoked Hashirama Senju's death and the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools, convincing the two to conduct research under his direction.
• Yunqing welcomed their agreement and planned to attribute his own research results to them, confident that he could create Divine Body genes.
• Aizawa Uzumaki and Uzumaki Kōshi believed Yunqing could protect Sunagakure by outliving rival schemers, unaware of the powerful threats hidden in the Ninja World.

Yunqing wandered through Sunagakure, reflecting on how much the village had improved and feeling grateful for his life and accomplishments. He rode a bus toward the storage base outside First Ray of Sky, ending the chapter content with his approval of the village’s humane approach to work and security.

• Yunqing felt calmer after resolving his irritation and reviewing the progress of the fleet preparations.
• Yunqing walked through Sunagakure and took pride in the cleaner, more developed streets he had helped create.
• Yunqing disguised his appearance and boarded a bus bound for the storage base outside First Ray of Sky.
• Yunqing watched passengers travel through the city and suburbs, appreciating the orderly, comfortable bus service.
• Yunqing observed workers joking with security personnel during a routine handover and approved of their humane working environment.

Yunqing visited Sunagakure’s busy storage base and watched Kakuzu oversee a requisitioned supply convoy. After a worker mistook him for a job seeker, Yunqing toured the facility and reflected on how its capacity and oversight kept it running smoothly.

• Yunqing saw Kakuzu address workers as Kakuzu’s company prepared to send supplies to Harbor Port.
• Tosa mistook Yunqing for someone looking for work and gave him a supervisor’s business card before returning to his shift.
• Yunqing threw away the card and joked to himself about having a stable job and wanting to be kept instead of doing manual labor.
• Yunqing went into the storage base to inspect it, noting its unused space and the oversight provided by Kakuzu, Ebizo, the Elders, and other workers.

Yunqing secretly inspected Sunagakure’s vast warehouse base, calculated its layout and future expansion needs, and then brought Pakura to admire the village’s nightscape. The chapter ended with the two sharing a romantic moment and Pakura reflecting on how happy her marriage had become.

• Yunqing secretly inspected the warehouse base and found that its size required more cafeterias and careful planning for expansion.
• Yunqing calculated the base’s layout and resource use with his advanced computing abilities, while considering Sunagakure’s need to develop computers.
• Yunqing flew home and used a wormhole to bring Pakura to him above Sunagakure.
• Yunqing and Pakura admired the village’s lights from First Ray of Sky and expressed how fortunate they felt to be married.
• Pakura reflected that Yunqing was attentive, faithful, and generous, and that she was happy with their life together.