Chapter Summaries

Xing Ran broke free of the Chakra Limiter and attacked the Snow Ninja, killing Winter Bear Hail and injuring Nadare Rōga. When Nadare Rōga used Kazahana Koyuki as a hostage, Xing Ran vanished and reappeared in midair beside her.

• Xing Ran tore the Chakra Limiter from his chest and killed Winter Bear Hail with a Chakra Scalpel.
• Xing Ran struck Nadare Rōga with a Konoha Whirlwind kick, breaking bones in his arms and sending him flying.
• Nadare Rōga threw Kazahana Koyuki into the air, and the Bat-Winged Woman Snow Ninja caught her and carried her higher.
• Nadare Rōga threatened Kazahana Koyuki's safety, but Xing Ran disappeared and reappeared beside her in midair.

Xing Ran rescued Kazahana Koyuki and killed the Bat-Winged Woman Snow ninja, but Nadare Rōga recognized his Flying Thunder God Technique and tried to escape. With reinforcements approaching and little Chakra left, Xing Ran handed Koyuki to Shadow Clones, opened the Fourth Gate, and charged Nadare Rōga through his Ice Wolves.

• Xing Ran used the Flying Thunder God Technique to kill the Bat-Winged Woman Snow ninja and rescue Kazahana Koyuki.
• Nadare Rōga recognized Xing Ran's Flying Thunder God Technique, declared surrender, and began retreating.
• Xing Ran decided Nadare Rōga had to die before he could reveal the technique to arriving Snow ninja reinforcements.
• Xing Ran created three Shadow Clones and sent them away with the unconscious Kazahana Koyuki.
• Xing Ran opened the Fourth Gate and charged Nadare Rōga as he fled behind Ice Wolves.

Xing Ran used his speed and Super freeze breath to slow Nadare Rōga, then killed him before the Snow ninja could intervene. He took Nadare Rōga’s corpse and the Chakra Limiter and left the hesitant Snow ninja behind.

• Xing Ran blasted through three Ice Wolves and reached Nadare Rōga, who dodged his first attack with Body Flicker.
• Xing Ran swept snow and freezing breath over Nadare Rōga, frosting him and slowing his movements.
• Nadare Rōga escaped Xing Ran’s punch with Substitution Technique, but Xing Ran tracked him and struck his shoulder, killing him.
• Xing Ran picked up Nadare Rōga’s corpse while the Snow ninja hesitated on the hillside.
• Xing Ran passed Winter Bear Hail’s body and collected the Chakra Limiter lying beside it.

Xing Ran escaped the Snow Ninja reinforcements with Kazahana Koyuki, recovered Chakra Armor, and sent Shadow Clones to scout locations for a secret research base in the Land of Snow. After rejoining Kakashi’s group, they traveled toward the Village of the Priestesses, where Xing Ran began making a straw doll and hinted it was connected to Kakashi’s name.

• Xing Ran retrieved the Bat-Winged Woman Snow Ninja’s corpse, took the Chakra Armor from both bodies, and ordered Shadow Clones to scout sites for a secret base.
• Xing Ran carried the unconscious Kazahana Koyuki toward Kakashi’s group without using the Flying Thunder God Technique, keeping it secret from most of the team.
• Kakashi’s group waited at the border while Kazahana Sōsetsu berated them, and Xing Ran finally returned with Koyuki.
• Two days later, Xing Ran’s group traveled by ox cart toward the Village of the Priestesses, with Koyuki and Sōsetsu inside and Xing Ran keeping watch on the roof.
• Guy asked Xing Ran about the straw doll he had been making, and Xing Ran replied by asking whether Guy knew where Kakashi’s name came from.

On the journey away from the Land of Snow, Xing Ran reassured his companions that the Snow Ninja were unlikely to pursue them and avoided revealing his Flying Thunder God Technique. He passed the quiet ride by completing and testing the Yamanaka Clan’s Puppet Body Switch Technique.

• Xing Ran told Kakashi and the others that the Snow Ninja were unlikely to attack outside the Land of Snow, while keeping secret that he had already defeated several of their jōnin.
• Kakashi and the others continued their journey by ox cart after agreeing to keep Xing Ran’s Flying Thunder God Technique secret.
• Might Guy asked Xing Ran about his joke involving Kakashi’s name, and Nara Izumi rebuked them before Xing Ran apologized.
• Xing Ran finished a crude straw puppet and attached a talisman to its forehead to use the Puppet Body Switch Technique.
• Xing Ran transferred his viewpoint into the puppet and reflected on how the technique could draw an enemy’s Spiritual Power into it.

Xing Ran traveled with the Konoha group toward the Village of the Priestesses, secretly developing the Puppet Body Switch Technique and using Spiritual Secret Medicine to increase his power. As they arrived in the city with the pursuit from the Land of Snow seeming unlikely, he arranged for the group to rest while planning to restock his medicine and earn money at the casino.

• Xing Ran developed the Puppet Body Switch Technique during the slow journey and used it to drain his Spiritual Power before taking Spiritual Secret Medicine to recover.
• Xing Ran found that his Spiritual Power had increased slightly, though the technique left him exhausted and dizzy.
• The group reached the capital of the Land of Demons without encountering any snow ninja, and Kazahana Koyuki grew more relaxed as the danger receded.
• Xing Ran's repeated practice improved the technique's duration from three seconds to five, but his medicine supply was nearly gone.
• Xing Ran proposed that the group rest in the city for a night, and the others agreed despite Kakashi's reluctance.

Xing Ran split from Kakashi’s group in the Village of the Priestesses, bought ingredients, brewed medicine, and went to a casino to replenish his money. There, he spotted Tsunade losing her borrowed cash at the slot machines.

• Xing Ran left a Shadow Clone with Kakashi’s group and went to withdraw 1.2 million ryo.
• Xing Ran spent one million ryo on medicinal ingredients and brewed nearly a hundred bottles of Spiritual Secret Medicine.
• Xing Ran disguised himself and went to a casino, where he observed the games and won without attracting attention.
• Xing Ran heard an argument at the slot machines and recognized Tsunade by her green robe and long blond braids.
• Tsunade lost her recent winnings and all 50,000 ryo she had borrowed from the floor boss.

Tsunade lost another 100,000 ryō and faced pressure from the casino boss to repay her growing debt. Xing Ran appeared in disguise and paid it for her, hoping to win her over and learn her combat and medical skills.

• The casino boss lent Tsunade another 100,000 ryō, which she quickly lost, leaving her with 150,000 ryō in debt.
• The casino boss blocked Tsunade and offered her the choice of becoming a drinking companion or borrowing another 10,000 ryō under a scheme that would double her debt.
• Tsunade decided to borrow more money and continue dodging her creditors, but Xing Ran interrupted and claimed to be her younger brother.
• The casino boss demanded 200,000 ryō after accounting for the IOU's rapidly accruing interest, and Xing Ran paid the debt.
• Xing Ran considered the cost worthwhile because he wanted to earn Tsunade's trust and eventually learn her combat and medical skills.

Xing Ran used his uncanny gambling luck to win big at an odd-or-even dice table, leaving Tsunade baffled and the casino crowd eager to follow him. He moved on to a big-or-small dice table, preparing to gamble again.

• Xing Ran paid off Tsunade’s 200,000-r y o debt and took her IOU before heading to a gambling table.
• Xing Ran bet on the exact number of dice and correctly guessed five, drawing angry looks from gamblers who won nothing.
• Tsunade warned Xing Ran that exact-number bets were unlikely to succeed and could provoke trouble, but he ignored her.
• Xing Ran guessed eleven dice correctly on his second consecutive bet, attracting the floor boss and a crowd of gamblers hoping to follow his lead.
• Xing Ran left with his winnings and moved to a big-or-small dice table, studying the dealer’s cup and the chips on the table.

Xing Ran used his X-ray vision to win a fortune at several casino games, then escaped trouble by revealing his Konoha Headband and intimidating the floor manager with his Chakra. He left the casino with a case of cash while the staff barred him from returning.

• Xing Ran bet sixty thousand taels on the exact dice result and won when the dealer announced 556, drawing the attention of gamblers who thought he was the Gambling God.
• Xing Ran switched to blackjack, used X-ray vision to keep winning, and folded when two opponents drew twenty-one.
• Xing Ran's chips exceeded two million, but the floor manager refused to let him continue playing, and gamblers at the neighboring table left when he sat down.
• The floor manager accused Xing Ran of cheating and grabbed his arm, while Tsunade eagerly imagined rescuing him and learning his gambling skills.
• Xing Ran tossed out his Konoha Headband and released a burst of Chakra, prompting the floor manager to become submissive, exchange his chips for cash, and escort him out.
• Xing Ran retrieved his headband and left with a case of banknotes as casino staff blocked his return.

After winning 2.31 million ryō, Xing Ran met Tsunade and offered his gambling techniques as an apprenticeship gift in hopes that she would teach him medical ninjutsu. Just as Tsunade hesitated over accepting him, a mysterious figure emerged from the alley and offered to teach him instead.

• Xing Ran left the casino with 2.31 million ryō after his disguised face was blacklisted.
• Tsunade followed Xing Ran and asked whether the Third Hokage had sent him to bring her back to Konoha.
• Xing Ran told Tsunade he had recognized her but had not been assigned to find her, then introduced himself as a Yamanaka Clan member.
• Tsunade asked Xing Ran to teach her his gambling techniques, and he offered them as an apprenticeship gift in exchange for learning medical ninjutsu from her.
• Xing Ran revealed a green glow from his hand, and Tsunade hesitated to take him as her apprentice.
• A hoarse-voiced figure emerged from the alley and offered to teach Xing Ran, claiming their medical skills were not inferior to Tsunade's.

Orochimaru asked Tsunade to treat his failing body and offered to revive Dan and Nawaki, tempting her to cooperate. Tsunade began to agree, but when Orochimaru presented his hands for treatment, she froze and started trembling.

• Tsunade noticed Orochimaru was ill and sensed that he seemed different from the friend she remembered.
• Orochimaru renewed his offer to recruit Xing Ran, but Xing Ran refused to associate with a rogue ninja.
• Orochimaru asked Tsunade to treat him, and she initially refused because he had betrayed Konoha.
• Orochimaru claimed he could revive Dan and Nawaki, and Tsunade became tempted to help him.
• Orochimaru held out his hands for treatment, causing Tsunade to freeze and tremble.

Orochimaru proposed that Tsunade accept Xing Ran as her disciple so he could assist with their medical cooperation. After Tsunade discovered that Orochimaru had placed a curse mark on Shizune, she reluctantly accepted Xing Ran’s apprenticeship gift.

• Orochimaru suggested that Tsunade take Xing Ran as her disciple, but Tsunade refused because she distrusted the timing of his arrival and did not want another student.
• Orochimaru told Tsunade that Xing Ran was closer to Jiraiya than to him, then led Tsunade and Xing Ran through the alleys.
• Tsunade found Shizune unconscious with Orochimaru’s curse mark on her neck and demanded that Orochimaru remove it.
• Orochimaru refused to remove Shizune’s curse mark until their cooperation ended and warned Tsunade to keep Shizune from acting against him.
• Tsunade treated Shizune’s poisoning and accepted Xing Ran’s apprenticeship gift, saying she had little choice.

Tsunade agreed to accept Yamanaka Xingran as her disciple as a condition of cooperating with Orochimaru, while Orochimaru privately planned to turn Xingran against her. Xingran secured his new status and questioned Orochimaru about his assistant, leaving him to suspect that Yakushi Kabuto had fallen out of Orochimaru’s favor.

• Tsunade agreed to take Xingran as her disciple, though she intended to teach him only a little under pressure from Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru privately planned to use his influence to make Xingran his subordinate and weaken the bond between Xingran and Tsunade.
• Xingran thanked Tsunade and immediately addressed her as his teacher, while Tsunade sensed that he was more slippery than he appeared.
• Xingran told Orochimaru he would serve as Tsunade’s assistant, expressed interest in Eternal Life, and asked whether Orochimaru had an assistant of his own.
• Orochimaru said his former assistant was occupied, and Xingran inferred that Yakushi Kabuto had been excluded and might not graduate this year.

After leaving Konoha with Tsunade to train, Xing Ran disappeared, and the village eventually stopped searching for him. Hiruzen assigned Kakashi’s team to investigate Orochimaru’s abandoned bases alongside Root, while the chapter ended with a young man in a hidden chamber in the Land of Rivers.

• Xing Ran left the Village of the Priestesses with Tsunade, Shizune, and Orochimaru, then told Kakashi he was leaving to train under Tsunade.
• By October, Kakashi reported that Xing Ran and Tsunade had vanished, and Jiraiya described their last known sighting in the Village of the Priestesses.
• Hiruzen ended the search for Xing Ran and sent Jiraiya away, then ordered Kakashi to investigate Orochimaru’s abandoned bases together with Root.
• Kakashi understood that Hiruzen intended the joint investigation to keep Root under surveillance and uncover the bases’ secrets.
• Deep in the Land of Rivers, a young man with pale yellow, tousled hair stretched at a desk inside a concealed chamber.

Xing Ran reflected on the medical research and training he had pursued while helping Tsunade treat Orochimaru, and on the knowledge he had gained from both of them. He had also developed a way to use a device from the Chakra Armor to disrupt genjutsu, while Tsunade continued to delay teaching him advanced sealing techniques.

• Xing Ran recalled how Tsunade stabilized Orochimaru after Living Corpse Reincarnation triggered a dangerous rejection reaction, while Xing Ran handled much of the treatment and Shizune remained confined.
• Orochimaru taught Xing Ran human-body research and Living Corpse Reincarnation, but did not teach him combat methods or Summoning Techniques.
• Tsunade taught Xing Ran the Super Strength Technique, then kept his Sealing Technique lessons slow and limited instead of advancing to the Yin Seal.
• Xing Ran tucked a glass-bead-like necklace beneath his collar after determining that its Chakra formula could disrupt genjutsu by destabilizing the wearer's Chakra.

Xing Ran tried to keep Tsunade from discovering that his gambling lessons were a bluff, then offered her a statistical method he could not use himself. Orochimaru, mostly recovered from the side effects of Living Corpse Reincarnation, arrived and saw potential in applying the method to human-body research.

• Xing Ran reviewed his research materials and assessed the Snow ninja's Chakra Armor and barrier technology.
• Tsunade confronted Xing Ran about not teaching her any useful gambling techniques after three months of practice.
• Xing Ran called Tsunade's gambling talent negative, then placated her by explaining a statistical method for controlling dice outcomes.
• Orochimaru arrived in bandages, praised the statistical method's potential for human-body research, and said the side effects of Living Corpse Reincarnation had mostly been treated.

Xing Ran mediated a dispute between Tsunade and Orochimaru over when Orochimaru would resurrect Tsunade’s relatives, and tried to find a way to learn the technique. Tsunade pushed Orochimaru to reveal how it worked, leaving Xing Ran poised to get involved.

• Tsunade demanded that Orochimaru honor his promise to bring back her relatives, while Orochimaru argued that their agreement required him to first recover and improve his Body Replacement Technique.
• Xing Ran intervened and suggested that Orochimaru bring back one relative first so Tsunade would have more reason to help perfect the technique.
• Tsunade asked Orochimaru to bring back Nawaki first and promised to help improve his Reincarnation Secret Technique.
• Orochimaru said he needed to fully recover and merge with his body before he could perform the resurrection technique, while Xing Ran suspected he was concealing the technique’s true limitations.
• Tsunade offered to perform the resurrection herself, then proposed that Orochimaru teach Xing Ran how to do it instead.

Tsunade pressed Orochimaru to honor his promise of true resurrection and proposed letting Xing Ran participate in the research. Orochimaru invited Xing Ran to become his disciple, but Xing Ran reaffirmed his loyalty to Tsunade, who clarified that she was not dismissing him.

• Tsunade reviewed the resurrection techniques she knew and explained that she wanted Orochimaru’s method to truly revive the dead.
• Tsunade demanded that Orochimaru let Xing Ran take part in the resurrection work, while Orochimaru objected that this would amount to teaching Tsunade directly.
• Tsunade suggested Orochimaru take Xing Ran as his disciple, and Orochimaru invited Xing Ran to work for him.
• Xing Ran suspected Tsunade was using him as leverage but declared that he would not take Orochimaru as his teacher.
• Tsunade told Xing Ran that he was still her disciple and that she had not meant to expel him.

Xing Ran became Orochimaru’s disciple so he could learn the Revival Secret Technique, while Tsunade and Orochimaru each tried to use him against the other. Orochimaru stalled on practical instruction, and Xing Ran asked him for information about nearby black markets so he could replenish his Spiritual Secret Medicine.

• Xing Ran recognized that Tsunade wanted him to learn Orochimaru’s revival method and report back, while he agreed to join Orochimaru under circumstances that made the decision look reluctant.
• Orochimaru took Xing Ran to a locked room, gave him research materials on soul-based ninjutsu, and asked whether he knew the Summoning Technique.
• Orochimaru said he would teach Xing Ran as a true disciple but needed time to recover and prepare, intending to delay a personal demonstration of the technique.
• Xing Ran realized Orochimaru was trying to draw him away from Tsunade and accepted the arrangement because it gave him access to Orochimaru’s teachings.
• Xing Ran addressed Orochimaru as his teacher and asked about black markets near the Land of Rivers so he could buy supplies.