Chapter Summaries

Xing Ran abandoned his plan to sell Kazahana Dōtō’s treasures and instead set out to control the Land of Snow by cloning the king and using the country’s resources. Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisors faced rumors about Xing Ran’s treatment in Konoha, while Danzo remained absent.

• Xing Ran decided to make Kazahana Dōtō a puppet ruler and use the Land of Snow’s economy to support his plans.
• Xing Ran left a Shadow Clone in the palace, took the idiotic Kazahana Dōtō to his base in the Land of Marshes, and began cloning the king.
• Xing Ran sold the palace treasures at the black market, bought supplies, and placed Kazahana Dōtō’s genetic cells in a culture vessel.
• Xing Ran returned to the Land of Snow with Kazahana Dōtō and began traveling between the two locations while the clones matured.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura warned Hiruzen Sarutobi that rumors were spreading about Xing Ran being kept at home, and Hiruzen asked Uzuki Yugao to buy tobacco.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned his habit of using capable subordinates for errands, but his advisors showed no concern about the waste.

Konoha's leaders promoted Yamanaka Xingran to deputy head of the Intelligence Division, hoping to bring him back under their influence. Meanwhile, Xing Ran used Kazahana Dōtō's identity to establish a sham Ice Release research project in the Land of Snow, then returned to his base to continue his real work.

• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu proposed assigning Yamanaka Xingran to the Intelligence Division, and Hiruzen Sarutobi made him its deputy head.
• Xing Ran created a Kazahana Dōtō duplicate to rule the Land of Snow in his absence and arranged for a Shadow Clone to advise it.
• Xing Ran ordered the establishment of an Ice Release research laboratory, and the country's ministers approved its funding.
• Xing Ran diverted the secret project funds and treated the laboratory as a cover, since he already had Haku as a genuine Ice Release wielder.
• After enjoying royal privileges for several days, Xing Ran left a Shadow Clone and the Dōtō duplicate in the Land of Snow and returned to his base in the Land of Marshes.

Xing Ran learned that his Scorch Release research had pushed the Land of Snow into a fiscal crisis as revenues from minerals and fisheries declined. After considering possible ways to raise money, he set out to investigate the country firsthand.

• Xing Ran launched Scorch Release clone projects with longer maturation periods to study how clone age affected the integration of soul and body.
• Minister Nobita Nobi told Xing Ran that research spending and falling revenues had left the Land of Snow short of funds for national projects and basic needs.
• Xing Ran examined the country’s dependence on imported grain, minerals, and fisheries, and recognized that declining demand and overfishing had weakened its income.
• Xing Ran rejected several familiar schemes for generating revenue and decided to tour the country before choosing a solution.
• Xing Ran traveled to the vast snow-covered mountain ranges after public surveys showed that residents complained about the country’s endless snow.

Xing Ran used the Land of Snow’s resources and state power to establish three royal companies focused on beverages, machinery, and textiles, then sold its first mineral water to the Land of Wind. He returned to Konoha after Yamanaka Hai Yi summoned him to a clan gathering, where the younger ninjas congratulated him for reasons he did not understand.

• Xing Ran planned businesses based on the Land of Snow’s snow, steam engines, and textile potential.
• Xing Ran established the Land of Snow Snow Mountain Beverage Company, the Land of Snow Machinery Company, and the Land of Snow Textile Factory as royal subsidiaries.
• Xing Ran used state backing to monopolize snow mountain mineral water and sell its first batch to the Land of Wind.
• After Yamanaka Hai Yi summoned him, Xing Ran used the Flying Thunder God to return to Konoha and attend a Yamanaka Clan gathering.
• The younger Yamanaka ninjas congratulated Xing Ran, and Yamanaka Kōbō seated him beside Hai Yi as the gathering’s central figure.

Xing Ran accepted his appointment as deputy captain of Konoha's Intelligence Division, recognizing that the Hokage intended to use the post to draw him back into village work. At an Akatsuki meeting, the members discovered that the Land of Snow's new king was disrupting their water trade with the Land of Wind.

• Yamanaka Kōbō announced that Xing Ran would become deputy captain of the Intelligence Division, strengthening the Yamanaka Clan's influence over the department.
• Hai Yi told Xing Ran that they would jointly lead surveillance of unusual activity within the Uchiha Clan on the Hokage's orders.
• Xing Ran decided to accept the appointment and consider how to avoid doing too much work.
• Konan raised the sharp decline in Akatsuki's drinking water exports to the Land of Wind, prompting Sasori and Kakuzu to argue over responsibility.
• Deva Path Pain used repulsive force to stop Sasori and Kakuzu from fighting, and Zetsu explained that the Land of Snow's new king had begun competing in the water trade.

Pain sent Sasori to the Land of Snow to force it under Akatsuki’s protection after it competed with the Land of Rain’s water trade. Three months later, Sasori invaded the royal capital with his Hundred Puppet Performance, while Xing Ran’s reaction to a sudden development remained unknown.

• Pain ordered Sasori to make the Land of Snow accept Akatsuki’s protection, and Sasori reluctantly departed with his unfinished Hiruco.
• Three months later, Xing Ran kept four surviving three-month Pakura clones for experiments and reflected on marriage and his attraction to mature women.
• Xing Ran watched Haku prepare dinner, confirmed he felt no attraction to him, and suddenly turned grave as he was about to eat.
• Sasori arrived at the Land of Snow’s royal capital and sent an alarm ringing as more than a hundred puppets appeared on its walls.
• Sasori unleashed his Hundred Puppet Performance to overwhelm the capital before making his demands.

Sasori led an attack on the Land of Snow’s royal palace, but Xing Ran arrived and used Ice Release: Hundred Tiger Dragon Break to destroy most of Sasori’s puppet army. Sasori confronted Xing Ran and demanded to know who he was.

• Sasori sent more than a hundred puppets to attack the Land of Snow’s royal capital, overwhelming its defenders.
• Dotō’s clone informed Xing Ran of the attack, and Xing Ran used Flying Thunder God to reach the Land of Snow.
• Xing Ran put on custom Chakra Armor and appeared above the royal palace as Sasori advanced toward King Kazahana Dōtō.
• Sasori’s puppets attacked Xing Ran, who summoned more than a hundred ice tigers with Ice Release: Hundred Tiger Dragon Break.
• The ice tigers dragged Sasori’s puppets out of the sky and smashed them into fragments, dealing Sasori a devastating loss.
• Sasori angrily asked Xing Ran whether he was a Kage-level Ice Release user or a remnant of the Snow Clan.

Xing Ran confronted Sasori in the Land of Snow, concealed what he knew, and exposed Sasori’s identity while drawing out a hidden Zetsu clone. Sasori attacked with the Third Kazekage Puppet, and the battle continued as Xing Ran defended himself with Ice Release.

• Xing Ran questioned Sasori’s arrival and kept quiet about his own Ice Release, hoping Sasori would blame it on Chakra Armor.
• Sasori summoned the Third Kazekage Puppet, and Xing Ran identified him as Sasori of the Red Sands, the traitor who fled Sunagakure.
• Xing Ran detected a hidden Zetsu and attacked him with Ice Shuriken, destroying a Wood Clone after the real body had already left the palace.
• Sasori launched Magnet Release: Sand Shigure, and Xing Ran countered with Ice Release: Twin Dragon Blizzard.
• Sasori gave the Third Kazekage Puppet iron sand wings and sent tracking feathers after Xing Ran, who formed a huge wall of ice mirrors to block them.

Xing Ran and Sasori clashed in the Land of Snow capital, where Xing Ran combined ninjutsu with superpowers to overcome Sasori’s Iron Sand attacks. The fight left the Third Kazekage Puppet sealed inside an iron sand coffin as Xing Ran began trying to break through it by force.

• Sasori drove the Third Kazekage Puppet’s Iron Sand Pyramid into Xing Ran’s layered ice mirrors, then spun it into a drill that shattered the ice wall.
• Xing Ran unleashed a freezing wind that turned the falling ice fragments into a hailstorm, restraining the pyramid and devastating the surrounding area.
• Xing Ran teleported beside the Third Kazekage Puppet and struck it with a combination of Steel Body, Super Strength Technique, and Giant Water Arm Technique.
• The puppet replaced its torso with iron sand and protected itself inside a Magnetic Release Iron Sand Cuboid coffin, while Xing Ran avoided using Rasenshuriken so he would not destroy a valuable source of Magnetic Release genes.
• Xing Ran gripped the iron sand coffin and began hammering it upward with his other hand.

Xing Ran defeated Sasori of the Red Sands after Sasori’s fire attack failed to harm him, then learned that Akatsuki had targeted the Land of Snow over its water trade. As Sasori revealed the reason for the attack, he secretly carried out a plan to seize King Kazahana Dōtō.

• Xing Ran wore down the Third Kazekage Puppet’s sand iron while Sasori prepared a close-range fire attack.
• Sasori’s flames burned Xing Ran’s armor and clothes but left his skin unharmed, and Xing Ran smashed Sasori apart while keeping his head and torso alive.
• The Third Kazekage Puppet fell into the royal palace ruins, and Xing Ran questioned Sasori about the attack.
• Sasori said Akatsuki had sent him because the Land of Snow’s business in the Land of Wind affected its trade.
• Sasori used the distraction to carry out Plan B and attempt to kidnap King Kazahana Dōtō.

Xing Ran killed Sasori in the Land of Snow, secured Sasori’s puppets and the Third Kazekage Puppet, and anticipated retaliation from the Akatsuki Organization. Meanwhile, his Konoha clone discovered that Uchiha Shisui had returned and was preparing to oppose the clan’s growing talk of a coup.

• Xing Ran rejected Sasori’s attempt to use the Kazahana Dōtō clone as leverage and pierced Sasori’s Regeneration Core with an ice senbon.
• Sasori used his remaining strength to kill the Kazahana Dōtō clone with the Third Kazekage Puppet before he died.
• Xing Ran collected Sasori’s human puppets, Regeneration Core, and Third Kazekage Puppet, then retrieved a replacement Dōtō clone and drove Zetsu away.
• Xing Ran returned to the Land of Marshes base and considered acting against the Akatsuki Organization to protect the Land of Snow.
• Xing Ran’s Konoha clone watched Uchiha Shisui tell Uchiha Itachi that he would try to stop the clan’s growing support for a coup.

Jiraiya told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Tsunade would not return to Konoha and warned him about a mercenary organization provoking conflicts. At the Akatsuki base, the members discussed the Ice Release ninja who killed Sasori, and Pain decided to deal with him himself while Konan remained behind.

• Jiraiya reported that Tsunade intended to sever her ties with the village, and Hiruzen Sarutobi regretted her decision.
• Jiraiya warned Hiruzen Sarutobi that a powerful mercenary organization was fueling conflicts across the ninja world.
• Zetsu explained that the Land of Snow's Ice Release came from Chakra Armor that worked only in snowy environments.
• Konan asked the Akatsuki members who would avenge Sasori by killing the Ice Release ninja, but Kakuzu and Obito declined to go.
• Konan offered to go herself, but Pain stopped her and said he would make the trip.

Yamanaka Xingran endured two blind dates arranged by his family and rejected both Akimichi Tsukihan and Nara Izumi. He left the Dango Shop with another failed match and no resolution to his family’s matchmaking campaign.

• Nagato explained that sending only the Animal Path would not delay the mission for long, then left the base hall.
• Xingran met Akimichi Tsukihan at the Dango Shop, but after an awkward conversation he told her he already liked someone else and ended the date.
• Tsukihan’s grief gave way to a powerful appetite, and she began eating dango as Xingran left the shop.
• Nara Izumi confronted Xingran after learning they were scheduled for a blind date, and he told her they were not suitable for each other.
• Izumi accepted his rejection and walked away, leaving Xingran to count his eighth failed blind date that month.

Xing Ran weighed the risks of confronting the Akatsuki Organization and chose to keep a low profile while pursuing his own growth. He completed body-soul synchronization for his six-month Bloodline Clone and concluded that longer-developed clones offered no clear synchronization advantage.

• Xing Ran practiced Scorch Release: Flame Bullet with a Pakura clone, but found the technique imperfect.
• Xing Ran decided not to attack the Akatsuki Organization, reasoning that provoking them would make him a greater target and that he could manage any future threat from the Land of Snow.
• Xing Ran noted that Akatsuki had shown no overt reaction in three months, although Black Zetsu had been gathering intelligence in the Land of Snow.
• Xing Ran completed body-soul synchronization for his six-month Bloodline Clone.
• Xing Ran concluded that clone development time did not significantly improve body-soul synchronization and chose his Magnet Release clone as his next target.

Xing Ran reviewed the diminishing benefits of his Bloodline Clone integrations, then learned that Deva Path Pain had arrived to make the Land of Snow submit to Akatsuki. He decided to fight while acting foolish and provocative so Akatsuki would underestimate him, and the chapter ended with Pain delivering his ultimatum.

• Xing Ran examined the Scorch Release integration results and considered using the Magnetic Release clone, but paused when his Shadow Clone reported Akatsuki's arrival.
• Deva Path Pain appeared over the Land of Snow's royal palace, frightening survivors who remembered the previous attack.
• Xing Ran used the Flying Thunder God to reach the palace and identified Pain as Yahiko's puppet body, controlled by Nagato.
• Xing Ran resolved to use the coming battle to feed Akatsuki false impressions and make them underestimate him.
• Pain demanded that the Land of Snow accept Akatsuki's protection, disband the Snow Ninja Village, and pay trade revenue plus half its annual income; Xing Ran mocked his Rinnegan and rejected the demand.

Xing Ran fought Deva Path Pain in the Land of Snow royal palace, trading Ice Release techniques against Pain’s attraction and repulsion abilities. Xing Ran escaped a fatal strike with a Water Clone and froze Pain while Shinra Tensei was still on cooldown.

• Xing Ran attacked Deva Path Pain with Ice Release: Hundred Tiger Dragon Break, but Pain used Shinra Tensei to shatter the ice and wreck the palace.
• Pain pulled Xing Ran toward him with Banshō Ten'in, and Xing Ran sent a storm of ice senbon at him.
• Pain repelled the senbon back at Xing Ran, who froze himself with Ice Release: Cold Moon Frost Blossom to block them.
• Deva Path Pain smashed the ice-covered Xing Ran into the ground and then pierced him through the chest with a Black Rod.
• Xing Ran’s body turned out to be a Water Clone, and the icy water froze Pain with Ice Release: Ice Prison Technique while Shinra Tensei remained on cooldown.

Xing Ran used Ice Release and Chakra Armor to pressure Deva Path Pain, whose repulsive and attractive forces produced new battlefield techniques. Pain destroyed Xing Ran’s armor and believed he had weakened him, while Xing Ran pretended to be exhausted and prepared to continue his performance.

• Xing Ran formed an enormous One-Horned White Whale, but Deva Path Pain broke free of the ice and repelled it with Shinra Tensei.
• Xing Ran unleashed a hailstorm with Wind Release: Super Ice Roar, and Deva Path Pain raised a massive section of earth to block it.
• Deva Path Pain hurled the earth wall at Xing Ran, who punched through it with Steel Body before Pain stabbed him with a Black Rod.
• Xing Ran used the Substitution Technique to escape, leaving his ruined Chakra Armor on Pain’s Black Rod.
• Xing Ran feigned exhaustion as Pain questioned whether his Ice Release and strength depended on the armor.

Xing Ran fought Deva Path Pain, first bombarding him with ordinary Wind and Water Release techniques before activating a backup Chakra Armor and unleashing powerful Ice Release. The chapter ended with Xing Ran appearing in a transformed, dragon-armored form after calling out his Bankai.

• Xing Ran attacked Deva Path Pain with successive Wind and Water Release techniques, but Pain deflected them and destroyed nearby palaces.
• Xing Ran revealed a backup Chakra Armor device on his chest and explained that it could boost his abilities.
• Pain launched Shinra Tensei at Xing Ran, who countered with a giant ice dragon that was crushed by the repulsive force.
• Xing Ran emerged from the resulting cold mist in a half-dragon form covered in ice armor, with large wings and a sharp tail spike.

Xing Ran overpowered Deva Path Pain, escaped Planetary Devastation, and skewered Pain with an ice technique. Pain was recalled to Nagato’s hideout, where the other Akatsuki members began restoring him.

• Xing Ran smashed through Pain’s earthen defenses and struck him through the palace ruins with his ice-dragon attacks.
• Nagato used Planetary Devastation, pulling the royal palace and its inhabitants into a growing celestial body.
• Xing Ran escaped the gravitational pull with Demonic Mirror Ice Crystals and pierced Pain with Ice Release: Piercing Technique.
• Pain vanished as the celestial body collapsed, and Animal Path used Reverse Summoning Technique to bring him back to Nagato’s cavern.
• A man used Outer Path to summon a ghostly head that swallowed Deva Path Pain.

Nagato decided to put the Land of Snow aside and focus Akatsuki on capturing the Six-Tails, while privately considering recruiting Orochimaru to deal with Xing Ran. In the Land of Snow, Xing Ran returned beside a new Kazahana Dōtō clone after the battle, where the Snow ninja politely treated him as an outsider.

• King Yama restored Deva Path Pain, and Nagato dismissed Xing Ran as a minor irritation while turning Akatsuki's attention to the Six-Tails.
• Nagato considered having Orochimaru handle Xing Ran after Akatsuki dealt with the Six-Tails.
• Xing Ran reflected that his display had likely delayed Nagato, then reappeared beside a newly made Kazahana Dōtō clone in the Royal Palace Ruins.
• Snow ninja emerged from hiding and greeted Kazahana Dōtō, while the leading ninja bowed to Xing Ran and thanked him for his help.
• Xing Ran realized the Snow ninja were using their formal politeness to mark him as an outsider and guard their traditional influence.