Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru nearly killed Jiraiya, severing his arm and poisoning him, before Might Guy and Yamanaka Xingran arrived and drove him to retreat. Xingran began treating Jiraiya, but the lethal poison left his condition uncertain.

• Orochimaru severed Jiraiya's arm and bit him with poisoned fangs, leaving Jiraiya badly wounded.
• Might Guy arrived in the Fifth Gate and struck the ground between Orochimaru and Jiraiya, while Yamanaka Xingran caught Jiraiya's severed arm.
• Orochimaru, suffering soul pain from his weakened condition, chose to retreat after his attack failed to kill Jiraiya.
• Xingran treated Jiraiya and discovered that the poison could soon stop his heart if it was not cured.
• Jiraiya recognized Xingran and entrusted the fight to him, but Xingran frowned as he assessed the difficult treatment.

Xing Ran used the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique and the Mystical Palm Technique at the same time to remove Orochimaru’s poison and reattach Jiraiya’s severed arm. Impressed by Xing Ran’s medical skill, Orochimaru invited him to become his student, and Xing Ran considered accepting for the knowledge Orochimaru might offer.

• Orochimaru changed his mind about retreating when he realized Jiraiya might die, while Xing Ran began treating Jiraiya’s poison and injuries simultaneously.
• Xing Ran used his sensory talent, X-ray Vision, and Chakra control to draw venom and corrupted blood from Jiraiya’s wound as Might Guy kept Orochimaru at bay.
• Xing Ran reattached Jiraiya’s severed arm and reduced the severe shoulder wound to a forearm injury.
• Orochimaru praised Xing Ran’s talent and invited him to leave Konoha and study under him.
• Xing Ran considered accepting because Orochimaru might know techniques involving the soul that could help overcome Xing Ran’s poor mental resistance.

Xing Ran treated Jiraiya after Orochimaru left, then questioned why Jiraiya had come to the Land of Birds. Jiraiya revealed that he had come to find someone, leaving the person’s identity unknown.

• Xing Ran declined Orochimaru’s invitation to study medicine with him, and Orochimaru departed after noticing someone hidden nearby.
• Might Guy did not pursue Orochimaru, and he, Xing Ran, and Jiraiya returned to the Land of Birds’ capital.
• Xing Ran used two Shadow Clones to care for Jiraiya while he recovered at an inn.
• Jiraiya praised Xing Ran’s Medical Ninjutsu, and Xing Ran teased him about losing to Orochimaru.
• Xing Ran asked why Jiraiya had left the Chunin Exam, and Jiraiya said he had come to find someone.

Xing Ran realized Orochimaru was likely seeking Tsunade’s medical help with the problems caused by his newly developed Living Corpse Reincarnation. He suspected his interference had altered Orochimaru’s reliance on Kabuto, leaving Orochimaru to seek other solutions.

• Jiraiya admitted that he was looking for Tsunade after Xing Ran guessed her name.
• Xing Ran realized Orochimaru might also be in the area, seeking Tsunade’s help with the adverse effects of Living Corpse Reincarnation.
• Xing Ran recalled that Orochimaru’s later success depended on Kabuto helping him endure the technique’s drawbacks.
• Xing Ran reasoned that Kabuto’s divided loyalties and Orochimaru’s distrust had disrupted that arrangement, prompting Orochimaru to look for Tsunade.
• Jiraiya noticed that Xing Ran had abruptly stopped speaking.

Xing Ran agreed to warn Tsunade about Orochimaru and traveled with Might Guy and Nara Izumi toward their rendezvous with Kakashi. After passing Hoshigakure, the team reached the Village of the Priestesses, where unusual security and the innkeeper’s probing questions left Xing Ran suspicious.

• Jiraiya asked Xing Ran to warn Tsunade that Orochimaru was seeking her, then disguised his personal request by saying the village missed her.
• Xing Ran learned through his dispelled Shadow Clone that Jiraiya and Orochimaru were both looking for Tsunade.
• Might Guy asked whether the team should stop at Hoshigakure, but Nara Izumi insisted they keep traveling and eat Ration Pills instead.
• Xing Ran wondered whether Hoshigakure’s meteorite might be Kryptonite as the team continued toward the Land of Demons.
• Xing Ran and Might Guy ordered an exhausted Nara Izumi to rest for a few hours at the Village of the Priestesses before continuing to meet Kakashi.
• Xing Ran noticed that the Village of the Priestesses seemed tightly guarded and became suspicious when the innkeeper questioned them in unusual detail.

Xing Ran learned that Lady Miroku had died sealing Mōryō, then left the Village of the Priestesses with the other Konoha Ninja at dawn. Tsunade and Shizune arrived after a night of gambling, and Tsunade sent Shizune to deal with people following them.

• Xing Ran overheard two watchers say Lady Miroku had died while sealing Mōryō, whose soul and body had been sealed in different lands while Yomi escaped.
• Xing Ran considered the potential value of Yomi's Dark Medical Ninjutsu and its links to Chakra and souls.
• Xing Ran and the other Konoha Ninja set out northwest when the village gates opened at dawn.
• Tsunade and Shizune emerged from an all-night casino, celebrating their winnings and planning to rest and eat.
• Tsunade noticed rough-looking people following them and ordered Shizune to deal with them as she walked on.

Might Guy's team entered the Land of Snow and met Pakkun, who explained that Kakashi was injured and in danger of being discovered. As they hurried toward Kakashi's hiding place, Xing Ran spotted a flying Snow ninja scouting from the sky.

• Nara Izumi and Might Guy admired the snowy landscape as the team crossed into the Land of Snow.
• Might Guy answered Pakkun's bark, and Pakkun confirmed his identity before guiding the team onward.
• Pakkun told the team that Kakashi was injured, hiding with the former king and princess, and threatened by nearby Snow ninja.
• Xing Ran spotted a flying ninja in Chakra Armor 1,200 meters ahead and warned the others.

Xing Ran’s team avoided Snow Ninja scouts and learned more about their Chakra Armor as they continued toward Kakashi. Injured and feverish, Kakashi hid with Kazahana Sōsetsu and Kazahana Koyuki while they waited anxiously for the Konoha team sent to meet them.

• Pakkun praised Xing Ran after he detected Snow Ninja scouts in the sky.
• Xing Ran found another Snow Ninja scouting team, and the group hid while inspecting their crude Chakra Armor.
• Xing Ran considered obtaining Chakra Armor to study its ability to resist genjutsu.
• Pakkun warned that the Snow Ninjas’ armor would make a fight dangerous.
• Kakashi sheltered with Kazahana Sōsetsu and Kazahana Koyuki in a tree hollow, wounded and running a fever.
• Kazahana Sōsetsu worried that the missing Konoha team had been killed, but Kakashi insisted something must have delayed them, calming Kazahana Koyuki.

Xing Ran discovered that a Snow Ninja had spotted the group and led Kakashi, Might Guy, and Nara Izumi into an evacuation. As Snow Ninja converged on their position, Xing Ran carried the mission targets and urged the team to hurry.

• Kakashi sensed someone approaching, and Might Guy arrived at the tree hollow with Pakkun to share intelligence and discuss evacuation.
• Xing Ran treated Kakashi’s wound and helped stabilize him, though Kakashi still needed medicine for his fever.
• Xing Ran sensed a threat and spotted a female Snow Ninja using the Ice Thousand-Mile Eye to search for enemies.
• The Snow Ninja signaled that she had found them, so Xing Ran carried both mission targets out of the tree hollow and the others followed.
• Xing Ran organized the group into an escort formation and warned them that nearby Snow Ninja were closing in.

Xing Ran and his team tried to escape the pursuing Snow Ninja, but two jonin intercepted them and forced them into battle. After Guy fought Winter Bear Hail and Kakashi evaded the Bat-Winged Woman’s ice attack, Xing Ran recognized that Nadare Rōga might arrive and ordered the team south.

• Nara Izumi suggested staying behind with Guy so Xing Ran and Kakashi could escape, but Xing Ran decided they should stay together and break through.
• Winter Bear Hail and the Bat-Winged Woman Snow Ninja intercepted the team before they could split up.
• Guy opened the first three Eight Gates and struck Winter Bear Hail, but the Snow Ninja’s Chakra Armor let him recover and face Guy again.
• The Bat-Winged Woman attacked Xing Ran, Izumi, and Kakashi with ice-spike kunai, but Kakashi escaped the ice using the Substitution Technique.
• Xing Ran identified Winter Bear Hail and anticipated Nadare Rōga’s arrival, then ordered everyone to head south.

Xing Ran and his teammates fled the pursuing Snow ninja, using Shadow Clones to delay them as they approached the Land of Demons. Nadare Rōga ambushed the group and Xing Ran destroyed his Ice Release tiger, but Snow ninja leaders closed in from every direction and trapped them.

• Winter Bear Hail and the Bat-Winged Woman attacked Xing Ran's group with Ice Release, forcing them to flee.
• Xing Ran created hundreds or thousands of Shadow Clones to distract the Snow ninja while his teammates continued toward the Land of Demons.
• Nadare Rōga ambushed the group with an Ice Release tiger, and Xing Ran opened the Fourth Gate and smashed it apart.
• Winter Bear Hail, the Bat-Winged Woman, and Might Guy surrounded the group, leaving Xing Ran and his teammates pinned down as more Snow ninja approached.

Xing Ran fought Nadare Rōga, who used his combat experience to redirect Xing Ran’s powerful kick and rush toward the Fuhua Father and Daughter. As Xing Ran pursued him, the Bat-Winged Woman trapped Xing Ran in a barrage of ice attacks.

• Nadare Rōga prepared to force Kakashi’s group toward his ambush while planning to stall for time.
• Xing Ran ambushed Nadare Rōga with an Explosive Shuriken, but Nadare Rōga used the Substitution and Body Flicker Techniques to appear behind him.
• Xing Ran struck Nadare Rōga with a Dragon Tail Sweep, but Nadare Rōga used the impact to propel himself toward the Fuhua Father and Daughter.
• Xing Ran warned Kakashi and turned to pursue Nadare Rōga as Nadare Rōga ordered his ally to hold Xing Ran back.
• The Bat-Winged Woman attacked Xing Ran with Ice Shuriken, enclosing him in a burst of ice spikes.

Xing Ran broke free of Nadare Rōga’s ice prison as Kakashi fought the Snow Ninja with Chidori and Sharingan genjutsu. Nadare’s damaged armor disrupted his Chakra flow and let him break the illusion, leaving Kakashi in danger.

• Xing Ran erupted through the ice pillar and tried to reach Kakashi, but Nadare Rōga’s Ice Shuriken barrage held him back.
• Kakashi tore through Nadare Rōga’s Ice Wolves with Chidori while Might Guy checked whether he needed to open the Five Gates.
• Nadare Rōga attacked Kakashi with a kunai, but Kakashi trapped him in Sharingan genjutsu.
• Nadare Rōga recovered from the illusion and nearly struck Kakashi, who rolled away from the thrust.
• Nadare Rōga explained that damage to his armor had disrupted its Chakra circulation, allowing him to break the genjutsu by disturbing his own Chakra flow.

Nadare Rōga escaped Kakashi’s genjutsu with a shock device and nearly attacked him before Nara Izumi intervened. Xing Ran drove the Bat-Winged Woman Snow Ninja toward the ground, where both fighters prepared to spring their traps.

• Nadare Rōga used a device in his Chakra Armor to break free of Kakashi’s genjutsu, then tried to stab the exhausted Kakashi with a kunai.
• Nara Izumi’s Shadow Secret Technique missed Nadare Rōga, who dodged her attack, and she created a Shadow Clone to help Kakashi.
• Xing Ran abandoned the fight against Nadare Rōga and bombarded the Bat-Winged Woman Snow Ninja with Explosive Shuriken, blasting her toward a tree.
• The Bat-Winged Woman Snow Ninja pretended to be injured so Xing Ran would pursue her, but Xing Ran recognized the deception and closed in to pull her down.

Xing Ran charged through the Snow Ninja’s Explosive Tag trap, while Nara Izumi used the blast’s distraction to restrain Nadare Rōga. Kakashi was badly injured during Izumi’s maneuver, and Nadare Rōga was left immobilized by the Nara clan technique.

• Xing Ran ignored the female Snow Ninja’s shuriken and chased her through the tree as dozens of Explosive Tags detonated.
• The blast created a huge mushroom cloud, alarming Kazahana Koyuki and distracting everyone on the battlefield.
• Nara Izumi’s Shadow Clone unexpectedly abandoned Kakashi, letting Nadare Rōga kick him and break at least three ribs.
• Nara Izumi used her Shadow Imitation Technique and Shadow Clone’s shadow to connect with Nadare Rōga.
• Nara Izumi bound Nadare Rōga with the Shadow Neck Binding Technique, though her plan had left Kakashi severely injured.

Nadare Rōga broke free of Nara Izumi’s shadow techniques and struck Kazahana Koyuki with a Sleeve Dart, leaving her gravely wounded in Kazahana Sōsetsu’s arms. Nara Izumi attacked Nadare Rōga in fury as Xing Ran witnessed the changed battlefield from the forest.

• Nadare Rōga overloaded his Chakra Armor and used a Sleeve Dart to destroy Nara Izumi’s Shadow Clone, breaking her control techniques.
• The Sleeve Dart struck Kazahana Koyuki in the chest, and Kazahana Sōsetsu cried out as she began to grow cold.
• Nara Izumi turned away in tears while Kakashi and Might Guy reacted to Kazahana Koyuki’s injury.
• Xing Ran saw Kazahana Koyuki wounded and worried that his actions had changed the story beyond recognition.
• Nara Izumi unleashed the Shadow Summoning Technique and sent shadows toward Nadare Rōga.

Nadare Rōga attacked Nara Izumi while trying to capture Kazahana Sōsetsu, but Xing Ran arrived to help. Nadare Rōga escaped with the injured Kazahana Koyuki as a hostage, holding a kunai to her neck.

• Nadare Rōga dodged Nara Izumi’s Shadow Tentacles and used Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale, forcing her to evade the attack.
• While Nara Izumi was dodging, Nadare Rōga seized Kazahana Sōsetsu and Kazahana Koyuki.
• Nara Izumi pinned Kazahana Sōsetsu with Shadow Tentacles, and Xing Ran rushed to the scene using the Body Flicker Technique.
• Nadare Rōga lured away most of Nara Izumi’s shadows, then returned and snatched Kazahana Koyuki from her father.
• Xing Ran stabbed Nadare Rōga with a kunai, but Nadare Rōga escaped with Kazahana Koyuki using the Body Flicker and Substitution Techniques.
• Nadare Rōga held a kunai to the barely conscious Kazahana Koyuki’s neck.

Kakashi refused to let Kazahana Sōsetsu cancel the mission and knocked him unconscious, while Nara Izumi faced off against the Snow ninja over Kazahana Koyuki. As the standoff turned against Konoha, Xing Ran stepped forward with a proposal, identifying himself as a Medical Ninja.

• Kazahana Sōsetsu surrendered to save Kazahana Koyuki, but Kakashi knocked him unconscious rather than accept the mission’s cancellation.
• Nadare Rōga tried to negotiate while holding Kazahana Koyuki hostage, and Nara Izumi demanded that the Snow ninja release her.
• The Bat-Winged Woman returned to the fight, worsening Konoha’s position as Nara Izumi considered retreating with Kazahana Sōsetsu.
• Xing Ran offered a suggestion and approached the Snow ninja, demonstrating his Medical Ninja skills by treating Kakashi’s ribs with the Mystical Palm Technique.

Xing Ran offered himself as a prisoner so he could treat Kazahana Koyuki, while secretly marking her with the Flying Thunder God Technique. Kakashi recognized the technique and ordered Guy and Nara Izumi to withdraw with the unconscious Kazahana Sōsetsu, leaving Xing Ran behind.

• Xing Ran treated Kakashi, then secretly told him something while handing back his ninja tool pouch.
• Kakashi found specially made kunai bearing an unfamiliar Flying Thunder God formula and realized what Xing Ran had planned.
• Xing Ran offered to surrender to Nadare Rōga in exchange for permission to treat Kazahana Koyuki, then marked her with the Flying Thunder God Technique while healing her.
• Nara Izumi protested, and Guy opened the Five Gates, preparing to rescue Xing Ran after Koyuki was safe.
• Kakashi ordered Guy and Nara Izumi to leave with the unconscious Kazahana Sōsetsu, and Guy chose to trust his command.

Might Guy and Kakashi took Kazahana Sōsetsu away, leaving Xing Ran behind with the Snow Ninja. Nadare Rōga fitted Xing Ran with a Chakra Limiter, unaware that Xing Ran had only been pretending to suffer and had anticipated the capture.

• Might Guy and Kakashi left with Kazahana Sōsetsu while Nadare Rōga watched, wary of Konoha's remaining strength.
• Nadare Rōga decided to take Kazahana Koyuki and pursue the Konoha group after Xing Ran finished most of her treatment.
• Nadare Rōga pressed a Chakra Limiter against Xing Ran, stopping his treatment and making him appear unable to use Chakra.
• Nadare Rōga left hemostatic cotton in Kazahana Koyuki's wound and ordered the Bat-Winged Woman to pursue the Konoha group as reinforcements arrived.
• Xing Ran revealed that he had anticipated the Chakra Limiter and was only acting as though its electrotherapy had hurt him.