Chapter Summaries

After Kirigakure’s defeat, the Third Mizukage suspected Jiogan was descended from the Yuki Clan and investigated his origins. Yuki Hyouga found an ancient record linking Jiogan’s ancestors to a distant Yuki branch and decided to contact him privately.

• The Third Mizukage, Suikazan Fuguki, and Jūzō Biwa assessed Kirigakure’s losses and blamed Jiogan for killing hundreds of shinobi.
• Kirigakure withdrew from the Second Shinobi World War, while Iwagakure planned to retreat and Kumogakure chose to wait for Konoha and Iwagakure to weaken each other.
• The Third Mizukage visited Yuki Hyouga and learned that Yuki Sora remained gravely ill after Jiogan’s Ice Release appeared to freeze his soul.
• The Third Mizukage asked Yuki Hyouga to search the clan records for evidence that Jiogan descended from the Yuki Clan.
• Yuki Hyouga found a record of a Yuki branch that had migrated to the eastern coast of the Land of Fire centuries earlier and resolved to send clansmen to contact Jiogan.

After Kirigakure withdrew from the war, Miho Terumi urged the Terumi Clan to stay out of the power struggle and focus on raising strong fighters, while Mei Terumi vowed to surpass Jiogan. The eastern front split its forces, and Jiogan continued training in seclusion as he neared a breakthrough.

• Miho Terumi rejected Terumi Kyu and Terumi Hong's proposal to exploit the weakened clans, arguing the Third Mizukage would suppress the Terumi Clan and others would ostracize it.
• Miho Terumi and the elders agreed to prioritize cultivating the next generation, especially Mei Terumi, the clan's most promising young fighter.
• Mei Ling told four-and-a-half-year-old Mei Terumi about Jiogan's victories and Ice Release, and Mei vowed to become stronger than him.
• The Konoha Eastern Front divided into three groups to reinforce other fronts or return home, while Might Duy returned to Konoha ahead of his child's birth.
• Jiogan remained in a cave training with the Tai Chi Water Profound Technique as he approached a breakthrough.

Jiogan spent half a month in seclusion and formed a second sea of energy, greatly strengthening his water control and freezing abilities. After testing his new powers, he returned to Konoha and reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who invited him to spar.

• Jiogan formed a second sea of energy in his Dantian and used its power to control water and create ice constructs.
• Jiogan tested a Water Shield against an Explosive Tag and found that his new abilities let him fight without needing a water environment.
• Jiogan placed a Flying Thunder God Seal in the cave, returned to Konoha, and went to eat ramen.
• Jiogan reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who told him the Second Shinobi War had entered its final stages after Sunagakure and Kirigakure withdrew.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi invited Jiogan to spar, and Jiogan accepted.

Jiogan and Hiruzen Sarutobi sparred inside a Four Purple Sun Formation, with Jiogan’s powerful, seal-free Water Release keeping the Hokage on the defensive. Hiruzen summoned Enma and had him transform into the Adamantine Staff, preparing to get serious.

• Jiogan and Hiruzen Sarutobi began their spar inside a barrier set up by Anbu Ninja at the back mountain.
• Jiogan attacked with powerful Water Palms and Water Spears, surprising Hiruzen with his ability to use Water Release without hand seals.
• Hiruzen used substitutions, Earth Release, a Fire-Earth Combination Ninjutsu, and hidden Shadow Clones, but Jiogan countered his attacks with Water Release.
• Jiogan formed Water Wolves and battered Hiruzen with repeated Water Palms, forcing him to summon Enma.
• Hiruzen had Enma transform into the Adamantine Staff and told Jiogan he was getting serious.

Jiogan sparred with Hiruzen Sarutobi, first wielding Exploding Blade Shibuki and then his custom Ice Shatter Fang. The match ended when Jiogan's final Ice Release attack injured Enma's soul, and Jiogan offered to treat him.

• Jiogan revealed Exploding Blade Shibuki and used its explosive power against Hiruzen Sarutobi's Adamantine Staff.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi knocked Shibuki from Jiogan's grasp, and Jiogan chose not to use Nuibari.
• Jiogan created Ice Shatter Fang and fought Hiruzen Sarutobi evenly through dozens of exchanges.
• Jiogan's final strike dissolved Ice Shatter Fang and sent ice spikes across the ground, freezing Enma and forcing him out of his Adamantine Staff form.
• Jiogan told Hiruzen Sarutobi that the attack had injured Enma's soul and offered to treat him.

Jiogan ended his sparring match with Hiruzen Sarutobi and explained how his Ice Release could freeze souls and seal them. After returning to the Hokage's Office, he spoke with Tsunade about her medical reforms and avoided being assigned a position.

• Jiogan restored Enma’s ability to move, then explained the Frozen Seal and Mysterious Ice Seal to Enma and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi acknowledged Jiogan’s strength and ended the sparring match; Jiogan sealed away Exploding Blade Shibuki as the Anbu Ninja cleared the battle site.
• Jiogan transported Hiruzen Sarutobi to the Hokage’s Office, where they found Tsunade sitting in the Hokage’s chair.
• Tsunade reported that medical-system reforms were progressing and suggested that Hiruzen Sarutobi assign Jiogan a position, but Jiogan pleaded to keep training instead.
• Jiogan explained his Ice Release to Tsunade, who confirmed that treating its soul injuries would be difficult, then returned to report to Hiruzen Sarutobi while Jiogan went home.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi told Jiogan to leave the battlefield to Orochimaru and remain in Konoha, Jiogan met Minato Namikaze at Ichiraku Ramen. Minato asked to train under him, and Jiogan agreed to test him first.

• Jiogan visited Might Duy and his pregnant wife, then brought homemade congee to Kurama Feiyun and Tsunade at the hospital office.
• Jiogan waited for Kurama Feiyun to finish work, took her home, and used Origin Power to condition her body while she slept.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Jiogan to stop fighting on the Northern Front and cultivate in Konoha, and Jiogan agreed.
• At Ichiraku Ramen, Jiogan met Minato Namikaze, who recognized him as the Konoha Little Water God and asked him for training.
• Jiogan told Minato Namikaze he would have to pass a test before Jiogan would train him.

Jiogan prepared a nonlethal obstacle test at Konoha’s Fourth Training Ground to judge whether Minato Namikaze was worthy of learning from him. Minato passed the first three trap zones and continued toward the Special Kunai, with the test still underway.

• After paying for Minato’s ramen, Jiogan told him to meet at the Fourth Training Ground for a test, and Minato hurried there.
• Jiogan set up harmless traps and gave Minato ten minutes to recover before explaining that he had to reach a Special Kunai through every trap within the time of one incense stick.
• Minato dodged the swinging logs in the first zone, then narrowly escaped the tripwire traps by reacting quickly and moving through them head-on.
• In the projectile zone, Minato threw pebbles to trigger the hidden traps and safely crossed after adjusting his strategy.

Minato Namikaze navigated Lord Jiogan’s increasingly dangerous test, overcoming the Fourth Area’s chain traps and crossing a river under a Water Release attack. He reached the Kunai and survived its hidden explosive trap, though the test’s outcome was not yet stated.

• Minato Namikaze was struck by a delayed trap, then escaped the Fourth Area’s chain trap through quick reactions and a clever use of his coat.
• Lord Jiogan warned Minato Namikaze that a river barrier would trigger Ninjutsu attacks, and Minato Namikaze overcame the water columns with the Substitution Technique and a wooden log.
• Minato Namikaze reached the Kunai as time ran short, but his instincts stopped him from taking it before he found the hidden trigger mechanism.
• Minato Namikaze used the Substitution Technique to set off the explosive trap, then retrieved the Kunai after the blast.

Jiogan accepted Minato Namikaze as his disciple after Minato passed his test and began planning his training. Minato would attend the Academy by day and train with Jiogan at night, while Jiogan considered how to help him learn the Tai Chi Water Profound Technique.

• Jiogan praised Minato Namikaze for passing the test and agreed to train him as his disciple.
• Jiogan explained Minato’s mistakes during the test, then celebrated with him over dinner and learned that Minato’s parents had died and he lived alone.
• Jiogan reassured Minato that he was not alone and arranged to teach him at home each night while Minato continued attending the Academy.
• Jiogan told Minato about the Flying Thunder God Technique and warned him to keep their discussion of the forbidden technique secret.
• After returning home, Jiogan planned Minato’s training and considered using a Spirit Gathering Array to help him sense Heaven and Earth Qi.

Jiogan visited Mito Uzumaki, who arranged for him to travel to Uzushio Village and escort her young relative to Konoha. Jiogan realized the girl was Kushina Uzumaki and agreed to leave the next day, then told Mito he planned to become a Jonin Instructor and had recently taken a disciple.

• Jiogan visited Mito Uzumaki and found Hiruzen Sarutobi discussing Mito’s fading ability to suppress the Nine-Tails and the need to bring its next Jinchuriki safely from Uzushio Village.
• Mito Uzumaki persuaded Hiruzen Sarutobi to assign Jiogan to the escort mission, and Hiruzen concealed the Jinchuriki’s identity by describing the traveler as Mito’s clansman.
• Jiogan arrived, asked Mito for guidance in Sealing Jutsu, and accepted the assignment to escort her relative from Uzushio Village to Konoha.
• Jiogan recognized that Mito’s incoming relative was Kushina Uzumaki and agreed to set out the next day with Mito’s written order.
• Mito Uzumaki asked about Jiogan’s plans to lead a team, and he said he wanted to become a Jonin Instructor and had just accepted a child as his disciple.

Jiogan learned that Mito Uzumaki's relative, Kushina Uzumaki, was being considered as the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and agreed to seek permission to lead and protect her. Mito gave him a letter for the chief of Uzushio Village, and Jiogan prepared for the mission while setting Minato Namikaze a training goal before leaving.

• Mito Uzumaki asked Jiogan to consider taking her talented junior relative onto his team, and Jiogan suggested Tsunade might be a better leader before promising to help if the Hokage allowed it.
• Mito brought Jiogan into her sealing space, revealed that she was Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and explained that Kushina Uzumaki was expected to succeed her.
• Mito asked Jiogan to protect Kushina and help her live freely, and Jiogan agreed to fight for the chance to lead her team.
• Mito gave Jiogan a letter of introduction for the chief of Uzushio Village and instructed him to bring Kushina back safely; Jiogan resolved to grow stronger before the mission.
• Jiogan brought grilled fish to Kurama Feiyun, failed to make progress researching the Spirit Gathering Array, and told Minato Namikaze to master walking on water before he returned from his upcoming missions.

Kushina Uzumaki learned she had been chosen as the next Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and prepared to leave for Konoha, while Jiogan secretly protected the Land of Whirlpools from foreign shinobi. After arriving in Uzushio Village, Jiogan revealed that nearly three hundred enemy shinobi had been operating nearby, leaving Mu En Uzumaki alarmed at how close the village had come to destruction.

• Mu En Uzumaki announced that Kushina Uzumaki would go to Konoha, and Third Elder struggled to comfort her about leaving her home and friends.
• Kushina accepted her departure, and Mu En gave her the Uzumaki Clan's treasured Sealing Jutsu to take to Konoha.
• Jiogan discovered Kirigakure and Kumogakure shinobi near the Land of Whirlpools, marked the island with Flying Thunder God marks, and spent two days eliminating the foreign shinobi there.
• Mu En gathered the elders to discuss reports that a mysterious person had wiped out shinobi from Kirigakure, Kumogakure, and Sunagakure.
• Jiogan arrived as Konoha's escort for Kushina and told Mu En that he had killed nearly three hundred enemy shinobi, including fifty-nine Jonin.
• Mu En read Jiogan's report and realized the enemy force had been strong enough to destroy Uzushio Village.

Jiogan escorted Kushina Uzumaki from Uzushio Village to Konoha after purging enemy ninjas and warning that the village remained at risk. He brought Kushina to Mito Uzumaki and then returned with Hiruzen Sarutobi to discuss his report.

• Mu En Uzumaki thanked Jiogan for protecting Uzushio Village and hosted a banquet where he announced the purge and introduced Jiogan as its leader.
• Jiogan met Kushina at the banquet and promised to take her safely to Konoha, where she would live with Mito Uzumaki.
• The next morning, Jiogan reassured the Third Elder, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Kushina from Uzushio Village to the Eastern Front of the Land of Fire.
• Jiogan showed Kushina the eastern Land of Fire before teleporting her to Konoha and bringing her to Mito Uzumaki at the Senju Clan Compound.
• Jiogan gave Mito Uzumaki a report on the purge, then used a Flying Thunder God Kunai to bring Hiruzen Sarutobi to her residence.

After Jiogan reported on Uzushio Village’s crisis, he urged Konoha to condemn the invading villages and reinforce its ally. At the Jonin Meeting, his report shocked the attendees and prompted Tsunade to confront Shimura Danzō over the intelligence failure.

• Mito Uzumaki and Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed Jiogan’s report and agreed that Konoha needed to protect Uzushio Village from further attacks.
• Jiogan proposed publicly condemning Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Sunagakure, threatening war over another invasion, and sending two hundred shinobi to join Uzushio Village’s defenses.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi scheduled a Jonin Meeting, and Mito Uzumaki decided to attend; afterward, Kushina Uzumaki met Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Mito Uzumaki, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Jiogan arrived at the meeting, where Hiruzen Sarutobi explained Jiogan’s mission and Jiogan reported on the Purge Operation.
• Tsunade learned that Uzushio Village had nearly been destroyed and blamed Shimura Danzō for failing to warn Konoha, but Hiruzen Sarutobi stopped her.

At a Konoha meeting, Jiogan helped arrange a garrison for the Land of Whirlpools and challenged the proposed response to the attack on Uzushio Village. He argued that Uzushio Village and Konoha were both principal parties in the crisis, leaving the meeting to debate their enduring alliance.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi opened a discussion about the aftermath of the Land of Whirlpools crisis, and Shimura Danzō proposed sending a garrison force there.
• Jiogan warned that more than three hundred enemy shinobi, including over fifty Jonin, had been eliminated, prompting the leaders to discuss the force’s size, command, and deployment.
• The meeting assigned Dōton Akimichi to lead two hundred elite shinobi alongside Mu En Uzumaki’s forces, stationed in the Land of Whirlpools until the Second Shinobi World War ended.
• Jiogan’s other proposals sparked a heated argument over whether Konoha should publicly condemn the countries involved, and Shimura Danzō instead suggested sending each one a separate letter of condemnation.
• Jiogan asked who the principal parties in the crisis were, and Kurama Feiyun answered that they were Uzushio Village and Konoha.
• Jiogan affirmed Kurama Feiyun’s answer and said the two villages shared a lasting friendship unlike Konoha’s temporary alliances with other countries.

Jiogan persuaded Konoha’s leaders to publicly support Uzushio Village and send reinforcements, changing the village’s fate. After the meeting, he picked up Minato Namikaze from the academy and took him to Ichiraku Ramen.

• Jiogan argued that Konoha should stand firmly by Uzushio Village and released a powerful aura during the meeting.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi held a vote, and the proposal to support Uzushio Village passed unanimously.
• Mito Uzumaki thanked the assembled leaders and left with Tsunade.
• Konoha decided to send two hundred ninja to the Land of Whirlpools and publicly condemn the countries harassing it.
• Kumogakure and Kirigakure sent more squads, but their standoff with Konoha ended with the Second Shinobi World War.
• Jiogan picked up Minato Namikaze from the Ninja Academy, and they left together to eat ramen.

Jiogan continued training Minato and researched a Spirit Gathering Array before taking Kushina around Konoha. He introduced Kushina and Minato ahead of schedule, leaving the two children awkwardly sizing each other up.

• Jiogan praised Minato's progress in Water Walking Training, brought him home, and used Origin Power to nourish his body while he slept.
• Jiogan secured the cave on the Eastern Front and researched the Spirit Gathering Array, inscribing runes that gathered Heaven and Earth Qi.
• Jiogan obtained special barrier vessels from Tsunade and agreed to help Kushina get acquainted with Konoha.
• Jiogan took Kushina to Ichiraku Ramen and showed her around the village before encountering Minato on the way home.
• Jiogan introduced Kushina and Minato, asked Minato to look after her at school, and patted both children on the head as they exchanged wary looks.

Jiogan protected Kushina from bullying at the Ninja Academy while continuing to develop the Spirit Gathering Array. After completing the array, he planned to bring Minato to try drawing Heaven and Earth Qi into his body.

• Jiogan taught Minato about Kushina and urged him to protect her, while promising to show him his cultivation method if he met its requirements.
• Jiogan inscribed a Spirit Gathering Array in Dongchi Cave that raised Heaven and Earth Qi concentration tenfold, but he still needed a way to keep the energy from dispersing.
• Minato told Jiogan that Kushina had been mocked and had fought her classmates, and Jiogan urged Minato to help her while suspecting the school was allowing her isolation deliberately.
• Jiogan confronted the parents of Kushina's bullies at the Ninja Academy, secured an apology from the school, and warned hidden instigators that Kushina had protectors.
• A week later, Jiogan completed the Spirit Gathering Array and planned to bring Minato to test whether he could draw Heaven and Earth Qi into his body.

Jiogan established four Spirit Gathering Arrays and helped Might Duy after Might Guy’s birth left Duy a widower. He brought Kushina and Minato to the Konoha array to test whether they could sense Heaven and Earth Qi, and Kushina began the first attempt.

• Jiogan set up three additional Spirit Gathering Arrays, named all four arrays, and made an Essence Gourd to store Essence Liquid.
• Might Duy told Jiogan that his wife had died after choosing to save their newborn son, Might Guy, and Jiogan gave Duy money to support him and the child.
• Jiogan visited Mito Uzumaki to ask permission for Kushina to try the Spirit Gathering Array, then arranged leave from the Academy for Kushina and Minato.
• Jiogan took Kushina and Minato to the underground Konoha Spirit Gathering Array and explained Heaven and Earth Qi, Origin Power, and how the array worked.
• Kushina volunteered to try sensing Heaven and Earth Qi first, while Minato watched Jiogan's instructions closely.