Chapter Summaries

The narrator reflected on how school, disillusionment, and loneliness had changed him, leaving him unsure who he had become. After reading advice to remember his former self, he urged himself not to surrender to the world and to find that person again.

• The narrator recalled abandoning his studies and enthusiasm, comparing himself to Sha Wujing after Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie died in The Legend of Wukong.
• He realized that the rebellious, romantic youth he had envied belonged to fiction and that real life brought serious consequences.
• The narrator described feeling isolated as friendships changed and others failed to understand or help him.
• He questioned why he had grown colder, lost his dreams, and become lonely, wondering whether growing up or reality had changed him.
• The narrator read that people should remember who they were when they began and seek that self again if they had forgotten.
• He concluded that he should not give up on himself, should face pain, and should be his own hero.

A weary traveler struggled through the night toward a grand gathering but lost hope when he reached a fork in the road. A guide helped him find the right path and lighten his burden, and he continued toward the gathering before dawn.

• The traveler pressed on through a rough, dark road toward a gathering that would begin at dawn.
• He stopped at a fork without knowing which path led to the gathering and considered giving up.
• A guide returned with a lamp and found the traveler before he abandoned his journey.
• The guide helped the traveler discard his fear and useless belongings and gather courage for the road ahead.
• The traveler continued with a lighter load as the sky brightened and the gathering's music reached him.

The chapter presented an essay about pausing amid life's struggles to notice nature, regain motivation, and rediscover beauty. It ended with a search page showing another essay on the same topic, in which a girl found joy in the countryside and tenderness in her father's sacrifices.

• The essay urged readers to pause during hardship and appreciate the changing seasons and natural scenery.
• The essay described how resting, reflecting, and looking back could restore hope and help people continue toward their goals.
• A related essay recounted a girl putting down her pen and visiting the fields with her friends in spring.
• The girl noticed her father's exhaustion and the marks of hard work he bore while supporting her education.
• The girl realized that pausing helped her recover precious memories and see life's road as more beautiful.

The narrator reflected on his melancholy after failing a midterm and remembered his kind, idealistic father, whose difficult work had left him looking older and worn. He resolved to work hard and someday fulfill his father’s wishes.

• The narrator walked across campus in the cold, brooding over his failed midterm.
• The narrator recalled how his father trusted people and sometimes got cheated despite warning his son not to trust too easily.
• The narrator remembered his father’s fervent promises to donate his income or enlist if war broke out with Taiwan or Japan.
• The narrator recalled his father’s playful affection and felt moved by how stooped he had become from work.
• The narrator vowed to work steadily and fulfill his father’s wishes.

Yi Xiang and his companions investigated the deaths of Sagi’s family and uncovered signs that the high monk Muso was plotting to frame Komei. The chapter ended with Yi Xiang overhearing Muso’s plan to arrest and execute Komei, then seize control of the Land of Birds.

• At the Barbecue First Shop, Yi Xiang warned Chishima that Muso might be involved in shady dealings, then agreed with Neji to meet Daimyo Sagi.
• Yi Xiang and his companions hid by the river and witnessed Sagi arrive; masked attackers emerged from the water, and Yi Xiang killed one while the others were stopped.
• Yi Xiang urged Sagi to reveal what he knew about his father and sister’s deaths, but Sagi told them to investigate his father’s mausoleum and left.
• After Tenten identified the attackers’ weapons as those used by the Imperial Guards under Komei, Yi Xiang assigned Neji’s group to investigate the mausoleum and watch Komei while he searched elsewhere.
• Yi Xiang went to Muso’s residence and overheard Muso’s followers planning to frame Komei as the Cursed Samurai, execute him, and take control of the Land of Birds.

Yi Xiang defeated the wandering ninjas and captured Hoki, who had impersonated Muso and murdered the Daimyo and his son. At the Daimyo's Mansion, Sagi was revealed to be Princess Toki, who learned that Komei was innocent and thanked the Konoha ninjas.

• Yi Xiang attacked the wandering ninjas with shadow clones, mist, and fire, while Muso escaped through the rear door and several others fled the house.
• Yi Xiang defeated the burly ninja with Chidori after countering his stone and sand techniques.
• Yi Xiang's shadow clones captured Muso by the river, revealing him to be Hoki, leader of the wandering ninjas.
• Yi Xiang and his companions brought Hoki and another prisoner to the Daimyo's Mansion and reported that they had captured Osagi's murderer.
• Yi Xiang told Sagi that Hoki had confessed to deceiving and murdering her father and brother, and that Komei was innocent.
• Sagi revealed herself as Princess Toki, bowed to the Konoha ninjas, and thanked them through her tears.

During a four-day vacation, Yi Xiang and Yangkui grew closer as they fished, cooked, and spent lavishly around Konoha. Tsunade warned Yi Xiang not to rush into marriage or children, then gave him a mission list.

• Yangkui invited Yi Xiang to attend her brother’s wedding to Saji Morimizu, and he promised to go with her.
• Yi Xiang massaged Yangkui’s feet, caught several fish, and cooked them while teasing her.
• During their vacation, Yi Xiang hugged Yangkui often, but she refused his attempts to kiss her.
• Tsunade confronted Yi Xiang about villagers complaining that his public displays of affection with Yangkui disrupted their businesses and caused marital friction.
• Yi Xiang said he would wait until he was eighteen to marry Yangkui and postpone having children, after which Tsunade handed him a mission list.

Uchiha Isho and Team Three arrived in Hoshigakure to investigate the meteorite and protect the village. After Isho clashed with Ang and challenged Akahoshi’s claims, a Hoshigakure ninja reported that the star had been stolen and the trainees found unconscious.

• Tsunade warned Team Three that the meteorite could increase strength at the cost of lifespan.
• At the Land of Bears border, Uchiha Isho confronted Ang, who led him and Team Three across a rope bridge into Hoshigakure.
• Akahoshi introduced himself as Hoshigakure’s acting Hoshikage and explained that the Third Hoshikage had died a year earlier.
• Uchiha Isho mocked Hoshigakure’s ambitions and meteorite training, then dodged Ang’s attack and kicked him back.
• A Hoshigakure ninja reported that the star had been stolen and the trainees had been found unconscious, prompting Akahoshi to order an investigation.

Little Ai reflected on how time and separation had changed her and her friends since the summer they rebelled for freedom. She accepted her choice to repeat a year and remained optimistic, grateful for the innocence and growth it had brought her.

• Little Ai recalled that she and her friends had grown up, gone their separate ways, and taken on new responsibilities.
• Little Ai said she did not regret falling a year behind, since she had learned optimism and how to treat people by watching the others.
• Little Ai thanked her friends for keeping their struggles from her and believed their kapok tree would witness their lasting bond.
• Little Ai remembered their school days, including her love letters, the essay rivalry, her singing, 40's complaints, and their visit in the cold rain.
• Little Ai recalled graduating, repeating the year while her friends moved on, and staying despite being scolded and seeing someone cry.
• Little Ai accepted the passage of time and said she was still herself, but more optimistic.

The narrator returned to a familiar room and reflected on painful memories, loneliness, and the difficulty of moving forward. The chapter ended with an afterword encouraging readers to hold on to their dreams and take steps toward a happier new life.

• The narrator sat alone in a familiar room, overwhelmed by memories and unable to write as tears fell onto the paper.
• The narrator reflected on the past, uncertainty about personal worth, and the fact that they were still alive.
• The narrator described feeling lonely, confused, and unable to become someone else.
• The afterword encouraged people not to blame themselves for weakness and to move quietly toward a new life.

The narrator trudged toward a magnificent gathering, nearly giving up when a fork in the road left them lost and exhausted. A guide returned with a lamp, helped them lighten their burden and find the right path, and the narrator continued toward the gathering before dawn.

• The narrator struggled through the dark toward a gathering that would begin at sunrise, carrying gifts, family wishes, and growing fears.
• The narrator reached a fork in the road, could not choose a way forward, and began to consider giving up as dawn approached.
• A guide returned to the fork with a lamp after helping other travelers find a smooth road.
• The guide helped the narrator discard fear and useless burdens and take up courage and resilience.
• The narrator resumed the journey with renewed determination as the sky brightened and music from the gathering reached them.

The narrator reflected on the value of time and urged readers to cherish it alongside the love, friendship, and help they received. The chapter ended with a warning that endlessly postponing things until tomorrow would lead to regret.

• The narrator remembered wasting a weekend playing and panicking when they realized their homework was unfinished.
• The narrator recalled Tao Yuanming, Zhu Ziqing, Yan Zhenqing, and Guan Hanqing as voices urging people to make good use of time.
• The narrator encouraged friends to cherish their elders' care, classmates' friendships, strangers' help, and time itself.
• The narrator warned that people who keep waiting for tomorrow may let their lives pass without accomplishing their goals.

The narrator reflected on loneliness, distant love, and the difficulty of finding a lasting bond, while describing a passion that unexpectedly revived after years of searching. The chapter ended with hopes that this love would blossom, bear fruit, and endure forever.

• The narrator wandered through a rainy city and felt isolated despite the glowing streets and the internet.
• The narrator recalled how a distant lover briefly softened a guarded heart, though loneliness remained.
• The narrator reflected on longing, separation, and a devotion likened to Jin Haowen’s unwavering pledge.
• The narrator concluded that love was rare but could suddenly awaken like a sealed passion growing into abundant branches.
• The narrator hoped the revived love would blossom and endure for hundreds and thousands of years.

The narrator reflected on the distance between them and the memories of their former closeness after the other person had buried and left them. They chose to remember their shared past, though they remained unsure whether the other person had ever looked back.

• The narrator considered how people could not truly possess anything and how choices and change altered what they remembered.
• The narrator recalled how old words and buried memories resurfaced, leaving them unsettled about what their past relationship had meant.
• The narrator remembered the ordinary conversations and peaceful days they had shared before the other person buried them.
• The narrator recalled being let go like a kite, while the other person moved on with a new kite.
• The narrator accepted growing up and chose to preserve the memory of how close they had once been.

The narrator looked back on childhood, family, and the death of an older brother. Two years after his brother’s death, he still felt sadness but accepted that the loss was in the past.

• The narrator remembered walking a quiet mountain path to school with Fangfang and a younger girl who later moved away.
• The narrator recalled his hardworking parents and his frequent arguments with his father during middle school.
• The narrator described resenting his older brother for failing to protect him and refusing to take him around the city.
• On August 2, 2011, the narrator’s father left in a car from Henan after receiving a phone call, and the narrator feared something had happened to his brother.
• On August 5, the narrator saw his brother’s body at a funeral home, broke down in grief, and struggled through the following three days.
• Two years later, the narrator still felt sadness when remembering his brother but recognized that the events were in the past.

Tsunade sent Team Kakashi and Yi Xiang to Sunagakure after the Akatsuki abducted Gaara, while the Akatsuki began extracting the tailed beast. As the Konoha group pursued Gaara's captors, Yi Xiang comforted Naruto, whose Nine-Tails chakra began to surface.

• Tsunade received Sunagakure's request for aid after the Akatsuki abducted Gaara and assigned Team Kakashi and Yi Xiang to the mission.
• Pain summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and Deidara, Sasori, and the other Akatsuki members began the Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals.
• Yi Xiang's group reached Sunagakure, where Sakura treated Kankuro and Kankuro's puppet released cloth bearing Sasori's and Gaara's scents.
• Kakashi, Naruto, Pakkun, Yi Xiang, and Granny Chiyo followed Gaara's scent toward the Akatsuki, while Baki refused Temari permission to join them.
• Chiyo explained the tailed beasts to Naruto, and Yi Xiang reassured him that the beasts were not necessarily evil and promised that the person who spread the demon fox rumor would be punished.
• Naruto sank into thought, and red chakra began spilling from him as Kakashi, Chiyo, and Sakura moved away alertly.

Yi Xiang entered Naruto’s subconscious and spoke with the Nine-Tails, revealing knowledge of the Sage of Six Paths and a Divine Art that showed him history and future events. After leaving, he recalled a lonely figure’s memories of meeting a wandering swordsman ten years earlier.

• Yi Xiang asked Kakashi to watch over him and used his Sharingan to enter Naruto’s subconscious.
• Naruto appeared beside Yi Xiang, who explained that the Nine-Tails’ chakra had invited him in.
• The Nine-Tails formed its head before Yi Xiang and expressed its hatred of the Uchiha Sharingan.
• Yi Xiang told the Nine-Tails that the Sage of Six Paths intended the tailed beasts to coexist with humans and find meaning beyond being tools of power.
• When the Nine-Tails demanded to know how he knew the secret history, Yi Xiang described his Divine Art and said he would return another time.
• A first-person memory recalled a masked sect leader meeting a wandering swordsman in the mountains and sparing him after he saw her face.

The narrator recalled being separated from the grandparents who had raised them and growing distant from their mother. When Grandpa fell seriously ill, the narrator recognized their mother’s pain, embraced her, and told her, “I love you,” resolving to face hardship and grow.

• The narrator remembered how Mom took them away from their grandparents after a family conflict, leaving them lonely and resentful.
• Grandpa secretly drank liquor, fell while bringing the cow home, and was hospitalized in serious condition.
• The narrator stayed beside Grandpa and sobbed, then woke the next morning to see Mom’s red eyes and haggard face.
• The narrator hugged Mom and told her, “I love you,” letting go of resentment and prejudice.
• The narrator reflected that enduring pain and continuing forward had helped them grow stronger.

The narrator described wandering alone through an unfamiliar city and sinking into fear and emptiness without a destination. After imagining a return to life at sunrise, the narrator concluded that having a goal gave life meaning and urged the young to pursue their dreams.

• The narrator left home and came to an unfamiliar city to wander and see the world.
• The narrator roamed the city alone, then felt bored and headed toward the bustling center.
• As night fell and the streets emptied, the narrator felt lost, lonely, and consumed by darkness.
• The narrator saw the sunrise and felt as though they had come back to life.
• The narrator realized that life needed a goal and urged young people to chase their dreams.

The narrator reflected on loneliness, unfulfilled love, and the devotion that had left him feeling out of step with a materialistic world. He ended by describing a sudden renewal of passion and hoping it would blossom into lasting love.

• The narrator traveled through a rainy, neon-lit night and felt his weariness and loneliness deepen.
• He recalled believing that warm passion had melted his emotional defenses, then realized his heart still had no one to rely on.
• He reflected on an elusive love and on dreaming of a devotion like Jin Haowen's, while concluding that such steadfastness was poorly suited to the materialistic world around him.
• He recognized that searching for love felt like looking for a needle in the ocean, but imagined a chance encounter reviving passion like new growth.
• He hoped that the revived passion would bear blossoms and fruit and last for a thousand years.