Recaps

Lin Qing returned to Snowfall Village and killed the men who had captured its people and tried to recruit him for County Magistrate Senmura. After Second Brother warned that two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were coming for him, Lin Qing revealed that he intended to kill them.

• Second Brother explained that capturing Snowfall Village would force Lin Qing to accept the magistrate’s offer, flee, or die, but Lin Qing suddenly appeared and killed Fifth Brother.
• Second Brother offered Lin Qing treasure, women, and a place in County Magistrate Senmura’s ranks, but Lin Qing refused and asked if it was his last request.
• Fourth Brother, Third Brother, and Second Brother attacked Lin Qing together, but Lin Qing sent Fourth Brother flying and killed Third Brother with his Ripple-powered attacks.
• Second Brother tried to escape and warned Lin Qing that two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were searching for him, while Mei Terumi, Sasuke, and Xiaotao arrived.
• Lin Qing punched Second Brother and declared that he would kill the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Lin Qing rode through the night to confront County Magistrate Senmura and the Mist Village shinobi holding Snowfall Village's people. At the County Magistrate's Mansion, Senmura and Dire Wolf offered Haku to Raiga Kurosuki, just as Lin Qing arrived in the county seat.

• Lin Qing left Mei Terumi, Sasuke, and the villagers behind, taking a sword and supplies as he rode toward the county seat to rescue the captives.
• Mei Terumi stayed behind despite wanting to follow Lin Qing, and Sasuke reassured her that she was not the kind of person who would use him.
• Lin Qing drove his horse with Ripple and reached the county seat in less than twenty-four hours, spotting the brightly lit County Magistrate's Mansion.
• At a banquet, Biwa Juzo agreed to serve County Magistrate Senmura when the magistrate became powerful, while Raiga Kurosuki showed no interest in the women present.
• Dire Wolf mentioned that Haku was among the captives and suggested Raiga Kurosuki might want him, so Senmura ordered Haku brought in.

Lin Qing arrived at the courtyard where County Magistrate Senmura was coercing Haku’s family and the villagers, stopping Haku’s Father from killing Haku’s Mother. He introduced himself and challenged the people who had threatened to kill him.

• Raiga Kurosuki went with County Magistrate Senmura, Biwa Juzo, and Dire Wolf to inspect the imprisoned villagers and became interested in Haku.
• Raiga Kurosuki tried to seize Haku, but Haku’s Mother unleashed her Ice Release and drove him back.
• County Magistrate Senmura threatened the village and ordered Haku’s Father to kill Haku’s Mother in exchange for sparing the others.
• Haku’s Father raised his sword against Haku’s Mother, while Haku and the villagers watched.
• Lin Qing hurled a greatsword through the wall, severed Haku’s Father’s hands, and arrived on horseback to confront the people in the courtyard.

Lin Qing attacked County Magistrate Senmura’s gathering and used a sudden maneuver to isolate Biwa Juzo. After Biwa Juzo hid in mist, Lin Qing struck him with miniature missiles as Raiga Kurosuki and the others arrived.

• County Magistrate Senmura ordered the Dire Wolf to help Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki kill Lin Qing, while guards went to summon reinforcements.
• Lin Qing charged Biwa Juzo, but Raiga Kurosuki intercepted his strike before Lin Qing revealed the Black Blade: Ruin and sent Raiga flying with a powerful blow.
• Raiga Kurosuki unleashed lightning across the ground as the Dire Wolf summoned three winged Ninja Wolves, but Lin Qing used Star Platinum to grab Biwa Juzo and fling them both out of the courtyard.
• Lin Qing faced Biwa Juzo alone, and Biwa Juzo used the Hidden Mist Technique to conceal himself while planning to wait for Raiga Kurosuki.
• Lin Qing told Biwa Juzo to stand still, then launched dozens of Miniature Missiles into the mist, and the blast scattered the fog as the others arrived.

Lin Qing fought off Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki, but Dire Wolf died blocking the Blade of Ruin to save Biwa Juzo. Biwa completed his jutsu and trapped Lin Qing in a massive sphere of water while Raiga bombarded him with lightning.

• Biwa Juzo survived Lin Qing's explosion by hiding underground, and Lin Qing pursued him as the enemies fled.
• Lin Qing used Hermit Purple to hurl the Blade of Ruin at Biwa Juzo, but Raiga Kurosuki deflected it with Kiba.
• Lin Qing activated Silver Ripple Overdrive and sent the Blade of Ruin crashing toward Biwa Juzo again.
• Dire Wolf charged in to block the strike, but the Blade of Ruin broke his sword and cut him in half, allowing Biwa Juzo to survive.
• Biwa Juzo completed Water Release: Super Exploding Water Colliding Wave and trapped Lin Qing in a huge sphere of water.
• Raiga Kurosuki struck the sphere with lightning as Biwa Juzo vowed to avenge Dire Wolf.

Lin Qing broke free of Biwa Juzo’s water sphere by awakening a new form of Sunlight Yellow Ripple and Qi, then killed Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki. He survived the battle and gained Soul Shards from both enemies.

• Biwa Juzo trapped Lin Qing in a water sphere while Raiga Kurosuki repeatedly struck it with lightning.
• Lin Qing resisted suffocation and lightning, rejected drawing from the system, and used Star Platinum to churn the water into a whirlpool.
• As Lin Qing neared unconsciousness, he awakened Qi and used Sunlight Yellow Ripple to wrest control of the water from Biwa Juzo.
• Mei Terumi blocked Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki with water dragons, and the whirlpool pulled them toward Lin Qing.
• Lin Qing channeled golden Ripple power into the Blade of Ruin and killed Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki with one strike.

Lin Qing killed County Magistrate Senmura after executing Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki, then spared the accountant and told the next magistrate to fend for himself. Mei Terumi realized Lin Qing understood her plans to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and end the Village of the Bloody Mist.

• County Magistrate Senmura panicked after Lin Qing killed Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki, then Lin Qing forced him to his knees.
• The accountant warned Lin Qing that killing County Magistrate Senmura would mean declaring war on the Land of Water, while Senmura offered him his fortune.
• Lin Qing killed County Magistrate Senmura, spared the accountant, and told him to give the next magistrate the message, “Fend for yourself.”
• Mei Terumi found Lin Qing leaving the storehouse with only candied fruit, and he offered her a piece.
• Lin Qing identified Mei Terumi’s plan to kill the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, and end the Village of the Bloody Mist, leaving her stunned.

Lin Qing deduced that Mei Terumi opposed Yagura and agreed to help her in exchange for a favor. After returning to Snowfall Village, he offered Haku and Haku's Mother a place with the group he planned to visit, then was approached by Haku's Mother for a private chat.

• Lin Qing confronted Mei Terumi about her opposition to Yagura, and she asked him to help her make Yagura step down.
• Lin Qing agreed to help Mei Terumi when needed in exchange for a favor, then left with the people of Snowfall Village.
• Sasuke and Xiaotao welcomed Lin Qing home, while the Village Chief apologized to Haku and Haku's Mother for the villagers' actions.
• Haku and Haku's Mother decided to leave Snowfall Village, and Lin Qing invited them to join him on a trip to a new village.
• Lin Qing's group shared dinner together, and Haku's Mother later came to his room to ask for a chat.

Lin Qing rejected Mayuri’s offer to serve him, accepted her family’s decision to follow him, and gave Blade Master the broken Ninja Blades to reforge. He strengthened Star Platinum before setting out for the survivor village with the children and Mayuri, while Haku’s father died by suicide after they left.

• Mayuri offered Lin Qing a letter detailing her background and Kekkei Genkai, and pledged that she and her children would follow him; Lin Qing accepted their company but refused her offer to serve him.
• Blade Master emerged from hiding and praised Lin Qing for turning Mayuri down, then took the two broken Ninja Blades to forge blades for Sasuke and Xiaotao.
• Lin Qing counted 1,760 Soul Shards and spent 830 to raise Star Platinum to Level 3, unlocking Platinum Skin.
• The next morning, Lin Qing set off for the survivor village with Sasuke, Xiaotao, Mayuri, and Haku, while the Village Chief and Blade Master saw them off.
• After the carriage departed, villagers discovered that Haku’s father had hanged himself, and the Village Chief said he had brought it on himself.

Lin Qing and his companions reached Hope Village after more than two months of travel, only to find it devastated by a massacre. After burying the dead, Lin Qing set out to find the missing survivors and learn what happened.

• Lin Qing failed to master the Great Fireball Technique because he could not properly gather chakra, so he focused on training in the Ripple Technique instead.
• Near Hope Village, Lin Qing realized Aero Smith could detect no people and hurried ahead with the others.
• Lin Qing and his companions found the village abandoned, with 103 decomposed bodies scattered among ruined houses and overgrown fields.
• Lin Qing and Sasuke burned the bodies, and Star Platinum buried the ashes while Mayuri gave Lin Qing an ice flower for the grave.
• Lin Qing noted that more than 50 of the 160 villagers were missing and decided to go to a nearby city to buy a camera and search for them.

Lin Qing found Amber Bearman working at Matsumoto Brewery and learned that a serial killer had massacred Hope Village, leaving only thirty-four survivors. After Amber led him to the killer’s wanted notice, a white-haired man appeared and introduced himself as the Toad Sage.

• Lin Qing used Hermit Purple and Star Platinum to discover a Matsumoto Brewery clue in a photograph of Amber Bearman.
• Lin Qing found Amber working at the brewery, where Amber explained that a shape-shifting madman had attacked Hope Village and that only thirty-four survivors remained.
• Amber told Lin Qing that the survivors were struggling to afford food and medical care, with only five people able to work.
• Amber led Lin Qing and the others to the wanted notice for the serial killer responsible for attacks on six villages.
• Lin Qing tore down the notice, and a white-haired man warned him before identifying himself as the Toad Sage.

Jiraiya met Lin Qing and warned him that the bounty target was connected to Orochimaru, then tested whether Lin Qing would accept a lucrative kidnapping job. Lin Qing refused and chose to pursue the target; Jiraiya revealed his identity as the Toad Sage, and Senjutsu Chakra appeared in his palm.

• Jiraiya invited Lin Qing, Sasuke, Xiaotao, and Mayuri to an izakaya and explained that the wanted killer was one of Orochimaru's creations.
• Jiraiya offered Lin Qing six gold bars to kidnap the daughter of the Daimyo of the Land of Iron, but Lin Qing and his companions rejected the job.
• Lin Qing paid Jiraiya for the information and said he would pursue the killer because Orochimaru had picked a fight with him.
• Jiraiya admitted that he had lied about being a broker, introduced himself as the Toad Sage, and offered his hand to prove who he was.
• Jiraiya revealed Senjutsu Chakra in his palm.

Lin Qing and Jiraiya compared their powers, discussed Senjutsu, and agreed to work together to investigate Hope Village’s destruction and Orochimaru. On the way back with supplies, Lin Qing told Sasuke not to sacrifice his principles for power and revealed that he had already mastered Natural Energy.

• Lin Qing touched Jiraiya’s hand and discovered that the Ripple resonated with Senjutsu Chakra formed by combining chakra and Natural Energy.
• Jiraiya offered to teach Lin Qing Senjutsu if he returned to Konoha, but Lin Qing questioned why Jiraiya himself stayed away, and Jiraiya apologized for pressuring him.
• Lin Qing and Jiraiya shared a meal, exchanged information about Orochimaru and Itachi Uchiha, and agreed to work together the next day to investigate Hope Village’s destruction and the artificial humans.
• Lin Qing bought food and medicine for thirty people, and Amber pushed the supplies back with him and Sasuke.
• Sasuke said he wanted power to protect ordinary people and was willing to set aside his hatred, but Lin Qing told him not to abandon his principles while Lin Qing could protect him.
• Lin Qing gathered blue-green energy at his fingertip and told Sasuke he had already mastered Natural Energy.

Lin Qing used Ripple to absorb Natural Energy and set out with Sasuke and Jiraiya to stop Jugo and Kimimaro’s massacres. He found them attacking another village and charged Kimimaro, who recognized him but could think of no counter.

• Lin Qing absorbed Natural Energy through Ripple, grew stronger, and promised to teach Sasuke once he had mastered the method.
• Jugo begged Kimimaro to lock him up after killing civilians, but Kimimaro followed Orochimaru’s orders and continued leading him on massacres alongside Root ninja.
• Lin Qing identified White Box Village as the likely target and split up the group, leaving Xiaotao, Mayuri, Haku, and Amber to tend to Hope Village’s injured.
• Lin Qing, Sasuke, and Jiraiya pursued the killers without resting, while Sasuke said he did not want another clan to suffer a massacre.
• Lin Qing spotted Jugo and Kimimaro amid the latest attack, launched himself forward with Star Platinum’s help, and charged Kimimaro with the Blade of Ruin.

Lin Qing defeated Kimimaro and Jugo, then confronted five Root shinobi who tried to take custody of them. He exposed Orochimaru hiding inside Jugo, and Orochimaru emerged to greet him as Jiraiya arrived.

• Kimimaro's Earth Curse Mark activated, letting him block Lin Qing's attack briefly, but Lin Qing shattered his bone blade and Jugo shoved him out of danger.
• Jugo entered a berserk state and attacked Lin Qing, but Star Platinum overpowered him and destroyed the cannons he had grown across his body.
• Kimimaro begged Lin Qing to spare Jugo and take his life instead, while five Root shinobi arrived and demanded that Lin Qing hand the fugitives over to Konoha.
• Lin Qing refused the Root shinobi's demand and stabbed Jugo in the abdomen, revealing Orochimaru hiding inside him.
• Orochimaru emerged from Jugo and greeted Lin Qing as Jiraiya roared nearby.

Orochimaru lured Lin Qing to Hope Village by massacring its residents, hoping to capture him for research, while Danzo's Root shinobi also tried to take him back to Konoha. Lin Qing fought Orochimaru and shattered his skull, but a mysterious woman named Tagorihime pulled Orochimaru to safety.

• Orochimaru explained that he had identified Hope Village as a settlement founded by Land of Water survivors and killed its residents to draw Lin Qing out.
• Sasuke condemned Orochimaru's claim that killing the villagers had freed them, and Jiraiya arrived to help Lin Qing face Orochimaru, Kimimaro, and the Root shinobi.
• Orochimaru surrounded the village with poisonous snakes and offered to spare Jiraiya and Sasuke if Lin Qing surrendered for his research, while Root demanded Lin Qing be returned to Konoha.
• Lin Qing killed two Root shinobi who approached with shackles, then charged Orochimaru as Jiraiya blocked the remaining Root members.
• Lin Qing used Star Platinum to break Orochimaru's skull and pursued him for another strike, but Tagorihime pulled Orochimaru away.

Orochimaru enlisted Tagorihime, a powerful Ryūchi Cave sage, to trap Lin Qing, Jiraiya, and Sasuke in a domain that transformed people into snakes. As Jiraiya struggled to protect the others, Orochimaru’s allies recovered, leaving the battle poised to resume.

• Jiraiya explained Tagorihime’s connection to Ryūchi Cave and warned that she possessed powerful abilities beyond ninjutsu.
• Tagorihime rejected Jiraiya’s warning and sealed the village behind a barrier made from poisonous mist, preventing him from summoning help from Mount Myoboku.
• Tagorihime used an Emerald Orb to fill the barrier with aggressive Natural Energy, transforming villagers who could not balance it with chakra into snakes.
• Jiraiya purified the Natural Energy in a small area to protect Sasuke, but the effort rapidly consumed his chakra.
• Orochimaru revealed that his modified Cursed Seal let him thrive in Tagorihime’s domain while weakening his enemies who practiced sage arts.
• Jugo healed himself with the dense Natural Energy, and Kimimaro joined him behind Orochimaru.

Lin Qing absorbed Tagorihime’s Natural Energy and unleashed a devastating slash that broke the barrier and killed Kimimaro and Jugo, while Orochimaru survived by shedding his body. Lin Qing and Star Platinum captured Orochimaru, and Lin Qing prepared to test his healing ability.

• Orochimaru refused the Root ninja’s pleas for help, and Kimimaro and Jugo killed the three who attacked him.
• Jiraiya created a Shadow Clone to maintain a purified area, then fought Orochimaru, Kimimaro, and Jugo while Lin Qing’s left arm changed into various animal forms.
• Orochimaru charged Lin Qing, who drew Natural Energy and Ripple into the Blade of Ruin and unleashed a slash that split the barrier and killed Kimimaro and Jugo.
• Orochimaru used Orochimaru-Style Substitution Technique to restore himself and flee after the slash destroyed his body.
• Star Platinum caught Orochimaru by the neck, and Lin Qing confronted him to test his recovery ability.

Lin Qing defeated Tagorihime’s genjutsu, but Jiraiya’s hesitation let Orochimaru escape after he bit Sasuke. Lin Qing turned on Jiraiya and demanded a reason not to kill him.

• Lin Qing used Star Platinum, the Ripple, and natural energy to destroy Orochimaru’s body and disrupt his regeneration.
• Tagorihime trapped everyone in a genjutsu, but Lin Qing rejected its temptations and seized her with Hermit Purple.
• Lin Qing’s desires overwhelmed Tagorihime, causing her to bleed and the illusion to collapse.
• Orochimaru escaped underground after Jiraiya froze instead of attacking him, then surfaced to bite Sasuke and fled again.
• Lin Qing picked up Sasuke while Star Platinum grabbed Jiraiya, and Lin Qing demanded a reason not to kill him.

After Jiraiya admitted he had hesitated to attack Orochimaru, he and Lin Qing struggled to find a way to save Sasuke from the three energies clashing inside him. Lin Qing killed Tagorihime and, with 2,990 Soul Shards, began drawing a new Stand in hopes of finding one that could heal Sasuke.

• Jiraiya realized his desire for Orochimaru to reform had made him hesitate, apologized to Lin Qing, and examined Sasuke’s condition.
• Jiraiya found chakra, Natural Energy, and Ripple clashing inside Sasuke, while Tagorihime said only Orochimaru could remove the Cursed Seal.
• Lin Qing killed Tagorihime after she failed to offer a way to save Sasuke or locate Orochimaru immediately.
• Lin Qing checked his rewards, found he had 2,990 Soul Shards, and opened the system to draw a new Stand.

Lin Qing used the Saint's Crown of Thorns to heal Sasuke's Cursed Seal, then drew Whitesnake and decided it could help him obtain Orochimaru's techniques and safely treat Sasuke. As Lin Qing prepared to leave with Sasuke, Jiraiya offered to take him to Mount Myoboku for the Great Toad Sage's help.

• Lin Qing drew the five-star Saint's Crown of Thorns and placed it on Sasuke's head, causing Sasuke's wound and Cursed Seal to reverse and heal.
• Lin Qing drew the four-star Stand Catch the Rainbow after 120 more pulls.
• Lin Qing drew Whitesnake, whose DISC abilities could extract Orochimaru's ninjutsu and knowledge.
• Lin Qing decided to find Orochimaru and use Whitesnake to take his DISC, then hoisted Sasuke onto his back to leave.
• Jiraiya offered to take Sasuke to Mount Myoboku and seek help from the Great Toad Sage.

Jiraiya agreed to protect Sasuke under Lin Qing’s command and took him to Mount Myoboku, while Lin Qing pursued Orochimaru. At the Akatsuki base, Pain ordered members to retrieve Orochimaru and Lin Qing, and Itachi volunteered.

• Jiraiya agreed to let Lin Qing place a command in his heart to protect Sasuke, and Lin Qing used Whitesnake to inscribe the order.
• Jiraiya took Sasuke to Mount Myoboku to seek help from the Great Toad Sage.
• Lin Qing collected the Dragon Snake Treasure Orb, reflected on the genetic resonance he had awakened, and set off after Orochimaru.
• Three days later, Pain told the Akatsuki that Lin Qing was chasing Orochimaru in the Land of Fields and ordered someone to bring them both back.
• Itachi Uchiha volunteered to go, saying his genjutsu could counter Lin Qing’s abilities.

Pain sent Itachi, Deidara, and Konan to capture Lin Qing and Orochimaru, while Jiraiya and Hiruzen discussed Sasuke and the choices that had harmed him. In Otogakure, Orochimaru prepared to use two volunteers as sacrifices for the Impure World Reincarnation.

• Pain assigned Itachi and Deidara to capture Lin Qing and Orochimaru, and Konan joined them to seal Orochimaru and secretly investigate Itachi.
• Itachi, Deidara, and Konan flew toward the Land of Fields on Deidara's clay bird.
• Jiraiya kept watch over Sasuke in a sphere of Purified Water as Hiruzen visited the ANBU medical room.
• Jiraiya told Hiruzen that Lin Qing might know what to do, and said Orochimaru's soul had rotted away long ago.
• Kabuto told Orochimaru that thirty volunteers understood they would die as materials, and Orochimaru selected two for the Impure World Reincarnation.

Lin Qing tracked Orochimaru to Otogakure and flew straight into the village, striking him with the Blade of Ruin and leveling the surrounding buildings. As the dust cleared, two figures emerged from the prepared coffins, leaving Lin Qing to face an unexpected new threat.

• Lin Qing used Hermit Purple to locate Orochimaru in Otogakure and learned the village lay northwest of the ramen shop.
• Orochimaru waited in Otogakure with Kabuto, more than a dozen shinobi, and two coffins while spies watched from hiding.
• Konan, Deidara, and Itachi Uchiha waited nearby, and Itachi insisted that Lin Qing would come because he could feel it.
• Lin Qing flew into Otogakure on the Blade of Ruin and smashed into Orochimaru, destroying nearby buildings and burying the ambushing shinobi.
• Lin Qing pulled the Blade of Ruin from the ruins as two figures climbed out of the coffins, and he wondered why there were two more giant rice dumplings.

Orochimaru summoned Hashirama Senju and Mu with Impure World Reincarnation to trap Lin Qing, but Lin Qing’s Star Platinum overwhelmed Hashirama. Mu then attacked with Dust Release while Hashirama restrained Lin Qing, leaving him in immediate danger.

• Orochimaru’s clone melted away, and Hashirama Senju and Mu emerged from coffins as reanimated fighters.
• Itachi explained Impure World Reincarnation to Deidara and Konan, and he judged Lin Qing’s chances bleak against the resurrected legends.
• Star Platinum clashed with Hashirama Senju and shattered his body with a final punch.
• Hashirama Senju reconstituted himself and used Wood Release to restrain Lin Qing while Mu launched Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique at him.