Chapter Summaries

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.

Lin Qing survived Mu’s Dust Release, tracked Orochimaru to his underground base, and moved to kill him. Just as Itachi Uchiha declared the battle over, Lin Qing appeared trapped in his genjutsu, leaving Orochimaru’s fate unresolved.

• Lin Qing used Natural Energy to overcome Mu’s Dust Release and struck Mu with the Blade of Ruin.
• Whitesnake removed the discs sustaining Mu and traced the Impure World Reincarnation connection to Orochimaru’s underground base.
• Lin Qing exposed the base, knocked Orochimaru unconscious, and used Whitesnake to extract his memory and jutsu discs.
• Lin Qing prepared to kill Orochimaru, but Itachi Uchiha, Deidara, and Konan arrived, and Itachi placed Lin Qing in a genjutsu.
• Itachi Uchiha approached Lin Qing, confident that the genjutsu could not be broken.

Lin Qing defeated Itachi Uchiha’s ambush, rejected Konan’s offer to join the Akatsuki, and killed Orochimaru. With Orochimaru dead and the Akatsuki members preparing to attack, Lin Qing faced a new fight.

• Lin Qing used Whitesnake’s illusion to make Itachi Uchiha waste his Substitution Technique, then struck him with the Blade of Ruin and broke his arm.
• Konan explained that the Akatsuki wanted Lin Qing to join them and spare Orochimaru, but Lin Qing rejected the offer.
• Lin Qing killed Orochimaru with Star Platinum, and Orochimaru died pleading for his life.
• Lin Qing received 600 Soul Shards and took Orochimaru’s two discs.
• Konan ordered Deidara and Itachi Uchiha to attack Lin Qing.

Lin Qing fought Deidara, Konan, and Itachi Uchiha after they attacked him, and Itachi used Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi to try to kill him. Lin Qing regenerated his severed arm and underwent a genetic ascension, ending with Star Platinum restraining Konan while Whitesnake moved to take her DISC.

• Deidara and Konan attacked Lin Qing while Itachi Uchiha watched and decided Sasuke would have a better chance of surviving if Lin Qing died.
• Itachi Uchiha struck Lin Qing with Amaterasu, and Lin Qing severed his burning arm to stop the flames from spreading.
• Itachi Uchiha used Tsukuyomi to distract Lin Qing while Konan and Deidara launched a coordinated attack.
• Lin Qing regenerated his arm and drew on Ripple, Natural Energy, the Dragon Snake Treasure Orb, and Orochimaru's knowledge to begin his genetic ascension.
• Konan transformed into paper butterflies, but Star Platinum gathered them and forced her back into human form as Whitesnake resisted Itachi Uchiha's genjutsu.
• Lin Qing summoned Star Platinum and Whitesnake at the same time; Star Platinum seized Konan while Whitesnake prepared to take her DISC.

Deidara suspected Itachi was a spy after Konan was captured, then fled as Lin Qing drove Itachi away. Lin Qing left with Konan, who woke in a forest and discovered she felt compelled to obey him.

• Deidara concluded Itachi had betrayed them, rejected his order to drop his clay bombs, and escaped on his clay bird.
• Itachi failed to summon Susanoo, retreated from Lin Qing by dispersing into crows, and left the battlefield silent.
• Lin Qing kept Konan captive, asked Kabuto Yakushi for tea, and declared that anyone seeking revenge for Orochimaru could challenge him; no one stepped forward.
• Lin Qing carried Konan away from the battlefield, and she later woke beside his campfire in an unfamiliar forest.
• Konan began forming Hand Seals to escape but stopped when an urge compelled her to stay with Lin Qing and obey him.

Lin Qing kept Konan with him, hoping that what she experienced would make her reconsider her path and help him reach Nagato. After upgrading his Stands, he told Konan that their first stop was Konoha, where he planned to rescue someone.

• Lin Qing told Konan that he wanted her to become a bridge between him and Nagato, and explained that he opposed the suffering caused by the world's rules.
• Konan questioned Lin Qing's goals, then ate the rabbit and asked where he planned to take her.
• Lin Qing used 2,000 Soul Shards to upgrade Star Platinum to level four and 400 to upgrade Whitesnake to level two.
• Lin Qing told Konan that he was going to Konoha to rescue someone, and said Konoha's people were the ones who should be afraid.

Lin Qing returned to Konoha by flying through the storm on the Blade of Ruin, bringing the captured Konan with him. As Kakashi escorted them to Jiraiya and Sasuke, Danzo prepared to target Lin Qing after he rescued the boy.

• Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and Might Guy waited at Konoha’s gates under orders to receive and monitor Lin Qing.
• Lin Qing arrived atop the Blade of Ruin, splitting the clouds, while Konan dangled beneath him bound by Purple Vines.
• Lin Qing landed at the gate, gave Konan warm tea, and told Kakashi he had returned to find Jiraiya.
• Kakashi said Jiraiya had stayed beside Sasuke for twelve days and led Lin Qing and Konan through Konoha under guard.
• At the Root base, Danzo told a masked Root shinobi to wait until Lin Qing rescued Sasuke before making a move against him.

Lin Qing removed Sasuke’s Heaven Cursed Seal, and Sasuke briefly displayed an ability that seemed to nullify ninjutsu. After celebrating Sasuke’s recovery with Jiraiya and the others, Lin Qing decided to visit the Uchiha Clan ruins before leaving Konoha.

• Lin Qing extracted Sasuke’s Heaven Cursed Seal and discovered a strange three-Tomoe mark on his forehead.
• Sasuke’s gaze disrupted Jiraiya’s Clone Technique, suggesting he could nullify ninjutsu, but Lin Qing and Konan agreed to keep the ability secret.
• Sasuke woke in Konoha, and Lin Qing joked that the village planned to make him father the next generation of Uchiha before handing him clothes.
• Jiraiya hosted Lin Qing, Sasuke, Kakashi, Asuma, Might Guy, and Kurenai Yuhi at an izakaya to celebrate Sasuke’s recovery and Lin Qing’s return.
• Lin Qing thanked Kakashi for taking responsibility during the night of the massacre, then said he wanted to visit the Uchiha Clan ruins as rain began to fall.

Lin Qing explained that killing individual enemies could not change the world’s underlying rules, then confronted Danzo in the Uchiha Ruins. Danzo offered to help Lin Qing become Hokage, leaving Lin Qing facing an irresistible-sounding bargain.

• Sasuke said he wanted to kill Danzo and Itachi with his own hands, and told Lin Qing that killing Danzo would not accomplish much.
• Lin Qing concluded that killing people and changing events could not alter the worldline while the world’s rules remained unchanged.
• Lin Qing struck open the doors of a pavilion with raindrops, revealing Danzo waiting inside.
• Danzo invited Lin Qing to return to Konoha and serve the village, despite being accused of masterminding the Uchiha massacre.
• Danzo revealed his Sharingan and promised to help Lin Qing climb to the top and become Hokage.

Danzo tried to recruit Lin Qing to help him take control of Konoha and unify the Ninja World, using Kotoamatsukami to influence his decision. Lin Qing resisted the genjutsu and attacked Danzo, who escaped and summoned nearly a hundred Root members to kill him.

• Danzo offered to make Lin Qing the next Hokage and proposed that they work together to unify the Ninja World.
• Danzo used Shisui's Kotoamatsukami to push Lin Qing toward accepting, while Konan considered the appeal of his plan.
• Lin Qing pretended to accept, then used a Ripple-charged toothpick to pierce the eye casting the genjutsu.
• Whitesnake pinned Danzo and pulled two discs from him, but Danzo and the discs vanished as Danzo reappeared nearby.
• Lin Qing explained how he had recognized Kotoamatsukami and why he rejected Danzo's vision of unifying the world.
• Danzo unwrapped his right arm as nearly a hundred Root members emerged and attacked Lin Qing with kunai and shuriken.

Danzo trapped Lin Qing and his companions inside a barrier and unleashed a massive combination ninjutsu designed to kill him. As the Fire Dragon Storm closed in and escape failed, Lin Qing raised a hand and stopped the storm along with the rain.

• Lin Qing used Star Platinum to repel Danzo's Root shinobi and send several of them crashing to the ground.
• Danzo sealed the Uchiha Ruins behind a barrier, while Root shinobi prevented Kakashi, Might Guy, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma from leaving for help.
• Danzo's shinobi combined wind, fire, earth, and water techniques into a huge Super Fire Dragon Storm aimed at Lin Qing, Konan, and Sasuke.
• Konan tried to escape with Sasuke, and Kakashi charged toward Lin Qing, but the storm's heat and wind stopped them.
• Sasuke reassured Konan that Lin Qing was invincible, and Lin Qing raised his hand as the rain and Fire Dragon Storm stopped.