Chapter Summaries

Lin Qing used Catch the Rainbow to defeat Danzo and questioned him about the Uchiha Clan massacre. Danzo admitted he ordered it, then Lin Qing killed him and left with Sasuke and Konan as Sarutobi Hiruzen challenged him.

• Lin Qing used the rain to stop the Fire Dragon Storm and then attacked the Root shinobi, sparing them while pursuing Danzo.
• Danzo repeatedly used Izanagi to escape Lin Qing's attacks, but his Root subordinates could not keep the rain from reaching him.
• After Danzo's final Sharingan closed, Lin Qing confronted him, and Jiraiya and Sarutobi Hiruzen arrived as others urged Lin Qing not to kill him.
• Lin Qing asked whether Danzo had ordered Itachi Uchiha to kill the Uchiha Clan, and Danzo admitted that he had, claiming he acted for peace.
• Lin Qing left with Sasuke and Konan after Danzo died, while Sarutobi Hiruzen warned him that he could not simply walk away after killing a member of the Konoha High Command.

Lin Qing killed Danzo, then confronted Sarutobi Hiruzen, who felt obliged to stop him as Hokage. Lin Qing spared the people present and left after demonstrating his power, while Konan reflected on Hiruzen’s hesitation and reconsidered Lin Qing.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen acknowledged Danzo’s crimes but prepared to fight Lin Qing because Danzo had been a Konoha leader.
• Lin Qing immobilized Jiraiya and the others with rain as Sarutobi Hiruzen and Might Guy prepared to battle him.
• Lin Qing asked whether Sarutobi Hiruzen had chosen a successor, returned the Hokage robe to him, and said Konoha had both darkness and people worth protecting.
• Lin Qing summoned a destructive storm that pulverized the Uchiha Ruins while carefully avoiding everyone, then left after calling it his explanation to Sarutobi Hiruzen.
• Asuma told Kurenai Yuhi that he wanted to drink with Lin Qing again, while Kurenai questioned whether Lin Qing was truly their enemy.
• After the rain cleared, Konan told Sasuke that Sarutobi Hiruzen was too slow to act and wondered whether Lin Qing was different.

Lin Qing returned to his followers and asked them to join him on a dangerous path to build Hope Village, then led them back to the Land of Water to support Mei Terumi’s plan against Yagura. The chapter ended with Pain confronting Itachi Uchiha at the Akatsuki base about the meaning of “spy.”

• Lin Qing, Sasuke, and Konan arrived at the border town, where Xiaotao reunited with Sasuke and Mayuri and Amber welcomed Lin Qing.
• Lin Qing told the gathered followers that his plan to build a village could cost them their lives, but offered them the chance to stay behind as ordinary civilians.
• Amber and the others chose to follow Lin Qing, who announced that they would return to the Land of Water.
• Lin Qing explained that Mei Terumi had asked him to help overthrow Yagura, which could give her faction the power to grant him land for Hope Village.
• Hayato Kamihara agreed to help Lin Qing after hearing that his cause would continue even if Lin Qing died, and the group set out for the Land of Water.
• At the Akatsuki base, Pain asked Itachi Uchiha to explain what “spy” meant.

Pain suspected Itachi Uchiha of betraying the Akatsuki, but Obito intervened and offered to retrieve Konan from Lin Qing. Meanwhile, Lin Qing reached the Land of Water with Konan and his team, then traveled to Snowfall Village to collect swords for Sasuke and Xiaotao.

• Deidara accused Itachi Uchiha of helping Lin Qing capture Konan, and Pain threatened to kill Itachi as a spy.
• Obito appeared, vouched for Itachi Uchiha, and offered to kill Lin Qing and rescue Konan; Pain insisted on going with him.
• Lin Qing landed in the Land of Water with Sasuke, Xiaotao, Mayuri, and captive Konan, while Hayato Kamihara and Amber stayed at sea.
• Lin Qing decided to detour to Snowfall Village to collect the swords he had commissioned for Sasuke and Xiaotao.
• The Blade Master welcomed Lin Qing and brought out two wooden cases containing the finished swords.

Sasuke and Xiaotao received custom weapons from Blade Master before Lin Qing’s group reached Kirigakure and discovered its graduation ceremony forced children to kill each other for public entertainment. Lin Qing met Mei Terumi, who led him away as they prepared to act against the village.

• Blade Master gave Xiaotao a weapon that shifted between a staff, whip, and serrated sword, and gave Sasuke an unsharpened katana meant to leave him room to reconsider his choices.
• Lin Qing and his companions traveled to Kirigakure and noticed the contrast between visiting tourists and the village’s resentful, numb locals.
• An Information Boy explained that Kirigakure’s graduation ceremony paired Ninja Academy students in fights where only one child survived, while tourists gambled on the matches.
• Konan was shaken by Kirigakure’s bloody customs, and Lin Qing told her they needed to wake the village up.
• Mei Terumi greeted Lin Qing and led him away after he asked when they would make their move.

Lin Qing and Mei Terumi discussed how Yagura’s policies and the profits they generated had bound Kirigakure’s Loyalist Faction to him. Mei planned to act at the graduation ceremony, and after Lin Qing warned her that the Daimyo and the Akatsuki might intervene, she committed to fighting anyone who stood in the way; Lin Qing then asked for land, people, and a promise in return for his help.

• Mei Terumi explained that Yagura’s policies included intelligence booklets, human trafficking, and Kabukicho, whose profits helped keep his subordinates loyal.
• Mei Terumi said Yagura was under a genjutsu, but Sasuke pointed out that exposing it could provoke the Loyalist Faction before the genjutsu could be broken.
• Mei Terumi revealed her plan to act during the graduation ceremony, when the Daimyo would be present to deter the Loyalist Faction.
• Lin Qing warned that the Daimyo might support the Loyalist Faction and that the Akatsuki’s Masked Man could intervene to protect the genjutsu.
• Mei Terumi declared that she would kill anyone who obstructed Kirigakure’s liberation, and Lin Qing agreed to help after she reaffirmed her resolve.
• Lin Qing asked Mei Terumi for land, people, and a promise as payment.

Lin Qing secured Mei Terumi’s support for land and urged her to become Mizukage, then weighed how to fight Yagura and his forces. After Zabuza tested him at the hot spring, Lin Qing realized he needed 190 more Soul Shards to raise Star Platinum to its maximum and eyed Zabuza as a possible source.

• Lin Qing asked Mei Terumi to become Mizukage after Yagura fell, and she agreed to grant him land but hesitated over the position.
• Konan questioned Lin Qing’s motives for helping Mei Terumi, and he asked whether she wanted the Masked Man to stop the changes in Kirigakure.
• Zabuza confronted Lin Qing in the hot spring, but Lin Qing used Star Platinum to throw Zabuza and Sasuke into the pool.
• Zabuza warned Lin Qing to stay out of Kirigakure’s internal conflict, while Lin Qing considered how to fight Yagura as a Perfect Jinchuriki.
• Lin Qing calculated that he needed 190 more Soul Shards to level Star Platinum and smiled at Zabuza as a potential target.

After Star Platinum reached its maximum level, Lin Qing discovered that it could briefly approach Time Stop but still lacked a catalyst to unlock the ability. As Kirigakure prepared for the graduation ceremony and Water Shadow contest, Lin Qing wondered whether changing the course of the world would unlock a new system draw option, then investigated a possible fight in the mist.

• Konan asked Lin Qing what troubled him, and he demonstrated Star Platinum's brief ability to make the world seem frozen.
• Lin Qing reasoned that changing the course of the world might unlock a catalyst for Star Platinum's Time Stop and a Special Draw option.
• Over the next two days, Kirigakure filled with visitors, gamblers, and people seeking to sabotage favored contestants.
• The Feudal Lord of the Land of Water arrived in Kirigakure, while Aero Smith surveyed the village and mapped the battlefield.
• Aero Smith detected two figures apparently fighting to the death, and Lin Qing followed the signal.

Lin Qing interrupted Chojuro and Ryuna’s farewell duel, saved Ryuna, and set out to confront Gato in Kirigakure. Obito and Pain watched him, then prepared to block Kirigakure’s escape route before carrying out their plan.

• Chojuro overpowered Ryuna in their graduation duel but could not bring himself to kill her, and a Gato subordinate arrived to force the outcome.
• Lin Qing swiftly incapacitated the subordinate, learned from his memories that Gato was in Kirigakure, and killed him.
• Lin Qing healed Ryuna and urged her and Chojuro to go home and keep living, so they left together.
• Lin Qing headed toward Kabukicho to find Gato while sensing that someone was watching him.
• Obito drew the curtains to hide from Lin Qing, and he and Pain decided to cut off Kirigakure’s escape route before acting.

Obito and Pain confronted Hozuki Mangetsu at Elder Genji’s residence, while Lin Qing killed Gato and discovered his plan to distribute drugs throughout the Land of Water. After paying the courtesan Iwao Genyako, Lin Qing learned that people were converging in Kirigakure’s heart and rushed toward them.

• Obito told Pain that Genji had supported people relying on him as a fallback plan, then entered the elder’s courtyard with Pain.
• Hozuki Mangetsu confronted Obito and Pain and raised the alarm.
• Lin Qing killed Gato and took his Memory Disc, learning that Gato and the Feudal Lord of the Land of Water planned to mix addictive drugs into the country’s salt.
• Lin Qing left money for the courtesan, who introduced herself as Iwao Genyako and invited him to visit again.
• Aerosmith detected people converging in Kirigakure’s heart, so Lin Qing caught the falling Blade of Ruin and raced toward them.

Yagura and the Loyalist Faction turned on Mei Terumi’s Reformist Faction, with the Daimyo of the Land of Water openly backing Yagura. Just as Mei’s side faced defeat, Lin Qing and his allies arrived to fight.

• Yagura killed Elder Genji and the Loyalist Faction attacked Mei Terumi, Zabuza, and Ao.
• The Daimyo of the Land of Water ordered his samurai to kill Mei’s group, revealing he had sided with Yagura.
• Yagura launched a Water Release attack as the Loyalists and samurai surrounded the Reformists.
• Lin Qing’s Blade of Ruin cut through Yagura’s attack and knocked the Daimyo from his palanquin.
• Lin Qing, Sasuke, Xiaotao, Mayuri, and Zabuza prepared to fight, and Lin Qing told Mei to remember her promise.

Lin Qing and the Reformist Faction fought Yagura’s Loyalist Faction as Yagura entered Tailed Beast Transformation and attacked Lin Qing. Lin Qing overwhelmed him and forced his Tailed Beast Bomb back into his mouth, but the Masked Man and Pain appeared behind him and launched a surprise attack.

• Lin Qing led the Reformist Faction into battle while Mayuri, Sasuke, and Xiaotao fought the Loyalist Faction shinobi.
• Yagura transformed into Isobu’s crimson Tailed Beast Shroud and charged Lin Qing with claws, a tail strike, and a Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Lin Qing used Star Platinum to batter Yagura’s attack aside and caught the point-blank Tailed Beast Bomb with one hand.
• Lin Qing punched Yagura and shoved the Tailed Beast Bomb back into his mouth, prompting the Reformist Faction to celebrate.
• The Masked Man and Pain appeared behind Lin Qing and attacked him.

Lin Qing fought Obito and Pain as they tried to kill him with a coordinated attack, but Sasuke erased their ninjutsu at the crucial moment. Lin Qing then split Isobu and Yagura in two and turned to face Obito and Pain.

• Lin Qing hurled Yagura at Obito, tested Obito’s intangibility with Aero Smith, and attacked Pain, but Pain’s Shinra Tensei and Asura Path’s missiles drove him back.
• Yagura transformed fully into the Three-Tails, Isobu, while Obito and Pain concluded they had seen all of Lin Qing’s abilities.
• Pain trapped Lin Qing with Banshō Ten’in as Isobu, Asura Path, and Obito prepared a Tailed Beast Bomb, missiles, and Majestic Destroyer Flame.
• Mei Terumi, Zabuza, and Mayuri tried to protect Lin Qing, but Sasuke erased the three incoming ninjutsu for an instant.
• Lin Qing used the opening to slash through Isobu’s shell and kill Yagura, then faced Obito and Pain.

Lin Qing fought Obito and Pain after killing Yagura, condemning Obito’s justification for Kirigakure’s atrocities and pressing his attack. Pain activated Planetary Devastation, leaving Lin Qing caught by its sphere.

• Lin Qing sensed the spirits of Kirigakure’s wrongfully dead and vowed to kill Obito and Pain.
• Obito blamed Kirigakure for Rin’s death, but Lin Qing called him a petty nobody and attacked him.
• Lin Qing used Star Platinum and Aero Smith to counter Pain’s Shinra Tensei and strike at the Paths of Pain.
• Whitesnake tried to steal Pain’s discs, but Asura Path’s flames drove it away before Aero Smith blasted Asura Path and Deva Path.
• Star Platinum kept Obito under relentless attack, forcing him to maintain his intangibility as its time limit ran down.
• Pain emerged from underground, attached a black sphere to Lin Qing’s chest, and activated Planetary Devastation.

Lin Qing escaped Obito’s Planetary Devastation and, with Sasuke’s Ninjutsu Nullification and Star Platinum’s time stop, nearly killed Obito, who fled using Izanagi. After Lin Qing challenged Pain’s reasoning, Pain began to leave with Konan, but Konan chose to stay.

• Obito trapped Lin Qing inside Planetary Devastation while Sasuke fought the Asura Path, and Kirigakure’s defenders lost hope.
• Sasuke revealed he had saved his Ninjutsu Nullification for Obito as Lin Qing punched his way out of the stone sphere.
• Sasuke’s nullification and Star Platinum’s time stop overlapped, letting Lin Qing strike Obito, but Obito escaped with Izanagi and Space-Time Ninjutsu.
• Pain restored the Asura Path and explained that he believed suffering could bring happiness to a small handful of people.
• Lin Qing questioned Pain’s belief and lifted his command over Konan, who then refused to leave with Pain.

Lin Qing exposed the Feudal Lord of the Land of Water’s plan with Gato to addict and poison the country through its salt, then killed him despite his samurai’s loyalty. Pain left Konan behind for ten days, and the chapter ended with Lin Qing telling Pain that the people’s relief was “the happiness brought by pain.”

• Konan told Pain she wanted to stay with Lin Qing for a few more days, and Pain agreed to return for her in ten days.
• The Feudal Lord of the Land of Water ordered Pain to finish off the rebels, but Lin Qing stopped him and kicked over his palanquin.
• Lin Qing projected memories showing the Feudal Lord and Gato plotting to mix the addictive D-drug into salt and poison the country’s population.
• The samurai chose to defend the Feudal Lord despite seeing the evidence, so Lin Qing used Star Platinum to strike them down.
• Lin Qing asked whether the Feudal Lord had an heir, then beheaded him as Kirigakure watched.
• Lin Qing told Pain that the people’s relief at the Feudal Lord’s death was “the happiness brought by pain.”

After Lin Qing and his allies defeated Yagura and the Daimyo, Mei Terumi became Mizukage and began rebuilding Kirigakure. Lin Qing revealed his final condition for helping her, then asked her to reconsider who their enemy was.

• The surviving samurai either committed seppuku, fled, or took the Daimyo's head away after Lin Qing allowed him to do so.
• Mei Terumi embraced Lin Qing as survivors across the village celebrated the end of the Bloody Mist, while Pain left hoping they would not become enemies.
• The shinobi rescued survivors from the ruins, and Lin Qing rested at a hot spring inn instead of joining the reconstruction effort.
• A week later, Mei Terumi visited Lin Qing as the new Mizukage, invited his group to a victory banquet, and asked for his third reward.
• Lin Qing asked Mei Terumi to ensure Kirigakure's shinobi served ordinary people and to maintain friendly ties with other villages, then asked who she thought their enemy was.

Lin Qing explained to Mei Terumi, Konan, Sasuke, and the others that the real enemies were not rival villages but the Daimyo, their officials, the world’s unjust rules, and the possibility that they themselves would be corrupted by those rules. His speech stirred the group and triggered a world deviation, earning him Soul Shards and a Dimensional Ascension Star Core.

• Mei Terumi assessed Konoha, Iwagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Akatsuki, and the new Daimyo as possible threats, but Lin Qing rejected each guess.
• Lin Qing traced the hidden villages’ origins to Hashirama Senju, arguing that he distributed the Tailed Beasts to stabilize the new villages and help ninjas negotiate with the Daimyo.
• Lin Qing explained that Hashirama could not simply overthrow the Daimyo because ninjas lacked governing knowledge, would likely become tyrants themselves, and might worsen the burden on common people.
• Lin Qing said the Daimyo and the officials behind them had undermined Hashirama’s ideal, then identified them, the world’s rules, its underlying problems, and the group’s own potential corruption as their enemies.
• Lin Qing’s words stirred the listeners, triggered a world deviation, and awarded him 1,000 Soul Shards and 1 Dimensional Ascension Star Core.

Lin Qing used the Dimensional Ascension Star Core to begin Star Platinum’s evolution trial, which sent him to fight Dio Brando in Cairo. The chapter ended as Dio stopped time to counter Lin Qing’s Ripple-charged attack.

• Lin Qing examined the costly Special Draw and decided to evolve Star Platinum and Whitesnake before considering it.
• Lin Qing used the Dimensional Ascension Star Core on Star Platinum and received a trial requiring him to defeat Dio Brando alone in Cairo.
• Lin Qing accepted the trial and found himself facing Dio while the real world’s time was stopped.
• Dio’s The World struck Star Platinum, but Lin Qing healed his leg and rushed Dio with Ripple energy.
• Dio recognized the Ripple and shouted, “Za Warudo!” as Lin Qing’s fist approached.

Lin Qing fought Dio during Time Stop and adapted his body to resist Dio’s Vaporization Freezing Technique. After Dio pierced his heart and throat, Lin Qing healed instantly, melted Dio’s fingers, and struck before Dio could stop time again.

• Lin Qing moved for an instant during Dio’s Time Stop and punched him through a building, but Dio blocked the Ripple with ice from his Vaporization Freezing Technique.
• Dio attacked Lin Qing while The World and Star Platinum exchanged blows, freezing Lin Qing’s arms and body to disrupt his Ripple.
• Lin Qing’s body transformed, growing thick white fur and adapting to the cold, then he punched Dio hard enough to injure him despite the ice.
• Dio stopped time, threw daggers, and fired his Space Ripper Stingy Eyes at Lin Qing’s heart and throat.
• Lin Qing’s wounds healed immediately, his touch melted Dio’s fingers, and he grabbed Dio by the neck before Dio could stop time again.