Chapter Summaries

Jiraiya learned that Tsunade was in Tanzaku Town and set out with Lin Mu and Naruto Uzumaki to find her. Tsunade’s improbable winning streak made her fear trouble, while Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi approached the town hoping to persuade her to heal Orochimaru’s hands.

• Jiraiya questioned tavern patrons and learned Tsunade had gone to Tanzaku Town after losing her money.
• Jiraiya, Lin Mu, and Naruto Uzumaki set out for Tanzaku Town the next morning.
• Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi watched Tanzaku Town from a nearby mountain, and Orochimaru said Tsunade might restore his hands.
• Tsunade repeatedly hit jackpots at a Tanzaku Town arcade, alarming Shizune and the other gamblers.
• Tsunade feared her unusual luck was a bad omen and hurried to leave town with Shizune.
• Kabuto Yakushi praised Tsunade’s medical innovations, while Orochimaru attributed them to the sacrifices of war.

Naruto Uzumaki completed the second stage of his Rasengan training, injuring himself when the chakra burst through the rubber ball, and Lin Mu healed him. Jiraiya then led Naruto and Lin Mu toward Tsunade and began teaching Naruto the third stage with a balloon.

• Naruto Uzumaki concentrated chakra into the rubber ball until it burst, blasting him across the ground and leaving his palms severely injured.
• Lin Mu stopped Naruto's fall and used his Wood Release chakra to heal him while Jiraiya praised his perseverance.
• Naruto recovered and learned that he had completed the second stage of training, but Jiraiya postponed the third stage so they could travel to find Tsunade.
• Naruto grew frustrated about pausing his training, so Jiraiya gave him a balloon and said he could practice the third stage on the way.
• Jiraiya demonstrated chakra forming a perfect sphere in his palm, while Lin Mu recognized that the balloon exercise would teach Naruto to control the Rasengan.

Jiraiya taught Naruto Uzumaki the third stage of Rasengan training, explaining how to compress and stabilize chakra to increase its destructive power. Naruto began practicing as they traveled to find Tsunade, while Lin Mu considered applying the training principles to his own techniques.

• Jiraiya explained that the third stage required maximizing chakra rotation and power, then compressing it inside a stable membrane.
• Naruto Uzumaki and Lin Mu recognized that the training concentrated chakra to raise its power, and Jiraiya praised Lin Mu's understanding.
• Jiraiya demonstrated how a third-stage Rasengan punched through a tree, while a second-stage one only left spiral cracks.
• Naruto Uzumaki tried the third stage, but his balloon burst after a few seconds, and Jiraiya told him to keep practicing on the road.
• Jiraiya and Naruto Uzumaki headed off to find Tsunade, while Lin Mu followed and thought about using the chakra principles in his own training.

Lin Mu followed Jiraiya and Naruto Uzumaki while they traveled to find Tsunade. In Tanzaku Town, Orochimaru asked Tsunade to heal his arms, revealed that he had killed the Third Hokage, and provoked her by recalling the deaths of her loved ones; Kabuto Yakushi blocked Shizune’s attack.

• Lin Mu hurried after Jiraiya and Naruto Uzumaki, hoping to learn from Jiraiya and meet Tsunade.
• Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi confronted Tsunade in Tanzaku Town after Orochimaru’s summoned snake flattened a building.
• Tsunade refused to treat Orochimaru, but Kabuto Yakushi insisted that only she could heal his arms.
• Orochimaru told Tsunade that he had sustained his injuries while killing the Third Hokage, shocking her and Shizune.
• Orochimaru taunted Tsunade about the deaths of the two people she loved most, and Shizune fired steel needles at him.
• Kabuto Yakushi intercepted the steel needles with a specially made blade.

Tsunade stopped her attack on Orochimaru after he promised to use his Forbidden Technique to revive her loved ones. Meanwhile, Jiraiya, Naruto Uzumaki, and Lin Mu reached Tanzaku Town and searched for her, where Lin Mu challenged a gambler for information.

• Shizune attacked Kabuto Yakushi, but Tsunade stopped her and warned Orochimaru and Kabuto to leave.
• Kabuto Yakushi pleaded with Tsunade to heal Orochimaru's arms and offered her a deal, but Tsunade began counting down before attacking Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru promised to revive Tsunade's beloved little brother and the man she loved with his Forbidden Technique, freezing her attack and leaving her silent.
• Jiraiya, Naruto Uzumaki, and Lin Mu arrived in Tanzaku Town and learned from a gambler that Tsunade had gone elsewhere to win back her losses.
• Lin Mu accepted the gambler's dice challenge, raising the stakes to 3,000 ryo and 5,000 ryo, but the gambler dismissed him as a child.

Lin Mu used his Wood Release ability to read the dice and won 3,000 ryo from a middle-aged gambler, along with information about Tsunade. The gambler persuaded him to play again, and after Lin Mu shook the dice, the gambler guessed "cho," but the result was not revealed.

• Lin Mu asked Jiraiya to let him bet against the middle-aged gambler, then used his affinity for wood to sense the dice beneath the cup.
• Lin Mu guessed "han" correctly, winning 3,000 ryo and information about Tsunade.
• The middle-aged gambler paid Lin Mu, then offered a second bet of 5,000 ryo, which Lin Mu accepted with Jiraiya's approval.
• Lin Mu shook the dice and set down the cup, and the middle-aged gambler guessed "cho," confident that he could identify the result by sound.

Lin Mu used Wood Release to win a rigged dice game, earning Jiraiya’s admiration as they celebrated their winnings. After Jiraiya refused to repay Naruto, Lin Mu led him to a lottery booth, where Naruto won enough to fill his wallet.

• Lin Mu secretly flipped a die with Wood Release, beat the middle-aged gambler, and left with Jiraiya and Naruto.
• Jiraiya praised Lin Mu’s talent, maturity, and ruthlessness, imagining that he might become another Senju Hashirama.
• Jiraiya refused Naruto’s demand to repay the money he had spent gathering intelligence.
• Lin Mu pointed Naruto toward a lottery booth, where Naruto bought a ticket and won a large prize.

Jiraiya searched Tanzaku Town for Tsunade while Orochimaru offered to revive Nawaki and Dan Katō in exchange for healing his arms, admitting he planned to destroy Konoha afterward. The chapter left Tsunade torn by the offer and Jiraiya realizing that Orochimaru was likely nearby and also seeking her.

• Jiraiya led Lin Mu and Naruto Uzumaki toward a tower to search Tanzaku Town from a high vantage point.
• Orochimaru offered to revive Nawaki and Dan Katō if Tsunade healed his arms, then confessed that he intended to destroy Konoha.
• Shizune urged Tsunade to reject Orochimaru, but Tsunade struggled with her longing to see Nawaki and Dan again.
• Kabuto Yakushi gave Tsunade a week to decide and said the Forbidden Technique required two living sacrifices.
• When Shizune drew a knife, Orochimaru revealed that he knew Tsunade's weakness, and the sight of his blood made her tremble.
• Jiraiya, Naruto, and Lin Mu found the castle reduced to rubble, and a fleeing man said a giant snake had destroyed it; Jiraiya suspected Orochimaru was searching for Tsunade.

Jiraiya, Naruto Uzumaki, and Lin Mu found Tsunade drinking in Tanzaku Town after searching for her. Tsunade struggled with Orochimaru’s offer to revive Nawaki and Dan Katō, and the chapter ended as Jiraiya raised Orochimaru’s name with her.

• Jiraiya hurried Naruto Uzumaki and Lin Mu away from the ruins to continue searching for Tsunade.
• Tsunade drank in a tavern and wrestled with whether to heal Orochimaru, knowing the price would be Konoha’s destruction.
• Shizune tried to stop Tsunade from ordering another bottle, but Tsunade brushed her off.
• Jiraiya brought Naruto Uzumaki and Lin Mu into the tavern, where they found Tsunade with Shizune.
• Naruto Uzumaki questioned Tsunade’s apparent age, and Jiraiya asked her about Orochimaru.

Jiraiya told Tsunade that the village wanted her to become the Fifth Hokage, but she refused. He then showed her Lin Mu’s chakra, leaving Tsunade stunned by its unusually pure Wood Release.

• Jiraiya asked Tsunade what Orochimaru had wanted, but Tsunade said he had only come to say hello.
• Jiraiya told Tsunade that the village wanted her to become the Fifth Hokage, and she refused to return to Konoha.
• Naruto Uzumaki learned that Orochimaru, one of the Konoha Sannin, had killed the Third Hokage and angrily questioned Jiraiya and Tsunade.
• Jiraiya introduced Lin Mu and asked him to show Tsunade his chakra.
• Tsunade saw Lin Mu’s pure Wood Release chakra and was astonished, while Jiraiya laughed at her reaction.

Jiraiya explained that Lin Mu’s Wood Release suggested he was a Senju descendant, and Tsunade felt an unmistakable bond of blood with him. She still refused to become the Fifth Hokage, while Jiraiya argued that she was the best candidate and Naruto protested.

• Jiraiya told Tsunade that Lin Mu had awakened Wood Release and might be a direct Senju descendant.
• Tsunade touched Lin Mu’s Wood Release chakra, recognized its vitality, and wondered whether he belonged to the Senju Clan.
• Tsunade said she did not know Lin Mu’s background but felt they were related by blood and declared him a member of the Senju Clan.
• Tsunade refused Jiraiya’s request to become the Fifth Hokage, prompting Naruto to protest that they had come to ask her to treat Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei.
• Jiraiya defended Tsunade as the most qualified Hokage candidate and said she would be able to treat Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei once she returned to Konoha.
• Tsunade teased Naruto by comparing him unfavorably with Jiraiya’s former student, and Jiraiya praised the Fourth Hokage’s talent and charm.

Tsunade voiced her bitterness toward the Hokage and the people she had lost, provoking Naruto as he defended Konoha's leaders. Naruto broke free of Jiraiya and challenged Tsunade to a fight.

• Tsunade mocked Minato's sacrifice and said her grandfather and the Second Hokage had died for the village without achieving peace.
• Jiraiya confronted Tsunade about how much she had changed, while Lin Mu felt a deep connection to her through his Senju blood.
• Tsunade criticized Sarutobi and called the Hokage garbage, saying only an idiot would want the position.
• Lin Mu restrained Naruto at first, but Naruto slammed the table and shouted at Tsunade for insulting the Third and Fourth Hokage.
• Naruto broke free of Jiraiya, stood on the table, and threatened to beat Tsunade to a pulp.

Tsunade challenged Naruto Uzumaki and defeated him with a single finger, then decided to test Lin Mu. Lin Mu accepted her challenge, defending Naruto and praising Jiraiya's students and the Fourth Hokage.

• Tsunade provoked Naruto Uzumaki into a duel and said she would fight him with one finger.
• Naruto Uzumaki charged Tsunade with shuriken and a kunai, but she dodged the shuriken, disarmed him, knocked off his forehead protector, and flicked him several meters away.
• Tsunade noticed Lin Mu's reaction and challenged him after learning Naruto Uzumaki was his companion.
• Naruto Uzumaki looked to Lin Mu for support, and Lin Mu stood up and accepted Tsunade's challenge.
• Lin Mu defended Naruto Uzumaki, praised Jiraiya's students, and called the Fourth Hokage a hero.

Lin Mu fought Tsunade under her one-finger handicap, using Wood Style attacks and clones to challenge her. Tsunade saw through his wooden clone, and the seven Lin Mus began coordinating their next attack.

• Jiraiya encouraged Lin Mu to fight Tsunade at full effort, while Tsunade agreed to use only one finger.
• Lin Mu attacked Tsunade with Wood Style: Great Forest Technique, but she dodged the vines and tore through those that caught her.
• Lin Mu threw a wooden spear at Tsunade, who dodged it and hurled it back, piercing a wooden clone instead of Lin Mu.
• Naruto Uzumaki mistook the destroyed clone for Lin Mu and rushed to catch it before realizing it was wood.
• Tsunade identified the trick as Lin Mu revealed seven Wood Style clones, and four charged her while the other three kept their distance.

Lin Mu used coordinated clones, wooden blades, and a massive Wood Style punch to challenge Tsunade, but she ultimately shattered his attack and sent him flying. After conceding defeat, Lin Mu slyly implied that Tsunade had failed to beat him with one finger, and she walked over and stomped on him.

• Lin Mu's clones formed wooden blades and attacked Tsunade while three others launched spears at her.
• Tsunade unleashed her chakra, knocking the nearby clones and spears aside without moving a finger.
• Lin Mu gathered his chakra into Wood Style: Explosive Spear Tree and struck Tsunade with a gigantic punch.
• Tsunade met the punch with one finger, but as Lin Mu's strength grew, she withdrew it and shattered his arm with a punch of her own.
• Lin Mu admitted defeat while hinting that Tsunade had not beaten him with one finger, and Tsunade walked over and stomped on him.

Lin Mu survived Tsunade’s test, while Naruto Uzumaki challenged her after she insulted his dream of becoming Hokage. Tsunade stopped Naruto’s Rasengan by cracking the ground beneath him, and Lin Mu used Wood Style to pull the exhausted boy from the fissure.

• Tsunade revealed that she knew Lin Mu was pretending to be hurt, then admitted she had lost their bet because she used her fist instead of one finger.
• Tsunade called the Hokage an idiot, prompting Naruto Uzumaki to stand up and declare that becoming Hokage was his dream.
• Naruto Uzumaki remembered he could not defeat Tsunade through strength alone and attacked her with the Rasengan.
• Tsunade jabbed the ground with one finger, splitting the pavement and making Naruto lose his footing and disperse the Rasengan.
• Lin Mu grew vines to lift Naruto out of the fissure, and Naruto dropped to his knees, gasping with fear.

Naruto Uzumaki challenged Tsunade to a wager, promising to master the Rasengan within a week in exchange for her treasured pendant. Later, Shizune came to explain Tsunade’s actions, but Naruto’s insult made her lose her temper.

• Tsunade questioned whether Jiraiya had taught Naruto the Rasengan and dismissed Naruto’s dream of becoming Hokage.
• Naruto vowed to master the Rasengan, and Tsunade bet her pendant that he could do it within a week.
• Jiraiya explained the pendant’s value, while Tsunade took Naruto’s wallet and wagered that she would claim all his money if he failed.
• Shizune worried about the one-week deadline Orochimaru and Kabuto had given them.
• Late that night, Shizune visited Naruto to explain Tsunade’s necklace, but Naruto called Tsunade an old granny and Shizune exploded in anger.

Shizune explained that Tsunade had changed after losing her dreams, love, and hope, while Tsunade remembered the deaths of her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Dan Katō. The memories showed how those losses shaped her efforts to improve battlefield medicine and left her afraid of blood.

• Shizune told Naruto Uzumaki that Tsunade's pendant was precious to her and that everyone else who had worn it had died.
• Tsunade remembered giving Nawaki the pendant for his twelfth birthday and hearing his dream of becoming Hokage.
• After Nawaki died from a lack of timely treatment, Tsunade proposed including medical ninja in squads and developing medical training and facilities, but Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi rejected the proposal.
• Tsunade met Dan Katō while arguing for better medical care, and they grew close because they shared a desire to protect the village and become Hokage.
• Tsunade gave Dan Katō her treasured necklace, but she could not save him with her Medical Ninjutsu, and his death made her fear blood.

Tsunade wrestled with her grief and her meeting with Orochimaru as Jiraiya warned that he would kill her if she betrayed Konoha. Meanwhile, Lin Mu remained stuck at the peak of Lower Jonin while Naruto Uzumaki trained relentlessly to master the Rasengan.

• Tsunade drank in a tavern, and Jiraiya joined her and teased her about her bet with Naruto Uzumaki.
• Jiraiya warned Tsunade not to rush into Orochimaru's offer and threatened to kill her if she betrayed Konoha.
• Tsunade said Naruto Uzumaki reminded her of Nawaki and Dan Katō, then wondered whether Nawaki might have survived with Lin Mu's cautious personality.
• Jiraiya concluded that Lin Mu's maturity and intelligence would have helped him survive the battlefield.
• Lin Mu trained beneath a tree but could not break through the peak of Lower Jonin, while Naruto Uzumaki devoted himself to learning the Rasengan.
• Lin Mu watched Naruto Uzumaki train and started walking toward him.

As Naruto Uzumaki trains relentlessly on the Rasengan, Lin Mu reflects on the difference between natural talent and strength earned through hard work. He sees himself as a hardworking genius who will reach the pinnacle of the Ninja World through training and dangerous battles rather than gambling on his system’s lottery.

• Lin Mu watches Naruto Uzumaki exhaust himself practicing the Rasengan and recognizes his extraordinary perseverance.
• Lin Mu compares Naruto Uzumaki’s hard work with the natural gifts of Sasuke Uchiha and other kekkei genkai users.
• Lin Mu reflects on his own Wood Release talent and the desperate battles and effort that built most of his strength.
• Lin Mu explains that he has avoided the Naruto Template System’s lottery for nearly two months because buying ninjutsu is more reliable.
• Lin Mu resolves to keep training and risking his life, confident that he will eventually stand at the pinnacle of the Ninja World.