Chapter Summaries

Lin Mu healed and sheltered Naruto Uzumaki, then gathered medicinal herbs while saving gold coins toward a Wood Release technique. In the forest, Orochimaru confronted him through a giant python and asked whether his Wood Release power came from the stolen hashirama cells.

• Lin Mu used his chakra to heal Naruto Uzumaki and gave him an intermediate Military Ration Pill before covering him with trees for shelter.
• Lin Mu decided he wanted Tsunade to teach him Medical Ninjutsu and continued completing herb-gathering missions to earn gold coins.
• Lin Mu sensed and collected Cloud Blue Grass, bringing his gold coin balance to a little over nine thousand.
• Lin Mu heard what he thought was a snake and prepared to fight, but Orochimaru's voice came from the forest.
• A giant python confronted Lin Mu, and Orochimaru accused him of stealing hashirama cells and asked whether they gave him his Wood Release power.

Lin Mu rejected Orochimaru’s demand for help and killed the giant snake clone that confronted him. Orochimaru recognized Lin Mu’s Wood Release body as a prize and resolved to take it for himself.

• Orochimaru guessed that Lin Mu was a Senju descendant whose dormant Wood Release had awakened after absorbing Hashirama cells, then demanded that he come alone the next afternoon to perform a task.
• Lin Mu pretended to be intimidated and agreeable, then insulted Orochimaru and struck the giant snake clone with an armored fist.
• Lin Mu followed up with a wooden spear that pierced the clone’s head and killed it.
• Orochimaru felt the clone’s death, grew furious, then decided Lin Mu’s Wood Release body would be perfect for his own use.
• Lin Mu realized Orochimaru had supplied the Hashirama cells that activated his system and understood that Orochimaru wanted to take his body.

Lin Mu hurried back to Town after realizing Orochimaru wanted his Wood Release body, while Tsunade struggled to choose between helping Orochimaru resurrect Nawaki and Dan Katō or protecting Konoha. After Lin Mu found Naruto Uzumaki unconscious from training, Tsunade examined him, and Shizune begged her not to leave the next day.

• Lin Mu feared Orochimaru would seize his body and sprinted back toward Town to stay near Jiraiya or Tsunade.
• Naruto Uzumaki woke feeling unusually strong, credited Lin Mu’s healing, and repeatedly failed while practicing a chakra sphere until he collapsed.
• Tsunade watched Naruto train and weighed Orochimaru’s offer to resurrect Nawaki and Dan Katō against the threat to Konoha and the village’s request that she become Fifth Hokage.
• Orochimaru told Kabuto Yakushi that Tsunade would accept their deal, and Kabuto learned that their meeting was set for the next day.
• Lin Mu found Naruto unconscious, carried him back to the inn, and brought Tsunade to examine him.
• Tsunade diagnosed Naruto with extreme exhaustion and a badly burned right hand, while Shizune pleaded with her not to go the next day.

Tsunade struggled with Orochimaru’s offer to resurrect her loved ones, and Lin Mu urged her to follow her heart while accepting the consequences. The next morning, Lin Mu returned to the inn with a weakened Jiraiya as Shizune and Naruto Uzumaki woke.

• Shizune confronted Tsunade and threatened to stop her from healing Orochimaru, so Tsunade knocked her unconscious.
• Tsunade asked Lin Mu what he would choose if saving loved ones meant destroying Konoha, and Lin Mu told her to follow her heart and accept the consequences.
• Tsunade left after asking Lin Mu to put Shizune on the bed, and Lin Mu resumed refining his chakra.
• Orochimaru sent Kabuto Yakushi to kill Shizune before she could interfere with the negotiations.
• Naruto Uzumaki woke early thanks to his recovery ability, and Lin Mu entered carrying breakfast and a weakened Jiraiya.

Jiraiya recovered enough to travel with Lin Mu and Naruto Uzumaki as Shizune led them to explain her meeting with Orochimaru. Tsunade rejected Orochimaru’s offer to resurrect Nawaki and Dan, and their failed negotiation erupted into a fight.

• Jiraiya drank water after Tsunade drugged him, but found he could still use only about thirty percent of his strength.
• Jiraiya sensed someone watching, then followed Shizune with Lin Mu and Naruto Uzumaki as she hurried to explain her dealings with Orochimaru.
• Tsunade agreed to heal Orochimaru’s arms if he left Konohagakure, but Kabuto Yakushi interrupted them with a kunai after detecting killing intent in her chakra.
• Tsunade admitted she longed to see Nawaki and Dan again but refused to betray their dream of protecting everyone.
• Orochimaru ended the negotiations and challenged Tsunade, who attacked with Monster Strength as he and Kabuto Yakushi dodged.

Tsunade attacked Orochimaru and Kabuto, forcing them to flee while she pursued them. When Lin Mu reached the battlefield, he triggered a special mission to thwart Orochimaru's plot and save Tsunade, but the mission's generous rewards hinted at grave danger.

• Tsunade's attacks destroyed the street and a wall, but Orochimaru and Kabuto dodged her blows.
• Orochimaru and Kabuto fled, and Orochimaru learned that Jiraiya was with Tsunade's group.
• Shizune and the others rushed toward the battle after hearing the crashes, and Lin Mu arrived at the scene.
• Lin Mu triggered the special mission to thwart Orochimaru's plot and save Tsunade and reviewed its rewards.
• Lin Mu considered the power the Wood Release Senjutsu fragment and Deep Forest Emergence could give him, then saw the technique cost 50,000 Gold Coins.

Lin Mu discovered that Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence cost 50,000 gold coins and focused on the Medical Ninjutsu mastery reward. Meanwhile, Kabuto Yakushi used Chakra Scalpel to cripple Tsunade, but she struck his neck and left him with his movements disrupted.

• Lin Mu checked the exchange price for Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence and realized he could not afford it, then considered the Medical Ninjutsu mastery reward.
• Naruto Uzumaki asked where Tsunade and the others had gone, and Jiraiya followed the trail left by Tsunade's destruction.
• Tsunade and Kabuto Yakushi fought across a cratered field while Orochimaru watched for an opportunity.
• Kabuto Yakushi used Chakra Scalpel to sever Tsunade's muscles and impair her breathing, then attacked her until she fell.
• Tsunade struck Kabuto Yakushi's neck while he adjusted his glasses, and Kabuto realized his movements were disrupted when his foot moved instead of his hand.

Tsunade fought Kabuto Yakushi while recovering from her injuries, but Lin Mu and Jiraiya arrived just as Kabuto exploited Tsunade’s fear of blood. The chapter ended with Kabuto knocking Tsunade into Shizune’s arms and regaining control of the fight.

• Tsunade disrupted Kabuto Yakushi’s nervous system with chakra and struck him, then healed her own injuries while Kabuto adapted to his altered movements.
• Kabuto regained control, drew a kunai, and lunged at Tsunade, but Lin Mu blocked him with a wooden wall and cut his arm with a wooden blade.
• Jiraiya arrived with Naruto Uzumaki, and Orochimaru recognized his old teammate as the Konoha Sannin reunited on opposing sides.
• Tsunade attacked Kabuto again, forcing him back against a rock while he struggled to dodge her blows and keep control of his body.
• Kabuto reopened the wound on his arm and splattered blood over Tsunade, triggering her fear and leaving her unable to fight.
• Kabuto struck Tsunade and sent her flying into Shizune’s arms.

Kabuto revealed himself as an Otogakure spy and taunted Naruto, prompting Lin Mu to defend his friend and fight him. Lin Mu recovered from Kabuto’s wound, and Naruto promised to remember him when he became Hokage.

• Kabuto admitted he was an Otogakure spy and mocked Naruto for lacking talent compared with Sasuke.
• Lin Mu stepped in to defend Naruto and attacked Kabuto with a Wood Style greatsword.
• Kabuto dodged Lin Mu’s attacks and pierced his abdomen with a Chakra Scalpel, but Lin Mu’s healing restored him.
• Lin Mu whispered a taunt to Kabuto before returning to Jiraiya and reassuring Naruto that he was fine.
• Lin Mu joked that Naruto should remember him as Hokage, and Naruto promised he would.

Lin Mu exposed Kabuto Yakushi’s deepest trauma, but Kabuto recovered and prepared to fight alongside Orochimaru. Jiraiya summoned Gamakichi despite being weakened, and Naruto then attempted a summoning of his own as the battle grew more desperate.

• Lin Mu reminded Kabuto Yakushi that he had killed Nonō, causing Kabuto to freeze as his painful memories resurfaced.
• Kabuto took a Blood-Building Pill, and Orochimaru removed the bandages from his left hand to reveal blackened arms.
• Jiraiya assigned Shizune and Lin Mu to face Kabuto and prepared to fight Orochimaru, while ordering Naruto to protect Tsunade.
• Jiraiya summoned Gamakichi, but his weakened chakra control left the tiny toad facing Orochimaru’s enormous Two-Headed Python.
• Naruto summoned a cloud of smoke, and Orochimaru and Kabuto realized that Jiraiya had apparently undone Naruto’s Five Elements Seal.

Lin Mu drew Orochimaru’s giant snake away while Jiraiya fought Orochimaru and Shizune and Naruto faced Kabuto Yakushi. The battle turned against Jiraiya’s side, leaving Shizune and Naruto down and Tsunade paralyzed by her fear of blood as Kabuto attacked her.

• Lin Mu charged at the summoned beasts and drew the two-headed giant snake away from the others.
• Jiraiya engaged Orochimaru, while Shizune and Naruto fought Kabuto Yakushi.
• Lin Mu struck the giant snake, injured it, and fled toward a forest with the snake in pursuit.
• Orochimaru attacked Jiraiya, whose suppressed chakra prevented Needle Jizo from fully protecting him.
• Kabuto Yakushi defeated Shizune and injured Naruto, then approached Tsunade and began beating her as she trembled in fear of blood.

Lin Mu fought Orochimaru’s two-headed giant snake in the forest, using Wood Release techniques to restrain and wound it before summoning a wooden dragon. He rode the dragon into battle and bought five Intermediate Chakra Pills, hoping the fight would help him break through to the middle Jonin stage.

• Lin Mu lured the two-headed giant snake deeper into the forest and used Great Forest Technique to bind it with branches.
• Lin Mu created dozens of Wood Clones, which hurled wooden spears into the snake and wounded it.
• The snake swept its tail through the forest, injuring Lin Mu and destroying more than half his Wood Clones.
• Lin Mu spent nearly all his chakra to summon a wooden dragon and rode it toward the snake.
• Lin Mu bought five Intermediate Chakra Pills and hoped the battle would push him to the middle Jonin stage.

Lin Mu replenished his chakra and unleashed a giant Wood Release punch against the Two-Headed Giant Snake, breaking through to mid-level jonin as they clashed. He absorbed a Senju Hashirama fragment and awakened Wood Release Senjutsu, gaining enhanced power as the battle continued.

• Lin Mu swallowed five Intermediate Chakra Pills, restored his chakra, and used Wood Release: Explosive Spear Tree to attack the Two-Headed Giant Snake.
• Lin Mu's Wood Dragon engaged one of the snake's heads while he spun up a massive punch against the other.
• Lin Mu forced his way past his limits, broke through the barrier to mid-level jonin, and gained access to new fragments and abilities.
• Lin Mu purchased and absorbed a Senju Hashirama Template Fragment, reaching 40% template progress and learning Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence.
• Lin Mu used two Wood Release Senjutsu Fragments, awakened senjutsu markings, and found he could use Wood Release ninjutsu without hand seals.

Lin Mu defeated the Two-Headed Giant Snake with Wood Release Senjutsu, then lost consciousness as the Wood Dragon protected him. Elsewhere, Naruto stood up for Tsunade but Kabuto injured his leg and challenged him to live up to his bold words.

• Lin Mu struck the Two-Headed Giant Snake with Sage Art: Wood Style: Explosive Spear Tree and collapsed after the blow sent it crashing into a crater.
• The Wood Dragon, strengthened by nature energy, snapped the snake's neck and then returned to wood around Lin Mu to protect him.
• Orochimaru mocked Jiraiya for defending Naruto, while Jiraiya argued that perseverance and protecting others defined a ninja.
• Naruto took Kabuto's punch while protecting Tsunade, then tried to hit Kabuto with a Rasengan.
• Kabuto cut Naruto's leg with a Chakra Scalpel, dispersed his Rasengan, and taunted him about his promise to become Hokage.

Naruto fought Kabuto to protect Tsunade and prove he would become Hokage, ultimately defeating him with the Rasengan. Though Kabuto’s attack left Naruto’s heart stopped, Naruto revived long enough to claim that he had won their bet, and Tsunade began healing him.

• Kabuto taunted Naruto and kicked him, but Naruto stood back up, declaring that he kept his word because someone believed in him and was waiting for him to become Hokage.
• Naruto used a shadow clone to form a Rasengan and struck Kabuto, blasting him through a boulder.
• Kabuto revealed that he had healed himself before the Rasengan hit, but the attack’s damage overwhelmed his recovery and he collapsed again.
• Tsunade said she had severed the chakra pathways around Naruto’s heart, leaving him beyond saving, and tried to revive him as she wept.
• Naruto’s heart started beating again as he grasped Tsunade’s necklace and said he had won the bet, and Tsunade began healing his injured hand.

Orochimaru attacked Tsunade while she protected Naruto Uzumaki, and she endured his wounds while declaring her resolve to become Hokage. Just as Orochimaru moved to kill her, Lin Mu appeared behind him and threatened his heart with a blade, greeting him after months apart.

• Orochimaru tricked Jiraiya, knocked him into the ground, and lunged at Tsunade and Naruto Uzumaki.
• Tsunade took Orochimaru's sword through her chest to shield Naruto Uzumaki and vowed to protect him.
• Tsunade recalled the people who had protected Konoha and declared that becoming Hokage was her dream.
• Orochimaru repeatedly wounded Tsunade, but she remained over Naruto Uzumaki as he prepared to kill her.
• Lin Mu appeared behind Orochimaru, pressed a blade to his heart, and said he had missed him.

Lin Mu arrived in time to save Tsunade and Naruto Uzumaki from Orochimaru, then used pills from the System Shop to treat them. He challenged Orochimaru and was wounded in their sword fight, but his Wood Style Body rapidly healed him.

• Orochimaru recognized that Lin Mu's Wood Style Body had grown stronger and learned that Lin Mu had killed his summoned snake.
• Lin Mu helped the critically wounded Tsunade, then gave her and the unconscious Naruto Uzumaki healing pills from the System Shop.
• Lin Mu confronted Orochimaru, who tried to recruit him as a disciple, but Lin Mu refused and attacked him.
• Orochimaru exploited flaws in Lin Mu's swordsmanship and pierced his chest with a blade from his mouth.
• Lin Mu's Wood Style Body rapidly healed the wound, and Orochimaru recognized the Mystical Palm Technique.

Lin Mu awakened Senjutsu while Orochimaru crushed him, then used the surge in power to break free and unleash a devastating chakra attack. The blast engulfed Orochimaru as he felt his life fading.

• Lin Mu wounded Orochimaru’s shoulder with a wooden scythe, but Orochimaru wrapped around him and stabbed through his shoulder.
• Orochimaru tightened his coils until Lin Mu’s bones broke, demanding that the Wood Style Body reveal its potential.
• Lin Mu drew in natural energy and manifested sage markings, greatly increasing his strength and chakra.
• Lin Mu broke free, gathered chakra and Senjutsu energy into a sphere in his palm, and blasted Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru screamed as the attack engulfed him and his life force rapidly ebbed away.

Lin Mu’s Rasengan and senjutsu stunned Jiraiya and Orochimaru, but Orochimaru survived by shedding his damaged body. Tsunade overcame her fear of blood, revealed the Strength of a Hundred Seal, and healed her injuries with Creation Rebirth before the fighters prepared to summon their creatures.

• Lin Mu’s Rasengan left Orochimaru and Jiraiya shocked, and Jiraiya sensed that Lin Mu had also learned senjutsu.
• Orochimaru shed his damaged body and emerged unharmed, then advanced on Lin Mu.
• Tsunade struck Orochimaru, revealed the Strength of a Hundred Seal, and declared herself Konohagakure’s Fifth Hokage.
• Tsunade used Creation Rebirth to regenerate her wounds, while Shizune and Lin Mu worried that the technique shortened her lifespan.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kabuto Yakushi performed the Summoning Technique at the same time.

Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade summoned Gamabunta, Manda, and Katsuyu as they prepared to settle their old feud. Lin Mu retreated from the coming fight and wondered whether he could learn the Summoning Technique and contract with a creature from another world.

• Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade summoned their giant beasts, and Gamabunta remarked on the gathering of familiar faces.
• Jiraiya declared that he would defeat Orochimaru, while Manda demanded a hundred living sacrifices and insulted Kabuto Yakushi.
• Tsunade ordered Katsuyu to take a boy to Shizune after healing herself with the Strength of a Hundred Technique.
• Lin Mu withdrew from the battle and considered the different bonds between the three summoners and their beasts.
• Lin Mu wondered whether he could master the Summoning Technique and form a contract with a creature from another world.