Chapter Summaries

Lin Mu broke Tayuya’s genjutsu and used senjutsu with the Eight Gates Released Formation to overpower her and Jirobo. Jirobo fled after their clash, intending to report Lin Mu’s strength to Orochimaru.

• Lin Mu resisted Tayuya’s genjutsu while pretending to remain incapacitated, then activated senjutsu and the Eight Gates Released Formation as she approached.
• Lin Mu seized Tayuya and struck her back, leaving her grievously injured on the ground.
• Jirobo activated his Cursed Seal and charged Lin Mu so the others could escape.
• Lin Mu’s senjutsu-infused Leaf Steel Strength Whirlwind overpowered Jirobo’s Arhat Fist: Rock Strike and injured him.
• Jirobo used the momentum to flee, deciding to report Lin Mu’s strength to Orochimaru.

Lin Mu avoided pursuing the Sound Ninja, then discovered Ukon had used the Parasitic Demon Destruction Technique to infiltrate his body. He turned the shared pain against Sakon and Ukon until they released the jutsu, then left to continue training.

• Lin Mu let the four fleeing Sound Ninja escape because he wanted Sasuke to leave Konoha and gain strength through Orochimaru.
• Kakashi Hatake arrived, heard Lin Mu dismiss the attackers as small-time thugs, and warned him to be careful before leaving.
• After escaping Konoha with Tayuya, Kidomaru worried about Jirobo while Ukon revealed he had secretly parasitized Lin Mu with the Parasitic Demon Destruction Technique.
• Lin Mu realized injuries were shared through the technique and repeatedly slashed himself, relying on his Unhealable ability to recover as Sakon and Ukon suffered the wounds.
• Sakon urged Ukon to cancel the jutsu, and Ukon released it before collapsing; Lin Mu expelled the remaining cells and left.

The Sound Four recovered from Lin Mu's brutal attack and discussed Orochimaru's plan to use their assault on Sasuke to push him toward seeking power. That evening, they confronted Sasuke outside his home, and Sasuke began fighting Sakon.

• Ukon and Jirobo praised Lin Mu's pain tolerance, while Lin Mu returned home to practice Senjutsu.
• Kabuto Yakushi questioned why Orochimaru had sent all four Sound Four members after Sasuke, and Orochimaru said he wanted Sasuke to seek power from him.
• The injured Sound Four decided to attack Sasuke that night before further trouble arose.
• Sasuke challenged the Sound Four when they confronted him beneath a tree outside his home.
• Sasuke evaded their opening attacks, used wires to bind Sakon's limbs, and prepared to punch him.

Sakon, Kidomaru, and Jirobo overwhelmed Sasuke, then urged him to join them and follow Orochimaru for greater power. Sasuke was left kneeling before Sakon as Sakon demanded an answer and threatened to kill him.

• Sakon used strange musical notes to injure Sasuke from within, and Sasuke sensed another attack approaching.
• Kidomaru caught Sasuke in a web and flung him into Jirobo, who struck him hard and sent him toward Sakon.
• Sasuke counterattacked with the Lion Combo, but Sakon caught him and emerged unharmed.
• Sakon and Tayuya urged Sasuke to leave Konoha and join Orochimaru, threatening to take him by force if he refused.
• Sakon slammed Sasuke into the ground and demanded his answer, warning that he might kill him if he kept delaying.

The Sound Four explained the Cursed Seal’s risks to Sasuke Uchiha and urged him to leave Konoha for greater power. Their words stirred Sasuke’s hatred of Itachi Uchiha, leaving him focused on gaining strength for revenge.

• Sasuke Uchiha activated his Cursed Seal and charged the Sound Four, but Sakon struck him down and warned that the seal could consume him.
• Sakon and Jirobo explained that Sasuke had only reached the seal’s first stage and could not yet control its power.
• The Sound Four discussed the unknown Konoha genius who had defeated them, and they feared Orochimaru might have sent them to capture him if he knew about him.
• Tayuya and Sakon reminded Sasuke of his hatred for Itachi Uchiha and urged him to abandon Konoha and seek greater power.
• After the Sound Four vanished, Sasuke remembered Itachi’s overwhelming strength and resolved to gain the power needed for revenge.

Tsunade appointed Lin Mu a special jōnin and recruited him into the Anbu, where he requested to work alone. After Lin Mu left the Hokage Office, Sakura confronted Sasuke as he appeared to be leaving Konoha, and her words about revenge made him stop.

• Tsunade summoned Lin Mu, confirmed that he had driven off the Sound Four, and appointed him a special jōnin for his Medical Ninjutsu skills.
• Tsunade asked Lin Mu to join the Anbu, and he agreed while considering its protection against Shimura Danzō and Root.
• Lin Mu asked to serve in the Anbu alone, and Tsunade approved his request and told him to report for duty the next day.
• After Lin Mu left, Tsunade reflected on his hidden abilities and wondered how strong he could become.
• Sakura confronted Sasuke as he walked along the only road out of the village, and she pleaded with him not to believe revenge would make anyone happy.
• Sasuke stopped walking after Sakura spoke.

Tsunade assigned Shikamaru to lead a squad of Genin to retrieve Sasuke, who had left for Otogakure. She also sent Lin Mu alone as an Anbu, and he set out aware that the Sound Four and Kimimaro could make the mission dangerous.

• Tsunade told Shikamaru that Sasuke had left the village and ordered him to gather capable Genin and bring Sasuke back.
• Shikamaru tried to recruit Lin Mu, but Lin Mu hurried into the Hokage Building after Tsunade summoned him.
• Tsunade gave Lin Mu an Anbu mask and ordered him to act alone to retrieve Sasuke.
• Lin Mu left the Hokage Office worried about facing the Sound Four and Kimimaro.

Lin Mu set out from Konoha to pursue Sasuke, while Shikamaru organized a Genin team to follow and rescue him. The Sound Four revealed that Orochimaru had given them a special task, leaving Sasuke wary and surrounded.

• Lin Mu stored his iron blocks, strapped Samehada to his back, put on the demon mask Tsunade had given him, and headed out of Konoha after Sasuke.
• Shikamaru gathered Neji, Choji, Kiba, and Naruto at Konoha's gates and assigned them positions in a single-file formation for the pursuit.
• Shikamaru warned the team to follow his orders carefully, and they set off toward Sasuke.
• The Sound Four surrounded Sasuke outside Konoha's territory, and Sakon told him Orochimaru had ordered them to carry out an important task.

The Sound Four sealed Sasuke in a barrel after he took the Mind Awakening Pill, then fought Konoha jonin Genma and Raidō when they tried to stop them. Shizune found her gravely injured teammates and struggled to save them before a masked Anbu appeared.

• Sakon, Tayuya, Kidomaru, and Jirobo persuaded Sasuke to take the Mind Awakening Pill and sealed him inside a barrel to contain its effects.
• Genma and Raidō confronted the Sound Four, who activated their Cursed Seals and fought them in the forest.
• Shizune arrived at the devastated battlefield and found Genma and Raidō severely injured.
• Shizune used Medical Ninjutsu on her teammates, but her chakra began to run low.
• A black-clad Anbu wearing a Demon Mask and carrying a huge blade appeared before Shizune.