Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru recruited Shiraha, Uchiha Chiho, and Hyuga Hideto as disciples and brought Shiraha to a secret laboratory to work with First Hokage Cells. Shiraha tested the cells and discovered they could transform his skin into wood, leaving him eager to find more active samples.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Orochimaru to monitor Danzo and secretly continue the Wood Release research using First Hokage Cells.
• Orochimaru accepted Shiraha as a disciple alongside Uchiha Chiho and Hyuga Hideto, while Shiraha's Healing Jutsu Scroll fame spread and a 20-million-ryo bounty appeared on him.
• Orochimaru took Shiraha to a hidden laboratory outside Konoha and gave him First Hokage Cells and instructions for using the barrier.
• Shiraha examined the cells and found that contact with them hardened and turned his fingertip green like wood.
• Shiraha concluded the First Hokage Cells had low activity and began considering how to obtain samples with higher activity.

Shiraha and Orochimaru successfully transplanted cells from the white creature into a test subject, achieving the first stage of Limb Regeneration technology despite a success rate below five percent. Shiraha also developed a more effective Deep Blue Potion and neared advancement to Third-Class Apprentice.

• Shiraha and Orochimaru confirmed that a test subject's transplanted arm had fused without rejection and could function normally.
• Orochimaru credited Shiraha with the breakthrough, and the surviving test subject returned to his cell after choosing to remain in the laboratory.
• Shiraha recalled that he and Orochimaru had spent nearly a year using cells from the white creature to develop the limb-regeneration procedure.
• Shiraha had accidentally discovered that the creature's tissue could grow into a tree, whose powdered trunk produced a potent Deep Blue Potion.
• Shiraha checked his attributes and found his Mental Power at 5.71, close to the requirement of 6 for Third-Class Apprentice advancement.

Orochimaru agreed to secretly continue the Wood Release Experiment for Danzo in exchange for prisoners and access to forbidden techniques. Meanwhile, Shiraha advanced to Third-Class Apprentice, gained the innate spell Super Brain Deduction, and discovered new paths in the Book of the Ancient Warlock.

• Orochimaru met Danzo at Root headquarters, where Danzo revealed that Hiruzen had ordered the Wood Release Experiment to end.
• Danzo offered Orochimaru experimental subjects and access to forbidden techniques if he secretly continued the experiment and gave Root priority access to its results, and Orochimaru agreed.
• Shiraha focused on training while Orochimaru frequently left the laboratory, then completed the thirty-six Will runes and advanced to Third-Class Apprentice.
• Shiraha gained the innate spell Super Brain Deduction, which used all stored information in his brain to analyze and deduce possibilities.
• The Book of the Ancient Warlock revealed the terms Bloodline Warlock and Spirit Summoning Warlock, leaving Shiraha surprised by the unfamiliar paths.

Shiraha learned that Spirit Summoning Warlocks could fuse powerful bloodlines and potentially surpass their limits, and his abilities detected a powerful bloodline within him. After finding a Second-Level bloodline in the Little White Serpent, he decided to pursue Ryūchi Cave’s Summoning Contract and began a deduction to develop his advancement plan.

• Shiraha read that Spirit Summoning Warlocks could fuse bloodlines to break ordinary Warlocks’ limits, but stronger bloodlines made advancement more dangerous.
• Shiraha used the Eye of Truth and Super Brain Deduction, which detected a possible Super Radiation Creature bloodline in his body and offered to optimize his advancement plan.
• Shiraha considered gathering bloodlines from the Tailed Beasts or the leaders of the Three Great Sage Lands, but recognized that both paths would be difficult.
• Shiraha tested the Little White Serpent’s blood and learned it carried a Second-Level bloodline with similarities to the Komodo Serpent and Red King Serpent.
• Shiraha decided to seek Ryūchi Cave’s Summoning Contract through his relationship with Orochimaru and started the deduction.

Shiraha helped Nawaki adapt to his prosthetic legs by teaching him Sunagakure’s Puppet Secret Technique, and Nawaki invited friends to celebrate Orochimaru’s birthday. At the gathering, Shiraha realized Minato Namikaze might become the Fourth Hokage and resolved to protect Kushina.

• Shiraha explained that Nawaki could use the Puppet Secret Technique to control his prosthetic legs, and Nawaki thanked him for the gift.
• Nawaki invited Shiraha to celebrate Orochimaru’s birthday, and Shiraha promised that he would eventually give Nawaki real legs.
• Nawaki and Shiraha brought Orochimaru to a birthday meal, where Hatake Sakumo and Kakashi joined them.
• Tsunade, Kushina, Jiraiya, and Minato Namikaze attended the gathering, and Shiraha noticed Minato watching Kushina.
• Shiraha recognized Minato as a likely future Fourth Hokage and vowed to protect Kushina and grow strong enough to fulfill her ambitions.

Shiraha spent the evening bathing with his companions, then asked Orochimaru for living samples of powerful snakes so he could study their cells. Orochimaru agreed to take him to Ryūchi Cave the next day, warning him that some snakes there could be dangerous.

• At the hot spring, Jiraiya and Minato were astonished by Shiraha’s physique, and Jiraiya encouraged Minato to pursue Kushina.
• The men overheard Kushina and Tsunade talking through the thin bamboo wall, and Shiraha warned them that they could be heard.
• Jiraiya claimed he was leaving to request drinks, while Nawaki, Orochimaru, and Shiraha suspected he planned to peek; Sakumo told Kakashi not to grow up like Jiraiya.
• After the bath, Kushina, Tsunade, and Nawaki went one way, while Shiraha walked with Orochimaru toward the village outskirts.
• Shiraha asked Orochimaru for living samples of powerful snakes and mentioned that he had learned the Summoning Technique.
• Orochimaru agreed to bring Shiraha to Ryūchi Cave the next day, advised him to prepare gifts for the snakes, and offered help if he ran into trouble.

Shiraha signed the Ryūchi Cave contract and summoned Verta, a powerful snake who agreed to be his friend after he offered her food. Later, Konoha formed an alliance with Kumogakure, though the chapter noted that such agreements could prove fragile.

• Shiraha cooked a meal at Orochimaru’s residence, and Orochimaru asked him to wash the dishes before they went to Training Ground 10.
• Orochimaru showed Shiraha the Ryūchi Cave contract scroll, and Shiraha signed it with his blood and fingerprints.
• Shiraha summoned Verta, apologized for landing on her head, and offered her raw and roasted Thunder Bull legs.
• Verta agreed to be Shiraha’s friend and left after confirming that she did not eat people.
• Orochimaru was surprised that Shiraha had gained Verta’s cooperation so easily, and the two left the training ground.
• Kumogakure sent a Diplomatic Mission to Konoha, and the villages formally formed an alliance.

Three Kumogakure envoys kidnapped Kushina to take her back to their village, while Konoha’s Anbu tracked them and informed Hiruzen. Hiruzen ordered a rescue only after they reached the border, then spotted Minato in his Crystal Ball.

• The three Kumogakure envoys agreed to capture Kushina and set out to take her to their village.
• Kushina was caught by the three ninjas, and Kurama planned to help her break free by lending her Chakra.
• Yataka followed the kidnappers while another Anbu went to notify Hiruzen.
• Hiruzen learned Kushina had been kidnapped, ordered reinforcements to support Yataka, and told them to wait until the group reached the border.
• Hiruzen watched the kidnappers through his Crystal Ball and noticed Minato in the image.

Sarutobi Hiruzen used Kushina’s abduction to give Minato Namikaze a chance to rescue her and build her trust, while Kushina escaped with Kurama’s help and defeated her captors herself. On the way back to Konoha, she realized the Third Hokage may have deliberately put her in danger, and Kurama was silenced by Mito’s chains.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered an Anbu Ninja to lead Minato Namikaze toward Kushina, hoping to strengthen Minato’s standing while maintaining political balance.
• Kurama’s Chakra and the loosened Adamantine Sealing Chains let him restore his strength and warn Kushina about approaching ambushes.
• Kushina broke free, killed one Kumogakure Ninja, and subdued the other two with her Breathing Technique and Shadow Clones.
• Minato arrived and returned Kushina’s hair after she thanked him and asked him to prevent Shiraha from misunderstanding.
• Kurama suggested the Third Hokage had arranged for Minato to rescue Kushina, leading her to recognize the possible manipulation and understand Shiraha’s advice to think for herself.
• Mito tightened her Golden Chains around Kurama and gagged him as he continued scolding Kushina.

After Kushina returned to Konoha with two captured Kumogakure Ninja, Sarutobi Hiruzen apologized and approved her request to remove the Anbu protecting her. Kushina left determined to become stronger, while her teasing conversation with Kurama brought them closer as friends.

• Kushina and Minato Namikaze returned to Konoha with two Kumogakure Ninja, and Anbu Ninja took the captives away.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen questioned Kushina about using Kurama's Chakra, and she said Grandma Mito's Chakra had awakened her sensory abilities.
• Kushina asked Sarutobi Hiruzen to withdraw the Anbu protecting her, and he agreed while also approving her future assignment to Orochimaru's Team.
• Kushina told Kurama she wanted to become strong enough to control her fate and protect the people she loved.
• Kushina tried to give Kurama the nickname Big Orange, then cheerfully asked him to take care of her as they continued home.

Shiraha learned that Kushina had been kidnapped by Kumogakure ninja and supported her decision to leave Konoha and rebuild the Land of Whirlpools. He promised to help her and began planning for her future strength, leaving them committed to a difficult road ahead.

• Shiraha returned home and found Kushina waiting for him, then learned she had escaped Kumogakure ninja with Kurama's help and captured two of them.
• Shiraha and Kushina concluded that Konoha's failure to protect her may have been deliberate, and Kushina said she wanted to return to the Land of Whirlpools.
• Kushina declared that she wanted to rebuild her homeland, and Shiraha agreed to help despite the obstacles ahead.
• Shiraha told Kushina she would need to become stronger than everyone in Konoha if she wanted to leave with Kurama, and Kushina vowed to train.
• After examining Kushina, Shiraha advised her to focus on Sealing Jutsu and Nine-Tails Chakra while he prepared a perfect Crimson Dragon Calamity breakthrough for her.

Minato Namikaze received permission to choose a jutsu from the Book of Seals as a reward, while Danzo discovered that the Wood Release Experiment’s test subject had survived and began considering how to use him. Shiraha set out for a mission with Orochimaru’s team, which gained Kushina as a new member.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen praised Minato for helping Kushina and granted him permission to choose one ninjutsu from the Book of Seals.
• Orochimaru’s Wood Release experiment appeared to kill its young test subject, but the boy began breathing again, and Danzo secretly planned to raise him as a loyal subordinate.
• Shiraha received Orochimaru’s summons, fed the Little White Serpent medicine, and went to Training Ground 10.
• Orochimaru told Shiraha, Chiho, and Hideto that a new member would join their team, and Kushina arrived.

Kushina joined Orochimaru’s team, and the group traveled toward Hozuki Castle on a prison-escort mission. Along the way, Shiraha considered using the Land of Rice Fields as a stepping stone toward rebuilding the Land of Whirlpools.

• Kushina introduced herself to Shiraha, Uchiha Chiho, and Hyuga Hideto as the team’s new member.
• The team camped near the northern border of the Land of Fire, where Chiho shared roasted rabbit with everyone and Kushina’s burnt rabbit became a joke.
• Kushina accepted Chiho’s food and enjoyed it, while Shiraha reflected on his feelings for Kushina and his hesitation about love amid his pursuit of immortality.
• Three days later, the group reached the capital of the Land of Rice Fields, where its Daimyo warmly received them before they continued toward Kusagakure to escort prisoners to Hozuki Castle.
• Shiraha considered the Land of Rice Fields as a possible base for planning the rebuilding of the Land of Whirlpools.

Shiraha and his companions found Kushina’s Uzumaki childhood friends, Sora and Naomi, suffering in Kusagakure and arranged to resettle them in the Land of Rice Fields rather than Konoha. As the group set out with Mui, he warned them about Kakuzu, a fugitive bounty hunter believed to be operating nearby.

• Mui welcomed Shiraha’s group to Kusagakure and recognized Shiraha’s large Black Market bounty.
• Kushina recognized Sora and Naomi being whipped by a Kusagakure ninja, and Shiraha restrained the attacker before Mui calmed the crowd.
• Kushina asked to take Sora and Naomi with them, and Mui agreed to release the Uzumaki survivors to Konoha’s care.
• Sora and Naomi refused to go to Konoha, so Shiraha proposed taking them to the Land of Rice Fields, and Orochimaru agreed to arrange their resettlement.
• Orochimaru refused to let Kushina travel separately, and the group decided to go together to the Land of Rice Fields before continuing to Hozuki Castle.
• Mui warned the group that Kakuzu had escaped from Hozuki Castle and offered a Rank A reward for his capture; Shiraha wondered whether Kakuzu would target his bounty.

Shiraha and his companions encountered Kakuzu, who had come to collect a bounty on Orochimaru, and the two began fighting. Kakuzu’s attacks destroyed Orochimaru’s Rashomon, leaving the others to face the emerging threat.

• Shiraha escorted Sora and Naomi to the Land of Rice Fields, where the Daimyo welcomed them, then continued north with his group.
• Shiraha planned to establish a secret base in the Land of Rice Fields and train surviving Uzumaki Clan members.
• Hyuga Hideto spotted a powerful shinobi approaching, and Kakuzu announced he had come for Orochimaru’s thirty-million-ryō bounty.
• Kakuzu claimed he had fought the First Hokage, and Shiraha’s taunts enraged him as he recalled his failed assassination mission and escape from Takigakure.
• Orochimaru attacked Kakuzu with Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, but Kakuzu’s Earth Spear hardened his body and his Fire Style forced Orochimaru to summon Rashomon.
• Kakuzu struck Rashomon until it vanished, while Hideto warned that two more enemies had appeared.

Orochimaru and his allies fought Kakuzu, who ambushed Shiraha and Kushina before Verta swallowed them and returned to Ryūchi Cave. Kakuzu escaped after Manda arrived, and Orochimaru took Chiho and Hideto to Ryūchi Cave to check on Shiraha and Kushina.

• Kakuzu and two Earth Grudge Fear creatures attacked Orochimaru with combined wind and fire ninjutsu, but Orochimaru countered with Earth Flow Rampart and drew his Kusanagi Sword.
• Orochimaru fought Kakuzu and the masked creatures, noticing that the masks were their weak points as Kakuzu sent his detached fists underground to ambush Shiraha.
• Kushina blocked Kakuzu's attack on Shiraha, and Shiraha summoned Verta, who swallowed Shiraha and Kushina before disappearing with them to Ryūchi Cave.
• Orochimaru summoned Manda, who destroyed one of Kakuzu's masked creatures, forcing Kakuzu to regroup and flee.
• Orochimaru asked Manda to take him to Ryūchi Cave and brought Chiho and Hideto along to check on Shiraha and Kushina.

Verta brought Shiraha and Kushina to Ryūchi Cave instead of helping them fight Kakuzu, then led them through the cave’s trials. Shiraha passed the first trials and hurried into the White Snake Sage’s temple after learning Kushina had entered.

• Verta brought Shiraha and Kushina to Ryūchi Cave and explained that she would protect them but not fight for them.
• Verta guided Shiraha and Kushina to Ryūchi Cave’s palace, where Tagorihime welcomed them and presented a deceptive feast.
• Shiraha used Antimagic Field to reveal the rotten food and graveyard illusion, passing Tagorihime’s first trial.
• Shiraha passed Tatsuhime’s trial by using Supernatural Charm to stop her transformation and learned that Kushina had entered the temple.
• Shiraha ran into the temple to find Kushina and meet the White Snake Sage.

Shiraha and Kushina reached the White Snake Sage after passing Ryūchi Cave’s trial and received rewards. Shiraha obtained a White Snake Sage scale and permission to enter and leave Ryūchi Cave freely, then he and Kushina were sent back to the temple gates.

• Shiraha questioned Kushina about her desire illusion, and she accidentally admitted that he alone had appeared in it.
• Shiraha and Kushina traveled through the temple cave and met the White Snake Sage, who offered them a reward for passing the trial.
• The White Snake Sage tempted Shiraha with Sage Arts training, but Shiraha declined and requested one of its scales for his snake Cell Transplantation research.
• Kushina refused a reward of her own and asked that it be given to Shiraha, who requested permission to enter and leave Ryūchi Cave freely.
• The White Snake Sage granted Shiraha’s requests and sent him and Kushina to the temple gates, where Tatsuhime stood nearby.

After leaving Ryūchi Cave, Shiraha spent the next year cultivating and studying the White Snake Sage’s and First Hokage’s bloodlines to prepare for advancing as a warlock. His experiments produced a promising but risky fusion plan, and he began a lengthy deduction to improve it.

• Tatsuhime gave Shiraha Ryūchi Cave’s Reverse Summoning Scroll, then sent him, Kushina, Orochimaru, Chiho, and Hideto back to the Shinobi World.
• Orochimaru abandoned the mission and returned to Konoha, while Kushina decided to focus on mastering Kurama’s power instead of joining Shiraha’s missions.
• By June of Year 40, Shiraha had cultivated the White Phosphorus Serpent and Divine Tree bloodlines, but his calculations showed that fusing them still carried a high risk of failure.
• Shiraha drew blood from the Little White Serpent and began testing a mixture of its bloodline with the White Snake Sage’s bloodline.
• Shiraha started deductions to optimize two bloodline-fusion plans and reviewed the requirements he still needed to meet before advancing to First-Level Spirit Summoning Warlock.

Yagami Shiraha taught his first medical fundamentals class and brought Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito to celebrate Kakashi’s early graduation. At the izakaya, Shiraha gave Kakashi and Hatake Sakumo Mystical Palm Technique Scrolls, while Orochimaru and Sakumo discussed village politics and the Shinobi World.

• Yagami Shiraha introduced himself to the Medical Training Class, quieted Uchiha Obito, and began teaching medical fundamentals.
• After class, Nohara Rin asked Shiraha about Kakashi, and Shiraha invited her and Obito to Kakashi’s graduation celebration.
• At the izakaya, Rin and Obito gave Kakashi gifts, and Shiraha offered him a Mystical Palm Technique Scroll.
• Kakashi passed his scroll to Hatake Sakumo, so Shiraha gave Sakumo a second scroll and asked him to accept it.
• Shiraha drank with Orochimaru and Hatake Sakumo, who began discussing Konoha politics and the Shinobi World.