Chapter Summaries

Sen Chisato woke in Orochimaru’s laboratory and continued posing as a grateful test subject while secretly using the corpses from Orochimaru’s experiments to strengthen himself. After burying seven ninjas, his Wood Release Fruit reached 93% maturity, leaving him close to awakening true Wood Release.

• Sen Chisato regained his memories and recognized Orochimaru after waking beside a failed test subject.
• Sen Chisato reassured Orochimaru that he would live longer and asked permission to bury the dead test subjects.
• Sen Chisato loaded the corpses onto a cart, buried them in a forest pit, and received incomplete Wood Release power from the system.
• Sen Chisato recalled choosing to become Orochimaru’s test subject so he could use the corpses for his system.
• Sen Chisato produced a wooden spike from his palm and anticipated awakening true Wood Release after burying a few more people.

Sen Chisato reflected on his partially awakened Wood Release and hoped to reach the battlefield to exploit the war’s corpses for rewards. Back at Orochimaru’s laboratory, he found Shimura Danzō pressuring Orochimaru to hand over the successful test subject, and offered to kill Danzō and his guards.

• Sen Chisato reviewed his status, noting his skills, chakra, and Wood Release Kekkei Genkai were still developing.
• Sen Chisato decided to push Orochimaru to finish the experiments and take him to the battlefield.
• Sen Chisato returned to the laboratory and found Shimura Danzō confronting Orochimaru with two bodyguards.
• Shimura Danzō demanded the survivor of Orochimaru’s Hashirama-cell experiments, but Orochimaru refused because the research was unfinished.
• Sen Chisato offered to kill Shimura Danzō and his guards.

Sen Chisato used Wood Release to protect Orochimaru from Shimura Danzō’s demand, then faked a collapse to keep Danzō from taking him. As Orochimaru continued his experiments to save him, Sen Chisato watched his Wood Release awaken and planned to persuade Orochimaru to take him to the battlefield.

• A Root ninja attacked Sen Chisato, who blocked the strike with a wooden spike and wounded him with Wood Release.
• Sen Chisato stopped attacking when Orochimaru ordered him to, then apologized and claimed he had wanted to protect him.
• Shimura Danzō demanded that Orochimaru hand Sen Chisato over, but Sen Chisato collapsed and appeared to suffer a fatal reaction to the Hashirama Cells.
• After Danzō left, Orochimaru examined Sen Chisato and decided to continue experimenting on others before risking another procedure on him.
• Over the following days, Sen Chisato secretly watched Orochimaru use more test subjects and planned to persuade him to take him to the battlefield.

After surviving Orochimaru’s fourth Wood Release experiment, Sen Chisato secretly buried nine shinobi and gained complete Wood Release, powerful techniques, and Asura Chakra. He hid his new strength from Orochimaru while the old man watching the Shinobi World noticed the unexpected chakra and decided to keep observing.

• Orochimaru’s experiment unexpectedly stabilized Sen Chisato, whose body adapted to the Hashirama Cells, and Sen Chisato woke on the operating table.
• After Orochimaru left, Sen Chisato used his Perception Technique to confirm he was alone, then buried nine corpses in the forest.
• The system rewarded Sen Chisato with complete Wood Release, a ten-card chakra reserve, several Wood Release techniques, Seal-less Healing, and Asura Chakra.
• Sen Chisato decided to conceal his newly gained power and planned to persuade Orochimaru to go to the battlefield.
• An old man between the Shinobi World and the Pure Land sensed Asura’s chakra, questioned its origin, and chose to keep watching.

Sen Chisato persuaded Orochimaru to accept the battlefield assignment, arguing that war would provide experimental subjects and help him escape Shimura Danzō’s influence. Orochimaru was convinced by the prospect of becoming Hokage and gaining greater freedom for his research, while Sen Chisato admitted he also wanted to live longer.

• Sen Chisato returned to Orochimaru’s laboratory and learned that the Third had ordered Orochimaru back to the battlefield.
• Sen Chisato reviewed the mission files and described how Konoha was struggling against Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure, with Kirigakure also threatening to join the war.
• Orochimaru dismissed Sen Chisato’s criticism of Konoha’s leadership and warned him not to discuss such matters with others.
• Sen Chisato urged Orochimaru to go to the battlefield, where Shimura Danzō would be less able to threaten him and experimental subjects would be plentiful.
• Sen Chisato argued that becoming Hokage could let Orochimaru fund his experiments and use Shimura Danzō’s ambition to keep him in check, convincing Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru asked why Sen Chisato was guiding him, and Sen Chisato declared his loyalty while admitting that he wanted to live longer.

Orochimaru accepted a mission to lead Konoha’s forces toward the Land of Wind, but Shimura Danzō tried to stop him and demanded custody of Senri. Orochimaru revealed Senri was his new student, and Sarutobi Hiruzen forbade Danzō from harming him while allowing Orochimaru to seek a cure.

• Sarutobi Hiruzen assigned Orochimaru to command forces in the Land of Wind after Orochimaru accepted a mission.
• Shimura Danzō burst into the Hokage’s office and insisted Orochimaru could not leave the village.
• Orochimaru suggested sending Danzō to the battlefield instead, prompting Danzō to demand that Senri be handed over to him.
• Orochimaru revealed Senri was his new student and explained that the boy was gravely ill and wanted to serve the village before he died.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen ordered Orochimaru to do everything he could to save Senri, while forbidding him from harming Konoha’s comrades.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen forbade Danzō from touching Senri, and Danzō stormed out, warning Hiruzen that he would regret the decision.

Sen Chisato joined Orochimaru’s squad as it set out to reinforce the battlefield in the Land of Wind. After the squad was surrounded by Sand Ninja in the Land of Rivers, Orochimaru ordered everyone to protect the medical ninja and charged at the attackers.

• Sen Chisato sized up the squad and met Maruboshi Kosuke and Sarutobi Hakuba, who promised to protect him, while he promised to take care of their remains if they fell.
• Orochimaru arrived and assigned Hyuga Hihi to lead, Maruboshi Kosuke and Sarutobi Hakuba to guard the flanks, and himself to bring up the rear as they set out for the Land of Wind.
• The squad crossed into the Land of Rivers, where Orochimaru stopped them after sensing a murderous presence in the unnaturally quiet forest.
• Hyuga Hihi used his Byakugan to discover fifty Sand Ninja surrounding the squad, including twelve with chakra reserves suggesting they were Jonin.
• The Sand Ninja attacked with Kunai and Shuriken, and Orochimaru told the squad to protect the medical ninja before charging at the enemy.

Konoha’s scattered defenders were overwhelmed by Sand Ninja while Orochimaru remained occupied elsewhere. Sen Chisato revealed his deadly strength and slaughtered his attackers, but a Sand Ninja suddenly appeared behind him with a descending blade.

• Hyuga Hihi broke through the Sand Ninja encirclement while Sarutobi Hakuba tried to lead the medical ninja and Chunin to safety.
• A Sand Ninja Jonin trapped Sarutobi Hakuba, while another group pinned down Maruboshi Kosuke and left Sen Chisato protecting the medical ninja.
• Sen Chisato killed two attackers by turning an Explosive Tag against them, then cut down the Sand Ninja surrounding him.
• Maruboshi Kosuke warned Sen Chisato as a figure appeared behind him and swung a long blade at him.

Sen Chisato fought off the Sand Ninja with powerful Ninjutsu, while Maruboshi Kosuke risked himself to protect him. After Kosuke saved him from a barrage of Shuriken, Sen Chisato intervened and helped turn the fight against Murakami Nakaju.

• Murakami Nakaju attacked Sen Chisato, but struck a Shadow Clone and was caught off guard by Sen Chisato's enormous Great Fireball Technique.
• Sen Chisato used his swordsmanship to kill several Sand Ninja, but they retreated and launched a barrage of Shuriken at him.
• Maruboshi Kosuke abandoned his mission to protect the medical ninja and shielded Sen Chisato with a Water Formation Wall.
• Murakami Nakaju and the other Sand Ninja attacked Kosuke as the water wall collapsed, but Sen Chisato summoned a massive Water Dragon that swept them away and slammed Nakaju into the ground.
• Kosuke used Dance of the Crescent Moon to create two Shadow Clones and charged Murakami Nakaju, who destroyed the clones but could not find the original.

Maruboshi Kosuke and Sen Chisato survived the fight with the Sand Ninja, and Orochimaru’s arrival forced the remaining enemies to retreat. Sen Chisato stayed behind to collect corpses for study before the group set out again.

• Maruboshi Kosuke killed Murakami Nakaju with Konoha Style: Willow, but a Sunagakure Jonin attacked him until Sen Chisato warned him and helped him escape.
• Hyuga Hihi and Sarutobi Hakuba arrived and found that one medical ninja had died and another had been wounded.
• Sen Chisato promised to protect Maruboshi Kosuke, while Hyuga Hihi recognized Sen Chisato and Maruboshi Kosuke as powerful, reliable comrades.
• Orochimaru returned unharmed after defeating the Sand Ninja assigned to delay him, and Yamon Omori ordered the remaining Sand Ninja to retreat.
• Sen Chisato claimed he had wanted to avenge his comrades, then sealed Orochimaru’s offered corpse in a scroll and hurried into the forest to collect more bodies.

Sen Chisato buried the nine Sand Ninja Orochimaru had killed and gained new ninjutsu and chakra from the system. He tried to claim the remaining bodies for burial, but Sarutobi Hakuba and the others mistook his greed for a profound respect for life.

• Sen Chisato used Wood Release to bury the remains of nine Sand Ninja and conceal evidence of his technique.
• The system rewarded Sen Chisato with several ninjutsu, improved duplicate techniques, and one more card of chakra.
• Sen Chisato returned to find Sarutobi Hakuba and the others handling the remaining bodies, then used Earth Style: Earth Splitter Palm to bury a pile himself.
• Sen Chisato asked the others to leave all body-burying to him and made up a story about finding peace through honoring the dead.
• Sarutobi Hakuba, Hyuga Hihi, and Maruboshi Kosuke praised Sen Chisato's supposed ninja way, and Sen Chisato accepted their interpretation.

Orochimaru arrived at Konoha’s front in the Land of Rivers, took command from Nara Shikaku, and learned that Jiraiya was returning. He assigned Sen Chisato to Sarutobi Hakuba’s patrol squad, then revealed he knew Chisato’s body had recovered.

• Orochimaru led the group to Konoha’s front, where the Sand Ninja retreated after learning he had arrived.
• Nara Shikaku told Orochimaru that Jiraiya had contacted the village and was expected within a few days.
• Orochimaru ordered the forces to hold their position until Jiraiya arrived, and Sen Chisato remarked that Konoha lacked powerful fighters.
• Orochimaru assigned Sen Chisato to Sarutobi Hakuba’s Ninjutsu Corps squad for patrols and watch duty.
• Orochimaru told Sen Chisato that his body had recovered to an ordinary shinobi’s level, startling him.

Sen Chisato joined Sarutobi Hakuba's squad and decided to use the battlefield to build his reputation and protect himself from Orochimaru. After sharing Maruboshi Kosuke's cooking, the squad received orders to search for nearby Sand Ninja and set out.

• Sen Chisato arrived at the ninja unit's camp and joined Sarutobi Hakuba and Hyuga Hihi in their tent.
• Sen Chisato reasoned that Orochimaru had revealed his secret to intimidate him, then decided to earn merit and build a reputation as a Konoha Ninja.
• Maruboshi Kosuke returned with food, and Sen Chisato eagerly ate while learning he would serve in Hakuba's squad.
• A messenger reported Sand Ninja near the camp and ordered Hakuba's squad to search for them and cut them off.
• Sarutobi Hakuba checked the squad's gear, then led Sen Chisato, Hyuga Hihi, and Maruboshi Kosuke out on the mission.

Sarutobi Hakuba’s team tracked seven Sand Ninja hiding beneath a hill and debated whether to wait for reinforcements or attack. Hakuba agreed to Sen Chisato’s plan, and the team prepared a surprise assault to bury the enemy beneath the hill.

• Hyuga Hihi spotted and triggered a chain of traps at the Sand Ninja’s former hiding place, while Sen Chisato deduced that the enemy had lured Konoha Ninja there.
• When Hihi could not find the Sand Ninja’s trail, Sen Chisato sensed chakra across a five-kilometer radius and identified three suspicious locations.
• Hihi confirmed that seven Sand Ninja, including two with Jonin-level chakra, were hiding beneath a nearby hill without sentries.
• Hakuba ordered Sen Chisato to fetch reinforcements, but Sen Chisato urged the team to attack at once, and Maruboshi Kosuke supported him.
• Hakuba agreed to a surprise assault, ordered Kosuke to stay behind and Hihi to prevent anyone from escaping, then sent himself and Sen Chisato to circle around the enemy.

Rukawa Oguri’s Sand Ninja squad was discovered underground and attacked by Sen Chisato, Sarutobi Hakuba, and Maruboshi Kosuke. As the survivors tried to escape, Sen fought Kawatani Mori and Tanijo, whose desperate assault left the battle unresolved.

• Kawatani Mori sensed danger, and Rukawa Oguri’s squad realized their underground hiding place was collapsing.
• Sen Chisato, Sarutobi Hakuba, and Maruboshi Kosuke brought down the hillside, forcing the surviving Sand Ninja out of hiding.
• Rukawa Oguri stayed behind to cover Kawatani Mori and the injured Tanijo as they fled in separate directions from the attackers.
• Kawatani Mori attacked Sen Chisato, but Sen blocked his blade and drove him back with a powerful Fire Style technique.
• Tanijo raised an Earth Wall against Sen’s fireballs, then charged Sen with his Ninja Blade while Mori prepared to attack.

Sen Chisato defeated Kawatani Mori, then faced Rukawa Oguri’s puppet as Sarutobi Hakuba, Maruboshi Kosuke, and Hyuga Hihi joined the fight. Trapped behind his Earth Wall by the puppet’s deadly weapons, Sen Chisato prepared a jutsu just as his allies struck.

• Sen Chisato killed Kawatani Mori after escaping his Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu with a Shadow Clone.
• Rukawa Oguri attacked Sen Chisato with his puppet, and Sen Chisato repelled its first charge with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
• Sarutobi Hakuba, Maruboshi Kosuke, and Hyuga Hihi arrived, prompting Rukawa Oguri to target Sen Chisato as a hostage.
• Hyuga Hihi warned Sen Chisato about the puppet’s poisoned senbon, and Sen Chisato blocked them with Earth Release: Earth Wall.
• Rukawa Oguri sent the puppet’s saws and blades around the wall to attack Sen Chisato, but Sarutobi Hakuba, Maruboshi Kosuke, and Hyuga Hihi launched jutsu at the puppet.

Sen Chisato and his team defeated the Sand Ninja puppet master Rukawa Oguri, though Oguri nearly caught Sarutobi Hakuba in a deadly trap before Sen Chisato killed him. As the team prepared to return to base, a distant Konoha patrol flare prompted them to investigate, but Hyuga Hihi's Byakugan could not reach it.

• Sen Chisato, Hyuga Hihi, and Sarutobi Hakuba combined their attacks to destroy Rukawa Oguri's puppet and badly injure him.
• Hyuga Hihi spotted chakra threads still attached to the puppet parts, but Oguri launched them at Sarutobi Hakuba and revealed his own puppet-modified arm.
• Maruboshi Kosuke raised a Water Formation Wall, Hyuga Hihi severed the puppet's threads, and Sen Chisato cut off Oguri's puppet arm before killing him with Earth Rising Spears.
• Sarutobi Hakuba punched Sen Chisato for mocking him, then ordered the team to collect the bodies rather than bury them on the spot.
• A Konoha patrol signal flare appeared in the distance, and Hyuga Hihi reported that it was beyond his Byakugan's range.

Sen Chisato persuaded Sarutobi Hakuba’s team to let him join their mission to intercept a Sand Ninja unit before it reached the Land of Rain. After the enemy changed course, Sen Chisato devised an ambush at a stream, and the Sand Ninja appeared as the team took position.

• Sen Chisato sensed that a Sand Ninja unit had killed a Konoha squad and was moving north, so Sarutobi Hakuba ordered the team to pursue them.
• Sen Chisato created Shadow Clones and insisted on joining the pursuit; Maruboshi Kosuke and Hyuga Hihi backed him, and Sarutobi Hakuba agreed to intercept the enemy instead.
• Sen Chisato guided the team to the border between the Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers, but the Sand Ninja changed direction before the team could prepare its first ambush.
• Sen Chisato assigned Sarutobi Hakuba to block the enemy, Hyuga Hihi to cut off the stream downstream, and himself and Maruboshi Kosuke to attack from upstream.
• Sarutobi Hakuba created two Shadow Clones and hid behind rocks as the Sand Ninja unit emerged from the forest across the stream.

Sen Chisato and his team ambushed and wiped out a Sand Ninja squad with a flood, then discovered one survivor and killed him. After teasing Sarutobi Hakuba about his captaincy, Sen Chisato asked to keep the Sand Ninja bodies.

• A Sand Ninja squad crossed the stream, where Sarutobi Hakuba ambushed them with an explosive Fire Style jutsu.
• Sen Chisato and Maruboshi Kosuke unleashed a flood that swept the Sand Ninja into the stream, while Hyuga Hihi blocked the water downstream.
• Hyuga Hihi spotted a Sand Ninja pretending to be dead underwater, and Sen Chisato and Maruboshi Kosuke killed him as he tried to escape.
• Sen Chisato counted eighteen bodies, then teased Sarutobi Hakuba about his captaincy and asked to keep the corpses.

Sen Chisato returned to Konoha’s camp with Sarutobi Hakuba after defeating Sand Ninja and gaining new abilities. Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato arrived, and Orochimaru offered Minato a spar against Chisato, leaving the challenge open.

• Sen Chisato buried twenty-five shinobi, gained a card of chakra, and combined three Wind Release: Great Breakthrough techniques into Wind Style: Pressure Damage.
• Sarutobi Hakuba warned Sen Chisato to recover enemy bodies completely on future missions, but Sen Chisato defended his way of treating the dead.
• Sarutobi Hakuba reported the Sand Ninja encounter at the Command Tent, where Yamanaka Inoichi failed to learn their objective because their heads held Cursed Seals.
• Nara Shikaku and Yamanaka Inoichi discussed possible reasons for the scattered Sand Ninja infiltrations while Orochimaru and the others considered the threat.
• Jiraiya and Namikaze Minato arrived at the camp, and Jiraiya teased Orochimaru about comparing their students.
• Orochimaru proposed that Minato spar with Sen Chisato, and everyone turned to look at Chisato.