Chapter Summaries

Ryōken rejected the Hyuga Clan Head’s attempt to recruit him and threatened him for demanding that Hiwa receive the Caged Bird Seal. Hiashi challenged Ryōken to a fight, and the chapter ended as he launched a Mountain-Breaking Strike.

• Ryōken met with the Hyuga Clan Head while Hiwa served tea, and he dismissed the clan head’s suggestion that he pursue a position as ANBU captain or Hokage.
• The Hyuga Clan Head said Hiwa would need the Caged Bird Seal if she married out, and Ryōken responded with a threatening display of power.
• Hiashi arrived and asked Ryōken to instruct him, ignoring his father’s order to step back.
• Ryōken told Hiashi that he would win if he could make Ryōken move even once, and Hiashi attacked with Eight Trigrams, Mountain-Breaking Strike.

Ryōken easily endured Hyuga Hiashi’s strongest attacks and ordered the Hyuga Clan not to interfere with Hiwa’s choices. He left the compound with Hiwa and headed for the Sealing Team.

• Hyuga Hiashi attacked Ryōken with Mountain Crusher Strike, but Ryōken absorbed the chakra beam with one hand.
• Hyuga Hiashi broke through to Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms, but the strikes failed to affect Ryōken.
• Hizashi Hyuga stepped forward and respectfully addressed Ryōken.
• Ryōken ended the confrontation and ordered the Hyuga Clan to let Hiwa make her own choices without interference.
• Ryōken left the Hyuga compound with Hiwa and said they would visit the Sealing Team.

Ryōken visited the neglected Sealing Team headquarters with Hiwa and met Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, who had come to ask about sealing arts. After learning Minato was studying the Flying Thunder God, Ryōken explained how the technique used markers to reduce the demands of spatial perception, leaving Minato impressed and eager to learn.

• Ryōken and Hiwa entered the Sealing Team’s rundown headquarters and found Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki there.
• Hiwa and Kushina playfully argued over whether Ryōken or Minato was more handsome.
• Ryōken revealed that he would be in charge of the Sealing Team, and Minato explained that he had come with Kushina to ask about sealing arts.
• Minato revealed that Jiraiya had taught him a new technique, and Ryōken guessed it was the Flying Thunder God.
• At Minato’s request, Ryōken explained how the Flying Thunder God used markers and why spatial perception mattered.

Ryōken learned the Uzumaki Clan’s foundational Sealing Arts and concluded that their power drew on the planet’s suppressive force, prompting him to reconsider his plans. The next day, he arrived at the Uchiha Clan grounds, where Uchiha Fugaku came forward to meet him.

• Ryōken explained principles of spatial ninjutsu to Minato Namikaze, who thanked him for the guidance.
• Kushina Uzumaki gave Ryōken a foundational Sealing Arts scroll in thanks for helping Minato Namikaze, and Ryōken promised not to share it.
• Ryōken studied the scroll and theorized that Sealing Arts harnessed the planet’s suppressive force, which had helped seal Kaguya Otsutsuki.
• Ryōken suspected Black Zetsu might have helped cause the destruction of Whirlpool Country and decided his plans needed adjustments.
• The next day, Ryōken entered the Uchiha Clan grounds, where the gathered Uchiha ninjas made way for Uchiha Fugaku to approach him.

Han Uchiha revealed that Madara Uchiha had helped him awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, and he prepared to kill Ryōken. When Ryōken visited Uchiha Keizan, an ambush broke out, leaving Ryōken facing two approaching enemies while White Zetsu watched from nearby.

• Han Uchiha showed White Zetsu his newly awakened Mangekyō Sharingan and claimed he could kill Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Uchiha Fugaku led Ryōken to meet Uchiha Keizan, where Keizan agreed to Tsunade's request as Uchiha ninja formed an encirclement.
• Ryōken sensed White Zetsu and accused Uchiha Keizan of preparing guests to use him as a blade.
• Uchiha ninja arrived in Body Flickers and attacked Fugaku and the others while two figures approached Ryōken.
• White Zetsu praised the ambush, but Ryōken glanced toward him, prompting White Zetsu to burrow underground in alarm.

Ryōken faced Han Uchiha and Kakuzu, defeating Han’s Tsukuyomi and killing Kakuzu with overwhelming sword strikes. He remained unmoved after Kakuzu’s death, having secured the Mangekyō Sharingan as a potential research subject.

• Ryōken recognized Kakuzu and Han Uchiha, realized Han had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, and saw an opportunity to study the Sharingan and soul power.
• Han Uchiha trapped Ryōken in Tsukuyomi, but Ryōken’s sword intent shattered the genjutsu and left Han clutching his bleeding eyes.
• Kakuzu attacked Ryōken with combined Fire and Wind Release techniques, but Ryōken split the flames and destroyed two of Kakuzu’s hearts with a sword strike.
• Kakuzu countered with Earth Grudge Fear creatures and combined Lightning and Water Release techniques, then hardened his body with Earth Spear Technique.
• Ryōken’s Sword Qi pierced Kakuzu’s attacks and defenses, reduced him to dust, and carved a vast fissure through the earth.

Han Uchiha drank Madara Uchiha’s reagent and unleashed a mind-destroying pseudo-complete Susanoo, forcing Ryōken to summon Reaper Descent. As the giants charged toward each other, Madara Uchiha briefly took control of Han’s body, while Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the nearby ninja to defend with Earth Release.

• Ryōken killed Kakuzu, and Han Uchiha drank the pale green reagent after realizing ordinary attacks would not stop Ryōken.
• The reagent fused with Han Uchiha’s Mangekyō Sharingan, and he manifested a pale violet pseudo-complete Susanoo that shocked the battlefield.
• Han Uchiha’s hatred consumed his mind, and his Susanoo charged at Ryōken, who answered by summoning Reaper Descent.
• As the two giants rushed toward each other, Madara Uchiha briefly awakened within Han’s body and resolved to test Ryōken.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with Konoha’s elite and ordered everyone to use Earth Release ninjutsu to defend.

Ryōken battled Madara Uchiha’s Complete Body Susanoo, cutting its giant sword in half and pressing the attack with Starry Night. Madara answered with Amaterasu, forming a shield of black flames to meet Ryōken’s next strike.

• Ryōken scanned Susanoo and recognized Madara Uchiha behind Han Uchiha’s calm demeanor.
• Madara swung Susanoo’s giant sword at Ryōken, who shattered it with Starry Night.
• The broken blade carved through the battlefield before Konoha’s ninja stopped it from reaching the village.
• Tsunade recognized Ryōken, while Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned whether the Dead Demon Consuming Seal could restrain him.
• Ryōken analyzed Susanoo and thrust at it, but Madara covered it in Amaterasu and formed a black-flame shield.
• Ryōken’s sword struck Madara’s shield, scattering burning sparks across the Uchiha clan grounds.

Ryōken and Madara Uchiha clashed with their flames and giant weapons, devastating the Uchiha clan grounds. Madara’s Susanoo collapsed after Ryōken exploited his sudden weakness, and Han Uchiha’s corpse fell from within it.

• Madara Uchiha reshaped his Amaterasu shield to resist Ryōken’s Starry Night, but Ryōken withdrew and forced the flames away with Soul Flame.
• Uchiha Keizan ordered the Uchiha ninja to seal the scattered Amaterasu flames, while Madara Uchiha formed them into Yasaka Beads and launched them at Ryōken.
• Ryōken infused Starry Night with Soul Flame and used Sky Scorching Flames to clash with the Yasaka Beads, creating a vast sea of purple-black fire that forced the Uchiha ninja to retreat.
• After the flames faded, Ryōken charged Madara Uchiha’s Complete Body Susanoo, but Madara suffered Mangekyo Sharingan pain and could not defend himself in time.
• Ryōken cleaved through the Susanoo and split the Uchiha clan grounds before Madara ended the fight; Han Uchiha’s lifeless corpse fell from the collapsing Susanoo.

Ryōken defeated Han Uchiha and stopped the coup at the Uchiha compound, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi to manage the aftermath. Madara Uchiha renewed his interest in fighting Ryōken, while Ryōken left with Tsunade for a meal after an awkward encounter.

• Ryōken took Han Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan and told Uchiha Keizan to handle the Uchiha clan's aftermath.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi arrived with elite jonin, questioned Uchiha Keizan, and learned that Han Uchiha had wielded the Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Madara Uchiha thought about Ryōken as a formidable opponent and decided that the time to face him had not yet come.
• Ryōken returned through Konoha, reassuring the evacuated villagers, and noticed a connection between them that he associated with the Darkin's power.
• Tsunade caught up to Ryōken, who instinctively threw her to the ground before inviting her to eat; she grew angry at his teasing and chased after him.

After the Uchiha Clan incident, Ryōken considered using Yin Release and soul power to strengthen his Nascent Sword Soul, and planned to seek Orochimaru’s help with soul research. At his new mansion, Hiwa hosted a meal that turned into a gathering of Konoha’s prominent figures, where Hyuga Hiashi apologized to Ryōken.

• Ryōken reflected on Yin-Yang Release, soul power, and the need to develop his Nascent Sword Soul, then considered asking Orochimaru about soul research materials.
• Hiwa interrupted Ryōken’s thoughts and served him a meal at the mansion Uchiha Keizan had given him.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura agreed that Konoha could not afford to provoke Ryōken and accepted his power.
• Tsunade, Hizashi Hyuga, Hyuga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku, Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya, and others arrived at Ryōken’s mansion, where Hiwa arranged a barbecue feast.
• Hyuga Hiashi bowed to Ryōken and apologized for offending him, and Ryōken dismissed him with a brief response.

Ryōken rushed from Konoha after sensing danger, while Ashe confronted Burabi in the Land of Iron and discovered the Third Raikage’s force waiting in ambush. Ashe prepared to fire at Burabi as she waited for Ryōken to arrive.

• Ryōken summoned the Wind Dragon, brought Hiwa along, and flew away from Konoha at great speed.
• Ashe found her fallen tribesmen and faced Burabi, captain of Kumogakure’s ANBU, after he dodged her ice arrow.
• Ashe suspected Burabi was stalling and spotted the Third Raikage and a large Kumogakure force concealed on a distant mountain.
• The Third Raikage’s men revealed that they had lured Ryōken away and were trying to study the tribes’ armor.
• Ashe judged that her forces could not defeat the ambush and raised her Frost Bow to prepare another shot at Burabi.

Ashe killed Burabi with a powerful frost arrow, and the furious Third Raikage attacked her. Ryōken arrived on a dragon carrying Hiwa, and Ashe secretly focused on Hiwa as the battle continued.

• The Third Raikage sensed that Burabi was in danger and rushed toward the battlefield as Ashe drew her bow.
• Ashe fired a crystal arrow that shattered Burabi's lightning defenses and froze him to death.
• The Third Raikage arrived, saw Burabi's frozen body, and charged Ashe with a lightning-powered punch.
• Ashe blocked the Third Raikage's punch with her Frost Bow and countered with a volley of crystal arrows.
• Ryōken arrived on a dragon carrying Hiwa, and Ashe concealed her interest in Hiwa.

Ryōken faced the Third Raikage and matched his fearsome lightning-enhanced strength in close combat. As Ryōken’s skill and power grew during the fight, he struck the Third Raikage through his chakra cloak and buried him beneath a shattered mountain.

• Ryōken left Ashe and Hiwa atop the Wind Dragon and landed to confront the Third Raikage.
• The Third Raikage charged Ryōken with a lightning-coated punch, but Ryōken met it head-on and matched his strength.
• Ryōken and the Third Raikage fought fiercely as Ryōken adapted and refined his combat techniques, alarming the watching Cloud Jonin.
• Ryōken tore through the Third Raikage’s lightning and chakra cloak with a powerful punch, sending him crashing into a mountain that collapsed over him.

Ryōken clashed with the Third Raikage, breaking through his strongest spear and cutting into his vaunted defense. The Raikage was left shocked by Ryōken’s strength, while Ashe recognized that Ryōken had condensed a Sword Soul.

• Ryōken felt his power surge and prepared to face the Third Raikage.
• The Third Raikage charged with Hell Stab, Four-Finger Nukite, and Ryōken met him with a slash from Starry Night.
• Ryōken’s Sword Ray broke the Third Raikage’s spear and carved a deep mark into his chakra cloak, sending him crashing into a mountain.
• The Third Raikage and the Cloud Jonin reacted with disbelief at Ryōken’s strength.
• Ashe recognized Ryōken’s power as a Sword Soul, while Hiwa struggled to follow the battle.

Ryōken pursued the Third Raikage into the Land of Lightning, where the Raikage lured him into a valley covered in strange formulas and launched a deadly attack. The valley’s seal triggered a storm of black-tinged lightning that swallowed them both.

• The Third Raikage ordered his Cloud Jonin to retreat, and Ryōken pursued him while Ashe and the others hunted the scattered shinobi.
• The Third Raikage led Ryōken into a remote valley in the Land of Lightning, where formulas spread across the mountains and intensified the valley’s magnetic force.
• The Third Raikage attacked Ryōken with Hell Stab: One-Finger Nukite, drawing power from the clouds as Ryōken countered with his sword.
• The clash activated the formulas, which formed a black vortex and unleashed a storm of lightning that engulfed Ryōken and the Third Raikage.

The Third Raikage believed Ryōken had died in Kumogakure’s thunder barrier and ordered the village to announce the victory. Ryōken had survived inside the lightning pool and used its Heavenly Lightning Power to cultivate, while Ashe and Hiwa arrived and waited outside, unsure whether he could endure it.

• The Third Raikage escaped the sea of thunder, concluded Ryōken was dead, and learned the barrier might take days or months to dissipate.
• The Third Raikage ordered Kumogakure to announce Ryōken’s death and proclaim the village’s strength.
• Ryōken remained unharmed at the center of the lightning pool and used Starry Night and the Nascent Sword Soul to absorb Heavenly Lightning Power.
• The Heavenly Lightning Power strengthened Ryōken’s body and refined his chakra, bringing him close to completing his cultivation.
• Ashe and Hiwa arrived on the Wind Dragon, and Ashe reassured Hiwa that Ryōken was likely alive as they waited away from nearby scouts.

After half a year without Ryōken, the shinobi world accepted that he had died in Thunder Sea Valley, and Konoha held a memorial for him. The chapter ended with Minato Namikaze promising to carry on Ryōken’s will while Tsunade and Orochimaru still refused to believe he was dead.

• The Third Kazekage and the other Kage held back from acting while White Zetsu reported Ryōken’s apparent death to Madara Uchiha, who insisted Ryōken had survived.
• After six months passed without Ryōken’s return, the villages accepted his death, and Konoha halted its expansion amid rising tensions.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced Ryōken’s death and approved a memorial monument for him at a jonin meeting.
• Tsunade nearly destroyed the memorial monument, but Orochimaru and Jiraiya stopped her, and Orochimaru insisted Ryōken was still alive.
• Minato Namikaze paid his respects at the memorial and vowed to inherit Ryōken’s will and ensure Konoha prospered.

After half a year of absorbing the lightning in the valley, Ryōken emerged stronger and learned that the shinobi world believed him dead. He set out for Kumogakure with Ashe and Hiwa, where his arrival triggered the village’s alarm.

• Ryōken absorbed the lightning lake’s energy until the vortex collapsed, completing his Lightning Release Body Forging and advancing to the peak of high-tier Legend.
• Ashe and Hiwa saw Ryōken emerge, and he reassured them after learning they had waited anxiously for him.
• Ashe told Ryōken that the shinobi world believed he was dead and that Konoha had erected a memorial in his honor.
• Ryōken invited Ashe and Hiwa to join him, and the three flew toward Kumogakure on the Wind Dragon.
• Kumogakure shinobi discussed their village’s growing confidence after killing Ling Tian, until Ryōken’s approach triggered the alarm and the Third Raikage rushed to respond.

Ryōken returned to Kumogakure and challenged the Third Raikage, offering to spare his life if he survived one sword strike. Ryōken killed the Raikage and split the mountain beneath Kumogakure, leaving the village with a sword-intent gorge that later attracted samurai and sword-training ninja.

• Ryōken appeared in the sky above Kumogakure, shocking the Cloud Ninja who had believed he was dead.
• The Third Raikage ordered the Cloud Ninja to retreat, then faced Ryōken as he offered to spare him if he could withstand one sword strike.
• The Third Raikage attacked with his One-Finger Nukite, and Ryōken answered with a strike from Starry Night.
• Ryōken's sword strike destroyed the Raikage and split Kumogakure's mountain with a vast abyss filled with sword intent.
• Kumogakure opened the gorge to visitors, and it became a renowned training ground that drew samurai and inspired more ninja to study swordsmanship.