Chapter Summaries

Yahiko and Konan fought off a Sunagakure squad member using techniques Ryōken had taught them, but the captain struck Yahiko down when he rushed to avenge his subordinate. Unable to move, Konan looked toward Ryōken’s house, hoping he would save them.

• The Sunagakure captain ordered his squad to kill Yahiko and Konan and return from their mission.
• Yahiko countered a Chunin’s Wind Release with Water Release while Konan’s paper shuriken maneuvered around the enemy’s defenses.
• Konan’s paper shuriken transformed into an explosive tag and killed the Sunagakure Chunin.
• The Sunagakure captain charged Yahiko and Konan, and Yahiko took his punch while shielding Konan.
• Yahiko and Konan fell badly injured and unable to move, and Konan looked toward Ryōken for help.

Ryōken broke through to the Legendary Initial Stage and emerged from his burning hut with control over flames, finding Konan and Yahiko injured by the Sunagakure ninja. He attacked the Sunagakure captain, whose first clash with him revealed an overwhelming gap in strength.

• Konan and Yahiko were sent flying, and Ryōken continued cultivating after sensing they were not in mortal danger.
• Ryōken's physical attributes reached the Legendary Initial Stage, unlocking the Equipment Enhancement System, as his fire chakra engulfed the wooden hut.
• Ryōken walked through the flames unharmed, stunning Konan and the Sunagakure ninja with his command over fire.
• Ryōken saw blood at the corner of Konan's mouth, released killing intent and sword pressure, and asked the Sunagakure ninja if they were ready.
• Ryōken charged the Sunagakure captain and broke his arm with a punch, making the captain realize his team could not match him.

Ryōken slaughtered the Sunagakure squad, then faced Yeluo, whose Lava Release forced him to abandon close combat. He summoned a gigantic cyan sword phantom to stop the magma from spreading toward Konan and Yahiko.

• Ryōken decapitated the Sunagakure captain with an explosive burst of speed and began cutting down the surrounding ninjas as they fled.
• Ryōken sensed danger and dodged Yeluo’s surprise magma attack just before it erupted beneath him.
• Yeluo used Lava Release: Lava River to turn the surrounding ground into spreading magma, believing it countered Ryōken’s fighting style.
• Ryōken extinguished the flames around himself and summoned a gigantic cyan sword phantom as Konan helped Yahiko recover nearby.

Ryōken countered Yeluo’s Lava Release with Ice Release and froze the enormous lava waterfall, Yeluo, and the surrounding landscape. He left Yahiko and Konan safe, while they watched him in awe.

• Ryōken split the ground with his giant sword, diverting Yeluo’s lava river into a deep crack.
• Yeluo attacked Ryōken with a lava fist, but Ryōken froze it with an ice bird launched from Starry Night.
• Yeluo recognized Ryōken as a threat and unleashed a towering lava waterfall, ignoring the pain of forcing nearly all his chakra into the attack.
• Konan urged Ryōken to flee, but he stayed to protect her and Yahiko and drove Starry Night into the ground.
• Ryōken used Ice Age to freeze the lava waterfall, Yeluo, and the surrounding hill, leaving Yahiko stunned and Konan gazing at him in awe.

Ryōken healed Konan and Yahiko after the battle, then moved them to a new hideout. He used the Equipment Enhancement System to make Starry Night an inherited weapon, awakening its spirit and revealing powerful sealed abilities.

• Ryōken healed Konan and Yahiko with water-attributed chakra, and the three left the frozen battlefield for a new place to stay.
• Yahiko and Konan began training while Ryōken wondered whether Akatsuki would still be founded without Nagato.
• Ryōken checked his system and selected Starry Night as the target for weapon inheritance.
• Starry Night absorbed the gray origin energy, gained rudimentary spirituality, and became able to fly to Ryōken or be stored in his palm.
• Ryōken inspected Starry Night’s attributes and learned that its sealed abilities required increasingly difficult feats, including slaying a god.

After mastering Water-Fire Dual-Style Body Forging, Ryōken trained Konan and Yahiko while hunting enemy spies in the Land of Rain. He received an urgent message that Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya needed rescue, and left Konan and Yahiko behind as he rushed to find them.

• Ryōken completed Water-Fire Dual-Style Body Forging, but could not advance further without more chakra.
• Ryōken taught Konan and Yahiko Water Release Body Forging, and both trained in the areas that interested them most.
• Ryōken received a message that Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya had been ambushed and driven deep into the Land of Rain.
• Ryōken hurried back to Konan and Yahiko, told them he had to leave, and warned them to stay in town and avoid showing off their strength.
• Ryōken set off at full speed to rescue Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya.

Ryōken left Yahiko and Konan behind as they worried about his safety. Meanwhile, Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru hid in the Land of Rain, badly injured and trapped between pursuing Sunagakure forces and Rain Ninja territory.

• Ryōken departed, and Yahiko comforted Konan as she worried that he might not return.
• Chizuru led Sunagakure search parties through the mountain forest and ordered them to find Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, especially Tsunade.
• A special ANBU reminded Chizuru not to pursue the trio into Amegakure, and Chizuru agreed that entering Hanzo's territory would be dangerous.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru rested in a hidden tree hollow, recovering from severe injuries after their escape.
• Jiraiya checked on Orochimaru after he coughed, while Tsunade, weakened by her injuries and depleted chakra, saw no hope of escape.

Jiraiya and Orochimaru sacrificed themselves to help Tsunade escape, but she collapsed while fleeing a large Sunagakure force. Ryōken arrived just in time to shield her from their combined attack with his Wind Barrier.

• Jiraiya encouraged Tsunade and Orochimaru to keep going, and Orochimaru used his Snake Search Technique to find a way through the enemy lines.
• Orochimaru and Jiraiya held off the pursuing Sunagakure ninja so Tsunade could escape alone.
• Tsunade grew too exhausted to keep running, fell, and turned to face the surrounding Sunagakure ninja.
• Nearly a hundred Sunagakure ninja combined Fire Release and Wind Release attacks against Tsunade.
• Ryōken appeared before Tsunade and used his Wind Barrier to erase the incoming flames, then greeted her as Sister Tsunade.

Ryōken overwhelmed the Sunagakure force with lethal swordsmanship while carrying the injured Tsunade, leaving the surviving Sand Ninja to face his devastating Triple Steel Flash.

• Ryōken killed two ANBU jonin with rapid sword strikes, frightening the remaining Sunagakure ninja and astonishing Tsunade.
• The Sand Ninja regrouped and suspected Ryōken was Konoha’s White Fang, while Tsunade urged him to keep attacking.
• Ryōken told Tsunade it was not yet time, then gathered sword-intent wind around Starry Night.
• Ryōken unleashed Triple Steel Flash, sending a growing sword-intent tornado through the Sand Ninja’s layered Earth Flow Walls.
• The tornado tore through the defenses and devastated the Sunagakure force, while Ryōken carried Tsunade away from the falling remains.

Ryōken rescued Tsunade after defeating the Sand Ninja pursuing her, then raced with her toward Orochimaru and Jiraiya. He arrived at their besieged position, leaving them shocked to see Tsunade carried by an unidentified figure.

• Ryōken accidentally groped and kissed Tsunade while she was too exhausted to move, then agreed to carry her to Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
• Ryōken sped away from the bloodied battlefield with Tsunade on his back.
• Chizuru and the Sand Ninja ANBU waited to regroup before killing the wounded Orochimaru and Jiraiya.
• Orochimaru and Jiraiya hoped Tsunade had escaped, despite believing her chances were slim.
• Ryōken arrived with Tsunade, and Orochimaru recognized her chakra while Jiraiya wondered who was carrying her.

Ryōken reached Chizuru’s Sand Ninja force with Tsunade and instantly killed the Steel Release ANBU who tried to stop him. Tsunade recovered enough to help Ryōken and then began healing the badly injured Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

• Chizuru sent Chigane, a Steel Release special ANBU, to test Ryōken as the Sand Ninja waited for reinforcements and their ANBU captain.
• Ryōken used Water Wave Slash to shatter Chigane’s metallic defenses, and Tsunade struck him into the ground and killed him.
• Ryōken told Tsunade to help Orochimaru and Jiraiya, while Tsunade warned him that she would settle their score later.
• Tsunade reached the injured Orochimaru and Jiraiya and began treating them with the Mystical Palm Technique.

Tsunade treated the badly injured Jiraiya and Orochimaru while they learned that Ryōken had killed a hundred Sand Ninja. As the Sand Ninja launched a massive combined Water and Lightning Release attack, the three watched in shock as Ryōken faced it.

• Tsunade healed Jiraiya and Orochimaru and revealed that Ryōken had killed the Sand Ninja pursuing her.
• Jiraiya and Orochimaru reacted with disbelief to Ryōken’s strength, and Orochimaru became eager to speak with him.
• Chizuru ordered the Sand Ninja to attack Ryōken with coordinated Water and Lightning Release techniques.
• The Sand Ninja combined their attacks into a towering surge of water and electricity aimed at Ryōken.
• Jiraiya turned to flee, then froze with Tsunade and Orochimaru as they stared at Ryōken’s response.

Ryōken used Starry Night to summon a giant dragon that swallowed the storm and broke through the Sand Ninja’s lightning and earth barriers. Sunagakure ANBU captain Qian Zhen intervened to destroy the dragon, but Ryōken’s attack injured him, leaving Tsunade and the others shocked.

• Ryōken raised Starry Night and summoned a giant dragon that absorbed rain, clouds, and the Sand Ninja’s lightning ninjutsu.
• The dragon broke through the Sand Ninja’s combined Earth Release barriers and charged toward them.
• Qian Zhen appeared before the Sand Ninja and struck the dragon with his vibrational power, destroying it.
• Qian Zhen staggered back and bled from the mouth, while Chizuru and the others recognized him as their captain.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the others realized Ryōken had injured Qian Zhen and reacted with disbelief.

Ryōken faced Qian Zhen, the aging Sunagakure ANBU captain, in a battle that both sides understood could be fatal. Their first clash split the earth and left their swords locked together, with the duel still underway.

• Qian Zhen prepared to risk his failing body in a final battle against Ryōken, while Chizuru accepted that he could not stop his teacher.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru watched as Ryōken stood his ground, and Tsunade insisted he would not retreat.
• Ryōken and Qian Zhen tested each other’s auras, but neither could overwhelm the other before Qian Zhen called for the fight to begin.
• Ryōken drew Starry Night, while Qian Zhen drew his katana and surrounded it with vibrational force.
• Ryōken and Qian Zhen charged and clashed blades, splitting the hills and sweeping the rain away around them.

Ryōken and Qian Zhen fought to a standstill, trading swordsmanship and vibrational attacks until Qian Zhen’s injuries began to show. Qian Zhen set aside the Kusanagi Sword and prepared for a desperate final battle, while Ryōken accepted the challenge.

• Ryōken and Qian Zhen clashed at tremendous speed, leaving the battlefield devastated as Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade watched.
• Ryōken used Triple Steel Flash, and Qian Zhen countered with Super-Heaven Quake; their attacks canceled each other out and carved a deep fissure into the earth.
• Qian Zhen retreated with blood at his mouth, and Ryōken asked whether he was injured; Qian Zhen noticed that the Kusanagi Sword had been damaged while Ryōken’s blade remained pristine.
• Qian Zhen cast the Kusanagi Sword toward the Sand Ninja formation, and Chizuru realized his teacher had chosen a desperate fight that would likely cost him his life.
• Qian Zhen suppressed his injuries and regained a domineering aura, while Ryōken prepared to face his opponent’s final surge.

Ryōken used Duelist's Dance to suppress Qian Zhen and expose his many flaws, then overwhelmed him with Water Ripple. Qian Zhen was left unable to escape or counter as his hidden injuries worsened.

• Ryōken activated Duelist's Dance, freezing the battlefield and revealing dozens of flaws in Qian Zhen's battered body.
• Qian Zhen struck the surrounding space with vibrational force, briefly reducing the flaws Ryōken could see.
• Ryōken unleashed Water Ripple, which shattered a metallic boulder and pressed toward Qian Zhen.
• Qian Zhen's vibrational defense failed to stop the blue ripples, and the backlash made him spit blood.
• The Sand Ninja watched in disbelief as Qian Zhen lost ground, while Orochimaru and Tsunade recognized that Ryōken had the advantage.
• Qian Zhen realized the field followed him and that blocking the ripples aggravated his injuries, leaving him helpless.

Ryōken defeated Qian Zhen, but Bunpuku, Sunagakure’s One-Tail Jinchuriki, arrived too late to save him. Bunpuku summoned Shukaku’s chakra and prepared to fight Ryōken.

• Bunpuku used Shield of Shukaku to block most of Ryōken’s attack, but Qian Zhen was still sliced apart and vanished into dust.
• Bunpuku mourned Qian Zhen, while the Sand Ninja reported that Ryōken had killed him and ruined their operation.
• Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru recognized Bunpuku as a formidable Jinchuriki and feared his power.
• Bunpuku studied Ryōken and realized that the youth had defeated Qian Zhen while barely expending chakra.
• Bunpuku told the Sand Ninja to step back, joined with Shukaku, and formed a dark crimson chakra cloak as he prepared to fight Ryōken.

Ryōken fought Bunpuku, who entered his second Tailed Beast Transformation and unleashed a massive Sand Release technique. Ryōken countered with a waterspout that exploited the rain-soaked terrain, stopping the sand while Bunpuku ended the attack after achieving his objective.

• Bunpuku transformed into a deep-crimson Tailed Beast Cloak while remaining clear-headed, and Ryōken decided to test his strength against him.
• Bunpuku used Quicksand Waterfall Flow to bury Ryōken beneath a vast torrent of sand.
• Ryōken retreated toward a lake near Tsunade and the others, then unleashed Whirlpool Tornado.
• Ryōken's waterspout soaked and weighed down the sand, bringing Bunpuku's attack to a halt.
• Bunpuku released his technique, judging that the sand could not threaten Ryōken and that his initial objective had been achieved.

Ryōken used a powerful freezing technique to stop Bunpuku and the Sand Ninja, then fled with Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru. Bunpuku’s One-Tail power broke free of the ice as the group continued their retreat.

• Bunpuku reshaped the battlefield into a vast desert, leaving Ryōken and his allies with no safe route toward Amegakure.
• Ryōken tried to attack Bunpuku, but sand defenses and attacks forced him to conclude that close combat would not work.
• Ryōken activated Frozen Domain and used Ice Age to freeze Bunpuku, the Sand Ninja, and the surrounding battlefield.
• Orochimaru, Tsunade, and Jiraiya regrouped with Ryōken, and the four fled before the ice could break.
• Bunpuku unleashed the One-Tail’s crimson chakra, melted the iceberg, and emerged as a giant tanuki-like creature.

Ryōken deflected Shukaku’s Tailed Beast Ball and escaped the Sand pursuit with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru. The Third Kazekage ordered a decisive battle, while Ryōken and the others returned safely to the Konoha camp.

• Ryōken carried Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru away from Shukaku, but turned back when the beast fired a Tailed Beast Ball at them.
• Ryōken used Multiple Water Mirror Technique to deflect the Tailed Beast Ball, and the group escaped as it exploded against a distant mountain.
• The Third Kazekage learned that Tsunade and the others had escaped, then ordered Sunagakure to prepare for a decisive battle.
• Ryōken returned toward the Konoha camp with Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru, wearing his ANBU mask to hide his identity.
• Tsunade and her companions entered the Konoha camp, where the returning ninjas were surprised to see them.