Chapter Summaries

Hinata and her companions began investigating the Land of Birds’ capital, splitting up to gather rumors about Lord Hongming, Menzong, and Hagane. Hinata uncovered talk that outsiders were spreading rumors against Lord Hongming, then rested at the inn before continuing her search at another snack street.

• Hinata sent Kurama Mutsu and Mizuki Rei away after they discussed investigating the capital.
• Hinata assigned the three of them to gather rumors separately and report back to the inn that evening.
• Hinata searched a busy snack street, listening to conversations while moving between stalls and eating.
• A stall owner told a customer that outsiders were spreading rumors that Lord Hongming planned to rebel and had opposed Lord Sirou’s succession.
• Hinata returned to the inn to rest, then left for another snack street when Kurama Mutsu and Mizuki Rei had not yet returned.

Hinata and her companions decided to seek Lord Hongming’s cooperation in the Land of Birds. Hinata and Mizuki Rei reached his residence and confronted him in his bedroom.

• Hinata, Kurama Mutsu, and Mizuki Rei discussed their findings and agreed to approach Lord Hongming.
• Hinata chose Hongming over Toki and assigned Kurama Mutsu to keep watch while she and Mizuki Rei met with him.
• Hinata and Mizuki Rei bypassed the guards and found Hongming in his residence.
• Hongming awoke and reached for his sword, but Hinata lit the candles and spoke to him.

Hinata and Mizuki Rei approached Lord Hongming at night to negotiate a place for their organization to settle in the Land of Birds. Lord Hongming deduced that they wanted to use him as a bridge to approach Lord Sirou, and the meeting ended with his interpretation of their plan.

• Hinata and Mizuki Rei appeared in disguise in Lord Hongming’s room, and Hinata showed him the samurai sword.
• Lord Hongming dismissed the guards who came to investigate the disturbance.
• Hinata asked Lord Hongming to cooperate by providing a place for her organization to settle in the Land of Birds.
• Hinata explained that she knew about hidden tunnels and bases built by former daimyo and suggested Lord Hongming had intelligence about them.
• Lord Hongming guessed that Hinata’s real goal was to use him as a bridge to Lord Sirou, whose recent behavior made approaching him directly seem unwise.

Hinata negotiated with Lord Hongming about cooperating to address the turmoil in the Land of Birds, while he pressed her on the risks of relying on her organization. Lord Hongming agreed to consider her request and asked for a promise on behalf of his country.

• Hinata corrected Lord Hongming that the current Daimyo was Lady Toki and offered help resolving the Land of Birds’ troubles.
• Lord Hongming questioned whether Hinata’s organization had caused the unrest and warned that cooperation could expose his country to retaliation.
• Hinata ended the exchange by asking whether the Land of Birds needed their help and hinted that they might leave.
• Lord Hongming recognized Hinata had put him in check and agreed to consider cooperating, but requested a promise for the Land of Birds.
• Hinata asked what kind of promise Lord Hongming wanted.

Hinata and Lord Hongming agreed that the Land of Birds would stay out of the Dawn Organization’s troubles in exchange for Hinata’s help against the Wandering Ninjas. After discussing her plans with Kurama Mutsu and Minazuki Hyō, Hinata finally slept until noon.

• Lord Hongming asked Hinata to keep the Land of Birds out of her side’s conflicts, and promised to announce that his country was under her control.
• Hinata agreed to help deal with the Wandering Ninjas, and Hongming offered to provide a pass proving her group’s identities.
• Hinata and Mizuki Rei rejoined Kurama Mutsu, then returned to the inn to discuss the agreement and their plans.
• Hinata, Kurama Mutsu, and Minazuki Hyō talked until three in the morning before Kurama Mutsu and Minazuki Hyō left.
• Hinata slept until noon after deciding to make up for the rest she had missed.

After spending five days exploring the Land of Birds, Hinata and her companions prepared to move against the Wandering Ninjas and set out to capture their leader, Menzong. At Menzong’s residence, they discovered that Hagane was impersonating the monk and conspiring to take control of the Land of Birds, while Chishima came out of her room unable to sleep.

• Hinata waited five days before acting, then gathered with her companions to devise a plan to gain the moral high ground against the Wandering Ninjas.
• Kurama Mutsu left the inn alone and returned two hours later, signaling that her plan was ready.
• Hinata, Kurama Mutsu, and their companion went to Menzong’s residence to capture the Wandering Ninja leader.
• Hagane, disguised as Menzong, told his followers that they would use Hongming and continue plotting to seize the Land of Birds.
• Chishima, unable to sleep, walked out of her room.

Chishima witnessed Hinata, Kurama Mutsu, and Mizuki Rei ambush Hagane’s men near Menzong’s room, while a mysterious armored figure watched Chishima. Hinata’s group defeated the attackers and advanced toward Hagane, who grew grim when he learned his men had fallen.

• Chishima saw three figures race across the lake toward Menzong’s room and watched a larger group surround them.
• Chishima quietly returned to his room, unaware that an armored figure on his roof had been watching him.
• Hinata identified that their intended audience had arrived and led Kurama Mutsu and Mizuki Rei into battle against the surrounding men.
• Hagane stopped his subordinates from leaving the room as Hinata’s group fought outside.
• Hinata, Kurama Mutsu, and Mizuki Rei quickly defeated all the attackers, and Hagane learned that the three were heading his way.

Hinata, Mizuki Rei, and Kurama Mutsu confronted Hagane, the Wandering Ninja leader disguised as a monk, and accused him of plotting to take over the Land of Birds. Hagane admitted he intended to create a home for Wandering Ninja and had sacrificed the daimyo’s family to pursue that goal.

• Hagane decided to meet the three intruders himself after his strongest subordinates were sent elsewhere.
• Hinata identified Hagane as the Wandering Ninja leader and claimed they had tracked him through the Black Market Bounty system.
• Kurama Mutsu accused Hagane of killing the Land of Birds’ daimyo to seize power, while Mizuki Rei backed the accusation.
• Hinata attacked Hagane with Shuriken as Mizuki Rei and Kurama Mutsu charged, but Hagane dodged and seven subordinates intercepted them.
• Hagane declared that he planned to make the Land of Birds a home for Wandering Ninja and admitted the daimyo’s family had been sacrificed to establish his nation.

Hinata revealed that Hagane had killed the previous daimyo and Toki’s younger sister, prompting Toki to confront him. After Hagane fled and his men were defeated, Hinata and the others discussed whether Toki’s obsession with revenge could make her a danger to them.

• Hinata confronted Hagane with the truth about the daimyo’s and Toki’s sister’s deaths, then revealed that the person hiding on the rooftop was Princess Toki.
• Toki leaped from the rooftop in an oni mask, and Hagane ordered his men to attack Hinata and the others before fleeing toward his room.
• Hinata turned Hagane’s charging duplicate into smoke, while Mizuki Rei froze four attackers and Kurama Mutsu’s flower-petal illusion struck down the remaining three.
• Kurama Mutsu warned that confronting Toki was dangerous because she was the current daimyo of the Land of Birds.
• Hinata said Toki was too consumed by hatred to approach safely and hoped Hagane would resolve the conflict, while Kurama Mutsu and Hinata joked that Toki was preferable to Hongming as daimyo.

Hagane fled through the underground river while Toki pursued him, and Hinata’s group followed on a sheet of ice. Hongming arrived after the fighting and had Chishima brought before him.

• Hinata worried that Toki’s disappearance could jeopardize her agreement with Hongming, then hurried after Toki and Hagane.
• Hagane escaped by boat through the underground river and decided that capturing Toki could earn him resources.
• Toki pursued Hagane alone, while Mizuki Rei, Hinata, and Kurama Mutsu followed downstream on a slab of ice.
• Hongming arrived with guards, surveyed the aftermath, and had the battered Chishima brought before him.
• Chishima recognized that Hongming was present and snapped out of his daze.

Lord Hongming investigated the escape route from Menzong’s room and hurried to the Daimyo’s Estate to check whether Princess Toki was involved. Meanwhile, Hagane escaped through an underground river with Toki as his prisoner and waited for the three mysterious pursuers.

• A guard told Lord Hongming that an underground river had been found in Menzong’s room, and Lord Hongming ordered his men to locate its exit.
• Lord Hongming hurried toward the Daimyo’s Estate to verify Princess Toki’s involvement in the incident.
• Hagane and Toki emerged from the sewer exit onto a lake near the capital, where one of their boats overturned and began to sink.
• Hagane subdued Toki and threw her into the boat’s cabin when she was close to losing consciousness.
• Toki recovered enough to breathe and cough but remained exhausted, while Hagane stayed behind because he expected three mysterious people to pursue him.

Hagane lured Toki and her pursuers to a lake so he could use his Water Release ninjutsu on home ground, then revealed his role in the Land of Birds and attacked the arriving Hinata, Mizuki Rei, and Kurama Mutsu. Hinata countered his Great Waterfall Technique with the Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven.

• Hagane explained why he had chosen the lake, where the abundant water would strengthen his Water Release and keep the fight away from potential backup.
• Hagane told Toki how he had disguised himself as the high monk Menzong and blamed her family for ruining his plans to establish a nation for Wandering Ninjas.
• Hagane heard screams from the pipe and realized Hinata, Mizuki Rei, and Kurama Mutsu had arrived.
• Mizuki Rei rode an ice block down the rushing current as Kurama Mutsu teased Hagane, who declared the lake his home ground.
• Hagane unleashed Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique, sending a towering wall of water crashing toward the group.
• Hinata activated her Byakugan and spun, releasing Chakra from her acupoints to form an impenetrable barrier.

Hinata, Mizuki Rei, and Kurama Mutsu survived Hagane’s Great Waterfall Technique, but Hinata’s Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven created a whirlpool that swallowed Toki and her boat. The group left Toki in the lake while confronting Hagane, who accused the Hyuga Clan of dishonor.

• Hinata blocked Hagane’s Great Waterfall Technique with Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven, then led Mizuki Rei and Kurama Mutsu away from the resulting whirlpool.
• Hagane tried to escape with Toki, but Hinata struck at him with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm and he jumped off the boat.
• The whirlpool swallowed Toki and the boat while Hinata and the others made no move to rescue her.
• Kurama Mutsu questioned Hinata’s decision to leave Toki in the water, and Hinata said they would see what happened.
• Hagane accused the Hyuga Clan of failing to act honorably, and Kurama Mutsu mocked him for believing rumors while sneaking into another country.
• Hinata wondered whether Hyuga Hiashi had spread the Hyuga Clan’s image of righteousness.

Mizuki Rei fought Hagane and revealed his Ice Style Kekkei Genkai, while Hinata reflected on the danger of underestimating experienced ninja. Hagane evaded Mizuki Rei’s invisible attacks, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Mizuki Rei stepped forward to fight Hagane after being told he was his opponent.
• Hagane attacked with Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique, but Mizuki Rei froze the water dragon with his Ice Style.
• Hagane recognized Mizuki Rei as a wielder of the Ice Style Kekkei Genkai from the supposedly wiped-out Yuki Clan of Kirigakure.
• Mizuki Rei struck Hagane with invisible Ice Shuriken, but Hagane dodged the follow-up attacks by instinct.
• Kurama Mutsu teased Mizuki Rei about his Chakra reserves, while Hinata wondered whether she should treat every opponent as an equal match like Kakashi.

Mizuki Rei fought Hagane with his Ice Style, creating an Ice Blade that forced Hagane to retreat. Hagane then used a water clone and a hidden water whip to catch Rei, leaving him trapped as Hagane emerged from the water.

• Mizuki Rei and Hagane continued fighting after their Chakra reserves had dwindled to similar levels.
• Mizuki Rei abandoned his Ice Shuriken Technique and formed a sharp Ice Blade to test in combat.
• Mizuki Rei charged Hagane with the Ice Blade, which froze the water it struck, while Hagane dodged.
• Hagane lured Rei away from Hinata and Kurama Mutsu, then let the Ice Blade hit a water clone.
• A water whip wrapped around Mizuki Rei as Hagane emerged from the water behind him.

Mizuki Rei defeated Hagane after revealing that the opponent he had cut was a Water Clone, but he nearly collapsed from wasting too much Chakra. Hinata rescued Princess Toki, who woke up safe but confused and hungry, with the sight of her older brother in the water still on her mind.

• Mizuki Rei realized Hagane had cut a Water Clone, then struck Hagane from behind with an Ice Blade and defeated him.
• Kurama Mutsu caught Mizuki Rei as he swayed, while Hinata went into the water to rescue Princess Toki.
• Hinata pulled Toki from the water and later cut her free after she woke up hanging upside down from a tree.
• Kurama Mutsu offered Toki grilled fish, and she ate despite feeling upset about how she had been treated.
• Toki remembered seeing her older brother in the water.

Hinata's group returned Toki to the Land of Birds' capital after the night's events, while Hinata planned to deal with Hagane's missing subordinates, Ryu and Beichen. The chapter ended with a messenger reporting to Beichen that Ryu had run into trouble.

• Hinata's group set out for the capital after Kurama Mutsu sealed Hagane's corpse as evidence.
• Toki realized that Hinata's group had known her identity and grew uneasy as she considered the night's events.
• Hongming met the group at the city gates, and Hinata handed Toki over before leaving to rest.
• Toki promised to speak with Hinata's group the following day.
• A messenger arrived at a town in the Land of Birds and told Beichen that Ryu had run into trouble.

After Hagane’s death, Ryu and Beichen discussed their next steps and separated. Ryu headed for the capital of the Land of Birds, intending to seek death in the name of revenge, while Hinata finally met Hongming and Toki.

• Beichen and Ryu dismissed the genin, then discussed what to do after their leader was killed.
• Ryu said he would go to the capital of the Land of Birds, while Beichen planned to leave with those willing to follow him.
• Beichen left the courtyard, seeing the Wandering Ninja organization’s upheaval as an opportunity.
• Ryu left town for the Land of Birds, reflecting that he was tired of his life as a Wandering Ninja and intended to die seeking revenge.
• The next day, Hinata met old man Hongming and Toki, who had regained her dignity as daimyo.

Hinata negotiated with Hongming and Toki for financial support and a base for the Dawn Organization in the Land of Birds. The meeting ended with their terms settled, and Hinata prepared to inspect the selected site while Toki took on the work of serving as daimyo.

• Hinata accepted the Land of Birds' limited financial assistance after Hongming showed her the account books.
• Toki presented a map of the Land of Birds' secret passages and bases, and Hinata chose a spacious, well-located base for the Dawn Organization.
• Hinata and Hongming finalized conditions requiring her faction to help the Land of Birds during external crises, allowing the country to disavow her if she provoked an overwhelming force, and keeping her faction low-profile.
• The meeting ended, and Hinata planned to inspect potential base sites while Toki began handling daimyo duties in place of her brother Sagi.

After leaving the capital of the Land of Birds, Hinata spotted and confronted the wandering ninja Liu, whom she suspected had been following Hagane. Liu admitted it, and Hinata let Mizuki Rei take the lead in facing him.

• Hinata stayed in the capital with Kurama Mutsu and Mizuki Rei for two more days before heading toward the secret base.
• Hinata sensed chakra in a heavily built man wearing a conical hat at a roadside breakfast shop and suspected he was a ninja.
• The man later stopped in a deserted forest and revealed himself as Liu, a wandering ninja who had followed Hinata's group.
• Hinata asked Liu if he had been following Hagane, and Liu confirmed it.
• Hinata told Mizuki Rei that Snow Bird was his, and Mizuki Rei jumped down to confront Liu.