Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “You Also Deserve to Wield Two Chakra Blades?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Asuma Sarutobi challenges Uchiha Ling while wielding two Knuckle Blades, hoping to imitate Ling’s fighting style through the Uchiha clan’s copying ability.
• Ling demonstrates three increasingly advanced forms of using Chakra Metal weapons:
  1. First Form: Fierce Slash – Wind Release Chakra forms extended blades whose length changes unpredictably.
  2. Second Form: Wind Blade Slice – Ling uses the blades to launch repeated ranged wind attacks.
  3. Third Form: Wind Blade Continuous Slice – He stores Chakra inside the Chakra Metal, spins the weapon like a flying disc, and unleashes a continuous barrage of wind blades that destroys a large tree.
• Asuma is unable to replicate Ling’s techniques because his Chakra reserves are far smaller. Ling overwhelms him, though he deliberately avoids causing serious injury.
• Ling argues that using two Knuckle Blades is wasteful and limiting. He advises Asuma to use only one blade while using both hands to perform Wind Release Ninjutsu, allowing greater range and flexibility.
• Ling repeatedly taunts Asuma about his greed and privileged status as the Hokage’s son. His insults finally break Asuma’s emotional defenses, activating Ling’s system.
• Ling extracts Chakra Amount from Asuma, increasing his own reserves from 19.4 to 20.1 cards.
• Humiliated, Asuma leaves the training ground and reflects on his weakness, his dependence on status, and whether he has been taking more resources than he can properly use.
• Asuma ultimately accepts Ling’s criticism, abandons one Knuckle Blade, and begins training with a single weapon.
• Nara Shikaie recognizes Asuma’s renewed determination and recommends Wind Release: Vacuum Sword, a Wind Release technique requiring no hand seals and suited to Asuma’s new fighting style. He arranges for Asuma to receive specialized training instead of taking missions.

Character Developments

• Uchiha Ling: Displays superior Chakra reserves, combat creativity, and tactical understanding of Chakra Metal. He acts as both rival and harsh instructor, deliberately provoking Asuma to force personal growth.
• Asuma Sarutobi: Experiences a major setback but turns it into a moment of self-reflection. He realizes that prestige and access to powerful tools do not compensate for weakness or poor compatibility. By choosing one blade and committing to training, he begins becoming more mature and disciplined.
• Nara Shikaie: Acts as a perceptive mentor. He understands Asuma’s emotional recovery and provides a more suitable technique to help him progress.
• Nara Shikaku: Correctly identifies that Ling’s method depends on overwhelming Chakra reserves and suggests that Asuma and Shikaie adapt the technique rather than copy it directly.

Significant Themes

• Strength versus technique: Ling’s enormous Chakra reserves allow him to overpower conventional skill, demonstrating that technique is limited without sufficient power.
• Suitability over quantity: Owning or wielding more weapons does not necessarily make a ninja stronger. Effective combat depends on using tools that match one’s abilities.
• Greed and restraint: Ling frames Asuma’s desire to wield two Chakra Blades as greed. Asuma learns that acquiring everything available to him may actually hinder his growth.
• Privilege and personal merit: Asuma confronts the tension between being the Hokage’s son and wanting to earn strength through his own effort.
• Failure as growth: Humiliation becomes transformative when Asuma accepts criticism instead of remaining defensive.
• Adaptation rather than imitation: Asuma cannot duplicate Ling’s techniques exactly, so he must develop a fighting style suited to his own Chakra capacity.

Important Character Interactions

• Ling and Asuma: Their sparring match becomes both a physical contest and a psychological confrontation. Ling defeats Asuma, criticizes his weapon choice and privileged background, and indirectly pushes him toward self-improvement.
• Ling and Shikaku/Shikaie: Ling’s methods are analyzed by the Nara clan members, who recognize both their effectiveness and their dependence on high Chakra reserves.
• Asuma and Shikaie: After Asuma’s crisis, Shikaie supports him by offering a practical path forward: mastering the Vacuum Sword with one Knuckle Blade.
• Asuma and himself: The most important conflict is internal. He reassesses his identity, accepts that he has relied too heavily on status, and chooses discipline over possession.

Key plot points and events

• At the Hidden Leaf Command Center, Asuma finds Iwashi Tatami alone and learns that his entire squad—including his captain, teacher, and former classmates Yuanji and Yitai—has been killed.
• Asuma asks his teacher, Nara Shikaie, to place Iwashi on a strong replacement squad. Shikaie agrees, then checks on Asuma’s recently begun Wind Release training.
• With other squads leaving for the front, Asuma grows restless and asks to join a battlefield mission. Shikaie refuses, insisting he first master his Knuckle Blades and Wind Release.
• In the Land of Waterfalls, Anko, Dule Jiong, and Uchiha Ling continue a dangerous reconnaissance mission. During a lull behind a waterfall, Ling offers to teach his teammates new techniques.
• Anko chooses Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique, while Jiong chooses Wind Release: Great Breakthrough for its broad defensive coverage.
• When Ling spots a Stone Ninja squad nearby, he sends his teammates to keep practicing and prepares to confront the enemy, hoping to test his new genjutsu.

Character developments and interactions

• Asuma is shaken by the mounting deaths among his peers and feels compelled to fight at the front. His concern for Iwashi shows his compassion, but Shikaie keeps him focused on preparation rather than impulse.
• Iwashi is numb with grief and accepts reassignment without interest or emotion.
• Shikaie acts as both Asuma’s instructor and guardian, firmly restraining his eagerness to enter battle.
• Ling shows responsibility toward Anko and Jiong, sharing his skills after they have endured dangerous missions alongside him. He is also preoccupied with the threat posed by Uchiha Hono and the possibility that Danzo may target him.
• Anko recognizes Ling’s influence in their squad’s repeated assignments and selects a technique suited to her needs. Jiong, less experienced in ninjutsu, prioritizes survival over offense and hopes to learn from Orochimaru later.

Significant themes

• War’s human cost: Deaths and squad losses leave survivors grieving, numb, and uncertain about who will return.
• Preparation versus urgency: Asuma wants to prove himself in battle, but Shikaie argues that mastering new abilities is essential before he goes.
• Survival and solidarity: The young reconnaissance team faces danger together, and Ling’s teaching offers his teammates a practical way to become more capable.
• Power and danger: Shikaie describes the Uchiha as growing stronger through peril, while becoming increasingly consumed by it.

Key events

• A four-ninja Iwagakure squad scouts near the Land of Fire, hoping to find a manageable Konoha target for a probing attack. When they spot Uchiha Ling, they recognize him as the feared “Barbecue Mountain Man” and flee.
• Ling’s apparent Fire Release hand seals are actually preparation for the Demonic Illusion: Friend or Foe Technique, which makes the stout Stone ninja see everyone as Ling. A delayed effect triggers when he sees his squad leader.
• Trapped in the illusion, the stout ninja wounds his leader and kills two other teammates, believing he is fighting Ling and his shadow clones. Ling reveals the deception only after the squad is dead.
• Ling burns the last Stone ninja to death, then uses Mind-Reading on the wounded squad leader for intelligence. He learns that Shimura Ganfu, commander of Konoha’s Second Assault Battalion, has been killed.

Character developments and interactions

• Ling takes pride in having become infamous among the Stone ninja, and uses that reputation to frighten the squad into retreating. He also demonstrates tactical cunning and powerful genjutsu, then coldly treats the encounter as part of war and pursues intelligence.
• The stout Stone ninja begins as a loyal subordinate who chooses to cover his comrades’ escape. Genjutsu turns that loyalty into horror: he attacks his own squad, panics, and suffers a mental breakdown when he realizes what he has done.
• The Stone squad initially debates which Konoha units might be safe to attack, then acts on fear of Ling. The leader’s flight leaves the others vulnerable to the illusion and its deadly consequences.

Significant themes

• War’s moral ambiguity: Ling dismisses the question of who started the conflict, arguing that both sides are now caught in war; his later claim that Iwagakure is “in the wrong” sits in tension with that view.
• Deception and perception: The genjutsu makes the Stone ninja’s own senses and loyalties instruments of destruction.
• The human cost of combat: The survivor’s breakdown and the deaths of the squad underscore the psychological as well as physical brutality of war.

Plot points and events

• Uchiha Ling uses Mind-Reading on a Stone Ninja squad leader and sees memories of a battlefield in the Land of Waterfalls. The leader’s commander concludes that Rain Ninja demigod Hanzō likely killed the Konoha force, including elite Jonin Shimura Ganfū, with devastating swordsmanship.
• Ling wonders whether Senior Fire Core was responsible for Ganfū’s death, recalling that he had promised retaliation. The Stone Ninja squad leader, meanwhile, privately plans to exploit his dead neighbor’s widow.
• Ling returns to Dule Jiong and says he dealt with a Stone Ninja squad. He suggests that Dule Jiong and Anko can test their newly learned Ninjutsu against another squad once they are ready.
• At Defense Zone 31, Ibiki Morino, Gekko Hayate, and their leader Duyuan mourn fallen teammate Aburame Yo. Duyuan explains that Yo’s body must be returned so the Aburame Clan can recover his Kikaichū.
• When Stone Ninja attack in overwhelming numbers, Hayate uses shadow clones to charge but quickly runs out of strength. Duyuan is badly injured by the enemy commander, leaving Ibiki alone against two squads.
• Ibiki evades Earth Release attacks but is caught out of position by incoming Kunai. Ling arrives and deflects the lethal blows with his blade. Rather than simply calling it a rescue, Ling says the Stone Ninja will be practice for Anko and Dule Jiong.

Character developments and interactions

• Ling remains confident and casually formidable, treating a dangerous battle as a training opportunity for his teammates. His concern about Ganfū’s death hints at a possible connection to Senior Fire Core.
• Ibiki shows how pressure has made him calmer and more resilient, though he is still inexperienced in combat; he survives through training but nearly falls to a fatal mistake. He is relieved to see Ling, then baffled by Ling’s explanation.
• Hayate fights despite his physical limitations, knowingly spending most of his Chakra to help his team.
• Duyuan takes charge of the group and looks after both Yo’s remains and his surviving teammates.
• Dule Jiong recognizes the gap between his own developing skills and Ling’s strength, but trusts Ling to support him and Anko in a real fight.

Significant themes

• War’s human cost: Aburame Yo’s death and the ravaged battlefield underscore the danger and grief facing even capable ninja.
• Endurance under pressure: Ibiki’s ability to regain composure contrasts with the panic and exhaustion surrounding him.
• Mentorship through danger: Ling’s approach is unconventional—he intends for his students to learn by facing real enemies.
• Ruthlessness and opportunism: The squad leader’s thoughts about his neighbor’s widow provide a grim, self-serving counterpoint to the battlefield’s losses.

Key plot points and events

• Ibiki Morino, wounded after a battle, treats his injury while Dule Jiong arrives with Anko and Uchiha Ling.
• Anko and Dule combine Fire and Wind Release into a powerful attack, badly injuring several Stone Ninja. Dule then uses wind to hold their commander in place while Anko attacks; Ling secretly uses genjutsu to prevent the commander from dodging, allowing them to defeat him.
• Watching Dule’s sudden effectiveness deepens Ibiki’s frustration with his own limits and his sense that he is being left behind.
• Ibiki’s despair triggers Ling’s ability to draw a related trait. Ling chooses significantly increased pain tolerance.
• Ling offers to help Ibiki improve, but makes him formally ask. After the battle, Ibiki eagerly seeks training and first proposes learning Wind or Fire Release. Ling instead recommends the Ninja Tool Summoning Technique.

Character developments and interactions

• Ibiki shifts from tending his wounds to confronting his insecurity about his abilities. Though embarrassed by Ling’s teasing, he swallows his pride and asks for help.
• Dule demonstrates impressive growth and teamwork with Anko, surprising Ibiki and intensifying his self-doubt.
• Anko fights in close coordination with Dule, contributing the Fire Release that turns his Wind Release into a decisive attack.
• Ling quietly supports the team with genjutsu, recognizes why Ibiki is discouraged, and uses the moment to steer him toward a skill suited to his potential.
• Ibiki and Ling establish a lopsided but promising mentor–student dynamic: Ling enjoys making Ibiki work for his help, while Ibiki is willing to endure the teasing in exchange for training.

Significant themes

• The limits of effort and talent: Ibiki confronts the reality that not every ninja can advance at the same pace, even with determination.
• Teamwork and hidden contributions: The victory depends on combined techniques and Ling’s unseen intervention, not just individual strength.
• Finding one’s own path: Ibiki’s urge to copy Dule’s elemental skills is redirected toward a technique better suited to him.
• The cost of duty: The Stone Ninja continue fighting despite the danger because abandoning their mission carries severe consequences.

Key plot points and events

• Uchiha Ling teaches Ibiki Morino how to summon prepared physical objects, using stone walls as examples. Ibiki quickly understands the defensive and offensive possibilities and is eager to learn the technique so he can better protect himself.
• Ling returns to camp and learns that Uchiha Hono killed Shimura Ganfū and destroyed his Assault Battalion. Hono admits the deed, says he disguised himself as a Rain Ninja, and explains that he used only taijutsu and a blade to hide his identity.
• Ling wonders whether Hono’s disguise might prompt Danzo to investigate Amegakure—and whether that could draw Nagato into events connected to Yahiko’s eventual tragedy.
• Anko reports that Danzo has a bandage over his right eye. Ling suspects Danzo has received a transplanted Sharingan.
• Shimura Zha checks on Danzo, who confirms that the Sharingan transplant is functioning, though it steadily consumes chakra. Danzo is waiting for Orochimaru to finish further Hashirama-cell experiments before undergoing a second transplant.
• Zha then reports that Ganfū and his entire battalion have been killed. Danzo reacts with shock and anger.

Character developments and interactions

• Ibiki gains a promising new technique and resolves to use it to survive. His old neck scar itches when he becomes excited, recalling his father’s abuse.
• Ling acts as a teacher and investigator: he shares a useful technique with Ibiki, questions Hono about Ganfū’s death, and recognizes the likely significance of Danzo’s bandaged eye.
• Hono reveals himself as a decisive, experienced killer, having eliminated Ganfū while carefully concealing his identity. Ling accepts his explanation but remains alert to the political consequences.
• Danzo is pursuing increasingly dangerous upgrades: after receiving a Sharingan, he plans to have Hashirama cells transplanted once Orochimaru deems the experiments safe enough. He has kept Orochimaru from going to the front for this work.
• Zha is loyal to Danzo and anxious about both his transplant and the destruction of the Shimura battalion. Shikaku, wary of Danzo’s operations, notices the eye bandage and quietly avoids getting involved.

Significant themes

• Survival through adaptation: Ibiki’s new summoning technique turns preparation and ingenuity into protection.
• Concealed violence and political fallout: Hono’s covert attack may trigger suspicion and renewed conflict involving Amegakure.
• Power at a cost: Danzo’s transplant grants him a new ability but drains his chakra, while Hashirama-cell experiments pose lethal risks to their subjects.
• Foreshadowing: Ling’s thoughts about Nagato and Yahiko suggest that current military maneuvers may lead toward familiar tragedies.

Key plot points and events

• Shimura Zha tells Danzo that Shimura Ganfū’s Assault Battalion has been wiped out. The battalion’s elite Shimura leadership was killed by a Stone Ninja squadron and three exceptionally skilled Rain Ninja. The battalion had originally been sent into the Land of Waterfalls to hunt Uchiha Ling, but it never found him; Ling returned safely.
• Concerned that Hanzō may have entered the war, Danzo decides to meet him personally and orders Root and ANBU to accompany him.
• Ling considers finding a way to enter the Land of Rain and witness possible events involving Yahiko and Nagato, hoping to benefit from his Emotional Breakdown System without exposing himself.
• Asuma challenges Ling, insisting that his training has improved. Ling humiliates him for staying at camp instead of taking missions. Asuma admits he wants to prove himself and then join the battlefield.
• During their duel, Asuma opens with Wind Release: Vacuum Sword. Ling counters the wind blades with a powerful Fire Release sword technique. Nara Shikaie stops the fight with Shadow Possession before Asuma can be injured.
• Ling continues taunting Asuma, mocking his lack of frontline experience. The Emotional Breakdown System activates after Asuma breaks down emotionally. Ling then turns his attention to the visibly angry Shikaie, apparently hoping to provoke him too.

Character developments

• Danzo recognizes the strategic danger posed by Hanzō and takes personal responsibility for dealing with him.
• Ling remains calculating and provocative: he seeks opportunities to exploit the system while trying to avoid attracting attention, and uses Asuma’s insecurity to trigger an emotional breakdown.
• Asuma is eager to prove his worth but is wounded by the contrast between his training and his classmates’ frontline missions. His confidence collapses under Ling’s attacks.
• Shikaie is protective of Asuma and angered by Ling’s bullying. He prevents the duel from turning dangerous and considers using his influence over mission assignments to retaliate.

Significant themes

• The cost of war: The destruction of Ganfū’s battalion represents a devastating loss of trained fighters and clan leadership.
• Pride and belonging: Asuma wants to earn his place among his peers, but Ling frames battlefield service as the only meaningful proof of commitment.
• Manipulation and exploitation: Ling deliberately provokes others to trigger the system, treating emotional distress as an opportunity.
• Power versus experience: Asuma’s techniques have improved, but Ling’s elemental advantage and real combat experience expose the gap between training and battle.

Character interactions

• Danzo and Zha discuss the battalion’s destruction and the possibility of Hanzō’s involvement; Danzo overrides Zha’s suggestion to send a negotiator and chooses to go himself.
• Ling attacks Asuma verbally before and during their duel, while Asuma tries to defend his pride through combat.
• Shikaie supports Asuma, then uses Shadow Possession to stop the fight and prevent Ling’s fire sword from reaching him.

Key plot points and events

• After defeating Asuma, Uchiha Ling gains access to three possible rewards and chooses Wind Release: Vacuum Sword, a rare handless technique that becomes a valuable addition to his arsenal.
• Nara Shikaie comforts Asuma, who admits he is more upset by Ling’s criticism of his reluctance to fight at the front than by losing. Asuma asks to take a frontline mission, and Shikaie agrees.
• Anko’s squad receives an assignment to Defense Zone 2. Nara Shikaku notices the posting is unusually dangerous but allows it, advising them to protect the flank of the squad at Defense Zone 1.
• On their journey, Ling and his teammates discuss their missing squad leader, Orochimaru. Ling suspects Orochimaru values usefulness more than obedience.
• Near Defense Zone 10, the squad crosses a battlefield scarred by a large clash between Konoha and Stone Ninja. The devastation makes Anko and Jiong confront the danger ahead.
• Ling concludes that the fiercest fighting occurs along the flanks, where troops risk being attacked from multiple directions. He privately considers visiting the Land of Rain, but worries his teammates may not manage their assignment without him.

Character developments

• Ling strengthens his fighting toolkit with Vacuum Sword and remains focused on pursuing his own plans, even as concern for his squad complicates them.
• Asuma is eager to prove himself in combat and worries that others will judge him for staying away from the front lines.
• Anko and Jiong are unsettled by the battlefield’s scale and the dangers of their new posting.
• Shikaku demonstrates cautious judgment: he recognizes the assignment’s risks but accepts it as within the bounds of his staff’s discretion.

Significant themes

• Power and ambition: Ling’s new technique reflects his constant effort to expand his abilities.
• Reputation and proving oneself: Asuma’s decision to seek frontline combat is driven partly by fear of being looked down on.
• The cost of war: The ruined battlefield and scattered traces of battle make the human toll vivid.
• Duty versus personal goals: Ling’s desire to travel to the Land of Rain conflicts with his responsibility to his teammates.

Character interactions

• Shikaie reassures Asuma after his loss, then supports his request for a frontline mission.
• Shikaku warns Anko’s squad about their dangerous assignment and instructs them to protect another unit’s flank.
• Ling talks with Anko and Jiong about the battlefield and the threat posed by fighting along the front’s flanks; his private concern suggests he feels responsible for them, even while planning to leave.

Plot points and events

• Ling leaves Anko and Dule Jiong to send his summoned ninja cats into Amegakure. He asks them to locate Hanzō so he can watch through Cat’s Eye and track Danzo, who has entered the Land of Rain.
• Back with his teammates, Ling decides to scout the Land of Waterfalls alone while Anko and Dule set traps at their position. He argues that his speed makes him safer alone and that looking after them would hinder him.
• Ling uses Transparent Release to observe Stone Ninja forces without attacking, tracing a small patrol to a larger squadron and waiting for a strategically safer moment.
• Before dawn, he sees Hanzō leave Amegakure with many followers. Believing this may lead him to witness Yahiko’s death, Ling prepares to attack the sleeping Stone Ninja Squadron while minimizing evidence that might later draw Danzo’s suspicion.

Character developments and interactions

• Ling is calculating and self-assured, balancing his ambitions against the risk of disrupting his assigned mission. He also hides his deeper reason for watching Hanzō, telling Black Boss he mainly wants to track Danzo.
• Black Boss worries that Ling intends to challenge Hanzō and warns him about Hanzō’s strength, especially his powerful summon Ibuse. Ling insists he only plans to observe and track events.
• Ling’s blunt claim that Anko and Dule are liabilities devastates Anko. The system registers her emotional “defense break,” increasing Ling’s chakra. Anko understands his practical reasoning but is hurt because she had hoped to grow stronger alongside him and has developed feelings for him.
• Dule reacts comically by offering to kowtow to Ling, while Anko withdraws in distress.

Significant themes

• Mission duty versus emotional attachment: Ling prioritizes operational efficiency, while Anko values companionship and shared growth.
• Strength and dependence: Ling’s power lets him act independently, but it isolates him from his teammates.
• Caution and consequence: He delays striking the Stone Ninja to avoid provoking retaliation or exposing himself, showing how strategic restraint shapes his choices.
• Foreshadowing and foreknowledge: Ling anticipates the possible connection between Danzo, Hanzō, and Yahiko’s death, setting up a potentially pivotal intervention.

Plot points and events

• Uchiha Ling uses Transparent Release to infiltrate a Stone Ninja squadron’s camp and silently kill most of its sentries. A vibration-sensitive Stone ninja notices something is wrong, but too late to stop the attack.
• The surviving Stone ninjas try to defend themselves. The squadron commander uses Wind Release to stir up dust, briefly revealing Ling’s outline, but Ling kills two more enemies with his Naraka Sword.
• Ling faces the remaining fighters with Wind Release techniques and the Body Flicker Technique. He kills the fleeing ninjas and defeats the commander, who had been assigned to monitor the nearby Hidden Leaf forces.
• Ling gathers the bodies and uses Earth Release to bury them in a sealed fissure, concealing his involvement and preventing the deaths from creating trouble for Anko and Dule Jiong.
• He then sets his sights on the Land of Rain, hoping to gain something from Nagato, and considers how to prepare for his upcoming meeting with Orochimaru.

Character developments

• Ling demonstrates that Transparent Release has limits: it conceals his body but not the vibrations he creates, and he must deactivate it to attack. He adapts quickly, using dust, surprise, swordsmanship, and speed to finish the fight.
• His confidence in his escape abilities grows: he regards the Body Flicker Technique as his true trump card, allowing him to flee dangerous opponents if necessary.
• Ling remains driven by the system’s chakra rewards. After triggering a psychological breakdown, his chakra rises from 21.2 Kā to 21.7 Kā, and he fantasizes about gaining far greater reserves from powerful figures such as Hashirama.
• The Stone commander shows resolve by trying to hold Ling off so two subordinates can escape, but his plan fails.

Significant themes

• Stealth and its limits: Even powerful concealment can be countered by awareness of indirect clues, such as vibrations and disturbed dust.
• Power and survival: Ling’s ambition to accumulate chakra is balanced by his determination to stay cautious until he becomes stronger.
• Fear as a weapon: The Stone ninja’s panic and loss of coordination help Ling overwhelm them.
• Erasing evidence: Ling treats concealment after the battle as part of the mission, protecting allies and keeping his own role hidden.

Character interactions

• Ling exploits the Stone ninja’s confusion and fear, while the squad members attempt to coordinate by standing back-to-back.
• The commander’s sacrifice-minded order to protect the intelligence reflects his duty, but Ling quickly prevents the remaining ninjas from escaping.
• Ling’s thoughts about Orochimaru reveal concern about their coming encounter: he respects Orochimaru’s dangerous abilities and wants leverage before meeting him.

Plot points and events

• In the rain, Mo Chi and Black Boss track Hanzō on Uchiha Ling’s orders. White Step reports that Hanzō is heading toward the border with the Land of Waterfalls, and Ling uses the cats’ shared vision to follow him.
• Ling suspects Hanzō is working with Danzo to eliminate Akatsuki and keep Amegakure out of the coming war. He spots Konan bound behind Hanzō and approaches the meeting cautiously, using Transparent Release and the sound of running water to conceal himself.
• Hanzō meets Danzo and secures his promise to help crush Akatsuki. In return, Hanzō will reject Ōnoki’s advances and keep Rain Ninja out of the Land of Fire and the Land of Waterfalls. Danzo’s bandaged eye hides a transplanted Sharingan, which helps him bluff Hanzō about his strength.
• Yahiko and Nagato arrive without Akatsuki’s followers. Hanzō declares that Yahiko must die and threatens Konan’s life, ordering Nagato to kill Yahiko with a kunai.
• Nagato hesitates and picks up the kunai. Yahiko then impales himself on it, sacrificing his life so Nagato and Konan can survive. His death devastates Nagato.
• As the tragedy unfolds, Ling’s defense-breaking system activates because a nearby ninja has suffered a “defense break,” confirming that it can trigger without Ling causing the event himself.

Character developments and interactions

• Ling remains cautious and strategic, coordinating with the cats while conserving what little chakra he has left. He observes the ambush rather than intervening immediately.
• Black Boss, Mo Chi, and White Step act as Ling’s scouts. Mo Chi’s loyalty to Ling is rooted in Ling’s kindness to Black Tuan and his care for cats, though Black Boss grumbles about being made to run in the rain.
• Hanzō is portrayed as cynical and politically pragmatic. He believes lasting peace is impossible and sees Akatsuki’s ideals as a threat to the fragile order he has tried to preserve.
• Danzo is calculating and guarded. His agreement with Hanzō serves Konoha’s interests, while his concealed Sharingan helps him project strength.
• Yahiko chooses self-sacrifice rather than let Nagato be forced to kill him, showing both his love for his friends and his willingness to protect them.
• Nagato is crushed by his hesitation and Yahiko’s death. Yahiko recognizes that Nagato’s concern for Konan outweighs his concern for himself, and entrusts Nagato with keeping her alive.
• Konan pleads for Yahiko and Nagato to escape, even at the cost of her own life.

Significant themes

• Idealism versus political survival: Hanzō’s hard-won pragmatism clashes with Akatsuki’s dream of ending war.
• Sacrifice and loyalty: Yahiko gives his life to save Nagato and Konan, while Ling’s animal scouts show loyalty to him.
• The cost of hesitation: Nagato’s moment of uncertainty becomes inseparable from his grief and guilt.
• Power and manipulation: Hanzō and Danzo use threats, alliances, and bluffing to control events, while the young Akatsuki members are caught in their political schemes.

Plot and key events

• After Yahiko’s death, Nagato retaliates against Hanzō’s forces with the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. Its chakra dragon drains the life of the Rain and Konoha ninja, leaving Hanzō as the only Amegakure survivor to escape.
• Ling retreats from the battle, then uses Body Flicker to flee. Danzo also escapes, having sent Root and ANBU ninja to cover his withdrawal.
• Danzo orders C to fetch Orochimaru and transplant equipment, wanting his transplant procedure carried out immediately after witnessing Nagato’s power.
• The system eventually offers Ling a choice among Shinra Tensei, Chakra Dragon, and Banshō Ten’in. Unsure which ability would be most useful, Ling decides to save the choice for a more urgent moment.
• Back at Defense Zone 2, Anko worries because Ling has missed his usual return and prepares to search for him. Ling arrives just in time to stop Stone Ninja emerging from underground, driving his sword into the ground beside Dule Jiong.

Character developments and interactions

• Nagato demonstrates overwhelming power and becomes a figure of serious concern to both Danzo and Root.
• Danzo interprets Nagato’s strength as proof that Konoha’s younger generation is inadequate, reinforcing his distrust of handing the village to young leaders. His haste to undergo a transplant shows how deeply the encounter has shaken him.
• Ling remains cautious: rather than choosing a powerful technique impulsively, he preserves the option for a future crisis. He also protects his teammates, though his sudden sword strike frightens Dule Jiong.
• Anko shows concern and loyalty toward Ling, risking a dangerous search when he fails to return.
• Dule Jiong is wary of danger and tries to stop Anko from acting rashly; after Ling’s dramatic arrival, he briefly believes Ling is attacking him.

Significant themes

• Power and political ambition: Nagato’s abilities could change the balance between villages, while Danzo sees the crisis as evidence that Konoha needs stronger leadership.
• Prudence and choice: Ling’s decision to delay selecting an ability reflects the value of patience when a rare opportunity has no known deadline.
• Loyalty amid danger: Anko’s concern for Ling and Ling’s protection of his team show the bonds that persist in wartime.

Uchiha Ling’s team encountered Danzo while pursuing enemies, and Dule Jiong accidentally attacked him before recognizing him. Later, Orochimaru agreed to perform Danzo’s transplant in two days after learning that Danzo feared his vitality was fading.

• Uchiha Ling, Anko, and Dule Jiong defeated a four-member Stone Ninja Squad, with Dule Jiong finishing the last enemy using a trap.
• Uchiha Ling sensed enemies nearby, and Dule Jiong attacked a masked ninja with Wind Release and explosive-tagged kunai.
• Danzo appeared and stopped the fight, leaving Dule Jiong horrified to realize he had attacked the advisor.
• Anko noticed that Danzo’s clothes were wet and suspected he had come from the Land of Rain, but she kept her observations to herself.
• Bing told Orochimaru that Danzo wanted his transplant immediately, and Orochimaru agreed to leave for the procedure in two days.

After Anko's squad completed its five-month front-line mission, they learned Orochimaru would arrive as deputy commander and prepared to welcome him. Orochimaru reviewed the front's dire situation and promised an unparalleled reward to the surviving members of his former squads; he then arrived at the Main Camp.

• Anko handed in the mission scroll and learned Orochimaru would reach the front in three or four days as deputy commander.
• Anko woke Dule Jiong, and Uchiha Ling called for three days of intensive training before Orochimaru's arrival.
• Uchiha Ling and Anko practiced Hidden Shadow Snake Hands together at the Training Ground.
• Bing delivered a front-line report to Orochimaru and saw She Ci assisting him.
• Orochimaru and She Ci reviewed the report, and Orochimaru promised a special reward to Anko's squad and the other survivors who had endured five months at the front.
• Two days later, Orochimaru entered the Main Camp, where Uchiha Ling saw Sarutobi Miyagi still alive.

Orochimaru tested Uchiha Ling by placing the Cursed Seal of Heaven on him, and Ling used his newly chosen Chakra Dragon to absorb and control the seal’s toxins and Orochimaru’s spiritual fragments. She Ci judged Ling to be adapting well and sent him to the observation tent.

• She Ci summoned Sarutobi Miyagi, Dule Jiong, and Anko to meet Orochimaru, and none of them returned before Ling was called in.
• Orochimaru praised Uchiha Ling’s strength, then lunged at him and bit his neck to apply the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
• Ling chose Chakra Dragon, which absorbed the cursed seal’s toxins as they spread through his body.
• Ling pretended to collapse and carefully let the toxins enter gradually so he could adapt to the seal’s power.
• She Ci examined Ling, noted his relatively mild symptoms and strong constitution, and ordered the ANBU to take him to the observation tent.

Uchiha Ling studied the Cursed Seal and used his Six Paths Chakra Dragon to contain its toxins and clear Orochimaru’s chakra. As Anko and Sarutobi Miyagi woke with different reactions to the seal, Ling and Dule Jiong remained unconscious.

• Uchiha Ling discovered that natural energy sustained the Cursed Seal and distinguished it from Jūgo’s cells, Orochimaru’s chakra, and Orochimaru’s mental fragments.
• Uchiha Ling used his Six Paths Chakra Dragon to absorb Orochimaru’s chakra and mental fragments, while containing the Cursed Seal’s toxins and beginning to clear Jūgo’s cells.
• Uchiha Ling created three smaller Chakra Dragons, which cleared Orochimaru’s chakra from around the Cursed Seal after more than an hour.
• Mitaraishi Anko woke with a headache, neck pain, and itchy fingers, and She Ci recorded her integration as Grade A.
• Sarutobi Miyagi convulsed and briefly developed fangs and a bony growth before returning to normal; She Ci rated his integration Grade B.
• Sarutobi Miyagi sat up and privately congratulated himself for waking before Uchiha Ling, who remained unconscious alongside Dule Jiong.