Chapter Summaries

Qian and the survivors rendezvoused with Uchiha Yashiro’s group, then traveled to Konoha’s front-line Command Headquarters and reported the ambush and the Northern Defense Line’s breach. Nara Akimitsu suspected Danzo and Root were behind the conspiracy, while Qian kept quiet about Aburame Tatsuma and considered killing Danzo himself.

• Qian brought the wounded survivors out of hiding and introduced Uchiha Yashiro as the clan uncle who had come to receive them.
• Uchiha Yashiro questioned the survivors and sent people to investigate the battlefield while Qian’s group rested.
• Qian and the others traveled to the front-line Command Headquarters and reported the events to Nara Akimitsu.
• Nara Akimitsu connected the ambush and the Northern Defense Line’s breach to a possible conspiracy targeting Qian and suspected Danzo and Root.
• Qian withheld what he knew about Aburame Tatsuma, and Nara Akimitsu began preparing a report for Sarutobi Hiruzen.

Danzo learned that Uchiha Qian had survived the ambush and killed many Mist Ninja, then clashed with Sarutobi Hiruzen over his covert actions against the Uchiha. Hiruzen ordered Danzo not to act independently again, but Danzo left insisting he would eliminate anything that threatened the village.

• Danzo became enraged when intelligence reported that Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Qian had reached Command Headquarters and that Qian had killed many Mist Ninja, including two of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen confronted Danzo about the breached defensive line, and Danzo admitted he had arranged it while claiming the Mist Ninja could not advance further.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen showed Danzo evidence identifying Aburame Tatsuma and his four subordinates as Root Ninja, and Danzo admitted sending them to deal with dangerous elements.
• Danzo called the Uchiha a potential threat and invoked the possibility of another Uchiha Madara, while Hiruzen argued that Qian and the others served Konoha.
• Sarutobi Hiruzen told Danzo not to act on his own again, but Danzo left declaring that he would not spare anything that might threaten the village.

During his three days of leave, Qian trained on a deserted island and advanced Mystical Palm Technique and Swordsmanship. When his leave ended, he received orders to report to the Forward Base in the Land of Waves and hold the position.

• Qian split off six Shadow Clones to train his Wind, Water, Rasengan, and swordsmanship skills while he practiced Mystical Palm Technique and Mind Reflection Technique himself.
• Qian advanced Mystical Palm Technique to level 8 and confirmed that it healed injuries more effectively, used no extra chakra for rapid healing, and strengthened his body further.
• Qian absorbed his Shadow Clone’s experience and advanced Swordsmanship to level 7, then reviewed his training progress on the Proficiency Panel.
• After three days of leave, Qian received orders assigning him to the Forward Base in the Land of Waves to hold the position.

Qian arrived at the Forward Base in the Land of Waves and used his Mangekyō Sharingan ability, Human Authority, to complete another physical transformation. His increased chakra capacity and recovery let him allocate more chakra to training his techniques.

• Qian arrived at the Forward Base with the Leaf ninjas and settled into the courtyard assigned to him.
• Qian trained with the Mystical Palm Technique until his body neared another transformation but could not break through.
• Qian activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and used Human Authority on himself to guide his body’s evolution.
• Qian completed his transformation, raising his Physical Constitution from 15 to 16 and increasing his theoretical chakra limit.
• Qian allocated more daily chakra to Water Formation Wall, Water Dragon Bullet, and Rasenshuriken to accelerate their Proficiency gains.

Qian led patrol missions near the Forward Base while training on a reef, then learned that the leader of the Land of Artisans had been found. The chapter left him holding the address from Elder Huo Xuan’s Ninja Cat messenger, bringing him closer to the Kusanagi Sword.

• Qian led his squad on patrols in the nearby waters and encountered no Mist Ninja.
• Qian left Uchiha Tekka to turn in the squad’s mission and went to a reef to train with six Shadow Clones.
• Qian practiced the Illusion Sword Technique through a Shadow Clone and returned to the Forward Base after nightfall.
• A black Ninja Cat told Qian that the person he had asked Elder Huo Xuan to find had been located.
• Qian read the address on the slip of paper and realized the Kusanagi Sword might soon be within reach.

After learning the leader of Takumi Village’s location, Qian raced from the Land of Waves to the Land of Artisans to claim the Kusanagi Sword. He reached the country exhausted and, while recovering, considered developing a ninjutsu that would let him fly.

• Qian received the location of Takumi Village’s leader from a black cat messenger and decided to handle the mission himself without alerting the enemy.
• Qian left a shadow clone to cover for him, then crossed the sea on foot and slipped through Konoha’s blockade lines.
• Qian traveled straight toward the Land of Artisans and arrived by the following afternoon, where he stopped in an abandoned village to recover.
• Qian reflected on his lack of a fast travel technique, considered learning the Flying Thunder God Technique and Ōnoki’s Earth Release: Super Lightened Boulder Technique, and wondered if he could create his own flight ninjutsu.

Qian traveled to a town where the leader of Takumi Village was hiding and killed him with a Sharingan genjutsu and a kunai. He took the leader’s Kusanagi Sword and tested its exceptional Chakra conduction.

• Qian set aside his plans to create a wind-style Flight Ninjutsu and traveled toward the leader of Takumi Village’s hiding place.
• Qian entered the town disguised as an ordinary person and found ninja watching the leader’s courtyard.
• Qian slipped into the courtyard and hid in the bedroom while waiting for the leader to return.
• The leader of Takumi Village returned, fell under Qian’s genjutsu, and was killed by a kunai.
• Qian removed the long blade from the dead leader and confirmed its excellent Chakra conduction.

Qian killed and buried the leader of Takumi Village, then left town and discovered a group of rogue ninja following him. After fighting off their ambush, he recognized them as Black Market operatives and asked why they had been watching the leader.

• Qian burned the corpse of Takumi Village's leader and buried it in a pit he made with Rasengan.
• Qian left town, then stopped in the forest after sensing someone hiding nearby.
• Qian forced the hidden ninja to reveal themselves with Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and dodged their Kunai using Sharingan.
• Qian counterattacked with Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, causing the rogue ninja to emerge from hiding.
• Qian recognized the group as Black Market operatives and asked why they had been monitoring Takumi Village's leader.

Qian fought a group of Bounty Ninja who were monitoring the leader of Takumi Village, then used genjutsu to uncover why they had not captured him. After learning the truth from their leader’s memories, Qian was ready to act on what he had discovered.

• Qian drew his blade when the Bounty Ninja attacked, then parried their strikes while testing his swordsmanship.
• One of the Bounty Ninja recognized Qian as Ghost Sword Qian, whose bounty was seventeen million ryō, and the group tried to retreat.
• Qian killed the man who recognized him, incapacitated the leader with his Sharingan, and cut down the fleeing Bounty Ninja.
• Qian woke the leader and tried to question him about why the group had only monitored the leader of Takumi Village.
• Qian used Genjutsu: Sharingan to search the leader’s memories and discovered the full story behind the group’s actions.

Qian learned that the Black Market had hired someone to capture Takumi Village’s leader alive, then encountered Kakuzu, the hired ninja, in the burning forest. Their fight began with Kakuzu’s surprise attack, and Qian countered with a Wind Style-enhanced sword strike.

• Qian killed a Bounty Ninja and learned that the Black Market had hired an unknown ninja to capture Takumi Village’s leader alive.
• Qian noticed an unfamiliar presence and recognized the masked newcomer as Kakuzu, who had been hired for the mission.
• Kakuzu identified Qian as a seventeen-million-ryo bounty target and blamed him for killing the mission target.
• Kakuzu rushed Qian with a punch, but Qian dodged and slashed at him with the Kusanagi Sword.
• Kakuzu hardened his body with Earth Style: Earth Spear and blocked Qian’s blade, then missed with another punch as Qian retreated and prepared a Wind Style-enhanced slash at his neck.

Qian fought Kakuzu, using his Sharingan and several ninjutsu to challenge Kakuzu’s hardened defenses and hidden techniques. After Qian cut apart Kakuzu’s hands, black tendrils emerged and joined together as the battle continued.

• Qian attacked Kakuzu with his Wind Release-enhanced blade and used his Sharingan to create an opening, but Kakuzu blocked the strike with his palm.
• Kakuzu dodged Qian’s slash and countered with Fire Style, while Qian blocked the flames with Water Style: Water Formation Wall.
• Kakuzu concealed himself with Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique, but Qian dispelled the mist with Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
• Kakuzu attacked Qian from underground, then reconnected his severed hands with black tendrils and sent them after him.
• Qian avoided Kakuzu’s grasping hands with Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and cut them in half with Wind Style: Wind Blade.

Qian fought Kakuzu, whose black threads let him recover severed limbs and control four elemental mask monsters. Kakuzu’s coordinated attacks drove Qian through a devastated forest, but Qian survived and remained intent on defeating him so he could return to the battlefield.

• Qian cut Kakuzu’s restored hands apart, but the black tendrils failed to pierce him with their ambush.
• Kakuzu emerged, revealed his stitched body and four elemental masks, then separated the masks into towering monsters.
• Qian tried to destroy the Lightning-natured mask monster with Wind Style: Wind Blade, but Kakuzu anticipated the attack and dodged.
• Kakuzu sent the four monsters to surround Qian and attack with Lightning, Water, and Wind Style techniques.
• Qian used his Sharingan and Body Flicker Technique to evade the attacks and escape the wind technique’s destruction.
• Kakuzu praised Qian for surviving his combination attack, while Qian focused on defeating him and returning to the battlefield.

Qian struggled against Kakuzu’s four masked monsters and weighed whether to reveal his Mangekyō Sharingan, knowing he might not be able to kill Kakuzu before he escaped. He set aside his doubts and tried to break through to Kakuzu, planning to finish him with his increasingly mastered Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.

• Qian used the Flash Sword Technique against a water-natured masked monster, but its tendrils blocked his strike before a lightning-natured monster forced him to retreat.
• Qian countered the monsters’ attacks with Wind Blade and Water Formation Wall, then recognized how their defenses and Kakuzu’s elemental attacks countered his usual abilities.
• Qian considered activating his Mangekyō Sharingan but feared Kakuzu would survive and expose his secret if he escaped.
• Qian resumed fighting and tried to reach Kakuzu so he could use Wind Style: Rasenshuriken, which had advanced to lv3 (174/1000).

Qian fought Kakuzu and appeared to be consumed by a combined fire-and-wind attack, but used his Mangekyō Sharingan to escape the flames and strike Kakuzu with Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. After Kakuzu’s remaining masked monsters revived him, Qian killed him for good.

• Qian dodged Kakuzu’s attacks and countered, prompting Kakuzu to enter Earth Grudge Fear mode.
• Kakuzu fused his fire- and wind-attribute masked monsters and attacked Qian with Combined Ninjutsu: Scorching Wind Turbulence.
• Qian used his left-eye Dojutsu, Ame no Minaka, to evade the flames, then appeared behind Kakuzu and hit him with Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
• Kakuzu’s two remaining masked monsters merged into him and restarted his heart, but Qian saw that his Chakra Meridians had been destroyed.
• Qian drew his blade and pierced Kakuzu’s last mask and heart, ending his life.

After killing Kakuzu, Qian burned his body, rested, and traveled toward the Leaf's Forward Base in the Land of Waves. As he crossed the sea, Kirigakure warships began a surprise attack on the base, but a newly built Leaf sentry tower spotted them in advance.

• Qian reflected on Kakuzu's death, burned his corpse, and left the jungle.
• Qian considered how the Black Market might use his stolen Kusanagi Sword to direct Bounty Ninja against him, then chose to keep using it.
• After resting, Qian avoided Konoha Patrol Teams and crossed the sea toward the Land of Waves Forward Base.
• Four Kirigakure warships carrying ninja sailed toward the Leaf's Forward Base under cover of darkness.
• Shiying spotted the ships from a reef sentry tower and alerted Kanda Ouzuru, who confirmed their approach with a Monocular Telescope.

Kanda Ouzuru spotted the Mist Ninja fleet and sent word to the Forward Base, where Qian’s Shadow Clone received orders to reinforce Reef Sentry Tower. Qian arrived with two squads and took over command as the Mist Ninja attack drew near.

• Kanda Ouzuru summoned Heshan and sent a secret letter to the Forward Base reporting the Mist Ninja’s movements.
• The Forward Base sounded an alarm, and an Uchiha Jonin ordered Qian’s Shadow Clone to lead the First Division and Second Division to the No. 3 Sentry Tower.
• Qian accepted the mission to hold off the Mist Ninja if they attacked the tower or strike their rear if they engaged the base.
• Qian led thirty-five ninja to Reef Sentry Tower and met Kanda Ouzuru, who readily relied on him and handed over command.

Qian learned that nearly fifty Mist Ninja were attacking No. 3 Sentry Tower while their ships continued toward the Land of Waves Forward Base, and ordered his Shadow Clone’s squad to delay them. His real body reached the base, found his fallback plan, and hurried to the tower, where the Shadow Clone’s memories revealed that Terumi Mei had killed it.

• Qian saw Mist Ninja leave the warships and rush toward No. 3 Sentry Tower, then ordered his squad to stall them until the ships had moved farther away.
• Qian reached the Forward Base, used a disguise to slip inside, and found a hidden note describing the Shadow Clone’s mission and backup plans.
• Qian burned the note, left the base, and swam toward No. 3 Sentry Tower as fighting broke out.
• Qian received his Shadow Clone’s memories and realized that Terumi Mei had killed it with her long-range attacks.

Qian arrived at the battlefield and moved to attack Terumi Mei, but he first wounded Ao in a surprise strike after the Byakugan exposed his position. Ao retreated with a shallow chest wound as the battle remained undecided.

• Ao failed to find Qingming with the Byakugan, and Terumi Mei concluded that the opponent she had fought was a shadow clone from the start.
• Terumi Mei attacked the unsettled Konoha forces, while Uchiha Tekka urged them to hold on and drew Ao's attention.
• Qian reached the battlefield, observed the fighting, and swam toward Terumi Mei, whom he identified as the Mist Ninja leader.
• Uchiha Tekka was sent hurtling into the sea, and Ao followed him while searching with the Byakugan.
• Qian attacked Ao from the water, slashing his chest before Ao dodged and retreated.

Qian openly joined the battle, copied Ao's Hidden Mist Technique, and countered Qing's ambush, leaving him severely wounded. Terumi Mei intervened before Qian could finish Qing off.

• Qian revealed himself to the surviving Leaf ninja and deflected Ao's Kunai and Water Release attack with a Great Fireball Technique.
• Ao used the Hidden Mist Technique, and Qian copied it with his Sharingan.
• Qian rushed to Uchiha Tekka after hearing him scream and evaded Qing's surprise attack from behind.
• Qian overwhelmed Qing with his Flash Sword Technique and Illusion Sword Technique, cutting deeply into his chest.
• Terumi Mei used a Water Dragon Bullet Technique to force Qian back and shield the wounded Qing.

Qian fought Terumi Mei in a fierce sword duel, using a sudden shift in his swordsmanship to wound her. Ao identified that Qian was casting Genjutsu through the glint of his blade, but Qian prepared to keep testing the technique against the Mist Ninja.

• Qian rushed Terumi Mei and forced her to block his Wind Style-enhanced sword strike rather than risk exposing Ao behind her.
• Terumi Mei revealed her strength in close combat and used the sea to absorb part of the force as she traded blows with Qian.
• After five minutes of fighting, Qian changed his sword style and cut Terumi Mei’s right arm when the deceptive attack made her hesitate.
• Ao warned Terumi Mei that Qian used the blade light to cast Genjutsu and interfere with her senses.
• Qian’s Illusion Sword Technique had reached level five, allowing him to conceal Genjutsu in the glint of his blade, and he continued testing it against his opponents.