Chapter Summaries

Qian completed his planned training, then learned that he would return to the Leaf Village in a week as an escort for people and supplies. He continued training intensively in the days before the departure.

• Qian finished practicing the Multiple Shadow Clone Technique, extinguished his campfire, flew back to Shahe City, and went to sleep.
• The next morning, a subordinate of Yuhi Shinku summoned Qian to Command Headquarters, where Yuhi Shinku announced that frontline ninja would return to the village in batches.
• Qian learned that he would leave in a week with a hundred-man unit and join two other Leaf Village Jonin to escort people and supplies.
• Qian left a shadow clone in Shahe City and returned to his training ground, where he assigned six clones their tasks and practiced the Mystical Palm Technique and Mind Reflection Technique.
• Over the following days, Qian trained at the same location and returned to Shahe City each night.

As the Leaf convoy began its journey home, Qian split off to train ahead of it and discovered a mountain stronghold occupied by bandits. After eliminating them, he settled on the northern peak to train while the convoy continued along its route.

• Qian left the supply convoy under a shadow clone’s watch and flew ahead to a training site at Twin Peaks.
• Using his Byakugan, Qian spotted a mountain stronghold with dozens of ordinary people on the southern peak.
• Qian used genjutsu to learn that the stronghold’s occupants were refugees who had become bandits.
• Qian killed the bandits and burned their remains, then reflected that war had likely created many similar groups across the Land of Fire.
• Qian checked the area for other threats, found none, and began training on the northern peak.

Qian perfected Lightning Style: Lightning Prison and tested its power, discovering that Chakra Feather Cloak let him unleash the technique at its full, devastating scale. He ended the chapter with a powerful new killing technique, though it required time to prepare and left him vulnerable to escape-minded opponents.

• Qian recalled his shadow clones and absorbed their training, reaching the Perfected Realm in Lightning Style: Lightning Prison.
• Qian tested the technique and expanded its lightning storm beyond fifty meters, controlling its attacks while he still had strength to spare.
• Qian used Chakra Feather Cloak before casting Lightning Style: Lightning Prison, allowing him to unleash lightning across a hundred-meter area.
• The lightning scorched the surrounding terrain, and Qian's Chakra Feather Cloak collapsed after its defenses reached their limit.
• Qian judged that the technique had become a formidable weapon, though its preparation time and gradual expansion gave experienced opponents a chance to escape.

Qian discovered that his long blade made Lightning Release: Lightning Flash Sword feel awkward to practice, so he switched to the technique’s original short sword and measured its training cost. He assigned clones to train several techniques and resumed strengthening his body and advancing his Sharingan.

• Qian practiced Lightning Release: Lightning Flash Sword and realized his long blade did not suit the technique’s requirements.
• Qian retrieved Xiao Leiyingren’s chakra-conductive Short Sword from his stored spoils and found the awkwardness disappeared.
• Qian measured the technique’s chakra consumption and estimated it would take twenty days to reach the Perfected Realm at his planned training rate.
• Qian summoned six shadow clones, assigned one to practice Lightning Release: Lightning Flash Sword, and set the others to train their respective ninjutsu.
• Qian resumed using Mystical Palm Technique and Mind Reflection Technique to strengthen his body and advance his Sharingan’s Evolution Progress.

Qian’s convoy returned to Konoha, where the village staged a welcome ceremony before he turned in his mission and went home. Back in his residence, he realized how much tension he had carried on the battlefield and fell asleep, finally relaxing in the relative safety of the village.

• Qian moved his training location as the convoy neared the edge of his Shadow Clone’s communication range, then continued training while the team traveled toward Konoha.
• Qian worried that the convoy’s faster pace would keep Water Style: Great Shark Bullet Technique from reaching its next level before he returned, but decided he could still prepare to deal with Danzo afterward.
• On the seventh day, Qian and the convoy entered Konoha through a village-organized welcoming ceremony, then Qian went to the Hokage Building to turn in his mission.
• Qian returned to his residence in the Uchiha compound, cleaned the house, and lay down to rest.
• Qian recognized that the battlefield had left him without a sense of security, relaxed in Konoha, and quickly fell asleep.

After returning to Konoha, Qian went out for food but sensed a hostile observer and suspected Danzo’s Root. He decided to move against Danzo soon, though he still had to choose how to handle the watcher.

• Qian woke after nearly twenty hours of sleep, washed up, and left the Uchiha Clan Grounds to find a meal.
• Qian bought snacks on Konoha’s busy streets and headed into a barbecue restaurant.
• Qian sensed someone watching him, but found no suspicious person inside the restaurant.
• Qian suspected Danzo’s Root and decided to deal with Danzo as soon as possible, hoping to obtain Root’s ninjutsu stores.
• Qian considered whether to confront the watcher or avoid alerting the enemy while he ate.

Qian caught and killed a Root Ninja who had been spying on him, confirming that Danzo had ordered the surveillance. He returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds and planned to train outside the village the next day, hoping to lure Danzo into confronting him.

• Qian sensed that someone was still watching him and headed to a training ground to draw the spy out.
• Qian used his Byakugan to locate a masked figure dressed like an Anbu ninja, then activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and pursued them with Ame no Minaka.
• Qian trapped the spy with Genjutsu: Sharingan, drained his chakra, and read enough of his memories to confirm he was a Root Ninja sent by Danzo.
• Qian killed the Root Ninja with lightning, burned his body to ashes, and scattered the remains through the forest.
• Qian returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds and decided to train outside Konoha the next day, using the opportunity to set a trap for Danzo.

Danzo learned that Qian had made his Root agent Shadow Ghost disappear and ordered two squads to monitor him, hoping to find leverage against him and pressure the Uchiha clan. Danzo believed Qian might have the Mangekyō Sharingan and planned to use all his power against him, while Qian remained confident in his own strength.

• Otsu reported that Shadow Ghost had vanished after following Qian to the Seventh Training Ground, with no signs of a struggle or clues left behind.
• Danzo concluded that Qian had likely killed Shadow Ghost and was angered that there was no evidence he could use against him.
• Danzo ordered Otsu to send two squads to monitor Qian and seize leverage if he made another move.
• Danzo intended the surveillance to warn the Uchiha clan, whose jōnin were preparing to support Minato for Fourth Hokage, and considered taking Qian’s possible Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Qian remained confident that Danzo did not understand the Mangekyō’s power and trusted his own eyes, chakra, and ninjutsu.

Qian left Konoha and searched for a remote place to train and draw Danzo into a confrontation. He settled on an isolated coastal forest and began training while waiting for Root to discover his location.

• Qian noticed Root ninja watching him but left Konoha without confronting them, then used his abilities to evade their pursuit.
• Qian searched several remote locations and chose a forest in the southern Land of Fire, far from settlements, roads, and bases.
• Qian decided to train there for several days so Root could gradually locate him and Danzo might mistake the discovery for an opportunity.
• Qian created six shadow clones to train, then used the Mystical Palm Technique and Mind Reflection Technique to strengthen his body and advance his Sharingan.

Qian perfected Water Style: Great Shark Bullet Technique, which also helped him break through to the Rank A Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave. He weighed how to spend the chakra freed by the perfected technique and decided to focus on advancing Chakra Feather Cloak before his expected battle with Danzo.

• Qian tested his perfected Water Style: Great Shark Bullet Technique and watched it swallow his shadow clone’s powerful Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.
• The technique’s advancement improved Qian’s Water Chakra control and nature transformation, pushing Chakra Control past sixty percent and evolving Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave into the Rank A Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
• Qian cast the new water technique across a radius of one kilometer, then tested its training efficiency and found that perfecting it would take about three months with his saved chakra.
• Qian ruled out investing his saved chakra in Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave or Wind Style: Rasenshuriken because neither would advance in time for his coming battle with Danzo.
• Qian decided to direct the saved chakra toward Chakra Feather Cloak, which could then advance in about ten days, and resumed training after changing locations.

Qian trained, confronted a Root watcher, and learned that the Uchiha clan planned to support Namikaze Minato for Fourth Hokage. He then left Konoha again, deliberately drawing Root after him as part of his plan to make Danzo lower his guard.

• Qian returned to Konoha, stared down a Root ninja, and went home to finish his training.
• Qian noticed two Root ninjas watching his residence but remained unconcerned and rested.
• Uchiha Zhi Ren told Qian that the clan had decided to support Namikaze Minato for Fourth Hokage, and Qian agreed.
• Qian left the village and spotted Root ninjas following him with his Byakugan.
• Qian flew toward his previous training ground, letting Root lose sight of him while acting as if he did not care about being followed.

Qian delayed the Root Ninja tracking him so he could finish cultivating his Chakra Feather Cloak. After the cloak advanced, he discovered Root had surrounded the area and was waiting for someone to arrive.

• Danzo ordered Otsu to prepare Root personnel to begin the operation as soon as they confirmed Qian's location.
• Qian spotted Root Ninja following him and deliberately changed course to delay their tracking by a day.
• Qian used shadow clones to cultivate ninjutsu and absorb their experience over the next three days.
• Qian advanced his Chakra Feather Cloak to perfected lv9 and tested its improved defenses against ninjutsu.
• Qian activated his Byakugan and saw Root Ninja hidden within a kilometer, waiting for someone to arrive.

Qian launched a surprise attack on Danzō’s Root squads, killing several groups before Danzō gathered his forces and activated a barrier to track him. Qian waited as Danzō and the remaining Root ninjas arrived, and Danzō became more convinced that Qian’s eyes were worth taking.

• Qian spotted Danzō, then moved to attack the Root squad farthest from him.
• Qian used Ame no Minaka, Rasengan, and Chakra Scalpel to kill four Root ninjas, who detonated Exploding Tags as they died.
• Qian killed another Root squad despite their heightened guard and continued attacking as explosions signaled more deaths.
• Danzō ordered Otsu to summon the Red Rain Squad to create a barrier and call the remaining Root ninjas to him.
• Qian recognized the barrier as a perception tool, stopped attacking, and waited for Danzō’s forces to arrive.
• Danzō confronted Qian and, after seeing his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, became more eager to take his eyes.

Qian fought off Danzo and Root, using Lightning Style: Lightning Prison to kill most of their forces. Danzo and four Root shinobi survived and charged Qian, intent on killing him despite their losses.

• Danzo shut his eyes and retreated as Qian attempted to use Genjutsu: Sharingan, then ordered Root to attack.
• Qian dodged Root's coordinated assault and used Lightning Flash Sword to kill one shinobi before Danzo interrupted him with Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere.
• Qian protected himself with Chakra Feather Cloak and unleashed Lightning Style: Lightning Prison, killing more than a dozen Root shinobi.
• Danzo and four Root shinobi survived by fleeing or hiding underground, while Danzo realized his forces had been severely weakened.
• Danzo ordered the four remaining Root shinobi to charge Qian.

Qian fought Danzo and four Root Jonin, using feints, swordsmanship, and several ninjutsu to keep the attackers at bay. He flooded the battlefield and electrified the water, leaving Danzo and the others scrambling for safety as the fight continued.

• Qian feinted with Lightning Style: Lightning Prison, then released Lightning Style: Lightning Snake at two of the Root Jonin.
• Qian broke an underground Earth Release attack and traded sword strikes with a Root Jonin, but retreated when the others joined the assault.
• Qian used Lightning Release: Lightning Flash Sword, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, and Chakra Feather Cloak to repel the coordinated attacks.
• Qian counterattacked with Fire Release techniques, then unleashed Water Style: Exploding Water Colliding Wave and forced Danzo and the four Root Jonin into the treetops.
• Qian sliced down the trees with Wind Style: Wind Blade, then cast Lightning Style: Lightning Prison through the water as Danzo and the Root Jonin rushed toward the remaining trees.

Qian used lightning, ninjutsu, and sword techniques to kill two Root Jonin and overwhelm two more while fighting Danzo’s group. As the remaining attackers pushed through his Wind Style: Wind Devour, they tried to exploit the moment his hardened skin returned to normal.

• Qian electrified the water and forced Danzo and the four Root Jonin to scatter, then killed one Root Jonin with a Wind Blade after paralyzing him with lightning and striking him with a Water Dragon Bullet.
• Qian disarmed another Root Jonin with Lightning Flash Sword, hit him with a Rasengan, escaped his grasp, and killed him with a shuriken to the throat.
• Qian unleashed two Lightning Snakes at the approaching Root Jonin, dodged their kunai attacks, and hardened his skin to withstand their strikes.
• Qian trapped the two Root Jonin in Wind Devour, where the countless Wind Blades cut them severely, but they endured the pain and advanced to attack him.

Qian killed the remaining Root jonin and faced Danzo, who questioned him about his Mangekyō Sharingan. After evading Danzo’s attacks and escaping a curse seal with Ame no Minaka, Qian conserved his eye’s power and charged again using the Flash Sword Technique.

• Qian used Ame no Minaka to appear behind the last two Root jonin and killed them, leaving Danzo and the four barrier-keepers.
• Danzo questioned Qian about when he awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan and asked about its abilities, but Qian did not answer.
• Qian attacked Danzo while concealed, but Danzo unleashed Wind Style: Vacuum Serial Waves and prepared for his return.
• Qian reappeared behind Danzo and struck, but Danzo dodged, countered with shuriken, and trapped Qian with the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal.
• Qian escaped the seal with Ame no Minaka, then chose to conserve his Mangekyō and charged Danzo with the Flash Sword Technique.

Qian and Danzo fought fiercely, with Qian gaining the upper hand in their swordsmanship duel. As Danzo fell behind, he released the seal concealing the Sharingan in his right eye, preparing to use it against Qian.

• Danzo attacked Qian with returning Wind Style shuriken, but Qian deflected them and dodged Danzo’s follow-up Vacuum Blade strikes.
• Qian overpowered Danzo in a clash of blades and pressed him back with sustained swordsmanship.
• Qian cut Danzo’s arm, prompting Danzo to retreat and regard him with wariness.
• Danzo released the seal on his right eye, revealing a Sharingan to Qian.

Qian pressed his attack against Danzo after Danzo revealed his transplanted Sharingan, then tried to trap him with Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave. Danzo summoned the Baku to swallow the expanding water and prepared a Wind Style: Vacuum Wave with its help.

• Danzo uncovered his Sharingan, and he speculated that Qian might have a precognition ability because Qian showed no surprise and had anticipated attacks.
• Qian used his Byakugan and speed to evade Danzo’s Wind Style: Shuriken, then attacked him repeatedly with sword techniques.
• Qian retreated after testing Danzo’s Sharingan and cast Water Style: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave to engulf him.
• Danzo escaped the water’s immediate reach by summoning the Baku, which swallowed water to slow the sphere’s expansion.
• Danzo called for support and, with the Baku’s assistance, began casting Wind Style: Vacuum Wave.

Qian fought Danzo and the Baku, using Ame no Minaka to escape a combined attack and countering with Wind Style: Rasenshuriken. The Baku narrowly dodged the Rasenshuriken, leaving Qian to recognize that his lack of control over the technique had cost him a clean hit.

• Danzo used Wind Style: Vacuum Wave to break Qian’s water sphere, while the Baku swallowed the water that Qian sent crashing toward him.
• Qian tried to attack the Baku with Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, but it halted his Fire Dragons and blew the flames back toward Qian.
• Qian blocked the returning flames with Water Style: Water Formation Wall, but Danzo and the Baku pierced it with a barrage of Vacuum Bullets.
• Qian used Ame no Minaka to escape the barrage and reappeared ready to counterattack with Wind Style: Rasenshuriken.
• Danzo warned the Baku to dodge, and the beast used Wind Style Chakra to narrowly evade the Rasenshuriken.