Recaps

Tsunade brought Jingyi to Shikkotsu Forest so the Slug Sage could test his talent for learning its Senjutsu. After the Slug Sage swallowed and spat him out, it declared his talent quite good, while Tsunade laughed at his slime-covered state.

• Tsunade admitted that the Slug Sage had told her she lacked talent for Senjutsu and summoned it to test Jingyi.
• Jingyi signed the Shikkotsu Forest Summoning Contract, and the Slug Sage reverse-summoned him and Tsunade to the forest.
• The Slug Sage examined Jingyi and swallowed him whole as part of the test.
• The Slug Sage spat Jingyi out, and Tsunade laughed as he dry-heaved while covered in slime.
• The Slug Sage told Tsunade that Jingyi had quite good talent.

Jingyi learned that Slug Sage considered his senjutsu talent comparable to Hashirama’s, while Tsunade was left regretting her doubts. Back in Konoha, Jingyi and Kushina prepared to host her friends for grilled meat, ending with Kushina assigned to wake Tsunade and Nawaki.

• Slug Sage confirmed Jingyi had exceptional talent for learning Shikkotsu Forest Senjutsu, and Tsunade realized she had underestimated him.
• Jingyi learned that Little Slugs would help him absorb and control Nature Energy during training, then he and Tsunade returned to Konoha covered in mucus.
• Jingyi’s hospital work was paused, and his senjutsu training was scheduled for after the New Year.
• Kushina woke Jingyi early so they could buy groceries and prepare grilled meat for her friends.
• Jingyi stopped Kushina from buying too much at the market, and they ate ramen before heading home.
• Jingyi gave Kushina the task of waking Tsunade and Nawaki so they could help prepare.

Jingyi hosted Kushina’s friends, including Mie Hyuga, a shy Main House girl who looked almost identical to Hinata. As the guests settled in to help prepare food, Jingyi wondered why the Hyuga Clan had allowed Mie to visit, while Tsunade explained Kushina’s freedom came from the village’s shifting political balance.

• Jingyi teased Nawaki into finishing the cooking work by threatening to wake Tsunade and make her help.
• Kushina returned home with Mikoto Uchiha, Minato Namikaze, and Mie Hyuga, whose resemblance to Hinata stunned Jingyi.
• Jingyi welcomed the guests and noticed that Mie had no Caged Bird Seal on her forehead.
• Tsunade signaled that Kushina could make friends freely because Danzō was imprisoned and Torifu Akimichi supported her.
• Jingyi reassured the nervous Mie and called Nawaki over to help, while Minato volunteered too.

Jingyi hosted Kushina and her friends for a barbecue, using Nawaki’s crush on Mikoto Uchiha to make him behave. Afterward, Tsunade confirmed she had chosen Jiraiya to train Nawaki, while Jingyi hoped the choice would help him avoid a dangerous fate.

• Jingyi teased Nawaki about his lewd hobbies and warned that he would tell Mikoto Uchiha, prompting Nawaki to promise to stop fooling around with Jiraiya.
• Kushina brought Mikoto Uchiha and Hyuga Mie outside to eat, and the group enjoyed Jingyi’s grilled meat, vegetables, fish, and drinks.
• Jingyi told Tsunade that Nawaki had become quiet because he threatened to reveal Nawaki’s behavior with Jiraiya to Mikoto Uchiha.
• Tsunade said she had chosen Jiraiya as Nawaki’s teacher, and Jingyi supported the choice because he hoped it would keep Nawaki from being killed by Explosive Tags.
• After the meal, Tsunade went to her room to sleep.

Orochimaru visited Jingyi and paid ten million ryō for three of his puppets, intending to study them. After Orochimaru left, Jingyi spoke with Minato Namikaze about visiting and spending time with Nawaki and Kushina, then heard Nawaki shouting in the courtyard.

• Kushina went shopping with her friends while Nawaki and Minato Namikaze slipped away together.
• Orochimaru offered ten million ryō for three puppets, and Jingyi agreed after bargaining over the number.
• Orochimaru chose a wolf, a small wild boar, and a crow, then left with the puppets to research them.
• Jingyi told Minato Namikaze that he could visit and encouraged him to keep Nawaki company because Kushina was lonely.
• Jingyi finished washing up and heard Nawaki shouting from the courtyard.

Jingyi invited Minato Namikaze to celebrate the New Year with his family and praised his potential to Tsunade. Minato considered asking Jingyi to become his teacher, while Tsunade headed to the Hokage Office Building.

• Jingyi invited Minato Namikaze to spend the New Year with his family, and Nawaki enthusiastically supported the invitation.
• Jingyi told Tsunade he thought Minato could become exceptionally strong, though he did not want to take him as his disciple.
• Nawaki suggested Minato ask Jingyi to be his teacher, and Minato considered the idea while wondering how strong Jingyi was.
• Nawaki and Minato burned their fish and ate it without seasoning before bickering over their nicknames.
• Tsunade slowly made her way to the Hokage Office Building.

Tsunade secured Minato Namikaze as Jingyi’s disciple, and Jingyi welcomed the young ninja with a New Year’s gift. The celebration ended with Nawaki discovering that his gift was a stack of exam papers.

• Tsunade asked the Third Hokage to let Jingyi take Minato Namikaze as his disciple, and he agreed.
• Tsunade told Jingyi that the arrangement was settled, and he welcomed Minato as his student.
• Jingyi gave Minato Namikaze a ninja tool pouch as a New Year’s gift.
• Jingyi gave Kushina jewelry, which she happily showed off to Tsunade.
• Jingyi gave Nawaki a box of exam papers, and Nawaki broke down in dismay.

Jingyi gave Tsunade, Minato, and Nawaki New Year’s gifts before the celebration turned into a family squabble. Meanwhile, Hanzō retaliated against Sunagakure and Iwagakure for their treatment of the Land of Rain, escalating clashes that left Konoha and Sunagakure facing mounting losses; the chapter ended with Konoha leaders reviewing reports of the worsening situation.

• Jingyi gave Nawaki a ninja tool pouch after teasing him with test papers, and gave Tsunade money as a gift.
• Nawaki questioned why Tsunade had received a gift instead of giving one, and Tsunade chased and beat him.
• Hanzō learned that ninja, mostly from Sunagakure and Iwagakure, had robbed civilians in the Land of Rain and decided to retaliate.
• Hanzō secretly left Amegakure with subordinates, causing Konoha and Sunagakure patrol squads to disappear and provoking clashes between the villages.
• Sunagakure and Konoha reported growing losses as squads vanished and fighting intensified in the Land of Rain.
• Tsunade joined the Third Hokage and other Konoha leaders as they reviewed intelligence that Sunagakure had repeatedly attacked areas under Konoha’s control.

Konoha’s leaders debated Sunagakure’s escalating attacks and ordered the village to prepare for a possible war. After the meeting, Jingyi and Tsunade suspected someone was manipulating the conflict, with Jingyi considering Amegakure the likeliest culprit.

• Utatane Koharu blamed Sunagakure for provoking Konoha, while Tsunade argued that the sudden escalation seemed suspicious.
• Torifu Akimichi urged the village to prepare for war, and the Third Hokage ordered Konoha’s departments to ready personnel, medical support, and supplies.
• Tsunade hesitated when Matsuda Sarutobi asked whether she would lead medical support at the front, saying she would answer before reinforcements departed.
• Tsunade returned home and told Jingyi about the meeting and the possibility of war.
• Jingyi agreed that the conflict seemed deliberately guided and said Amegakure was more suspicious than Iwagakure.

As tensions between Sunagakure and Amegakure rose toward war, Jingyi decided to go to the front lines while Tsunade stayed in Konoha to guard against Shimura Danzō’s return. In Sunagakure, the Third Kazekage used the escalating conflict to seek the daimyo’s support for a war against the Land of Fire.

• Jingyi warned Tsunade that war was likely and urged her to remain in Konoha in case Shimura Danzō was released from prison.
• Jingyi chose to take Tsunade’s place on the front lines, hoping to earn military merit, and planned to serve as a medic rather than charge into battle.
• The Third Kazekage identified Hanzō as the instigator of the conflict and saw the escalation as a chance to pursue Sunagakure’s ambitions against the Land of Fire.
• The Third Kazekage ordered Chiyo to send an account blaming Konoha for the crisis to the Daimyo’s Court so Sunagakure could secure the daimyo’s support.

Tsunade refused to go to the front lines because she feared the Third Hokage would release Shimura Danzō while she was away. She recommended Jingyi Hyuga and Shikaku Nara instead, and left the Third Hokage with no promise or agreement.

• The Third Hokage told Tsunade that Sunagakure had sent reinforcements toward the Land of Rain, hinting that the front lines would need her.
• Tsunade refused to leave Konoha, saying she needed to care for Nawaki and Kushina and oversee the Medical Department.
• Tsunade told the Third Hokage she would not leave while Shimura Danzō remained imprisoned, and recommended Jingyi Hyuga and Shikaku Nara for the battlefield.
• The Third Hokage questioned whether Jingyi could replace Tsunade, but Tsunade refused to negotiate unless Shimura Danzō was handed over to her.
• Tsunade warned the Third Hokage not to release Shimura Danzō and left the office; Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura then questioned Jingyi's ability.

Tsunade stayed in Konoha to keep Shimura Danzō imprisoned while Jingyi prepared to join Orochimaru and Jiraiya in the Land of Rain. After a farewell gathering revealed Jiraiya’s unrequited feelings for Tsunade, Jingyi made preparations for the battlefield, and Kushina protested his departure.

• The Third Hokage and his advisers abandoned their plan to use Shimura Danzō against Tsunade and decided to wait for another opportunity.
• Jingyi reassured Tsunade that Konoha would not lose the war, and she agreed to remain in the village and keep Shimura Danzō in prison.
• Sunagakure sent reinforcements to the Land of Rain, prompting Konoha to mobilize for the approaching war.
• At a tavern gathering with Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Jiraiya, Jingyi discussed the coming deployment while Jiraiya brooded over Tsunade’s closeness with Jingyi.
• Orochimaru urged Jiraiya to confess his feelings, but Jiraiya concluded that Tsunade only liked handsome men, and Orochimaru left in disgust.
• Jingyi bought supplies and prepared to leave for the Land of Rain, while Kushina clung to his arm and protested that he was heading to the battlefield again.

Jingyi explained why he had to join the war effort and promised Kushina he would return safely as he left with the second wave of reinforcements. Meanwhile, the conflict in the Land of Rain spread as Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure sent more troops and fought amid the chaos.

• Jingyi comforted Kushina and told Nawaki that he could help in the Medical Department at camp if the village sent newly graduated Genin to the front.
• Tsunade agreed to Jingyi's plan for Nawaki, while Jingyi told Minato to seek her help with any problems during his absence.
• Hanzō's plan intensified the conflict between Konoha and Sunagakure, drawing Iwagakure into the fighting in the Land of Rain.
• Jingyi, Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and the other reinforcements prepared to leave for the Land of Rain.
• Jingyi made a pinky promise to Kushina to stay safe, then left with the main force as she cried in Tsunade's arms.

Jingyi met Shikaku Nara and agreed to work with him at the camp, then reached an agreement with Orochimaru to make battlefield puppets from enemy corpses. Jiraiya, left out of their conversation and confused by their teasing, kept pressing them to explain.

• Jingyi greeted Shikaku Nara as the group left the village and agreed that they would work together for the village.
• Jiraiya thanked Jingyi for helping him become Nawaki's teacher, prompting Orochimaru to give him a pointed look.
• Jingyi suggested turning battlefield materials into puppets, and Orochimaru offered to provide materials and parts.
• Jingyi asked Orochimaru to make the puppets while he handled the final step, and Orochimaru agreed in exchange for a share.
• Jiraiya asked why Jingyi and Orochimaru were discussing puppets, but they only smirked at him and left him demanding an explanation.

Jingyi explained the Hyuga Clan’s four-tier hierarchy and why Branch House Elders often sided with the Main House. During the journey to the Land of Rain, he and Orochimaru also listened as Jiraiya struggled to understand the clan’s customs and the Senju-Uzumaki marriage arrangements.

• Jiraiya pressed Jingyi to explain his special puppets, and Jingyi revealed that he and Orochimaru had agreed to study puppets made from enemy corpses.
• The second group of reinforcements, including fifteen medical shinobi under Jingyi’s command, traveled toward the Land of Rain with supplies.
• After cleaning up, Jiraiya asked why Jingyi and the Hyuga clansmen had not greeted one another.
• Jingyi explained the four Hyuga tiers and how Branch House Elders were often Main House members with highly pure Byakugan who had received the Caged Bird Seal.
• Jingyi described how the Senju Clan had married Uzumaki women into the Senju Clan, leaving the Uzumaki resentful, and Orochimaru scolded Jiraiya for failing to grasp why.

Jingyi took charge of the crowded Medical Department at the Land of Rain camp and worked with Orochimaru to analyze Sunagakure’s poisons and prepare antidotes. After Orochimaru headed to the Morgue, Jingyi arranged extra safeguards to protect Konoha’s dead from being misused.

• Jingyi arrived at the Land of Rain camp and immediately took over treating the wounded and researching antidotes.
• Jingyi invited Orochimaru to help analyze poison samples, and Orochimaru agreed to stay in the camp as his assistant.
• Orochimaru identified several animal and plant toxins used by Sunagakure, while Jingyi prepared antidotes.
• Jingyi told Orochimaru not to experiment on the corpses of Konoha’s fallen, and Orochimaru promised to obey.
• After Orochimaru went to the Morgue, Jingyi ordered extra personnel assigned to protect and seal away the bodies of their companions.

Jingyi arranged for Konoha’s dead to be sealed and removed quickly so Orochimaru could not experiment on their bodies, prompting Shikaku Nara to seek approval from the Third Hokage. The Third Hokage accepted the added expense, and the camp proceeded with the plan.

• Jingyi ordered a ninja to report that Konoha’s dead should be disposed of quickly, fearing Orochimaru might use their bodies for research.
• Shikaku Nara learned Orochimaru had been working in the Medical Department and agreed to follow Jingyi’s plan, then reported it to the Third Hokage and Tsunade.
• Tsunade dismissed the report, while the Third Hokage weighed the cost of sealing scrolls against the risk of Orochimaru experimenting on Konoha’s dead.
• The Third Hokage approved the added expense, and Shikaku Nara stopped worrying about the matter once permission reached the camp.

As reinforcements were sent to the battlefield, Jiraiya found Orochimaru in the morgue making puppets from enemy corpses and resented that Orochimaru could remain in camp as Jingyi’s assistant. Jingyi defended Orochimaru’s usefulness, leaving Jiraiya without grounds to challenge his position.

• Jiraiya noticed Orochimaru was not assigned to a squad and found him in the morgue assembling a puppet from an enemy corpse.
• Orochimaru explained that the corpses had already been used for intelligence and interrogation, and said Jingyi had given him permission to use them.
• Jiraiya complained that Orochimaru could stay in camp while he had to lead a squad to the battlefield, but Orochimaru pointed out his value as Jingyi’s versatile assistant.
• Jiraiya went to Jingyi and demanded that Orochimaru’s assistant position be revoked, but Jingyi defended Orochimaru’s skill at identifying poisons, preparing medicine, and helping as medical staff.
• Unable to offer a valid reason for removing Orochimaru, Jiraiya left and accepted that he would go on missions alone.

Jingyi told Jiraiya an erotic story that inspired his next book, but a misunderstanding branded Jiraiya a pervert and drove him to the battlefield. Jingyi continued treating wounded patients through a hectic day, and Orochimaru arrived at night in high spirits while Jingyi was too exhausted to talk.

• Jingyi told Jiraiya about Bai Jiejie and A Bin, and Jiraiya decided to use the story as inspiration for his next book.
• A medical worker saw Jiraiya posing lecherously and mistook him for a pervert, and the rumor spread through the medical room.
• Jiraiya, too embarrassed to stay in camp, led his assigned ninja squad to the battlefield.
• Jingyi performed surgery on wounded patients and treated the medical room's many urgent cases.
• Orochimaru entered the lounge smiling after a successful day, but Jingyi was too tired to discuss puppets with him.

Jingyi traded Orochimaru permission to watch him activate puppets for materials to make a thousand more, then began Senjutsu training in Shikkotsu Forest. His first attempt caused his arm to petrify, but Little Slugs absorbed the excess Nature Energy and reversed it.

• Orochimaru offered Jingyi materials for five hundred puppets in exchange for watching, and Jingyi negotiated the deal up to one thousand.
• Jingyi infused chakra into a puppet, making it stand and open blue eyes, while Orochimaru watched in shock.
• Jingyi activated more puppets, gave Orochimaru twenty, and warned him to keep the technique secret.
• After Orochimaru left, Jingyi was summoned to Shikkotsu Forest to begin Senjutsu training with the Slug Sage.
• Jingyi's arm began to petrify when he failed to balance Nature Energy, but Little Slugs absorbed the excess energy and reversed the petrification.

Jingyi struggled to master senjutsu while enduring exhaustion from night training and his medical work. Shikaku warned him that Chiyo had brought reinforcements into the Land of Rain, and Jingyi prepared to counter her poisons as the fighting continued without any village formally declaring war.

• Jingyi repeatedly absorbed natural energy under the Slug Sage's supervision, petrifying himself but making rapid progress before returning to the camp exhausted.
• Shikaku Nara found Jingyi looking worn out, and Jingyi explained that he worked during the day and trained at night.
• Shikaku told Jingyi that Chiyo had led Sunagakure reinforcements into the Land of Rain, making the situation more dangerous.
• Jingyi assured Shikaku that Orochimaru could help counter Chiyo's poisons and that he could send samples to Tsunade if needed.
• Shikaku said more medical ninja, staff, supplies, and equipment would arrive, while Jingyi doubted they could take over his most difficult cases.
• Konoha, Sunagakure, and Iwagakure continued fighting in the Land of Rain without declaring war.

Jingyi reflected on Iwagakure’s position in the war before treating Hatake Sakumo, who had escaped a fight with Hanzō badly wounded and poisoned. After Jingyi treated him, Sakumo fell asleep in the camp infirmary.

• The narration explained that Iwagakure had entered the Land of Rain conflict reluctantly and feared declaring war while Kumogakure threatened it.
• Jingyi was called to examine a special wounded patient and found Hatake Sakumo on the operating table.
• Sakumo told Jingyi that Hanzō had wounded him, while the medical staff watched as Jingyi stripped and examined him.
• Jingyi sent the onlookers away, found four deep blade wounds and poison, and treated Sakumo.
• Sakumo fell into a groggy sleep, and Jingyi handed him over to the medical staff before returning to the break room.

Jingyi delivered a poison sample extracted from Hatake Sakumo to Orochimaru before falling asleep from exhaustion, while Chiyo responded to Hanzō’s attacks by ordering Sunagakure to strike settlements across the Land of Rain. At a Konoha meeting, Shikaku Nara reported the devastation, and Jingyi watched the gathered shinobi condemn Sunagakure despite Konoha’s own role in the conflict.

• Jingyi gave Orochimaru poison extracted from Hatake Sakumo’s body and fell asleep from exhaustion.
• Chiyo learned Sunagakure’s casualties exceeded Konoha’s and blamed Konoha’s prepared antidotes for weakening Sunagakure’s poison advantage.
• Chiyo learned Hanzō and Amegakure had repeatedly targeted Sunagakure, then decided to retaliate.
• Chiyo led Sunagakure in attacking and looting settlements across the Land of Rain, leaving widespread death and destruction.
• Shikaku Nara told Konoha’s camp that Sunagakure had devastated nearly every settlement in the Land of Rain outside Amegakure and the Daimyo’s Court.
• Konoha’s shinobi condemned Sunagakure for targeting civilians, while Jingyi privately found their outrage ironic.

As Sunagakure retaliated against Amegakure, Hanzō of the Salamander declared war on Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, catching the three villages off guard. Jingyi considered the consequences while Jiraiya showed him an erotic novel he had written during the fighting.

• Shikaku Nara announced that Konoha would shift from offense to defense and let Amegakure and Sunagakure wear each other down.
• Furious at Sunagakure's retaliation and plundering, Hanzō of the Salamander declared war on Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure.
• Amegakure's forces attacked the three villages' occupied territories, surprising them, especially Sunagakure.
• Jingyi called Hanzō of the Salamander bold and considered how his declaration had shattered the villages' tacit understanding.
• Jiraiya returned to camp and asked Jingyi to review the erotic novel he had written while on the battlefield.

Jiraiya showed Jingyi his new manuscript, then angered Orochimaru by basing its male lead on him and was beaten. Meanwhile, Konoha’s leaders debated how to respond after Amegakure declared war, with Torifu Akimichi urging them to wait before acting.

• Jingyi praised Jiraiya’s manuscript and encouraged him to show it to Orochimaru.
• Orochimaru recognized himself in the novel’s male lead, Big Snake, and angrily kicked Jiraiya out before beating him.
• Jiraiya remained pleased with the manuscript and returned to writing after Shikaku Nara told him to rest.
• The Third Hokage asked Konoha’s leaders how to respond to Amegakure’s declaration of war.
• Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Torifu Akimichi supported responding, but Torifu Akimichi proposed waiting first.