Recaps

Sōji led the surgery to remove the Explosive Insects from Karai, proving his skill to Amai and the Fourth Raikage. As the operation neared completion, he noticed Tsunade’s hemophobia flaring at the sight of blood.

• Tsunade named Sōji the lead surgeon, and Amai and the Fourth Raikage questioned whether he was capable of the operation.
• Sōji described the insects’ locations and Karai’s damaged chakra pathways in detail, convincing Amai of his extraordinary perception.
• Sōji began the surgery with Shizune assisting and Amai watching, using his Six Eyes to track the insects and fragile pathways.
• Sōji removed the three primary insects and the remaining Explosive Insects without damaging Karai’s chakra pathways.
• Sōji noticed Tsunade trembling and struggling with her hemophobia as she watched the blood, but he continued the final cleanup.

Sōji completed Karai’s surgery and helped Tsunade outside when her hemophobia left her shaken. As Shizune reassured the Fourth Raikage that Tsunade had never abandoned medicine, Tsunade slowly regained her composure, while Sōji stayed beside her until she felt ready to return.

• Sōji finished removing the parasite nests and repairing Karai’s meridians, then delegated his follow-up care to Shizune and promised to prepare for the Fourth Raikage’s surgery.
• Sōji draped his robe over the trembling Tsunade and led her outside to sit in the sun.
• Tsunade quietly asked Sōji if he had seen what happened, and he confirmed that he had.
• Shizune told the Fourth Raikage and Amai that Tsunade had never given up on being a medical ninja and would recover in time.
• Tsunade’s familiar impatience returned, and she kept Sōji’s robe around her shoulders as he offered to wait until she was ready to go back.

After thanking Sōji for helping her through a humiliating moment, Tsunade returned with him to prepare for Akoi’s second surgery. Five powerful attackers then arrived demanding the Land of Cedar’s secret technique, and Tsunade joined the Fourth Raikage to face them.

• Tsunade teased Sōji, then kissed his forehead to thank him for stopping her from embarrassing herself, and asked him to keep it secret.
• Tsunade and Sōji returned to the stone house, where Sōji detected five approaching chakra signatures and killed a spying insect with a chakra-coated needle.
• The five attackers landed outside and their hooded leader demanded that the Fourth Raikage return the Land of Cedar’s secret technique.
• Tsunade offered to help the Raikage fight in exchange for two more ninjutsu, and he accepted the deal.
• Tsunade told Sōji to protect Shizune and declared that she would take out her anger on the attackers.

Tsunade and the Fourth Raikage fought the five members of the Xuan Yuan Corps, but Yama’s severed arm triggered Tsunade’s hemophobia. The Corps seized the opening and sent Lightning and Wind to kill her while En, Lake, and Yama held off the Raikage.

• Tsunade and the Fourth Raikage attacked the five Xuan Yuan Corps members, overpowering them despite their coordinated defenses.
• The Raikage realized the Explosive Insects inside him were awakening, while Tsunade intensified her attacks.
• Yama took Tsunade’s blows to restrict her movements, and the Raikage severed Yama’s right arm at the wrist.
• Seeing the blood, Tsunade froze as memories of Dan and Nawaki overwhelmed her, and the Raikage recognized her hemophobia.
• En ordered Lightning and Wind to attack Tsunade while he, Lake, and Yama blocked the Raikage; the Raikage fought through their defenses but lost time.

Yamada Sōji protected Tsunade from Lightning and Wind, then revealed his Innate Technique, Ice Formation, and used it to freeze and kill the five Xuan Yuan Corps members. The Fourth Raikage survived the attack and regarded Sōji with new wariness.

• Yamada Sōji appeared before Tsunade and shielded her inside an ice lotus as Lightning and Wind's attacks struck.
• Sōji explained that Ice Formation used Cursed Energy to manifest absolute low temperature and freeze matter, energy, and chakra flow.
• En sensed Sōji's power expanding and shouted for the others to retreat, but Sōji unleashed Frostwind and froze the five Xuan Yuan Corps members instantly.
• The Fourth Raikage shook off the frost and realized Sōji had deliberately spared him, while the five frozen Elite Jōnin shattered into fragments.
• Shizune and Amai stared in disbelief as the Fourth Raikage regarded Sōji with wariness over his strength and potential.

Sōji defeated five Hidden Cloud Jonin with Ice Formation and helped Tsunade recover from her trauma. The next morning, Shizune successfully removed Amai’s Explosive Insects while the Fourth Raikage watched.

• Sōji explained that he had used a Binding Vow to increase his Cursed Energy output and told Tsunade he had acted quickly so she could rest.
• Tsunade agreed to treat the Fourth Raikage later and the other patient the next day, while the Raikage promised Hidden Cloud support troops as payment.
• Shizune thanked Sōji for protecting Tsunade, and he joked that she should not fall in love with him because he was only twelve.
• The next morning, Shizune removed the Explosive Insects from Amai while the Fourth Raikage observed and Sōji waited nearby.
• Shizune finished the operation, and Amai praised her surgical skills.

The Fourth Raikage rewarded Tsunade and Sōji with jutsu scrolls, treating the gifts as an investment in Sōji’s future. Three days later, Tsunade, Shizune, and Sōji left Kanazawa Castle by ship, where Tsunade asked how much strength Sōji had used to protect her.

• The Fourth Raikage’s support unit arrived, and Yurui presented Tsunade with the promised Light-Weight Rock Technique and Weighted Rock Technique scrolls.
• The Fourth Raikage gave Sōji an additional scroll containing twenty-seven earth, wind, and water jutsu, then left after warning him to stay alive.
• Tsunade explained to Shizune that the gifts were an investment because the Fourth Raikage expected Sōji to become powerful.
• Three days later, Tsunade, Shizune, and Sōji departed Kanazawa Castle by merchant ship after spending their time in the Land of Gold.
• Tsunade asked Sōji how much strength he had used to protect her, and he said he had used all of it.
• Tsunade told Sōji not to push himself so hard again, but he said he would protect her the same way if there were a next time.

Sōji reviewed his system’s new Gold Coin Shop and considered why the Xuan Yuan Corps had yielded extra Cursed Energy. After three months of training aboard the ship, he demonstrated his progress in controlling his weight and using the Mystical Palm Technique, and Tsunade announced she would teach him something else.

• Sōji saw that his Cursed Energy had increased by 2,000 points after fighting the Xuan Yuan Corps and wondered whether people connected to the original story granted more energy.
• Sōji inspected the newly unlocked Gold Coin Shop, noted that Limitless cost one billion ryō and remained unavailable to him, and postponed using his unclaimed threshold reward.
• Three months later, Sōji practiced controlling his weight by falling from the ship’s mast and slowing himself before he reached the deck.
• Sōji showed Tsunade that he could use the Mystical Palm Technique to repair a damaged leaf, explaining that he simulated vitality to make its cells heal.
• Tsunade said Sōji had learned most of what she could teach him about Medical Ninjutsu, then told him she would teach him something else.

Tsunade explained the Yin Seal and Creation Rebirth to Sōji and agreed to teach him the techniques. She admitted he reminded her of Nawaki, but accepted that Sōji was his own person and resolved to help him survive.

• Tsunade warned Sōji that medical ninja needed to know how to survive and explained how the Yin Seal worked with Creation Rebirth to heal severe injuries.
• Sōji eagerly accepted Tsunade's offer to teach him the techniques, while Shizune was astonished by the decision.
• That night, Sōji considered the techniques' demands and the costs he had already endured to grow stronger.
• Tsunade told Sōji that he reminded her of her late brother Nawaki, and Sōji insisted he was Yamada Sōji, not anyone's replacement.
• Tsunade said she would teach Sōji so he would not die forgotten, then privately affirmed that she cared for him as himself.

A year later, Sōji visited the Yamada Trading Company in Tanzaku Town and told Achun he was leaving to travel through the Five Great Nations. He said farewell to Tsunade, Shizune, and Tonton, and left with a contract to summon from Shikkotsu Forest.

• Achun reported that the Yamada Trading Company had expanded across the Land of Fire and into the Land of Lightning, where the Fourth Raikage's patronage helped its branches prosper.
• Sōji told Achun he was leaving to see the world and entrusted her with full authority over the trading company.
• At an izakaya, Tsunade gave Sōji a Shikkotsu Forest summoning contract and told him he could use the Reverse Summoning Technique to call her if he faced danger.
• Sōji signed the contract as Kaguya Yama.
• Shizune tearfully urged Sōji to take care of himself, and Sōji said farewell to her, Tsunade, and Tonton before walking away.

Sōji parted from Tsunade after kissing her forehead and taking First's Necklace, then reflected on how he could protect the people he cared about. He left himself with the ambition to become Mizukage and build peace alongside Tsunade, who he believed was destined to become Hokage.

• At the fork outside Tanzaku Town, Sōji kissed Tsunade's forehead and took First's Necklace as a parting gift.
• Sōji ran off with the necklace, leaving Tsunade stunned; she touched her forehead and watched him disappear.
• Shizune found Tsunade, who admitted that Sōji was skilled at stealing things, and they returned to Tanzaku Town.
• At a campsite near the Land of Rivers, Sōji considered the Shinobi World's cruelty and his desire to protect Tsunade, Shizune, and Achun.
• Sōji imagined becoming Mizukage and joining forces with Tsunade, the future Hokage, to secure peace.

Sōji used his saved draws to obtain the Inverted Spear of Heaven and Cursed Spirit Manipulation, then exchanged for and tamed Ugly Treasure. He set out toward the Land of Water, aiming to uncover his bloodline’s origins and eventually become Mizukage.

• Sōji drew the Inverted Spear of Heaven and Cursed Spirit Manipulation from the system.
• Sōji exchanged ten coins for Ugly Treasure and absorbed it with Cursed Spirit Manipulation before summoning it back as his companion.
• Sōji stored the Inverted Spear of Heaven inside Ugly Treasure and planned a route through the Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind toward the Land of Water.
• Sōji resolved to grow stronger before returning to Kirigakure and pursuing the position of Mizukage.
• The next morning, Sōji packed his belongings and set out toward the Land of Rivers with Ugly Treasure on his shoulder.

Sōji traveled through the Land of Rivers and saw how its prosperity depended on the Land of Fire’s support, leaving him convinced that strength was necessary to protect peace. He reaffirmed his goal of becoming Mizukage and growing strong enough to protect Tsunade, Shizune, and the people of the Land of Water.

• Sōji studied the Land of Rivers’ geography and history, noting its reliance on the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind’s continued interest in its territory.
• Sōji arrived in Cloudview and observed the city’s busy streets and peaceful daily life.
• Sōji passed the Yamada Trading Company’s grain shop and trusted Achun’s chosen manager without entering.
• At the inn, Sōji worried that the Land of Rivers’ prosperity could vanish if the Land of Fire withdrew its support.
• Sōji thought about Kirigakure’s weakened state and resolved to become strong enough to protect the peace he wanted for Tsunade and Shizune.

Sōji studied the Summoning Technique and traveled through the Land of Rivers toward the Land of Wind, observing the people and the small nation’s dependence on the Land of Fire. He camped in the desert as night fell, resolved to become Mizukage and protect ordinary people’s lives.

• Sōji studied Tsunade’s Summoning Technique scroll and learned the basics of connecting his chakra to the Slug Sage.
• Sōji decided to stay in Cloudview City for several more days, then set out to visit villages and learn about people’s lives.
• Yamada Soji crossed from the Land of Rivers toward the Land of Wind and observed the desert border with Ugly Treasure.
• Sōji reflected on the Land of Rivers’ dependence on the Land of Fire and the worries of its miners, innkeepers, children, and parents.
• Sōji chose a sheltered rock in the wasteland, made camp with Ugly Treasure, and watched night fall over the desert.

Sōji formed a summoning contract with Shikkotsu Forest and befriended Little Slug, who joined him and Ugly Treasure at his camp in the Gobi. As he rested that night, his Six Eyes detected four shinobi approaching from the direction of Sunagakure.

• Sōji signed the Shikkotsu Forest contract with his blood and summoned a small Slug split body.
• Little Slug introduced herself and said Tsunade had described Sōji as a troublesome but reliable brat.
• Sōji introduced Ugly Treasure to Little Slug, and the two companions made peace.
• Sōji rested beside Little Slug and Ugly Treasure, reflecting on his Yin Seal and his connection to Tsunade.
• Sōji sensed four shinobi approaching his camp from the west, with a Jonin-level leader and three others above Chunin level.

Sōji encountered a Sunagakure patrol while resting in the desert and concealed the full extent of his abilities. After the patrol withdrew, he stayed by the campfire as the ninjas watched him from a distance before leaving.

• Sōji dismissed the slug and positioned Ugly Treasure around his waist and shoulder, readying himself as footsteps approached.
• Four Sunagakure ninjas questioned Sōji about his identity, his journey, and his covered eyes.
• Sōji used his hearing as an explanation for knowing the patrol’s numbers and agreed to uncover his eyes when a fox distracted the ninjas.
• The captain ended the questioning and led his team away, though they stopped behind a rock to keep watching Sōji.
• Sōji rested by the fire until the patrol’s chakra signatures departed toward the Land of Wind.

Sōji encountered a starving girl named Hotaru at the Land of Wind’s border and learned that she carried the Tsuchigumo Clan’s forbidden technique, Rage Hair Heaven. After she asked to travel with him, he recognized her from the original story but had not yet answered her request.

• Sōji sensed an unusual chakra signature approaching his campsite from the Land of Rivers and waited for its source to arrive.
• Hotaru approached Sōji and asked him for water, and he gave her his waterskin.
• Hotaru thanked Sōji and asked to accompany him to the Land of Wind because she did not want to be alone.
• Hotaru gave Sōji her name, and he recognized her as a descendant of the Tsuchigumo Clan carrying Rage Hair Heaven.
• Sōji concluded that Hotaru had likely fled her home after being alienated by her village, but he did not yet respond to her request to travel together.

Yamada Soji took Hotaru in and brought her from the Gobi Desert to an oasis town in the Land of Wind. At the inn, Hotaru revealed that she had run away from home because her village feared the terrifying power sealed inside her, and Sōji listened as she broke down crying.

• Yamada Soji agreed to let Hotaru follow him without asking where she had come from, and Ugly Treasure startled her before winning her over with its softness.
• Sōji led Hotaru across the Gobi, gave her food, and explained that they were heading for an oasis town.
• Two days later, Sōji and Hotaru reached an oasis town, where he arranged for her to bathe and change into clean clothes.
• Hotaru told Sōji that she had run away because her grandfather had sealed a terrifying power inside her and the villagers had isolated her.
• Sōji told Hotaru that the seal was not her fault and that she should not be isolated, while Ugly Treasure comforted her as she cried.

Sōji let Hotaru choose whether to follow him, and she decided to stay despite the danger. The next morning, he began teaching her the hand seals for the Three Body Technique outside Sandview City.

• Sōji warned Hotaru that his path was dangerous and that he had killed hundreds, but she said she was not afraid and chose to follow him.
• Sōji considered using Hotaru's Tsuchigumo Clan forbidden technique and recruiting Utakata, the Six-Tails jinchūriki, for his plans.
• Hotaru slept while hugging Ugly Treasure, and Sōji watched over them through the night.
• In the morning, Sōji gave Hotaru rice balls and took her outside Sandview City to teach her ninjutsu.
• Sōji corrected Hotaru's hand seals and demonstrated the Three Body Technique sequence, which she then performed slowly and correctly.

Sōji taught Hotaru to control her chakra and promised to help her learn how to protect herself while they waited for her grandfather to find her. By evening, Hotaru had begun practicing with a kunai and felt less alone with Sōji and Ugly Treasure beside her.

• Sōji guided Hotaru through extracting and moving chakra, and she managed to produce a faint blue glow in her hand.
• Hotaru told Sōji that her grandfather had sealed Rage Hair Heaven inside her and that she had felt isolated in her village.
• Sōji reassured Hotaru that her grandfather would come looking for her and said he would teach her chakra control, the Three Body Technique, and self-defense.
• Sōji gave Hotaru a wrist guard and kunai in Sandview City and taught her how to hold the weapon and practice her grip.
• Hotaru thanked Sōji, and Ugly Treasure wrapped itself around her wrist as she followed him back.

Sōji trained his Summoning Technique and learned that his body absorbed Natural Energy unusually well, while Hotaru improved her Water Formation Wall. The chapter ended with Little Slug delivering Tsunade’s warning about the stolen necklace, and Sōji continuing his training in the Gobi.

• Sōji summoned a giant slug, and she told him his strong affinity for Natural Energy made him suited to Senjutsu but increased the danger of losing control.
• Hotaru successfully used Water Formation Wall, and Sōji coached her to control its chakra output while explaining that Rage Hair Heaven limited her reserves.
• Sōji practiced the Summoning Technique and summoned a palm-sized Little Slug, who delivered Tsunade’s message to return early and keep the necklace safe.
• Sōji told Little Slug that the necklace was still with him and that he was well, then resumed training.

Sōji fought the Sunagakure squad that surrounded the inn and demanded he hand over Hotaru for the Tsuchigumo Clan’s forbidden technique. He killed three Hidden Sand ANBU in under a minute, while the remaining ninja regrouped to attack.

• Sōji spotted ten Sunagakure ninja watching the inn and sent Hotaru upstairs to pack their things.
• The Sand captain demanded that Sōji surrender Hotaru, citing the Tsuchigumo Clan’s search missions and the Kazekage’s interest in her forbidden technique.
• The captain revealed that six elite ANBU were among the ten ninja, and Sōji launched the first attack.
• Sōji punched one disguised ANBU through several walls, then used Ugly Treasure’s chain to drag down another and stomped apart his heart meridians.
• Sōji raised an Earth-Style Wall to block incoming kunai, killed a blade-wielding ANBU with a bone bullet, and took his short blade, Snakebite.

Yamada Soji defeated seven Hidden Sand shinobi in Sandview City and decided to take Hotaru home rather than let her remain in danger. He and Hotaru left the inn, while Soji changed course toward the Tsuchigumo Clan's territory in the Land of Grass.

• Seven Hidden Sand shinobi attacked Yamada Soji, but he countered their wind techniques with Water Release and concealed himself in mist.
• Soji used Dance of the Bracken Fern to impale all seven Sand shinobi, then collected the spoils and returned to the inn.
• Soji told Hotaru that the Hidden Sand wanted the secret technique inside her and that he would take her back to her grandfather.
• Hotaru asked to stay with Soji, but he refused and promised to speak with her grandfather about treating her as a person rather than a container.
• Hotaru agreed to leave with Soji, who decided to postpone his trip to the Land of Water and head toward the Tsuchigumo Clan's territory.

Sōji escorted Hotaru across the desert to Mount Katsuragi, killing several groups of attackers along the way. They reached her home, where Hotaru reunited tearfully with her grandfather, and Sōji recognized the same sealing formulas on the old man as those on Hotaru’s back.

• Sōji and Hotaru left Sandview City for the Land of Grass, and he reassured her that he could handle anyone who pursued them.
• During the journey, Sōji killed rogue ninjas, missing-nin, and three Sunagakure ANBU who followed them, then defeated a group of hired attackers in a canyon.
• On the tenth day, Sōji and Hotaru reached Mount Katsuragi and followed an old, overgrown road to the Tsuchigumo Clan settlement.
• Sōji sensed a huge mass of chakra sealed inside Hotaru’s grandfather and recognized formulas matching those on Hotaru’s back.
• Hotaru apologized for running away and sobbed as her grandfather welcomed her home and comforted her.

Yamada Soji brought Hotaru back to Mount Katsuragi, where En no Gyōja thanked him and reflected on Hotaru’s isolation and sealed secret technique. En no Gyōja gave Soji Tsuchigumo Clan scrolls and a place to stay, while Soji prepared to travel to the Land of Water.

• En no Gyōja thanked Yamada Soji for protecting Hotaru and explained that he had kept her confined because he feared the sealed Rage Hair Heaven technique.
• Yamada Soji urged En no Gyōja to tell Hotaru the truth and guide her instead of treating her as a dangerous weapon.
• En no Gyōja gave Soji an incomplete Sealing Technique and a spider-message Summoning Scroll, then warned him to be cautious in the Land of Water.
• En no Gyōja invited Soji to stay the night, and Soji asked him to send word if a young man from Hidden Mist who could blow bubbles came to the village.
• En no Gyōja agreed, carried Hotaru to her room, and left Soji to spend the night on Mount Katsuragi.