Chapter Summaries

Yui learned that Nai Hyuga had visited three years earlier and left a letter for her, despite Yui believing she had only been unconscious briefly. After discovering that a strange stone chamber could have caused the time discrepancy, Yui demanded that the transparent figure take her to the letter.

• Yui tried to read the transparent figure’s memories, and it begged her to stop before revealing that a woman had told it three years earlier to give Yui a letter.
• The transparent figure remembered that the woman was Nai Hyuga, Yui’s best friend, who had waited three months before leaving.
• Nai Hyuga had said she and a friend were separated after being sucked into a black mist vortex, leaving Yui worried about her whereabouts and safety.
• Yui explained that she had awakened in a sealed stone chamber, and the transparent figure said the chamber’s strange effects could explain why time had passed differently.
• Yui released the transparent figure and ordered it to take her to Nai Hyuga’s letter.

Yui forced Kazama Ya to retrieve Nai Hyuga’s letter, then learned from it that he had saved Nai Hyuga and was promised a way out. After Kazama Ya rushed toward the gourd at Yui’s waist, she set off to find the passage Nai Hyuga had used to leave the cavern.

• Yui bluffed that she had planted a mental bomb in Kazama Ya and ordered him to fetch Nai Hyuga’s letter within five minutes.
• Kazama Ya returned with the dusty scroll, and Yui noticed the black substance covering his hand let his soul touch physical objects.
• Yui read Nai Hyuga’s letter, which warned her about the dead tree’s venom and said Nai Hyuga had left through a marked passage after three months.
• Yui learned that Kazama Ya had saved Nai Hyuga and that Nai Hyuga had promised to take him with her if she found a way out.
• Kazama Ya spotted the gourd at Yui’s waist and flew toward her as Yui headed deeper into the cavern to find Nai Hyuga’s passage.

Yui Hyuga thanked Kazama Ya for saving Nai Hyuga and agreed to take him out of the hollow, while he revealed that her Gourd was key to escaping. She continued exploring with Xiao You after Kazama Ya entered the Gourd, and they reached the hollow’s far end.

• Yui Hyuga thanked Kazama Ya for saving Nai Hyuga and promised to find Nai and take him out of the hollow.
• Kazama Ya entered the Gourd at Yui’s waist and told her it was the key to escaping, though he refused to explain its secret.
• Yui confirmed Kazama Ya was inside the Gourd and continued toward the far end of the hollow.
• Xiao You emerged from Yui’s sleeve, admitted he was afraid of ghosts, and listened as Yui recounted what had happened.
• Yui and Xiao You reached a wall at the far end, where Xiao You realized he had slept for three years in the square Stone Chamber.

After three years of sleep, Yui found the illusory wall where Nai Hyuga had left and entered the ruin beyond it. Kazama Ya admitted he knew the ruin's layout, but Yui remained suspicious as they prepared to continue.

• Kazama Ya identified the wall as the place Nai Hyuga had left and guessed that a staircase lay behind it, then bounced off the illusion when he tried to pass through.
• Yui used her Byakugan to find marks Nai Hyuga had carved into a hidden stone, then stepped through the wall with Kazama Ya following inside the Gourd.
• Yui emerged beside a candlelit staircase and learned that Kazama Ya could leave the Gourd only while remaining inside the ruin.
• Kazama Ya confessed that he knew the entire ruin's layout and apologized for lying to Yui.
• Yui accepted Kazama Ya's apology but privately remained suspicious of him.

Yui climbed a trapped staircase while questioning Kazama Ya about the black oil from Withered Tree and its connection to Nai Hyuga. At the top, she found a coffin beside the stone door Kazama Ya had described, suggesting he had concealed something.

• Kazama Ya told Yui that the staircase's fire trap was triggered by placing both feet on the same stair, and warned her not to turn back after she began climbing.
• Yui grew more suspicious of Kazama Ya, then asked about the black oil; he said it seeped from Withered Tree, poisoned living creatures, and had nearly killed Nai Hyuga three years earlier.
• Kazama Ya explained that only soul bodies with powerful mental energy could touch the oil safely, then stopped responding as Yui continued up the stairs.
• After climbing for what seemed like two or three days, Yui reached a great stone door and heard Kazama Ya say it was safe to open.
• Yui pointed out that a coffin stood in front of the stone door, something Kazama Ya had not mentioned.

Yui found Orochimaru inside an unexpected coffin in the ruins and discovered that he was alive but severely weakened. As she tried to revive him, Kazama Ya revealed that it could sense someone nearby but could not see outside the gourd.

• Kazama Ya insisted that Yui inspect the coffin, since it had no memory of one being in the ruins.
• Yui opened the coffin with Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm and recognized the body as Orochimaru.
• Yui examined Orochimaru and found that he was alive, but his body and mental state were badly weakened.
• Yui gave Orochimaru her three Soldier Pills and used water from the gourd to help him swallow them.
• Kazama Ya asked whether someone else was beside Yui, and Yui realized it could not see what was happening outside.

Yui waited in the ruin with Kazama Ya until Orochimaru awakened and learned that three years had passed. As Yui asked whether Orochimaru had seen Nai Hyuga, Kazama Ya revealed that Nai Hyuga had likely gone through the stone door.

• Yui told Kazama Ya that Orochimaru was in the coffin and explained that he had been starving.
• Kazama Ya questioned Yui about how many people had entered the ruin, but she claimed her memories were hazy.
• Orochimaru woke coughing, mistook Yui for a possible illusion, then recognized her and began eating stored dumplings.
• Yui told Orochimaru that Nai Hyuga was missing and that three years had passed since they entered the ruin.
• When Yui asked whether Orochimaru had encountered Nai Hyuga, Kazama Ya said Nai Hyuga's presence had once been near the stone door and that she likely went through it.

Yui suspected Kazama Ya was manipulating the group as she and Orochimaru approached the ruin’s Black Mist Vortex. The vortex pulled them inside, and Yui used her Byakugan to inspect their surroundings before she lost consciousness.

• Kazama Ya claimed Nai Hyuga had entered the ruin and urged Yui and Orochimaru through its stone door.
• When the door opened, Yui sensed Nai Hyuga’s chakra but pretended she could not, prompting Kazama Ya to nearly reveal that he had set something up.
• Orochimaru finished writing answers to Yui’s questions, and Yui retrieved the paper before Kazama Ya interrupted their conversation.
• Kazama Ya avoided explaining what lay beyond the vortex, then the vortex began pulling Yui and Orochimaru inside.
• Yui failed to reach Orochimaru as he was swept away, then she was pulled into the vortex and activated her Byakugan to see through the black mist.

After emerging from the black mist, Yui saw a mysterious other version of herself and learned that Kazama Ya believed everyone was born with the Byakugan. She concealed her suspicions, learned more from Orochimaru’s note, and asked Kazama Ya about its home as she tried to uncover its identity.

• Yui awoke in a dark room after glimpsing another version of herself embracing someone while Orochimaru lay unconscious in the black mist.
• Kazama Ya offered to help Yui find Nai Hyuga, but Yui’s attention stayed on Orochimaru’s note.
• Kazama Ya said everyone was born with the Byakugan, and Yui hid her shock by pretending she was muddled from being transported.
• Yui told Kazama Ya that she and Orochimaru had been sent to different places, then read the note and learned more about Orochimaru’s experiences and Nai Hyuga.
• Yui used her Byakugan to identify the room as a lavish reception room and asked Kazama Ya where its home was.

Yui questioned Kazama Ya about its homeland, Takamagahara, then learned that she was in a bear's den inside the Ruin. Kazama Ya sensed Nai Hyuga nearby, but Yui could not detect the marks she had left.

• Yui asked Kazama Ya about Takamagahara, and it said its homeland was on the planet but its location could not be spoken of.
• Yui recalled Orochimaru's account of Nai Hyuga disappearing into a coffin and worried that Nai might still be trapped somewhere in the Ruin.
• Kazama Ya remembered that Yui was in a bear's den with a huge bear outside the door and warned her not to provoke it.
• Kazama Ya sensed that Nai Hyuga had also been teleported to the area, and Yui detected Nai's mingled chakra and the Nine-Tails' chakra seeping beneath the door.
• Yui said she had not found any of Nai Hyuga's distinctive marks, leaving Kazama Ya astonished that she had not sensed them.

Yui Hyuga left the room and crossed a dark, pillar-filled maze in search of an exit, only to encounter a gigantic black bear that could turn invisible. The bear attacked her for fun, and after Yui wounded its paw with Hakutaku, it became excited to fight.

• Yui Hyuga ignored Kazama Ya's warning and entered the maze, where claw marks on the stone pillars confirmed that a huge bear lived there.
• Yui crossed much of the maze without seeing any animals, then heard a noise and saw fresh claw marks appear on the ground.
• A seven- or eight-meter-tall black bear appeared, revealed that it had been invisible, and attacked Yui despite her request to pass through.
• Yui dodged the bear's paw and struck it with Sword Aura from Hakutaku, drawing blood and making the bear eager to continue fighting.

Yui Hyuga fought an iron-hard black bear that could turn invisible and attack with sound waves. After discovering she could track its movement with the Byakugan, she suspected it relied on scent and filled a crater with water to test her theory.

• Yui dodged the black bear’s attacks and learned from Kazama Ya that its hide was iron-hard and it could become invisible.
• The bear leaped and slammed the ground, sending Yui flying before disappearing from sight.
• Yui used her Byakugan to spot a disturbance in the air and struck the bear with Lightning Release: Fang-Coating Slash, forcing it to reappear.
• Yui noticed the bear’s eyes did not seem fixed on her and suspected it tracked her by scent or lacked night vision.
• The bear attacked Yui with sonic waves, and she filled the crater it had made with water to test whether removing her scent would foil it.

Yui used Ibuse's Poison Mist to poison Black Bear and disrupt its sense of smell, then took advantage of its impaired direction to attack it with Hakutaku. The fight continued with Black Bear wounded and unable to rely on its nose.

• Black Bear unleashed a powerful sonic attack, but Yui escaped underwater, where the water concealed her scent.
• Yui remembered Ibuse's Poison Mist and released it from the pool, poisoning Black Bear when it inhaled the pungent cloud.
• Yui emerged from the water and retreated beyond the Poison Mist, while Black Bear held its breath to avoid inhaling more.
• Black Bear heard Yui but misjudged her position and struck a boulder instead.
• Yui repeatedly fired Sword Aura from Hakutaku, peppering Black Bear with attacks and making it cry out in pain.

Yui fought Black Bear in the dark chamber, using poison, sword attacks, and fire to exploit its weakness. After Black Bear blocked her flaming attack and finally saw her clearly, it froze at the sight of her slender waist.

• Black Bear hurled a boulder at Yui, who dodged and decided to end the fight before its poison wore off.
• Yui attacked Black Bear from above, but it intercepted her blade and avoided her attempt to strike its head.
• Yui used Fire Release: Fang-Coating Slash, and Black Bear panicked as flames burned across its body.
• Yui sent another flaming Sword Aura at Black Bear, which knocked it aside with a boulder and scattered the flames toward her.
• The flames lit the chamber, allowing Black Bear to see Yui; it recognized her as female, then froze while staring at her waist.

Yui fought Black Bear until it surrendered and offered a deal, asking her to use the Gourd to help it escape. Kazama Ya objected, and Yui realized the bear and the voice inside the Gourd knew each other.

• Black Bear recognized the Gourd at Yui's waist but could not say the name it tried to speak.
• Yui attacked Black Bear with elemental sword strikes, and Black Bear dodged most of them before surrendering.
• Black Bear offered to do anything Yui asked if she used the Gourd to help it escape.
• Yui suspected Black Bear was stalling to recover from Ibuse's Poison, but Black Bear denied it and explained what it wanted.
• Kazama Ya warned Yui not to accept the deal, and Black Bear realized Kazama Ya was inside the Gourd.
• Kazama Ya quietly urged Yui not to agree to the ugly bear's deal.

Yui questioned Black Bear about the Gourd and whether he had seen Nai Hyuga, while Black Bear and Kazama Ya competed for her trust and help escaping. Black Bear said he had not encountered any human women in three years, and Kazama Ya mocked him for being too lazy to notice anyone.

• Black Bear asked Yui to help him escape, while Kazama Ya warned her that the bear wanted to eat her.
• Yui asked Black Bear what the Gourd did, and he explained that it was an escape key that had apparently recognized her as its master.
• Kazama Ya confirmed that the Gourd vanished from anyone else's hands and warned Yui that it could hold only one person.
• Black Bear offered to help Yui find Nai Hyuga, claiming his keen nose could track her.
• Yui asked whether Black Bear had encountered a human woman in the past three years, and he said he had not.
• Kazama Ya mocked Black Bear for sleeping so much that he might fail to notice someone entering his den.

Yui learned that Black Bear could escape the Ruin by signing a Summoning Contract with her. Black Bear offered his clan’s scroll and explained that its contract made both parties equals, not master and slave.

• Kazama Ya explained that Black Bear had awakened only because Yui happened to pass near him, and argued that the Gourd could hold only one living being.
• Black Bear said the Gourd allowed only one living being inside, while Kazama Ya claimed that leaving depended on the occupant’s wishes.
• Kazama Ya revealed that Black Bear’s clan had a Summoning Scroll that could let him escape the Ruin through a contract with Yui.
• Black Bear accepted the idea of signing a contract and tossed his clan’s scroll to Yui.
• Black Bear explained that the Hidden Bear Clan’s Summoning Contract treated both sides as equals rather than making him a slave.

Yui initially rejected Black Bear's offer to form a Summoning Contract, but Nai Hyuga unexpectedly arrived and urged her to accept. Yui signed the contract with Black Bear, though Nai Hyuga's reason for needing its help remained unexplained.

• Yui inspected the Hidden Bear Clan's scroll but declined to contract with Black Bear because she saw no use for it.
• Black Bear offered to share its invisibility with Yui, but she still chose to leave and continue looking for Nai Hyuga.
• Nai Hyuga suddenly appeared and embraced Yui, who confirmed through her Byakugan and the Nine-Tails' chakra that it was really her.
• Nai Hyuga urged Yui to contract with Black Bear, but she could not explain why she believed it would help them.
• Yui asked Black Bear if it would form a Summoning Contract with her, then bit her finger and wrote her name on the scroll.

Yui and Nai Hyuga compared what they had experienced and discovered that time flowed differently in the ruin's spaces. They set out for the desert to rescue Orochimaru, while a newly formed illusion of Nai Hyuga appeared in a dark space.

• Yui signed the Summoning Contract with Black Bear and asked Nai Hyuga about her time in the ruin.
• Nai told Yui that six or seven days had passed since Orochimaru woke her, though Yui remembered only a day passing.
• Kazama Ya explained that time flowed differently in the desert space and said it was a route out of the ruin.
• Kazama Ya and Nai said Black Bear's invisibility would help them cross the desert, though they could not explain more until they arrived there.
• Nai and Yui used Flying Ninjutsu to head for the desert and rescue Orochimaru, leaving Black Bear behind.
• A figure resembling Nai Hyuga took shape in a dark space and murmured Yui Hyuga's name.

Yui, Nai Hyuga, and Kazama Ya reached a vast desert inside the Ruin, where Kazama Ya explained how it could leave the Gourd. After Yui noticed the absence of wind, Kazama Ya revealed that the apparent sand was actually countless Red Ants and suggested Orochimaru was trapped at the desert’s center.

• Yui and Nai Hyuga arrived in the desert through the black mist, and Kazama Ya explained that each space had a fixed passage leading there.
• Kazama Ya emerged from the Gourd and explained that it could roam freely in the desert because no rule sent living beings back from it.
• Nai Hyuga warned Yui that Kazama Ya seemed to harbor an unclear form of malice toward her.
• Yui noticed that the desert had no wind, prompting Kazama Ya to praise her for spotting the anomaly.
• Kazama Ya revealed that the Red Ant Desert was a nest of countless ants disguised as sand, then suggested Orochimaru was trapped at its center and had gained the ability to turn invisible.