Chapter Summaries

Nai Hyuga told Yui and Kazama Ya how she found an invisibility cloak while escaping the Red Ants, and Kazama Ya hinted that Black Bear knew its origin. After Yui summoned Black Bear into the desert, the group discussed the ants and decided to head deeper to rescue Orochimaru.

• Nai Hyuga described how Red Ants attacked her and Orochimaru, and how she found a chakra-powered cloak that made its wearer invisible.
• Nai Hyuga demonstrated the cloak, and Kazama Ya said Black Bear could explain where it came from.
• Yui summoned Black Bear, who emerged from the smoke excited to see sunlight again.
• Yui explained that the desert beneath them was made up of Red Ants, and Black Bear reacted with disbelief before arguing with Kazama Ya.
• Nai Hyuga proposed that the Red Ants awakened as the group went deeper into the desert, and Yui decided they should continue toward Orochimaru.
• Yui asked Black Bear for its name.

Yui and Nai Hyuga set out with Big Bear to rescue Orochimaru, while Kazama Ya stayed behind. After they left, the real Nai Hyuga confronted Kazama Ya, who resolved to kill her to protect his deception and secure the Gourd.

• Big Bear said his parents had called him Big Bear and explained that his invisibility could cover only Yui.
• Kazama Ya refused to accompany Yui and Nai Hyuga, claiming he would wait for them while they searched for a way out.
• Big Bear shrank and turned cute, then made Yui invisible; Nai Hyuga used her own cloak to vanish.
• Yui followed Nai Hyuga's Wind Release trail into the desert with Big Bear, while Kazama Ya watched them leave.
• Kazama Ya called out a masked woman hiding near a rock and recognized her as the real Nai Hyuga.
• Kazama Ya decided to kill Nai Hyuga so she would not expose his deception to Yui or prevent him from obtaining the Gourd.

Yui and Nai Hyuga reached the Stone Tower while a swarm of Red Ants followed them across the desert. Inside the tower, Yui woke Big Bear to drop their invisibility, and Big Bear sensed another bear nearby.

• Yui and Nai Hyuga noticed Red Ants awakening in the sand and discussed their possible weakness to low temperatures.
• Nai Hyuga and Yui flew to the Stone Tower, leaving Yui to postpone asking about the Scroll.
• The Red Ants followed their trail to the tower entrance, then dispersed back into grains of sand when they found no target.
• Yui entered the tower and felt its intense cold, while Nai Hyuga confirmed it was safe to drop their invisibility.
• Yui woke the sleeping Big Bear, who lifted the invisibility and then stiffened after scenting another bear.

Big Bear recognized Nai Hyuga's cloak as the hide of one of its kind and rushed upstairs to search for traces of its people. Yui and Nai Hyuga examined the unconscious, emaciated Orochimaru and realized he needed food to recover, leaving them to consider feeding him roasted Red Ants.

• Big Bear identified Nai Hyuga's cloak as the hide of an old bear and asked where she had found it.
• Nai Hyuga told Big Bear the cloak came from the top of the tower and refused to give it back, so Big Bear went upstairs to investigate.
• Nai Hyuga led Yui to Orochimaru, whose chakra and energy had been drained by the Red Ants.
• Yui determined Orochimaru needed rest for his mental energy and food for his physical energy, but Nai Hyuga had no food.
• Yui suggested they feed Orochimaru roasted Red Ants.

Yui and Nai Hyuga tried to find a way to eat the Red Ants, and Nai captured a group with Ice Release. The chapter ended with Yui preparing to test whether the frozen creatures could be cooked and eaten.

• Yui suggested roasting the Red Ants with Fire Release, but Nai Hyuga chose to capture them because her Ice Release could safely put them to sleep.
• While Nai went out under the invisibility cloak, Yui examined the Stone Tower and found its jade-like walls too hard for Hakutaku to damage.
• Nai Hyuga attracted the Red Ants, froze them inside ice spikes, and kicked the blocks into the Stone Tower.
• Nai brought the frozen Red Ants to Yui, who examined their strange forms and cut off a piece of ice to begin testing whether they were edible.

Yui and Nai Hyuga discovered that the red ants could resist fire by using chakra, fed the roasted ants to Orochimaru, and learned that Kazama Ya had forged Nai’s letter. They decided to stay wary of Kazama Ya, then turned toward Big Bear as he hurried down the stairs with a White Jade Box, apparently fleeing pursuers.

• Yui roasted the red ants with Fire Release, and she and Nai Hyuga realized the ants used chakra to withstand the flames.
• Yui fed the charred ants to Orochimaru, keeping the remaining ants for possible study.
• Nai Hyuga read the Scroll and denied writing the letter or knowing Kazama Ya before meeting Yui.
• Nai Hyuga urged Yui to find another way out, but Yui decided they should stay alert and rely on Kazama Ya’s knowledge of the exit.
• Big Bear rushed down the stairs carrying a White Jade Box and pleaded with someone not to chase him.

Big Bear recovered the jade box containing its bear brother’s remains and told Yui and Nai Hyuga that a Stone Giant had chased it on the fourth floor. Yui and Nai Hyuga climbed back into the tower to investigate, puzzled because Nai Hyuga had previously found that floor empty and safe.

• Big Bear tumbled down the stairs and lost its jade box, which Yui caught and recognized as being made from the Stone Tower’s material.
• Yui returned the box to Big Bear, who explained that a Stone Giant had chased it on the fourth floor.
• Nai Hyuga doubted the report at first but decided to explore upstairs again with Yui to check for danger.
• Yui asked Big Bear to guard Orochimaru while she followed Nai Hyuga up the stairs.
• Big Bear said it found both the jade box and the Stone Giant on the fourth floor, though Nai Hyuga recalled that floor being empty and safe during her earlier visit.
• Yui and Nai Hyuga reached the stairway to the second floor and cautiously searched ahead.

Yui and Nai Hyuga searched the Stone Tower’s second floor and found a head-shaped stone that might belong to the Stone Giant Big Bear had described. They decided to investigate the theory on the upper floors and continued toward the third floor.

• Yui and Nai Hyuga searched the dark second floor, where Yui found a rounded stone resembling a head inside a wooden crate.
• Yui examined the stone and prepared to seal it in a scroll, but Nai stopped her and smashed the other crates to search for more body parts.
• Nai told Yui that she had seen an identical stone on the sixth floor and suspected the object was part of the Stone Giant.
• Yui and Nai agreed to test their theory, and Yui sealed the stone away to carry with her.
• Yui and Nai headed for the third floor, where Nai asked why Yui was interested in the Stone Tower’s material.

Yui and Nai Hyuga found the Rock Giant on the Stone Tower’s fourth floor and fought together after it demanded its missing head. Nai Hyuga froze the giant’s legs, leaving it trapped as she reunited with Yui in battle.

• Nai Hyuga gave Yui a White Jade Box made from the Stone Tower’s material, and Yui sealed it away before continuing the search.
• Yui and Nai Hyuga searched the empty third floor, then approached the damaged stairs to the fourth floor cautiously.
• Yui spotted a suspicious pile of rocks on the fourth floor, and it transformed into a Rock Giant that attacked them.
• The Rock Giant demanded that Yui return its missing head, and Yui realized it was the head she had found on the second floor.
• Nai Hyuga froze the Rock Giant’s legs with a jutsu and told Yui it had been a long time since they fought together.

Yui and Nai Hyuga fought the rock giant, whose defenses resisted their attacks and whose blue glow heralded a sudden increase in power. The rock giant broke free of Yui and Nai Hyuga’s ice attack and charged them at tremendous speed, its fist looming before them.

• Yui attacked the rock giant with her sword and Eight Trigrams, Air Palm, but neither attack harmed it.
• The rock giant demanded that Yui and Nai Hyuga return its head, a claw, and a brown cloak, then began glowing blue.
• Nai Hyuga froze the rock giant with Ice Release, Freezing Mist, while Yui struck it with Water Release sword attacks.
• Yui approached the frozen rock giant to seal it, but it shattered the ice with a blue-lit shock wave that threw both women against the wall.
• The rock giant charged at Yui and Nai Hyuga, bringing an enormous fist before them before they could react.

Yui and Nai Hyuga fought the Rock Giant, combining their abilities to survive its powerful attacks. Yui unleashed a sweeping Sword Aura that cut through the giant, while Nai Hyuga watched in shock as the attack faded.

• The Rock Giant’s fast punch pressed through Yui’s Rotation, and Nai Hyuga’s first Ice Release attack failed to harm it.
• Nai Hyuga powered up and struck the Rock Giant with a stronger Ice Release spike, giving Yui time to deflect its fist and escape.
• Yui and Nai Hyuga regrouped, and Yui warned Nai Hyuga to lie down before preparing a powerful sword attack.
• As the Rock Giant swung at Yui, she unleashed a circle of Sword Aura that passed through its shoulder.
• Nai Hyuga stood after the Sword Aura faded, stunned by the attack’s force and killing intent.

Yui and Nai Hyuga defeated the Rock Giant on the Stone Tower’s fourth floor, and Yui collected its remains to study the tower’s material. The blast shook the tower and awakened Orochimaru, who saw Big Bear nearby.

• Yui used Secret Technique: Full Moon Moment to cut off the Rock Giant’s arm, then retreated while she recovered.
• Nai Hyuga formed a Tailed Beast Bomb and struck the dazed Rock Giant, while Yui used Rotation and Nai Hyuga’s Tailed Beast Cloak shielded them from the blast.
• The explosion shook the Stone Tower; the Red Ants outside withdrew, Big Bear clutched his jade box in alarm, and Orochimaru woke up and noticed him.
• Yui and Nai Hyuga found the Rock Giant blasted into rubble, and Nai Hyuga confirmed its fragments were made of the same material as the Stone Tower.
• Yui sealed several large rock fragments for research and examined a smaller piece, noticing countless black specks in it.

After Yui sensed danger and persuaded Nai Hyuga to leave the upper floors unexplored, they descended while a mysterious figure restored the Rock Giant and stopped him from pursuing them. On the second floor, Yui discovered a Jade Box hidden beneath broken crates.

• Yui felt a sudden dread at the thought of exploring higher, and Nai Hyuga agreed to leave the upper floors alone for her sake.
• Yui and Nai Hyuga went downstairs, unaware that the Rock Giant had re-formed and that a dark figure had prevented him from following them.
• The dark figure immobilized the Rock Giant and told him not to pursue Yui and Nai Hyuga, while the Rock Giant complained that Yui had taken his head.
• Yui and Nai Hyuga searched the second floor again as Yui thought about waking Orochimaru and getting him out of the Red Ant Desert.
• Yui spotted a square object beneath broken wooden crates and uncovered what appeared to be a Jade Box.

Yui discovered a second Jade Box among the wreckage and opened it with Nai Hyuga, revealing a seemingly ordinary mirror. After the women went downstairs, a shadowy figure appeared and addressed someone hiding among the crates.

• Yui found an intact Jade Box in the shattered wooden crates, and Nai Hyuga realized it must have appeared after they went upstairs.
• Yui opened the Jade Box, and a dazzling white light briefly hurt her and Nai Hyuga's eyes.
• Yui removed a small gold-framed mirror, but neither she nor Nai Hyuga could discover any special properties.
• Yui sealed the Jade Box in a scroll and went downstairs with the mirror, and Nai Hyuga followed.
• A shadowy figure appeared after the women left, called the mirror a gift, and taunted someone hiding in the crate wreckage.

Yui and Nai discovered Orochimaru roasting Big Bear, then Yui tested the Mirror after it reacted to light. The Mirror violently vibrated and changed, leaving its surface covered in black mist as Nai found Yui.

• Wooden Box re-formed after becoming shavings, and the shadowy figure warned it that Rock might learn it had swallowed their head.
• Yui and Nai saw Orochimaru roasting Big Bear over a fire, and Yui sent Nai to stop him.
• The Mirror glowed when light from the ceiling struck its surface, prompting Yui to test it in sunlight.
• The Mirror crackled and vibrated violently in the sunlight, then its gold trim turned black and its surface became covered in mist.
• Nai found Yui and confirmed that she was safe.

Yui, Nai Hyuga, and Orochimaru discovered that the mirror showed the three of them being pulled into the Ruin. Orochimaru then admitted he had visited the Ruin before and had brought Yui along hoping to defeat a Mechanism Puppet and find another Kusanagi Sword.

• Yui reunited with Nai Hyuga and Orochimaru, confirmed Big Bear was safe, and examined the mirror with them.
• Yui fed chakra into the mirror, causing its black mist to form a vortex and reveal an image of the three of them floating unconscious inside it.
• Yui and Nai Hyuga recognized that the image showed the moment they had been drawn into the Ruin, while Orochimaru appeared to be reaching for Nai Hyuga.
• Orochimaru revealed two swords from a Sealing Scroll and admitted he had entered the Ruin before, found the swords, and left after encountering a powerful Mechanism Puppet.
• Orochimaru explained that he had returned hoping to use Yui's strength to defeat the puppet and find another Kusanagi Sword, and denied that he had deceived her.

Yui and Nai Hyuga confronted Orochimaru after realizing he had not known how to leave the ruin, then learned he suspected Yui’s gourd was the Totsuka Blade. Yui rejected the identification because her gourd was not transparent, leaving its true nature unresolved.

• Nai Hyuga attacked Orochimaru for using them, but Yui confirmed he had warned her about possible danger and promised compensation.
• Yui realized Orochimaru had entered a different ruin before and did not know how to escape their current one.
• Orochimaru revealed he was searching for the Totsuka Blade and suspected it was the gourd hanging from Yui’s waist.
• Orochimaru said the Totsuka Blade was gourd-shaped and carried powerful sealing energy, matching Yui’s gourd except for its transparency.
• Yui insisted the gourd could not be the Totsuka Blade because it was not transparent and demanded that Orochimaru’s information be questioned.

Yui Hyuga concluded that she and the others were trapped in a genjutsu after learning that Nai Hyuga could not find the Nine-Tails in the Sealing Space. As they headed back to Orochimaru, Big Bear blocked their way and asked to leave the tower, sensing danger.

• Orochimaru questioned whether the gourd was the Totsuka Blade, then asked Yui what she knew about the scene in the mirror.
• Yui told Orochimaru that she had seen the same scene and their identical positions inside the black mist, leading her to suspect their real bodies were trapped there in a genjutsu.
• Yui led Nai Hyuga away from Orochimaru and asked her to contact the Nine-Tails in the Sealing Space.
• Nai Hyuga found the Nine-Tails missing but could still use his chakra, confirming Yui's genjutsu theory.
• Yui and Nai Hyuga headed back toward Orochimaru, but Big Bear stopped them and asked to leave the tower because he sensed danger.

Big Bear explained that his danger-sensing ability warned him they needed to leave the Red Ant Desert, and he helped solve the problem by having Nai Hyuga sign a Summoning Contract with him. As Yui, Nai Hyuga, and Big Bear went to speak with Orochimaru, Nai questioned whether their experience was truly a genjutsu or whether their consciousnesses had entered another dimension.

• Big Bear told Yui that his species could sense danger in advance and offered to make two people invisible while another used a cloak.
• Yui realized Nai Hyuga could sign a Summoning Contract with Big Bear, allowing them to take everyone safely from the Red Ant Desert.
• Big Bear refused to contract with Orochimaru because he feared Orochimaru had tried to eat him, and Nai Hyuga signed the contract instead.
• Yui and Nai Hyuga headed toward Orochimaru while Big Bear turned invisible and nervously followed them.
• Nai Hyuga wondered whether the blood connection she felt while signing the contract could be reproduced by a genjutsu.
• Yui said a sufficiently sophisticated genjutsu might create the sensation, and Nai asked if their consciousnesses had instead entered another dimension.

Yui and Nai Hyuga questioned Big Bear about the space within the Ruin and learned that Big Bear’s parents had been sealed there. Big Bear identified the power in Yui’s Gourd as the same power that sealed them, but could not speak its name.

• Big Bear appeared after interrupting Yui’s thoughts, and Yui and Nai Hyuga set off to investigate the space.
• Big Bear offered to answer their questions, so Yui asked why Big Bear and Kazama Ya wanted to leave the Ruin.
• Big Bear revealed that Big Bear’s parents had been sealed in the space and that Big Bear was born there, inheriting their memories and longing for freedom.
• Yui asked whether the Gourd at her waist had sealed Big Bear’s parents, and Big Bear confirmed that it held the same power as the transparent gourd in the memories.
• Big Bear said that the name of the Gourd’s power could not be spoken.