Chapter Summaries

Ye Liang brought Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, and the others to Mount Myōboku to teach them to refine Sage Mode Chakra. After infiltrating the toad palace, he revealed himself to Fukasaku and said he had come to ask the Toad Sage something.

• Ye Liang explained that Sage Mode Chakra could help the group overcome their shortage of Chakra and taught them how to begin refining it.
• The group emerged in a forest on Mount Myōboku, where Ye Liang sensed that Sage Mode energy was far denser than in the outside world.
• A white toad spotted the humans and went to warn Fukasaku, while Ye Liang secretly followed it into the toad palace.
• Gamakichi told Fukasaku that five humans had arrived, and Fukasaku worried about their intentions.
• Fukasaku detected Ye Liang and pulled him out of hiding, but Ye Liang escaped the strike with a Substitution Technique and introduced himself.

Ye Liang visited Mount Myōboku to ask the Toad Sage when he could return to his distant homeland, Azure. The Toad Sage recognized him from a dream but had not yet answered his question.

• Ye Liang told Fukasaku he wanted to ask about his future and bound his hands with vines to show he meant no harm.
• Fukasaku recognized Ye Liang’s mastery of Sage Mode and led him into the Toad Sage’s chamber.
• Shima insulted Ye Liang, and Fukasaku struck her while trying to keep her from provoking him.
• The Toad Sage woke and said he had dreamed of Ye Liang and four Children of Hope, then recognized Ye Liang from the dream.
• Ye Liang asked when he could return to Azure, and Shima questioned how far away his homeland was.

Ye Liang learned from the Great Toad Sage that a prophecy showed one version of him falling to the other, leaving him shaken and ready to abandon cultivation. Sasuke’s request to see his brother made Ye Liang realize he had changed fate before, and he gained the Child of Destiny identity.

• The Great Toad Sage prophesied that two identical versions of Ye Liang would fight above a blue planet, with one falling after the other summoned a blue Kirin.
• The Great Toad Sage claimed its prophecies were one hundred percent accurate, and Ye Liang left in despair, believing Fake Ye Liang had defeated him.
• Ye Liang watched Team 7 train and reflected on the tragic fates he believed awaited Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata.
• Sasuke asked Ye Liang to take him to see his brother, prompting Ye Liang to realize that he could change fate as he had changed Sasuke’s.
• Ye Liang completed the hidden mission Power of Destiny and received the Child of Destiny identity, while the Great Toad Sage declared that the Child of Destiny had been born.

After mastering Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode, Ye Liang traveled to Shikkotsu Forest to strengthen himself further by learning another Sage Mode. He encountered a hostile member of the Slug Clan and decided not to meet the Slug Sage.

• Ye Liang finished learning Mount Myōboku's Sage Mode, thanked Fukasaku, and entered a space channel to Shikkotsu Forest.
• Fukasaku realized Ye Liang had nearly drained Mount Myōboku of its Sage Mode power and went to report to the Toad Sage.
• Ye Liang arrived in Shikkotsu Forest, recoiled at its slugs and mucus, and searched for the Slug Sage for several hours.
• An intelligent slug and a giant eye sensed that Ye Liang had come from Mount Myōboku and discussed whether Gama Maru had approved his arrival.
• A hostile slug ordered Ye Liang to leave when he asked to meet the Slug Sage and learn the forest's Sage Mode techniques.
• Ye Liang stopped advancing and said he would not meet the Slug Sage, since he could condense Sage Mode Chakra without the Slug Clan's method.

Ye Liang met the Slug Sage in Shikkotsu Forest and learned how Sage Mode Chakra and the Summoning Beasts’ intelligence had originated. The Slug Sage asked him to thank the immortal who had once visited their world, explaining that Ye Liang was chosen because he had mastered all three Sage Modes.

• The Slug Sage first surfaced as a giant eyeball, then rose again with her head and greeted Ye Liang.
• Ye Liang realized that Shikkotsu Forest was the Slug Sage’s enormous body, and told her that the White Snake Sage had taught him to absorb Sage Mode Chakra.
• The Slug Sage explained that she, Gama Maru, and the White Snake Sage had gained intelligence after an injured immortal’s blood fell to their world and released golden energy that became Sage Mode Chakra.
• The Slug Sage said that humans later developed intelligence from the Chakra in the earth, while Gama Maru allied with them and the White Snake Sage hid underground with her clan.
• The Slug Sage asked Ye Liang to thank the immortal if he met him again, and said she had chosen Ye Liang because he had mastered all three Sage Modes.

After the Chunin Exams, Naruto and Team 7 waited for Ye Liang at the abandoned Uchiha residence, where they were ambushed by Akatsuki. Naruto’s fight with Hidan left Akatsuki surprised by the young team’s strength.

• Naruto and Sasuke discussed Third Hokage’s recovery as Team 7 walked through Konoha, where villagers treated them with deference after their promotion to jonin.
• Hinata joined Team 7 and asked whether Ye Liang was coming out of seclusion; Naruto confirmed that he was expected that day.
• Team 7 gathered at the abandoned Uchiha residence, where a red barrier suddenly enclosed the grounds.
• Akatsuki revealed themselves, and Sasuke recognized his brother Itachi among them; Pain said they would spare Sasuke but target his teammates.
• Hidan entered Team 7’s encirclement to fight Naruto, but the two battled evenly for several minutes, making Akatsuki realize Naruto was far stronger than expected.

Team 7 fought the Akatsuki, and Hinata defeated Deva Path Pain before Itachi trapped her in Tsukuyomi to demand Ye Liang's whereabouts. Ye Liang arrived, praised his students after they defeated Kisame, Hidan, and Deidara, and caught Itachi in his own Tsukuyomi.

• Deidara attacked Sasuke, but Sasuke's lightning-infused shuriken destroyed his clay bird and kept him on the defensive.
• Kisame joined Deidara's fight against Sasuke, while Sakura moved to help and Itachi and Deva Path Pain charged Hinata.
• Hinata used her enhanced Gentle Fist to disable Deva Path Pain's receiving rods and knock him unconscious.
• Itachi rescued Deva Path Pain, then used Tsukuyomi on Hinata and demanded that she reveal Ye Liang's location, but she refused.
• Team 7 defeated and restrained Kisame, Hidan, and Deidara before Ye Liang revealed he had been watching their fight.
• Ye Liang freed Hinata, confronted Itachi, and trapped him in Tsukuyomi with his stronger Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.

Ye Liang left Team 7 to confront the Akatsuki and began fighting the Six Paths of Pain, using Shinra Tensei to pressure them and targeting the Naraka Path. The Deva Path intervened to protect the Naraka Path, and Ye Liang countered with Shinra Tensei.

• Ye Liang praised Itachi for escaping Tsukuyomi, revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan, and told him not to interfere with his fight against the Akatsuki.
• Ye Liang ordered Naruto and the others to tie up the Akatsuki members and return to the village, while Sasuke urged Itachi to come home and forgive him.
• Itachi refused to return and left with the Body Flicker Technique, and Naruto led Sasuke and the others back toward the village.
• Ye Liang received an S-rank mission to battle the Six Paths, with Byakugan as the reward, and confronted the Deva Path.
• Ye Liang and the Deva Path canceled each other's Shinra Tensei, after which Ye Liang unleashed repeated waves and charged toward the Naraka Path.
• Ye Liang reached the Naraka Path with a Sage Art Rasengan, but the Deva Path tried to shield him with Shinra Tensei, which Ye Liang countered with his own.

Ye Liang overwhelmed the Six Paths of Pain, but Nagato arrived and fought him directly. After Ye Liang broke Nagato’s Planetary Devastation, he summoned a Sage-enhanced Susanoo, which proved immune to Shinra Tensei’s repulsive force.

• Ye Liang destroyed the Deva Path and healed the wounds it inflicted on his eyes with his Yin Seal.
• Nagato decided to join the fight himself, and Konan carried him to Ye Liang on a Paper Bird.
• Ye Liang continued to dismantle the remaining Pains until Nagato arrived and attacked him with Planetary Devastation.
• Ye Liang absorbed Nagato’s Great Fireball with the Preta Path’s ability, then destroyed the black sphere with several Sage Techniques.
• Ye Liang summoned a golden-energy-coated Susanoo, and Nagato’s Shinra Tensei had no effect on it.

Ye Liang fought Nagato with his Sage Mode-powered Susanoo and Demon Cutter, but Black Zetsu and the others trapped him in the Gedo Mazo Sealing Technique. He escaped with Flying Thunder God, only to find Akatsuki had fled while he was gone.

• Ye Liang discovered that Sage Mode Chakra powered his Susanoo and that it could wield a phantom Demon Cutter with Amaterasu.
• Ye Liang attacked Nagato, who used Shinra Tensei to stall him and called for help from Obito and Black Zetsu.
• Black Zetsu summoned White Zetsu and joined Nagato, Konan, Obito, and four Six Paths in using the Gedo Mazo Sealing Technique on Ye Liang.
• Ye Liang realized the seal had only eight participants, formed a one-handed seal, and escaped with Sage Art—Flying Thunder God.
• Akatsuki scattered and fled, and Ye Liang reappeared in the sky half a second later, confused about where they had gone.

Ye Liang forced Hidan to reveal where Jashinism was located and headed to the Land of Hot Water to seek the immortal Jashin’s power. Meanwhile, assassins killed Kotori Ichiro during his birthday celebration and robbed the guests.

• Ye Liang tracked Konan’s Explosive Giant Bird with a Flying Thunder God Shuriken, then questioned Hidan about Jashin and his Immortal Body.
• Hidan agreed to guide Ye Liang to Jashinism after Ye Liang threatened to crush his head.
• Ye Liang released Deidara and Kisame, concealed Hidan’s head, and traveled to the Land of Hot Water.
• Hidan told Ye Liang that Jashinism was established on the back mountain behind the Daimyo’s Estate.
• A woman disguised as a dancer killed Kotori Ichiro and the samurai guards with hairpins, then her group stole the birthday gifts and guests’ belongings.

Ye Liang uncovered Jashinism’s grim history after capturing one of its disguised followers, then found skeletons hidden inside the temple’s damaged statues. The discovery left him facing evidence of mass deaths and an unresolved mystery about what happened to the cult leader and the temple.

• Ye Liang exposed and killed the men who had disguised themselves as women, then captured their leader and questioned him at an abandoned temple.
• The leader told Ye Liang that Jashinism’s followers had been cursed with grotesque changes after a ritual involving 999 sacrificed children, and that their cult leader had entered the temple to destroy it but never returned.
• Ye Liang killed the leader for participating in the sacrifices and searched the temple, finding that its broken statues had been damaged by a powerful fighter.
• Ye Liang shattered the temple’s damaged statues and discovered that they had been hollowed out and stuffed with skeletons, some of which had become mummies.

Ye Liang discovered that the bones in the Jashin Temple belonged to dozens of Kage-level Jashinism followers, then realized Hidan served as the link to the manifested Jashin. He attacked the great Buddha statue until it spoke, and ended by asking whether Jashin was an alien.

• Ye Liang released Hidan from the System Space, and Hidan identified the skeletons as Jashinism followers who had all been at least Kage-level.
• A dead man revived and blocked Ye Liang's escape with black divine power, but the barrier vanished after Ye Liang returned Hidan to the System Space.
• Ye Liang concluded that Hidan was the medium connecting the temple to Jashin and attacked the great Buddha statue with his sword and Susanoo.
• The statue spoke and cast black light at Ye Liang, but he kept smashing it until he noticed its power and set it down.
• Ye Liang ignored the statue's attempt to speak with him and asked if Jashin was an alien.

Ye Liang confronted the Jashin statue, learned it was an alien from a destroyed civilization, and received its Undying Evil Art. His system and Time-Space Turtle absorbed the statue’s black qi, leaving the statue weakened but wary of offending Ye Liang.

• Ye Liang accused the Jashin statue of being an alien, and the statue threatened him before accepting his claim that he came from another world.
• The statue mistook Ye Liang for a member of the Third Civilization and asked him to help rebuild its homeland, but Ye Liang said his spatial teleporter had malfunctioned.
• The Jashin statue sent Ye Liang black qi to pass on its Undying Evil Art, and Ye Liang’s system absorbed the excess to repair his body.
• The Time-Space Turtle began absorbing the statue’s black qi too, draining its power and prompting it to accuse Ye Liang of coveting its cultivation.
• Ye Liang showed the statue the turtle, which it recognized as a Time-Space Artifact, then declined Ye Liang’s offer to hand it over and refilled it with black qi.

After receiving power from the Buddha Statue, Ye Liang returned to Konoha and found Team 7 waiting for him. Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, and the Hyuga clan confronted him over his false identity, and Ye Liang revealed his Byakugan to prove himself.

• The Buddha Statue completed Ye Liang’s body modifications and asked him to look after him when Ye Liang returned to the Third Civilization.
• Ye Liang returned to Konoha, where Gekko Hayate and Morino Ibiki told him Team 7 had been searching for him.
• Ye Liang reunited with Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata at the training ground, where Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō were waiting.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō accused Ye Liang of lying about being Naruto’s uncle, while Hyuga Hiashi challenged his claim to be a Hyuga survivor.
• Hinata defended Ye Liang, but Hiashi and Hiruzen Sarutobi questioned his ties to Orochimaru and his unknown identity.
• Ye Liang decided to prove who he was and transformed his pupils into the Byakugan.

Ye Liang was exposed as a suspected impostor and attacked by Konoha, who severed his head and displayed it at the village gate. Three days later, Sasuke came to secretly retrieve Ye Liang's head, unaware that Ye Liang was still conscious and could revive if reunited with his body.

• Ye Liang showed the Hyuga Byakugan, Flying Thunder God Technique, and Rasengan, convincing Hiashi, Danzo, and Hiruzen that they had misunderstood him.
• Danzo stabbed Ye Liang in the throat, and Konoha ninja restrained him with numerous techniques before attacking him.
• Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, and Hiashi explained their suspicions that Ye Liang had lied about Minato and stolen a Hyuga's Byakugan, while Hinata tried to defend him.
• Konoha severed Ye Liang's head and hung it at the village gate, where he remained conscious for three days.
• Sasuke came in disguise to retrieve Ye Liang's head and give him a proper burial, while Ye Liang urged him to put it back on his body so he could revive.
• Hearing someone approach, Sasuke hid with Ye Liang behind leaves beneath the tree.

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Hinata retrieved Ye Liang’s head and tried to take it to his grave, while Ye Liang secretly enjoyed being carried against Hinata. At the graveyard, Sakura and Hinata encountered a mysterious old man, and the chapter ended with him returning to a bamboo house where Ye Liang’s headless body paced.

• Naruto climbed the tree to retrieve Ye Liang’s head, and Sasuke remained hidden above him.
• Sakura struck the tree, knocking Ye Liang’s head into Hinata’s chest, and Naruto and Sasuke delayed the arriving guards so the girls could escape.
• Sakura and Hinata carried Ye Liang’s head to the back mountain graveyard, where a mysterious old man confronted them.
• The old man swiftly disarmed Sakura and Hinata, who fled, and he went to a bamboo house where Ye Liang’s headless body was pacing.

Ye Liang tricked Chen Baojun into learning the Nine Yin Manual, and Chen Baojun gained a powerful insight before agreeing to restore Ye Liang's head to his body. Their attempt was interrupted when Shimura Danzō and Konoha's leaders arrived to confront Hinata and Chen Baojun.

• Chen Baojun demanded that Ye Liang teach him the secret technique in exchange for returning his body, so Ye Liang recited the Nine Yin Manual.
• Chen Baojun meditated on the manual for hours, then erupted with power and thanked Ye Liang for teaching him profound Taijutsu insights.
• Chen Baojun agreed to place Ye Liang's head back on his body, but a Thunderfire Bomb interrupted them and Chen Baojun fled outside with the head.
• Shimura Danzō arrived with Hiruzen Sarutobi and other Konoha leaders, accusing Hinata of rescuing a traitor and asking Chen Baojun whether he would aid Konoha's enemy.
• Hinata stepped forward to hold off the leaders while asking Chen Baojun to revive Ye Liang as quickly as possible.

Chen Baojun defended Ye Liang against Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzo, revealing overwhelming martial arts strength and beating back Danzo’s forces. Hiruzen joined the battle with an S-rank technique as Chen Baojun faced the next attack.

• Chen Baojun refused to abandon Ye Liang or change his promise to revive him, and Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered the others to attack.
• Shimura Danzō struck Hinata aside and assaulted Chen Baojun with Wind Release and Fire Release techniques.
• Chen Baojun scattered Danzo’s combined attacks with Konoha Whirlwind techniques, then fought off Danzo and the Anbu gathered around him.
• Chen Baojun overwhelmed Danzo with movements Ye Liang recognized as the Nine Yin White Bone Claw, and Ye Liang realized the old man had mastered his fake mnemonic.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi joined the battle and unleashed the S-rank Five Great Dragon Fireball Technique against Chen Baojun.

Hiruzen Sarutobi used Danzo’s Chakra to summon the First, Second, and Fourth Hokage with Impure World Reincarnation, turning the battle against Chen Baojun into an SSS-rank mission for Ye Liang. Ye Liang tried to escape to safety, then burst free from Hinata’s embrace as the resurrected Hokage confronted Chen Baojun.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi abandoned the Five Dragon Bombs and had Shimura Danzō transfer Chakra to him while Ye Liang warned Chen Baojun that the attack was likely a feint.
• Ye Liang’s system issued an SSS-rank Battle Against the Hokage mission, so he urged Hinata to carry him into the house.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi used Impure World Reincarnation to summon Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and Minato Namikaze from three coffins.
• Ye Liang realized the summoned Hokage were the source of the mission and broke free from Hinata’s embrace to try to revive himself.
• Hashirama Senju recognized Chen Baojun as Konoha’s enemy, and Tobirama Senju angrily accused him of betraying Konoha.