Chapter Summaries

Ling awakened at the Konoha Orphanage with memories of his previous life and learned that a fragment of Tobirama Senju had been guiding him since birth. After hearing how his mother sacrificed herself to save him, Ling accepted Tobirama as his mentor and began chakra training.

• Ling regained consciousness and remembered his previous life and the first three years he had spent being brought to the Konoha Orphanage.
• Tobirama Senju revealed that he was a fragment attached to Ling’s soul and had been present since Ling’s birth.
• Tobirama explained that Ling’s mother, Rin, had Ice Release and sent him away with a wandering shinobi while she held off Kirigakure Anbu pursuers.
• Tobirama told Ling that the wandering shinobi delivered him to the orphanage before dying from his injuries and exhaustion.
• Ling resolved to become stronger, accepted Tobirama as his sensei, and followed his first instructions to sense his chakra.

Ling trained under Tobirama’s exacting guidance and discovered that his inherited bloodline could sense and control water by resonating with pure H₂O. He began shaping a purified water vortex and ended the day with Tobirama planning even more advanced exercises.

• Tobirama pushed Ling through intense chakra molding and control training, bringing his chakra and precision to near-genin levels.
• Tobirama guided Ling in sensing water, revealing that his bloodline let him detect and control water at a microscopic level by rejecting impurities.
• Ling used his chakra to purify and shape the water into a stable vortex, then began forming it into a cone.
• At dinner, Ling avoided a fight with an older boy by accidentally splashing soup on him after Tobirama warned him to conceal his strength.
• Tobirama told Ling that he would develop a tailored training program to realize the potential of absolute pure water and assigned new exercises for the next day.

Ling endured Tobirama’s demanding chakra training while secretly studying Konoha’s writing and history in the orphanage library. He ended the day with a mind packed with stolen knowledge and a growing grasp of chakra control.

• Ling practiced polarity simulation and capturing ambient water molecules until he formed a clearer drop, but Tobirama demanded ten pure drops before breakfast.
• Ling sketched chakra circulation pathways, then followed Tobirama’s order to study literacy primers and The Konoha Chronicles in the library.
• Tobirama taught Ling characters, clan traits, and history, and threatened to double his training for mistakes on a quiz.
• Ling used a tiny water droplet to trip the chubby boy, who fell and spilled his lunch.
• Ling practiced controlling fallen leaves, returned to the library at dusk, and failed several questions in Tobirama’s nighttime quiz.

After six months of training under Tobirama, Ling formed a fragile Water Blade for the first time, then learned that Kakashi Hatake had noticed him at the orphanage. Tobirama shifted Ling’s priorities to physical conditioning and urged him to treat the story’s predetermined future as an opportunity rather than a constraint.

• Ling made progress with Water Release under Tobirama’s guidance, who began training him to compress water into a blade.
• After many failures, Ling created a small, unstable Water Blade and briefly moved it forward before it burst into mist.
• Kakashi Hatake visited the orphanage, noticed Ling’s distinctive gray hair, and left without speaking to him.
• Tobirama concluded that Kakashi and others might begin watching Ling, so he prioritized physical and reflex training.
• Ling resolved to focus on surviving and growing stronger rather than being bound by the future he already knew.

Ling endured an intensified training regimen under Tobirama and advanced his Water Blade skills. After Tobirama discovered chakra metal in a discarded broken kunai, Ling gained a possible way to stabilize and extend his Water Blade, though learning to extract and shape the metal would require more training.

• Ling followed Tobirama’s instructions to run one hundred laps each morning while carefully channeling chakra into his legs.
• Ling trained relentlessly over the following days, improving his Water Blade enough to form a fifteen-centimeter blade and pierce a thick leaf from ten meters away.
• Ling hid and watched as Konoha Chunin delivered discarded supplies to the orphanage.
• Tobirama identified a broken kunai in the scrap pile as containing a trace of chakra metal, and Ling sensed its chakra-conducting core.
• Tobirama explained that the metal might help stabilize Ling’s Water Blade and let it remain detached from his body briefly.
• Tobirama assigned Ling lessons in metallurgical theory and chakra metal extraction so he could learn to use the kunai’s metal.

Ling failed to extract chakra metal from the broken kunai, but the attempts improved his chakra control and became another part of his punishing training. When Tobirama spotted a disguised ninja watching Ling, he ordered him to hide his unusual training and prepare to grow stronger quickly.

• Tobirama taught Ling to try refining the chakra metal by using chakra to generate microscopic heat, but Ling's attempts only overheated and damaged the kunai.
• Tobirama stopped the extraction attempts and assigned Ling daily metal-sensing and simulated energy-oscillation practice to improve his chakra control.
• Ling's training intensified, improving his Water Blade technique while leaving him leaner, tougher, and more withdrawn.
• Tobirama recognized a disguised ninja watching Ling near the orphanage and suspected that Root might be monitoring him.
• Tobirama ordered Ling to conceal his abnormal chakra training, hide the broken kunai, and act clumsy around outsiders as danger drew closer.

Ling made a breakthrough in using water chakra to heat the broken kunai, but a Root agent identified him as a person of interest and searched his bed. He ended the chapter resolved to grow stronger as danger closed in.

• Ling struggled with Tobirama’s training until he briefly heated the kunai by compressing and shaping his water chakra.
• Tobirama recognized Ling’s method as an unconventional way to simulate heat and urged him to repeat it.
• Ling encountered the disguised Root observer during his weighted run and sensed the man’s cold, appraising gaze.
• Ling discovered that someone had moved the hidden kunai in his pillow, revealing that his bed had been searched.
• Tobirama warned Ling that Root suspected him, and Ling resolved to become stronger.

Ling destroyed most of the suspicious chakra metal, hid the remaining grain, and trained in Tobirama’s Ice-Breath Concealment Technique as Root’s investigation threatened to become direct action. The chapter ended with three stealthy figures searching his backyard while Ling hid behind a water vat.

• Ling used Tobirama’s micro-corrosion technique to remove the chakra metal from the kunai, destroyed the rest, and hid the remaining particle under his tongue.
• Tobirama taught Ling the Ice-Breath Concealment Technique, and Ling gradually learned to suppress his chakra and presence for brief periods.
• Ling trained in explosive movement, evasion, survival, and countertracking while secretly gathering makeshift tools.
• Half a month later, Tobirama warned Ling that three trained intruders were approaching his home.
• Ling concealed himself behind a water vat, and the intruders’ chakra sweep passed over him before they began searching the backyard.

Kakashi stopped three Root ninja from reaching Ling at the orphanage, and the Third Hokage arranged for Kakashi to take Ling in. Ling left the immediate danger of the orphanage with a new guardian, though Tobirama warned him that the Hokage's decision also served political purposes.

• Ling hid from three Root ninja until Kakashi struck the ground with lightning and disrupted their formation.
• Kakashi confronted the Root ninja, who withdrew after he challenged their orders and threatened to involve the Hokage.
• The Third Hokage arrived, and Ling described only what he had seen on Tobirama's advice.
• The Third Hokage asked Kakashi to care for Ling, and Kakashi accepted.
• Ling realized he would leave the orphanage to live with Kakashi, while Tobirama suspected the arrangement served the Hokage's interests.

Ling moved into the Hatake Residence with Kakashi and carefully adapted to his new home while hiding his unusual maturity. Kakashi probed Ling about chakra, then allowed him to exercise in the courtyard, leaving Ling with a safer home but expecting further scrutiny.

• Kakashi took Ling from the orphanage to the Hatake Residence and assigned him an empty room.
• Ling cleaned the house and courtyard while Tobirama warned him to act like an ordinary, timid child.
• Kakashi took Ling to Ichiraku Ramen, where Ling ate quietly and thanked him.
• Kakashi asked Ling whether anyone at the orphanage had taught him to mold chakra, and Ling pretended not to know what chakra was.
• On their walk home, Kakashi told Ling he could run around the courtyard in the mornings, and Ling accepted enthusiastically.

Ling trained under Tobirama’s guidance while Kakashi quietly tested and observed him at the Hatake Residence. One night, Ling saw Kakashi practicing the basic movements of Hatake-Style Swordsmanship and realized his guardian carried a hidden burden.

• Ling practiced physical training, chakra control, the Water Blade, and the Ice-Breath Concealment Technique while hiding his true progress from anyone watching.
• Kakashi discreetly tested Ling’s reflexes by throwing shuriken, and Ling slowly improved his catches while pretending to struggle.
• Kakashi gave Ling a scroll containing the basic Three Body Technique, which Ling studied with Tobirama’s help.
• Late one night, Ling watched Kakashi silently repeat basic sword movements in the moonlit courtyard.
• Tobirama identified Kakashi’s movements as the foundation of Hatake-Style Swordsmanship and observed that Kakashi was carrying something in his heart.

Ling secretly tested his Water Blade on a training post while Kakashi watched, and Kakashi noticed a trace of its unusual chakra. Tobirama advised Ling to reveal modest chakra-control talent to redirect Kakashi’s suspicions, but Kakashi decided to pay the child closer attention.

• Ling secretly carved a deep, nearly invisible slit into the training post with his Water Blade while Kakashi lounged nearby.
• Kakashi detected a faint sharp chakra fluctuation and later said he would replace the post, prompting Ling to realize he had noticed something.
• Tobirama warned Ling that Kakashi was probing him and advised him to display gradual chakra-control talent while concealing his Water Blade and concealment skills.
• Kakashi privately considered the possibility that Ling possessed extraordinary Shape Transformation and resolved to watch him more closely.

Ling gradually revealed modest chakra-control improvements to Kakashi while secretly strengthening his Water Blade and concealment technique. After a chakra-paper test showed overwhelmingly strong water and wind affinities, a Root operative infiltrated the Hatake Residence and collected samples from Ling’s clothes, prompting Tobirama to warn that they might need to flee.

• Ling carefully displayed small gains in chakra control, while Tobirama urged him to keep his true abilities concealed.
• Kakashi gave Ling chakra paper, which showed dominant water and wind affinities alongside faint traces of all five elements.
• Ling showed Kakashi the results, and Kakashi commented on his strong primary affinities without addressing the unusually pure water reaction.
• Tobirama warned Ling that an unidentified infiltrator had entered the residence, and Ling concealed himself as the shadow searched his room.
• The intruder collected material from Ling’s training clothes and escaped, leading Tobirama to identify Danzo’s interest and advise Ling to prepare to evacuate.

Ling secretly advanced his wind and water training while presenting a beginner’s version of his progress to Kakashi, who quietly supplied him with shuriken and a guide. After Ling saw a frightening glimpse of Kakashi’s grief and darkness, he recognized how fragile their bond was and resolved to grow stronger.

• Ling practiced wind-assisted movement and shuriken throwing, and Kakashi left him better shuriken and a beginner’s guide.
• Ling trained in secret to combine wind chakra with his Water Blade, gradually forming an unstable, high-frequency edge.
• Ling continued improving his Ice-Breath Concealment Technique while sensing that Root’s surveillance remained nearby.
• Ling asked Kakashi if he was all right after finding him wiping blood from a kunai late at night, and Kakashi responded with a dark, frightening stare before dismissing him.
• Tobirama warned Ling not to approach Kakashi’s darkness, and Ling resolved to become stronger so he could protect himself and make his own choices.

Ling used Kakashi’s casual demonstrations to disguise the advanced training Tobirama had already taught him, making his rapid growth appear like natural talent. A sinister presence watched Ling again at night, and Tobirama warned that his progress had drawn greater greed.

• Ling improved his Water Blade and practiced Tobirama’s Wind’s Trajectory while pretending to struggle in front of Kakashi.
• Kakashi demonstrated how to guide airflow with a shuriken, and Ling feigned a sudden insight that impressed Kakashi.
• Kakashi began offering Ling more frequent hints, which Ling used to reveal his skills gradually and ask probing questions about water-nature transformation.
• Ling continued refining his techniques under Kakashi’s observation, including the Water Blade, Wind’s Trajectory, and Ice-Breath Concealment Technique.
• A cold, sinister presence watched Ling during meditation, and Tobirama warned that Ling’s progress had intensified their interest.

Ling’s rapid progress drew the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, to inspect him and his training at Kakashi’s home. The visit confirmed Ling’s value but left him under closer scrutiny from Konoha’s leadership.

• Ling followed Tobirama’s advice by slowing his training progress and feigning inconsistency to avoid suspicion.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi appeared in the courtyard and questioned Ling and Kakashi about Ling’s training and living conditions.
• Ling concealed his true abilities while Hiruzen examined his chakra control practice and praised his fundamentals and elemental affinities.
• Tobirama warned Ling that Hiruzen was assessing his potential and the risks he might pose.
• After Hiruzen departed, Kakashi warned Ling that being called a genius would bring both resources and more attention.
• Ling returned to his room and gripped a small piece of chakra metal, resolved to stay cautious and grow stronger.

Ling publicly practiced a weakened Water Blade while secretly training in space-rending under Tobirama’s guidance. When his blade accidentally created a tiny spatial fissure, Kakashi sensed the abnormality and demanded to know what it was.

• Ling shaped a visible, weakened Water Blade and received Soldier Pills and Kagami’s old notes after Kakashi noticed his progress.
• Tobirama secretly trained Ling to resonate with chakra metal and attempt short-distance teleportation through Rending Space.
• Ling gathered information around Konoha and secretly helped Naruto escape from bullies.
• Ling’s Water Blade briefly distorted space and created a tiny fissure, exhausting him as Tobirama recognized his unusual talent.
• Kakashi sensed the spatial fluctuation, fixed Ling with a wary gaze, and asked what had happened.

After Ling concealed the spatial rift as a chakra-control accident, Kakashi and Konoha increased their investment in his training while keeping him under observation. Ling accepted the resources and instruction, knowing his secret was still at risk as a new struggle for control began.

• Ling pretended that his chakra had gone out of control, and Kakashi attributed the rift to a backlash from training.
• Tobirama warned Ling that Kakashi remained suspicious and predicted the Hokage might respond by investing more heavily in him.
• An Anbu ninja delivered a sealed scroll to Kakashi, after which most of the watchers around the Hatake Residence disappeared.
• Kakashi gave Ling a Hokage supply token and arranged a lesson every three days.
• Ling welcomed the support while recognizing that it brought closer scrutiny and made protecting his secret more important.

After four years of training, Ling entered the Konoha Ninja Academy while Kakashi, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Shimura Danzō watched his next steps for different reasons. He met Hinata Hyuga at the school gates and began his new life under both public attention and hidden surveillance.

• Over four years, Ling improved his publicly shown skills under Kakashi while secretly mastering advanced abilities under Tobirama and carefully limiting his experiments with Rending Space.
• Kakashi gave Ling his admission notice and warned him to keep his true strength hidden at school.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Anbu patrols around the Academy, while Shimura Danzō instructed Root to observe Ling closely and possibly test him.
• Ling arrived alone at the Academy, where he saw Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha and met Hinata Hyuga.
• Kakashi watched Ling from a distance before vanishing, and Ling entered the Academy as the school bell rang.

Ling Hatake practiced shuriken with Ino Yamanaka and met Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, and Tenten at the Academy, while Tobirama advised him to use socializing as cover. Ino invited him to practice again the next day, as Ling remained wary of Root, Sasuke, and Naruto.

• Ling agreed to practice shuriken with Ino and Sakura after Tobirama urged him to socialize and observe the Yamanaka Clan.
• Ling demonstrated controlled shuriken skills, impressing Ino and Sakura while concealing his full ability.
• Hinata and Tenten joined them at the Training Ground, and Ling exchanged greetings with both girls.
• Sasuke watched Ling with a hint of rivalry, while Naruto complained angrily about him and Sasuke attracting the girls' attention.
• Ino invited Ling to practice again during lunch the next day, and Ling agreed before reflecting on the threats and uncertainties around his school life.