Chapter Summaries

Ling infiltrated the underwater pyramid and attacked its guards to rescue three captured Kirigakure ninja and stop the Abyssal Communication. As he purified the crystal powering the stronghold, a terrifying will awakened within it and struck back at him.

• Ling slipped into the pyramid through a hidden fissure and discovered that its crystal drained captured ninja to power a remote communication ritual.
• Ling overheard four masked guards planning to use three imprisoned Kirigakure ninja as sacrifices for an Abyssal Communication with the Sacred Lord.
• Ling ambushed the guards, killed their leader, trapped three of them in purifying water prisons, and killed one who broke free.
• Ling poured senjutsu chakra into the crystal, severing its conduits and restoring some clarity to the prisoners as the crystal began to crack.
• A cold, ancient will awakened inside the crystal and surged toward Ling, declaring that he had dared to destroy its eyes and ears.

Ling destroyed the Sacred Lord’s crystal and escaped the collapsing Undersea Ruins with the surviving Kirigakure ninja, Terumi Amagasaki. He revealed his identity as a Konoha ninja and planned to return her to Kirigakure and meet Mei Terumi.

• Ling and Tobirama resisted the Sacred Lord’s assault on Ling’s soul, and Ling shattered the crystal with his senjutsu chakra.
• The crystal’s destruction devastated the pyramid, killed the two remaining guards, and left Ling with the Sacred Lord’s threat of revenge.
• Ling saved the wounded Terumi Amagasaki and carried her out of the collapsing Undersea Ruins.
• Mei Terumi arrived with Kirigakure forces and ordered a search of the ruins after sensing the explosion and dark energy.
• Ling revealed that he was Ling Hatake of Konoha, and Terumi Amagasaki agreed to report what she had seen to the Mizukage.

Ling rescued Terumi Amagasaki from the underwater base and brought her to Kirigakure, where she reported the Sacred Lord organization and its plan for “Abyssal Communication” to Mei Terumi. Mei thanked Ling and asked what Konoha knew about the organization and why it had sent him, leaving negotiations over cooperation just beginning.

• Ling healed Terumi Amagasaki and prepared to escort her toward Kirigakure while keeping his presence concealed.
• Zabuza Momochi arrived, recognized Ling, and revealed that Mei Terumi had ordered him to bring Ling and any survivors to her.
• Ling agreed to go with Zabuza and Terumi Amagasaki to the Mizukage's office.
• Terumi Amagasaki told Mei Terumi how the Sacred Lord organization had captured her, drained her power, and how Ling destroyed the Crystal and rescued her.
• Mei Terumi apologized to Ling for Kirigakure's earlier suspicion and asked what Konoha knew about the Sacred Lord and why it had sent him.

Ling persuaded Mei Terumi to establish limited intelligence cooperation between Konoha and Kirigakure against Sacred Lord. The alliance began investigating the destroyed underwater base, but an intercepted message linked Kisame Hoshigaki to the organization and prompted a search for him.

• Ling told Mei Terumi that Sacred Lord operated across the Shinobi World and proposed joint intelligence sharing and investigation.
• Mei Terumi agreed to limited cooperation, put Kirigakure's cleanup of the underwater base under Aogiri, and assigned Zabuza as Ling's liaison.
• Ling proposed tracing the base's runes and investigating rumors about the Mysterious Merchant and Dark Walker, especially in the northwestern waters.
• An Anbu ninja reported that an intercepted encrypted message addressed to 'Shark' ordered a withdrawal under the Third Contingency Plan.
• Mei Terumi ordered Kirigakure to search for Kisame Hoshigaki without alerting him, and Ling saw the lead as a chance to uncover more of Sacred Lord.

Ling and Zabuza investigated the Sea of Lost Paths for Kisame and traces of the Sacred Lord, eventually finding a ghost ship protected by a dark barrier. As wraithlike creatures closed around their boat, they prepared to fight, uncertain whether Kisame was aboard.

• Mei Terumi authorized Ling to search Kirigakure's classified files, and Ling and Zabuza found reports linking Kisame to missing ships near the Sea of Lost Paths.
• Ling and Zabuza set out in a concealed reconnaissance boat, using his Senjutsu perception and Zabuza's knowledge of the waters to search for hidden strongholds.
• Ling identified and exposed a genjutsu barrier concealing an abandoned rocky island, then the pair searched several more suspicious locations without finding Kisame.
• Ling detected traces of the Sacred Lord's power and the Three-Tails, and guided Zabuza deeper into the fog.
• Ling and Zabuza discovered an ancient ghost ship protected by a dark chakra and Water Release barrier, which warned them to leave.
• Dark chakra wraiths emerged from the sea and surrounded the boat as Ling and Zabuza prepared to fight.

Ling and Zabuza fought the ghost ship’s wraiths, and Ling purified them with senjutsu before slipping through the ship’s barrier. He found Kisame under the Sacred Lord’s control, and their battle began aboard the wreck.

• Zabuza held back the wraiths with a Water Release wall while Ling used Sage Art: Water Release: Spirit-Cleansing Radiance to purify them.
• The ghost ship summoned three Giant Guardians and activated a barrier that pulled Ling and Zabuza’s boat toward it.
• After Tobirama identified the barrier’s energy nodes, Ling struck four at once and slipped through the opening onto the ship.
• Ling approached the ship’s entrance and dodged a surprise attack from Kisame, who appeared to be controlled by the Sacred Lord.
• Kisame attacked again with Samehada, and Ling prepared to subdue him to uncover the ghost ship’s secrets.

Ling used Pure Water Release to overwhelm Kisame and interrupt his fusion with Samehada, but the Sacred Lord’s will struck Ling’s soul and reignited Kisame’s assault. The Ghost Ship shook as dark tentacles closed in, leaving Ling trapped between several attacks.

• Ling dodged Kisame’s Samehada strikes and deflected his water attack with Pure Water Release: Mirror Surface.
• Ling’s Water Severing Wave injured Samehada, and he destroyed Kisame’s Five Feeding Sharks with Water Prison Hundred Blossoms.
• Kisame began fusing with Samehada, but Ling’s Sage Art: Pure Water Release: Chidori Water Kill interrupted the fusion and wounded him.
• The Sacred Lord’s will erupted from the cabin, pierced Ling’s defenses, and caused him to falter.
• Kisame charged Ling again as the Ghost Ship shook and dark tentacles reached for him.

Ling encountered Uchiha Itachi on the Ghost Ship, where Itachi stopped Kisame and secretly warned Ling about the Sacred Lord, Danzo’s surviving Root forces, and Naruto. Ling left the ship with the intelligence and arranged to report Itachi’s appearance to the Mizukage.

• Itachi appeared on the Ghost Ship and stopped Kisame’s frenzied attack, causing the Sacred Lord’s tentacles and presence to withdraw.
• Itachi secretly told Ling that the Sacred Lord was an ancient amalgamation connected to the Netherworld Marsh and the Box of Ultimate Bliss, that Danzo’s remnants might be colluding with it, and that Naruto was both a key and a target.
• Itachi took Kisame and vanished into the cabin’s shadows, leaving Ling to consider the warning.
• Ling told Tobirama what he had learned, then transformed into water and left the Ghost Ship.
• Ling told Zabuza that Kisame had been controlled and that Itachi had taken him away, and Zabuza insisted they report Itachi’s appearance to Lord Mizukage.

Ling and Zabuza reported their findings about the Ghost Ship and Uchiha Itachi to Mei Terumi, and Ling argued that the Sacred Lord might be connected to ancient forbidden powers. Mei agreed to share Kirigakure’s intelligence, and Ling left for Konoha to report and investigate further.

• Zabuza reported that the Ghost Ship served as the Sacred Lord’s base, Kisame Hoshigaki had been under someone else’s control, and Uchiha Itachi had taken him away.
• Ling suggested the Sacred Lord might be tied to ancient evils such as the Netherworld Marsh or the Box of Ultimate Bliss.
• Mei Terumi ordered Kirigakure to research the forbidden sites and gave Ling copies of its reports on the underwater base and Ghost Ship.
• Ling told Mei he would return to Konoha to share his findings and combine intelligence about the ancient taboos.
• Mei privately hinted that she suspected Ling was concealing something, and Ling left Kirigakure with the records.

Ling returned to Konoha with intelligence about the Sacred Lord organization, prompting Tsunade to declare it a highest-priority threat and order a secret reconnaissance mission to the Netherworld Marsh. After the mission was assigned, Ling sensed that Danzo's surviving followers were watching him, leaving him to consider dealing with the internal threat before departing.

• Ling reported his findings from the Land of Water to Tsunade, including Uchiha Itachi's intervention and Kirigakure's willingness to cooperate.
• Tsunade convened a confidential meeting with Ling, Kakashi, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura, and they designated the Sacred Lord organization a highest-priority threat.
• Tsunade established a Special Investigation Unit with Ling as chief adviser and assigned Kakashi and Ling to handle liaison work with Kirigakure.
• Ling shared information about the Netherworld Marsh and the Box of Ultimate Bliss, and Tsunade ordered an S-rank secret reconnaissance mission led tactically by Ling.
• Ling proposed Yamato, Neji Hyuga, and Shizune as suitable teammates, and Kakashi agreed to arrange the squad.
• At the Hatake Residence, Ling sensed concealed watchers, and Tobirama warned that Danzo's surviving followers had begun to stir.

Ling lured three Root watchers into the Forest of Death and eliminated them, then learned fragments of information about Danzo’s remnants. The next morning, he led Yamato, Neji Hyuga, and Shizune out of Konoha to investigate the Sacred Lord organization in the Land of Grass.

• Ling detected three Root watchers surveilling the Hatake Residence and drew them to the Forest of Death.
• Ling defeated the three Root ninja, used Soul Search to uncover names and secret contact points, and erased their bodies with Pure Water Release.
• Kakashi assembled Ling, Yamato, Neji Hyuga, and Shizune at Training Ground Three and assigned Ling tactical command.
• Ling received intelligence about the Netherworld Marsh Region and the mission to confirm the Sacred Lord organization’s presence and assess its threat.
• Ling led Yamato, Neji Hyuga, and Shizune out of Konoha toward the Land of Grass.

Ling led Yamato, Neji, and Shizune into the Netherworld Marsh, where they encountered Corpse Puppets and discovered a powerful presence at the marsh’s center. After Ling shielded them from a mind-affecting chant, the squad advanced across the dark water toward the source of the Sacred Lord’s power.

• The squad entered the Land of Grass and approached the Netherworld Marsh, where Neji and Shizune detected dangerous conditions and Yamato warned them about the mist.
• Neji severed the energy thread inside one Corpse Puppet while Yamato restrained the other four with Wood Release.
• The squad crossed a wall of mist and spotted a black-mist-shrouded region at the marsh’s center, where Neji sensed many powerful energy sources.
• A layered chant from the central region disturbed the squad, but Ling spread senjutsu chakra that cleared their minds.
• Ling recognized the central energy as connected to the Seabed Base and Ghost Ship, then ordered the squad to advance across the dark purple water.

Ling and his team reached the altar where a cult was sacrificing Kusagakure ninja to summon the Sacred Lord. They disrupted the ritual and fought its leader, but the black crystal continued gathering power as Ling prepared to stop it.

• Neji detected hundreds of dormant Corpse Puppets beneath the swamp as the team approached the central land.
• Ling's team discovered a black crystal altar, robed worshippers, and Kusagakure captives being drained by energy chains.
• Ling ordered Yamato to disrupt the runes, Neji to destroy the statues and free the captives, and Shizune to provide medical support while he fought the ritual's leader.
• Yamato damaged the altar's runes, Neji destroyed two statues and freed two Grass Ninja, and Shizune treated the freed captives.
• Ling fought the leader, who said the ritual would let the Sacred Lord descend, while the crystal continued to grow brighter and distort the surrounding space.
• Yamato warned that the ritual was nearly complete, and Ling resolved to destroy the crystal.

Ling destroyed the altar’s black crystal with his Pure Water Secret Art, stopping the summoning ritual but suffering severe injuries in the explosion. The Sacred Lord then threatened Ling directly, and the squad withdrew from the marsh with the rescued Grass Ninja, knowing the danger remained.

• Tobirama urged Ling to compress his senjutsu chakra and use pure water to destroy the black crystal before the ritual completed.
• Ling unleashed Pure Water Secret Art: Origin Collapse, destroying the crystal, altar, and chanting devotees in a massive energy explosion.
• Ling endured the blast’s opposing energies by channeling and expelling them, then collapsed with serious injuries as the marsh’s black mist began to clear.
• The Sacred Lord’s fully conscious will appeared, threatened to extract and torment Ling’s soul, and then vanished.
• Ling vowed to face the Sacred Lord, and the squad withdrew from the Netherworld Marsh with the rescued Grass Ninja.

After destroying the Netherworld Marsh Altar, Ling and his squad rescued the surviving Grass Ninja and learned the Sacred Lord had tried to create an anchor for his descent. While Ling recovered from his injuries, he sensed a concealed, moving energy near their route to Konoha and ordered the squad to pursue it.

• Ling and his squad escaped the Netherworld Marsh as the Altar’s destruction weakened the fog and left the Corpse Puppets lifeless.
• The rescued Grass Ninja told Ling’s squad that cultists had captured them as sacrifices for a ritual involving the Sacred Core and the Sacred Lord.
• Tobirama told Ling that the Sacred Lord had tried to establish an anchor or passage into the world, and Ling concluded that the Lord still needed special conditions to descend.
• After the Grass Ninja left to warn Kusagakure, Shizune treated Ling in a cave and confirmed that he needed time to recover.
• Ling sensed a concealed, sinister energy moving toward Konoha, and Neji confirmed that a fast-moving chakra source was keeping its distance.
• Ling ordered Yamato, Neji, and Shizune to pursue the mysterious presence while watching for an ambush.

Ling’s squad pursued a mysterious chakra trace and fell into an ambush by Root remnants, who demanded their Netherworld Marsh intelligence. Kakashi arrived in time to turn the fight around and capture their leader, leaving the squad with urgent questions about Root’s connection to the Sacred Lord.

• Ling, Neji, Yamato, and Shizune followed the cold chakra trace across a river while suspecting their quarry was leading them into a trap.
• Root ambushers attacked the squad with poisoned senbon and kunai, but Yamato, Neji, and Ling blocked their strikes.
• Ling recognized the masked leader as a Root ninja and questioned him about Danzo and the Sacred Lord, but the ninja attacked with a cursed seal technique.
• Kakashi arrived and intercepted the leader’s chakra arrow, then helped Yamato and Neji stop the escaping Root members.
• Ling pinpointed the masked ninja underground, and Kakashi struck and captured him with Lightning Blade.
• Kakashi told Ling they would discuss the Sacred Lord and the Root remnants after returning, while Ling considered the unresolved connection between them.

After Snake Fang’s squad ambushed them, Kakashi concluded that Root remnants operating outside Konoha had joined forces with the Sacred Lord. Ling sensed a mysterious psychic trace near the Konoha Cemetery after returning to the village, while Tsunade ordered interrogations and sent him to the hospital to recover.

• Kakashi examined Snake Fang’s Cursed Seal and identified the attackers as Root remnants from outside Konoha who had ambushed the team for its intelligence and to target Ling.
• Kakashi ordered the prisoners taken to Konoha for interrogation, and Ling sensed a faint, icy psychic imprint coming from the direction of the Konoha Cemetery as they entered the village.
• Tsunade ordered Kakashi to interrogate the prisoners and tighten security, then commanded Ling to undergo treatment and avoid missions until fully recovered.
• Tsunade thanked Yamato, Neji, and Shizune for completing the mission and awarded them major commendations.

Ling recovered in Konoha Hospital while he and Tobirama analyzed the cursed seal used by Remnant Root, and Kakashi shared intelligence linking the group to the Sacred Lord. Ling suspected the shadow crow watching Konoha might be connected to Itachi, then continued healing and training as the hidden conflict intensified.

• Shizune treated Ling and warned him to rest while his chakra pathways and internal organs healed.
• Tobirama explained that the cursed seal amplified its bearer but damaged their body and mind, while possibly allowing its caster to track or control them.
• Kakashi gave Ling Inoichi's interrogation findings: Remnant Root had allied with the Sacred Lord's forces through a mysterious priest called the Guide and had targeted Ling.
• Kakashi reported that Anbu had located Remnant Root's base and that Snake Fang's memories included a crow made of shadows watching Konoha.
• Ling connected the shadow crow to the presence he had sensed at the Cemetery and wondered whether Itachi or the Sacred Lord was behind it.
• Ling followed Shizune's treatment plan and secretly used senjutsu chakra to heal and deepen his control of pure water.

Ling continued recovering in Konoha Hospital while uncovering signs that the Sacred Lord’s network was watching him. The chapter ended with a Shadow Crow appearing directly outside his window, and Ling resolved to confront his watchers rather than remain their target.

• Shizune allowed Ling to take short walks, during which his senjutsu perception detected sinister energy residue near a ginkgo tree in the hospital courtyard.
• Ling quietly alerted Kakashi, who passed the warning to the Anbu for investigation.
• An Anbu report said their raid destroyed a Remnant Root base, captured three prisoners, and recovered cursed seal research, but the Guide had escaped; the report also mentioned a dark red necklace and the code name “Crow’s Nest.”
• Tsunade told Ling that Anbu had found traces of the watchers near the village but had failed to catch them, and she urged him to recover so they could take the initiative.
• On the night before his discharge, Ling saw a Shadow Crow watching him outside his window before it vanished without a trace.
• Ling resolved that the next time the Guide or Crow’s Nest appeared, he would no longer remain a passive target.

After being discharged, Ling reported to Tsunade and began investigating reports tied to the Crow's Nest. He discovered a hidden surveillance imprint in Konoha Cemetery, then destroyed three attacking Shadow Crows and sensed a trace of the Sacred Lord's will before returning home to plan his next move.

• Shizune and the Medical Corps Chief confirmed that Ling had recovered enough to leave the hospital, and Ling reported to Tsunade.
• Tsunade gave Ling intelligence reports about incidents potentially linked to the Sacred Lord and the Crow's Nest and tasked him with village security and analysis.
• At Konoha Cemetery, Ling detected a mental imprint matching the Shadow Crow's presence and erased it with pure water chakra.
• Three Shadow Crows attacked Ling on the path home, but he purified their energy and destroyed their cores with his secret technique.
• Ling sensed an icy thought, possibly a fragment of the Sacred Lord's will, before returning to the Hatake Residence to consider his next plan.