Chapter Summaries

Ling and Tobirama traced the Shadow Crows’ beacon to Silent Canyon, where the Crow’s Nest was likely hidden. After striking back at the force behind the crow, Ling recorded the coordinates and prepared to take the initiative against the threat.

• Ling and Tobirama decided to trap the next Shadow Crow so they could trace its beacon instead of purifying it immediately.
• Ling lured a stronger Shadow Crow into attacking him near the Naka River and trapped it in a cage of pure water.
• Tobirama analyzed the crow’s energy and pinpointed its beacon in Silent Canyon on the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass.
• Ling dissolved the crow with Purification Rain, then sent a counterstrike through its spiritual connection to the hidden figure behind it.
• Ling recorded the coordinates in an encrypted scroll and resolved to destroy the Crow’s Nest.

Kakashi led Ling, Yamato, Neji, and Might Guy into Silent Canyon to destroy the Crow’s Nest and confront the Guide. Ling shattered the altar and dispersed its Shadow Crows, but the Sacred Lord sensed him, and the necklace Ling recovered hinted at a more dangerous confrontation ahead.

• Tsunade sent Kakashi’s team on an S-rank mission to destroy the Crow’s Nest in Silent Canyon and capture the Guide or recover its documents.
• Ling guided the team through the poisonous canyon to a concealed genjutsu barrier, which they opened by striking three energy nodes simultaneously.
• The team entered the Crow’s Nest, where the Guide activated the Shadow Crows and a Cursed Seal-controlled Konoha chunin attacked them.
• Ling used his Purification Field against the Shadow Crows while Kakashi fought the Guide, then Ling destroyed the altar despite sensing the Sacred Lord’s distant will.
• Kakashi wounded the Guide, who died after warning that the Sacred Lord would come, and Ling recovered the Bone Staff and Twisted Necklace.

Naruto returned to Konoha after training with Jiraiya, and Kakashi assigned him, Ling, and Sakura to escort a bridge builder to the Land of Waves. Ling suspected the C-rank mission was connected to the Sacred Lord’s forces, and the story left the team preparing to depart into a growing storm.

• Ling trained his Water Release at Training Ground Three before Naruto returned from his travels with Jiraiya.
• Naruto reunited with Ling and revealed that the Akatsuki were targeting jinchūriki, including him.
• Kakashi assigned Ling, Naruto, and Sakura to escort a bridge-building expert to the Land of Waves, where unidentified forces had been active.
• Ling recognized that the mission’s location near the Land of Water could connect it to the Sacred Lord’s forces.
• Kakashi warned Ling that the mission might be dangerous, and Naruto left to find Sakura before their departure the next morning.

Team 7 accepted Tsunami’s request to free the Land of Waves from the Black Tide Trading Company, whose forces had murdered Tazuna and threatened the bridge. After defeating an ambush of rogue ninja using corrosive chakra, they learned the Sacred Lord was behind the company’s new power, and the mission continued toward a much larger confrontation.

• Tsunami told Kakashi that Tazuna had been murdered and that the Black Tide Trading Company had taken control of the Land of Waves and threatened the bridge.
• Kakashi accepted the mission as provisionally B-rank, and Team 7 set out with Tsunami and Inari.
• Ling and Kakashi detected an ambush, and five rogue ninja attacked the group with corrosive purple chakra.
• Ling neutralized two attackers, Kakashi defeated their scarred leader, and Naruto and Sakura took down the remaining enemies.
• Kakashi questioned the captured leader, who revealed that the Sacred Lord had granted the rogue ninja their power and that the company controlled the docks and bridge.
• Team 7 learned that the Sacred Lord’s forces had infiltrated the Land of Waves, while the mysterious leader might be at the company headquarters or elsewhere.

Team 7 reached the Land of Waves and learned that the Black Tide Trading Company had seized control under Heize, a powerful follower of the Sacred Lord. After Kakashi’s team defeated a group of collectors and extracted intelligence about Heize and a fighter called Thunderstorm, Ling began infiltrating the company headquarters.

• Team 7 arrived at the Land of Waves and learned from Tsunami and the village elder that the Black Tide Trading Company had taken control and killed Tazuna.
• Black Tide guards attacked villagers collecting protection money, and Kakashi’s team defeated them after Ling identified the source of their corrosive power.
• Kakashi questioned the one-eyed leader, who revealed that Heize controlled purple lightning and had powerful allies, including someone called Thunderstorm.
• Kakashi assigned Ling to infiltrate the company headquarters while Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi prepared to support him from the perimeter.
• Ling used Water Release to swim unnoticed toward the headquarters across the bay under cover of night.

Ling infiltrated the Black Tide Trading Company headquarters and discovered that the Sacred Lord planned to use the Land of Waves as a sacrifice and had targeted Ling and Naruto. Heize detected Ling and trapped him in an energy field, leaving him facing a powerful enemy.

• Ling sneaked into the headquarters and sensed powerful chakra belonging to Thunderstorm and Heize.
• Ling watched Thunderstorm kill a subordinate with dark purple lightning and learned that he knew about the Crow's Nest and was eager to fight Konoha.
• Ling found Heize praying before a Dark Purple Crystal and heard the Sacred Lord's message identifying Ling as a threat and the Land of Waves as a sacrifice.
• Ling learned that Heize intended to offer him and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to the Sacred Lord.
• Heize activated a corridor energy field, confronted Ling, and surged corrosive energy toward him.

Ling escaped Heize’s Bone-Eroding Barrier while Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura drew out Thunderstorm at the docks. As Naruto began losing control to the Nine-Tails’ chakra, Ling sensed the danger and raced to rejoin his team.

• Ling disrupted the Bone-Eroding Barrier by warping its physical foundation with a compressed Pure Water technique, then escaped Heize using water clones and a ventilation duct.
• Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura attacked the merchant association’s facilities, drawing Thunderstorm into battle.
• Thunderstorm’s Lightning Armor destroyed Naruto’s shadow clones and blasted Naruto aside, while Kakashi warned the team not to face him recklessly.
• Remembering Tazuna’s death and the Land of Waves’ suffering, Naruto let the Nine-Tails’ chakra begin to emerge as Thunderstorm welcomed the challenge.
• Ling sensed Naruto’s chaotic chakra and hurried through the ventilation ducts toward the docks to rejoin Kakashi and the others.

Ling arrived at the docks and protected Naruto from Thunderstorm’s attacks with powerful Sage Art: Pure Water Release techniques. As Thunderstorm began transforming his Lightning Armor, Ling tried to calm Naruto’s Nine-Tails chakra and asked Kakashi and Sakura to help him regain control.

• Naruto lost himself further to the Nine-Tails’ chakra and attacked Thunderstorm with savage strength, while Kakashi and Sakura struggled to help.
• Thunderstorm launched Lightning Release: Thunder Beast Burst at Naruto, but Ling appeared and neutralized it with Sage Art: Pure Water Release: Mirror Sea Return.
• Ling spoke to Naruto, and the boy’s violent aura briefly weakened as he showed signs of regaining clarity.
• Thunderstorm attacked Ling and Naruto with Lightning Release: Twin Thunderstorm Tyrant, but Ling weakened the lightning dragons with Thousandfold Waves and destroyed them with Water Severing Wave: Torrent.
• Thunderstorm began transforming his Lightning Armor, and Ling asked Kakashi to buy him three seconds while Sakura prepared a sedative and he worked to calm Naruto.

Ling fought Thunderstorm’s Abyssal Power while Naruto entered Partial Tailed Beast Transformation and Kakashi used Kamui to remove Thunderstorm’s right arm. As Thunderstorm reeled, Heize watched from the shadows, preparing to enact his scheme with the Dark Red Necklace.

• Ling calmed Naruto with senjutsu chakra, then used Absolute Purification Domain to hold back Thunderstorm’s black lightning beams.
• Naruto entered Partial Tailed Beast Transformation and struck Thunderstorm, giving Ling the chance to destroy the beams with the domain’s purifying burst.
• Ling collapsed from the backlash, and Sakura began treating him while Naruto continued attacking Thunderstorm.
• Kakashi used Kamui to twist off and swallow Thunderstorm’s right arm, destabilizing his Abyssal Power.
• Heize watched from the trade association headquarters and said that the sacrifices and vessel were ready as the Dark Red Necklace glowed.

Naruto stopped his rampage after Ling reminded him of Iruka-sensei’s acknowledgment, but Heize’s summoning ritual then brought a fragment of the Sacred Lord’s will down over the Land of Waves. With the group nearly exhausted, Ling headed toward the sea to seek a way to oppose the darkness.

• Naruto knocked Thunderstorm into the rubble, then nearly attacked Sakura and Ling until Ling’s words brought him back to his senses.
• A dark purple domain spread over the Land of Waves as Kakashi recognized that Heize’s summoning ritual had succeeded.
• Heize summoned a vast, destructive shadow over the merchant association headquarters and offered the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and pure water as sacrifices.
• Ling rallied Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura to buy him time, then made his way toward the sea to draw on its water.

Ling sacrificed his strength and soul essence to unleash a beam of pure light that wounded the Sacred Lord’s projected will and stopped its descent into the Land of Waves. As Ling neared death, Tobirama transported him to Shikkotsu Forest for a long slumber, leaving Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura to return home and hope he would awaken.

• Ling drew in the Land of Waves’ natural energy and focused it with Tobirama’s help into an attack on the Sacred Lord’s dark core.
• Ling’s beam shattered Heize’s Dark Red Necklace, grievously wounded the Sacred Lord’s will, and ended the descent ritual.
• Ling collapsed near death as Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura rushed to him, and Tobirama’s soul apparition emerged from Ling’s body.
• Tobirama told Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura that only Shikkotsu Forest could preserve Ling, then transported Ling there to recover in a long slumber.
• Naruto and Sakura vowed that Ling would wake, while Kakashi led them back to help rebuild the Land of Waves and grow stronger.

Tsunade classified the Second Hokage's presence within Ling and his journey to Shikkotsu Forest as a top-level secret while preparing Konoha and the other villages to face the Sacred Lord. Ling remained in long-term dormancy, and a hidden force began Project 'New Sprout.'

• Kakashi reported the Sacred Lord's attempted descent and said Tobirama Senju had taken Ling to Shikkotsu Forest in search of a way to save him.
• Tsunade ordered that Ling's connection to the Second Hokage be kept as an S-rank secret and directed Kakashi to prepare a top-secret report and warn the other Kage about the Sacred Lord.
• Naruto and Sakura vowed to grow stronger while grieving Ling's sacrifice, and Tsunade urged them to rest.
• After Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura left, Tsunade resolved to strengthen Konoha and coordinate with other ninja villages against the Sacred Lord.
• A hidden information node in a sealed Root site reported that the Pure Water target had entered long-term dormancy and that Project 'New Sprout' could begin.

Tsunade visited Ling in Shikkotsu Forest and learned that his recovery would take a long time, while the Sacred Lord remained a growing threat. Tobirama decided to possess an Impure World Reincarnation body and seek Orochimaru for intelligence and a way to heal Ling’s soul, leaving Tsunade to prepare the secret operation.

• Tsunade used Reverse Summoning to reach Shikkotsu Forest, confirmed Ling was stable, and paid her respects to Tobirama.
• Tobirama told Tsunade that Ling could not fight and that Konoha needed other ways to learn the Sacred Lord’s weaknesses.
• Tobirama proposed using a powerful soul to seize an Impure World Reincarnation body so he could move freely and investigate Orochimaru.
• Tsunade warned Tobirama about the risks, but he ordered her to find a suitable vessel and locate one of Orochimaru’s bases in strict confidence.
• Tsunade agreed to gather intelligence and returned to Konoha as Tobirama began preparing his forbidden technique.

Tsunade found Orochimaru’s laboratory near Rōran and brought him to examine the sleeping Ling and Tobirama. Orochimaru proposed sending Tobirama’s consciousness into the past to find Hashirama, and Tobirama accepted the dangerous plan, leaving Ling in Tsunade’s care.

• Tsunade traced Orochimaru’s recent activity to a hidden laboratory near the Rōran ruins and led an Anbu squad there.
• Orochimaru agreed to help Tsunade and used a White Zetsu Clone as a vessel before she reverse-summoned him to Shikkotsu Forest.
• Orochimaru examined Ling and warned that his soul injuries would be difficult to heal, then identified Tobirama as a visitor from another timeline.
• Orochimaru proposed using Rōran’s dragon vein to project Tobirama’s consciousness into the past to find Hashirama, estimating a twenty percent chance of success.
• Tobirama entered the White Zetsu Clone and ordered Orochimaru to prepare the time-travel attempt while Tsunade secured Rōran and protected Ling.

Orochimaru and Tsunade helped Tobirama send his soul through the Dragon Vein to Konoha's first year. He arrived successfully, but Hashirama Senju and his younger self immediately sensed him and demanded to know who he was.

• Orochimaru activated the Dragon Vein formula while Tobirama aligned his soul with the space-time anchor.
• Tobirama entered the Dragon Vein's energy current, and Orochimaru told Tsunade that his soul had entered the space-time passage.
• Tobirama followed Orochimaru's coordinate mark through the turbulent passage and reached the outskirts of early Konoha.
• Hashirama Senju and young Tobirama detected Tobirama's foreign soul and confronted him.

Future Tobirama convinced Hashirama and young Tobirama that he had traveled back in time to save Ling, whose soul was nearly destroyed while fighting the Sacred Lord. Hashirama agreed to place a healing imprint in future Tobirama’s soul, and began gathering the life-giving chakra needed for the rescue.

• Future Tobirama sent Hashirama and young Tobirama images warning of Ling’s sacrifice and the Sacred Lord’s threat.
• Future Tobirama proved his identity with three secrets known only to Hashirama and his younger self.
• Future Tobirama explained that Ling’s damaged soul could only be saved with Hashirama’s power and asked for a healing imprint to carry back to the future.
• Hashirama judged future Tobirama’s plea credible and agreed to help despite young Tobirama’s concerns about disrupting time and space.
• Hashirama began enveloping future Tobirama’s soul in chakra containing his primordial life force and asura chakra.

Hashirama branded a life-energy imprint into future Tobirama’s soul so it could help heal Ling, while young Tobirama secretly planted a space-time marker on his counterpart. Ling’s soul began to recover, and the marker sent information about the future and the Sacred Lord back to Orochimaru and young Tobirama.

• Hashirama endured the pain of branding a life-energy imprint into future Tobirama’s soul, strengthening him and giving him a chance to awaken Ling’s vitality.
• As future Tobirama returned through the Dragon Vein, young Tobirama secretly attached a silver space-time marker to his soul.
• Future Tobirama returned to the Rōran cavern and confirmed to Tsunade that he had obtained the imprint before ordering everyone to Shikkotsu Forest.
• White Zetsu Tobirama used Hashirama’s imprint on Ling, whose soul fluctuations strengthened and whose body showed signs of recovery.
• The hidden marker transmitted information about the Sacred Lord and the future to Orochimaru and young Tobirama, who began investigating the coming crisis.

Ling awakened in Shikkotsu Forest after Hashirama Senju’s healing mark stabilized his soul, though he had lost his strength and needed a long recovery. He sensed an unexplained presence in his soul, while Orochimaru decoded future intelligence and began reconsidering his plans.

• Sakura noticed Ling’s eyelashes move, and Tsunade confirmed that his soul and vital signs had stabilized.
• Ling opened his eyes, recognized Naruto, Sakura, and Tsunade, and learned that his power was gone and he needed prolonged rest.
• White Zetsu Tobirama told Ling how he had traveled through time to seek Hashirama Senju’s help, and Ling thanked Hashirama for the healing mark.
• Ling sensed something faint and cold within his soul, but White Zetsu Tobirama urged him to focus on recovering.
• Orochimaru decoded information about Konoha, the Akatsuki, and the future, then decided to reconsider where to invest.

Ling discovered that a hidden Soul Mark left by young Tobirama was stealing his memories and sending them into the past, but future Tobirama severed and erased it. Key information had already leaked, prompting young Tobirama to begin targeted research, while Orochimaru became more interested in the unfolding conflict.

• Ling scanned his soul and found a silver rune transmitting his memories to young Tobirama in the past.
• The Soul Mark began extracting memories about the Sacred Lord, pure water, and Konoha’s future defenses, so Ling realized the past might be changed.
• Tobirama intervened with his soul power, broke the rune’s connection, and stopped the memory stream.
• In his laboratory, young Tobirama received fragments of the leaked information and decided to accelerate targeted research.
• Tobirama erased the damaged rune and warned Ling that the past’s decisions might change and the storm could arrive sooner.
• Orochimaru combined intercepted information with his earlier findings and anticipated the growing conflict across time.

While Ling continued recovering in Shikkotsu Forest, Tsunade told him that Akatsuki had abducted Gaara and that Sunagakure needed Konoha's help. Ling connected the attack's strange, corrosive energy to the Sacred Lord and urged Tsunade to prepare for both threats, then pushed himself to recover faster as the rescue mission began.

• Ling's meridians continued to heal, though he remained unable to gather chakra or use ninjutsu.
• Tsunade visited Ling and reported that Akatsuki had captured Gaara during a surprise attack on Sunagakure.
• Tsunade described chilling energy and corrupted soil and vegetation at the attack site, and Ling linked the signs to the Sacred Lord's power.
• Ling warned that Akatsuki might use Tailed Beast chakra in connection with the Sacred Lord and recommended a rescue team led by Kakashi, with Naruto, Sakura, Yamato, and Might Guy's squad.
• Tsunade agreed to arrange the mission and left Ling to recover, while Ling drove himself to push through his blocked meridians.