Recaps

Lin Guang and Tsunade opposed Konoha’s elder advisers’ plan to restrict Naruto and place him under constant surveillance. The chapter ended with Lin Guang revealing his Mangekyō Sharingan as he vowed that he and Naruto would never fail.

• Shikamaru stopped Naruto from hitting Sai and asked Lin Guang how he had obtained his Sharingan, but Lin Guang left without explaining.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu told Tsunade they wanted Naruto kept away from missions involving the Akatsuki, assigned to a closely monitored four-person squad, and restricted in his movements.
• Tsunade refused the advisers’ demands and stood by Naruto, while the advisers argued that he was a Jinchūriki who should be kept under surveillance.
• Lin Guang arrived and challenged the advisers, and Tsunade argued that restricting Naruto would not prevent the Akatsuki from attacking him or endangering Konoha.
• When the advisers questioned whether Naruto could defeat the Akatsuki, Lin Guang declared that he and Naruto would never fail and revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan.

Lin Guang used his Mangekyō Sharingan and his victory over Sasori to secure a new squad assignment, with Tsunade as its leader and Yamato joining to watch over Naruto. The chapter ended as Sai joined the team and provoked Naruto with a cutting assessment of his strength.

• Lin Guang revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan to Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu, then agreed to Danzo's choice of Sai as the squad's fourth member.
• Danzo demanded Lin Guang's eyes, but Lin Guang refused and insisted that he would protect Naruto.
• Tsunade made Lin Guang the squad leader and assigned Yamato to join Team 7 after Lin Guang recognized the Root recruit she had warned him about.
• Naruto and Sakura met Sai, whom Naruto recognized as the attacker Lin Guang had subdued and who had been released from the interrogation unit.
• Sai apologized for attacking Naruto, then bluntly declared Naruto weak and Lin Guang powerful, prompting Naruto to try to fight him until Sakura held him back.

After Naruto and Lin Guang were promoted to Jonin, Lin Guang unlocked new abilities and briefly reunited with the women he had kept in an alternate space. As Team 7 prepared to leave for Tenchi Bridge, Sai received a top-secret mission from Danzo.

• Sai insulted Sakura during Team 7's first meeting, and Lin Guang held her back before warning Sai about his sharp tongue.
• Tsunade held a village ceremony promoting Naruto and Lin Guang to Jonin, and the system unlocked several abilities for Lin Guang.
• Lin Guang brought Shinobu Kocho, Tamayo, and the other women out of the alternate space, then gave Shinobu the Venom-Venom Fruit power and Tamayo the angel bloodline.
• Lin Guang planned to confront Orochimaru at Tenchi Bridge and noted that the Dōjutsu he had implanted in Sasuke had continued growing stronger.
• A Root member delivered Danzo's top-secret mission to Sai, who accepted it.

Lin Guang led Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato toward Kusagakure, trying to keep the uneasy new squad working together. After stopping at a hot spring inn, they relaxed and began to get acquainted, while Lin Guang prepared to leave the bath and make dinner.

• Lin Guang set out for Kusagakure with Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato, who could use Wood Release to restrain Naruto's Nine-Tails.
• Naruto and Sai argued over Sasuke, and Sakura punched Sai after he insulted him; Lin Guang broke up the conflict and warned the team to cooperate against Orochimaru.
• Lin Guang used an Ice Release technique to threaten to imprison the bickering teammates, then suggested a stop at a hot spring inn.
• At the inn, Lin Guang introduced Yamato to Naruto and Sai, and Yamato warned Naruto that Tsunade had once severely injured Jiraiya for peeking at her bathing.
• Lin Guang left the men's bath to prepare dinner, while Sai also got out and cautioned Naruto not to soak too long.

Lin Guang treated Team 7 to a lavish dinner, then led them along a forest trail to avoid Orochimaru’s traps. As the team camped in a wooden house Yamato created, Lin Guang judged that his strength might now surpass Orochimaru’s and prepared to face him.

• Lin Guang paid for a lavish dinner, and Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato joined him for a meal that brought Team 7 closer together.
• Lin Guang chose a narrow forest trail to reduce the risk of encountering traps Orochimaru might have laid along their route.
• When the team stopped for the night, Yamato used Wood Release: Four Pillars House Technique to create a wooden house for shelter.
• Lin Guang considered Orochimaru’s weakened condition and his own increased strength, concluding that Orochimaru might no longer be his match.
• Naruto confronted Lin Guang about staying awake, then vowed to beat Orochimaru after Lin Guang told him to train.

Team 7 reached Tenchi Bridge and tried to meet Kabuto Yakushi using Yamato disguised as Sasori, but Orochimaru exposed their deception. The team joined Yamato on the bridge and faced Orochimaru and Kabuto.

• Sai scouted Tenchi Bridge with ink mice, and Yamato disguised himself as Sasori while Lin Guang, Naruto, Sakura, and Sai waited nearby.
• Kabuto met Yamato and tested his disguise as Lin Guang read their conversation through lip-reading.
• Orochimaru appeared behind Kabuto, and Kabuto revealed that Orochimaru had long since undone Sasori’s control technique.
• Kabuto broke Yamato’s Wood Release puppet, and Orochimaru attacked Yamato with Multiple Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
• Orochimaru spotted Team 7’s hiding place, so Lin Guang led Naruto, Sakura, and Sai onto the bridge to face him and Kabuto.
• Orochimaru recognized Lin Guang as Uchiha Hikari of the Akatsuki and identified Naruto as the Nine-Tails boy.

Naruto confronted Orochimaru at Tenchi Bridge after seeing him, Sasuke’s apparent ally, and lost control under the Nine-Tails’ chakra. Lin Guang restrained the Nine-Tails’ influence so Naruto could fight, and the chapter ended with Kabuto noting how much Naruto’s jinchūriki power had grown.

• Naruto’s hatred of Orochimaru triggered a Tailed Beast Cloak, and Lin Guang threatened the Nine-Tails into limiting its chakra and easing its hold on Naruto’s mind.
• Naruto thanked Lin Guang, then Kabuto taunted him by saying Sasuke had joined Orochimaru willingly, while Sakura angrily defended Naruto.
• Orochimaru challenged the Konoha ninja to force Sasuke’s whereabouts from him, and Naruto struck him hundreds of meters into the forest.
• Yamato worried that Naruto’s escalating Nine-Tails power could endanger him, while Lin Guang trusted that the Nine-Tails would keep Naruto’s chakra use limited.
• Kabuto calmly remarked that Naruto had grown as a jinchūriki as Naruto fixed his stare on him.

At Tenchi Bridge, Orochimaru revealed that Yamato had been one of his experiments, then provoked Naruto by mentioning Sasuke. Naruto lost control as the Nine-Tails’ chakra surged, and Lin Guang tried to keep him from going further.

• Orochimaru emerged unharmed and recognized Yamato as one of the test subjects from his experiments in Konoha.
• Orochimaru challenged Naruto and taunted him by saying Sasuke belonged to him, driving Naruto to release three tails of the Nine-Tails’ chakra.
• Naruto’s chakra blast sent Kabuto Yakushi flying into Sakura and knocked her unconscious, so Lin Guang ordered Sai to carry her to safety.
• Sai left Sakura behind after reaching safety and used Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing to fly away for Danzo’s top-secret mission.
• Naruto fought Orochimaru with flexible chakra arms and tore off one of his arms, but Orochimaru restored it by emerging from his own mouth.
• Naruto grew angrier and began losing awareness, so Lin Guang grabbed his shoulder and warned that three tails’ worth of chakra was his limit.

Lin Guang fought Orochimaru while helping Yamato suppress Naruto's rampaging Nine-Tails chakra. Orochimaru appeared to steal Lin Guang's Mangekyō Sharingan, but Lin Guang revealed that his eyes were still intact.

• Lin Guang used Ice Release to restrain Naruto's Nine-Tails chakra, then handed Naruto to Yamato, whose Wood Release reduced him from four tails to three.
• Lin Guang attacked Orochimaru with Ice Flame and Shadowless Ice Thorn, but Orochimaru survived by shedding his skin.
• Lin Guang burned Orochimaru's shed skin with Great Dragon Fire Technique, then searched for him when the body vanished.
• Orochimaru ambushed Lin Guang and had snake heads bite out both of his Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Lin Guang unleashed snow and freezing cold, then revealed a glowing pair of Mangekyō Sharingan still in his eyes.

Lin Guang fought Orochimaru with Ice Release and Susanoo, surviving Orochimaru’s Kusanagi Sword while striking back with devastating attacks. The battle remained unfinished as Sakura tried to reach the injured Naruto.

• Lin Guang revealed that Orochimaru had taken ice beads instead of his Sharingan and froze Orochimaru’s snakes with a snow tiger’s roar.
• Lin Guang’s snow tiger fired an Ice Release Chakra Cannonball through Orochimaru’s Triple Rashomon, freezing and pulverizing the forest beyond it.
• Orochimaru attacked Lin Guang from underground with the Kusanagi Sword, but Lin Guang’s ice-blue armor left him unharmed.
• Lin Guang summoned Susanoo and knocked Orochimaru back, while Naruto recovered from his tailed transformation.
• Sakura ran toward Naruto and Yamato, but they warned her to stay away while Lin Guang and Orochimaru continued fighting.

Orochimaru accepted Sai’s message from Danzo and left with Sai and Kabuto, while Lin Guang’s group recovered from the fight and set out to follow them. The chapter ended with Yamato leading the group to the crater where Lin Guang had fought Orochimaru, where they found fresh traces of Sai’s departure.

• Sai approached Orochimaru with a message from Danzo, survived Orochimaru’s attack using an ink clone, and delivered the message.
• Kabuto captured Sai, but Orochimaru read Danzo’s letter and ordered Kabuto to release Sai and bring him along.
• Lin Guang checked on Naruto, and Sakura confirmed Naruto had suffered only minor injuries.
• Yamato’s Wood Release Clone revealed that Sai had left with Orochimaru, and Lin Guang’s group decided to follow them using Yamato’s marker.
• Yamato led Lin Guang, Naruto, and Sakura to the crater where Lin Guang had fought Orochimaru, and Lin Guang found fresh ink-stained canvas.

Lin Guang learned that Sai had left with Orochimaru after meeting him, then pursued the group alone while Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato returned to Konoha. He followed their chakra traces and found a booby-trapped fake corpse, closing in on Orochimaru and the others.

• Yamato reported that Sai had approached Orochimaru, handed him something, and gone with him.
• Lin Guang ordered Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato to return to Konoha while he continued the pursuit alone.
• Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato headed back to the village, and Yamato dismissed his Wood Release clone to conserve chakra.
• Lin Guang followed the chakra traces and spotted what appeared to be Sai's corpse hanging from a tree.
• Lin Guang cut down the fake corpse, triggered a hidden-weapon trap, and used Susanoo to withstand the attack.
• Lin Guang noticed the chakra traces growing stronger and continued toward Orochimaru's group.

Lin Guang infiltrated Orochimaru's underground hideout and discovered the horrific human experiments being conducted there. After confronting Sai, he continued deeper into the lair, where Kabuto Yakushi blocked his path.

• Lin Guang found Orochimaru's hideout, opened a passage into it, and walked through the lair.
• Lin Guang discovered children trapped in jars and transformed by Orochimaru's experiments with Hashirama cells, then suppressed the killing intent that alerted Orochimaru and Sasuke.
• Lin Guang broke into Sai's room and warned him that he knew about his ties to Danzo and Orochimaru.
• Sai tried to attack Lin Guang, but Lin Guang's Conqueror's Haki disarmed him, and Lin Guang continued down the passage.
• Kabuto Yakushi appeared in Lin Guang's path, and Lin Guang demanded to know where Orochimaru was.

Lin Guang infiltrated Orochimaru’s hideout, froze and restrained Kabuto Yakushi, then found Orochimaru and began fighting him. Sai searched for Sasuke with summoned mice to carry out Danzo’s assassination mission, while Lin Guang’s battle with Orochimaru ended in a massive explosion whose cause was unclear.

• Lin Guang froze Kabuto Yakushi in an ice prison, left a clone to watch him, and continued searching for Orochimaru.
• Sai used Super Beast Imitating Drawing to send mice through the passages in search of Sasuke for Danzo’s assassination mission.
• Lin Guang found Orochimaru and said he had sent Naruto and Sakura back so he could face Orochimaru alone.
• Lin Guang and Orochimaru exchanged attacks, with Orochimaru using Earth Substitution and Hidden Shadow Snake Hands while Lin Guang countered with ice techniques.
• Orochimaru summoned Rashomon, triggering a huge explosion that left Lin Guang wondering why it sounded like two blasts had overlapped.

Lin Guang confronted Sasuke at Orochimaru’s hideout, revealed that he had posed as Uchiha Hikari and possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan, then challenged Sasuke. After Sasuke’s lightning shattered Lin Guang’s ice decoy, Lin Guang prepared a purer ice blade and promised to teach him a lesson on Itachi’s behalf.

• Sai crashed into the wall near Lin Guang after failing to assassinate Sasuke, and Sasuke emerged from the dust.
• Lin Guang revealed that he was the Uchiha Hikari Sasuke had met after leaving Konoha and displayed his blue Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Lin Guang’s Conqueror’s Haki knocked Sai unconscious and forced Sasuke to his knees, but Sasuke stood up and attacked with his lightning-coated Kusanagi Sword.
• Sasuke’s lightning shattered Lin Guang’s ice blade and an ice decoy, leading Sasuke to believe his Lightning Release countered Lin Guang’s Ice Release.
• Lin Guang formed a colder ice blade from pure water and prepared to teach Sasuke a lesson on Itachi’s behalf.

Lin Guang defeated Sasuke and returned to Konoha with Naruto, Sakura, Sai, and Yamato, while Orochimaru warned Sasuke that he was not yet strong enough to beat Lin Guang. After reporting to Tsunade, Lin Guang told her he planned to leave Konoha again.

• Lin Guang used Wind Release: Rasengan to defeat Sasuke, who Kabuto Yakushi carried away while Orochimaru escaped.
• Lin Guang found Sai unconscious and headed back toward Konoha, where he met Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato.
• Naruto and Sai spoke after Lin Guang revealed Sai's connection to Danzo and Orochimaru, and Lin Guang then led the group back to Konoha.
• Orochimaru told Sasuke that Lin Guang had spent nearly three years in the Akatsuki and that Sasuke could not defeat him yet.
• Two days later, Lin Guang and the others returned to Konoha and reported to Tsunade, who was shocked when Lin Guang said he planned to leave again.

Lin Guang told Tsunade he planned to leave Konoha and take the initiative against the Akatsuki after it began collecting Tailed Beasts. He left despite Tsunade’s concerns, while Jiraiya secretly resolved to keep an eye on him.

• Lin Guang explained that the Akatsuki had begun collecting Tailed Beasts and argued that attacking it was better than waiting for it to strike Konoha.
• Tsunade warned Lin Guang that the Akatsuki was too dangerous for him to face alone, but he said he would travel without acting as a Konoha Ninja.
• Lin Guang proposed a hide-and-seek bet with Tsunade, then vanished before she could search for him.
• Tsunade admitted to Shizune that the bet was only an excuse and let Lin Guang leave, then went out to clear her head.
• Jiraiya met Lin Guang outside Konoha, encouraged him to follow his resolve, and secretly decided to watch over him.

Lin Guang and Rose arrived in Kirigakure, where Mei Terumi summoned him to their old meeting place. Mei Terumi and Rose teased Lin Guang by pretending to be lovers, and Mei Terumi ended the encounter by taking his hand and suggesting the joke could become real.

• Jiraiya told Tsunade he planned to leave Konoha to help confront the Akatsuki, and they bet on whether he and Lin Guang would return.
• A week later, Lin Guang and Rose arrived in Kirigakure, where Rose compared the village’s Ninjutsu with the techniques in her world.
• Mei Terumi sent a messenger to invite Lin Guang to meet her at their old meeting place.
• Lin Guang explained to Rose that he and Mei Terumi had worked together on a mission before she became acting Mizukage.
• Mei Terumi acted as though Lin Guang had abandoned her, and Rose played along by calling Mei Terumi her sister.
• Mei Terumi took Lin Guang’s hand and said she thought Rose’s suggestion could work.

Lin Guang met with Mei Terumi in Kirigakure, explained that he was traveling as a ronin, and learned that the Three-Tails remained in a lake near the village. After three days, a sudden storm and tremor sent Kirigakure’s villagers fleeing.

• Mei Terumi and Lin Guang flirted until Rose interrupted them, then Mei asked why he had come to Kirigakure.
• Lin Guang told Mei that he was a ronin like Jiraiya and would still help Konoha if it were in danger, and Mei welcomed him to stay.
• Mei asked Lin Guang to share any advice about Kirigakure’s development and left after giving Rose a meaningful look.
• Lin Guang noticed Kirigakure’s growth and suspected the village’s elders were watching him as he investigated the Three-Tails and the Akatsuki’s movements.
• Mei learned from two Kirigakure ANBU that the Three-Tails had remained at the bottom of a nearby lake since the Fourth Mizukage’s death.
• After Lin Guang spent three days in Kirigakure considering the Akatsuki’s likely plans, a tremor and violent storm struck the village, and its residents fled.

Lin Guang and Rose confronted the rampaging Three-Tails, Isobu, as he attacked Kirigakure. Rose fought Isobu while Lin Guang joined Mei Terumi, then admitted he had come to resolve the Three-Tails problem.

• Lin Guang sensed the Three-Tails approaching Kirigakure, and Mei Terumi warned him that the village might suspect him of causing its rampage.
• Mei Terumi reached Isobu and ordered Ao and Chōjūrō to evacuate nearby villagers while she faced the tailed beast.
• Lin Guang and Rose arrived, and Rose trapped Isobu in an icy silk net before beginning to fight him.
• Mei Terumi questioned Lin Guang about staying instead of fleeing, and he said he wanted to prove his innocence.
• Lin Guang offered to resolve the Three-Tails problem once and for all, prompting Mei Terumi to accuse him of having come for Isobu.

Lin Guang arrived at the lake and fought Isobu, freezing the water and countering the Three-Tails’ attacks with powerful Ice Release techniques. As Mei Terumi considered befriending Lin Guang, he rode an ice phoenix with Rose and launched another assault on Isobu.

• Lin Guang reunited with Rose, then told Isobu he had something to discuss, but Isobu attacked before he could explain.
• Lin Guang froze the lake and Isobu’s limbs, then shattered the Three-Tails’ water projectile with Ice Release: Snow Tiger Sky-Rending Roar.
• Lin Guang struck Isobu with Ice Block: Pheasant Beak, while Mei Terumi watched and Ao reported that the surrounding villagers had been evacuated.
• Mei Terumi rejected Ao’s suggestion to intervene, deciding Kirigakure should befriend Lin Guang, and told Ao and Chōjūrō to leave.
• Isobu curled into a ball and spun through the ice toward Lin Guang, who summoned an ice phoenix, evaded the charge, and sent crystalline feathers flying at the Three-Tails.

Lin Guang fought Isobu, then entered his mental space to warn him about the Akatsuki and their plan to capture the tailed beasts. Isobu agreed to leave Lin Guang a portion of his chakra and consciousness so he could survive if captured.

• Lin Guang and Rose attacked Isobu with the Thousand-Feather Ice Phoenix Dance, but Isobu broke free from the ice and began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb.
• Lin Guang used his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan to shatter the Tailed Beast Bomb and meet Isobu in his mental space.
• Lin Guang denied being an Uchiha and explained the Akatsuki’s plan to capture all the tailed beasts, but Isobu dismissed the warning.
• Lin Guang suggested that the Akatsuki might have disturbed Isobu while investigating him, and warned that the group included powerful fighters and an Uchiha.
• Lin Guang proposed that Isobu leave him a tenth of his chakra and a small part of his consciousness, and Isobu agreed.

Lin Guang freed Isobu from his control and returned to Kirigakure with Rose and Mei Terumi. After revealing his ties to the Akatsuki, he clashed briefly with Mei Terumi, then agreed that Rose and possibly someone else could remain in the village while he continued his own path.

• Lin Guang released Isobu, thawed the lake, and spotted Tobi, who escaped using his space-warping ability.
• Mei Terumi brought Lin Guang and Rose to Kirigakure, then privately questioned Lin Guang about the Three-Tails and the Akatsuki.
• Lin Guang admitted the Three-Tails Rampage was connected to the Akatsuki and that he had not completely severed ties with the organization, prompting Mei Terumi to attack him with a kunai.
• Mei Terumi explained that Kirigakure lacked the strength to protect the Three-Tails or stop the Akatsuki from taking it.
• Lin Guang refused to join Kirigakure but offered to leave Rose there, and Mei Terumi agreed to let them stay for now.

Lin Guang traveled from Kirigakure through Amegakure with Mitsuri Kanroji and secretly reunited with his senior, Jiraiya. Nagato and Konan sensed someone passing through the village and anticipated their teacher's arrival.

• Lin Guang left Kirigakure while Rose and Lin Mei stayed behind as Special Jōnin, and he traveled with Mitsuri Kanroji toward Amegakure.
• Nagato sensed an area where the rain vanished and identified it as a woman, while Konan offered to investigate; Nagato said their teacher was coming.
• Lin Guang spotted Jiraiya in Amegakure, and both men concealed that they recognized each other as they passed.
• Lin Guang and Mitsuri checked into an inn and waited for Jiraiya, who arrived disguised as a drunk and entered Lin Guang's room.
• Jiraiya recognized Lin Guang and asked why he had left the white-haired girl from Kirigakure for Mitsuri.

Lin Guang reunited with Jiraiya in Amegakure and shared what he knew about Pain, helping Jiraiya conclude that Nagato controlled multiple puppets through shared vision. Jiraiya prepared to confront the Akatsuki, and Lin Guang and Mitsuri Kanroji insisted on joining him.

• Jiraiya teased Lin Guang about changing companions, and Lin Guang introduced him to Mitsuri Kanroji.
• Jiraiya explained that he had come to Amegakure to investigate the Akatsuki and recognized the village’s angel as his former student Konan.
• Lin Guang revealed that Konan was alive and described Pain as an orange-haired man with the Rinnegan whom he had encountered during his three years undercover.
• Jiraiya reasoned that Pain was Nagato controlling a puppet with his Rinnegan, and speculated that he could control several bodies sharing their vision.
• Jiraiya warned Lin Guang and Mitsuri to leave Amegakure before he confronted Pain, but both insisted on helping him.
• Lin Guang explained that Mitsuri’s muscle density was eight times that of an ordinary person, and Jiraiya accepted her offer to join them.