Recaps

Xue Ge rejected the mysterious version of himself and woke as the dragon vein went out of control across the Shinobi World. Minato sealed the dragon vein, and Xue Ge was found alive at the bottom of its pool.

• Xue Ge resisted the purple version of himself, told him to get lost, and woke as their world shattered.
• An earthquake shook the Shinobi World, agitated the Tailed Beasts, and was recorded by the Kage as the Great Upheaval; the Sage of Six Paths sensed familiar power.
• Kakashi restrained Shisui as they tried to keep him from jumping into the dragon vein after Xue Ge vanished, and Minato arrived in time to save them from falling debris.
• Sara explained that Anrokuzan had made the dragon vein unstable, and Minato sealed it despite Shisui's warning that Xue Ge was still below.
• Kakashi spotted Xue Ge lying peacefully at the bottom of the drained pool, and Shisui's changing Sharingan returned to normal.

Naruto and Sasuke returned to their own time after Minato erased the future memories of those who had met them, while Minato carried the badly injured Xue Ge and his companions back to Konoha. Elsewhere, a mysterious being escaped with some of the energy from a seal and sensed an unassimilable soul inside the child whose body it had used.

• Minato examined Xue Ge's severe injuries as Naruto and Sasuke began fading away, then erased the memories of their visit for everyone except Sara, who chose to remember.
• Naruto and Sasuke awoke beside Sakura and Kakashi, who explained that Mukade had likely been Anrokuzan, an enemy Kakashi had fought with Xue Ge and Shisui years earlier.
• Kakashi recalled how he and Xue Ge had gone their separate ways, then led the team to finish their mission and return to the village.
• A purplish-red liquid formed into a boy on a distant reef after drawing some energy from a seal through a child's body.
• The mysterious being realized it could not assimilate a soul inside the child and wondered if the soul belonged to another being like the white-skinned ones.

Xue Ge awoke in Konoha Hospital after three weeks unconscious and learned that the Dragon Vein wanted to inhabit his body, but he had refused. Iris Moon visited him and revealed that her grandmaster had died at Konoha's hands, before Danzo arrived at the ward.

• In a dream, the Dragon Vein told Xue Ge it intended to borrow his body, but Xue Ge refused.
• Xue Ge woke in Konoha Hospital after sleeping for three weeks, and Muzi hurried out to tell the others he was awake.
• Iris Moon visited Xue Ge, and he thanked her for the protective wolf fang charm he still carried.
• Iris Moon told Xue Ge that her grandmaster had died at Konoha's hands and explained that she hated Konoha despite working under Danzo.
• Iris Moon left when she noticed someone coming, and Danzo entered the ward.

After waking from a three-week coma, Xue Ge received a visit from Danzo, who urged him to join Root and offered him a place in Konoha’s upcoming chunin exams. Shisui, Kakashi, and Minato also visited, and Xue Ge forgave Minato for sealing the Dragon Vein after the mission went wrong.

• Danzo visited Xue Ge, told him to report to Root after leaving the hospital, and said Orochimaru would examine him.
• Danzo offered Xue Ge a chance to enter the chunin exams next summer, and Xue Ge agreed so he could take more challenging missions later.
• Shisui visited Xue Ge, shared that he had awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and invited Xue Ge to meet the Uchiha clan leader.
• Kakashi and Minato arrived, and Minato apologized for sealing the Dragon Vein after Xue Ge fell unconscious.
• Xue Ge told Minato he forgave him, and Shisui quietly said he forgave him too.

After leaving the hospital, Xue Ge visited Orochimaru’s laboratory for a physical examination before reporting to Root. Orochimaru discovered that Xue Ge’s old internal injuries were healing and became eager to investigate whether the process could extend his own lifespan.

• Xue Ge left the hospital and decided to visit Orochimaru’s laboratory before reporting to Root.
• Xue Ge met Lin Yi, who had become Orochimaru’s laboratory assistant, and followed her to Orochimaru’s office.
• Xue Ge agreed to undergo the examination and lost consciousness after Orochimaru injected him with drugs.
• Orochimaru examined Xue Ge and found that his internal injuries were beginning to heal.
• Orochimaru abandoned his focus on the examination and turned his attention to investigating whether the healing could help him extend his lifespan.

Orochimaru discovered strange purple chakra inside Xue Ge and tested it on snakes before secretly implanting Xue Ge with a Cursed Seal. Xue Ge left the laboratory unaware of the seal and met Muzi, who invited him to get ramen.

• Orochimaru transferred Xue Ge’s purple chakra into snakes, killing most of them while the chakra showed no sign of running out.
• Orochimaru implanted a Cursed Seal carrying his chakra and will on the back of Xue Ge’s neck, then concealed it from him.
• Orochimaru told Xue Ge that his body had recovered and handed him examination reports and modified ninjutsu.
• Xue Ge met Muzi on the shopping street, and she confirmed his reports looked healthy and that a complete examination could take a day.
• Xue Ge accepted Muzi’s invitation to get ramen and decided to visit the Uchiha the next day.

Xue Ge visited the Uchiha Clan Compound with Shisui and met clan leader Uchiha Fugaku, who welcomed him as a friend of the clan. After lunch, Xue Ge left for Root to report in to Danzo.

• Danzo watched Xue Ge enter the Uchiha Clan Compound and considered how to keep his stepson under control.
• Shisui brought Xue Ge to the clan leader's residence, where Uchiha Mikoto welcomed them and went to fetch Fugaku.
• Uchiha Fugaku thanked Xue Ge for helping Shisui awaken his Three-Tomoe Sharingan and offered him the Uchiha Clan's help.
• Xue Ge wondered whether he could use his growing connection with Fugaku to ease tensions between Danzo and the Uchiha Clan.
• After lunch with Fugaku and Shisui, Xue Ge left the compound and hurried to Root to report in to Danzo.

Xue Ge joined Root under the code name Bramble Rose while Danzo negotiated with the Hyuga Clan. Danzo revealed that his main purpose was to secure the Hyuga’s support for Xue Ge, whom he intended to raise as a future Hokage.

• En told Xue Ge that Danzo was away and explained Root’s recruitment plans and ongoing clan negotiations.
• Xue Ge chose a white mask and registered the code name Bramble Rose with En.
• Danzo and Hiashi argued over the terms for a Hyuga child to join Root and delay receiving the Caged Bird Seal.
• Danzo told the Hyuga elders that he had adopted Xue Ge to raise him as a future Hokage.

Danzo persuaded Hiashi and the Hyuga elders to support Xue Ge’s future bid to become Naruto by arranging Hyuga backing and a possible marriage alliance. The Hyuga agreed to his proposal, and Danzo chose a child from their roster as Xue Ge’s prospective disciple.

• Hiashi questioned Danzo’s claim that he was grooming Xue Ge to become Naruto, and Danzo explained that Xue Ge needed allies within Konoha.
• Danzo told Hiashi that Xue Ge had connections to both the Hyuga and Uchiha clans, but he wanted to prevent an Uchiha from becoming Naruto.
• Danzo proposed that Xue Ge marry a Hyuga woman when they were older, with any child who inherited the Byakugan taking the Hyuga surname.
• Hiashi and the Hyuga elders discussed the proposal for hours before agreeing to let Danzo choose a suitable child and draw up a contract.
• Danzo examined the roster, selected a child, and thought that his plan to gain access to the Hyuga kekkei genkai was progressing.

Xue Ge met Muzi in the Forest of Death, where she showed him the Chakra Scalpel and tried to use medical ninjutsu on him. After he left, Muzi reviewed her notes and planned how to investigate the abnormal consciousness she had found inside him, suspecting Orochimaru might be responsible.

• Xue Ge found Muzi searching for a medicinal herb in the Forest of Death and offered to gather it for her.
• Muzi showed Xue Ge her Chakra Scalpel, and he asked to learn how to form a chakra blade.
• Muzi tried a medical technique on the back of Xue Ge's neck, but it had no effect, then asked who had examined him.
• Muzi returned home and reviewed her notebook, which recorded Xue Ge's pain, lack of sleep, and an abnormal consciousness inside him.
• Muzi recalled that her attempt to seal the consciousness had failed and suspected Orochimaru, who had examined Xue Ge, might be connected to it.
• Muzi planned to seek help with medical and sealing techniques and investigate Orochimaru before falling asleep at her desk.

Danzo brought Xue Ge to the Hyuga compound to meet Natsu Hyuga, the young Branch Family member chosen to study under him and join Root. When Natsu doubted that someone only three years older could teach her, Xue Ge challenged her to land a hit before the Cane Sword’s shadow reached a mark.

• Danzo told Xue Ge that the Hyuga would send him a Byakugan-wielding student and take him to meet her.
• Danzo and Xue Ge arrived at the Hyuga compound, where Hiashi welcomed them.
• Hiashi introduced four-year-old Natsu Hyuga as Xue Ge’s future student.
• Natsu questioned whether Xue Ge, who was seven, could be her teacher.
• Xue Ge planted his Cane Sword, marked the ground, and challenged Natsu to hit him before the sword’s shadow reached the mark.

Xue Ge sparred with Xia, dodging her attacks and teaching her how to improve her combat awareness before pinning her down when time ran out. Xia decided she would learn from him and beat him someday, while Hiashi encouraged her to keep practicing Gentle Fist.

• Hiashi agreed to let Xia spar with Xue Ge, and Xia approached him determined to land a hit.
• Xue Ge dodged Xia's Byakugan-guided attacks and gave her advice on tracking opponents and spreading out her strikes.
• Xue Ge caught Xia's wrist, used her momentum to pin her to the ground, and told her that her fundamentals were solid but her combat awareness needed work.
• Xia asked Xue Ge to teach her how he dodged and pinned her, and Hiashi reminded her to practice Gentle Fist.
• Hiashi told Xia that Xue Ge would teach her many skills, and Xue Ge agreed as Xia vowed to beat him someday.

Xue Ge met Xia in the Hyuga Clan Compound and agreed to begin training her the next morning. He then went to Root, where En assigned him a delivery mission with a strangely familiar address.

• Xue Ge spoke with Xia about becoming a ninja and asked how she thought she would react to killing someone.
• Xue Ge sat with Xia and told her stories about his missions until it was time to leave.
• Xue Ge promised to pick Xia up at the Naruto Building at eight the next morning and start her training.
• Xue Ge went to Root and found En buried in paperwork, then accepted a mission to collect goods and deliver them to a familiar-looking address.

Xue Ge delivered Root’s goods to Orochimaru, who probed him about his maturity and offered a partnership and help in the future. Xue Ge left for Iris Moon’s place, wary of both Orochimaru’s intentions and Danzo’s use of him.

• Xue Ge delivered Root’s crates to Orochimaru, who confirmed their quality and requested another delivery in two months.
• Orochimaru confronted Xue Ge about whether Danzo had altered him, but Xue Ge warned him to watch his words.
• Orochimaru offered to cooperate with Xue Ge and help him sign a contract with Ryūchi Cave, while admitting he also wanted to use him.
• Orochimaru asked whether Xue Ge had brought a guest and mentioned that Lin Yi was the only child around his laboratory.
• Xue Ge skipped returning to Root and headed to Iris Moon’s place, thinking about the danger of turning to Orochimaru for help.

Iris Moon began teaching Xue Ge a long-range Wind Release technique, then questioned him about his goals and ninja way. Xue Ge left still searching for an ambition, while Iris Moon watched him go and reflected on her own loneliness.

• Iris Moon offered to teach Xue Ge ninjutsu and demonstrated her self-created Water Release: Righteous Piercing across the lake.
• Xue Ge chose to learn the long-range technique, but repeatedly failed to shape the spinning wind drill and Iris Moon scolded him.
• After practice, Xue Ge and Iris Moon drank by the lake, and she asked what he wanted to do with his strength.
• Xue Ge left Iris Moon asleep with his coat over her and wondered what he wanted to do and what he could do.
• Iris Moon watched Xue Ge depart, reflected that he was different from her, and resolved to keep fighting alone.

Xue Ge found Muzi waiting outside his home with detailed Chakra Scalpel notes and a painkiller formula, then spoke with her about her desire to help others and his uncertain future. After walking her home, he lay awake reflecting on the people who had raised questions about his future and on Muzi’s words.

• Xue Ge found Muzi asleep outside his courtyard and received her Chakra Scalpel notes and painkiller formula.
• Muzi explained that helping people made her happy and that she hoped to become like her doctor mother, teacher father, and late ninja grandfather.
• Muzi asked what kind of person Xue Ge wanted to become, but he admitted he did not know.
• Xue Ge walked Muzi home while she told him about Obito confessing to Rin, Anko’s interest in him and Kakashi, and Asuma and Guy planning to apply for early graduation.
• Xue Ge read Muzi’s notes at home, then lay awake thinking about his uncertain future and her wish to make the people she liked happy.

Xue Ge trained Natsu and joined Minato and Kushina for lunch, where Minato discussed a possible mission to the Land of Fire’s capital and Xue Ge’s plans for the Chunin Ninja Exams. Xue Ge had already signed up for next year’s joint exam, and Minato agreed to support his preparation.

• Xue Ge took Natsu running around Konoha and then brought her to the shopping street for lunch.
• Xue Ge and Natsu ran into Minato and Kushina, and the four of them went to the Akimichi Clan’s barbecue restaurant.
• Minato told Xue Ge that he might take a mission to the Land of Fire’s capital after Xue Ge’s injuries healed, and Xue Ge said Iris Moon could look after Natsu while he was away.
• Xue Ge told Minato he had already signed up for next year’s joint Chunin Ninja Exams so he could qualify for more difficult missions.
• Kushina encouraged Xue Ge to smile more, and Xue Ge quietly reflected that this was already his second childhood.

Xue Ge left Natsu Hyuga in Iris Moon’s care before rejoining Team Minato for a mission to the Land of Fire’s capital. The team traveled there to deliver the Hokage’s proposals about the Guardian Ninja plan to the daimyo.

• Xue Ge asked Iris Moon to keep Natsu safe while he was away, and Iris Moon reluctantly agreed to help her train.
• Xue Ge met Minato, Shisui, and Kakashi at the village gates, and Team Minato reunited before departing.
• Xue Ge traveled above the treetops on Black Pine while Minato led Shisui and Kakashi along the ground.
• Minato explained that wandering shinobi had been troubling the capital and that the team would deliver the Hokage’s feedback on the proposed Guardian Ninja plan to the daimyo.
• Minato told Xue Ge that the capital was prosperous and encouraged him to bring money to shop there.

Xue Ge searched the capital for Tsunade and found her leaving a casino after losing money. He lent her 100,000 ryo, and Tsunade vowed to win it back by cleaning out the casinos.

• Minato went to the palace to submit documents while Xue Ge, Kakashi, and Shisui split up to search the capital for Tsunade.
• Xue Ge walked through the crowded market district and found a casino where gamblers were celebrating their wins.
• Tsunade stormed out of the casino with Shizune, complaining that she had lost and accusing the casino of cheating.
• Tsunade asked Xue Ge for money, and he lent her 100,000 ryo because he trusted her as one of the Sannin.
• Tsunade promised Xue Ge she would win the money back by cleaning out the crooked casinos.

After losing the money Xue Ge had lent her at the casino, Tsunade took Xue Ge and Shizune to the Daimyo's Residence to show them around and find a free meal. Xue Ge learned that Tsunade was related to the daimyo and was about to meet the princess in her family.

• Tsunade lost all one hundred thousand ryo at the casino, and Shizune worried that they had no money for dinner.
• Tsunade promised to repay Xue Ge and learned that Xue Ge was seven, Minato Namikaze's subordinate, and Shimura Danzō's adopted son.
• Tsunade carried Xue Ge and Shizune across the rooftops to the Daimyo's Residence, where the guards let them pass.
• Shizune told Xue Ge that the daimyo was Tsunade's maternal grandfather, and Tsunade explained that she was related to him but belonged to the Senju Clan.
• Tsunade said she planned to find her cousin's daughter, a princess, for a free meal, and brought Xue Ge and Shizune to the residence.

Xue Ge asked Tsunade to teach him Taijutsu, and she offered to make it conditional on a wager. When wandering shinobi attacked the capital, Tsunade bet Xue Ge could not subdue them all within one minute, and he accepted.

• Xue Ge asked Shizune about her connection to Tsunade and learned that her uncle, Tsunade’s lover, was dead.
• Xue Ge asked Tsunade for Taijutsu pointers, but she said she did not teach just anyone.
• Shizune told Xue Ge that Tsunade liked gambling as they discussed what might persuade her.
• A maid reported that wandering shinobi were attacking the capital, and Tsunade explained that such raids were common.
• Tsunade wagered that Xue Ge could not subdue all the attackers within one minute, and Xue Ge accepted.

Minato offered to stop eighty Wandering Shinobi attacking east of the city, while Xue Ge faced another group outside the city walls under Tsunade’s watch. Xue Ge swiftly cut down and disabled the attackers, leaving Tsunade impressed by his strength and ruthless skill.

• An official reported an attack by roughly eighty Wandering Shinobi, and Minato volunteered to handle them before vanishing from the daimyo’s residence.
• Tsunade, Shizune, Xue Ge, and Princess Lilan watched Wandering Shinobi outside the city, and Tsunade challenged Xue Ge to subdue them within one minute.
• Xue Ge charged the Wandering Shinobi and cut down or crippled several before they could react.
• Xue Ge used Chakra Threads to kill attackers attempting to ambush him and continued defeating those who rushed him.
• Tsunade told Shizune that Xue Ge had at least Chunin-level strength, while Princess Lilan said he smelled of blood.

Xue Ge defeated nearly all the wandering shinobi, but Tsunade declared the bet unfinished until their leader was unable to fight. Minato captured the fleeing leader, and Tsunade agreed to teach Xue Ge the principles behind her powerful stomp the next day.

• Xue Ge used Great Breakthrough and Strangling Lines to incapacitate or kill the wandering shinobi, while their leader fled.
• Tsunade insisted Xue Ge had not won the bet because the leader was still able to fight, and Xue Ge prepared to chase him.
• Minato caught the leader with a kunai relay, injured his leg, knocked him unconscious, and brought him back to Xue Ge.
• Tsunade stamped the ground, creating a crater and spreading cracks, then admitted Xue Ge had won the bet.
• Xue Ge asked to learn Tsunade's stomp, and Tsunade agreed to teach him its principles the next day, with Shizune joining them.

After discussing the proposed Guardian Ninja system, Tsunade said she would flee the capital rather than serve, while Princess Lilan asked Xue Ge to become her Guardian Ninja once he reached Jonin rank. The group continued drinking and talking, and Minato left to report to the daimyo.

• Tsunade and Minato discussed the Guardian Ninja proposal and Tsunade said she would return to Konoha rather than accept the role.
• Tsunade promised to repay Xue Ge the hundred thousand ryo he had lent her.
• Tsunade and Minato explained that Guardian Ninja would protect the daimyo’s family and would likely need to be Jonin.
• Princess Lilan asked Xue Ge to become her Guardian Ninja when he became a Jonin, but he deferred the decision.
• Xue Ge offered to teach Shizune a ninjutsu the next day, and Minato left to report to the daimyo.

Tsunade taught Xue Ge how to concentrate chakra to reinforce his body, while he practiced and considered how the principle related to his Overload Mode. After Xue Ge revealed his missing limbs and eye and explained that he had been injured in the Land of Rain five years earlier, Tsunade recognized the place and recalled that she had been there too.

• Tsunade demonstrated how concentrating chakra in one part of the body could produce a powerful burst, and warned Xue Ge that learning the technique required knowledge of anatomy and precise chakra control.
• Xue Ge showed Tsunade his Chakra Scalpel and practiced gathering chakra in his hand while Tsunade taught Shizune medical ninjutsu.
• Xue Ge made a Shadow Clone to work on the hand seals for Water Release: Righteous Piercing while he focused on chakra-gathering practice.
• Xue Ge began teaching Shizune Chakra Threads as the first step toward learning Strangling Line, and Tsunade asked whether he was a Puppet Master.
• Xue Ge revealed that he had lost an arm, an eye, and a leg; he explained that he was a war orphan injured in the Land of Rain five years earlier.
• Tsunade recalled that she had also been in the Land of Rain at that time.