Chapter Summaries

Xue Ge practiced the Three Body Technique and received a scroll of combat ninjutsu from Danzo before heading to the Back Mountain to train his Rasengan. There he clashed with Shisui Uchiha, a gifted Ninja Academy student planning to graduate early, and the two discovered they both came to practice ninjutsu.

• Xue Ge successfully performed the Three Body Technique, and Danzo gave him a scroll of Wind Release techniques.
• Xue Ge decided to study Hiruzen's notes and planned to practice the Rasengan at the Back Mountain waterfall.
• A hidden attacker ambushed Xue Ge, knocked him down, and stopped when he heard Xue Ge groan.
• The attacker recognized Xue Ge as the student who had fought Kakashi and introduced himself as Shisui Uchiha.
• Shisui told Xue Ge he was the strongest Ninja Academy student and planned to apply for early graduation.
• Xue Ge and Shisui learned that they had both come to the waterfall to practice ninjutsu.

Shisui taught Xue Ge the basics of the Body Flicker Technique, then saw Xue Ge use the Rasengan and learned that he had helped develop it. Shisui was left shocked by Xue Ge’s talent.

• Xue Ge questioned how Shisui used the Body Flicker Technique without pausing, and Shisui explained that his body adapted naturally to it.
• Xue Ge agreed to learn the Body Flicker Technique, and Shisui spent two hours teaching him its seals, chakra control, and applications.
• Shisui asked Xue Ge to demonstrate the ninjutsu he had come to practice, and Xue Ge formed a Rasengan and destroyed a nearby tree with it.
• Shisui asked Xue Ge to teach him the Rasengan, but Xue Ge said he had developed it with someone else and would ask that person.
• Shisui realized Xue Ge had helped develop the Rasengan and stared at him in shock.

Uchiha Lan gave Xue Ge an invitation to the Uchiha Clan Compound, and Obito explained how it could be used and invited Xue Ge to visit him as well. At home, Xue Ge began compiling techniques into a personal ninjutsu scroll and asked Danzo to teach him the Storage Technique.

• Uchiha Lan handed Xue Ge an invitation, and Obito explained that it granted access to the Uchiha Clan Compound.
• Obito gave Xue Ge his address and invited him to visit, while Xue Ge discovered the invitation was from Shisui Uchiha.
• Xue Ge began recording and analyzing the techniques he knew, starting his long-term project, Xue Ge's Ninja Scroll.
• Danzo returned home with several ANBU, and Xue Ge asked him to teach the Storage Technique.
• Danzo agreed to teach Xue Ge the Storage Technique.

Danzo brought Lin Yi to Orochimaru’s laboratory as an assistant and messenger, then questioned Orochimaru about experiments using Xue Ge’s cells. The experiments had all failed, but Orochimaru saw possible promise in transplanting an ocular Kekkei Genkai; Danzo left while Orochimaru privately planned to approach Xue Ge again.

• Danzo brought Lin Yi to Orochimaru’s laboratory and told Orochimaru she would serve as his assistant and messenger.
• Orochimaru led Danzo into his office and reported that experiments combining Xue Ge’s cells with Hashirama cells, Transparent Release chakra, Kurama Clan cells, and the Sharingan had failed.
• Orochimaru suggested Xue Ge might be mentally compatible with the Sharingan and could have better prospects for receiving an ocular Kekkei Genkai through transplantation.
• Danzo agreed to provide more Sharingan and outside-village Kekkei Genkai, and said the next batch of experimental subjects would mostly be children.
• Danzo refused Orochimaru’s request to meet Xue Ge and left the laboratory.
• Orochimaru privately considered testing his new chakra-transferring Cursed Seal on Xue Ge and planned to approach him despite Danzo’s objections.

Xue Ge met Orochimaru, who asked for more body tissue samples and regular access to study his unusual soul. Orochimaru offered to teach him ninjutsu and advise his training in exchange, and Xue Ge was left considering the deal.

• Xue Ge practiced Wind Release: Great Breakthrough in the forest until Orochimaru appeared after knocking out the ANBU watching him.
• Orochimaru took Xue Ge to Hokage Rock and asked for more body tissue samples for his experiments.
• Orochimaru proposed that Xue Ge visit his laboratory periodically so he could study Xue Ge’s unusual soul.
• Xue Ge worried Orochimaru might discover the truth about his soul but recognized he had little power to refuse.
• Orochimaru offered exclusive ninjutsu and training advice as compensation, and Xue Ge said he needed time to think.

Xue Ge visited Shisui at the Uchiha Clan Compound, where the two spent the morning together before heading to the Naka River. There, Xue Ge demonstrated his newly developed Strangling Line and offered to teach it to Shisui.

• Xue Ge entered the Uchiha Clan Compound and found his way to Shisui's home at 154 Tajima Road.
• Shisui welcomed Xue Ge with tea and pastries, and they spent the morning chatting and sharing lunch with Shisui's family.
• Shisui led Xue Ge to the Naka River and asked whether they should exchange techniques or spar.
• Xue Ge demonstrated how his Chakra Threads controlled and detached his wooden prosthetic arm, then struck the riverbank with the threads.
• Xue Ge explained that he had developed the hand-seal-free Ninjutsu Strangling Line and offered to teach it to Shisui.

Xue Ge taught Shisui the strangling threads, and Shisui’s idea to add chakra nature transformations gave Xue Ge new possibilities for the technique and the Rasengan. Shisui then confided in Xue Ge about the Uchiha Clan’s estrangement from Konoha before they headed back as rain approached.

• Xue Ge taught Shisui the principles and practical use of chakra threads, and Shisui formed threads but struggled to lift gravel with them.
• Shisui suggested adding chakra nature transformations to the strangling threads, prompting Xue Ge to consider applying the idea to the Rasengan and telling Minato.
• After Xue Ge remarked on Shisui being born into a powerful clan, Shisui grew subdued and asked what Xue Ge thought of the Uchiha Clan.
• Shisui explained how the Uchiha Clan’s relationship with Konoha deteriorated after Madara Uchiha defected and the clan faced prejudice, isolation, and distrust.
• Shisui shared his concerns about the Uchiha Clan with Xue Ge, then suggested they head back before the rain and spar another time.

After dinner at Shisui's house, Xue Ge searched for Obito Uchiha and accidentally knocked on the wrong house before finding him nearby. After parting from Shisui, Xue Ge went to Orochimaru's Laboratory to seek advice on his training.

• Shisui escorted Xue Ge through the rainy Uchiha compound as they searched for Obito's home.
• Xue Ge and Shisui reached house 257, where a girl told them they had the wrong house.
• Xue Ge found Obito at house 251, greeted him, and agreed to visit again after Obito invited him.
• Shisui and Xue Ge discussed Obito's wish to become Hokage before Shisui saw Xue Ge off at the compound gate.
• Xue Ge decided to seek Orochimaru's guidance and went to Orochimaru's Laboratory.

Xue Ge agreed to cooperate with Orochimaru’s research in exchange for help developing ninjutsu and training guidance, with a white snake serving as their means of contact. He added a request that Orochimaru take better care of Lin Yi, and Orochimaru accepted the deal.

• Xue Ge told Orochimaru he would cooperate with his research if Orochimaru helped develop his ninjutsu and guide his training.
• Orochimaru offered to contact Xue Ge through a white snake, and Xue Ge asked for time to consider the arrangement.
• Xue Ge left Orochimaru’s office and met Lin Yi, a shy girl who had been brought there by Danzo.
• Xue Ge returned and asked Orochimaru to take better care of Lin Yi.
• Orochimaru clasped Xue Ge’s prosthetic hand and agreed to the deal.

Orochimaru explained the Summoning Technique to Xue Ge and modified its hand seals, but Xue Ge used it without a target and was transported to an unfamiliar cave. There, a powerful middle-aged man mistook him for the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and cornered him, asking whether he wanted to dance.

• Orochimaru explained that the Storage Technique worked with the Summoning Technique and offered to teach Xue Ge the latter.
• Orochimaru revised the Summoning Technique's seals and added notes on one-handed hand seals to Xue Ge's notebook.
• Xue Ge practiced the seals and vanished in a cloud of smoke after completing the Summoning Technique.
• Xue Ge woke in a cave, where a middle-aged man asked if he was the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Xue Ge tried to flee, but the man appeared in front of him and asked, "Do you want to dance?"

Xue Ge fought the middle-aged man who had appeared after a summoning, briefly awakening new abilities before being brutally defeated. When he woke, the man identified himself as “Shura,” while privately revealing he was Madara Uchiha and remained puzzled about Xue Ge’s connection to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.

• Xue Ge attacked the middle-aged man with his Strangling Line, but the man stopped it, pierced Xue Ge’s prosthetic arm, and overwhelmed him.
• Facing a fatal kunai strike, Xue Ge used the Body Flicker Technique and then his half-mastered Rasengan, but the man knocked him unconscious.
• Madara Uchiha decided not to kill Xue Ge, carried him away from his base, and waited for him to wake.
• Xue Ge woke injured, approached Madara under threat, and asked his name.
• Madara told Xue Ge to call him “Shura.”

Madara Uchiha questioned the badly injured Xue Ge, then treated him with rough indifference while wondering whether the boy was connected to a prophecy. Xue Ge woke beside a river, ate grilled fish, and sat quietly with Madara as the night continued.

• Madara Uchiha questioned Xue Ge about his origins and injuries, and learned that he was a six-year-old student from Konoha who had lost his limbs and eye in the war.
• Madara Uchiha forcibly removed Xue Ge's prosthetic eye and wondered whether the boy's unusual blood and summoning were connected to the Child of Prophecy.
• Madara Uchiha picked up Xue Ge, who spat blood on him and pretended to be unconscious, then dragged him into the river to wash him.
• Xue Ge woke after nightfall, and Madara Uchiha gave him grilled fish after noting he had gone about three days without food.
• Xue Ge ate, then grilled more fish beside Madara Uchiha, who reflected on how quiet and withdrawn the boy was.

Danzo, Orochimaru, and Hiruzen searched for the missing Xue Ge, while a lucrative Black Market notice brought shinobi across the world into the hunt. Xue Ge remained unaware of the search as he grilled fish.

• Danzo confronted Hiruzen and Orochimaru over Xue Ge's disappearance, and Orochimaru said he had contacted Ryūchi Cave and posted a Black Market bounty.
• Danzo refused to alert other villages officially, then secured authority to deploy Root personnel and left to search for Xue Ge.
• Orochimaru posted a notice offering twenty million and an A-Rank Ninjutsu, prompting a masked shinobi to take the notice and set out to find the boy.
• Ōnoki ordered an A-Rank Mission to find Xue Ge, and the other great villages and shinobi across the world joined the search.
• Xue Ge continued grilling his fish, unaware that shinobi everywhere were looking for him.

Madara Uchiha shared grilled fish with Xue Ge and questioned him about peace in the Shinobi World. Xue Ge argued that the absence of war was only a temporary balance of interests, leaving Madara convinced that the boy was connected to the prophecy, though Xue Ge could not say how true peace might be achieved.

• Madara Uchiha praised Xue Ge's cooking, asked about his origins, and offered to teach him Ninjutsu.
• Xue Ge said he had Wind Release and Lightning Release chakra and could not learn Genjutsu because his body was impaired.
• Madara asked Xue Ge what he meant by false peace, and Xue Ge questioned whether the Shinobi World had ever truly been peaceful.
• Xue Ge argued that the Five Great Nations avoided war because the status quo suited them, and Madara enthusiastically agreed.
• Madara became more certain that Xue Ge was connected to the prophecy and asked how true peace could be achieved, but Xue Ge admitted he did not know.

Xue Ge talked through the night with Madara, who offered to help him find a ninja beast and sign a Summoning Contract. As they traveled, Madara learned why Xue Ge wanted to return to Konoha, and the boy’s wish to make his friends happy reminded Madara of Izuna and Hashirama.

• Xue Ge and Madara discussed shinobi history, and Madara explained that Xue Ge had summoned without naming a specific target.
• Madara invited Xue Ge to find a ninja beast and sign a Summoning Contract, then led him through the forest.
• Minato received notice that Xue Ge had gone missing and decided to return to Konoha before searching for him.
• Madara examined Xue Ge’s old injuries and asked whether he planned to return to Konoha or travel with him.
• Xue Ge insisted on returning to Konoha because he wanted to make his friends happy, and Madara saw echoes of Izuna and Hashirama in him.

Madara sent Xue Ge alone into Yamabuki Ridge to contract a wild beast, secretly placing a Binding Talisman on him as a safeguard and a test of loyalty. As Xue Ge searched the mountain, Minato followed their tracks, Kakuzu arrived to survey the ridge, and Madara prepared to confront an approaching stranger.

• Madara explained how Xue Ge could contract a wild beast, gave him a contract scroll, and sent him into Yamabuki Ridge alone.
• Madara revealed that he had placed a Binding Talisman on Xue Ge and planned either to make him a successor or control him later.
• Minato found fresh footprints and followed them after telling Inuzuka Tsume and Yoshino to stay behind.
• Kakuzu confirmed Yamabuki Ridge as the destination for his mapping commission and headed toward the mountain.
• Madara noticed someone approaching at high speed, covered himself with a cloak, and prepared to kill the intruder.

Xue Ge searched the mountains for a Ninja Beast and found a giant eagle that he tried to recruit. Kakuzu attacked him for a twenty-million bounty, and Xue Ge was kicked over a cliff.

• Xue Ge encountered a giant eagle and subdued it with Strangling Line and a Rasengan.
• Xue Ge offered the eagle a contract and fed it a piece of flesh, but he could not understand its cries.
• Kakuzu struck Xue Ge with Wind Release: Pressure Damage and revealed that he wanted to collect the twenty-million bounty on him alive.
• The eagle attacked Kakuzu, and Xue Ge tried to stop Kakuzu from striking it.
• Kakuzu accidentally kicked Xue Ge over the cliff and shouted in dismay about losing his twenty million.

Minato confronted Madara while trying to find and bring back Xue Ge, but Madara overwhelmed him with powerful ninjutsu and genjutsu. Minato devised a new Flying Thunder God tactic with dozens of kunai, drawing Madara’s interest as their fight continued.

• Minato found Madara at the mountain clearing and asked where Xue Ge was, but Madara refused to let him take the child.
• Minato attacked Madara, who countered with a devastating Majestic Destroyer Flame and then repelled Minato’s Rasengan.
• Madara recognized Minato’s Flying Thunder God Technique and attacked him with successive fire techniques and genjutsu, badly burning one of Minato’s arms.
• Madara began destroying Minato’s Flying Thunder God Marks and taunted him, while Minato decided to risk a new tactic.
• Minato threw eight kunai and rapidly used Flying Thunder God between them, filling the area with more kunai as he searched for an opening.
• Madara realized Minato’s mastery of Flying Thunder God surpassed Tobirama’s and challenged him to show everything he could do.

Xue Ge clung to a cliff while Kakuzu and Minato noticed the powerful clash of Fire and Water Release on the mountain and headed toward it. As the branch holding Xue Ge snapped, he completed a summoning contract with the hawk and named it Black Pine, then fell down the mountain.

• Xue Ge caught a branch on the cliff, while Kakuzu searched for him from above and then countered a surge of flames with Water Release: Water Curtain.
• Minato and Madara continued their fight, and Minato decided to head up the mountain after spotting steam from a clash of Fire and Water Release.
• Xue Ge nearly fell when an explosion shook the mountain, but he stayed on the cliff by holding the rock face and tying chakra threads around the branch.
• The wounded hawk landed beside Xue Ge, and he used its blood to complete a summoning contract with it.
• The branch snapped, and Xue Ge fell while writing the name Black Pine on the contract scroll.

Minato found Xue Ge as he escaped the mountain on his new summoning beast, Black Pine, while Madara held Kakuzu back. After Xue Ge left Madara a note calling him a friend, Madara revealed his identity and challenged Kakuzu.

• Kakuzu fought Minato after Minato charged up the mountain with a Rasengan.
• Madara appeared, and Kakuzu realized that both he and Minato were looking for Xue Ge.
• Xue Ge escaped on Black Pine, and Minato joined him in the sky before they headed back toward Konoha.
• Xue Ge sent Madara a note that read, "From now on, you are my friend," and flew out of Kakuzu's reach.
• Madara stopped Kakuzu from pursuing Xue Ge, then summoned Susanoo and revealed himself as Madara Uchiha.