Recaps

Kusagakure questioned White Ape about his defeat by the Hidden Jun Village's chief and decided to spare him while seeking mercenary aid for the coming battle. The chapter ended with Kusagakure revealing that he had contact information for Akatsuki operative Kisame Hoshigaki.

• Bibiye ordered his officers to seize White Ape and brought him before Kusagakure.
• White Ape recounted his fight with Ye Chen and estimated that Ye Chen's strength was around early Kage level.
• Kusagakure let White Ape return to his quarters to recover, despite Bibiye's objections.
• Kusagakure explained that White Ape would still be punished later and said Kusagakure needed outside help for the next battle.
• Kusagakure decided to contact the Akatsuki and revealed he had Kisame Hoshigaki's contact information.

News of a Kage Level fighter in the Land of Grass reached the Five Great Nations, prompting them to send investigators while they focused on the Chunin Tournament. Meanwhile, thirty-six players arrived at Hidden Jun Village, where veteran players recruited them into teams.

• Shimura Danzō ordered Yamato to investigate the Kage Level fighter in the Land of Grass and warned him not to act rashly.
• The other four great nations dispatched Anbu members to investigate the Land of Grass, though they did not consider it a serious threat.
• Thirty-six third-batch players appeared in Hidden Jun Village's square, and Ye Chen watched in hopes of finding talented recruits.
• Emperor of Sinking promoted the Sinking Team and recruited new players.
• Dai Xiaomei recruited female players for her team, while male players tried to persuade her to accept them.

Dai Xiaomei and Emperor of Sinking recruited players while eccentric interest teams struggled to attract members. When more than thirty new players flooded Hidden Jun Village, they fought over scarce missions and began considering hunting wild monsters for contribution points.

• Dai Xiaomei recruited female players, and Emperor of Sinking used her team’s cooperation with his as a pitch to attract recruits.
• Other veteran players formed unusual interest groups, while Ye Chen accepted the players’ goofy tendencies and let them recruit freely.
• Most new players skipped joining teams and rushed to take missions, overwhelming Hidden Jun Village’s limited supply.
• Players competed over errands and even cow dung, while their arguments filled the public chat channel.
• A group of new players concluded that missions could not provide enough contribution points and suggested hunting wild monsters outside the village.

At Hidden Jun Village, Master of Open Stratagems persuaded novice players not to turn against veteran players, arguing that cooperation was essential in Hidden Jun Ninja. Ye Chen secretly removed a player who tried to stir up conflict, opening a closed-beta slot, then examined Master of Open Stratagems and became curious about his real identity.

• Novice players at Hidden Jun Village complained that veteran guilds controlled the monsters and quests, and some proposed using online backlash to pressure them into sharing resources.
• Master of Open Stratagems warned that dividing new and veteran players would poison the game and hurt everyone, winning the crowd's support for cooperation.
• Ye Chen made the player who had advocated sowing discord disappear, and the official website announced that a closed-beta slot had opened after the player deleted their account.
• Master of Open Stratagems continued rallying novice players, while Ye Chen praised his talent and checked his status panel, which showed no Chakra and five contribution points.
• Ye Chen grew more interested in discovering Master of Open Stratagems' real identity.

Ye Chen noticed Master of Open Stratagems’s strategic potential as the player proposed ways for newcomers to earn contribution points without clashing with veterans. He urged them to help position-holding players with safe chores, then outlined a longer-term plan that ended with hunting Kusagakure scouts, a challenge the crowd feared they could not survive.

• Ye Chen reviewed Liu Dong’s personnel file and marked Master of Open Stratagems as a priority player to watch.
• When players complained that veterans had taken the available missions and monsters, Master of Open Stratagems said they could earn contribution points through village-improvement work.
• Master of Open Stratagems explained that newcomers could help players holding village positions by transporting supplies, clearing rubbish, and collecting loot in exchange for payment.
• He proposed using those points to obtain chakra and Ninjutsu, grow stronger, and eventually farm wild monsters alongside veteran players.
• Master of Open Stratagems suggested killing Kusagakure scouts around the village to earn contribution points quickly, but the crowd worried that the scouts were too strong for them.

As Ye Chen watched Master of Open Stratagems argue for leading the players, he followed the quiet Corpse Bearer out of the village and discovered he was Wang Ze, a forensic consultant and autopsy expert. Corpse Bearer lured a Kusagakure scout into attacking him, and the chapter ended as the scout drove a kunai toward his head.

• Master of Open Stratagems claimed his military strategy could help the players capture a ninja scout, while the crowd argued over whether to trust him.
• Ye Chen noticed Corpse Bearer slipping away and checked his stats and personal information, learning his name was Wang Ze and that he was a forensic consultant and autopsy expert.
• Ye Chen followed Corpse Bearer east into the woods, where he spotted a Kusagakure scout but chose not to intervene.
• The Kusagakure scout pierced Corpse Bearer's arm with a kunai and then leaped at him, aiming another kunai at the top of his head.

Ye Chen watched Corpse Bearer use a rusty steel bar to attack a Grass Ninja scout, only to be killed by the scout’s chakra. After Corpse Bearer respawned with the bar, Ye Chen discovered it was the powerful Tetanus Blade, and Corpse Bearer returned to the forest to inspect the scout’s corpse.

• Corpse Bearer used himself as bait and struck the Grass Ninja scout’s neck with a rusty steel bar, but the scout’s chakra blast severed his arm and killed him.
• The Grass Ninja scout cursed Corpse Bearer, then fled into the forest with a shallow neck wound.
• Ye Chen saw Corpse Bearer respawn still holding the bar and identified it as the Tetanus Blade, a common weapon with a stacking poison effect that could cause sudden death.
• Ye Chen used Time Reversal to learn Corpse Bearer had found the weapon in a latrine while completing an old man’s seemingly impossible quest.
• Corpse Bearer left the Resurrection Hall, returned to the forest, and crouched beside the Grass Ninja scout’s corpse to examine it.

The Corpse Bearer tracked down the Kusagakure scout who had killed him and repeatedly fought him, reviving each time the scout destroyed him. Trapped in the forest and weakened by festering wounds, the scout signaled his resolve to die as the Corpse Bearer’s bladework continued to improve.

• The Corpse Bearer followed the scout’s blood trail and scent through the forest.
• The scout discovered that his neck wound was festering and encountered the civilian he had killed, now alive again.
• The scout destroyed the Corpse Bearer’s head with a chakra-infused kunai, but the Corpse Bearer’s steel bar still cut him before he fled.
• The scout’s new wounds festered, and he became lost while trying to escape the forest and find his companions.
• The scout trapped the Corpse Bearer with long-range ninjutsu, fled, then blew a coded whistle signaling his resolve to die.
• The scout repeatedly fought the Corpse Bearer, whose increasingly precise bladework inflicted more wounds as Ye Chen watched.

Ye Chen secretly helped Corpse Bearer kill a Kusagakure Elite Genin, after which Corpse Bearer revived and returned to Hidden Jun Village. Corpse Bearer earned public recognition for his kill and self-developed Taijutsu, then drew competing recruitment offers from Emperor of Sinking and Dai Xiaomei.

• Ye Chen trapped the Kusagakure scout and his companions in the forest, while Corpse Bearer repeatedly revived and fought the scout until the scout died and Corpse Bearer collapsed from blood loss.
• Corpse Bearer revived and returned to Hidden Jun Village, and Ye Chen lifted the forest restrictions so the scout's companions could retrieve their teammate's remains.
• The system awarded Corpse Bearer 1,000 contribution points for killing the Elite Genin, prompting players to speculate about how a new civilian had managed the feat.
• Corpse Bearer uploaded his self-developed C-rank Taijutsu, Deboning Blade, earning 500 contribution points and drawing a crowd at the shop.
• Emperor of Sinking offered Corpse Bearer 500 contribution points per day to join his team, and Dai Xiaomei countered with 800 per day and additional rewards.

Corpse Bearer turned down Dai Xiaomei and Bullfighting Master’s offers to join their teams, insisting he preferred to act alone. After the other players arrived and left without recruiting him, he unexpectedly agreed to team up with Bullfighting Master because he had a plan that was difficult to carry out alone.

• Dai Xiaomei offered Corpse Bearer a place on her team while other players clamored to join her.
• Bullfighting Master invited Corpse Bearer to team up so they could study and improve their Taijutsu together, but Corpse Bearer refused.
• The remaining players arrived, greeted Corpse Bearer, and left without asking him to join their teams.
• As Corpse Bearer prepared to leave, Bullfighting Master urged him to reconsider, and Corpse Bearer agreed to team up because he had a plan.
• Ye Chen followed Corpse Bearer and Bullfighting Master out of the shop, curious about Corpse Bearer’s sudden change of heart.

Corpse Bearer recruited Bullfighting Master to retrieve the Tetanus Blade and then persuaded him to hunt Kusagakure scouts for contribution points. After tracking through the mountains, they heard enemies nearby and prepared for an encounter.

• Corpse Bearer took Bullfighting Master to a latrine, where Bullfighting Master retrieved a rust-covered steel bar and claimed the Tetanus Blade quest reward.
• Corpse Bearer told Bullfighting Master to keep the weapon and led him toward the northern mountains to ambush Kusagakure scouts.
• Bullfighting Master hesitated at the plan, but Corpse Bearer provoked him into joining the hunt.
• Corpse Bearer tracked through the mountains while Bullfighting Master followed, and they eventually heard nearby enemies.

Corpse Bearer and Bullfighting Master attacked a six-member Kusagakure scout squad, hoping to trade their lives for enemy casualties. Corpse Bearer died after landing a strike, while Bullfighting Master was driven back by the scouts.

• Bullfighting Master identified the six scouts’ ranks, and Corpse Bearer ordered him to hold off the Chunin while they attacked.
• Corpse Bearer charged the scouts, and Bullfighting Master followed, knocking one ninja aside with Eight Extremes Collapse.
• The Chunin squad leader signaled for reinforcements and used Water Release: Flow Cage and Earth Release: Rock Ground Spikes against Bullfighting Master.
• Corpse Bearer ignored the attacks around him, cut an enemy, and was struck by Ninjutsu and pierced through the chest by a Kunai.
• Corpse Bearer died after shouting for Bullfighting Master to hold them off, and the six scouts forced Bullfighting Master into retreat.

Corpse Bearer used the Tetanus Blade’s festering wounds to kill a Kusagakure Genin, while Bullfighting Master was overwhelmed and respawned. After Corpse Bearer explained his ruthless fighting method, Bullfighting Master understood and proposed improving their plan.

• Corpse Bearer attacked a Kusagakure scout with the Tetanus Blade, and the blade’s festering wounds weakened the scout even as Corpse Bearer was killed.
• Bullfighting Master struck a weakened Kusagakure scout, who died from the Tetanus Blade’s delayed effect and earned Corpse Bearer 500 contribution points.
• The remaining Kusagakure scouts overwhelmed Bullfighting Master, who respawned in the Resurrection Hall and found Corpse Bearer there.
• Corpse Bearer exchanged his contribution points for chakra and reached Genin-level strength, upsetting Bullfighting Master, who felt Corpse Bearer had taken all the rewards.
• Corpse Bearer explained the Tetanus Blade’s killing method and his blood-for-blood fighting style, easing Bullfighting Master’s anger.
• Bullfighting Master praised Corpse Bearer’s ruthlessness and suggested improving their plan.

Corpse Bearer learned movement techniques from Bullfighting Master to reduce the deaths he suffered while fighting, while Ye Chen watched and gained access to the skills players mastered. The two tracked the Kusagakure scouts to a larger squad and prepared to fight again.

• Bullfighting Master taught Corpse Bearer several sets of footwork, and Corpse Bearer quickly practiced them with some skill.
• Bullfighting Master invited Corpse Bearer to meet and spar offline, but Corpse Bearer declined and explained his movements came from his work.
• Ye Chen watched the pair and was pleased that skills mastered by recruited players could be passed to him through the system.
• Corpse Bearer tracked the Kusagakure scouts to a squad now numbering more than a dozen, and Bullfighting Master followed him.
• Corpse Bearer urged Bullfighting Master to use every means available in the coming fight, and Bullfighting Master considered the advice.

Corpse Bearer and Bullfighting Master attacked a Kusagakure scout squad, using their different fighting styles and repeated revivals to wear down the enemy. They died after killing several scouts, then revived in the Resurrection Hall as system rewards and public chat drew attention to their feat.

• Bullfighting Master agreed with Corpse Bearer that battlefield fighting required doing whatever it took to kill the enemy, and the two charged the Kusagakure scouts.
• Bullfighting Master drew most of the attacks with nimble movement and Rasengan, while Corpse Bearer escaped his restraints and repositioned for a sneak attack.
• Corpse Bearer wounded a Kusagakure Genin with his Tetanus Blade and retreated, forcing the scouts to divide their attention and easing the pressure on Bullfighting Master.
• As the fight intensified, both players used their blades to wound the Kusagakure scouts, but Corpse Bearer and Bullfighting Master eventually collapsed and died.
• The two revived in the Resurrection Hall and received system rewards for killing Kusagakure ninjas, prompting other players to speculate in public chat about their battle.

Corpse Bearer and Bullfighting Master earned contribution points by fighting Kusagakure scouts, but their success attracted jealous players who disrupted the hunt. Ye Chen redirected his attention to Master of Open Stratagems, whose plans were helping new and veteran players cooperate.

• Corpse Bearer and Bullfighting Master exchanged their contribution points for chakra, ninjutsu, and talismans, then told curious players they had traded kills with Kusagakure scouts.
• Bullfighting Master hinted that their taijutsu skills were key, and a crowd of players followed the pair into the mountains to uncover their method.
• The Kusagakure scouts fled from the players, while Ye Chen altered the terrain and caused them to become lost, preventing disputes among the hunters.
• Corpse Bearer and Bullfighting Master moved to the eastern forest, but the scouts there also fled, so the pair trained against each other and low-intelligence wild monsters.
• Ye Chen stopped watching the pair and observed Master of Open Stratagems, whose supporters helped veteran players with daily chores and earned their gratitude.

Master of Open Stratagems led his followers to earn contribution points and then proposed a daring plan to infiltrate Kusagakure by pretending to defect. Ye Chen watched with growing interest, though he assumed the game would not let players leave Hidden Jun Village for an NPC faction.

• Master of Open Stratagems organized his followers’ purchases and guided them in farming monsters, coordinating smoothly with veteran players who provided protection in exchange for a share of the rewards.
• As the group’s contribution points and strength grew, Master of Open Stratagems called a meeting and said they needed a faster way to earn points.
• His followers worried that they were too weak for the Trial Battlefield, but Master of Open Stratagems argued that clever stratagems could make up for their lack of strength.
• Master of Open Stratagems proposed taking a few followers to Kusagakure to pretend to surrender, learn the enemy base’s layout, and coordinate an attack from within and outside.
• Several followers volunteered to go with him, while Ye Chen wondered why Master of Open Stratagems had devised such an outrageous plan but did not believe the game would permit the defection.

Kisame Hoshigaki arrived in Kusagakure and agreed to kill the chief of Hidden Jun Village, taking several Kusagakure ninja with him. Meanwhile, Bibiye learned that Master of Open Stratagems and his followers had been caught trying to defect.

• Kisame Hoshigaki met Lord Kusagakure and demanded to know where the enemy was.
• Lord Kusagakure told Kisame that Hidden Jun Village's chief had Kage Level strength, and Kisame accepted the job.
• Lord Kusagakure sent Kusagakure ninja, including the injured White Ape, to accompany Kisame to Hidden Jun Village.
• After Kisame's group left, Bibiye ordered an Anbu member to guard the captured Hidden Jun Village spies who claimed they wanted to defect.
• Master of Open Stratagems argued with Kusagakure guards while bound and insisted that he and his followers had come to defect.

The Master of Open Stratagems and his companions infiltrated Kusagakure by pretending to defect from Hidden Jun Village. He offered information about Hidden Jun Village’s resurrection technique in exchange for a place to stay, leaving Bibiye eager to hear more.

• The Master of Open Stratagems pretended to be a weak defector so Kusagakure guards would take him and his companions to be interrogated.
• The Master of Open Stratagems secretly mapped Kusagakure’s facilities and routes as they were escorted to the Anbu headquarters.
• Bibiye questioned the group, and the Master of Open Stratagems claimed that oppression and inequality had driven them to flee Hidden Jun Village.
• The Master of Open Stratagems offered intelligence about Hidden Jun Village, but Bibiye dismissed its layout and passages as information Kusagakure could discover on its own.
• The Master of Open Stratagems offered information about the secret technique that revived Hidden Jun Village’s ninjas and demanded lodging before he revealed it.

Master of Open Stratagems negotiated with Bibiye by offering information about Hidden Jun Village’s resurrection ability, and Bibiye agreed to spare him while keeping him under watch. After giving a partly fabricated account of a resurrection device, Master of Open Stratagems reunited with his brothers and explored Kusagakure.

• Master of Open Stratagems refused to reveal information until Bibiye honored his demands, arguing that he and his brothers had no reason to fear death.
• Bibiye agreed to let Master of Open Stratagems’ brothers settle in Kusagakure but insisted that Master of Open Stratagems remain behind.
• Master of Open Stratagems claimed Hidden Jun Village’s Resurrection Hall contained a device that enabled resurrection and could be destroyed to stop it.
• Bibiye’s advisers disagreed over whether the account was true, so Bibiye decided to keep Master of Open Stratagems alive and judge his story during a future battle.
• Bibiye ordered an Anbu member to monitor the group and kill them if they acted suspiciously.
• Master of Open Stratagems reunited with his brothers, and they wandered around Kusagakure without causing trouble.

The Master of Open Stratagems and his companions secretly coordinated with allies to contaminate Kusagakure’s water with laxatives, leaving many ninja incapacitated. While Kusagakure struggled to respond, a fire erupted in the surrounding woods and spread through the village as the Master of Open Stratagems watched with his companions.

• The Master of Open Stratagems and his companions secretly scouted Kusagakure and contacted allies through the game's voice chat.
• The Master of Open Stratagems ordered a team of more than twenty to dump laxatives into Kusagakure’s main water source at eight that night.
• Kusagakure’s ninja suffered widespread diarrhea, and an investigation traced the outbreak to contaminated drinking water.
• At eleven, a fire broke out in the woods around Kusagakure and spread rapidly through the village while many ninja were too ill to respond.
• Kusagakure’s leaders recognized the Master of Open Stratagems and his companions were behind the attack, but the spreading flames left them no time to act against them.

Master of Open Stratagems and the other players burned Kusagakure, then returned to Hidden Jun Village with large rewards. Their operation helped Ye Chen upgrade the village, unlock new facilities and recruit more villagers, while Master of Open Stratagems gained recognition from his followers.

• The fire devastated Kusagakure, and Bibiye blamed himself for allowing Master of Open Stratagems and the others into the village.
• Master of Open Stratagems and the other players returned to Hidden Jun Village and celebrated the contribution points they had earned by killing Kusagakure ninjas.
• Ye Chen received repeated notifications that the operation had increased Hidden Jun Village's reputation and villager happiness until the village qualified for an upgrade.
• Ye Chen upgraded Hidden Jun Village, gained capacity to recruit 72 more villagers, and received an A-rank Eight Trigrams Palm bundle, a smithy, and a medicine workshop.
• Ye Chen listed the Taijutsu techniques in the shop and posted another recruitment notice on the official forums.
• Master of Open Stratagems earned a reputation for devising the plan, and his twenty-odd followers thought of him after receiving their rewards.

Master of Open Stratagems and Corpse Bearer both reached Chunin strength through different approaches, prompting veteran players to rush back to the village after a flood of system notifications. Master of Open Stratagems explained his achievements and promoted his team, then demonstrated his strength to the gathered crowd.

• Master of Open Stratagems spent the contribution points his supporters gave him on Chakra and high-level Ninjutsu until he reached Chunin level.
• Corpse Bearer continued fighting Grass Ninja scout squads with Bullfighting Master, exchanged his earnings for Chakra, and also reached Chunin level.
• Dai Xiaomei led her girls back to the village to investigate the system notifications, while Emperor of Sinking ordered his male players to finish their miniboss before returning.
• Master of Open Stratagems addressed the crowd, exaggerated his achievements, and invited players to join his strategy team.
• When a player challenged his claims about strategy, Master of Open Stratagems gathered Chakra in his palm and revealed that he had reached Chunin strength.

Master of Open Stratagems tried to outshine Corpse Bearer, but Corpse Bearer and Bullfighting Master revealed their remarkable progress. Ye Chen advanced to Mid Kage Level and announced a large-scale counterattack against Kusagakure in three days.

• Master of Open Stratagems praised teamwork and called on Corpse Bearer to agree with him.
• Corpse Bearer agreed, and Bullfighting Master revealed that he had reached Jonin level after learning from Corpse Bearer, who had reached Chunin level.
• Ye Chen checked his chakra returns, gained 600,000 chakra, and advanced to Mid Kage Level, earning a set of A-rank Five Elements Ninjutsu.
• Ye Chen listed the A-rank techniques in the shop and considered eliminating Kusagakure to clear the way for the Hidden Jun Village's expansion.
• Ye Chen announced that the Hidden Jun Village would launch a large-scale counterattack against Kusagakure in three days.

Players prepared for the Third Great War while the game announced its fourth closed beta and the expansion The Fall of Kusagakure, launching in three days. New players joined the crowded village, and Ye Chen expected Kusagakure’s destruction to let him expand on a large scale.

• Players inside the game prepared for the coming war, while people outside it watched the official forums for closed beta recruitment posts.
• A professional forum camper saw the announcement for 72 new slots, clicked through to a registration form, and secured a place in the beta.
• Commentators emphasized the importance of the new expansion, leaving those who missed the slots frustrated as they turned to game livestreams.
• The fourth batch of closed beta players entered the game and crowded the village entrance square.
• Ye Chen congratulated himself for planning ahead, expecting to expand the village after Kusagakure was wiped out.