Chapter Summaries

Xia Yan, a Senju raised amid his clan’s decline, reflected on his dangerous path into the Anbu and examined the plant-based cheat that could eventually grant him abilities. His status showed him as a Jonin with Chunin-level chakra, several growing seeds, no fruits, and only 1% progress toward becoming the true big boss of the Shinobi World.

• Xia Yan woke in Konoha and recalled that Kakashi and Obito had been his classmates, making future wars seem unavoidable.
• Xia Yan explained how the Senju Clan had declined after the Third Hokage took office and how his elder had urged him to restore the clan.
• Xia Yan recalled that his elder had arranged for him to enter the Anbu at age eight after other career options were rejected.
• Xia Yan checked his character sheet and saw his rank listed as Jonin despite having only Chunin-level chakra and several immature seeds.
• Xia Yan described how his Senju Secret Technique absorbed plant life force to create seeds that consumed his chakra and could later yield ability-granting fruits.

Xia Yan reflected on his chakra, Sage Mode, and Konoha’s political changes as he waited for an Anbu mission. The captain assigned the newly recruited Kakashi Hatake, codenamed White Fang, to Xia Yan’s squad.

• Xia Yan considered how his seeds had drained his chakra and how Sage Mode had helped him survive dangerous missions.
• Xia Yan recalled Konoha’s war-weary position, Hiruzen Sarutobi’s ceasefire, and Minato Namikaze becoming the Fourth Hokage.
• Xia Yan decided to remain in Konoha and pursue his mission to become the true big boss of the Shinobi World.
• The captain introduced Kakashi Hatake as a new Anbu recruit with the codename White Fang.
• The captain assigned Kakashi to Xia Yan’s squad, and Xia Yan accepted the order.

Xia Yan took Kakashi along on an Anbu mission to hunt an enemy spy and tried to draw his grieving former classmate out of his silence. Kakashi began to respond to Xia Yan, and the two continued toward their target together.

• Xia Yan received a mission to kill an investigated enemy spy outside Konoha and bring back the body, with Kakashi assigned to accompany him.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi set out as a two-person team, and Xia Yan reflected on Kakashi's grief after Obito and Rin's deaths.
• Xia Yan reminded Kakashi that they had been classmates and spoke of Obito and Rin as heroes.
• Kakashi thanked Xia Yan and said he remembered hearing about him from Might Guy.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi traveled on together, talking as Kakashi became slightly more at ease.

Xia Yan and Kakashi tracked the supposedly disguised Konoha ninja Kashiwagi Sen, only to find someone had killed him and was carrying his corpse away. They caught up with the stranger and Xia Yan recognized him as Kakuzu.

• Xia Yan had Kakashi summon Pakkun to track Kashiwagi Sen, whose Konoha identity concealed his true allegiance to Sunagakure.
• Pakkun found Kashiwagi Sen's blood scent and reported that the target was dead and another person had headed north.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi realized someone had reached their mission first, but Xia Yan decided they should pursue the trail for the secrets Kashiwagi Sen's body might hold.
• Pakkun led Xia Yan and Kakashi to a cloaked stranger carrying a corpse, and Xia Yan recognized him as Kakuzu.

Xia Yan and Kakashi encountered the bounty hunter Kakuzu while trying to recover the body of Kashiwagi Sen, a spy. Kakuzu demanded extra payment for the body, and the chapter ended as Kakashi attacked while Xia Yan moved to seize it.

• Xia Yan recognized Kakuzu and warned Kakashi that he was a dangerous bounty hunter.
• Kakashi offered to fight Kakuzu while Xia Yan took the corpse, but Kakuzu asked whether the Konoha Anbu wanted it.
• Kakashi revealed they intended to take the target dead or alive, alerting Kakuzu that the dead man was a spy with valuable intelligence.
• Xia Yan tried to negotiate a payment, but Kakuzu demanded extra money for the head.
• Kakashi hurled kunai at Kakuzu as Xia Yan moved toward the corpse.

Xia Yan and Kakashi fought Kakuzu after their attempt to recover the bounty target’s body drew his attack. They coordinated against him, but Kakuzu remained a dangerous opponent as Kakashi prepared Chidori and Xia Yan revealed a powerful Water Release technique.

• Kakuzu used Fire Release to melt the incoming kunai and block Xia Yan and Kakashi’s advance, while Xia Yan countered with Water Formation Wall.
• Xia Yan approached Kakuzu to create an opening to recover the corpse or retreat, and Kakashi rushed in from the other side and struck at Kakuzu with his ninja blade.
• Kakuzu knocked Kakashi away and launched his detached fist at Xia Yan, who dodged it and severed its black threads with his blade.
• Kakashi inferred that Kakuzu used Earth Release for defense and began forming Chidori, while Xia Yan moved in to coordinate their attack.
• Kakuzu recognized Kakashi by the sound of Chidori, but Xia Yan leaped at him with compressed Water Release chakra on his blade and used Water Release: Water Blade Slash.

Xia Yan battled Kakuzu with Tobirama Senju’s powerful Water Release techniques while Kakashi waited for an opening. Kakashi struck through Kakuzu’s chest, and Xia Yan severed a nearby corpse’s head before signaling Kakashi to escape with him.

• Kakuzu recognized Xia Yan’s compressed Water Release as a technique associated with Tobirama Senju and blocked Xia Yan’s first attack with his Earth Release defense.
• Xia Yan dodged Kakuzu’s hidden Earth Grudge Fear attack and used Water Severing Wave to cut the threads connecting Kakuzu’s hand to his body and crack his chest.
• Xia Yan noticed Kakashi was in position, cut off his attack, and rushed Kakuzu to keep him from spotting Kakashi.
• Kakashi pierced Kakuzu’s chest with Lightning Release, destroying one of Kakuzu’s Earth Release hearts and leaving him numb.
• Xia Yan cut off the head of a corpse, signaled Kakashi, and fled with it; Kakashi followed, while Kakuzu recovered too late to pursue them.

Xia Yan and Kakashi hid from Kakuzu after stealing the bounty target’s head, and Xia Yan warned Kakashi that Kakuzu had likely survived the fight. Xia Yan also suspected Kakashi’s sudden assignment to the Anbu was tied to a struggle for control, while concealing that he himself was a spy.

• Xia Yan and Kakashi reached a cave near Konoha and stayed out of town while covering their tracks to evade Kakuzu.
• Kakashi questioned why they were being so cautious, and Xia Yan explained that Kakuzu had survived a pierced heart before and might still be alive.
• Kakashi understood why Xia Yan had taken the target’s head and retreated as soon as the opportunity arose.
• Xia Yan urged Kakashi to study Anbu intelligence reports and privately suspected the unit commander had sent him straight into a mission to signal opposition to the Fourth Hokage.
• Xia Yan reflected that he would rather support the Third Hokage and admitted to himself that he was a spy.

Xia Yan and Kakashi returned to Konoha after their mission and reported encountering Kakuzu. Xia Yan nudged Kakashi to warn the Fourth Hokage that his actions had been misunderstood, then considered how Kakashi’s arrival could serve both his clan and his own plans.

• Xia Yan and Kakashi returned to Konoha after confirming that Kakuzu had not followed them.
• Xia Yan told Kakashi to avoid verbally repeating his earlier remarks to the Fourth Hokage and to say that the Hokage’s actions had been misunderstood.
• Xia Yan accepted responsibility for the mission’s complications, then reported that they had encountered Kakuzu, satisfying the unit commander.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi left Anbu headquarters and parted ways.
• Xia Yan reflected that Kakashi’s condition gave him an opportunity to intervene, though Kakashi’s arrival meant one of his squad members would have to leave.

Xia Yan reported his mission to the Senju elder, who advised him to keep some distance from Kakashi without alienating him. Kakashi separately gave Minato Namikaze a detailed report that revealed troubling details about the Anbu, leaving Minato to reflect on the gift it contained.

• Xia Yan told the Senju elder about his mission, including his encounter with Kakuzu and his conversation with Kakashi.
• The elder warned Xia Yan that his approach had been conspicuous and advised him to stay close enough to Kakashi without becoming too familiar.
• The elder told Xia Yan that he had sent him a gift, and Xia Yan left while considering his next steps.
• Kakashi reported his mission to Minato Namikaze but withheld some of Xia Yan's remarks.
• Kakashi handed Minato a detailed report, and Minato read it before calling it quite a gift.

Minato considered Natsuhiko’s warning about Kakashi’s Anbu assignment and began to suspect that the Third might be asserting control. Meanwhile, Natsuhiko weighed Konoha’s future power struggles and decided to focus on growing stronger and attracting talented allies.

• Minato read Kakashi’s scroll, reconsidered why Kakashi had been sent on a mission, and wondered whether the Third had used the assignment to demonstrate authority.
• Minato put the scroll away and reflected that Fukami Natsuhiko, or Senju Natsuhiko, seemed interesting.
• Natsuhiko assessed Konoha’s declining talent pool and concluded that he could benefit from the coming competition for power.
• Natsuhiko considered his Sage Mode, Bloodline Development, and possible future seed gains as ways to improve his strength.
• Natsuhiko decided to keep planting trees, build his reputation, and try to recruit promising talent despite the complications.

Xia Yan weighed whether to approach the Uchiha Clan, whose political position and internal divisions made recruiting them dangerous. Uesugi Gen brought him a clan scroll, which revealed that his new technique was the Flying Thunder God Technique.

• Xia Yan considered the Uchiha Clan's prospects and decided he might approach Shisui Uchiha or Uchiha Itachi if they had not been remolded by the village.
• Xia Yan recalled how the Will of Fire shaped his public image and reflected on Sakumo Hatake's downfall.
• Uesugi Gen visited Xia Yan and asked him to guess what gift he had brought.
• Uesugi Gen handed Xia Yan a scroll, and Xia Yan saw that it contained the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Xia Yan studied the Flying Thunder God scroll and realized that mastering the technique depended on learning Sealing Jutsu and meeting demanding physical requirements. Determined to succeed with the help of his cheat, he considered asking Kushina Uzumaki to teach him, with Kakashi as a possible way to reach her.

• Xia Yan reviewed Flying Thunder God's difficulty and recalled that only Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze had mastered it, while Minato's simplified version remained impractical in combat for Genma Shiranui, Namiashi Raidō, and Tatami Iwashi.
• Xia Yan read and memorized the scroll, then burned it and resolved to study Sealing Jutsu and practice drawing Flying Thunder God seals.
• Xia Yan decided his cheat could let him master Flying Thunder God after he performed it successfully in full, despite his limited talent for Sealing Jutsu.
• Xia Yan considered asking Kakashi to help him approach Kushina Uzumaki, whose Sealing Jutsu expertise could help him learn the basics needed for Flying Thunder God.
• Xia Yan reflected that his earlier attempt to influence Kakashi's relationship with the Fourth and the Third might now prove useful, and that he could adjust its effects behind the scenes.

After returning to the Anbu, Xia Yan brought Kakashi to meet his squadmates, Masaya and Shinichi, and welcomed him as their new teammate. The group was interrupted by an order to assemble.

• Xia Yan returned to the Anbu after two days of rest and continued studying Sealing Jutsu.
• Xia Yan approached Kakashi and led him to the training room to help him connect with the others.
• Xia Yan introduced Kakashi to his squadmates, Masaya and Shinichi, and they exchanged greetings.
• Xia Yan welcomed Kakashi, Masaya, and Shinichi as teammates, but an order to assemble interrupted him.

Xia Yan and Kakashi were sent to intercept enemy ninja attacking Konoha’s northwestern border outposts, while Shinichi and Masaya were reassigned to rebuild two wiped-out squads. As Xia Yan explained how often Anbu teammates changed, Kakashi asked whether he had ever personally killed a teammate.

• The Captain ordered Anbu squads to defend the northwestern border outposts and kill any outside ninja attacking them.
• The Captain assigned Shinichi and Masaya to lead and rebuild two squads in the Second Division.
• Xia Yan left Konoha with Kakashi, reflecting on his past teammates and saying he had sometimes abandoned them to complete missions.
• Kakashi asked Xia Yan whether he had ever killed one of his own teammates with his own hands.

Xia Yan told Kakashi a revised account of a wounded teammate who had asked him for a quick death, then praised Kakashi for the choice he and Rin had faced. Kakashi remained confused, while Xia Yan considered how to build their relationship and possibly ask him for help.

• Kakashi asked Xia Yan whether he had ever killed a teammate with his own hands.
• Xia Yan recounted how a badly wounded Anbu teammate asked him to finish the mission and end his life, but Xia Yan instead suggested he lure the enemy away.
• Xia Yan explained that the teammate used a Shadow Clone to draw off the pursuers, and that Xia Yan reported his presumed death rather than return to rescue him.
• Xia Yan told Kakashi he envied his courage and called both him and Rin brave, leaving Kakashi wondering whether their choice had been wrong.
• As they continued traveling, Xia Yan suspected the Fourth Hokage might have encouraged Kakashi to approach him and considered seeking Kakashi's help.

Xia Yan assessed the slow growth of his chakra and elemental seeds while traveling with Kakashi, expecting a major increase in power once they matured. As they approached the Land of Rain, he worried that Danzo’s past attack on the Akatsuki had set up a dangerous conflict involving Nagato and Hanzo.

• Xia Yan checked his stats and regretted that his Jonin chakra capacity seed had barely grown, though his intermediate Senjutsu seed had improved.
• Xia Yan estimated that his seeds could bear fruit within six months to a year, bringing Jonin-level chakra reserves and stronger Senjutsu, Earth Release, and Water Release.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi traveled in silence, each occupied with his own thoughts, and found a cave to rest after nightfall.
• Xia Yan recalled that Danzo had joined Hanzo in attacking the Akatsuki, an operation that devastated Danzo’s Root forces and harmed Hanzo’s men as well.
• Xia Yan feared that Nagato would eventually target Hanzo and worried that he could be caught in danger while traveling near the Land of Rain.

At a Konoha border surveillance post, impostors disguised as Iwagakure ninja launched a surprise attack despite the ceasefire. The captain and his squad were badly wounded and outnumbered when an azure kunai struck the enemy about to kill him.

• A Konoha squad joked about returning home as they monitored the border after the war ended.
• The captain ordered his squad not to attack first when three squads dressed as Iwagakure ninja approached.
• The disguised attackers threw kunai and rushed the surveillance post, overwhelming the defenders.
• The captain saw his young squadmate wounded in the chest and was stabbed in the back and slashed at the waist.
• As an enemy moved to kill the fallen captain, an azure kunai pierced the attacker’s chest.

Xia Yan and Kakashi traveled to the Land of Fire’s border to inspect an observation post, where they discovered Iwa ninja attacking Konoha’s defenders. Xia Yan launched a powerful Water Release attack as they rushed to help.

• Xia Yan and Kakashi set out after resting, and Kakashi noticed Xia Yan studying a Sealing Jutsu scroll.
• They reached the border of the Land of Fire and inspected the observation posts around the base.
• Xia Yan sensed intense chakra fluctuations near the last observation post and ordered Kakashi to prepare for combat.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi saw more than a dozen ninja dressed in Iwagakure red attacking Konoha ninja at an observation tower.
• Xia Yan gathered and compressed Water Release chakra around a kunai, then hurled it toward an enemy.

Xia Yan and Kakashi arrived as reinforcements and fought the disguised Iwa ninja, turning the battle around. Xia Yan killed most of the attackers and moved to capture a survivor, ending the chapter with him striking from behind at incredible speed.

• Xia Yan's chakra-infused kunai pierced an Iwa ninja and shattered another man's blade, saving the wounded middle-aged captain.
• Xia Yan ordered Kakashi to leave one or two enemies alive, and both of them attacked the Iwa ninja.
• Xia Yan used Water Release to collapse the lookout tower, then unleashed a water vortex and dragon that killed at least three enemies.
• Xia Yan identified the two remaining enemies as likely from the Land of Earth or Land of Wind and decided he needed one alive for interrogation.
• Xia Yan used Water Release: Instant Water to appear behind an Iwa ninja and strike his neck before he could react.