Chapter Summaries

Minato Namikaze reflected on the political difficulties of being Hokage and hoped Xia Yan could help him understand the Anbu. After Xia Yan activated one of Minato’s Flying Thunder God marks, the two met in a forest and agreed to work together.

• Minato remembered how a proposal concerning the Uchiha Clan had been blocked and considered how Xia Yan might help him within the Anbu.
• Minato sensed that someone had activated his Flying Thunder God mark in a remote corner of Konoha and went to investigate.
• Minato found Xia Yan waiting in the forest beside a Sealing Jutsu scroll and addressed him as Nightingale.
• Xia Yan revealed that Minato could also call him Senju Natsuhiko, and explained that his candor showed respect.
• Minato accepted Xia Yan’s openness and said he looked forward to working with him.

Xia Yan explained to Minato Namikaze why he had sought him out, assuring him that he wanted Konoha to avoid conflict while Minato reclaimed the Hokage’s authority. Minato agreed to receive intelligence from Xia Yan and personally teach him the Flying Thunder God Technique, leaving Xia Yan surprised that Sealing Jutsu was not mentioned.

• Xia Yan removed his mask and explained that he had approached Minato because the Third Hokage’s influence blocked Minato’s orders, including within the Anbu.
• Minato questioned whether Xia Yan meant to turn him against the Third Hokage, and Xia Yan denied it, warning that conflict would harm Konoha after the war.
• Xia Yan admitted he wanted to learn the Flying Thunder God Technique and hoped Minato would become the true Hokage without harming Konoha.
• Xia Yan said his hopes were his own rather than the Senju Clan’s official position, and Minato asked him to provide intelligence about the Anbu and Konoha’s internal affairs.
• Minato offered to personally teach Xia Yan the Flying Thunder God Technique, and Xia Yan wondered why Minato had not offered to teach him Sealing Jutsu first.

Xia Yan reflected on Minato’s offer to teach him the Flying Thunder God Technique and sealing jutsu, then learned from Kakashi that Kakuzu had killed two teams in the Second Division. The chapter ended with Xia Yan discovering that the killings were connected to him and Kakashi.

• Xia Yan considered Minato’s offer to teach him the complete Flying Thunder God Technique and planned to pursue sealing jutsu as well.
• Kakashi told Xia Yan that Minato wanted to teach him sealing jutsu, and Kakashi was pleased that they would become senior and junior disciples.
• Kakashi informed Xia Yan that one person had wiped out Team 5 and Team 9 of the Second Division.
• Kakashi revealed that Kakuzu had killed the two teams and that the matter involved him and Xia Yan.

Xia Yan and Kakashi discussed Kakuzu’s retaliation and the deaths of two Anbu members, then considered their understaffed squad. The chapter ended with Xia Yan recording details about their attackers for the Hokage as part of a mission.

• Kakashi told Xia Yan that Kakuzu had killed two members of their squad, and Xia Yan realized the Captain’s earlier transfers had been a warning about the danger he had brought upon them.
• Xia Yan reassured Kakashi that they had reported the Kakuzu incident and had no reason to risk their lives trying to kill him.
• Xia Yan decided to leave the squad’s two vacancies open rather than rush to recruit and train replacements.
• Kakashi asked whether his earlier slip of the tongue had caused trouble, and Xia Yan assured him that it had not.
• Xia Yan began writing a report about the people who had tried to attack them, explaining to Kakashi that it was for the Hokage and part of his mission.

Xia Yan prepared intelligence about the Anbu to give Minato Namikaze when he learned the Flying Thunder God Technique. He considered ways to increase his chakra and decided the unclaimed Ryūmyaku hidden in Rōran might be worth pursuing once he learned Sealing Jutsu.

• Xia Yan prepared to report the Root members and Underground Laboratory he had encountered to Minato Namikaze as a token of sincerity.
• Xia Yan speculated that learning the Flying Thunder God Technique could raise his strength to elite jonin or Kage level, though his limited chakra would restrict its use.
• Xia Yan dismissed tailed beasts as impractical chakra sources because of his strength, position, and the dangers surrounding them.
• Xia Yan recalled the Ryūmyaku in Rōran and resolved to investigate it after learning Sealing Jutsu.

Xia Yan considered how to grow strong enough to become the Shinobi World's biggest boss, settling on collecting chakra of every nature as a possible route to Kekkei Mōra and Truth-Seeking Orbs. He acknowledged that fusion remained a major obstacle and finished writing notes while keeping Orochimaru as a last resort.

• Xia Yan decided to focus on improving his strength before planning a future search for the Ryūmyaku.
• Xia Yan ruled out pursuing Indra's and Asura's chakra, since he was not their reincarnation and feared attracting Hagoromo Otsutsuki's attention.
• Xia Yan identified his cheat's ability to obtain every chakra nature as a potential path to Truth-Seeking Orbs and Kekkei Mōra.
• Xia Yan considered using his cheat to find a Fusion Seed and create a Fusion Fruit, but admitted he had not yet figured out how to fuse chakra natures.
• Xia Yan considered asking Orochimaru for help as a last resort, then finished his notes and set down his pen.

After more than a month of easy missions with Kakashi, Xia Yan earned three days off and found that his Intermediate Senjutsu Seed had grown. Returning home, he discovered someone had cleaned his room and wondered whether the clan was arranging a marriage for him.

• Xia Yan and Kakashi completed a month of missions, and their strong performance earned them three days off.
• Xia Yan checked his panel and saw that his Intermediate Senjutsu Seed had reached 85% maturity.
• Xia Yan slipped a scroll into the elder's house and waited until someone inside took it.
• Xia Yan returned home, found it had been cleaned, and speculated that the clan might be arranging a fiancée for him.

Xia Yan met Minato Namikaze in a secluded forest and gave him a report on suspected Third Hokage loyalists within the Anbu and Root. Minato questioned the report’s reliability, while Xia Yan explained that he had gathered and personally verified the intelligence through his Senju Clan connections.

• Xia Yan used Minato’s Flying Thunder God mark to summon him to a secluded forest.
• Xia Yan handed Minato a scroll listing suspected Third Hokage followers in key Anbu positions and one captain loyal to an unknown person.
• Minato asked whether Xia Yan could vouch for the report, and Xia Yan said it included both firsthand knowledge and conjecture.
• Xia Yan admitted that he had investigated the Anbu for the Senju Clan, and Minato confirmed he had seen similar reports before.
• Xia Yan said the intelligence had been personally confirmed through his own work and the Senju Clan’s resources.

Xia Yan gave Minato Namikaze intelligence suggesting Shimura Danzō had placed a captain inside the Anbu before Minato became Hokage, prompting Minato to suspect hidden struggles within Konoha. After deciding to investigate the claims himself, Minato burned the scroll and prepared to teach Xia Yan sealing jutsu and the Flying Thunder God Technique.

• Minato Namikaze questioned Xia Yan about sharing the Senju Clan's intelligence and the unknown captain's affiliation.
• Xia Yan named Shimura Danzō as the person connected to the captain and said the captain had chosen him before Minato became Hokage.
• Minato connected the intelligence to Danzo's past political maneuvering and resolved to verify the claims personally.
• Minato burned Xia Yan's scroll and offered to teach him sealing jutsu and the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Xia Yan studied sealing jutsu under Minato Namikaze for three days, earning Minato’s trust and receiving instruction in the basic Flying Thunder God seal. As Xia Yan rested after Minato left, his system detected a special plant and identified a basic sealing-type seed.

• Minato Namikaze taught Xia Yan sealing jutsu and shared insights into Flying Thunder God over three days.
• Minato Namikaze verified some of Xia Yan’s information and grew to appreciate his talent, then said he might become Xia Yan’s teacher if the opportunity arose.
• Minato Namikaze inscribed a basic Flying Thunder God seal on a tree and told Xia Yan to study how it was made.
• Minato Namikaze departed, and Xia Yan rested against the tree after training.
• Xia Yan’s system detected a plant with special attributes and identified it as a basic sealing-type seed.

Xia Yan decided to plant the unexpected Sealing Jutsu seed despite worrying that it would drain too much of his chakra. Afterward, he wondered how Hiruzen Sarutobi would react to Minato Namikaze spending time with him and prepared to see what the Third Hokage would do.

• Xia Yan considered whether powers absorbed by plants had caused him to harvest seeds with different attributes and decided to test the idea by having Kakashi use Lightning Release on a tree.
• Xia Yan weighed the benefits of planting the Sealing Jutsu seed against the time it would take to mature and the strain on his chakra, then chose to plant it for the prospect of learning the Flying Thunder God Technique.
• Xia Yan used his Senju Secret Technique to absorb the seed, which settled near his heart and began maturing at one percent while consuming his chakra.
• Xia Yan wondered how Hiruzen Sarutobi would respond to Minato Namikaze spending time with him and reflected that he was investing in both sides only on his own behalf, not for the Senju Clan.

Xia Yan reflected on the Senju Clan’s involvement and kept his Sage Mode secret, then returned to the Anbu and reunited with Kakashi. The Captain assigned Xia Yan and Kakashi to investigate disappearances at Shuzaki Castle, where a previous Konoha squad had vanished.

• Xia Yan decided to leave the Senju Clan’s affairs alone for now and keep his Sage Mode hidden.
• Xia Yan met Kakashi at the Anbu, and Kakashi described how he was reconnecting with old friends during his break.
• The Captain summoned Xia Yan and Kakashi and gave them a mission report about strange disappearances at Shuzaki Castle.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi learned that visitors and even an entire Konoha squad had gone missing at the castle.

Xia Yan and Kakashi traveled to Shuzaki Castle to investigate people disappearing there, and Xia Yan suspected the castle was a monster. After discussing the possibilities and preparing for either a human enemy or a creature, Xia Yan planned to retrieve a Summoning Scroll from the monster while relying on his skills to escape if necessary.

• Xia Yan and Kakashi reached a town near the capital of the Land of Fire and settled in at an inn.
• Kakashi visited Xia Yan and pointed out a pattern in the disappearances connected to Shuzaki Castle.
• Xia Yan and Kakashi considered whether an organization was abducting people or a monster was feeding on them.
• Xia Yan told Kakashi to investigate carefully and prepare to act against either possibility.
• After Kakashi left, Xia Yan recalled that a Summoning Scroll was inside the lizard-like monster and assessed his chances of escaping if needed.

Xia Yan and Kakashi investigated the disappearances around Shuzaki Castle and concluded that a giant summoned lizard was responsible. Xia Yan identified the only remaining complication as the unknown people watching them and considered dealing with them.

• Xia Yan and Kakashi gathered intelligence in Shuzaki Castle and noticed that someone was watching them, especially near the castle and a graveyard.
• Xia Yan concluded that human experimentation was unlikely because they had found no evidence of people being moved or bodies being disposed of.
• Kakashi suggested that a monster might be responsible for the disappearances, and Xia Yan noted that a creature could consume people without leaving remains.
• Kakashi recalled that Shuzaki Ganza had once possessed an enormous summoned beast, and Xia Yan confirmed that a giant lizard was likely behind the attacks.
• Xia Yan considered the lizard’s summoner a possible concern but said the people watching them were the only trouble left.

Xia Yan suspected that the people monitoring him were survivors of Shuzaki Castle who guarded a Summoning Scroll, and he went to the cemetery to investigate. He confronted a middle-aged man who warned him to leave, and the encounter ended with a threat of death.

• Xia Yan reasoned that Shuzaki Ganza may have hidden the Summoning Scroll in his grave or inside the summoned beast, and that the watchers could be the castle’s surviving orphans.
• Xia Yan told Kakashi to rest and said the team would head for the castle after confirming a few things, then left alone for the cemetery.
• Xia Yan sensed the watchers following him more closely as he approached the cemetery and concluded that something there matched his suspicions.
• Xia Yan entered the dark cemetery and challenged the watchers to come out.
• A middle-aged man said the cemetery belonged to the Shuzaki Castle Warriors and ordered Xia Yan to leave, but Xia Yan demanded answers, and the man threatened that one of them would die.

Xia Yan attacked the Shuzaki Castle survivors in the cemetery, killing several of the weaker ninja and using a clone to blow up the others. The Jonin was left as his sole opponent.

• Xia Yan confirmed the group were the survivors he sought and began fighting them after the Jonin threatened him.
• Xia Yan killed a Genin and a Chunin, then another Chunin grabbed his Ninja Blade and detonated an Explosive Tag, destroying the blade.
• Four Chunin- and Genin-level ninja charged Xia Yan to avenge Hayato and their other fallen comrades.
• The Jonin sensed that the Xia Yan they were attacking was a clone loaded with chakra and warned them, but the explosion killed or incapacitated them.
• Xia Yan watched the fallen ninja from a treetop and turned to face the Jonin alone.

Xia Yan challenged Shōma Senju to recognize the lack of a clear plan for reviving the Senju, while Shōma urged him to contribute to the clan and continue the Wood Release bloodline. Meanwhile, Ōnoki learned of Xia Yan’s devastating attack on Sunagakure and worried about the danger he posed to Iwagakure.

• Xia Yan reflected that Shōma Senju had pursued the Senju Clan’s revival without a concrete plan, and kept his own intentions and intelligence-gathering role secret.
• Xia Yan warned Shōma that the Third Hokage remained influential, and Shōma acknowledged that Xia Yan had his own goals and plans.
• Shōma told Xia Yan to change residences, offered to arrange help with daily life, and asked him to contribute to the clan by continuing the Wood Release bloodline.
• Reports of Xia Yan’s attack on Sunagakure spread through the Shinobi world as he returned to Konoha.
• Ōnoki assessed the losses Xia Yan had inflicted on Sunagakure and feared that his skills and ability to strike deep behind enemy lines could devastate Iwagakure.

Xia Yan learned that Shōma Senju had arranged for him to live with Senju Renka as his future partner, then an Uchiha clansman led him to meet an elderly Uchiha. Xia Yan quietly ordered nearby Anbu to support him, and they began moving to carry out his assignment as he approached the old man.

• The Fourth Raikage studied Xia Yan’s battle record and felt both wary of Konoha and eager to fight him.
• Xia Yan moved into a better house and discovered that Shōma Senju had arranged for Senju Renka to live with him as his future partner.
• An Uchiha clansman stopped Xia Yan, asked whether he was Fukami Natsuhiko, and led him to a teahouse to meet an elderly Uchiha.
• Xia Yan spotted Anbu nearby and discreetly signaled them before following the Uchiha upstairs.
• The Anbu squad leader recognized Xia Yan as Captain Nightingale and sent for reinforcements to carry out Xia Yan’s assignment quietly.
• Xia Yan approached the elderly Uchiha while the squad leader transformed and headed toward the teahouse.

Xia Yan met with Uchiha Shin, who sought to build a channel between the Uchiha Clan and Konoha’s leadership. Xia Yan ended the meeting after revealing that the teahouse had been surrounded by Anbu and hinting that his position exceeded that of an ordinary Anbu member.

• Xia Yan recognized Uchiha Shin as an elder of the Uchiha Clan, while Shin identified him as Kakashi’s Anbu squad leader.
• Uchiha Shin explained that he had approached Xia Yan because he wanted to reach Kakashi and believed Xia Yan’s words carried greater weight.
• Uchiha Shin said he and other Uchiha favored reconciliation with Konoha and wanted to maintain contact with the Hokage, while more radical voices gained influence in the clan.
• Xia Yan asked whether Shin wanted him to report their conversation to the Third or Fourth Hokage, but Shin did not give a clear preference.
• Xia Yan ended the meeting, and Uchiha Shin realized that the other tea drinkers were Anbu who had surrounded them.
• Xia Yan told Uchiha Shin not to arrange another meeting that way and said he was neither an ordinary shinobi nor an ordinary Anbu.

Xia Yan told Minato Namikaze that Uchiha Shin wanted to build ties between the Uchiha Clan and the Hokage through the Anbu, and Minato granted Xia Yan limited authority to handle the matter. Later, Xia Yan proposed to Hiruzen Sarutobi that they let some Uchiha join the Anbu and encourage the faction favorable to Konoha.

• Xia Yan dismissed his Anbu escort and went to the Third Division headquarters, where Trout reported that Kakashi was training and Pakura remained in custody.
• Xia Yan used a marked kunai to summon Minato Namikaze to Pakura's cell and told him about Kakashi's upcoming mission and Uchiha Shin's approach.
• Xia Yan recounted Uchiha Shin's proposal, and Minato authorized him to meet Shin discreetly and exercise limited authority.
• Xia Yan briefed Hiruzen Sarutobi on the Uchiha matter, and Hiruzen asked him to oppose the proposal by invoking the Uchiha and Senju rivalry.
• Xia Yan instead suggested admitting some Uchiha into the Anbu to strengthen the faction favorable to Konoha, and Hiruzen found the idea interesting.