Recaps

After returning to Konoha, Lin Ze and Fox gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a cover story about their mission and injuries. A chance encounter with Minato Namikaze’s team led Lin Ze to focus on Rōran’s Ryūmyaku as a potential power source and plan to learn sealing jutsu.

• Night Owl accepted Lin Ze and Fox’s account of the battle and fell asleep from exhaustion.
• Lin Ze and Fox crossed into the Land of Fire, where Konoha medics rushed Gray Wolf and Night Owl to the hospital.
• Fox reported their mission to Hiruzen Sarutobi, who accepted most of their explanation but retained some doubts.
• Fox told Lin Ze that Hiruzen Sarutobi believed much of their story, and Lin Ze took Fox to the hospital before heading to the Orphanage.
• Lin Ze encountered Minato Namikaze, Shibi Aburame, Choza Akimichi, and Kakashi Hatake, and suspected they had just completed the Ryūmyaku mission in Rōran.
• Lin Ze considered Moryo and the Ryūmyaku as sources of power, ruled out Moryo as too risky, and decided to pursue sealing jutsu and artificial tailed beast technology.

After five days of cautious recovery, Lin Ze visited ANBU’s Ninjutsu Repository to seek sensory techniques and begin studying sealing jutsu as a possible solution to his chakra shortage. He found no suitable sensory secret techniques, borrowed an incomplete Uzumaki sealing guide, and resolved to find Karin and save her from Kusagakure when she was born.

• Lin Ze kept a shadow clone on watch each night and, after detecting no surveillance and seeing Fox keep his promise, gradually relaxed his suspicions.
• Lin Ze searched ANBU’s catalog for sensory techniques but found only basic methods and reconnaissance techniques that were weaker than his own perception.
• Lin Ze recalled Karin’s future imprisonment in Kusagakure and resolved to find her after she was born, both to protect her and to benefit from her sensory ability.
• Lin Ze selected an incomplete guide to the fundamentals of Uzumaki Clan sealing jutsu and borrowed it from the repository for one month.

Lin Ze steadily studied sealing jutsu while supporting the Orphanage and worrying about its residents as war drew near. After a long day of training, he joined the others for a simple dinner at the Orphanage.

• Lin Ze used shadow clones to study the Uzumaki Clan's sealing jutsu, gradually learning to sustain a basic rune in the air for several seconds.
• Lin Ze learned that the old director was clinging to life in hopes of seeing Nonō again, whose whereabouts remained hidden by Danzo.
• Miyamoto Ichirō managed the Orphanage, while Lin Ze handed him most of his ANBU mission earnings and Rei Uesugi contributed her D-rank mission pay.
• Lin Ze worried that Yumi and Ayumi, along with other newly graduated genin, could be sent to the battlefield when the Third Shinobi World War began.
• After training and studying, Lin Ze dismissed his shadow clones, recovered from the dizziness, and joined the others for dinner at the Orphanage.

Lin Ze enjoyed a brief family dinner before the Third Shinobi World War erupted across multiple fronts. As Konoha mobilized and Minato Namikaze earned fame as the Yellow Flash, Lin Ze and Squad B-5 were sent back into increasingly dangerous ANBU missions.

• Lin Ze shared a peaceful dinner with Yumi, Ayumi, Rei Uesugi, and the others, reflecting on his bonds and his ability to protect them.
• Over the following months, news of the Third Kazekage's disappearance leaked, and Rasa became the Fourth Kazekage after stabilizing Sunagakure and resisting Kumogakure.
• Kumogakure declared war on the Land of Earth and the Land of Fire, while Iwagakure invaded through the Land of Grass, igniting the Third Shinobi World War.
• Konoha mobilized ninja across several fronts, while Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique made him feared as the Yellow Flash.
• Lin Ze saw his ANBU missions grow more dangerous, and Squad B-5 returned to the battlefield after recovering from its injuries.

Lin Ze and Squad B-5 investigated a Kumogakure supply point and discovered that a member of the secretive Crow unit was present. Night Owl detected hidden barrier nodes around them, leaving the team’s concealment and escape uncertain.

• Lin Ze, Fox, Gray Wolf, and Night Owl tracked the Thunderclap unit’s supply routes and headed to a valley to check a suspected supply point.
• The team found a guarded Kumogakure camp, recorded its coordinates and defenses, and prepared to withdraw without engaging.
• Lin Ze noticed a shinobi bearing an emblem associated with Kumogakure’s intelligence department and alerted Fox.
• Fox identified the shinobi as belonging to the Crow unit and ordered the team to stop moving and search for an ambush.
• Night Owl detected multiple hidden barrier nodes around the team and warned that they might have been under surveillance.

Lin Ze and his ANBU companions were surrounded by Kumogakure’s Crow Unit, which had been sent to capture or kill him for Toroi’s death. Fox split the team and drew most of the pursuers after Lin Ze, who fled toward the coast with six ninja on his trail.

• The Crow Unit surrounded Lin Ze, Fox, Gray Wolf, and Night Owl, and Black Crow identified Lin Ze as the Konoha ANBU who had killed Toroi.
• Black Crow revealed that the Raikage had ordered the Crow Unit to bring Lin Ze back alive or dead.
• Fox ordered the team to scatter, then claimed Lin Ze carried crucial intelligence so Kumogakure would focus its pursuit on him.
• Black Crow sent six ninja after Gray Wolf and Night Owl while he led five others in pursuit of Lin Ze.
• Lin Ze used his Azure Dragon powers to keep ahead of his pursuers as he raced toward the coast and considered his route back to the Land of Fire.

Lin Ze escaped Black Crow and five other Cloud Ninja by fleeing from the Land of Lightning into the sea, where his pursuers eventually surrounded him. As the Cloud Ninja attacked, Lin Ze unleashed the immense power he had been holding back.

• Lin Ze raced through the forest toward the coast while Black Crow and five Cloud Ninja pursued him with lightning attacks.
• Lin Ze leaped from a cliff, landed on the sea, and ran toward the Land of Fire as the Cloud Ninja followed.
• A Cloud Ninja electrified the seawater, but Lin Ze dodged the attack and continued his escape across the sea.
• Black Crow cast Lightning Binding Net, and Lin Ze used Great Fireball Technique to stall it before the six Cloud Ninja surrounded him.
• Black Crow ordered the Cloud Ninja to capture Lin Ze, and Lin Ze unleashed his dormant power with a tremendous dragon's roar.

Lin Ze transformed into an Azure Dragon and overwhelmed the Kumogakure team pursuing him. With two shinobi dead and the survivors outmatched, he opened the Azure Dragon’s fifth gate to unleash even greater power.

• Lin Ze transformed into a massive Azure Dragon, terrifying the six Kumogakure shinobi and revealing the likely fate of Toroi’s squad to Black Crow.
• Black Crow and two Jōnin attacked Lin Ze with lightning techniques while the Special Jōnin threw explosive-tagged kunai, but Lin Ze’s dragon breath destroyed their attacks.
• Lin Ze killed one Jōnin with a sweep of his tail and struck down a Special Jōnin with lightning, leaving four pursuers alive.
• Black Crow realized the team was outmatched and wanted to retreat with the information, but Lin Ze prepared to prevent anyone from escaping.
• Lin Ze opened the Azure Dragon’s fifth gate, causing his power, speed, strength, and reflexes to surge.

Lin Ze used Azure Dragon Eight Gates to overwhelm the remaining Kumogakure forces, killing the fleeing Special Jōnin and defeating the last Jōnin’s and Black Crow’s combined lightning attacks. Black Crow tried to escape, but Lin Ze struck him with his tail, breaking both his arms and shattering his Lightning Release Armor.

• Lin Ze caught and killed a fleeing Special Jōnin with a dragon-claw swipe.
• A terrified Special Jōnin fled toward the Land of Lightning, but Lin Ze caught him and crushed him with another claw strike.
• The last Jōnin and Black Crow launched their strongest Lightning Release techniques at Lin Ze.
• Lin Ze’s Dragon Breath overpowered both attacks and burned the last Jōnin to death.
• Black Crow activated Lightning Release Armor and retreated, but Lin Ze struck him with his tail, breaking both his arms and shattering his armor.

Lin Ze killed Black Crow and all six Kumogakure ninja after interrupting Black Crow’s attempt to sacrifice himself, then hurried back toward the Land of Fire. As the coast came into view, he considered the mission’s consequences and worried about whether Fox, Gray Wolf, and Night Owl had escaped.

• Black Crow tried to form a forbidden technique to take Lin Ze down with him, but Lin Ze engulfed him in Dragon Breath before he could finish.
• Lin Ze confirmed that all six Kumogakure ninja were dead, retrieved and burned their bodies, and raced toward the Land of Fire.
• Lin Ze reasoned that Black Crow had recognized his Aoda mask by coincidence and considered changing masks to avoid future attacks.
• Lin Ze expected Kumogakure to relocate its exposed intelligence networks and supply points, making further investigation harder for Squad B-5.
• Lin Ze worried about Fox, Gray Wolf, and Night Owl, who had split off to escape their pursuers.
• Lin Ze reviewed the battle and considered whether Kumogakure’s intelligence specialists might have left a hidden means of sending a message.

After defeating Black Crow and his companions at sea, Lin Ze reviewed his Azure Dragon abilities and returned to the Land of Fire while hiding his route. On the way to Konoha, he encountered two tigers attacking a frail ape, which suddenly fought back.

• Lin Ze worried that Black Crow might have sent a message, then focused on improving his strength and reviewed how the fifth gate had enhanced his Azure Dragon form.
• Lin Ze concluded that Dragon Breath was his most controlled attack and that he needed more practice with lightning and water.
• Lin Ze decided to conceal what had happened at sea and returned directly toward Konoha rather than going to Fox's rendezvous point.
• Lin Ze passed a Land of Fire outpost and continued through the forest while stealthily avoiding possible Kumogakure sentries.
• Lin Ze saw two tigers attack a small, frail ape as other apes watched and mocked it.
• The ape dodged one tiger and leapt onto the other's back, driving its claws into the tiger's eye sockets.

Lin Ze rescued a dying Six-Eared Monkey from two tigers and discovered a newborn white tiger cub in their lair. Tracking the monkey troop’s Chakra led him to Peach Paradise, the hidden home of Enma and the Sarutobi Clan’s Summoning Beasts.

• The Six-Eared Monkey killed one tiger with a desperate counterattack, and Lin Ze kicked the other tiger away before it could attack again.
• Lin Ze found a newborn white tiger cub in the tiger’s cave, then discovered that the tiger had died from his kick.
• Lin Ze examined the dying Six-Eared Monkey and recognized its unusual intelligence and apparent connection to a monkey troop.
• Lin Ze sensed traces of the troop’s Chakra and found a concealed valley filled with strong monkeys.
• Lin Ze identified the valley as Peach Paradise, home to Enma and the Sarutobi Clan’s Summoning Beasts.

Lin Ze used his blood to save the dying Six-Eared Monkey, then formed a Summoning Contract with it. He was unable to heal the white tiger fully, so he left it in the monkey’s care while he went to find medicine, and began considering a name for his new partner.

• Lin Ze fed the dying Six-Eared Monkey a few drops of his blood, which healed its wounds and strengthened it.
• Lin Ze offered the monkey a chance to grow stronger in exchange for a Summoning Contract, and the monkey accepted.
• Lin Ze signed a basic Summoning Contract with the Six-Eared Monkey and sensed their new connection.
• Lin Ze gave his blood to the dying white tiger, but it only stabilized its breathing.
• Lin Ze asked the Six-Eared Monkey to hide with the white tiger until he returned with medicine, then prepared the cave area and began thinking of a name for the monkey.

Lin Ze named the Six-Eared Monkey Qingtian and left him to guard the unconscious little white tiger while he returned to Konoha. At the Hokage's office, Lin Ze gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a false account of the mission and escaped the immediate consequences, though he knew Kumogakure would likely target him.

• Lin Ze named the Six-Eared Monkey Qingtian, who accepted the name and agreed to guard the little white tiger.
• Lin Ze left Qingtian hidden in a tree hollow with the unconscious little white tiger and hurried back to Konoha.
• Lin Ze told Hiruzen Sarutobi that Kumogakure's 'Crow' unit had ambushed Squad B-5 and that he had escaped after the team split up.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi believed Lin Ze's account, reassigned the follow-up investigation, and ordered people to retrieve Fox and the others.
• Lin Ze left the office knowing Kumogakure would likely put him on its kill list, while Hiruzen Sarutobi might suspect Kirigakure if he later heard that Black Crow's force had been wiped out.

Lin Ze used a low-risk mission as cover to treat the critically injured white tiger in the forest, then returned to Konoha with the intelligence scroll. He left Qingtian to care for the stabilized but unconscious tiger and began considering how to visit them again.

• Lin Ze gathered medicine and animal-care supplies, then waited two days before volunteering for a C-Rank mission to the eastern border.
• After leaving Konoha, Lin Ze changed course and followed his connection with Qingtian to the forest, where he found the white tiger close to death.
• Lin Ze treated the white tiger with nutrient solution, ointment, herbs, warmth, and chakra until its breathing strengthened and its condition stabilized.
• Lin Ze showed Qingtian how to feed and medicate the tiger, left supplies, and hurried away to complete his mission.
• Lin Ze collected the intelligence scroll and returned to Konoha on time, then headed toward the ANBU dormitory while thinking about his next visit.

Lin Ze visited the injured members of Squad B-5 and accepted Fox’s apology for sending him to draw away their pursuers. After learning that two Kumogakure pursuers survived and might target him, Lin Ze returned to his routine and went to ANBU’s equipment office, where he chose two masks, with the reason left unexplained.

• Lin Ze learned that Squad B-5 had returned wounded and went to Konoha Hospital to see Fox, Gray Wolf, and Night Owl.
• Night Owl explained that Gray Wolf had nearly died protecting her and that Minato Namikaze had rescued them with Flying Thunder God.
• Fox privately apologized for directing Black Crow and most of the pursuers toward Lin Ze, and Lin Ze accepted his decision without revealing his full strength.
• A nurse confirmed that Gray Wolf was improving, and Lin Ze learned that two of the pursuers had survived and might come after him.
• Lin Ze resumed training and visiting his recovering teammates, then went to ANBU’s logistics and equipment office and selected two masks.

Lin Ze visited Qingtian and Little White Tiger, discovered that his tongue-tip blood greatly accelerated their growth at a severe cost to himself, and supported Qingtian’s decision to return to Peach Paradise. He left the two in Qingtian’s care and headed back to complete his patrol mission.

• Lin Ze collected a Monkey Mask and an Azure Dragon mask, reserving the latter for a future occasion.
• Lin Ze found Qingtian caring for the recovering Little White Tiger in the forest and praised Qingtian for its efforts.
• Lin Ze gave both creatures tongue-tip blood, leaving himself weak while producing more pronounced changes in their bodies.
• Lin Ze asked Qingtian to return to Konoha, but Qingtian chose to go back to Peach Paradise and regain its standing among the Enma Clan.
• Lin Ze entrusted Little White Tiger to Qingtian, left them supplies, and watched them depart for Peach Paradise before returning to his patrol mission.

Dodai told the Third Raikage that the Crow Unit had suffered devastating losses while pursuing a Konoha ANBU squad, including the deaths of Black Crow and his team. The Raikage learned that the ANBU codename Aoda was involved and ordered intelligence gathered about Aoda, the cryptic message “Azure Dragon,” and possible Kirigakure activity.

• Dodai reported that ten of the Crow Unit’s twelve members had died during an encounter with four Konoha ANBU.
• Dodai explained that Black Crow recognized Aoda as the Konoha ninja involved in Toroi’s death and led a team to pursue him.
• Dodai revealed that Minato Namikaze’s intervention had caused heavy losses among the teams pursuing the other ANBU, while Black Crow’s six-man team had been wiped out.
• Dodai said Black Crow’s final message had been “Azure Dragon,” and the Third Raikage questioned what the words meant.
• Dodai reported that he had ordered spies to investigate Aoda and Azure Dragon, while also checking for unusual Kirigakure activity.

The Third Raikage ordered Dodai to investigate Aoda and Azure Dragon before returning to the front. At the Orphanage, Lin Ze rejected the idea of fleeing Konoha with Yumi and Ayumi, reaffirmed his promise to protect the Orphanage, and continued studying sealing techniques as he worried the girls might soon be sent to war.

• The Third Raikage ordered Dodai to investigate Konoha, Kirigakure, Aoda, and Azure Dragon, then left for the battlefield.
• Lin Ze considered taking Yumi and Ayumi away from Konoha but concluded that fleeing would expose them to danger and abandon the Orphanage.
• Lin Ze remembered his promise to Nonō and the bonds he had formed with the Orphanage residents, deciding he could not leave them behind.
• Lin Ze summoned two Shadow Clones to study sealing theory while he reflected on Yumi and Ayumi nearing the age when wartime rules might send them to the Academy.

Lin Ze worried that Yumi and Ayumi would be sent to the front lines as the war worsened. After weighing safer assignments against asking Hiruzen Sarutobi directly, he decided to request an audience with the Third Hokage the next day.

• Lin Ze recalled the growing casualty list and feared Yumi and Ayumi might be drafted to the front after graduating.
• Lin Ze considered who in Konoha could protect the girls, but found no trusted ally with enough influence.
• Lin Ze weighed helping the girls qualify for the Medical Team or Intelligence Division against asking Hiruzen Sarutobi to assign them permanently to noncombat duties.
• Lin Ze chose to seek an audience with Hiruzen Sarutobi, despite the risk of revealing how much he cared about the orphanage children.
• Lin Ze dispelled his Shadow Clones and prepared to rest before meeting the Hokage the next day.

Lin Ze asked Hiruzen Sarutobi to keep Yumi and Ayumi from the Orphanage away from the front lines after they graduated. Hiruzen agreed to assign them to Konoha Hospital’s medical training department, leaving Lin Ze surprised and wary of how readily his request was accepted.

• Lin Ze visited Hiruzen Sarutobi at the Hokage Building and reported that Gray Wolf was recovering in the hospital.
• Lin Ze asked Hiruzen to assign Yumi and Ayumi to safer departments after their Ninja Academy graduation instead of sending them to the front lines.
• Hiruzen considered Lin Ze’s attachment to the Orphanage children and their low chances of surviving frontline duty.
• Hiruzen agreed to personally assign Yumi and Ayumi to study in the medical training department under Konoha Hospital.
• Lin Ze felt relieved but became wary because Hiruzen had granted his request so easily.

Lin Ze secured Hiruzen Sarutobi’s promise to protect Yumi and Ayumi, while realizing the Hokage had tied their safety to his continued service and value to Konoha. After leaving the Hokage Building, Lin Ze met Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma, and Rei Uesugi, then accepted Kurenai’s invitation to lunch.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Lin Ze’s concern for the Orphanage and promised the village would protect Yumi and Ayumi, while making clear Lin Ze would need to prove his value.
• Lin Ze thanked Hiruzen Sarutobi, left the Hokage Building, and recognized that the promise bound him to Konoha through his loved ones’ safety.
• On his way back to the Orphanage, Lin Ze encountered Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma, and Rei Uesugi returning from a C-Rank escort mission.
• Lin Ze noticed Asuma and Rei Uesugi seemed unusually attentive to each other, while Rei teased Kurenai about inviting him to lunch.
• Kurenai Yuhi invited Lin Ze to eat at her home, and he accepted as the group headed there.

Lin Ze visited Kurenai Yuhi’s home and shared lunch with Kurenai, her parents, Asuma, and Rei. He reflected on Yuhi Shinku’s future death during the Nine-Tails’ Rampage and resolved to grow strong enough to protect those close to him.

• Kurenai brought Lin Ze, Asuma, and Rei to her family home, where Yuhi Aoi welcomed them warmly.
• Yuhi Shinku returned from a mission break, greeted Lin Ze, and remarked on his rapid growth and ANBU experience.
• Yuhi Aoi showered Lin Ze with food and questions during lunch while Kurenai blushed and tried to quiet her mother.
• Lin Ze reflected on Yuhi Shinku’s fate in the Nine-Tails’ Rampage and decided he needed more strength to protect the people important to him.
• After lunch, Lin Ze thanked the family and said goodbye to Kurenai, then stopped himself from patting her head when he noticed Yuhi Aoi watching.

Lin Ze told everyone at the Orphanage that Hiruzen Sarutobi had secured Yumi and Ayumi places in the medical training department after graduation. The children began preparing for the required assessment with Nonō's old books and notes.

• Lin Ze returned to the Orphanage with Rei Uesugi and announced that he had important news for everyone.
• Lin Ze explained that Hiruzen Sarutobi had promised Yumi and Ayumi places in the medical training department after graduation.
• Miyamoto Ichirō, Rei Uesugi, Yumi, and Ayumi celebrated the news, and Lin Ze explained that the girls would train to become medical ninja rather than go to the front lines.
• Miyamoto Ichirō recalled that Nonō had left medical textbooks and notes, and Rei Uesugi helped retrieve them from Nonō's former room.
• Lin Ze gave Yumi and Ayumi the books and told them to study and practice chakra control for their assessment.

After recovering from their injuries, Squad B-5 received orders to guard Tsunade at a medical logistics base in the Land of Fire. The squad reached the base and met Tsunade, where Lin Ze considered why she had been assigned there.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned the recovered Squad B-5 to guard Tsunade and the medical logistics base against possible attacks.
• Lin Ze changed his mask to avoid being recognized by Black Crow, and Fox led the squad out of Konoha.
• After nearly two days of travel, Squad B-5 reached the base and met its commander, Sugimoto.
• Sugimoto guided Squad B-5 to the main medical tent, where they met Tsunade.