Recaps

Lin Ze’s ANBU squad guarded Tsunade’s medical base, where he observed how severely her fear of blood affected her. After the squad intercepted an Iwagakure reconnaissance team and one scout escaped, Tsunade decided to defend the base rather than move its critically wounded patients.

• Tsunade recognized Lin Ze from the Ninja Academy assessment and assigned Squad B-5 to guard the medical base.
• Shizune explained the camp’s rules and duties, and Squad B-5 began routine patrols and security checks.
• Over the next ten days, Lin Ze saw Tsunade struggle to remain near bloodied patients and leave their treatment to Shizune.
• Fox reported that Squad B-5 had killed four Iwagakure scouts, but a fifth had escaped.
• Tsunade rejected relocating the base because the journey could kill critically wounded patients, and ordered stronger defenses while requesting reinforcements.

Tsunade refused to abandon the medical base, and Kitsuchi led an Iwagakure assault to capture her and destroy the camp. Konoha’s defenders held the line at first, but Tsunade’s fear of blood took hold, forcing Fox to order a retreat with Lin Ze and the others protecting her.

• Tsunade decided to keep the camp in place and wait for reinforcements despite the danger of an Iwagakure attack.
• After two tense days, Kitsuchi arrived before dawn with dozens of elite Iwagakure ninja and demanded that Tsunade surrender or the base would be destroyed.
• Kitsuchi ordered his forces to attack, and Tsunade joined the Konoha defenders while Lin Ze and his squad guarded her.
• As casualties spread blood across the battlefield, Tsunade froze, and Fox ordered the defenders to fall back while protecting her.

As Iwagakure pushed Konoha’s defenders toward collapse, Lin Ze realized Tsunade was likely waiting for Orochimaru to arrive as backup. When Kitsuchi attacked Tsunade and Shizune, Lin Ze opened the Fifth Gate and stopped his stone fist, revealing far more power than he had let on.

• Kitsuchi noticed Tsunade’s deteriorating condition and ordered Iwagakure’s elites to attack, worsening Konoha’s defense.
• Lin Ze suspected Tsunade had secretly contacted Orochimaru and chose to conceal his strength while protecting her and Shizune.
• Kitsuchi joined the assault and sent a massive stone fist toward Tsunade, while Fox’s Earth-Style Wall broke under the attack.
• Lin Ze opened the Fifth Gate and punched Kitsuchi’s stone fist apart, saving Tsunade and Shizune while pretending the effort had badly injured him.
• The battlefield fell silent as the Konoha ninja, Tsunade, and Lin Ze’s teammates reacted with shock to his strength.

Orochimaru arrived in time to save Tsunade and the Konoha medical camp from Kitsuchi’s attack, forcing the Iwagakure troops to retreat. After the battle, Orochimaru showed keen interest in Lin Ze’s physique, while Tsunade thanked the young ANBU who had helped defend her.

• Orochimaru restrained Kitsuchi with giant pythons and recognized Lin Ze after he used the Eight Gates Released Formation.
• Kitsuchi ordered the Iwagakure forces to retreat, and Orochimaru drove them off with his techniques rather than pursuing Kitsuchi to kill him.
• Kitsuchi escaped underground, while Konoha’s forces defeated or captured most of the remaining Iwagakure ninjas.
• Orochimaru spoke with Tsunade and praised Lin Ze’s performance, remarking that his body was interesting.
• Tsunade thanked Lin Ze and asked about his injuries, and he said he only needed rest.

After Orochimaru took an interest in Lin Ze, Squad B-5 continued guarding Tsunade and Konoha’s new medical base. In Kumogakure, the Third Raikage ordered Dodai to capture Might Duy as bait to draw Lin Ze out.

• Orochimaru left Lin Ze with a warning that he expected to see more from him, while Lin Ze realized Orochimaru had marked him as a promising prospect.
• Squad B-5 guarded Tsunade and the new medical base as Konoha reinforced its defenses against Iwagakure’s continued raids.
• Dodai reported that Kumogakure’s costly investigation had identified Aoda as Lin Ze but had failed to uncover how he defeated Black Crow or what Azure Dragon was.
• The Third Raikage refused to activate Kumogakure’s sleeper agents and agreed with Dodai to lure Lin Ze out through someone close to him.
• The Third Raikage ordered Dodai to send an ANBU squad to capture Might Duy alive, or kill him if necessary, and publicize the news as bait for Lin Ze.

During three months on the battlefield, Lin Ze continued training while Tsunade’s fear of blood worsened. Elsewhere, Might Duy defeated a Kumogakure ANBU squad sent to capture him and lure Lin Ze out, leaving Kumogakure’s plan thwarted.

• Lin Ze continued summoning Qingtian, training his physique and perception, and sending blood back for Little White Tiger.
• Tsunade’s fear of blood grew worse, and she increasingly stayed in the command tent while Shizune relayed her orders.
• Might Duy was ambushed in a forest by four masked ninja who ordered him to come with them.
• Might Duy opened the Sixth Gate, defeated the three special jōnin with his attacks, and chased down the remaining jōnin.
• Might Duy left without learning that the attackers were a Kumogakure ANBU squad meant to lure Lin Ze out.

Lin Ze received Tsunade’s permission to rescue Ryota Uchiha’s squad, which was being pursued by three Iwagakure Special Jōnin. He arrived in time to confront the pursuers and opened the Fourth Gate, leaving the fight’s outcome unresolved as he punched through an Earth-Style Wall.

• Lin Ze sensed Ryota Uchiha and two injured teammates fleeing three Iwagakure ninja, then sought Tsunade’s permission to investigate.
• Tsunade authorized Lin Ze to support the endangered Konoha squad and ordered him to return safely.
• Ryota refused to abandon his injured teammates, but despaired as the pursuing Iwagakure ninja kept closing in.
• Lin Ze appeared beside the squad, confirmed Ryota’s identity and Two-Tomoe Sharingan, and told them to stay back.
• Lin Ze opened the Fourth Gate and struck the lead Iwagakure ninja, sending him crashing through a tree.
• The other two Iwagakure ninja used Earth Release techniques, and Lin Ze punched directly into their Earth-Style Wall.

Lin Ze rescued Ryota Uchiha and two teammates from three Iwagakure ninja, then accepted Ryota's thanks and apology. After recovering at the medical base, Ryota and his teammates prepared to resume their unfinished reconnaissance mission.

• Lin Ze used the Eight Gates Released Formation to defeat three Iwagakure Special Jōnin in seconds and save Ryota Uchiha and his two teammates.
• Ryota told Lin Ze that his squad had been transferred to the Northwest Front for a secret reconnaissance mission, where three other teammates had died.
• Tsunade saw the wounded survivors and hurried back to the main tent, leaving Shizune to arrange their treatment.
• Ryota thanked Lin Ze and apologized for targeting him at the Ninja Academy, and Lin Ze accepted without discussing the Eight Gates further.
• After resting for a day, Ryota and his teammates thanked Lin Ze again and set off to continue their reconnaissance mission.

Tsunade's worsening hemophobia led her to leave the medical base and return to Konoha, escorted by Squad B-5. During the journey, she privately spoke with Lin Ze about his Uzumaki heritage and taijutsu before admitting she would not return to the front for now.

• Lin Ze reflected that his intervention had changed Ryota Uchiha's fate by helping his squad escape their pursuers.
• Tsunade's hemophobia worsened until she shut herself away in the main tent, leaving Shizune to manage the medical base.
• Tsunade announced that she would return to Konoha and ordered Squad B-5 to escort her and Shizune.
• Squad B-5 left the base with Tsunade and Shizune, taking a secluded route to avoid Iwagakure ninja.
• Tsunade asked Lin Ze to remove his mask, recognized his Uzumaki bloodline, and praised his taijutsu talent.
• Tsunade told Lin Ze that she would soon return to Konoha and would not be able to go to the front lines for the time being.

Tsunade gave Lin Ze the Chakra Enhanced Strength scroll and instructed him as he studied the technique on their journey back to Konoha. When the squad sensed a weak group ahead, Tsunade ordered them to continue unless the strangers became a threat.

• Tsunade gave Lin Ze the Chakra Enhanced Strength scroll and offered to answer his questions on the way back to Konoha.
• Lin Ze studied the scroll and practiced concentrating chakra precisely, while Tsunade patiently corrected his mistakes.
• Several days into the journey, Night Owl detected seven or eight people ahead, including two with no chakra.
• Tsunade ordered the squad to ignore the group and keep moving, but to eliminate them if they caused trouble.

Lin Ze confronted Kōhan Hikawa and his roadside bandits, using Chakra Enhanced Strength to shatter a rock and scatter them. Tsunade praised his control but told him to practice directing more of his power into the point of impact.

• Tsunade sent Lin Ze ahead to deal with the bandits and practice Chakra Enhanced Strength while she and the others stayed back.
• Kōhan Hikawa mistook Lin Ze for easy prey and ordered his followers to attack after Lin Ze refused to move aside.
• Lin Ze concentrated chakra into his fist and shattered a large rock, the resulting blast knocking the attackers to the ground.
• Kōhan Hikawa recognized Lin Ze's strength, knelt, and begged for mercy, as did his followers.
• Tsunade assessed Lin Ze's technique and told him he had wasted nearly thirty percent of his strength by letting it disperse.

After Tsunade tacitly authorized Fox and Gray Wolf to dispose of the bandits, Lin Ze’s team returned safely to Konoha and received only two days of rest before their next mission. Lin Ze went to the Orphanage and began training Chakra Enhanced Strength, focusing on concentrating its power more precisely.

• Tsunade ignored Lin Ze’s question about the bandits, then glanced at Fox, who understood that she had authorized their deaths without wanting to witness them.
• Fox told Gray Wolf to keep the execution clean, and Gray Wolf killed the bandits before rejoining the group.
• Lin Ze and Squad B-5 returned safely to Konoha, where the ANBU unit captain gave them two days to rest before new orders.
• Lin Ze visited the Orphanage, greeted Miyamoto Ichirō, Yumi, and Ayumi, and learned that Rei Uesugi was away on a mission.
• Lin Ze summoned five shadow clones to study sealing jutsu and practice chakra control while he trained Chakra Enhanced Strength by striking small stones with concentrated chakra.

Lin Ze redeemed the Four Symbols Seal from the ANBU ninjutsu library to investigate the seal Minato Namikaze used on the Ryūmyaku. Back at the Orphanage, he began studying the scroll while continuing to refine his chakra control.

• Lin Ze realized that training in Chakra Enhanced Strength and sealing jutsu improved his chakra control in complementary ways.
• After mastering the basics of Uzumaki sealing jutsu, Lin Ze decided to seek advanced sealing knowledge to help him undo the seal on the Ryūmyaku.
• Lin Ze visited the ANBU ninjutsu library and found the Four Symbols Seal and Adamantine Sealing Chains in the newly available catalog.
• Lin Ze chose to redeem the Four Symbols Seal, reasoning that its precise sealing was better suited to the Ryūmyaku's energy than the chains' binding.
• Lin Ze returned to the Orphanage and used shadow clones to study the Four Symbols Seal while he continued chakra-control training.

Lin Ze and Squad B-5 were sent to the Battle of Kikyo Pass after Sunagakure declared war on Konoha and Rasa launched a surprise attack. Under Orochimaru’s command, the squad was assigned to the assault force, leaving Lin Ze wary of being deployed as an expendable spearhead.

• Lin Ze trained in Chakra Enhanced Strength and the Four Symbols Seal, identifying absolute control as the link between his abilities.
• Squad B-5 spent months on dangerous border missions, and Lin Ze helped the squad survive every encounter.
• Fox received orders that Sunagakure had declared war and Rasa was leading an attack on the Kikyo Mountain region.
• Squad B-5 raced to Kikyo Mountain and saw Sunagakure’s gold dust attacks inflicting heavy losses on Konoha’s defenders.
• Orochimaru assigned Squad B-5 to the assault force and ordered them to await the counterattack.
• Lin Ze considered the battle’s likely consequences and grew wary that Orochimaru might use the squad as expendable spearheads.

Orochimaru sent Squad B-5 and two other squads behind Sunagakure’s lines to destroy a supply route, though he knew the route was partly a trap and wanted to test Lin Ze under pressure. After a forced march, Lin Ze spotted a guarded supply convoy and prepared to ambush it.

• Orochimaru ordered Squad B-5 to infiltrate Sunagakure’s rear and cut off its supplies alongside two independently operating squads.
• Lin Ze recognized the mission’s resemblance to the later Battle of Kannabi Bridge and worried that his team would be treated as expendable.
• After the squads departed, Orochimaru revealed that the supply-route intelligence was partly false and that Sunagakure had laid a trap, which he planned to use to observe Lin Ze.
• Squad B-5 reached the designated area after a night march, and Fox ordered the team to take concealed positions and watch for the convoy.
• Lin Ze detected a convoy with numerous guards, skilled ninja, and disguised laborers, then signaled Fox while the other Konoha squads waited in ambush.

Lin Ze and three Konoha squads ambushed a Sunagakure convoy, only to discover it was bait for a larger force. As Pakura joined the battle and singled out Lin Ze, he prepared to find a way to save his teammates.

• Lin Ze sensed something was wrong but joined Fox's signal to attack the Sunagakure convoy with the other Konoha squads.
• Fox, Gray Wolf, and Night Owl engaged the Sunagakure officers while the remaining Konoha shinobi attacked the guards and laborers.
• Lin Ze noticed the defenders were fighting mechanically and realized the convoy was bait for an ambush.
• More than thirty elite Sunagakure shinobi emerged and surrounded the Konoha squads, cutting off their escape.
• Pakura arrived and mocked Lin Ze for being a child, while Lin Ze resolved to help Fox and the others escape.

Lin Ze stayed behind to face Pakura while Fox and the other survivors escaped, then unleashed the Eight Gates Released Formation and fought off her Scorch Release. The battle continued at close range, where Lin Ze's strength and chakra defense shocked Pakura.

• Fox ordered his squad to scatter as the Sunagakure forces surrounded them and pursued the escaping Konoha ninja.
• Pakura ordered the Sunagakure Jōnin to kill Fox's squad and advanced on Lin Ze and Fox herself.
• Lin Ze stayed behind to hold off Pakura while Fox, Gray Wolf, and Night Owl broke through the encirclement and escaped.
• Lin Ze opened the Fifth Gate, startling Pakura with his immense chakra, and dodged her Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder.
• Lin Ze's Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique clashed with Pakura's Scorch Release and neutralized it.
• Pakura attacked Lin Ze at close range, but he countered with Chakra Enhanced Strength and forced her back.

Lin Ze killed a Sunagakure jōnin and fought Pakura before luring her into a prolonged clash in the forest. Pakura withdrew, while Orochimaru observed Lin Ze in the form of a white snake and grew interested in his abilities.

• Lin Ze struck down the Sunagakure jōnin with one Chakra Enhanced Strength punch while fighting Pakura.
• Lin Ze used a feigned opening to escape the encirclement, then turned to fight Pakura again when she pursued him.
• Lin Ze and Pakura fought through the forest, neither able to overcome the other.
• Lin Ze warned Pakura and maintained an aggressive stance until she decided to withdraw.
• Lin Ze deactivated the Gate of Limit and pretended to collapse after Pakura left.
• Orochimaru watched as a little white snake and remarked on Lin Ze's abilities and hidden secrets.

After returning to Kikyo Mountain, Lin Ze learned that his squad had suffered heavy casualties and was summoned by Orochimaru, who questioned his abilities and tried to recruit him. Lin Ze reaffirmed his loyalty to Konoha, but left convinced that Orochimaru was watching him and had used the mission to test his strength.

• Lin Ze returned to Kikyo Mountain, where Fox reported that Gray Wolf had lost an arm, Night Owl had been poisoned, and only two captains from the other squads had survived.
• An ANBU messenger summoned Lin Ze to meet Orochimaru at the frontline command post.
• Orochimaru praised Lin Ze for driving back Pakura and killing a Sunagakure jōnin, then questioned how quickly he had recovered from using the Eight Gates Released Formation.
• Lin Ze attributed his recovery to his Uzumaki bloodline and rejected Orochimaru's invitation to explore life beyond Konoha's Will of Fire.
• Orochimaru dismissed Lin Ze while hinting that he remained interested in his potential, and Lin Ze suspected the mission had been arranged to test him.

Lin Ze considered trading information about Yamato to Orochimaru for artificial tailed beast research, while avoiding any bargain that would let Orochimaru study him. After Konoha’s costly victory at Kikyo Pass, Lin Ze headed back to the village with Fox, where Squad B-5 was likely to be disbanded and Lin Ze might be offered command of a new unit.

• Lin Ze decided Konoha’s research and Orochimaru’s access to it could help him learn how to use the Ryūmyaku, and considered offering information or tissue samples from Yamato in exchange.
• Konoha won a costly victory at Kikyo Pass, and Sunagakure withdrew from the Third Shinobi World War after its supply lines were sabotaged.
• Lin Ze gained a reputation on the battlefield as “Konoha Aoda” after surviving Pakura’s repeated attacks and killing several Sunagakure shinobi.
• After Gray Wolf and Night Owl were sent to Konoha for treatment, Fox joined another ANBU squad and Lin Ze’s Squad B-5 became unable to carry out missions.
• Lin Ze met Fox outside Kikyo Castle and began the journey back to Konoha, where Fox expected their squad to be disbanded and Lin Ze might become a unit leader.

After discovering Kabuto searching for food among the ruins near Kikyo Mountain, Lin Ze offered him shelter at the Konoha Orphanage. Kabuto accepted, and Lin Ze and Fox set out with him for Konoha.

• Lin Ze spotted a wary, hungry boy in the ruins and recognized him as Kabuto Yakushi.
• Lin Ze approached Kabuto, offered him food and water, and learned that he had no family.
• Lin Ze invited Kabuto to come to the Konoha Orphanage, and Kabuto agreed after giving his name.
• Lin Ze told Fox he was taking Kabuto to the orphanage, and Fox accepted his decision.
• Lin Ze and Fox began the journey back to Konoha with Kabuto.

After returning from the Battle of Kikyo Pass, Lin Ze attended Konoha’s victory ceremony and was summoned by Hiruzen Sarutobi. Hiruzen promoted him to jōnin, and Lin Ze left with the appointment and permission to take Kabuto to the Orphanage.

• Lin Ze returned to Konoha with Fox and Kabuto, while he reflected on the fallen ninja beneath the villagers’ cheers.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised the returning forces and commemorated the dead at the ceremony.
• An ANBU member summoned Lin Ze to the Hokage Building, and Lin Ze asked Fox to look after Kabuto.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reviewed Lin Ze’s battlefield record and promoted him to Konoha jōnin.
• Lin Ze accepted his appointment and jōnin vest, then received Hiruzen Sarutobi’s approval to take Kabuto to the Orphanage.

Lin Ze brought Kabuto to the Orphanage, gave him the temporary name Lin Dou, and then chose an independent role in the ANBU. Hiruzen Sarutobi assigned him to investigate Sunagakure after the armistice.

• Lin Ze brought Kabuto to the Orphanage, where Miyamoto Ichirō welcomed him, and gave him the temporary name Lin Dou.
• Lin Ze spent three quiet days at the Orphanage, teaching Lin Dou basic training and reading.
• An ANBU Ninja summoned Lin Ze to the Hokage's office to discuss his assignment after becoming a Jōnin.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi offered Lin Ze the choice of leading a new ANBU squad or working independently, and Lin Ze chose the independent role.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi named Lin Ze's outfit the ANBU Special Operations Unit and ordered him to investigate Sunagakure's strength and possible ties to other hidden villages.

Lin Ze accepted an S-Rank mission to investigate Sunagakure but traveled into the Land of Wind to find the Ryūmyaku at Rōran. He discovered the sealed power beneath the ruins and realized he lacked the skill and means to access it safely.

• Lin Ze accepted Hiruzen Sarutobi's mission to investigate Sunagakure and promised to return to Konoha within two months.
• Lin Ze told Miyamoto Ichirō and Kabuto he would be away, then left Konoha in disguise the next morning.
• Lin Ze avoided Sunagakure patrols and desert bandits while searching the Land of Wind for Rōran.
• On the fifteenth day, Lin Ze found Rōran's ruins and reached the altar beneath its tower.
• Lin Ze identified the Ryūmyaku's seal as a complex combination of the Four Symbols Seal, a Mount Myōboku natural energy seal, and a variant Bloodline Contract Seal.
• Lin Ze concluded that he could not safely break the seal or use the Ryūmyaku without greater Sealing Jutsu skill and a necessary token or specific conditions.

After studying the Ryūmyaku seal and gathering information on Sunagakure for Hiruzen Sarutobi, Lin Ze traveled to the Land of Demons to seek knowledge about bloodline-contract seals. He infiltrated the priestess’s palace and reached her bedchamber.

• Lin Ze sensed a faint resonance between his Azure Dragon power and the Ryūmyaku, then memorized the seal’s structure and energy patterns.
• Lin Ze left the underground altar and gathered information in the Land of Wind, concluding that Sunagakure was too strained to expand or hire outside forces.
• Lin Ze chose to visit the Land of Demons rather than exchange for the Contract Seal in Konoha’s archive, hoping to find clues about breaking bloodline-contract seals.
• Lin Ze acquired a dark red Vermilion Bird mask and traveled to the Land of Demons.
• Lin Ze slipped past the palace guards and infiltrated the priestess’s bedchamber.