Chapter Summaries

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.

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.