Chapter Summaries

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.

Lin Ze, disguised as Suzaku, negotiated with the priestess of the Land of Demons for access to basic sealing records in exchange for eliminating bandits corrupted by Dark Chakra. He left with the mission scroll and headed toward the border, hoping the records would help him break the Ryūmyaku seal Minato Namikaze had left behind.

• Lin Ze entered the priestess’s palace and asked to study materials about the Bloodline Contract Seal.
• The priestess refused to share the core secret but offered access to basic contract-rune principles and non-core records if Lin Ze proved his value and sincerity.
• The priestess gave Lin Ze a scroll detailing bandits suspected of Dark Chakra corruption and tasked him with eliminating them and retrieving any Dark Crystals in exchange for three days with permitted sealing records.
• Lin Ze and the priestess agreed to contact each other through Mercenary Guild commissions addressed to Suzaku.
• After leaving the palace, Lin Ze checked that no one was following him and headed toward the Land of Demons’ border to study the scroll and complete the mission.

Lin Ze completed his mission to retrieve Dark Crystals and earned three days to study the Land of Demons’ Contract Seals. After learning that Sara was the key to safely accessing the Ryūmyaku, he left for Konoha to report and prepare his next moves.

• Lin Ze defeated Dark Chakra-corrupted bandits, recovered their Dark Crystals, and returned to the Land of Demons’ capital.
• Lin Ze delivered the crystals to the priestess, who granted him three days to study Contract Seals with an attendant available to answer basic questions.
• Lin Ze learned that the Ryūmyaku’s seal relied on ancient contractual rules and that Sara, the queen of Rōran, was its rightful inheritor and the safest point of intervention.
• Lin Ze studied the scrolls with the aid of five Shadow Clones, improving his understanding of Contract Seals and the Ryūmyaku’s seal.
• After his study period ended, Lin Ze left the palace and headed back to Konoha to report on his mission and pursue Artificial Tailed Beast technology from Orochimaru.

Lin Ze reunited with Qingtian in the Land of Fire and discovered that the monkey had grown stronger, more intelligent, and more dragon-like after a year in Peach Paradise. Qingtian had earned some respect in its clan but still struggled to master its weapon-transformation ability, though it promised Lin Ze it would soon be able to help him.

• Lin Ze summoned Qingtian in a remote forest and was astonished by its growth and transformation over the past year.
• Qingtian spoke to Lin Ze in halting human language and insisted on calling him Master because he had saved it, strengthened it, and given it a name.
• Qingtian told Lin Ze it had won several fights in Peach Paradise but still wanted to prove itself further.
• Qingtian demonstrated speed approaching an ordinary Jōnin’s Body Flicker Technique, strength capable of shattering a huge boulder, and keen sensory abilities.
• Qingtian tried to transform its arm into a weapon but could not control the unstable process, and it told Lin Ze it would soon be able to help him.

Lin Ze visited Qingtian and White Tiger, tested how much they had grown, and strengthened them with his essence blood. After leaving them, he considered building an army of loyal Summoning Beasts enhanced by his blood.

• Lin Ze praised Qingtian for reaching the threshold of transformation and urged him to keep building a solid foundation.
• Qingtian summoned White Tiger, who had grown into a massive, powerful beast with remarkable speed, strength, and reflexes.
• Lin Ze tested White Tiger’s abilities and judged his speed to be close to Special Jōnin level.
• Lin Ze fed two drops of essence blood to Qingtian and two to White Tiger, further refining their strength and potential.
• Lin Ze signed a Summoning Contract with White Tiger, told both companions to keep growing, and left the forest.
• Lin Ze considered using his blood to create an army of powerful, loyal Summoning Beasts.

Lin Ze tested how his blood affected ordinary beasts and discovered they could not withstand its power, abandoning his plan to create an army of beasts. After returning to Konoha, he reported on Sunagakure and used his two days off to seek Fox.

• Lin Ze fed ordinary blood to a wolf and a black bear, and both rampaged before their bodies collapsed and burst apart.
• Lin Ze gave a mountain leopard one drop of essence blood, which caused it to explode almost instantly, confirming that ordinary beasts could not survive his blood’s power.
• Lin Ze abandoned his idea of building an army of beasts, though he considered testing his blood on the intelligent toads and snakes at Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave.
• Lin Ze burned away all traces of the experiments with Dragon Breath and returned to Konoha before his mission deadline.
• Lin Ze gave Hiruzen Sarutobi a report on Sunagakure’s postwar weakness and received two days off.
• Lin Ze went to the ANBU logistics office to ask about Fox and Root’s base, then found Fox sorting documents in an archive room.

Lin Ze returned from his mission, learned more about Root from Fox, and received an invitation to Gray Wolf and Night Owl’s wedding. He planned to attend and decided to offer Night Owl a chance to form a Summoning Contract with White Tiger.

• Lin Ze visited Fox in logistics, who warned him about Root and shared possible locations of its secret bases.
• Fox gave Lin Ze an invitation to the wedding of Heishi Kenji and Chiba Aya, with Kirigakure Hisanobu as witness.
• Lin Ze learned that Gray Wolf had also been transferred to logistics and that Night Owl had recovered from the puppet poison and returned to ANBU missions.
• Lin Ze decided White Tiger could help protect Night Owl and grow through field experience.
• Lin Ze bought a practical wedding gift and left Night Owl a note asking her to visit the Orphanage after the ceremony.

Lin Ze located two Root bases while searching for Yamato, then attended Gray Wolf and Chiba Aya’s intimate wedding. Yamato had not yet appeared, and Lin Ze’s Shadow Clones remained on stakeout.

• Lin Ze decided to track down Yamato and secretly gather information about him before approaching Orochimaru.
• Lin Ze sensed and marked two underground Root bases near the Forest of Death and the lower Naka River, leaving Shadow Clones to watch for Yamato.
• Lin Ze returned to the Orphanage and waited while his Shadow Clones kept watch, but neither detected Yamato overnight.
• Lin Ze went to Gray Wolf’s wedding and saw him marry Chiba Aya in a small gathering of friends and teammates.

After attending Gray Wolf and Night Owl’s wedding, Lin Ze gave Night Owl’s new ANBU squad a powerful safeguard by letting her sign a summoning contract with Xiao Bai. He resumed his training while waiting for Yamato to appear, determined to obtain the power of the Ryūmyaku.

• Fox officiated Gray Wolf and Night Owl’s simple wedding, and the couple thanked Lin Ze for supporting them as a teammate.
• After the wedding, Lin Ze summoned Xiao Bai and offered to let Night Owl sign a contract with the white tiger for protection on ANBU missions.
• Night Owl accepted Lin Ze’s gift, signed the Summoning Contract scroll as Chiba Aya, and promised to keep Xiao Bai’s origins secret.
• Lin Ze saw Night Owl off, noted that his shadow clone had not reported Yamato’s appearance, and resumed his Taijutsu and Sealing Jutsu training.

Lin Ze accepted an S-Rank mission to investigate Kirigakure and traveled to the Land of Water, gathering reports of growing tension and tighter security. He remained in a coastal tavern, listening for more intelligence as a new figure entered.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered Lin Ze to infiltrate the Land of Water and assess Kirigakure’s intentions and internal situation.
• Lin Ze checked his shadow clones’ surveillance of Root’s bases, found no sign of Yamato, and left two chakra-rich clones to continue watching.
• Lin Ze traveled disguised as a merchant to the Land of Water, recovering his chakra along the way.
• Lin Ze spent two days collecting intelligence around a coastal island and learned that Kirigakure was tense internally and tightening its outside defenses.
• A figure entered the tavern where Lin Ze was listening to the locals.

Lin Ze recognized Hiruko in a tavern and decided to wait until the Chimera Technique was more mature before pursuing it. After confirming signs of Kirigakure preparing to deploy toward the Land of Wind, he headed for the village’s outskirts to gather firsthand intelligence.

• Lin Ze spotted Hiruko and identified him as a rogue ninja developing the Chimera Technique.
• Lin Ze considered approaching Hiruko but held back because his strength was unknown and the technique was likely incomplete.
• Hiruko left the tavern without noticing Lin Ze, who resolved to prioritize securing the Ryūmyaku before pursuing Kekkei Genkai fusion.
• Lin Ze judged from merchant reports and other intelligence that Kirigakure was preparing to move against the Land of Wind.
• Lin Ze left town and raced toward Kirigakure to scout its outskirts.