Chapter Summaries

Lin Ze confirmed that Kirigakure’s elite forces had left to attack the Land of Wind, then visited an underground Bounty Station to raise money for his Kekkei Mōra research. He accepted two dangerous missions worth thirty-five million ryō and left to begin hunting.

• Lin Ze observed Kirigakure for five days and found no sign of its elite forces or the Third Mizukage.
• Lin Ze concluded that Kirigakure’s main forces had deployed to the Land of Wind and decided his reconnaissance was complete.
• Lin Ze traveled to a hidden Bounty Station in the Land of Water to earn funds for his research plans.
• Lin Ze accepted a bounty on a Kirigakure Elite Jōnin and a mission to eliminate a pirate band, worth thirty-five million ryō combined.
• Lin Ze left the Bounty Station with a one-month deadline to complete both missions.

Lin Ze finished a bounty mission by wiping out Dotō’s pirate hideout, then tracked the defected Kirigakure jōnin Hōzuki Zangetsu to a remote island. There, he watched Hōzuki fight four Kirigakure ANBU, including the young Mei Terumi, whose attack left her wounded.

• Lin Ze killed Dotō and defeated the pirates in their sea-cave hideout, then took the required proof and valuables.
• Lin Ze followed intelligence to a remote island and sensed Hōzuki Zangetsu battling four Kirigakure ANBU.
• Hōzuki used Water Release and the Hydrification Technique against the ANBU, while Mei Terumi attacked him with Lava Release.
• Hōzuki unleashed his Water Hail Secret Technique, and several needles struck Mei Terumi’s left arm and shoulder.

Lin Ze ambushed and killed Hōzuki Zangetsu, then collected the bounties for him and the Dotō pirate crew at the Land of Water's Bounty Station. He accepted several more missions as the name Suzaku began circulating among bounty hunters.

• The fox-masked ANBU captain took Hōzuki Zangetsu's attack while protecting Mei Terumi, and the ensuing fight left both sides wounded and exhausted.
• Lin Ze rushed in, pierced Hōzuki Zangetsu's heart with a lightning-charged strike, and sealed his body in a scroll.
• Lin Ze escaped the Kirigakure ANBU, and Mei Terumi learned his code name was Suzaku and memorized his appearance.
• At the Land of Water's Bounty Station, Lin Ze turned in the Pirate Captain's Token and Hōzuki Zangetsu's body and received twenty-eight million ryō.
• Lin Ze accepted several more missions worth roughly fifteen million ryō, while bounty hunters began circulating the name Suzaku.

After earning more than fifty million ryō through bounty missions in the Land of Water, Lin Ze returned to Konoha and received the memories of a Shadow Clone tracking Kinoe, who was later known as Yamato. He decided to intercept Kinoe on his squad’s return from the Land of Rain and headed to the Hokage Building with a cover story prepared.

• Lin Ze completed several bounty missions in the Land of Water, collected his rewards, and returned to Konoha before his mission deadline.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi praised Lin Ze’s intelligence report and granted him two days of rest.
• At the Orphanage, Lin Ze felt dizzy when his Shadow Clone dispersed and sent back nearly two months of memories.
• Lin Ze learned that Kinoe’s Root squad was conducting a mission near the border of the Land of Rain and decided to ambush them on their return to Konoha.
• Lin Ze prepared to leave the village under the pretext of searching for Summoning Beasts and headed toward the Hokage Building.

Lin Ze disguised himself and flew to the Land of Rain border, where he waited for Yamato’s squad to finish its mission and tracked them back toward Konoha. He chose a mountain pass for an ambush and hid as the four members of the squad approached.

• Lin Ze left Konoha, changed his appearance, and flew toward the Land of Rain border using the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon.
• Lin Ze met his Shadow Clone in a hidden cliff fissure and learned that Yamato’s squad was still at a temporary camp.
• Lin Ze waited until the squad headed back toward Konoha, then followed them through the night and into the Land of Fire.
• Lin Ze flew ahead and hid in a narrow mountain pass along the squad’s route.
• Yamato and the other three members of the Root squad entered the pass in formation.

Lin Ze ambushed Root, killed three of the four ninja, and secretly took a tissue sample from Yamato’s shoulder. He let the wounded Yamato survive and fled, leaving Yamato to return to Konoha with news of the attack.

• Lin Ze used Partial Beastification to kill the Root Jōnin and two Root Chunin in a sudden attack.
• Yamato used Wood Release to restrain Lin Ze, but Lin Ze tore through the trees and wounded him.
• Lin Ze secretly collected a small sample of Yamato’s blood and tissue from the shoulder wound.
• Lin Ze pretended to hear something, then left Yamato alive and vanished into the forest.
• Yamato bandaged his wound and headed toward Konoha to report the unknown enemy’s attack on Root.

Lin Ze returned to Konoha after stealing Yamato’s cells and considered establishing a base of his own. At the orphanage, Kabuto explained why he was studying medicine, prompting Lin Ze to revisit his ambitions and consider a future collaborator.

• Lin Ze escaped after stealing a sample of Yamato’s cells, then sensed a strange presence nearby before an azure afterimage appeared in a disrupted spatial rift.
• Lin Ze returned to Konoha with an alibi and expected Yamato’s report of the attack on Root to draw Danzo’s and Hiruzen Sarutobi’s attention.
• Lin Ze found Kabuto studying medical ninjutsu and medicinal herbs late at night.
• Kabuto told Lin Ze that witnessing people die had made him want to learn medicine and save lives.
• Lin Ze connected Kabuto’s desire to save people with his own search for control over his destiny and considered Orochimaru as a potential collaborator on kekkei mōra.

Lin Ze decided to train Kabuto as a trusted researcher for his Kekkei Mōra project instead of relying on Orochimaru. He planned to build a hidden laboratory beneath the Orphanage and outlined the cloning and Kekkei Genkai experiments he would eventually need.

• Lin Ze recognized Kabuto’s talent for medical research and decided to guide him into becoming his assistant.
• Lin Ze encouraged Kabuto to study and offered to help him learn from Konoha’s medical ninja.
• Lin Ze planned to use his bounty earnings to build a concealed underground laboratory beneath the Orphanage.
• Lin Ze reviewed his chakra natures and concluded that Kekkei Mōra required fusing all seven rather than merely possessing them.
• Lin Ze planned to obtain Hiruko’s Chimera Technique and test it on five elemental Kekkei Genkai Clones before risking his real body.

Lin Ze contacted Orochimaru to propose a deal for Konoha’s artificial tailed beast research documents. Orochimaru met him in the forest and asked what Lin Ze could offer in return, and Lin Ze began by mentioning Orochimaru’s Wood Release research.

• Lin Ze decided that obtaining the Rinnegan for his Yin Release plans would be difficult and set the idea aside while studying the Contract Seal.
• Lin Ze summoned the communication snake and sent Orochimaru a message requesting a meeting.
• Orochimaru received Lin Ze’s message and traveled to meet him in a forest near the Land of Fire’s front line.
• Lin Ze asked Orochimaru for the technical documents on artificial tailed beasts.
• Orochimaru asked Lin Ze what he would offer in exchange, and Lin Ze brought up Orochimaru’s research into Wood Release.

Orochimaru betrayed Lin Ze during their negotiation after discovering extraordinary vitality in a blood sample Lin Ze had left behind. Lin Ze fought back with the Eight Gates and Chakra Enhanced Strength, trying to prove himself dangerous enough to keep the trade alive.

• Lin Ze showed Orochimaru Yamato's sealed cell tissue as proof of a successful Wood Release test subject.
• Orochimaru attacked Lin Ze, who opened the fifth gate and dodged the strike.
• Orochimaru revealed that he had collected and analyzed Lin Ze's blood from the battlefield after his fight with Pakura.
• Orochimaru said Lin Ze's vitality rivaled the First's cell samples and declared Lin Ze a more accessible prize than the Wood Release tissue.
• Orochimaru launched a barrage of strange attacks and snakes, while Lin Ze fought back and retreated, judging that he needed to show his strength.

Lin Ze revealed his Azure Dragon power to stop Orochimaru from treating him as a captive specimen, but Orochimaru summoned Manda to test him further. Lin Ze deliberately intensified his dragon might, making Manda tremble with instinctive fear.

• Lin Ze entered his Pseudo Beastification Form and struck Orochimaru's snake swarm with a punch that cracked the Rashomon Orochimaru summoned to block it.
• Orochimaru recognized Lin Ze as a formidable potential partner, but summoned Manda to test the limits of his power.
• Manda demanded sacrifices and then noticed that Lin Ze's faint aura stirred an inexplicable fear deep in his bloodline.
• Lin Ze deliberately amplified his dragon might, and Manda shuddered under its overwhelming pressure.

Lin Ze used his dragon might to frighten Manda away, forcing Orochimaru to negotiate rather than fight. They exchanged Wood Release cells for artificial tailed beast research materials, and Lin Ze left with the scroll while Orochimaru remained intent on uncovering his secrets.

• Lin Ze intensified his dragon might and ordered Manda to leave, prompting Manda to abandon Orochimaru and flee to Ryūchi Cave.
• Orochimaru recognized that Lin Ze was too dangerous to attack and agreed to trade on equal terms.
• Orochimaru gave Lin Ze a scroll containing artificial tailed beast theories, sealing formulas, and experimental data, and Lin Ze handed over the Wood Release cells.
• Lin Ze left the forest, while Orochimaru vowed to obtain the secrets of Lin Ze's mysterious power.
• After reaching safety, Lin Ze deactivated the Eight Gates Released Formation and reflected that the trade had secured the artificial tailed beast technology.

After Yamato reported that a mysterious enemy with blue-green scales had nearly wiped out his Root team, Danzo enlisted Hiruzen’s help to investigate. Hiruzen sent Team C-2 to the attack site, and Night Owl set out with her squad.

• Yamato returned to Root and told Danzo that a dragon-clawed enemy had killed the captain and two Chunin and gravely wounded him.
• Danzo rebuked Yamato but decided to use Hiruzen’s resources to identify the attacker.
• Danzo told Hiruzen about the attack, and Hiruzen ordered ANBU to search the scene for clues, especially claw marks and scales.
• Hiruzen assigned Team C-2 to investigate the attack site, and Night Owl departed with her teammates.

Lin Ze studied Orochimaru’s artificial tailed beast scroll and realized the Ryūmyaku could serve as its powerful, stable chakra source, though he would first need sea dragon jade and mastery of the sealing formulas. He set out to complete his mission in the Land of Earth, while reflecting on how his transaction with Orochimaru had revealed more of his unusual constitution than he intended.

• Lin Ze studied the scroll and learned that artificial tailed beasts required a durable shell, complex sealing formulas, and rare sea dragon jade, and that they were prone to going berserk.
• Lin Ze concluded that the Ryūmyaku could power a more stable artificial tailed beast and planned to find sea dragon jade and study sealing jutsu at the ruins of the Land of Whirlpools.
• Lin Ze decided to complete Hiruzen Sarutobi’s S-Rank mission in the Land of Earth before pursuing the Ryūmyaku and his experiments.
• Two days after his transaction with Orochimaru, Lin Ze traveled through the Land of Earth and considered how Orochimaru had nearly discerned the nature of his unusual constitution from a small blood sample.
• Lin Ze recognized that Orochimaru’s increased interest in him had also made Orochimaru more willing to proceed with their transaction.

Lin Ze gathered intelligence in the Land of Earth while avoiding actions that might expose him, and he spotted toddler Deidara in a city near Iwagakure. He left Deidara alone and entered a secluded alley to pursue his plans.

• Lin Ze weighed the threat Orochimaru and Danzo might pose and resolved to strengthen himself by advancing the Kekkei Mōra Project.
• Lin Ze infiltrated the Land of Earth's rear, evaded Iwagakure patrols, and recorded supply routes and border outposts for his report to Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Lin Ze searched towns and black-market outposts near Iwagakure for rare materials needed to establish a laboratory.
• Lin Ze entered a city disguised as an itinerant merchant and noticed toddler Deidara handling chakra-infused clay in a courtyard.
• Lin Ze decided Deidara was too young to be a useful research target and followed secret information into a dead-end alley.

Lin Ze spent most of his fortune buying laboratory equipment and materials for Kabuto’s research, leaving him with less than five million ryō. To fund the laboratory, he accepted three bounty missions in the Land of Earth and set out for the northwestern mountains.

• Lin Ze bought basic laboratory equipment for Kabuto and expensive supplies for cell cloning and Sealing Jutsu research.
• Lin Ze discovered that his funds had fallen from over fifty million ryō to less than five million and decided to earn more money through bounty work.
• Lin Ze visited a Bounty Station in an abandoned mine and selected missions to hunt a defected member of Iwagakure’s Explosion Corps, eliminate border bandits, and obtain star-pattern iron from Death Valley.
• Lin Ze accepted the three missions separately to avoid drawing attention, then headed toward the northwestern Land of Earth to hunt the missing-nin.

Lin Ze completed two bounty missions near the Land of Earth’s borders and then reached Death Valley, where he tested his resistance to its toxic environment. He found that he could withstand the valley’s mild poisons, but remained cautious about stronger toxins as he prepared to enter.

• Lin Ze found and killed an Iwagakure rogue ninja in the Desolate Mountains, then collected proof of the kill.
• Lin Ze located a bandit den beneath an abandoned way station and silently eliminated its leader and men.
• Lin Ze headed south to Death Valley and discovered that its miasma, fungi, and moss were poisonous.
• Lin Ze tested the valley’s moss and miasma, finding that his body quickly overcame their effects.
• Lin Ze concluded that potent poisons like Orochimaru’s could still threaten him and decided to keep carrying strong antidotes.

Lin Ze collected star-pattern iron and completed several bounty missions in the Land of Earth, earning money while refusing an offer to join Rock Scorpion. After buying supplies and research materials, he began studying the artificial tailed beast technology scroll in a remote underground cavern.

• Lin Ze gathered enough star-pattern iron to fulfill the mission, then collected roughly a thousand jin to make heavier training weights.
• Lin Ze turned in proof for three missions at the Bounty Station and received fourteen million eight hundred thousand ryo after commission.
• Lin Ze refused the young man's offer to join Rock Scorpion and used his killing intent to discourage anyone in the hall from targeting him.
• Lin Ze completed several more remote bounty missions, earning nearly eight million ryo, then bought supplies for cell cultures, cloning experiments, and Kabuto's medical ninjutsu studies.
• Lin Ze studied the artificial tailed beast technology scroll in an underground cavern, analyzing its jutsu formulas and theories.

The Great Toad Sage foresaw an immense azure shadow disrupting the Child of Prophecy’s future, while the White Snake Sage confirmed that Lin Ze possessed the aura of a True Dragon. Ryūchi Cave chose to seek his friendship, sending Tagitsuhime to find him and Ichikishimahime to watch Mount Myōboku.

• The Great Toad Sage dreamed that an enormous azure shadow had blurred the Child of Prophecy’s future and warned Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima of the change.
• Sage Fukasaku and Sage Shima decided to contact Jiraiya on the front lines and tell him to watch for the new variable.
• Manda told the White Snake Sage that Lin Ze’s Dragon Might had overwhelmed him, and she examined his memories to verify the claim.
• The White Snake Sage recognized Lin Ze’s aura as the pure might of a True Dragon and rejected the Snake Princesses’ suggestion to capture him.
• The White Snake Sage ordered Ichikishimahime to monitor Mount Myōboku and sent Tagitsuhime to find Lin Ze and approach him courteously.

After completing his mission, Lin Ze returned to Konoha and began preparing Kabuto’s medical studies and a secret underground laboratory. He left the laboratory ready for future research and planned to guide Kabuto toward cloning and the Kekkei Mōra Project.

• Lin Ze returned to Konoha after destroying several Iwagakure supply points and received two days off from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Lin Ze gave Kabuto medical books and answered his questions about cell regeneration, strengthening Kabuto’s trust in him.
• Lin Ze set up a barrier around the Orphanage and excavated an underground laboratory beneath an abandoned storeroom.
• Lin Ze installed basic laboratory equipment and used star-pattern iron to reduce energy signals from the laboratory.
• Lin Ze planned to teach Kabuto medical and biological techniques before guiding him toward cloning research and the Chimera Technique.