Chapter Summaries

Rikuto, Tsunade, and Shizune rescued Nanako Uzumaki and her daughter Karin from Kusagakure, and Tsunade began treating Nanako's severe exhaustion. As night fell, Rikuto fed Karin and reassured her that her mother would recover.

• Tsunade told Nanako that her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki, had tried to help the Land of Whirlpools but died heartbroken, then offered Nanako and Karin a place to stay and a recommendation for Konoha.
• Tsunade and Shizune examined Nanako and found that years of using her Chakra to heal others had left her critically weakened, though Tsunade believed she could still save her.
• Rikuto used Wood Release: Four Pillars House Technique to create a wooden house after the fog cleared.
• That night, Rikuto offered Karin roasted wolf meat, and she cried as she ate, overwhelmed by his kindness.
• Shizune asked Rikuto to make porridge for Nanako, and he reassured Karin that Tsunade would help her mother recover.

Rikuto showed Karin his techniques and began teaching her to extract Chakra, then trained his Wood Clones in elemental Ninjutsu while starting medical training with Tsunade. The chapter ended as a huge disturbance split the ruins apart.

• Rikuto used a storage scroll and Ninjutsu to prepare rice porridge, then offered to teach Karin to extract Chakra.
• Karin quickly learned to extract and use Chakra, and Rikuto considered her suited to inherit Tsunade's medical legacy.
• The next morning, Rikuto created five Wood Clones and had them practice Ninjutsu using different Chakra natures.
• Rikuto asked Shizune to teach Karin the basic Three Basic Techniques, and she agreed.
• A tremendous rumble shook the ruins as the earth suddenly split down the middle.

Two years after Rikuto trained with Tsunade, he continued to build his strength and learn medical skills while developing his techniques. The chapter ended as Shizune and Karin returned from gathering herbs.

• Rikuto's Wood Clones demonstrated powerful Water Release and Fire Style techniques, impressing Nanako Uzumaki, Karin, Shizune, and Tsunade.
• Tsunade explained that Hashirama's Senjutsu came from adapting techniques associated with Shikkotsu Forest and Mount Myōboku, and encouraged Rikuto to pursue it.
• Two years passed, during which Tsunade formally accepted Karin as her third disciple and Rikuto arranged for Nanako to live and work in Konoha.
• Rikuto completed a punishing weighted one-handed training routine while Tsunade asked where Shizune and Karin had gone.
• Shizune and Karin returned after going out to gather herbs.

Tsunade gave Rikuto the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique after recognizing that his medical skills had nearly caught up with hers. The group planned to travel to the Land of Hot Water, while Karin prepared to gain practical healing experience.

• Tsunade suggested that she, Rikuto, Karin, and Shizune visit the Land of Hot Water for its famous hot springs.
• Karin demonstrated that she had mastered the Mystical Palm Technique, and Tsunade planned to give her practical experience.
• Tsunade gave Rikuto a scroll containing the Yin Seal and the Strength of a Hundred Technique, explaining that he needed the Yin Seal to store excess Chakra.

Rikuto proposed sealing powerful techniques such as the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique into another person, and Tsunade warned him that developing such a Forbidden Technique could require human experimentation. He promised to keep his principles and decided to learn Sealing Jutsu, while Tsunade considered helping him.

• Rikuto suggested using a special Sealing Jutsu and Chakra conversion to let others wield the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique.
• Tsunade warned Rikuto that creating the technique could involve human experimentation and urged him not to lose his principles.
• Rikuto promised not to act recklessly, and Tsunade agreed to trust him as long as he followed limits like the Second Hokage.
• Rikuto said he would first master the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique, then seek Sealing Jutsu from Danzo or visit the Land of Whirlpools.
• Tsunade realized Rikuto wanted her help and worried about leaving him to pursue the work alone.

Rikuto mastered the Yin Seal with astonishing speed, while Tsunade continued preparing Karin to inherit her legacy. Three days later, the group arrived in the Land of Hot Water and found the town unusually deserted, ending with the innkeeper warning them not to go out alone.

• Tsunade had Rikuto study the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Technique scrolls before teaching him, and he mastered the Yin Seal in less than half an hour.
• Rikuto said the Yin Seal could not store enough Chakra for him, and Tsunade told him to keep practicing while she went to guide Karin.
• Three days later, Tsunade, Shizune, Karin, Rikuto, and Tonton traveled to the Land of Hot Water, where Karin eagerly ran ahead to explore the town.
• The group found most businesses closed and the streets nearly empty, so Rikuto suggested they find an inn and ask what had happened.
• The innkeeper welcomed them and warned them not to go out alone because things had not been peaceful lately.

Rikuto and his companions learned that a Jashin Cult killer had been murdering people near the city, and Karin sensed the suspect outside town. After deciding to investigate following a hot spring break, they relaxed at the inn while Rikuto teased Karin and Tsunade.

• The innkeeper told Karin, Tsunade, Rikuto, and Shizune that brutal killings had plagued the area and that Yugakure ninja sent to investigate had also been murdered.
• Rikuto sensed a strong Chakra source outside the city and said they would meet the Jashin Cult killer after bathing and eating.
• Karin used Mind's Eye of the Kagura to locate the suspected killer about three kilometers southeast of the city.
• Tsunade agreed to Rikuto's plan to investigate, suspecting he was eager for a fight.
• The group soaked in the inn's hot springs, where Rikuto teased Karin about her figure and Tsunade warned him not to use Ōnamuchi to sneak into the women's bath.

After Tsunade brought Rikuto and the others to confront Hidan, Rikuto used wood-based techniques to bind him and test his apparent immortality. Hidan endured repeated injuries and claimed he could not die, and the chapter ended with Rikuto cutting off his head.

• Hidan rested beneath a grove and considered killing more people before Tsunade, Shizune, Rikuto, and Karin arrived.
• Hidan invited Tsunade and Karin to join the Jashin Cult, but Tsunade sent Rikuto to fight him.
• Rikuto blocked Hidan’s scythe with an ironwood stake, then bound him in vines and drained his chakra.
• Hidan transformed into a black, white-marked form and remained alive after Rikuto pierced his heart, declaring himself immortal.
• Rikuto stabbed Hidan repeatedly and used a vine to swing the scythe down and cut off his head.

Rikuto captured Hidan as an experimental subject and uncovered White Zetsu spying on the group. After returning, he met with Aburame Ryoma, who delivered forbidden techniques, clan secrets, and collected shinobi remains and DNA for Rikuto’s plans.

• Rikuto reattached Hidan’s head, healed him, and sealed him inside a storage scroll to preserve him as a test subject.
• Rikuto forced White Zetsu out of the ground, trapped him with vines, and used Genjutsu to learn that the original had sent him to search for the serial killer in the Land of Hot Water.
• Rikuto’s vines devoured White Zetsu, and Tsunade led the group back while Rikuto noticed a figure that looked exactly like him watching from afar.
• Aburame Ryoma met Rikuto and delivered scrolls containing Konoha clan secrets, forbidden techniques, Second Hokage documents, and collected corpses and DNA from powerful shinobi.
• Rikuto asked Aburame Ryoma about the Impure World Reincarnation he had requested.

Rikuto received a trove of techniques from Danzo and bet Tsunade that he could master Flying Thunder God Level One within three hours. Tsunade accepted, leaving Rikuto poised to begin learning the technique.

• Aburame Ryoma told Rikuto that Root had collected Kekkei Genkai bodies and forbidden techniques, including Flying Thunder God.
• Rikuto examined Danzo's scrolls, delegated the sealing techniques to his Wood Clones, and admitted he had failed to gain Hidan's immortality by absorbing his blood.
• Tsunade recognized the Flying Thunder God Technique and explained its difficulty to Rikuto.
• Rikuto bet Tsunade that he would master Flying Thunder God Level One within three hours, wagering that she would be his body pillow if he succeeded and five million ryō if he failed.
• Tsunade accepted the bet, confident that Rikuto could not learn the technique so quickly.

Rikuto studied the Flying Thunder God Technique and used the Chakra stored in his Yin Seal to create a hundred Wood Clones for training. Tsunade realized he had planned to share the training among his clones and feared he might master the technique within hours.

• Rikuto spent half an hour memorizing the Flying Thunder God Technique while Tsunade discussed Minato's talent and the possibility of annotations in the Scroll of Seals.
• Rikuto teased Tsunade before leaving, and a Wood Clone told her that the original liked her.
• Tsunade worried about Rikuto's feelings for her and about the influence Root's environment might have on him if he returned to the village.
• Tsunade realized Rikuto could use his Strength of a Hundred Technique to fuel multiple Wood Clones and train in Flying Thunder God.
• Rikuto released his Yin Seal in a deserted forest and created a hundred Wood Clones, giving each a share of his Chakra to train.

Rikuto used his Wood Clone Shared Training Mode to master both levels of the Flying Thunder God Technique in under three hours, winning his bet with Tsunade. The chapter ended with Tsunade waking beside him after a night in his arms and recalling a wonderful dream.

• Rikuto sent more than a hundred Wood Clones to train in the Flying Thunder God Technique while sharing and refining their experience.
• Rikuto mastered Flying Thunder God Level One and instructed the clones to continue with Level Two.
• Tsunade waited anxiously at the inn, doubting that Rikuto could master the technique before the deadline.
• Rikuto appeared in Tsunade's room using Flying Thunder God Level Two and reminded her that he had won their bet.
• Tsunade kept her promise, and the next morning she woke with Rikuto in her arms and remembered her dream.

Rikuto teased Tsunade about her dream before returning to his room and studying the S-rank Spirit Transformation Technique. He began practicing the soul-separation technique while a Wood Clone guarded his body.

• Rikuto reassured Tsunade that she could preserve her youth and extend her lifespan, then teased her about drooling in her sleep.
• Tsunade blushed at the memory of her dream and told Rikuto to leave, while privately worrying about her growing feelings and his influence on her.
• Rikuto used his Wood Clones’ accumulated practice to review their Sealing Jutsu training and reflected on strengthening his Yin and Yang Release to awaken the Rinnegan.
• Shizune and Karin took Rikuto to visit scenic spots, while Tsunade later took them to find people for Karin to practice on.
• Rikuto returned to his room, read the Spirit Transformation Technique scroll, and began practicing with a Wood Clone guarding his body.

Rikuto mastered the Spirit Transformation Technique, visited Tsunade in her mental world, and discovered he could control another person’s body while using his own abilities. He left the Yugakure Chunin and returned to his body after testing the technique with a destructive display of ninjutsu.

• Rikuto repeatedly attempted the Spirit Transformation Technique until he separated his spirit from his body and told his Wood Clone to guard it.
• Rikuto entered Tsunade’s mental world, hugged her, and told her he had learned the technique after emptying Root’s collection of forbidden jutsu.
• Rikuto sensed a powerful chakra approaching the Land of Hot Water, dismissed it as a passerby, and left Tsunade’s mental world.
• Rikuto possessed a Yugakure Chunin and found that he could use his own chakra, Sharingan, and Wood Release through the man’s body.
• Rikuto tested various ninjutsu on the nearby terrain, then left the Chunin’s body and returned to his own while the confused man woke among the destruction.

After returning to his own body, Rikuto sensed a powerful stranger peeping at women’s baths and recognized him as Jiraiya. He warned Tsunade, Shizune, and Karin, and they prepared to lure the intruder closer.

• Rikuto dismissed his Wood Clone and studied the Flying Thunder God Technique while Tsunade, Shizune, and Karin went to the hot springs.
• Karin proudly told Tsunade about treating patients, then shouted that she would surpass Rikuto, who teased her from the men’s bath.
• Rikuto sensed an unfamiliar Chakra moving between bathhouses and used Wood Eye to spot Jiraiya peeping from a hidden corner.
• Rikuto warned Tsunade, Shizune, and Karin that a powerful pervert was approaching, and they dressed to confront him.
• Tsunade, Shizune, and Karin loudly complimented one another to draw Jiraiya closer while Rikuto watched.

After Jiraiya was caught peeping at the women bathing, Rikuto attacked him and drove him outside the city for a fight. Jiraiya recognized Rikuto as Tsunade’s young disciple, but Rikuto began the battle by using Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs.

• Jiraiya rushed to the hot spring inn to peep at the bathers and found Tsunade and the others waiting for him.
• Rikuto struck Jiraiya with his Superhuman Strength Fist, blasting through a wall and sending him flying.
• Rikuto charged again, but Jiraiya fled outside the city to avoid damaging the town, and Rikuto followed.
• Tsunade, Shizune, and Karin went to watch Rikuto face Jiraiya in an open clearing.
• Jiraiya recognized Rikuto as Tsunade’s disciple and praised his mastery of her strength technique, but Rikuto warned him he was lucky to have been noticed beforehand.
• Rikuto dismissed Jiraiya’s claim that he had been doing research and unleashed Wood Release: Cutting Sprigs.

Rikuto revealed his Wood Release to Jiraiya and overwhelmed him with a forest created in an instant. Jiraiya fought back with Big Ball Rasengan, but Rikuto’s relentless tree vines continued to attack.

• Rikuto used Wood Release to send wooden spikes through Jiraiya’s Earth-Style Wall.
• Tsunade told Jiraiya that Rikuto was a Senju descendant with the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai.
• Rikuto unleashed Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence and filled the area with towering trees that attacked Jiraiya.
• Jiraiya dodged the tree vines and used Big Ball Rasengan to smash through them.
• More vines grew and kept pursuing Jiraiya, forcing him to continue using Big Ball Rasengan.

Rikuto overwhelmed Jiraiya with relentless Wood Release during their fight, forcing him to dodge and counterattack without gaining an advantage. Tsunade revealed that Rikuto’s chakra control and Wood Release surpassed hers and even the First Hokage’s, and that he could use most ninjutsu without hand seals.

• Rikuto repeatedly attacked Jiraiya with rapidly regenerating trees and vines, while Jiraiya countered with Rasengan, Fire Release, and Earth Release techniques.
• Jiraiya turned the ground around Rikuto into a swamp, but Rikuto used saplings to lift himself out and spread trees beyond its reach.
• Jiraiya raced through the forest toward Rikuto, smashing through tree vines with Big Ball Rasengan and attacking with Wild Lion’s Mane Technique.
• Rikuto burned Jiraiya’s attacking hair with Great Dragon Fire Technique, forcing Jiraiya to sever it and dodge the flames.
• Tsunade told Jiraiya that Rikuto’s chakra control was better than hers, his Wood Release mastery exceeded the First Hokage’s, and he could perform most ninjutsu without hand seals.

Rikuto used Wood Release flowers to unleash multiple elemental attacks against Jiraiya, who defended himself and summoned a colossal creature as the battle continued.

• Jiraiya recognized Rikuto's ability to use Ninjutsu without Hand Seals and began treating him as a serious opponent.
• Rikuto grew trumpet-shaped flowers throughout the forest and fired a lightning beam from one, forcing Jiraiya to dodge.
• The flowers launched Wind Release Vacuum Sphere attacks, and Jiraiya used Needle Jizo to block them.
• Rikuto gathered flames in the flowers, but Jiraiya summoned a colossal creature, interrupting Rikuto's technique.

Rikuto used his Wood Release to trap Jiraiya and Gamabunta in a forest and overwhelmed their attacks with powerful techniques. The chapter left Gamabunta struck by Rikuto’s Five Release: Great Combo Technique.

• Tsunade told Shizune and Karin that Rikuto was drawing out Jiraiya’s full strength before defeating him.
• Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta, who escaped Rikuto’s encroaching vines by leaping clear of the forest.
• Jiraiya and Gamabunta combined Toad Oil and fire to attack Rikuto’s forest, but Rikuto countered with Water Dragon Bullet techniques.
• Gamabunta attacked Rikuto with Water Release: Iron Cannonball.
• Rikuto used Five Release: Great Combo Technique to smash Gamabunta’s water sphere and strike him head-on.