Chapter Summaries

Konan and Sasori trapped Itachi and Orochimaru beneath a sky filled with Explosive Tags and puppet warriors, forcing Itachi to unleash Susanoo. After recovering with special Ration Pills, Itachi spotted Sasori and struck him with Amaterasu, leaving Sasori burning in midair.

• Konan carried Sasori and another captive into the sky while preparing a vast web of Explosive Tags, and Sasori summoned over a hundred puppets to attack Itachi and Orochimaru.
• Itachi manifested a towering Susanoo skeleton to shield himself and Orochimaru from the puppets and the explosives.
• Itachi ate two special Ration Pills from Senya and regained enough strength to repel Sasori's puppets.
• Itachi tore an opening in the darkened sky, saw Konan and Sasori, and used Amaterasu to ignite Sasori.
• Sasori blasted himself with water from a Water Release scroll in an attempt to extinguish the black flames.

Itachi sealed his Amaterasu into a scroll while Sasori and Konan’s explosive trap devastated the battlefield. Itachi and Orochimaru escaped underground, leaving Sasori to discover a hole at the blast site and mourn his damaged puppets.

• Sasori abandoned his burning body and transferred his regeneration core into a Puppet Soldier, while Konan fled with him from the explosive trap.
• Itachi used Susanoo to shield himself and Orochimaru, then sealed the Amaterasu into a scroll with the Fire Sealing Method.
• After the flames vanished, the falling puppets triggered a chain of explosions across the area, and Sasori and Konan watched from a distance.
• Itachi and Orochimaru survived by using Susanoo and Earth Release to escape underground, and Orochimaru collected rare materials from his laboratory.
• Sasori gathered the puppet fragments after the blasts and found a meter-wide hole, while Itachi and Orochimaru ran across the desert a kilometer away.

Itachi returned to Konoha with Orochimaru disguised as a beautiful woman and brought him to Senya’s home, where Senya and Tsunade were drinking. Orochimaru revealed his identity, leaving Tsunade stunned and wondering whether he and Itachi had become a couple.

• Itachi entered Konoha with Orochimaru disguised as a woman and endured the gate guards’ gossip about his supposed wife.
• Itachi brought Orochimaru to Senya’s home, interrupting Senya, Tsunade, and Shizune’s celebration.
• Senya recognized Orochimaru, while Shizune mistook the steam rising from Senya’s head for a drunken hallucination and went to bed.
• Tsunade sensed that Orochimaru occupied a woman’s body and accused Itachi of bringing home a woman who merely shared Orochimaru’s name.
• Orochimaru revealed his true appearance and confirmed his identity, prompting Tsunade to ask whether he and Itachi were together.

Itachi reported Akatsuki’s pursuit of Orochimaru to Senya and left after Tsunade’s remark angered him. Orochimaru then described Akatsuki’s power and history, while Senya revealed Root records that raised questions about how the peace-seeking group became a wartime organization.

• Itachi asked Senya to reimburse him for hazard pay and a short sword before leaving.
• Orochimaru told Tsunade and Senya that Akatsuki had attacked her and that its leader possessed the Rinnegan.
• Orochimaru listed Akatsuki’s notorious members and explained that the organization earned money through war commissions.
• Senya said Root’s classified records traced Akatsuki’s rise to the Third Shinobi World War and its original goal of pursuing peace.
• Senya explained that Hanzo praised Akatsuki and sent it to propose peace talks to Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure, prompting Tsunade to ask what happened next.

Senya explained how Danzo and Hanzō destroyed the Akatsuki Organization’s original peace efforts, leading to Yahiko’s death and Nagato’s awakening of the Rinnegan. Tsunade feared the Akatsuki would seek revenge on Konoha, while Orochimaru proposed theories about the Rinnegan and Yahiko’s apparent return.

• Orochimaru confirmed that Konoha had never received a ceasefire request during the Third Shinobi World War, and Senya blamed Danzo and Hanzō for manipulating events against the Akatsuki Organization.
• Senya revealed that Nagato possessed the Rinnegan, shocking Orochimaru and Tsunade, then explained that Hanzō had used Konan to force Nagato to kill Yahiko.
• Senya described Nagato summoning a giant and killing the Rain shinobi present, while Danzo and Hanzō witnessed the Rinnegan’s power and escaped unharmed.
• Tsunade grew furious at Danzo and worried that the Akatsuki would eventually take revenge on Konoha.
• Orochimaru offered three explanations for how Yahiko might appear to possess the Rinnegan, and Tsunade recoiled at his suggestion that Nagato had transformed himself into Yahiko out of longing.

Tsunade and Senya welcomed Orochimaru back to Konoha and explained that Danzo had framed him for the human experiments. The Sannin reunited, but Senya soon told Jiraiya that Yahiko might be dead, leaving him stricken with guilt over the Akatsuki’s path.

• Tsunade sent Orochimaru away for the night, then dragged Senya to her bedroom, where she suffered another defeat.
• The next morning, Senya and Tsunade went to the Hokage Building, where Orochimaru joined them and Jiraiya arrived late.
• Tsunade explained that Danzo had ordered Orochimaru’s experiments and later leaked the truth to discredit Orochimaru and Hiruzen Sarutobi.
• Jiraiya accepted Orochimaru’s return and celebrated the reunion of Konoha’s Legendary Sannin.
• Senya asked Jiraiya about his former students Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan, then revealed that Yahiko might already be dead.
• Senya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru shared what they knew, and Jiraiya blamed himself for failing to prevent Yahiko’s sacrifice and the Akatsuki’s turn toward extremism.

Senya and Tsunade spread the claim that Danzo had framed Orochimaru, prompting Konoha villagers to condemn Danzo. They returned home to find Shizune and an unidentified visitor inside, leaving Senya alarmed.

• Senya, disguised alongside Tsunade, told villagers that Orochimaru had blamed Danzo for the human experiments and that Root had abducted the test subjects.
• Tsunade backed Senya’s story, and the villagers grew furious at Danzo and speculated that he had also driven Tsunade and Jiraiya away.
• Senya and Tsunade slipped out of the izakaya and discussed using Tsunade’s reputation to help Orochimaru live openly again.
• Senya sensed two people inside their house, recognized Shizune’s chakra, and became alarmed by the presence of the other visitor.

Anko provoked Tsunade by clinging to Senya and kissing his cheek before leaving, and Tsunade dragged him into the bedroom to confront him. The next morning, Shizune was left to clean two rooms after a sleepless night.

• Tsunade arrived while Anko was visiting Senya, and Shizune retreated to the kitchen to avoid the tense encounter.
• Anko held Senya’s arm, questioned Tsunade about staying at his house, then kissed his cheek and left with a smug look.
• Tsunade crushed the doorknob, grabbed Senya by the collar, and dragged him into the bedroom after Anko departed.
• Tsunade cried and cursed at Senya, then demanded to know how many times he had been with Anko and tore open the bandages at his waist.
• Senya and Tsunade kept Shizune awake, and Shizune had to clean two rooms the next morning.

After enduring Tsunade’s exhausting night, Senya sought a body-strengthening prescription from Shikaku to improve his stamina. He left with the prescription and considered using Katsuyu or learning Shikkotsu Forest’s sage arts to recover and strengthen himself.

• Senya recovered from his night with Tsunade, ate breakfast, covered her with a blanket, and left for work.
• Senya visited Shikaku and asked for a prescription to strengthen his body so he could train in taijutsu.
• Shikaku realized Senya had been with Tsunade and wrote him a weekly prescription, offering it for free.
• Senya went to Nara Apothecary and considered forming a contract with Katsuyu or learning Shikkotsu Forest’s sage arts.

Tsunade opened the first Konoha High Council Meeting by assessing the previous Hokage, with Senya Uchiha and Orochimaru at her side. Her pointedly unimpressive summary of Hiruzen Sarutobi unsettled the gathered clan leaders and signaled that Tsunade and Senya were separating allies from opportunists.

• After a month of reforms to the Medical and Civil Affairs Departments, Tsunade prepared to present the measures for a final decision at the council meeting.
• The clan heads and former leaders gathered in the Hokage Building and waited for Tsunade to arrive.
• Tsunade entered with Senya Uchiha and Orochimaru, took the head seat, and began the meeting after Shizune's announcement.
• Tsunade reviewed the first four Hokage, praising their achievements while describing Hiruzen Sarutobi's tenure as ordinary.
• Hiruzen lowered his head, and several clan heads reconsidered their past ties to the Sarutobi clan after hearing Tsunade's assessment.

Tsunade assigned the vacant Civil Affairs and Medical Department positions while imposing penalties and debt repayment on former officials. She named Yamanaka Inoichi Minister of Civil Affairs and Yakushi Nonō head of the Medical Department, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi relieved that Utatane Koharu would not be killed.

• Tsunade removed Mitokado Homura as Minister of Civil Affairs and fined him one billion ryō for abusing his authority and misappropriating village funds.
• Shibi Aburame and Yamanaka Inoichi both sought the Civil Affairs post, and Tsunade appointed Inoichi.
• Tsunade appointed Yakushi Nonō to lead the Medical Department, and Utatane Koharu revealed her disguise as Nonō.
• Orochimaru corrected Hiruzen Sarutobi when he addressed Tsunade informally as his former student.
• Tsunade explained that Utatane Koharu would repay her two billion ryō debt by teaching Medical Ninjutsu at Konoha Hospital, reducing the debt for each medical jōnin she trained.

As Konoha’s clan leaders competed for positions in the restructured village, Shibi Aburame backed the Aburame clan for the Intelligence Department and signaled its alliance with Senya’s Uchiha. Tsunade awarded the department to the Aburame, leaving Inuzuka Tsume to accept that the choice better protected her clan.

• Inuzuka Tsume claimed the Intelligence Department for the Inuzuka clan, arguing that its ninken made it especially suited to tracking and intelligence work.
• Shibi Aburame also recommended his clan, citing its insects’ advantages, and Tsume proposed a mission to decide which clan was better.
• Senya realized that Shibi’s earlier bid for the Civil Affairs Department had been a gesture of goodwill toward the Uchiha and a declaration of the Aburame clan’s alignment with them.
• Tsunade gave the Intelligence Department to the Aburame clan, explaining that its members had more ways to escape dangerous missions.
• Tsume accepted Tsunade’s decision after recognizing that the Aburame’s capabilities would better protect their clan members.

As Tsunade reshuffled Konoha’s power structure, she and Orochimaru introduced the Konoha Ninja Arts Academy and explained its role in researching the village’s ninjutsu and forbidden techniques. The clan heads grew wary of the academy’s reach, but Orochimaru’s examples showed how the Second Hokage’s techniques and the Scroll of Seals could create powerful ninjas.

• The Ino-Shika-Cho clans lost much of their control over several commercial industries, while Senya planned to use the vacancies to encourage Konoha’s wider economy.
• Shizune announced the establishment of the Konoha Ninja Arts Academy, prompting clan heads to worry that their inherited techniques and bloodline limits would come under village control.
• Tsunade rebuked the clan heads for resisting the academy after eagerly competing for authority and positions, then asked Orochimaru to explain its purpose.
• Orochimaru said the academy would analyze and research the village’s ninjutsu and forbidden techniques, continuing the Second Hokage’s work of innovation.
• Orochimaru cited the power of the Second Hokage’s Water Release techniques and the Scroll of Seals, including Might Duy’s defeat of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and described the lasting effects on Juzo Biwa and Raiga Kurosuki.

Orochimaru explained that the Ninja Arts Academy aimed to make forbidden techniques easier and safer to learn, then offered to alter the Hyuga clan’s Caged Bird seal. Hyuga Hiashi eagerly accepted his offer, leaving the clan’s internal conflict at the center of the discussion.

• Orochimaru argued that the Ninja Arts Academy would reduce the risks and learning barriers of forbidden techniques, using the Flying Thunder God Technique as an example of a powerful but difficult ninjutsu.
• Genma Shiranui recalled how Minato Namikaze had refined the Flying Thunder God and how Genma and the other members of Minato’s guard squad had struggled to learn it.
• Senya signaled Orochimaru to pursue research funding, and Orochimaru turned his attention to Hyuga Hiashi.
• Orochimaru offered to change the Caged Bird so it restricted only the Byakugan, required no brain inscription, and became a one-time, one-way seal.
• Hyuga Hiashi apologized and promised the Hyuga clan would repay Orochimaru if he could make the change.
• Senya reflected on how the Caged Bird and the divide between the main and branch families had fueled resentment, including his younger brother Hizashi’s suffering.

Orochimaru agreed to investigate the Hyuga clan’s Caged Bird and the Gekko clan’s bloodline disease, securing a large research donation before leaving the meeting. The meeting moved to its final item, but Tsunade realized she had forgotten to discuss whether to recruit Yakushi Nonō.

• Hyuga Hiashi offered Orochimaru an initial donation of five hundred million ryo to research and modify the Caged Bird, and Orochimaru accepted.
• Senya reassured Gekko Hayate that the village would address the Gekko clan’s bloodline disease and told him to stop using and training his bloodline ninjutsu for now.
• Several clan representatives and Hiruzen Sarutobi asked Orochimaru about unrelated health concerns, prompting him to limit his work to the Caged Bird and Gekko bloodline disease before leaving.
• Orochimaru celebrated his new research funding outside the conference room, then remembered that he had yet to ask Senya about the promised path to immortality.
• After Orochimaru left, Tsunade prepared to address the meeting’s final item, but she realized she had forgotten to consider bringing in Yakushi Nonō.

Tsunade dismissed Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura as Hokage's Assistants and appointed Hyuga Hiashi and Senya Uchiha in their place. Senya warned the clan heads against harming villagers, then left the meeting with Tsunade.

• Tsunade announced that Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura had been removed as Hokage's Assistants for abusing their authority.
• Tsunade appointed Hyuga Hiashi and Senya Uchiha as the new Hokage's Assistants, delighting Hiashi and drawing anxious attention to Senya.
• Senya challenged the clan heads over their guilty reactions and warned them that he would not tolerate harm to fellow villagers.
• Senya took Tsunade's hand and left the meeting with her, while the clan heads watched them go.

Senya and Tsunade discussed a plan to make money by opening a tobacco factory, while Senya’s hairstyle inspired a craze across Konoha. He visited Uchiha Shamate’s new salon and found Jiraiya and Naruto there, leaving him baffled by the salon’s bizarre atmosphere and its namesake.

• Senya used the Body Flicker Technique to bring Tsunade home, and after they spent time together, he thought of starting a tobacco business.
• Senya explained his tobacco factory plan to Tsunade, who eagerly wanted to join in so she could keep gambling.
• Senya appointed Uchiha Inohibi as Deputy Minister of the Police Force after Itachi refused the post, while Uchiha and other Konoha residents began copying Senya’s style.
• Uchiha Shamate asked Senya to endorse his hair salon, and Senya casually agreed without remembering Shamate’s name.
• Senya found the Chic Hair Salon near the Hokage Building and went inside, where he saw Jiraiya and Naruto among teenagers waiting for Senya-inspired hairstyles.
• Uchiha Shamate introduced himself as the salon’s owner, and Senya realized the strange-haired young man was the person who had approached him earlier.

Senya recruited Kabuto Yakushi to lead Konoha's Root, while Kabuto chose the dangerous role so Yakushi Nonō could care for the orphanage. Kabuto was given one month before he would take over Root's work.

• Senya met Kabuto beneath the Hokage Building, learned Kimimaro had at most ten years to live, and promised to try taking him to Shikkotsu Forest if he could not be cured within five years.
• Senya offered Kabuto the position of head of Konoha's Medical Department, but Kabuto learned that Yakushi Nonō was expected to lead Root and objected to her being put in danger.
• Tsunade explained that Nonō would lead Root without repeating Danzo's abuses, but Kabuto asked to take her place and let her become head of the Medical Department.
• Kabuto knelt before Senya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, and Senya agreed to his request, giving him one month before he reported to Root's base.

Senya visited the renovated Konoha orphanage and gave Nonō glasses before freeing her from the hypnosis she had used to maintain her affection for the children. Nonō planned to move near Konoha Hospital and begin working at the Medical Department, while Senya left after telling her to change out of her nun’s robes.

• Senya met Nonō at the orphanage he had paid to renovate, and she thanked him for helping the children.
• Senya gave Nonō a pair of round-framed glasses, which she accepted and tried on.
• Nonō explained that village support meant she could work at the Medical Department without worrying about the orphanage’s funding, and said she would move near Konoha Hospital.
• Nonō revealed that Root training had led her to use hypnosis to sustain her care for the children, and Senya recognized how it had affected her.
• Senya used Release—Dispel to free Nonō from the hypnosis, then left with the advice that she should change clothes before working at the Medical Department.

Senya visited Orochimaru’s underground academy and explained that repeated body transfers would eventually destroy Orochimaru’s soul. He proposed a method of immortality based on the bond between soul and body, but Orochimaru’s ruined original body made the solution seem impossible, leaving Senya scrambling to reassure him.

• Senya arrived at the Konoha Ninja Arts Academy and found Shizune working with Orochimaru on Kimimaro.
• Shizune kissed Senya in front of Orochimaru before leaving the laboratory, and Orochimaru asked whether their relationship was public knowledge.
• Senya warned Orochimaru that Living Corpse Reincarnation had weakened his soul and could eventually prevent him from reaching the Pure Land or being summoned back.
• Orochimaru put Kimimaro to sleep and admitted that he expected to survive only five more body transfers, or about fifteen years.
• Senya explained that immortality required the soul and body to sustain each other, and Orochimaru showed him his original body, which had been ruined by Sage Chakra.
• Orochimaru despaired when Senya could not offer a way to clone his damaged body, while Senya received a system reward and tried to calm him by promising another solution.