Chapter Summaries

Asuka recognized Spiral Zetsu, who had returned to Konoha and asked to become a teacher so he could earn money and eat dumplings. Asuka agreed to help him build credentials by teaching at the orphanage, leaving Spiral Zetsu convinced that Asuka was reliable.

• Asuka recognized Spiral Zetsu and asked what had happened after Nine-Tailed Night.
• Spiral Zetsu said he and Madara had left after fighting the Nine-Tails, while privately recalling that he had died and been revived.
• Spiral Zetsu asked whether Konoha Ninja Academy needed teachers and explained that he wanted to teach and earn money.
• Asuka said Spiral Zetsu could not teach at the Academy immediately but proposed that he teach at Konoha's orphanage, apply for residency, and take a Chunin exam.

A woman in black entered Uchiha Asuka’s home and hid beneath the sofa as Kushina arrived and met with Uchiha Mikoto. Mikoto and Kushina suspected Asuka had arranged events to gain control over them, and they agreed to help each other if he targeted Mikoto.

• A woman in black slipped into Uchiha Asuka’s room and hid beneath the sofa when she heard someone approaching.
• The Orange Cat welcomed Kushina and transformed into a red-haired figure in the bedroom, startling the hidden woman, who recognized her as Kushina.
• Kushina told Uchiha Mikoto what the Orange Cat had said about Asuka pursuing women who could bear sons.
• Uchiha Mikoto suspected Asuka had proposed her divorce to benefit from her having sons, and Kushina realized Asuka might be targeting them both.
• Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto considered how Asuka could restrain them, then Kushina promised to help Mikoto if he was after her.

Asuka returned to the Uchiha Clan Grounds and encountered Mikoto, while Kushina, controlling Fei Fei, decided she wanted grilled meat. News of Hashirama Senju’s resurrection spread among other villages, and Tsunade left Hashirama with a stack of troubling mission scrolls, including one involving Orochimaru.

• Asuka greeted Mikoto at the snack stalls, and Kushina, controlling the Orange Cat, asked Mikoto for grilled meat.
• A pale bluish-purple-haired woman watched Mikoto and the Orange Cat leave, then departed the Uchiha Clan Grounds.
• Kirigakure ninja recalled how Hashirama’s appearance at the Hokage election had startled them, and they joined Konoha’s villagers in cheering for him.
• News of Hashirama Senju’s resurrection spread across the Ninja World, drawing missions to Konoha from other villages.
• Tsunade smashed her desk over the mission scrolls, then left Hashirama to find scrolls about war, rogue ninja, and Orochimaru.
• Hashirama read the scrolls and shouted Orochimaru’s name.

Asuka proposed that Spiral Zetsu make money by starting a gossip magazine, while Itachi grew suspicious that the Uchiha Clan had engineered the Nine-Tails disaster for its own benefit. The chapter left Itachi asking Mikoto whether the clan was hiding something from the village, as Mikoto silently recalled the many secrets the clan held.

• Asuka found Spiral Zetsu drawing with stinky tofu brine and took it to register at the orphanage.
• Asuka suggested Spiral Zetsu use its White Zetsu subordinates to gather gossip and publish a magazine, offering a printing plant and a papermaking method.
• Spiral Zetsu became interested in the magazine idea and considered asking Black Zetsu for support.
• Itachi concluded that the Uchiha Clan had benefited most from the Nine-Tails disaster and suspected the clan had arranged events in advance.
• Itachi asked Mikoto whether the clan was hiding something from the village, and Mikoto silently thought of the clan’s many secrets.

Hashirama Senju’s return drew delegations from the major ninja villages to Konoha, where old enemies pretended to be allies in his presence. Iwagakure’s Da Shi asked how much strength Hashirama retained after resurrection, and Hashirama answered that he had about one-twentieth of his former power.

• Sunagakure and Kirigakure representatives arrived as enemies, then embraced and acted like close allies after seeing Hashirama Senju.
• Kumogakure and Iwagakure representatives also entered, put aside their apparent hostility, and invented a story of old clan brotherhood while Asuka watched.
• The village envoys noticed Tsunade, powerful Uchiha, and Hashirama, and both the visitors and Konoha’s people grew uneasy about the balance of power.
• Da Shi introduced himself to Hashirama and claimed Iwagakure believed villages should not interfere in one another’s affairs.
• Da Shi asked how much of his former strength Hashirama retained, and Hashirama said he had about one-twentieth before Da Shi silently sat back down.

Uchiha Asuka watched the other villages respond cautiously to Hashirama Senju’s return and concluded that the Ninja World would remain peaceful for a few years. Meanwhile, Danzo cultivated Uchiha Itachi’s doubts about his family and the Uchiha Clan’s secrets, leaving Itachi wondering how to learn the truth.

• Ōnoki decided to provoke Kumogakure and Sunagakure into weakening Konoha, while representatives from the four nations departed without forming an alliance against it.
• Tsunade explained to Uchiha Asuka that the nations distrusted one another and would avoid a large-scale war while Hashirama’s strength remained uncertain.
• Asuka left the Hokage Building disappointed that Hashirama’s return had not sparked the conflict he expected and avoided a resentful Uchiha elder on his way home.
• Danzo told Uchiha Itachi that the Uchiha Clan’s Mangekyo numbers and secrets were hidden even from its own members.
• Itachi asked Danzo whether his mother had leaked a secret, and Danzo urged him not to suspect his family without evidence.
• Itachi asked how he could discover the truth, but Danzo walked on without answering.

Uchiha Asuka teased the five-year-old Uchiha Itachi with a fabricated claim that his father, Uchiha Fugaku, possessed a Mangekyo Sharingan. He then asked Itachi when he planned to wipe out the clan, leaving the boy bewildered.

• Asuka approached Itachi in the street and heard him ask whether the Uchiha clan was hiding something from the village.
• Asuka claimed the clan still had another Mangekyo Sharingan wielder and said the person was someone Itachi knew.
• Asuka named Itachi's father, Uchiha Fugaku, as the supposed wielder, and Itachi fell back in shock.
• Asuka admitted he had made up the claim to tease Itachi.
• Asuka asked Itachi whether he intended to destroy the Uchiha clan and when he planned to do it.

Itachi returned home and learned that Fugaku saw Danzo’s interest in him as a chance to assess the village leadership. The next morning, Uchiha Asuka received an Anbu summons and reported to his captain.

• Itachi greeted Sasuke and reflected on the burdens of family, clan, and village before joining Fugaku and Mikoto for dinner.
• Fugaku questioned Itachi about his encounters with Danzo and said the clan could use them to judge Danzo’s intentions.
• Itachi asked whether Fugaku wanted him to spy on Danzo, but Fugaku clarified that he only meant to observe Danzo through their interactions.
• A plump eagle delivered an intelligence message to Uchiha Asuka while stealing cat food from his room.
• Uchiha Asuka went to meet his captain, caught a shoe she threw at him, and announced his arrival.

Asuka received a solo mission to investigate a fertility remedy linked to Star Ninja Village’s radioactive meteorite in the Land of Bears. As he set out, Kakashi warned him that the village was notorious for making animals lose their fur, then realized it was also choosing a new Shadow.

• Sarutobi Nanaka asked Asuka to investigate a folk remedy tied to Star Ninja Village’s meteorite and bring it back if it proved useful.
• Asuka agreed to the mission, and Nanaka assigned Number Eighteen to accompany him despite the eagle’s reluctance.
• Asuka summoned Orange Cat, the raccoon cat, and the green snake before encountering Kakashi and his dogs on the road.
• Pakkun refused to go to Star Ninja Village, saying even dogs avoided it because the meteorite made animals lose their fur.
• Asuka gave Kakashi buckets of fried chicken for Pakkun, and Kakashi noted that Star Ninja Village was choosing a Shadow.

Uchiha Asuka took Ichikishimahime and Shukaku out for a walk, where a clash with Shukaku led to Danzo fining him and teaching Uchiha Itachi how to exploit loopholes in rules. After Ichikishimahime revealed they had been followed, a figure made of paper appeared, and Asuka recognized Konan.

• Shukaku attacked Ichikishimahime with Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet, and his Sand Shower carved a path through the forest.
• Danzo stopped Uchiha Asuka for damaging the village, accepted his fine, and explained flexible rules to Uchiha Itachi.
• Danzo told Itachi that the strong could use loopholes in rules to protect their interests, then pocketed Asuka's fine.
• Ichikishimahime told Asuka that someone had followed them from Konoha, and she called the pursuer out.
• White paper gathered from the forest and formed a human figure, whom Uchiha Asuka recognized as Konan.

Spiral Zetsu and Black Zetsu discussed making money in Konoha while Asuka encountered Konan, who attacked him after confronting him about Pakura. Ichikishimahime intervened, mocked Konan’s long-range tactics, and kicked her out of the sky.

• Spiral Zetsu praised its money-making plan as it and Black Zetsu watched Might Guy train in Konoha.
• Black Zetsu gave Spiral Zetsu part of its authority to pursue the plan and asked where Konan was.
• Spiral Zetsu said Konan had followed Asuka after monitoring him for several days.
• Konan confronted Asuka, called him a scumbag after he asked about Pakura, and attacked him with paper blades.
• Ichikishimahime told Konan to fight Asuka at close range, then kicked her from the sky when Konan ignored her.

Asuka and Ichikishimahime defeated Konan after she crashed into the ground, and they left her behind while she pretended to be unconscious. Konan later confronted Asuka over his alleged involvement with Pakura, leaving him bewildered by the accusation.

• Konan dove toward Asuka but crashed headfirst into the earth after Ichikishimahime struck her with senjutsu.
• Ichikishimahime pulled Konan out of the ground, and Asuka realized she was pretending to be unconscious before he and Ichikishimahime left.
• Konan watched Asuka depart, called him a scumbag, and followed him for an hour.
• Asuka noticed Konan following and asked whether Pakura had sent her.
• Konan accused Asuka of provoking Pakura despite having other women, and Asuka denied knowing what she meant.
• Asuka glanced at Shukaku and kicked him away after remembering that Shukaku was male.

Konan confronted Asuka and called him a scumbag, while Ichikishimahime’s senjutsu sent Konan crashing into him and through the forest. The chapter ended with Asuka confronting Konan amid the wreckage and flicking her forehead as Shukaku listened to her furious scream.

• Konan confronted Asuka on the road, accused him of being a scumbag, and watched him walk away after dismissing her as an idiot.
• Ichikishimahime argued with Konan and revealed that her contract with Asuka had deepened despite the immortal’s failed promise.
• Ichikishimahime used her senjutsu to launch Konan into Asuka’s back, sending them crashing through trees while the Orange Cat watched.
• Konan stood in the forest and wondered whether her strength had improved, then Asuka grabbed her by the neck and praised her Iron Head Technique.
• Asuka flicked Konan’s forehead twice, and Shukaku listened to her furious scream.

Asuka, Konan, Ichikishimahime, and Shukaku traveled toward the Land of Bears while bickering and trading blows. At the border, Konan pointed out that the war there continued despite the wider Ninja World War ending, and Asuka insisted she would eventually beg him for help.

• Konan and Ichikishimahime argued over the bumps on their heads until Konan used a paper crane to peck one of Ichikishimahime’s bumps.
• Asuka and Shukaku discussed misunderstandings and marriage, then Konan warned Asuka not to get handsy and said Pakura would come find them by following her marks.
• Asuka joked about Konan being a third wheel, and she remembered Yahiko before walking ahead; Shukaku said she needed someone to care about her.
• Four days later, the group reached the outskirts of the Land of Bears, where Konan noted that the war there had continued after the Ninja World War ended.
• Konan accused Konoha and Asuka of being no better than the great powers, while Asuka put on a gas mask and insisted she would someday beg him.

Asuka and his companions crossed the poisonous fog toward Hoshigakure, but Shukaku revealed that they had taken the only route through it by mistake. They turned back to find another way, while Star Ninja mistook their retreat for a feint to steal the village’s meteorite.

• Asuka’s group emerged from the poisonous fog and found fertile land and houses near Hoshigakure.
• Shukaku asked if they were stealing the star, and Asuka said they had come to find a folk remedy instead.
• Shukaku explained that other roads crossed the Land of Bears and that only Hoshigakure required passage through the fog, so Asuka realized Root’s map had misled him.
• Asuka’s group turned back into the fog, while Konan questioned his reliability and the Orange Cat listed Konoha’s leaders’ failures toward the Uchiha.
• Three Star Ninja searched the area, and the bearded Special Jonin insisted the group’s tracks into the fog were a feint before ordering the village alerted.

Asuka and his companions crossed the poisonous mist into the Land of Bears while searching for a fertility remedy, only to discover that their destination might be Star Ninja Village. They encountered a starving beggar, and Asuka gave her food in a way he believed would let her accept it without fearing a ninja’s kindness.

• Konan read Asuka’s S-Rank mission scroll and learned his captain had sent him to find a folk remedy for infertility, supposedly involving radiation.
• Shukaku led the group through the poisonous mist, where they found a normal road into the Land of Bears and realized they had taken a needless detour.
• Asuka admitted he did not know whether the remedy was in the Land of Bears or Star Ninja Village, but decided the group should explore before searching further.
• Konan stopped Asuka from striking a beggar who begged him for food and then grabbed his wrist.
• Asuka pressed Konan’s hand against the beggar’s chest and gave the woman a bowl of Luosifen, making it appear that she had paid for the food.
• Asuka explained to Konan that civilians from small countries might distrust food freely given by a ninja from a great nation, and that the woman needed to believe it was safe for her children.

Uchiha Asuka traveled through the war-torn Land of Bears with Konan and the others, believing he had come only to find a folk remedy. After Konan explained the conflict engulfing the country, he realized his captain had sent him into a dangerous battlefield without telling him.

• Konan washed her hands in the polluted river while Asuka offered to use Water Release, recalling how he had spat water onto her hands.
• Asuka, Konan, Kushina, and Ichikishimahime headed toward a nearby town, where they smelled corpses on the wind.
• The group found ruined villages and bloodstained buildings, and Asuka noticed that the soil reeked of buried bodies.
• Konan explained that the Star Ninja Village sought to overthrow the Third Star Shadow and that the Land of Bears had become a battlefield involving major countries and Rogue Ninjas.
• Asuka learned that his captain had concealed the danger and angrily vowed to help Sarutobi Shinnosuke when he returned.

Asuka discovered that his concealed assignment was an S-Rank mission to find a folk remedy on a battlefield, then entered a town and found an abused woman hanged at its gate. After giving her a candy pill, he used the coin in her hand to record a one-ryo commission and set off to eliminate her killers.

• Asuka learned that his mission required him to search for a folk remedy on a battlefield between the great nations.
• Asuka, Konan, and Ichikishimahime approached a town and spotted a woman hanging at its entrance.
• Asuka cut down the woman, gave her a candy pill, and reflected on the limits of what he could do to help people.
• A bloodstained coin fell from the woman's hand, and Asuka wrote a one-ryo commission in her name to eliminate the pests who had killed her.
• Asuka rushed off, while the Orange Cat explained to Konan that his flexible love for everyone had prompted him to act.

Uchiha Asuka confronted the rogue ninja plundering Xiong Da Town after hearing them discuss Hashirama Senju’s revival and the shifting balance among the ninja villages. The attackers rallied against him, while He Siyi assured their leaders that they had powerful backing.

• Rogue ninjas looted and killed residents in Xiong Da Town, arguing over whether to spare the few people left and discussing life as rogue ninja.
• A drunken rogue ninja said Konoha had revived the First Hokage and that the rumor had been confirmed by “that lord.”
• Uchiha Asuka appeared on a roof, challenged the rogue ninjas, and threw a pebble that wounded the fat middle-aged man.
• Rogue ninjas poured into the street, armed themselves, and shouted that they would overwhelm Uchiha Asuka with their numbers.
• A rogue ninja warned He Siyi in the tavern that someone had come to cause trouble, and He Siyi told the leaders not to panic because someone was backing them.

Asuka, Konan, and Shukaku attacked a crowd of rogue ninja in Xiong Da Town, while Ichikishimahime confronted a summoned red serpent. The red serpent recognized Ichikishimahime’s azure serpent as a projection, and the rogue ninja realized they were facing a genuine Ryūchi Cave sage.

• Asuka restrained the rogue ninja with Okuninushi and killed a fat rogue ninja with his Kusanagi Sword.
• Konan attacked the rogue ninja with paper kunai, while Shukaku blasted them with sand and wind techniques.
• The rogue ninja retaliated with explosive kunai, but Konan redirected them and Shukaku countered their attacks.
• A rogue ninja summoned a massive red serpent, and Konan worried it might come from one of the Three Great Sage Locations.
• Ichikishimahime recognized the serpent as Tagitsuhime and revealed her azure serpent form.
• Tagitsuhime realized the azure serpent was only a projection, while the rogue ninja panicked at the sight of a genuine Ryūchi Cave sage.