Chapter Summaries

At the Valley of the End, Uchiha Yoru staged a crazed attack on Tsunade, then revealed that he had deliberately impaled himself to escape Root and the Wood Style cells consuming his body. Tsunade and Uzumaki Kushina tried to save him as he weakened, while White Zetsu watched in shock.

• Uchiha Yoru attacked Tsunade alongside two Root shinobi controlled by his Sharingan and claimed he wanted to awaken the Mangekyo by making her kill him.
• Tsunade fought back, believing Uchiha Yoru had succumbed to the pursuit of power, and struck a Root shinobi who was actually Uchiha Yoru in disguise.
• Uchiha Yoru revealed that he had switched places with the Root shinobi and impaled himself on Tsunade's Chakra Scalpel, then explained that Wood Style cells were destroying his body and that he feared falling into Root's hands.
• Uchiha Yoru told Tsunade about a hidden laboratory, human experimentation, and a child who could withstand Wood Style cells; he also revealed that he had been infected with the cells for over two years.
• Uchiha Yoru comforted Tsunade, kissed her, and tried to give her his eyes, while Tsunade confessed she had only just decided to find him and begged him to live.
• Uzumaki Kushina arrived and saw Uchiha Yoru impaled; White Zetsu wondered how to report the unexpected scene to Lord Madara, while Kushina tried to make Yoru bite her.

Tsunade and Kushina saved Uchiha Yoru after Wood Style cells threatened to overwhelm his body, then secretly brought him to Tsunade’s laboratory in Konoha. Madara learned what had happened and gleefully imagined Yoru marrying Tsunade and producing Uchiha heirs, while Tsunade prepared to confront Yoru after the women covered their tracks.

• White Zetsu watched Tsunade and Kushina use healing techniques to revive Yoru after he was injected with Wood Style cells.
• Tsunade and Kushina sealed the dangerous cells with Sealing Technique: False Darkness, stabilized Yoru, and erased the traces at the Valley of the End.
• White Zetsu reported Yoru’s ordeal to Madara, who dismissed the danger to his plans and fantasized about Tsunade taking the Uchiha surname and having many children with Yoru.
• Tsunade examined Yoru in her secret laboratory while Mikoto recorded his condition and Kushina continued healing him.
• Kushina said she had removed evidence of their trip, and Mikoto reported telling the Uchiha clan that Yoru had gone into seclusion at Shikkotsu Forest.
• Tsunade turned toward Yoru with a dangerous smile after the women explained their cover stories.

Tsunade, Uchiha Mikoto, and Uzumaki Kushina confronted Uchiha Yoru until he revealed his Wood Release cells, the Forbidden Jutsu: Chimera, and the details of his investigation into Root's experiments. He was left recovering under their watch as the three women joined forces to keep him from sacrificing himself for the village again.

• Tsunade demanded that Uchiha Yoru explain what he had hidden, while Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto sided with her and revealed that Tsunade had placed a seal beneath his heart.
• Uchiha Yoru explained that he had discovered Wood Release cells in his body after saving Uzumaki Kushina in the Land of Rain and had developed the Forbidden Jutsu: Chimera to manage the resulting imbalance with his Sharingan.
• Tsunade questioned Uchiha Yoru about his ties to Orochimaru and his failure to report Root's Human Experimentation, and he admitted he had found a child whose experimental data had stabilized and brought her to Shikkotsu Forest.
• Uchiha Yoru explained that Wood Release cells entered his wound during the laboratory incident, destabilizing his Sharingan and Chakra, and that he had feared losing control and harming Tsunade or the village.
• Tsunade challenged Uchiha Yoru for putting the village before Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto, and Uchiha Mikoto told him she had nothing left to care for if he died.
• Tsunade revealed that she had chosen a surname for their future children and threatened to have one child for every time Uchiha Yoru lied, prompting Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto to support her plan.

Tsunade discovered that Uchiha Yoru’s Devouring Factor could gradually fuse the Wood Style cells in his body, while his Sharingan helped balance their power. After confronting him about hiding his dangerous condition and his claims about Senju-Uchiha destiny, Tsunade joined him in an intimate clash; outside the laboratory, Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto reaffirmed their bond and their determination to protect him.

• Tsunade examined the results of Chimera and determined that Uchiha Yoru’s Devouring Factor could gradually fuse the Wood Style cells, though the process would take three to five years.
• Tsunade explained that Yoru’s Sharingan and the Wood Style energy formed a balance that had helped him survive and could stabilize Mikoto’s Mangekyo Pupil Power.
• Tsunade confronted Yoru about concealing his condition and his claims about the Senju-Uchiha destiny, then kissed him and demanded to know who had won.
• Uzumaki Kushina thanked Uchiha Mikoto, and Mikoto told her that she accepted her place beside Yoru.
• Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto vowed to stay together and protect Yoru, while Kushina resolved to master the Nine-Tails’ power.

Tsunade explained how Uchiha Yoru's Cursed Seal and unusual body could restore dormant bloodline traits, then monitored him as he used Forbidden Jutsu: Chimera to absorb unstable Wood Style cells. Meanwhile, Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Shimura Danzō about the leaked Wood Release research, and Danzō assured him that the laboratory materials and spies had been eliminated.

• Tsunade explained that Yoru's Cursed Seal could carry his genetic energy into others and potentially awaken dormant traits, and she placed a Cursed Seal on herself.
• Tsunade told Yoru to reapply Mikoto's Cursed Seal every three months and said she would test Kushina's compatibility.
• Yoru used Forbidden Jutsu: Chimera on his own abdomen as Tsunade monitored him, Mikoto recorded the data, and Kushina stood ready to intervene.
• Tsunade confirmed that the unstable Wood Style cells had been devoured but warned that Yoru needed two months of observation before the fusion could be considered safe.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi reprimanded Shimura Danzō over the leaked Wood Release research, and Danzō said Root had destroyed the remaining materials and eliminated the spies.

Iwagakure exposed Konoha’s Wood Release research, forcing the great villages to reconsider their plans while Konoha shifted its resources toward military expansion. At the Senju Clan, Tsunade explained how Wood Release cells were affecting Uchiha Yoru’s eyes, and Mikoto prepared to use serum from his body to nourish her Mangekyo.

• Ōnoki ordered the Wood Release intelligence and allegations of human experimentation spread to other villages, stirring fear of Konoha’s ability to restrain Tailed Beasts.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to pause the Wood Release Plan and focus on Konoha’s military strength, while the great villages encouraged conflicts among smaller villages.
• Tsunade told Uchiha Yoru that Wood Release cells were nourishing his eyes but would not directly evolve his Sharingan into the Mangekyo.
• Uchiha Mikoto reported that Yoru’s trip to Shikkotsu Forest had been arranged and asked whether he could help restore Uchiha eyes after battles.
• Tsunade prepared serum from Yoru’s body to nourish Mikoto’s Mangekyo and warned her not to overuse it.
• Uzumaki Kushina furtively approached Yoru’s hospital bed as Tsunade began studying Mikoto’s Mangekyo.

Uzumaki Kushina received Uchiha Yoru’s Cursed Seal while Tsunade examined Uchiha Mikoto’s Mangekyo. After Kushina left, Tsunade and Yoru analyzed intelligence about Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and the political push to replace the Third Hokage with Hatake Sakumo.

• Uzumaki Kushina teased the blindfolded Uchiha Yoru, then received a Three-Tomoe Cursed Seal on her lower abdomen.
• Uzumaki Kushina reported that Kumogakure showed no unusual activity and shared intelligence about Sunagakure before leaving to adapt to the seal.
• Tsunade finished examining Uchiha Mikoto’s Mangekyo and told Mikoto to stabilize Yoru’s situation.
• Tsunade questioned Yoru about his warnings concerning Kumogakure, Sunagakure, and the village’s plans against White Fang, the Senju, and the Uchiha.
• Tsunade analyzed Orochimaru’s Root mission and Sunagakure’s activity in Roran, then explained why the Major Clans supported Hatake Sakumo becoming Hokage and restraining Root.

Minato Namikaze advanced his Flying Thunder God Technique while Jiraiya and Hiruzen Sarutobi advised him, but news of Hatake Sakumo’s suicide after being blamed for a failed mission shook Konoha. Uchiha Yoru renewed his resolve to become Hokage and reform the village, while Tsunade decided to pursue the Fourth Hokage position first.

• Minato Namikaze demonstrated his Flying Thunder God Technique to Jiraiya and discussed its drawbacks, including its Chakra cost and lack of a powerful follow-up attack.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi advised Minato to use Wind Nature and the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu, while Jiraiya tried to secure him more Chakra Metal kunai.
• Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya heard villagers condemn Hatake Sakumo, then learned from a Swift Hawk that Sakumo had died by suicide after being blamed for his failed mission.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Shimura Danzō and ordered Root to investigate Sakumo’s mission as Konoha’s clans reacted with shock and anger.
• After Tsunade, Uchiha Mikoto, and Uzumaki Kushina told him about Sakumo, Uchiha Yoru condemned the village’s betrayal of the Will of Fire and vowed to become Hokage and correct its mistakes.
• Tsunade affirmed the original purpose of the Senju and Uchiha alliance and declared that she would seek to become the Fourth Hokage before Yoru.

Konoha’s leaders denied Hatake Sakumo a place on the Memorial Tablet, while Kakashi believed his father had died because shinobi had to obey the rules. Tsunade and the major clans rallied at the funeral, and Tsunade revealed that Sakumo had sacrificed himself to defend Konoha’s honor, leaving Kakashi beginning to understand his father’s choice.

• Jiraiya presided over Hatake Sakumo’s sparsely attended funeral while Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Utatane Koharu discussed the fallout from the rumors.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi ordered that Hatake Sakumo’s name not be placed on the Memorial Tablet, and Jiraiya relayed the decision at the funeral.
• Kakashi Hatake concluded that his father had died because he abandoned his mission and failed to follow the rules.
• Tsunade arrived with representatives of the major clans, and Uchiha Yoru took up his post as deputy commander of the Konoha Military Police Force and ordered arrests related to the rumors.
• Tsunade told Jiraiya that Sakumo’s suicide had defended Konoha’s honor, and Uchiha Shisui helped Kakashi understand that his father had died to protect the village.

At Hatake Sakumo’s funeral, Uchiha Yoru and Tsunade challenged Konoha’s leaders over the treatment of the major clans and Sakumo, forcing them to revise their account of his disgrace. As Kakashi resolved to seek justice for his father, Kushina received an urgent summons from Tsunade and Mito, suggesting something had happened to the Senju.

• At Sakumo’s funeral, Uchiha Yoru defended the major clans’ role in founding Konoha and challenged Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya for treating clan shinobi as a threat.
• Tsunade condemned the village leadership for dishonoring Sakumo and warned that its leaders were even less worthy of the Memorial Tablet; Jiraiya left to report her words.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Shimura Danzō decided to blame Sakumo’s rescued companion as an enemy spy and restore Sakumo’s place on the Memorial Tablet.
• Uchiha Yoru comforted Kakashi at the Hatake residence, while Kakashi resolved to uncover the truth and seek justice for his father.
• Uchiha Yoru asked Kushina to arrange a team for Kakashi, then a Senju shinobi urgently summoned Kushina back to Tsunade and Mito.

Tsunade reclaimed the Senju surname and became the clan’s head, stirring the village’s Major Clans and alarming the Hokage’s advisers. As the Senju and Uchiha welcomed her move, Tsunade resolved to help Yoru become Hokage, while the Third Hokage’s allies faced a new challenge.

• Tsunade wore the Senju crest, declared that she would inherit the Senju surname, and was acclaimed as the new Clan Head.
• Tsunade signed the clan scroll as Tsunade Senju and privately vowed to fulfill Hashirama’s wish by helping Yoru become Hokage and ending the Senju-Uchiha feud.
• The Hyuga Clan Head welcomed Tsunade’s succession and prepared to visit her with gifts.
• The Uchiha Clan Head celebrated Tsunade’s move, ordered Fugaku to summon Yoru, and believed Yoru’s bond with Kushina could block his rise within the clan.
• Uchiha Yoru and Mikoto discussed supporting Tsunade while remaining wary of the village’s leaders.
• Utatane Koharu angrily accused the Senju of plotting a coup after learning Tsunade had taken the Senju name.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and his advisers resolved to resist Tsunade’s possible bid for Hokage, while Uchiha Yoru persuaded Tsunade not to challenge him before Konoha’s looming crisis. Yoru left Tsunade smiling after kissing her with the Flying Thunder God Technique, and she addressed someone hidden behind the door.

• Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō warned Hiruzen Sarutobi that Tsunade inheriting the Senju name could unite the Major Clans and destabilize Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi refused to step down and ordered his advisers to contact the Nara Clan, Akimichi Clan, Yamanaka Clan, and smaller clans.
• Uchiha Yoru urged Tsunade not to seek the Fourth Hokage position yet, arguing that the village’s internal divisions and the coming war would make the timing dangerous.
• Tsunade accepted Yoru’s reasoning, and he stopped her from pouring another drink before leaving.
• Yoru used the Flying Thunder God Technique to kiss Tsunade and vanish, leaving her smiling as she spoke to someone behind the door.

Uzumaki Mito advised Tsunade to wait until after the coming war to pursue the Hokage position, while Uchiha Yoru prepared to bring his ambitions into the open. As Konoha’s factions maneuvered against one another, Asuma Sarutobi discovered that the revelations about his clan were true.

• Uzumaki Mito explained that Tsunade should avoid competing for Hokage before the war and take advantage of the power vacuum afterward.
• Uzumaki Mito urged Tsunade to endure pressure from Hiruzen Sarutobi’s faction and reminded her of the child in the Wood Style Laboratory as a trump card.
• Uchiha Yoru reassured Mikoto that they could stand in the sunlight and considered Tsunade’s possible rise to Hokage an opportunity to advance his own plans.
• After White Fang’s death and the discovery of a spy, Tsunade inherited the Senju name with little public response, while rumors targeting the great clans spread through Konoha.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted the dilution of the White Fang incident, while Uchiha Yoru recognized that the attacks had united many clans against Hiruzen’s faction.
• Asuma Sarutobi sat alone before a waterfall and realized the accusations about his clan were true.

Asuma Sarutobi questioned his father’s conduct but was manipulated by Uchiha Yoru into doubting his suspicions. Meanwhile, Ōnoki and the Third Raikage exploited rumors to stir unrest against Konoha, leaving Hiruzen Sarutobi anxious about the Senju Clan’s silence.

• Asuma Sarutobi dwelled on White Fang’s death and Konoha’s treatment of its clans, then heard Shisui reassure Kakashi that accusations against the Third Hokage were enemy rumors.
• Uchiha Yoru revealed that he had used Sharingan hypnosis to guide Asuma’s thoughts and Shisui’s words, hoping to prevent Asuma from developing extreme ideas.
• Ōnoki confirmed White Fang’s suicide and ordered Iwagakure’s agents to amplify rumors about Konoha and turn them into apparent facts.
• The Third Raikage learned that Konoha’s Root spies were spreading claims that dark-skinned Kumogakure leaders oppressed light-skinned people, and he ordered counter-rumors about Konoha’s past.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi and Utatane Koharu discussed hostile rumors in the Hokage’s Office, while Hiruzen worried over the Senju Clan’s silence.

Uchiha Yoru used speeches defending Hiruzen Sarutobi and Konoha’s stability to calm village tensions while secretly preparing to exploit the Third Kazekage’s disappearance and the coming war. At the Senju Clan, Tsunade and Uzumaki Mito welcomed Yamato as a Senju and planned to protect his growth, while Kushina began to suspect that Nawaki had survived.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi learned that the Major Clans were visiting the Senju Clan and that Uchiha Yoru had been giving speeches in taverns to promote village stability.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to visit the Senju Clan with Naiko, while privately hoping to lead Konoha through another war and later hand power to the next generation.
• Uchiha Yoru praised Hiruzen Sarutobi in his speeches, winning support from civilian and clan shinobi as he secretly planned to use the Third Kazekage’s disappearance to undermine Hiruzen.
• Uchiha Shisui and Kakashi watched Uchiha Yoru speak, and Kakashi came to regard him as an example of the Will of Fire.
• Tsunade showed Uzumaki Mito that Yamato could use Wood Release, and Uzumaki Mito welcomed him into the Senju Clan despite his limited power.
• Uzumaki Mito told Tsunade to send Yamato to the Daimyo’s Mansion to grow under Nawaki’s protection, and Kushina began to suspect that Nawaki had survived.

Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Uzumaki Mito with Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and Nako Uzumaki, while Tsunade weighed her future role and challenged Jiraiya over the village’s leadership. Meanwhile, Uzumaki Mito prepared to transfer the Nine-Tails, and Uchiha Yoru urged Uchiha Mikoto to focus on becoming stronger as he waited for conflict to erupt.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi visited Uzumaki Mito, who introduced Yamato as a child she planned to send to the Daimyo's Mansion and warned Hiruzen about the Wood Release experiments.
• Uzumaki Mito asked Tsunade to learn from Hiruzen Sarutobi and arranged for Tsunade to return to the Senju Clan in three days, while Jiraiya realized the clan was allowing Hiruzen to remain Hokage for now.
• Tsunade confronted Jiraiya about his avoidance of responsibility and warned that she would not keep waiting for Konoha's elders to step aside indefinitely.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Minato Namikaze that he had overruled objections to Minato marrying Nako Uzumaki and urged him to understand the village's need to balance the great clans and commoners.
• Uzumaki Mito told Tsunade that her body could only last until the following year, even if she did not transfer the Nine-Tails again.
• Uchiha Yoru reassured Uchiha Mikoto that they should prioritize strength over building influence, while he waited for Sunagakure and Kumogakure to provide an opportunity to ignite conflict.

Chiyo and Ebizo learned that Konoha may have arranged the Third Kazekage’s assassination and considered taking the war to the Land of Fire. In Konoha, Danzō sought control of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, while Tsunade recognized that Hiruzen was warning the Senju to keep their distance from the Uchiha.

• Chiyo ordered Ebizo to impersonate the missing Third Kazekage while she secretly investigated his disappearance.
• Chiyo and Ebizo received a dead spy’s message alleging that Konoha planned to assassinate the Third Kazekage, and Chiyo proposed secretly contacting other villages and invading the Land of Fire if necessary.
• Hiruzen refused to hand Nako Uzumaki to Danzō, but Danzō suggested engineering a border conflict to seize Uzumaki Kushina, and Hiruzen tacitly allowed him to proceed.
• Senju Ki told Tsunade that Danzō planned to move against the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and Tsunade concluded that Hiruzen had deliberately let the Senju learn of the plan as a warning.

Hiruzen Sarutobi planned to weaken the Senju and Uchiha while building support for his own faction, as clan leaders prepared for the coming Hokage succession. At Kushina’s estate, she and Mikoto offered Yoru their support, and Yoru said he had a task only Kushina could perform.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi resolved to keep Kushina away from the Uchiha, secure Senju land, and strengthen his clan alliance ahead of the next Hokage selection.
• Aburame Shikuroo told Shibi Aburame that the clan would not stake its entire future on the Third Hokage, while Shibi admitted his branch leaned toward Hiruzen’s faction.
• Uzumaki Kushina, Uchiha Mikoto, and Uchiha Yoru relaxed together in a hot spring, where Mikoto teased Kushina about her feelings for Yoru.
• Uzumaki Kushina offered her inheritance to help Yoru build power and compete for leadership of the Uchiha Clan, but Yoru said he did not need the position.
• Uchiha Yoru told Kushina that he had a task for her that perhaps only she in Konoha could accomplish.

Uchiha Yoru discussed winning the Hyuga Clan’s support by helping seal the branch family’s Caged Bird, then promised Uzumaki Kushina he would openly marry her and Mikoto. On New Year’s Day, the Third Hokage sent Yoru and Minato Namikaze on a secret S-Rank mission to the Land of Lightning to rendezvous with Orochimaru, and Yoru suspected it involved the Eight-Tails Rampage.

• Uchiha Yoru proposed that Uzumaki Kushina seal the Hyuga branch family’s Caged Bird so Tsunade could intervene and draw the Hyuga Clan closer to their side.
• Uchiha Yoru openly kissed Uzumaki Kushina and promised to marry both her and Uchiha Mikoto, then used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Kushina home that night.
• On New Year’s Day, Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Uchiha Yoru and Minato Namikaze and assigned them a secret mission in the Land of Lightning.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi named Uchiha Yoru the captain and said Jonin Hizashi Hyuga would wait for them at the border as they traveled to rendezvous with Orochimaru.
• After reading the mission scroll, Uchiha Yoru suspected the mission concerned the Eight-Tails Rampage incident.

Uchiha Yoru, Minato Namikaze, and Hizashi Hyuga entered the Land of Lightning to receive Orochimaru during a planned crisis in Kumogakure. Yoru infiltrated Kumogakure disguised as a samurai and saw how Danzo’s schemes had deepened divisions between black- and white-skinned residents.

• Uchiha Yoru explained that the team had to infiltrate Kumogakure and retrieve Orochimaru, while Minato Namikaze proposed that he and Yoru enter separately and Hizashi Hyuga wait outside.
• Minato Namikaze recalled Hiruzen Sarutobi revealing Orochimaru’s plan to provoke the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki’s rampage and ordering Minato to test Yoru’s strength and observe his loyalty.
• Uchiha Yoru entered Kumogakure hidden in a merchant caravan, posing as a samurai hired to guard it.
• Uchiha Yoru wandered through Kumogakure and observed discrimination, hostility, and unequal treatment between black- and white-skinned residents, attributing the growing division to Danzo’s effective but ruthless methods.