Chapter Summaries

Hidezawa reassured Tsunade as she struggled with the pressure of potentially becoming Hokage, then met privately with the Fourth Raikage and Ōnoki as they considered how to oppose him. The chapter ended with Yugao noticing a healed bite mark on Hidezawa’s shoulder after he returned from the Izakaya with Tsunade.

• Hikari told Yugao that Hidezawa had helped her understand her past, while Hidezawa struggled to check Karin’s homework until Yugao stepped in.
• Hidezawa found Tsunade drinking at an Izakaya and discussed her possible appointment as Hokage, the village’s leadership, and the shinobi world’s conflicts.
• Tsunade accidentally fell on Hidezawa, bit his shoulder in frustration, and accepted his reassurance before they returned home together.
• Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage discussed Hidezawa’s ambitions and considered using the organization Konohagakure hunted to challenge him, possibly through Rasa’s difficulties in Sunagakure.
• Hidezawa returned to Yugao’s room, where she noticed a healed mark on his shoulder and questioned how he had gotten it.

As Konohagakure prepared to host the Chunin Exams, Hidezawa learned that Sunagakure and other villages were secretly cooperating with Akatsuki, while Orochimaru tested an Impure World Reincarnation of Hashirama Senju. Tsunade confirmed that Hiruzen planned to announce his retirement at the exams, leaving her poised to become the Fifth Hokage.

• Hidezawa met Pakura, who warned him that Rasa planned to attend the Chunin Exams and might bring the One-Tail Jinchuriki while conspiring with outsiders.
• Orochimaru summoned Hashirama Senju with Impure World Reincarnation, but the result was imperfect and needed adjustments before it could serve their plans.
• Konan and Nagato discussed the Rain Country's development and decided Konan would lead its delegation to the Chunin Exams while Nagato gathered intelligence on Obito Uchiha.
• Tsunade showed Hidezawa the new team assignments, where Karin had replaced Sakura on the squad with Naruto and Sasuke under Kakashi.
• Tsunade told Hidezawa that Hiruzen would announce his retirement during the Chunin Exams and support her succession as Hokage.

Hidezawa learned that Akatsuki and Kirigakure were both moving against Gato in Wave Country, and he arranged for Team Kakashi to gain field experience while he joined the operation. Hiruzen Sarutobi also told him that he had officially become Hokage Assistant, while Obito Uchiha and Black Zetsu discussed their plans to escalate the conflict with Konohagakure.

• Yugao told Hidezawa that Hiruzen Sarutobi would soon step down and that the Chunin Exams required careful preparation.
• Hikari grew closer to Hidezawa, sat on his lap in his office, and admitted that she was willing to be with him; Hiruzen Sarutobi walked in and pretended not to see them.
• Naruto, Shikamaru, Chōji, Ino, Sasuke, and Karin gathered at the Ninja Academy as the new teams prepared to begin their missions.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Hidezawa that Kirigakure planned to move against Gato in Wave Country, and Hidezawa revealed that Akatsuki had also targeted him.
• Hidezawa agreed to join the operation and send Team Kakashi for field experience, then learned that he had officially been appointed Hokage Assistant.
• Obito Uchiha told Black Zetsu that Akatsuki would provoke Konohagakure and support Orochimaru's work while waiting for the Ten-Tails to be revived.

Kakashi’s team finally left Konoha for Wave Country, while Hidezawa coordinated with Kirigakure to counter Akatsuki and negotiate cooperation. The chapter ended as Kakashi’s team encountered Obito Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha on the road.

• Karin, Naruto, and Sasuke persuaded Kakashi to take them on a proper mission after enduring a month of low-level work.
• Hidezawa and Hiruzen Sarutobi arranged for Kakashi’s team to escort Tazuna to Wave Country, and Hidezawa prepared to go there with Hikari and Root members.
• Hidezawa met Mei Terumi’s Kirigakure delegation, negotiated the mission’s profits, and secured their support for Konoha’s upcoming Chunin Exams.
• Obito Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Orochimaru, Kakuzu, and Biwa Jūzō headed toward Gato’s area after learning Kakashi’s team was in Wave Country.
• Kakashi sensed danger as his team met Obito Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha, and Sasuke recognized Itachi.

Shihara Hidezawa arrived as Obito Uchiha and Orochimaru attacked Kakashi’s team with the reanimated Tobirama Senju. He turned the battle against them, while Hikari overwhelmed Itachi Uchiha, leaving Tobirama stunned by Hidezawa’s Wood Release and the Uchiha woman fighting beside him.

• Sasuke charged Itachi Uchiha, while Obito Uchiha and Orochimaru prepared to test Tobirama Senju’s Impure World Reincarnation.
• Tobirama Senju attacked Kakashi, Naruto, and Karin, but Karin’s Adamantine Chains briefly restrained him and Tobirama secretly offered Kakashi advice on defeating him and Obito.
• Shihara Hidezawa arrived, brought Konohagakure and Kirigakure reinforcements to the battlefield, and engaged Obito and Tobirama with powerful Water Release techniques.
• Hikari fought Itachi Uchiha, countered his Amaterasu, and drove him back while Sasuke watched and realized she was an Uchiha with Mangekyō Sharingan.
• Hidezawa unleashed Wood Release and created a vast forest, then watched Hikari summon her Susanoo as Tobirama wondered whether Hidezawa and Hikari resembled Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

Hidezawa and Hikari defeated the Akatsuki team’s attack in Wave Country, while Orochimaru’s revelations left Tobirama Senju reeling over the state of the clans and village. After completing his mission, Hidezawa spent points to reach LV15, where a strange new change began to emerge.

• Hidezawa discussed the battle with Hikari and Kakashi, while Kakashi told Sasuke that Shisui Uchiha had been Hidezawa’s teammate and that Itachi Uchiha had served on his own team.
• Kakashi led Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin away; Sasuke watched Hikari and the battlefield in despair, then silently clenched his fist as he considered his future.
• Hidezawa told Mei Terumi and the others that Shisui was still following the departing team, then received notice that his Wave Country mission was complete and earned 50 Free Points.
• At Hidden Sound Village, Orochimaru taunted Tobirama Senju with revelations about the Senju and Uchiha clans, the Hokage, and the Uchiha massacre before sealing him in a coffin.
• Obito Uchiha returned to the Kamui Dimension, raged over his defeat, and decided to provide Orochimaru with White Zetsu for future experiments.
• Hidezawa increased his Body Comprehensive Quality to LV15 and felt a strange heartbeat and sense of control as a horn began growing on his forehead.

Hidezawa discussed Kirigakure’s negotiations and Orochimaru’s Impure World Reincarnation with Hiruzen Sarutobi, then discovered a new bloodline mutation that intensified his life force and formed a chakra horn on his forehead. As Sunagakure and Rain Country delegations arrived for the Chunin Exams, Konan warned him that Akatsuki and other villages were preparing to test Konoha, and he persuaded her to keep the operation limited while promising that a larger conflict would come later.

• Hidezawa told Hiruzen Sarutobi he was prepared to face Orochimaru’s Impure World Reincarnation and proposed using it to make dead criminals serve as laborers and soldiers.
• Hidezawa experienced a large-scale bloodline mutation that strengthened his Fire of Life, improved his control over chakra and space, and produced a chakra horn on his forehead.
• Baki brought Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara into Konoha, where Hidezawa greeted them and Baki warned them about his power and past deeds.
• Hidezawa met Konan, who revealed that Nagato and Akatsuki would take part in the Chunin Exams operation with support from Iwagakure and Cloud Village.
• Hidezawa explained his vision of peace through cooperation and mutual benefit, and persuaded Konan to treat the operation as a test rather than a decisive confrontation.
• Konan agreed to show Hidezawa Akatsuki’s sincerity after the operation was over.

As the Chunin Exams began, Hidezawa prepared for threats from rival villages and Akatsuki while ensuring Konoha's young teams could advance. The first test ended with Naruto in trouble, and Hidezawa revealed that Darui's presence might help him obtain Storm Release and advance his power.

• Darui and Deidara arrived in Konoha, while Ōnoki and the Fourth Raikage discussed the danger they believed Hidezawa posed and their plans around the exams.
• Naruto, Sasuke, and Karin entered the Chunin Exams, and Hidezawa warned the proctors to consider the resolve and team cohesion of the candidates while Ibiki prepared the written test.
• Obito supplied Orochimaru with White Zetsu biological vessels, and Orochimaru explained how he had modified his body to control the summoned First and Second Hokage.
• Akatsuki members mocked Itachi over his family and discussed their repeated failures against Hidezawa before turning their attention to the danger awaiting Itachi in Konoha.
• Naruto failed to answer most of the written test and hesitated to cheat because it could eliminate his teammates, so Ibiki announced the tenth question after the exam bell rang.
• Hidezawa told Yugao that Karin had passed and, after the exam, reflected that Darui's arrival might let him obtain Storm Release and take his final step toward ascension.

Hidezawa and Konoha prepared for the Chunin Exams’ final matches while weighing Rasa’s intentions and Pakura’s possible rise to Kazekage. Tsunade was announced as Konoha’s Fifth Hokage, and the chapter ended as Naruto was paired against Neji Hyuga.

• Hidezawa told Kakashi that the playoff results had been arranged to favor the expected finalists, including the Sunagakure contestants.
• Hidezawa greeted Rasa in Konoha, then discussed with Pakura Konoha’s support for her becoming the Fifth Kazekage and plans to help Sunagakure.
• Naruto trained with Jiraiya, while Sasuke trained with Kakashi ahead of the final exam; meanwhile, Obito Uchiha’s Akatsuki group prepared to act after Orochimaru’s signal.
• Hidezawa and the other Konoha shinobi gathered at the Training Grounds, where Hiruzen Sarutobi announced Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage and Tsunade declared the exam underway.
• Mei Terumi’s group confirmed its preparations, while Orochimaru watched from the crowd and anticipated the events ahead.
• The first match was announced as Uzumaki Naruto versus Neji Hyuga, prompting Kakashi to worry that Konoha’s prospects remained grim.

Naruto defeated Neji, while Temari won after Shikamaru forfeited and Sasuke’s match against Gaara triggered the invasion of Konoha. As Shukaku emerged and the attack began, Hidezawa confronted the One-Tail and destroyed its manifested body with vines.

• Naruto overwhelmed Neji with Shadow Clones, defeated him, and argued that effort could change fate.
• Temari won her match after Shikamaru forfeited, then Sasuke faced Gaara and pierced his sand defense with Chidori.
• Gaara’s One-Tail transformation began as Rasa launched the invasion alongside Orochimaru and the Akatsuki, while Konoha’s Anbu evacuated civilians.
• Hidezawa sent Kakashi and the others to deal with the attackers, then approached the awakened Shukaku alone.
• Hidezawa dispersed Shukaku’s attack and bound the One-Tail in vines until its body crumbled into sand.

Hidezawa stopped Gaara’s rampage, exposed Sunagakure’s attack as a war, and moved the confrontation outside Konohagakure, where Orochimaru revived Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju. The fighting began with Hidezawa matching Hashirama’s Wood Release, while other combatants engaged across the battlefield.

• Hidezawa subdued the One-Tail with Wood Release, and Mei Terumi ordered Kirigakure’s examinees to join the battle against Sunagakure and the Sound Ninja.
• Pakura refused Yugao’s evacuation, declared that Sunagakure’s problems came from within the Kazekage Building, and confronted Baki over her opposition to Rasa.
• Karin, Naruto, and Sasuke pursued Gaara after Kankuro and Temari carried him away, while Hidezawa confronted Rasa and Orochimaru at the platform.
• Orochimaru revived Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, and Hidezawa transported them and the other fighters outside Konohagakure before the battle began.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi fought Rasa, Zabuza challenged Biwa Jūzō, and Hikari engaged Pain as the others chose opponents.
• Hidezawa and Hashirama Senju clashed with Wood Release and Taijutsu, and Hashirama Senju said he envied Hidezawa after seeing Hikari’s Susanoo and hearing she would always support him.

Hidezawa and Hikari joined their powers to cover the giant Buddha in Susanoo armor, while Hashirama Senju escalated the battle with Sage Mode and Nagato summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. The chapter ended as Hidezawa unleashed a colossal golden sword against Hashirama, who accepted the challenge.

• Tsunade overwhelmed Hidan, Kisame provoked Itachi Uchiha, and Hikari persuaded Nagato to fight alongside Hidezawa.
• Kakashi confronted Obito in Konoha, while Pakura defeated Baki and condemned his loyalty to Rasa over Sunagakure.
• Hidezawa fought Hashirama Senju with Wood Release and Flying Thunder God, then explained how war and political choices led to the decline of the Uzumaki, Senju, and Uchiha clans.
• Orochimaru urged Nagato and Hashirama to advance the fight, prompting Hashirama to enter Sage Mode and Nagato to summon the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
• Hidezawa created the True Several Thousand Hands Buddha, and Hikari clad it in Susanoo armor as stunned shinobi across the region watched.
• Hidezawa formed a massive golden sword and struck toward Hashirama, who welcomed the chance to test his strength.

After Konohagakure’s victory, Hidezawa and the village’s leaders discussed Sunagakure’s future and the threat posed by Akatsuki’s Impure World Reincarnation. Hidezawa received his mission rewards at home, but Hikari arrived just as he was about to study his new Storm Release experience.

• Konohagakure’s ninja and Darui and Deidara surveyed the devastation caused by Hidezawa’s attack, while Darui urged Deidara to leave and report what had happened.
• Tsunade asked Hidezawa about the toll of the attack, and Hidezawa explained that Hikari’s enhanced eyes had let her help him use Susanoo without risking blindness.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, Hidezawa, and Genji discussed using Rasa’s death to support Pakura’s rise and preparing for Akatsuki to reanimate powerful dead ninja.
• Obito Uchiha and the surviving Akatsuki members regrouped, learned that Hidan had been destroyed, and argued over the cost of their failed assault and the delay in their plans.
• Hidezawa reassured Konan about Nagato’s safety and discussed aid and trade for the Rain Country before arranging to meet her three days later.
• Hidezawa received an SSS mission evaluation, 20 Free Points doubled, and experience for Hashirama Senju’s Wood Release and Darui’s Storm Release, but Hikari entered his room before he could use the reward.

Black Zetsu recruited Orochimaru by explaining Hidezawa’s Yin-Yang Release and urging him to prepare for Konohagakure’s next moves. In Konohagakure, Hidezawa encouraged Pakura to take over as Kazekage, then learned Storm Release and began pursuing Truth-Seeking Orbs, ending with Hikari discovering him surrounded by three black spheres.

• Black Zetsu told Orochimaru that Hidezawa’s Yin-Yang Release had destroyed the reanimated Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju, then urged Orochimaru to prepare more reanimation backups and suggested that Madara Uchiha could counter Hidezawa.
• Hidezawa told Pakura that Konohagakure would support her becoming the Fourth Kazekage, and he advised her on managing Sunagakure and its leadership.
• Hidezawa and Hikari grew closer during the night, and Hikari reflected on how he had saved her and helped her recover her memories.
• Hidezawa gained Storm Release at level six and decided to use his accumulated resources to pursue Truth-Seeking Orbs.
• Hikari sensed a strange power in the living room and found Hidezawa glowing with three black spheres floating behind him.

Hidezawa tested his new Truth-Seeking Orb and used Yin-Yang Release to reveal the Stone Tablet’s hidden message about the Otsutsuki and the Eye of the Moon. He concluded that a long-lived mastermind had manipulated the Senju and Uchiha and resolved to expose him, while the system unlocked a new Otsutsuki mystery task.

• Hidezawa discovered that balancing all seven Chakra natures let him create a Truth-Seeking Orb, and he explained the technique to Hikari.
• Ōnoki, the Fourth Raikage, Chiyo, and Ebizo reacted to reports of Rasa’s death, the One-Tail’s capture, and Konohagakure’s overwhelming victory.
• Hidezawa took Tsunade and Hikari to the Uchiha Stone Tablet and used Yin-Yang Release to let them read its hidden text.
• Hidezawa, Tsunade, and Hikari learned that the Eye of the Moon plan had been inserted into the tablet and that someone had manipulated the Senju and Uchiha for a thousand years.
• Hidezawa reasoned that the hidden mastermind was either constrained or powerless, and he resolved to draw the figure out; the system awarded him 12 Free Points and unlocked the Mystery of the Otsutsuki task.
• Hidezawa wondered whether Kaguya Otsutsuki had infused Black Zetsu with Kekkei Mōra-level Chakra, suppressing its Yin-Yang Release power.

Hidezawa arranged for Sasuke to meet the surviving Uchiha hidden in Root, who welcomed him as family and prepared to train him. Afterward, Hidezawa and Yugao settled in for the night, but Hikari unexpectedly walked into their room.

• Hidezawa discussed the Otsutsuki, the threat from Iwagakure and the Cloud Village, the Akatsuki, and the possibility of dealing with Orochimaru with Tsunade and Hikari.
• Tsunade assigned Hidezawa to guide Sasuke and told him Naruto would train with Jiraiya while Karin trained with her and Yugao.
• Sasuke trained late into the night, recalled Hidezawa's accomplishments, and agreed to join Root after Kabuto offered to bring him to the Minister.
• Kabuto led Sasuke into Root, where Sasuke discovered Shisui, Izumi Uchiha, and other surviving clansmen; Shisui welcomed him home, and Sasuke broke down in tears.
• Kabuto left Root and decided to take leave to visit the Orphanage, while Sasuke reunited with his clansmen.
• Hidezawa and Yugao went to bed together, but Hikari suddenly pushed open their door.

Hidezawa investigated Sasuke’s Chakra and discussed the Hyuga Clan’s mysterious origins with Tsunade, then realized the God Tree might explain Indra’s power and became eager to visit the moon. At an Izakaya, Konan expressed her gratitude and offered Hidezawa the sincerity he had once asked her for.

• At Root, Hidezawa discussed Sasuke’s training with Shisui and decided to examine Sasuke’s eyes and Mangekyo.
• Nagato convened Akatsuki, ordered the group to keep a low profile, recruit Shinno and Hiruko, seek stronger fighters and weapons, and maintain the Rain Country’s alliance with Konohagakure.
• Hidezawa detected exceptionally pure Yin Release Chakra in Sasuke and wondered whether it was connected to Indra and the God Tree.
• Hidezawa persuaded Tsunade to support investigating the Hyuga Clan’s origins and suspected links to the Senju, Uchiha, and Kaguya Clan.
• Hidezawa connected the God Tree’s power to Indra’s Chakra and the Tenseigan, then met Konan at an Izakaya.
• Hidezawa explained why he had chosen to help Konan and the Rain Country, and Konan approached him, saying she remembered his request for sincerity.

Hidezawa investigated the Hyuga Clan’s mysterious origins and prepared to search the moon, then used his new powers to forge a supposed Senju record. After strengthening himself, he underwent a startling transformation that made him look like an Otsutsuki.

• Konan returned to Nagato with news of Konoha’s support for the Rain Country and accepted the task of making frequent trips to Konoha to coordinate with them.
• Tsunade told Hidezawa that the Hyuga Clan had shared its ancient records, and Hidezawa proposed that their ancestors might have come from the moon.
• Hidezawa returned to Root, rejected Kabuto’s offer to fabricate information, then had Kabuto write a report about negotiations that neither of them could accurately document.
• Hidezawa spent 40 Free Points to raise Wood Release, Yin-Yang Release Chakra Mode, and Yin-Yang Release to LV11, gaining new control over their powers.
• Hidezawa created a false Senju chronicle that attributed the world’s conflicts to Black Zetsu and warned of the Otsutsuki, then raised his Chakra and Body Comprehensive Quality.
• Hidezawa’s body transformed: his hair turned white, a robe formed around him, a horn-like shape extended from his forehead, and Truth-Seeking Orbs appeared behind him.

Hidezawa’s Root team discovered a sealed teleportation array that connected to the moon, and he led Tsunade, Hikari, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and others through it. As more Konohagakure ninjas arrived, an old man on the moon realized that the visitors might be attacking in force.

• A Hyuga Root ninja found a deep cavern containing strange seals and a barrier that affected intruders like genjutsu.
• Hidezawa explored the cavern with Hikari and found a summoning array beneath an opening that revealed the moon; its power confirmed his theory that it could transport them there.
• Hidezawa explained the discovery to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Kakashi, then had Kabuto leave the Hyuga behind before leading a group into the array.
• Hidezawa and the others arrived on the moon, saw the distant blue world, and prepared for the rest of their team to follow.
• An old man in a lunar palace sensed the growing number of arrivals and realized that ninjas from the Lower Realm had come to attack the moon.

Hidezawa led Konohagakure’s forces into the moon, where they discovered the surviving Otsutsuki Branch Family and their hidden world. After Hidezawa fought the clan elder, the elder unleashed Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion, and Hidezawa answered with the same technique.

• The lunar Otsutsuki debated how to respond to the invading ninjas and prepared to defend their territory and Tenseigan.
• Hikari and the other Konohagakure ninjas fought the puppet forces while Hidezawa sensed an underground entrance and smashed through the moon’s surface to reach it.
• Hidezawa descended into the moon’s interior, where the group found a world of floating islands, forests, rivers, and villages.
• The Otsutsuki elder confronted Hidezawa, mistook his power for that of Asura’s descendant, and was sent flying by Hidezawa’s attacks as the two fought.
• The lunar Otsutsuki attacked the Konohagakure group, while the elder drew on the Tenseigan and used Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion.
• Hidezawa revealed a matching technique and launched his own Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion at the elder.