Recaps

Aozora led an Uchiha squad to uncover Hiruko’s experiments and evidence tying Danzo to the missing ninja, then helped expose Danzo’s Sharingan-filled arm and defection. The Uchiha resisted an immediate bid for the Hokage seat and pressed Hiruzen to reform ANBU, ending with a proposal to disband it and a new limit on its size.

• Aozora accepted the Earth Release inheritance, trained Earth Shrink and Izanagi, and took Itachi as his disciple after showing him Sasuke’s death and explaining the Uchiha’s conflict with Konoha’s leadership.
• Fugaku appointed Aozora to lead a squad investigating the disappearance of Masato and Eita, and Aozora tested his teammates before they pursued Tanaka Shōta.
• Aozora’s squad found Hiruko’s underground laboratory, rescued Eita, and recovered evidence of experiments on missing ninja, while Hiruko escaped on a monstrous creature.
• Aozora presented the evidence to Konoha’s leaders, accused senior ANBU members of enabling Hiruko, and exposed signs that ANBU members were bound by the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
• Aozora implicated Danzo in Hiruko’s Chimera Technique, and Danzo revealed eight Sharingan embedded in his right arm before attacking and fleeing with three ANBU defectors.
• Fugaku’s clan urged him to pursue the Hokage position, but Aozora argued that the Uchiha should keep Hiruzen in office while building alliances and weakening his faction.
• Fugaku and Aozora challenged Hiruzen over ANBU’s failures at the High-Level Meeting, and Aozora proposed disbanding the organization.
• Hiruzen rejected disbandment but capped ANBU at seventy members in four divisions and sixteen squads, and a Blond Man called for its powers and duties to be defined.

Aozora helped reshape Konoha’s leadership and the Uchiha’s Military Police Force while Shisui joined the Shadow Guard. He refined his Fire Release Chakra with the Two-Tails’ Ghost Fire and faced Fugaku to demonstrate his strength.

• Yamanaka Inoichi and Hyuga Hiashi pressed for limits on ANBU, while Fugaku challenged the Hokage faction over its treatment of the Uchiha and Danzo’s defection, and Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted reforms and called for a vote on Hokage Assistant candidates.
• Fugaku and Aozora advanced reforms to the Konoha Military Police Force, and Aozora proposed recruiting civilian ninja while the clan supported Torifu Akimichi and Kosuke for the leadership positions.
• Shisui declined Sarutobi Hiruzen’s Hokage Assistant nomination, joined the Shadow Guard, and began serving at the Hokage Building.
• Fugaku appointed Aozora as a Flying Tigers instructor, and Aozora arranged to refine his Fire Release Chakra using the Two-Tails’ Ghost Fire.
• Aozora endured severe pain as he circulated his Chakra through the Ghost Fire, then broke through a Lightning Fire Golden Body bottleneck and produced transformed orange Chakra.
• Aozora demonstrated that his orange flame overpowered the remaining Ghost Fire, and Fugaku arranged to assess his fighting ability.
• Aozora’s Blaze Release Great Fireball overcame Fugaku’s Great Fireball, after which Fugaku used Great Fire Dragon Bullet and the two fought with kunai and taijutsu.

Aozora advanced the Uchiha’s plans for a second base in Kyoto City while supporting Shisui’s pursuit of Danzo. The hunt ended in a battle at Hirano Gambling House, where Aozora defeated Shimura Hideki and Shisui revealed the full power of his Phantom Clones after Danzo survived with Izanagi.

• Aozora explained the Uchiha’s need for a Kyoto City stronghold, and Fugaku assigned him to lead the secret Project Sleeping Dragon recruitment plan.
• Aozora opened a Charity House in Yokohama City, pursued Black Market targets near Kyoto, and followed Shisui to Tenbara City after learning where he was staying.
• Aozora entered Hirano Gambling House in disguise, won heavily at dice, and discovered Tsunade and Shizune there as a fight broke out around the operation to capture Danzo.
• Shisui and Black Eagle fought Kurama Murakumo, whose genjutsu trapped them in flames, until Shisui revealed his Mangekyo Sharingan and learned that Murakumo’s family and clan were safe.
• Danzo arrived at the gambling house and fought Shisui while Tsunade and the Shadow Guard confronted his Root Jonin, and Orochimaru agreed to hold Tsunade back.
• Aozora offered to hold off Shimura Hideki for eight million ryo, then used genjutsu to turn their exchanged Kunai against them and killed Hideki.
• Shisui wounded Danzo, but Danzo used Izanagi to return unharmed at the cost of two Sharingan, and Shisui surrounded him with darkness and floating Three Tomoe Sharingan.

Aozora helped Shisui survive Danzo and Orochimaru’s attack, then returned to the Uchiha clan and encouraged Shisui to trust Fugaku and the clan. He won the Flying Tigers instructor selection and became Head Instructor, with his training plan still to be judged.

• Aozora protected Shisui from Danzo until Shisui broke free with his Mangekyo Sharingan and Susanoo, and the ensuing battle left Danzo and Orochimaru escaping while Tsunade treated Shizune.
• Aozora escorted Shisui home, reported the battle to Fugaku, and warned that Shisui’s loyalty to the Hokage’s circle left him distant from the clan.
• Aozora convinced Shisui to reconsider hiding his Mangekyo, and Fugaku revealed his own Mangekyo and gave Shisui the clan’s research on its costs and use.
• Aozora promoted Police Force recruitment and competed in the Flying Tigers instructor selection, defeating Mugen before Makki and the other candidates won their matches.
• Aozora defeated Makki with Earth Rising Spear, then won the final when Ryoichi conceded.
• Fugaku appointed Aozora, Ryoichi, Junpei, and Koma as Flying Tigers instructors and named Aozora Head Instructor, while asking Aozora and Ryoichi to submit separate training plans for evaluation.