Chapter Summaries

After Team Five returned from its successful diplomatic mission, Shuji received a brief rest and was promoted to jonin, but Iwagakure’s large-scale assault forced the village to summon him for a dangerous front-line mission. He agreed to join Anbu with Kakashi and Tenzo to help face Iwagakure’s jinchuriki, and they were ordered to depart immediately.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi offered Team Five a celebration, an S-rank mission record each, and three days to rest, while Shuji declined a public celebration for the diplomatic mission.
• Hayami Shigeru arranged a private ceremony to celebrate Shuji’s promotion to jonin, and Shuji resumed training during his leave.
• Iwagakure sent more than a thousand shinobi across the Land of Grass toward the Kannabi Bridge front, prompting Shuji’s urgent summons.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi told Shuji that Iwagakure had deployed a jinchuriki and that Jiraiya would struggle against two jinchuriki alone.
• Shuji agreed to help, and Hiruzen assigned him to Anbu with Kakashi as team leader and Tenzo as their teammate.

After learning that Shuji had been assigned to a dangerous mission without them, Anko and Itachi worried that Team Five had been disbanded, but Hiruzen assured them Shuji would remain their captain. Shuji, Kakashi, and Yamato reached the front-line command center as the Tailed Beast interception squad, where Kakashi tried to conceal an embarrassing moment from Jiraiya.

• Anko and Itachi went to Hiruzen after discovering Shuji had left on a mission, and Hiruzen explained that only jonin-ranked ninja could take part and Team Five would remain intact.
• Anko returned to her apartment, troubled by her weakness as the Cursed Seal on her neck warmed.
• Shuji, Kakashi, and Yamato traveled toward the front, and Shuji teased Kakashi about how recognizable his silver hair made him as an Anbu member.
• The chapter explained that Iwagakure's two Jinchuriki had driven Konoha back after the loss of Kannabi Bridge and Tenchi Bridge, until Jiraiya stabilized the front.
• The Tailed Beast interception squad reported to Jiraiya and Shikaku, while Yamato struggled not to laugh at Kakashi.

Konoha launched a counterattack against Iwagakure, using Shuji and Yamato’s Wood Release to help confront the Four-Tails and Five-Tails Jinchuriki. The battle remained unresolved when Kitsuchi raised Roshi and Han onto an isolated stone platform, breaking the restraints.

• Nara Shikaku learned that Mori and Tenzo were Wood Release users and planned to use them as a surprise against Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki.
• Kitsuchi ordered Iwagakure’s forces to reinforce their positions and readied Roshi and Han as Konoha’s assault began.
• Roshi attacked Konoha’s advancing forces with lava, but Shuji and Yamato combined Water Release techniques to counter him and blanket the battlefield in steam.
• Kakashi used the fog and water to strike Iwagakure’s defenders, while Jiraiya intervened to protect him from Han.
• Shuji and Yamato sent Wood Release roots after Roshi and Han, but Kitsuchi raised the ground beneath the Jinchuriki and broke the roots.

Konoha’s forces used Shuji’s Wood Release to restrain Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki during the battle, but Kitsuchi intervened and identified the technique. In Kumogakure, the Fourth Raikage allowed Konoha’s envoy to pass through the Land of Frost border and resolved to use the crisis surrounding Akai’s death to secure benefits for Kumogakure.

• Jiraiya summoned Gamabunta to block Roshi and Han from retreating, while Kakashi assigned Tenzo to shield the roots and Sen to support Jiraiya.
• Shuji circled through the battlefield and used Wood Release to bind Han, but Kitsuchi broke the restraints and ordered Han to fall back.
• Kitsuchi recognized Shuji’s technique as the First Hokage’s Wood Release and realized it was the secret behind Konoha’s confidence.
• The Fourth Raikage read a report of Ōnoki’s attack and ordered Mabui to open the Land of Frost passage for Konoha’s envoy.
• The Raikage weighed the suspicious circumstances surrounding Akai’s death and decided to turn the crisis to Kumogakure’s advantage.

Wood Release disrupted Iwagakure’s attack, forcing Kitsuchi to order an orderly retreat while Konoha pursued cautiously. The armies stopped on opposite sides of Kannabi Bridge when Ōnoki appeared, leaving the front line at a standstill as Konoha awaited news from the eastern front.

• Kitsuchi helped Han and Roshi disengage after Shuji’s vines diverted Roshi’s Tailed Beast Bomb, then used Earth Style attacks to cover Iwagakure’s retreat.
• Kitsuchi signaled the Iwagakure army to withdraw in alternating formations, while Nara Shikaku ordered Konoha to pursue cautiously and capture stragglers.
• Konoha followed Iwagakure to Kannabi Bridge, where Ōnoki appeared across the bridge and Jiraiya ordered the advance to stop.
• Jiraiya and Shikaku concluded that Ōnoki’s presence marked Iwagakure’s acceptable battle line, and Konoha prepared to wait for the eastern front’s outcome.

Shuji and Yamato learned they would remain at the front under Jiraiya’s command while Kakashi conducted covert reconnaissance. Facing Konoha’s Wood Release and shifting alliances, Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure’s troops to withdraw in stages.

• Shuji trained after the battle, and Jiraiya told him and Yamato that they could not leave until Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki were confirmed to have withdrawn.
• Jiraiya said Kakashi had taken a team forward for covert reconnaissance and placed Shuji and Yamato temporarily under his command.
• Ōnoki weighed the danger of deploying Iwagakure’s Jinchuriki against Shuji’s Wood Release against the cost of a prolonged battle.
• Ōnoki learned that Konoha had begun peace talks with Kumogakure and judged that Iwagakure risked being left to fight alone while its rivals gained ground.
• Ōnoki ordered Kitsuchi to withdraw Iwagakure’s troops in batches, prioritizing the severely wounded and important supplies.

Kakashi returned with evidence that Iwagakure was withdrawing from the Kannabi front, but Konoha’s orders demanded an advance to secure Kannabi before the situation changed. Shuji proposed using a feigned Kusagakure threat to hasten Iwagakure’s retreat, and Shikaku said the dangerous plan could be attempted by an elite squad.

• During the standoff, Shuji studied the Barrier Team’s formations and improved his sealing techniques under Jiraiya’s guidance.
• Jiraiya summoned Shuji and Yamato to the command center, where Kakashi reported that Iwagakure units, including the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, were moving north without replacements arriving.
• Shikaku sent reconnaissance teams to verify the withdrawal, and their reports confirmed gaps in Iwagakure’s defensive line.
• Konoha ordered its forces to advance because the Raikage threatened war if they failed to make progress, while Ōnoki’s withdrawal preparations offered a narrow opportunity.
• Shuji proposed impersonating hardline Kusagakure shinobi to threaten Iwagakure’s rear and supply routes, and Shikaku agreed the plan could be attempted by an elite squad.

Ōnoki ordered Kitsuchi to suppress attacks attributed to Kusagakure while considering Konoha’s increased probing, but Konoha launched a major assault before Kitsuchi returned. The chapter ended with Hiruzen Sarutobi appearing on the battlefield and interrupting Ōnoki as he prepared to use Dust Release.

• Ōnoki sent Kitsuchi with three elite squads to eliminate the attackers and take their heads to Kusagakure, then learned that Konoha’s reconnaissance had increased.
• Banga reported that Konoha had launched a large-scale attack, and Iwagakure’s defenses weathered the opening barrages before a lightning strike shattered their earthen walls.
• Ōnoki summoned Roshi, who fired a Tailed Beast Bomb from a platform, but a masked figure used Wood Release to divert it away from Konoha’s positions.
• Ōnoki prepared to use Dust Release above the wooden barrier, but an incoming strike forced him to dodge.
• Ōnoki recognized Hiruzen Sarutobi at the front of Konoha’s line, holding a long staff.

Hiruzen Sarutobi confronted Ōnoki at Kannabi Bridge and forced Iwagakure to withdraw from the Land of Grass by revealing Jiraiya’s deep infiltration and Kitsuchi’s uncertain whereabouts. After the western front settled into a new defensive posture, Hiruzen praised Shuji’s strategy, ended his Anbu mission, and sent him back to the village.

• Hiruzen Sarutobi met Ōnoki on the battlefield and offered peace, but Ōnoki demanded a price for sparing Konoha.
• Hiruzen told Ōnoki that Jiraiya had penetrated the Land of Grass and that Kitsuchi had not returned, prompting Ōnoki to consider his position.
• Hiruzen suspended Konoha’s offensive until sunset the next day, and Ōnoki ordered Iwagakure’s forces to withdraw from the Kannabi Bridge line.
• Kakashi’s squad and Jiraiya returned, and Ōnoki led Iwagakure’s main forces out of the Land of Grass border region before the deadline.
• Kusagakure’s envoy met with Hiruzen, and both sides established border watchposts between the Land of Grass and the Land of Earth.
• Hiruzen praised Shuji’s strategy, ended his Anbu mission, and told him to return to the village while Kakashi and Tenzo took other missions.

After returning from the western front, Shuji reunited with Anko and Itachi over dinner. As Konoha celebrated Iwagakure’s retreat, talk of battlefield losses and the stalled negotiations with Kumogakure exposed rising resentment toward the Hyuga Clan, leaving Shuji concerned that the village would fail to protect them.

• Itachi told Izumi that Shuji had been sent alone because the mission required his exceptional strength.
• Anko returned home to find Shuji waiting, and he cleaned up her apartment before they went to find Itachi.
• Shuji, Anko, and Itachi went out for tempura, where a celebration turned tense as diners discussed war casualties and Kumogakure negotiations.
• Shuji recognized that villagers were directing their grief and frustration toward the Hyuga Clan and worried that village leaders would not stop the pressure from growing.

Mitokado Homura and the Fourth Raikage negotiated a settlement after Iwagakure’s defeat, but the Raikage demanded that Konoha hand over Akai’s killer. In Konoha, Shuji warned Hiruzen Sarutobi that Kumogakure did not want war, but the Hokage accepted the Hyuga Clan’s willingness to bear responsibility and chose to pursue peace.

• Mitokado Homura and the Fourth Raikage blamed other villages for the attack on Kumogakure’s envoys while disputing Konoha’s proposed concessions.
• After news arrived that Iwagakure’s front had collapsed, the Raikage accepted Konoha’s trade and mission terms only if it handed over Akai’s killer, or faced war.
• Villagers increasingly blamed the Hyuga Clan as rumors spread that Kumogakure demanded punishment and a life for a life.
• Shuji saw Sarutobi Asuma leave the Hokage’s office in anger, then told Hiruzen Sarutobi that he believed Kumogakure did not intend to go to war.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi said Konoha could not risk the Raikage’s resolve and that the Hyuga Clan had agreed to bear responsibility; Shuji left, wondering whether Tsunade would have made the same choice.

Konoha and Kumogakure ended their conflict, and Ōnoki accepted Konoha’s peace proposal as he turned his attention west. At a gathering at the Old Residence, Hayami Shigeru warned Shuji that some Senju who had supported Shimura might soon approach him over his Uchiha subordinate, Uchiha Itachi.

• Konoha and Kumogakure signed an alliance after Kumogakure accepted the corpse of a Hyuga clan member, and Konoha then proposed peace to Iwagakure.
• Ōnoki agreed to peace without conditions and shifted his attention toward Sunagakure and the lands west of the Land of Silence.
• Shuji hosted a gathering where Hayami Shigeru, Kachi Onju, and Torii discussed the war, the mission to protect the Feudal Lord, and a plan for monthly meals at the Old Residence.
• Hayami told Shuji that the village planned a Chunin Exams promotion ceremony the following year and advised him to prepare Uchiha Itachi for promotion.
• Hayami explained that some Senju had supported Advisor Shimura and warned Shuji that they might visit with hostile attitudes because he had an Uchiha on his team.

Shimura Danzō visited Shuji and urged him to cooperate in suppressing the Uchiha, but Grandma Toka interrupted before Shuji answered. After a busy end to the year, Konoha entered its fifty-fifth year with Danzō still awaiting Shuji’s response.

• Shimura Danzō visited Shuji at the Senju residence and proposed cooperation to strengthen Konoha’s stability.
• Danzo blamed the Uchiha for the village’s internal divisions and urged Shuji to help eliminate the threat.
• Grandma Toka ended the conversation before Shuji answered, and Danzo left waiting for his reply.
• Shuji and Team Five completed a rush of missions as Konoha’s year drew to a close.
• Shuji met Itachi and Anko for lunch on the last day of Konoha’s fifty-fourth year, and Konoha’s fifty-fifth year began.

Shuji requested leave to search for Tsunade and persuade her to return to Konoha, and Hiruzen Sarutobi approved a three-month absence while warning that her hemophobia could prevent her from becoming Hokage. Shuji left with clues placing Tsunade near the Land of Hot Water, a warning about a bounty on him, and confidence in his newly mastered Flying Thunder God as an escape method.

• Shuji told Anko and Itachi he planned to take leave and train outside the village to find someone, while Anko planned to train and Itachi prepared to enter the Chunin Exams alone.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi summoned Shuji and approved three months of leave after Shuji said he intended to find Tsunade and persuade her to return as Hokage.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi gave Shuji intelligence suggesting Tsunade was active near the Land of Hot Water and explained that her hemophobia would need to be resolved before he would step aside.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi warned Shuji that someone had placed a ten-million bounty on him, though Anbu had failed to identify the person responsible.
• Shuji left the Hokage Office after explaining that he had mastered Flying Thunder God, which he could use to escape danger while traveling outside the village.

Shuji traveled to Shota District to find Tsunade and bring her back to become Hokage, but discovered Kumogakure ninja guarding her and the Fourth Raikage, A. Tsunade mistook Shuji for an underage drinker and grabbed him by the collar.

• Shuji disguised himself and set out along the route to the Land of Hot Water to find Tsunade.
• After learning Tsunade had headed east, Shuji followed her trail to Shota District in the Land of Cedar.
• Shuji found fresh battle damage in the forest and placed Flying Thunder God markers before entering town.
• Shuji noticed Kumogakure ninja guarding the central area and spotted Tsunade, Shizune, and the Fourth Raikage, A, inside a tavern.
• Tsunade recognized Shuji, rushed over, and scolded him for trying to drink before he was old enough.

Shuji found Tsunade at a restaurant after tracking Kumogakure’s movements and learned how the Raikage had sought her medical help. After the Raikage left, Shuji revealed that he had come to ask Tsunade for help overcoming obstacles in his Sage Art training.

• Tsunade removed Shuji’s purple face markings, and Shuji explained that he was a Konoha ninja on vacation.
• The Fourth Raikage recognized Shuji as the envoy who had traveled to Sunagakure and said he had settled Tsunade’s debts before leaving.
• Shizune explained that the Raikage’s team had been attacked by the Xuan Yuan Group while pursuing secret scrolls from Cedar Hidden Village, and Tsunade had agreed to treat them after losing a wager.
• Shizune revealed that she had performed the treatment, and the Raikage had discovered Tsunade’s hemophobia but honored their agreement.
• After the Raikage departed, Tsunade told Shuji to leave, but Shuji said he had come to ask for her help with his Sage Art training.

Shuji asked Tsunade to support his Sage Art training, so she made him serve as her attendant before taking him toward the ruins of Uzushio Village. On the way, Tsunade tested his combat ability across the sea, and they reached the village after she managed to land a punch on him.

• Shuji asked Tsunade to help with his Sage Art training, and she agreed on the condition that he serve as her attendant.
• After making Shuji pay for the inn and traveling south with Shizune, Tsunade led them to an abandoned pier on the southeastern coast of the Land of Fire.
• Tsunade pointed Shuji east-southeast toward Uzushio Village and ordered him to cross the sea without a boat.
• As the three ran across the water, Tsunade attacked Shuji, who dodged and blocked her with Water Release.
• Tsunade repeatedly attacked Shuji during the journey, then stopped after landing a punch on his chest as they reached Uzushio Village.

Shuji began Sage Art training in the ruins of Uzushio Village and, with help from Tsunade and Katsuyu, survived the dangerous process of balancing natural energy with his chakra. After training, Tsunade explained how Uzushio’s destruction showed that a shinobi clan could not survive the wars between villages without power on Hashirama Senju’s level.

• Tsunade brought Shuji and Shizune to the ruins of Uzushio Village so Shuji could train without interruption.
• Katsuyu split off a smaller slug, and Tsunade prepared to support Shuji with chakra as he attempted to absorb natural energy directly.
• Shuji’s Hashirama Cells greedily absorbed natural energy, causing dangerous woodification until Tsunade and Katsuyu helped stabilize him.
• Shuji achieved a preliminary Sage Mode without animal-like traits, and his chakra replenished some of Tsunade’s depleted reserves.
• Tsunade told Shuji that Uzushio had fallen despite its strength and Konoha’s alliance, concluding that a shinobi clan could not endure village wars without power on Hashirama Senju’s level.

Shuji tried to make Tsunade confront her unresolved grief and explain his intentions for the Senju, while continuing his Sage Art training. The chapter ended as he shared the original owner of his body’s memories with Tsunade.

• Shuji told Tsunade that she had not truly let go of the past and offered to help her understand through chakra, but she rejected him and walked away.
• The next day, Tsunade resumed helping Shuji cultivate Sage Art, and he handled natural energy more steadily with Katsuyu’s assistance.
• Tsunade discovered she could use Shuji’s chakra to offset the physical cost of activating the Yin Seal and prevent herself from aging.
• Shuji clarified that he did not intend to rebuild the Senju clan, but wanted to gather its members in the village to speak out about the current situation.
• As Tsunade demanded to know why he had been antagonistic toward her, Shuji sent her the original owner’s fourteen years of memories through their chakra connection.

Shuji recalled his Senju family’s sacrifices as he urged Tsunade to return to Konoha and become Hokage, but she refused to decide without hearing his plans. After mastering Sage Mode, he began explaining his ideas about the Uchiha clan at Tsunade’s request.

• Shuji shared his thoughts on sacrifice and peace with Tsunade, then said Konoha needed new leadership and asked her to become Hokage.
• Tsunade accused Shuji of plotting a coup and refused, citing her hemophobia, but continued helping him train.
• Over the next several weeks, Shuji mastered Sage Mode, though Katsuyu had no Sage Arts to teach him.
• Tsunade demanded Shuji present a practical plan before she considered returning to Konoha and curing her hemophobia.
• Tsunade asked Shuji to begin by explaining his ideas about the Uchiha clan.