Recaps

Fugaku and the Konoha forces struggled to hold back a vastly larger Stone Ninja army as Shikaku directed the battle from the rear. After Fugaku unleashed a devastating Mangekyo technique and Sarutobi arrived to reinforce him, the exhausted defenders still faced an advancing enemy and prepared to fight to the death.

• Shikaku used the Yamanaka Clan's sensing technique to direct Konoha's forces as Stone Ninja attacked from the front, flanks, and underground.
• Fugaku and his clan fought off successive Stone Ninja assaults, but Shikaku warned that a force of more than two thousand enemies was closing in.
• Fugaku ordered a retreat, but the Stone Ninja pressed the attack, and Yashiro pulled him out of the path of rising rock spikes.
• Fugaku's Uchiha allies covered the area with hot ash, and Fugaku unleashed a black Chakra blade and explosive tomoe that killed more than a hundred Stone Ninja.
• Sarutobi returned and attacked the enemy ranks, while Hyuga Hiashi and Choza Akimichi brought reinforcements to Fugaku's position.
• Fugaku asked his remaining comrades if they were ready to die, and they vowed to fight to the death.

Minato fought Ōnoki and rescued Shikaku and Inoichi after the Stone Ninja destroyed their communications equipment. As Konoha’s defenses collapsed, signal flares and a message from Yamanaka Fu revealed that Kaede and Orochimaru had arrived with reinforcements.

• Ōnoki blocked Minato’s Rasengan with Earth Release: Hardening Technique and withdrew rather than risk a prolonged fight.
• Minato reached Shikaku and Inoichi, defeated the Stone Ninja surrounding them, and found their communications equipment destroyed.
• Shikaku and Inoichi struggled amid the slaughter, while Minato watched Konoha ninja—including a young child—die on the battlefield.
• Red fireworks appeared over the forest, and Shikaku recognized them as Konoha’s signal for mission complete.
• Yamanaka Fu contacted Inoichi and announced that Kaede and Orochimaru had returned with reinforcements.
• Inoichi shouted across the battlefield that Kaede and Orochimaru had come back.

Konoha and the Sand Ninja defeated Ōnoki’s Stone Ninja after Orochimaru’s reinforcements turned the battle, though thousands of Konoha ninja died. As the survivors traveled home, they hailed Orochimaru as their savior while he watched with quiet satisfaction.

• Orochimaru arrived with Sand Ninja reinforcements, and Hiruzen Sarutobi regained hope as they attacked the exhausted Stone Ninja.
• Ōnoki raised rock giants to cover his army’s retreat, while Shikaku warned Konoha’s forces not to pursue too far.
• Rasa and Hiruzen discussed their alliance, and Ōnoki learned that Kumogakure had attacked Iwagakure’s eastern border, forcing him to withdraw.
• Kusagakure drove the retreating Stone Ninja from the Land of Grass, and Konoha received supplies before loading thousands of fallen comrades onto carts.
• The Konoha survivors began their journey home, shouting praise for Orochimaru as he rode near the front of the convoy.

Shin witnessed Konoha welcome home its war survivors and mourn the many dead, then withdrew alone as the village celebrated its victory. After meeting Kakashi and Rin at a quiet bench, he left Rin there to sit with memories of a friend.

• Shin watched the returning procession arrive with carriages carrying the fallen, and three Academy children laid flowers on one of the bodies.
• Hiruzen Sarutobi announced that Konoha had won, while Shin noticed that only a few dozen Hyuga members had returned and Natsu asked whether he had seen Iroha.
• Shin slipped away from the crowd and sat alone on a bench as the villagers gathered to hear the Hokage speak.
• Kakashi joined Shin on the bench, rested briefly, and left without saying goodbye.
• Rin arrived and told Shin that a friend of hers used to like sitting there, so Shin left her alone on the bench.

The Hyuga Clan attended Konoha’s memorial ceremony for the fallen, where Shin warned Orochimaru that the unresolved spy could derail his rise to Hokage. Shin urged Orochimaru to eliminate the spy decisively and win the daimyō’s support, leaving Orochimaru weighing the danger and the plan.

• Hiashi led the Hyuga Clan to the Memorial Stone and spoke with Ayano about the clan’s return and the captured rogue ninja.
• Shin joined the crowd at the memorial ceremony, saw Konoha’s leaders and surviving clan members, and searched unsuccessfully for Iroha’s name.
• After the ceremony, Shin found Orochimaru among the graves and challenged his confidence about becoming Hokage.
• Shin warned Orochimaru that the unresolved spy would threaten Konoha’s peace and his political future.
• Shin advised Orochimaru to kill the spy in a way that prevented controversy and then report the deed to the daimyō.

Shin and Ayari discussed her impending arranged marriage to Hizashi as they shopped and walked home, while Shin admitted he did not want her to marry. Later, Hizashi visited Shin, confessed his resentment toward the Hyuga family system, and offered to help Shin and Orochimaru in exchange for freedom from his shackles; Shin asked him to prove his loyalty.

• Shin and Ayari shopped for dinner, and Shin used a Chakra control technique to stop a soda can from hitting him.
• Ayari told Shin that her marriage to Hizashi had been arranged and that she intended to marry before Hiashi and Ayano so her child could protect the Main Branch.
• Shin told Ayari he did not want her to marry, and Ayari urged him to pursue Natsu instead.
• Hizashi visited Shin and explained that his marriage to Ayari was beyond his control, then questioned Shin about the Hyuga system.
• Hizashi confessed that he hated his father and brother, not the system itself, and offered to help Shin and Orochimaru in exchange for freedom from his shackles.
• Shin remained unmoved by Hizashi's offer and asked him to provide a token of loyalty.

Sarutobi received new information about Jinyu Hyuga’s death while Konoha prepared for renewed conflict with the Hidden Mist Village. Hiashi learned that Jinyuu’s death and the stolen Byakugan might be connected to the mole, leaving the investigation unresolved.

• The Land of Fire sent gifts to the Land of Wind and funded ninja factions to help Konoha face the Hidden Mist Village.
• A ninja gave Sarutobi a report on Jinyu Hyuga’s death, and Sarutobi set aside his paperwork to study it.
• Danzo urged Sarutobi to appoint Orochimaru as commander against the Hidden Mist and asked about the mole, but Sarutobi said the investigation had found nothing.
• Ayano tried to speak with Hiashi, who dismissed her, and she later advised Hizashi to be patient with Ayari before he entered Hiashi’s study.
• Hizashi told Hiashi that Jinyuu’s death might be linked to the mole and that the mole may have stolen the Byakugan.

Shin showed Ayari how he used Chakra vibrations to control objects and move the air, then explained their connection to Natural Energy. Ayari asked him to teach her, but gave up when he told her to read the books she had found for him first.

• Ayari served Shin instant noodles and salted eggs, then left him to wash the dishes while she played with Sibi.
• Shin demonstrated how he stopped, moved, and pulled a can using Chakra vibrations.
• Shin showed Ayari how Chakra vibrations could create frictional heat and explained that the Byakugan could not see Natural Energy outside the body.
• Shin explained how he could use Chakra to move Natural Energy and control the wind, leaving Ayari somewhat convinced.
• Ayari asked Shin to teach her, but refused when he told her to read the books first.

Ayari discussed her impending marriage to Hizashi with Ayano, admitting that the clan’s decision would stand regardless of her wishes. Elsewhere, Danzo and Orochimaru planned to pin the Stone Ninja leak on a scapegoat, while Orochimaru suggested Danzo might become Hokage.

• Ayano visited Ayari and found Makoto leaving after spending time with her.
• Ayano urged Ayari to consider her position as Hizashi’s future wife, but Ayari said she did not care about the wedding arrangements and asked to see dress designs.
• Ayari wondered whether her wishes mattered when the clan had already decided she would marry Hizashi.
• Danzo confronted Orochimaru about Sarutobi investigating who had tipped off the Stone Ninja, and Orochimaru denied having reason to fear exposure.
• Danzo proposed finding a scapegoat and said he would expose the person at the right time, while urging Orochimaru to act against the Hidden Mist Village.
• Orochimaru said he might not be suited to become Hokage and asked whether Danzo would do better, but Danzo insisted the position had to be Orochimaru’s.

Konoha’s leaders debated who should command the campaign against the Mist Ninjas, and Orochimaru unexpectedly endorsed Minato for the role. After Minato accepted, Shikaku suspected Orochimaru might be planning to sabotage him, but Minato insisted they needed evidence and committed to winning.

• Sarutobi asked the assembled leaders to choose a commander against the Mist Ninjas, and Shikaku nominated Minato based on his battlefield record.
• Several leaders supported Minato, while others argued that Orochimaru deserved command for helping Konoha against the Stone Ninja.
• Orochimaru surprised the gathering by endorsing Minato, and Sarutobi appointed Minato to lead the campaign.
• After the meeting, Shikaku warned Minato that Orochimaru might be plotting to undermine him and later claim credit for saving the village.
• Minato rejected treating the suspicion as fact without evidence and vowed to do his best to defeat the Mist Ninjas.

As Konoha prepared for the war against the Hidden Mist, Shin kept Rin from returning to the battlefield, while Danzo realized Orochimaru had slipped beyond his control. Shin visited the ailing Hyuga Taikei, then faced Hiashi’s suspicion, leaving his promised new Byakugan—and his safety within the clan—uncertain.

• Shin persuaded Orochimaru to leave Rin behind, and Rin agreed to help at Konoha Hospital after Kakashi and the hospital staff urged her to stay.
• Danzo realized Orochimaru was pursuing his own plans and that his effort to use Orochimaru as a puppet had failed.
• Hyuga Taikei invited Shin to his residence, asked how he viewed the clan and village, and assured him that Hiashi would give him new Byakugan.
• Shin told Hiashi about his visit and Taikei’s questions, and Hiashi ordered him not to visit Taikei again.
• After Shin left, Hiashi watched him coldly and questioned whether someone he considered mediocre and potentially disloyal deserved to live.

Lord Gen, the Land of Fire Daimyo, visited Konoha and pressed Sarutobi to resolve the traitor case while reaffirming his support for the war. He agreed to fund Minato’s border camp and stayed in the village as Sarutobi struggled to identify the traitor.

• Lord Gen arrived in Konoha, sent most of his entourage to a nearby town, and asked Sarutobi to show him the village.
• At the Memorial Stone, Lord Gen questioned Sarutobi about Konoha’s defeats and the traitor, and Sarutobi accepted responsibility before Lord Gen urged him to keep leading the village and find the culprit.
• Lord Gen announced that he would stay in Konoha for several days and warned Sarutobi to resolve the traitor case quickly.
• Minato reported that his forces had defeated a small Mist Ninja unit but could not force a decisive battle, and he requested support for a temporary border camp.
• Lord Gen arranged for ministers to prepare supplies for Minato, while he remained in Konoha and occasionally summoned entertainers.

Hiashi prepared for a mission transporting supplies to the front lines and brought Makoto along with Hizashi and Kamado. Meanwhile, Orochimaru warned Danzo that Sarutobi suspected their past crimes and urged him to eliminate loose ends, while secretly doubting Danzo’s plan to offer up a scapegoat.

• Hiashi told Ayano that he was leaving on an important supply mission and summoned Makoto to join him.
• Makoto changed into his ninja combat uniform, then joined Hiashi, Hizashi, and Kamado as they departed.
• Orochimaru returned from meeting the daimyo and found Danzo waiting in his home.
• Orochimaru told Danzo that Sarutobi had begun to suspect their past actions and advised them to resolve the internal traitor problem before he went to the front lines.
• Danzo agreed to put forward a scapegoat, while Orochimaru privately doubted that a conveniently revealed traitor would fool Sarutobi.

Shikaku’s group captured a Konoha mole and sent Hiashi to escort him back to the village, but a Mist Ninja unit attacked them during the return journey. As the Konoha group prepared to fight in thickening mist, Hizashi vanished with the prisoner while Zhen stayed calm beside the others.

• Shikaku captured a Konoha ninja carrying a secret letter about the camp and decided to send him to the Hokage without interrogating him.
• Hiashi led the group, including the bound mole, back toward the village while Shikaku and Inoichi wondered who was behind the betrayal.
• Kamado spotted twenty-four Mist Ninjas pursuing the group, and Hiashi ordered everyone to retreat.
• The Mist Ninjas caught up and attacked through a sudden bank of mist, while Hiashi destroyed their water dragon jutsu with an Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.
• Hizashi carried the mole into the thick mist as Zhen remained composed amid the incoming shuriken.

Shin and the Konoha team defeated twenty-four Mist Ninjas, but the traitor they were escorting died during the battle. Hiashi accepted responsibility for the failed mission and ordered the team to return to the village with Renji’s body.

• Shin used his sensing skills and invisible barriers to locate and kill a Mist Ninja in the fog.
• Hiashi and Hizashi defeated the Mist Ninjas, while the fighting left many Konoha ninjas injured and one dead.
• After the mist cleared, the team found that all twenty-four Mist Ninjas had been killed.
• Hizashi reported that the bound traitor had died, and Hiashi learned that numerous kunai had pierced his body.
• Hiashi told Hizashi to get up, accepted responsibility for the mission’s failure, and ordered the team to collect Renji’s body and return to the village.

Danzo’s attempt to use Wu as a false lead collapsed when Mist Ninjas killed him, while Sarutobi began questioning the circumstances of the mission. After returning home, Zhen reunited with Ayari and received a visit from Natsu; the next morning, Hiashi found a package containing a bloodstained kunai, a pair of Byakugan, and a note arranging a meeting outside the village.

• Danzo learned that Mist Ninjas had killed Wu, ruining his plan to feed fabricated information to the Hokage.
• Hiashi reported the failed mission to Sarutobi, who wondered whether the Mist Ninjas had targeted Wu, until a medical unit member announced that something was wrong with the corpse.
• Ayari checked on Zhen after his return, and he gave her a short blade he had taken from a Mist Ninja.
• Natsu visited Zhen to ask about his condition and the death of his companion, then left after a brief conversation.
• Hiashi found a package containing a bloodstained kunai, a pair of Byakugan, and a note summoning him to a meeting outside the village that night.

At a performance in Adofuku Street, a disguised assassin tried to kill Lord Gen, straining relations between him and Konoha. Lord Gen ordered arrests and interrogations, while Sarutobi and Danzō feared the unidentified traitor would continue to endanger Konoha.

• Lord Gen halted the geisha performance and summoned scantily clad women, but Sarutobi asked him to respect the ninja taboos, so the women were dismissed.
• One of the women rushed at Lord Gen with a blade, but Fugaku and Hiashi subdued her before she could strike.
• The woman died after taking poison, and a Twelve Guardian Ninja found a Kirigakure forehead protector on her body.
• Lord Gen accused Sarutobi of failing to protect him and ordered the women and anyone suspicious in town arrested and interrogated.
• Sarutobi offered to move Lord Gen to Konoha for protection, but Lord Gen rejected the offer and left with the Twelve Guardian Ninja.
• Danzō offered to have Root investigate the traitor, and Sarutobi warned that Konoha would remain in turmoil until the culprit was eliminated.

Hiashi met Orochimaru in a forest outside Konoha and discovered that the meeting was a trap meant to frame him as a traitor. After Shin appeared and left, Hiashi fled toward the village while Orochimaru disappeared into the night.

• Hizashi left the Hokage's Office, spoke with Harutaka about Renji's death, and then encountered Orochimaru, who hinted that he should be prepared.
• Hiashi arrived at the agreed meeting place outside Konoha and found Orochimaru holding the body of an Iwagakure ninja.
• Orochimaru accused Hiashi of secretly meeting a Stone Ninja and revealed that special Chakra dust had rendered Hiashi's Byakugan useless.
• Hiashi realized Orochimaru had set a trap and admitted that he suspected Orochimaru was the spy, then tried to bargain for his life.
• Shin emerged and refused to speak to Hiashi, then said people from the village would soon arrive and left with the torch.
• Hiashi fled toward Konoha as Orochimaru vanished into the night.

After evidence implicated the dead Hyuga Hiashi in treason, Lord Gen confronted Sarutobi over the village’s losses and forced the Third Hokage to relinquish his position. Sarutobi then realized Minato and his supporters were absent while Orochimaru’s allies backed Orochimaru as the next Hokage.

• Sarutobi presented the evidence against Hyuga Hiashi, including an autopsy report, incriminating letters, and Jinyu Hyuga’s suicide note.
• Lord Gen arrived at the meeting and questioned whether Hiashi’s treason implicated the entire Hyuga Clan.
• Hizashi Hyuga explained the Main Branch’s control over the Branch Family and claimed that only he and Jinyuu had known of Hiashi’s crimes.
• Lord Gen blamed Sarutobi for the deaths of thousands, and Sarutobi agreed to step down as Hokage.
• Sarutobi noticed Minato and his supporters were absent, while Danzō nominated Orochimaru and the room voiced its approval.

After Hyuga Hiashi was executed and Hyuga Taikei failed to attend the clan assembly, Hizashi rejected the elders’ calls for him to become clan head and backed Shin instead. Shin demonstrated his control over the Caged Bird Seal, took the main seat, and promised to end the seal for young and future clan members, leaving the Hyuga Clan bowed before him as its new head.

• A clansman announced that Hyuga Taikei was ill and would not attend the Hyuga Clan assembly, while Ayari sent Tokuma to find Shin.
• Tokuma announced Hizashi’s return, and Hizashi told the clan that Orochimaru had become Fourth Hokage and that Hyuga Hiashi had been executed.
• When elders urged Hizashi to become clan head, he refused and sat beside Ayano instead.
• Shin entered the hall, challenged Hyuga Manzo, and used a hand seal to inflict pain on him.
• Shin sat in the main seat and declared himself clan head, promising that children under three and future clan members would not receive the Caged Bird Seal.
• Hizashi revealed that his own Caged Bird Seal had vanished, and the gathered clansmen, including Ayano and Ayari, bowed to Shin.

Orochimaru became the Fourth Hokage, while Shin settled into his new position as head of the Hyuga Clan and considered its problems and his personal plans. After Hizashi warned him about marriage and Shin asked about Ayano, Shin went to Ayari’s home and persuaded her to open the door.

• Sarutobi handed the Hokage hat to Orochimaru at the succession ceremony, while Tsunade, Jiraiya, Fugaku, and Shin watched.
• Fugaku exchanged pleasantries with Shin, then Shin returned to the Hyuga Clan Compound and learned Kamado would serve as his guard.
• Shin reviewed the clan’s unattended businesses and damaged reputation, deciding Orochimaru could help restore the clan’s public image.
• Hizashi told Shin he planned to end his engagement to Ayari and suggested Natsu as a suitable fiancée, but Shin said he had his own plans.
• Shin asked Hizashi about Ayano, then went to Ayari’s house and called her Sister Ayari until she opened the door.

Shinichi canceled Ayari’s engagement and pressed her to accept his feelings, leaving her distressed and uncertain about the man he had become. The next morning, he offered Orochimaru Hyuga Clan members for the Anbu, prompting Orochimaru to question who they would truly obey.

• Shinichi visited Ayari at night, told her he missed her, and announced that he had canceled her engagement.
• Shinichi told Ayari that no one could stop him from claiming what he wanted, while Ayari stayed awake afterward, troubled by his ultimatum.
• Orochimaru summoned Shinichi and asked him to handle village paperwork and establish a research institute to study the Byakugan.
• Shinichi warned Orochimaru that he lacked loyal subordinates and advised him to build his own power and purge the Anbu close to him.
• Shinichi offered to place Hyuga Clan members in the Anbu, and Orochimaru asked whether they were loyal to him or Shinichi.

Shin managed Konoha’s affairs under Orochimaru and helped raise the village’s confidence after Minato defeated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He discovered and killed a White Zetsu disguised as a wounded soldier at the hospital, then went to Orochimaru to verify his suspicions and seek a way to eliminate the threat.

• Shin handled Orochimaru’s official duties, appointed ten Hyuga men to the Anbu, and drew concern from Sarutobi, the advisors, and Danzo.
• Minato defeated the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and Konoha received their swords as spoils of war.
• Shin followed a wounded soldier to Konoha Hospital after sensing an unusual Chakra signature and killed the White Zetsu hiding there.
• Shin reassured Rin, sent Anbu to deliver the White Zetsu’s corpse to Orochimaru, and considered how to stop Uchiha Madara from threatening her.
• Shin left the hospital and went directly to Orochimaru to verify some ideas.

Rin received a mission to join the medical ninja at the front lines and sought out Shin before leaving. They shared ramen at Ichiraku, where Shin entertained her with a trick, and she departed their conversation smiling as he wished her caution.

• Rin learned she would leave for the front lines the next morning as part of a new group of medical ninja.
• Rin visited the Hyuga Clan Compound and learned that Shin was with the Hokage, while the clan members now addressed him as Lord Shin.
• Rin waited outside the Hokage's Office, found Shin, and invited him to dinner before her departure.
• Rin and Shin ate signature ramen at Ichiraku, where Teuchi asked after Kakashi and Obito and Shin answered that Kakashi was at the front lines.
• Shin used his power to float ramen into Rin's mouth, and the two awkwardly exchanged bowls after she realized they had both eaten from his bowl.
• Shin asked when Rin would leave and told her to be careful at the front lines, while Rin did not know he had assigned her the mission himself.

Makoto told Orochimaru that the monster he had found had named Uchiha Madara, prompting Orochimaru to consider a way to draw Madara out. The chapter ended with Makoto suggesting they pursue the lead while Minato protected Rin on the front lines.

• Makoto dismissed clan members’ suggestions that he marry or replace his Byakugan, keeping his research knowledge to himself.
• Makoto visited Orochimaru’s temporary laboratory, where Orochimaru described White Zetsu’s regenerative and adaptable cells.
• Makoto suggested White Zetsu’s cells might help regrow limbs, and Orochimaru agreed they could have medical uses.
• Makoto told Orochimaru that the monster had identified itself as Uchiha Madara and had targeted Nohara Rin.
• Orochimaru wondered whether Madara had mastered advanced techniques involving the human body and asked how they could draw him out.
• Makoto said Madara might be too calculating to lure directly, but they could follow the clue while Minato acted to protect Rin.