Recaps

The Nine-Tails rampaged across the battlefield, deliberately slaughtering Cloud Ninja while battling the Eight-Tails. Their enormous Tailed Beast Bombs collided and devastated the area; Minato survived inside Kikyō Pass Fortress and stood over the mortally wounded Raikage.

• The Nine-Tails attacked the battlefield with Tailed Beast Bombs, and Shikaku ordered the Konoha shinobi to draw in their lines.
• The Nine-Tails declared its intent to kill humans and fought the Eight-Tails, while Shin disguised Cloud Ninja as Konoha shinobi from above.
• The Nine-Tails and Eight-Tails unleashed massive Tailed Beast Bombs at each other as the shinobi retreated toward the fortress.
• The explosion destroyed the surrounding mountain and collapsed Kikyō Pass Fortress, killing most of the Cloud Ninja nearby.
• Minato escaped the blast with the Flying Thunder God Technique, then appeared beside the gravely injured Raikage and declared the battle over.

The Cloud Ninja camp came under attack by Rain Ninja as the battle at Kikyō Pass ended in Konoha’s favor. Moroi used the Heavenly Transfer Technique to send Killer B away, while Shin, Minato, and Fugaku moved to subdue the Nine-Tails, which Fugaku restrained with his Sharingan as Minato prepared to seal it.

• Samui and Mabui learned that Rain Ninja were attacking the Cloud Ninja camp.
• Konoha defeated the Cloud Ninja at Kikyō Pass, and the wounded Raikage was captured.
• Moroi used the Heavenly Transfer Technique to transport Killer B away, then fled while the Nine-Tails let him go.
• Shin noticed that the Eight-Tails had disappeared, and he, Minato, and Fugaku charged toward the Nine-Tails.
• The Nine-Tails lost its senses and attacked wildly before Fugaku bound it with his Sharingan.
• Minato began the sealing technique and ordered the Nine-Tails to return.

Konoha and the Rain Ninja defeated the Cloud Ninja after sealing the Nine-Tails and capturing the Raikage. As the forces celebrated and prepared to recover, Zhen reflected on the power of tailed beasts and his willingness to use any means to reach his goals.

• Minato, Fugaku, and Zhen sealed the Nine-Tails back into Kushina, who collapsed from exhaustion.
• Konoha shinobi cheered as Zhen and the others returned with Kushina, while Minato hurried to aid the battle against the Cloud Ninja.
• Zhen inspected the captured Raikage, and the Cloud Ninja's defeat and the Raikage's capture left Konoha with thousands of prisoners.
• Minato and Jiraiya returned with Yahiko and the Rain Ninja after routing the Cloud Ninja camp and taking more prisoners.
• The daimyo sent supplies and a minister to congratulate Minato, while Konoha shinobi began marking dangerous terrain damaged by the battle.
• Kushina woke the next day hungry, and Minato thanked Zhen for helping secure victory; Zhen then considered tailed beasts valuable assets and rejected the First Hokage's approach to peace.

After Konoha celebrated the returning heroes, Orochimaru questioned Shin about his sudden strength, and Shin returned to the Hyuga compound to reunite with Ayari and Ayano. The chapter ended with Shin teasing Ayari about telling Ayano his secrets, and Ayari relenting when he asked her to come to his room.

• Minato, Jiraiya, Fugaku, Shin, and the others returned to Konoha, where villagers welcomed them and cursed the captured Cloud Ninja.
• Orochimaru welcomed the returning force, then listened as Minato and Shikaku reported the war's losses and aftermath.
• Orochimaru kept Shin behind and questioned him about his unexpected strength, but Shin claimed he had relied on Genjutsu and pledged his loyalty.
• Shin returned to the Hyuga compound, where his clansmen greeted him with renewed respect for his power and his promise of freedom for the clan.
• Shin embraced Ayari in the courtyard, then teased her by saying he would tell Ayano what he wanted to tell her; Ayari protested that Ayano was her sister, then agreed to hear him out.

Shin attended a banquet with his comrades as they celebrated Konoha’s victory and discussed the Cloud Ninja prisoners, while Obito tried to win Rin’s affection. As Konoha’s influence grew and village affairs stabilized, Shin received the startling news that Ayari was pregnant.

• Shin arrived late at the banquet, where the gathered shinobi welcomed him warmly and the youths discussed his abilities, Minato, and Konoha’s prisoners.
• Obito walked home with Rin and tried to arrange a date, but Rin urged him to focus on training to become Naruto.
• Kumogakure sought peace and the return of the Raikage and its prisoners, but Konoha ignored its demand.
• The Land of Fire and the Land of Rain established diplomatic relations, while Shin shifted his attention to village affairs and plans for industrial development.
• After winter passed and Konoha recovered from its difficult year, Shin learned that Ayari was pregnant.

Shin learned that Ayari was pregnant and agreed to marry her, while Ayari eagerly prepared for their child, whom she wanted to name Neji. As Ayari moved into Shin’s home, Ayano confronted him privately, asking if he could hold back.

• Shin comforted Ayari after she said she was pregnant, promised to marry her, and agreed to name their child Neji.
• Shin announced his plans to marry Ayari and became distracted by thoughts of fatherhood, even asking fourteen-year-old Kakashi what it felt like to be a father.
• Ayari took Ayano shopping for baby supplies and said she wanted their child to grow up happily and choose his own future.
• Shin brought Ayari to live in his home, and she worried that pregnancy would make her ugly.
• Ayano entered the bathroom behind Shin, pressed herself against him, and asked whether he could hold back.

Ayari confronted Zhen about his affair with Ayano, then reconciled with her sister while insisting she would still marry him for Neji’s sake. At work, Zhen considered Konoha’s response to Sunagakure’s request for aid, and Kamado reported that the orphans for Orochimaru had been gathered.

• Ayari confronted Zhen about what he had done with Ayano and admitted that he had made the first move.
• Ayari bit Zhen’s lip, then drove him out of the bedroom after attacking him in anger.
• Ayano apologized to Ayari, who embraced her and said she would still marry Zhen so Neji could have a complete family.
• Ayari asked Ayano not to be obvious with Zhen, fearing that stress would affect Neji.
• Zhen wore a mask at Naruto’s office to hide his bitten lip and considered Konoha’s response to Sunagakure’s request for help against the Hidden Mist Village.
• Kamado returned and told Zhen that he had gathered the orphans intended for Orochimaru.

Shin learned that Orochimaru planned to transfer children’s souls into growing White Zetsu bodies, then checked on the orphans and visited the imprisoned Yugito. He used Yugito’s friends and their captured father to pressure her into revealing how to control a Tailed Beast and become a perfect Jinchuriki.

• Orochimaru discussed using children’s souls to give juvenile White Zetsu bodies intelligence and growth, and asked Shin to find more children for the experiments.
• Shin told Orochimaru that he was still searching clan records for information about the Byakugan.
• Shin visited Yakushi Nonō and the children, where he noted that Kabuto stood out in training.
• Shin visited Yugito in Konoha Prison and brought Mabui and Samui into her cell.
• Mabui told Yugito that her father had also been captured, prompting Yugito to threaten Shin.
• Shin gave Yugito ten minutes to consider revealing how to control a Tailed Beast and become a perfect Jinchuriki, warning that her friends could be hurt.

Yugito, Samui, and Mabui were moved from prison to better accommodations after Yugito revealed Kumogakure’s Tailed Beast training method. Yugito then proposed seducing Shin to gain his trust and rescue the Raikage, but Samui questioned the plan and Yugito accused her of refusing to sacrifice herself for the village.

• Yugito wrote down information about communicating with a Tailed Beast for Shin.
• Shin told the three prisoners that returning to Kumogakure might no longer be possible, then had them moved to better quarters.
• The three girls ate the food provided, and Mabui cried as she thought about her village, friends, and imprisoned father.
• Yugito decided to seek revenge and rescue the Raikage by gaining Shin’s trust rather than using force.
• Yugito urged Samui to seduce Shin, but Samui doubted he was a lecher and Yugito accused her of refusing to sacrifice herself for Kumogakure.

Shin tried to soothe Ayari, whose affection and anger swung between passionate kisses and painful bites, before she used her pregnancy to keep him from retaliating. At the Ninja Academy's spring enrollment, Shin began planning to recruit promising Uchiha youths and strengthen his influence in Konoha, then welcomed a delegation from Sunagakure led by Pakura.

• Ayari asked Shin whether he still liked her and how he planned to handle their situation, then bit his hand and alternated between tenderness and anger.
• Ayari reminded Shin that she was pregnant when he threatened to retaliate, and Shin left for the room next door after she challenged him to wait ten months.
• Shin reviewed the Ninja Academy's spring enrollment list, resolved to recruit Uchiha Itachi, and considered bringing Uchiha Shisui under his command.
• Shin reflected that he needed time and strength to secure control of Konoha, while recognizing that Orochimaru could abruptly end his plans.
• Two days later, a Sunagakure delegation led by Pakura arrived after Shin's letter, presenting him with another opportunity.

Shin pressured Pakura to consider how Konoha could help her personally as well as Sunagakure, while Rin began preparing to train as a perfect Jinchuriki. Shin gave Yugito money and permission to move around Konoha, then frightened her by threatening the Raikage and her relatives if she caused trouble.

• Shin told Pakura that Konoha would help Sunagakure, but questioned whether victory would improve her treatment in the village, and Pakura asked for time to think.
• Rin told Shin she had decided to train to become a perfect Jinchuriki, and Kushina supported her despite being unable to reconcile with the Nine-Tails.
• Shin warned Rin that she would need to communicate with and tame her tailed beast, and sent her and Kushina to consult Yugito.
• Yugito asked Shin for more daily necessities, and Shin promised to consider granting her wishes if she helped Rin train, even releasing the Fourth Raikage.
• Shin gave Yugito a check and permission to move freely in Konoha, then threatened the Raikage and Yugito's relatives if she misbehaved, leaving her terrified.

Makoto secured Pakura’s agreement to help her become the Fifth Kazekage by arranging for Sasori to assassinate Rasa, then invited Konoha to support Sunagakure against the Hidden Mist Village. The next day, Makoto visited Fugaku’s home to discuss the Uchiha Clan’s district, where he greeted Mikoto.

• Makoto told Pakura that Sasori could kill Rasa if she created an opportunity, after which she could take the Kazekage position and lead Sunagakure against the Hidden Mist Village.
• Pakura accepted Makoto’s help and left Konoha with her group that afternoon.
• An Uchiha Clan member invited Makoto to meet Fugaku about the village’s clan districts.
• Makoto visited Fugaku’s home the next day and greeted Mikoto.

Makoto discussed the Uchiha Clan’s future with Fugaku and invited the family to his wedding. Afterward, Obito begged Makoto to help him take Rin flying, and Makoto agreed to carry them both.

• Makoto promised Fugaku favorable treatment, named a village area for the Uchiha Clan, and proposed cutting back the Police Force.
• Makoto asked Itachi about his Academy life and future ambitions, and Itachi said he wanted to help Fugaku.
• Makoto told Fugaku and Mikoto he was getting married and invited them to attend.
• Makoto ran into Obito, who asked him to teach him how to fly so he could take Rin into the sky.
• Makoto suggested taking Rin flying himself, but Obito refused and begged Makoto to carry both of them instead.
• Makoto agreed to help after Obito pleaded, and told him to discuss the plan with Rin first.

Obito arranged for Shinichi to take him and Rin flying, hoping to make Rin happy, but his fear of heights forced him to return to the ground while Shinichi and Rin continued alone. After discussing Obito’s feelings and Rin’s friendship with him, Rin asked Obito to speak with her privately and led him away.

• Obito brought Rin to meet Shinichi so they could all try flying, but Rin said she was not interested.
• Shinichi took the trio high into the air, where Obito became pale and nauseated despite insisting he was fine.
• Obito asked Shinichi to lower him to the ground, leaving Shinichi and Rin alone in the sky.
• Rin challenged Shinichi for helping Obito pursue her, and Shinichi asked why she let Obito think he still had a chance.
• After they returned to the ground, Rin comforted Obito and reminded him to focus on becoming stronger rather than making foolish gestures.
• Rin asked Obito to speak with her privately, and he hurried after her as she led him away.

Shin discussed Orochimaru’s failed attempts to transfer souls into White Zetsu bodies and suggested that an unknown rule governing death might explain the failures. He left the laboratory considering a search for Jugo, while Yugito, Samui, and Mabui debated how to approach him and their uncertain future in Konoha.

• Shin examined Orochimaru’s White Zetsu vessels and learned that five soul-transfer experiments had failed.
• Shin suggested that death might follow rules that Orochimaru did not yet understand, helping Orochimaru reconsider why souls rejected new bodies.
• Shin thought Jugo’s ability to absorb Natural Energy might help his own progress, then told Orochimaru that his wedding was a month away and that he would become a father.
• Yugito urged Mabui and Samui to help bring Hyuga Shin to them so they could pursue their plans to rescue Lord Raikage and kill him.
• Samui advised Yugito to wait for an opportunity, while privately considering how to win Hyuga Shin’s affection.

Kakashi, Guy, and their friends gathered for barbecue, where Kamado announced that Shin would marry Ayari the following month. Rin concealed her troubled reaction to the invitation as the others discussed the wedding.

• Kakashi, Guy, and Kamado joined their friends at the restaurant while Obito sat quietly after apparently failing to confess to Rin.
• Rin and Shizune arrived, and Kamado told everyone he had been promoted to jonin.
• Shizune said she would leave the village with Tsunade, while Rin spoke of wanting to travel with her and pursue greater strength.
• Rin told Kurenai to ignore Obito when Kurenai asked whether something had happened between them.
• Kamado handed out Shin's wedding invitations and announced that Shin would marry Ayari the following month.
• Rin tightened her grip on her invitation and grew restless as everyone talked about the wedding.

Rin waited for Zhen outside the Hokage's Office, and he took her above the clouds, where teasing turned into a kiss. The chapter ended as Zhen kissed Rin on the lips despite her protests and her feelings for Kakashi.

• Rin asked Zhen about his upcoming marriage, and he told her he was marrying someone he liked.
• Rin said she had cleared things up with Obito and could pursue Kakashi without causing further misunderstandings.
• Zhen carried Rin above the clouds, where they admired the view and traded playful insults.
• Zhen disappeared to frighten Rin, then reappeared and kissed her cheek.
• Zhen approached Rin again, and despite her saying she liked Kakashi and that it was her first kiss, he kissed her on the lips.

After kissing Rin, Shinichi told her they could be together despite his impending marriage, and Rin rejected his proposal and returned home. There, Obito accepted that she only saw him as a friend and left determined to become stronger.

• Rin confronted Shinichi about kissing her while he was engaged, and he said his marriage had nothing to do with their relationship.
• Rin called Shinichi insane and left, then went home and angrily pounded her pillow while thinking about him.
• Obito visited Rin and said they should remain friends, and Rin told him she could only return his feelings as a friend.
• Rin encouraged Obito to keep working toward becoming Naruto, and he left resolved to become stronger so he could win her affection.

Shinichi learned that Pakura had completed Sunagakure’s regime change and brought the infant Jugo to Orochimaru, who showed little interest in studying him for now. Orochimaru outlined a plan to restrain souls inside new bodies and called the work human evolution.

• Shinichi received Pakura’s confirmation that Sunagakure’s regime had changed, while Kumogakure continued asking for the Raikage’s return and Shinichi demanded the Eight-Tails in exchange.
• Shinichi’s Anbu found the infant Jugo, whose natural ability to absorb Natural Energy caused him to lose control, and Shinichi sent him to the Hokage.
• Shinichi returned home and spent time with Ayari, who planned to visit Mikoto the next day and bring her a scented wood diffuser.
• Orochimaru told Shinichi that Jugo had an unusual constitution but that he was too busy studying White Zetsu to examine him, so Shinichi offered to take the child away.
• Orochimaru described his plan to restrain a soul after transferring it into a new body, and Shinichi agreed that the idea was feasible.

Zhen studied Sealing Jutsu to find a way to let people produce Sage Chakra safely, while Kushina and Ayari talked about pregnancy, children, and marriage. Zhen planned to seek Kushina’s guidance, and Kushina considered hinting to Minato that she wanted to marry him.

• Zhen struggled to condense Sage Chakra inside Jugo and considered creating a seal that would draw in a controlled amount of Natural Energy whenever its user formed Chakra.
• Zhen assigned people to watch Jugo and spent two days studying Sealing Jutsu before deciding to ask Kushina for guidance.
• At the Uchiha Clan residence, Kushina chatted with Mikoto and Ayari, touched Ayari’s pregnant belly, and learned that Ayari hoped for a daughter named Sachi.
• Kushina jokingly promised Sachi that she would marry Kushina’s future son, then awkwardly apologized after making Ayari uncomfortable about their age difference.
• Ayari encouraged Kushina to hint that she wanted to marry Minato, and Kushina blushed when Ayari suggested using their intimate moments to raise the subject.
• The author said their health and schedule had recovered after a month at home, promised to make up missed updates, and asked readers to vote at the end of the month.

Shin visited Kushina to ask for help with Sealing Jutsu research and studied the Double Four Symbols Seal on her abdomen. He left with an Uzumaki scroll, then encountered Minato on his way to see Kushina.

• Kushina trained Rin in controlling Tailed Beast Chakra and helped Rin work toward subduing the Three-Tails.
• Shin asked Kushina how Sealing Jutsu could direct Chakra through a human body, and she gave him a scroll containing an Uzumaki predecessor's insights.
• Shin asked to examine Kushina's Double Four Symbols Seal, and she allowed him to touch it while he sensed its Chakra circulation.
• Kushina told Shin to keep the encounter to himself and reminded him to pay more attention to his pregnant wife, Ayari.
• Shin left Kushina's house carrying the scroll and met Minato, who was on his way to help Kushina cook.

Shin accepted Yugito’s invitation to dinner after suspecting the three Kumogakure women had a scheme. He arrived at their home and found Mabui in a maid outfit and Samui in a revealing cheongsam, apparently setting a honey trap.

• Shin woke late and kept Ayano beside him while Ayari waited outside their bedroom.
• Ayari fed Sibi Shin’s breakfast, and Shin asked Ayano to make him something else.
• Ayari grew irritated with Ayano while Ayano continued her household chores.
• An Anbu told Shin that Yugito wanted to invite him to a meal, and he checked that her seal remained intact before agreeing.
• Shin followed Yugito to her residence and found Mabui serving food in a maid outfit and Samui carrying dishes in a red cheongsam.

Yugito, Samui, and Mabui tried to win Shin over with a lavish meal, hoping to secure the Raikage’s rescue and their return to Kumogakure. Shin asked Samui to become his assistant, leaving her worried about her future in Konoha, though she accepted that she had few other choices.

• Yugito hosted Shin for dinner with Samui and Mabui, and Samui served a meal of Land of Lightning specialties.
• Shin flirted with Samui during tea and praised her cooking, while Yugito believed their plan was working.
• As he left, Shin told Samui to come work as his assistant the next day.
• Samui worried that Shin would keep her in Konoha and make use of her as a prisoner from an enemy village.
• Mabui admitted she felt distressed about Samui bearing the burden of their plan, and Yugito later found Samui resting in her room.
• Samui told Yugito she was willing to do this for their friends because they had no better choice.

Shin tested a Fire Release scroll and began researching techniques engraved directly onto the body, while Orochimaru revealed his advances in reincarnating souls into White Zetsu and creating a powerful body for himself. Shin left with an intelligent White Zetsu for his experiments, keeping his plans for Sage Engraving secret.

• Shin created a single-use Fire Release scroll, and Kamado tested it successfully before agreeing to serve as Shin’s test subject.
• Orochimaru told Shin that he had used the soul-stabilizing method from Impure World Reincarnation to keep souls permanently in White Zetsu bodies.
• Orochimaru showed Shin a young man made with First Hokage cells, a Byakugan, and White Zetsu flesh, calling the creation his future body and offering to make one for Shin.
• Shin asked Orochimaru for an intelligent White Zetsu to use in his Ninjutsu Engraving experiments and kept his plans for Sage Engraving hidden.

With Sunagakure stabilized under Pakura and the shinobi world settling into peace, Shinichi prepared for his wedding to Ayari while making plans involving Ayano. The wedding day arrived, and the chapter also revealed that Yahiko’s Akatsuki had begun using military force to deter nearby powers.

• Pakura became the Fifth Kazekage after Rasa and Sasori died, and Shinichi helped end the war between Sunagakure and the Hidden Mist Village.
• Shinichi and Ayari argued about his interest in Ayano and whether he would marry her, while Ayari kept him under close watch before the wedding.
• Shinichi’s clan prepared the elaborate wedding, and Yahiko sent a congratulatory gift from Amegakure.
• Shinichi learned that Yahiko’s Akatsuki had shifted from negotiation toward using military force to deter neighboring powers.
• Shinichi spent the night with Ayari, and the day of their wedding arrived.