Chapter Summaries

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.

Shin visited Fugaku’s home, where they discussed the war and the Uchiha Police Force before sharing lunch with Mikoto and Itachi. After Shin left, Fugaku concluded that the young Hyuga clan head only pretended to be mature and would be easy to manipulate.

• Fugaku introduced Shin to Mikoto and Itachi, and praised Shin’s abilities while Itachi promised to learn from him.
• Fugaku and Shin discussed the war, and Shin privately anticipated that Konoha would face another major battle after the conflict with the Hidden Mist Village.
• Fugaku told Shin that the Uchiha could no longer fill the Police Force’s vacancies and proposed recruiting capable villagers regardless of their origins.
• Shin offered to pass Fugaku’s proposal to the Hokage, then joined Fugaku’s family for lunch and deflected Mikoto and Fugaku’s questions about marriage.
• After Shin left, Mikoto called him mature beyond his years, but Fugaku judged him to be a childish teenager who could be manipulated.

Kakashi and Hyuga Keiji rescued Nohara Rin from a Mist Ninja cave after learning the Three-Tails had been sealed inside her. As the team headed back, Rin begged them to kill her, but Keiji said reinforcements were already coming.

• A wounded medical squad told Shikaku that Mist Ninjas had killed several of their members and captured Nohara Rin, prompting Kakashi to rush out after her.
• Hayama Shirakumo and Hyuga Keiji caught up with Kakashi, and Keiji led a team to locate Rin while Hayama staged a diversion.
• Kakashi and Keiji infiltrated the cave, found Rin tied up near a ritual platform, and freed her.
• Keiji received a message revealing that Kirigakure had sealed the Three-Tails inside Rin and planned to unleash it when she returned to Konoha.
• Rin urged Kakashi, Keiji, and Hayama to kill her, but Keiji assured them that reinforcements were on the way.

Orochimaru captured Obito and the White Zetsu hiding in the forest while Konoha's reinforcements rescued Rin and Kakashi. After learning that Orochimaru was the Fourth Hokage and that a White Zetsu had attacked Rin, Obito was drawn into Orochimaru's plans.

• Orochimaru ambushed Obito, drugged him, and removed the White Zetsu attached to his body.
• Orochimaru and the Hyuga Anbu captured the White Zetsu hidden in the forest, and Orochimaru examined Obito's patched-together body.
• Obito woke and learned from Orochimaru and the Hyuga Anbu that Rin and Kakashi had been rescued.
• Obito discovered that his right arm and the White Zetsu attached to him were gone, and learned that Orochimaru was Konoha's Fourth Hokage.
• Orochimaru told Obito that a White Zetsu had infiltrated Konoha and attacked Rin, then asked Obito to help with something very big.

Orochimaru and Obito found Madara’s hideout abandoned, though Orochimaru recovered valuable materials before bringing Obito to the eastern camp. There, Obito reunited with Minato and Kakashi and learned that Rin was a Three-Tails Jinchuriki marked by a curse seal Orochimaru promised to investigate.

• Orochimaru found Madara’s hideout empty and discovered blood, drained White Zetsu husks, Hashirama’s cells, and ruined Sharingan eyes.
• Orochimaru ordered the Anbu to transport the recovered materials to the village and changed course for the eastern camp after Obito insisted on seeing Rin and Kakashi.
• Obito reunited with Minato and Kakashi at the camp, and Kakashi embraced him despite his injuries.
• Kakashi explained that the Mist Ninjas had made Rin the Three-Tails’ Jinchuriki, and Minato described the curse mark he had been unable to remove.
• Orochimaru ordered Rin sent back to the village and promised Obito that he would find a way to deal with the curse mark.

After returning to Konoha, Obito and Rin faced uncertain futures as Obito’s injuries left him unable to continue as a ninja and the Sealing Squad failed to remove Rin’s curse mark. Shin told Kakashi he could help Rin, then made Kakashi’s service in the Anbu a condition.

• Fugaku welcomed Obito back but considered using his survival and sacrifice to improve the Uchiha Clan’s image and reclaim Kakashi’s Sharingan.
• Shin arranged a hospital examination for Obito and a Sealing Squad attempt to remove Rin’s curse mark.
• The hospital found Obito’s body severely weakened and concluded he might never be able to remain a ninja, but Obito insisted he would recover.
• Kushina and the Sealing Squad failed to remove Rin’s curse mark because it lay on her heart and was strengthened by the leaking Tailed Beast Chakra.
• Two days later, Shin told Kakashi he had found a way to help Rin, then asked whether Kakashi would serve in the Anbu.

Shin removed the curse mark and the Hidden Mist sealing jutsu from Rin, then visited Konoha’s orphanage to discuss its funding and recruit children for ninja training. He recognized Yakushi Nonō as the “Wandering Miko” and offered her terms to manage the orphanage and train the children.

• Shin used his chakra to remove the mark on Rin’s heart and the Hidden Mist sealing jutsu, leaving Minato’s Double Four Symbols Seal intact.
• Rin said she felt better, and Kakashi and Obito thanked Shin; Shin asked Obito to treat him to ramen sometime.
• Shin visited the orphanage with Kamado and an Anbu from the Hyuga Clan and met its director, Yakushi Nonō.
• Shin promised to seek funding from the daimyo so the orphanage could continue operating, but said he planned to train selected children as ninjas outside the Ninja Academy.
• Shin told Yakushi Nonō that she would be responsible for teaching the children and addressed her as the “Wandering Miko.”

Shin visited Ayari late at night, but his teasing made her cry and reminded him that he had changed. After leaving, he encountered Harucha and turned toward Ayano’s residence when he realized she was still awake.

• Shin left his empty home and went to Ayari’s residence, where she made him instant noodles.
• Shin asked Ayari whether she had decided about what he had told her, but she said she still needed time.
• Shin pulled Ayari onto his lap, then stopped when she pleaded with him and saw that she was crying.
• Shin left after asking Ayari whether Sibi felt lonely, and Ayari blushed and angrily shut the door when he asked her to kiss him.
• Shin met Harucha on the covered corridor and learned she was still serving Ayano.
• Shin changed course and headed to Ayano’s residence, where the lights were still on.

Makoto visited Ayano and told her to leave the Main Branch residence and become his servant, forcing her to accept the loss of her former status. The chapter ended with Ayano closing the door to the cold courtyard after kneeling to massage Makoto’s leg.

• Ayano welcomed Makoto into her residence and nervously asked whether Harucha had said anything to him.
• Makoto told Ayano that Harucha would no longer serve her and that she had to leave the future clan head’s residence.
• Makoto ordered Ayano to move to his home and serve him, and Ayano’s hope that Ayari might intervene was dismissed.
• Ayano reluctantly knelt and massaged Makoto’s leg while he watched her.
• Makoto asked whether Hiashi had ever told Ayano she was beautiful, and Ayano rose and closed the living-room door.

Makoto managed Konoha’s response to Kirigakure’s peace offer and deflected criticism from the Hokage advisors by blaming Orochimaru’s orders. Ayano came to work at Makoto’s household, where her clumsy chores and lack of cooking skills quickly became apparent.

• Makoto sent Kirigakure’s peace proposal to the daimyo, who approved additional rewards for Konoha, and authorized Minato and Shikaku to negotiate.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu confronted Makoto about the peace proposal and his assignment of Hyuga Clan members to the Anbu, but he blamed Orochimaru and talked them into leaving.
• Ayano arrived at Makoto’s home and struggled with her assigned housework, drawing criticism from Makoto and help from the other maids.
• Makoto asked Ayano to prepare pastries, and she admitted that Harucha had made the food she previously brought him, so he told her to ask Akisato instead.

Shin explained that he kept Ayano in his residence to protect her from the clan’s hostility after Hiashi’s death, while Ayari struggled with her feelings about Shin and Natsu. He also managed Konoha’s resources and pressed Yakushi Nonō to reveal the secrets protected by her Root seal, making clear that he held power in the village.

• Ayari confronted Shin about Ayano doing housework, but Ayano insisted she wanted to stay with him; Shin explained that this arrangement protected her from the clan’s suspicion.
• Ayari warned Shin not to bully Ayano, then left after promising to visit often and wondering whether accepting Shin’s proposal could change her sister’s status.
• Ayari ran into Natsu, who said she had come to speak with Shin, and felt troubled by rumors that Natsu was well suited to him.
• Shin reviewed the daimyo’s money and supplies, then sent a secret letter to Sunagakure reporting that Sasori’s puppet resembled the missing Third Kazekage.
• Shin funded the orphanage and arranged new management, housing, and teachers for its children before asking Yakushi Nonō about her Root seal.
• Shin demanded to know what the seal protected and warned Nonō that he could protect or defeat anyone who tried to influence her.