Chapter Summaries

Orochimaru, Minato, and the Third Hokage left the ruined Hokage’s Office to fight at Hokage Rock while Shin arranged protection for the villagers. When the villagers demanded answers, Hashirama called the Fourth Hokage a traitor, and Shin accused both Orochimaru and Minato of betraying Konoha, leaving the crowd in uproar.

• Orochimaru destroyed the Hokage’s Office and fled toward Hokage Rock on a giant python, with Minato and the Third Hokage pursuing him.
• Hashirama freed Tobirama from his seal, and Shin sent Kamado to protect villagers from the battle.
• Tsunade told Hashirama and Tobirama that her brother Nawaki had died at twelve and had been Orochimaru’s student.
• Villagers gathered at the ruins and asked Hashirama whether the Fourth Hokage was a traitor and whether Minato had released the prisoners and Raikage.
• Hashirama called the Fourth Hokage a traitor, and Shin told the crowd that Orochimaru and Minato had endangered Konoha and that Minato had orchestrated the prison riot.

After Shin left to take over the village’s affairs, Tobirama urged Hashirama to stop Shin from leading Konoha and tried to make Tsunade Hokage. Hashirama rebuked Tobirama for trying to control her and vowed to purge Konoha’s darkness himself.

• Hashirama praised Shin’s influence, and Shin left the two criminals to him so he could handle the village’s affairs.
• Tobirama asked Hashirama whether he would let Shin lead Konoha and proposed Tsunade as a better candidate.
• Tsunade refused, and Hashirama reprimanded Tobirama for treating others as people he could control.
• Hashirama recognized how Tobirama’s fixation on Konoha had been intensified by his return through Impure World Reincarnation.
• Hashirama declared that he would personally purge all the darkness threatening Konoha.

Orochimaru fought Hiruzen Sarutobi and Namikaze Minato atop Hokage Rock, surviving their coordinated attacks and escaping Enma’s grasp with a body replacement. He remained unharmed and challenged them as the battle continued.

• Orochimaru taunted Hiruzen Sarutobi, who asked Minato to restrain him while Enma joined the fight.
• Minato used the Flying Thunder God and a Rasengan to attack Orochimaru, but Orochimaru bound him with the Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal and nearly struck him with the Kusanagi Sword.
• Minato escaped the seal, marked Orochimaru by gripping his shoulder, and later teleported behind him to slam a Rasengan into his back.
• Enma caught Orochimaru and snapped all four of his limbs, but Orochimaru shed his ruined body and emerged fully healed from a white creature.
• Orochimaru made the Flying Thunder God mark on his shoulder disappear and sneered that the attacks were not enough.

Kushina learned that Minato had been declared a traitor and that Shin was offering to spare his life if she stayed obediently in Konoha. As Kakashi explained the situation, Kushina weighed her choices and the danger awaiting her.

• Kushina opened the door expecting Minato but found Kakashi, who said he had come to protect her.
• Kakashi and Guy told Kushina that Minato had been branded a traitor and stopped her from leaving to find him.
• Kakashi took Kushina inside and explained that Orochimaru had also been removed from office and that the First and Second Hokage were in Konoha.
• Kakashi warned Kushina that the Nine-Tails could not help Minato escape and relayed Shin's offer to spare Minato if she stayed in the village.
• Kushina asked whether Shin had threatened Kakashi, and Kakashi explained that Orochimaru had pressured him while Shin had offered help in exchange for a Sealing Jutsu called Kite.
• Kushina considered her special position as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the danger she would face from Shin in the future.

Minato, Enma, and Hiruzen trapped Orochimaru with sealing and earth techniques, but his White Zetsu allies repeatedly healed him. Hiruzen used the Reaper Death Seal to take Orochimaru’s soul, only for Orochimaru to reveal he had prepared a countermeasure and leave Hiruzen to collapse.

• Minato unleashed a Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, and the White Zetsu attached to Orochimaru healed his wounds again.
• Minato bound Orochimaru with the Four Violet Flames Formation, and Hiruzen raised walls and stone pillars to trap him.
• Enma destroyed White Zetsu that emerged from the stone as Hiruzen began the Reaper Death Seal.
• Hiruzen pulled Orochimaru’s soul from his body, but Orochimaru remained conscious and said he had prepared a countermeasure.
• Orochimaru told Hiruzen to fall into hell with an incomplete fragment of his soul, and Hiruzen collapsed.

After Hiruzen Sarutobi died and Orochimaru escaped in spirit form, the poisoned Minato went to Kushina and tried to leave Konoha with her. Hashirama agreed to investigate Minato’s case, while Kakashi carried a warning back to Hyuga Shin.

• Orochimaru split from his failing body and escaped as a streak of light, while Minato collapsed from the poison spreading through his leg.
• Hashirama and Tobirama arrived, found Hiruzen and Orochimaru’s bodies, and saw Minato teleport away using the Flying Thunder God.
• Minato reunited with Kushina and proposed that they leave Konoha, marry, and name their child Naruto; Kushina accepted, but Minato began coughing blood.
• Kakashi, Guy, Maruboshi Kosuke, and Might Duy arrived, and Kushina told Minato that Hyuga Shin had promised to protect them.
• Tobirama entered and condemned Minato, but Kakashi cited Shin’s request for a thorough investigation, and Hashirama let Kushina take Minato to the hospital.
• Hashirama told Kakashi to inform Hyuga Shin that he would investigate the case and warned that he would not forgive anyone who treated villagers as tools for power and profit.

While Namikaze Minato underwent surgery, Hashirama spoke with Kushina about her life as a Jinchuriki and her memories of Minato. Tobirama learned about Hiruzen Sarutobi, Orochimaru, and Hyuga Shin’s growing influence, then ended the night alone, feeling he had no place in Konoha.

• Hashirama asked Kushina about becoming the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki and about Minato while they waited outside the operating room.
• Tobirama visited Biwako, who explained Hiruzen’s struggles and how he had shifted his hopes for Naruto from Orochimaru to Namikaze Minato.
• Tobirama met Asuma and spoke with Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Torifu Akimichi about Konoha’s history and Hyuga Shin’s power.
• The elders told Tobirama that Hyuga Shin controlled the Anbu, held influence across the village, and had no serious rival for becoming Naruto.
• After leaving the Sarutobi home, Tobirama wandered to the Third Hokage Rock and looked over Konoha, feeling that he had nowhere to belong.

At a meeting in the Hyuga compound, Hyuga Shin revealed the truth about the prison riot and the deaths of Hiruzen Sarutobi and Namikaze Minato. As Konoha’s ninja debated who should become Fifth Hokage, Shin proposed that the villagers elect their leader.

• Senju Hashirama arrived at the Hyuga compound, where Hyuga Shin had gathered Konoha’s chunin and higher-ranking ninja.
• Shin recounted the prison riot and said Hiruzen Sarutobi had died defeating Orochimaru, while Namikaze Minato and Nara Shikaku had orchestrated the riot and Minato had confessed.
• Hashirama urged the village to unite and recover from the damage caused by the Raikage.
• When the ninja asked who should become Fifth Hokage, Hashirama said Konoha needed a new leader and that he could not decide alone.
• Shin agreed that the Hokage should have the people’s support and proposed a village-wide election.

Hyuga Shin proposed letting the villagers elect the Hokage, winning support from the assembled ninja and clan heads. Hashirama reflected on the proposal, then spoke with Tsunade about the costs of pursuing the Hokage’s office and the crimes of Orochimaru before gambling with her.

• Hyuga Shin proposed that the villagers choose the Hokage, and the gathered ninja and clan heads supported the idea.
• Hashirama agreed with Shin’s proposal as the crowd shared their hopes with him after the meeting.
• Hashirama visited Tsunade and asked whether she hated the idea of becoming Hokage.
• Tsunade told Hashirama that Shizune’s uncle and her grandson Nawaki had died wanting to become Hokage, and Hashirama defended the value of their service to the village.
• Hashirama said Orochimaru should be held accountable for killing thousands, and Tsunade agreed he deserved execution.
• Tsunade invited Hashirama to gamble, and Shizune found them playing while preparing for the Third Hokage’s funeral.

Minato woke to find himself sealed and treated as a criminal, while Kushina sought help from Ayari to protect him. Ayari’s water broke as Kushina pleaded with her, leaving the household facing an urgent birth.

• Minato woke in the hospital and learned that the village considered him a traitor and that he would be placed in solitary confinement.
• After the Anbu took Minato away, Kushina asked Mikoto to help her plead his case to Ayari.
• Kushina and Mikoto visited Ayari at the Hyuga Clan Compound, where Kushina explained Minato’s situation and begged Ayari to intervene with Shin.
• As Ayari tried to help Kushina up from her knees, she felt pain and her water broke.

Shin waited anxiously as Ayari gave birth, then welcomed their son, Neji Hyuga, and named him the future head of the Hyuga Clan. Kushina held Neji and, grieving over her lost hopes with Minato, softly said his name alongside Naruto’s.

• Ayano told Shin that Kushina and Mikoto had arrived, but an Anbu soon announced that Ayari was about to give birth.
• Shin rushed to the Hyuga delivery room, where doctors kept him outside as Ayari went through labor.
• After a baby’s cry announced the birth, Shin held his newborn son and hurried to Ayari’s bedside.
• Shin named the boy Neji Hyuga and declared he would become the next Hyuga Clan head.
• Mikoto and Kushina took turns holding Neji, and Kushina tearfully murmured both Neji’s name and Naruto’s.

Kushina pleaded with Shin to protect Minato from punishment and secure his release, while Shin used her fear and dependence to pressure and humiliate her. The chapter ended with Kushina asking Shin for help and him saying it depended on how she performed.

• After Ayari and the child fell asleep, Shin continued working in the courtyard while Kushina waited for him.
• Kushina asked Shin to keep Minato safe and wanted to know when he would be released from prison.
• Shin said Minato would remain imprisoned until the village had recovered and people had stopped talking about the incident.
• Shin pulled Kushina onto his lap and warned that Minato might suffer punishment, leaving her desperate to protect him.
• Kushina begged Shin to help her, and Shin told her it depended on how she performed.

Shin secured Lord Gen’s reluctant acceptance of a village election in which Konoha’s villagers would recommend candidates for the daimyo to appoint. He then challenged Hashirama’s belief that a Hokage should be ready to die for the village, declaring that he would make Konoha strong enough to avoid such sacrifices.

• Shin informed Lord Gen that Hashirama and Tobirama were in Konoha, prompting the daimyo to visit and meet Hashirama.
• When Lord Gen asked Hashirama who should become Fifth Hokage, Hashirama proposed letting villagers elect their leader, and Shin framed the process as villagers recommending candidates for the daimyo’s approval.
• After Lord Gen left, Shin showed Hashirama his election rules, and Hashirama questioned whether Shin could be a good Hokage and would give his life for Konoha.
• Shin argued that a leader should build a prosperous, powerful village rather than glorify sacrifice, and said he would put his own life first because only he could lead Konoha.
• Shin admitted the election proposal was a show designed to secure his position, insisted that Hashirama could not defeat him without force, and declared that he would make Konoha greater than ever.

Hashirama considered whether Hyuga Shin could lead Konoha toward lasting peace, while Tobirama refused to leave and sought a way to revive the dead. As Shin prepared for the Hokage election and spent time with his family, he wondered whether Naruto would still be born, and Itachi told Mikoto about seeing Shin touch Natsu's butt.

• Hashirama told Tobirama that Shin might forge a new path for Konoha, and said it was time for them to go.
• Tobirama refused to leave, explaining that Orochimaru's research might eventually make it possible to revive the dead.
• Shin released the finalized Hokage election procedures as spies arrived in Konoha and other clans sought his favor.
• Shin visited Ayari, Mikoto, Itachi, and newborn Neji, then wondered whether he could help bring Naruto into the world.
• Itachi told Mikoto that Shin had touched Natsu's butt, and Mikoto warned him not to tell anyone or imitate Shin.

Tsunade told Shin that Senju Hashirama had died, and Shin became the Fifth Hokage after winning more than ninety-five percent of the vote. As he addressed the celebrating village, a dried snakeskin shed fell before him, and an eagle disappeared into the sky.

• Tsunade told Shin that Senju Hashirama was gone and said Senju Tobirama remained in the village.
• Shin considered enlisting Senju Tobirama to help with Orochimaru's research and his Tenseigan project.
• Konoha held a three-day Hokage election, and Shin received more than ninety-five percent of the votes.
• Kamado told Shin that he had become the Fifth Hokage, and Shin left home to address the villagers.
• Shin used the Mirage Effect to project himself above the square, but a dried snakeskin shed fell before him as an eagle flew away.

Kakashi defeated a trap of Stone Ninja with Sage Mode, then returned to Konoha with Homura and Guy to report on the captured spies. The chapter outlined Shin’s new village organizations and appointments, and ended with Homura finding Shin chatting with newly graduated genin.

• Kakashi fought off a Stone Ninja ambush and killed nearly thirty enemies after activating Sage Mode.
• Homura and Guy arrived, and Homura confirmed that Kakashi had used Sage Mode before the team returned to Konoha.
• At the Interrogation Division, Homura ordered the spy interrogation results sent to the Hokage.
• The chapter described Crown as Shin’s new public-facing organization, the expanded Anbu under Hizashi, the Uchiha Fire Department, and Maruboshi Kosuke’s appointment as head of the Jonin Council.
• Homura reached the Hokage’s office and chose not to interrupt Shin as he warmly spoke with newly graduated genin.

Tobirama investigated the stone tablet hidden beneath Naka Shrine, but could not read it and left without explaining his purpose. After Shisui reported his visit, Fugaku examined the tablet and discovered that his Mangekyo Sharingan revealed its hidden writing, which began with “Senra... Bansho...”

• Tobirama entered the underground chamber beneath Naka Shrine and found an ordinary-looking stone tablet that yielded no clues.
• Shisui encountered Tobirama at the shrine, then told Fugaku about the visit and the open entrance to the chamber.
• Fugaku wondered why Tobirama had gone underground and decided to inspect the tablet himself.
• Fugaku found no markings with his ordinary eyes or three-tomoe Sharingan, but his Mangekyo Sharingan revealed the words “Senra... Bansho...”

Fugaku told Obito about the Mangekyō Sharingan and urged him to reclaim his other eye from Kakashi. Meanwhile, Konan asked Shin to let Amegakure co-host Konoha’s next Chunin Exams, and Shin agreed to consider the proposal while sending Yahiko a letter.

• Fugaku examined Obito’s Wood Release progress and explained that the Mangekyō Sharingan was a power beyond the ordinary three-tomoe Sharingan.
• Obito eagerly asked how he could obtain the Mangekyō, and Fugaku told him to reclaim his other eye from Kakashi.
• Konan presented Amegakure’s gifts to Shin and proposed that Amegakure co-host Konoha’s next Chunin Exams, with the journey from Amegakure serving as part of the test.
• Shin said Yahiko’s proposal was worth considering and handed Konan a letter for Amegakure’s leader.

Kakashi and Obito met at a dango shop and agreed that Kakashi would return Obito’s Sharingan. After Obito left, Kakashi’s promised spar with Guy fell apart over a mix-up about dango, while Anko and Kurenai arrived and discussed Anko’s anger at Mana.

• Kakashi worried that the Sharingan was hindering his progress, and Guy noticed he seemed distracted.
• Obito joined Kakashi and Guy, and Kakashi sent Guy to buy dango so he could speak with Obito alone.
• Kakashi and Obito each tried to discuss the Sharingan, but Obito asked first for Kakashi to return his eye, and Kakashi agreed.
• Obito left to arrange a hospital appointment, and Kakashi canceled his spar with Guy after Guy brought the wrong dango.
• Anko and Kurenai entered the shop, where Anko complained that Mana had denied her dango during her solitary confinement.

Shin worried that Orochimaru had escaped and was watching him, while he continued training and strengthening his forces. After agreeing to replace Kakashi’s Sharingan, Shin brought Tobirama two Byakugan and proposed researching their evolution.

• Shin continued training, grew stronger, and explained to Ayari that his exhaustion came from his nightly workouts.
• Mikoto and Ayari discussed Ayano’s place in Shin’s household and considered taking Kushina away from the village to help her recover.
• Kakashi asked Shin to replace his Sharingan, and Shin agreed after asking whether Obito approved.
• Shin told Tobirama that Orochimaru had once commanded White Zetsu and gave him two Byakugan to study their potential evolution.