Chapter Summaries

Aoba unleashed Six Revolutions Thunder Rage: Thunderclap Kirin and heavily injured Shukaku, winning the crowd’s admiration. After the cheers crowned him a potential future Hokage, Aoba savored the spectacle and thanked Shukaku for cooperating.

• Aoba’s Thunderclap Kirin slammed Shukaku into the ground, while Baki escaped and Yamato realized his help had not been needed.
• Guy praised Aoba’s strength and teased Kakashi about seeking revenge, while Itachi returned from evacuating the crowd and admired Aoba’s power.
• Aoba appeared atop Shukaku with his body badly damaged from using the sixth revolution, and Shukaku began repairing his own injuries.
• The crowd cheered Aoba and debated whether he should become the Fifth or Sixth Hokage.
• Aoba enjoyed the praise and reflected that Shukaku had made the ideal opponent for his performance.

Aoba ended the fight by detonating the explosive beneath Gaara, causing Shukaku to disappear before it could attack. He joined Itachi at the barrier containing Hiruzen and Orochimaru, where he chose to wait and accept whatever outcome Hiruzen’s battle brought.

• Shukaku began gathering a Tailed Beast Ball, but Aoba detonated the explosive beneath Gaara and forced Shukaku to disperse.
• Baki caught Gaara and fled, while Anbu members pursued them; Itachi checked on Aoba and reported that the Sand Village’s invasion had been contained.
• Aoba, Itachi, and the others reached the Four Violet Flames Formation, where Hiruzen and Orochimaru were still fighting inside.
• Anbu members told Aoba that Hiruzen had ordered them not to interfere because he wanted to correct his past mistake himself.
• Aoba decided not to intervene and waited outside the barrier for the battle’s outcome.

Orochimaru escaped after killing Hiruzen, and Konoha’s revenge against Sunagakure was halted by a negotiated peace. A month later, Jiraiya returned to a village where Aoba was preparing to pursue the Hokage position amid growing political competition.

• Orochimaru escaped through a summoned snake, abandoning the Sound Four, whom Kakashi and the other Konoha ninja killed after breaking the barrier.
• Konoha prepared to attack Sunagakure, but Baki revealed Orochimaru’s scheme, and the Land of Fire’s Daimyo brokered peace in exchange for Sunagakure paying heavy compensation.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu returned to Konoha’s power center and began helping choose a new Hokage.
• Jiraiya returned to Konoha after learning that his teacher, Hiruzen, had died.
• Aoba gained renown for defeating Shukaku, then began approaching the Hyuga while considering Jiraiya and the two elders obstacles to his Hokage ambitions.

Jiraiya rejected the elders’ efforts to make him the Fifth Hokage but agreed to attend the candidate meeting in case no one more suitable emerged. At the meeting, Fugaku Uchiha nominated Shimiya Aoba, leaving everyone stunned.

• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu tried to persuade Jiraiya to become Hokage, but he declined and suggested Tsunade or Kakashi instead.
• The elders insisted that Jiraiya attend the meeting as a candidate, and he decided he would serve temporarily only if no suitable alternative appeared.
• At the meeting, Utatane Koharu proposed Jiraiya as the Fifth Hokage, and those present acknowledged his qualifications.
• Fugaku Uchiha objected to submitting Jiraiya’s name immediately and said another candidate deserved consideration.
• Fugaku Uchiha nominated Shimiya Aoba, shocking the meeting attendees.

Aoba attended the meeting to choose Konoha’s Fifth Hokage and faced objections because of his youth. Fugaku Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga backed his candidacy, shifting the room’s support toward him as the meeting continued.

• Aoba entered the meeting and took a seat as the attendees reacted with surprise at his presence.
• Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura objected to a teenager becoming Hokage, citing his age.
• Fugaku Uchiha argued that Aoba had proven his strength by completing dangerous missions and defeating Shukaku one-on-one.
• Fugaku Uchiha cited Aoba’s fame, public support, and charitable work, leaving the two elders unable to answer.
• Hizashi Hyuga also proposed Aoba for Hokage, prompting the attendees to reconsider their support and weigh the political backing behind him.

After the meeting made Jiraiya and Shimiya Aoba candidates for Fifth Hokage, Aoba’s supporters rallied behind him while opponents challenged his youth. The Uchiha and Hyuga clans publicly backed Aoba, and Konoha’s public debate surged in his favor.

• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu left the meeting after failing to block Shimiya Aoba’s candidacy, and they planned to attack him over his age.
• Jiraiya considered investigating Aoba before deciding whether to support him, while the meeting ended without a final choice for Hokage.
• News spread throughout Konoha that Jiraiya and Shimiya Aoba were candidates for Fifth Hokage, prompting widespread discussion of Aoba’s history and age.
• Aoba’s former comrades, people he had saved, and families helped by the Qingyu Scholarship voiced support for him.
• The Uchiha and Hyuga clans publicly endorsed Aoba and mobilized their resources, while other clans mostly avoided taking sides.

Aoba kept a low profile as rumors boosted his chances of becoming Hokage, but Jiraiya visited and offered to support him. Their conversation left Jiraiya increasingly suspicious of Aoba’s hidden role in Konoha’s political maneuvers.

• Aoba avoided public attention, relying on his preparations and supporters to advance his Hokage bid.
• Jiraiya told Aoba he had no interest in becoming Hokage and was willing to help him attain the position.
• Jiraiya questioned Aoba about Danzo’s disappearance, and Aoba denied involvement while describing his past grievances with Danzo.
• Jiraiya suggested Aoba had secretly advised Itachi Uchiha, but Aoba dismissed the idea as a small favor.
• Jiraiya suspected Aoba had maneuvered Fugaku Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga into influential positions and resolved to investigate further.

Aoba weighed Jiraiya’s suspicions and refused Obito’s offer to intervene, while public support for Aoba’s candidacy for Fifth Hokage grew. Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu appealed to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire, leaving the succession dispute unresolved.

• Aoba reviewed what Jiraiya might have discovered and concluded he had left no evidence that could expose him.
• Aoba received a message from Obito through Little White and declined the offer of help, deciding not to eliminate Jiraiya.
• Little White reminded Aoba that Obito’s next plan could begin once Aoba became Hokage.
• Public opinion increasingly favored the fourteen-year-old Aoba as Konoha debated who would become Fifth Hokage.
• Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu went to complain to the Daimyo of the Land of Fire about Aoba’s growing support.

Aoba, Fugaku Uchiha, and Hizashi Hyuga met the Daimyo to decide who would become Fifth Hokage, after Homura and Koharu appealed directly to him. Jiraiya withdrew from the election and requested the Hokage's Assistant position, leaving Aoba to suspect Jiraiya intended to watch over him.

• Aoba arrived at the Daimyo's Mansion with Fugaku Uchiha and Hizashi Hyuga to contest Homura and Koharu's bid for the Daimyo's support.
• The Daimyo chose Jiraiya as Fifth Hokage, prompting Homura and Koharu to celebrate while Aoba's advisers regretted their defeat.
• Jiraiya objected to the appointment and said he wanted to withdraw from the Hokage election.
• Jiraiya asked the Daimyo to appoint him as Hokage's Assistant because he did not feel reassured.
• Aoba realized Jiraiya was using the Hokage position to place himself near Aoba and keep watch over him.

The Daimyo appointed Shimiya Aoba as the Fifth Hokage, with Jiraiya and Konoha’s senior officials assigned to assist him until he could stand on his own. Jiraiya admitted he suspected Aoba had a hidden motive, while Aoba revealed that fear of becoming too attached to Konoha drove his urgency and left Jiraiya with a cryptic warning.

• Jiraiya offered to serve as Hokage's Assistant so he could keep watch over Aoba, and the Daimyo appointed Aoba as Fifth Hokage with Jiraiya, the advisors, and the elders sharing responsibility for assisting him.
• Aoba recognized that the arrangement could reduce him to a puppet Hokage and privately resolved to challenge those who tried to control him.
• Jiraiya asked why Aoba was so eager to become Hokage, and Aoba reflected that he feared becoming too attached to Konoha before his identity as a spy was exposed.
• Jiraiya admitted his intuition made him suspect Aoba and said he would take back the Hokage title if Aoba put personal desires above Konoha's responsibilities.
• Aoba refused to explain his motive yet, warned Jiraiya that time would prove his decision, and left him wondering what Aoba was planning.

Shimiya Aoba returned to Konoha with the Daimyo’s appointment letter and was confirmed as the next Hokage, with Jiraiya agreeing to serve as his assistant. As Aoba prepared for his inauguration, he worried that his latest Death-Seeking Mission would leave him hunted for the rest of his life.

• Shimiya Aoba’s appointment as the Fifth Hokage stirred excitement and debate across Konoha until Jiraiya applied to become his assistant.
• Old Man Yamashita measured Aoba for his Hokage Rock likeness and promised to finish it in time for the inauguration ceremony.
• Old Man Yamashita teased Aoba about his past carving attempt before leaving with his sketches.
• Aoba reflected on his unlikely rise to Hokage and the dangerous new stage of his Death-Seeking Mission.
• Aoba cursed the system and resolved to prepare for the storm ahead.

Aoba and Itachi talked beneath the stars about Itachi’s feelings for Uchiha Izumi and joked about Aoba’s future as Hokage. Aoba then asked what Itachi would do if he became a rogue ninja, and after Itachi left, Aoba hinted that he would soon stop holding back against him.

• Itachi asked Aoba why becoming Hokage did not seem to make him happy, and Aoba said it had happened too suddenly.
• Itachi awkwardly asked whether Aoba liked anyone, then admitted he had favorable feelings toward Uchiha Izumi.
• Aoba teased Itachi about his feelings and urged him to confess, earning himself a beating and offering more unwanted romantic advice.
• Aoba asked what Itachi thought about him becoming a rogue ninja, and Itachi said he would capture him himself.
• After Itachi left, Aoba murmured that next time he would not go easy on Itachi.

Aoba spent his remaining days before the inauguration revisiting people and places in Konoha, then met with Obito to hear his plan to start a war and capture the tailed beasts. Aoba challenged Obito’s confidence that Konoha would be easy to control, leaving their next move uncertain.

• Aoba toured Konoha, bullied Naruto’s class during a practical combat lesson, and visited familiar restaurants and friends.
• Aoba met with Teacher Mikawa, Gekko Hayate, Uzuki Yugao, Might Guy, and Anko, then gave Shisui a confidential mission.
• Aoba visited the Hyuga Family and the cemetery as his inauguration approached, while Hokage Rock’s carvings were completed ahead of schedule.
• Obito appeared at Aoba’s home and revealed that he planned to provoke a war among the Five Great Nations and seize the tailed beasts for the Moon Eye Plan.
• Aoba told Obito that Konoha would not be as easy to control as he imagined.

Aoba warned Obito that he could not launch the war Obito wanted while his authority remained limited, and promised to carry out his own Konoha Crush Plan. On September 23, Year 56, Aoba was inaugurated as the Fifth Hokage amid public cheers, while Jiraiya urged him not to do anything he would regret.

• Aoba told Obito that he could not yet reclaim the Hokage's full authority or start the war Obito wanted, and rejected Obito's offer to eliminate his opponents.
• Aoba said Konoha's spirit had allowed it to survive before and promised that Obito would witness his true Konoha Crush Plan.
• On September 23, Year 56, Itachi, Sasuke, Naruto, and others gathered to watch Aoba's inauguration ceremony.
• Naruto boasted that Aoba would make him the Sixth Hokage, and Sasuke argued that Itachi would be a better candidate.
• Jiraiya handed Aoba the Hokage hat and warned him not to do something he would regret, but Aoba accepted the title of Fifth Hokage without replying.
• The crowd cheered as Aoba's likeness was unveiled on Hokage Rock, where it became the most eye-catching carving.

During his inauguration, Shimiya Aoba publicly renounced Konoha, attacked its leaders, and killed two elders. He told Obito that the village’s faith had collapsed, leaving Konoha’s people in despair.

• Aoba passed the Hokage hat to Naruto and declared that he had become Hokage because he had long awaited the chance to betray Konoha.
• Aoba cut his headband and announced that he was leaving Konoha, shocking the crowd and alarming Itachi, Jiraiya, and the others.
• Aoba threatened Utatane Koharu and another elder, knocked Jiraiya aside, and seized the two elders as Itachi, Might Guy, and Kakashi surrounded him.
• Aoba rejected Kakashi’s plea to release the elders and snapped their necks before Obito appeared behind him.
• Aoba told Obito that Konoha was already dead because its faith had collapsed, and Obito saw the despair among the villagers.

After the system forced Aoba to declare himself a rogue ninja at his Hokage inauguration, he escaped with Obito despite Konoha’s attempts to stop them. His departure left Naruto and the others stunned, while Jiraiya wondered whether Aoba’s earlier words hinted at a hidden purpose.

• The system issued Aoba a final mission requiring him to slash his forehead protector and betray Konoha, threatening to erase his system-granted abilities if he failed.
• Obito prepared to take Aoba away, but Jiraiya, Kakashi, Might Guy, and Itachi attacked to stop them.
• Aoba used [Immortal Fortress] to block the attacks, and Itachi’s Tsukuyomi was reflected by Aoba’s [Reflecting Bell], causing Itachi to vomit blood.
• As Obito took him away, Aoba told the others to look after Naruto and said Naruto owed him nothing, then warned that he would not hold back when they met again.
• Naruto collapsed in grief and confusion, while Jiraiya recalled Aoba’s words about blooming in darkness and wondered if the defection concealed another purpose.

After Shimiya Aoba defected during his inauguration as Fifth Hokage, Konoha and the shinobi world struggled to understand his motives and cope with the fallout. Jiraiya became Sixth Hokage and issued a fifty-billion-rio bounty for Aoba’s alive capture, while Aoba stayed safely in the Land of Waves with Karin.

• Rumors spread throughout the shinobi world that Shimiya Aoba had been a puppet Hokage or had been manipulated into defecting, while Konoha’s shinobi questioned why he had abandoned the office.
• Jiraiya and the village dealt with the fallout, and the Uchiha and Hyuga clans resigned from their advisory positions before withdrawing from public life.
• Naruto stayed home for a week, staring at the Hokage hat and struggling to accept that Aoba had become a rogue ninja.
• Jiraiya took office as the Sixth Hokage after the Daimyo’s emergency appointment, issued a fifty-billion-rio bounty for Aoba’s alive capture, and chose to cover rather than destroy Aoba’s portrait on Hokage Rock.
• Aoba lived comfortably in the Land of Waves, where Karin was staying after he had secretly sent her out of Konoha.

After giving up the Hokage position, Aoba settled in the Land of Waves and became an admired figure among rogue ninjas. He remained aligned with Obito while building a peaceful base of his own.

• Hushang Shu had grown into an ambitious merchant, but Zabuza saw through his plots against him and Haku and warned him to behave.
• Aoba explained that Zabuza's loyalty came from respect for strength, and Zabuza now trusted Aoba because he had become the Fifth Hokage before openly defecting.
• Aoba lived in the rebuilt palace with Karin and Ranmaru, while Ranmaru supervised Karin's training.
• Aoba recalled refusing Obito's offer to join the Akatsuki as Mu, choosing instead to control the Land of Waves and remain available as Obito's ally.
• Obito accepted Aoba's choice and considered him a trump card for the larger plan.

Aoba examined the powerful Dark Fallen Angel ability he had gained and received a new Death-Seeking Mission to beat up the Ten-Tails. He was left dreading the mission’s escalating dangers and wondering what impossible tasks the system would demand next.

• Aoba learned that Dark Fallen Angel had Holy Spirit and Demon forms with powerful defensive, supportive, and offensive abilities.
• Aoba considered the skill’s resurrection and invincibility effects, though he was unsure how much flesh and blood the Slaughter Well required.
• The system issued the first stage of a new Death-Seeking Mission: beat up the Ten-Tails within ten years or be launched into outer space.
• Aoba realized the mission might require him to help Obito revive the Ten-Tails before betraying him, putting him at odds with both sides.
• Aoba worried that later stages might make him fight Kaguya Otsutsuki and the entire Otsutsuki clan.

Aoba left the Land of Waves to investigate Orochimaru’s Sharingan research and gather information from Akatsuki, after strengthening several abilities. He departed for the Land of Rice Fields with new defensive and offensive powers, though his limited chakra restrained their potential.

• While eating, Aoba told Karin to train and learn the Sealing Jutsu, ordered Ranmaru to watch over her, and instructed her to have Haku accompany her if she went out.
• Aoba planned to investigate Orochimaru’s Sharingan research and use his alternate identity to learn Akatsuki’s plans for the tailed beasts.
• Aoba recalled how he had persuaded Shisui to obtain stored Sharingan for research into preventing Mangekyō blindness, and justified keeping the arrangement secret.
• After instructing Zabuza and Haku, Aoba left the Land of Waves in disguise and headed for the Land of Rice Fields as the [Crimson Blademaster].
• Aoba used his skill cards to transform [Hardening] into [Absolute Defense] and [White Strike] into [Shunkō], which boosted his speed and strength and caused explosive impacts.
• Aoba raised [Thunder Breathing Style] to LV8 and considered combining his abilities, but his limited chakra constrained what he could do.