Recaps

Yuhara prepared to leave the Sand Village after confirming its defenses and offering it a trial of Konoha’s strength-enhancing drug, but a young ninja attempted to assassinate him. Meanwhile, Orochimaru and Tobi traveled together as Akatsuki recruits, and Orochimaru received a letter after reaching an island.

• Yuhara told Sasori of the Red Sands and Memma Matsudai that Konoha would send elite jonin to the Chunin Ninja Exams and offered the Sand Village a trial of a strength-enhancing drug.
• Yuhara left the Sand Village with Sasori of the Red Sands and Memma Matsudai, declining to formally bid farewell to Advisor Chiyo.
• A young Sand Village ninja rushed at Yuhara and stabbed toward his chest, but the kunai tip snapped against Yuhara’s defenses.
• Yuhara injected the assassin with a needle and released him, leaving the young ninja clutching his shoulder in fear.
• Orochimaru and Tobi traveled across the sea to an island, where a white snake delivered Orochimaru a letter that he burned.

Yuhara was assigned to find Tsunade and, before leaving Konoha, continued dealing with the Hyuga Clan by testing the Cursed Seal on Hinata. Meanwhile, Obito infiltrated Konoha to gather intelligence and prepare to inflame the conflict between the village and the Uchiha, while unrest also grew within the Hyuga Branch Family.

• Yuhara submitted his report on the Sand Village, then received a long-term mission to locate Tsunade and persuade her to return to Konoha, bringing Tenzo and Kakashi along.
• Before departing, Yuhara followed the Third Hokage’s arrangement to pacify the Hyuga Clan, and Neji brought Hinata to him for a Cursed Seal test.
• Hizashi quietly gathered trusted supporters among the Hyuga Branch Family as tensions over the Cursed Seal and the clan’s hierarchy continued.
• Obito infiltrated Konoha, evaded ANBU pursuit, and escaped after obtaining information about the village’s defenses and upcoming missions.
• Obito watched the Uchiha Clan’s restrained conflict with Konoha and planned to provide the spark that would make it erupt.

While Yuhara’s team continued its yearlong search for Tsunade, an emergency in Konoha prompted Yuhara to return by reverse summoning. There, an intruder with a spiral-patterned mask infiltrated ANBU and turned two ninja against each other, leaving the village facing a deadly threat.

• Yuhara told Tenzo to continue searching for Tsunade while he returned to Konoha after receiving an urgent message.
• The Summoning Beast used Yuhara’s blood and the Reverse Summoning Technique to send him to Tigo’s Secret Realm, from where he headed back to the village.
• A spiral-masked intruder was discovered inside ANBU headquarters, where a four-man squad had already been killed.
• The ANBU captain pursued the intruder toward the Uchiha clan compound, but the intruder’s genjutsu made two surviving ANBU ninja stab each other.
• Yuhara’s wider effort had influenced more than two thousand ninja, including hundreds who received the Human Cursed Seal, even as his undertaking grew increasingly dangerous.

Uchiha Shisui discovered that two of the dead Anbu were Sarutobi Shinsuke, the Third Hokage’s eldest son and Anbu commander-in-chief, and his wife, bringing the Uchiha Clan to the edge of a crisis. Fugaku tried to keep Shisui aligned with the clan, but the Anbu blocked Shisui from reaching the Third Hokage, leaving the village and the Uchiha poised for confrontation.

• Uchiha Shisui examined four bodies found in the Uchiha Residential Area and realized that the dead ninjas had been Anbu, with two apparently killed by genjutsu.
• Shisui identified the masked Anbu commander-in-chief and his deputy as Sarutobi Shinsuke and his wife, and Fugaku ordered most of the Uchiha to return to Naka Shrine.
• Fugaku told Shisui he would suppress calls for an uprising and help investigate, while privately preparing to lead the Uchiha to flee if the crisis became unavoidable.
• Shisui left Naka Shrine to report the clan head’s intentions to the Third Hokage, but four squads of Anbu blocked him and accused him of conspiring with the Uchiha.
• The Anbu refused to let Shisui meet the Third Hokage, declaring that his dangerous eyes made him untrustworthy at such a critical moment.

Konoha was locked down after an ANBU squad led by Captain Hyōsube vanished in Uchiha territory and was found dead, raising fears of a clash between the village and the Uchiha. Yuhara went to retrieve the bodies for Kushina, while Orochimaru and Tobi entered Konoha and a sudden chakra disturbance announced another arrival.

• Konoha surrounded the Uchiha Residential Area with ANBU while the Third Hokage delayed judgment pending an investigation.
• Orochimaru and Tobi returned to Konoha and observed its lockdown as Yuhara learned that Captain Hyōsube’s squad had disappeared inside Uchiha territory.
• Kushina ordered Yuhara to retrieve Sarutobi Shinsuke’s corpse, and he gathered Aoba Yamashiro and Genma Shiranui to investigate the deaths.
• Yuhara’s group reached the scene, where they found four ANBU corpses, and Aoba and Shiranui sealed them in specialized scrolls.
• A violent chakra fluctuation erupted in central Konoha, and a figure staggered into existence at its source.

Yuhara learned that Sarutobi Shinsuke had been killed by a fast-moving Sharingan user skilled in genjutsu, and he warned the Third Hokage that the killer might be connected to the Nine-Tails incident. As tensions between Konoha and the Uchiha worsened, Uchiha Itachi prepared to act for the clan and awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan.

• Inoichi Yamanaka searched Sarutobi Shinsuke's memories and found that a Sharingan user had killed him with a swift attack and powerful genjutsu.
• Yuhara reported the findings to the Third Hokage and suggested that Shinsuke's killer might be the mysterious enemy from the Nine-Tails incident.
• The Third Hokage ordered Yuhara to keep the Uchiha under surveillance while restraining the ANBU from provoking them.
• The Third Hokage met secretly with Uchiha Itachi, who said resistance within the Uchiha Clan was becoming impossible to suppress and that the underlying conflict needed a fundamental solution.
• Uchiha Fugaku asked Itachi to persuade Shisui to support the clan, and Itachi prepared to leave while resolving himself to act before the village intervened.
• Itachi's three tomoe transformed into the Mangekyō Sharingan as he accepted the deaths he believed he would have to cause.

Orochimaru and Tobi infiltrated Konoha as its leaders debated how to handle the Uchiha, while Itachi entrusted Sasuke to Izumi and went to wait for Shisui. Danzō tried to capture Shisui, but Shisui escaped after collapsing the underground base, leaving Danzō to reassess his strength.

• Orochimaru and Tobi infiltrated Konoha, and Tobi questioned Orochimaru about Yuhara's rapid rise to power.
• The Third Hokage opposed searching or eradicating the Uchiha, while Danzō and the advisers pressed for action against the clan.
• Itachi left Sasuke in Izumi's care and said he would wait at Shisui's house for Shisui to return.
• Danzō ordered Shisui detained in Root's underground base, claiming the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha could not be reconciled.
• Shisui used Kotoamatsukami on a disguised Danzō, then realized the decoys were meant to exhaust his ocular power.
• Shisui unleashed a devastating attack that collapsed the underground chamber and escaped, while the real Danzō emerged covered in dust.

Uchiha Shisui and Uchiha Itachi confronted the Uchiha crisis from opposing ideals: Shisui sought a peaceful solution, while Itachi believed only the clan’s self-determination could prevent a wider disaster. They parted with neither able to accept the other’s path, as Konoha’s forces quietly prepared for possible conflict.

• Shimura Danzō concealed his failed attempt to capture Shisui’s Sharingan, then told Orochimaru that the larger plan remained on track.
• Yuhara watched the Uchiha Clan from a lookout post while Tigo prepared to redirect stored Chakra if fighting broke out.
• Itachi explained that the Uchiha and Konoha could no longer resolve their conflict through communication and argued that the clan had to choose its own fate.
• Shisui refused to accept a plan that would sacrifice most of the Uchiha, insisting that both the clan and Konoha could still preserve peace.
• Itachi told Shisui that his ideals were unrealistic and that he himself would become the obstacle Shisui had to overcome.
• Kakashi remained at Konoha’s archives as Kushina gathered nearby forces, while Shisui and Itachi stood beneath the moon as close friends on incompatible paths.

Uchiha Itachi and Black Flame fought over the Uchiha Clan’s fate, with Itachi’s stronger Susanoo eventually overpowering Black Flame. After a masked woman intervened and attacked Itachi, Black Flame used Amaterasu to escape and the woman reached for his eyes, while Yuhara began responding to the disturbance.

• Uchiha Itachi and Black Flame fought with taijutsu, and Black Flame warned Itachi that his Susanoo would make the fight one-sided.
• Itachi summoned his armored Susanoo and overwhelmed Black Flame’s weaker Susanoo, leaving Black Flame badly injured and unable to fight.
• Itachi prepared to leave, but a masked woman appeared and pierced Black Flame’s chest as she intervened.
• Black Flame used Amaterasu to burn his Susanoo and free himself, while the masked woman kicked Itachi away.
• The masked woman reached for Black Flame’s eyes, and Yuhara began taking action after noticing the Susanoo battle in Uchiha Clan territory.

Yuhara helped Itachi Uchiha attack Obito Uchiha, but Obito escaped after White Zetsu restrained Yuhara. Uchiha Tsukasa warned Yuhara that Konoha’s Anbu were hunting him because he had been accused of murdering the Eighth Hokage.

• Itachi Uchiha engulfed Obito Uchiha in Amaterasu, and Yuhara interrupted Obito’s attempt to absorb the flames by charging into him.
• Yuhara and Itachi Uchiha pressed the attack, but White Zetsu swarmed Yuhara and delayed him long enough for Obito Uchiha to escape.
• Yuhara learned that the Anbu were hunting him and asked Uchiha Tsukasa why he would fear them if he had murdered the Hokage.
• Uchiha Tsukasa told Yuhara that he had been accused of murdering the Eighth Hokage, and Yuhara realized someone had targeted him.

Yuhara realized that Danzō's faction had likely framed him as Konoha descended into coordinated attacks on the Hokage Tower, the Uchiha, and the archive building. As Yuhara and Kakashi fought through the village, Tigo and Naruto defended the archive from attackers targeting the young Jinchuriki, while Itachi joined the violence around the Uchiha.

• Yuhara suspected Shimura Danzō had manipulated his ANBU mission and spread the accusation that he assassinated the Third Hokage, then discovered that he could not contact Tigo.
• Kushina Uzumaki's reserve forces noticed a disturbance at the Hokage Tower, while Kinoshita Tadashi and Itachi fought unidentified enemies and moved toward the residential district.
• Yuhara found Kakashi injured at the Uchiha defensive line, warned the ANBU blocking his way, and carried Kakashi away when they refused to listen.
• Around twenty elite ninja broke into the archive building and identified Naruto Uzumaki as their target, revealing that they knew he was a Jinchuriki.
• Tigo summoned the Strongest Kazekage puppet to shield Naruto from the attackers' elemental techniques as she prepared a technique against the intruders.
• Itachi attacked an enemy with brutal force while Yuhara and Kakashi rushed onward through Konoha's spreading crisis.

The Third Hokage was trapped in his office by Shimura Danzō and Orochimaru, who revealed their plan to seize control while stirring up trouble among the Uchiha. The Hokage fought Orochimaru, and the chapter ended with Orochimaru’s head exploding after he met the Hokage’s staff head-on.

• The Third Hokage entered his office and was trapped inside a Seven Purple Flames Formation set by seven Anbu ninja.
• Orochimaru and Shimura Danzō entered the sealed office, and Danzō criticized the Third Hokage’s leadership and changes to Konoha.
• Orochimaru revealed that an assistant would cause a disturbance among the Uchiha, while the Third Hokage realized they intended to attack him.
• The Third Hokage summoned his staff and struck Orochimaru as Danzō retreated.
• Orochimaru’s head exploded, and the Third Hokage stared at him in shock.

Yuhara and his allies fought through attacks on Konoha’s archives and Hokage Building as a scheme sought to seize control of the village. The Third Hokage confronted Orochimaru far from Konoha, while Yuhara faced Danzō and the elders amid the growing chaos.

• The Third Hokage broke free of the forced teleportation and prepared to fight Orochimaru, resolving not to repeat his earlier mistake of letting him escape.
• Yuhara concluded that the ninjas attacking him were acting without the Hokage’s orders and refused to let them force him into becoming a rogue ninja.
• Kushina Uzumaki dismantled the sealing barrier at the Hokage Building, found the Third Hokage missing, and returned toward the archives after learning they were under attack.
• Shisui and Yuhara’s allies fought off the attackers at the archives, while Danzo protected Naruto and Tigo guarded the area outside.
• Yuhara and Kakashi reached the Hokage Building and encountered Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, and Koharu, whom Yuhara suspected of seeking control of Konoha.

At a Konoha crossroads, Yuhara rejected Shimura Danzō and the advisers’ demand that he submit to an investigation into the Eighth Hokage’s disappearance. As Danzō’s accusations faltered, Yuhara revealed Sage Mode and turned the confrontation against Konoha’s leadership.

• Shimura Danzō and Mitokado Homura accused Yuhara of attacking the Eighth Hokage and demanded that he surrender for investigation.
• A huge fire erupted in the Uchiha district as Danzō’s witnesses claimed Yuhara had attacked the Hokage and allied with the Uchiha.
• Yuhara dismissed the accusations, challenged the higher-ups’ judgment, and killed both advisers with his swords.
• Yuhara appeared among the surrounding ninjas and prevented Danzō’s supporters from moving against him.
• Yuhara released a visible surge of Chakra, crimson eye shadow appeared around his eyes, and the crowd recognized his Sage Mode.

Yuhara confronted Shimura Danzō before Konoha’s assembled ninja, accusing him of stealing the Summoning Beast clan’s Sharingan and secret techniques. With Kushina choosing not to restrain him, Yuhara fought Danzō and left him exposed as an unfit leader.

• Kushina decided to stand by while Yuhara dealt with Shimura Danzō, judging that further restraint would let the Third Hokage resolve the conflict on his own terms.
• Yuhara accused Danzō of possessing the Sharingan and using the Summoning Beast clan’s secret ocular techniques, prompting the surrounding ninja to recall the clan members who had disappeared.
• Danzō summoned Dream Tapir and launched Wind Release attacks, but Yuhara blocked them with heavy iron-sand armor and trapped Danzō with Mercury Lamp.
• Yuhara used Sage Art: Wind Release: Super Big Ball Rasenshuriken and followed it with Sage Art: Secret Technique: Fourfold Yajūshi.
• Yuhara argued that a ninja who stole the abilities of subordinates could not become Hokage, while Kushina prepared to take charge once the fighting ended.

Yuhara fought Shimura Danzō during the Uchiha calamity, using Sage Mode and his knowledge of Danzō’s techniques to overcome repeated Izanagi resurrections. After Danzō exhausted his three Sharingan and made a final attempt to destroy the surrounding ninja, Yuhara prepared to finish him.

• Yuhara judged that Danzō lacked the First Hokage Cells and other enhancements he had in his memories, then fought him while Danzō amplified his Wind Release through Baku.
• Yuhara blocked Danzō’s attacks with Senjutsu, killed him, and discovered that Danzō had revived through Izanagi.
• Yuhara killed Danzō again and again, but Danzō’s three Sharingan allowed him to return, while Yuhara adapted to his attacks and protected the spectators.
• Danzō used a Binding Curse Technique and tried to activate the Four Symbols Seal, but Yuhara countered his traps and cut off his arm.
• Yuhara impaled Danzō with a lightning-charged attack, then used a giant armored construct to strike him skyward as Danzō’s final gambit failed.

After killing Shimura Danzō, Yuhara explained the night’s two rebellions and accepted temporary custody while Konoha investigated. Elsewhere, Orochimaru battled the Eighth Hokage at Ryūchi Cave, and the Hokage reconsidered his approach to preserving his body and spirit.

• Yuhara told the gathered Konoha Ninjas that the Uchiha rebellion had been contained by Uchiha Shisui’s faction and accused Shimura Danzō of conspiring to frame him and betray the Eighth Hokage.
• Yuhara accepted responsibility for killing Danzō and others without authorization, and Kushina arranged for Kakashi to escort him to house arrest in the archive room.
• Konoha’s leaders ordered searches for the missing Eighth Hokage and sent support to Shisui’s faction in the Uchiha Residential Area.
• At Ryūchi Cave, Orochimaru told the Eighth Hokage that his regenerative body would let him outlast the aging Hokage, while the Hokage recognized that Orochimaru’s talk of spirit had reminded him of its importance.
• The Eighth Hokage decided that modifying his own body was preferable to transferring into another, and Naruto asked about the dish called lion’s head.

Kushina Uzumaki took charge of the aftermath of the Uchiha massacre as Kakashi reported the clan’s near-total destruction and the deaths and defections of its key figures. Yuhara had awakened and decided Konoha could not be his home, while the village prepared a public account of the massacre and moved to contain Danzō’s remaining forces.

• Kakashi found a dead Uchiha shinobi, then witnessed the corpse rise and reveal Itachi Uchiha through a genjutsu.
• Kushina Uzumaki ordered Aburame Shibi to bury the dead and destroy their Sharingan, then learned that only a little over seventy Uchiha clan members remained in total.
• Kakashi reported that Shisui Uchiha was dead, Itachi Uchiha had fled, and Shimura Danzō had been killed during the night’s disturbances.
• Kushina Uzumaki assigned Kakashi and the Eight Direct Anbu Squads to restrain Shimura Danzō’s subordinates.
• Kushina Uzumaki set out the village’s account of the massacre, placing responsibility on Danzō and describing Itachi Uchiha as the one who slaughtered both Uchiha factions before defecting.
• Yuhara awakened, rejected any remaining attachment to Konoha, and resolved to seek a new Konoha.

The Eighth Hokage used the Reaper Death Seal against Orochimaru, who escaped its first effect by shedding his body and emerging as a younger duplicate. The Hokage then seized Orochimaru and completed the seal at the cost of his own life, leaving Enma to carry his final instructions back to Konoha.

• The Eighth Hokage prepared the Reaper Death Seal as Orochimaru sensed his resolve and moved to attack.
• Orochimaru recognized the Shinigami summoned by the technique and tried to cut the Hokage's arms with a sword, but Enma caught the blade.
• Orochimaru shed his failing body and emerged from a milky-white egg as a younger duplicate, while the Eighth Hokage briefly lost consciousness.
• The Eighth Hokage seized Orochimaru and used his remaining Chakra to pull the duplicate's spiritual body away, completing the seal despite Orochimaru's escape from its first effect.
• The Eighth Hokage died beside Orochimaru's grotesque corpse, and Enma carried his body away before stopping to face the surviving Orochimaru.

Tenzo found Tsunade in a casino and told her that Konoha wanted her to succeed the Third Hokage as Seventh Hokage. Tsunade refused to return, but Shizune agreed to remain Tenzo’s point of contact as he continued his mission.

• Tenzo searched for Tsunade in the Land of Iron, unaware that Konoha had suffered major upheavals and that Kakashi and Yuhara had returned to the village.
• Tenzo spotted Tsunade gambling and told Shizune that the Third Hokage had summoned her to return and become Seventh Hokage.
• Tsunade refused the position, and Shizune told Tenzo she would relay important messages while asking him to leave Tsunade alone.
• Tenzo asked Shizune for an emergency means of contact, and she agreed to keep a line open with him.
• The next day, Tenzo searched another underground casino and spotted Tsunade again.

Yuhara and Tigo considered how Orochimaru could have survived the Third Hokage’s Reaper Death Seal, while Konoha tried to piece together Danzō’s failed coup. With the Third Hokage dead and Danzō gone, Konoha faced an uncertain future, and Yuhara chose not to pursue the possibility of two Orochimaru existing at once.

• Enma’s testimony helped Konoha reconstruct how Danzō had brought Orochimaru into the village, stirred unrest, and tried to seize power before being killed by Yuhara.
• Yuhara and Tigo questioned why Orochimaru had killed the Third Hokage and how another Orochimaru could remain after the Hokage had sealed one.
• Yuhara considered whether Orochimaru had divided or transformed himself like a Tailed Beast, leaving a portion of his energy body behind to enable his resurrection.
• Yuhara concluded that Orochimaru remained dangerous regardless of how he survived, and decided against pursuing the possibility of reviving a second Orochimaru.
• The Third Hokage’s death left Konoha without its leader, while the investigation into Sarutobi Shinsuke’s death lost urgency because the suspected killers were already dead.

After returning to Konoha, Tenzo was assigned to verify and account for the Sharingan recovered from the dead, while Kushina led a meeting on the Hokage succession, Uchiha reintegration, and Yuhara’s punishment. The meeting ended with Kushina deciding to exile Yuhara to establish a Konoha base elsewhere in the Land of Fire, while Konoha planned to persuade Tsunade to return.

• Tenzo returned to Konoha and learned that Yuhara and Kakashi had been urgently summoned back, then Kushina assigned him to oversee the examination and cremation of the corpses.
• Tenzo and two Uchiha clansmen examined the dead and recorded their identities, confirming that many Sharingan were missing or damaged.
• Kushina told the assembled leaders that Tsunade was the preferred next Hokage and said Jiraiya had been summoned to help persuade her to return.
• Kushina called for the remaining Uchiha to be treated as victims of the conflict and for Konoha to work toward their reintegration.
• Kushina argued that Yuhara needed a meaningful punishment despite his actions being effective, then decided to exile him and have him establish a Ninja base elsewhere in the Land of Fire.

After Jiraiya failed to persuade Tsunade to return, Yuhara proposed declaring her Hokage while a council governed Konoha, and Kushina considered the plan. Yuhara then left Konoha with Tenzo and fewer than thirty Ninja to establish a new stronghold.

• Jiraiya found Tsunade, but she refused to return to Konoha and beat him, so he resorted to pestering her.
• Yuhara told Kushina he would leave Konoha and accept responsibility for the deaths of the two advisors.
• Yuhara suggested that Konoha declare Tsunade the Fifth Hokage and create an advisory council to govern in her absence; Kushina saw that the plan could work.
• Tenzo confirmed to Kakashi that he would leave with Yuhara to help establish a new stronghold.
• Three days later, Yuhara, Tenzo, Kinoshita Tadashi, and fewer than thirty Ninja gathered at Konoha's gates, and Yuhara ordered them to set out.

Yuhara led a group of ninjas to establish the Shadow Leaf Stronghold, assigning Tenzo to build a row of houses while Tigo moved her puppet body there. In Konoha, Kushina approved requests from ninjas who wanted to join Yuhara, and Tsunade learned she had been chosen as the Fifth Hokage before punching Jiraiya into a fireworks shop.

• Yuhara named the mountain Shadow Leaf Mountain and organized the ninjas to carve a cliff and level a platform for a new stronghold.
• Yuhara ordered Tenzo to build one hundred houses along the cliff, and Tigo replenished Tenzo's Chakra after he collapsed from exhaustion.
• Tigo said she had left an ordinary puppet in Konoha and moved her original-body puppet to the stronghold.
• Kushina approved civilian ninjas' applications to support Yuhara and received a request from Hizashi Hyuga to bring Hyuga Neji to him.
• Tsunade heard that Konoha had chosen her as the Fifth Hokage, confronted Jiraiya, and punched him through a fireworks shop, setting it ablaze.

Yuhara obtained Konoha’s detailed records on the Land of Fire daimyo’s family and sent Tenzo to raid bounty stations for funds while preparing to exploit political loopholes. Tsunade returned to Konoha and confronted its leadership over being named the next Hokage, while Sarah arrived at Yuhara’s stronghold after spotting the giant trees.

• Loulan Remnants spotted two enormous trees near Nameless Mountain and reported them to Sarah.
• Yuhara asked Kakashi for Konoha’s information on the daimyo’s family, then used Tigo’s teleportation to obtain the records.
• Yuhara ordered Tenzo to raid two or three bounty stations and gather roughly one hundred million taels.
• Tsunade entered Konoha with Jiraiya and Shizune, where villagers welcomed her as the Fifth Hokage.
• Tsunade confronted Konoha’s leadership for deciding without her permission that she would become the next Hokage.
• Sarah and two Loulan Remnants reached Yuhara’s stronghold, where Sarah saw the giant trees and buildings.