Chapter Summaries

Tsunade became Konoha’s Fifth Hokage, healed Sasuke, and received the Fire Daimyo, while Utatane Koharu’s attempt to serve him grapes made him suspect that Konoha had a traitor. The chapter ended with the daimyo fearing the peeled grapes had been poisoned.

• Utatane Koharu ordered Genma and Aoba to announce Tsunade’s election as the Fifth Hokage.
• Tsunade followed Naruto to Konoha Hospital and used Medical Ninjutsu to awaken Sasuke, who embraced Sakura while Naruto watched.
• The Fire Daimyo arrived in Konoha and greeted Tsunade warmly before Utatane Koharu escorted him to his VIP room.
• Utatane Koharu peeled grapes for the daimyo and used the Delicate Illness Extraction Technique on them, leading Kotetsu Hagane and the daimyo to suspect they had been poisoned.

Utatane Koharu’s attempt to please the Daimyo with seedless grapes ended in a furious argument that threatened Konoha’s funding. At the Fifth Hokage election, Tsunade appeared set to win, but Mizuki Izumo found a ballot bearing Feng An’s name.

• Utatane Koharu removed the seeds from grapes for the Daimyo, who insulted her and threatened to withhold Konoha’s funding.
• Kotetsu Hagane escorted Utatane Koharu from the VIP room while the Daimyo continued to rage.
• Villagers gathered for the Fifth Hokage election, where Feng An watched with Hinata and predicted Tsunade would win.
• Jiraiya received a few deliberately arranged votes, while most ballots named Tsunade.
• Mizuki Izumo found a ballot marked Feng An, and Hyuga Hiashi watched his stunned reaction with a slight smile.

Tsunade and Feng An tied in the Hokage election, exposing an unexpected candidate and leaving Utatane Koharu to declare Tsunade the Fifth Hokage amid public suspicion. Villagers demanded to know who Feng An was and why he had been allowed to run.

• Mizuki Izumo counted the votes and found that Tsunade and Feng An had received the same number.
• Mizuki Izumo announced both candidates, startling Utatane Koharu, the daimyo, and the crowd.
• Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame revealed that their fathers' votes had helped Feng An tie Tsunade.
• Utatane Koharu called Feng An a village hero, then claimed he had withdrawn from the election and declared Tsunade the Fifth Hokage.
• The villagers questioned Feng An's candidacy and accused the election organizers of mishandling the vote, while Utatane Koharu faced their demands for an explanation.

As the vote for the Fifth Hokage deadlocked, Utatane Koharu revealed that Feng An was Red, and the crowd rallied around Red. With the daimyo insisting Tsunade become Hokage and the villagers demanding to see Red, Feng An left with Hinata before Koharu could find him.

• Villagers and the daimyo questioned Utatane Koharu about Feng An as the vote for the Fifth Hokage remained tied.
• Villagers recalled Feng An from the Chunin exam and guessed that he was Red, so Utatane Koharu confirmed their suspicion.
• The crowd erupted in support of Red, while red-haired youths and older fans gathered and demanded to see him.
• The daimyo told Utatane Koharu that only Tsunade could become the Fifth Hokage, as the jonin watched the growing crowd.
• The daimyo mistook Akimichi Choza's red hair for a sign that he was Feng An's fan, and Choza explained that he had been born with it.
• Utatane Koharu searched for Feng An, but he had already left the crowd with Hinata.

Feng An told Hinata he planned to seek out Sage Art, while Utatane Koharu struggled to manage the Hokage election crowd demanding to see him. Jiraiya proposed using Transformation Jutsu, and Koharu persuaded Hiashi Hyuga to impersonate Feng An by promising the Hyuga Clan greater influence and fifty million ryo.

• Feng An told Hinata he wanted to learn Sage Art and identified the Temple of Fire monks as an example of its use.
• Utatane Koharu faced a crowd demanding to see Feng An and Akai after the Daimyo left and sent Kotetsu Hagane after him.
• Jiraiya suggested that someone use Transformation Jutsu to appear as Feng An and calm the villagers.
• Utatane Koharu asked Hiashi Hyuga to impersonate Feng An and offered the Hyuga Clan a role in Konoha's important decisions.
• Hiashi Hyuga cited the clan's difficulties, and Koharu agreed to pay him fifty million ryo.

Hyuga Hiashi disguised himself as Feng An to address the villagers and help Tsunade secure the Fifth Hokage position, though he nearly gave himself away. Later, Feng An told Hinata he planned to seek senjutsu, and she chose to go with him.

• Hyuga Hiashi transformed into Feng An and appeared before the crowd gathered to see Red.
• Hiashi declared he had withdrawn from the Hokage competition, then slipped and called himself “this old man”; the villagers mistook his words for “tigers.”
• Hiashi praised Tsunade and stepped aside, allowing her to promise to lead Konoha toward strength and peace.
• After releasing his disguise, Hiashi secretly celebrated the fifty million ryo and influence over important Konoha meetings he had gained.
• Feng An told Hinata he intended to seek senjutsu, and Hinata said she would go with him.
• Hinata asked why Feng An wanted to grow stronger, and he said it was so he could rub her hair whenever he wanted.

After Tsunade became the Fifth Hokage, the other villages considered their leadership and threats while Feng An prepared to seek senjutsu to protect Hinata and himself from the Akatsuki. The Sound Four entered Konoha to find Sasuke, but became confused when they spotted several red-haired boys instead of one.

• Cloud Village designated Darui as the provisional heir to the Raikage position, while Ōnoki summoned Han after weighing Iwagakure’s position against the other villages.
• Orochimaru ordered the Sound Four to bring him Sasuke and kill a red-haired boy if they found him in Konoha.
• Feng An told Hyuga Hiashi that he wanted to seek senjutsu because the Akatsuki and other unseen enemies threatened them, then learned Hiashi had used Feng An’s name to gain influence for the Hyuga Clan.
• Feng An left with Hinata after teasing Hiashi about bringing him a grandson.
• The Sound Four entered Konoha and spotted multiple red-haired boys, so they abandoned the search for their target and decided to look for Sasuke first.

Tsunade recruited Feng An and Shikamaru Nara to bring Sasuke back after he left the village. Feng An used the Flying Thunder God Technique to head toward Shiranui Genma and Ashi Raido, who were fighting the Sound Four.

• Mizuki Izumo told Tsunade that Sakura Haruno had reported Sasuke’s departure, and Tsunade ordered Kotetsu Hagane and Mizuki Izumo to find Shikamaru Nara.
• Feng An asked Tsunade about learning sage arts in Slug Forest, and she agreed to consult the Slug Sage if he helped retrieve Sasuke.
• Tsunade promoted Shikamaru Nara to chunin and assigned him and Feng An to bring Sasuke back.
• Feng An teleported himself and Shikamaru outside the village with the Flying Thunder God Technique, then sensed Shiranui Genma and Ashi Raido fighting the Sound Four.
• Feng An rushed toward the battle after sensing Shiranui Genma, while Shikamaru followed and struggled to keep up with his speed.

Feng An arrived as Shiranui Genma and Ashi Raido confronted Orochimaru’s Sound Four, who were carrying Sasuke in a sealed barrel. He killed Jirobo and overwhelmed the others with Wood Release, leaving Kidomaru, Sakon Ukon, and Tayuya facing him at close range.

• Feng An appeared beside the kunai and revealed that Sasuke was sealed inside the barrel on Jirobo’s back.
• Jirobo attacked Feng An in Curse Mark Stage Two, but Feng An blocked his punch and killed him with a counterattack and Wood Release.
• Feng An summoned a Wood Dragon that broke through Kidomaru’s web, Tayuya’s Doki, and Sakon and Ukon’s Rashomon.
• Feng An appeared behind Kidomaru and impaled him with wooden branches, then appeared before Sakon Ukon and Tayuya.

Feng An defeated Orochimaru’s Sound Four and brought Sasuke back to Konoha sealed inside a wooden barrel. After delivering Sasuke to Tsunade, Feng An warned that opening the seal might kill him, and eerie purple mist began pouring from the barrel.

• Feng An’s Wood Clones killed Sakon, Ukon, Tayuya, and Kidomaru before Shiranui Genma and Ashi Raido could act.
• Shikamaru Nara arrived to help, then Shizune and Tada Iwashii joined them and learned what had happened.
• Feng An asked Shikamaru to help carry the sealed barrel containing Sasuke, calling it a congratulatory gift for becoming a Chunin.
• Feng An used the Flying Thunder God Technique to take Shikamaru and the barrel to the Hokage’s office, where he warned Tsunade not to open the seal.
• After Shikamaru left, Tsunade approached the barrel, and eerie purple mist poured out of it.

Tsunade and Feng An watched Uchiha Sasuke emerge from the exploding barrel, and Tsunade confronted him about seeking power from Orochimaru. Feng An then asked Katsuyu about Slug Forest and senjutsu, while Sasuke listened in.

• Purple mist poured from the barrel before it exploded, and Feng An used Wind Release to clear the mist through a shattered window.
• Uchiha Sasuke emerged with altered skin and hair, laughed about his newfound power, then returned to normal and realized he was back in the village.
• Tsunade questioned Sasuke about Orochimaru, and Sasuke insisted that he needed power to kill Itachi Uchiha, even if it cost him his body.
• Tsunade proposed that Sasuke could leave for Orochimaru if he defeated Feng An, but Sasuke refused the challenge and secretly planned to escape that night.
• Feng An asked Tsunade about Slug Forest, so she summoned Katsuyu, who warned him that learning senjutsu carried deadly risks.
• Feng An explained that senjutsu required balancing Natural Energy with one's own energy, while Sasuke moved closer to listen.

Orochimaru seized a new vessel while his weakened former patient prepared to repay his kindness. At Slug Forest, the Slug Sage explained Sasuke’s Cursed Seal and revealed that Hashirama Senju learned Sage Jutsu there, but not from her.

• Orochimaru rejected Kabuto Yakushi’s prepared bodies and took the white-haired man’s body as his new vessel.
• The man connected to hospital equipment tore himself free and set out to repay Orochimaru’s kindness before he died.
• The Slug Sage identified Sasuke’s Cursed Seal as a replica that used Natural Energy to enhance its user, and Sasuke decided to seek Orochimaru.
• Tsunade resolved to have Kakashi watch Sasuke as he left.
• Feng An asked about Hashirama Senju’s Sage Jutsu, and the Slug Sage said he learned it in Slug Forest but not from her.

Feng An brought Hinata to meet the Slug Sage, who agreed to teach them Sage Mode and helped Hinata sign a Summoning Contract. The chapter ended with the Slug Sage telling Feng An to hold Hinata tightly before disappearing, leaving them both flustered at the suggestion.

• The Slug Sage explained that Hashirama Senju had developed his own Sage Mode after visiting the Slug Forest, which transformed his Wood Release into a living, self-sustaining force.
• Feng An told the Slug Sage that he wanted to learn both her Sage Mode and Hashirama Senju's, and then said he wanted Hinata to learn as well.
• Feng An used the Flying Thunder God Technique to bring Hinata to the Hokage's Office, where the Slug Sage agreed to let her try learning Sage Mode.
• Hinata signed a Summoning Contract with the Slug Sage and summoned a miniature version because she had little Chakra.
• The Slug Sage told Feng An to hold Hinata tightly before vanishing, and Hinata shyly asked if they were supposed to hug.

Feng An and Hinata were reverse-summoned to Slug Forest, where the Slug Sage guided them to a cavern and told them to sense the surrounding energy. Feng An discovered that the forest held an abundance of Natural Energy and began absorbing it.

• Kimimaro found the charred corpses of the Sound Four outside Konoha and set off to bring Orochimaru a new vessel.
• The Slug Sage used the Reverse Summoning Jutsu to bring Feng An and Hinata from the Hokage's office to Slug Forest.
• Feng An and Hinata followed the Slug Sage through the dark forest, with Feng An holding Hinata's hand as they walked.
• The Slug Sage brought them to an enormous cavern and explained that its true body might be about half the size of Slug Forest.
• Feng An and Hinata meditated to sense the strange energy around them, and Feng An began absorbing the abundant Natural Energy.

Feng An and Hinata began learning Sage Mode in Slug Forest after both proved able to absorb Natural Energy, while Kimimaro confronted Konoha’s two Guardian Gods at the village entrance.

• Feng An accidentally absorbed Natural Energy and nearly burst from the excess before the Slug Sage woke him.
• Hinata sensed Natural Energy within minutes and absorbed it, prompting the Slug Sage to explain her rare constitution and how she could safely cultivate Sage Mode.
• The Slug Sage taught Feng An and Hinata about Sage Mode and its dangers, then set two of her split bodies to watch over their practice.
• Kimimaro confronted Kotetsu Hagane and Mizuki Izumo at Konoha’s entrance, leaving both Guardian Gods intimidated by his strength.

Kimimaro attacked Kotetsu Hagane and Mizuki Izumo at Konoha's gate while demanding to know where Second Pillar was. Mizuki stayed behind to cover Kotetsu as he raced to alert the Hokage, leaving Mizuki badly wounded and Kimimaro still at the gate.

• Kimimaro blocked Kotetsu Hagane and Mizuki Izumo's twin-blade attack with bones protruding from his body, then cut Kotetsu's face.
• Kotetsu summoned his giant club while Mizuki used Water Candy Jutsu to trap Kimimaro, but Kimimaro blocked the club with his bone blade.
• Kimimaro fired Five-Finger Bullet into Mizuki, who staggered against the wall as Kotetsu attacked with the club and a shower of weapons.
• Mizuki urged Kotetsu to notify the Hokage and held Kimimaro back with Water Candy Jutsu, allowing Kotetsu to escape.
• Kimimaro's Ten-Finger Bullet struck Mizuki again, and Kotetsu ran as fast as he could to summon help.

Kimimaro, driven by his devotion to Orochimaru, rushed into the village to abduct the vessel Orochimaru desired, while Tsunade went to stop him. As Tsunade’s second punch closed in, Kimimaro activated Curse Mark Stage Two, which Tsunade recognized as Sage Transformation.

• Kimimaro broke free from Mizuki Izumo and hurried toward the village, intent on bringing back Orochimaru’s desired vessel.
• Kotetsu Hagane warned Tsunade that Orochimaru’s white-haired subordinate had attacked and that Mizuki Izumo might be dying.
• Tsunade sent Shizune and Katsuyu to find and treat Izumo, then set off alone to confront Kimimaro.
• Tsunade intercepted Kimimaro, who declared his devotion to Orochimaru and his determination to abduct the vessel before he died.
• Tsunade cracked the ground with her first punch, then aimed a second punch at Kimimaro as he lost his balance.
• Kimimaro activated Curse Mark Stage Two to avoid dying, and Tsunade identified the transformation as Sage Transformation.

Tsunade defeated Kimimaro with a single punch and returned to the Hokage’s office, where she learned Izumo had survived but might never serve as a ninja again. At the Sound Village, Orochimaru accepted the Sound Five’s failure and turned his attention to researching Jugo’s Sage Body.

• Tsunade struck Kimimaro unconscious and killed him by smashing his head into the ground before taking his body to the Root Base.
• The villagers praised Tsunade after she returned, while Kotetsu and Shizune told her Izumo had survived but suffered severe injuries.
• Tsunade ordered Kotetsu to take time off to care for Izumo and directed Shizune to reorganize the sensory division and restore Konoha’s detection barrier.
• Orochimaru and Kabuto concluded that the Sound Five had likely failed to bring Sasuke back, and Orochimaru refused to send Kabuto after him.
• Orochimaru decided to resume research on Jugo’s Sage Body and said he would make Jugo cooperate despite Kimimaro’s absence.

One year into their stay in Slug Forest, Feng An searched for the First Hokage's sage arts while Hinata trained without being able to learn the Slug Sage's techniques. After Hinata admitted the stay had brought her closer to Feng An, the Slug Sage resolved to find a way to make them leave.

• The Slug Sage served Feng An and Hinata green algae, but they chose to eat cup noodles and snacks instead.
• Feng An left to search for the First Hokage's sage arts, and Hinata went to train.
• The Slug Sage apologized that she could not teach Hinata sage arts because Hinata lacked Yang Release.
• Hinata told the Slug Sage that staying in Slug Forest had let her spend more time with Feng An.
• The Slug Sage, overwhelmed by witnessing their affection, decided she needed to find a way to make Feng An and Hinata leave.

Feng An found a Tree Spirit in Slug Forest and studied its vitality to improve his Wood Release. Meanwhile, Hinata heard a mysterious voice warning her that the ninja world created by its elder brother must not be destroyed.

• Feng An tracked a rustling sound to a towering tree and trapped it with Ghost Lantern flames.
• The Tree Spirit shrank to human size and insisted it knew nothing about senjutsu.
• Feng An revealed his Wood Release sapling and asked to observe the Tree Spirit’s vitality.
• The Tree Spirit agreed, and Feng An immediately began sensing its natural energy.
• Hinata continued training and gradually made out a gigantic humanoid silhouette.
• Hinata heard an aged voice call her the Byakugan Princess and warn that the ninja world must not be destroyed.