Recaps

Namikawa Yū chose Hiruko to join Tsunade and Orochimaru as his assistants, then expanded Konoha’s Intermediate Academy and research program. More than a year later, Orochimaru and Hiruko argued over whether immortality or gathering kekkei genkai was the greater goal.

• Namikawa Yū privately recruited Hiruko as an assistant alongside Tsunade and Orochimaru, and Hiruko eagerly shared the news with them.
• Orochimaru explained that Hiruko’s strong theory results suited the assistant role, while Tsunade reassured Jiraiya that he could study under a mentor after graduation.
• Namikawa Yū launched the Intermediate Academy with specialist instructors and retired veterans teaching, including Uzumaki clan experts in sealing techniques.
• After more than a year, Orochimaru proposed using cloned bodies and transferred consciousness to gain immortality and acquire kekkei genkai.
• Hiruko described his Chimera Technique, which would absorb other people’s kekkei genkai into his own body, and argued that absolute power mattered more than immortality.
• Orochimaru dismissed Hiruko’s pursuit of power as temporary and insisted that immortality was the only truth.

Orochimaru and Hiruko argued over the risks of their Reincarnation and Chimera techniques, and Namikawa Yū warned them about their flaws. He agreed to let Hiruko test the Chimera Technique and chose the First Hokage’s Wood Release as the Kekkei Genkai to be devoured.

• Orochimaru and Hiruko argued that the other’s technique risked mental contamination or bodily rejection.
• Tsunade criticized their talk of taking other people’s bodies and Kekkei Genkai, then warned them against coveting her Senju bloodline or Tsugi’s Sharingan.
• Namikawa Yū cautioned both researchers to limit their techniques, advising Hiruko to devour no more than two Kekkei Genkai and Orochimaru not to reincarnate too often.
• Namikawa Yū said the Chimera Technique was ready for a real test, and Hiruko volunteered to undergo it.
• Namikawa Yū agreed to use Hiruko as the test subject and chose the First Hokage’s Wood Release as the Kekkei Genkai.

Hiruko underwent the Chimera Technique and successfully gained Wood Release from First Hokage's Cells, though Namikawa Yū expected his power to remain far below the First Hokage's. Kagami Uchiha warned that the technique could destabilize Konoha, and Namikawa Yū agreed to classify it as a forbidden jutsu requiring the Hokage's approval.

• Namikawa Yū and the laboratory staff prepared Hiruko for the Chimera Technique after confirming his condition was stable.
• The First Hokage's Cells began spreading through Hiruko's body, so Namikawa Yū activated the backup plan to contain them.
• After most of a day, Hiruko's body stabilized as the cells merged with his chakra, and Namikawa Yū judged that he would likely reach Yamato's level rather than the First Hokage's.
• Hiruko screamed as the readings surged and settled, confirming that he had successfully gained Wood Release.
• Kagami Uchiha warned Namikawa Yū that widespread use of the Chimera Technique would make bloodline ninja targets and sow hostility in Konoha.
• Namikawa Yū agreed to classify the technique as a forbidden jutsu that could only be used with the Hokage's approval.

Namikawa Yū used the Chimera Technique on himself and absorbed the First Hokage's Cells, gaining Wood Release and greatly increasing his chakra. After two years of Konoha’s rapid growth, Shimura Danzō and his companions returned to the prosperous village and warned that war was about to begin.

• Namikawa Yū sealed the Chimera Technique from most people and used Shadow Clones to perform the surgery on himself.
• Namikawa Yū released Karma, which suppressed and absorbed the Hashirama Cells, giving him Wood Release and vastly more chakra.
• Namikawa Yū decided to wait before attempting to devour the Kinkaku Brothers so his body could adapt.
• Two years later, Shimura Danzō and his companions returned from a mission and saw how prosperous Konoha had become.
• Shimura Danzō said they would need to keep working to protect Konoha because war was about to begin.

Namikawa Yū learned that Kumogakure was moving against the Land of Whirlpools and arranged for Konoha’s forces to delay the attack until reinforcements arrived. He then returned to his laboratory, where he prepared to test his research on nine-tails chakra with the Nine-Tails.

• Shimura Danzō told Namikawa Yū that Kumogakure’s forces were heading toward the Land of Whirlpools, and Namikawa Yū summoned Konoha’s leaders to discuss the threat.
• Namikawa Yū decided that Konoha would defend the Land of Whirlpools, and Utatane Koharu reported that about eight hundred troops could be deployed from the nearby base.
• Namikawa Yū ordered Uchiha Kawaaki, Uchiha Setsuna, and the other defenders to hold Kumogakure off for at least three days, while Shimura Danzō said they should help the Uzumaki Clan evacuate if the base fell.
• Namikawa Yū said he would go to the battlefield himself if needed, then returned to his laboratory to begin testing his research into nine-tails chakra.
• The Nine-Tails sensed Namikawa Yū’s arrival while absorbing natural energy and greeted him.

Namikawa Yū discussed the Nine-Tails’ rapid growth through a Senjutsu system he had developed for tailed beasts and proposed merging the Nine-Tails’ trained clone with its original body using the Chimera Technique. With war approaching, he then asked for the Nine-Tails’ power to test whether he could absorb its chakra and strengthen his Wood Release.

• Namikawa Yū praised the Nine-Tails’ enlarged clone, which had grown stronger through Senjutsu training and soldier pills.
• The Nine-Tails regretted that its original body, sealed inside Uzumaki Mito, could not train, and Namikawa Yū proposed using the Chimera Technique to fuse the clone into it.
• Namikawa Yū told the Nine-Tails that war was approaching and that he needed its power for an experiment.
• The Nine-Tails sensed Senju Hashirama’s presence in Namikawa Yū’s chakra, and Namikawa Yū demonstrated his Wood Release by growing a sapling into a tree.
• Namikawa Yū prepared to test whether his Hashirama-derived abilities would let him absorb Nine-Tails chakra and enhance his Wood Release.

Namikawa Yū prepared to absorb Nine-Tails' chakra while keeping Shimura Danzō's Root from acting against the Land of Whirlpools without the Hokage's approval. After checking that Utatane Koharu would monitor Danzo, Namikawa Yū went to meet Uzumaki Mito, who remarked that he rarely visited.

• Namikawa Yū accepted the danger of absorbing Nine-Tails' chakra, and Nine-Tails told him to prepare for the experiment.
• Shimura Danzō ordered Root to relocate targets in the Land of Whirlpools and kill them if Kumogakure captured the country, but Root members refused to mobilize without the Hokage's written order.
• Namikawa Yū learned of Danzo's order and asked Utatane Koharu to keep a closer watch on him so his methods would not harm Konoha's people or allies.
• Utatane Koharu told Namikawa Yū that Uzumaki Mito wanted to see him, and he went to the Senju Clan's ancestral grounds that evening.
• Uzumaki Mito greeted Namikawa Yū and remarked that he only visited when he needed something, while he explained that his Hokage duties kept him busy.

Namikawa Yū discussed Danzo’s threat to the Uzumaki Clan and the approaching danger to the Land of Whirlpools with Uzumaki Mito. He planned to monitor Danzo and use his preparations to protect the Uzumaki, though he knew the clan’s vulnerability would remain unless they relocated.

• Uzumaki Mito noticed that Namikawa Yū had Hashirama’s aura and learned he had used the Chimera Technique on himself.
• Namikawa Yū told Uzumaki Mito he would classify the Chimera Technique as forbidden and restrict access to those who needed it.
• Uzumaki Mito urged Namikawa Yū to kill Danzo over his plan to eliminate the Uzumaki orphans, but Namikawa Yū chose to keep him alive and watch him closely.
• Namikawa Yū told Uzumaki Mito that an attack on the Land of Whirlpools was likely and that he had made preparations two years earlier.
• Namikawa Yū said his arrival could deter Kumogakure temporarily, but relocating the Uzumaki Clan and its valuable resources to Konoha was the lasting solution.

Namikawa Yū persuaded Uzumaki Mito to support moving the Uzumaki Clan from the Land of Whirlpools to Konoha, promising them their own territory and aid. He then asked Mito to witness his proposal to Tsunade, and she wondered how Tsunade would react.

• Namikawa Yū argued that the Uzumaki Clan would be safer joining Konoha than relying on the alliance for protection.
• Namikawa Yū offered the clan self-governed territory in the Land of Fire and annual financial support, and Uzumaki Mito agreed to the relocation plan.
• Uzumaki Mito offered to help on the battlefield if needed, and Namikawa Yū accepted her offer.
• Uzumaki Mito asked Namikawa Yū about Tsunade's feelings, and he asked her to witness his proposal to Tsunade.
• Namikawa Yū revealed that he and Tsunade had already been dating, while Uzumaki Mito wondered how Tsunade would respond to his proposal.

Tsunade repeatedly celebrated Namikawa Yū’s proposal, while Orochimaru and Hiruko discussed marriage and decided to prepare him a gift. Namikawa Yū began a dangerous operation to absorb the Nine-Tails’ cells, and the chapter left him confronting a mindless, calamity-like Nine-Tails within a hazy black space.

• Tsunade delightedly repeated that she would marry Tsugi, annoying Uzumaki Mito and prompting Nawaki to tease her.
• Tsunade announced her upcoming wedding to Orochimaru and Hiruko, who questioned her compatibility with Namikawa Yū and decided to give him a gift.
• Namikawa Yū prepared a transformation ritual using the Nine-Tails’ cells, the First Hokage’s cells, and chakra gems as insurance for his Karma.
• Namikawa Yū used clones to operate on himself and injected the essence of the Nine-Tails’ flesh and blood.
• The Nine-Tails’ resentment overwhelmed Namikawa Yū with destructive urges, but a preset barrier restrained him as he encountered a mindless Nine-Tails in a hazy black space.

Namikawa Yū subdued the Nine-Tails’ will in his mental space and absorbed its flesh, gaining a controlled Nine-Tails Chakra Mode. He brought the Nine-Tails to a plain outside Konoha to test his new power.

• Namikawa Yū used Wood Release to overwhelm and silence the Nine-Tails’ manifestation in his mental space.
• The real Nine-Tails sensed Namikawa Yū’s success and accepted that he would wield its power without bringing it shame.
• Namikawa Yū’s Karma markings faded as the Nine-Tails’ flesh fused with his body, giving him the ability to produce and control Nine-Tails chakra.
• Namikawa Yū formed a golden chakra claw that tore apart the testing apparatus.
• Namikawa Yū used Flying Thunder God to take himself and the Nine-Tails to a plain outside Konoha, then activated his Tailed Beast Cloak.

Namikawa Yū used his newly acquired Nine-Tails chakra to match the Nine-Tails’ attacks, including a Tailed Beast Ball, but acknowledged that he could not outlast the tailed beast. He rejected the Nine-Tails’ offer to become his Jinchūriki, preferring to rely on power he could personally possess and bring back from reincarnation.

• The Nine-Tails attacked Namikawa Yū with a massive claw, but Yū’s golden chakra cloak formed a demon fox that blocked the strike.
• The Nine-Tails fired a Tailed Beast Ball, and Yū answered with one of his own, surprising the Nine-Tails with his mastery of the technique.
• Yū ended his Tailed Beast Chakra Mode and explained that his human chakra reserves could not match the Nine-Tails’ in a prolonged fight.
• The Nine-Tails offered to stay inside Yū after Uzumaki Mito died, but Yū refused because he preferred to trust himself rather than imprison another being inside his body.
• Yū reflected that absorbing the Nine-Tails’ flesh and blood would give him power he could count as his own and bring back from reincarnation, completing his goal of removing his final weakness.

Namikawa Yū reflected on his strength and his inability to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan before turning to other matters. That night, Kumogakure attacked the Land of Whirlpools, and Uzumaki Sōmei realized Namikawa Yū’s warning had been accurate as his clan struggled to hold the invaders back.

• Namikawa Yū considered his chakra limitations, his recent power gains, and his desire for a Mangekyo Sharingan.
• Namikawa Yū reasoned that Uchiha Madara was likely still in hiding and decided to leave that matter for later.
• Kumogakure attacked the Land of Whirlpools at night, setting off alarms and shaking the island’s barrier.
• Uzumaki Sōmei recognized the attackers as Kumogakure shinobi and remembered Namikawa Yū’s warning from two years earlier.
• Uzumaki Clan shinobi used the barrier to hold off the Kumogakure forces temporarily, though their position appeared precarious.

The Uzumaki Clan struggled to hold off Kumogakure while waiting for Konoha’s aid, and Uzumaki Sōmei prepared to evacuate the children, especially Kushina, if the defense fell. Konoha’s eight hundred elite reinforcements arrived within half a day, but the Third Raikage immediately attacked their barrier with his Four Fingers Thrust.

• Uzumaki Sōmei ordered his clan to keep fighting and told Uzumaki Taro to protect the children, especially Kushina, by taking them to Konoha if necessary.
• Namikawa Yū ordered the Konoha force near the Land of Whirlpools to deploy and reinforce the Uzumaki Clan.
• Uchiha Kawaaki and Uchiha Setsuna prepared to lead the reinforcements, despite the Uchiha Clan’s history of hostility with the Uzumaki Clan.
• Uchiha Kawaaki arrived with eight hundred elite ninja after half a day and reunited with his old opponent, Uzumaki Sōmei.
• Uchiha Kawaaki warned that Kumogakure’s force was stronger than expected, and the Third Raikage struck the barrier with his Four Fingers Thrust.

The Third Raikage shattered the Land of Whirlpools’ defenses, forcing Uzumaki Sōmei and Uchiha Kawaaki to confront him. Kawaaki’s attempt to trap the Raikage failed, and the chapter ended as the Raikage’s Three Fingers Thrust struck at him.

• The Third Raikage broke through the barrier, and Uzumaki Sōmei realized the defense was in grave danger.
• Uzumaki Sōmei and Uchiha Kawaaki charged the Third Raikage, but his speed and power overwhelmed their attacks.
• Uzumaki Sōmei proposed using the Reaper Death Seal if Kawaaki could hold the Raikage in place for one breath.
• Uchiha Kawaaki used explosive tags and a Great Fireball Technique to try to trap the Raikage, but the Raikage charged through the fireball.
• The Third Raikage reached Kawaaki and thrust three fingers toward him as Uzumaki Sōmei watched in alarm.

Namikawa Yū arrived in the Land of Whirlpools with Konoha’s elite and rescued the exhausted Uzumaki Sōmei from the Third Raikage’s attack. The Raikage refused to withdraw, and Namikawa Yū faced him in battle with wind blades that threatened his Lightning Release Armor.

• Namikawa Yū used a Flying Thunder God mark to teleport beside Uchiha Kawaaki and save him from the Third Raikage’s Strongest Spear.
• Namikawa Yū revealed that he had brought more than a dozen Konoha elites, including Mitokado Homura, Kagami Uchiha, Shimura Danzō, Torifu Akimichi, and Uzumaki Mito.
• Uzumaki Mito reunited with Uzumaki Sōmei and told him to rest after his prolonged fight against Kumogakure.
• The Third Raikage judged that his five thousand ninja outnumbered Konoha’s eight hundred guards and refused Namikawa Yū’s appeal to keep the peace.
• The Third Raikage charged Namikawa Yū, who swung a kunai and unleashed wind blades powerful enough to threaten the Raikage’s Lightning Release Armor.

Namikawa Yū fought the Third Raikage, using Flying Thunder God to mark him before countering his lightning net with Wood Release. He overwhelmed the Third Raikage with a wood dragon, leaving the Raikage badly battered and the nearby fighters astonished.

• The Third Raikage charged Namikawa Yū, who dodged his attacks and struck him with a Rasengan.
• Namikawa Yū used Flying Thunder God to place a mark on the Third Raikage, allowing him to teleport directly to his opponent.
• The Third Raikage spread a lightning net across the battlefield to track and paralyze Namikawa Yū, but Namikawa Yū cut it off with Tree Root Burial.
• Namikawa Yū summoned a wood dragon that caught the Third Raikage and smashed him into the ground.
• Uzumaki Mito and the nearby fighters watched Namikawa Yū's Wood Release, which reminded them of Senju Hashirama's power.
• Namikawa Yū rode the wood dragon as it struck the Third Raikage again, nearly overwhelming him despite his Lightning Release Armor.

Namikawa Yū and Uzumaki Mito overwhelmed the Kumogakure forces, and Namikawa Yū defeated the Third Raikage with Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence. The Third Raikage was subdued, leaving the Kumogakure ninja stunned.

• Namikawa Yū warned the Third Raikage to surrender, then revealed that Uzumaki Mito would use the Basho Fan against the Kumogakure troops.
• Uzumaki Mito unleashed the Basho Fan’s Five Elements Burst, inflicting heavy casualties on the Kumogakure forces.
• The Third Raikage tried to stop Mito, but Namikawa Yū blocked his path, while Shimura Danzō condemned Kumogakure’s surprise attack.
• The Third Raikage challenged Namikawa Yū to a duel, and Namikawa Yū accepted, offering to let the Kumogakure forces withdraw if the Raikage won.
• Namikawa Yū used Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence to shatter the Third Raikage’s Lightning Release Armor and drain his chakra until he was subdued.
• The Kumogakure ninja reacted in disbelief as Namikawa Yū assessed the defeated Third Raikage’s strength.

After defeating the Third Raikage, Namikawa Yū forced Kumogakure to negotiate by pointing out that its five thousand ninja were trapped in the Land of Whirlpools. He demanded part of the Eight-Tails and the Yotsuki Clan’s Lightning Release techniques, then offered to exchange the latter for the Flying Thunder God Technique.

• Namikawa Yū defeated the Third Raikage but spared him and proposed negotiations.
• Shimura Danzō demanded compensation from Kumogakure, while its representatives tried to blame Konoha for the Raikage’s injury.
• Namikawa Yū warned the Third Raikage that Konoha and the Uzumaki Clan controlled the Land of Whirlpools and its ships, leaving Kumogakure’s five thousand ninja trapped.
• Namikawa Yū asked for one tentacle of the Eight-Tails, and the Third Raikage agreed to provide it.
• Namikawa Yū demanded the Yotsuki Clan’s Lightning Release Chakra Mode techniques and proposed exchanging them for the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Namikawa Yū negotiated Kumogakure’s surrender terms with the Third Raikage, offering him a choice of two techniques from Konoha’s Scroll of Seals in exchange for Lightning Release Chakra Mode. He then demanded that Kumogakure recognize Konoha Bank’s Ninja Coins and began persuading the Raikage with the promise of interest-free loans.

• Namikawa Yū rejected trading away the Flying Thunder God Technique but offered the Third Raikage two other techniques from a screened version of Konoha’s Scroll of Seals.
• The Third Raikage accepted the offer, judging it a reasonable concession for the defeated Kumogakure.
• Namikawa Yū demanded that Kumogakure recognize the Ninja Coins issued by Konoha Bank and showed the Raikage a banknote.
• Namikawa Yū explained that Ninja Coins had become the mainstream currency in the Land of Fire and that he wanted them to circulate in the Land of Lightning.
• Namikawa Yū pointed out the difficulties Kumogakure faced when seeking funds from its Daimyo and offered interest-free loans from Konoha Bank.

Namikawa Yū secured Kumogakure’s agreement to let the Konoha Group expand across the Land of Lightning in exchange for investments and profits. After the negotiations, he urged Uzumaki Sōmei to reconsider relocating the Uzumaki Clan to the Land of Fire.

• Namikawa Yū offered Kumogakure interest-free loans and investments in exchange for protecting Konoha Group operations in the Land of Lightning, and the Third Raikage agreed.
• The Kumogakure delegation departed satisfied, while Shimura Danzō predicted they would eventually regret the deal.
• Utatane Koharu, Mitokado Homura, and Shimura Danzō began cleaning up the Land of Whirlpools battlefield.
• Namikawa Yū reminded Uzumaki Sōmei that he had warned him about Kumogakure and invited the Uzumaki Clan to relocate to the Land of Fire, where Konoha would provide them territory.

Namikawa Yū persuaded Uzumaki Sōmei to relocate the Uzumaki Clan to land near Konoha while retaining a presence in the Land of Whirlpools. He then told Uzumaki Mito that Uchiha Madara might have survived his battle with Hashirama by using Izanagi.

• Namikawa Yū offered the Uzumaki Clan land near Konoha, protection for its interests, and a seat on Konoha's advisory council.
• Uzumaki Sōmei agreed to relocate the clan after consulting its elders, while leaving some ordinary clan members in the Land of Whirlpools.
• Namikawa Yū asked Uzumaki Mito to teach him the Reaper Death Seal, explaining that it could help him face a powerful enemy.
• Namikawa Yū revealed that he suspected Uchiha Madara had survived and explained that Madara could have used Izanagi to escape death.
• Uzumaki Mito accepted that Madara's survival was possible but doubted he would have hidden and waited to cause trouble again.

Namikawa Yū gained Uzumaki Mito’s agreement to teach him the Reaper Death Seal, then anticipated that his Wood Release would attract Black Zetsu’s attention. Black Zetsu discovered that Namikawa Yū carried a trace of Otsutsuki Kaguya’s presence and reported his findings to Uchiha Madara, who became interested in the Uchiha with Wood Release.

• Namikawa Yū explained to Uzumaki Mito that he wanted the Reaper Death Seal as a precaution against Uchiha Madara, and she agreed to teach him.
• Uzumaki Mito urged Namikawa Yū to prepare for his wedding with Tsunade, and he agreed.
• Namikawa Yū suspected Black Zetsu had noticed his Wood Release and began considering what might come next.
• Black Zetsu sensed that Namikawa Yū possessed Asura’s chakra and a faint presence resembling Otsutsuki Kaguya’s, but found he was not Indra’s reincarnation.
• Black Zetsu returned to Uchiha Madara and reported what he had learned, prompting Uchiha Madara to take an interest in Namikawa Yū.

Uzumaki Sōmei and most of the Uzumaki Clan moved from the Land of Whirlpools to land near Konoha, where they marveled at the prosperous village and their new home. Meanwhile, Uchiha Madara considered Namikawa Yū as a potential agent but dismissed the idea and continued cultivating his powers.

• Uchiha Madara heard reports about Namikawa Yū and regretted that the Hokage could not serve as his agent for the Eye of the Moon Plan.
• Uchiha Madara briefly manifested the Rinnegan while drawing on Yin Release and Yang Release, then resumed his cultivation.
• Uzumaki Sōmei and the other migrants arrived in Konoha and were astonished by its modern streets, vehicles, shops, and prosperous residents.
• Mitokado Homura welcomed the Uzumaki Clan and led them to the land Namikawa Yū had arranged for their settlement.
• Uzumaki Sōmei and the others admired the fertile land, while most of the clan had already agreed to leave the Land of Whirlpools.
• Mitokado Homura told the Uzumaki Clan that Namikawa Yū had arranged supplies to help them settle, and Konoha's clans reacted differently to their arrival.

The Hyuga Clan held a meeting as its leaders confronted how their conservatism had left them behind Konoha’s reforms and other clans’ growing wealth and influence. With Branch Family members growing dissatisfied and their combat advantages eroding, the Clan Head acknowledged that they could no longer keep living as before.

• The Hyuga Clan Head and Elders discussed how other clans had gained wealth, status, and new opportunities through Konoha’s development.
• The elders recognized that the Hyuga Clan had repeatedly avoided Konoha’s reforms, including school enrollment, construction projects, and expansion.
• The Hyuga leaders noted that Konoha’s expanding education system was producing ninjas who could rival the Hyuga despite lacking clan backgrounds.
• The Clan Head admitted that most Hyuga clansmen were dissatisfied because other clans had grown wealthier while their own lives remained unchanged.